OSWEGO, N.Y. -- A college student is under quarantine in Oswego County after returning from a country hit by the coronavirus, county officials announced Monday. The student, who goes to college outside the county, is under the voluntary quarantine at home as a precaution, county officials said in a news release. The student does not have any symptoms of the disease and is being monitored every day by the Oswego County Health Department, officials said. The student had traveled to a country that has had person-to-person spread of the virus, officials said. They did not identify the country or the college the student attends. Jiancheng Huang, Oswego County public health director, said the county is working closely with the state Department of Health to prepare for and monitor the county population for an outbreak of coronavirus. Huang said residents should follow the same steps they would take to avoid catching the flu: Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially before eating. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Get a flu shot. Stay home if you are sick or experiencing symptoms, such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, and then throw the tissue in the trash. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces. Call your health care provider if you are experiencing symptoms. Do not go to urgent care or an emergency department for COVID-19 testing. Use the emergency department for life-threatening conditions. 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 T he Amazon rainforest could "collapse" in just "a few decades", according to a new scientific study. Writing for journal Nature Communications, researchers said that ecosystems like the Amazon and some coral reefs are deteriorating faster than expected. Using data from computer models, scientists claim that the Amazon could transform into "a savannah-type ecosystem with a mix of trees and grass in 49 years. Caribbean coral reefs spanning nearly 8,000 square miles could bleach and lose much of their population within 15 years, according to the scientists. Coral reefs may "collapse" faster than expected / Shutterstock The research team included scientists from Bangor University, Southampton University and the School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London. They studied data on the transformations of four land, 25 marine and 13 freshwater ecosystems. Dr Simon Willcock, of Bangor Universitys School of Natural Sciences, who was one of the study's lead authors, said: Unfortunately, what our paper reveals is that humanity needs to prepare for changes far sooner than expected. These rapid changes to the worlds largest and most iconic ecosystems would impact the benefits which they provide us with, including everything from food and materials, to the oxygen and water we need for life. The researchers found that larger ecosystems are likely to collapse slower than their smaller counterparts - although once the breakdown begins in large ecosystems it takes place faster. Professor John Dearing of Southampton University, who led the research, added: We intuitively knew that big systems would collapse more slowly than small ones due to the time it takes for impacts to diffuse across large distances. But what was unexpected was the finding that big systems collapse much faster than you might expect even the largest on Earth only taking possibly a few decades. But Dr Erika Berenguer of the University of Oxford and Lancaster University, who was not involved in the study, took issue with the scientists' findings. She said that the researchers' claims about Amazon will become a savannah-type ecosystem were untested because they didn't use data from a tropical rainforest. Dr Berenguer continued: While there is no doubt that the Amazon is at great risk and that a tipping point is likely, such inflated claims do not help either science or policy-making. Last night, Compass planes completed their scheduled flights, with the last flight reaching Sydney at 10.50. Late in the evening, a provisional liquidator, Mr. Richard Barber, was appointed to Southern Cross. The receiver for Compass Airlines parent, Southern Cross Airlines Holdings, late yesterday gave up his fight to keep Australias third domestic carrier aloft. Ten security officers acting for the provisional liquidator took possession of the twin-engine McDonnell Douglas jet as soon as the last passenger entered the airport terminal. A spokesman for the Transport Minister, Senator Collins, said last night that the Government was concerned about passengers booked to fly with Compass. He said he understood that Australian and Ansett Airlines had told the liquidator they would help move stranded passengers. The Government expected further information on the airlines position from the liquidator today. Until its receivership, Compass had taken insurance on all tickets it issued, and this arrangement is expected to be honored by the insurers. For its one week of receivership, tickets issued were guaranteed by Mr. Barber, who was appointed receiver of Compass a week ago. The Queensland Supreme Court was told yesterday that Compass planes would not fly again. The court was also told by Mr. Barber that his investigations of Southern Cross suggested it had deposited large sums of money with a US-based company as security deposits for aircraft leases. As cities contemplate canceling parades, businesses require employees to work from home and universities implement online classes due to concerns of the coronavirus, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey warned the public Tuesday to be mindful of scams related to the virus. Healey said scams related to vaccines, health insurance and health products are on the rise. Specifically, Healey warned against high-priced or low-quality products. Healey encouraged the public to read health recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding products such as hand sanitizers and face masks. Healey also reiterated that currently a vaccine for the virus doesnt exist. She said the public should ignore any product that advertises a vaccine or medicine for the virus. Healey suggested consulting a doctor prior to purchasing any medical product. The attorney general also warned the public of unauthorized or fraudulent charities linked to coronavirus. If you would like to donate to a charity that is addressing the coronavirus, make sure its a legitimate charity, do not donate with cash and dont be pressured, Healey said in a tweet. The scams can come in the form of phone calls, emails and texts, she said. Healey said the public shouldnt open anything from an unfamiliar sender. Scams can also come in the form of fraudulent health insurance, Healey said. Anyone thats experienced a problem with a health insurance claim or may be the victim of a scam, should contact the attorney generals health care division at 1-888-830-6277. Healey also suggested canceling travel and seeking a refund. Healey said if travel is required consult the CDCs travel guidelines. If a flight is canceled, a refund may be possible. Healey said her office could provide assistance in receiving a refund. Beyond financial scams, Healey warned of false information and said the public should rely on the CDC, World Health Organization and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for information regarding coronavirus. The DPH announced Monday that there are 40 presumptive positive cases across Massachusetts and one confirmed case. Related Content: By Trend In accordance with the mandate of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, the OSCE mission will hold a monitoring on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops in Aghdam district on March 11, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. On the Azerbaijani side, the monitoring will be held by field assistants of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ghennadie Petrica and Martin Schuster. On the Azerbaijani territories occupied and controlled by Armenian armed forces, the monitoring will be conducted by field assistants of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Mihail Olaru and Ognjen Jovic. 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. Before we looked at the data, we already knew about the meteoric rise of Chromebooks since their introduction in 2011 but their sheer dominance in the schools market is astounding to see. The data, which describes usage patterns across US K12 learning products since 2012, comes from assessment solutions provider Learnosity, whose technology boasts 14.8 million monthly active users. Informed by data derived from their millions of users, the company has created a short video to illustrate the race between tech giants for classroom dominance in the US over the last 8 years. The resulting bar chart shows one company clearly outmanoeuvring its rivals. Before we looked at the data, we already knew about the meteoric rise of Chromebooks since their introduction in 2011 but their sheer dominance in the schools market is astounding to see, said Gavin Cooney, Learnosity CEO. As of a year ago, Google said that 30 million Chromebooks were used in education, and our data suggests that Google continues to absolutely crush it. Equally remarkable is how quickly Windows has died as the dominant operating system in education. The factors behind Chromebooks success include: -Lower-cost devices. -An ecosystem of free tech (with apps like Google Classroom, Slides and Keep). -No local storage as its cloud-based. If youre building an assessment product, its invaluable to know the most (and least) commonly used operating systems when functionality testing for the majority of users. Just make sure you build for Chromebooks (including offline) when building an education product, said Cooney. Incidentally, were seeing usage of Internet Explorer plummet to 0.24%, so youre probably safe to save the expense and finally scratch it off the list of browsers you test on. About Learnosity Learnosity is an edtech company specializing in assessment solutions with offices in Sydney, New York, LA, and Dublin. Offering a suite of flexible authoring, assessment, and analytics APIs, Learnosity enables organizations from a wide range of sectors to easily incorporate powerful assessment capabilities into any digital product, allowing clients to dramatically reduce their development cycles and time-to-market while availing of innovative, industry-leading software. For enquiries or information, please contact: marketing(at)learnosity(dot)com. Residents wait at a rest area after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at a mobile station in Hong Kong on Sunday. (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Few of the citys older residents have been fully inoculated, leaving them highly vulnerable as the city battles an outbreak of the new variant. By PTI ISLAMABAD: Pakistan witnessed a sudden increase in coronavirus cases with the number of patients rising to 19 on Tuesday, officials said. All but one of the new 19 cases were reported from Sindh province -- 10 in provincial capital Karachi and one in Hyderabad, officials said. The other case was the first COVID-19 incidence in Quetta, capital of Balochistan province which borders Iran. Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza, in a morning update, said nine new cases were identified in Karachi, capital of Sindh province. "I can confirm 9 new cases of #COVID19 in Karachi. This makes a total of 16 cases in Pakistan," Mirza said. He said that "all these cases are contacts of an already confirmed case" and authorities were testing more people who were in contact with the infected people. In the evening, media coordinator to the Sindh Health Minister Meeran Yousuf updated the total number of cases by two more. "The first case is from Hyderabad and the patient arrived from Syria via Doha. The second case is from Karachi and the patient arrived from Iran via Dubai," she tweeted. Quetta's first coronavirus case was identified as a 12-year-old boy, who belongs to Dadu district in Sindh but lived in Quetta, said Dr Noorullah Musakhail, medical superintendent at Fatima Jinnah Hospital in Quetta. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah asked all hospitals to share the record of patients with the symptoms of pneumonia to further investigate them. The Sindh Health Department on Monday night said one new case surfaced in Karachi but Mirza announced after midnight that nine cases were identified. According to officials, five of the new patients came to Karachi from Syria via Doha while three persons came from London via Dubai during the past week. Meeran Yousuf said authorities were trying to track down all their contacts for further testing in order to contain spread of the virus. The Pakistan government has decided to extend the partial closure of the border with Afghanistan by another seven days. So far, no coronavirus related death has been reported in Pakistan. One of the COVID-19 patients in Karachi has recovered and was allowed to go home on Saturday last week. The virus that first originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year has claimed over 4,000 lives and infected more than 110,000 across 100 nations and territories. The World Health Organisation last week raised the global virus risk to maximum level after the outbreak spread to sub-Saharan Africa and stock markets around the world plummeted. Paulami Sen By Express News Service Shalmali Kholgade recently released a girl-power anthem called Kalle Kalle and within 24 hours the video crossed the one million mark on YouTube. Excited and overwhelmed, she spoke to us over the phone from Vadodara in Gujarat, where she was performing the song live for the first time. The track is all about celebrating life as a newly single girl who is finally free from a toxic relationship with a man who does not understand her worth, shares Shalmali and explains that Kalle Kalle translates to the lone one in Punjabi. She was aware of the chatter that the song may do well, but she hadnt anticipated the kind of love she would get for it from her fans. Produced by Big Bang Music, the lyrics remain relatable and the tune is high-tempo which takes a brief slow breather towards the end and finishes on a high-note. The lyrics are written by rapper Mellow D and music has been composed by Akull. From lending her vocals to memorable numbers like Balam Pichkari and Lat Lag Gayee, Shalmali has worked with some of the biggest music directors like Vishal-Shekhar and Amit Trivedi. She was always known for her strong vocals but in the video that just came out, one got to see the dancer in her. Choreographed by Caesar Gonsalves, one half of the popular Bollywood duo Bosco-Caesar, the song sees her dancing like theres no tomorrow! I have done live shows with over 100 minutes of choreography and have been working on that performer persona for more than two years. Also, the fact that I have years of training in kathak and hip-hop, makes me the performer that I am, says the musician, who derives inspiration from the likes of Beyonce and Amy Winehouse. The song is also the second one in her relationship series. Before Kalle Kalle, she had released Ruka Ruka, a rock love ballad about a couple struggling to cope with the bad times but still stay strong. The video, directed by Dar Gai, also features actor Aparshakti Khurana, and had become popular too. In her latest release, the 30-year-old pushes the envelope of pop music and dance, thereby highlighting that she can shift between genres seamlessly. To be fluid is my aim, she shares, adding that she is planning to compile all her singles into an EP soon. With the third one too, I want to take the narrative ahead, says the musician, signing off. The song is available on music streaming services. The organizers, financial supporters and volunteers hoping to bring passenger ferries to the Portland area said Tuesday they are making progress and still hope to launch the commuter transit service in spring 2023. Susan Bladholm, founder of the nonprofit Friends of Frog Ferry group, said she also believes theres still time to include public dollars for the ferry proposal in the Metro regional governments $7 billion transportation package expected to appear on the ballot in November. Were doing everything we can on our end, Bladholm said, saying there is still time for the Metro council to make room for us this fall. Were feeling good about it, candidly, Bladholm said, adding that Metro Council President Lynn Peterson has been very supportive of this, but time will tell. Peterson didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. Nick Christensen, a Metro spokesman, said projects on the second tier of options being considered in the November ballot measure must have a local sponsor. We are unaware of any such application or support from Frog Ferry. Metro continues to support their research into the viability of the system, he said in an email. Bladholm said shes banking that a comprehensive study of the ferrys financial and operational viability, expected to be released this summer, could move the needle and answer some lingering questions from the general public and large bureaucracies alike. That study is being paid for largely by a $200,000 state grant and $40,000 from the Portland transportation bureau. This is really an important plan, Bladholm said. The document will include a deeper dive into the projects financial viability, what types of infrastructure like docks may be needed, and how a ferry system would be maintained and operated and how best to pay for it. If that report shows the system is financially and economically viable, Bladholm said, she plans to go to public agencies and ask for support. The ferry idea calls for a roughly 100- to 149-person vessel that would transport passengers from Vancouver to downtown Portland. That trip would take roughly 38 minutes, with a shorter commute on the way back to Washington, given that the Willamette River flows north. Bladholm envisions a scalable approach that would potentially add up to 9 stations along the route, with stops in St. Johns, Sellwood, and potentially suburban points to the south like Milwaukie, Lake Oswego and Oregon City. A ferry from Cathedral Park in St. Johns to downtown would take 16 minutes. The group is proposing to use lower-profile boats along the entire route, so bridge lifts are not necessary. Frog Ferry president Susan Bladholm (center right) and Portland Business Alliance's prsident Andrew Hoan (center left) at a March 10, 2020 news conference about the nascent passenger ferry proposal. During a news conference with views of the Willamette from The Portland Business Alliances downtown offices, Bladholm said much has happened in the past 15 months since she last spoke publicly about the ferry plan. The nascent effort is now formally a nonprofit, she said, and she envisions an operations model loosely based on the Portland Streetcars setup. The streetcar is run by a nonprofit, which has its own board of directors, but the vehicles are owned by the city. Dan Bower, the executive director of the streetcar, sits on the ferry groups board. Bladholm said ferry service in Portland is financially viable, in part, because theres a large pot of untapped federal support available. She said Oregon is one of 10 states that doesnt seek government support through the Federal Transit Administrations grant program to support ferry operations. Unlike bus or rail projects, which now typically draw a 50% federal match, ferry proposals can receive up to 80% from the federal government. Last year, the feds distributed $33 million to various states for ferry programs. But its still unclear how much demand exists for a ferry system in Portland and Vancouver today. A demand modeling report released this month by ECONorthwest found much of the demand would hinge on parking availability and whether riders could connect to other public transit. To demonstrate the viability of ferry service, a financial feasibility study should be completed to ensure enough revenues can be generated to cover the cost of providing the service, the report said. Within that context, the revised demand estimates may be sufficient to sustain a financially feasible initial phase of operations proposed by Frog Ferry. It was not immediately clear if that assessment applied strictly to a Vancouver to downtown Portland route. Bladholm said she will be transparent about the projected public subsidy needed to operate a ferry here. She said she doesnt believe a ferry will cost more to operate than a bus. The ferry group said it has received seven different proposals from companies about what a proposed ferry may look like and might cost, and Bladholm said shed share those designs later this summer. Bladholm said she continues to gain local support from volunteers and business leaders including the Zidell family, which owns 33 acres along the waterfront in Southwest Portland. She said that she will release in a couple weeks the groups latest financial support from a private entity, whose identity she is keeping secret until then. Charlene Zidell, vice president of strategic partnerships for her familys south waterfront real estate company, said shes dreamed of a ferry system for years. She called the ferry proposal visionary. Please join us, she said. -- Andrew Theen; atheen@oregonian.com; 503-294-4026; @andrewtheen Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Corey Spencer was 14 when he fatally shot a pregnant woman during a robbery outside a Beaumont apartment complex. Hes now serving a life sentence for murder. Three other local teenagers West Brook High School students who range in age from 15 to 18 are awaiting trial in another high-profile homicide, the shooting death last year of West End business owner Anthony Wilson. Police Chief James Singletary says violent juvenile crime is indeed on the rise, calling it the most alarming trend in Beaumont. That has local officials talking about a novel approach to deterrence: taking away teenagers cell phones when they get in trouble, before the crimes they are accused of can escalate to something more serious. Were just trying to come up with ideas that could work, Jefferson County District Attorney Bob Wortham said. Were just trying to make the county safer. Wortham said he and Beaumont City Councilman Mike Getz were talking about Spencers sentencing last December when Getz suggested taking away cell phones as a condition of probation for lesser crimes. Wortham said prosecutors have limited options for teenagers who are not certified to stand trial as an adult, as Spencer was for his role in the 2017 shooting death of Kera Teel. If teens arent certified as adults, then all we can do is probation, he said. The state took away our juvenile detention facility, which limited us. At least one local defense attorney is skeptical about the legality and potential effectiveness of such a proposal. I have real reservations about how that would be executed, Ryan Gertz said. When someone is under probation, they do not give up their constitutional rights. I can see there being a issue with free speech and right to express ones self. If the use of a cellphone is tied to the crime itself, then we can talk. If you are caught taking pictures up the skirts of women, we could talk about a phone ban. Gertz said some of his clients who are under federal probation are allowed to have a cell phone, but are banned from possessing smart phones. According to a 2018 Pew Research survey, 95% of teens reported having a smartphone or access to one. The district attorney said he believes threatening teens access to mobile devices will be enough to put a dent in the crime rate. Take away the most important thing to them, and you never know, Wortham said. State District Judge Larry Thorne, one of the countys two juvenile judges a a member of the Texas Juvenile Justice Departments advisory council, said the courts will sometimes give parents orders as part of their childs probation, which is Worthams preferred method. The phone belongs on the children or their parents, Thorne said. I havent researched it, but it might be something we can control through the parents. He added, If we feel like a child is able to get away with anything with their parents, we will give them orders that they must follow. We tell them they have to make sure their children are on the bus if they need to be on the bus. The parents will have to make sure their children are in by their curfew. If the parents dont follow these orders, they could be held in contempt. Gertz said he disagrees with using court orders for parents, but said the method is common in truancy cases. That is a whole separate problem, he said. Holding a parent in contempt for the childs actions could be a problem. They do it all the time, so I am sure it has been tested in the courts. But I personally dont like it. One issue the court could run into is enforcing the probation term, Thorne said. If we take away a phone, the child will likely have four more phones at school or find a friend who is not on probation and use their phone, he said. For many children and parents, cell phones are necessary for communication. Gertz warned that simply enforcing the probation could be a breach of constitutional rights. I dont know how they would know a child is not using a phone, he said. They would have to subpoena phone records or something like that. I also dont know how practical it is in deterring crime. I guess it might get their attention. But someone who is going to intentionally violate their probation will do it anyway. Singletary said his department is trying to find ways to combat the trend as well by partnering with the nonprofit organization Inspire, Encourage, Achieve. We have 14 officers who volunteer for outreach to young people, he said. We have to try and reach some of these kids. I see some of the 13- and 14-year-olds that my officers are interviewing and they have no remorse. You feel like some of them dont have a chance. Were losing a generation. Its not our main job, but I feel like we have a responsibility to do a little more. Thorne said other areas are experiencing a rise in juvenile crime. Many other counties in Texas are facing the same thing, he said. I appreciate Worthams effort. At least he is thinking of ideas. I think it is going to take a statewide effort. We all have to keep working on it. chris.moore@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/chris_moore09 remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. To the annoyance of some shareholders, Texas Pacific Land Trust (NYSE:TPL) shares are down a considerable 42% in the last month. Indeed the recent decline has arguably caused some bitterness for shareholders who have held through the 35% drop over twelve months. All else being equal, a share price drop should make a stock more attractive to potential investors. While the market sentiment towards a stock is very changeable, in the long run, the share price will tend to move in the same direction as earnings per share. So, on certain occasions, long term focussed investors try to take advantage of pessimistic expectations to buy shares at a better price. Perhaps the simplest way to get a read on investors' expectations of a business is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). Investors have optimistic expectations of companies with higher P/E ratios, compared to companies with lower P/E ratios. View our latest analysis for Texas Pacific Land Trust Does Texas Pacific Land Trust Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry? Texas Pacific Land Trust's P/E of 11.37 indicates some degree of optimism towards the stock. The image below shows that Texas Pacific Land Trust has a higher P/E than the average (7.5) P/E for companies in the oil and gas industry. NYSE:TPL Price Estimation Relative to Market, March 10th 2020 Texas Pacific Land Trust's P/E tells us that market participants think the company will perform better than its industry peers, going forward. Clearly the market expects growth, but it isn't guaranteed. So investors should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling. How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios Earnings growth rates have a big influence on P/E ratios. If earnings are growing quickly, then the 'E' in the equation will increase faster than it would otherwise. That means even if the current P/E is high, it will reduce over time if the share price stays flat. Then, a lower P/E should attract more buyers, pushing the share price up. Story continues Texas Pacific Land Trust's 53% EPS improvement over the last year was like bamboo growth after rain; rapid and impressive. The cherry on top is that the five year growth rate was an impressive 58% per year. With that kind of growth rate we would generally expect a high P/E ratio. Remember: P/E Ratios Don't Consider The Balance Sheet Don't forget that the P/E ratio considers market capitalization. That means it doesn't take debt or cash into account. The exact same company would hypothetically deserve a higher P/E ratio if it had a strong balance sheet, than if it had a weak one with lots of debt, because a cashed up company can spend on growth. Such expenditure might be good or bad, in the long term, but the point here is that the balance sheet is not reflected by this ratio. How Does Texas Pacific Land Trust's Debt Impact Its P/E Ratio? The extra options and safety that comes with Texas Pacific Land Trust's US$304m net cash position means that it deserves a higher P/E than it would if it had a lot of net debt. The Verdict On Texas Pacific Land Trust's P/E Ratio Texas Pacific Land Trust trades on a P/E ratio of 11.4, which is below the US market average of 15.1. Not only should the net cash position reduce risk, but the recent growth has been impressive. The relatively low P/E ratio implies the market is pessimistic. Given Texas Pacific Land Trust's P/E ratio has declined from 19.5 to 11.4 in the last month, we know for sure that the market is significantly less confident about the business today, than it was back then. For those who prefer to invest with the flow of momentum, that might be a bad sign, but for a contrarian, it may signal opportunity. Investors should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. If it is underestimating a company, investors can make money by buying and holding the shares until the market corrects itself. So this free visual report on analyst forecasts could hold the key to an excellent investment decision. Of course you might be able to find a better stock than Texas Pacific Land Trust. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have grown earnings strongly. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10) Weight has been lifted off the chest of a mayor in a Pangasinan municipality who tested negative for coronavirus after coming in contact with a patient. Lingayen Mayor Leopoldo Bataoil attended the same event as the Filipino-Australian woman in Pangasinan. She later tested positive for coronavirus disease or COVID-19 after returning to Australia on March 3. "God is truly good to us, the RITM result just came in, I am negative of COVID-19... Thank God, now I can go on performing my work without any worry. I've been stressed so many nights," he wrote on his Facebook page. Although he was not showing flu-like symptoms within the 14-day incubation period, he said he volunteered for testing at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine to allay the fears of his constituents. Bataoil earlier said that the Filipino woman attended a high school reunion in Pangasinan. The mayor was a guest at the event. KALAMAZOO, MI Tuesdays election asked voters around the state to cast ballots in partisan presidential primaries. In Southwest Michigan, many ballots also included tax requests and other local proposals. Related: See everything on Kalamazoo-area ballots for March 10 election For updated results of those local races, look below, refreshing this page for the most recent unofficial results. Once all ballots are tallied and the race has been called, the winning position will be shown in bold. Live updates of returns in Michigans presidential primary, which was called in favor of Joe Biden, can be found here. Some county clerks have indicated that results could be in later than usual due the large number of absentee ballots issued after recent changes in Michigans election laws that allow no-reason absentee voting and later registration. Related: Kalamazoo clerk explains why some polling locations are locked Unofficial results will be updated below as they become available. All races have been called as of 7:50 a.m. March 11. Kalamazoo County Central County Transportation Authority (Kalamazoo Metro) tax 71 of 71 precincts reporting Yes: 28,276 No: 12,156 Schoolcraft Township proposal to incorporate as a charter township 4 of 4 precincts reporting Yes: 842 No: 1,737 Schoolcraft Community Schools bond 5 of 5 precincts reporting Yes: 1,171 No: 1,076 Allegan County Monterey Township road tax renewal 2 of 2 precincts reporting Yes: 247 No: 118 Glenn Public School bond 2 of 2 precincts reporting Yes: 97 No: 30 City of Allegan Proposal 2020-1 3 of 3 precincts reporting Yes: 678 No: 478 City of Allegan Proposal 2020-2 3 of 3 precincts reporting Yes: 471 No: 706 Saugatuck Public Schools bond 5 of 5 precincts reporting Yes: 1,652 No: 1,084 Dorr Library tax increase 4 of 4 precincts reporting Yes: 1,281 No: 762 Van Buren County Van Buren County road tax renewal 32 of 32 precincts reporting Yes: 10,479 No: 4,156 Van Buren County public transit tax renewal 32 of 32 precincts reporting Yes: 10,073 No: 4,541 Van Buren County veteran services tax 32 of 32 precincts reporting Yes: 9,518 No: 4,616 Antwerp Township road tax 5 of 5 precincts reporting Yes: 1,359 No: 1,028 Van Buren ISD special education tax increase 47 of 47 precincts reporting Yes: 10,183 No: 7,226 The results above will be updated throughout the evening on Election Day and, if necessary, into Wednesday morning. Go here for more Kalamazoo-area election stories. For the latest unofficial election results from other communities in the region: Kent County Ottawa County Berrien County Branch County Calhoun County Cass County [March 10, 2020] Zumper, The Largest Privately-Held Rental Marketplace In The U.S., Raises $60 Million In New Funding Led By e.ventures SAN FRANCISCO, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Zumper, the largest privately-held rental marketplace in the U.S., has announced the close of its Series D fundraising led by new investor e.ventures. This brings Zumper's total funding to more than $150 million. Zumper's mission is to make renting an apartment as easy as booking a hotel by seamlessly connecting renters and landlords through their rental journey from search to close. The new funding will be used to accelerate the company's mission, grow the sales and engineering teams, and invest in scaling its unique end-to-end transactional tools. "Zumper's progress so far is striking, and it has quickly become the leading independent company focused on the rental market," said Mathias Schilling, Co-Founder and Managing Partner with e.ventures. "We believe that Zumper is well positioned because of its focus on providing an exceptional product for renters and great value for landlords and multi-family properties." Since launching in 2012, Zumper has grown very quickly and is now the largest privately held company in its industry in terms of users. More than 80 million people each year use Zumper to find, list, and rent properties in the U.S. and Canada. The company has experienced 100% year-over-year revenue growth and expanded to 200 employees based in offices in San Francisco, Scottsdale, New York, Chicago, and Rhode Island. Zumper has also become a standard industry resource for residential rental data across the U.S. and Canada with more than one millio listings advertised and analyzed every month. "We founded Zumper to build the first online booking experience for long term apartment rentals," said Anthemos Georgiades, CEO and Co-Founder of Zumper. "This fundraise helps us pull ahead of the competition in delivering this vision. Renting an apartment should be as easy as walking into an open house, leaving a deposit for the apartment, then paying your rent to the landlord, all through the same platform. This is what we have built, and now it's about scaling it." Zumper is the first end-to-end marketplace for renters and landlords. Zumper offers renters the ability to find, apply for and then book their next apartment, as well as digitally pay their landlord their rent, all in one place. For small landlords and multi-family properties , Zumper provides confidence and convenience through the entire rental transaction; from helping find reliable tenants, marketing to millions of active renters, to collecting rent. To learn more about Zumper, search for a property to rent, or list a property, visit Zumper.com or download the Zumper app on your iOS or Android device. About Zumper, Inc. Zumper aims to make renting an apartment as easy as booking a hotel. With 13 million visits per month, Zumper's free online and mobile rental search marketplace has become the largest startup in the industry. Headquartered in San Francisco, Zumper has more than 200 employees across the U.S. and acquired PadMapper in 2016. The company has raised a total of $150 million in funding from investors including e.ventures, Greycroft, Dawn Capital, Kleiner Perkins, Goodwater Capital, Axel Springer, Stereo Capital, the Blackstone Group, Breyer Capital, Foxhaven Asset Management, Andreessen Horowitz, Greylock, NEA, CrunchFund, xfund, Divco West, Marcus & Millichap, Scott Cook, and the DeWilde Family Trust. Learn more at Zumper.com or email [email protected] . Interested in joining the Zumper team? Check out open positions here: Zumper.com/jobs View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zumper-the-largest-privately-held-rental-marketplace-in-the-us-raises-60-million-in-new-funding-led-by-eventures-301020266.html SOURCE Zumper [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] English Lithuanian Energijos Skirstymo Operatorius, AB (hereinafter - ESO and the Company), code 304151376, registered office address Aguonu str. 24, Vilnius. The total number of ordinary registered shares issued by Energijos Skirstymo Operatorius, AB is 894,630,333; the ISIN code is LT0000130023. The ESO, a company controlled by Ignitis Grupe, the largest energy group in the country, publishes audited financial statements of 2019. The audit was performed by Ernst & Young Baltic, UAB. The published results do not differ from the indicators disclosed in the interim report. The ESO, a company controlled by Ignitis Grupe, the largest energy group in the country completed the refinement of its operation in 2019 and made significant progress towards the smart grid. In January 2019 the strategy of the Company until 2030 was approved: In July the 10-year investment plan of the Company was updated and publicly announced; in September the ESO customer self-service system was updated, and the Company became ready for the transition to remote customer service by the end of the year. The Company discontinued the provision of separate commercial services, concentrating its activities on the functions of the distribution network - infrastructure operator, and implemented measures for a more efficient connection of both new and existing customers to the distribution network. In the area of smart grid, investments in the smart meter installation program in Lithuania were coordinated, acquisition procedures were launched, and the first Data Hub functionality was implemented. During 2019, the ESO earned EUR 180.5 million of adjusted profit before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (adjusted EBITDA) - 11.9% higher than a year ago, when the ratio was EUR 161.3 million. This change in the ratio was determined by increasing efficiency of the Company and the growing regulatory asset base. Negative and severe phenomena of climate have resulted in a significant amount of force majeure, with a corresponding negative effect on the reliability level of the electricity distribution network. During the 12-month period in 2019, the disconnections caused by force majeure amounted to 18.06 min. SAIDI, when in 2018 it was 7.75 min in the same period. The main effect on the deterioration of the indicator was the unfavourable weather conditions during the first months of 2019. However, during 2019, the average troubleshooting duration was shortened by 10 min. - up to 1 hour 26 min. compared to the 2018 indicator - 1 hour 36 min. In 2019, the focus of the Company was directed towards the key aspects of ESO operations such as distribution activities, smart grid and reliability thereof. Following the update of the strategy for 2030, we have undertaken a point-by-point work: we perform investments in network reliability and smart grid based on a defined plan, i.e. implementation of the program of smart meter deployment in the country, creation of the Data Hub, update of the ESO customer self-service, improvement of remote customer service, purposeful operation related to the implementation of the actions that enables us to connect production users quicker and easier. We are delighted with the transparency of ESOs operations evaluated by the Transparency International Lithuania branch and the improvement of the indicator of the connectivity to the electricity networks assessed in the World Banks Doing Business 2020 study, which has raised the assessment of the whole country in the eyes of the global business community, says Mindaugas Keizeris. Following the extensive review of relevant industry practice and in order to be better comparable to the Companys peers on international level, the Companys accounting policies were changed. Changes in accounting policies are related to the application of IFRS 15 (International Financial Reporting Standard): (1) offsetting the revenue from public service obligations (PSO) with the corresponding costs (previously PSO revenue and costs were accounted for separately) and (2) distributing the recognition of the revenue for the connectivity of new customers over the useful service life of the infrastructure created (previously, in the natural gas segment and in the electricity segment, as of 1 October 2018, the revenue was recognized after fulfilment of the service obligation). For comparability purposes, the changes in accounting policies have been implemented retrospectively, i.e. by adjusting financial information for 2018. The changes implemented in accounting policies had no impact on the cash flows of the Company, however the revenue and net profit of 2018 decreased by EUR 140.6 million and EUR 10.4 million respectively. Detailed information about the changes implemented in the accounting policies and their effect on the separate articles in the statement of financial position and profit and loss and comprehensive income is presented in Note 4 to the Financial Statements of the Company. Audited key financial and operational indicators: ESO revenue in 2019 amounted to EUR 418.9 million or by 13.4% less than in 2018 when they amounted to EUR 483.4 million. With the elimination of the impact of discontinued public supply activities from October 2018, the revenue in 2019 is by 2.3% higher than the revenue in 2018, when they would amount to EUR 409.6 million. The main source of revenue of the ESO is the transmission of electricity. In 2019, the revenue from electricity transmission amounted to 78% of the Company revenue. The revenue from gas distribution accounted for 8% of total revenue. Expenses of purchasing electricity, natural gas, and related services over 12 months of 2019 amounted to EUR 186.1 million and were by 34.1% lower than at the corresponding time in 2018. This has been most influenced by sale of public electricity supply activities from 1 October 2018. The operating expenses of the Company increased by 9.4%, mainly due to repair and maintenance costs, the growth of which was driven by the need to offset reduced investments in the renewal and modernization of the electricity distribution network. In 2019, the net profit of the ESO was EUR 34.3 million when during the same period in 2018 it was EUR 5.3 million. The increase in net profit was driven by lower costs for the purchase of electricity and natural gas and related services due to discontinued public electricity supply activities from 1 October 2018. In 2019, the ESO earned EUR 180.5 million of adjusted profit before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (adjusted EBITDA*) by 11.9% more than at the same period in 2018 when the indicator was EUR 161.3 million. During 2019, the ESO investments in electricity and natural gas distribution networks amounted to EUR 181.2 million and corresponded to the planned investment volume for 2019 projected in ESO 10-year investment plan (a projected investment volume therein amounts to EUR 1.83 billion over 10 years). The ESO invested EUR 79.1 million in the development of the electricity distribution network in 2019, by 5.5 percent less than in 2018. In order to maintain a stable level of the debt of the Company while maintaining the high demand for connection of new users, the Company invested in network renovation projects to a lesser extent than in previous periods, as planned in a 10-year investment plan approved in July 2019. In 2019, the average duration of unplanned electricity transmission outages (SAIDI) per user was 91.8 minutes and compared to 2018 increased by 10.4 minutes (SAIDI totalled 81.4 minutes in 2018). An average number of unplanned long outages per user (SAIFI) with the impact of natural phenomena (force majeure) in 2019 reached 1.31 times, i.e. by 0.17 times more than in 2018, when the indicator was 1.14 times. Particularly unfavourable weather conditions during the first months of 2019 had a major impact on reliable electricity supply, the changes in weather affected by climate change in the following months of the year. * The preliminary EBITDA result of the Company is presented after adjustments made by management, eliminating the difference between actual and adjusted revenue and the impact of one-off factors. The purpose of these adjustments is to disclose the results of the ordinary activities of the Company, without the atypical, one-off or the factors not directly associated with the current period of activities. All adjustments made by management are revealed in the interim and annual reports of the Company. More information: Tomas Kavaliauskas, Representative for Public Relations of Energijos skirstymo operatorius, +370 617 51616, tomas.kavaliauskas@eso.lt Attachments Crisis-hit Yes Bank said on Tuesday that customers could now make payments towards their credit card and loans through other bank accounts, days after prominent banking services were curtailed after the RBI imposed moratorium on the lender. The announcement comes as panic gripped the bank's customers, who queued before ATMs and bank branches to withdraw money. They were also not even able to access Internet banking and other services like digital payments through another party's platform. Forex services and credit card purchases, among others, were also impacted. "Inward IMPS/NEFT services have now been enabled," Yes Bank tweeted. "You can make payments towards YES Bank credit card dues and loan obligations from other bank accounts. Thank you for your co-operation." The Reserve Bank of India had put a moratorium last Thursday on the cash-strapped Yes Bank, imposed withdrawal restriction of Rs 50,000 only till April 3 and superseded its board through appointment of an administrator. However, the bank has now said that its ATMs are fully up now and customers can withdraw the stipulated amount from other banks' ATMs as well. During the moratorium period, Yes Bank will not be able to grant or renew any loan or advance, make any investment, incur any liability or agree to disburse any payment. As per the RBI's draft reconstruction scheme, State Bank of India will pick up 49 per cent stake in the crisis-ridden Yes Bank under a government-approved bailout plan by infusing capital of Rs 2,450 crore. The bank's financial health is not sound as it has failed to raise enough capital under the new leadership of Ravneet Singh Gill, who took charge as the managing director and CEO from March last year. Troubles at new-generation private sector started brewing up ever since the the Reserve Bank denied extension to its co-founder Rana Kapoor -- who now is in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate on charges of financial mismanagement and money-laundering -- to continue as MD and CEO in September 2018, and had asked the lender to find a new successor. Yes Bank's administrator, Prashant Kumar, a former SBI executive, had on Friday assured customers that the moratorium period could end by this weekend. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Today is National Pack Your Lunch Day, a made-up holiday created to celebrate brown-bagging it. The rationale behind it is to revitalize lunchtime with fresh and healthful meal choices. Proponents of bringing a lunch to work say they save money, save calories and help the environment. About 85% bring their lunch to work, according to the Huffington Post. What about you? Do you brown-bag it or go out to lunch? Take the poll: Previous poll: Health experts have been urging us to be vigilant in washing our hands and taking other precautions to slow the spreading of germs in light of the coronavirus. Dr. Stephen Thomas, the chief of the infectious disease division at Upstate University Hospital, told syracuse.com that he still greets folks with a handshake because no evidence suggests we should stop. So we asked if you still shake hands. So far, 60.7% of you have stopped shaking hands while 39.3% continue greeting folks as they always have. ALEPPO COUNTRYSIDE, Syria In accordance with a Russian-sponsored agreement concluded with Syrian regime forces, 21 Syrian opposition fighters who were displaced from the city of Sanamayn in the Daraa countryside in southern Syria arrived March 3 in areas controlled by the Turkish-backed National Army, which is affiliated with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in northwestern Syria. The Syrian Red Crescent accompanied the fighters up until the Abu al-Zandin crossing point, which connects opposition-held areas to regime-held areas in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo. The Sanamayn fighters were received at the crossing point by a number of faction leaders and Moral Guidance Department officials from the National Army. While the wounded were transported from the bus to hospitals, the rest were transferred to opposition camps in the Aleppo countryside. Moral Guidance Department official Osmat al-Absi supervised the reception of the fighters. The third corps of the National Army received 21 fighters who were displaced from the city of Sanamayn. These include four wounded, one of whom needs surgery. The fighters arriving from Sanamayn were placed in a National Army camp located near Aleppos city of al-Bab, he told Al-Monitor. Despite Russias sponsorship of the agreement between the Assad regime and the opposition fighters in Sanamayn, there was no coordination between the National Army and the Turkish side in northwestern Syria to receive the fighters. As soon as the agreement was announced, we contacted fighters in the city of Sanamayn and prepared to receive them at the Abu al-Zandin crossing. While these are most welcome to join the ranks of the National Army, they are under no obligation to take up arms again. It is up to them to decide whether or not they would like to join the factions, Absi added. An agreement was concluded March 2 between the regime forces and opposition fighters in Sanamayn after regime forces stormed the city a day before and armed clashes broke out between the two sides. The agreement stipulated that opposition fighters who wished to remain in the city of Sanamayn would not be subject to pursuit by the government, nor detained, in exchange for handing their weapons over to the regime forces. Meanwhile, those not wishing to stay in the city were to be transferred to the north. The agreement also gave opposition fighters the option of joining the ranks of the 5th Legion supported by Russia. Abu Mahmoud al-Horani, the official spokesman for the Horan Free League, told Al-Monitor, Twenty-one fighters of the city of Sanamayn refused the agreement while about 40 fighters preferred to remain in the city after they received Russian guarantees that they would not be arrested by the government provided they surrender their weapons to the regime forces. Horani added, There are also dozens of opposition fighters in Sanamayn who preferred to join the ranks of the 5th Legion. These are led by Mohsen al-Hamid, a former commander in the FSA. In other words, the agreement divided the opposition fighters in Sanamayn into three categories: Those who preferred to leave for opposition-held areas in northwestern Syria; those who preferred to stay in Sanamayn, conclude a settlement with the Assad regime and hand over weapons; and those who preferred to join the ranks of the 5th Legion supported by Russia." Horani stressed that the Russian guarantees cannot be trusted because many former fighters in the opposition in southern Syria who concluded a settlement in August 2018 were arrested and killed by the security services of the regime. Ahmed al-Majarish, a journalist who works with a local network following the developments in southern Syria, told Al-Monitor, The Russian guarantees are only verbal and promise opposition fighters that the security services will not arrest those who respect the agreement. However, the regime forces will embark on an arrest campaign against defectors and against those who have failed to perform their military service. On a daily basis, we document numerous cases of detentions inside Daraa province to force defectors to fight battles against the opposition in northern Syria. Regime forces stormed Sanamayn on March 1, blocked its roads and imposed a curfew there. The forces bombed the western neighborhoods of the city, where the largest number of former FSA fighters were deployed in line with a previous agreement struck in mid-2018. The regime forces stormed the city of Sanamayn with armored vehicles and heavy machine guns and shelled it with tank shells, killing four civilians and wounding dozens. This led Russias 5th Legion to intervene and resolve the dispute with the participation of the citys dignitaries, Majarish added. Independent journalist Basel Alghazawi, a displaced person from Daraa province who refused to reveal his exact whereabouts for security reasons, told Al-Monitor over the phone that the fighters in Sanamayn had no choice but to accept the agreement, as they only had light individual weapons. He said the regime forces raid led to civilian casualties. He said that had it not been for the pressure placed by the former FSA fighters in the western Daraa countryside on the Assad regime and the FSA fighters' capture of 53 regime fighters, the government would not have agreed to enter into negotiations under Russian auspices. Alghazawi added, The clashes took place in Sanamayn because the citys peoples committees, which are affiliated with the regime, are against the continued presence of individuals from the FSA, and this led the committees to ask the regime to carry out a military operation to get rid of the fighters. 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. TOKYO, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- University of Electro-Communications publishes the March 2020 issue of UEC e-Bulletin http://www.ru.uec.ac.jp/e-bulletin/ The March 2020 issue of the UEC e-Bulletin includes short videos of UEC researchers describing their activities on MEMS technology for fabricating plasmonic devices and molecular mechanisms controlling muscle contraction in the body. Research highlights 'In vivo bioimaging: technology to elucidate sex-dependent differences in skeletal muscle function,' Yutaka Kano; 'MEMS technology for fabricating plasmonic near-infrared spectrometers,' Tetsuo Kan. The Topics section features research on 'Self-regulated learning: English tuition for students of science and engineering' by Suwako Uehara. News and Events are 'Industry-UCB-UEC-Keio Workshop 2019'; UEC signs general agreement with UNS', and UEC signs general agreement with Hanoi Medical University'. March 2020 issue of UEC eBulletin http://www.ru.uec.ac.jp/e-bulletin/ Researcher Video Profiles Molecular mechanisms controlling muscle contraction in the body Yutaka Kano, Department of Engineering Science, University of Electro-Communications http://www.ru.uec.ac.jp/e-bulletin/researcher-video-profiles/2020/yutaka-kano.html Muscle contraction is controlled by changes in various molecules in the body. In cells, the contraction and relaxation of calcium ions in a short time are regulated. To-date, many biological studies have revealed the changes at the molecular level by morphological observation and biochemical analysis by collecting cells MEMS technology for fabricating plasmonic devices Tetsuo Kan, Department of Mechanical and Intelligent Systems Engineering http://www.ru.uec.ac.jp/e-bulletin/researcher-video-profiles/2020/tetsuo-kan.html "MEMS technology provides us with very small size sensors such as force sensors or inertial sensors or photodetectors and so on," says Kan. "We are focusing on new optical devices by combining MEMS and plasmonics." Research Highlights In vivo bioimaging: technology to elucidate sex-dependent differences in skeletal muscle function http://www.ru.uec.ac.jp/e-bulletin/research-highlights/2020/in-vivo-bioimaging-technology-to-elucidate-sex-dependent-differences-in-skeletal-muscle-function.html l Yutaka Kano and colleagues at University Electro-communications and Kansas State University focused on calcium ion (Ca2+) dynamics that regulate muscle contraction and mitochondrial function. Daiki Watanabe, Koji Hatakeyama, Ryo Ikegami, Hiroaki Eshima, Kazuyoshi Yagishita, David C. Poole, and Yutaka Kano, "Sex differences in mitochondrial Ca2+ handling in mouse fast-twitch skeletal muscle in vivo", Journal of Applied Physiology 128, 241-251 (2020). Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.1152/japplphysiol.00230.2019.DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1479-6 MEMS technology for fabricating plasmonic near-infrared spectrometers http://www.ru.uec.ac.jp/e-bulletin/research-highlights/2020/mems-technology-for-fabricating-plasmonic-near-infrared-spectrometers.html Oshita Masaaki and Kan Tetsuo at the University of Electro-Communications and collaborators have developed a gold diffraction-grating-type plasmonic photodetector on a MEMS-Micro Electro Mechanical Systems-deformable cantilever. Authors: Masaaki Oshita, Hidetoshi Takahashi, Yoshiharu Ajiki, Tetsuo Kan, "Reconfigurable Surface Plasmon Resonance Photodetector with a MEMS Deformable Cantilever", ACS Photonics (in press). Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.1021/acsphotonics.9b01510 Topics Video Self-regulated learning: English for students of science and engineering http://www.ru.uec.ac.jp/e-bulletin/topics/2020/self-regulated-learning-english-for-students-of-science-and-engineering.html "My approach to teaching English to students majoring in science and technology is based on the so-called 'self-regulated learning," says Suwako Uehara, an associate professor at the Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, Faculty of Informatics and Engineering Division of General Education, UEC Tokyo. "Amongst other things, this requires emphasizing motivation, awareness, setting goals, developing skill sets and technology for the mutual benefit of both students and their teachers. Teaching STEM students is a challenging and continuously evolving process of education." News and Events UEC signs general agreement with UNS http://www.ru.uec.ac.jp/e-bulletin/news/2020/uec-signs-general-agreement-with-uns.html On January 9, 2020, the University of Electro-Communications (UEC) has singed general agreement with Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS), Indonesia, to promote further international collaboration. Industry-UCB-UEC-Keio Workshop 2019 http://www.ru.uec.ac.jp/e-bulletin/news/2020/industry-ucb-uec-keio-workshop-2019.html From December 10 to 11, 2019, Industry-UCB-UEC-Keio Workshop 2019 (IUUKWS 2019) took place at Keio University (Keio). An interdisciplinary group of corporate executive officers, experts, and researchers from various industries, the University of California, Berkeley (UCB), Keio, and the University of Electro-Communications (UEC) came together for the workshop. UEC signs general agreement with Hanoi Medical University http://www.ru.uec.ac.jp/e-bulletin/news/2020/uec-signs-general-agreement-with-hanoi-medical-university.html On 6 January, 2020, the University of Electro-Communications (UEC) signed general agreement with Hanoi Medical University, Vietnam, to promote further international collaboration between the two universities. About the University of Electro-Communications http://www.uec.ac.jp/ The University of Electro-Communications (UEC) in Tokyo is a small, luminous university at the forefront of pure and applied sciences, engineering, and technology research. Its roots go back to the Technical Institute for Wireless Commutations, which was established in 1918 by the Wireless Association to train so-called wireless engineers in maritime communications in response to the Titanic disaster in 1912. In 1949, the UEC was established as a national university by the Japanese Ministry of Education and moved in 1957 from Meguro to its current Chofu campus Tokyo. With approximately 4,000 students and 350 faculty members, UEC is regarded as a small university, but with expertise in wireless communications, laser science, robotics, informatics, and material science, to name just a few areas of research. The UEC was selected for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Program for Promoting the Enhancement of Research Universities as a result of its strengths in three main areas: optics and photonics research, where we are number one for the number of joint publications with foreign researchers; wireless communications, which reflects our roots; and materials-based research, particularly on fuel cells. Website: http://www.uec.ac.jp/ Further information: The University of Electro-Communications 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585 E-mail: ru-info-ml@uec.ac.jp +81-(0)-42-443-6723 Website: http://www.uec.ac.jp/ Bullied schoolboy Quaden Bayles and his mother gave a searingly honest interview today where they revealed they were continuing their fight against cruel bullies. The nine-year-old and his mother Yarraka opened up to Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid about not wanting him to become 'another suicide statistic' while helping other children who are being abused at school. A distressing video of Quaden threatening to take his own life after being taunted by his fellow pupils last month lead to an outpouring of support across the world, with stars including Hugh Jackman reaching out to encourage the youngster. Today, Quaden, who has dwarfism, said it was great 'being friends' with the Wolverine star, but admitted he had not yet plucked up the courage to return to school. Quaden Bayles, from Brisbane, made international headlines last month when his mother Yarraka filmed him saying he wanted to die after being bullied at school Pals: Hugh Jackman sent a message to Quaden, telling him, 'You're stronger than you know' Bullied schoolboy Quaden Bayles and his mother spoke to Good Morning Britain today about their fight against bullies An online fundraiser, 'Let's send a wonderful kid to Disneyland', set up by US comedian Brad Williams - who also has dwarfism - subsequently raised more than 240,000. But Ms Bayles confirmed today she chose to donate the money to good causes because their family 'couldn't enjoy a holiday' while they continued to raise awareness of bullying. They said they would rather the money be given to charity to help combat bullying and suicide. His mother Yarraka told Good Morning Britain: '[The video] was a plea for help. We are losing way too many children to suicide so something needs to be done. 'That plea was answered with a lot of love and support. Theres been a lot of positive and negatives - 99% love and support people reached out and told us their stories. 'This is not an isolated case. Its being able to speak up and ask for help and support so we dont become another statistic.' Quaden thanked people for the 'love and support', adding: 'Its nice when people say nice comments about me and support me. 'When theres new kids [at school] they dont really understand [my condition].' He added it was 'very good having Hugh Jackman as a friend.' Quaden's mother Yarraka took to Instagram to dispel the theories once and for all The nine-year-old said 'he wanted to die' after being bullied at school, in a heartwrenching clip posted online by his mother. The schoolboy, who has achondroplasia - the most common type of dwarfism - told his mother: 'Give me a rope, I want to kill myself.' In the video, which has been viewed more than three million times, Quaden also said: 'I just want to stab myself in the heart... I want someone to kill me.' Quaden also scratched at his neck and said: 'I want to die... I want to scratch myself.' After Quaden's video, false rumours began circulating online, questioning if Quaden was actually a man trying to gain internet fame with a 'fake' bullying story. On Monday, his mother Yarraka dispelled the theories once and for all. She uploaded a video of Quaden holding up his passport, which shows his date of birth as December 13, 2010 - making him nine years old. Oil companies that locked in part of their production at prices before the oil war between Russia and Saudi Arabia are in a better position to survive record low commodity prices, experts said. Muscling for dominance and seeking to take market share from U.S. shale producers, Russia and Saudi Arabia have vowed to flood the global market with crude oil, sending prices down to the $32 per barrel. However, oil companies that signed contracts to lock part of their production at $50 per barrel prices before the crash in an industry practice known as "hedging" will fare better than their peers who did not, said Jesse Lotay an energy attorney with the Houston and San Antonio offices of the law firm Jackson Walker. The latest drop in oil and gas prices will stress test the energy industry," Lotay said. "Against a backdrop of global oversupply, demand contraction, and geopolitical uncertainty, oil and gas companies will face unprecedented pressure to remain profitable. Oil War: Thousands of Houston jobs could be cut if oil fails to recover Hedging, he said, works by locking in part of a company's production at current prices over the next few weeks or months. Oil companies typically use hedging to make part of their revenue more predictable while buyers use them to make their budgets more predictable. In situations where commodity prices unexpectedly go down, oil companies make extra money on the price difference. In situations where oil prices unexpectedly go up, buyers save money on the price difference. Banks and other investors often require oil companies to create a "hedge book," Lotay said. Oil companies that set up hedging contracts for part of their production before the Russian-Saudi oil war price crash, he said, are now receiving at least $20 per barrel more than their peers who did not lock in part of their production. The ability to establish, in advance, a minimum price that an oil and gas company will receive for its production gives it the advantage of financial certainty that allows it to ensure for drilling operations, debt-service, and future growth, asset acquisitions, and exploration and production activities," Lotay said. Fuel Fix: Get daily energy news headlines in your inbox The Russian-Saudi oil war came at a time when many oil companies were facing a credit crunch from investors skeptical after a decade of losses. It remains to be seen if oil companies will lock in part of their production at $30 per barrel to protect themselves if prices fall into the $20 per barrel range. Nonetheless, hedge books are seen as a way for oil companies to reduce financial risk, said Mark Sadeghian, with the New York credit rating agency the Fitch Group. During a price crash, a large hedge book is a good thing, Sadeghian said. On a mark to market basis, its in the money. Its a liquid asset and can be monetized. You typically have high quality counterparties. Theres a lot of positives of having a hedge book. The rest of the cycle, it may cap your upside but is high value in a downturn. Read the latest oil and gas news from HoustonChronicle.com Halifax has shut a call center in Northern Ireland that employs 1,000 people after a member of staff tested positive to coronavirus, it said on Monday. Lloyds Banking Group, which owns Halifax, has told staff at the call center to either self isolate, work from home or from a contingency site. So far, there have been 12 confirmed cases of the virus in Northern Ireland, with five more positive tests reported in the British province on Monday. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie By Akbar Mammadov Two more Azerbaijani citizens returning from Iran have been diagnosed with the coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers reported on March 9. Presently, the patients, born in 1996 and 1978, have been placed in a quarantine and their health condition is stable. So far, nine cases of coronavirus have been registered in the country. Azerbaijan registered its first case of coronavirus on Feb. 28. On March 4, the country evacuated 276 of its citizens from neighbouring Iran, which is at the epicenter of the outbreak in the Middle East. Three of the evacuees tested positive for the infection. To note, the health of an Azerbaijani citizen born in 1938, who was previously admitted to the special treatment hospital after being diagnosed with the infection, is stable-moderately severe. The condition of other patients placed in the hospital for special care against coronavirus is stable. President Aliyev has allocated 10 million manats [$5.8m] to prevent the spread of the virus in the country. Azerbaijan recently closed its borders with Iran and stopped air flights to this country. It also annulled the entry of Iranian ships to its seaports. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Nigerian evangelist and founder of Mount Zion Drama Ministry, Mike Bamiloye has called out men who beat and curse their wives. Taking to his social media page, the cleric stated that there are repercussions when men maltreat their wives. According to Mike Bamiloye, men who love their wives are indirectly doing the same to their selves, and that men who hate their women are indirectly hating themselves. He wrote: Every blow or slap you land on your wife. hits you back immediately. Every curse you rain on your wifedrop on you immediately. because. he who loves his wife, loves himself, and he who hates his wife, hates himself. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates GIVE US YOUR PREDICTION: WILL BERNIE OR BIDEN WIN BIG IN MISSOURI TODAY?!? Veep Could Leap Today Missouri primary could help preserve Biden's recent momentum JEFFERSON CITY, MO (AP) - If presidential candidate Joe Biden is going to continue the momentum he gained by winning 10 states on Super Tuesday, Missouri figures to play an important role. Missouri is among the more conservative of the six states holding Democratic primaries on Tuesday, a potential advantage for the former vice president in what has become essentially a head-to-head battle with Vermont Sen. Double Roundup Biden And Sanders Campaigns Make Final Push For Votes Ahead Of Missouri's Democratic Primary With Missourians heading to the polls Tuesday for the Democratic presidential primary, the campaigns for the two front runners made a final push for voters in the Show-Me State on Monday. Jill Biden, former vice president Joe Biden's wife, swung by Kansas City Monday to tour the Veterans Community Project and speak to supporters at the IBEW Local Union headquarters. Activist Double Take On Prez Trump Reelection Chances Rocker Bob Geldof: Trump Will Be Re-Elected Because Democratic Party Is 'Absolutely Pathetic ' 4 David Ng Legendary punk rock musician Bob Geldof, who penned such hit singles as "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and "I Don't Like Mondays," said in a recent interview that he thinks President Donald Trump will be re-elected due to the failures of the Democratic party, which he described as "absolutely pathetic" and "a complete mess." LADIES CHOICE!!! Local political group says women's vote crucial in presidential race KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Every vote counts for Democrats wanting to challenge President Donald Trump in November, and a local political group said the women's vote will be an important voting block for candidates. On March 10, voters in Missouri will choose between Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Tulsi Gabbard for the Democratic nomination for president. Show-Me Social Justice Warriors For Bernie Sanders Banking On Support In Missouri To Get Campaign Back On Track Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders urged hundreds of supporters in St. Louis on Monday to back his campaign, saying he is more progressive than former Vice President Joe Biden. Sanders may need to do well in Tuesday's Missouri primary in order to regain a foothold for his campaign - especially since he came close to winning the state in 2016. BERNIE OFFICE FREEBIE CURE!!! Sanders promises free coronavirus vaccine during speech in St. Louis, criticizes Biden Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, assailing the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus outbreak, guaranteed Monday that a vaccine would be available free of charge to all Americans should he be elected president. Speaking to a crowd at St. Louis' Stifel Theater on the eve of the Missouri primary - and two days after the state's first COVID-19 case was confirmed in St. Cost To Be The Boss Missouri's presidential primary is Tuesday: Here's what's at stake JEFFERSON CITY - After weeks of watching presidential primaries, Missourians will have their own vote Tuesday. It's not a bad time to jump in. While the Republican contest is more of a formality at this point, Missouri Democrats are coming in at a critical part of their race. Show-Me Numbers Game Election Preview: Biden Is A Big Favorite In Missouri And Mississippi, But The Margins Matter Former Vice President Joe Biden may currently be favored in our forecast to win a majority of pledged delegates in the Democratic primary, but the March 10 elections will help determine just how big a favorite Biden really is - and whether Sen. Bernie Sanders can recover and remain competitive. Missouri could once again regain bellwether status if voters deliver a conclusive result for the Democratic Party.To wit . . .Sure, the Show-Me State will most likely go to Prez Trump in the general election but this is a big deal for Democratic Party denizens who could decide if this 2020 election is about substantive issues like healthcare and the rise of socialism . . . Or just some hilarious one liners betwixt two old white guys. Either option will be entertaining and might not matter much to voters outside of a small batch of swing states.You decide . . . They're no longer hiding! 'Squad' congresswoman Ilhan Omar is finally going public with her affair with her chief fundraiser Tim Mynett. DailyMail.com has exclusive shots of the couple who both divorced their spouses late last year out and about in Minneapolis and Washington, D.C. And both sported rings on their wedding fingers, although sources say they have not tied the knot. But the hot couple of politics is still being careful. They don't hold hands in public or show any outward signs of affection and when they ate in the nation's capital last weekend they avoided public gaze by dining in a private room at the back of the restaurant rather than on the main floor. DailyMail.com has exclusive shots of Ilhan Omar and her chief fundraiser Tim Mynett out and about in Minneapolis and Washington, D.C. The Congresswoman is finally going public with her affair with her chief fundraiser Tim Mynett but they are still being careful and do not hold hands in public or show any outward signs of affection The pair are pictured heading out to dinner at Cafe 8 Mediterranean Eatery in Washington DC Both Omar and Mynett sported rings on their wedding fingers, although sources say they have not tied the knot The couple were spotted driving out of Mynett's parking garage as they headed out to dinner The couple first took their romance public on February 18 when they dined together at Safari, a Somali restaurant in Minneapolis. 'They were sitting very close together,' one fellow diner told DailyMail.com. Omar who was born in Somalia was back in her district at the time as Congress was on recess for the week of Presidents Day. The following morning the couple went to a ceremony at the city's federal courthouse where they saw several Somalis and others sworn in as US citizens. Then on February 21, they were spotted walking out of a Cub Supermarket on Lagoon Avenue in The Mill City. Mynett walked a few steps ahead of his lover, carrying their purchases. Back in D.C., an aide drove Omar to Mynett's WeWork office in the early afternoon of March 5, staying for a couple of hours. Mynett, 38, then took to the wheel of his black Nissan Pathfinder and drove Omar to Cafe 8, a Turkish-themed Mediterranean restaurant and hookah bar where they stayed for 2.5 hours dining in a private room. Omar had arrived to Mynett's office and stayed about two hours before they both drove out of his parking garage and headed to dinner The couple stayed inside the Mediterranean Eatery restaurant for about 2 hours and left together, making sure not to touch or display affection Omar kept her head down as she left dinner with her chief fundraiser turned lover Tim Mynett Mynett was all smiles ahead of dinner with the congresswoman. He officially divorced his wife in December Omar and Mynett were spotted walking together leaving a supermarket in Minneapolis on February 24 DailyMail.com broke the news last year that Omar was having an affair with then- married Mynett, whose firm E. Street Group she continues to pay for consultancy work. The two are pictured together on May 26 at a Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) event - a month after he told his wife he was leaving her DailyMail.com first broke the news that Omar, 37, was cheating on then-husband Ahmed Hirsi last year. We obtained video of her and Mynett leaving a restaurant in Los Angeles where the Minnesota congresswoman had given a speech. They had been holding hands as they ate in the out-of-the-way Caffe Pinguini in the beachside enclave of Playa Del Rey. Omar's divorce from her husband Ahmed Hirsi was finalized just 30 days after she filed in early October. She filed after DailyMail.com had revealed she had moved out of the family home in Minneapolis and into a penthouse apartment When they stepped outside Omar and Mynett were confronted by a man angered by her remarks at the California speech when she described the 9/11 atrocities as 'some people doing something.' The man who filmed them on his cellphone told DailyMail.com: 'He seemed very protective of her, it was not a random person. It just felt to me like they were close.' Insiders soon identified the mystery man as Mynett, whose company has been on Omar's payroll since July 2018, providing fundraising and strategy services. The intensity of the affair has grown fast. Hirsi, Omar's husband made a surprise visit to her previous apartment in Washington a year ago only to find her and Mynett both in their pajamas, DailyMail.com reported exclusively last month. 'It wasn't that he actually caught them in bed but they were clearly in a romantic situation,' a Somali source said. Mynett whose company received more than $500,000 from Omar's campaign last year alone was later pictured taking a six-pack of Stella Artois beer and other groceries into Omar's apartment. That picture shocked many of her Moslem Somali supporters in Minneapolis as the Quran forbids alcohol, describing it as 'an abomination of Satan's handiwork.' Omar and Hirsi divorced in November and the following month Mynett's wife Beth Jordan tried to read out a statement condemning the congresswoman as an adulteress as she was given her divorce. However the judge cut her short before she could complete it. Mynett's spurned wife Beth alleged in divorce papers that her husband made a 'shocking declaration of love' for Omar before dumping her in April Mynett, 38, (left) officially divorced from his wife Beth Jordan, 55, (right) in December, and left the courthouse grinning Jordan, a doctor who is head of the D.C. prison service's medical team, said in court papers that her husband had told him that he had never really loved her and only stayed together so he could see their son. It has long been rumored that Omar marrie her brother Ahmed Elmi (pictured), but because of a lack of paperwork in war-torn Somalia, positive proof has never been uncovered She said her marriage collapsed in April last year when Mynett announced he was 'romantically involved with and in love with another woman, Ilhan Omar'. 'Although devastated by the betrayal and deceit that preceded his abrupt declaration, (Jordan) told (Mynett) that she loved him and was willing to fight for the marriage,' the divorce filing stated. (Mynett), however told her that was not an option for him. He provided no other explanation for his sudden change of heart.' Mynett, who at the time consistently denied he was having an affair with Omar, left the courthouse in Washington clapping his hands in glee at the end of his seven-year-marriage. Until now, the couple has taken extraordinary lengths not to be seen together in public, apart from at political events, changing cars and reversing routes as they drove. Omar has aligned herself on the far left of the Democratic party in Congress, forming an informal alliance called 'The Squad' with three other freshman congresswomen, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts. Since her election she has faced controversy over her marriage history with claims that she married her own brother a British subject in 2009 to allow him to receive student loans so he could attend North Dakota State University. The FBI is investigating that marriage to see if it was fraudulent. If she is found guilty she could potentially face up to five years prison time, a $250,000 fine and even the threat of losing her US citizenship. CLEVELAND, Ohio Incentives the administration of Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson proposes to offer to keep Sherwin-Williams headquarters in the city cleared its first hurdle on Tuesday. City Councils Development, Planning and Sustainability Committee, the first committee to vet the proposed package, gave its approval without amendments. The vote sets up the package for final approval March 23. Council President Kevin Kelley said he was told that Cuyahoga County Council would act on the countys incentive package after that. The state also has a package of incentives involving Jobs Ohio that has not yet been made public. The package includes: Thirty years of tax-increment financing that would allow the company to use money it would have paid in property taxes on the improvements to finance the project. The TIF would not affect Cleveland school taxes. It is expected to provide Sherwin-Williams with about $2 million to $2.5 million a year. A construction grant of up to $13.5 million to be used toward $300 million in total development on the proposed site for the headquarters off Public Square, including site work, foundations and construction. Up to $11.5 million over 15 years in a job-creation grant based on 50% of the income taxes that would be collected on newly created jobs in the city. The 3,100 jobs the company presently has in the city generate more than $8.7 million annually in income taxes for the city. The company has pledged to keep those jobs in Cleveland at least a decade. Previous coverage: Cleveland City Council introduces $100M package of incentives for Sherwin-Williams new downtown headquarters When did Cleveland become confident it could land Sherwin-Williams new headquarters? Mayor Frank Jackson reveals the moment Clevelands $100M proposed incentives for Sherwin-Williams rely on basic development tools, but on a grand scale It expects a net gain of 140 jobs downtown. The job creation grant, though, is an incentive for the company to add more. The construction project will involve building a headquarters complex for the Fortune 500 company at the west end of Public Square on land now used for surface parking. Cleveland benefits from the security of keeping Sherwin-Williams in the city for decades and from the jobs that will be associated with construction. Sherwin-Williams has agreed to make good faith efforts to get its construction teams to hire Clevelanders for the project. Cleveland Economic Development Director David Ebersole told the council committee the package is a good investment for Clevelands future. If you look at it, we expect to get $2.50 to $3 for every $1 we invest [through the incentives], Ebersole said. If you throw in Cleveland schools, you can add another dollar to that. More from Cleveland City Hall Conference, illnesses reduce Cleveland City Council to bare minimum for meeting, halting passage of legislation Cleveland Hopkins International Airport soon to break ground on expanded center for shuttle and limo service Racism a public health crisis? Cleveland City Council weighs declaration to tackle impacts on society Low minority staff levels for Clevelands safety forces in a majority-minority city spark City Council concerns Residents out of patience on West Side Market, time for Cleveland to act, Councilman Kerry McCormack says Dont miss out! Get insider texts about Cleveland City Hall on your phone from Robert Higgs. Communicate directly with cleveland.coms City Hall reporter, just like you would with your friends. Sign up here and give it a try. Its just $3.99 a month, which works out to about 13 cents a day. MADRIDA Spanish Parliament body that sets the agenda for lawmakers on Tuesday rejected two proposals that called for the lower chamber to investigate whether former King Juan Carlos received millions of dollars in kick-back payments from Saudi Arabia. An ongoing investigation by Swiss prosecutors of an account allegedly operated for the Spanish monarch triggered the vote. The account allegedly received a payment of 88 million euros ($100 million U.S.) from Saudi Arabias late King Abdullah in 2008. Lawmakers in Spain voted down a similar motion in 2018. According to one of the two broadly similar petitions put forward by several political parties, prosecutors are considering whether the money was a commission for the Spanish kings help in business deals, among them a Spanish consortiums contract to build the Saudi bullet train connection to Mecca. Swiss prosecutors are said to be investigating the later transfer of some 65 million euros from the account prior to its closure to a woman named Corinna Larsen, a Danish-German businesswoman long linked by Spanish media to the Spanish king. Spains prosecutors office told The Associated Press it has asked its Swiss counterpart for details of their investigations. Spains Royal House said it had no comment to make. The proposals were made by the leftist United We Can group, the junior partner in the countrys Socialist-led coalition government and smaller regional parties, including two pro-Catalan independence groups. The Socialist party, however, broke with its coalition partner and joined with the right wing opposition parties to vote down the proposals after parliament lawyers said such an investigation would be unconstitutional. Swiss newspaper Tribune de Geneve first wrote about the Swiss prosecutors inquiry last week. The Geneva prosecutors office declined to comment. Cheltenham Festival has been branded a 'ticking timebomb' after bosses made the decision to go ahead with the four day event despite the coronavirus outbreak. Up to 70,000 spectators are attending the first day of the annual horse racing festival with fans travelling from mainly across Britain and Ireland to the Gloucestershire course. But concerns have been raised over why the meet - which begans today - was allowed to be held as the killer virus claimed its sixth UK victim with 382 recorded cases across the country. The death comes after leading experts today warned Britain may be heading straight for a coronavirus crisis like the one which has crippled Italy. Social media users have questioned the decision by Cheltenham organisers to go ahead, and why they didn't follow the lead of other European countries in postponing sporting events in the battle to contain the spread. Racing chiefs say they have increased the numbers of wash basins and hand santiser stations, and told how they have been liaising closely with the government as it prepares to welcome more than 260,000 fans over the four days. Big-race jockeys are said to have been briefed by staff at the course as to the importance of hygiene and also recognising any potential symptoms. One Twitter user said 'A total joke that Cheltenham is going ahead, are people not listening, it's a ticking time bomb.' Another added: 'Allowing Cheltenham2020 to proceed is one of the most irresponsible decisions made by the British government in decades. Its clear human live are irrelevant against monetary gains.' Up to 70,000 spectators are expected to attend the first day of the annual horse racing festival with fans travelling from across Britain to the Gloucestershire course Social media users have questioned the decision to go ahead, with more than 260,000 fans expected to travel to the course over the four days Speaking earlier this week a Cheltenham Racecourse spokesman confirmed there were no plans to postpone the event, saying British Racing had been in 'close communication' with the government over the decision. He added: 'We welcome the guidance that the business of the country should continue as usual at this time, while ensuring we adhere to the latest public health advice in full.' Ian Renton, regional head of racing south-west for Jockey Club Racecourses, said they were expecting a drop on last years attendance. He said: 'Ticket sales have been affected. Over the last fortnight they have reduced considerably compared to where they normally would be at, so we expect attendance to be down every day. Social media users have questioned the decision to go ahead, with more than 260,000 fans expected to travel to the course over the four days 'In saying that there will still be over 60,000 today, but we will certainly be down on last year. 'Last year we had record crowds most days, but we won't be expecting record crowds this week.' Yesterday Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said cancelling events due to coronavirus would be 'premature.' While some other European countries are cancelling mass gatherings or limiting the number of people who can attend big events, Mr Dowden said there are 'no plans' for Britain to follow suit. Mr Dowden insisted the Government is following the advice of health officials and, while the situation is kept under review, there is currently 'no need' to cancel big events or for people to avoid museums or other public places. He told the BBC: 'There's no reason for people either not to attend such events or to cancel them at this stage, but we keep it under review.' Hand sanitiser stations have also been installed at Cheltenham Racecourse in response to the outbreak Asked about the possibility of galleries and museums closing, he said: 'I think all of this is quite premature at this stage, we are not anywhere near that sort of stage.' Mr Renton added: 'We have been liaising very closely with the Government over the last fortnight and listening to them and listening to their advice, and they have been extremely helpful in telling us what they believe is the right thing to do. 'As we heard yesterday, they want business to continue as usual in this country and sporting events such as this that take place. 'So we have put a lot of precautions in place, in terms of ensuring racegoers have access to soap and water and can follow Government advice on hygiene. 'We have created 24 sanitiser gel boards, which arrived with us last night, to ensure racegoers can take every precaution possible.' Pictured: The Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy. Big-race jockeys are said to have been briefed by staff at the course as to the importance of hygiene and also recognising any potential symptoms Ian Renton, regional head of racing south-west for Jockey Club Racecourses, said they were expecting a drop on last years attendance Asked what impact the cancellation of the Festival would have had, Renton said: 'We do have insurance to cover these events, as we said we would have followed the advice whichever way it went. 'I think everyone is very much looking forward to these four days. The Festival is very much a UK and Ireland event, that is where the horses, jockeys and trainers come from. 'We've got a few runners from France over the four days, but it's less international than Flat racing. 'It's a huge event for all the participants, as well as locally - it's a big event for the local economy, so we're very pleased the Government has taken the view that the Festival should go ahead this year.' Racegoers certainly felt the crowd was down a little on previous years. Tom Deane, from Dublin, said: 'It definitely seems a bit quieter. We've just been for a drink in the Centaur and usually you can't move an inch, but today it was quite comfortable. 'Obviously some people have stayed away, but I look forward to this week all year and if the Government says it is safe, then you have to trust them. Just take all the sensible precautions to stop it spreading.' Tom Hymas, who travelled from Barnsley, added: 'I suppose it's always in the back of your mind, but if you keep washing your hands and take precautions, what more can you do? It looks like some people have stayed away, though, as it's not as busy.' A range of sports have had to take action to prevent the spread of the outbreak. Postponements hitting the Guinness Six Nations and Formula One, while all domestic sporting action in Italy has been suspended until April 3 at the earliest. Sports governing bodies in the United Kingdom attended a meeting with broadcasters and Government officials on Monday to discuss contingency plans in the event that advice around coronavirus changes in the coming days or weeks. Premier League matches will allow fans in the stadium for now following the government crisis talks. League chiefs along with the FA, English Football League and broadcasters were summoned to a meeting with government health advisers at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport yesterday. They determined no drastic measures in England were to be in place, but there could be a move to ban supporters for at least two rounds of fixtures. As well as the Cheltenham Festival European games are expected to go-ahead. Manchester United's Europa League last-16 Europa League clash at LASK will be played behind closed doors on Thursday night after the Austrian government cracked down amid the coronavirus crisis. Wolves' tie at Olympiacos will be played behind closed doors while Romania have joined the list of countries playing matches without fans. France announced that Ligue 1 matches will be played behind closed doors or with 1000 spectators or less. Following the meeting, RFU chief Bill Sweeney said: 'There was no medical rationale for cancelling events or (playing them) behind closed doors yet, but clearly it is a moving situation so we'll keep talking and go from there.' Broadcasters will be asked to agree to a lifting of the current contract restrictions, allowing all Prem matches to be screened live on TV during the shut-out. Yesterday England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said anyone with cold, flu or fever symptoms is likely to be asked to stay at home in self-isolation before too long. He said the number of cases in the UK is going up and pointed to tighter measures aimed at protecting the public, particularly the vulnerable and elderly. It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters the UK will almost certainly move to the delay phase of tackling coronavirus, while the Foreign Office warned against all but essential travel to Italy. A Syrian child has been born on the border between Turkey and Greece, and his father has promised to try and make the crossing into Europe reports Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. On Sunday evening, the first Syrian child was born in Edirne, on the Turkish-Greek border, to parents waiting to be able to sneak through the forests and into Greece, after crossing the Meric Nehri River between Turkey and Greece. The journalist Muhammad Kreimesh told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: We heard the pregnant mothers cry on Sunday evening, and then we called the ambulance, which arrived at the Kole Bazaar camp, which includes refugees waiting to leave. The mother who gave birth in the state hospital was transferred. Kreimesh said that the Syrian was born to a family from the Damascus countryside, and that the father confirmed that he would try to cross again on Tuesday, after his wife was discharged from the hospital. There are many newborn children among the families waiting at the border. The number of Syrians among immigration seekers is also no more than five percent of the waiting migrants; most of them are Afghans (more than half), Iranians, Iraqis and expatriates from the Arab Maghreb countries. The services at the Kole Bazaar crossing are very good, but the large number of migrants5,000since Turkey announced the opening of the border ten days ago has caused confusion and congestion, especially when food relief cars arrive, as well as facing the brutality of the Greek police. 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. Washington: The Trump administration has used work by Australian public health experts as the basis for a new set of guidelines to help Americans protect themselves from the coronavirus. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, centre, addresses the media alongside Vice-President Mike Pence, right, and Deborah Birx, coronavirus response coordinator, on Monday. Credit:Bloomberg At a briefing on Monday (Tuesday AEDT), White House coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases boss Anthony Fauci urged Americans to consult the new guidelines. "All of this came from a paper that Dr Fauci provided from the Australians," Birx said. Fauci said the advice, to be uploaded to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention's website, would cover how to minimise the risk of contracting the disease in the home, the workplace and while travelling. NetOne Cellular chief executive officer, Lazarus Muchenje, has won a court case in which he was challenging his suspension. Mr Muchenje was suspended on February 20 for alleged incompetence in the execution of his duties as the CEO of Zimbabwes second largest and State- owned mobile phone company. The board also suspended acting chief finance officer Mr Tinashe Severa. Some of the allegations the board cited include; failure by Mr Muchenje to provide documentation to the companys auditors, unprocedural procurement of fuel and violation of exchange control rules by NetOnes bureau de change units. In challenging the boards decision, Mr Muchenje argued that the special resolution to suspend him was patently unlawful and a nullity. He cited Ms Susan Mutangadura, Mr Winston Makamure, Dr Ranganai Mavhunga, Mr Paradzai Chakona and Dr Douglas Mamvura as respondents. He further argued that there was no lawfully convened board meeting and there was no lawful resolution passed at the purported board meeting of February 2020.He cited Ms Susan Mutangadura, Mr Winston Makamure, Dr Ranganai Mavhunga, Mr Paradzai Chakona and Dr Douglas Mamvura as respondents. However, Dr Mamvura is yet to attend a single board meeting since his appointment in October last year. Dr Mamvura was appointed on October 18 last year by the then Minister of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Kazembe Kazembe. However, he has never been invited for meetings, despite the board, through company secretary Mr Tinashe (also acting CFO) having been advised about his appointment. The matter was heard before Justice Chirawu-Mugomba yesterday who ruled in favour of Mr Muchenje, saying the resolution to suspend him was made by an improperly constituted meeting. NetOne argued that the matter had been brought before the wrong court, saying the Labour Court had jurisdiction to hear the matter. Justice Chirawu-Mugomba, however, ruled it was a constitutional matter which had nothing to do with labour issues. NetOne also disputed the draft minutes, which had the resolution to suspend the CEO but could not provide alternative minutes. The state cellular firm had appointed Retired Justice Moses Chinhengo to preside over the disciplinary hearing on Friday last week. Early last month, NetOne chairman Mr James Mutizwa and other two board members resigned. People with knowledge of the matter believe they were pressured to relinquish their positions by some high ranking officials in the ministry. NetOne is the oldest mobile network provider in the country. In light of the resignations, sources said the role of the committees had now been usurped by individual board members who are now carrying out the work of committees as individuals and without any structured meetings. The U.S. Air Force has suspended family-attended graduation events at Basic Military Training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, in an effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19. Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said Tuesday the service will exclude "family members from attending graduation until further notice." BMT graduations occur on a weekly basis. Each class graduates the program following an eight-and-a-half week course. Air Education and Training Command graduates roughly 37,000 new airmen per year. "Each year, about 40,000 airmen march across the parade field with up to 7,000 family members in attendance each week for the momentous occasion," Maj. Gen. Andrea Tullos, 2nd Air Force commander, said in a release. "Gatherings of this size increases the possibility that the virus could be transmitted to our training population. "We realize families want to show support to their loved one and they will be disappointed they cant participate in the graduation events, but we have a responsibility to protect not only our airmen but those citizens they will come into contact with as they travel to their follow-on training locations." Lackland officials said they will monitor and discuss appropriate protocols with medical experts "to determine when guest attendance at graduation events will resume," the release states. "Basic military training graduates are not being quarantined. Base liberty is still given to all graduates on the Saturday after graduation. BMT Airmen are not allowed off base until they proceed to their technical training location. All of these precautions are being taken to protect Airmen, their families and the community," said AETC spokeswoman Marilyn Holliday. Meanwhile, to minimize exposure, cadets at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs have been asked to halt their travel. The academy on Saturday said it has restricted official travel outside the United States for cadets, cadet candidates and permanent party through the end of March; leisure travel to countries currently reporting at Centers for Disease Control Level II alert -- to practice enhanced precaution -- has also been banned for the rest of the month, according to officials. Related: US Military Cracks Down on Travel, Cancels Meetings as Coronavirus Cases Spread Over the weekend, the Air Force canceled two events -- Spark Collider and Pitch Bowl -- which had been scheduled for March 10-12 in Austin, Texas. The events will now take place virtually on March 12, the service said Tuesday. At Buckley Air Force Base, also in Colorado, the child development center has been temporarily closed "since a parent (family member) tested positive by the state for coronavirus," Stefanek said. In a Facebook video, Col. Devin Pepper, commander of the 460th Space Wing, said the wife of a National Guard member with the 4th Space Warning Squadron tested positive for the coronavirus following a trip to India in recent weeks. "I want to be clear: The wife has not been on the installation," Pepper said. "The family right now is in isolation and is being quarantined at their home." Air Force personnel should abide by CDC levels as their travel guidance, Stefanek said. Meanwhile, the service has begun taking passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship that docked in Oakland, California, on Monday. Twenty-one people aboard the ship have been confirmed to have the virus. The ship had originally been scheduled to dock in San Francisco. The passengers are being moved to Travis Air Force Base, California; Joint Base San Antonio, Texas; and Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia. As of Tuesday, the virus had infected more than 117,000 people across 103 countries, according to the World Health Organization, as reported by The New York Times. -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. Read more: US, Canadian Fighters Intercept Russian Spy Planes North of Alaska The state government is considering setting up special courts to hear cases pertaining to the I Monetary Advisory (IMA) multi-crore scam in which more than 34,000 people were cheated. Although detailed discussions at the government level followed by a Cabinet decision are awaited, Law Minister J C Madhuswamy told the Legislative Council that extra courts might be required owing to mounting evidence related to the scam. The government is considering whether to set up two or three courts (owing to the number of cases), Madhuswamy said at the Legislative Council on Monday. Moreover, there is a huge amount of evidence related to the case that is being submitted, he added. The new courts are expected to speed up the prosecution of those accused in the case, which is currently being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). According to sources, three MLAs had demanded that the state government set up special courts to ensure speedy trial. Though the state was empowered to set up courts, a Cabinet decision was required for the purpose. The IMA scam came to light in June 2019, days after founder of the company Mansoor Khan fled the country. Several residents of Bengaluru from various parts of the city had staged a protest, demanding that the government step in and ensure that their money is returned. The government had set up a Special Investigation Team to probe the case, which nabbed Mansoor from Dubai and brought him to Bengaluru. Names of several senior IAS and IPS officials and politicians had cropped up during the probe. The case was handed over to the CBI soon after the BJP assumed power in the state. The central agency filed an FIR in February this year and named two IPS officers and four directors of the company in its FIR. Israel to build a road in the West Bank to avoid unnecessary friction between Palestinian and Israelis. Palestinian leaders have slammed the Israeli defence ministrys approval of planning for a road that would separate Palestinians and Israeli commuters east of Jerusalem, a highly controversial move meant to help advance an illegal settlement plan in the strategically sensitive E1 region. Israeli Caretaker Defence Minister Naftali Bennett said on Monday the sovereignty road would allow Israel to continue building in the highly controversial area between Jerusalem and a settlement bloc directly to the east of the disputed city. The new road would allow Palestinian vehicles to pass through the illegal settlement of Maale Adumim along a wall, as if through a tunnel, connecting Palestinian villages south and north of Jerusalem. In a statement later on Monday, the Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the move, saying the planned road will isolate Palestinian towns in the Jerusalem vicinity as Israel advances its construction of the E1 settlement project. This would close the door once and for all to the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, it said. The ministry called on the international community, including the UN Security Council and the European Union, to immediately take action to stop Israeli violations against the Palestinian territories. This move delivers a severe blow to all international efforts aimed at launching a peace process and serious negotiations leading to the implementation of the two-state solution, the statement said. The Israeli anti-settlement monitoring group Peace Now also denounced the plans approval. The planned road would allow Israel to cut the West Bank in half, build up E1 and the West Bank barrier, and shut down the possibility of developing a viable Palestinian state. Israels plan to expand the Maale Adumim settlement had been frozen since 2012 under international criticism, before it was revived by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu two weeks ago. A week before Israels third election in less than a year, Netanyahu pledged to build 3,500 new illegal settler homes in the E1 region of the occupied West Bank. Palestinians say it would split the West Bank in two and cut its residents off from access to occupied East Jerusalem, also territory Israel captured in the 1967 War and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community. Palestinian leaders see East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. Some 600,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank and Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem among about 2.9 million Palestinians. March 2 (Reuters) - Pete Buttigieg dropped his bid for the White House on Sunday, shaking up the race for the Democratic nomination to take on Republican President Donald Trump in November's election just days before the 14-state Super Tuesday contest. The withdrawal of Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, leaves six contenders in the Democratic presidential race, which once had more than 20 candidates. An adviser to Buttigieg told Reuters that he was suspending his campaign to avoid helping the odds of front-runner Bernie Sanders, a senator from Vermont and self-described democratic socialist. Here is what is happening on Monday. BIDEN LOOKS TO SEIZE MOMENTUM Former Vice President Joe Biden's decisive victory in Saturday's South Carolina primary, his first in the Democratic nominating contests, allows him to more credibly claim that he is the leading alternative to Sanders. He still lags Sanders in fundraising and organization in Super Tuesday states and beyond, but he said on Sunday his campaign had raised more than $10 million in the past two days, boosted by his South Carolina win. Buttigieg's withdrawal also could give a timely boost to Biden, a fellow moderate, as he looks to wrest momentum from Sanders. In a tweet on Sunday night, Biden praised Buttigieg saying he had run a "trail-blazing campaign based on courage, compassion, and honesty." "This is just the beginning of his time on the national stage," Biden said. Biden's campaign announced late on Sunday that he will hold events in Houston and Dallas, in Texas, on Monday, and Los Angeles, California, on Tuesday, two crucial Super Tuesday states. SANDERS TURNS TO CALIFORNIA On the heels of Biden's South Carolina victory, Sanders' campaign on Sunday reported that it raised $46.5 million in February and would launch new television ad buys in nine states with primaries later in March after this week's Super Tuesday contests. Speaking to a crowd of about 15,000 in Los Angeles on Sunday night, Sanders did not mention Buttigieg, but urged voters in California to go to the polls in record numbers to help him rack up delegates and build a lead that will propel him to the nomination. Story continues "The candidate who wins in California has an excellent chance to win the Democratic nomination," Sanders declared to cheers. He left Los Angeles to travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, another Super Tuesday state, where he holds a rally on Monday, before heading to Minnesota for an event on Monday night. Minnesota is the home state of fellow Democratic contender Amy Klobuchar, and his visit could help him cut into her lead there. Klobuchar, Senator Elizabeth Warren and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg will also be crisscrossing Super Tuesday states on Monday. (Reporting by Michael Martina and Tim Reid Editing by Robert Birsel) MIDDLETOWN Authorities have seized a car and are questioning two people of interest they say were involved in a deadly hit-and-run accident that took the life of a 41-year-old mother of three and Wesleyan University employee March 4. Brooke Rich of Middletown was crossing the intersection of High Street and Washington Street / Route 66 at about 9 p.m. March 4 when an individual driving a dark-colored sedan struck and killed her while she was crossing the road. The operator fled the scene moving west on Route 66, possibly toward West Street / Route 157 near the Walgreens pharmacy, police said in a press release. We do have a vehicle in our custody that has heavy front-end damage consistent with hitting a person, Middletown Police Lt. Heather Desmond said. A candlelight vigil was held Sunday evening, during which mourners placed bouquets of flowers, dozens of candles, a stuffed animal, a heart, star and flower balloons; as well as other other mementos in her honor, under the sign that marks the entrance to Wesleyan University. The candles shone through the night; some were still lit into the morning. The operator of a second vehicle that reportedly came in contact with Rich after the first car struck her also is being sought by police, Desmond added. Our mom, our queen, our everything, and best friend Brooke Rich was a beautiful, sassy powerhouse, her niece Chynna Green said Friday. She took nothing for granted and held nothing back, but she continued offering all of us everything she had. Our little brother just told me all he wishes is that she was still here, and the only way anything close like that can still happen is by keeping her spirit and memory alive. We appreciate everyones support, and we know our queen would, too, Green said. Already, the GoFundMe drive, Help Brookes Family Cover Funeral Expenses, gathering donations to help cover funeral expenses for Rich has elicited $19,780, far surpassing its $10,000 goal. Additional pledges are still coming in. Donors are sharing their recollections of Rich on the site and offering condolences to the family. You gave to many, and now its our turn to do for you, one individual wrote. Brooke was my daughter from another mother. I loved her smile, her laugh. Going to miss her saying (love you more), and Her smile and energy were contagious. I hope her memory lives on in her family and friends, also were posted. Investigators are gathering more evidence in the case, and police have not indicated whether they expect to make arrests. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Officer Peter Botsacos at 860-638-4061. Conte said the restaurant would be using liquors from all over the world, noting that we will be making our own cocktails. He said that one already popular drink would be a Brazilian Old Fashion, a mix including Brazilian Banana liquor, bitters and blood orange mix. Can review suspension, if 12 MPs apologise: Govt on suspension row Congress, DMK, Left move joint suspension notice in Rajya Sabha for discussion on Tripura civic polls 12 suspended MPs not ready to apologise, what do we talk to opposition, Goyal in RS Rajya Sabha adjourned for day amid Opposition protests over suspension of MPs BJP central election committee meets to select RS candidates India oi-PTI New Delhi, Mar 10: The BJP central election committee on Tuesday deliberated on the party's candidates for the March 26 Rajya Sabha elections in some states. The committee, which includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi, met under the chairmanship of BJP president J P Nadda. Sources said the party may announce the names of its candidates on Wednesday. Elections to 55 Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant in April will be held on March 26, the Election Commission has announced. March 13 is the last date for filing nominations. The meeting was held on a day Jyotiraditya Scindia resigned from the Congress after meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Modi. NEWS AT 3 PM, MARCH 11th, 2020 Scindia, along with his supporters, is expected to join the BJP and may get a Rajya Sabha ticket from Madhya Pradesh, where election will be held on three seats. Fifty-one of these 55 seats from 17 states are falling vacant on different dates in April due to retirement of sitting members, while the rest are already vacant due to resignation of members. The terms of the members who had resigned in the recent past were also ending in April. Counting will be held on the evening of March 26, an hour after the conclusion of polls. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, March 11, 2020, 0:02 [IST] The 2020 elections is fast approaching, hence some politicians have resorted to political style strategies most people brand as deception. Although political parties follow blueprints such as manifestos to guide their campaign, some individual politicians adopt a populace approach to win their votes at all cost. Ghanaian actor-turned-politician, John Dumelo, is hoping to be the Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and his style of campaign has been branded 'deceitful' by some members of the constituency. One constituent condemned the actor by observing that "African politics is indeed something else considering the extent aspirants can go basically for votes as in the case of John Dumelo. On a normal day, John Dumeo will never pound fufu even for his landlord, but in the name of votes, hes doing it with ultimate happiness. We won't vote for him." In photos posted on his social media platforms, the NDC parliamentary candidate is seen braiding the hair of one female student on University of Ghana main campus and pounding fufu on his door-to-door campaign. Ever since he announced his political career, the actor has engaged in several things solely for voters. In October 2019, he was sighted on the streets of Accra pushing what is commonly known as borla truck during a cleanup exercise. The actor announced his desire to go into politics and consequently, he recently won the slot for the NDCs 2020 parliamentary candidate for Ayawaso West Wougon. He will be facing a tougher competition from Madam Lydia Alhassan who is the incumbent MP on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party. 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 Rolls-Royce sales rise to record high in 2021 Ombudsman: Azerbaijanis directed gun at Armenia residents car in which his wife, 3-year-old child were ANCA urges President Biden and Congress to hold Azerbaijan and Turkey accountable for war crimes Serbia's Orthodox Patriarch tests positive for COVID-19 Brothers, sisters of 2020 Artsakh war military casualties to get compensation in lieu of their deceased parents Turkish authorities sanction arrest of 33 suspected FETO ties Copper rises in price Erdogan's spokesman, Biden's adviser discuss Armenian-Turkish relations Armenia deputy defense minister: No one can rule out border tension at any moment New commander elected of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh Armenia official: Those 100 soldiers absence will not assume any change in terms of border tension Millionaire Robert Durst dies aged 78 Reuters: Over 1.13 million cases of COVID-19 detected in US per day Great Armenian poet Razmik Davoyan dies 2 new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh Deputy PM Matevosyan: About 1,190 subvention programs implemented in Armenia from 2018 to 2021 243 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Armenia MP: It would be right to put pressure on Azerbaijanis to remove their firing positions Oil is getting more expensive Nearly 10,000 people detained in Kazakhstan in connection with riots Tokayev: CSTO peacekeepers will pull out from Kazakhstan within 10 days Newspaper: Armenia businessmen pay customs duties to Azerbaijanis to go to Iran European Parliament speaker David Sassoli dies Alikhan Smailov appointed Kazakhstan Prime Minister Newspaper: Health minister makes decision full of contradictions in terms of Covid-related restrictions in Armenia Newspaper: Armenia authorities once again showed their being unprincipled, worthless, opposition MP says Germany teacher who had cannibalism fantasies is sentenced to life in prison Israel's military and other security services undergo largest rearmament in years Spain PM calls for a debate to consider COVID-19 endemic disease 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 Coronavirus scare kept Holi celebrations low-key this year. Most housing societies in Thane had given instructions to residents to not celebrate Holi in huge gatherings. As coronavirus cases have spread panic among residents, we took preventive measures to stay safe. We did not organise any Holi get-together like every year. Instead, we only performed Holi dahan puja on the eve of Holi. As most schools had given out advisory to children, many did away with celebrations, said K Kumar, chairman, Vasantvihar Apex Society at Brahmand in Thane. The Koli community in Kopri refrained from putting colours on each other and instead organised a cultural event to celebrate the festival of colours. Children, youngsters and women came together to showcase folk songs and dances, highlighting the Koli culture. Instead of playing with colours, we spoke about our tradition and celebrations so that people do not touch each other. We created awareness about the infection, said Prahlad Nakhwa, 69, a resident of Kopri. Youngsters and children gathered at Upvan lake in Thane where artists painted faces to celebrate Holi in a unique way. This year, we celebrated Holi in a creative way and got a huge response. Around seven artists painted 150 faces with different designs, said Shripad Bhalerao, artist and founder of Swatva, which organised the event for free. 2 men drown in separate cases A 32-year-old construction worker, Surinder Vikramsingh, from Kalyan drowned in a creek when he went for a swim after celebrating Holi. In Dahanu, Swan Aryan, 29, is feared drowned after he went for a swim to Aswali dam. He was swept away by strong currents and has not been found. The fire brigade will resume search operation on Wednesday. Activists wash coloured dogs Animal lovers went around the streets at Kharghar, looking for strays that were coloured by Holi revellers. Seema Tank, an animal activist, said, On Tuesday, we were out on the streets from 4pm to 7pm to look for coloured dogs. We will repeat the drive on Wednesday from 10am to 1pm. Most Holi colours have harsh chemicals which are harmful for animals. Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets recreate Pink Floyd's 'Set for the Controls for the Heart of the Sun' in a live performance of the 1968 song, previewing the band's upcoming live concert film Live at the Roundhouse. The film will document a pair of shows at the London venue in May 2019 and will be released in both audio and visual formats on April 17 after a one-night-only theatre screening in select cities in the US on March 10. You can watch the preview performance in the video below. Nico de Boinville and trainer Nicky Henderson celebrate following victory in the the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle aboard Shishkin at the Cheltenham Festival Nicky Henderson fought back tears as Shiskin gave him the perfect tonic on a rollercoaster day by claiming the Supreme Novices Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, writes Bradley West. The legendary British trainer endured the worst possible start to his Festival this morning when stable star Altior was ruled out of Wednesdays Queen Mother Champion Chase, denying him the chance at a historic hat-trick in the race. But Henderson bounced back in perfect fashion as Nico de Boinville expertly steered the six-year-old Shiskin to victory in a dramatic opener to the week, edging victory in a tight photo finish. It's certainly a tonic after this morning, we say every year that something will come up and bite you and sadly it was Altior, said Henderson, who has won the Supreme Novices three times previously. It's very hard to leave him at home because he is one the most powerful shots we have this year but we always do what is right for the horse. It's always nice to win this race, it just relaxes everyone and you feel anything is a bonus now. The day couldn't have started much worse with the news about Altior but this has brought a smile back to our faces for sure. Shishkin has just got gears and you needed all of them to get out of trouble and Nico has just given him a wonderful patient ride. He's all heart and he didn't stop battling, I couldn't be prouder. Nico is so cool headed around Cheltenham and he made the difference there. He's a gorgeous horse for the future and we've got a lot to look forward to with him but we want to enjoy this now." "He's so talented, this horse. It might be that we've found another really good one."@NdeBoinville on Shishkin, the @SkyBet Supreme Novice #CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/t50ffcD6sc Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 10, 2020 Willie Mullinss 3-1 favourite Asterion Forlonge had made a perfect start, galloping into the lead with Shishkin struggling to make ground early on. But the Irish raider's jumping fell apart in the closing stages, leaving Gordon Elliott's Abacadabras - ridden by Davy Russell - to battle de Boinville, who timed his run to perfection, all the way to the line. A ceasefire agreed between Russia and Turkey has not given met all of the Turkish demands, who have now sent a large number of heavy reinforcements into northern Syria writes Zaman Al Wasl. On Sunday, the Turkish army sent heavy reinforcements into northern Idleb province, two days after Ankara and Moscow reached a ceasefire to end three months of daily bombing by the Syrian regime forces on the last real stronghold. Hundreds of Turkish troops equipped with 100 tanks, artillery, multiple-rocket launchers, fuel trucks and mobile radar jamming units crossed into Idleb on Sunday, local activists and rebel sources said. On Friday, a cease-fire deal took hold in Syrias northwestern province. The truce, brokered by Turkey and Russia, halted a terrifying three-month air and ground campaign that killed hundreds and sent 1 million people fleeing towards the Turkish border. The agreement, announced Thursday after a six-hour meeting between the Turkish and Russian presidents in Moscow, essentially froze the conflict lines in Idleb. It does not force Assads forces to roll back significant military gains made during the Russian-backed offensive over the past three months a key Turkish demand prior to the talks, AP reported. The Russian-backed Syrian regime forces have bombed out of service and destroyed at least 225 civil facilities in northwestern Syria since last November, the Syrian Response Coordination Group said Sunday. The regime offensive in Idleb province and parts of Aleppo has displaced more than 1,041,000 people from their homes and killed 700 people, including 91 women, 212 children and 17 rescue workers, over the past three months, the group said. According to the local monitoring group, Russia and regime airstrikes have targeted 20 refugee shelters, 88 educational facilities, nine Civil Defense agency centers, 32 health centers, eight ambulances, 14 furnaces and a bakery, 31 worship, and 23 other facilities, such as water and power plants. The nine-year-old war has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands and forced 13 million people from their homes, half of whom have left their shattered homeland. This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. 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 Former West Linn police Lt. Mike Stradley got a verbal reprimand for failing to initiate an investigation into then-Chief Terry Timeus after two officers reported the chief appeared drunk as he was leaving a local restaurant in May 2017, according to newly released internal affairs records. Timeus, who ultimately resigned over the encounter, was off duty but driving his unmarked city police car after he left the West Linn Pub with a girlfriend and made inappropriate comments to two of his officers who happened to be in the parking lot, the records indicate. The officers reported the chiefs behavior to a sergeant who informed Stradley, but the lieutenant dismissed the allegations, saying he had talked to the chief by phone that night and he seemed fine. Stradley didnt seek any further information from the officers or even document their accusations, the records revealed. He totally dismissed the observations of two experienced police officers who had face to face contact with Chief Timeus and were concerned enough about his sobriety and conduct that they were willing to face the uncomfortable prospect of reporting their complaints to their supervisor about their own chief, an outside investigator wrote in a summary report. West Linn released the documents in response to a public records request in the wake of a scandal involving Timeus, Stradley and other West Linn officers for targeting a black man for arrest in Portland. They pursued the arrest as a favor to a fishing buddy of Timeus. Timeus left the West Linn Police Department in fall 2017 and received more than $123,000 in a separation agreement that now is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. Stradley left West Linn in January 2018 to take a job training new recruits at the states basic police academy. He is on paid leave from the state agency, pending an investigation in the wrongful arrest case. Visibly under the influence On May 16, 2017, Timeus walked out of the West Linn Pub and stopped to talk to two on-duty West Linn officers parked in the lot. Timeus later told the investigator that he had 1 beers with dinner. The internal investigation said Timeus told one recently hired officer, Cody Tadlock, that hed received a bill for hiring him away from the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office: You are costing me $17,000, you better be (expletive) worth it. Timeus also addressed another officer, Chad Jones, who was looking for work elsewhere, according to the report: And you are not (expletive) going anywhere. I will make sure you dont pass your background. Timeus asked Jones why he was looking to leave West Linn and Jones told the chief that he lived in Keizer and his wife didnt want to move. Thats when Timeus said words to the effect of: I can see who wears the pants in the family, according to the investigators report. Timeus later told Jones, Let me know when your balls drop. The officers said the chief wasnt smiling or laughing when he made the crude comment. After Chief Timeus drove away both officers discussed their mutual concerns about Chief Timeus conversation and their concern that Chief Timeus was visibly under the influence of alcohol during their contact, the investigative report said. The report points to Stradleys bad judgment: Lt. Stradley inserted his own opinion of Chief Timeus level of sobriety based upon a phone conversation, to override the in-person observations of the two officers. Lt. Stradley indicated he was aware that Chief Timeus regularly drinks after hours Recognizing this history of drinking, Lt. Stradley still chose to dismiss the observations of his officers in favor of his own phone assessment. The verbal reprimand faulted Stradley for not following proper procedures in failing to document the incident and failing to initiate an investigation. Blind loyalty to chief Both officers who had complained ultimately left the West Linn department. Tadlock, when submitting his resignation about a month later, shared his frustration with a West Linn police captain about the lack of any follow-up to his complaint about Timeus. The captain reported the matter to the citys human resources department, which hired retired Eugene police captain Steve Swenson of SS Investigations to investigate. Tadlock returned to the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office. Chad Jones was offered a deputy position with Marion County Sheriffs Office. The Washington County District Attorney's Office determined it could not charge Timeus in the case because it could not prove the officers' allegations beyond a reasonable doubt. Another West Linn officer interviewed as part of the inquiry accused Stradley of displaying blind loyalty to Timeus, fostering an environment where they would cover for each other, the report shows. In another instance, Stradley alerted Timeus that a West Linn sergeant had been inquiring about being hired by Portland police through a lateral transfer arrangement. Stradley learned of the contacts through his former employer, the Portland Police Bureau. As a result, Timeus had a heated conversation with the sergeant, which then ultimately convinced the sergeant to pursue the Portland police job, according to the report. The outside investigator said Timeus and Stradley tried to discredit officers raising the concerns. Chief Timeus and Lt. Stradley both offered during their interviews that these events were orchestrated and exploited by a small number of employees who had long-term personal and professional grudges against them, the investigator wrote. Earlier complaints by other West Linn officers about Timeus racist, sexist and homophobic remarks and other unprofessional conduct and Stradleys alleged protection of his boss had been investigated and dismissed, reports showed. The Oregon Department of Justice, for example, began a separate criminal investigation into Stradley and Timeus, evaluating allegations that Stradley changed a police report to remove mention of the chiefs name to protect him from alleged misconduct and then forged another officers signature and that Timeus tampered with a police exam to pass his girlfriends sister. In a December 2014 letter, Oregon Senior Assistant Attorney General Colin Benson wrote that the department found insufficient evidence that either committed any crimes. Timeus is under new fire now. West Linn City Council President Teri Cummings said she contacted the FBI to alert them of her concerns that Timeus had allegedly extorted former City Manager Eileen Stein to increase his separation payout with three more months of compensation. Timeus allegedly threatened to divulge a personal favor he did for Stein while he was chief, Cummings said. Her allegations were first reported by The Portland Tribune. Cummings said she sent the FBI copies of her performance evaluations of Stein. In a 2017 evaluation, she wrote that Stein violated ethics rules by asking the chief for professional help with a personal problem and that it cost the City a lot more than the extra money. The public trust suffered Ms. Steins secret held hostage by the Chief appears to conflict with the City Charter requirement for the City Manager to keep Council informed of all things at all times. No one has publicly detailed the favor granted, but Timeus is believed to have intervened with one of Steins family members experiencing problems. Stein could not be reached for comment. In a 2018 evaluation, Cummings wrote that Steins inappropriate relationship with former Chief Timeus, a subordinate, needlessly depleted our budget and diminished public trust. -- Maxine Bernstein Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212 Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Subscribe to Facebook page Six states are holding Democratic primaries or caucuses on Tuesday: Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota and Washington, worth a collective 352 delegates to the Democratic National Convention. There have been no recent polls by reputable organizations in North Dakota. Here is what the polls say about the other five states. Michigan Michigan, which will award 125 delegates, is the biggest prize this week and a crucial one for Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who has effectively ceded large parts of the South to former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. in order to go all-in on the Midwest. It is worth noting that polls were very wrong in Michigan in 2016: They showed Hillary Clinton with a large lead, but Mr. Sanders ended up eking out a victory. The world's vegetation may be getting a boost from rising levels of carbon dioxide but a lot of the extra growth turns out to be junk food for grasshoppers and other insects that eat it. Scientists have long known extra atmospheric CO2 would spur an increase in biomass. The plants, though, tap into the same mix of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and other minerals in the soil, so the extra growth results in so-called nutrient dilution. A Keelers spur-throated grasshopper (Melanoplus keeleri) on a car windshield at Konza Prairie in Kansas. Credit:Dave Rintoul Ellen Welti and fellow US-based researchers hypothesised that plant-eating insects, many of which had a nutrient-poor diet, would struggle if what they ate was becoming less nutritious. Analysing two decades of data on grasshoppers in a Kansas prairie, scientists found insect numbers fell 2.1-2.7 per cent a year, with lower plant nutrients accounting for about a quarter of that. In part inspired by her work as a book publicist, author Marisa Kanters debut YA novel, What I Like About You, stars a teen who dreams of working in childrens publishing. Rachel Lynn Solomon is the author of Youll Miss Me When Im Gone and Our Year of Maybe. Her new novel for teens, Today Tonight Tomorrow, follows two high school classmates as their rivalry develops into romance over the course of a single day. We asked friends Kanter and Solomon to interview each other about their relationship as fellow YA authorswhich started via the Pitch Wars mentorship programtheir new novels, and their passion for writing Jewish teen rom-coms. Rachel Lynn Solomon: Hi, Marisa! First of all, I think our main characters would be geeking out a little bit about this interview. Marisa Kanter: I have this theory that Halle and Rowan would be best friends. People who are passionate about books seem to just find each other. As do people who write books about people who love books, apparently [laughs]. Solomon: Shocking! But I completely agree. Rowan, the protagonist of Today Tonight Tomorrow, wants to write romance novels. This is something shes started to keep hidden because of the way people judge herincluding Neil, the nemesis who becomes a love interest over the course of the book. Theyve been bitter rivals for all of high school, and this is just one of the many things they clash over. Kanter: I remember the first time you told me about this book and the premise alone made me so giddy. It still does! Im such a sucker for enemies-to-lovers. Add in the academic rival layer? I swoon! Solomon: Its my favorite trope. Of course, shell learn his opinions have changedI wanted to show that capacity to grow and learnand the two of them struggle, together and separately, to find the confidence to embrace what they love without shame. Its something I would have needed as a teen, when I was so obsessed with presenting a version of myself others would deem acceptable that I didnt even know what my real interests were. And in What I Like About You, Halle deals with something similar regarding YA novels. Kanter: I love that so much about Rowan, and I love how we both have created these characters who are not only passionate about books, but unapologetic about it. My protagonist, Halle, loves YA books and aspires to be a childrens book publicist. She runs a popular YA book blog that pairs cupcakes with YA books and uses blogging as an entry point into the world of publishing. Halles YA love is definitely inspired by my relationship with YA, as well as my own experience as a teen book blogger whod discuss everything from the latest Sarah Dessen book to Twilight obsessively with anyone who would listen. The best listeners were always my blogging friends, and What I Like About You is as much of a love letter to online friendship as it is to YA. Theyre inextricably linked, in both Halles story and my own. I think our friendship is kind of the perfect example of that! Solomon: Yes, our friendship started online toowith Pitch Wars. Kanter: Thank you, Pitch Wars. Solomon: For those unfamiliar, Pitch Wars is a mentorship program that pairs unagented writers and experienced authors with the goal of getting query-ready within a few months. Kanter: I applied in 2017 with the manuscript that became What I Like About You. It was the second time Id applied, but the first time I applied to work with you. I believe it was the first year you were accepting lighter rom-coms, and between that and your call for stories featuring Jewish characters, I was so excited that my manuscript fit your wish list. Id been following you on Twitter since I applied in 2016, and just had a gut feeling that we would click. Did this gut feeling come from shamelessly scrolling through your Twitter feed? Whos to say! Solomon: It was destiny. Id also kind of stalked the Twitter hashtag before submissions opened, and I just had this feeling you would submit to me because you were writing Jewish characters, something Id been vocal about with my debut (Youll Miss Me When Im Gone) approaching. And then you did, and I fell for your voice on page one! Your writing was so fresh and effortlessly funny, and your characters were full of longing and anxiety and optimism in these ways I found intensely relatable. The most staggering thing, though, was that your book contained a Jewish experience that most closely mirrored my own. Kanter: Excuse me, I need a minute to compose myself. Thank you! Solomon: Its true. I love that book with my whole heart. Kanter: I remember the mentee list was revealed while I was on vacation with my family at Niagara Falls. I was actually at the falls when my phone started blowing up with notifications. It was a special moment, finding out that news with my family. I was so excited to talk to you, but Im pretty sure you told me to go be on vacation! Solomon: That time to relax was so important because the Pitch Wars revision timeline can be intense. Kanter: It was a lot! Id worked with critique partners before, but this was the first time I received a full, detailed edit letter. You understood the heart of my book so clearly and a lot of the things we revised for are elements of What I Like About You that I cant believe didnt exist from conception. Like the cupcakes! Ill always be so grateful that you were a part of this books journey and that now, almost three years later, its weird if we go more than a day without texting each other! I knew that itd be an amazing experience being your mentee, but I dont think I anticipated that youd become one of my closest friends. Solomon: Ahhh, now its my turn to compose myself! I had a feeling Id be emotional for most of this interview. Publishing is so unpredictablewho would have thought this would lead to both of us publishing rom-coms with Jewish main characters, with the same publisher, two months apart? Its wild in the best way. Kanter: Im positive it will never get old. The timing is extra wild too because Today Tonight Tomorrow is a bit of a departure for you, as it is your third book but your first rom-com. What inspired it, and what drew you to romantic comedies? Solomon: The first spark came from one of my favorite movies, Before Sunrise, which is about two strangers who meet in Vienna and spend the day exploring the city and falling in love. Its a really beautiful character study that relies almost entirely on dialogue and the chemistry between the leads. I was drawn to the idea of mapping a relationship between two people that radically changes over the course of a single day. Oddly enough, my next piece of inspiration came from another Richard Linklater movie, Dazed and Confused. I watched it for the first time in early 2017, and as you can probably imagine, like a lot of movies from the 90s, it has its problematic elements. But I loved the way it captures the last-day-of-senior-year nostalgia, and my initial idea was to write a modernand considerably less misogynisticDazed & Confused. It sort of became a romantic comedy naturally as my drafts evolved. What about youdid you set out to write a rom-com? What are your thoughts on this rom-com renaissance we seem to be experiencing in YA? (Which I am loving.) Kanter: My favorite genre to read has always been rom-coms, but I didnt set out to write one until What I Like About You. Ive always written contemporary YA, but priorvery, extremely shelvedmanuscripts typically had rom-com moments embedded in heavier, more emotionally intense plots. As a teenager, I believed I needed to infuse all the angst and metaphors into my stories in order to be taken seriously as a writer. Romance was the subplot, but it was always my favorite part to writeto the point where it would start to dominate the main plot. Im talking entire chapters of banter. Solomon: I would read that. Kanter: You would regret that! Anyway, I started drafting What I Like About You at the beginning of 2017. At the time, my only intention was to write something that made me happy. I infused it with my favorite tropesmistaken/hidden identity, friends-to-lovers, and slow burn. I wrote a fun school dance scene, a semi-romantic sunrise, and characters who loved books as much as I did. In retrospect, it was definitely a response toand a coping mechanism forhow 2016 ended. Sometimes, I question why I write rom-coms when the world is on fire. But I think that we need rom-coms more than ever. In romance, we always get our happily ever after. Theyre more than predictable and comfortabletheyre hopeful. We need hopeful, happy stories when the world feels especially dark, and I think thats in part why were seeing this rom-com renaissance right now, both in YA and adult. Solomon: I couldnt agree more, and its not a coincidence that I became a regular romance reader around that same time. I was so desperate for that hopefulness. Romance wrapped me up in the warmest, safest hug. Im a little embarrassed to admit I used to be like Neil in that I hardcore judged the kinds of books I now read almost exclusively. So I rushed to devour everything I missed out on when I thought a books merit was determined solely by how many years ago it was published. Kanter: Thats so interesting because I immediately connected with Rowan and how fiercely she loves romance novels. Its hard to believe that you werent always a romance reader! Solomon: As a kid, I adored Meg Cabot books, both YA and adult, and while the majority of those are romance, I would never have admitted she was my favorite author because I worried what others would think of me. And now Im like... gah, young Rachel, read what you love without fear! Its devastating to think about how these books, which are designed to make people happy, to bring joy, are on the receiving end of so much hate. Rowan may have a speech about it in the book. Kanter: Its a great speech. Solomon: Thank you! In addition to all the book love, Today Tonight Tomorrow and What I Like About You also both have Jewish protagonists. I didnt write a Jewish main character until my debut, which was the fifth book I wrote, and I know you had a similar journey. Kanter: I did! What I Like About You is the fourth book Ive written, but my first time writing Jewish characters. It honestly just never occurred to me to engage with Judaism in the fiction I wrote, because Id never seen a Jewish character centered in a contemporary book. The only Jewish teens I saw on the page during my formative years were either in a concentration camp or a caricature side character. Solomon: Yes, exactly. It was either characters marked by tragedy in historical novels or, in contemporary, given a throwaway mention like Hannah loves bagels or Hannah can never hang out on Friday nights. You see enough of those, and you start thinking you dont have any other stories to tell. Kanter: Absolutely. I think this is something almost every Jewish author I know has felt. But were here! We exist outside of our collective tragedy, and we are finally starting to see that reflected in YA. Im so thankful for the Jewish contemporary YA books that have come out in the past few years and to authors like you who paved the way for my Jewish rom-com to exist. Solomon: Marisa, my heart! I know I wasnt the first, but that representation has become so important for me not just to see but to advocate for. Before my debut came out, I made this vow to myself that Id only be writing Jewish main characters for the foreseeable future. And so far, thats been true. Kanter: I feel the same way. We have so few mirrors, as Jewish readers. Every time I read a contemporary book with Jewish characters it still feels like a revelation. I dont think itll ever feel like enough representation, and I for one am not planning to stop writing Jewish rom-coms any time soon. If What I Like About You can be summed up as a rom-com thats a love letter to YA, my sophomore book, out next spring with S&S, is a rom-com thats my love letter to musical theater. Whats next for you, Rachel? Solomon: Its kind of serendipitous that the next book I have coming out after Today Tonight Tomorrow, my love letter to romance novels, is a romance novel! The Ex Talk, which is an adult rom-com set in the world of public radio, will be published by Berkley in early 2021, and then next summer, I have another YA rom-com with Simon Pulse about a teen wedding harpist. Kanter: I am so excited for your adult debut and all the rom-coms to come! And its been such a blast chatting with you. Solomon: I cant wait for What I Like About You to hit shelvesand cheers to more romantic Jewish books with ambitious, unapologetic heroines! What I Like About You by Marisa Kanter. S&S, $18.99 Apr. 7 ISBN 978-1-5344-4577-2 Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon. Simon Pulse, $18.99 June 16 ISBN 978-1-5344-4024-1 Update: Michigan confirms first cases of coronavirus; Whitmer declares state of emergency Michigan has yet to confirm a case of coronavirus COVID-19, but 124 people currently are being monitored by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services for possible exposure, a MDHHS spokeswoman said. All 124 are in self-quarantine," spokeswoman Lynn Sutfin said. This includes referrals from CDC airport quarantine stations, self-referrals, close contacts of pending persons under investigation and health-care provider referrals entered by local health departments, Sutfin said. She did not know if any of those being monitored have known direct exposure to the virus. A total of 39 people in Michigan have been tested for the virus, and all were negative, she said. The Bay Mills Indian Community in the Upper Peninsula sent out a press release today saying two of their employees may have been exposed during a trip to the Washington, D.C. area. The two are in self-quarantine, and out of an abundance of caution, we will be closing our Boys & Girls Club activities (Bay Mills Club, Brimley Club, and Sault Ste. Marie) for the remainder of the week until test results can confirm whether or not our team members have been exposed, or contracted the coronavirus, the press release said. State health officials have been preparing for weeks for a possible outbreak of coronavirus. In February, the state activated the Community Health Emergency Coordination Center and the State Emergency Operations Center to prepare for a possibleoutbreak in Michigan. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also has created four task forces to combat the spread of coronavirus and assess the impact it may have on state operations, health care, schools and workplaces. In addition, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has launched a campaign to raise awareness of appropriate hand washing techniques to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other illnesses. COVID-19 has been identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan City in the Hubei Province of China. There have been more than 110,000 cases globally, with over 4,000 deaths. Person-to-person spread of the virus has occurred in the U.S., with some of those occurring in people with no travel history and no known source of exposure. For the latest information, visit Michigan.gov/coronavirus or CDC.gov/coronavirus. PREVENTION TIPS: Much like how you would try to prevent the flu, you want to stay away from people who are sick and practice good hygiene, says the CDC. The latter means thoroughly washing your hands for at least 20 seconds, especially after using the bathroom and before eating. Avoid touching your mouth or face unless your hands are clean. Use household cleaners to disinfect commonly touched objects and surfaces. Use disinfectant wipes to clean your hands or surfaces such as shopping-cart handles when out in public. Some people are going the extra step and using smartphone sanitizers as a precaution, but a disinfecting wipe used lightly on the outside will likely work fine, too. READ MORE: Coronavirus Q&A, 15 things to know about COVID-19s spread FELTON, California, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With reference to the statement issued by the experts, in 2018, the scope of the global Cosmetic Packaging Market was appreciated at US$ 25.9 billion and is estimated to touch US$ 35.9 billion by the completion of the year 2025. It is estimated to increase by a 4.8% CAGR during the period of forecast. Packing for beauty and cosmetic products is particularly for placing of brand, customer functionality, and protection to the product. The progression of innovative and wide-ranging wrapping styles and modernization in packing performs an important part in motivating the development. Furthermore, because of increasing alertness about personal care, developments in per capita earnings, altering criteria of living and inventive designs, for example sticks and sprays, developing economies are proposing an enormous openings for the development for the cosmetic products. Drivers: Growing demand for cosmetics owing to increasing population of youngsters, ever-changing style of packing and advanced designs of package are expected to motivate the cosmetic packaging industry during the period of forecast. The larger number of products and trademarks are arriving for the beauty products. Novelty, effectiveness of packing and demand for product variation are some of the aspects important for the development of the market. Additionally, because of fluctuating tendencies of preparing between both genders categories the demand for cosmetic products is growing. This is expected to motivate the market during the period of forecast. The manufacturers depend on wide-ranging advertisement over diverse mass media for marketing cosmetic items. Novelty in packing is the important reason for enticing customers. As a consequence impacting the general development of the cosmetic packaging business during the upcoming years. Get Sample PDF and read more details about the "Cosmetics Packaging Market" Report 2025. Classification: The global cosmetics packaging market can be classified by Type of Cosmetic, Type of Material Type of Product and Region. By Type of Cosmetic, it can be classified as: Make up, Skin Care, Nail care, Hair Care. By Type of Material, it can be classified as: Paper, Plastic, Glass, Metal and Others. By Type of Product, it can be classified as: Sachets, Caps, Dispensers, Tubes, Bottles, Closures, Containers, Pumps, and Pen Varieties. Regional Lookout: By Region the global cosmetic packaging industry can be classified as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Central & South America, and Middle East & Africa. Owing to the greater infiltration of cosmetic products over the common people, the global market for cosmetics packaging is ruled by Europe and North America. Because of the greater capability to expenditure of the common people, North America has controlled the global market. With the aim of increase aesthetics, the consumption of cosmetics has boosted up in industrialized economies. Owing to the greater significance of individual appearance between the common people, the North America is tracked by Europe. By means of an existence of enormous number of domestic companies, the Asia Pacific is the maximum profitable market. Owing to altering financial circumstances, it is estimated to observe technical progressions. Asia Pacific commanded in 2018, by way of grabbing the 40% share and is expected to record a substantial CAGR during the nearby prospect. Japan, in Asia Pacific, funds to the main stream of share and is estimated to record a 5.4% CAGR during the period of forecast. The presentation of diverse assortments of the product and increasing acceptance by the customers owing to growing cognizance regarding diverse benefits for example the solution for anti-tanning have motivated the cosmetic packaging market within the state. Middle East & Africa (MEA) is estimated to record a 5.2% CAGR during the period of forecast. The nations for example the UAE and Saudi Arabia are estimated to motivate the demand for cosmetic products during the nearby prospect. Growing demand for halal cosmetic products has motivated the market within the state. Therefore, growing demand for the cosmetic manufacturing tips to an upsurge in demand for the manufacturing of cosmetic packaging. Lain America along with Asia Pacific are estimated to observe the maximum percentage of development in the global cosmetics packaging industry. Companies: The foremost objective of these manufacturing companies are to upsurge the optical impression of the product accordingly the escalation in sales of the articles. The objective for these manufacturing companies are the bulk markets for example Japan, China, India and South Korea. Modernization in the methods of packaging is one of the important reasons to increase the reasonable benefit. The manufacturing companies have presented environmentally friendly resolutions of packaging and are also consuming reprocessed plastics for the similar purpose. Some of the important companies for cosmetic packaging market are: AREMIX Packaging, Libo Cosmetics, DS Smith, Silgan Holdings, HCP Packaging, AptarGroup Inc., Graham Packaging Company, Bemis Company Inc., RPC Group Plc and Albea. Browse 80 page research report with TOC on "Global Cosmetic Packaging Market" at: https://www.millioninsights.com/industry-reports/cosmetic-packaging-market Market Segment: Cosmetic Packaging Material Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025) Plastic Metal Glass Paper Others Cosmetic Packaging Cosmetic Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025) Hair Care Skin Care Nail Care Make-up Cosmetic Packaging Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025) North Americ U.S. Europe German U.K. Asia Pacific Chin Japan Middle East & Afric & Afric Saudi Arabia Central & South America Brazil Browse reports of similar category available with Million Insights: Edible Packaging Market Food Packaging Market Rigid Packaging Market Flexible Packaging Market About Million Insights: Million Insights, is a distributor of market research reports, published by premium publishers only. We have a comprehensive market place, that will enable you to compare data points, before you make a purchase. Enabling informed buying, is our motto and we strive hard to ensure that our clients get to browse through multiple samples, prior to an investment. Service flexibility & the fastest response time are two pillars, on which our business model is founded. Our market research report store, includes in-depth reports, from across various industry verticals, such as healthcare, technology, chemicals, food & beverages, consumer goods, material science & automotive. Contact: Ryan Manuel Research Support Specialist, USA Million Insights Phone: +1-408-610-2300 Toll Free: 1-866-831-4085 Email: sales@millioninsights.com Web: https://www.millioninsights.com/ Blog: https://millioninsights.blogspot.com/ Abkhazia's electoral race appears to be back on track after a poison scare, violent street protests, and repeated delays that have underscored the volatility of politics in the Russia-backed breakaway region on Georgias Black Sea coast. Mired in disputes since what was supposed to have been a decisive runoff vote in September, the contest for the top role in Abkhazia veered off course again last week following inaccurate reports that a leading candidate had been poisoned or suffered a stroke. Aslan Bzhania, who was hospitalized in Russia on March 2 after falling ill with a mysterious ailment that was later determined to be pneumonia, was reportedly moved out of intensive care on March 10 and was preparing to return to the Abkhaz capital, Sukhumi. A post on the Telegram channel For Aslan Bzhania announced that the candidate was feeling well and would continue his campaign upon his expected arrival in the breakaway territory on March 11. Russian state news agency TASS on March 10 quoted doctors at the Krasnodar hospital where he was being treated as saying he was in stable condition and would be discharged "in the next few days." Bzhania will rejoin a race that features two other candidates, Adgur Ardzinba and Leonid Dzapshba. All suspended their campaigns for the March 22 vote after uncertainty about Bzhania's condition led to public protests and subsequent demands by acting de facto President Valery Bganba that Moscow investigate the origins of inaccurate reports citing anonymous sources that he had been poisoned. The Russian media reports added to the controversy surrounding the snap election, which was called after the September runoff was declared invalid. The self-declared territory's top court made that decision in January following violent protests against what demonstrators considered an illegitimate victory by the incumbent, Raul Khajimba, who stepped down amid the uproar and intervention from Moscow. Bzhania, who was seen as the leading opposition candidate, had been forced out of the running after he claimed in April 2019 that he had been poisoned. His supporters alleged that the poisoning was political, and that Khajimba was responsible, a claim that Abkhaz authorities ruled out. Bzhania was replaced as the main challenger to Khajimba by Alkhas Kvitsinia, who garnered enough votes in the first round in July to face Khajimba in the second round held in September. Kvitsinia won 46 percent of the vote, according to official results, to Khajimba's 47 percent. Kvitsinia appealed after Khajimba was named the winner, arguing that the incumbent had failed to reach the required majority, and demanded a fresh vote. Protests It was under those conditions that hundreds of protesters assembled in front of the building that housed Khajimba's administration on January 9, one day before the territory's highest court was expected to rule on the appeal. Demonstrators stormed the building and, after initially refusing to bow to demands that he step down, Khajimba resigned on January 13. The crisis attracted attention abroad and led Russia -- Abkhazia's economic lifeline and one of only a handful of countries to recognize its claim of independence -- to intervene. Russia -- which strengthened its influence and military presence in Abkhazia and another breakaway Georgian territory, South Ossetia, after fighting a five-day war against Georgia in 2008 -- sent an envoy to try to settle the crisis in January. When that didn't work out it sent Vladislav Surkov, the once-influential aide to President Vladimir Putin who was seen as the man behind Russia's policies in what it considered its backyard, including Ukraine. Surkov arrived on January 12 and reportedly met with Bzhania but not with Khajimba, who once enjoyed the Kremlin's backing and who himself became de facto president on the back of protests that led to his predecessor's ouster in 2014. Surkov was dismissed as Putin's aide in February. WATCH: Protesters Storm Abkhazia Leader's Office In a statement on March 3, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it was "interested in the stability and security of friendly Abkhazia," was watching developments there closely, and had handed over information relating to the causes of Bzhania's illness to Abkhaz authorities. The next day Bganba formally requested that Russia investigate inaccurate Russian media reports that Bzhania had been poisoned. Georgia and South Ossetia broke from Tbilisis control in wars in the early 1990s. Georgia and Western countries including the United States do not recognize elections held in the breakaway regions. Tents stand on a wharf near the Grand Princess at the Port of Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on March 9, 2020. (Noah Berger/AP Photo) Infected Cruise Ship Unloads Passengers in California OAKLAND, Calif.The cruise ship forced to idle for days off the California coast because of a cluster of coronavirus cases aboard arrived in port Monday, and dozen of passengers began to leave for military bases where they would be quarantined or to return to their home countries. The Grand Princess pulled into the Port of Oakland with more than 3,500 people aboard21 confirmed to be infected with the new virus. Passengers lining the balconies waved and some left the cabins where they had been in isolation to go on deck. As the ship sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge to enter the harbor, passenger Karen Schwartz Dever said everyone was hollering and clapping. The Grand Princess cruise ship passes beneath the Golden Gate Bridge in this view from Sausalito, Calif., on March 9, 2020. (Eric Risberg/AP Photo) Twenty-three people who needed acute medical care had been taken off the ship by late Monday afternoon, but it was not clear how many of them had tested positive for the virus, said Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the California Office of Emergency Services. Live TV footage showed at least one passenger, an older man wearing a face mask, climbing onto a stretcher and being lifted into the back of an ambulance. Officials have said the unloading will take up to three days. Our intent is to basically disembark about half the passengers today. Everyone will be screened initially today, said Robert Kadlec, assistant secretary of Health and Human Services Services. Many of the nearly 240 Canadians on board left the ship after the critically ill and stood outside two tents displaying Canadian flags. Canada and the UK were among the countries sending chartered flights to retrieve their citizens. U.S. passengers will be flown or bused from the portchosen for its proximity to an airport and a military baseto bases in California, Texas and Georgia for testing and a 14-day quarantine. The ship is carrying people from 54 countries, and foreigners will be whisked home. About 1,100 crew members, 19 of whom have tested positive for COVID-19, will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship, which will dock elsewhere after passengers are unloaded, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said. Passenger aboard the Grand Princess celebrate as they arrive in Oakland, Calif., on March 9, 2020. (Noah Berger/AP photo) For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. Since the emergence of the outbreak in Wuhan, China, last December, the coronavirus has spread to 115 countries and regions. In an effort to stop the virus from spreading, Italy will impose travel restrictions and other strict public health measures nationwide starting Tuesday. And a combination of coronavirus fears and plunging oil prices sent stocks on Wall Street plummeting Monday. The virus has infected 600 people in the United States, and at least 26 have died, most in Washington state. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said communities will need to start thinking about canceling large gatherings, closing schools and letting more employees work from home, as many companies have done after an outbreak in the Seattle area. Healthcare workers transport a patient on a stretcher into an ambulance at Life Care Center of Kirkland on Feb. 29, 2020 in Kirkland, Washington. (Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images) In Silicon Valley, NASAs Ames Research Center is essentially closed with restricted access because an employee tested positive Sunday for the coronavirus. Workers will be on mandatory telework status and three earth science airplane missions are being delayed to later this year, the county said. Several universities have begun online-only courses, including the University of Washington, Stanford University and Columbia University. The largest school district in Northern California, with 64,000 students, canceled classes for a week when it was discovered a family in the district was exposed to COVID-19. Georgias fourth-largest school district, which has more than 93,000 students, closed its schools for at least one day after a teacher at two middle schools was confirmed to have the coronavirus. The Grand Princess had been held off the coast since Wednesday because of evidence that it was the breeding ground for more than 20 infections tied to a previous voyage. Passengers from the previous voyage have tested positive in California and other states. Six Canadians who were on the Grand Princess from Feb. 11 to 21 were also confirmed to have the virus. The California governor and Oakland mayor sought to reassure people that none of the cruise ship passengers would be exposed to the public before completing the quarantine. Officials were trying to decide where the ship and its crew would go next. The State Department warned against travel on cruise ships because of increased risk of infection of COVID-19 in a cruise ship environment. Another Princess ship, the Diamond Princess, was quarantined for two weeks in Yokohama, Japan, last month because of the virus. Ultimately, about 700 of the 3,700 people aboard became infected in what experts pronounced a public health failure, with the vessel essentially becoming a floating germ factory. The cruise ship Diamond Princess is docked at Yokohama Port, near Tokyo, on Feb. 7, 2020. (Sadayuki Goto/Kyodo News via AP) By Olga R. Rodriguez and Daisy Nguyen Ministers and bosses from mobile network operators will sign a 1 billion deal to improve the UK's poor and patchy rural phone coverage. The deal is seen as a boost for rural and farming businesses, and will deliver 4G coverage irrespective of what network provider people use. The Shared Rural Network (SRN) is a deal with EE, O2, Three and Vodafone investing in a network of new and existing phone masts, overseen by a jointly owned company called Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited. The government claims the deal will provide guaranteed coverage to 280,000 premises and 16,000km of roads. It adds that some further indirect improvements can be expected over time, including a boost to in car coverage on around 45,000 km of road and better indoor coverage in around 1.2m business premises and homes. The deal should lead to increases in coverage in some areas by more than a third, with the biggest coverage improvements in rural parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. It means all four mobile network operators will deliver 95 per cent combined coverage across the whole of the UK by the end of 2025. The government has also pledged 5 billion to subsidise the roll out of gigabit capable broadband in the harder-to-reach areas of the country. Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden said: "For too many people in the countryside a bad phone signal is a daily frustration "Were delivering on the Prime Ministers 100-day promise to get a 1 billion landmark deal signed with industry to end poor and patchy mobile rural coverage." The deal means the four networks have committed to legally binding contracts and investing 532m to close almost all partial not-spots: areas where there is currently only coverage from at least one but not all operators. Responding to the news, Sarah Lee of the Countryside Alliance said addressing poor mobile signal in remote areas is 'vital'. "We welcome this announcement and believe it will go a long way to further unlocking the potential of our great British countryside. The key thing from here is to ensure this vision becomes a reality for those living and working in rural communities, so the next step is making sure it is delivered without further delay, she said. Two separate drug-busting operations in Morocco enabled to seize 1,150 kg of chira in Tangier on Monday and 374 kg of cannabis near the southern city of Goulmima on Sunday. The banned substance seized in Tangier was hidden in a fishing boat at the port of the same city. The operation follows the preliminary investigation carried out by the judicial police of Tangier after the seizure on Sunday in the same city of 135 kg of chira, destined to be smuggled out by sea, said the National Police (DGSN) in a statement. An individual was arrested in the Fnideq region for his alleged involvement in the organization of this criminal activity, the statement said, adding that security operations are still going on to shed light on the possible local and international ramifications of this criminal activity. The 374 kg of cannabis seized near Goulmima were hidden in a car coming from northern Morocco, said the Moroccan police in another statement. The search carried out in the vehicle led to the seizure of two fake license plates and a sum of money. Two people involved in this smuggling attempt were arrested. An investigation is underway to determine the possible links between this smuggling operation and international drug-trafficking networks. These drug-busting operations are part of the sustained efforts deployed by Moroccos security services to combat drug trafficking and dealers. The International Narcotics Control Board has lately commended the sustained efforts engaged by Morocco in its fight against drugs trafficking and consumption, praising the countrys strategy focusing on prevention and treatment of addiction. With two more people testing postive for coronavirus in Kerala on Tuesday, the total number of infected people now under treatment touched 14, as the state government decided to impose severe restrictions, including closure of educational institutions and cinema houses till month end to halt its further spread. The parents of the three-year-old boy, who tested positive for COVID-19 in Kochi on Monday on the family's return from Italy, have also tested positive for the virus, Health minister K K Shailaja told reporters tonight. The condition of all the three are "stable", she said. Efforts are on to trace all those who had come in touch with the family, the minister said. Details are being collected about passengers who had travelled in the flight they took from Italy. Earlier in the day, six positive cases were reported from the state. They are friends and relatives of an Italy-returned couple and their son who had on Saturday tested positive for the virus along with two other kin staying with them at their home in Pathanamthitta district. The aged parents of the couple who returned from the European nation last month along with their 24-year-old son, have also tested positive and they are presently under intensive care at the Kottayam medical college hospital. "There was slight variation in the ECG of one of the patients. Now it has stablised. Our effort is to save their lives," the minister said. Kerala has got sanction from the central government to test samples at the Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode medical college hospitals, she said. At least 1,495 people are under observation--1236 under home quarantine and 259 in isolation wards at various hospitals. So far 980 samples have been sent for testing, of which 815 samples turned out negative, according to sources. The affected include three who had come from Italy and eight of their close relatives and friends who came in contact with them, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said. Kerala has been hit by the second round of coronavirus cases after the country's first three positive cases in the state were successfully cured and discharged from hospitals last month. Vijayan said schools and colleges and cinemas would remain closed in the state till March 31. Temple and church festivals, which witnesses mass gatherings should be avoided, but rituals can be held in a low key manner, Vijayan, who chaired a special cabinet meeting in the wake of fresh positive cases being reported, said. The government also decided to impose severe restrictions in an effort to halt the spread of the virus. Classes from I to VII standards of all schools-- state, CBSE and ICSE will remain shut till March end and examinations which have begun will be put on hold. Examinations for Tenth standard, Plus Two and vocational higher secondary, which began on Tuesday will however, continue. Students who are under observation would be permitted to write examinations in a special room. Madrasas, aganwadis, tuition classes and tutorials, will be closed till March 31 while cinema houses, drama theatres and art and cultural festivals should be avoided. As the hill temple of Sabarimala will reopen on March 13, monthly poojas can be held, but at this juncture devotees should avoid darshans, Vijayan said. Travancore Devaswom Board president N Vasu also said the rituals can be held inside the shrine. The board has appealed to devotees not to trek to the hill shrine for the monthly pooja darshan. "The pilgrims will not be prevented from coming. But it is our appeal to them to desist from visiting the shrine due to the present circumstances," he told reporters. Marriage rituals can be held, but massive gathering of people should be avoided. All government related functions have been postponed including in which ministers participate. Public Service Examinations have been postponed. In all government offices, precautions will be taken against the spread of the virus and sanitisers would be made available at all places, the chief minister said. Those coming from coronavirus affected countries, including Italy, Iran and South Korea, should take precautions and steps to quarantine themselves in their homes or hotels. Collectors have been instructed to provide families placed under observation with all essential materials they require, Vijayan said. Biometric punching at secretariat and all government offices and PSUs had been stopped till March 31. Private sector organisations should also take similar measure, the chief minister later said in a statement. Meanwhile, students wearing masks appeared for the SSLC examination in Pathnamthitta district. Sanitisers had also been provided to them. Two students, under observation for the virus, appeared for the exam in a separate room at their school. In Pathanamthitta, a man under observation for suspected coronavirus infection at the isolation ward of the district hospital fled, but was brought back within hours. District collector P B Nooh said the man escaped from the general hospital, but was later tracked and brought back. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Stationery and gifts giant Kikki.K is the latest victim of Australia's retail apocalypse having collapsed into administration. The Melbourne-based retailer, which was founded in 2001, employees 450 people across 65 stores in Australia and other locations in the UK, Hong Kong and New Zealand. Founder Kristina Karlsson said the closure brought 'profound regret and sadness' when announcing the news on Tuesday. Stationary and gifts giant Kikki.K is the latest victim of Australia's retail apocalypse (stock image) 'This business began with a young girl's dream 20 years ago and became an international success story with customers in over 150 countries,' she said in a statement. Kikki.K was placed into administration under Cor Cordis, following a 'perfect storm' of conditions led to the shutdown. Co-founder Paul Lacy said: 'We ran out of time and had no choice but to place the company into external administration.' Mr Lacy cited 'structural change' as shoppers increasingly buy online and also referred to the devastating bushfire season and spread of coronavirus. 'We've had the triple-whammy of soft consumer demand, the business impact of bushfires and more recently the unprecedented and profound impact of coronavirus which is hitting so many businesses and countries so hard,' he said. The announcement follows a rough start to the year for retailers in the Australian market. The Melbourne-based retailer, which was founded in 2001, employees 450 people across 65 stores in Australia and other locations in the UK, Hong Kong and New Zealand Most recently, Harris Scarfe, Bardot, Colette Hayman and Ishka announced they had collapsed. Iconic Australian car brand Holden is also shutting up shop and will stop manufacturing and importing cars after first opening in 1856. Restaurant chains have also not been immune from the retail apocalypse. In 2018, most Max Brenner stores were forced out of business while the end of 2019 also signalled the end of Criniti's stores across the nation. Another high-profile administration was makeup line Napoleon Perdis. But the beauty brand was later saved by a creditor, similar to Jeanswest, which went into voluntary administration this year. At the hearing on the bill, a dozen people, some representing such organizations as the ACLU of Nebraska, Women's Fund of Omaha, Omaha NAACP, League of Women Voters and University of Nebraska Department of Black Studies, gave supportive testimony. Seven represented themselves. Terri Crawford said when her son applied for a job in Sarpy County he was told he did a good interview and had good credentials, but to continue in the job process he would need to cut his dreadlocks. That was even though there were several white women that had long hair that was pulled back, she said. He was not given the option of pulling his back. Morgann Freeman said she had been asked in several jobs to change her natural hair pattern and texture to comply with professional expectations. She has worked in a variety of jobs in which she has faced discrimination and has had to explain her hair pattern, upkeep and style, she said. It "creates a work environment where we feel uncomfortable, where we don't feel like we can be our full, complete selves as everyone else around us is," Freeman said. During more than 90 minutes of debate, some senators said the bill was not necessary and would put pressure on businesses to do something they didn't want to do. Mphasis, the Bangalore-headquartered global IT solutions provider specialising in cloud and cognitive services, said it has been awarded the certification as a Premier Consulting Partner on the Amazon Web Services Partner Network (APN). The company said the award, in conjunction with its Stelligent division, of the highest possible partner status is the result of successfully delivering platform-led enterprise portfolio modernisation and migration programs on industrial Dev(Sec)Ops foundations or an integrated IT system that incorporates security within its systems. "As a cloud-based company that is focusing on AWS [Amazon Web Services], we are extremely happy about being awarded the highest partnership certification," said Dinesh Venugopal, President of the Mphasis Direct and Digital. "The Stelligent acquisition and integration, and the subsequent focus on jointly achieving Premier Status as Mphasis is a clear showcase of us bringing the next generation of Dev(Sec)Ops enabled Cloud and Cognitive solutions on AWS. "We look forward to bringing a financial services-focused as well as horizontal set of solutions in application development, modernisation, data and Dev(Sec)Ops harnessing the power of the AWS platform in 2020, he said. Mphasis, which is also a member of the Blackstone Group of companies, provides an end-to-end cloud and cognitive portfolio of services that provides enterprise customers with the ability to increase the speed of business leveraging the AWS Platform. Mphasis said it is rapidly growing its AWS practice with targeted specialisation across Europe and the US. The APN Premier Consulting Partner designation recognises the top APN Consulting Partners globally that have distinguished themselves by investing significantly in their AWS practice. Companies that have gained this status demonstrate deep expertise in delivering customer solutions on AWS. They have also helped a large number of customers develop, secure, migrate and run their applications on AWS. To be eligible, APN members must meet certification requirements on an annual basis. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-10 07:00:25 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 925 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 THE INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS DEEMED BY SDX TO CONSTITUTE INSIDE INFORMATION AS STIPULATED UNDER THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU) NO. 596/2014 ("MAR"). ON THE PUBLICATION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT VIA A REGULATORY INFORMATION SERVICE ("RIS"), THIS INSIDE INFORMATION IS NOW CONSIDERED TO BE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.LONDON, UK / ACCESSIWRE / March 10, 2020 / SDX Energy Plc (AIM:SDX), the MENA-focused oil and gas company, is pleased to announce the result of its Rabul-3 well in the West Gharib Concession in Egypt (SDX 50% Working Interest & Joint Operator).The Rabul-3 development well in the West Gharib Concession in Egypt was drilled to a total depth of 5,129 feet and encountered approximately 116 feet of net heavy oil pay across the Yusr and Bakr formations. The Yusr and Bakr formations are of excellent reservoir quality with an average porosity of 21%.The well will be completed as a producer later this month, connected to the central processing facilities at Meseda and is expected to be brought on-line at an average stabilised rate of approximately 300 bopd, which is at the upper end of pre-drill expectations.Mark Reid, CEO of SDX, commented:"We are very pleased to announce this latest result in our low cost Meseda/Rabul area, which, thanks to its close proximity to existing infrastructure, will be contributing to cashflow in the coming weeks. This well provides further support to our FY 2020 gross production guidance of 3,200 - 3,300 bopd for Meseda. We look forward to updating the market further on our Egyptian drilling campaign in due course.Even at our $55/bbl long-term planning oil price, approximately 80% of 2020 and 90% of 2021 forecast cash flows will come from our fixed price gas businesses in Egypt and Morocco and accordingly we remain strongly positioned to weather the current fall in oil prices." About SDXSDX is an international oil and gas exploration, production and development company, headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with a principal focus on MENA. In Egypt, SDX has a working interest in three producing assets. In the South Disouq gas field in the Nile Delta, the Company is operator and has a 55% working interest. In the Eastern Desert, adjacent to the Gulf of Suez, the Company has two non-operated oil interests; 50% in North West Gemsa and 50% in Meseda. In Morocco, SDX has a 75% working interest in the Sebou concession, situated in the Gharb Basin. These producing gas assets in Morocco are characterised by exceptionally low operating costs and fixed price gas contracts making them particularly resilient in a low oil price environment. SDX's portfolio also includes high impact exploration opportunities in both Egypt and Morocco.For further information, please see the Company's website at www.sdxenergy.com or the Company's filed documents at www.sedar.com Competent Persons StatementIn accordance with the guidelines of the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange the technical information contained in the announcement has been reviewed and approved by Rob Cook, VP Subsurface of SDX. Dr. Cook has over 25 years of oil and gas industry experience and is the qualified person as defined in the London Stock Exchange's Guidance Note for Mining and Oil and Gas companies. Dr. Cook holds a BSc in Geochemistry and a PhD in Sedimentology from the University of Reading, UK. He is a Chartered Geologist with the Geological Society of London (Geol Soc) and a Certified Professional Geologist (CPG-11983) with the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG).For further information:SDX Energy PlcMark ReidChief Executive OfficerTel: +44 203 219 5640Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited (Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker)Callum StewartNicholas RhodesAshton ClanfieldTel: +44 (0) 20 7710 7600Cantor Fitzgerald Europe (Joint Broker)David PorterTel: +44 207 7894 7000Peel Hunt LLP (Joint Broker)Richard CrichtonDavid McKeownTel: +44 207 418 8900Camarco (PR)Billy Clegg/Owen Roberts/Violet WilsonTel: +44 203 757 4980Glossary"bopd"barrels of oil per dayForward-Looking InformationCertain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or are not statements of historical fact should be viewed as forward-looking information. In particular, statements regarding the production from the discovery being brought on-line at certain stabilised rates, the timing of such production and the FY 2020 production guidance, should all be regarded as forward-looking information.The forward-looking information contained in this document is based on certain assumptions, and although management considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to them, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because SDX can give no assurances that they may prove to be correct. This includes, but is not limited to, assumptions related to, among other things, commodity prices and interest and foreign exchange rates; planned synergies, capital efficiencies and cost-savings; applicable tax laws; future production rates; receipt of necessary permits; the sufficiency of budgeted capital expenditures in carrying out planned activities, and the availability and cost of labour and services.All timing given in this announcement, unless stated otherwise, is indicative, and while the Company endeavours to provide accurate timing to the market, it cautions that, due to the nature of its operations and reliance on third parties, this is subject to change, often at little or no notice. If there is a delay or change to any of the timings indicated in this announcement, the Company shall update the market without delay.Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks and uncertainties (both general and specific) that could cause actual events or outcomes to differ m Coronavirus Diaries is a series of dispatches exploring how the coronavirus is affecting peoples lives. For the latest public health information, please refer to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions website. For Slates coronavirus coverage, click here. MILANThree weeks ago, before the COVID-19 breakdown shook Italians lives and economy, the common good was just a philosophical concept that I tried to keep in mind every once in a whileinside a voting booth, at a rally, etc. But since Friday, Feb. 21, the idea of the common good has become the centerpiece of my days, all of which have been distorted by this invisible force. The coronavirus has made us all put the good of society before our individual needs; only if we all respect the rules will we be able to defeat it, we are told. In recent weeks the epidemic has grown inexorably, every day the number of infected people marks another jump, the current death toll is at 631, and it is not yet clear when it will reach its peak. The people that are affected are mainly elderly, but adults and young adults are not spared. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Exasperated by the rapid growth of infection and the lack of respect for some important rules, on the evening of Monday, March 9, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced a nationwide lockdown, under which people will only be allowed to leave their homes for specific reasons. A draconian decision, sure, but one made for the common good. Until a few days ago, there were still many, too many, people who walked undisturbed on the streets, meeting for an evening aperitivo, shopping at the mall. I dont think this was just the legendary Italian tendency to ignore the rules, because Ive seen the photos of more than 3,500 French people getting together to break the world record for most people dressed as Smurfs (why?), even though doing so was forbidden. Instead I believe that on one hand, the blame for these irresponsible behaviors can be attributed to a few politicians who have tried to downplay the emergency, asking us to stay calm without giving proper weight to the recommendations of doctors who have always been clear on the seriousness of the situation. On the other hand, the problem may be that we are fortunate enough to live in a democracy, and laws must take all citizens rights into account, even in situations like this. The Wuhan model was definitely successful on one front: The extremely harsh containment measures that punished those who broke them worked in limiting spread, and now infections are on the decline in China. But China is a regime. Here, we focus on our own civic sense. Are Italians, French, Europeans, or Americans ready to show how strong their civic sense is, when it means giving up their personal freedoms? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For nearly four days, I have not even gone outside of my own yard; I have not seen my parents, which for an Italian is quite strange; and I find myself looking at the world from my kitchen window. Having neither a vaccine nor medicine, the only weapon is extreme isolation. And so my family and I have completely isolated ourselves. I spoke to some doctors from Milan and northern Italy. They are tired, destroyed, and working nonstop on the front lines to fight death by COVID-19. The hospitals have been converted; routine operations are no longer available, only emergencies. Intensive care units have been doubled by transforming operating rooms, but anesthesiologists say that beds are running out and they have already had to make some very difficult decisions, just like in war. If I only have one bed available and two patients, one 42 years old in good health and one 86 years old with three pathologies, I am forced to give precedence to he who will have more chances of living, one doctor told me. A very difficult decision to make ethically, but really the only one possible. So as not to force them to make these choices, we must stay at home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This surreal time reminds me a little of my grandmothers tales, those of the Second World War. There was no going out for fear of bombs; now theres no going out for fear of the contagion. They had a curfew; now everything closes at 6 p.m. They waited anxiously for news on the radio; we are always connected, waiting for the next update. We all count the dead. But they came from the First World War, from hunger and fatigue. We have been living in peace for 75 years. We arent familiar with adversity at this scale. Our hearts and souls havent been trained for it. We grew up with the luck of wellness, we cannot let go of the idea that everything is calculable, and everything is predictable. This cursed virus has come to remind us of our own fragility. A few days ago, an American friend asked me if someone I knew had contracted COVID-19. No, I didnt know anyone. Until two days ago, when I did. Today, I know three. The more the days go by, the more the numbers grow, the more the circle tightens. When I talk to my friends abroad, I only have one piece of advice: Keep your guard up. For more on the impact of the coronavirus, listen to Tuesdays episode of What Next. STAMFORD City police on Monday night arrested a West Side man and are holding him in lieu of a $500,000 court-appearance bond. They say he propositioned two minor sisters to have sex with him for $100. Sgt. Robert Shawinsky said police were called to Richmond Hill Avenue at about 3:15 p.m. on a report of a man who offered two girls ages 17 and 11 to have sex with him. Shawinky said the younger girl went out on an afternoon errand to pick up some items at the corner store. At about 2:40 p.m., the older sister said a man, who she identified as Diego Ixcotoyac, 42, showed up at the front door holding her younger sister by the arm. Ixcotoyac then asked the older girl if he could come in, Shawinsky said. The older girl pushed the man back at which point he tried to feel the girls buttocks. The little girl then ran into the house and went upstairs. The older girl then asked Ixcotoyac what he wanted. He said he was looking for a friend named Antonio. The older girl told Ixcotoyac that there was no one in the house by that name and asked him numerous times to leave, Shawinsky said. The girl said Ixcotoyac would not leave and kept staring at her in a way that made her feel uncomfortable. He then said he would give her $100 or more to have sex with her and her younger sister, Shawinsky said. The older girl pushed the door closed and watched as Ixcotoyac stood on the porch for about five minutes, Shawinsky said. When police arrived, the girl was able to show them a picture of the suspect she found on Facebook as Ixcotoyac turned out to be friends online with one of her mothers friends from church, Shawinsky said. At 7:30 p.m. police found Ixcotoyac, a native of Guatemala who works as a insulation installer, and he was identified by the girl as the man who made sexual advances toward her and her sister, Shawinsky said. Ixcotoyac was charged with risk of injury to a minor, home invasion, attempted commercial sexual abuse of a minor, attempted fourth-degree sexual assault and stalking. At his arraignment at the Stamford courthouse Tuesday afternoon, Judge Bruce Hudock issued protective orders against Ixcotoyac, prohibiting him from contacting the girls in any way. A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold has been placed on Ixcotoyac, according to court records. jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com FREDERICTONThe New Brunswick government tabled its 2020-2021 provincial budget Tuesday, but the focus for most people will be more on the politics than the finances. The Higgs government will stand or fall on it, and it all depends on whether they can get the support of the third parties, said Donald Wright, a political scientist at the University of New Brunswick. The minority Progressive Conservative government of Premier Blaine Higgs has been under fire since introducing proposed health reforms that included the nighttime closing of emergency rooms in six community hospitals. The government put the reforms on hold following a public and political backlash, but the Opposition Liberals are using the issue as a reason to try to topple the government. The only responsible position for a leader of an Opposition party is to defeat this government at the earliest opportunity. I believe it is time for citizens to decide it is time for an election in New Brunswick, Liberal Leader Kevin Vickers tweeted Monday. The vote on any budget bill is considered a confidence vote. The current standings in the provincial legislature are 20 Tories, 20 Liberals, three Greens, three Peoples Alliance members, one Independent and two vacancies. The Independent is former Tory deputy premier Robert Gauvin, who quit the caucus over the health-care dispute. Liberal Daniel Guitard sits as Speaker of the legislature, but Vickers has suggested he could be recalled from that role in order to give the party the votes it needs to topple the government. There have also been questions about how Saint John Liberal Gerry Lowe will vote. Lowe has suggested he wants funding for a school in his riding, and is considering a return to municipal politics. Wright calls Lowe a loose fish ... meaning he could flip or flop, depending on what is in the budget. Green Leader David Coon said he would be discussing the budget with his caucus Monday evening and Tuesday morning, and would not say yet how he plans to vote. Wright said neither Coon nor Peoples Alliance Leader Kris Austin want a provincial election, but he was surprised the Liberals are pushing for one. He said Vickers played his cards even before the hand was dealt. I was surprised at how quick out of the gate Kevin Vickers was to say he would vote against the budget when he hadnt event see it. You would think they would try to work with the government, but not this leader, Wright said. He said that could backfire on the Liberals, depending on the content of the budget. Finance Minister Ernie Steeves said Monday the budget does hit the governments target of $125 million in surplus to apply to the net debt. He insisted its not an election budget. It isnt about spending big money and not tackling the debt. We are tackling the debt first and foremost, Steeves said. The vote on the budget is expected March 20. Read more about: NEW YORK and MIAMI, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Morgan James's new release, Evolve: The Lifetime Power of Actions on Your Career Path, by Ydalmis Carrasco, can help entrepreneurs develop and grow their brand like a large company. With over twenty years of experience as a commercial operation and marketing executive, Ydalmis Carrasco possesses the tools to help professionals in accomplishing their goals, inspiring them to choose a new career path while focusing on financial stability. Evolve: The Lifetime Power of Actions on Your Career Path Ydalmis Carrasco In Evolve, Ydalmis Carrasco combines strategic actions, real-life experiences, and humor to teach working adults how to reach their maximum career potential. Each chapter features themes of personal growth and accomplishment, while emphasizing the need for daily planning and stability in an entrepreneur's schedule. Carrasco teaches the fundamentals of organizational business learning and encourages female corporate leadership, but her method is grounded in reality, as she explains how failure is part of success. For anyone struggling to decide whether to stay in a corporate job or to take the entrepreneurial leap, Evolve will show them the steps to take to go beyond their current situation, and into their dream job. Ydalmis Carrasco helps adults identify if their current situation lends itself to a healthy work-life balance. If it does not, Carrasco discusses how someone's life experiences and unique approach to leadership can shape their career trajectory. She describes the details of entrepreneurship, explaining realistic financial expectations to have when transitioning into a new role, and outlines how to make an impact. Professionals seeking alternate employment will develop the ability to persist and shine in business by reading Evolve. If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Ydalmis Carrasco, please call Nickcole Watkins at 516.900.5674. About the Author: Ydalmis Carrasco possesses over twenty years of experience working in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and biologics industries on communication, commercial operations, and marketing for Fortune 500 companies. Originally from Cuba, raised in Puerto Rico, Ydalmis now resides in Weston, Florida. More About This Title: Evolve: The Lifetime Power of Actions on Your Career Path, by Ydalmis Carrasco, will be released by Morgan James Publishing on December 17, 2019. Evolve ISBN 9781642794601has 110 pages and is being sold as a trade paperback for $12.95. About Morgan James Publishing: Morgan James publishes trade quality titles designed to educate, encourage, inspire, or entertain readers with current, consistent, relevant topics that are available everywhere books are sold. (www.MorganJamesPublishing.com) Media Contact: Nickcole Watkins Morgan James Publishing 516.900.5674 [email protected] SOURCE Morgan James Publishing Manama The Cabinet chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister yesterday urged citizens to be cautious and follow preventive health guidelines procedures introduced to contain the spread of COVID-19, particularly amidst its outbreak across a large number of countries globally. The session stressed that legal measures will be taken against all individuals who do not comply with the quarantine and isolation measures under implementation. The maximum penalties prescribed in the Public Health Law No. (34) of 2018 outlines failure to comply with quarantine measures is punishable by imprisonment for a period of at least three months and a fine no less than BD1,000 and no more than BD10,000, or one of these two penalties. The Cabinet recognised the importance of following the Ministry of Healths instructions to those arriving from Italy, South Korea, Egypt and Lebanon during the past two weeks to self-isolate for 14 days, and to schedule their medical examination by visiting www.moh.gov.bh/covid19 or calling 444, whilst avoiding contact with others. HRH the Crown Prince reviewed the latest developments regarding the global spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and wide-ranging measures Bahrain is implementing to contain the spread of the virus within its borders. HRH the Crown Prince also reviewed plans to evacuate Bahraini citizens from the Islamic Republic of Iran, in line with the directives of HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, to safeguard the well-being of citizens and residents. The Cabinet suspended all business travel for government employees across all levels and urged all citizens to minimise their travels wherever possible. Among other things, the Cabinet approved a list of recommended Chinese universities to study medicine programmes in the Chinese, and assigned the Ministry of Education to co-ordinate with the Cultural Attache in China to direct Bahraini students enrolled in Chinese universities, from 2017 and subsequent years, by transferring to one of the six universities recommended. Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal has approved a new reinforced plan of fight against coronavirus (COVID-19) following a meeting of the governmental anti-crisis headquarters for fight against spreading of COVID-19 in Ukraine on March 9, the media liaison department of the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine said. The prime minister also ordered heads of agencies to check whether the state reserve stocks have enough means of individual protection for the population for a three-month period and to determine the volume necessary for the replenishment of the state reserve until March 11. He also requested information about domestic producers of individual protection gear and ordered to check whether they are capable of satisfying the demand of the population and medical institutions for individual protection equipment. The head of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine was instructed to ensure fulfillment of the laws on economic competition and on consumer rights protection during retail sales of means of individual protection. Shmyhal instructed the Health Ministry of Ukraine to develop a communication plan to determine the algorithm of actions if new COVID-19 cases are registered and to inform local authorities about it. He also ordered the ministry to consider development of a chain of centers for control over and prevention of diseases. The prime minister also ordered to ensure health screening for everyone arriving to Ukraine from abroad and through the entry and exit checkpoints from the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas and Crimea, as well as to ensure that ambulance vehicles are on duty at each checkpoint. By March 11, the Health Ministry and the Finance Ministry will submit their proposals on an increase in financing for the procurement of medical goods, individual protection equipment and diagnostics materials, including COVID-19 test kits, for Ukrainian laboratories. From the reasons why the various crises that confront humanity today are all densely inter-connected and how the global oil price plunge presents an opportunity to the government to improve its finances to the questions raised by SBIs YES Bank investment, here's a selection of Business Standard Opinion pieces for the day. Is the new coronavirus crisis related in any way to the growing industrialisation of agriculture and animal husbandry based on standardisation of species at the cost of bio-diversity? Why is it only SBIs responsibility to bail out Yes Bank even if it ... BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Jan. 29 was Huang Donghui's first day of rounds in isolation wards in Wuhan. Among his 60 COVID-19 patients, 56 were severe cases. Many patients were elderly. The oldest was over 90 and many had high-blood pressure and diabetes. As many were too fatigued to answer questions, he felt unprecedented stress. But Huang, leader of the medical team from Guangdong Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Hospital, said, "We are from Guangdong. We have experience of treating SARS by combining TCM and Western medicine. Trust us. You'll be fine." Two weeks later, the atmosphere in Huang's wards was quite different. Patients watched comedy shows on their phones, 19 had been discharged, and 22 were ready to be discharged. TCM has been in the spotlight during the battle against the novel coronavirus. As top TCM practitioners across China gathered in Wuhan, it was important to understand how the COVID-19 treatment plans were developed in accordance with TCM principles, and why mixing traditional medicine preparations with Western antiviral drugs might be a recipe for success in the battle against the virus. TCM has a different set of considerations when it comes to identifying, fighting, and preventing disease. In TCM, doctors classify diseases according to the accompanying signs, symptoms and development of the disease, rather than according to their viral strain. In Wuhan, patients in critical condition in ICU and patients with mild symptoms all had mucus-coated tongues, a sign of dampness and turbidity, said Tong Xiaolin, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and leader of the national TCM expert task force in Wuhan. "It was a rainy day when we arrived in Wuhan on Jan. 24," he recalled. The city, according to weather data, had a relatively warm and rainy December, and it had been drizzling for almost 16 days running in January. According to TCM theories, dampness or high humidity in the body is the root cause of many diseases including respiratory issues. In TCM, COVID-19 is a cold and dampness epidemic illness, Tong said. Huang said that dampness is difficult to deal with. It may explain why the condition of many COVID-19 patients suddenly worsened after being stable for a while with Western fever-reducing drugs. From the perspective of TCM, fever-reducing drugs may get people drenched in sweat, but the fever caused by dampness can only be eradicated through sweating in a mild and slow way. Huang noted that it took three days for the fever of patients treated with TCM preparations to be gone and the fever never came back. TCM remedies were prepared based on symptoms of each individual. While COVID-19 patients have different clinical symptoms, such as different fever temperatures and different time periods of the disease phase, the TCM formula recommended by health authorities is a general guide, instead of an all-purpose recipe for curing COVID-19. Every patient got a custom-made herbal prescription from the Guangdong team. Huang is also a survivor of SARS and a beneficiary of TCM. He was once on a ventilator for life support, and today can swim and jog with few complications from steroids use. Although they are TCM teams, the doctors took an approach of coordinated treatment of TCM and western drugs. During the SARS outbreak in 2003, patients receiving TCM treatments were found to respond better to lower doses of Western medicine protocols including steroids and antiviral drugs. They also had fewer complications and recovered faster. The efficacy of combining Western medicine and TCM was also acclaimed by the World Health Organization. Late TCM expert Deng Tietao was known for treating SARS patients with TCM. Deng, who died at the age of 104 last year, once said that TCM does not target the virus and whether or not the virus has mutated is not an issue as far as the principles of TCM treatment are concerned. The goal of TCM is not to kill the virus, but to drive it away by restoring the internal balance and boost the body. That is why traditional Chinese medicine can cure some severe illnesses, even if it has no microbiological make-up. Zhang Boli, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said Western medicine offers important life-supporting measures such as respiratory and circulatory support, while TCM focuses on improving physical condition and immune function. "They complement each other," he said. Once inside the jewelry store, they took an unknown amount of items, police said. They were last seen running west on Blackhawk Street. Some species of fish, notably parrotfish and wrasses living on coral reefs, change their biological sex as they age, beginning life as females and later becoming functionally male. New work from the University of California, Davis, shows that this sequential hermaphroditism evolves when bigger males gain an advantage in reproductive success -- for example by defending a permanent mating territory. "People have wondered why this kind of sex change evolved," said Jennifer Hodge, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Evolution and Ecology in the UC Davis College of Biological Sciences. A paper about the work by Hodge, research associate Francesco Santini and Professor Peter Wainwright is published online in The American Naturalist. Fishes are the only vertebrates to show such a sex change over their lifetime. The prevailing theory is that sequential switching from female to male evolves when it is more beneficial to reproduce as a female when small and as a male when large -- a circumstance that is likely to change depending on the social and mating behavior of the species. Evidence to confirm this idea has been lacking, however. Large males can hold territory Mating behavior differs wildly across this group of fish. In some species, males defend a territory and monopolize one or more females within it. Others establish a "lek," or temporary territory, that is visited by females. And in some species, fish mate without establishing a territory at all. Mating systems that require defending a territory or females provide the opportunity for larger males to be more reproductively successful. "Large males can control mates and resources, establishing a territory with food and shelter," Hodge said. Hodge, Santini and Wainwright tested this theory by looking at 89 species of wrasses and parrotfishes with different kinds of mating systems. They used DNA sequence data to reconstruct a tree of the relationships between the species of fish and assigned them to different mating systems based on published studies. "Our results provide some of the first comparative evidence to support the theory that sequential hermaphroditism evolves when, for a given sex, reproduction is more effective at a certain size," Hodge said. The size advantage increases from lek-like to haremic mating systems, she said, as does the likelihood that all males of the population will be derived from sex-changed females. ### The work was supported by grants from the NSF and an NSF postdoctoral fellowship to Hodge. PACIFIC PALISADES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2020 / Green Stream Holdings Inc. (OTC PINK:GSFI) a holding company of Green Stream Finance, Inc., a company that focuses on currently unmet markets in the solar energy space through its innovative proprietary solar product offerings, financed for customers via its public and private partnerships, today announced that its Offering Statement on Form 1-A, previously filed on September 30, 2019 with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") to launch a Regulation A, Tier 1 public offering has been approved The Company's expects to raise gross proceeds of $10,000,000.00, before deduction of offering expenses, assuming all shares are sold. The minimum investment established for each investor is $10,000.00, unless such minimum is waived by the Company in its sole discretion, which may be done on a case-by-case basis. President of Green Stream, Ms. Madeline Cammarata, commented: "We are delighted to receive regulatory approval of this filing which will now enable the company to have the assets to move forward with various revenue producing projects." As demand for more Green Energy projects within State and Municipal Government, Green Stream will be in position to capitalize on this exploding renewable energy market. This filing is a major first step in becoming current in its filings and financials and for preparing the company to finance its expansion plans which we hope will generate value for the shareholders." Legal Disclaimer No money or consideration is being solicited by the information in this press release or any other communication and, if sent, money will not be accepted and will be promptly returned. No offer by a potential investor to buy our securities can be accepted and, if made, any such offer can be withdrawn before qualification of this offering by the SEC. A potential investor's indication of interest does not create a commitment to purchase the securities we are offering. Any such indication of interest may be withdrawn or revoked, without obligation or commitment of any kind, at any time before notice of its acceptance is given and all other requirements to accept an investment from a potential investor are met after the offering qualification date. The offering, after qualification by the SEC, will be made only by means of the Offering Circular. Any information in this press release or any other communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to qualification for sale as provided in Regulation A in any such state or jurisdiction. The Stock may not be sold, nor may offers to buy be accepted, before the Form 1-A offering statement is qualified and approved by the SEC. This announcement shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor may there be any sales of these securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful before registration or qualification under the laws of any such state. The preliminary offering circular can be found at: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1437476/000121390019019204/f1a2019_greenstreamholdings.htm Please direct any investor or press enquiries regarding any of our solar current and planned solar projects throughout the nation to info@greenstreamfinance.com. About Green Stream Finance, Inc. Green Stream Finance, Inc., a Wyoming-based corporation with satellite offices in Malibu, CA and New York, NY, is focused on exploiting currently unmet markets in the solar energy space, and is currently licensed in California, Nevada, Arizona, Washington, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Colorado, Hawaii, and Canada. The Company's next-generation solar greenhouses, constructed and managed by Green Rain Solar, LLC, a Nevada-based division, utilize proprietary greenhouse technology and trademarked design developed by world-renowned architect Mr. Anthony Morali. The Company is currently targeting high-growth solar market segments for its advanced solar greenhouse and advanced solar battery products. The Company has a growing footprint in the significantly underserved solar market in New York City where it is targeting 50,000 to 100,000 square feet of rooftop space for the installation of its solar panels. Green Stream is looking to forge key partnership with major investment groups in order to capitalize on a variety of unique investment opportunities in the commercial solar energy markets. The Company is dedicated to becoming a major player in this critical space. Through its innovative solar product offerings and industry partnerships, the Company is well-positioned to become a significant player in the solar space. Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and is subject to the safe harbor created by those sections. This material contains statements about expected future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and subject to risks and uncertainties. That includes the possibility that the business outlined in this press release cannot be concluded for some reason. That could be as a result of technical, installation, permitting or other problems that were not anticipated. Such forward-looking statements by definition involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Green Stream Finance, Inc. to be materially different from the statements made herein. Except for any obligation under the U.S. federal securities laws, Green Stream Finance, Inc. undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Company Contact/Address: Green Stream Finance Inc. & Green Rain Solar, LLC 16620 Marquez Avenue Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 Phone: 310-230-0240 For All Inquiries Contact: info@greenstreamfinance.com SOURCE: Green Stream Finance, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/579983/SEC-Approves-Green-Stream-Holdings-Inc-GSFI-Offering-Statement-On-Form-1-A-To-Launch-A-Regulation-A-Public-Offering habitat by honestbee By Theresa Ellsworth SINGAPORE Embattled startup honestbee has laid off some 80 per cent of its 130 staff in Singapore even as it struggles to pay salaries for February. Honestbee is not in a financial position to make payments in full to its staff for the month of February, in terms of both salaries and Central Provident Fund contributions, the company said in an email reply to Yahoo Finance Singapore. The company has kept its employees and ex-staff informed on the companys position and further updates will be provided in due course, it added. Blaming the layoff on the protracted closure of habitat by honestbee the 60,000 square foot concept supermarket launched by the food and grocery delivery company in October 2018 its spokesperson said the relevant authorities had also been informed of the companys circumstances and plans. The supermarket has been shut since Feb 10 due to reduced footfall in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak. It was due to reopen on Feb 23, but did not. Despite the unpaid salaries, the plan now is for the company to start a pizza joint along Upper East Coast Road, operating out of a shophouse unit it has leased from chief executive Ong Lay Ann at market rate for a year, the spokesperson said. According to media reports, some furniture and kitchen equipment have already been moved into the unit. We are still in very early stages of setting up a quick service F&B concept and a tech-enabled convenience store Details for this are still being worked out, but the store will be focused on fast food service for takeaway, the spokesperson added. This latest development comes just over a week after honestbee's apparent stand-off with landlord LHN Space Resources when it attempted to remove furniture from habitat's outlet at Boon Leat Terrace in Pasir Panjang. honestbees lease was to have run until September this year The spokesperson declined to comment on the standoff as the tenancy agreement is the matter of on-going litigation. Story continues Honestbee launched in July 2015, and quickly expanded regionally, offering grocery services in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Japan, food delivery services in the same markets except Indonesia, and laundry services in Singapore. Retail and F&B outlet habitat by honestbee opened in October 2018 to much excitement and optimism among consumers and analysts for its automated NewGen Retail concept. However, signs of trouble surfaced the following year, with reports of financial strain, and several changes in key leadership from May 2019, including the exit of founder Joel Sng. Months after Ong took the reigns in July 2019, honestbee found itself in the headlines once again over $1 million in unpaid salaries. Despite injections in capital that have come since, honestbee does not seem to have been able to find its feet. The start-up is currently under court protection from its creditors, to whom it owes about US$230 million (S$319 million). It is seeking to pass a scheme of arrangement that will restructure that debt. Despite having some brand recognition, Walter Theseira, Associate Professor, School of Business, Singapore University of Social Sciences, says it might be hard for the financially-strapped startup to make the shift, also pointing out that the quick service restaurant (QSR) space is a competitive one. Only deep pocketed start-ups are likely to survive, he added. The next court hearing on honestbees restructuring is set for March 26. The court will also hear the injunction filed by LHN against honestbee. Related stories: Honestbee granted 4-month debt moratorium by Singapore court Honestbee applies to start court-supervised restructuring process Has grocery delivery start-up Honestbee lost its sting? U.S. soldiers walk at the site of a Taliban suicide attack in Kandahar in a file photo. (Javed Tanveer/AFP/Getty Images) US Begins Troop Withdrawal From Afghanistan, Official Says WASHINGTONAmerican troops have begun leaving Afghanistan for the initial troop withdrawal required in the U.S.-Taliban peace agreement, the U.S. military confirmed Monday. Army Col. Sonny Leggett, spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said in a statement that the United States is moving ahead with plans to cut the number of forces in the country from about 13,000 to 8,600 over the next four and a half months. Another U.S. official said hundreds of troops have headed out of the country as previously planned, but they will not be replaced. The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss the movement ahead of a public announcement. The pullout comes as Afghanistans rival leaders were each sworn in as president in separate ceremonies Monday, creating a complication for the United States as it figures out how to move forward on the deal and end the 18-year war. The sharpening dispute between President Ashraf Ghani, who was declared the winner of last Septembers election, and his rival Abdullah Abdullah, who charged fraud in the vote along with the elections complaints commission, threatens to wreck the next key steps and even risks devolving into new violence. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani (C), second Vice President Sarwar Danish (R) and first Vice President Amrullah Saleh (L) at an inauguration ceremony at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 9, 2020. (Rahmat Gul/AP Photo) The United States has not tied the withdrawal to political stability in Afghanistan or any specific outcome from the all-Afghan peace talks. Instead, it 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. Under the peace agreement, the U.S. troop withdrawal had to begin within 10 days after the deal was signed on Feb. 29. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said March 2 that he had already approved the start of the withdrawal, which would then be coordinated by military commanders in Afghanistan. Esper has said Gen. Scott Miller, the U.S. commander in Kabul, will pause the withdrawal and assess conditions once the troop level goes down to 8,600. Leggett said the U.S. military in Afghanistan will maintain all the military means and authorities to accomplish our objectives, including conducting counterterrorism operations against al-Qaida and the ISIS terrorist groups affiliate in the country, and will maintain support for Afghan forces.. The long-term plan is for the U.S. to remove all troops within 14 months if security conditions are met. 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. By Lolita C. Baldor OneDash, an e-commerce marketing technology startup today announced that it has launched a groundbreaking chat-to-checkout service. OneDashs new messaging platform allows online shoppers to perform direct, in-app, add-to-cart functions, with the option to check out in the very same chat. This new capability eliminates the need to exit a chat session in order to complete a purchase. The announcement took place today at DX3 Canada 2020 in Toronto. OneDash is a bronze sponsor of the event, located at booth 226. Cart abandonment is a major issue facing online retail. A Baymard 2019 Study showed that one out of four shoppers abandons a cart due to inefficient or time-intensive checkout processes. OneDash is addressing this pain point by optimizing the online shopping experience, providing a real-time service for customers to see their purchases from start to finish. I was looking for a new way to talk about my creative world and showcase my jewellery. OneDashs interactive application allows me to guide the customers into a completely new journey. I tell my story through a video and the spectators can interact at the same moment, said Vanessa Martinelli, CEO of Vanessa Martinelli Fine Jewellery. In just one click they receive all the information on a specific featured product and they can purchase it right at that moment, without breaking the momentum. Its a fantastic new experience. OneDashs app enables interactive video allowing customers to connect with retail outlets, in real time, bringing the online shopping experience to a new level with personal interaction for enhanced customer engagement to boost brand loyalty. With the global growth of video content, and the promotion of short videos by platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, we realized that the hidden costs are enormous, said Oleksandr Matviishyn CTO of OneDash. We were driven by the idea of making video more affordable and providing the ability for every business to create, distribute, and monetize their video content, while at the same time, improving the production speed of interactive video content. During the implementation phase, we came up with a few additional ideas like advertising, Messenger commerce, and live streaming to make the platform even more robust. OneDash was ranked in the top five at Googles ICCV 2019 Deepfashion2 Challenge for Artificial Intelligence in 2019. OneDash is supported by a team of well-known advisors from the industry such as Aarif Nakhooda, former CFO for Amazon Singapore. Rayhan Perera, CEO of OneDash, founded the company in 2017 with a vision of creating a more immersive shopping platform, allowing consumers to better engage with brands online. The idea was inspired by his wife describing the challenges she faced while buying cosmetics online.OneDash was born out of the consumer need for a seamless online shopping experience. Chatbots or live chat services are no longer enough. The deal is closed only when the payment button is clicked. Our goal is to create the simplest, most pain-free experience for customers who wish to chat with a brand or salesperson and complete a purchase without ever having to leave a chat, explained Rayhan. OneDash is available on Apples iTunes Store and will be available on the Android play store in July 2020. Users can also download for free through the OneDash platform or any official OneDash merchant. About OneDash OneDash is a Singapore-based technology company providing digital solutions using Artificial Intelligence to help brands interact better with their customers. OneDashs video e-commerce solution utilizes multi-faceted tools that allow brands to provide a unique, real time shopping experience to their audiences. OneDash currently has offices in Dubai and Singapore and is trusted by brands all over the world. Visit us at: https://onedash.com/ For Media Inquiries: Joanne Hogue Smart Connections PR for OneDash (410) 658-8246 joanne@smartconnectionspr.com PRecious Communications for OneDash Email: onedash@preciouscomms.com Tel: +65 6303 0567 For DX3 Toronto pratishtha@iotevents.ca THE Philippine National Police (PNP) has put on hold the processing of applications for foreign travel and leave amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) threat. Police Major General Benigno Durana Jr., head of the PNP Directorate for Police Community Relations and acting spokesperson, said the suspension is based on the order of PNP Chief Archie Gamboa as part of the preventive measures against Covid-2019, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Durana said the PNP Health Service is monitoring the condition of three PNP personnel and one dependent of a PNP personnel who are now under home quarantine. Of the four, two are non-uniformed personnel assigned in the Eastern Police District who came from a vacation in Japan. A San Juan police officer who has possible contact with a person who was a confirmed carrier of the virus is also under home quarantine. Durana said they have already closed Camp Crames gate 4 in response to the conduct of contact tracing of Covid-19 patients in Barangay West Crame in San Juan City by the Department of Health. He said all scheduled events and activities inside the police camp will still push through but medical personnel will be in the venue to monitor the guests. Meanwhile, Durana said the NCRPO has been ordered to beef up police deployment particularly in the malls, amusement parks and gaming centers to advise loitering children to go home. Classes in all levels in the National Capital Region are suspended until Saturday, March 14. Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Ano said they will also ask the Civil Service Commission and private companies on the possibility of work hour adjustment as part of social distancing to avoid the spread of the virus. Ipagbabawal natin at iiwasan muna ang large mass gatherings para sigurado na ma-contain natin ang spread ng coronavirus, he said in an interview with reporters. We are encouraging the private sector and CSC officers na gumawa ng paraan para maipatupad din 'yung social distancing. Baka pwedeng ayusin nila yung work schedule ng kanilang mga empleyado, he added. (SunStar Philippines) You may soon have to pay an extra 1 to 3 for your autorickshaw and black-and-yellow taxi rides, while there could be a cap on surge pricing by app-based cabs. The Maharashtra government informed the Bombay high court (HC) that a new government resolution (GR) on a tariff-fixation formula has been issued. However, it said no coercive steps will be taken against app-based Ola and Uber drivers until the next hearing on April 6, effectively meaning there will be no change in fares till that date. On Monday, while hearing a plea by Uber India Ltd, Ola Ltd and six driver-partners, a division bench of justice AA Sayed and justice Anuja Prabhudesai was informed by the state government that a GR, which accepted a majority of the 61 recommendations by two committees to decide the fare structure for autorickhaws, black-and-yellow taxis and app-based cabs, had been issued on March 9. According to the resolution, there will be a cap on the highest fare an app-based cab can charge under surge pricing. It will be up to three times the base fare of black-and-yellow taxis for the equivalent distance. The present base fare of black-and-yellow taxis is 14.85 per kilometre (km). Although it was recommended 2.5 times of the conventional cabs fare, the state government has decided to allow up to three times. There will be no cap on how low the fare can go, although the unions of conventional taxis wanted such a cap to counter competition by app-based cabs. With the government accepting recommendations of its panels, an actual fare structure for Mumbai and Mumbai Metropolitan Area (MMR) will now be decided and implemented by the State Transport Authority (STA), which is headed by the state transport secretary. A four-member panel, headed by retired IAS officer BC Khatua, was formed by the Maharashtra government to review a report submitted by another panel, headed by retired IAS officer PMA Hakim, which was formed in 2012 to formalise fare revisions for taxis and autorickshaws in the state. The Khatua panel had submitted its report on October 10, 2017. Among the other recommendations that have been accepted, include mandatory display of LED indicators on top of black-and-yellow taxis (whether occupied or available), telescopic fare structure for conventional taxis (which means lower fare for commuters travelling longer distance), revision of fare for prepaid cabs at airport as well as fare of Cool Cabs (AC taxis, which are not app-based), additional 10% charge for using AC in back- and-yellow taxi, age limit for vehicles used as taxis and uniform for app-based drivers. The state government has also accepted the age limit for black-and-yellow taxis along with autorickshaws to 15 years. The age-limit for vehicles used for app-based taxi services (tourist taxis) has been set to nine years. Further, the drivers of app-based cabs will have to wear a uniform: Sky-blue shirt with tie and black trousers, along with black shoes, will be mandatory for them, irrespective of the aggregator company. The government has also accepted recommendation for allowing black-and-yellow taxis to display advertisements as a means to generate revenue for the owners. A welfare and pension scheme for auto-taxi drivers will also be formed. Mumbaiites travelling for longer distance will have to pay less fare. The government has accepted the recommendation of the Khatua Panel for telescopic fare structure for black-and-yellow taxis operating in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The telescopic fare structure states reduction in per-kilometre price as distance covered is beyond eight kilometres. The unions of conventional taxis have opposed the decision, We will oppose the telescopic fare and had earlier also mentioned it to the state government. There is no proper infrastructure for black-and-yellow taxi drivers travelling for longer distances. We will ask taxi drivers to refuse passengers wanting to commute longer distances. said AL Quadros, leader of Mumbai Taximens union. The Khatua panel had recommended an upper cap for app-based cabs, that was 2.5 times higher than the base fare of black and yellow taxis) along with lower cap limit. However, the Maharashtra government did not approve the recommendation. The Maharashtra government also rejected the Khatua panel recommendation of introduction of Happy hour wherein the panel had recommended a 15 percent discount on the basic fare for black and yellow taxis and autorickshaws between 12 pm to 4 pm. Transport Minister Anil Parab is expected to make a statement on government accepting the recommendations in the state legislature in a day or two, after which the further procedure to implement the decision will start. Mumbai Grahak Panchayat chairman Shirish Deshpande welcomed the Maharashtra government decision of approving telescopic fare structure. The approval of telescopic fare for black-and-yellow taxis is welcomed. The actual fare of autorickshaw and taxis will be known later. The introduction of happy hours was an idea that was out of the box. However, the government did not approve of it. he said. ASHLAND, Louisiana A woman trying to post bond for an inmate ended up getting jailed herself after police became suspicious because of the strong odor of marijuana coming from the money. Houma Today reports Stormy Lynn Parfait, 33, of Gray, Louisiana, is charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of and possession with intent to distribute Klonopin, four counts illegal use of a controlled drug in the presence of persons under 17, taking contraband to or into a correctional institution and other charges. Parfait went to the Ashland jail Friday to post a $5,000 bond for an inmate who was being held on drug charges, the Associated Press reports. After smelling the marijuana odor on the cash, a detective decided to search Parfaits vehicle. Inside the car was $39,868 in cash, 96 Klonopin pills and a food stamp card that did not belong to Parfait, authorities tell Houma Today. Police later searched her home and found hundreds of pills, marijuana, cocaine, and other drug paraphernalia, as well as $945 in cash, reports say. Four unattended children in the home were turned over to a relative, Houma Today reports. More crime-related content on cleveland.com: Woman found dead in apartment on Clevelands East Side Cleveland motorcycle club member killed in shooting that hurt 17 others remembered as reliable, funny friend Cuyahoga County Jail supervisor headed to prison for pepper-foam attack on inmate, extortion attempt One dead, one in critical condition after shooting at Cleveland gas station YEREVAN. With such statements, the defendant in the criminal case into the beating of Lieutenant Colonel Ara Mkhitaryan in Yeghegnadzor, Armenia, is trying to avoid criminal liability. Mkhitaryan's lawyer Rafayel Amirkhanyan told this to Armenian News-NEWS.am. Speaking to reporters today, the defendant, Zaven Grigoryan, and his lawyer, Levon Sahakyan, claimed that Grigoryan was not there at the time of the incident and that the other defendant, his brother Harutyun Grigoryan, was alone. "Harutyun Grigoryan was not alone during the incident," Amirkhanyan said. "He went up to his apartment, telephoned his friends and brother, everyone came, gathered, and then he went down." The attorney said the number of Harutyun Grigoryan's friends has not been clarified yet, as there were 7 or 8 people. I insist that Trdat Sargsyan [the Vayots Dzor Province governor at the time] was also at the scene; there are witnesses who continue to claim that, the lawyer added. "The video recordings are not of that day, and they cannot prove that Trdat Sargsyan was not at the scene." Asked whether Ara Mkhitaryan was not sober at the time of the incident, Amirkhanyan said: "Ara Mkhitaryan was not sober, but that he was drunk is not true." On March 6, the Criminal Court of Appeal granted the motion to release Zaven Grigoryan, a defendant in the criminal case into the beating of Aram Mkhitaryan. Grigoryan was released on 1,500,000-dram bail. Mkhitaryan has been in a coma for about six months. The Investigative Committee of Armenia had stated that then governor of Vayots Dzor Province Trdat Sargsyan was not an eyewitness to the dispute that took place on September 17 of last year. However, the four military officers who witnessed the incident said that Sargsyan was at the scene and he followed the incident, not preventing it. Harutyun Grigoryan, an assistant to the now former governor of Vayots Dzor, has been charged along the lines of the aforesaid case. Grigoryan's brother Zaven Grigoryan is also a defendant. One week after the incident, Trdat Sargsyan resigned as Vayots Dzor governor. By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 09, 2020 | 10:13 PM | GRAVES COUNTY On Monday, Graves County deputies were sent to a home on South St. Paul Street in Wingo. Deputies spoke with two individuals who were attempting to move their property out of an apartment they had been renting. Deputies say that after speaking with the two individuals, they determined that 23-year-old Trevor Green had shot at one of them while they were inside of the house. When Green was questioned, he reportedly told deputies that he shot the gun in an attempt to stop an argument. The bullet reportedly struck a TV. He was arrested and taken to the Graves County Jail. A Wingo man is facing a wanton endangerment charge after an investigation into a shooting. South African-born film director, writer and photographer Oliver Hermanus's film Skoonheid caused quite a sensation with its exploration of a conservative, white, Afrikaans man's obsession for his brawny nephew and won the Queer Palm at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. His latest film is Moffie, created an equal buzz at international festivals and is an adaptation of Andre-Carl van der Merwe's celebrated memoir. Daniel Rutland Manners What inspired you to adapt Andre-Carl van der Merwes iconic memoir? What was it about the story that resonated with you? Tell me about the collaboration of writing the screenplay with Jack Sidey? Was it an easy process? How did you approach adapting the memoir? Issues of identity are and sexuality are more pertinent today than they were in 1981 when the story takes place, do you agree? For some, moffie has a derogatory meaning, to others its a term of endearment, how do you see it? Tell me about some of the issues regarding being being a moffie that you deal with in the film? How did you approach these issues as a filmmaker? With Skoonheid, you delved in the psyche of a young man who becomes the object of desire of an older man, with Moffie you explore the sexuality of a gay man imprisoned by society and the laws of an apartheid government. What are your views on this? Why do you think it was so difficult for young conscripted men to deal with their gayness during this period in South African history? Do you think it has changed much, even with the new Rainbow Nation Constitutional support? Why do you think this milieu makes it so confrontational? Was it a difficult process from film to screen? What were the challenges/obstacles? Tell me about the cast and how you approached them to bring the characters to life? What do you hope audiences will get from watching Moffie? Christian Olwagens rousing Kanarie recently took us on a journey into the life of a young gay man who was called for military duty in 1985 and found his voice and prince charming when he discovered how through hardship, camaraderie, first love and the liberating freedom of music, the true self can be discovered. Hermanus thought-provoking and haunting Moffie takes place five years earlier and shows how the fear of being queer was fostered in South Africa.Daniel Dercksen chats to Oliver Hermanus.When I first read the book, I was quite taken by the texture and detail it told of this part of our history. I did not know about the treatment of gay conscripts, about Ward 22 or the damage that the system did to so many men and I felt very strongly that there was a power to Moffie that needed to be told on a cinema screen.At the centre of this film, there is a word moffie. Any gay man living in South Africa knows this word and has a relationship with it. Its a weapon that has been used against us for so long. I felt a strong pull to explore my own history with this word which ended up being a scene in the film and I think it was the want to de-nuclearise, reform this word that was at the heart of my decision to make this film.It was a fairly easy process. Jack lives in London and I live in the Karoo, we would share drafts with one another and the one would build on what the other had sent. Once we got going, I think we knew what was at the heart of the story we want to tell.Absolutely. We are living in a global culture where we still see the persecution of the LGBT+ community all over the world. At the same time never before has the voice of this global community been more heard. A film like Moffie is there to remind us of what has come before, what we have endured and suffered through and why it is important to never stop being vocal and proud.I see it as a weapon, I avoid using the word. It still has a stigma for me and making this film allowed me to talk to other gay men about their relationship with this word. For most, I think, it still carries a pain. I am all for the act of appropriating it for good but like the book, I hope that having it as the title of the film will go some way to eroding the words toxicity.The films primary focus is masculinity. It explores the way that white South African men have been made for over a century. How the Apartheid system, the army and the conservative nature of this country fed young boys an ideology of superiority and hate. Being a moffie in this context meant being a crime, being a problem, a mistake.With a lot of research, haha! For me, personally, it was sticking to the core idea that this was a system of hate and separation, and the intention of the conscription was to re-enforce and protect that system. I want to show that process through the film, letting an audience witness and experience the indoctrination.Skoonheid was about repression and self-loathing where I would say that Moffie is about what comes before shame and indoctrination. The two films will, of course, go hand in hand, one might even say that Moffie plays as a prequel but I think their messages are very different and as much as Moffie is about a gay mans journey through the SADF, it also the journey of an entire generation of white men, gay and straight. The film rests its attention on all them all.Because of the simple fact that it was deemed criminal and it was dangerous. The society at that time was determined to keep gay men and women in the closet.In the army, I am not too sure. But in the general public, the has been a change. I guess the simple fact that I can make a film like this is testament to that. Being gay has always been an issue when it comes to the military internationally.I think it is the nature of the army it is an inherently masculine, heterosexual space and is, to a large degree, inhabited by men. I think that with the context comes an expectation and assumption that all men in the military should want to be heteronormative. Of course, we have now seen how that is changing.This has been a four-year journey! I would say that the major obstacle was the casting process. Because the films characters are all 18 or so, its a tough age group to cast for. We spent more than a year finding our core cast and were quite blown away by the unseen talent in South Africa.The cast is made up of high school students, trained actors, untrained actors and even non-actors. They spent a good amount of time with a military advisor who put them through a SADF boot camp. They learnt how to shoot R-1 rifles and, of course, they were taught how to drill. I then spent a few weeks rehearsing with them in Cape Town and beyond that tried to fill their heads with as much history about the time as I could.I hope audiences will get a visceral experience. The film is heartfelt and emotive. No doubt, for some, it will conjure up memories of their own time in the military but most of all I think the film is a bit of tear-jerker, so perhaps some tears? Haha! Read more about the latest and upcoming South African films. Ukraine's International Airlines will inform all passengers who left their contact data when booking tickets if any changes take place in the schedule Open source Several airlines made the decision to cancel flights, as governments in many countries canceled mass events and ruled that the traffic between these countries will be restricted. That includes Ukraine's International Airlines, Wizz Air and Ryanair. Specifically, UIA cancels flights to Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Germany, Israel, Spain, Great Britain, Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Poland, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, Finland and Denmark. The second frequency of separate domestic flights in Ukraine is canceled, too. Ukraine's International Airlines will inform all passengers who left their contact data when booking tickets if any changes take place in the schedule. UIA also recommends that passengers check the status of flights several days before the sortie - via the official website or the contact centre. Wizz Air canceled flights to Italy for the period from March 10 till April 3. The company's aircraft will not fly to and from Tel Aviv and Eilat (Israel) from March 12 to March 23. Ryanair will not be performing flights to and from Italy starting from March 9. Facing an accelerating spread of Covid-19, Italy and Japan have closed schools to impede the epidemic. Some communities in the United States have done so too, agreeing to significantly disrupt peoples lives on the theory that it will prevent deaths and serious illness. But there is no clear evidence that such measures will slow this outbreak. Most of what we know about the impact of school closings on disease transmission relates to influenza, to which children can be particularly vulnerable, sometimes dying or becoming seriously ill from it. Children are important drivers of influenza infections because they have more interactions with people than do most adults and also give off more of the virus. Closing schools, it is assumed, reduces the number of contacts and thus the rate of transmission. During the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, schools across the country were closed. A C.D.C. study showed that parents largely supported these measures, but other studies found that children frequently got together outside the home or visited public sites, despite official recommendations not to do so. Fortunately, schools reopened in less than three days in most cases because data showed the flu strain wasnt as severe as had been feared. 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 BRIDGEPORT Tenants of Embassy Towers were briefly evacuated Tuesday morning after a gas line was struck, officials said. Fire units were dispatched to the Embassy Towers at 2625 Park Ave. around 9:30 a.m., according to Deputy Fire Chief Lance Edwards. He said it was a two-inch gas main that was struck. Initially, Edwards said, the fire department evacuated the building because of the potential hazard. The gas company responded and secured the leak, Edwards said. The Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority was initially called to provide temporary shelter for the residents. But the GBTA was canceled since the quick action by the gas company allowed tenants to safely return to their residences. Edwards said additional repairs were expected to take a few hours. He said there were no injuries reported from this incident. During her five years as chief deputy, Ludaway held the second highest ranking position in the District of Columbia's Attorney General Office and participated in setting the strategic direction of the office, transforming it into an independently elected attorney general office to be on par with the nation's leading attorney general offices. Ludaway oversaw an array of matters, including multistate and single jurisdiction investigations, and enforcement and litigation matters, such as consumer protection, antitrust, civil rights, privacy and cybersecurity, environmental, false claims, nonprofits, utilities, and wage misclassification claims. In addition, Ludaway served as liaison to the executive, legislative, and local federal judicial branches of the District of Columbia. Ludaway collaborated with attorneys general and their senior staff throughout the United States, including the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), a bipartisan organization. Ludaway served on several of the organization's committees, participated in setting its strategic direction, and presented at NAAG conferences. She received NAAG's 2019 Senior Staff Member of the Year Award for her contributions to the association and attorneys general. "The Office of Attorney General for the District of Columbia's (OAG) loss is Crowell & Moring's gain. Natalie is an exceptional lawyer and a selfless leader," Attorney General Karl Racine said. "Indeed, Natalie is the rare lawyer who takes the time necessary to develop a deep understanding of the needs of her clients, creatively crafts the winning strategy, and identifies the mix of talent necessary to achieve the clients' objective. Few lawyers have such skills and winning personality to deliver for their clients. It is for these reasons that Natalie's leadership elevated OAG's status from a dormant agency, to one that has earned the respect of District residents and experts who regularly practice in the State AG space." Prior to her government service, Ludaway was the managing member of a D.C.-based litigation boutique. During her tenure in private practice, Ludaway handled complex civil litigation and employment and regulatory counseling. Ludaway's arrival comes on the heels of partners Clayton S. Friedman and Michael Yaghi who joined the firm in January. Friedman leads the firm's State Attorneys General Enforcement and Investigations practice. In addition, Joselle Albracht recently joined the practice as senior counsel in the Orange County office. Albracht is an experienced regulatory lawyer and advises clients on complying with state and federal consumer protection regulations that impact day-to-day operations. Her practice focuses on advertising and marketing regulations across all platforms, including broadcast, print, direct, telemarketing, online, social, and behavioral media. Previously, Albracht held the position of assistant attorney general for the Consumer Protection Division in the state of Texas, where she later served as chief of insurance practices. Ludaway's move comes at a pivotal time for the firm. "We are seeing a growing number of investigations and enforcement actions from state attorneys general," said Philip T. Inglima, chair of Crowell & Moring. "Clients need strategic guidance from experienced counsel who understand the dynamics of this specialized area and can advise on the enforcement, litigation, and regulatory aspects of AG matters. Natalie's background and experience, combined with her exceptional judgment and trusted profile in the attorney general community, make her uniquely positioned to counsel and defend clients across the full spectrum of issues." "The arrival of Natalie and Joselle continues our strategic growth trajectory for the practice," Friedman said. "We have substantial relationships with AGs, chief deputies, and heads of important divisions like Consumer Protection, Antitrust, and Environmental that will benefit our clients." The influence of state attorneys general has been growing steadily for years. The state attorney generals' role in consumer protection and other regulatory issues has increased while the federal government's oversight has receded with deregulation. "So many serious consumer protection investigations now start in the states," said Chris Cole, co-chair of the firm's Advertising & Media Group. "Natalie and Joselle strengthen our in-depth state attorneys general capabilities and ability to guide clients across the expanding landscape of federal and state regulatory enforcement, litigation, and compliance matters." "I'm excited to join this growing practice and to leverage my experience to help clients as they navigate the impact of the growing state regulatory and enforcement jurisdiction over the corporate sector," Ludaway said. "I was drawn to Crowell & Moring because of its expanding State Attorneys General team and deep bench in white collar and regulatory investigations, including an extensive roster of former prosecutors and other senior enforcement officials. The firm is well-equipped to help clients with enforcement, investigations, litigation, and compliance matters. I look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues to provide strategic guidance to clients." Ludaway earned her law degree from The George Washington University School of Law and her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Hunter College in New York. About Crowell & Moring LLP Crowell & Moring LLP is an international law firm with approximately 550 lawyers representing clients in litigation and arbitration, regulatory, and transactional matters. The firm is internationally recognized for its representation of Fortune 500 companies in high-stakes litigation, as well as its ongoing commitment to pro bono service and diversity. The firm has offices in Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange County, London, and Brussels. Media Contact: An Pham Senior Manager, Media PR & Communications +1 202.508.8740 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Crowell & Moring LLP Related Links http://www.crowell.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 23:49:34|Editor: yan Video Player Close NAIROBI, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Coronavirus appears to be gaining a footing in Africa as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reported its first COVID-19 case on Tuesday, making the number of affected countries in Africa to 11. Minister of Health Eteni Longondo of the DRC confirmed on Tuesday the first positive case of coronavirus is a person of foreign nationality who came from Belgium and who was checked on his arrival on the territory. Besides the latest one reported in the DRC, there are 102 cases reported in 10 countries, with one death, according to the African Union (AU) Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Tuesday. So far the countries that have been affected in Africa include Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, DRC, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Togo, and Tunisia. Most of the cases in Africa involve foreigners or citizens returning from Europe. Although the number of those affected in most of the countries remains marginal, that the cases are rapidly rising is causing concern as governments step up measures to combat the virus. The importation of the virus into the continent has seen some African governments take drastic measures to keep the virus out of their borders. These include banning international conferences and flights from countries that have the cases. On Monday, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari set up a coronavirus task force to help curb the spread of the virus in the country, which has reported two cases. " This action is in preparation for a probable major outbreak of the disease in the country which will require a multi-sectoral inter-governmental approach as advised by WHO, similar to that adopted for the HIV epidemic in the last two decades," he said in a statement. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, on the other hand, announced similar measures last week as the east African nation suspended flights from China and northern Italy, set up a quarantine facility and enhanced screening at border points. In Rwanda, the government has erected sinks in public places including bus parks, asking all travelers to wash their hands before getting into the bus. "To prevent the risk of coronavirus outbreak, passengers at the Kigali Bus Park have to wash their hands before getting onto buses. Rwanda has recorded no case of the epidemic but the country has stepped up vigilance," the government said in a tweet Monday. Steven Shongwe, the acting director of the non-communicable diseases (NCD) cluster at the WHO Regional Office for Africa, said for the region, all countries are at risk because there are more affected countries where people are traveling to and from the continent. "And we know that the potential of importing these cases is increasing by the day as we have more and more number of countries having established community transmission and local transmission," he told Xinhua. Eric Mangunyi, a researcher at the Walter Sisulu University in South Africa and a consultant at Nairobi-based EM Pioneers, noted that Africa may be the worst hit by the disease if it escalates because of weak health systems. "The majority of the healthcare system in African countries is not robust enough to handle this crisis. In case the cases continue to spread, many of the countries will be in problem. It can be devastating," he said. He noted that the disease would have serious long-term impacts on the economies of Africa, draining resources that would have been used in other sectors including education. Speaking to the press on Tuesday at AU headquarters in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, the Africa CDC director, John Nkengasong, said the center has strengthened its internal capacity to support COVID-19 outbreak preparedness and response efforts by African countries. Africa CDC has distributed testing kits capable of testing over 10, 000 tests, and it is purchasing more emergency medical items, including thermal scanners and other critical medical supplies and stockpiling them to meet requests from AU member states. "We are shifting slowly from preparedness to response. The Africa Taskforce for Coronavirus Preparedness and Response (AFTCOR) is currently active and supporting response by member states. Forty-three African countries now have the capacity to test for the virus and we have supplied them with test kits together with the World Health Organization," he said. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CSE: AGN) (FRANKFURT: AGW) (OTCQB: AGNPF) (the "Company" or "Algernon") a clinical stage pharmaceutical development company is pleased to announce that BioPub recently hosted an interview by Dr. KSS of the Company's CEO and CSO. The 35 minute interview provides additional insight into the Company's recent developments surrounding COVID-19 (coronavirus) and the potential of NP-120 (Ifenprodil) as a possible therapeutic treatment. The interview can be accessed through the following link: https://youtu.be/K7y05y_N4ow The Company invites interested shareholders, investors, members of the media and the public to listen to the update. About BioPub BioPub.cois a biotech investment discussion website. Our goal is to be the secret weapon and unfair advantage of every subscriber. What you will find is an education including interviews others don't get and presence at meetings others don't bother to attend. We promote what we consider best in class companies and follow them closely to ensure that management is executing their business plan faithfully and that development trials proceed as expected. We leverage the knowledge brought to the table by our professional members to see if the products being brought to market make sense financially in a world whose rules are changing daily. About Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc. Algernon Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage pharmaceutical development company focused on advancing its lead compounds for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), chronic kidney disease (CKD) inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and chronic cough. CONTACT INFORMATION Christopher J. Moreau CEO Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc. 604.398.4175 ext 701 info@algernonpharmaceuticals.com investors@algernonpharmaceuticals.com www.algernonpharmaceuticals.com The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not in any way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. CAUTIONARY DISCLAIMER STATEMENT: No securities regulatory authority or stock exchange has reviewed nor accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release. This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the closing of the Offering, product development, licensing, commercialization and regulatory compliance issues 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 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. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include the failure to satisfy the conditions of the relevant securities exchange(s) and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulations. 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 the Company. 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 the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by applicable law. George Calombaris's food empire had been in the red for years, losing more than $20million in the lead-up to its collapse, a new report has revealed. Melbourne-based Made Establishment had been struggling to stay afloat since 2017 as it racked up losses of $20.7million over a three-year period, according to administrators KordaMentha. 'The group has not been profitable in the past three years or for the year-to-date period to January 2020,' documents seen by the Sydney Morning Herald state. The former MasterChef star's once-successful business was ruined after a wage theft scandal, and went into administration on February 10. Declining patronage and an inability to turn the business around forced Calombaris to shut the Made Establishment Group. Administrators have revealed the company hadn't been profitable since 2017 Hellenic Republic in Brunswick, Melbourne, (pictured) closed immediately after the company went under The Jimmy Grants venues in Melbourne (pictured) have since been sold, after MAdE Establishment went into administration It owed $9million to the Commonwealth Bank alone, with most of that unlikely to be repaid. Bosses desperately tried to prop up the business, which had 12 restaurants, with a dizzying series of intercompany loans - which allow businesses to shift cash around in case of a shortfall. According to the report, the company tried to expand in Sydney with the addition of three new Jimmy Grants restaurants across the city in 2017. The venture resulted in failure, with the restaurants losing $2.3million over two years before shutting down. KordaMentha said it has since sold Jimmy Grants in Fitzroy and Hellenic Republic Brunswick, and is finalising the sale of Hellenic Republic Brighton, Hellenic Republic Kew and Jimmy Grants Emporium. For most of the company's other establishments - the Hellenic Hotel in Williamstown and Jimmy Grants in Ormond, Richmond and St Kilda - its assets on site will be sold off in an online auction conducted by Hymans. Post-liquidation, KordaMentha doesn't expect the group to have the $1.34million it estimates it owes employees, including $368,336 in unpaid annual leave and $900,496 in termination entitlements. Calombaris (pictured, centre) was a judge and host on the hit Network Ten show MasterChef from 2009 until 2019 Calombaris' empire was hit by scandal in July 2019, when it emerged it had underpaid staff to the tune of $7.8million. Less than two years later, the business went into voluntary administration, marking the immediate closure of its 12 venues - with up to 500 staff set to lose their jobs. Five of the eateries have now been sold to new owners, leaving little hope for the remaining seven. The business had a complex web of debts to more than 200 small creditors, which included food suppliers and tradesmen, according to documents seen by The Australian. The TV star's business partner, millionaire Radek Sali, claims to be owed $13.7m. The Melbourne-based restaurant empire, founded by Calombaris, included the Press Club, Gazi and Hellenic Republic. Former MasterChef host Calombaris said he was 'devastated' by the decision, which was made on February 10. 'It is with deep sadness and regret that today MAdE Establishment has been placed into voluntary administration,' he wrote on social media. 'To all my team, I truly regret it has come to this. On a personal note, the last few months have been the most challenging I have ever faced. 'At this time, while personally devastated, I remain thankful to my family, friends, the MAdE team, our loyal and regular customers. 'I am so sorry all our collective efforts have not provided to be enough. I'm gutted that it's come to this.' Song Yeong-kwan By Song Yeong-kwan Should Korea impose an entry ban on China to contain COVID-19? Certainly Hwang Kyo-ahn, chairman of the main opposition United Future Party, and his party think so. Fueled by growing fears over the spread of coronavirus, more than 760,000 Koreans signed a petition filed on Jan. 23 demanding that the Moon administration take a "preemptive" stance by stopping the inflow of Chinese nationals into the country. But is it prudent for Korea to close its borders to the Chinese in its fight against this potential pandemic? China is the epicenter of the virus. Since the World Health Organization (WHO) was alerted to several cases of unusual pneumonia in Wuhan on Dec. 31, the COVID-19 outbreak has continued to grow, infecting more than 110,000 people in at least 112 countries. Of the total number of confirmed cases, China takes the lion's share with just over 80,000, followed by Korea with roughly 7,500 to date. These staggering figures have prompted the U.S. Trump administration to prohibit entry to any foreign national who has traveled to China within the past 14 days, while there are no such restrictions for Korea thus far. To answer questions over the rights and wrongs of banning China at the early stages, we must first consider the costs of the entry ban. What we need to keep in mind is that an entry ban could be reciprocal. That is, if Korea were to ban entry from China, China could follow suit with its own restrictions. Under these conditions, what would be the costs to Korea? Firstly, the tourism industry would be significantly hit. Since 2013, China has been the largest source of foreign tourists to South Korea, making up around 34 percent of the 17.5 million foreigners traveling to the country in 2019. Serving as a prime example is the 2017 Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) conflict, during which tourism revenue plummeted by 4 trillion won from the previous year as the number of Chinese tourists visiting the peninsula plunged from 8 million to 4.17 million. Secondly, a Chinese travel ban on South Koreans would have serious ramifications for the latter's exports to and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the former; exports of semiconductor equipment, for example, also require labor to be dispatched for installations. Currently, China accounts for one-fourth of Korea's exports and 14 percent of outward FDI. Finally, the difficulties that both Chinese and Korean students would have to endure cannot be overlooked. As of 2019, 70,000 Chinese students and 50,000 Korean students are attending colleges in each other's country. In all, when implementing a policy, the costs as well as the effectiveness must be considered to avoid over-regulation. On Feb. 4, Korea enforced an entry ban on all foreigners who had been in China's Hubei province during the past 14 days. The spread seemed to be under control with just 30 cases until, on Feb.18, Patient 31a super-spreader and member of the quasi-Christian cult Shincheonji was diagnosed with COVID-19. Since then, the number of cases in Korea has skyrocketed, especially in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province. Indeed, under current circumstances, a ban on Chinese nationals would neither help nor dampen efforts to prevent the further spread of the virus in Korea. Song is a Korea Development Institute (KDI) fellow Atletico Madrid trained for the last time on home soil before they fly out to Liverpool tomorrow for this week's crucial Champions League Last 16 decider. Atleti go into the return leg holding a 1-0 advantage from the first leg. Diego Simeone had everyone bar Alvaro Morata available for this morning's workout in Majadahonda - the striker took a blow to his thigh during Saturday's 2-2 draw with Sevilla and was replaced by Diego Costa on 67 minutes. The club's medical services advised against Morata today part in today's session as a precaution, although the player should recover in time for Wednesday's game against Liverpool. Full screen DANI SANCHEZ (DIARIO AS) Lodi and Lemar return to training with Atletico Renan Lodi trained without problems - he was excluded from the list for the Sevilla game due to muscular problems and also sat out Sunday's session. Trippier and Joao Felix, who both look weary at the end of Saturday's match, worked out as normal. Simeone also has Thomas Lemar back for the Liverpool game. The French midfielder picked up an injury in the first leg and hasn't played since. Lemar missed Atleti's league games against Espanyol and Sevilla but now seems to be over his fitness problems. Morata could return to full training tomorrow which would mean that Simeone will have a full squad available for the first time this season. El Cholo must decide which five players from the squad don't make the trip. State Health Secretary Rachel Levine said at a mid-day briefing there are now 11 Pennsylvanians who have initially tested positive for coronavirus. The latest patient is an adult resident of Montgomery County who fell ill because of close contact with another of the diagnosed Pennsylvania patients. The 11th person is currently hospitalized at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. That means, Levine said, there is still no evidence of known community spread in Pennsylvania. The state has been calling new cases presumptive because the state lab is forwarding positive test results to a federal lab for confirmation. State officials consider it highly unlikely a positive result will turn out to be something different. All told, three of the identified Pennsylvania patients are currently in hospital; a fourth, in Monroe County, has been released from the hospital and is in self-isolation at home, as are the other seven. There are other persons who have been in close contact with those patients who are in self-isolation, as well, Levine said. Eight of the 11 known cases are residents of Montgomery County. The others are residents of Monroe, Delaware and Wayne counties. Levine has consistently said she has no doubt there will be more cases in the state, and experts also say they are continuing to prepare for eventual community spread. If that happens, the state would likely move to new steps aimed at mitigation, which could include recommendations to cancel or postpone public events in specific regions. Pennsylvania is not there yet, Levine said. She continues to urge anyone who is feeling sick not to attend any event or otherwise be around gatherings of people. New Delhi, March 10 : "He must have taken the decision keeping the face of Rajmata in mind," said Yashodhara Raje Scindia, Jyotiraditya Scindia's aunt and the youngest daughter of Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia of Gwalior, soon after the Congressman of 18 years resigned from the party to start "a new chapter" of respecting the "aspirations" of his people. Anindya Banerjee New Delhi, March 10 (IANS) "He must have taken the decision keeping the face of Rajmata in mind," said Yashodhara Raje Scindia, Jyotiraditya Scindia's aunt and the youngest daughter of Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia of Gwalior, soon after the Congressman of 18 years resigned from the party to start "a new chapter" of respecting the "aspirations" of his people. Her comments came soon after ex-Union minister and Congress strongman from Madhya Pradesh Jyotiraditya Scindia severed his nearly two-decade long association with the party after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi here along with Home Minister Amit Shah, sinking the Kamal Nath-led 15-month-old Madhya Pradesh government into a massive crisis. This was in more ways than one a homecoming for the former MP from Guna and a family reunion for the Scindias who have been divided in their political allegiance between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The immensely influential and from the family of the last rulers of Gwalior under the British Raj, Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia went on to become a politician. She was not only a key part of the Jan Sangh, the predecessor to BJP, but also a co-founder of the saffron party that is in power at the Centre today. Though she entered politics in 1957 by winning from the Guna Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh on a Congress ticket, it didn't take here long to leave the party. She then joined the Bharatiya Jan Sangh before having a very short stint in the C. Rajagopalachari-led Swatantra Party (which too was formed as a revolt against Jawaharlal Nehru). Since then, she has always been anti-Congress and was even sent to jail during Emergency. Out of her five children (four daughters and a son), three made it big in public life -- Madhavrao Scindia, the father of Jyotiraditya Scindia, Vasundhara Raje and Yashodhara Raje. Of them, Madhavrao Scindia, who had entered politics through the family patronised Jan Sangh, soon deviated to the Congress before trying his hands as an Independent. Since the 1980s, Madhavrao Scindia not just became a part of the Congress family, but also rose in stature within the organisation, serving as minister in various Congress governments. At one point, he became so powerful that he even challenged Sonia Gandhi on her foreign origin. Sadly, he met an untimely death in a plane crash in September 2001. Ever since, his son Jyotiraditya Scindia has filled his space in Madhya Pradesh politics as far as royalty is concerned and went to become, what many in Congress felt, a "shadow" of Rahul Gandhi. All this while, Guna has been the family's unchallenged fort. Madhavrao Scindia won from the constituency at an early age of 26. Even in the face of the Modi wave in 2014, which ousted the Congress-led UPA from the Centre, Jyotiraditya Scindia had won from Guna on a Congress ticket. However, in 2019, the Scindia family bastion fell to the BJP. Meanwhile, his two aunts -- Vasundhara Raje and Yashodhara Raje -- continued their political journey with the BJP with the former serving as Rajasthan Chief Minister on more than one occasion. Madhavrao Scindia's family was the only aberration in an otherwise BJP-leaning Scindia lineage. Though they always maintained a perfect symphony of a private family relationship, the political differences were too sharp to hide. In 2018, Jyotiraditya Scindia hit out at Vasundhara Raje aunt without naming her, saying, "They (BJP government) had said they will bring many officers, but all they could bring was a 'paan', 'pakode' and 'doodh' government. This is the state of the youth in Rajasthan where 35 lakh people are unemployed." Speaking at the same event in Jaipur in December 2018, he was asked about the political differences within the Scindia klan. He responded by saying, "The family issues should remain with the family. Do not politicise them. I am giving a clear answer to a clear question, but I will not give the byte that you want me to." The same month, Madhya Pradesh also saw a change of government like Rajasthan. While Jyotiraditya Scindia was asked to "wait", and Kamal Nath was made the Chief Minister, the post of state Congress President also didn't land on Jyotiraditya Scindia. Rahul Gandhi had tweeted a cryptic Tolstoy quote then, suggesting that Scindia's time has not yet come. Perhaps having sensed that the Congress, under pressure from Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath, will ont send him to the Rajya Sabha either, Jyotiraditya Scindia has finally decided to severe all ties with the grand old party. While some in the BJP insist that his other aunt Yashodhara Raje, also a BJP leader, has been trying to bring her nephew into the BJP fold for more than a month now, it seems that the practicality of the situation made Scindia junior call off the marriage with Congress after 18 years, on the day of his late father's 75th birth anniversary. At the end, family blood is proving to be thicker than the political water. ( can be reached at anindya.b@ians.in) 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. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10) Amid public clamor to know the exact whereabouts of coronavirus cases, Malacanang said Tuesday that the government is careful not to violate the privacy of these patients. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo told a media briefing that he suggested to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III the disclosure of places the coronavirus patients went. "When I talked to Secretary Duque, in fact I talked to him two hours ago and I reiterated that probability of them doing it, kasi kamo may emergency naman tayo e, titingnan daw (because there's an emergency, they said they will look into it)," Panelo said. "He will give me an answer within the day, they will study it," he said. He added that both Duque and President Rodrigo Duterte agree that despite the declaration of public health emergency, the country's current situation does not require the release of data that could violate the patient's privacy. "May mga degree kasi ang crisis e, sa palagay ng presidente at ng DOH hindi pa tayo nakakarating doon sa level na kailangan gawin natin yun (There are degrees of a crisis and the President and the DOH think we have not reached the level where we should do that)," he said, adding that officials are just trying to comply with the Anti-Privacy Act. The National Privacy Commission in a separate statement stressed, "Only pertinent information necessary in facilitating contact tracing should be collected, such as but not limited to: travel history, and frequented locations." So far, the Department of Health releases coronavirus patients' nationality, age, travel history abroad, and the hospitals where they are confined. Earlier, they disclosed that the country's first case of local transmission a 62-year-old Filipino man regularly visited a prayer hall at Greenhills Shopping Center. The San Juan City government temporarily shut down the prayer room for disinfection. However, details on the frequented locations of the other cases are limited. The country now has 33 confirmed cases of coronavirus including the three Chinese visitors who earlier tested positive -- one of them have died, while the remaining two recovered and left the country. The others are admitted to hospitals mostly in Metro Manila. There are also foreign nationals who were found to have the coronavirus disease in other countries after visiting the Philippines. One of them is a Japanese male who Duque said checked in at three hotels in Metro Manila, but DOH refused to disclose the name of the establishments. Panelo said Duterte told him that more details on the coronavirus patients may be disclosed "if there's a dramatic increase in cases." Coronavirus cases in the Philippines more than doubled overnight on Monday, but Panelo stressed this is nothing compared to what other countries are reporting. "Kung ikukumpara mo naman tayo sa ibang lugar, e sila hundreds e. Tayo wala pang less than 30 (If you compare it to other countries, they report hundreds. We have less than 30)," Panelo said. The new coronavirus has killed more than 4,000 people worldwide since the outbreak began in Wuhan City in China's Hubei province in December last year. It has infected over 113,000 people around the world. Health authorities said a person should get tested for coronavirus only if they have flu-like symptoms and have history of travel to areas with cases of local transmission, or have exposed to a person who tested positive for the virus. Taking a dig at party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia amid the ongoing political crisis in Madhya Pradesh, former chief minister and senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday said that Scindia is suffering from swine flu and is hence unreachable. Bhopal: Taking a dig at party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia amid the ongoing political crisis in Madhya Pradesh, former chief minister and senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday said that Scindia is suffering from swine flu and is hence unreachable. "We tried to contact Scindia Ji (Jyotiraditya Scindia) but it is being said that he is suffering from swine flu, so haven't been able to speak to him," Singh quipped while talking to reporters here during the wee hours of Tuesday. He said that those who are true 'Congressi' will stay in the party and added that those who reject the mandate will be given a befitting reply by the people. According to sources, mobiles phones of 11 Congress members, including MPs and MLAs, of Jyotiraditya Scindia camp have been found switched off. This comes after around 20 Cabinet ministers in Madhya Pradesh tendered their resignation to Chief Minister Kamal Nath, who has accepted the resignation and is likely to reconstitute the cabinet. Earlier, several Congress leaders had accused the BJP of horse-trading and conspiring to bring down the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh Our Divisions Copyright 2021-22 DB Corp ltd., All Rights Reserved This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. There is perhaps also an element of machismo in this for all of them. Sanders and his surrogates have been hammering the message that he runs circles around his opponents with his breakneck schedule, a message that was amplified after he had a heart attack last year. Trump's aides often note what they describe as the President's unique good health and stamina. And when Biden was told he was too old to run for president by a voter in Iowa last year, he challenged him to a pushup contest. The Biden campaign has said it will closely follow guidance from federal and local health officials about the events it holds and how it executes them. "At the same time, we will continue to run an aggressive, national campaign to win the Democratic nomination and defeat Donald Trump," a Biden campaign official told CNN's Eric Bradner. During Monday night's news conference and a Sunday appearance on CNN's "State of the Union," Surgeon General Jerome Adams noted that top health officials now know a lot more about who is at risk. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 02:28:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani on Tuesday called for international efforts to lift the "inhuman" U.S. sanctions on Iran amid the raging COVID-19 epidemic. Larijani issued the call in separate letters to the heads of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Asian Parliamentary Assembly, as well as the parliament speakers of the Asian and Islamic countries, the Tehran Times daily reported. He denounced the U.S. sanctions for hindering Iran's efforts to fight the COVID-19 epidemic, as the country faces severe shortage of medical supplies due to the sanctions. The U.S. administration led by President Donald Trump unilaterally quitted the international deal on Iranian nuclear program in May, 2018, and has reimposed all sanctions on Iran in an attempt to force the Islamic republic to renegotiate a deal under the U.S. terms. Larijani urged the international community to adopt a "principled" stance to urge immediate removal of the U.S. sanctions against Iran, especially those on medical supplies. A total of 291 people have died from the novel coronavirus infection in Iran as of Tuesday, while a total of 8,042 people have been infected since the outbreak on Feb. 19. ST. PAUL Several officials from Minnesota and North Dakota attended a February conference for Republican lawmakers in Maryland, where one attendant was confirmed to have COVID-19 , the respiratory illness caused by coronavirus. Among Republican power players President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, the Rochester Post-Bulletin confirmed on Tuesday, March 10, that Minnesota's U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn attended the American Conservative Union's Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland in February. Hagedorn announced earlier in February that he has stage four kidney cancer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been contacting individuals who may have come into contact with the infected person at CPAC. Hagedorn spokesperson Jake Murphy told the Rochester Post-Bulletin that the CDC has not contacted Hagedorn with concerns, and that Hagedorn "feels great." Forum News Service as of Tuesday is awaiting comment from the Minnesota Republican Party. It is unclear whether Jennifer Carnahan, Minnesota GOP chairwoman and wife of Hagedorn, attended the conference as well. She has an appearance in suburban Eagan scheduled Tuesday evening. Minnesota's two other Republican U.S. congressmen, U.S. Reps. Tom Emmer, R-District 6, and Pete Stauber, R-District 8, confirmed to Forum News Service that they did not attend CPAC. No congressmen from North Dakota or South Dakota were in attendance, either, nor were the North Dakota Republican Gov. Doug Burgum and South Dakota's Republican Gov. Kristi Noem. ADVERTISEMENT Spokesperson for the Minnesota state Senate, Rachel Aplikowski, said on Monday that state Sen. Jeff Howe, R-Rockville, attended CPAC. She said Howe has been tested for coronavirus and was confirmed negative. From North Dakota, state Rep. Rick Becker, R-Bismarck, attended. He said Monday that, "Because the infected person was not in the general session, I have minimal concern." "It is my belief, however, that it is more widespread than currently thought, and increased testing will show that," Becker continued. "The best thing to do is behave like you would for a serious strain of influenza." According to Politico , the ACU confirmed on Saturday that one CPAC attendant tested positive for the virus. Coronavirus is a contagious virus that can cause the respiratory illness COVID-19. As of Monday afternoon , the Minnesota Department of Health has tested 82 patients since March 2. All but two cases one in Ramsey County and one in Carver County have been negative. Nineteen have been tested for the virus across both North and South Dakota, with zero confirmed cases and two pending. Globally, 111,000 have been diagnosed with the virus, and 3,800 deaths have died of the illness. In the United States, 22 patients have died out of 556 total cases as of Monday afternoon. Halifax sign on a high street bank building (Photo by: Pauleheult/Eye Ubiquitous/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) A Halifax bank call centre has been closed for deep cleaning after a worker there tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. Up to 1,000 people work at the call centre in the Gasworks area of Belfast city centre, Northern Ireland. Staff have been asked to self-isolate, work from home, or at a back-up site, according to PA Media. Lloyds Banking Group, which owns Halifax, said: "The Belfast Gasworks building has been temporarily closed to allow for the appropriate areas of the site to be cleaned, after a colleague based there was diagnosed with COVID-19. "Our priority is the wellbeing of the individual, as well as the colleagues and visitors to the building. We're closely monitoring the developing situation and continue to follow official guidelines." Read more: Ad Week Europe in London delayed over coronavirus fears Globally, the death toll from coronavirus is nearing 4,000. The UK has 319 confirmed cases, with five Britons succumbing to the infection. In Northern Ireland 12 cases have been diagnosed so far. The St Patrick's Day festivities in Belfast are among events which have been axed amid efforts to contain the spread of the virus. Read more: Questions doctors are being asked about the coronavirus On Monday, Stormont health minister Robin Swann warned that between 50% and 80% of the population could ultimately contract the coronavirus in a worst case scenario. The coronavirus tends to take five days to cause symptoms, research suggests. Results show most developed the tell-tale flu-like symptoms within five days, while nearly all (97.5%) endured fever, cough and breathlessness within 11.5 days. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Finance UK Miriams Big Fat Adventure Rating: This Country Rating: Perhaps it's her unique ability to liven up any chat show that sparked the idea in a TV executive's mind that Miriam Margolyes would be the perfect choice to front documentaries. It turned out not to be a bad punt. In her latest, Miriam's Big Fat Adventure (BBC2), her third major documentary series for the Beeb, she set out to understand why one third of Britons are obese. At 4ft 11in and weighing in at 14st 10lb, Miriam knows all about being large. She's also adamant that nobody can be truly fat and happy, readily admitting: 'I'm disgusted at my body, I loathe it.' Perhaps it's her unique ability to liven up any chat show that sparked the idea in a TV executive's mind that Miriam Margolyes would be the perfect choice to front documentaries She started her journey of discovery by visiting a military style weight-loss bootcamp. No points for originality there. At the camp she met teenagers who struggled to control their eating, including Georgia, who likened the huge binges she would go on to 'self-harming'. But while overweight people like Georgia were keen to address their waistlines, there is also growing 'body positive' movement made up of very large women who refuse to change or apologise for their size. Bethany was so proud to be fat that she had a tattoo of a doughnut on her body to prove it. Then there was Trina who'd started a plus-size dance class. In her latest, Miriam's Big Fat Adventure (BBC2), her third major documentary series for the Beeb, she set out to understand why one third of Britons are obese. At 4ft 11in and weighing in at 14st 10lb, Miriam knows all about being large There the women seemed so joyous and empowered that Miriam wondered if she was wrong to state that nobody could be happy being fat. For all the people she met, it was Miriam's own experiences with food and body size that provided the most poignant moments. She hated that fat people are still considered fair game by comedians and her lack of acceptance at school clearly continued to affect her decades later. 'If you're mean to fat people, I hate you. I hope you wither on the vine,' she said. The problem was the nation's weight problem has become big business for TV channels, with programmes about obesity on almost every week Channel 4's 100 Kilo Kids being the most recent. It meant that even in the hands of someone as likeable and funny as Miriam, the show suffered from fat-programming fatigue. It was another larger lady who stole the show in This Country (BBC1) when Mandy Harris (Ashley McGuire) joined the vicar's book club in this wickedly funny TV mockumentary set in a Cotswolds village. The problem was Mandy wasn't prepared to read the books and instead wanted to read out her own disturbing short stories including one about a man who met a grisly end in a dodgem car. Elsewhere, Kurtan (Charlie Cooper) learned that Ray, the half-brother he never knew, had died. It soon became apparent that nobody else knew anything about Ray either. He worked for 40 years at Mitsubishi but, at the wake, all a work colleague could recall was: 'I often heard him say 'morning' and 'see you tomorrow' except on a Friday when he'd say 'see you Monday'.' Created by siblings Daisy May and Charlie Cooper, This Country is a brilliantly observed look at life in a rural community where work is thin on the ground, but local eccentrics are not. Kurtan (Charlie Cooper) learned that Ray, the half-brother he never knew, had died. It soon became apparent that nobody else knew anything about Ray either. He is pictured left with Kerry (Daisy May Cooper) The comedy has snowballed in popularity, going from a cult BBC3 hit to mainstream airtime with the Coopers' mantelpiece now, deservedly, groaning with awards including a BAFTA. I thought the mockumentary format peaked with Ricky Gervais's The Office, but I'd say This Country has it beaten. It's not often you watch a comedy that makes you anxious you're going to laugh so much you'll miss the next killer line. Cuisine conundrum of the night: Forget the grub, the most curious thing on MasterChef (BBC1) is the eerie apparition of a third plate when a dish is presented to the three guest judges? Contestants set down two. Does the food fairy bring in the third? Representative Doug Collins, R-Ga, speaks to reporters at the end of a House Judiciary Committee markup: AP White House officials are mum about a photograph that appeared on Twitter showing Donald Trump shaking hands with a congressman who has put himself in self-quarantine over coronavirus fears. Rep. Doug Collins of George, a longtime and fierce Trump ally, is spending the next two weeks at home after shaking hands earlier this month with a man who has tested positive for the disease, for which there is no vaccine nor treatment drug. That took place at the Conservative Political Action Conference near Washington. Mr Trump also attended and shook hands with Matt Schlapp, the event's director, before giving a speech that turned into another campaign rally. Mr Schlapp has reported shaking hands with the infected man, and Mr Collins also had contact. (So, too, did Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a Trump rival-turned-ally. He's also self-isolating in the Lone Star State.) A photograph posted online shows Mr Trump shaking hands with Mr Collins on Friday in Atlanta, as he arrived for a tour at US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters there. White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham and her top deputies had not responded to an inquiry seeking comment. But earlier Monday, she insisted the president is feeling fine. "I'll tell you what, with our president this man who doesn't sleep and who I have seen work 15-16 hours a day every day I have no problem thinking that he's going to be just fine and just healthy," she told Fox News. Ms Grisham has not responded to several emails from The Independent asking if the president has been tested for coronavirus. The president did not stop to respond to shouted questions Monday afternoon as he returned to the White House after spending the weekend at his resort there then holding a fundraiser in Orlando on Monday. Bhopal: Amid the political turmoil in Madhya Pradesh, BJP MLAs would be flown out of Bhopal and possibly out of the state on Tuesday night, party sources said. With 22 Congress MLAs quitting and plunging the Congress government in the state into a crisis, a meeting of the BJP Legislature Party was held on Tuesday evening. With the possibility of the Congress, which would be reduced to minority in the Assembly if the resignations of its MLAs are accepted, trying to poach BJP's legislators, the saffron party was taking precautions to keep its flock together, sources added. Madhya Pradesh: Buses parked near the party office in Bhopal, begin leaving from the spot. BJP MLAs of the state have boarded the buses. MLA Vijay Shah (pic 4) says, "We are going either to Bengaluru or Delhi." pic.twitter.com/cp36sxMk4p ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2020 After the meeting, Leader of Opposition Gopal Bhargava said all the party MLAs were going to "celebrate Holi" at an undisclosed location. "We are going to celebrate Holi. We are going to the airport in buses. From there we will leave for the location as per the directives of party leaders," he said, without disclosing what their destination would be. Five chartered buses could be seen parked outside the BJP office. We are seeing the first geopolitical casualty of the coronavirus unfold in real time: the fraying of the Saudi-Russia partnership. Up until now, it was reasonable to expect the biggest geopolitical upsets from the virus would be related to China, and such outcomes still might unfold in the future. Yet a coronavirus-instigated meltdown in the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Russia is on full display right now. It is already roiling oil markets in a way that could further upend the global economy, and has geopolitical implications well beyond energy markets. Five years ago, a partnership between Russia and Saudi Arabia seemed inconceivable. The two countries had a history of mistrust going back to Saudi support for the Afghan mujahedeen, and they differed significantly on important issues, most notably on Syria. But the 2014-2016 descent of oil prices focused the minds of rulers in Riyadh and Moscow, and the two governments put aside their frictions to focus on lifting oil prices. Russia took the lead in forming and sustaining OPEC+, a 10-member group of oil producers that for the first time coordinated with OPEC over global oil production cuts. Although the collective efforts of OPEC and OPEC+ couldnt bolster prices as much as many producers wanted, they were critical to keeping them in a middling range where many producers could manage in the short term. The coronavirus pushed the already-growing divergence of Russian and Saudi interests over oil prices to the forefront, and led to the dramatic falling-out seen between Riyadh and Moscow on Friday. Slowing economic activity in China the source of nearly two-thirds of oil demand growth in 2019 has led forecasters to sharply reduce projections of oil demand growth for this year. Although the first quarter of 2020 hasnt yet ended, the International Energy Agency has cut its forecast for oil demand several times and now predicts that demand will see a quarterly decline for the first time in a decade. The outlook for the rest of the year looks similarly bleak. Faced with this grim picture, Saudi Arabia proposed an additional production cut of 1.5 million barrels per day, on top of the most recent cut that had been in place since last December. Russia, which can balance its budget on a significantly lower price of oil, balked. It walked away from talks in Vienna on Friday and reportedly gave the 10 members of OPEC+ license to ramp up any idle capacity after the current agreement expires on March 31. Saudi Arabias oil giant Aramco lost no time in responding, slashing the prices it will charge refiners buying Saudi crude in April by unprecedented amounts. The biggest discounts were extended to European buyers in what can only be interpreted as an effort to undercut Russian oil sales. Aramco publicly announced that it would increase its overall production in April from 9.7 million barrels per day today to between 10 million and 11 million; privately, Saudi officials have indicated that they are willing to explore their options for increasing production to 12 million. Other members of OPEC that have been curbing their production, such as Iraq and the U.A.E., will no doubt follow suit. Its hard to overstate what this could mean for global oil markets. The tumble of oil prices to below $30 a barrel in early 2016 was caused by a supply glut created in part by increases in American unconventional oil production and an OPEC strategy focused on market share instead of price. The oil-market crisis the world is about to experience will be the product of a supply glut and dramatic demand destruction due to the coronavirus and its impact on global economic activity. The geopolitical impact could be massive. It could undercut the U.S. shale industry, destabilize Saudi Arabia at a sensitive moment of reform, wreak havoc on the budgets of countries like Iraq, and create new hurdles to addressing climate change. But theres still time for the two sides to come to a deal. It will require both Saudi Arabia and Russia to do what many negotiators do when they hit an impasse: make the problem bigger, so there are more trade-offs and more win-win solutions. Its possible that so far, Moscow and Riyadh have been evaluating options largely through the lens of economics. Reaching a deal has understandably proven difficult, as Russia is much better-positioned than Saudi Arabia to weather a period of low oil prices, which it hopes will curb U.S. shale production. But Russia in particular should also look at this moment through a geopolitical lens. It has a lot more to lose than oil revenues. The cratering of the Russia-Saudi relationship would likely reverse one of the most significant strategic trends in the Middle East of the last five years: the re-emergence of Russia as a key strategic actor in the region. Russia parlayed the goodwill it created by cooperating with Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members on oil prices to expand its diplomatic, economic and military footprint in the region from its initial incursion into Syria in 2015. To see how much has changed in a few short years, look at last October, when President Vladimir Putin made his first visit to Saudi Arabia in 12 years. He received full red-carpet treatment and was flanked by a large delegation of trade, defense and security officials. Putin rolled up the visit with the announcement of more than 20 agreements worth over $2 billion, as well as a status-enhancing invitation to participate in the international investigation surrounding the attack on Saudi oil facilities. Any American visitor to the region in the past several years has heard the argument many times that Russia in contrast to the U.S. is demonstrating how a true partner acts. Ultimately, Russia will find that pulling out the OPEC+ agreement at a time of such uncertainty in global oil markets will be a huge setback for its larger ambition to become a power in the region on equal footing to the United States. This realization may concentrate minds in Moscow and generate alternative proposals. For example, Russia very much wants to normalize the situation in Syria and begin rebuilding the country under Bashar al-Assads rule. The Saudi government has so far resisted entreaties to partner in these efforts. Yet it wouldnt be surprising if Russia leveraged its oil policy to convince Riyadh to once again recognize the Assad regime and reopen an embassy there, as other Gulf countries have already done. An invitation for Syria to rejoin the Arab League from which it was ejected in 2011 could follow. Ultimately, Moscow and Riyadh could still pull global oil markets back from the brink. Doing so, however, will require both sides to widen the aperture through which they are looking at the problem and bring geopolitics explicitly into the conversation. A failure to do so will be a jolt to the world, but not without its silver linings. The first, which Washington should be thinking about how to exploit, will be an opportunity for the U.S. if it is so inclined to regain some of the foothold it has lost in the Middle East, as regional actors reflect on what really constitutes a partner in that part of the world. Read the original text at Bloomberg Opinion. Life has gone from the party at Tupperware Brands Corp. Revenue and profits have been sagging for years, leaving investors sour on the future of the company that has been selling food containers for 74 years. On Feb. 24, Tupperware said it would delay filing its annual report to conduct a probe into accounting issues. Shares fell by nearly half the next day and closed Friday at $2.60, a fraction of the $96 they traded at more than six years ago. Overseas, Tupperwares bets on markets like China and Brazil have left it exposed to choppy economic growth. In the U.S., it hasnt been able to arrest a yearslong decline in the size of its sales force. The companys efforts to draw in customers and sellers with new kitchen items, e-commerce investments and other initiatives havent taken root. People just dont have connection with the brand anymore, Patricia Stitzel, Tupperwares former chief executive, told analysts in October, explaining why the company was sponsoring a pop-up store in New York City for the holidays. She stepped down from her post in November. Tupperware drummed up sales over the decades through an army of independent dealers who plied their sales pitches for plastic food-storage kits and other kitchen products at home parties. Now, like Avon and other direct-selling brands, Tupperware faces questions about whether it can remain relevant as consumers migrate to shopping online and socializing has moved from living rooms to apps like Instagram. Everyone still thinks of the burnt-orange or mustard-yellow colour wheel, like in the 70s, because thats what their mom had and their grandma had, said Brittany White, a 33-year-old event manager in Indianapolis who stopped selling Tupperware in 2018 after about six months. Mariam Lively, who lives near San Antonio, has sold Tupperware items for around 15 years but has scaled back her activity. She hasnt hosted a party in five years. The home parties arent as popular, she said. I think a lot of it is people dont have time to gather. Christopher OLeary, Tupperwares interim chief executive, said the company has a powerful brand in food storage and preparation, a global presence and the ability to create innovative new products. Tupperware Brands is well-positioned to capitalize on what consumers want and need, he said. Tupperware products became available in 1946 when chemist Earl Tupper first offered a plastic container with an airtight lid. But sales didnt take off until the 1950s, after he hired Brownie Wise, a secretary, to build a network of mostly suburban women to host patio parties. Mr. Tupper sold the business in 1958. It had several corporate owners before going public in 1996. It expanded overseas and now gets about three-quarters of its roughly $2 billion of annual revenue outside North America. The Orlando, Fla., company had roughly 546,000 active salespeople around the globe as of September. But its active sales force in the U.S. and Canada fell to about 184,000less than half the number it had a decade earlier. New, premium products will help excite the companys sales force, Mr. OLeary said. Last month, Tupperware said it had to delay filing its annual report as it investigated accounting practices in a beauty business in Mexico. It expects its overall annual sales for 2019 to fall by at least 12 %, and for this year to fall by at least 10%. The company also has endured executive turnover. Rick Goings stepped down as chief executive in 2018 after nearly 21 years as its top leader; Ms. Stitzel, who replaced him, spent about 18 months in the job. The company is searching for a permanent leader. I dont think theres anyone there who understands direct sellers, said Douglas Lane, an independent analyst who followed the company for years and dropped his coverage last month, citing its challenges. The Tupperware leadership teams have extensive experience with direct sales, Mr. OLeary, the interim CEO, said. At an investor conference In December, Mr. OLeary said the company must find new ways to reach consumers, noting that less than 5% of sales occur outside its direct-selling force. I think were just starting to scratch the surface, he said then. Consumers havent stopped buying reusable storage containers. U.S. shoppers were expected to buy $1.44 billion of food containers last year, according to estimates from consumer-research firm Euromonitoran increase from $1.35 billion in 2014. But other companies, including Newell Brands Inc.s Rubbermaid unit and Clorox Co.s Glad business, have staked out turf with their own storage offerings. Both brands are sold in stores and on websites like Amazon. Pampered Chef, the direct seller of kitchenwares owned by Berkshire Hathaway Inc., said in September it gets more than half of its business from its digital operation, up from 10% in 2014. Consumers options are plentiful. Discount retailer Dollar General Corp. sells a range of containers starting at $1 each, according to its website; Amazon.com Inc. offers a set of 24 containers for $42.99 made by the owner of the Pyrex glass brand. If you go to the younger age group, you have to teach them, because everything is so cheap and so available, said Michele Womble, who has sold Tupperware for more than a decade and runs a showroom in Marietta, Ga. Some sales agents say their businesses are growing. Beth Rosa, 59 years old, who has been selling Tupperware in Connecticut for about eight years, said her network generated about $600,000 in sales last year and the goal is to double that amount in 2020. She lauded newer products from the company, like a grill designed for the microwave. Tupperware has broadened its offerings to include beauty products and tried different strategies to generate better results. But finding new ways to stand out wont be easy, former sellers say, given the companys association with its core products and old-school parties. You can get so many types of Tupperware products on Amazon now. Its hard to distinguish why this is better, said Ms. White, the former Tupperware saleswoman. Read more about: On February 9th an American destroyer in the Arabian Sea (northwestern Indian Ocean between India and Arabia) halted and searched a dhow because of information indicating smuggling. A search of the cargo revealed a large number of Iranian weapons (anti-tank missiles) and key components for larger Iranian missiles and UAVs as well as remotely controlled bomb boats. The most interesting weapon on the dhow were the 150 Dehlavieh ATGMs (Anti-Tank Guided Missile) which is basically an Iranian license built Russian Kornet. Saudi Arabia also builds Kornet under license. The Kornet E is a laser-guided ATGM with a range of 5,000 meters. Development started in 1988 and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 interrupted further work for several years. Kornet finally entered service in 1994. There were some major upgrades in the late 1990s and another (Kornet EM) in 2012. The launcher has a thermal sight for use at night or in fog. The missile's warhead can penetrate enough modern tank armor to render the side armor of the Israeli Merkava or U.S. M1 tanks vulnerable. The missile weighs 8.2 kg (18 pounds) and the launcher 19 kg (42 pounds). Kornet was successful and popular with export customers. Over 40,000 missiles have been produced so far. Among the first export sales were to a number of Middle Eastern nations including Syria. Most of the Kornets now found in Syria, Gaza and Lebanon are Iranian-built. ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) and other rebel groups captured some Russian and Iranian built Kornets in Syria. North Korea illegally cloned Kornet and released video of test firings of this Bulsae-3 ATGM in 2016. Kornet got its first combat experience in 2003 as Iraqis used it against the invading Americans and British. Two M1 tanks and one M2 IFV were damaged but not destroyed by Kornet. That experience led Russia to improve the warheads with better armor penetration and top-attack capability. The top-attack feature is tricky to implement but very effective when it works. A top-attack missile is fired over the tank, not at it, and the internal guidance system has to sense when it is over the tank and detonate a downward-facing shaped-charge that penetrates the thinner top armor of tanks. Saudi Arabia obtained its license to build Kornet in 2017 while Iran procured its license in 2012. While the Saudi-produced Kornets are only for Saudi forces, Iran has always exported its Kornets (called Dehalivieh) to many foreign pro-Iran militias and Islamic terror groups backed by the Iranians Quds Force (similar to the American Special Forces but used to support active terrorist groups). Thus it was no surprise to Israel, which first encountered Kornet in 2006 when Hezbollah used Russian made missiles (sold to Iran and transferred to Hezbollah) against Israeli tanks and destroyed or damaged 24 Merkava tanks. In 2011 Kornets showed up in Gaza where they were used to fire across the border at an Israeli school bus, killing one student and wounding an adult civilian. In 2014 Iranian Kornets were again used in Gaza where Hamas used many of them against invading Israeli forces. This time Kornet was not successful and 15 Kornets fired at Israeli tanks were all intercepted by the new Trophy ADS (Active Defense system). The Israelis destroyed the tunnels Hamas was building into or towards Israel and left. Israelis living along the Gaza border had to take precautions against the possibility of more Kornet attacks against them. Hamas no longer fired Kornet at Israeli tanks, which frequently patrolled the border. After 2014 a lot more Russian and Iranian built Kornets showed up in Syria, where Islamic terror groups often captured them and sometimes used them against Russian forces. Kornets were definitely used against the modern T-90 tanks Russian gave to the Syrian Army. The T-90 proved very vulnerable to Kornet. Also in 2014 ISIL forces advancing into Iraq used captured Kornets against Iraqi Army M1 tanks, disabling several of them. Later that year Iraq purchased and used Kornet from Russia for use against ISIL vehicles. While Iranian Kornets are described as built to defend Iran against American or Arab tanks during some future invasion, most of these missiles have gone to militias and Islamic terror groups who have used them against a wide variety of targets, most of them being unarmored. The Iranian dhow captured in 2020 was taking its Kornets and other weapons to Yemen, where final delivery would probably be made by fishing boats carrying cargoes of weapons rather than recently caught fish. There are so many of these fishing boats off the Red Sea coast of Yemen that not all can be searched and the smuggler boats seek to appear less suspicious than the actual fishing boats. Iran pays what it takes to get this smuggling done and there are plenty of skilled smugglers in Yemen looking for work, no questions asked. Such cargoes used to be sent to Gaza on a regular basis but the Israeli-Egyptian blockade is tighter than ever and it is difficult to even get individuals or suitcases of cash into Gaza. DALLAS, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Jacobs (NYSE:J) was selected by the Maryland Procurement Office to provide microelectronics engineering support to the Department of Defense Hardware Solutions Division (HSD) for unconventional packaging, printed circuit board prototyping, technology development, custom device engineering and product validation and reliability solutions. According to the DoD HSD, the contract has a negotiated award value of $37 million, made up of a $7 million base award and $30 million in options over a five-year period of performance, including a 12-month base period and four 12-month option periods. "Jacobs will provide flexible technical solutions to HSD in support of many different technology applications to be used throughout the nation," said Jacobs Critical Mission Solutions Vice President of Mission IT and Engineering Janet Schoenfeld. "This contract is significant to defense mission solutions, where Jacobs has extensive knowledge, and will shape the next generation of innovative solutions for the DoD." In addition to the HSD contract, Jacobs also received a two-year extension through fiscal year 2021 for a large development and systems integration contract with a government customer. Both contract wins leverage capabilities from recently acquired KeyW Corporation. The extension includes a funding ceiling increase of more than $112 million, bringing the total ceiling value of the contract to just over $500 million over the life of the contract. "We welcome the opportunity to continue supporting our government customer by designing and delivering secure cloud infrastructure services," added Schoenfeld. "The expansion of this program validates our ability to provide industry leading program management, systems engineering and software development as well as introducing technology innovations and efficiencies resulting in increased capability and reduced cost to the government." At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good. With $13 billion in revenue and a talent force of more than 55,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector. Visit jacobs.com and connect with Jacobs on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided by the same. Statements made in this release that are not based on historical fact are forward-looking statements. We base these forward-looking statements on management's current estimates and expectations as well as currently available competitive, financial and economic data. Forward-looking statements, however, are inherently uncertain. There are a variety of factors that could cause business results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements. For a description of some additional factors that may occur that could cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements see our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 27, 2019, and in particular the discussions contained under Item 1 - Business; Item 1A - Risk Factors; Item 3 - Legal Proceedings; and Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, as well as the Company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company is not under any duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release to conform to actual results, except as required by applicable law. For press/media inquiries: Kerrie Sparks 214.583.8433 SOURCE Jacobs Related Links http://www.jacobs.com Strategic Communication Africa Limited (Stratcomm Africa) has been adjudged the best in non-profit communication at the just ended 8th National PR and Communications Excellence Awards of the Institute of Public Relations Ghana. The event, which took place hosted at the Labadi Beach Hotel on Saturday 29th February 2020, was attended by leaders in the PR industry in Ghana. A number of companies who have excelled in various ways over the period under review also won awards. Kofi Baah- Boakye, Stratcomm Africa Business Development Manager, commented: we are pleased with this recognition of Stratcomm Africas non-profit communication, which includes our efforts, through communication, to help to create a Greener, Healthier, Wealthier, Cleaner and more beautiful Ghana and also improve literacy. Stratcomm Africa has over twenty-five years of experience in working with individuals and organisations, public and private, local and international to communicate their messages effectively. Communication for Development, including Behaviour Change Communication, is a key focus of Stratcomm Africa. The theme for the celebration of Stratcomm Africas 25 years of existence has been Communication Excellence for Africas Prosperity in this Digital Age. About Stratcomm Africa Stratcomm Africa is a total Communication, Agency with offerings in Public Relations and Reputation Management, Digital Media Management, Advertising and Marketing, Event Management, Communication for Development (C4D) and Communication Research. Stratcomm Africa also offers training in communication and other soft skills as well as business advisory services. Stratcomm Africa specializes in evolving and implementing communications strategies for individuals and organizations, public and private, local and international and has over the past 25 years been providing this service to numerous organizations. Stratcomm Africa has over the years gained both local and international recognition for its excellent delivery in communications and as a business. These include the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) United Nations (UN) award for Public Relations (PR) and Sustainable Development 2016, the Institute of Public Relations (IPR) PR Consultancy of the Year (2013 & 2014), PR Consultancy of the Year (Extractive and Manufacturing respectively) (2013), Association of Ghanaian Industries (AGI) Business Promotion Consultancy of the Year (2013), Ghana Club 100 2014, 2015, 2016, CSR Initiative of the Year and Professional Services Company of the Year (2017) from the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI). New Jerseys first death from the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak was identified Tuesday as a 69-year-old Bergen County horse trainer. John Brennan, who lived in Little Ferry, died after being hospitalized last Friday at Hackensack University Medical Center, according to state officials. He suffered from multiple pre-existing medical conditions, including diabetes, hypertension and emphysema. He was revived from an initial cardiac arrest Monday, officials said, but died after a second cardiac arrest Tuesday. Our prayers are with the family during this difficult time. We remain vigilant to doing all we can across all levels of government to protect the people of New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy and Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver said in a statement. While health officials did not release his name, multiple horse racing publications and the U.S. Trotting Association announced Brennans death. He had no recent reported overseas travel, but often went to New York. Joe Faraldo, president of the Standardbred Owners Association of New York, told Harness Racing Update that Yonkers Raceway canceled racing Tuesday night as a precaution over fears of the virus. Faraldo said he worked closely with Brennan, calling him "his right hand man, according to Harness Racing Updates report. I have spiked a fever and my doctor has already called me three times today out of concern, Faraldo told the racing publication. He told me to stay home. Brennan, who trained horses for at least four decades, was described as a regular at the Yonkers paddock and worked as a horsemens representative at Yonkers Raceway, according to the U.S. Trotting Association. The Rockaway Beach, New York-native was a part-owner and trainer of the 2003 Yonkers Trot winner and Hambletonian runner-up Sugar Trader. The coronavirus outbreak led officials on Monday to declare a state of emergency in New Jersey, where at least 15 people have been confirmed to be infected with the highly-contagious respiratory illness. Twenty others were pending tests at a state lab as of Tuesday. Bergen County, where Brennan lived, reported seven of the confirmed cases and also declared a state of emergency Tuesday. Coronavirus feared at Yonkers; racing halted, Faraldo ill by Dave Briggs Joe Faraldo, president of the Standardbred... Posted by Harness Racing Update on Tuesday, March 10, 2020 If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Twelve more people have tested positive for coronavirus -- six in Kerala and three each in Karnataka and Pune, state authorities said on Tuesday as the total cases went up to 59 and amid COVID-19 scare, a combination of two anti-HIV drugs was used for the first time in India in the treatment of two patients. The health ministry said the total number of confirmed cases has risen to 50, adding the rest are being retested for confirmation. Once the fresh cases declared by the state governments are taken into account, the figure will go up to 59. In Karnataka, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said four persons have been confirmed for coronavirus, including three new cases. In Pune also, three persons tested positive, a day after two cases were reported. In the morning, 58 Indians were brought back home from coronavirus-hit Iran in a military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF). IAF spokesperson Group Captain Anupam Banerjee said the C-17 Globemaster aircraft evacuated 25 men, 31 women and two children. It also brought swab samples of 529 Indians to carry out laboratory tests and check whether they have coronavirus infection. Those who returned have been quarantined at a medical facility in Hindon. Announcing the latest cases in Kerala at a media interaction in Thiruvananthapuram after a special cabinet meeting held to discuss the coronavirus situation, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said at least 1,116 people are under observation -- 149 in isolation wards of various hospitals and 967 under home quarantine. The fresh cases are friends and relatives of an Italy-returned couple and their son who had on Saturday tested positive for the deadly virus along with two other kin staying with them at their home in Rane in Pathanamthitta district, Health Minister K K Shailaja, who was also present, said. The aged parents of the couple are among the six latest positive cases, she said. In Jaipur, the combination of lopinavir and ritonavir, both second-line HIV drugs, was administered was administered on an elderly Italian couple undergoing treatment for Covid-19 at the SMS Hospital. The Drug Controller General of India approved "restricted use" of these medications for treating those affected by novel coronavirus after the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) sought their emergency approval. SMS Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr D S Meena said the Italian man and his wife had developed severe respiratory problems following which a decision was taken to put them on the combination of lopinavir and ritonavir. According to officials, consent of the patients was taken before the drugs were administered. This combination along with other drugs has been used in clinical trials in China, where coronavirus first emerged, and Thailand for treating Covid-19 patients. In Karnataka, a software engineer who returned from the US on March 1 tested positive on Monday, becoming the first COVID-19 patient in the state. According to health department officials, his wife and daughter too tested positive for the virus on Tuesday. Another person, who had travelled from America via London and arrived in Bengaluru on March 8, also tested positive, they said. State Health Minister Sriramulu said the family members of the four persons have been quarantined. Using a hashtag of #CoronaVirusOutBreak, the minister said, "I appeal to the people to make sure that this disease does not spread further." A day after two persons related to each other tested positive for novel coronavirus in Pune, the Maharashtra health department said. This takes the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Pune district as well as in Maharashtra to five. One of them is related to the two confirmed coronavirus patients and had returned from Dubai with them, while the other is driver of the cab in which the family had travelled from the Mumbai airport to Pune, said district collector Naval Kishore Ram. The condition of all of them was stable and they were undergoing treatment in the isolation ward of civic-run Naidu Hospital, he said. After Mizoram, Manipur has shut its border with Myanmar indefinitely amid the novel coronavirus scare. Neighbouring Mizoram had on Monday also sealed its borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, and banned the entry of foreigners to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus. An official order, issued by Special Secretary (Home) H Gyan Prakash, said the Indo-Myanmar border in the Manipur sector would remain shut until further orders. In Kerala, schools and colleges and cinemas will remain closed in the state till March 31. Classes 1 to 7 of all schools -- state, CBSE and ICSE boards -- will remain shut and examinations which have begun for them will be put on hold. Examinations for class 10, class 12 and vocational higher secondary will, however, continue. Final examinations of class 8 and 9 also will proceed as usual. Temple and church festivals, which witnesses mass gatherings should be avoided, but rituals can be held in a low key manner, Vijayan said. As the hill temple Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala will reopen on March 13, monthly pujas can be held, but at this juncture devotees should avoid darshan, he said. The coronavirus threat also cast a shadow on Holi celebrations which were subdued across the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Wisconsin health officials have confirmed a third person in the state, and the second in Dane County, has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. Officials with the state Department of Health Services and Public Health Madison and Dane County said Tuesday that the person was exposed while traveling in the United States and is being isolated at home. The incident is considered separate from the countys first case of COVID-19 last month. On Monday, officials announced the states second case of COVID-19, in a Pierce County resident, who also was exposed while traveling within the United States and is isolated at home. Health officials did not provide further details on the individuals or where they had traveled, but said they visited places with community spread of the disease. Pierce and Dane counties are now doing contact tracing to determine who those patients have had contact with and determine if they, too, should be tested and isolated in order to contain the illness and prevent it from spreading further, State Health Officer Jeanne Ayers said. The news of new confirmed cases is not unexpected. According to a statement from SSM Health in Madison, the second Dane County patient returned from traveling last weekend and reported symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and was directed to the nearest Dean Medical Group Urgent Care location. Results from UW-Madisons Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene came back positive on Monday. Health care officials recommend anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms with a travel history to countries or states with active coronavirus outbreaks to call in advance before going to a clinic. Symptoms can be mild or severe and include fever, cough or shortness of breath. The states first case of COVID-19, a Dane County resident, was released from isolation late last month after recovering and testing negative twice. While we have a new person with coronavirus, the risk for getting sick from coronavirus remains low in Dane County, Janel Heinrich, director of Public Health Madison and Dane County, said in a statement. However, state officials recommend residents avoid non-essential travel, especially to areas where the virus has been spreading, including Seattle, Washington; northern California; Florida and New York City. Officials said the Pierce County patient attended an event at Osceola High School on Saturday before testing positive for the virus. Officials said the risk is low to those who attended the event. The Osceola district was closed Tuesday as a precautionary measure for deep cleaning after the event, said Traci DeSalvo, chief of Wisconsins communicable diseases epidemiology section. In response to the two confirmed cases of coronavirus in Dane County, the Madison School District has imposed a temporary restriction on any out-of-state travel for district staff and student events, including meetings, conferences and field trips. UW-Milwaukee announced Tuesday that the universitys spring break starting March 15 would be extended an additional week. Faculty and staff are being asked to use the extra week to prepare to move the majority of classes online once spring break ends March 29. The university also said a UW-Milwaukee Foundation employee was tested Monday for coronavirus at a local hospital, though test results will not be known until the end of the week. The employee worked in an office connected to a residence hall. Officials strongly discouraged any travel outside of Wisconsin through the end of the semester. No state of emergency State officials have said the disease has not reached the point where they needed to declare a public health emergency, which would direct more state funding to local health departments for costs related to quarantine and isolation of people who have or are suspected of having the disease. Ayers said a potential tipping point would be the emergence of an unexplained case with no known point of contact, or a patient who is known to have had widespread contact with residents. Thats on my list for one of the considerations that would trigger us to move to this level, Ayers said. At this point we want to say we know this is happening in the world, we know that this is happening in the country. We expect that this outbreak will reach Wisconsin, and when our conditions on the ground change, we will be asking for that kind of an emergency declaration. Wisconsin last called a public health emergency in 2009, during the outbreak of H1N1, or swine flu. Health officials have said the best way to combat the spread of the virus is through traditional respiratory disease prevention methods: wash your hands, dont touch your face, avoid shaking hands with others, cover coughs and sneezes, routinely clean surfaces, stay home when youre sick and get plenty of rest. Wed like to just encourage the general sentiment in Wisconsin residents ... that were going to have to do things slightly differently if we want to minimize the impact, said Ryan Westergaard, chief medical officer of the Bureau of Communicable Disease. The particularly challenging thing about this virus is that many people, in fact the majority of people, who get infected are going to have minimal symptoms and are going to feel OK. Election contingency plans Anticipating what could happen in the weeks to come, Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell advised municipal clerks to update contingency plans for the April 7 spring election and presidential primary in case there is a shortage of poll workers, who tend to be older. He also advised clerks to secure backup locations for roughly 10 polling stations located in health care facilities, which McDonell expects may close their doors to the public, and advised clerks to be alert for bad actors who might try to take advantage of chaotic or stressful situations. Voters in high-risk groups, such as the elderly or those with chronic diseases, should request absentee ballots be mailed to them. There is plenty of time for that, McDonell said. The Wisconsin Elections Commission previously sent clerks CDC guidelines for preventing the spread of the disease. Quarantine authority State and local officials have broad authority to cancel local events and impose quarantines on individuals to stop the spread of the coronavirus, if necessary, although state health officials say they arent immediately planning such action. Thats many steps down the road from where we are at at this point, Ayers said. Its not clear whether authorities could impose a geographical quarantine. Still, the law is broad, giving local health officials the authority to promptly take all measures necessary to prevent, suppress and control communicable diseases. Similarly, it gives the state Department of Health Services the authority to promulgate and enforce rules or issue orders for guarding against the introduction of any communicable diseases as well as for the quarantine and disinfection of persons, localities and things infected or suspected of being infected. The department could, for example, set up surveillance and inspection systems to detect disease, close public places and forbid public gatherings. Health officials could also order people to get vaccinations or require the isolation or quarantine of a person who is unable or unwilling to be vaccinated, although no vaccine for the new coronavirus has been approved or even tested yet. Health officials can also require the isolation of an infected person and quarantine his or her contacts, as well as hire guards to enforce a quarantine order. Those who dont comply with quarantine orders could face fines or imprisonment. In 2018, for example, a Waukesha County man quarantined to his home because of concerns about measles exposure was charged with a misdemeanor for violating public health orders after he left his home to go to the gym. State Journal reporters Chris Hubbuch and Kelly Meyerhofer contributed to this report. Ukraine's Cabinet appoints acting economy minister 20:05, 10.03.20 2513 According to Kukhta, the main task for the ministry team is the continuation of the initiated reforms. Sudan's Prime Minister Survives Assassination Attempt in Capital Khartoum Sputnik News 08:25 GMT 09.03.2020(updated 10:10 GMT 09.03.2020) According to state television, the official has been escorted to a safe location. Local media reported that the prime minister's convoy had been targeted with an explosive device. Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has said that the country will continue to pursue a "path of change" despite today's attempt to assassinate him. In a tweet, Hamdok assured the Sudanese people that he is safe and completely healthy. Earlier in the day, Hamdok survived an assassination attempt in the country's capital Khartoum, Reuters quoted a source in the cabinet as saying. A source in Hamdok's office stated that the head of the government is safe and wasn't harmed in the incident. No party has claimed responsibility for the explosion so far. Sky News quoted its correspondent as saying that an explosive device was used to target the prime minister's car. "The blast occurred east of a major bridge in northeastern Khartoum, and targeted two cars, one of which was carrying the Sudanese Prime Minister, which resulted in one person being slightly injured," an eyewitness told the channel. Hamdok's wife Mona, in turn, confirmed that her husband's car had been blown up, adding that he was not injured. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Switzerland In cross-border acquisition financing, it is common practice that so-called 'security principles' are negotiated and defined in an annex to the facilities agreement. On the one hand, it is specifically held in these security principles what security will be granted by the obligors and the target group to the finance parties; and on the other hand, it also generally describes circumstances under which an exception to the obligation to provide certain security can occur. The security principles provide guidance to the lawyers involved in different jurisdictions whose task it is to translate these principles into specific security documents. In the case of larger acquisitions, the preparation alone of all the finance documents is associated with considerable costs. In each participating jurisdiction, lawyers must be mandated for the finance parties and for the borrower. In addition, the number of different types of security to be provided is an important driver of transaction costs. Every security comes with costs for its negotiation, perfection and possibly for its maintenance during the term of the financing. In addition, the management and shareholders of the various companies must be involved to ratify and sign the security agreements. Moreover, if changes are made to the finance documents and its parties during the term of the financing, it must often be ensured in all jurisdictions involved that the security provided continues to secure the amended finance documents and is not lost even after the amendments have been implemented. In certain jurisdictions a simple written confirmation is not sufficient in this context, but a new formal act must be carried out, for example, a new notarial act. Last but not least, the finance parties usually require that the continued validity of the security is confirmed by local lawyers by means of a formal legal opinion. Because of these costs and the effort involved, it is important that the parties carefully balance the need of the finance parties for security against the costs of providing it, taking into consideration the value of the security for the finance parties. Moreover, if the security created is of dubious legal quality, for example, for reasons of company law issues or financial assistance restrictions, it is also questionable whether the cost of providing such security is justified. In any case, security whose creation exposes the boards of directors of the companies involved to material liability risks or even of committing a crime must also be excluded. Also undesirable are securities whose receipt is associated with high recurring costs, for example, if it is necessary to employ personnel who must take possession of and administer certain objects such as items in a warehouse. In Switzerland, a typical security package consists of a pledge over the shares of the local companies, a pledge over local bank accounts, an assignment for security purposes of trade receivables and intra-group loans as well as a pledge of intellectual property rights. In real estate transactions, a mortgage is created by transfer for security purposes of mortgage certificates. It is unusual for a pledge to be made over movable items such as warehouses, as these in order to have a perfected and bankruptcy proof security may no longer be in the possession of the pledgee. Up-/cross-stream security, in other words, security provided for the benefit of the shareholders of the security provider, generally comes with certain limitations. Despite this, the security is usually still taken out by the finance parties to secure control over the assets concerned, in other words, to ensure that these assets cannot be pledged to third parties or disposed of without the consent of the finance parties. Usually, certain materiality thresholds are negotiated that serve to define whether a certain asset will be granted as security. The parties may, for example, agree that an asset must be worth at least $100,000 for it to require a pledge. However, certain assets may be subject to change in value, and it must be decided whether to request them as security, even if this seems to be unreasonable due to their existing low value. Other assets may (foreseeably) become less valuable over time and it would then be disproportionate to have to reconfirm or amend security over such assets whenever the facilities agreement is amended. For assets that change or may change in value, dynamic security principles are sometimes agreed according to which an asset should be automatically pledged or automatically released from a pledge under certain conditions. In certain jurisdictions these principles seem to work and it even seems possible to stipulate the conditions under which an asset may or may not be subject to encumbrance in a general form in the respective security agreement. In Switzerland, unfortunately, such a solution is potentially contrary to certain basic principles of the law. Moreover, in the event of a financial crisis of the security provider, certain regulations for the protection of all of its creditors must be observed, in particular clawback rules (Paulianische Anfechtung). In this regard, provisions stipulating an automatic release of assets from the security create an inherent risk that assets are released during an inappropriate time, for example, in the early stages of a financial crisis, that may no longer be (re-) taken as security, once the financial crisis has manifested itself. It is a basic Swiss law requirement that the assets to be pledged or assigned for security purposes are adequately specified and can be determined (principle of determinability). It must be made clear for all parties involved which assets of the security provider serve as collateral. Where, for example, a claim is assigned, the debtor's person, legal basis of the debt or the amount owed needs to be known. Further, besides security over existing assets, Swiss law also permits that security is granted over future assets that do not yet exist, as long as the security agreement sets out all the elements necessary to determine in the future whether a certain asset once it comes into being is subject to the security. If it cannot be determined from the security agreement which assets will be subject to the security purported to be created by it, the respective security agreement may be declared invalid. Compliance with the principle of determinability is straightforward if all assets of a certain class serve as security. For example, if all claims in connection with loans against other members of a group of companies are defined as being assigned for security purposes, there will be no doubt whether a certain claim falls under such a definition and, thus, these claims are determinable. Moreover, the parties may validly agree that individual assets with a readily determinable value above a certain minimum threshold will be granted as security (for example, 'claims and rights arising under intercompany loans, in each case in a principal amount equal to or in excess of $1 million or its equivalent are assigned for security purposes'). These claims can be clearly identified. However, a definition of the assigned claims such as 'claims in an aggregate amount equal to or in excess of amount X will be assigned' arguably will not create valid security because such a definition would not allow the determination of whether a specific claim served as collateral. Further, general exceptions and conditions which are unclear or whose applicability is difficult to determine should also be avoided in order not to put at risk the validity of the security. With this in mind, it is advisable to identify the material assets in Switzerland that will serve as security and to adjust them from time to time, for example, as part of a general amendment of the finance documents. Overly dynamic security concepts that attempt to anticipate any possible future development in general should not be included in Swiss law security documents. Lukas Roesler Tim Salz 2021 Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC. For help please see our FAQs. Share this article India Confirms New Case of Coronavirus in 3-Year-Old Boy - Reports Sputnik News 06:43 GMT 09.03.2020 NEW DELHI (Sputnik) - Doctors in the Indian state of Kerala have diagnosed the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in a three-year-old boy, who had recently returned from Italy with his family, the Indian NDTV broadcaster reported on Monday. According to the media outlet, the family was screened at the airport upon their arrival. The thermal scanner detected high fever in the boy, after which he and his relatives were kept in quarantine, where the child eventually tested positive for COVID-19. Another coronavirus case was detected in the northeastern union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, where a 63-year-old woman contracted the virus, bringing the total number of infection cases in India to 41, the NDTV reported. On a global scale, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has surpassed 110,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. Meanwhile, 62,000 patients have recovered. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address [March 10, 2020] CoreLogic Reports U.S. Overall Delinquency Rate Lowest for a December in at Least 20 Years CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX), a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider, today released its monthly Loan Performance Insights Report. The report shows that nationally, 3.7% of mortgages were in some stage of delinquency (30 days or more past due, including those in foreclosure) in December 2019, representing a 0.4 percentage point decline in the overall delinquency rate compared with December 2018, when it was 4.1%. This was the lowest for a December in more than 20 years. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005286/en/ Highest Annual Declines in Overall Delinquency Rate for Select States; CoreLogic December 2019 (Graphic: Business Wire) As of December 2019, the foreclosure inventory rate, which measures the share of mortgages in some stage of the foreclosure process, was 0.4% - unchanged from December 2018. Last December's foreclosure inventory rate tied the prior 13 months as the lowest for any month since at least January 1999. Measuring early-stage delinquency rates is important for analyzing the health of the mortgage market. To monitor mortgage performance comprehensively, CoreLogic examines all stages of delinquency, as well as transition rates, which indicate the percentage of mortgages moving from one stage of delinquency to the next. The rate for early-stage delinquencies - defined as 30 to 59 days past due - was 1.8% in December, down from 2% in December 2018. The share of mortgages 60 to 89 days past due in December was 0.6%, down from 0.7% in December 2018. The serious delinquency rate - defined as 90 days or more past due, including loans in foreclosure - was 1.2% in December, down from 1.5% in December 2018. This is the lowest serious delinquency rate experienced since June 2000. Since early-stage delinquencies can be volatile, CoreLogic also analyzes transition rates. The share of mortgages that transitioned from current to 30 days past due was 0.8% in December, down from 0.9% in Dcember 2018. By comparison, just before the start of the financial crisis in January 2007, the current-to-30-day transition rate was 1.2%, and peaked at 2% in November 2008. "The CoreLogic HPI (News - Alert) shows home price growth quickened during the last few months of 2019, padding the home equity cushion for owners," said Dr. Frank Nothaft, chief economist at CoreLogic. "Our HPI Forecast for 2020 anticipates a further pickup in appreciation, adding to home-equity wealth for owners and lowering foreclosure risk." No states posted a year-over-year increase in the overall delinquency rate in December. The states that logged the largest annual decreases included North Carolina and Mississippi (both down 0.8 percentage points). South Carolina (down 0.7 percentage points) experienced the third-largest annual decrease, followed by Louisiana, New York and Tennessee (all down 0.6 percentage points). Thirteen metropolitan areas recorded small annual increases in overall delinquency rates. The largest annual increases were in Janesville-Beloit, Wisconsin (up 1.9 percentage points); Enid, Oklahoma (up 0.6 percentage points) and Pine Bluff, Arkansas (up 0.6 percentage points). The other 10 metro areas experienced increases between 0.1 and 0.2 percentage points. While the nation's serious delinquency rate reached a near 20-year low in December, 16 metro areas recorded at least a small annual increase. Enid, Oklahoma logged the largest increase (up 0.4 percentage points), followed by Pine Bluff, Arkansas (up 0.3 percentage points); Dubuque, Iowa (up 0.2 percentage points) and St. Joseph, Missouri-Kansas (up 0.2 percentage points). The other 12 metro areas logged increases of 0.1 percentage points. "The mortgage market had another solid year in 2019, and loan performance across the country continues to show improvement," said Frank Martell, president and CEO of CoreLogic. "The longest economic expansion in history helped serious delinquency rates reach a 20-year low. As mortgage rates continue to fall in the wake of recent global events, we may see homeowners refinance into lower-monthly payments, or into shorter-term mortgages, which can further reduce delinquency and foreclosure risk." The next CoreLogic Loan Performance Insights Report will be released on April 14, 2020, featuring data for January 2020. For ongoing housing trends and data, visit the CoreLogic Insights Blog: www.corelogic.com/insights. Methodology The data in this report represents foreclosure and delinquency activity reported through December 2019. The data in this report accounts for only first liens against a property and does not include secondary liens. The delinquency, transition and foreclosure rates are measured only against homes that have an outstanding mortgage. Homes without mortgage liens are not typically subject to foreclosure and are, therefore, excluded from the analysis. Approximately one-third of homes nationally are owned outright and do not have a mortgage. CoreLogic has approximately 85% coverage of U.S. foreclosure data. Source (News - Alert): CoreLogic The data provided is for use only by the primary recipient or the primary recipient's publication or broadcast. This data may not be re-sold, republished or licensed to any other source, including publications and sources owned by the primary recipient's parent company without prior written permission from CoreLogic. Any CoreLogic data used for publication or broadcast, in whole or in part, must be sourced as coming from CoreLogic, a data and analytics company. For use with broadcast or web content, the citation must directly accompany first reference of the data. If the data is illustrated with maps, charts, graphs or other visual elements, the CoreLogic logo must be included on screen or website. For questions, analysis or interpretation of the data, contact Allyse Sanchez at [email protected]. Data provided may not be modified without the prior written permission of CoreLogic. Do not use the data in any unlawful manner. This data is compiled from public records, contributory databases and proprietary analytics, and its accuracy is dependent upon these sources. About CoreLogic CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX), the leading provider of property insights and solutions, promotes a healthy housing market and thriving communities. Through its enhanced property data solutions, services and technologies, CoreLogic enables real estate professionals, financial institutions, insurance carriers, government agencies and other housing market participants to help millions of people find, acquire and protect their homes. For more information, please visit www.corelogic.com. CORELOGIC and the CoreLogic logo are trademarks of CoreLogic, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005286/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] One of the leading car manufacturers in Vietnam is moving into the light motorcycle market, lending more sparks to the fire that is Vietnams heated two-wheeler arena. VinFast continues to push its range of motorbike models with new initiatives and promotions for consumers to save money in the long-term. Photo Le Toan Truong Hai Auto Corporation (THACO) last week announced the arrival of THACO Motorcycle Manufacturing Llc., which is to be based in Chu Lai Economic Zone in the central province of Quang Nam. The new entity boasts charter capital of VND10 billion ($433,000) and has been registered to produce and sell both motorbikes and their parts. The main THACO group manufactures trucks and public transport buses, and also assembles cars for Peugeot, Kia, and Mazda. THACOs motorbike move is a shift into a crowded market led by foreign giants. The Vietnamese two-wheeler industry is the fourth-largest in the world, dominated by the five main producers of Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, SYM, and Piaggio. In total, the five sold over 3.2 million motorcycles last year, with Honda selling 2.57 million units, up 0.2 per cent on-year, leading the market share. Newcomers are also trying to elbow their way into the fray. Just one year after the opening ceremony for VinFasts electric motorcycle manufacturing factory took place, the group announced that 50,000 electric motorbikes were sold last year, featuring the models Klara, Klara S, Impes, and Ludo. Meanwhile, the locally-invested electric newcomer Pega has been biting at the heels of Honda in an attempt to gain some notoriety as a motorbike company upstart. Last month, Honda threatened to take Pega to court as the Vietnamese group used comparative marketing strategies between the new Pega eSH and Hondas SH 2020 at a presentation without permission to use Hondas images or product details. In response, Pega director Doan Ngoc Linh posted a letter of intent on his personal Facebook page, outlining a number of supposed problems with Honda products and offering advice on what the motorbike giant should do in order to improve. Linh also revealed he had sent a crate of Wake-Up 247 coffee energy drink, implying that Honda should wake up and create better breakthrough innovations for its customers. Taking on Goliath Pegas tactics have raised eyebrows in the industry, but they illustrate the stranglehold Honda has had on the Vietnamese motorbike realm over the last few decades, and domestic groups are intent on thinking outside the box in order to grasp some sort of slice of the industry cake. After more than 20 years and with three factories, Honda Vietnam currently holds a massive 70 per cent of Vietnamese market share, and its sales now make up around 10 per cent of Hondas annual global motorcycle sales. Since its establishment in 1996 in Vietnam, the company has invested about $530 million into the country, delivering over 20 million motorcycles and 50,000 automobiles to Vietnamese customers. It is reported that Honda Vietnam has earned some VND7.6 trillion ($330.43 million) a month. Thus it is clear that what the company has earned has been far higher than what it has invested in Vietnam. As for Pega, after five years in the electric bike market and big product launches in 2017, it is still trying to make its mark via a patriotic mindset with wholly-Vietnamese designs, as well as attempting to get under the skin of bigger dogs like Honda. Pega has only one electric vehicle assembly factory, in the northern province of Bac Giang, with designed capacity of 40,000 vehicles per month, as well as 250 showrooms and 500 second-level stores. Despite facing criticism from some quarters for using underhanded marketing campaigns, CEO Linh remains confident of his intentions. Difficulties are opportunities, and we are not afraid to compete with giants, he insisted, pointing out last month that company rivalries and product comparisons were par for the course and his group would continue to make them. Pega had also previously been in a skirmish with Piaggio, which accused the former of spreading untruths about their fuel-based products in comparison to electric-based equivalents. Pega is competing directly with Hondas SH scooter, which is available in two versions and is considered the current king of high-end scooters in the Vietnamese market. Prices for Hondas SH range from VND70 million ($3,000) to VND121 million ($5,250), while Pegas electric eSH scooter was launched with the competitive price of VND30 million ($1,300). Industry expert Vu Tan Cong said that switching from fuel-powered vehicles to electric equivalents is a rising trend that will be further developed with government support. Besides coping with climate change, the expanding field of e-mobility can lead to innovative technologies, new business models, and new consumer structures, and eventually to new patterns of mobility and traffic. Domestic upstarts At a cost of only 50 per cent compared to the same type of gasoline motorcycle used after five years, e-bikes such as VinFast Klara may become the most effective products to invest in. More specifically, when comparing annual consumption, with battery charge from VND220,000-350,000 ($9.50-15) each month, repair, and maintenance costs are estimated to be half as cheap as conventional cars. Klara is also popular with younger people because of its dynamism and eye-catching Italian design. VinFast has also focused on its technology being completely integrated with phones so that customers can check their vehicle location and battery life. To further ease use for customers as well as to increase its presence in the market, VinFast last week announced provision of additional battery chargers for its e-models at a cost of VND1.1 million ($48). For the latest generation of the Klara S, Impes, and Ludo, each month customers will pay VinFast a subscription fee of VND220,000 for one battery, or VND350,000 for two Klara S batteries. As a result, the cost of the original vehicle is reduced, and the customer also does not bear risk during use. If the battery is damaged, VinFast will be held responsible for replacing them. Global management consultants McKinsey & Company stressed that governments are tightening regulations and offering incentives to foster greater electric vehicle adoption. In the EU for example, a new set of fleet-wide CO2 targets will be phased in this year. Original equipment manufacturers need to fully comply with an industry-wide emissions target for CO2 of 95 grammes per kilometre by 2021 to avert significant financial penalties. These mandates are putting additional pressure on such groups to push electric vehicles further into the market. Under Vietnams commitments, the country seeks to cut 8 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, which could be raised to as high as 25 per cent with support from the international community. In Vietnam, motorbikes are the main means of transportation in the major cities, currently responsible for about 80 per cent of travel needs. VIR Nguyen Thu Fewer motorcycles purchased locally in 2019 The consumption of motorcycles on the local market amounted to over three million units last year, down 3.8% against 2018. Norwalk Police Department NORWALK A local man will be deported for the sixth time in 13 years, following a May incident in which he was charged with trying to snatch a purse from a woman holding an infant in Norwalk. John Durham, the U.S. attorney for Connecticut, announced Armando Machorro-Rojas, 42, will be deported to Mexico following his sentencing on Tuesday. In its final argument submitted in preparation for Wednesdays hearing, Cardinal Pells legal team drew the court to the greatest doubt that lingers over Pells conviction for child sex offences. The full bench of the High Court has set aside two days to hear the case of George Pell. If his lawyers are correct, the guilt, reputation and legacy of Australias most influential living clergyman will turn on six minutes. EDITOR'S NOTE: The High Court overturned Cardinal George Pell's conviction for historic child sex offences in a judgment handed down April 7, 2020. In a unanimous decision all seven High Court judges found Victoria's Court of Appeal should not have upheld Pell's conviction. It found the evidence could not support a guilty verdict. When, after saying a Solemn Sunday Mass at St Patricks Cathedral, would the archbishop of Melbourne find himself alone in the priests sacristy with two choirboys for the five to six minutes required to assault them? And, when this grotesque abuse of trust was being perpetrated, where were the seven altar servers who, at the completion of the mass, file into the sacristy to bow to the crucifix? These questions mean little to anyone unfamiliar with the arcane liturgical practices of the Catholic Church. They also go to the heart of the central issue before the High Court; whether it was open to the jury, on the whole of the evidence, to find Pell guilty. The listing of the case in the cavernous Courtroom 1 of the High Court building in Canberra, indicates that all seven judges are presiding. There are three possible outcomes. Jenkintown Road closed from Monday through May The study is the first to examine kidney function decline in workers at a job with a high risk of developing Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Origin (CKDu), a rising epidemic in rural workers in Central and South America Researchers from the Center for Health, Work and Environment (CHWE) at the Colorado School of Public Health have published a paper in PLoS-ONE, studying the decline in kidney function for young, first-time sugarcane workers in Guatemala. The study, led by University of Colorado Instructor Miranda Dally, is the first to examine kidney function decline in workers starting their first day on a job with a high risk of developing Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Origin (CKDu), a rising epidemic in rural workers in Central and South America. The study found that workers who entered the sugarcane workforce with even slightly lower than average kidney function were at a greater risk for a rapid onset of kidney injury once they start work. 47% of all first-time workers entered the workforce with mild hypertension, another significant risk factor. Additionally, those workers who live in coastal communities were found to be a high risk compared to seasonal migrant workers from the mountainous highlands. "Our work establishes that there is a subgroup of people for whom their occupation can make them more susceptible and more vulnerable to reduced kidney function," said Dally. "Previous research on CKDu has looked at this health crisis as an occupational disease. While occupation plays a role in contributing to the disease, it does not tell the full story." Until now, most research on this international epidemic has examined how working conditions contribute to the disease. The Center's research is one of the first studies to consider how community health risks factors may impact the health and safety of workers. "Researchers have mostly focused on workers' exposures on the job in the search for the causes of this epidemic," said Dr. Newman, Professor and director of the Center's research program addressing the health of workers in Latin America. "This study provides the first direct evidence that we need to step back and consider what else is contributing to kidney disease in communities--even before people join the workforce." Based on this study, the research team recommends that blood pressure and renal function screenings become a routine part of health monitoring for workers and community members at risk of CKDu, specifically those performing intense labor in hot environments. The Center for Health, Work & Environment is conducting additional research projects exploring other potential risk factors contributing to CKDu as part of its mission of promoting the health, safety and well-being of all workers. ### About the Center for Health, Work and Environment The Center for Health, Work and Environment at the Colorado School of Public Health is one of six Centers of Excellence for Total Worker Health (TWH) and houses the Mountain and Plains Education and Research Center (MAP ERC), one of 18 centers of its kind supported by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The Center works with faculty, students, and community partners on numerous projects to advance worker health, safety, and well-being. About the Colorado School of Public Health The Colorado School of Public Health is the first and only accredited school of public health in the Rocky Mountain Region, attracting top tier faculty and students from across the country, and providing a vital contribution towards ensuring our region's health and well-being. Collaboratively formed in 2008 by the University of Colorado, Colorado State University, and the University of Northern Colorado, the Colorado School of Public Health provides training, innovative research and community service to actively address public health issues including chronic disease, access to health care, environmental threats, emerging infectious diseases, and costly injuries. Learn more and follow Colorado SPH's updates on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Dally M, Butler-Dawson J, Cruz A, Krisher L, Johnson RJ, Asensio C, Pilloni WD, Asturias EJ, Newman LS. Longitudinal trends in renal function among first time sugarcane harvesters in Guatemala. PLoS ONE 2020 (In press). For additional background on CKDu: Johnson RJ, Wesseling C, Newman LS. Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Cause in Agricultural Communities. New England Journal of Medicine. 2019;380(19):1843-52. doi: 10.1056/nejmra1813869. The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice enforces federal statutes that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion, and national origin. Under Democratic presidents, the Civil Rights Division largely confines itself to enforcing these statutes for the benefit of groups that are among the Democrats core constituencies, especially African-Americans. To be fair, these are the groups that, by far, have suffered most from discrimination in America. But discrimination has never been confined to them, and it certainly isnt these days. Accordingly, Im happy to report that the Civil Rights Division of the Trump DOJ, in addition to bringing cases to combat discrimination against African-Americans and Latinos, is also taking action to combat discrimination against groups ignored during Democratic administrations. One such group is American nationals. Yes, some employers favor foreigners over Americans. Heres an example. El Expresso, a bus company in Houston, was looking for drivers. A qualified American driver applied, but received no response. He reported his experience to the Texas Workforce Commission, and the case came to the attention of the Trump DOJ. It concluded that El Expresso was not considering American drivers. It wanted to hire only foreigners guest workers in the U.S. on H-2B visas. Why, then, did El Expresso post the advertisement that caused the American drive to apply? Because it had to. In order to seek an H-2B exemption, El Expreso had to certify that it was advertising for American workers and would offer jobs to qualified American applicants. However, a DOJ investigation showed that, although El Expresso advertised for American workers, it had no interest in hiring them. The advertisement was a sham. El Expresso denied that it discriminated against Americans. However, following the DOJs investigation, it agreed to cash awards for eight Americans who applied for jobs. The El Expreso settlement marked the seventh time the Justice Departments Protecting U.S. Workers Initiative has won a settlement from an employer. These settlements have collected more than $1.1 million in fines and payments for wronged workers. Dozens of investigations have been opened. Eric Dreiband, the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, said this about the settlement with El Expresso: U.S. workers are the lifeblood of our economy, and we are gratified that these U.S. workers have now been compensated for the discrimination that they faced. The Department of Justice will not tolerate employers abusing temporary visa programs to deny U.S. workers job opportunities. I am gratified that, under President Trump, we have a Justice Department that protects American workers from discrimination on the basis of their nationality. A heartbroken son fears his mother could become Britain's next coronavirus victim after she was placed in a coma. The woman, in her 60s from Sunderland, was 'fit and healthy'. She hadn't left the family home in the last two weeks except to visit the doctor. 'This has shocked us all,' her son said, 'We thought she just had a cold and a bit of a chest infection'. The woman is being treated at South Tyneside District hospital. A man in his 80s with underlying health conditions receiving treatment at Watford General Hospital became the sixth person to die from COVID-19 in the UK today. It came after a rise in confirmed cases in Briton from 319 to 382, which is the second largest day-on-day increase since the outbreak began. Wales confirmed nine new cases tonight. Scientists tracking Briton's outbreak, which has risen eight-fold in the space of a week, have warned the situation is quickly following the same trajectory as Italy's and could peak within a fortnight. Italy placed its population of 60million on lock down last night and banned movement between cities in a bid to contain the virus. Thousands of furious Britons have today been left stranded after BA, Ryanair and Jet2 cancelled all flights to and from Italy until April. The woman, who is in her 60s, is currently in South Tyneside District Hospital and had her diagnosis made public on Monday evening Britain is braced for an explosion of thousands of cases in the coming weeks as health officials struggle to contain the virus. So far 382 people have caught it and six have died NHS could test 10,000 people a DAY The NHS is preparing to carry out 10,000 coronavirus tests a day in anticipation of a massive increase in demand. The health service is currently performing 1,500 tests daily but this number will be increased by almost seven-fold. Officials are rolling out a more sensitive method that produces results within 24 hours the current turnaround is around 48 hours. The tests will also be carried out by NHS hospitals instead of one of 12 labs in the UK. The NHS will also routinely test patients in hospital including those undergoing surgery. The development comes as a top doctor warned yesterday that the NHS does not have enough intensive care beds to cope with a coronavirus epidemic. Dr Ron Daniels, from University Hospitals Birmingham, said an extra 136,000 patients would need intensive care over the coming weeks. The NHS currently has about 4,050 intensive care beds although Health Secretary Matt Hancock has promised to provide an additional 5,000 beds in time for the outbreak. But Dr Daniels said that number would still be a long way off, stressing: 'We cannot escalate our capacity readily enough.' Advertisement The Sunderland woman's son said: 'Apart from her knees, she's otherwise fit and healthy, so this has shocked us all. 'We thought she just had a cold and a bit of a chest infection, but on Thursday she was gasping for air and struggling to breathe so she went to hospital and by Friday it was much worse. 'We still just didn't even think it was the coronavirus though, as she doesn't even really leave the house. 'In fact the only time she's left the house in the last two weeks was to go to the doctors, so we don't know know how or where she got it.' He said two members of her family, who have asked not to be named, have been asked to self-isolate. He, as well as others, say they have been given the all-clear by Public Health England. The woman was the first person to be diagnosed with coronavirus in Sunderland. Speaking this evening, the son said his mother is 'no worse and no better'. 'She is still in a coma and is receiving antibiotics', he told The Sunderland Echo. 'They have turned her oxygen levels down slightly so that is a good sign'. 'We still haven't got a clue as to where she got it from. She has not been abroad in her life, she never leaves Sunderland.' It was the sixth confirmed case in Tyne and Wear to date and Gillian Gibson, director of Public Health at Sunderland City Council, said the authority was doing all it could to stop the virus spreading. Italy is at the centre of Europe's coronavirus outbreak at least 9,172 people have been diagnosed with the infection and 463 people have died Experts say the UK where the number of coronavirus cases started to take off last week is just two weeks away from being in a situation as bad as Italy's IS THE UK HEADING FOR AN ITALIAN-STYLE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS? The UK could be heading straight for a coronavirus crisis like the one which has crippled Italy, leading experts have warned. Italy last night put all of its 60million people into lockdown and banned movement between cities in a drastic bid to contain the outbreak, which has infected 9,000 people. But one scientist tracking the outbreak in the UK said Britain is following the same trajectory and could end up in a similar situation as Italy within two weeks. The number of cases in Italy has rocketed from just three on February 21 to at least 9,172. While in the UK it has jumped from nine to 321. Professor Mark Handley, at University College London, compared the rate of coronavirus infection in Italy, which is in crisis, to that in the UK, Germany, France, Spain, the US and Switzerland and found they're growing at the same rate Advertisement 'While we still have a lot to learn about the virus, the advice from the UK Government's chief scientific adviser is that for the vast majority of people who catch COVID-19, it will be a mild illness,' she said. 'The best way anyone can protect themselves and others from the virus is to wash their hands thoroughly and often with soap and water, or use a hand sanitiser, and to cough or sneeze into a tissue, bin it and wash their hands.' The Sunderland woman's son says his mum was placed in an induced coma after her health rapidly deteriorated. He added: 'She is no better or worse, it is the machines that are pretty much keeping her alive at the moment. 'I think the staff are trying everything they can, but this is all so new, and so rare. 'It is scary to think 'where has this come from?' and I just hope that she's not going to be the next one to die.' While England's deputy chief medical officer, Dr Jenny Harries, has warned that thousands more Britons could get the virus, the outbreak is still well away from the levels seen in other countries. Her stark warning came after a University College London biology professor said the trajectory of the epidemic in the UK is so far roughly comparable to the one in Northern Italy. Official figures show the number of cases in Italy rocketed from just three on February 21 to at least 9,172 today. In the UK, the toll has jumped from nine to 382 in the same time frame. Italy is in lock down as it battles to contain it while on Tuesday, the number of coronavirus cases in Spain doubled. But as Britain prepares for darker days, the woman's son is now pleading for the public to follow the Government's advice to try and curb the outbreaks - so that as few family's as possible have to go through the 'nightmare' his family have over the last week. 'People need to start cleaning their hands and washing themselves as the virus is out there now, and I think within the next week it will get really bad as how do you stop something that is invisible?' A flight from Naples to Luton today. One passenger wore a protective suit and face mask The entirety of Italy is now in lockdown and citizens are forbidden from travelling between cities (Pictured, a solder stands guard outside the Duomo Cathedral in Milan) Images have emerged of coronavirus patients in intensive care in the Cremona Hospital in northern Italy they are kept laying face down because it may improve the function of a ventilator, which helps failing lungs to work, by reducing the pressure on the lungs Health chiefs yesterday confirmed two patients one in London and one in the West Midlands had died from the killer coronavirus in the UK. MailOnline understands the fifth victim was a man in his 70s who was 'very unwell'. He passed away at St Helier Hospital in Sutton, south London. His death came after Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced the fourth death a woman in her 70s at the Royal Wolverhampton Hospital. She also had several other underlying conditions and officials confirmed she caught the illness in the UK. The other three deaths are a man in his 60s in Manchester, a woman in her 70s in Reading and a man in his 80s in Milton Keynes. Passengers wear face masks as they arrive at Gatwick Airport today as flights to and from Italy were grounded until April Arrival display boards at Gatwick Airport as most flights from Italy to Gatwick Airport have been cancelled today Thousands were stranded today as Ryanair, British Airways and Jet2 cancelled hundreds of flights to and from Italy until April at the earliest, while easyJet grounded most of its services. RYANAIR, BA AND JET2 CANCEL ALL FLIGHTS TO AND FROM ITALY UNTIL APRIL Ryanair, British Airways and Jet2 have today cancelled hundreds of flights to and from Italy until April at the earliest and easyJet has also grounded most of its services leaving thousands of customers stranded in the coronavirus-hit country. BA has axed its 60 flights a day to cities including Milan, Venice and Rome while Jet2 has gone even further and cancelled all its Italian trips for almost six weeks until April 26. Ryanair today announced it had cancelled all flights from March 14 until April 9, but has told thousands of Brits trapped in Italy they can switch their return flight to come home before Saturday. EasyJet has stopped the majority of its flights to northern Italy but planes will still fly from southern cities such as Rome and Naples despite a blanket travel ban imposed by the Italian government as deaths reached almost 100 per day yesterday. Thousands of Britons are now believed to be stuck in Italy because of coronavirus and airline cancellations, including Leah Washington, the young woman who lost her leg in the Alton Towers Smiler rollercoaster disaster of 2015. Jess Nicholls, 43, an enterprise change consultant, said today she felt 'dumped' by BA after it notified her by email that her flight from Rome to London would be cancelled. She was seeking an 'acknowledgement that they just stranded loads of passengers when they said they would get us home'. Ms Nicholls said: 'Their website was down, their call centres are overloaded and we got an email after midnight saying our flight was cancelled. It's putting more passengers in danger.' Most flights to Italy from Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick have been grounded at the last minute today but others are still flowing into the country without checks, MailOnline can reveal. Many British travellers returning home from Italy today admitted they had no idea the Government was now demanding they go into quarantine for 14 days as soon as they land in the UK. Advertisement The budget airline stopped flights from northern Italy but said it would continue flights from southern cities such as Rome and Naples. Jess Nicholls, 43, an enterprise change consultant, said today she felt 'dumped' by BA after it notified her by email that her flight from Rome to London would be cancelled. She was seeking an 'acknowledgement that they just stranded loads of passengers when they said they would get us home'. Ms Nicholls said: 'Their website was down, their call centres are overloaded and we got an email after midnight saying our flight was cancelled. It's putting more passengers in danger.' British travellers returning home from Italy today admitted they had no idea the government was now demanding they go into quarantine for 14 days. Fears were sparked today that hundreds of vulnerable patients in Liverpool's Aintree University Hospital may have been infected after a senior surgeon tested positive for the virus. The father, who operated on scores of people with a wide range of chronic conditions including cancer, caught it on a skiing holiday in northern Italy before going back to work as normal. Great Ormond Street hospital has cancelled surgery for children with serious heart problems for two weeks after 'health professionals' tested positive. And University Hospital Southampton said yesterday it would no longer accept new admissions to its surgical high dependency unit after a worker who covered one night shift at the hospital tested positive for the virus. Suspected coronavirus cases are being turned away by NHS 111 unless they have travelled abroad, prompting concerns that thousands may be going undiagnosed. Health chiefs have been accused of being 'in denial' about community spread and 'leaving people to die'. Sam Freedman, a former senior policy adviser at the Department for Education, said: 'Unfortunately I have a cough and a fever. Turns out I can't get a test because I haven't been to any affected countries or come into contact with a known case. 'Even though I have been through an airport and to a concert. This seems a major flaw in the testing system to say the least. I am self-isolating for the time being. If I do have it it doesn't seem to be a serious case. Not yet anyway.' Sam Butler, from Fleet, Hampshire, who is in his 70s and suffers from heart and kidney problems, said: 'I'm scared and angry. I've got the worst flu I've ever had (despite flu jab), and it's unlike any flu I've had before. 'It fits the description of COVID exactly, but NHS111 says it isn't, because I haven't been abroad.' The city of Lawrence has canceled its St. Patricks Day parade due to concerns over coronavirus. Mayor Dan Rivera said in a message Tuesday that while there have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Essex County, the city decided to cancel the parade Saturday out of an abundance of caution. Boston canceled the St. Patricks Day parade in South Boston. Worcester officials and committee members are meeting Tuesday to discuss the status of the Worcester County St. Patricks Parade. As of Monday, there were 40 presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 and one confirmed case. Thirty-two cases are linked to the Biogen conference in Boston last month. Related Content: Women fishmongers in Liberia are the strongest pillar by Daisy Brickhill March 10,2020 | Source: The Ecologist On the landing beaches of Liberia fishing canoes crowd the shallows, the bright colour schemes and fluttering flags showing the pride the fishermen take in their work. But although the men haul the nets this is an industry underpinned by women. Fishmongers in Liberia are almost entirely women and make up more than half the fisheries workforce. After haggling with the fishermen for the best price, they process the fish, salting or smoking and selling them at the bustling marketplaces. But it is not just once the fish are landed that these women are central. The fishmongers will often buy fishing equipment or even canoes for the fishermen, investing to ensure a good supply of seafood for their own businesses. They also hold office. Theresa Bayon is the General Secretary of the Liberia Artisanal Fisheries Association, which represents the local canoe crews and fishmongers. She said: In the industry, especially in the artisanal sector, we have approximately 33,000 fisherfolks, but we find the woman are the majority, we have 20,000 women in the sector. "In Liberia, women are the strongest pillar, we manage the sector. Theresa was a fishmonger before she took on her role, using the money she earned at the fish markets to pay her university fees, and she still plies her trade. But shes concerned about the future: We still have trawlers coming at night, we still receive information from our fishermen that in the night you look on top the water [and] its like a big city with those trawlers that come. We dont want trawlers in our waters at all. I mean what I am saying. I am the general secretary of the Artisanal Fisheries Association we will not have trawlers coming and spoiling our waters and taking away our resources. Theresas sentiments are echoed by an even more powerful woman in Liberian fisheries, Emma Metieh-Glassco, Director-general of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority. The body in charge of ensuring that trawlers dont fish illegally in the exclusion zone reserved for canoe fishers. Emma said: 80 percent of our population depends on fish. If we do not have fish available in the local market, the population might suffer from malnutrition. "Overfishing effects coastal livelihoods because when they go to fish, there'll be no fish available for them to catch. So how do they support their families? How do they get daily earnings? It has huge social and economic impacts. Illegal fishing is not limited to the trawlers, although they have the greatest impacts, some canoe crews will also use illegal practices such as dynamite or chemical fishing when toxic chemicals like DDT are poured over the side, and the dead fish scooped up. For the fishmongers this is a serious issue as well, not only because of the health concerns, but also because such fish are unsellable. To safeguard Liberian fisheries from all illegal fishing, a clear path to good management for healthy seas is needed. And that means hearing all voices equally including the fishmongers. Emma continued: It's challenging being a woman working in the fishery sector. I take [being NaFAAs Director-general] as an opportunity given to me to increase the visibility of fishmongers women that have been working in the fishery sector that have been marginalised, that have been side-lined. "I will champion the cause into setting [fishmongers] into cooperatives where they can be visible and they can be in an organised structure. [] We can work together to give them a voice so that they can also play an equal role in the management of the fish resources. An important route for such engagement is what are known as Collaborative Management Associations these give fishing communities co-control over territorial use rights, as well as greater input on issues from landing areas to permitted catches. The first of these was set up in Robertsport by the Environmental Justice Foundation, and has brought a reduction in illegal fishing and an increase in catches. Miatta is the Robertsport CMA treasurer: I feel proud being among eight men. As a lady I feel proud because when we go to a meeting, among the nine, we have nine executives, Im the only female representative. "Theyre always listening whenever I go to a meeting - they ask me to give my own point of view. Along with Theresa and other fishmongers she is keen to bring to the table issues which would otherwise be neglected. The exposure to smoke when processing the fish is a particular concern for the women. Rita Bellue has been fishmonger in Robertsport for six years, and she says: My particular worry is eyesight. Because the smoke gives us infections in the eyes. "I think the CMA can at least help us to bring medical doctors for an eye check. They can wash your eyes because youre always drying fish and particular medicine could wash your eyes to help them be clear. The CMA should be able to help us for that. I can even take you to the fishing community you can see for yourself what is happening, says Theresa. There you see the young baby on the mothers back - theyre inhaling the smoke, the mother and the baby - at the end of the day they get sick and if you dont have money to care for yourself you might die. The women of Liberias fisheries are not out at sea, face to face with trawlers, and hauling nets that bring home fewer and fewer fish. But they know the issues just as well, and it affects them just as much. They are a crucial part of the solution. Only when all voices are heard can Liberia be restored to the proud fishing nation it once was, with healthy seas teeming with tasty fish. Theme(s): Communities and Organisations. President Muhammadu Buhari has written to the Senate seeking amendments to the Finance Act recently passed by the National Assembly. His message was conveyed in a letter read out by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, at the start of plenary on Tuesday. One of the amendments sought by the president is that the new law should take effect from February 1. Except where lawmakers expressly state in their proposal, new laws usually come into effect as they are signed by the president. The Senate passed the Finance Bill in November 2019 and it was signed into law by the president on January 13. It is not clear why the president wants the date of implementation for the new legislation to change. The presidents letter reads: Pursuant to Sections 58 and 59 of Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), l formally request that the Finance Act, 2019 (Amendment) Bill be considered by the Senate for passage into law. This bill seeks to amend the Finance Act, 2019 recently passed by the National Assembly. READ ALSO: That the administrative effective date for the increase in Value Added Tax from 5% to 7.5% is the 1st of February 2020; (ii) That Animal Feeds are included in the list of Basic Food Items that are exempt from Value Added Tax; and (iii) Aspects of the tax holiday incentive for agriculture by targeting this incentive to small and medium sized companies that invest in primary crop, livestock, forestry and fishing agricultural production. This incentive is also to be administered by Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission pursuant to the Industrial Development (Income Tax Relief) Act. The lawmakers are expected to commence legislative action on the request on another legislative day. While I trust that this Bill will be favourably considered for passage Into law by the National Assembly to as to support the implementation of the 2020 federal budget, please accept, Distinguished Senate President, the assurance of my highest consideration. The team planning to buy and revamp Northamptons beloved World War II Club may be one step closer to doing so. Members of the City Council Committee on Legislative Matters voted unanimously Wednesday evening to give a positive recommendation on an ordinance that would change the zoning designation of the club and eight other parcels of land on Conz Street from a neighborhood business to a central business district. The ordinance will now before forwarded to all members of the city council for deliberation and a vote. Signature Sounds, a local record label company and concert host, is in talks to buy the building and its liquor license. Officials from both the company and the club as well as several residents spoke in favor of the rezoning at the committees meeting. For me, its about the veterans and making sure they have a gathering space, said Steven Connor, president of the World War II Veterans of Hampshire County Inc., which owns the club. "We no longer have the money to run the building, run the business, run the bar. The club, known as The Deuce, was put on the market in September 2019 for $899,000 after the owners reported a decline in membership and financial uncertainty. The building, located on 50 Conz St., has been a cornerstone of the city since it was established in 1972, hosting popular karaoke and dance nights, trivia activities and poetry slams. The space includes a bar and a social hall. Kate Zdepski, who owns a home near the club on Fruit Street, claimed Wednesday evening the The Deuce played a positive role in the decision to purchase a house in Northampton. The homeowner has lived in the community for more than a decade and has been a regular at the clubs karaoke night for at least the past five years, according to Zdepski. The place isnt just about routine either, Zdepski said, adding that the club has encouraged civic engagement and provided a safe space for those in the LGBTQ community. Following the mass shooting at Orlandos Pulse Nightclub, a public event was held at The Deuce to allow individuals in the queer community to mourn and dance. A recent debate was held there between state representatives in the district as well, according to Zdepski. I really do believe this new zoning is the best answer," the resident said. The Deuce has always been a community place, Connor said during the public forum. The club held benefit dinners after a rash of fires on Fair Street killed two people in 2009, and events have been hosted for disabled folk as well. The organization has also raised money for Iraq War veterans. Peter Hamelin, director of live music at Signature Sounds, said that if the purchase of the building is successful, the company will continue holding events advocating for veterans, he said. I just want to say, we love being in downtown Northampton and supporting downtown Northampton," said Jim Olsen, Signature Sounds president. "We want to stay in downtown Northampton, and we think the World War II Club is the perfect place to do it. Others were more wary of the rezoning, though. Concerns brought up during the meeting included potential drunken behavior on the property, an increase in space at the building and parking, an issue that has already been a problem for those whose homes neighbor the club. One resident said patrons of The Deuce have even parked on her lawn before. Tetty Gorfine wrote in a letter to community members earlier this year that if the sale of the property goes through, nearby residents will likely hear more activity, particularly at night, as well as increased rowdiness due to alcohol-consumption. I think that what the World War II Club offers and what Signature Sounds proposes is great, said Gorfine. "But Im scared to death about what will happen if thats done on a larger scale. Parking is another problem for Gorfine, who said she lives roughy 50 feet away from the club. The resident sometimes has a very difficult time getting in and out of her own driveway when The Deuces lot is filled up. People hang out outside the club to smoke as well, causing smells to waft her way, according to Gorfine. She also hears loud arguments when people become more intoxicated and is sometimes kept awake by activity going on at The Deuce. Sixty may be the new 40, but bedtime is still 9 oclock," she said. But the WWII Clubs closes at 2 oclock. Dick Bart lives in Haydenville and has owned a home across the street from the club for more than 45 years, where he rents out units. Though Bart, a Vietnam War veteran, has previously been a member of the The Deuce, he is hesitant of the rezoning due to the possibility his propertys value will decrease. I think this will definitely decrease my property value and make it hard for me to obtain tenants," he said. This venue will be significantly large from what Ive read and understand." Other residents said the benefits of having the club outweigh the inconveniences. Connor told MassLive that he understands concerns from those living in the community about the potential zoning change, but he noted that the use of the property will not substantially change and has largely not been altered since the club started up decades ago. The reality is weve been operating there the same way since 1972, he said. Related Content: To the annoyance of some shareholders, Air New Zealand (NZSE:AIR) shares are down a considerable 30% in the last month. Even longer term holders have taken a real hit with the stock declining 23% in the last year. All else being equal, a share price drop should make a stock more attractive to potential investors. While the market sentiment towards a stock is very changeable, in the long run, the share price will tend to move in the same direction as earnings per share. The implication here is that long term investors have an opportunity when expectations of a company are too low. Perhaps the simplest way to get a read on investors' expectations of a business is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). A high P/E implies that investors have high expectations of what a company can achieve compared to a company with a low P/E ratio. Check out our latest analysis for Air New Zealand Does Air New Zealand Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry? We can tell from its P/E ratio of 9.96 that there is some investor optimism about Air New Zealand. You can see in the image below that the average P/E (8.8) for companies in the airlines industry is lower than Air New Zealand's P/E. NZSE:AIR Price Estimation Relative to Market, March 9th 2020 Its relatively high P/E ratio indicates that Air New Zealand 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 When earnings fall, the 'E' decreases, over time. That means even if the current P/E is low, it will increase over time if the share price stays flat. Then, a higher P/E might scare off shareholders, pushing the share price down. Air New Zealand saw earnings per share decrease by 29% last year. And over the longer term (5 years) earnings per share have decreased 3.1% annually. This might lead to muted expectations. Story continues A Limitation: P/E Ratios Ignore Debt and Cash In The Bank The 'Price' in P/E reflects the market capitalization of the company. So it won't reflect the advantage of cash, or disadvantage of debt. The exact same company would hypothetically deserve a higher P/E ratio if it had a strong balance sheet, than if it had a weak one with lots of debt, because a cashed up company can spend on 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 Air New Zealand's Balance Sheet Tell Us? Net debt totals 20% of Air New Zealand's market cap. It would probably deserve a higher P/E ratio if it was net cash, since it would have more options for growth. The Bottom Line On Air New Zealand's P/E Ratio Air New Zealand trades on a P/E ratio of 10.0, which is below the NZ market average of 19.5. With only modest debt, it's likely the lack of EPS growth at least partially explains the pessimism implied by the P/E ratio. What can be absolutely certain is that the market has become more pessimistic about Air New Zealand over the last month, with the P/E ratio falling from 14.3 back then to 10.0 today. For those who prefer to invest with the flow of momentum, that might be a bad sign, but for deep value investors this stock might justify some research. Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. If it is underestimating a company, investors can make money by buying and holding the shares until the market corrects itself. So this free visualization of the analyst consensus on future earnings could help you make the right decision about whether to buy, sell, or hold. Of course you might be able to find a better stock than Air New Zealand. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have grown earnings strongly. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. KAMPALA Mr. George William Bizibu the Departed Asians Property Custodian Board (DAPCB) Executive Secretary was caught destroying crucial documents, allegedly, concerning some of the boards illegal dealings. Members of Parliament on the Parliaments select committee investigating the controversy surrounding departed Asians properties confirmed that Mr. Buzibu, who has for long been singled out for frustrating the process was caught destroying key documents regarding the matter. Without giving details of the destroyed documents, MPs said Mr. Bizibu was trying to cover up senior government officials accused of grabbing the Asians properties. They, say these irregularities have resulted into the loss of government properties. Fraudulent allocation of DAPCB properties by officials The Board members include Finance Minister Matia Kasaija, Lands Minister Betty Amongi, Attorney General William Byaruhanga, State Minister for Local Government Jenifer Namuyangu, State Minister for Industry and Cooperatives, Mr Michael Werikhe, Gen Salim Saleh who is a co-opted member. According to Section 5 (1) of the Assets of Departed Asians Act mandates the board to sit at least once every month. However, last year it emerged that failure by the board members to meet has over the years facilitated a lot of fraud at DAPCB where hundreds of properties have been stolen. An Auditor Generals report raised accountability queries at the Custodian Board such as theft of public funds through fictitious compensations of up to UGX1.7b, double allocation of properties, forged land titles, sale of assets without proper valuation, missing documents among other illegalities. The February 2011-March 2016 report of the Auditor General, Mr John Muwanga, revealed that the Board chaired by the Finance Minister failed to maintain proper books of account and annual financial statements were not prepared. In the result, it took Auditor General 15 years to audit the Custodian Board activities. In the process, billions of shillings in tax payers money was misappropriated. The Auditor Generals report for instance, shows that UGX.50.2m cash was not banked and lacked accountability documents at the time of audit. Another UGX15.2m was receipted as cash received but could not be traced in the bank statement. Also about UGX.500m was spent directly from the collection account without authority of the Board. At the same several properties in prime areas of Kampala that are in the records of DAPCB were dubiously acquired or registered in the names of other people. The Auditor General inspected 139 properties in Jinja Municipal Council and found that the Board did appoint qualified professionals to value the properties. There was also no complete list of tenants and properties. The AG also discovered cases of duplicated allocation of properties, abandoned properties, irregular disposal of properties, arrears of ground rent and unscrupulous property managers. Other properties in prime areas of Kampala that are in the records of DAPCB but dubiously acquired or registered in the names of other people include; Plot 20 Parliament Avenue; Plot 3 Market Street; Plots 6, 8, 10 and 12 Namirembe Road; Plot 14 A George Street; and Plot 7 Bombo road. The board chaired by Finance Minister Matia Kasaija claims unspecified amount of money was paid to undisclosed claimants for properties which were sold by the Custodian Board prior to receiving repossession claims by original owners. The MPs have challenged the Custodian Board to publish a list of the beneficiaries to confirm whether they did not pay ghost claimants. While appearing before COSASE last recently, Mr. Bizibu, admitted the accountability queries when questioned by MPs. During the interface with the MPs, Mr Bizibu said the board does not have information on the current ownership of several plots despite the records indicating that they were compensated by the government. However, the MPs accused Mr Bizibu of trying to trying to cover up senior government officials accused of grabbing the Asian properties. They singled out while his list claimed the Custodian Board owned Plot 24 along Kampala Road yet a court ruling had indicated that it belongs to businessman Sudhir Ruparelia. In 2012, Justice Joseph Murangira of the High Court Land Division ruled against Custodian Board and made it clear that DAPCB was not the owner of Plot 24 along Kampala Road. Related As concerns continue to grow over the spread of coronavirus, Google has now been spotted requesting that its My Business customers update their Maps listings with new information if theyve been affected by COVID-19. The search giant made its request via Twitter, with a link back to an associated My Business help page. While the Tweet itself is fairly slim on expectations, the help page goes into a significant amount of detail. Specifically, Google is asking business owners to note any business hours changes linked to the disease. The company also asks that businesses note in their description whether or not theyve been affected by COVID-19. That gives the business an opportunity to outline any precautions its taken or is taking. Conversely, it provides an opportunity to explain other pertinent details such as delays or extra services its offering as a result of coronavirus. Advertisement Finally, Google is asking business owners to use the Posts feature to keep customers up to date about that information and more. And its reminding businesses to keep their phone number up to date. That way, any customer questions can be answered in a timely manner. This Google Maps request stacks neatly atop other cautionary measures Now, requesting business owners and My Business users to update their profiles in Search and Maps is not the first or biggest step Google has had in response to coronavirus. The company went so far as to cancel what is arguably its most important event of the year. Thats the Google I/O 2020 developer conference typically held at its Mountain View California headquarters. Rather than hosting thousands of people from around the world at its Shoreline Amphitheater, the company has effectively relegated the event to a live stream. That will still be aired around the same timeline, from May 12 through the 14. But stepping down the event has big implications anyway. Advertisement Typically, Google I/O is used not just to tout the latest moves in web and tech. Its an opportunity for attendees to network and interact with the upcoming advances in those areas. Doing comparatively little This response to the spread of coronavirus in Google Maps and Search shows how technology can be used to help people stay safer. However, it pales in comparison to how the affliction has been addressed with technology elsewhere. Thats likely due to the fact that it has spread more quickly than anticipated. Its resulted in the deaths of thousands of people. Fatalities have largely been relegated to those who are elderly or already impacted by other health conditions. But the response in China, where coronavirus first broke out, has seen technology used far more extensively. Thats included not just robotic healthcare tech and food catering to keep doctors out of harms way and supplement for personnel shortages. The response has also included surveillance compiling both facial recognition and temperature monitoring. Advertisement A soldier is pictured wearing a mask while supervising a platform at the Termini train station in Rome on 10 March. Italy is in 'lockdown' after confirming more than 9,000 coronavirus Covid-19 cases. (Getty Images) Old age, sepsis and blood clotting issues may increase a coronavirus patients risk of death, research suggests. Since the coronavirus strain Covid-19 emerged at a seafood and live animal market in the Chinese city Wuhan at the end of last year, experts have been rushing to identify the most vulnerable patients. Data suggests four out of five cases are mild, with a minority succumbing to pneumonia. To learn more, scientists in China looked at 191 confirmed cases treated across two Wuhan hospitals, of whom 54 died. Read more: Coronavirus generally 'causes symptoms within five days' Older age, showing signs of sepsis on admission, underlying diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes, and the prolonged use of non-invasive ventilation were important factors in the deaths of these patients, said study author Dr Zhibo Liu. Poorer outcomes in older people may be due, in part, to the age-related weakening of the immune system and increased inflammation that could promote viral replication and more prolonged responses to inflammation, causing lasting damage to the heart, brain, and other organs. One expert added increased age is a common risk factor for nearly all infections. A man is pictured wearing a mask and protective goggles at Shanghai Disneyland Park on 10 March. Mainland China is the epicentre of the outbreak. (Getty Images) Since Covid-19 was identified at the end of last year, the strain has been confirmed in more than 100 countries across every inhabited continent. Twenty-one countries have just one confirmed patient. Since the start of the outbreak, more than 114,000 patients have tested positive for the virus, of which over 64,000 have recovered, according to John Hopkins University data. Globally, the death toll has exceeded 4,000. Cases appear to have peaked in China, the epicentre of the outbreak. The infection has taken hold elsewhere, however, with Italy identifying more than 9,000 patients and 463 deaths. The UK has 319 confirmed cases, with five Britons succumbing to pneumonia. What are the risk factors linked to dying from the coronavirus Covid-19? The Chinese scientists looked at patients admitted to Jinyintan or Wuhan Pulmonary hospitals after 29 December 2019. Story continues These were the designated hospitals patients with severe coronavirus were transferred to from across the city until 2 February. The participants had been discharged, or died, by 31 January. Medical records, treatment data and laboratory results were compared between the survivors of the infection and the deceased. Using mathematical models, the scientists examined risk factors associated with dying of the infection. Overall, just under half (48%) of the patients had an underlying condition. Blood pressure was the most common, making up 30% of the co-morbidities, followed by diabetes at 19%. From illness onset, most spent 22 days in hospital before being discharged. The average time to death was 18.5 days. The survivors were on average 52 years old, compared to 69 among the deceased. Read more: Questions doctors are being asked about the coronavirus As well as old age, death was linked to a higher score on the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment a measure of sepsis upon hospital arrival. Those who eventually died also had elevated levels of the protein d-dimer, a marker of blood clots. The immune-fighting protein interleukin 6 a sign of inflammation was also raised, while the white blood cells lymphocytes were markedly lower. Overall, all the deceased (100%) had sepsis, versus less than half (42%) of the survivors. Sepsis occurs when the body over-reacts to an infection, releasing excessive amounts of pathogen-fighting chemicals that can damage multiple organ systems. Nearly all (98%) of the fatalities developed respiratory failure compared to 36% of the survivors. This occurs when insufficient levels of oxygen pass from the lungs to the blood or the lungs cannot remove carbon dioxide efficiently enough. Secondary infections, which come about when an already ill person is more vulnerable to an additional pathogen, affected half (50%) of the deceased. Just 1% of the survivors were diagnosed with an infection that was not the coronavirus. The risk factors for death of severe illness and increased age are already recognised, and common to nearly all infections, said Professor Keith Neal from the University of Nottingham. Underlying health conditions associated with infection has also been previously reported. The scientists also found the survivors shed the virus for an average of 20 days, while the deceased remained infectious until the time of death. They noted, however, viral shedding is influenced by disease severity. The extended viral shedding noted in our study has important implications for guiding decisions around isolation precautions and anti-viral treatment in patients with confirmed Covid-19 infection, said co-lead author Professor Bin Cao. However, we need to be clear that viral shedding time should not be confused with other self-isolation guidance for people who may have been exposed to Covid-19 but do not have symptoms, as this guidance is based on the incubation time of the virus. The incubation period is the time between infection and the onset of symptoms. Although the scientists mentioned anti-viral treatment, there is no set therapy for Covid-19. Most patients fight off the infection naturally, with some requiring supportive care like ventilation while their immune system gets to work. Read more: Why drying your hands is important to ward off the coronavirus When it comes to symptoms, the scientists noted the survivors and deceased both endured fever for around 12 days. Cough, another tell-tale symptom, appeared to be more persistent. Just under half (45%) of the patients still had a cough when discharged. Shortness of breath lasted until day 13 among the survivors, but continued until death for the deceased. The key finding this paper adds is the prolonged virus shedding and the recovered patients main remain infectious for longer than previously thought, said Professor Neal. This has implications for isolating recovered patients, which can easily be implemented in most instances. The scientists noted their study had several limitations. Hospitalised patients are severe by definition. Excluding mild cases skews the risk factors linked to coronavirus mortality. Viral shedding was also estimated according to swabs and other specimen collections, which were not gathered throughout the study period, the scientists wrote in The Lancet. Covid-19s death rate has been up for debate. The World Health Organization claimed it had killed 3.4% of patients globally on 3 March, higher than its past estimate of 2%. Experts called this a likely overestimate, adding a 1% mortality rate seems more reasonable. A doctor is pictured reading a passenger's temperature at the Italy-Austria border Gries Am Brenner on 10 March. (Getty Images) What is the new coronavirus Covid-19? Covid-19 is one of seven strains of the coronavirus class that are known to infect humans. The class is also made up of four strains that cause the common cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers). Sars killed 774 people during its 2002/3 outbreak, while 858 people died in Mers 2012 outbreak. Most of those who initially caught Covid-19 worked at, or visited, the wet market in Wuhan. Officials confirmed early on in the outbreak the virus spreads face-to-face via droplets that have been sneezed or coughed out by a patient. There is also evidence it may be transmitted in faeces and urine. In severe cases, pneumonia can come about when the infection causes the alveoli (air sacs) in the lungs to become inflamed and filled with fluid or pus. The lungs then struggle to draw in air, resulting in reduced oxygen in the bloodstream. To prevent infection, officials recommend regular hand washing and social distancing. P oachers have killed two extremely rare white giraffes in Kenya, conservationists have confirmed. The female giraffe and her calf were found by rangers "in a skeletal state after being killed by armed poachers" in Garissa County in the north-east of the country. There was only one giraffe left alive, a male - the son of the killed female - who is now believed to be the only remaining one in the world. The deaths have come as a major blow to animal conservationists. We are the only community in the world who are custodians of the white giraffe," said Mohammed Ahmednoor, the manager of the Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy. "This is a very sad day for the community of Ijara and Kenya as a whole" / Caters News Agency/AFP via Getty "Its killing is a blow to tremendous steps taken by the community to conserve rare and unique species, and a wakeup call for continued support to conservation efforts." The giraffes were first seen in March 2016 and photographs of them hit the news in 2017 and spread around the world with people fascinated by the alabaster creatures. It was revealed the species were white in colour not because of albinism but due to a rare condition called leucism, which causes skin cells to have no pigmentation. According to the Africa Wildlife Foundation, around 40 per cent of the giraffe population has been eradicated in the past three decades having been hunted for meat. "This is a very sad day for the community of Ijara and Kenya as a whole," said Mr Ahmednoor. The giraffes roamed in the conservancy, which is a vast unfenced area which includes small villages. The Kenya Wildlife Society said it is investigating the killings. People close to the royal court, though, insisted Mohammed had merely lashed out at his uncle and cousins for speaking critically about him. He wanted to teach the rest of the family a lesson. "It was quiet for a while and people were wondering if MBS had mellowed," Steffen Hertog, a scholar at the London School of Economics, said. "But clearly his character is pretty persistent." Mohammed slashed the oil price to punish Russia, which he faulted for failing to cooperate in cutting production and propping up prices. The slowdown caused by the coronavirus was already reducing demand for oil. "The Russians called their bluff, and now the Saudis are trying to demonstrate to the Russians what the cost is of a lack of cooperation," Hertog said. But for Saudi Arabia, "it is a risky game of chicken." Saudi Arabia has much more to lose than Russia. Russia has more diverse sources of revenue and it has built up its reserves since the last oil price downturn. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, remains overwhelmingly dependent on oil. What's more, its cash reserves have remained flat for about four years at around $US500 billion ($762 billion), down from a peak of about $US740 billion in the summer of 2014. Muslim worshippers outside the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The kingdom has taken unprecedented measures against the spread of coronavirus, including halting pilgrimage in Mecca. Credit:AP Analysts say that the kingdom needs a so-called break-even price of about $US80 a barrel to meet its budget without either further drawing down those reserves or adopting painful austerity measures. But the price on Monday fell to about $US35 a barrel, less than half the break-even price. A downturn of as much as two years could cut into those reserves severely enough to put pressure on the Saudi exchange rate as well as the plans to diversify the economy, Hertog said. Mohammed's economic plan for the country centred on a public offering of shares in the Saudi state oil company, Aramco, to raise money to invest in other sectors. But plans for a debut on a major international market were pulled in favour of the more lax Saudi domestic exchange, and over the last two days the oil price cut has sent shares tumbling by 20 per cent, shaving $US320 billion off the value of the company. Few worshippers were allowed to enter after dawn prayers to circumambulate the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque over fears of coronavirus. Credit:AP The timing of the price war so soon after the round-up of his royal relatives on Friday has aroused speculation that Mohammed sought to contain potential opponents in anticipation of trouble. Perhaps he wanted to preempt any foes before economic pain from the downturn made him politically vulnerable, some suggested. "The threat to MBS is not coming from his royal rivals," argued Kristin Smith Diwan, a scholar at the Gulf States Institute in Washington. "It is coming from the collapse in oil revenues and what that does to his ambitious economic plans." But other analysts, former diplomats and officials with experience in Saudi Arabia, and Saudis close to the royal court said that Mohammed had consolidated power so thoroughly that he had little left to fear. With a level of ruthlessness unprecedented in modern Saudi history, Mohammed has seized more direct power over the kingdom than any monarch in decades, largely by intimidating into submission his own sprawling ruling family. Even in a severe downturn, the members of the royal family he detained had little hope of challenging him. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, left, talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, during the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, last year. Credit:AP He had already put the same royals under tight surveillance, limiting their ability to plot against him, according to people close to the royal court. A spokesman for the Saudi government did not respond to a request for comment on Monday. The most senior figure detained, Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, more than 70 years old, had once been recorded in London making comments distancing himself from the crown prince's policies but had since appeared submissive, at least in public. The other prominent royal detained, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, had already been under house arrest since 2017, when he was removed from his posts as crown prince and interior minister by the current crown prince. Previous Saudi rulers might have provided some advance warning to Washington and London before such high profile detentions, former diplomats said. Mohammed had met in Riyadh last week with British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and last month with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Yet the prince gave no indication that the arrests were imminent, according to diplomats and other officials with knowledge of the matter. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman at the 2018 G20 meeting in Argentina. Both countries face a painful transition away from fossil fuel dependency. Credit:AAP Western officials worry about the "reputational risk" of associating with such an unpredictable leader, said Emile Hokayem, a scholar at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. But so far Mohammed has faced few adverse consequences. He has led a five-year military intervention in Yemen that has produced a humanitarian catastrophe. The United Nations envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths on Saturday warned of intensifying fighting in the oil and natural gas-rich province of Marib during a visit to the city. "Yemen is at a critical juncture: it will either silence the guns and resume the political process, or we will slip back into large-scale conflict and suffering," Griffiths said. Loading "Marib has been a haven for hundreds of thousands of displaced Yemenis. Just last week, thousands of families arrived here fleeing fighting in al-Jawf." The prince also rounded up hundreds of his royal relatives and other wealthy Saudis in a Ritz Carlton hotel in 2017 to squeeze them for repayment of what he claimed was self enrichment. He even temporarily kidnapped the then prime minister of Lebanon Saad Hariri in 2017 and forced him to announce a resignation (which the Hariri later retracted). American intelligence agencies concluded that in 2018 Mohammed ordered the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist who lived in the US. Since then, some analysts have seen signs of maturation, in particular his pulling back from a potential armed clash with his nemesis, Iran, last year. At a meeting last year in Japan of the leaders of the world's 20 largest economies, Mohammed was welcomed as a fellow statesman and tapped to host the group's next summit in Riyadh. US President Donald Trump shows a chart highlighting arms sales to Saudi Arabia during a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office in 2018. Credit:AP President Donald Trump called him "a friend of mine." "You have done a spectacular job," the President told him. " " Artist's impression of Martian magnetosphere ESA The red planet is an interesting place, but you wouldn't want to live there. In fact, you couldn't. Temperatures can fluctuate wildly a summer's day at the Martian equator might reach 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees C), but that night it could drop to minus 100 degrees F (minus 38 degrees C). The atmosphere is thin and consists mainly of carbon dioxide. And radiation from space bombards the surface, unhindered by a thick atmosphere or a strong magnetic field. That radiation is partially responsible for stripping away the atmosphere on Mars. Advertisement Some NASA scientists propose we fix that last issue by creating a magnetic field for Mars. On Earth, we have a strong magnetic field. That's probably due to the planet's molten outer iron core. The molten iron swirls around a superheated solid iron core inside Earth, partly stirred by the Coriolis effect from Earth's rotation. This could be the source of the magnetosphere, which acts almost like a force field against many types of radiation. Mars doesn't have a magnetosphere on the magnitude of Earth's, though, as Emily Lakdawalla writes for Planetary Society, evidence suggests this was not always the case. Recently, scientists gathering at the Planetary Science Vision 2050 Workshop suggested some ways we might reintroduce a much stronger magnetic field to Mars. According to NASA Planetary Science Division Director Dr. Jim Green and his colleagues, we might be able to restore a magnetic field around Mars by deploying an inflated structure at a specific orbit around Mars. The structure would maintain a relative position between Mars and the sun. Powerful magnets on the structure would redirect solar radiation away from the planet. It would be like a giant umbrella, only instead of keeping the rain off it blocks incoming radiation. Here's a link to the PDF where Green and his colleagues sketched out the problem and their potential solution. Could it work? That's hard to say. Dr. Green is quick to acknowledge that many scientists may feel his idea is "fanciful." But if we could get it to work, it could mean the atmosphere around Mars could stabilize. The planet might start to heat up, allowing liquid water to flow on its surface. And perhaps given enough time we could terraform the planet so that Earth life-forms could live there without the need for pressurized, oxygenated habitats. How does that sound, Elon Musk? Donald Trump and his team pictured on Tuesday at the White House: Getty Images With more than 900 reported cases and a task force created by Donald Trump to prepare the nation, coronavirus fears have begun to grip the United States as schools cancel classes and officials have urged elderly people to avoid large crowds. Coronavirus concerns have also prompted several members of US Congress to self quarantine after coming into contact with people who were infected, and some politicians have begun to indicate they believe the Capitol building should be shut off to visitors until the growing outbreak has been contained. So far, 30 people have been killed by the virus, including at least 24 in Washington, two in California and another two in Florida. Eight people have so-far recovered from the virus, which has sparked a rare national lock down in Italy. The rapid increase of coronavirus cases in the US and across the world encouraged one expert to compare the numbers to Italy, which has seen more than 9,100 cases. The expert anticipates Americas epidemic could look like Italys in nine to 14 days. The spread of the coronavirus got worse in Italy on Tuesday, with the state revealing the death toll has risen by 168 people in just 24 hours. It made for the largest single day jump and 631 people have died from the virus to date. Governor Jay Inslee of Washington state warned there could be 64,000 cases of coronavirus in his state alone if the spread continues. The state has at least 167 confirmed cases, but the governor believes it is closer to 1,000 people infected by the virus. Health officials warn the official tally is significantly lower than the number of people likely infected across the country. In response to the growing number of coronavirus cases, both North Carolina and Massachusetts declared a state of emergency on Tuesday. The declaration allows the states to allocate funds towards the proper governmental agencies to combat the spread fo the virus. It also prevents price gouging. Trump attempted to calm Americans after he met with Republican lawmakers about a package to cushion any economic fallout from the pandemic. "It will go away, just stay calm," Trump said. "Be calm. It's really working out. And a lot of good things are going to happen." His administration has received backlash from public officials over the handling of the coronavirus, including the lack of testing originally available. Trump also met with insurance companies on Tuesday, and each said they would cover the cost of coronavirus tests for all of their private insurers. Keralas health minister KK Shailaja said on Tuesday two more people tested positive for the highly-infectious coronavirus in the state apart from the six cases reported earlier in the day. Shailaja said the parents of the three-year-old child in Kochi, the youngest to get infected in the country, have tested positive for Covid-19 taking the number to 14 in the state so far. The parents have shown the signs of the disease in initial testing, which could increase the number of infections in the county to more than 50, if the developments are confirmed by the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune. The child, whose father works in Italy, had come back with his parents from the epicentre of coronavirus in Europe on March 7 via Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. People, who interacted with the family, at the airport were identified and all passengers who travelled on the same flight were asked to report for testing immediately. Among the 14 infected, three are in Kochi, two in Kottayam and rest are in Pathanamthitta. The health minister said during a press conference that 1500 people are under observation and 250 are in hospitals with symptoms of the disease. The fresh coronavirus cases on Tuesday have forced the state government to cancel all public events and close down educational institutions to contain the disease. The health minister had on Monday already called for community surveillance, scaling up of contact tracing and tapping local bodies to stop further spread of the deadly disease. The state had reported Indias first three cases of coronavirus in January this year and all of them have recovered fully. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Prince Charles has called for the same level of response to climate change as coronavirus as he said we must put ourselves on a war footing. The Duke of Cornwall was speaking at a WaterAid event on Tuesday when he drew the comparison between climate change and the deadly virus sweeping the globe. He told a roundtable at the charity, of which he is president: With the urgency that now exists around avoiding irreversible damage to our planet, we must put ourselves on what can only be described as a war footing. The current battle against the coronavirus at least demonstrates, if nothing else, how quickly the world can mobilise when we identify a common threat. He also later described the virus as contributing to a perfect storm of threat multipliers to the environmental issue. Charles attends an event hosted by WaterAid, of which he is president. (Getty Images) Charles gave a speech to delegates at a WaterAid event. (Getty Images) On Monday, he and other members of the Royal Family had to employ alternatives to handshakes as they attended the Commonwealth Day Service in Westminster Abbey. Prince Harry elbow bumped with Craig David, while Charles held his hands together and used the namaste greeting. Charless meeting with WaterAid representatives, in the Kings Cross area of London, focused on how climate change affects drinking water availability. WaterAid works to provide clean water, decent toilets and hygiene knowledge across the globe, and states that 3.6 billion people live in areas where water is scarce, due to issues like drought or flooding contaminating supplies. Read more: Protesters arrested moments before Royal Family attends Commonwealth Day Service Also present with Charles was Prince Albert of Monaco, a long-term supporter of WaterAid, environment minister Lord Goldsmith and senior representatives from global companies like the World Bank, Unilever and international water organisations. Charles used a namaste greeting on Monday instead of shaking hands. (Getty Images) The prince told the delegates: Im hugely grateful to WaterAid and all the other partners who are here today for bringing water and climate into focus in this it literally is vital super year. Story continues Somewhat of course now interrupted by other horrors like coronavirus, which makes it all much more complicated, so we end up with a perfect storm now of threat multipliers in all directions. His comments come after Extinction Rebellion said the dramatic reaction to coronavirus proves government can take greater action to combat climate change. Read more: Coronavirus quarantine shows climate change 'is solvable', Extinction Rebellion says The environmental group pointed to a media report on how pollution has dropped in China as attempts to stop the virus spreading led to factories being shut down. Reacting on its Facebook page, Extinction Rebellion wrote: Proof that the climate and ecological emergency is solvable and that the solution has nothing to do with population. The outbreak of the virus has had a large impact on economies across the world, with stock markets tumbling in response to the outbreak and companies losing money. More than 80,000 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in mainland China, while more than 100,000 have been declared globally. LSP, a life sciences investor in Europe, has held its final close of LSP 6 at the $600m hard cap. LSP 6 received capital from a diverse investor base including pension funds, insurance companies, wealth managers, government funds and family offices. Like its predecessor funds, LSP 6 will invest in 15-18, predominantly European private companies developing new medications or medical technologies, who turn scientific innovations into real-world healthcare solutions. Based in Amsterdam, Munich and Boston, LSP currently has $1.1 billion of capital to invest across LSP 6, the LSP Health Economics Fund and LSPs public fund and mandates. The firm has built over 120 companies, many of which have brought breakthrough new medications or technologies to patients in large indications such as oncology, cardiology or diabetes, but also in rare diseases. The portfolio companies are engaged in more than 100 clinical trials, comparable to the pipeline of the largest global pharmaceutical companies. FinSMEs 10/03/2020 Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan sought more European support on Monday over the war in Syria and for hosting millions of refugees, but was told he must first stop encouraging migrants to cross into Greece. Erdogan flew to Brussels for talks with the European Union and NATO after tension rose over the fate of tens of thousands of migrants trying to enter EU-member Greece since Ankara said last month it would no longer try to keep them on Turkish soil. Turkey hosts about 3.6 million refugees from Syria and has kept a lid on migration to Europe under a deal it agreed with the bloc in 2016 in return for billions of euros in aid.- But it has become frustrated with what it regards as too little European support over the war in Syria, where its troops are facing off against Russian-backed government forces and have suffered growing casualties. The crisis stemming from Syria, with its security and humanitarian aspects, is threatening our region and even all of Europe, Erdogan said after arriving for talks with the EU and NATO. No European country has the luxury to remain indifferent. We expect concrete support from all our allies in the fight that Turkey has been carrying out alone NATO is in a critical period during which it needs to clearly show support. The EU has little to offer in terms of military support in Syria, where it has condemned Turkeys engagement. The 27-nation bloc, in which most members are also Ankaras NATO allies, has dangled the promise of further aid but in time and under conditions. The events at the Greek-Turkish border clearly point to politically motivated pressure on the EUs external border, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said before talks with Erdogan. Finding a solution to this situation will require relieving the pressure that is put on the border. PRECONDITION At the same time, the EU is trying to support Greece, where it says some 42,000 refugees and migrants are stuck on the islands, including about 5,500 unaccompanied children. France, Portugal, Finland, Germany and Luxembourg offered to take some in, with Berlin saying up to 1,500 minors could move in total. EU migration ministers are due to discuss the matter in Brussels on Friday. The EU is determined to avoid any repeat of 2015 and 2016, when more than a million people, mostly from the Middle East, reached its shores via Turkey and Greece. That was all but halted by the 2016 Turkey deal, which the EU hopes to salvage. The EU says it has so far paid about half of a promised 6 billion euros to help Turkey finance housing, schools and medical centres for the refugees stranded on its territory. A precondition for any additional EU help should be to stop all support to illegal border crossings and move people away from the border, a German conservative member of the European Parliament, Manfred Weber, said. The 2016 pact had also envisaged the EU taking in thousands of Syrian refugees directly from camps in Turkey, rewarding Turks with visa-free travel to the bloc, faster progress in EU membership talks and upgrading their customs union. But ties between the two soured following a botched coup against Erdogan in July 2016. The EU was taken aback by the scale of Erdogans post-coup crackdown on critics and has effectively frozen Turkeys long-stalled bid to join the bloc. We expressed very clearly to President Erdogan our commitment to move forward on these issues, provided that it is reciprocal, von der Leyen said after about 40 minutes of talks. NATO head Jens Stoltenberg told a meeting with Erdogan that the alliance has already invested more than $5 billion in Turkey, including in military bases and radar sites. SOURCE: REUTERS (Newser) The airline industry is getting slammed by the coronavirus outbreak, and airlines are responding accordingly. Southwest CEO Gary Kelly is taking a 10% pay cut, reports the Wall Street Journal, while United CEO Oscar Munoz and United President Scott Kirby are forgoing their base salaries until at least the end of June. Elsewhere, American and Delta laid out cuts to international and domestic flights, and airlines began easing up on fees for passengers who change or cancel flights, per USA Today. They've also been reducing revenue forecasts. story continues below "The velocity and the severity of the decline is breathtaking, Kelly told employees in a video seen by the Journal. "There is no question this is a severe recession for our industry and for us, and it's a financial crisis." Kelly's base salary was $750,000 in 2018, though his total compensation was $8 million, notes CBS News. It isn't clear if his 10% cut is coming off only the base salary. Another industry change, this one overseas: Reuters reports the European Commission is suspending "use-it-or-lose-it" airport slot rules that resulted in airlines flying largely empty jets solely to keep their takeoff and landing rights at airports. (Read more airline industry stories.) Hikers have been rescued from a huge fire in Hudson Highlands National Park as firefighters scrambled to douse the blaze. Multiple volunteer fire and police departments from Dutchess county and Putnam county spent hours battling the Breakneck fire in the town of Fishkill, New York yesterday. The blaze at the park was reported at approximately 2.30pm, according to Dan Keefe of the state parks department. By 9.15pm he said 'there are several fires burning within a 300-acre perimeter.' Multiple volunteer fire and police departments from Dutchess county and Putnam county spent hours battling the Breakneck fire in the town of Fishkill, New York yesterday The blaze in Hudson Highlands State Park was reported at approximately 2.30pm, according to Dan Keefe of the state parks department Fishkill Police Department said that unfortunately several vehicles were destroyed but all the hikers came off the mountain safely. Hiking trails in Hudson Highlands State Park were closed as a precaution 'due to fire suppression activities until further notice'. The fire in the Dutchess Junction area forced Route 9D to be closed for part of the evening on Monday and caused delays for the Metro-North Hudson line. Last night the Fishkill Police Department shared shocking photos of the incident which showed its true scale. Photos taken from the scene indicate that the fire may have started near a parking lot and spread to surrounding areas Fishkill Police Department said several vehicles were destroyed but all the hikers came off the mountain safely. Pictured: firefighters at the carpark where it is believed the fire wa The fire in the Dutchess Junction area forced Route 9D to be closed for part of the evening on Monday and caused delays for the Metro-North Hudson line. Pictured: cars on fire in the area affected The emergency response came after many Hudson Valley residents reported seeing smoke rising from the lower parts of the Hudson Highlands near Breakneck Ridge. According to the New York State Parks Police, this was not part of a controlled burn. Photos taken from the scene indicate that the fire may have started near a parking lot and spread to surrounding areas. Some cars in the lot also caught fire. An eyewitness at the scene of the fire also said multiple fire trucks were at on hand trying to contain the situation. The emergency response came after many Hudson Valley residents reported seeing smoke rising from the lower parts of the Hudson Highlands near Breakneck Ridge An eyewitness at the scene of the fire said multiple fire trucks were at on hand trying to contain the situation "We're trying to resolve it internally within the state" through the cannabis business association, Stern said. "There are multiple (state) senators calling us and talking to the association, and now they're becoming aware of this issue. They believed in the program on the medical side, and they certainly don't want the Illinois program to have any hiccups, so there's a whole lot of people getting behind a legislative process to resolve this." Fairbanks, AK (99707) Today Cloudy. Snow showers developing in the afternoon. High 2F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 60%. Snowfall around one inch.. Tonight Mainly cloudy with snow showers around before midnight. Low 2F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 60%. Snow accumulations less than one inch. (ANSA) - Rome, March 9 - World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday praised Italy's tough measures to try to combat the spread of the coronavirus. The government has sealed off the whole of Lombardy as well as several provinces in Piedmont. Emilia Romagna, Veneto and Marche. "Italy is adopting aggressive measures and we hope to see results in the coming days," Adhanom told the WHO's daily news conference on the emergency. LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 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. 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CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing Company Person for contact: 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/579909/Auto-Insurance-2020-Tips--Why-Should-Drivers-Work-With-Car-Insurance-Agents As a Uighur American, it affects me personally. My family has been trying to track down our relatives for the past three years. We can name 93 relatives with whom we have lost contact. We do not know how many are alive or dead. It hurts me deeply to think that Nike shoes might have been made by my own relatives, forced to work in one of these factories. BOSTON TOWNSHIP, Ohio Crews with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have restored about 2,200 feet of Stanford Run near the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Stanford Run, the stream under the Stanford Road bridge about a quarter-mile north of the Stanford House, became degraded over the years as sediment built up and blocked a culvert, causing damage to nearby habitats, according to CVNP. The Corps of Engineers awarded an initial $425,000 contract in November 2018 to the Michigan-based Ryba Marine Construction Company to begin work on the project in spring 2019. Work included installing a culvert and restoring nearly 1,200 feet of stream. A second contract was awarded in September 2019 to Buffalo-based Armitage Architecture for $186,000 to continue excavation, which restored an additional 1,000 feet of stream. Russell Brandenburg, the Corps project manager for the Buffalo district, said the primary work specified in the contract is complete, but minor work, such as grading and seeding, will resume this spring. Were already seeing fish swimming in the restored creek and beavers working upstream of the restoration area, said CVNP biologist Chris Davis. Sand and gravel in the bottom of the creek, as well as streamside vegetation, will provide structure and shade to support insects and other in-stream creatures. Overall, the project looks like a success so far. The project is part of a partnership between the Army Corps of Engineers and the National Park Service to protect the environment, Brandenburg said. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency helped pay for both contracts through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.coms Rubber City Daily, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. A suspect arrested Saturday in the 2003 northwest Winnipeg stabbing death of Nicolle Hands has been released without charge, police say. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 9/3/2020 (672 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A suspect arrested Saturday in the 2003 northwest Winnipeg stabbing death of Nicolle Hands has been released without charge, police say. "We're consulting the Crown on potential charges, and the investigation continues," RCMP assistant commissioner Jane MacLatchy said Monday morning at an unrelated news conference. The male suspect was arrested, interviewed and released, she said. "I think it's a good step in resolving that homicide," MacLatchy said, noting the integrated Winnipeg Police Service-RCMP task force Project Devote formed in 2011 to investigate cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls has worked "tirelessly" on the Hands case. SUPPLIED PHOTO In the early morning hours of October 2, 2003, Nicolle Hands, 32, was fatally injured in her apartment on Mountain Avenue in Winnipeg while her three children and a babysitter slept in the next room. Nicolle was rushed to hospital where she died three days later. "It's a very good news story to (make) an arrest." Monday's announcement, however, was met with disbelief by members of the victim's family. "I'm devastated," her 77-year-old mother, Eleanor Hands, said by phone from Kingston, Ont. "I waited 16 years to hear someone say, 'Yup, we got the guy he's in jail.' Then I get another call: 'We had to let him go.'" She said Manitoba police contacted her late Sunday to say the suspect had been released and the investigation was continuing. Hands was killed in October 2003 in her apartment on Mountain Avenue, while her three children and the babysitter slept in the next room. The babysitter was awakened by a noise at 3:30 a.m., and saw a man standing over Hands in the adjacent room, RCMP said previously. The man fled the apartment, leaving Hands on the floor with life-threatening injuries. She was rushed to hospital, where she died three days later. Eleanor Hands said she had prepared the three children, now-young adults, for the news a suspect had been caught. "I had to turn around and tell them that wasn't going to happen," she said Monday. It's not the first time in recent years Manitoba RCMP have announced an arrest in a cold case, followed by the suspect being released without charge. On May 10, 2017, police issued a news release announcing an arrest in the 2007 slaying of 46-year-old Charlene Ward, who was found dead in her home in Portage la Prairie. The following day, the suspect was released without charge. In July 2017, suspects arrested by RCMP for two separate high-profile homicides the 2013 death of 15-year-old Leah Anderson in God's Lake First Nation, and 2017 death of 18-year-old Evan Engbaek in Gimli were released on the same day without any charges being laid. "I waited 16 years to hear someone say, 'Yup, we got the guy he's in jail.' Then I get another call: 'We had to let him go.'" Nicolle Hands 77-year-old mother, Eleanor Hands A male youth who was 16 at the time of the slaying later pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the Engbaek case. The God's Lake case remains open. Eleanor Hands said Monday she would rather know what's going on with her daughter's homicide investigation as it evolves even if it doesn't result in charges rather than being told nothing. "The officer looking after our case believed the family should know," she said, who noted he's been on the case for two years. "Some (officers) don't tell you anything at all." The RCMP commander for Manitoba said the lead investigator in the Nicolle Hands case is a Winnipeg Police Service officer. On Friday, WPS Chief Danny Smyth said the service will no longer assign officers to Project Devote but will continue to share information about cold cases with the Mounties. 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 fact that they've moved their people out of RCMP headquarters doesn't mean we're going to stop working on these files together," MacLatchy said Monday. "We're going to continue to work with them." On Monday, the WPS declined to comment on the Hands homicide investigation, referring all inquiries to the RCMP. Meanwhile, Manitoba Justice Minister Cliff Cullen said the government recognizes the work being done by Project Devote. "From our perspective, we want to make sure police forces are sharing intelligence whether it's on this particular file or other files," Cullen said at a news conference announcing a Crime Stoppers program targeting meth dealers and traffickers. Anyone with information about the killing of Nicolle Hands is asked to contact the Project Devote tipline at 1-888-673-3316 or Manitoba Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca Alhaji Habib Iddrisu of the Ghana Free Zones Authority and a Patron of the National Youth Wing of the NPP who is also an aspiring Parliamentary Candidate of the NPP in the Tolon Constituency of the Northern Region has received recognition from the Voiceless Media and Consult for his humanitarian services in his community. The Award was presented alongside a Ghc40,000 Personal Accident Insurance Cover from the Best Assurance Company. Presenting the award at a brief but colourful ceremony in Accra, Chief Akilu Sayibu of the Voiceless Media explained that people doing well for humanity deserve encouragement hence the award. Hon Habib Iddrisu per monitoring of the Voiceless Media has helped secure jobs for his people, secured admissions and scholarships for the youth to further their education and has also brought to his community interventions to help women and the youth to make life better for them. A scheme to boost socialization of the youth-led to Hon Habib Iddrisu providing several plastic chairs, canopies, and tricycles to help the social activities of the youth in the Tolon District. Alhaji Habib Iddrisu also serves as a source of motivation and inspiration to the youth as a result of several developmental initiatives that he has facilitated for the District. Receiving the Award, Alhaji Habib Iddrisu praised the Voiceless Media for being the first media organisation in Ghana that has moved away from publishing bad news always to promoting and encouraging many in society to do more through the Voiceless Media Awards. The aspiring Parliamentary Candidate explained that sharing the little he has with society was his passion and he will continue to do his best for his community and its people. Present at the ceremony were some staff of the Gbewa Printing Press in Accra and some friends of the awardee. [March 10, 2020] Land & Buildings Nominates Highly-Qualified Director to American Homes 4 Rent Board Today Land & Buildings Investment Management LLC (together with its affiliates, "Land & Buildings"), a significant shareholder of American Homes 4 Rent ("AMH" or the "Company") (NYSE: AMH), publicly announced its nomination of a highly-qualified director candidate for election to the AMH Board of Trustees (the "Board") at the upcoming 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the "Annual Meeting"). Land & Buildings issued the following statement in connection with this announcement: We believe that American Homes 4 Rent is materially undervalued - with a more than 35% upside - and is substantially underperforming its true potential. The Company's operational and financial track record has been erratic at best, leading to its inferior shareholder returns. At this point, shareholders have suffered long enough: AMH has underperformed its closest peer, Invitation Homes (NYSE: INVH), over the past 1-year and 3-years since the INVH IPO by 17% and 37%, respectively (see table below); American Homes 4 Rent is valued at a 70-basis point higher implied cap rate than INVH; AMH has a vastly superior balance sheet, yet trades at a substantial discount to INVH on a cap rate basis; and 70% of AMH's homes are in the same markets as INVH with similar market rent in overlapping markets. Total Returns Trailing 3 Years Trailing 1 Year AMH 30% 25% INVH 68% 43% AMH Underperformance -37% -17% Source (News - Alert): Bloomberg; Note: Based on unaffected total returns through February 10, 2020 prior to public disclosure of Land & Buildings engagement. 3-year total return start date of January 31, 2017 representing INVH's IPO date. 1-year start date of February 10, 2019. We believe AMH is uniquely positioned, owning more than 50,000 single family rental homes with an investment grade balance sheet and an early-mover advantage in the institutionalization of the single-family rental business. As such, the Company's discounted valuation would likely be eliminated if AMH was operated to its full potential, with a best-in-class management team driving operational and capital allocation excellence. Unfortunately, however, CEO David Singelyn has overseen a pattern of operational and development disappointments, including by missing revenue, expense and rental home delivery targets. Ultimately, we believe the blame for these failures lies with Mr. Singelyn and the Company's entrenched Board. Specifically: AMH net operating income (NOI) margins have declined 90 bp since 2017, while peer INVH margins have improved 140 bps; AMH's NOI has materially lagged peer INVH by 180 bps per year over the past three years; and AMH is forecasting 2020 NOI growth below peer INVH while AMH margins are expected to decline further and INVH margins are expected to increase again this year. In yet another seeming blow to shareholders, the Board - with five "insiders" who appear loyal to the founder of the Company, Wayne Hughes (News - Alert) and his family - has not held Mr. Singelyn accountable for AMH's failures. This is especially egregious given that Mr. Singelyn sits on the Board himself and is a longtime Hughes family lieutenant. In fact, we view five of the 11 Board members as insiders (three current or former AMH employees, one current trustee with a leadership role at another Wayne Hughes-founded company as well as Wayne Hughes' daughter, who is the Chairman of the Board). We believe these insider trustees have compromised the independence of the Board and its ability to act objectively with the best interests of all shareholders in mind. It seems clear to us that the Board is in urgent need of true refreshment - with real shareholder perspectives taking the place of insiders. Further, there is a lack of multifamily REIT experience on the Board that we believe is desperately required to help put the Company on a path towards shareholder value creation. To this end, since November Land & Buildings has worked patiently behind the scenes to engage constructively with the Board. Disappointingly, the trustees' "trust us" rhetoric and seeming inability to seriously address our concerns has left us continually frustrated. Ultimately, David Singelyn assured us that the Board would be refreshed with two new trustees prior to or concurrent with the Company's 2020 annual meeting, with two existing directors exiting the Board. Recently, however, the Company announced that Matthew Zaist was being appointed to the Board, expanding the size of the Board from ten to 11 trustees. The Company's apparent decision to renege on its promised refreshment is highly disappointing - especially given that it has not removed any incumbent insiders from the Board. Given these events, we have nominated Craig Melcher - a highly-qualified Land & Buildings' investment professional - for election to the Board. Craig would bring a shareholder perspective and would add tremendous value as a trustee of AMH. He is President of Land & Buildings and co-founded our firm in 2008, and has nearly twenty years' experience as a thought leader in the REIT industry, including as a sell side analyst. He has specialized in the residential sector, including single family for rent companies throughout his career and would offer unique insights to the Board and as an independent stakeholder in the Company, something this Board clearly lacks. Despite our frustration with the Company's actions to date, we hope that the Board will do the right thing for AMH shareholders by appointing Craig to the Board and avoiding a potentially costly and distracting proxy contest. It is time for AMH to take action for all shareholders, not just the Hughes family, and help realize American Homes 4 Rent true potential. While we would prefer a negotiated solution, we will not hesitate to pursue Craig's election to the Board at the Annual Meeting through a proxy contest if that proves necessary. CERTAIN INFORMATION CONCERNING THE PARTICIPANTS Land & Buildings Capital Growth Fund, LP, together with the other participants named herein (collectively, "Land & Buildings"), intends to file a preliminary proxy statement and accompanying proxy card with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC (News - Alert)") to be used to solicit votes for the election of its highly-qualified director nominee at American Homes 4 Rent's (the "Company") 2020 annual meeting of shareholders. LAND & BUILDINGS STRONGLY ADVISES ALL SHAREHOLDERS OF THE COMPANY TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT AND OTHER PROXY MATERIALS AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. SUCH PROXY MATERIALS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT NO CHARGE ON (News - Alert) THE SEC'S WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.SEC.GOV. IN ADDITION, THE PARTICIPANTS IN THIS PROXY SOLICITATION WILL PROVIDE COPIES OF THE PROXY STATEMENT WITHOUT CHARGE, WHEN AVAILABLE, UPON REQUEST. REQUESTS FOR COPIES SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO THE PARTICIPANTS' PROXY SOLICITOR. The participants in the proxy solicitation are anticipated to be Land & Buildings Capital Growth Fund, LP, a Delaware limited partnership ("L&B Capital" ), L & B Real Estate Opportunity Fund, LP, a Delaware limited partnership ("L&B Opportunity"), Land & Buildings GP LP, a Delaware limited partnership ("L&B GP"), Land & Buildings Investment Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company ("L&B Management"), Jonathan Litt and Craig Melcher. As of the date hereof, L&B Capital directly owns 273,708 shares of Common Stock, $0.01 par value, of the Company (the "Common Stock"). As of the date hereof, L&B Opportunity directly owns 424,496 shares of Common Stock. As of the date hereof, 652,119 shares of Common Stock were held in certain accounts managed by L&B Management (the "Managed Accounts"). L&B GP, as the general partner of each of L&B Capital and L&B Opportunity, may be deemed the beneficial owner of the (i) 273,708 shares of Common Stock owned by L&B Capital and (ii) 424,496 shares of Common Stock owned by L&B Opportunity. L&B Management, as the investment manager of each of L&B Capital and L&B Opportunity, and as the investment advisor of the Managed Accounts, may be deemed the beneficial owner of the (i) 273,708 shares of Common Stock owned by L&B Capital, (ii) 424,496 shares of Common Stock owned by L&B Opportunity, and (iii) 652,119 shares of Common Stock held in the Managed Accounts. Mr. Litt, as the managing principal of L&B Management, may be deemed the beneficial owner of the (i) 273,708 shares of Common Stock owned by L&B Capital, (ii) 424,496 shares of Common Stock owned by L&B Opportunity, and (iii) 652,119 shares of Common Stock held in the Managed Accounts. As of the date hereof, Mr. Melcher does not own any shares of Common Stock. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005528/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] MANILA, Philippines The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Tuesday called on public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers, operators and passengers to undertake appropriate measures to prevent the spread of illnesses amid the threat of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country. In an advisory, the LTFRB strongly urged PUV drivers and conductors to wear face masks at all times while on duty, as stated on the Memorandum Circular (MC) 2020-005 issued recently. The agency also reminded terminal operators to ensure proper sanitation and cleanliness in their premises. Face masks, disinfectants or sanitizers for free use of passengers should also be provided by transport operators, the LTFRB said. Public transport providers are also urged to sanitize their vehicle units using hospital-grade disinfectants before and after deployment, and to be wary of anyone manifesting symptoms of infection. The agency likewise called on transport operators to avoid overcrowding in public buses, and to work with health authorities by reporting suspected coronavirus cases. Passengers are encouraged to participate in the conduct of these measures by disinfecting their seats before and after use, the LTFRB said. The Board calls out all drivers and operators to be reminded of their responsibility to provide a safe and reliable public transportation system to the riding publicnow, more than ever, it added. The agency issued the reminder following President Rodrigo Dutertes declaration of a state of public health emergency as recommended by the Department of Health. As of posting, the Philippines has 33 confirmed coronavirus cases. The post LTFRB strongly urges PUV drivers, passengers to wear face masks amid COVID-19 fears appeared first on UNTV News. The package is on track for approval in the House of Delegates by the end of the week, and leading Democrats have pitched it as a way to pay for a sweeping public education overhaul that is also expected to be passed in the coming days. [March 10, 2020] Mon Health System Selects PatientMatters for Patient Financial Advocacy PatientMatters, a patient access and advocacy solutions provider helping hospitals and health systems offer patients highly-personalized financial solutions, today announced that Mon Health System, a leading health system serving communities throughout West Virginia, has selected the company's IntelliGuide patient advocacy solution to enhance financial assistance to its uninsured and underinsured patient populations. Following a successful engagement with PatientMatters to create a Pre-Access Service Center, Mon Health chose to leverage the company's advocacy services to further strengthen its ability to provide patients with a positive patient financial experience. With a blend of financial guidance, technology-enabled services and program intelligence, IntelliGuide connects uninsured patients to a broad range of federal, state and local medical benefits, such as Medicaid, Social Security, and Disability, to enhance patient access to care, increase reimbursements and improve the patient experience. "As Mon Health System continues to expand its footprint in West Virginia, the need to expand our advocacy services became a high priority. Doing so with PatientMatters enabled us to respond effectively and with an experienced partner to meet the financial nees of our larger, diverse patient population," said Candi Powers, Chief Revenue Cycle Officer at Mon Health System. "We want to help connect our patients to a range of federal, state and local medical benefit options. As a pioneer, PatientMatters brings both the expertise and technology to guide our patients through the complex, and often frustrating, financial process. With the success of our previous work together, PatientMatters has also proven their ability to help us improve reimbursements, allowing us to continue to deliver high-quality care to the community." PatientMatters will provide advocacy support to all Mon Health System owned hospitals, including Mon Health Medical Center, Mon Health Preston Memorial Hospital, and Mon Health Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital. With IntelliGuide, each Mon Health hospital will gain on-site support from PatientMatters' highly-skilled and experienced advocacy team who will work directly with uninsured and underinsured patients to help connect them to public medical benefit programs. "We're honored to continue to support Mon Health System's efforts to enhance patient access and improve the patient financial experience through our advocacy services," said David Shelton, CEO at PatientMatters. "Having dedicated resources on-site who can work directly with patients and hold their hands through every step of the financial process can make a world of difference to the patient and change their entire healthcare experience. Mon Health's commitment to its patients should be applauded and serve as a model for other health systems to follow as healthcare costs continue to increase and margins decrease." Since its inception in 1989, PatientMatters has obtained over $17 billion for hospitals representing nearly 4 million patients. To learn more about PatientMatters and the IntelliGuide patient advocacy solution, visit patientmatters.com. About Mon Health System Mon Health System is an integrated network of physician clinics, outpatient centers and hospitals in North Central West Virginia that works together to make health care more accessible and affordable to the communities it serves. It includes four hospitals - its flagship medical center, Mon Health Medical Center in Morgantown; Mon Health Preston Memorial Hospital in Kingwood; Mon Health Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital in Weston; affiliate, Grafton City Hospital in Grafton; Stonewall Home Oxygen Therapy; Mon Health Equipment & Supplies; Care Partners and The Village at Heritage Point. Mon Health System is also a part of many Joint Ventures such as Healthworks, Acuity Healthcare, MonEMS, Amedisys Hospice, Encompass and the Mon Health Center for Outpatient Surgery to preserve choice, improve access and ensure the highest quality of care. For more information, visit monhealth.com. About PatientMatters PatientMatters brings compassion and consumerism to the financial experience of care, helping hospitals and health systems offer highly-personalized financial solutions that improve satisfaction, cash flow, profitability and outcomes. Based on decades of experience, the PatientMatters IntelliPass System brings together a comprehensive set of patient payment and advocacy solutions, along with intelligent workflow automation tools to ensure every patient is satisfied and providers are appropriately compensated. PatientMatters serves over 130 hospital and health systems in over 350 locations across the country, providing cutting-edge technology, financial tools, process transformation services with staff training and support to help deliver a new level of consumer-friendly healthcare. To learn more, visit www.patientmatters.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005071/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Amanda Holden has paid a poignant tribute to Caroline Flack by wearing a 'Be Kind' T-shirt on the day of her funeral. The 49-year-old presenter donned the charity T-shirt bearing the former Love Island host's likeness to host Heart Breakfast on Tuesday. The top was designed by Keith Lemon in the wake of Caroline's tragic suicide aged 40 last month, with all proceeds raised from sales going to mental health charity Samaritans. Be kind: Amanda Holden has paid a poignant tribute to Caroline Flack by wearing a 'Be Kind' T-shirt on the day of her funeral The Britain's Got Talent star kept the caption simple, writing: 'Morning @thisisheart #bekind'. She added a black heart emoji and kept the rest of her look sombre. Amanda linked back to the website where the T-shirts are available on her Stories, encouraging others to purchase one. Keith Lemon - played by Leigh Francis - starred alongside Caroline in Bo' Selecta! where she was given her big break in television back in 2002. Strong statement: The 49-year-old presenter donned the charity T-shirt bearing the former Love Island host's likeness to host Heart Breakfast on Tuesday Announcing his decision to create the tee, Keith shared a photo of himself wearing the black T-shirt that features Caroline's face and the message 'Be Kind' - a sentiment Caroline had previously shared and has since gone viral as a hashtag across social media. Paying tribute to Caroline in the caption of his post, Keith wrote: 'Like everyone I was absolutely shocked by the news of what happened to Caroline. 'All the recent events just seemed so unreal. I'd been friends with Caroline for many years. Since before telly happened. In more recent times, I'd not seen Caroline as much as I had years ago, but it was always like old times when I saw her. 'I did this T-shirt to spread Caroline's own words and to raise money for the Samaritans.' 'Will miss you': Last month, Caroline's friend Keith Lemon created a T-shirt in her honour, with all profits from sales donated to mental health charity The Samaritans Inspiration: Keith's design comes from photographer Rachell Smith, who took the stunning portrait of the presenter He added: '100% of profits will go to @samaritanscharity and the link is in my bio or tap the pic. 'For more information on the amazing work The Samaritans do, or if you are looking for any support, please go to samaritans.org or call them directly on 116 123.' His message concluded: 'Will miss you Flack. Love to your family x.' The inspiration behind Keith's design comes from photographer Rachell Smith, who took the stunning portrait of the presenter. The photographer worked Caroline on the cover for Cosmopolitan Magazine last year. Stepping out: Amanda was later seen leaving the Heart Radio studios alongside Ashley Roberts (right) Taking a stand: The Britain's Got Talent presenter let her T-shirt speak for itself Flack, 40, was found dead at her home in Stoke Newington, London last month, one day after finding out the CPS was pursuing case of assault against her. There has been a huge outpouring of grief from celebrity friends and fans since the former Xtra Factor host's death on February 15. Speaking about Flack's passing last week, ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall said: 'So many people at ITV knew Caroline, including me, and it was unbelievably tragic. 'I think that we can never know what is behind suicide. It is not in any way simple. It is a very, very complex thing. Tragedy: Caroline was found dead her home in Stoke Newington, London last month, one day after finding out the CPS was pursuing case of assault against her 'We take advice from (mental health charities) Samaritans and Mind and we will continue to do that.' The popular TV host's family shared an Instagram post advisers had told her not to share online. Part of it read: 'I'm so sorry to my family for what I have brought upon them and for what my friends have had to go through. 'I'm not thinking about "how I'm going to get my career back". I'm thinking about how I'm going to get mine and my family's life back.' VinFast continues to push its range of motorbike models with new initiatives and promotions for consumers to save money in the long-term. Photo Le Toan Truong Hai Auto Corporation (THACO) last week announced the arrival of THACO Motorcycle Manufacturing Llc., which is to be based in Chu Lai Economic Zone in the central province of Quang Nam. The new entity boasts charter capital of VND10 billion ($433,000) and has been registered to produce and sell both motorbikes and their parts. The main THACO group manufactures trucks and public transport buses, and also assembles cars for Peugeot, Kia, and Mazda. THACOs motorbike move is a shift into a crowded market led by foreign giants. The Vietnamese two-wheeler industry is the fourth-largest in the world, dominated by the five main producers of Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, SYM, and Piaggio. In total, the five sold over 3.2 million motorcycles last year, with Honda selling 2.57 million units, up 0.2 per cent on-year, leading the market share. Newcomers are also trying to elbow their way into the fray. Just one year after the opening ceremony for VinFasts electric motorcycle manufacturing factory took place, the group announced that 50,000 electric motorbikes were sold last year, featuring the models Klara, Klara S, Impes, and Ludo. Meanwhile, the locally-invested electric newcomer Pega has been biting at the heels of Honda in an attempt to gain some notoriety as a motorbike company upstart. Last month, Honda threatened to take Pega to court as the Vietnamese group used comparative marketing strategies between the new Pega eSH and Hondas SH 2020 at a presentation without permission to use Hondas images or product details. In response, Pega director Doan Ngoc Linh posted a letter of intent on his personal Facebook page, outlining a number of supposed problems with Honda products and offering advice on what the motorbike giant should do in order to improve. Linh also revealed he had sent a crate of Wake-Up 247 coffee energy drink, implying that Honda should wake up and create better breakthrough innovations for its customers. Taking on Goliath Pegas tactics have raised eyebrows in the industry, but they illustrate the stranglehold Honda has had on the Vietnamese motorbike realm over the last few decades, and domestic groups are intent on thinking outside the box in order to grasp some sort of slice of the industry cake. After more than 20 years and with three factories, Honda Vietnam currently holds a massive 70 per cent of Vietnamese market share, and its sales now make up around 10 per cent of Hondas annual global motorcycle sales. Since its establishment in 1996 in Vietnam, the company has invested about $530 million into the country, delivering over 20 million motorcycles and 50,000 automobiles to Vietnamese customers. It is reported that Honda Vietnam has earned some VND7.6 trillion ($330.43 million) a month. Thus it is clear that what the company has earned has been far higher than what it has invested in Vietnam. As for Pega, after five years in the electric bike market and big product launches in 2017, it is still trying to make its mark via a patriotic mindset with wholly-Vietnamese designs, as well as attempting to get under the skin of bigger dogs like Honda. Pega has only one electric vehicle assembly factory, in the northern province of Bac Giang, with designed capacity of 40,000 vehicles per month, as well as 250 showrooms and 500 second-level stores. Despite facing criticism from some quarters for using underhanded marketing campaigns, CEO Linh remains confident of his intentions. Difficulties are opportunities, and we are not afraid to compete with giants, he insisted, pointing out last month that company rivalries and product comparisons were par for the course and his group would continue to make them. Pega had also previously been in a skirmish with Piaggio, which accused the former of spreading untruths about their fuel-based products in comparison to electric-based equivalents. Pega is competing directly with Hondas SH scooter, which is available in two versions and is considered the current king of high-end scooters in the Vietnamese market. Prices for Hondas SH range from VND70 million ($3,000) to VND121 million ($5,250), while Pegas electric eSH scooter was launched with the competitive price of VND30 million ($1,300). Industry expert Vu Tan Cong said that switching from fuel-powered vehicles to electric equivalents is a rising trend that will be further developed with government support. Besides coping with climate change, the expanding field of e-mobility can lead to innovative technologies, new business models, and new consumer structures, and eventually to new patterns of mobility and traffic. Domestic upstarts At a cost of only 50 per cent compared to the same type of gasoline motorcycle used after five years, e-bikes such as VinFast Klara may become the most effective products to invest in. More specifically, when comparing annual consumption, with battery charge from VND220,000-350,000 ($9.50-15) each month, repair, and maintenance costs are estimated to be half as cheap as conventional cars. Klara is also popular with younger people because of its dynamism and eye-catching Italian design. VinFast has also focused on its technology being completely integrated with phones so that customers can check their vehicle location and battery life. To further ease use for customers as well as to increase its presence in the market, VinFast last week announced provision of additional battery chargers for its e-models at a cost of VND1.1 million ($48). For the latest generation of the Klara S, Impes, and Ludo, each month customers will pay VinFast a subscription fee of VND220,000 for one battery, or VND350,000 for two Klara S batteries. As a result, the cost of the original vehicle is reduced, and the customer also does not bear risk during use. If the battery is damaged, VinFast will be held responsible for replacing them. Global management consultants McKinsey & Company stressed that governments are tightening regulations and offering incentives to foster greater electric vehicle adoption. In the EU for example, a new set of fleet-wide CO2 targets will be phased in this year. Original equipment manufacturers need to fully comply with an industry-wide emissions target for CO2 of 95 grammes per kilometre by 2021 to avert significant financial penalties. These mandates are putting additional pressure on such groups to push electric vehicles further into the market. Under Vietnams commitments, the country seeks to cut 8 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, which could be raised to as high as 25 per cent with support from the international community. In Vietnam, motorbikes are the main means of transportation in the major cities, currently responsible for about 80 per cent of travel needs. Mary Kay Inc., a leading corporate advocate of women's empowerment and entrepreneurship, announced today that Viktoriia Zoria-Iatsenko, General Manager of Mary Kay Ukraine, received the "Top 25 Business Women in Ukraine" award in the Beauty Industry category from the Vlast Deneg (Power of Money) magazine. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200309005647/en/ Tara Eustace President, Mary Kay Europe Region (Photo: Mary Kay Inc.) Viktoriia Zoria-Iatsenko's recognition is just the latest award in a series of 50 product and industry awards that Mary Kay Europe has brought home in the last year, continuing its commitment to propelling women to leadership roles and developing them for success. "Mary Kay Europe's motto is 'Never Settle For Less Than The Best,'" said Tara Eustace, President of the Mary Kay Europe region. "For several decades, our company has been instrumental in breaking down conventional barriers to empower women to achieve their full potential in business as well as in personal life, helping them believe in themselves so they can utilize their gifts and skills in a wide array of disciplines." Eustace's country leadership is comprised of over 80% females. Below is a snapshot of a few of the accolades: Excellence in Women's Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Empowerment Mary Kay Russia's General Manager, Alla Sokolova, received the Manager of the Year Award" from Russian Business Guide's People of the Year, recognizing her contribution in the development of the Russian economy and entrepreneurship in Russia. from People of the Year, recognizing her contribution in the development of the Russian economy and entrepreneurship in Russia. Mary Kay Spain's General Manager, Gema Aznar, was chosen as one of the "500 Most Influential Women in Spain" in YoDona magazine's annual list. YoDona magazine assembles the most powerful women in Spain in its special edition called "Female Power." in magazine's annual list. magazine assembles the most powerful women in Spain in its special edition called "Female Power." The "Secrets of Big Business with Mary Kay" program created by Mary Kay Russia was recognized as the "2019 Best Social Project of Russia Award" in the "Social Entrepreneurship" category. Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility, Compliance During its annual gala, Why Story, a Polish national magazine and website that comments on current events in Poland, awarded Mary Kay Inc. with the prestigious "The Best and More" award for its high-quality products and broad corporate social responsibility. a Polish national magazine and website that comments on current events in Poland, awarded Mary Kay Inc. with the prestigious award for its high-quality products and broad corporate social responsibility. Mary Kay Moldova received the "TOP Brand 2019" designation in the Cosmetics category in VIP magazine's "Top 100 Brands 2019" annual edition. VIP magazine awards businesses based on their market innovations and high consumer awareness of its brand and products. designation in the Cosmetics category in magazine's "Top 100 Brands 2019" annual edition. magazine awards businesses based on their market innovations and high consumer awareness of its brand and products. Mary Kay Spain received the Best Pyme Award in Compliance Policy" from one of the most respected financial newspapers in Spain, EXPANSION, which selects the best companies in compliance culture on an annual basis. Excellence in Direct Selling Mary Kay Belarus received the "Direct Sales Cosmetic Company Number One Award" from the "Number One" annual national awards, whose task is to promote healthy competition and to determine the best players in the Belarusian market. from the "Number One" annual national awards, whose task is to promote healthy competition and to determine the best players in the Belarusian market. Mary Kay Ukraine was recognized as "Number 1Direct Selling Cosmetic Brand" in the "Favor of Success" survey. Excellence in Digital Education and Printed Tools Mary Kay was recognized in the "2019 Spring Omni Awards" with a coveted gold ranking in the Educational category for its innovative Link Learn sales education system. The e-learning platform hosts a robust learning curriculum designed to amplify educational support for the independent sales force and increase their business success. with a coveted gold ranking in the Educational category for its innovative sales education system. The e-learning platform hosts a robust learning curriculum designed to amplify educational support for the independent sales force and increase their business success. Mary Kay Russia's MirrorMe App won the 2019 Best Corporate Media Award" in the "Client Media: Web Media" category. With the Mary Kay MirrorMe mobile application, anyone can create beautiful makeup without any makeup tools. won the in the "Client Media: Web Media" category. With the Mary Kay MirrorMe mobile application, anyone can create beautiful makeup without any makeup tools. The Applause magazine, which is a Mary Kay educational and motivational monthly publication, became a laureate of the Russian International Competition of Corporate Media "Media Leader 2019" in the nomination "The Best Corporate Magazine." magazine, which is a Mary Kay educational and motivational monthly publication, became a laureate of the Russian International Competition of Corporate Media in the nomination Mary Kay Russia also scored the prestigious award of the National Competition of Russian Corporate Media Resources Silver Threads for the "Mary Kay On People Management" book in the nomination "The Best Corporate Book." Product Excellence With more than 1,500 patents and a team of scientists dedicated to producing innovative products backed by proven results, Mary Kay products in Europe garnered 35 awards in 2019. Among the products distinguished by the beauty industry and consumers, TimeWise Miracle Set 3D, TimeWise 3D Foundations, TimeWise Repair Lifting Bio-Cellulose Mask, and the newly launched Mary Kay Hydrogel Eye Patches, were the most rewarded. Global Recognition In 2019, David Holl, Mary Kay CEO was recognized as one of the "10 Most Reputable CEOs in the World" by RepTrak Reputation Institute. Reputation Institute. Mary Kay ranked #42 on the 2019 Global Workplace 100 released by Reputation Institute. Mary Kay won "Fan Favorite" and "Best in Show" (small category) for its video about domestic violence from the Boston College International Corporate Citizenship Film Festival. About Mary Kay One of the original glass ceiling breakers, Mary Kay Ash founded her beauty company more than 56 years ago with three goals: develop rewarding opportunities for women, offer irresistible products, and make the world a better place. That dream has blossomed into a multibillion-dollar company with millions of independent sales force members in nearly 40 countries. Mary Kay is dedicated to investing in the science behind beauty and manufacturing cutting-edge skin care, color cosmetics, nutritional supplements and fragrances. Mary Kay is committed to empowering women and their families by partnering with organizations from around the world, focusing on supporting cancer research, protecting survivors from domestic abuse, beautifying our communities, and encouraging children to follow their dreams. Mary Kay Ash's original vision continues to shine-one lipstick at a time. Learn more at MaryKay.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200309005647/en/ Contacts: Mary Kay Inc. Corporate Communications marykay.com/newsroom 972.687.5332 or media@mkcorp.com The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, and Prince Harry attended the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey. This attendance will be there last as senior members of the royal bloodline. On March 9, 2020, the royal annual event has made such importance as the venue is packed with a lot of royalties. This includes the dutch and the dutchess, Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Queen itself. The event has held in an afternoon at the famous London-based church. The Prince and the Duchess' Plan to Leave It was the first time since January that the public saw Queen Elizabeth with Duchess Meghan. The separation and the lack of contact were made possible because of the decision of Prince Harry and the Duchess to leave the royal lineage and start a life away from the royalty. Both have also expressed the desire to live financially independent. Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex are both scheduled to withdraw from the royal affiliation on March 31. Both have also attended two engagements ever since last week when they have returned to the United Kingdom Queen Elizabeth immediately responded to an Instagram post by Prince Harry and the Duchess by calling a crisis meeting. Both the Prince and the Duchess have stated on the Instagram post that they want to create a new progressive role. The Commonwealth Service Queen Elizabeth entered Westminster Abbey for the Commonwealth Service in a formal procession where several royals are expected to join in. Prince William and Kate are both seen to skip the formalities and also does Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan. There are several interactions shared between the royalties, and one particular event that has been reported is the interaction between Prince William and Kate, and Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan. Harry and Meghan greeted William and Kate by waving and smiling at them. Q13fox reported that Meghan was seen to be wearing an Emilia Wickstead dress. The emerald-green dress was adorned with a cape that goes along with a fascinator by William Chambers. The Plans of the Couple Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are active in building a non-profit organization and are planning to make it as their focus while they are in their transition period that is supposed to last for 12 months. Harry would like to focus more on helping to improve the lives of those people in service, sports, conservation, and even HIV. The Prince is also working on Travalyst which is important for the travel and tourism industry. The Duchess is planning to allocate her focus on gender equality, scholarship, and the empowerment of women. The couple has attended several events before the grand Commonwealth Service in Westminster Abbey. It was reported that Harry and Meghan attended an event, Endeavour Fund Awards, dedicated to the achievements and honor of those who are serving the country. On March 7, 2020, the couple was seen to be attending a concert. The event happened on London's Royal Albert Hall and was intended as a fundraiser for the Royal Marines Charity and also a charity that is focused on children with cancer. The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a decision to appoint Pavlo Kukhta as acting minister for development of economy, trade and agriculture. "Today under the governments decision, I have been appointed as acting minister for development of economy, trade and agriculture of Ukraine. It is important for our team that the changes and reforms, which we have managed to launch over the past six months of work (including the land market, the launch of privatization, the reform of state-owned enterprises, the creation of tools for attracting investment etc), not to disappear but be continued for the benefit of the people of Ukraine. For our part, we will make every effort to ensure that the process of changing the government not to affect the coordination and quality of the ministrys work and be unnoticed to our citizens, and all the achievements be transferred to the successors, Kukhta wrote on his Facebook page. As Ukrinform reported, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine at an extraordinary meeting on March 4 approved the new Cabinet of Ministers led by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. Minister for Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture Tymofiy Mylovanov refused from the position in the new Cabinet because as he said he had already done everything he could. iy Ragini Verma Tanmay Bhat has taken on many roles comedian, content creator and now, streamer. His foray into gaming in October 2019 has boosted his popularity among younger audiences and has proven, if proof was still necessary, that gaming has indeed become mainstream in India. At Tech2 Innovate, Network18 Digital Videos Head Ragini Verma talks to him about why he started streaming professionally, how different comedy is from streaming, and the thought process behind generating new content. He also discusses why he wants to become Indias PewDiePie and outlines his strategy on how he plans to do it. Below is the entire exchange: Editors note: Some responses have been edited for style and brevity. Ragini: It is wonderful to see the excitement in this room. Thank you so much for joining us at Tech2 Innovate. Weve seen how the availability of cheap smartphones and data led to the rise of gaming especially that battle royale game we all love in India these last couple of years. What that translates to is that gaming in India could become a billion-dollar industry, with about 350 mn users by 2021. There is a thriving gaming community which is present here today, a very engaged audience, hordes of players, and some very big gaming stars. It is my pleasure to welcome them at Tech2 Innovate today, ladies and gentleman, in fact, boys and girls, Tanmay Bhat. Thank you for joining us today. How does it feel to be back? Tanmay: Feel to be back? People say that as if I had gone somewhere. This is called a break. Aamir Khan comes once in a year, people dont call it comeback. It feels great. First of all, I want to thank Carry, who streamed a lot with me. He encouraged me to try gaming out. I feel great because I have met new people through gaming. I really want to thank everybody who watches and supports it. You (audience) helped me in my comeback after my depression. [APPLAUSE] You guys are very supportive, I appreciate it. Ragini: Was there a specific thought or was it Carry that led you to choose gaming as the content for your comeback? Tanmay: I was always into gaming. I have been playing games since my childhood. But when you play PUBG for six hours continuously, you get a message of the same. After some point, I wondered why I didn't stream. I might as well start streaming. I used to watch Carry stream a lot. I thought it would be fun to stream with Carry. I just hit him up and since then weve been having fun. I cant believe its just been three months Ragini: And it is doing really, really well. Tanmay: It feels like a long time. It feels like home now. I like it. Ragini: You went from being oh-so-famous to not-so-famous. Tanmay: Am I not so famous? [audience cheers] Ragini: Now you are, of course. Youve come back to the community of gaming. Any lessons for dealing with fame, or the absence of it? Tanmay: When I started with comedy, I said to myself I have to spend at least 30-35 years on this. Ups and downs are a part of it. Every time something happens, I think I have aged five years in one month. I think adversity teaches you a lot. And I think I have come out the better for it. Now I am streaming, theres nobody else in my older community who is doing it. Other comedians message me asking, what is this streaming? How do you do it? Teach us too. Every pit is an opportunity for you to rise higher again, you get the full spectrum. I think the number of experiences per year is greater than the number of years of experience. I welcome everything, Im very happy with it. Ragini: Once you become part of the PUBG universe, you are automatically plugged into a thriving community, and we can see it here. Do you think it was an antidote to your depression? Tanmay: Oh, 100 per cent. For one year, I did nothing. I never went out of my house. I began playing PUBG and through PUBG I made friends with 17 & 18-year-olds. I have not met them in real life. There are so many moderators on YouTube that play with me. They are some of my closest friends. When you play six hours continuously with someone, you develop a great bond. I would not meet my real friends but I would talk to gamers every day. They are the same people who moderate my channel now, who play with me. In a sense, I think I rediscovered friendship and an audience through gaming, Carry is just 20 by age, but he is immensely mature for his age. Like I said, Carry has experienced a lot, he has also seen so much that you tend to age a lot faster. I think he is in such a fantastic place, where physically he is 20 years of age but mentally I dont look at him as someone who is only a little younger or something. Ragini: In Oct 2019 you had 9k subscribers, now youve crossed the 350k mark. Its quite a steep rise. On your channel, we see gaming streams, vlogs, open mics. Is there a thought process behind the content? Tanmay: To be very blunt, there is no thought process. I just had to make something. For the last one year, I had created nothing. So, I told myself whatever I do, I will put it out as content. I just wanted to put out every possible thing I can. I started looking at everything as how can I make this something interesting for people to watch. But theres more coming up. A podcast is just going to begin, a show is coming up, there are sketches yet to be shot. Ragini: Everything on one channel? Tanmay: Everything on one channel. Sketches are what we used to do on AIB earlier, were going to bring it back now in the next couple of weeks, so thats going to be fun. Ragini: We look forward to that. Tanmay, Carry has roasted you in the past, when are you going to roast him back? Somewhere on road to one million? Tanmay: [laughs] Lets see when I should roast him. I dont want to roast everybody at the same time. Slowly, slowly, I want to stretch the roast over two years. If you have seen the stream, I roast Carry a lot. Ragini: I was wondering if there would be a formal roasting? Tanmay: We might roast Carry on AIB Knockout. Ragini: You do think it (streaming) is going to come up for other games as well? Tanmay: Nobody is watching our stream for gameplay [cheers and applause]. The point is people watch streams for the personality. Loneliness has increased because of hyperconnectivity, and they get attached to online personalities. No matter what Carry does, at least 25k views will come. That is called stardom. Ragini: On a serious note, when are you going to bring the PMCO trophy home? Tanmay: I am just waiting. I am opening a clan by the name of Bot Army, todays winners please come and join it. I think I will just straight up win at the Pro League, why bother with PMCO? We will go to China and beat the Pro league. Ragini: Youre more serious about gaming than I thought. Is your target audience different now that your content is different? Are you catering to a younger audience now? Tanmay: That day, I was at Marine Drive, with Scout. Eleven-year-old girls came up to me and said Sir, I watch your stream. I was surprised. Theres a whole new audience, people who dont know what I did earlier. They were so cute, and I wanted to kidnap them. It has been one year since no FIR has been registered against me [laughs]. Its a newer audience. But I dont think of that. I just make stuff and if younger audiences like it, then why not. Ragini: But people largely come for personality, right? Are you modifying content to cater to this (younger) audience? Tanmay: This is the most me I have ever been. You cannot hide yourself during a live stream. Whatever you are, you are. You cannot switch yourself on and off. Especially if you stream for 3-4 hours, people love you for your most authentic version. I am the most me now. When you are loved at your best and worst, what more can you ask for. Ragini: You both [Tanmay and Carry] have one thing in common. A decade long career in what you are doing, despite the age difference. So, why dont you share tips with people who aspire to become streamers, content creators? Tanmay: [to the audience] Who runs a gaming channel? [Hands raised] You should do it. Ragini: Dont stop at that. Tanmay: 30 years ago, a study was done on the number one occupation kids are aiming for. Earlier, it was astronaut, now it is YouTuber. I am not kidding, this was an actual study. Earlier, your heroes were people you saw on TVs and news channels, if Neil Armstrong went to the moon, everybody knew him. But now, YouTube is the new TV. People see stars on their phones, and thats what they want to become. Stars on phones, children see them and want to be like them. [Noticing the audiences hands], I am not surprised by the raised hands, as a lot more people want to be YouTubers. If you are running a gaming channel, the first tip I would like to give you is please use FaceCam, without that you are just like everybody else. You wont stand out. When you watch Carry streaming, the tricks he uses that makes audiences happy, learn from those acts, ape them, but add a taste of your style and personality to it. Ragini: To sum it up: uniqueness, your own style, self-train, and be consistent. No discussion is complete with Tanmay without asking him some basic questions. Where do you see yourself five years down the line? Tanmay: Where I see myself five years down the line, I dont know. If theres one thing Ive learnt in my 10-year career is that nobody supports you more than people who watch your content, because you become an emotional part of their life. My career was largely dependent on what the media and brands thought about me, so this is the first time that it is dependent on the audiences support. I want to be the PewDiePie of India. When I say I want to be like PewDiePie, it doesn't mean be like him, but the place hes got in life where hes independent, regardless of what Wall Street Journal says about him, or any other publication, his people are with him forever no matter what he does. He went from gaming to becoming an overall personality. He is an inspiration in the model he created. I would want to reach somewhere there. The guy gets up and reads a Reddit thread and gets five million views. Thats all. How can anyone be loved so much that you want to watch him read? Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Tue, March 10, 2020 08:05 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20696f4c6 2 World Burkina-Faso,attack,violence Free Unidentified assailants killed at least 43 people in raids on villages in northern Burkina Faso on Sunday, in one of the deadliest such attacks of the past year, the government said. The attackers struck at least two villages inhabited by Fulani herders in the North region, near the border with Mali, the government said in a statement on Monday. No claim was immediately made for the attack, but tit-for-tat reprisal killings between the Fulani and rival farming communities have surged over the past year across Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, compounding violence by jihadist groups with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State. The violence killed hundreds of civilians last year across the Sahel, a semi-arid strip of land beneath the Sahara Desert, alarming Western powers who have poured money and troops to combat the Islamist groups. It comes as the United States considers a drawdown of troops in the region. Corinne Dufka, West Africa director for New York-based Human Rights Watch, said Sunday's attack was one of six incidents in northern Burkina Faso since the start of the year that the organization is investigating in which vigilante fighters allegedly killed civilians or suspected jihadists. A government spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. President Roch Marc Kabore signed a law earlier this year providing support to local vigilantes, including two weeks of military training, unspecified equipment, healthcare and bonus payments. Even before the law was adopted, there were an estimated 40,000 vigilante groups called koglweogo - "guardians of the bush" in the Moore language - that have sprouted up in response to instability across the country. Some of them have faced allegations they massacred civilians - charges they deny. Jihadists, many transplants from neighboring Mali, have repeatedly stoked ethnic conflict by closely associating themselves with the Fulani, causing Fulani civilians to bear the brunt of reprisals by soldiers and vigilantes. Last year was Burkina Faso's deadliest in recent memory, and the violence has continued unabated this year. Two attacks in northern Burkina Faso in January killed 36 and 39 people, respectively, and gunmen killed 24 people in an attack on a church in February. The violence has forced more than half a million from their homes and made much of the north ungovernable. By Trend Ankara has asked NATO for additional assistance to help shore up the border with Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced, Trend reports citing Sputnik. "[We've asked for] additional NATO assistance on Syria - for the defence of the border with Syria, and in connection with the migration challenge," Erdogan said, speaking to reporters on Monday alongside NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg. Stressing that Turkey was looking for "concrete support from all our allies to this struggle," Erdogan suggested that Turkey had been the only NATO power to fight Syria-based 'threats', including Daesh (ISIS)*, for over nine years and to have suffered troops killed. "The situation in Syria threatens Europe. No country in Europe has the right to look with indifference at the humanitarian drama in Syria," Erdogan said. For his part, Stoltenberg pointed to the "common challenge" of migration and refugee flows along the Greek-Turkish border, and said this problem required "common solutions." "So I welcome the dialogue between Turkey and the European Union, and I trust that the way forward can be found. NATO will continue to play its part. We are currently deployed in the GNC to help tackle the refugee and migrant crisis. Allies are also prepared to continue to support Turkey, and we are exploring what more we may be able to do," Stoltenberg said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz (Photo : Screenshot From Kim Jong Un Facebook Page) Kim Jong Un North Korea Coronavirus In a recent turn of events, North Korea's very own Kim Jong Un has decided to launch "unidentified projectiles" towards Japan and so far, we still do not know if these missiles released are lethal or have just been used as a demonstration of North Korea's Power. Kim Jong Un has decided to step outside with mask-wearing troops to demonstrate how this country is powerful enough that not even the deadly coronavirus or Covid-19 can penetrate them! Kim Jong Un sticks to his claims that he is a god As the North Korean soldiers were equipped with masks, Kim Jong Un shows off by being equipped with binoculars but bare-faced as a symbolic representation that no virus will be able to take him down. So far, North Korea has a very inhumane way of dealing with those infected by the coronavirus or Covid-19 by killing them before the virus gets any opportunity to spread. There have been two conducted tests over the course of nine days and the South Korea's leaders are meeting to discuss the short-range projectiles off the country's east coast. Read Also: MISSILES LAUNCHED: North Korea Fires "Unidentified Projectiles" towards Japan! The Coronavirus is not the Only Thing to Worry About North Korea has a very brutal way of handling the coronavirus but quite effective With eliminating the infected, North Korea eliminates the entire risk of the disease spreading. North Korea has reportedly a very low value for human life based on their communist beliefs believing that each individual must sacrifice themselves for the greater good which then pushes these kinds of actions. The ultimatum is that Kim Jong Un is able to display dominance against whatever threats North Korea experiences which leads to the course of these actions. The recent missiles launched towards Japan Taking advantage of the worldwide panic, North Korea decided to showcase once again their power by launching three different missiles towards Japan which have not yet been identified as harmful or just a test subject or showcase to display how powerful the country really is. The attention diverts back to North Korea as the release of these missiles confirms what Kim Jong Un really wants, war! The recent peace talks between the United States and North Korea have failed President Donald Trump met up with Kim Jong Un for talks of diplomacy hoping that North Korea could give up their weapons but the United States was unwilling to remove sanctions against the country resulting into a no-deal for both of them. Instead of being able to strike an agreement, the whole talk did not continue as both parties were unwilling to compromise. Read Also: Watch Stunning Video of Asteroid That Nearly Misses Earth: NASA Warns We Might Only Have 120 Years Left! North Korea is still at war with South Korea North Korea's long existing enemy, South Korea, has been suffering major blows as of recent from the coronavirus or Covid-19 and although this is just right next to North Korea, the virus has not yet been able to penetrate and has remained contained in South Korea. Kim Jong Un may take even more drastic moves as the world focuses on fear and panic of the coronavirus or Covid-19. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The multinational corporation (MNC), one of the largest pharmaceutical firms in the world in terms of sales and market capitalisation, has recently featured in numerous newspaper headlines globally, being repeatedly embroiled in scandals or compliance breaches in a number of countries including Greece, Turkey, and the United States. The drug allegations and scandals have spurred ethical questions about the corporate culture of Novartis, which was named the number two company in the Global Access to Medicines Index 2018, a biannual survey of Access to Medicines Foundation, an independent non-profit organisation in the Netherlands. Concurrently with the allegations, Novartis has been strongly expanding in Vietnam. Last December, it signed an MoU with the Ministry of Health with the aim of improving primary healthcare through commune- and district-level activities for the next two years. The following month, the giant inaugurated a new legal entity, Novartis Vietnam Co., Ltd., becoming one of the first such MNCs to transform into a foreign-invested importer, rather than simply holding a representative office in the country. Roeland Roelofs, country president of Novartis Vietnam In response to questions over similar allegations cropping up in Vietnam, Roeland Roelofs, country president of Novartis Vietnam, told VIR, Integrity is one of the core values of Novartis. As a global company, we adhere to international and national laws and regulations. In Vietnam we are an active member of the EuroCham Pharma Group and we adhere to its Code of Ethics. The recent moves in Vietnam have been considered a testament to public-private collaboration in this area, despite many MNCs continuing to find it hard to join public-private partnership programmes and schemes in the local healthcare industry due to a lack of legal framework. Furthermore, Novartis Pharma AG was named as one of two MNCs licensed to supply medicines and ingredients into Vietnam. Meanwhile, several tens of foreign-invested pharmaceutical companies are operating in the country. Some experts have proposed that Vietnam investigates international pharma firms to see whether they are possibly involved in any similar breaches, in order to ensure fair competition and a healthy business climate. According to foreign media, before CEO Vasant Narasimhan took over in 2018, Novartis faced a series of accusations and scandals worldwide. Bribery allegations in Eastern Europe and South Korea, price-fixing in Italy, and data-tampering in Japan were just some of the scandals on the list. And the recent Zolgensma data manipulation case became another blow for Novartis reputation. Novartis has set aside $700 million to settle a long-running lawsuit alleging the drugmaker treated US doctors to lavish dinners and other events in return for boosting prescriptions. The case involved around 80,000 events Novartis held between 2002 and 2011 that federal prosecutors allege amounted to kickbacks masquerading as educational meetings. A similar compliance deal was agreed in 2010, after Novartis paid $422 million to settle allegations that it marketed the epilepsy drug Trileptal and five other drugs for unauthorised use in the US, but the countrys Department of Justice claimed the company did not fully comply with the agreement. In Greece, the corporation was involved in an alleged scandal involving ten former prime ministers and ministers from the New Democracy and PASOK parties taking bribes from the Swiss pharmaceutical giant, which was uncovered in 2018. In 2016, Novartis was investigated for $85 million bribery allegations in Turkey, while in 2015 the group paid $390 million to settle claims in the US related to allegations of kickbacks involving specialty pharmacy prescribing of Myfortic and Exjade, without admitting any liability. Jesus statue, crosses forcibly removed from Christian cemetery in India Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment As Christian persecution continues to rise under the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in India, authorities in a southern state removed a statue of Jesus and 14 crosses from a Christian property after radical Hindu groups alleged the Christian center was being used for religious conversions. The 12-foot statue and crosses were taken down this week from Mahima Betta, a Catholic cemetery and center, in Doddasagarahalli, about 30 miles north of Bangalore in Karnataka state, according to Catholic News Agency. Officials had recently called all communities and said there had been complaints about conversion, J.A. Kanthraj, a spokesperson of the Archdiocese of Bangalore, told the Indian news channel NDTV. People, however, said there was no problem and no conversion was happening. But two days ago, the tahsildar (official) brought police and a JCB loader, and without any notice, oral or written, they removed the statue and the stations of the cross. The land has been used by local Christians for nearly 40 years without any prior issues, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern said. During the Lent season, Indian Christians also use the area for the Way of the Cross and prayer gatherings. The areas Catholic Archbishop Peter Machado said the Christians of Bangalore consider the forceful removal of the statue of Lord Jesus at our legally allotted burial ground as unacceptable and are greatly shocked and we condemn this high-handed action of the local authorities. The archbishop added that there had been absolutely no problem from local people to our burials, nor our prayers and devotions on the hill. While the Christians attend these prayers and devotions, the others are not forbidden to visit this place. Since about a week, some people from outside have been creating tensions by spreading wrong rumors that the place is used for conversion, which is completely far from the truth, the archbishop clarified. It is very sad, unfortunate and regrettable that the police, bowing to the pressure of a few outsiders, have forcefully removed the statue of Lord Jesus. It is a blow to the communal harmony of the people in our villages and also violation of the religious freedom guaranteed to us by the Indian Constitution, he added. Modi, of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, took office as Prime Minister in 2014. Since the current ruling party took power in 2014, incidents against Christians have increased, and Hindu radicals often attack Christians with little to no consequences, noted Open Doors World Watch List, which ranked India as the 10th worst country for Christians. The view of the Hindu nationalists is that to be Indian is to be Hindu, so any other faith including Christianity is viewed as non-Indian. Also, converts to Christianity from Hindu backgrounds or tribal religions are often extremely persecuted by their family members and communities, Open Doors added. At least one Christian was attacked every day last year, according to Open Doors. During his first official visit to India, U.S. President Donald Trump praised Modi's record in governance and his willingness to discuss religious freedom. While Trump was in the country, the city of Delhi, the nation's capital, was witnessing religion-based violence. Less than 10 miles from Hyderabad House, where Trump and Modi met in Delhi, a targeted spate of violence killed at least 53 people, mostly from the Muslim minority. Trump told reporters during a news conference that he and Modi did talk about religious freedom for a long time, and stressed that he really believes religious freedom is what Modi wants. The prime minister was incredible on what he told me. He wants people to have religious freedom, he added. He said that, in India, they have worked very hard to have great and open religious freedom. And if you look back and you look at whats going on, relative to other places especially, they have really worked hard on religious freedom. More than a dozen incidents of Christian persecution were recorded by Christian groups in India last month alone. In India, Muslims and Christians have had good relations as both communities are politically targeted by Hindu nationalists. Techies living in a Whitefield apartment block where the city's first coronavirus patient resides have been asked to work from home. A techie working at a prominent technology multinational company which employs the infected person said the HR department sent an email to the employees on Monday afternoon, asking 10 techies living in that apartment to work from home. "A screenshot of the e-mail had been doing the rounds since morning. By afternoon, we received communication from the HR department that 10 employees living in the apartment where the infected person resides should work from home," the techie told DH. All the 10 employees were sent home soon after the case was confirmed. The citys first coronavirus case prompted the state government to put IT and IT-enabled services industries on high alert across Bengaluru. Follow All The Updates Of Coronavirus Outbreak Here The government is in touch with the heads of IT and ITES companies, some of which are said to have asked their staff to work from home. Deputy Chief Minister Dr C Ashwath Narayan, who also holds the IT and BT portfolio, said the government had directed the companies to explore giving their employees the work-from-home option. The government has also asked the companies to share their employees' travel history. "I will soon call a meeting with the heads of IT and BT companies to decide the future course of action," Ashwath Narayan told DH. Tuesday, March 10, 2020 In the FX program, The Most Dangerous Animal of All, first aired on March 6, 2020, document examiner Patricia Fisher inaccurately critiqued the work I performed in 2012 for the book by the same name. Ms. Fisher said a document examiner must not cherry pick letters and words when comparing the writing on various documents. She also raised the issue that there was an insufficient number of exemplars (documents known to be written by Earl Van Best, Jr.) to use for comparison with the letters written by the Zodiac killer. Both statements are correct. What is incorrect are her assumptions about how I performed the analysis, which I documented in my 2014 book, The End of The Zodiac Mystery. When presented with the challenge in 2012 to perform this analysis, it was immediately obvious that I had too few known documents written by Earl Van Best, Jr. to make a valid comparison with the numerous Zodiac killer documents. The only handwriting I had that was allegedly written by Mr. Van Best was on the marriage certificate for his 1962 marriage to Judith Chandler. At first, this presented a conundrum. Many document examiners would have declined to continue, stating they could not offer any insight. In fact, at least one document examiner did decline to accept the case, stating there were an insufficient number of exemplars. Ms. Fisher assumed this was the way I moved forward with the analysisusing one known writing exemplar, which would have provided insufficient data. This is not how I conducted my analysis. In 2012, after spreading out all the Zodiac documents chronologically in front of me, it took some time, but a lightbulb went off that arose from out-of-the-box thinking. After careful thought, I devised a valid approach to provide the required insight. The Zodiac documents contained known writing. The killer had provided these documents to the press and to the police departments, in his twisted, manipulative way, to publicize his killings and to taunt the polices departments inability to track him down. So, rather than treating the Zodiac killers letters as questioned documents, I treated them as the known documents. This enabled me to treat the marriage certificate as the questioned document. This shed a whole new light on the subject, enabling me to perform valid research complying with industry standards. Forensic investigations often require a carefully-constructed approach using unique, valid paradigms. Thats what makes them intriguing. The ASTM standards Ms. Fisher references in the documentary additionally state that known documents must be compared to determine whether they were written by the same person. The images on pages 17, 19 and 20 in my book, The End of The Zodiac Mystery, validate that I did this. As a result of this comparison, I was able to eliminate one document provided to me as known Zodiac writing. It was the document written by Detective David Toschi in 1976 to rekindle public interest in the case to increase his visibility and stature. This was revealed in the subsequent documentary. There was an additional document and envelope from 1990 that was not written by the same person who wrote the legitimate Zodiac letters. After setting the stage using this reverse procedure that enabled me to perform the analysis, the next step I used in my investigation was to determine which words and letter combinations were commonwhich ones were used in both the known Zodiac documents and the questioned document, allegedly written by Earl Van Best, Jr. When examining documents, it is invalid to compare different words or letters from two documents with each otheryou can only compare the same words or letters to determine if the same person wrote the document in question. Pages 98 through 108 and 111 of my book illustrate the comparisons I was able to make. In total, I compared 12 letter and word combinationsnot just a few cherry-picked items as claimed by Ms. Fisher in the documentary. Two examples are: The letters est from the word Best on the marriage certificate compared with est from the word west in the Zodiac letters. The words San Fran on both the marriage certificate and the Zodiac letters and envelopes. These are only two examples of many letters and words that are common between the Zodiac letters and the marriage certificate. The book provides my complete analysis. A single similarity of letter or word formations never offers sufficient evidence of a common author. The referenced pages demonstrate many common attributes I discovered among the writings, such as the formation and spacing of the letters, and the location and length of crossbars on the letter E. Again, these are just a few examples of my complete analysis. Ms. Fisher indicated in the documentary that I cherry picked a few letters, comparing one Zodiac letter at a time with the same letters from the marriage certificate. This is not a proper analysis and it is not what I did. I compared all the writings in the Zodiac letters with the common words and letters in the marriage certificate. In short, Ms. Fishers comments in the documentary did not address the actual procedure I used. Her failure to realize that I was using the Zodiac letters as the known documents as well as not knowing which words and letters I actually compared, led her to reach an erroneous conclusion regarding the validity of my research. Unfortunately the film crew did not come back to allow me to respond to these criticisms. Had they returned and permitted me to review Ms. Fishers critique, the documentary would have been different. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 00:01:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JERUSALEM, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Israel has decided to close the train station at Ben-Gurion International Airport for passengers arriving in Israel amid the coronavirus outbreak, the state's Ministry of Transport announced Tuesday. The ban, which will take effect from Wednesday morning, comes after a decision by the Israeli government on Monday to require anyone who arrives in Israel to immediately enter the 14-day quarantine. Entrance to the train station at the airport will only be allowed for domestic-flight passengers and airport employees. So far, 58 coronavirus patients have been diagnosed in Israel, of which four have recovered. Nissan Motor Co is likely to pull out from a venture capital fund it runs with alliance partners Renault SA and Mitsubishi Motors, as part of the Japanese automaker's drive to cut costs and conserve cash, two sources said. Nissan will formally take a decision on whether to leave the fund, Alliance Ventures, by the end of this month, the two Nissan insiders told Reuters, declining to be identified because the information has not been made public. The likely move comes after Nissan's junior partner, Mitsubishi Motors Corp, told an alliance meeting last week that it would no ... Yelp, one of Google's most enduring critics, got to share its grievances with senators on the Antitrust Subcommittee on Tuesday. At a hearing dedicated to "Examining Self-Preferencing by Digital Platforms," Luther Lowe, Yelp's senior vice president of public policy, laid out the company's long-standing claims against Google. Yelp, which delivers local search results for consumers looking for restaurants or other businesses, has persistently complained that Google favors its own products and services in search, often at the expense to consumers in terms of quality. Now, Yelp isn't the only one paying attention. Regulators and lawmakers across the political spectrum are raising concerns about the power Big Tech companies wield over competitors who also rely on their services. Tuesday's hearing was another demonstration that Yelp's complaints are finally resonating in the U.S. as lawmakers introduce new policies and ramp up oversight. Google didn't always try to stifle competition, according to Lowe, who acknowledged co-founder Larry Page's 2004 claim that, "We want to get you out of Google and to the right place as fast as possible." But Lowe said Google's approach later shifted from this model around 2007 when it added answer boxes or "OneBoxes" that surfaced what Google seemed to determine would be the most relevant result for a user. Because Google displayed the answer boxes at the top of search results, Lowe argued in his prepared testimony, "it had conditioned consumers to expect for the best or most relevant results from around the web even though they no longer were. By doing so, Google physically demoted non-Google results even if they contained information with higher quality scores than the information Google." Some of those non-Google results included Yelp, which Lowe said gets about 80% of its web traffic from Google. "We build Google Search for our users," a Google spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "People want quick access to information and we're constantly improving Search to help people easily find what they're looking for whether it's information on a web page, directions on a map, products for sale or a translation." The Federal Trade Commission previously investigated Google's search engine, concluding in a 2013 statement that "Google's display of its own content could plausibly be viewed as an improvement in the overall quality of Google's search product. Similarly, we have not found sufficient evidence that Google manipulates its search algorithms to unfairly disadvantage vertical websites that compete with Google-owned vertical properties." Documents later leaked to the Journal showed FTC staff had recommended bringing a case against Google, however. Lowe said the FTC's 2013 decision "has not aged well." "Antitrust law does not permit Google to hide behind one defensible product decision (such as the introduction of OneBoxes, generally) to shield its entirely separate, and anticompetitive, deceptive self-preferencing (such as excluding rivals from the OneBoxes)," Lowe said in his prepared testimony. Subcommittee Chairman Mike Lee, R-Utah, appeared the most hesitant of the senators present about imposing greater regulation on tech companies, saying he was concerned "we might overshoot the mark." "We also cannot fall prey to the mentality that treats big as categorically bad," Lee said in his opening remarks. Lee asked Lowe how traffic from Google to Yelp has changed over time. Lowe said it's remained relatively stable at about 80%, but that the number to track is the total amount of search result traffic that is directed outside of Google. He claimed the "majority of traffic going to Google either terminates on Google or it goes to Google secondary pages." In his opening statement, Lowe said, "Google grew on the promise of a web-shaped Google, but instead, we got a Google-shaped web, to everyone's detriment." Some senators on the committee came out with their own remedies to tackle Google and other Big Tech companies on the same day as the hearing. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the top Democrat on the subcommittee, introduced a bill Tuesday that would prohibit "exclusionary conduct" that risks harming competition and shift the burden of proof in merger proposals onto dominant companies to show their deals would not be anticompetitive. Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Cory Booker of New Jersey are co-sponsors. Blumenthal and Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who both sit on the antitrust subcommittee, urged Attorney General William Barr Tuesday to examine Google's dominance in search in its ongoing investigation. The Senators expressed concern about the Department of Justice limiting theories of harm to Google's advertising business, citing a February Wall Street Journal article that described an internal focus on Google's ad technology. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. WATCH: How US antitrust law works, and what it means for Big Tech The Congress government in Madhya Pradesh led by Kamal Nath stared at a collapse on Tuesday as 22 MLAs of the party submitted their resignations to the assembly Speaker, dealing a blow to the wafer-thin majority of the ruling combine in the state. If the resignations are accepted, the effective strength of the MP assembly will come down to 206, leaving the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with a slender majority beyond the halfway mark of 103 with its 107 MLAs. The current effective strength of the MP assembly is 228, with two seats lying vacant. While the Congress has 114 MLAs, there are 107 legislators of the BJP. The seven others are two MLAs from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), one from the Samajwadi Party (SP), and four independents. These seven support the Nath government, giving it a narrow majority of six. Tuesdays developments came shortly after Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia resigned from the party. He earlier met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the presence of Union home minister and former BJP president Amit Shah. A Congress leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said 22 MLAs emailed there resignation letters to state assembly speaker N P Prajapati. I will look into the resignation letters as per the rules, the Speaker said. One of the resignation letters seen by Hindustan Times read: I hereby resign from my position in the state assembly with effect from March 10, 2020. All 22 letters appeared to be drafted in a similar fashion. The state assemblys principal secretary AP Singh said: Since the state assembly office is closed today due to Holi we will look into the resignation letters only on Wednesday. Also Read: Suave leader, firefighter, orator: Jyotiraditya Scindia donned many hats in Congress An official from the MP Raj Bhavan said on condition of anonymity earlier that the resignations of 19 Congress MLAs were also addressed to Governor Lalji Tandon. It wasnt immediately clear if the three other resignation letters had also been received by the Raj Bhavan. Seventeen of these MLAs include the six ministers who went incommunicado on Monday. They were said to have been flown to Bengaluru. Two other Congress MLAs were already in Bengaluru, according to people aware of the developments. News agency ANI released a photo of 19 MLAs holding up their resignation letters on Tuesday afternoon. A delegation of BJP leaders led by the Leader Opposition, Gopal Bhargava, met the Speaker at his official residence in Bhopal on Tuesday evening. Reacting to the developments, the state Congress presidents media coordinator Narendra Saluja said, The entire country is seeing how the BJP is involved in anti-democratic activities blatantly. They are trying to hijack mandate with the help of muscle and money power. Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan denied allegations of trying to destabilise the government and added that the developments were an internal matter of the Congress. In a letter to the governor earlier in the day, chief minister Kamal Nath recommended sacking from his cabinet six ministers who resigned as MLAs. The Raj Bhavan official said the governor was in his hometown, Lucknow, and was yet to take a decision on the chief ministers letter. The ministers who turned in their resignation letters include Tulsi Silavat, Pradyumn Singh Tomar, Mahendra Singh Sisodiya, Govind Singh Rajput, Imarti Devi and Prabhuram Chauhdary. Reacting to Tuesdays developments, former principal secretary, state assembly, Bhagwandev Israni said: The MLAs must have sent the resignation letters to the Governor to suggest to him that the Congress government has been reduced to a minority now. However, as far as resignation of an MLA from the state assembly is concerned, its not the governor but the Speaker of the state assembly who is authorised to accept or reject the resignation letter of an MLA. The Governor can decide on the resignation of a minister from the state cabinet, not the assembly. Israni added, The speaker cant take a decision on a resignation letter which has not been submitted to him personally. In the absence of a formality required for submitting the resignation letters, an MLA will continue to enjoy his status of MLA. Hence, technically, the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh continues to enjoy majority till these resignation letters are not submitted formally and accepted by the Speaker, he said. Veteran Congress leader and MLA Bisahulal Singh also announced he was resigning from the Congress. He made the announcement in presence of BJP national vice-president Chouhan in Bhopal. Singh added that he had decided to join the BJP. The development came just days after Bisahulal Singh expressed faith in the leadership of chief minister Kamal Nath. The 17 MLAs going incommunicado on Monday came exactly a week after 10 MLAs, including six from the Congress, left for Delhi. The Congress alleged that it was the result of poaching attempts by the BJP. Drama followed at a Gurugram resort and four of the 10 MLAs were later flown to Bengaluru. The remaining MLAs returned after two days. Of the four in Bengaluru, two returned to Bhopal later. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Beijing, China Tue, March 10, 2020 10:09 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20697c5b4 2 World China,coronavirus,collapsed-building,safety,COVID-19,outbreak,Wuhan-coronavirus Free The death toll from the collapse of a hotel used as a coronavirus quarantine facility in eastern China has risen to 20, authorities said Tuesday, with 10 others still feared trapped in the rubble. Forty-one survivors pulled from the wreckage are injured, the Ministry of Emergency Management said at a press conference Tuesday. The building in the coastal city of Quanzhou had been repurposed to house people who had recently been in regions hard hit by COVID-19, according to local newspaper Quanzhou Evening News. The hotel collapsed on Saturday night, with footage published by local media appearing to show the building's facade crumbling to the ground in seconds, exposing the structure's steel frame. The city has recorded 47 cases of the virus. Video posted online Tuesday by the Ministry of Emergency Management showed rescuers bowing over the body of a victim, with one rescuer breaking down in tears and having to step away from the scene. Earlier footage from the ministry showed rescuers helping children put on surgical masks before pulling them from the remains of the six-story Xinjia hotel. A 12-year-old boy told rescuers his mother was still buried in the rubble. "She was next to me just now," he said in the video. His mother was rescued alive hours later, according to the ministry. Rescuers were also seen spraying disinfectant on each other as part of "strict decontamination" measures between shifts. Besides the 61 people pulled out of the wreckage, nine others escaped on their own, the ministry said. The first floor had been undergoing renovation since before the Lunar New Year holiday, and authorities said construction workers called the hotel's owner minutes before the collapse to report a deformed pillar. The owner has been summoned by police, while investigators work to determine whether the renovation or an original structural issue was at fault, according to the ministry. Quanzhou Evening News reported Sunday that all of the people quarantined in the hotel had tested negative for the virus. The emergency management ministry said some 200 local and 800 Fujian Province firefighters had been deployed to the scene along with 11 search and rescue teams and seven rescue dogs, according to Xinhua. The National Health Commission said it had dispatched to Quanzhou 18 medical experts from the nearby cities of Fuzhou and Xiamen. China is no stranger to building collapses and deadly construction accidents that are typically blamed on the country's rapid growth leading to corner-cutting by builders and the widespread flouting of safety rules. At least 20 people died in 2016 when a series of crudely-constructed multi-story buildings packed with migrant workers collapsed in the eastern city of Wenzhou. Another 10 were killed last year in Shanghai after the collapse of a commercial building during renovations. SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Motorists traveling along Mayfield Road in the vicinity of Brush High School may notice some changes. The difference is that trees have been cleared along the north side of Mayfield Road so that construction can begin on the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Schools new bus garage/ transportation center. School board Vice President Erin Lee-Harris told South Euclid City Council Monday (March 9) that the building will soon be built. Planned is a 6,800-square foot brick building that will stand 28 feet high. Work has been delayed, as it has been just over two years since council granted a conditional use permit allowing construction of the building and an employees parking lot. Economic Development Director Michael Love said the school board has obtained a building permit and is now working out final details before construction begins. In recent years, school buses have been parked on city-owned property off Glenridge Road, then at Beachwoods large service department property and, finally, in the current spot, in front of Brush High School, a short distance from where the new structure will be built. The schools have been seeking to build on the property now scheduled for construction since 2015, but heard from residents on neighboring Dorsh Road, who complained about potential noise, pollution and the nearness of a parking garage and transportation building. Council worked on creating some changes to the plan, including moving the employees parking lot 170 feet further from homes. By vacating the current bus lot for a new one, parking space will be created for events held at Brush High, 4875 Glenlyn Road. While most of the Brush High property is located in Lyndhurst, the planned construction area is located within South Euclid. South Euclid Councilman-at-large Justin Tisdale pointed out during the council meeting that construction of the building has nothing to do with the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Schools seeking passage of Issue 32 on March 17. Issue 32 seeks from voters an increase of 6.9 mills to make building improvements, including 5.9 mills for adding air conditioning at the districts eight buildings and 1 mill for operating expenses. The capital money for the transportation center was approved several years ago. People dont always understand the funding, Council President Joseph Frank said, but capital money cannot be used for paying teachers salaries or operations. It must be used on capital. So, this has nothing to do with the (Issue 32) levy. Deer count In other news, the citys infrared deer count was undertaken Monday (March 9). While the results were not yet known, Ward 3 Councilwoman Sara Continenza, who chairs councils Recreation Committee, has scheduled a committee meeting for 6 p.m. March 23 to discuss the results. Mayor Georgine Welo decided to go ahead with the infrared deer count after learning that Highland Heights had had such a count performed. The U.S. Department of Agriculture conducted the count by driving up and down each South Euclid street with infrared equipment. The cost was just under $1,100. Highland Heights discovered that it had 55 deer per square mile and 280 deer total. Because of the high number of deer, and after taking a survey of residents, Highland Heights last month instituted a culling program in which USDA sharpshooters killed 40 deer. South Euclid has also surveyed its residents. In October 2019, South Euclid survey results showed that residents want the city to take some action to lower the deer population. (Cuyahoga County) Councilwoman Sunny Simon (of South Euclid) had talked about using some county dollars to do a mass (contraception) program, which would be different from everyone (communities with culling programs), Continenza said. She added that Highland Heights culling of 40 deer, because of its proximity, will help South Euclid, as well. Coronavirus Welo noted that, earlier on Monday, it was announced that three people in Ohio, all in Cuyahoga County, had been determined to have contracted the coronavirus. Here in South Euclid, were working hard to keep things cleaner than they have been, Welo said. Keep watching our Facebook page, Twitter and, if you have any questions, you can always call city hall (216-381-0400). Read more from the Sun Messenger. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and two other large charities on March 10 pledged up to $125 million to help speed the development of treatments for the fast-spreading coronavirus, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday was nearing pandemic proportions. The effort, known as the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, will focus on new and repurposed drugs that can be used right away to treat patients infected with the novel coronavirus and possibly other viruses in the future. The money is intended to ensure that treatments for the virus will be available in poor countries and affordable for individuals. Also Read: Coronavirus outbreak: Bill Gates outlines actions to combat 'once-in-a-century' pathogen Currently, no antiviral drugs or other immune system treatments have been approved to treat COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. The Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust medical charity are each contributing up to $50 million, and the Mastercard Impact Fund has committed up to $25 million for initial projects. The Gates Foundation's funding is part of its $100 million commitment to the COVID-19 response announced last month. Also Read: From Jack Ma to Bill Gates, billionaires donate funds to create coronavirus vaccine "Viruses like COVID-19 spread rapidly, but the development of vaccines and treatments to stop them moves slowly," Mark Suzman, chief executive officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said in a statement. "If we want to make the world safe from outbreaks like COVID-19, particularly for those most vulnerable, then we need to find a way to make research and development move faster. That requires governments, private enterprise, and philanthropic organisations to act quickly to fund research and development." Also Read: Coronavirus in India: 10 states-UTs affected, new cases, global scenario; check details Throughout his 2020 presidential campaign, Bernie Sanders has been careful not to overemphasize the significance of any one state in his second quest for a political revolution, often saying winning each one is as important as the next. But as the Vermont senator recently concluded a campaign blitz through Michigan, he cast that talk aside. BUDAPEST, Hungary, March 10, 2020 / B3C newswire / -- Kinepict Health Ltd. today announced that it has received US FDA 510(k) clearance for its Kinepict Medical Imaging Tool (KMIT) software, which uses the companys proprietary, ground-breaking Digital Variance Angiography (DVA). Kinepicts DVA technology revolutionizes the calculation of X-ray angiography images, innovating a field in which the fundamental principles of data analysis were unchanged in the past four decades. The proprietary DVA algorithm uses advanced statistical methods to visualizes blood vessels by identifying contrast-induced changes in the X-ray angiography image series. First clinical validations show that DVA provides superior image quality compared to the state-of-the-art Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA). The dramatically improved image quality provided by DVA has the potential to make X-ray angiography safer and more powerful. Thus, the KMIT software can overcome the typical trade-off between increased X-Ray dose vs. increased contrast media. The following indications have already been clinically validated, and several other clinical validations are underway: (1) Using DVA instead of DSA greatly improves image quality (2.5 to 10 times better contrast-to-noise ratio) for both positive (iodinated) and negative (CO2) contrast media. (2) DVA allows a 70% X-ray dose reduction (down to 30%) compared to DSA imaging the lower limb. (3) DVA allows a 50% contrast agent reduction compared to DSA in imaging the carotid. (4) DVA provides superior image quality compared to DSA when imaging blood vessels near metal implants. (5) DVA provides superior image quality compared to DSA during prostate embolization. The recent FDA clearance paves the way for a timely start of launch of the technology onto the US market. The Company is open for talks with potential partners from the imaging industry or other health service organizations active in the angiography field. About Kinepict Health Ltd. Kinepict Health Ltd. is a medical software company founded in 2015 by two imaging experts Dr. Szabolcs Osvath and Dr. Krisztian Szigeti. The Company is bringing to the angiography community a novel and proprietary technology, to provide interventional radiologists and vascular surgeons high-quality angiography images in the operating room. Kinepict is actively collaborating with renown medical experts and scientists from leading clinics in Austria, Germany and Hungary. Kinepict Health Ltd. Is planning to start ASAP the market introduction of the KMIT software in the USA, and is looking for commercialization partners in the USA. Contact Kinepict Health Ltd. Szabolcs OSVATH, Ph.D. CEO, Founder +36 31 7823748 Keywords: Angiography, Digital Subtraction; X-Rays; Computers; Software Published by B3C newswire and shared through Newronic An American tourist has found himself mocked by fellow reviewers on TripAdvisor after he mistook a hotel's complimentary sweet for a bar of soap. The befuddled holidaymaker staying at an Isle of Skye guest house mistook the Scottish tablet, a crumbly treat similar to fudge, left on his pillow for a bath product. When he took it in the shower to clean himself he was left underwhelmed by the confection's cleaning abilities. The man rated the Pink Guest House in Portree 9/10 on TripAdvisor but recommended the hotel change its 'soap'. Mrs Tilly's Scottish tablet are a sweet treat similar to fudge but have a crumblier texture He wrote: 'You have got to do something with that brown tablet bar of soap you put on each of our beds. 'Not only was it gritty and left an oily residue but disintegrated before the shower was done. I have had much better exfoliating bar scrubs.' The comical online review of the guest house was acclaimed after the guest, only known as Thomas, complained. He thought the Scottish tablet was 'gritty' and 'left an oily residue' when he used it. Thomas said the bar of Mrs Tilly's tablet 'disintegrated' before he had finished his shower. Other reviewers had a good laugh at Thomas's mistake after he used the confection as soap The hilarious review became an online hit with one person saying: 'Oh my god, that is priceless.' Another commented: 'This is hilarious', while others joked the tourist must have been a big hit with the local wasps. Someone else said: 'I do NOT want to know what Thomas does with Toblerone'. While another commented: 'Look, I'm an American, I've never seen or heard of that before despite trying several British sweets over the years. 'But based on the ingredients it's obviously a sweet. That and it says confection.' Tablet maker Mrs Tilly's even responded to the funny tweet. The Pink Guest House on the Isle of Skye was otherwise rated highly by reviewer Thomas They said: 'While we are delighted to see our Famous Scottish tablet as an in-room treat in a guest house in the beautiful Skye, we would like to remind everyone that it is best to eat the deliciously indulgent sweet treat, using it as soap isn't one of our serving suggestions.' Another hotel in Inverness poked fun at the review with their own sign for guests warning them not to make the same mistake. A caution sign beside a complimentary tray of tablet reads: 'Attention!! This Scottish tablet is to be eaten and not used to clean yourself in the shower.' The views from the guest house as well as its location were described as 'superb' But Thomas said he still enjoyed his stay, adding the hotel as 'very clean' and claimed it had 'everything we needed'. The guest, who stayed for two nights last week at Portree's The Pink Guest House, wrote: 'Location and view were superb. 'Very clean and had everything we needed. 'You have got to do something with that brown tablet bar of soap you put on each of our beds. Not only was it gritty and left an oily residue but disintegrated before the shower was done! I have had much better exfoliating bar scrubs.' MINNESOTA CITY Tim and Marie Kwosek had planned on the trip of a lifetime. What they got was something different. Officials have said that of the 3,500 passengers and crew aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship, at least 20 of them have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. "We are currently waiting on news as to when we can disembark," Tim Kwosek said via email from the Grand Princess on Monday afternoon. "This process will begin today and proceed into tomorrow. We will be transferred to either San Antonio or Georgia for a quarantine period." The Kwoseks, along with friends from Winona, Ed and Paula Krage, sailed on the latest voyage of the Grand Princess, a cruise ship that regularly makes a 15-day circuit from San Francisco to Hawaii and back. ADVERTISEMENT During the crossing from Hawaii back to San Francisco, the boat was scheduled to make a stop in Ensenada, Mexico, on the Baja California coast. Those plans were changed, though, when officials aboard the ship learned that several passengers were infected with the coronavirus. "On our way back from Hawaii, we were to stop in Mexico, however the captain informed us we were heading back directly to California," Kwosek said. "The reason, we later found out, is that a few passengers and crew members tested positive COVID-19." Kwosek said passengers began seeing new health measures being done by the crew, such as cleaning "most any objects being touched" with disinfectants, and all large-group gatherings aboard the ship were canceled. Last Thursday, passengers were confined to their cabins with food brought to their rooms directly. "We are fortunate because we have an outside deck allowing us fresh air and some movement outside," Kwosek said. "We have very limited access to other passengers besides whom we can see out on their decks." The U.S. State Department warned U.S. citizens this week to avoid travel by cruise ship. This comes after more than 700 cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed in February among the passengers and crew of the Diamond Princess, a ship that was quarantined off the coast of Japan for two weeks, according to Bloomberg News. Across Asia, cruise ships have become hot spots for diagnoses of COVID-19, including those on the Grand Princess. The plans for the passengers aboard the Grand Princess are to return foreign individuals to their country of origin and spread the American passengers among several military bases for a quarantine period. Nearly 1,000 passengers from California will be sent to Travis Air Force Base near San Francisco for a 14-day quarantine period. Other U.S. passengers reportedly will be sent either to Joint Base San Antonio Lackland in Texas or Dobbins Air Force Base in Georgia. ADVERTISEMENT The Grand Princess, which traveled from San Francisco to Mexico in mid-February, appears to be a hot spot for the spread of the virus in California. The states first, and only, confirmed COVID-19 fatality thus far involves a Placer County man who was on the ship last month. On Friday, Placer County public health officials confirmed three new cases, all related to the cruise ship. Despite the threat of the virus, Kwosek said as far as he can tell, people on board the Grand Princess "are staying very positive." "(Carnival Cruises) has done a remarkable job in keeping our safety and health in mind," he said. "The workers have gone above and beyond. This needs to be communicated." Gov. Steve Sweeney yesterday announced a plan to save an astonishing $1 billion per year on health care, split between taxpayers and teachers. Technically, Sweeney is not the governor, of course. But the real governor, Phil Murphy, was a spectator to this, and wasnt even invited to the announcement. It gets worse. Sweeney also lured away the governors most important ally, Marie Blistan, president of the New Jersey Education Association, who stood next to Sweeney as both signaled an end to their bitter rivalry. I fight a lot, and its exhausting, and she fights real good too, let me tell you, Sweeney said. Were talking again. And as long as we continue to do that, it works out better for everyone. Unions normally negotiate with governors. But Sweeney is the one with power in Trenton these days, the veteran player who has run circles around the novice governor in each of the first two budget fights, relying on relationships hes built over decades. Blistan, it seems, is a realist. Sen. Sweeney decides what legislation can be moved, she said. As you can see right now, we are standing side by side, and we are smiling. Lets look first at the money, and then the politics. Sweeney and Blistan say this would save just over $1 billion a year, for seven years, as most teachers move into two new health plans with lower costs. Teachers would save $400 million in lower premiums, while taxpayers would save $650 million, most of it in local schools. The taxpayer savings is more than double the estimated $300 million the NJEA agreed to last year in a bill passed by the Assembly, powerful evidence that the union believed Sweeney was a tougher bargainer who could get his way in the Senate. On the politics, the shock is the detente between Sweeney and the union, after a decade of scratching each others eyes out. The union spent $5 million trying to beat Sweeney at the polls in 2017, but he raised even more and crushed the NJEA candidate, a Trump supporter, by 18 points. It was Sweeneys biggest win ever and was later deemed the most expensive state legislative race in American history. For the union, it was a crazy emotional move that ended in complete failure. Sweeney, a former iron worker, later tried to get prosecutors to throw the leadership of the union in jail on extortion charges after union leaders threatened to withhold money from legislators who opposed its agenda. This time, it was Sweeney making a crazy emotional move that ended in complete failure. And yet, here they were, smiling at each other across the shared podium like old pals. Sweeney ran for governor against Murphy in 2017 and lost. It seems clear that he still wants the job, and he wont rule out another run, but most political observers say its hopeless because the public workers unions resent him, mostly for joining with former Gov. Chris Christie to force big pension and health cuts in 2011. Now, though, Sweeney seems to be courting unions as friends. Aside from this deal with the NJEA, he recently said he will insist on an extra $1 billion investment in the states pensions funds as a condition for his support of Murphys proposed tax on millionaires. Thats long been a central goal of all public worker unions. For kicks, I asked Blistan who the union would endorse if Sweeney challenged Murphy in a Democratic primary next year. We have a process, she said. We screen everyone. Sweeney might be able to soften the animosity of public worker unions but no one on earth thinks he can get their endorsements, and few believe he can win a Democratic primary, in part because he worked so closely with Christie. Still, it was striking to watch him lock arms with Blistan, a picture no one ever expected to see. Some said it would undermine Murphy, who has been unable to wring such deep concessions from the unions. Murphy has been loyal to the NJEA to a fault, one Democratic leader said. For them to pull the rug out from under him just as he leaves the hospital is awful. The governors people say Murphy built the foundation for this by insisting that any cuts be negotiated with the unions, not forced on them, as in the 2011 pension and health reform. The truth is they said changes had to be part of contract negotiations, not legislation. But Sweeney, they say, respected the governors basic approach by negotiating this legislation. Its a win for both of them, said George Helmy, the governors chief of staff. And its a win for taxpayers and educators. The part about taxpayers and teachers is beyond dispute. So, whoever gets credit, count this as another good day in New Jerseys long trek back to fiscal health. More: Tom Moran columns Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com or call (973) 836-4909. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. In the first study of its kind, researchers from the University of Surrey and Princess Alice Hospice investigated the bereavement support provided to children before and after a parent's death. Ensuring children receive adequate support is vital in safeguarding their psychological wellbeing, as previous research in this area has found that approximately half of children who lose a parent through a prolonged illness continue to experience unresolved grief up to nine years later. Hospices in the UK provide palliative and end-of-life care either in the community or at in-patient units to more than 200,000 people with terminal and life-limiting conditions each year. Up to 10 per cent of hospice patients have children under the age of 18, but little is known across the sector about the range of support provided for families before and/or after the death of a parent. Surveying 130 adult hospices, representing two-thirds of those in the UK, researchers identified that all provide some form of support before and after parental death, but the type and timing of the support available varies widely. The most common forms, offered by the majority of hospices, are written materials, signposting to external agencies, online resources and face to face sessions. Specialist counsellors are the professionals most likely to provide support whilst psychologists and psychiatrists are the least likely to be involved. Further, volunteers are more likely to be involved after than before a death, the findings revealed. Researchers also found that a greater range of support is provided after a parental death than before, suggesting that proactive support when a parent is dying is less resourced. More than three-quarters of hospices said they formally ask and record whether patients in their care have dependent children under the age of 18. Of those that do have formal processes in place, most report providing training for their staff to deliver support to children but many describe this to be 'generic' and 'ad hoc.' Many cite funding difficulties in training and maintaining staff for bereavement support services to be a barrier in delivering this vital service. Lead author Jane Cockle-Hearne, Research Fellow at the University of Surrey, said: "Without appropriate support, a parent's death can have long lasting and damaging effects on a child's schooling, relationships, independence and emotional wellbeing. But it can be challenging for hospices to provide this needed support in the context of increasing demand and financial pressures. This is despite national guidelines which acknowledge that when a parent is dying, tailored support for dependent children should be available." Dr Jennifer Todd of Princess Alice Hospice, co-author of the paper, stated: "The finding that virtually all responding hospices provide some form of support to families before and after parental death is reassuring, and demonstrates that this important support is valued throughout adult hospices in the UK. "That said, there appears room for improvement in terms of the use of formal processes to record the number of dependent children of dying patients, to ensure no one falls through the net. While better recording should improve the support provided to dependent children of dying patients, the report acknowledges that one of the key challenges for hospices is the shortfall in resources and skills training, predominantly down to lack of funding." Professor Emma Ream, Director of Health Sciences Research at the University of Surrey, said: "Findings from this important study show that palliative care services vary enormously. Consequently, children and their needs may go under the radar. "We should be more proactive in seeking to support parents and children to prepare them for a parent's death; we should not wait for problems to develop." ### By Online Desk India's first coronavirus death was confirmed in Karnataka taking the total number of cases to 79. A 76-year-old man from Kalburgi who passed away on Wednesday has been confirmed for COVID-19. Kerala also saw a spike in cases after two more gulf returnees from Kannur and Thrissur tested positive. One Andhra student who tested positive has been admitted to the Government General Hospital in Nellore and his condition is reported to be stable. Earlier, Indian markets suffered a bloodbath after the government shut its doors on visa holders and US President Donald Trump banned all travel from Europe, with the exception of the UK. Over eleven lakh crore of investors wealth was wiped out in trading on Thursday. The Sensex crashed by nearly 3000 points, while the Nifty shed over 860 points. These are levels the two indices have not breached on the lower side since late 2017 and early 2018. The market panic stemmed from the sharp escalation in the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent containment measures announced by the world's major economies, including the United States, India and several European nations. United States President Donald Trump's decision to announce a 30-day ban on all travel from Europe to the US and India announcing the suspension of all visas until April 15 triggered investor panic as the scale of the disruption seems likely to be a lot larger than earlier expected. ALSO READ | 'Wasn't afraid after getting symptoms': How India's first coronavirus patient was cured COVID-19: CHECK THE STATUS OF YOUR STATE HERE President Muhammadu Buharis aide on new media, Bashir Ahmad has debunked an online news report which quoted the president as saying he was unaware of Sanusi Lamidos dethronement as Emir of Kano. The former emir of Kano was dethroned on Monday by the state government over allegation of disrespecting constituted authorities in the state. The news of Sanusis dethronement sparked social media reactions and taken over the news sphere in the country on Monday. Read Also: Deposed Emir of Kano, Sanusi Arrives Abuja Before Moving To Nassarawa (Video) The presidential aide, speaking via his Twitter handle on Tuesday, debunked the report saying, Please disregard this screenshot Am not aware that Sanusi is removed, who removed him? Buhari asked. it is 100% the usual FAKE NEWS. See post Passengers are disembarked from the Grand Princess cruise ship at the Port of Oakland in Oakland, California on March 10, 2020. (Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images) Poll: Republicans Twice as Likely as Democrats to View Media Coverage of Coronavirus as Exaggerated Republicans are twice as likely as Democrats to view news coverage of the coronavirus outbreak as exaggerated, according to a new survey. Sixty-two percent of Republicans or those that lean Republican said that the coverage is generally exaggerated, compared to 31 percent of Democrats or those that lean Democrat, according to an Axios/SurveyMonkey poll. Some 4,512 American adults were surveyed from March 5 through 9 and unlike some other polls, the division was nearly equal among the parties, with 1,955 in the Republican/lean Republican group and 1,939 in the Democrat/lean Democrat group. Three out of 10 in the Republican group said that news coverage is generally correct, a category that nearly half of the Democrat group chose. Twenty percent of the latter chose generally underestimated, as did 7 percent of the Republican group. Thirty-five percent of Independent respondents said coverage is exaggerated, 45 percent said its correct, and 16 percent said its underestimated. The exaggerated option was chosen by a plurality of respondents in the 18-34 and 35-64 age groups. A plurality of the 65 and up group chose the correct option. Pluralities of those who make from $50,000 to $99,999 a year as well as those who make $100,000 or more also chose the exaggerated option. A plurality of those who make below $50,000 chose the correct option. The lines to reach TSA immigration process are seen empty at one of its terminals at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on March 9, 2020. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters) The question was asked as follows: Thinking about what is said in the news, in your view is the seriousness of coronavirus generally exaggerated, generally correct, or is it generally underestimated? Some 58 percent of respondents said theyre very likely or somewhat likely to avoid large events because of the new virus; 52 percent said theyre not so likely or not likely at all to avoid public spaces like restaurants, shopping malls, and movie theaters because of the virus. And 64 percent said they wouldnt avoid social gatherings at home of friends and family. Nearly three out of four respondents said a mandatory two-week quarantine for anyone exposed to the virus does not threaten personal rights. An earlier survey by Morning Consult of 2,200 American adults found that 74 percent of respondents were concerned about the virus. If the virus were to spread in the community, over 60 percent of respondents said theyd be less likely to go to a concern, use public transit, go to a movie theater, visit an amusement park, attend sporting events, or go to a museum. As of noon on Tuesday, there were 647 cases of the new virus and 25 deaths from COVID-19, the disease it causes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Another 49 Americans who were evacuated from Wuhan, China, where the virus started, or the Diamond Princess cruise ship, were infected. Thirty-six jurisdictions have reported cases. PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-10 09:01:25 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 413 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Americans may not be aware of a large number of flood-damaged vehicles on the market. VinFreeCheck allows you to check the history of the vehicle before deciding what to pay for itCLAYMONT, DE / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2020 / The VINFreeCheck is one of the best ways to check and make sure that you're buying gem and not a lemon. The recent widespread flooding caused by 2019's Hurricane Dorian left many vehicles damaged in its wake. While some cars were sold to parts companies who then dismantle and sell them to be reused, there are probably thousands that aren't. Experts say that those vehicles are being sold without their full history revealed and that leaves buyers to do the required due diligence before deciding to buy.The Vehicle Identification Number, or VIN, as it is called, reveals a lot about the history of the vehicle. Tools like VIN Free Check allows buyers in the market for a used car to search the VIN number of the vehicle they are considering ensuring that the vehicle wasn't flood-damaged. If it turns out that the vehicle was flood damaged, buyers have the option of either refusing to buy or negotiating the asking price. Either way, it is a win-win for buyers.The Free Vin Check tool is free to use. Unlike similar tools, users aren't asked to pay for the privilege of checking the history of a vehicle.Additional details are available at https://www.vinfreecheck.com "Your decision to buy a vehicle should be based on its condition. Nobody wants to be stuck with a hassle, and one of the ways of ensuring that does not happen is to check the vehicle's history. Whether it was damaged in a recent flood, accident, or by some other factor, it is grounds to renegotiate your deal with the buyer or refuse to deal with them." Said the spokesperson for VINFreeCheck.He went on to say, "The tool is free to use by anyone and everyone. We see it as a way of arming buyers against unscrupulous sellers of flood or accident damaged vehicles." It is estimated that over 500,000 flood-damaged vehicles are being sold, and it is hard to tell if there was damage by the looks of it. So, tools like these are an invaluable public service that car buyers should use.Contact Info:Name: Jason MasonEmail: Send EmailOrganization: VinFreeCheckAddress: 2093 Philadelphia Pike #8190, Claymont DE 19703Phone: (571) 488-1349Website: https://www.vinfreecheck.com SOURCE: VinFreeCheck Cookie Preferences Cookie List Cookie List A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website when visited by a user asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting for our advertising and marketing efforts. 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Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 01:29:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance has issued an order to close all museums and tourist centers across the country during the holidays of the approaching Iranian new year, Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) reported Tuesday. In a letter to the chiefs of cultural heritage and tourism organizations of all provinces, Ali Asghar Mounesian, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, required the cancelling of all the pre-planned ceremonies in the new year holidays this year. He also called on the provincial officials to avoid any activity which might attract people to tourist spots. On Tuesday, Iran announced the total infection of 8,042 people with COVID-19. At least 291 people have died over the disease. Two 9 Meters Ku-Band Earth Stations with the shelter. We are pleased to be to work with SES, the leader in global content connectivity solutions, who owns and operates over 70 satellites," commented David Hershberg, STS Global CEO, This project demonstrate our ability to deliver large complex network under a tight schedule. The Earth stations were unique in that they are a combination TT&C and communications channels. Each antenna is equipped with four 750 watt Ku-Band TWTA- HPA in a 1:3 redundancy configuration, which provides for communications uplinks on dual polarizations plus a satellite control uplink. The antennas are equipped with dual jack positions that allow 200 degree Azimuth coverage. The down links are 1:3 dual band LNBs covering the full 10.7-12.75 GHz band. Each Station is equipped with uplink power control, uplink and down link Matrix switches, high stability BUCs with external references. The equipment is housed in a 30 foot shelter constructed and integrated in Saint Louis and shipped by land and sea to site. The system features a 150 KVA static switch on the technical power and an automatic transfer switch for dual utility power switching. The environment is difficult due to high level salt atmosphere. Therefore the shelter is equipped with dual redundant 5 ton air conditioners that provide ample cooling without the benefit of outside air being exchanged. Dual front end processors provide the interface for a comprehensive control and monitor system. The installation was completed on schedule despite very challenging site conditions, which included unusually heavy rain and high wind conditions. We are pleased to be to work with SES, the leader in global content connectivity solutions, who owns and operates over 70 satellites," commented David Hershberg, STS Global CEO, This project demonstrate our ability to deliver large complex network under a tight schedule. About STS Global STS Global capabilities include broadcasting live events, supporting new media broadcast centers, secure private networks for large corporations and the complete range of satcom possibilities from better wireless connections to tighter cyber security. By adding sophisticated satcom to todays widely developed terrestrial technologies, STS Global creates unique systems that can provide reliable services anywhere on earth. Customers will appreciate the Cost/Value approach, 24/7 dependability, training and support to achieve peak performance. The head of the Prime Minister Chancellery, Ionel Danca, on Tuesday proposed, at the beginning of the Government meeting, the introduction on the supplementary agenda of the Government of a memorandum that provides for the creation of an inter-institutional working group to assess the economic impact of the effects of coronavirus epidemic in Romania. "We propose for approval, for inclusion on the supplementary agenda, the memorandum for the establishment of an inter-institutional working group made up of representatives of the Government of Romania, the National Bank, the Presidential Administration and other institutions with responsibilities in the financial-economic field, to make an assessment of the economic, financial and budgetary impact of the coronavirus in Romania. We have already centralized the proposals from the associations and the social partners. There are many proposals and concerns related to this topic," said Danca.He mentioned that the first meeting of this working group could take place on Wednesday, to analyse the respective proposals. Toronto Public Health says theres no need for residents to avoid taking crowded public transit vehicles to prevent the spread of COVID-19, after officials in neighbouring New York state asked commuters to stay clear of packed buses and subways. At a press event Sunday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said it was important for riders to avoid close contact with other passengers on transit vehicles. The day before he declared a state of emergency over the spread of the disease. As of Monday, New York state had 142 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to its public health department. There are indications some residents there contracted the virus through local transmission, rather than while travelling to other affected regions or through close contact with a patient who had travelled. As of Monday, Ontario officials said the number of confirmed cases in the province numbered 35. Toronto Public Health has reported 17 cases in the city, and says none are the result of local transmission. If you can, move to a train car that is not as dense. If you see a packed train car, let it go by, wait for the next train. Same if youre taking a bus, Cuomo said, according to news reports. Its the density, the proximity that were trying to reduce. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio issued a similar warning in a series of tweets Sunday. If the train that pulls up is too packed, move to a different car or wait to take the next one. Bike or walk to work if you can, he said. The governor and mayor both urged residents to avoid transit altogether and work from home if theyre able. Among those who have tested positive in the state is Rick Cotton, the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the agency that operates the regions airports, bridges, tunnels and bus terminals. Toronto Public Health spokesperson Lenore Bromley didnt elaborate on why advice from New York officials might differ from that provided by Toronto health authorities, but said in an email that currently, there is no evidence of local transmission of COVID-19 and referred the Star to statements made Friday by Dr. Eileen de Villa, the citys medical officer of health. Share your thoughts At the time, de Villa urged Torontonians to go about their regular lives, but stay informed. She said she and her family would continue to go about our regular routines and activities ... This means continuing to use public transit for our daily commuting. TTC spokesperson Stuart Green said Monday the Toronto transit agency had no reason to believe riders are at risk. Our advice comes from public health professionals. They have not told us anything like that, he said in an email, referring to New York officials advice. Green said the TTC hasnt observed any decrease in ridership that could be attributed to concerns over the virus. Matt Llewellyn, a spokesperson for Metrolinx, the provincial agency that operates GO Transit, didnt directly address New York officials advice. But he said that in some ways Metrolinx is doing more than is needed to stay ahead of the COVID-19 virus, and has a strategy in place to protect our customers and staff, while also ensuring everyone receives the best advice from the Ministry of Health, Public Health Ontario and local public health experts rather than rumours and misinformation. Torontos medical officer has said she and her family will continue to use public transit, adding the risk of transmission is extremely low unless you are in sustained contact with an infected person, he noted. Toronto-area transit agencies say they have taken extra steps to ensure passenger safety in the wake of the global outbreak. In late January, the TTC instituted daily disinfection of touch points such as handrails on vehicles and at stations. Metrolinx has started spraying GO Transit buses, trains and stations with an antimicrobial agent designed to last for up to a year. The TTC is also considering using the product. The TTC is warning that riders on its 900 Airport Express bus route servicing Pearson Airport could experience delays as a result of the agencys decision to wipe down each vehicle when it arrives from the airport at Kipling station. Green said the policy is in addition to the nightly deep clean each TTC vehicle is getting. The agency is taking extra steps on the Airport Express in response to inquiries from employees and customers given as the airport is the first port of call for people arriving from international destinations. He added, Were working with our cleaners to improve the efficiency but it is possible there could be occasional delays to the scheduled service at Kipling. For now, the TTC isnt performing end-of-trip wipe-downs of buses on the other routes servicing the airport, which are the 52A Lawrence West, 300A Bloor-Danforth and 332 Eglinton West. Green said the focus was on the 900 route because it carries more international travellers than the other lines. Last week, Toronto officials announced that a person who has since been diagnosed with COVID-19 rode public transit for three days between March 2 and 4 on the TTC, GO and MiWay. Toronto Public Health reassured riders in a statement that day, saying the TTC continues to be a safe method of travel. On Sunday, Metrolinx confirmed a woman with symptoms of COVID-19 rode a GO bus from Pearson Airport to Richmond Hill on March 2. She was wearing a surgical mask and had limited contact with anyone on board. Shes now in self-isolation. Prior to that, on Feb. 26 another woman who later tested positive for the disease also took GO from Pearson to Richmond Hill. Metrolinx said the health risk to other passengers was low. Ben Spurr is a Toronto-based reporter covering transportation. Reach him by email at bspurr@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @BenSpurr Read more about: WASHINGTON After narrowly thwarting a youthful progressive upstarts primary challenge, veteran Rep. Henry Cuellar says his fellow Democrats greeted him on the House floor last week with one overwhelming sentiment: gratitude. If I would have lost, that would have created a wave of momentum against all the other Democrats facing liberal challengers, said Cuellar, a 64-year-old Texan. I can tell you, Ive never been given so many thanks. Cuellars Super Tuesday victory was among the years first showdowns in which progressive challengers are trying to oust more moderate congressional Democrats, including several House committee chairs. Now, insurgent candidates face tests from New York to California, even as Joe Biden builds momentum in his race for the Democratic presidential nomination against independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-avowed democratic socialist. Theres no consensus over whether the former vice presidents recent surge will translate to votes for incumbent Democrats trying to fend off progressive rivals. But with last weeks Super Tuesday contests handing liberal challengers a series of defeats sprinkled with glimmers of hope, most remaining insurgents face long odds. It means that we have a lot of work to do for infrastructure that campaigns need like fundraising, said Alexandra Rojas, executive director of Justice Democrats. Rojas, whose progressive group recruited Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to run in 2018, said while liberals are becoming a stronger political force, Im not going to pretend that its not going to be hard. An incumbents record of service, how they impacted the community, what is the last thing theyve done for the voter, is always going to be top of mind over ideology, said Dan Sena, a campaign consultant who ran House Democrats political arm when they won control of the chamber in 2018. Super Tuesday proved a tough day for progressives. Biden defeated Sanders in 10 of 14 states. Party-backed favorite MJ Hegar easily outperformed a progressive hopeful in Texas Democratic Senate primary, though she still faces a May 26 runoff. In Southern California, liberal San Diego Councilwoman Georgette Gomez was hoping to make the November ballot, though she trailed a fellow Democrat in a partial vote count. And then theres Cuellar, one of Congress most conservative Democrats and a top target of Justice Democrats and Ocasio-Cortezs own political organization, Courage to Change. He defeated immigration lawyer Jessica Cisneros, 26, in the South Texas district, but by fewer than 2,800 votes, despite outspending her by over 2-to-1. The voters spoke, and they do want moderates in the Congress, Cuellar said. Many incumbents are taking heart from Bidens rising advantage over Sanders. Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo., said Bidens expected strong showing in Tuesdays Missouri presidential primary bodes well for his August rematch in St. Louis against progressive Cori Bush, a nurse he easily defeated in 2018. Citing Sanders problems winning as much as 40% support against Biden in most national polls, Clay said of the Vermont lawmaker: It tells you the revolution was not televised. Progressives say theyve already pushed the Democratic agenda leftward on issues like expanded health care coverage and the minimum wage. And they say there are still primaries they can win, thanks to the Sanders excitement among young and some Hispanic voters. Its always difficult to defeat House incumbents, who usually have vast funding and name-recognition advantages. Of 376 House members seeking reelection in 2018, just four primary challengers prevailed. That included Ocasio-Cortez, then an unknown 29-year-old who defeated Rep. Joe Crowley, who was viewed potentially as the next House speaker. Perhaps progressives best shot this year comes March 17, when eight-term Rep. Daniel Lipinski, D-Ill., faces Marie Newman in Chicagos liberal-leaning southern suburbs. Lipinski, an opponent of abortion rights, defeated Newman two years ago, but this year shes outraised him and has backing from Sanders, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Chicago Mayor Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Newman says Cuellars Texas victory is irrelevant to her primary. Im in perfect alignment with my district, she said. Lipinski says last weeks voting shows Democratic voters are really concerned of the party really moving too far to the left. Were in trouble if we dont win that one, added Sean McElwee, who runs Data for Progress, a research organization for progressives. Challengers are mounting a credible run against 16-term Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who represents a racially diverse district in Westchester and the Bronx. Engel has raised $1.2 million not a huge sum by New York City standards and faces a June primary against rivals including middle school principal Jamaal Bowman, who has won endorsements from progressive groups. Also in New York, liberals have uphill races to defeat House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler and Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney both approaching three decades in Congress. In New Mexico, attorney Teresa Leger Fernandez had a strong showing at last weekends statewide Democratic convention that suggests shell be a strong candidate for an open House seat in the states north. Leger Fernandez, backed by Ocasio-Cortez, is still facing former CIA operative Valerie Plame in the June 2 primary. In Columbus, Ohio, Rep. Joyce Beatty is vastly outspending liberal upstart Morgan Harper in a March 17 primary. Beatty says shes glad to not be running on a socialist Justice Democrat ticket like she says Harper is. Harper, an attorney, says she thinks she can benefit from the attention the partys presidential race is getting in the student-heavy district. And in western Massachusetts, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal is being challenged by a local mayor, though Neal boasts a massive fundraising advantage. Celinda Lake, a pollster working for Biden and some congressional incumbents, says the Democratic presidential and congressional primaries operate on separate political planes. With Biden drawing African American voters to the polls and Sanders appeal to the young, Lake says contenders in House and Senate primaries will face new voters who dont know them as well, so they better get out and communicate. ___ Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game. MEXICO CITY - A state lawmaker was shot dead Tuesday as he rode in an SUV in the capital of the gang-torn western state of Michoacan, authorities reported. Erik Juarez Blanquet received multiple bullet impacts in the morning attack, according to a statement by Michoacan prosecutors. Michoacans Department of Public Safety said via Twitter that two others were wounded. Following the attack, police detained two men and seized a motorcycle and handgun and were working to determine whether they were involved in the shooting, it said. State Gov. Silvano Aureoles expressed regret over the killing of Juarez, who was a member of his Democratic Revolution Party. Michoacan has a strong presence of organized crime groups that regularly war with each other for territory and control. The violence has not been as intense in the capital, Morelia, as in other parts of the state. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday that six more positive cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) have been confirmed in the state. The total tally of the infected people now stands at 12. Following a special cabinet meeting, Vijayan told reporters that those affected comprise three people who had come from Italy and eight who came in contact with the infected. A three-year-old child, who came back along with his parents from the European country, was tested positive for the deadly virus in Kochi on Monday. Also Read: Coronavirus Updates: Number rises to 40 after fresh cases in Kerala, Tamil Nadu The samples of his parents have also been sent for testing and the results are awaited, Vijayan said. Totally, 1,116 people are under surveillance in the state and 149 in various hospitals, he said. India's first three positive cases, reported from Kerala earlier, have been treated and discharged from hospitals. In the backdrop of more cases being reported, classes for grade one to 7 would not be held in all state, CBSE and ICSE schools. But, exams for grade eight, nine, 10 and higher secondary would be held. Also Read: Coronavirus in India: 10 states-UTs affected, new cases, global scenario; check details Students who are under observation would be permitted to write examinations in a special room. The Chief Minister said all colleges would also be shut till this month end. Madrasas and tutorials would also be closed till March 31. Marriage rituals can be held but people should aovid attending such functions. It is better pilgrims do not visit Sabarimala for darshan, Vijayan said. Also Read: Coronavirus outbreak: 5 more tested positive in Kerala; total cases surge to 39 (With PTI inputs) German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Libyan military commander Khalifa Hifter in Berlin on Tuesday in a bid to advance efforts to secure a lasting cease-fire in Libya. An administration backed by Hifter's forces controls most of Libya's east and south, while a UN-backed but weak government in Tripoli holds a shrinking area in the west, including the capital. A patchwork of armed groups and foreign countries support one or the other. Hifter's forces launched an offensive in April 2019 to seize Tripoli but the operation has been at a military stalemate. Last month, rival Libyan military officials met in Geneva, where the United Nations said they agreed to a draft cease-fire agreement that involved the return of displaced civilians to their homes. The fate of the draft agreement remains unclear. The hoped-for cease-fire would solidify a truce brokered by Russia and Turkey that took effect in January and has been fragile at best. Low-intensity fighting and artillery shelling continue in Tripoli's suburbs. Merkel hosted a summit in January of countries with an interest in Libya's long-running conflict. Those countries agreed to respect a much-violated U.N. arms embargo, hold off on military support to Libya's warring parties and push them to reach a full cease-fire. But violations of the arms embargo persisted. At Tuesday's meeting with Hifter, Merkel stressed that there can be no military solution to the conflict and so a cease-fire and progress in the political process, in line with the decisions of the Berlin conference, are necessary, her spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said in a statement. He didn't detail Hifter's response. Hifter's visit to Berlin was his second in recent months. He also met Merkel on the day of the January conference, as did the Tripoli government's Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj. The Libyan commander visited Paris and met French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday. A senior French official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with the presidency's customary practices, said Hifter committed to sign the draft cease-fire deal from last month, but noted that the commitment depends on the other side respecting the cease-fire. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Cafe Rouge kitchen worker is suing the French bistro chain for 100,000 after claiming a cut finger he suffered while slicing a baguette has left him 'traumatised'. Yann Boudjenah, 33, says he cut himself while slicing bread at the Bromley branch of the restaurant group on Christmas Eve 2015. He claims the injury in the busy kitchen had a deep psychological impact on him and that he is now unable to work. Judge Richard Roberts at Central London County Court heard that Mr Boudjenah says he now has a shaky hand because of the 'psychological effects' of the cut. Yann Boudjenah, 33, pictured outside court, says he cut himself while slicing bread at the Bromley branch of the restaurant group on Christmas Eve 2015 Lawyers for the kitchen worker claim the accident happened because the kitchen was 'understaffed' and that 'there was no safe system of work' in place. But Cafe Rouge Restaurants, which has 70 branches nationwide, denies the accident took place as described by Mr Boudjenah and disputes its alleged impact on him. Barrister, Maurice Holmes, told the judge the company had been expecting to defend a claim of less than 10,000 for a minor cut and had been shocked when presented with a loss of earnings claim for 96,000, plus general damages, by Mr Boudjenah's lawyers. They would 'have to go back to the beginning' to prepare a defence against a 100,000 claim for serious psychiatric injury, in a case where Mr Boudjenah is 'now not working,' he added. He said the basis of Mr Boudjenah's claim was that the kitchen was short-staffed on the night he was cut and 'there was no safe system of work' in place. But he said the understaffing allegation would not be a valid route to a payout unless it was 'so dangerously short-staffed that it was causative of the injury.' And he denied that the restaurant was short-staffed at all, adding: 'There were five, if not six, people working in the kitchen, which is what is normal.' Yann Boudjenah, 33, says he cut himself while slicing bread at the Bromley branch (pictured) of the restaurant group on Christmas Eve 2015 He also told the judge that the restaurant chain disputes his account of how he was injured, saying there was evidence of a 'fight' having taken place involving Mr Boudjenah and another member of kitchen staff. 'There are two polar opposite accounts of what happened in that kitchen,' he said. 'Either he cut his hand innocently using a breadknife, or there was some sort of fight or commotion. 'They can't both be true. If it turns out that they were fighting, that is the end of this case.' He told the judge Cafe Rouge Restaurants would be exploring the question of 'fundamental dishonesty' on the part of Mr Boudjenah in their defence to his claim. The case had been set for trial, but was adjourned after the judge was told that Mr Boudjenah's English is not good enough to give evidence unassisted and he didn't have an interpreter. Mr Holmes asked for the claim to be struck out, but lawyers for Mr Boudjenah asked for an adjournment, saying as well as securing an interpreter they would be commissioning a report from a consultant psychologist on the effects of the accident and his shaky hand. Adjourning the trial to a later date, the judge said: 'Mr Boudjenah says he has a tremor in his hand. He says it is not typical and is related to the psychological effects of the incident. 'It is clear this trial can't go ahead today. Mr Boudjenah has insufficient understanding of English to be able to give evidence. 'It would not be just or proportionate at this stage to strike the claim out. I order that this claim be adjourned.' The case will now come back for trial at a later date yet to be set. RAC / Contributed photo HOME, a new show by exhibiting members at the Rowayton Arts Center, will be opening Sunday, March 15, with a free, public reception from 4 to 6 p.m., and continuing through Saturday, April 11. The home is a physical dwelling, but also an idea; a state of mind, RAC said in a news release. Theyre decorated, cleaned, improved, but what is the intangible that makes a home, HOME? As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the State Department continue to urge Americans to avoid cruise ships, and with a ban on much travel from Europe set to begin on Friday, the cruise industry reversed course this week and began suspending sailings. On Wednesday, Viking said it was temporarily suspending operations of river and ocean cruises, for embarkations taking place between March 12 and April 30. On Thursday, Princess Cruises announced it was voluntarily suspending all 18 of its ships for two months; the company has canceled departures scheduled between March 12 and May 10. It is our intention to reassure our loyal guests, team members and global stakeholders of our commitment to the health, safety and well-being of all who sail with us, as well as those who do business with us, and the countries and communities we visit around the world, Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises, said in an emailed statement. Two of the companys ships, the Diamond Princess and the Grand Princess, have been quarantined, with numerous passengers becoming infected. Extends global position of VERIFI in-transit concrete management system through expanded partnership with Singapore's largest concrete and cement provider CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GCP Applied Technologies Inc. (NYSE: GCP), a leading global provider of construction products technologies, today announced that it has reached an agreement with Pan-United Concrete Pte. Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore-listed Pan-United Corporation Ltd., the country's largest concrete and cement provider. The agreement implements GCP's VERIFI in-transit concrete management system for use in more than 300 of Pan-United's fleet of concrete mixer trucks in the Singapore market. "Our agreement with Pan-United is an important step in expanding the global reach of our VERIFI in-transit concrete management system and strengthening our position in the Asia Pacific market," said Dr. Boudewijn Van Lent, GCP's EVP of Specialty Construction Chemicals. "Pan-United is a global leader and proven concrete technology innovator, and we are pleased to build our partnership and continue to improve the quality, consistency and efficiency of how concrete is delivered." The VERIFI in-transit concrete management system provides sophisticated, automated process monitoring and control during transit from the ready-mix concrete plant to the jobsite by using sensors installed on concrete mixer trucks to monitor, measure and manage concrete properties in-transit. The VERIFI system offers a new level of concrete quality control and helps increase product consistency from one truck to the next to reduce rejected loads, increase jobsite efficiency and minimize costly project delays. In addition, the technology offers several environmental benefits including the potential for less cement usage and reduced waste as well as increased fuel efficiency. "The VERIFI system is a breakthrough innovation in the construction industry. It sets higher standards for concrete quality, workability management and consistency. It also improves the productivity of our operations and demonstrates our commitment to sustainability," said Mr. Ken Loh, Chief Operating Officer of Pan-United Corporation Ltd. "Pan-United is excited to expand the use of the VERIFI system in our fleet. This is an important step in leading the way to driving innovation deeper into the concrete industry, while enhancing efficiency and providing sustainable solutions to our customers," added Mr. Loh. About GCP Applied Technologies GCP is a leading global provider of construction products technologies that include admixtures and additives for concrete and cement, the VERIFI in-transit concrete management system, high-performance waterproofing products, and specialty construction products. GCP products have been used to build some of the world's most renowned structures. More information is available at www.gcpat.com. Investor Relations Joseph DeCristofaro T +1 617.498.2616 investors@gcpat.com This announcement contains "forward-looking statements," within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the context of the statement and generally arise when GCP or its management is discussing its beliefs, estimates or expectations. Such statements generally include the words "believes," "plans," "intends," "targets," "will," "expects," "estimates," "suggests," "anticipates," "outlook," "continues," or similar expressions. These statements are not historical facts or guarantees of future performance but instead represent only the beliefs of GCP and its management at the time the statements were made regarding future events which are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside GCP's control. Actual results and outcomes may differ materially from what is expressed or forecast in such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements about expected financial positions; results of operations; cash flows; financing plans; business strategy; operating plans; strategic alternatives; capital and other expenditures; competitive positions; growth opportunities for existing products; benefits from new technology and cost reduction initiatives, plans and objectives; and markets for securities. Like other businesses, we are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from our projections or that could cause other forward-looking statements to prove incorrect. Factors that could cause actual results to materially differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, or that could cause other forward-looking statements to prove incorrect, include, without limitation, risks related to: the cyclical and seasonal nature of the industries that GCP serves; foreign operations, especially in emerging regions; changes in currency exchange rates; the cost and availability of raw materials and energy; the effectiveness of GCP's research and development, new product introductions and growth investments; acquisitions and divestitures of assets and gains and losses from dispositions; developments affecting GCP's outstanding liquidity and indebtedness, including debt covenants and interest rate exposure; developments affecting GCP's funded and unfunded pension obligations; warranty and product liability claims; legal proceedings; the inability to establish or maintain certain business relationships and relationships with customers and suppliers or the inability to retain key personnel; the handling of hazardous materials and the costs of compliance with environmental regulations; extreme weather events and natural disasters. These and other factors are identified and described in more detail in GCP's Annual Report on Form 10-K, which has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and is available online at www.sec.gov, and subsequent quarterly reports. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on GCP's projections and other forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date thereof. GCP undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revision to its projections and other forward-looking statements contained in this announcement, or to update them to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this announcement. Sometimes good things fall apart so that better things can fall together." This is what Shreya Siddanagowder wrote in her notebook a year after her hand transplant. Back in 2016, Shreya was in a bus accident while travelling from her hometown in Pune to her college in Karnataka. The accident resulted in the amputation of both her hands. Source/iflscience But she didn't lose hope. A year later, she visited the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) in Kochi, which is known for a series of a successful transplants. According to an Indian Express report, at the time, there were over 200 inquiries by amputees, some from as far as Afghanistan, Malaysia and Bangladesh. Shreya says she met an Afghan national who had been waiting for a donor for a year. The transplant coordinator said it could take months for a donor to come. We returned to our hotel without any hope. An hour later, the hospital called us back for urgent blood tests, Shreya was quoted saying. The report states that the doctors found a donor for her on the same day August 9, 2017. Sachin, a B.Com student had been declared brain dead that day and his family had agreed to donate his organs including his hands. And, as Shreyas blood type was compatible with Sachin, she underwent the double-hand transplant. It took over 13 hours and a team of 20 surgeons and 16 anaesthesia specialists to successfully attach the hands to Shreyas body. Before and after surgery/Indian Express Now, for a year-and-a-half, Shreya underwent intensive physiotherapy in Kochi. The hand felt heavy, it was bulky initially, she said. However, in the last 3-4 months, Shreyas mother Suma noticed that her fingers were becoming leaner. I see her hand every day. The fingers have become like a womans, the wrist is smaller. These are remarkable changes, she was quoted saying. Siddanagowda's hands have reportedly turned lighter to match the rest of her skin tone, The Indian Express newspaper reports. Her doctors remain unsure how this happened since similar cases are few and far between. Dr Subramania Iyer, head of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Amrita Institute, said that they never anticipated such changes. This is our first case of male-to-female hand transplant. We can only guess that female hormones have led to the change but assessing the exact cause is difficult, he added. Fewer than 100 hand transplants have been reported worldwide in the past 25 years and only nine cases where the transplant includes parts of the upper arm, so theres not a huge wealth of information on the topic. This operation was also from a male-to-female donor transplant, which the surgeons say could further complicate the issue. Twitter I dont know how the transformation occurred. But it feels like my own hands now. The skin colour was very dark after the transplant, not that it was ever my concern, but now it matches my tone. While her finger muscles are yet to function fully, the 21-year-old still leads a normal social life. Meanwhile, she is also pursuing a BA in Economics and writes her exams with her own hand. Fresh off a dominant performance on Super Tuesday, Joe Biden sought to ride the wave of momentum into this week as voters in six more states went to the ballot box Tuesday. By 1 a.m. ET Biden had continued his dominance in states south of the Mason-Dixon Line, claiming wins in Mississippi and Missouri. Biden also claimed victory in Idaho and in Michigan, the biggest prize among the states voting Tuesday. The former vice president received an endorsement from former primary rival Andrew Yang. The Associated Press called the race for Sanders in North Dakota just before 8 a.m. Wednesday with the senator taking 53% of the votes. Washington is still too close to call as of 12:25 p.m. ET Wednesday. Sanders edged over Biden in Washington by about 2,000 votes as of early Wednesday with about 67% of precincts reporting. While addressing supporters in Philadelphia, Biden noted that many had declared that this candidacy was dead only days ago but now were very much alive. He also asked Bernie Sanders supporters to back him going forward. Sanders had spent much of the weekend campaigning in Michigan. The Democratic presidential hopefuls were slated to hold rallies Tuesday in Cleveland, one week ahead of Ohio's primary election. Both candidates canceled those rallies due to coronavirus concerns. The pool has dwindled down from more than 20 to just three Democratic candidates: Former Vice President Joe Biden Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, of Hawaii Here are the state-by-state results for Super Tuesday part II: Idaho Delegates at stake: 20 Polls closed at 8 p.m. (Mountain time) in some of Idaho's counties. Nine counties closed one hour later at 8 p.m. Pacific time. In the early hours of Wednesday, Joe Biden was named the winner of Idaho. It was the former vice president's fourth win of the night. Last year, Idaho was the nation's fastest-growing state, with close to 37,000 new residents boosting its population to nearly 1.8 million. In the past decade, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the deeply conservative state has seen a population jump of more than 200,000. Studies indicate many have come from liberal-leaning California, Oregon and Washington. But are those new residents bringing blue-state politics? Or are they Republicans fleeing the coast for conservative Idaho? An answer could soon emerge. Democrats are using a primary for the first time after picking Sen. Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton at a caucus in 2016. President Barack Obama handily won the Democratic contest in Idaho over Clinton in 2008. President Trump easily won the state's GOP primary. 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 Michigan Delegates at stake: 125 Most polls closed at 8 p.m. (Eastern time) Four counties are in the Central time zone and closed one hour later (8 p.m. Central time) Former Vice President Joe Biden has won Michigan in the 2020 Democratic primary race. The win follows a strong showing during last weeks Super Tuesday, where Biden ran away with 10 of the 13 states up for grabs. Bidens win of the Wolverine State will help solidify his front-runner status and potentially hold off opponent Sen. Bernie Sanders. President Trump easily won the state's GOP primary. 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 Mississippi Delegates at stake: 36 Polls closed at 7 p.m. (Central time) Former Vice President Joe Biden has won Mississippi in the 2020 Democratic primary race. Biden took an expected victory in the Magnolia State, as polling showed he held a comfortable lead over rival Sen. Bernie Sanders. The Biden campaign hopes to consolidate its delegate count lead over the Sanders campaign, chipping away with small state victories as well as pulling off unexpected wins in places like Texas. President Trump easily won the state's GOP primary. 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 Missouri Delegates at stake: 68 Polls closed at 7 p.m. (Central time) Biden has won the Democratic presidential primary in Missouri. Missouri has 68 delegates at stake. Missouri is among the more conservative of the six states holding Democratic primaries Tuesday. All but one of the statewide elected officials are Republicans. The Democratic presidential candidate faces an uphill battle to carry Missouri in November against President Donald Trump, who won the state by 19 percentage points in 2016. 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 North Dakota Delegates at stake: 14 Voting ended at 7 p.m. (Central time) Sanders was declared the winner of North Dakota Wednesday morning, the Associated Press reported. North Dakota is the smallest prize of the six states holding caucuses or primaries Tuesday, with only 14 pledged delegates at stake. That pales in comparison with Michigan's 125, Washington's 89 or Missouri's 68. As a result, North Dakota hasn't gotten much attention from either candidate. Sanders won North Dakota during the 2016 primary season. 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 Washington Delegates at stake: 89 Polls closed at 8 p.m. (Pacific time) As the polls closed in Washington state, the race was too close to call. Sanders was expected to do well in the Evergreen State, which he carried over Clinton in 2016, though one major change has happened in the state's voting process. 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 Delegate Tracker App users tap here for the delegate tracker 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 The Tauyanago family from Chikombedzi lost three of their kinsman in a road traffic accident between Beitbridge Border Post and Musina on Sunday evening. The family was plunged into mourning after Morris Tauyanago (62) and his daughter in law Shelter Muzvidziwa (33) and grandchild Ngakudzwe (one-year-old) were killed when a Toyota Fortuner they had been traveling in rammed into the trailer of a haulage truck along the N1 highway. The truck had just got onto the road and travelling towards Beitbridge border post while the Toyota Fortuner was heading towards Musina. To add salt to injury, Mr Tauyanago had just crossed into South Africa for the first time in his lifetime when tragedy struck. He was going to visit his children most of whom are based in South Africa. The Tauyanagos met their demise together with Sharon Nyathi (26) , Kudzai Chirengende (24), Gilbert Mahonolwa (50) and Winston Sunday (28) and all had their remains interred yesterday in Chiredzi and Chivi districts, except Sunday whose remains are pending repatriation. Morriss young brother, Honest said he was still in a state of shock and that he had been left with many questions than answers. This is very painful, my brother had just crossed into South Africa for the first time in his lifetime. We are putting everything in Gods hands. At the same time I want to urge the South Africans to consider putting a traffic circle near the accident scene which has become a death trap. Many people have died in road accidents at the same spot. I am also a driver and I know how bad that stretch is. This is very painful to lose a loved one under such circumstances, he said. Honests Sister Evelyn said she was still at pains to accept her fathers death. She said the senior citizen was visiting all his children based in the neighbouring country when he met his demise. I am heart broken, we have lost our pillar of strength, a man full of love. What really pains me is that he died even before getting to Musina town, a place he had wished to visit in a long time, she said. Another relative, Patson Tauyanago said though the family had been plunged into mourning he was grateful for the help they got from South African Authorities and the Zimbabwean Government through its South African consulate. He said the efforts by authorities had made the identification and repatriation process seamless. This is just too much for us. I have never dreamt of a day one would lose his grandfather, aunt and young brother in such a painful manner. At the same time let me commend the South African and Zimbabweans governments for their assistance. This scenario is very devastating, said Patson. However, we have to be strong and move on.At the same time let me commend the South African and Zimbabweans governments for their assistance. This scenario is very devastating, said Patson. Ms Ngonidzashe Mvura said she had lost a hardworking sister in Kudzai Chirengende (24). It is very disturbing for one to outlive their youngest siblings. My sister was very hard working and she was a go getter whom we all believed in. As hard as it is we have to put everything in our makers hands. This tragedy wouldnt have been easier without the help of the Road accident Fund (South Africa) and the Zimbabwe Embassy stuff. Such a gesture must be extended to all Zimbabweans, she said. Zimbabwes Consul-General to South Africa Mrs Melody Chaurura, who accompanied the bodies from south of the Limpopo to Zimbabwe on Thursday expressed her heartfelt condolences to the bereaving families. Sen. Bernie Sanders' and Joe Biden's campaigns announced in separate statements Tuesday that their dueling rallies tonight in Cleveland will be canceled due to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus. Why it matters: It's the first time rallies in the 2020 presidential primary will be canceled over coronavirus fears. Both campaigns said they would evaluate future events on a case by case basis. The news follows warnings from Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine, who tweeted Tuesday: "Through the limiting of large events, our goal is to dramatically slow down the spread of COVID 19 and save lives. Now is the time to take action. ... The truth is that COVID 19 is dangerous. We can't ignore it. We can't wish it away. We have to call it as it is." What they're saying: "Out of concern for public health and safety, we are canceling tonights rally in Cleveland. We are heeding the public warnings from Ohio state officials, who have communicated concerns about holding large, indoor events during the coronavirus outbreak. Sen. Sanders would like to express his regret to the thousands of Ohioans who had planned to attend the event tonight. All future Bernie 2020 events will be evaluated on a case by case basis." Sanders communications director Mike Casca "In accordance with guidance from public officials and out of an abundance of caution, our rally in Cleveland, Ohio tonight is cancelled. We will continue to consult with public health officials and public health guidance and make announcements about future events. In the coming days. Vice President Biden thanks all of his supporters who wanted to be with us in Cleveland this. Additional details on where Vice President Biden will address the press tonight are forthcoming." Biden communications director Kate Bedingfield WASHINGTONPresident Donald Trump said on Monday that the White House would ask Congress to pass financial measures for workers and businesses to deal with the significant economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis. Speaking at a press conference at the White House, Trump said there would be meetings with members of the House and Senate on Tuesday to discuss a possible payroll tax cut, calling it a very substantial relief for workers. Were also going to be talking about hourly wage earners getting help, so they dont worry about missing a paycheck, he added. The U.S. stock market plummeted on Monday as fears of the coronavirus and a steep decline in oil prices shook trader confidence around the world, triggering the first automatic trading halt in more than 20 years. U.S. stocks neared the 20-percent drop, approaching the so-called bear market territory. Trump said that the economic measures would also provide liquidity to large and small companies that are hit by the coronavirus outbreak. Its not their fault. Its not our countrys fault, Trump said. Also, were going to be seeing [the] Small Business Administration and creating loans for small businesses. Administration officials are working with the airline industry, cruise ship industry, and hotels that are affected by the virus the most, he added. The details of the economic package will be announced tomorrow at a press conference following meetings with lawmakers, Trump said. This was something that we were thrown into, and were going to handle it and we have been handling it very well. Asked whether the United States is heading toward a recession, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin sounded confident that the U.S. economy is resilient enough to weather a significant crisis from the outbreak. There are parts of the economy that are going to be impacted, especially workers that need to be at home, hard-working people who are at home under quarantine or taking care of their family. Well be working on a program to address that, he said. We will also be working with small businesses who need liquidity through SBA programs. This is not like the financial crisis, where we dont know the end in sight. This is about providing proper tools and liquidity to get through the next few months, said Mnuchin. Congress passed an $8.3 billion aid package last week to curb the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. The bill authorizes $7.76 billion funds for vaccine development and medical supplies, grants for health agencies and organizations, and loans for impacted small businesses. The bill also provides $500 million in waivers for Medicaid telehealth restrictions. The president signed the bill into law on March 6. Trump is expected to meet with CEOs of top U.S. banks at the White House on Wednesday to discuss responses to the outbreak. From The Epoch Times Dozens of farmers in Exmoor National Park will soon begin trials of the government's new approach to rewarding farmers for delivering public benefits. It is one of around 50 Defra 'tests and trials' going on to help inform the development of the future Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELM), due to be rolled out in 2024. The scheme will see farmers paid for work that enhances the environment, such as tree or hedge planting, river management to mitigate flooding, or creating habitats. Moving away from a system that pays farmers for the total amount of land farmed, ELM will instead pay for public goods. During a visit to Exmoor in 2018, former Defra Secretary Michael Gove toured two Exmoor farms and met with representatives from the Exmoor Hill Farming Network CIC (EHFN), Exmoor National Park Authority and consultancy firm Rural Focus, who co-designed the scheme. Defra has since agreed to fund work on Exmoor to demonstrate the concept in practice, with the trial expected to run from this month until early next year. Key objectives include a thorough on the ground test to catalogue the range of public goods that each farm could potentially deliver. This would be central to farmers being able to balance the books in terms of delivering environmental benefits alongside productivity and other strands of business. Mapping the value of natural capital right across Exmoor to maximise the delivery of public goods and work towards a system of awarding payment for different environmental outcomes will also be primary activities. Dave Knight, EHFN Chair of Directors, said the 'grassroots approach' Defra is trying to create will benefit Exmoors farmed landscape. "It will better support farmers to deliver environmental benefit alongside traditional farming practices, allowing them to play an even greater part in the delivery of public goods in the National Park," he said. Some Sydney private schools are urgently restricting contact between their students, other schools and the outside community to prevent transmission of coronavirus, as more than 250 children self-isolate after coming into close contact with a confirmed case. Fifty-six students from Willoughby Girls High School and up to 150 students from St Patrick's Marist College in Dundas will need to complete school work from home over the next 14 days after their schools closed on Monday. Almost 70 staff and students at Epping Boys High School are also in self-isolation. Empty classrooms at St Patricks Marist College in Dundas on Monday, after students were sent home due to coronavirus. About 150 students and staff will now need to self-isolate for two weeks. Credit:Kate Geraghty St Patrick's, where two students tested positive for COVID-19, will remain non-operational for a third day on Wednesday. "All students who cannot attend school due to self-isolation will be able to receive their learning programs at home including through Google classroom and assessment tasks have been temporarily postponed," a Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta spokesperson said. Brigidine College in St Ives on Tuesday also asked some of its students to self-isolate and return from school camp after it learned they came into contact with an infected St Patrick's student at a Catholic school public speaking competition last Friday night. Motorcity, the exclusive distributor of Isuzu vehicles in Bahrain has delivered a fleet of Isuzu trucks to the Mohammed Al-Ojaimi Group, a leading Saudi-based company serving different industries within Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The group is currently executing the second phase of the Electricity and Water Authoritys (EWA) transmission development project, and the Isuzu D-Max pickups and N-Series trucks are perfectly suited to increase productivity and keep operational expenses low. General Manager of Motorcity Commercial, Arun Kumaar highlighted the demand for reliable vehicles that support the growth of businesses, stating, Isuzu trucks are built to provide sustainable and efficient transportation solutions. The trucks come with high cargo capacity, advanced safety features and turbo inter-cooled diesel engines, which effectively reduce their fuel consumption. They are tried and trusted as dependable and affordable commercial vehicles. Movement & Maintenance Manager at Mohammed Al-Ojaimi Group, Hussam M. Dalal believes that upgrading the fleet with Isuzu trucks is a significant step, stating, We wanted to strengthen our presence in the Bahrain market, and adding four Isuzu D-Max pick-ups and three Isuzu NPR crew cabins to our existing fleet is part of a strategic plan. We are confident of their durability, ease of maintenance and low operational costs. Kumaar handed over the fleet to Dalal at the Motorcity showroom in Nuwaidrat. The full range of Isuzu vehicles are available at the Motorcity showroom.-- Tradearabia News Service [March 10, 2020] Databricks Recognized as One of Forbes' Best Startup Employers 2020 Databricks, the leader in unified data analytics, has been recognized as part of Forbes' inaugural list of America's Best Startup Employers for 2020. This recognition comes on the heels of tremendous business momentum and investments in global expansion. Databricks announced in October 2019, it has grown annual recurring revenue (ARR) well over 2.5x over the past year and has gone from almost no revenue to a $200 million revenue run rate in less than four years. The company has thousands of customers and is valued at $6.2 billion. Databricks currently has over 1,300 employees and continues to grow the team worldwide. The company is dedicated to building engineering teams to advance popular open source technologies, including Apache Spark for big data processing and the more recently created Delta Lake, MLflow, and Koalas for data management and machine learning. To support continued innovation, Databricks opened a major engineering hub in Toronto, Canada, and announced in 2019 it will invest 100 million Euros in its European Development Center in Amsterdam over the next three years. "We are on an amazing journey. Being among the fastest growing enterprise software cloud companies on record was unimaginable when we started Databricks," said Ali Ghodsi, co-founder and CEO. "To get here we've stayed focused on the three big bets we made when founding the company - cloud, open source and machine learning. Fast forward seven years and thousands of data teams aroundthe globe are working better together on Databricks." On its mission to help data teams solve the world's toughest problems, Databricks has grown on its core value of being customer obsessed, building a strong partner ecosystem and continuing to contribute to the open source community. Thousands of global organizations such as Nielsen, Hotels.com, Overstock, Bechtel, Shell and HP run on Databricks to unify data teams - data engineers, scientists and analysts - so they can innovate faster. This prestigious award is presented by Forbes and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The award list was announced on March 10, 2020 and can currently be viewed on the Forbes website. Forbes and Statista analyzed more than 7 million data points to identify the top Startup employers. In particular, three aspects of each company were assessed during the evaluation: employer reputation, employee satisfaction, and company growth. Out of the thousands of qualified organizations in the United States, 500 companies earned this distinction, and Databricks is ecstatic to be recognized as one of Forbes' 2020 list of America's Best Startup Employers. About Databricks Databricks helps data teams solve the world's toughest problems. As the leader in Unified Data Analytics, Databricks helps organizations make all their data ready for analytics, empower data-driven decisions across the organization, and rapidly adopt machine learning to outpace the competition. The company's global customer base has thousands of organizations including Comcast (News - Alert), Shell, Expedia, and Regeneron. Databricks is venture-backed and founded by the original creators of popular open source projects, including Apache Spark, Delta Lake and MLflow. To learn more, follow Databricks on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Apache, Apache Spark and Spark are trademarks of the Apache Software Foundation. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005225/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Amid the coronavirus panic and plunging oil prices, fears are mounting of an economic slowdown in the Middle Easts main oil-producing countries. The price of Brent crude oil dropped nearly 30% Monday in its biggest one-day fall since the Gulf war in 1991. The tanking oil prices followed a breakdown in talks between Saudi Arabia, the worlds second largest oil producer, and Russia. On Sunday, the kingdom announced a deep discount in its export prices in apparent retaliation for Moscows unwillingness to join the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in a large production cut meant to offset the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. The ensuing price collapse comes as the region is still reeling from the spread of the novel coronavirus, also known as Covid-19. More than 116,000 people have contracted the illness in over 80 countries, according to Johns Hopkins University. Of the more than 4,000 recorded deaths, the majority have occured in mainland China. All the Gulf Arab states have recorded cases. On Monday, Saudi Arabia announced it was temporarily closing its borders to flights from more than a dozen countries, including the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain. In Iran, where the outbreak is among the deadliest outside of China, authorities say the virus has killed more than 290 people and infected over 8,000. Amid the coronavirus fears, the regions top oil producers have seen a decrease in oil consumption from China. The World Bank warns those countries will likely see a decline in income this year if the price drop persists. As the world struggles with the fear of recession, the Middle East and North Africa could be the hardest hit by what is arguably a perfect storm: The coronavirus spreads to the region and oil prices collapse, the World Bank said in a recent briefing paper. It is likely that lower oil prices will directly hurt oil exporters, whose income will decline, and indirectly importers which will see reduced foreign direct investments, remittances, and grants from the exporters, it read. On Tuesday, Iraqs Oil Minister Thamir Ghadhban said in a statement that he was in contact with other OPEC+ members to discuss ways to prevent oil prices from dropping further. "Flooding the world market with oil is not in the interest of the producing countries, his spokesman added. According to the International Energy Agencys latest forecast, oil demand could drop in what would mark the first full-year decline since 2009. If the coronavirus is not contained, the Paris-based agency said global demand for oil could fall by as much as 730,000 barrels a day in 2020. In another bleak assessment, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) predicts global GDP growth could fall to just 1.5% in 2020 half the rate projected before the viral outbreak. This story contains additional reporting from Reuters. Foreign Secretary on Tuesday met French Ambassador Emmanuel Lenain and discussed future steps in Indo-French partnership and new areas for both countries to work together in. "Foreign Secretary @HarshShringla met Ambassador of #France Emmanuel Lenain and discussed the enduring strategic partnership and our exchanges in diverse fields," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. India and France have been strategic partners since 1998. India and France first signed "strategic partnership" during French President Jacques Chirac's visit to India in 1998. Both countries have a common approach towards civilisational exceptionalism and have found their places strongly in the multipolar world after the end of the Cold War. India and France also share a healthy partnership in the defence sector, making France one of India's important strategic partners. This story is no longer being updated. Click here the latest on coronavirus in the Bay Area starting March 11. For more coverage, visit our complete coronavirus section here. LATEST, March 10, 8:30 p.m. Three Transportation Security Officers at Mineta San Jose International Airport tested positive for COVID-19, TSA officials said. The infected employees are receiving medical care, and all TSA employees they had contact with over the past 14 days are quarantined at home. "Screening checkpoints remain open and the agency is working with the CDC, as well as the California Department of Public Health and the Santa Clara County Public Health Department to monitor the situation as well as the health and safety of our employees and the traveling public. We will update as more information becomes available," TSA said in a statement. It's unclear if these cases are among the 45 cases already reported by public health officers in Santa Clara County. Elsewhere, Contra Costa County announced one presumptive case of COVID-19 on Tuesday afternoon, bringing the county total to 10 residents. The county has also treated non-residents in hospitals. County officials have called for cancellations of public events with 50 or more people. A new case was also detected in Alameda County, the county's third. The county is calling for the cancellation of events with 1,000 or more people. March 10, 3:15 p.m.: The Archdiocese of San Francisco announced all 90 of its Catholic schools in San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin counties would close for two weeks after a student tested positive for COVID-19. Buildings will be closed, classes and activities canceled, and all learning material will be distributed "utilizing the Archdiocesan distance learning protocol," the superintendent said in a statement. The closures affect 22 preschools, 55 elementary schools and 13 high schools across the three counties. Read the latest on school closures around the Bay Area here. March 10, 2:52 p.m.: Another two cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Santa Clara County, bringing the county's total to 45. "We expect numbers to grow & urge everyone to follow Public Health recommendations," the Public Health Department said on Twitter. The county didn't immediately release details on the two new individuals. Of the 43 prior-known cases, 21 are hospitalized (10 are in intensive care). Eight were exposed through international travel, 14 through contact with another known coronavirus patient, and 21 through community transmission. March 10, 2:35 p.m.: A San Francisco Wells Fargo employee is one of those who tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the city, according to KGO. The employee reportedly worked in an office at 555 California St., one of the city's largest skyscrapers. Other tenants at 555 California include Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and Microsoft. March 10, 2 p.m.: In a news briefing, Gov. Gavin Newsom said 157 people have tested positive for COVID-19 statewide. So far, 7,675 tests are available at 18 labs around the state. Newsom said the state is working to rapidly scale up testing capabilities. "Many of these test kits are like printers but without ink," Newsom explained, saying key components are missing in order to make tests more widely available. He said he was pressuring the CDC to help make re-agents, the aforementioned missing component, more widely available. Newsom praised Santa Clara County officials for shutting down large events, but said there weren't yet any plans for similar measures statewide. "The conditions are distinctive in Santa Clara ... the number of cases in Santa Clara distinguish it," Newsom said, before addressing how professional sports teams are addressing the epidemic. "I found it quite curious that the four major organizations NHL, soccer, Major League Baseball and the NBA put out guidelines to protect their players but not their fans." He also spoke about quarantine protocol for the 3,500 people onboard the Grand Princess cruise ship docked in Oakland. Newsom said those who need critical care are being tended to first, before Californians and then finally non-Californians. So far, passengers have been moved to Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield. Evacuees will also be taken to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. Crew will be quarantined on the ship. March 10, 12:35 p.m.: BART ridership has suffered a dramatic drop since coronavirus began to spread in the Bay Area. Ridership was down 25% on Monday, March 10 as compared to Monday, Feb. 24, BART spokesperson Alicia Trost told KQED reporter Dan Brekke. There were 301,547 riders Monday compared to 403,002 on Feb. 24, Brekke reports. The drop in ridership came as many Bay Area companies instructed employees to work remotely to avoid potential COVID-19 contamination or spread. Contra Costa County also declared a state of emergency Tuesday afternoon, a move that will make it easier to get state and federal resources to fighting the spread of the virus. March 10, 10:30 a.m.: San Francisco public health officials reported another case of COVID-19 Tuesday, bringing the city total to 14. The new case is a patient who had known contact with an infected person; the individual is hospitalized. This news comes after the city announced five new cases on Monday. In Santa Clara County, supervisors unanimously voted Tuesday to extend the local health emergency declaration banning all gatherings of over 1,000 people through April 9, NBC News reported. Santa Clara County reported six new cases Monday and now has 43 infected patients, the highest number of known cases in any Bay Area county. To prevent spread, city officials are banning gatherings and asking the public to maintain social distancing. The ban does not apply to airports, shopping malls, grocery stores or offices, and is enforceable by both the sheriff's office and local police departments. It goes into effect on Wednesday. "This is all hands on deck," Santa Clara County health officer Dr. Sara Cody said in a press conference Tuesday. "We each have a role to play." On Monday, Marin County announced its first case and San Mateo public health officials announced the county now has nine cases. ALAMEDA COUNTY Confirmed cases: 3 residents Fore more information on Alameda County cases, visit the public health department website. CONTRA COSTA COUNTY Confirmed cases: 10 residents, 3 people of unknown residence being treated at Contra Costa hospitals Fore more information on Contra Costa County cases, visit the public health department website. MARIN COUNTY Confirmed cases: 1 resident, 1 patient of unknown residence Fore more information on Marin County cases, visit the public health department website. NAPA COUNTY Confirmed cases: 2 patients treated in Napa, then transferred out of county For more information on Napa County cases, visit the public health department website. SAN MATEO COUNTY Confirmed cases: 1 resident, 8 patients of unknown residence treated at San Mateo County hospital For more information on San Mateo County cases, visit the public health department website. SANTA CLARA COUNTY Confirmed cases: 45 residents Related deaths: 1 This county has the most confirmed cases in the Bay Area. As of March 8, health officials have identified a total of 43: eight were travel-related, 14 were from being in close contact with a known case, and 21 contracted the virus through unspecified community transmission. One woman died on March 9 at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View. She had been hospitalized for several weeks, officials said. Fore more information on Santa Clara County cases, visit the public health department website. SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY Confirmed cases: 14 cases, 3 out-of-county patients being treated in SF hospitals For more information on San Francisco County cases, visit the public health department website. SOLANO COUNTY Confirmed cases: At least 2 residents, 1 healthcare worker who resides in Alameda County A female Solano County 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 North Bay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville on Feb. 15 and was transferred to UC Davis Medical Center three days later, before being tested. Two health care workers at the North Bay VacaValley Hospital were also infected with the virus. One is a Solano County resident; the other lives in Alameda County. For more information on Solano County cases, visit the public health department website. SONOMA COUNTY Confirmed cases: 2 residents, 1 patient of unknown residency For more information on Sonoma County cases, visit the public health department website. CALIFORNIA DEATHS: 3 Three deaths deaths related to coronavirus in California have been reported. The first occurred in Placer County on March 4. The Placer County Health Department said the deceased is an elderly resident of the county with underlying health conditions. The patient tested presumptively positive on Tuesday, March 3 at a California lab and was likely exposed on a Princess cruise ship that traveled from San Francisco to Mexico, Feb. 11 to 21, health officials said. The patient was under treatment in isolation at Kaiser Permanente Roseville. The second California death, the first in the Bay Area, was reported in Santa Clara County in March 9. A woman in her 60s passed away at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View Monday, the first death tied to the novel coronavirus in the Bay Area. The woman was hospitalized for several weeks, Santa Clara County health officials said. Sacramento County announced on March 10 that a woman in her 90s in an assisted-living facility died from corornavirus. This was the first death in the county and the third in California. Health officials said the patient had an underlying health condition and "died of complications" related to the pneumonia-like virus. The death of a 72-year-old man from Sunnyvale was previously thought to be linked to COVID-19, but test results confirmed the man did not have the virus. Amy Graff and Alix Martichoux are digital editors with SFGATE. Email them: agraff@sfgate.com, alix.martichoux@sfgate.com. MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE Rwanda authorities have installed hand-washing facilities at a bus station in the capital, Kigali, as a precaution against coronavirus. A pro-government newspaper has tweeted video footage from the scene Frequent hand-washing is one of the key steps recommended by the World Health Organization. They also advise the following: -Maintain social distancing -Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth -Practice respiratory hygiene -If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early -Stay informed and follow the advice given by your healthcare provider. Special attention should be paid to washing the spaces in between one's fingers, plus other neglected areas, according to the UK's biggest nursing union Rwanda has not confirmed any case of coronavirus. So far 10 African countries have confirmed a total of 100 positive cases. Authorities in Kigali have banned concerts and public gatherings as a precaution against the virus, a move that sparked criticism online. Source: 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 Mexican authorities are searching for a woman who was caught on video tossing an explosive that injured a newspaper photographer during an International Women's Day march in Mexico City. El Universal's Berenice Fregoso was taking images at a demonstration on Sunday, where a group of women clashed with men protesting abortion who made Nazi salutes. A bystander filming one of the many confrontations that marred the peaceful protest captured the moment when the woman walked up to the photographers and threw a Molotov cocktail bomb at a group of riot police officers that were standing in front of the National Palace. The suspect, who was wearing black sunglasses, then turned around and ran away as the group of photographers dispersed. Towards the end of the video footage Fregoso can be seen hopping around in severe pain as her right leg was caught on fire. El Universal said Fregoso was hospitalized and diagnosed with second degree burns in her left arm and right leg and ankle. 'This does not stop me. I already want to return. I have had a lot of support from the company,' Fregoso said Tuesday in a story published by El Universal. First responders provide assistance to Berenice Fregoso (center) moments after the photographer for Mexican newspaper El Universal was burned by a Molotov cocktail bomb that was thrown by a female activist at police officers in Mexico City during a demonstration on International Women's Day A female activist (left) is recorded by a bystander tossing a Molotov cocktail bomb at riot police officer in front of the National Palace in Mexico City Authorities hope the image of the explosive thrower (left) will lead to her capture The incidents were reflective of an undercurrent of anger on International Women's Day, in which the city government said 80,000 people marched through Mexico City's center. Wearing green bandanas symbolizing support for abortion rights, at least a dozen women ripped down banners describing abortion as femicide and set them on fire. The male anti-abortion proponents, some of whom had shaved heads and one of whom carried a whip, yelled vulgar slang in return. Mexico has a small ultra-nationalist movement that shares ideology with global hard-right groups. Elsewhere in the city center, women in black masks and armed with hammers smashed the windshield of a car, overturned a van and burnt doors of buildings. Berenice Fregoso attempts to put out the flames while her leg got caught on fire Sunday during a demonstration in Mexico City Fregoso, a photographer for Mexican newspaper El Universal, suffered second degree burns while covering Sunday's International Women's Day March Mexico City's city government said 80,000 people marched through the capital to the public square in front of the cathedral and National Palace. Activists said they attended to show outrage over a wave of femicides in Mexico, which have risen 137% over the past five years Despite many protesters urging against violence, city authorities said the day's clashes left 65 people with injuries, including burns but none life threatening. Activists said they attended to show outrage over a wave of femicides in Mexico, which have risen 137% over the past five years. 'They're killing 10 women a day - the ones that we know about - in the country I've lived in my whole life, it's unacceptable,' said preschool teacher Daniela Garcia, 33, who said she was especially upset by the recent kidnapping and murder of a 7-year-old girl. Paramedics rush to Berenice Fregoso's side moments after her right leg was caught on fire A fire bomb explodes during a protest on the International Women's Day in Mexico City Police forces stand guard behind a female protester at Zocalo square during a march to mark International Women's Day in Mexico City At the doors to the National Palace where the president lives, activists tossed Molotov cocktails over a contingent of policewomen in riot gear who were among nearly 3,000 female officers deployed during the march. Activists also used hammers to tear down a metal barrier surrounding the Bank of Mexico, and lit a bonfire whose flames and smoke could be seen blocks away from the public square. Amid the flashpoints, protesters sang the anti-femicide anthem 'Song Without Fear' and young women performed a lyrical dance that moved some observers to tears. Dancer Angelica Trevino, 26, said her jumps and spins were meant to express frustration. 'The moves were full of this helplessness, of this daily life of not being able be at peace,' she said. 'It's something that brings all of us women here today.' Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 12:13:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MEXICO CITY, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Latin America on Monday continued to keep a close watch on COVID-19 as the caseload in the region topped 100. Chile's Health Ministry announced three new cases, bringing its total to 13. All the three new cases could be traced to a previous patient or overseas travel, specifically to Europe, where the coronavirus has been spreading rapidly, the ministry said. Meanwhile, Chilean Defense Minister Alberto Espina pledged to support the ministry's efforts to contain the disease with "all the help" of the armed forces. Chilean Health Minister Jaime Manalich said authorities expect the country to go from the current stage of isolated cases related to travel abroad to "a phase of community transmission," and warned that the armed forces were particularly vulnerable because of their communal living conditions. In Peru, two more people tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total to nine. Both new patients are related to the country's first case in a 25-year-old young man, who recently returned from a trip to Spain, France and the Czech Republic. In Argentina, where 17 cases have now been reported with one death, Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio Rodriguez Larreta called on those returning from the coronavirus-hit countries to voluntarily quarantine themselves. "Especially people returning from trips to one of the countries where the virus is going around, such as China, South Korea, Japan, Iran, Italy, Spain, France or Germany, in these cases we ask them to cooperate by staying at home," said Rodriguez. The recommended period of time for self-imposed quarantine is 15 days, he said, because symptoms can take up to two weeks to surface. On Saturday, a 64-year-old COVID-19 patient with pre-existing ailments, such as diabetes, hypertension, chronic bronchitis and kidney problems, died in Argentina. He had contracted the virus while in France. Colombia's Health Ministry reported two new cases, bringing the total to three. Both new patients arrived from Spain. Colombian President Ivan Duque was recently tested for COVID-19 after attending an event in the U.S. capital, where one of the other guests was reported as testing positive for the virus. Duque's results came back negative. Ecuador has registered 15 cases to date, with the latest reported on Sunday. The new patient was in contact with the country's first case. The government of Costa Rica, where nine cases, including three Americans and six Costa Ricans, were reported, announced it was suspending all mass gatherings, such as concerts and festivals. It also instructed government offices to allow workers to work from home, when possible, to reduce the chances of transmission. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Yes Bank has enabled inward IMPS/NEFT services. This means people can now use other bank accounts to send payments to Yes Bank accounts through IMPS/NEFT. Inward IMPS/NEFT services have now been enabled. You can make payments towards YES BANK Credit Card dues and loan obligations from other bank accounts. Thank you for your co-operation.@RBI @FinMinIndia YES BANK (@YESBANK) March 10, 2020 The private lender has informed via its official Twitter account that people can now make payments towards Yes Bank credit card dues and loan obligations. Yes Bank presently has a withdrawal cap of Rs 50,000. However, the withdrawal cap on Yes Bank's depositors is likely to be withdrawn as early as March 15, Prashant Kumar - the administrator appointed by Reserve Bank of India - earlier told CNBC-TV18. He has also confirmed that there is no question of a merger with State Bank of India (SBI) which is leading the rescue of the troubled lender, The target is to make all banking services available at the earliest, Prashant Kumar told CNBC-TV18. Kumar, a former deputy managing director at SBI, said he is confident of things stabilising at Yes Bank by April 3, adding that the RBI-imposed moratorium may even end by the end of this week. April 3 is when the RBI-imposed moratorium is scheduled to end. Senator Ted Cruz announced yesterday hes placed himself under self-quarantine because of the virus, so every cloud has a silver lining, I guess. Ted calls it a self-quarantine, others call it having no friends. JIMMY KIMMEL After being near someone who had the coronavirus, Texas Senator Ted Cruz said he will now work from home. Yeah. Yeah. When asked for comment, Teds wife and two children said, What a [expletive]. CONAN OBRIEN Yeah, because coronavirus was at CPAC, four Republican lawmakers are quarantined and can have no human contact. And Ted Cruz is like, Whats human contact? TREVOR NOAH Whats really concerning is if it turns out multiple people in Congress have that corona contact, they might have to send all of Congress home, which would be a disaster, because if theres no one in Congress, then who would be left to not pass any laws? TREVOR NOAH And once again, weve learned its never good when the words coronavirus and Cruz are in the same sentence. JIMMY FALLON Cruz has no symptoms, but just to be safe, he has said that he will be self-isolating. Yes, adding, [as Cruz] In fact, just to be safe, Ive been self-isolating for years. Thats why I eat alone in the Senate cafeteria, I had no friends in college, and no one came to my birthday party when I was 6. STEPHEN COLBERT Judges Scientific plc (LON:JDG), which is in the machinery business, and is based in United Kingdom, received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the AIM over the last few months, increasing to UK60.20 at one point, and dropping to the lows of UK43.60. 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 Judges Scientific's current trading price of UK43.60 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 Judges 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 Judges Scientific Is Judges Scientific still cheap? The stock is currently trading at UK43.60 on the share market, which means it is overvalued by 26% compared to my intrinsic value of 34.67. This means that the buying opportunity has probably disappeared for now. If you like the stock, you may want to keep an eye out for a potential price decline in the future. Given that Judges Scientifics 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 another chance to buy in the future. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for share price volatility. Can we expect growth from Judges Scientific? AIM:JDG Past and Future Earnings, March 10th 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. With profit expected to grow by a double-digit 19% over the next couple of years, the outlook is positive for Judges Scientific. 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? JDGs optimistic future growth appears to have been factored into the current share price, with shares trading above its fair value. However, this brings up another question is now the right time to sell? If you believe JDG should trade below its current price, selling high and buying it back up again when its price falls towards its real value can be profitable. But before you make this decision, take a look at whether its fundamentals have changed. Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping an eye on JDG for a while, now may not be the best time to enter into the stock. The price has surpassed its true value, which means theres no upside from mispricing. However, the optimistic prospect is encouraging for JDG, which means its worth diving deeper into other factors 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 Judges Scientific. You can find everything you need to know about Judges Scientific in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in Judges 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. Dhaka/IBNS: Highlighting the strong bond of friendship shared between India and Bangladesh, Bangladesh Socheton Nagorik Committee arranged a programmed at the Dhaka Press Club here on Monday. The event was held at 11 am. People were seen holding banners which read, "Long live the friendship between Bangladesh and India." The event was held in the country when PM Narendra Modi was scheduled to visit Dhaka to be part of the Mujib Borsho, which will mark the birth centenary celebration of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. However, Modi's visit to Bangladesh has been deferred owing to impact of coronavirus scare in the neighbouring nation. In response to queries regarding the visit of Prime Minister to Bangladesh, the Official Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said: "Prime Minister's visit to Bangladesh next week at the invitation of HE Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is being deferred." Meanwhile, Bangladesh's other opposition party Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), whose chief Khaleda Zia is currently in prison over graft cases, opposed Modi's visit over the recent violence in Delhi triggered by the new citizenship law passed by the Indian government last year. Zia, who had earlier served as Bangladesh PM, was jailed for 17 years on February 8, 2018, in two corruption cases a few years ago. However, the country's government said they were ready to welcome Modi. March for long live the Bangladesh and India friendship. Programmes organized at Dhaka Univ by Muktijoddha Manch & earlier by Bangladesh Sacheton Nagarik Committee. pic.twitter.com/7ECgawcs6D Bangladesh Livenews (@banglalivenews) March 10, 2020 Road, Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader was quoted as saying by Dhaka Tribune that Narendra Modi would attend the Mujib Borsho programme as a representative of India for its great contribution in the Liberation War. India must participate in the Mujib Borsho programme because of its great contribution in the Liberation War, he said, adding: Narendra Modi will attend the function as a representative of India. Bangladesh is scheduled to observe Mujib Borsho from Mar 17, 2020 to Mar 26, 2021. Even key Opposition Leader Rawshan Ershad also said Modi should be welcomed to the country. Pippa Middleton cut a regal figure today in an emerald green trench coat as she strolled around Chelsea in south west London. The Duchess of Cambridge's younger sister, 36, donned oversized sunglasses and swept her hair into a chic bun as she strolled along the pavement clutching her phone and a set of keys. Mother-of-one Pippa was without one-year-old son Arthur, whom she was spotted out and about with on Commonwealth Day yesterday in West London. Pippa Middleton cut a regal figure today in an emerald green trench coat as she strolled around Chelsea in south west London The Duchess of Cambridge's younger sister, 36, donned oversized sunglasses and swept her hair into a chic bun as she strolled along the pavement clutching her phone and a set of keys Today Pippa wrapped up warm in her elegant full-length belted coat, which she wore over a black polo neck sweater and dark grey jeans. She completed her outfit with a pair of black ankle boots with four silver buckle straps. The socialite also sported a pair of gold hoop earrings and a natural make-up look. Yesterday while taking Arthur for a stroll on his pushchair, Pippa re-wore a stylish checked grey coat and mustard turtleneck top. The outing came almost exactly a year to the day Pippa was seen wearing the same coat and jumper combination as she took Arthur, then five months old, out in his 1,100 Bugaboo pram on March 12 last year. Today Pippa wrapped up warm in her elegant full-length belted coat, which she wore over a black polo neck sweater and dark grey jeans Pippa completed her outfit with a pair of black ankle boots with four silver buckle straps Pippa has been keeping a low profile since returning from a family holiday in St Barths with brother James Middleton and his fiancee Alizee Thevenet in January. On the weekend James was seen attending Crufts, where he handed out the Friends For Life award on Sunday, which recognises the work service dogs do. The award went to Southhampton hospital therapy dog Leo, a Golden Retriever, part of a human-canine team set up by Lindsey Uglow, which has helped an astonishing 10,000 often critically ill children and their families. The entrepreneur himself has nine dogs - Golden Retriever Mabel, a black Labrador, two Cocker Spaniels, and five black Spaniels called Rafa, Ella, Zulu, Inka and Luna -who he has credited with helping him through tough times. Pippa put on a chic display as she enjoyed the beginning of spring in London with son Arthur, one, yesterday Kate Middleton's sister looked stylish in a checked grey coat and mustard turtleneck top as she took son Arthur for a spin in his pushchair Despite her high-profile sister and outspoken brother, Pippa has chosen to raise her son out of the spotlight and has not yet made any official public outings with baby Arthur. Arthur, who was born in October 2018, is Pippa's first child with husband James Matthews. Pippa and husband James Matthews welcomed their baby boy weighing 8lb and 9oz at the private Lindo Wing, at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, in October last year. This weekend James Middleton paid tribute to Crufts and The Kennel Club for helping to ensure dogs are recognised for their multiple abilities She is regularly spotted balancing her motherly duties with her gym routine, often pounding the pavements with his pram in-tow. Arthur has the middle names Michael and William. The name Michael is a touching tribute to Pippa's father and her husband's younger brother who died while climbing Mount Everest in 1999. Michael Matthews went missing on the mountain's infamous Death Zone while he was trying to become the youngest Briton to climb the worlds highest peak. Following his tragic death brother James Matthews accompanied by wife Pippa have become committed to fundraising for poverty-stricken areas in Africa and Asia through the Michael Matthews Foundation. Alabama may lift ban on yoga classes in public schools Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Alabama is considering a bill aimed at ending a ban on yoga in public schools, though some believe that lifting the prohibition would constitute a government endorsement of religion. Known as House Bill 235 and introduced last month by Democratic Representative Jeremy Gray of Opelika, the proposal was approved by the House education policy committee last week. The bill would allow local school boards to approve yoga classes under certain conditions, among them making the class an elective rather than a requirement. All instruction in yoga shall be limited exclusively to poses, exercises, and stretching techniques, reads the bill in part. Chanting, mantras, mudras, use of mandalas, and namaste greetings shall be expressly prohibited. At present, the State Board of Education Administrative Code prohibits the practice of yoga as part of a broader ban on the use of hypnosis and dissociative mental states. School personnel shall be prohibited from using any techniques that involve the induction of hypnotic states, guided imagery, meditation or yoga, stated the Code. The Code defines yoga as a Hindu philosophy and method of religious training in which eastern meditation and contemplation are joined with physical exercises, allegedly to facilitate the development of body-mind-spirit. Republican Rep. Will Dismukes of Prattville spoke in support of the bill and felt that it did not represent the endorsement of a specific religion, noting that he knew of churches that do yoga. We talk about prayer and meditation a lot. I think you can pray to God and do yoga, or you can think about whatever you want to, stated Dismukes, as reported by al.com. Joe Godfrey, executive director of the conservative Christian group the Alabama Citizens Action Program, spoke out against the proposed legislation, arguing that allowing yoga involved the government establishing a religion. You can't separate the exercises from the religious meditation aspect of it. This is Hinduism, straight up, said Godfrey, reported al.com. What you're doing is blatantly teaching a religious exercise that would violate the Establishment Clause. A practice that derives from the Far East, yoga has garnered widespread popularity in western nations, with churches offering diverse reactions to the practice. In 2018, Missouri megachurch pastor John Lindell of the 10,000-member James River Church in Ozark preached a sermon claiming that yoga will "open you up to demonic power." Let me say this, yoga positions were not designed by your local fitness instructor. They were designed and they were created with demonic intent to open you up to demonic power. Because Hinduism is demonic, stated Lindell at the time. Every false religion is demonic. Hinduism is not a mild, gentile, pacifist religion. Anybody who says that has not visited India Neither is Buddhism. We may have a sanitized view of it in our Western culture but it is not pacifist. It is demonic. It is idol worship. Serita Jakes, wife of televangelist Bishop T.D. Jakes, spoke positively of the practice in a social media post from 2018, which spotlighted a class at The Potter's House of Dallas. Today, we aspired to inspire #health mentally, emotionally, and physically. Our ladies even got a taste of #yoga from @Mrs_BrittHall, she said in an Instagram post at the time. Health goes beyond what you eat. It's in the way you think, speak, and live. Thank you to all of the lovely sister girls that came to play with us! I love you. President Donald Trump next to Terrence Williams (C) and Angela Stanton-King during a meeting with African American leaders in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington on Feb. 27, 2020. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images) Woman Pardoned by President Trump Announces Run Against Rep. John Lewis A Georgia woman pardoned by President Donald Trump last month announced this week shes running against Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) in this years election. Angela Stanton-King was pardoned along with former New York Police Department Commissioner Bernard Kerik and others in mid-February. Stanton was convicted in 2004 of being part of a group that stole vehicles. She was ordered to stay confined at home for six months. Stanton-King later became a best-selling author, television personality, and proponent of criminal justice reform. She overcame a difficult childhood to become a champion for redemption and rehabilitation for all who strive for a better life, the White House said. In a recent tweet announcing her bid for Congress, Stanton-King said the race isnt about replacing John Lewis. This is about picking up the torch and continuing the fight for justice, she wrote. Lewis has been in Congress for decades. He said in December 2019 that he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. But the 80-year-old is running for reelection. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) arrives to speak to the crowd at the Edmund Pettus Bridge crossing reenactment marking the 55th anniversary of Selmas Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama, on March 1, 2020. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Im honored to be running for my 18th term in Congress representing the citizens of Georgias 5th district. My constituents know me, they know my record, and they know that I have fought tirelessly for them for the last 33 years, Lewis said in an email to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Stanton-King, a newcomer to politics, told the paper that she will focus on pro-life issues as well as criminal justice reform and helping inmates reenter society upon release from prison. I have never run for office and I dont have political experience, Stanton-King said. But I do have life experiences. She said she respects Lewis, a civil rights activist, adding that she thinks of him on a bridge in Selma during the 1965 march for civil rights. However, this isnt the Selma bridge, and our babies are dying. It is time for war, she said. Georgias 5th congressional district includes parts of Dekalb and Clayton counties in addition to Fulton County. It encompasses Atlanta. Lewis ran unopposed in the 2018 election in both the primary and general. He beat Republican Douglas Bell in the 2016 general election with around 85 percent of the vote. Lewis ran unopposed in the 2014 election. Lewis has one primary challenger, Barrington Martin II, a special needs educator who has indicated support for Universal Business Income, a proposal that would give some Americans a monthly payout to help with expenses. Stanton-King is the only Republican candidate who has announced a bid as of yet. WASHINGTON Days after approving an $8.3 billion coronavirus spending bill, Democrats and Republicans are negotiating another package that could include a large payroll tax cut, paid sick leave for workers without it, infrastructure investments and other measures to curb the economic and health effects of the virus. President Donald Trump made a rare appearance on Capitol Hill Tuesday to pitch Senate Republicans behind closed doors on a tax holiday that could mean no payroll taxes for employees and employers through the end of the year. "The payroll tax holiday is a bold move, said Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, in a briefing at the White House Tuesday night. I think there will be a big growth pay off. I think it will help deal with whatever challenges occur in the next few months. The payroll taxes are used to fund Medicare and Social Security. Kudlow suggested the country could afford it because "well make it up with much bigger economic growth. Kudlow also said the administration is pursuing aid for people without sick leave, help for small and medium businesses and tax deferral for some industries, but declined to give details. Trump emerged from the lunch meeting with Republicans without a clear deal with his own party. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin then headed for the office of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to discuss economic measures Democrats would get on board with. Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., are working on a Democratic proposal that will include two weeks of emergency sick leave for workers, expanded food assistance and unemployment insurance, and free coronavirus testing. Trump called Schumer's and Pelosi's proposal "chopped up" on Tuesday. "A lot of them are things that she wanted to get for other things, and we're looking at the people," Trump said. "We're looking at solving this problem." Schumer slammed Trump for apparently considering tax relief for the travel industry and oil and natural gas producers, which have been hit hard by the global economic fallout of the coronavirus outbreak. "You know what doesn't help the spread of the coronavirus? More corporate tax cuts," Schumer said Tuesday. "Here's what we're worried about: that the president will pay attention to the special interests instead of the people." Administration officials and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., confirmed that sick leave is an idea being discussed among Democrats and Republicans. "Imagine all the workers who have no paid sick days, imagine they have to work anyway serving food or working in a restaurant or a hotel or a conference center, not being able to take the days off if they are sick or to the meet the needs of a loved one who has to stay home," said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., a co-sponsor of the Democrat's bill, which would provide emergency paid sick leave during public health crises. Both Democrats and Republicans have floated the idea of using an infrastructure investment to spur jobs and the economy over the past two days. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "I like the idea of infrastructure that Sen. [Richard] Shelby [R-Al.] raised just because this is a cheap time to borrow money and it would have to be done largely on borrowed money," said U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Ok., ranking member of a House health budget committee. Some Democrats have indicated they would support a payroll tax cut, if paired with the right combination of other supports for middle and low-income workers. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Or., said the Finance Committee will negotiate the proposal and outlined Democrats' concerns with it. "It doesn't do much for those who rely on tips," he said. "It doesn't do much for people who have lost shifts. It does very little for people who don't have sick leave. So there are important issues to work through on the payroll tax. And if you want to show how to again really narrow in on workers, you will focus on the worker share of the payroll tax and make that the centerpiece." Kudlow said the administration is also looking at pitching another tax cut in late summer or early fall. Although Medicare, Medicaid and many private insurers have agreed to cover the cost of coronavirus testing, Democrats are also pressing to ensure the test and associated health care visits are free for all Americans, regardless of whether they are insured. The federal government could reimburse hospitals and public health facilities that test individuals who are uninsured, said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., a member of the Senate health committee. The clock is ticking for lawmakers to strike a deal. Congress has a planned recess next week. Ricky Gervais and his partner Jane Fallon have announced the death of their social media star cat Ollie. The feline died at the impressive age of 16 on Tuesday, with both owners taking to Twitter to relay the news. 'Just had to say goodbye to the sweetest little soul I've ever known. RIP Ollie. July 9th 2003 - March 10th 2020,' wrote comedian Ricky, 58. Tragic news: Ricky Gervais and his partner Jane Fallon have announced the death of their social media star cat Ollie Ricky followed this up later, tagging the pet's social media account, posting: 'A heartfelt thank you for all your lovely tributes to @myleftfang. 'I can't quite bring myself to respond at the moment, but your kindness is very much appreciated.' His author partner penned: 'I have awful news. My smart, funny, feisty, beautiful sidekick of the last 16 & a half years @myleftfang has passed away after a sudden down turn in her health at the weekend. 'My heart is broken in two. I have no idea what I'm going to do without her by my side. #Ollie.' Feline friend: Fans flocked to Ricky's social media to wish him well Sad loss: The feline died at the impressive age of 16 on Tuesday, with both owners taking to Twitter to relay the news Beloved pet: 'Just had to say goodbye to the sweetest little soul I've ever known. RIP Ollie. July 9th 2003 - March 10th 2020,' wrote comedian Ricky, 58 Ricky followed this up later, tagging the pet's social media account, posting: 'A heartfelt thank you for all your lovely tributes to @myleftfang' The couple were given Ollie by Jonathan Ross on his Friday night chat show in 2003 and the cat was popular in her own right, with a Twitter account that had more than 60,000 followers. The biography on Ollie's Twitter account, run by the couple, said that she was '3/8 BURMESE, 1/8 SIAMESE, 1/4 CORNISH REX, 1/4 DEVON REX, 1/2 ENGLISH, 1/4 FRENCH CANADIAN, 1/4 IRISH & 100% CAT!' The social media page was full of pictures of her along with humorous captions written in the style of a cat. When they met: The couple were given Ollie by Jonathan Ross on his Friday night chat show in 2003 and the cat was popular in her own right, with a Twitter account that had more than 60,000 followers Author partner Jane penned: 'I have awful news. My smart, funny, feisty, beautiful sidekick of the last 16 & a half years @myleftfang has passed away after a sudden down turn in her health at the weekend' She added: 'My heart is broken in two. I have no idea what I'm going to do without her by my side. #Ollie' Shortly after her death was announced, 'RIP Ollie' trended on Twitter. Tributes came pouring in for the late feline - from fans as well as the creme de la creme of showbusiness. Hollywood star Eric Bana tweeted: 'So so sorry to hear that news mate. Much love to you and Jane.' Broadway star Bernadette Peters sent a heartbreak emoji, while Frasier actress Bebe Neuwirth posted the same, along with, 'RIP Ollie'. Trending: Shortly after her death was announced, 'RIP Ollie' trended on Twitter Condolences: Stars sent Ricky and Jane their sympathy The likes of Susanna Reid, Ashley James and David Baddiel sent their condolences. In 2017, Jane told ITV's Lorraine that she was hoping Ollie, who was 13 at the time, had 'another 20 years in her'. She added: 'I love her. Home isn't home without an animal, there's something about having animals around the place that, I don't know, makes it feel like a much nicer place.' The ordinance establishes three-member district councils in each of Chicagos 22 police districts. The councils are responsible for nominating commission members, who will be selected by the mayor and confirmed by the City Council. Commission members will be selected based on their expertise in areas such as civil rights, social work, work with immigrant and undocumented communities, and law. Two of the seven commissioners will be between the ages of 18 to 24 and have experienced police misconduct. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. A novel underwater adhesive technology, based on a glue used naturally by marine creatures, soon may provide a safer adhesive option for industries ranging from biomedical to aerospace. Mussel Polymers Inc. (MPI) a startup created by Wardenclyffe Chemicals Inc., a technology development company has licensed this patented adhesive technology from the Purdue Research Foundation. The technology was created by Jonathan Wilker, a Purdue professor of chemistry and materials engineering, with students in his laboratory. The adhesive is called poly(catechol-styrene), or PCS. It was engineered to mimic the glue that mussels naturally use to attach to substrates in the ocean, and represents the first new adhesive chemistry to reach the market in decades. The research effort that led to the development of PCS lasted over a decade and was supported with $2 million from the Office of Naval Research. We have been studying sea creatures, how they stick, and designing synthetic mimics of these materials, Wilker said. Now we are quite excited to move these new materials from the research lab into the marketplace. There is potential here to impact several industries, including products that people use in their daily lives. The team behind Mussel Polymers Inc. licensed the technology through the Purdue Research Foundations Office of Technology Commercialization. For more information on licensing a Purdue innovation, contact the Office of Technology Commercialization at otcip@prf.org. The entire Purdue Research Foundation and OTC teams were extraordinary in helping us move through the process of licensing this technology, laying the groundwork for taking it to market, said George Boyajian, CEO of Wardenclyffe. The adhesive technology addresses a range of previously unsolvable wet adhesion problems in a variety of industries from biomedical to aerospace to automotive to cosmetics and construction. Brooke Beier, vice president of the Office of Technology Commercialization, said, The Mussel Polymers team has done the research and has the resources to take this novel Purdue technology to the next level through the market to industries and customers. It is another success story from the Purdue commercialization ecosystem. Wardenclyffe recently received a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop this adhesive system for use in the restoration of coral reefs. For more information on working with Mussel Polymers, contact Jason Stieg, chief business development officer, at stieg@wardenchem.com. About Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization The Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization operates one of the most comprehensive technology transfer programs among leading research universities in the U.S. Services provided by this office support the economic development initiatives of Purdue University and benefit the university's academic activities through commercializing, licensing and protecting Purdue intellectual property. OTC recently moved into the Convergence Center for Innovation and Collaboration in Discovery Park District, adjacent to the Purdue campus. The office is managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, which received the 2019 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Place from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. The Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Contact otcip@prf.org for more information. About Mussel Polymers Inc. Based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, MPI is now developing a range of new high performance underwater adhesive and sealant products using PCS technology. Not only can these materials solve a range of wet adhesions problems, but they are also exceptionally strong nontoxic dry adhesives. The company is currently in product development programs with several clients and is raising Series-A funding to accelerate commercial development. For business development discussions, please contact Jason Stieg at stieg@wardenchem.com. For other inquiries, please contact George Boyajian, CEO, at boyajian@wardenchem.com. Writer: Chris Adam, 765-588-3341, cladam@prf.org Sources: Jonathan Wilker, wilker@purdue.edu George Boyajian, boyajian@wardenchem.com Brooke Beier, blbeier@prf.org Note to Journalists: A YouTube video is available at https://youtu.be/2l2p46XMMuk and other multimedia can be found in a Google Drive folder at https://goo.gl/3szOnW. The materials were prepared by Erin Easterling, digital producer for Purdues College of Engineering. With air travel dropping sharply over coronavirus concerns, European carriers like Air France-KLM (OTC:AFLYY) and Delta Air Lines' (NYSE:DAL) joint venture Virgin Atlantic were stuck between a rock and a hard place. So-called "slot rules" at European airports forced them to use allotted flight slots or potentially lose them. That resulted in costly "ghost flights:" empty or nearly empty flights being flown solely to satisfy the rules. On Tuesday, in response to an outcry by airlines and environmental groups, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said regulators would temporarily suspend those rules. Use it or lose it Under the rules, airlines were required to use their flight slots at least 80% of the time or forfeit them. This encouraged competition by preventing airlines from hoarding valuable slots they weren't using. Due to limited runway space at some of Europe's busiest airports, these slots are rare...and valuable. For example, London's busy Heathrow airport has only about 650 slot pairs (which include one arrival and one departure) per day. In 2016, KLM sold a single Heathrow slot pair to Oman Air for $75 million. The Commission steps in In recent days, the rules have caused major headaches for European carriers. Because passenger numbers have plummeted, carriers were being forced to operate "ghost flights" with few or no passengers, solely in order to maintain their 80% usage rate. This hurt the airline industry, since operating a single empty flight can cost millions of dollars. It also outraged environmental groups, which criticized the wasted fuel and needless carbon emissions caused by ghost flights. Von der Leyen justified the decision as a "temporary measure," adding, "We see that the situation is deteriorating on a daily basis, and traffic is expected to decline further." The mere act of growing up brings special challenges to young African Americans, particularly those living in rural areas. Resources there are often limited, compared to whats offered in the city. Theres more chronic poverty and economic stress, and less of almost everything else: employment opportunities, public transportation, recreational facilities, families with discretionary income, and health care, both physical and mental. There are bright spots, however, as Ive learned from over 20 years of research. One was the caregiving practices of many African American families. That nurturing has helped their children avoid major problems, including behaviors that place them at risk for HIV/AIDS and unplanned pregnancies. With that in mind, I developed the Strong African American Families Program (SAAF) in 2000. Its purpose was to bolster positive parenting and promote competence and good decision-making among youth. Most of all, we wanted the program to dissuade young people from early sexual engagement, drug use and drinking. We tested its effectiveness with 677 families recruited from nine counties in rural Georgia. All of the families had at least one thing in common: each had an 11-year-old child. I can report that SAAF effectively steered those young people from risky behaviors from middle childhood through young adulthood. And the primary reason for the positive outcomes was our support of those very strengths already present in those African American communities. How it works The program fostered involved-vigilant parenting practices. Sessions brought families together to discuss norms and values, while developing solutions regarding behavior and risk. Children need to think about the consequences of their behavior; parents need to know their childs whereabouts and friends, and the places in the community to avoid. Mutual problem-solving and increased monitoring was emphasized, and young people were encouraged to honor their racial heritage and embrace optimism. Story continues The success of SAAF led me to consider ways to increase accessibility of the program. Sometimes, there are logistical issues, such as transportation and work conflicts, when delivering programs that take families from home into a community setting. Using technology, we thought, might be one possible solution; it offers a whenever-wherever approach for families to access the program information at their convenience. So I developed another program Pathways for African American Success (PAAS) to test what was best: Should youth and their caregivers receive the information through technology that was self-directed, without human interaction to guide them through the program? Through print materials (booklets, brochures and informational sheets) mailed to them? Or as part of a small group led by facilitators? More than 400 African American families participated. Less drinking, drug use and sexual activity Parents who received the PAAS program through small group settings and technology reported positive changes. Youth who used PAAS through technology alone were more likely to delay sexual onset, and avoid friends who were drinking or sexually active. Indeed, risk-avoidant behaviors lasted longest for those receiving PAAS through the tech-based platform. Discussions about puberty, peer pressure, bullying and racial slurs were easier to talk about, for both young people and their parents or caregivers. Notably, those positive changes did not occur for those who received materials mailed to their homes. Whats more, the data showed the SAAF and PAAS programs produced changes beyond slowing or stopping alcohol, drug and sexual activity among youth. Among the spillover effects: increased skills in child rearing among caregivers and reduced symptoms of depression. Which makes sense witnessing positive changes in your child creates good feelings that improve mental health. PAAS and SAAF also prevented young people from disruptive and delinquent behaviors, increased academic aspiration, encouraged friendships with academically oriented peers, and improved school bonding. Collectively, those new behaviors enhanced the likelihood that the children would graduate high school. These are only the first steps. Other intervention programs, also drawing on the strengths of African American families, hold great promise for creating change. There is enormous potential to address the disparities disproportionately impacting African Americans: HIV/AIDS, teen pregnancy, mental health, juvenile justice and the widening academic gap. With these two studies, Im hopeful that technology is one answer to providing effective, evidence-based prevention programs to American citizens who need it the most. [Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend. Sign up for our weekly newsletter.] This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Velma McBride Murry, Vanderbilt University. Read more: Velma McBride Murry receives funding from National Institute of Mental Health; National Institute of Drug Abuse New Delhi, March 10 : A day after oil markets witnessed a bloodbath, crude oil prices rose around 11 per cent on Tuesday as Russia indicated that talks with the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) may continue. Russia's Energy Minister Alexander Novak said that Moscow had not ruled out measures with OPEC to stabilise oil markets, as per reports. Brent crude oil is currently trading around $38 per barrel, 11 per cent higher than its previous close, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) has risen about 11 per cent to $34 per barrel. Along with the Russian Energy Minister's optimistic comments, US President Donald Trump's statement that he would be taking major steps to counter the impact of coronavirus epidemic also comforted the markets. Energy markets went into a free fall on Monday with oil prices across variants plunging around 30 per cent, the biggest fall since the 1991 Gulf War. The slide comes after Saudi Arabia shocked the market by launching a price war after no consensus was arrived between OPEC and Russia to cut crude oil production as part of market stabilisation exercise. Late last week, talks between oil cartel OPEC and Russia collapsed as the two sides failed to agree on an output cut deal. This pushed Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil producer, to cut its crude prices and announce increase production leading to a mayhem in an already over supplied oil market. Brent crude prices fell to $31 per barrel on Monday.Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, escalated tensions with plans to supply 12.3 million barrels per day (bpd) in April, well above current production levels of 9.7 million bpd. Along with the oil prices, stock markets in the energy-rich Gulf region also recovered on Tuesday after falling to multi-year lows in the last two days. Shares of Saudi Aramco, on the Tadawul stock exchange in Saudi Arabia, also surged on Tuesday after trading in the red in the past few trading sessions. However, the largely bearish sentiments in the oil market can turn out to be positive for India that imports 83 per cent of its domestic oil requirements. India's import bill is likely to significantly drop if prices continue to remain lower. Last week we had President Trump explaining to a FoxNews Town Hall that we have to hit back. And we had Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) complaining about her treatment by Bernie Bros. In other words, as I keep insisting, men have a Culture of Insult, and women have a Culture of Complaint. And the reason we have President Trump is because, in the immortal words of Abraham Lincoln, he fights. And he is a master of insult. What is this all about? How about because, scientists say, we are almost chimpanzees? Male chimpanzees patrol the border of the troops territory and kill any chimp from another band that crosses the border; the rest of the time they are working on the male status hierarchy. Females rear and feed the young. You can see that a successful Darwinian chimp troop would be one with tough aggressive males that could defend the border and the food-growing territory. And I dare say the troop would need agreeable females that were good at looking after baby chimps and not getting into fights with the other females. But I am not sure about that. More research is needed. How about the lamentations of our high-status women over the failure of the Warren campaign? This one can still remember the night that Hillary lost. The night Hillary Clinton lost, I was in the staff section behind the stage at the Javits Center in New York City. Before the grief really hit me, before I took a cab home, sobbing so hard, I had to pull over to throw up, and before the physical toll of two years of working on a presidential campaign overwhelmed me, I remember standing with a coworker, each of us folding our arms in front of our bodies, as if trying to contain all the feelings from flooding out. And if you think sexism had nothing to do with Sen. Warrens losses, what planet do you live on? Know how real men live on this planet? They suck it in and then go to work the next day. Okay, first they get blind drunk. Then they go look for a job. Then the high-status woman goes on to tell about how Warren tells little girls that Im running for president because thats what little girls do. Er, no, Senator. That is what foolish women that never had a thought in their lives do. Once upon a time, Senator, I read a book. In that book a century ago the sociologist George Simmel said that men had created the public square and now women would transform it to suit a more feminine sensibility. Im here to say that it wont work. What women are doing is destroying the public square -- which is a Culture of Insult with rules -- and replacing it with a Culture of Complaint where #BelieveAllWomen are always right, just like they are in the home. Heres what a culture dominated by women looks like. It looks like the opera Agrippina, about how the fourth wife of the Roman emperor Claudius schemed to get her son Nero -- yes, that Nero -- to become emperor. Guess what! She didnt do it with speeches in the Roman Forum. She did it with lies and complaints and backstabbing and flapping her eyelashes at courtiers. The current Met production of Agrippina pretends that the little lady is a modern feminist -- hear me roar -- strutting around the stage like an emperor. All lies, like everything else from the left. Amazon Prime calls Agrippina the deadliest woman in Rome. Thats why the whole thing about the First Woman President is such eyewash. The president is our protector. He patrols the border. He keeps baddies from raiding our purple mountains and our fruited plains. When women try to act like our protector, they look ridiculous. Okay, you say. Whatabout Margaret Thatcher? Good question. I would say that Thatcher transformed herself into a man. She had to, because politics in her day was a mans game and she had to learn to play the mens game. No safe spaces and freedom from microaggressions for her! You can tell the difference between men and women in the difference between Bernie and Liz. Bernie is going to smash the millionaires and billionaires, just like a real revolutionary would have done back in the day. Liz? Well, shes got a plan. Shes going to go around the neighborhood with her plan and share it with all the other women and mean-girl them until they agree. But the thing about her plan is that it wont be implemented by the complaints and the whinings of the women in the neighborhood at the family dinner table. It will be implemented by government force, men with guns, the fabulous Dawn Raiders of the FBI. How sexist is that? Christopher Chantrill @chrischantrill runs the go-to site on US government finances, usgovernmentspending.com. Also get his American Manifesto and his Road to the Middle Class. Did you know you can receive free, personalized genealogy assistance right here in Midland? The Genealogy desk, located at the Midland Grace A. Dow Memorial Library Genealogy room, is staffed by Midland Genealogical Society (MGS) volunteers Monday through Friday from 1 to 4 p.m., and and they answer all kinds of questions from all over the country. As genealogists, we know where it's at and we can help! If you have a genealogy-related question, chances are the volunteers can help solve it, or at least point you in the right direction. Jo Brines, a longtime member of the Midland Genealogical Society and a 40-year veteran of the volunteer Genealogy Desk, recalls a letter received a number years ago from a gentleman in Italy requesting information about a deceased local serviceman who had been involved in the liberation of his father's small village in northern Italy during World War II. The Italian gentleman wanted to ensure his father's village never forgot about the acts of kindness shown by the American servicemen and the atrocities of the war from which they were saved. This request continues to be Jo's most remembered request. In addition to working with patrons, Jo organizes the volunteers and schedule for the Genealogy Room, has been the person who selects the historical and genealogical books purchased with MGS-donated funds annually, keeps the Genealogical and Local History Room organized as well as selecting books for MGS to donate in honor of deceased MGS members. The variety and breadth of materials located within the Genealogy Room is one thing for which Jo is most proud. The room houses more information than just Midland, surrounding counties and Michigan research materials. Other records which can be found in the Genealogy Room are federal census records, local family genealogies, plot maps showing land ownership, Mayflower Society books showing Mayflower lineage (also known as the "silver books"), New England family research books as well as other state material with an emphasis on New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The Genealogy Room also has data on more than 700 Midland First Families (persons living in Midland County in 1894 or before.) Over the years, MGS members have also completed projects at various Midland County Cemeteries, cleaning headstones using the proper equipment and materials. MGS member Ora Flaningam, along with others, have compiled records of Midland County marriages and obituaries, and Ora has continued to do this with Midland County obituaries. In addition, in early 2020, MGS partnered with the library to purchase and install new digital scanners in the Genealogy Room. The Midland Genealogical Society has been going strong since 1971, before the advent of computers and the internet. The society meets the third Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. at St. John's Episcopal Church on North Saginaw Road in Midland. Once a year, the society partners with the library, and a joint meeting is offered in the library auditorium. This year's joint meeting, open to the public as always, is at 7p.m. March 18, and organizers are pleased to announce that Lori Fox, president of the Ionia County Genealogical Society, will speak on "What Did Grandma Do? Women's Titles & Occupations." This is a commemorative event for National Women's Month and the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing and protecting women's constitutional right to vote. Visit the Midland Genealogical Society's Facebook page for a listing of our monthly programs or stop in to see us Monday through Friday from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Genealogy Room at the library. Nancy Pnacek, program chair for the Midland Genealogical Society, authored this column as part of the Midland Daily News' Community Connections initiative. BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- A leading group of China's COVID-19 response on Monday made arrangements for deepening international cooperation on epidemic prevention and control and pushing for substantial results in relevant work. The group, led by Premier Li Keqiang, stressed continuous efforts to curb the cross-border spread of the epidemic and to resume work and production in an orderly manner so as to coordinate epidemic control and economic growth, according to a meeting of the group held Monday. Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, presided over the meeting. In the face of the challenges posed by the spread of the disease overseas, China will enhance international cooperation, noted the meeting, adding that implementing epidemic prevention measures at borders is conducive to the orderly and safe flow of people between countries. Inbound travelers who are confirmed or suspected of being infected with the virus or are close contacts will be checked, treated and quarantined according to relevant rules, said the meeting, noting the particular importance for ports with high numbers of entries and exits such as Beijing to work meticulously on epidemic prevention. China will also work with relevant countries to suspend or reduce the two-way flow of personnel such as students studying abroad. Guidance and assistance will be provided to Chinese citizens in other countries. The meeting also warned against practices of formalities for formalities' sake and bureaucratism in epidemic prevention and control, promising incentives for officials with outstanding performances. It noted that epidemic prevention and control in the country has continued to improve, especially in the epicenter city of Wuhan where the rapid rise of the epidemic has been contained. Efforts should be continued to expand positive signs and take differentiated and precise prevention and control measures to prevent a rebound of the epidemic, according to the meeting. Wang Huning, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and deputy head of the leading group, attended the meeting. Cong accuses BJP of using Tek Fog app to propagate agenda on SM, seeks intervention by SC MP crisis: Cong MLAs staying in Bengaluru seek police protection India oi-PTI Bengaluru, Mar 10: Amid the crisis in the ruling Congress' Madhya Pradesh unit, 19 MLAs of the party, who are staying in the city, have written to the Karnataka Director General and Inspector General of Police seeking protection and police escort. "We have come to Karnataka state voluntarily on some important work, regarding which we require protection and escort from local police for our safe movement and safe stay in and around Bangalore," the letter dated March 9 and signed by 19 legislators said. The MLAs, including six ministers, on Tuesday sent their resignation letters via e-mail to the Raj Bhavan in Bhopal from Bengaluru, putting the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh in a crisis. The move came as the congress prominent youth leader Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the party and appeared set to join BJP Tuesday amid a rebellion in Madhya Pradesh by his supporters, pushing the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government to the brink of collapse. Among the 19 here, two are women. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 10, 2020, 18:02 [IST] Today show host Karl Stefanovic is due to welcome a baby with his wife, Jasmine Yarbrough, in May. And Karl's former spouse, Cassandra Thorburn, revealed for the first time on Tuesday what her reaction was to her ex-husband's exciting news. During an interview on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, radio host Kyle Sandilands asked: 'What did you think when you saw that your ex is now having a baby with someone else? Was that a weird moment for you?' 'I'm glad it's not me!' Karl Stefanovic's former spouse, Cassandra Thorburn, has broken her silence on news the Today show host is expecting a child with his new wife, Jasmine Yarbrough. Pictured on May 1, 2011 in Melbourne 'What did I think?' Cassandra responded with a laugh. 'I thought, "I'm glad it's not me!" To be honest, that's all I thought.' The journalist denied any hard feelings between the exes, saying: 'He's married. I'm living my life. We still share three children and nothing is ever going to change that.' Karl and Cassandra, who separated in 2016 after 21 years of marriage, are parents to sons Jackson, 20, and River, 12, and daughter Ava, 14. Congrats! Karl and Jasmine are due to welcome their first child together, a daughter, in May Kyle also asked Cassandra if she had 'taken another lover' following her separation. 'Just one. Just one!' she responded, confirming she has - or had - a boyfriend following her split from Karl three years ago. In January, Karl told 3AW that he couldn't understand why there was so much public interest surrounding his divorce from Cassandra. 'I thought, "Hang on, a lot of people go through [divorce], why is mine such a big deal?"' he said. 'I still don't know why it was, but I got divorced, I did find love again, and I'm sorry if people are offended by that, but it's made me really happy.' No worries! When asked about the subject on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, Cassandra laughed and said, 'What did I think? I thought, "I'm glad it's not me!" To be honest, that's all I thought' Karl and Jasmine began dating in late 2016, just months after he had separated from Cassandra and moved out of the marital home. In December, they celebrated their one-year anniversary after tying the knot in late 2018 at Mexico's five-star One&Only Palmilla resort. They are due to welcome their first child together, a daughter, in May. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2020) - LaSalle Exploration Corp. (TSXV: LSX) ("LaSalle" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that field exploration is set to begin in March on the Company's Blakelock Gold Property ("Blakelock" or the "Property") located in northeastern Ontario, 140 kilometres northeast of Timmins and 130 kilometres north of Kirkland Lake. The 2020 exploration program is fully funded from the Company's oversubscribed Initial Public Offering ("IPO") that raised $1.94M. LaSalle began trading on the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSX-V") under the symbol "LSX" on January 2, 2020. The 3700-hectare Blakelock Property is located in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt, one of the world's most prolific gold producing regions. The Property is well positioned covering 15 kilometres of the Casa Berardi Break ("CBB"), 55 kilometres west of the multi-million ounce, high grade Casa Berardi gold mine operated by Hecla Mining Company. The CBB, interpreted from airborne magnetics, and rock sequences similar to those hosting the Casa Berardi mine, traverses the central portion of the Property. LaSalle acquired the Blakelock Property from Pan American Silver subject to a $400,000 exploration expenditure by LaSalle and a retained 2% net smelter returns royalty ("NSR") with a buydown to 1%. Gold was originally discovered in the area in the 1960's when several companies carried out regional reconnaissance reverse circulation drill programs to sample basal till. These programs outlined several gold anomalies in the basal till on the Property with results up to 6 g/t gold in the heavy mineral fraction. Subsequent diamond drilling by Esso Minerals followed by Lake Shore Gold Corp. ("Lake Shore") demonstrated the presence of multiple anomalous gold zones with some significant high-grade mineralization returning up to: 10.9 g/t gold over 10.25 metres including 210 g/t gold over 0.4 metres; 6.16 g/t gold over 4.55 metres; and 11.53 g/t gold over 6.0 metres including 81.9 g/t gold over 0.7 metres. All of these discoveries occur on the north flank of the CBB deformation corridor, with the south flank being virtually untested. LaSalle recently completed a comprehensive compilation of technical data including examination of available historical drill intersections by previous operators. This work has demonstrated that gold mineralization described and observed in drill core is generally associated with disseminated pyrite and silicification in a sequence of host rocks typical of mesothermal gold deposits in the region, including Casa Berardi, the Detour gold mine operated by Kirkland Lake Gold, and the Fenelon gold deposit owned by Wallbridge Mining, all located within a 100 kilometre radius of the Property. The current program will include approximately 40-line kilometres of deep penetrating Induced Polarization ("IP") surveying on several areas deemed as high potential for the extension of known gold zones, up-ice of basal till gold anomalies not yet tested, and over unexplored areas of the Property. Following completion of this phase of work expected by mid-April, LaSalle will be in a position to conduct an initial round of drill testing. A summer program consisting of geological mapping, prospecting and geochemical sampling is also planned. "The current geophysical program is designed to quickly move us to drill ready status providing the company with an expanded list of discovery opportunities," commented Ian Campbell, President and CEO of LaSalle. This work is fully funded from the company's IPO financing in December 2019. Cautionary statement: Mineralization occurring at the mines, deposits and occurrences surrounding the Property listed above is not necessarily representative of mineralization that may be found on the Blakelock Property described herein. LaSalle has not been able to independently verify the high-grade mineralization reported by Esso Minerals and Lake Shore due to unavailability of historic mineralized sections of drill core. Qualified Person and Quality Control The technical information in this news release was reviewed and approved by Brigitte Dejou, PEng, Vice President Exploration, LaSalle Exploration Corp. Ms. Dejou is the non-independent qualified person for the technical disclosure as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and described herein this news release and has supervised the compilation work to date on the Blakelock property. About LaSalle Exploration Corp.: LaSalle is an exploration company focused on less explored districts of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt in Ontario and Quebec, recognized for mining investment based on mineral potential, policy and success, and the emerging Eeyou Itschee-James Bay region in Quebec. LaSalle trades on the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSX-V") under the symbol "LSX". Additional information about LaSalle can be found on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.lasallecorp.com. On behalf of the Board of Directors LASALLE EXPLORATION CORP. "Ian Campbell" President and Chief Executive Officer Telephone: (604) 647-3966 Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Information The information in this news release includes certain information and statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward-looking statements. These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, expectations, achievements or performance may differ materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward-looking statements. Any number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements as well as future results. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in forward looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking statements or otherwise. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/53272 WASHINGTON The name Covid-19 was clinical and nondescript, and that was exactly the point when the World Health Organization revealed it to guard against stigmatization of the place from which it originated. But a month later, the recommended terminology for the coronavirus has not extended to every corner of politics. Some conservative politicians and officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, are using Wuhan virus, a term that proliferated on news sites and in political commentary, mostly before the virus received an official name. Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, has frequently used the term on the Senate floor, and on Monday evening, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the House minority leader, drew criticism for calling the disease the Chinese coronavirus in a tweet. Representative Paul Gosar, Republican of Arizona, used it when announcing that he and several staff members had come into contact with a person who attended the Conservative Political Action Conference and tested positive for the virus. I am announcing that I, along with 3 of my senior staff, are officially under self-quarantine after sustained contact at CPAC with a person who has since been hospitalized with the Wuhan Virus, Mr. Gosar wrote on Twitter. My office will be closed for the week. What followed was a torrent of online criticism that his comment was xenophobic and racist, and that attaching geography to a virus that was first detected in Wuhan, China, will lead to continued stigmatization of the Chinese. Among the critics was Representative Ted Lieu, Democrat of California, who tweeted on Monday that the term was an example of the myopia that allowed the virus to spread in the United States. Its been 12 years since Jason Segels film Forgetting Sarah Marshall was released in theaters. Segels movie showed us how a painful breakup can result in something beautiful which, in his case, was a Dracula musical featuring Jim Hensen puppets. Forgetting Sarah Marshall tells the tale of composer Peter Bretter (Segel), who gets his heart broken by the unattainably hot Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). In an effort to salve his wounded soul, Peter takes a trip to Hawaii. Unbeknownst to him, Peter ends up staying at the same resort Sarah and her new boyfriend, Aldous Snow (Russell Brand), are vacationing at. These are some of the most unforgettable scenes from Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Kristen Bell, Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand, and Nicholas Stoller | John Shearer/WireImage What are the actors from Forgetting Sarah Marshall up to? Twelve years later, the cast of Forgetting Sarah Marshall have done pretty well for themselves. Segel is still writing and acting. His latest project is the AMC anthology series, Dispatches From Elsewhere. Bell went on to experience global success as Anna in Disneys Frozen and its sequel, Frozen II. In 2019, Bell starred in the fourth season of Veronica Mars, brought back to life by Hulu. Mila Kunis, who played customer service representative Rachel, went on to act in movies like Black Swan and Bad Moms, and is still the voice of Meg Griffin on Family Guy. Russell Brand became known as the illustrious Aldous Snow, later reprising the role in Get Him to the Greek. Jonah Hill is another Forgetting Sarah Marshall star who had success with roles in 21 Jumpstreet and The Wolf of Wall Street. Other comedic geniuses, including Bill Hader, Jack McBrayer, Paul Rudd, and Jason Bateman also made appearances in 2008s Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Hader is the star of the HBO series Barry; Rudd was recently in the Netflix original Living with Yourself; Bateman directed and starred in the HBO series The Outsider. Jason Segels breakup became a moment we cant forget Segel was the movies writer, producer, and star. As such, much of the story was based on things he experienced in real life. Within the first 10 minutes of the movie, we see the infamous naked breakup a moment thats impossible to forget ever. That really happened to Segel. In an interview with NPR, he recalled how significant that moment was for him: When that happened, and Im naked, and the whole time Im thinking this is really, really funny. Im going to use this in a movie someday. And use it he did. Despite how jarring that scene may have been to witness (Segels mother cried), it demonstrated the impact of a breakup. In that moment, the world seemed to stop for Peter. Putting clothes on would only push him further into the future a future without Sarah Marshall. We almost got the Dracula musical The nude break-up isnt the only thing we cant forget about Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Segel actually wrote a Dracula musical. Unlike the one seen in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Segels Dracula play was written without a sense of irony. It was going to be like a slow, labored drama, he said. After Segel finished writing the musical, he took it Judd Apatow, who told him to never play for anyone, ever. Obviously, Segel let his character, Peter, take the musical to new heights. forgetting sarah marshall, draculas lament table read, 2008 pic.twitter.com/U4TsMJrxym best of mila (@badpostmila) December 16, 2017 When writing Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Segel said he had a hard time with coming up with an ending. Thats the thing about romantic comedies its hard to come up with a conclusion thats original. In discussing the films conclusion with Apatow, he realized that the Dracula play was the perfect way to wrap his movie up. Segel stayed true to his writing, his comedic background, and his story throughout the entirety of this movie. Instead of getting discouraged about the piece of work that a colleague once laughed at, Segel held on to it until the timing was right. And thats pretty unforgettable. Forgetting Sarah Marshalls impact Despite the fact that its 12-years-old today, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is still an unforgettable film. Yes, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a comedy thats given us quote-able lines, the artistry that is Inside of You, and a Dracula-inspired rock opera. But its also a film that captures the essence of heartbreak from the sickly stupid parts to the moments of exaggerative hilarity. On a personal note Thank you, Jason Segel, for creating the masterpiece that is Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Not a day goes by where I dont quote this movie, and every time its on I cant help but laugh. Now, Ill go back to waiting for this Dracula musical to be showcased live in a theater near me. Duggal steps into this pivotal role at a critical and exciting stage in Jensen Hughes' growth after several years of long-term investments in its rapidly expanding ability to provide global end-to-end services to its clients, wherever they work in the world, across the spectrum of risk from fire and life safety and code compliance to security and forensics. Since 2014, the company has been acquiring businesses that extend its global reach and significantly expand the depth of its bench of experts and offices, across regions, countries, languages and markets. "We cast a really wide net for this position because the individual leading our operational teams which represent the majority of our people here at Jensen Hughes needed to meet or exceed a comprehensive list of requirements," says Raj Arora, Jensen Hughes CEO. "Pankaj is a well-rounded executive who is proven in both business development and operations, and really understands how to build a strong company culture. He knows where we are going because he's been there. He understands the path ahead and will help our client-facing teams integrate and extend their value to our clients worldwide." Duggal takes over a position held on an interim basis, since October, by Jensen Hughes executive Derek White, who has now accepted another senior leadership assignment, focusing on the company's North American Fire + Building Safety Business. "I'm impressed with how quickly and effectively Derek took on this key role," says Arora. "He brought stability and continuity to this transition. He also drove many key initiatives that are setting us up for a very promising 2020." With nearly three decades of experience, Duggal brings to his role strong business leadership across global market sectors. While at Jacobs Engineering Group, he most recently served as Senior Vice President and General Manager for the public company's Federal and Environmental Solutions business, and as the global business leader for the U.S. government business covering the U.S., Europe, Asia Pacific, South East Asia, Middle East and Africa. Over the last five years, Jensen Hughes has undergone a remarkable transformation from a merger of equals in the fire protection and life safety industry to an integrated, highly diversified global industry leader supported by a professional leadership team; a defined multi-year strategy; a new business development group; 14 newly-acquired businesses in complementary high-growth adjacency markets across the world; and a scalable platform with extensive new back-office systems and processes to support growth over the next five years. "Taking on this role is very exciting," says Duggal. "I'm honored to be joining a team with strong momentum and a business with global growth and cultural opportunities. What Jensen Hughes has already achieved in a very short period of time is enormously promising. I'm passionate about creating a great environment for our people to thrive and deliver innovative solutions to our clients a culture of caring which will ultimately take our people and our business to the next level." About Jensen Hughes Jensen Hughes is a global leader in safety, security and risk-based engineering and consulting. Every day, a team of 1,400+ engineers, consultants and scientists develop and deliver innovative and cost-effective solutions to a global client base involving fire protection systems design and analysis, code consulting, emergency management services, security consulting, forensic engineering, fire research, risk-informed applications, probabilistic risk assessments, development and testing, commissioning and construction services. Operating from 90+ offices throughout the world, Jensen Hughes consulting teams have delivered more than 40,000 projects in all markets across industries. Jensen Hughes is a portfolio company of Gryphon Investors, a leading private equity firm focused on profitably growing and competitively enhancing middle-market companies in partnership with experienced management teams. For more information, visit www.jensenhughes.com. About Gryphon Investors Based in San Francisco, Gryphon Investors is a leading private equity firm focused on profitably growing and competitively enhancing middle-market companies in partnership with experienced management. The firm has managed over $5 billion of equity investments and capital since 1997. Gryphon targets making equity investments of $100 million to $300 million in portfolio companies with sales ranging from approximately $100 million to $500 million. Gryphon prioritizes investment opportunities where it can form strong partnerships with owners and executives to build leading companies, utilizing Gryphon's capital, specialized professional resources, and operational expertise. For more information, visit www.gryphoninvestors.com. SOURCE Jensen Hughes Australia's auction markets reported a significant decline in terms of activity due to the long weekend, but clearance rates still held up, figures from CoreLogic show. Over the weekend, capital cities held 1,456 auctions, down from last weekend's 3,026. "The fall in auction volumes this week is likely due to the fact that four of the eight states and territories have a public holiday," CoreLogic analyst Jade Harling said. Despite the lower volume, the preliminary auction rate across the combined capital cities ended at 74.8%, up from the previous week's 73.9%. Also read: Auction market back on its feet Sydney led the pack in terms of numbers, reporting the busiest market with 811 auctions and a success rate of 82.6%. In Melbourne, the auction volume declined to 404, which returned a preliminary clearance rate of 68.6%. Still, the Melbourne auction market reported better figures than last year's 216 market activity and 49.2% success rate. Canberra posted a 66.7% clearance rate, making it the highest preliminary result across the smaller cities, followed by Adelaide (63.8%), Perth (58.3%) and Brisbane (53.2%). The table below shows the performance of each capital city: Hours after the Congress-led government in Madhya Pradesh plunged into a crisis on March 9, senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan on March 10 said his party was not interested in toppling the government and termed the developments as the "internal matter" of the ruling party. However, former minister and BJP leader Narottam Mishra said it seems the Kamal Nath government is falling. As former chief minister Chouhan arrived this morning in Bhopal for the BJP legislature meeting, which will be held in evening, he was welcomed by upbeat leaders and workers of the saffron party. "Wishing Happy Holi to the people of Madhya Pradesh," Chouhan said. When asked about the ongoing political developments in the state, Chouhan said it is an internal matter of the Congress party. Earlier in a tweet, Chouhan said, "This is the Congress' internal mater and I would not like to comment on it. We had said on the first day that we are not interested in bringing down the government". However, former minister and senior BJP leader Narottam Mishra, who was accompanying Chouhan, said the resignation of 20 ministers is an indication that something is wrong in the Congress. "I don't think this government is going to survive. It seems the Nath government is falling," he said. The state government was pushed to the brink on Monday as a sulking Jyotiraditya Scindia, along with 17 MLAs, virtually revolted prompting Chief Minister Kamal Nath to call a late-night cabinet meeting where around 20 ministers resigned reposing faith in his leadership. Nath had alleged that the BJP was adopting immoral ways to "destabilise" his government and vowed not to let it happen. Meanwhile, Chouhan paid tributes to former Union minister and Congress leader late Madhavrao Scindia on his birth anniversary. Madhavrao was father of Jyotiraditya Scindia, who is said to be at the centre at the current political drama in Madhya Pradesh. Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh also paid tributes to Madhavrao Scindia through his tweet. While the BJP has called its legislature party meeting at 7 pm, the Congress will hold a similar meeting at 5 pm at the residence of the chief minister. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 20:35:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday visited Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, to inspect the epidemic prevention and control work, as the number of new coronavirus cases has dropped sharply thanks to a raft of unprecedented measures rarely seen in history. The daily increase of new coronavirus cases on the Chinese mainland fell from thousands in February to 19 on Monday. The spread of the novel coronavirus disease has been basically curbed in Hubei Province and Wuhan, said Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, during his inspection. The significant progress of China's outbreak control is encouraging and reassuring. It brings hope and lessons to the ongoing global fight against the novel coronavirus disease, which has been reported in more than 100 countries and regions. Drawing on its institutional strength, China's decisive measures to control the outbreak are enlightening, as the world is at a crucial time of containing its spread to save lives. China declared a total war against the virus and made it the top priority, relying on the people and a united response. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, people from all walks of life have joined hands in fighting the epidemic with wisdom, action and morale. Wuhan, capital city of central China's Hubei Province, went on lockdown after the outbreak, while 42,000 medics rushed to Hubei from the rest of the country. China built two makeshift hospitals in less than two weeks in Wuhan, activated the top-level response in most areas within a few days, and organized the pairing-up support of 19 provincial-level regions for cities of the province, among a slew of brave, swift and intensive measures. These measures have proved effective. As of Monday, Hubei accounted for 84 percent of the total of confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland, while the remainder were scattered across 30 other provincial-level regions. All these are vivid manifestations of China's system advantage, which ensures the whole country works together and stimulates the enthusiasm of all aspects to mobilize resources for major undertakings like poverty reduction, disaster relief, key technologies and large infrastructure projects. Just as the country tackled the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak and the 8.0-magnitude Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, the institutional strength will continue playing a key role in enabling China to secure a decisive victory against COVID-19. While China protects the health of its 1.4 billion people, it contributes greatly to the global fight as well. Those who have used the virus to make racist remarks or smear China's system and tremendous efforts are immoral and despicable. To tackle major deadly viruses and safeguard global public health, China also provides a useful lesson through its methods, such as early detection, isolation and admission, quarantine of close contacts, grassroots community-based prevention, and the reduction of public gatherings, in the battle against COVID-19. Meanwhile, in the spirit of building a community with a shared future for humanity, China has shown great transparency and openness in its cooperation with the international community regarding the outbreak. China has shared with the World Health Organization and other countries key information about the virus and experience in control and prevention. China welcomed aid from abroad among severe protective gear shortages and, in return, donated materials, money and even dispatched personnel to help other countries control the disease despite the battle at home not yet being over. Bruce Aylward, team leader of the China-WHO joint mission on COVID-19, told The New York Times that China's counterattack can be replicated but requires speed, money, imagination and political courage. With massive efforts since late January, China has achieved impressive progress and is anticipating a final victory against COVID-19. And the same hope goes for the global fight, which requires solidarity, cooperation and action. Schools, houses of worship and large gathering places in the New York suburb that has the 'largest cluster' of coronavirus cases in the country will be shut down as the National Guard is being brought in to help stop the spread of the disease. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday that a one-mile containment area will be set up in New Rochelle in Westchester County where the main cluster of coronavirus have been reported. The area is the epicenter of of the state's coronavirus outbreak and accounts for more than 100 of New York's 173 confirmed cases. The radius centers around the Temple Young Israel of New Rochelle synagogue that was attended by Manhattan attorney Lawrence Garbuz who has been linked to the outbreak in the area. The shutdown, which will begin on Thursday and last for two weeks, will effect all 'major gathering places' including schools and places of worship, Cuomo said. 'It is a dramatic action, but it is the largest cluster in the country. And this is literally a matter of life and death,' Cuomo said. The announcement about the containment area came as New Jersey reported its first coronavirus death. It is the first fatality in the tri-state area. This map shows the schools, churches and synagogues in a one-mile radius of Young Israel New Rochelle, which is at the center of the coronavirus cluster The family of New York lawyer Lawrence Garbuz, who is hospitalized with coronavirus, says they're hopeful he'll make a full recovery. Lawrence Garbuz is pictured above with wife Adina Lewis Garbuz who spoke out publicly this week Lawrence Garbuz, a 50-year-old attorney from Westchester County, was hospitalized with the contagious disease on February 27 and has infected his children, wife, neighbor, a friend and other family member with the virus Cuomo said he was calling in the National Guard to the containment area to assist with cleaning public spaces and to deliver food to homes where people are currently self-quarantined. Health officials said they are still trying to determine a full list of places that will be forced to close within the containment area. The schools that will close include New Rochelle High School, Albert Leonard Middle School and William B. Ward Elementary. The closures will not effect smaller businesses and grocery stores, officials said. Cuomo said people will not be contained and residents are free to come and go with the one-mile radius. The state and a private health system, Northwell Health, are also setting up a testing facility in the area. New Rochelle is at the center of an outbreak of 108 cases in Westchester County out of 173 statewide as of Tuesday. New York City has 36 cases, while its population is more than 100 times that of New Rochelle. 'New Rochelle at this point is probably the largest cluster in the U.S. of these cases and it is a significant issue for us,' Cuomo said. Manhattan lawyer Lawrence Gurbiz was confirmed as a positive case of coronavirus, and has been linked to at least 108 cases in the Westchester area. They include his family, friends and a neighbor who drove him to hospital. Many of the other people confirmed positive attended Young Israel of New Rochelle before Gurbiz was tested and came into contact with him or other positive cases linked to him People wait at the New Rochelle train station on Tuesday after Gov Cuomo revealed that officials will be implementing a one mile radius containment area there to try to halt the spread of coronavirus Nicholas Walsh, of New Rochelle, wears a protective mask as he walks past the Young Israel of New Rochelle synagogue on Tuesday HOW CORONAVIRUS CASES IN NEW YORK ARE LINKED TO MANHATTAN ATTORNEY: Manhattan attorney Lawrence Garbuz, 50, had recently returned to New York from a trip to Miami. His neighbor in New Rochelle drove him to the New York Presbyterian Lawrenence Hospital in Bronxville, New York on February 28 after he started having trouble breathing. Doctors initially just assumed he had pneumonia and he was put in a regular room before being moved to intensive care as he condition deteriorated. It took four days for him to be diagnosed with coronavirus on March 2. In that time, he had come into contact with dozens of doctors and other patients. Health officials immediately started to retrace his steps and started testing those he had come into contact with. In addition to hospital staff, it emerged he had come into contact with members of his Temple Young Israel of New Rochelle synagogue, employees and his law firm and friends. His immediate family, including his wife, 20-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter all tested positive. The neighbor who drove him to the hospital also contracted the disease. It then emerged his friend's family of five, including three children, tested positive. Medical staff and the hospital, members of his law firm and attendees at the Temple Young Israel of New Rochelle synagogue, of which Garbuz is a member, have also been confirmed as cases. Advertisement 'The numbers have been going up. The numbers continue to go up. The numbers are going up unabated. And we do need a special public health strategy for New Rochelle.' New York Health Commissioner Dr Howard Zucker said officials were moving from a containment strategy to a mitigation strategy. 'When you're dealing with mitigation, you have to deal with the issues of social distancing and how people gather together and to try to minimize that.' Cuomo said the decision was one made by Dr Zucker and other public health officials. 'It's not a decision that I'm making. I'm accepting the recommendation of Dr. Zucker. In a situation like this, whether you're president, mayor, governor, let the experts decide and let the science decide the situation,' he said. Public and private schools in Scarsdale, which is also in Westchester County but outside the containment area, have already been closed until at least March 18 after a staffer tested positive. The surge in cases in New York state, particularly Westchester, have been tied to the Manhattan attorney who infected his family and others last week. His wife spoke out publicly this week, saying his family are 'hopeful' for his full recovery. Garbuz was hospitalized with the contagious disease on February 27 and health officials quickly determined that he had infected his children, wife, neighbor and friend's family of five. Garbuz had recently returned to New York from a trip to Miami before he was diagnosed. He marked the first case of community spread of the coronavirus in New York. Within days, members of his Manhattan law firm and attendees at the New Rochelle synagogue that he attends later tested positive. It comes after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday there will be no widespread school closures for now and insists there won't be an Italy-style lockdown after 17 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in the city. 'We cannot shut down because of undue fear,' de Blasio told MSNBC's Morning Joe. 'I would advise against these mass closures when we're keeping this situation relatively contained... ask me in a week, ask me in a month - it might change.' He is also currently not considering widespread closures to public schools. Health officials have previously said school closures in the city would be a last resort. 'Our schools are running. And we've said, even if, God forbid, we found a case in a school, we're not shutting down all our schools. We're not even shutting that school down long term,' de Blasio said. 'We'll go in, clean that school, isolate individuals who had that really direct contact, and then get up and running. We'll have a day where a school is shut to get reset, then get back up and running. Because people's livelihoods are at stake. Parents need a place for their kids. 'We can stay safe but still keep our lives going, our economy going. People have to pay the rent, people need money for food etc.' De Blasio said individual schools might close for a brief period of students or teachers became infected. The outbreak has resulted in a number of mostly private schools canceling or suspending in person classes. In New York City, Columbia University, Yeshiva University, New York University and Juilliard announced that classes would be canceled or offered online. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says a one-mile containment area will be set up in New Rochelle in Westchester County where the main cluster of coronavirus have been reported WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF CORONAVIRUS? Like other coronaviruses, including those that cause the common cold and that triggered SARS, COVID-19 is a respiratory illness. The most common symptoms are: Fever Dry cough Shortness of breath Difficulty breathing Fatigue Although having a runny nose doesn't rule out coronavirus, it doesn't thus far appear to be a primary symptom. Most people only become mildly ill, but the infection can turn serious and even deadly, especially for those who are older or have underlying health conditions. In these cases, patients develop pneumonia, which can cause: Potentially with yellow, green or bloody mucus Fever, sweating and shaking chills Shortness of breath Rapid or shallow breathing Pain when breathing, especially when breathing deeply or coughing Low appetite, energy and fatigue Nausea and vomiting (more common in children) Confusion (more common in elderly people) Some patients have also reported diarrhea and kidney failure has occasionally been a complication. Avoid people with these symptoms. If you develop them, call your health care provider before going to the hospital or doctor, so they and you can prepare to minimize possible exposure if they suspect you have coronavirus. Advertisement Two bus drivers in Long Island's Nassau County are among the new cases who have tested positive for coronavirus. Those two drivers are responsible for roughly 80 students on various daily routes. The positive tests have resulted in several Long Island school closures including in Oyster Bay, Locust Valley, Glen Cove and Westbury. Gov Cuomo said on Monday the state was implementing a new policy that if student or teacher tested positive, the school would be shut down for at least 24 hours to be assessed and disinfected. Meanwhile, de Blasio also said he couldn't get a coherent answer from the FDA over its 'unfathomable' decision not to approve automated testing. Health officials in the city would be able to test thousands of people a day for coronavirus if the FDA approved automated testing, de Blasio said on Tuesday. Currently, officials in New York City can only carry out 100 or so coronavirus tests per day. 'As recently as eight days ago New York City did not have the ability to do their own tests. We finally have that ability but what we still don't have is approval from the FDA to do automated tests,' de Blasio said. 'If we had the approval from the FDA for automated tests, it would be thousands of tests we could in a single day with results the same day. 'It's unfathomable that after this long these tests have not been approved.' It came as de Blasio confirmed the additional cases in the city and said 258 people have returned negative tests so far. About 1,580 people are currently in voluntary quarantine while 34 are under mandatory quarantine. The main cluster of cases in the state remains in Westchester where a Manhattan attorney was first struck down with the virus early last week and subsequently infected his family and others. New York City's usually bustling Times Square looked relatively empty today as coronavirus cases in the city rose to 173 De Blasio, pictured on Monday handing out coronavirus information at Union Square, has confirmed five new coronavirus cases in the city, bringing the total to 25 The Mayor on Monday urged sick or vulnerable New Yorkers to only use the subway if necessary to avoid spreading coronavirus The normally bustling Grand Central Terminal was virtually empty on Monday afternoon The Mayor on Monday urged sick or vulnerable New Yorkers to only use the subway if necessary to avoid spreading coronavirus. A seven-year-old girl in the Bronx and a the head of New York and New Jersey's Port Authority Rick Cotton are among the recently confirmed cases. The US death toll from the disease is currently at 27 with the majority being from Washington state following an outbreak at a nursing home just outside Seattle. To cope with the outbreak, Gov Cuomo announced the state would be making its own hand sanitizer after declaring a state of emergency over the weekend. Speaking about the new sanitizer, Gov Cuomo said it was made up of 75 percent alcohol and will be provided to facilities including schools, the MTA, government run buildings and prisons. Cuomo said that state currently has the capacity to make 100,000 gallons of the sanitizer per week, adding that it is cheaper for officials to make it instead of buying it on the market. It is being manufactured by Corcraft, which is the company that relies on prisoners in New York to make products, and is being made by inmates at the Great Meadow correctional facility. The state-made sanitizer costs about $6 per gallon to produce, according to Cuomo. He said the production stemmed from reports of price gouging on sanitizer. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled a new state-made sanitizer on Monday as he gave the update on the increased number of coronavirus cases after declaring a state of emergency over the weekend New York Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled the new sanitizer on Monday as he gave an update on the increased number of coronavirus cases after declaring a state of emergency over the weekend I want my son to have a proven leader who is also a decent, kind, and respectful president. Joe Biden embodies the character and the experience we need to bring our country together to heal after four years of Donald Trump. He was a loyal partner to President Obama, Mendoza said in a statement. And throughout his entire career, Joes led with dignity and empathy writing the Violence Against Women Act, banning assault weapons, and protecting our climate. America needs Joe Biden." Sydney University will have to write off thousands of enrolments if the China travel ban is not lifted this week, while another institution has been forced to slash hundreds of courses to weather the COVID-19 storm facing the higher education sector. Financial d-day looms for universities across Australia as census dates - the point when deferment is no longer possible for face-to-face degrees - approach, and thousands of students remain in China. Sydney Uni faces losing thousands of enrolments as deferment deadline approaches Credit:Bloomberg The crisis has also forced one of Australia's oldest institutions, the University of Tasmania, to fast-track a major restructure that will lead to job losses, admitting several serious challenges facing the sector left it unsustainable "even in the short term". Some students are travelling via third countries to reach campus. Of the 107,000 Chinese students stuck at home when the ban began in early February, more than 25,000 have travelled to Australia after spending their two-week quarantine period elsewhere, Home Affairs Department figures show. STAMFORD A major food bank serving more than 90 agencies in lower Fairfield County, is struggling to keep up with the demand as clients stockpile food items out of fear of the coronavirus outbreak. Leaders at the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield Country are desperately trying to reach the public, to solicit food and monetary donations for the organization, which is experiencing a shortage of supplies, said Kate Lombardo, the executive director. As the number of people infected with the virus continues to climb, human services agencies from Greenwich to Wilton are looking to the Food Bank to fill the widening void. Unfounded fears of a local potential lockdown has some partner agencies doubling up on the amount of food theyre distributing to clients and as a result, the Food Bank, which supplies to the partner agencies, is feeling the brunt in full force. SIGN UP: Get the latest Connecticut coronavirus news delivered directly to your inbox The agencies know they have to prepare like the rest of the public, Lombardo said. They recognize their clients dont have it, so theyre doubling up the amount of food theyre giving them, so that if the issue becomes that they have to stay in the house for 14 days as a precaution because of this virus, they will have the (resources) to do it. Currently, the Food Bank has about half the amount of food it would normally have at this time of year and workers are starting to dig into supplies that wouldnt normally be touched until August or September, Lombardo said. She and other human services leaders are asking the public to donate money or non-perishable food items, such as canned milk, soup, rice, pasta, cereal and tuna, and other emergency items like shampoo, soap, toothbrushes, toilet paper and deodorant. The organization will also accept diapers and other baby items. Lombardo said monetary donations would help her and other social services leaders purchase items, in bulk, at a cheaper cost. Normally, Lombardo would also ask local people to host food drives, but large gatherings arent conducive to containing the virus, she said. Holding food drives means coming together and everybody is being told not to congregate in large crowds, she said. So, were in a dilemma. Were in kind of a place weve never been before. On Monday morning, the facilitys shelves appeared to be half-stocked. The facility was running especially low on cereal, soup, tuna and pasta areas of the warehouse that are often full. One box of pasta sat by its lonesome not far from the entrance of the building. We could never get rid of spaghetti (and) pasta, Lombardo said. Now its gone. Larger food pantries, such as Person-to-Person in Stamford, are not yet seeing an uptick in people approaching their agency for food, nor are they requesting a surplus of those items from the Food Bank, said P2P CEO Nancy Coughlin. Smaller food pantries tend to rely more heavily on the Food Bank and may shop there in advance, Coughlin said. Were not, because we maintain a 1-to-2-week inventory, so we dont run out of things, so were not stocking up. Some of the smaller pantries might be doing that, she said. But Joyce Gumbus, the director of a smaller food pantry out of Wilson Memorial Church in Stamford, said she had to turn away clients when she ran out of food last Thursday. Its just a great fear out there and I dont think the world is really getting it right now, said Gumbus, who hasnt experienced an occurrence like this in the 15 years shes run 164 Wilson Food Pantry. The elderly, sick people and mothers with young children are wondering if there will be enough food for them, if the situation amplifies, Gumbus said. The narrative hits close to home for Lombardo and Gumbus, who have at one point, received human services assistance themselves. I want the story out there because people dont get it; we have poverty in this community, Lombardo said. They think lower Fairfield County; they think everybody is just fine and dandy, she said. And no, its tougher to live in a wealthy community when youre poor, when everyone else around you is in the same battle rowing in the same boat. (Struggling) people are going against the tide. While Food Bank leaders are in deep need of donated food items, theyre asking the public to refrain from giving spoiled, opened or half-eaten bags of food, which they said theyve received in the past. Put on someones table what you would put on your table, Lombardo said. Her colleague Willie Johnson, the warehouse manager at the Food Bank, chimed in as he stood next to Lombardo. Some people have the mentality that (low-income) people will accept anything, Johnson said. But (that) needs to be eradicated. To reach the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County, dial 203-358-8898. tatiana.flowers@thehour.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 12:23:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, March 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump has not been tested for COVID-19, said the White House on Monday night. "The President has not received COVID-19 testing because he has neither had prolonged close contact with any known confirmed COVID-19 patients, nor does he have any symptoms," White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham told reporters. "President Trump remains in excellent health," she added. "His physician will continue to closely monitor him." The announcement came as several U.S. lawmakers, including incoming White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, are self-quarantining because of exposure to an attendee of last month's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), who has tested positive for COVID-19. Meadows has tested negative for COVID-19, according to a spokesperson. The attendee contracted the disease before the CPAC, held in National Harbor, Maryland, just south of Washington D.C., on Feb. 26-29, according to the American Conservative Union, organizer of the event. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence spoke at the CPAC. Speaking to reporters at a briefing at the White House Monday evening, Pence also said that he has not been screened for COVID-19, later adding that there has been "no recommendation" that he be tested. As of Monday night, more than 600 cases have been reported in the United States with 22 deaths, according to real-time data maintained by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. A number of U.S. states have declared a state of emergency to try and combat COVID-19. Mr Ross' wife said their daughter still asks when she will see her father again Detectives released CCTV footage of a white SUV seen in the area at the time Police later confirmed both Mr Martin and Mr Ross died of gunshot wounds He was found 1.5km from where body of friend Cameron Martin was discovered The heartbroken widow of a slain bikie has tearfully revealed how their daughter still asks when her dad is coming home. The body of Comanchero bikie and Monstr Clothing founder Shane Ross was found in Tallebudgera Creek Road in Burleigh Heads, on the Gold Coast, last October. He was found was 1.5km from where his friend Cameron Martin was discovered dead in the wreckage of a horrific car crash just days earlier. Police later confirmed both men died of gunshot wounds. Detectives on Tuesday released CCTV footage of a suspicious white SUV they say could help solve the mystery deaths. On Tuesday, Mr Ross' widow Alexandra Leigh said their heartbroken young daughter still asks when she will see her beloved father again Detectives released CCTV footage of a white SUV (back right) that was in the area on the night Mr Martin was killed. The car was seen doing a U-turn on Tallebudgera Creek Road at 8.18pm Ross' widow Alexandra Leigh Ross said their heartbroken young daughter still asks when she will see her father again. 'Our three-year-old daughter wants to know if her daddy is coming back. She wants to know when he is coming home,' Mrs Ross told media on Monday. 'Why did he leave and ''will he stay dead forever mummy?'' Those are the questions I suffer through daily.' Mrs Ross said her late husband had become the 'best version of himself' before his death. 'The shock and trauma of his absence will follow my daughters and I everyday for the rest of our lives,' she said during the press conference. 'It's hard to fathom how anybody could justify taking his life in such a horrific way, and give no thought to the devastating impact that this will continue to have on our family. 'He's been robbed of the opportunity to watch our daughters grow. They no longer have the privilege of their dad tucking them in at night and wishing them sweet dreams.' Detectives released CCTV footage showing the SUV that was in the area on the night Martin was killed. Gold Coast Police Detective Acting Superintendent Brendan Smith said police are trying to track down the car, which was seen doing a U-turn on Tallebudgera Creek Road at 8.18pm. The car was heading toward Burleigh, before doing a U-turn pulling up outside Martin Shields Park, a short distance from where Mr Ross was murdered and about a kilometre from where Mr Martin died. Det Supt Smith said it has been a 'painstaking and complex investigation' in the five months since both men were killed, and confirmed police are setting up a reward for anyone with information. Indian Youth Congress (IYC) chief Srinivas B V on Tuesday slammed Jyotiraditya Scindia, who has announced his resignation from the primary membership of the Congress, and thanked party chief Sonia Gandhi for expelling the former Guna MP "who was promoting anti-party activities and factionalism". Soon after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Tuesday, disgruntled Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia tendered his resignation to party president Sonia Gandhi, saying it was now time for him to move on. Gandhi, however, immediately expelled him from the Congress for "anti-party activities", as the crisis looming over the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh deepened. "The history of 1857 and 1967 was once again repeated," Srinivas B V said, referring to the 1857 Revolt against East India Company and the role of the Scindia royals back then as well as Vijayaraje Scindia's switch from the Congress to the Jana Sangh in 1967. "I would like to thank Congress president Sonia Gandhiji for taking the strong steps to expel the leader who was promoting anti-party activities and factionalism," the IYC chief said. "No person is, nor will be greater than the party," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Syrian military has begun clearing the Es Salator area near the strategically important M5 Damascus-Aleppo highway not far from the northwestern city of Saraqib, which until recently was occupied by militants ALEPPO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th March, 2020) The Syrian military has begun clearing the Es Salator area near the strategically important M5 Damascus-Aleppo highway not far from the northwestern city of Saraqib, which until recently was occupied by militants. The government troops regained control over the highway in February after almost eight years of heavy fighting. It was briefly shut down again after clashes resumed in Idlib last month. Russia and Turkey agreed on a ceasefire for the northwestern region, which began at midnight on Friday. "We've been preparing an operation to take this fortified area for two weeks. We were shelling at them [militants] from artillery and mortars so that they couldn't raise their heads. We had to transfer forces along the nearest road, while militants were shooting, it was constantly kept on sight by a sniper. And still, we managed to surround them," Muhammad Hamid, a Syrian army soldier told reporters. The heights at which the Syrian air defense unit was located before the war was captured by militants seven years ago. A section of Syria's key transport artery, the M5 highway connecting Damascus with Aleppo, is controlled from there, which is the perfect location for militants to fire at the nearest settlements. "They [the militants] held an all-around defense. As you can see yourself, this is a strategic height. If we didn't take it, we couldn't move forward to Saraqib," another Syrian army soldier said. Syrian sappers, trained by the Russian military, are starting to demine the heights and ways to it. Soon, according to the Syrian army, crops can be grown in nearby fields. Google on March 10 began restricting visits to its offices in Silicon Valley, San Francisco and New York as it ramped up precautions against the deadly novel coronavirus. The added measure was enacted as word went out that Apple had joined the list of technology firms advising employees to work from home and that the prestigious TED Conference set to take place in April has been delayed to protect the health of attendees. To reduce novel coronavirus risk, "external/social visits" to some Google offices have been restricted, and all job interviews will be "virtual" instead of face-to-face for the foreseeable future, according to a spokesperson. Google was already among technology companies including Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon that have given employees the option of working from home instead of going to the office. Apple over the weekend told employees at most of its offices around the world that they can work from home this week, according to an internal memo reported by Bloomberg and confirmed by Axios. Twitter staff across the world was asked to work from home starting Monday in an effort to stop the spread of the new coronavirus epidemic. 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 Google last week cancelled its major annual gathering of software developers amid virus concerns. The internet giant said it nixed the festival-like event Google I/O event scheduled for May a short distance from the "Googleplex" in the Silicon Valley city of Mountain View. The annual Google I/O conference typically attracts thousands of developers from around the world to mingle with one another and with engineers from the internet company on ways to synchronize software and services to its array of offerings. It joined a growing list of global events that have been cancelled as the virus spreads around the world. A game developers conference in San Francisco was postponed, and Facebook recently cancelled its F8 developers conference, the biggest annual event for the US tech giant, due to virus worries. Like Google I/O, the F8 gathering in the Silicon Valley city of San Jose typically draws throngs of software makers from around the world who collaborate with the tech giant on its platform. Face-to-face interaction at the San Jose conference center will be replaced with online presentations. A TED conference slated to take place in Vancouver next month was postponed until late July after a majority of attendees voted to delay the real-world gathering instead of replacing it with streamed presentations, organizers said on Monday. The annual gathering, renowned for exploring "ideas worth spreading," typically attracts the brilliant, influential and accomplished and is a stage for the popular "TED Talks" made available free online. The major annual South By Southwest cultural conference slated to take place in Austin, Texas, was also cancelled due to coronavirus concerns. GREAT FALLS, MT Great Falls College MSU is hosting the Montana Region II Science and Engineering Fair on Tuesday and Thursday, March 10 and March 12. On Tuesday, 164 elementary students from 14 schools will present 125 projects on everything from a study on gluten to an examination of which pop rock pops the loudest. On Thursday, 233 middle school students from 13 schools will show off 181 projects, and 69 high school students from 10 schools will display 47 projects. Projects on Thursday range from a middle school study on detecting microplastics in Sun River runoff to a high school project measuring the effect of vaping on cellular respiration in yeast. The public is invited to attend the fairs, and media coverage is welcome. People will be blown away when they see the students projects, said Dr. Leanne Frost, Great Falls Colleges director of general studies and the science fair director. It is an amazing opportunity to see what the youth of today are capable of accomplishing and to find out the kinds of things that interest them. The Montana Region II Science and Engineering Fair has grown incredibly since Great Falls College took the event over in 2016. For example, there were 58 elementary projects in 2017 compared to 125 this year. 2017 is the first year for which Great Falls College has data. Judging begins on Tuesday at 9:45 a.m. and runs until noon, with the awards ceremony at 12:30 p.m. On Thursday, judging begins at 8:45 a.m. and goes until noon, with the awards presentation at 1 p.m. Judges still are needed for Thursday. Scientific expertise is not needed. To volunteer as a judge, go to www.gfcmsu.edu/sciencefair. The Montana Region II High School Science and Engineering Fair is one of five regional science fairs. The top two grand award project winners from the Montana Region II Science and Engineering Fair go on to compete at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Anaheim, California, May 10-15. The top 10% of participants in the Montana Region II Middle School Science Fair will be nominated to advance to the Broadcom MASTERS national competition, to be held in Washington, D.C., October 16-21. Great Falls College MSU is located at 2100 16th Avenue South, Great Falls, MT 59405. The Morgan County Democrats will host a meeting at 6:30 p.m. today for the Illinois Democratic County Chairs Association to talk about the states Fair Tax proposal. The proposed amendment will be decided by voters in November. It would change the states constitution to allow a graduated income tax rather than the existing flat tax. Advertisement Airbnb is searching for the worlds wildest home ideas and has launched a $1million fund to make them a reality. Design enthusiasts from around the world are being asked to submit proposals for unconventional and unusual liveable spaces - and 10 of these will receive Unique Airbnb Fund financing. An expert judging panel - Emmy and Grammy award-winner Billy Porter, Airbnb superhost at the Big Idaho Potato Hotel, Kristie Wolfe, and architecture firm MVRDV - will sift through the entries to pick the 10 winners. All submissions will be scored against criteria based on creativity, feasibility, sustainability and social good. Airbnb says the fund has been inspired by the 'entrepreneurial spirit' of the company's three co-founders and is meant to 'enable anyone with an extraordinary house idea to design and build it into a reality, and share it with travellers all over the world'. Design enthusiasts have until April 15, 2020, to submit their proposals on the Airbnb website. If you need some inspiration, scroll down and check out some of the wackiest homes already listed on the site... Cabane Spa, France The Cabane Spa is a spectacular treehouse property located in Raray, an hour north of Paris in northern France The treehouse, described as being 'perfect for couples', has just one bedroom and can sleep up to two people. It also boasts a Nordic bath, pictured Lucy the Elephant, New Jersey Lucy the Elephant, one of the oldest roadside attractions in the US, is now a $138-a-night Airbnb. She is six storeys high and has one bedroom and one bathroom The bedroom inside Lucy the Elephant, which was built in 1881. According to the listing for the New Jersey oddity, 'the grand bed, sculptures and vibrant flower arrangements will take you right back to the Victorian era' The Boot, New Zealand The Boot, on the Tasman Coast of New Zealand, is described as a 'spellbinding hideaway'. It sleeps two guests and boasts a bedroom and a bathroom The lounge area inside The Boot. The listing states: 'Your accommodation is a creative feat of architecture, with large open fireplaces inside and out, a luxurious queen-sized bed, a shower built for two, flowers, chocolates and homemade treats, and your own private courtyard' Big Idaho Potato Hotel, Idaho The Big Idaho Potato Hotel in Boise was originally designed and built by the Idaho Potato Commission in 2012. Now it has been transformed into a $200-a-night Airbnb, which is described as a 'cozy, grown-up getaway for two' Inside the Big Idaho Potato Hotel, which features a king-sized bed, a lounge area, a toilet and a metal barrel bathtub. It is surrounded by 400 acres of farmland with a little-used railroad running alongside it The Sheep Wagon, Arizona The Sheep Wagon is at the Shash Dine Eco-Retreat and is described as a glamping experience. The Airbnb listing says: 'Have you ever wanted to sleep in a covered wagon in the middle of nowhere under a brilliant starry sky? We can make that happen' The wagon has space for just two guests but does not come with a bathroom. The listing adds: 'This stay is very minimalist. One will be immersed in nature' UFO Flying Saucer, Pembrokeshire The UFO is a 'one-of-a-kind' rental close to the popular seaside resorts of Tenby and Saundersfoot in Wales. It can sleep up to four people and also has a dining area and basic facilities such as a kettle and a microwave Inside the UFO, which has a monitor where guests can play classic 80s computer games such as Space Invaders and Defender Camaya Bali Bamboo House The Camaya Bali Bamboo House is situated on the edge of a valley and according to its Airbnb listing has 'stunning views over the rice terraces and the peak of Mount Agung in the distance' The open bedroom on the ground floor of the bamboo house, which can sleep up to four guests. The listing adds: 'Wake up with the birds chirping in the morning and enjoy the incredible view over the quiet rice terraces from your bedroom' Sky Dome with mountain views, Argentina The Sky Dome, pictured, is located in El Bolson in Patagonia and has been built using 'sacred geometry patterns inspired by the sphere'. The first floor has a glazed ceiling 'from where you can see the sky - it offers a visual portal to the stars at night' One of the two bedrooms inside the Sky Dome, which can sleep up to four people. The listing says: 'The cabin is dome-shaped. It produces a feeling of serenity, containment, re-connection and rest' Cabana Floripa, Brazil According to its Airbnb listing, Cabana Floripa, pictured, 'seems to levitate on the mountains thanks to its glass walls that allow guests to enjoy a 360-degree view over the territory' YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS. On March 11, in accordance with the arrangement reached with the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh, the OSCE Mission will conduct a planned monitoring of the ceasefire regime on the border of Artsakh and Azerbaijan, in the south-east of Akna, the foreign ministry of Artsakh told Armenpress. From the positions of the Defense Army of the Republic of Artsakh, the monitoring will be conducted by Field Assistants to the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Mihail Olaru (Moldova) and Ognjen Jovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina). The authorities of the Republic of Artsakh have expressed their readiness to assist in conducting the monitoring and to ensure the security of the OSCE Mission members. INTEGRITY MUSIC AND VINEYARD WORSHIP ANNOUNCE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP March 9, 2020 Researchers in Hawaii have retrieved the remains of bombs that were dropped onto Mauna Loa volcano in an effort to divert lava and protect the nearby city of Hilo. The remains were part of a cluster of 40 bombs dropped on the big island of Hawaii just two days after Christmas in 1935, the first time bombs had been used in Hawaii to redirect lava. The old bombs were discovered Kawika Singson, a local who was exploring the lava fields at the foot of Mauna Loa, who alerted the Hawaii Volcano Observatory, which dated the artifacts. The bombing mission was originally organized by Dr. Thomas A. Jagger, who founded the HVO, according to a Newsweek report. Jagger had originally been tracking the flow of lava from an eruption in late November of 1935, which appeared to be heading in a northwestern direction that didn't pose any immediate threat to Hilo. The remains of an MK I bomb dropped on the big island of Hawaii in 1935, one of 40 that were used in an attempt to redirect lava from an unexpected eruption on Mauna Loa volcano The mission was organized by Dr. Thomas A. Jagger, who founded the Hawaii Volcano Observatory, and supported by 10 B-3 and B-4 biplanes from a nearby Army base The bombing, which took place on December 27, 1935, marked the first ever use of aerial bombs to redirect lava on Hawaii After a month, a second eruption caused a new vent to open on the norther flank of the Mauna Loa, creating a new channel that was heading directly toward Hilo, which had an estimated population of more than 20,000 people at the time. The lava was moving at a rate of about a mile a day, and was less than 50 miles from the city center. Jagger had originally considered planting TNT at various points around the surrounding countryside to try and redirect the lava. Mauna Loa volcano is the largest volcano on Earth and has been actively erupting for more than 700,000 years Originally, lava from Mauna Low appeared as if it would flow in a northwestern direction safely missing Hilo, but after a month a new eruption opened a second vent on the volcano and put a new flow of lava on a course for Hilo The lava from Mauna Loa was moving at a rate of about a mile a day, and with less than 50 miles between the volcano and the city center of Hilo, Jagger knew he had to act fast A local sugar chemist named Guido Giacometti convinced him that bombs dropped from Army planes would be quicker and more accurate. Jagger requested help from the local US Army Air Corps, which provided 10 B-3 and B-4 biplanes for the mission. The planes dropped two groupings of bombs, first 20 'pointer bombs' that contained black gunpowder intended to mark the target. A second wave of 20 MK I demolition bombs were then dropped, each of which contained 355 pounds of TNT. 'I have no question that this robbing of the source tunnel slowed down the movement of the front,' Jagger wrote at the time. An oil price plunge means the world's top energy companies will have to review promises to return billions to investors, either by slowing down share buybacks or reintroducing non-cash dividends, analysts said on Monday. Brent crude was trading at around $36 a barrel, down around 20 per cent by 16:45 GMT on Monday, when analysts lowered share price forecasts for top oil and gas producers. The Brent benchmark has fallen by as much as a third since Thursday, just before Russia walked away from an agreement by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut ... Former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, who has just resigned from the party membership earlier on March 10 after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Home Minister Amit Shah, is likely to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the evening, reports suggest. According to reports, Scindia is likely to join the party in Shah's presence. Scindia may join the saffron party and be sent to the Rajya Sabha, sources told news agency PTI, adding that he was upset with the Congress as he believes that Kamal Nath and Congress leader Digvijaya Singh were working in tandem to marginalise him. Catch MP government crisis LIVE here The development has also threatened the Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh with over 20 MLAs reportedly tendering their resignations to Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon. While the Congress - which was voted to power in the state after 15 years in 2018 - has 114 MLAs, the BJP has 107 legislators in the 230-member assembly. Four Independent MLAs, two lawmakers of the Bahujan Samaj Party and one Samajwadi Party legislator are supporting the Congress-led government. The election for three Rajya Sabha seats from the state is slated for March 26. Both the Congress and the BJP are sure to win one seat each, and the changing dynamics in the state politics means that the saffron party may eye to win the third seat. On March 10, authorities in Mongolia announced their first case of coronavirus. As per reports, the first case is a French national that had been working in the country. After being confirmed, the French national became the first case of coronavirus that has spread across the globe and infected more than 100,000 people worldwide. According to reports, the National Emergency Commission announced in a statement that the patient had travelled to Mongolia from France and had come through Moscow. The authorities have identified 42 people who had met with the patient and an additional 120 individuals who had come close to the patient. As per reports, the patient works for Badrakh Energy in southern Dornogovi province and is currently in stable condition. The commission also added that Mongolia has suspended all local travel in Dornogovi province. The first coronavirus case in Mongolia comes despite stringent border and travel controls imposed by Ulaanbaatar to keep out the virus. Mongolia has also halted border crossings from China, where the deadly coronavirus originated. As per reports, Mongolia has also imposed travel bans on people from Japan and Soth Korea until March 11. Mongolia has also suspended schools through end-March. Mongolian President Battulga Khaltmaa and other government officials who had visited China decided to self-quarantine themselves as a precautionary measure. Read: Sporting Events Suspended In Italy As PM Conte Takes Measures To Combat Coronavirus Read: World Fights Coronavirus With Tough Measures As Fear Of Pandemic Grows Panama declares first case On March 9, Panama's Health Minister Rosario Turner during a news conference announced Panama's first case of coronavirus. The 40-year-old patient is believed to have contracted the disease during her trip to Spain. The patient is currently in isolation. Spain has reported 1,231 cases and 30 deaths. The coronavirus death toll globally has recently crossed the 4,000 mark. 4,027 people globally have died because of the deadly coronavirus. Most of the cases and deaths are still in mainland China but the situation in China seems to be stabilizing there with reports indicating only 19 new cases on March 9. That is a marked improvement compared to just a month ago where there were more than 2,000 cases reported daily. On the other hand, the outbreak seems to be worsening globally in places like Italy, the US and Germany. Italy has in total reported 9,172 positive cases with the death toll at 463. Germany has declared 1,224 positive coronavirus cases but the death toll remains at 2. The United States, on the other hand, has reported 708 total cases with 27 deaths. Read: Coronavirus: Puducherry CM Holds Meeting, Reviews Preventive Measures Read: Sindhu, Saina Chase Glory As All England Gets Underway Amid Coronavirus Outbreak The mysterious beauty of the Mojave Desert has been captured in a series of stunning, yet haunting images. The pictures have been taken over 16 years by photographer Zach Bradley, who grew up in the 25,000-square-mile desert. He has discovered abandoned cars, empty house and eerie cemeteries while exploring the harsh environment. The 35-year-old, who grew up in Barstow, California - which lies on Route 15 between LA and Las Vegas - but now lives in Henderson, Nevada, says that the desert often gets a 'bad rap' for being forlorn. A two-storey house in Newberry Springs, California, that's almost been buried by desert sand. It is located on Route 66 Zach Bradley's haunting picture of an abandoned diner in Halloran Springs. The community, in California, has no official residents so is now classified as a ghost town An abandoned water tank on the I-15 in Nevada, which has been transformed by graffiti artists into a beer can called 'Claim Your Destiny Beer' Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch can be found in the community of Oro Grande next to Route 66. The amazing attraction features around 200 tree sculptures made from old glass bottles The International Car Forest of The Last Church, pictured, is located in Goldfield, Nevada. The art installation features over 40 vehicles including cars, trucks, and vans, some of which are perched in precarious positions Old cars lie next to dilapidated buildings in the town of Goldfield, Nevada. Only 200 people live there He says that in reality, it is full of 'cool and interesting places' and is thriving with plant life. He told MailOnline Travel: 'The desert is a beautiful eco-system with Joshua trees, cactus and wildflowers. You can't beat it. 'I love the Mojave Desert because I grew up here. As a kid, I loved going out into the desert and playing. My parents used to prospect for a hobby, so we'd always go camping. I was also in the Boy Scouts, which emphasized the importance of nature. 'When I was about 19 I bought a Nikon N55 film camera on clearance. Since then that is the only camera I have ever shot with besides an old Polaroid camera I got at a thrift store. From there, I just started exploring the desert and shooting as much as possible.' The Old Tonopah Cemetery in the small town of Tonopah, Nevada. There are around 300 graves in this cemetery, which is located next to Tonopah's clown motel The entrance to Boulder City Pet Cemetery in Nevada. Zach says it is one of the most interesting places he has stumbled upon while exploring the Mojave Desert The Daggett Pioneer Cemetery, pictured, which is located on Route 66 in Daggett, California. Daggett used to be a mining town but now has a population of just 200 people An abandoned church in the town of Amboy on Route 66 in California. Amboy was once a popular stop on Route 66 for travellers and was used as a filming location for the music video for Enrique Iglesias' song Hero Zach says that his favourite image is this snap he took of a lone house in the Lucerne Valley, California. He said: 'I waited for about a half-hour for the sun to come up to get that first light hitting it' An abandoned house left to rot in the baking sun in Ludlow, California. The town has a population of just 10 people And the most intriguing place he's discovered on his desert travels? A pet cemetery. He explained: 'The Boulder City Pet Cemetery, also called the Eldorado Valley Pet Cemetery, might be one of the coolest and most interesting places I've stumbled across. 'It is a rogue pet cemetery with very little information regarding its founding, but the place is heartbreaking and beautiful. Dublin Gulch, pictured, is a collection of miners' homes that were carved out of stone in Shoshone, California. The dwellings have been largely abandoned since the 1970s but are popular with tourists Zach captured this close-up image of a desert tarantula in the Californian part of the Mojave Desert. These creatures are venomous but only bite under extreme provocation A view across the desert taken in Barstow, where Zach grew up. It was founded in 1880 during a silver-mining rush and sits on Route 15 between LA and Las Vegas Zach captured this stunning shot of a Beavertail Cactus in full bloom in California. The Beavertail Cactus is most commonly found in the Mojave Desert Zach captured this snap on the dry dusty road to Rainbow Basin, a rock formation in California laden with fossils Zach captured this image in Eldorado Canyon State Park in Nelson, Nevada Flowers in full bloom in Hinkley, California. Zach says: 'The desert is a beautiful eco-system with Joshua trees, cactus and wildflowers. You can't beat it' Zach shot this image in the Ord Mountains, a 14-mile mountain range in California. The highest peak is Ord Mountain, which stands at 6,309ft 'Also there are many art exhibits that are just kind of placed in the desert like The International Car Forest in Goldfield or The Claim Your Destiny Beer Water tower. They are always cool to find when exploring. 'My personal favourite photo I have taken is the one in the Lucerne Valley of a house in a field of tall yellow grass. 'I waited for about a half-hour for the sun to come up to get that first light hitting it. It was pretty cold because it was late October.' The Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada, pictured, which is known for its bright red rocky outcrops. It is popular with hikers Zach said: 'I love the Mojave Desert because I grew up here. As a kid, I loved going out into the desert and playing.' Above is a picture he took of a lone house in Grandview, California Zach discovered these intricate petroglyphs carved into a stone in Grapevine Canyon, Nevada, which is close to the Colorado River The sun sets over Nipton, a historical mining town in California. The town is on the edge of the Mojave National Preserve 'There is a safety aspect to exploring the Mojave. 'Not only should you bring plenty of water but you also need to watch for snakes and be aware of your surroundings - there are open mine shafts and dilapidated buildings that might not be safe to enter.' Maritime archaeologists on the southern coast of England are searching the mudflats for clues as to what life was like thousands of years ago. As climate change threatens our coastlines, scientists in the United Kingdom are looking to our prehistoric past for evidence of changing sea levels and how our ancestors tried to cope. Al Jazeeras Jessica Baldwin reports from Hampshire in southern England. Children wearing face masks leave their elementary school at the end of the day in Xindian district, New Taipei City on March 3, 2020. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images) 16 US Lawmakers: WHO Should Allow Taiwan to Participate in Global Efforts to Contain Coronavirus TAIPEI, TaiwanAs countries around the world seek to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak originating in the Chinese city of Wuhan, Taiwan has been excluded from international discussions organized by the World Health Organization (WHO). In response, U.S. Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) and 15 other lawmakers of the GOP Doctors Caucus, a group of medical doctors in Congress, have written a letter to WHOs Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, urging Taiwan to be included in the WHO. The Chinese regime claims Taiwan as part of its territorydespite the fact that the self-ruled island has its own democratically-elected government, currency, and militaryand thus considers itself a representative of Taiwan. Beijing has pressured international organizations to accept Chinas sovereignty claims, including the WHO. Thus, Taiwan is not a WHO member state. From 2009 to 2016, Taiwans health ministers took part in the World Health Assembly (WHA), the decision-making body of the WHO, as observers. But since 2017, Taiwan has been barred by China from taking part in the assembly and its meetings. Public health should not be political & the WHOs exclusion of Taiwan is just that. This decision threatens the health security of all, Babin wrote in a March 9 tweet, where he also shared copies of the letter sent to Ghebreyesus. Outbreak Since the start of the novel coronavirus outbreak, Taiwan has been excluded from taking part in meetings held by the WHO Emergency Committee. The U.S. letter, dated March 6, stated that lawmakers had deep concern about the WHOs continued marginalization of Taiwan during the outbreak. The ongoing exclusion of Taiwan from the WHO during this epidemic has put people in Taiwan and around the world at greater risk while harming both the integrity of the WHO and the security of member states, the letter stated. The letter questioned whether Taiwans only death in connection to the virus could have been prevented if Taiwan were not excluded from the WHO. It added that Taiwans proximity to China was another reason the island state should become part of the international organization. Taiwan is located just across the strait from Fujian Province. We urge you to ignore the pressure and bullying of the PRC (Peoples Republic of China) and allow Taiwans participation in this fight [against the coronavirus], the letter added. The lawmakers asked that Ghebreyesus extend a direct invitation to Taiwan to participate in person in all WHO meetings, mechanisms, and activities, including the upcoming 73rd World Health Assembly in Geneva in May. Joanne Ou, spokeswoman for Taiwans Ministry of Foreign Affairs, thanked the 16 U.S. lawmakers in a daily briefing on March 10, according to Taiwans government-run Central News Agency. Ou said that Beijing has continued to oppress Taiwan and limit the islands international presence amid the coronavirus outbreak. Taiwanese lawmaker Wang Ting-yu also thanked the U.S. lawmakers in a tweet on March 10: As the Congressman rightly pointed out, neither Taiwan nor the intl community is served by restricting #Taiwans access to timely public health information. Taiwan Offers Assistance At the time of writing, Taiwan has 47 confirmed infections and one death. Experts have attributed the relatively low numbers to the success of the governments containment measures. The island was among the first to bar entry to all travelers who recently visited China. More than 400,000 Taiwanese citizens work in mainland China, according to Taiwan government figures, out of the islands total population of 23 million. Taiwan officials began boarding planes to assess the health of passengers from China after Wuhan authorities confirmed the outbreak on Dec. 31, 2019. Despite Taiwans exclusion from the WHO, the Taiwanese government has provided assistance to other nations, and begun developing its own technology for virus diagnosis. On March 6, Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib thanked Taiwan for providing information about virus containment measures, posting on Twitter a letter sent from Taiwans representative to his city. Hrib had signed a sister-city deal with Taiwans capital of Taipei in January. The letter stated that Taiwan had sent a package about big data analytics, hygiene education materials, and virus testing. Despite intensive contact with mainland China, they have managed to keep the situation under control, Hrib wrote in the tweet. On March 8, Taiwans government-run Academia Sinica, one of the islands leading research institutes, announced that its team of scientists has developed antibodies that can identify the protein of the virus, officially named SARS-CoV-2. This paves the way for a new diagnostic test that can detect the virus within 15 minutes, according to local media. On March 9, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen wrote in a tweet that body samples of suspected patients sent from the island nation of Palau have tested negative. The South Pacific island is one of Taiwans 14 diplomatic allies. We are more than willing to work with our allies & partners around the world, Tsai wrote. Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the TAIPEI Act, which calls for strengthening of economic ties with Taiwan and voices U.S. support for Taiwans participation in appropriate international organizations. It is imperative that America encourages our allies and partners to strengthen their diplomatic ties with Taipei, and that we ensure that Taiwan has a seat at the international decision-making table, including at the United Nations, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated in a press release following the bills passage. The Super Wolf Moon is seen as it rises behind the clouds above the U.S. Capitol, on March 9, 2020, in Washington. (Image credit: Joel Kowsky/NASA) The supermoon on Monday (March 9) inspired some beautiful photography celebrating a close approach of the full moon to Earth. Since the moon does not orbit our planet in a perfect circle, at times the full moon coincides with the satellite's closest approach to our planet. The full moon of March, known as the Worm Moon , arrived on Monday at 1:48 p.m. EDT (1748 GMT), and it reached perigee, its closest point to Earth, today (March 10) at 2:33 a.m. EDT (0633 GMT), nearly 13 hours later. At the time of perigee, the moon was 223,980 miles (360,461 kilometers) from Earth, compared to its average distance of 240,000 miles (384,400 km). Related: Supermoon secrets: 7 surprising big moon facts More: How the 'Supermoon' looks (infographic) Practically speaking, it's hard to tell the difference in size with the naked eye. But supermoons still provide an opportunity for us to look up at the night sky and reflect on the significance of Earth's natural satellite, which has preserved much of the solar system's history, since there is no weather or atmosphere eroding its surface. This makes the moon an attractive target for science missions, human exploration and also photographs. The Super Worm Moon rises above the Statue of Liberty in New York City, on March 9, 2020. (Image credit: Chirag Upreti) Astrophotographer and regular Space.com contributor Chirag Upreti took in the sights of New York City during the supermoon, including the shots you see here of the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building backdropped by the moon. An airplane "photobombs" the nearly-full Worm Moon above the Empire State Building in New York City, on March 8, 2020. (Image credit: Chirag Upreti) "A day after International Women's Day, the supermoon rises with Lady Liberty in the foreground," Upreti told Space.com in an email. "It was an epic moonrise, and as I clicked the shutter, I had to take time to view it visibly with the naked eye. The first thought in my mind was, since eons, humans must have stopped and gawked at a full moon rise when it's this clear. [It's] such a treat." Related: The moon: 10 surprising lunar facts (Image credit: Joel Kowsky/NASA) Another iconic American structure made it into NASA photographer Joel Kowsky's work from Washington. The moon, shrouded a little bit by clouds, pops up just to the side of the U.S. Capitol Building, where decisions about NASA's funding and direction are discussed by politicians. One of the matters being talked about there right now is NASA's ability to bring humans back to the moon by 2024. The agency says it is committed to the goal, but it will also need to prepare a rocket, a spaceship, spacesuits and other equipment rapidly to reach the mark. Related: Supermoon quiz! Are you super or just lost in space? A flock of seagulls take off into the evening twilight as the almost-full Worm Moon glows over the New York City skyline, on March 8, 2020. (Image credit: Chirag Upreti) Back in New York, Upreti said he was glad of another shot that ties in the moon's connection to nature on Earth, as well as our urban activity. "Seagulls briefly flocked out light at twilight was the almost-super moon (illuminated at greater than 99%) rose over the midtown skyline, with the Empire State Building in view, after sundown pastel hues," Upreti said. "It was a beautiful sight, that connected the urban scene with these birds." Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. Negotiations resume Wednesday between the Ontario government and the elementary teachers union, as talks continue with the provinces Catholic and French teachers. The Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association has now completed five days of bargaining. The government remains absolutely focused on getting a deal, Education Minister Stephen Lecce told the legislature on Tuesday. Thats why were before two of our partners today, the Catholic teachers and French teachers, to get a deal that delivers stability for every member of this province, particularly parents and their children. All teacher unions are engaged in job action, but have suspended all one-day strikes until after March Break, if no deals are reached. This government needs to come to the table this week to demonstrate their commitment to public education, said Karen Campbell, first vice-president of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, on Monday. The only union the provincial mediator has not yet called back to negotiations is the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation. Absolutely, it is frustrating for my members that we dont have dates, and we have not seen a willingness from the government to negotiate in good faith with the sort of flexibility required to get a tentative agreement, said President Harvey Bischof. The Ontario government initially proposed boosting high school class sizes to an average of 28 from last years 22, but Lecce recently announced an average of 23 for the duration of any contract it signs with teachers. The province is also looking to introduce two mandatory e-learning courses, but with a more flexible opt-out option. But Bischof said what the government has announced is not where the deal lies ... what the minister has proposed is inadequate in terms of safeguarding the quality of education. He said for his union alone, going from an average of 22 to 23, plus other funding losses, equals 1,800 lost jobs. Premier Doug Ford, speaking at a transportation announcement in Scarborough early Tuesday, said we just want to make sure that our children get back into the classroom. Global risk and reinsurance specialist Guy Carpenter has partnered with Charles Taylor InsureTech as part of the companys future-proofing program. The partnership involves the creation of a global, cloud-based document management solution (DMS) to supply Guy Carpenter with a single, global document depository, Charles Taylor InsureTech said. The firm will help Guy Carpenter migrate existing document repositories from its legacy systems to the new DMS. The DMS will also be integrated with various existing Guy Carpenter systems and processes, including contract lifecycle management and client-servicing systems. Ukraine has a firm position that efforts at the United Nations to protect women's rights and empowerment should be a priority task, and therefore fully endorses the UN General Assembly's political declaration approved on Monday to support the Beijing process, according to Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Serhiy Kyslytsia. "One of the priorities of Ukraine's work at the UN is the protection of women's rights and the achievement of gender equality. Therefore, Ukraine welcomes today's approval of the Political Declaration on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women," the Ukrainian diplomat told Ukrinform. He stressed that the approval of the UN Political Declaration is an important step in achieving gender equality in the world. It also envisages the need for strengthening the protection of women and girls in armed conflicts, which is vital for Ukraine as it still lives in conditions of the Russian aggression. In addition, the Declaration supports the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in decision-making and peace processes, as well as mediation efforts, including in the prevention and settlement of armed conflicts. The Political Declaration, approved on Monday by the UN General Assembly, reaffirms the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, as well as other commitments in the context of achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls. The document identifies 12 priority areas where urgent action is needed: women and poverty; education and training of women; women and health; violence against women; women and armed conflict; women and the economy; women's participation in decision-making processes; institutional mechanisms for women's improvement; the rights of women, women and the media; women and the environment, girls' rights. iy Tesco has agreed a deal to sell its supermarket arms in Thailand and Malaysia, in a move worth around 8.2 billion. It said it will receive around 8 billion in cash proceeds and plans to hand 5 billion of this to shareholders in a one-off dividend. Tesco has agreed to sell the south-east Asian business to CP Group, Thailands biggest conglomerate presided over by Dhanin Chearavanont, the countrys second richest man. In December, the supermarket confirmed that it was considering a sale of its Asian operations as part of a strategic review and had been approached by a potential buyer. Last month, Tesco also exited China after selling its stake in the Gain Land joint venture for 275 million. The company said it received multiple offers for the Asian division and believes the disposal will realise a significantly higher value than could be generated from Tescos continued ownership and investment. Tesco said the deal, which is expected to complete in the second quarter of 2020, will further simplify the business and leave it only with operations in Europe. It said it will now focus on operations in the UK and Ireland, where it has 3,769 stores, as well as its Eastern European operations, where it has 895 sites. Chief executive Dave Lewis said: Following inbound interest and a detailed strategic review of all options, we are announcing today the proposed sale of Tesco Thailand and Tesco Malaysia. This sale releases material value and allows us to further simplify and focus the business, as well as to return significant value to shareholders. I would like to thank all of our Tesco Thailand and Tesco Malaysia colleagues for their dedication, professionalism and service to our customers, which has resulted in the creation of such a strong business. I am confident that the agreement we have reached with CP Group presents an exciting opportunity for their continued success. Air Force One touched down near Orlando, Florida, on Monday, and President Donald Trump disembarked, shaking hands with local politicians on the tarmac before heading directly to a rope line where he grasped the outstretched hands of supporters. It was a routine photo op - but one that has some former Secret Service agents flagging as unsafe and worth scaling back or ending entirely amid the threat of the highly contagious novel coronavirus. "Forget about rope lines - it's the ultimate threat," said one former agent now serving as a private security consultant who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was concerned about his business. He cited handshaking and airborne particles as the prime ways the illness is transmitted. The scene on the tarmac illustrated the challenge for the elite federal agency charged with ensuring the safety of Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and other U.S. dignitaries as it assesses the unpredictable risk associated with an illness that has infected more than 100,000 people worldwide - including more than 650 confirmed cases in the United States - and killed more than 3,000. The Secret Service is expected to soon begin providing protection for former vice president Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the leading candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination. As Trump mingled with the supporters, his protective detail, dressed in suits and earpieces, clustered tightly around him, with one holding open the door of the presidential limousine nearby in case of an attack. Yet the coronavirus presents a silent, unseen enemy, one whose dangers can be unleashed without ill intent and spread without warning. In recent days, reports that an attendee of the Conservative Political Action Conference at National Harbor in Maryland tested positive for the virus has led to questions over whether the president might have been exposed during his appearance there in late February - or afterward. Several Republican lawmakers who attended the event, including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida and Douglas Collins of Georgia, announced that they would undergo self-quarantine. Collins shook Trump's hand at an airport in Atlanta on Friday after the president arrived for a visit to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Gaetz traveled on Air Force One on Monday from Florida back to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland with Trump and White House aides. "In any pandemic, the underlying principle is to restrict access" to the president, said Jonathan Wackrow, a former agent in the Presidential Protection Division who left in 2014. He said the agency and White House would be wise to keep Trump at least 6 to 10 feet from the public - on rope lines and at rallies or other public events - which is approximately the distance public health experts said the virus can travel through airborne particles. But Wackrow acknowledged that implementing such restrictions can be difficult given that the president has competing incentives. Concerned about the effect on the economy of widespread shutdowns, Trump has sought to demonstrate confidence that public routines should not be widely disrupted, despite warnings health experts' warnings about public gatherings. And he is ramping up his reelection campaign. On Monday, Trump departed Orlando Sanford International Airport for a campaign fundraiser with 300 donors at a private residence. Restricting access to Trump "could be wishful thinking on the service's part, at the end of the day, especially with this president, who will do whatever he wants to do," Wackrow said. "You can yell and scream as much as you want to articulate risk, but if the president feels it's necessary to do it, the president is going to do it. It's the service's role at that point to make the environment as safe as possible." White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement that the president's doctor, the Secret Service and the White House operations division have been "working closely with staff and various agencies to ensure every precaution is taken" to keep Trump, his family and the White House complex "safe and healthy." "As we are all doing, Americans should continue to follow the CDC's guidance on travel and public gatherings," Deere added, "which includes staying home if you feel ill, as well as frequently washing your hands with soap and water." Various news reports, citing anonymous White House aides, suggested that behind the scenes the president was alarmed about potential exposure to the virus. But press secretary Stephanie Grisham issued a statement declaring that reports that the White House had instructed all presidential aides to limit "in-person interactions" was "completely false." The White House's determination to project a sense of business as usual for the president conflicts with precedent. In May 2009, President Barack Obama's White House instructed aides to stay home if they were sick after an administration official, who had been in meetings with Obama during a trip to Mexico the previous month, was diagnosed with swine flu. "I remember being briefed by the Secret Service and the medical team around that incident and then realizing we had to get it out and brief others," former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said in an interview. "You just didn't know how quickly things might spread." When asked about Trump's appearance on the rope line, a Secret Service official declined to comment, citing a policy of not revealing the agency's tactics. The official said the agency continues to receive updates on coronavirus and "is currently working in partnership with the White House Medical Unit to ensure the safety and wellness" of Trump, his family and White House staff. The Secret Service provides a large protective bubble for the president anywhere he travels, including heavily armed counterassault and countersniper teams, a hazardous materials unit made up of firefighters and paramedics, and a protective detail. On top of that is the three-member White House Medical Unit, which includes the president's doctor, and collaborates on health matters. Experts said the Secret Service has long trained agents and officers on how to deal with the threats posed by a pandemic, but they emphasized that every virus is different and unpredictable. They said advance teams, which scout out locations for presidential rallies and other events, would almost certainly be in contact with local health officials to assess the threat of the virus in large-scale public gatherings. Trump's campaign has not announced any cancellations of rallies. But organizers for a health conference for 45,000 people in Orlando, where Trump was scheduled to appear Monday, canceled it last week. Organizers for the Republican Jewish Coalition expect to draw about 2,000 attendees for its annual conference Saturday in Las Vegas, where Trump is set to speak, and said Monday that the event will go forward. "We are distributing Purell to every participant, encouraging people not to shake hands, hug or kiss others, and to respect personal space," RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said. He added that the White House has not requested changes to the event. On Thursday, during a visit to Seattle to meet with local officials over a coronavirus outbreak in that city, Vice President Mike Pence disembarked from Air Force Two and gave Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, a more sanitary elbow bump, rather than a handshake - a move aimed at sending a message to the public to take simple precautions. The following day, Trump visited the CDC, a trip that initially was canceled over fears that an employee had contracted the virus before it was reinstated after the person tested negative. "That was a big deal with Secret Service, but they're fantastic and they worked it out," Trump told reporters during his tour of the facility. - - - The Washington Post's Carol D. Leonnig and Anne Gearan contributed to this report. Way back in 1995, Amazon made its first-ever customer sale. Within two short months, Amazon was selling US$20,000 per week in the U.S. and countries around the world. Today, Amazon has become the go-to marketplace for more than 310 million customers, and more than 54 percent of all product searches occur on Amazon. In other words, Amazon has replaced Google as the No. 1 search engine for products. So, how can your brand leverage this fast-growing, ultra-competitive marketplace while still remaining profitable? Lets take a look at four Amazon advertising strategies you can start using today to improve your effectiveness and sell more products. 1. Optimized Product Listings Before even considering advertising on Amazon, you need to start with effective product listings that are optimized properly for both your audience and Amazons algorithm. Many brands advertising on Amazon still neglect this fundamental step, which leads to lower engagement, lower audience intent, and fewer sales. You need to err on the side of excellence, especially the more complicated or technical your product is. There are five common shortcomings that brands make in regards to product listings: Poor brand representation or low quality images: Make sure that all of the text supporting your product from title and description to details and bulleted copy are optimized with the keywords that resonate with your audience. Look to Amazons own product listings to get a sense of how it positions information. Make sure that all of the text supporting your product from title and description to details and bulleted copy are optimized with the keywords that resonate with your audience. Look to Amazons own product listings to get a sense of how it positions information. Misleading product claims: Be accurate and truthful in the claims you are making about your products. The fastest way to destroy consumer trust is to exaggerate or inaccurately portray your products. Dont be a snake oil salesman! Be accurate and truthful in the claims you are making about your products. The fastest way to destroy consumer trust is to exaggerate or inaccurately portray your products. Dont be a snake oil salesman! Unanswered questions: If someone asks you a question about your product, answer it! A huge part of building consumer trust is being highly responsive in your customer service. Unanswered questions are warning signs of a brand that doesnt care. If someone asks you a question about your product, answer it! A huge part of building consumer trust is being highly responsive in your customer service. Unanswered questions are warning signs of a brand that doesnt care. Negative reviews: Although you cant entirely control negative reviews, you can leverage them to your advantage. Use them as an opportunity to get valuable feedback on your products, provide customer service if something went wrong, or even determine if your customers are receiving counterfeit products from a third-party seller. Although you cant entirely control negative reviews, you can leverage them to your advantage. Use them as an opportunity to get valuable feedback on your products, provide customer service if something went wrong, or even determine if your customers are receiving counterfeit products from a third-party seller. Duplicate listings: If the same product has multiple listings, you not only are diluting your traffic, but also might be sending shoppers to an unoptimized product page. Make sure that your products dont have multiple listings. If they do, work with Amazon Seller Support to get them removed. 2. The Right Goals This might sound like common sense, but youd be amazed at the number of brands that dont have clearly defined goals, or have goals focused far too granularly to see the bigger picture. Success means different things to different companies, so understanding the specific needs of your brand is the first step to setting the right goals. There are three common objectives for Amazon advertisers: Brand awareness Rapid growth Sales at a target ROI Before even considering building out or expanding your Amazon advertising, you need to set clear expectations for the channel. For instance, if brand awareness is your main goal, youll probably want to invest more heavily in your Amazon Store and Amazon Sponsored Brand ads, which are a great way to showcase your products and get more people viewing what you offer. If sales at a target ROI is the goal, youll need a much more comprehensive advertising strategy and campaign optimizations in place to reach your goal. A D V E R T I S E M E N T 3. Competitive Research and Analysis Understanding your competitors and your position in the marketplace is another essential step toward optimizing your Amazon advertising. One of the best ways to make this determination is to perform a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) of your brand. This will help you better define your competition, and it also can help you flesh out the specific strengths of your brand. The big takeaway here is that you can make more profit quickly and easily by focusing on your strengths and capitalizing on the strengths of your products. You can spend a lifetime trying to eliminate your weaknesses and never achieve the same impact as optimizing for your strengths. Here are six questions to ask yourself as you look to understand your unique strengths: How competitive is your category on Amazon? on Amazon? What is your fulfillment strategy , and what is the strategy of your competitors? , and what is the strategy of your competitors? What do your product reviews look like? look like? What is the quality of your product listings ? ? How are you priced compared to your competitors? compared to your competitors? Are your products bundled similarly to your competitors or do you have a unique selling angle? 4. Keywords, Keywords, Keywords Last but not least, understanding the keywords that are resonating with your audience is essential to optimizing your Amazon advertising campaigns. There are three main keyword match types on Amazon: Exact match captures traffic that matches the keyword exactly or is a plural. If the search is sock, either sock or socks would be an exact match, but red sock would not. captures traffic that matches the keyword exactly or is a plural. If the search is sock, either sock or socks would be an exact match, but red sock would not. Phrase match captures traffic with any variation of a keyword or keyword phrase, assuming the words appear in the correct order. If the search phrase is red socks, phrases like long red socks and red socks for sports would track, but red long socks would not. captures traffic with any variation of a keyword or keyword phrase, assuming the words appear in the correct order. If the search phrase is red socks, phrases like long red socks and red socks for sports would track, but red long socks would not. Broad match captures traffic when an individual word within the keyword or keyword phrase is used. The order does not matter as long as one of the words for the search is present. A search for red long socks would track for any combination of terms using red, long, socks, or any combination of these words. There are a number of free tools available to help you in your keyword research. Also, the Amazon search bar itself is an incredible resource for keyword research. When you start typing a query into the search field, Amazon attempts to auto fill the keyword or phrase based on the tremendous audience data acquired from its 310 million customers. This offers a great opportunity to see the common keywords that are associated with your products, and the terms that real consumers are using. Tying It All Together Once you have gathered a solid collection of keywords, completed your competitive research and SWOT analysis, set smart goals, and fine-tuned your listings, youre well on your way to mounting an efficient, optimized Amazon advertising campaign. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Obviously, the setup is only half the battle. Fine-tuning the ads themselves and continuously analyzing, testing and optimizing are key to long-term success. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-09 19:47:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close An Iranian firefighter disinfects a bus station in Tehran, Iran, on March 9, 2020. Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education on Monday announced that the outbreak of novel coronavirus in Iran has affected 7,161 people, out of whom 237 have died. (Photo by Ahmad Halabisaz/Xinhua) TEHRAN, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The outbreak of novel coronavirus in Iran has affected 7,161 people, Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education said on Monday. Of the total infected people, 237 have died, said Kianush Jahanpur, head of Public Relations and Information Center of the ministry. Jahanpur said that 2,394 of the affected people have been recovered. According to the announcement, Tehran records 1,945 cases of infection, the highest number among the country's provinces, followed by Qom with 712 cases and Mazandaran with 633 cases. Iran announced the first cases of the virus infection in the central city of Qom on Feb. 19. A team comprising five experts from the Red Cross Society of China arrived in Tehran on Feb. 29. The medical team met with the Iranian Red Crescent Society to discuss how to prevent and control the spread of the virus in the country. The Chinese medical team in Iran has set "an excellent example of 'peer-to-peer' experience sharing," Maria van Kerkhove, technical lead for the World Health Organization's Health Emergencies Program, told a daily briefing in Geneva in early March. Leer en espanol A Pima County resident has been diagnosed with COVID-19, the highly contagious respiratory illness, local and state officials said Monday. The latest case, which is pending confirmation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, marks the first in Pima County and the sixth in Arizona. State health officials, meanwhile, said Arizona could see thousands of coronavirus cases, putting the state at a heightened risk for community spread of the disease, which originated in China and has quickly spread globally. In Pima County, the infected individual, who lives in an unincorporated area, recently returned from an area with community spread of the virus and was tested last week. Health officials said they were unable to make public where the individual traveled to or any other identifying information as it would compromise their privacy. Dr. Bob England, interim director of the Pima County Health Department, said the individual was not severely ill and has already recovered, but was advised to remain in home isolation until the middle of this week. Health officials are in the process of evaluating anyone the individual may have been in contact with but said the concern is low. It is almost certainly going to spread around the community at some point, England said. This particular individual was really good about staying home when sick, so we dont have a concern for contacts at this point. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 10 Trend: In accordance with the mandate of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, the OSCE mission will hold a monitoring on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops in Aghdam district on March 11, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. On the Azerbaijani side, the monitoring will be held by field assistants of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ghennadie Petrica and Martin Schuster. On the Azerbaijani territories occupied and controlled by Armenian armed forces, the monitoring will be conducted by field assistants of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Mihail Olaru and Ognjen Jovic. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts. A record 360 tractors in North Yorkshire took part in an annual run to raise money in memory of a young farmer who died aged just 24. Hundreds of farmers gathered on Sunday 8 March to support the Knaresborough Young Farmers Club annual tractor run. They added at least 10,000 to the 40,000 the event has already raised for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Sunday's turnout is thought to have secured the event organised in memory of former YFC member Mike Spink as the biggest tractor run in the whole country. There was a new starting point, from the Yorkshire Agricultural Societys (YAS) headquarters in Harrogate, as it had outgrown its old gathering point. The route took in all its traditional Nidderdale drive-throughs including Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge. There are no pre-entries so you never know until the day how many are going to turn up, said Steven Brown, one of the event organisers. Around 400 tractors leaving the @greatyorkshow at the start of the @KnaresboroYFC #TractorRun All condensed in to 21 seconds @strayfmwill @PeteOnTheRadio Have a great day everyone raising vital funds for @YorkshireAirAmb ?????? pic.twitter.com/dw06F1FkKB Sgt Paul Cording ??+??=? (@OscarRomeo1268) March 8, 2020 We got to last years total of just over 300 and then they just kept coming; its a happy but very emotional day for all of us who new Mike. "He would absolutely capped to think of all these tractors turning out to remember him and raise money for such a good cause." In January 2017, Mike Spink was hit by a car in New Zealand as he was walking home shortly after midnight. He grew up on the familys dairy farm in Scotton, near Knaresborough, before travelling to find farm work overseas. Sundays event was the fourth annual tractor run the club has organised since the 24 year-old died that day. His friends from YFC wanted to do something to honour him and a tractor run seemed the most fitting tribute. Its breathtaking to think how this event has grown in such a short space of time, said Steven. It started out with just a dozen of us going for a run out on our tractors to remember Mike. To see the 360 turn out this year is very humbling. The office of Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced that he will skip his annual public address on the first day of the Persian new year, or Nowruz, which falls on March 20. In a statement, Khameneis office cited health authorities who have advised against travel and public gatherings to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Khamenei has traditionally given his Nowruz addresses to large crowds of Shiite supporters at the shrine of Imam Reza in the northeastern city of Mashhad. The decision signaled the growing seriousness of the situation in the eyes of Khamenei, who initially underestimated the so-called virus. As of March 10, Iran's Health Ministry put the coronavirus death toll at 291, marking a surge of 54 in one day. Over 8,000 Iranians are now confirmed to have contracted coronavirus, making the country home to the largest infected population in the Middle East. Lawmakers and medical workers on the ground have disputed those figures, saying they are much lower than the real tally. Nevertheless, Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour once again dismissed such accounts. We are not forcing anyone to believe our statistics, he said at a briefing in Tehran March 10. Over a dozen hospital staff, ranging from cleaners, nurses, general practitioners and specialists, have already fallen victim to coronavirus. Khamenei has now agreed to a request to label those medical workers martyrs, a title of significance in Shiite Islam. Over the past several days, the medical community has complained that it is underequipped to be on the front line against the virus. In the flashpoint of northern Gilan province, the medical staff are overwhelmed by a growing number of patients. In many cases, new clients are not admitted, as even the hospital corridors have turned into overcrowded wards. A lawmaker representing Rudsar in the same province said the hospital does not have a single set of CT scan equipment for initial tests and there are no ventilators. Even masks and gloves have been provided by donors. According to an account from doctors in the same town, at least seven patients succumbed to the infection in the past two days alone, from March 8 to 10, while acute respiratory problems were listed as the official causes of death on certificates. Khameneis order to label the deceased hospital staff as martyrs has sparked criticism that true gratitude could have been shown by providing medical workers with workable solutions that could have saved their lives. An image of a graffiti stencil depicting a nurse in a protective mask is trending on social media. She holds a sign that reads: Give us the equipment and pay us our due salaries, no need for a martyrs title. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 18:50:54|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close MANILA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) said on Tuesday that nine more people have tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country to 33. The country's Health Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire clarified that the 11 new cases announced earlier by the DOH "are in fact new positive samples and not cases." "Upon verification, DOH reported that two of the new positive samples are repeat tests on samples," she told a news conference, adding that the DOH's earlier report that the total cases have reached 35 was a "mistake." She said all new patients are now confined at different hospitals in Metro Manila and New Clark City in Pampanga province. "The DOH is conducting comprehensive contact tracing activities for all cases," Vergeire added. she said the spike of positive cases was due to the "heightened surveillance" efforts of the DOH. Vergeire said there are no new COVID-19 deaths in the Philippines, adding the 86-year-old American and 62-year-old Filipino male patients are in critical condition due to pre-existing conditions or medical conditions prior to contracting the coronavirus. Both patients are in "guarded condition," she added. There are now 33 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, including one death. Some of the patients did not have travel history and may have contracted the deadly virus in the country. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has signed a proclamation declaring a state of public health emergency as anxiety mounts over the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country. Moreover, He ordered on Monday night the suspension of classes in the National Capital Region on March 10-14 as part of efforts to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 in Metro Manila after the number of cases more than doubled on Monday. The Philippine government also canceled a nationwide simultaneous earthquake drill scheduled on March 12, jail visitations, a Philippine Military Academy homecoming, senate headings, and school graduations and the like events. Director Kelly Reichardt has earned consistent critical acclaim for her work, notably the five films shes made in Oregon. Her latest, First Cow, is a characteristically naturalistic look at the friendship of two men in the early nineteenth-century Oregon territory. Made with Reichardts signature attention to detail, First Cow is a thoughtful, deeply touching film, which The New York Times calls a masterpiece. In a phone interview, Reichardt talks enthusiastically about Oregon, and then catches herself, saying she doesnt want to praise the state too much. I want to stop people from moving there, says Reichardt, who moved to Portland a few years ago. Im the worst, she adds, jokingly. The line stops right behind me. As with her other Oregon-made films, Old Joy (2006), Wendy and Lucy (2008), Meeks Cutoff (2010) and Night Moves (2013), First Cow is a collaboration between Reichardt and Portland-based writer Jonathan Raymond. The two again share screenwriting credit, and First Cow is inspired by a portion of Raymonds novel, The Half-Life, published in 2004. Her creative connection with Raymond has a good deal to do with why the Florida-born Reichardt has made so many films in Oregon, she says. About the time The Half-Life came out, I read it, and it was by Jonathan Raymond, who lives in Oregon, and grew up in Oregon, Reichardt recalls. I wrote him, and asked him if he had any short stories I could make a script out of. And he sent me a script for Old Joy, which took place in Oregon. Old Joy is an understated look at two friends who have been out of touch, and who get together for a camping trip in the Cascades, with a stop at Bagby Hot Springs. Since then, Reichardt says, she and Raymond have done five films set and filmed in Oregon. They all kind of come from the seed of writings of Jon, she says, and thats a lot of why I ended up working in Oregon. I like Jon, and we have a similar sensibility, says Reichardt. His stories have a lot of room in them, so I can get into them and extend, and build some of the smaller characters, and add things that I want to add. Its just the nicest collaboration. Like their other films, First Cow has a feel for the physical reality of being in the state, immersing the viewer in the feeling of wet leaves on the ground, the sound of birds singing in the trees, and a sense of dampness in the air. "First Cow" is the fifth film director Kelly Reichardt has made in Oregon. (Photo: Allyson Riggs/Courtesy of A24) Courtesy of A24 But, as with the other films, First Cow can also be read as a political statement. The main characters, Cookie (John Magaro), and King Lu (Orion Lee), come from nothing, but after they form a friendship, the two stumble upon a way to earn some money. King Lu, the more enterprising of the two, suggests they team up to steal the milk of a cow, which has been brought with some fanfare to the area trading post by a local bigwig. When night falls, Cookie and King Lu sneak onto the property of the bigwig, and surreptitiously milk the cow. With this secret ingredient, Cookie prepares oily cakes, fried dough delectables that the two sell to delighted customers at the trading post. Without being overt, First Cow makes it clear both what a fragile line Cookie and King Lu walk in their attempts to earn enough money to try and start their own business, and what a vast gap exists between these two and the affluent official who owns the cow. Reichardt and the cast and crew filmed First Cow in late 2018, in locations such as Sauvie Island and Fort Umpqua, in Elkton. Even though they were working outdoors in cold months, Reichardt says it wasnt all that bad. As far as our films go, this was not the roughest, she says, adding, if its 30 degrees and rainy, you can dress for it. Maybe I just have enough gear. There was definitely a lot of mud to deal with. Though Magaro and Lee give fine, subtle performances, theres no denying that the cow, played by Evie, is a scene-stealing, big-eyed beauty. She came from Washington, Reichardt says, adding that Evie was trained there and an animal trainer worked with her, so that she would feel safe on the ferry, and not nervous. That was the big thing, because we didnt want her to end up in the water. She was a super-sweet animal. First Cow screens as part of the Portland International Film Festival, 8:30 p.m. Friday, March 13, at Cinema 21. The film begins a commercial run at Cinema 21 on Friday, March 20. -- Kristi Turnquist kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. SPRINGFIELD Illinois health officials on Tuesday announced the first cases of coronavirus illness in people outside Cook County: a McHenry County resident in his late teens and a Kane County woman in her 60s who are likely the states first cases of community spread. Neither of these cases have a travel history to an affected area or a connection with other known cases. Though officials are still investigating, they believe these are the first known instances of the virus spreading throughout the population without a clear origin. The two community spread cases are among eight new cases of the illness known as COVID-19 that officials announced Tuesday during a news conference in Chicago, bringing Illinois total to 19. The other six new cases are Cook County residents: four men and a woman in their 40s, a woman in her 60s and a man in his 70s. The eight new patients are in isolation and doing well, officials said. Public health officials are reaching out to people who had close contact with them. We want everyone to start thinking and preparing now for the virus to circulate more widely in the community, said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health. Social distancing will be important to slow and reduce and dampen the effect in our community. This may include canceling large events. Though the states case total is 19, Gov. JB Pritzker said several have since recovered and returned to normal life. Ezike said all current patients are stable. Officials also updated the most vulnerable populations, the elderly and people with underlying medical conditions, on how they can best guard against the virus. We are asking our older adults to limit their activities in the community, especially large indoor events, Ezike said. We are also recommending long-term care facilities and nursing homes to restrict visitors under the age of 18 and those with obvious colds, influenza or potential COVID-19 infection. Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady advised people over the age of 60 or with underlying conditions to not attend large gatherings and encouraged people with underlying conditions to stock up on medications. As we potentially see additional spread of this disease, we dont want people coming into the medical system who dont need to be there, she said. Pritzker said he is working with county election boards on possibly moving polling places out of nursing homes. On Monday he announced the Quincy Veterans Home would move its polling location for the March 17 primary election. He also said it is possible the deadline to obtain an absentee ballot could be extended. Pritzker slams federal response I am very frustrated with the federal government, the governor said, as U.S. cases of the virus surpassed 800 on Tuesday. We have not received enough tests. Pritzker said the state would like to be able to test any person who shows symptoms or just wants to be tested, but said federal officials have not kept their word. Weve been told now for days and days and days indeed weeks, I would argue that there are commercial labs that would be coming online, he said. I was just told today commercial labs would be coming online within days. Once again, Ive been told the same thing again. We havent seen it. The only places able to test for COVID-19 right now are the three state-run labs in Chicago, Springfield and Carbondale. Pritzker also criticized the Trump administrations decision to forgo the World Health Organizations COVID-19 test, which has been used on hundreds of thousands of people in Europe and Asia, in favor of its own test. We could have been using that weeks ago here in the United States, he said. Its been too long already. AG warns of scams Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is urging people to not fall victim to email and social media scams related to the virus. According to the CDC, there is currently no known treatment for COVID-19. People should be aware that any email or website offering a cure is a scam that should be avoided, Raoul said Tuesday in a news release. He says products such as chlorine dioxide, hydroxychloroquine, essential oils, silver, elderberry and garlic are being falsely advertised as treatments and cures for the virus. Raoul also encouraged Illinoisans to be cautious when donating to coronavirus-related charitable causes, since fundraisers and charities are required to register with the AGs office. Among his tips to prevent getting scammed include not donating if the solicitor uses high-pressure tactics or asks for cash; confirming the charity exists when you receive an email or text asking for a donation; and being wary of look-alike websites. Virus prevention tips Officials have said the best ways to avoid contracting COVID-19 include covering your coughs and sneezes, washing your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water, avoiding touching your face, staying home when you are sick and cleaning frequently-touched surfaces. Illinoisans who think they might have the virus may call the states COVID-19 hotline (1-800-889-3931) or email dph.sick@illinois.gov. IDPH also has a webpage of frequently asked questions: http://www.dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/diseases-and-conditions/diseases-a-z-list/coronavirus. Love 0 Funny 5 Wow 2 Sad 1 Angry 0 President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Abuja said law enforcement agencies have recovered over N3.7 billion as well as various assets worth billions of Naira from contractors and former directors of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The president disclosed this at the inauguration of NDDC Advisory Committee, comprising the nine governors of the Niger Delta Region and the Ministers of Niger Delta Affairs and Environment. Specifically, President Buhari said: To date, the EFCC and other agencies of government have recovered over N3.7 billion in cash as well as various assets worth billions of Naira from some contractors and former Directors of the Commission. Furthermore, I am told that Government agencies have placed liens on over N6 billion of assets which are being investigated. The president told the committee that these abuses of the past clearly show the need for strict and diligent oversight, going forward. He, therefore, charged them to discharge the new assignment diligently and effectively, working closely with the relevant ministries, adding that he looked forward to seeing positive changes in the affairs of the commission as well as on the ground in the Niger Delta region. President Buhari recalled that in 2016, his administration launched the New Vision for the Niger Delta (NEVIND), aimed at bringing sustainable peace, security, infrastructure and human capital development to the region. He said the medium to achieve this noble objective was through the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, NDDC and the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP). The president, however, expressed regret that in the past these institutions were unable to deliver their mandates due to mismanagement. As a result, the people of the Niger Delta were left with abandoned infrastructural projects and substandard social programmes which were designed to improve their living conditions. It is to reverse this trend that I approved, in February 2020, the constitution of a 10-Man Presidential Monitoring Committee (PMC) as provided for in Section 21 of the NDDC Establishment Act. He noted that the PMC, which will be chaired by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and its members drawn from various MDAs, will focus on monitoring the operations and activities of the commission, and will be reporting to him. In the same vein, the president said the inauguration of the NDDC Advisory Committee is in line with the provisions of Section 11 (I) of the NDDC Establishment Act, explaining that the committee is charged with the responsibility of advising the Board and monitoring its activities. Justifying the decision to inaugurate the committee ahead of the reconstitution of the NDDC Board, President Buhari said: This is to enable us develop insights into the affairs of the Commission which will properly guide the Board when reconstituted once the Forensic Audit exercise on the Commission is concluded. You may recall that the Federal Executive Council, on 5th of February, 2020 approved the appointment of the Lead Forensic Auditors. I am told they are concluding their pre-engagement activities and should be ready to commence work soon. Speaking on behalf of the members of the advisory committee, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State thanked the president for inaugurating the committee and granting the request of the governors, from the region, for a forensic audit of the NDDC. The governor expressed the hope that the report of result from the forensic audit would help streamline activities of the NDDC with a view to putting it on course to deliver on its mandate to the people. Underscoring the roles of the advisory committee, the Delta State Governor noted that for sustainable development of the region, the NDDC must perform its duties in close collaboration with the States to avoid duplication of projects. We do not want to criticise what has happened in the NDDC for quite some time, but the fact is that the cooperation between the states and the NDDC has not been strengthened overtime and we have various cases of duplication of projects that are not properly planned. But I believe that with the inauguration of this body we will be able to sit down, meet together, work in collaboration and supportively to bring greater developments to our people, he said. Femi Adesina Special Adviser to the President Advertisements [March 10, 2020] CI&T Further Entrenches into the EMEA Market with the Opening of Offices in London and Lisbon to Service Clients Throughout the Region LONDON and LISBON, Portugal, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CI&T , a leader in driving digital transformation for global brands, today announces their continued global expansion with office openings in London and Lisbon. With an existing presence in both North and South America and the Asia Pacific region, the new European operations are both designed to support CI&T projects across Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Having partnered with companies including Konica Minolta, the strategic move into EMEA highlights CI&T's efforts to expand the scope of their client operations with the goal of client relationships in all global markets. "Continued international expansion is key to the consolidation of CI&T. The company has already expanded its presence in the North American market, accelerating its annual growth from 25% to 30% in recent years," said Bruno Guicardi, Co-founder and President at CI&T. "With the entry into the European continent, we hope to obtain a similar result." The London office will be the central hub for CI&T operations and responsible for building new business relationships and servicing new and existing clients. The Lisbon office meanwhile will focus onthe development of digital and design solutions, highlighting CI&T's goal of continuing to be on the forefront of innovation. It will also focus on talent acquisition looking to tap into Lisbon's growing talent pool, cutting-edge infrastructure and competitive costs. CI&T provides strategy, research, design and engineering services to the world's largest companies, digitally transforming customers' businesses by co-creating new business models, digital products and platforms, and innovative ways of working. "The global digital transformation market has doubled in the last 18 months, and 69% of UK companies plan to invest in this process over the next three years. We are talking about a market estimated at US $2 billion," added Carolina Rossi Wosiack, EMEA Managing Director at CI&T, who will be based in London. "There is a great opportunity to help traditional companies like Konica Minolta make an impact through digitization." "CI&T is a key partner for Konica Minolta, supporting us with new development projects for the Healthcare IT industry. Their experience and professionalism has been invaluable in successfully setting up efficient processes and development environments, as well as advising on product definition, refinement and requirements engineering," notes Florian Ertl, Senior Product Owner for Digital Workplace R&D, Konica Minolta. "What has been most welcomed, is the CI&T team is a great working example of agile software development: fast, flexible, open, and fully engaged with the project and wider team members." This announcement comes on the heels of several key achievements for CI&T in 2019 and highlights the company's continued momentum and global growth. In addition to a strategic minority investment from Advent International, CI&T welcomed EmbraerX to its growing client portfolio, unveiled its new Prisma Bay Area innovation center in Oakland and was the recipient of a number of industry accolades including Inc. 5000, and Great Place to Work. About CI&T CI&T is a digital solutions partner for some of the world's biggest companies, helping them drive growth and continuous innovation across business, people and technology. With operations across North America, Latin America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region, CI&T has a proven track record of delivering complex end-to-end solutions for the digital enterprise. For more information, visit www.ciandt.com . PR Contact Benny To Illume PR for CI&T 310.452.4446 [email protected] Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1120956/CIandT_Expands.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1096357/CI_and_T_logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] T he Chancellor has said he will use his Budget to unveil 70 million worth of "toughening up" measures for criminals on probation. The extra cash will be part of an overall 100 million package that Rishi Sunak is due to reveal on March 11. Convicted criminals released from prison on licence half-way through their sentences will have tighter constraints slapped on their probation period. This will include a roll-out of tagging devices that monitor whether they have drunk alcohol. The electronic ankle tags could not only monitor their location but also sample skin perspiration every 30 minutes to determine whether drink has been consumed. Rishi Sunak arrives at 10 Downing Street / AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson piloted putting sobriety tags on offenders when he was mayor of London but, despite a compliance rate of 92 per cent, the scheme was discontinued and never rolled out nationally. The idea was revived by Justice Secretary Robert Buckland at the Conservative Party conference in the autumn. Other clampdowns to be paid for by the incoming investment include expanding the use of GPS to monitor offenders, tightening their curfews and increasing the hours of unpaid work that those undertaking community service need to carry out, according to the Treasury. Mr Sunak said: "Keeping our streets safe is one of the people's priorities - we are already delivering on this by hiring 20,000 new police officers and building 10,000 new prison places. "At the Budget, we will go even further with new funding to toughen up community sentences, crack down on domestic abuse and provide victims with the support they need." A further 15 million will be provided to improve the court process for victims of rape and sexual abuse. The Treasury said the cash injection will be used to hire independent sexual advisers who are "trained to guide and support victims through the justice system". The Government hopes the added funding will speed up charging decisions, while also providing extra online resources for victims of rape and sexual abuse, including a single digital hub. Queensland has reported three new coronavirus cases, including one woman who was infected from a family member who travelled overseas. A 42-year-old Sunshine Coast woman is in isolation in Sunshine Coast Hospital after she was infected by her partner - a 38-year-old woman who was previously confirmed with COVID-19 after recently travelling from London through Dubai. Authorities would escalate their efforts if someone contracted the disease in Queensland without a clear source of infection. Credit:AAP/Darren England A Queensland Health spokesperson clarified this did not count as a human-to-human transmission in Queensland, because they had a clear contact trace between the two women. Authorities would escalate their efforts if someone contracted the disease in Queensland without a clear source of infection. The spreading of Covid-19 epidemic in Vietnams major trade partners including Japan and South Korea are causing problem for export-import activities. A lingering Covid-19 epidemic could take heavy toll on Vietnams export growth target for 2020, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT). Data: MoIT. Chart: Hai Yen. Meanwhile, in the short term, the spreading of Covid-19 epidemic outside China, especially in Vietnams major trade partners including Japan and South Korea, is putting pressure on the countrys external trade. According to the MoIT, the majority of input materials for domestic production in Vietnam, particularly in the fields of electronic products, textile and garment, are sourced from China. The US decision not to treat Vietnam as a developing country is expected to hit on Vietnams exports to this market, said the MoITs report. In the first two months of 2020, Vietnam had seven categories of goods and products with export turnover topping US$1 billion each, all in the manufacturing and processing sector. They are wood products; textile and garment; footwear; electronics, computers and parts; phones and parts; machinery, equipment and parts; and transportation vehicles. Notably, computers, electronics and parts recorded the highest export growth of 26.7% year-on-year among Vietnams key export staples during the period, standing at US$5.36 billion, followed by machinery, equipment and parts with US$2.98 billion, up 19.6%. Overall, export turnover of Vietnams industrial products climbed 4.1% year-on-year in the two-month period to US$31.39 billion, accounting for 85.01% of total exports. In February, exports of phones and parts surged 55.8% against the previous month to US$4.2 billion, mainly thanks to Samsungs exports of Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra, three newly released smartphones. Exports of agro-fishery-forestry products in the January February period stood at US$3.03 billion, down 14% year-on-year. The MoIT said such a decline was due to disruption of exports to China, a key market for Vietnams agricultural products. The export revenue of agro-fishery-forestry products in February decreased by 15.1% month-on-month. In 2019, for the first time Vietnams trade turnover exceeded the US$500-billion mark to nearly US$517 billion, up 8% year-on-year, and earned a trade surplus of nearly US$10 billion. Of the total trade revenue, exports stood at US$263.5 billion, up 8% year-on-year. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at a government meeting on December 30, 2019, expected Vietnam to reach export value to grow 13.8% year-on-year to reach US$300 billion in 2020 and extend the trade surplus status to a fifth consecutive year. Hanoitimes Hai Yen Derivative aluminium, steel exporters urged to consider request for tax exemption Firms which exported derivative aluminium and steel to the US needed to work with their partners on requesting tax exemption in case their products satisfied conditions for exclusion, according to the Trade Remedies Authority of Viet Nam. The media aide to Governor Ganduje of Kano State, Dawisu, has explained just what the dethronement of an emir means. According to Dawisu, when an emir is dethroned, he would be under house arrest and also exiled from the community. Dawisu also pointed out that the deposed Emir would not be accessible to visitors. READ ALSO Obasanjo Writes Sanusi Over Dethronement This is coming after a few people have suggested that Sanusi should run for president. Dawisu pointed out that a person in an exiled position should be after his freedom and not running for the presidency. See His Post Here: United Nations: The United States has called for a Tuesday vote at the UN Security Council to endorse Washington's deal with the Taliban that was meant to pave the way to peace in Afghanistan, diplomats said. The US military has begun withdrawing troops as part of the pullout agreed in the February 29 agreement with the Taliban. The request for a UN vote came after negotiations on a draft resolution, diplomats said Monday. Advocates For A United Kano, a group of stakeholders in the state, has condemned the dethronement of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as Emir of Kan... Advocates For A United Kano, a group of stakeholders in the state, has condemned the dethronement of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as Emir of Kano. The group in a statement signed by its chairman, Bashir Othman Tofa, vowed to drag Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and the Kano House of Assembly to court. Tofa was the National Republican Convention (NRC) candidate in the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election. The statement said the stakeholders received with utter shock and disbelief, the announcement by the Secretary to State Government on Sanusis removal. This development is saddening, unfortunate and illegal. The Advocates call on all residents of Kano State and beyond to stay calm, and not to resort to any violent reaction whatsoever, it read. We absolutely believe in whatever Allah ordains; we put our complete trust in Him, for He has power over all things. Be that as it may, the Advocates For A United Kano, shall continue to challenge, by lawful and peaceful means, each and every brazen act of illegality perpetrated by the Government of Kano State. In particular, we have vowed to sustain our judicial challenge to the unlawful law passed by the Kano House of Assembly under which the Governor purportedly removed the Emir. Hours after Sanusis ouster, the Ganduje government announced Aminu Ado Bayero as the 15th Emir of Kano. Bayero was until his appointment the Emir of Bichi, one of the four new Emirates created in 2019. This article is part of our latest Museums special section, which focuses on the intersection of art and politics. Paula Peters remembers the last major anniversary of the historic voyage in 1620 of the Mayflower from Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Mass. It was in 1970. She was 12. It did not go well, recalled Ms. Peters, a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. Frank James, whose Wampanoag name was Wamsutta, was invited to give a speech, but was prevented from delivering it because the events organizers didnt like what he had to say. This years 400th anniversary promises to be different. It will include all the things Frank James wanted to say and then some. Its an opportunity to take our story out of the margins and onto an international platform, said Ms. Peters, who through SmokeSygnals, a marketing and communications agency, curated and consulted for exhibitions and programs on both sides of the Atlantic. Whats most important to stress is simply that we are still here. The Wampanoag Nation, encompassing the federally recognized Aquinnah and Mashpee tribes, are equal partners in the yearlong commemoration with Plymouth 400 in the United States, Mayower 400 in the United Kingdom, and Leiden 400 in the Netherlands, umbrella groups for museums and organizations that are hosting Mayflower-related events in their respective regions. By buying an index fund, investors can approximate the average market return. But if you pick the right individual stocks, you could make more than that. For example, the Novo Nordisk A/S (CPH:NOVO B) share price is up 68% in the last three years, clearly besting the market return of around 29% (not including dividends). However, more recent returns haven't been as impressive as that, with the stock returning just 23% in the last year , including dividends . Check out our latest analysis for Novo Nordisk While the efficient markets hypothesis continues to be taught by some, it has been proven that markets are over-reactive dynamic systems, and investors are not always rational. One 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. Novo Nordisk was able to grow its EPS at 3.1% per year over three years, sending the share price higher. In comparison, the 19% per year gain in the share price outpaces the EPS growth. So it's fair to assume the market has a higher opinion of the business than it did three years ago. It is quite common to see investors become enamoured with a business, after a few years of solid progress. You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image). CPSE:NOVO B Past and Future Earnings, March 10th 2020 Dive deeper into Novo Nordisk's key metrics by checking this interactive graph of Novo Nordisk's earnings, revenue and cash flow. 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. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. As it happens, Novo Nordisk's TSR for the last 3 years was 81%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. This is largely a result of its dividend payments! Story continues A Different Perspective It's good to see that Novo Nordisk has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 23% in the last twelve months. That's including the dividend. That gain is better than the annual TSR over five years, which is 5.2%. 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. To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Novo Nordisk . 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 DK 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. Taiwan mask output to hit 10 million per day by next week: minister ROC Central News Agency 03/09/2020 04:48 PM Taipei, March 9 (CNA) Taiwan is ramping up its production of surgical face masks, with the goal of reaching 10 million per day by next week, using newly acquired equipment, in an effort to meet domestic demand amid the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic, Economics Minister Shen Jong-chin () said Monday. With the delivery of the machines, 60 new production lines have been opened at various manufacturing plants across Taiwan, although some of the equipment still needs fine tuning, Shen said. This week, Taiwan's daily output of surgical face masks is expected to be 9.2 million on average, and when the production lines reach full capacity next week, they will be manufacturing 10 million masks per day in total, he said. On March 5, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said NT$90 million will be spent to set up another 32 mask production lines, which will eventually help meet the current high demand due to the coronavirus epidemic. Chen said the equipment for those 32 new production lines is expected to be delivered by the end of March. According to the MOEA, Taiwan has enough raw materials to produce up to 15 million masks per day until the end of June. Meanwhile, President Tsai Ing-wen () on Monday visited a mask manufacturing plant in Taoyuan and expressed thanks to everyone involved in Taiwan's efforts to contain the COVID-19 epidemic. Yi Ting Non-Woven Co., the plant that she visited, is one of several factories contracted by the government to help ramp up mask production. According to Yi Ting Non-Woven, it currently has four machines that are churning out roughly 400,000 masks a day, and its daily output is expected to rise to 600,000 soon when it adds two more machines to its production lines. (By Wu Po-wei, Lee Wan-lin and Ko Lin) Enditem/pc NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Regulatory News: Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) ("PSH") today announced that it has purchased, through PSH's agent, Jefferies International Limited ("Jefferies"), the following number of PSH's Public Shares of no par value (ISIN Code: GG00BPFJTF46) (the "Shares"): Trading Venue: London Stock Exchange Ticker: PSH Date of Purchase: 9 March 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 27,291 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 1,270 pence 16.63 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 1,206 pence 15.79 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 1,230 pence 16.11 USD Ticker: PSHD Date of Purchase: 9 March 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 11,495 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 16.02 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 16.02 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 16.02 USD Trading Venue: Euronext Amsterdam Ticker: PSH Date of Purchase: 9 March 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 26,566 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 16.66 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 15.82 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 16.13 USD PSH will hold these Public Shares in Treasury. The net asset value per Public Share related to this buyback is 27.70 USD 21.13 GBP which was calculated as of 9 March 2020 (the "Relevant NAV"). After giving effect to the above buyback, PSH has 202,715,986 Public Shares outstanding, or 208,415,487 Public Shares calculated on a fully diluted basis (assuming that all Management Shares had been converted into Public Shares at the Relevant NAV). Excluded from the shares outstanding are 8,240,764 Public Shares held in Treasury. The prices per Public Share were calculated by Jefferies. The number of PSH Management Shares and the one special voting share (held by PS Holdings Independent Voting Company Limited) have not been affected. About Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) is an investment holding company structured as a closed-ended fund that makes concentrated investments principally in North American companies. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200309005864/en/ Contacts: Media Camarco Ed Gascoigne-Pees Hazel Stevenson +44 020 3757 4989, media-pershingsquareholdings@camarco.co.uk It's official: Murray State becomes member of Missouri Valley Conference Several Congress leaders slammed Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday for quitting the party, accusing him of betraying the trust of the people and placing "personal ambition" over ideology. Hitting out at Scindia, many Congress leaders referred to the 1857 revolt against the East India Company and the role of the Scindia royals back then as well as Vijaya Raje Scindia's switch from the Congress in 1967. Congress' prominent youth leader Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the party on Tuesday and appeared set to join the BJP amid a rebellion in Madhya Pradesh by his supporters, pushing the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government to the brink of collapse. A shell-shocked Congress, in a largely symbolic move of no consequence, expelled Scindia, the party general secretary and scion of the erstwhile Gwalior royal family, on charges of anti-party activities. Reacting to the development, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot accused Scindia of betraying the trust of people and ideology, saying people like him cannot thrive without power and the sooner they leave, the better it is. "Joining hands with the BJP in a time of national crisis speaks volumes about a leader's self-indulgent political ambitions, especially when the BJP is ruining the economy, democratic institutions, social fabric and as well the judiciary," he said on Twitter. Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said ideology did not matter to Scindia, and claimed that "political convenience" and "personal ambition" played a major part in his decision to quit the party. Chowdhury alleged that some sort of "allurement and enticement" offered by the Bharatiya Janata Party had convinced Scindia to switch over from the Congress. "It is sad for the Congress party because Jyotiraditya Scindia had been nurtured by the party over the years," Chowdhury told PTI. "He had been entrusted with important jobs by the party. But now the situation had come to such a pass that he found it more convenient to switch over to the other party," he said. Some leaders also voiced concerns over the state of the party. Haryana Congress leader and MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi said Scindia's "departure is a big blow" to the Congress. "He was a central pillar in the party and the leadership should've done more to convince him to stay. Like him, there are many other devoted INC leaders across the country who feel alienated, wasted and discontented," he said. "India's oldest party needs to empower young leaders who have the capacity to work hard and resonate with the masses," said Bishnoi, the son of former Haryana chief minister Bhajanlal. Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh state minister Jitu Patwari made a reference to the 1857 Revolt against the East India Company as well as Scindia's grandmother, Vijaya Raje Scindia, quitting the Congress in 1967 to state that something similar was happening. Indian Youth Congress (IYC) chief Srinivas B V slammed Scindia and thanked party chief Sonia Gandhi for expelling the former Guna MP "who was promoting anti-party activities and factionalism". "The history of 1857 and 1967 was once again repeated," Srinivas B V said. "No person is, nor will be greater than the party," he added. Gaurav Pandhi, national coordinator for social media in the Congress, said, "A traitor is a traitor and no amount of arguments and reasoning can justify treachery. Period!" Referring to the rebellion in Madhya Pradesh Congress, the party's Karnataka unit chief, Dinesh Gundu Rao, said it was time for Rahul Gandhi to lead the party from the front and make drastic changes at the top. Earlier in the morning, senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh parried questions on the exact number of MLAs supporting the party in Madhya Pradesh amid a political crisis triggered by the resignation of Jyotiraditya Scindia and 14 MLAs loyal to him. Repeating his allegation that the BJP was trying to destabilise the Congress-led government, Singh told reporters that the BJP had arranged three chartered planes for Bengaluru on Monday to fly out some MLAs loyal to Scindia. On Tuesday morning, as much of India was celebrating Holi, Scindia met senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, following which he called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his 7, Lok Kalyan Marg residence. There was no official word on what transpired at the meetings. However, BJP sources asserted that the decision of the party's top two leaders to hold long deliberations with Scindia underlined the importance they attach to him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Francois Mori Twitter says it's reached an investment deal with Silver Lake and Elliott Management that will keep Jack Dorsey as the social media company's CEO. Twitter Inc. said Monday that Silver Lake will make a $1 billion investment in the company. That money, along with cash on hand, is expected to be put toward a $2 billion stock buyback. Amanda Redman has said British audiences should embrace sex scenes with older actors (Getty Images) Amanda Redman has revealed she experienced her own #MeToo moment when she was asked to strip during an audition. The New Tricks star recalled how she was asked to remove her clothes during an audition for a BBC show 40 years ago. Redman, 62, told the Radio Times: This was an audition for the BBC. I walked in and the guy said: Those purple velvet jeans look lovely on you, but I think theyd look better on the floor, would you take them off please? Read more: Amanda Redman recalls horrific burns injuries I didnt take them off, obviously. I burst into tears and I ran. I remember exactly who it was, but I wont be saying. That was the norm then. I was 22 as well a baby, really. English actress Amanda Redman, UK, 5th December 1984. (Photo by R. Jones/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Discussing sexism in the TV industry Redman also said that British audiences needed to embrace sex scenes between older actors on screen. The Good Karma Hospital star said: I was thinking about the fact that the Americans seem less frightened of intimacy between older couples. Read more: Amanda Redman opens up about nine miscarriages Im watching Madam Secretary and the two leads are in their late 50s and have a really healthy sexual relationship. And its not repulsive. We in Britain tend to shy away from that. Theres ageism involved there. Amanda Redman has said there are not enough roles for older actresses (Getty Images) There are lots of actresses in their 50s who are wonderful, and they are nomads. Seriously. The men have a much easier time of it. They just do. And that makes me cross. Madam Secretary is a political drama series starring 54-year-old Tea Leoni. Sorry! This content is not available in your region A man wearing a protective mask is seen on a subway platform on March 9, 2020 in New York City. Massachusetts' Governor Charlie Baker declared an emergency after the state's coronavirus cases more than doubled overnight, surging by 51 new cases. "Today there are 51 new presumptive positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed or presumptive positive cases in the commonwealth to 92," said Marylou Sudders, secretary of Massachusetts' health and human services. Sudders said 70 of the total cases all stem from a meeting of senior managers at Biogen Inc. in the Boston area late last month. Presumptive positive cases have been confirmed by state or local labs, but not by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The declaration of an emergency gives the state more flexibility to respond to the evolving outbreak, Baker said. We use cookies If you're happy with cookies click proceed. In December 2001, months after his fathers untimely death, Jyotiraditya Scindia joined the Congress. On Tuesday, on his fathers birth anniversary, Scindia embarked on a new chapter in his political journey when he announced his resignation from the Congress. Suave, educated, untainted by corruption and boasting of both political lineage as well as a connection to the grassroots, Scindia has long been the modern face of Indian politics grand old party. In his letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi,which was widely circulated on social media, Scindia wrote, To reflect and realise the aspirations of my people and my workers, I believe it is best that I now look ahead at a fresh start. Also Watch | Why Jyotiraditya Scindia quit Congress | Madhya Pradesh crisis At 49, Scindia, a Harvard and Stanford University alumnus, was seen as one Congresss pillars of strength. He was part of a close-knit group that included former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Sachin Pilot, Murli Deora and Jitendra Prasad. A fiery orator, he often led Congresss attack against political rivals in Parliament and was made the chief whip of the party in the 16th Lok Sabha. The grandson of the last maharaja of Gwalior Jivajirao Scindia, Scindia joined electoral politics in 2001, after his father and Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia was killed in a plane crash. The young Scindia filed a nomination from his fathers constituency of Guna in Madhya Pradesh in 2002 and defeated his rival from the Bharatiya Janata Party, Desh Raj Singh, by a margin of 450,000 votes. Scindia would win four straight terms from Guna, but lost the seat in the 2019 general elections a loss attributed by his loyalists to infighting within the Congress. During the United Progressive Alliance government, he was appointed minister of state for communications and information technology in 2008. A year later, in the second UPA government, he was minister of state and given charge of the ministry of commerce and industry. On October 28, 2012, he became Union minister of state (independent charge) for power. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A nationally recognized expert in land-use planning will present seven strategies designed to balance the needs for affordable housing, open space and agriculture at 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, at COPIA/CIA in Napa. This community conversation is hosted by the Jack L. Davies Napa Valley Agricultural Land Preservation Fund. Admission is free but space is limited at the initial event; pre-register at Eventbrite.com. The featured speaker, Tom Daniels, is professor and program director of Land Use and Environmental Planning at the University of Pennsylvania. A leading scholar-practitioner of farmland preservation, Daniels frequently serves as a consultant to state and local governments and land trusts. He will present strategies that have worked well in California, Oregon, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Vermont to supply housing, preserve agricultural land, and limit urban sprawl. The JLD Ag Fund commissioned Dr. Daniels to identify successful programs and present them in Napa. Napa County, its municipalities, and LAFCO are doing a lot of things well in managing the growth of the county, Daniels concludes in the 108-page report that forms the basis of his presentation. The recommendations presented here are meant to add to, not replace, the efforts already underway. He suggests various kinds of cooperative agreements, public-private partnerships, and potential funding sources. Both the full report and a two-page summary of Daniels report, Agricultural Land Protection, Annexation, and Housing Development: An Analysis of Programs and Techniques with Potential Use in Napa County, are available at jldagfund.org. The JLD Ag Fund is dedicated to preserving, protecting, and promoting agricultural lands in Napa County. Farmland preservation is key to Napa Countys long-term sustainability and has been so since the County Board of Supervisors formed the Agricultural Preserve in 1968. The Ag Preserve ensures that Napa County upholds its most precious resource: agriculture as the highest and best use of much of the Valleys fertile floor and its arable hillsides. The Ag Fund Board includes President Hugh Davies, and members Sandy Elles, Janet Viader, Ron Wicker, Rich Salvestrin, Tom Gamble, Cio Perez, Ryan Klobas, Wakoh Shannon Hickey, and Greg Clark. SEATTLE, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Grist , the nation's leading environmental media organization, today released the 2020 Grist 50 its fifth annual list of 50 emerging leaders with fresh, real-world solutions to some of the world's biggest problems. In typical Grist 50 fashion, this year's list features leaders from many different disciplines and backgrounds; it includes scientists, artists, policymakers, farmers, social-justice advocates, entrepreneurs, chefs, policy wonks, and more -- all working toward a planet that doesn't burn and a future that doesn't suck. Grist calls these forward-looking phenoms Fixers. This year, more than 1,000 individuals were nominated to receive the honor. "Now more than ever, the news cycle is dominated by negative storylines, especially on climate change, with too little focus on solutions, on ways out of the planetary pickle," said Chip Giller, Grist's founder. "The Grist 50 highlights those working to fix the challenges before us, and shows what a vibrant, diverse, solutions-oriented sustainability movement looks like." The Grist 50 is produced by Fix , Grist's solutions lab. Fix explores the world of what's possible, identifying and celebrating climate and justice leaders, connecting them to each other to deepen their impact, and telling unexpected stories about progress. "The climate crisis demands action. The Grist 50 puts a spotlight on the next generation of climate voices to make sure they'll be heard," said actress and environmental activist Jane Fonda. "This is an important list and everyone should know this group of changemakers. If I have anything to do with it, this list will be the next TIME 100!" The 2020 Grist 50 Fixers list celebrates emerging leaders across a range of demographics, including: CECILIA ALDARONDO , Filmmaker : a documentarian with a Tribeca Film Festival debut telling the story of what really happened after Hurricane Maria : a documentarian with a Tribeca Film Festival debut telling the story of what really happened after Hurricane Maria SHANE BERNARDO , Cofounder, Food As Healing : a Filipino-American community organizer using food as a way to better understand social justice and climate change : a Filipino-American community organizer using food as a way to better understand social justice and climate change MARCUS BRIGGS-CLOUD , Codirector, Ekvn-Yefolecv Maskoke Ecovillage : a teacher who created a village to encourage sustainable living while protecting his ancestral language from extinction : a teacher who created a village to encourage sustainable living while protecting his ancestral language from extinction ERIKA DICKERSON-DESPENZA , Tow Playwright-in-Residence at The Public Theater in NYC : a playwright using the arts to draw attention to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan : a playwright using the arts to draw attention to the water crisis in MICHAEL MALCOM , Executive Director, People's Justice Council // Alabama Interfaith Power and Light : a pastor raising awareness around energy equity's intersection with faith : a pastor raising awareness around energy equity's intersection with faith EVELYN VALDEZ-WARD , Cofounder, Reclaiming STEM: a DACA recipient bringing diverse and underrepresented scientists together a DACA recipient bringing diverse and underrepresented scientists together COURTNEY WILLIAMS , Chief Strategist, The Brown Bike Girl: an advocate building a more inclusive biking community an advocate building a more inclusive biking community THANU YAKUPITIYAGE, U.S. Communications Director, 350.org: a communications director ensuring the climate movement includes migrant voices Since 2016, the Grist 50 has reached millions of people who have read about, and shared the work of these inspiring leaders. Those selected as Fixers have seen their networks expand, their opportunities grow, and their effectiveness increase due to being on the list. About Grist: One of the country's leading nonprofit media organizations, Grist has been serving up clear-eyed, refreshingly irreverent environmental reporting since 1999. We believe in a planet that doesn't burn and a future that doesn't suck. Grist's pioneering work has led to coverage in other media, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, NBC's TODAY, and TIME, and won many prestigious awards. Our mantra these days: Don't freak out. Figure it out. For more information, visit https://grist.org/ . About the Grist 50 Each year, the nonprofit media organization Grist searches high and low for the most inspiring innovators and doers working on fresh solutions to the planet's biggest problems. The result is a collection of 50 Fixers building a sustainable world that works for everyone. Solutions come in many shapes and sizes: exciting technologies, smart campaigns, forward-thinking legislation, innovative products, courageous organizations. Fixers vary, too; they include farmers, entrepreneurs, comedians, activists, scholars, scientists, and more. The Grist 50 is produced by Fix, Grist's solutions lab. Fix explores the world of what's possible, identifying and celebrating climate and justice leaders, connecting them to each other to deepen their impact, and telling unexpected stories about progress. Leaders on the Grist 50 become part of a network, which convenes Fixers at different events and gatherings throughout the year. Our vision: a planet that doesn't burn and a future that doesn't suck. Press Contacts: Erin Haworth | High10 Media | o: 212-918-2044 | [email protected] Sarah Van Cleve | High10 Media | o: 212-918-2045 | [email protected] SOURCE Grist Related Links https://grist.org A retired police official was found dead in a lodge in Akola on Tuesday, an official said. He identified the deceased as 63-year-old Mantappa Basappa Chenigond, a Pune resident who retired some years ago as superintendent in the state reserve police force (SRPF), and had come to Akola two days ago on some personal work. "His room was locked from inside and he was not responding to calls by the cleaning staff. After police broke down the door, he was found dead. It seems he died of a heart attack," the Ramdaspeth police station official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WILTON While the coronavirus is here, with the states first case reported in Wilton this past Sunday, its business as usual in town. Enjoying a warm spring-like day on Tuesday, March 10, people were seen shopping, sipping coffee, and walking their dogs in Wilton Center. Although not officially labeled a pandemic in the U.S., the illness, known as Covid-19, has infected 116,740 people worldwide, resulting in 4,095 deaths. The majority of those cases are in mainland China, where the outbreak first emerged. However, Italy, with 9,172 confirmed cases of the virus and 463 deaths, has instituted a country-wide lockdown, quarantining the country in an effort to contain the outbreak there. In the U.S., there have been 729 confirmed cases so far, resulting in 27 deaths related to the virus. To prevent the virus from spreading, upcoming events such as the Zero Waste Faire at Wilton High School have been canceled, along with March programs at the Wilton Library. Wilton public schools remain open at present but have canceled field trips and other activities through Friday, March 13. The high school will not give the SAT exam as planned on Saturday, March 14. Wilton Schools Superintendent Kevin Smith called the situation fluid and said each day requires the ability to adapt and demonstrate flexibility in this time of uncertainty. Hunter Arton and her daughter Elizabeth, 3, of Wilton, were at Stop & Shop on River Road on Tuesday, with Elizabeth dressed in a cheery pink dress, bouncing happily along the railing outside the store. Arton is not especially concerned about the virus, Everybody is doing what they can and should be washing their hands and using disinfecting wipes, she said. She has no concerns with Wilton schools being open at this time. They are doing what they can. Parents should be careful about bringing children to school who are sick. But I dont think adding stress to children by keeping them home and making them fearful is the answer either, she said. With a highly active three-year-old in tow, she wants kids to have an outlet for their energy. As long as kids can be in school and do activities we should encourage them to do that in order to be healthy, she said. A parent at Starbucks on River Road said she approved of how the schools were handling the coronavirus situation through communications from teachers and the superintendent. They arent encouraging mass hysteria, and thats good, she said. Another Starbucks customer said she wasnt changing her life because of the virus threat. Im still going to public places and into New York City for a show. I dont see any reason to close things down, she said. Although she believes the virus is going to spread, she is not concerned about herself. I dont have issues, but I do worry for other people, she said. Barbara Nelson, who was walking her puppy while waiting for a training class at the Comstock Community Center, said she was more concerned about her mother who is living in an out-of-town nursing facility. They are not taking visitors at this time as a safety precaution because the elderly are more at risk, she said. Blown out of proportion Stop & Shop customer Miriam Thune believes coronavirus has been blown out of proportion and gotten out of control. The media never should have started hyping it up at the beginning. Its no more serious than the regular flu, which kills more or as many people, she said. It is more dangerous than the regular flu, though, interjected her husband, Arnt Lund. Yes, but its been blown way out of proportion. People are getting a little more anxious and apprehensive, she said. She recommended people heed cleanliness routines and see their doctor if they are sick. Lund said while Wall Street took a hit yesterday, companies making sanitizing products were seeing a huge spike on the stock market. At Wilton Town Hall, Kathy Cooper, assistant town clerk, said staff is following preocedures recommended by the towns health director. They are sanitizing their work areas, and heeding social distancing recommendations depicted on posters around the building, keeping their distance from the public as they transact business with them. pgay@wiltonbulletin.com The people with not as much backing are the ones who are out, Warren said. They never really caught fire; thats why they dropped out. Moreover, he said, theres less confusion with just two very visible and well-known candidates to choose from now. The Associated Press reported that a statewide turnout of 40% of registered voters is projected, based on advance estimates submitted to Missouri officials by county election agencies across the state. In both St. Louis and St. Louis County, the projections are 40% to 45%. Its consistent with what we did four years ago, said Gary Stoff, GOP elections director in St. Louis. He said the city had a 43% turnout for the 2016 presidential primary. Officials in St. Charles and Jefferson counties foresee turnouts a bit lower, of around 30%. However, St. Charles County elections director Kurt Bahr said in a text message that we prepared for twice that. Outside Mondays Sanders rally, Mike McKeown, 33, of Kirkwood said he was impressed by Sanders Medicare for All plan aimed at covering every American. MELVILLE, N.Y., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, has announced that Mr. Yoroku Adachi, the company's chairman and CEO, is retiring. His last day of work will be March 31, 2020. Mr. Adachi, who also is retiring as executive vice president of Canon Inc. in Japan and Chairman and CEO of Canon Solutions America, has enjoyed a distinguished 50-year career with Canon that included leadership roles at Canon companies around the world. Canon U.S.A. has also announced that Mr. Kazuto Ogawa, the company's president and COO, is being promoted to president and CEO and will succeed Mr. Adachi. Mr. Ogawa, who has almost 40 years of experience with Canon, joined Canon U.S.A in 2018 after serving as executive vice president at Canon China. "I am honored to have the opportunity to succeed a tremendous leader like Mr. Adachi,'' Mr. Ogawa said. "In many ways, Mr. Adachi was a visionary. His ability to anticipate and understand the needs of our customers and business partners as well as the many complex factors affecting our business was remarkable. He wasn't afraid to make bold decisions or take risks that helped move Canon U.S.A. forward.'' Mr. Adachi was named president and CEO of Canon U.S.A. in 2005 and was promoted to chairman and CEO in 2014. He was responsible for all of Canon's operations in North, Central and South America as well as the Caribbean. Before leading Canon U.S.A., Mr. Adachi was president of Canon Canada from 1998-2001 and president and CEO of Canon's Asian Group companies from 2001-2005. Under his leadership, Canon U.S.A. ended a long search for a new headquarters on Long Island. The company constructed a 700,000-square-foot LEED Gold certified building on 52 acres in Melville and moved there from Lake Success in 2013. "Our Melville headquarters will be a huge part of Mr. Adachi's legacy in the United States,'' said Seymour Liebman, executive vice president, chief administrative officer and general counsel, Canon U.S.A., and senior managing executive officer, Canon Inc. "But those of us who have worked closely with Mr. Adachi will remember him for his sincere concern and care about our employees and his desire to always do the right thing.'' Mr. Ogawa began his career with Canon Inc. in 1981. From 1995-2005, he held positions with Canon Singapore, Canon Hong Kong and Canon China before returning to Canon Singapore as president and CEO. In 2008, Mr. Ogawa was named president and CEO of Canon Canada. He became an executive officer of Canon Inc. in 2011 and was appointed executive vice president of Canon China in 2014. He was elected as a managing executive officer of Canon Inc. in 2016. For more information about Canon U.S.A., please visit usa.canon.com About Canon U.S.A., Inc. Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions to the United States and to Latin America and the Caribbean markets. With approximately $33 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in U.S. patents granted in 2019 and was named one of Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies in 2020. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss and follow us on Twitter @CanonUSA. Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office. SOURCE Canon U.S.A., Inc. Related Links http://www.usa.canon.com Therefore, one must ask: is it ever going to be used inside another car? Believe it or not, the V-8 might live on but not inside a Caddy, according to a recent report. Were back with extra info on the topic of Cadillacs Blackwing V-8 engine. The 4.2-liter double-overhead cam mill had a short life inside the now-dead CT6-V and by the looks of it, Cadillac wont drop it inside the new Escalade or the souped-up CT5. It looks like the Blackwing V-8 is heading to Italy to power a new sportscar What will happen to the Blackwing V-8? According to a recent report by Hagerty, Cadillacs Blackwing V-8 is headed to Europe; Italy, to be more precise, to the developers of the new Lancia Stratos and the 1,985-horsepower Aspark Owl all-electric hypercar. Thats right, the Blackwing V-8 is heavily linked to Manifattura Automobili Torino (or MAT), which is looking to use it in a new car its currently brewing. Those who remember the 2019 Geneva Motor Show will undoubtedly recall the reborn, Ferrari F430-based Lancia Stratos shown in Switzerland by MAT. As it turns out, MAT is working on a new project and that project will benefit from the adoption of Caddys Blackwing twin-turbocharged powerplant. Back in January 2020, we reported that the CT5 range-topper will get a V-8 engine, but not the Blackwing. Instead, the supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 from the CTS-V would sit under its hood. One month later, another report had Cadillac President Steve Carlisle on record saying his company doesnt have a plan for the Blackwing engine at the moment. Not great news by any means. Coming back to Maniffatura Automobili Torino, president Paolo Garella revealed to Hagerty that the company is working on another limited-production model based on the companys own design. Whats more, Mr. Garella could confirm that we [MAT] have an agreement with General Motors. Its a very-very interesting engine, a 4.2-liter twin-turbo reverse-flow V-8. The Blackwing V-8 uses a hot-vee arrangement of its two turbochargers (i.e. inside the valley formed by the cylinder banks), producing 550 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque. Engine Blackwing V-8 Blackwing V-8 Horsepower 500 550 Torque 553 627 Whats more, MAT will be working with Punch Torino, who now owns the former General Motors Propulsion Engineering Center in Turin. Theyll also be responsible for developing the Blackwing V-8. That said, we cant be happier that the Blackwing V-8 wont be lost and forgotten in the back of an abandoned depot. We just hope MAT reveals its creation sooner rather than later. Chinese president Xi Jinping on Tuesday visited the virus-hit city of Wuhan to proclaim victory in the fight against the epidemic, as dissent continued to simmer among residents and commentators. Xi said the spread of the deadly coronavirus epidemic had been "basically curbed" in central Hubei province and the provincial capital Wuhan. "Initial success has been made in stabilizing the situation and turning the tide in Hubei and Wuhan," state news agency Xinhua quoted him as saying. "The situation of coronavirus prevention in Hubei and Wuhan has shown positive changes and achieved phased results, initially realizing goals to stabilize and turn around the situation," Xi said. As the president flew in, Wuhan closed the last of 14 temporary hospitals set up to cope with a huge surge in COVID-19 cases, as the health authorities reported just 19 new cases on Monday. Xi was shown meeting with local officials, medical staff, and volunteers, wearing an N95 respirator and speaking with frontline medical workers and a patient by video. Residents took to Twitter to give a behind-the-scenes look at a massive security and propaganda operation surrounding Xi's visit, posting photos of police officers in hazmat suits stationed on their balconies overlooking the president's route. Some said the police were likely there to stop people heckling the president, as they did last week during a visit by vice premier Sun Chunlan. "When #SunChunlan visited last time, #Wuhan citizens hailed "fake"," wrote Twitter user @jerome_coo. "When #XiJinping visited this time, #CCP arranged #police to prevent such an incident." Picking peaches Others accused Xi of going to Wuhan when the greatest danger to his own health had passed, and "picking peaches," a phrase suggesting he was taking the credit for others' work. Wuhan resident Liu Guoqiang said Xi had visited Leishenshan Hospital, before moving onto the Donghuyuan residential compound. "General Secretary Xi Jinping flew into Wuhan to make an inspection today," Liu said. "He went to Leishenshan and a few other places to visit frontline medical staff, grassroots officials and People's Liberation Army soldiers and volunteers." "It was all a big show to let us know that the head of state had arrived." A resident surnamed Sun said local people were barred from leaving their homes during Xi's visit. "They wouldn't let us go out, and there were sentry posts every few meters," Sun said. "Local residents had to shut their windows, and there were armed police guarding each home wherever he went." Resident Su Yang said Xi's visit was largely a morale booster for those on the front line of the epidemic. "I don't think it's really very meaningful," Su said. 'Many hate him' A Wuhan teacher surnamed Zhou agreed, saying Xi had gone to "pick peaches," as social media users tweeted pictures of Sun Wukong the legendary Monkey King stealing peaches from Heaven. "He's here to pick peaches, because it looks good to say that China has things under control as other countries are getting overwhelmed," he said. "[But] many people have had their lives ruined, and hate him." But he added: "Some think that the fact that he came at all shows that the epidemic must be easing up." Zhou said he has reliable information indicating that the actual death toll in Hubei was around 10 times greater than the official figure of around 3,000. He said there have been large numbers of discharged patients who later went on to relapse. A woman surnamed Zhao who has family in Wuhan said she had received a photo of a peach, but pointed out that the city is still in lockdown. "My family is still there," Zhao said. "I'm completely speechless, what else is there to say?" "I get annoyed if I see his name now." Repeated calls to the Hubei provincial [ruling] Chinese Communist Party Committee, and to the Wuhan epidemic control command center rang unanswered on Tuesday. Article deleted As Xi's trip got under way, the Chinese Communist Party's propaganda department deleted an article about another coronavirus whistleblower, ER doctor Ai Fen, who was given a stern reprimand after sending information about the early stages of the outbreak to a group of doctors. The 8,000-word article in People magazine titled "Whistleblower" said Ai had been silenced by her bosses after she took a photo of a patient's test results and circled the words "SARS coronavirus" in red. She alerted colleagues to several cases of the virus, and eight of them were summoned by police for sharing the information. Among them was opthalmologist Li Wenliang who later died of COVID-19. Meanwhile, two open letters to Xi Jinping dated late February and early March and penned by a retired professor from Beijing's Central Nationalities University hit out at China's system of government and the ruling party's handling of the epidemic. The letters, signed by Zhao Shilin, called on the government to implement political reforms enabling "freedom, democracy, equality and the rule of law" to better deal with such crises in future. Reported by Wong Siu-san, Sing Man, Fong Tak-ho and Tam Siu-yin for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Gao Feng and Qiao Long for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-10 07:10:59 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 408 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 The Business Broker of Orlando has launched a service to help non-citizen entrepreneurs apply for the E-2 Visa program. The main prerequisite is that an applicant invests or start a businessORLANDO, FL / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2020 / The Business Broker of Orlando, the leading business broker in the state of Florida has launched an E-2 Visa consultation service. The E-2 Treaty Investor Visa is a Visa program where non-immigrant foreigner entrepreneurs may start a business and thereby stay in the United States as long as the business is in operation.For more information see https://www.businessbrokeroforlando.com The launch of the E-2 Visa Consultation Service has been created to help foreign entrepreneurs with the paperwork, rules, and regulations involved an E-2 Visa. Under the E-2 Treaty Investor Visa, a non-citizen can come to the United States, start a business for around $50,000 and obtain a Visa for themselves and their families.The E-2 is one of the least expensive means for one to obtain a Visa to obtain residency in the United States. According to the United States State Department, the Visa applicant must make a "substantial" investment in the planned business and the investment must be "sufficient to ensure the successful operation of the enterprise." The Business Broker of Orlando helps candidates and their proposed business enterprise prepare to apply for the E-2. They recommend that the business be almost ready to open prior to opening. E-2 Visas may be renewed every 2-5 years.The E-2 Visa Consultation Service can help individuals prepare for each and every step of the process and comply with any requirements that may be required by the government.One of the requirements that the government requires is that the enterprise must generate economic improvement in the local economy where the business is located. Bobby C. Chung, an immigration attorney that specializes in E-2 Visa law states, "The U.S. government is not interested in what they call marginal investments - businesses that are too small to make any meaningful contribution to the American economy." The Business Broker of Orlando has launched this service for anyone interested in applying for an E-2 Visa.For further information see the above URL.Contact Info:Name: Thierry Pauquet de VillejustEmail: Send EmailOrganization: The Business Broker of OrlandoAddress: 4700 Millenia Boulevard SUITE 175, Orlando, Florida 32839, United StatesPhone: +1-407-928-0725Website: https://www.businessbrokeroforlando.com/ SOURCE: The Business Broker of Orlando Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10) The National Telecommunications Commission has agreed to issue a provisional authority to allow broadcast giant ABS-CBN to operate pending the renewal of its franchise. NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba made the announcement Tuesday during the hearing of the House Committee on Legislative Franchises led by Palawan Rep. Franz Alvarez. Cordoba said this decision was based on the latest advice of the Department of Justice to let the media network operate based on "equity." "A more stable legal environment could be created...to authorize NTC to issue provisional authority to this broadcasting company, under such terms and conditions as it may deem necessary until Congress' final disposition of the franchise renewal bill," Cordoba said. "The NTC will folow the advice of the DOJ and let ABS-CBN continue their operations based on equity," he added. This is the first time that the House has formally held a hearing on the media network's bid to get another 25-year franchise, ahead of its supposed expiry on May 4. During the hearing, the House committee adopted the letter sent by Alvarez and House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano to the NTC urging the commission to grant the network a provisional permit. Cayetano said NTC's response was its "polite" way of following the House order. House squabble delays delibs Cayetano added that the hearing was a "success," even if the first 40 minutes of the one-hour deliberation was spent on the drafting of ground rules. Congressmen first argued whether sponsorship speeches, as proposed by Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, should be heard before officially starting. Afterwards, they debated whether they should agree to House Deputy Speaker Johnny Pimentel's motion that those who were against the franchise renewal should talk first. "Medyo emosyonal po ang ating ibang mga kasama kaya the committee found it prudent na magdagdag po tayo ng additional rules para maganda ang sistema ng ating hearing," said Alvarez. [Translation: Some of our colleagues here are a little emotional, so the committee found it prudent to lay down additional rules so that we have an organized system in the hearing.] A total of 11 bills were supposed to be up for deliberation on Tuesday, three days before the House goes on a Holy Week break. Cayetano noted that they will not immediately reject these measures even if the Supreme Court rules in favor of the quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida a month ago. READ: Supreme Court pushes back talks on ABS-CBN case to April Only three officers of the NTC were present in the hearing. ABS-CBN executives were not invited, but Alvarez noted that they will be invited by the panel to the next deliberation. Stakeholders were asked to submit their position papers by April 15 so they can be tackled during the resumption of the hearing. Cayetano previously admitted that they were not in a hurry to hear the broadcast giant's franchise application, as they were considering "more urgent" priorities that needed to be tackled in the lower chamber. CNN Philippines' Correspondent Xianne Arcangel contributed to this report. Australian bosses have been told staff are only entitled to paid leave if they have been diagnosed with coronavirus. According to a note sent by Business NSW employers do not need to provide personal or carers leave to workers forced into quarantine as a precaution. The legal advice came from Australian Business Lawyers and Advisors and was sent out to thousands companies across Australia on Tuesday, The Australian reported. 'To qualify for personal leave, an employee must be ''not fit for work'' because of an illness or injury affecting them,' the advice said. 'It is unlikely that this prerequisite will be met by persons who are not yet diagnosed as ill but merely require isolation.' People wait in line out the front of the Royal Melbourne Hospital to be tested for coronavirus on Tuesday Most people were seen wearing face masks. One man could be seen walking around in full protective gear offering hand sanitser and face masks to people Business NSW advised companies to allow an undiagnosed, isolated employee to work from home and if that is not an option, employers should consider paid leave. 'As an employer, it is worthwhile considering whether (these) discretionary optionscan be accommodated. 'Employers will need to balance the short-term cost associated with these measures against the longer-term benefits that arise both for the employment relationship and the national interest.' As casual workers are not entitled to sick leave, they will not be entitled to payment during this period. The advice flies in the face Prime Minister Scott Morrison's pleas on Tuesday for companies to take care of their workers. He urged businesses to 'hold on to your people, you will need them on the other side'. As fears of a coronavirus pandemic grow, businesses have been enacting emergency plans. Qantas and Flight Centre have asked staff to take unpaid leave to deal with the slump caused by the disease. Singapore Airlines has also sought the power to stand down quarantined workers without pay after a number of routes were cancelled as a result of the outbreak. The advice from Business NSW comes as the number of Australian cases continues to rise with 116 confirmed cases on Wednesday morning. Symptoms of the virus include a fever, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath A massive queue formed outside the Royal Melbourne Hospital as people wearing face masks wait to get their symptoms tested WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF THE CORONAVIRUS? Once someone has caught the virus it may take between two and 14 days for them to show any symptoms. If and when they do, typical signs include: a runny nose a cough sore throat fever (high temperature) The vast majority of patients at least 97 per cent, based on available data will recover from these without any issues or medical help. In a small group of patients, who seem mainly to be the elderly or those with long-term illnesses, it can lead to pneumonia. Pneumonia is an infection in which the insides of the lungs swell up and fill with fluid. It makes it increasingly difficult to breathe and, if left untreated, can be fatal and suffocate people. Advertisement That number is expected to rise further as hospitals have been hit with long queues of people waiting to be tested for the deadly virus. On Tuesday hundreds of people lined streets waiting to be screened for coronavirus as testing centres around Australia. Officials have confirmed more than 9,000 people have been tested in New South Wales alone, the country's worst affected state. The federal government released its health package on Tuesday night, on top of its $10billion stimulus, promising further measures were on the way. The package will establish 100 pop-up clinics across Australia to divert people who may be infected away from hospitals. From Friday, Australians will be able to completely bulk-bill phone hook-ups with GPs to diagnose coronavirus symptoms. It comes as Health Minister Greg Hunt says more than half Australia's cases had recovered and it was unlikely people could be infected twice. 'I think that's a very important message to Australians,' Mr Hunt said. 'So now is the moment of pressure ... this is a once-in-50-year challenge that we face. One doctor's unique method: Dr Mukesh Haikerwal - a GP from Altona North in Melbourne's south-west and former president of the Australian Medical Association - has resorted to swabbing patients from their cars outside his clinic Mr Hunt said it won't be necessary to introduce a country-wide travel ban like Italy has, although Qantas has slashed flights by nearly one quarter and more temporary school closures are likely. There are an estimated 114,000 cases in 107 countries across the world, with more than 4,000 recorded deaths. Some patients said they are so frustrated with the testing process that they have given up and thrown themselves in self-quarantine. CLEVELAND, Ohio - As the number of coronavirus cases in Italy has jumped to over nine thousand, the entire country has now been placed on lockdown to try and prevent further spread of the disease. However, as the spread of the virus continues in Western nations, both China and S. Korea are seeing a slowdown in new cases. In the United States, President Trump is attempting to mute the effects of the coronavirus on the economy by floating the idea of a payroll tax cut for workers as well as other measures for businesses. More than 114,000 cases of the virus have been confirmed with more than 64,000 having already recovered. Live coronavirus tracker Coronavirus news in the U.S. Pelosi blames market drop on Trumps handling of outbreak (ABC News) Former FDA chief warns of spike in cases as testing expands (USA Today) U.S. forces in S. Korea and Italy told to stay put (NPR) Passengers disembark cruise ship in California (Fox News) Additional cases confirmed in Kentucky (WKYT) Maryland woman believed to be first case in the world linked to travel to Turkey (WJZ) Coronavirus news around the globe Customers, some with protective masks, queue at the check out of a supermarket as people begin to stock up on provisions in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. People have emptied shelves of food and supplies in supermarkets in Madrid after Spain's health minister on Monday announced a sharp spike in coronavirus cases in and around the national capital, and said all schools in the region, including kindergartens and universities, will close for two weeks from Wednesday. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)AP Ireland cancels all St. Patricks Day parades amid outbreak (NY Post) Japan plans to spend $4 billion on coronavirus measures (Reuters) Coronavirus gaining a foothold in Africa (CNN) How is Germany controlling their coronavirus outbreak? (Fox News) Most of Apples stores in China have reopened (CNBC) Brazils president calls COVID-19 threat overstated (CNA) Local coronavirus news Governor confirms first three cases in Ohio, all in Cuyahoga County Businesses hit by coronavirus shortages cant immediately use Ohio companies to fill the gap Ohio State suspends classroom instruction because of coronavirus concerns Despite confirmed coronavirus cases, Mayor Frank Jackson says no events are canceled, but leaves options open MAC Tournament going on as planned in Cleveland (Fox 8) RTA ramps up cleaning efforts (Cleveland19) Read complete prior coronavirus coverage on cleveland.com The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that attaching Chinese to a description of the coronavirus was wrong after both President Trump and the top House Republican were accused of racism for labeling the disease. "It's absolutely wrong and inappropriate to call this the Chinese coronavirus, I assume you would agree with that," Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., said to CDC chief Robert Redfield, who testified in the House on Tuesday morning. Redfield said "yes," noting the virus is also widespread in South Korea, Iran and Italy. Some Republicans, including members of Congress, administration officials and Trump himself, have taken to labeling the coronavirus by the country or ethnicity where it was first detected. Democrats have called them out for race baiting and xenophobia. Trump on Tuesday shared a tweet advocating for his U.S.-Mexico border wall as a way to protect America against the "China virus." Adding his own commentary, Trump wrote, "Going up fast. We need the Wall more than ever!" That prompted Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to slam the president's comments as racist. "A wall won't stop a virus. Racism won't stop a virus. Do your job," the former vice president tweeted. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., referred to the coronavirus on Twitter as the "Chinese coronavirus." Several Democrats condemned McCarthy for what they described as a racist tweet. "Will stop spread of the coronavirus: washing your hands/staying home if you're sick," Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., wrote. "Won't stop the spread of coronavirus: racism/xenophobia." "Delete this tweet, @GOPLeader," Porter added. McCarthy's office responded to a request for comment with a link to a January Washington Post story that used "Chinese coronavirus" in the headline, but not in the body of the story. As it spread to other countries, public health experts have warned against labeling it as one ethnicity. Last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave the disease the nickname "Wuhan virus," after the Chinese city where the virus took hold. The Chinese government called such phraseology "highly irresponsible." Then on Sunday night, Rep. Paul A. Gosar, R-Ariz., one of several Republican congressmen to self-quarantine after coming into contact with an attendee of a conservative conference who tested positive for the coronavirus, also called it the "Wuhan virus" on social media. Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., responded: "The virus is not constrained by country or race. Be just as stupid to call it the Milan virus." But rather than deter, it seems to have emboldened some Republicans to attach ethnicity to the disease. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., for one, sent a news release Sunday that he was requesting information about "Chinese Coronavirus Deaths in Florida." And it has escalated in the last 24 hours with the leader of the House GOP and Trump using or endorsing similar language. In tweeting a link to the government's coronavirus website Monday night, McCarthy wrote: "Everything you need to know about the Chinese coronavirus can be found on one, regularly-updated website." Trump's personal attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani followed his boss's lead and also called it the "China Virus" in a tweet comparing the 27 deaths from the coronavirus to the hundreds of thousands who have died of cancer or heart disease. The uptick in referring to the disease by the country or people it first infected comes after the World Health Organization last week urged people not to call it a "Wuhan virus," "Chinese virus" or "Asian virus." "The official name for the disease was deliberately chosen to avoid stigmatization," the organization advised on March 2 by calling it COVID-19. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., sent a letter to all of her congressional colleagues on Feb. 26 urging them to stop using terminology that stokes fear and prejudice against Asian Americans. "Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we have seen a surge of discriminatory rhetoric and violent attacks against Asian Americans across the country," Chu wrote in a letter signed by members of the Asian Pacific American Caucus. "Even just looking Asian has been enough to incite attackers to hurl insults and accuse individuals of being disease carriers." The next day, during a hearing on the Health and Human Services budget, Chu got Secretary Alex Azar to commit to stop referring to the disease as the "China coronavirus." "You're absolutely right. We must ensure nobody is discriminated against based on ethnicity," Azar said at the Feb. 27 hearing. "Ethnicity is not what causes the novel coronavirus." This is a 100% legitimate news story. The French government have seriously had to issue a message to the public that cocaine does not cure coronavirus. Rumours and memes have been spread that partaking in some nose beers will not beat the deadly COVID-19 disease. This is the world we live in - thousands of Twitter users have shared fake breaking news images alleging that cocaine "kills coronavirus". As Newshub reports: "Scientists discover how a Class A drug can eradicate an epidemic," one headline reads. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 23:50:46|Editor: yan Video Player Close NEW DELHI, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The total number of COVID-19 cases in India rose to 50 on Tuesday, India's federal health ministry officials said. "Total number of positive cases of coronavirus are now 50," Sanjeeva Kumar, special secretary with ministry of health said during a press briefing. "Of these 34 are Indian nationals and 16 are citizens of Italy." On Tuesday officials said six fresh confirmed cases were reported. "These new cases have been reported from Bengaluru and Pune," Kumar said. "The government is keeping a close watch and taking effective steps to contain the spread of COVID-19." Indian authorities have sounded an alert and are screening passengers at all the airports and ports in the country. The local governments in various states have ordered the closure of primary schools until March 31 as a precautionary measure in wake of the spike in COVID-19 cases. The federal health ministry has launched a 24x7 helpline number to provide support to people regarding queries on the epidemic. The health ministry is also circulating the precautionary measures recommended by the World Health Organization for the prevention of the virus in India. By Express News Service BENGALURU: The Legislative Council saw commotion on Monday, as Congress MLC PR Ramesh was not satisfied with Minister for Forest and Ecology Anand Singhs reply to a query. During the question hour, Ramesh sought details of forest land spread across the state and encroachments. While the ministers response had details of forest land in all 30 districts, details related to encroachments were provided only for 23 districts. This is not the way a minster should respond to a members query. I will move a privilege motion against this, Ramesh said, as several other Opposition members joined him. Chairman Prathapachandra Shetty intervened and withheld the question. Even when Singh replied for another query by Congress MLC Veena Achaiah related to compensation amounts for human deaths caused by wild animals, members attacked him saying he had no proper information. In a discussion on government schools, Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar, replying to a question by MLC Jaimala Ramachandra, said that students in governments schools here are not suffering from an inferiority complex. When Jaimala spoke of Delhi government schools, the minister said, It cant be ignored that the number of government and private schools in Delhi is 2,784 with 82,433 teachers. Here, the number of government schools alone is 50,184 and there are 2.14 lakh teachers. MLC Marithibbegowda demanded that those working as guest lecturers in government degree colleges be recruited as assistant professors. He said there were about 12,000 guest lecturers across the state and the government should consider giving age relaxation to them. However, Minister for Higher Education Dr CN Ashwath Narayan, said there were only 1,352 vacancies and approval was given to recruit 1,242 assistant professors. You must all know about the famous actor of Malayalam cinema Prithviraj. He has made an important place in the hearts of his fans by his acting. In the first look poster of his upcoming film 'Karachi 81', Prithviraj's intense old avatar was celebrated by fans. While billed as one of the "biggest episodes of espionage" featuring RAW agents from the south, the film is directed by KS Bawa. In the post-1971 Indo-Pakistan war set, the lead actor flicks the entire Many will donate get-ups. While the film is based on some true-life events, it has been fictionalized to make the story even more interesting. Second Look poster of 'Halal Love Story' is out Apart from Prithviraj and Tovino, there are some other top actors who are playing important roles in the film. In a recent interview, Bawa revealed that he has been trying to put the project on the floor for the past five years. The film got delayed as it took some time to align the schedule of all the actors. He also revealed that the film will be made on a large scale. KS Bawa said that complete information about the cast and crew can be given soon. New teaser of Mammootty's film 'One' will be released soon Talking about the shoot details, Bawa revealed that the film could be on the floor by the end of October or November this year. The shoot will be mainly in India with some important scenes shot in Karachi. There will be some programs outside India. Karachi 81 will have music by Jacques Bejoy, written by BS Bawa and Anwar Hussain. Sujit Vasudev is cranking the camera and Mahesh Narayanan is in charge of editing. The film has been bankrolled under the banner of Anto Joseph Film Company. Indrajith Sukumaran's 'Aaha' teaser out Coronavirus (Representative image) A military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) brought back 58 Indians from coronavirus-hit Iran on March 10, officials said. The aircraft, a C-17 Globemaster, was sent to Tehran on March 9 evening. About 2,000 Indians are living in Iran, a country that has witnessed increasing numbers of coronavirus cases in the last few days. "The IAF aircraft has landed. Mission completed. On to the next," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted. In an earlier tweet, he said, "First batch of 58 Indian pilgrims being brought back from Iran. IAF C-17 taken off from Tehran and expected to land soon in Hindon." 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 "Thanks to the efforts of our Embassy @India_in_Iran and Indian medical team there, operating under challenging conditions. Thank you @IAF_MCC. Appreciate cooperation of Iranian authorities. We are working on the return of other Indians stranded there (sic)," Jaishankar added. The aircraft landed at Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad, from where the passengers were take to a medical facility. According to latest reports, 237 people have died of novel coronavirus in Iran while the number of positive cases stands at around 7,000. It is the second such evacuation by the C-17 Globemaster in the last two weeks. On February 27, 76 Indians and 36 foreign nationals were brought back from the Chinese city of Wuhan by the aircraft of the Indian Air Force. The C-17 Globemaster is the largest military aircraft in the IAF's inventory. The plane can carry large combat equipment, troops and humanitarian aid across long distances in all weather conditions. Four days ago, a Mahan airline plane brought swab samples of 300 Indians from Iran to India. Senior Trump administration officials discussed shutting down travel from Italy and South Korea as the coronavirus outbreak worsened in those countries, but ultimately decided the virus is spreading too quickly to be contained, sources with direct knowledge of the discussions tell Axios. Why it matters: It's extremely difficult to contain a viral outbreak in a globalized society, and if such a strategy isn't likely to be much help, it's even harder to justify the diplomatic, logistical and economic consequences. What we're hearing: Several federal agencies, including the State and Defense departments, were concerned about cutting off travel from those countries because the U.S. has a strong military presence in South Korea and Italy's central location in the European Union would complicate restrictions, the sources said. Public health officials involved in the talks also tended to not favor travel bans, which informed the ultimate decision not to restrict travel from Italy and South Korea, one of the sources said. "You want to move towards mitigating, knowing that once you figure out that the virus is spreading consistently across America or in certain spots, there's diminishing returns," the source said. While curtailing travel to China was viewed as having a high return in the early days of the outbreak, the same wasn't true of Italy and South Korea especially because the virus is spreading through other European countries beyond Italy, the source added. Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff Marc Short told Axios he wouldn't "comment specifically on conversations we have inside the WH Situation Room and disappointed other[s] do, but the purpose of the task force in part is to allow discussion around many points of view to try to reach the best recommendation possible to deliver to the President. Many viewpoints are represented every day." What's next: Trump has just arrived on Capitol Hill to discuss options for combatting the economic effects of the coronavirus with Senate Republicans. Pence, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, National Economic Council director Larry Kudlow, and trade adviser Peter Navarro are also attending the meeting. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- The West Michigan ambulance service AMR is welcoming a new member to its team, and shes just 11 weeks old. Hope, a golden doodle pup, recently accepted the job as the companys emotional support and therapy dog. Shell be responsible for providing support to the companys EMTs and other local public safety agencies throughout the community. Our medics have a very stressful job and this is a minor thing we can do to help take care of our people, who help take care of our community, said Carl Hartman, an operations supervisor for AMR. Shell receive specialized training that will allow her to recognize stress and actually seek out individuals to provide comfort. Hope will begin her training March 20 with a basic puppy class, followed by a few additional classes through the summer and into the fall. Once shes trained, shell be able to visit hospitals and care facilities throughout AMRs service area, and will be available to local police and fire departments who require stress management debriefings. The first response company chose a golden doodle because of their temperament, intelligence and ease to train, Hartman said. Theyre also hypoallergenic, which allows them to be brought into medical facilities without concerns about allergic reactions. Hope is the departments first therapy dog, and the first of her kind in the state of Michigan. Shell live with Dusty VanderMeer, an AMR operations supervisor, and most often work evening shifts with Hartman or VanderMeer at the AMR facilities on South Division. AMR has a seatbelt harness, which will allow her to travel in the supervisors truck to see crews at their posting points or on calls/at the hospital after a difficult call. Even before shes been trained, Hope has gotten some work experience. Less than a week after she joined the team, she was with Hartman when he had to respond to a local hospital after a medic experienced a violent encounter with a patient. Hartman said the medic sat with the dog while debriefing with her supervisor, and was visibly calmed by the puppys presence. Shes a small but very visible component of the organizations efforts to care for their staff, Hartman said. AMR started the process of getting a therapy dog in October 2019. On Monday, March 9, the department invited members of the local media to meet Hope -- the spunky" and "curious young puppy whose high energy disperses as soon as someone holds her close. She likes attention and she likes cuddles, VanderMeer said. As for her name, VanderMeer said it wasnt a difficult process. Hope just kind of stuck to us,"he said. "When you look at what the program is all about, having hope for first responders that are struggling with PTSD, with stress in the work place ... We felt the name fit the program and fit her. Shes obviously a little sweetheart and we thought the name Hope fit pretty well. Read more on MLive: Woman killed, husband in critical condition after house fire Man suspected of fleeing fatal crash arrested by state police Michigan election is Tuesday, and its not just a presidential primary By Jibran Ahmad and Abdul Qadir Sediqi PESHAWAR/KABUL (Reuters) - The Taliban have sent vehicles to be ready to collect fighters expected to be released by the Afghan government in a prisoner exchange and said they will honour the deal by handing over 1,000 government troops. The release, expected to be announced on Tuesday, is part of a deal signed by the United States and the Islamist militant group last month that would allow U.S. forces and NATO troops to withdraw from Afghanistan to end more than 18 years of war. The Taliban have demanded the release of the prisoners as a confidence-building measure to pave the way for the opening of direct talks between the government and the insurgents after talks with the both sides and the United States individually. Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani, said on Twitter that the presidential palace would issue a decree with details of the process, and the release was contingent on security and peace developments. "The Afghan government has reached a framework based on which the release of prisoners will be in exchange for a significant reduction in the level of violence," he said. A senior Taliban leader in Doha, the group's political headquarters, said vehicles had been sent to an area near Bagram Prison, north of the capital Kabul, to fetch the freed fighters. "After our conversation with Zalmay Khalilzad (the U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan) on Monday, in which he conveyed to us the release of our 5,000 prisoners, we sent vehicles to pick them up," he said. A government source said any release was unlikely in the coming days and could be weeks away. The issue has become one of the biggest sticking points in any progress towards peace, complicated further by differing wording of documents between the United States and the Taliban and the United States and the Afghan government. "The Taliban needs this to show to their rank and file. For the foot soldiers on the ground, a reduction-in-violence agreement, a troop withdrawal agreement signed in Doha means nothing, fighters returning is something they can feel," said an Asian diplomat in Kabul. Story continues Khalilzad attended Ghani's swearing-in ceremony in Kabul on Monday. The president had previously rejected the Taliban demand for its fighters to be released. In Washington, a senior Pentagon official said there were suggestions that there may a prisoner release offer by Ghani. "I do think we might have actual, successful good faith efforts, maybe even today, that would get the intra-Afghan conversation started," Kathryn Wheelbarger, who is performing the duties of the assistant secretary of defense for International Security Affairs, said during a Congressional hearing. During the same hearing, the head of U.S. Central Command said that while recent Taliban attacks had not been against coalition forces, they were "not consistent with the movement toward a negotiated settlement." "Taliban attacks are higher than we believe are consistent with an idea to actually carry out this plan," U.S. Marine General Kenneth McKenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command, said. DECREE EXPECTED It was unclear whether prisoners would be released from other prisons aside from Bagram, a detention facility located next to a U.S. military base. It was also not known how many prisoners would be released initially, but three sources told Reuters on Monday that it could be between 1,000 and 1,800. A senior government official, who declined to be named, said on Tuesday: "In principle we have agreed to release prisoners in order to show our commitment towards bringing peace in Afghanistan but in what conditions the government is going to release them and how many, will be in the decree later this afternoon." He said the release would not be on Tuesday or Wednesday but could be "within weeks or months". A Taliban spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, said in a Tweet that his group had handed a detailed list of all 5,000 prisoners to the United States and was waiting for all to be released. "It will be acceptable only when they are handed over to us in a desert or in detention centers under the observation of our prison officials,' he said. The U.S. embassy declined to comment. A spokesman for NATO's mission referred questions to the Afghan government. Abdul Shukoor Qudoosi, governor of Bagram district, said his office had reports of an unusual arrival of multiple buses in the area, but they could not confirm what the buses were for or whether they were connected to the release. The Taliban leader in Doha also confirmed the group had finalised arrangements for the release of 1,000 prisoners held by them, adding that they had shifted all prisoners to safe locations in Afghanistan. "We are planning to release the 1,000 prisoners of the Afghan government to the Red Crescent and they could then shift them to their hometowns or pay them cash for travelling home," he said. (Reporting by Abdul Qadir Sediqi in Kabul and Jibran Ahmad in Peshawar, Hamid Shalizi in Istanbul, Orooj Hakimi and Charlotte Greenfield in Kabul, Idrees Ali in Washington; Writing by Gibran Peshimam; Editing by Alison Williams, Timothy Heritage and Bernadette Baum) US Embassy releases text of Memorandum of Understanding between Georgian political parties on electoral system - GeorgianJournal Andy Street: Jobs are what will help us level up the economy Andy Street is Mayor of the West Midlands, and is a former Managing Director of John Lewis. There has been much talk of levelling up the economy since the new Government swept into power a commitment to repay areas that lent their vote to the Conservatives by ensuring investment reaches out across the UK. How will that levelling up be measured? In investment? In major infrastructure schemes? I know how local people will ultimately measure that investment in local jobs. Here in the West Midlands we are working to a plan which, by identifying and supporting innovative sectors that can thrive, is producing remarkable results in creating new opportunities for our workforce. In tandem, significant investment in infrastructure and housing is providing economic impetus and a framework to improve skills. By working to a connected plan, we are delivering measurable results and record employment figures. The West Midlands endured a torrid economic time for decades. A sense of neglect was in part caused by a lack of quality employment opportunities for local people. During my years as MD of John Lewis I witnessed this decline, which was often exacerbated by the inability of the regions mainly Labour-led councils to work together for a common goal. As a proud Brummie, I couldnt stand back and see that happen to my home. Thats why in 2011 I became Chairman of Birmingham and Solihull LEP to boost our economic performance, encourage a more collaborative approach to driving growth and ultimately create more jobs. I have always had total confidence in our regions ability to do better. While we endured steep decline as the UKs economy changed in the second half of the 20th Century, I knew that we had the people, imagination and ambition to change course in the 21st. It was that belief in the potential of the West Midlands that drove me to stand to be Mayor. And from the start, I knew that fostering economic growth to unleash that potential meant one thing jobs. Whats more, that meant real jobs growth, not just for the Second City but for the whole region, across all our constituent boroughs of Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton. However, driving growth in employment is also about building the skills to create a productive and innovative workforce. A skilled workforce is a guarantor of quality jobs, bringing better pay, increased competitiveness and higher productivity. With so many ambitious projects underway here we have set up construction gateways and training hubs which enable local people to benefit from the renaissance that is transforming their region. That means that local people not only get the jobs that are building our new homes, railways, metro lines and business parks they become skilled workers too. Our pioneering Apprenticeship Levy scheme which allows us to redirect the unspent levy funds of big companies to support apprentices at small firms is providing a long-term conveyor belt of ambitious, skilled workers. The millions we are investing in our transport network drives employment too. There is firm academic research that shows that a poorly connected city underperforms in terms of productivity and employment, so addressing the historical reliance on buses is key for all the conurbation. Its simple really: a world-class transit system makes it easier for our work force to access opportunity where new jobs are being created, while also opening up previously isolated areas for investment. A classic example of this is the Metro line currently being built which will finally connect Dudley to the wider regions transport network for the first time in decades. Elsewhere in the Black Country, plans to reopen long-closed railway stations will give residents a direct line to the jobs being created across the conurbation. Housing is also key to jobs and our surge in housebuilding is transforming communities by turning former industrial sites from derelict eyesores into places where families want to live and businesses want to invest. All of this has been supported by Government investment allowing us to build our transport network, reclaim old brownfield sites and build new homes at twice the rate seen elsewhere. The resultant jobs are there to be seen, with a dramatic improvement in our employment rate which, after decades of decline, is now less than 1 per cent behind the national rate. Thats because in the three years I have been mayor the West Midlands has seen 97,000 new jobs created. Our employment rate is at a record high. Importantly, more of these new jobs have been created outside of Birmingham than inside. The West Midlands is made up of many proud and distinct communities, and our current success is down to genuine teamwork between them. However, we have our own levelling up challenge to ensure its not just central Birmingham that benefits from the growth we are seeing, and the spread of new jobs across the region shows this can be done. Now, we need to retain the economic confidence we are building. We are hoping for a boost from the Chancellor in the budget, that will ensure further investment in all the schemes that we can show are delivering jobs. When I first stood for the role of Mayor, I knew it was ultimately about delivering employment for local people. As we start delivering on our promise to level up the UK, we must remember that its success will ultimately be measured not by the amount of rail track we lay or roads we build, but on how many jobs we create. The Daily Beast Fox News White House correspondent and perpetual nemesis of Jen Psaki thought he had Joe Bidens press secretary cornered on Monday when he asked her why the president is still referring to COVID-19 as a pandemic of the unvaccinated when so many people are getting breakthrough infections. He was wrong.I understand that the science says that vaccines prevent death, Doocy began, before undercutting that basic truth. But Im triple-vaxxed, still got COVID. Youre triple-vaxxed, still got COVI Authorities in the northern port city of Haiphong are searching for 25 foreign tourists and six crew members who were travelling on the same ship as Vietnams 30th coronavirus patient. Eight foreign nationals on Vietnam Airlines Flight VN0054, with Vietnams 17th coronavirus patient, are placed under quarantine in Haiphong City on March 8 PHOTO: TNO The municipal government said on Monday that 27 foreign tourists and 22 crew members had taken a trip to Lan Ha Bay on Cat Ba Island four days earlier. Among them, a 66-year-old British woman who was on the same flight as Vietnams 17th coronavirus patient a 27-year-old Vietnamese woman who returned to Hanoi from London on March 2 was confirmed on late Sunday to have contracted the virus. The tourist was the 30th Covid-19 patient in Vietnam. She travelled to the central city of Hue, where she was put under quarantine at the Hue Central Hospital on Saturday morning. She is currently in stable condition with no fever, cough or breathing difficulties, the Ministry of Health said in a statement on Sunday. A married British couple left Haiphong for Hue. The wife was found to have been infected with the disease in the city, so her husband was later quarantined, a Haiphong leader told the news website VnExpress. We are tracking the itineraries of the remaining 25 tourists. Also, 16 of the 22 crew members have been taken to isolation facilities. We do not yet know where the remaining six people are, added the leader. The source noted that everyone aboard the ship was in close contact with the 30th coronavirus case and is subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine period. On March 2, Vietnam Airlines Flight VN0054, which had departed for Vietnam from the United Kingdom, was carrying a total of 201 passengers and 16 crew members. Apart from the 17th patient confirmed on Friday night, health authorities have confirmed 13 new cases of infection, with nine foreigners and four Vietnamese citizens. Patient 30 and her husband were in the same business class lounge as Patient 17. On arriving in Hanoi, they travelled to Haiphong and visited Cat Ba Island by boat on March 5. A day later, the couple boarded Vietnam Airlines Flight VN1547 to Hue City. Local authorities have locked down and disinfected the hotel and restaurant where the tourists had stayed and dined. Sofitel Legend Metropole disinfected following detection of two COVID-19 guests Medical workers moved to spray disinfectant throughout the renowned Sofitel Legend Metropole in Hanoi on the morning of March 9 after two British tourists who were on flight VN0054 tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The move to disinfect the hotel comes after the Trang Tien ward People's Committee issued a dispatch regarding the implementation of preventive measures to combat the spread of the COVID-19 to the Board of Directors of the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel, located at number 15 Ngo Quyen street in the capital, on March 8. According to the dispatch, the COVID-19 Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control of Trang Tien ward announced that two British nationals who had been staying at the hotel between March 2 and March 5 had tested positive for the COVID-19. The steering committee requested that Sofitel Legend Metropole urgently moves to quarantine hotel areas, all staff, and guests in line with the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases. The hotel has also been requested not to receive any new guests as of 22:00 on March 8 until the conclusion of the quarantine process stated in the regulations set out by the health sector. In addition to these measures, the establishment is also required to compile a list of all staff who had come into close contact with the infected cases whilst also collecting information regarding their movements between March 2 and the present. Dinh Hong Phong, Standing Vice Chairman of the Hoan Kiem District People's Committee, said medical workers has sprayed disinfectant throughout the premises where the two positive cases had been detected. The existing guests at the hotel have been put into isolation for 14 days while guests will only be able to check out of the hotel starting from March 20. Five people show COVID-19 symptoms following close contact with 30th patient Five people who began showing signs of cough and fever have been put into quarantine at the Hue Central Hospital following their close contact with the 30th novel coronavirus (COVID-19) patient, according to the Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control in the central Thua Thien-Hue province. Moonlight Hotel is placed on lockdownThe steering committee stated that a 66-year-old British female tourist was the nations 30th COVID-19 case, adding that she had been put into isolation for treatment at the second branch of the Hue Central Hospital. At present she remains in stable health condition. The infected tourist had traveled by plane to Thua Thien-Hue province on the afternoon of March 6 where she stayed at the Moonlight Hotel on Pham Ngu Lao street in Hue before being put into isolation in the hospital on March 7. People who had come into close contact with the patient and showed symptoms of fever and cough have been put into quarantine at the second branch of the Hue Central Hospital, whilst a number of other individuals remain in normal health following their contact with the patient. The COVID-19 Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control in Thua Thien Hue province has moved 14 tourists from the Moonlight Hotel to the Sun & Sea Hotel in Phu Vang district. In addition to this, they have also transferred 23 Vietnamese people to the provincial Military School in Thuy Bang commune of Huong Thuy town for a period of isolation after coming into close contact with the 30th COVID-19 patient. Lieutenant Colonel Hoang Anh Tuan, logistics manager of the Military Command of Thua Thien Hue province, said that medical teams have been set up in order to strictly monitor the health of each individual who had been still in quarantine at the Military School. Celebrities asked to undergo health checks following Europe fashion weeks HCM City authorities are requesting celebrities who met Vietnam's 17th COVID-19 patient and her sister at several top European events to undergo health examinations. Nguyen Tan Binh, director of Ho Chi Minh City's Department of Health, on March 9, called on local authorities to tighten supervision on those having had contact with COVID-19 patients. The health department emphasized the sister of the 17th COVID-19 patient in Vietnam, living in Europe and attending several fashion shows in Paris and Milan, had been thus infected by the novel coronavirus. Besides, as some Saigon celebs had participated in both events, HCMC's Department of Culture and Sports alongside its Department of Information and Communications asked those who had contact with the duo to immediately visit local clinics or hospitals and undergo health examinations. People's committees across Saigon would coordinate with local police to track citizens returning from Paris and Milan or those who have had contact with the 17th patient and her sister. The fashion weeks attracted thousands of visitors from all over the world in French capital Paris and Milan, situated in the Lombardy region of Italy, and experiencing the largest number of COVID-19 infections outside Asia. In the last few days, several Vietnamese celebrities returning from the fashion weeks have been quarantined at home. Police arrest smugglers of medical facial masks to Cambodia The Vinh Xuong border gate Customs Branch under An Giang Province Customs Department has just coordinated with the Song Tien International Border Guard Station under Border Guard of An Giang Province to seize an illegal shipment of medical facial masks from Vietnam to Cambodia. In the evening of March 3, while patrolling in the path area to the border of Vinh Xuong, customs officers discovered and seized 320 boxes of medical face masks inside bags of goods gathered close to the border area with watchman. The watchman quickly fled and left the packages as soon as detecting the inspectors. On the same day, Ha Tien Border Gate Customs Department in Kien Giang Province requested inspection for Cambodian while the man was going to return to his country, carrying goods showing signs of violation. Through inspection process, the Ha Tien Border Gate Customs Department detected the foreign tracker who intentionally hidden 192 boxes of medical face masks including 9,600 pieces without declaration. Danang authorities track Covid-19 tourists The authorities in Danang City have tracked and disclosed the information relating to the trip of two British tourists who tested positive for Covid-19 on March 9. The tourists were on the London-Hanoi flight on March 2. They were on the same flight with the Vietnamese woman who was Vietnams 17th confirmed case. The tourists stayed at Noi Bai Airport then took the flight to Danang on the same day. They stayed at a hotel and dined at a restaurant in Hai Chau District. They visited two golf courses on March 4 and 5 and another golf course on the following day. They had also visited many restaurants in the Hai Chau and Son Tra District. The local authorities are monitoring the tourists who are now staying at Vanda Hotel. The hotel has also been disinfected on March 8 after the tourists tested positive on the same night. Their tests were done at the Pasteur Institute of Nha Trang. On March 9, the Ba Na Hills Golf Club, where the tourists visited on March 4, was shut down for disinfection. Employees who have had contact with the tourists were asked to monitor their own health. As of now, no one has shown symptoms of having the virus yet. The managers said they had informed other customers about the news. The Department of Health, Department of Tourism, Department of Foreign Affairs, the city police and local authorities have investigated to find and quarantine people that have close contact with the tourists. The hotel employees and customers have also been quarantined. All locations where the tourists have visited will be disinfected. People who have had close contact with the tourists were asked to come to the authorities for test and quarantine. Hanoi tracks down close contacts of COVID-19 patients A quarantined person in Hanoi has her body temperature checked. All of the COVID-19 infection cases in Hanoi have been tracked down, with no community transmission detected, Chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee Nguyen Duc Chung said at a meeting on March 9. Given new challenges to the disease combat, the official called for greater efforts to complete the list of those people who have been in close contact with the infection cases. All of the overseas working trips by the citys officials must be cancelled unless they get approval from the Prime Minister, and unnecessary conferences should be scrapped or scaled down, Chung requested. The municipal Department of Health and the Hanoi-based National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology will admit first-generation patients to ease overload at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases. From March 10-15, the department in coordination with the citys Military High Command will allow those who have completed their quarantine period to go home, according to the official. As many as 1,893 people will leave concentrated quarantine centres in the city on March 10. Twenty-eight Koreans will also be allowed to return to their home country on this occasion. Hoang Duc Hanh, Deputy Director of the department, reported that as of 15:00 on March 9, Hanoi had recorded four COVID-19 infection cases, with no fatality. Regarding the information about the lockdown of the luxurious Metropole Hotel in Hoan Kiem district where British tourists had stayed, a representative of the district said that authorities sterilised the hotel and another at 12 Nguyen Quang Bich street. On March 9 afternoon, the two hotels resumed their normal operation, and Metropole Hotel has not been on lockdown as presumed, the official confirmed. Nghe An officials in quarantine after contact with suspected case A representative of the Project Management Unit No. 6 reports the progress of the Cua Hoi bridge project to the Ministry of Planning and Investments delegation - PHOTO: BAONGHEAN.VN As many as 20 officials in the north-central province of Nghe An are self-isolating at home for 14 days after meeting with Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, who was on the same flight as Vietnams 17th Covid-19 patient, even though the minister has tested negative for coronavirus. On March 9, Nguyen Van Dinh, director of the Nghe An Center for Disease Control, stated that the center had asked those who had shaken hands or had meals with the minister during his working trip in the province to place themselves in quarantine at home, the local media reported. During the quarantine period, Nghe An officials will work from their mobile phones and other means of communication. On March 5, Minister Dung attended a ceremony to announce a decision of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat to appoint Nguyen Duc Trung, deputy minister of Planning and Investment, to the post of deputy secretary of the provincial Party Committee. The ministrys delegation and Dung later visited the construction sites of major traffic infrastructure projects in the province, including a road connecting Vinh City and Cua Lo Town and the Cua Hoi bridge project spanning the Lam River. On March 8, the Project Management Unit No. 6, under the Ministry of Transport, also asked its officials in Hanoi, who had been in close contact with Minister Dung when he visited the construction site of the Cua Hoi bridge project, to quarantine themselves at home for 14 days, while those working at the construction site will self-isolate at the field office. The Nghe An Peoples Council has decided to postpone its 13th meeting, which was scheduled to be held on March 9, due to the development of Covid-19. Minister Dung was in the same C-class cabin as Vietnams 17th Covid-19 case on Vietnam Airlines Flight VN0054 from the United Kingdom to Vietnam on March 2. In Nghe An, 608 people are being quarantined at home; 23 others, at centralized quarantine centers; and two, at medical centers. 27 people in contact with Vietnam's Patient 17 cleared of coronavirus At least 27 people who came in contact with Vietnams coronavirus Patient 17 have tested negative for the pathogen. They are now under quarantine in the northern province of Hai Duong, the south-central province of Khanh Hoa and HCMC. The coronavirus test results for the five people, who are being held in isolation in Khanh Hoa, came back negative, according to Bui Xuan Minh, director of the provincial Health Department. Minh told the Vietnam News Agency on Sunday that they are all healthy, without any symptoms of cough or fever. Among them, four British tourists are subject to a 14-day quarantine two at a resort in the provinces capital city of Cam Ranh and two at a resort in Ninh Hoa Town. The foreigners travelled on the same flight with N.H.N., Hanois first coronavirus patient, from London to the Vietnamese capital city early this month. They have been in Khanh Hoa Province since March 2. Meanwhile, the remaining case was a Vietnamese doctor from the Hanoi-based National Hospital for Tropical Diseases who conducted a medical examination on the 26-year-old N. While he was visiting his relatives in Khanh Hoa, he heard of the news about Patient 17 and then came to the Khanh Hoa Hospital for Tropical Diseases for isolation. Since January 9, healthcare workers in the province have isolated a total of 466 people suspected of having contracted the deadly virus. Among them, only one female patient tested positive for the virus and was later cured of it and discharged from hospital on February 4. In HCMC, 20 people who were passengers on the same flight as N. were also confirmed as negative for the virus, according to the municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention. They comprise four Vietnamese residents in HCMC, one Vietnamese Australian and 15 foreign tourists. Upon arrival in Hanoi from London, they boarded another flight to the southern city on March 2. City authorities noted that five other foreign tourists who were on the same flight to HCMC took a trip to Cambodia on March 4. Among them, one tourist was seated in the same business-class cabin as N. Given the high risk of infection, the tourist is being quarantined on a Viking Cruise ship for coronavirus testing. Two natives in the northern province of Hai Duong, who were on the same flight as the 17th coronavirus patient tested negative for the deadly pathogen as well, according to the provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The center also kept four workers at a local industrial park under quarantine on Sunday. Earlier, they offered interior repairs for the house at 125 Truc Bach Street in Hanoi's Ba Dinh District, where Patient 17 lives. Officials indicated that they are in stable condition, and their test samples are being processed. Nine foreign nationals on the same flight as N. were found to have contracted the virus on Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Vietnam to 30, with 16 of them cured and discharged from hospital. Crew of flight with COVID-19 cases negative for coronavirus A worker fumigates a plane of Vietnam Airlines The crew members of Flight VN0054, which several cases of COVID-19 infection boarded, have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the acute respiratory disease (COVID-19). Vietnam Airlines announced that aside from the four pilots and 12 attendants on this flight, the 23 technicians who got on the plane to examine it also havent shown any symptom of the disease. All the staff have been sent to a concentrated quarantine centre, according to the national flag carrier. It added that since the outbreak of the disease, its employees have been equipped with medical face masks, gloves and knowledge about COVID-19 prevention and control. The 17th infection case of Vietnam, also the first in Hanoi, boarded Flight VN0054 from London to Hanoi, which landed at Noi Bai International Airport at 4:30am of March 2. The country continually recorded more cases who were also on this flight on the following days. As of late March 9, Vietnam had confirmed 31 COVID-19 cases, 16 of them have fully recovered. Also on March 9, authorities of Bac Ninh, Lao Cai, Ninh Binh and Hai Duong said many people in these northern provinces were negative for SARS-CoV-2. They included four workers of a company based in Dai An Industrial Park of Hai Duong. The workers came to the house of the 17th patient on Truc Bach street in Hanois Ba Dinh district for interior repair, the disease control centre of Hai Duong said. The three female natives boarding Flight VN0054 were also tested negative for the virus, and they are currently quarantined. On March 9, the Hospital for Tropical Diseases of Hai Duong also brought a man returning from the Republic of Korea to quarantine as he showed cough and shortness of breath. By the end of March 8, the province had quarantined 1,100 people returning from coronavirus-hit areas, including 254 at medical establishments and 846 at home. In Ninh Binh, the four persons who were on Flight VN0054 also tested negative for SARS-CoV-2, the provinces disease control centre said. As of March 9 afternoon, 155 people in Ninh Binh had had their samples taken for testing, including one positive case which has been sent to the provincial General Hospital for treatment and 148 others negative. The province currently has 1,515 people who returned from coronavirus-hit areas but havent finished the 14-day quarantine period, along with several others having contact with suspected cases. All have been put under monitoring. In Bac Ninh province, 32 suspected cases have been reported, 25 of them found to be negative for the virus while the rest are waiting for test results. Dak Lak instructs 40 arrivals from Da Nang to self-isolate Two people who had come into close contact with a British national infected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the central coastal city of Da Nang have been moved into isolation whilst a further 40 people who were traveling with the pair on a passenger bus have been instructed to self-isolate at home. The Health Department of Dak Lak province stated that two people who had come into close contact with a British COVID-19 national boarded a passenger bus that was travelling from Da Nang to Dak Lak on the afternoon of March 9. At present, both individuals have been put into quarantine by Da Nang authorities in line with regulations set by the health sector. The move comes after the Dak Lak health sector was notified about a passenger bus that was travelling to the province from Da Nang on March 8 which was carrying two individuals who had come into close contact with the British COVID-19 patient in Da Nang. The Dak Lak provincial health sector worked in collaboration with the Da Nang Center for Disease Control to promptly detect the cases and move to put them in isolation according to regulations. There were over 40 other passengers onboard the passenger bus with the pair as it travelled to Dak Lak province. The health sector of Da Nang city has moved to disinfect all vehicles whilst instructing passengers to self-isolate at home and follow regulations set by the Ministry of Health. As of March 9, Dak Lak province had yet to record any cases of the COVID-19 infection./.VNA/SGT/VNE/VNN/VOV/SGGP Health declaration apps launched in support of COVID-19 combat Vietnamese citizens and passengers entering Vietnam are now able to declare their health status via two applications, namely NCOVI and Vietnam health declaration that were launched in Hanoi on March 9. Chennai, March 10 : After showing her acting chops in the Tamil, Telugu and Hindi film industry for years now, Regina Cassandra is set to woo the audience with her dancing skills. The 29-year old has shot a song with none other than Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi for his upcoming film "Acharya". The number is being highlighted as a 'celebration song' in the film directed by Koratala Siva. In an interview, Regina recently revealed that matching steps with superstar Chiranjeevi wasn't easy because he's so effortless at dancing. "He doesn't have any airs of a superstar. Throughout the s ong, what I observed, was he never goes back into the caravan after the scene but keeps talking to other guests and directors on the sets who come to meet him. His humility and simplicity is what makes him a superstar," Regina said. She also shared her experience from the shoot. She said: "I shot f or six days (night shoots). Watching the ease and the grace in Chiru sir's dance movements was very inspiring. I remember, on the first day of the shoot, we shot for expressions. His expressions complemented his gracious m oves. He said I am expressive too, and I was floored with the compliment com ing from someone like him." Apart from this, Regina has her kitty full of projects. Recently, her look from her film "Nene Naa" (Telugu; to be released as "Soorpanagai" in Tamil) was released online. Directed by Caarthick Raju, the female-centric film is touted to be a mystery thriller. In the poster, the pretty actress is dressed like a queen with slap marks on both sides of her face. It also looks like she has been locked up. In an interview, director Caarthick Raju said: "Regina is playing an archaeologist in the film. As part of her work, she unearths something that triggers a series of events. The film is about the good and bad outcome of her actions." Actors Jayaprakash and Akshara Gowda are also a part of the film, which is scheduled to release in the summer of 2020. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Press release Paris, March 10, 2020 Ingenico chalks up a record number of micro-donations on its payment terminals in 2019 Committed for many years to a more responsible form of development, Ingenico Group (Euronext: FR0000125346?- ING), the world leader in integrated payment solutions, looks back on the total number of micro-donations1 made in 2019 in Europe. The Group, a "Tech for Good" advocate, was the first supplier of payment solutions to incorporate donations into payment terminals in the United Kingdom, in 2011, and in France, in 2015. In close cooperation with its partners, the Group has pursued this process for several years. Ingenico: a "Tech for Good" advocate Convinced that the payment process, which is rooted in the day-to-day life of consumers, has to be responsible, Ingenico set itself the task of giving it a new role: a process that has a positive impact on society as a whole. The Group therefore introduced - first in the United Kingdom in 2011 - the option of making a micro-donation through the payment terminal while making a purchase. This initiative was extended to France in 2015 and then to Spain in 2018. The micro-donation initiative forms part of the actions taken since 2015 by the Group2 to respond to the major challenges identified by Ingenico in the payment sector, whether social, economic or environmental in nature. For Nicolas Huss, CEO of Ingenico Group: "After recording in 2019 almost 17 million micro-donations on our payment terminals - amounting to 4 million - thanks to our partnerships with microDON, Penniesand Worldcoo , we intend to go further and extend this process to more retailers and countries. Our aim is to encourage donations on all of our solutions and to offer a maximum of our clients the chance to support every day, if they so wish, a useful project for the common good." Record number of micro-donations in 2019 In 2019, there was a record number of micro-donations made on Ingenico solutions. This act of solidarity was very popular with consumers and gave a new breath of life to the non-profits in question, which were short of new sources of funding. In 2019: The number of micro-donations in France doubled last year in comparison with 2018, rising to 11,415,309 micro-donations, amounting to 2,691,036; doubled last year in comparison with 2018, rising to 11,415,309 micro-donations, amounting to 2,691,036; In the United Kingdom , the number of micro-donations in 2019 rose to 1,114,401, amounting to 505,787; , the number of micro-donations in 2019 rose to 1,114,401, amounting to 505,787; In Spain, Ingenico recorded 4,416,906 micro-donations, amounting to 817,627. In Europe, Ingenico and its three partners - microDON (France), Pennies (United Kingdom) and Worldcoo (Spain) - were therefore responsible last year for 16,946,616 micro-donations, representing a total of 4,014,450. Olivier Cueille, CEO of microDON, notes: "2019 was the best year for micro-donations: a year in which numbers rocketed. We have to capitalise on this very positive dynamic by increasing the level of social responsibility in companies and by stepping up the implementation of our solutions with Ingenico to ensure that charity rounding has a bigger impact. 2020 promises to be a stimulating year!" Alison Hutchinson, CEO of Pennies: "Thanks to our partnership with technology companies like Ingenico - who led the way in the UK - we are able to unlock more of the potential offered by micro-donations, and harness a community of giving amongst businesses and consumers in the UK, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. We estimate there is a huge 1bn opportunity if every UK card holder gave just 30p every week. Ingenico, and others, are supporting the early growth in this movement. Pennies are on track to hit 100 million donations this year, a real milestone in micro-giving." For Borja Goizueta, Partner at Worldcoo: "2019 was Worldcoo's best year. After developing micro-donations on payment terminals with Ingenico, we increased the total value of donations by a factor of ten on the previous year." The success of micro-donations paints a picture of solidarity for the future The concept behind making a micro-donation on a payment terminal is simple. When paying a purchase with a bank card in a participating store, the consumer is invited to add a few cents (or pence) or to round up his or her purchase to the nearest euro (or pound) for the benefit of a charity and the projects that it supports. Based on simple donation methods, the micro-donation process triggers the feeling of civic engagement within many consumers. In fact, it has been reported that two thirds of French people would be willing to make donations in this way - as confirmed by the high participation rate in stores3. Ingenico intends to carry on supporting the vital work of hundreds of voluntary organisations in France and Europe, and aims to boost the impact of payment-terminal micro-donations on the premises of tens of retailers over the coming years. 1 A micro-donation is an embedded generosity solution that enables a consumer to add a donation of a few cents. 3 According to the 2018 study conducted by France Generosites and published in April 2019. --- About Ingenico Group Ingenico Group About microDON Founded in 2009 by Pierre-Emmanuel Grange and Olivier Cueille, microDON is an ESUS About Pennies Pennies is an award-winning fintech charity About Worldcoo Worldcoo is B Corp company that develops technologies to help NGOs to raise funds in an efficient way. The company is committed to innovation, solidarity and total transparency in every campaign it is involved in. Created in 2012, it has funded more than 375 projects from 35 different countries and 125 NGOs. www.worldcoo.com Contacts / Ingenico Group Medias Helene Carlander helene.carlander@ingenico.com +33 (0)7 72 25 96 04 Investors Laurent Marie laurent.marie@ingenico.com +33 (0)1 58 01 92 98 Attachment With our branded direct response approach, Dave understands the importance of not only protecting brands but also what it takes to make new and future clients succeed and grow their businesses," said Adam Warfield, Vice President of Sales & Strategic Partnerships. Bluewater, the converged creative advertising agency is pleased to announce the hiring of Dave Shimkus to the newly established position of Director of Business Development. Shimkus has a long-standing history in the radio and television industry for over 30 years with over seven thousand hours of live on-air television hosting experience. He has extensive experience with companies, such as Home Shopping Network, QVC, The Military Shopping Channel, The Outdoor Shopper, and has appeared in over 50 commercials and infomercials. Originally a native of Chicago, he moved to Tampa Bay to become a full-time host on HSN where he had the privilege of hosting the Florida State Fair, three Superbowls and the John Glenn Space Launch. Dave has had an impressive career representing leading brands and launched many renowned brands via live shopping. He understands the direct to consumer business and the important balance of brand-building and driving sales, said Adam Warfield, Vice President of Sales & Strategic Partnerships. With our branded direct response approach, Dave understands the importance of not only protecting brands but also what it takes to make new and future clients succeed and grow their businesses. Dave is a great asset to the Bluewater team. As Bluewater growth rapidly continues, the newest addition to the sales team will greatly complement the companys present sales goals. In 2006 Shimkus founded his own consulting company for television projects, retail television sales, infomercials, and product placement services. This added knowledge of the industry combined with his past experience created a well-rounded fit for the Bluewater sales team. They are confident that he can cultivate new business opportunities and continue to successfully expand their national presence in this competitive industry. ABOUT BLUEWATER: Bluewater is a converged advertising and marketing agency that utilizes digital and broadcast creative, media strategy and transactional e-commerce to introduce products to market and build lasting brand awareness. Bluewater was the first end-to-end, fully digital, tapeless studio in the state of Florida. Its digital division provides social media, digital production, digital advertising, and turnkey solutions to maximize product visibility and sales on consumer websites, Amazon and other marketplaces, including handling all aspects of inventory, marketing, and the sales process. Visit the company website at https://bluewater.tv or on LinkedIn @bluewater-media. CARLINVILLE Two Carlinville classes have received state funding for biodiversity field trips as part of $96,000 in total awards funding 120 such trips statewide. Second graders at Carlinville received $344.52 for a trip to Beaver Dam State Park in Plainview. First graders at Carlinville received $264 for a trip to The Nature Institute in Godfrey. In total, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources funding will allow more than 7,000 students to visit Illinois state parks, natural areas, museums and other natural resources sites to learn about nature and conservation, thanks to grant funding through the Illinois Biodiversity Field Trip Grant Program. This program allows students to visit locations throughout the state to see first-hand what theyve been learning about in the classroom, said IDNR Director Colleen Callahan. Our future conservation leaders need the opportunity to experience Illinois natural resources in person. We are pleased to be able to support learning outside the classroom with these grants. The entire $96,605.88 being awarded for 2020 was made possible by private donations from the Independence Tube Corporation of Bedford Park, the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation of Skokie and the D. F. and M. T. Grohne Family Foundation of Wilmington. The donations and funding for the grants are coordinated by the Illinois Conservation Foundation at www.ilcf.org. Since its inception in 2001, the Illinois Biodiversity Field Trip Grant Program has distributed more than $1,287,000 to provide field trips for more than 117,000 students. The competitive grant program lets Illinois teachers apply for funds to take students on a field trip to study Illinois natural resources. Learning activities must directly relate to the schools curriculum. For more details, email dnr.teachkids@illinois.gov or call 217-524-4126. [March 10, 2020] Fairview Microwave Launches New Series of High Frequency Bends, Twists and Straight Sections IRVINE, Calif., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Fairview Microwave Inc., an Infinite Electronics brand and a leading provider of on-demand RF, microwave and millimeter wave components, has introduced a new line of waveguide transmission components that are ideal for radar, satellite communication and airport security system applications. Fairview's new waveguide bends, twists and straight sections feature high frequency ranges from 90 GHz to 220 GHz in 3 waveguide bands. These include waveguide sizes of WR-8, WR-6 and WR-5 and UG-387/U mod round cover style flanges. The waveguide bends are available in 90 E-plane and 90 H-plane configurations. The waveguide twists are available in 90, 45 right-hand and 45 left-hand configurations. And the waveguide straight sections are available in 1", 3", 6", 9" and 12" lengths. Furthermore, all of these new high frequency waveguide comonents feature low VSWR performance of 1.15:1 typical. "Our new series of high frequency waveguide straight sections, bends and twists is designed to fulfill the demand for waveguide components supporting frequencies up to 220 GHz, offering our customers even more same-day shipped waveguide component options," said Steven Pong, Product Line Manager, RF components. Fairview Microwave's new high frequency waveguide straight sections, bends and twists are all in-stock and available for immediate shipment, with no minimum order required. For inquiries, Fairview Microwave can be contacted at +1-972-649-6678. About Fairview Microwave: A leading supplier of on-demand RF and microwave products since 1992, Fairview Microwave offers immediate delivery of RF components including attenuators, adapters, coaxial cable assemblies, connectors, terminations and much more. All products are shipped same-day from the company's ISO 9001:2015 certified production facilities in Lewisville, Texas. Fairview Microwave is an Infinite Electronics brand. About Infinite Electronics: Based in Irvine, Calif., Infinite Electronics offers a broad range of components, assemblies and wired/wireless connectivity solutions, serving the aerospace/defense, industrial, government, consumer electronics, instrumentation, medical and telecommunications markets. Infinite's brands include Pasternack, Fairview Microwave, L-com, MilesTek, Aiconics, KP Performance Antennas, PolyPhaser, Transtector, RadioWaves, ShowMe Cables, INC-Installs and Integra Optics. Infinite Electronics serves a global engineering customer base with deep technical expertise and support, with one of the broadest inventories of products available for immediate shipment. Press Contact: Peter McNeil Fairview Microwave 17792 Fitch Irvine, CA 92614 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fairview-microwave-launches-new-series-of-high-frequency-bends-twists-and-straight-sections-301019001.html SOURCE Fairview Microwave Inc. One week after Super Tuesday, voters in six additional states will head to the polls amid the coronavirus crisis that has now reached 36 states and the District of Columbia. As COVID-19 continues to spread across the United States, election officials are closely monitoring the virus as the federal government shifts from a containment strategy into a mitigation phase. The new coronavirus has complicated the 2020 election season with its unrelenting global impact, killing more than 4,000 people and infecting over 110,000 worldwide. Some state officials are making adjustments to their primary administration efforts even before confirmed cases of the coronavirus reach their state. MORE: Coronavirus live updates: Trump promises economic relief plan In Idaho, where the state holds a presidential preference vote on Tuesday and a primary in May, state officials have sped up parts of contingency plans that were already in place to address election disruptions. The Idaho secretary of states office accelerated orders for additional laptops in order to provide increased flexibility for employees to operate remotely or in emergency conditions. It was a cybersecurity strategy early on to give us the ability to offset any kind of natural disaster, it wasnt anticipated to be this, Chad Houck, the Idaho deputy secretary of state told ABC News Monday. But now we accelerated because of COVID, Houck said. PHOTO: President Donald Trump displays a photo of COVID-19 beside Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CDC Associate Director for Laboratory Science and Safety Steve Monroe, at the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, March 6, 2020. (Tom Brenner/Reuters) Its a present challenge thats in front of us, so it made sense. It was already a plan that we had, we just accelerated the timeline, he said. As a result, all employees in the Idaho secretary of states elections division now have laptops on the way. In response to the outbreak, secretaries of state that spoke to ABC News urged voters to cast their votes but take extra precautions. Go to the polls, Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said. I would, as politely as possible, tell people to follow through on their responsibility to participate and help to continue to make this state and this country the best it can be. And that happens when the people of this state in this country get out and make their voice heard. Story continues Ashcroft told ABC News that people should take the same precautions as those for the flu and said that Missourians are used to voting in the primary elections during flu season. MORE: DSome election officials scrambling to address coronavirus concerns ahead of Super Tuesday He also said that election officials would be making hand sanitizers available and wiping down the ballot boxes on Tuesday. Currently, there is at least one reported case of COVID-19 in Missouri. In a memo that went out to election clerks last Wednesday afternoon, the Michigan state officials urged poll workers to distribute hand sanitizers and wipes, plus keep latex gloves at the polling places and wipe down voting equipment. The memo also said that election clerks should be prepared for contingency plans on election day. The Mississippi secretary of state has also advised voters to use basic hygiene when going to the polls. Were encouraging voters to make sure they wash their hands as often as possible and continue to practice good hygiene. With no confirmed cases in our state, we obviously still want to remain cautious. We encourage all Mississippians to go vote, Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson said. PHOTO: Poll workers speak to a woman wearing a face mask in a polling site at San Francisco City Hall on Super Tuesday, March 3, 2020, in San Francisco. (John G. Mabanglo/EPA via Shutterstock) In Washington, the state at the center of the U.S. coronavirus crisis, election officials are emphasizing similar sanitary practices and precautions. With elections in the state administered exclusively by mail-in ballot, officials have urged voters not to lick the envelopes containing their ballots in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Instead, officials have recommended voters use water or a sponge to seal them. In a statement given to ABC News Monday, David Partenheimer, the manager of public relations at the United States Postal Service, said that both the surgeon general and the director of the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases have indicated that there is currently no evidence that the coronavirus can spread through the mail. With 37% of the vote already in ahead of Tuesday's primaries in King County, Washington, election board chief of staff Kendall Hodson told ABC News that they were adding regular handwashing and sanitizing breaks, and that employees also had the option to wear gloves while handling ballots. However, she said that workers were not touching the top where envelopes are sealed. MORE: As stocks dive and coronavirus spreads, Trump compares COVID-19 to common flu As new states report cases of the coronavirus linked to suspected community spread, convention officials from both parties continue to plan for the party conventions to proceed as planned as they monitor the impact of COVID-19. Ensuring the safety of convention attendees and local residents is -- and will always remain -- our top priority, Democratic National Convention CEO Joe Solmonese said in a statement to ABC News. Every convention necessitates developing a number of contingency plans to provide for a variety of scenarios," he said. As we prepare to welcome Americans to Milwaukee this summer, the convention team will remain in constant communication with the local, state, and federal authorities responsible for protecting public health and security. A spokeswoman from the Republican National Convention said in a statement to ABC News Monday that the convention team was closely monitoring and coordinating with key stakeholders across the administration, HHS and CDC to obtain regular updates on the coronavirus outbreak. We prioritize the health and safety of attendees and have the utmost confidence in the administrations work and preparations, the statement said MORE: School canceled, health officials issue stern warning to Missouri family that broke coronavirus quarantine The coronavirus is not the only concern for state election officials on Tuesday. Ashcroft said hes confident the Missouri primaries are safe from a cybersecurity perspective, but said the disinformation portion of election security is the hardest to fight. We need to make sure we protect all of our rights. Voting is one of those, but also is the freedom of speech, he explained. Susan Greenhalgh, the vice president of policy and programs for the National Election Defense Coalition told ABC News that everywhere but North Dakota is vulnerable. North Dakota, she explained, does not have a voter registration database. If these go down, or the data is corrupted, it could prevent voters from voting a regular ballot, she said. MORE: Despite growing coronavirus fears in the US, 2020 candidates show no sign of slowing Houck said in Idaho they have been much more proactive in their approach to monitoring and distributing information on social media, given all of the disinformation that was publicly consumed in 2016. We, with DHS, with our DHS partners, we've put out some posters and done some campaigns at the local level in all of our polling locations, for example, with some emergency operations plans, so that people have confidence that there's actually planning going on, Houck said. In Michigan, the state widely expected to be the most competitive on Tuesday, the secretary of state said the elections are the safest they have ever been. Despite the attempts to meddle in our elections that have been reported at a national level, Michigans elections system is more secure than ever, and voters should have full faith that every vote will be counted and results will be reported accurately, said Secretary Jocelyn Benson. My administration has done significant work to bolster our election security, and we will continue to do so through the November election and beyond, she said. ABC News' Kendall Karson, Ali Dukakis, Meg Cunningham, Quinn Scanlan and Lucien Bruggeman contributed to this story. Election officials prepare for challenge of coronavirus ahead of Tuesday's primaries originally appeared on abcnews.go.com General view of the Negishi LNG Terminal, which is jointly operated by Tokyo Gas and JERA, in Yokohama In this article: LONDON (Reuters) - Macquarie's Green Investment Group (GIG) and EnBW Energie Baden-Wurttemberg AG have reached an agreement with Japanese utility JERA to join in developing Taiwan's Formosa 3 offshore wind farm. JERA now holds a 43.75% stake in the project. The Green Investment Group holds 31.25% and EnBW holds 25%. Financial details were not disclosed. Formosa 3 is an offshore wind project off the central-western coast of Taiwan. It has three separate sites which have a total capacity of 2 gigawatts. The project secured approval after an environmental impact assessment in 2018. JERA's entry into Formosa 3 follows previous partnerships on the Formosa 1 and Formosa 2 offshore wind projects. "Taiwan is fast becoming Asia's foremost offshore wind market," said Mark Dooley, global head of the Green Investment Group. (Reporting by Nina Chestney; Editing by Edmund Blair) PHOENIX and JACKSONVILLE, Fla., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Lightstone Solutions, LLC http://www.lightstonesolutions.com announced today its Emergency Outsource Contract Program for Tribal Gaming Commissions in response to ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns. Under the Outsource Program, a Tribal Gaming Commission can obtain a contract to have Lightstone Solutions on stand-by as a trusted outsource to seamlessly handle licensing background checks on employees and vendors should the need arise due to temporary staff shortages. "Emergency preparedness is a mantra at Lightstone Solutions, and we are pleased to be able to make our trusted expertise available to Tribal Gaming Commissions and be part of their own contingency plans," said Bill Papazian, CEO of Lightstone Solutions. "If you are attending the National Indian Gaming Association Tradeshow in San Diego March 24 -27, please contact me in advance if you would like to meet personally to discuss," added Mr. Papazian. ABOUT LIGHTSTONE SOLUTIONS, LLC Lightstone Solutions, LLC is a boutique firm specializing in gaming regulatory compliance and training, programmatic audits of gaming commissions, international due diligence and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act compliance, investigative consulting, background checks, computer forensics and electronic discovery. The firm serves public companies, Tribal Gaming Commissions and Tribal Governments, international companies, public pension funds, and other regulated business interests.The Company was founded by William Papazian https://williampapazian.consulting/ in 2001. Contact: Bill Papazian [email protected] 6022063800 Photo(s): https://www.prlog.org/12813894 Press release distributed by PRLog SOURCE Lightstone Solutions, LLC Related Links http://www.lightstonesolutions.com/ A second patient has been cured of HIV after undergoing stem cell transplant treatment, doctors said Tuesday, after finding no trace of infection 30 months after he stopped traditional treatment. The so-called "London Patient", a cancer sufferer originally from Venezuela, made headlines last year when researchers at the University of Cambridge reported they had found no trace of the AIDS-causing virus in his blood for 18 months. Ravindra Gupta, lead author of the study published in The Lancet HIV, said the new test results were "even more remarkable" and likely demonstrated the patient was cured. "We've tested a sizeable set of sites that HIV likes to hide in and they are all pretty much negative for an active virus," Gupta told AFP. The patient, who revealed his identity this week as Adam Castillejo, 40, was diagnosed with HIV in 2003 and had been on medication to keep the disease in check since 2012. Later that year, he was diagnosed with advanced Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a deadly cancer. In 2016 he underwent a bone marrow transplant to treat blood cancer, receiving stem cells from donors with a genetic mutation present in less than one percent of Europeans that prevents HIV from taking hold. He becomes only the second person to be cured of HIV after American Timothy Brown, known as the "Berlin Patient", recovered from HIV in 2011 following similar treatment. Viral tests of Castillejo's cerebral fluid, intestinal tissue and lymphoid tissue more than two years after stopping antiretroviral treatment showed no active infection. Gupta said the tests uncovered HIV "fossils" -- fragments of the virus that were now incapable of reproducing, and were therefore safe. "We'd expect that," he said. "It's quite hard to imagine that all trace of a virus that infects billions of cells was eliminated from the body." - Ethical dilemma - Researchers cautioned that the breakthrough did not constitute a generalised cure for HIV, which leads to nearly one million deaths every year. Castillejo's treatment was a "last resort" as his blood cancer would likely have killed him without intervention, according to Gupta. The Cambridge doctor said that there were "several other" patients who had undergone similar treatment but who were less far along in their remission. "There will probably be more but they will take time," he said. Researchers are currently weighing up whether or not patients suffering from drug-resistant forms of HIV might be eligible for stem cell transplants in future, something Gupta said would require careful ethical consideration. "You'd have to weigh up the fact that there's a 10-percent mortality rate from doing a stem-cell transplant against what the risk of death would be if we did nothing," he said. Castillejo himself said that the experience had prompted him to come forward and identify himself in order to help spread awareness of HIV. This is a unique position to be in, a unique and very humbling position,? he told The New York Times. Sharon Lewin, an infectious disease expert at the University of Melbourne and member of the International AIDS Society, said Castillejo's case was "exciting". "But we need to also place it in context -- curing people of HIV via a bone marrow transplant is just not a viable option on any kind of scale," she said. "We need to constantly reiterate the importance of, prevention, early testing and treatment adherence as the pillars of the current global response to HIV/AIDS." More than 37 million people suffer from HIV, the virus that causes AIDS Amid the crisis caused by resignations of 22 legislators, meeting of the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) in Madhya Pradesh began here on Tuesday evening, with 92 of 114 party MLAs attending it. The 22 MLAs, who have resigned from the Assembly and most of whom are supporters of Jyotiraditya Scindia who quit the Congress earlier on Tuesday, were absent, sources said. Two BSP MLAs and the lone SP MLA supporting the Congress government too skipped the meeting, spelling more trouble for the Kamal Nath-led Congress government which is on the brink of collapse, sources added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), joined by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 11, 2020. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo) Congressmembers: Next Coronavirus Relief Plan Could Arrive as Early as This Week Democratic members of Congress are putting together a coronavirus relief plan, which could be ready as soon as this week. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told reporters March 9 that the legislation could be ready for a vote by the end of the week. We are putting it together. Its not like we just woke up and started thinking about this. Our committees of jurisdiction have been working on it, and we have worked all weekend on it, and we should have something, she said in Washington. While the plan could be introduced this week, it has to be analyzed by the Congressional Budget Office for estimated costs. The timeline depends on how quickly they can get something back to us, Pelosi said. Pelosi suggested that absent action this week, lawmakers could wait until they come back from their previously scheduled spring recess. She and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters that the package will focus on making coronavirus tests free, providing paid leave for parents who have to stay home because of school closings, addressing unemployment insurance for people who could be laid off due to the virus, and giving food to families who typically depend on lunches provided at school. If theres going to be relief, it ought to be aimed at the families that are most affected, Schumer said. Other lawmakers are mulling options to provide relief to people affected by the virus. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) during a Senate Judiciary hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 22, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) President Donald Trump speaks during a press briefing with members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force team in the White House in Washington on March 9, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, is looking into the possibility of targeted tax relief measures that could provide a timely and effective response to the coronavirus, the senators spokesman Michael Zona said in a statement to news outlets. Several options within the committees jurisdiction are being considered as we learn more about the effects on specific industries and the overall economy, Zona said. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, told reporters later March 9 that he and top officials would meet with senators and House Republicans to discuss a possible payroll tax cut or substantial relief. Were also going to be talking about hourly wage earners getting help so that they can be in a position where theyre not going to ever miss a paycheck. Were going to be working with companiesand small companies, large companies, a lot of companiesso that they dont get penalized for something thats not their fault. Its not their fault; its not our countrys fault, he said. The White House is also considering creating loans for small businesses through the Small Business Administration and might unveil some measures related to the airline, cruise ship, and hotel industries, which have been hit hard by the decreased level of travel due to the virus. The global coronavirus crisis is being portrayed "hysterically", according to Red Bull's top F1 official Dr Helmut Marko. On the face of it, the entire world - Formula 1 included - is becoming crippled by the disease outbreak, with China postponed, spectators locked out of Bahrain, and a giant question mark put alongside Vietnam's inaugural race date. After a period of silence, Formula 1 has announced that "all non-essential travel" has been banned and "quarantine points" installed at the F1 tracks. And with Italy in lockdown and panic widespread, just getting the teams from Europe to Australia has been a challenge, Marko admitted to Speed Week. "The situation in Australia seems to be quite normal," Marko said. "Bahrain has never had many spectators, but that event is not a problem either," he added. "I think we have to make a statement. This virus, which by no means has the danger that is being hysterically portrayed, can destroy public life." Marko even said the Italian lockdown is not a major issue, as he explained that staff of Ferrari, Pirelli and brake supplier Brembo have all been allowed to travel. "You get a special permit when you need it quite quickly," he said. "The majority of the Alpha Tauri team is in Australia already. It's tedious, but it works. "The cars and all the equipment is in Australia, the majority of the mechanics have arrived. I do not see a problem there," added Marko. "And if one or two people can't make the trip, that doesn't endanger the race. "I think the whole discussion has been blown up," the plain-speaking Austrian said. "It is like a flu. For the most part, people are dying of old age with pre-existing diseases. "Look up how many people get the flu each year," Marko charged. "The problem is the quarantine. The danger of the disease is no worse than the flu. "We need to counter the scaremongering of the politicians and not support them. We need to think positively and assume that the grands prix will go ahead fairly normally." (GMM) In this digital age, proactive PR can literally rescue a business from plummeting in both revenue and reputation Today, with over one-third of the worlds population on social media, any persons or any companys mistakes can lead to considerable consequences. Social media is a very effective method for proactive disclosure; however, failing to respond to negative posts can give you a 43% decrease in customer advocacy, while a reply can increase it by 20%. (1)(2) For dealing with social media issues, public relations is an invaluable service to pivot from public scrutiny to repaired reputations. Companies must assume that they are always at risk for a potential crisis, says Karla Jo Helms, Chief Evangelist and Anti-PR Strategist for JoTo PR. No organization too big or too small is immune to a social media PR crisis of any kind. If consumers and organizations do not take the time to set proper mitigation efforts or have crisis management plans in place, in just the stroke of a few keys their brand images can take a hit. Brands are becoming more PR savvy and in this digital age; its a non-negotiable sphere to be in. Notable PR Fails that heed warnings to businesses: During the last decade, companies as diverse as Samsung, Kenneth Cole, and United Airlines all suffered epic PR failures to their brands reputations because of massive social media mistakes. Samsung was slow to act and communicated misinformation after its Galaxy 7 smartphones caught fire while charging, causing a loss of $14 billion off its market value, while Uniteds shares fell 5% and wiped $1.1 billion off its market value after a poor social media response damaged its brand.(7) As public scrutiny continues to plague consumers and businesses, the need to take PR very seriously increases. This includes carefully tackling their collective online personas and reputation management through 3rd party credibility. (3) All companies should have a crisis communication plan in place with designated spokespeople, the right skills, and the right position that can be put into effect in minutes, not hours. (4) Social media message can easily cause damage to a brand reputation, by rushing in without a plan of action, by overuse, and by account hacking. (5) A recent Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) case demonstrates how the unfettered use of social media communications tools cost both the company and Tesla CEO Elon Musk separate $20 million fines for tweeting about the companys proposed share value. (6) Businesses need PR, Karlo Jo concludes. In this digital age, proactive PR can literally rescue a business from plummeting in both revenue and reputation. Now, with social media, customers have a stronger voice. They can do comparative analyses under several channels, so companies are constantly under a microscope to counteract negativity with a stronger communication strategy. In addition, citizen journalists span the internet and any PR failure can lead to companies struggling with their online conversations. Crisis management with proactive PR is always favored over reactive PR. About JoTo PR: 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 this Tampa Bay PR agency 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 of JoTo PRs processes are streamlined PR services that have become the hallmark of the JoTo PR name. Giving hope and help to meaningful and purposeful businesses is what makes JoTo PR motivated to impact the world positively and for the optimism to help more people. About Karla Jo Helms: Karla Jo Helms is the Chief Evangelist and Anti-PR Strategist for JoTo PR. She 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 PR, 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 opinionshe 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. Chen, Jenn, Why You Need a Social Media Customer Service Plan, SproutSocial.com, June 5, 2019, sproutsocial.com/insights/social-customer-care. 2. Bullock, Lilach, The Biggest Social Media Fails of 2018, Forbes.com, November 27, 2018, forbes.com/sites/lilachbullock/2018/11/27/biggest-social-media-fails-2018/#3bad9cb7518f. 3. Spratt, Will, Fragility, Responsibility, Opportunity Corporate Comms Trends for 2020, PRWeek.com, January 9, 2020, prweek.com/article/1670143/fragility-responsibility-opportunity-corporate-comms-trends-2020. 4. Crisis Communication Guide 2020 (including free template), Prezly.com, prezly.com/academy/relationships/crisis-communication/the-only-crisis-communication-plan-you-will-ever-need. 5. Fanaras, Linda A., 4 Risks for Your Business to Consider When Using Social Media, Mill.Agency.com, mill.agency/content/4-risks-business-consider-using-social-media. 6. Cruz, Robert, SEC Scrutiny Highlights Risks of Social Media, RMMagazine.com, September 3, 2019, rmmagazine.com/2019/09/03/sec-scrutiny-highlights-risks-of-social-media. 7. Cope, Ellis, Top 3 PR Fails: What We Can Learn From What Went Wrong, Cope-SalesAndMarketing.com, July 18, 2017, cope-salesandmarketing.com/top-3-pr-fails-can-learn-went-wrong. # # # Morgan Stanley said that an employee at its suburban New York office has tested positive for the coronavirus disease. The bank conducted a "deep cleaning" of the Purchase office after making the discovery, the New York-based firm told employees Tuesday in an email. The building houses much of the firm's wealth management operations and more recently was made a backup site for the bank's traders amid contingency planning for the spread of coronavirus. "We wanted to make you aware than an employee based in Purchase has tested positive for the coronavirus disease," the bank said in the email obtained by CNBC. "Fortunately, the employee was already self-quarantined for some time and is doing well and recovering at home." Morgan Stanley is the latest Wall Street firm to report an employee was found with coronavirus, just as banks enacted contingency plans including splitting up trading desks by sending workers to backup offices. Yesterday, Wells Fargo told Bloomberg News that a worker in San Francisco had the disease. Then, earlier Tuesday, Barclays and BlackRock each confirmed that an employee in the firms' respective New York offices tested positive. "We are working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other local authorities, and are following their advice," a Barclays spokeswoman told CNBC. "We have also identified colleagues and clients who had had close contact with our affected colleague, and have advised those colleagues to self-quarantine in line with CDC guidance." BlackRock said the midtown Manhattan office with the impacted employee remains open and that the firm "has been taking all precautions and preventive measures to maintain a clean and healthy environment for our employees and our clients." Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. The guidance on how best to protect yourself from the novel coronavirus has evolved since we first published this article in March. Back then, at the beginning of the outbreak in the U.S., concerns were running high about the virus transferring from doorknobs, groceries, countertops, and even delivered packages. And while it may be possible to get COVID-19 by touching a contaminated surface and then touching your face, theres less concern about that scenario today. The importance of viral transmission from touching potentially infected items is much lower than originally proposed, says Stephen Thomas, MD, chief of infectious diseases and director of global health at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y. That being said, it is not one thing we do which mitigates our personal or collective risk of SARS-CoV-2 infectionit is the entire bundle of infection prevention actions and initiatives. SARS-CoV-2 is the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Youre most likely to get COVID-19 from respiratory droplets, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, so the most important steps you can take to protect yourself and others are to avoid crowds, practice social distancing, and wear a mask in public. You can also help prevent the spread of disease by washing your hands frequently and thoroughly, not touching your face, and wiping down high-touch surfaces. The good news, Thomas says, is that these practices will not only lower your risk of COVID, they will also lower your risk of contracting a number of other infectious diseases. For the surfaces in your home, you need to ramp up your cleaning routine only if someone in the household has COVID-19 or any of the related symptoms. If thats the case, Thomas recommends cleaning high-traffic areas that get touched frequently, such as kitchen counters and bathroom faucets, three times a day with a product that kills viruses. Story continues If you still dont have access to disinfecting wipes and sprays in your area, dont worry: There are other solutions. Below, youll find a list of cleaning productsmany of which you may already have around the housethat can easily deactivate the coronavirus. It has an envelope around it that allows it to merge with other cells to infect them, Thomas says. If you disrupt that coating, the virus cant do its job. The coating doesnt stand a chance against bleach, ethynol, and chloride-based products, but it can also be easily broken down with something as simple as soap or detergent. Cleaning Products That Destroy Coronavirus Soap and Water Just the friction from scrubbing with soap (any kind of soap) and water can break the coronaviruss protective envelope. Scrub like youve got sticky stuff on the surface and you really need to get it off, says Richard Sachleben, an organic chemist and a member of the American Chemical Society. Discard the towel or leave it in a bowl of soapy water for a while to destroy any virus particles that may have survived. Using antibacterial soap wont give you added protection against the coronavirus because it kills bacteria, not viruses. You can still use it as long as you scrub. This is also the only product on this list that we recommend using to combat the novel coronavirus on skin. Everything else should be used only on surfaces. Name-Brand Disinfectants As of August, the Environmental Protection Agency had certified 16 disinfectant products for being able to kill SARS-CoV-2. Among them are products from Lysol, Clorox, and Lonza, which all share the same active ingredient: quaternary ammonium. The EPA also has a running list of hundreds of disinfectants that are effective against similar viruses. They havent been tested specifically for effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2, but they should work. If you can find these cleaning products, its important to follow label instructions. You may need to leave the surface saturated for several minutes for it to work effectively. Many people have also dangerously misused cleaning products during the pandemic, which the CDC says has led to an uptick in calls to poison control centers across the country. If you cant get your hands on any EPA-registered disinfectants, you can use any of the products listed below, which are also effective against the novel coronavirus. Sachleben explains that the EPA only has a list of products that have been shown to work because it needs to check brands germ-killing claims. The things that are shown to be most effective are the basics, like bleach and alcohol, he says. Customers dont find the tried-and-true to be as convenient, so thats why we have all these products on the market. Bleach The CDC recommends a diluted bleach solution cup bleach per 1 gallon of water or 4 teaspoons bleach per 1 quart of waterfor virus disinfection. Wear gloves while using bleach, and never mix it with ammoniaor anything, in factexcept water. (The only exception is when doing laundry with detergent.) Once the solution is mixed, dont keep it for longer than a day because the bleach will lose potency and can degrade certain plastic containers. Always clean the surface with water and detergent first, since many materials can react with bleach and deactivate it, Sachleben says. Dry the surface, then apply the bleach solution and let it sit for at least 10 minutes before wiping it off. Bleach can corrode metal over time, so Sachleben recommends that people not get into the habit of cleaning their faucets and stainless steel products with it. Because bleach is harsh for many countertops as well, you should rinse surfaces with water after disinfecting to prevent discoloration or damage to the surface. If you cant find liquid bleach, you can use bleach tablets instead. You may have seen Evolve bleach tablets, which dissolve in water, at Amazon or Walmart. Just follow the dilution instructions on the packaging (1 tablet is equal to cup liquid bleach). A label on the bottle states the product is not a disinfectantEvolve hasnt put the product through the EPAs registration processbut, chemically speaking, its the same as liquid bleach. Isopropyl Alcohol Alcohol solutions with at least 70 percent alcohol are effective against the coronavirus on hard surfaces. First, clean the surface with water and detergent. Apply the alcohol solutiondo not dilute itand let it sit on the surface for at least 30 seconds to disinfect. Alcohol is generally safe for all surfaces but can discolor some plastics, Sachleben says. Hydrogen Peroxide According to the CDC, household (3 percent) hydrogen peroxide is effective in deactivating rhinovirus, the virus that causes the common cold, within 6 to 8 minutes of exposure. Rhinovirus is more difficult to destroy than coronaviruses, so hydrogen peroxide should be able to break down the coronavirus in less time. Spray it on the surface to be cleaned, and let it sit on the surface for at least 1 minute. Hydrogen peroxide is not corrosive, so its okay to use it on metal surfaces. But similar to bleach, it can discolor fabrics if you get it on your clothes. Its great for getting into hard-to-reach crevices, Sachleben says. You can pour it on the area, and you dont have to wipe it off because it essentially decomposes into oxygen and water. What NOT to Use Against Coronavirus Homemade Hand Sanitizer Youve probably seen all sorts of hand sanitizer recipes floating around social media and elsewhere on the internet, but Thomas at Upstate Medical University advises against making your own. People dont know the right ratios to use, and the internet wont give you the right answer, he says. Not only can you hurt yourself, but it could give you a false sense of security. Sachleben seconds that advice. Im a professional chemist, and I dont mix my own disinfectant products at home, he says. Companies spend a bunch of time and money to pay chemists specifically to formulate hand sanitizers that work and that are safe. If you make it yourself, how can you know if its stable or if it works? Vodka There are widely circulated recipes on the internet using vodka to combat the coronavirus. A couple of vodka makers, including Titos, have already come out with statements telling their customers that their 80-proof product does not contain enough ethyl alcohol (40 percent, compared with the 70 percent required) to kill the coronavirus. Distilled White Vinegar Disinfection recommendations using vinegar are popular online, but there is no evidence that they are effective against the coronavirus. (See 9 Things You Should Never Clean With vinegar.) Tea Tree Oil While there is preliminary research that suggests tea tree oil may have an effect against the herpes simplex virus, there is no evidence that it can kill coronaviruses. Editors Note: This article, first published March 9, 2020, has been updated as more commercial products have become available and as concern over transmission from hard surfaces has lessened. More from Consumer Reports: Top pick tires for 2016 Best used cars for $25,000 and less 7 best mattresses for couples Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright 2020, Consumer Reports, Inc. A northeast Alabama man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the death of a toddler relative. Noe Mateo, 26, was sentenced after pleading guilty to a felony murder charge in DeKalb County Circuit Court on Monday. Mateos defense team declined to comment. Noe Mateo pleaded guilty to a felony murder charge in DeKalb County, Ala. Circuit Court on March 9, 2020. Mateo pleaded guilty to causing the Feb. 21, 2017 death of 19-month-old Juan Francisco-Juan. Mateo, a relative, lived with Juan and his family, in Crossville, a tiny town in DeKalb County about 40 miles from the Georgia state line. Mateo babysat Juan when the childs mother was working, the authorities said. Juan was killed by blunt force trauma, court records show. Mateo pleaded guilty to causing Juans death while abusing the child, said Bob Johnston, chief deputy district attorney for Alabamas Ninth Judicial Circuit, which includes DeKalb County. Mateos 20-year sentence for murder will run concurrently with meaning at the same time as a 3-year sentence for witness intimidation, court records show. Before he was indicted in Juans death, Mateo pleaded guilty to intimidating witnesses in the investigation. More Alabama crime news The U.S. Census Bureau made a soft launch of the 2020 census website on Monday, making its form available online. On Thursday, the Census Bureau will begin mailing out notices. The Associated Press reports that the 2020 census is the first in which most people are being encouraged to answer the questions online, though people can still answer the questionnaire by telephone or by mailing back a paper form if they prefer. There has been a U.S. census every decade since 1790. The results determine how many congressional seats each state gets and how $1.5 trillion in federal spending is distributed. "It is that intense .... counting up to 330 million people in a very diverse, very mobile population, and over 140 million housing units," Stephen Buckner, a senior Census Bureau executive, said during a recent visit to Miami. The bureau had an official in-person launch in January in Toksook Bay, Alaska where internet connectivity is unreliable, making door-to-door canvassing the best way to gather responses, according to AP. The notices mailed out starting this week will include a census ID that matches addresses. People filling out the form via the internet are encouraged to use the ID, but those who answer the questions online before getting their IDs still will be counted. About 80% of households receiving mailings will get notices about how to answer the questions online, and about 20% of households automatically will receive a paper ballot if there are large numbers of seniors in their neighborhood or levels of internet connectivity are low, AP reports. Census workers won't begin going door-to-door in earnest until May, when they'll approach homes that haven't responded and ask the questions in person. Invitations to respond to the 2020 Census will be delivered between March 12-20. Once you receive that invitation, you can respond online, by phone, or by mail. To start the 2020 Census questionnaire, visit www.mycensus2020.gov. Auburn, IN (46706) Today Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 28F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. Low 26F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriza Pinandita and Norman Harsono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 12:46 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206989df1 1 World COVID-19,Indonesia,Australia,Retno-Marsudi Free The government is ready to give assistance to an Indonesian woman in her 50s who recently tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus in the Australian state of Victoria, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi says. Retno said that she had met with Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Gary Quinlan in Jakarta on Monday to clarify the citizenship status of the woman, who was later confirmed to be an Indonesian citizen holding an Australian permanent residency visa. She told reporters the Indonesian government will try to get more information about her while at the same time respecting her privacy. However, as she is an Indonesian citizen then she has to understand that if she needs help, our representative [in Australia] is ready to help her at any time, Retno said on Monday. News of the patient made rounds on Sunday after the Victorian Health Department issued a public statement saying the patient "who is now well and in home-isolation" was the 12th confirmed COVID-19 case in Victoria. The woman, who flew from Jakarta to Perth on Feb. 27, tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday. Read also: COVID-19: More Indonesian travelers The department is seeking to contact anyone who was traveling on Virgin Airlines flight VA682 from Perth to Melbourne on March 2, which was the flight taken by the patient when she was already showing symptoms of the respiratory illness. The Indonesian Health Ministrys Disease Control and Prevention Director General Achmad Yurianto said his ministry had coordinated with Indonesian representatives in the neighboring country to trace the patients travel records. Achmad, however, asserted that his office believed the patient did not contract the virus in Indonesia. Authorities worldwide, including in Indonesia and Australia, are on high alert over the coronavirus epidemic that has killed more than 4,000 and infected more than 110,000 people in more than 100 countries, AFP reported. According to data compiled by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, Australia recorded 91 confirmed cases as of Tuesday, while Indonesia recorded 19 cases on its soil. Citizens have been advised to regularly wash their hands with soap and take care of their health as the best means of protecting themselves against the virus. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 19:29:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close XI'AN, March 10 (Xinhua) -- As China gradually re-opens tourist sites in low-risk outbreak regions amid the epidemic, Xi'an, a popular destination in northwest China's Shaanxi province, is promoting its cultural tourism industry with new policies. According to a plan recently launched by the municipal government of Xi'an, the city will invest 13.7 billion yuan (about 1.97 billion U.S. dollars) for 23 cultural tourism programs this year. It also plans to further develop a stay-at-home economy such as creative design, game and anime industry and e-sports as part of the cultural tourism industry. Capital of 13 dynasties in ancient China, Xi'an is a historic city with rich tourism resources. It received more than 300 million tourists in 2019, and its total tourism revenue surpassed 310 billion yuan (about 44.6 billion U.S. dollars). "As the number of COVID-19 patients in China is declining, people are eager to go outside and travel. The new policies give us the confidence to offer better services to the tourists, said Yao Xinyuan, executive director of Shaanxi Huaqing Palace Cultural Tourism Co., Ltd. Yao said his company is developing sightseeing tours online and improving digitalized service. The new policies would play an important role in the innovative development of the tourism industry. Before the announcement of the new policies, some tourist attractions in Xi'an have reopened to the public, including one of the most well-preserved ancient city walls in China. Catering to the taste of tourists, rehearsals of several performances in the city have been started online, including the famous "Song of Eternal Sorrow," which tells the love story between the emperor Tang Xuanzong and his favorite concubine Yang Kwei Fei. The Chinese government has rolled out measures, including tax reduction and project financing, to support the country's cultural tourism industry amid the epidemic. The National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planner, has allocated 5.7 billion yuan (about 814 million U.S. dollars) for the construction of 485 projects in the sector. Brisbane could see an uptick in infrastructure projects starting in the coming months after the federal government wrote to Brisbane City Council requesting details on any "shovel-ready" projects. Lord mayor Adrian Schrinner on Tuesday said he had spoken to Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday, discussing the economic situation in the wake of coronavirus and its impact on south-east Queensland. Brisbane could see more projects under way in a bid to "weather the storm" and boost the city's economy. Credit:Glenn Hunt A letter from Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack to mayors and councillors requested details of infrastructure projects that could be brought forward to start construction within three to six months. "Fast-tracking the delivery of critical road projects across Australia is key to driving jobs, strengthening the economy and getting people home sooner and safer," Mr McCormack wrote. As many as six persons were feared to have drowned and the body of one person was recovered after a boat capsized in Ukai dam reservoir in Gujarat's Tapi district on Tuesday, the police said. The incident took place near Bhintkhurd village in Uchchhal tehsil. Elsewhere in the state, four deaths by drowning were reported in the state as people bathed in water bodies after celebrating Holi. A boat carrying 13 persons overturned in Ukai dam reservoir due to strong winds, Superintendent of Police N N Chaudhary said. While six persons on board were rescued, six others were missing while the body of one was recovered, said an official of Uchchhal police station. All missing persons are from Sundarpura village in the tehsil, he said. Three persons drowned in the Tapi river near Mandvi in Surat district when they were bathing after offering prayers at a temple on the occasion of Holi, the police said. A boy was feared drowned after his slipped and fell into the Narmada canal while taking a selfie in Chhani locality of Vadodara. A man drowned in Bhavnagar district, while another went missing while bathing and two others were rescued in Patan district, the police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) CORNWALL Mohawk Mountain held the 10thAnnual Firefighter Race Sunday, welcoming teams from Morris to South Kensington. The annual contest, which involves teams of firefighters snaking their way down a slolom at the ski area, raised $1,000 for the Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital. According to its websie, the Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital is the states only burn center with standards in accordance with the American Burn Association and the American College of Surgeons ... is one of the only 62 verified burn centers in the United States. (It) treats nearly 200 inpatients and receives more than 800 outpatient visits each year. The Morris Fire Department placed first with a time of 22.34 seconds. Middlebury Fire placed second and third, with 28.71 seconds and 30.81 seconds. The Kent Volunteer Fire Department placed fourth with 32.83 seconds; fifth place, South Kensington Fire Department,44.53 seconds; sixth place, Morris Fire Team, 61.23 seconds; and seventh place, Burlington Fire Department, 62.95 seconds. During last years race, competitors hailed from Middlebury, Morris, Pleasant Valley, Kent, Avon and South Kensington. The Morris Fire Department won the race last year in 31.88 seconds. Pleasant Valley placed second with 35.15 seconds. Middlebury had two teams and place third and fourth, with 36.34 second and 44.56 seconds. In fifth place was the Kent Volunteer Fire Department with 47.41 seconds, followed in sixth place by Avon Volunteer Fire Department with 1 minute and 10.49 seconds. South Kensington placed seventh with 1 minute and 31.46 seconds. 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 Dr. Ho Taghva is excited for the opportunity to work alongside RealSelf leadership to help guide business decisions that will empower consumers to make informed aesthetic choices. Internationally-respected plastic surgeon Dr. Goretti Ho Taghva has earned an elite position on the RealSelf Business Advisory Board, a role that will allow her to help shape the future of the prominent website. RealSelf is the largest online aesthetic community in the world. The site serves tens of millions of consumers each year and features industry research and provider reviews, allows men and women who are interested in aesthetic procedures to learn and share information, and connects prospective patients with verified surgeons and clinicians. Dr. Ho Taghva is excited for the opportunity to work alongside RealSelf leadership to help guide business decisions that will empower consumers to make informed aesthetic choices. Dr. Ho Taghva is board-certified by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and is an expert in surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures for the face and body. She completed her undergraduate and medical education at Brown University and her surgical training at USC. Dr. Ho Taghva travels around the world to exchange knowledge and techniques with other experienced plastic surgeons. Dr. Ho Taghva is also a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Upper Eyelid Blepharoplasty Expert Panel. LEA Plastic Surgery, Dr. Ho Taghvas Newport Beach practice, offers the most cutting-edge cosmetic treatments on the market, as well as more traditional plastic surgery procedures. Dr. Goretti Ho Taghva is a highly-respected Asian surgeon specializing in Asian blepharoplasty (cosmetic eyelid surgery) and Asian rhinoplasty (nose job). She customizes her facial surgery approach to ensure the very best results for Middle Eastern, Caucasian, Asian, and African-American patients. Dr. Ho Taghva believes in enhancing a patients appearance while also maintaining their natural aesthetic beauty. She is fluent in Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese) and English and can communicate in Spanish and French as well. With over a hundred positive reviews and a 5.0 rating on RealSelf and Yelp, Dr. Ho Taghva has an outstanding reputation among patients. She performs a diverse range of surgeries, including fat transfer, breast augmentation, mommy makeovers, facial rejuvenation, and endoscopic brow lifts. She emphasizes the importance of communication and listens carefully to each patient to learn about their goals, concerns, and lifestyle before recommending a surgical plan. Dr. Ho Taghva uses the latest technology to help her patients achieve outstanding results. RealSelf is honored to welcome her to the Business Advisory Boards team of medical experts. Call 949-945-2168 or visit leaplasticsurgery.com to schedule a private consultation with board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Goretti Ho Taghva in Newport Beach, CA. Out-of-state and international patients can request a complimentary virtual consultation with Dr. Ho Taghva instead of visiting the office. US F-22 stealth jets intercepted four Russian bombers and two Russian Su-35 fighter jets off the coast of Alaska, according to a statement from North American Aerospace Defense Command, on May 20, 2019. (Norad Command) Canadian, U.S. Fighter Jets Intercept 2 Russian Planes off Alaska Coast OTTAWAMilitary authorities say U.S. and Canadian fighter jets scrambled on March 9 to intercept two Russian reconnaissance planes travelling near the North American coast. The North American Aerospace Defence Command says the two Russian Tu142 Bear aircraft remained in international airspace north of Alaska for about four hours before departing. NORAD says the Russians approached within 50 nautical miles, or 92 kilometres, of the Alaskan coast and entered a warning zone, but did not enter U.S. or Canadian airspace. NORAD says Canadian CF18s and American F22 fighter jets escorted them for the duration with support from an air-to-air refueller. The appearance of Russian aircraft off North Americas coast comes less than a week after Canadian and international military officials, met at a conference in Ottawa. The federal government is preparing to launch a major review of North Americas defences, with an eye to upgrading them in the coming years. In addition to visa restrictions already in place, people travelling from or having visited Italy and South Korea will now have to mandatorily submit certificate of having tested negative for COVID-19 from laboratories authorised by the health authorities of their countries. This measure came into effect from 0000 hrs of March 10 and is a temporary measure till cases of novel coronavirus subside, according to a health ministry advisory. According to media reports, 45 Indians are stuck at Rome airport with Emirates airline not letting them board, saying they won't be allowed to deboard in India. "In addition to visa restrictions already in place, passengers travelling from/having visited Italy or Republic of Korea and desirous of entering India will need certificate of having tested negative for COVID-19 from the designated laboratories authorized by the health authorities of these countries," according to the health ministry advisory issued Thursday. The DGCA has also stated that air travellers having visited or arriving from Italy and South Korea will require to submit a certificate of having "tested" negative from a health authorities designated lab in their countries for coronavirus at the departure airport. The Indian Embassy in Italy has also asked Indian students with flights to India on or after March 10 that they may submit their details by filling in a form online. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ROME The boisterous hum of Rome dwindled to a whisper and police patrols kept people apart in cafes as Italy enforced an extraordinary, sweeping lockdown Tuesday in hopes of not becoming the next epicenter of the spreading coronavirus epidemic now that life in China is edging back to normal. Infections in Italy topped the 10,000 mark with 10,149 cases more than anywhere else but China and the number of deaths from the virus rose to 631, from 463 a day earlier, Italian Civil Protection authorities said. Travel and social restrictions that were extended across Italy illustrated how the virus and the broad disruptions it is causing are sweeping westward from China, where the outbreak began. Police across the country patrolled cafes to make sure owners kept customers 1 meter (3 feet) apart during daylight hours and then enforced a strict 6 p.m. closure order. Its bad. People are terrorized, said Massimo Leonardo, who runs a market stall. Ive never seen anything like it. For most, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for a few, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illnesses, including pneumonia. More than 116,000 people have been infected worldwide and over 4,000 have died. By encouraging many of Italys 62 million people to stay home and further drying up what was left of the countrys already battered tourism industry, the lockdown could increase the likelihood of a recession, dealing another blow to reeling global markets. Italys economy, the third-largest of the 19 countries that use the euro currency, relies heavily on industries requiring the physical presence and proximity of workers: tourism, manufacturing, and retail. Italians shouldnt leave home unless for work, health care or necessities such as grocery shopping, the premiers office said. Shops cafes and restaurants were ordered to close at 6 p.m., a seismic restriction in a country that prizes its gastronomy, luxuries and cafe culture. Giorgio Armani announced the closure of his hotel, restaurant and boutiques in Milan, citing preventative measures adopted so far to safeguard the health of the employees and customers. Ill do whatever they tell me to do, Rome florist Stefano Fulvi said. If I have to close, Ill close. Italy also found itself increasingly sealed off as other countries sought to keep infections contained. Malta and Spain announced a ban on air traffic from Italy. British Airways and Air Canada suspended all Italy flights. Austria barred travelers from crossing the border without a medical certificate, Slovenia closed its border with Italy and Albania banned Italy air and ferry traffic. Britain, Ireland, Hong Kong and Germany strengthened travel advisories urged their citizens to leave. Even the Vatican erected a new barricade at the edge of St. Peters Square. Get out of northern Italy if youre there, said Erik Broegger Rasmussen, head of consular services for Denmarks foreign ministry. But in China, the diminishing threat prompted President Xi Jinping to visit the central city of Wuhan, the epicenter of its outbreak, on Tuesday and declare: We will certainly defeat this epidemic. It was the latest sign that China is edging back toward normal after weeks of extreme quarantine measures. China reported just 19 new infections Tuesday, down from thousands each day last month. Things are slowly returning to normal, said Yang Tianxiao, a finance worker in Beijing, where the city government is gradually easing restrictions. But in growing swaths of the globe outside China, virus-related disruptions were increasingly the new normal. More than 100 countries over half of the United Nations membership have now confirmed cases. Panama and Mongolia, which borders China, were among the latest. Congo and Burkina Faso also confirmed their first cases, increasing the number of infections in Africa to 105 in 11 countries. Frances government advised voters to bring their own pens to local elections Sunday so they wont have to share. Morocco reported its first death of a virus-infected person only the second confirmed fatality in Africa. The United Nations announced the closure of its New York headquarters complex to the general public and temporarily suspended all guided tours. In Spain and France, soccers biggest stars prepared to play in empty stadiums. Bans on public gatherings silenced entertainers. Sony Pictures delayed the launch of Peter Rabbit 2 to August. Albania told its citizens to stay home banning public gatherings and shuttering schools, entertainment centers, gymnasiums and public pools. The virus reached into the corridors of power. In the United States, several senior politicians were self-quarantined and in Spain, a leading member of a far-right party tested positive for the virus. At least two top European military commanders also tested positive after a conference on an American military base in Germany, and the commander of U.S. Army Europe isolated himself in case he also was exposed. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the city of New Rochelle, a New York City suburb the biggest known cluster of U.S. coronavirus cases, would have a containment center where houses of worships and large gathering places would be closed for two weeks. National Guard troops will help clean surfaces and deliver food in the area, a 1-mile (1.6-kilometer) radius around a point near a synagogue, Cuomo said. In Washington state, where 19 of its 24 deaths have been connected to a Seattle-area nursing home, Gov. Jay Inslee announced new rules for screening health care workers and limiting visitors at nursing homes. And in Oakland, California, thousands of restless passengers stuck on a cruise ship hit by the coronavirus waited their turn to get off the vessel and head to U.S. military bases or their home countries for two weeks of quarantine. All of a sudden a two-week vacation has turned into a five-week vacation,said passenger Carolyn Wright, of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Growing numbers of children were being taught online internationally, as school closures spread. The outbreak has interrupted schooling for nearly 363 million students worldwide, with 15 countries imposing nationwide school closures and 14 implementing localized closures, spanning Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America, the U.N.s education agency said. Greece and Macedonia were the latest to shutter all schools, universities and kindergartens. Students at a growing number of U.S. colleges including Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley were being transitioned to online classes amid a suspension of classroom instruction. Harvard students were told not to return to campus after the March spring break ends. The virus has shaken global markets, with stocks on Monday taking their worst one-day beating on Wall Street since 2008 and oil prices suffering their most brutal losses since the start of the 1991 Gulf War worrying people especially in the U.S. who keep much of their retirement money in stock mutual funds and use the funds to save money to pay for the college education of their children. On Tuesday, U.S. stocks, oil and other financial markets around the world went on another wild ride and clawed back ground after their historic plunge the previous day. The S&P 500 stock index in New York closed up 4.9% Tuesday, erasing three-fifths of Mondays loss. Investors are likely to see more big swings until the number of infections decelerates, and fear was still rampant that economies stood at the brink of recession, market watchers said. We are in a global panic, said Estelle Brack, an economist in Paris. We are in the deep unknown. ___ Leicester reported from Paris. Associated Press writers Colleen Barry in Soave, Italy; Antonio Calanni in Milan; Ken Moritsugu and Christopher Bodeen in Beijing; Carlo Piovano in London; David Rising in Berlin; and Thomas Adamson in Paris contributed. ___ This version corrects that a leading member of a Spanish far-right political party tested positive for the virus, not the partys leader. ___ The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ___ Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak 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 The coronavirus isnt whats scaring parents of children vulnerable to infection the most. Rather, its the panicked public buying up hand sanitizer, rubbing alcohol, masks, latex gloves and other items that families of medically fragile kids need to keep their homes safe year-round, but especially during cold and flu season. Faced with empty shelves and unexpected competition from the masses, these families are turning to each other, creating networks to swap critical supplies and survive shortages in stores. Coronavirus panic buying creates empty shelves in stores. (Courtesy Bree Vasquez) Jessica Wolff, whose daughter, Lily, is immunocompromised because of her early birth, said these impromptu exchanges are popping up out of necessity. Everybody is willing to share what they have because we all have to make it through this together, Wolff, 31, who lives in Champaign, Illinois, told TODAY Parents. These items are things we use all day long, every day, just to keep her alive. Across the country in Mission Viejo, California, Bree Vasquez never thought shed have to worry about having enough medical supplies to protect her medically fragile son, Max. Im not any more afraid of the coronavirus than I am of the rhinovirus or the flu, Vasquez said. It gives you peace of mind knowing that youre not going to be left high and dry without the stuff you need having this really great support group of women that we have. Wolff and Vasquez met online and are now part of a tight group of about 20 trach friends parents of children who required a tracheostomy to breathe who have recently found themselves trading boxes of face masks for bottles of Purell or other items that are no longer available in stores, Wolff wrote in a post for the TODAY Parenting Team. The families use group text, Instagram direct messages and video chats to let each other know what they need. Theyve seen other small networks of parents in the same situation doing it, too. Lilys story Families of medically fragile kids swap supplies during the coronavirus outbreak. (Courtesy Jessica Wolff) Wolffs daughter Lily was born at 24 weeks gestation in August 2018 due to intrauterine growth restriction, a condition that claimed the life of Lilys twin. Story continues Weighing just over a pound, the tiny girl was given a 5% chance at life and spent almost nine months in the neonatal intensive care unit before coming home last April. Her lungs are still so weak that she could easily die if she were to contract the common cold, Wolff said. To keep Lily safe, the family goes into quarantine during flu season from October to April and stops germs from spreading at home by using medical supplies, including gloves, hand sanitizer, hospital-grade cleaning wipes and alcohol prep pads. Families of medically fragile kids swap supplies during the coronavirus outbreak. (Courtesy Jessica Wolff) Those supplies, delivered to the house each month, started being listed as out of stock last month. When all of this started, in our chat, we started talking about: Does anybody have masks? Is everybody OK on hand sanitizer? Wolff said. We have no choice but to use these items to keep our kids alive. I dont think the general public, when theyre clearing shelves of stuff itll take them a year to use, (thinks of) our families. Wolff is grateful that between her local friends and her friends on Instagram, her family is pretty set on supplies for now. Maxs story Families of medically fragile kids swap supplies during the coronavirus outbreak. (Courtesy Bree Vasquez) Vasquezs son, Max, was born 26 weeks into her pregnancy in April 2018 and spent seven months in the NICU because of his super premature lungs, she said. He no longer requires a ventilator, but any illness is a setback that could threaten his life. In November, he got a minor virus and he was back on his vent again 24/7 and he was needing three liters of oxygen just for some minor itty bitty cold, Vasquez recalled. The family relies on large amounts of rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizer to keep germs out of the house, but those items started disappearing from stores weeks ago as the coronavirus outbreak grew. Families of medically fragile kids swap supplies during the coronavirus outbreak. (Courtesy Bree Vasquez) Vasquez was able to get more hand sanitizer only because an in stock alert beeped on her phone at 3 a.m. one night and she rushed to order online at that moment. It makes her feel better to know the parents in her network have her back 100% if she ever runs out of any necessities. If we need any feeding or cleaning supplies, wipes or whatever we might need, we could definitely (ask). Were helping each other out however we can, Vasquez said. "We need this to keep our kids safe from all viruses." With so little public display time, Indeclines work often gets wider exposure via the news media. The group also photographs and videotapes its work to distribute on social media. These things arent meant to really stay up very long, said the artists spokesman. Much of this is built for the day of instantaneous posting and social media, so it lives indefinitely on the internet. Heather E. Dunn, a professor at the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts in Portland, Maine, said Indecline represents a hybrid of artist and activist known as artivists. Its a way to engage the masses that maybe wouldnt go to a museum, Ms. Dunn, an expert in street art, said. Its a way to bring art to them. Its a way to bring a political message to them. In a lot of ways, I find that street art is more powerful than just about any other art thats being made at the moment. Ms. Dunn said that even though illegal art created on other peoples property had long existed, street art with a more political focus gained momentum in the United States in the 1980s, when new laws in places like New York changed graffiti from a misdemeanor to a more serious crime. The art became a de facto antigovernment act. Now, with heightened security and surveillance, the decision by some artists to be anonymous is an additional act of resistance. Its really hard to remain anonymous in the culture that we have right now, Ms. Dunn said. She noted other street artists doing similar political work, like Denis Ouch in New York and Plastic Jesus in Los Angeles. With all three female bald eagles at Pennsylvania nests monitored by livestreaming webcams having laid their first eggs for this year on February 13, the start of the hatching season could be just a bit more than a week away. Bald eagle eggs normally hatch 34-36 days after being laid, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. And, when the hatching begins theres plenty to come. The female at the Pennsylvania Farm Country nest laid her second egg February 16 and a third February 19. The female on the nest near Hanover laid her second egg February 17, but there was something defective about it and she destroyed and at it. In the Pittsburgh Hays nest, the female deposited her second egg February 16. The Pennsylvania Farm Country bald eagle nestcam is a project of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, HDOnTap and Comcast Business. The location of the nest has not been disclosed. The Hanover Bald Eagle nestcam near Codorus State Park in York County is a project of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, HDOnTap, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association and Comcast Business. The Pittsburgh Hays Eagle Cam is , a project of CSE, Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, Arborel Tree Service and JASE Construction Services. Here are links to those nestcams: And, here are some previous stories about Pennsylvanias birds of prey: 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. Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Key West wants to protect the coral reefs that are vital to the southernmost citys economy. The Florida Legislature is saying not so fast. A year after Key West voted to ban the sale of sunscreens that contain chemicals researchers say harm coral reefs, the House voted 68-47 Tuesday to prohibit sunscreen bans. The bill now goes to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Bill supporters say the research that says sunscreens containing oxybenzone or octinoxate harm coral isnt solid, while the suns ability to cause skin cancer is without question. If we dont have evidence thats good, thats actually verified, we cannot allow these communities to ban sunscreens. We have plenty of empirical evidence that sunscreens are very, very important to our society, that they save lives. By banning them, well be threatening lives, said Republican Rep. Ralph Massullo, who is a dermatologist. Key West, where fishermen, snorkelers and scuba divers are drawn to the reefs, is the only Florida city to pass an ordinance to ban sunscreens containing the chemicals in question. The ordinance is set to go into place next year unless DeSantis signs the bill. Miami Beach and Surfside in Miami-Dade County considered bans, but ultimately took no action. Bill opponents argued that local governments should have the right to protect resources that are important to them. They also said the research is valid and that consumers have other products available to protect themselves. The science on this matter is not junk science, said Democratic Rep. Javier Fernandez, who said that 6,000 tons of sunscreen chemicals wash up on coral reefs across the planet each year. How can anyone characterize the action of the city of Key West as anything other than reasonable and prudent? ... What the leadership of the city of Key West did makes absolute sense. Key West isnt the only place to pass a sunscreen ban. Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Caribbean island of Bonaire and the archipelago nation of Palau in the western Pacific have all enacted sunscreen bans that are either in place or will be over the next two years. Drug store chain CVS announced in August that it will remove the chemicals from 60 of its store brand sunscreen products, and it and other companies are now marketing mineral-based reef safe sunscreen. The market has already responded by introducing a host of new, affordable, and most importantly, effective options, Fernandez said. Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani noted that even the state Department of Environmental Protection is promoting reef-safe sunscreen. The department has a 30-second YouTube video offering advice on how to protect reefs, including not using plastic straws and other single-use plastics, not standing on or touching reefs and using reef-safe products. Last year DeSantis vetoed a bill that would prevent local governments from banning plastic straws. Key West City Commissioner Jimmy Weekley now hopes DeSantis will do the same with this bill and expressed frustration that the Legislature is meddling in local affairs. We all are fighting issues that the state Legislatures feels that local communities should not have any control over, Weekley said. Whether its vacation rentals or the use of plastic bags and Styrofoam, theyve basically taken away a lot of our home rule rights. Massullo said he recommends zinc-based sunscreen for his patients. But he said consumers tend to use it on their faces and not on their entire bodies. Those sunscreens are very, very difficult to use, Massullo said. Zinc is very, very thick and also stains, and most people dont like to use it. ___ Associated Press reporter David Fischer in Miami contributed to this report. Two San Francisco supervisors plan to introduce legislation Tuesday that would force the citys Police Department to rework its approach to deploying foot patrols to prevent crime and foster better relationships with communities. Supervisors Matt Haney and Shamann Walton are pushing an ordinance that seeks to create new neighborhood safety units in each of the citys 10 district stations. The new units would oversee foot patrols in high-crime, busy areas while prioritizing community-based police work, which seeks to enhance trust between officers and the public through familiarity. I hear from the community all the time about the desire for more foot beats. This comes up as much as anything, Haney said. People are frustrated, and theyre confused as to why in high-need areas there arent officers regularly walking the beat. By law, Haney and Walton cant mandate how many officers would staff the new neighborhood safety units. But as the city works to grow the ranks of its Police Department, the supervisors wanted to ensure the department would prioritize foot patrols and develop concrete plans on how to use them. There are 49 recruits enrolled in the Police Departments current academy class, though not all will graduate as police officers: The prior academy class the department aims for four each year saw just over 20 people graduate. Right now, there is no citywide policy or requirements related to foot patrols, Haney said. His district, which includes the Tenderloin and South of Market, has the largest foot-patrol deployment, but he said he remains concerned about inconsistencies in how theyre assigned. Its done ad-hoc, if at all, Haney said. Theres also no law that requires transparency and accountability reports on foot patrols. I think thats closely connected to why we dont have enough of them. We need more officers, but if we put more officers out there (foot patrols) should be the priority. To that end, Haney and Waltons ordinance would also require the Police Commission, which sets policy for SFPD, to craft a formal community policing policy that codifies the departments emphasis on foot patrols and their role in promoting better relationships with communities. The biggest impact is that these foot-patrol officers are having conversations with the community on a daily basis. Theyre getting to know residents and business owners, Walton said. When you build these relationships, the community is receptive to a police presence because they become a part of the fabric of the community, as opposed to an entity that only comes in at a time of crisis. In 2018, a study by the UC Berkeleys Goldman School of Public Policy found that daily incidents in San Francisco of larceny theft dropped nearly 17%, and assaults dropped 19% in the months after Chief Bill Scott reassigned 69 officers to foot patrols in September 2017 following a surge of smash-and-grab auto break-ins. The legislation would also direct the Police Commission, along with Scott, to draw a map outlining the footprint for foot patrols within the boundaries of each district station based largely on areas with more violent crime and foot traffic. The Police Department would also have to produce regular reports on the foot-patrol officers activity so the Police Commission and the Board of Supervisors could determine whether the policy changes have been effective. 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. Were all in agreement in terms of the importance of foot beats, Scott said. I dont think theres any argument about the effectiveness and the need. But hes wary about the legislation hemming in the departments ability to remain flexible in the face of changing needs. We have to be able to make adjustments, Scott said. The core idea I think is a good thing, but whether legislation is needed to make that happen, I think thats where we probably have some differences of opinion. Haney said he and Walton have already secured support from four of the citys seven police commissioners: Cindy Elias, Petra DeJesus, John Hamasaki and DionJay Brookter. This is about creating a relationship and a rapport between officers and the community and vice versa, said Elias. But just as compelling, she said, was the prospect of harvesting more granular data about crime. With this legislation, well get accountability and data reporting so we can have some statistics to show us if were moving in the right direction, and where we can improve, she said. What are the outcomes with this increased engagement with the community? We dont currently have data on that. Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. A group of Colorado news organizations has asked a judge to unseal an affidavit that could explain why police arrested a woman for investigation of first-degree murder in the disappearance of her stepson. Attorney Steve Zansberg, president of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition, filed the motion Monday in El Paso County District Court. Letecia Stauch was arrested March 2 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on a warrant for charges including first-degree murder of a child in the death of 11-year-old Gannon Stauch. She was extradited to the El Paso County jail on Thursday. The boy remains missing. The document laying out the reasons for Letecia Stauchs arrest was sealed. Zansbergs motion argues it is ordinary practice to unseal probable cause affidavits once warrants have been executed. He noted that the the probable cause affidavit was filed Feb. 28, prompting El Paso County Court Judge Ann Maria Rotolo to issue the arrest warrant. An attempt to reach Stauchs public defender, Kathryn Strobel, by telephone for comment wasnt successful. The state public defenders office does not comment on litigation. Stauchs next court appearance is set for Wednesday. The news coalition includes The Associated Press, Colorado Public Radio, The Gazette, the Colorado Springs Independent, The Colorado Sun, The Denver Post, KUSA-TV, KCNC-TV, KDVR-TV, KMGH-TV, KOAA-TV and KKTV 11. CFOIC and the Colorado Press Association also support the effort. It was billed a match and it proved just that but, ultimately, it was the outsider of the pair who prevailed as Honeysuckle got the better of 4-6 favourite Benie Des Dieux by half a length in a thrilling Close Brothers Mares Hurdle on day one of the Cheltenham Festival. In victory, Honeysuckle maintained her unbeaten record, vindicated connections decision to stick to the mares route rather than head for the Unibet Champion Hurdle, and gave winning trainer Henry De Bromhead a day one double after Put The Kettle Ons earlier success in the Racing Post Arkle. She also provided Rachael Blackmore with a third Festival win, a sweet success for the Tipperary jockey after a day that started with Captain Guinness being brought down in the Supreme Novices Hurdle before favourite Notebook flopped in the Arkle Trophy. Victory didnt come easy but Blackmore showcased her acute tactical intelligence when Stormy Ireland and Robbie Power left an inviting gap on the inside on the home turn for Blackmore to seize. She did just that, a race-winning move. This means so much, this mare is so special, an elated Blackmore said. Theyve done an unbelievable job with her, Henry has produced her in tip-top shape every time she runs, so Im just the lucky one that gets to steer her round. Shes unbelievable. This is brilliant, its a big week and Im delighted. They (Festival winners) get better nearly, you kind of realise that theyre so hard to get. Im so lucky to be riding all of these horses, its brilliant. Praising Blackmore, De Bromhead said: Whatever about the mare, the lady on her back is something special the pair of them are brilliant. It was a great bit of race-riding to nip up the inside when Paul opted to go wide and it looks like it won her the race. Rachael had to sit and suffer for a bit, but when the gap appeared she was gone. In contrast to Blackmore and De Bromhead, Willie Mullins cut a frustrated figure. Im a little dazed, I just think there was miscommunication turning for home. Maybe Robbie thought one of our horses was behind him rather than Honeysuckle. It looks like he gifted the winner a huge gap while Paul had to come round the outside. There you are, things happen. She ran well. Elfile (in third) ran well and Stormy didnt go fast enough, she should have been going much faster to take the sting out of them. Marines check their weapons during a call-away drill in the hangar bay of the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex. WASHINGTON A Pentagon official said Tuesday that the number of coronavirus cases within the military and the overall Defense Department is probably higher than the total that has been reported. "I think that it is likely that the number is higher," U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Paul Friedrichs, the senior health official for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a press briefing. He added that currently there are six known cases of COVID-19: three active-duty service members, one civil servant, four dependents and one contractor. "I think it is likely given what we are seeing around the world and the fact that we have people all over the world that there are more than nine people affiliated with the Department of Defense," he explained. Friedrichs added that the DOD currently has 13 laboratories carrying out tests on the coronavirus. The virus which has already killed more than 4,200 people and infected at least 118,096 people around the world is spreading from the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the largest of all geographic combatant commands. On Monday, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said in a statement that the top U.S. Army commander in Europe may have been exposed to the coronavirus. A spokesperson for U.S. Army Europe told CNBC that Army Lt. Gen. Christopher Cavoli's possible exposure took place during a conference with land force commanders on Friday in Wiesbaden, Germany. Last week, the nation's highest-ranking military officer said the coronavirus posed a limited risk to U.S. service members. "Right now the overall broad impact to the uniformed U.S. military is very, very minimal. It's not to say that it's zero, but it's very minimal, very few cases diagnosed, etc.," U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a March 2 Pentagon briefing. "That's not surprising because we have a young demographic, healthy demographic, lots of immunizations, so on and so forth," he said, adding that the department has postponed joint military exercises on the Korean peninsula. Milley also added that the coronavirus had not yet impacted the military's global supply chain. Defense Secretary Mark Esper is expected to approve additional measures to better safeguard those in the Pentagon, one of the world's largest office buildings, where more than 20,000 people work every day. 3 1 of 3 Courtesy photo Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Leon Prevost / Leon Prevost Show More Show Less 3 of 3 The Houston Food Bank has put out a call for volunteers to help pack quarantine food kits for people potentially affected by the spread of the novel coronavirus. The food bank is a non-profit that provides millions of meals every year to people in need in southeast Texas. The organization often ramps up its operations during emergencies, such as Hurricane Harvey in 2017. There are currently 12 cases of COVID-19 in Harris County. 262 Shares Share I came back from a family vacation to Italy one day before the first case of novel coronavirus was reported there. Two days later, the CDC issued a Level 3 travel warning for visitors to Italy. Eight days later, and six days after returning to work, I got a fever. I live in Indiana, where no cases have been diagnosed, and our protocols are still green. When I self-reported my symptoms to the health department and my institutions infection prevention department, things moved impressively quickly. Because I was not ill enough to require hospitalization, I did not meet the criteria for COVID-19 testing by Indianas initially-published algorithm. Still fearing the worst, my institution did the next best thing they could do and tested me for a battery of alternate possible etiologies. I was ushered into a clinic through a back hall that didnt expose me to other patients. The nurses in the clinic gowned and wore N95 masks as they swabbed and stuck me. Infection prevention and the health department called every hour or two to update me on the evolution of the situation. Later that night, the Indiana State Department of Health called to say they had liberalized the algorithm and would provide testing, which involved a midnight trip to the local emergency room and another set of staff trying to protect other patients from me. Thankfully, the test resulted quickly and negatively. The next day, my case was the subject of discussion for my department as they strategized policy going forward for illness, travel, and patient exposure. I confess that Id never given much thought to what a patient with a highly infectious disease must feel. The sense of being a liability and a source of anxiety for others, the guilt of putting people at risk with your presence these are things I had never even considered, let alone experienced. The idea that my body was being discussed by my colleagues was completely alien to me. Although I know it was necessary, the feeling of fear and exposure surprised me as someone who considers themselves a pragmatist. I know that in my state, my workplace, and my patients, their health absolutely outranks my privacy when a pandemic is brewing, and it should. But, on the other side of this brief experience, I will be a more empathetic provider in a way I could not have been before. I will hold the autonomy and trust of my patients with a more vivid sense of respect. I will understand the vulnerability of my patients more intimately, not just because I touch their bodies but because I am privileged to their personal information. Im grateful to be healthy, and I am even more grateful for this chance to grow. Anna Gaddy is a nephrology fellow. Image credit: Shutterstock.com A young Brisbane woman working as an au pair in northern Italy is relieved she managed to flee the country before it became locked down as coronavirus turned her trip of a lifetime into a nightmare. Arielle Turnbull,18, has fled across the border to Switzerland after arriving in Italy on January 3 for an au pair adventure in the small town of Verano Brianza, about 45 minutes north of Milan. As Italy became the worlds biggest coronavirus hub after China and the country ground to a halt, she had no option but to leave Verano Brianza. Having crossed over the Swiss-Italian border to the town of Chiasso two weeks ago, Ms Turnbull says she was lucky to get out before strict quarantine rules were imposed on the northern Italian region of Lombardy. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte put the entire country into lockdown on Monday, banning all but the most important cross-border travel. Lombardy is expected to remain under quarantine until at least April 3. I was lucky I left when I did but everyone is stressing, even my new host mum keeps saying dont leave the house, dont go into Italy, she told AAP on Tuesday. Everyone is very scared, especially for their older parents. Ms Turnbull, who subsequently worked as an au pair in Switzerland, said many of her friends were stuck in Italy or had already left. Her host family became anxious after she returned from a trip to Venice on February 25 as coronavirus spread dramatically trough Italy. The family was so scared they made me stay in my room. I couldnt even hug the kids goodbye when I left, Ms Turnbull said. It all just hit me like a tonne of bricks, it was like the world is ending. Ms Turnbull is due to arrive home in Brisbane on Wednesday night after booking flights on Sunday. I was so sad, I cried all day Sunday because I was so devastated, she said. I couldnt sleep and I just kept punching my pillow but now that Italy has been closed I know I made the right decision. When she arrives in Brisbane, she will begin a 14-day self-isolation period. Ms Turnbull said seeing her father would be a silver lining of her return to Brisbane but the pair will not be able to spend time together as her fathers diabetes increases his risk of coronavirus. Currently unwell, she is unsure whether she may be a carrier but hopes things will be clearer once she arrive in Australia. Im so sad I wont get to spend any time with my family, my dad is like my best friend and he was sad I had to cut my travels short, Ms Turnbull said. More than 460 people have died in Italy from coronavirus from over 9000 cases. By Ashlea Witoslawski 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. Burma Myanmars Military Retains Important Political Role as NLDs Key Charter Reforms Fail to Pass Myanmar's Union Parliament votes on 14 proposed constitutional amendments on March 10. Only two out of the 14 received approval of more than 75 percent of lawmakers. / Thiha Lwin / The Irrawaddy Yangon More than a year of effort by the National League for Democracy (NLD) to reduce the political role granted to the Myanmar military under the 2008 Constitution ended in failure on Tuesday as a series of key charter amendment proposals failed to receive the required support of more than 75 percent of lawmakers. The Union Parliament voted on amendments to 14 provisions of the Constitution, including proposals that sought to end the defense services national political leadership role, gradually reduce the militarys share of seats, and end both the commander-in-chiefs role as the supreme commander of the armed forces and his right to take power during an emergency. Only two proposals the changes to the written term for disabled in Burmese received approval. The provisions voted on Tuesday are covered by Article 436(a), meaning the changes to disabled also require over 50 percent support in a national referendum. The NLD suggested gradually reducing the militarys share of seats from 25 percent to 15 percent after the 2020 election, 10 percent after 2025 and 5 percent after 2030. The proposal only received 404 votes, less than 62 percent of lawmakers. Ethnic parties during the previous two weeks of parliamentary debates have supported the proposals seeking to limit the role of the military in politics and to remove provisions that enshrine the militarys powers. But the military-appointed lawmakers and USDP raised strong objections, warning that weakening the militarys power would have undesirable consequences that would negatively affect the countrys fragile democratic transition. The proposals to remove the word disciplined before democracy in the charter were also rejected. The Constitution states the flourishing of a genuine, disciplined multiparty democratic system as one of the Unions primary objectives and that the Union practices a genuine, disciplined multi-party democratic system. The Parliament will continue to vote on other proposed constitutional amendments until March 20. The remaining proposals include removing the militarys veto on constitutional changes and the direct election of chief ministers by state and regional legislatures rather than by the President. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Military Helicopter Crashes Carrying Foreign Military Attaches: No Deaths NLD Constitutional Amendments Would Disrupt Democratic Transition: Military MPs [March 10, 2020] Stateless Teams with Intel to Revolutionize Interconnect Ecosystem with Tofino-Enabled Luxon Dynamic Network Programmability Stateless, Inc., the company reinventing network connectivity, today announced that its Luxon dynamically programmable network product is now leveraging Intel's (News - Alert) Barefoot Tofino, the world's fastest P4-programmable switch ASIC, in its software-defined interconnect (SD-IX) platform. Luxon, combined with the Tofino P4-programmable switch, allows developers and DevOps more flexibility to deploy traditional networking functions, such as routing and encryption using software to support emerging applications like multi-cloud connections, encryption everywhere and 5G. Luxon's microservice network function infrastructure provides an ecosystem that meets the demands of the new era of connectivity and enables innovation through the creation of revolutionary network applications. "Enterprises have grown accustomed to controlling infrastructure through software in the cloud age, but the network has been relatively slow to catch up to that trend," said Craig Matsumoto, senior analyst, 451 Research (News - Alert). "Stateless Inc.'s move to add P4 programmable switch technology to its Luxon platform provides high-level network control and allows users to more easily build software-configurable networks." Innovation fueled by modern cloud computing and software design is driving next-generation interconnect requirements that surpass the capabilities of existing networking devices. Despite the introduction of technologies such as network function virtualization (NFV) to try to address the needs of emerging technologies, existing devices are inflexible and lack the full programmability needed by developer and DevOps teams. "New interconnect requirements driven by emerging network applications and functions are causing networks to undergo tectonic shifts in how they are designed, built and operated," said Arkadiy Shapiro, product line manager at Barefoot Networks, an Intel Company. "Stateless' move to combine the power of its software-defined interconnect platform with the agility of Barefoot Tofino's P4 programmability, elevates networking capabilities and offers users a modern, fully-programmable network functions platform." The combination of Stateless' programmable microservice ecosystem and the Tofino chip provides full programmability of network functions spanning the data link through application layers. It allows true machine-to-machine (M2M) control of lower layer byte-to-packet framing and provides enhanced flexibiity to meet today's networking needs. Luxon features enabled by the Tofino P4 include: Horizontally scalable clusters; IPsec load balancing; Tenant-level elasticity; multi-tenancy; VXLAN parsing; Fine-grained quality of service (QoS); and Future proofing with new interface protocols and algorithms. The Tofino-enabled Luxon platform opens opportunities for integration and compatibility between new and old networking topologies. The platform will support the creation of networking applications that incorporate new technologies and unlocks many new possibilities, including: Instant cloud connections on demand; Self-healing networks; Rapid prototyping; Intent-based connections; and The ability to dynamically adjust edge connections. Intel's Barefoot Tofino is built using a protocol-independent switch architecture and is P4-programmable. The high-level, open-source programming language allows true programmability of low-level packet processing to enable expanded network functionality for a new generation of applications and microservices. "We designed Luxon to be an ecosystem-driven platform that enables innovation to be injected into networks through the creation of revolutionary network applications," said Eric Keller, CTO and co-founder of Stateless. "The combination of Luxon with the Tofino switch gives us full access to programmatic control of the foundational aspects of packet processing, in addition to allowing network packets to be manipulated fully via software. These capabilities provide full network control and allow developers and DevOps to build software-configurable networks more easily." Stateless' Luxon platform is ideal for businesses or service providers who want to automate the management and creation of interconnects to reach resources accessed over networks. The Luxon platform works with existing infrastructure assets to provide greater security, visibility and control, no matter the endpoint. Stateless' ground-breaking architecture provides users with the flexibility, agility and resiliency that current network devices and virtual functions have failed to deliver. P4 is the de-facto standard programming language for networking, maintained by a thriving and growing P4.org community. P4 is easy to learn and intuitive, enabling software engineers to define forwarding plane functionality in minutes. Supporting Resources Read blog: "Designing better connectivity means building from the bottom up" To see Luxon in action, view video More on the integration of P4-programmability More on Stateless' Luxon SD-IX Platform More on SD-IX Architecture About Stateless At Stateless, we are reinventing network connectivity. Dedicated to relentlessly solving the network challenges others deem impossible, Stateless delivers an industry-first SD-IX platform that gives network providers the power to monetize their connectivity assets in new ways while streamlining network operations and minimizing capital expenditures. The revolutionary Stateless platform gives users the power to optimize existing network assets to control and connect every endpoint, including portfolio data centers, tenant sites and hyperscale clouds. Stateless is proudly based in Boulder, Colorado. Learn more at www.stateless.net 2020 All rights reserved. Stateless is a trademark owned by Stateless, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005230/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The trial in the case on the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is an important step towards establishing the truth and achieving justice, the Czech Foreign Ministry has said in a statement. "This is an important milestone towards establishing the truth and achieving justice for the victims of this tragedy and their next of kin and holding those responsible for the downing of Flight MH17 to account," the statement said. The Czech Republic welcomes the start of the criminal trial in this case and expresses its full confidence in the Dutch judiciary and its independence and professionalism of the legal procedures. In addition, the Czech Republic calls upon all states, including Russia, to cooperate fully with the investigation, in accordance with UNSC Resolution 2166. The criminal trial in the MH17 crash started at the Schiphol judicial complex in the Netherlands on March 9. Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down over conflict-hit Donbas in July 2014. There were 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board. All of them died. The Joint Investigation Team reported that the plane had been shot down from a Buk missile system that belongs to the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces stationed in Kursk. In May 2018, the Netherlands and Australia officially accused Russia of involvement in the MH17 crash. op As the government admits a significant spread of Covid-19 in the UK has become inevitable, people across the country are speculating about the effect it will have on their lives. While stockpiling toilet roll and canned soups may seem a bit over the top, the prospect of self-isolation is becoming increasingly likely. But rough sleepers do not have the means to do any of this. For them, the potential impact of this outbreak could be far more devastating. With local authority data showing that nearly 28,000 people were recorded sleeping rough in 12 months, protecting this group will be no small feat, and charities are worried. With much of the support offered in spaces that place people within close proximity to one another, the providers say this will lead to anyone showing symptoms of the virus having to be turned away leaving rough sleepers with no alternative accommodation. The risks of the virus reaching our shelters is increasing in likelihood by the day, said Lucy Abraham, chief operating officer at Glass Door, which runs Englands largest network of winter night shelters. Turning people away from shelters without an alternative safe space to retreat seems inhumane and potentially risky for public health. I think all of us in the homeless sector are keen to share ideas and come up with a solution to support those who have nowhere to self-isolate. Turning people away from night shelters will, of course, leave more people out on the streets with limited access to sanitation. Indeed, even finding a place to wash ones hands can be a real challenge for rough sleepers, with many public toilets having closed in recent years and places like fast-food restaurants blocking rough sleepers from using their facilities. Crucially, these individuals are also likely to struggle to access healthcare a serious concern if they are showing symptoms of 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 Jon Glackin, founder of grassroots organisation Streets Kitchen, said there was tension in the air among rough sleepers, many of whom he said felt they werent able to adequately protect themselves due to barriers to sanitation. Emphasising the current difficulties for homeless people to see a doctor, he warned that the UK could witness a third world scenario if urgent action isnt taken to prevent it. There are going to be a lot of sick people on the streets suffering badly with no comforts, he said. If someone gets symptoms, what will they do? Theyll suffer it, sit in a park, quietly. Its an awful thought. It needs to be better known that anyone can go to their GP and register. Its a very genuine worry. People are concerned, and justifiably so. Just last week a report revealed serious barriers to healthcare for people living on the streets, with the number of rough sleepers being admitted to hospital surging by 130 per cent in five years. The Kings Fund, which published the findings, said this cohort often struggles to access services due to practical barriers such as not owning a phone, as well as the belief among some staff that patients need a home address to register for GP services. This can lead to health issues not being picked up until they are much harder to treat. Campaigners warn that these obstacles, and the fact that rough sleepers often suffer from underlying conditions, could be fatal in the case of Covid-19. And if rough sleepers do indeed end up suffering from the illness on the streets and are left untreated, this of course creates a risk to the wider population. The social distancing measures expected to be introduced by ministers in response to the outbreak will be considerably more difficult to implement across the board if homeless people are left with no option but to suffer the impact of the virus out in public. Mr Glackin, who used to be a rough sleeper himself, said he feared the authorities might use it as an excuse to disperse homeless people from the streets: This is a perfect excuse for them to get rid of us. We need to be on our game here. Expressing concern over an apparent lack of foresight by the authorities of what will happen to rough sleepers, Mr Glackin added: The winter shelters will be closing soon, so there will be possibly thousands of people back on to the streets. There is no information coming from central, but here and now we have an immediate problem. Smaller grassroots groups may not have the funding to afford very simple preventative things like hand sanitiser. We need to work out a way of doing this. Homeless Link, which represents charities across the UK, said rough sleepers were a high risk group with long-term conditions that lead to severe consequences for homelessness services including for staff and volunteers. The organisation called on all services to establish a screening protocol for staff, volunteers and others in regular contact with services, and for outreach teams to be given guidance on what to look for and training in what to do should they suspect the presence of Covid-19. The Stats: Homelessness in the UK Show all 10 1 /10 The Stats: Homelessness in the UK The Stats: Homelessness in the UK Sleeping rough up 165% from 2010 The total number of people counted or estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2018 was 4,677, up 2,909 people or 165% from the 2010 total of 1,768 Getty The Stats: Homelessness in the UK London rough sleepers up 13% The number of people sleeping rough increased by 146 or 13% in London since 2017 AFP/Getty The Stats: Homelessness in the UK London accounted for 27% of people sleeping rough in England London accounted for 27% of the total number of people sleeping rough in England. This is up from 24% of the England total in 2017 Getty The Stats: Homelessness in the UK 64% of rough sleeps UK nationals 64% were UK nationals, compared to 71% in 2017 AFP/Getty The Stats: Homelessness in the UK 14% of rough sleepers are women 14% of the people recorded sleeping rough were women, the same as in 2017 Getty The Stats: Homelessness in the UK 6% were aged 25 years or under, compared to 8% in 2017 AFP/Getty The Stats: Homelessness in the UK Thousands of families staying in temporary housing Almost 79,000 families were staying in temporary housing in the last three months of 2017 because they didn't have a permanent home, compared with 48,010 in the same period eight years before Getty The Stats: Homelessness in the UK Reduction in families living in temporary housing before Coalition government There had been a significant reduction in families living in such conditions before the Coalition government came into power, with the number having fallen by 52 per cent between 2004 and 2010 under the Labour government AFP/Getty The Stats: Homelessness in the UK Families staying in temporary has risen since But the figure has crept up in each of the past seven years, from 69,140 in the last quarter of 2015, to 75,740 in the same period in 2016 and 78,930 at the end of last year Getty The Stats: Homelessness in the UK Nearly 58,000 families accepted as homeless (2018) Nearly 58,000 families have been accepted as homeless by their local council in the past year (as of March 2018), equating to an increase of 8 per cent over the last five years Getty Individuals living and sleeping in shared spaces such as hostels, night shelters, and day centres are at particular risk as they are unable to self-isolate, and services cannot close down as the people they support are then forced back to the streets, where they are at even greater risk, said Caroline Bernard, head of policy and communications at the charity. In a series of recommendations for central and local government published on its website, the charity said a homelessness and Covid-19 taskforce should be created in each area of the country to deal with the issue. Ms Bernard also called on local authorities to use section 189 of the Housing Act to prioritise accommodation for rough sleepers suspected of contracting Covid-19, in order for them to be isolated. Where a rough sleeper is found to have or is suspected of having the virus, she said a multi-agency approach should be taken to urgently identify and commission suitable self-contained accommodation. Local councils said they were working with central government and local agencies to support homeless people in the face of the outbreak. A spokesperson for the Local Government Association said: Protecting and supporting communities, including our most vulnerable, remains councils top priority as the nation contains and delays coronavirus. This includes working to protect people sleeping rough and in emergency shared accommodation, and we will continue working with government and other partners in the health and charity sector to ensure they get the support they need. A government spokesperson said: Were well prepared to deal with the impacts of Covid-19. We are already working closely with local authorities to support vulnerable groups including homeless people. Were working closely with the sector and will publish further guidance shortly. Boston, March 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gordon Brothers, the global advisory, restructuring, and investment firm, announces the unprecedented sale of an ex-BMW Munich Engine Assembly and Test facility. The sale features state-of-the-art equipment supplied from world renowned German OEM automotive equipment manufacturers GROB, KUKA, and J W Froehlich, supported by the latest Siemens and ThyssenKrupp hardware, software and operating systems. The sale also encompasses all necessary equipment to assemble and test full dressed engines. To ensure throughput at the desired rate of assembly, the facility includes 15 off KUKA and J W Froehlich Test units covering engine Cold test, Leak test and Helium test. The individual stations and conveyor systems are predominantly GROB built and installed, supported by ThyssenKrupp, Festo, Demag and other accredited automotive suppliers. The assets are supported with a complete hard and electronic copy technical manual library. The complete facility was professionally decommissioned in 2017 by an accredited German decommissioning company, BMW Munich engineers, and a global decommissioning and turnkey reinstallation company. The complete facility was packed and transported to the United Kingdom for project preparation and ensuing client due diligence purposes. The process included, but was not limited to, inspection and identification of equipment, application of protection media to prevent corrosion and deterioration, back up of all OEM machine management programs/systems, identifying, logging and laying down of assets, and all aspects of identifying the technical documentation against each asset. The project is ideally suited to any forward-looking modern engine manufacturer seeking to move into the next generation of New Energy Vehicle engines to include Euro 6 emissions standards onwards. It presents an ideal opportunity for the facility to be retrofitted to suit the client's engine/powertrain requirement with potential for considerable saving on capital investment and vital lead times for installation and commissioning. The facility comes with all aspects of technical aid for supporting a full turnkey operation. To complement the assets and associated OEM engine assembly and test technology on offer, there is available to any prospective client, powertrain research and development facilities, expertise, and resource. This provides an opportunity to combine the facility with the latest Hybrid technologies to develop a purpose designed powertrain system in keeping with Worldwide New Energy Vehicle Policy, with base parameters for eventual transition to Euro 7 emission standards. The Hybrid engine technologies and developed powertrain are ideally suited for inclusion within the electrification strategies of automotive manufacturers in the world markets. Nick Jordan, Associate, Valuations & Industrial at Gordon Brothers, said: "This sale presents a unique opportunity for contemporary engine manufacturers to take their operations forward. With state-of-the-art equipment meeting current emissions standards and beyond for Hybrid application engines, it contributes towards a greener environment through electrification and transition to Euro 7 emission standards." The facility, located in Tamworth, UK, is available for immediate inspection by appointment only. For further enquires on the sale or to schedule an inspection please contact, Nick Jordan: njordan@gordonbrothers.com / +44 (0)7848 412737. -Ends- About Gordon Brothers Since 1903, Gordon Brothers (www.gordonbrothers.com) has helped lenders, operating executives, advisors, and investors move forward through change. The firm brings a powerful combination of expertise and capital to clients, developing customised solutions on an integrated or standalone basis across four service areas: valuations, dispositions, operations, and investments. Whether to fuel growth or facilitate strategic consolidation, Gordon Brothers partners with companies in the retail, commercial, and industrial sectors to put assets to their highest and best use. Gordon Brothers conducts more than $70 billion worth of dispositions and appraisals annually. Gordon Brothers is headquartered in Boston, with 25 offices across five continents. British Prime Minister Boris Johnsons Conservative government narrowly defeated an attempt led by some of its own lawmakers to ban Chinas Huawei from building part of the UKs high-speed telecommunications network. Three dozen Conservative lawmakers backed a call to bar high risk firms such as Huawei from any involvement in the network after 2022. The move, which came in an amendment to a telecoms bill, was defeated by 306 votes to 282 in the House of Commons, where the Conservatives have an 80-seat majority. Some 36 Tories rebelled. Britain angered the United States when it announced in January that it would let Huawei supply parts of its next-generation cellular networks, known as 5G. The United States has banned Huawei as a security risk, claiming it could give the Chinese government access to data, and has threatened to sever intelligence-sharing with countries that dont follow suit. Johnsons government insists it can manage any risk Huawei poses. It says high risk companies such as Huawei will be barred from supplying the sensitive core parts of the new networks. But Britain will allow high-risk suppliers to provide up to 35 percent of a carriers less risky radio network. Conservative legislator Iain Duncan Smith, who helped draft the amendment on March 10, noted that other key UK allies such as Australia had also barred Huawei over security fears. How is it that we are right and everybody else is wrong? he said. The reality is that we are alone in this matter. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden tried to reassure colleagues, saying the government wanted to reduce the 35 percent threshold for Huawei further. We want to get to a position where we do not have to use high-risk vendors in our telecoms networks at all, he said, without setting a date. The Conservative rebellion increases pressure on the government to limit Huaweis role when it introduces new legislation on telecoms security later this year. By Jill Lawless The 15-month-old Kamal Nath government was teetering on the brink of collapse for a second time this week with 17 Congress MLAs including seven ministers loyal to sulking Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia reportedly flying to Bengaluru amid intense speculation about the erstwhile Gwalior royal crossing over to the BJP. With Scindia and his loyalists missing from Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Kamal Nath went into damage control mode, cutting short his visit to Delhi and rushing back to Bhopal. He was closeted with senior leader and two-term chief minister Digvijaya Singh and later summoned a meeting of his council of ministers. Late Monday night, 16 ministers who were present at the meeting convened by the chief minister had tendered their resignations to give the leadership a free hand to reconstitute the Cabinet and accommodate sulking members. Scindia remained incommunicado in Delhi amid reports that he was seeking a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but there was no confirmation about it. Senior BJP leaders also held discussions about the emergent developments in Bhopal and decided to summon a meeting of the Legislature Party on Tuesday to chart the future course of action. Scindia had been upset with Congress leadership for overlooking his claim to the post of the president of the partys state unit as well as a nomination to Rajya Sabha. Speculations are rife that the Congress is willing to offer Scindia state president post and nomination to Rajya sabha while the BJP is mulling a Union Cabinet position for him, if his support helps topple the Kamal Nath government. Kamal Nath, who called on party chief Sonia Gandhi, returned to Bhopal after the reports of Scindia supporters fleeing Madhya Pradesh and becoming incommunicado. Scindia and Nath have fallen out over the post of the state Congress president, which is currently held by the chief minister. Nath had left for Delhi on Sunday night to meet top Congress leaders to discuss the current political situation in the state and nominations for the Rajya Sabha polls scheduled on March 26. All the ministers and MLAs, who are believed to be in a Bengaluru resort, have switched off their mobiles. Digvijaya Singh, a Rajya Sabha member from the state, is keen on seeking renomination and his loyalists have started making demands for sending Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to the Upper House in a bid to scuttle Scindias chances. The political drama in the state began last week when 10 Congress MLAs from Madhya Pradesh went missing. The party pointed fingers at the BJP, which denied any role in it. Since then, eight of the missing legislators have returned and expressed their support to the ruling party in the state. OPIS 35 Provides "Inherently Safe" Laser Radiation for Zone 0 Hazardous Location TORONTO, March 10, 2020 /CNW/ - Tornado Spectral Systems Inc., a leading manufacturer of Raman analyzers for process monitoring, announced today that it has received ATEX and IECEx certification for its OPIS 35 laser accessory. The certification is in accordance to the IEC 60079 standard and authorizes the HyperFlux PRO Plus Raman analyzer for operation in ATEX Zone 0 when both products are used together. In the certified configuration, the OPIS 35 and HyperFlux PRO Plus are placed in a safe location with fiber optic interconnections to the Raman probe in the hazardous location. The OPIS 35 regulates the HyperFlux PRO Plus laser output to guarantee that no greater than 35mW of laser power can enter the hazardous location. In accordance with Class 3B laser regulation, the OPIS 35 provides ATEX/IECEx certified signalling to facilitate remote emergency laser shutdown and laser status indication. "With OPIS 35, our users are now able to conduct process monitoring in an Ex regulated facility," states Scott Baker, Chief Executive Officer of Tornado. "The HyperFlux PRO Plus analyzer's 10x advantage in optical efficiency makes high precision measurements at 35mW laser power possible, and now our inherently safe laser source alleviates the pain of complex and expensive system-level safety protocols. As far as we know, Tornado is the first in the industry to provide such a solution," he continued. Tornado Spectral Systems is now shipping the OPIS 35. Customers seeking to add Raman analysis to their hazardous environments can find more information at https://tornado-spectral.com/ or by emailing sales@tornado-spectral.com About Tornado Spectral Systems: Founded in 2013, Tornado Spectral Systems designs, manufactures, and sells chemical analysis systems based on Raman spectroscopy. Bolstered by its patented High Throughput Virtual Slit (HTVS) technology, Tornado's HyperFlux spectrometers deliver significantly enhanced photon collection power. HTVS eliminates the physical slit of a conventional spectrometer and avoids signal losses while maintaining high spectral resolution, allowing for faster measurements and lower detection limits. To learn more about Tornado Spectral Systems, please visit our website: tornado-spectral.com Media Inquiries: Omar Abbasi, Marketing Communications Specialist, Tel: 416.361.3444 x 140, Email: omar.abbasi@tornado-spectral.com Technavio has been monitoring the press brakes market and it is poised to grow by USD 379.37 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. Request a free sample report This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200309005070/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Press Brakes Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. EUROMAC Spa, Gasparini Industries Srl, Mitsubishi Corp., Prada Nargesa SL and TRUMPF GmbH Co. KG are some of the major market participants. Although the increase in demand for CNC press brakes will offer immense growth opportunities, the emergence of used and refurbished press brakes will challenge the growth of the market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments. Increase in demand for CNC press brakes has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. However, the emergence of used and refurbished press brakes might hamper market growth. Press Brakes Market 2020-2024: Segmentation Press Brakes Market is segmented as below: Product Hydraulic Mechanical Pneumatic Servo-electric Application Automotive Industry General Machinery Transportation Equipment Precision Engineering Others 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=IRTNTR40472 Press Brakes 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 press brakes market report covers the following areas: Press Brakes Market size Press Brakes Market trends Press Brakes Market industry analysis This study identifies incorporation of press brakes with IOT as one of the prime reasons driving the press brakes market growth during the next few years. Press Brakes Market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the press brakes market, including some of the vendors such as EUROMAC Spa, Gasparini Industries Srl, Mitsubishi Corp., Prada Nargesa SL and TRUMPF GmbH Co. KG. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the press brakes 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 Press Brakes Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024 Detailed information on factors that will assist press brakes market growth during the next five years Estimation of the press brakes market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the press brakes market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of press brakes market vendors Table of Content PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT 2.1 Preface 2.2 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 PRODUCT Market segmentation by product Comparison by product Hydraulic Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Mechanical Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Pneumatic Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Servo-electric Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Market opportunity by product PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 08: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY APPLICATION Market segmentation by application Comparison by application Automotive industry Market size and forecast 2019-2024 General machinery Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Transportation equipment Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Precision engineering Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Others Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Market opportunity by application PART 09: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison APAC Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Europe Market size and forecast 2019-2024 North America 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 10: DECISION FRAMEWORK PART 11: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challenges PART 12: MARKET TRENDS Incorporation of press brakes with IoT Development of robotic arms for press brake Prevalence of 3D-printed press brake tools PART 13: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption Competitive scenario PART 14: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors ADIRA Metal-Forming Solutions SA Amada Holdings Co. Ltd. Baileigh Industrial Holdings LLC CINCINNATI Inc. Dimeco Group EUROMAC Spa Gasparini Industries Srl Mitsubishi Corp. Prada Nargesa SL TRUMPF GmbH Co. KG PART 15: APPENDIX Research methodology List of abbreviations Definition of market positioning of vendors PART 16: 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/20200309005070/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/ Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 10:35:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close GENEVA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The basic premise of the rule of law is that no one is above the law, and the police have a lawful duty to stop and arrest someone who breaks it, a senior police officer from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region told a UN human rights body here on Monday. During the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, Oscar Kwok, deputy commissioner of the Hong Kong Police Force, said Hong Kong used to be one of the safest cities in the world and an ideal place to work and live in, where crime rates were extremely low by international standards. But since June 2019, Hong Kong has been held hostage by rioting mobs with their brand of activism, characterized by their intolerance for views different from their own and their trademark response to any disagreement -- violence, Kwok said. Violent mobs have vandalized shops, banks, restaurants, train stations and traffic lights, set fires to buildings, and attacked police officers with bricks, knives, petrol bombs, and even genuine firearms and explosives, he said. He told the council that the mobs also viciously assaulted innocent citizens who did not support them. Kwok also said that he has seen "a comprehensive effort to vilify the Hong Kong police," because the police are "the only force that physically stood in the way" of those who sought to extort their demands from the government through mob violence. "It was the Hong Kong police which had the unenviable task of preserving the citizens' rights and freedoms," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 02:25:36|Editor: yan Video Player Close BRUSSELS, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes announced at a press conference here on Tuesday new measures to be put in place to contain the spread of the coronavirus. "The government will put in place new measures to slow down the spread of the virus as much as possible, mainly to avoid the saturation of health services," explained the prime minister. The announcement followed a meeting of the National Security Council on the same day, which brought together ministers from the federal government and the federated entities to discuss measures to be adopted against COVID-19. This highly important meeting took place as the country's confirmed cases of COVID-19 reached 267. The number is increasing daily, which has placed Belgium in phase two of the risk management plan. However, the new measures avoided a recommendation for schools closure, but discouraged school parties and school trips of several days. But the prime minister said that this recommendation could change as the virus spreads. The prime minister called on the population to follow the recommendations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding travel and risk areas. Meanwhile, Pieter De Crem, Minister of the Interior, Security and Foreign Trade, said gatherings of more than 1,000 people in closed areas are not recommended, but added outdoor gatherings are not contraindicated. South Africa: Coronavirus: Deep cleaning at Grayston Prep Grayston Preparatory School will today undergo a deep-cleaning process in preparation for re-opening its doors to learners on Wednesday. On Monday, the school closed its doors after it emerged that a staff member came into contact with one of the people who tested positive for Coronavirus last week. As the department, we can confirm that Grayston Preparatory School will be opening its doors on Wednesday. On Tuesday, they will be doing what they refer to as deep cleaning, said Gauteng Education spokesperson Steve Mabona. The schools executive team met with representatives of the Grayston school board, the Gauteng Education Department, the Gauteng Health Department and the Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa on Monday. We have also taken independent medical advice. Based on the advice received, the following actions will occur. The staff member in question will remain in self-imposed isolation for the quarantine period. At this stage, she remains asymptomatic and in good health. She will take guidance from the NICD [National Institute for Communicable Diseases] as to the protocol going forward, said Grayston Preparatory School in a statement on Monday. The school stressed that according to information from experts, its staff, children and parents are, at most, secondary or tertiary contacts and so are at very low risk. School will re-open on Wednesday and we look forward to the return of all our learners. On their return, children will receive age-appropriate guidance from their class teachers on general hygiene and precautionary measures in such situations, said the school. As per its school policy, Grayston Preparatory advised parents that if their child is unwell, it is best to keep them at home and consult a medical practitioner. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-03-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Former special counsel Robert Mueller testifies on July 24, 2019. WASHINGTON A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that a House committee is entitled to see secret grand jury testimony gathered in former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The split decision by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals affirms a lower court ruling delivered last fall for the Judiciary Committee as the House weighed impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump. "The committee has established a particularized need for the redacted grand jury materials it seeks," the court ruled. "The committee has repeatedly stated that if the grand jury materials reveal new evidence of impeachable offenses, the committee may recommend new articles of impeachment." In December, the House approved two articles of impeachment against the president. One accused Trump of abusing his power by withholding military aid in order to pressure Ukraine to announce investigations into a political rival. The second accused him of obstructing Congress by stonewalling its subpoenas for documents and testimony. Trump was acquitted by the Senate on both counts in February, a culmination of months of partisan clashes over accusations he tried to cheat in the 2020 presidential election by pressuring Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, who is seeking the Democratic nomination. In a January hearing before the appeals court, House general counsel Douglas Letter left open the possibility of new impeachment articles, pending a review of the grand jury evidence. That is on the table; there is no doubt, Letter told the court. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the ruling "an unequivocal rejection of the presidents insistence that he is above the law" and a rebuke of Attorney General William Barr, whose Justice Department had sought to block the committee's demand. Pelosi did not, however, indicate how the material would be used since the ruling comes after the impeachment proceedings ended. Story continues Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., also lauded the ruling. "The Committee remains committed to holding the president accountable to the rule of law and preventing improper interference in law enforcement investigations, Nadler said. The Justice Department said that it was reviewing the ruling. Muellers report described multiple instances in which Trump sought to thwart his investigation, which included ordering then-White House Counsel Don McGahn to remove Mueller. Mueller did not make a decision on bringing criminal charges against Trump, largely because Justice Department policy says a sitting president cannot be charged with a crime. In a separate case, the appeals court ruled in February that McGahn can't be forced to testify. Nadler has argued the panel needs to review the evidence that Barr redacted from the report in order to consider whether the president obstructed justice. The Justice Department, however, argued the committee wasnt entitled to the grand jury evidence, which typically remains secret, because the panel failed to explain how it would help its investigation. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mueller report: Court says Congress can see grand jury evidence 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) 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Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 20:08:47|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close BANGKOK, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The Thai Ministry of Transport's Marine Department said on Tuesday that it had ordered quarantine for crew and passengers arriving in cruise ships from the countries and territories with high-risks of Covid-19 infections. The order was signed by Marine Department chief Witthaya Yamuang and issued on Monday to impose the travel restrictions on ships from South Korea, China, Italy and Iran, the department said in a statement released on Tuesday. Passengers and crews arriving in the ships from those countries would be subject to quarantine. Moreover, maritime declaration of health must be submitted to Thai officials at the communicable disease check points at least 24 hours in advance before the entry. The cruise ships are also required to submit the list of 10 cities the ship docked before and the report on the thermal screening of crew and passengers in the past seven days, the statement said. It warned that violators are subject to a fine between 1,000 baht (31.78 U.S. dollars) to 10,000 baht (317 U.S. dollars). Pune, March 10 : Five patients have tested positive for Covid-19 here and have been admitted in an isolation award at a local hospital, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope announced on Tuesday. "There are a total of five patients who have teated positive for Coronavirus in Maharashtra," he said. On Monday, a Pune couple, with a history of travel to Dubai, tested Coronavirus positive and were quarantined. On Tuesday, their daughter, a cab-driver, who ferried them form Mumbai Airport to their Pune home, and a co-passenger, also tested positive. All of them are undergoing treatment in isolation at Naidu Hospital here. "The condition of the patients are stable. Mild symptoms of Corona were found in one of these two patients, whereas the other has not yet shown any symptoms. The information about all the people who came in contact with these two patients and the places where they have visited, is being collected," Divisional Commissioner of Pune Deepak Mhaisekar told media persons. The two patients who tested have already provided details about the places they visited or people they came in contact with in the past last fortnight. The couple had visited Dubai with a 40-member group in February end and returned to India on March 1, Mhaisekar said. Armed with the information of all the people who came in contact with these two patients and also the places where they visited, he said that the screening of their family members, friends and the officers and employees where they are working, will also be done. He added that the names, contact numbers and addresses of the 40 people with whom these two patients visited Dubai, has also been collected and being processed further. The Divisional Commissioner said that two patients came to Pune from Mumbai by taxi and as a part of preventive measure, their co-passengers and the driver have been admitted to the hospitals for observation. Mhaisekar said five squads have been constituted, comprising officers and employees from Revenue, Health and Police Departments and from both the Municipal Corporations, to verify whether or not the people with symptoms of coronavirus are found in the places where the duo visited or among the people, whom they met. Pune has so far kept ready 207 bed Intensive Care Unit at 21 places in the jurisdiction of both the municipal corporation. Also, the quarantine (isolation wards) are prepared for combating any situation with full might. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) said that the doctors should keep the information of all the patients who are coming to India from foreign lands, separately. The state health authorities are also keeping tabs and is in full state of preparation to tackle any Covid-19 crisis, Tope has said. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Attack against Abdallah Hamdok in Khartoum underlines fragility of transition to civilian rule, analysts say. Sudanese authorities have arrested a number of suspects in connection with what the government called an assassination attempt against Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, in an incident that underlines the fragility of the countrys transition to civilian rule. Officials and state media said on Monday Hamdok, 64, survived unharmed after a bomb and gun attack targeted his motorcade in the capital, Khartoum. In a Twitter post, Hamdok said he was in good shape and that what had happened would be an additional push to the wheel of change in Sudan, where he heads a transitional government following the military overthrow in April last year of longtime President Omar al-Bashir in the face of months-long pro-democracy protests. Khartoum Governor Ahmed Abdoon told Al Jazeera that a number of people suspected of involvement in the attack had been attacked, without providing additional details. The countrys top prosecutor, Taj al-Ser Ali al-Hebr, said in a statement that prosecutors have embarked on their investigation into the professionally plotted attack. Falih Salih, Sudans information minister, said an investigation was under way to determine who was behind the attack. Terrorist attempts and dismantling the old regime will be dealt with decisively, he said. Meanwhile, Sudans National Security and Defence Council said it was seeking the support of Sudans friends in investigating who was behind the assassination attempt. Following a meeting on Monday, Interior Minister al-Traifi Daffallah Idriss said in a statement the council decided to request the help of [Sudans] friends to uncover those involved in the attack and bringing them to justice, the Sudan Tribune reported. Very loud explosion The blast near Hamdoks motorcade struck at around 9am local time (10:00 GST) close to Kober bridge while the prime minister was heading to his office, Ali Bakhit, his office director, said in a Facebook post. A security officer was lightly wounded. The explosion was very loud and the glass from all four floors broke, witness Alaa Eldeen Fahmi told Al Jazeera. I went out to see and found two cars badly damaged and another which I assumed was the prime ministers car driving away with a security convoy, he said. After Mondays attack, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which spearheaded the anti-al-Bashir movement, called for further rallies to display unity and support for civilian rule. A statement by the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change (FFC) alliance also called on people to take to the streets to show our unity and cohesion and protect the transitional authority. After the attack, dozens of demonstrators in Khartoum added their voice to a public show of support for Hamdok, chanting with our blood and soul, we will sacrifice ourselves for you. This is our homeland and Hamdok is our leader, they said. Challenges ahead Despite the support, Hamdok will likely encounter challenges to his wheel of change. His appointment as prime minister came on the back of a power-sharing deal between the generals who overthrew al-Bashir and the leaders of the months-long protest movement. After months of fraught on-and-off negotiations, the two sides in August signed a three-year power-sharing deal leading to the formation of an 11-member sovereign council and the appointment of a technocratic, transitional government under Hamdok, a veteran economist and former United Nations official. Since taking office, Hamdok has pledged to tackle pressing social and economic challenges while also attempting to forge peace with the countrys various rebel groups. Jonas Horner, a senior analyst on Sudan with International Crisis Group, said Mondays attack will remind both Sudanese and the countrys international backers of the role of the military during the transitional period. It also is likely to herald a greater securitisation of the transition but will simultaneously serve to rally Sudanese around Hamdok, the face of Sudans post-Bashir era, he told Al Jazeera. Looking ahead, Horner said, the core challenges to delivering on the goals of the uprising remain as they were when al-Bashir was overthrown on April 11, 2019: reform of the security sector and the economy. Hamdok and the transitional government could do much more to advance the countrys transition, he added, noting that legal, economic and welfare reforms were all badly needed to ensure ordinary Sudanese see the dividends of the protests. Whether the attack was instigated by former regime supporters or by more classical terrorists, civilian leaders and protesters should worry that such attacks may contribute to a common international opinion that only a military regime can prevent such threats, Jerome Tubiana, a researcher on Sudan, told Al Jazeera. While Hamdok has focused a lot on Sudans economic crisis, the attack may be a sign that it is also time not to leave the security to the sole security apparatus, Tubiana said. It may be time [for Hamdoks government] to enlarge its support base, not the least to people of war-torn peripheries in order to, as the information minister suggested, dismantle the old regime, he added. White House spokesperson Stephanie Grisham says that in this time of coronavirus it'll be business as usual for Donald Trump. He's not going to cancel any rallies or worry much at all about whether he's been exposed to infection, it seems. "And I'll tell you what," she says, "with our President, this man who doesn't sleep and who I have seen work 15, 16 hours a day every day, I have no problem thinking that he is going to be just fine and just healthy." If Grisham had been concerned about the American public, she might not have talked about how attending big public events, working yourself to the bone, and skipping sleep is a reasonable response to the threat the virus poses to us all. In fact, if this is what Trump is doing, it's the opposite of what is recommended for an obese, largely sedentary man of 73. With any other president, we'd all be wondering what got into an aide who strained so hard to suggest the boss is some sort of superman, but this is Trump we're talking about. The man's narcissism and propensity for rage are well documented and Grisham was obviously playing to both qualities. Long a subject of press reports, Trump's anger has been evidenced as he has fired cabinet members, chiefs of staff -- Mick Mulvaney, who never even got the chance to shed the "acting" in front of the title was dismissed just last weekend -- and those who testified about him during his impeachment. Administration officials are generally worried about delivering bad news to the boss for fear of how he'll respond. When a CDC official recently noted, correctly, that a coronavirus outbreak was inevitable in the US, Politico reported that Trump got so angry officials discussed ordering her to stop making public statements. (They eventually decided against this.) Having made the point that Trump isn't changing anything, Grisham stayed true to the President's why-worry attitude. When she went the further step, to explain that he's an extraordinary specimen who doesn't need sleep and can work rings around mere mortals she played to the vanity that is his other defining characteristic. As Grisham and other administration survivors seem to know (I'm looking at you, Vice President Mike Pence), you can never go wrong by putting the President at the center of every discussion and slathering him with praise. For clues to how Trump wants to be described, just consider how he talks about himself. He is, in his own words, "really smart" and "a very stable genius." He is also, in his own words, "a great moral leader" and "great looking." In the current crisis, the problem is not so much the President's overweening self-regard but his inability to recognize the needs of others. This problem, invariably a characteristic of the truly narcissistic, makes it difficult if not impossible for someone to put others first. In families, it can be evidenced by the parent who buys himself a new car when the rent is overdue. In countries, it is seen when a leader can't seem to see what people need in a moment of crisis. Whether he's throwing paper towels into a crowd amid death and devastation in Puerto Rico or mocking victims of sexual assault, Trump has shown himself to be callous with enough regularity that he has taught us to cringe when we see him in a moment where concern for others is required. Remember how he joked about crowd sizes when he visited a hospital after a mass shooting in El Paso? How about the time, at the beginning of his term, when he stood at a memorial for fallen intelligence officers and bragged about his own intellect? Compassion, which is the opposite of narcissism, is as essential to the presidency as any trait and presidents of both parties have shown it often. We all remember the moving responses from Bill Clinton after the Oklahoma City bombing, George W. Bush after the attacks of 9/11 and Barack Obama after the Charleston church shooting. It is something we have relied on from our leaders. It is also the piece so often missing from Trump's response to difficult times. This is the man, who, a Huffington Post video showed, needed an emotional cheat sheet for a meeting with survivors of school shootings. That the prompts encouraged him to say, "I hear you," is all the evidence we need to know that the White House staff recognizes that the President struggles when it comes to compassion. Why is Trump like this? When I wrote a biography of him I learned that he was raised by a role model father who showed his son little of the sort of tenderness that would produce concern for others in a child. His education was guided by a military school drill sergeant who was toughness personified, and his introduction to the adult world was shaped by the well-known character assassin Roy Cohn. Given these mentors, and all the insecurity that came with being a rich kid playing with daddy's money, Trump was all but destined to be the man we see today. He is angry and narcissistic, and the best those around him can do is coddle him in the hopes that he won't make things worse. A fifth person has died in the UK after contracting coronavirus. The victim was in their 70s and had underlying health conditions. They had tested positive for COVID-19 - the disease caused by coronavirus - and passed away in St Helier Hospital in Carshalton, south London. Daniel Elkeles, chief executive for Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "We can confirm that sadly, a patient in their seventies who was very unwell with a number of significant and long-term health conditions has passed away at St Helier Hospital. "They had tested positive for COVID-19." Earlier, it was announced a woman in her 70s, who also had underlying health conditions and had been treated in a Wolverhampton hospital, had also died. She is believed to have caught the virus in Britain. The number of confirmed infections in the UK has risen by 46 to 319 over the last 24 hours, according to the latest government figures. The previous day's rise was 67. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has admitted the UK will almost certainly move from the "contain" phase of tackling the outbreak to the "delay" stage. Public Health England will continue to trace close contacts of anybody diagnosed with COVID-19 in the containment phase, advising them to self-isolate at home to delay the spread of the virus. But anyone with respiratory tract infection symptoms - such as flu or cold - or a fever is likely be asked to stay at home in self-isolation before too long, England's chief medical officer has said. Professor Chris Whitty said: "We are now very close to the time, probably within the next 10 to 14 days, when the modelling would imply we should move to a situation where everybody with even minor respiratory tract infections or a fever should be self-isolating for a period of seven days." Some 280 of the total coronavirus cases are in England, with London having the most at 61. The figures reflect the situation at 9am on Monday and show that nearly 25,000 people have been tested so far. Story continues There are now six infected people in Wales. Five of the new cases are in Scotland, taking the total there to 23. Three more people have COVID-19 in Ireland, taking the total confirmed cases to 24. All five people who have died in the UK after being treated for coronavirus had pre-existing health conditions. On Sunday, it was announced a man in his 60s had died in North Manchester General Hospital. Last week, a woman in 70s died in hospital in Reading, Berkshire, while an 83-year-old man died at Milton Keynes University Hospital. In the capital, Transport for London (TfL) said it was carrying out a "deep clean" of a Southwark office used by a worker who had tested positive. The organisation did not specify their job, but the building is where it monitors London's roads and controls the Tube network. The latest figures come as Boris Johnson held an emergency COBRA meeting over the outbreak. :: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker The Department for Health and Social Care has said those returning from the quarantine areas should self-isolate for 14 days at home - even if they have no symptoms. Budget airline easyJet is also cancelling some flights to Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate, Venice and Verona airports, with further flight reductions expected. British Airways said it was "reviewing our schedule" and offering passengers the chance to change their booking. Other UK developments: Virus Outbreak: Global Emergency - Watch a special Sky News programme on coronavirus at 6pm weekdays Virus Outbreak: Your questions answered #AskSkyNews at 12.30pm weekdays Are you a British citizen stuck in northern Italy? Get in touch with your story: :: WhatsApp - 07583 000853 :: Email - news@sky.com :: 'Your Report' on Sky News apps By Ron Bousso and Shadia Nasralla LONDON (Reuters) - An oil price plunge means the world's top energy companies will have to review promises to return billions to investors, either by slowing down share buybacks or reintroducing non-cash dividends, analysts said on Monday. By Ron Bousso and Shadia Nasralla LONDON (Reuters) - An oil price plunge means the world's top energy companies will have to review promises to return billions to investors, either by slowing down share buybacks or reintroducing non-cash dividends, analysts said on Monday. Brent crude was trading at around $36 a barrel, down around 20% by 1645 GMT on Monday, when analysts lowered share price forecasts for top oil and gas producers. The Brent benchmark has fallen by as much as a third since Thursday, just before Russia walked away from an agreement by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut output. The slide is expected to force a rethink of spending plans by boards that had cut costs in response to a 2014 oil downturn when OPEC opened wide the oil taps to try to protect market share following the U.S. shale oil revolution. On that occasion, Eni reduced its dividend, while peers kept up payouts. Now the sector is also struggling to retain investor appetite because of concerns about long-term sustainability as the world seeks to curb its use of climate-warming fossil fuel. To try to keep investors on side, the boards of major oil companies boosted dividends and share buyback programmes. But even with an average Brent price of $64 a barrel last year, most companies were hardly able to balance their income with their spending. The oil majors were entering "survival mode" in these market conditions and will have to assess where they can cut spending, Jefferies analyst Jason Gammel said in a note. "Buybacks and dividend growth are now almost certainly off the table, and questions on who will need to cut the dividend first will be topical," Gammel said. Last week, Chevron pledged to return up to $80 billion to shareholders over the next five years. Goldman Sachs said that "depending on the duration of the crude downcycle," Chevron could taper its buyback programme while ExxonMobil could slow down its $33 billion spending plans in 2020 and dividend growth. That followed earlier warnings, including from Royal Dutch Shell that it would slow its $25 billion share buyback programme as the coronavirus weighs on the global economy and depresses fuel demand. BP last month said it would raise its dividend, even though its profits last year fell by about a quarter. "We are in unchartered waters at least for the short term," analysts at Bernstein said after downgrading their recommendations for Shell, Eni, Repsol , Total and Equinor . Bernstein added in a note it expected divestments to happen and investments to be reduced, but saw no dividend cuts. Bernstein analyst Oswald Clint said that breakevens among European majors had improved since the last downturn. European majors' average breakeven point https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/7/8950/8931/European%20majors'%20breakeven.jpg Oil majors' breakeven points https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/7/8949/8930/Oil%20majors'%20breakeven%20points.jpg Since the 2014 crash, companies have cut costs by billions of dollars, with many configuring their business to withstand oil prices of around $50 a barrel. Majors including Total and Royal Dutch Shell, introduced scrip dividends after the last slump, which allowed them to issue dividends in the form of shares, rather than cash. "A return to scrip dividends is not unlikely if this develops into a 6 month 'price war'," Stuart Joyner, an analyst at Redburn, said. Redburn said it expected Total and Chevron to maintain pay-outs, Shell to pare back its buybacks further and Equinor and Eni to come under pressure to discontinue current buybacks. Equinor , Norway's largest oil and gas producer, said on Monday the company's strong balance sheet put it in a "robust position" to handle volatility. U.S. shale producers, which face some of the highest production costs, on Monday rushed to deepen spending cuts and reduce future output. BP and Shell declined to comment. Other majors had no immediate comment. Exxon 2019 cashflow https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/7/8955/8936/Pasted%20Image.jpg BP 2019 cashflow https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/7/8953/8934/Pasted%20Image.jpg Shell 2019 cash https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/7/8952/8933/Pasted%20Image.jpg (Additional reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis in Oslo; editing by Barbara Lewis) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. China on Monday condemned US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for branding the COVID-19 as the "Wuhan virus", terming his remarks as "despicable behaviour" and an attempt to stigmatise the Communist nation. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has officially named coronavirus as COVID-19, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing here responding to Pompeo's comments. "Certain US politicians turning a blind eye to science and the decision of WHO has rushed to stigmatise China and Wuhan under the pretext of COVID-19. We condemn such despicable behaviour," Geng said. Pompeo last Friday repeatedly referred to the coronavirus as "Wuhan virus", pointing to the Chinese city where the virus first emerged in December last year and also blamed Beijing for not sharing enough information about the disease which put the US "behind the curve". According to WHO, the coronavirus cases have been reported in over 100 countries and regions including the US, India, South Korea, Italy and Iran. The WHO report said a total of 105,586 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 have been reported worldwide as of Sunday, an increase of 3,656 infections from the previous day, including 3,610 new cases outside China. Pompeo seemed to blame the Chinese government for the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, CNN said in its report on his comments. "Remember this is the Wuhan coronavirus that's caused this and the information that we got on the front end of this thing wasn't perfect and has led us now to a place where much of the challenge we face today has put us behind the curve," Pompeo said on CNBC. He said it "has proven incredibly frustrating to work with the Chinese Communist Party to get our hands around the data set, which will ultimately be the solution to both getting the vaccine and attacking this risk." Though he did acknowledge he was "happy" with the efforts China had taken to contain the spread of the virus, Pompeo said, "no less authority than the Chinese Communist Party said it came from Wuhan". "We have pretty high confidence that we know where this began, and we have high confidence too that there was information that could have been made available more quickly and data that could have been provided and shared among health professionals across the world," he said. On March 5, another Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the origin of the coronavirus is yet to be determined. "It is yet undetermined where the virus originated. Wherever its origin may be, China and all the other affected countries are victims faced with the challenge in containing its spread," Zhao said. While there is appreciation around the world for China's efforts to contain the virus with virtually locking down worst-hit Wuhan and Hubei province with over 50 million people, Beijing also faced criticism for acting late as over five million people from Wuhan left for Chinese New Year holidays by the time the measures were initiated. Responding to Pompeo's comments that China did not share information, Geng said that Beijing shared genome sequence of coronavirus with WHO and other countries in an "open and transparent and responsible manner". He said China positively responded to concerns and stepped up international cooperation. "What China has done won precious time for the global fight against the epidemic. We make positive contributions and all the world bears witness to this. Pompeo attempt to smear China's epidemic response will never succeed," Geng added. [March 10, 2020] YOU at College Platform Launches Across 12 California State University Campuses in Nation's Largest University System DENVER, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- YOU at College, the leading student well-being platform, announced today that the California State University (CSU), the largest public university system in the United States, has entered into a partnership that will bring the YOU well-being portal to 12 CSU campuses for a two-year pilot program, beginning in spring 2020. The CSU is incorporating YOU at College as part of Graduation Initiative 2025 a university-wide effort to improve student success. One operational priority of the initiative is to bolster student engagement and well-being. This approach examines ways to support students inside and outside the classroom, including identifying resources for housing and food insecurity, as well as mental well-being. "The CSU is committed to implementing solutions to support students as they pursue their academic goals," said Lea Jarnagin, CSU's interim systemwide director of Student Wellness and Basic Needs Initiatives. "The YOU at College well-being portal provides additional opportunities to reach hundreds of thousands of students with real assistance when they need it." The CSU educates 482,000 students and boasts one of the nation's most diverse student bodies. Nearly one-third of CSU students are the first in their families to attend college. Providing upstream resources to support student success in and out of the classroom can have a profound impact by addressing challenges before they become major concerns. The YOU at College platform will be customized for each campus in the pilot rogram, delivering content that caters to individual student's demographics, trends and needs. "YOU at College focuses on providing information and resources to support the holistic college experience," said Nathaan Demers, Psy.D., VP and director of clinical programs at YOU at College. "The CSU's comprehensive approach to student well-being mirrors the strategy YOU at College is bringing to campuses across the nation, providing support and allowing students to cope with the challenges of college life. We accomplish this by providing students with connections to the resources and information they need when they need it." The YOU at College platform is customized for campus partners and personalized to the specific needs of students. The two-year CSU pilot program will include YOU platforms for the following campuses: California State University Channel Islands California State University, Chico California State University, Fresno California State University, Fullerton California State University, Long Beach California State University, Monterey Bay California State University, Northridge California State Polytechnic University, Pomona California State University, San Bernardino San Francisco State University San Jose State University California State University San Marcos About YOU at College YOU at College is a student-centric digital platform that connects students to the right resources at the right time to address the well-being challenges facing every campus. YOU helps students design their ultimate college experience by comprehensively addressing academics, physical and mental health and campus connections. YOU at College was developed by Grit Digital Health, LLC in partnership with Colorado State University. For more information, visit youatcollege.com. About the California State University The California State University is the largest system of four-year higher education in the country, with 23 campuses, 53,000 faculty and staff and 482,000 students. Half of the CSU's students transfer from California community colleges. Created in 1960, the mission of the CSU is to provide high-quality, affordable education to meet the ever-changing needs of California. With its commitment to quality, opportunity, and student success, the CSU is renowned for superb teaching, innovative research and for producing job-ready graduates. Each year, the CSU awards more than 127,000 degrees. One in every 20 Americans holding a college degree is a graduate of the CSU, and our alumni are 3.8 million strong. Connect with and learn more about the CSU in the CSU NewsCenter. Media contact: Jim Dissett 303-532-7392 [email protected] Related Images you-at-college.png YOU at College YOU at College (www.youatcollege.com) is a student-centric digital platform that connects students to the right resources at the right time to address the well-being challenges facing every campus. YOU helps students design their ultimate college experience by comprehensively addressing academics, physical and mental health and campus connections. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/you-at-college-platform-launches-across-12-california-state-university-campuses-in-nations-largest-university-system-301020899.html SOURCE YOU at College [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The former Queensland mayor who was sent to jail in 2019 for extortion has had his appeal dismissed. Paul Pisasale, who was mayor of Ipswich from 2004 to 2017, was imprisoned for two years after being found guilty of impersonating a private investigator to take up to $10,000 from a Sydney taxi driver. Former Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale made a number of phone calls to a taxi driver claiming he was an investigator. Credit:AAP Image/Glenn Hunt He, along with co-accused Cameron McKenzie and Yutian Li, all had their appeals dismissed in the Brisbane Court of Appeal on Tuesday. Pisasale formed a friendship with Li, a Chinese national working as an escort in 2017. (L-R) Senator Bong Go and President Rodrigo Duterte MANILA, Philippines Malacanang reiterated that the Philippines is more than capable of fighting the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Similar things happened in the past. Theres the Bubonic plague [and] the one in the Middle East before, the President said. He stressed that the country is more than ready and the government has enough funds for the implementation of preventive measures in case the number of COVID-19 cases soars further. We have the money to combat COVID-19. I assure you we have the money and we can defeat that virus, the President said with confidence. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo emphasized that there is no reason to panic despite the rise in number of COVID-19 patients and the class suspension in Metro Manila, saying the government has the appropriate protocols for the containment of this disease. The secretary of the Department of Health has assured us all the established measures in tracing, treatment, testing. [They assured the arrival of] testing devices, Panelo said. Meanwhile, Malacanang is still contemplating on whether or not to disclose the history of the patients travel history in and out of the country in connection with the existing Data Privacy Law. MNP (with inputs from Rosalie Coz) The post Duterte assures PH can defeat coronavirus appeared first on UNTV News. LIFT Festival has announced its 2020 programme, with eight premieres featuring Ruth Wilson, Inua Ellams and Travis Alabanza. London's leading biennial festival of international theatre will run from 2 June to 11 July and is the first under new artistic director and CEO Kris Nelson and new executive director Stella Kanu. Nelson was previously festival director of Dublin Fringe Festival and Kanu was executive producer of Ovalhouse. As previously announced, on 19 June Ruth Wilson will perform 24-hour-long show The Second Woman, which sees her repeat the same scene over and over with 100 men from the surrounding area. The UK premiere will run at the Young Vic first seen in Australia, it is co-created by Nat Randall and Anna Breckon. Poet and playwright Inua Ellams will present the world premiere of Alcohol, City Lights and Slow Songs at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre on 6 June. Directed by Stella Odunlami, the show is based on some of the lyrics to "The Ride" taken from Drake's album Take Care and was developed through a workshop with 15 young people from Tottenham. It tells the story of five strangers who meet late at night, set up a picnic in the middle of the road and try to piece together the last 24 hours of their lives. Travis Alabanza will host a world premiere night of music, live art and cabaret artists and DJs in a historic Tudor mansion on 13 June, curated by Malik Nashad Sharpe. The Night Shift will take place in Master Shipwrights House, situated on the Thames in Deptford, and feature black British and international artists. Tina Satter/ Half Straddle will present the UK premiere of Is This A Room?, a verbatim theatre piece about a 25 year-old Air Force linguist who was taken from her home by the FBI to be interrogated and charged with leaking evidence regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election. The show follows the transcripts of the interrogation to chart the treatment of the linguist, Reality Winner, and runs at Shoreditch Town Hall from 2 to 13 June. From 8 to 11 June, director and choreographer Ben Duke of Lost Dog and Candoco Dance Company will collaborate on The Argonauts, a new dance theatre piece making its world premiere at the Southbank Centre. Featuring a cast of disabled and non-disabled performers from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine and the UK, the show re-tells the Greek myth of Jason and the Golden Fleece. At the Barbican Centre on 16, 17, 19 and 20 June, French artist Phia Menard and Compagnie Non Nova will perform the UK premiere of Immoral Tales Part 1 Mother House. Following punk warrior Athena as she tries to build the Parthenon out of cardboard, the piece is a reaction to the Greek financial crisis and the turbulence of European politics. Imwen Eke will write and direct the UpLIFTers in the world premiere of Balthazar's Treasure: The Cacao Quest on 27 June at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre. The show will invite audiences to explore Tottenham in an interactive, digital treasure hunt that charts the journey of Balthazar Sanchez, a Spanish Moor and confectioner to Philip II of Spain who first brought chocolate to the UK in the 1600s and settled in Tottenham. Sonia Hughes will bring her interactive outdoor installation I Am From Reykjavik to different locations across London from 17 to 21 June. The show explores the limits of hospitality and identity in the present day Hughes will build a temporary dwelling and invite passers-by to take part, watch or take tea with her as part of the performance. Kenya's The Nest Collective will create a series of documentaries profiling feminist, queer and migration activists in London and Cape Town, presented on 20 June. The Feminine and the Foreign will screen as a series of short films and bring LIFT and ArtNight London's all-night contemporary art festival together for the first time. Bristol-based Still House, north London's Empire Sounds and Tottenham-based Steppaz Performing Arts Academy will present Session at Battersea Arts Centre's Grand Hall from 30 June to 11 July. This LIFT Tottenham commission will return after a UK tour part dance party, part gig and part social, the show will be led by an ensemble of young dancers who move across hip hop, contemporary folk and Afrobeats genres to celebrate community, youth and belonging. Markets Still Not Wowed Market Tea Leaves - 1 hour ago Yesterday the markets still didn't trade Higher. Can this change today? Bulgaria's leaders self-isolate after speaker COVID-positive AP - 1 hour ago SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) Bulgarias top leaders are self-isolating after being in contact with the parliamentary speaker who tested positive for the coronavirus, the countrys chief health inspector... $SPX : 4,670.29 (-0.14%) $DOWI : 36,068.87 (-0.45%) $IUXX : 15,614.43 (+0.14%) Factory farming dispute vexes Spain's coalition government AP - Tue Jan 11, 4:26AM CST MADRID (AP) A spat over factory farming is causing tension in Spains left-of-center coalition government, with the farm minister on Tuesday describing the consumer ministers criticism of the... $SPX : 4,670.29 (-0.14%) $DOWI : 36,068.87 (-0.45%) $IUXX : 15,614.43 (+0.14%) Nasdaq100 (NQ) Trying to Bounce Off Weekly Chart Upchannel Support Tradable Patterns - Tue Jan 11, 2:18AM CST The Nasdaq100 (NQH22) is consolidating yesterdays reversal off downchannel support (on the 4hr and daily chart), but remains vulnerable in todays European morning. Significantly, although NQ is... NQH22 : 15,665.00 (+0.37%) QQQ : 380.11 (+0.07%) Federal Reserve's Powell: High inflation 'exacts a toll' AP - Mon Jan 10, 11:01PM CST WASHINGTON (AP) High inflation is taking a toll on American families, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged in remarks to be delivered at a Tuesday congressional hearing, where he is sure... $SPX : 4,670.29 (-0.14%) $DOWI : 36,068.87 (-0.45%) $IUXX : 15,614.43 (+0.14%) Federal Reserve's Powell: High inflation 'exacts a toll' AP - Mon Jan 10, 6:32PM CST WASHINGTON (AP) High inflation is taking a toll on American families, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged in remarks to be delivered at a Tuesday congressional hearing, where he is sure... $SPX : 4,670.29 (-0.14%) $DOWI : 36,068.87 (-0.45%) $IUXX : 15,614.43 (+0.14%) Gov. Kristi Noem drafts bill limiting 'action civics' This legislation prohibits colleges and schools from directing, requiring or compelling students to protest or lobby as part of a grade or a class. New Delhi: Disgruntled Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia tendered his resignation to party president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday, soon after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi, saying it was now time for him to move on. Gandhi, however, immediately expelled him from the Congress for anti-party activities, as the crisis looming over the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh deepened. The Congress president has approved the expulsion of Jyotiraditya Scindia from the Indian National Congress with immediate effect for anti-party activities," according to a statement from AICC general secretary KC Venugopal. Noting that the events of the day had been drawing themselves out for a year, Scindia wrote to Gandhi saying it was now best for him to look at a fresh start. Having been a primary member of the Congress party for the last 18 years. It is now time for me to move on. I am rendering my resignation from primary membership of the Congress and as you well know this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year," Scindia wrote in his letter dated March 9. [caption id="attachment_2532055" align="alignnone" ] Resignation Scindia[/caption] The resignation letter by Jyotiraditya Scindia However, the Congress claimed that the resignation letter was received physically outside Sonia Gandhi's residence at 12.20pm on Tuesday. In the resignation letter posted on Twitter, Scindia said, "While my aim and purpose remains the same as it has always been from the very beginning, to serve the people of my state and my country, I believe I am unable to do this anymore within this party." "To reflect and realise the aspirations of my people and workers I believe it is best that I now look ahead at a fresh start." The former Guna MP also thanked Gandhi and his other former Congress colleagues for "providing him with a platform to have served the nation". Meanwhile in Bhopal, 14 Congress MLAs who are loyal to Scindia have sent their resignations to Madhya Pradesh Governor Lal Ji Tandon, Raj Bhavan sources said. 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. British oil explorer Energy Plc expects an international arbitral tribunal to give a decree by the summer of 2020 on its challenge to the Indian government seeking Rs 10,247 crore in retrospective taxes. The three-member tribunal, which had in December 2018 completed main court hearings in the British company's challenge to the Indian government using a retrospective legislation to seek Rs 10,247 crore in taxes, was supposed to give an award by February 2019, but in March 2019, it delayed it to 2019-end and then to the summer of 2020. "All formal hearings and submissions have now been made and the tribunal is in the process of drafting its award. The tribunal has indicated that it expects to be in a position to issue the award in the summer of 2020," said in its half-yearly earnings announcement on Tuesday. No reason was given by the tribunal for the delay in the award. said it is seeking full restitution for losses totalling more than $1.4 billion resulting from government expropriation of its investments in India in 2014. The company, which gave the country its biggest oil discovery, received a notice from the income tax department in January 2014, requesting information related to the group reorganisation done in 2006. Alongside, the department attached the company's near 10 per cent shareholding in its erstwhile subsidiary, Cairn India. In March 2015, the tax department sought Rs 10,247 crore in taxes on alleged capital gains made by the company in the internal reorganisation. Cairn Energy had in 2010-11 sold Cairn India to Vedanta. Following the merger of Cairn India and Vedanta in April 2017, the UK firm's shareholding in Cairn India was replaced by a shareholding of about 5 per cent in Vedanta issued together with preference shares. In addition to attaching its shares in Vedanta, the tax department seized dividends totalling Rs 1,140 crore due to it from those shareholdings, and set off a Rs 1,590-crore tax refund against the demand. Cairn Energy in 2015 initiated an international arbitration to challenge retrospective taxation. Pending final award, the tax department sold Cairn Energy's shares in Vedanta to recover part of the tax demand. "The Indian income tax department holds Cairn UK Holdings Ltd (a direct subsidiary of Cairn Energy) as an assessee in default in respect of tax demanded on the 2006 transactions, and as such has pursued enforcement against CUHL's assets in India. "To date, these enforcement actions have included attachment of CUHL's shareholding in Vedanta Ltd and sale of 181,764,297 shares and seizure of the proceeds, seizure of the proceeds from the redemption of the preference shares, seizure of the $ 159.8 million dividends due to CUHL, and offset of a $ 222.8 million tax refund due to CUHL in respect of another matter," the statement said. To date, 99 per cent of Cairn UK Holdings Ltd's (CUHL) shareholding has been liquidated by the tax department, it said. The assessment by the tax department of principal tax due on the 2006 transactions is Rs 10,267 crore, plus applicable interest and penalties. "Interest is currently being charged on the principal at a rate of 12 per cent per annum from February 2017, although this is potentially subject to the tax department's Indian court appeal that interest should be back-dated to 2007," it said. "Penalties are currently assessed as 100 per cent of the principal tax due, although this is subject to appeal by CUHL that penalties should not be charged given the retrospective nature of the tax levied." Cairn said it has got legal advice confirming that the maximum amount that could ultimately be recovered from the company by the tax department, in excess of the assets already seized, is limited to the value of CUHL's assets, principally the remaining ordinary shares in Vedanta Ltd. "In March 2015, Cairn filed a Notice of Dispute under the UK-India Bilateral Investment Treaty in order to protect its legal position and seek restitution of the value effectively seized by the Indian income tax department (IITD) in and since January 2014. "Cairn's principal claims are that the assurance of fair and equitable treatment and protection against expropriation afforded by the treaty have been breached by the actions of the IITD, which is seeking to apply retrospective taxes to historical transactions already closely scrutinised and approved by the Government of India. The IITD has attached and seized assets to try to enforce such taxation," it said. Cairn is pleading that the effects of the tax assessment should be nullified and that the company should receive recompense from the government for the loss of value resulting from the 2014 attachment of CUHL's shares in Cairn India Ltd and the withholding of the tax refund, which together total about $1.4 billion, according to the statement. "The treaty proceedings formally commenced in January 2016 following an agreement between Cairn and the Republic of India on the appointment of a panel of three international arbitrators under the terms of the treaty. Cairn's statement of claim was submitted to the arbitral tribunal in June 2016 and the Republic of India submitted its statement of defence in February 2017. "Further submissions and document production took place in 2017 and 2018. The main evidentiary hearing of Cairn's claim under the Treaty took place in August 2018 in The Hague with a final hearing in December 2018. All formal hearings and submissions have now been made and the tribunal is in the process of drafting its award. The tribunal has indicated that it expects to be in a position to issue the award in the summer of 2020," it said. Based on detailed legal advice, Cairn said it remains confident that it will be successful in this arbitration and, accordingly, no provision has been made for any of the tax or penalties assessed by the IITD. It had previously stated that the arbitration panel is expected to issue a binding and internationally-enforceable award. San Francisco restaurants RT Rotisserie and Italian Homemade Company are partnering with the delivery company DoorDash to expand their reach to the Peninsula. People in Palo Alto, Redwood City, Menlo Park, Atherton, San Carlos, Belmont and Woodside are now able to order food from both restaurants. RT Rotisserie, which has multiple San Francisco locations, will offer its rotisserie chicken sandwiches, rice bowls and cuts of rotisserie chicken. Italian Homemade Company will deliver its pastas, as it does now through other delivery platforms like Grubhub and Uber Eats. We want to grow, but we want the growth to happen naturally, said Evan Rich, who co-owns RT Rotisserie with his wife Sarah Rich. This was just a great opportunity for us. The expansion for both businesses is happening through DoorDash Kitchens, the companys first shared commissary kitchen located in Redwood City. The kitchen launched in October and already houses Chick-fil-A, the Halal Guys, Humphry Slocombe and Rooster & Rice. According to Fuad Hannon of DoorDash, each restaurant has its own space at the kitchen, as well as its own entrance. Equipment specific to the execution of each restaurants menu, including rotisserie gear for RT Rotisserie, is housed in the various restaurant spaces. Hiring for each restaurant at the kitchen is also handled by DoorDash, while the restaurants handle training. John Storey / Special to The Chronicle 2015 We want to make it as easy as possible for these businesses to come to a new market and succeed, Hannon said. It helps them to have that foundation when it comes to building out a space and hiring. The idea of the virtual restaurant isnt new to the Bay Area. Ghost kitchens, or kitchens that only provide delivery orders, have been popping up often over the last few years, with some proving to be problematic for local restaurateurs. The process of working with DoorDash has been seamless, said Mattia Cosmi, co-owner of the Italian Homemade Company, which has five Bay Area locations and two in Southern California. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Cosmi bought the former home of Caffe Roma space in San Franciscos North Beach neighborhood in October 2018 and has yet to open a location of Italian Homemade Company there, after battling permitting red tape. He also has an upcoming hearing with the citys Planning Commission about how the business will operate. What DoorDash provided, he said, was a chance to grow but without any headaches associated with his latest San Francisco project. Were familiar with delivery operations and with how everything is going in the city, this was easier for us, he said. It isnt easier trying to open a business in San Francisco.. Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle 2017 Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @JustMrPhillips Airlines are canceling flights. People are quarantining themselves. Supermarkets are selling out of toilet paper. The financial markets are tanking. All around there are signs of economic fear and disruption. And yet for most Oregonians, the tangible effects of the coronavirus outbreak are still relatively muted. No Oregon deaths are linked to COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, and just 14 people statewide have tested positive for the coronavirus. The majority of workers are still going into the office, grocery shelves are still full, buses and trains appear to be operating at normal levels and thus far, no Oregonian employers have reported layoffs related to the outbreak. Investors and economists agree the coronavirus outbreak represents a major upheaval but just what shape that upheaval takes -- and how long it lasts -- remain highly uncertain. Fears over the human and economic impact could potentially reach critical mass where consumers pull back and delay spending money and employers put off hiring and investment decisions, Oregon state economist Josh Lehner wrote in an analysis last week. If enough firms and households do this at the same time, then a recession ensues as growth plunges, Lehner wrote. Were not there today. In some ways its hard to tell just whats going on. Even in an era of instant communication and knee-jerk reactions, data about regional economic indicators is slow to arrive. The Port of Portland, for example, says it may take weeks before it can say just how much air travel is dropping at Portland International Airport. Its clear theres a major impact: Airlines have warned of severe impact on their businesses as people cancel travel plans. But the specifics arent available yet. Delta Airlines said last week it will reduce the frequency of one flight to Japan and United Airlines is cutting four of its 20 daily flights from Portland and at least one flight from Eugene. On Monday, discount carrier Sun Country Airlines said it will eliminate summer flights between PDX and tourist destinations in Honolulu, Las Vegas and San Francisco. TriMet says its not sure there has been any ridership impact yet, at least not one that we can pinpoint at this point, spokeswoman Roberta Altstadt said Monday. Its just too little data to determine that. It will be weeks before the transit agency has concrete ridership figures for the early days of the viral outbreak, Altstadt said, but February estimates show no falloff. She said there do appear to have been ridership declines last Monday and Friday but the middle of the week appeared normal even as cases of COVID-19 began popping up around the Portland area. At least two conventions a conference on hemp and CBD, and a gathering of fans of a popular board game have postponed their Portland plans because of the virus. The regional tourism industry promoter Travel Portland said last week it doesnt know how steep the visitor falloff is. Erica Escalante owns the Arrow Coffeehouse in Northeast Portland. She said business was down last week, but shes not sure if the coronavirus was responsible or if its just a seasonal anomaly. Our shop in particular is surrounded by Airbnbs, and with tourism people cancelling their trips that could be affecting us, Escalante said Monday. Portland entrepreneur Stephen Green, director of operations for the PENSOLE Footwear Design Academy, said Monday the local small businesses he talks with are reporting sales declines around 20% because of the coronavirus. I do a lot of speaking and events on the side, Green said, addressing conferences on banking and finance. Those have been shuttered for the time being. A lot of income was lost last week. Oregons largest companies Nike, Intel and Columbia Sportswear among them have all lost substantial market value in the past few weeks as their stocks plunged. The Oregonian index of regional stocks is down nearly 24% since Valentines Day. Intel shares are down 25% from last months peaks because investors anticipate a severe downturn in sales either because of factory disruptions in the computing supply chain or because of a diminished global economy. Intel, Oregons largest corporate employer, told workers Friday they can work from home if their job allows. Other companies are doing the same as they work to navigate the epidemiological uncertainty. Portlander Darren Buckner is CEO of a company called Workfrom, which helps remote employees and freelancers find workspaces and adjust to working on their own. He suggests companies stress test remote working now, before employees are quarantined or sick, to identify and overcome any issues. And for workers who are thrust into remote working, Buckner advises they set boundaries to ensure theyre effective away from the office. They should figure out ways to separate themselves from household distractions and learn how to communicate with their colleagues and bosses when they cant look over one anothers shoulders. People have all kinds of unconscious ways they prepare themselves to work at the office, Buckner said, from choosing an outfit to the daily commute. Take those away and people may feel freer but perhaps also a little disoriented. It can be a productivity boost in the beginning but you start feeling a lack of routine, Buckner said. So people who find themselves unexpectedly working from home should create new routines, he suggests, to put themselves in the right frame of mind and so they dont grow lonely or disengaged. Routines are still very important, Buckner said. You just have to figure those out for yourself. -- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699 Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. In 2012, after four years of ostensibly playing second fiddle to Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin returned to the presidency. And the guessing game began: How long would he remain there? Would it be until 2018, after a six-year term, or 2024, when he hit the constitutional barrier of two consecutive terms? Would he leave prematurely, as did his predecessor Boris Yeltsin, who stunned the nation with a 1999 New Years Eve address in which he stepped down and named Putin as his heir? Or would Putin in fact seek to stay longer, beyond existing legal limitations, extending his time in power beyond what has already made him the longest serving leader in Moscow since Josef Stalin? And if so, how would he do it? Weeks of preparations to amend the constitution led to complex speculation about the paths Putin might conceivably take to remain in power. On March 10, Putin signaled that he may choose the simplest of all: staying on as president. In an unusual and unexpected appearance before Russias lower house of parliament, the State Duma, Putin said he supported amending the constitution in a way that would allow him to run for a fifth term in office in 2024 and a sixth in 2030. He stipulated a precondition: that the Constitutional Court approve the change. But the court, like all courts in Russia, is widely seen as beholden to the Kremlin. "In principle, this option would be possible, but on one condition: if the Constitutional Court gives an official ruling that such an amendment would not contradict the principles and main provisions of the constitution," Putin, 67, told the Duma in nationally televised remarks. The president is a guarantor of security of our state, its internal stability, and evolutionary development, he said. We are done with revolutions in Russia. Putin did not explicitly say what he plans to do in 2024. But for many supporters, opponents, observers, and others -- it was a strong indication that he would indeed stay on. If he does stay on for two more full terms, he will be 83 when he runs up against a constitutional barrier again in 2036. For staunch supporters of Putin, who remains popular and by the far the dominant politician in Russia, it was a welcome call. This is the result of politicians in the United States and the European Union, who have been fighting a hybrid war against Russia for six years to destroy it, said Sergei Markov, an openly pro-Kremlin former lawmaker. The more the United States and the European Union oppose Putin, the more Russian citizens want Putin to be the leader of Russia, he wrote on Facebook. Among Russian liberals, opponents of Putin, and other citizens who want Putins time in power to end sooner rather than later, the reaction was scathing: A constitutional coup was how one critic described it, while another decried the Turkmenbashization of Russia a mocking reference to the late autocrat who ruled the Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan until his death. Hours after he made the announcement, the Duma approved a motion that would pave the way for Putin to run again by effectively returning the count of presidential terms he has served to zero once the amended constitution is adopted. The vote was 382-0, with 43 abstentions. "Fraud" Putin announced weve had enough revolutions already and then he decided to stay in power for another 12 years, Georgy Alburov, a researcher with the Anti-Corruption Foundation, said in a post to Twitter. Another critic made the point that Putin has already had plenty of time to address Russias problems including those opponents say he himself has caused or aggravated. Putin will finally fix all the flaws of the previous six years of the presidency, which were the result of the mistakes made by the leadership of the country in 2012-2018, which were committed by the Russian government of 2008-2012, which untangled the mess of what the head of state had done in 2004-2008, which was caused by the strategic miscalculations of the president in 2000-2004, Nikolai Podosokorsky, an editor at a Moscow literary journal, wrote on Facebook. Putin is prepared to remain in his post as long as he, and the Constitutional Court judges he appointed, see fit. Yabloko, a stalwart liberal political party that has been pushed to the margins since Putin first became president in 2000, called the move a fraud. The cancellation of Putins presidential term [count] under the pretext of amending the constitution is nothing more than fraud, the party said in a statement. It is a vile scam that makes a mockery of citizens and all of Russian statehood, the existence of which is now generally a major question. However, a scam is quite expected. This is not the first year we have known this president and the style of the existing system. The Kremlin no longer has any constitutional complexes, wrote Kirill Martynov, political editor of the liberal newspaper Novaya Gazeta meaning that while Putin in the past had balked at changing the constitution to remain in power, he now may be doing just that. Putin is prepared to remain in his post as long as he, and the Constitutional Court judges he appointed, see fit. Though Putins return to the presidency in 2012, after four years as prime minister, started the clock on when he would leave office, the guessing game about Putins intentions did not start in earnest until he won his second, six-year term in 2018. Immediately after the election, Putin and the Kremlin allies in parliament pushed through major reforms to the countrys pension system, raising the retirement age and prompting nationwide protests. The government later hiked the national value-added tax, which, along with stagnant wages, further dismayed average Russians and dented his popularity. Many Russians have also grown weary of economic troubles and unhappy about sanctions that were imposed by the West in 2014, in response to Moscows seizure of Crimea from Ukraine and other actions abroad. That, plus the even deeper unpopularity of the ruling United Russia party, stoked uncertainty about the Kremlins near-term political plans, particularly given Duma elections in 2021, which had the potential to tarnish Putins image. In December, after months of hints and signals from his allies, Putin gave the first indication that something was brewing. "This is a living document. It should reflect the level of development of society," he said in response to a reporters question about the constitution. A month later, during his nationally televised speech to lawmakers and Russias political elite, Putin called for amendments to the 27-year-old constitution, including a major reordering of political powers and new role for the advisory body, the State Council. For many observers, that was a signal that he was plotting ways to remain in power past 2024 -- and creating as many options as possible to do so. Then on February 26, in his first interview since leaving as one of Putins longest serving confidants and aides, Vladislav Surkov said that changing the constitution should reset the clock on presidential terms. Not long before Putins March 10 appearance before the Duma an unusual occurrence for a president who reportedly disdains the nitty-gritty details of politicking and schmoozing with lawmakers the idea of tweaking the constitution to allow his return was floated by a celebrity lawmaker with United Russia: former cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space. I propose to either lift the presidential term limit or add a clause that after the revised constitution enters force, the incumbent president, just like any other citizen, has the right to seek the presidency, she told lawmakers, who responded with resounding applause. In addition to the State Council option that had been floated, experts had also pointed to the Security Council a top-level advisory body comprising the countrys most senior directors of intelligence and security agencies as another possible way for Putin to retain authority. Medvedev, Putins long-time ally, protege, and fellow St. Petersburg native, was tapped to serve in a newly created position as deputy chairman of the Security Council. Putin serving on the Security Council as an alternate means for retaining power now no longer seems to be the case. It looks that after playing with ideas of State Council and Security Council, Putin has finally decided in favor of running again in 2024, Dmitry Trenin, the head of the Carnegie Moscow Center, said in a post to Twitter. Which would probably make eventual transition, whenever it happens, less smooth. A former New Orleans Police Department detective who led the NOPDs pedophile investigations unit for years before he was unmasked as a child molester himself admitted in federal court last month that he abused a boy who had turned to him for protection after the boy was preyed upon by his Boy Scout leader. Stanley Burkhardts admission in a Feb. 24 hearing in North Carolina came after years of denying the sex abuse claims leveled against him by Richard Windmann. Windmanns 1977 testimony, at age 12, that he was sexually assaulted by a scout leader helped prosecutors convict the leader of nearly 30 molestation charges. Remarkably, Windmann has said he was a victim in three high-profile abuse scandals of the era, and with Burkhardts confession, there is evidence to back him up in each case. In addition to Burkhardt and the Boy Scout leader, Windmann has said he was abused repeatedly at Jesuit High School by a janitor and a priest, and he received a six-figure payment to settle that claim. While now acknowledging that he molested Windmann, Burkhardt vehemently disputed Windmanns allegation that he once heard Burkhardt confess to killing a teenager named Edward Wells, who was found drowned in the Mississippi River in 1982. A Louisiana State Police investigator who testified in the hearing in North Carolina last month said authorities do not suspect Burkhardt of killing Wells. Nor do they suspect him of being involved in a handful of other cold homicide cases that he once helped investigate cases that were reopened after Windmann spoke out about Burkhardt, according to a 150-page transcript of the proceeding. The Orleans Parish Coroners Office said this week that Wells death remains classified as a drowning rather than a killing. It remains uncertain whether Burkhardts confession that he victimized Windmann while working as a New Orleans cop might factor into a civil lawsuit Windmann is pursuing against Burkhardt and the city. The city has argued that Windmann waited too long to file his lawsuit, but he maintains the statute of limitations shouldnt apply in his case because he was rebuffed when he tried to report Burkhardts abuse to other officers, including Burkhardts ex-wife, who is now deceased. +4 Man sues city of New Orleans for damages over alleged abuse at hands of predator cop A man who last year opened up about being sexually molested in the 1970s by a Boy Scout leader, then again by a New Orleans child abuse detect Windmann said Tuesday that he regards Burkhardts admission as a step in the right direction, but he was incredulous over testimony that Burkhardt recently called Windmann a professional victim in an interview with a psychiatrist. It wasnt my fault I got involved with the Boy Scouts. It wasnt my fault I was handed over to him, a serial pedophile, said Windmann, now 55. I will not allow Burkhardt to victim-blame and shame me. I am a survivor now. Burkhardt became renowned at the NOPD for building cases against pedophiles in the 1970s and 1980s. But his police career ended in disgrace in 1987 when he was arrested for and later convicted of trafficking in child pornography; he also acknowledged sexually abusing an underage relative. A federal judge in North Carolina in 2011 granted a request from prosecutors to sentence Burkhardt to prison indefinitely because he was sexually dangerous. In 2015, a second judge ordered Burkhardts release provided he met certain conditions. Last summer, months after Windmann went public about his abuse by Burkhardt, State Police arrested Burkhardt after determining he had violated a number of those parole conditions. They said he failed to notify police of an email address and username he used to leave suggestive comments under pictures of young men on a photo-sharing website. Also, detectives allege, one of his cellphones contained dozens of images of child pornography. Prosecutors asked a judge to return Burkhardt to prison, setting the stage for the Feb. 24 hearing in North Carolina. Much of the hearing involved law-enforcement and psychiatric testimony aimed at answering whether Burkhardts actions suggest he is capable of abusing another child. The presiding judge is awaiting another psychiatric evaluation before ruling, and the case has been continued until at least April 20. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up But Burkhardts turn on the witness stand offered perhaps the most complete and disturbing account yet about how he positioned himself to have nearly unfettered access to both child pornography and abuse victims. According to Burkhardt, in 1983, about 11 years after joining the NOPD, he accepted an offer to lead a pedophile investigations unit, despite realizing he had been sexually attracted to children since high school. He recounted how he first viewed looking at child pornography as part of his job, but at some point he became sexually excited by it. He acknowledged it was around that time that he began molesting children, including the relative he was convicted of abusing, plus a second relative and Windmann. Windmann had testified that he had been sexually assaulted by Assistant Scoutmaster Harry Cramer, a cog in a notorious pedophile ring that abused members of Boy Scout Troop 137 in the mid-1970s. Investigators who were tasked with keeping an eye on Windmann after the Cramer trial introduced him to Burkhardt as they were moved to other assignments. Windmann said Burkhardt abused him sexually and psychologically for years. Though Windmann testified at the 2011 proceeding where Burkhardt was deemed sexually dangerous, the former cop denied Windmanns claims at that time. Burkhardt rescinded that denial at the recent hearing, but insisted he had not physically abused any children after his 1987 arrest. Windmann opened up about his experiences in 2018 after publicly disclosing that Jesuit High School had paid him a $450,000 settlement in connection with his claims of being abused on campus by a janitor and a clergyman during the 1970s. Burkhart complained that the media attention surrounding Windmanns claims cost him his job as a waiter as well as a home amid supportive neighbors in the Upper 9th Ward. While Burkhardts attorney denied authorities had proved he looked at child pornography, Burkhardt acknowledged having run afoul of some of his conditional release terms while in a downward spiral caused by news coverage of Windmann. I hated myself, said Burkhardt, 68. I just hated and despised myself, and I never felt like that in a long, long, long time. Burkhardts new admission came days before the debut of New Orleans Unsolved, a podcast that revisits the 1982 death of the drowned teenager Wells. Burkhardt once investigated that case. Thanh Truong leaving WWL-TV; he and wife to launch podcast examining mysterious 1982 death Anchor and reporter Thanh Truongs last day on air at WWL-TV will be Friday, but audiences wont have to go long without hearing his baritone During the hearing last month, Burkhardt asserted Wells was a homicide victim and had been sexually abused but not by him. Did you ever sexually abuse him? And did you have anything to do with his murder? Burkhardts attorney, public defender Kat Shea, asked him. No, Burkhardt responded. Here are the latest updates on the virus and a map of where it has spread. In other developments: What to know: Here are tips on how to prepare and answers to questions about the virus. The Trump administration released several pages of guidelines on Monday. Markets creep back after rout Global stocks rose modestly today, and futures markets suggested that Wall Street would open higher, after the worst trading day since the 2008 financial crisis. Here are the latest market updates. In an effort to address the economic effects of the coronavirus outbreak, President Trump said he would meet today with Republican lawmakers to discuss a payroll tax cut and legislation to protect hourly wage earners who may have to miss work because of the virus. Related: After Saudi Arabia cut oil prices, producers in the U.S. and elsewhere are bracing for job losses. The exterior of the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, King of Prussia campus. Read more At least two dozen patients and 17 employees were potentially exposed to the new coronavirus by the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia cardiologist who was hospitalized with the virus Saturday the hospitals chief executive said in a statement Tuesday. The doctor, who is based in CHOPs King of Prussia location, directly treated about 24 patients over the course of four days after returning to work March 1 from a trip to a country where coronavirus is circulating, said Madeline Bell, the hospitals CEO, in a statement. He was taken by ambulance to Paoli Hospital on Saturday and transferred to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was in critical condition Monday. State and county officials declined to provide an update on his status Tuesday. This situation is a humbling reminder of the diligence we all must demonstrate when monitoring our own health and that of those around us, Bell said. The King of Prussia cardiology office and adjacent allergy clinic that closed Monday were cleaned and disinfected, and reopened Tuesday, she said. Numerous schools in the region were closed and cleaned because of contacts with the physician. Meanwhile, in a Tuesday afternoon news conference, Montgomery County officials said a 62-year-old woman living in the same house as the doctor had tested positive for the new coronavirus and is being hospitalized in isolation at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. County officials declined to specify the relationship between the woman and the doctor. Penn Medicine, meanwhile, says other HUP patients and staff are being protected. Chief medical officer PJ Brennan said the hospital is taking the strongest possible precautions to ensure the health and safety of all other patients, their families, and our staff while treating patients with coronavirus. He urged patients to continue the treatments prescribed by their doctors and keep any regularly scheduled visits. However as medical experts everywhere are counseling patients with respiratory symptoms should contact their doctors office before coming to an appointment at HUP or any other medical facility. Because risks of community transmission in the Philadelphia area remain low, the benefits of continuing with recommended treatments and health care visits outweigh the potential risk of contracting COVID-19, Brennan said. Staff writers Tom Avril and Ellie Silverman contributed to this article. First-generation and low-income students have a bright future at Willamette University, according to a national nonprofit thats working to expand access to higher education. Strive for College connects aspiring college students with personal mentors to guide them through the admission and financial aid processes. As part of its Strive Five recognition program, the nonprofit honored Willamette for meeting benchmarks related to graduation rates and successful outcomes among traditionally underrepresented students. Reflecting a longstanding commitment to Pell Grant recipients, Willamette exceeds the national averages for first-year student retention and six-year graduation rates. The universitys Student Success Hub helps make this possible. In terms of outcomes, more than 25% of Willamette graduates who occupied the bottom fifth of incomes as students moved to the top fifth as adults. This demonstrates the universitys success in preparing students for life after graduation, according to Strive for College. Strive Five distinctions are a set of data-based performance measures that indicate a tangible commitment to low-income and first-generation students. Colleges that partner with Strive for College and meet the criteria for at least one of these distinctions are awarded a customized badge to highlight their exceptional achievements. About Willamette University Based in Salem, Oregon, Willamette is the premier private university in the Pacific Northwest. Willamettes beautiful, historic campus located across the street from the Oregon State Capitol and co-located with Tokyo International University of America features a residential undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and two professional graduate schools: the College of Law and the Atkinson Graduate School of Management. A horse has broken free from a paddock and charged down a busy road in Sydney's east. Police rushed to Lawson Street at Matraville on Tuesday afternoon, when the animal was filmed galloping along the road. Video footage obtained by Seven News showed the horse canter along the left lane, before moving towards oncoming traffic. A bus was forced to come to a halt as the horse trotted towards it about 3pm. Police were unable to contain the horse, which has since been safely returned to the paddock. The bizarre sight comes after three baboons were on the loose outside one of Sydney's busiest hospitals last month. Animal handlers and police recaptured a male and two female baboons from the car park outside Royal Prince Alfred Hospital at Camperdown in Sydney's inner west after a 90-minute stand off on Tuesday February 25. The baboons were contained to the car park after escaping through a truck door when they were being transported to the hospital, where the male baboon was due to have a vasectomy. The incident reignited concerns over the welfare of animals used for experiments and more than 100 people staged a protest outside the hospital to animal experimentation. The CWs Black Lightning is the story of Jefferson Pierce, a vigilante with superpowers, a strong moral compass, and a really cool costume. Clearly, Jeffersons superhero swag is hereditary because his two daughters Anissa and Jennifer, have displayed their own unique powers. The actresses behind the characters bring years of experience to the roles. Many fans may have grown up watching former Disney darling, China Anne McClain, who plays Jennifer on the show. Nafessa Williams portrays Anissa, the eldest daughter of Black Lightning, and like McClain, boasts an impressive resume, including her previous work in soap operas. Nafessa Williams | Dipasupil/Getty Images Nafessa Williams, soap star The classic soap opera, One Life to Live, revolved around a diverse group of characters in the fictional town of Llanview, Pennsylvania. The show ran for 45 years and boasted a virtual revolving door of talent. Stars including Tommy Lee Jones, Nathan Fillion, and Tika Sumpter began their careers on One Life to Live. In 2011, Williams followed in their footsteps with a stint on the daytime drama. On the show, Williams portrayed Deanna Forbes, a young woman who was searching for her birth mother. During her search, a con man coerced her into participating in a pornographic film in exchange for keeping mum about a crime her friend had committed. Deanna eventually procured the information about her mother and left town to find her. Making the rounds After leaving One Life to Live, Williams made the rounds with various guest-starring television roles. She popped up briefly on another long-running soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful, on CBS. The actress also made appearances on Survivors Remorse, The Real Husbands of Hollywood, Code Black, and Twin Peaks. Williams continued working consistently and landed several roles in TV movies, big-screen features, and even a video game before nabbing the part of Anissa on Black Lightning. Black Lightning and beyond When Black Lightning premiered in 2018, Williams quickly became a fan-favorite, not merely due to her stellar acting, but also for portraying the first Black lesbian superhero on television. The show is now part of the ever-expanding Arrowverse on The CW, which could mean more prospects for guest-starring roles. Before the events of Crisis, the multi-show crossover event on The CW, Black Lightning existed in a separate universe than the other shows. Since Crisis, the multiverse ceased to exist, giving birth to Earth-Prime. Now, the heroes from Black Lightning live in the same world as Supergirl, The Flash, Batwoman, and Legends of Tomorrow. This storyline development could open up opportunities for Williams to appear on other shows in the Arrowverse. As her character continues to develop and her fan base grows, the chance to suit up with other heroes in a crossover event is the logical next step. Williams has historically been open to taking on roles outside of her regular gig on Black Lightning. While on a break from shooting the show, Williams co-starred in the 2019 action film, Black and Blue. She appeared alongside Naomie Harris, Tyrese Gibson, Frank Grillo, and Mike Colter. Fans who want to check out Williams work in the film can purchase or rent it on various platforms. Read more: Before Black Lightning China Anne McClain Was a Disney Star Sixers starters Joel Embiid (21) and Josh Richardson (white T-shirt) could return to the floor soon. Read more Joel Embiid has been listed as questionable for the Sixers game on Wednesday at the Wells Fargo Center that kicks off a four-game homestand. Josh Richardson is not on the injury report and is available. Both players returned to practice on Tuesday, the teams first practice since the Sixers ended a four-game road trip with Saturdays 118-114 loss in San Francisco. Embiid has missed the last five games after suffering a sprained left shoulder, and Richardson has been sidelined three games with a nose contusion and concussion. Embiid suffered his injury in the Sixers 108-94 loss at Cleveland on Feb. 26. The Sixers are 2-3 in the five games Embiid has missed and are 11-10 this season without the All-Star center. Richardson was injured in a 136-130 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on March 1. He has since cleared the concussion protocol. Richardson has missed 17 games this season, and the Sixers are 10-7 in those contests. I felt good today in practice. I went through the whole thing, Richardson said after practice Tuesday and before he was declared available for Wednesdays game. I played some pickup yesterday, so I feel pretty good. A Sixers official said that an update on Ben Simmons status should be coming in the next couple of days. Simmons has missed the last seven games because of a pinched nerve in his lower back. One thing is for sure, in Simmons absence, Shake Milton has earned a spot in the rotation and that wont change upon Simmons return. Milton has started the last seven games and has averaged 18.7 points and shot 62.2% from three-point range. Shake has obviously emerged to be a clear starting point guard in the group that we have, Sixers coach Brett Brown said. And youd have to expect him to be in a significant role, you know as Ben becomes healthy and comes back. He is really playing a high level of basketball. When Milton was asked if he has surprised himself with his recent play, he showed true candor. No, he said. I put in a lot of work, work with the coaches, try to watch film, and stay ready when my time is called. Another person who will stay in the starting lineup, even upon Embiids return, is Al Horford. Both Embiid and Horford have had trouble jelling, mostly due to a spacing issue. Horford operates best down low, where Embiid is at his dominating best. Brown actually brought Horford off the bench for three games, but re-inserted him in the starting lineup on Feb. 24 in a 129-112 win over the visiting Atlanta Hawks. When we dont have Ben, my intention is to play [Horford] with Joel and try to grow that, Brown said. Once Simmons returns, Brown wouldnt commit to Horford being a starter. When Ben comes back in the mix, we will re-evaluate it, but I feel that that period of time we are talking about is long enough for me," Brown said. "But I do want to invest in the Joel-Al pairing while we dont have Ben and see where that can go. Oil markets plummeted Friday, and the biggest loser in the collapse is likely to be the U.S. shale sector. From the perspective of truckers, the inevitable slide in diesel prices that is coming is going to be small comfort if you're a trucking company servicing the oil patch. In a week when the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported the highest-ever level of U.S. crude production, those trucking companies with a stake in the oil patch like Canada's Dalmac, which recently shuttered are likely to see a downturn in activity that could lead to other closures and certainly cutbacks. The final tally had lots of red ink. Ultra low sulfur diesel prices on the CME exchange dropped 10.33 cents a gallon, settling at $1.3852 per gallon, its lowest settlement since June 26, 2017. The decline was 6.94% on the day. Since a recent high settlement of $1.7068 per gallon on Feb. 19, the price of ULSD on CME is down 32.1 cents a gallon. ULSD actually performed stronger than the other major oil benchmarks. WTI crude which is going to be the price that matters most to transport companies doing work in the oil patch settled at $41.28 per barrel, down 11.19% to its lowest settlement also since June 2017. Brent crude, the world's benchmark, dropped to $45.27 per barrel, down 9.44%. RBOB gasoline slid 8.73% to $1.3890 a gallon. What happened in Vienna is that OPEC was recommending a reduction in its ceiling of 1 million barrels per day. Note that OPEC, mostly because of Saudi Arabia, already was producing about 270,000 barrels per day less than its quota in February, according to S&P Global Platts (though it was even more below the allocation in January). OPEC would have needed to cut a little over an additional 700,000 barrels per day. But it was asking the OPEC+ group to cut its output by 500,000 barrels a day less than its current quota, which has mostly been violated anyway. After lengthy discussions, the group said no, the meeting broke up, and at the end of this month, there is no longer any limitation on what OPEC can produce. Story continues The Russia-led OPEC+ alliance goes back to late 2016, so this was not a failure of an initial attempt to mate. There have been agreements in place for several years, though adherence to them has been, to be charitable, spotty. The speculation then was that Russia and the others figured there'd be a price rout and the victims of that collapse would be the U.S. shale producers who last week, according to the EIA, produced 13.1 million barrels a day for the first time ever. Those weekly figures are preliminary, and the later monthly figures that are seen as more accurate have generally been coming in less than the weekly average but not by a lot. Among the speculation about "why did Russia (and others) do it?" in other words, why did they take actions that they had to know were going to tank oil prices the "let's kill the shale business" argument comes up repeatedly. It is something Saudi Arabia tried back in 2014 without success. U.S. production rose incessantly and as the EIA numbers show, continues to rise. The latest Enverus U.S. rig count for the current week shows it actually rising by one, to 838. That's way down from the 1,085 of a year ago, but as the production levels show, for oil at least, the U.S. industry is getting more oil with fewer rigs. What's different from the price collapse of 2014 to 2016 theoretically is that the providers of capital that has made the shale explosion possible are demanding better returns. They don't want just paper profits and they don't want just rising levels of output. They want free cash flow and maybe even dividends; in other words, they want their investments to operate the way investments at most other businesses have been asked to operate for years. The stock prices of some of the major shale players are getting hammered along with everybody else, but it isn't new. For example, Oasis Petroleum is down to 81 cents per share, a drop of 84% from its 52-week high. Concho Resources was down 11.9% on the day, a drop of 47% from its 52-week high. But it won't be the stock price that matters. Companies similar to those two are highly dependent on debt. As an example: On Thursday, S&P Global Ratings downgraded the debt rating of Whiting Petroleum to CCC+, one of its lowest levels. What it said in its summary of the action is a warning to the entire sector. The action was taken, S&P said, "driven by its upcoming debt maturities amid weak oil prices and unsupportive capital markets, amplified by the global coronavirus outbreak." It's the "unsupportive capital market" that Russia may be looking at to help justify what it just did in Vienna. No capital and no more continual increase in U.S. oil production levels; that is the formula that may have been in the back of Russia's mind when it walked away from the table. Image Sourced from Pixabay See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Both the ruling Congress and opposition BJP in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday decided to herd their respective MLAs to undisclosed locations to prevent attempts to 'poach' them. A rattled Congress, which witnessed 22 of its MLAs resigning, decided to take remaining 92 legislators to an undisclosed location. "We are going to take our 92 MLAs who are supporting the state government to possibly some hotel," a senior Congress leader said. Jyotiraditya Scindia, to whose faction in MP Congress the rebel 22 MLAs belong, announced earlier on Tuesday that he was leaving the party. In the event of acceptance of resignations of 22 MLAs -- many of them lodged in Bengaluru, capital of BJP-ruled Karnataka -- the Kamal Nath government would be reduced to minority in Assembly whose current strength is 228. The Congress is also keeping a close watch on four Independents supporting it. The BJP also decided to keep its 107 MLAs together. After a meeting of the BJP Legislature Party, Leader of Opposition Gopal Bhargava said all the party MLAs were going to "celebrate Holi" at an undisclosed location. "We are going to celebrate Holi. We are going to the airport in buses. From there we will leave for the location as per the directives of party leaders," he said, without disclosing what their destination would be. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Donald Trump on Tuesday questioned Joe Biden's cognitive capabilities when he retweeted an accusation from 2016 presidential candidate Jill Stein on the matter, which the former vice president's campaign called the latest in a series of 'desperate smears.' 'Biden's team won't let him do interviews. He made 2 short teleprompter speeches in Missouri this weekend & both generated massive gaffes that went viral. You can't beat Trump by trying to hide to avoid the issue of #BidensCognitiveDecline. How is this not a massive red flag?,' Stein wrote and Trump retweeted. Stein was accused by Democrats of playing a spoiler role in the 2016 presidential primary by taking votes from Hillary Clinton in states like Michigan, which Bernie Sanders won and hopes to do so again in today's primary. Biden has done some TV interviews in the past week. He appeared on Lawrence O'Donnell's MSNBC show Monday night and was on the 'Today' Show last week. He did not appear on any of the Sunday morning public affairs shows while Sanders did interviews on four of them. The former vice president called Trump's criticism 'sad' and part of a series of 'desperate smears' at Biden as he surges ahead of Sanders. 'It's painfully obvious that Donald Trump and his campaign are getting more scared to face Joe Biden by the day. And they should be. We saw huge turnout numbers on Super Tuesday -- especially in swing districts -- with Biden winning big in the places Trump needs to keep his job. Trump and his allies have been lobbing these desperate smears at Joe Biden for 10 months. Super Tuesday made it clear they aren't working, and they won't work this fall either. Sad!,' Biden spokesman TJ Ducklo told Dailymail.com in a statement. President Donald Trump questioned Joe Biden's cognitive capabilities when he retweeted an accusation from 2016 presidential candidate Jill Stein Joe Biden's campaign called Trump accusation part of a series of 'desperate smears' as the former vice president has surged ahead of Bernie Sanders Jill Stein claimed Biden's campaign is hiding the former vice president Biden is expected to do well in Tuesday's round of primary contests, which would put more pressure on Sanders to exit the race. Trump has been advocating the claim that Democratic officials are trying to push Sanders out of the race on Biden's behalf, which the former vice president and his supporters have denied. In recent days, Biden has shortened the time he speaks at campaign rallies, which has raised questions about his stamina. Early on in the Democratic primary process, Biden faced questions about his health when he made several verbal gaffes on the campaign trail. On Saturday, Biden spoke for seven minutes in St. Louis this weekend and for 15 minutes at his next stop in Kanas City. Sanders' campaign also has raised questions about Biden's speaking time. 'Bernie has three public events just today in two different states, each speaking engagement extending for close to an hour,' Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir tweeted on Saturday amid reports of Biden's shortened speaking time. Ironically, in the past Biden has faced criticism for the opposite: being a loquacious speaker who speeches drag on. Biden is 77 years old while Sanders is 78 and Trump is 73. All are in the age category for greater risk of coronavirus. But none of the contenders have entertained the notion of closing campaign rallies even as large gatherings like the SXSW convention have been canceled. 'Im looking up to the CDC to get guidance on that,' Biden told MSNBC Monday night when asked if he'd continue to hold campaign rallies. Bernie Sanders' campaign also has questioned Joe Biden's shorter campaign speeches, which have led to questions about the former vice president's stamina Bernie Sanders' campaign manager tweeted about Joe Biden's speaking time The back-and-forth comes as six states vote in the Democratic primary on Tuesday; above voters at the Chrysler Elementary School in Detroit, Michigan, cast their ballot He noted he's no longer shaking hands on the rope line with attendees. He said he 'waved to people, went through, touched arms, fist bumped, that kind of thing. And I think youre going to see more of that on the part of everyone,' he noted. At Biden's campaign rally in Detroit Monday night, volunteers squirted hand sanitizer into people's hands before they came into the venue. Trump has said repeatedly he will continue to hold rallies despite the coronavirus scares. The president was seen shaking hands with supporters when he landed in Orlando, Fla., on Monday for a campaign fundraiser. Sanders also said his campaign would continue despite fears of the Coronavirus outbreak. Asked if and the other candidates - Biden and Trump - should limit their travel and avoid crowds, Sanders told CNN's 'State of the Union' on Sunday: 'In the best of all possible worlds, maybe. But right now, we're running as hard as we can.' Sprouted Wheat Crackers with Sea Salt You will need these ingredients to make these crackers: More delicious cracker recipes from Karen's Kitchen Stories: Sprouted Wheat Crackers with Sea Salt These sprouted wheat crackers with sea salt are a fun treat to bake and are perfect for snacking or as a party appetizer. Sprouted Wheat Crackers with Sea Salt Print With Image Without Image Yield: About 100 crackers Author: Karen Kerr These sprouted wheat crackers with sea salt are a perfectly crispy snack, either plain, or topped with your favorite spread. ingredients: 170 grams (1 1/2 cups) sprouted wheat flour 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 57 grams (1/4 cup) frozen unsalted butter, coarsely grated 113 grams (1/2 cup) whole milk Olive oil and flake sea salt for topping instructions: How to cook Sprouted Wheat Crackers with Sea Salt Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Toss with the grated butter. Add the milk and stir until you have a cohesive dough. Knead the dough for about a minute with your hands. Divide the dough in half and flatten each half into 1 inch thick rectangles. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Roll each dough half to 1/16 inch or thinner between two pieces of parchment paper. Remove the top piece of parchment paper. Cut the dough into 1 to 2 inch wide shapes. Lightly brush the dough with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Place each parchment piece on a sheet pan. Bake each pan, one at a time, for 12 to 15 minutes, until crispy. https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2020/03/sprouted-wheat-crackers-with-sea-salt.html Karen's Kitchen Stories crackers crackers, appetizers American Did you make this recipe? Tag @KarensKitchenStories on instagram and hashtag it #KarensKitchenStories Created using The Recipes Generator These sprouted wheat crackers with sea salt are a perfectly crispy snack, either plain, or topped with your favorite spread.These sprouted wheat crackers are surprisingly easy to make too! The sprouted wheat is very soft and blends will with the butter and milk to make pretty foolproof dough.I had some sprouted wheat flour in the freezer leftover from this sprouted wheat bread (you can also read more about sprouted wheat), so when our host this month, Sneha, announced that we would be making crackers, I couldn't wait to try making these.These crackers were such a happy surprise! They baked up super crispy and had wheat-y and slightly buttery flavor, and were delicious on their own as a snack.The ingredient list for these crackers is pretty simple. All you need is butter, milk, baking powder, salt, and sprouted wheat flour. I was happy to find it in my nearest grocery store. If you can't find it locally, you can find it online from sources such as King Arthur Flour.The two things that really helped me roll out these crackers evenly and super thin were quality parchment paper and a specialty rolling pin with these little thickness rings that hold the rolling pin to just the right measurement over the dough.I know, I know, you probably already have a rolling pin, but I have no regrets getting this rolling pin for when I want to roll out cookie dough, pie crusts, or crackers to an even thickness (or thinness!).Check out how evenly and thinly you can roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper.I just wish I could get the edges to be even and squared!I used a pizza wheel to trim the edges and then, feeling all geometrical, cut the rolled out dough into parallelograms and rhombuses, but you can cut the dough into squares, rectangles, or even use a cookie cutter to make circles.Fortunately, you don't have to separate the crackers after you cut them. Just place the dough, still on the parchment paper, onto a baking sheet and bake the crackers in a 375 degree F oven.These crackers could easily be compared to Wheat Thins, except that they get their slight sweetness from the sprouted wheat rather than sugar.Right before baking, brush the cut dough with olive oil and sprinkle with flaked sea salt. I'm in love with Fleur de Sel de Camargue . I actually still have the little cardboard container with the cork top that I brought back from my one and only trip to France. It reminds me of that wonderful trip.Plus, the salt is like nothing else.You can serve these crackers with spreads, cheeses, smoked salmon, or simply plain. I suggest trying them with this celery leaf pesto . The combination was so delicious.They would also be wonderful spread with this pimento cheese This month the Bread Bakers group is baking crackers. Be sure to check out everyone's recipes.#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here . Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page . We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.This recipe was adapted from King Arthur Flour. Be sure to shop their site for the most amazing ingredients. . , - . , . ... 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. Memphis, TN -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/10/2020 -- Watson Burns, PLLC, was founded by Frank L. Watson, III, and William F. Burns in the year 2005. Watson Burns provides civil litigation services in Tennessee and throughout the nation. The firm handles a diverse mix of cases but primarily focuses its practice on protecting the rights of consumers and those individuals or companies injured or damaged by the acts of others. The firm has achieved substantial success in prosecuting class action litigation, legal malpractice claims, wrongful death, and cases involving dangerous and defective products. "Mr. Watson, the founder of Watson Burns PLLC, formerly a partner with Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, the largest law firm in Tennessee, has been trying cases for 22 years. He has represented clients before courts throughout the nation, including federal and state courts in Arkansas, Alabama, California, Illinois, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington," commented the company spokesperson. "He has substantial experience representing both plaintiff and defendants in complex/multi-district litigation and class action cases in the areas of securities fraud, antitrust violations, consumer products, FINRA arbitrations, and corporate governance claims as well as significant personal injury matters involving defective products and trucking companies." A legal malpractice lawyer deals with the cases in which clients have suffered damage or damages due to the carelessness or mistakes of another lawyer. Legal malpractice can be of various forms such as breach or negligence of contract, breach of fiduciary duty. In such circumstances, a client can file a lawsuit against the lawyer, and a legal malpractice lawyer assists him with proving that a lawyer is accused of malpractice, i.e., committed a mistake or breached the duty towards the client. As such, victims of legal malpractice will require services of the best malpractice lawyers in Memphis, TN, for legal advice and representation. "There are many different types of class action lawsuits. Every state has their own class action lawsuit laws, including the number of damages that may be awarded," explained the company spokesperson. "Depending on the state, the types of class action lawsuits include products liability/personal injury, consumer class action, securities class actions, and employment class actions. Contacting a Memphis class action lawsuit attorney will help victims navigate through the process and explain their class action legal options." Watson Burns PLLC majorly specializes in complex and class action lawsuits, notably representing defendants throughout the country. Regarding class action work, the firm has successfully handled a broad range of cases, including the arising claims such as consumer protection, and they have collected over 150 million US dollars for its clients. The law firm prides itself on its team of professionals who have in-depth experience in antitrust claims, financial investments, legal malpractice, defective and unreasonably dangerous products, and significant personal injury claims. About Watson Burns, PLLC Watson Burns, PLLC, provides civil litigation services in Tennessee and throughout the nation that focuses on protecting the rights of consumers, individuals, or companies harmed by the actions of others. Besides, the firm handles the class action matters on a contingency fee basis. As such, they don't get paid unless they obtain a recovery for the litigation. New York: With Harvey Weinstein facing sentencing this week, his lawyers argued on Monday that the disgraced movie mogul deserves mercy in his New York City rape case because he's already suffered a "historic" fall from grace and is dealing with serious health issues. Harvey Weinstein at court in February. Credit:AP Weinstein's defence team asked a judge in court papers to consider a sentence of only five years, far short of the potential 29-year maximum term allowed by law. The papers argue Weinstein should get credit for supporting various charitable causes during his rise to one of Hollywood's most powerful producers. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10) A male resident of Imus, Cavite tested positive for the coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, Governor Janvic Remulla said Tuesday. Remulla said the man is a seafarer who passed through Narita Airport in Japan. He is currently confined at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa City. It is not clear if he is one of the 33 positive cases the Department of Health reported. Remulla said a woman confined in a private hospital in Imus is also under monitoring for possible infection. President Rodrigo Duterte placed the country under a state of public health emergency on March 8, upon the recommendation of health officials after they confirmed a local transmission of the disease. Voters wait to cast their ballots at the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library in Denver, Colorado on March 3, 2020. (Jason Connolly/AFP via Getty Images) Over 10,000 17-Year-Olds Vote in Colorado Primary Election Over 10,000 17-year-olds voted in Colorados primary elections last week, a state official said, an anomaly in a nation where only those 18 or older usually vote. The Democratic and Republican primary elections were the first time in Colorados history where 17-year-olds voted. The voting came after the 2019 Colorado Votes Act (pdf) passed the state legislature last year. Only 17-year-olds who turn 18 by Novembers general election were allowed to vote. Out of 23,504 active registered 17-year-olds, 10,634 voted, Secretary of State Jena Griswold said this week. As the youngest Secretary of State in the country, it is important to me that young peoples voices are heard in Colorado elections, Griswold, 35, said in a statement. To see young people so engaged from their first opportunity to vote gives me great hope that our state will continue to be the gold standard in election turnout for decades to come. Of the 17-year-olds that cast ballots, 6,841 voted in the Democratic primary and 3,235 voted in the Republican primary. The others are still being processed. Colorados counties are still counting ballots through March 11. Some 17-year-olds will be able to vote again on June 30 in the states primary and general election on Nov. 3. According to Griswolds office, 17 other states and the District of Columbia also let 17-year-olds vote in primaries as long as theyre 18 by that years general election. Those states include Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina, and Utah, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The federal voting age is 18. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), 78, won the Democratic primary in Colorado with 36.8 percent of the vote as of March 10. Former Vice President Joe Biden, 77, came in second with 24.7 percent of the vote. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, 78, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), 70, came in third and fourth, respectively. Both have since dropped out of the race. The national human rights council (CNDH) demystified an array of issues that characterized the Al Hoceima protests in late 2016, which were blurred by fake news and disinformation campaigns by groups outside Morocco. In a 400-page report, CNDH looked from a human rights perspective at AL Hoceimas protests and investigated torture and violation claims in the area. During the last three years, the public opinion consumed 80% of fake news on Al Hoceima protests, deplored CNDH chairwoman Amina Bouayach. The council noted the peaceful character of the protests in the beginning before derailing into acts of violence. The protest leader Nasser Zefzafi adopted a dangerous rhetoric instigating violence.then he violated the freedom of worship at a mosque, Bouayach said at a news conference. Rif protests started after a fishmonger was crashed to death in a garbage truck after his fish was confiscated by authorities. His tragic death fueled a protest movement bringing together thousands to the streets demanding jobs, better hospitals, a university and social justice. On Tuesday, Italy began imposing nationwide travel restrictions and strict public health measures to contain coronavirus an attempted lockdown of 60 million people. In China, at least 50 million people in Wuhan and nearby cities in Hubei province have been under a mandatory quarantine since Jan. 23. Meanwhile, the number of cases of COVID-19 in San Francisco continues to rise, with five new confirmed cases on Monday bringing the total to 13. California has 114 total cases. While these numbers are nowhere near those in China or Italy, residents can't help but wonder could we see a lockdown here? Dr. Jeffrey Martin, a professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at UCSF, doesn't think so. "I would not imagine that there is going to be a jump from what's going on right now to the same kind of measures youre seeing elsewhere," said Martin. "I think things will be with a more graded approach." So far, San Francisco's only mandatory measure to stop the spread of the virus has been banning City-owned facilities from hosting any non-essential group events for two weeks, effective as of March 7. Rather than implementing more draconian measures, Martin expects future efforts to be focused on educating people about limiting the spread of the virus instead partly because "the American public likes its freedom," explained Martin. "The good news is I think we could make a good dent in this with social distancing," he added. Social distancing is the practice of avoiding close contact with others, whether that means companies allowing employees to work from home or universities pivoting to online classes. "If you go from contacting 40 people a day down to four, that could have a substantial impact on the spread of the virus," said Martin. "I think once people get a better understanding of why its being done, people will be more willing to participate." With the virus' higher risk for the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, Martin hopes that the community's sense of altruism could help get people to comply with social distancing. Plus, in today's virtually connected world, avoiding physical contact with others is much easier than it used to be. "This could be one of the greatest unanticipated advantages of the technology era something that wasn't around in the influenza pandemic of 1918," he said. "Now, you can text or go to Safeway.com and get your business done so the technology may actually be our greatest friend in the next couple of months." However, with a lot more testing for the coronavirus happening in San Francisco in the next few weeks, Martin says that the response will depend greatly on those results. He explained that full containment may no longer be possible, so "mitigation" is the next phase: slowing the spread of the virus in the community so hospitals don't get overwhelmed. "[The virus is] not just floating in the air. It floats in the air for a little while after you cough, but it quickly goes to the ground and doesn't live on surfaces for days on end," he said. "So it's really about if you can avoid close contact with people." Experts aren't sure yet exactly how long the novel coronavirus can last on surfaces, although a study examining the lifespan of the similar SARS coronavirus showed it lasting up to 5 days on certain surfaces. The most extreme measures other countries have taken to slow the spread of COVID-19: China: Wuhan and nearby cities in Hubei province have put at least 50 million people under a mandatory quarantine since Jan. 23. All mass gatherings have been cancelled and electronic surveillance is being used to detect cases. Iran: Iran shut down its schools, universities and cultural centers on February 23. Authorities temporarily released some 70,000 prisoners over concerns about the virus spreading in the country's prisons. Israel: Two weeks of home quarantine has been ordered for anyone arriving from overseas. Italy: The only travel allowed will be for proven work reasons, for health conditions or other cases of necessity, effective Tuesday until April 3. Other restrictions include extending the closures of schools and universities and closing restaurants and bars at dusk. All public gatherings, from weddings to sporting events, are also banned. Japan: All schools are shut down until early April. Qatar: Travel to 15 nations including Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Lebanon, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria and Thailand has been cut off. Saudi Arabia: Air and sea travel to 14 countries affected by the new virus was closed off on Monday. Spain: Madrid and other hard-hit regions have temporarily closed all educational institutions. South Korea: South Korea is randomly testing thousands of people, including at drive-through stations. Drivers pull into parking lots, give saliva samples, get their temperatures measured, and then get their results texted to them. Madeline Wells is an SFGATE associate digital reporter. Email: madeline.wells@sfgate.com | Twitter: @madwells22 MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: Sagami Phila at 8605 Germantown Ave., on the former site of Osaka. Read more Sagami Phila, a Japanese restaurant, opened Friday in Chestnut Hill. Although it is unrelated to Sagami in Collingswood, the regions most honored Japanese restaurant, it does seem to have a link to Osaka, the restaurant in the same building that closed in September 2019 after the city revoked its commercial-activity license over unpaid taxes. Osaka, which was open for 16 years at 8605 Germantown Ave., also caught the attention of the U.S. Department of Labor. In February 2019, on the first day of a trial in U.S. District Court, Osakas owners agreed to pay $1 million to settle federal allegations of stealing tips from 201 employees and not paying overtime. A year after the agreement, the debt remains unsatisfied, a Labor Department spokesperson said, and it is not clear how much, if anything, has been paid. The spokesperson declined to specify the terms of the agreement. Osaka owner Kwang Bum Kim, who with his son James was named in the federal lawsuit, denied being involved with Sagami Phila and declined to comment on the $1 million settlement during a brief telephone conversation in January, interpreted by his friend. The attorneys for Osaka and the Kims did not return The Inquirers emails and multiple calls seeking comment. Sagami Philas city health inspections, conducted March 2 and March 5 before its opening, include the names Kwang B. Kim and Rebekah Wolf as persons in charge of the restaurant, whose corporation is Sagami Philly LLC. The reports identify the corporate officer as Young Gum Lee. Wolf was a longtime Osaka manager. During a brief interview on March 7 at the restaurant, she said the new owner, whom she identified as Young Hee Lee, had found her number and invited her to work at Sagami Phila. Wolf said Kim and his wife, Sun Ja Kim, only own the building. The Kims own another Osaka restaurant in Lansdale. Wolf did not explain who Young Gum Lee is. During an Inquirer visit to the Chestnut Hill restaurant in late January during renovations, Wolf also had said Young Hee Lee was the owner. Records show that Young Hee Lee, who lives in Horsham, is a sister of Kwang Bum Kim, 73, who lives in Blue Bell. The Inquirer asked Kim about the apparent family tie, and he declined to comment. The corporate registration for Sagami Philly LLC, filed with the state in February, does not show the name of the owner. City officials would not comment on the possibility that Kim might be involved with a new business at the same location as one that was ordered to close. A city spokesperson said Osakas commercial license remains revoked because of back taxes. Under state law, details about a tax liability are confidential, the spokesperson said. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Labor would not address actions the department was taking to collect the settlement. Of the $1 million settlement, about $935,000 was earmarked for 201 workers who are owed back wages and damages for what the Labor Department called "willful violations of U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act minimum-wage and overtime requirements. The restaurant owners also agreed to pay a $65,000 penalty. The government has several options when pursuing a debt, including garnishing pay and seizing assets. The Labor Departments Wage and Hour Division has fined several Philadelphia-area restaurants following investigations responding to workers who believed that their pay was shorted. At Osaka, investigators said they found that from at least Sept. 1, 2013, the employers deducted and pocketed 15% of customer tips charged on credit cards, well in excess of the 4% fee charged by credit-card processors, the division said in a statement. The employers also failed to notify tipped employees, including servers, bartenders, bussers, and hosts, that the restaurants were claiming a portion of their customer tips as a credit toward the minimum wage, according to the Labor Department. The agency said the restaurants also violated overtime law, since at least Sept. 1, 2013, adding that hourly tipped employees received straight time for all hours worked, even when their time records showed them working more than 40 hours. The employers also paid sushi chefs, hibachi chefs, kitchen cooks, and dishwashers flat daily rates ranging from $80 to $150 for all hours worked, even when their time records showed them working upward of 50 to 60 hours per week, the department said. Meanwhile, Chestnut Hill neighbors have been peppering Chizuko Fukuyoshi with questions about the new Sagami Phila restaurant. Since 1974, Fukuyoshi and her husband, Shigeru, have owned Sagami restaurant in Collingswood, which made the James Beard Foundations semifinalist list in 2017 and 2019 for the outstanding restaurant in America. We have to tell people this is not us, Chizuko Fukuyoshi said. It is frustrating." Sky News Property developers and those who missold dangerous building products have been warned they will have to "pay to put things right" as the government announced fresh action to solve the cladding scandal. Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, warned those responsible for the crisis that they are being "put on notice" as he pledged that leaseholders living in a development above 11 metres would no longer have to pay to fix safety problems. Since then, the cladding scandal has trapped leaseholders in unsafe and unsellable homes. During supply chain disruption, Corra Group can provide simple but comprehensive research reports that address specific priorities and objectives, concerning alternate supply channels, said Corra Group Co-Founder, Gordon Basichis. Corra Group is conducting research reports for businesses in need of new sources that will assist them with managing their supply chains in these times of volatility and disruption. The El Segundo, California based background checking and business research service can assist with determining viable vendors both domestically and globally. The Coronavirus has created a wake up call among business entities around the world that it is no longer practical, in fact, even dangerous to rely on China or any one country for critical materials and services, said Corra Group Co-Founder, Gordon Basichis. This virulent outbreak has made it clear than no single nation can monopolize production where in a matter of weeks the global economy is threatened with collapse. As most I am sure realize, this is but a single incident in a potential cycle of increased volatility where alternate sources for production and supply chain management will be desperately needed. Corra Group can provide simple but comprehensive business research reports that address specific issues, priorities and objectives, concerning alternate supply channels, said Basichis. These reports are cost effective and are responsive to target manufacturers and suppliers a business may be considering as a substitute vendor. We can conduct research and create custom reports for companies of interest both here in the United States and around the world. Basichis remarked that Corra Group can also provide business credit reports for businesses around the world. He noted that Corra Group can include reputational searches as well as criminal and civil records background checks as part of its reports. Corra Group has been conducting due diligence searches for some time, said Basichis. We understand that while looking into a business it is wise to research the principals to ascertain any criminal or civil records that would serve as red flags. Reputational references are vital to a research report as often those references who are familiar with a business can issue cautionary warnings ahead of information you would potentially find in data searches alone. The worlds businesses are scrambling to find alternative suppliers, said Basichis. Corra Group can assist with gaining a better comprehension of the viability and capacity of a potential vendor. We all realize with critical materials and supply chain management there is a sense of urgency. But the last thing anyone wants to do is make a mistake. BACKGROUND: Corra operates as Corra Group and Corra Global Research specializes in employment screening and corporate research and due diligence. It is one of the few companies that will answer the phone. You can review the website at http://www.corragroup.com Cyber criminals have sent a $30 million ransom demand to one of the country's biggest car auction houses after using malware to lock it out its computer system. The Australian branch of Manheim Auctions has previously confirmed it was the target of a ransomware attack on February 14 but in a statement released on Tuesday, WA's Consumer Protection agency revealed the extent of the attack and how much the cyber criminals were asking for. Manheim's national operations have ground to a halt as a result of the attack. Manheim has locations right across the country and sells cars over its website, which has been offline since the attack. Manheim took to its Facebook page after the attack to tell customers it had restricted access to some its computer systems. TORONTO - Ryerson University has been ordered by an Ontario judge to transfer millions of dollars it has been withholding from the school's student union. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/3/2020 (671 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. TORONTO - Ryerson University has been ordered by an Ontario judge to transfer millions of dollars it has been withholding from the school's student union. Justice Markus Koehnen says in a decision released Monday that if he did not grant an injunction requested by the student union, it would be forced to shut down. The justice says while on balance not granting the injunction would have relatively little impact on the university, it would have a serious impact on services provided by the student union. The court battle came after Ryerson's student newspaper reported last January that student union credit card statements apparently showed expenditures of more than $250,000 over eight months. The Canadian Press has not seen the credit card statements and the union's financial controller declined to comment on the matter at the time of the allegations. The school subsequently told the student union it would withhold the fees it collects from students for the union until a forensic audit was conducted and the results shared with the university, and a new operating agreement was negotiated. The student union says it welcomes the judge's decision and that the fees pay for important student services. Ryerson's vice-provost says the school will respect the injunction and continue to recognize the group as Ryerson's official student government. The Ryerson Student Union receives approximately $4.6 million a year from the school through student fees. It uses that money to fund over 200 student groups and provide services, legal advice and academic advocacy. In his decision, Koehnen says both the school and student union should work together to break down misunderstandings that have developed over the last year regarding spending controls. But Koehnen says the impact of withholding the funding from the student union would cause it to close its doors in a month. "It is not Ryerson's money but the RSU's," the judge wrote in his decision. "Requiring Ryerson to give the RSU what is theirs to start with is also not burdensome or costly to Ryerson." The student union says the decision affirms that students should determine who represents them. "These fees fund vital student services like sexual violence and equity supports and health and dental coverage," the student union said in a statement Tuesday. "The Court also affirmed RSU as the student government, following a 70-year legacy as the democratic voice of students on campus responsible for advancing student interests and protecting their rights." Ryerson University's vice-provost Jen McMillen says the school looks forward to working with the student union to "ensure that a model of good governance and financial accountability forms the basis of a relationship that puts the student experience first." This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2020. Therefore, one must ask: is it ever going to be used inside another car? Believe it or not, the V-8 might live on but not inside a Caddy, according to a recent report. Were back with extra info on the topic of Cadillacs Blackwing V-8 engine. The 4.2-liter double-overhead cam mill had a short life inside the now-dead CT6-V and by the looks of it, Cadillac wont drop it inside the new Escalade or the souped-up CT5. It looks like the Blackwing V-8 is heading to Italy to power a new sportscar LISTEN 02:45 Update: GM responded to Hagerty's reporthttps://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/articles/2020/03/09/gm-responds-mat-blackwing-v8-deal-up-in-air-for-now with a statement that denies any agreement with MAT: "The story regarding the 4.2L V-8 Blackwing engine is not accurate. We do not have an agreement in place with Manifattura Automobili Torino (MAT) to provide or sell the Blackwing engine. Furthermore, although MAT may be working with the Punch Group, we have not licensed this engine as part of the Turin Propulsion Engineering Center sale to Punch Group." MAT also replied by claiming that "we [MAT] were under the impression that our counterpart was committing to making this engine available to MAT at conditions yet to be defined," although a signed agreement never happened. What will happen to the Blackwing V-8? According to a recent report by Hagerty, Cadillacs Blackwing V-8 is headed to Europe; Italy, to be more precise, to the developers of the new Lancia Stratos and the 1,985-horsepower Aspark Owl all-electric hypercar. Thats right, the Blackwing V-8 is heavily linked to Manifattura Automobili Torino (or MAT), which is looking to use it in a new car its currently brewing. Those who remember the 2019 Geneva Motor Show will undoubtedly recall the reborn, Ferrari F430-based Lancia Stratos shown in Switzerland by MAT. As it turns out, MAT is working on a new project and that project will benefit from the adoption of Caddys Blackwing twin-turbocharged powerplant. Back in January 2020, we reported that the CT5 range-topper will get a V-8 engine, but not the Blackwing. Instead, the supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 from the CTS-V would sit under its hood. One month later, another report had Cadillac President Steve Carlisle on record saying his company doesnt have a plan for the Blackwing engine at the moment. Not great news by any means. Coming back to Maniffatura Automobili Torino, president Paolo Garella revealed to Hagerty that the company is working on another limited-production model based on the companys own design. Whats more, Mr. Garella could confirm that we [MAT] have an agreement with General Motors. Its a very-very interesting engine, a 4.2-liter twin-turbo reverse-flow V-8. The Blackwing V-8 uses a hot-vee arrangement of its two turbochargers (i.e. inside the valley formed by the cylinder banks), producing 550 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque. Engine Blackwing V-8 Blackwing V-8 Horsepower 500 550 Torque 553 627 Whats more, MAT will be working with Punch Torino, who now owns the former General Motors Propulsion Engineering Center in Turin. Theyll also be responsible for developing the Blackwing V-8. That said, we cant be happier that the Blackwing V-8 wont be lost and forgotten in the back of an abandoned depot. We just hope MAT reveals its creation sooner rather than later. Arlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill have cancelled their planned trip to Washington on Wednesday as part of the St Patrick's Day celebrations. The Executive Office confirmed Northern Ireland's First and deputy First Minister were cancelling their trip due to the coronavirus outbreak. Mrs Foster said that while it was "an enormous opportunity to showcase Northern Ireland in DC," their "priority is dealing with the spread of coronavirus". Read More Mrs Foster and Ms O'Neill will attend a COBRA meeting on the coronavirus at Downing Street on Wednesday. They had been due to stay in Washington until Friday and attend the annual White House St Patrick's Day reception. Economy Minister Diane Dodds is currently in the United States to host a programme of events promoting business investment in Northern Ireland. The Executive Office said that she will "attend a number of engagements with influential stakeholders over the coming days in Washington to deliver the message that Northern Ireland is open for business". Mrs Foster outlined the reasons for the cancellation. This has been a difficult decision but we felt that in the light of the developing situation it was the only one we could take," the DUP leader said. "The deputy First Minister and I were both involved in yesterdays COBRA meeting and will continue to engage with ministerial colleagues and health professionals to ensure our response is guided by the latest scientific advice. While it is disappointing to cancel this important trip, our focus has to be on fulfilling our role in protecting public health. Ms O'Neill said an all-Ireland co-ordination between health and medical professionals on a daily basis. "I am in regular contact with Tanaiste Simon Coveney and health ministers north and south are also working closely," the Sinn Fein vice-President said. It is regrettable that we must suspend our travel to the US to meet with political leaders and potential investors, but it is necessary. We were going to deliver the message that the north is open for business and is a great place to invest. We look forward to working with the new Special Envoy Mick Mulvaney and his colleague, Consul General Elizabeth Kennedy Trudeau, to build on our strong economic links as we work to protect our interests after Brexit. Units to Meet Emerging Agricultural Industry Demand PHOENIX, AZ, March 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Taronis Technologies, Inc., (Taronis or the Company) (TRNX), a sustainability technologies company with patented water decontamination and conservation applications, today announced that based on recent business development efforts, the Company has elected to proceed with the construction of three new Venturi plasma arc sterilization units. All three units would be dedicated to serving the hog industry in North Carolina. The configuration and end use of each unit will differ, as follows: The first unit will be a mobile 300KW water sterilization unit. The primary purpose of this unit will be to periodically treat hog farm lagoons. The unit will be used to kill pathogens, eliminate ammonia, and otherwise improve the water quality. This unit will be specifically designed to rotate across a number of lagoons in a designated area. The second unit will be designed as a stationary 300 KW water sterilization unit. The primary purpose of this unit will be to operate continuously in tandem with an anaerobic digester at a large-scale hog farm. The objective for this unit will be to sterilize all waste water as it exits the anaerobic digester prior to entering the lagoon. The expected outcome is that if the mobile unit first treats the same lagoon, and the stationary unit is permanently treating all recycled water thereafter, the combined result will be a lagoon that is now permanently cleaner. This is also expected to have a dramatic impact on the water and air quality in close proximity to the lagoon thereafter. Lastly, the third unit would be an entirely new design for Taronis. This would be a 300 KW mobile metal reclamation plasma arc unit. The Company recently secured a patent for the recovery of dissolved metals. During the USDA funded validation project recently completed, Taronis was able to confirm that the plasma arc ionizes metals, enabling for enhanced metal recovery. This new unit will be used to test the ability to efficiently recover copper, iron, zinc, phosphorus and potassium from the sediment trapped at the bottom of lagoons. The Company may also look to experiment with an entirely new design for a 500 KW Venturi plasma arc unit for this application. Story continues Our recent business development efforts have been very promising, commented Scott Mahoney, CEO of Taronis. We are excited to begin the process of commercializing our technology to serve a massive end market in the hog industry. We are also very encouraged to uncover a compelling new business model within that space that could truly benefit from our unique ability to recover dissolved metals from animal waste. About Taronis Technologies, Inc. Taronis Technologies, Inc. (TRNX) owns a patented plasma arc technology that enables two primary end use applications for fuel generation and water decontamination. The Company holds a 7% royalty on the global use of its fuel generation intellectual property. The initial commercialized renewable fuel product license is disrupting an $8 billion global metal cutting fuel market. The Companys technology can also be implemented for the decontamination of waste water, including sterilizing water, eradicating all pathogens. The technology is being tested to determine if it can completely eliminate pharmaceutical contaminants such as antibiotics, hormones and other soluble drugs suspended in contaminated water. Lastly, the technology process is capable of reducing or eliminating other contaminants, such as harmful metals, as well as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels. The technology has prospective commercial applications in the agricultural, pharmaceutical, and municipal waste markets. For more information on Taronis, please visit the Company's website at http://www.TaronisTech.com . Taronis also owns a controlling interest in Water Pilot, LLC. The WATER PILOT System immediately reduces water consumption and provides you with live remote consumption monitoring for long term leak protection and water asset management. An integral, client based alarm and notification system that reports to any mobile device. Water Pilot may be appropriate for a wide range of businesses or properties with a water meter. For more information, please visit our website at www.gowaterpilot.com/ FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined within Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements relate to future events, including our ability to raise capital, or to our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects our current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. For a discussion of these risks and uncertainties, please see our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our public filings with the SEC are available from commercial document retrieval services and at the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. 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, With malice toward none, with charity toward all, the president sought to bind the wounds of the nation In August 1864, President Abraham Lincoln was so unpopular and the war so hated that he was certain he would not be reelected in November. In Every Drop of Blood: The Momentous Second Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2020, $28), journalist and historian Edward Achorn tells the remarkable story of how Lincoln won a second term, and then on Inauguration Day gave a timeless speech in which he argued that the war had been just and that nations new task was to heal the wounds of both battle and bitterness. How did Lincoln turn the tide? Before the election, Lincoln was seen by Radical Republicans as a timid man who had not provided the stern leadership needed to win the war. Democrats viewed him as a vile tyrant who had all but destroyed America by throwing his political enemies, including newspaper editors, in jail without due process and by pressing to make African Americans the social equals of whites. Lincoln wrote on August 23, This morning, as for some days past, it seems exceedingly probable that this Administration will not be re-elected. Shermans capture of Atlanta in September finally made it seem the war might be won, and Lincoln was able to persuade the public, as he put it, that it is not best to swap horses while crossing the river. Finally, he worked very hard to get pro-Lincoln soldiers to the polls. Set the scene at the U.S. Capitol on Inauguration Day, March 4, 1865. It had been raining for days, and the accumulated dirt and horse manure on the streets of Washington had turned into a watery yellow mud that splashed up on everybody and everything. Tens of thousands of people had been undeterred, though, and came to Washington to celebrate, more than filling every hotel. That morning, fierce winds tore through the city. Reporters lamented the ruined dresses of women who came to the Capitol for the inaugural events a very big deal in those days. There was some fear that Lincoln would not be able to adhere to tradition and take the oath on the steps of the Capitol, on a wooden platform built for the occasion. But the rain let up enough for that to happen, and as he rose to give the speech the sun burst through the clouds. Many in the audience thought that providential, a sign from God that better times were coming. In writing his second inaugural address, Lincoln spent many months trying to make sense of the war and find a way to ease the hatred that divided the states. When did this process start and how did he craft his thesis? Lincoln seemed haunted by the question of what this hellish war meant. How could a just God permit so much death and agony? How could He not side with North, which in Lincolns view was fighting to save the last best hope on Earth for human freedom? How could He seemingly be against both sides? In 1862, he wrote down some of these thoughts and concluded that Gods purpose might be something different from the purpose of either party. He mined these thoughts in the Second Inaugural Address, concluding that the war was Gods judgment on America for the evil of slavery, and the country was obligated to use all necessary means however horrific to finally root it out. Lincoln believed that God would punish AmericaNorth and Southfor the great sin of slavery and that he owed the country an explanation for the price it had to pay. Talk about how his religious beliefs were expressed in the inaugural address. Lincolns address was remarkable. He had struggled to save America at great cost and stood on the brink of finally winning this ghastly war. Yet there is no hint of triumphalism in his words. The speech is all about the suffering that both North and South had endured. One of the few things still uniting Americans in early 1865 was their intense Christian faith, including the belief that a just God watched over them. Lincoln tapped into that to make the argument that neither side had triumphed that the war had been in Gods hands since no human could have imagined its magnitude. And God, Lincoln speculated, was using the war to end slavery. As he poignantly put it, if God willed the war to continue until every drop of blood drawn with the lash applied against the enslaved shall be paid by another drawn by the sword, the judgments of God could be deemed true and righteous together. It is in this context that Lincoln spoke so beautifully of binding up the nations wounds and proceeding with malice toward none, with charity for all. Both sides had been wrong. Both sides had perpetuated slavery. Both sides had to come together and move on. Explain how the Book of Genesis words about tyranny formed the core of Lincolns moral beliefsincluding his hatred of slavery and his veneration of the Union. Lincoln had always been struck forcefully by a passage in Genesis, in which God punishes Adam for his disobedience by condemning him, and his successors in human history, to lifetimes of work to survive. As God puts it, In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread. At the core of Lincolns moral beliefs at the core of his hatred for slavery and love of individual liberty was the belief that every man deserved to keep what he had earned from the sweat of his brow. No government, no aristocracy, no slaveholder had a right to deprive a fellow human of what they had earned for themselves. During his celebrated debates in 1858 against Senator Stephen Douglas, he said this was the real issue that would grip America long after he and Douglas were gone. Lincoln said of tyranny: No matter what shape it comes, whether from the mouth of a king who seeks to bestride the people of his nation and live by the fruit of their labor, or from one race of men as an apology for enslaving another race, it was the same tyrannical principle. Lincoln believed that public opinion was central to whom would hold power in a representative democracy and that it was how well a speaker could frame an argument that meant the difference between winning and losing. The secret of Lincolns rise to power was his ability to connect to voters through his words. He worked and worked to be understood by the common people. The reporter Noah Brooks told a funny story about the reaction to Lincoln in the 1850s by one ornery Democrat who pounded his cane on the ground as he listened. Hes a dangerous man, sir! A damned dangerous man, the Democrat said. He makes you believe what he says, in spite of yourself! Lincoln understood the power of language in a system of self-government such as ours. Our government rests in public opinion. Whoever can change public opinion, can change the government, practically just so much, Lincoln said. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed. Consequently, he who molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or pronounces decisions. You can imagine how encouraging that is to someone like me, who works in his day job as an editorial writer and editor! What was it about Lincolns mastery of the English language and particularly his use of the rhythms of the King James Bible that made his inaugural address so timeless? Lincoln did not read widely but he read deeply. He read the King James Bible and the works of William Shakespeare over and over. He particularly loved a line in Hamlet: Theres a divinity that shapes our ends; rough-hew them how we will. He knew all about rough-hewn wood, of course, but when you think of it, that phrase is pretty much the theme of Second Inaugural Address: that humans might have fought the war, but God shaped its ends. People said he read the Bible as he would a good book. Sometimes when he was feeling miserable about the war, he would slump on a couch and start reading it and found great relief. Aside from any dimension of faith, he found it a fascinating source of wisdom about dealing with problems and what it means to be a human being. Im sure it was very useful to him as a politician, too, given the intense religious feeling of the voters. The resonance, tone and even language of the Second Inaugural are straight out of the Old Testament: a just God ultimately controls the world, and humans inevitably suffer at times for their errors and sins. The beautiful balancing of with malice toward none, with charity for all sounds to me like something from the Psalms or Shakespeare the most lovely use of the English language you can find anywhere. Talk about the reaction of prominent listeners to the speechFrederick Douglass, Walt Whitman, John Wilkes Booth. One of the key themes of the book is Frederick Douglasss evolving opinion about Lincoln. Well into the war, as a former slave, Douglass considered Lincoln a despicable, conniving, immoral politician who did not care about the fate of African Americans. He had hoped another man would be nominated in 1864, someone like then-Treasury Secretary Salmon Chase, who was a much more staunch abolitionist. But in time Douglass came to understand what Lincoln was doing: bringing the public along so that it would support radical changes such as the end of slavery and civil rights for former slaves. Douglass, as a black man, is barred from attending inaugural activities inside the Capitol, so he listens to the speech standing in the mud in front of the platform. He is amazed that here was a president who could express with such power that slavery was an evil so great that it had to be destroyed, even at the cost of the immense suffering in the war. That night, he is determined to shake Lincolns hand at a reception at the White House. Again, as a black man, he has a difficult time getting in, but when he does, there is a very moving scene. Here comes my friend Douglass, Lincoln says when he sees him in line. Lincoln presses him for his opinion of the speech. Mr. Lincoln, that was a sacred effort, Douglass says. Walt Whitman is covering the inauguration for The New York Times. He treats the event poetically, describing the scene in glowing language. He doesnt comment on the speech itself. I wonder if he could even hear it. What Ive always found fascinating was his description of Lincoln after the speech. Lincoln, he wrote, looked very much worn and tired; the lines, indeed, of vast responsibilities, intricate questions, and demands of life and death, cut deeper than ever upon his dark brown face; yet all the old goodness, tenderness, sadness, and canny shrewdness, underneath the furrows. Whitman seemed to understand, before almost anyone else, the mythic nature of Lincoln this prairie lawyer and calculating politician who told dirty jokes as a great American hero. The popular actor John Wilkes Booth stalks Lincoln at the inauguration. He is pulled out of line when he gets close to the president, and many people later believed he would have killed Lincoln that day if he had not been stopped. Booth later told a friend, What an excellent chance I had to kill the president, if I had wished, on Inauguration Day! I was on the stand, as close to him nearly as I am to you. His friend asked him what good it would have done to kill Lincoln, Booth answered, I could live in history. One of the great ironies of this day is that, as that sun beams down on Lincoln, no one knows he will be dead in six weeks, gunned down by Booth at Fords Theatre. An abbreviated version of this interview appeared in May 2020 issue of Americas Civil War. Police officers and soldiers check passengers leaving from Milan's main train station. (Antonio Calanni/AP) Mortgage payments in Italy will be put on hold as the country contends with its spiralling coronavirus outbreak, the Italian deputy economy minister said on Tuesday. Speaking on Italian state radio, Laura Castelli said that the government had been working with the countrys banks on a mortgage holiday, which will also include other household bills. Yes, that will be the case, for individuals and households, Castelli said in an interview, in response to a question about a suspension of mortgage payments. Castelli, a Five Star Movement politician serving in the countrys left-leaning coalition government, did not specify how long the mortgage holiday would last. Read more: Global stocks rebound as Italy-wide coronavirus lockdown begins Italian banking association ABI had already said on Monday that a significant majority of the countrys banks would offer debt moratoriums to households and small businesses affected by the coronavirus fallout. Castellis statement came around the same time that Italian economic development minister Stefano Patuanelli confirmed that his government would approve measures worth around 10bn (9bn) to tackle the economic impact of coronavirus. Late on Monday, Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte extended emergency coronavirus measures across the country, forcing tens of millions of Italians into a lockdown. Read more: Deutsche Bank and ECB confirm staff diagnosed with coronavirus in Frankfurt Stock markets rebounded slightly on Tuesday, as hopes grew that governments and central banks across the world would spend hundreds of billions of dollars to stop the global economy spiralling into recession. Italy, where the total number of coronavirus cases has now broached 9,000, has been criticised for its response to the outbreak. Walter Ricciardi, a member of the World Health Organizations European Advisory Committee, said that it was a great mistake that the Italian government had not imposed quarantining measures earlier than it had. Story continues There have now been well over 1,000 cases of the virus in each of France, Germany, and Spain. There have been around 300 cases each in Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the UK. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Finance UK New Delhi, March 10 : After immense speculations over his divorce with the Congress party, Jyotiraditya Scindia has finally resigned from the primary membership of the party and sent his resignation letter to interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi. What's interesting however is that the resignation is dated March 9, suggesting the decision was taken a day earlier. While tendering his resignation, he cited, "...as you well know, this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year." He added that he is "unable" to "serve" people having been a part of the Congress. He added that to respect the "aspirations of my people and my workers", he has taken this decision. Earlier in the day, Scindia met Amit Shah and he took him to the prime minister's residence where an hour long meeting with PM Narendra Modi took place. Following that meeting which sealed the next move of Scindia, he released the letter to Sonia Gandhi. He is tipped to join the BJP on Tuesday itself. Silence from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on efforts to improve health care for area residents who served their country in the armed forces is being filled by Southeast Texas lawmakers, who are joining a local state representative leading the pursuit. However, the support seems to be for including more than a dozen in-patient beds in a rebuild of the Beaumonts Veterans Affairs clinic, which acts as a primary care facility for as many as 10,000 people a year in the Southeast Texas region, instead of creating a separate in-patient hospital. If the buildings that once housed Baptist Orange Hospital or Christus St. Mary Hospital in Port Arthur, which closed in 2015 and 2019, respectively, arent viable options, there needs to be consideration for in-patient services in Southeast Texas, state Rep. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, said. It could be a micro-hospital 20 or 30 beds. Any time we can keep our veterans here instead of going to Houston for medical treatment is a win. The Beaumont clinic has been operating out of field tents and mobile medical units while repairs are being done to the facility, at 3420 Plaza Circle, which was flooded by Tropical Depression Imelda last September. In addition to getting the clinic fixed, Phelan has been pushing since at least the beginning of this year for a full VA hospital to be built in Southeast Texas. Related: National effort sustains VA in Beaumont He said his office has written letters to the administration to discuss the issue, but to this point have not received any response. A representative for the VA did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Phelan also started a petition for the movement in January, although it received just under 4,000 signatures. It would have required 100,000 to have been forwarded to the presidential administration. Phelan said his understanding is that any conversation about expanding Southeast Texas veterans health-care services would have to take place in Washington, D.C. He said hes ready and willing whenever the invitation is extended. In the meantime, hes continuing to lobby federal lawmakers, which caught the eye of Sen. John Cornyn, who at a recent Get Out the Vote event publicly agreed to help Southeast Texas repair the clinic. Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, R-Woodville, also recently joined the calls, last week authoring a letter to President Donald Trump and VA Secretary Robert Wilkie Jr. asking the administration to to expedite the lease agreement process for a new clinic. He also asked the administration to convert a vacant hospital in the Orange-Beaumont-Port Arthur area into a replacement facility. Local VA administrators and officials have acted as exemplary partners for years in attempting to solve this infrastructure crisis, Babins letter said. They have exhausted every effort available to receive expedited approval for a major lease agreement, but to no fault of their own, have made little progress cutting through the bureaucratic red tape. That red tape also can include the way things have always been done, a mantra Phelan called dangerous. They do need one on higher ground. I agree, he said. But before you look at land thats X amount of acres to replace the clinic, why not plan on an in-patient and outpatient facility. Related: Phelan pushes feds for VA hospital in SETX Phelan said he envisions the dozen-plus proposed in-patient beds could be used for administering chemotherapy, performing knee and hip surgeries and acting as an emergency room for veterans who currently have to get prior approval to seek care in a non-VA emergency room. He said it also could increase the amount of certain medicines, such as those used to regulate blood pressure, that can be kept on hand. Clinics are allowed to stockpile only so much of certain medications, he said. An in-patient facility would give Southeast Texas a closer-to-adequate supply if and when the area is hit by another hurricane or other natural disaster that makes travel to deliver replacements of such medication more challenging. We could do so much better. Were not talking about reinventing the wheel here, Phelan said. The Veterans Service Administration needs to think outside the box here and not do it like theyve always done it. There are options out there, I just want them to consider it. kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/KaitlinBain EXPERT OBSERVATION Australias three-decade run of near continuous economic growth is set to end, according to Visiting Fellow at ANUs Crawford School of Public Policy, Peter Martin. The treasury has warned a hit to growth of at least 0.5% in the first quarter of this year, potentially followed by a prolonged downturn. If it came to pass, treasurys preliminary assessment would most likely mean economic growth vanished and went backwards for several quarters, producing what is commonly known as a technical recession two quarters or more in which income and spending shrink. Providing the assessment to a Senate estimates committee on Thursday morning, treasury secretary Steven Kennedy said the COVID-19 coronavirus would take at least half a percentage point from economic growth during the current March quarter and more beyond that. In recent quarters economic growth has been about half a percentage point. Treasurys preliminary estimate of a hit of at least half a per cent took into account only the direct impacts of the virus on tourism and education, and some exchange rate effects. It did not take into account broader economic effects or the impact of the coronavirus on supply chains. The half a percentage point hit to growth would come on top of a hit of 0.2% from the summer bushfires, most of which would be felt in the March quarter. Dr Kennedy, a former nurse who retrained as an economist, stressed that the impact of the bushfires would extend well beyond the immediate hit to economic growth. Evidence from past episodes suggest bushfires can lead to long-lasting physical and mental health effects and destroy cultural heritage, he said. Research by the University of Melbourne after the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009 found mental health problems continued for three to four years. The bushfires made clear the increased probability of such events in a world of climate change. The CSIRO predicts climate change will make bushfires more likely, as fire weather patterns worsen as a result of an increase in weather patterns with hot and dry winds and fuel becoming drier. As of Wednesday there had been 91,868 confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide and 3,131 deaths, most in China. COVID-19 had spread to 77 countries. When the virus first emerged in China in December, the treasury saw it through the lens of the 2002-04 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) pandemic. It was now clear COVID-19 would be different. The impact of SARS took on a V shape, a relatively contained reduction in activity, mostly in Asia, followed by a quick bounce back. The economic impact of COVID-19 is likely to be deeper, wider and longer when compared with SARS. It will create more risk of a prolonged downturn, and fiscal support will be needed to accelerate the recovery of the economy, especially once the health and health management effects of COVID-19 begin to fade. The first phase of the economic support package to be delivered next week would target assistance to the businesses and sectors most affected in order to keep people in jobs. After that, support for aggregate demand (overall spending) would become more important. A very substantial part of the impact is actually confidence among consumers and the business sector because of the uncertainty, Dr Kennedy said. Frankly, effective health management will be very important. The economy is actually quite solid. One of the key things will be to to explain to the community how well placed the economy is to manage such a short-term shock. The shock would last for some time but the economy would recover on the other side. Keeping workers employed would be very important. PETER MARTIN is a Visiting Fellow at ANUs Crawford School of Public Policy As coronavirus continues to spread in the U.S. and around the globe, airlines have repeatedly adjusted their policies on fees for flight changes and cancellations in an effort to reassure reluctant consumers that they can alter their plans without fear of penalties. And this week, some carriers are relaxing those rules again to allow fee-free changes on previously issued tickets for flights scheduled to depart through April 30. Before today, airlines were taking a lot of heat for only allowing fee-free changes on tickets purchased after the crisis began in the U.S. in early March; now, airlines are allowing fee-free changes for flights in March and April no matter when they were purchased. Heres the current status of those policies at major carriers as of March 10: United: United said this week that it will now waive change fees for all domestic and international passengers who are ticketed to travel through April 30, if their tickets were issued on or before March 2. Rebooked trips must start within 12 months of the original ticketing date. The airline is also waiving change fees for new flights booked through March 31 or allowing those travelers to cancel their reservations and apply the value of their ticket toward a new one for no fee. Delta: Delta also gave notice this week that its change fee waiver now applies to international and domestic flights scheduled to depart through April 30 for tickets issued on or before March 9; rebooked trips must begin by the end of the year. The carrier is also waiving change fees for new ticket purchases through March 31; rebooked travel for those tickets has to start by Feb. 28, 2021. There are some exceptions: Passengers booked to travel through the end of May to Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul and destinations in Italy (Rome, Milan, Venice, Bologna and Turin) can change their reservations without a fee. American: American Airlines said this week passengers can change their booking without penalty for trips scheduled to depart through April 30, if they bought the ticket before March 1 (although the details page on AAs website says this applies for tickets bought on or before March 10). Rebooked travel must take place by the end of the year. The airline is also waiving change fees on new non-refundable fare tickets purchased from now through March 31; rebooked trips must take place by Jan. 31, 2021. Don't miss a shred of important travel news! Sign up for our FREE bi-weekly email alerts Alaska: Alaska Airlines is waiving change or cancellation fees for travel through March 31, regardless of the ticket purchase date. It is doing the same for new tickets bought by March 31. Alaska said changes or cancellations can be handled online and refunds will be deposited in the customers Mileage Plan account. Southwest: Southwest Airlines is reminding customers on its website that it still has a longstanding policy of never charging fees for flight changes or cancellations. Funds paid for a flight that is canceled can be applied to future travel up to one year from the purchase date, and cancellations are permitted up to 10 minutes before the scheduled departure. "Southwest has not canceled or suspended any flights or routes due to the current situation, and none of the 102 destinations that Southwest serves are currently listed as geographic risks by the CDC," the airline noted. Read all recent TravelSkills posts here Chris McGinnis is SFGATE's senior travel correspondent. You can reach him via email or follow him on Twitter or Facebook. Don't miss a shred of important travel news by signing up for his FREE biweekly email updates! SFGATE participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Infor, a global leader in business cloud software specialised by industry, has announced that it recently organised an Infor Technology Day to help spearhead Saudi Bugshans ambitious digital transformation plan. The event, which took place on Feb 20 at the Ritz Carlton in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, was an educational day and kick-off for the digital transformation of Saudi Bugshan. Some 85 leaders from Saudi Bugshan, including Chairman Khaled Bugshan, Hatem Bakheet, CEO of Saudi Bugshan Barmaja, and 15 experts from Infors Middle East and European operations, attended. Saudi Bugshan comprises 47 companies; its business is geared to food & beverage, distribution & trading, healthcare, real estate, hospitality, education and automotive, including leading brands like MenaBev, Lays crisps, Haagen-Dazs ice cream, Mitsubishi dealerships, Bridgestone Tyres and Maxis Tyres. Khaled Bugshan said: Digital transformation is a cornerstone of our expansion strategy in Saudi Arabia and beyond. It will enable us to gain greater insights into all areas of our business, increase transparency and help us to tap the full potential of automation and big data. It is central to our commitment to boost efficiency and offer an unparalleled service to our customers. By holding this event with Infor, we ensured that our entire organisation came together and gained valuable insights into the importance of digital transformation and how it fits into our strategy and execution plans. Were excited to move forward with Infor on our vital digital transformation journey. The day included sessions with CEO Hatem Bakheet of Saudi Bugshan Barmaja, which is working with Infor on the implementation of technology across the group, as well as Jonathan Wood, Infor general manager for MEA, and Phil Lewis, Infor VP of solution consulting in EMEA, who offered a deep dive into how Infors solution can facilitate a comprehensive digital transformation. During the event, Infor staged educational breakout sessions dedicated to automotive, healthcare and food & beverage industries. Infor also organised a digital workshop and a session focusing on shared services for finance, system implementation and marketing operations. Infor also provided an exhibition area dedicated to live demonstrations of enterprise asset management (EAM) solutions for various industries. Infor Technology Day with Saudi Bugshan was a resounding success and a great way to gather representatives from all of the organisations operations under one roof, where they experienced first-hand the many benefits that Infor digital solutions can bring to diverse operations, Jonathan Wood said. We look forward to helping Saudi Bugshan to realise its ambitious goals. -- Tradearabia News Service Kolkata, March 10 : Two suspected coronavirus patients, who had returned from Indonesia and Malaysia recently, were on Tuesday admitted to the Infectious Diseases Hospital in northeast Kolkata's Beliaghata, hospital sources said. Both of them have been kept at the isolation ward. Their swab samples have been collected and sent for testing. Meanwhile, a resident of Murshidabad district, who was admitted to the ID Hospital on Sunday, has been diagnosed with swine flu. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) A Delhi court on Tuesday remanded Shahrukh, the man who had opened fire at police during violence in North-East Delhi last month, to 14-day judicial custody. He was presented before a duty Metropolitan Magistrate on expiry of his three-day custody previously. The sources have revealed that it has recovered a pistol and the car of the accused in which he had fled from the spot. Shahrukh initially kept roaming around in the capital before slipping away to Punjab and Uttar Pradesh's Shamli from where he was arrested on Tuesday. During the investigation, Shahrukh revealed that the car he used belonged to his uncle's son. He had left the car in a garage in Haryana after it broke down. Mortgage payments will be suspended across Italy as the country struggles to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. Italy's coronavirus death toll jumped to 463 from 366 on Monday, making it the worst-hit country after China. The Italian government has placed the population under lockdown. The British bank RBS also said on Monday that it would defer mortgage and loan repayments for up to three months for customers affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Mortgage payments will be suspended across Italy as the Italian government places the population on lockdown because of the coronavirus outbreak. Asked about the possibility of mortgage payments being temporarily frozen, the country's deputy finance minister, Laura Castelli, said on Tuesday, "Yes, that will be the case, for individuals and households." The British bank RBS also said it would defer mortgage and loan repayments for up to three months for customers affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The Italian government has placed Italy's more than 60 million people under lockdown, extending emergency measures initially imposed only on northern regions as it struggled to stop the coronavirus from spreading. In a press conference on Monday, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told people to "stay at home" and banned public gatherings. "There is no more time. I will take responsibility for these measures. Our future is in our hands," he said, according to The Guardian. Italy is grappling with the worst coronavirus outbreak outside of China; its death toll jumped to 463 people on Monday from 366. The total number of confirmed cases rose by 24%, to 9,172, with 724 people having fully recovered, the head of the civil protection agency said, according to The Guardian. "The figures show we are experiencing a serious increase in infections, an increase in people hospitalized in intensive care and an increase, unfortunately, in deaths," Conte said on Monday. "We need to change our lifestyle. We need to change it now. That's why I have decided to adopt these hard measures." Story continues He added: "I am going to sign a decree that can be summarized as follows: I stay at home. The whole of Italy will become a protected zone." All public events, including sporting matches, funerals, and weddings, will be banned in Italy, with theaters, gyms, pubs, schools, and universities closed, according to The Guardian. Read the original article on Business Insider Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Phil Stewart (Reuters) Washington, United States Tue, March 10, 2020 09:02 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206978877 2 World US-Army,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,COVID-19,outbreak,health Free The top US Army commander in Europe may have been exposed to the coronavirus, while a Marine who tested positive for it had been working for a defense agency close to the Pentagon, officials said on Monday. The disclosures show the risks to the US military even as it tries to limit the fallout from the global virus outbreak on the more than a million active-duty troops around the world. In the case of Lieutenant General Christopher Cavoli, the possible exposure took place during a conference with land force commanders in Europe on Friday in Wiesbaden, Germany. In a photo, Cavoli is pictured sitting next to an unnamed Italian military officer whose face cannot be seen in a military photo of the event. Reuters reported on Sunday that Italian army Chief of Staff General Salvatore Farina contracted the virus. The US Army declined to say who may have exposed Cavoli to the virus inadvertently or whether Farina was at the conference. The Pentagon said seven cases were under investigation and that three active-duty service members so far had tested positive for the virus. Beyond the Marine, they include previously reported cases of a soldier in South Korea and a sailor in Italy. US officials told Reuters that the Marine worked at the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which helps oversee foreign military sales and international military educational partnerships. The Marine had returned last month from Ethiopia. He is being treated at a military hospital at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, in the Washington suburbs. The Marine was living with his family at Marine Corps Base Quantico, which said in an online post that base schools were being closed until Wednesday to allow time for a thorough cleaning. The base said his family and personnel in contact with him "have been identified and do not show symptoms." It was unclear whether the DSCA, which is headquartered in Crystal City, Virginia, was taking any precautionary steps since the Marine tested positive for the virus. Air Force Brigadier General Paul Friedrichs, the senior health official for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he was not aware of any visits by the Marine to the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Mark Esper is expected to approve additional steps in the coming days to better safeguard the Pentagon, one of the world's largest office buildings, where some 22,000 people work everyday. Esper held a regular morning meeting with senior leaders on Monday partly by using videoconferencing technology - so that conference rooms were not as packed with people, the Pentagon said. "The effort this morning was to show that we can continue to do this while practicing risk-prevention measures," Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said. Authorities in democratic Taiwan have banned the export of face-masks amid the global coronavirus epidemic, while curbing panic-buying at home with a centralized production, distribution and rationing system for its 23 million residents. The government recently ordered 60 production lines to be set up to make surgical masks for frontline medics and the general public, President Tsai Ing-wen told journalists on . "Using mask production as an example, [we have brought in] export controls, government requisitioning, unified pricing and managed allocation, as well as increasing production capacity to bring new mask production online," Tsai said. "There are behind-the-scenes heroes at every step in the process," she said. "It's not easy working nights." "Now, not only are we seeing results, but many other countries are beginning to look at Taiwan and study its epidemic prevention plan," Tsai said. "All of this has been possible because we have planned ahead and taken action sooner rather than later." The mask production drive was part of Tsai's government's bid to stave off panic-buying of crucial supplies during the COVID-19 outbreak, which has seen a total of just 47 cases and one death in spite of its position on China's doorstep. Masks are now available for named customers to buy online, as well as in pharmacies across the island, officials said on . Mask sale limits Premier Su Tseng-chang said a real-name purchasing system will now operate online as well as in stores. "People will be able to pick up the masks they ordered at supermarkets two weeks later," Su said. Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung, who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center, said the move had been brought in to ensure that office workers who didn't have time to stand in line could still access protective supplies. "If everyone orders online and knows when it's coming, this will relieve the pressure on office workers having to stand in line," Chen told journalists. Masks are currently limited to seven per adult per week and five per child, using national ID cards to ensure nobody buys more than their share. The island's Academia Sinica on announced on that a team of its scientists had developed antibodies that can identify the protein that makes up the coronavirus, paving the way for a new, super-fast test for the disease. While hospitals in Italy and Wuhan have been overwhelmed by coronavirus cases, and crucial supplies are running out in other countries, Taiwan's government had its public health response already in place after developing it in the wake of the 2003 SARS epidemic. In spite of having more than a million of its nationals living or traveling to mainland China and millions of tourist arrivals from China annually, and in spite of the outbreak exploding ahead of the Lunar New Year travel rush, the island has managed to stave off a major outbreak in the community so far. Learning from SARS outbreak The kingpin of Taiwan's response has been its National Health Command Center (NHCC), set up in 2004 to ensure the mistakes of the SARS epidemic wouldn't be repeated. Officials were already checking arrivals from mainland China for fever or pneumonia by Dec. 31, as soon as China notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of the emergence of a new kind of pneumonia. Two weeks later, anyone who had been to Wuhan in the previous two weeks was under health surveillance, while the island activated its Central Epidemic Command Center as early as Jan. 20, before the Chinese authorities had even ordered the lockdown of Wuhan. According to the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website: "Taiwan employed the most powerful tools at its disposal big data and analytics." Officials used Taiwan's national health insurance program database and matched it with immigration records, quickly identifying anyone who had recently sought medical care after arriving from China. Health officials began testing patients for coronavirus if they had severe respiratory illness and a negative influenza test so they could identify unsuspected cases and anyone with whom the patients might have had contact, CDC said. Hotlines were set up for people to report suspicious symptoms or cases, while officials ensured there were enough supplies in place before the disease had had chance to spread in the community. Classes are canceled if one student gets sick, and schools are closed if two pupils get sick. The closure of one third of schools in a given area will trigger the closure of all schools. Meanwhile, Taiwan-based vaccine maker Adimmune Corporation has announced that a candidate vaccine for COVID-19 could be ready for animal trials as soon as May, the Taiwan News reported. The company, which also makes seasonal influenza vaccines, said that once its planned new production line is operational, it will be able to fully supply orders both at home and abroad. Reported by Hwang Chun-mei for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. 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. Although the Napa Valley Cooking School for professional students is on hiatus while the program is redesigned, the popular community classes continue at the upper valley campus of Napa Valley College. Chef Roline Casper, an alumna of the school and owner of Rolines Uniquely Filipino restaurant in Vacaville, recently returned to teach a class previewing recipes from her new cookbook, The Easy Filipino Cookbook, 100 Classics Made Simple ($15.99 on Amazon, available March 24). Of course everyone thinks of lumpia, said Casper, who had titled her class Divine Lumpia. The deep-fried spring roll that is a standard of Filipino cuisine originated in China, Casper said, and today it is also popular in Indonesia. Lumpia wrappers, made of rice flour and water, are thinner than typical spring roll wrappers. They can be found in Asian markets or in the Asian aisle of some grocery stores. Over the course of the three-hour class, Caspers students prepared all kinds of lumpia: vegetable stir fry lumpia, shrimp lumpia, cheese stick lumpia, Lumpian Shanghai stuffed with ground pork, and a dessert lumpia, which is stuffed with bananas and jackfruit. Casper, meanwhile, stirred up the two other dishes that she said make up the holy trinity of Filipino cuisine, pansit, thin rice noodles with vegetables, and adobo, chicken marinated in vinegar, soy sauce and spices. And then the class feasted. Casper, who was raised by a single working mother, learned how to cook in her grandmothers kitchen in the Philippines. Enrolling in the Napa Valley Cooking School, she was her class valedictorian. She staged at the Michelin-starred Healdsburg restaurant, SingleThread, and worked as an extern at Morimoto in Napa. In addition to running her Vacaville restaurant and writing a cookbook, she is teaching classes as her alma mater. Shrimp Lumpia Chef Roline Casper Yield 20-30 medium shrimp 10 pieces of lumpia wrapper, cut in half diagonally 1 cup vegetable oil 1 Tbsp. brown sugar 1 Tbsp. sesame oil 1 Tbsp. ground ginger 1 Tbsp. scallions, finely chopped Salt and pepper to taste Peel and devein the shrimps, leaving the tail on. Make three light, diagonal cuts inside each shrimp so that it will lie flat. Combine brown sugar, sesame oil, ground ginger and scallions in a medium bowl. Add shrimp to the mixture and marinate for 20 minutes to an hour. Drain the shrimp and discard the marinade. Place a shrimp in the center of a wrapper, leaving the tail out on the long side of the wrapper. Bring the bottom edge of the wrapper up over the shrimp and fold one side over the other, rolling until you have made a small tube with the tail visible. Seal with an egg wash brush or water, using your finger tips. Heat oil in a skillet or medium pan to 350 degrees. Fry the lumpia in batches, about 2-3 minutes or until it is crisp and brown. Transfer to a lined paper plate. Enjoy it while hot, dipped in your favorite sauce or ketchup. A Greek-Inspired Brunch Coming up next, chef Elena Sirignano will lead the preparation of a Greek-inspired brunch on Saturday, March 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. On the menu are variations on classics like Greek Lamb Sausage, Spanakopita and Gravlax retooled for a relaxing, late-morning meal. The cost is $85 and pre-registration is required. Visit napavalley.edu to register for class #75987. The upper valley campus is 1088 College Ave., St. Helena. The office is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 707-302-2452. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 01:07:33|Editor: yan Video Player Close CAIRO, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The recovered cases of COVID-19 in Egypt rose to 26 out of the total 59 cases discovered in the country, Egyptian Health Minister said on Tuesday. Five more cases were tested negative for COVID-19 on Tuesday, raising the number of the recovered cases to 26 in Egypt, Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed said in a press conference. Zayed pointed out that the 26 recovered cases included that of a foreigner confirmed to contract the virus in mid-February as the first case of COVID-19. Egypt's 59 coronavirus cases include 33 Egyptians and 26 foreigners. The Egyptian health minister described Egypt's precautionary measures for combating the virus as "strong." The country discovered tens of COVID-19 cases over the past few days on board of a Nile River cruise ship in the southern province of Luxor, including foreigners and locals. "So far, Egypt detected 59 COVID-19 cases and 51 of them had no symptoms. They were discovered through the precautionary measures and tests conducted on those onboard the Nile cruise boat or those communicating with them," the minister added. "Tomorrow, we will receive 30 fast virus detectors with test results in 30 minutes and they will be deployed in Egypt's land, sea and air outlets," she revealed. The minister noted that her ministry randomly tested 558 people, half of whom are foreigners, on Nile cruise boats and hotels in Upper Egypt's provinces of Luxor and Aswan. "The results showed that they were all tested negative for the virus," Zayed told the press conference. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Avinyan today toured Zvartnots International Airport along with Minister of Healthcare Arsen Torosyan, acting Director of the National Security Service Eduard Martirosyan, Chairperson of the Civil Aviation Committee Tatevik Revazian, Head of the Health and Labor Inspection Body Hakob Avagyan and other officials, as reported the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The Deputy Prime Minister was told about the actions that are being taken to prevent the spread of coronavirus 24 hours a day. Avinyan attached importance to more effective organization of the preventive actions and stated that, from now on, all passengers must fill out cards (regardless of whether they have arrived from a risk zone country or not) which will also include information about the countries that the particular passengers have visited in the course of the past 14 days. Avinyan also followed the procedure for inspection of passengers arriving via one of the flights. A large screen shows Chinese leader Xi Jinping wearing a protective mask during his visit to Wuhan, on CCTV's evening newscast, on March 10, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) Chinese Regime Puts on Political Show With Xis Trip to Coronavirus Epicenter Wuhan Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, on March 10, in an apparent attempt to convince citizens that the disease is under control. This is Xis first trip to Wuhan since the outbreak began in December 2019. During the visit, Xi made sure to avoid physical contact, wearing a protective mask, keeping a distance from other officials, and talking to locals via video conference calls. He then visited a residential compound, heavily guarded by snipers and hundreds of police, according to social media posts from the residents. Xi previously called the outbreak the most difficult to control public health emergency since the Chinese Communist Party took power. In the past month, Chinese state media began pushing propaganda that Xis leadership allowed authorities to contain the viruss spread. Wuhan Trip Analysts said Xis trip helped him score political points. Xi used this Wuhan trip as a political declaration to tell people that he is the real boss who led the Chinese in fighting this coronavirus outbreak, said U.S.-based China affairs commentator Tang Jingyuan in an interview. Xi was accompanied by Wang Huning, the regimes propaganda boss; Ding Xuexiang, director of the Partys General Office, which handles administrative affairs; and Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, the Partys top agency in charge of the military. Noticeably missing was Chinese premier Li Keqiang, who was appointed leader of a new task force in the central government to deal with the epidemic on Jan. 25. Xi didnt arrange for Li Keqiang to accompany him to Wuhan because he has his agenda, Tang analyzed. If Li was with Xi, then the achievement belongs to Lis leadership. Xi didnt take Li with himto tell people that all the good results came from Xis leadership. According to Chinese state-run media Xinhua, Xi first went to the Huoshenshan Hospital, an emergency specialty field hospital built in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The report said he visited medical staff and patients. Huoshenshan hospital is operated by the military and only treats patients in critical condition. From the photo Xinhua posted, Xi did not enter the premises of Huoshenshan hospital. He and his team went to the conference room of the nearby Wuhan Staff Sanatorium and spoke to people from the hospital via a big screen. Then, Xi visited the Xincheng residential compound, located in the Donghu area. Netizens shared videos shot from inside nearby buildings. From their vantage point, they saw dozens of people in Xis entourage. Along the road where Xis team passed, locals also saw snipers guarding the top of buildings. The Wuhan public security bureau also sent two police officers to each household inside the compound, presumably to stand guard and ensure they do not shout protests from their apartment windows. Days ago, when Vice Premier Sun Chunlan visited a residential compound in Qingshan district (also in Wuhan), residents heckled her, complaining that everything was staged in advance of her visit. Residents inside Xincheng posted online that local authorities sent food packages to them in advance of Xis visit. Online photos showed a bag of rice, a bottle of cooking oil, a bag of dried Chinese dates, and about three pounds of pork. At a nearby residential compound, people quickly organized a rally and chanted: we need meat! after they found out that Xi was visiting nearby. Since Wuhan was placed on lockdown on Jan. 23, locals have been restricted from going outdoors. Many have complained online that they are unable to buy fresh vegetables and meat. Success? Xinhua published a commentary on March 10, proclaiming that China has achieved partial critical results in containing the epidemic. It is moving toward a good direction, it stated. To display such results, Wuhan authorities on March 10 shut down all 14 makeshift hospitals that it previously set up inside the citys stadiums, school gyms, and exhibition centers to treat those with mild or moderate symptoms of the virus. State-run media reported that there were now fewer patients in Wuhan; thus, these hospitals were no longer needed. A newspaper run by the Hubei provincial government, Yangtze Daily, reported that all medical teams dispatched from other parts of China to work at such facilities would need to stay at their hotels in Wuhan for a period of time. The report did not explain why the medical staff could not go back home, nor what the medical teams would do next. But the report mentioned that patients from the makeshift hospitals would need to stay at quarantine centers for 14 days for medical observation, before they can go back home. Some patients in severe condition were transferred to hospitals designated for treating COVID-19, the disease caused by the new virus. However, a Wuhan doctors spouse told Epoch Times sister media NTD that some patients who were released from local hospitals did not actually recover, and later transmitted the virus to their neighbors in Hanyang district. There has been another large-scale infection in Hanyang since the day before yesterday [March 8], said the spouse, who wished to remain anonymous. State-run media and government-released data didnt report this, but we have friends who have checked the infected area by themselves and confirmed the new outbreak. Chinas National Health Commission reported that there were only 36 newly diagnosed infections in Wuhan on March 8a figure that the doctors spouse did not trust. The government keeps changing the data. They only have one purpose, which is hiding the truth, she said. President Donald Trump waits to speak during a FOX News Channel town hall at the Scranton Cultural Center in Scranton, Penn., on March 5, 2020. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) Kremlin: Trump Declines Invitation to Visit Moscow in May President Donald Trump wont visit Moscow for a Russian celebration in May, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said on March 10. We have been informed via diplomatic channels that the [American] president will not be coming, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. It isnt clear who might represent the United States for Victory Day events, and the White House hasnt publicly provided a reason. A parade will take place in the Russian capital on May 9 to mark the anniversary of the Soviet Unions World War II victory over Nazi Germany. Invitations were sent to Trump, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, and other leaders, the state-run TASS service reported. The leaders of the Czech Republic, India, Venezuela, Cuba, France, Bulgaria, Armenia, and Belarus have confirmed that they will attend. While Putin had told reporters that it wont be important at all for other leaders to attend the event because it is our celebration, on March 10, he said that it would be a mistake for other world leaders not to attend, The Associated Press reported. I think that, concerning former members of the antiHitler alliance, the right thing to do would be to attend (our event), from both a domestic political stance and a moral one, Putin told state media. We look forward to seeing them and we will be glad if they come. If not, well, thats their choice. But I think that would be a mistake for them. Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, chairs a Security Council meeting at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow in Moscow, Russia, on Jan. 20, 2020. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Trump told reporters in November 2019 he was considering an invitation from Russia to go to the celebration. I was invited. I am thinking about it. It is right in the middle of our campaign season, Trump said at the time. In the first two years of Trumps presidency, the administration faced a Democratic-led investigation into whether his presidential campaign worked with Russia in 2016. Former special counsel Robert Muellers investigation revealed that the Trump campaign didnt collude with Moscow. However, the Democratic-led House of Representatives impeached Trump months later. The Republican-led Senate acquitted him on the impeachment charges last month. Despite the pressure, Trump has maintained sanctions on Russia but hes faced criticism from Democrats and pundits for what they have described as a softer viewpoint on Putin. Trump has publicly stated that he wants to get along with Russia, a nuclear-armed power. The Post-it that started it all. Photo: Courtesy of HBO HBOs true-crime docuseries McMillions saved its biggest whopper (sorry, McDonalds) for its final episode: Who was the informant that tipped off the Feds about a $24 million scam to defraud one of the largest corporations in the world? The six-part series tells the story of how former cop Jerry Jacobson rigged a scheme to steal winning tickets from the popular McDonalds Monopoly sweepstakes and then sell them to people in his inner circle who would collect the winnings. In highly entertaining detail, co-directors James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte follow the FBIs investigation, beginning with the young, eager agent Doug Mathews who became curious over a Post-it note on his partners desk that simply stated: McDonalds Monopoly Fraud? As revealed in Mondays finale, that note was connected to a phone call made by the mother of the late Jerry Colombo, a member of the Colombo crime family and one of Jacobsons main accomplices. The secret was divulged by her son Frank and his wife, Heather, who explained that after Jerry Colombo died, his mother spilled the beans to the FBI to try to keep her grandson from his mother, Robin Colombo. There were many jaw-dropping moments, but this was definitely the biggest one, Lazarte told Vulture. Like, holy shit, they just put that out there. Although the arrests were made almost 20 years ago, the story was pushed off the national front pages because of the 9/11 attacks. The scam was almost forgotten until 2018, when a Daily Beast article sparked a Hollywood bidding war resulting in 20th Century Fox and Ben Affleck and Matt Damons Pearl Street Films buying the film rights for $1 million. When the article published, Hernandez and Lazarte had been working on their project for a year but hadnt sold it. Tipped off in 2012 by a Reddit post about the McDonalds Monopoly scam, Hernandez had spent a year digging through the internet for more information and learned eight people had been arrested but not much else. Wanting to know more, he filed a Freedom of Information request for the case files, he told Vulture, and waited three years to receive boxes and boxes of records, evidence, photos, and floppy disks. In the summer of 2017, Hernandez tracked down federal prosecutor Mark Devereaux and the FBI agents who worked on the case and asked them if they would be interested in participating in a documentary. They said this is their favorite case, and no ones ever contacted them about it, Hernandez said. They started giving me information, and I realized this is really big. Hernandez asked Lazarte to join him, and once they realized the scope of the story, they teamed up with Mark Wahlbergs Unrealistic Ideas to develop it as a TV series instead of a feature. A month before they planned to pitch their series, the Daily Beast story broke, and news of the movie deal about the scam followed days later. After having a full-blown meltdown, we thought, Lets just spend the entire weekend finishing our pitch and go out with it, Hernandez said. They tried not to sweat the news because they already had the rights to the FBIs story secured and had established other key relationships. Its no longer the greatest story no ones ever heard of, but its this story everybody loves, and we have the rights to the real people, Hernandez said. In a joint interview ahead of the McMillions finale, Hernandez and Lazarte spoke to Vulture about their research process, what FBI agent and breakout star Doug Mathews is really like, and how they landed the finale bombshell, which was not revealed in the Daily Beast story. Doug Mathews is the superstar of this series. What was it like meeting him? James Lee Hernandez: Hes a superstar in life! He is like what you saw 100 percent of the time. Once, he called us at 11:30 at night and talked for like an hour and a half. Thats how he is all the time. Do you believe hes responsible for the great fax debacle? Did he really fax 20 to 30 pages of the case summary to the Greenville News by accident? Brian Lazarte: Its a funny story how we tracked that down. We had heard about this fax story. We happened to be in South Carolina filming, and we see the Greenville News building right in front of us. And Im like, Wait, what was the newspaper in the fax story? We walked into the newspaper and said, You guys probably dont remember this, but in 2001, you were approached by the FBI. The reporter who received the fax, John Boyanoski, no longer works there, so we called him. He just burst out laughing and said he had been sworn to secrecy. Not even his wife knew the story. He said he needed to call the FBI to get permission to talk, and 15 minutes later, called us back and told us the story. But did Doug do it? James Lee Hernandez: Were not totally sure. Theres a lot of finger-pointing, and we dont know how much gamesmanship is involved. Theyre still blaming each other. So Doug is trying to blame Mark Devereaux? James Lee Hernandez: Its more of Doug just trying to get the blame off of him. Thats all he cares about. The finale delivers big! Frank and Heather tell us who the informant is, and its stunning. When in the process did you find out this information? James Lee Hernandez: It was at the end. When we originally talked to them, they threw it out there. Thats in the show. We were at their house late at night, and Frank just throws out, You know what you guys dont have? You dont know who the informant is. So were like, Do you know? And hes like, Well, I gotta look into it. Talk to some people. Brian Lazarte: It came out of nowhere. We got invited to come back, and they just dropped it in the middle of the interview. Then moments later, Vinny, their son, shows up in a McDonalds outfit. [Laughs.] There were many jaw-dropping moments, but this was definitely the biggest one. Like, holy shit, they just put that out there. Had you been asking other people? Lee Cassano was convinced that she was the informant since she had called the IRS. Brian Lazarte: Oh, we were trying all the time. Lee was very convinced. Dwight Baker was convinced that it wasnt a tip from the FBI and that he was somehow to blame. Everyone had their own unique version of the story, and as we were going further and further down the rabbit hole, they were all very plausible. Robin said it was Frank. We were actually convinced at one point that it was Robin because she had threatened to go to the FBI. She also had a former boyfriend that was a federal agent. Once Frank and Heather shared with us what they did, all the pieces of the puzzle made sense. We did our due diligence corroborating stories, making sure that what they put out was facts. But what Heather and Frank say makes a lot of sense. Did you try to talk to Franks mother? James Lee Hernandez: Its crazy because we found out that information after we had seen her at the birthday party. We reached out, but the Colombo family is very on the defensive, very hesitant. They dont speak English extremely well, so it was a tough sell. Did Robin know her mother-in-law called the FBI? Brian Lazarte: Robin speculated. Their relationship is so interesting because today theyre actually quite close. They talk almost every day. We have also heard that its a little manic. One month theyre like BFFs and then theyre not talking to each other. What did you make of the reasoning? Do you think it was because Franks mother wanted to keep custody of her grandson? James Lee Hernandez: In a weird way, this all totally makes sense. It is a very extreme way of trying to get a grandchild, but you hear things like this when children are involved. Its like all bets are off. Brian Lazarte: Everybody has said that talking to us has been a bit of a purge. Many of our subjects have been holding on to a slew of information over the years and theyve never talked about it, so this was a unique moment, almost therapeutic in a way. Frank and Heather, as they put it, theyd been holding on to this all these years. I think some people just want that relief. Its a dead case, its adjudicated no one can get in trouble. Did you break it to Robin, or did she know through the family? Brian Lazarte: She has speculated, and we confirmed it. How did she take that? James Lee Hernandez: It was sad and frustrating, but theres nothing she can do to change it. Shes really focusing on what she can do in her life now to be better. So it was obviously upsetting, but at the same time, the past is in the past. Brian Lazarte: She also suffers from manic depression shes been open about it with us so theres some good days and some bad days for her. What shes been through, James and I joke that she has nine lives. There are so many instances of How in the world did you survive that? And yet here she is. What about Jerry Jacobson? You must have tried hard to get him. James Lee Hernandez: It was a battle to try and get him. Were still trying. I dont think Ill ever stop. But a lot of times, the legend of something is far greater than the reality. And the legend of Uncle Jerry seems extremely large. Brian Lazarte: Is there any redeemable element to him telling his side of the story? Perhaps. But hes also moved on and tried to put this in his past. I think the separation that he wanted to maintain was greater than what he would gain out of sharing his side of the story. We did our best, but its nice to have a little mystery dangling out there. From a storytelling angle, not having him participate might not have been a bad thing after all. The tone of the series was atypical to the true-crime genre. There are a lot of moments of levity, thanks to Doug, but also in your choice of music. Can you talk about how you balanced that? James Lee Hernandez: From the very beginning, this was part of our plan. At first, HBO didnt fully understand because Brian and I had never seen something in the doc space that had toed that line. It was very important to allow for levity because this isnt about a mass murder or someone wrongfully accused, but there are very serious things and ramifications for what happened in this case. And so we wanted this to be structured like life is structured. Sometimes things can be funny and tragic in the blink of an eye. Brian Lazarte: You dont have to come out of the gate swinging one style and maintain that through all six episodes. The story inherently had funny components. If you have funny moments, funny characters, you embrace that. It did play out very much like a caper at first, and then we wanted to slow it down and get more personal with some of the characters involved. With good stories, you get to laugh a little, you get to cry a little, and it makes you think and talk about it after youre done watching. We certainly hope that audiences who watched the entire series experienced all those feelings. What other surprises did you run into? James Lee Hernandez: Gloria Brown was a huge surprise. You have this concept that shes part of this criminal ring and then this person is completely different than what you had originally imagined. Youre sitting there listening to someone tell you the story, and your heart breaks for what they thought was their chance, their blessing, their time to get ahead. But it flips and becomes one of the scariest things to happen to them. Brian Lazarte: Something else that we didnt include was there was another fax debacle. When they did the wiretap on Jerry Jacobson, the way its done is you send a subpoena to the phone company to tap a persons phone. Well, the person who was supposed to receive the fax at the phone company was Linda, who was Jerry Jacobsons wife. But she was out sick that day. It was a huge thing assuring the FBI that Linda had not seen it. What are the odds? Is there anything about Doug that you didnt include in the series? Brian Lazarte: Oh, yes! You know the gold suit? He actually wore that gold suit to the first day of trial. Mark Devereaux kicked him out and said, Go home and change that shit right now. Doug Mathews is convinced that Mark Devereaux paid his wife to destroy that suit. By James Davey and Chayut Setboonsarng LONDON/BANGKOK (Reuters) - Tesco plans to return $6.6 billion to shareholders after agreeing to sell its supermarket businesses in Thailand and Malaysia to Charoen Pokphand Group as part of plans to refocus on Britain. Having withdrawn from South Korea in 2015, Britain's biggest retailer began a review of its remaining Asian businesses last year in a further retreat from its global ambitions. The sale of its Thai and Malaysian businesses for an enterprise value of $10.6 billion comes more than five years into a recovery plan launched by Chief Executive Dave Lewis after an accounting scandal and dramatic trading downturn. Lewis declared Tesco's turnaround complete last October and will step down in October this year, when he will be succeeded by Ken Murphy, formerly of Walgreens Boots Alliance. Bernstein analyst Bruno Monteyne on Monday said that Tesco had secured "a very strong valuation" for the Thai and Malaysian assets and investors could look forward to a special dividend representing 21% of the group's current market capitalisation. The price for the businesses, including debt, implies an enterprise value mutiple of 12.5 time core earnings. After completion of the disposal to the Thai group controlled by Dhanin Chearavanont, Tesco intends to return cash to shareholders via a special dividend with an associated share consolidation. It will also inject 2.5 billion pounds ($3.28 billion) into its pension fund. Reuters reported on Sunday that CP Group was the frontrunner to buy the assets. Tesco shares were down 1.3% at 1249 GMT, outperforming the blue-chip FTSE 100 index, which fell 6.9% on coronavirus fears. "The coronavirus outbreak won't stop people from eating: on the contrary, food-at-home will get a boost at the cost of food-out-of-home," said Monteyne. REGULATORY SCRUTINY The deal is conditional on the approval of Tesco's shareholders and regulatory approvals in Thailand and Malaysia, which is expected during the second half of 2020. However, CP Group will face a newly empowered Thai antitrust regulator, which could block the transaction if it finds that the deal would create a monopoly or market dominance, lawyers and analysts said. Story continues CP Group is buying Tesco's assets through its CP Foods and CP ALL businesses. "We believe the reason management has broken down the investment into small pieces is that it does not have to pass a shareholder vote and to minimise capital-raising risk as much as possible," Citi analysts said in a report. CP Group runs its 12,000 7-Eleven convenience stores through CP All and about 80 cash-and-carry stores under Siam Makro. It will gain control of the 1,965 stores Tesco operates in Thailand - much of which the British retailer bought from CP Group during the 1997-8 Asian financial crisis - including 200 Tesco Lotus hypermarkets and 1,600 Tesco Lotus Express convenience stores, plus 74 outlets in Malaysia. Chearavanont, senior chairman of CP Group, has repeatedly said he wanted to buy back the company. Tesco completed its exit from China last month with the 275 million pound sale of its joint venture stake to state-run partner China Resources Holdings (CRH). Completion of the deal for the Thai and Malaysian assets would increase speculation over the future of Tesco's central European division, consisting of stores in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, which would be the group's only remaining overseas supermarket operation apart from Ireland. Tesco was advised by Greenhill, Goldman Sachs and Barclays , while JPMorgan and UBS were joint international advisers and financiers for CP Group. Siam Commercial Bank and advisory firm Quant Group also worked with CP Group on the deal. (Reporting by James Davey in London, Chayut Setboonsarng in Bangkok and Anshuman Daga in Singapore; Editing by Kate Holton, Alexander Smith and David Goodman) BANGALORE, India, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- IoT security is the technical field concerned with mitigating cyber threats that are affecting connected devices and the Internet of Things networks. This interconnection of systems via the internet has increased numerous malicious attacks on computers. The primary objective of IoT security is to provide IoT devices with various features to track, resist, and recover from such attacks. The global market size of IoT security was estimated at USD 8,472.19 Million in 2018 and is projected to reach USD 73,918.82 Million by 2026, rising at a CAGR of 31.20 percent between 2019 and 2026. The surge in need for an IoT security solution and the adoption of IoT security solutions by many developing countries are expected to present significant opportunities for future market expansion. The global IoT security market is segmented into component, deployment model, organization size, product type, security type, industry vertical, and region. In terms of component, it is bifurcated into solution and service. Based on the deployment model, the market is segmented into on-premise and cloud. By organization size, it is divided into large enterprises and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In terms of product type, the market is classified into device authentication & management, identity access & management, intrusion detection system & intrusion prevention system, data encryption & tokenization, and others. Get Free Sample: https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/ALLI-Manu-0V14/IoT_Security_Market TRENDS INFLUENCING THE IOT SECURITY MARKET SIZE Mobile device penetration is growing rapidly because of increased BYOD acceptance among organizations. The range of software, apps, and features that are available on mobile devices contributes to large amounts of data being stored on computers and transferred to smartphones. Some data stored on mobile devices contain sensitive information such as usernames, credit card numbers, passwords, and so on. This rise in mobile device reliance encourages companies to incorporate innovative cybersecurity solutions such as Identity Access Management (IAM), Asset Management, Unified Threat Management (UTM), and Monitoring & Analytics. This, in turn, is expected to propel the market for IoT security. Increasing numbers of data breaches, and growing smart cities, are some of the factors driving the market. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/ALLI-Manu-0V14/iot-security-market-research-report REGION WISE IOT SECURITY MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS The United States (US) and Canada have made substantial investments in R&D activities, thereby leading to the growth of innovative technologies. The US and Canada are the early adopters of trend-setting innovations, such as IoT, Big Data, and Mobility, which created huge opportunities for IoT security vendors. This dominance of US and Canada have made North America the leader in the IoT security market. (US) and have made substantial investments in R&D activities, thereby leading to the growth of innovative technologies. The US and are the early adopters of trend-setting innovations, such as IoT, Big Data, and Mobility, which created huge opportunities for IoT security vendors. This dominance of US and have made the leader in the IoT security market. Due to the tremendous growth in IoT data and the increasing demand for advanced analytics, Asia-Pacific is projected to be the fastest-growing market during the forecast period. Inquire for Regional Report: https://reports.valuates.com/request/regional/ALLI-Manu-0V14/IoT_Security_Market Key Market Segments: By Component: Solution Services. By Deployment Mode: On-Premise Cloud. By Organization Size Large Enterprises Small & Medium Enterprises. By Product Type Device Authentication & Management Identity Access & Management Intrusion Detection System & Intrusion Prevention System Data Encryption & Tokenization Others. By Security Type Network Security Endpoint Security Application Security Cloud Security Others. By Industry Vertical Manufacturing Retail & ECommerce Government & Defense Transportation & Logistics Energy & Utilities Healthcare Others. By Region North America Europe APAC LAMEA Key Market Players IBM Corporation Intel Corporation Infineon Technologies AG Cisco Systems Inc Broadcom Gemalto NV Fortinet Inc SecuriThings Palo Alto Networks Inc Trend Micro Incorporated Others. Buy Now : https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode=ALLI-Manu-0V14 SIMILAR REPORTS 1. Internet of Things (IoT) Market The global IoT market size was USD 164 Billion in 2018 and is expected to grow between 2018 and 2025, with a CAGR of 38.62%. The IoT market is strategically segmented into type and application. Based on type the market is segmented into perception technology, network technology, application technology. Based on application, the market is classified as Artificial Intelligence, Connectivity, Networking, Sensing/Sensors, and Databases. This report analyzes the global market competition landscape, market drivers and trends, opportunities and challenges, risks and entry barriers, sales channels, distributors, and Porter's Five Forces Analysis. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-3D175/global-iot-market 2. IoT Security Software Market IoT Security Software market is segmented by Type and Application. Based on type, the IoT Security Software market is segmented by, Network Security, Endpoint Security, Application Security, Cloud Security and Others. And by application, the IoT Security Software market is segmented into Building and Home Automation, Supply Chain Management, Patient Information Management, Energy and Utilities Management, Customer Information Security, and Others. This report focuses on the status of global IoT Security Software, future projections, opportunities for growth, key markets, and key players. The aims of the study are to present the growth of IoT Security Software in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, and Central & South America. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-2J238/iot-security-software-market 3. IoT Security Solution Market IoT Security Solution market is segmented by Type and Application. Based on type, the IoT Security Solution market is segmented into Network Security, Endpoint Security, Application Security, and Cloud Security. And by application, the IoT Security Solution market is segmented into Healthcare, Information Technology (IT), Telecom, Banking, Financial Services, And Insurance (BFSI), Automotive, and Others. This report focuses on the status of global IoT Security solutions, future projections, opportunities for growth, key industry, and key players. The aim of the study is to address the development of IoT Security Solution in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, and Central & South America. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-4X196/iot-security-solution-market 4. IoT Security Services Market IoT Security Services market is segmented by Type and Application. Based on type, the IoT Security Services market is segmented into Professional and Managed. And based on the application the IoT Security Services market is segmented into Healthcare, Information Technology (IT), Telecom, Banking, Financial Services, And Insurance (BFSI), Automotive, and Others. This report focuses on the status of global IoT security services, future forecasts, opportunities for growth, key markets, and key players. The objective of this study is to present the creation of IoT Security Services in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, and Central & South America. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-0H208/iot-security-services-market 5. IoT Security Platform Market IoT Security Platform market is segmented by Type and Application. Based on type the IoT Security Platform market is segmented into Network Security, Endpoint Security, Application Security, Cloud Security, and Others. And based on the application the IoT Security Platform market is segmented into Healthcare, Information Technology (IT), Telecom, Banking, Financial Services, And Insurance (BFSI), Automotive, and Others. This report focuses on the status of the global IoT Security Platform, future outlook, the potential for growth, key market, and key players. The aims of the study are to address the creation of the IoT Security Framework in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, and Central & South America. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-1T242/iot-security-platform-market 6. IoT Security Solution for Identity and Access Management (IAM) Market IoT Security Solution for Identity and Access Management (IAM) market is segmented by Type and Application. Based on type, the IoT Security Solution for Identity and Access Management (IAM) market is segmented into Software Platforms and services. And based on the application, the IoT Security Solution for Identity and Access Management (IAM) market is segmented into Healthcare, Information Technology (IT), Telecom, Banking, Financial Services, And Insurance (BFSI), Automotive, and Others. This report focuses on the status, future outlook, growth opportunity, key industry, and key players of the global IoT Security Solution for Identity and Access Management (IAM). The objectives of the study are to present the development of the IoT Security Solution for Identity and Access Management (IAM) in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, and Central & South America. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-2C239/global-iot-security-solution-for-iam-market About Us: Valuates offers in-depth market insights into various industries. Our extensive report repository is constantly updated to meet your changing industry analysis needs. Our team of market analysts can help you select the best report covering your industry. We understand your niche region-specific requirements and that's why we offer customization of reports. With our customization in place, you can request for any particular information from a report that meets your market analysis needs. Valuates is curating premium Market Research Reports from the leading publishers around the globe. We will help you map your information needs to our report repository of Market research reports and guide you through your purchasing decision. We are based out of Silicon Valley of India (Bengaluru) and provide 24/6 online and offline support to all our customers and just a phone call away. Contact Us: Valuates Reports sales@valuates.com For U.S. Toll Free Call +1-(315)-215-3225 For IST Call +91-8040957137 WhatsApp: +91-9945648335 Website: https://reports.valuates.com Twitter - https://twitter.com/valuatesreports Linkedin - https://in.linkedin.com/company/valuatesreports Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/valuatesreports/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1082232/Valuates_Reports_Logo.jpg US House Doesnt Have Enough Votes for Clean FISA Reauthorization, Rep. Collins Says Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) said on March 8 he believes Congress doesnt have sufficient votes for a clean reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) this week, and that he thinks thats a good thing. When questioned on whether the House will have the votes for a FISA reauthorization without reforms by the March 15 deadline, the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee said, No, I dont think we do, and I think thats a good thing. I think thats good for the president, Collins told Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo. I think thats good for the country People have lost trust in the Department of Justice. Theyve lost trust in the FISA court. The role of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court has become a subject of controversy. President Donald Trumps supporters have called for FISA reforms after the Justice Departments Inspector General Michael Horowitz in December 2019 issued a scathing report that faulted the FBI for at least 17 significant errors and omissions in applications submitted to the court when it sought to wiretap Trumps former campaign adviser Carter Page as part of its investigation into alleged contacts between Trumps campaign and Russia. In my position, I think the Houses position, and actually, the president has mentioned this as well, is now is our time to actually look at what needs to happen with the court itself, so that we dont get another Carter Page, we dont get another president, like President Trump as a candidate and as president was attacked by a rogue cabal at the DOJ abusing the FISA process, Collins said. I think the House right now is in no position to pass anything that doesnt have some actual Title I changeswhich is the actual court itselfso that we can protect American citizens in sensitive areas. Collins, a key defender of the president during the impeachment inquiry, said he has been working hard on possible reforms to the law. Attorney General William Barr on Feb. 25 told Senate Republicans that he favors a clean FISA reauthorization that preserves key controversial surveillance provisions, including highly intrusive bulk metadata collections based on telephone records of individuals within and outside the United States. Barr, who has called the surveillance tools essential for law enforcement, said he thinks sufficient reforms can be implemented administratively rather than going through a legislative process. While Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) supported Barr, as did most other Senate Republicans, according to media reports, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) made clear they want reforms first and reauthorization later. Paul on Feb. 26 said Trump told him he also opposes a clean reauthorization, and the presidents most visible supporters among House Republicans responded, led by Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), who wrote on Twitter: Former FBI officials in 2016-17 gravely abused the FISA process and lied to the FISA court 17 times. Now, some members of Congress want to do a clean reauthorization of FISA anyway. Totally unacceptable. Should NEVER happen. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) later added: Comeys FBI misled the FISA court 17 times. We cant simply reauthorize the system that allowed those lies and omissions to happen. Now is our chance to fix it. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), meanwhile, has called for FISA reauthorization to happen by March 12. We have to have a reauthorization of FISA, she told reporters last week. Were having our own negotiations within our own group, but also among the Democrats and vis-a-vis the Republicans. Mark Tapscott and Reuters contributed to this report. Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, will make their final appearance as senior royals Monday when they appear with Queen Elizabeth II at the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey. The televised event will mark the last time they will work alongside the entire Windsor clan before flying off into self-imposed exile in North America. The separation will be marked in protocol: Harry and Megan will be ushered to their seats rather than waiting for the monarch's arrival and walking through the church with her as the other senior roles will do. The service will also end the two-month drama that began when the couple announced plans to walk away from their roles as senior members of the royal family and into a world where they will have to earn a living. It's uncharted territory for the House of Windsor, which only has the messy abdication of Edward VIII in 1936 as a guide to the potential pitfalls. "[The Windsors] have lost a major attraction for the future," said Pauline Maclaran, co-author of "Royal Fever: The British Monarchy in Consumer Culture. The Commonwealth service is a major event on the royal calendar, largely because the 93-year-old monarch has embraced the organization for much of her life. She became head of the network of 54 countries when she was only 26 in 1952, and has long considered supporting good relations among its members to be her own particular political project, said Philip Murphy, the director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the School of Advanced Study at the University of London. "It's not just what a lot of people would call Imperial nostalgia a" a yearning for the good old days of the Raj," Murphy said. "The queen has always embraced an evolving Commonwealth and supported the notion of Britain as a multiracial country because it is part of a multiracial Commonwealth." Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders is accompanied by his relatives, including his wife Jane, as he addresses supporters at his Super Tuesday night rally in Essex Junction, Vermont, U.S., March 3, 2020 Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden's presidential campaigns canceled rallies set for Cleveland on Tuesday night due to coronavirus concerns, the first disruptions the outbreak has caused in the 2020 Democratic primary. In separate announcements, the Democratic presidential contenders' campaigns said they exercised caution about holding large public gatherings after hearing guidance from public health officials. Both the Sanders and Biden campaigns thanked supporters who planned to attend the events on a crucial day in the race to decide who faces President Donald Trump in November. In a statement, Sanders communications director Mike Casca said the Vermont senator's campaign will evaluate future events "on a case by case basis." Biden communications director Kate Bedingfield said the campaign will "make announcements about future events in the coming days." The Democratic front-runner plans to deliver remarks at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia at 9:30 p.m. ET. Ex-Buzzfeed, Nike, Paramount, and Activision Marketing Leader Orlando Baeza joins Kajabi as CMO to continue serving more business owners around the world. IRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2020 / Kajabi, a leading all-in-one online business platform, announced that Orlando Baeza has joined its leadership team as Chief Marketing Officer. With a proven track record of global marketing success and brand growth, Baeza is the perfect candidate to steer Kajabi through this next phase of growth. Kajabi customers have generated more than $1 billion in sales delivering educational experiences to more than 41 million students worldwide. Now, with Baeza bringing his decades of proven brand growth success, Kajabi is poised to empower even more people to achieve their business dreams. This announcement comes after months of searching for the right candidate who would give Kajabi a unique edge in the SaaS space. "We weren't searching for someone steeped in B2B SaaS software marketing, or someone who was a pro at digital direct response marketing," says Kajabi Co-Founder and CEO Kenny Rueter. "We wanted to find someone with real chops at story-centric marketing to real everyday people." With Baeza's experience driving growth for global brands including Buzzfeed, Paramount Pictures, Nike, Activision, and others, he was a standout candidate who could bring the goods Kajabi needed. "We wanted to set the bar really high," says Rueter. "The perfect candidate would bring a wealth of experience building, leading, mentoring, and scaling a marketing team, but also have experience with product-led and brand-forward marketing, and of course be a perfect cultural fit with our organization," Rueter says. "I couldn't be more thrilled to join the incredible team at Kajabi. They have impacted and changed so many people's lives with their incredible product and I have every intention to continue to tell those user's success stories," says Baeza. "I'm excited to bring a fresh pair of eyes to the brand and go deeper with storytelling around our product and community." Baeza's duties include leading marketing strategy and execution, including growth, product marketing and creative, creating a vibrant community for Kajabi users, and defining the brand marketing direction as Kajabi continues to release new product features and improvements. This announcement follows several notable milestones in Kajabi's growth during the past year, including: Spectrum Equity's minority growth investment in Kajabi, a strong signal that the company's all-in-one approach is on a solid path. The Kajabi Mobile App, a ready-made mobile app for both iOS and Android, free with every Kajabi account, eliminating the need for business owners to integrate a white label app service, and allowing them to create better customer engagement with ease. Kajabi Pages, a completely overhauled page builder experience, made to be more powerful and less complicated than other solutions on the market, with a built-in library of popular page types, page sections, elements, transition animations and themes. Kajabi Email, an updated and enhanced version of Kajabi's email service provider platform, featuring an intuitive visual builder and tight integrations into marketing, CRM, and other tools on the platform. With several additional product feature expansions and launches planned for 2020 and beyond, Kajabi is poised to leverage Baeza's talents to bring its all-in-one business platform to more serious entrepreneurs, experts, and influencers around the world. About Kajabi: Founded in Irvine, California, in 2010, Kajabi is an all-in-one platform for entrepreneurs, experts, and influencers to build, market, and sell educational content. With Kajabi's growing array of strong web design tools, users have a single ecosystem in which they can publish, market, and sell webinars, articles, online courses, and other digital products. Tens of thousands of entrepreneurs rely on Kajabi to build and manage their online businesses, and the company has helped these stakeholders generate over $1 billion in sales from 41 million customers to date. Contact: Itai Elizur InboundJunction Itai@InboundJunction.com SOURCE: Kajabi View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/579925/Kajabi-Names-Industry-Veteran-as-New-Chief-Marketing-Officer Strong Support for Reform Career Experience in School and Continued Education A Priority TORONTO, March 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Wednesday, March 11, Express Employment Professionals will release a new national poll of Canadian employees focused on education in Canada and its success in preparing the next generation for the modern workforce. Conducted by The Harris Poll, this comprehensive poll reveals 80% of workers say the education system has failed to evolve to meet the needs of the workforce and examines what skills are necessary for todays careers and those of the future. This also includes how much education employees use daily at work and the need for continual learning opportunities. If you would like to obtain an advance copy of the survey results or arrange an interview with Express, please contact Adria Minsky at (416) 620-7111 or email adria@mapleleafstrategies.com. Naples, Florida--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2020) - ZA Group, Inc. ("ZAAG" or the "Company") (OTC Pink: ZAAG), an emerging holding company focused on the acquisition of undervalued, niche companies with high growth potential around the world, is excited to announce it signed a definitive agreement with Urban Core Institute, Inc. to both lease and acquire its 4 internet based technology web platforms. This definitive agreement with Urban Core Institute, Inc. immediately allows ZAAG to partake in the ramp up of internet traffic growth, advertising and marketing revenues generated from these 4 technology platforms and then eventually acquire all 4 technology platforms. Both parties have entered into this agreement and website platform business to allow the company to invest in the future and generate revenue and sales from third party businesses, events, services, and information, while being an information portal. Today ZAAG Corporation has a better opportunity than ever to be innovative leaders. The company plans on releasing more news details on these 4 internet-based web platforms and their potential in the next few weeks. More information can be viewed at http://zaagcorporation.com/ . As previously announced, ZAAG Completed its Acquisition of Naples Restaurant, Zen Asian Barbecue. ZAAG is happy to announce this was the first of several acquisitions it looks to complete. ZAAG President John Morgan stated, "As of September 30, 2019, ZAAG had a total of $534,532 in assets. ZAAG has rapidly increased its nine-month revenues year over year from 2018 to 2019. In the nine months ending September 30, 2019 ZAAG had revenues of $837,070 compared to $330,892 for the nine months ending September 30, 2018." About ZAAG ZA Group, Inc. is an emerging holding company, targeting the acquisition of undervalued, niche web based, internet, companies and technologies with high growth potential. ZAAG also owns the award-winning restaurant, Zen Asian BBQ ( https://www.eatatzen.com/ ), located in a Naples, Florida. SAFE HARBOR ACT: Forward-Looking Statements are included within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements regarding our expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, financing plans, business strategy, products and services, competitive positions, growth opportunities, plans and objectives of management for future operations, including words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should," "will," and other similar expressions are forward-looking statements and involve risks, uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, which may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from anticipated results, performance, or achievements. We are under no obligation to (and expressly disclaim any such obligation to) update or alter our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Contact: ZA Group, Inc. 10823 Tamiami Trail N Naples, FL 34108 Email: jm850fl@gmail.com Twitter: @ZAGroup_ To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/53321 The government of Manipur has announced the closure of all border entry points with Myanmar to prevent the spread of the highly contagious novel Coronavirus or COVID-19. Entry of any foreigners from these border checkpoints is banned. Reuters An order issued by the state home department on Monday said the government has banned movement of people across the international border and shut all the gates along the Indo-Myanmar border at More, indefinitely. The Mizoram government has announced that the border with Myanmar and Bangladesh will be sealed and entry of foreigners will be banned to prevent the spread of coronavirus. As a precautionary measures of transmission of Coronavirus /COVID-19, the international border with Myanmar has been closed including gate no 1 and 2 in Moreh until further orders. pic.twitter.com/AJ2QTudf7l N.Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) March 10, 2020 The Arunachal Pradesh government has also temporarily stopped issuing Protected Area Permits to foreigners to keep a check on the spread of the virus, as told by an official on Sunday. These moves were announced days after Sikkim announced a similar restraint on foreigners. At least 400 people in Assam have been quarantined after they came in contact with an American tourist who tested positive for coronavirus, Health Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, said. AFP The American, who was tested positive in Bhutan, travelled to Assam recently, the minister told the media. Bhutan has also decided to shut borders to foreign visitors for 14 days, in an effort to contain the virus. The virus that is called COVID - 19 or coronavirus first came in December last year in China, and later on spread to several countries. More than 3,500 people have died all around the world due to this virus. The commander of U.S. Army Europe, along with several staff members, may have been exposed to the coronavirus during a recent conference, the Army said on Monday. Lieutenant General Christopher Cavoli was "self-monitoring" and working remotely for now, the Army said in a statement. A U.S. official told Reuters that the conference involved land force commanders and took place in Wiesbaden, Germany, last week. One of the foreign participants has been confirmed to have the virus, the official said. The Army says that Lt. General Christopher Cavoli, the commander of forces in Europe, is self-monitoring after he may have been exposed to the coronavirus A military police car enters the Army's European headquarters, the Lucius D. Clay barracks, in Wiesbaden, Germany. Cavoli has the European command 'Out of an abundance of caution and following recommended protocols, he and others potentially affected are self-monitoring and working remotely to fulfill their command duties and responsibilities,' Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said in a statement to Stars and Stripes. 'U.S. Army Europe public health officials have notified all other U.S. personnel who were at risk of exposure,' McCarthy added. 'We are conducting daily assessments of the situation and are consulting with medical professionals, the joint and OSD staff, our exercise host nations, and other allies and partners.' Pentagon officials recently announced that they're practicing 'social distancing' measures, in keeping with recommendations from Air Force Brig. General Paul Friedrichs, who advised keeping distance, wiping workspaces and covering mouths when coughing, the Army Times reported. 'I think the secretary is trying to set the example that we need to take some of these common sense measuressuch as social distancing seriously and to implement those. And to do it in a way that we can continue to go about the business of the Pentagon, said Jonathan Hoffman, Pentagon spokesman. Cavoli was commissioned into the infantry after graduating Princeton University in 1987, according to his Wikipedia page. He was made a captain and served as an instructor at Ranger School from 1992 to 1994, and served in Bosnia in 2000. Cavoli rose to command Army Europe in 2018 after being confirmed by the Senate as a lieutenant general in 2017. As of Monday evening, there were 113,710 confirmed cases of coronavirus around the world with 3,990 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. Academy fires its ousted CEO The Recording Academy has fired Deborah Dugan, its former president who called into question the integrity of the Grammy Awards nominations process and said she was sexually harassed by a top lawyer for the organization, which she called a boys club that coddled and favored powerful men. The academy said the decision was reached after two exhaustive, costly independent investigations about Dugan and her allegations. It said the reviews found consistent management deficiencies and failures, though no specifics were offered. Dugan had been on administrative leave since mid-January, when she was ousted after a complaint of mistreatment from a longtime Recording Academy employee, which the academy said Monday was one of multiple complaints from people across the organization. Dugan had raised several issues about the way the organization ran and accused its top lawyers of acting inappropriately toward her during a business meeting, which she detailed in a discrimination complaint filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Dugan said that the academys investigations did not include interviews with her, or address her claims of conflict of interest and voting irregularities. While I am disappointed by this latest development, I am not surprised given the Academys pattern of dealing with whistle blowers, She said in a statement. So, instead of trying to reform the corrupt institution from within, I will continue to work to hold accountable those who continue to self-deal, taint the Grammy voting process and discriminate Men urged to honor women Prince Harrys wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has visited a school to offer an International Womens Day message with an appeal to men to honor the women in their lives. The surprise visit took place at the Robert Clack Upper School in Dagenham in east London. The community was the site of famous strikes by female sewing machinists at a Ford plant, an equal pay fight depicted in the 2010 film Made in Dagenham. In one of her final duties as a senior British royal, Meghan urged the boys in the school assembly of 700 students to continue to value and appreciate the women in your lives and also set the example for some men who are not seeing it that same way. The Duchess of Sussex asked for a male volunteer to offer their thoughts on the importance of International Womens Day. Aker Okoye, 16, raced to the stage, greeting her with what appeared to be an air kiss to her cheek. Meghan gave him a hug and later praised his incredible confidence. Associated Press Aaron Londons stuffed latke pockets and herbed falafel salads are no more. London closed his first foray into the fast-casual realm, ALs Deli in San Franciscos Mission District, over the weekend after just eight months in business. The final blow was the coronavirus. ALs Deli (598 Guerrero St.) relied on corporate catering for 50% of its total revenue, but those orders dropped in recent weeks as Bay Area companies began increasingly mandating its employees work from home. London said 100% of ALs Delis corporate orders from the past week were canceled. It was a stark drop from the week prior, though London had started noticing cancellations at his Michelin-starred restaurant ALs Place, also in the Mission. With no certainty about how long thatll last, whether this situation is going to get better or worse, whether the government at any level will help protect and support the hospitality industry in San Francisco, London said he had no choice but to close ALs Deli for good. Eater SF first reported the closure. That said, London was already looking at the possibility of closing the deli. It never found the large audience demanded by its lower prices it served shawarma, Montreal-style smoked meat and Israeli-inspired fare to 200 to 300 customers per day but needed more like 1,500 people to be profitable. It definitely was a series of events, but when it came down to it, it just wasnt enough volume. That type of model relies on massive volume, he said. As a chef who had been in fine dining for his whole career, London was originally excited about the new challenges a fast-casual restaurant presented. Now, hes not so sure hell try opening another one. Hes still reeling from the closure, but hes trying to look at the positives, like spending more time at ALs Place. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. The reality of operating a fast-casual restaurant meant simplifying the menu and keeping it consistent. Londons more experimental food ideas, like hot dogs stuffed into falafel balls, wound up not being very popular at the deli. He had more fun dishes in mind but never served them because of the format. Everything at the deli started out at ALs Place as a special thing I tried, he said. Now, I can bring some stuff from the deli back to ALs Place. Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @janellebitker Cabinet secretary nominees will be required to have a university degree and undergo a thorough vetting if proposals by MPs are implemented. According to the MPs, there are a lot of gaps as far as vetting of CSs is concerned, which should be rectified in a bid to appoint people with high integrity. The MPs said any CS nominee must have a university degree from a recognised institution. At the moment, the law does not explicitly require CS nominees to have a degree. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Washington is for a "unified and sovereign Afghanistan" and opposes "any action to establish a parallel government," hours after the country's president and his main election rival held dual and competing inauguration ceremonies. "We strongly oppose any action to establish a parallel government and any use of force to resolve political differences," Pompeo said in a statement on March 9. He also condemned a terror attack in Kabul the same day for which the Islamic State militant group took responsibility. Four rockets landed close to the presidential palace when President Ashraf Ghani was being sworn in for his second term in office, the Khaama Press news agency reported. In a separate move, Washington has called for a March 10 vote at the UN Security Council to endorse its accord with the Taliban that is meant to pave the way for peace to be achieved in the nearly two-decade war, AFP quoted diplomats as saying. The peace deal was sealed on February 29 and a U.S. official told AP on March 9 that hundreds of U.S. soldiers were now heading out of Afghanistan. With the peace deal, the official said the departing U.S. soldiers will not be replaced. That means the United States is now effectively moving ahead with an initial reduction of U.S. troops in Afghanistan from about 13,000 to 8,600 soldiers. The long-term plan is for the United States to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan within 14 months if security conditions are met. Meanwhile, Ghani's main political rival, former Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, held his own inauguration ceremony on March 9 -- insisting that he won the country's September 2019 presidential election. Hundreds of guests attended the inauguration ceremonies of both teams at palaces located next to each other in central Kabul, after last-ditch efforts to mediate an end to the standoff between Ghani and Abdullah failed to resolve the crisis. U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and U.S. General Scott Miller, the commander of the U.S.-led international force in Afghanistan, attended Ghani's inauguration as the sound of rocket fire echoed in the background. "We have seen bigger attacks. Don't be afraid of just two blasts," Ghani said, as he raised his hands to calm the crowd around him, which included many foreign dignitaries. The Islamic State (IS) extremist group later claimed responsibility for the rocket attack that targeted the inauguration. There were no reports of any injuries. "Caliphate soldiers targeted the inauguration of the tyrant Ashraf Ghani," by firing 10 rockets near the presidential palace in Kabul, IS said in a statement released on social media. Hours before the parallel ceremonies, Abdullah wrote on Twitter that "no one should have underestimated our commitment to genuine democracy." "Invalidation of all fraudulent votes is the way out," Abdullah said. The dispute stems from the official results of the bitterly contested September 28 presidential election. Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) declared on February 19 that Ghani had won reelection with just over 50 percent of the vote. According to the official vote count, Abdullah finished in second place with about 39 percent of the first-round vote. But Abdullah rejects the official results, saying the election was marred by widespread fraud. He has declared himself the winner and vowed to form his own government. The standoff has triggered a political crisis that has threatened to spill over into violence and derail a historic peace deal between the United States and the Taliban. The dispute over the presidency also has left Kabul's allies and ordinary Afghans deeply worried about the future of the country as it tries to strike a peace deal with Taliban militants. Washington previously asked both sides to delay the ceremonies. Political analyst Atta Noori told AFP that the dispute would "gravely affect the government's position in the upcoming intra-Afghan talks." "Unity is the only way [forward] if they want to win on the negotiating table," Noori said. The Taliban, meanwhile, says talks with Afghanistans government scheduled to start on March 10 are unlikely to take place on time because of the two rivals' plans to conduct the parallel ceremonies. Abdullah was named chief executive officer in 2014 under a U.S.-brokered power-sharing agreement that created a fragile national-unity government to resolve a political crisis over Abdullah's allegations of widespread fraud in the 2014 presidential election. Under that deal, Ghani became president in the national-unity government while the new office of chief executive officer was created for Abdullah. With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan and Radio Mashaal, AFP, AP, Reuters, and dpa The state has now completed its DNA evidence, which lasted 24 sitting days, or around six weeks. The next phase of the trial is to move onto the fibre evidence, with the state alleging common fibres found on the bodies of Ciara and Jane, and Mr Edwards' rape victim, link him to the murders of Ciara and Jane. Ms Barbagallo has indicated there is around 10 weeks left of the prosecution case, with much of that time to be taken up by the fibre evidence, and the remaining week to be mostly taken up by Mr Edwards' six-hour interview. Mr Yovich has requested a brief adjournment in the trial, so he can prepare to cross-examine the state's fibre witnesses. The state's fibre report was allowed to be received late by the court, and so Mr Yovich is being allowed additional time to consider the report. The court will adjourn until Monday week, March 23, 2019. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Beijing, China Tue, March 10, 2020 20:31 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2069b785c 2 World China,collapsed-building,Hotel,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,outbreak,COVID-19,health,building-collapse,safety-issues Free A survivor was rescued after 69 hours trapped under a collapsed hotel used as a coronavirus quarantine facility in eastern China Tuesday, as officials said the building had been illegally rebuilt several times. Twenty people died when the 66-room hotel crumbled Saturday night, with 41 people rescued from the wreckage injured and nine still feared trapped. The unidentified man was pulled out late Tuesday afternoon nearly three days after the building collapsed, according to the official Xinhua news agency, and sent to a nearby hospital. The accident has exposed safety loopholes neglected by local authorities, Shang Yong, deputy head of the Ministry of Emergency Management, said at a press conference Tuesday. "This hotel was illegally constructed and had repeatedly violated the regulations," Shang said, saying local officials had "neglected their supervision responsibilities." Local media published video that appeared to show the hotel's facade crumbling to the ground in seconds, exposing the structure's steel frame. The building in the coastal city of Quanzhou -- which has recorded 47 virus cases -- had been repurposed to house people who had recently been in regions hard hit by COVID-19, according to local newspaper Quanzhou Evening News. Video posted online Tuesday by the Ministry of Emergency Management showed rescuers bowing over the body of a victim, with one rescuer breaking down in tears and leaving the scene. Earlier footage from the ministry showed rescuers helping children don surgical masks before pulling them from the remains of the six-story Xinjia hotel. A 12-year-old boy told emergency workers his mother was still buried in the rubble. "She was next to me just now," he said in the video. His mother was pulled out alive hours later, according to the ministry. Rescuers were also seen spraying disinfectant on each other, part of "strict decontamination" measures between shifts. Besides the 61 people pulled out, nine others escaped on their own, the ministry said. The first floor had been undergoing renovation since before the Lunar New Year holiday, and authorities said construction workers called the hotel's owner minutes before the collapse to report a deformed pillar. The owner has been summoned by police while investigators work to determine whether the renovation or an original structural issue was at fault, according to the ministry. Quanzhou Evening News reported Sunday that all of the people quarantined in the hotel had tested negative for the virus. The emergency management ministry said some 200 local and 800 Fujian province firefighters had been deployed to the scene along with 11 search and rescue teams and seven rescue dogs, according to Xinhua. The National Health Commission said it had dispatched to Quanzhou 18 medical experts from the nearby cities of Fuzhou and Xiamen. China is no stranger to building collapses and deadly construction accidents that are typically blamed on the country's rapid growth leading to corner-cutting by builders and the widespread flouting of safety rules. At least 20 people died in 2016 when a series of crudely-constructed multi-story buildings packed with migrant workers collapsed in the eastern city of Wenzhou. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 06:03:53|Editor: yan Video Player Close KASTANIES, Greece, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Calm prevailed on Tuesday at Kastanies border crossing in northeastern Greece, after ten days of sporadic clashes between Greek forces and thousands of migrants, refugees attempting to illegally enter Europe through the land border separating Greece and Turkey. Although no result came from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Brussels on Monday, the beginning of talks between Turkey and the European Union (EU) on migration and refugee flow pressure fueled hope that an agreement can be achieved to tackle the common challenge and this is reflected also at Kastanies, Greek officials said here. "We are optimistic that through the dialogue which seems to start on EU level with Turkey a solution will be reached as soon as possible to deescalate tension," Theodoros Karaoglou, Greek Deputy Minister of Interior, told media during a visit to Kastanies town and Kastanies border crossing on Tuesday. "Today and yesterday it is quite quiet. There is no tension in front of Kastanies (border crossing). There are just a few people, around 100-150. Of course behind the Turkish border post there are still many who have camped, about 5,000-6,000 people," Ilias Akidis, president of union of police officers of the nearby city of Orestiada, told Xinhua. "We have been organized, we had reinforcements and we have the means to deal with any attempt for illegal entrance," he stressed. Since Ankara announced late February that it will no longer prevent people from reaching Europe's borders, tens of thousands amassed at the land border with Greece attempting to reach European soil. The land border mostly follows Evros river, the natural border between the two countries, and a fence has been erected for years along part of it. Greece's Migration and Asylum Ministry announced last week that about 1,600 people crossed the border from the start of this year. Greek forces prevented more than 40,000 illegal entries and more than 300 people who made it were arrested during the past ten days, according to government sources. Athens sent a clear message from day one that it will not allow the illegal entrance of people, beefing up patrols on land and at sea. Heads of EU institutions visited Kastanies last week with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, sending the same message that this is EU's frontier and other EU-member states will support Greece in safeguarding borders and tackle the extra pressure with financial aid and personnel. On Monday, following a meeting with Erdogan, European Council President Charles Michel said that the two sides will work together to clarify the implementation of the 2016 deal between EU-Turkey aimed to stem the refugee and migrant flows. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen added that the 2016 deal was valid, but there were elements missing which will be discussed. The agreement put an end to an unprecedented infux which had started in early 2015 when thousands of people were landing on Greek Aegean Sea islands on boats from Turkey's shores. About one million people reached Greece this way and most continued the journey to central or northern Europe before the closure of the Balkan route and the achievement of the deal. Under the agreement, EU would provide funds to Turkey to host millions of refugees in return of increased efforts to clamp down on human smuggling networks along its coastline. After a dramatic change and reduction of arrivals in Greece for the first two years, in recent months a surge in new arrivals has added pressure, in particular on already overflowing reception camps on Greek islands. According to official data by Greek authorities, more than 40,000 out of a total of 100,000 people stranded in Greece are living in difficult conditions mainly on five northeastern Aegean Sea islands. Couple arrested for ISIS links are being framed says family India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Mar 10: The family of the couple arrested in Delhi for alleged Islamic State links has said that they were being framed as they are Kashmiri Muslims. The couple were identified as Jahanzaib Sami and Hina Bashir Beigh. The couple hailed from Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. Both are professionals and have no interest in the citizenship law or the ISIS, Sami's sister Sherish Sami said. A couple linked to the Islamic State were detained by the police from Delhi's Jamia Nagar on Sunday morning. Both have been accused of trying to incite violence in the national capital apart from carry out terror strikes. Democracy wont save you, Jihad will: ISIS linked couple arrested in Delhi said Delhi Police sources tell OneIndia that both were part of the Islamic State Khorasan Province. The source cited above also said that Sami was in close contact with Huzaifa al-Bakistani, when the latter was alive. Bakistani a key player in the ISIS was killed in a drone strike at Afghanistan last year. He was in direct contact with the Indian recruits and was heading the module in Afghanistan. In fact he had also played a major role in the recruitment of scores of Indian Muslims from Kerala. Around 21 from Kerala had last year joined the Islamic State Khorasan Province in Afghanistan. During the investigation it was learnt that Hina was active on the social media and was scouting for recruits. They have even planned suicide attacks in Delhi and were in the process of procuring arms, the source added. ISIS planned murder of Hindu leaders to create communal tension in India The police have also learnt that Sami had published the February edition of the Sawt al Hind (Voice of India), an ISIS magazine. In one of the articles, he called on the Indian Muslims to violently agitate and turn to Jihad to protest against the newly amended citizenship law. Democracy will not save you. Jihad will save you, the article also said. The police say that they are now investigating the links of this couple. We are trying to ascertain if there were more persons who were associated with this couple. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 10, 2020, 7:40 [IST] Representational image Two people from Pune, who had returned from Dubai recently and are related to each other, on March 9 became first cases from Maharashtra to test positive for novel coronavirus infection, a civic Health department official said. Samples of a man and a woman having history of travelling to Dubai tested positive in evening, said Dr Ramchandra Hankare, Chief Health Officer, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). Both of them are currently admitted at the civic-run Naidu Hospital, he added. District collector Naval Kishore Ram said the duo had returned to Pune from Dubai on March 1 and went to their home. "Till March 6, they did not have any problems. On March 8, they approached us after one of them started experiencing mild symptoms. Subsequently, their samples were sent for testing which returned positive on Monday," Ram said, adding that the duo are related to each other. 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 Meanwhile, officials of the PMC's health department said while one of the two patients displayed mild symptoms another does not have any symptoms. "The duo are currently admitted in the isolation ward at Naidu Hospital. Their condition is stable," an official said. "We are in touch with other people who came into contacted with both the patients. We are closely monitoring them," he added. Researchers of Sechenov University together with their colleagues from Australia used the microfluidics technology to develop a device able to isolate cancer cells from urine of patients with prostate cancer. The study showed high sensitivity and specificity of the new method in diagnosing prostate cancer. The results obtained were published in Cancers. Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer among men: in 2018 about 1.27 million new cases were registered, almost 360,000 patients died. It's not easy to gain a significant decrease of mortality rate because there is no practical or accurate enough method of diagnosis able to detect the disease in its early stage. Nowadays two methods are usually used to prove the diagnosis: the prostate-speci?c antigen (PSA) blood test and the tissue biopsy - taking the tissue samples for analysis. Both of these methods have significant drawbacks. Blood test is not speci?c enough and can produce false positive results since the PSA level rises not only in case of prostate cancer but also during other diseases of the prostate gland. Tissue biopsy is an invasive examination that can cause adverse side e?ects such as local bleeding and infections. Also, as previous studies have shown, the sensitivity of liquid blood biopsy (isolating cancer cells) is rather poor because of the low level of the cells in blood. So, scientists suggest an alternative that is a liquid urine biopsy: the prostate gland is closely connected with the urethra and cancer cells are washed out during urination. "As we have shown, while testing this technique we managed to collect 85 (6) % of the total number of prostate cancer cells as well as to isolate cells from the urine of 86% of patients with localised cancer in the early stage. Now we are trying to optimise the method to improve its efficacy, specificity and sensitivity while the technology itself is going through the patent process," said Alexey Rzhevskiy, research associate in the Institute of Molecular Medicine, Sechenov University. To isolate cells from the liquid, researchers developed a micro?uidic chip - a device made from polymer with a thin spiral channel, forked on one end, and three holes: one for urine intake and two for cell separation. The chip is so designed that cancer cells which are larger than others shift to the inner wall of the channel and leave it through one of the holes while smaller and lighter cells gather along the outer wall and come out through the other hole. This effect is caused by the joint action of several centrifugal forces. Scientists labelled the collected cells with ?uorescent antibodies - molecules able to glow while absorbing light of a certain wavelength. Researchers examined cancer cells with the antibodies under a fuorescence microscope and measured the intensity of the light emitted: if it exceeded the calculated threshold, scientists concluded that these cells were cancerous. The authors tested the device using saline with the known number of cells (in pilot studies) and the samples of urine of healthy volunteers and patients with the prostate cancer. During the pilot experiments the chip isolated from 80 to 90% of cancer cells. Tests with the urine samples were rather successful too: they detected the disease in 12 out of 14 patients with cancer and confirmed the health of 11 out of 14 healthy volunteers. ### The study was conducted by the scientific group under the leadership of Majid Ebrahimi Warkiani, associate professor in University of Technology Sydney, and Andrei Zvyagin, head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sechenov University. A mixture of hand sanitizers poured into bottles that were sold Monday at a New Jersey 7-Eleven store for $2.49 each were to blame for burns suffered by four teens, police said Tuesday. The teens purchased a bottle of the homemade hand-sanitizer at the 7-Eleven on Rivervale Road in River Vale. One teen suffered burns to his arms and legs and was treated at a local hospital. The other teens also suffered burns, but their injuries were minor and did not require medical treatment, according to River Vale police Lt. John DeVoe. The solution contained a mixture of chemically available hand-sanitizers, Devoe said Tuesday. Four juveniles used the same bottle. There was some kind of reaction that was created (by mixing the chemicals.)" Devoe said officers went to the store shortly after 8 p.m. Monday and seized eight bottles of the solution which had already been removed from shelves and one empty bottle. They also took the components used in the mix, Devoe said. Police believe there are 10 more bottles of solution out there and theyve warned people against using the solution. The sanitizer seized by police is being tested, but Devoe said store employees told them what was in the bottles and the police say they dont have any reason to doubt them. Devoe added that he does not believe store workers intended to hurt anyone. In my opinion it was a complete lapse in judgement, he said. A woman who answered the phone at the store early Tuesday said the sanitizer is safe but declined to comment further. Investigators became aware of the incident through social media, Devoe said. One parent had posted photos of her sons burns on Facebook but took them down Tuesday, hired a lawyer and was declining to speak with reporters, Devoe said. Devoe said the matter remains under investigation and that the incident was reported to county and state officials. Anyone who bought the spray from the River Vale 7-Eleven is asked to call police at 201-664-1111. The incident occurred after New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday declared a state of emergency after 11 people have tested positive in the state. Worldwide, nearly 110,000 people have been affected, according to reports. Twenty-four others in New Jersey are under investigation by the state Department of Health, authorities said. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. The coronavirus outbreak could cost the global economy up to $2 trillion this year, the UN's trade and development agency said, warning that shock from the epidemic will cause a recession in some countries and depress global annual growth to below 2.5 per cent. "We envisage a slowdown in the global economy to under two per cent for this year, and that will probably cost in the order of $1 trillion, compared with what people were forecasting back in September, Director, Division on Globalization and Development Strategies at United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Richard Kozul-Wright said. The UN agency said that apart from the tragic human consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic, the economic uncertainty it has sparked will likely cost the global economy $1 trillion in 2020. A preliminary downside scenario sees a $2 trillion shortfall in global income with a $220 billion hit to developing countries (excluding China). The most badly affected economies in this scenario will be oil-exporting countries, but also other commodity exporters, which stand to lose more than one percentage point of growth, as well as those with strong trade linkages to the initially shocked economies. Growth decelerations between 0.7 per cent and 0.9 per cent are likely to occur in countries such as Canada, Mexico and the Central American region, in the Americas; countries deeply inserted in the global value chains of East and South Asia, and countries in the immediacy of the European Union. Last week, UNCTAD had said that the trade impact of the coronavirus epidemic for India is estimated to be about $348 million and the country figures among the top 15 economies most affected as slowdown of manufacturing in China disrupts world trade. Slowdown of manufacturing in China due to the coronavirus outbreak is disrupting world trade and could result in a $50 billion decrease in exports across global value chains. Launching the UNCTAD report as world financial markets tumbled over concerns about supply-chain interruptions from China, and oil price uncertainty among major producers, Kozul-Wright warned that few countries were likely to be left unscathed by the outbreak's financial ramifications. One "Doomsday scenario" in which the world economy grew at only 0.5 per cent, would involve "a $2 trillion hit" to gross domestic product, he said, adding that collapsing oil prices had been "a contributing factor to that growing sense of unease and panic." While it was difficult to predict how the international financial markets will react to COVID-19's impacts "what they do suggest is a world that is extremely anxious," he said. "There's a degree of anxiety now that's well beyond the health scares which are very serious and concerning." To counter these fears, Governments need to spend at this point in time to prevent the kind of meltdown that could be even more damaging than the one that is likely to take place over the course of the year, Kozul-Wright said. UNCTAD's analysis points out that a persistent belief in the soundness of economic fundamentals and a self-correcting world economy continues to hamper policy thinking in the advanced economies. "This will stymie the bolder policy interventions needed to prevent the threat of a more serious crisis and increases the chances that recurrent shocks will cause serious economic damage in the future, Kozul-Wright added. Central Banks are not in a position to solve this crisis alone and an appropriate macroeconomic policy response will need aggressive fiscal spending with significant public investment, including into the care economy, and targeted welfare support for adversely affected workers, businesses and communities, the analysis says. International coordination of these programmes will be required. "Ultimately, a series of dedicated policy responses and institutional reforms are needed to prevent a localized health scare in a food market in Central China from turning into a global economic meltdown," he said. Also Read: Oil plunges 30% after Saudi Arabia launches price war Also read: Oil prices will ease if global tensions do not flare up: Oil minister Also read: Coronavirus effect: Asian shares tumble, oil prices plunge SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio - Laurel School, a private school for girls, reported Tuesday that an unspecified number of students are in quarantine after returning from a Washington, D.C. conference also attended by one of three people in Cuyahoga County who have tested positive for coronavirus. A representative for the school declined to say how many students were affected, citing privacy concerns. Four students at Hawken Upper School, a prep school in Gates Mills also are in quarantine after traveling last week to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference. They traveled on the same bus as one of the three people in Cuyahoga County who have tested positive. The Laurel School representative would not say whether the Laurel students rode on the same bus, but confirmed the students have been asked to quarantine themselves after attending the same conference. Two Solon students are also in quarantine after being exposed to the patient. The Laurel School expects to release a statement about the matter shortly. The United South and Eastern Tribes are opening their Impact Week 2019 meeting Monday morning. The Burnurwurbskek drum group is here from Maine. USET is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year! The United South and Eastern Tribes have canceled their upcoming meeting in Washington, D.C., over concerns about the coronavirus USET's "Impact Week" was to take place March 16-19 in the nation's capital. But the organization said it wouldn't go forward because more than half of its members have instituted travel restrictions in connection with the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) "Due to the rapidly increasing concerns related to the Coronavirus [COVID-19] outbreak, as of this communication, over 50% of our Tribal Nation members have notified us that they have issued travel bans, restrictions, and/or are liberally approving staff requests to not travel at this time," USET said on Monday. The annual meeting attracts dozens of tribal leaders, representing 30 Indian nations from Maine to Florida to Texas. Attendees were expected to hear from senior members of the Trump administration, as well as key members of Congress. "As previously communicated, the health and wellness of our members and meeting participants is of top priority concern," USET said. "With over half of our membership notifying us that they will not be in attendance, we will not be able to conduct our business, and therefore it makes no sense to have others travel in and jeopardize their wellness unnecessarily." USET is instead hoping to host a meeting in D.C. in late September. It will be followed in October by the organization's annual meeting, which is being hosted by the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe in Louisiana. USET, headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019. The organization was founded in 1969. Join the Conversation Related Stories A Jerusalem district court on Tuesday rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request to delay the start of his corruption trial, ruling it would begin as planned next week. Netanyahu's lawyers had appealed for a delay, saying they needed more time to review evidence. State prosecutors responded that they opposes any delays and the court accepted their position. Netanyahu has been charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in connection to a series of scandals that include accepting expensive gifts from wealthy friends and offering to exchange favours with powerful media moguls. The long-ruling Israeli leader denies any wrongdoing. His legal troubles stood at the center of last week's third inconclusive Israeli election in less than a year. Netanyahu's opponent, Benny Gantz, refused to sit with him in government and appears poised to push for legislation in the incoming parliament that would bar anyone indicted of a crime being able to lead a government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) CHANHASSEN, Minn., March 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vessco Holdings today announced that the Companys Board of Directors has appointed Brian DeWolf as Chief Executive Officer. He is responsible for leadership of the Vessco Holdings platform as it continues its impressive track record of acquiring leading water equipment distribution and services companies. DeWolf, a water industry veteran, has been with the Company and has served as Vessco Inc.s President since 1999. The past two years have been truly outstanding for the Vessco Holdings platform. We have achieved impressive growth by partnering with high quality, like-minded people in our industry. We created the premier water and wastewater technology distribution business through the combination of six leading companies over the course of 2018 and 2019. We have expanded our territories to include 17 states and the District of Columbia. We are in advanced discussions with several future partners as we continue our M&A strategy and consolidate the North American water and wastewater treatment market. The future is exciting, and we feel confident that our success will be extremely beneficial for our loyal customers, employees and manufacturing partners, said DeWolf. Vessco, Inc. and its financial partners have pursued a unique M&A strategy that began in 2018 with the combination of Vessco, Inc. and Mellen & Associates, and the formation of Vessco Holdings alongside O2 Investment Partners. The Vessco Holdings platform would go on to complete four additional acquisitions over the course of 2019 expanding its reach from the Midwest to the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. The combined businesses generate approximately $150 million in revenue and provide industry leading equipment sales and services to over 5,000 municipalities and industrial customers. In February 2019, Vessco partnered with Tim Ruesch and Gary McMahon of the Dorner Company serving Wisconsin, Illinois, and the UP of Michigan. In May 2019, Vessco joined forces with Mark Koester and Peter Radosta of Koester and Associates serving New York. In August 2019, Vessco partnered with Bob Fairweather, Ed Zalewski, Pat Foley, and Jon Casarotti of Sherwood Logan and Associates serving Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut, New York, and the District of Columbia. Finally, in October 2019, on the one-year anniversary of Vesscos partnership with O2, Vessco combined forces with Bruce Wirth, Lane Stewart, Travis Moran and Ryan Willis of Automatic Systems Company serving Minnesota, Iowa and the surrounding region. Story continues The Company expects to build on this momentum and already has three additional businesses under letter of intent. Pat Corden, Partner at O2 Investment Partners, noted, Brian DeWolf and Dick Corbett of Vessco are visionary leaders and together we have built one of the largest water and wastewater distribution businesses in the country. We are lucky to have them as partners and feel that Vessco Holdings represents the best and brightest in the industry. The combination of Vessco, Dorner, Koester, Sherwood Logan and Automatic Systems will allow each business to leverage new growth opportunities to better serve their growing and loyal customer base. We are excited to continue growing the business with our great team. About Vessco Holdings: Vessco is one of the largest equipment distributors and systems integrators of water and wastewater treatment technology in the United States. Vessco offers its customers an exceptional breadth of products and services with its line card of valued vendors. With coverage in over 17 states throughout the Central U.S., Midwest, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, Vessco employs a workforce of approximately 170 employees. About O2 Investment Partners: O2 Investment Partners is a Midwestern based private equity firm that seeks to acquire majority interests in lower middle market B2B services, technology, and select niche industrial companies. The firm invests in businesses with earnings growth potential and a clear path to the creation of shareholder value. O2 invests with a view toward partnering with management to build and grow the business and take it to its next stage of development. This requires not only a clear vision and strategic plan to create shareholder value, but a close partnership and alignment of interest with management. Additional information is available at: www.o2investment.com ; www.vesscoholdings.com CONTACT: Pat Corden, Partner, O2 Investment Partners (pcorden@o2investment.com) New Delhi [India], Mar 9 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi's planned visit to Bangladesh for the birth centenary celebrations of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman has been postponed, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Monday. The decision was taken after India received a formal notification from the Bangladesh government that it had postponed the public events being organised to celebrate the centenary of Bangabandhu on account of the detection of coronavirus cases in Bangladesh, and the larger global public health situation in this regard. "The impact of this deferment applies also to the large gathering planned for March 17, at which the Prime Minister of India was invited," a statement by the MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. Kumar said that the Bangladesh government has informed that the fresh dates for these commemorative events will be conveyed later. "In this context, Prime Minister's visit to Bangladesh next week at the invitation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is being deferred. While expressing understanding of the circumstances that necessitate this deferment, India is ready to work with Bangladesh, as partners, to combat the spread of this disease in our shared neighbourhood," Kumar said. The development comes a day after Bangladesh reported its first three cases of the novel coronavirus. (ANI) Visa has entered a partnership with Nigeria based startup Paga on payments and technology. Founded in Lagos, Paga scaled its fintech business in West Africa, before targeting expansion in Ethiopia and Mexico. The startup has created a multi-channel network for over 14 million customers in Nigeria to transfer money, pay-bills and buy things digitally through its mobile-app or 24,840 agents. The new arrangement allows Paga account holders to transact on Visa's global network. It will also see both companies work together on tech. The collaboration reflects a strategy of the American financial services giant to expand in Africa working with the continent's top startups. Visa's partnership with Paga doesn't include investment in the startup, but it is expected to drive larger payment volumes for both companies and Visa's priorities in Africa. "We want to digitize cash, that's a strategic priority for us. We want to expand merchant access to payment acceptance and we want to drive financial inclusion," said Otto Williams, Visa's Head of Strategic Partnerships, Fintech and Ventures for Africa. The Paga-Visa arrangement will bring new merchant options to Paga's network. "Based on the partnership we're going to launch QR codes and NFC [payments] into the market in Nigeria alternative ways of receiving payments than bringing out a physical card," said Oviosu. Tayo Oviosu Visa and Paga's engineering teams have already started working together, according to Oviosu, and Paga expects to roll-out these new options in Nigeria sometime in second-quarter 2020. The startup is pivoting toward becoming less of a Nigeria-centered company and more an emerging markets fintech platform. In January, Paga acquired Ethiopian software development company Apposit, on plans to launch in the East African country. After Nigeria, Ethiopia has Africa's second-largest population of 114 million. Story continues Paga has also opened an office in Mexico and will launch its payments products there this year. There are several very large countries around the world in Africa, Latin America, Asia where these [financial inclusion] problems still exist. So our strategy is not an African strategyWe want to go where these problems exist in a large way and build a global payments business, Oviosu told Techcrunch in January. The Visa-Paga partnership comes as fintech has become Africa's best funded startup sector according to latest VC reporting with thousands of ventures vying to scale digital-finance products to the continent's unbanked and underbanked consumers and SMEs. As a company, Visa maintains multiple partnerships with Africa's largest banks, but collaborating with the continent's VC backed fintech ventures has taken center-stage. This was confirmed in Visa's recent 2020 Investor Day presentation, which dedicated several slides to its strategy of "partnering with leading African players" in the startup ecosystem. The global financial services company has entered into collaborations with several African fintech ventures, such as B2B payments company Flutterwave and South African startup Yoco, which is focused on enterprise payments services and hardware for SMEs. Visa has also jumped into the venture funding realm in African fintech. In 2019 Nigerian financial services company Interswitch reached a $1 billion valuation and unicorn status after Visa acquired a minority equity stake. Visa's Otto Williams, who has taken a lead on the company's Africa strategy, noted non-equity collaborations will remain the primary focus though those could lead to VC down the road. "If we have a commercial partnership in place that creates the right investment thesis...you know those strategic partnerships inform venture investments," Williams said. Of course, Visa's isn't the only American financial services firm backing African tech companies. In 2019, its rival Mastercard invested $50 million in Pan-African e-commerce venture Jumia. The two are working together on developing fintech services across Jumia's customer network. In the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak, Kerala's Director General of Prisons, Rishi Raj Singh on Tuesday has issued a directive to set up isolation cells in the jails across the state. This directive comes after six more cases have been detected in Kerala. According to the directions, prisoners with symptoms like fever and cold will be moved to the isolation rooms. According to reports, the new inmates will be admitted to jail and will be lodged for six days in specially set up rooms in the admission block. Along with it, the jail authorities will be lodging the prisoners who come back after parole in a separate room in the admission block. Meanwhile, the Kerala administration is strengthening its surveillance, stated Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja. Speaking to the media, she said, "In Pathanamthitta, we began the contact tracing at around 6 am. 270 persons are under the primary contact of positive patients. The number of high-risk contacts are 95. 6 people have come to hospitals in Pathanamthitta. The number of secondary contacts is 449." India's Coronavirus count rises The number of Coronavirus cases in India soared up to 47 with seven more persons testing positive since Sunday, including a three-year-old child. The new cases emerged from Kerala, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu, and two from Pune. Apart from this, 15 people are under observation for the virus in Maharashtra. Read: Gujarat Congress postpones its Gandhi Sandesh Yatra amid Coronavirus concerns Novel Coronavirus outbreak According to the latest reports, has claimed more than 4,000 lives across the globe and has infected over 110,000 people around the world since it first broke out in December 2019. While most of the cases are from Hubei province of China and the city of Wuhan (the epicentre of the outbreak), other countries including Iran, Italy, Japan and the Philippines have also reported deaths related to novel coronavirus. Read: 58 Indian pilgrims airlifted from Iran amidst Coronavirus outbreak, EAM Jaishankar tweets Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday has declared COVID-19 a 'pandemic' as the virus continues to spread worldwide. First detected in the city of Wuhan, in Hubei Province of China, the virus outbreak has now spread across 20 countries since December 2019. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has dubbed the virus as COVID-19. Read: White House says Trump not tested for coronavirus due to lack of symptoms Read: Kerala tracing contacts of more people after six COVID-19 cases confirmed in state (with inputs from ANI) Growth in womens representation on boards and in C-suites at tech companies has increased worldwide in the past 10 years, but theres still a long way to go, says S&P Global in an article. This article is part of S&P Globals #ChangePays campaign that explores the benefits of increasing the participation of women in the workforce for the capital markets and world economy. The research about women in technology brings together experts and data throughout S&P Global's any businesses Market Intelligence, Ratings, Indices, 451 Research, and Kensho to bring insights to the market under the umbrella of the company's recently created Womens Research Council. For this report, S&P compares and contrasts its analysis of several datasets, the largest of which is a global set of about 1,280 technology companies for which it examined detailed people data for 2010 to February 2020. Not surprisingly, women now occupy less than one-fifth of spots on the boards of directors at tech companies, and the share is lower for women executives. Both shares are less than for the financial or industrial sectors but about the same as in the energy industry, according to the study "The Changing Face of Energy." The report said it will take decades of change to reach gender parity on boards and generations to attain that throughout companiesunless companies dramatically accelerate their efforts. There is no single solution to achieving gender parity in technology, which we believe instead involves creating positive environments for all employees at tech companies and cultural shifts in some countries. Regulation has led to more diversity on boards, but not at other levels, the report said. Gender diversity appears to raise the financial performance of tech companies. The analysis suggests that a move to parity among executives could boost their financial performance (market capitalisation to total assets). -- Tradearabia News Service A Newark man was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison Monday after pleading guilty to a 2018 carjacking in Union County. U.S. District Judge John Michael Vasquez sentenced Hasson Johnson after the 30-year-old pleaded guilty last year in Newark federal court to a count of carjacking, possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. As part of his plea deal, Johnson admitted to the carjacking and agreed to a 20-year sentence in order to not face additional prosecution or a longer prison sentence for a shooting on the same night in 2018 that Johnson entered a parked vehicle in Roselle Park and pointed a firearm at the two occupants, demanding they get out. You were terrorizing those poor folks, Judge Vasquez said. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamel Semper told the court Monday that if needed to, he could prove beyond the preponderance of evidence that Johnson fired eight shots at a man, striking him once, in Newark two hours before the carjacking. Semper said surveillance video, DNA evidence, a ballistic analysis and Johnsons cell phone put him at the scene of the shooting. Johnson did not address the judge before he was sentenced . After the carjacking, Johnson eventually led police on a high-speed chase before getting into a three-vehicle crash. He was fled on foot and was later arrested. Before imposing the sentence, Judge Vasquez went through Johnsons lengthy criminal record that started when Johnson was 16, including a federal firearms charge. He was on supervised release for when he committed the carjacking. Assistant Federal public defender Chester Keller said his client has had a difficult life, as both his father and stepfather were incarcerated during Johnsons formative years. Keller said the father of four has shown signs that he is going to try and better himself while he is incarcerated. Its going to be awhile, but I think when he gets out, he is going to make it, Keller said. Joe Atmonavage may be reached at jatmonavage@njadvancemedia.com. Follow on Twitter @monavage. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. THE State has been accused of abandoning insurance policyholders. It comes after the Department of Finance put out a document claiming "good progress" had been made on insurance reform. But the Alliance for Insurance Reform took issue with this and said there had been a litany of delays to bringing changes to the sector. "It certainly feels like the State has abandoned policyholders in their hour of need," Peter Boland of the alliance said. He was commenting on the 10th Progress Report of the Cost of Insurance Working Group, an inter-departmental committee charged with making changes to lessen the pressure on premiums. Mr Boland took particular issue with the report's claim that progress had been made on the Consumer Insurance Contracts Act 2019. The act is set to turn the tables on insurers and massively benefit consumers. Although it has been enacted, it has yet to be commenced by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe. The department said: "This act reforms and modernises the law of consumer insurance contracts and is based on the 2015 Law Reform Commission report on consumer insurance contracts." But Mr Boland said it was "rubbing salt into the wounds" of policyholders to claim this as progress as it has yet to be commenced. This meant it was of no value to policyholders. Businesses are being forced to close, with others forced to restrict activities, due to a huge surge in premium costs and the exit from the market of a number of insurers. Those insurers leaving cite high claim payouts. The Alliance for Insurance Reform also questioned why a number of planned new projects to produce data on insurance and claims were behind schedule or delayed. Mr Boland said the Central Bank's National Claims Information Database liability insurance proposals had not been published. The long-promised key information report on liability insurance is now further delayed. And the insurance fraud database is also delayed and is now more than a year overdue. Mr Boland said large amounts of money were being made by insurers and lawyers, but there was little transparency on why policyholders were losing out so much. Black Widow is amping up for release as the first Marvel film of 2020. While the identity of the films primary villain has not been confirmed, an early casting leak that revealed two actors up for primary roles may indirectly confirm a theory. Rachel Weisz and Scarlett Johansson of Marvel Studios Black Widow at the San Diego Comic-Con International 2019 Marvel Studios Panel | Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney) Black Widow is Marvels next film to be released The film will be the first movie from Phase 4 film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It will effectively begin a new era for Marvel and will be Scarlett Johanssons last Marvel film. The film is likely also introducing a character to take over the Black Widow mantle through the rest of Phase 4 and possibly further. Black Widow brings back Johansson as the assassin-turned-Avenger, Natasha Romanoff. Florence Pugh is Yelena Belova, a sister-like figure to Romanoff and another Black Widow. Rachel Weisz is also a Black Widow, Melina, who is a mother-like figure to Romanoff. David Harbour is Alexei Shostakov aka Red Guardian and O-T Fagbenle is a character named Rick Mason. The film is a prequel film taking takes place after the events of 2016s Captain America: Civil War. It will find Romanoff very much on her own and having to reckon with some of the red in her ledger. Marvel fans who have watched all of the films will know that there is not much known about Romanoffs period of time between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. This will fill in that time while also connecting to the present day in a post-Endgame MCU. Andre Holland and Emma Watson were up for lead roles Andre Holland of Moonlight fame and Harry Potter alumna Emma Watson were both up for roles. Watson was up for the role of Yelena Belova, the character that is heavily assumed to take over Natasha Romanoffs role in the next generation of Avengers. Ironically, Watson and Pugh starred together in the 2019 film, Little Women. The villain role that Holland was up for is unclear, but it is likely that he was auditioning for the role of Taskmaster. Holland auditioning for the role checks out, given that it backs up the fact that the mostly-undisclosed role of O-T Fagbenle is in fact, Taskmaster. Holland reading for the film nearly confirms this huge theory Right now, all we know is that Fagbenles characters name is Rick Mason, an ally from her S.H.I.E.L.D. days who is romantically interested in her. However, the character is most likely Taskmaster as the villains identity has not been revealed yet in any of the news about the film so far. Holland and Fagbenle have striking similarities, which adds a plethora of validness to the theory that Rick Mason is Taskmaster. In the report that Holland and Watson were in talks for the film was also the fact that Rachel Weisz was being eyed for a female role, as well as Sebastian Koch and Alec Baldwin both being eyed for a male role. Both characters would said to be assisting the villain. Now, Weiszs character, Melina Vostokoff, a Black Widow and a mother figure to Natasha, has also been theorized to be Taskmaster, although this is a theory that is not that popular. But, the fact that this early report said her character would be assisting the villain may be true. The male character assisting the villain that Baldwin and Koch were eyed for is likely the undisclosed character that will be played by Ray Winstone. Black Widow will be released in theaters on May 1, 2020. WALTHAM, Mass., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A new national survey shows a stark gap between the desire and ability to age in place in America, with nearly 2 in 3 adults saying they have a goal to age in place (65%), while only 1 in 3 think they realistically will (33%). The findings are one part of a larger survey examining aging in place commissioned by Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA), the leading provider of products and services for people living with kidney failure. Aging in place refers to the ability of an adult to live in their existing home or community regardless of age, income, or ability. The survey of 2,750 U.S. adults revealed three main factors that influence individuals' ability to age in place: social determinants of health (SDOH), presence and availability of one's caregiver network, and the perceived quality of care. "With adults living longer than ever before and a looming shortage in caregivers, it is critical for the healthcare community to commit to a future where older adults can age on their own terms," said Bill Valle, Chief Executive Officer of FMCNA. "This is why our organization is leading efforts to provide more access to home therapies and connected health that will allow individuals to thrive in the settings where they feel most comfortable." As the U.S. government has pushed for expansion of home dialysis, telehealth, and other technologies aimed at treating chronic disease at home, FMCNA decided to further investigate specific attitudes toward aging in place. With demonstrated expertise in chronic healthcare and treating more than 200,000 people with kidney failure, FMCNA continuously interacts with patients and caregivers at various care touch points, creating a unique opportunity to better understand the realities and barriers one faces as they age. "This research further demonstrates the importance of addressing social determinants of health to improve patients' quality of life and the chances for aging in place successfully," said Felicia Speed, Corporate Director of Social Work Services at Fresenius Kidney Care. "It also suggests we must continue to help educate patients about all the resources now available for people to receive care in their own home." The full survey results can be found here. Highlights of the results include: Social Determinants of Health Certain SDOH have an outsized impact on the general population's ability to age in place. There is an immediate need to address SDOH so older adults can achieve their goal of aging in place. Food insecurity (50%), health literacy (47%), and housing security (46%) were the top factors affecting an individual's likelihood to age in place, decreasing likelihood by approximately 7%. Individuals living with CKD are highly motivated to age in place. In fact, 82% of CKD patients express a desire to do so compared to 65% of the general population. At the same time, fewer than half of individuals with CKD (40%) actually believe they can achieve their goal of aging in place due to significant SDOH burdens. 50% of CKD patients experience six or more SDOH challenges as measured in the survey (compared to 37% of the general population). Caregiver Network A strong caregiver network is a key factor for adults being able to age in place. More than 1 in 3 U.S. adults say they are caring for a family member with a chronic health condition (34%) and nearly half of them are millennials under the age of 38 (41%). Caregivers most often manage these common chronic conditions: Diabetes (25%), hypertension (22%), and mental health conditions (17%). CKD caregivers are more likely than the general population to see aging in place as a goal for the adult they care for (86%). Quality of Care at Home Survey findings show that even patients with kidney failure on dialysis do not fully understand existing, beneficial home care options. Recent research confirms that home dialysis often leads to better outcomes while introducing greater independence and flexibility. Despite this research, 50% of patients on dialysis believe the quality of care would be better in a clinic or hospital setting than home dialysis (25%). 54% of these patients would in fact prefer home dialysis if they simply knew it was equal in quality of care. CKD patients are more highly motivated to age in place and taking actions to do so (42%). FMCNA is committed to closing the gap in the ability to age in place through education, technology, and efforts to address SDOH. These include: Patient Education: FMCNA believes patients should be fully informed of all treatment options, including home dialysis and transplant, and the organization prioritizes education on these topics for all patients. In 2019, FMCNA educated 45,000 patients with kidney disease about home dialysis through its KidneyCare:365 program. Recent growth in home dialysis modalities has been encouraging. FMCNA believes patients should be fully informed of all treatment options, including home dialysis and transplant, and the organization prioritizes education on these topics for all patients. In 2019, FMCNA educated 45,000 patients with kidney disease about home dialysis through its KidneyCare:365 program. Recent growth in home dialysis modalities has been encouraging. Home Care: FMCNA encourages patients to seek care that best suits their goals and needs regardless of physical barriers. With new portable, easy-to-use machines, FMCNA envisions the concept of home dialysis "without walls" could involve patients dialyzing at their local community center with family or friends or while traveling. FMCNA encourages patients to seek care that best suits their goals and needs regardless of physical barriers. With new portable, easy-to-use machines, FMCNA envisions the concept of home dialysis "without walls" could involve patients dialyzing at their local community center with family or friends or while traveling. Integrated Social Work Access: Care at FMCNA includes assistance from a dedicated, award-winning force of licensed social workers who help manage the complex cases and living situations of both patients and their caregivers. Through a separate intensive program, additional attention is given to those facing significant burdenssuch as housing insecurity or homelessnessto mitigate further complications in their routine chronic care. Care at FMCNA includes assistance from a dedicated, award-winning force of licensed social workers who help manage the complex cases and living situations of both patients and their caregivers. Through a separate intensive program, additional attention is given to those facing significant burdenssuch as housing insecurity or homelessnessto mitigate further complications in their routine chronic care. Caregiver Support: FMCNA has created an assessment specifically designed to support caregivers and routinely evaluate and protect their mental health through the duration of their loved ones' care. In partnership with their designated social worker, caregivers can learn how to address their everyday needs and identify FMCNA resources such as transportation alliances that can relieve the burden of accessing care. FMCNA has created an assessment specifically designed to support caregivers and routinely evaluate and protect their mental health through the duration of their loved ones' care. In partnership with their designated social worker, caregivers can learn how to address their everyday needs and identify FMCNA resources such as transportation alliances that can relieve the burden of accessing care. Food Insecurity: FMCNA is aligned with community-based initiatives such as Community Servings and Food Is Medicine Coalition to increase access to food and nutrition services for people with severe and/or chronic illnesses, including those with CKD. FMCNA is aligned with community-based initiatives such as Community Servings and Food Is Medicine Coalition to increase access to food and nutrition services for people with severe and/or chronic illnesses, including those with CKD. Connected Health Technologies: FMCNA launched TheHub in 2019, a new connected health platform that supports better collaboration, seamless home record retrieval, and remote monitoring among patients, care teams, and providers. Continued investment in these technologies helps FMCNA improve adherence, reduce emergency room visits and hospitalizations, and lower overall care costs. For more information on the detailed survey findings and how FMCNA is beginning to address barriers to aging in place, please visit fmcna.com/aging-in-place/. About Fresenius Medical Care North America Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA) is the premier healthcare company focused on providing the highest quality care to people with renal and other chronic conditions. Through its industry-leading network of dialysis facilities, outpatient cardiac and vascular labs and urgent care centers, Fresenius Medical Care North America provides coordinated healthcare services at pivotal care points for hundreds of thousands of chronically ill customers throughout the continent. As the world's largest fully integrated renal company, it offers specialty pharmacy and laboratory services, and manufactures and distributes the most comprehensive line of dialysis equipment, disposable products and renal pharmaceuticals. For more information, visit the FMCNA website at https://fmcna.com. About the Survey The data are findings from a survey conducted by Edelman Intelligence, an independent market research firm, on behalf of Fresenius Medical Care North America. A sample of 2,750 U.S. adults aged 18 years or older were interviewed online, in English during August 9-20, 2019. For more information, please visit fmcna.com/aging-in-place/. About Edelman Intelligence Edelman Intelligence is a global, full-service market insights and analytics firm that provides corporate, non-profit and government clients with strategic intelligence to make their communications and engagements with stakeholders the smartest they can be. The firm specializes in measurement, tracking and analysis in reputation, branding, and communications. Edelman Intelligence is part of Edelman, the world's largest public relations company. Edelman Intelligence has more than 200 employees and 12 offices around the world. For further information, please visit https://www.edelmanintelligence.com. Media Contact: Fresenius Medical Care North America Brad Puffer Corporate Communications [email protected] (781) 699-3331 SOURCE Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc. Related Links www.fmcna.com Regional Director of the World Health Organisation (WHO) will meet next week with MPs of the Health Committees, head of the Health Committee of the Deputies' Chamber Florin Buicu announced on Tuesday. The meeting of WHO Regional Director Hans Kluge with the senators and deputies of the specialised committees will take place on 17 March."Next week, the Health Committees of the Deputies' Chamber and the Senate, will have a joint meeting with the regional director of the World Health Organisation. The meeting will be held at Parliament," the Social Democrat deputy announced in a meeting of the Health Committee of the Deputies' Chamber. [March 10, 2020] Mass Luminosity Announces Julie Curtis as CMO DALLAS and FORT WORTH, Texas, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mass Luminosity, a Dallas/Fort Worth based research, technology and experiential company, announces the promotion of Julie Curtis to Chief Marketing Officer. In her current post, Ms. Curtis is President and Co-Founder of Wheelhouse Marketing & PR, a Fort Worth based marketing agency recently acquired by Mass Luminosity in 2019. Julie not only helped build Wheelhouse into a multi-million-dollar marketing agency within her 9-year tenure, but also led the creation of custom technology for serving their client needs via a robust and data-driven platform with real time reporting and field collection. Her leadership and experience in planning, partnerships, experiential, digital solutions and entrepreneurship bring a focus on growth and expansion within the Mass Luminosity family of brands. Julie Curtis holds a BFA from the University of Texas at Arlington. "I'm thrilled to be an integral part of Mass Luminosity's growth and global reach as we continue to deploy unique technologies for our consumers and brand partners," states Curtis. "I'm honored to be part of a company that puts the human experience first and foremost. It is a rare and unique opportunity that we have, to continue t close the distance in global interactions." "Julie's new role will be essential to the growth of Mass Luminosity," states Mass Luminosity CEO Angel Munoz. "She brings a high level of enthusiasm and a wealth of experience. This is an exciting moment for our company." From its launch in 2011, Mass Luminosity has evolved into a research, technology and experiential company integrating brands and people. Its mission is the defragmentation and enhancement of the human experience. The company's current subsidiaries include: GTribe, the leading social media network for technology enthusiasts and video gamers (www.TheGtribe.com) and the recently acquired marketing agency Wheelhouse Marketing and PR. About Mass Luminosity: Mass Luminosity is a research, technology and experiential company that integrates brands and people in a unique and powerful way. Its mission statement is the defragmentation and enhancement of the human experience. The company's current subsidiaries include: Wheelhouse Marketing and PR and GTribe the leading social media network for technology enthusiasts and video gamers, located at www.theGTribe.com. For more information on Mass Luminosity visit: http://www.massluminosity.com. Press Contact: Kell Curtis [email protected] 817-703-5394 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mass-luminosity-announces-julie-curtis-as-cmo-301020786.html SOURCE Mass Luminosity [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Chris Bonniwell, Ph.D. Attracting someone with the background in scientific academia, manufacturing, and environmental consulting Dr. Bonniwell possesses is a real coup for our company, said Kyle Hoylman, Managing Partner of Protect Environmental. Protect Environmental announced today the addition of Chris Bonniwell, Ph.D. as Director of Products. Dr. Bonniwell joins Protect Environmental after approximately 10 years in the environmental consulting industry in Indiana and Wisconsin, which were preceded by four years as an environmental regulator at the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and seven years managing an industrial manufacturing company in Wisconsin. During his tenure as an environmental regulator and consultant, Dr. Bonniwell provided technical oversight to hundreds of projects in the assessment and remediation of environmental impacts from metals, petroleum compounds, PCBs, and chlorinated solvents. Dr. Bonniwell is a licensed professional geologist in Wisconsin and Indiana, with a consulting career heavily focused on projects with complex chemical vapor intrusion issues, a field in which he is considered a subject matter expert. As the Director of Products, Dr. Bonniwell will be responsible for managing the product portfolio of the company, including the development, production, and marketing of products for use in the assessment, mitigation, and ongoing management of radon and chemical vapor intrusion contaminated properties. These products include the Vapor Sentinel Remote Environmental Monitoring System, which was awarded patent protection in January of 2020 (http://bit.ly/VSRM_patent). The addition of Dr. Bonniwell will include the establishment of an office in the Greater Milwaukee area (Cedarburg) to bolster the companys presence in the upper Midwest. Having firsthand experience with the technical expertise and cost-effectiveness Protect Environmental delivers to its clients, I am excited to be joining the team, Dr. Bonniwell said. I look forward to working to deliver products and solutions that directly impact the health and well-being of so many, he added. Attracting someone with the background in scientific academia, manufacturing, and environmental consulting Dr. Bonniwell possesses is a real coup for our company, said Kyle Hoylman, Managing Partner of Protect Environmental. Chris is widely regarded in the industry as an expert in chemical vapor intrusion, which makes him a natural fit to champion our products portfolio, Hoylman added. About Protect Environmental Protect Environmental is a leader in the environmental consulting and construction industry, focusing on radon and chemical vapor intrusion management. With a proven track record spanning 15 years and more than 15,000 completed projects across the country, the company provides expert service from its trusted professionals to provide peace of mind protection to property owners seeking efficient and effective management of environmental risks and liabilities. For more information, call 502-410-5000 or click on to https://www.protectenvironmental.com. The Islamic Republic Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has canceled his Iranian New Year speech in the midst of a serious coronavirus crisis in the country, his office announced on Monday, March 9. Khamenei has regularly delivered the annual speech in Iran's second-largest city Mashhad, northeast Iran, since 1995, often using the occasion to outline major policies. Khamenei's place of birth, Mashhad, is the holiest Shiite city inside Iran, where Imam Reza, the eighth Imam Shia Imam is buried. "The ceremony for the speech of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, which happens every year on the first day of the new year will not take place this year," his office said in a statement. Furthermore, according to the statement, for the first time in the past 25 years, Khamenei will not travel to Mashhad for the new Iranian year. "The decision to cancel this years ceremony was taken due to the spread of the coronavirus and the strict advice of medical and health experts and officials to avoid gatherings and travel--- to slow down the spread of the illness," the statement said. In his annual speech Mashahd speech to his followers, Khamenei usually set out a national theme and critical targets for the year ahead. "Boosting Iranian Products," was the theme set for the current Iranian year that ends on March 21. Khamenei has canceled his speech at a time when based on data collected by Radio Farda at least 927 died of Covid-19 in thirty out of 31 provinces of Iran. Earlier, on February 23, Khamenei had dismissed the spread of the killer virus as "enemies' exaggeration" to discourage people from voting in the national parliamentary elections. "Despite enemies' attempt to discourage people by exaggerating the threat of the novel coronavirus, the voters' turnout was good," he maintained, two days after the elections, while the virus was fast spreading throughout the country. WASHINGTON, D. C. - A week before Ohio Democrats go to the polls to pick their preferred candidate to oppose President Donald Trump in November, Toledo Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur on Tuesday publicly endorsed her preferred candidate: former Vice President Joe Biden. Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives, cited Bidens efforts to fight tirelessly for the survival of our industrial heartland, and his efforts to engineer the rescue of the American auto industry when it was floundering between 2008 and 2010. Without Joes consequential leadership, Ohio and the Midwest may never have recovered, said a statement from Kaptur released by Bidens campaign. The statement noted that Kaptur, who is the longest-serving member of Ohios congressional delegation, in 2016 endorsed the presidential campaign of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is Bidens main rival for this years nomination. The statement also noted that nearly 70 other current and former elected leaders from across Ohio have endorsed Biden, including U.S. Reps. Tim Ryan of the Niles area and Marcia Fudge of Warrensville Heights, former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, former Ohio Attorney General and U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray, and former congressman Ed Feighan. Biden was scheduled to make Ohio campaign appearances today, as Democratic voters in Michigan, Missouri, Idaho, Mississippi, North Dakota and Washington states go to the polls. He delivered remarks on gun violence in Columbus this afternoon, but cancelled an evening event in Cleveland over coronavirus concerns. Sanders also cited coronavirus in cancelling a campaign rally hed planned to hold in Cleveland on Tuesday evening. Read more coverage: Bernie Sanders cancels Cleveland rally amid Ohio coronavirus concerns Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders move forward with Tuesday Cleveland rallies despite confirmed coronavirus in Cuyahoga County Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden releases opioid action plan Mike Pence to headline Republican event in Akron Sen. Sherrod Brown has no plans to endorse before Ohios primary Rep. Marcia Fudge endorses Joe Biden for President 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 Shahid Rasool captured at the Mbabane Magistrates Court where he appeared wearing a mask. (Pic: Sibusiso Shange) MBABANE - Police officers and Mbabane Magistrates Court staff were yesterday on panic mode following an arrest of a Pakistani national who was suspected to be infected with coronavirus. The illegal immigrant was from South Africa where seven cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Gauteng and Kwazulu Natal, according to the police investigations. The suspicion of the virus came after Shahid Rasool (33) coughed endlessly when arrested during an operation conducted by the Royal Eswatini Police Service at the capital city. As a result, the officers of the law rushed Rasool to the Mbabane Government Hospital for medical examination. Information gathered was that the law enforcers were advised to take precautionary measures upon arrival at the hospital. It was also gathered that the police officers were provided with laboratory masks. The illegal immigrant was also provided with a mask. However, his temperature was found to be normal during the examination by medical practitioners. The police investigations pointed out that Rasool entered the country through an informal crossing point at Ngwenya. This resulted in him being charged with contravening Section 14 (2) (c) of the Immigration Act of 1982. Mask He was taken to the Mbabane Magistrates Court where he appeared with the mask together with the police officers. The court staff who attended to Rasool were also provided with masks for safety. When the charge was read to him, Rasool, who entered the accused dock with his mask, pleaded guilty. Mitigating on the sentence after conviction, Rasool pleaded for the courts leniency stating that he was prepared to go back to Bangladesh. He told the court that an air ticket had been already bought for him. He informed the court that he would leave Eswatini through Mhlumeni Border Post. Evidently, his relatives who came to give Rasool moral support were carrying the ticket in court. Senior Magistrate Nonhlanhla Dlamini sentenced Rasool to five months imprisonment with an option to pay a fine of E500. The judicial officer ordered the police officers to make sure that Rasool took a flight to Bangladesh. The appearance of Rasool with the mask raised fears and curiosity to those who were present in court. The arrest of the illegal immigrant happened at the time when the Prime Minister, Ambrose Dlamini, announced the need to seal the existing informal border crossings with the neighbouring republic. This was after a case of coronavirus was confirmed in the neighbouring country last week. A known fact is that there are several illegal crossing spots between South Africa and Eswatini and some of these are found along the strip of fence near the road between Pongola and Piet Retief. Previous reports have indicated that it is not just emaSwati who use these spots to move between the two countries but Mozambicans and other nationalities are said to favour these routes because they are considered less risky. Asian nationals who are now found in every region in the kingdom are also known to be frequent users of the informal crossing points where they manoeuvre in and out of Eswatini without producing the required documents. Last Saturday, the PM acknowledged that the Kingdom of Eswatini remained a high risk in terms of the coronavirus outbreak, but called for calm. He said as a country, there was no other option but to take all the necessary steps to amplify intervention and response strategies. Closing the informal crossing is one of these strategies. It is also crucial that we effect a total shutdown of all informal crossings while up-scaling screening in all our ports of entry, the PM said. Pupils who live close to these informal crossings use them to attend school in the neighbouring Republic where they are enrolled from primary to high school. Crossings Those residing near the crossings also use them to go to South Africa daily for various activities, mostly trade and employment. The PM said government was engaging neighbouring countries to heighten collaboration efforts in the response to the epidemic. Dlamini said this during his tour of the Lubombo Referral Hospital and other health facilities in readiness for the coronavirus. The referral hospital, according to the PM, has been identified as the facility where individuals who might test positive for the coronavirus would be quarantined. Currently, the PM said, an agreement has been established with NICD laboratory in South Africa for sample testing. But he said based on currently available information, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has not yet recommended restrictions of travel or trade. However, government continues to advise emaSwati to take major precautions and care when travelling to the most affected countries. If possible, we would advise emaSwati to only travel to these countries when it is absolutely necessary, he cautioned. Dlamini appealed for vigilance instead of panic and for the nation to take all the necessary prevention measures to minimise the risk of getting infected. Vigilant This is a time to be vigilant as a nation in our preparedness for an unfortunate eventuality of a coronavirus outbreak in our shores, but it is not a time to panic. It is when we panic and are not measured in our response to this epidemic that we involuntarily allow an infiltration of myths and misinformation on prevention measures to take centre stage, the PM said. The success of this response and intervention relies on the support of all sectors of society, including the business sector, development and implementing partners, traditional authorities and communities across our country, the PM said. He mentioned that government remained indebted to the countrys international partners for rallying behind the kingdoms intervention efforts. He appealed for more collaboration and assistance in strengthening the health care delivery system to ensure it consistently meets international health standards and is equally effective in preventing and managing any outbreak of infectious diseases. Dlamini stated that yesterdays tour of the health facilities that have been converted into isolation centres or infectious disease facilities gave government an opportunity to assess the centres readiness for the eventuality of an outbreak. Diseases The intention is to ensure that these facilities are fully equipped and well resourced to manage current and future emerging infectious diseases, he said. The PM outlined that government was going ahead with the process of strengthening preparedness for health emergencies and coronavirus in particular, in line with international health regulations. He said risk communication to the public would be intensified to avoid and limit transmission of the virus and to dispel disinformation, which tends to gain tract whenever there was a vacuum of accurate information. It is important that the public receives appropriate messages on the prevention and management of this virus for which there is still no cure, yet it is equally important to emphasise that it is not a death sentence he emphasised. He added that coronavirus was a flue like illness hence infection, prevention and control remained key in its control. The Kingdom of Eswatini does not yet have a confirmed case of coronavirus but has had a suspected case involving a woman who entered the kingdom on February 6 after travelling from China to South Africa. European Union leaders in Brussels held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on March 9 over his decision to open Turkeys border to migrants travelling to Europe. According to the reports, the bloc agreed to rehouse up to 1,500 child refugees due to deteriorating conditions in Greek camps. Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, Presidents of the European commission and council, struggled hard to save the current migration deal with Turkey during the meetings in Brussels amid Erdogan's claims that the EU had not kept its promise. It is clear that Turkish forces are shooting gas bombs our side, to break the Greek defence, and help migrants get in Greek soil.#IstandWithGreece#GreeceDefendsEurope #GreeceUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/2AeGf7XaGZ The Duke (@john_wayne_gr) March 6, 2020 READ: Ex-Turkish Deputy PM Forms New Party To Challenge Erdogan 35,000 migrants gathered According to international media reports, nearly 35,000 migrants have gathered at Turkeys borders since the last week as Turkeys president broke a 2016 pact under which Brussels vowed to pay 6bn (5.3bn) in return for Turkey regulating migration flows. Erdogan has allegedly accused EU in recent months for lack of support for his military offensive in Syria claimed the true cost of housing refugees in his country has been close to 40bn. READ: Turkish President Erdogan Orders Coastguards To Stop Migrants Crossing Aegean Erdogan orders to prevent refugees Days after Turkey opened its borders with Europe threatening mass migration, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered the country's coastguards to prevent refugees from crossing the Aegean sea, international media reported citing Turkish officials. This comes as thousands of migrants have tried to cross into Greece from the Turkish land and sea border in the past week. As per reports, Erdogan said that permission to cross the Aegean Sea would not be given to the migrants because it was dangerous. READ: Turkey, Russia Agree Syria Ceasefire From Midnight: Erdogan The coastguards reportedly said that the approach for not intervening against migrants wishing to leave Turkey remained in practice. However, the new approach covers sea crossing because of the dangers involved. The Turkish coastguards while talking to international media revealed that they recently rescued 97 boats after the Greeks flattened three boats and left them in 'Half Sinking' state in the middle of the sea. READ: Brawl In Turkish Parliament After MP Criticises Erdogan Over Syria Military Action (Pic Credit: Twitter) (with inputs from agencies) TALKS between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail are to ramp up as the prospect of a historic coalition between the two Civil War parties gains momentum. After two meetings in two days Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin have agreed their parties will enter talks as "equal partners". And as they announced the discussions they highlighted the coronavirus outbreak as an "enormous" challenge facing the country. Both parties released a statement this evening saying the two leaders had "constructive discussions" about a series of policy issues and the current political situation. They announced that teams from Fine Gael and Fianna Fail will "commence in-depth, detailed talks". The statements said both parties will continue talks with the Green Party. They added: "Both Leaders are acutely aware of the enormous challenges facing the country, particularly with the onset of Covid 19." And the parties said they: "enter the talks as equal partners determined to develop proposals which will serve the interests of the people of Ireland." Mr Varadkar this evening told Fine Gael members that the coronavirus emergency is the reason he has decided to enter talks with Fianna Fail. He wrote to all members saying it's more than a month since the election and there still isn't a government. He said he had formed the view that since Fine Gael lost seats and votes it should enter opposition and only consider government as a last resort. But he said Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail have had more than a month to form a government without Fine Gael either together or separately and have "failed to do so". He added: "There appears to be little prospect that they will. "It had been my intention to allow them more time. "However, the public health emergency posed by COVID-19 marks a dramatic change in context." Mr Varadkar said decisions and choices may need to be made in the coming months that require a majority government in the Oireachtas. "I have always said that Fine Gael would put the country first as we always have... Fine Gael is the party that founded the State, created its institutions and declared a Republic. "Now, once again, it seems we are needed to stand by the State and our Republic." He said he agreed with Mr Martin that they would appoint negotiating teams. "We agreed that any Government formed involving our parties would have to be based on an agreed policy platform that builds on and protects the progress made by the last two Governments while responding to the demand for real change that people voted for in the General Election. "We also agreed that that it would be an equal partnership between two parties of similar strength." Mr Varadkar said the pair also agreed to engage with other parties will in serve alongside them. The Fine Gael negotiating team will be led by Tanaiste Simon Coveney. Mr Varadkar said the Fine Gael parliamentary party will meet next week approval before any formal talks on a programme for government begin. He said the final decision to enter Government, should we get to that point, will be made at a special delegate conference. This follows calls from within Fine Gael for government formation talks with Fianna Fail to get underway due to the threat posed by the coronavirus. Junior minister Ciaran Cannon has said a government involving Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Greens is the only option to provide the stability the country needs while Clare TD Joe Carey has called for such talks to start as soon as possible. Others in Fine Gael have also said privately that they wont be opposing entering negotiations with Micheal Martins party. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said after the election that its Fine Gaels intention to go into opposition and only enter government talks as a last resort. However, mounting concern over the coronavirus outbreak has meant a growing prospect of government talks involving Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Greens or others. Mr Varadkar met Mr Martin last night and is meeting him again today. Mr Cannon told Independent.ie: Im anxious to see that we put a government in place that will offer the stability that we need both now and into the future. He said he believes the only government that can offer that is one involving Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and the Greens. Mr Cannon - the International Development Minister - said he believes the coronavirus situation will accelerate talks adding: Theres no question about that. Its one of several challenges we face as a country over the next number of years. The Galway East TD said he hopes a government can be put in place as soon as possible. This needs to be a government that is radical in ambition, but even more so in delivery. It cant be more of the same, our people asked for change, we need to give them exactly that, he said. Mr Cannon added: The urgency in delivery that we have seen over the last three weeks in addressing the Coronavirus needs to be the hallmark for how we perform over the lifetime of the government. We have already shown that we can do it in addressing one very serious challenge, but there are others that also need addressing, in the same manner. Elsewhere, Clare TD Mr Carey said: the country needs a government. He said he has been arguing that Fine Gael should enter talks with Fianna Fail in the national interest even before the coronavirus outbreak here. Minds should really be concentrated now and we do need a strong stable government. Its important that talks would get under way as quickly as possible, Mr Carey said. He said hes consulted widely in his local party organisation and they are saying talks should begin with Fianna Fail. Mr Carey added: In the current situation we do need to move with haste because of the deep challenges that are there in terms of the coronavirus, issues relating to Brexit and the forthcoming CAP [Common Agriculture Policy] negotiations as well. He said he believes the view in Fine Gaels parliamentary party towards a deal with Fianna Fail has softened in recent times. Another Fine Gael TD said he has no problem with his party entering talks with Fianna Fail, adding that its clear Sinn Fein wont be able to form a left-wing government. A different source said that the party should make a deal with Fianna Fail but added that its a matter for the Taoiseach. A third TD cautioned that an emergency should not determine the formation of a government and that any administration thats formed needs to provide stability over five years. They did not rule out backing a deal with Fianna Fail if a programme for government can be agreed. Separately Tanaiste Simon Coveney cautioned that the shape and policy platform for any government is "far from agreed" at this point. Paschal Donohoe was challenged on whether Fine Gael would drop its stance that it will only go into government as a last resort by RTE Radio's Sean O'Rourke. The Finance Minister said: "We are in a situation now in which the context of these kinds of discussions has very significantly and fundamentally changed. "Even more importantly its possible that this context could change for quite a while. "The Taoiseach in recognition of where we stand did have discussions with Micheal Martin last night." He said the pair will meet again today and "then it would be up to the Taoiseach - who I categorically support his political assessment of where our party stands but more importantly his assessment of where our country stands - to then form the view about whats the right thing from a government formation point of view." Put to him that government talks should start immediately, Mr Donohoe responded: "Thats always possible." He said the context for the next government has changed and an administration is needed that can continue and build on public health measures that have been put in place and also deal with "even more challenging circumstances" that the coronavirus will bring about. "The Taoiseach is absolutely aware of that and he will lead our party and I believe the country through how we respond back to that." He wouldn't be drawn on whether government formation talks between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail will begin in the coming days. "I can see many ways in which these could start or they could initiate quickly... "What is unhelpful is for figures like me who could be involved in them to comment on what may or may not happen. "What I want to do is reassure the country that Leo Varadkar both as Taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael is well aware of the needs that the country has now." Elsewhere, Mr Coveney told Newstalk's Pat Kenny that Mr Varadkar and Mr Martin had a "good meeting" last night. He said: "Theyre both responsible leaders who are trying to anticipate how we can put a government together in the context of the multiple challenges that the country has right now. "But I think the shape of that government and the policy platform that would be agreed to make that government happen is far from agreed yet. "So lets not run before we can walk here. Theyre meeting again today and lets see what comes from that." Italys 60 million people on Tuesday were under lockdown with public events cancelled, movement restricted and schools and universities closed, in a drastic bid to slow the pace of COVID-19 infections. According to the sweeping measures announced on Monday by the government in Rome, people across the country are only allowed to leave their home for a few reasons, including grocery shopping, visits to the doctor and care for elderly or sick relatives. Overnight, panicked shoppers made a run on 24-hour supermarkets, in spite of the government insisting this is not necessary as people are still allowed to leave their homes to buy food. A report says the message is to make people to stay inside and avoid socialising. Cinemas and theatres were closed nationwide. Shops, bars and restaurants were only open to a limited extent. The nationwide emergency measures followed quickly on the heels of travel restrictions for large parts of northern Italy adopted on Sunday. The closure of all schools, universities and kindergartens has been extended from mid-March to at least early April. READ ALSO: However, international train and flight connections, as well as local public transport, have not been restricted by Rome. Italy has the largest number of COVID-19 cases outside of mainland China. Since it was first detected in Italy in February, almost 10,000 people have contracted it, with 463 deaths. Hospitals in the hard-hit north report they are at capacity and places in the intensive care units are scarce. (dpa/NAN) H arvey Weinstein's lawyers have argued he deserves mercy for his already "historic fall from grace" as prosecutors seek severe punishment for the disgraced movie mogul. In a letter filed ahead of Weinsteins sentencing on Wednesday for his New York City rape conviction, his defence team asked Judge James Burke to give him five years behind bars, far lower than the potential 29-year maximum term. It describes Weinstein as a man who was once admired for funding charitable causes during his rise to becoming one of Hollywoods most powerful producers. But he now cannot walk outside without being heckled and has serious health issues which should be taken into consideration during his sentencing, his lawyers said. He has lost his means to earn a living. Simply put, his fall from grace has been historic, perhaps unmatched in the age of social media," the letter says. It continues to say that, even if the 67-year-old defendant is given a lesser term, the grave reality is that Mr Weinstein may not even outlive that term making it a de facto life sentence." Weinstein has used a walking frame in court appearances from the start of the trial, raising questions about his health. After his February 24 conviction, he was sent to Bellevue Hospital for more than a week amid concerns about high blood pressure and heart palpitations. Last week, he was transferred to a jail infirmary. Weinsteins lawyers have said he is also dealing with the ramifications of unsuccessful back surgery stemming from a car crash last summer, as well as a condition that requires shots in his eyes so he does not go blind. Prosecutors wrote that the judge should impose a sentence that reflects the seriousness of the defendants offences and punishes him for his total lack of remorse for the harm he has done. Rose McGowan makes statement ahead of Weinstein trial - In pictures 1 /16 Rose McGowan makes statement ahead of Weinstein trial - In pictures Actress Rose McGowan arrives for a press conference after Harvey Weinstein arrived at State Supreme Court in Manhattan January 6, 2020 on the first day of his criminal trial on charges of rape and sexual assault in New York City AFP via Getty Images Actress Rose McGowan arrives for a press conference after Harvey Weinstein arrived at State Supreme Court in Manhattan January 6, 2020 on the first day of his criminal trial on charges of rape and sexual assault in New York City AP Actress Rose McGowan arrives for a press conference after Harvey Weinstein arrived at State Supreme Court in Manhattan January 6, 2020 on the first day of his criminal trial on charges of rape and sexual assault in New York City Getty Images Actress Rose McGowan arrives for a press conference after Harvey Weinstein arrived at State Supreme Court in Manhattan January 6, 2020 on the first day of his criminal trial on charges of rape and sexual assault in New York City AFP via Getty Images Actress Rose McGowan arrives for a press conference after Harvey Weinstein arrived at State Supreme Court in Manhattan January 6, 2020 on the first day of his criminal trial on charges of rape and sexual assault in New York City AFP via Getty Images Actor Rose McGowan speaks at a news conference outside a Manhattan courthouse after the arrival of Harvey Weinstein, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020, in New York AP Actress Rose McGowan arrives for a press conference after Harvey Weinstein arrived at State Supreme Court in Manhattan January 6, 2020 on the first day of his criminal trial on charges of rape and sexual assault in New York City AFP via Getty Images Actress Rose McGowan arrives for a press conference after Harvey Weinstein arrived at State Supreme Court in Manhattan January 6, 2020 on the first day of his criminal trial on charges of rape and sexual assault in New York City AFP via Getty Images Actor Rosanna Arquette speaks as actor Rose McGowan, right, listens at a news conference outside a Manhattan courthouse after the arrival of Harvey Weinstein, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020, in New York AP Dominique Huett, who says Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her, speaks at a press conference along with actresses Rosanna Arquette (L) and Rose McGowan (R) outside court on January 6, 2020 in New York City Getty Images Harvey Weinstein (centre) leaves the Manhattan Criminal Court, on January 6, 2020 in New York City AFP via Getty Images Film producer Harvey Weinstein sits in Criminal Court on the first day of his sexual assault trial in the Manhattan REUTERS On the criminal sex act count, Weinstein faces a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 25 years, while the third-degree rape count carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison. Judges often run sentences concurrently. At Weinsteins sentencing hearing, his accusers will again have a chance to confront him in court, and the former producer will be given another opportunity to speak. He declined to testify on his behalf at his trial, but at sentencing he would not have to worry about being grilled by the prosecution like he would have been under cross-examination. Haiti - Politic : Explosion of the number of Secretaries of State under the Jouthe Government In a decree dated March 9, 2020, published in the official journal Le Moniteur N44, the new Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe, appointed 9 Secretaries of State, an increase of 225% compared to the 4 existing secretariats. Change in existing State Secretariat : Tacite Toussaint, Secretary of State for Public Security, replaces Ronsard St Cyr; Herve Saintilus, Secretary of State for Literacy, replaces Emile Brutus; Soinette Desir, State Secretary for the Integration of People with Disabilities replaces Gerald Oriol jr. ; Eddy Jackson Alexis, Secretary of State for Communication. renewed. Creation of new State Secretariats : Fresnel Jean-Baptiste, Secretary of State for Tax Mobilization; Wilner Joseph, Secretary of State for Population; Maguy Durce, Secretary of State for training; Emmanuel Cantave, Secretary of State for Social Affairs; Jacquelin Jr. Charlot, Secretary of State for Youth. Also in the official journal N44 was published a decree appointing the citizen Guerline Pierre, Director of Cabinet of the Prime Minister with rank of Minister HL/ HaitiLibre Schools and students anxious over disrupted exam studies Impatience has been the most-uttered word in recent days from those involved in education, with the global coronavirus crisis affecting the operation of schools from kindergartens to universities. In particular, international schools in the big cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have had to suck it up and quickly create brand new methods of teaching via distance learning, in order to curb the impact on studying and learning activities. While some international establishments in these cities have applied the recommended solutions to prevent the epidemic from spreading, they cannot reopen in some cases after considering the opinions of parents who may not yet want to let their children go back to schools. Nearly all schools in the country have been closed since the Lunar New Year holiday period, although some international institutions were doing what they could do reopen as normal last week. Primary, secondary, and high schools have been advised to remain shut. Talking to VIR, Steve Winkelman, the head of Concordia International School, confirmed that the establishment remained shut last week. He suggested that it is difficult and generally not highly productive to have the youngest students learning via a computer all day. Representatives from international schools such as British Vietnamese International School (BVIS), British International School, Hanoi International School, and the International School of Vietnam asserted that at the earliest ages, social interaction with classmates and with teachers through direct instruction are the most successful ways for students to learn, especially so when it comes to learning new languages. Proficiency comes from practice and for many of our students, they are not getting as much practice at home which impacts the speed which they will learn, one representative said. At international schools, they are in a rich English language environment all day long, and that is not something that can be replicated at home. For students who are taking advanced placement exams this spring, school closures have made the learning experience much more challenging. Some schools deployed live video conferencing teaching platforms as soon as the closures were announced, in which students interact with teachers and classmates daily during scheduled class time, and assignments are handed out and turned in electronically. Group projects and activities take place through special break-out groups over the same video conferencing programme. However, this method is not suitable for all topics. The area where students are not able to be as engaged is in hands-on experiments in chemistry and biology, explained Winkelman. These experiences are difficult to replicate through video conferencing, and so some international schools are running some small group tutorials to help students bridge the gaps that exist between home learning and on-site school learning. Despite online teaching deployed massively by some establishments over the last few weeks, its performance cannot be yet meet that of direct learning, leaving impatient students and teachers. Despite the concern about COVID-19, our students desire to return to school as soon as possible to study for the coming up examinations, said Jane McGee, head at the United Nations International School of Hanoi. Furthermore, curriculum and examination schedules in international schools are much different from those in public schools. International schools usually comply with international training and exam schedules organised by independent testing organisations such as the International Baccalaureate, Cambridge A-Levels, and International GCSEs, and these units will build the exam calendars. Thus, it can be very difficult to apply the same regulations to all types of schools. Besides this, there are currently not many available institutions for students to attend with a similar curriculum in the region that are also not closed. However, the decision to suggest reopening is being made weekly by the government which makes plans for students to study elsewhere more difficult, added Concordias Winkelman. Families could decide to leave the country so their children can attend school elsewhere, but that would be so challenging right now for them to arrange in such a short period of time. However, McGee from UNIS stated, If international schools cannot properly reopen this month, students have little choice, and could very well leave Vietnam to catch up with training programmes or sign up for exams overseas. According to a survey from the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AmCham) on measuring the business impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, two-thirds of over 170 AmCham member representatives participated stated that international schools in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City should not remain closed through to the end of March. If this remains the case, 8 per cent of representatives are considering leaving Vietnam, while 17 per cent plan to send their children and possibly spouse to their home country or elsewhere overseas for the rest of the school year. If the thought becomes a trend, this will create potentially huge losses for schools. With tuition fees at BVIS rising to tens of thousands of US dollars for primary and secondary-age students, it could lose several hundreds of thousands, or even millions of USD in denied fees. It is too early to identify what the losses from the epidemic might be, according to Winkelman. That wont be answered until the epidemic is over and we are able to determine who it has impacted in terms of the number of expatriates in the city for future enrolment, he stated. In addition to potential loss of students and fees, employee salaries and costs for maintaining school infrastructure will also be damaged, even in this school year. In a blow to the Congress, Jyotiraditya Scindia, who was a prominent and promising young face of the organisation, resigned from the party and is likely to join the BJP. Scindia's decision to leave Congress was followed by resignations of 22 party MLAs loyal to him, bringing the Kamal Nath government on the brink of a collapse. The legislators who have resigned include six ministers. Before his resignation, Scindia met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in presence of Home Minister Amit Shah. While Scindia wrote a resignation letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the party expelled him for anti-party activities. The young leader said in his letter that it was time "to move on". "Having been a primary member of the Congress Party for the last 18 years. it is now time for me to move on. I am tendering my resignation from the primary membership of the Indian Congress and as you well know this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year," he said. Scindia was seen to be close to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and was picked by him to revive the party's fortunes in Uttar Pradesh. He was given charge of western Uttar Pradesh while Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was given charge of eastern parts of the state. Scindia had played an important role in the Congress edging past BJP in the last assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh in 2018 and forming the government in the state after 15 years. He is a former union minister and son of veteran Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia. After the assembly polls, the Congress appointed Kamal Nath as chief minister even though Scindia's supporters wanted him to don the mantle. Scindia was apparently keen to become the state Congress chief but was not given the post. He had been signaling his unhappiness for some time. The immediate fallout of Scinida's resignation for Congress is the deep crisis its government now faces in Madhya Pradesh. Kamal Nath had a meeting with party leaders including Digvijaya Singh, Jitu Patwari, Bala Bachchan, Sajjan Singh Verma, Surendra Singh Baghel at his residence on Tuesday as Scindia resigned. Party leader Kantilal Bhuria said after the meeting that they have the required number of MLAs for a majority. "The state government is strong and it will continue in office. The government is not going to fall because someone is saying so. We have the required number of MLAs," he told reporters in Bhopal. However, another party leader, Laxman Singh said that the Kamal Nath government will not survive in Madhya Pradesh and the party should be prepared to sit in the opposition. "I will meet Chief Minister Kamal Nath to discuss the future strategy," Laxman, brother of former chief minister Digvijaya Singh said. In the middle of the crisis, 20 cabinet ministers in Madhya Pradesh had tendered their resignations to Kamal Nath late on Monday night to enable him to reconstitute his cabinet. Jyotiraditya Scindia's aunt Yashodhara Raje Scindia welcomed his decision to quit Congress and called it "ghar wapasi" (homecoming). She said the "bold move" has been taken in the interest. "I am very happy and congratulate him. This is 'ghar vapasi'. Madhavrao Scindia had started his political career with Jan Sangh. Jyotiraditya was being neglected in Congress," she said. Digvijaya Singh accused the BJP of planning a conspiracy to reverse the mandate of people in the state as Kamal Nath had acted against mafias. Former external affairs minister Natwar Singh on Tuesday said that Congress' decision to expel Jyotiraditya Scindia from the party was a futile gesture. "It is probably certain that Jyotiraditya Scindia will join BJP. I am not surprised at this development as there were indications to this effect. There is no nepotism in BJP. In Congress, it is going on for years. It is a futile gesture to expel of Jyotiraditya Scindia from Congress," Singh told ANI. "The party has suffered a loss as Jyotiraditya had a huge following. Many MLAs in Madhya Pradesh are with him. On March 26, he will be elected to the Rajya Sabha in my opinion and then he will become a minister," he added. In 2018 assembly elections, Congress won 114 seats in the 230-member Assembly and formed the government with the support of four Independent MLAs and two BSP MLAs and a legislator from the Samajwadi Party (SP). The BJP had secured 109 seats in the state assembly. Last week, Madhya Pradesh Labour Minister Mahendra Singh Sisodia had warned that the state government will face a crisis if it "ignores or disrespects" Jyotiraditya Scindia. Scindia had said last month that he will not hesitate to hit the roads if promises made in a manifesto by Kamal Nath-led government in Madhya Pradesh were not fulfilled. Kamal Nath had responded to the remarks saying, "To utar jayein" (Let him hit the streets if he wants to). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Quarantine dodgers reporting to authorities THAILAND: Seventy-four of the 80 ghost workers who dodged quarantine after returning from South Korea on Saturday (Mar 7) have reported to health officials in their respective home provinces, Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha said today (Mar 10). CoronavirusCOVID-19healthSafety By Bangkok Post Tuesday 10 March 2020, 02:51PM An immigration police officer signals for a visitor to stop for a check at Don Mueang airport in Bangkok. Photo: Apichart Jinakul He said none were found to be infected by the coronavirus. Mr Sathit said the remaining six must report to the authorities today, when the three-day deadline ends, or face up to a year in prison and a fine of 200,000 baht under the Communicable Disease Control Act. He said it was not necessary to ask police to look for them. Health officials already knew their home addresses. The largest group of the 80 returnees were from the Northeast, 34 of them, and the rest from the North and other regions, he said. Mr Sathit admitted there were limitations at some quarantine centres, compared to the one at the Sattahip navy base in Chon Buri. Since the Sattahip centre could not accommodate all of those returning from South Korea, it was necessary to send the rest to other centres, including the one in Buri Ram, Mr Sathit said. He said a meeting today would consider opening more quarantine centres - at Kamphaeng Saen in Nakhon Pathom province and in military camps. The army and the air force may be told to make the Sattahip centre a model for their quarantine centres. PHILADELPHIA Even before Joe Biden romped in another big primary night on Tuesday, Democrats were already talking about the next move: how to get Bernie Sanders out of the race. More than two dozen political operatives and delegate experts agreed in interviews that a walloping in Michigan and Mississippi and a tight finish in Washington state would all but close Sanders path to the nomination. By late Tuesday, Biden was declared the winner in Michigan, the state that Sanders aides had held up as a must-win for the campaign. He crushed Sanders in Mississippi on the strength of overwhelming African-American support. And Biden coasted in Missouri. Now Democrats, trying to avoid a prolonged primary that they say would only help Donald Trump's reelection efforts, are conferring over when or even whether to prod Sanders to clear the way for Biden. Democrats agree they want to avoid a repeat of 2016s protracted race and risk turning over a bloodied and bruised nominee to face off against President Donald Trump. Singed by the devastating general election loss four years ago, some Democrats say they refuse to go down that road again. But others say Sanders has signaled that this time will be different that hes far more likely to jump than wait to get pushed. A scenario in which Sanders voluntarily quits regardless of how long it takes is the best way Democrats could coax his supporters to coalesce behind Biden, some Democrats argue. Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge said if the polls are right and Biden wins big in Michigan and elsewhere Tuesday, Sanders should consider dropping out. I think then Sen. Sanders is pragmatic enough to understand that there is no path, Fudge said. If in fact, he wants to let the people speak the people have spoken. I would certainly hope that he would then do what is best for the party and what is best for the country. I would just believe that he is a strong enough politician to know when it is time to fold his hand. Story continues The problem is math, she added. Then, speaking of the number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination, she said, If you "cant get to 1,991, you cant win. Its real simple. The Sanders campaign was uncharacteristically quiet Tuesday. After cancelling a rally in Ohio due to coronavirus concerns, Sanders flew back to Burlington, Vermont. A Sanders aide said he would not address supporters after Michigan, Missouri and Mississippi were called for Biden. However, the aide said Sanders was still planning to debate Biden on Sunday, where his team has long believed he would thrive in a one-on-one match-up with the former vice president. Some left-wing allies are cheering him on, despite the disappointing results for Sanders. "The progressive world wants a Bernie vs. Biden debate, as should all Democratic voters," said Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which is closely aligned with Elizabeth Warren. "Not because it will likely change the outcome, but because in order to not change the outcome, Biden has to withstand one-on-one scrutiny similar to a debate with Trump and he would likely need to cement some popular progressive positions that Bernie challenges him on. All of that makes us more likely to defeat Trump." Sanders' loss in Michigan is particularly damaging to the Vermont senator's White House aspirations. Aside from the 125 delegates up for grabs, the state has significance to Sanders because of his triumph over Hillary Clinton four years ago and its importance as a general election battleground. Sanders' shellacking in Mississippi underscored his failure to win over African Americans. Results were not yet available in Washington state, but even a close finish would undercut Sanders argument that hes best positioned to counter Trump because his candidacy attracts new voters. Alabama Sen. Doug Jones said if Tuesday's results are as bad for Sanders as the polls predict, then Sanders should seriously reassess and quickly. "I hope that he will look at the big picture and coalesce and make the nominating process one that we can fully support," Jones said. Is Sen. Sanders really committed to the Democratic Party and the nominee, or is he committed to his movement and his own candidacy? Thats a question only Sen. Sanders can answer," Jones said. "He has said he is committed to the party, I think hes going to have to demonstrate that." One delegate expert said if the race stays on its current course, Sanders will find it increasingly difficult to make up the delegate gap. Biden will be the presumptive nominee after Florida. Its kind of there already, but nobodys using those explicit words, said Matt Seyfang, a delegate expert who worked for Pete Buttigiegs campaign. You start to run out of scenarios where Bernie can make up the gap. Its really hard to see a scenario where he can net out so many delegates. The major caveat with the calculation is that polling has been very wrong in the past. In 2016, pollsters predicted Hillary Clinton would win big in Michigan. Instead, Sanders eked out a win in the state, breathing new life into his campaign and dragging out the fight for another month. If Sanders does better than expected in Michigan on Tuesday and then moves into a weekend debate against Biden, it could give him renewed momentum. The fear among some Democrats is that Sanders and his supporters could do damage waging a fruitless battle against Biden at the same time Trump and Republicans are attacking him. While the Democratic National Committee has not intervened in the primary in the past, the partys flagship super PAC, Priorities USA, is now preparing to provide air cover for Biden against the Republican onslaught. No one wants to repeat the political sins of 2016 because we all know theres little to no education in the second kick of the mule," said Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright. "The stakes are too high for the Democrats to do anything but to be one band, one sound to go into the most politically consequential election of some of our lifetimes. Sanders in recent days has blamed the establishment for pressuring Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg to drop out and endorse Biden on the eve of Super Tuesday. Both candidates suffered major losses in South Carolina and were already struggling to raise money. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden greets the crowd during a campaign rally Saturday, March 7, 2020, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) Democrats said they have to avoid feeding any narrative that the Democratic establishment pushed Sanders out. Throughout this primary, its Democratic voters who dictated the contours of this race and theres really no role for Democratic leaders to engage in any public pressure campaign, said Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress. The primaries will play themselves out tonight and in the future. The Sanders campaign did not respond to a request for comment. A Sanders senior aide who spoke on condition of anonymity said it would be difficult to envision the Vermont senator passing up Sundays debate in Arizona. I cant imagine him dropping out without getting his chance to get this guy one on one in a debate, the Sanders aide said. And Sanders himself has hinted hes not preparing for a drawn-out fight. "I'm not a masochist who wants to stay in a race that can't be won. But right now, that's a little bit premature, Sanders told ABC News George Stephanopoulos on Sunday. Let's not determine what will happen on Tuesday and what will happen in the future. Holly Otterbein contributed to this report. Barack Obama has called for voters to protect his landmark healthcare reform in a video to mark ten years since it was passed, but is still holding out on endorsing a candidate in the Democratic primary race. With your help, it's the closest weve ever come to universal coverage in America, he said of the Affordable Care Act, in a clip released Monday by the liberal advocacy group Protect Our Care. There are people alive today because of what you did. Republicans will keep trying both in Congress and in the courts to rip away the care that millions of Americans rely on, he added. It was a rare return to the spotlight for the former president, coming on the same day that voters in six states take part in primaries to choose the Democratic nominee to face Donald Trump in November. But despite praising his administrations crowning legislative achievement, Mr Obama has still yet to endorse his former vice president Joe Biden who has frequently touted his role in passing the reforms, and has campaigned on building on them. Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Show all 15 1 /15 Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Joe Biden and Dr Jill Biden watch Barack Obama's farewell speech on 11 January. Obama called Biden his 'brother' Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years US President Barack Obama speaks alongside US Vice President Joe Biden about the Affordable Care Act AFP/Getty Images Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama Getty Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years President Obama listens to Joe Biden speak of his work on defeating cancer on 18 October in the White House Reuters Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years U.S. President Barack Obama is applauded by House Speaker Paul Ryan and Vice President Joe Biden while delivering his final State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in Washington Reuters Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years U.S. Vice President Joe Biden interjects as President Barack Obama delivers remarks at a reception for the 25th anniversary of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics at the White House in Washington REUTERS Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Obama and Vice President Joe Biden react after a heckler was removed for their extended interruption (Reuters) Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with Speaker of the House John Boehner (R) as Vice President Joe Biden looks on Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Barack and Michelle Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden observing a moment of silence outside the White House to mark the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks Getty Images Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Barack Obama and Joe Biden putt on the White House putting green Getty Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years President Barack Obama and Joe Biden in April 2013 AFP/Getty Images Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years January 1, 2013: U.S. President Barack Obama winks as he arrives with Vice President Joe Biden (L) in the briefing room Reuters Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and others receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House May 1, 2011 in Washington, DC Getty Images Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Vice-President Joe Biden, right, confirmed that the US was looking at ways of taking legal action against Julian Assange - back in December 2010 GETTY IMAGES Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Joe Biden, left, and retired military officers watch President Barack Obama sign orders to close down the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in January 2009 GETTY IMAGES Bernie Sanders, Mr Bidens only rival remaining in the race to become the Democratic nominee, has argued for replacing the legislation known as Obamacare with Medicare for All a single-payer, national health insurance program to provide everyone in America with comprehensive health care coverage, free at the point of service. The former vice president, meanwhile, plans to build on the Affordable Care Act by giving Americans more choice, reducing health care costs, and making our health care system less complex to navigate, according to his campaign website. And yet Mr Obama is said to be holding fire in endorsing a candidate in order to let voters have their say first. Hes a big believer in sort of letting the process play out. And that is why hes chosen not to put his thumb on the scale, a person familiar with the presidents thinking recently told Vanity Fair. Mr Obamas intervention comes as the Supreme Court prepares to take up a case that threatens to overturn the legislation. The case is likely to be concluded after this years election. $1 Million to Tunnel to Towers Foundation in America CRUMLIN, Ireland, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Eire Born Spirits, the parent company of Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey, and the founding team of multiple weight MMA champion Conor McGregor, Audie Attar and business entrepreneur Ken Austin are pleased to announce that Proper No. Twelve will be donating $1.3 million dollars to first responder organizations around the world. During Proper No. Twelve's launch in late 2018, founder McGregor and his partners pledged that the whiskey company would donate $5 for every case of Proper No. Twelve sold until donations reached $1 million annually to first responder organizations around the world. Thanks to the tremendous love and support for the brand as well as the high-quality liquid, Proper No. Twelve has become a bartender and consumer favourite, setting sales records for the industry. Proper No. Twelve has sold approximately 200,000 9-liter cases in America and, based on the $5 per case donation the company will donate $1 million dollars in the United States. The company is proud to announce it has selected the New York-headquartered Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation to receive this $1 million donation for the United States. The donation will go towards paying off the mortgages for families of law enforcement officers and firefighters across the country, who were killed in the line of duty and left behind young children. Tunnel to Towers has a score of 100 for Accountability & Transparency on Charity Navigator. Additional donations will be announced in March and April for first responder organizations in Ireland, Canada, the UK, Australia, Russia, Poland and South Africa. Conor McGregor stated, "I am so grateful to the hardworking team at Proper No. Twelve, our distributors, retailers and pub owners along with the millions of whiskey fans that have embraced the brand generating record sales. These sales enable us to make our first significant donation to such deserving families. First responders around the world are the true-life heroes. They are the ones running into emergency situations. This has been a dream of ours since we started the business. Ken, Audie and I had bold ideas for the brand, and sales have surpassed all of our projections! We are so proud to partner with the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation to honour these proper heroes. The foundation's goal is to ensure stability and security for these families facing sudden tragic loss. I hope to inspire my fans and all Proper Twelve drinkers to join me and support this worthwhile cause." In addition to the donation to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, McGregor has recorded PSAs (public service announcements) to encourage others to donate $11 per month to the foundation. These spots, one of which can be viewed here, will air throughout the United States on television. Ken Austin, co-founder of Proper No. Twelve said, "When we began the vetting process on where to give, we saw the fundraising commercials that Tunnel to Towers was playing on TV. My wife grew up in The Rockaways in Queens, New York. Many first responders live in that area and many lost their lives on 9-11, just as Stephen Siller did. Conor said let's donate the million dollars to Tunnel to Towers, but we need to do more. And through the TV spots with Conor, the hope is that many will donate and we can help raise many millions for the foundation and these families." "We are overjoyed to receive the donation from Conor McGregor and his team," said Tunnel to Towers Foundation Chairman and CEO Frank Siller. "We did not solicit their support - they approached us and have been nothing but generous, dedicated partners. Conor's commitment to first responder families can serve as a role model for others. We are extremely grateful, and I know which whiskey we will be drinking this Paddy's Day and beyond." Media Contact: Kate Laufer Gorenstein | prpr@properwhiskey.com About the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation ? The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation's mission is to honor the sacrifice of FDNY Firefighter Stephen Siller, who laid down his life to save others on September 11, 2001. To date, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation has spent over $250 million to honor and support our first responders and veterans and their families. For more about the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, please visit tunnel2towers.org . The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation (EIN: 02-0554654) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. For more about the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, please visit tunnel2towers.org. You can request a copy of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation's most recently filed financial report from the Charities Bureau Registry on the New York Attorney General's website (www.charitiesnys.com) or by contacting: Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10306; or New York State Attorney General Department of Law, Charities Bureau, 28 Liberty Street, New York, NY 10005. Information on New York charitable organizations can be found on the New York Attorney General's website (www.charitiesnys.com) or by contacting (212) 416-8401. About Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey Numerous Irish whiskey makers sought McGregor's endorsement over the years, but as a true born and bred Irishman, he did not want to simply endorse an Irish whiskey. Inspired by his pride for Ireland and his love of Irish whiskey, McGregor wanted to create his own whiskey that would match his high standards and make his country proud. McGregor, his manager Audie Attar and entrepreneur Ken Austin developed the brand under the project name "Notorious" through which came the foundation of what was to eventually become Proper No. Twelve. It became a longer and more complicated project than originally expected, so McGregor turned to a distillery with a proven history of quality whiskey making. He met David Elder, esteemed master distiller, previously of Guinness, and together they took painstaking measures to bring the whiskey to fruition. "We created close to one hundred blends and ultimately selected what we knew was the one and only proper whiskey blend. We took the time to develop an incredible whiskey, and I'm excited to share it with the world," said McGregor. Visit www.properwhiskey.com and follow on Instagram and twitter @properwhiskey. About Conor McGregor Conor McGregor is a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) World Champion, father, philanthropist and entrepreneur who has added Founder and Chairman to his name with the Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey brand, owned by his company Eire Born Spirits. McGregor has catapulted into stardom not only as a Mixed Martial Arts World Champion but as a cultural phenomenon recognized for his outspoken personality and incredible work ethic. He is among the biggest pay-per-view draws in MMA history. McGregor's strong work ethic and dedication to MMA have allowed him to achieve his tremendous success. In the last six years, McGregor has gone from an apprentice plumber receiving social welfare to becoming one of the most recognized and highest paid athletes in the world. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1121861/Proper_Twelve_Irish_Whiskey_and_Stephen_Siller_Tunnel_to_Towers_Foundation.jpg And with that, he breathes out. I can imagine the smile of relief on his face, the creases in the corners of his eyes. Thats all I need to hear, he says. Back at the concierge desk, I bring up Facebook, type Taylor Birch in the search bar, and her profile fills the screen. I scroll through the sparse public content Ive scrutinized for years, the photos and life updates, and now, at the top, the post about Strane. The numbers still climb438 shares now, 1.8k likes, plus new comments, more of the same. This is so inspiring. Im in awe of your strength. Keep speaking your truth, Taylor. When Strane and I met, I was fifteen and he was forty-two, a near perfect thirty years between us. Thats how I described the difference back thenperfect. I loved the math of it, three times my age, how easy it was to imagine three of me fitting inside him: one of me curled around his brain, another around his heart, the third turned to liquid and sliding through his veins. At Browick, he said, teacher-student romances were known to happen from time to time, but hed never had one because, before me, hed never had the desire. I was the first student who put the thought in his head. There was something about me that made it worth the risk. I had an allure that drew him in. [ Return to the review of My Dark Vanessa. ] It wasnt about how young I was, not for him. Above everything else, he loved my mind. He said I had genius-level emotional intelligence and that I wrote like a prodigy, that he could talk to me, confide in me. Lurking deep within me, he said, was a dark romanticism, the same kind he saw within himself. No one had ever understood that dark part of him until I came along. Its just my luck, he said, that when I finally find my soul mate, shes fifteen years old. If you want to talk about luck, I countered, try being fifteen and having your soul mate be some old guy. He checked my face after I said this to make sure I was jokingof course I was. I wanted nothing to do with boys my own age, their dandruff and acne, how cruel they could be, cutting girls up into features, rating our body parts on a scale of one to ten. I wasnt made for them. I loved Stranes middle-aged caution, his slow courtship. He compared my hair to the color of maple leaves, slipped poetry into my handsEmily, Edna, Sylvia. He made me see myself as he did, a girl with the power to rise with red hair and eat him like air. He loved me so much that sometimes after I left his classroom, he lowered himself into my chair and rested his head against the seminar table, trying to breathe in what was left of me. All of that happened before we even kissed. He was careful with me. He tried so hard to be good. Former union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the Congress today having been a primary member of the party for the last 18 years shortly after he, along with Amit Shah, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence in Delhi. Scindias move is likely to have a bearing on the Kamal-Nath led government in the state, which is battling to shore up numbers after some 15-20 MLAs couldnt be traced on Monday. In a letter addressed to party chief Sonia Gandhi, Scindia said, ...it is now time for me to move on. I am tendering my resignation from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress and as you well know, this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year. While my aim and purpose remains the same as it has always been from the very beginning, to serve the people of my state and country, I believe I am unable to do this anymore within this party, the letter added. To reflect and realise the aspirations of my people and workers I believe that it is best that I now look ahead at a fresh start, read the letter. Scindia thanked Gandhi for providing him with a platform to serve the nation. Minutes after Scindia submitted his resignation, Congress president Sonia Gandhi expelled him for anti-party activities. Madhya Pradesh Congress legislator Kunal Chaudhary on Tuesday said that those who resigned have betrayed the party, in a reference to Jyotiraditya Scindia and 22 MLAs who have tendered their resignations amid the political crisis in the state. "The Congress, which has worked to waive off the loans of farmers, has been betrayed and backstabbed. They have betrayed the party workers who have slogged for past 15 years for the development of Madhya Pradesh," Chaudhary told ANI. He, however, was confident of Congress' position in the state government. "We have several options and are confident that more people will join our party," Chaudhary said. He also said that further decisions will be taken in the state Assembly. Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the state Assembly Gopal Bhargava, Narottam Mishra, and other BJP leaders reached the residence of Speaker NP Prajapati to submit the resignations of 19 Congress MLAs. Scindia, who had served the Congress for 18 years, resigned from the party earlier today, stating that "it is time to move on." Scindia's resignation came after Congress MLAs, considered loyal to him, indicated on Monday that they may pull out from the Kamal Nath-led government. Earlier, several Congress leaders, including Digvijaya Singh, had accused the BJP of horse-trading and conspiring to bring down the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh. The grand old party has been witnessing an internal turf war in Madhya Pradesh since it formed a government in the state in 2018. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Paying stars, producing intricate sets, and incorporating innovative visual effects make each hour of TV pricier. Stacker reveals the top 25 most expensive TV series of all time. This gallery covers the early days of "Friends" and "Fraser" up to the epics of "Game of Thrones" and "The Get Down." This article was first published on theStacker.com Elaborate. Eclectic. Flamboyant. These are just a few of the words used to describe the Victorian eras popular Queen Anne house style. When San Franciscos iconic row of Painted Ladies along Alamo Square Park was pictured in the opening credits of TV sitcom "Full House," it introduced wider audiences to these majestic homes. The "ladies" are among the city's most popular tourist attractions. All hail the queens! How can you spot a Queen Anne Victorian? Think gingerbread trim, towers, turrets, and wraparound porches with multi-angled roofs and fancy lead-glass windows, says Tera Vessels of San Diego Vintage Homes. Queen Anne homes come in varied sizes, shapes, and decorative styles, and can be found in cities, suburbs, and rural areas throughout the U.S. A brief history of Queen Anne Victorian architecture Victorian homes are named for Queen Victoria, who ruled Britain from 1837 until her death in 1901. You may be wondering, how can an architectural style be named after two queens? Queen Anne ruled more than a century before Queen Victoria, from 1701 to 1714. In fact, Queen Anne Victorian homes were built during the latter part of Queen Victoria's reign, from 1870 to 1910. The style was developed by architect Richard Norman Shaw in the 1860s in England. But even he wasn't quite accurate in naming the style, which took inspiration from the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras that predated Queen Anne. In any case, in America, Queen Anne architecture really took off in the last two decades of the 19th century. American architect Henry Hobson Richardson built the first Queen Anne home in the U.S. in 1874the Watts Sherman house in Newport, RI. Characteristics of Queen Anne Victorian architecture Queen Anne homes are asymmetrical, with highly ornamented facades and more than one story. The Queen Anne style is all about decorative excess, with a variety of surface textures and materials like patterned brick, stone, wood, and occasionally stucco. Sometimes more than one material is used. The homes usually have varied rooflines and trims, different types of shingles, and colorful palettes. There are stylistic subcategories as well, which range from the gingerbread-like Spindled Queen Anne to the more formal Free Classic Queen Anne. Since Queen Anne homes encourage freedom of expression and creativity, it's hard to find two homes that are exactly alike. But here are some typical features: Turrets, towers, and balconies Steep roofs with intersecting gables One-story wraparound porches Windows designed in different patterns, sizes, and styles with leaded or colored glass Rooms hidden in towers, bays, and dormers A fireplace or two, typically in the center of the house, by the kitchen, or in the dining room Famous Queen Anne homes In addition to the Watts Sherman house and the Painted Ladies, the Carson mansion in Eureka, CA, is considered one of the best examples of Queen Anne style in the U.S. The 18-room, three-story, fairy-tale house, completed in 1885, is said to have inspired the clock tower on the train station at Disneyland. There are a few really fine ones located in San Diego County," says Vessels. "One very famous one is the Beach house, circa 1896, located in the Escondido Historic District." It's currently for sale for $2.5 million; it was previously listed at $3.3 million in January 2019. The Beach House was originally built for real estate broker and insurance salesman Albert H. Beach and his wife. It is a 2.5-story house with four bedrooms and three baths. Pros and cons of owning a Queen Anne Victorian As beautiful as Queen Anne homes are, the eclectic style may not suit all tastes. Those in the market for a Queen Anne should consider the advantages and disadvantages of living in and/or owning this type of property. Although the intricate detailing is part of the appeal of a Queen Anne home, the incredible level of craftsmanship means the cost of maintaining and/or restoring one can be considerable. It may be challenging to find a skilled craftsman familiar with the style of architecture, says Jennifer Hibbard, co-owner of Twins & Co. Realty in Arizona. Vessels says that some people may have issues with the house's smaller rooms (the open floor plan was definitely not a thing back then), fireplaces located in the dining room, skinny and high windows, and doors that are taller than standard. But she advises homeowners to resist the urge to make major changes, adding that the worst thing a homeowner can do is to overly modernize a Queen Anne home. They are solid houses. Most remaining ones were built for well-to-do people and have wonderful history, Vessels says. However, she does believe in new foundations, modern plumbing, electricity, and functional kitchens. Just do it in a way that makes sense, Vessels says. Work with the house. The post What Is a Queen Anne Victorian? An Ornate Style of Architecture With Historic Roots appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. Today we'll take a closer look at Swiss Re AG (VTX:SREN) from a dividend investor's perspective. Owning a strong business and reinvesting the dividends is widely seen as an attractive way of growing your wealth. If you are hoping to live on the income from dividends, it's important to be a lot more stringent with your investments than the average punter. With Swiss Re yielding 6.8% and having paid a dividend for over 10 years, many investors likely find the company quite interesting. It would not be a surprise to discover that many investors buy it for the dividends. During the year, the company also conducted a buyback equivalent to around 3.4% of its market capitalisation. Some simple analysis can offer a lot of insights when buying a company for its dividend, and we'll go through this below. Click the interactive chart for our full dividend analysis SWX:SREN Historical Dividend Yield, March 10th 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. Swiss Re paid out 248% of its profit as dividends, over the trailing twelve month period. A payout ratio above 100% is definitely an item of concern, unless there are some other circumstances that would justify it. Remember, you can always get a snapshot of Swiss Re's latest financial position, by checking our visualisation of its financial health. 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. For the purpose of this article, we only scrutinise the last decade of Swiss Re's dividend payments. Its dividend payments have declined on at least one occasion over the past ten years. During the past ten-year period, the first annual payment was US$0.86 in 2010, compared to US$6.00 last year. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 21% a year over that time. Swiss Re's dividend payments have fluctuated, so it hasn't grown 21% every year, but the CAGR is a useful rule of thumb for approximating the historical growth. Story continues Swiss Re has grown distributions at a rapid rate despite cutting the dividend at least once in the past. Companies that cut once often cut again, but it might be worth considering if the business has turned a corner. Dividend Growth Potential With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to evaluate if earnings per share (EPS) are growing - it's not worth taking the risk on a dividend getting cut, unless you might be rewarded with larger dividends in future. Swiss Re's EPS have fallen by approximately 25% per year during the past five years. A sharp decline in earnings per share is not great from from a dividend perspective, as even conservative payout ratios can come under pressure if earnings fall far enough. Conclusion When we look at a dividend stock, we need to form a judgement on whether the dividend will grow, if the company is able to maintain it in a wide range of economic circumstances, and if the dividend payout is sustainable. We're a bit uncomfortable with its high payout ratio. Earnings per share are down, and Swiss Re's dividend has been cut at least once in the past, which is disappointing. With any dividend stock, we look for a sustainable payout ratio, steady dividends, and growing earnings. Swiss Re has a few too many issues for us to get interested. Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 2 warning signs for Swiss Re that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. 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. Ghani Sworn In As Afghan President, As Rival Holds Parallel Ceremony By RFE/RL March 09, 2020 Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has been sworn in for a second term. But his main political rival, Afghanistan's former Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah, has held his own inauguration ceremony -- insisting that he won the country's September 2019 presidential election. Hundreds of guests attended the inauguration ceremonies of both teams at palaces located next to each other in central Kabul, after last-ditch efforts to mediate an end to the standoff between Ghani and Abdullah failed to resolve the crisis. U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and U.S. General Scott Miller, the commander of the U.S.-led international force in Afghanistan, attended Ghani's inauguration as the sound of rocket fire echoed in the background. "We have seen bigger attacks. Don't be afraid of just two blasts," Ghani said, as he raised his hands to calm the crowd around him, which included many foreign dignitaries. The Islamic State (IS) extremist group later claimed responsibility for the rocket attack that targeted the inauguration. There were no reports of any injuries. "Caliphate soldiers targeted the inauguration of the tyrant Ashraf Ghani," by firing 10 rockets near the presidential palace in Kabul, IS said in a statement released on social media. Hours before the parallel ceremonies, Abdullah wrote on Twitter that "no one should have underestimated our commitment to genuine democracy." "Invalidation of all fraudulent votes is the way out," Abdullah said. The dispute stems from the official results of Afghanistan's bitterly contested September 28 presidential election. Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) declared on February 19 that Ghani won reelection with just over 50 percent of the vote. According to the official vote count, Abdullah finished in second place with about 39 percent of the first-round vote. But Abdullah rejects the official results, saying the election was marred by widespread fraud. Abdullah has declared himself the winner and has vowed to form his own government. The standoff has triggered a political crisis that has threatened to spill over into violence and derail a historic peace deal between the United States and the Taliban. The dispute over the presidency also has left Kabul's allies and ordinary Afghans deeply worried about the future of the country as it tries to strike a peace deal with Taliban militants. Washington previously asked both sides to delay the ceremonies. Political analyst Atta Noori told AFP that the dispute would "gravely affect the government's position in the upcoming intra-Afghan talks." "Unity is the only way [forward] if they want to win on the negotiating table," Noori said. The Taliban, meanwhile, says talks with Afghanistan's government scheduled to start on March 10 are unlikely to take place on time because of the two rivals' plans to conduct the parallel ceremonies. Abdullah had been named as Afghanistan's chief executive officer in 2014 under a U.S.-brokered power-sharing agreement that created a fragile national unity government to resolve a political crisis over Abdullah's allegations of widespread fraud in the 2014 presidential election. Under that deal, Ghani became president within a national unity government while the new office of chief executive officer was created for Abdullah. With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan, Radio Mashaal, AFP, AP, Reuters, and dpa Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ghani- abdullah-rival-inaugurations-kabul- afghanistan/30476927.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 09.03.2020 LISTEN A set of violent demonstrations may soon erupt across Ghana as Chinese businesses ride on the challenges posed by COVID-19 to push Ghanaian businesses out of business. Many businesses Bernard Buachi spoke to revealed that business is going down in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. Many say they have paid for goods from China which have delayed unduly because companies there are on break due to the outbreak. CEO of CD Multimedia; Emmanuel Appiah explains that as a multimedia printing and advertising company, they rely a lot on products from China. He also complains that they are having a hard time getting raw materials in for their business. Mr. Appiah, however, revealed that many Chinese are riding on the challenges to go into retail business and businesses reserved for Ghanaians. The only way we are able to obtain some of these raw materials is to buy from some Chinese here in Ghana. These Chinese have taken advantage of the disease to raise their prices as much as 100%, making our services more costly. At the same time, they are also encroaching into the printing space and printing at cheaper prices; a situation that is pushing us out of business gradually Mr. Appiah explained. Although the Advertising Association of Ghana has not spoken out yet, a group is gradually mobilizing to embark on a series of demonstrations to stop the Chinese from pushing them out of business. Courtesy The driver of a BMW passenger car landed behind bars for striking a teen and leaving her critically injured at the scene of the incident, according to Laredo police. On Saturday, Carmen Loretta Olvera, 18, was arrested at the 4700 block of Maher Ave and charged with accident involving personal injury, a third-degree felony punishable with up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on NATO members to show their alliance with Turkey at this critical time. "NATO is in a critical period in which it should clearly show the alliances solidarity [with Turkey]," Erdogan said during a press conference alongside NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. He stressed that their allies should collaborate with Turkey without discrimination and with no political preconditions. "No European country has the luxury of being unconcerned about the conflicts and human drama in Syria," Anadolu Agency cited Erdogan as saying. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 21:00 671 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2069b81e3 1 National Sexual-assault,sexual-harrasment,SMK,North-Sulawesi,students Free The North Sulawesi Police have arrested five students who were allegedly involved in the sexual assault of a female schoolmate at a vocational high school in the province's Bolaang Mongondow regency. The case first emerged in the public eye when a video showing four students purportedly harassing a female student in a classroom made the rounds on social media on Monday. In the video, the students are seen holding the victim as they grope her. The Bolaang Mongondow Police subsequently launched a probe into the incident and arrested five people aged 16 to 17 years old, North Sulawesi Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Jules Abbast said. The five people comprised three boys and two girls, including one who allegedly recorded the video. Jules said the arrested students told the police during their questioning that they were only joking around while waiting for the teacher to arrive to class. "According to their motive, the incident was meant as joke material while waiting for the teacher. At that time, the teacher [reportedly] did not arrive to class yet, Jules said as reported by Antara on Tuesday. He went on to say that the female victim was deeply traumatized by the incident. Separately, Bolaang Mongondow Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Indra Pramana said the incident happened on Feb. 26. He added that the police were carefully handling the case as the victim and the perpetrators were underage. Such sexual harassment is a criminal offense according to Article 82 of the 2014 law on child protection, which carries maximum punishment of 15 years in prison. The incident has been criticized by child protection stakeholders, including Womens Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Bintang Puspayoga, who called for authorities to immediately handle the case. I feel so upset knowing such violence and bullying happened. Moreover, it happened in an educational institution and it was intentionally recorded and shared to the public, Puspayoga said in a statement on Tuesday. She added that the ministry had coordinated with the Bolaang Mongondow Womens Empowerment and Child Protection Agency, the polices Criminal Investigation Department and the schools authorities. Ill make sure that the case is handled with consideration of the [victims] needs, she said. She also asked the public not to further share the video as doing so would violate Article 64 of the 2014 law. The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) urged the North Sulawesi Education Agency to investigate the schools principal and other teachers who should be responsible in protecting students from all kinds of violence, as stated in the 2014 law as well as Education and Cultural Ministerial Decree No. 82/2015 on the prevention and handling of violence in educational institutions. The KPAI urges schools to settle the sexual harassment case to create a deterrent effect on perpetrators. The KPAI also calls for psychological assistance for the victim and rehabilitation for the perpetrators, said the KPAI commissioner in charge of education, Retno Listyarti. Bolaang Mongondow Womens Empowerment and Child Protection Agency chairwoman Farida Mooduto said the agency had worked to provide psychological assistance for both the victim and the five alleged perpetrators. (aly) Swedish English Press release 2020-03-10 ArcAromas first oliveCEPT unit in Morocco was sold according to the commercial agreement to the producer Atlas Olive Oils, who had the unit installed in September 2019. By the end of the olive oil pressing season 2019-2020, the oliveCEPT had greatly improved the performance in Atlas Olive Oils production. Innovolta Technologies, the ArcAroma distributor in the region, supplied the installation service and follow-up in collaboration with ArcAroma. This past season, the oliveCEPT was installed between the malaxer and the decanter. By repositioning it in between the crusher and the malaxer instead, the performance would improve further, and simultaneously reduce the malaxation time substantially. An agreement has been reached between ArcAroma and Atlas Olive Oils to reposition the oliveCEPT unit for the following seasons. Our collaboration with Atlas Olive Oils, with the support of Innovolta Technologies, has been effective and constructive. We are satisfied with the achievements of this first season in Morocco, and we are looking forward to the next season. We are indeed confident that the results will be further improved, says Johan Mollerstrom, CEO of ArcAroma. Atlas Olive Oils ( www.atlasoliveoils.com) is a family-owned company with a long history and known for producing quality brands along with high level of innovation. With the company's modern extraction lines, the highest quality olive oil is produced and delivered to exclusive dealers worldwide. Innovolta Technologies is based in Casablanca, Morocco, and has a limited exclusive right to address Arc Aromas markets in France, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. For more information, please contact: Johan Mollerstrom, CEO (+46) 768 86 81 78 johan.mollerstrom@arcaromapure.se About ArcAroma AB (publ) Caregivers in low-income settings will be able to respond to the challenges of bringing up children with disabilities, thanks to a new model created by the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI). Caregivers experience multiple deprivations, including inadequate resources, lack of support, negative responses from others in the community, and poverty. Not surprisingly, many caregivers experience fatigue, distress and isolation. The aim of the UEA-KEMRI three-year project was to empower the caregivers so they could take control of their lives and bring about positive changes to their existing situations. Caregivers were brought together to run their own meetings and self-help activities, which included shared livelihood projects, talking to each other about the difficulties of caregiving, sharing their ideas for improving the lives of their children with disabilities, and advocating for change in their local communities. The researchers carried out monthly monitoring visits to the groups, facilitated group discussions and helped with activity planning. Dr Karen Bunning, a reader in speech and language therapy in UEA's School of Health Sciences, led the project. Dr Bunning said: "At the start of the project, caregivers spoke of their aloneness, the challenges and stigma and discrimination experienced in the community. "At the end of the project, the caregivers had a greater sense of their own agency and talked of friendships with other members of the group, the development of new skills, acceptance of their child's disability and their own sense of well-being. "In addition, there was significant growth in the social support around the caregiver and, despite the fact that the children with disabilities had received no targeted intervention, the caregivers rated their child's disability as less severe with fewer problems affecting their ability to provide care." The model, including a set of practical guidelines, can be applied in other low-income settings and is currently being piloted across sub-Saharan Africa. 'Empowering self-help groups for caregivers of children with disabilities in Kilifi, Kenya: Impacts and their underlying mechanisms', is published March 9, 2020 in PLOS ONE. ### A man was found dead outside a central city brothel early on Tuesday morning. Club 574 - one of the oldest brothel's in Auckland, New Zealand - was surrounded by police as investigators worked to piece together what had happened. A member of the public had found the body on Epsom's Manukau Rd shortly after midnight, police said. The brothel, which charges about $220 an hour, was often trouble-free, an employee told the New Zealand Herald. Club 574 (pictured) - one of the oldest brothel's in Auckland, New Zealand - was surrounded by police as investigators worked to piece together what had happened There was 'always drama' between the girls and mangers as well, but clients were relatively well-behaved, she said. The club, which is a large two-storey in a suburban street, has no security and only has security cameras surrounding the building. However, a local business owner said she had seen gang members frequenting the club. Police launched a homicide investigation into the death. The property is currently wrapped in police tape. Police are still working to identify the man and contact his family. The number of pigs in England at the end of 2019 reached the highest level since 2007, according to new figures by Defra. Pig numbers as at 1 December 2019 totalled 3.78 million head, around 3% higher compared with the same period in 2018, and the largest December pig herd since 2007. Figures by the department also show that English pig slaughter levels across December and January were 6% higher than year-earlier levels. Looking at the numbers, AHDB analyst Felicity Rusk said, however, that pig census results should always be viewed with caution. "Trends are not always reflected in slaughter levels," she said, "Nonetheless, we do believe that pig numbers have been growing." The number of female pigs in the English breeding herd totalled 320,000 head, 1% less than the previous year. However, this is driven by an unusually large (12%) decline in the number of other sows, which are classed as suckling/dry sows. Ms Rusk said: "We believe there has been expansion in the UK breeding herd overall, but particularly in Scotland, so growth in England may not be so pronounced. "A sharp rise in the production of breeding pig feed also points to herd expansion. In the census, in-pig sows, in-pig gilts and maiden gilts did all record an increase in numbers compared to the previous year." The better financial positions of producers would be expected to allow expansion in some areas, she added. Furthermore, optimism about the outlook, particularly in regards to the Chinese protein deficit may also be influencing producer intentions. It can be challenging to find a good spot for a reasonable price when in the market for an apartment. So what does an affordable price on a rental in Wilshire Village look like these days and what might you get for your money? Walk Score indicates that the neighborhood is somewhat walkable, isn't particularly bikeable and has some transit options. It also features median rents for a one bedroom that hover around $850, compared to ann $838 one-bedroom median for San Antonio as a whole. A look at local listings in Wilshire Village via rental sites Zumper and Apartment Guide yields a look at what budget-minded apartment seekers can expect to find in this San Antonio neighborhood. Read on for the cheapest listings available right now. (Note: Prices and availability are subject to change.) Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. 2447 Harry Wurzbach Road, #106-B This two-bedroom, two-bathroom residence, situated at 2447 Harry Wurzbach Road, #106-B is listed for $925/month for its 1,000 square feet. You'll see a walk-in closet and hardwood flooring in the unit. Building amenities include assigned parking. Pet owners, take heed: This property is both dog-friendly and cat-friendly. Future tenants needn't worry about a leasing fee. (See the complete listing here.) 731-743 Byrnes Drive Here's a two-bedroom, one-bathroom abode at 731-743 Byrnes Drive, #8 which, at 970 square feet, is going for $950/month. When it comes to building amenities, expect assigned parking. In the unit, anticipate a balcony and stainless steel appliances. Pet lovers are in luck: This rental is both dog-friendly and cat-friendly. There's no leasing fee required for this rental. (See the full listing here.) 515 Exeter Road Then there's this 1,450-square-foot apartment with two bedrooms and two bathrooms at 515 Exeter Road, listed at $989/month. In the unit, you're promised a walk-in closet, a dishwasher and central heating. For those with furry friends in tow, this rental is pet-friendly. The building features a swimming pool. The rental doesn't require a leasing fee. (See the listing here.) This story was created automatically using local real estate data from Zumper and Apartment Guide, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Additionally, if youre an agent or a broker, read on for real estate marketing ideas to promote your local listing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. Former president Olusegun Obasanjo has reacted to the dethronement of Sanusi Lamido as Emir of Kano by describing the act as a mixture of sad and good news. Read Also: In Democracy, You Pay For The Type Of Leader You Voted Into Power: Omokri Speaking via a letter that was shared via the official Twitter handle of Reno Omoki, his former presidential aide, he said the news is said because the dethronement is under deserved. He added that the news is a good one because he has paid the price. He wrote: Obasanjo, ever the diplomat, is really saying something deeper about Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. Read the letter carefully. He did not say what happened to Sanusi was undeserved. He said it was UNDERSERVED! In other words, Sanusi deserved even worse than he got. Steinhausen, March 10, 2020 - Schweiter Technologies successfully closed out the 2019 business year with a double-digit increase in both sales revenues and earnings amid challenging market conditions. Driven by the acquisition of the Perspex companies at the end of 2018, net sales revenues rose to CHF 1,179.6 million (prior year: CHF 1,047.4 million), an increase of 13% (15% in local currencies). Adjusted for acquisitions and currency effects, organic sales growth came to 1%. Group EBITDA rose by 14% to CHF 126.5 million (prior year: CHF 111.0 million) despite one-off integration expenditures, so that the return on sales improved to 10.7%. In organic and currency-adjusted terms, EBITDA was up by 7%. EBIT rose to CHF 88.6 million (previous year: CHF 82.2 million), while net income increased to CHF 62.6 million (previous year: CHF 60.3 million). Operating cash flow came to about CHF 104 million, equivalent to a year-on-year increase of more than 70%. Cash and cash equivalents rose to around CHF 116 million following a dividend distribution of approximately CHF 57 million. At the General Meeting on April 8, 2020, the Board of Directors will propose the payment of a dividend of CHF 40 per bearer share and the addition of Lars van der Haegen and Heinz Baumgartner to the Board of Directors. The media conference will be held today at 11 a.m. at the Marriott Hotel, Neumuhlequai 42, in Zurich. The 2019 Annual Report and the investor presentation can be downloaded from: http://www.schweiter.ch/s1a200/investoren/geschaftsberichte-prasentationen.html Key figures Schweiter Technologies Group (in CHF m) 2019 2018 + / - Net revenues 1,179.6 1,047.4 +13% EBITDA 126.5 111.0 +14% as a % of net revenues 10.7% 10.6% EBIT 88.6 82.2 +8% Net income 62.6 60.3 +4% Course of business 2019 was yet another challenging business year in which the various market segments and geographies reported quite disparate rates of growth. On the one hand, global demand grew for core materials for the wind energy sector, the North American architecture business, and European sales of structural components for road and rail vehicles. On the other hand, organic growth in both the European and the US Display business fell short of the previous year and missed the business units own targets. Although the Architecture business performed very well overall, it failed to repeat the strong showing from the previous year in Europe and Asia. Display Demand in the display market is linked to customers' assessment of the economic outlook. Simmering trade conflicts coupled with uncertainties about the further economic development in Europe and the USA therefore resulted in a weakening of display demand at the retail level, which is a crucial sales driver. In addition, falling prices for acryl raw materials dampened demand for clear sheet products in Europe - anticipating a drop in prices, customers scaled back or postponed orders and reduced inventories to a minimum along the entire supply chain. A bright spot is the integration of the two Perspex companies, acquired at the end of 2018, into the European sales organization. Perspex, the leading manufacturer of cast acrylics, is a perfect fit for the existing product and brand portfolio and contributed substantially to sales and profit growth. Architecture ALUCOBOND celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019. Sales in the Architecture business in the year under review were very mixed regionally. Whereas the USA posted double-digit sales growth, the European and Asian markets lagged behind the strong figures from the previous year. The European construction business registered a growth slowdown compared with the strong rise reported in earlier years. In regions with a high level of building activity, builders' capacity limitations held further expansion in check. Sales increases were reported in central and southern Europe and in the Benelux countries, whereas the UK and Turkey saw revenues decline sharply in some cases. Uncertainty in connection with Brexit had a dampening effect on the construction industry in the UK, while economic turbulence led to a decline in sales revenue in Turkey. The construction industry in the USA stayed on a growth trajectory in 2019. 3A Composites holds a leading position in architects' specifications for new builds and renovations and it outperformed the market by a wide margin in the year under review. Revenue was up by almost 20%, while profitability rose at an even higher rate. The growth in the US Architecture business was supported by strategically expanded partnerships with selected distribution partners and an improved service offering. Moreover, the sustained trend to high-value, flame-retardant or non-combustible cladding continues to favor 3A Composites' position as the market's quality leader. Demand for architecture products in Asia and the Middle East was mixed. In India, overcapacity and financing bottlenecks in the private construction sector resulted in delays to current projects and a fall-off in the number of new builds. By contrast, sales revenues in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and Malaysia increased. Sales volume in China was also very gratifying, even though revenues did not quite reach the previous year's strong level - two major projects in 2018 could not be repeated on the same scale in 2019. Uncertainty concerning local building regulations led to a fall-off in demand in Australia. Core Materials The Core Materials business maintained its strong growth momentum from the first half of the year, closing out 2019 with an overall sales increase of almost 30%. The steep rise in demand for core materials for the wind energy sector resulted in a very high capacity utilization of production facilities and an even higher rate of earnings growth. 3A Composites remains the clear market leader for core materials for wind turbines, with a systematic focus on PET foams and balsa materials. 3A Composites is the world's largest balsa wood plantation owner, with efficiently managed plantations in Ecuador and Papua New Guinea, and this unique selling proposition enables it to provide a stable and reliable supply of balsa products to its customers. In addition to the very satisfactory trend in the wind energy sector, the US marine market and the automotive and industry market segments reported higher sales revenue. Transportation The Transportation business posted the most successful year in its history to date. Sales grew by more than 20%, while profitability grew at a faster rate than it had the previous year thanks to ongoing firm demand for weight-saving solutions for buses, mobile homes and trains. The Road Vehicles market segment, encompassing systems for buses, mobile homes and electromobility, made the largest contribution to sales growth. The success in this market segment was driven by various factors: customers' good order backlog, a volume increase in new light-weight chassis for buses and mobile homes, and rising demand for light-weight components for electric buses. Outlook 3A Composites has gotten off to a strong start in the new year. It expects its good performance to continue despite macroeconomic uncertainties. The economic forecasts show a mixed outlook for the European and US display markets. On the one hand, digitization is driving a shift from brick-and-mortar retailing to online commerce. On the other hand, structural growth in the area of Hotel & Hospitality is expected to hold up, with a trend to increasingly higher-value and faster-changing interior fittings. The Architecture business should also continue to perform strongly on the back of the buoyant construction industry in Europe, the USA, and Asia. The trend to non-combustible cladding panels, the strong market position of 3A Composites, and the full pipeline of infrastructure projects are driving medium-term sales growth in the Architecture business. The Core Materials business is benefiting from sustained firm demand from the wind energy sector. Megatrends such as neo-ecology (renewable energies, reduction of waste and of CO 2 emissions, etc.) plus electromobility are lifting medium-term growth in the area of wind energy and in the Automotive and Marine segments. The Transportation business has a good order backlog. Demand for weight-saving solutions for buses, mobile homes and rail vehicles should remain firm and act as a springboard for further growth. The Board of Directors will propose paying an unchanged dividend of CHF 40 per bearer share at the General Meeting on April 8, 2020. This adds up to a total payout of about CHF 57 million. The company will continue to pay an attractive dividend in addition to its investments in its organic growth and acquisitions. The payout ratio is determined by the target ratio of equity to debt financing as well as by the amount of planned capital spending. Addition to the Board of Directors In addition to the already announced nomination of Lars van der Haegen, the Board of Directors, seeking a long-term succession plan, proposes that the General Meeting of April 8, 2020 elect its long-serving CEO Heinz Baumgartner to the Board. For further information please contact: Martin Kloti, CFO Tel. +41 41 757 77 00, Fax +41 41 757 70 01, martin.kloeti@schweiter.com Please find the Media release in the PDF attached: Fears over the rapidly growing number of coronavirus cases in the US has led to questions over whether America will be forced to go into lockdown like parts of Italy and China, the countries which have been so far the worst-hit by the epidemic. There are currently 804 cases of the virus in the US and 28 people have died from it. In Italy, the numbers are far more alarming. As of Tuesday morning, 463 have died and there are 9,172 of it. Italy confirmed its first case of the virus 11 days before the US did. On Monday night, computer scientist Mark Handley, Professor of Networked Systems and part-time Roboticist at UCL in London, tweeted a graph showing how growth figures in other infected countries compare to Italy's. 'Everyone else will be Italy in 9-14 days time,' Handley tweeted along with the data. Dr. John Crane, an infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo, agreed. He told DailyMail.com in an interview that the world had never seen anything like the outbreak and that the US seemed to be watching how Italy responded before making any drastic decisions of its own. 'It looks like theyre on the exact same trajectory. Italy had an 11.5 day head start,' he said, referring to the data. Scroll down for video Mark Handley tweeted this graph charting the growth of cases in the US (pink) compared to that of Italy, purple Handley said 'everyone else will be Italy'in 9-14 days time if the growth rates keep up 'When you have straight line on a long scale that signifies exponential growth. 'Its not unusual at the beginning for an epidemic like thiswhen no human being on earth has previous exposure to it and no one has immunity to it. 'This doesn't change the fatality rate just the growth rate- we've learned this virus is pretty contagious. It looks like they're on the exact same trajectory but Italy had an 11.5 day head-start John Crane, MD, PhD, infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo John Crane, MD, PhD, infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo 'This graph doesnt say anything about the case fatality rate that might be around two percent but thats still ten times higher than influenza and we have things we can do bout influenza, we dont have a vaccine for this.' The situation in Italy is so bad, some doctors have reported becoming 'overwhelmed' and crying because they cannot stop people from dying and are being forced to choose 'who to save'. Dr. Crane said it was impossible to know if or when the US would reach a similar situation or how long a potential lock-down would last. 'We're waiting to see what happens in Italy and other countries. We're waiting to see - they were under extreme, extreme conditions [in China] where people were not allowed to come out of their house. WHAT ARE THE TERMS OF ITALY'S LOCKDOWN Schools and universities are closed until April 3 All sporting events postponed indefinitely Museums, theaters, cinemas, night clubs, cafes and restaurants are closed Religious ceremonies including funerals and weddings are postponed Airports remain open but people traveling have to fill out a document explaining why and face a fine or jail if they're caught lying Stores remain open but only if they can ensure people stay 3ft apart Public transport remains open but only for people with a valid work or family reason that cannot be postponed will be allowed to travel Advertisement 'We have no experience of that. Most of the country is much less densely populated so we would not have to implement it everywhere in the rural places in our country, rather tell them to just to maintain social distancing, not to go to bars and night clubs etc. 'We're trying to learn from everyone else whos just a little bit ahead of us. 'If Italys pace of infection, strict isolation policy we'd predict that it would level off but we just dont know how long that will take. 'Were learning as we go,' he said. President Trump adamantly stated on Monday during the day that nothing in the country was shutting down or failing due to the virus, despite financial chaos that brought Wall Street its worst day since 2008, a mass of school closures and growing number of diagnoses across the country. On Monday night, he conceded that the stock exchange chaos had 'blindsided' him but still urged people not to panic. Trump later announced an economic bailout plan which would help alleviate the immediate damage of the crisis. It was well received by Wall Street: the Dow rebounded by 830 points on Tuesday morning after a disastrous day on Monday which saw the worst single-day point drop ever. But on Tuesday, he demanded another interest rate cut and said called the Federal Reserve 'pathetic' despite starting talks on emergency tax cuts to answer the coronavirus crisis. Mark Handley, the computer scientist who made the prediction, works in London The SEC became the first federal agency to tell people to work from home on Tuesday. Trump's non-alarmist tone was echoed on Tuesday morning by Surgeon General Jerome Adams who, despite warning that 100million Americans may become infected and saying the scenario will 'get worse before it gets better', told Americans not to panic. Adams was asked whether the US should prepare for an outbreak as large as 100million people during an appearance on Good Morning America. He said: 'Americans should absolutely be prepared but that doesn't mean they should be afraid. 'Weve been here before- SARS, MRSA we know how to handle this. 'There are things we can do to prepare and not panic.' He went on: 'Initially we had a containment poster, thats outward facing that works when you know when theyre coming from. 'Originally, over 95 percent of cases were coming from China. Now, most are coming from Europe, Iran, South Korea were looking at mitigation. 'Mitigation means within your community, how do you lower the impact of the virus and prevent it from spreading. There are now 804 cases of the virus in the US and there have been 28 deaths A quieter than usual Grand Central station on Monday night after Mayor Bill de Blasio warned New Yorkers to avoid the subway There were only a handful of people at the ordinarily busy St Peter's Square at the Vatican on Tuesday The empty Galleria-Vittoria Emanuele II in Milan, one of the world's virus hotspots A woman at JFK exits one of the terminals wearing a face mask on Monday There was no one at L.A.X. on Tuesday morning as panic over the virus spread 'OVERWHELMED' DOCTORS IN ITALY BEING FORCED TO CHOOSE WHO TO SAVE A medic in northern Italy told a friend in the UK that hospitals were running at '200 per cent capacity' with operating theaters hurriedly converted into intensive care units. The medic's comments were published in a Twitter thread by UK-based friend Jason van Schoor, an anesthetist and clinical fellow at University College London. The medic's comments were published in a Twitter thread by UK-based friend Jason van Schoor, an anesthetist and clinical fellow at University College London. Advertisement School closures, pulling down large social gatherings, those are all steps that folks should be thinking about in case they have an outbreak in their community. 'Not every community has a cluster right now but people should know this is likely going to get worse before it gets better.' The entire country of Italy is now in lock-down, with the Prime Minister canceling mass gatherings and sporting events until the virus clears. He called it the country's 'darkest hour'. European airlines are canceling all flights to the country. Some US airlines are now following suit but there are still concerns over the level of screening passengers are getting when they arrive back in the US from Italy. Some say they are not being checked at all or are being asked few questions. Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday morning that the city would not be shutting down due to 'undue fear' but that he could not rule out a lockdown in the future. 'We cannot shut down because of undue fear. 'I would advise against these mass closures when were keeping this situation relatively contained. 'Ask me in a week, ask me in a month - it might change,' he added during an appearance on MSNBC's Morning Joe. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said on Tuesday things would 'get worse before they get better' There are things we can do and not panic, Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams tells @GStephanopoulos. Here are the steps you can take: 1. Know your risk 2. Know your circumstances 3. Know the steps that you can take to preparehttps://t.co/SxH3OmMyMD pic.twitter.com/RBl0fXPde7 Good Morning America (@GMA) March 10, 2020 The Dow started to bounce back on Tuesday after a disastrous day of trading on Monday How China halted coronavirus using a 'social nuclear weapon' but does the West have the will? Nicholas A. Christakis, Sterling Professor of Social & Natural Science at Yale University, took to Twitter yesterday to explain how China has managed to rapidly de-escalate the threat of COVID-19 within its borders. Advertisement Trump and border officials have insisted that people traveling back to the US from Italy are being screened for the virus, despite contradictory accounts from travelers. The only people who are physically being banned from entering the US as a result of the virus are foreign nationals arriving to the US on flights from China or Iran. US citizens or people with valid visas who have been in China or Iran in the last 14 days are being redirected for screening, then they will have restrictions on their movements depending on their conditions. AIRLINES THAT HAVE MODIFIED SERVICE TO LOCKED DOWN ITALY Air Canada will allow travelers to rebook flights to parts of Italy at no charge Alitalia said on Sunday it was suspending national and international flights to and from Milans Malpensa airport from March 9 United Airlines said it would reduce U.S. and Canadian flights by 10% and international flights by 20% in April, with similar cuts planned in May. It added South Korea to its travel waiver list but is not cancelling flights JetBlue said it would cut capacity by about 5% in the near term Norwegian Air Shuttle, which has canceled 22 long-haul flights between Europe and the United States from March 28 to May 5, said on March 6 it was cancelling flights from Oslo to Milan Advertisement Others, from South Korea and Italy, may be asked to stay home for 14 days after arriving back in the US 'depending on their travel history'. China is finally seeing a slowdown in the number of new daily cases. But experts have pointed to the drastic measures the country has had to take to get to that point. In a blog post on Thread Reader, Greek sociologist Nicholas A. Christakis laid out how far China had gone to stop the spread, and what other countries would need to do to stop it for themselves. 'The Chinese government has essentially used a social nuclear weapon in its efforts. Lets talk about this, to understand what US is facing,' he wrote. China implemented movement restrictions which limited how people could leave their homes and how frequently they could leave their homes on communities which, collectively, account for 930milion people, he wrote. The restrictions included banning people from going out to buy food and arranging grocery deliveries for them instead. Anyone who did go out had to have a permit to show why they were allowed to. Christakis also shared a photograph of an elevator in China which had been separated into quadrants. No more than four people were allowed in it at one time. The website the Surgeon General urged people to visit for more information can be found here. A 32-year-old construction worker from Kalyan in Thane district drowned in a creek while celebrating Holi, police said. Deceased Surinder Vikramsingh, who works at a construction site in Maharal village, was part of a group of five people who ventured into a creek for a swim in the afternoon, Kalyan taluka police sub inspector Bajrang Rajput said. Vikramsingh's body has been fished out, he added. In another incident, 18-year-old Kajal Kale died after she fell off a motorcycle in Vasai in neighbouring Palghar district, police said. "Kajal and Akshay Pawar (24) were on a motorcycle when it skidded and hit a metal barricade on Amabadi Bridge at around 3pm, killing her on the spot and severely injuring the man. Their families had come to Manickpur to celebrate Holi," a Valiv police station official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have shared unseen photos and video highlights from their meeting with young leaders from the Queen's Commonwealth Trust. The couple, who completed their final duties as senior members of the royal family this week, invited young leaders to a round table discussion at Buckingham Palace last week. Topics included mental health, equal opportunities for all, and the importance of supporting youth leadership to help address global challenges and drive positive change around the world. This evening they shared a photograph from the meeting to their Sussex Royal Instagram Stories, as well as a black and white 'outtake' shot showing Harry looking relaxed in fits of laughter. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have shared unseen photos and a video from their meeting with young leaders from the Queen's Commonwealth Trust The couple directed fans to the Queen's Commonwealth Trust (QCT) Instagram page which shared video highlights of the conversation which took place. The Duchess of Sussex wore a 925 Preen by Thornton Bregazzi asymmetrical toffee midi dress, while Harry opted for a black suit with a white shirt, opting to make it more casual with the absence of a tie. The Duchess let the piece speak for itself with minimal accessories and wore her long brown locks lose around her shoulders. She teamed the dress with a pair of nude court heels and dainty gem earrings. Opting for a heavier make-up look, the Duchess matched her the peach tones on her cheeks with warm colours of her dress, adding lashings of highlighter to her upper cheek bones. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex shared a black and white 'outtake' shot showing Harry looking relaxed in fits of laughter on their Instagram page She paired the look with a matching pale peach lip alongside a smokey eye-look, with shadow on both her top and bottom eyelids paired with a light eyeliner. The couple were joined by QCT Advisor Kenny Imafidon and Esther Marshall - founder of sTandTall and and author of the Sophie Says book series. Also in attendance was Izzy Obeng, founder and director of Foundervine; Victor Ugo, founder of the Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative, and Kiran Kaur and Amna Akhtar of Hey Girl Dreamer. In the video the group discuss mental health, equal opportunities for all, and the importance of supporting youth leadership to help address global challenges and drive positive change around the world Asked by Meghan with QCT is 'different', QCT Advisor Kenny Imafidon said: 'I feel like it is different because we're seeing young leaders as equal partners of a movement a lot of us when we go out there to get grants, there's no real engagements and the QCT is very different in that' After quitting as members of The Firm, Harry will leave his role as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador, but remains president of the QCT, while Meghan maintains her position as its vice-president. The Queen's Commonwealth Trust uses its network, platform and resources, built and shaped together with young people from across the Commonwealth, to support young leaders in realising their dreams and hopes for the future. Harry and Meghan opened the conversation by asking the group about QCT and its role in supporting them. Asked by Meghan with QCT is 'different', QCT Advisor Kenny Imafidon said: 'I feel like it is different because we're seeing young leaders as equal partners of a movement a lot of us when we go out there to get grants, there's no real engagements and the QCT is very different in that.' The Duchess of Sussex wore a 925 Preen by Thornton Bregazzi asymmetrical toffee midi dress for the meeting After quitting as members of The Firm, Harry will leave his role as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador, but remains president of the QCT, while Meghan maintains her position as its vice-president The group went on to discuss the significance of QCT's global network. Esther Marshall of sTandTall and Sophie Says observed how the 'powerful' network of QCT has helped her combat loneliness as a founder and feel connected to a movement of driving change. The duchess nodded in agreement when Izzy Obeng explained how 'founding something for the first time' is 'really tough'. She added: 'The opportunity to share those struggles and learn how people do it globally, not just in your local context, is really powerful.' The theme of inclusive support networks emerged across the conversation as vital to supporting equal opportunities and providing effective mental health awareness and support services. Prince Harry and Meghan engaged passionately with their invited guests as they discussed the positive changes they can make through the QCT Opting for a heavier make-up look, the Duchess matched her the peach tones on her cheeks with warm colours of her dress, adding lashings of highlighter to her upper cheek bones Who joined the Duke and Duchess for the QCT discussion? QCT Advisor Kenny Imafidon Kenny is the co-founder and director of ClearView Research, a leading-edge research company. He has written for award-winning publications and has led on innovative partnerships with global brands such as Uber, Tinder and Deliveroo. In 2014, Kenny was awarded the number one position of Rare Rising Stars 2014 and acknowledged for being the most outstanding black student in the UK. He is a trustee of several charities such as BBC Children in Need, Strength Within In Me Foundation (S.W.I.M), City Gateway and Spark Inside. Esther Marshall sTandTall is a charity which helps women and girls who have been abused and bullied to find the right support to get back on their feet . They focus on prevention, working with individuals across society through education, training, and advocacy. As well as launching sTandTall, Esther is also the author behind the Sophie Says book series. The series is written to inspire young girls and boys about the direction their lives might take them. Izzy Obeng Foundervine is an international training consultancy specialising in digital start-up and scale-up acceleration programmes. Since its launch, the company has helped over 2,000 diverse, future leaders create, test and sustain entrepreneurial ventures globally. They partner with mission-driven organisations who share our mission to build entrepreneur-centric programmes. The company runs training for organisations including Year Here, University of London and PwC UK. Victor Ugo The Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative is the country's largest youth run and youth focused mental health organisation. The charity has over 1,500 volunteers actively involved across 15 chapters. It aims to fight stigma around mental health to help those who suffer seek care without fear of discrimination. It has conducted various projects across psychiatric hospitals, universities, and prisons as well as grassroots programmes in rural communities. Kiran Kaur and Amna Akhtar Hey Girl Dreamer is a non-profit organisation based in the UK specifically for millennial and gen z women of colour. The organisation works with communities and companies to tackle lack of representation and access to opportunity for women of colour. They provide training programmes to support women of colour into social entrepreneurship. The charity run a range of initiatives throughout the year with the goal of increasing access to opportunity for women of colour. Hey Girl Dreamer offers consulting and workshops to organisations in the social and private sector. Advertisement Victor Ugo stated: 'I had very amazing friends and a support system that made it possible to see through a difficult part in my life. That was the inspiration behind setting up my organisation, Mentally Aware Nigeria, because I was looking to create that community I had for myself and replicate it for others.' Reflecting on her motivation to start GirlDreamer, Amna Akhtar said: 'I needed people around me to say to me you can do this, and this belief really made me feel like I could smash those barriers.' During the discussion, Harry and Meghan remarked on the personal lived experience of the leaders in the room and their motivation to act, linking this to the impact this has on developing solutions. What is the The Queen's Commonwealth Trust (QCT)? The Queen's Commonwealth Trust attempts to connect the 60 per cent of people under the age of 30 in the Commonwealth globally. The trust exists to champion, fund and connect young leaders around the world who are driving positive social change, serving their communities and providing hope, work and self-employment opportunities for others. The Duke of Sussex is President, the Duchess of Sussex is Vice-President and the Queen is Patron. This year the trust is exploring a new way of making grants to youth founded and youth led organisations with a pilot in sub-Saharan Africa running from November 2019 March 2020. The trust continues to pilot small grants disbursed via partners in other Commonwealth regions. To date, they have piloted small grants programmes with Teach for All in Malaysia, Bangladesh and the UK, Tonga Youth Leaders in Tonga, and WE Schools in the UK and Canada. Advertisement Harry said that 'makes all the difference' while Meghan added: 'It's saying, let's not wait until there's a problem and try and fix it, let's try and stop the problem from happening to begin with.' The duke commented that the next generation are leading the way in driving change. 'There is no way that the older generation are going to be able to change their mindset unless its their children who are influencing the change,' he said. 'You have a whole group of young people coming through who just have a completely different mindset and focus on how to make things different it's an amazing opportunity. So where do you start you start? With guys like you who are within the community and that relatability and that shared experience - you can't buy that.' Yesterday the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended their last official engagement after stepping down as senior royals, at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey. The couple joined the Queen, 93, and other senior royals in their last official duty before holding a series of meetings in Britain and heading back to Canada next week. The pair will be reunited with their ten-month-old son Archie in North America, before officially stepping down in three weeks' time on March 31. The couple have been staying at their UK base of Frogmore Cottage in Windsor over the past few weeks, while carrying out several engagements, but will fly back to Vancouver Island where they have been living in recent at a luxurious 14million waterside mansion. They will keep their Windsor home, and start paying commercial rent and paying back 2.4million in taxpayers' money spent on its renovations. During the discussion, Harry and Meghan remarked on the personal lived experience of the leaders in the room and their motivation to act, linking this to the impact this has on developing solutions The duke commented that the next generation are leading the way in driving change Meghan grinned as her husband passionately engaged with members of the QCT Megan donned an emerald green ensemble - an exquisite caped dress by designer Emilia Wickstead with a matching hat by William Chambers - as she arrived for the Commonwealth Day service. The elegant, long-sleeved dress is thought to be a bespoke creation by Wickstead, a favourite of both Meghan and the Duchess of Cambridge, 38. The Sussexes appeared to exchange an awkward 'hello' with Prince William and Kate Middleton at the service. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex walked in ahead of William and Kate - the first public meeting of the two brothers and their wives since Megxit was announced two months ago - before Prince Charles and Camilla also arrived and the Queen then made an entrance to trumpet fanfare and cheers from crowds outside. Unlike last year, Harry and Meghan were conducted to their seats at the church in London, rather than waiting for the Queen's arrival and walking through with the monarch and key royals as they did in March 2019. Yesterday marked Meghan's final engagement as a senior member of The Firm before she steps back from royal duty at the end of the month The Commonwealth service at Westminster Abbey today marked the first time the couples have reunited since Meghan and Harry announced Megxit in January (pictured left, Kate and Prince William arriving at the service and right, Prince Harry and Meghan) The Duke and Duchess made their final royal appearance yesterday before pursuing their new life in America Once seated, the royals' position on the chairs was based on their ranks within the family, with Charles next to the Queen due to him being first-in-line, followed by William in second, and Harry in sixth. They took similar positions last year, although Meghan was next to Prince Andrew, who has since stepped down from royal duties. Meghan was seen to mouth 'hi' and give a small wave to William and Kate, followed by a 'hello', as the Cambridges took their seats near the High Altar. Harry also said 'hello' and smiled at his brother. It comes after Harry admitted last October that he and his brother are on 'different paths' and have good and bad days in their relationship. [March 10, 2020] McAfee Warns Consumers to Protect Their Personal Information from IRS Scams Scam robocalls and phishing emails disguised as banks continue to trick consumers to put their personal information at risk, and tax season is no exception. During this time of the year consumers need to be aware of the increase in potential threats as hackers pose as collectors from the IRS, tax preparers or government bureaus. These tactics are particularly effective due to tax payers concerns of misfiling their taxes or accidentally running into trouble with groups like the IRS. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200309005049/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) McAfee (News - Alert) researchers recently uncovered an example of an illegitimate IRS site created to scam unsuspecting consumers. If you look closely, you will notice a non-IRS domain and not a secure connection, these are key things to look out for when seeking online resources. Fake sites such as this pose particular risk to consumers when combined with phishing email campaigns. In fact, recent McAfee research found that 41% of Americans admitted to falling victim to email phishing scams in 2019, serving as another reminder to be vigilant during the stressful tax season. Consumers can do their part this tax season to protect their personal information and keep their finances secure: File before a scammer does it for you . The easiest defense you can take against tax season schemes is to get your hands on your W-2 and file as soon as possible. The more prompt you are to file, the less likely your data will be raked in by a fraudster. . The easiest defense you can take against tax season schemes is to get your hands on your W-2 and file as soon as possible. The more prompt you are to file, the less likely your data will be raked in by a fraudster. Beware of phishing attempts . Phishing is a common tactic crooks leverage during tax season, so stay vigilant around your inbox and double-check legitimacy of any unfamiliar or remotely suspicious emails. Be wary of strange file attachment names such as "virus-for-you.doc" and remember that the Office of Social Security or IRS do not call or email tax payers. . Phishing is a common tactic crooks leverage during tax season, so stay vigilant around your inbox and double-check legitimacy of any unfamiliar or remotely suspicious emails. Be wary of strange file attachment names such as "virus-for-you.doc" and remember that the Office of Social Security or IRS do not call or email tax payers. Watch out for spoofed websites . Scammers have extremely sophisticated tools that help disguise phony web addresses for DIY tax software, such as stolen company logos and site designs. To avoid falling for this, go directly to the source. Type the address of a website directly into the address bar of your browser instead of following a link from an email or internet search. . Scammers have extremely sophisticated tools that help disguise phony web addresses for DIY tax software, such as stolen company logos and site designs. To avoid falling for this, go directly to the source. Type the address of a website directly into the address bar of your browser instead of following a link from an email or internet search. Consider an identity theft protection solution. If your data does become compromised, be sure to use an identity theft solution such as McAfee Identity Theft Protection, allowing users to take a proactive approach to protect their identities with personal and financial monitoring and recovery tools to help keep their identities personal and secured. About McAfee McAfee is the device-to-cloud cybersecurity company. Inspired by the power of working together, McAfee creates business and consumer solutions that make our world a safer place. www.mcafee.com McAfee technologies' features and benefits depend on system configuration and may require enabled hardware, software, or service activation. No computer system can be absolutely secure. McAfee and the McAfee logo are trademarks of McAfee, LLC or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Other marks and brands may be claimed as the property of others. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200309005049/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Iraq, OPECs second-biggest producer, followed Saudi Arabias lead by cutting its pricing for April crude sales, though not by the magnitude Saudi Aramco announced three days ago. It also plans to boost exports next month. Crudes plunge into the $30s (U.S.) this week is causing upheaval well beyond oil markets, as the price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia threatens budgets in producing countries and hammers market values of listed energy companies. State-run Aramco, the worlds biggest exporter, known officially as Saudi Arabian Oil Co., fired the first salvos by slashing pricing for its crude and saying it would flood the market with a quarter more oil in April. Iraq cut the official selling price for its Basrah Light crude for buyers in Asia by $5 a barrel for April deliveries, according to an announcement on Tuesday. Thats less than the $6 reduction for Aramcos comparable Arab Medium grade. The Iraqis also reduced pricing for sales to Europe and the U.S., though again, by less than the Saudi discounts to those regions. By not pricing its crude as cheaply as Aramcos, Iraq may prevent fanning the flames of the Saudi-Russian dispute. Any price war to acquire the largest market share does not serve the interests of the producing countries, Iraqi Oil Ministry spokesperson Asim Jihad said Tuesday. His country is trying to bridge oil producers viewpoints to reach a deal to stabilize and rebalance markets, he said in a statement. Iraqs state oil-marketing company, SOMO, plans to increase exports in April, according to a person with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified because the information isnt public. Shipments from the countrys southern port of Basra and oil that SOMO ships by pipeline through Turkey will rise to 3.6 million to 3.7 million barrels a day, the person said. SOMO sold 3.44 million barrels daily in March, according to Bloomberg tanker tracking data. Middle Eastern producers sell much of their oil under long-term contracts, setting what are known as official selling prices, or OSPs, to let customers know what theyll pay for future cargoes. Other Persian Gulf producers often follow Aramcos pricing lead. Kuwait, also a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, set its April Export Crude OSP for Asian customers at a $4.65 a barrel discount to the regional benchmark, according to a price list seen by Bloomberg. Thats 60 cents lower than Aramcos Arab Medium. Kuwaits exports to Northwest Europe were set at a new record-low of a $12.60 discount. Iraqs SOMO trimmed prices to the U.S. the least, reducing levels by $2.50 to $3 a barrel. Aramco, by contrast, slashed $7 off its U.S. shipments for April. Iraq is cutting pricing to Europe by $4 to $5 a barrel, compared with Aramcos cuts of $7 to $8. Read more about: Hyderabad, March 10 : Hyderabad police on Tuesday traced the origin of the fake news circulated on the social media to foment communal trouble in the city. Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar tweeted that the police traced the origin of fake news circulated on WhatsApp. "The suspect will be arrested in few hours. I convey gratitude to those who have helped us to trace this person within 48 hours," he said and appealed to people not to forward any sensational message. The police chief had on Monday also urged the people to not to forward any message with inflammatory content. "Evil people are spreading rumours and fake news. Don't believe them. Tell us who is doing it. Help us in exposing the enemies of peace," Anjani Kumar had said adding that the strength of Hyderabad city is the 'Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb'. An audio message with fake news had been circulating on WhatsApp since Monday. With the fake news forwarded in several WhatsApp groups, there was panic in a section of people. The cyber crime cell of the police swung into action to trace the origin of the audio message. The police now claim to have identified the suspect with the help of some people. FREDERICTON - New Brunswick's governing Progressive Conservatives tabled a $10.2-billion budget Tuesday that could prove to be their undoing, given their tenuous minority in the legislature. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/3/2020 (671 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. New Brunswick Finance Minister Ernie Steeves speaks at a press conference prior to delivering the provincial budget in the Legislature in Fredericton, N.B., on Tuesday March 10, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Stephen MacGillivray FREDERICTON - New Brunswick's governing Progressive Conservatives tabled a $10.2-billion budget Tuesday that could prove to be their undoing, given their tenuous minority in the legislature. Finance Minister Ernie Steeves presented the surplus budget as the Opposition Liberals promised to vote against it in a bid to topple the 17-month-old government led by Premier Blaine Higgs. Liberal Leader Kevin Vickers said the Higgs government can't be trusted. "Just a few weeks ago, the health-care system was in such shape that it needed cuts and here they are today announcing a 3.9 per cent increase to the budget. How do you trust this?" Vickers said Tuesday. He was referring to the government's aborted plan to close emergency rooms in six community hospitals at night as a way to deal with a shortage of staff. That plan was put on hold after a public backlash. Vickers said he expects every member of the Liberal caucus to vote against the budget. However, Liberal Gerry Lowe remains a wild card. Lowe has said his vote would hinge on how much the budget helps his Saint John riding. Vickers said Lowe would face consequences if he fails to toe the line. The current standings in the legislature are 20 Tories, 20 Liberals, three Greens, three People's Alliance members, one Independent and two vacancies. Vickers said he could recall Liberal Daniel Guitard from his role as Speaker to secure one more vote for his party, as the Speaker doesn't vote unless there is a tie. People's Alliance Leader Kris Austin said he and the party's two other caucus members will vote in favour of the budget. "At the end of the day, I think it's going to be a hard budget to vote against," Austin said. That means the Green party could cast the deciding vote on March 20. "The balance of power has shifted in this legislature towards the Green caucus. We take that responsibility very seriously," said Green Leader David Coon. "We are going to take our time to reflect on the budget, to discuss it, and in the end come up with a decision that reflects, in our view, what's in the best interests of our province." Coon said the budget surplus of $92.4 million is larger than necessary, and he said more money should have been put into many of the budget initiatives. Steeves defended the budget, saying it lowers the province's net debt by $129.3 million and puts money back in the pockets of New Brunswickers. "This budget is designed to continue on our path to save New Brunswick, not to save government," Steeves said. "By maintaining fiscal discipline, we can improve and deliver high-quality public services, reduce our debt and return some hard-earned dollars to New Brunswickers where it rightly belongs." The net debt is expected to drop to $13.7 billion by the end of March 2021 or about $17,611 for every man, woman and child in the province. Servicing the debt is the sixth largest budget item. Among the budget's highlights, health spending will increase to a record $2.9 billion, which includes new money for hiring nurse practitioners. Steeves said $1.5 million will be added to the province's vaccination program, which will allow all New Brunswickers to have access to free flu shots. Gas taxes are set to decrease by 4.63 cents per litre, effective April 1, as part of the New Brunswick carbon plan. The plan is contingent on legislation passing in the legislature prior to April 1. Social assistance rates will increase for the first time since 2014. The rate for a single adult will increase to $564 per month from $537. As well, the rate will be indexed to the Consumer Price Index. There will be no increase to the so-called sin tax on alcohol. Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Taxes on commercial and residential rental properties will be reduced, but not until the 2021 tax year. Paige MacPherson, Atlantic director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said the change is good, but she would have preferred more tax relief. "New Brunswickers pay some of the highest taxes in Canada, and while today's modest tax relief is good, the government should be eliminating the double property tax and dramatically dropping taxes on job creators to attract investment," said MacPherson. Austin said he was also pleased with the tax changes. "We'd like to see the elimination much sooner, but it's a step in the right direction," he said. "The reduction in the commercial tax is another thing we were looking for. Overall it's a good budget." This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2020. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment If you didnt know the context, youd think you were attending a Bernie Sanders rally when Kaitlin Curtice addressed Baylor Universitys chapel service last month. The Baptist school played host to her lecture on identity politics and gender equality (view it here) where she never cited Scripture or named the name of Jesus. Actually, she opened and closed her talk with prayers to O Mystery instead of the Judeo-Christian God. Curtice talked about her inner conflict, raised by a Southern Baptist mother of European ancestry and abandoned at age nine by a father of Potawatomi Native American ancestry. She is on a journey, she said, of being a person who relies on and trusts and listens to . . . Mother Earth as she speaks. She lamented (and rightly so) the 1839 Trail of Death when more than 800 Potawatomi people were forcibly removed from Indiana to a reservation in Kansas. So, now, she told the students, she was focusing her life on decolonizing, which she defined as the work of breaking down systems of colonization. Colonization is to Curtice, the act of taking and erasing indigenous history, culture, and tradition and she was also on a journey of decolonizing herself, I am reclaiming who I am, wrestling with all parts of my identity, my white privilege, my native feminism, my spirituality. For sure, it saddens me that Curtice struggles with her identity, condemning the faith of the mother who raised her while embracing the Mother Earth worldview of the father who abandoned her. I pray for Curtice. I also pray for the leadership of Baylor University to know the difference between a Christian schools chapel service and a class in ethnic studies. One thing is sure, Curtice didnt inspire students to a deeper relationship with God. In fact, her only references to the Christian faith were her denunciations of it. Why did Curtice lecture Baylor students on colonization? Were these students somehow responsible for the federal governments displacement of her people nearly two centuries ago? Should they feel guilty because the church had silenced her inner and outer voice? Curtices chapel message was actually political. It was a secular-left screed on wokeness dressed up in spiritual language. Her attempt to apply her partisan message to Christian spirituality was feeble at best: We cannot deny that this history [of colonization and white supremacy] is a spiritual one. So today, my spiritual liberation is tied up with all my spiritual relatives who face oppression. . . . Are we not working to be liberated together? As it has for 2,000 years, I submit that true liberation in Christianity still comes from faith in Jesus Christ a subject completely absent from Curtices lecture not identity politics or from being woke. As Jesus said in John 8, If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. The good news of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ has unshackled more slaves, elevated more women, empowered more poor people, and founded more hospitals and universities than any other movement in history. The church was its own kind of woke and inclusive long before our politicians. We have often led the charge against injustice and our courageous humanitarians have birthed virtually every good in our world. Rather than being shamed into an inferiority complex by our progressive culture, its time Christians own their proud identity as real warriors for justice and as real revolutionaries whove brought love to every corner of the planet because of our faith not in spite of it. Kaitlin Curtices ideas come not from the Bible, but from critical race theory, a far-left grievance ideology that condemns todays people of European ancestry for the sins of previous centuries. Instead of viewing people as individuals, as Jesus did, todays woke theorists segregate people by race and condemn white people as irredeemably guilty of all of societys ills. Wokeness and critical race theory have become the religion of the secular left and increasingly of progressive Christianity. They cannot be allowed to infiltrate our Christian institutions as they have been allowed to become the theology of Americas secular educational and political institutions. This new godless religion seeks to replace biblical ideas with an agenda of race-conscious victimhood and grievance. White supremacy is the devil of the new leftist religion. White privilege is its original sin, for which there is neither redemption nor forgiveness. Can this guilt ever be erased? No. As Curtice told the Baylor students, a decolonized spirituality is a forever process. Itll take our whole lives. But, as Baylor should know, imputing guilt-by-skin-color is not a Christian value. As the apostle Paul reminds us, in Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, neither male and female and hence, neither white privilege nor white racial guilt for we are all one in Christ Jesus. Yes, there were many injustices committed in the colonial period, from the 15th through 20th centuries, but the colonial era ended soon after World War II and not all effects of colonialism were destructive. I was born into a Coptic Christian family in Egypt, and we trace our Christian heritage to the first century when the apostle Mark evangelized Egypt. In 1517, Egypt was conquered by the Islamic Ottoman Empire, and life became very difficult for Egyptian Christians. From the late 1870s until 1936, Egypt was a British protectorate. Six decades of British colonial influence brought political stability, education, modern hospitals, and modern transportation systems to Egypt, along with a respect for individual human rights. As an Egyptian-born American citizen and now an evangelical Christian, Im grateful for the influence colonialism has had on the land of my birth. If Kaitlin Curtice thinks life in America is unbearable and Christianity is oppressive, I would invite her to visit such decolonized lands as Iran and Syria. I think the experience might deepen her appreciation and soften her condemnation of both Christianity and America. Michael Youssef, Ph.D., is the author of Saving Christianity?: The Danger in Undermining Our Faithand What You Can Do about It. He is Founder and President of Leading The Way and the founding pastor of The Church of The Apostles in Atlanta. According to a police report, the woman was getting out of her car when the juveniles came up to her on W Street and pointed what looked like black in color handguns at her. She told police that it sounded like one of the boys said, Give me your keys. Appeals Court Rules House Can Have Access to Mueller Grand Jury Materials An appeals court has ruled on Tuesday that the House of Representatives can have access to grand jury materials from former special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled 2-1 to uphold a lower courts decision to give the Democrat-led House Judiciary Committee access to grand jury information redacted from Muellers 448-page report, including transcripts or exhibits referenced in the redactions. In July 2019, the House committee filed an application for a court order to authorize the release of certain grand jury materials related to the Mueller report in an effort to continue the special counsels investigation into President Donald Trump. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, appointed by President Barack Obama, ruled in October that the Justice Department (DOJ) must turn over grand jury material referenced in or underlying Muellers report. Howell, in her 75-page opinion, ruled that the Houses request for the grand jury material fell under one of the grand jury secrecy law exemptions under Rule 6(e) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. This prompted the Justice Department to appeal the decision. The appeals court said in its majority opinion, authored by Judge Judith Rogers, a President Bill Clinton appointee, that the committee had established a particularized need to review the grand jury information it is seeking. She was joined by Judge Thomas Griffith, a President George W. Bush appointee. [T]he Special Counsel stopped short of making any ultimate conclusions about the Presidents conduct, in part to avoid preempting the Houses sole power of impeachment the Committee has established that it cannot fairly and diligently make a final determination about the conduct described in both volumes of the Mueller Report without the grand jury material referenced therein, Rogers wrote in the opinion (pdf). Moreover, the district court controls access to the grand jury material, not the executive branch or the DOJ, Roger said. The Department has objected to disclosure of the redacted grand jury materials, but the Department has no interest in objecting to the release of these materials outside of the general purposes and policies of grand jury secrecy, which as discussed, do not outweigh the Committees compelling need for disclosure, Rogers wrote. Even if the Department had not objected to disclosure, the district court would still need to authorize disclosure pursuant to Rule 6(e)s judicial proceeding exception. In the dissent, Judge Neomi Rao, a President Donald Trump appointee, wrote that it is not clear whether the committee still needs the materials since the House had already impeached the president and the Senate had voted to acquit him. A reasonable observer might wonder why we are deciding this case at this time, Rao wrote. After all, the Committee sought these materials preliminary to an impeachment proceeding and the Senate impeachment trial has concluded. Why is this controversy not moot? The majority simply turns a blind eye to these very public events and the parties have not submitted any additional briefs; however, a few observations are worth noting, she added. Rao also found that the committee lacks standing to seek a court order to compel the Justice Department to hand over the material to the committee. This case was one of the many House Democrats court battles seeking material and information from the president and his administration. In February, the same court ruled 2-1 that former White House counsel Donald McGahn was not required to testify in the House Judiciary Committee. The appeals court ruled that they agree with the DOJs argument that Constitution bars federal courts from resolving disputes between the legislative and executive branches. If federal courts were to swoop in to rescue Congress whenever its constitutional tools failed, it would not just supplement the political process; it would replace that process with one in which unelected judges become the perpetual overseer[s] of our elected officials. That is not the role of judges in our democracy, and that is why Article III compels us to dismiss this case, Griffith, who was also on the panel in that case, wrote in the majority opinion (pdf). In the ruling on Tuesday, Griffith also wrote a concurring opinion explaining that the Mueller grand jury case is different from the McGahn case. Unlike McGahn, this case does not involve a suit between the political branches over executive-branch documents or testimony. Instead, it involves an application for access to records of the grand jury, whose disclosure the district court has traditionally controlled, Griffith said. The Justice Department told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that it was reviewing the decision. The article was updated with a statement from the Justice Department on March 11. Wall Street has been rattled by severe volatility in the past two weeks as the coronavirus outbreak is showing no signs of slowing down. With market participants unable to estimate the extent and impact of the coronavirus outbreak, they have been selling off risky assets like equities out of panic. An unexpected crude oil price war between the OPEC and Russia-led consortium resulted in the collapse of the global financial markets. Meanwhile, investors are aggressively shifting their funds from risky equities to safe-haven assets such as U.S. government bonds and precious metals like gold. As a result of massive fund shifting, prices of government bonds with different maturities have skyrocketed resulting in plunging yields. Gold prices have skyrocketed too. At this stage, wouldnt it be a safer strategy to look for stocks that are winners currently and have the potential to gain further? Sounds good? Heres how to execute it: One should primarily target stocks that have recently been on a bull run. Actually, stocks seeing price strength recently have a high chance of carrying the momentum forward. If a stock is continuously witnessing an uptrend, there must be a solid reason or else it would have probably crashed. So, looking at stocks that are capable of beating the benchmark that they have set for themselves seems rational. However, recent price strength alone cannot create magic. Therefore, you need to set other relevant parameters to create a successful investment strategy. Heres how you should create the screen to shortlist the current as well as the potential winners. Screening Parameters: Percentage Change in Price (4 Weeks) greater than zero: This criterion shows that the stock has moved higher in the last four weeks. Percentage Change Price (12 Weeks) greater than 10: This indicates that the stock has seen momentum over the last three months. This lowers the risk of choosing stocks that may have drawn attention due to the overwhelming performance of the overall market in a very short period. Zacks Rank 1 or 2: No matter whether market conditions are good or bad, stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) have a proven history of outperformance. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Average Broker Rating 1 or 2: This indicates that brokers are also highly hopeful about the stocks future performance. Current Price greater than 5: The stocks must all be trading at a minimum of $5. Current Price/ 52-Week High-Low Range more than 85%: This criterion filters stocks that are trading near their respective 52-week highs. It indicates that these are strong enough in terms of price. Just these few criteria have narrowed down the search from over 7,700 stocks to just three. Here we present those three stocks: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. REGN is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, invents, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines for treating various medical conditions worldwide. The stock price has jumped 22.9% in the past four weeks. The company has an expected earnings growth of 16.5% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 3.8% over the past 30 days. DRDGOLD Ltd. DRD is a gold mining company, engaged in surface gold tailings retreatment business in South Africa. The stock price has climbed 12.6% in the past four weeks. The company has an expected earnings growth rate of 562.5% for the current year (ending June 2020). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 307.7% over the past 30 days. Vipshop Holdings Ltd. VIPS operates as an online discount retailer for various brands in the People's Republic of China. It operates in two segments, Vip.com and Internet Finance Business.The stock price has rallied 25% in the past four weeks. The company has an expected earnings growth rate of 9.4% for the current year (ending September 2020). The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out. Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today. Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks portfolios and strategies are available at: https://www.zacks.com/performance. 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 Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (REGN) : Free Stock Analysis Report DRDGOLD Limited (DRD) : Free Stock Analysis Report Vipshop Holdings Limited (VIPS) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 10 Trend: It is noteworthy that the act of vandalism against the monument to prominent Azerbaijani poetess Khurshidbanu Natavan was committed during the visit of the Armenian prime minister to Belgium, Spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Leyla Abdullayeva said. Abdullayeva was answering the journalists questions in connection with an act of vandalism committed against the monument to Khurshidbanu Natavan in the Belgian Waterloo city, Trend reports on March 10. The local police filed a criminal case in connection with the act of vandalism against the monument to Khurshidbanu Natavan, Azerbaijani outstanding poetess and daughter of Karabakh khan, which was erected in the Belgian Waterloo city in 2016, the spokesperson said. The monument has been included in the list of protected historical monuments of Waterloo city. Therefore, this case is being investigated by the police. I would like to stress that employees of the embassy of Azerbaijan in the Kingdom of Belgium immediately arrived at the scene and contacted the local authorities, Abdullayeva added. The issue is under the control of the embassy. The public will be informed about the results of the investigation. 1. Severity: Four out of five people who contract coronavirus will have a mild illness, according to a WHO examination of data from 56,000 patients. But for 14pc the illness will be severe, and 6pc will become critically ill. As the number of people struck with the infections escalates there will be a serious impact on many patients. Most will be able to recover at home but the worst affected will need to be in hospital. 2. CONTAGION: It can spread easily from person to person. Try not to touch your eyes, nose or mouth. The main way the disease spreads is through respiratory droplets expelled by someone who is sneezing or coughing. It is possible to catch Covid-19 from someone who has a mild cough and does not feel ill. 3. INCUBATION: Signs of Covid-19 usually appear around five days on average from the point of contact with the virus. But the incubation period may be as short as two days to as long as 14 days. 4. SYMPTOMS: Fever, dry cough and trouble breathing are the common symptoms of Covid-19. There have been some reports of gastrointestinal symptoms - nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea - before respiratory symptoms occur, but this is largely a respiratory virus. 5. TESTING: There is no point in offering tests for the virus to everyone. The test works well for finding the virus in a person who has symptoms and who is shedding a lot of virus. If someone gets infected, the virus has to grow in them for some days before the test can detect the virus. We know the test works well by the time the person gets sick and there is enough virus. We don't know enough about how well it works before the person becomes sick. Testing contacts who may have been exposed to the virus too early, before they are sick, can give false reassurance. 6. TRANSMISSION: It can be transmitted less easily from soft surfaces than frequently-touched hard surfaces, such as a doorknob or elevator button. 7. PROTECTION: You should only wear a face mask if you are ill with Covid-19 symptoms or looking after someone who may have the virus. If you are not ill or looking after someone who is ill then you are wasting a mask. There is a worldwide shortage of masks, so WHO urges people to use masks wisely. The most effective way to protect yourself and others against Covid-19 is to frequently clean your hands, cover your cough with the bend of your elbow or a tissue, and maintain a distance of at least one metre from people who are coughing or sneezing. 8. VACCINE: There is currently no vaccine available to protect people against the disease. Researchers have developed vaccines and are starting to test them on animals, and if that goes well there could be human trials later in the year. But even if scientists can succeed in developing a vaccine before Christmas, there is still the massive task of mass-producing it. Realistically, a vaccine may not be ready until at least the middle of next year. 9. TRAVEL: Cases of the virus here are no longer just confined to people returning to Ireland from abroad in regions with high levels of the virus. The highest number of people found to have the virus in Ireland have returned from northern Italy. But it is now circulating here. The Tropical Medical Bureau in Dublin said yesterday that it is wise to avoid regions abroad where there is a very significant amount of cases being reported but, for most destinations, the risk "still remains very small". But if someone is told to go into self-isolation they must do so for 14 days. Strict measures must be followed to keep their distance and stop infecting other people. 10. DURATION: It's not going away anytime soon. We are heading into weeks and possibly months of growing numbers of people in Ireland contracting the virus, forcing us to be ever mindful of reducing our own individual risk. We must also stick to the rules if asked to self-isolate for 14 days. There are no half measures. The United States has called for a Tuesday vote at the UN Security Council to endorse Washingtons deal with the Taliban that is supposed to pave the way to peace in Afghanistan, diplomats said. The US military has begun withdrawing troops as part of the pullout agreed in the February 29 agreement with the Taliban. The request for a UN vote came after negotiations on a draft resolution, diplomats said on Monday. The deal signed in Qatar is aimed at ending the USs longest war, fought in Afghanistan since 2001. The agreement seeks the withdrawal of all US and NATO troops from Afghanistan in 14 months. It also secured a Taliban guarantee that Afghanistan would not be used as a launching pad for activities that would threaten the security of the US in the future. Intra-Afghan negotiations are also set to begin by Tuesday to work out a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire. About 14,000 US troops and approximately 17,000 troops from 39 NATO allies and partner countries are stationed in Afghanistan in a non-combatant role. The US-Taliban talks were launched in 2018 as part of a push by US President Donald Trumps administration to strike a deal with the armed group, which has been fighting the US-led forces in Afghanistan since being toppled from power in 2001. Ghani-Abdullah rivalry The agreement also proposes an intra-Afghan dialogue with the government in Kabul and the release of 5,000 Taliban members from prison although that part of the deal remains in contention. The Taliban has so far refused to speak to the Western-backed Afghan government, saying it is a puppet regime. The intra-Afghan talks are to begin on March 10 but no specific details have been given. Those talks are also now in peril, after Afghanistans rival politicians Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah held competing presidential inaugurations on Monday. The bitter feud between Ghani and his former chief executive Abdullah raised fresh fears for the countrys fragile democracy as the US announced it had begun withdrawing troops. The presidential election was held in September, but repeated delays and accusations of widespread voter fraud meant that Ghani, the incumbent, was only narrowly declared the winner in February sparking a furious response from Abdullah, who promised to form his own parallel government. US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and General Scott Miller, who heads US forces in Afghanistan, attended Ghanis inauguration, which was interrupted by at least two loud explosions. Minutes later, in another corner of the sprawling palace compound, a suit-clad Abdullah also inaugurated himself as president, vowing to safeguard the independence, national sovereignty, territorial integrity of Afghanistan. The Taliban now controls or holds influence over more Afghan territory than at any point since 2001 and has carried out near-daily attacks against military outposts throughout the country. Trump has long expressed his eagerness to bring US soldiers home and end the countrys longest war as he seeks re-election in 2020. More than 100,000 Afghans have been killed or wounded since 2009 when the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan began documenting casualties. Boris Johnson calls for national effort to defeat the coronavirus Boris Johnson has called for a national effort to defeat the coronavirus - as he warned the country that the crisis will get worse in the weeks ahead. The Prime Minister spoke out as it emerged that anyone with even mild respiratory illness symptoms - such as a cough or runny nose - will soon be told to stay at home for a week. He also defended the UK Governments response to the outbreak amid calls for him to mirror the tougher approach being taken in other countries. Johnson confirmed that the response to the deadly disease will soon enter the delay phase, when experts hope the worst of it can be put off until the summer months to ease the pressure on the NHS. On Monday morning the PM chaired a meeting of the UK Governments emergency Cobra committee, which agreed to maintain the current response to the crisis. A further meeting is scheduled for Wednesday. Addressing a press conference in Downing Street, the PM said: This is clearly going to be a big national challenge and its going to grow and become an even bigger national challenge. But it is also obvious to me that we now have to defeat it, and with a great national effort we will be able to pull together and do just that. Other European countries have responded to the outbreak with a series of draconian measures, including the cancellation of major sporting events and the quarantining of 16 million people in Italy. But, flanked by chief medical officer Sir Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, Johnson said it was important that the UK did not follow suit too soon. He said: We mustnt do things that have no or limited medical benefit, nor things which could turn out to be counterproductive. Professor Whitty added: Once we've started these things, we will have to continue them through the peak and that is for a period of time and there is a risk if we go too early people will understandably get fatigued and it'll be difficult to sustain this over time. So getting the timing right is absolutely critical to making this work." Meanwhile, the chief medical officer also revealed that the response to the crisis will shift in the next ten to 14 days, with anyone complaining of a high temperature, runny nose or cough urged to stay at home for seven days to halt the spread of the disease. That is the first step along a path towards trying to contain and pull down the peak, he said. Sir Patrick said the Government hoped that by sticking to its current plan, the number of people catching the virus could be 50 per cent lower at the peak, with the mortality rate being reduced by between 20 and 30 per cent. Johnson was speaking as it was confirmed that the death toll for the flu-like illness in the UK had risen to five, with 319 positive diagnoses. NHS England told the Press Association that a fifth patient had died after testing positive for the illness. The government has meanwhile lifted time restrictions on supermarket home deliveries in a bid to help retail giants keep up with rising demand from the outbreak. Following crisis talks with retailers, officials confirmed that overnight bans - put in force to avoid disturbing residents - would be lifted. Environment Secretary George Eustice said: "We have listened to our leading supermarkets and representatives from across the industry, and we are taking action to support their preparations. By allowing night time deliveries to our supermarkets and food retailers we can free them up to move their stocks more quickly from their warehouses to their shelves. "Our retailers have well-established contingency plans in place and are taking all the necessary steps to ensure consumers have the food and supplies they need. I will continue to work closely with them over the coming days and weeks on this." Johnson said he was "confident" that supermarkets had "fantastic supply chains" to handle increased demand, but he urged Brits to avoid stockpiling and panic-buying. "I think it's very, very important that everyone should behave responsibly and think about others," he said. But Commons and Lords authorities said there were currently "no plans" to suspend Parliament in response to the mounting crisis. In a joint statement, Parliamentary bosses said: "The Commissions of both Houses met today to discuss Parliaments response to Coronavirus. There are no plans to suspend Parliament." They added: "We continue to act entirely in line with the advice of Public Health England and the Speakers and political leadership of both Houses are keeping the situation under constant review." Wired earphone market dominated for quite a long time and over the course of years, users are transitioning to wireless audio, thanks to smartphone manufacturers (not all) removing the most liked 3.5mm audio jack. While truly wireless earbuds are becoming popular swiftly among consumers, there are a lot of users still who prefer wireless neckband earphones. Lately, many brands are coming up with neckband style wireless earphones and the choice is plenty for consumers to choose from. We have reviewed wireless neckband earphones from brands like Mi, realme, 1MORE Piston Fit wireless, Noise Tune Charge, etc, and the latest product to join the list is Rs. 1500 worth Mulo Wonderloop 500. In case you arent aware, Mulo is a new Kolkata-based audio brand that launched speakers and earphones. It recently launched the Soultrip 500 (review) which is its budget in-Ear Earphones. We tested the Wonderloop 500 for some time and let us see if it is worth buying or not. Box contents 1 x Mulo Wonderloop 500 2 pairs of Silicon buds 1 x micro USB charging cable User manual Design and Build Quality Wonderloop 500 has a simple, minimalistic design and is similar to other offerings in the market. The neckband and the earbuds are predominantly made of rubber and plastic material which offers a good grip and has a solid build. It doesnt fall off easily from your ears and since the fit is subjective, during our usage, we found the fit to be snug and comfortable. The earbuds have magnets that snap onto each other, but the magnets arent strong enough unlike similar offerings in the market. There is no autoplay/pause upon separating the magnets apart and we would have wished to see that feature here. Nevertheless, the build quality is quite good, considering the pricing of this product. Pairing and Connectivity Mulo Wonderloop 500 features the CSR QCC3003 chipset and connects to your smartphone through Bluetooth 5.0. The pairing is simple and straight forward. Long press the power button to enter pairing mode (for the first time) and once paired, it auto connects quickly when turned on. In our testing, we did not face any sorts of disconnection or pairing issues, and it worked flawlessly. It also comes with in-line controls that let you control the volume, playback, and answer or reject calls. Heres how you can do the same Press Power button till LED light blinks Pairing mode Short press Power button Answer/End calls/Play/Pause Long press Power button Reject calls Short press Volume + Increase volume Short press Volume Decrease volume Long press Volume + Next track Long press Volume Previous track Long press Volume + and Volume Voice Assistant Sound Quality The Wonderloop 500 features a 10mm driver with Deep Bass Sound. As it supports Bluetooth 5.0, the wireless range is 10 meters and it works as expected. Coming to the sound quality, the Wonderloop 500 is bass-heavy, delivers punchy bass and indeed has Deep Bass Sound. It supports Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) standard and it can be turned on/off if your smartphone supports it. Moving on, the vocals are clear and there is no distortion at peak volume levels. If you are a bass lover, you will enjoy listening to bassy music on the Wonderloop 500. Call quality is also an important factor to be considered when purchasing wireless earphones and the Wonderloop 500 has a nifty feature which most other wireless earphones in this segment have. The Wonderloop 500 has call vibration alert which alerts you about incoming calls even when the earphones are not plugged into your ears, and it is a great addition by Mulo. We wish more brands add this feature in their earphones. Having said that, the vibration is high to our liking and it could have been toned down. Battery Life Coming to the battery life, Mulo promises 9 hours of playback at 80% volume and in our testing, we got over 6 hours of playback at 60% volume on a single charge. You can charge the earphone through the micro USB port, but we would have wished to see a USB Type-C port. Conclusion Mulo Wonderloop 500 sells for Rs. 1499 on Amazon.in (available for as low as Rs. 1399 during offer period) and comes in a single Black color option. For Rs. 1499, it offers great bass, solid build quality, and decent battery life. Although Mulo is relatively new in the audio market, they have done a good job with the Wonderloop 500 and built a good product for Rs. 1499. If you are in the market for a wireless neckband earphones and like the bassy sound that the Wonderloop 500 produces, then do consider buying this product. There are other alternatives in this price segment as well and you can consider the following options Alternatives realme Buds wireless Noise Tune Charge Mi Neckband Bluetooth earphones JBL T205BT Held on the occasion of 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the protesters were holding banners like "Release all political prisoners from Gilgit-Baltistan" and "CPEC and mega projects in disputed areas of Gilgit-Baltistan are unacceptable".Speaking to ANI, Nasir Aziz Khan, spokesperson of United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP) said, "Since the last 73 years, we have been deprived of our basic fundamental human rights. That is why we have no say at any platform in Pakistan. We do not have any representation in Pakistani institution, for example, Pakistan National Assembly or Senate or anywhere, we cannot raise our voice. Those who dare to raise their voices are victims of the state."He said, "Pakistan is marginalising our people, there is a witch-hunting of the political opponents. If you see Gilgit-Baltistan, people like Baba Jan, Iftikar Hussain and their colleagues were trialled under anti-terrorism laws and they are facing 40 to 90 years of life imprisonment. This is the irony of society."The protestors strongly condemned cross-border terrorism as it has severely affected the peace and harmony in the region.Nasir said, "We are facing cross-border terrorism sponsored by the state and there are extremist groups roaming freely in our region. They are recruiting youngsters in that region. We can say that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Taliban spokesperson Ehsaan Ullah Ehsaan, who was in the custody of the Army, managed to escape from the Army's custody.""Same is the case for Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, who was also in custody. Now they say that he has escaped with his family. This is the clear message for the people that the state is still protecting them, sponsoring them and sending them to different areas," he further said.The protest was also joined by activists from Kashmir Valley, who strongly condemned Pakistan for giving sponsoring and sheltering terrorists and disturbing peace in the region.Junaid Qureshi, a Kashmiri from Srinagar who also heads a think-tank, the European Foundation for a South Asian Studies (EFSAS) said, "PoK belongs to Jammu and Kashmir. It is a part of Jammu and Kashmir and people have been facing huge difficulties.""If you look at Pakistan and the people there, the Baloch have been facing difficulties. The Pashtuns have been facing it and we are under illegal occupation. Pakistan- occupied Kashmir is illegally held by Pakistan. So, you can imagine the kind of attitude they have towards their own citizens. That is slavery and that is the colonisation of us," Qureshi said."At the same time, they are trying to sell part of our state, which is Gilgit-Baltistan to the Chinese. So, this cross-border terrorism which Pakistan is perpetrating -- there is no fault of people of PoK in that. This is happening because they have put lent officers, who run the state of affairs there," he added."This cross-border terrorism is imposed on them to function as a launchpad in the valley, create disturbance and kill people. This is the agenda of Pakistan to keep that part boiling while they keep their colonial masters in power in PoK," the activist further said. (ANI) Blind man Graeme Innes (pictured) said he was left terrified on a tram in Sydney on Monday afternoon A blind man was left terrified while riding on one of Sydney's new trams because there were no announcements and it failed to stop - even after he pressed an emergency button. Former Australian disability discrimination commissioner Graeme Innes said he was left stranded after boarding a tram near Wynyard station in the central city on Monday afternoon. The 64-year-old said he was considering making a discrimination complaint after he couldn't hear any stop information and pressed two different emergency buttons five times and received no assistance. 'I just had a frightening experience on light rail car 1011 which terminated at Central at 2:15,' he tweeted. 'There were no audible announcements of the stops. I pressed two different emergency buttons five times and received no response. 'I reported the issue to a staff member on the platform... Depending on the response I received I will decide if I am alleging discrimination complaint. Mr Innes said he couldn't hear any stop announcements and pressed two different emergency buttons five times and received no assistance (stock image) 'On the second trim there are no stop warning announcements, so I have to stand at the door waiting for the stop to be an announced when we arrive. Otherwise, I will not have time to get off. This is not good enough.' Mr Innes has legal history with Sydney's transport network, winning $10,000 in damages in 2013 after calling for RailCorp to improve their station announcements. Mr Innes said he would consider making a discrimination complaint after his harrowing experience RailCorp spent $420,000 in legal fees fighting the case against him. 'I'm appalled that any corporation running public transport would think that it is appropriate to spend money of that size fighting a person with a disability rather than fixing the problem,' Mr Innes said, as reported by Sydney Morning Herald. Light Rail Chief Operations Officer Brian Brennan apologised to Mr Innes in a statement given to Daily Mail Australia. 'We sincerely apologise for Mr Innes' experience travelling on the Sydney Light Rail network yesterday,' he said. 'The network has been designed to be comfortable, safe and accessible for all customers. Each vehicle is fitted with systems to enable automated audio announcements at each stop in addition to help points, regrettably in this instance the system did not function properly. 'The issue has been identified and technicians are working closely with Transdev and its partners to repair this fault and continuing to monitor the performance of the automated announcement system across the network. Light Rail Chief Operations Officer Brian Brennan said all vehicles are fitted with systems to enable automated audio announcements at each stop 'Employees will proactively make announcements until I am confident the issue has been resolved. 'We will engage with Mr Innes directly later today to provide an update of our investigation and sincerely apologise for his experience. We will continue to work with Mr Innes and other customer groups to ensure that our services are accessible for all.' Sydney's light rail system opened in December, with the final cost of the project blowing out to $2.96billion, which was $1.3billion more than the opening cost. The network has been plagued by several breaking down trams, causing traffic nightmares for commuters. Travellers have complained at how slow the trams are, moving at an average speed of just 11km/h, which is twice as slow as the regular bus system and slightly higher than the average person's jogging pace. Film buffs will know there comes a point in every science fiction disaster movie when the US President decides to address a worried nation. His manner is steely, his tone defiant. Yes, he implores, the world might be overrun by monsters, aliens or flesh-eating zombies, but we have it within us all to fight back. As the Prez delivers his rallying cri de coeur, moist-eyed citizens hunched around fuzzy television sets slowly begin to whoop their approval. There are hugs, cheers, giddy high-fives all round. And so begins the third act. The PM's oratory dial was set to 'rouse'. The country, he said, was facing a 'national challenge' There were certainly elements of this yesterday when the Prime Minister summoned us for the second time in less than a week to No 10 for an update on coronavirus. The PM's oratory dial was set to 'rouse'. The country, he said, was facing a 'national challenge'. But with a 'national effort' we can defeat it if we all 'pull together' and 'continue to look out for each other'. Yes, the situation was bad but, he added, 'no doubt we can and we will rise to this challenge'. Crises such as these tend to make or break leaders. And so far Boris seems to be getting it just about right. Yesterday he seemed determined to show he would not be bounced into unnecessary panicked measures, despite the meltdown occurring throughout the day in the financial markets. 'Follow the science,' he kept saying. The PM had arrived hurriedly, once again accompanied by Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty and the Government Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance. Boris was out of breath by the time he reached the lectern. It's possible he had just legged it up the Downing Street stairs. Crises such as these tend to make or break leaders. And so far Boris seems to be getting it just about right He confirmed that four people had died so far and was under no illusions that the situation was likely to worsen before it gets better. The science experts stood either side of him, stiff and upright as a pair of Praetorian guards. Considering the pressure on them right now, both looked remarkably relaxed. Not a bead of sweat between the two of them. Sir Patrick, dressed in a natty Prince of Wales checked suit, looked as though he might have theatre tickets. Both Whitty and Vallance were resolutely sticking to their guns, reiterating their four-point plan 'contain, delay, research, mitigate' to combat the virus. Someone asked why the UK was resisting drastic measures countries such as Italy have adopted. Sir Patrick calmly pointed out that the Italians had not only banned flights from China but had also introduced airport screening, and much good it had done them. Airport screening, incidentally, he denounced as pretty unreliable. Someone then raised the issue of stockpiling. Boris deftly dodged the thorny issue of lavatory paper shortages but insisted that when it came to getting essential items to elderly people, the Government would soon be announcing measures that 'may be necessary' in due course. 'I stress may be,' he added quickly, sensing a feverish headline on the horizon. Should we still shake hands as the PM said we could last week? After all, at the Commonwealth Day service Boris and other dignitaries had declined to do so. The PM bashfully explained they had been instructed not to under the advice of behavioural psychologists. Apparently not shaking hands provokes a 'subliminal cue' to remind people to wash their paws. I detected a mental eye roll as he said this. There was an alarming suggestion from a reporter that we should be avoiding pubs and other small gatherings. But Sir Patrick replied that closing such venues was something the Government 'can't do and shouldn't do'. Phew! Keep washing your hands, said Boris as he wrapped things up. Shortly after we exited, it was announced the virus had claimed a fifth British victim. I fear we may be traipsing back to No 10 for further updates before long. [March 10, 2020] $4 Billion Electronic Load Market Insights by Voltage, Current Type, Application and Region - Trends & Forecasts to 2024 DUBLIN, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Electronic Load Market by Voltage (Low, High), Current Type (AC, DC), Application (Aerospace, Defense & Government Services, Automotive, Energy, Wireless Communication and Infrastructure, and Others), Region- Global Trends and Forecast to 2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global electronic load market size is projected to reach USD 4 billion by 2024 from an estimated market size of USD 3 billion in 2019, at a CAGR of 6.3% during the forecast period. Increasing investments in aerospace, defense & government services for developing technologically advanced aircraft, space and defense systems is expected to drive the growth of this market. The global electronic load market is dominated by a few major players that have an extensive global and regional presence. The leading players in this market are Keysight Technologies (US), AMETEK (US), National Instrument (US), Chroma ATE (Taiwan), Teledyne Technologies (US). The low voltage segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period The electronic load market, by voltage, is segmented into low and high voltage electronic load. The low voltage electronic load segment is increasing because of the rising usage of portable devices and the growing need for testing the reliability of a power source. North America is the largest market for low voltage electronic load during the forecast period as the region has the highest adoption rate of electronic loads to test electronic components. The wireless communication and infrastructure segment is expected to the largest market for electronic load from 2019 to 2024 Wireless communication and infrastructure accounted for the highest share of the global electronic load market in 2018. The growth of this application is driven by the rising need to test power supplies for the efficient operation of wireless communication. It is also driven by an increase in investments for the deployment of 5G technology. North America is expected to lead in the electronic load market North America is the largest market for electronic load during the forecast period. The region has been segmented by country into the US, Canada, and Mexico. The demand for electronic load in this region is driven mostly by applications such as aerospace, defense & government services, wireless communication, and automotive. The aerospace, defense & government services is the largest sector in North America during the forecast period as they produce technologically advanced aircraft and defense systems. This is supported further by the national governments' increasing defense spending and budget allocations. Moreover, this region also houses some of the major manufacturers who continuously focus on R&D to innovate new technologies. Key Topics Covered 1 Introduction 2 Research Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Premium Insights 4.1 Attractive Opportunities in the Electronic Load Market 4.2 Electronic Load Market, By Region 4.3 North American Electronic Load Market, By End-User & Country 4.4 Electronic Load Maket, Voltage 4.6 Electronic Load Market, By Application 5 Market Overview 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Market Dynamics 5.2.1 Drivers 5.2.1.1 Emphasis on Testing of Consumer Electronics & Appliances 5.2.1.2 Maximizing the Reliability of Wireless Communication 5.2.2 Restraints 5.2.2.1 High Capital Cost of Electronic Loads 5.2.3 Opportunities 5.2.3.1 Support Policies and Infrastructure Development for Electric Vehicles (EV) 5.2.3.2 Increasing Investments in Research and Development (R&D) for Test and Measurement Equipment 5.2.4 Challenges 5.2.4.1 Rapid Technological Changes 5.2.4.2 Trade War Threats and Growing Political Instability 6 Electronic Load Market, By Voltage 6.1 Introduction 6.2 High Voltage 6.2.1 Continuous Focus to Produce Highly Energy-Efficient Products is Likely to Drive the High Voltage Segment 6.3 Low Voltage 6.3.1 Rise in the Usage of Portable Devices is Expected to Drive the Low-Voltage Segment 7 Electronic Load Market, By Current Type 7.1 Introduction 7.2 AC 7.2.1 Rising Demand for Test Equipment in R&D is Likely to Drive the AC Electronic Load Segment 7.3 DC 7.3.1 Increasing Investments for Advancements in Battery Technology are Expected to Drive the DC Electronic Load Segment 8 Electronic Load Market, By Application 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Aerospace, Defense & Government Services 8.2.1 Increasing Investments in the Aerospace & Defense Industry are Likely to Drive the Market 8.3 Automotive 8.3.1 Rising Adoption of Electric Vehicles and Increasing Investments for Autonomous Vehicles are Driving the Market 8.4 Energy 8.4.1 Need for Increasing Operational Efficiency is Driving the Market 8.5 Wireless Communication and Infrastructure 8.5.1 Ensuring Efficient Operation of the Electronic Components is Expected to Drive the Demand for Electronic Loads 8.6 Others 9 Electronic Loads Market, By Region 9.1 Introduction 9.2 North America 9.2.1 US 9.2.1.1 Increasing Focus on R&D for Aerospace & Defense is Expected to Drive the Electronic Load Market in the US 9.2.2 Canada 9.2.2.1 Growing Investments for Autonomous Vehicles are Expected to Drive the Electronic Load Market 9.2.3 Mexico 9.2.3.1 Rise in Foreign Direct Investments (Fdi) for the Automotive Sector is Expected to Drive the Electronic Load Market in Mexico 9.3 Asia Pacific 9.3.1 China 9.3.1.1 Government Support Policies for Electric Mobility are Driving the Market for Electronic Loads 9.3.2 Australia 9.3.2.1 Increasing Adoption of 5G Technology is Driving the Market for Electronic Loads in Australia 9.3.3 Japan 9.3.3.1 Increasing Focus on 5G Deployment is Expected to Drive the Electronic Load Market 9.3.4 India 9.3.4.1 Government Tax Rebates to Increase the Usage of Electric Vehicles is Expected to Drive the Electronic Load Market 9.3.5 South Korea 9.3.5.1 Strong Establishment of 5G Network Infrastructure is Expected to Drive the Electronic Load Market 9.3.6 Rest of Asia Pacific 9.4 Europe 9.4.1 Germany 9.4.1.1 Increasing Demand for Electronic Loads to Test Power Supplies is Expected to Drive the Electronic Load Market in Germany 9.4.2 UK 9.4.2.1 Increase in Focus on Deployment of 5G Network is Expected to Drive the Electronic Load Market 9.4.3 France 9.4.3.1 Increasing Investments in R&D are Expected to Drive the Electronic Load Market in France 9.4.4 Russia 9.4.4.1 Rising Adoption of Electric Vehicles is Expected to Drive the Electronic Load Market 9.4.5 Spain 9.4.5.1 Increasing Subsidies to Promote the Growth of Electric Vehicles are Expected to Drive the Market in Spain 9.4.6 Italy 9.4.6.1 Increase in Focus on Electric Vehicle Support Infrastructure is Expected to Drive the Market 9.4.7 Rest of Europe 9.5 Middle East & Africa 9.5.1 Middle East 9.5.1.1 Increase in Defense Spending and Focus on Aerospace Manufacturing are Expected to Drive the Demand for Electronic Loads 9.5.2 Africa 9.5.2.1 Increase in Focus on Renewables is Expected to Drive the Demand for Electronic Loads 9.5.3 South America 9.5.4 Brazil 9.5.4.1 Increasing Investments in Aerospace & Defense is Expected to Drive the Electronic Load Market in Brazil 9.5.5 Argentina 9.5.5.1 Government Support Policies for Wireless Communication and Infrastructure is Expected to Drive the Demand for Electronic Loads Market in Argentina 9.5.6 Chile 9.5.6.1 Growth in Wireless Communication and Infrastructure is Expected to Drive the Electronic Load Market in the Country 10 Competitive Landscape 10.1 Overview 10.2 Market Share, 2018 10.3 Competitive Scenario 10.3.1 New Product Developments 10.3.2 Investments & Expansions 10.4 Competitive Leadership Mapping 10.4.1 Visionary Leaders 10.4.2 Innovators 10.4.3 Emerging Companies 10.4.4 Dynamic Differentiators 11 Company Profile (Business Overview, Products Offered, Recent Developments, SWOT Analysis) 11.1 Keysight Technologies 11.2 Ametek 11.3 National Instruments 11.4 Chroma ATE 11.5 Teledyne Technologies 11.6 Good Will Instrument 11.7 Rigol Technologies 11.8 B &K Precision 11.9 Tektronix 11.10 Kikusui Electronics 11.11 Matsusada Precision 11.12 Magna-Power Electronics 11.13 NH Research 11.14 Beich Electronics 11.15 iTech Electronics 11.16 Ainuo Instrument 11.17 NF Corporation 11.18 Hocherl & Hackl 11.19 Array Electronics 11.20 Spellman High Voltage Electronics 11.21 Siglent Technologies For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/371lya 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: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/4-billion-electronic-load-market-insights-by-voltage-current-type-application-and-region---trends--forecasts-to-2024-301020605.html SOURCE Research and Markets [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] (Photo : Photo by Yutacar on Unsplash) Why Online Conferences Don't Work for Suspended Tech Events Like MWC or Facebook's F8; MSU Can Do it Though (Photo : Damir Kopezhanov on Unsplash ) Why Online Conferences Don't Work for Suspended Tech Events Like MWC or Facebook's F8; MSU Can Do it Though If you're one of the million fans of tech events like Mobile World Congress or Facebook F8's event, pretty sure that you've become disappointed after they had announced their suspension of the events as a precaution to the wider spread of Coronavirus or COVID-19. We know that health is much more important than these gatherings-- so we can make peace on that. However, start-up companies now recommend online conferencing as a way to gather the audience for these events while being protected inside the comfort of your homes. Why would this be a flop, though? People will not have free drinks. Yup, that's one of the reasons. Online conferences lack something that makes it impossible; Vodka maybe! First, it was Barcelona's Mobile World Congress, then Facebook's biggest F8 event of the year, and now even Google's annual I/O developers event. All of these major industry-changing tech events were all canceled due to the extreme spread of Coronavirus around the globe. Normally, these events were held on huge conference halls that offer chances for start-ups to interact with bigger names in the industry. Of course, these also allow them to be with other tech smarts and professionals-- which was one of the best ways to enter the tech world if you have a business. Unfortunately, these conferences will no longer be expected if the viral disease will not subside until the end of the year. As reported via CNBC, there's still a chance that these tech events may push through despite COVID-19, and it is through online conferences. Hopin, a London-based start-up that serves broadcasts live events for up to 100,000 people and holds offshoot Q&A sessions and networking opportunities, recommends online conferencing for these big events, which saves them money and even protect the guests from acquiring the viral disease. "We want to help people that are being affected by the coronavirus and their conferences," Johnny Boufarhat told CNBC in an interview. He added that the company is fast-tracking some events, "specifically to help with the Coronavirus and help organizers run the events. Everyone else is on the waitlist." No free drinks! The reason why online tech conferences don't work According to Wired, online conferences or virtual meetings when it comes to tech events do generally not works or gets entertained. This is because people attending these events do not just attend the seminar itself but to meet and socialize with other people. "The problem with most virtual conferences is the inability to meet other people. I attended dozens of conferences last year for market research and found that the best moments often weren't the keynote speeches, but the breakout sessions or coffee breaks when conference attendees could bump into one another," said Xiaoyin Qu, the cofounder of a new virtual conference start-up called Run the World. "When people met someone at a conference whose work was relevant to them, it made the $1,000 ticket worth it. When they didn't, conferences sometimes felt like a waste of time." Aside from this, once virtual conferences were applied, no free drinks will be given to you-- aside from asking your wife. Michigan State University might pull off online classes Michigan State University also said that they are thinking of holding University classes online to protect most students. Compared to those huge tech events, universities are somehow more acceptable to use online courses to teach their students. You are not allowed to have a drink for this. "The new coronavirus outbreak is obviously a very fluid situation, and MSU is actively monitoring for how this virus might impact our region or our campus," said Dan Olsen, an MSU spokesman. "At this point, we are heeding the guidance of the CDC to protect our Spartans and will continue to do so. That means that all classes and events are moving forward as planned." 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Holi celebrations in Mumbai on Tuesday may have been subdued due to the novel coronavirus threat but police personnel manning the metropolis' streets and CCTV cameras keeping a hawk eye managed to catch over 4,600 thousand traffic offenders, including 336 for drunk driving. Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Madhukar Pandey said 1,285 people were caught for speed violation, 286 for riding triple-seat, 2,656 for riding without helmets, while 336 were nabbed for drunk driving. In all, 4612 people were held for traffic offences in the metropolis between late Monday night and 5pm Tuesday, police said. "Those who were caught for drunk driving have had their licences seized. They will be produced in court on Wednesday for further action," JCP Pandey informed. An official said several thousand CCTV cameras set up along the roads and at traffic junctions played a key role in nabbing offenders as well as enforcing discipline on the ground. The CCTVs were particularly handy in nabbing speeding motorists as well as two-wheeler riders without helmets, he said. The highest number of drunk driving cases were in DN Nagar in the western suburb of Andheri at 36, while the eastern suburb of Chembur came second with 27, officials said. Malad in the north of the metropolis topped the list for those caught riding without helmets at 252, while Worli in the island city saw the maximum 26 people caught for riding triple-seat, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Cameras designed to spot broken down vehicles on smart motorways are not being monitored all the time, road bosses have admitted. Highways England insists the routes, which have no hard shoulder, are as safe as normal motorways because they have regularly-spaced refuges for breakdowns. But motoring groups have attacked the 6billion scheme after a series of fatal accidents resulting from stricken drivers stopping in the nearside lane before they have reached a refuge. Now it has emerged control room operatives are not constantly monitoring the hundreds of CCTV cameras on the motorway network. Cameras designed to spot broken down vehicles on smart motorways are not being monitored all the time, road bosses have admitted Responding to a freedom of information request filed by BBC Breakfast, Highways England said: As with any organisation using many hundreds of CCTV cameras, it is not possible for our operators to monitor every camera all of the time. Our control rooms are staffed 24/7, 365 days a year, and we manage peaks of activity flexibly across all our regional operations centres. It added that when an operator has a high volume of incidents, another control room can take on supporting activities remotely, ensuring all critical activities are resourced. It comes after the boss of Highways England last year admitted lives had been lost due to delays in installing separate life-saving radar technology, used to detect stricken vehicles. The system alerts staff in a control centre, who close lanes and send for help. It takes an average of 17 minutes for CCTV operators to spot broken down vehicles, posing a risk to those stranded in the path of moving traffic. Highways England insists the routes, which have no hard shoulder, are as safe as normal motorways because they have regularly-spaced refuges for breakdowns The response time is faster, however, for the two sections of smart motorway covered by the radars, which are both on the M25. The smart motorway scheme is being reviewed by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, who is expected to recommend radar technology be installed across the entire network. Smart motorways account for 416 miles of road and are expected to almost double in length by 2025. Figures show 19,316 motorists broke down in a live lane on a smart motorway in 2017 and 2018 equivalent to 26 a day. The system currently operates on stretches of the M1, M4, M6, M25, M42, M60 and M62. A Highways England spokesman said of Mr Shappss review: We are committed to implementing any new recommendations as part of our ongoing work to make our roads even safer. Every single death in a road accident is a tragedy and safety is our number one priority. C oronavirus has hit the UK with the Department of Health confirming that thousands of people have been infected. Public Health England said anyone with Covid-19 symptoms should self-isolate for seven days. If someone in a household develops symptoms, the rest of the inhabitants need to self-isolate for 14 days. The first British person to die of Covid-19 was confirmed to be on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan on February 29. Here's everything you need to know about the virus - including symptoms and NHS guidance. Sneezes should be caught in a tissue / PA What is coronavirus? Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars). The strain that has recently emerged is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. The respiratory disease has been named Covid-19 by WHO. It is thought to be transmitted in droplets from coughs and sneezes and can survive for a limited time on surfaces. What are the symptoms of coronavirus? According to the NHS, the main symptoms of coronavirus are having a cough, high temperature or shortness of breath. New research suggests loss of smell and taste may also be symptoms of the disease. People with the virus will typically show flu-like symptoms, including a fever and a cough, that can progress to severe pneumonia. This can then cause breathing difficulties. The World Health Organisation has also stated that some patients may also experience aches and pains, as well as nasal congestion, a runny nose, sore throat or diarrhoea. Who is most at risk? Those with weakened immune systems, the elderly or those with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease are more at risk. What measures should you take to protect yourself? Simple steps go a long way to helping people avoid catching and spreading germs, such as coronavirus. Wash your hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds Comply with lockdown rules of staying at home and only leaving the house for infrequent shopping trips and for exercise Catch sneezes and coughs with a tissue, then bin it immediately, making sure you wash your hands afterwards or use antibacterial gel Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands Avoid those who are unwell Before and during Coronavirus lockdown - In pictures 1 /44 Before and during Coronavirus lockdown - In pictures AP Buckingham Palace AP Piccadilly Line tube AP Big Ben AP Millennium bridge AP Wembley Stadium AP St Pancras International train station AP Downing Street AP Victoria Station AP Regent Street AP The Mall leading to Buckingham Palace AP London's National Gallery in Trafalgar Square PA Edinburgh's Royal Mile PA Barry Island, South Wales PA Bath PA Bath PA London's Waterloo station PA London Bridge PA London's Canary Wharf Jubilee Line platform PA London's Canary Wharf Station PA London's Buckingham Palace PA London's Tower Bridge PA London's Leicester Square PA London's Millennium Bridge with St Paul's Cathedral PA London's Criterion Theatre PA London's Palace Theatre PA London's Phoenix Theatre PA London's Canary Wharf Station PA Bournemouth beach PA Bath PA Bath PA Barry Island, South Wales PA Bournemouth beach PA Hand washing advice: Public Health England launched an advertising campaign to encourage Brits to wash their hands more effectively. The Government said this will help slow the spread of the virus. The nation should wash their hands after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing and before eating or touching food. You should wash your hands for 20 seconds each time, using soap and water or hand sanitiser. Health secretary Matt Hancock said: "Washing hands regularly is the single most important thing that an individual can do." Is there treatment available? As the infection is relatively new, there is no specific treatment for coronavirus at this time. Medics try to relieve symptoms and keep the infected alive. The UK has become the largest contributor in the international effort to find a coronavirus vaccine and Boris Johnson announced a 210 million donation during a virtual summit with G20 leaders at the end of March. The Prime Minister said the money will help the whole word fight the Covid-19 strain and urged other countries to step up and help defeat the virus. During a daily press briefing, Cabinet member Michael Gove said thousands of ventilators will be distributed to hospitals across the nation. How to self-isolate and NHS guidance on calling 111 The latest NHS guidelines state that you should not go to your local GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital if you are displaying signs of coronavirus. If you have symptoms like a fever or a continuous cough, you are advised to stay at home for 7 days. You should only call 111 if you feel you cannot cope with the symptoms, you do not get better after 7 days, or your symptoms worse. If you are staying at home you are advised to do the following: Try to keep at least 2 metres from other people, particularly older people or those with long-term health conditions Ask friends and family and delivery services to deliver things like food shopping and medicines but avoid contact with them Regularly wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds Try to sleep alone if possible Stay away from older people and those with long-term health conditions Drink plenty of water and take painkillers, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, to help with your symptom Vodacom and the Competition Commission have announced that they have reached an agreement regarding the Data Service Market Inquiry which will result in the mobile operator dropping monthly mobile data prices by over 30% across all monthly data bundles for contract and prepaid customers. Speaking at a media briefing in Pretoria, Competition Commission commissioner Tembinkosi Bonakele said that the agreement is subject to confirmation by the Competition Tribunal and certain conditions are confidential to protect competition in the market. The Commission is delighted to announce that it has reached a significant agreement with Vodacom to reduce the cost of data and promote digital inclusion, Bonakele said. As part of this agreement, Vodacom has agreed to drop its monthly data prices across the board by up to 40% over a two-year period. On price reductions, Vodacom has agreed to a multi-year substantial reduction of monthly data bundles across the board, he said. Effective from 1 April 2020, prices will come down by over 30% across all channels. For example, the key 1GB monthly bundle will drop from R149 to no more than R99 per GB. This represents a 34% price decrease, which will be followed by a further price decrease on the same date next year. Customers who buy the lowest volumes of data, which are typically the poorest customers, will see the greatest benefit of these price decreases, Bonakele said. These price changes will be phased in over two months from 1 April 2020. The company also agreed to extend personal discounts to indigent customers in 2,000 areas where most of the population have income levels below the upper-bound food poverty line. Free SMSs and zero-rated services Bonakele announced that Vodacom would offer two free SMSs daily to prepaid customers who had at least one activity that generated revenue during the previous thirty-day period. Vodacom will also launch its ConnectU service to offer zero-rated services to all customers. These will include a zero-rated search function powered by Wikipedia which will allow customers to search for any topic online. Additionally, Vodacom will allow customers to view and apply for job opportunities at no charge on seven zero-rated portals through its ConnectU platform. To provide a free basic means for communication, Vodacom has undertaken to provide customers with free access to Facebook Flex, Bonakele said. Consumers can also access local and international news headlines, trends, as well as weather free of charge. Improved transparency for mobile data pricing To improve the transparency of its offerings, Vodacom said that it would include information on savings consumers can take advantage of when buying promotional offers, and it would make it easier for consumers to find these offers. Vodacom will also display the cents-per-MB figure for all data bundles through its various channels, which will allow customers to more easily compare the value offered across different packages. Prepaid customers will also be able to access detailed information on their historic purchases and data consumption. Spectrum sorely needed Speaking at the Competition Commission media briefing, Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub said that data prices would be decreased again on 1 April 2021, resulting in a total data price decrease of around 40%. Following the release of the Data Service Market Inquiry report, Vodacom decided that instead of fighting with the Commission, it would engage constructively with the issues raised in the report, Joosub said. He added that while this price drop is in line with the Vodacom Group contract with its stakeholders and its aim to improve mobile data accessibility, the lack of available spectrum remains a serious challenge for mobile operators in South Africa. Joosub said that Vodacom hopes for high-demand spectrum to be allocated this year to aid mobile operators in improving network quality and reducing data prices. We make this move proactively in the hope that spectrum will be allocated this year, he said. The spectrum delays do not affect the agreements that have been made. The trust factor for Vodacom is drop the prices and spectrum will come. Data Service Market Inquiry The Competition Commission published its final report on its Data Service Market Inquiry in December 2019, which called for MTN and Vodacom to drop their data prices. The preliminary evidence suggests that there is scope for price reductions in the region of 30% to 50%, the report stated. It added that Vodacom and MTN must independently reach an agreement with the Commission within two months on a reduction in the headline prices of all sub-500MB 30-day prepaid data bundles to reflect the same cost per MB as the 500MB 30-day bundle or cost-based differences where such cost differences have been quantified. The Commission also instructed Vodacom and MTN to cease their employment of partitioning strategies that contribute to anti-poor pricing and inferior service outcomes. Given their collective market position, adjustments to their prices should impact on market-wide pricing, the Commission said. The Competition Commissions report also found that all mobile operators must offer South Africans on prepaid packages a lifeline package of free daily data. Response and deadline extension MTN and Vodacoms immediate reaction to the publication of the Competition Commissions was disagreement with the Commissions assessment of South Africas mobile market. We respectfully disagree with the analysis and recommendations contained in the summary report and, as we study the full report, will continue to engage constructively and vigorously defend against over-broad and intrusive recommendations, MTN said after the publication fo the report. Vodacom also said that there was a significant difference in opinion between the Commission and ICASA on the state of mobile data pricing in South Africa. Vodacom notes the release by the Competition Commission of its Data Services Market Inquiry Final report earlier today and ICASAs discussion document on the Market Inquiry into mobile broadband services in South Africa published on Friday, the mobile operator said. While Vodacom is currently reviewing the two documents in greater detail, it is immediately evident that there is a significant difference in opinion between the Competition Commission and ICASA on a number of issues that are critical to data prices in South Africa. Vodacom said the Commission downplayed the role of spectrum in reducing data prices, while ICASA is aware of its role in achieving cheap and high-quality mobile broadband. Vodacom has consistently stated that delayed spectrum allocation has impacted the rate at which data prices could have fallen, the network told MyBroadband. Vodacom has reduced the effective price of data by circa 50% since March 2016. ICASA stated that South Africas data prices are neither extremely high or very low relative to other countries similar in size and level of development. In February 2020, the Competition Commission extended the deadline for its recommendations to March 2020 and was engaged in discussions with both Vodacom and MTN about the proposed changes. While Vodacom has now reached an agreement with the Commission regarding mobile data prices, MTN has yet to announce whether it has settled with the commission on the findings of its report. We are talking to all of the other operators and are quite advanced in reaching agreements with both MTN and Telkom, Bonakele said, I am hopeful that we will conclude those soon. BANKS are to allow their mortgage customers to defer monthly repayments if the coronavirus causes massive economic disruption. They are following the lead of a top British bank and lenders in Italy who are to allow mortgage holders to defer their payments due to the expected impact of the conoravirus. If a mortgage holder or renter is forced to self-isolate, gets sick and cannot work, or his or her employer is unable to operate, their incomes are going to be affected, experts said. Britains Royal Bank of Scotland, which owns Ulster Bank here, and the Italian banks say they will allow deferment of mortgage and loan repayments for up to three months for customers impacted by coronavirus. RBS said it will also waive early closure charges on fixed savings accounts and provide refunds on credit card cash advance fees to help affected customers. Read More The bank has followed the lead of the Italian government, who said it will suspend mortgage repayments and other household bills across the nation as the whole country is put on lockdown. Bank of Ireland said it will offer payment breaks and flexible arrangements on mortgages and loans for up to three months if people cant pay due to the virus. AIB is also not putting any special measures in place. But it said: We have existing mortgage features in place for customers seeking to avail of an interest only/moratoria period in certain circumstances along with well-developed solutions for customers in difficulty with their mortgage repayments. Ulster Bank said it would allow mortgage and loan repayments to be deferred for up to three months. The bank will also allow cutomers access to fixed term savings accounts early without breakage fee, the option to apply for an increase in overdraft and credit card limits, and there will be an increased cash withdrawal limit. Each situation will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, Ulster Bank, which is headed up by Jane Howard, added. Cash advance fees will be waived for impacted customers that use credit cards to access cash in an emergency. Permanent TSB is not offering across-the-board mortgage or loan relief for people impacted by the virus. But it said it will support any customers that are in financial difficulty. The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Mitchell Kukulka. Saturday, March 7 11:55 p.m. A deputy attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle in Greendale Township for a traffic violation. The driver refused to stop. A short pursuit ensued and a short time later, the vehicle became stuck in a mud puddle. The occupants fled on foot. One passenger, a woman, was caught. Upon investigation, it was learned a 39-year-old Greendale Township man was driving the vehicle. The driver was not located. A warrant will be sought. The vehicle was impounded. 8:52 p.m. Deputies responded to a car-deer crash in Warren Township. 7:55 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to a City of Midland residence in reference to a car-deer crash that occurred in Homer Township. 7:52 p.m. A deputy was sent to a Mills Township home for a report of damage to a mailbox. It is believed an unknown farm tractor struck two mailboxes and continued on. Only one owner wanted to file a report. The owner who wished to report the matter advised it would cost $100 to replace the mailbox. 7:33 p.m. A deputy responded to a two-car crash causing injuries on a Midland Township roadway. 9:53 a.m. Deputies responded to a car-deer crash in Homer Township. 3:21 a.m. While investigating a single-car crash in Homer Township, deputies made contact with a 52-year-old Grand Rapids woman, who was a passenger of the vehicle. The woman was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and a warrant out of Tawas City. 2:38 a.m. A deputy responded to a single-vehicle accident on a Homer Township roadway. Friday, March 6 9:23 p.m. Deputies were dispatched to a Homer Township residence in reference to a suspicious situation. A 33-year-old man said he believed people were in his house. Deputies searched the residence and found no one inside. The man was arrested for an unrelated warrant. 8:27 p.m. A deputy responded to a car-deer crash in the area of South Poseyville Road near East Gordonville Road in Ingersoll Township. 7:11 p.m. Officers responded to an animal bite in the 1400 block of North Parkway Drive. 4:04 p.m. Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the 50 block of Ashman Circle. 3:18 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to a Hope Township residence in reference to a 43-year-old woman reporting there was an armed man locked in the trunk of her vehicle. The trunk was checked but nobody was located. It is believed the woman was suffering from a mental episode, and she was ultimately arrested for an outstanding contempt of court warrant. 12:01 p.m. Officers responded to a report of domestic violence in the 4900 block of Hedgewood Drive. 9:46 a.m. A deputy arrested a 52-year-old Isabella County male for DWLS after a traffic stop for a defective muffler. The male was transported to the Midland County Jail without incident. The man was given a warning for the defective muffler. 9 a.m. Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of West St. Andrew and North Saginaw roads. 3:20 a.m. A deputy responded to a report of a reckless driver who was weaving all over the roadway, speeding up and slowing down and flashing bright lights in the area of westbound U.S.-10 on Stark Road in Lincoln Township. A deputy located the tractor-trailer and stopped it near North Coleman Road exit. The driver said she and the other driver have had issues in the past with him critiquing her driving. The driver was not driving reckless and was not intoxicated. 1:14 a.m. Officers performed a warrant arrest in the 800 block of Cinema Boulevard. 12:28 a.m. A 27-year-old man was stopped for an equipment violation (loud exhaust) at a Greendale Township location. The man driver did not have a valid license, and the vehicle was not properly plated. The man also had a valid fugitive warrant out of Midland County. He was later arrested for the warrant and driving while license suspended. Hearings would take place on 8 June through 3 July 2020, 31 August through 13 November and 1 February through 26 March 2021 This week, court proceedings into downing Boeing MH17 in July 2014 in Donbas began. All 298 people on board - 283 passengers and 15 crew members - died. This catastrophe has become the largest in the history of aviation since September 11, 2001. This is the first international trial on finding those responsible for the tragedy, and the proceedings are held in the Netherlands. The judges are: After the first day of the presiding judges, Judicial Spokespeople Yolande Wijnnobel and Paul Rouwen of the District Court of The Hague briefed the press, as CourtMH17 reported. Three judges would hear the merits of the case. They would put questions and take decisions. In light of the expected length of the trial, two alternate judges were also present in court. In the event that one of the sitting judges were to fall ill or be unable to continue hearing the case, he or she would be replaced by one of the alternates. The trial would, therefore, not have to be brought to a halt, reads the message. It was announced that hearings would take place on 8 June through 3 July 2020, 31 August through 13 November and 1 February through 26 March 2021. During the first day of the session, the judges established who had appeared in court and whether the accused had been correctly summoned. They also took stock of whether the case file was complete, whether more was to be added to it and whether the defense had requested in this regard. On the eve of the trial, representatives of the investigating authorities of Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, Ukraine, and the Netherlands signed an Agreement on the extension of the work of the Joint Investigation Group (OSG). The Joint Investigative Group from Ukraine included 4 representatives of the Office of the Prosecutor Generals Office, the group was led by Gyunduz Mamedov, Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine, who coordinates the work on the investigation of international crimes. Prosecutor Ward Ferdinandusse told the court afterward the accused "noted with delight that an aircraft had been shot down," as ABC.net reported. None of the accused in the disaster Russians Igor "Strelkov" Girkin, Oleg Pulatov and Sergei Dubinsky, as well as Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko were present in the courtroom. All four are believed to be in Russia. Only Mr. Pulatov sent a defense lawyer, the outlet wrote. "Why are these four? Girkin - because at that time he held the most important military post in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Dubinsky was his deputy, Pulatov - deputy for Dubinsky, and Kharchenko - because he was subordinate to Dubinsky. Thus it became possible to recreate a "single-chain" in this case, investigators believe," DW wrote. If the defendants are not present at the trial, the case is heard "in absentia." The judge said the trial was likely to stretch into next year, with the case file containing 36,000 documents and an enormous number of multimedia files, the 9news.com.au reported. "They were in command of others; they directed the Buk-TELAR (missile launcher) to the launch location; they talked during intercepted communications about the need for a Buk to serve their cause and whether 'their' Buk had done its job Groups that fight independently or do not respect the laws of armed conflict are therefore excluded (from legal protections), " Ferdinandusse told. It was also reported that local residents of eastern Ukraine, where the tragedy happened, were been traumatized by the downing. "Many of them were directly confronted with the horrific consequences of the downing of flight MH17 Wreckage and bodies fell from the sky, sometimes straight through the roofs of their houses," Ferdinandusse said. Prosecutor read out the names of all 298 people, and it took near 20 minutes to voice each. "In more than one country in the world, mainly Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, the Philippines, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Romania, the United Kingdom, the United States, Vietnam and South African, all mourn for the demise of their citizens," Dutch prosecutor Dedy Woei-A-Tsoi told the court. Many word media outlets emphasized the deeply emotional moment of the trial many relatives came to attend the hearings. They were free to leave the courtroom whenever they needed and that that would not disrupt the conduct of proceedings. In connection with the start of MH17 case criminal proceedings on March 9, Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne called on the Russian Federation to cooperate with the investigation. The MH17 trial is a criminal case conducted in the Netherlands under Dutch law. The legislation was drafted to make it possible to try the suspects in the Netherlands. Any sentence handed down by the court will be enforced in accordance with Dutch law. Photo credit: Pictorial Parade - Getty Images From Popular Mechanics A retired U.S. Navy submarine commander sued the Navy to release an official report on the sinking of the USS Thresherand won. Thresher sank in April 1963, lost with all hands, but there has never been an official explanation as to why. The loss of Thresher lead to an improved culture of safety in the Navy, and since 1968, the service hasnt lost a single submarine. A retired U.S. Navy submarine commander has won a lawsuit forcing the Navy to release its report on what happened to the USS Thresher, a nuclear-powered attack submarine that sank during diving tests in 1963. The loss of the submarine has never been fully explained, and the Navy has never released the report on the subs sinking. Photo credit: Pictorial Parade - Getty Images USS Thresher was the first of its class, a new type of fast, deep diving attack submarine. The Thresher-class subs used a streamlined hull designed for fast underwater travel. With a torpedo-like hull design and a S5W nuclear reactor, the Thresher class could make 20 knots on the surface and 30 knots underwaterthe reverse of World War II-era submarines designed to spend most of their time on the surface. The submarines were 278 feet long, 31 feet wide, and carried Mk. 37 homing torpedoes for use against surface and subsurface targets, SUBROC anti-submarine torpedoes, and sea mines. On April 9, 1963, the Thresher was 220 miles east of Cape Cod, conducting diving tests. It was the first submarine to use the new HY-80 steel alloy, and the Navy was eager to determine how deep the new design could safely dive. At 9:13 a.m., while at a depth of 1,300 feet, the submarine radioed the submarine rescue ship USS Skylark, waiting above: Experiencing minor difficulties. Have positive up angle. Am attempting to blow (ballast tanks). Will keep you informed. Photo credit: Pictorial Parade - Getty Images But Thresher never surfaced, and the Navy later found the sub in six pieces on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. All 129 personnel on board were killed. People have come up with many theories about how the sub sank, including blaming the faulty welds that failed during the tests, shorting out the sub's critical electrical systems and sapping its power. Story continues Capt. Jim Bryant, a retired Navy submarine officer, wanted to see the Navys 1,700-page report on the Threshers sinking, but the Navy refused to release it. So Bryant, Stars and Stripes reports , sued the Navy, and last month a federal judge ordered the service to release it in 300-page chunks. The Navy has long been extremely protective of the report. The Navy submarine force is notoriously tight-lipped; submariners say the nickname the silent service not only applies to the quiet nature of subs, but the secretive nature of the sub community as a whole. The service first said it would release the Thresher report in 1998, but released only 19 of 1,700 pages, claiming that keeping it classified was to protect serving submarine crews. The problem with that explanation? The accident happened during normal dive tests. More than 50 years have passed since the sinking, and the submarines technology is obsolete. Photo credit: The Washington Post - Getty Images The loss of the Thresher led to a sea change in the Navy submarine force. After the sinking, the service instituted SUBSAFE, a program that ensures the safe operation of submarines. SUBSAFE monitors the design and construction of new subs to ensure ships can remain watertight and survive accidents at sea. (The Navy lost another submarine, the USS Scorpion, in 1968, but it wasn't built to SUBSAFE standards.) In 2005, the attack submarine USS San Francisco collided with an underwater seamount at the equivalent of 30 miles an hourand was still able to sail to Guam for repairs. The culture of safety spawned by SUBSAFEand indirectly Thresheris credited for ensuring the San Franciscos survival. The Navy will begin releasing the Thresher report in segments on May 15 and will continue until Oct. 15. You Might Also Like SAN FRANCISCO, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Genstar Capital, a leading private equity firm focused on investments in targeted segments of the financial services, healthcare, industrial, and software industries, today announced the recapitalization of its portfolio company ConnectiveRx, a leading provider of technology-enabled biopharmaceutical services. Genstar will continue as majority investor and will be joined by funds managed by Harvest Partners SCF, LP and funds managed by Blackstone Tactical Opportunities as minority investors. The transaction provides ConnectiveRx with enhanced financial flexibility, allowing it to continue its product innovation-driven growth, while also enabling the Company to realize an attractive outcome for its shareholders. As part of the transaction, ConnectiveRx also completed a refinancing of its credit facility. KKR Capital Markets was the sole lead arranger for the refinancing and entities managed by KKR led the investment. The company has more than doubled in size through organic and acquisition growth since Genstar initially invested in 2015. ConnectiveRx is a market-leading innovator in patient engagement and support, market access and adherence solutions for complex medications. The company partners with hundreds of biopharmaceutical manufacturers to simplify how patients get on and stay on prescribed therapy. The company helps more than 84 million patients and 1.5 million healthcare providers, annually. Genstar invested in the company in 2015 and helped guide the creation of ConnectiveRx with Harry Totonis, a member of Genstar's Strategic Advisory Board, and ConnectiveRx Chief Executive Officer. About ConnectiveRx ConnectiveRx is a leading, technology-enabled biopharmaceutical services company that provides patient and provider support, access and adherence solutions for specialty and branded medications. The Company's services include the industry's leading patient engagement and support platform ("Hub Services"), patient and provider adherence messaging, patient affordability programs, and the iconic Physicians' Desk Reference, now known as the Prescribers' Digital Reference. ConnectiveRx's wide array of services and innovative solutions accelerate speed-to-therapy and increase access and adherence resulting in improved outcomes for patients and healthcare overall. ConnectiveRx has two main campus locations in Whippany, NJ and Pittsburgh, PA with additional locations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Missouri and California. To learn more, visit www.connectiverx.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook @ConnectiveRx. About Genstar Capital Genstar Capital (www.gencap.com) is a leading private equity firm that has been actively investing in high quality companies for over 30 years. Based in San Francisco, Genstar works in partnership with its management teams and its network of strategic advisors to transform its portfolio companies into industry-leading businesses. Genstar currently has approximately $17 billion of assets under management and targets investments focused on targeted segments of the financial services, healthcare, industrial, and software industries. About Harvest Partners SCF, LP Harvest Partners SCF (www.hp-scf.com) is a non-control private equity investor. Harvest Partners SCF was founded in 2014 and is led by an experienced team of investment professionals who have, collectively, more than 40 years of private equity investment experience. Harvest Partners SCF provides flexible, non-control equity solutions to business owners and private equity firms that need capital for growth, liquidity, new platform investments or transformative acquisitions. About Blackstone & Blackstone Tactical Opportunities Blackstone (www.blackstone.com) is one of the world's leading investment firms. Blackstone seeks to create positive economic impact and long-term value for their investors, the companies they invest in, and the communities in which they work. They do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. The Blackstone asset management businesses, with $571 billion in assets under management, includes investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis. Follow Blackstone on Twitter @Blackstone. Tactical Opportunities (Tac Opps) is Blackstone's opportunistic investment platform. The Tac Opps team invests globally across asset classes, industries and geographies, seeking to identify and execute on attractive, differentiated investment opportunities. As part of the strategy, the team leverages the intellectual capital across Blackstone's various businesses while continuously optimizing its approach in the face of ever-changing market conditions. Contact: Chris Tofalli Chris Tofalli Public Relations 914-834-4334 Danielle Daly ConnectiveRx [email protected] 201-358-2261 SOURCE Genstar Capital NEW YORK, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global maleic anhydride market projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.5%, in terms of value, during the forecast period Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p03623791/?utm_source=PRN The maleic anhydride market size is projected to reach USD 3.5 billion by 2024 from USD 2.8 billion in 2019, at a CAGR of 4.5%.The demand for maleic anhydride is growing in developing regions due to rapid industrialization and increasing use of maleic anhydride and its derivatives in various applications. The rapid growth in the end-use industries, including automotive, building & construction, manufacturing, marine, food processing, personal care, agrochemicals, and pharmaceuticals, is expected to drive the demand for maleic anhydride in the next five years. Stringent governmental rules and regulations in developed regions and rising use of green chemicals are, however, restraining the growth of the maleic anhydride market. N-butane to be the larger raw material segment in the global maleic anhydride market N-butane is projected to be the larger raw material segment in the global maleic anhydride market from 2019 to 2024.N-butane-based maleic anhydride is the most widely used maleic anhydride owing to its less environmental effects and relatively lower price. The production of maleic anhydride from n-butane does not result in the formation of toxic by-products and gaseous emissions. Moreover, the rising demand from the construction and transportation industries is expected to drive the demand for n-butane-based maleic anhydride. UPR to be the largest application of maleic anhydride during the forecast period UPR is expected to be the largest application segment of the global maleic anhydride market from 2019 to 2024.The increase in demand for UPR from emerging economies, such as China and India, is driving the market for UPR. This growth is mainly due to the increasing applicability of this resin in various industry verticals, owing to its high-strength fiber-based properties, easy availability, and low-cost price range. The market growth in developing economies, such as Brazil, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia, is driven by an increase in demand for residential construction and new non-residential buildings. APAC to be the fastest-growing market during the forecast period, in terms of both volume and value APAC is the largest maleic anhydride market owing to the growing domestic demand, increasing income levels, rapid industrialization, and urbanization in the region.The market in the region is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period. This dominance is attributed to the growing domestic industries, increasing demand from end-use industries, and growing use of maleic anhydride in different applications, such as agricultural chemicals and pharmaceuticals. By Company Type: Tier 1 - 35%, Tier 2 - 39%, and Tier 3 - 26% By Designation: C-Level - 23%, Director Level - 37%, and Others - 40% By Region: North America - 32%, Europe - 21%, APAC - 28%, Middle East & Africa - 12%, and South America - 7% The key players profiled in the report include Huntsman International LLC (US), Changzhou Yabang Chemical Co., Ltd. (China), Shanxi Qiaoyou Chemical Co. Ltd. (China), Changzhou Yabang Chemical Co. Ltd. (China), Zibo Qixiang Tengda Chemical (China), Polynt-Reichhold Group (Italy), Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd. (Japan), Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Japan), LANXESS (Germany), Gulf Advanced Chemical Industries Co., Ltd. (GACIC) (Saudi Arabia), Ningbo Jiangning Chemical Co., Ltd. (China), Global Ispat Koksna Industrija d.o.o. Lukavac (GIKIL) (Bosnia & Herzegovina), and MOL Plc (Hungary) among others. Research Coverage This report segments the market for maleic anhydride based on raw material, application, and region, and provides estimations for the overall market size across various regions. A detailed analysis of key industry players has been conducted to provide insights into their business overviews, products & services, and key strategies, associated with the market for maleic anhydride. Reasons to Buy this Report This research report is focused on various levels of analysisindustry analysis (industry trends), market share analysis of top players, and company profiles, which together provide an overall view on the competitive landscape; emerging and high-growth segments of the maleic anhydride market; high-growth regions; and market drivers, restraints, and opportunities. The report provides insights into the following pointers: Market Penetration: Comprehensive information on maleic anhydride offered by top players in the global market Market Development: Comprehensive information about lucrative emerging markets the report analyzes the markets for maleic anhydride across regions Market Diversification: Exhaustive information about new products, untapped regions, and recent developments in the global maleic anhydride market Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of leading players in the maleic anhydride market Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p03623791/?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 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links www.reportlinker.com S enior US Republicans have self-quarantined after coming into contact with a person who tested positive for coronavirus. The members of Congress, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz, have gone into isolation after they shook hands with an infected individual at a conference last month. President Donald Trump, who also attended The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the end of February, insists that he is in good health and has not taken a test. While he did not interact with the infected person, Mr Trump shook hands with a convention host Matt Schlapp, who revealed he had previously had "incidental contact" with a patient. Mr Trump shook hands with a convention host Matt Schlapp, who revealed he had previously had "incidental contact" with a patient / REUTERS Mr Cruz, Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar, Georgia Congressman Doug Collins and Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz are all self-quarantining for the recommended 14-days, after meeting the infected person at CPAC. Mr Trump's newly appointed chief of staff, Mark Meadows, has also self-isolated after meeting the patient. Meanwhile, the White House announced on Monday that Mr Trump had not been tested for the virus. "He has neither had prolonged close contact with any known confirmed Covid-19 patients, nor does he have any symptoms," a spokeswoman said. "President Trump remains in excellent health, and his physician will continue to closely monitor him." Coronavirus - In pictures 1 /106 Coronavirus - In pictures A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" is seen on an underground station platform Getty Images Customers wearing face masks shop at the pork counter of a supermarket following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province Reuters Westminster Bridge is deserted in London the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown PA Canadian passengers Chris & Anna Joiner ask for help onboard the MS Zaandam, Holland America Line cruise ship, during the coronavirus outbreak, off the shores of Panama City via Reuters A man crosses a nearly empty 5th Avenue in midtown Manhattan during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York City Reuters The London Eye is pictured lit blue in support of the NHS, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Commuters cope with Coronavirus Jeremy Selwyn Milan's Piazza del Duomo empty AFP via Getty Images People in protective clothing walk past rows of beds at a temporary 2,000-bed hospital for COVID-19 coronavirus patients set up by the Iranian army at the international exhibition center in northern Tehran, Iran AP Martina Papponetti, 25, an ICU nurse at the Humanitas Gavazzeni Hospital in Bergamo, Italy poses for a portrait at the end of her shift AP Pope Francis celebrating a daily mass alone in the Santa Marta chapel at the Vatican, as part of precautionary measures against the spread of the new coronavirus COVID-19 AFP via Getty Imag Vysheyshaya Liga - FC Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino v FC Belshina Bobruisk - Torpedo Stadium, Zhodino, Belarus, March 27, 2020 Players in action during the match despite most sport being cancelled around the world as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Hanks and Wilson both have coronavirus Tom Hanks General view of an emergency makeshift field hospital as it is set up at Pacaembu Stadium for coronavirus (COVID-19) patients with a capacity of 200 beds in Sao Paulo, Brazil Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling on people to stay away from pubs, clubs and theatres, work from home if possible and avoid all non-essential contacts and travel in order to reduce the impact of the coronavirus pandemic PA Naomi Campbell catches a flight in a hazmat suit with goggles, a surgical mask and rubber gloves @naomi Sophie and Emily Ward pose for a photograph with their hand-drawn picture of rainbows and a message on their window in St Helens, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Corona virus outbreak. PA Shoppers queue outside a branch of Costco, in Croydon, south London, on the weekend after Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered pubs and restaurants across the country to close PA Charing Cross Tube Bakerloo Line very quiet at 8.15am Jeremy Selwyn A woman with a plastic box over her head on the London Underground. PA A Racegoer attend Cheltenham Festival on Ladies Day wearing a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits a laboratory at the Public Health England National Infection Service in Colindale PA A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A couple kiss in Milano Centrale railway station in Milan on March 8, 2020 AFP via Getty Images A combination picture shows visitors wearing protective face masks following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) looking at blooming cherry blossom nd a pigeon walking at an closed cherry blossom viewing spot during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (not pictured) urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors, in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from spreading Reuters This combination photo created on March 5, 2020 shows tourists visiting Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap province on March 16, 2019 (top) and on March 5, 2020 AFP via Getty Images Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump looks at the $2.2 trillion coronavirus aid package bill as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Vice President Mike Pence stand by during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House Reuters A satellite image shows an empty South Beach during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Miami, via Reuters General view inside the empty stadium as the two teams line up prior to the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg match between Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund at Parc des Princes UEFA via Getty Images A Sainsbury's supermarket in Cambridge is among those to sell out of antibacterial hand sanitizer PA Tents and ambulances are set up next to the Princess Cruises Grand Princess cruise as it sits docked in the Port of Oakland on March 09, 2020 in Oakland, California. The Princess Cruises Grand Princess has been held from docking until today as at least 21 people on board have tested positive for COVID-19 also known as the Coronavirus Getty Images Medical staff produce traditional Chinese medicine to treat patients infected by the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images Army soldiers wearing protective suits spray disinfectant as a precaution against the new coronavirus at a shopping street in Seoul, South Korea AP Russian President Vladimir Putin wearing protective gear walks at a hospital for patients infected with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Moscow via Reuters 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 Passengers on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship are seen as the ship arrives at Daikoku Pier where it is being resupplied and newly diagnosed coronavirus cases taken for treatment as it remains in quarantine after a number of the 3,700 people on board were diagnosed with coronavirus Getty Images Dave Abel pictured in hospital in Japan Manchester United fans in the stands during the Premier League match at Old Trafford PA Police officers wearing masks stand in front of the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in La Caleta, in the Canary Island of Tenerife AP Carnival revellers wear protective face masks at Venice Carnival Reuters A general view is pictured of Burbage Primary School in Buxton, Derbyshire after the closure of the school as a pupil's parent has tested positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19 AFP via Getty Images People wearing face masks walk past the Olympic rings in front of the new National Stadium, the main stadium for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Game Getty Images People leave Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre in Milton Keynes where Coronavirus evacuees are due to be released from quarantine today and allowed to go home PA Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA A woman wears a mask while crossing London Bridg Getty Images A general view of Worthing Hospital in West Sussex PA Passengers relax on board the Holland America-operated Westerdam cruise ship, which has been denied permission to dock in Thailand over coronavirus fears via Reuters A child waves as she sits in a vehicle carrying residents evacuated from a public housing building, following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, outside Hong Mei House, at Cheung Hong Estate in Hong Kong Reuters A woman wearing a Minnie Mouse face mask looks at her mobile phone in Beijing on February 11, 2020 AFP via Getty Images The Costa Smeralda cruise ship of Costa Crociere, carrying around 6,000 passengers, is docked at the Italian port of Civitavecchia after a health alert due to a Chinese couple and a possible link to coronavirus on board, in Civitavecchia, Italy Reuters A patient covered with a bed sheet at an exhibition centre converted into a hospital as it starts to accept patients displaying mild symptoms of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images A medical official takes the body temperature of a man at the departure hall of the airport in Changsha, Hunan Province, as the country is hit by an outbreak of a new coronavirus, China Reuters The view of the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center Getty Images A plane carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, arrives at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire A police vehicle enters the gates of the Royal Air Force station RAF Brize Norton in Carterton AFP via Getty Images Passengers wear face masks as the push their luggage after arriving from a flight at Terminal 5 of London Heathrow Airport AFP via Getty Images French citizens arrive and settle aboard of an evacuation plane with destination southeastern France, before departure from Wuhan Airport (WUH), China AFP via Getty Images Police stand at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge that crosses from Hubei province in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, China Reuters A member of staff at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside prepares for a bus carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China PA Doctor Paul McKay, who is working on an vaccine for the 2019-nCoV strain of the novel coronavirus, poses for a photograph with bacteria containing fragments of coronavirus DNA, at Imperial College School of Medicine (ICSM) in Londo AFP via Getty Images Workers produce masks at the Thai Hospital Product Company Ltd. factory in Bangkok AFP via Getty Images Passengers wearing face masks are seen on a bus after disembarking from the Costa Smeralda cruise ship, after tests on a woman from Macau with suspected coronavirus came back negative, in Civitavecchia, Italy Reuters People hoard bottles of alcohol after the Philippine government confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in the country, in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines Reuters Taking precautions: with fears growing that the coronavirus will spread from China, a health official checks a womans temperature on the underground in Beijing Getty Images An empty road is seen in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020, amid a deadly virus outbreak which began in the city AFP via Getty Images Students wearing masks meditate prior to a lesson at a high school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia AP Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital wear protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus AFP via Getty Images Staff move bio-waste containers past the entrance of the Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, where some infected with a new virus are being treated, in Wuhan, China AP Workers driving excavators at the construction site of a field hospital In Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The builders will complete the 1,000-bed hospital by February 3 to cope with the surge of 2019-nCoV patients in the city Getty Images Buddhist monks wear masks as they walk near Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodi AP A woman and a child wearing protective masks walk toward check-in counters at Daxing international airport in Beijing AFP via Getty Images An employee sprays disinfectant on a train as a precaution against a new coronavirus at Suseo Station in Seoul, South Korea AP A policeman wearing a mask walks past a quarantine notice about the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China at an arrival hall of Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan Reuters Paramilitary police wear face masks as they stand guard at Tiananmen Gate adjacent to Tiananmen Square in Beijing AP The resident wear masks to buy vegetables in the market in Wuhan Getty Images Staff sell masks at a Yifeng Pharmacy in Wuhan AP Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV AP There are more than 700 confirmed cases in the US and 26 people have died so far. The White House also warned on Monday that the number of cases in the US was likely to rise. "There will be more cases," Mr Pence told reporters. "But we simply ask today for the American people to engage in the common sense practices." 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 ! By Rachit Vats and Eric M. Johnson (Reuters) - Shares of Boeing Co dropped more than 12% on Monday amid a broader market plunge as pressure mounted on global aviation from the spread of the coronavirus and U.S. regulators said they disagreed with Boeing's argument about the safety of wiring bundles on the grounded 737 MAX jet. Underscoring the global risks for America's largest exporter, Ethiopian investigators singled out faulty 737 MAX systems in a new interim report on last year's crash, the second of two fatal accidents that plunged Boeing into its worst-ever crisis. Industry sources said airlines, facing a sharp drop in travel demand due to rising coronavirus outbreaks, were starting to request deferring aircraft deliveries and cash downpayments to Boeing and European rival Airbus . Boeing shares were down at $229.12 in afternoon trading, a level not seen since 2017. Adding to a sense of mounting anxiety, Boeing's new Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun was forced to apologize to senior staff after a rare attack on his predecessor and company leadership, which sources say provoked criticism from within the senior ranks of the company as well as the rank-and file. Calhoun, who took over as CEO in January after serving about a decade on Boeing's board, told senior staff by email on Friday he was "both embarrassed and regretful" over his comments in a New York Times interview earlier in the week. "It suggests I broke my promise to former CEO Dennis Muilenburg, the executive team and our people that I would have their back when it counted most," Calhoun said. "I want to reassure you that my promise remains intact." Calhoun's email came as the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told Boeing on Friday it did not agree with the planemaker's argument that its 737 MAX wiring bundles meet safety standards. Nonetheless, the FAA said it was now up to Boeing to decide how to proceed. Separately, Boeing said an employee at its Everett facility in Washington state had been quarantined after testing positive for the coronavirus. Story continues WIRING BUNDLES Boeing in February said it did not believe it was required to separate or move wiring bundles on its grounded 737 MAX jetliner that regulators had warned could cause a short circuit on the 737 MAX, and lead to a crash if pilots did not react soon enough. There are more than a dozen different spots on the 737 MAX where wiring bundles may be too close together. Most of the locations are under the cockpit in an electrical bay. Boeing has noted in talks with the FAA that its 737 NG has the same wiring bundles and has been in service since 1997, logging 205 million flight hours without any wiring issues. A company official told Reuters in January, Boeing had been working on a design that would separate the wiring bundles, if necessary. But moving the bundles could pose further delays to the return of the MAX. A key certification test flight is not currently expected until April or later. (Reporting by Rachit Vats in Bengaluru, Eric M. Johnson in Seattle, Tracy Rucinski in Chicago and Tim Hepher in Paris and additional reporting by Rama Venkat in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernard Orr, Tom Brown and Anil D'Silva) Many are freaking out over the steep decline in financial markets over the last couple of weeks. Not me: I havent lost a nickel. Why not? I havent sold anything. The markets obviously will rebound, and soon. Maybe tomorrow represents a buying opportunity. Maybe the buying opportunity wont come until next week, or next month. But it will come, many billions of dollars will flow into the markets, and prices will rise. Those who havent sold anything, or who locked in gains earned over the last decade by selling early, and who had the foresight to have cash on hand, will make money. The real question is, does coronavirus threaten the U.S. economy in a way that justifies a prolonged slump in the stock market? The answer is clearly no, in my opinion. There will be temporary disruptions in supply chains, and losses in industries (like the airlines) where business will be down for a while. But those losses dont signal any important underlying weaknesses (unlike, for example, the absurdly overpriced tech stocks circa 2000 and the financial crisis of 2008). They will be temporary, and in all likelihood short-lived. Longer term, the coronavirus will benefit the U.S. economy. The virus has demonstrated that President Trump was right all along: outsourcing a huge percentage of our manufacturing capacity to China was dumb. It was especially dumb with regard to pharmaceuticals. But with regard to any non-trinket product, Chinas low wage rates are at best a dubious trade-off against low productivity, low qualityI could write a book about thistransportation costs, and unforeseeable disruptions associated with a primitive and autocratic society, like coronavirus. The trend toward bringing manufacturing back to the U.S. was already underway, but it will accelerate and become permanent as a result of the coronavirus. That is a good thing, for us. A year or two from now, I think this months stock market decline will be more or less forgotten. The real question, I suppose, is whether it will be forgotten by November. I think so, but that is a closer question. Along these lines, Richard Rahn, chairman of the Institute for Global Economic Growth, writes in the Washington Times: Fears of negative impact on U.S. GDP due to coronavirus overstated. Some have argued that the trade disruption caused by the coronavirus puts the U.S. economy in grave danger. These fears are overstated. Exports are about 11.7 percent of U.S. GDP, and imports are equal to about 14.5 percent of GDP, and much of this trade (goods and services) is likely to be little affected by the virus. *** Keeping in mind the above caveats, our biggest trading partners are Mexico and Canada, closely followed by China, with Japan, the U.K. and Germany in 4th, 5th and 6th places. These six countries account for more than 51 percent of total U.S. trade, and the top 15 countries account for almost 75 percent. Last year, the United States exported more to the U.K. than to Germany. If the proposed free trade agreement is concluded with the newly independent U.K., it is likely that it will uphold as the new 5th largest U.S. trading partner, replacing Germany in the long run. *** Most experts expect China to have negative economic growth this quarter, which will depress demand for U.S. exports, but the new trade agreement does obligate China to buy more agricultural products from the United States. U.S. imports from China will almost certainly fall, both because of supply chain problems within China due to the coronavirus, and Chinese companies credit problems, as well the scramble by U.S. companies to find alternative sources of supply. The long-standing U.S. trade deficit in oil and gas has been eliminated due to the brilliant engineering and risk-taking by U.S. oilmen who gave us the fracking revolution. We still import some oil but export a lot of natural gas, so it is largely a wash in terms of the economy. If oil prices fall, U.S. consumers will benefit, and if they rise, U.S. producers will benefit. [Ed.: They are falling, at the moment.] So, finally: In sum, the negative impact on U.S. GDP, because of trade disruptions caused by the coronavirus, is likely to be very manageable. Some export markets will be lost, but these will be partially offset by lower prices of foreign-sourced raw materials and components, and finished products. The AI (artificial intelligence) revolution will reduce the comparative advantage of many foreign sellers to the United States, in turn, giving the U.S. economy a boost as more domestic production capability is created. I am pretty certain that in less than ten years, coronavirus will be seen as a turning point that favored the U.S. economy over that of China and perhaps other third-world countries. Lets hope that becomes clear by the Fall. Regulatory News: CARMAT (Paris:ALCAR) (FR0010907956, ALCAR), the designer and developer of the world's most advanced total artificial heart, aiming to provide a therapeutic alternative for people suffering from end-stage biventricular heart failure, today announces that it has reached a major milestone by achieving record individual support of 2 years with its bioprosthesis within the framework of the PIVOTAL study. Stephane Piat, Chief Executive Officer of CARMAT, comments: "This is major news today for CARMAT. Indeed, within the context of the clinical development, we assess both the efficacy and the safety of our bioprosthesis, of which the durability is a decisive factor for patients. Passing two-year period of individual functioning is very encouraging, and confirms the capacity of our device to provide long-term support, which is one of our two key objectives along with that of being a bridge to a heart transplant." About CARMAT: the world's most advanced total artificial heart project A credible response to end-stage heart failure: CARMAT aims to eventually provide a response to a major public health issue associated with heart disease, the world's leading cause of death: chronic and acute heart failure. By pursuing the development of its total artificial heart, composed of the implantable bioprosthesis and its portable external power supply system to which it is connected, CARMAT intends to overcome the well-known shortfall in heart transplants for the tens of thousands of people suffering from irreversible end-stage heart failure, the most seriously affected of the 20 million patients with this progressive disease in Europe and the United States. The result of combining two types of unique expertise: the medical expertise of Professor Carpentier, known throughout the world for inventing Carpentier-Edwards heart valves, which are the most used in the world, and the technological expertise of Airbus Group, world aerospace leader. The first physiological artificial heart: given its size, the use of highly biocompatible materials, its unique self-regulation system and its pulsatile nature, the CARMAT total artificial heart could, assuming the clinical trials are successful, potentially save the lives of thousands of patients each year with no risk of rejection and with a good quality of life. A project leader acknowledged at a European level: with the backing of the European Commission, CARMAT has been granted the largest subsidy ever given to an SME by Bpifrance; a total of 33 million. Strongly committed, prestigious founders and shareholders: Matra Defense SAS (subsidiary of the Airbus Group), Professor Alain Carpentier, the Centre Chirurgical Marie Lannelongue, Truffle Capital, a leading European venture capital firm, ALIAD (Air Liquide's venture capital investor), CorNovum (an investment holding company held 50-50 by Bpifrance and the French State), the family offices of Pierre Bastid (Lohas), of Dr. Antonino Ligresti (Sante Holdings S.R.L.), of the Gaspard family (Corely Belgium SPRL and Bratya SPRL) and of M. Pierre-Edouard Sterin (BAD 21 SPRL), Groupe Therabel as well as the thousands of institutional and individual shareholders who have placed their trust in CARMAT. For more information: www.carmatsa.com Libelle: CARMAT ISIN: FR0010907956 Mnemonique: ALCAR DISCLAIMER This press release and the information contained herein do not constitute an offer to sell or subscribe to, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe to, shares in CARMAT ("the Company") in any country. This press release contains forward-looking statements that relate to the Company's objectives. Such forward-looking statements are based solely on the current expectations and assumptions of the Company's management and involve risk and uncertainties. Potential risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, whether the Company will be successful in implementing its strategies, whether there will be continued growth in the relevant market and demand for the Company's products, new products or technological developments introduced by competitors, and risks associated with managing growth. The Company's objectives as mentioned in this press release may not be achieved for any of these reasons or due to other risks and uncertainties. No guarantee can be given as to any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements, which are subject to inherent risks, including those described in the Document de Reference registration document filed with the Autorite des Marches Financiers under number D.19-0135 on March 12, 2019, as well as changes in economic conditions, the financial markets or the markets in which CARMAT operates. In particular, no guarantee can be given concerning the Company's ability to finalize the development, validation and industrialization of the prosthesis and the equipment required for its use, to manufacture the prostheses, satisfy the requirements of the ANSM, enroll patients, obtain satisfactory clinical results, perform the clinical trials and tests required for CE marking and to obtain the CE mark. CARMAT products are currently exclusively used within the framework of clinical trials. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005726/en/ Contacts: CARMAT Stephane Piat Directeur General Pascale d'Arbonneau Directrice Administrative et Financiere Tel.: 01 39 45 64 50 contact@carmatsas.com Alize RP Relations Presse Caroline Carmagnol Tel.: 06 64 18 99 59 carmat@alizerp.com NewCap Communication financiere et Relations Investisseurs Dusan Oresansky Alexia Faure Tel.: 01 44 71 94 94 carmat@newcap.eu Belfast's St Patrick's Day parade has been cancelled as a precaution due to concerns over the spread of coronavirus. The parade and concert had been due to attract thousands to the streets next Tuesday. Belfast City Council confirmed the decision last night, just a few hours after Ireland's biggest parade in Dublin and another in Cork were also called off. Lord Mayor of Belfast Daniel Baker said: "Our St Patrick's Day celebrations are always hugely anticipated and a great day out for people right across the city, so it's obviously very disappointing that this year's event will not go ahead as planned. "The decision to postpone this year's event has been taken as a precaution given members' and the public's concern around coronavirus." While Mr Baker used the word "postpone" in making the announcement, council later confirmed that there were no plans to reschedule the event to a future date. Read More More than 500,000 people are expected to travel to Ireland for St Patrick's Day parades and festivals. Meanwhile, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has warned that more than half of the population in the Republic could contract Covid-19, as the government unveiled a 430m financial aid package to tackle the crisis. On Monday two more cases of Covid-19 were confirmed, bringing the total number to 21. At a press briefing in Dublin on Monday on the spread of Covid-19, Mr Varadkar said: "What we have seen from other countries and what we have seen from what is available at the moment, is that we could easily have 50 or 60% of our population contracting Covid-19. "For the vast majority of the population this will be a mild illness and may even by asymptomatic. "However, there will be a significant part of the population who will require critical care. A percentage that we don't honestly know yet - it could be 1% or 3% - mortality. "We just don't know that with any degree of certainty. It is not the kind of thing we have seen in a very long time." Mr Varadkar said he thinks the health system "will cope as best as possible", but would struggle if the virus was to spread rapidly. "This won't be an ordinary situation. If you consider the numbers of people who could become very ill, even if the health service was twice the size it is now, we will struggle," he said. "Money that would have been set aside for a hard Brexit is being put aside for Covid-19." Mr Varadkar added that the 430m will be allocated to provide additional staff and capacity in the health service to deal with the virus. The superintendent in one New Hampshire school district cancelled school Monday as a precaution because an employee was advised to self-quarantine after travelling on a bus with a person diagnosed with the coronavirus. Superintendent Susan Givens in Newmarket sent a letter to parents Sunday night. Givens said the employee, who isnt a teacher, was contacted by the Centers for Disease Control Prevention. The agency asked the employee to self-quarantine because she travelled on a bus with a person who was just diagnosed with the coronavirus. Givens said, Presence on a bus does not mean that this employee was exposed to the virus. Givens said that neither the school employee nor her family are experiencing symptoms and that the self-quarantine is just a precautionary measure. I feel that it is important to take this precaution for the health and peace of mind for all members of our learning community, Givens said. She said more information would be provided. The district has an elementary school and a junior-senior high school. State public health officials said Sunday they are monitoring about 150 people after the number of positive coronavirus cases in the state doubled to four. Amid the unprecedented coronavirus outbreak, the Florida Department of Health reported a new positive case on March 10, taking the total number of confirmed cases in the state to 15. According to reports, the new confirmed case is a 69-year-old woman in South Florida's Broward County and she is going to remain in isolation 'until cleared by public health officials'. Currently, the United States has 729 coronavirus patients and the deadly virus has claimed 27 lives in the country. According to reports, Washington DC also confirmed three more people positive of coronavirus. Media reports further suggest that one of the patients who tested positive for COVID-19 visited Christ Church in Georgetown, where a rector had tested positive earlier. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday also asked people who visited the church on February 24, or between February 28 and March 3 to self-quarantine themselves as a precaution. READ: WB: Rabindra Bhavan Museum, Bangladesh Bhavan Closed Amid Coronavirus Concerns New York has also declared a state of emergency which forced the suspension of schools and colleges in the state. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on March 7 declared the state of emergency to help New York quickly and effectively contain the spread of the virus. According to an international media outlet, the state of emergency will allow expedited procurement of cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer, and other essential resources. READ: Coronavirus Affects All German States, Total In The Country Reaches 1,139 'Perfectly coordinated' While the NY Governor has also criticised the Trump administration over its handling of the coronavirus crisis, Trump, on Sunday, said that his administration has a perfectly coordinated and fine-tuned plan to combat the outbreak. He also lauded Vice President Mike Pence who is spearheading the combat efforts. Trump, in his tweet, also slammed the ''Fake News Media'' and blamed them for making his government look bad in public eyes. Meanwhile, as of now, eight states in the US have declared an emergency in response to coronavirus which includes Washington, Florida, California, Kentucky, New York, Maryland, Utah and Oregon. Governor Kate Brown was the latest to declare emergency as he put Oregon under emergency on March 8. Virginia and Connecticut reported their first cases on March 8. READ: UK Expert: 20% Of Population Could Contract Coronavirus READ: Holi Festival Subdued In India Over Coronavirus Concerns PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-10 18:55:36 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 950 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2020 / Lucky Minerals Inc. (TSXV:LKY)(OTC:LKMNF)(FRA:LKY)("Lucky" or the "Company") announces the results of its Annual General and Special Meeting of Shareholders which was held on March 5, 2020 (the "Meeting"). The Shareholders approved each resolution as presented and set out in the Information Circular that was sent to the Company's Shareholders and filed on SEDAR on February 7, 2020.The following resolutions were approved and passed by Shareholders at the Meeting:a) Approval of Meeting Notice, Management Information Circular, Form of Proxy, Voting Instruction Form, and request for annual and interim financial statements.b) Approval, and appointment of, Dale Matheson Carr-Hilton Labonte LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants, as the Company's auditors for the ensuing year.c) Set the number of Directors for the ensuing year at five (5) and to elect the following individuals to the Board of Directors: Adrian Rothwell, Joao Carrelo, Robert Rosner, Shaun Dykes, and Francois Perron. Mr. Stuart Greene did not stand for re-election. The Company wishes to thank Mr. Greene for his dedicated service and contribution as a Director during his tenure, and the Board of Directors, along with management, wish him all the best in his future endeavours.d) Ratify the Company's rolling 10% stock option plan.e) Seek disinterested Shareholder approval pertaining to the second closing of a shares for debt transaction with certain creditors, directors, and officers of the Company to settle an aggregate of $114,057 of debt through the issuance of 2,281,144 common shares of the Company at a deemed price of $0.05 per share.f) Continuation of the Company under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) and adoption of new articles.In addition to the matters related to the aforementioned Meeting, the Company also announces that, effective March 5, 2020, Mr. Sebastian Tang resigned as Chief Financial Officer. Robert Rosner, Director, has been appointed as interim Chief Financial Officer to replace Mr. Tang until such time as a permanent individual is appointed to the position. The Company also wishes to clarify the hold period relating to the closing of the private placement announced in February. Common shares and warrants issued in that transaction are subject to a four month and one day hold period expiring June 25th, 2020 and not June 13th, 2020 as initially published.About LuckyLucky is an 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. Lucky has a memorandum of understanding on Fortuna with First Quantum Minerals Ltd. ("First Quantum") whereby First Quantum is able to earn up to 70% of copper targets. The Emigrant Creek Project covers a 15 km2 area in an intensely altered and mineralized porphyry copper-gold-molybdenum system in southern Montana.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, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological or operational difficulties or inability to obtain permits encountered in connection with exploration activities; and labor relations matters. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect the Company's forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations also include risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators.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 the Company. 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 the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by Canadian securities law.SOURCE: Lucky Minerals Inc. 3 1 of 3 Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 3 of 3 NEW HAVEN The Department of Public Health directed nursing and convalescent homes to restrict visitation Monday due to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus. Effective immediately, the restrictions permit visitors to enter these facilities only if the person who is residing at one of these facilities is in hospice or end-of-life care and the visitors are wearing proper personal protective equipment, officials with Gov. Ned Lamonts office said in announcing the decision. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2020) -Burcon NutraScience Corporation (TSX: BU) (OTCQB: BUROF), a global technology leader in the development of plant-based proteins, will participate at the 32nd Annual ROTH Conference being held March 15 - 17, 2020 at the Ritz Carlton in Dana Point, California. Burcon is scheduled to hold one-on-one meetings on March 17th. Management will meet with registered participants and discuss the company's business opportunities in plant-based meat and dairy alternatives, including its recently established joint venture partnership Merit Functional Foods, and Merit's state-of-the-art plant protein production facility currently under construction. For additional information or to schedule a one-on-one meeting with Burcon management, please contact your ROTH representative. To learn more about ROTH Capital Partners and the 32nd Annual ROTH Conference, please visit www.roth.com. About Burcon NutraScience Corporation Burcon is a global technology leader in the development of plant-based proteins. With over 280 issued patents and more than 260 additional patent applications, developed over a span of more than twenty years, Burcon has grown an extensive portfolio of composition, application, and process patents covering novel plant-based proteins derived from pea, canola, soy, hemp, sunflower seed and more. In 2019, Merit Functional Foods Corporation was established in a joint venture by Burcon and three veteran food industry executives. Merit Foods is building a state-of-the-art protein production facility in Manitoba, Canada, where it will produce, under license, Burcon's novel pea and canola protein ingredients. For more information visit www.burcon.ca. The TSX has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy of the content of the information contained herein. This press release contains forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements or forward-looking information involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performances, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward- looking statements or forward-looking information can be identified by words such as "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "goal," "project," "estimate," "expect," "believe", "future," "likely," "may," "should," "could", "will" and similar references to future periods. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding expectations, intentions and plans contained in this press release. 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 or information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Burcon's plans and expectations include the actual results of business negotiations, marketing activities, adverse general economic, market or business conditions, regulatory changes and other risks and factors detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by Burcon with securities regulators and stock exchanges, including in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Burcon's annual information form dated July 2, 2019 filed with the Canadian securities administrators on www.sedar.com. Any forward-looking statement or information only speaks as of the date on which it was made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, Burcon disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Although Burcon believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and accordingly, investors should not rely on such statements. Investor Contact: Paul Lam Manager, Business Development Burcon NutraScience Corporation Tel (604) 733-0896, Toll-free (888) 408-7960 plam@burcon.ca www.burcon.ca Media Contact: Steve Campbell, APR President Campbell & Company Public Relations Tel (604) 888-5267 TECH@CCOM-PR.COM To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/53289 ALBUQUERQUE, N.M -- It might not start a fashion trend, but Sandia National Laboratories is designing a wearable brain imager. The National Institutes of Health has granted Sandia $6 million to build the prototype medical device that would make magnetoencephalography (MEG) -- a type of noninvasive brain scan -- more comfortable, more accessible and potentially more accurate. "This is the future of MEG," said Sandia MEG scientist Amir Borna, lead author on a paper describing the proposed system recently in the journal PLOS ONE. Physicians use MEG to locate the sources of epilepsy, and researchers use it to study brain development, Alzheimer's disease and stroke. But the procedure requires a person to hold still for long periods under a rigid, helmet-like dome, which can be difficult for children, people with chronic pain and people with motor disorders, such as Parkinson's disease. "The goal is to expand the number of clinical indications for which MEG may inform clinical care," said Julia Stephen, director of the MEG core lab at the Albuquerque-based Mind Research Network, a division of Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, and an advisor on the project. According to Stephen, who is also a professor of translational neuroscience, a wearable device would give patients freedom to relax and move into comfortable positions during the procedure, enabling more people to be tested and eliminating differences in data between patient groups. Because the signal measured from the brain decreases with distance and the new system would fit closer than a one-size-fits-all helmet, measurements are expected to be more accurate for children. Sandia's Peter Schwindt, the project's principal investigator, said what prevented this in the past was that superconducting sensors were used, requiring containers of liquid helium. The cryogenic hardware forces designers of these systems to fix the sensors into place. But Sandia is using alternative sensor technology that works at room temperature, eliminating liquid helium and the rigid design requirements it imposes. Quantum sensors as accurate as commercial technology In the recent paper, the Sandia team showed its system, based on a kind of quantum sensor called an optically pumped magnetometer, or OPM, pinpoints brain signals with the same accuracy as a commercial, superconductor-based machine. Measurements made by each system were less than a centimeter apart. This research was also funded by NIH. "We have demonstrated a functional brain-imaging system using our quantum sensors that is as reliable as a commercial superconductor-based system," Borna said. Borna credits the cross-disciplinary resources of a national laboratory to achieve the sensor's high accuracy. The Sandia team designed, built and calibrated their sensors in-house, rather than buying commercial ones. Information travels through the brain by electrical currents. Sandia's sensor uses a laser to turn rubidium gas into a tiny cloud of atomic magnets that, when in a magnetic field, spin like tops. With Sandia's current apparatus, a patch of these sensors is placed directly against a person's head inside a magnetically shielded tube resembling an MRI. Then, a second laser measures changes in each cloud to infer a naturally occurring but barely perceptible magnetic field immediately outside a person's head, created by the electrical currents in the brain. Finally, the magnetic field map is inverted to give the location of brain activity. In the future, wearable version, more than 20 sensors will map the magnetic field over a portion of the brain, and the array will be housed inside a magnetically shielded room instead of a tube to allow the subject to move. "We are working to redesign our sensors and then scale up from six sensors to 27 sensors to give 108 OPM channels around the head," Schwindt said. "We will essentially remake the whole system." ### Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. Sandia Labs has major research and development responsibilities in nuclear deterrence, global security, defense, energy technologies and economic competitiveness, with main facilities in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Livermore, California. Research reported in this news release was supported by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering of the National Institutes of Health under award numbers R01EB013302 and R56EB013302. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. As coronavirus risks throw Hollywood for a loop, "Bloodshot" and "Fast and Furious" star Vin Diesel says "we need movies now more than than ever." https://t.co/lQ8PV0nL2J USA TODAY Life (@usatodaylife) March 7, 2020 That line is in reference to both NO TIME TO DIE and MY SPY being pushed back. (*Again, as it was originally supposed to come out Feb. 21st) Spies can't handle a virus, but a super soldier can.In light of global Coronavirus issues, during promotion for BLOODSHOT (Already out in Italy...opens in the US This Friday), when asked if the film would be delayed* Let me put it to you this way: 'Bloodshot' at the end of the day is a soldier and a soldier doesn't decide or pick when or where he's deployed. We're going to go in, he said. As a producer on the film, he has money invested into it. He's still asking Sony to let him go to China to promote it.He doesn't blame anyone for thinking it's a risky move, so why release it now?I guess the human population is right up there with the cinematic experience under the 'Things Being Threatened' list. School-leavers reveal the sharp eye they keep on future job opportunities with a surge in CAO applications for courses in the Stem areas of science, technology, engineering and maths, as well as post-primary teaching. Traditional professions such as law and dentistry have also seen a big rise in demand, although interest in medicine is flat, according to a breakdown of CAO applications for college entry in September. Application trends by fields of study show how closely school-leavers heed economic forecasts and promises of employment certainty in particular sectors. The upward swing in some disciplines is in contrast to a fall in areas, including arts, where career paths may not be as well defined, and journalism, where the wane in popularity can be linked to the significant disruption in the industry. The trends provide an indication of where there may be increased pressure to secure a place this year, as CAO points are determined by demand, and if it goes up, the points often also rise. On the other hand, a drop in interest for a particular area can be a boon for students, who can benefit from a year-on-year fall in cut-off points. In a year when overall demand is flat, the well publicised shortages of post-primary teachers has fuelled a 10pc rise in first preferences. Demand for honours degree courses in maths and physical sciences is up by 10pc and 8pc, respectively, while engineering is up 6pc. Technology course applications are down 5pc, but many of these are categorised under engineering. Architecture/construction is up 8pc, reflecting ongoing confidence in the building sector. In health, nursing and midwifery is down, largely due to the drop in mature applicants, while physiotherapy and pharmacy are up 8pc and 4pc, respectively. As well as arts, which is down 5pc, others seeing a decline in interest are agriculture (-5pc) and veterinary (-3pc). The CAO received 72,973 applications by the February 1 main deadline, a decrease of 61 (-0.1pc ) on last year. The Brexit influence can be seen in the 6pc drop in applications from Britain, although there is a 4pc rise from Northern Ireland. While overall CAO demand is unchanged, that can be largely attributed to a 7pc decline in mature student applications, down 560 to 7,273, as well as a dip in applications from post-Leaving Cert (PLC) course graduates. Leaving Cert candidates, who account for the overwhelming number of CAO applicants in any year, are on the rise and so too is the level of application from this cohort, ensuring keen competition for many courses. The CAO breakdown also highlights the widening gap in interest between Level 8 honours degree courses compared with the Level 7/6, ordinary degree/higher certificate, courses. Honours degree courses remain far more popular, with 63,378 first preferences, although down 1.5pc it compares with 26,910 first preferences for Level 7/6 courses, down 3.5pc. New openings in apprenticeships/traineeships are providing an alternative route to a qualification and career for many, while, at a time of full employment, there are many opportunities for PLC graduates as well as those who may otherwise return to college as mature students. The figures need to be treated with caution for a number of reasons, including the 6,428 applicants, who have not yet entered any courses choices. That is 1,077 higher than last year and, when they list their preferences, as they can do in the change-of-mind period, the picture will change. Indeed, any applicant can add, remove or re-order course choices between May and July - and about half usually do. Also, overall disciplinary trends do not necessarily reflect demand for individual courses. For instance, against an average 2pc drop in first preferences for honours degree business courses, at Maynooth University, Business is up 19pc, while at UCD commerce is up 13pc. Other programmes at Maynooth that have seen an above average increase in first preferences include engineering, up 40pc. Blythe Spirit Duke of York's Theatre, London Verdict: Almost fabulous hocus pocus Rating: Jennifer Saunders, as a Noel Coward-penned mystic dressed like the Queen on a weekend shoot, is mathematically certain to make you laugh. Although in the interval, the lady next to me did coo: 'Oh, Victoria Wood's very good isn't she?' I didn't have the heart to correct her. It's a decent comedy seance, but not that good. Coward bashed out Blithe Spirit a chatty romantic comedy with a twist of the occult in seven days while on holiday. It was a wartime distraction in 1941, and a jolly Covid-19 distraction in 2020. Jennifer Saunders, pictured, plays Madam Arcati in Noel Coward's 1941 farce Blythe Spirit You'll get his trademark wit, with ectoplasm and ghosts ('My wife's funeral exhausted her!'). Two couples four non-believers invite Madame Arcati (Saunders) round for dinner, essentially to laugh at her as she strokes her crystal ball and howls into the night. But would you believe it, she actually ends up summoning the dead ex-wife of Charles (Geoffrey Streatfeild, giving us standard panto-style Coward). Cue farce, attempts to convince people of what's happening, and to banish the undead ex back whence she came. It's beautifully silly. 'How could having cheese for lunch account for my having seen my deceased wife after dinner?' 'Well it was very rich,' is the reply. The cast in this production, first seen at Bath's Theatre Royal last year, puts in a decent shift, giving us taut Forties accents and loud expressions. But it doesn't quite lift the play's baggy bits. Director Richard Eyre could have taken a pair of scissors to at least 30 of the two hours and 30 minute running time, and the attempts at stage trickery were pretty amateur. The cast in this production, first seen at Bath's Theatre Royal last year, puts in a decent shift, giving us taut Forties accents and loud expressions Saunders certainly carries the night, but doesn't make her entrance for a good while. Once on stage, she's at full throttle: twitching and licking her lips after gags and throwing herself into brilliantly ludicrous 'trances'. At one point she's upside down on the sofa, bloomers blatantly exposed. Simple glances had the crowd honking. Lisa Dillon, as the frustrated second wife Ruth, adds much-needed comic value with her skittish eyes and hands, as does Rose Wardlaw, playing the maid who stomps and smashes around the house like a toddler. Her scenes with Saunders are up to French and Saunders standard. Productions of this play come round as quickly as seasonal flus. Angela Lansbury gave a stonkingly good turn not long ago, and in two months Dame Judi Dench will give it a go on film. If you haven't seen it already, perhaps don't start here. Advertisement A thirsty giraffe appeared to be doing the splits in order to get a drink from a watering hole. The adult male, which roams freely at Zimanga Nature Reserve in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, was spotted having a slurp at a man-made dam designed to blend into the environment. Due to his long neck, the 15ft-tall giraffe had to awkwardly shuffle his front legs to lower his body enough to get close to the water source. This adult male giraffe, which roams freely at Zimanga Nature Reserve in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa, was spotted having a slurp at a man-made dam The images were captured by photographer Steve Roos, who was able to lie down on the ground just metres in front of the long-limbed animal The private game reserve has around ten wildlife-rich hides which are specifically adapted for photographers to snap away without causing distress in the majestic beasts' natural habitat The dam is supplemented with water from within the hide as the animals drink or splash it out while taking a bath The images were captured by photographer Steve Roos, who was able to lie down on the ground just metres in front of the long-limbed animal. The private game reserve has around ten wildlife-rich hides which are specifically adapted for photographers to snap away without causing distress in the majestic beasts' natural habitat. The dam is supplemented with water from within the hide as the animals drink or splash it out while taking a bath. Giraffes are extremely vulnerable while drinking as they have to get down into a crouching position. This means getting up quickly in the event of danger is not easy. Fortunately, giraffes only need to drink once every few days as they can get most of their water from the plants they eat. Giraffes only need to drink once every few days as they can get most of their water from the plants they eat Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made their final appearance as the 'senior royals' at the annual Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined Queen Elizabeth and other members of the British Royal family on March 9 for the annual event which was held at the church in central London. The event was the last time that the couple worked alongside the entire Windsor clan before their exit which takes effect on March 31. READ: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Join Queen For Church Service Before Royal Exit In the televised event, Meghan was seen wearing an emerald Emilia Wickstead dress, cape and hat by William Chambers for the occasion. At the event, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were seated behind Prince William and his wife, Kate. The Commonwealth Service was also the first time Meghan and Prince Harry appeared in public with the royal family since their big announcement in January. On March 8, the couple also joined the Queen for a church service in Windsor. The service was the first time Meghan and the Queen met face-to-face since the big announcement. Prince Harry and Meghan had reportedly returned to the United Kingdom last week for their 'farewell tour'. The couple recently also attended the Mountbatten Festival of Music where they sat in the royal box. At the event, they even received a long round of applause and a standing ovation from the audience. Now that their final official duty as senior royals came to an end, they are all set for the 'royal exit' at the end of this month. READ: UK Royals Set For Last Get-together Before Prince Harry And Meghans Exit Assistance to cease On January 8, Meghan and Harry announced that they were stepping back as senior royals and will move to North America with their son Archie to live a financially independent life. The royals are currently living in Canada as they prepare to drop their titles and quit monarchy. Meanwhile, the federal government has also confirmed on February 27 that Canada will soon stop providing security for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. According to international media reports, it was the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) that has been providing assistance to the couple since their arrival in Canada 'intermittently since November 2019'. After March 31, the couple will no longer carry out duties on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II. However, these arrangements will be reportedly reviewed after 12 months. READ: Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Get Standing Ovation At Music Festival READ: Prince Harry, Meghan To Appear Together For The First Time Since January B ill Gates has teamed up with the London-based Wellcome Trust to pledge up to $100 million (77 million) to develop coronavirus treatments. The Covid-19 Therapeutics Accelerator project will focus on new and repurposed drugs that can be used straight away to treat patients. No antiviral drugs or other immune system treatments have yet been approved to treat Covid-19. Last week Mr Gates, right, co-founder of Microsoft, said promising efforts were being made to find vaccines ready for larger-scale trials as early as June. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust are each contributing up to $50 million, while the Mastercard Impact Fund has committed up to $25 million for initial projects. The money is intended to ensure that treatments will be available in poor countries and affordable for individuals. Mark Suzman, chief executive of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said: Viruses like Covid-19 spread rapidly, but the development of vaccines and treatments to stop them moves slowly. If we want to make the world safe from outbreaks like Covid-19, particularly for those most vulnerable, we need to make research and development move faster. Youre scared now, arent you? Youre not the only one. The coronavirus crisis has shocked the old political establishment into action after a month of stasis around forming a government. After almost a century of Civil War politics, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have been forced together by circumstances unforeseen this time a month ago as the final general election counts rolled in. The escalation of the Covid-19 crisis is unprecedented and has the potential to be the single biggest global game-changer in modern history since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Showing every sign of escalating in line with the trends already seen in Italy, it will affect every aspect of our daily lives. A health service few enough have confidence in to deal with any expected intensification of activity, as evidenced during the annual winter flu A&E trolley saga, will now be put to the test in more extreme circumstances. Up to 1.9 million people being infected in some way by the coronavirus isnt even a worst case scenario. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar admits if the worst projections on the coronavirus outbreak come true, it would be not like anything weve experienced in our living memory. He estimated that 50pc to 60pc of people in the country could easily contract the virus. Theres a lot about this virus that we dont yet know, but it is possible that we are facing events that are unprecedented in modern times. The virus cant be stopped, but it can be slowed, he said in his own moment of epiphany this week. An economy, which is one of the most globalised in the world, by its nature will inevitably be impacted upon by this sudden shock to international business, manufacturing, trade, transport. The impact doesnt discern between workers in small businesses or multi-nationals. The way of the world has been thrown off its axis for God knows how long. Read More Brexit now looks like a minor diplomatic disagreement. After spending the past four years arguing there couldnt be any border on the island of Ireland, we already have politicians talking about restricting travel to our island from affected countries, even within the EU. The introduction of some form of health checks at airports cant be far behind. Inconceivable a few months ago, free and democratic European countries are now imposing draconian restrictions on their citizens. The lockdown in Italy is the start of a row-back on regular civil rights we take for granted in the western world. The closure of schools and cancellation of events is only the start. The crisis showed the futility of the political blockage that took no account of the urgency of the coronavirus situation. The Taoiseach and the likely next Taoiseach werent showing sufficient levels of urgency to form a government with a democratic mandate. Patience was running out within their own parties and the public at large. If they didnt get their heads out of the sand, there were others lining up to step into the breach. The Government blithely dismissed calls for a national government involving all parties to see the country through the crisis. Pointing out there was a government in place was a mark of arrogance. Sinn Fein leader Mary-Lou McDonald pushed the agenda on saying a caretaker government couldnt take any decisions. All of the main parties need to be involved at a centralised level in this decision-making process, she said at the weekend, seeking an urgent meeting of party leaders to assess the situation. The public needed assurances that the plans in place are adequate to contain the coronavirus and to deal with this public health emergency - and mixed messages about leadership were not helping. Within Fianna Fail, Jim O'Callaghan performed a political contortion worthy of Cirque du Soleil as he opened the door to a coalition with Sinn Fein. I think we need a government quickly. If its a national government, Id go along with that. We said before the last election that we wouldnt go in with Sinn Fein. Maybe we were too definitive about that, but we said it, we said the same about Fine Gael. However, I think we all need to get together to try to establish a government. Not only did he backflip on his own trenchant opposition to Sinn Fein, he directly contradicted party leader Micheal Martin's position. The alarm bells went off in the Fianna Fail hierarchy. Martin was living on borrowed time if he couldnt get Varadkar to signal there would be substantive talks. The Coronavirus has forced everyones hands, a senior party source said. The pair met on Monday and the signs were positive. Now they have agreed to start in-depth, detailed talks and Varadkar has appointed a negotiating team. Both leaders are acutely aware of the enormous challenges facing the country, particularly with the onset of Covid 19, a statement from Fine Gael and Fianna Fail said. Decisions will need to be made in the coming month that need a government in power with the authority to make necessary choices. Varadkar has his cover for cutting short the time being afforded to Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein to form a government and moving towards what he had said was a last resort. Now, once again, it seems we are needed to stand by the State and our Republic, he said in a memo to his membership. Both parties will also continue discussions with the Green Party, the third wheel of the coalition. Theres still a ways to go before this government is formed. Notably, the Civil War parties are saying they enter the talks as equal partners determined to develop proposals which will serve the interests of the people of Ireland. The national interest prevails. And its more than a soundbite this time. Thiruvananthapuram: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on monday thanked PM Narendra Modi for extending birthday wishes to him in malayalam. "Thank you, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for this elaborate birthday greeting in shudh sahitya Malayalam! Am touched by your thoughtfulness," Tharoor tweeted with a picture of the letter from Modi. Thank you @narendramodi & @PMOIndia for this elaborate birthday greeting in shudh sahitya Malayalam! Am touched by your thoughtfulness. pic.twitter.com/UJX7D0092L Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) March 9, 2020 In another tweet, the Congress MP also posted its translation, that reads, Translation: My heartfelt wishes on yr birthday. I wish for yr coming days to be filled w/happiness&prosperity. Wish u peace, comfort&luck on yr birthday. I sincerely wish u continue to commit the many years of yr experience in public life,& yr scholarship, for nation-building. https://t.co/ONfZAF511m Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) March 9, 2020 Tharoor, who is an MP from Thiruvananthapuram, turned 64 on march 9. Unfortunately, it appears that the Judge Evans findings are wrong. In a recently released empirical study, we carefully review Judge Evans sanguine conclusions about whether crime increased. His conclusions rely on comparing felony defendants released in the 15 months before and after the changes, tabulating the number of new crimes charged against the before group compared with the after group. But a serious problem exists in his calculations, as important investigative reporting from the Chicago Tribune first pointed out. Judge Evans report collected crime data on defendants in the before group for an average of 243 days but artificially truncated the period for collecting crime data on the after group to just 154 days. It is well known that to have an apples-to-apples comparison of recidivism rates, it is necessary to observe defendants in both groups for the same length of time. Less time observed, fewer crimes committed an obvious defect. Cong accuses BJP of using Tek Fog app to propagate agenda on SM, seeks intervention by SC BJP set to pull out all stops in UP, SP main contender After Karnataka - Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan to witness BJP's Saffronisation? India oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P New Delhi, Mar 10: It looks like the BJP is on a run to retain its power from all the states it lost to form the government. In 2019, HD Kumaraswamy-led Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka fell apart after 17 disgruntled MLAs from the two parties withdrew their support from the ruling state government. Now, in Madhya Pradesh, 19 disgruntled MLAs from Kamal Nath's government have tendered their resignation to their party. In these two states, Karnataka's coalition government lost in trust vote where BJP's BS Yediyurappa formed the government. In Madhya Pradesh, the floor test is likely to be conducted on March 16, 2020. If Kamal Nath fails to prove his majority, he should make way for the BJP to form the government in the state. However, there are two other states left for the BJP to wave its flag. First, Maharashtra and second, Rajasthan. Will Scindia join the BJP or float a regional outfit on his fathers birth anniversary? In Maharashtra 2019 assembly election, the Shiv Sena (56 seats), Congress (44 seats) and Nationalist Congress Party (54 seats) joined hands to form the government after the BJP bagged 105 seats in the 288-Assembly constituencies. The magic number to form the government in Maharashtra was 145. With BJP having less number of seats to prove its majority, it left the Congress, Shiv Sena and NCP to form the government. But, in Rajasthan, the Congress made a clean sweep of 99 seats out of the 200 Assembly seats. BJP received 73 seats leaving Congress leader Ashok Gehlot to take oath as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan. With these two states in mind, it can be seen that India's single-largest party is all set to conquer these two states as well in the coming days. " " Reed diffusers usually use rattan sticks that have small channels to allow the essential oil to travel up the stick and spread the aroma around the room. Carol Yepes/Getty Images Although incense and candles are still around, there's no denying the stronghold that essential oils have on today's aromatically inclined society. Whether they're used to "treat" an ailment or simply make a room smell nice, they seem to be just about everywhere. Although essential oils date way back to ancient Egypt, their modern surge started to occur in the 1970s when more people became interested in natural medicine. Today, mega-manufacturers like Young Living and doTERRA offer a variety of oils rumored to cure just about every ailment out there. But the million-dollar question is, are oils and the diffusers used to emit them safe? First, it's important to know that oils can be applied directly to the skin, or via a diffuser to perfume the surrounding air. If you're going the latter route, there are many types of diffusers to choose from, including ceramic, reed, electric and ultrasonic diffusers. They all function differently, but the end result is that they aerosolize the oils, meaning that they're turned into a fine spray in the air. Here's where the question of safety gets sticky the effect of essential oils varies from person to person. "In general, oil diffusers are safe. Their risk of harm is mostly limited to superficial things related to device function, such as burns and minor allergic reaction," explains Dr. Eric Lee, a general practitioner based in St Louis, Missouri, with InvigorMedical via email. "The FDA [Food and Drug Administration] has labelled essential oils as GRAS (generally recognized as safe)." Advertisement Oil Diffuser Safety Concerns As Lee noted, there is potential for a diffusing device to malfunction or burn the user through incorrect handling, so many people choose to avoid styles that involve use of an open flame for safety reasons. Not surprisingly, these tend to be the least expensive type of diffuser. " " Another type of oil diffuser is a ceramic diffuser. This one uses a small candle to disperse its scent. Guy Cali/Getty Images Still, that doesn't mean the other types are perfectly safe. Although Lee doesn't tell patients which type of diffuser to use at home, he is leery of ultrasonic diffusers that employ a water reservoir to function. "Like other water-containing home machines (like a CPAP), they can be difficult to clean and encourage growth of microbes," he explains. And Lee would never recommend using essential oils in a health care setting. "In 2016, patients' families in an ICU in Austria shared a bottle of essential oil, resulting in the spread of a multidrug resistant strain of bacteria," he recalls. Fortunately, the outbreak was handled appropriately, and infection peaked at seven people. Diffusers can also be a risky proposition for people who are sensitive to smells or who have respiratory issues. "In some hospitals where aromatherapy has been permitted, whole-room diffusers have been associated with sensitivity reactions staff and other patients have been affected," Lee explains. "In health care spaces, there are lots of different patients and some may be suffering from respiratory conditions worsened by essential oils." Another side risk of essential oil use is that although the oils might not cause any actual harm, their use could cause delay of evidence-based treatment, as some people wait to see if the oils alleviate the illness in question. So, a simple case of croup that could have been handled via a regular doctor's visit suddenly morphs into an ambulance ride to the nearest emergency room, as a New York Times article pointed out. Advertisement Aromatherapy Claims Versus Research It's not that surprising that people would delay treatment because so many essential oils have been touted to relieve a host of symptoms of many debilitating ailments, like depression, anxiety, nausea and insomnia. Studies have shown that some varieties of oils are effective antimicrobials, and oils from plants like garlic and thyme can even take down the Lyme disease bacterium better than the standard antibiotic. But human trials have yet to confirm that last claim. The lack of large-scale research is indeed a sticking point for many doctors. "For clinicians to be comfortable prescribing and treating patients with essential oils, rigorous research needs to be performed to evaluate each health claim," Lee says, noting that almost all studies on essential oils to date measure a short-term effect such as perceived anxiety before and after a doctor's visit. "Ideally, each essential oil would be researched in the context of each health claim it is purported to have. For example, if lemon oil is supposed to make your skin shinier and also increase your mood, then research would have to be designed for each of these." Currently, essential oils are not subjected to the same rigorous standards as medical drugs because they're classified as botanical products. "As such, they are not regulated as a pharmaceutical, and do not need to have laboratory testing verifying their contents or concentrations," Lee says. "This has led to essential oil producers providing their own false 'certifications' on their label," such as ultra-pure, authentic and distilled. Don't fall for the labelling hype, though. "None have meaning," he says. Advertisement Using Essential Oils in a Diffuser "Practically, I feel that patients should be able to pursue whatever means they desire for wellness. Life is hard! If you feel that sniffing a lilac makes it less hard, then you should go for it," Lee says. "I just want patients to have the big picture in mind: Essential oils are NOT proven by science, they may have side effects we don't know about, and you should tell [your physician] about everything you are taking." With those precautions in mind, if you still want to use an oil diffuser, what should you do? Jamie Bacharach, a licensed holistic doctor and head of practice at Acupuncture Jerusalem, has extensive experience with advising patients on oil diffusers. She recommends the following when deciding what oils to use in your diffuser: Test a new oil by dabbing a drop on your wrist. Wait to see if there is a negative reaction on the skin. "When diffused, an oil which someone is allergic to can cause serious complications if inhaled." Avoid low-quality oils. Some companies use synthetic oils and ingredients as filler to save on costs and enhance scent. "Make certain the oils you're using are natural and 100 percent pure. When diffused and inhaled, synthetic oils and chemical fillers can pose a serious health risk." Consult with a doctor if you're an asthmatic. Diffusing natural oils can exacerbate asthmatic symptoms, so get medical expertise before doing this. Stay away from oil diffusers when pregnant. "There is insufficient data to draw from when weighing the risks of diffusing a natural oil as a pregnant woman. It is best to steer clear of doing so until the scientific community establishes it as a safe practice." Now That's Cool Not all essential oils are created equal. Dr. Lee recommends people select products certified by International Organization for Standardization (ISO) because it's the only way to verify that the essential oils contain what they're advertised to contain. Advertisement Originally Published: Mar 10, 2020 Advertisement As many as '60 to 70 per cent' of Germans will be infected with the deadly coronavirus, Chancellor Angela Merkel warned today, as the contagion threatened to rip through Europe. Addressing a parliamentary group meeting of her Christian Democratic Union party in Berlin today, Merkel said that 58 million Germans could contract the disease if it spiralled out of control, according to insiders who spoke to newspaper Bild. But Health Minister Jens Spahn pointed out during the meeting that 80 per cent of all infected patients would have almost no symptoms. The infection is now transmitting between humans in nearly 30 countries across Europe, the World Health Organization has warned today. Fears of the life-threatening infection have now engulfed the continent, which has recorded more than 17,000 cases and over 700 deaths in Europe alone. Europe's crisis centred in northern Italy but now rapidly spreading began with a handful of imported cases from China, but has now seen tourist attractions and transport hubs deserted. Italy went into a nationwide lockdown on Monday night and today recorded its highest single-day toll to date with 168 fatalities. This pushed the number of deaths outside China to more than 1,000. WHO chiefs have now confirmed local transmission when an infection spreads within a country in 27 European nations. It came as the number of virus cases in Spain surged to 1,622 infections and 35 deaths as universities and schools in the capital Madrid were closed. Overall in Italy, 631 people have died from the COVID-19 disease caused by the virus and 10,149 have been infected in just over two weeks. The UK recorded its sixth death from the virus today as infections in the county rose by 61 to 382. Globally, more than 114,000 people have been infected and over 4,000 have died from the illness since the outbreak began in China in December. Spain's virus cases surged to 1,622 infections and 35 deaths today and Italy recorded 168 fatalities as German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned up to 70 per cent of her citizens could be infected Health officials at border controls trying to find people potentially infected with coronavirus in Frankfurt, Germany, today Chemists preparing hydroalcoholic gel at a makeshift production line in Paris today. Due to the current shortage of manufactured hand sanitizer, the health ministry gave the green light to produce hydro-alcoholic gels themselves to fight against the outbreak Commuters, some wearing respiratory masks, travelling in the underground metro in downtown Milan while sat the recommended 3ft distance from each other Police officers in protective suits checking the temperature of bus driver at the Rozvadov border crossing from the Germany side near the Czech city today A soldier and a police officer wearing protective face masks checking a man filling an access form as part of control measures against the spread of COVID-19 at the Termini railway station in Rome today after the country went into nationwide lockdown People queuing at a pharmacy to buy face masks in Rome today. The Italian government imposed unprecedented national restrictions on its 60 million people to control the spread of the coronavirus Customers forming long queues at the check out of a supermarket as people begin to stock up on provisions in Madrid today France recorded a 70 per cent rise in cases over Monday night, with more than 1,200 patients now known to have caught the deadly infection. The country's health ministry gave chemists the green light to produce their own hydro-alcoholic hand sanitizer gels following a shortage. Germany and Spain also saw huge spikes in the number of infected patients, while the UK's toll has risen eight-fold in the space of a week. Albania today became the latest nation to be struck down, meaning only a handful of countries across the continent have yet to record a case. Europe's escalating coronavirus crisis comes just weeks before thousands of British families will travel to the continent for Easter. In other developments, a maintenance worker at Disneyland Paris tested positive for coronavirus, the theme park announced today. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen today pledged to mobilise 'all the tools' available to the bloc to lessen the economic impact of the coronavirus epidemic, which has roiled markets across the globe. After EU leaders held crisis talks by video conference to try to coordinate their response to the epidemic, Von der Leyen sought to reassure businesses and governments spooked by the spread of the disease. Among the measures is a coronavirus response investment fund backed by 7.5 billion euros ($8.5 billion) in EU funding - subject to approval by member states and the European Parliament. Italy's prime minister Giuseppe Conte announced a new government decree on Monday night, banning public gatherings, restricting all but essential travel between cities and imposing a three-foot rule to keep people in public spaces apart. A passenger wearing a gas mask, a protective suit and plastic gloves on board a flight from Naples to Luton today Medical personnel today working inside one of the emergency structures that were set up to ease procedures outside the hospital of Brescia in northern Italy People with masks inside Porta Nuova station in Turin today as Italy clamped down on public events and travel to halt the spread of the coronavirus A couple kissing while wearing protective face masks in front of the Trevi fountain in Rome, after a decree ordered the whole of Italy to be on lockdown in an unprecedented clampdown aimed at beating the coronavirus Two bartenders inside a bar wearing masks and gloves today in Salerno, Italy, after the extension of the red zone to the entire peninsula due to the spread of the coronavirus A family wearing face masks coming back home after doing the shopping today in Rome as the country went into lockdown A tourist wearing a respiratory mask as part of precautionary measures against the spread of the new COVID-19 virus, walking across a deserted Piazza del plebiscito in Naples today WHICH ARE THE 27 COUNTRIES IN EUROPE WHERE THE CORONAVIRUS IS SPREADING BETWEEN HUMANS? ITALY FRANCE GERMANY SPAIN SWITZERLAND THE UK NETHERLANDS SWEDEN BELGIUM NORWAY AUSTRIA GREECE ICELAND SAN MARINO DENMARK CZECHIA PORTUGAL FINLAND IRELAND SLOVENIA ROMANIA CROATIA HUNGARY BELARUS SLOVAKIA BULGARIA BOSNIA & H 7,375 1,209 1,112 673 337 280 265 203 200 176 104 73 50 36 35 31 30 23 21 16 15 12 7 6 4 4 3 This isn't a list of European countries with confirmed coronavirus cases only those listed as having 'local transmission' by the World Health Organization. The number of cases are as of 10am GMT March 9. Advertisement Merkel added to fears of mass-infection when she said up to 58 million of her countrymen could contract the fast-spreading contagion. When she made the announcement there was silence among other politicians at the meeting, Bild reported. Merkel told her party: 'Sixty to 70 per cent of people in Germany will become infected with the coronavirus. We are facing a challenge that we have never had before.' Germany, which has so far seen two deaths from the disease that has infected more than 110,000 people worldwide, has a population of 82.9 million people. Spahn confirmed the Chancellor's figures if a vaccine is not developed before the virus takes hold of Europe, but added that many patients would be symptom-less. The Spanish capital Madrid is taking drastic measures to prevent the spread of the disease by closing all schools and universities and disinfecting public transport every day. Even though the tourist season is fast approaching the government of Catalonia - which includes the popular destination of Barcelona - has said they will bring in similar measures if necessary. Barcelona's Champions League last-16 second leg match with Napoli scheduled for March 18 will take place without spectators due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus, a club spokesman said today. Spanish parliament's lower house suspended all activities for at least a week after lawmaker Javier Ortega Smith's party Vox revealed he had been diagnosed with coronavirus, El Pais reported. It comes after the last Britons who were quarantined at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace Hotel in Tenerife were finally allowed to leave today after Italian tourists tested positive for the virus there. A British father tested positive in Majorca last month. The 46-year-old patient caught the killer bug in France but only developed symptoms on return to his Palma home on the Spanish island. Twenty-eight people have died in Spain from the virus, official figures show. There are a total of 1,204 cases, still far behind Italy's tally. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said earlier on Monday, without giving details, that the government was preparing plans to mitigate the impact of the virus on the Spanish economy. Elsewhere in Europe, Albania reported its first confirmed cases of the killer coronavirus today a father and son who drove back from Florence. The unidentified pair a 54-year-old and his 28-year-old are in hospital in Tirana, the capital of Albania. Both are in a stable condition. Albania today also announced it will close schools and ban public gatherings for two weeks because of the outbreak. Four European countries Turkey, Cyprus, Montenegro and Kosovo have yet to announce any COVID-19 cases. Under new measures brought in on Monday, Germany introduced drive-through health screenings where health officials are able to swab patients for the killer infection while they sit in their cars. The NHS in the UK has already set up drive-thru coronavirus test centre in a bid to keep infected patients away from hospitals. Similar testing methods have been used in South Korea and China. Today it was announced that large cultural events in the German capital's theatres, operas and concert houses will be cancelled from tomorrow to prevent coronavirus contagion. The measure will remain in place until April 19, and will also affect concerts at the renowned Berlin Philharmonic, Berlin's pointman on culture, Klaus Lederer, said Tuesday, adding that it was 'regrettable but one must assume the responsibility'. Organisers of smaller shows in locations holding up to 500 people will have to decide individually if their events will go ahead, in accordance with guidance given by the federal disease control centre Robert Koch Institute. German Chancellor Angela Merkel (left) and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) faction leader in the German parliament Bundestag Ralph Brinkhaus at a meeting in Berlin today Soldiers and a police officer wearing a protective face masks checking a man filling an access form at the Termini railway station in Rome today as part of strict new travel restrictions in Italy Tourists wearing protective face masks as they arrived at an empty and closed St. Peter's Square due to the Vatican authority decision to close the square to the all visitors today Some of the last guests getting checked before leaving the locked down H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in La Caleta on the Canary island of Tenerife today A policeman checking cars entering Milan in northern Italy today. Italians moving from one place to another must certificate they are doing it for work or important personal or health reasons, following the latest measures to slow down the diffusion of the coronavirus Peter Keck (left), spokesman of the Esslingen district administration, posing from a car to demonstrate how works the new 'Drive-In' virus tests work in Nuertingen on Monday An empty St. Giorgio Maggiore island in Venice today. The Italian Government has taken unprecedented measures of a nationwide lockdown An elderly woman standing in front of empty shelves of sold out toilet paper and paper towels at a drug store in Berlin today after panic-buying Spahn had recommended that events with more than 1,000 people should be scrapped until further notice, after coronavirus cases in Germany soared past 1,100 this week. Several Bundesliga games will be played without spectators, while other huge fairs including Berlin's ITB travel show and the Hannover Messe technology event have been scrapped. Everything that is non-essential should be cancelled to contain the virus, Merkel said, adding: 'Games behind closed doors are not the worst thing that can happen in this country.' Germany's biggest cluster of infected patients are in the country's most populous state North Rhine-Westphalia, where 323 cases have been reported in the district of Heinsberg alone. Two people have also died of the virus in the state. As of Monday, Germany had registered 1,139 coronavirus cases with two fatalities, according to government data. President Donald Trump today said the coronavirus outbreak would 'go away' and urged Americans to remain calm as cases jumped and the White House came under mounting pressure to boost its response to the health and economic crisis. A steady rise in the number of US cases of COVID-19 has concerned health officials and spurred calls within Congress for action to expand testing and avert an economic meltdown. About three quarters of US states now have confirmed COVID-19 with over 800 Americans infected, Washington state's governor warned of tens of thousands more cases without 'real action' and New York's governor deployed National Guard troops as a containment measure in a hard-hit New York City suburb. Lufthansa announced it has slashed over 7,000 flights scheduled for March due to a fall in demand in the wake of public fear over the coronavirus The empty Borussia Park stadium in Moenchengladbach today. German soccer club Borussia Moenchengladbach announced the Bundesliga match between Moenchengladbach and FC Cologne will be played behind closed doors in order to reduce mass gatherings amid the coronavirus outbreak The outbreak is hitting the German economy through cancellations in the tourism sector and industry is expected to suffer supply chain problems in coming weeks, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier added today. Asked if Europe's largest economy was heading into a recession in the first half of this year, Altmaier said the situation was very difficult and that he hoped Germany could avoid the type of coronavirus-related restrictions to travel and civic life enforced in Italy. Altmaier, speaking after talks with economy ministers from the 16 regional state governments, said Chancellor Merkel's cabinet would on Wednesday pass more flexible rules on short-time working to help companies bridge liquidity problems and avoid layoffs. China, where the coronavirus was first diagnosed in late 2019, is Germany's biggest trading partner, and German companies depend on both Chinese demand and supply chains. Seaborne deliveries from China can take up to six weeks, so the epidemic and related production stops there are hitting the German economy with a time lag. Merkel told lawmakers from her conservative bloc that Germany does not need an economic stimulus plan now to counter the impact of the coronavirus but rather liquidity injections. Iran announced 43 new deaths from the virus in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall toll to 237 dead, one of the world's highest. The Islamic Republic confirmed 595 new cases across the country bringing their overall confirmed cases to 7,161. Globally, more than 110,000 people have been infected with the coronavirus and more than 4,000 have died. When a St. Louis-area woman called her countys coronavirus hotline Thursday to report she was experiencing symptoms, health officials told her family that they should all self-quarantine at home, they say. Her father took his other daughter to a school gala two days later. The pair arrived Saturday at Villa Duchesnes father-daughter dinner-dance, a formal affair at a Ritz-Carlton open to roughly 274 middle and high school girls and their guests. The man learned while he was there that the test results of the daughter with the symptoms indicated she had a presumptive case of the novel coronavirus, and he and his other daughter left the event, school officials said in an email circulating on social media. The upscale Catholic school in St. Louis and its sibling school, Oak Hill, cancelled classes and activities on Monday out of an abundance of caution because of dance attendees potential exposure to the contagious virus. Administrators then announced that the schools would remain closed through the week and would conduct a hospital-grade cleaning. We will use the day to gather information and guidance from health officials, school administrators wrote to parents on Sunday. Our priority is our students and we want to mitigate any risk within our community. An attorney for the family, Neil Bruntrager, rebutted the countys version of events on Monday. He told local news outlets that in phone calls and text messages before the symptomatic daughter received a diagnosis, officials did not instruct the family to self-quarantine. When county health officials informed the family Friday that they were arranging for a coronavirus test, the familys doctor said to the family that my gut says you dont have (coronavirus), Bruntrager told television station KMOV4. I think there was misinformation that was given, Bruntrager told television station KSDK. This was not handled well by the state or county. The easy one to blame is this family. St. Louis County Executive Sam Page reiterated at a news conference Monday that he believed county health officials had told the family to self-quarantine and said this was the first time someone had indicated that they did not understand those instructions. Disparaging remarks made against the family on social media prompted police to patrol the familys home, Page said. He repeatedly urged the community to move forward and use the opportunity to learn the seriousness of self-quarantine requests. There was certainly a lapse in judgment here, but its done, Page said. Community members on Facebook expressed outrage at the possibility that the patients father ignored officials direction to self-quarantine, and some suggested the man should face legal consequences. Jenny Koziatek Benz, whose nieces attended the dance with their father, said in an interview she was furious and concerned for her 81-year-old mother, who lives across the street from her nieces. This is absolutely unacceptable, said Benz, of Denver. What kind of person would do something like that? The intense reaction underscores the resulting anger when someone reportedly disregards instructions to voluntarily stay home, as well as broader global anxiety about the virus that has infected more than 100,000 people around the world. The Missouri incident parallels a situation in which New Hampshires first coronavirus patient ignored direction to self-isolate and is believed to have infected another person. In addition to attending the father-daughter dance, the Missouri man visited Deer Creek Coffee in Ladue on Saturday morning, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. The coffee shops employees alerted the health department and then scrubbed the cafe. Disinfectant and bleach, a thorough cleaning, owner Kent McCarty told the Post-Dispatch. There is no cleaner surface right now than at Deer Creek Coffee. I can promise you that. Page, the county executive, told reporters Sunday that health officials had assumed common sense and goodwill toward the community would keep at home the family of the states first coronavirus patient, a woman in her 20s who recently travelled to Italy. The family expressed agreement with repeated requests to self-quarantine, Page said. By all accounts, the patient complied with the direction. Her father and sister, however, violated the main point of a quarantine staying away from other people. The county health directors informed him today that he must remain in his home, or they will issue a formal quarantine that will require him and the rest of his family to stay in their home by the force of law, Page said Sunday. Thousands of people across the country have been asked to self-quarantine since the coronavirus was first reported in the United States in January. Whether it comes from a persons doctor or from health officials, a request to self-quarantine is voluntary and lacks legal force, said Wendy Parmet, a health policy and law professor at Northeastern University. A person theoretically could be held civilly or criminally liable for transmitting the virus after disregarding a self-quarantine request, but Parmet said those consequences are unlikely. A lawsuit would have to show the infected person caused someone elses illness and failed to take reasonable care. She also said criminal prosecution would be a bad way to make public health policy. State officials, local officials or both in each state also have the power to issue quarantine orders, which are legally compulsory and carry a variety of consequences if violated. Some agencies need a judge to sign off on a quarantine order for it to last beyond a short period of time, Parmet said. Other agencies require the subject of the order to challenge it if they think its unwarranted. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the parent agency of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has broad authority to quarantine people reasonably believed to have been exposed to communicable diseases. A person who wants to challenge a CDC quarantine has to request an internal review or take the case to court. In the strictest scenario, Parmet said, police can enforce legally binding quarantine orders. An in-between scenario exists in which government officials threaten to file a legally binding quarantine order but have not done so. To get people to comply with self-quarantine requests before legal orders come into play, officials should streamline their messaging about the virus and the purpose of staying away from other people, Parmet said. People are hearing that its just a cold, or its a hoax, or you cant get tested anyway, she said. And then people are being sort of scapegoated for being the one whos out. Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, has said disregarding the unacceptable levels of poverty, marginalisation and desolation in some commonwealth countries could constitute threats to social cohesion, progress and peaceful co-existence. If a country chooses to be unconcerned about the endless struggles of some members of the commonwealth nations, she said, neither of their collective interests would be served. She said this in a speech read on her behalf by the Deputy Minister, Mr Charles Owiredu, at a Multi-Faith Service organised in Accra to mark the 71st Commonwealth Day in Ghana. Mrs Botchwey said while a growing number of commonwealth countries were enjoying favourable economic conditions, many others were still struggling with economic stagnation and failed sustainable development programmes. Due to a myriad of complex issues, she said, poverty and marginalisation persisted in several commonwealth member States. Furthermore, we are all witnesses to the devastating effects of climate change, environmental degradation, social deprivation and terrorism which continues to pose grave threats to international peace and security, she said. She urged all member States to contribute to the building of a well bonded commonwealth that was mutually respectful, resilient, peaceful and prosperous. Indeed, enhanced interaction amongst us irrespective of our individual circumstances will foster equality of opportunities and inclusiveness, she added. In the rapidly changing world, further compounded by a multiplicity of complex problems, the commonwealth organisation, the Minister said, was grappling with the risk of irrelevance, primarily because it seemed incapable of developing solutions to the internecine challenges impacting most of its membership. Given the importance of the commonwealth, we cannot permit such a development. The call for innovation and transformation is a step in the right direction that requires our unwavering support to succeed and safeguard its relevance, she noted. Mr Iain Walker, the British High Commissioner to Ghana, said it was necessary for commonwealth nations to spend quality time on the things they had in common that promoted development. He believed the commonwealth organisation could be used as a voice of influence to fight for member countries in areas that could steer growth of its citizens. He mentioned prosperity, rule of law, sustainability, good sanitation, and team work as those that commonwealth nations should not take for granted if they wanted to enhance growth. 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 Chinese students leave the building where they were quarantined for the last two weeks at Danguk University's campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday./ Yonhap By Kim Se-jeong The number of new coronavirus cases declined for the fourth straight day, Monday, with the daily total only rising by 131, according to government officials, Tuesday. The total number of COVID-19 patients in Korea on Monday was 7,513, with 60 fatalities. During a daily press conference, an official from the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the COVID-19 spread has entered a "stagnation" phase. "Given that the number of confirmed cases is decreasing every day, it can be said that the virus spread has stagnated. This only means that there are fewer new cases. There are still 100 new cases and quarantine authorities will discover more. It's still far from saying we're safe," said the official, Yoon Tae-ho. The last time the daily tally of new cases was lower than 200 was Feb. 25. The ministry official also warned of the possibility of group transmission. "We still see reports of group transmission sporadically and we need to be aware of this. No more cases like those at the Shincheonji Church or Daenam Hospital should happen." In Seoul, the largest group transmission case was reported on Monday at a local insurance company call center, involving 64 employees and their family members. Just because marijuana is legal in many states doesn't mean many residents can grow it in their backyards or even smoke up in their homes. Buzzkill. Homeowners associations often place restrictions on marijuana, such as barring homeowners from smoking in common areasor even growing cannabis in their own backyards in some cases, according to a recent report from the National Association of Realtors. The report is based on a September survey of nearly 3,700 residential and commercial Realtors across the country. "Landlords and HOAs are having to think about how marijuana is both used and grown within a home," says Jessica Lautz, vice president of research at NAR. "[Even though] it's legal, you might run into issues. ... You may have restrictions on your ability to use marijuana in your home or in common areas." Marijuana has been approved for medical use in 33 states and Washington, DC. Of those, 11 states and the District of Columbia also permit recreational use. However, marijuana remains illegal under federal law, which categorizes it as a Schedule 1 drug. Is marijuana giving the real estate market a high in states that permit it? In places where marijuana has been legal for three or more years, more than a third of Realtors, 36%, said that they're aware of HOAs having restrictions on homeowners growing the plant in their own (unfenced) backyards; 42% said HOAs have restrictions on growing it in common areas; and 25% said HOAs have restrictions on it being grown inside the home. The states that legalized cannabis early on are also experiencing a shortage of inventory, which about a quarter of Realtors attribute in part to the more permissive laws. Out-of-state buyers began moving to Colorado when the first recreational pot dispensaries opened in the state in 2014. The state has also been attracting folks thanks to its strong economy, growing tech sector, and outdoorsy lifestyle. "We saw a huge growth in marijuana properties," says real estate agent Rona Hanson of NRG Realty in Lakewood, CO. She specializes in the sale of properties where folks can live as well as plant cannabis. "People wanted to home-grow separate from the house, or in the basement where they could filter the air so it didnt reach up to the living area, says Hanson. But since the state laws have changed limiting the number of plants folks can grow, she's had more sellers trying to unload their properties than interest from buyers. It can also be tough to sell a "grow house," where cannabis has been cultivated. About a quarter of real estate agents reported having problems finding buyers. "The smell and moisture can sometimes remain in the property," says Lautz. There can also be electrical wiring problems that are costly to fix. It's harder to tell what it's done for home prices. In states where folks have been allowed to blaze for fun since 2016, 27% of Realtors reported they had seen a decrease in residential property values near dispensaries. But 12% said they had seen the value of such properties increase. In states where weed was legalized before 2016, 18% of Realtors reported a decline in home prices, whereas 7% reported an increase. Landlords may be a buzzkill Renters involved in the marijuana industry also face problems. About half of Realtors reported seeing lease clauses prohibiting tenants from growing marijuana on their rental properties in states where legal and recreational marijuana was legalized before 2016. In states that have legalized weed since 2016, only a quarter of Realtors reported the same restrictions. Nearly a fifth of landlords refused to let their tenants pay their rent all in cash. Because of its contested legal status, the marijuana industry is primarily cash-basedso many banks won't accept money from the business. Tenants who derive their income from marijuana are likely to want to use that cash to pay their bills. Its a little too early to tell if theres a universal decision on whether its good or bad for real estate," says NAR's Lautz. "Theres no doubt its causing some complications. The post Is Legal Marijuana Getting Local Real Estate Markets Highor Is It a Buzzkill? appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. New Delhi, March 10 : First batch of 58 stranded Indians, including women and children, were brought back from coronavirus-hit Iran in a C-17 Globemaster military aircraft on Tuesday, officials said. The Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft landed with the Indians at Hindon air base in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh on early Tuesday. The evacuated Indians were being assisted by an IAF medical team and support staff onboard the aircraft which left from Tehran with them for the humanitarian assistance mission. The Indians will be sent to selected quarantine camps soon after their medical observation and they will be kept there under observation for next 15 days, a government official told IANS. India on Monday night sent C-17 Globemaster to evacuate the Indians. The aircraft took off at around 8 p.m. from Hindon air base on Monday. Indian government has began the evacuation operations from several countries in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak which spread from Wuhan city in Hubei province of China -- the epicenter of the COVID-19. India engaged with China to safely evacuate its citizens and citizens of other friendly nations on a priority basis. Air India earlier operated two special flights for the evacuation of 654 passengers that included 647 Indian citizens. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Louisiana Department of Health officials on Tuesday said they have tested a total of 35 people under investigation for the new coronavirus with three presumptive positive results. Officials revised a number from earlier in the day based on new reporting methods they will be using moving forward. The earlier report, which included 44 negatives and one presumptive positive, also included some people with the flu who were not under investigation for coronavirus, but were tested using the state's cache of kits in order to survey the community. To be a person under investigation, the person must have a travel history or have been exposed to someone with Covid-19 and respiratory illness, or they must require hospitalization for respiratory illness without an alternative explanation, such as flu. The new update of 35 cases represents the biggest increase in testing since the state shared publicly how many people it has tested for the respiratory illness last week. Louisiana's first presumptive case of coronavirus at VA Medical Center; patient admitted Friday The patient with Louisiana's first presumptive case of the new coronavirus is currently being treated by the Veterans Affairs Medical Center i Dr. Joe Kanter, an assistant state officer at the state's health department, reported the additional 20 results, which are up from 15 total results on Monday. The state does not report pending results for Covid-19 as many other states do publicly on their websites. The state receives notifications for travelers returning to Louisiana from China and Iran, but not Italy, South Korea or Japan, which have also been heavily impacted. Of those returning from China and Iran, 85 travelers have completed their monitoring and 13 are currently being monitored. Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up In the U.S., 761 positive cases have been reported and 23 people have died from the disease, according to a Johns Hopkins database tracking the spread. Internationally, over 116,000 people have been diagnosed and over 4,000 have died as of Tuesday morning. Under current state testing criteria, patients must be exhibiting symptoms and have history of travel to five affected countries or contact with a laboratory-confirmed case within the last 14 days, or have a fever with respiratory illness that requires hospitalization without an alternative explanation, such as the flu. Health officials emphasized that people should take preventative measures while there is still no vaccine or treatment. "The bulk of people infected with coronavirus will not be terribly ill or require hospitalization," said Kanter. "The bulk of interventions remain simple preventative measures: staying home when sick and good hand hygiene." In a press conference yesterday, Gov. John Bel Edwards said the state would be keeping the patient in New Orleans in isolation and interviewing people who had come in close contact. He said the number of people tested would increase in the coming days as they test those who may have been exposed. Staff writer Sam Karlin contributed to this report. This story has been updated with new information from the Department of Health. ANKARA: Turkey hopes to reach a new agreement with Europe to deal with refugees in time for the next EU leaders' summit, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday. If we reach an agreement by March 26 when there will be an EU leaders' summit, this issue will come on to the agenda of this meeting, Cavusoglu said. We are ready for constructive work, he added. He spoke a day after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held tense discussions with EU presidents Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel in Brussels. Turkey's decision at the end of February to re-open its border for refugees seeking to reach Europe sparked a row with Brussels, as well as harsh exchanges with Greece. If we are to come up with a roadmap with the EU, we expect them to be sincere, Cavusoglu said. It is not only about keeping migrants in return for more money, he added. Turkey agreed in 2016 to prevent migrant departures in exchange for six billion euros and talks on building closer ties. It says it has not received all the money, and that other promises including improved visa and trade rules have not been met. Erdogan skipped the post-talks press conference in Brussels on Monday. Clearly we do have our disagreements, but we have spoken plainly and we have spoken openly to each other, Von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, told reporters. Turkey hosts some four million refugees -- most of them from Syria -- and faces a fresh influx as the Syrian regime, backed by Russia and Iran, seeks to retake the last rebel stronghold of Idlib on the Turkish border. Europe has said it will consider taking 1,500 child refugees, but has focused on reinforcing Greece's borders. Cavusoglu confirmed Tuesday that Turkey had requested Patriot missile defences from NATO. The issue has been complicated by Turkey's controversial decision to buy Russian S-400 missile defences. Microbiologist Xiugen Zhang runs a Polymerase Chain Reaction, or PCR, test at the Connecticut State Public Health Laboratory, in Rocky Hill, Conn. U.S. health officials say more public and private laboratories are now able to test for the new coronavirus. Read more On Monday, Francesca DAngelo went to see her doctor with a disturbing collection of symptoms and got a hard lesson in the reality of coronavirus testing. DAngelo, 39, lives and works in Bucks County, where a case has been confirmed. Her job is in a health-care facility and her Buckingham home is just minutes from schools that have been closed as a precaution. Yet her doctor wouldnt test her for the new virus, even though she had fever, sore throat, and cough and tested negative for seasonal flu. It was as if I was asking for a bar of gold, DAngelo said Tuesday from home, where she is taking over-the-counter medications. The doctor said, You dont meet the criteria for testing because you havent been exposed to a confirmed case and how am I to know? `or traveled to an outbreak hot spot. Contrary to President Donald Trumps claim that anyone who wants a coronavirus test can get it, U.S. testing has been rationed both because of the federal governments limited supply of test kits and because it has advised doctors to restrict the test to certain patients. That is starting to change slowly. With the blessing of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, at least three big commercial diagnostic companies are now offering coronavirus testing. That should boost the meager capacity of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and public health labs, which had done fewer than 6,000 tests through last week, according to health officials. In addition, the CDC announced much looser testing criteria on Sunday, so more people with symptoms will be eligible. Basically, physicians are advised to use their judgment. But as DAngelo learned, that doesnt mean people who fall ill and fit the new criteria get tested. I think community spread is happening, said DAngelo, who is pursuing testing through the county and state Health Departments. But if youre sick, you cant just get a test. Its a big to-do. I want the public to know that. Public health officials say community spread person-to-person transmission of an illness for which the infection source is unknown is not occurring in Pennsylvania, which had 12 cases, as of Tuesday afternoon or New Jersey, with 14 cases and one death. But on Monday, Pennsylvanias secretary of health, Rachel Levine, warned that it could happen. (New Jersey has tested 58 people in all; Pennsylvania wont disclose its total.) Many commercial diagnostics companies around the world are rushing to develop automated tests for coronavirus because rapid, close-to-clinical-care diagnosis is vital to begin screening asymptomatic people and track disease spread in real time. The goal is still on the horizon. Meanwhile, the FDA has given LabCorp, Quest Diagnostics, and Northwell Health Labs permission for emergency use of their own coronavirus tests in their specialized laboratories, according to the news releases. READ MORE: Coronavirus may not be slowed down by warm weather However, patients still have to go to a hospital or doctor, get evaluated, give a respiratory sample, then the sample must be shipped to the specialized commercial lab. Results take a day or more. (The thousands of LabCorp and Quest service centers that consumers are accustomed to walking into for lab tests are not collecting samples or doing tests.) To speed up that cumbersome process, some practices are improvising. In Connecticut, Murphy Medical Associates with offices not far from a Westchester, N.Y., outbreak launched a drive-by service on Monday. Suspected coronavirus patients temperatures and throat swabs are taken while they sit in their cars, then the samples are sent to Quest. We got the 'drive-by idea from South Korea, said Hannah Sutherland, the practices head of patient relations. Its much safer than having patients come into the office where they might transmit the virus. She added, If the patient has symptoms, even with no known exposure, well do the test. READ MORE: Coronavirus will spread in the U.S., CDC warns, and there might not be enough testing capacity to detect it In Los Angeles, Mend Inc., a chain of urgent care and primary care centers, on Monday announced both in-clinic and at-home collection of specimens that will be sent to Quest. If you cant come to Mend to get swabbed for the novel coronavirus, our medical team can come to you, Mend medical director Anthony Cardillo said in a news release. New York-based Northwell Health Labs, one of the nations largest diagnostic labs, will offer its newly authorized coronavirus test to the 23 hospitals, 800 clinics, and thousands of physician offices it serves. But Northwell is an example of the too-little, too-late federal handling of the coronavirus crisis, say the growing chorus of critics. The FDA granted emergency authorization just hours after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo visited the Northwell lab and lambasted the agencys outrageous and ludicrous delays. On March 6, Raul Perea-Henze, New York Citys deputy mayor for health and human services, wrote to FDA and CDC officials to complain that the kits provided so far do not meet the needs of New York City, Americas most populated city with 8 million New Yorkers. ... The slow federal action on this matter has impeded our ability to beat back this epidemic. READ MORE: Coronavirus has shut down schools and events. Heres why that helps, short- and long-term. The costs and coverage of commercial coronavirus testing is still being worked out, but Aetna, Independence Blue Cross, and Medicare/Medicaid have announced theyll cover the tests. Some states, including New Jersey, have mandated coverage without co-pays or deductibles. Concurs repetat pentru selectarea unei companii sociologice, care sa efectueze un studiu tematic "Barometrul opiniei publice in domeniul schimbarilor climatice" Afghan Forces to Launch Offensive Unless Taliban Stops Attacks Soon - Defence Ministry Sputnik News 03:06 GMT 09.03.2020 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Afghan forces will go into the offensive unless the Taliban movement stops its attacks in the coming days, Defence Minister Asadullah Khalid said on Sunday. "The Afghan forces will be occupying a defensive position under President Ashraf Ghani's decree and in accordance with the peace agreement. But if the Taliban does not stop its attacks before the end of the week, our forces will attack the enemy anywhere in the country", Khalid said, as quoted by the ministry on Facebook. On 7 March, six Taliban members were killed and 10 others injured in clashes with local police officers in the eastern province of Laghman, the Afghan government army's eastern division, known as the 201 Selab Corps, said. Last Saturday, the Taliban and Washington signed a long-awaited peace deal that stipulated, a withdrawal of foreign troops from the Afghan territory over the next fourteen months in exchange for guarantees that the country will not become a safe haven for terrorists. The deal also envisages the commencement of intra-Afghan talks on 10 March given that up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners are released by that time. However, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said shortly after that Kabul never committed to releasing this many prisoners as a precondition for the talks, but rather as a part of them. Despite the signing of the agreement, the Taliban said earlier this week that it would further attack the Afghan forces in the wake of Kabul's refusal to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address People who are chronically sick and have compromised immune systems, the regular flu every year can be deadly, so were watching for those symptoms anyway, he said. But there is an extra measure of vigilance when theyre checking in at the front desk. Because this one is so strong and problematic that were going to try to keep it outside the building. Zimbabwe has no confirmed cases of coronavirus, but the health ministry has confirmed that a man who was due to be tested in a hospital absconded before testing was done. In a statement on Monday it added that the 26-year-old entered Zimbabwe in February from Thailand, and was referred from a private clinic to Wilkins Infectious Disease Hospital in Harare on 8 March complaining of a fever and sneezing. According to Zimbabwes health ministry: He did not meet the [World Health Organization] definition of a suspected case but was still earmarked for a Covid-19 test due to intensified surveillance that the country has adopted. After the man fled the hospital follow-up efforts to his home address were initiated and a police report was made, the statement added. However, latest figures indicate there are 100 confirmed coronavirus cases across Africa. They are as follows: Egypt 55 Algeria 20 South Africa- 7 Tunisia 5 Senegal 4 Morocco 2 Cameroon 2 Burkina Faso 2 Nigeria 2 Togo 1 Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Michigan has one of the largest concentrations of Muslims in the US, and Bernie Sanders enjoys wide support among them. Dearborn, Michigan Inside the city clerks office here, college student Mohammed Harb filled out a voter registration form. He will be voting for the first time in Michigan after moving from Florida, and plans to vote for Bernie Sanders in Tuesdays Democratic primary. Its mostly the socialism aspect of it, how were all a collective group in America and not one person on his own, he explained. He really connects with the young generation, even though hes kind of an old guy. You feel like hes a millennial. Leaning on the counter next to him, his friend Hassan Shoucair was on the fence between Sanders and Joe Biden. He believed both candidates have good ideas and are likeable, but he wanted to vote for a candidate who can beat President Donald Trump in November. Biden, he said, could siphon away votes from Trump. Shoucair says he is going to a Sanders town hall Monday evening. So, well see, he said. Sanders country Dearborn, outside of Detroit, has one of the largest concentrations of Muslims in the United States, and Sanders enjoys wide support from Muslims here. Dearborns Arab-American News recently endorsed him, as did Emgage Action, a national Muslim get-out-the-vote group. Michigan will be a state to watch in November. In 2016, it flipped from Democrat to Republican for the first time in a generation, electing Trump by a margin of only 10,000 votes. Hillary Clinton was expected to sweep the Michigan primary in 2016, but Sanders won in a huge upset, thanks in big part to his willingness to denounce Islamophobia and engage with Arab American and Muslim voters. Sanders is using the same strategy in 2020. But with Biden leading the delegate count and dominating the polls polls released on Monday showed him with a double-digit lead over the Vermont senator the stakes could not be higher for Sanders. Michigan has 125 pledged delegates, meaning Sanders could pull into first place if he wins the state. But a loss here would be devastating for him. Lucky for Sanders, he has a group of tech-savvy millennial Muslims on his side. Tech-savvy On Monday, Lama Alzuhd, 31, vice chair of Emgage Actions Michigan chapter, and Nada Al-Hanooti, 28, executive director of Emgage Action in Michigan, were working their magic at a kitchen table inside a rented space in a Dearborn strip mall. The pair was using an app on their laptops to text Muslim voters in Michigan to ask if they are supporting Sanders. The response rate is much higher with texting versus calling. Alzuhd clicked the green send button as fast as she can. Legally, a human has to send these messages. Al-Hanooti replied when people text back. Im sending a thousand more, is that OK? Alzuhd said. Yes, keep on sending, Al-Hanooti replied. The dataset they were using started with Michigans entire voter list, which they narrowed with an algorithm based on location and common Muslim names. But the data is not perfect, and they have heard from Trump supporters, whom they promptly remove from the list. One person replied, KAGA 2020! meaning Keep America Great Again. Another person said they are voting for Biden, sending a flower emoji. When they got a positive response from a Sanders supporter, they planned to follow up on Tuesday and offer a ride to the polls. By 5pm, they had texted 40,000 people since they started that morning. Emgage Action was also knocking on doors, hosting events, and giving imams and sheikhs talking points for Friday prayers to encourage people to vote. Were not trying to find undecided voters and convince people, were just trying to get people out to the polls, Alzuhd explained. I dont think people know how extremely important it is to engage the Muslims in Michigan. Hillary [Clinton] lost by 10,000 votes [in Michigan], and in just 2016 alone, 30,000 Muslims came out to vote in the presidential primary, Al-Hanooti said. High stakes There are more than 100,000 Muslim American voters in Michigan, according to Emgage Action, out of an electorate of 2.5 million, and voter turnout among Muslims nationally nearly doubled between 2014 and 2018 in states including Michigan. We did do some polling after the 2016 election and we found that about 75 percent of Muslim voters voted Democrat. And 25 percent voted Republican, said Wael Alzayat, CEO of Emgage Action. Al-Hanooti said many Muslim Americans feel the stakes have never been higher following an increase in hate crimes and Islamophobic rhetoric since Trump took office. Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders listen to him speak during a campaign rally in Dearborn, Michigan. [Paul Sancya/AP Photo] Its terrifying, she said. Even in Michigan, when I leave Dearborn, I dont feel comfortable telling people my name. I actually fear for my mom when she goes outside of Dearborn because she is a veiled Muslim woman, and a proud veiled Muslim woman. Al-Hanooti said Trumps policies are contributing to increased Muslim voter engagement. Were having restaurants invaded by ICE in Dearborn. Ive had my interns come up to me and say, my dads getting deported, what do I do? So, the issues are personal now to us. Of course, that is not the only issue that matters to Muslim voters in Michigan, explained Sheikh Ibrahim Kazerooni of Dearborns Islamic Center of America. Like many others, he is supporting Sanders, for many reasons, including his plans for universal health insurance. Now, there are a number of people coming to the Islamic centre, single parents, and they bring [health insurance bills] in front of them and put it in front of us, and either they have to pay their insurance or they have to pay their electricity bill, Kazerooni explained. Many Muslim voters also want to see candidates with foreign policy goals that tend towards peace instead of interference in other countries, particularly in the Middle East. Nationally, he said, they want to see investments in education and healthcare. More engaged Another major election issue is Trumps Muslim ban, said Scott Simpson, public advocacy director of Muslim Advocates. Every Democratic candidate that Im aware of has promised to rescind the Muslim ban on day one, so thats really important. Its also important that they agree to support a bill called the No Ban Act, which would end the Muslim ban but it would also amend the federal law so that you cant discriminate based on religion. Simpson said Trumps policies towards the Muslim community are motivating them to become more engaged in democracy, and even run for office. This is a community that is not sitting back while their rights get taken away. If theres any silver lining to this very dark cloud of this administration, it is that renewed sense of purpose and need to engage. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 06:19:50|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close File photo shows former French Prime Minister Francois Fillon and his wife Penelope Fillon arriving a courthouse in Paris, France, on Feb. 24, 2020. French prosecutors on Tuesday requested an "exemplary sentence" against former Prime Minister Francois Fillon, who was accused of embezzlement of public funds by creating a fake job for his wife. (Photo by Jack Chan/Xinhua) PARIS, March 10 (Xinhua) -- French prosecutors on Tuesday requested an "exemplary sentence" against former Prime Minister Francois Fillon, who was accused of embezzlement of public funds by creating a fake job for his wife. On the first day of the trial, prosecutors from the National Financial Prosecutor's Office took nearly five hours to denounce the couple's "greed" and requested an "exemplary sentence" -- five years'imprisonment with three years suspended, 375,000 euros fine and ten years ineligibility, reported French economic daily Les Echos. Prosecutors also requested three years suspended and 375,000 euros fine for Fillon's wife Penelope. French press revealed in January 2017 that Penelope, as Fillon's assistant, was paid up to 10,000 euros (10,800 US dollars) a month for little to no work. Investigators found that between 1998 and 2013 Penelope received a net income of 613,000 euros through three contracts known only to several very close allies of Fillon, but there was little documentary evidence of her actual work. Fillon insisted that Penelope had been his most important employee and did real work for him in his rural constituency of Sarthe. He denounced what he called a campaign of dirty tricks and denied having done anything illegal but admitted that he may have made mistakes. Fillion served as French prime minister from 2007-2012. Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja on Monday said that the administration has strengthened surveillance after six persons tested positive for COVID-19. "We have strengthened the surveillance after 6 positive cases since yesterday. In the state, we have 1116 persons under observation out of whom 976 persons are under home quarantine while 149 persons are in hospitals. This includes people with symptoms as well," Shailaja told reporters here. "In Pathanamthitta, we began the contact tracing at around 6 am. 270 persons are under the primary contact of positive patients. The number of high-risk contacts are 95. 6 people have come to hospitals in Pathanamthitta. The number of secondary contacts is 449," she added. Contact tracing of persons in Kerala who may have come in touch with those found positive for COVID-19 is being done aggressively to contain the spread of the disease as six people, including one from Ernakulam and five from Pathanamthitta, found to be diagnosed with the deadly virus. A 3-year-old boy, who had travelled to Italy with his parents and returned to Kerala, and tested positive, is being monitored and is under treatment at the Ernakulam Medical college. Five cases were reported from the Pathanamthitta district in Kerala on Sunday. Three cases from Kerala reported in January have been discharged. The total number of persons tested positive for COVID-19 in India is 44 now. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So before you buy or sell Longtable Group Limited (ASX:LON), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling. What Is Insider Selling? 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 would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. For example, a Harvard University study found that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year. View our latest analysis for Longtable Group The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Longtable Group In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when insider Laura McBain bought AU$305k worth of shares at a price of AU$0.20 per share. That means that even when the share price was higher than AU$0.10 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. To us, it's very important to consider the price insiders pay for shares. It is generally more encouraging if they paid above the current price, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels. In the last twelve months Longtable Group insiders were buying shares, but not selling. The average buy price was around AU$0.16. I'd consider this a positive as it suggests insiders see value at around the current price. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! Story continues ASX:LON Recent Insider Trading, March 10th 2020 Longtable Group is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying. 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. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It appears that Longtable Group insiders own 20% of the company, worth about AU$5.4m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment. So What Do The Longtable Group Insider Transactions Indicate? The fact that there have been no Longtable Group insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. Insiders do have a stake in Longtable Group and their transactions don't cause us concern. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. To that end, you should learn about the 6 warning signs we've spotted with Longtable Group (including 3 which are a bit unpleasant). 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. NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland mortgage customers affected by coronavirus could defer their loan repayments for up to three months if they are in financial difficulty, it has been announced today. RBS/NatWest said customers' situations will be looked at on a 'case-by-case' basis and various potential options will be matched to them. While there is no single 'blanket provision', the help that customers could be offered if their finances are in difficulty includes requesting mortgage and loan repayment deferrals for up to three months. Customers hit by coronavirus could also apply for increased temporary credit card limit and may be able to close fixed savings accounts to access cash with no early closure charge. This comes after Italy - which is now on lockdown - said mortgage payments would be suspended. RBS said it would also waive early closure charges on fixed savings accounts and offer refunds on credit card cash advance fees so affected customers can access cash without penalty Banks step up to help businesses and customers in the wake of coronavirus outbreak's economic impact Banks have been forced to step up and provide assistance to small businesses and customers as coronavirus wreaks havoc on the economic market. Which banks have issued guidance, and what is their stance on Covid-19? Royal Bank of Scotland: RBS has pledged to defer mortgage and loan repayments for up to three months for customers impacted by coronavirus. It will also waive early closure charges on fixed savings accounts and offer refunds on credit card cash advance fees so affected customers can access cash without penalty. RBS customers can apply for increased temporary credit card limits and request an increased cash withdrawal limit of up to 500 pounds to help them manage disruption. Lloyds: Lloyds Banking Group has offered 2bn of new funding for small firms, which won't come with any arrangement fee, to help their cashflows cope with the virus. Natwest: Natwest also said it would pledge 5bn of funding to support small and medium-sized businesses across the UK amid disruption caused by coronavirus. The banks said funding will be used to provide loan repayment holidays of up to six months, as well as temporary emergency loans with no fees. It will will also grant overdrafts of extensions of existing overdraft limits, as well credit limits of up to 500,000 to support cashflow. Barclays has potential measures for business customers, including 12 month capital repayment holidays on existing loans over 25,000 and increasing overdraft facilities. Santander said it would look at each customer's situation. Advertisement Those struggling to cope may also request an increased debit card cash withdrawal limit of up to 500. A spokesman for the banks, which are in the same group, said: 'We are monitoring the potential impact of coronavirus across all our customers to ensure we can support them appropriately through any period of disruption. 'We have a strong track record in working with our customers who are affected by disruption outside of their control. 'We understand that there may be circumstances where a personal customer may fall into financial difficulty as a result of the impacts of coronavirus, for instance, loss of income. 'We will look to understand each customer's situation on a case-by-case basis and can offer a number of options to help them manage their finances. We would encourage any customer experiencing financial difficulty to get in touch with us.' Barclays said it will also remove penalty charges so people can access fixed savings accounts early for those impacted by coronavirus and enable customers to apply for a temporary increase on their credit card limit. A statement from Barclays said: 'Any customers suffering hardship as a result of Covid-19 can contact our specialist support colleagues if they are experiencing problems making repayments to their mortgage, overdraft, personal loans or credit cards. 'These customers can also access their fixed savings accounts early without paying any penalty charges.' Barclays also has a range of potential measures for business customers, including 12 month capital repayment holidays on existing loans over 25,000 and increasing overdraft facilities. Santander also said it would look at each customer's situation and explore ways to support them depending on their specific circumstances. The bank's support for customers includes the option to potentially defer or reduce repayments that are due. A Santander spokeswoman said: 'Santander has a team of experts on hand to support customers who have been impacted by the coronavirus. 'Anyone who has been affected can talk to us on 0800 9 123 123.' Last week, trade association UK Finance said banks, building societies and credit card providers understand that some customers may be worried about the effect that contracting the coronavirus could have on their finances, for example due to a fall in income or because of unexpected expenses or bills to pay. UK Finance said support could include offering or increasing an overdraft or allowing repayment relief for loan or mortgage repayments. It said asking for help early is key. Trade union Unite has said it's challenging a temporary lay-off of around 150 staff at Belfast City Airport by the support services firm Swissport. The administration of regional airline Flybe, which the company said was precipitated by the impact of coronavirus on bookings, brought to a halt around 80% of Belfast City Airport's business. The airline's collapse brought to a halt 14 air links with cities in Great Britain, although small airline Loganair confirmed it will pick up links to Aberdeen and Inverness. Unite regional officer George Brash said stewards representing Swissport baggage handlers and check-in staff had been told on Friday that there was an "immediate threat" of temporary lay-offs. Mr Brash said: "Swissport bosses briefed our shop stewards on Friday, on their proposals for a 24-day unpaid stand down period - in effect a temporary lay-off . "This is a totally unacceptable response by Swissport. This is a hugely successful company which last year reported earnings before tax of more than 200m. "This is not a company that needs to threaten the income of their employees in the aftermath of the Flybe collapse; indeed, with the prospect that many, if not all, former Flybe routes could be taken on by other airlines this is an unnecessary and unacceptable response rooted in a short-term desire simply to maximise profits. "Unite is already engaging with our legal team to challenge the legality of a 14-day unpaid lay-off." A spokeswoman for Swissport said: "Flybe's unfortunate news has come at a very challenging time for the industry. As a business, we have a responsibility to carefully consider the impact this has on our company and identify the best outcome for all our employees and partners across the business. "Consultations with members of the Swissport team at Belfast City Airport are ongoing so we cannot comment further at this time." Mr Brash said the collapse of Flybe demonstrated the importance of greater Stormont support for airports. A spokesman for the City Airport said: "The airport is continuing its negotiations with a number of airlines in an effort to fill the routes vacated by Flybe. We understand this is a difficult time for all employees at the airport, but we hope to have positive news in the coming weeks." Other support businesses in the City Airport confirmed they are assessing the impact of the loss of the flights. However, taxi firm Value Cab, which has a contract to provide taxi links from the airport, refused to comment. Currency exchange firm Travelex said it was working with the airport about how the change affected it. A spokesman said: "Travelex has not made redundancies at Belfast City due to the collapse of Flybe, but we are working with the airport to assess how it impacts our future plans." The spokesman added: "Travelex has business continuity plans in the face of major events such as natural disasters and pandemics, and has a Covid-19 taskforce in place who are monitoring government advice, implementing specific action plans and communicating to employees as appropriate." And construction firms in Northern Ireland are bearing the brunt of the loss of Flybe's 14 routes to Great Britain, it's been claimed. Manufacturing NI chief executive Stephen Kelly said NI construction firms who diversified away from the island of Ireland towards Great Britain after the economic crash were among those who were most affected by the loss of flights to locations like Manchester and Leeds. Growing up in a rough neighborhood in Queens, New York, Daymond John was taught that "me and my boys would all be dead or in jail by the time we were twenty-one," he writes in his new book "Powershift: Transform Any Situation, Close Any Deal, and Achieve Any Outcome." Teenage John obviously "didn't like either one of those options." So he began to set goals and visualize his ideal future. "I started when I was around 16 years old, after I read the book 'Think and Grow Rich' by Napoleon Hill," John tells CNBC Make It. (The famous 1937 classic includes lessons Hill learned from studying 500 millionaires like Andrew Carnegie and Charlies Schwab on how to build wealth and manage time). "I would write [my goals] down and read them every single night before I go to bed, every single morning when I woke up," John says. Tony Rivetti At 23, John started apparel company FUBU, selling his hats on street-corners in Queens and paying the bills by working at Red Lobster as a waiter on the side. Over the next decade, John grew his brand into a fashion empire (which would eventually be worth $6 billion, according to John). It wasn't easy. Along the way, "I would always drift off," John tells CNBC Make It. But it was "those goals [that were] always bringing me back." "I actually became the man that I thought I would be by the age of 30 by reading [my goals]," he says. Here's how to set and live by goals, according to entrepreneur and "Shark Tank" star Daymond John. Find the 'why' Before starting the goal-setting process, John emphasizes in "Powershift" the importance of "understanding your 'why.'" One of the biggest reasons people fall short of their goals "is simply that they don't take the time to think them through," John writes. "They put it out there that they want to make partner, or they want to make a million dollars, or they want to start this or that business, but they don't stop to think about why they want these things." John first heard the concept articulated by Simon Sinek, who wrote a book called "Start with Why" and spoke about "finding your 'why'" in a 2014 TED talk. John said he was inspired by one of Sinek's lines: "People don't buy what you do. People buy why you do it." Your "why" determines the magnitude of your success, according to John. "This idea [of knowing your 'why'] should be the foundation for everything you do," John writes. "Otherwise, you could be working hard and busting your a--, but really have no idea where you're trying to go." And John notes your "why" can change, as his did. When John was younger, his "why" was solely to make money, he says. But with FUBU, that shifted to creating a brand "all about inclusion and inspiration," he writes. Most recently his "why" has become educating and inspiring other entrepreneurs. Give your goals an 'expiration date' Your goals should be achievable within a certain time frame they should have an "expiration date," according to John. Citing "Think and Grow Rich," John suggests writing your goals "in six-month tranches," he tells CNBC Make It. Once you achieve them, "then you reset them." You should also set larger goals with longer "two-year, five-year, 10-year and 20-year" deadlines, he says. Write down goals and read them twice a day "For as long as I can remember, I've had a goal in mind. But these goals weren't just things I'd think about in the back of my mind. I'd actually write them down," John says in his book. John says he reads each of his goals every morning and every night. "I close my eyes and visualize each goal, almost like I'm willing it into view," he says in his book. "And even with my eyes closed, I'm able to clearly see where I am and where I need to be." For instance, John once wrote down the goal of cashing a check for $102,345,086.32. "That's an actual number I wrote down with all my other goals, as a way to visualize what I wanted in a way that seemed real, not arbitrary. I'd rather hit a specific target than aim for a general area that's why the bull's eye is worth more than all those other rings on the target," he says in his book. Shut out the noise GREENWICH The Greenwich Senior Center/Arts Center, better known as 299 on The Ave, will be closed until further notice, First Selectman Fred Camillo announced early Tuesday evening. The closure impacts all activities held by the Greenwich Commission on Aging at the Senior Center including the daily lunch program for seniors, as well as the Greenwich Arts Council and its member groups. We have been working closely with the Greenwich Health Department and it is with an abundance of care and caution that this decision has been made to protect our more vulnerable residents, Camillo said. We know that older adults and people with serious chronic medical conditions are especially vulnerable, and we have made the difficult decision to preemptively close 299 on the Ave. Two cases of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, have been diagnosed in Connecticut and more than 100 cases in neighboring Westchester County, N.Y. No cases have been reported in Greenwich. Greenwich also is complying with Gov. Ned Lamonts order that all nursing homes be closed to visitors, including The Nathaniel Witherell nursing home. The decision to close the Senior Center was made by Camillo, Greenwich Department of Health and Senior Center employees, said Lori Contadino, director of the Commission on Aging. We work with a population that the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has deemed at higher risk population, said Contadino. When we looked at what we do, which is to bring people together for activities for congregate meals, we thought that perhaps what we were encouraging was not what needs to be supported at this time. So, it was a very difficult decision, but it was made out of an abundance of caution for the folks we serve and the folks we represent in the town, she said. Staff will still report for work at the Senior Center, and clients or other community members can call the facility with questions. If needed, Senior Center staff will also connect individuals, where possible, with other agencies, such as the Greenwich Department of Human Services, for example. Although the center will be closed, employees will still work to provide services with TAG, or Transportation Association of Greenwich, which takes clients to and from the center and their homes, she said. TAG drivers may take seniors to local grocery stores to stock up on food items, if necessary. Shes also considering livestreaming some of the centers programs, such as Zumba class, for example. Contadino is also creating a list of medication and grocery delivery services and will contact other agencies such as Meals on Wheels to supply food. Were just trying to cut down on the gathering, the congregate meals and all that, but not at all trying to cut people off from access to the Commission on Aging (or) the staff at the senior center, she said. We dont want to instill fear, she continued. This is not because anyone has been identified (as infected) in the center or among us in our senior center world. This is a preemptive type of safety measure that we thought was important. Senior Center leaders will reevaluate the closure after April 15. The facilitys custodial crew will do a deep clean of the center and polish the floors while its closed. Over 170 people were registered to attend a St. Patricks Day event at the Senior Center on Thursday, but we thought that wasnt a smart thing for us to do, said Contadino. We expect that theres going to be quite a flurry, she said about the closures. The closure is a sensible approach, said Patricia Burns, chairman of the Greenwich Commission on Aging, which oversees the senior center and other programs for older adults in town. These are people at the greatest risk and even though socialization is an important part of their lives, we needed to be cautious, she said. Were monitoring the situation daily and were going to take each day at a time. For more information, contact the Commission on Aging at 203-862-6710, the Greenwich Senior Center at 203-862-6700 and the Greenwich Arts Council at 203-862-6750. The Greenwich Commission on Agings webpage can be found at www.greenwichct.gov/190/Commission-on-Aging. For up-to-date information on the coronavirus, visit the Greenwich Department of Health webpage at www.greenwichct.gov/575/Health-Department. Worlds largest seafood business conference held in Bergen amid escalating coronavirus fears by James Wright March 10,2020 | Source: GAA C-level seafood executives from around the world gathered in Bergen, Norway, last week to discuss issues and opportunities for fisheries and aquaculture, including climate change, increasing production, technology innovations, environmental sustainability and the coronavirus (COVID-19) that is stoking fears worldwide, slowing industries and threatening vast economic impacts. When the news broke that Seafood Expo North America in Boston scheduled just two weeks ahead was being postponed or even canceled as a result of the infectious disease and the dangers it presents to attendees, it prompted speculation that other events would also be affected. Many presentations referred to impacts already being felt or needed actions to overcome the challenge. For this years North Atlantic Seafood Forum (NASF), attendance was indeed slightly down from previous iterations, according to the event organizers, who opted to live-stream the Day 1 morning program for those who opted not to travel to Norway. But for those who did come to the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel on Bergens storied waterfront, the program covered a wide range of subjects, and didnt shy away from tough ones. The oceans are our best defense against climate change but are nonetheless a victim. Climate change brings about much uncertainty for the seafood industry, said Vidar Helgesen, representing the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, a group of world leaders seeking to develop solutions for the environment. The countries represented in the 14-member panel represent about 30 percent of the worlds exclusive economic zones (EEZs), he said, and issued a comprehensive report last year. The biggest risk, added Helgesen, is what we dont know about ocean ecosystems, which is a lot: These ecosystems work well, and everything is OK until it isnt. There are cascading effects, with dramatic results. We need to deal with the uncertainty and take action. Climate change impacts on the global ocean economy could be severe, with up to a 30 percent decline in fish stocks in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean basins by the year 2100, he said. The impact on West African countries fisheries could be tragic, with a stock decline of up to 85 percent. With warming ocean temperatures, fish stocks will migrate to the north and south poles, with people living on or near the equator losing out big time. A picture such as this can naturally be seen as gloomy, yet the authors of the report presented an opportunistic view, said Helgesen, concluding that seafood production must increase to meet demands from a growing global population. Helgesen recommended two ways to accomplish this: Increase aquaculture production and improve fisheries management. Aquaculture has bright prospects, Helgesen said the panels report concluded that production could be ramped up significantly, up to six times its current size: On marine aquaculture, we were stunned to learn that mariculture can be six times bigger than today. Especially for low-trophic aquaculture shellfish hold enormous protein value and dont have to be fed. Its an economic opportunity, but also an opportunity for human health and nutrition. Its a planetary opportunity and more land- and biodiversity-friendly. Guus Pastoor, president of AIPCEE (European Fish Processors Association) in Brussels, Belgium, told NASF attendees that they have a common responsibility to find solutions to climate change. He is buoyed by the fact that many seafood stakeholders have been successful in warding off the total depletion of fish stocks that many had predicted. Retailers are bearing the brunt of the responsibility when it comes to driving change in the food industry, and change the food industry must, said Giles Bolton, director of responsible sourcing at UK-based retailer Tesco. Marcio Castro de Souza, senior fisheries trade officer for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Rome, said that aquaculture production will surpass wild capture fisheries, for all purposes, human consumption or not, in 2022. Despite this, reports that 90 percent of global fish stocks are in danger is simply not true, saying that fishing to maximum sustainable yield is the goal. Aquaculture continues to perform well, he said. In 2018, overall aquaculture production reached 114.5 million metric tons (MT), a 2 percent growth rate overall and a 3.2 percent growth rate with aquatic animals. 20162020 Global Aquaculture Alliance All rights reserved. Theme(s): Others. Prominent Veteran Journalist Abdul Malik Kweku Baako has endorsed the candidature of MP for New Juaben South and Chairman of the Finance Committee of Parliament, Dr. Mark Assibey Yeboah. Dr. Assibey Yeboah is seeking re-election for the NPP April 25 primaries and was successfully vetted by the leadership of the party last week. In a Facebook conversation, the veteran journalist Kweku Baako described Assibey as a big brain in legislative matters especially the financials Mark is a quality material fit for Parliament! Undisputed!! Continuity endorsed!! He said Mr. Baako said the Parliamentary work of the governing party would be weaker without the finance committee chair in the house. In justifying his endorsement the prominent journalist said The focus or emphasis ought not to be on who's a better family man or not! No! As a nonparty man, and a student of parliamentary business and history I have no hesitation in endorsing Mark! The emphasis should be on his legislative competence and prowess As a student of parliamentary history, I can say he's an excellent material to retain in Ghana parliament for the foreseeable future He added that Ghana's parliament needs his skills and prowess to provide quality legislation and good governance! Dr. Assibey Yeboah who is the incumbent MP is been challenged by the Executive Secretary of the Free Zones Board, Michael Okyere Baafi. 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 As the coronavirus outbreak continues its inexorable spread around the world, it's hitting the airline business hard, especially the big international carriers serving San Francisco International Airport. According to an airport spokesperson, passenger numbers at SFOs usually bustling International Terminal are currently down 30 percent from the same time last year. The latest big coronavirus-related schedule adjustment comes from Qantas, which said this week it will reduce its overall capacity by almost 25 percent for the next six months. That includes the suspension of two San Francisco routes and the unexpected return of a Boeing 747 on a third. Effective from April 18 at least through mid-September, Qantas will end its new SFO-Brisbane route, currently operating three times a week, as well as its four weekly SFO-Melbourne flights. The airline will continue Sydney-San Francisco nonstops but will replace the 787 Dreamliner currently on the route with a larger 747, also effective April 18. You may recall that Qantas flew what it thought would be its final North American 747 flight back in early December, but it appears that these extraordinary times will bring the "Queen of the Skies" back so SFO for at least six months. (See our coverage of the Boeing 747 sendoff at SFO here.) Lawrence Malabanan On other North American routes, Qantas will delay the beginning of new Chicago-Brisbane flights from April 15 until mid-September. The A380s currently flying from Sydney to Dallas/Ft. Worth and from Melbourne to Los Angeles will be replaced by 787s on April 20 and June 1 respectively. And Qantas will suspend its seasonal Sydney-Vancouver service during June and July. The airlines 787s have 250 fewer seats than its A380s. In the slideshow at the top of this post, you can see the impact COVID-19 is having on SFO airport crowds. The latest cuts follow the spread of the coronavirus into Europe and North America over the past fortnight, as well as its continued spread through Asia, which has resulted in a sudden and significant drop in forward travel demand, the company said. It also reports that Qantas CEO Alan Joyce is forgoing his annual salary in light of these cutbacks. The Qantas A380s being pulled from DFW and LAX routes are part of a larger decision by the airline to ground eight of its A380s through mid-September. Thats just the latest in a series of international schedule cutbacks for SFO as travel demand keep drying up. Don't miss a shred of important travel news! Sign up for our FREE bi-weekly email alerts United Airlines said last week it is cutting its San Francisco-Seoul schedule back to three flights a week March 8 through April 30 (down from the previously scheduled daily service in March and 12 flights a week in April), and reducing service on other Asia routes as well. From SFO, United reduced its two daily Singapore flights to just one March 8-24; will scale back Osaka service from a daily schedule to five days a week March 28-April 24; and will replace the 777-300 on its SFO-Taipei route with a smaller 787-9 during March and April. Last month, following up on the drawdown of most of its mainland China service, United suspended its twice-daily SFO-Hong Kong service, its two daily SFO-Shanghai flights, and its three weekly flights from SFO to Chengdu, China. After the coronavirus outbreak started in China, Chinese carriers China Eastern and China Southern also suspended their service to San Francisco. South Koreas Asiana Airlines has suspended SFO-Seoul service through mid-April (although thats not related to coronavirus), and Cathay Pacifics SFO-Hong Kong route, which previously had as many as three flights a day, has shrunk to just a single daily. Besides coronavirus schedule woes, San Francisco International has also lost international service in recent months from low-cost European airlines that shut down, including Air Italy, Icelandair, WOW, XL Airways and Air Berlin, as well as Asias low-cost Hong Kong Airlines. Read all recent TravelSkills posts here Chris McGinnis is SFGATE's senior travel correspondent. You can reach him via email or follow him on Twitter or Facebook. Don't miss a shred of important travel news by signing up for his FREE biweekly email updates! SFGATE participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. A foremost Nigerian poet, Odia Ofeimum, is set to be celebrated next week. According to a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES by an associate, Jahman Anikulapo, a conference and a special dinner will be held in Lagos for Mr Ofeimun. Read the full statement below. PRESS RELEASE THE ODIA OFEIMUM AT 70 CONFERENCE AND SPECIAL DINNER The Odia Ofeimun at 70 Committee is pleased to announce activities to mark the 70th Birthday Celebrations of Odia Ofeimun, a most distinguished and remarkable Nigerian, which will occur on Monday, March 16, 2020. In this regard, the Committee is hosting the Taking Nigeria Seriously: A Conference in Honour of Odia Ofeimun, which would hold at the Julius Berger Hall of the University of Lagos campus on March 16 and 17. The celebration will end with a Special Dinner in honour of the celebrant on the evening of March 17 at the Hall of the University of Lagos Guest House. The Odia Ofeimun at 70 conference will be a gathering of intellectuals, scholars and academics from within Nigeria, Africa and as wide as from North America and Europe. The Keynote will be given by Professor Biodun Jeyifo, a reputed literary scholar and globally recognised cultural theorist, who until recently was with Harvard University in the United States of America. The Opening Ceremony of the Conference, holding by 10 a.m. on March 16 at the same venue, will be chaired by Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the Honourable Minister of Interior of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, while the Dinner on March 17 will be chaired by the renowned civil rights activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olisa Agbakoba. About Odia Ofeimun A foremost Nigerian poet, journalist, dance-drama producer, critic, columnist and public intellectual, Odia has for more than four decades now, exerted a phenomenal presence in the Nigerian cultural, creative, intellectual and political space. He served as Private Secretary to Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the late Nigerian nationalist and politician between 1978 and 1981; was a member of the editorial board of The Guardian from 1983 to 1988, Chairman of the Editorial Board of The News, Tempo and AM News from 1993 to 1999, and President of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) from 1993 to 1997. Ofeimuns Hornbill House of Culture represents a platform, which he has continued to use to execute his multi-dimensional activities including writing, dance-drama production, book publishing, cultural promotion and political interventions. He has close to forty (40) published books to his name; they include volumes of poetry, collections of critical essays, anthologies of cultural and political interventions, and compilations of journalistic writings. In 2010, Odia Ofeimun won the Fonlon Nichols award for excellence in writing and human rights activism. He is an exemplary man in many respects and his contributions to Nigeria letters and ideas as well as public life make him richly deserving of such an honour. This is an open invitation to the public, for those who would wish to attend the conference. Jahman Anikulapo F: Odia Ofeimun @ 70 Committee Airlines around the world sank deeper into crisis on Tuesday as the worsening coronavirus epidemic and Italy's lockdown hammered passenger numbers, forced the cancellation of thousands of flights and led to the delaying of plane orders. Some carriers face calamity, with Korean Air Lines warning the virus outbreak could threaten its survival after it scrapped more than 80 per cent of its international capacity, grounding 100 of its 145 passenger aircraft. Korean Air has scrapped more than 80 per cent of its international capacity, grounding 100 of its 145 passenger aircraft. Credit:Bloomberg "The situation can get worse at any time and we cannot even predict how long it will last," Woo Kee-hong, the president of South Korea's biggest airline, said in a memo to staff that summed up the turmoil facing the industry. "But if the situation continues for a longer period, we may reach the threshold where we cannot guarantee the company's survival." According to the poll, the key skills young people want to acquire in order to help them gain employment in the next decade include leadership (22 per cent), followed by analytical thinking and innovation (19 per cent), and information and data processing (16 per cent). Separately, a global survey by PwC[1] found that 74% of CEOs around the world said they are concerned about finding the right skills to grow their business. To address some of these challenges, UNICEF and PwC are joining forces over the next three years to help equip young people around the world with the skills they need for future work. The collaboration will support research on the growing global skills challenge and develop, expand and fund education and skills programmes in countries including India and South Africa. "Young people are telling us they want digital and transferable skills to succeed in the workplace of the future," UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said. "This crucial need can only be met through the contributions of public and private partners around the globe. That is why we are working with partners like PwC to provide opportunities for personal growth and prosperity for young people everywhere." Every month, 10 million young people reach working age, most of them coming from low and middle-income countries. According to a global research, it takes young people in those countries about a year and a half on average to break into the labour market, and a staggering four and a half years to find their first decent job.[2] This situation could potentially further deteriorate if it isn't addressed, with 20-40% of the jobs currently held by 16-24 year olds assessed to be at risk of automation by the mid-2030s.[3] "We believe business has a responsibility to help address the upskilling challenge for all of our stakeholders, including the communities in which we live and work and all of their citizens. It also makes business sense: in PwC's latest Global CEO Survey, three quarters of CEOs said the lack of available skills is a major concern and risk. Many of the people who need upskilling the most have the least access to opportunities," said Bob Moritz, Chairman of the PwC Network. "By joining forces with UNICEF, we believe we can help reach more people who may otherwise be unwillingly left behind. Together, we aim to upskill millions of young people." The collaboration between UNICEF and PwC will support the World Economic Forum's Reskilling Revolution Platform, of which both are founding partners. The platform aims to provide better jobs, education, and skills to one billion people in the next 10 years. PwC's skills, expertise and resources will also support Generation Unlimited, a global partnership hosted by UNICEF, to help young people successfully transition from education and training to decent work. PwC and Generation Unlimited will convene public, private and civil society stakeholders to develop investment opportunities, programmes and innovations that support young people in their path to productive futures and engaged citizenship. Notes to Editors: The poll was conducted by UNICEF through U-Report, a global digital youth engagement platform in February 2020. The poll was answered by 40,000 respondents from 150 countries. India had the most respondents (43 per cent), followed by South Africa (26 per cent). This U-Report poll data is representative of the information provided by the respondents, is not statistically weighted, and should not be extrapolated to global or country populations. About UNICEF UNICEF works in some of the world's toughest places, to reach the world's most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. For more information about UNICEF and its work for children visit www.unicef.org. Follow UNICEF on Twitter and Facebook. About Generation Unlimited Generation Unlimited currently hosted by UNICEF is a global partnership working to prepare young people to become productive and engaged citizens. It connects secondary-age education and training to employment and entrepreneurship, empowering every young person to thrive in the world of work. Follow Generation Unlimited on Twitter and Instagram. About PwC At PwC, our purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems. We're a network of firms in 157 countries with over 276,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, advisory and tax services. Find out more and tell us what matters to you by visiting us at www.pwc.com. PwC refers to the PwC network and/or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details. In October 2019, PwC launched 'New world. New skills.' its first global, purpose-led programme aimed at upskilling its people, working with clients on their upskilling strategies, scaling and refocusing its corporate social responsibility activities, and contributing to the debate about the issue. Watch 'Bridging the Digital Divide', a short documentary in which academics, NGOs, policymakers and business leaders explain why upskilling for a digital world has become a priority for society, organizations and governments. In 2018, PwC launched its community ambition to maximize the potential of 15 million people, NGOs and social and micro enterprises by 2022. About U-Report U-Report is a mobile empowerment programme that connects young people all over the world to information that will change their lives and influence decisions. U-Report is free and open-source and over 9 million adolescent and young people in 65 countries use it every week to voice their opinions, connect to their leaders, and help change the conditions in their communities through SMS and digital channels including WhatsApp, Facebook, Viber and Telegram. 1. PwC's 23rd Annual Global CEO Survey 2. Manacorda, Marco, et al., Pathways from School to Work in the Developing World, IZA DP No. 9456, 2015 3. Will robots really steal our jobs?, PwC Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1121790/PWC_Logo.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1121791/UNICEF_Logo.jpg SOURCE PwC; UNICEF Related Links https://www.pwc.com Evangelist Franklin Graham, who earlier this year had all eight of his planned United Kingdom appearances canceled by the venues after pressure from the LGBT community, is now facing similar backlash in Germany. Following in the footsteps of his late father, the Rev. Billy Graham, the younger evangelist was scheduled to bring the gospel to Germany at the Cologne Lanxess Arena on June 20. But Sven Lehmann, a member of the countrys federal parliament, the Bundestag, sent an open letter to the venue urging it "not to stage the hate preacher," UKs Premier Christian News reported. "Graham has repeatedly been against homosexuals," Lehmann wrote. "In 2015 he called for a boycott of an LGBTI-friendly company and explained a year later that Homosexuals are 'enemies' of Christians provided that they do not 'regret' their sexual orientation." Additionally, the Cologne Lesbian and Gay Day (KLUST) alleges Grahams biblical view regarding "homosexuality as sin" creates a "breeding ground on which violence against lesbians and gays thrives." Several German churches, however, support the Billy Graham Evangelist Associations Festival of Hope and are calling the claims against Franklin Graham defamatory. The Evangelical Free Church of Cologne said in a statement the intent of the gathering was solely to present the life-changing message of the gospel, which "resists radicalism and racism and works for justice and peace all over the world." In addition to his evangelistic outreaches, Graham also leads Samaritans Purse, which provides humanitarian and disaster relief around the globe. Heinrich Derksen, director of the Bible Seminary in Bonn (Bornheim), said Graham would never call for human rights to be restricted for homosexuals." The latest developments in Germany come after the BGEA filed suit in late February against at least one of the UK venues that canceled his summer tour stops. Several British officials labeled Grahams view on homosexuality repulsive and discriminatory, the Charlotte Observer reported. This case has wide-reaching ramifications for religious freedom and democracy in the UK and Europe, Graham said in a news release about the lawsuit, adding hes hoping to secure a favorable resolution to the issue. This is ultimately about whether the Scottish Event Campus will discriminate against the religious beliefs of Christians, the evangelist said in the statement. In an interview last month with The Guardian newspaper, Graham said the venues were breaking signed contracts with the BGEA. We had contracts signed and, in some cases, deposits paid, he said. I havent broken any laws. We are being denied because of religious beliefs and our faith. Its a freedom of religion issue and also a free speech issue. We have attorneys trying to get the venues to reverse their decisions. We certainly have a legal position were standing on. More than 2,000 UK churches are supporting the Graham tour, according to World Net Daily. Despite claims by the venues that the tour would have a "divisive impact," the BGEA maintains 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." Newcastle City Council leader Nick Forbes disagrees. "Pastor Graham peddles controversial, repulsive views about LGBT people which are in direct conflict with the values we hold dear in Newcastle," Forbes said, according to WND. In the midst of the controversy, Graham has held fast to his biblical values. "I believe the Bible teaches that marriage is between a man and a woman," he told Premier radio in February. "That's the Church of England's position. I think her majesty the queen, that's her position, and it's the position of the church, pretty much worldwide. This is what the Bible teaches and that's what I believe." Related: British Arena Boots Franklin Graham over 'Homophobic' Biblical Views Edinburgh Cancels Christian Conference over Pastor's Views on LGBTQ Relationships Discrimination against Christians? Seven UK Venues Cancel Franklin Graham Tour Scottish Court Orders Venue to Explain Why Franklin Graham's Event Was Canceled Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Justin Sullivan/Staff Lori Arnold is a national award-winning journalist whose experience includes 16 years at a daily community newspaper in San Diego and 16 years as writer-editor for the Christian Examiner. She owns StoryLori Media and is a member of the Evangelical Press Association. A Phoenix man is facing a first-degree murder charge in connection with human remains that were found in a city sewer in 2016, police said Tuesday. Francisco Antonio Fuentes, 25, was arrested Monday A judge set a cash-only appearance bond of $500,000 for Fuentes, who is due back in court later this month. It was unclear Tuesday if Fuentes has lawyer for his case yet. The Maricopa County Medical Examiner later determined the remains belonged to 38-year-old Victor Carillo-Gamez and the case was ruled a homicide. Investigators learned that Carillo-Gamez went to visit Fuentes in March 2015, but was not seen again. Fuentes was questioned by police, but he told them he was unaware of the victims location. Police say Fuentes fled to Mexico a few days later, allegedly telling his girlfriend that he had killed someone. Investigators say phone data placed the phones of Fuentes and Carillo-Gamez in the same area at the time of the July 2016 murder. Western societies and governments seem to have lost a common understanding of what it generally means to be part of the West. Although perhaps this is a crucial strategic issue for transatlantic partners, it is not known whether the West will be able to devise a common strategy for a new era of great power competition Global defense spending is constantly growing. In 2019, it grew by four percent compared to 2018 - that is, showed the largest growth in almost a decade. But what is the reason for this? And what does this mean for the future? For 56 years, over 500 of the most influential representatives of politics and economics have been meeting in Munich for three days to discuss current challenges in a semi-formal setting. But things are not so good in 2020. The widespread anxiety prevailing in the conference room, and the feeling that new centers of destructive influence are being formed, the presence of which the West - and especially Europe - is adjusting too slowly, could not be overlooked. Westlessness - the key word of the conference in 2020 - is a widespread feeling of discomfort and anxiety due to growing insecurity in the long-term prospects of the West. Many security policy dilemmas seem to be inextricably linked to what some call the fall of the Western project. In addition, Western societies and governments seem to have lost a common understanding of what it generally means to be part of the West. Although perhaps this is a crucial strategic issue for transatlantic partners, it is not known whether the West will be able to devise a common strategy for a new era of great power competition. Scenario No. 1: China In Munich, one could well feel the fear that the existence of the West is at risk, as it is split and at the same time faces a challenge from China. Europe, including Britain, has long been in a kind of conflict with the United States and China. Huawei has been featured in many debates in the context of national security, and not in a positive context. U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper called Huawei the hallmark of the Chinese robbery economy and, along with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, warned that Huaweis access to 5G networks in Europe should not be seen as an elegant commercial solution, but as a fundamental threat to the Western world. Is Huawei and 5G an example of China's strategy to destabilize other countries and dominate? This remains unclear, however, dependence on China can make digital systems in Europe and the United States vulnerable, as well as complicate communication with Western partners. Even NATO, the most successful alliance in history, can be undermined with this technology. Scenario No. 2: Middle East German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that the future of the Middle East is now determined not in Geneva and New York or the UN offices, but in Astana and Sochi, cities where Russia, Turkey and Iran meet. The reason is the White Houses decision not to play the role of a world policeman anymore. The US withdrawal left, as Maas said, a geostrategic gap filled by countries which values Europe does not share. All this required Germanys response to Emmanuel Macrons call for strategic dialogue, especially in the defense field. Because, despite the vast US presence at the Munich Conference - over 40 members of the Congress of both political camps arrived across the Atlantic to Bavaria - the message of the Americans was that governments in Europe should agree their positions on Iran, NATO defense spending and trade. Cautionary words from Germany At the opening of the 56th Munich Security Conference, German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the current US government "denies the idea of the international community." Steinmeier also criticized how Russia and China conduct their foreign policy. Russia, not taking into account international law, not only annexed Crimea, again turned military force and the shifting of borders on the European continent into a tool of politics. The result is instability, unpredictability, confrontation and loss of confidence, the president said. Scenario No. 3: Russia Relations between the EU countries and Moscow over the past years have been tense. In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea, and the outbreak of hostilities between Kyiv and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine caused the deaths of more than 14 000 people. This smoldering conflict does not fade away. As a result, the US and the EU imposed sanctions against Russia because of its actions against Ukraine. Nevertheless, at this Munich conference, French President Emmanuel Macron said: "Europe should make efforts in the long term to improve relations with Russia." And he added that, of course, he did not propose lifting the sanctions, but they did not change anything in the behavior of Russia. According to Macron, a "convincing" approach in relations with Russia would be to follow a clear course: "We must firmly uphold our principles on frozen conflicts, while entering into a strategic dialogue - which will certainly take time." During a visit to Poland in February, Macron said that "it is a big mistake to distance ourselves from the part of Europe in which we do not feel good." Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Chaputovic during a conference in Munich sought to hold bilateral negotiations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, but this initiative did not find a response from Moscow. Meanwhile, when Russia is preparing to celebrate one of the most important dates - the 75th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War - a dialogue with neighbors such as Poland would be of great importance. May 9, 2020 a large-scale victory parade will be held in Moscow on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the surrender of Nazi Germany in World War II in 1945,. NATO as a stabilizing force NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also spoke at a Munich conference cautioning that Russia's current policy poses a great threat. This is especially true for the deployment of Iskander missile systems by the Russian side, which, in his opinion, led to the cancellation of the INF Treaty. Despite the conciliatory gestures of some European states towards Moscow, NATO member countries formally take a unified position on the issue of violation of the treaty. In addition, Jens Stoltenberg recalled that the Iskanders are only a small part of the Russian military system, both traditional and nuclear. According to Stoltenberg, "their deployment seriously increases the risk of escalation in the region." The NATO Secretary General further stated that violence and instability in the Middle East could trigger an even wider migration crisis and increase the terrorist threat. Speaking about the meeting of NATO member countries defense ministers on the eve of the conference, on February 12 and 13 in Brussels, the Secretary General presented the idea of a NATO training mission in Iraq. Its goal will be to increase the capabilities of the Iraqi army so that it can operate independently. Stoltenberg pointed out that all NATO measures are negotiated with the Iraqi government to ensure unrestricted compliance with Iraqi sovereignty and territorial integrity. At the same time, NATO reaffirmed its full support for US stabilization efforts in Afghanistan. The United States has been negotiating with the Taliban for many years, which, however, did not lead to the desired result, namely, a peace agreement between the government and the Taliban. Stoltenberg noted that the Taliban must confirm their willingness and will to reduce violence, and NATO will continue to support the Afghan security forces to effectively combat terrorism. In this regard, NATO, like the EU High Representative for Foreign and Defense Policy, is ready to take on more responsibility in order to increase the effectiveness of NATO operations and deepen bilateral cooperation. Stoltenberg also spoke on the topic of Ukraine, noting that Ukraine, in order to join the NATO expanded capabilities program, must fulfill all the criteria for closer cooperation with the alliance. However, this does not mean "green light" for Kyiv on the way to membership. The Munich Security Conference also addressed the issue of increasing defense spending. Jens Stoltenberg said that members of the alliance until the end of 2024 should allocate an additional $ 400 billion for these purposes. Nevertheless, not all NATO members intend to increase their military spending. For example, the Czech Republic, contrary to its allied commitments, recently announced that it will try to limit its defense budget to 1.4% of GDP. Scenario No. 4: Ukraine Without Ukrainian president Zelensky the future of Kyiv, at first glance, could have been clear. However, Zelensky, elected in 2019, called on the heads of states to restore the system of regional security in Europe, for which it is necessary to put an end to the war of Russia in eastern Ukraine and return Crimea from Russian occupation. "Its not quite right to talk about the war in Ukraine. This is a war in Europe. And along with the annexation of Crimea, it lasts as long as World War II. Imagine," Zelensky said in his speech during a panel discussion at the conference. At the fourth Ukrainian lunch on the sidelines of the Munich conference, at which its chairman Wolfgang Ischinger also made an opening speech, Zelensky said that Ukraine and Russia had practically agreed on the next exchange of prisoners, during which 200 Ukrainians should be released. During a Ukrainian dinner sponsored by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation in Munich, Zelensky said Ukraine had a bad reputation in the international arena regarding corruption, which is not true. "We are fighting corruption. Please stop saying that Ukraine is a corrupt country. From now on it is not true," said President Zelensky. At the same time, the Ukrainian president noted that the OSCE observation mission did not make possible a general ceasefire and safe access to the occupied territories. The idea of disengagement of forces presented by the president involves dividing the demarcation lines into sectors. "There is a gradual withdrawal of forces, a transition from one sector to another is possible only if the OSCE monitoring mission checks that there are no illegal armed groups in this territory," the Ukrainian president said. He also noted that after some time Kyiv will inform other participants of the "Normandy format", that is, the leaders of Russia, Germany and France, about this initiative. He also assured that Ukraine will do everything to ensure that the next summit in this format takes place at the scheduled time, that is, in April 2020. In March, a further withdrawal of troops should be held in three sections of the front line, Zelensky added. As for the local elections scheduled for autumn in Ukraine, he said he would welcome it if they were held all over the country at the same time, according to Ukrainian laws, as well as international standards. "The people of Donbas need elections that will be considered legal. And it cannot be that they run contrary to Ukrainian law, to the sound of gunfire and without control of the Ukrainian border," he said. I would like the elections to be held also in Crimea. But for us this is impossible without ensuring complete security and political conditions, in violation of the Ukrainian Constitution and international standards for democratic elections, Zelensky added. Zelensky also noted that the new security architecture should be based solely on the norms and principles of international law; current international treaties do not protect any nation from the rule of a stronger one. In his opinion, a guarantee of the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity is a strong army, nuclear weapons and NATO. I dont believe in any documents. I also want to say this to other countries - you cannot believe in any documents. Nobody guarantees anything. The 21st century is the right of the strong, Zelensky said in conclusion. Digitalization and Facebook On the occasion of the 56th Munich Conference, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz met with the founder and president of the world's largest social network user Mark Zuckerberg. During the conversation, the politician expressed the opinion that large American digital companies should pay taxes in Europe. Kurtz noted that Austria had already introduced a national digital tax, and confirmed that his government would support a similar decision at the EU or OECD level. Mark Zuckerberg, in turn, said in Munich that Facebook is prepared to pay higher taxes in Europe if the OECD develops new rules. Zuckerberg also supported the OECD tax decision. According to him, his company will also support financial and research centers that are working on a solution acceptable to everyone. According to OECD, a proposal on a global tax system for digital giants will be ready in July. "I understand that the planned reforms may mean that we in different countries will have to pay more taxes. But I also understand that there is disappointment in the way high-tech companies calculate taxes in Europe," said the founder and president of Facebook. The European Commission has been working on an EU-wide digital tax project for the last election period, but this work has never progressed far. Prolonged discussions were held in Paris, and France in July last year introduced its own digital GAFA tax (based on the first letters of the names of the American companies Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple). A French tax is applied to every technology company in the French market, which annual global revenues exceed 750 million euros, of which at least 25 million euros per year come from France. Such a company must pay a new tax of three percent of revenue in the French market. Paris indicated that by registering European companies in countries with a more favorable tax system (Ireland, the Netherlands or Luxembourg), profits made in France are taxed elsewhere. The new rules led to great discontent in Washington (although European and Chinese companies in France were also affected), the United States threatened France with retaliatory duties. Paris quickly decided to introduce a digital tax credit system, but other EU member states were clearly shocked by US reactions. The US was of the opinion that French taxes discriminated against American companies. 2020 Diplomatic Success Stories This year's conference was very optimistic about the future, not only because of its perfect organizational talent and logistical skills, but also due to diplomatic qualities. Thanks to the effective assistance of the conference, for the first time we managed to convince the neighboring countries of the South Caucasus to gather at one table at the Bayerisches Hof in Munich and discuss the problems of the region. The war in Nagorno-Karabakh claimed 30 000 lives, the armed ethnic and territorial conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted for the first time in 1988. Only in 1994 an armistice agreement was signed. Although an attempt at rapprochement between the two countries has already been outlined in the past, but only at the 56th Munich Conference did the countries agree to preliminary negotiations on updating neighborly relations and "healing wounds" that arose due to armed conflicts 32 and 26 years ago. In Munich, the heads of state and government of Azerbaijan and Armenia gathered for the first time in public space and discussed further actions regarding Nagorno-Karabakh. We achieved significant results at the Munich Security Conference, and this deserves applause, as it took a lot of courage, said Wolfgang Ischinger. The Munich Conference also became the venue for an important agreement between Serbia and Kosovo. Presidents Alexander Vuchich and Hashim Thachi signed a statement on February 14 of their intention to restore the railway connection and open roads between the two countries. Each of the thematic discussions - from climate change and the regulation of the digital world to the situation in regions such as the Middle East, North Africa, the Balkans and Eastern Europe - took place with the participation of central players who expressed their geopolitical position. In each area, it was possible to see how the connections of different players - from trade and migration to energy and the Internet - get tools in the new competition between the powers. The 56th Munich Conference ended with a new forecast for a united, strong and geopolitically significant Europe - a continent on which nearly 740 million people peacefully coexist. On this occasion, Ischinger said that Europe had enshrined its humane legal rule many centuries ago and that it was a model for many governments around the world. "Europe represents solid political ideas and views," he stressed. NEW ULM, Minn. - A bankruptcy judge on Tuesday approved a $34 million settlement between the Diocese of New Ulm in Minnesota and nearly 100 people who say they were sexually abused by priests and others. Bishop John LeVoir apologized to sexual abuse survivors during the hearing, where U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Kressel gave final approval to the settlement. Several survivors of clergy sexual abuse testified tearfully at the hearing, the Star Tribune reported. I apologize again on behalf of the church to all who have been harmed by clergy sexual abuse, LeVoir said. The diocese serving Catholics in southern and west-central Minnesota also agreed to implement 17 child protection protocols. Attorney Jeff Anderson of St. Paul, who represents many of the survivors, told The Associated Press that both the settlement and the hearing were powerful. This is a massive cleanup of a massive coverup, Anderson said. He said survivors could start receiving compensation in May. The diocese filed for bankruptcy protection three years ago and reached the settlement last June. All 93 claimants have approved terms of the settlement, the Star Tribune reported. In court and in a letter to local Catholics, LeVoir thanked the survivors for coming forward. The courage that claimants showed in coming forward to share how the Church failed them has changed our Church for the better. Our ministry is safer for children and young people, our practices and policies are now more open and transparent, and we are more humble, the bishop wrote. Of the $34 million settlement, $26 million comes from diocesan and parish insurance coverage; $7 million in cash contributions from the diocese, including cash from a $2 million mortgage on the Pastoral Center; and $1 million contributed by all parishes within the diocese, including parishes that were not sued, the diocese said. The diocese previously agreed to release the names of priests credibly accused of sex abuse, Anderson said. The New Ulm diocese is among several Roman Catholic dioceses in Minnesota that have filed for bankruptcy protection amid child sex abuse claims or are considering it. The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis emerged from bankruptcy in December 2018, three months after a federal bankruptcy judge approved a $210 million settlement. Last May, the Diocese of Duluth reached a $40 million settlement with dozens of people who said they were abused as children by priests. People outside Korea Building, where group transmissions were reported on Monday, in Guro District, Seoul, line up to have the coronavirus test, Tuesday./ Yonhap By Kim Se-jeong An insurance company call center in southwestern Seoul is now a hotbed for COVID-19 infections in the Seoul metropolitan area, with 64 employees, their family members and acquaintances confirmed to have contracted the virus. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, this was the largest case of group transmission in the city and the number of cases is expected to rise. Of 64, it's unclear how many are employees of Metanet Mplanform call center in Guro District, outsourced by Ace Insurance. The company's Korea Building has been closed and quarantine officials are conducting tests on everyone who visited it. ACE Insurance is part of the Chubb global insurance group. The quarantine authorities are tracking down the itinerary of the first confirmed infected employee, a woman in her 50s living in Nowon District, who has not visited China or Daegu and is not a member of the Shincheonji Church. Amid the ongoing political drama in Madhya Pradesh, former chief minister and senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday (March 9) said that the political crisis in the state is due to internal tussle of Congress and he would prefer not to comment on it. Chouhan asserted that the BJP is not interested in toppling CM Kamal Nath government but said that the government will fall on its own due to the ongoing tussle between Congress leaders in Madhya Pradesh. "This is Congress' internal matter and I would not like to comment on it. We had said on the first day that we are not interested in bringing down the government," said the former Madhya Pradesh CM. The political crisis in Madhya Pradesh took a new twist on Monday evening after several lawmakers, including ministers, supporting senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia went incommunicado. The chief minister swung into action immediately after it was confirmed that around 16 MLAs, including some ministers, who are seen as Scindia loyalists have left for Bengaluru and are not in touch with Congress leaders. Kamal Nath called an emergency meeting of senior leaders at his residence on Monday ninth and after the meeting all ministers of his cabinet submitted their resignations. The ministers also expressed faith in CM Kamal Nath and requested him to restructure the Cabinet. Sources told Zee Media that Scindia has been offered a Rajya Sabha seat and a cabinet berth in the Modi government at the Centre by the BJP if his loyalists decide to quit the Congress and help the BJP come to power in the state. Although Jyotiraditya was present in Delhi on Monday, there was no news about his appointment with Congress party's interim chief Sonia Gandhi. Talking to ANI, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said that several leaders of the party tried to contact Scindia but it is being told that he is suffering from swine flu, so haven't been able to get in touch with him. The rumblings in the Congress had started last week when it had accused the BJP of trying to topple its government after 10 MLAs of the ruling party and those of its allies travelled to Haryana, though the BJP had denied the charge. Of them, eight had come back and many of them wanted ministerial berths, according to sources. Two Congress MLAs have not yet returned. Champaign, IL (61820) Today Sunny skies. Becoming windy late. High 36F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 29F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible. Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer during a media update at the Department of Health on the confirmed case of Covid-19 (Coronavirus) in Ireland. Photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins Ten more people have tested positive for coronavirus - the highest daily toll so far. It brings to 34 the number of confirmed cases in the Republic. None of the new cases were due to community transmission, which is the most worrying route. But two are healthcare workers, one is a man based in the south of the country and the other is a woman in the east. Five of the cases, which are in the east and south of the country, are associated with travel from an affected area. Two people in the west and another in the south have rested positive for coronavirus and are associated with close contact with confirmed cases. The HSE said that as of yesterday 1,784 people have been tested for Covid-19 in Ireland, an increase of 1,387 tests in one week. A HSE spokesperson said they are rapidly working to identify anyone who may have had contact with the patients in a bid to prevent coronavirus spreading further here. This comes just hours after the Irish Cancer Society has cancelled its main fund raising event Daffodil Day due to the coronavirus risk. Chief executive Averil Power said the decision was taken to cancel Daffodil Day street collections and events that were scheduled for March 27. She said: We have made this decision to protect the health and well being of our patients, volunteers and supporters. We also want to focus all our energies on providing cancer patients and their families with the information, advice and support they need at this time. Meanwhile, the Department of Education has moved to scotch rumours that a decision has been made to close schools. The statement today is a response to reports circulating widely on social media that schools would not re open after St Patrick's Day. A spokesperson said the Department was liaising closely with the Department of Health on a continuing basis. "Any decision to close schools will be made on public health advice. There is no such advice at this point", the spokesperson said. It repeated that it was "essential that any decisions regarding responses to Covid-19 are proportionate, necessary and based on specific public health advice. No other response is appropriate." It added that public health professionals will contact schools if there is any action to be taken and that schools should not take unilateral action. The spokesperson said it was deeply conscious of the significance of decisions concerning school closures, and the potential impact any such decisions would have on parents, families and the wider community. "This is an evolving situation and the health advice is being updated on a daily basis. The Departments of Education and Health will continue to work closely together on this issue ." While transport operators have noticed a 5pc decrease in passenger numbers in recent weeks. "The Authority has engaged with all operators(*) and is continually monitoring the public transport landscape in respect of the COVID-19 outbreak," a spokesperson for the National Transport Authority said. "We are actively engaged with Senior Health officials and all operators will continue to follow whatever advice we are given to assist us in dealing with COVID-19. "Overall public transport has seen a reduction in passenger numbers by some operators estimated at approximately 5%. The Authority will continue to monitor transport patterns and will respond with the operators. "Business Continuity plans are in place and will be enacted in a way that is proportionate to the situation as it evolves. Any actions that are taken will be guided by the National Public Health Emergency Team and the advice of the Chief Medical Officers. "The Authority and transport operators have displayed the public information posters across the transport network to assist in disseminating public health messages. Meanwhile, Trinity College Dublin is closing its lecture halls and other key buildings in the face of the growing threat from coronavirus. In a drastic response to the spread of Covid-19, the university has announced that lectures will cease from today, and will be delivered online from 9am tomorrow until the end of the academic year. However, tutorials, seminars and laboratory practicals, which involve smaller numbers, will continue to be given in the usual fashion. No decisions have been made on arrangements for annual exams, which take place in about five weeks and involve about 1,000 students a day sitting in the RDS, Ballsbridge. The world-famous, city centre university also closed Book of Kells exhibition and Old Library, the Science Gallery and the Douglas Hyde Gallery, with immediate effect. Notices of the closures of the public attractions were posted online and at the main entrances to the college today. The Book of Kells, regarded as Irelands greatest cultural treasure , now attracts more than one million visitors each year, mainly from the US. While the action falls short of full closure, Trinity is the first Irish higher education institution to announce such a wind-down in campus activities, which goes well beyond the advice of the Government. In continuing to deliver teaching in tutorials, laboratories and seminars, social distancing protocols will be used in these small group settings to minimise any risk of spreading the virus This will allow Trinity to maintain continuity of teaching and learning while minimising the need to bring together students in large groups the university has advised students and staff today. This will slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but further measures may be necessary and these arrangements will be kept under continuous review. Trinity said the measures were being taken in the interests of the health and well-being of students and staff and to decrease any potential impacts on the larger community. The decisions are based on the concept of social distancing which has been recommended by many experts. Our goal is to decrease the number of instances that lead to students, staff, and visitors coming together in large groups in close proximity with each other. In its statement to students and staff, the college said it recognised that teaching is one of Trinitys great strengths and that the decision regarding academic activities will be inconvenient to many of you but we must recognise that COVID-19 presents a very serious threat to the health and well-being of all in the Trinity community. Further actions may be needed. The well-being of everybody in our college community is our number one priority. Anyone who is unsure about what constitutes a lecture has been advised to consult their timetable and, if they are still unsure, should consult their school or course co-ordinator. No decisions have been made on arrangements for exams, which take place in about five weeks and involve about 1,000 students a day sitting in the RDS, Ballsbridge. Visit our Covid-19 vaccine dashboard for updates on the roll out of the vaccination program and the rate of Coronavirus cases Ireland Trinity College was hit with a case of coronavirus last week, although the person involved is understood to have made a good recovery and , while that may have concentrated minds, universities elsewhere have also cancelled face to face classes. Meanwhile Dublin City University (DCU) has announced the postponement of its Spring graduation ceremonies, scheduled for March 21 DCU president Prof Brian MacCraith said the decision was taken following the careful consideration of a range of factors associated with the evolving COVID19 situation, both nationally and internationally. As this event would have involved significant travel for graduates and their families, the University considers that it is in the best interests of all concerned that this non-critical event is postponed. He added that the university was prioritising the deployment of resources for the development of contingency plans associated with potential changes in the delivery and assessment of academic programmes over the coming weeks and months, in the event of a curtailment or suspension of normal academic activities. This comes as Omniplex Cinemas announced they will implement in-cinema seat separation as part of their measures to encourage effective Social Distancing in cinemas. Other measures include self-Scanning of tickets, increased cleaning regimes and hand sanitising stations in every cinema foyer, a statement yesterday said. In-cinema seat separation is the cornerstone of the plan, whereby every second cinema seat will be unoccupied in a checkerboard pattern. Mark Anderson, director of Omniplex Cinemas said it would give one metre separation between each guest, as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for social distancing. By reducing our capacity by 50pc we hope to give cinemagoers peace of mind when attending the movies, he said. The cinema group is the largest on the island with more than 245 screens in 32 locations. More to follow... I know, I know: when a friend breaks up with her awful boyfriend you have to wait at least a week or two before you say, "Thank God, he really was an awful d**khead," in case they get back together and then you can never take it back and they get married and the knowledge that you think he's the worst sits between you and your friend for the rest of time, silent and terrible. I know this. And yet, just a week or so after Maura and Curtis parted ways, I can't help myself. Like the rest of the country, I breathed a sigh of relief when the news broke that our Maura was finally free from whatever dark magic Curtis had cast on her. I feel elated not having to pretend to like Curtis any more. I feel free. I can only imagine how Maura feels. And I know, that when we inevitably become friends one day, she won't hold it against me for jumping the gun on celebrating this parting of ways. The break-up, as Love Island break-ups are wont to do, is mostly playing out over Instagram captions and entirely unsubstantiated gossip. Maura posted an incredible picture of herself all in white like the angel she is, with the caption, "A strong women [sic] never gives up on herself, but she may give up on you," to which Curtis (indirectly) responded with a family photo and, "The people that always support me..." It's white-knuckle stuff. They haven't been seen together since the National Television Awards, where they hosted the red carpet. The night apparently ended in a row, with potentially delusional Curtis reportedly claiming that Maura was 'using' him and that she only got the gig because of him. Poor, Curtis - you can't say this of a lot of reality TV alumnae, but Maura's career is just getting started. And now we have her back - the raw, unadulterated, single Maura that we all fell in love with on Love Island. Welcome home, friend: we missed you. ******** The year is 2011; at the VMA awards, Beyonce gives a spine-tingling rendition of Love on Top. Adele is singing along, the crowd is going wild. Beyonce strides and dances and hair flips across the stage in vertiginous heels, and as the song finishes, Queen Bey drops the microphone and unbuttons her purple sequinned blazer to reveal a baby bump, which she rubs laughing as the crowd goes wild. In the crowd applauding is Katy Perry: we didn't know it then, but at that moment she was thinking, "I can do that". And sure enough last week Katy Perry attempted something similarly sensational, but not being Beyonce it fell somewhat flat. Perry released the music video for her song Never Worn White, which you would be forgiven for thinking is a poetic metaphor for never having been married - this would be absolutely inaccurate. Katy Perry is singing that she has literally never worn white (to get married) because when she wed Russell Brand in 2010 she wore a gown of dove grey. So it will indeed be a thrilling novelty to wear white (she sings, wearing white) to marry Orlando Bloom. The video was an answer to the question that absolutely no one was asking: why hasn't there been a wedding since last year's Valentine's proposal? Well, it's because Katy Perry is pregnant, a fact she reveals at the end of the video by cradling her bump in profile, in the traditional celebrity maternity wear of being mostly nude with a net curtain. The video's whole aesthetic is undeniably also very 2017 floral-Beyonce-pregnant-with-the-twins - which may have been a deliberate homage, a kind of foreshadowing in-joke. But I don't think it was. Poor Katy's news got lost amid global panic about pandemics - so she was back in the (virtual) papers the following day explaining that coronavirus had delayed their 150-person June wedding in Japan. Now there's a hook. ******** Video of the Day Not that millennials are too moved by the ol' Corona. Though nations are rapidly moving into crisis-mode, one generation has hardly noticed the impending doom. For millennials, it's business as usual: we've been self-isolating for years, having made performative introversion a stand-in for personality. Millennials' favourite joke is about how we don't like going out, and hate our friends and resent our families and like nothing more than cancelling on people - or, better yet, being cancelled on. Our memes have little else of substance. For a generation of people who complain about having to leave their homes (I suppose we're so thrilled to have homes in the first place), coronavirus is kind of a blessing - a validation of our alternative lifestyle choices. There's nothing millennials love more than an excuse, and the corona is the mother of all excuses. As a pessimistic people (coming of age into a recession will do that), we're pretty much prepared for the apocalypse anyway. Sure, we thought it would be climate change that did it, but we've seen the dystopian films about pandemics, too, and probably played the board-game at our vegan gatherings ('dinner parties' are for boomers) - we're ready. ******** And what says 'end of days' more than Kate Middleton in four shades of green clutching a pint while Wills makes jokes about Queen Elizabeth to a crowd gathered at the Guinness Storehouse? Last week, royal coverage reached fever pitch with dystopian headlines ranging from 'How tall are Prince William and Kate Middleton? Facts about couple on Royal Ireland visit 2020' to 'Snipers pictured on roof of Dublin building where Prince William and Kate Middleton set to visit' and 'Supermac's stores in Galway giving free dressed fries to anyone named William or Kate', and of course, 'Prince William jokes that he and Kate are spreading coronavirus' hahahahaha! Meanwhile, Kate Middleton single-handedly made the coolest brand in the world, The Vampire's Wife, a little bit less cool by wearing it - now the millennials who had been saving up for a year to 'invest' in a one-for-all-the-weddings this summer are furious and running back into the arms of sweet, sweet disposable fast fashion and a different 20 cold-shoulder/balloon sleeve bodycon/prairie dress every weekend. What's the point of environmentalism with corona coming anyway? Scott Monge, Founder and CEO of Monge & Associates "We are looking forward to building on this recognition by doing everything we can to make good things happen for innocent injury victims. Monge and Associates, a headquartered out of Atlanta, was recently added by the American Trial Academy to its Top Tier Lawyer list. Scott Monge, Founder and CEO, said We are honored to be recognized as the top lawyers in the United Sates. Lawyers go through an extensive selection process in which only the top 2% of lawyers in the country are selected to be Top Tier Lawyers. Monge goes on to state, This is about having a great team that prides themselves on excellence and setting high standards and expectations when it comes to serving the needs of innocent injury victims. Monge states It means the world to me to see my team recognized as being the best of the best. In closing Monge states There is no finish line in what we do and are looking forward to building on this recognition by doing everything we can to make good things happen for innocent injury victims. About Monge & Associates: Monge & Associates, The Hammer, is a national recognized personal injury law firm that makes good things happen for other people by helping innocent injury victims hurt through the fault of another person. Primary practice areas include helping victims of drunk drivers, surgery cases, catastrophic injuries, car wrecks, truck collisions, motorcycle accidents, negligent security injuries, wrongful death, workers compensation case and victims hurt by dangerous products such as Round Up Weed Killer, Zantac, 3M Defective Ear Plugs and Talcum Powder. To learn more please visit http://www.becauseyouwanttowin.com Thiruvananthapuram, March 10 : With six more new cases of coronavirus patients testing positive on Tuesday, the total number of positive cases in Kerala has reached 12 said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. "The cabinet held a meeting and we had a brief of what's happening from various district health officials. We have decided to close down all educational institutions in the state for the month of March. But all the examinations will be held as normal. There will be no examination for classes 1 to 7, while the others will have examinations as usual," said Vijayan while speaking to the media here. "We have also decided to see that all the government functions in the state for the month of March be cancelled. In the best interests of all movie halls and dramas should not function. Marriages that are fixed, should be held in a low profile manner, likewise there should be no gala festivities that are associated with all religious establishments," added Vijayan. "There need be no reason for worries as all what's needed is to be cautious and everyone should behave in a responsible manner. At the moment 1116 people are under observation. Just as we managed this when three cases were reported before, we will be able to manage this time also," said Vijayan. The worst affected districts include Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam and Kottayam and a good number of suspected cases are waiting for results, which are expected latest by tomorrow. State Health Minister K.K. Shailaja told the media that the fresh six cases includes the aged parents of the three who arrived from Italy and residing at Pathanamthitta, who turned positive early this week. "Two others, are those who accompanied the three from Kochi airport to their home at Pathanamthitta. The remaining two are those who had close contacts with the three, after they arrived from Italy," said Shailaja. The other five positive patients (three from Italy and their close relatives who are their neighbours) are at the Pathanamthitta district hospital and a three year old child is at Kochi. 20 patients are in isolation at Pathanamthitta, including a two year old child, while about a dozen are at Kochi, besides eight at Kollam and a few others at Kottayam and the tests results of these people are expected tomorrow evening. On Monday night, a person in isolation ran away in Pathanamthitta, however, authorities traced him and brought him back to the district hospital. Now a police guard has been posted there. Pathanamthitta District Collector P.B. Nooh said that from now on people who do not follow the guidelines of the state government, they will be proceeded under the Public Health Act and action would be taken. "We have so far identified 733 people who have had primary and secondary contacts with the five patients who are positive. And today my job is to locate the people who came under contact of the person, who jumped out from the hospital. Such irresponsible behaviour won't be tolerated anymore," said a peeved Nooh, who has been working day in and out for the past three days. At Pathanamthitta, especially in places, like Ranni, the streets wore a deserted look and at the main bus station of the 75 private buses , only 45 have operated, Tuesday morning. "There are hardly anyone coming to shops and we opened today because there is no point sitting at home," said a shopkeeper at Pathanamthitta. The Pathanamthitta district court has been closed for regular cases. Only urgent cases are being taken up for the week. Meanwhile on Tuesday, around 13 lakh students studying in Class X, XI and XII across the state have their board examinations and at Pathanamthitta, two students who had direct contact with one of the positive patients have been given a separate classroom to write their board examination. State Police chief Loknath Behra has directed crack down on misuse of social media in connection with coronavirus. Even those who would forward false messages be dealt with and based on this directive, four cases have been registered for playing foul in the social media. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Charlize Theron looked sporty as she went to fetch groceries in West Hollywood on Monday. The South African stunner bundled up to brave the Southern California rain for a trip to Whole Foods. Donning a grey quilted jacket and orchid-colored leggings, the 44-year-old actress seemed prepared for the day ahead. Grocery run: Charlize Theron bundled up for a trip to a Whole Foods grocery store in West Hollywood on Monday While her outfit was laid back, little details provided a fashionable touch. The inside lining of her jacket perfectly matched the hue of her bottoms. Meanwhile, Charlize pulled her hood up over her head to block out the elements. She seemed to be in the mood to buy in bulk, seen wheeling a full grocery cart out of the store. Easy going: Donning a grey quilted jacket and orchid-colored leggings, the 44-year-old actress seemed prepared for the day ahead Charlize was taking a break from the Hollywood hustle and bustle after recently disappearing into the role of Megyn Kelly in Bombshell, a movie about the Roger Ailes sex scandals. The role earned Charlize her third Oscar nomination for best actress, although unlike the first time she did not win. Best actress this year went instead to Renee Zellweger for her performance as Judy Garland in the drama Judy, loosely based on the play End Of The Rainbow. Esteemed company: Charlize recently joined a star-studded W Magazine ad in which celebs like Brad Pitt, Cynthia Erivo and Shia LaBeouf encouraged Americans to vote on Super Tuesday The first time Charlize was nominated for an Oscar, it was as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the 2003 biopic Monster, and she won. Two years later she was nominated again for the sexual harassment legal drama North Country, but she lost to Reese Witherspoon for Walk The Line. Charlize recently joined a star-studded W Magazine ad in which celebs like Brad Pitt, Cynthia Erivo and Shia LaBeouf encouraged Americans to vote on Super Tuesday. Joe Biden told a Detroit autoworker today that he was full of s** for saying the former vice president was actively trying to end our Second Amendment rights. The worker confronted Biden during Bidens visit to a Chrysler-Fiat plant in Detroit this morning. WATCH: "Youre full of sh*t," @JoeBiden tells a man who accused him of "actively trying to end our Second Amendment right." "I support the Second Amendment," Biden adds while vising under-construction auto plant in Detroit. @CBSNews pic.twitter.com/sueOSBaY9P Bo Erickson CBS (@BoKnowsNews) March 10, 2020 I support the Second Amendment, Biden said. I have a 20-gauge, 12-gauge. My sons hunt." Im not taking your gun away at all, Biden said. You need 100 rounds? The man said that he saw a viral video in which Biden called for a ban on guns. I did not said that, Biden said. Its like the other viral videos theyre putting out thats a lie. Biden said he has supported a ban on assault rifles, including the AR-14. The former vice president held campaign events Monday in Detroit and Grand Rapids in advance of todays Michigan presidential primary. Two weeks ago, Bernie Sanders was the front-runner. Now hes the underdog in must-run Michigan contest. BERLINTurkey on Monday said a migration deal with the European Union needs to be updated in light of the conflict in northern Syria and to solve the ongoing migrant crisis at the GreekTurkish border. Under the 2016 deal with Europe, Turkey agreed to keep migrants, mostly from Syria, on its soil in exchange for billions in aid. However, Turkey last week began encouraging migration to the European Union, in an attempt to pressure the EU. Since then, tens of thousands of migrants have been trying to enter Greece. Under the deal, the European Union also promised Turkey three things: visa-free travel to the bloc, faster progress in membership talks, and an upgrade to their trade agreement. However, that same year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cracked down on the opposition following a coup attempt against himeffectively stalling progress on the EU deal. In Syria, as Turkish troops faced off against Russian-backed government forces, Turkey has become frustrated with what it regards as too little European support in the war. The ongoing conflict has put additional pressure on the country from migrants crossing its border, which already harbors some 3.6 millions migrants. The European Union is determined to avoid a repeat of 2015, when more than a million people reached its shores via Turkey. On Tuesday, Erdogan flew to Brussels for talks. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, said after the meeting that progress is possible. We have expressed very clearly to President Erdogan our commitment to move forward on these issues, provided that this is reciprocal, von der Leyen said. The EU leader also said Erdogan first needs to stop encouraging migrants to cross into Greece before the EU offers more aid. In Brussels, Erdogan also met with NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg, asking for military support in Syria. Stoltenberg said the alliance was already supporting Turkey and that that would continue. Reuters contributed to this report. JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes said Tuesday that demand for airline flights has fallen more in response to the coronavirus than it did after 9/11. Hayes, appearing on CNBC's "Closing Bell," said the industry saw a 30% decline in demand from August 2001 to October 2001. "Right now, what we're seeing as we go into March and April is something that has dropped off more than that," he said. Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly also recently said the coronavirus has created a fear of flying that has a "9/11-like feel." Hayes' comments Tuesday come shortly after United Airlines said it has experienced a 70% net drop in domestic bookings in the last few days. United President Scott Kirby added that gross bookings, which he said are a better measure of current demand, are down 25%. "The reality is that no one knows" when demand for air travel may be restored, Hayes said, and therefore the company is preparing cautiously for the future. "We're planning for it to get worse," Hayes said. "We don't think bookings have stabilized yet." The decline in bookings caused JetBlue to pull its first-quarter and full-year earnings forecast on Monday. Like many other airlines, JetBlue is making adjustments to its flight schedules between March and early May. Hayes stressed the strength of JetBlue's balance sheet, arguing the company "has spent 10 years planning" for another demand downturn like the airline industry experienced during the financial crisis. The company has around $1.2 billion in liquidity, he said. "Even if this is something that lasts for a very long time, JetBlue is very well equipped to cope," he said. The White House is considering fiscal stimulus measures to soften the economic impact of the coronavirus, which has continued to spread in the U.S. There are more than 800 confirmed cases in the country, according to Johns Hopkins University. Hayes said JetBlue has not asked the White House for federal assistance. Rather, he said the help from the government that he would most like to see would come from the Federal Aviation Administration. He said he would like to see a "slot waiver" be granted as airlines reduce their number of flights. "When an airline flies into a congested airport, then if you don't fly a certain number of slots, you could lose them. Clearly you don't want to do that," he said. A similar law in Europe is why pictures have emerged there of "airlines flying around empty airplanes, which is madness," Hayes said. A waiver from the FAA "costs the government nothing," Hayes said. "But it would be a huge help for airlines to navigate through this." Medical certificate required for travellers from risk areas as COVID-19 measures ramped up WORLD: The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) is requiring travellers from COVID-19 infected countries and territories to produce medical certificates prior to boarding their flights to Thailand to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. CoronavirusCOVID-19healthSafetytourism By Bangkok Post Tuesday 10 March 2020, 08:54AM An official studies a computer monitor to check passengers body temperatures with a thermal scanner upon their arrival at Suvarnabhumi airport. Photo: Wichan Chaorenkiatpakul Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob said yesterday (Mar 9) the CAAT has issued an official announcement, saying travellers from South Korea, China, Italy, Iran, Macau and Hong Kong who fail to show their health certificates to authorities before boarding their flights to Thailand will not be allowed to continue their journey. The restrictions are in line with Thailands Communicable Diseases Act (2015), the minister said. Upon arriving at Thai airports, they must present their health certificate along with a filled-out T8 form to disease control officials for verification, said Mr Saksayam. According to the minister, anyone found producing fake certificates to Thai health authorities will face legal action and mandatory quarantine. Mr Saksayam also assured that Suvarnabhumi airport, as Thailands main international gateway, has put strict screening measures in place to help curb the spread of the disease from air travellers. He also insisted that to date, airport officials assigned to screen passengers have not shown any fever and/or other symptoms. Withaya Yamuang, director-general of the Marine Department, yesterday also applied similar rules to boat passengers and crews from COVID-19 affected countries and territories. Boat passengers and crew will be required to provide health certificates to enter Thailand, and they will also be subjected to the countrys quarantine regulations, Mr Withaya said. In addition, boat captains must submit necessary documents to disease control authorities 24 hours prior to docking, he said. The documents include the maritime declaration of health, a list of 10 ports they had just visited, crew and passenger manifest and the results of their body temperature checks over the past week. Violators are liable to fines of between 1,000 and 10,000 baht. As of yesterday, Thai officials had confirmed 50 local cases of COVID-19. Thirty-three people have recovered, 16 patients are still in hospitals while one has died. The latest confirmed case involves a Thai student who recently returned from Iran. Officials in Nakhon Si Thammarat have identified 157 people who came in close contact with the infected student. Their blood samples were being tested, but some of them had already left Thailand. Another 4,518 people have been placed under observation. Of them, 2,729 has been cleared or recovered. Most of them had seasonal influenza, he said. In another development, health authorities and local officials in Nakhon Pathoms Muang district, yesterday raided a hotel where a group of 32 Chinese tourists were staying, following tip-offs from netizens on social media which sparked worries among local residents. After the raid, officers found that the Chinese tourists were employees of a private firm, who travelled from Chinas Zhejiang province. All were found to be in good health. Good morning. Welcome to this weeks Future of Security newsletter. Lets get started., one of the worlds largest cybersecurity conferences, took place in San Francisco the week of Feb 24, with the word virus on everybodys lips. Normally, digital viruses are a popular subject, but this year the coronavirus cast a pall over an event that attracts as many as 40,000 participants. The major players attended, including cyber experts, CISOs, large federal agencies like the National Security Agency, FBI and Department of Homeland Security, as well as big industry names like Microsoft, Google and McAfee.But Gs cybersecurity reporter Lucas Ropek, who covered the event, found there were notable absences too, with last-minute cancellations by Facebook, IBM and Verizon. Some six companies based in China also dropped out, some due to travel restrictions.While covering RSA, Ropek reported on the rise of the cybersecurity researcher . These cyber pros are trained to track, identify and combat bad cyber actors. They use a combination of intelligence gathering and threat analysis to understand the types of individuals and groups that attack and harass companies and governments.Adversaries and the tools to fight them have changed immensely in just the last ten years and researchers and hunters need to continuously update their thinking and methods to stay competitive with hackers, according to Timothy Gallo, a solutions architect for FireEye.The Department of Homeland Securitys Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) also figured prominently at RSA. Increasingly, CISA has become an adviser and a benefactor to state and local governments. Newly introduced legislation would, if passed, broaden and solidify that mission creating CISA liaisons to work together with state governments, for instance, or standing up a $400 million, CISA-administered fund from which state and local entities could apply for cyber-related grants, Ropek explained.CISAs director Chris Krebs directly addressed his agencys role with state and local governments and how election security has moved front and center in the geopolitical battle between the U. S. and Russia. "The state and local folks, they didnt understand in 2016 that they were on the frontlines of this geopolitical conflict, and they now are all on board," he said. "We have a dedicated information sharing and analysis center for state and locals all 50 states and about 2,500 jurisdictions are engaged. So again, the American people need to understand that we are engaged on this.Technical problems generated long lines at polling stations, leading to whatdescribed as an ugly debut for the countys $280 million digital voting platform. The system was built to create a highly secure and accessible voting system that did not rely on technology from the companies that control more than 90 percent of the voting machine market. The idea was to provide an alternative to mass-produced machines that experts fear are too vulnerable to Russian hacking, according toAmong the problems on Super Tuesday: One-fifth of voting machines failed to work and network problems interfered with electronic poll books used by election workers to verify voters' eligibility.Voter advocates, election observers and candidates criticized the county, saying the technical problems probably disenfranchised voters who couldnt wait for hours in line. They also questioned why the county used a new system for the first time during such a crucial election. NCCN Quality and Outcomes Committee's endorsements of impactful and feasible quality and outcomes measures offer opportunities to advance the quality of cancer care in America PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA [March 10, 2020] -- The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has published a curated list of high-impact measures for assessing quality improvements in cancer care. The recommendations reflect a landscape analysis from leading oncology experts; they evaluate measures that, if implemented, will move the needle on cancer care standards in America, with potential implications for policy and coverage. The article, Quality Measurement in Cancer Care: A Review and Endorsement of High-Impact Measures and Concepts, is available via open access in the March 2020 issue of JNCCN--Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. The NCCN Quality and Outcomes Committee was first founded in 2016 in order to develop quality and outcome measures in oncology that are: more standardized contemporary clinically relevant easily implemented, and broadly applicable. The committee reviewed 528 existing oncology quality measures and new measure concepts that could be appropriate for development. This list was narrowed down into 22 recommendations--based on importance, supporting evidence, opportunity for improvement, and ease of measurement--including endorsement of 15 existing measures and seven new concepts proposed for development. "The key question underlining all of our efforts is: how can we use quality measurements to improve the experience and outcomes for people with cancer?" said Thomas A. D'Amico, MD, Duke Cancer Institute, Chair of the NCCN Quality and Outcomes Committee. "We reached out to a large number of people including expert clinicians, patient advocates, payers, and health information technology specialists to determine which quality and outcomes measurements would be the most meaningful across the cancer care ecosystem. We paid particular attention to cross-cutting measures that would signify better delivery of care for all different cancer types, while also drilling down into specifics for the highest incidence cancers that affect the most people. These 22 measures represent a feasible standard for documenting quality improvement in cancer care." "These recommendations from NCCN differ from certification programs--we are sharing them free-of-charge to allow cancer programs everywhere to be more efficient and focused with their resources while tracking quality improvements," explained Robert W. Carlson, MD, Chief Executive Officer, NCCN. "There's a concerted effort toward value-based care; we want to ensure that these payment models reduce costs without reducing quality, and in fact improve outcomes. The current landscape for quality measurements is broad, and it's difficult to know how to prioritize for quality improvements. This framework from NCCN aligns processes for measuring attainable cancer care improvements that will translate into better outcomes for patients." The selected measures are as follows (italics indicates new opportunities for development): Across Cancer Types Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Proportion admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) in the last 30 days of life Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Performance status documented prior to initiating chemotherapy regimen Patient Experience Measure: Patients are offered smoking cessation counseling if current smoker Treatment Team: Proportion receiving chemotherapy in the last 14 days of life Treatment Team: Chemotherapy given within 30 days of end of life Treatment Team: Cancer stage documented Treatment Team: Proportion dying from cancer in an acute care setting Breast Cancer Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Patients with M0 disease, and 4 or more involved axillary lymph nodes, receive breast/chest wall plus regional lymph irradiation as part of their treatment Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Tumor markers are not performed during the period of follow-up surveillance for those who have completed breast cancer treatment with curative intent Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Cardiac function is assessed before starting and at least every 4 months during trastuzumab therapy Colorectal Cancer Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: For patients with resected pathologic stage 2 and 3 colorectal cancer in surveillance, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is performed at least every 6 months for 5 years Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Patients with rectal cancer are staged with a computed tomography (CT) scan of chest, abdomen, and pelvis and pelvic MRI with contrast or endorectal ultrasound before surgery Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Adjuvant chemotherapy is not administered for patients with pathologic stage 1 colorectal cancer. Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Positron emission tomography (PET) scan is not performed for patients with locoregional colorectal cancer Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Patients with colon cancer are staged with CT scan of chest, abdomen, and pelvis before surgery Lung Cancer Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Palliative care consult is offered to patients with metastatic NSCLC within 8 weeks of diagnosis Prostate Cancer Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Patients in the high or very-high risk prostate cancer groups, who receive radiation therapy, receive ADT Patient Experience Measure: All patients treated with surgery or radiation for localized prostate cancer should be assessed for urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction with tools such as the UCLA Prostate Cancer Index questions and the Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) Treatment Team: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) has been measured in the last 12 months for patients with prostate cancer to monitor disease Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer have a risk group assigned Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Patients in the very low-risk and low-risk prostate cancer groups do not receive androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) In addition to Drs. D'Amico and Carlson, the NCCN Quality and Outcomes Committee includes: Alan Balch, PhD, The National Patient Advocate Foundation Lindsey A.M. Bandini, MPH, National Comprehensive Cancer Network Al B. Benson III, MD, FACP, FASCO, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University Stephen B. Edge, MD, FACS, FASCO, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center C. Lyn Fitzgerald, MJ, National Comprehensive Cancer Network Robert J. Green, MD, Flatiron Health Wui-Jin Koh, MD, National Comprehensive Cancer Network Michael Kolodziej, MD, ADVI Shaji Kumar, MD, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center Neal J. Meropol, MD, Flatiron Health James L. Mohler, MD, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center David Pfister, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Ronald S. Walters, MD, MBA, MHA, MS, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center ### Full descriptions of the 22 recommendations, including an explanation of how they each represent important diagnostic and treatment decisions across the continuum of care, can be found at JNCCN.org. About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) is a not-for-profit alliance of 28 leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education. NCCN is dedicated to improving and facilitating quality, effective, efficient, and accessible cancer care so patients can live better lives. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. By defining and advancing high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers around the world. The NCCN Member Institutions are: Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Omaha, NE; Case Comprehensive Cancer Center/University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland, OH; City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA; Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center | Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA; Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC; Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA; Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ, Jacksonville, FL, and Rochester, MN; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH; PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has published a curated list of high-impact measures for assessing quality improvements in cancer care. The recommendations reflect a landscape analysis from leading oncology experts; they evaluate measures that, if implemented, will move the needle on cancer care standards in America, with potential implications for policy and coverage. The article, Quality Measurement in Cancer Care: A Review and Endorsement of High-Impact Measures and Concepts, is available via open access in the March 2020 issue of JNCCNJournal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. The NCCN Quality and Outcomes Committee was first founded in 2016 in order to develop quality and outcome measures in oncology that are: more standardized contemporary clinically relevant easily implemented, and broadly applicable. The committee reviewed 528 existing oncology quality measures and new measure concepts that could be appropriate for development. This list was narrowed down into 22 recommendationsbased on importance, supporting evidence, opportunity for improvement, and ease of measurementincluding endorsement of 15 existing measures and seven new concepts proposed for development. "The key question underlining all of our efforts is: how can we use quality measurements to improve the experience and outcomes for people with cancer?" said Thomas A. D'Amico, MD, Duke Cancer Institute, Chair of the NCCN Quality and Outcomes Committee. "We reached out to a large number of people including expert clinicians, patient advocates, payers, and health information technology specialists to determine which quality and outcomes measurements would be the most meaningful across the cancer care ecosystem. We paid particular attention to cross-cutting measures that would signify better delivery of care for all different cancer types, while also drilling down into specifics for the highest incidence cancers that affect the most people. These 22 measures represent a feasible standard for documenting quality improvement in cancer care." "These recommendations from NCCN differ from certification programswe are sharing them free-of-charge to allow cancer programs everywhere to be more efficient and focused with their resources while tracking quality improvements," explained Robert W. Carlson, MD, Chief Executive Officer, NCCN. "There's a concerted effort toward value-based care; we want to ensure that these payment models reduce costs without reducing quality, and in fact improve outcomes. The current landscape for quality measurements is broad, and it's difficult to know how to prioritize for quality improvements. This framework from NCCN aligns processes for measuring attainable cancer care improvements that will translate into better outcomes for patients." The selected measures are as follows (italics indicates new opportunities for development): Across Cancer Types Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Proportion admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) in the last 30 days of life Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Performance status documented prior to initiating chemotherapy regimen Patient Experience Measure: Patients are offered smoking cessation counseling if current smoker Treatment Team: Proportion receiving chemotherapy in the last 14 days of life Treatment Team: Chemotherapy given within 30 days of end of life Treatment Team: Cancer stage documented Treatment Team: Proportion dying from cancer in an acute care setting Breast Cancer Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Patients with M0 disease, and 4 or more involved axillary lymph nodes, receive breast/chest wall plus regional lymph irradiation as part of their treatment Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Tumor markers are not performed during the period of follow-up surveillance for those who have completed breast cancer treatment with curative intent Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Cardiac function is assessed before starting and at least every 4 months during trastuzumab therapy Colorectal Cancer Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: For patients with resected pathologic stage 2 and 3 colorectal cancer in surveillance, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is performed at least every 6 months for 5 years Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Patients with rectal cancer are staged with a computed tomography (CT) scan of chest, abdomen, and pelvis and pelvic MRI with contrast or endorectal ultrasound before surgery Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Adjuvant chemotherapy is not administered for patients with pathologic stage 1 colorectal cancer. Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Positron emission tomography (PET) scan is not performed for patients with locoregional colorectal cancer Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Patients with colon cancer are staged with CT scan of chest, abdomen, and pelvis before surgery Lung Cancer Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Palliative care consult is offered to patients with metastatic NSCLC within 8 weeks of diagnosis Prostate Cancer Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Patients in the high or very-high risk prostate cancer groups, who receive radiation therapy, receive ADT Patient Experience Measure: All patients treated with surgery or radiation for localized prostate cancer should be assessed for urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction with tools such as the UCLA Prostate Cancer Index questions and the Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) Treatment Team: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) has been measured in the last 12 months for patients with prostate cancer to monitor disease Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer have a risk group assigned Evidence-Based Concordance Measure: Patients in the very low-risk and low-risk prostate cancer groups do not receive androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) In addition to Drs. D'Amico and Carlson, the NCCN Quality and Outcomes Committee includes: Full descriptions of the 22 recommendations, including an explanation of how they each represent important diagnostic and treatment decisions across the continuum of care, can be found at JNCCN.org. About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) is a not-for-profit alliance of 28 leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education. NCCN is dedicated to improving and facilitating quality, effective, efficient, and accessible cancer care so patients can live better lives. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. By defining and advancing high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers around the world. The NCCN Member Institutions are: Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Omaha, NE; Case Comprehensive Cancer Center/University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland, OH; City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA; Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center | Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA; Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC; Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA; Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ, Jacksonville, FL, and Rochester, MN; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH; O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB, Birmingham, AL; Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY; Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; St. Jude Children's Research Hospital/The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN; Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford, CA; UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA; University of Colorado Cancer Center, Aurora, CO; University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, WI; Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN; and Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital, New Haven, CT. Clinicians, visit NCCN.org. Patients and caregivers, visit NCCN.org/patients. Media, visit NCCN.org/news. Follow NCCN on Twitter @NCCN, Facebook @NCCNorg, and Instagram @NCCNorg. Media Contact: Rachel Darwin 267-622-6624 [email protected] SOURCE National Comprehensive Cancer Network Related Links www.nccn.org The body in the Spanish Parliament that decides on the agenda for lawmakers has rejected two proposals drawn up by several political parties that call for the lower chamber to investigate whether former King Juan Carlos received millions of dollars in kick-back payments from Saudi Arabia. The proposals voted Tuesday were triggered by an ongoing investigation by Swiss prosecutors into an account reportedly operated for the Spanish monarch that allegedly received a payment of 88 million euros (USD 100 million) from late Saudi King Abdullah in 2008. A similar motion was rejected in 2018. According to the one petition, prosecutors are considering whether the money was a commission for the Spanish king's help in business deals, among them a Spanish consortium's contract to build the Saudi bullet train connection to Mecca. The two petitions were broadly similar. Swiss prosecutors are said to be probing the later transfer of some 65 million euros from the account prior to its closure to a woman named Corinna Larsen, a Danish-German businesswoman long linked by Spanish media to the Spanish king. Spain's prosecutors office told The Associated Press it has asked its Swiss counterpart for details of their investigations. Spain's Royal House said it had no comment to make. The proposals were made by the leftist United We Can group, the junior partner in the country's Socialist-led coalition government and smaller regional parties, including two pro-Catalan independence groups. The Socialist party, however, broke with its coalition partner and joined with the right wing opposition parties to vote down the proposals after parliament lawyers said such an investigation would be unconstitutional. Swiss broadsheet Tribune de Geneve first wrote about the Swiss prosecutors' inquiry last week. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Stern-faced EU leaders warned President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday to respect the terms of a previous deal to keep migrants away from Europe's borders, after the Turkish leader came to Brussels to demand more support. There was no disguising the tension at the European Council after the talks, with Erdogan choosing to head straight for the airport rather than a news conference with EU presidents Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel. "Clearly we do have our disagreements, but we have spoken plainly and we have spoken openly to each other," Von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, told reporters. Von der Leyen and Michel both stressed that the 2016 deal between the EU and Turkey -- under which Ankara agreed to block migrants and refugees from heading to Greece in exchange for billions of euros in EU aid -- remains valid. And Michel said that the top EU diplomat, Josep Borrell, would be working with his Turkish counterpart foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in the next few days "to be certain that we are on the same page that we have the same interpretation about what we do, in Turkey and at the level of the European Union, in order to implement the deal." Erdogan did not speak to reporters after the meeting, despite Turkish officials saying earlier that he planned to do so. A Turkish presidential source said only: "The meeting at the EU was productive." Beforehand, Erdogan had made clear that his priority was to seek more support for his country in the conflict in Syria and to cope with millions of refugees from the fighting. Before heading to the European Council, he held talks with NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg, and told him bluntly: "NATO is in a critical process in which it needs to clearly show its alliance solidarity." "Our allies should display their solidarity with our country without discrimination and without laying down political conditions," he said. "It is very important that the support we demand is met without any further delay." - 'Irrational and inconsiderate' - Erdogan also appeared annoyed that -- rather than listening to his concerns -- Von der Leyen and Michel have backed Greece as Europe's "shield" against migrants encouraged to leave Turkey. And he had harsh words for Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' Greek government, which has already been allocated 700 million euros ($800 million) by Brussels to secure his borders and cope with the new arrivals. "It is irrational and inconsiderate that an ally and a neighbouring country point to Turkey as responsible for the irregular migration," Erdogan said. "We will not allow this country to try to get unfair gains by using its current position." Mitsotakis did not take such talk lying down, responding furiously in an address to the German Council on Foreign Relations. "Why do we spend so much on defence? It's because our neighbour is Turkey and not Denmark," he said. "As prime minister of Greece I don't have to listen to lessons on human rights from Turkey." Tens of thousands of asylum-seekers have been trying to break through the land border from Turkey for a week after Ankara announced it would no longer prevent people from trying to cross into the EU. Turkey, which hosts around four million mostly Syrian refugees, has repeatedly railed against what it describes as unfair burden-sharing. - 'Fulfilling promises' - Germany said the EU was considering taking in up to 1,500 child refugees to ease pressure on overwhelmed camps on Greek islands facing a new wave of arrivals from Turkey. Von der Leyen said France, Portugal, Luxembourg and Finland had offered to join Germany in taking some. On Friday, Erdogan ordered the Turkish coastguard to prevent risky Aegean sea crossings after more than 1,700 migrants landed on Lesbos and four other Aegean islands. But Turkey's policy of allowing migrants and refugees to leave by land remains in place, and the instruction only affects sea crossings. In 2016, Turkey and the EU agreed a deal whereby Brussels would provide billions of euros in aid in exchange for Turkey curbing the flow of migrants. But Ankara has repeatedly accused the bloc of not fulfilling promises made as Europe suffered its worst refugee crisis since World War II, when over one million people fled to the continent in 2015. Erdogan has felt extra pressure as nearly one million people in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib fled towards the Turkish border during a recent Syrian regime assault backed by Russia and Iran. But Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed a ceasefire on Thursday after Turkey launched an offensive against Damascus following the deaths of 59 Turkish security personnel in attacks blamed on the regime. burs-fo-dc/dl A look at todays biggest headlines. Live updates: More than 108,000 coronavirus cases worldwide CNN Medical workers outside Mechnikov North-Western State Medical University, where students have been place under quarantine, in St. Petersburg, Russia. Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar and Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz announced Sunday that they are both self-quarantining after coming into contact with an individual at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), who later tested positive for the virus. Why CNN is calling the novel coronavirus outbreak a pandemic Starting today, you will notice that CNN is using the term pandemic to describe the current coronavirus outbreak. It is not a decision we take lightly. While we know it sounds alarming, it should not cause panic. Oil crashes by most since 1991 as Saudi Arabia launches price war Oil prices suffered an historic collapse overnight after Saudi Arabia shocked the market by launching a price war against onetime ally Russia. CNN poll: Biden has double-digit lead over Sanders for Democratic nomination Former Vice President Joe Biden has a double-digit lead over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders for the Democratic presidential nomination, a new CNN poll of Democratic voters nationwide conducted by SSRS shows. Cory Booker endorses Joe Biden New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker endorsed Joe Biden for president on Monday, the latest high-profile supporter to back the former vice president. Magnitude 5.8 earthquake strikes off Northern California coast A preliminary 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northern California Sunday night, according to the US Geological Survey. Harvey Weinstein injured in Rikers Island jail, his publicist says Convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein fell sometime Sunday morning while at Rikers Island jail, his spokesperson Juda Englemayer told CNN. Iowa girl regains eyesight after losing vision to flu An Iowa girl who lost her vision after almost dying from the flu has regained her eyesight, her mother said. Jack Dorsey will remain Twitters CEO after activist investor challenge Jack Dorsey just survived a major threat to his leadership at Twitter. Sudan PM survives assassination attempt Sudans prime minister has survived an assassination attempt after his convoy was attacked in the capital, Khartoum. I would like to assure the people of Sudan that I am safe and in good shape, Abdalla Hamdok has tweeted. Mr Hamdok was appointed to head Sudans transitional government last August, a few months after the overthrow of long-time President Omar al-Bashir. We were deported from the US to the wrong country Saren Idaho said he has no connection to Sierra Leone and had never been to the country until he was deported there from the US six months ago. I know nobody here, lamented the 55-year-old father of two. Looking unwell and struggling to walk, he sat down on a plastic chair in his sparsely furnished hotel room in the capital, Freetown. Man Utd 2-0 Man City: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is starting to prove doubters wrong Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been searching for a significant moment since being handed the job as Manchester United manager while basking in the afterglow of a caretakers honeymoon period. As he strolled down the touchline in an Old Trafford downpour at the conclusion of Manchester Uniteds first Premier League double over Manchester City since 2009-10, the first since Sir Alex Fergusons retirement, this felt a little like it. How the chip changed everything BBC Reel All our complex and connected modern electronics would be nothing without pure, white sand. Made On Earth a new series by BBC Future and BBC World News looks into the everyday items that have shaped global trade routes and left a lasting imprint in cultures around the world. Africa Live: Africa updates BBC News The Kenyan government has opened a quarantine centre in the capital, Nairobi, for suspected coronavirus cases. The facility at Mbagathi District Hospital has been opened in the wake of public concern about the countrys preparedness to deal with a possible outbreak of the new strain of the virus, which causes the respiratory disease Covid-19. Twitter places manipulated media warning on White House social media directors Biden tweet Twitter only implemented its new policy against manipulated media on Mar. 5, but its already been put to use. White House social media director Dan Scavino has become one of the first to be impacted by the new policy after a video of Joe Biden that he tweeted was tagged as manipulated media. The best alternatives to Pornhub and Xvideos Most of us are watching porn, whether or not we admit it. But arent you tired of (or maybe even troubled by) just doing the same old thing to get off online over and over again? Major domain name bug allowed hackers to register malicious domains Thanks to a bug at some of the internets largest domain registrars, bad actors were able to register malicious domains until just late last month. If I told you to click this on this URL, , and login for a great limited time deal over at Amazon, would you notice it wasnt really Amazons domain name? NORWALK The citys annual St. Patricks Day parade has been canceled for Saturday amid coronavirus concerns. The St. Patricks Day Parade is a wonderful Norwalk event and is something our community looks forward to each year, Mayor Harry Rilling said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon. Unfortunately, it cannot move forward this weekend. With multiple parades being canceled in the area, the expected attendance at our parade has certainly increased. While the current risk in Norwalk is low, we must consider the health of first responders, residents, and visitors who staff, attend and march in the parade. Our top priority is keeping everyone safe and healthy and preventing potential community spread. While its certainly disappointing to cancel this event, it is the prudent decision given the uncertainty around COVID-19 and how quickly the situation can change. I wish everyone a safe, healthy, and enjoyable St. Patricks Day weekend. The city made the announcement shortly after Gov. Ned Lamont declared a state of emergency in Connecticut to allow state agencies to react quickly to the COVID-19 outbreak. Rilling said the city is still waiting to hear from state officials on how the civil preparedness and public health emergencies will affect Norwalk. On Monday, Rilling said the city would cancel all events with over 100 attendees until the end of April. Norwalk Public Schools also announced they will be closed Thursday to allow staff to prepare virtual lessons if a prolonged closure is necessary. The district is also postponing or canceling large gatherings until further notice, including musical performances and assemblies. All field trips are postponed and international school trips are canceled. The Norwalk Public Library is also canceling programs with over 100 attendees. This was going to be the fifth annual St. Patricks Day parade in Norwalk. The event is put on by the Norwalk Police Emerald Society, a non-profit group for Irish American members of law enforcement, fire service and civil service agencies. The group has already held three fundraisers for this years parade, according to its website. erin.kayata@hearstmediact.com After dozens of Turkish soldiers were killed by Syrian forces in a late-February airstrike near Idlib, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned the attack. Pompeo said he was looking for ways the United States can aid Turkey. It may have sounded like a simple statement on behalf of a NATO ally, but Pompeos remark risked convincing the Turks that the Trump administration welcomes Turkish military engagement in the conflict. To this we must add the news that the United States is considering supplying Ankara with Patriot missiles for use against Syria. This is exactly what the United States must avoid. Syrias civil war has reached the point where a Syrian regime victory is less costly to U.S. security and humanitarian objectives than a grinding, deadly, endless battle between armed factions supporting or opposing the regime of Bashar al Assad. Now that the Syrian dictator has consolidated control over Aleppo province, only one major rebel holdout remains on the battlefield. Idlib is a province in Syrias northwest, hugging the Turkish border. Thousands of opposition fighters are entrenched there, many of them members of the al Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. They are no match for the Syrian and Russian warplanes that have been pounding the area in a new offensive since late last year. Turkish soldiers stationed in the province are increasingly vulnerable to the Syrian regimes operations, as shown in the February airstrike. Approximately 900,000 civilians have fled since December, and U.N. human rights officials are calling the crisis overwhelming. Assad and his allies in Moscow and Tehran are clearing Idlib in much the same way as they have cleared opposition fighters from other parts of Syria in nine years of war: by launching an indiscriminate air campaign and targeting any facility that would complicate Damascuss push for victory. As bad as the battle for Idlib is today, the violence and human suffering will likely get even worse if Turkey continues to support opposition forces who dont have the power to resist the regimes offensive over the long term. As one of Ankaras NATO allies, the United States should stop encouraging the Turks to hold out and instead tell them the cold, hard truth: There is no sense prolonging the war when an Assad victory is all but assured. This is in no way an endorsement of Assad, who by all available markers has distinguished himself as the worlds worst war criminal. The fact that hundreds of thousands of Syrians, many of whom are women and children, would rather leave their homes and endure the elements than stay put is a poignant illustration of how brutal the Syrian dictators prosecution of the war has been. So many bombs have been dropped on hospitals, clinics and homes over so many years that the Syrian and Russian air forces have almost normalized the tactic. Yet none of this changes the balance of power on the ground or the direction the war is traveling. The rebel ranks are now dominated by jihadists who would just as happily kill an Alawite civilian as they would a Syrian soldier. The same anti-Assad opposition that once controlled parts of the Damascus suburbs is now pinned into a corner of Syria and trapped between Russian planes and a sealed Turkish border. No amount of Turkish-delivered TOW missile systems, weapons, ammunition or intelligence support will be able to compensate for the unchallenged superiority Moscow and Damascus enjoy from the air. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may loudly threaten a ground offensive in Idlib if Syrian troops continue to move deeper into the province, but even the loudmouthed Turkish leader likely understands that sending more of his soldiers into Northwestern Syria is a pointless endeavor. For the United States, the situation in Idlib is a microcosm of the entire Syrian war: hopeless and tragic, yet a crisis where there are very few direct national security interests at stake. Throwing more Turkish weapons into the mix will neither deter Assad from continuing his offensive nor magically persuade him to enter into a dialogue and give up at the negotiating table what he has refused to surrender on the battlefield. Western capitals cant bring themselves to say it openly, but Assad is on his way to winning the war militarily. The only question is how many more people will die before the strongman declares victory. The only interest Washington possesses in Syria is ensuring transnational terrorist forces on Syrian soil do not attack the United States. Assads record, heinous though it may be, indicates that he wont tolerate terrorists in Syria. Thats why ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had to hide out in Idlib, the one territory in Syria out of Assads grasp. Keeping the United States safe from threats is a legitimate interest for the Washington. Political questions who rules Damascus, what Syrias foreign policy looks like, and how the Syrian political system is structured are not nearly as important. The United States should tell Turkey in no uncertain terms that under no circumstances will it permit U.S. military equipment being transferred to extremist fighters in Syria. Ankara has its own designs for Idlib, none of which are aligned with Washingtons objectives. Turkey may be a NATO ally, but that doesnt earn it the privilege of blanket U.S. support. Its not worth standing by Turkey when that means prolonging the Syrian civil war and the humanitarian crisis it entails. Daniel R. DePetris is a fellow at Defense Priorities and a columnist at the Washington Examiner. The views expressed are the author's own. North Korea's state media have been publishing blatantly photoshopped images of people wearing surgical masks amid efforts to prevent the spread of coronavirus. On Feb. 12, the official Minju Choson newspaper carried an image of actress Kim Jong-hwa with a surgical mask teaching students drama where masks had been photoshopped on faces. "Amid widespread fears over the spread of COVID-19, Pyongyang's propaganda workers get creative," the U.S. website NK News said. Similar images have appeared in other state media, but in fact the North seems to be suffering a shortage of surgical masks and has appealed to South Korea and international charities for help with medical supplies. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marchio Irfan Gorbiano (The Jakarta Post) Bogor Tue, March 10, 2020 13:41 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20698b9f7 1 World dutch-royal,dutch-royal-tour,Netherlands,violence,Joko-Widodo,King-Willem-Alexander,Queen-Maxima Free Dutch King Willem-Alexander has offered an apology over "excessive violence" suffered by Indonesians during the early years of Indonesian independence, acknowledging the period as a "painful separation". The statement was conveyed by the king after he and Queen Maxima were hosted by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in an official ceremony at the Bogor Palace in West Java on Tuesday. "In line with earlier statements by my government, I would like to express my regret and apologies for the excessive violence on the part of the Dutch in those years," Willem said during a joint press statement on Tuesday. "And I do so in the full realization that the pain and sorrow of the families affected continue to be felt today." Willem's statement reversed previous Dutch monarchs stance of refusing to apologize for the nations past war crimes in the country. During the last state visit by a Dutch monarch in 1995, Queen Beatrix was prevented by then-prime minister Wim Kok from offering an apology, saying the Netherlands was not ready. Indonesia declared independence on Aug. 17, 1945, but the Dutch only recognized its sovereignty on Dec. 27, 1949. The Dutch government had apologized several times for its colonial troops war crimes conducted between 1945 and 1949 in Indonesia. In 2013, then-Dutch ambassador to Indonesia Tjeerd de Zwaan addressed an apology to 10 widows of men who were summarily executed in a series of mass killings in South Sulawesi between December 1946 and February 1947 during military operations by Dutch troops under Raymond Pierre Paul Westerling. The kings four-day state visit kicked off on Tuesday. It went ahead despite the recent announcement of 19 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Indonesia. The Dutch king also expressed his desire to see a stronger tie between Indonesia and the Netherlands. "Indonesia has a long tradition of religious tolerance and can play a constructive part in this respect. It's important to continue working together to foster peace, justice and the protection of minorities based on respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity," King Willem-Alexander said. "And we are keen to work together with you toward this end." Speaking before Willem, Jokowi emphasized the need for the two countries to forge ahead in a relationship of mutual respect. "Of course, we cannot erase the history, but we can learn from the past. It serves as a lesson for our commitment to grow a relationship that is equal and with mutual respect and mutually-beneficial," the President said. This issue with Smollett 'cause Ill just take it head on weve got 12 days left is excuse my language is bull----. Sorry, she said. Hold me accountable. Absolutely. We could have done a better job of explaining how this fits in the context of the work that we do. And in the process of doing it, we owed a greater level of transparency to the people of Cook County. PREMIUM TIMES has obtained a recording of the deposed Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, in what is his first reaction to his removal from office on Monday. Mr Sanusi was deposed following a resolution of the Kano State Executive Council on March 9, on allegations of insurbodination. The Secretary to the Kano State Government, Usman Alhaji, who addressed journalists at the end of the emergency council meeting said the action was based on the governors powers under the states Emirates Law 2019. A son of late Ado Bayero who was Mr Sanusis predecessor, Aminu Bayero, was immediately announced as the new emir with the endorsement of the four Kano kingmakers. In the video message, which lasted over four minutes, Mr Sanusi accepted his dethronement as an act of destiny. With almost six years on this throne and (in charge of) our heritage. Today, the almighty Allah, who gave me the leadership has destined to take it back, Mr Sanusi said. As I always say, leadership has predetermined tenure, the days Allah destined are numbered. When the days come to an end one must leave. We have accepted whatever Allah decides. We have agreed. We appreciate (God). We are happy and we know it is what is best for us. The video appeared to have been recorded at the Kano Palace on Monday before Mr Sanusi was whisked away into exile by security personnel. Towards the end of the video, the blaring of siren could be heard signaling the arrival of the police commissioner who led the operation. The deposed emir called on all titleholders and palace officials to support whoever emerged as the emir. We enjoin everyone to remain peaceful. We have directed our family, our children and those that support us that whoever gets it and is endorsed by the people they should pay allegiance to him. They should follow him (the new emir). They should guard his honour and dignity because that is also the honour and dignity of this palace. In affirming his ties to his grandfather who was deposed in similar way in 1963, Mr Sanusi expressed happiness for practicing his reign in accordance with that of Emir Sanusi I. It is a thing of pride that made us to rule and end in the same fashion as Halifa, he said using his grandfathers sobriquet. In an analysis after his dethronement, PREMIUM TIMES reported the resemblances in the last days of the two monarchs and how Mr Sanusi set out to reincarnate his grandfathers reign when he became the emir in 2013. Mr Sanusi expressed his thanks to the people of Kano, titleholders, lieutenants and friends for their support and affection during his reign. Job Title: Information Management Officer Organization: Reproductive Health Uganda (RHU) Duty Station: Uganda Reports to: Project Officer About US: Reproductive Health Uganda (RHU) is a Member Association of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), and its core mandate is to champion, provide and enable universal access to rights based Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) information and services to vulnerable and underserved communities and to young people. The role of the engagement with RHU and its partners is to ensure that SRHR are respected, protected and fulfilled as a goal in itself, and as a fundamental means to gender equality, human well-being and sustainable development. About DANIDA Project: RHU is to implement a project, namely; Addressing the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Needs of Vulnerable Populations in Northern and Central Uganda funded by DANIDA through IPPF. The project sites are Adjumani, and Kampala (Bwaise and Owino) in Northern and Central Uganda, respectively. It is a two-year project starting April 2020 March 31st, 2022. Job Summary: The Information Management Officer will mainly manage the branchs health information system, client data and filing system Key Duties and Responsibilities: Utilize computerized data entry equipment and programs to enter, store and/or retrieve information as required within set timelines. Verify data entry; and combine data from different systems when information is inadequate; clean data to eliminate duplication. Secure the safety and integrity of information by various means. Maintain client confidentiality and protect operations by keeping information confidential Perform program support tasks such as organize forms; photocopies; filing; orders and maintain project; makes reminder calls to client visits as required Conduct client satisfaction surveys, operational researches and other research activities at the branch. Provide technical back-stopping and capacity building to staff and partners in data management. Proactively identify, troubleshoot and escalate issues related to M&E and data. Perform any other professional duties as may be assigned by the supervisor Qualifications, Skills and Experience: The applicant must hold a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Demography and Reproductive Health, Population Studies, Statistics or related field. At least two years experience in managing data for health- related projects Individuals with previous NGO experience will have an added advantage Demonstrable data management skills and ability to write clearly and concisely Demonstrable competence in computer data entry using diverse computer programs with speed and accuracy Paying attention to detail. The candidate must adhere to the safeguarding reporting and monitoring requirements of this role The candidate must be pro-choice How to Apply: All candidates should submit their application letters and attach certified copies of academic transcripts, a detailed Curriculum Vitae and other relevant documents as well the contact addresses (e-mail) of 3 referees including their telephone contacts either by post or hand delivery addressed to: The Executive Director, Reproductive Health Uganda, P.O. Box 10746 Kampala. Uganda Or hand-deliver at: RHU Head Office, Plot 2, Katego Road, Kamwokya (Opposite Uganda Museum) Deadline: 13th March 2020 NB: Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. Female applicants are encouraged to apply. For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline (Photo : REUTERS/Ciro De Luca) People wearing protective face masks are seen in a supermarket in Posillipo, near Naples, Italy, March 10, 2020. The world braces for a sharp boom in the number of coronavirus cases on Tuesday, Mar. 10, as Italy maintains to enforce an unprecedented country-wide lockdown in an attempt to mitigate the virus' unfold. Italy, which has prolonged the containment measures already in the vicinity in northern areas to the entire country, has confirmed more than 9,000 cases. Domestic measures maintain to help prevent the unfold of the virus inside the United States with the cancellation of public events. READ ALSO: Four British Skiers with 'Most Aggressive Strain' of Coronavirus 'Cannot Stay in Saalbach Anymore' COVID-19 spreads across the U.S. The virus is rapidly spreading throughout the United States, with new cases reported in at least 20 states on Monday. The country now has 732 confirmed and presumptive positive instances and 26 deaths, unfold out throughout 36 states --- including the capital, Washington, DC. There are signs of developing frustrations with the federal government's managing of the outbreak. On Sunday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo criticized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for checking out delays. FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn stated in a press briefing that about 6,000 samples from suspected coronavirus patients in the U.S. had been tested as of Saturday. "Experts warned that the small number of cases in the United States [might be] a reflection of limited testing kits," Stefano Bertuzzi of the American Society for Microbiology told SCMP. He attributed the situation to problems with the CDC diagnostic kits and the Food and Drug Administration regulations. ALSO READ: BREAKING NEWS: Wisconsin Public Schools to Close Down After A Coronavirus Patient Went In For A Visit Italians wake up to empty streets after the country put into quarantine Millions of Italians woke up to a virtual standstill on Tuesday after Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte imposed quarantine measures across the whole country to contain Europe's worst coronavirus outbreak. Antonio Pesenti, the intensive care coordinator of the Lombardy disaster unit, told CNN that the Italian healthcare system is only "one step from collapse." He attributed the situation to Northern Italy's "tsunami of patients." Italy, as of writing, has recorded 9,172 cases and 463 deaths --- the most of any country outside China. The new lockdown may also help slow down the virus from spreading further. However, some authorities fear the move is "nevertheless insufficient," given the sheer scale and pace of the Italian outbreak. ALSO READ: Would You Be Willing to be Paid $4,500 to Get Infected by the Coronavirus And Save The World? Research Wants You Catalonian leaders meet amid coronavirus outbreak Spain has emerged as another coronavirus hotspot, CNBC reported, as spurring leaders in the country meet to stave off a tremendous outbreak. Miquel Buch, minister of the interior of Catalonia, tweeted an image of a meeting with President Quim Torra from an assembly held to talk about and monitor the coronavirus outbreak. South Korea reduces infection rate without citywide lockdowns like Italy South Korea has seen a constant decrease in new coronavirus cases for four consecutive days, regardless of being one of the worst-affected countries outside China. As of end-Monday, the country had 7,513 instances and 54 deaths. The Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said there had been an increase of 131 cases from Sunday to Monday. The country averaged extra than 500 new infections a day for the past two weeks, however ultimate Friday, this quantity dipped to 438, then 367 on Saturday and 248 on Sunday. The daily range of confirmed instances is reported the subsequent day. According to SCMP, South Korean President Moon Jae-in noted the country's "slowing trend" of recent infections. He, however, warned the public not to be complacent. The regular lower in cases has been attributed to a lot of factors, which include mass checking out, progressed public communications, and using technology. Extensive testing of members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which caused the 60 percent of the cases, has been completed. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia resigned from the Congress on Tuesday, shortly after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah at the Prime Minister's residence in Delhi. Many Congress leaders like Rajasthan Deputy CM Sachin Pilot and Karan Singh are allegedly leading reconciliation efforts with Jyotiraditya Scindia and the latest name which has emerged is Manikrao Thakre who is the former chief of Maharashtra Congress. Speaking to Republic TV, he said, "I am going to Delhi. Will try to meet Sonia Gandhi and also to Jyotiaditya Scindia. We have to get back him to the party as it will be a great loss. I also tried calling him since last evening but he has not responded as of now." In his resignation letter addressed to interim Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Scindia wrote that this is a path that has been "drawing itself out over the last year", alluding to the infighting within the party's state unit. 'I believe I am unable to do this anymore within this party' "While my aim and purpose remain the same as it has always been from the very beginning, to serve the people of my state and country, I believe I am unable to do this anymore within this party," Scindia has said in his letter, adding that in order to "reflect and realise the aspirations of my people and my workers I believe it is best that I now look ahead at a fresh start". Minutes after the development, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal released a brief statement saying that the party's interim chief, Sonia Gandhi, has "approved the expulsion" of Jyotiraditya Scindia from Congress "with immediate effect for anti-party activities". READ | Scindia's aunt Yashodhara Raje played a major role in resignation decision: Sources READ | It's Official! Jyotiraditya Scindia resigns from Congress; Read his letter to Sonia Gandhi 19 'rebel' Congress MLAs tender resignation According to sources, as many as 19 Congress rebel MLAs, who are camping in Bengaluru, have sent their resignations to the state Governor and Vidhan Sabha Speaker. Scindia is expected to address a news briefing on Tuesday where he may make a massive announcement. The day also falls on the 75th birth anniversary of Scindia's late father and former Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia. In the 2018 Assembly election, the Congress, which had won 114 seats in the 230-member House, had formed the government with support from four Independent MLAs and two BSP MLAs, and a legislator from the Samajwadi Party (SP). The BJP had secured 109 seats in the state Assembly. READ | MEGA Twist: Jyotiraditya Scindia reaches PM Modi's residence with Amit Shah amid MP crisis READ | STUNNING: Redfaced Congress says Jyotiraditya Scindia was 'expelled'; quotes Sonia Gandhi (With agency inputs) To the Editor: As a physician, I am frustrated by Robin Shulmans March 10 Op-Ed, My Ordeal to Get a Coronavirus Test. The purpose of her piece was to highlight the ineffectiveness of the health care system. In my opinion, it demonstrated quite the opposite. The patient was evaluated by multiple physicians and denied testing because she didnt meet the criteria. She repeatedly returned, until she finally was tested and found to be negative. While Im sure Ms. Shulman was distressed by her symptoms, to a physician they were not very concerning at all. She likely had a common cold. Because of her persistence, valuable resources were wasted. Every health care resource is precious and must be allocated appropriately. Her physicians were correct to give reassurance and avoid testing. Its unfortunate that her persistence was allowed to trump sound clinical judgment. Steven Cogorno Cincinnati To the Editor: When I was a child we did not have hand sanitizers. So some of us relied on common sense advice from our mothers to avoid getting sick or spreading our germs to others: Use one hand for the world and the other for yourself. 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| 2020-03-10 05:44:02|Editor: yan Video Player Close TRIPOLI, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Justice of Libya's UN-backed government on Monday accused the rival eastern-based army of kidnapping a judge in the town of Garrabulli, some 55 km east of the capital Tripoli. "A militia called the Ninth Brigade infiltrated into Garrabulli, stormed his (the judge's) home on Feb. 27 and took him to an unknown location," the ministry said in a statement, which identified the kidnapped as Mohamed Ben Amer, a judge of the Khoms Court of First Instance. The ministry condemned the kidnapping of the judge, while demanding his immediate release by the concerned security authorities. The eastern-based army has made no comments on the judge's kidnapping. The army has been leading a military campaign since April 2019 in and around the capital Tripoli, attempting to topple the UN-backed government. Travis County Sheriff's Office Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated early Tuesday morning, according to the Travis County Sheriff's Office. Jones was booked into the Travis County Jail at 12:37 a.m. and released on a personal recognizance bond at 4:11 a.m. Cronkite News WASHINGTON Advocates were not surprised but truly heartbroken when the Supreme Court last week overturned a lower court that had said a Mexican family could sue a Border Patrol agent in Nogales who shot and killed their son in 2012. The high courts order followed its 5-4 ruling in a nearly identical case from Texas, in which the court said a Mexican family could not sue a Border Patrol agent in the 2010 shooting death of a Mexican teen. The justices sent the Nogales case back to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals with orders to reconsider it in light of last weeks ruling. Advocates for the family said they are not optimistic about the chances for the Nogales family to pursue a lawsuit once the case is reconsidered. If the Supreme Court and the justices are supposed to be the ultimate determiners of justice, what does this mean for the family members who experienced such terrible and tragic loss, yet they cant find justice? asked Vicki Gaubeca, director of Southern Border Communities Coalition. Calls seeking comment from attorneys for the family and for the Border Patrol agent in the Nogales case were not immediately returned Monday. Family and friends gather around the body of 15-year-old Sergio Adrian Hernandez Guereca, who was killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in 2012. Photo: joe bottomley The case began on October 10, 2012, when Border Patrol Agent Lonnie Swartz, who was standing in Nogales, Arizona, fired across the border and hit Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez, then 16, as he was walking down the street in Nogales, Sonora. Court documents say Swartz fired through the border fence between 14 and 30 times, hitting Rodriguez in the back 10 times. Swartz said he was acting in self-defense in response to rock-throwing by Rodriguez a claim the family denies in an area known for drug smuggling. A federal jury in Tucson acquitted Swartz of involuntary manslaughter in the case. But the Rodriguez family sued and in 2018, the 9th Circuit ruled that the familys suit against Swartz could proceed. While the Rodriguez case was being considered, a similar case in Texas was working its way through the courts. In that case, the family of 15-year-old Sergio Adrian Hernandez tried to sue Border Patrol Agent Jesus Mesa, who was standing in El Paso, Texas, when he shot and killed Sergio, who was in Ciudad Juarez. The 2010 shooting was reviewed by the departments of Homeland Security and Justice, which determined that Mesa acted appropriately and declined to charge him in the shooting. Statement by the NATO Spokesperson on COVID-19 NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 09 Mar. 2020 We can confirm that one NATO staff member working at NATO HQ in Brussels has tested positive for COVID-19. The staff member had come back from a holiday in northern Italy, felt unwell at the end of last week, and was tested due to the onset of fever-like symptoms. The staff member is currently at home in self-isolation. Within minutes of receiving the result, all the immediate work colleagues were informed. They had been working from home at the end of last week and continue to do so. All NATO headquarters staff have also been informed of the confirmed case. NATO continues to monitor the situation on an ongoing basis and to take all necessary measures. To ensure the safety of staff and visitors, NATO has already taken preventative measures at our headquarters, based on guidance from the World Health Organization, to reduce the risk of the further spread of infection. These include the temporary suspension of certain staff travel, encouraging staff to work from home, and the temporary suspension of group visits to NATO HQ in Brussels. We remain in close contact with the Belgian authorities. NATO has robust business continuity measures and plans in place, ensuring that our essential work continues. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Unfortunately for some shareholders, the Canadian Natural Resources (TSE:CNQ) share price has dived 44% in the last thirty days. Indeed the recent decline has arguably caused some bitterness for shareholders who have held through the 41% drop over twelve months. Assuming nothing else has changed, a lower share price makes a stock more attractive to potential buyers. In the long term, share prices tend to follow earnings per share, but in the short term prices bounce around in response to short term factors (which are not always obvious). So, on certain occasions, long term focussed investors try to take advantage of pessimistic expectations to buy shares at a better price. Perhaps the simplest way to get a read on investors' expectations of a business is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). A high P/E implies that investors have high expectations of what a company can achieve compared to a company with a low P/E ratio. Check out our latest analysis for Canadian Natural Resources How Does Canadian Natural Resources's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers? Canadian Natural Resources's P/E of 4.71 indicates relatively low sentiment towards the stock. We can see in the image below that the average P/E (8.2) for companies in the oil and gas industry is higher than Canadian Natural Resources's P/E. TSX:CNQ Price Estimation Relative to Market, March 10th 2020 This suggests that market participants think Canadian Natural Resources will underperform other companies in its industry. While current expectations are low, the stock could be undervalued if the situation is better than the market assumes. If you consider the stock interesting, further research is recommended. For example, I often monitor director buying and selling. How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios Probably the most important factor in determining what P/E a company trades on is the earnings growth. When earnings grow, the 'E' increases, over time. That means even if the current P/E is high, it will reduce over time if the share price stays flat. Then, a lower P/E should attract more buyers, pushing the share price up. Story continues In the last year, Canadian Natural Resources grew EPS like Taylor Swift grew her fan base back in 2010; the 114% gain was both fast and well deserved. 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. That means it doesn't take debt or cash into account. Theoretically, a business can improve its earnings (and produce a lower P/E in the future) by investing in growth. That means taking on debt (or spending its cash). Spending on growth might be good or bad a few years later, but the point is that the P/E ratio does not account for the option (or lack thereof). Is Debt Impacting Canadian Natural Resources's P/E? Canadian Natural Resources has net debt worth 80% of its market capitalization. This is enough debt that you'd have to make some adjustments before using the P/E ratio to compare it to a company with net cash. The Verdict On Canadian Natural Resources's P/E Ratio Canadian Natural Resources has a P/E of 4.7. That's below the average in the CA market, which is 13.6. The company may have significant debt, but EPS growth was good last year. The low P/E ratio suggests current market expectations are muted, implying these levels of growth will not continue. Given Canadian Natural Resources's P/E ratio has declined from 8.5 to 4.7 in the last month, we know for sure that the market is more worried about the business today, than it was back then. For those who prefer to invest with the flow of momentum, that might be a bad sign, but for deep value investors this stock might justify some research. Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. If it is underestimating a company, investors can make money by buying and holding the shares until the market corrects itself. So this free visual report on analyst forecasts could hold the key to an excellent investment decision. But note: Canadian Natural Resources may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a P/E ratio 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. Activists burn an effigy of President Rodrigo Duterte near the U.S. Embassy in Manila during a protest rally denouncing what they claim is the Philippines subservience to the United States, March 8, 2020. Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte has refused to reverse his stance on the termination of the decades-old bilateral visiting forces agreement with Washington, brushing aside a move by several senators including his allies to challenge his decision before the Supreme Court. Duterte made the statement a month after the Philippines formally relayed to Washington that Manila was withdrawing from the 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), despite tensions in the disputed South China Sea and a security threat from Islamic State-linked extremists in the southern Philippines. They cannot compel me. I refuse to be compelled. I have terminated it, Duterte told reporters late Monday, according to transcripts that were made available the following day. As far as Im concerned, we are beginning to count the 180 days for them to pack up and go. The Philippine announcement came weeks after Duterte threatened to cut military ties because the U.S. State Department apparently revoked an American visa for his former police chief, now-Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, who had served as chief enforcer of the governments drug war that has left thousands of people dead. In a petition filed at the Supreme Court on Monday, opposition senators questioned Dutertes action and asked the court to compel him to seek the legislators concurrence in terminating the VFA. The senators, including administration ally Vicente Sotto, said the constitution specifically gives the Senate sole power to review treaties, precisely to create a system of checks and balances in government. Dutertes unilateral action was in direct violation of this provision, they said. Sotto was supported by the Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Sens. Richard Gordon and Panfilo Lacson. They also asked the high court to define the chambers authority in scrapping international agreements. On Tuesday, Sotto insisted the move was meant to partly protect the independence of the Senate. Duterte has a supermajority in both Houses of Congress. Sotto said the move was meant to assert the sense the power of the Senate that we know and we think that we have. He emphasized that Congress should be consulted and that the president should wait for that concurrence, if at all. The Senate must do its part in protecting the checks and balances in our government, he said, adding his alliance with the president should never outweigh public welfare. I will always choose to fight for the independence of the Senate, he said. Drilon said their move should not be taken as a direct affront to Duterte, but rather was meant to clarify the scope of the separation of the legislature and the executive. The Senate has already [categorically] stated in about 20 treaties that we had approved for ratification that our advise and consent are needed before these can be terminated. Thats very clear, Drilon told reporters. The VFA allows for joint military exercises between the allies after the United States vacated two of its largest overseas military installations the Subic Bay Naval Base and Clark Air Base, both located northwest of Manila in the 1990s. Those exercises bore fruit in 2017 when Philippine troops received aerial intelligence from U.S. forces during their successful battle against Islamic State militants in the southern city of Marawi. Jeoffrey Maitem in Cotabato City contributed to this report. Thousands of increasingly bored and restless passengers aboard a cruise ship struck by the coronavirus waited for their turn Tuesday to get off the vessel and go into two weeks of quarantine at military bases around the US. After days of being forced to idle off the Northern California coast, the Grand Princess docked Monday at Oakland with about 3,500 passengers and crew , including at least 21 who tested positive for the new virus. "We're trying to stay calm and were trying to stay positive, but it's getting harder and harder. They can't make up their minds how to keep us safe," said passenger Beryl Ward, 77, of Santa Fe, New Mexico. About two dozen people who needed acute medical care were taken off the ship first, though it was not clear how many of them were infected, said Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the California Office of Emergency Services. Also, more than 200 Canadians on board were flown to a military base in their country Monday, Canadian officials said. About 2,000 passengers, including hundreds of Californians, were still aboard Monday night. The departure of passengers was expected to resume Tuesday. The Grand Princess ship had been held off the coast since Wednesday because of evidence that it was the breeding ground for more than 20 infections tied to a previous voyage. Passengers were isolated in their cabins for days. When they were finally allowed a few minutes on deck, Ward said, they were warned to wear masks and try to stay 6 feet (2 meters) away from each other. Ward's cabin mate, Carolyn Wright, 63, also of Santa Fe, said she looked out her cabin window as passengers lined up to depart and also saw people in yellow protective clothing, gloves and hazardous materials suits. They were queuing up the passengers like cattle, Wright said. Everybody was bunched up. They were physically touching each other and they were backed up along the gangplank. She added: I'm just totally freaked out by that. It's outrageous. If that's safe, then why were we stuck in our rooms? It's been stressed for the past five days that we're not to have any contact with any other passengers?" The ship carried people from 54 countries. Authorities said foreigners would be flown home, while U.S. passengers would be flown or bused to military bases in California, Texas and Georgia for testing and 14-day quarantines. Some passengers arrived Monday night at Travis Air Force Base in Northern California. Wright and others said nobody had been told the details. I'm willing to be quarantined, Wright said. 'But I want to know if I'm positive or not. We don't even know if we're going to get tested. It's all rumor and speculation. I'm bored and frustrated, she added. All of a sudden a two-week vacation has turned into a five-week vacation. About 1,100 crew members, 19 of whom tested positive for the virus, will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship, which will dock elsewhere after passengers are unloaded, Gov. Gavin Newsom said. He and Oakland's mayor sought to reassure people that no passengers would be exposed to the public before completing quarantine. Another Princess ship, the Diamond Princess, was quarantined for two weeks in Yokohama, Japan, last month because of the virus. Ultimately, about 700 of the 3,700 people aboard became infected in what experts pronounced a public health failure. The virus has infected over 700 people in the U.S. and killed at least 27, many of them from a single nursing home in the Seattle area. The virus has shaken global markets, with stocks Monday taking their worst one-day beating on Wall Street since 2008 and oil prices suffering their most brutal losses since the start of the 1991 Gulf War. For most people, the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. Most people recover in a matter of weeks, as has happened with three-quarters of those infected in mainland China. Several universities have begun online-only courses, including the University of Washington, Stanford University, Columbia University and the University of California, Berkeley. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Wisconsin state agency urged investors Thursday to be on the lookout for scam artists who seek to capitalize on fear and uncertainty, in light of impact of COVID-19 on financial markets. The Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions issued a statement to remind investors to be on the lookout for scammers who seek to scare them into alleged safer or guaranteed investments. Avoid making decisions based on panic or fear, Kathy Blumenfeld, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, said in a statement. We know con artists are opportunistic and use current events to cloak their schemes with an air of immediacy and legitimacy. Blumenfeld urged investors to never make an investment decision without understanding exactly what they are investing in, who theyre doing business with, where their money is going and how it will be used. She said to always ask if the salesperson and the security are registered with the state or a provincial securities regulator. The Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions provided three questions for investors to ask before making a financial decision: Is the investment being offered with guaranteed high return with little or no risk? According to the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, all investments carry risk, none can guarantee a return and anyone who says otherwise is lying. Is there a sense of urgency or limited availability surrounding the investment? According to the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, if the offer is legitimate, it will be available later. Dont be afraid to walk away. Is the person offering the investment or their staff properly licensed or registered? According to the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, investors should avoid unregistered investment salespeople and their products for the same reason they wouldnt go to an unlicensed doctor or dentist. Make sure you have all the facts before you hand your money over to someone else to invest, said Blumenfeld. She encouraged investors to contact DFI with any questions about the investment professional they are working with or the product being offered at (608)-266-2139 and online via BrokerCheck. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 North Korea's Launch of Projectiles May Be Part of Drills, Contradicts Agreements - Seoul Sputnik News 05:41 GMT 09.03.2020 SEOUL (Sputnik) - The projectiles launched by North Korea on Monday toward the Sea of Japan may have been a part of a military exercise, and they go against the inter-Korean military deal, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. "The launches this time are likely to be a continuation of the joint military exercises, which started on February 28 and March 2 We deeply regret North Korea's actions that are contrary to [inter-korean] military agreement signed on September 19, 2018, which included an agreement to make efforts to reduce military tensions on the Korean Peninsula and build a trustworthy relationship," JCS said. The projectiles, launched from the eastern town of Sondok in North Korea's South Hamgyong Province, flew 200 kilometers (124 miles), with the maximum altitude of 50 kilometers (31 miles). Earlier in the day, the South Korean Yonhap News Agency reported citing the JCS that Pyongyang launched three unidentified projectiles. The Japanese government suspects that the projectiles launched by Pyongyang on Monday were ballistic missiles, the Japanese Kyodo news agency said. On March 2, North Korea launched two unidentified projectiles into the Sea of Japan from the region near the city of Wonsan. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Add Congressman Mark Meadows, incoming chief of staff for President Trump, to the growing list of government officials who have self-quarantined after contact with someone at CPAC who had the coronavirus. As of this writing, there are six of them. As most AT readers likely know by now, President Trump and Vice President Pence also had direct contact with an individual with the virus while they were at the conference. At yesterday's press conference, Pence was asked if the president or if Pence had been tested. He said he didn't know if the president had been and that he'd get an answer to the question soon. As for himself, Pence said he had not received any advice to be tested. Later that day, the press secretary released a statement confirming that neither the president nor the vice president has been tested. I find this odd, disconcerting, and a bit confusing. Among other things, it sets a poor example to Americans, as the task force is imploring people to follow a number of guidelines to help mitigate the spread of the virus. If someone has had direct physical contact with a person who has the virus, do we really want him in close physical contact with others prior to the end of the 14-day incubation period (assuming he's OK by the end of it)? YouTube screen grab. Because it seems a bit odd that the president and vice president have had direct exposure to the virus yet are standing on a tiny stage crammed with several other members of the Coronavirus Task Force, several of whom, I might add, are not spring chickens. In addition, Trump is out there shaking hands with well-wishers as he travels around the country. Is this really necessary right now? I want our leaders to be taking every precaution to stay healthy. We need Trump to be able to continue to lead this nation into the future. Thomas Lifson adds: If, God forbid, the president and veep fall to the virus, Nancy Pelosi is in line for the presidency. Lord help us! Three top day trips from Marmaris Check the latest travel advice and current Covid-19 rules and restrictions by country. While Marmaris* and beach holiday are practically synonymous, day trips from Marmaris can be just as invigorating as working on that tan. A part of the Turkish Riviera, which stretches from Antalya* in the east to Bodrum* and beyond in the west, it combines the waters of the Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea and offers a coastline dotted in beaches - some white, some dark - with pine forests and dramatic rocks formations. Day trips from Marmaris monticellllo - Fotolia.com Start close to home by exploring downtown Marmaris from the marina to Icmeler Beach, a long stretch of coast lined with pine trees, sunbeds and umbrellas as well as numerous bars, restaurants and cafes in between. Bay of Icmeler Kaleff - Dreamstime.com As enticing as the lively atmosphere and wonderfully clear water, which make the place such a popular destination are, after a few relaxing days of swimming and sunbathing you'll be tempted to look for day trips from Marmaris to locations further afield. Luckily, there are so many, you'll be spoilt for choice. Getting to Marmaris: check out the latest deals on holidays to Marmaris and other resorts along the Turkish Riviera with Jet2holidays*, which promises something for every budget. Dalyan A boat trip not to be missed is an outing to Dalyan*. You'll be channelling Humphrey Bogart or Katharine Hepburn for a few hours as all the boats that offer river cruises are replicas of the African Queen. Mud baths at Dalyan Chris Tengi - Flickr Creative Commons Expect to see the tombs of the Phrygian kings carved high into the mountainside and nesting sites of loggerhead turtles while drifting along the reed-lined Dalyan river before dipping into the mud baths near Caunos. Don't forget to take your camera and swimsuit. Cleopatra Island Turkey is a country full of history and legends, and the area around Marmaris is no exception. One story goes that Marc Anthony fell so in love with a tiny island that he imported white sand from Egypt and gave it to Queen Cleopatra as a wedding gift. Cleopatra Island Drew Richardson - Flickr Creative Commons Step into her shoes on a trip to Cleopatra Island, which has exceptionally white sand, so rare and beautiful that you aren't allowed to take even a grain home with you. Apart from sunbathing and enjoying the beach, you can visit an ancient amphitheatre and Byzantine city walls on this day trip from Marmaris. Ephesus & Selcuk The longest but most rewarding day trip from Marmaris you might want to take is to the world-famous ancient site of Ephesus and the town of Selcuk where it's located. Sitting roughly 130 miles north of Marmaris, you have two options: you can either go on an organised trip or hire a car and go it alone. There's a lot to be said for going on your own. The highway to Izmir is ruler-straight and easy to navigate, while driving time is about three and a half hours. The library at Ephesus laszlo-photo - Flickr Creative Commons Given its popularity, naturally, it's very busy all year round, and if you opt for a guided tour you can feel quite rushed. It's much easier and more enjoyable to do your homework and walk around on your own, looking at the ancient Roman streets and houses, the Library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian and the amphitheatre. The amphitheatre at Ephesus Can Erdem Satma - Fotolia.com Afterwards, return to Selcuk proper and continue your travel through history. No visit to Selcuk would be complete without a stop at the Archaeological Museum, which houses many of the artefacts excavated in Ephesus. Among them, you'll find the famous statue of the Anatolian goddess Kybele. Reconstructions of Roman villas give an insight into the life at the time and massive statues from the Hellenistic period are also displayed in this fabulous museum. The castle on Ayasoluk Hill Tolka Rover - Flickr Creative Commons There is more to discover on this trip, though. Walk from the museum to Ayasoluk Hill, crowned by a massive castle and fortress from the Ottoman period. After extensive excavation and renovation, the castle is now open to visitors again. Just below it you will find the Basilica of St. John, erected in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian, supposedly over the tomb of the apostle. Go on a bit further to the Isa Bey Mosque. Constructed in 1374, it's a masterpiece of architecture of the Anatolian Beyliks. You can visit, just don't forget to take off your shoes and to cover up. Basilica of St John Mike Rowe - Flickr CreativeCommons Lastly on this day of history, at the bottom of the hill you come across a single, broken column which is all that's left from one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: the Temple of Artemis. Once an imposing sanctuary, it was destroyed and rebuilt three times before being dealt a final blow by raiding Goths in 268 AD. Weather in Marmaris Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Maximum daytime temperature C 13 14 16 20 25 30 33 33 30 25 19 15 Hours of sunshine (daily) 5 6 7 9 10 13 14 13 11 8 6 5 Days with some rainfall 15 13 10 8 5 4 7 6 4 6 9 15 Sea temperature C 18 17 16 17 19 22 25 27 26 24 21 19 Don't forget to find out more about the weather in Marmaris and see when we think is the very best time to go to make the most of these exciting excursions. Planning to discover these attractions? Book your next great value holiday to Turkey with Jet2holidays and you can choose from a number of departure points and accommodation types. More about the Marmaris Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Inka Piegsa Article updated on Monday 9th March 2020 in: Culture Excursions Middle East Be inspired Get your weekly fix of holiday inspiration from some of the world's best travel writers plus save on your next trip with the latest exclusive offers We promise not to share your details Related posts Back to Blog Top ^ *affiliate links: find out how we are funded and why this helps us remain free to use. Brad Bigford, a traveling nurse practitioner from Boise, Idaho, jumped at the invitation: spend an afternoon at Freds Reel Barber Shop in nearby Meridian, offering the flu vaccine to customers. Ladies, send your guys for a trim and a flu shot, Mr. Bigford posted on Facebook. He added, Anti-vaxxers need not reply. Within hours, his Facebook page was swarmed with hundreds of vitriolic comments, even violent threats from people opposed to vaccines. Vicious reviews on Yelp and Google about his urgent-care business, Table Rock Mobile Medicine, popped up from patients as far away as Los Angeles, Texas and Australia. Protesters circulated his cellphone number, hometown and wifes name. Then the e-cavalry rode to his rescue. A new group of doctors, nurses and other vaccine supporters, called Shots Heard Round the World, flooded his page with evidence-based vaccine facts, which attracted harassers spoiling for a fight to their own sites and away from Mr. Bigfords. They taught him how to block some 600 posters and expunge comments. [March 10, 2020] BillionToOne, Inc., announced today that it has closed its follow-on Series A+ funding round of $15 million MENLO PARK, Calif., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BillionToOne, Inc., the precision diagnostics company that invented the patent-pending QCT molecular counter platform, announced today that it has closed its follow-on Series A+ funding round of $15 million with select global investors. Previous investors, Hummingbird Ventures and NeoTribe Ventures led the investment round with participation from Y Combinator, Libertus Capital, Pacific 8 Ventures, Civilization Ventures, 500 Startups Istanbul, and HOF Capital. This brings the total funding that BillionToOne has raised to more than $32.5 million. The funding will be used to support the commercial expansion of UNITY to all US states as well as the research and development (R&D) of future diagnostics tests including liquid biopsy products. "Since the launch of UNITY last summer, we faced a significant demand from the prenatal providers from community Ob/Gyns to top academic institutions throughout the US. We are planning to expand the capacity of our CLIA-licensed laboratory by more than 20x and our commercial team size up to 50 account executives to meet the demand," said Oguzhan Atay, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of BillionToOne. "This additional funding will help us accelerate this expansion process." Current non-invasive prenatal tests (NIPTs) exclude single-gene inherited disorders like cystic fibrosis and spinal muscular atrophy because they can only detect large chromosomal abnormalities greater than one million base-pairs. Similarly, in today's liquid biopsy tests, certain cancer mutations, such as HER2, one of the most important genes for breast cancer, may need to be as high as 20 percent of the total cell-free DNA of a blood sample to be detected. BillionToOne's platform can quantitatively measure and determine these mutations at much lower levels. "We are delighted with the surging demand in the market for UNITY. With additional novel clinical products in the pipeline, we are more confident than ever for the future growth of BillionToOne," said Firat Ileri of Europe-based Hummingbird Ventures. "We continue to believe that BillionToOne's sequencing platform is the future of cell-free DNA-based molecular testing." Kittu Kolluri, ex-NEA general partner and the current managing director at Neotribe Ventures, added, "BillionToOne's ability to execute on both R&D and commercial growth has been remarkable. We are pleased to continue to support this growth." Cell-free DNA testing is the fastest growing diagnostic sector in history. It is currently used in several health care settings, including prenatal genetic testing for chromosomal abnormalities and oncology for blood-based tumor profiling in late-stage cancers. BillionToOne's first product, UNTY is the first and only prenatal screen that directly assesses the baby's risk for common and severe inherited disorders such as cystic fibrosis, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and hemoglobinopathies from a single tube of blood from the pregnant mother. With all other existing carrier screening tests, both mother and father have to be tested for their carrier status to assess the baby's risk for these conditions. The need to test the father poses a significant challenge to many clinics to follow through for financial and logistical reasons, such as unavailability of Medicaid for paternal testing, availability of the father, non-paternity, and other logistical challenges. According to a 2019 publication by UTHealth Genetic Counseling group[1], only 41.5% of male partners could be tested for carrier status when mothers were found to be carriers. This means the "detection rate, i.e., sensitivity, of at-risk babies through the current screening workflow is at most 41.5%." Screening for cystic fibrosis, spinal muscular atrophy, and hemoglobinopathies is recommended by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) to be offered to all women considering pregnancy or currently pregnant[2]. By eliminating the need for father's testing and directly assessing the baby's risk, UNITY increases the detection rate of at-risk babies from <41.5% to as high as 98.5%, thus significantly improving the clinical outcomes[3]. UNITY is available for commercial order in all US States except for New York State, as well as globally in select international countries. For more information visit unityscreen.com. CONTACTS: Oscar Cabot, Head of Marketing [email protected] Shan Riku, VP of Product, [email protected] About BillionToOne BillionToOne, headquartered in Menlo Park, California, is a precision diagnostics company with a mission to make molecular diagnostics more accurate, efficient, and accessible for all. The company's patent-pending QCT molecular counter platform is the only technology platform that can accurately count DNA molecules to the single-count level. BillionToOne's first product, UNITY, is the first and only noninvasive prenatal screening that tests fetal cell-free DNA for cystic fibrosis (CF) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) through a single sample of the mother's blood. BillionToOne was co-founded by Oguzhan Atay, Ph.D., and David Tsao, Ph.D. For more information, visit www.billiontoone.com or www.unityscreen.com. [1] Choates et.al., "It takes two: uptake of carrier screening among male reproductive partners" Prenatal Diagnosis, 2019; 1-6 [2] ACOG Committee Opinion Number 691, March 2017 (reaffirmed 2019) [3] Tsao et.al., "A novel high-throughput molecular counting method with single base-pair resolution enables accurate single-gene NIPT" Scientific Reports 9, 14382 (2019) [4] Westin et.al., "Clinical validity of single-gene non-invasive prenatal testing for sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia." (manuscript in preparation) Related Files nature_publication (1).pdf Related Images billiontoone-inc-www-billiontoone.jpg BillionToOne, Inc - www.billiontoone.com Related Links Unity Screen BillionToOne, Inc View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/billiontoone-inc-announced-today-that-it-has-closed-its-follow-on-series-a-funding-round-of-15-million-301020957.html SOURCE BillionToOne, Inc [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The faculty member attended the meeting in the evening at Vaughn Occupational High School in Chicago, but did not know the teachers aide had been in the same room earlier in the day until after the meeting, school officials said. Bereaved family members listened silently with bowed heads as the names of all 298 victims of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 were read out on Monday at the start of the trial of four men accused of downing the plane. The suspects -- three Russians and one Ukrainian -- were not present in court but judges decided to continue the hearing, the fruit of a long fight for justice by relatives and investigators since the crash on July 17, 2014. The shooting down of the Boeing 777 over Ukraine by a Russian-made missile was an "atrocious disaster", head judge Hendrik Steenhuis said as he declared the trial open at a court near Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. "The court realises the impact of the loss of so many lives and the manner in which they so abruptly ended is barely conceivable," added Steenhuis. Planes taking off from Schiphol roared overhead during the hearing, taking the same route as MH17 did on its way to Kuala Lumpur before it was ripped apart by a surface-to-air missile over part of Ukraine held by pro-Moscow rebels. But inside the high-security courtroom it was silent during the solemn moment when prosecutor Dedy Woei-a-Tsoi intoned the names of the victims, while relatives listened with their eyes closed. "I think today is of the highest importance," said Piet Ploeg, the head of a foundation for MH17 victims who lost his brother, sister-in-law and nephew on the doomed flight. "This is the first day that we will know what happened, who was responsible, why the plane was shot down, and to questions like what was Russia's role." - 'Honour the truth' - Dutch prosecutors last year charged Russian nationals Igor Girkin, Sergei Dubinsky, Oleg Pulatov and Ukrainian citizen Leonid Kharchenko with murder and causing the flight to crash. Prosecutors say all four were linked to pro-Russian separatists on whose territory the plane's wreckage fell near the start of Ukraine's bitter civil war. They argue the men were instrumental in bringing the BUK missile system to Ukraine from its original base in Russia -- even if they did not pull the trigger. "We have a duty to honour the truth, not just out of duty to the families, but also to do justice to international law," Ward Ferdinandusse, another prosecutor, told the court. Judges ruled on Monday that proceedings could go ahead "in absentia" against Girkin, Dubinsky and Kharchenko as Dutch, Russian and Ukrainian authorities had tried to contact them by post and by electronic media. Girkin and Dubinsky had also been quoted by media as saying they did not recognise the Dutch court, the judges said. "We assume they have waived their right to be present since they do not value the right to be present," Steenhuis said. The fourth suspect, Pulatov, is being represented by lawyers but was also not present. "He says he has nothing to do with the destruction of flight MH17," his defence lawyer Sabine ten Doesschate told the court. - 'Must be held accountable' - Russia has long denied any involvement in the downing of MH17, and has offered a series of alternative explanations for the plane's downing. Moscow again on Friday accused the Netherlands of a "crude attempt to put pressure on the court" and said it was trying to "fill the gaps in the evidence". But Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Friday that the trial was being held in "full independence" and was a "very important step to get to the truth and to find justice for the victims and their relatives". More than two-thirds of the victims -- 196 in total -- were Dutch. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lent his support on the eve of the trial, saying he had confidence in the Dutch justice system and those responsible "must be held accountable". Girkin, 49, also known by his pseudonym "Strelkov", is the most high-profile suspect -- a former Russian spy and historical re-enactment fan who helped kickstart the war in Ukraine. Dubinsky, 57, who has also been tied to Russian intelligence, allegedly served as the separatists' military intelligence chief while Pulatov, 53, was an ex-Russian special forces soldier and one of Dubinsky's deputies. Kharchenko, 48, allegedly led a separatist unit in eastern Ukraine. If found guilty, the four suspects could be given life sentences. "For me, the most important thing is will there be enough evidence that the judge can make a conclusion -- guilty. If that's the case, then I will be satisfied," said Anton Kotte, another family member attending the hearing. The trial -- which is expected to last more than a year -- was adjourned until Tuesday. This is a Kaiser Health News story. When first responders answered roughly 10 calls from a long-term care center in Kirkland, Washington, over the course of a week, they did not expect to become patients themselves. Entering the Life Care Center of Kirkland last month exposed them to the novel coronavirus that sickens people with an illness known as COVID-19. Because the emergency calls came before authorities realized the virus was circulating in the community, some of the responders did not wear protective gear. As of Thursday, 27 firefighters and three police officers were under quarantine. Twelve are showing flu-like symptoms. Two other responders were released from isolation. The virus has infected 70 people and killed 10 in Washington state. One person has also died in California. That cluster of COVID-19 cases highlights a new threat faced by the nations first responders including emergency medical technicians, ambulance crews and some firefighters. Emergency preparedness managers and organizations representing first responders around the country acknowledged that a severe outbreak like the one in Kirkland could put their normal contingency plans to the test. MORE:Coronavirus live updates: 'This is likely going to get worse before it gets better,': US surgeon general Localities that run out of protective gear already in short supply may have to turn to the federal government for help, the International Association of Fire Fighters said. Communities that typically rely on one another for help may not be able to do so if the virus overwhelms their region. If the virus drives up demand for services, communities may also see a change in how calls are prioritized and, if workforce ranks are diminished, how fast responders arrive, say experts on emergency preparedness. That means dispatchers may be more selective about when to send an ambulance, said Dr. John Hick, medical director for emergency preparedness at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. Story continues In a worst-case scenario, he said, they may ask less seriously ill patients to find their own transportation to the hospital. Its sort of like saying, Are you ready for a house fire, right? The house is going to get damaged, Hick said about preparing for the worst. Were gonna do the best we can to keep the damage to a minimum. To be sure, no one knows how widespread COVID-19 will be in the United States. As of publication, researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore who are tracking the outbreak report at least 230 confirmed cases in nearly 20 states. Despite the uncertainty, plans are underway. To help guide emergency personnel, dispatchers are ramping up their screening of callers to identify potential cases of the coronavirus. Hospital emergency management directors are reviewing how to conserve and repurpose in-demand supplies. And EMT and fire departments are taking inventory to make sure they have enough protective equipment for responders in the field. MORE: Covering coronavirus, then living in isolation: Reporter's Notebook We dont want to cookie-cutter anything, said Doug Stern, media relations director for the International Association of Fire Fighters. He said first responders are using their past experiences plus information from the current outbreak to form their working framework. One way first responders protect themselves in situations with a serious infection risk is by wearing personal protective equipment. Gowns, goggles and gloves create a barrier that reduces the chance a worker will be exposed to the germ. Typically, first responders choose what gear to wear based on information from the dispatcher while en route to the scene, Stern said. Not every situation requires protective gear. In some cases, items like gowns can hinder responders from being able to react quickly. In an ICU, youre working in a controlled condition, said Stern. Our firefighters are not working in controlled conditions. Theyre working in whatever environment they get thrown into. In Kirkland, firefighters are now wearing personal protective equipment when responding to any calls from the Life Care Center, said the citys spokesperson. But emergency services around the world are clamoring for supplies like masks and gloves in the face of COVID-19. Andrew Yurek, director of safety and emergency management at Northfield Hospital & Clinics in Minnesota, said his system has what they need for now, but he is already having trouble ordering more items. He is reviewing every back order and solidifying plans for alternatives the system can use to conserve the stockpile. Everyone in the world is looking for the same stuff, Yurek said, and we are in the same boat. Even if departments have enough supplies, Stern said, work by the dispatchers is key to determining whether the situation warrants extra protective equipment. The linchpin in all of this is making sure that the dispatchers are asking the questions that help the firefighters prepare on their way, he said. Yurek said his department is coordinating with dispatchers to ask callers questions about signs of respiratory illness and travel history. The International Association of Fire Fighters is recommending to local fire unions that their dispatchers also be encouraged to ask for additional information, Stern said. First responders face grueling work conditions even without the threat of a novel virus. Paramedics and emergency personnel have among the highest rates of illness and injury of any job, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. In the event of an outbreak, first responders sickened by COVID-19 could create gaps in the workforce at a time when their services may be in high demand. And they may be gone for a substantial amount of time the CDC recommends that those exposed to the virus be quarantined for 14 days. The fewer emergency medical technicians there are, Hick said, the more pressure theyre under to do whatever they have to do to answer those calls. Typically, departments that are overwhelmed by a disaster rely on mutual aid or an agreement that enables communities to share first responders. But this assumes that COVID-19 wont engulf neighboring areas, Stern said, which might not be the case. Theres only a finite number of people that can come, said Dr. Ray Fowler, chief of the division of emergency medical services in the emergency medicine department at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. So we have to work to protect those folks. Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente. First responders brace for coronavirus and their own protection originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Rajesh Kumar Thakur By Express News Service PATNA: On a day when most people limit their celebration of the festival of colours to family members and close friends, a group of college and university students in Patna chose to play Holi with children from slum settlements. Associated with the Helping Hands Friends Charitable Trust of Patna, the dozen youths, led by Utkarash Raj, reached the slum settlements at Boring Road and Aashiyana Nagar on Tuesday and celebrated Holi with dozens of children of poor families. Utkarash Raj said sweets, colours and snacks were bought by them from their pockets and distributed among the children as a token of love and blessings. Gaurav Kumar, Abhishek Kumar, Annu Priya, Sanjay Kumar, Rohit Kumar, Nirbhay Sharma and Divya said that a divine festive cheer prevailed on the faces of the children when the group started celebrating Holi with them. They sang, danced and applied gulal on the foreheads of each of those from the group who went there to celebrate Holi. Nikku, 11, of the Boring Road slum pocket was overwhelmed by the gesture and said, "Bhaiya aur didi log bahut pyar ke sath holi khelaya and mithai khilaya" (Brothers and sisters made us play Holi with love and gave us sweets to eat). Upon seeing the Patna youths, almost all belonging to good families, reached the slums, many onlookers gathered to watch the celebration. "This is what our society and youths need to be doing. Stay blessed!" said an elderly man. Anamika Singh, Sonal Singh and Saumya, all associated with this group of youths, said many of them also run free tutorial classes in the evening for children of slums and extremely poor families. Impressed by their efforts to render social service, Anjani Kumar, a senior police officer, said the youths deserve kudos for helping to work towards a better society in which illiteracy and poverty do not hamper the growth of talented kids. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 18:33:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DAR ES SALAAM, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Health ministers of the member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have commended China's anti-coronavirus efforts and pledged continued solidarity with China and other countries affected by the virus, SADC Executive Secretary Stergomena Tax said here Monday evening. Speaking at the end of a one-day meeting on COVID-19 among SADC health ministers, Tax said "China assured the meeting that all SADC citizens, including students, are being taken care of in terms of prevention and monitoring, and no one has been affected." China also extended gratitude to the 16 SADC member states for expressing solidarity during this difficult time, Tax added. The health ministers praised the World Health Organization and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for their joint anti-virus efforts, while urging all SADC member states to put in place national response plans as well as contingency and emergency funds to mitigate possible impacts from COVID-19, she said. They also recommended a temporary suspension of regional face-to-face meetings and encouraged using modern technology such as video conferences, Skype calls and webinars, she added. The meeting gathered health ministers from 10 member states, including the minister from Tanzania, current chair of the SADC. Those from Comoros, Madagascar, Mozambique, Botswana, Eswatini and Seychelles did not attend. The SADC is a Botswana-based inter-governmental organization established in 1992 to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 16 southern African countries. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 Lilis Putri Ayu, a 33-year-old barista brewed a cup of coffee at the Jeera Pascorner coffee shop located next to Cipinang Penitentiary in Jatinegara, East Jakarta, for a customer, nothing extraordinary except that Jeera Pascorner is staffed by two former convicts. Lilis served a jail term at Pondok Bambu Women's Penitentiary in Duren Sawit, also in East Jakarta, until she was released in 2016. In May 2017, she joined a barista-training program run by the Jeera Foundation, which focuses on helping former inmates to develop skills and creativity and she started working at Jeera Pascorner five months later. 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 An Indian Air Force (IAF) transport aircraft on Tuesday brought back 58 Indians from Iran where 237 people have died of coronavirus so far, PTI reported. The C-17 Globemaster, the largest military aircraft in the IAFs inventory, which left for Tehran on Monday evening landed this morning at the Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad, from where the passengers were taken to a medical facility for tests. India currently has 46 positive cases of coronavirus across the country. Watch | Coronavirus: 58 Indians evacuated from Tehran as Iran reports 54 new deaths #WATCH IAF C-17 Globemaster carrying the first batch of 58 Indian pilgrims, lands at Hindon air force station in Ghaziabad from Tehran, Iran. #CoronaVirus https://t.co/soTRjNkYl9 pic.twitter.com/kXvDMzcAtY ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2020 Iran, which is one of the worst-hit countries by coronsvirus, has witnessed a spike in infections with over 7000 positive cases. There are about 2000 Indians living in Iran. The IAF aircraft has landed. Mission completed. On to the next. Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) March 10, 2020 The IAF aircraft has landed. Mission completed. On to the next, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted. On Monday, Jaishankar in a surprise visit to Srinagar met parents of students stranded in Iran as well as representatives of the tourism industry. Around 300 people from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are among the Indians stranded in Iran. First batch of 58 Indian pilgrims being brought back from #Iran. IAF C-17 taken off from Tehran and expected to land soon in Hindon. pic.twitter.com/IqZ8NUK1M6 Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) March 10, 2020 Tuesdays evacuation was the second such exercise by the C-17 Globemaster in the last fortnight. In the first exercise, 76 Indians and 36 foreign nationals were evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan on February 26. The first batch of 58 Indian pilgrims deboard from IAF C-17 Globemaster aircraft which landed at Hindon air force station in Ghaziabad from Tehran, Iran. #CoronaVirus pic.twitter.com/IXYOu0sSkq ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2020 India has so far carried out the four evacuations. The first two were on January 31 and February 2 when an Air India Boeing 747 airlifted 647 Indians from Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak. On Saturday, a special flight from Iran had arrived in Delhi with swab samples of 110 Indians. The samples were sent to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to check if any of those people are infected with the virus. A worldwide collaborative study led by scientists at the University of Sussex has proposed a new treatment strategy for patients with a rare but aggressive subtype of cancer known as triple negative breast cancer. The treatment targets healthy cells using drugs that are already available and currently in use for patients with leukaemia and lymphoma. Around 15% of breast cancer cases are diagnosed as triple negative breast cancer - a form of solid cancer where cells don't have receptors for the oestrogen (R) and progesterone hormones (PR), or a protein known as HER2. Current treatments involve surgery or chemotherapy, however prognosis still remains poor. A new study led by Georgios Giamas, Professor of Cancer Cell Signalling at the University of Sussex, has provided strong evidence for the development of a new type of treatment to halt progression of the disease by using existing drugs to target the surrounding healthy tissues of cancerous cells, known as fibroblasts. Prof Giamas said: "Cancer is a systemic disease so instead of only focusing on cancer cells to find a cure, sometimes we need to step back and look at the bigger picture known as the tumour microenvironment'. This means looking at the surrounding cell types - the 'normal cells' - that can actually contribute either positively or negatively to the progression of the disease." Using samples from triple negative breast cancer patients, researchers found that overall survival was markedly worse when levels of the protein PIK3C were high in surrounding healthy tissue. Interestingly, this was not the case for the other two subtypes of breast cancer(R+ and HER2+). PIK3C inhibitors were tested in two different breast cancer mouse models with results showing a reduction in tumour growth. As PIK3C is mainly expressed in white blood cells, scientists believe that these drugs acted predominantly on the immune system. The findings suggest that if treatments could control levels of PIK3C in the surrounding normal cells, then survival outcomes for patients would improve. Prof Giamas said: "The lack of effective therapies for triple negative breast cancer is well-established, despite the emergence of approaches like immunotherapy. "Our results suggest that repurposing already available drugs which act as inhibitors for PIK3C could stop the progression of the disease. As the drugs are already available and FDA approved, clinical trials could begin immediately to further investigate the use of these inhibitors for triple negative breast cancer treatment." Dr. Teresa Gagliano, first author of the study and currently Senior Scientist at the University of Zurich, said: "If we had focused only on the cancer cells, we would have never identified PIK3C, and the possibility of an alternative therapy. Sometimes it's fundamental to think outside the box." The study, funded by Action Against Cancer, involved scientists from across three continents and six different countries and was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. The findings will be of interest to oncologists who may decide to take this forward to clinical trial, if the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) review and authorise the drug. ### Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah turned 50 on Tuesday and spent the day at Hari Nivas here where he has been under detention for the last seven months. Detained under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA), Omar had a quiet day in the sub-jail not far from his residence on Gupkar road. His mother, sisters and some other members of the family met him for sometime in the afternoon. His father and five time chief minister Farooq Abdullah, himself a PSA detainee, could not meet his son on his special day. Both Abdullahs have been in detention since August 5 following abrogation of special status and bifurcation of erstwhile state into two union territories. On his 50th birthday, the Twitter handle of Omar saw a message from his sister Sara Abdullah Pilot who said she would be temporarily managing the account. "Temporarily looked after by Sara Abdullah Pilot to keep track of my brother's mentions & DMs. Will restore the a/c to its original owner as soon as he's out," the bio on Omar's account reads. Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi, actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha and NCP Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule were among those who greeted Omar on his birthday on social networking site. Omar has grown a long salt and pepper beard and is almost unrecognisable judging by a couple of photographs that have surfaced on social media in recent weeks triggering mostly anger and anguish from netizens. The pictures showed him smiling in a snow-covered jacket and sporting an unkempt greyish beard. The Supreme court is hearing a petition of Sara Pilot challenging Omar's detention under the PSA. The hearing is slated for next week. The political career of Omar began at the age of 28 when he became a Lok Sabha and was youngest minister inducted in Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led Cabinet in 2000 when he was appointed Minister of State for external affairs and later as commerce. Omar, who was the chief minister of the state from 2009 to 2014, rose to fame in 2008 with his famous five-minute speech at Parliament when he, despite being in opposition, supported the Indo-US nuclear deal. "I am a Muslim and I am an Indian," he said. "And I see no distinction between the two. I don't know why should I fear the nuclear deal. It is a deal between the two countries which, I hope, will become two equals in the future," Omar had said and warned that the enemy of Indian Muslims was not America or deals like these. Surprisingly, the PSA dossier and grounds for his detention served on him late on February 6 last month accused him of having "considerable influence" over people including ability to get voters during poll boycott calls and potential for diverting energies of public for any cause. Ironically, the fact that he was able to convince electorates to vote in huge numbers even during the peak of militancy and poll boycotts has been mentioned in the dossier prepared by the police to detain him under the PSA. The grounds also mention his comments on social networking sites to instigate common people against the decision on 370 and 35-A which had the potential of disturbing public order. However, the police have neither mentioned any of Omar's social media posts in the dossier nor in the order for grounds of his detention. "To the people of Kashmir, we don't know what is in store for us.......stay safe and above all please stay calm," was the last few tweets of Omar before he was taken to Hari Nivas for preventive detention. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Photo : Mastercard/Facebook) Mastercard will be chipping in $25 million for initiative. (Photo : Wellcome Trust/Facebook) Wellcome will be joining The Gates Foundation and Mastercard to accelerate the fight against COVID-19. Bill & Gates Foundation announced on Tuesday, Mar. 10, a new initiative with Wellcome and Mastercard to speed up the development of identifying, assessing, developing, and scaling treatments for the novel coronavirus or COVID-19 outbreak. The COVID-19 Initiative In a press release, the three groups disclosed that they had accumulated a total amount of $125 million in seed funding for the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, and committed to "equitable access, including making products available and affordable in low-resource settings." The COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator will be used to evaluate both new and repurposed biologic and drugs to treat patients with COVID-19 for the immediate term. However, the initiative also aims to address other viral pathogens in the future. Part of the initiative's plan is to test these drugs on coronavirus for the next five to six weeks. The initiative will also screen libraries of compounds with verified safety data, as well as consider new ones along with monoclonal antibodies. Unity Against Coronavirus As per TechCrunch, access to kits that can determine whether a suspected patient has contracted the novel coronavirus disease is a struggle for almost all the healthcare systems around the world, as with obtaining potentially expensive therapeutics that could be developed by private sectors. Furthermore, government agencies are also struggling to create a treatment for COVID-19 due to a lack of resources. The Gates Foundation also stated that there are not enough antivirals and immunotherapies that are available to fight any emerging pathogens, and none is approved for use against the highly infectious new disease ravaging the earth today. ALSO READ: Collapsed Coronavirus Quarantine Hotel: Social Media Speculates that This is China Trying to Bury Failed Recovery Patients! "If we want to make the world safe from outbreaks like COVID-19, particularly for those most vulnerable, then we need to find a way to make research and development move faster," chief executive officer of the Gates Foundation, Mark Suzman, said in the statement. They also encouraged the government, private sectors, as well as philanthropic organizations to work together to fund the discovery and development of a cure. Working on a Cure Meanwhile, StatNews claimed that the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator alone would not be enough to create new medicine, but it should be able to jumpstart the process. According to them, the president of the Gates Foundation, Trevor Mundel, said that the fund would be divided among companies as well as academic researchers to start the process immediately while waiting for the government's fund. READ ALSO: Four British Skiers with 'Most Aggressive Strain' of Coronavirus 'Cannot Stay in Saalbach Anymore' The Gates Foundation president also said that for a medicine to be developed within the next year to 18 months, an entity should step in between the private and public sectors, including the World Health Organization (WHO). Mundel has estimated around two dozen companies will be involved in the process, including both small biotechs and larger pharmaceutical companies. The Gates Foundation will chip in $50 million--part of the $100 million it pledged last week against COVID--with Wellcome committing the same amount while Mastercard Impact Fund is giving $25 million. Mastercard established the latter in 2018, which plans to award up to half a billion dollars in charitable grants. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The first few years after he came home, De La Rosa got sporadic updates about Jacky, who after another tour in Afghanistan landed with the U.S. Capitol Police. A junior handler there had emailed him out of the blue for advice on how to work with her. Still hoping to adopt Jacky, De La Rosa started to worry when the updates stopped. So Pelzer began contacting the Capitol Police about Jacky, too, and in 2016 was told they werent open to the idea of a reunion for Jacky and De La Rosa out of concern that it might interrupt her working relationship with her new handler. They were in a very difficult position, and they were always good and fair, she says. A lot of the things that Anthony wanted just werent possible at the time. (Capitol Police spokeswoman Eva Malecki told me, Any contact between a retired canine with a former military handler is a private matter, and the department no longer uses former military dogs.) The person has travelled to Thailand and visited Grabs office in Bangkok. One employee who is based in our corporate office at Marina One West Tower in Singapore has come down with COVID-19, Grab said on Monday in an emailed statement. The employee tested positive on March 7 and is currently in hospital receiving treatment. Grab has temporarily suspended its office in Singapore and Thailand for the next five days after an employee tested positive for COVID-19 Grabs temporary closure came as a precautionary measure to contain the contagion. In case the effort proves ineffective, staff will be asked to work from home as the last resort. Previously, the Singapore-based office of technology giant Facebook in Marina confirmed an employee has been diagnosed with the virus. Thus, Facebook also suspended operations in the Marina office for disinfection, while other employees are encouraged to work from home until March 13. The company also shut down its London offices for a short time for disinfection because the infected employee had visited in February. As of March 9, Singapore recorded 150 positive cases, though scores have recovered, according to Bloomberg. Last week, Amazon cautioned staff of the first confirmed COVID-19 case among its US workforce. An employee at the company's South Lake Union headquarters went sick on February 25 and is now in quarantine, The Sun reported. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The first case of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on Staten Island was confirmed Monday, according to an internal Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) memo obtained by the Advance/SiLive.com. Earlier in the day, officials said New York became the state most affected by the virus with 143 cases. The most recent case means at least one patient is confirmed to have the virus in each borough. The memo sent to SIUH staff said the patient was handled with proper protocols at the Princes Bay campus, adding that employees will monitor their temperature twice a day for 14 days out of an abundance of caution. Coronavirus checklist: Is your home ready for new COVID-19 virus quarantine? Because the staff followed proper protocol, according to the memo, self-quarantine is not necessary. A source with knowledge of the case said the individual is an adult patient who came into the hospital exhibiting symptoms over the weekend. The patient was sent home, according to the source, and results came back on Monday testing positive for the coronavirus. An SIUH spokesman said a Staten Island University Hospital patient was confirmed for COVID-19 by the New York State Department of Health. Coronavirus supplies: How to make hand sanitizer with ingredients you have at home Upon arriving at the hospital, the patient was immediately provided with a procedural mask outside of the emergency department. The patient was brought into an isolation area of the hospital where protective measures were done to ensure the safety of our other patients and our front line staff, according to the spokesman. After initial evaluation, The New York State Department of Health requested testing for COVID-19 and the patient was discharged home for self-quarantine as per state recommendation, the spokesman added. The staff that cared for the patient is being closely monitored by the hospitals Employee Health Services as a precaution. We are confident in our ability to meet the challenges posed by the spread of the coronavirus, the spokesman said. We have implemented strong clinical and operational protocols designed to quickly identify potential COVID-19 patients as they enter our facilities, isolate them appropriately, prevent transmission of infections and protect front-line caregivers from potential exposure. We also continue to work closely with federal, state and local health officials, and refine our protocols as the situation evolves. Yes, coronavirus can live on your phone. Heres how to clean your mobile device the right way Northwell Health activated its emergency operations center on February 4th, which is staffed seven days a week, so we can remain in constant contact with all of our hospitals and other facilities. Operating in this heightened state of readiness allows us to quickly mobilize system-wide resources if the need arises," the spokesman said. The first Staten Island case comes the same day Mayor Bill de Blasio said it is inevitable that we will have more and more cases. Dr. Theodore Maniatis, who is responsible for all medical affairs, quality management, patient safety issues and standards of care at the SIUH system, previously told the Advance/SiLive.com that the Ocean Breeze and Princes Bay facilities are almost always full, complicating the amount of space that would be available in the event of vast community spread, which has not occurred on the borough thus far. I would say if we needed 10 extra beds, that wouldnt be a problem. If we needed 100, we would be very hard pressed to handle that much, said Maniatis. STATEN ISLAND HOSPITALS GIVEN GREEN LIGHT FOR TESTING Both Staten Island hospital systems recently received the green light from the state Department of Health (DOH), the federal government and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to begin testing for coronavirus, the Advance/SiLive.com reported. A spokesman for SIUH said any samples taken at the hospital will be sent to Northwells Long Island laboratory. Previously, samples were being sent to the CDCs lab in Atlanta. The lab is able process tests results in approximately six hours. When the lab becomes semi-automated, testing turnaround time will be close to three hours and full-automated testing can be completed in 90 minutes, the SIUH spokesman said. Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC) was given the OK from the CDC to begin testing with kits on site, a RUMC spokesman told the Advance. If a test is performed, the specimen is then sent to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygienes Public Health Laboratory in Manhattan for diagnosis, the spokesman said. Results of that testing will be available within 24 to 48 hours. TRANSMITS EASIER THAN THE FLU Officials are now saying the coronavirus transmits easier than the flu and are urging people to use common sense and cleanliness best practices to avoid contracting the virus: Frequent hand washing for at least 20 seconds; Stay at home if you feel sick; Avoid handshaking; Cover your cough/sneeze. Due to widespread shortages of hand sanitizer, the state will immediately begin production of 100,000 gallons of its own per week, Cuomo announced, that will be distributed to government agencies, schools, the MTA, prisons, and other in-need groups. On Sunday, de Blasio also set forth a series of recommendations to aid in the effort to stop the spread of coronavirus in New York. In addition to common sense practices like washing your hands with soap and water often and covering your nose and mouth with a sleeve or tissue whenever you sneeze or cough" -- measures repeated often by health officials -- de Blasio said to make efforts to limit unnecessary contact, such as avoiding handshakes for the foreseeable future. MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: Global markets pick up after plunge on virus, oil Trump wants payroll tax relief to calm virus-spooked markets 2 GOP congressmen in recent contact with Trump enter coronavirus-related quarantine 'Crisis of confidence over coronavirus and oil leads to stock plunge of nearly 8% NY has most confirmed coronavirus cases in nation, even more than Washington Rotunda Rumblings Coronavirus confirmed: Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday afternoon that three people from Cuyahoga County have confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, cleveland.coms Jeremy Pelzer and Laura Hancock report. The state has canceled all nonessential travel, has changed procurement rules as part of a state of emergency and canceled an Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation conference. Test day: The number of Ohioans getting tested for coronavirus jumped to eight, the highest number of potential patients at a single time, Hancock reports. The test data was posted online before the confirmation of cases. Rally-ho: As of Monday evening, both former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders had no plans to cancel their rallies slated for Tuesday night in Cleveland, cleveland.coms Seth Richardson reports. Richardson previewed Bidens and Sanders decision to come to Northeast Ohio as election results come in from several important states, including Michigan. Primary concerns: Secretary of State Frank LaRose is set to have a press conference at 10 a.m. Tuesday with health officials. Polling places in nursing homes whose patients are especially vulnerable to coronavirus are being moved. County boards of election told Richardson last week that they were sending supplies hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and latex gloves to polling sites. LaRose said last week his office didnt expect any serious disruption to the primary, but urged people to either vote early or request an absentee ballot if they were concerned about the bug. Jordan not quarantined: While several U.S. Congress members who attended this years Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) outside of Washington have quarantined themselves after realizing they interacted with a conference participant who later tested positive for coronavirus, Champaign County GOP Rep. Jim Jordan is not among them. We have confirmed with CPAC that Congressman Jordan did not interact with the affected individual, said Jordan spokesman Ian Fury. We are continuing to monitor the situation and have reminded staff of common sense health precautions. No place like home: One of the CDCs recommended guidelines for combating coronavirus is social distancing staying away from sick people. The problem is people who cant afford to stay home from work often go in sick, exposing other coworkers and customers in the process. Ohio House Democrats called on DeWine to implement a temporary paid sick leave plan, the Columbus Dispatchs Cole Behrens reports. Parole changes: Prior to his coronavirus announcement, DeWine unveiled a number of reforms to Ohios post-release control system designed to alert authorities about GPS bracelet violations more quickly, make it clear where released inmates can and cannot go, and create a system where law enforcement investigating a crime to check on whether someone on post-release control was in the area. Pelzer has more on the measures, which come in response to cases in which recently released felons were involved in the murder of Ohio State student Reagan Tokes and a high-speed car chase near Dayton that led to the deaths of two 6-year-old girls. Piloting a course: The coronavirus announcement also overshadowed a news conference state officials called Monday to unveil a new mental-health program for rural students. As cleveland.coms Andrew Tobias writes, the pilot program will offer online mental-health counseling to students at Switzerland schools, a Southeast Ohio District with large distances between schools and limited counselors. The program is expected to launch by the end of the year, according to Lt. Gov. Jon Husted. Flashback episode: With the primary is one week from today, cleveland.com data guru Rich Exner did what he does best and looked through the numbers from past primaries for some interesting tidbits. All politics is local: Sure, everyone has the presidential race on the mind, but there are plenty of competitive local contests around Ohio. As the Columbus Dispatchs Anna Staver writes, whoever wins the Senate District 16 Democratic primary to challenge state Sen. Stephanie Kunze will be in for arguably the most competitive statehouse contest in 2020. Republicans line up against Ryan: Niles-area Democratic congressman Tim Ryans presidential ambitions and his neglect of congressional campaign fundraising has drawn a large field of GOP candidates who want to run against him in November. Cleveland.coms Sabrina Eaton has info on the six Republicans who are actively campaigning to win their partys nod in Ohios March 17 primary. Count on it: The federal government will begin sending out U.S. Census forms this week, Exner reports. Households are expected to report back, either via mail-in form or online, by April 1. Loaded chamber: Only one county in the state allows veterinarians to use the gas chamber to euthanize animals, a practice outlawed in 27 states, Behrens reports for the Columbus Dispatch. State Rep. Dave Leland, a Columbus Democrat, introduced legislation that would ban the practice. Full Disclosure Five things we learned from the Feb. 12 financial disclosure form of state Rep. John Becker, a Union Township Republican. 1. Aside from his legislative salary, Becker reported earning up to $7,992 from interest, dividends and tax services through Becker Consulting. 2. Becker reported an extensive investment portfolio, including retirement accounts with the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System, UBS Financial Services and J.P. Morgan; pensions with MetLife and General Electric; an HSA with Optum Bank; a money market account with the General Electric Credit Union; an investment account with Ameritrade; and mutual funds with Fidelity and Vanguard. 3. Becker reported owing his campaign, Friends of Becker, more than $1,000 at some point in 2019. 4. Becker reported travel reimbursements totaling $6,172.04 in 2019, including $5,622.24 from the Ohio House of Representatives and $266.80 from the Ohio House Republican Organizational Committee. 5. Becker received tickets from the Cincinnati Reds for opening day worth $160 (a 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirate) as well as tickets worth $150 plus food and beverage worth $106.62 to from FC Cincinnati for a Sept. 29 game (a 1-1 draw with Orlando City SC). Birthdays State Rep. Jack Cera State Rep. Tavia Galonski Katherine Caprez, legislative aide to state Rep. Kyle Koehler Angela Garcia, Ohio House administrative assistant Jordan Sanderson, legislative assistant to state Rep. Jeff LaRe Straight from the Source More guidance will be coming, but people need to know it wont be life as normal in this country for a while. -Dr. Amy Action, the director of the Ohio Department of Health, during Mondays announcement that three Cuyahoga County residents have tested positive for coronavirus. 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. Brad Pitt has not dated anyone since he split from Angelina Jolie, with whom he has six children, in 2016. The Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood star has been seen with plenty of pretty women, but they are only friends, a source has told TMZ. This comes after the Oscar-winning actor was seen with pal Alia Shawkat and a mystery woman at the Thundercats concert at the Wiltern theater in LA over the weekend. Single and NOT ready to mingle: Brad Pitt has not dated anyone since he split from Angelina Jolie in 2016. He has been seen with plenty of pretty women, but they are only friends, a source has told TMZ; seen in February BFF: This comes after the Oscar-winning actor was seen with pal Alia Shawkat and a mystery woman at the Thundercats concert at the Wiltern theater in LA over the weekend; seen in September in Italy 'He doesn't feel any need to get back on the dating scene right now - his focus is elsewhere, a source close to the actor told the site. Pitt has been spending more time with five of his six children, it was also claimed. He is estranged from Maddox still, it has been reported, who is still at University in South Korea. That is why Brad missed going to the BAFTAs in London last month. He was supposed to go to pick up an award but sent co-star Margot Robbie instead. Good daddy: Pitt has been spending more time with five of his six children, it was also claimed; seen with Jolie in September That's because, as Jolie wrote in Time magazine on Sunday, two of his daughters have had surgery. She penned: 'I have spent the last two months in and out of surgeries with my eldest daughter, and days ago watched her younger sister go under the knife for a hip surgery.' Zahara has been in and out of surgery, Jolie said, and Shiloh has had surgery on her hip. On Sunday the child was seen using crutches. Headlines! There was an uproar when he was photographed chatting up ex-wife Jennifer Aniston at the SAG awards, where they both won awards Maddox is 18, Pax, 16, Zahara, 15, Shiloh, 13, and twins Vivienne and Knox are 11. TMZ also said that Brad is very focused on his sobriety so that keeps him away from parties. And he is focused on work. Pitt is producing several new projects. Another blonde: He was also seen with Charlize Theron, whom he has been linked to for over a year. They were photographed at the SAGs Linked a lot: And also did a W magazine Just Vote PSA video before Super Tuesday His next is Blonde with Ana de Armas, who dates Ben Affleck. The film centers on Marilyn Monroe. There are also the films Irresistible, Black Hole and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. As far as TV projects, he is working on The Underground Railroad with Joel Edgerton and Americanah with Lupita Nyong'o. Not dating: Other women he has been photographed with are Tiffany Haddish, who joked publicly she would date him. Seen at the Vanity Fair Oscar party In recent months he has been seen with plenty of women. There was an uproar when he was photographed chatting up ex-wife Jennifer Aniston at the SAG awards, where they both won awards. Though tabloids have put these two together, TMZ insists they are only friends. Brad and Jennifer were married from July 2000 to October 2005. Fun night: And he has been seen talking up Renee Zellweger at the Oscars; she won for Judy He makes her laugh: Pitt and Elizabeth Banks attend the Vanity Fair Oscar Party He was also seen with Charlize Theron, whom he has been linked to for over a year. They were photographed at the SAGs and also did a W magazine Just Vote PSA video. Before that the budding furniture designer was seen with professor Neri Oxman Other women he has been photographed with are Tiffany Haddish, who joked publicly she would date him. And he has been seen talking up Renee Zellweger, Elizabeth Banks, Regina King and Margaret Qualley. Before that the budding furniture designer was seen with professor Neri Oxman and American-Sikh spiritual guru Sat Hari Khalsa. On Saturday he was seen with Arrested Development star Shawkat to the Thundercat gig. They have been friends for years and did not engage in any sort of PDA. Brad looked cool in his jacket and matching hat for the outing, just three months after sources close to the pals denied they were anything more than friends. The pair were spotted at an art gallery in Los Angeles, and also at Kanye Wests Nebuchadnezzar opera at the Hollywood Bowl. Other celebrities were also in attendance on the night, including the likes of Ariana Grande, Ty Dolla $ign and Anderson. He is a lady magnet: On the left is Regina King with Brad on Oscar night. On the right is Lena Dunham giving Brad a kiss at the Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood LA premiere The outing comes after Brad attended the 2020 Golden Globes without a date on his arm. The actor had said he had almost brought his mum as his plus one, but changed his mind. He said: 'I wanted to bring my mom, but I couldnt because anyone I stand next to they say Im dating. Itd just be awkward.' Cresco Labs (OTC:CRLBF) is one big step closer to opening its second dispensary in downtown Chicago. The company announced Monday that it has received special use approval from the city's zoning board of appeals for its store in the River North district. Obtaining the zoning permit means the marijuana company has one final hurdle remaining before the dispensary, which will bear the company's Sunnyside brand name, can be granted an adult use dispensing organization license -- an inspection by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. If the dispensary passes the inspection and receives the license, it can open for business. "Earning the right to operate in this highly coveted location is both a privilege and a significant opportunity for Cresco," the company said in the press release trumpeting the news. It didn't hesitate to point out that the upcoming Sunnyside location is quite close to the Magnificent Mile, a busy Chicago shopping district. Sunnyside is the core of Chicago-based Cresco's retail strategy. The new store will give it a total of six dispensaries in Illinois, only one of which is currently situated in Chicago proper. The company also holds licenses to open another four dispensaries, at least one of which will be located in the city. The timing of its Illinois build-out is auspicious; marijuana companies operating in the state are reaping the benefits of a white-hot market since recreational pot legalization kicked in at the beginning of this year. Despite the good news, Cresco's stock was dragged down by the bear market on Monday. Its shares fell by almost 19% on the day. Damascus has been hit by a number of explosions that have targeted individuals and reveal a contrary picture of the safe capital that the regime claims reports Alsouria Net. Damascus is completely safe and hardened against terrorism and its sponsors. With this official statement, issued by the Assad regime leadership on May 21, the Syrian capital and its countryside were declared safe after the removal of rebel groups and the Islamic State (ISIS) from the south of Damascus. However, during the past three weeks, the return of a large numbers of blasts targeting civilians and military personnel using explosive devices in many parts of Damascus and its countryside has left citizens confused and questioning who is behind these attacks. They fear that they will continue, remembering previous bombings that killed dozens of civiliansthe fiercest of which was the February 2015 bombing of the Mazraa neighborhood, which killed 60 people and wounded 260. Damascus and its countryside witnessed eight explosions between Feb. 6 and Mar 1, 2020, all in the same stylean explosive device planted in the cars of targeted individuals. The first blast occurred on Khaled Bin al-Waleed Street, resulting from an explosive device planted in a private Toyota pickup, wounding one person. Four days later, there was a bombing behind the al-Galaa Park in the Mazzeh area, which wounded one person. A bombing near the garages in the Bab Musalla area on Feb. 18, 2020, was the largest, wounding five civilians, one of whom was left in critical condition. The fourth bombing struck Marjeh Square in Damascus on Feb. 20, 2020, and the Interior Ministry reported that an explosive device inside a pickup truck had wounded two people. Less than a week later, on Feb. 25, 2020, Damascus witnessed the detonation of two car bombs. The first was in the vicinity of the Tishreen stadium in the al-Baramkeh area, killing one person and wounding another. The second was at the entrance to the Umayyad tunnel in the center of the capital, targeting a director at the Arab Advertising Organisation, Nabil Khaddour, and wounding him, according to SANA. Just one day later, an explosive device went off in a car near the Baath Party branch in the Qatana area of Damascus countryside, targeting an unidentified Palestinian leader and wounding him. The last of these bombings was on Mar 1, 2020. A pickup truck near the Jaramana municipality police station in Damascus countryside exploded, but caused no injuries. Assads Interior Ministry offered no explanation for these explosions, except for statements by Information Minister Imad Abullah Sarah during a visit to Khaddour Hospital, saying that, the aim of the bombings is to mar the victory achieved by the Syrian army and sour the joy of Syrians. He said that, the terrorist bombings are not only in Damascus, but in all Syrian provincesand this is to be expected. Despite the Assad regimes repeated accusations that terrorists are behind the bombings, the people targeted were not in high command positions. This may suggest that the aim may be an attempt by some parties to sow chaos and convey a message to the regime that they are capable of reaching the heart of the capital and detonate explosives at any time. A defected Interior Ministry general, Mahmoud Ali, believes that the bombings are the settling of scores between leaders in the National Defense militia, which was forced by the Assad regime to support it in its fight against the rebel groups. On the social media, some citizens speculated that the regime was creating the blasts itself to create justifications for security checkpoints to return to the streets of Damascus. General Ali thought this was unlikely, because it was not in the interests of the regime for these checkpoints to return. They wish to deliver a message that the capital is safe and give reassurance to its supporters, as well as a message abroad that Syria has removed the barriers and is safe again. 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. [March 10, 2020] Teledyne to Hold Investor Meetings Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE:TDY) today announced that Jason VanWees, Executive Vice President, will be holding investor meetings at the Berenberg Machine Vision Day on Wednesday, March 11, in New York City. Teledyne's latest investor presentation is publicly available on the company's website. Teledyne Technologies is a leading provider of sophisticated instrumentation, digital imaging products and software, aerospace and defense electronics, and engineered systems. Teledyne's operations are primarily located in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Western and Northern Europe. For more information, visit Teledyne's website at www.teledyne.com. Forward-Looking Information Cautionary Notice Teledyne's investor relations presentation contains forward-lookin statements, as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, directly and indirectly relating to sales, earnings, operating margin, growth opportunities, acquisitions and divestitures, product sales, capital expenditures, pension matters, stock option compensation expense, taxes, strategic plans and other matters. Actual results could differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Many factors could change the anticipated results, including without limitation: disruptions in the global economy; the spread of the COVID-19 resulting in lower demand for our products and global supply disruptions; changes in demand for products sold in any one of the markets in which Teledyne participates; funding, continuation and award of government programs; cuts to defense spending resulting from future deficit reduction measures, risks associated with acquisitions; impacts due to political decisions and/or changes in the policies of the U.S. and foreign governments, including economic sanctions; imposition and expansion of, and responses to, trade sanctions and tariffs; threats to the security of our confidential and proprietary information, including cyber security threats; lower oil and natural gas prices and regulations or restrictions relating to energy exploration or production; disruptions from the grounding of certain air transport aircraft and exchange rate fluctuations. Readers are encouraged to read Teledyne's 2019 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC (News - Alert)") for a more complete description of the company, its businesses, its strategies and the various risks it faces. The company assumes no duty to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005836/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindias resignation has dealt a severe blow to the Congress and once again underlined the frustration within the party over the top leaderships indecisiveness and status quoist approach. The decision on naming the new Congress president in Madhya Pradesh has been pending for more than a year after Kamal Nath became the chief minister in December 2018. Nath, who is currently holding both the posts, had also met Congress president Sonia Gandhi a few times on the issue but the decision remained elusive. The crisis has percolated from the top. Soon after its hammering in the national elections last year, the grand old party plunged into deep leadership crisis when its former president Rahul Gandhi resigned from the post on May 25 at a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC). Watch | Jyotiraditya Scindia resigns from Congress, likely to join the BJP For over two months, the party was in a state of confusion with Rahul Gandhis refusal to take back his resignation. It was only on August 10, when the CWC once again turned to the partys longest ever chief Sonia Gandhi for taking it out of the crisis. But the status quo continues to prevail. Madhya Pradesh is not the only state where indecisiveness has impacted the functioning of the Congress. In Karnataka, current state unit chief Dinesh Gundu Rao had submitted his resignation to the Congress high command, taking moral responsibility for the partys poor show in the bye-elections last December. Former chief minister Siddaramaiah had also stepped down as the Congress legislature party (CLP) leader. After a series of discussions, the central leadership had almost finalised former minister and key troubleshooter DK Shivakumar as the new Karnataka unit chief. But the decision has been put on hold as Siddaramaiah favours Lingayat leader MB Patil for the post. The Congress high command is still grappling with the choices. Similarly in Punjab, the central leadership has failed to resolve the differences between chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh and his former cabinet colleague Navjot Singh Sidhu. In the last week of February after remaining incommunicado for months, Sidhu met Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to discuss his future role in the party. The indecisiveness cost the Congress dear in Haryana where Ashok Tanwar was removed as the state unit chief barely few weeks before the assembly elections after remaining at the helm for six years. Senior leader Kumari Selja replaced him and the election management was handed over to former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda who brought the party within the striking distance of ousting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from power. In Maharashtra too, the Congress partys organisational structure, its fighting spirit and the election machinery were missing on the ground. The state leadership was in disarray with many of its senior leaders, including Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil and Harshwardhan Patil, defecting to the BJP and others such as Sanjay Nirupam refusing to campaign for the party. This was also perhaps the first time since the two parties came together in 1999 that the Congress ceded the big brother role to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) whose chief Sharad Pawar led from the front against the BJP-Shiv Sena combine. Not surprisingly, the Congress dropped to the fourth position in the Maharashtra assembly. In Delhi, a rudderless Congress once again failed to open its account in the last months assembly elections. State chiefs of Telangana (Uttam Kumar Reddy) and Odisha (Niranjan Patnaik) resigned from their posts soon after the Lok Sabha elections but the party leadership is still struggling to find their replacements. Congress-ruled Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh have not remained untouched by the intense infighting. All eyes would now be on the stability of the governments in these two states. Scindias exit has posed a tough challenge for the high command to take corrective steps and prevent the Congress from sinking further. The leadership has to give up the status quoist approach and move fast in terms of decision making. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON SAN FRANCISCO, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global protein stability analysis market size is expected to reach USD 2.0 billion by 2026, expanding at a CAGR of 10.8%, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Protein stability analysis is an essential step in therapeutics stability studies that enables the assessment of factors causing aggregation and degradation of proteins. This analysis keeps a check on the biologic activity, quality, and product safety of biopharmaceuticals. The recent approvals of recombinant protein therapeutics increase the demand for this analysis during the drug development programs. Key suggestions from the report: Reagents and assay kits accounted for the largest share in 2019 owing to frequent usage of these products and low cost associated with them as compared to other product types Broadening application of analytical instruments that are designed to assess several stability-indicating parameters using ultra-low sample volumes at high speed drives the instrument segment with the fastest CAGR Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) held the largest revenue share in 2019 due to numerous advantages of DSC over other determination methods These benefits include simple sample preparation, easy implementation of DSC in both solid and liquid samples, and determination of thermodynamic parameters Differential Scanning Fluorimetry (DSF) technique is expected to register the fastest growth rate due to the rising implementation of nanoDSF technique in analytical studies This is attributive to the fact that nanoDSF rapidly and reliably determines the melting point of crude extracts, thus eliminating the requirement for cost and time-intensive protein analysis steps Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies dominated the protein stability analysis market in 2019 due to the presence of well-established drug manufacturers that are capable of performing in-house production of biologics Contract Research Organizations (CROs) are anticipated to witness a lucrative growth rate during the forecast period CROs provide a range of capabilities in protein engineering with integrated platforms and technologies across various geographical regions to support the development of recombinant protein therapeutics A large number of proteomics projects conducted in U.S. and high focus on proteomics research activities by national agencies marks the dominant share of North America Asia Pacific is expected to witness the fastest growth rate owing to the rising number of conferences and events conducted to raise awareness about the products available for stability analysis Key players such as Enzo Biochem, Thermo Fisher , PerkinElmer, NanoTemper, and GE Healthcare, have adopted several strategic initiatives to reinforce their market presence. Read 175 page research report with ToC on "Protein Stability Analysis Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Instruments, Software), By Technique (DSC, DSF), By End Use (CROs), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2026" at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/protein-stability-analysis-market/ Rising R&D in the biopharmaceuticals arena has pronounced the demand for protein stability protocols. The drug manufacturers are adopting the stability-indicating methods for degradation pathway analysis and stress testing for the development of effective and safe therapeutics. Moreover, government agencies are encouraging the drug safety programs by raising funds in the field of proteomics industry, which in turn, surge the adoption of stability analysis. For instance, in January 2018, funding of USD 18 million from the Genome Canada and Genome BC supported the protein research of the University of Victoria, Canada. Besides, key companies are also entering into collaborations with the venture capitalists for funds to expand their stability analysis portfolio. Ionic liquids are extensively applied in biological systems as environmentally friendly solvents. It is crucial to analyze the effect of ionic liquids over protein stability as it is helpful in the analysis of biological reaction processes. A study published in April 2019, evaluated the thermodynamics of protein stability in ionic liquids by the utilization of Fluorine-19 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Such studies are expected to increase the adoption of protein stability techniques over the forecast period. Grand View Research has segmented the global protein stability analysis market based on product, technique, end use, and region: Protein Stability Analysis Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2026) Reagents and Assay Kits Instruments Consumables and Accessories Software Service Protein Stability Analysis Technique Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2026) Chromatography Spectroscopy Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) Differential Scanning Fluorimetry (DSF) Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) Others Protein Stability Analysis End-Use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2026) Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies Contract Research Organizations Academic Research Institutes Protein Stability Analysis Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015-2026) North America U.S. Canada Europe U.K. Germany Asia Pacific China Japan Latin America Brazil Middle East & Africa & South Africa Find more research reports on Biotechnology Industry, by Grand View Research: Single Cell Analysis Market Advancements in molecular techniques which resulted in higher accuracy, ability to perform multiple omics analyses in one cell, and automation, has lowered the barriers for implementation of single-cell analysis techniques across various end-use settings. Single-Use Bioprocessing Market Single-use bioprocessing equipment suppliers are working closely with customers to fulfill the growing expectations of customers. Next Generation Sequencing Market Numerous advantages offered by high throughput sequencing over other genetic technologies such as sanger-seq and microarray is one of the key driving forces of the market for Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). Gain access to Grand View Compass, our BI enabled intuitive market research database of 10,000+ reports About Grand View Research Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: +1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc. New Caledonia is hoping to strike a trade deal with Australia to lure more businesses to the French territory as Canberra and Paris open the door to increasing their joint military exercises in the Pacific. Amid growing Chinese influence in the Pacific, hundreds of Australian Defence Force members will again join a French-led multinational force in a disaster response training exercise in the South Pacific in May. Christopher Gyges, a government spokesman for New Caledonia, said health and education spending in the Pacific was a "geo-strategic issue, and we can't leave that space for others". Credit:iStock The biennial Exercise Croix Du Sud comes as the two countries look to better cooperate on defence exercises and development assistance in the region. Christopher Gyges, a government spokesman for New Caledonia, said health and education spending in the Pacific was a "geo-strategic issue, and we can't leave that space for others". Tarale Wulff, who testified during Harvey Weinsteins trial that he raped her in 2005, spoke out Tuesday, expressing her hope that he gets a harsh sentence Wednesday from the judge. Wulff testified as a Molineaux witness someone who testifies to the defendants prior bad acts so is not permitted to give a victims impact statement at Weinsteins sentencing. She said she still plans to attend the hearing, but wrote, It is important for me, however, that my voice is heard. The model wrote that she had felt weak when she didnt scream for help during the alleged rape in 2005, then repressed her emotions entirely before deciding to speak up years later. Also Read: 7 Harvey Weinstein Accusers Ask New York AG to Renegotiate 'Insulting' $25 Million Civil Settlement It didnt occur to me for quite some time that I might actually start to heal from being sexually assaulted, she wrote. My single intention was to help survivors hold Weinstein accountable for his disgusting crimes. As I embarked on my quest to help others, I was introduced to several incredible people that made me realize that I am also worth standing up for. Wulff concluded her post by saying, I hope that the sentence sends a clear message that times have changed and that more women need to speak out for themselves and that men and women need to speak out for others. We need to show self-love and empathy to overcome centuries of illogical thinking that has normalized the sexual mistreatment of women. This is hopefully just the beginning. The conversation must continue. A New York jury found Weinstein guilty of third-degree rape and a first-degree criminal sexual act in February, ending a months-long criminal trial in Manhattan that focused on the testimonies of six women, including Wulff, who accused him of sexual assault. Also Read: Weinstein Should Get 'Lengthy Prison Sentence,' Manhattan D.A. Requests Weinstein will be sentenced Wednesday morning and is facing a maximum of 29 years in prison. Read original story Harvey Weinstein Accuser Hopes Prison Sentence Sends a Clear Message That Times Have Changed At TheWrap The man, who was under coronavirus quarantine at a district hospital following his arrival from Dubai, and later left the premises, has been re- admitted to the facility after health department officials convinced him of the Centre's instructions. After a day of high drama, the passenger, who arrived at the International Airport here on Sunday night with a high fever, was admitted to the isolation ward of Wenlock hospital but left after arguing with the staff that he would take treatment at a private facility. However, he was later traced to his home on Monday night after health department officials informed the police. After the district administration's intervention, he agreed to co-operate with the treatment. Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B Rupesh said the patient's samples have been collected and sent to a testing centre in Bengaluru. She said if passengers were not willing to be screened, they would be counselled first and then shifted to an isolation ward. If they refuse to cooperate, they would have to be taken forcefully, she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Alabama Power Company this week is making its formal case for a $1.1 billion expansion, with employees and contractors testifying in Montgomery on why the company needs more power plants to keep Alabamas lights on. Alabama Power, arguing for expansion in front of state regulators, says it needs to add 2400 megawatts of electric capacity to its system to avoid winter blackouts. The company told the Alabama Public Service Commission it is now a winter peaking utility, meaning that the highest level of electricity demand now occurs on cold winter mornings, usually around 7 a.m., rather than hot summer days. The company says it needs to be able to generate 26 percent more electricity, called a reserve margin, than the expected peak demand to ensure reliability. About 1800 megawatts of the proposal would be natural gas, with about 400 megawatts of solar panels with battery storage, and efficiency programs aimed to reduce peak demand by about 200 megawatts. Alabama Power Director of Forecasting and Resource Planning John Kelley testified that the company had a need for new generation to maintain that reserve margin and to replace old coal-fired power plants that had been retired in recent years. The company retired a total of 1,221 megawatts of capacity at Plant Gorgas in Walker County in a series of closures over the past several years, and another 225 megawatts by retiring a coal unit at Plant Barry, north of Mobile. Kelley said the company also has a power purchase agreement with an outside provider that currently gives them the right to an additional 700 megawatts, but expires in 2022. When asked why there were no outages this winter, if Alabama Power is operating below its margin requirements, Kelley responded It was a mild winter. To meet its new reserve margins, Alabama Power proposes building a new natural gas unit at Plant Barry and purchasing two other natural gas plants, one in Mobile and one in Autauga County. Kelley testified that the fuel cost savings alone from constructing a new, more efficient combined-cycle natural gas unit at Plant Barry could save more than the total cost of construction on that unit and that the new unit would be among the cleanest and most efficient units in Alabama Powers system. Testimony in the matter began at 10 a.m. on Monday and lasted until almost 9 p.m., and resumed Tuesday morning. The hearing is expected to continue through Thursday. PSC Commissioners Twinkle Cavanaugh, Chip Beeker and Jeremy Oden observed the hearing, but did not participate nor ask questions, watching from the main gallery on the hearing room floor instead of their usual seats on the dais. PSC administrative law Judge John Garner ran the hearing, in which attorneys from several intervening groups and the Alabama Attorney Generals Office questioned the witnesses. The intervening advocacy groups have said they oppose the expansion, while some support it. Each group made a brief opening statement on whether they supported or opposed the expansion. Groups GASP, Energy Alabama, the Sierra Club, the Alabama Solar Industry Association oppose the expansion, saying it will lock the company into more natural gas for decades to come rather than adding a higher percentage of renewable energy to its power mix, as well as cause rate increases. Attorney Joel Dillard, representing the Sierra Club said the proposed expansion would take the company down a 40-year trap of rate hikes and fracked natural gas. The Alabama Industrial Energy Consumers, a trade group representing major industrial electric customers like U.S. Steel, ACIPCO, Evonik and Georgia-Pacific, opposes the expansion, fearing rate hikes that would impact its members, which are major users of electricity. Manufacture Alabama, the Alabama Coal Association, EnergyFairness.org, and the American Senior Alliance filed to intervene in support of the proposal, saying in opening statements that the company had proved it did need the new power and that winter blackouts would be devastating for their constituencies. Jeffrey Weathers, resource planning manager for Southern Company Services, testified that he led the 2018 reserve margin study that found the need for additional power and determined that the company needed the 26 percent cushion. Attorney Christina Tidwell of the Southern Environmental Law Center, representing Energy Alabama and GASP in these proceedings, asked Weathers about the companys previous reserve margins, which were set at 17 percent in 2015 and 15 percent in 2012. Weathers said the company did not separate reserve margins for summer and winter in those days and that unusual weather events like the polar vortex in 2014 could have resulted in outages, except that the company had extra capacity beyond its dedicated reserve margin. Weathers said the last blackout event that occurred within Southern Company system was in 1977, and that of the 54 years of weather data that he used to model expected weather conditions, that extreme cold days were more prevalent before 1988, in the first half of the dataset, than after 1988. From 1962 to 1988, Alabama experienced temperatures less than 10 degrees eight times and less than five degrees six times. From 1988 to 2015, the company recorded three days of temperatures less than 10 degrees and no instances of temperatures below 5 degrees. Also testifying Monday was Alabama Power manager of load forecasting Maria Burke, who testified about the calculations used to model the companys expected peak demand going forward, and Kevin Carden of Astrape Consulting, which assisted Alabama Power and Southern Company Services in calculating its reserve margins. On two occasions, Garner cleared the room briefly for attorneys to ask Kelley questions about topics that included confidential or proprietary information relating to the proposal. Kelleys testimony lasted for more than four hours, ending at 8:53 p.m. The hearing is expected to continue through Thursday, with more witnesses from Alabama Power and then rebuttal witnesses for the intervenors set to testify on the proposed expansion. Protesters gather before hearing Before the hearing started Monday, about 20 protesters gathered on the front steps of the RSA Union building, which houses the PSC to protest the expansion plan. Many of the protesters carried signs or stickers against rate hikes, as Alabama Power customers would foot the bill for the expansions. Democratic PSC Candidate Laura Casey, who will square off against Cavanaugh in Novembers general election, spoke along with former PSC candidates Cara McClure and Kari Powell, who unsuccessfully challenged Oden and Beeker respectively in 2018. For decades there has been no transparency on the Alabama Public Service Commission and we the people of Alabama have been an open wallet for Alabama Power, Casey said. They take none of the risk and all of the rewards. Casey and the former PSC candidates were joined by protestors from Birmingham and Camden in Wilcox County, but said not enough people are aware of what the PSC does to regulate utilities in Alabama. The PSC is the most important agency in our government that most folks dont know about, McClure said. Thats because theres no transparency. They also decried what they said was a lack of public participation in the process, as the PSC unveiled a new media policy last week for the hearings, which prohibited attendees from recording the proceedings or using digital devices inside the hearing room. No other state operates this way, Powell said. Alabama Power thrives from the public not knowing what goes on. As for the rate hikes, Alabama Power spokesman Michael Sznajderman said the company had reduced rates by about 3 percent in January, and that the expected increases to pay for the project would be less than that, and would be phased in by 2024 rather than hitting all at once. As the U.S. Space Force begins to redesignate Air Force units with a space-only mission and to realign and rename bases accordingly, it will also restart its search for a permanent headquarters for U.S. Space Command, the military's 11th combatant command, which stood up in August. "We will be issuing an invitation for communities to come forward and identify that they would like to [be considered]," Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett said Tuesday. She first disclosed the move last week during a House Armed Services Committee hearing. The Pentagon will make its choice "late in the year, or early next year," she said during an Air Force Association event in Washington, D.C. The new process is a result of staff and personnel movements between Space Command and the U.S. Space Force, Barrett said. The newest military branch, which falls under the Department of the Air Force, was signed into law in December. Related: Trump Praises Colorado Springs, but Makes No Commitment on US Space Command "That reshuffles what would be the command headquarters operation, so we are reevaluating and restarting that process," she said. The secretary's latest comments come after Defense Secretary Mark Esper last week disclosed that some lawmakers whose states are vying to host SPACECOM felt the process wasn't transparent enough. "During my talks on the Hill prior to my nomination, particularly after my hearing here, I visited the House and heard from members on both sides of the aisle that they thought the process that had been run was unfair and not transparent," Esper said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing March 4. "So I directed at that time that we pause in place ,.. [and] we directed it be revisited and a different approach be taken." Leaders are expected to disclose how candidate bases may be selected "this spring," Barrett said. Bases will be scored based on criteria that could be based on "talent and infrastructure" but may also include "things like the quality of schools and the ability of spouses to get jobs, so the occupational reciprocity of the states," Barrett said. In May 2019, the Air Force announced it was weighing four Colorado locations, including Buckley Air Force Base, Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, Peterson Air Force Base and Schriever Air Force Base, to accomodate SPACECOM. Other options are the Army's Redstone Arsenal in Alabama and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. A decision was originally due this summer. But that February, nearly a dozen elected officials tried to petition the Defense Department and President Donald Trump to have Space Command placed in Florida. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said he would formally ask the president to locate the department's unified combatant command for space at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. "I am formally sending a request to @realDonaldTrump to place the headquarters for the Space Force Combatant Command here in Florida @NASAKennedy in Cape Canaveral," he tweeted Feb. 19, 2019. In a letter to then-acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, Republican Reps. Michael Waltz and Bill Posey, members of the House Armed Services Committee, and 11 other Florida lawmakers said their state remains "the epicenter of America's space program," Stars and Stripes reported. The process could become contentious: During a recent campaign rally, Trump implied that he -- not necessarily the Pentagon -- will decide where to house the command. "You are being very strongly considered for the Space Command, very strongly," Trump said during a Colorado Springs rally Feb. 20. "I will be making a big decision on the future of the Space Force as to where it is going to be located, and I know you want it," he told the crowd, as reported by the Colorado Springs Gazette. "I will be making a decision by the end of the year." Space policy and budget experts have said it would be wise to concentrate operations at Peterson because it already hosts a robust space mission. Peterson "is where [SPACECOM] was originally headquartered," said Brian Weeden, director or program planning and technical adviser for national and international space security for the Secure World Foundation. Weeden was referring to the first combatant command for space, founded in 1985. It disbanded in 2002. He spoke to Military.com about the potential base moves last year. "I don't think there's any single base that is 100% a good fit" to house [SPACECOM] in its entirety, he said. "But there are a couple that make more sense than the others." -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. Read more: Pentagon Identifies 2 MARSOC Raiders Killed Hunting ISIS in Iraq The condition of the patient who has been diagnosed with coronavirus is stable Open source On March 11, a doctor from the World Health Organization will arrive in Chernivtsi in order to examine a patient with a coronavirus and determine whether he is being treated properly. Deputy Head of Chernivtsi Regional State Administration Natalia Husak told this to the ACC agency. According to Husak, the World Health Organization always sends its representatives to the country where the coronavirus patient is detected. Their delegation also includes a specialist who is responsible for the clinic, that is, whether they treat the patient with a coronavirus correctly. "We asked for this specialist to come to Chernivtsi, examine the patient and check the correctness of the prescribed treatment," she said. The condition of the patient who has been diagnosed with coronavirus is stable. As we reported earlier, as of March 8, there was only one laboratory-confirmed case of Covid-19 in Ukraine. As of the morning of March 8, 2020, 106,161 cases of Covid-19 were registered, of which 3,594 died, while 59,942 (56.4%) people recovered. Outside of China, 25,302 cases were recorded in 92 countries /territories/regions. One laboratory-confirmed case of Covid-19 was registered in Ukraine," the report said. The resignation of former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia will be a huge blow for the Congress which is now fighting with its back to the wall to retain its government in Madhya Pradesh. Ahead of his resignation, Scindia had refused to speak to any Congress leader as the party made a belated effort to placate him. Here are 10 points of the drama that unfolded Tuesday: 1. Jyotiraditya Scindia meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi along with Union home minister Amit Shah Tuesday morning. 2. Scindia leaves PM Modis residence at 11:40 am. 3. Scindia sends his resignation letter to party president Sonia Gandhi saying it was now time for him to move on. 4.Congress immediately expels Scindia for anti-party activities. 5, Scindia is likely to join the BJP soon 6.Scindia may a get a Rajya Sabha berth from the BJP, according to sources 7. Scindias resignation came on the 75th birth anniversary of his father Madhavrao Scindia. 8. The Congress had been unable to reach Scindia since the drama began on Monday after more than dozen Madhya Pradesh MLAs loyal to him were flown to BJP-ruled Karnataka in a chartered flight. 9. Scindias resignation deepens the crisis facing the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh. 10. Congress leaders close to Scindia maintained that some senior leaders in the Madhya Pradesh were trying to sideline him ever since party formed the government in 2018 after a gap of 15 years. His recent screen outing after two years, Trivkram Srinivas Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, had fans thronging to the theatres. Garnering around 200 crores, its said to be Allu Arjuns biggest hit so far. Unencumbered by the hysteria, the Stylish Star is busy working on Sukumars tentatively titled Seshachalam based on the sandalwood mafia in Chittoor and Venu Srirams Icon, a romantic entertainer. Icon he truly is. Born in a film family, Arjuns interface with the camera began as a baby in Chiranjeevis Vijetha. Meandering briefly towards animation as a youngster, he eventually returned home to films, debuting with K. Raghavendra Raos Gangotri (2003). Since then the Bunnys been unstoppable. Thanks to satellite and social media, his films and fame have reached the remotest corners of the world including the sandy ridges of the Middle East. His swagger and sex-appeal having a universal idiom . Grandson of actor Allu Rama Lingaiah, son of filmmaker Allu Aravind, nephew to Chiranjeevi and actor/filmmaker Pawan Kalyan, cousin of Ram Charan and older brother of Allu Sirish Allu Arjun may belong to a film clan, but his charisma is his own. Given the success ratio of your films, you seem to have cracked the secret of a blockbuster No one in the world knows the secret to a blockbuster. You just have to follow your gut feeling. Sometimes youre wrong, sometimes youre right. Generally, when you follow your heart, you end up being right. Does it entail pressure to do better each time? Absolutely. I make efforts to make every film, every performance better than the previous one. I push myself to the maximum limit. What is viewed as pressure is also a kind of pleasure. At the end of the day its only about enhancing yourself as an actor. Coming from a film family, did you always want to be an actor? Initially, I wanted to be an animator. But soon my interest fizzled out.. When youre born in a film family, youre influenced by the environment. Wherever you go, youre bound to return to films. This place has some kind of gravity. Do you have a sense of competition vis-a-vis your star relatives? Not at all. Its your own journey regardless of the competition. From the outside it seems, everyone is part of the race, running together. But from the inside, youre running with your own self, in keeping with your capacity. Youve a fan following in the Hindi heartland. Any plans to debut in Hindi films? Hindi films are on my wish-list for sure. Especially, when you have so much appreciation coming your way. Cinema is a universal language even though culture differs from region to region. Eventually, the content has to touch the heart. Also, Hindi satellite is a huge source of revenue for us. But to step into Hindi films, I need the right filmmaker and the right script. Some offers did come along but nothing exceptional as such. Maybe, its time for me to move things and work around it. How has Telugu cinema evolved down the years? Every industry has two strands - commercial and parallel. These streams are interdependent and draw from each other in terms of actors and technicians. In the last decade, parallel cinema in Telugu films has grown. The best example would be Mahanati (based on legendary actress Savithri). Its not a typical commercial film. But it won three National awards. Baahubali, a commercial film, had great content. These two films are classic examples of the blend. Your fans go berserk to catch a glimpse of you. How does it feel? Ive been around for 15 years and have experienced this madness often. Its something we actors work day and night for. All the sacrifices we make is to witness this madness. So when it happens, we embrace it and live every moment of it. For you it may appear as madness. But for me its pure love. A crazy fan moment Recently, my crew informed me that some fans from the Middle East had come to Hyderabad just to see me. They had been waiting for almost two days in the hope of catching a glimpse of me. I invited them in and offered them tea. They shared that they had a collection of my pictures and videos back home. They watched my films even though they didnt understand the language. It was a humbling experience. Do you maintain a connect with your fans? Yes. In the South, we remain closely connected with our fans. We feel a sense of responsibility towards them. Even if they misbehave, we feel responsible. I even apologise on their behalf. I ask them to exercise restraint. But I always stand up for them. Im grateful to my fans for making me who I am. How do you handle all the female attention around you? (Laughs) My wife (Sneha Reddy) is extremely strict. Also, I dont believe my female fans would want to disturb my marital life. They know Im married and have kids (son Ayaan and daughter Arha). My wife says they should live with me to know how I am actually. Shes sure theyd no longer remain my fans. Are you a romantic? Yes, I am. My wife will vouch for that. For instance, recently, we had planned a holiday. But I was caught up with work, My wife and kids had to carry on without me. But somehow, my work got postponed. I surprised them with an unplanned visit. They were so glad. Your daughter Arhas video doing the dosa step in the Ramuloo ramulaa song (Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo) became a rage. Are you okay with children coming under the media glare? Whether they share a video or not, my children will come under the media glare. Theyre children in a special situation. Media glare does have an impact on them. They have to adapt to that and deal with it with humility. Having said that, I dont videograph and share every moment of my life. I like sharing some moments on social media. Its better the kids get used to this. So that they dont lose their balance later. They wont be taken in by the euphoria. Do you keep your children in mind when you sign a film? I feel responsible not only towards my kids but towards society at large. What I do has a huge impact not just on my kids but on youngsters. What I do on screen may appear fun. But it isnt when I do it. Generally, I do share the days happenings with my children. I tell them about the film, the location, the song anything that could be of interest to them. Youre a superstar on social media as well. What are your views about social media? It all depends on how you use the platform. Its a fantastic opportunity for good things. If used wrongly it can have an undesirable effect. Im a positive person. I dont step into any controversy. Of late, Im drawn to Instagram and Pinterest. Im not much of a Tiktok person. I like pictures. Im an Instagram addict. You have won five Filmfare Awards. How much do awards mean to you? Honestly, the first time I won a Filmfare Award for Parugu, I was pleasantly surprised. Later, I got it for Vedam. Race Gurram was one film for which I truly wanted the Black Lady. I appreciate awards. I feel happier when its given to the right person. I was so happy when Vijay Deverakonda won the award for for Arjun Reddy. Id also liked Jr NTRs performance in Jai Lava Kusa. (Smiles) Im extremely glad when Im honoured with a Filmfare because I know Im the most deserving. Thats as honest as I can be. Youve worked with Hindi actresses like Rakul Preet Singh and Pooja Hegde. What makes them special? Everyone has their strengths. South Indian girls can pull off rustic characters well. B-town girls ace glamorous roles. They have a cosmo vibe. Theyve been born and brought up in that kind of ethos. They reflect that on screen. What tips do you give to your younger brother, actor Allu Sirish? Oh, I keep giving tips all the time. Like how to speak, how to avoid certain things, the easiest way to do something... He advises me too. Were always bouncing off ideas to each other. It was his idea that I reach out to the nationwide media to promote Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo. He pushed me to do it. An actor whom you consider your role model... Stardom is difficult to achieve. Its an individual journey. I draw inspiration from Mr Amitabh Bachchan. At 70-plus, Id like to be like him. It would be great to wake up each morning and have work to look forward to. It would be fun to work with young people even at that age. Its a rare privilege for any actor. n German post and logistics group Deutsche Post confirmed its forecast for 2022 on Tuesday and said it was in a better position than rivals to cope with the coronavirus outbreak although it was too early to judge the full impact. "Thanks to our broad geographic set-up and our comprehensive portfolio we are in a very robust position and more resilient than other companies in our sector," Chief Executive Frank Appel said in a statement. Deutsche Post had already said the coronavirus has wiped up to 70 million euros ($79.37 million) off its operating profit in February, but it said on Tuesday that three of its divisions were only marginally affected by the outbreak. "There's not so much poverty and crime because of the order and security," said Zelaya, 17. Zelaya is now with one of his relatives in the clean suburbs of the country ranging from Dallas to Fort Worth. He is going to continue his studies in high school while waiting for his first asylum hearing that will happen in June 2020. The United States seemed as the most perfect and safest land that is really different to the delinquent and extremely poor society where he and his father lastly fled in the hills of Honduras to survive. But nonetheless, Marvin migrates to the U.S. without his loving father. They got separated at the border of Texas-Mexico last November, so that Zelaya could enter the United States. Marvin Sr. lost his vigor in a temporary haven camp in Mexico. According to federal policy, only minor migrants who are asylum-seekers will be instantly allowed to enter while the others including families must standby in Mexico as they wait for their hearings. During the half year that passed, the cycle of anguish of parents during separation to their children goes on. Some of the children are as young as 5-year-old, accompanied by an older sibling to cross the international borders that serve as the bridge in hopes for a better and safer life in America. These children submit to the immigration agents of the United States as they go along in the middle of the bridge without the knowledge that they might not see their parents anymore. They are frequently involved in the entrance of people fleeing Central America's epidemic of crime. But the conflicts are long on possessing protection in the United States. Recently, one out of five applicants was granted asylum by the Supreme Court. Dr. Amy Cohen, a child psychiatrist who specializes in immigrant trauma which is familiar to Zelaya's case said, "He certainly has a very frightening story which is entirely credible. Nonetheless, he doesn't have scars or wounds or a police report to back up his story." U.S. Customs and Border Protection took Marvin Jr. into custody. Marvin says that they mocked and laughed at him whenever he answers their questions. They told him that his story was just the same as the others which was lies. In February he was released under their custody and went straight to his uncle's. Zelaya's asylum case is based in a gang that rules their place and wanted him to be involved by doing three things; be a spy, drug dealer in school or kill people for them. That is why Zelaya's family decided to leave. The Supreme Court denied his case for being not overwhelming but his father says, "This is for Zelaya's safety not for me." Just like Marvin Sr. and Zelaya's case, there are still 60,000 asylum seekers waiting in Mexican border cities while waiting for their cases. Federal appeals on court in California that blocked the policy of administration introduced as Remain in Mexico, but later stayed that order. The Supreme Court expects the case to end up before them. Finding Life On Mars NASA Curiosity rover has sent back chemical compounds from the Red Planet that support the theory of microbial life existing on the planet billions of years ago. The chemical compounds, known as thiophenes, are present in the soil sample from Mars. Thiophenes can be linked to life Mars. Washington State University astrobiologist Dirk Schulze-Makuch and Jacob Heinz with the Technische Universitat in Berlin have published a paper in Astrobiology regarding the thiophenes. Essentially, they are treated as an ancient biosignature because of their organic structure and the paper suggests that the presence of thiophenes in the Martian soil is linked to the existence of microbial life. Furthermore, the published research notes that bacteria might be the reason for the thiophenes found on Mars through a biological process. These remnants have now been dug out of Mars' surface and further researched through the bacteria-catalyzed biological process. How Valid Is It The research paper has certainly found the presence of ancient bacteria, however, there are still many other aspects to look into. The researchers themselves state that there needs a biochemical link with valid proof. "We identified several biological pathways for thiophenes that seem more likely than chemical ones, but we still need proof," Dirk Schulze-Makuch said to Phys.org paper. "If you find thiophenes on Earth, then you would think they are biological, but on Mars, of course, the bar to prove that has to be quite a bit higher." One should note that many chemical pathways can create thiophenes and even their breakdown by bacteria. What's more, the ring-like molecular structure consists of carbon and sulfur atoms, making it a bio-essential element for life on Earth. Thiophenes are found in crude oil and mushrooms on Earth. At the same time, it can be created even without microorganisms. Take for instance a meteor impact. It can also create an abiotic synthesis of thiophenes, even without any involvement of life forms. Researching For Life On Mars For now, a conclusive decision has yet to be made. This is because the Curiosity Rover employs a technique that breaks larger molecules up into components, which is what the scientists are trying to analyze. They are still experimenting with the thiophenes molecules to determine if they were processed by ancient bacteria or if it was abiotic in nature. The actual proof will require live samples from Mars, which can be gathered only with astronaut visits. "I think the proof will really require that we actually send people there, and an astronaut looks through a microscope and sees a moving microbe," said Schulze-Makuch. To the annoyance of some shareholders, MetLife (NYSE:MET) shares are down a considerable 37% in the last month. The recent drop has obliterated the annual return, with the share price now down 27% over that longer period. Assuming nothing else has changed, a lower share price makes a stock more attractive to potential buyers. While the market sentiment towards a stock is very changeable, in the long run, the share price will tend to move in the same direction as earnings per share. The implication here is that long term investors have an opportunity when expectations of a company are too low. One way to gauge market expectations of a stock is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). A high P/E implies that investors have high expectations of what a company can achieve compared to a company with a low P/E ratio. See our latest analysis for MetLife How Does MetLife's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers? We can tell from its P/E ratio of 5.35 that sentiment around MetLife isn't particularly high. We can see in the image below that the average P/E (10.8) for companies in the insurance industry is higher than MetLife's P/E. NYSE:MET Price Estimation Relative to Market, March 10th 2020 This suggests that market participants think MetLife will underperform other companies in its industry. While current expectations are low, the stock could be undervalued if the situation is better than the market assumes. If you consider the stock interesting, further research is recommended. For example, I often monitor director buying and selling. How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios Probably the most important factor in determining what P/E a company trades on is the earnings growth. Earnings growth means that in the future the 'E' will be higher. That means even if the current P/E is high, it will reduce over time if the share price stays flat. Then, a lower P/E should attract more buyers, pushing the share price up. It's great to see that MetLife grew EPS by 23% in the last year. And it has bolstered its earnings per share by 2.2% per year over the last five years. With that performance, you might expect an above average P/E ratio. Story continues Remember: P/E Ratios Don't Consider The Balance Sheet One drawback of using a P/E ratio is that it considers market capitalization, but not the balance sheet. In other words, it does not consider any debt or cash that the company may have on the balance sheet. In theory, a company can lower its future P/E ratio by using cash or debt to invest in growth. Such spending might be good or bad, overall, but the key point here is that you need to look at debt to understand the P/E ratio in context. Is Debt Impacting MetLife's P/E? MetLife's net debt is considerable, at 235% of its market cap. This is a relatively high level of debt, so the stock probably deserves a relatively low P/E ratio. Keep that in mind when comparing it to other companies. The Bottom Line On MetLife's P/E Ratio MetLife's P/E is 5.4 which is below average (15.1) in the US market. The company has a meaningful amount of debt on the balance sheet, but that should not eclipse the solid earnings growth. If the company can continue to grow earnings, then the current P/E may be unjustifiably low. What can be absolutely certain is that the market has become more pessimistic about MetLife over the last month, with the P/E ratio falling from 8.5 back then to 5.4 today. For those who prefer invest in growth, this stock apparently offers limited promise, but the deep value investors may find the pessimism around this stock enticing. 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 07:55:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks at a daily briefing in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 9, 2020. The chief of WHO said on Monday that the novel coronavirus has got a foothold in so many countries and the threat of a pandemic has become very real. (Photo by Li Ye/Xinhua) BRUSSELS, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday that the novel coronavirus has got a foothold in so many countries and the threat of a pandemic has become very real. His words came as Cyprus confirmed its first two COVID-19 cases, which means all EU members have reported infection cases. European countries have begun to upgrade their containment measures. In Italy, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Monday evening that measures to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus will be extended to the entire country in the next hours. "THREAT OF PANDEMIC VERY REAL" COVID-19 is an uneven epidemic at the global level, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a daily briefing, reminding that different countries are in different scenarios, requiring a tailored response. It would be the first pandemic in history that could be controlled, the WHO head also noted. He called on all countries to take a comprehensive blended strategy for controlling their epidemics and pushing this virus back. Tedros also said of the around 80,000 reported cases of COVID-19 in China, more than 70 percent have recovered and been discharged. Among the countries with the most cases, China is bringing its epidemic under control. He stressed that the transmission of coronavirus can be slowed down and infections can be prevented through decisive and early actions. "Countries that continue finding and testing cases and tracing their contacts not only protect their own people, they can also affect what happens in other countries and globally," said Tedros. INFECTIONS KEEP RISING IN EUROPE The Italian authorities said Monday the number of people who tested positive for the new coronavirus reached 7,985, an increase of 1,598 new infections compared to the previous day, and did not include recoveries or fatalities. Considering all data (including deaths and recoveries), the number of assessed coronavirus cases in the country was 9,172. Also on Monday, Germany confirmed the first two deaths from COVID-19, both in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), German local media Focus reported. According to official data, the number of confirmed cases in Germany rose to 1,112 by Monday morning, 484 of which are in NRW. In France, 1,412 cases of coronavirus infection have been confirmed and 25 patients have died, Director-General of Health Jerome Salomon announced on Monday evening. Both Spain and Denmark eyewitnessed rapid growth in confirmed cases on Monday. The number of confirmed cases in Spain rose from just under 600 on Sunday to over 1,000, with the death toll increasing from 10 to 26. Denmark saw its total number of COVID-19 infections rise to 90 by Monday afternoon, a sharp increase from Sunday's 35, according to an update on the website of the National Board of Health on Monday evening. The virus has affected some international organizations. The Brussels-based North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) confirmed a case of coronavirus infection in its headquarters on Monday morning. The staff member is currently at home in self-isolation. NEW MEASURES TO STEM SPREAD European countries have stepped up efforts and put in place new containment measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. In France, all gatherings of more than 1,000 people are now prohibited across French cities. Only events considered "useful to the life of the nation" will be maintained. The new measures also included a decree making telemedicine more flexible and available to the public. In addition, hospitals would trigger the "white plan" of extra mobilization systems to cope with the additional influx of patients linked to the coronavirus. It allows to reinforce additional nursing and administrative staff, offer more beds and limit patient visits. In Spain's autonomous community of Madrid, schools and universities will be closed for 14 days starting from Wednesday, the region's president Isabel Diaz Ayuso confirmed. Romania also unveiled similar plans. The country's interim Prime Minister Ludovic Orban announced that all primary and secondary schools, as well as kindergartens across the country, will be closed on March 11-22. Romanian Interim Interior Minister Marcel Vela added that the road and rail transport of people to and from Italy will be suspended from Tuesday to the end of the month. In Poland, medical controls have been introduced on the borders with Germany and the Czech Republic. "I want to emphasize that in the next several dozen hours we will be expanding the scope of these checks to other border crossings," said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. In Croatia, the National Civil Protection Authority introduced new protection measures, requiring all foreign nationals from the outbreak's hotspots to stay in mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival. In the Czech Republic, the national security council decided to ban visits to inpatient hospital wards, which will take effect on Tuesday. In Slovenia, Health Minister Ales Sabeder announced that the checking of passengers arriving at Ljubljana JoZe Pucnik airport is expected to be introduced in a few days. As for airlines, Air Malta, Malta Air and Ryanair have announced cancellations of all flights to and from north Italy. French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday urged European countries to coordinate actions to curb the COVID-19 outbreak. "In order to face COVID-19 ... I call on our European partners to take urgent action to coordinate health measures, research efforts and our economic response," Macron said in a tweet. (Xinhua reporters Shen Zhonghao, Liu Qu in Geneva, Alessandra Cardone, Chen Zhanjie, Li Jie in Rome, Zuo Wei in Frankfurt, Tian Ying in Berlin, Sonia Ounissi, Liu Fang in Paris, Paul Giblin in Madrid, Wen Xinnian in Lisbon, David A. Williams, Lin Jing in Copenhagen, Wang Zichen in Brussels, Chen Jin, Lin Huifen in Bucharest, Zhang Zhang in Warsaw, Juraj Korbler, Relja Dusek, Gao Lei in Zagreb, Petros Petrides, Zhang Baoping in Nicosia, Bradley Blakenship, Yang Xiaohong in Prague, Peng Lijun in Ljubljana, Matthew Xuereb and Yuan Yun in Valletta contributed to the story.) WASHINGTON House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy is facing calls to apologize and delete a tweet that referred to the novel coronavirus as the Chinese coronavirus, a title health professionals say is incorrect and counterproductive. McCarthys office defended the tweet and said it accurately reflected how Chinas severe lack of transparency helped the disease spread. Dozens of lawmakers and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus called on McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, to apologize for his racist comment and remove the tweet, which he posted Monday night along with a link to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updates on the disease. We know that this xenophobia puts people at risk, Rep. Judy Chu, D-Monterey Park (Los Angeles County), said in a statement. Already, we are seeing Asian American children beaten in school, families prejudiced against, and small businesses forced to close. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, tweeted that bigoted statements which spread misinformation and blame Asians and the Asian American community for coronavirus make us all less safe. She called on McCarthy to delete this tweet and apologize immediately. The early victims of the novel coronavirus were in Chinas Hubei province. Chu, who chairs the Asian Pacific American caucus, noted that the virus has spread to over 100 countries and that Trump administration officials have advised against classifying it by region. McCarthys office defended his use of the phrase. Spokeswoman Brittany Martinez suggested it holds China accountable for its early refusal to publicly acknowledge the disease. We must be honest with Chinas severe lack of transparency, which made the outbreak worse, she said. Martinez also pointed to instances of major media outlets using the phrase in headlines when the virus began to spread widely in January. For weeks, this term has been widely used by established media outlets to describe the virus, she said in an email. But this week, Democrat lawmakers and the same media outlets who used the term in the past have decided it is racist to do so. McCarthy hasnt deleted the tweet, though he tweeted about the virus twice on Tuesday without repeating the reference to China. He did, however, retweet West Virginia GOP Rep. Carol Millers tweet that we often name viruses on their location of origin. She cited Spanish flu and West Nile virus as examples. The World Health Organization warns against naming new diseases for geographic locations, including countries. According to its guidelines, the advice is intended, in part, to avoid causing offense to any cultural, social, national, regional, professional or ethnic groups. On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions director, Robert Redfield, testified before a House committee that referring to the virus as the Chinese coronavirus is inappropriate. McCarthys tweet was criticized by California Democrats who say the coronavirus outbreak has spawned racist sentiments and harmed Asian American businesses, including in San Franciscos Chinatown. Calling it the Chinese coronavirus isnt just racist, its dangerous and incites discrimination against Asian Americans and Asian immigrants, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., tweeted to McCarthy. Its beneath the office of a member of Congress, let alone a party leader, she added. Dustin Gardiner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner Researchers from Scotland have created a 3D model of Peru's glaciers using specially designed high-altitude drones, part of an ongoing effort to study the relationship between the glacier's melt rate and surface temperature. The project was led by Rosie Bisset, a doctoral student from the University of Edinburgh, who traveled to Peru with field assistant Callum Reay to gather the data firsthand. Peru's glaciers account for around 70 percent of the world's glacier area in the tropics, and the waters produced by they produce through seasonal melting have helped support towns and villages in the region with agriculture and hydroelectric power generation. Researchers from Scotland traveled to Peru with a pair of specially designed high altitude drones to gather data for a 3D map of the country's glaciers, to help learn more about why they're melting so quickly Over the last two decades, Peru's glaciers have shrunk by almost 30 percent, threatening the way of life and livelihood of many in the region, according to a BBC report on the project. Bisset wanted to create a 3D map of the region's glaciers, which would allow researchers to precisely track changes from year to year, as well as measure surface temperatures at different points of the glacier. Bisset worked with Skytech Aerial to build two high altitude drones ready for flight at 15,000 feet and above. The drones had propellers designed to spin at much high speeds than normal commercial drones to help create lift in the thin air, something that came with the downside of extra power consumption through the battery. Bisset and Reay spent several days and nights camped atop Peru's glaciers piloting the two drones across the terrain, gathering data with both a visible light camera and a thermal imaging sensor. The team spent several days hiking through some of the country's glaciers and piloting the drones over the terrain, gathering spatial data and temperature about the ground temperature on the surface of the glacier with thermal sensors The final 3D model blends features colorful tiles representing temperature on the surface of the glacier, which are laid over the model like a mosaic The team used custom-designed drones with propellers that rotated at a much higher rate than commercial drones, which helped them generate lift in the thin air at altitudes above 15,000 feet The drones were able to capture a range of data and detail that satellite imagery can't match, blending thermal sensor data with visible light images The pair returned to Scotland and then used their captured data to create a detailed 3D model of the glaciers. They used the thermal sensor data to add a layer information about the surface temperature on the glacier, which they laid on top of the 3D model in colorful mosaic squares. in mosaic squares. 'We can compare this to 3D models that were collected in previous years in order to tell us how the glacier's structure and size is changing,' Bisset said. Because drones are able to fly closer to their targets and capture a wider array of information, Bisset's project promises to give an even more detailed view of glaciers than satellites have so far been able to. 'We're talking about very high resolution imagery, sub-millimeter resolution in some cases, which you just can't do with satellites at the moment,' said Thomas Wade, a pilot who worked with Bisset on the project. A Dalit youth sustained injuries after he was shot at Taraya village in the Baberu police station here on Tuesday, an official said. Circle Officer Baberu Rajiv Pratap Singh said, "Dalit youth Pitu Shrivas (26) on Tuesday had gone to answer nature's call when he was shot at. He sustained injuries. The injured youth was sent to a community health centre from where he was sent to the district hospital for treatment." The official said on the complaint of the youth, a case has been registered against one Shivmohan Singh of the village." The youth alleged that the accused attacked him due to an old enmity. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- Schools are staying open and district officials are staying calm after the Oregon Health Authority released coronavirus guidelines to keep kids in school. "We've worked with our custodial staff and our janitorial staff to make sure that we're doing more sanitizing than we would typically do if there was not a widespread illness that is occurring," said Brett Yancey, chief operations officer at the Springfield School District. Yancey said parents have expressed concerns about the safety of the schools. But he said he's confident that keeping the doors open is the right decision. "I agree, I think that they have the most current knowledge, I think they are working with all agencies, they have the information that a lot of us public agencies don't at this point so we do rely on their information and their contacts and follow their direction," Yancey said. Donna Copeland, director of Learning Tree Daycare in Springfield, spoke out about what steps they are taking to keep their kids healthy, but for the most part, they are treating coronavirus as they would any cold or flu season and conducting business as usual. "So we have three hand-sanitizing stations for the adults to use not for the children to use that we just have available, one in our entryway, and our infant room, and what we call our wobbler room or young toddler room," Copeland said. Copeland said although keeping hard surfaces sterile and making sure buildings are disinfected is important, she thinks there's an even simpler method. "Teaching kids the importance of handwashing, so I don't think all the hysteria is necessary," Copeland said. Jason Davis, of Lane County Public Health, agreed. "Covering your cough and sneeze, staying home if you're sick, throwing away your tissues, all these things are so simple I'm almost not sure people are hearing the message really," Davis said. China's response to novel coronavirus pneumonia has set an example for the world in coping with the contagion and offered experience in advancing global public health governance, officials and experts said. The COVID-19 outbreak has also raised the alarm about global public health security and reminded countries that cooperation and coordination are needed to deal with challenges as infectious diseases can rapidly escalate into global emergencies, they said. There is a growing positive momentum in epidemic control nationwide thanks to the "comprehensive, thorough and rigorous" measures that China has taken to contain the virus, they said, noting that the daily number of new confirmed cases outside Hubei province has been declining for weeks. President Xi Jinping has said on several occasions that China's efforts to curb the spread of the contagion not only aim to protect the safety and health of the Chinese people but also to contribute to global public health. Calling public health emergencies a challenge for all countries, Xi called for international cooperation in upholding public health security to address the threats that mankind is facing. With the virus spreading rapidly in other countries, the World Health Organization increased its assessment of the epidemic's risk from high to "very high" globally on Feb 28. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on March 2 that the spread of COVID-19 in South Korea, Italy, Iran and Japan has become the greatest concern. The outbreak has revealed inadequacies in global public health governance and highlighted the urgent need to buttress the system, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a signed article published on March 1 by Qiushi Journal, flagship magazine of the Communist Party of China Central Committee. "China is ready to work with the international community to address these challenges," Wang said. "We support the core role of the United Nations and the WHO in responding to health emergencies and in improving the global public health governance system," he said. He said that public health issues should be moved up on the international agenda, and major international health projects should be implemented, and a health Silk Road taken up. Global emergency As the outbreak becomes a global emergency, experts warned that the disease can cause panic, disrupt economies, undermine political authority, spark discrimination and expose societal fault lines. Getting the outbreak under control requires effective national and global governance across many areas from detecting cases to countering misinformation, from scientific research to minimizing trade and travel restrictions, they said. Suerie Moon, director of research at the Global Health Centre of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland, said the international system has been strengthened considerably since the 2014 West African Ebola crisis, but it is still "thin and fragile". "For example, we have no reliable system for financing the WHO or other international efforts that need to surge in times of crisis," Moon said in an email interview. "Three weeks ago, the WHO asked for $675 million to support its own work and help countries with weaker health systems, but this target has still not been met." Moon said the world needs stronger and more resilient global governance to deal with outbreaks, adding that as a major global player, China has both the potential and the capacity to play a larger role in global governance processes affecting health. "It can contribute financially today, for example, to global efforts to contain coronavirus in lower income countries, through the WHO or other bodies. It can contribute diplomatically in efforts to spearhead and negotiate fair, effective international rules on data sharing in emergencies, or pathogen and benefit-sharing. "It can also encourage research collaboration with scientists from around the world, and identify ways of ensuring that new technologies developed to address outbreaks are available globally at an affordable price and in adequate volumes." China announced on Saturday a donation of $20 million to the WHO. The Chinese government's decision aims to assist the WHO to bring its professional advantages into full play and work as a better coordinator in global efforts to combat the epidemic, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Monday. Unprecedented response Praising China's measures to contain the epidemic, WHO Director-General Tedros said, "In many ways, China is setting a new standard for outbreak response." He made the remark at a news conference in Geneva after a visit to China in February. The Report of the WHO-China Joint Mission on COVID-19 released on Feb 29 credited the Chinese effort to combat the virus, stating, "China has rolled out perhaps the most ambitious, agile and aggressive disease containment effort in history." Moon said a key message from China's experience is that it is possible to contain the virus's spread with a rigorous approach an important message for government officials in other countries. "It is indeed encouraging that the number of new cases being reported from China has been decreasing I do hope this trend continues," she added. Robert Lawrence Kuhn, an international corporate strategist, said in an article published on the website of China Global Television Network that China's mobilization after the outbreak is unprecedented in global health history. "Nowhere could it work like it works in China. And the reason it works relates to how the Party system works," Kuhn said. Future historians may well look upon China's fight against the coronavirus as a turning point in worldwide efforts to contain outbreaks of new diseases and stop their spread, which globalization and ubiquitous air travel have made vital, he said. Since the start of the outbreak, leaders of more than 170 countries and over 40 international and regional organizations have extended their sympathies to the nation over the outbreak, commended China's efforts to fight the virus in an open, transparent and responsible manner, and voiced their support for China in the battle against the contagion. International and regional cooperation should be expanded and good communication with the WHO and experience sharing among countries should be continued, Xi said at a recent meeting on epidemic control. He added that China will shoulder its responsibilities as a major country and provide necessary assistance to countries affected by COVID-19. Ren Lin, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of World Economics and Politics, said that cooperation is the best choice for countries to cope with the challenges posed by the epidemic. The outbreak provides an opportunity for countries to reconsider the need to improve global governance in public health by enhancing cooperation and strengthening emergency response and risk prevention capacity, Ren said. In terms of the priorities for international cooperation, Moon said all countries should share detailed and complete information with the WHO and other countries as quickly as possible as "there is still so much we don't understand about this virus". She also called for pooling and sharing resources across countries, whether that is scarce supplies such as masks or other personal protective equipment for health workers, or mobilizing funds in countries that will struggle to do so domestically. Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz said Tuesday that his lab test for the new coronavirus came back negative, but he will stay under self-quarantine through Thursday afternoon out of "an abundance of caution." "We appreciate the great folks working in the United States and around the world to combat this virus," Gaetz tweeted. GAETZ TWEET The Florida congressman said he will remain quarantined until 2 p.m. Thursday. On Monday, Gaetz rode on Air Force One with President Donald Trump on a flight to Washington, D.C., from Orlando, Fla. During that flight, Gaetz was reportedly informed that he had previously been exposed to someone who had been diagnosed with the virus. Gaetz, a staunch Trump ally, then essentially quarantined himself in a section of the president's plane, The New York Times reported. Trump told reporters on Capitol Hill earlier Tuesday that he has not been tested for the coronavirus since his exposure to Gaetz. "I don't think it is a big deal. I would do it. I don't feel any reason I feel extremely good. I feel very good, but I guess it's not a big deal to get tested and it's something I would do," Trump said. "Again spoke to the White House doctor, terrific guy, talented guy. He said he sees no reason to do it. There's no symptoms, no anything," Trump said. The president was also photographed shaking hands at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday with Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., who also said he was exposed to the infected person at CPAC. Collins, along with Gaetz and at least three other members of Congress, are currently under self-quarantine. AMHERST Updating the Town Council Monday on the new coronavirus, Town Manager Paul Bockelman said: There will be a case in Amherst at some point. Its coming ... like a tsunami. Bockelman said the town is prepared, come what may. He also alluded to Amherst Colleges decision to close its campus as a precaution. Starting March 23, learning will be conducted online until further notice. Amherst regional schools last week urged students and staff to stay home if they have temperatures above 100 degrees or other symptoms of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus. We want us as a team to make group decisions, based on science, Bockelman told the council Monday. Some people dont have the resources; we want to make sure they have the resources they need. ... Everybody has concerns, he said. Councilor Evan Ross asked about the economic impact to the town should University of Massachusetts close its doors to students for an indefinite period of time. Council Vice President Mandi Jo Hanneke asked if the town might be eligible for government grants in a worst-case scenario. Bockelman said it is premature to speculate on UMass, and said that if there is some grant money available, Amherst would be diligent about getting its fair share. Bockelman also said he had dinner at a Chinese restaurant Monday prior to the meeting, and encouraged others to do the same. Related Content: Tehran freed 70,000 prisoners to help limit the spread, but UN rapporteur says non-violent offenders must be released. The United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Iran said he asked Iran to free all political prisoners temporarily from its overcrowded and disease-ridden jails to help stem the spread of the coronavirus. More than 8,000 coronavirus cases have been recorded in Iran, making it the fourth-most-affected country after China, South Korea and Italy, World Health Organization data shows. Some 291 people have died in Iran as of Tuesday. Irans judiciary chief said on Monday that authorities temporarily freed about 70,000 prisoners to help limit the spread of the coronavirus as officials reported hundreds of new infections and dozens more deaths across the country. But UN rapporteur Javaid Rehman said only those serving sentences of less than five years had been freed, while political prisoners and others with heavier sentences linked to their participation in protest marches remained in jail. A number of dual and foreign nationals are at real risk if they have not got it [coronavirus], they are really fearful of the conditions, Rehman told a press briefing in Geneva, asked about the fate of rights activists such as Narges Mohammadi. This is also my worrying concern and, therefore, I have recommended to the state of the Islamic Republic of Iran to release all prisoners on temporary release. A spokesman later clarified that Rehman was referring only to political prisoners and prisoners of conscience. Too little, too late Before this weeks announced release, Iran said it had 189,500 prisoners, according to the report Rehman submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in January. Those prisoners are believed to include hundreds arrested during or after anti-government protests in November. I am highly concerned that hundreds, if not thousands, of November protesters detained are currently experiencing hardship in overcrowded facilities, Rehman said, adding that prisoners should also be subject to comprehensive testing for the coronavirus. In a February report, Rehman described how overcrowded and unhygienic conditions were causing the spread of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and hepatitis C. Quoting inmates, he said prisoners even had to provide their own soap. Rehman said Irans efforts to contain the coronavirus had been inadequate. In my estimation, the state has done too little and too late, he said. Asked to elaborate, he cited the decision last month to go ahead with a parliamentary election involving mass rallies in the holy city of Qom, despite the emergence of coronavirus cases. Across the country we have heard, and we have information, that little action was taken initially and as yet there is still inadequate action, he said. ULLIN Award-winning actor and musician Christopher Jackson will headline The Saints Foundation annual gala that raises money for student scholarships and other activities in support of Shawnee Community College. Jackson starred as George Washington in the critically acclaimed musical Hamilton that debuted on Broadway in 2015. He currently plays courtroom stylist Chunk Palmer in the hit CBS drama "Bull" while pursuing numerous other artistic endeavors. The dinner is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday, May 2, in the Edward M. Smith Gymnasium at Shawnee Colleges main campus in Ullin. Jackson is a 1993 graduate of Cairo High School. He left Southern Illinois at the age of 17 to attend the prestigious American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York. A few years later, he got his first big break when he was cast as Simba in a Broadway production of The Lion King. In a 2016 interview with The Southern, Jackson credited several of his Cairo teachers and mentors with inspiring him to pursue his passions in music and drama. In 2017, Jackson appeared via video conference at "Lifetime Achievements" awards program in Cairo honoring educators to especially thank his high school band director James Davis. His additional Broadway credits include Holler if Ya Hear Me, After Midnight, In the Heights and Memphis. He has also had roles in several Off-Broadway productions, including Bronx Bombers, The Jammer," Lonely, I'm Not and Cotton Club Parade. In film and TV, he has had roles in Freestyle Love Supreme, Person of Interest, A Gifted Man, Fringe, Gossip Girl, Tracers, and Afterlife. Jacksons work as a composer and songwriter for Sesame Street earned him six Emmy nominations and one win. He took home an Emmy Award for his song with Will.I.Am, What I Am. In 2010, Jackson released his first solo album titled In the Name of Love with Yellow Sound Lab Records, and he is working on a second album. He's also been part of casts, including "Hamilton," honored with three Grammy awards. In December 2018, "One Last Time (44 Remix)" was released as a part of the Hamildrop series tracks inspired by music from Hamilton which featured Jackson alongside President Barack Obama and BeBe Winans. He recently closed a limited run of Freestyle Love Supreme on Broadway alongside "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, which has been adapted into a documentary. As well, he recently starred in Ava DuVernay's Netflix mini-series When They See Us with Michael K. Wiliams, Vera Farmiga, and John Leguizamo, according to his biography, provided by Shawnee Community College. The Saints Foundation expects the event to sell out. Priority seating will be given to sponsors and table sponsors, but individual tickets are also available while they last. For information or ticket sales, visit shawneecc.edu or call 618-634-3200. Love 5 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. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Xinhua) Tue, March 10, 2020 08:06 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20696ffed 2 Lifestyle dance,China,health,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,COVID-19 Free Over 40 percent of Chinese women have attended dance courses like Zumba and ballet offered by online platforms as they are encouraged to stay at home to contain the COVID-19 spread, according to a survey by China Women's News and fitness app "Keep". The survey, conducted among millions of "Keep" users, finds more than 60 percent of active users are female, the number of whom have increased significantly since the epidemic outbreak, especially in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality and Sichuan province. Read also: Why coronavirus could help save China's endangered species Of those surveyed, most women exercise from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., taking in-home fitness courses including leg training, abdominal muscle building, body stretching and aerobics. Some of them have joined online exercises instructed by Chinese celebrities. According to the survey, women have maintained growing enthusiasm for spending on fitness products, with Yoga mats, elastic resistance belts and ready-to-eat chicken breasts becoming hot sales among female consumers. Professor Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), said the Free Senior High School (SHS) Policy is a timely and necessary intervention to make senior high school education accessible, especially to the poor. He said cost had been a key barrier to accessing SHS education and that the intervention would provide educational opportunity for all at least to the SHS level. Speaking at the 80th Anniversary and Speech and Prize Giving Day of the Aggrey Memorial AME Zion SHS in Cape Coast at the weekend, he endorsed the suggestion that SHS must be made part of basic education. The celebration, on the theme: 80 Years of Co-Education: Achievement, Challenges and the Way-forward, brought together ministers of state, members of Parliament, old students and students among others. The Anniversary was sponsored by the Aggrey Memorial Old Students Association (AMOSA) who painted the School and carried other renovation works in addition to the provision of a mechanised water system. Quoting from the 2018 Education Sector Analysis Report, Prof Ghartey Ampiah said there were substantial inequity in access to SHS education, particularly among the low income class of the country. He said for those from deprived communities with poor quintile income, only four out of 100 students who entered Kindergarten transitioned to senior high school, making the intervention more imperative. The VC, in this regard, urged all Ghanaians to put their shoulders to the wheel and work together to help address the challenges that confront the policy to ensure sustainability. He said gender equality was extremely important in co-educational institutions and admonished Aggrey Memorial SHS to double its efforts in the education of both boys and girls without discrimination. He urged the old students to continue to support and make significant input to help the School achieve its vision of providing the highest quality education for its students to live productive and fulfilling lives. Mrs Cecelia Dapaah, the Minister of Sanitation, said government was committed to pursuing the right policies to properly position the countrys education system to make it responsive to its socio-economic needs. She said government would live up to expectation to provide the necessary infrastructure to meet the rising numbers of students. It would also continue to consider the review of the existing curriculum and expand infrastructure in schools. The Minister noted that with the increasing numbers of school population coupled with dwindling national resources, stakeholders like non-governmental organisations, old students associations, and faith-based organisations among others have remained reliable partners in the provision and management of schools over the years. She, therefore, urged them not to relent in their efforts but continue to partner the Government to deliver quality education to the citizenry. Mrs Dapaah encouraged the teachers to be innovative and explore new teaching trends to nurture the students with love and understanding and build their confidence for the future. She advised the students to study hard to justify the huge investment made in them, be obedient to their teachers and parents as they passed through their hands to become responsible and useful citizens. Irrespective of the level of intelligence and success in your examination, it will be difficult to face the World ahead without discipline and respect, she said. Ms Kate Annan Wilberforce, the Headmistress of the School, lauded the contribution of government and the old students to the school and paid tribute to the Founding Father, A.W.E Appiah. She said the School continued to perform excellently in the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) but stressed that it was not without challenges. Ms Annan Wilberforce said the limited number of teachers resident on campus due to the lack of teachers flats was making monitoring and mentoring of students very difficult. She, therefore, appealed for the construction of teachers accommodation to facilitate effective mentoring. Awards were given to deserving students, teachers and non-teaching staff. 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 A second escalation round between Israel and the Palestinian factions, more particularly the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, occurred Feb. 23-24 in the Gaza Strip. This followed the Nov. 12-13 November military confrontation between the two sides that was marked by the Israeli assassination of Islamic Jihad commander Bahaa Abu al-Atta. Although the Hamas movement did not take part in the confrontation round at the military level, it provided the involved factions with media and political support. This has prompted Israel to express satisfaction with Hamas conduct, and to claim that it managed to keep the movement away from the armed confrontation through its incentives. These are, namely, the monthly Qatari financial aid channeled to the Gazan poor and what implementation there has been of the 2018 understandings. The way Hamas is dealing with the factions in the Gaza Strip that have been involved in the recent confrontations with Israel raises many questions. Why was Hamas unable to prevent the Islamic Jihad and other factions from firing rockets toward Israel? Does it not have the will to do so? Did Hamas' inaction occur out of fear of an internal conflict in Gaza, or of losing Iranian funding, since the factions involved are backed by Iran? Hamas' representative in Tehran, Khaled al-Qaddumi, told Al-Monitor that resisting Israel is legitimate in the eyes of Hamas. Hamas has neither suppressed said resistance nor prohibited it, although the resistance factions have repeatedly agreed that [such a resistance] should be a part of a collective consultative mechanism to deter Israel." He said that Hamas-Islamic Jihad ties run deep, and that Islamic Jihad "appreciates our position, and in turn, we understand their actions. Dialogue has always prevailed over all complicated situations, and we are not in a conflict against each other. Rather, our steps are coordinated at the joint operations room where the outstanding and ambiguous issues are resolved. Qaddumi also said, Iran is a supporter of the Palestinian resistance and shares with us the same enemy, namely Israel. Our relations [with Iran] are based on countering [this enemy]. The repeated confrontation rounds between the factions, except for Hamas, and Israel, could cause Hamas to feel that the rug is being pulled from under its feet, and that its control over the Gaza Strip has dwindled with time to the advantage of the other factions. That would prompt the movement to ponder whether it is better to impose control over the factions or consult with them on whether to escalate or calm down the situation with Israel. The continuation of the escalation rounds without Hamas participation would render unstable any settlement with Israel, and subsequently impede the implementation of understandings Hamas is striving for in order to ease popular pressure. Abdul Rahman Shehab, director of the Atlas Center for Israeli Studies in Gaza and a political analyst close to the Islamic Jihad, told Al-Monitor that Hamas dissatisfaction with the confrontation in November between Israel and the Islamic Jihad "when its rockets hit Tel Aviv and almost caused a war that the movement rejects and is not ready for, was probably behind the movement refraining from joining" the escalation round. He said it is not in Hamas interest to pressure the Islamic Jihad, adding, "Iranian support for the movement serves as a safety valve, as Iran will not accept that they engage in any conflict against each other. Keen on dissipating rumors that tension prevails over their relations following the recent escalation round, Islamic Jihad leader Ziad al-Nakhalah and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh underlined their deep and strong ties during a phone call Feb. 25. Ahmed Abu Hamza, a spokesman for al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad's military wing, said Feb. 25 that during Februarys escalation round, the al-Quds Brigades leadership was openly and continuously communicating with the leadership of Hamas military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Wasef Erekat, a Palestinian military expert and former artillery unit commander of the Palestine Liberation Organization, told Al-Monitor that Hamas position differs from that of the Islamic Jihad "toward the recent confrontations where such divergent views are being exploited to arouse enmity between them. Yet, the social fabric in Gaza prevents them from getting involved in a conflict on the ground." He said it is only normal that the Islamic Jihads popularity increases, given that it is involved in the rounds against Israel. He also added, "Iranian support for the two movements prevents any conflicts. The Israelis have monitored how Hamas is dealing with the other factions. Rafi Laufert, author for Israels News1, wrote March 3 that the repeated rounds with the Islamic Jihad points at Irans ability to ignite several fronts at the same time. Retired Israeli Brig. Gen. Amos Gilboa told Maariv on Feb. 27 that Hamas is capable of restraining the other factions, but lacks the willingness to do so. Journalist, Yoni Ben Menachem, a former officer with the Israeli Intelligence Unit, told the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs Feb. 26 that Hamas is playing a double game. He said that although Hamas was not among those who fired rockets toward Israel recently, its fighters are present at the joint operations room in Gaza. Wissam Afifa, the director of Al-Aqsa satellite channel in Gaza, told Al-Monitor, Israel is seeking to put some organizations in a better light at the expense of Hamas to cause division among them, and to show that Hamas cannot control their conduct or that its control over Gaza is no longer as strong as before. This is while Hamas would rather be on good terms with the others. Hamas calculations are different from those of the factions, as leading the Gaza Strip is what determines its conduct toward Israel. When it perceives that a settlement with Israel is not paying off, it will revert back to a confrontation, he added. He said that Hamas-Islamic Jihad relations have advanced, and that the few Islamic Jihad breaches are being contained by Hamas, which is aware that it cannot ensure full security control over Gaza. Afifa said that the Islamic Jihad "is trying to show that it is not hiding behind Hamas, but Iran knows that Hamas is the gateway to the Palestinian arena," and that Islamic Jihad cannot by itself "engage in a long confrontation with Israel without Hamas assistance." One of the factors preventing Hamas from controlling the factions is that it does not want to serve as a policeman that safeguards Israels security in Gaza as the Palestinian Authority does in the West Bank. This is while the factions know that they cannot exercise their resistance without the consent of Hamas, which is still the head of the household even though for the moment many Gazans are seeing the rest of the factions in a better light. Ryanair, British Airways and Jet2 have today cancelled hundreds of flights to and from Italy until April at the earliest and easyJet has also grounded most of its services leaving thousands of customers stranded in the coronavirus-hit country. BA has axed its 60 flights a day to cities including Milan, Venice and Rome while Jet2 has gone even further and cancelled all its Italian trips for almost seven weeks until April 26 with Easter holiday plans for thousands likely to be in ruins. But there were farcical scenes at UK airports as people on the final flights from Italy today walked through arrivals unchecked with many completely unaware they should now self-isolate for the next 14 days. Ryanair announced it had cancelled all flights from March 14 until April 9, but has told thousands of Brits trapped in Italy they can switch their return flight to come home before Saturday as Britain lost its sixth victim to coronavirus today and Italy's death toll increased by 97 in 24 hours to 463. Other airlines appear likely to put on repatriation flights this week while the Government may also step in and send rescue planes like the ones dispatched to bring home Britons from China last month. EasyJet has stopped the majority of its flights to northern Italy but planes will still fly from southern cities such as Rome and Naples despite a blanket travel ban imposed by the Italian government as deaths reached almost 100 per day yesterday. Thousands of Britons are now believed to be stuck in Italy because of coronavirus and airline cancellations, including Leah Washington, the young woman who lost her leg in the Alton Towers Smiler rollercoaster disaster of 2015. Many will now be scrambling to get one of the few flights back to the UK this week or could choose to fly back to Britain via another European city such as Paris or Frankfurt who still have air links to Italy. Jess Nicholls, 43, an enterprise change consultant, said today she felt 'dumped' by BA after it notified her by email that her flight from Rome to London would be cancelled. Leah Washington, the young woman who lost her leg in the Alton Towers Smiler rollercoaster disaster of 2015, is a Jet2 customer trapped in Italy today as flights were cancelled Passengers wear face masks as they arrive at Gatwick Airport today as flights to and from Italy were grounded until April Arrival display boards at Gatwick Airport as most flights from Italy to Gatwick Airport have been cancelled today A flight from Naples to Luton today. One passenger is shown wearing a hazmat suit and mask HOW CAN PEOPLE GET HOME FROM ITALY? WHAT DO I DO IF I'M TRAPPED IN ITALY? Ryanair is guaranteeing that all its customers in Italy can get a flight home before they stop going there for on Saturday until early April. Other airlines such as BA may also choose to send empty planes to Italy to evacuate passengers whose flights were cancelled today. The UK Government could also send planes like the ones used to repatriate people from China last month. CAN PEOPLE STILL FLY HOME FROM ITALY TO THE UK? Although a number of airlines, including British Airways, easyJet, Jet2 and WizzAir have cancelled some or all of their flights to and from Italy, Britons in the country can still fly home directly with relative ease. Ryanair will continue to fly as normal until Saturday - with customers in Italy able to fly home before then if required. EasyJet has cancelled most of its flights at Milan, Venice and Verona but is still flying between other parts of Italy and the UK. The airline said anyone who has not been contacted by it can assume their flight is scheduled as normal. The budget airline also flies to England from airports in Bologna, Turin, Livorno, Ancona, Rome, Naples, Bari, Brindisi, Sicily and Sardinia. These services are not affected by cancellations, according to the firm's website. Vuelling is also running some flights. Italian airline Alitalia has stopped flying out of Milan Malpensa and limited flights from Milan Linate to only domestic routes, but it continues to fly internationally out of Rome. CAN PEOPLE TRAVEL OUT OF ITALY BY ROAD OR RAIL? Austria has banned Italians from crossing its border but trains continue to run between the two countries. Staff are reportedly getting off at the border crossings and turning back. Switzerland's border is open and trains are still running, although Italian citizens face more detailed checks when passing into the country they will be expected to produce work permits. Slovenia has not closed the border but has set up health screening at checkpoints, and France's border is also still open. The border with Croatia is also still open and authorities said they would not close it unless it was decided by the EU. But people arriving from the virus-hit north could face two weeks of quarantine. WHAT DOES ITALY'S LOCKDOWN MEAN FOR ITALIANS? Italian citizens are being urged not to travel long distances around the country unless in emergencies, and are being prevented from flying abroad. The country now has more than 9,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and at least 463 people have died. Checkpoints on roads and at terminals will reportedly be checking people's paperwork to work out if they have good enough reasons to travel. Public trains and buses will continue to run, although people are being urged not to use them unless they have to, and no airports have been closed yet. Advertisement She said she was seeking an 'acknowledgement that they just stranded loads of passengers when they said they would get us home'. Ms Nicholls said: 'Their website was down, their call centres are overloaded and we got an email after midnight saying our flight was cancelled. It's putting more passengers in danger.' Most flights to Italy from Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick have been grounded at the last minute today but others are still flowing into the country without checks, MailOnline can reveal. And airlines from other countries also took action today, as Air Canada announced it would ground all flights to Italy until May 1. Many British travellers returning home from Italy today admitted they had no idea the Government was now demanding they go into quarantine for 14 days as soon as they land in the UK. Mrs Nicholls said she 'had to fight' to secure a place on a flight from BA-owned Vueling on Tuesday, which she was told was currently operating as planned. British Airways said it had axed its 60 flights a day to cities including Milan, Venice and Rome after the Government decided anyone arriving in the UK from the country must self-isolate for a fortnight afterwards. Anyone who has booked to travel to or from the coronavirus-hit country can rebook at a later date or have a full refund. Many British travelers returning home on the last few flights out of Italy told MailOnline today they had no idea the Government was now demanding they go into self-isolation for 14 days as soon as they land in the UK. And they must also find their way home by public transport if they are not driving themselves home. Uber driver Francesco Stabile told MailOnline at Stansted today that he had 'no idea' of the latest travel restrictions after visiting his girlfriend in Italy including a Government diktat to self isolate immediately. Mr Stabile 38, who has lived in Letchwort, Herts, for the past 16 years, said he was keen to get back to work, adding: 'I am an Uber driver. I go to Italy every two weeks to visit my girlfriend. I have received information from the Foreign Office but I don't know anything about self-isolating. I am feeling well. I have nothing wrong with me.' Retired green-grocer Martin Rudd claimed the public hand-sanitizer pumps at Stansted Airport were empty and there was no up to date health advice when in the arrivals hall, when he arrived from Pisa this morning. Mr Rudd, 64, from Leigh-On-Sea, Essex, told MailOnline: 'I'm in a high-risk group I'm diabetic and I've had a triple heart by-pass so I'm taking precautions. 'The hand-sanitizer pumps are empty and the only information is on a notice board in the arrivals hall. There isn't any one checking to see if people are unwell or taking anyone's temperature.' Mr Rudd, who had been on holiday in northern part of Italy but outside the original 'Red Zone' with his partner Linda Collis, booked an earlier flight after the Italian government announced a nationwide lock-down. Who has cancelled flights to and from Italy and is it possible to get back to Britain? British Airways Is it stopping all flights to and from Italy? Yes From when: Tuesday March 10 To when: Saturday April 4 Impact on customers: Passengers can rebook flights scheduled up until then or get a refund. Ryanair Is it stopping all flights to and from Italy? Yes From when: Saturday March 14 To when: Wednesday April 8 Impact on customers: Ryanair said passengers who need to fly home can switch to one of its flights which are operating up to and including Friday. Those with booked flights can get a refund or change flights. easyJet Is it stopping all flights to and from Italy? No - but the majority of services to northern Italy have been axed. From when: Tuesday March 10 To when: Friday April 3 Impact on customers: A spokeswoman said the airline: 'Is reviewing its flying programme to Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate, Venice and Verona airports for the period from now until April 3. Flights to Rome and Naples remain. Those with cancelled flights can get refunds or swap to later date. Jet2 Is it stopping all flights to and from Italy? Yes From when: Tuesday March 10 To when: Sunday April 26 Impact on customers: Passengers can rebook flights scheduled up until then or get a refund. Wizz Air Is it stopping all flights to and from Italy? Yes From when: Monday March 9 To when: Friday April 3 Impact on customers: Passengers can rebook flights or get a refund. Alitalia Is it stopping all flights to and from Italy? Yes, apart from Rome. From when: Monday March 9 To when: Friday April 3 Impact on customers: Passengers can rebook flights until June 30 at the latest or get a refund. Advertisement He said: 'My son called warned us last night that travel restrictions were changing so I booked an earlier flight so we've come home this morning. 'In fact the plane was practically empty. There were on about 15 people on the flight.' Mr Rudd said he was taking a taxi home and would stay in-doors for the required 14 days in accordance with the latest advice from Public Health England. He said: 'I've got grandchildren so I don't want to infect them. I'm well prepared. I've got lots of food in, everything I need. I bought a load of hand sanitizer before we left, in fact I took six bottles with us to Italy and I've been cleaning my hands after touching anything.' Engineer Anna De Luca, 30, who lives in Brighton and arrived at Gatwick today, said: 'I have all my family in Naples. I think its just crazy. Im actually quite shocked, there were no checks at all. 'So I said, I will take some responsibility and wear the mask - even if its useless. 'But even in Naples they did a check, and told us to stay one metre away from the next person. And then on the plane there was nothing. We werent given any information. 'I just asked a man working here, he said maybe you should phone 111, but there were no checks at all.' Carmine Loru, 39, who arrived at Gatwick on a flight from Florence, said that he had been given no information about self-isolation. Mr Loru, whose family is from Florence, said: 'There is a lot of paranoia in Italy, but here there is not even anybody checking us. 'I read on the BBC that Im supposed to stay at home for 14 days, but nobody said anything about that on the plane. In Florence they didnt tell us anything about what to do in London.' BA has taken the extreme step as the Government changed its advice on travel to Italy last night after the country PM Giuseppe Conte put the country's 60million people on lockdown as they lost their grip on the crisis as the death tolled jumped by 97 in one day to 463. A BA spokesman said: 'In light of the Italian Government's announcement and the UK Government's official travel advice, we have contacted all customers who are due to travel today. 'We have updated our policy to give customers more options and flexibility. Any travellers due to fly to or from Italy between now and April 4 can rebook to a later date up until the end of May, move their destination to Geneva or Zurich or receive a full refund. 'We recommend that any travellers continue to check their booking on ba.com for the latest information and ensure their contact details are up-to-date in the Manage My Booking section of the website'. In the last week BA, Virgin Atlantic, Ryanair and easyJet have all cancelled more than 1,000 flights across Europe, the US and Asia due to a drop in demand and a sharp rise in passenger no-shows. Flybe blamed their collapse on coronavirus last week saying it a lack of bookings hastened their demise. The International Air Transport Association has said that the world's airlines could lose between $63billion and $113billion in revenues because of the coronavirus crisis. Anna De Luca (left) nor Carmine Loru (right) both flew home to England from Italy today but said they weren't given any information about the Government's new rule that anyone returning must self-isolate for two weeks Uber driver Francesco Stabile and retired green-grocer Martin Rudd arrived at Stansted from Pisa today and revealed they were not tested for coronavirus with Mr Stabile unaware of the need to go into quarantine Passengers wear face masks at Gatwick Airport today as British Airways axed its flights to Italy until the Easter break Gatwick's usually packed South Terminal was empty today as the airline industry was badly hit by coronavirus These are the arrivals boards at Heathrow today and show that flights to Milan and Venice this afternoon will no longer happen The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is advising against all but essential travel to the entire country. What are the rules of Italy's new quarantine? Prime minister Giuseppe Conte said last night's decree could be 'summarised as follows: I stay at home'. Here are the rules under the new decree. THE SICK MUST STAY AT HOME People who have tested positive for coronavirus must not leave their homes for any reason. Anyone with a fever or respiratory symptoms is urged to stay at home and limit social contact, including with their doctor. NO TRAVEL ACROSS ITALY Travel is only allowed for 'urgent, verifiable work situations and emergencies or health reasons'. Grocery shopping is considered a 'necessity' and still allowed. To avoid work-related travel, public and private companies have been urged to put their staff on leave. However, it was not immediately clear how the new measures would be enforced. Trains and numerous flights continued to operate into and out of Milan on Monday despite the earlier restrictions in Lombardy. Public transport will remain operational, but Conte says he wants as many people as possible to stay at home. People who do want to travel will need to fill in a document explaining their reasons for doing so and carry it with them. If they are found to have lied they face fines or jail terms. But they will generally work on an honour system. People will also be allowed to travel to return home. NO PUBLIC GATHERINGS 'All forms of gatherings in public places or sites open to the public' are banned, the decree says. Cinemas, museums, theatres, pubs, dance schools, betting shops and discos are all closed. Weddings and funerals are banned. Schools and universities will remain shut until April 3. Bars and restaurants were only allowed to open between 8am and 6pm, the decree said, and only if a distance of at least 3ft could be kept between customers. Sporting events of all levels and disciplines were cancelled - stopping play in the Serie A football league. Fixtures in international competitions can go ahead but will be played behind closed doors. Gyms, sports centres, swimming pools, spas and leisure centres must close. SHOPS MUST KEEP 3FT DISTANCE Shops can remain open but only if they can guarantee the 3ft safety distance for customers. Big and mid-sized shopping centres have to close at the weekend. Food stores are allowed to remain open at all hours. NO LEAVE FOR HEALTH WORKERS Leave for health workers is cancelled. People accompanying their friends or relatives to emergency units are not allowed to stay with them in the waiting rooms without express permission. ALL OF ITALY IS COVERED The entire country, including the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, is covered by the decree - covering a total population of some 60million people. Advertisement A spokesman said last night: 'We have amended our travel advice to recommend against all but essential travel to Italy. The safety of British nationals is always our number one priority. 'The advice is that anyone who arrives from Italy subsequent to Italian government decision should now self-isolate for 14 days.' Many flights between the UK and Italy have been cancelled but others are continuing to operate. Customers on some airlines who have not booked a package trip, bought travel insurance or had their flight cancelled face a choice between either travelling against FCO advice or staying at home and losing their air fare. Ryanair is telling customers whose flights are running that 'the no cancellation and no refund policy remains'. Anyone imminently due to visit Italy on a package holiday should be offered alternative arrangements by their travel provider and a full refund if there are no suitable options. If a tour operator refuses, customers may be entitled to compensation under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements 2018 regulations. Travel trade organisation Abta said 'it is too early' to say that summer holidays cannot go ahead as planned. 'If you cancel early you may have to pay cancellation charges,' it added. Anyone who has booked flights or accommodation directly should contact their airline and accommodation provider to see what flexibility they are offering. They should also check their travel insurance as it may cover non-refundable cancellation costs for trips to areas where the FCO is advising against all but essential travel. The Government advice for anyone returning to the UK from Italy in the last 14 days is to stay indoors and avoid contact with other people, even if they do not have symptoms of the coronavirus. Approximately three million British nationals visit Italy every year. There is also rising criticism over the government's approach to people returning to Britain on flights from Italy which was last night put into a state of full quarantine. Ministers are being urged to introduce mandatory testing and quarantine for all people returning from coronavirus 'hot spots'. Former Tory Cabinet minister Rory Stewart warned this morning that delay risked the action being 'too late' as he urged the government to ban large gatherings. 'Clearly, gatherings are a place where this can spread more quickly so if you're trying to reduce the number of cases you have to reduce the number of gatherings,' he told GMB. Mr Stewart has also lashed out at the government for failing to take a tougher approach to UK citizens returning from Italy. He said: 'All passengers coming from hotspots should be tested and quarantined. 'There is no justification for half-hearted measures.' The Government has tightened travel restrictions on coronavirus-stricken Italy following the announcement that quarantine measures will be applied to the whole country. The Foreign Office is warning against all but essential travel to the country while the number of dead in Italy rose overnight to 463. Last night England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty pointed to tighter measures aimed at protecting the public, particularly the vulnerable and elderly, which could be implemented in the next 10 to 14 days. British Airways has cancelled all flights to and from Italy from today until April 4 to try to stop the flow of coronavirus across Europe (Heathrow T5 pictured) During a Downing Street press conference yesterday, Mr Johnson said the UK will almost certainly move to the delay phase of tackling coronavirus. Prof Whitty said the balance would tip so that more and more people would suffer coronavirus rather than regular seasonal flu or other respiratory infections. He added: 'We are expecting the numbers to increase initially quite slowly but really quite fast after a while and we have to catch it before the upswing begins. 'We are now very close to the time, probably within the next 10 to 14 days, when the modelling would imply we should move to a situation where everybody with even minor respiratory tract infections or a fever should be self-isolating for a period of seven days.' Mr Johnson said that although the UK currently remains in the contain phase of the response, 'extensive preparations' are being made for a move to the delay phase - which seeks to put off the peak of the outbreak until summer. What should be included in my travel insurance policy to ensure I'm covered for potential coronavirus related cancellations at Easter and in the summer? I have booked a family ski holiday to France in April and we have every intention of still going, despite coronavirus. I already have travel insurance through my bank account with Nationwide. What do I need to check for to see if I am covered if the trip gets cancelled due to FCO advice on coronavirus, or France taking anti-virus steps? Also, if I need to buy a new policy, will it cover me if I get it now and what should I look out for in it? Travel insurance policy sales are up by over 170% since the coronavirus outbreak, data says REVEALED: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CORONAVIRUS IN THE UK What is the scale of the problem? Cases of coronavirus in the UK more than doubled in 48 hours as the country moved towards the 'delay phase' of tackling the virus. A patient with underlying health conditions became the first person in the UK to die after testing positive. The older patient had been 'in an out of hospital' for other reasons but was admitted on Wednesday evening to the Royal Berkshire Hospital and tested positive. Some 116 people have tested positive, including 105 in England, two in Wales, six in Scotland and three in Northern Ireland. Just two days ago there were 51 UK cases. China has reported more than 80,000 cases and almost 3,000 deaths. Outside China, there have been more than 12,000 cases and over 200 deaths across more than 75 countries. How bad could it get? Half of all coronavirus cases in the UK are most likely to occur in just a three-week period, with 95 per cent of them over a nine-week period, according to England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty. Professor Whitty said he had a 'reasonably high degree of confidence' that one per cent is at the 'upper limit' of the mortality rate for the virus, although Wuhan in China, which has a weaker health system, had seen an eight to nine per cent mortality rate for those aged 80 and over. What is the Government doing now? The UK has moved to the delay stage, which means measures can be ramped up to delay its spread, with possibilities including school closures, encouraging greater home working, and reducing the number of large-scale gatherings. However, officials say closing schools would possibly only have a 'marginal effect', adding that children do not appear to be as badly affected by Covid-19 as other groups. Advertisement Grace Gausden, This is Money, replies: We have been swamped with similar coronavirus-related insurance questions regarding future travel in 2020. The virus outbreak is ever changing with more countries announcing new, and progressively more extreme, measures every day in a bid to combat the spread of the disease. This has ranged from people being advised to wash their hands regularly to millions of people being quarantined in Italy. This has made it difficult for those with holidays booked in the coming weeks and months to know what to do. Should they cancel to keep themselves safe or should they wait and see if they can take that trip after all? For those who have booked travel to places now put on a blacklist by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the choice has been taken out of their hands, but for those travelling to other regions, they have a decision to make. One step to take to ensure you don't lose out on all of the money you have already spent on a trip is to buy comprehensive travel insurance. This should ideally be done as soon as you book. There has been a surge in travellers purchasing policies, just in case they have to cancel. Policies have risen 170 per cent since the coronavirus outbreak, according to comparison website, Go Compare. However, buying any policy is not enough and travellers should read theirs through thoroughly before they decide to purchase it. The devil is in the smallprint. Check your policy You say you already have insurance but it is important to check the policy covers you for all the possibilities you may need to claim on. For example, coronavirus is currently being classed as an epidemic, it may fall under the same definition for insurers, which means you should check your policy covers you for this. Some insurers will also provide cover under 'travel disruption as a result of FCO restrictions' and 'cancellation due to FCO restrictions'. Meanwhile, around half of travel policies cover 'cancellation due to compulsory quarantine' again, holidaymakers should ensure their insurance has this written in to it. If you need to buy a new policy, after finding that your current one does not cover all the necessities, you should still be able to buy a new policy that will cover your holiday in April as, so far, there are no restrictions to travelling to France. While this could all change before then, if you buy a new policy now, you should be able to claim on it for any cancelled flights or bookings, if France becomes a no-travel zone - the best advice is to speak directly with an insurer to check this before forking out for cover. Tourist spots stand empty while panic-buying Italians queue down the streets to get food and police go on patrol telling people to stay inside as country's coronavirus lockdown begins Italian streets and piazzas were empty today while shoppers crammed into supermarkets to stock up for a lengthy quarantine as the country began an unprecedented nationwide lockdown. Milan's shopping galleries, Rome's Spanish Steps and St Peter's Square in the Vatican were all deserted today after prime minister Giuseppe Conte extended the drastic coronavirus measures to the entire country last night. Panic-buyers were packing into supermarkets this morning with queues stretching outside because of a rule that demands a 3ft gap between shoppers - meaning only a limited number can go inside at once. In Naples, police were roaming the streets with a loudhailer last night to warn people to 'stay indoors, avoid unnecessary outings and avoid crowded places' because of the 'coronavirus emergency'. Conte declared last night that 'everyone must give up something to protect the health of citizens' with 9,000 virus cases confirmed in Italy and 463 people dead. Anyone with a fever has been ordered to stay indoors with travel banned except in emergencies and public gatherings including weddings, funerals and sports fixtures shut down. The virus is spreading so quickly that doctors are now having to make life-or-death decisions about who gets access to intensive care. The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan - one of the city's famous shopping galleries - is nearly deserted today with Italy beginning an unprecedented nationwide lockdown to tackle the coronavirus outbreak Pigeons are the only crowd in sight in Milan's Piazza del Duomo today, usually a tourist hotspot. The Duomo cathedral was already closed because of the coronavirus outbreak A police car is parked near the Spanish Steps in Rome, which are usually a popular place for tourists to sit but are nearly deserted today because of the quarantine Italians pack supplies of groceries into overloaded shopping trolleys at a supermarket in Rome this morning as they prepare for a weeks-long quarantine after Italy's lockdown was extended nationwide A crowd of people with shopping trolleys, some of them wearing masks, gather outside a supermarket in Rome this morning Panic-buying: People cram into a supermarket in Rome this morning, some of them wearing face masks, after Italy expanded its drastic quarantine measures nationwide People queue with trolleys outside a 24-hour supermarket in Rome in the early hours of this morning following the lockdown People queue for groceries at a supermarket in Rome last night, with the unprecedented quarantine due to last until April 3 Warning: Authorities were roaming around Naples last night (pictured) with a loudhailer that told people to stay indoors because of the 'coronavirus emergency' Ethics rules call on doctors to consider a patient's age and their chance of survival when allocating hospital beds. The Italian society of anesthesiology and intensive care has published 15 ethical recommendations to consider for doctors when deciding on admissions. The criteria include the patient's age and the likelihood of survival, and not just 'first come first served.' 'It's a reasoning that our colleagues make,' Dr. Guido Giustetto, head of the association of doctors in northern Piedmont, said yesterday. 'It becomes dramatic if, rather than doing it under normal situations, they do it because the beds are so scarce that someone might not have access to medical care.' Italy expanded the quarantine measures to all 60million people in the country last night after a lockdown in the hardest-hit north had failed to slow the outbreak. 'Our habits must be changed, changed now. We all have to give up something for the good of Italy,' Conte said. 'When I speak of Italy, I speak of our dear ones, of our grandparents and of our parents,' he said. 'We will succeed only if we all collaborate and we adapt right away to these more stringent norms.' Conte also raged at young people who had continued to gather socially as the virus spread, saying 'this night life ... we can't allow this any more.' The nationwide restrictions mean that all schools and universities will remain closed until April 3, with cafes, pubs and eateries ordered to close until dusk. Italians have been ordered not to move around the country except for work and emergencies, with public gatherings and football matches cancelled. Following Italy's lead, the UK government has now advised Britons against all but essential travel to the country. Airports remain open and Britons can return from Italy without restriction, but are being urged to self-isolate for 14 days when they arrive back in the UK. Malta has stopped all travel links with Italy, its nearest neighbour and main source of food and other essentials. Meanwhile, payments on mortgages will be suspended across the whole of Italy, the country's deputy economy minister said today in the latest effort to manage the economic impact of the crisis. 'Yes, that will be the case, for individuals and households,' Laura Castelli said in an interview with Radio Anch'io, when asked about the possibility. Italy's banking lobby ABI said yesterday that most lenders would offer debt moratoriums to small firms and households grappling with the economic fallout. The government has also drawn up plans for an economic stimulus and has led calls for the EU to loosen budget rules to tackle the crisis. Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, said: 'The recent extension of Covid-19 controls in Italy represent one of the most rigorous country-wide control measures implemented in the last 50 years. 'Whilst we have seen in Wuhan that such intensive social distancing can bring the epidemic under control, it is far from clear how long this may need to be maintained in the Italian context. 'Unlike the situation in Wuhan where there was the possibility that the global epidemic could be prevented, Covid-19 is already spreading globally. So when the restrictions in Italy are eased there may still be a large number of cases in nearby countries that could lead to spread back into Italy. 'Would this degree of restriction be appropriate for the UK? Probably not as we are currently seeing a much more gradual increase in numbers and these are already distributed throughout the UK, unlike the situation in Italy where cases were concentrated in a single region. 'More rigorous social distancing measures are likely to be implemented in the UK over coming days or weeks as case numbers increase. But the timing of their introduction will be chosen to hopefully maximise the benefit whilst minimising the harm to British society.' People wearing masks buy groceries at a supermarket in Italy today with people stocking up for a lengthy quarantine Pigeons are the only large group of visitors on the Piazza del Duomo in Milan this morning, next to the cathedral which had already been closed because of the coronavirus outbreak The Vittorio Emanuele II shopping gallery in Milan - usually full of tourists - is almost empty on Tuesday morning Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte during a press conference at Chigi Palace in Rome last night where he announced the latest quarantine measures Doctors work at a hospital in Schiavonia in northern Italy with more than 9,000 coronavirus cases now confirmed in the country in the worst outbreak outside China and South Korea Shoppers stock up on food in Rome this morning as they prepare for a quarantine which is due to last until at least April 3 A view of the mostly deserted Via Dante pedestrian street in central Milan this morning Footage showed long queues of panic-buyers with shopping trolleys outside 24-hour supermarkets in Rome and Naples A cyclist shows his paperwork during police and military checks at the central station in Milan yesterday - with all three people wearing masks Pope urges priests to visit patients as he holds live-streamed Mass by himself Pope Francis today urged Catholic priests to visit people suffering from coronavirus despite a ban on most travel across Italy. Francis prayed that clergymen would 'have the courage to go out and go to the sick people' as he celebrated Mass by himself at the Vatican this morning. The service in the chapel of Francis' residence was live-streamed by the Vatican today, with the 83-year-old pontiff avoiding public gatherings. 'Let us pray to the Lord also for our priests, that they may have the courage to go out and go to the sick people bringing the strength of God's word and the Eucharist and accompany the health workers and volunteers in this work that they are doing,' Francis said. Francis also prayed for Italy's thousands of sick patients and the doctors and nurses who are caring for them in his homily today. His service today, held in the chapel of the Santa Marta guest house where he lives, came just hours after Italy extended its quarantine measures to the whole country. The pope last week cancelled a series of events after suffering from a cold during an Ash Wednesday service. Fears were raised after Francis was pictured hugging and kissing members of the public after speaking with a hoarse voice and blowing his nose in church. However, the pontiff is thought to have tested negative for coronavirus last week. He resumed some private meetings yesterday, including with bishops from France and two departing ambassadors. Advertisement Italy registered 1,807 more confirmed cases as of Monday evening, for a national total of 9,172. The number of dead in Italy also increased by 97 to 463 - most of them elderly with previous ailments. It comes with China beginning to scale down its virus operation, closing the temporary hospitals which sprung up in Wuhan where the outbreak began in December last year. 'Now that the virus has a foothold in so many countries, the threat of a pandemic has become very real,' WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. But he welcomed Italy's tough measures, noting that just four countries - China, South Korea, Italy and Iran - accounted for 93 per cent of cases worldwide. 'It would be the first pandemic that could be controlled,' Tedros added. 'The bottom line is we are not at the mercy of the virus.' The Lombardy government has been scrambling to increase its intensive care capacity, converting operating and recovery rooms into isolated wards. It has cobbled together 150 more beds in the last two weeks and expects another 150 in the coming week. 'Unfortunately we're only at the beginning,' said Dr. Massimo Galli, head of infectious disease at Milan's Sacco hospital. Speaking to SkyTg24, Galli said the numbers of infections registered in Lombardy last week were similar to those in Wuhan, China in late January. Galli noted that Wuhan, the center of China's outbreak that infected more than 80,000 people nationwide, is a concentrated metropolis of 11 million and Lombardy is spread out. But the numbers 'tell you that the diffusion is a real possibility,' he warned. A soldier holds his gun near the Duomo cathedral in Milan this morning with the whole of Italy now in lockdown A largely deserted road in Milan today, although a tram is still running - with public transport continuing to operate A masked man checks a person's paperwork at Milan central station yesterday A supermarket worker wearing a protective face mask is pictured through a window in Naples A man wearing a protective face mask walks next to the Trevi fountain in Rome this morning - an area usually full of tourists Lazio, the region surrounding the capital Rome, saw its cases jump from 87 to 102 in a day, a sign that the virus was propagating far from the northern concentrations. Also alarming was Italy's high fatality rate: With 463 dead and 9,172 infected, Italy's fatality rate is running at five per cent, higher than the 3-4 per cent elsewhere. Dr Giovanni Rezza, head of infectious disease at the National Institutes of Health, attributed it to the fact that Italy has the world's oldest population after Japan. The median age of Italy's virus-related dead is 80. But some younger people have also been in intensive care, including the first person to test positive in the north who had not been to China. The nearly deserted Corso Venezia street in Milan this morning, with northern Italy at the centre of the outbreak A waitress in Milan looks on by a sign advising clients to keep their distance from each other, under Italy's new quarantine rules This picture shows the Via Dante and Cordusio metro station in Milan today with only a handful of people walking around A long line of shoppers queueing with trolleys at a supermarket after last night's announcement The 38-year-old Unilever worker named Mattia came to be known in Italy as Patient No 1. At the San Matteo hospital in Pavia, there was a sigh of relief after Mattia began breathing on his own Monday with just a small amount of oxygen assistance. He was moved out of intensive care to a sub-ICU unit and was speaking with doctors. 'This disease has a long life,' intensive care chief Dr Francesco Mojoli told RAI state television. 'Now we hope that the fact that he was young and in good shape will help him get back to his normal life.' The State Chairmen Forum of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has dissociated itself from a statement claiming that it passed a vote of confidence on the partys National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole. The forums Publicity Secretary, Lawal Liman, in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, described as fraudulent, a statement claiming that the group met and passed a vote of confidence on Mr Oshiomhole. Mr Liman, who is also the partys chairman in Zamfara State, said there was no such decision reached by the forum. He said the forum has not met to deliberate on the crisis that has engulfed the party. We have not met, but we plan to meet before APCs National Executive Council (NEC), meeting scheduled for March 17, 2020. As soon as some state chairmen saw the statement, they started calling me to find out the veracity of the statement. l want to confirm to my colleagues that there was no meeting held and there was no statement issued to pass a vote of confidence on the APC National Chairman. All issues will be resolved at the next NEC meeting and, hopefully, we will hold a meeting of the forum before the said NEC meeting. We will not, in any way, bring the name of the forum to disrepute by doing what will take away our credibility, the forum spokesman said. (NAN) Delhi Police Commissioner S N Shrivastava on Tuesday inspected the deployment of the force across the national capital and greeted them on the occasion of Holi, officials said. According to a statement, Shrivastava met members of the Aman committee in northeast district where the riots broke out last month and extended Holi greetings. He appreciated their efforts in establishing peace with the coordination of police. Apart from this, several senior officers, including DCPs of different districts, met their officers and distributed sweets among police personnel on duty. More than 170 traffic pickets were put up to check rash and dangerous driving. A large number of policewomen were deployed in several parts of the national capital. Meanwhile, Delhi witnessed subdued celebrations due to the threat of coronavirus. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal stayed away from the Holi celebrations this year. He had earlier said that he would not play Holi this year due to the coronavirus threat and last month's riots in northeast Delhi that claimed 53 lives. "Happy Holi. Please take care of yourself while playing Holi. Please protect yourself from coronavirus," the chief minister said in a tweet in Hindi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has said the party top brass is unable to get in touch with Guna royal Jyotiraditya Scindia, who is at the centre of a political upheaval in the state, as he is down with swine flu. Speaking to reporters about the crisis in the state that has reduced the Kamal Nath government to a wafter-thin majority, Singh said: We tried to contact Scindia Ji (Jyotiraditya Scindia) but it is being said that he is suffering from swine flu, so haven't been able to speak to him. He added, "Whoever will try to disrespect the voter's mandate in Madhya Pradesh, will get a befitting reply from the people in the state... For me, all is well. The Congress government in Madhya Pradesh plunged into a crisis on Monday as a sulking Scindia, along with 16 MLAs, revolted, prompting Nath to call a late-night cabinet meeting where 22 ministers resigned reposing faith in his leadership. Nath alleged that the BJP was adopting immoral ways to "destabilise my government" and vowed not to let it happen. The minister said they have requested the chief minister to reconstitute the cabinet, in an apparent move to quell dissent in the party by accommodating some of the rebel MLAs in the council of ministers. The Tasmanian government wants to bring in fines of up to $8,500 for people who ignore directions to self-isolate (stock image) Australians could soon be fined $8,500 if they ignore quarantine rules under strict new laws to stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus. The Tasmanian government wants to bring in fines and could even issue arrest warrants for anyone who doesn't follow orders to self-isolate. Extreme measures are being considered after a man went clubbing in Hobart and then worked as a food and beverage attendant at a major hotel while awaiting his test result, which came back positive. Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein announced the potential new legal powers during a press conference on Monday. Extreme measures are being considered after a man went clubbing in Hobart and then worked as a food and beverage attendant at a major hotel while awaiting a test result (stock image) 'There are significant penalties that can be brought to bear, significant financial penalties, up to around $8500 should someone not follow a direction of the Director of Public Health, and we are considering on the use of those powers currently,' Mr Gutwein said. The Director of Public Health also has the authority to issue arrest warrants under the Public Health Act 'for the purposes of managing a threat to public health or a likely threat to public health', according to the Mercury. Extreme measures are being considered after a man went clubbing in Hobart and then worked as a food and beverage attendant at Hobart's Grand Chancellor hotel (pictured) The 20-year-old man arrived in Hobart, Tasmania (pictured: Hobart airport) on February 26 after travelling back from Nepal via Singapore and Sydney The premier made the announcement after a 20-year-old man arrived in Tasmania on February 26 after travelling back from Nepal via Singapore and Sydney. Despite developing symptoms the next day he proceeded to attend classes at the Australian Ideal College ahead of a night out clubbing at Cargo Bar and O Bar in Hobart on March 6. He also worked as a food and beverage attendant at the Grand Chancellor hotel for several shifts before tests confirmed he had coronavirus. Premier Gutwein said the man's behaviour was 'unacceptable' and urged others to 'be responsible' as the nation's health authorities struggle to contain the spread of the coronavirus. 'We need people to abide by the law and the direction of the Director of Public Health and we would expect them to remain in isolation,' Mr Gutwein said. But the Premier couldn't promise the state government would financially support people with suspected cases who were forced to take unpaid leave while awaiting test results. The Tasmanian Premier said they couldn't guarantee financial support for young workers who were unable to attend paid shifts because they were self-isolating (stock image) 'In terms of people that are self-isolating for a period of up to 24 hours while they wait for the test, we will work with them in terms of their individual circumstances,' he said. 'In terms of a broader package, we're currently working with the federal government and more will be said later this week in terms of the support for people that need to self-isolate both in terms of transport, in terms of other assistance and also in terms of ensuring that they have the daily supplies that they require.' There are two cases of the coronavirus in Tasmania, one in Launceston and one in Hobart. As of Sunday morning more than 126 tests had been carried out in the state for the coronavirus. India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has revised the power sector outlook to negative for FY21 from stable-to-negative on account of muted growth in electricity demand and rising discoms dues. This is due to limited improvement in the financial profile of distribution companies (discoms) since the launch of the Financial Restructuring Plan and Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY). Weakening consumer sentiments because of declining GDP growth can result in subdued power demand for FY21, it said. However, profitability is likely to remain unaffected due to the regulated nature of operations for most of the entities. Ind-Ra said the rising discom dues are expected to result in an elevated leverage level for the sector. The discom resolution plans have provided lower-than-anticipated benefits, and hence the focus can shift to the privatisation of discoms either through franchisee model or licensee model. Ind-Ra estimated a continued muted outlook for thermal plant load factor (PLF 9M FY20: 55.2 per cent) and expects it to remain below 60 per cent for FY21. Unlike few other developed global economies which have transitioned away from coal to gas and renewables, India will, however, remain dependent on coal. The low expected PLFs, lack of strong balance sheets in the sector, limited appetite of discoms to tie-up long-term power purchase agreements and low project returns will continue to prevent any major fresh project coming up in the thermal sector. Ind-Ra expects the renewable capacity addition to remain slow in FY21 on account of lower equity internal rate of returns generated by operational plants, limited domestic long-term funding availability post non-banking financial company crisis, continued poor health of discoms, and continuing infrastructure challenges on land acquisition and evacuation infrastructure. Ind-Ra estimated the additions to solar capacity to remain at 5 to 7 gigawatt annually (9M FY20: 5.5 GW, FY19: 6.5 GW, FY18: 9.4 GW) which is healthier than the additions in wind. Ind-Ra opined that resolution of the stressed thermal assets will remain slow as there are only a few commissioned assets left with significant tie-ups on fuel and power purchase agreements, which may see resolution during the coming year. About 16 GW of under-construction capacity has not seen any resolution till date and is likely to remain a challenge due to issues related to the settlement of past capex dues. This capacity, as per Ind-Ra, will remain stressed for a longer period or may find resolution under the National Company Law Tribunal only. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The swearing in Monday of two rival presidents of the US-backed puppet regime in Kabul has upended so-called intra-Afghan talks set to begin today under the terms of the agreement signed at the end of last month between Washington and the Taliban in Doha. President Ashraf Ghani, who was declared the victor in a September election whose votes were not counted until February, was sworn in at the presidential palace in Kabul. The ceremony was marred by a rocket attack that struck a parking lot in the presidential compound. In attendance were Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special envoy who was the main architect of the US-Taliban deal, as well as Gen. Austin Miller, the commander of US forces in Afghanistan, and Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN secretary generals personal representative to Afghanistan. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, center, delivering a speech after he was sworn in at an inauguration ceremony at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) Abdullah Abdullah, Ghanis rival in the presidential election, was sworn in at an adjacent palace in front of a crowd that included some of Afghanistans most prominent warlords. Abdullah, who held the position of CEO in Ghanis governmenta consolation post devised after the intervention of Secretary of State John Kerry following Afghanistans last fraud-plagued electionrefused to accept the official results of last Septembers vote, which saw less than a quarter of the countrys eligible voters go to the polls. Khalilzad had carried out a round of shuttle diplomacy between the rival claimants to the presidency, urging them to postpone their dueling inaugurations and attempt to arrive at a settlement. Abdullah said that he had agreed to a three-day delay, but that Ghani rejected the proposal. A number of Afghan political figures, including former President Hamid Karzai, failed to turn up at either inauguration. And, while the US appeared to throw its support behind Ghanis claim to the presidential palace, Washington has yet to officially acknowledge his alleged victory in last Septembers election. The political chaos gripping the Kabul regime, neither of whose factions enjoys any broad base of support, has upended the plans mapped out in the US-Taliban agreement reached in Doha on February 29 to initiate intra-Afghan negotiations on March 10. These talks, to be held in Oslo, were supposed to include the Taliban, representatives of the US-backed puppet regime, which the Taliban does not recognize, and other representatives of Afghan society. The Doha agreement, summarized in a four-page memorandum, calls for a phased withdrawal of US troops, with a drawdown from the present deployment of 13,000 to 8,600 by July and a complete withdrawal within 14 months. In return, the Taliban has pledged to deny the use of Afghan soil by Al Qaeda or any other group that poses a threat to the security interests of the US and its allies. The negotiations began after a seven-day reduction in violence observed by the Taliban and US forces in Afghanistan. Since the talks, there have been dozens of Taliban attacks on checkpoints manned by Afghan security forces and one US airstrike against Taliban fighters. While the Islamist movement made a commitment to halt all attacks on US and NATO-led coalition forces, it made no such promise in relation to the Afghan National Army and police. The Islamist group did apparently agree to halt attacks in Kabul and major provincial capitals. A Pentagon official, speaking not for attribution to AP, said on Monday that the US troop drawdown had already begun, with hundreds of soldiers departing Afghanistan at the end of their tours and not being replaced. Even before Mondays dual inaugurations, prospects for intra-Afghan talks going ahead as planned appeared slim at best. President Ghani has insisted that he had not agreed to a provision of the US-Taliban deal that called for the release of 5,000 imprisoned Taliban fightersroughly half of the total number held by the US and its puppet governmentalong with 1,000 Afghan troops and police captured by the Taliban. The Doha deal, describing the prisoner swap as a confidence-building measure, called for the exchange to take place before the March 10 opening of the talks between Kabul and the Taliban. A side agreement reached between Washington and the Ghani regime, however, specified only that the feasibility of such a prisoner release would be considered. Ghani has clearly been loath to release the Taliban prisoners. He views them as one of the few bargaining chips in the hands of his regime, which has lost control of more than half the country to the Taliban, which now holds more territory than at any time since the October 2001 US invasion that overthrew the government headed by the Islamist movement. The US puppet president has suggested over the past week various conditions for the release of the prisoners, which were nowhere mentioned in the deal between the Taliban and Washington. These include that the Taliban fighters renounce violence and that the Islamist movement as a whole break all ties with the government of Pakistan, whose military intelligence agency, the ISI, has long provided it protection. For its part, the Taliban has insisted that it will not hold any talks with the Kabul regime until its prisoners are released. The farcical dual inaugurations in Kabul Monday were preceded two days earlier by a bloody massacre in the capitals streets, where two gunmen turned automatic weapons on a public gathering called to commemorate the 1995 death at the hands of the Taliban of Abdul Ali Mazari, the leader of a political party and militia based upon the Hazara ethnic group based in the north of Afghanistan. The shooting spree claimed the lives of at least 32 people, while wounding 81 others. The Islamic State (ISIS) group claimed responsibility for the attack, declaring that it had targeted a gathering of apostates. The Hazaras are mainly Shia Muslims. The massacre provoked angry protests over the failure of the government to provide security, even in the center of the Afghan capital. There were also suggestions that the Ghani regime may have let the attack go forward in the hopes of killing some of its political rivals, including Abdullah, who spoke at the rally. The crisis in Kabul and the threatened breakdown of the so-called peace deal reached in Doha have their source in the failure of more than 18 years of US war and occupation to create any kind of viable US-backed regime. Instead, a war that has claimed the lives of nearly 2,400 US troops, wounded tens of thousands of others and has cost more than $1 trillion has succeeded only in facilitating the growth of a kleptocracy that is totally dependent upon US military force and has exploited and oppressed the Afghan people to line its own pockets. Legendary Ghanaian sound engineer, Zapp Mallet has revealed that Nigerian Sound engineers are now producing better beats. According to the most successful Ghanaian sound engineer, the beats produced by the Nigerian music producers remind him of what he experimented with years back. The Nigerian boys are doing some serious productionsi really love their beats..Their productions resonate with me. Reminds me of what I experimented with years back.Zapp Mallet told HotfmGhana.com Upon persuasion to reveal his favourite Nigerian song, Zapp Mallet indicated that: I dont know their titles, but I like WizKids newest joint. Ive actually heard a few on MTV base and Ive really enjoyed them. Zapp Mallet who is known in real life as Emmanuel Mallet is recognized as one of the pioneers of the hiplife genre that started in the early 1990s in Ghana. Zapps interest is in the fusion of different genres of music such as Rock, Jazz, Orchestra and Pop blended with African rhythms to create new sounds. He has been a source of inspiration to many sound engineers in Ghana, notable amongst them is the legendary Hammer of The Last Two who was inspired to begin his career in sound engineering after meeting Zapp Mallet and seeing the equipment in his studio during the period when Zapp was recording Reggie Rockstones album. He is also recognized as the first recording engineer to have won the Ghana Music Awards on three consecutive occasions; 1999, 2000, 2001. In 2019, he revealed his intentions to contest for the presidency of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA). He was later on disqualified because he had not held an executive position in the association. Source: HotfmGhana.com Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment To learn Biblical answers to your financial questions, you can #AskChuck @AskCrown your questions by clicking here. Questions used may be lightly edited for length or clarity. Dear Chuck, Were going through basic procedures at work in the event of a coronavirus pandemic. Im afraid of losing pay if I get sick. I have a small savings account, but not enough to cover a prolonged period of time. Ive been advised to stock some necessities at home which costs money I wasnt prepared to spend right now. Panicked about a Pandemic Dear Panicked, I have seen the widespread global fear we are witnessing now during both the panic surrounding the famed Y2K (Year 2000) concern that mission critical computer systems around the world would fail at midnight on 12/31/1999 due to a programming flaw, and the global financial meltdown of 2008. Obviously, many people are frightened by the news about this virus due to its higher than normal mortality rate and the impact it may have on the global economy. What is important to note is that much of the panic is not about the personal health risk of the virus itself but the way the virus may have secondary effects upon our lives. As I look at your comments and question closely, you too are not asking about how to protect yourself from the virus, but from the secondary effects of the virus: specifically those effects around your financial well-being. How Not to Panic Fear is never a proper basis on which to make decisions. The Bible instructs us to live our lives by faith and demonstrate hope and optimism in the midst of a disruptive or ominous event. Renew your mind by meditating on verses like these: "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:34 ESV) When I am afraid, I put my trust in you In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust: I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? (Psalm 56:3-4 ESV) "fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10-13 ESV) Prepare To Demonstrate Wisdom Because fear is contagious and so many will likely panic if the virus continues to spread, we may witness very significant economic challenges as governments seek to contain it through drastic measures like quarantines on travelers, school closures and cancellation of large public events. The private sector will likely follow with similar curtailments of conferences, employee travel and even mandatory work-from-home policies. Here is a list of some practical tips to get prepared in the event of a worst case scenario. Postpone unnecessary purchases to build up a cash margin and make any preparations. You likely do not need to spend a lot of money to adequately prepare. I recommend you have one month of your expenses in cash stored at home in a safe or a fireproof box. Boost your immune system with adequate sleep, exercise, healthy foods, and water. This is one of your best defenses against the virus itself. Here are a few extra tips for your health. Its a good time to start cooking your own meals and eating at home more often to protect yourself from food handlers who may be sick. This will reduce your food costs and help cover the expense of stocking up. If you double your recipes and freeze the extra, you will have prepared meals in the event you get sick or want to share with others who may be suffering. Have a sufficient supply of non-perishables on hand that you would eat after this fear passes. Some suggestions include canned vegetables, soups, rice, and pastas. In addition, consider some frozen foods, fresh fruit and vegetables, and boxed milk and juice. Only buy what you will eventually eat. Think about everything you use throughout the day. This includes batteries, toiletries, diapers, food and formula, pet food, vitamins, and prescription meds (may want to request an extra supply), water, liquids, digital thermometer, and any over the counter meds you would use if you get the flu. Post emergency numbers and work contacts in a convenient location. Be prepared to work from home if necessary. If schools are cancelled, have a schedule to help the children with homework. Some good books and games will be helpful. To limit stress or fear, try listening to the Bible, podcasts, or audiobooks while working puzzles, drawing, or coloring with little ones. Hymns and praise music can help calm anxious hearts. Watch what you say around or share with your young children. Just to be totally transparent, I still have a portable gas stove that I purchased for Y2K. It has never been used since the US power grid never crashed. Remember, dont let fear drive you to foolish overspending. FYI, I am not planning to stock up on face masks but it may not be a bad item to have on hand to share with your friends or family if they become hard to find. Its better to prepare early. Dont procrastinate and expect others to help you. Opportunity to Serve When fear is rampant, opportunities to share the love of Christ increase. There is no reason to fear since He is in control; think about serving instead of worrying. Connect with your church, small group, family, friends and neighbors. Have a system in place to check on each other. There will be many ways to serve. It may simply be phoning an elderly neighbor, running an errand, or cooking and leaving a meal on someones porch. In an article for World Magazine, June Cheng wrote: With the local government completely overwhelmed by the coronavirus, Wuhan churches have stepped up to provide aid to the desperate. To neighbors and medical professionals, they pass out face masks other churches around the country have donated. They find hospitals with beds available for those infected with the virus. Using the internet, they connect people in need with whatever resources they can find. As citizens of Wuhan increasingly lose faith in the government, Christians have gained a positive reputation. Those whom Christians have helped are grateful, and some want to learn more about the faith. Live One Day at A Time Fear should be replaced with thankfulness. Dwell on the good and give thanks! Praise Him and do not let fear rule your heart. For those of us who have been born again, to live is Christ; to die is gain. Rather than get caught up in the spread of fear, trust in the Lord who is bigger than any virus. Ask Him to grant you courage and the ability to see this as a time to encourage others. Turns out TikTok might be as educational as it is entertaining for kidsat least when it comes to learning about proper hand-washing technique. That seems to be the goal of a Vietnamese dancer named Quang Dang whose new dance challenge is blowing up on the popular app. The dance is performed to a song called "Ghen Co Vy," which was created by Vietnam's National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and is based on a Vietnamese pop hit called "Ghen" by Min and Erik. Dang's dance, referred to as the #GhenCovyChallenge, includes six hand-washing movements, as recommended by the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health. The lyrics, translated to English: "Wash our hands, rub, rub, rub, rub evenly. Do not touch eyes, nose, mouth. And limit visits to crowded places. Push back the virus, corona, corona. Constantly improve your health. And clean your personal space. Lets improve our social awareness. Push back the virus, corona, corona." CBS News reports that Dang was asked by Vietnam's National Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health to create the viral dance, and it only took him 15 minutes to come up with the choreography. "The viral dance will help spread this information to the community," he told the outlet via email. "Especially the young people. They tend to not get the right information." Story continues Since sharing his hygiene-boosting moves on February 19, Dang has received a wealth of praise. UNICEF posted the clip, writing on Facebook, "We love this handwashing dance from Vietnamese dancer, Quang Dang. Washing your hands with soap and water is one of the first steps to protect yourself from #coronavirus." On Last Week Tonight, John Oliver gave the dance a shout-out, as well, referring to the song as a "genuine club-banger." There's even an animated video set to the catchy tune. And now, the #GhenCovyChallenge is making the international rounds on TikTok and other social media platforms. Well before coronavirus-fueled anxiety swept the planet, the U.S. was facing a particularly rough cold and flu season, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention included hand-washing among the top ways to keep viruses at bay. In December, a viral school experiment showed us why: It's the most effective way to wash off germs and reduce your risk of illness. So, if a TikTok dance is the best way to engage, educate, and fuel this trend, more power to Dang and anyone else making the #GhenCovyChallenge go viral. MADRID, March 9 (Reuters) - Spain's government has prepared an emergency plan to deal with the economic consequences of the coronavirus, which it plans to launch "as soon as possible," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday. Without providing any details, Sanchez said the government has been working on the plan for two weeks and is now ready to roll it out, in collaboration with trade unions and businesses. (Reporting by Emma Pinedo and Inti Landauro; Writing by Nathan Allen; Editing by Ingrid Melander) James Marsden, the star of the TV adaptation of Stephen Kings The Stand, says shooting the series amid the coronavirus outbreak has been strange. In The Stand, Kings 1978 post-apocalyptic novel, the world is decimated by an accidental pandemic. There are scenes in the beginning of The Stand where as soon as you see someone who looks normal sneeze or cough into their arm, everyones eyes in the room darts towards them, Marsden told Variety and iHearts The Big Ticket podcast. I see that in public now, and everyone kind of takes a few steps away from the person. Its crazy. Were in full panic mode right now. Marsden added: Obviously, no one would ever want to capitalise on something as horrible as this, but it certainly makes it relevant. King, however, has sought to limit comparisons between his novel and the current real-life situation. No, coronavirus is NOT like THE STAND, the author tweeted over the weekend. James Marsden on 18 May 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (JC Olivera/Getty Images) Its not anywhere near as serious. Its eminently survivable. Keep calm and take all reasonable precautions. The Stand is currently still in production and filming in Vancouver. It will air on CBS All Access. According to the CDC, people should avoid contact with those who are sick, avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth, stay home when sick, wash their hands frequently and for at least 20 seconds, disinfect surfaces in the household, and cover their coughs and sneezes with a tissue. "If there are right turn-ins and right-turns only, being able to keep the intersection of Delaware and 109th Avenue at least a little bit relieved there, too. That is part of the plan," Ban said. While Evorik isn't against a hotel coming to the city, he doesn't want more curb cuts along the thoroughfare. "We don't need another street behind the hotel. I didn't want the street and the curb cut behind there," Evorik said. "We got enough curb cuts, and there's going to be more. We all know there's going to be more curb cuts once things start getting approved on 109th." Parking spots also back up to a portion of the drive, which makes the plan "too dangerous," Rohaley said. Evorik and Rohaley ultimately voted against the primary plat to re-subdivide the land that the hotel, new restaurant and office building will sit on. The measure passed 5-2. During a workshop for the hotel, Plan Commissioner Chad Jeffries said everyone could agree the private road inevitably will turn into a cut-through, creating parking issues for the spots along the road. Kim Kardashian praised her 'strong' mentors in a sweet Instagram message to honour International Women's Day on Monday. The media personality, 39, was joined by the likes of human rights attorney Jessica Jackson and Alice Marie Johnson - whose life sentence she helped commute in 2018 - as they visited the White House in Washington, D.C to discuss criminal justice reform. Reality TV star Kim captioned her post: 'I know I'm a day late but Happy International Women's Day to all of the strong women out there!' Impressive: Kim Kardashian praised her 'strong' mentors in a sweet Instagram message to honour International Women's Day on Monday (pictured L-R: with Tynice Hall, Jessica Jackson, Crystal Munoz, Alice Johnson, Judith Negron and Erin Haney) Posing in front of President Donald Trump's official residence, the trailblazer added: '[Here are] the women I look up to: Jessica Jackson, Erin Haney, Alice Johnson and Judith Negron, Crystal Munoz, and Tynice Nichole Hall who just had their lengthy prison sentences commuted.' The mother-of-four teased details of their chat as she added: 'We went in there powerful together and had some amazing ideas for the future. I pray they come to fruition and that I can share it with you all soon!' Kim, who shares North, six, Saint, four, Chicago, two, and Psalm, nine months, with husband Kanye West, exuded sophistication as she was dressed in a structured white suit by Dior, teamed with a metallic Hermes handbag. International Women's Day, which took place on Sunday, is held every year to recognise the advancement of women's rights and gender equality. Woman on a mission: The media personality, 39, visited the White House in Washington, D.C via a private jet to discuss criminal justice reform Business chic: The reality TV star exuded sophistication as she was dressed in a structured white suit by Dior, teamed with a metallic Hermes handbag Alabama native Jessica, 37, is the co-founder of #cut50, a campaign aimed at reducing the incarceration rate in America, while colleague Erin serves as the initiative's National Policy Director. The make-up mogul previously made visits to the capital to lobby the pardon of her close friend Alice, who was serving life without parole for drug offenses. Alice was sentenced to life in prison in 1997 for committing a first-time nonviolent drug crime in Memphis, news which Kim first heard about on Twitter. Last month, Kim, Alice and #cut50 support Trump's decision to cut short the sentences of drug conspiracy convicts Tynice and Crystal and white collar criminal Judith. Important cause: The make-up mogul previously made visits to the capital to lobby the pardon of her close friend Alice, who was serving life without parole (pictured with Trump in June) For the past few years, the KUWTK star has been using her status to shine a light on criminal justice reform. Earlier this year, Kim teased an upcoming documentary on the cable channel Oxygen, titled Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project. Debuting on April 5, the two-hour film will show the TV star visiting prisons and working alongside legal experts on four cases of people they believe have been unfairly sentenced. 'There is a mass incarceration problem in the United States. People deserve a second chance, she says in the clip. Strong team: Alabama native Jessica, 37, is the co-founder of #cut50, a campaign aimed at reducing the incarceration rate in America Legally glam! Kim is currently studying to become a lawyer, and is gearing up to take the California bar exam (pictured in December) At a discussion about her new film, Kim was asked how she would respond to people who may think she had attached herself to the cause in order to burnish her well-known brand. 'I'm very used to criticism, so nothing really fazes me,' the Los Angeles native said at the event organized by the Television Critics Association. She added: 'I really genuinely just stay focused on the cases and the people. I'm not doing it for publicity. I really do care.' The social media influencer - who is aiming to take her bar exam in 2022 - works daily on her law studies for a total of 20 hours per week and just completed her first year of her four-year law apprenticeship course in California. The Church in Italy, as well as Vatican authorities, are coordinating with civil authorities to implement measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak. By Vatican News On Sunday, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, issued a statement explaining some of the steps being taken by the Vatican, in coordination with the measures launched by the Italian authorities to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Museum closures announced These actions include the precautionary closure of the Vatican Museums; the Scavi (Excavations) Office, which organizes visits to the Tomb of St Peter and the Necropolis under the Vatican Basilica; the Museum at Castel Gandolfo; and the museums attached to the Pontifical Basilicas. They will remain closed until 3 April 2020. Bishops announce compliance with Italian ordinances The Italian Bishops Conference (CEI) issued a statement on Sunday indicating their compliance with a Decree issued by the Italian Government which suspends civil and religious ceremonies throughout the country, also until 3 April. The Bishops Conference notes that the official indication by the government specifically includes public Masses and funerals. The statement notes that this is a very restrictive measure, which causes suffering and hardship for Pastors, priests and the faithful. Compliance with this decree, they say, is motivated solely by the desire to do ones part, to contribute to safeguarding public health at this time. Churches in Rome remain open for personal prayer In the Diocese of Rome, the Cardinal Vicar, Angelo De Donatis, has issued a degree implementing the decisions of the government. Specifically, churches within the diocese will remain open for personal prayer, as usual, subject to the conditions indicated by the Italian government; while suspending all communal liturgical celebrations during the next three weeks. Earlier, Cardinal De Donatis sent a letter to the faithful of the Diocese of Rome, in which he encourages them to approach the extraordinary situation caused by the coronavirus outbreak with the strength of the faith, the certainty of hope, and the joy of charity. He stresses the importance of seeing the situation through the eyes of God, as an opportunity to turn again to Him, to rediscover what is essential, to recover the taste for prayer. A day of prayer and fasting In the letter, the Cardinal Vicar calls for all Christians in Rome to offer a day of prayer and fasting, on Wednesday 11 March 2020, to ask of God help for our city, for Italy, and for the world. In particular, he asks for prayers for the sick and for caregivers, and for our communities, that they might bear witness to faith and hope in this moment. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) Immigration activists rallied in San Francisco on Monday at the same location where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested a man as he was entering a court hearing less than a week ago. Last Tuesday, ICE agents arrested Alberto Uc Ponce, 43, of San Francisco, on the steps on the Hall of Justice, located at 850 Bryant St. According to his supporters, as well as the San Francisco Public Defender's Office, the arrest violated state law because the ICE agents didn't provide a judicial warrant. Uc Ponce's attorney, San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Emi MacLean, said just before his arrest, Uc Ponce was scheduled to enter a hearing in connection with a nonviolent offense charge. "He was complying with all of the obligations with the court and little did he know that doing what he's supposed to do, come to court, would place him in immigration detention hours away from his home," she said. For now, MacLean said Uc Ponce remains incarcerated in an immigration center near Bakersfield, as he now fights his deportation. "ICE should not be using people's attendance at court hearings as a justification for their arrest," she said. Last week's arrest by ICE agents in San Francisco is just one in a handful of arrests to happen outside California criminal courts recently. On Feb. 18, for example, ICE agents arrested two immigrants outside of Sonoma County Superior Court in Santa Rosa. The recent arrests outside of courthouses by ICE appear to illustrate a long-brewing standoff between federal immigration officials and local cities, counties and the state of California that have declared themselves sanctuaries for immigrants. Officials with ICE issued a statement last week about Uc Ponce's arrest, saying Uc Ponce had three previous felony convictions for second degree burglary from 2016, 2017 and 2019. On at least seven occasions, when ICE lodged detainers with local law enforcement following Uc Ponce's arrests, due to sanctuary laws Uc Ponce was released back into the community without their knowledge, ICE officials said. Despite Gov. Gavin Newsom approving Assembly Bill 668 last year, which prohibits arrests in courthouses without judicial warrants, ICE officials maintain state law will not stop federal officers from enforcing immigration laws in sanctuary jurisdictions. "Now ICE is stalking courthouses as its only way to attempt to apprehend individuals," said Edwin Carmona-Cruz, spokesman for the FREE SF coalition. "We're here not asking for anything new. We're here so that our municipalities can implement state law, AB 668, which prohibits civil arrests in and around criminal courts." Both San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju and San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin have condemned Uc Ponce's arrest. 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 Madness is coming to the Harrisburg area. A Teriyaki Madness restaurant has leased 2,000 square-feet at the High Pointe Commons in Swatara Township, according to Levin Management Corporation, the centers managing agent. The fast casual chain specializes in made-to-order Asian food with a Seattle twist and features teriyaki dishes made with all-natural ingredients. The restaurant will open at the shopping center between Moes Southwest Grill and Jackson Hewitt. Franchise owner Laron Casey, a retired police detective from New York City, said he expects the 42-seat restaurant will open as early as May or June. He discovered Teriyaki Madness after researching different restaurant chains. I said lets try something youve always wanted to do, franchise a restaurant, Casey said. I looked into a few different restaurants and fell in love with it. While visiting the chains headquarters in Denver, Colorado, he said it felt like walking into an extension of his family. It helped, he said, that his three teenage children love the style of food. The restaurants website says it is dedicated to 'Spreading the Madness, so everyone can experience the best teriyaki on earth." There are about 120 of the restaurants open or coming soon in the United States. The first one opened in 2003 in Las Vegas, and the closest one to Harrisburg operates in Chambersburg. Diners customize their bowls with choice of protein, rice or noodles and vegetables with options for steak teriyaki, chicken katsu, spicy chicken and more. The menu is also dedicated to appetizers such as edamame and chicken potstickers, and sides such as stir-fried veggies and fried rice. For opening day, Casey said the first 10 diners in line will receive free meals once a week for a year. A Panera Bread opened last year at the High Pointe Commons, which also is home to a JC Penney and Target. 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. When the chief executive of Wells Fargo, Charles W. Scharf, appeared before the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday, the committees chairwoman opened with an ominous warning: The last two Wells Fargo chiefs to face Capitol Hill inquisitions resigned soon after. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Scharf tried to put distance between himself and his predecessors. Denouncing the companys flawed business model and broken culture, Mr. Scharf acknowledged that the banks efforts to reform itself had been stumbling and incomplete and said that was changing. The sense of urgency that people are working with inside the company is very different today than it was four months ago, he said. Thats when Mr. Scharf became the latest person in charge of fixing the mess that is Wells Fargo, which has made little progress righting itself in the nearly four years since a series of scandals began bursting into view. Employees had opened what may have been millions of sham accounts in customers names, charged mortgage customers unnecessary fees and forced auto loan borrowers to buy insurance they did not need. Boris Johnson has defeated his first party rebellion over a UK government decision to allow Chinas Huawei to have a role in building Britains 5G phone network. Huawei, the worlds biggest producer of telecoms equipment, has been caught in a stand-off between Washington and Beijing after the US accused it of spying on Western secrets, allegations which the company has denied. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a news conference on the CCP virus in London, UK, on March 3, 2020. (Frank Augstein/Pool via Reuters) Britains Johnson Faces Lawmaker Revolt Over Huawei 5G Decision LONDONBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces his first rebellion on March 10 over the governments decision to allow Chinas Huawei a role in building the countrys 5G phone network. Huawei, the worlds biggest producer of telecoms equipment, has been caught in a stand-off between Washington and Beijing after the United States accused the company of spying to steal Western secrets. The company denies those allegations and Britain decided in January to allow Huawei into what Johnsons government said were non-sensitive parts of the British network, capping its involvement at 35 percent. The decision alarmed the United States, which wants to exclude the Chinese company from the Wests next-generation communications systems and has urged Britain to rethink. A group of Johnsons Conservatives, which the rebels say number anything from 30 to 50 lawmakers, oppose the decision. Some of them plan to back an amendment to the Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill to ensure that the companies termed by British security experts as high-risk vendorssuch as Huaweiare stripped out of networks completely by the end of 2022. We hope to curb the governments enthusiasm for installing hardware produced by a company that they acknowledge to be high risk, Conservative lawmaker David Jones told Reuters. The Conservative rebels acknowledge that they do not have the numbers to force a change to government policy. But they hope to influence Johnson to take a harder line. High-profile rebel David Davis said the hope is that an emblematic vote on the proposed amendment would spur the government to enter further discussions. If not, he said, the rebels would try to force the governments hand at a later date. Mike Rake, the former chairman of broadband and mobile company BT and an adviser to Huawei, said the Chinese company has a vital role in building the 5G network Britain needs. Any attempt to further restrict Huawei 5G equipment, or to remove existing 4G equipment, will not only incur very significant costs but prejudice trade relationships with China and will significantly set back the governments broadband ambitions, he said in an open letter on Tuesday. This, in turn, will further damage our competitiveness as an economy at what is a critical moment. By Paul Sandle and Elizabeth Piper The Department of Health has confirmed a double-digit jump in the number of coronavirus Covid-19 cases in Ireland. Department of Health officials outlined a breakdown of the 10 new cases which brings the total in the Republic of Ireland to 34 at the daily briefing on Tuesday, March 10. Five of these new cases are linked with travel from an affected area. Three of those are males in the south. One male and one female in the east of the country is also associated with travel from an affected area. Three of those 10 new cases are associated with close contact with a confirmed case - a male and female in the west and a female in the south of the country. Two of the new cases are healthcare workers - one male in the south associated with hospital transmission and one female in the east, possibly due to hospital transmission. In total, 1,784 people have been tested for Covid-19 up to Monday. There are now 50 cases on the island of Ireland after 16 new cases were also in Northern Ireland on Tuesday. Readout from the Vice President's Discussion with our Nation's Governors on COVID-19 Coordination & Preparedness March 9, 2020 Vice President Mike Pence today participated in a discussion with nearly 50 of our Nation's governors to provide an update on the work of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, to continue coordination with governors and state and local officials to respond to and prepare for the coronavirus, and to thank governors and state and local leadersparticularly state and local health officialsfor their important and tireless work. The Vice President along with White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Ambassador Deborah Birx, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention Director Bob Redfield, U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command General Terrence O'Shaunessy, Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci, and Surgeon General Jerome Adams provided a status update on the expansion of testing capabilities, increased access to respirators for health care personnel, and the importance of the supplemental funding bill. Various governors provided an update on State and local actions to respond to and prepare for the Coronavirus, including coordination across various state agencies and local governments. Participants also discussed how elderly individuals and individuals with underlying health conditions can protect themselves using common sense precautions. The Federal supplemental bill authorizes $7.76 billion to Federal, State and local agencies to combat the coronavirus including funds for vaccine development and medical supplies, grants for health agencies and organizations, loans for impacted small businesses, and $500 million in waivers for Medicaid telehealth restrictions. Governor Larry Hogan, Chair of the National Governors Association, joined the Vice President in person, and other governors joined via video teleconference or phone. The Vice President pledged that Federal leaders will continue to coordinate with our Nation's governors and other State and local leaders. For more information about the Coronavirus, please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address We have made the difficult, but necessary, decision to reduce our workforce in select areas of our organization in order to align our business to our new strategic priorities, spokesman Brad Kreiger said in an emailed statement. We completed a comprehensive review of our business in 2019, developing a new roadmap that will allow us to be a nimbler and more agile organization to deliver the best service for our clients. PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-10 13:00:14 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 542 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 ALBUQUERQUE, NM / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2020 / Gabe Alarid has been named to the Development Fundraising Committee to CLNkids, formerly known as "Cuidando Los Ninos," a 501(C)(3) dedicated to serving the homeless children in New Mexico since 1988.Gabe Alarid is one of New Mexico's most trusted and most referred brokers with the #1 team in Keller Williams Realty Worldwide, Ben Kinney Companies.. He received the honor of being amongst the Top 40 under 40 young business leaders in New Mexico by Albuquerque Business First in 2019. He also sat on the Board of Directors for the New Mexico Association of Realtors in 2019. He specializes in residential, investment and luxury homes in the Greater Albuquerque area. As a real estate wealth advisor he counts among his clients many distinguished business and community leaders."It is a privilege and honor to be able to serve this wonderful organization and, among other responsibilities, be able to help raise funds for charity and homeless children," said Alarid, who will be participating in an upcoming CLNkids Lemonade "friend-raiser" to benefit homeless children and families on June 5th, 2020 from 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM at 1500 Walter Street in SE Albuquerque. Tours Available! For more information, call 505-843-6899.CLNkids' goal is to make sure homeless children and their families never go back to homelessness again. They accomplish this by helping them develop the skills they need to get back on their feet and stay there. In addition to food and shelter, they provide children with access to the highest quality early childhood education and they offer parents job training, life skills training and other educational resources to set them on the path of self-sufficiency.About the CharityCLNkids (formerly known as "Cuidando Los Ninos") has been serving the homeless community in Albuquerque since 1988. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, CLNkids helps lift children and families out of homelessness by combining high-quality early childhood education with proven support programs for parents. Utilizing trauma-informed practices, CLNkids continues to prove that, together; we can break the cycle of homelessness. To continue our mission, we rely on both public and private support through donations, advocacy and volunteerism. We do what we do because of your support. Your money goes toward the supplies; food and facilities we need to help families and children in need, including school supplies, meals and transportation. You may also donate any of the items on our Wish List.About Gabe AlaridGabe Alarid is New Mexico's Most Trusted and most referred real estate brokers, counting among his clients many distinguished business and community leaders. Gabe partnered up with the #1 Team in Keller Williams Worldwide (Ben Kinney Companies) because of his ability to plug into a larger network of high-level wealth advisors and agents across the nation, to better serve his clients and luxury clients locally at the highest level. Gabe has a very innovative approach to real estate more so than most Realtors. Gabe does not see his role just as a Realtor, he views his position as a real estate wealth manager and advisor, his main goal is to help his clients make smart money decisions about their future and help them build wealth through any economy.For media inquiries, please call the NALA at 805.650.6121, ext. 361.SOURCE: Gabe Alarid By Akbar Mammadov South Koreas The Korea Times newspaper has published an article titled Azerbaijanis in occupied regions respond to Armenian aggression, March 2. The article includes a statement from the Azerbaijani Community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan. 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. The statement also points out the Khojaly genocide and Armenias policy of occupation and aggression of Azerbaijani territories. 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, wherein one night 613 civilians, including women, children and elderly were brutally killed, has become the largest massacre committed against Azerbaijanis by invading Armenian forces. The statement includes that 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 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. We call upon the world community not to turn a blind eye to the ongoing Armenian aggression and sufferings of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis uprooted from their homes for 30 years, and re-double the efforts towards ensuring the implementation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions and the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict on the basis of the norms and principles of international law, as enshrined in the Helsinki Final Act, in full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders, the statement concludes. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Democratic presidential hopeful former Vice President Joe Biden flanked by his wife Jill (L) and sister Valerie Biden Owens (R) speak during a Super Tuesday event in Los Angeles, California, on March 3, 2020. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images) Joe Biden Says He Might Veto Medicare-for-All Under Certain Conditions The 2020 Presidential Hopeful Cited 'Delays' and 'Security' As Possible Justification for a Veto Former vice president and Democratic front-runner Joe Biden said in a televised interview Monday that, if elected President, he would veto a Medicare for All proposal if it undermined the security and certainty of health care provision. Biden, whose press team did not immediately respond to a request for clarification on his comments, made the remarks when asked by MSNBCs Lawrence ODonnell if he would veto the universal health care bill advanced by a number of Democrat presidential hopefuls, including Bidens chief rival Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Veto question. Lets flash forward. Youre president. Bernie Sanders is still active in the Senate. He manages to get Medicare for All through the Senate in some compromised version, the Elizabeth Warren version or other version. Nancy Pelosi gets a version of it through the House of Representatives, ODonnell asked Biden. It comes to your desk. Do you veto it? Biden said that for him to veto the bill, it would have to pose a threat to the stable provision of health care under status quo arrangements. In his response, he also touched on concerns around affordability. I would veto anything that delays providing a security and certainty of healthcare being available now, Biden said. If they got that through by some miracle, or there was an epiphany that occurred and some miracle occurred that said ok its passed, then youve got to look at the cost. I want to know how did they find the $35 trillion. What is that doing? Is it going to significantly raise taxes on the middle class, which it will. Whats going to happen? Joe Biden tells @Lawrence that, as president, he would veto Medicare-for-All if it passed both houses of Congress and came to his desk. pic.twitter.com/AOfPsXI3Xq Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) March 10, 2020 Look, my opposition isnt to the principle that we should have Medicare. Healthcare should be a right in America, Biden continued. My opposition relates to whether or not, A, its doable, two, what the cost is, and what the consequences for the rest of the budget are. How are you going to find $35 trillion over the next 10 years without having profound impacts on everything from taxes for middle-class and working-class people, as well as the impact on the rest of the budget? he added. Estimates vary on the cost of Medicare for All. The bipartisan public policy organization Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget published a range of estimates ranging from $28-32 trillion over a decade. A paper cited in PLOS Medicine evaluated 22 cost projections and concluded a single-payer system could provide long-term net savings to Americans compared to the current arrangement. An oft-cited objection to a single-payer system is that while it might make health care more affordable, its quality would suffer. Chris Jacobs, author of The Case Against Single Payer: How Medicare for All Will Wreck Americas Health Care SystemAnd Its Economy, said in a recent interview with The Epoch Times program American Thought Leaders that a Medicare for All scheme would cause demand to spike and quality to drop. As anyone whos ever been to an all-you-can-eat buffet knows, making something free means you want to consume more of it. Now I dont think people will voluntarily sign up for heart surgery because its free, but you will see additional demand for health care, Jacobs said. The result, Jacobs said, would be longer wait times and less access to care, especially in highly specialized fields. On his campaign website, Biden outlines his health care plan, which involves building on Obamacare, while leaving the underlying structure intact. As president, Biden will protect the Affordable Care Act from these continued attacks. He opposes every effort to get rid of this historic lawincluding efforts by Republicans, and efforts by Democrats, Biden says on the site, essentially proposing to keep private insurance, cap premiums, expand subsidy eligibility, and add a public option. A leading Australian bushfire recovery scientist has called for an immediate end to native forest logging in Victoria in the wake of the catastrophic summer bushfires. Professor David Lindenmayer, a world expert in forest ecology and conservation, says his research demonstrates that logging makes native forests more prone to fire. Credit:James Brickwood "Now were seeing the wicked combination of fire in highly-altered landscapes coupled with nasty fire weather. I just dont see how we can justify it, he said. Professor Lindenmayer, a researcher at the Australian National University, made his remarks at a speech on the science of bushfire recovery at Melbourne Zoo on Tuesday. His recent research and analysis in eastern Victoria, to be published later this year, showed native forests that had been logged and regenerated were much more likely to burn severely. By Tatiana Bautzer SAO PAULO (Reuters) - British insurance broker Aon Plc has accused the founder of Brazilian health and benefits insurance broker Admix of defrauding it when it acquired the company four years ago in a 1.35 billion reais ($300 million) deal, according to arbitration and court documents reviewed by Reuters. The sale contract with Admix founder Cesar Antunes da Silva included a clause calling for Aon to pay him up to 150 million reais two years after the deal closure if certain revenue targets were met. Another 80 million reais were placed in an escrow account as guarantee for any problem in the deal, a common practice in M&A transactions. Citing what it called "fraud and omissions" by da Silva in the sale process, Aon in 2018 did not pay the earn-out clauses or release the amount in the escrow account, according to the documents. Aon is seeking at least 200 million reais in damages via arbitration. Lawyers for da Silva said Aon was trying to use the arbitration to compensate for losses stemming from its own "mismanagement" of Admix after the acquisition, according to the documents. They said the insurer took two years to complain of omissions and are demanding that Aon pay the remaining value in the escrow account and the earn-out payments. Aon and da Silva's lawyers declined to comment for this story, saying the arbitration was confidential. The arbitration, which began in December 2018 in Sao Paulo, is registered by the International Chamber of Commerce under the number 24146/GSS and details of its contents have not been previously reported. The dispute underlines how disappointing the deal has proven for Aon, which is aiming to become the world's largest insurance broker. When it was announced, the then head of Aon's health and benefits division, John Zern, said the acquisition doubled the brokerage giant's presence in Brazil, while its head for Risk Solutions in Latin America, Fernando Pereira, said the deal would enhance Aon's activities in Latin America. Both have left the company since the deal. Story continues At the time, Admix had 1.4 million beneficiaries across 6,700 companies of all industries and sizes and placed 2 billion reais in health and benefits premiums a year. Aon has also asked the arbitration judges to revalue Admix, alleging irregular underwriting policies, and to reimburse the price difference. The alleged underwriting irregularities happened only after the company was sold, da Silva's lawyers say, according to the documents. Aon also alleges Admix failed to inform it about contract cancellations, including the cancellation of a high number of contracts before the deal closed by health care operator Unimed. Da Silva argued in his response in the arbitration that most of those were transferred to other insurance brokers within the same group. Aon also accused the Admix founder of failing to disclose significant labor lawsuits filed by its own employees. Aon's arbitration lawyers also accused a former Admix insurance broker of intimidating witnesses because he sued certain of the British insurer's employees who had made depositions within the arbitration proceedings and accused him of fraud. The broker, Nadjair Diniz Barbosa, and his lawyer declined to comment. Aon did not disclose the arbitration in its 2019 financial statements as it has done with other arbitration proceedings in New Zealand and the United States, and antitrust investigations in Europe. Aon declined to comment on why the arbitration was not disclosed in the financial statements. Aon announced on Monday a $30 billion deal to acquire rival Willis Towers Watson and become the world's largest insurance broker. (Reporting by Tatiana Bautzer; Editing by Christian Plumb and Rosalba O'Brien) Breaking news from Michael Lynch and Eryk Bagshaw, Formula One team members at the Grand Prix in Melbourne are being tested for coronavirus and have been placed into isolation. A McLaren F1 car in February. Credit:Getty Images Officials from the HAAS Formula One team and the McLaren squad have confirmed that members of their Grand Prix crews have gone into self-isolation while they are being tested. It comes after the Australian Grand Prix Corporation denied any suggestion that the federal government held off on an Italy travel ban to allow the Ferrari team into Australia. Australian Grand Prix Corporation chairman Paul Little on Wednesday refused to divulge what discussions took place between race organisers and government authorities before Ferrari and AlphaTauri, were allowed into Australia. Mr Little said there was no conspiracy theory and stressed that at all times the Australian Grand Prix Corporation had followed the guidelines laid down by health authorities and the federal government. Asked if lobbying had taken place, Mr Little said the issues of travel restrictions were sensitive. He said it was "stretching the truth" to suggest pressure had been mounted before the government made its initial ruling on travellers from Italy, which stopped short of an outright ban. "There's no conspiracy there," Mr Little said. As the coronavirus continues to sweep the world, Israel has decided to place everyone arriving to the country into quarantine for 14 days, according to the BBC. After a day of complex discussions, we made a decision: everyone who comes to Israel from abroad will enter the 14-day isolation, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement. This is a tough decision, but it is essential to maintain public healthand public health precedes everything. The self-quarantine will also apply to foreign arrivals from Thursday, according to Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri. Authorities estimate that about 268,000 Israelis are currently abroad and would need to quarantine themselves upon their return. The country had already imposed this rule for travelers coming from Italy, which has been hit the hardest in Europe. To date, no one in Israel has died from the virus, though 42 people have been diagnosed. Meanwhile, Italian citizens are reeling as the outbreak spreads throughout their country. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte imposed the most restrictive limits on movement since World War Two, according to the BBC. These days, I have been thinking about the old speeches of [Winston] Churchillit is our darkest hour but we will make it, Conte said. More than a quarter of the Italian population are under strict quarantine rules. Schools, universities, museums, and movie theaters in Milan and Venice have been temporarily shut down until the virus passes. As of Monday, the death toll in Italy rose to 463 people with over 9,000 infected. Riots have also broken out across the country, specifically in prisons where inmates are not allowed visitors. Earlier this week, six inmates died at a prison after a riot. Authorities believe two of those deaths were caused by inmates who raided a prison hospital and overdosed on the heroin substitute methadone. In a prison located in Foggia, about 20 inmates broke out during a riot. Nearly all of them were recaptured shortly after the riot. World Health Organization has commended Italy for its sacrifices and resolve to stymie the spread of the virus. Photo courtesy: Pixabay Mikaela Mathews is a freelance writer and editor based in Dallas, TX. She was the editor of a local magazine and a contributing writer for the Galveston Daily News and Spirit Magazine. NEW YORK, March 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Credit Suisse AG ("Credit Suisse") announced today the automatic acceleration and mandatory redemption of its Credit Suisse X-Links Monthly Pay 2xLeveraged Alerian MLP Index ETNs ("AMJL"). On March 9, 2020, the closing indicative value of AMJL was $2.1081. Because the closing indicative value of AMJL was equal to or less than $5.00, an acceleration upon minimum closing indicative value, as defined in the pricing supplement relating to AMJL, has occurred. Accordingly, all issued and outstanding ETNs will be automatically accelerated and mandatorily redeemed. As disclosed in more detail in such pricing supplement, holders will be entitled to receive the acceleration settlement amount, calculated in accordance with the terms of the ETNs. Payment of the acceleration settlement amount will be made on the acceleration settlement date, which is expected to be March 19, 2020. The last day of trading for AMJL is expected to be March 18, 2020. As of today, Credit Suisse will no longer issue new units of AMJL ETNs. Credit Suisse expects that NYSE Arca will allow AMJL to continue to trade until March 18, 2020. Investors who buy AMJL at any time for an amount that is greater than the amount they receive upon acceleration (including paying any premium to the acceleration settlement amount, once this amount has been determined) will suffer a loss on their investment. Furthermore, investors who sell AMJL at any time for an amount that is less than the amount they would have received upon acceleration (including selling at any discount to the acceleration settlement amount, once this amount has been determined) will also suffer a loss. In either case, such losses could be significant. Investors will not receive any other compensation or amount for the loss of the investment opportunity of holding AMJL and investors may be unable to invest in other securities with a similar level of risk and/or that provide a similar investment opportunity as AMJL. None of the other ETNs offered by Credit Suisse are affected by this announcement. All dates referenced above are subject to change, including postponement due to certain events. Title of ETN ETN Ticker Symbol ETN CUSIP Credit Suisse X-Links Monthly Pay 2xLeveraged Alerian MLP Index ETNs due May 16, 2036 AMJL 22539T290 Press Contacts Karina Byrne, Credit Suisse AG, telephone +1 212 538 8361, [email protected] Credit Suisse ETNs Telephone +1 800 320 1225, [email protected] Credit Suisse AG Credit Suisse AG is one of the world's leading financial services providers and is part of the Credit Suisse group of companies (referred to here as 'Credit Suisse'). Our strategy builds on Credit Suisse's core strengths: its position as a leading wealth manager, its specialist investment banking capabilities and its strong presence in our home market of Switzerland. We seek to follow a balanced approach to wealth management, aiming to capitalize on both the large pool of wealth within mature markets as well as the significant growth in wealth in Asia Pacific and other emerging markets, while also serving key developed markets with an emphasis on Switzerland. Credit Suisse employs approximately 47,860 people. The registered shares (CSGN) of Credit Suisse AG's parent company, Credit Suisse Group AG, are listed in Switzerland and, in the form of American Depositary Shares (CS), in New York. Further information about Credit Suisse can be found at www.credit-suisse.com. SOURCE Credit Suisse AG Related Links http://www.credit-suisse.com Description GIS - 10 March, 2020: An award ceremony to reward 68 employees, from 26 enterprises in the Freight and Logistics sector, who have completed their training in Customs Brokerage and Logistics, was held, yesterday, at the Municipal Council of Port Louis. An award ceremony to reward 68 employees, from 26 enterprises in the Freight and Logistics sector, who have completed their training in Customs Brokerage and Logistics, was held, yesterday, at the Municipal Council of Port Louis. The Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Energy and Public Utilities, Mr Ivan Leslie Collendavelloo , the Minister of Labour, Human Resource Development and Training, Mr Soodesh Satkam Callichurn, the Director of the Human Resource Development Council (HRDC), Mr Raj Auckloo, and other personalities were present on the occasion. The training programme is a joint initiative of the HRDC and the Association Professionnelle des Transitaires (APT), run under the Sectoral Skills Development Scheme (SSDS). The training was held from 17 February 2020 to 09 March 2020 and comprised 11 sessions which focused mainly on theoretical components, practical exercises and sharing of experience. The main objectives are to enhance the capacity of existing employees working directly with customs in the Freight and Logistics sector and speeding up clearance and delivery of goods. In his address, the Deputy Prime Minister lauded the role of freight forwarders in the economic development of the country by ensuring delivery of goods in a timely and most effective manner. The clearance of goods from Customs, he underlined, is an important component in the classification in the World Banks Ease of Doing Business Index, and added that the Freight and Logistics sector has been largely instrumental to improving the countrys ranking on the Index. Mauritius, he stated, is poised to become a regional logistics hub backed by its strong port infrastructure and high international air connectivity. This, according to him, can be achieved by developing the air traffic, enlarging markets, working on regulations and rules of origin, and excelling in the international regulatory practices and customs requirements. Minister Callichurn recalled that a competent and skilled workforce is the bedrock of economic advancement and that his Ministry is committed to ensuring that every Mauritian has the required set of skills to contribute meaningfully to boost the productivity and competitiveness of the country. It is equally collaborating with stakeholders to develop the human capital of this sector which is critical to ensure sustained progress, modernisation and excellence in all aspects of Customs brokerage works, he added. He also laid emphasis on innovation and technology, the key drivers for successful customs administrations to ensure that the sector remains dynamic and is in a strong position to meet any challenges. The Minister encouraged more such initiatives to retain skills and enhance the image of the Customs Brokerage professions. Mr Auckloo, for his part, spoke of the necessity of an appropriate framework, required expertise, state-of-the-art tools and appropriate technology to ensure sustainable and balanced growth in all sectors in Mauritius. In the same vein, the HRDC, he said, has implemented a number of initiatives which cut across all sectors of the economy to bridge skills gap and create a pool of readily available talents. If youve already gotten your Galaxy S20, youve surely transferred over your apps, set up the home screen, and picked just the right wallpaper to show off your big beautiful screen. But there are a few settings you might have missed that will make your S20 experience that much better. Here are 10 toggles, tweaks, and settings you need to learn: Use every megapixel in your photos The S20 Ultra has the largest sensor ever crammed into a Galaxy phone: a whopping 108MP. But you wont take 108MP pictures by default. Instead, Samsung uses pixel binning to bring the resolution down to 12MP and cram more detail into a smaller shot. If you want to use all 108 megapixels (or the full 64MP in the S20+), youll need to change the ratio in the camera app. Tap the 3:4 button and switch it to the 3:4 108MP or the 3:4 64MP option. Just keep an eye on your storage, because every photo takes up a lot more space (about 30MB per photo using 108MP). IDG Make the display buttery-smooth The S20s display is awesome out of the box, but its not all it could be. Samsung has motion smoothing turned off in an effort to preserve battery life, but with an minimum of 4,000mAh at your disposal, your S20 actually has more than enough to handle it. And what a difference it makes when you switch in on. To find it, head over to the Display tab in Settings, select Motion smoothness, and switch to 120Hz. Note that if youve already upped the resolution to WQHD, youll need to go back down to Full HD, because Samsung doesnt allow both WQHD and motion smoothing. IDG Turn your phone into a music streaming hub One of the more annoying facts of life is that if one device is already connected to a Bluetooth speaker, switching to a different one is a tedious process involving pairing and unpairing. But with Music Share, your friend can find your S20 on their own Galaxy phone and use it as a hub to play their music through your speaker. To turn it on, go to the Bluetooth settings, select Advanced, and flip the Music Share toggle. IDG Launch your apps insanely quickly Every S20 comes equipped with at least 12GB of RAM, which is more than you'll ever need to keep your phone running at tip-top speed. But you can put all that memory to good use. Samsung lets you lock up to three apps to the RAM so they'll instantly launch whenever you call on them. You can find the setting on the Recents screen (where you find all of your open apps). Just tap the icon above the screen and select Keep open for quick launching. You might see a slight hit on battery life, but for apps and games with lengthy load times, it'll be worth it. IDG Stop accidentally triggering Samsung Pay Samsung Pay isn't a new feature, but its shortcut at the bottom of the screen is more of a nuisance on the S20 than ever before. I lost count of how many times I accidentally launched it while trying to bring up the Recents screen or summon Assistant. It actually took me a while to figure out how to disable it. You'll need to go to the Samsung Pay app's settings, which you'll find in the sidebar. Select Use Favorite Cards, then toggle off the Home screen option. IDG Automatically un-mute after silencing your ringer This is a solution to a problem I didn't even realize I had. We all do it: turn our phone on silent at a movie or meeting and forget to turn the ringer back on when it's over. With One UI 2 on the S20, you set your phone's ringer to turn on automatically after a set period of silence. To find it, head over to Settings, then Sounds and vibration. Select the Mute option at the top and the Temporary mute toggle will appear, letting you choose the duration of your muting. IDG Bring back the battery percentage No matter which S20 you buy, you'll get great battery life, but you'll still want to keep an eye on your percentage. However, One UI on the S20 does away with the battery percentage to save space in the status bar. Heres how to get it back: Go to the Notifications tab in Settings and select Status bar. Inside youll see a Show battery percentage toggle, which will put the number back in the status bar. IDG Reposition the shutter button when taking a pic The S20 Ultra is so big, youre going to need an entirely new grip to use it. Thats especially true when youre using the camera, but theres a hidden way to make it a little more finger-friendly: move the shutter button to a new spot. All you need to do is tap and drag on the shutter button when youre in the camera button, and move it wherever you want on the screen. Once you find a place you like, the app will remember it for next time. IDG Block out the selfie camera The hole-punch camera on the S20 is much improved over the S10, but its still going to get in the way of full-screen photos and videos. You can hide it if youd like. Its not the most elegant solutionall it really does is add a black line across the cam and push the screen downbut it works. You can find the option in the Full screen apps tab in the Display settings. Tap the menu icon in the top right corner to get to Advanced settings, and flip on the Hide camera cutout toggle. IDG Fine-tune your Space Zoom Whether youre using 100X Space Zoom on the S20 Ultra or zooming to only 30X on the S20 or S20+, it can be extremely difficult to control with the standard two-finger pinch, even if youre using a tripod. Theres an easier way to do it. If you tap and hold on one of the three camera views above, the zoom bar will appear below your fingers, letting you slowly zero in on your subject. This story, "Samsung Galaxy S20: 10 tips and tricks that will make your new phone even better" was originally published by PCWorld . REDLANDS, Calif., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In a major update to its undergraduate admissions policy, the University of Redlands will shift to a test-optional admissions process, providing most applicants the choice of whether or not to submit SAT or ACT scores. The policy will go into effect this fall, for students entering college in the fall of 2021. While the move to go test-optional has gained momentum in the last few years, University of Redlands has studied this for several years. The proposal was supported and approved by the Faculty Senate after consultation with several faculty governance bodies, senior administration, and trustees. "Nearly a decade of internal data shows us that a student's high school grade point average (GPA) is the greatest predictor of success," said Kevin Dyerly, vice president for enrollment at the University of Redlands. "We wanted to analyze information from members of the first two (2017 and 2018) entering classes who took the redesigned SAT to see if it added significant additional predictive value. We found that those students with the strongest high school GPAs persisted at Redlands at higher rates and performed well in the classroom, regardless of test scores." Belinda Sandoval Zazueta, U of R associate vice president of admissions, noted that the University is committed to providing a personalized education that frees students to make enlightened choices. "As a community that welcomes intellectually curious students of diverse ethnic, national, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds, choosing how a student presents themselves to the admissions committee not only aligns with our mission," she said, "but also gives all students an opportunity to present their best selves in the college admissions process." Dyerly added, "We believe the test-optional admissions policy will assure greater educational equity for those seeking admission, without compromising our ability to make sound assessments of applicants." In lieu of standardized test scores, the University will assess other components of the application, including high school GPA, quality of writing, strength of curriculum, course sequences, contribution to the community, and community college courses taken, if applicable. All applicants will be considered for admission and achievement scholarships whether or not test scores are submitted. "As a parent of a daughter who recently applied to college, the idea of a test-optional policy was appealing," said Caryl Forristall, professor of biology at the University of Redlands. "I believe students will feel empowered by the opportunity to decide how they present themselves to a school." Details regarding the test-optional admission policy can be viewed at redlands.edu/testoptional Media Contacts: Jennifer Dobbs News & Information Editor [email protected] Phone: 909-557-4050 ____________ This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise. For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com. SOURCE University of Redlands Bain advises short-term cost cuts, long-term investments By Kim Bo-eun The outbreak of the coronavirus in Wuhan, and its rapid spread across China and other countries, has been sounding alarm bells for businesses around the world. Many companies based in China shut down their factories for weeks, which has affected global supply chains for businesses everywhere, ranging from tech companies to automobile manufacturers to retailers. The extent of damage for businesses is set to be much greater than that incurred by the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in 2015, or the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003. This is based on COVID-19's much higher level of contagion. Businesses here are set to be afflicted by setbacks in production in China, which is Korea's largest trading partner. They also face disruptions at plants here, after measures taken when the number of confirmed cases spiked to the second largest after China. More than 7,000 people have been confirmed to have been infected in Korea, over 50 of whom have died. Infections in the city of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, which account for 90 percent of the total, have prompted businesses to halt production facilities in the region. Samsung Electronics shut down its plant in the city of Gumi which produces its latest smartphone model for three days last month. Hyundai Motors also suspended production at its plant in the city of Ulsan for a day, after a worker of a subcontractor was confirmed to have contracted the virus. Hyundai Motor halted operations at all of its seven local plants Feb. 7 through Feb. 10 as parts suppliers in China stopped production. This was the first time for the automobile manufacturer to halt operations at all of its plants since the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997. A recent Bain & Company report urges business to take a swift response to minimize damage. "A wait-and-see approach is often the most damaging move in uncertain times," authors Weiwen Han, Karen Harris and Thomas Luedi said in the report published Feb. 10. "Instead, the companies that will fare best during this crisis and be best positioned during the recovery will be those that act now." Five principles Bain advises businesses to examine current conditions with a long-term strategy in mind. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 00:12:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close President Xi Jinping visits Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, March 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) President Xi said the spread of the virus has been basically curbed in Hubei and Wuhan. WUHAN, March 10 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Tuesday inspected the COVID-19 outbreak epicenter in central China, pledging a continuous fight toward victory as prevention and control efforts have "turned the tide." The inspection to Wuhan, Hubei Province, took the president to a hospital treating severely ill COVID-19 patients and a residential community. He visited patients, medics, community residents and workers, police officers, military personnel, officials and volunteers who have been fighting the novel coronavirus. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, called for firm, solid and meticulous prevention and control efforts to defend Hubei and Wuhan. Xi said thanks to hard work, the situation in Hubei and Wuhan has shown positive changes with important progress, but the task of prevention and control remains arduous. Xi stressed continuing to take epidemic prevention and control as a task of paramount importance. Praising the people of Wuhan, Xi said the positive trend in epidemic control could not have been achieved without their sacrifice, devotion, perseverance and efforts. With their concrete actions, the people of Wuhan have demonstrated the strength and spirit of China, as well as the Chinese people's love for their family and nation, which enables them to stick together through thick and thin, he said. On behalf of the CPC Central Committee, Xi sent condolences to people who died in the epidemic and people who sacrificed their lives fighting on the front line. Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, also attended the inspection. In Huoshenshan Hospital, the first leg of his inspection, Xi lauded medical workers as "the most beautiful angels" and "messengers of light and hope." The frontline medical workers have taken on the most arduous missions, Xi said, calling them "the most admirable people in the new era" who deserve the highest commendations. President Xi Jinping sends regards to medical workers via a video link at Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, March 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) Xi talked with patients in the hospital through a video link, and expressed his wishes for their quick recovery. "All prevention and control measures taken by the CPC Central Committee against the virus are to prevent more people from being infected and save more patients' lives," Xi said. Meeting medic representatives in the hospital, Xi said the spread of the virus has been basically curbed in Hubei and Wuhan, and attributed the achievement to efforts of the whole Party, the whole country and the whole society. "But you are the biggest heroes," Xi told the medics. Leaving Huoshenshan Hospital, Xi came to a residential community. People quarantined at home waved to Xi from their balconies and windows. Xi waved back and expressed his regards. President Xi Jinping waves to residents who are quarantined at home and sends regards to them at a community in Wuhan, March 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) Xi stressed the importance of communities in epidemic prevention and control, requiring grassroots Party organizations and Party members to play their key roles in containing the virus spread in communities. He emphasized closely relying on the people to win the people's war against the epidemic. After the field inspection, Xi chaired a teleconference and delivered an important speech. Xi said since the outbreak, the CPC Central Committee has taken the most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough prevention and control measures to resolutely curb the spread of the virus in Wuhan and Hubei. "Initial success has been achieved in stabilizing the situation and turning the tide," he said. Xi said medical treatment should be given the top priority to improve the recovery rate and reduce mortality to the greatest extent under the principle of scientific and targeted treatment. President Xi Jinping inquires about purchasing and supply of people's daily necessities at a community in Wuhan, March 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) Noting that the fight against the virus is at a critical moment, Xi stressed further preventing the spread and exportation of cases. Xi demanded more understanding and tolerance for people in Hubei and Wuhan if some vent their feelings for long time under self-quarantine, as well as efforts to ensure the supply of their life necessities. The epidemic will not affect the fundamentals of Hubei's steady and long-term sound economic development, Xi said, urging implementation of policies and measures to support enterprises, stabilize employment and create more jobs. Calling the response to the virus a "test" for China's system and capacity for governance, which has brought both experience and lessons, Xi demanded efforts to fix the shortcomings and weak links as soon as possible. Xi urged Party organizations, members and officials to shoulder responsibilities, adopt sound prevention and control measures and improve their capabilities in the test. Mizoram and Manipur governments have ordered closure of the international boundary crossing points the states share with neighbouring Myanmar and Bangladesh as precautionary measures to prevent the possible spread of coronavirus. Mizoram, which shares a 510-km border with Myanmar and 318-km boundary with Bangladesh, announced sealing of the borders on Monday after a meeting of senior officials convened by Chief Minister Zoramthanga. Manipur followed suit soon and banned movement of people across the 398-km long border with Myanmar. Many people have been kept under observation in both Mizoram and Manipur but no positive case has been reported in either state. In view of possible threat of transmission of Coronavirus/Covid-19, Government of Manipur hereby prohibits movement of people across the international border, said an order issued on Monday night by H Gyan Prakash, the states special secretary (home). Accordingly orders closure of Gate No.1, No.2, Moreh and other crossing points along Manipur section of the Indo-Myanmar border until further orders, it added. Moreh, in Manipurs Chandel district is a border trading post and is linked to Tamu in Sagaing in northwest Myanmar by the Indo-Myanmar Friendship Bridge. Last week, two other Northeastern states - Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim temporarily banned the entry of foreigners to check the spread of coronavirus. Arunachal Pradesh shares borders with Bhutan, China and Myanmar while Sikkim has borders with China, Bhutan and Nepal. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 16:17:58|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close RABAT, March. 10 (Xinhua) -- Moroccan government announced early Tuesday the suspension of all flights to and from Italy, amid COVID-19 concerns. The suspension will remain in effect until further notice, said the government in a statement. Some countries in the Middle East have imposed bans on foreign flights or travels as they tightened precautionary measures against the novel coronavirus. Also on Tuesday, Morocco confirmed its third case of COVID-19, health minister said in a statement. The case is a French tourist who arrived Saturday in Marrakech of central Morocco, the statement added. A New York man who threatened to kill Representative Ilhan Omar in a hate-filled call to her office was sentenced to a year and a day in prison, the authorities said. The man, Patrick W. Carlineo Jr., 56, of Addison, N.Y., pleaded guilty last November to threatening to assault and murder a U.S. official, and to being a felon in possession of firearms. He was sentenced on Friday, according to a statement from the U.S. attorneys office in the Western District of New York. Mr. Carlineo was also ordered to forfeit six firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. In the call, which was made to the representatives office in Washington at about 12:20 p.m. on March 21, 2019, Mr. Carlineo repeatedly spoke about violence against Ms. Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota who is one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress and wears a hijab on the House floor. A leading voice in the Democrats progressive wing, Ms. Omar is also a prominent critic of President Trump, and in July 2019, she was one of four congresswomen who he said should go back to the countries they came from. Ailing former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's personal physician has been injured in a robbery incident involving two men on a London street, prompting Scotland Yard to launch an investigation into the matter. Adnan Khan was approached by two suspects who assaulted him and robbed him of his watch on Monday night. Khan, along with some of Sharif's family members, is accompanying the 70-year-old three-time prime minister who is undergoing treatment in the UK. "Police were called at around 2039hrs on Monday, March 9, to a report of a robbery in Upper Brook Street near the junction with Park Lane. The male victim reported that he had been robbed of his watch around 30 minutes previously by two men who approached him from behind," the Metropolitan Police statement said. "Officers are investigating the incident. There has been no arrest. Enquiries continue," the statement said. However, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) UK has alleged that the incident is politically motivated, aimed at disrupting the recovery of the party chief Sharif who is in the UK awaiting a medical procedure. "Two attackers hit him with a metal bar and when he was on the floor he was kicked in the stomach and chest. He was threatened previously, evidence for which has been passed on to police," a PML-N UK spokesperson said. "Attackers took his watch but did not take money or his mobile phone. We think the attack is politically motivated to disrupt recovery process of Mian Nawaz Sharif's health," the spokesperson said. Adnan was taken to hospital with injuries and has now been discharged. Sharif left for London in November last year for treatment after the Lahore High Court granted him bail and allowed him to travel abroad on medical grounds. According to the PML-N supremo's physician, he is suffering from complex multi-vessel coronary artery disease and is due to undergo surgery. The Pakistan government is seeking his return to the country for an alleged failure to submit regular medical reports. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal The University of New Mexico Board of Regents has agreed to pay $38 million to settle part of a class-action lawsuit brought by the families of pediatric cancer patients who allegedly received substandard care for the most common type of childhood cancer at the universitys medical center. An unopposed motion for preliminary approval of class action settlement was filed last week in state District Court and is awaiting approval by 2nd Judicial District Court Judge Carl Butkus. It says that upon approval UNM shall promptly pay $38 million into a trust account that would be administered as authorized by the court. If approved, the settlement will bring a partial end to a lawsuit over practices at UNM Hospital from 1977 to 1997, when children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia were treated in ways that werent consistent with accepted protocols and faced a much higher mortality rate than the national average, according to court documents. Attorney Jacob Vigil, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said UNM has reported there was a maximum of 89 deceased children whose heirs could be eligible to benefit from the settlement. UNM Hospital issued a statement Monday saying, Patient care is our highest priority. This lawsuit was brought on behalf of families whose children received cancer care at UNM Hospitals prior to 2000. It is our hope that the proposed settlement filed with the court helps to recognize the profound loss suffered by those families whose children passed away, Mark Rudi, a hospital spokesman, said in the statement. As New Mexicos only Childrens Hospital, we take our commitment to treating our states most vulnerable patients with the highest level of care and compassion very seriously. We hope our decision to enter into a partial settlement in this case helps bring some closure to this matter. Our thoughts are with these families. Its been known for years there was about a 20-year stretch when child leukemia patients at UNMH didnt have good outcomes. A Journal investigative series published in 2000 found that nationally, about three out of four children treated for leukemia were still alive after five years. At UNM, that number was two out of four. In the past 20 years or so, UNM has settled more than 90 cases related to substandard care for childhood cancer patients for a total of about $52 million. The class-action lawsuit was filed on behalf of about 250 children. The proposed settlement pertains to the families of children who died. A trial is scheduled for August for the children who survived their treatment, Vigil said. At UNM, the mortality rate for that type of patient during those years was 60%, twice the national average of 28%, according to a closing brief submitted by the plaintiffs. Maria Cummings, a Rio Rancho woman and one of the named plaintiffs in the case, filed suit on behalf of her son, Shaun, who died of leukemia in 1983. The case was originally brought in 2001 and has been litigated before four different judges and the Court of Appeals. As part of the settlement, UNM had agreed to release names of the 89 deceased children to the court and plaintiffs attorneys, and a notice will be published about the settlement if it is approved by the judge, Vigil said. The children allegedly received diluted, outdated drug treatments from UNM pediatric oncology division chief Dr. Marilyn Duncan between 1977 and 1997, and the young patients were deprived of their best chance of survival, two physicians testified during a hearing in the case last year. Duncan, who said her patients outcomes were comparable to the national average, was suspended in late 1997 and retired, according to testimony during last years hearing. The children were treated at UNMs main hospital, not in the universitys cancer center, where adults are treated, Vigil said. That was one of my criticisms. If (UNMH) had (pediatric oncology and the adult cancer division) working together, much of this would have been caught, he said. After last years hearing, the parties in the case negotiated a mediators proposal, which was approved by UNM regents, according to court documents. Rudi said regents approved the proposal during an executive session on Dec. 10. However, the specific case never appeared on the agenda for that meeting, and regents never took action on it when they reopened the meeting after the executive session and took action on several other matters, according to meeting minutes. Regent President Doug Brown said the discussion was held in closed session, as is the case with legal matters, and then the vote to approve the partial settlement happened in an open meeting. We all so much want to get this behind us. It was so unfortunate, he said. It was a mistake made by a physician, and a lot of folks paid the price for it. Hospital officials said Monday that the hospital is a leader in cutting-edge technology, clinical trials and research. Their statement also said: University of New Mexico Hospital is a leader in treating complex medical cases in our state. We do this using a team approach and tapping into some of the states greatest minds who practice here, at the states only academic health system. As New Mexicos only Childrens Hospital, we take our commitment to treating our states most vulnerable patients with the highest level of care and compassion very seriously. We treat all patients to the standard of care and continue to be a leader in cutting edge technology, clinical trials and bench to bedside research. There are systems and standards in place so patients receive appropriate care. Our physicians participate in the Childrens Oncology Group and patients are enrolled in appropriate protocols using current best treatment options. Two people were shot Monday night when gunfire erupted in an east Birmingham neighborhood. Birmingham police and Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service were dispatched to the 8500 block of Fourth Avenue North just after 9:15 p.m. When they arrived on the scene, they found a man and a woman suffering from gunshot wounds. Both victims were taken to UAB Hospital. Police said one of the victims injuries was serious, and the other was not life-threatening. A vehicle on Fourth Avenue appeared to have been damaged by bullets. Officers released no other details. Though Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex are doing whats best for them, its no secret that Megxit has put a great deal of strain on the British royal family. Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge have been shouldering a lot of responsibility since the Sussexes stepped back and Prince Andrew was booted from royal life. Likewise, because things have been so tense between Prince Harry and Prince William, Queen Elizabeth II has been forced to act as the mediator between the Sussexes and the remaining senior royals when it comes to ironing out plans and details surrounding Megxit. Many of the Megxit negotiations have gone very smoothly. Unfortunately, there was quite a bit of drama surrounding the Sussexes brand, Sussex Royal. Though the duke and duchess have agreed to rebrand, the queen is now suspicious about what they will do next. Queen Elizabeth isnt convinced Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have thought Megxit through Though she understands their unhappiness and is sensitive to their position, the queen isnt convinced Megxit wasnt just a rash decision made by the Sussexes in a rush. She has a particular sensitivity to what Harry has been going through because of her closeness to Margaret and seeing the same dramas and tensions played out two generations ago, royal biographer Robert Lacey told People. However, for Prince Harry, in particular, leaving behind the life hes always known is going to have a certain amount of trials and tribulations. The queen is convinced this might all be temporary. Theey are making contingency plans in case the Sussexes suddenly turn round and say: Can we come back under your wing? an insider told The Sunday Times. You could bring them back to Frogmore to look after them. They wouldnt return to royal duties, but they could have a period of rehabilitation and recuperation. This is why Sussex Royal caused so much drama The duke and duchess put a lot of time and money into branding themselves as Sussex Royal only for it to be taken away at the last moment. When they announced their intent to rebrand the Sussexes statement was quite terse. The statements underlying message is they are very, very unhappy with this arrangement, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told The Sun. It was completely unnecessary. It may lead to future trouble they dont like the arrangement that is forcing them to step down as working royals and not use their titles, even though they will have them. They want to use Sussex Royal but by saying the monarchy doesnt have the power to prevent them from using it why say that? Theres no point. My hope is the bitterness they seem to feel with the current arrangement will become more positive as months progress. Queen Elizabeth was embarrassed by the Sussexes response to their rebrand. Shes so disappointed that her own grandchild would heap so much embarrassment on the monarchy and bring all this unwanted attention on his family at the worst possible time, an alleged insider told US Weekly. Queen Elizabeth believes Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have other motives The duke and duchess response to having Sussex Royal taken away put the queen on high alert. She is now concerned that the Sussexes have ulterior motives. Putting that 12-month review in place goes to show you that the Queen will be watching them like a hawk, Julie Montagu Viscountess Hinchingbrooke said in the Channel 5 documentary, Royals: A family in crisis. She will want to see everything that they are doing, what they are making money from and how it is affecting the Royal Family. So there must be some concern from the Queen about what their intentions are. We will just have to see how this all plays out. Every vote counts the same in Israel, and Netanyahu is well aware of that, said Blue and White leader Benny Gantz on March 7, responding to remarks made three days earlier by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that appeared to imply that he rejects the very idea of the Arab Joint List, with its 15 Knesset seats, participating in the political arena. The peoples decision is clear, Netanyahu had said. The right-wing Zionist camp consists of 58 seats. The left-wing Zionist camp, including [Yisrael Beitenus Avigdor] Liberman who has joined it, consists of 47 seats. The Joint List, which denigrates our soldiers and opposes the very existence of the State of Israel is of course not part of this equation. Since the release of the results from the March 2 election Netanyahu has seemed tense. He even looks pale. For one thing, he realizes that the end of his time in office is fast approaching. How absurd it is that his political fate is about to be determined by the 581,501 votes that the Joint List received, including more than 20,000 of them from Jews. It looks like Netanyahu and his associates are going out of their minds over the possibility that the same Arab community that Netanyahu and his Likud have incited against relentlessly and even legislated against e.g., the Nationality Law on the Jewish nature of the state of Israel, the Kaminitz Law, making it easier to demolish Arab homes might have a voice in deciding who will be the next prime minister. Meanwhile, the Likud is rejecting the Joint List's election results and even plans to petition the Supreme Court to overturn them. It is very likely that this is just another ruse by Netanyahu and friends to delay the announcement of the official tally and thus postpone legislation initiated by Yisrael Beitenu to prevent any indicted politician from forming the government. It starts with delegitimizing their votes and ends with denying them their citizenship, Dr. Abd el-Qadir, a dentist from Taibeh and a partner in a private dental clinic in Givatayim, told Al-Monitor. It reminds me of the dark regimes of the past. Netanyahu claims that it is dangerous to rely on the Arab Knesset members to form a government. What does he have to say about the Arab doctors who treat millions of Israelis, Jewish and Arab alike, in every single hospital? Thats not dangerous? Despite Netanyahu's claims, he did not win the election. No matter what he says, 58 (the votes for the right-wing/ultra-Orthodox bloc) will always be less than 62 (the votes for the center-left bloc). Given that Netanyahu is unhappy with the election results, he is trying to discount the votes of Israels Arab citizens. What is really interesting is that in a video he posted March 6 on social media, he says, I have nothing against Arab voters. I appealed to them too, and we received Arab votes. Im proud of that. In other words, as far as Netanyahu and the Likud are concerned, there is no problem with Arab voters as long as they vote for the Likud. As soon as they vote for the Joint List, and their votes could lead to him being replaced, they should be removed from the equation. Yinon Magal, a right-wing journalist with Radio 103 and a former Knesset member for HaBayit HaYehudi, explained the situation well in a conversation with Al-Monitor: I think Arab votes are completely legitimate. Balad [one of the four factions constituting the Joint List], which supports terrorism, is not legitimate. I think that a government that has to determine whether we go to war or have peace and that makes decisions about the fate of the Jewish people must be based on a Jewish majority. This may capture the essence of the situation. As long as Arab voters only vote, without having any impact on government policy, there is no problem with them. Last September in Al-Monitor, I pointed out how Netanyahu might be the prime minister who has made the most deals in the Knesset with the Arab parties. Gantz said as much in a speech on March 7: It turns out that Netanyahu can join forces with [Joint List senior] Ahmad Tibi, but he wants the exclusive right to do that. In a conversation with Al-Monitor, Ohad Levy, who works in high tech in Tel Aviv, said, Netanyahu identified the Blue and White partys soft underbelly. It is the Israeli mainstreams suppressed Arabophobia. In no other democratic country would a leader even consider dismissing 20% of the population based on their religion and then just moving on. In fact, all the elections over the past year can be seen as a referendum on Netanyahus government, not one party's platform or another. That seems to be the reason why no one is dismissing the possibility of cooperation between Yisrael Beitenu and the Joint List. Knesset member Eli Avidar (Yisrael Beitenu) hinted as much in a March 8 interview with Army Radio, when he said, We will do what is in our voters best interest. In the last three elections, Netanyahu has consistently failed to reach the magic number of 61 seats for his bloc, which would have ensured him a mandate from the president to form the next government. It is doubtful whether anyone in the Likud even considered conducting an internal investigation to figure out how the prime ministers actions and words actually led to the formation of the Netanyahu block bloc and the anyone but Netanyahu camp, especially as they involve parties that share no ideological common ground. Gantz, who wants to replace Netanyahu, generated considerable anger among Israel's Arab citizenry for using the term Jewish majority in the recent election campaign and on more than one occasion. He even explicitly promised not to sit in a coalition with the Joint List. Gantz has nothing to worry about, however. The Joint List isnt asking to be part of any government. It would rather influence government policy from the outside. That is why the government currently taking shape should be called the Netanyahu-removal government. The one and only purpose of this government is to kick Netanyahu out of the prime minister's residence on Balfour Street. Ofer Shelah (Blue and White) is a brilliant member of the Knesset. He is also one of the few people in his party who really understands politics. In a conversation with Al-Monitor, Shelah remarked, The image of Netanyahu erasing the votes of 20% of Israels Arab citizens could be Exhibit A for any international organization that wants to impose sanctions on Israel. It is a declaration of war against the very essence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. Ahmad Tibi, Shelah's partner in the open-secret line of communication between Blue and White and the Joint List, proffered, What would happen if the United States dismissed the votes of African American senators like that or if Germany would do the same to its Jewish elected officials? Netanyahu is adopting the ideology of the despicable Rabbi Kahane. Stern-faced EU leaders have warned President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to respect the terms of a previous deal to keep migrants away from Europe's borders, after the Turkish leader came to Brussels to demand more support. There was no disguising the tension at the European Council after the talks on Monday, with Erdogan choosing to head straight for the airport rather than a conference with EU presidents Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel. "Clearly we do have our disagreements, but we have spoken plainly and we have spoken openly to each other," Von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, told reporters. Von der Leyen and Michel both stressed that the 2016 deal between the EU and Turkey -- under which Ankara agreed to block migrants and refugees from heading to Greece in exchange for billions of euros in EU aid -- remains valid. And Michel said that the top EU diplomat, Josep Borrell, would be working with his Turkish counterpart foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in the next few days "to be certain that we are on the same page that we have the same interpretation about what we do, in Turkey and at the level of the European Union, in order to implement the deal." Erdogan did not speak to reporters after the meeting, despite Turkish officials saying earlier that he planned to do so. A Turkish presidential source said only: "The meeting at the EU was productive." Beforehand, Erdogan had made clear that his priority was to seek more support for his country in the conflict in Syria and to cope with millions of refugees from the fighting. Before heading to the European Council, he held talks with NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg, and told him bluntly: "NATO is in a critical process in which it needs to clearly show its alliance solidarity." "Our allies should display their solidarity with our country without discrimination and without laying down political conditions," he said. "It is very important that the support we demand is met without any further delay." Erdogan also appeared annoyed that -- rather than listening to his concerns -- Von der Leyen and Michel have backed Greece as Europe's "shield" against migrants encouraged to leave Turkey. And he had harsh words for Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' Greek government, which has already been allocated 700 million euros (USD 800 million) by Brussels to secure his borders and cope with the new arrivals. "It is irrational and inconsiderate that an ally and a neighbouring country point to Turkey as responsible for the irregular migration," Erdogan said. "We will not allow this country to try to get unfair gains by using its current position." Mitsotakis did not take such talk lying down, responding furiously in an address to the German Council on Foreign Relations. "Why do we spend so much on defence? It's because our neighbour is Turkey and not Denmark," he said. "As prime minister of Greece I don't have to listen to lessons on human rights from Turkey." Tens of thousands of asylum-seekers have been trying to break through the land border from Turkey for a week after Ankara announced it would no longer prevent people from trying to cross into the EU. Turkey, which hosts around four million mostly Syrian refugees, has repeatedly railed against what it describes as unfair burden-sharing. Germany said the EU was considering taking in up to 1,500 child refugees to ease pressure on overwhelmed camps on Greek islands facing a new wave of arrivals from Turkey. Von der Leyen said France, Portugal, Luxembourg and Finland had offered to join Germany in taking some. On Friday, Erdogan ordered the Turkish coastguard to prevent risky Aegean sea crossings after more than 1,700 migrants landed on Lesbos and four other Aegean islands. But Turkey's policy of allowing migrants and refugees to leave by land remains in place, and the instruction only affects sea crossings. In 2016, Turkey and the EU agreed a deal whereby Brussels would provide billions of euros in aid in exchange for Turkey curbing the flow of migrants. But Ankara has repeatedly accused the bloc of not fulfilling promises made as Europe suffered its worst refugee crisis since World War II, when over one million people fled to the continent in 2015. Erdogan has felt extra pressure as nearly one million people in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib fled towards the Turkish border during a recent Syrian regime assault backed by Russia and Iran. But Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed a ceasefire on Thursday after Turkey launched an offensive against Damascus following the deaths of 59 Turkish security personnel in attacks blamed on the regime. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The world is not in a happy place, judging by the films in competition at the 70th Berlin Film Festival. Many of the 18 films dealt with never being able to belong, like Burhan Qurbanis Berlin Alexanderplatz, a contemporary take on Alfred Doblins famous novel. After fleeing West Africa, Francis (Welek Bungu) wants to become a decent citizen of Berlin, but as an illegal immigrant, he cannot escape drifting into the criminal world in order to survive. The two American contributions depicted characters struggling on in spite of insurmountable challenges. In Kelly Reichardts First Cow, a tale of survival in 19th century Oregon, two outcasts in search of an easier life find each other by accident. (The title refers to a cow belonging to a rich landowner, which the men illegally milk.) Never Rarely Sometimes Always by Brooklyn-born filmmaker Eliza Hittman is a modern-day runaway story of a pregnant girl and her helpful cousin trying find a solution to her dilemma in New York City. It received the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize, the festivals second hightest honor. The top prize, The Golden Bear, went to There Is No Evil by Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, who was not allowed to attend the festival. Powerful works such as The Road Not Taken and Little Sister reflected the inevitable acceptance of lifes destructive paths for their heroes and heroines. Heartbreaking and wonderfully tender, British director Sally Potter The Roads Not Taken is about dementia-stricken Leo (Javier Bardem). As he is driven through New York City by his loving daughter Molly (Elle Fanning), Leo drifts in and out of memories about the roads he has not taken in life. In the Swiss film Little Sister by Stephanie Chuat and Veronique Reymond, famed theater actor Leo (German star Lars Eidinger) is dying of cancer. His twin sister Lisa (Nina Hoss) fights with and for him until he has to leave this world. Equally powerful and sad is Hidden Away by Italian director Giorgio Diritti. It is based on the life of painter Antonio Ligabue, whose fame as an artist is bracketed by a childhood as an orphan and a decline into insanity. Elio Germano won the Silver Bear for best actor for his portrayal of Ligabue. The most explicitly political films at this years festival, which wrapped up March 1, were in the Panorama and Berlinale Specials sections. Hillary Clinton was center stage at the latter; the subject of Nanette Bursteins documentary Hillary. There were more than four hours of film to take in, and protesters outside, but it proved an absolutely worthwhile experience. Clinton stole the how. Less dramatic, but certainly interesting, was the Berlinale Specials entry The American Sector, a documentary by Courtney Stephens and Pacho Velez. The U.S.-made movie traces locations all over the United States where pieces of the Berlin Wall have come to rest. As a San Antonian, I was amazed to see that a piece of the wall is located at the Ripleys Believe It or Not! museum across the street from The Alamo. One other highlight and a bow to American filmmaking was the retrospective for filmmaker and producer King Vidor, who was born in Galveston. A total of 37 films spanning 70 years, between 1919 and 1959, were shown at Berlinale Classics in an immense undertaking that brought Vidors works back to the attention of the public. The great actress Helen Mirren has no such problems with public recognition. Mirren, who received a Silver Bear for lifetime achievements, endeared herself to the public at her gala by saying her Oscar for Th Queen will fall in love with her Silver Bear. Angelika Jansen is a freelance writer in San Antonio. angelikajansen@yahoo.com Education in Ghana forms a major basis for development in all aspects in the country. As I Grow (NGO) over the years has undertaken various projects which cut across education, advocacy work on youth Empowerment, social interventions, donations and economic empowerment projects which are all geared towards impacting the lives of children, youth, adults and deprived communities. It could be recalled that in 2019, As I Grow organized an education intervention program to support all BECE Candidates in Larteh Akuapem, which comprised 169 students from four schools; the program was supervised by examiners from WAEC. As I Grow, over the weekend organized yet another program under the My CAREER Campaign Project. The 16 selected schools which included all schools from Larteh Akuapem, Mamfe and Akropong, also brought about over 500 candidates, which all five core subject were taught Mathematics, English language, Integrated Science, Social Studies and ICT. Speaking to the media the Chief Executive officer of the organization, Mr Debrah Bekoe Isaac explained that, the program is geared towards helping the candidates to understand what they are supposed to do in their examination. This project is done in collaboration with WAEC EXAMINERS to help teach the candidates the requirements under each subject He pointed out that, statistics over the years in the municipality proves that more attention is needed from individuals, organizations and stakeholders to support education in the municipality. Comparative analysis of the BECE results in 2017 and 2018 showed that a lot needed to be done to strengthen the education system, In 2017,97 schools took part in the examination which comprised 2602 candidates out of which only 8 candidates got aggregate 6. In 2018, there was a serious decline, the total number of candidates who wrote the examination was 2708,out of which only 3 got aggregate 6. Comparatively, 2017 had 81.9% (2131) of students passing but in 2018, only 61.9%(1675) and 38% of the candidates failing. He went on to say that, the mass failure in 2018 (1064 students failed),drew the attention of the organisation to seek permission from the Municipal Director of Education to organize this workshop annually for the candidates in the municipality which falls under one area of the organizations priority area of intervention under education. Mr Debrah Bekoe Isaac emphatically said, his organization want to support these students so they can get better result, unearth their potentials and shape their talents. An annual project will go a long way to improve the quality of education in the municipality since teachers were taken through the requirements of WAEC He took the opportunity to call on all stakeholders and other organizations to come in and support As I Grow to continue to render support to these students annually. The General Project Supervisor who doubles as the General Secretary of TUC, Doc workers and Maritime, Mr. Daniel Owusu Koranteng admonished the candidates to take their studies seriously so they can accomplish their purpose in life. He challenged the students to abhor any bad behaviors that will prevent them from achieving their goals in life. Mr. Joseph Agyei Obeng, an executive member of As I Grow organization pleaded with government to come and support the organization in shaping the lives of the youth and the young population. Archaeologists digging up the site of Birmingham's main HS2 train station have uncovered what could be the 'world's oldest railway roundhouse'. The roundhouse, based on a design by Robert Stephenson was discovered on the site of the original Curzon Street station which operated from the 1830s to 1960s. The Victorian building is thought to have been among the structures demolished from 1860 to 1870 to allow for the expansion of the station. Historians say it was first operational as early as November 12 1837, meaning it predated a similar building in Derby by almost two years. Scroll down for video Archaeologists work at the site of a 19th century roundhouse which has been unearthed during the excavation work for HS2 on the site of the former Birmingham Curzon Street railway station, which opened in 1838 This 19th century illustration of the Curzon Street railway station show the roundhouse building - not uncovered by HS2 archaeologists - right in the centre Built to a design by Robert Stephenson, the London and Birmingham Railway building was operational on 12 November 1837, making it what is thought to be the world's oldest railway roundhouse, predating the current titleholder in Derby by almost two years Among the surviving remains of the Curzon Street roundhouse are evidence of the base of the central turntable, the exterior wall and the 3ft deep radial inspection pits which surrounded the turntable. Final archaeological excavations on the city centre site are about to take place, ahead of work to build the new HS2 Curzon Street terminus. The terminus is at the centre of a 141-hectare regeneration project in the city. Jon Millward, historic environment adviser at HS2 Ltd, said: 'HS2 is offering us the opportunity to unearth thousands of years of British history along the route. 'The discovery of what could be the world's oldest railway roundhouse on the site of the new HS2 station in Birmingham City Centre is extraordinary and fitting as we build the next generation of Britain's railways.' Built to a design by Robert Stephenson, the London and Birmingham Railway building was operational as early as 12 November 1837. This makes it what is thought to be the world's oldest railway roundhouse, predating the current titleholder in Derby by almost two years. The site was visited last month by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who hailed the decision to go ahead with HS2 as 'fantastic' for the whole country. The original railway linking London with Birmingham's former Curzon Street station, built between 1834 and 1838, saw journey times of almost five hours. It takes up to two hours to get from Birmingham to London now - depending on the station you leave from - and the government says HS2 will cut that to under an hour. This isn't the first major discovery found as a result of stations and tracks being dug up for the new high speed rail network. Last year a team of 70 archaeologists spent a year excavating a 19th-century Victorian burial ground in Park Street, Birmingham where a station on the high-speed route is set to be built. Forensic combing of the burial ground also found a treasure trove of historical artefacts including figurines, coins, toys and necklaces inside the coffins. Along with the thousands of skeletons, these items will now be examined and informed by historical documents, such as parish records and wills, to develop detailed biographies of the individuals. Trial trenching on the construction site has revealed the remains of the station's roundhouse including evidence of the central turntable, the exterior wall and the radial inspection pits The Midland Railway's Derby Locomotive Works roundhouse was the oldest known building of its type until the new Curzon Street roundhouse was uncovered At the London end of the line a 'once in a generation dig' in 2018 unearthed everything from the body of a bare-knuckle fighter to neolithic tools. Researchers dug up a graveyard next to London Euston station where Bill 'The Terror' Richmond, a fighter who also earned the favour of King George IV, was buried. Neolithic tools, medieval pottery and Victorian time capsules were discovered in the early stages of the dig which organisers say was a 'once-in-a-generation' opportunity to explore British history. A hunter-gatherer site on the outskirts of London, a Roman British town near Aylesbury and a World War II bombing decoy in Lichfield are among the historic sites which fall along the route of the new high speed line. HS2 trains will have a top speed of 225mph, but only on relatively straight stretches of track around 60 per cent of the line from London to Birmingham. The first HS2 trains, between Old Oak Common in west London and Birmingham, could be running by 2029. A Government-commissioned review led by former HS2 Ltd chairman Doug Oakervee leaked earlier this week stated that the project's bill could reach 106billion. But HS2 was only allocated 56billion in 2015. Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller testifies before the House Judiciary Committee about his report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election in the Rayburn House Office Building on July 24, 2019, in Washington, D.C. Read more WASHINGTON - The Justice Department must release to congressional Democrats secret grand jury evidence lawmakers are seeking in ongoing investigations into President Trump, a federal appeals court in Washington ruled Tuesday. The divided ruling, which can be appealed, is a victory for Democratic lawmakers in one of a set of separation-of-powers lawsuits filed before the House vote to impeach President Trump and his acquittal in the Senate in February. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld a lower court order that requires the department to disclose to the House certain secret material from Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The 2-1 decision is unlikely to be the final word and can be appealed to the full court or to the Supreme Court. Judge Judith W. Rogers wrote the majority opinion, joined by Judge Thomas B. Griffith, who agreed with her overall judgment. Judge Neomi Rao filed a dissent. The appeals court was reviewing an earlier ruling from Chief U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell who found the House, in its impeachment investigation, was legally engaged in a judicial process that exempts Congress from secrecy rules that typically shield grand jury materials from disclosure. Justice Department lawyers had urged the court to stay out of a political dispute between Congress and the Trump administration, and said exemptions allowing disclosure in certain cases do not apply to an impeachment proceeding. DOJ lawyers suggested a previous Watergate-era ruling affirming that grand-jury materials could be shared with the House during the investigation of President Nixon had been wrongly decided. The lawsuit was filed before the formal start of the impeachment inquiry centered on Trump's alleged effort to pressure Ukraine to investigate a political rival. But House lawyers told the court that lawmakers are still trying to determine whether Trump lied in his written responses to questions from Mueller's investigators. Lawmakers said they needed access to the material to try to establish a pattern of the presidents conduct. 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 Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10) The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved the use of test kits developed by scientists at the University of the Philippines to confirm cases of the coronavirus disease or COVID-19 in the country. FDA Director General Eric Domingo said the test kits created by the University of the Philippines National Institutes of Health (UP-NIS) will be used for field testing, coupled with gene sequencing, at the Philippine Genome Center. It was developed early this year after the World Health Organization released the whole genome sequence of the virus. "The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today issued a Certificate of Exemption for the SARS-CoV-2 PCR Detection Kit," he said in a statement. SARS-CoV-2 is the official name of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The test kits are funded by the Department of Science and Technology. It has yet to be rolled out in local hospitals pending clearance and approval from the World Health Organization (WHO). Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said they are aiming for UP-NIH to start carrying out tests this week. He added the WHO is looking into the testing capabilities of UP-NIH and five other sub-national reference laboratories namely Southern Philippines Medical Center in Mindanao, Vicente Sotto Medical Center in Visayas, Baguio General Hospital in Northern Luzon, and the Lung Center of the Philippines in Metro Manila. "Ang WHO, nagpadala ng mga eksperto para tulungan suriin ang kakayahan. Kung sila ay pumasa sa criteria, sila po ay pahihintulutan ng RTIM na magsagawa na ng testing," he said in an interview. The FDA go-signal comes a day after it was revealed during a Senate panel hearing that only 2,000 testing kits are left at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine. Health Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire earlier said the number of test kits started at 4,500, but had since been depleted as more people come forward to be tested for COVID-19. Duque admitted that the coverage of the coronavirus tests in the country has been limited due to lack of testing supplies, adding it may have led to a possible underreporting of COVID-19 cases in the country. Domingo said the new kits will help laboratories accomodate the growing number of patients to be tested and aid in early screening of positive cases. "This will provide greater access to a less costly diagnostic procedure," he said. COVID-19 cases in the country more than doubled overnight after authorities announced Monday that there are now 24 patients, with 21 of them admitted in the hospitals. Two have recovered, while one Chinese man died. A village in Maharashtra's Beed district on Tuesday continued its 90-year-old tryst with a Holi tradition in which the "newest son-in-law" gets a donkey ride and clothes of his choice at the end of it. The donkey ride of Vida village in Beed's Kej tehsil, some 125 kilometres from here, is a much-awaited item of Holi for people from near and far, said resident Angad Dethe. "The newest son-in-law of the village is zeroed in on through a process that takes three to four days. The villagers then keep a watch to ensure he does not go missing on Holi so as to skip the donkey ride. This year, Vida village gave the honour to Dattatray Gaikwad," local journalist Datta Deshmukh told PTI. Dethe said the tradition was started 90 years ago by resident Anandrao Deshmukh who was highly regarded by villagers. "The tradition started with Anandrao's son-in-law and has continued since. I have also got a donkey ride when I came here newly married," Dethe told PTI. The ride starts from the middle of the village and ends at its Hanuman Temple at 11am, with people giving the chosen son-in-law clothes of his choice. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) San Francisco business groups are calling for city assistance and for a delay in tax collection to help companies survive growing losses related to the coronavirus outbreak. In a letter to city officials, a group led by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce is calling for delays in both monthly and annual city tax collection and for waiving retail-related fees for one year. Those include building department fees and charges for setting up chairs on the sidewalk, holding events and getting approval for new signs. We must act swiftly to mitigate the economic consequences on our businesses and provide them with both the resources and information they need, the letter states, noting that some small businesses have seen gross receipts already plunge as much as 70% since the outbreak spread to the Bay Area. Large companies such as Salesforce and Google are telling employees to work from home, which, along with numerous convention cancellations, is expected to dampen business further. The letter also calls for the city issuing low-interest small-business loans, expanding unemployment insurance, investing more in marketing to promote tourism, and lowering fees to attract more conferences. The requests dont have a specific dollar amount, said Jay Cheng, public policy director at the San Francisco Chamber. The San Francisco Travel Association, Golden Gate Restaurant Association, Hotel Council of San Francisco and the California Music & Culture Association also support the proposals. Jeff Cretan, Mayor London Breeds spokesman, said she was aiming to move relatively quickly to act on some of the proposals. The mayors very focused on the impacts this is having on the business community, particularly the small-business community, he said. Were absolutely working on a number of ideas to see what we can do. Business leaders said restaurants and retailers, who were already grappling with high labor costs and numerous city fees, are suffering acutely. People are seeing tons more cancellations, said Laurie Thomas, executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, the citys main restaurant trade group with around 800 members. Its like an immediate recession. Business at Thomas two restaurants in Cow Hollow, Roses Cafe and Terzo, was down 40% last week. On Monday, activity was around 20% down compared with normal. Theres currently no estimate of how the much the citys budget could shrink because of the coronavirus, the citys chief economist told The Chronicle last week. A major deficit could make it harder for the city to assist businesses. Supervisor Hillary Ronen said she and Supervisor Matt Haney are working on separate legislation to help small businesses. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes She plans to introduce on Tuesday a non-binding resolution urging a moratorium on evictions of restaurants and retailers during the coronavirus outbreak. She is also calling for the city treasurer to establish a rent stabilization fund for small businesses. The fund would be set up with the city taking a short-term loan, with a dollar amount that will be finalized on Tuesday, she said. Ronen said she was also supportive of proposals such as delaying taxes. My focus right now is making sure business, and especially small businesses, can survive the crisis of the coronavirus, she said. We want to help them get by and stay in business through what we expect to be reduced clientele. We want to stop them from being displaced. Some food companies have already seen losses in the six figures in the past week, said Ben Bleiman, president of the California Music & Culture Association, which represents bars, clubs and music venues. I think this is going to be devastation to the service industry in San Francisco, said Bleiman, who is co-owner of local bar Tonic. Were going to see massive, massive layoffs. Were going to see massive bankruptcies. The city needs to show theyre serious about small businesses, he added. Theyve been treating us like a piggy bank. Roland Li is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of one of Laurie Thomas's restaurants. It is Terzo. Stunning reports have revealed how US surveillance operations have been gaining insight into the shadowy world of Iraqs Shia militias, writes Salah Nasrawi One night two months ago a group of top leaders from Iraqs Iran-backed Shia militias met secretly at a farm south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad to hammer out plans to respond to bombings by the United States on a militia post. Angered by the US airstrikes on Iraq, the militia leaders discussed staging a mass demonstration outside the sprawling complex of the US Embassy in Baghdad as part of a new strategy to force Washington to withdraw its forces from Iraq. The discussions might have sounded routine, as the Shia militias in Iraq have expanded dramatically and transitioned into formidable political forces that has been mobilised to confront the US and extend Tehrans regional reach. Yet, the American big brother was watching the meeting on 30 December, and Washingtons intrusive snooping provided a detailed picture of how US intelligence in Iraq executes the war against the Shia militias. Two reports issued last week about meetings in Baghdad gave the inside story on how Irans network of influence in Iraq has been increasing through the activities of the Iraqi Shia militias. One report by the US government-owned Al-Hurra TV channel detailed discussions between Deputy-Commander of the Popular Mobilisation Force (PMF) Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis and leader of the Kataib Hizbullah militia Ahmed Hassan Al-Hemidawi about plans to attack the US Embassy in Baghdad. The meeting was held in a private residence in the upscale Baghdad district of Al-Jadirriyah that hosts many PMF safe houses and offices. It was also attended by Haji Hamdi, a nickname of an Iranian officer in Irans Al-Quds Force. The second article, posted on Shafaak News, a Kurdish news outlet, reported another meeting also held on 30 December by top militia leaders that centred on how to retaliate in the wake of the US attack on Kataib Hizbullah in Qaim a day earlier where several militia members were killed. Among those who attended this meeting were top leaders of pro-Iran Shia militias in Iraq, including Hadi Al-Amiri, head of the Badr Organisation, Qais Al-Khzaali of Assab Ahlu-Haq, Akram Al-Kabi of the Al-Nujaba militia and Al-Hemidawi of Kataib Hizbullah. Also present were Falih Al-Fayadh, head of Iraqs PMF, which is a state-organised umbrella for the militias, his deputy Al-Muhandis, and several PMF top officials. According to Shafaak News, two Iranian security officials, Ali Akbar Muhamadi and Agha Shahin, also attended the meeting, which was held at a farm in Zufaranya south of Baghdad that belongs to militia leader Ali Shibl Al-Assadi. The outlet said the militia leaders had decided to mobilise some 20,000 supporters to take part in the demonstration at the US embassy. Each protester would be paid $100 as a stipend, it said. They also assigned Al-Fayadh, who also works as Iraqs national security adviser, to contact the US charge daffaires in Baghdad to inform him that the protests would only last for three hours and be staged outside the outer walls of the US embassy compound. Al-Fayadh was also to assure the US diplomats in the embassy that the protesters would be kept under control and that the demonstration was only meant as a public show of anger. Al-Amiri, who heads the second-largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament, was told to contact the British and other European ambassadors to assure them that there would be no protests at their missions in Baghdads fortified Green Zone which hosts the US embassy. Shafaak News, close to political parties in Iraqi Kurdistan, attributed its report to Al-Hurra, but the relevant article seemed to have disappeared from the US government-owned channels website. In both reports high-ranking security sources were quoted without further elaboration. But details in the reports seemed to expand on public statements by US officials on Irans activities in Iraq. The US airstrikes on 29 December had targeted Kataib Hizbullah, which the United States had accused of carrying out a missile attack on an Iraqi base earlier that had killed an American contractor and wounded American and Iraqi service members. The US relationship with the Iraqi Shia militias has been largely defined by hostility with Iran, which the United States has been targeting with a maximum pressure campaign that hopes to curb Irans pursuit of nuclear weapons and its influence in the Middle East. Washington has imposed economic sanctions on nearly a dozen Iraqi militia leaders, including several who attended the Jadirriyah and the Zufaraniya meetings, with US officials claiming that they work closely with Tehran and accusing them of attacking or threatening US interests in Iraq. In retaliation for the protests at the US Embassy in Iraq, US President Donald Trump ordered the killing of Irans top security and intelligence commander Qassem Suleimani. The US drone strike on Suleimani at Baghdad International Airport on 7 January also accidently killed Al-Muhandis. However, the revelations about the secret meetings came as no surprise, and they have not been seen as shocking. US whistleblower Edward Snowden has revealed that the US National Security Agency (NSA) had been routinely monitoring the calls of world leaders for years and had harvested data for US spy agencies. It has been an open secret in Iraq that the United States has been spying on the country since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Many in Iraq believe that by using its surveillance agencies Washington has enhanced its hold on the Iraqi state and political system. Multiple reports and leaks in recent years have suggested that even after it officially withdrew its forces from the country in 2011, the United States has continued its espionage activities in Iraq, including by routinely monitoring the calls of Iraqi officials. In September 2017, The Intercept, an American online news organisation that covers national security issues, described the NSAs surveillance in Iraq as a very forward-leaning and aggressive collection effort. It said the NSA had established technological access points in the country to spy on Iraqi government personnel that had included Iraqi cabinet level officials among others. The Intercept said the NSAs activities against Iraqis had gone far beyond spying on Iraqi telecommunications and trying to tap the nations communications to virtual control through the technical support it provides to Iraqi intelligence services and security forces. Indeed, the United States had been spying on Iraq even before the 2003 invasion that toppled the ultra-secretive and authoritarian regime of former dictator Saddam Hussein. Ahead of the invasion, American spies had worked undercover on ferreting out secret Iraqi weapons programmes and recruiting dissidents to gain first-hand knowledge of the regime. The US intelligences targeting of Iraqi Shia militia officials also dealt with their relations with Iran and the Islamic Republics rising influence in Iraq. In November 2019, the New York Times and The Intercept published what they called Iran Cables that included secret documents showing how much power the Iranian regime wields in Iraq. The cables detailed the extent to which Iraq has fallen under Iranian influence since the US-led invasion in 2003 and how this has transformed Iraq into a gateway for Iranian regional power. The unprecedented Iranian documents offer a detailed portrait of just how aggressively Tehran has worked to embed itself in Iraqi affairs and the unique role played by Suleimani in painstakingly working to co-opt the countrys leaders. Many of the cables describe how meetings have been arranged in dark alleyways and shopping malls or under the cover of hunting excursions or birthday parties. They also detail how sources are plied with gifts and officials are offered bribes. One document shows that former Iraqi prime minister Nouri Al-Maliki was a favourite of Tehran in the 2015 elections in Iraq at the expense of his replacement, the British-educated Haider Al-Abadi who was seen as friendlier to the West and less sectarian in his views. According to another Iranian intelligence cable, Abdul-Mahdi, who in exile worked closely with Iran while Saddam was in power in Iraq, had a special relationship with Iran when he was Iraqs oil minister in 2014. While the revelations might have been deliberately leaked in order to convince Iran that its actions in Iraq are being monitored by the US spy agencies, they also show how successful these agencies are in gathering evidence about Iran and its proxies in Iraq. One example of how the United States depends on eavesdropping, electronic intercepts, and other surveillance was the tracking of Suleimanis location in Baghdad and the subsequent drone attack taking him out. The US counterintelligence heavy-handed watching of Irans proxies in Iraq was demonstrated again last week when the administration disclosed that it had put on trial a US military contractor in Iraq on charges of providing highly classified information to Lebanons Hizbullah. The New York Times reported Thursday that the contractor, an American of Lebanese origin was investigated for revealing to a Lebanese man with ties to Hizbullah the names of informants in Iraq and details of the information they provided to the United States. The curious incident is that the US intelligence discovered the espionage case of the contractor, Mariam Taha Thompson, with the Iran-backed group on 30 December, same day the Shia militia leaders were meeting in Baghdad. In this shadow realm, espionage is used to justify a large number of goals and operations, but as the Iran-US standoff continues there are increasing fears that Iraq will continue to be a playground for a proxy war between the two countries. While the leaks about the secret activities of the Iraqi militia leaders tend to confirm US successes in surveillance, they also underline Iraqs vulnerability and trigger fears of a confrontation that could plunge the country into further turmoil. *A version of this article appears in print in the 12 March, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: (Bloomberg Opinion) -- With the end of February comes the end of the early delegate-selection events, which are dominated by spin and stories and knocking out candidates. Now we come to the events, beginning with Super Tuesday this week, in which what matters more than anything is the delegate count. The combination of landslide wins for Bernie Sanders in Nevada and Joe Biden in South Carolina in each case with the other finishing a distant but solid second has finally winnowed the field. Pete Buttigieg and Tom Steyer dropped out of the race this weekend. That leaves six major contenders five if we dont count Tulsi Gabbard, who has no delegates and no prospects of winning any. Amy Klobuchar may win her home state of Minnesota on Tuesday, but after that (or perhaps even earlier) shes likely to join Buttigieg and Steyer. Michael Bloomberg might win some delegates on Super Tuesday, but theres a good chance hell finish behind Biden in each state that votes, and unless the polls are entirely wrong, hell have no path forward from there. (Disclaimer: Michael Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.) And Elizabeth Warren, like Bloomberg, stands to win some delegates this week, but unless her strong campaign organization beats the polls significantly, she, too, will have no path to winning after Tuesday. No, at this point its even more clear than it was after Nevada: Only Sanders or Biden has a realistic chance of winning the nomination, barring something extraordinary. So how did Biden do it? One theory is that it was just demographics: Once Biden escaped from the largely white electorates in Iowa and New Hampshire, he was going to improve. The problem with that is the polling, which showed Biden collapsing in South Carolina for much of February. That suggests that there was nothing inevitable about Bidens strong showing. Another theory is that House Democratic Whip James Clyburns endorsement made the difference. Im sure that helped, but the endorsement was on Wednesday, and Bidens polling had already started surging before that. Story continues Which gets to the theory I suspect is correct: The results in Nevada provided the structure for the nomination contest that everyone had been waiting for all along. By finishing second, Biden became the Sanders alternative and by winning big, Sanders made it necessary for those who didnt want him to be the nominee to settle for whatever alternative was available. That theory is consistent with the polling, which shows Biden improving immediately after Nevada. If its correct, then we can think of Clyburns endorsement as an effect of Nevada as much as it may have been a cause of what happened in South Carolina. This is consistent with reporting from on-the-trail journalists such as the Washington Posts David Weigel. Its also consistent with what the political science literature says about most voters in primaries: They often dont focus on the contest until right at the end, and they dont really want to consider all of the candidates who have been running they just want some signal about which ones are the serious contenders. I cant prove that Warren, Buttigieg or even Klobuchar would have surged in South Carolina had one of them finished second in Nevada. Each of them, after all, has had difficulties winning the support of black voters. And Im not saying that they would have had the exact same win as Biden did. But I do think a lot of voters, party actors and media folks were poised to treat whoever finished second in Nevada as the natural alternative to Sanders, and the others as also-rans with predictable results. Whats harder to guess is whats next. FiveThirtyEights Nathaniel Rakich is correct: The situation may well be moving too fast for the polls to measure before votes are cast Tuesday (and remember that a lot of Super Tuesday voters have already voted early and that counting the votes, especially in delegate-rich California, will take a long time). Indeed, when Rakich wrote that on Sunday at noon, the FiveThirtyEight model projected Sanders would beat Biden by 145 delegates on Super Tuesday, including an 84-delegate margin in California; as I write this, that California gap has closed to a projected 63-delegate margin. And thats without any polls to measure the effects of Buttigieg dropping out, and almost nothing from after the results were announced in South Carolina. We simply dont know where Buttigieg voters (or even the handful of Steyer voters) might go, or what the effects of Bidens big win will be. Will it further consolidate voters who dont want Sanders to win behind Biden? Could it actually help the Vermont senator, by pushing voters who might have another first-choice candidate but prefer Sanders over Biden to switch to Sanders? Or could some Sanders bandwagon voters abandon him for Warren or someone else? Well get a few more polls, but mostly well just have to wait and see. I will say this: That noon Sunday forecast for Super Tuesday predicted 540 delegates for Sanders, 395 for Biden, and a whopping 410 for the other candidates. Thats why the model expects a contested convention, or at least no one reaching a majority by the end of the primaries and caucuses. Its possible that, as Nate Silver explains, Buttigieg dropping out could actually increase the number of delegates going to others by helping Bloomberg, Warren and Klobuchar reach the magic 15% share of the vote needed to receive delegates in more states and congressional districts. But I strongly suspect that Sanders and Biden will in fact combine for a larger share of the Super Tuesday delegates and then the overwhelming share of the delegates selected after that, as the other candidates drop out or just fade from relevance. If Im wrong and the FiveThirtyEight model is correct, however, then were headed for a contested convention, chaos and a potential disaster for the Democrats. So really theres a lot on the line on Tuesday, and a lot of very plausible results. 1. Casey Dominguez on media coverage of the primaries and caucuses. 2. Thomas E. Mann on the California primary. 3. Rachel Bitecofer on myths about U.S. elections. 4. James Wallner on the filibuster. 5. Brad DeLong on being prepared for a recession. 6. Nicholas Bagley on epidemics and the law. 7. And Annie Lowrey on Sanders and the U.S.S.R. To contact the author of this story: Jonathan Bernstein at jbernstein62@bloomberg.net This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners. Jonathan Bernstein is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy. He taught political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio and DePauw University and wrote A Plain Blog About Politics. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. President Muhammadu Buhari has set up a task force to work towards preventing the spread of coronavirus in the country. The presid... President Muhammadu Buhari has set up a task force to work towards preventing the spread of coronavirus in the country. The president took this step hours after Nigeria recorded a fresh case of the virus which broke out in Wuhan, China, in December. Nigeria, had contracted coronavirus. At a press briefing on Monday, Osagie Ehanire, minister of health, had announced that one of the persons who had contact with the Italian who imported the disease toNigeria, had contracted coronavirus. Nigeria currently has two cases of the disease. In a statement, Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, said the task force was given six months to conclude its assignment. Given the current global outbreak of the novel Coronavirus and its potential of causing significant disruption to health services in the country as well as impacting negatively on the economy, President Muhammadu Buhari has established a Presidential Task Force for the Control of the Coronavirus-19 Disease (COVID-19), the statement read. This action is in preparation for the unlikely but probable major outbreak of the disease in the country which will require a multi-sectoral inter-governmental approach as advised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) similar to that adopted for the HIV epidemic in the last two decades. Below are those on the committee: Boss Mustapha (SGF) chair Sani Aliyu national coordinator Osagie Ehanire, minister of health Rauf Aregbesola, minister of interior Hadi Sirika, minister of aviation Sadiya Farook, minister of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social services Adamu Adamu, minister of education Lai Mohammed, minister of information Mohammed Abubakar, minister of environment Yusuf Bichi director-general, State Services Chikwe Ihekwehazu, director-general, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control WFH for Private offices in Delhi, restaurants & bars to be shut as Omicron-led to sudden rise in Covid cases Coronavirus outbreak: India temporarily barred entry of nationals of France, Germany, Spain India oi-PTI New Delhi, Mar 10: Amid the rising cases of coronavirus affliction globally, India on Tuesday barred entry of the nationals of three more countries -- France, Germany and Spain -- suspending the regular as well as e-Visas granted to them till date. "All regular (sticker) Visas/e-Visas granted to nationals of France, Germany and Spain and issued on or before March 11 and who have not yet entered India stand suspended with immediate effect," said a Bureau of Immigration notification issued late Tuesday night. Regular visas, including e visas, granted to all foreign nationals who have travel history to these countries on or after February 1 and who have not yet entered India also stands suspended, it said. The new notification was issued shortly after Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Tuesday held a high-level meeting of secretaries of various ministries and departments, grappling to contain the spread of the deadly Covid-19. The meeting was held to review the status, actions, preparedness and management of COVID-19 cases in the country, an official statement of Union Health Ministry said after the meeting. With more than 100 countries across the world now having reported cases of COVID-19, the Union Health Ministry in its advisory also urged its citizens returning from abroad to self-monitor their health and follow the recommended do's and dont's. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 10, 2020, 23:13 [IST] Tri-State COVID cases surge, but number falls in Washington County While the number of new COVID-19 cases in the Tri-State area skyrocketed in the past week, the number cooled slightly for Washington County. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 00:03:02|Editor: yan Video Player Close WASHINGTON, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The Pentagon said on Tuesday that U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper will delay his trip to Central and South Asia to help manage the Pentagon's response to coronavirus outbreak. Pentagon's Press Secretary Alyssa Farah tweeted that Esper had decided to postpone his travel to India, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan, adding that the trip would take place at "a later date." The announcement came amid the increasing risk brought by COVID-19 to U.S. servicemen home and abroad. Pentagon said on Saturday that a U.S. Marine assigned to Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County, Virginia, tested positive on Saturday for COVID-19, and is currently being treated at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital. U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy announced on Monday that top U.S. Army general in Europe, Lt. Gen. Christopher Cavoli, and several staffers might have been exposed to the virus at a recent conference. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States reached 761 as of noon local time on Tuesday, according to the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering. The clerk of the court informed lawyers in the case Tuesday that Sotomayor realized she is friends with one of the parties in one of the cases, from Colorado. Sotomayor will still participate in the other case, from the state of Washington. The U.S. has begun withdrawing troops originally sent to the Middle East in the wake of the killing of top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, as Iran sees the worst outbreak of Wuhan coronavirus in the region. Around 1,000 troops have returned from Kuwait over the past two weeks, while an additional 2,000 are expected to return in the near future, the Wall Street Journal reported. After President Trump ordered the drone strike on Soleimani, the Pentagon deployed additional troops to bases in the region to counter a possible Iranian reprisal against American or allied targets. While Iran did attack American positions in Iraq, leaving dozens of troops with concussions and traumatic brain injuries with ballistic missile strikes, there has been no other major retaliation. U.S. troop presence in the Middle East increased from 80,000 to 90,000 after the Soleimani strike. President Trump has repeatedly promised to withdraw U.S. troops from the region, and the Pentagon will soon be taking troops out of Afghanistan in line with an agreement reached with the Taliban. Iran is currently coping with one of the largest outbreaks of Wuhan coronavirus outside of China, which has led some in the Pentagon to conclude the country will not seek major action against the U.S. in the near future. There were 7,161 confirmed cases of Wuhan coronavirus in Iran as of Tuesday morning, with 237 deaths. However, at least 10 percent of Iranian parliament members have been infected with the illness and some lawmakers have accused the government of concealing horrific numbers of deaths. More from National Review UPDATE: Oregon receives more coronavirus tests -- just before running out The Oregon Health Authority will run out of coronavirus tests by Wednesday without an infusion of kits from the federal government, officials acknowledged in response to questions from The Oregonian/OregonLive. The state lab had just 130 tests remaining as of Monday night, according to an agency spokesman. That translates to about 65 people, given that it takes about two tests per person to diagnose the disease. CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: THE LATEST NEWS State officials say they are confident more enzymes a critical component of the tests -- will arrive from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday and Wednesday. If and when that happens, state officials say they will have the capacity to test about 4,800 people. I have a high level of confidence these tests will arrive, said Dr. Dean Sidelinger, state health officer and epidemiologist. State officials say they can pursue contingency plans, such as commercial or out-of-state labs, if needed. The glaring reality of Oregons dwindling testing capacity only became clear Monday night after state officials for days had declined to answer how many tests remained. The state originally received 1,500 tests from the federal government but those supplies have not gone far. It remains unclear exactly how the state used up so many tests, or the underlying testing components, so quickly. The state has tested only 179 people for COVID-19, with 14 of those confirmed or presumed to have the disease. An additional 52 people have submitted specimens to the state lab and are awaiting results. But what is clear is that Oregons strained testing capacity has kept the number of cases artificially low. Health officials have readily conceded that there are an unknown number of people in Oregon who have the disease but their mild symptoms dont warrant testing from the stockpile of limited supplies. In addition to these 14 cases, Sidelinger said, there are likely many other cases in the state of Oregon that we havent identified. State officials across America have been eagerly awaiting more testing supplies from the CDC as the coronavirus spreads. There are now more than 660 confirmed or presumptive cases nationwide, with Oregon recording the seventh-highest total, according to a database compiled by The New York Times. Oregon officials identified their first case Feb. 28 and later insisted supplies are on hand to perform approximately 1,500 tests. But when the CDC loosened guidance March 4 about who could be tested, a top Oregon public health administrator told lawmakers that the state did not have that capacity. The Oregonian/OregonLive has been asking for days how many tests remain. Pressed for an answer during a news conference with reporters Monday, Sidelinger said: I dont have the answer for how many tests we have on hand. But we anticipate receiving additional supplies in the next couple of days. Three hours later, an Oregon Health Authority spokesman said the agency had only 130 tests remaining. Were covered for today and tomorrow, Jonathan Modie said in an emailed response to written questions. Details of the states testing supply were not immediately available. Each person who is checked for the coronavirus uses at least two tests, officials said, but some tests or components from the tests may have been given to hospitals and others to develop their own capacity. The state could not say how many tests had been used to date. I dont have the specific number of how many specimens were tested; multiple samples can be collected from one person, Modie wrote. State officials also could not say how many tests they requested from the CDC. But the enzymes that are supposed to come this week should dramatically increase the testing capacity at the state lab. With what weve been told well receive this week, well be able to test about 4,800 people, Modie wrote. If a contingency plan is needed because testing supplies dont arrive, the Oregon Health Authority said it could seek help from commercial labs or neighboring states. The state said it could refer clinicians to LabCorp or Quest Diagnostics, two commercial enterprises now offering tests. Testing by the University of Washington could also be another option, although officials conceded that other states may already have a place in line. The state is also working with local hospitals that hope to soon begin testing in Oregon. Officials are aware of four hospital systems that are looking to develop their own tests or lab capacity. That could happen this week or next. We dont formally approve them but support them with supplies that help validate tests, Modie wrote. Well be confirming their first 10 tests. It remains unclear how many people in Oregon might have coronavirus but dont meet the states strict testing criteria -- so far limited to people who have COVID-19 symptoms and have traveled to known hot spots or had contact with a known case, as well as people who have such a severe respiratory illness that they need to be hospitalized but they test negative for influenza. That uncertainty is growing in part because of a lack of transparency by the state. Oregon health officials use a database to track people in various categories of risk, including people who dont qualify for testing but have some symptoms and have spent time in the same environment as a known case yet not in close contact. The state generally does not test such individuals unless they have at least both a fever and symptoms of a lower respiratory disease, such as a cough, spokesman Robb Cowie said. The state provided testing to some people associated with Forest Hills elementary who were not in close contact with the employee identified with Oregons first case of COVID-19. The Oregonian/OregonLive requested the total number of people who have location links and symptoms but arent being tested but officials have declined to provide it. A formal public records request is now pending. We are not releasing those data because they are not considered cases, the state said. Health officials acknowledged the true number of coronavirus cases will only become clearer in the weeks ahead. We expect more testing to come on line in the days and weeks ahead, so we expect for more cases to be confirmed, said Dr. Jennifer Vines, the health officer for the Portland metro area. This information will start to tell us truly how widespread the virus is, she added, and what the picture is. (Fedor Zarkhin of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed to this report.) -- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Eight deputies stood guard around the courtroom when state District Judge Chuck Silverman read the punishment jurors decided for a man they had convicted of capital murder, preparing for a possible outburst from a defendant who has been described as one of Harris Countys most dangerous inmates. Lucky Ward, 55, didnt visibly react when Silverman relayed the verdict. But before being escorted out of the courtroom for the last time, Ward turned his attention to one victims family members. Im sorry, he said. Jurors deliberated Tuesday for less than five hours before choosing death for Ward instead of life in prison without parole for slaying Charlie Rodriguez and Reita Long. Ward is also accused of strangling at least three other women. Harris County prosecutors on Tuesday had argued that Ward was a continuing threat to society a belief which jurors ultimately shared. Jurors had the courage to look at all the evidence, give a voice to the victims, and declare that he was the worst of the worst, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said after the verdict. Ward tortured and brutalized his victims with no mercy. Ward is the second person for whom Oggs office has sought and secured capital punishment. As with all death sentences in Texas, Wards case will be automatically appealed. Defense attorneys had hoped jurors would find circumstances that were mitigating enough to reject the death penalty, including his mental health history and a pattern of abuse he suffered as a child. Defense attorneys declined to comment after the trial. During closing statements Tuesday morning, they appealed to the jurors humanity. I may well lose this case, but I would rather lose it by pleading for a mans life than win it by asking you to kill him, longtime criminal defense lawyer Allen Isbell said. Wards defense told jurors about the defendants upbringing, when he experienced sexual abuse from an uncle and physical assaults from a father who used extreme tactics to beat his child. The complex trauma he endured caused long-term harm to his mental state, eventually resulting in diagnoses of schizoaffective disorder, according to testimony. He entered the adult prison system at the age of 16. Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes, lawyer Jimmy Ortiz said Tuesday during closing statements. In this case, Mr. Ward was dealt a very bad deck of cards. Wards experiences as a child were terrible, prosecutor Colleen Barnett said, but they dont justify his crimes. Does that excuse him for what hes done? she said to jurors. He made those decisions. Within about one month in 2010, police found themselves investigating three strangling deaths inside the 610 Loop. Rodriguez, a transgender woman and hairdresser, was found in her North Side home, naked and covered by blankets. Long, a teacher who was homeless at the time, was discovered near the downtown chancery with a bra tightly wrapped around her neck. And Carol Flood, also homeless, lay dead on the steps of a YMCA. Ward was only charged and convicted in the murders of Rodriguez and Long, but prosecutors told jurors during the trials punishment phase that he was a suspect in Floods killing, as well as in the 2010 strangling of Myra Ical, a transgender woman, and the 1985 strangling of another woman, Birdell Louis. Defense attorneys argued that the prosecutors didnt have conclusive evidence for all five murders brought to the jury in the punishment phase. In their closing statements, prosecutors focused on Wards long history of violence. When he was 14, he raped an 83-year-old woman in Brazoria County, Barnett said. He later faced a slew of other charges, including evading arrest, possession and prostitution, before being arrested in 2010 on the capital murder charge. Louis death in 1985 marked the first of Wards signature murders, Barnett said, where he would strangle his victims often with items of their own clothing, sometimes leaving them partially nude. Ward was also a named suspect in the strangling of Raquel Mundy, a 24-year-old single mother who had last been seen stranded with a flat tire near downtown Houston. Her murder was not mentioned to jurors in trial. Barnett said Ward continued to be dangerous while held in the Harris County Jail for the past 10 years. His time there has been marked by repeated jail violations for alleged threats, suicide attempts and misuse of medication, according to court records. Some of the deputies who flanked the courtroom on Tuesday members of the sheriffs emergency response team were heavily vested. Ward was the jails longest-serving defendant in custody. Mounds of DNA evidence were tested between 2010 to 2020, and Hurricane Harvey delayed one trial setting, court records show. He remained quiet for most of the trial, occasionally leaning over to whisper to Ortiz. He wore glasses that were prescribed to him just before his day in court, and they became shaded on occasion. Barnett noted that Ward acted out in small ways, wearing a yellow jumpsuit one day just because he wanted to, and choosing not to sit in testimony for two days after his conviction. He contemplated testifying on Tuesday, but in the end he did not take the stand. And defense attorneys had to instruct him to be present in the courtroom during his death penalty verdict, because bailiffs told the judge he didnt want to emerge from his holding cell. Longs family was in the courtroom during the verdict, and her daughter and sister spoke to the jury from the witness stand. Ward, who was chronically homeless at the time of his arrest, was attentive. Long was one of eight siblings and went on to be a mother of three. She was beautiful, intelligent, a great cook and a hardworking woman, her family said. I will never get to see or touch her again, daughter Chanel Long said. You murdered my mother and I remember like it was yesterday. samantha.ketterer@chron.com We love bars. While theres always a spot in our hearts for the corner bar, the craft cocktail purveyor or distillery tasting room, we have been known to swoon over hotel bars, with their built-in mystery, and the accompanying potential for adventure. And we dont care whether its in the lobby, on the roof, or tucked away on a mid-level floor. Read on for a selection of a few faves in the Buffalo area. 210 Franklin St. Buffalo, NY 14202 (716) 954-4900 The revolving ground-floor bar at the Curtiss is a grand way to enjoy a cocktail while slowly rotating and enjoying the changing scenery, from the street life on one of downtown Buffalos busiest intersections to the view of the bar and your fellow barflies, swanking it up in this gloriously glitzy lobby bar and restaurant. As a more recent addition to the local boutique hotel roster, the Curtiss is located in a renovated historic landmark building. The 200-seat Chez Ami restaurant is an homage to a long-gone Buffalo institution of the same namethe bar-go-round is a carryover from those days of yore. The Curtiss also offers an equally glitzy and kitted out four-season rooftop lounge and patio, with fire pits and spectacular panoramic views of downtown Buffalo, Lake Erie, and the Canadian shoreline. Rockwell Road & Richardson Road Buffalo, NY 14213 (716) 882-1970 You get credit for finding the cocktail bar and lounge within 100 Acres restaurant at the Hotel Henry. Located on the second floor, off one of the hallways that doubles as the restaurants seating areas, its a sweet spot with an elegant bar and lovely service. The hotel, a $100 million renovation of a disused 1800s National Historic Landmark building, has garnered international kudos for its innovative rehabilitation and design. And the bar (and sumptuously appointed cocktail lounge across the hall) are destinations for locals and travelers alike. 5010 Main St. Amherst, NY (716) 839-2220 Jazzbolines name comes from a novelty instrument created by a vaudevillian performer who lived in the area for years. The bar, which is adjacent to and affiliated with Reikart House, a new hotel, includes a nearly 50-foot bar and adjacent lounge offering craft and classic cocktails and an extensive wine selection. Over two dozen beers are on tap, with many local breweries featured. The hotel, also features an inviting fireside lounge, where you can relax with a glass of wine or a craft cocktail. Hotel @ The Lafayette 391 Washington St. Buffalo, NY 14203 (716) 853-1505 The Lafayette Brewing Company, part of the Pearl Street Grill & Brewing Company family of restaurants, is situated adjacent to the Lafayette Hotel lobby. In addition to a full bar, and lunch and dinner menus, they offer their own craft beers, and recently installed an arcade bar - a roomy area with pinball machines, billiards, darts, foosball and shuffleboard. The Hotel Lafayette, another downtown Buffalo revitalization success story, originally opened its doors in June 1904, and was immediately hailed as one of the finest hotels in the United States. The striking red brick and white terra cotta building was designed by Louise Blanchard Bethunethe countrys first professional female architect. After years of neglect, Buffalo developer Rocco Termini has given the hotel a meticulous restoration. 414 Delaware Ave. Buffalo, NY 14202 (716) 886-3300 We had to include this tres luxurious spot, but the fact is that you have to be a guest at The Mansion on Delaware Avenue to visit the boutique hotels baror invited by one. We can say that it is, in fact, worth it. The ground floor salon in the renovated 1869 Second Empire grand manse is decked out with a fireplace, billiard table and lush couches, and offers guests complimentary evening cocktails, elegantly served from a sideboard. Theres no denying the feeling of absolute opulence that washes over you as you sink into a cushioned armchair, sip a delicious cocktail and gaze into the warm fire. The rest of the world simply fades away. Buffalo Marriott HARBORCENTER 95 Main St. Buffalo, NY 14203 (716) 852-0049 This sky-high aerie at the southern end of downtown Buffalo offers amazing views of Lake Erie and the city. Located adjacent to the seventh-floor lobby of the Buffalo Marriott HARBORCENTER, the restaurant and cocktail lounge offers a deep spirits, wine and beer list, plus classic and modern takes on cocktails. Drink in the view while sipping your fave. The Buffalo Westin 250 Delaware Ave. Buffalo, NY, 14202 (716) 290-0600 The artfully appointed lobby bar and restaurant within The Westin Hotel is accessible both from the street and through the main lobby, so you can make a big entranceits definitely a place to see and be seen. There are many seating choices, from the cool round white marble bar to cozy seats and more intimate two-tops. Take your pick and enjoy. READ MORE Rochester Lilac Festival announces 2020 lineup Hudson Valley man stacks stones into spectacular sculptures Try these 11 gut-busting food challenges in Upstate NY Wrexham residents encouraged to switch off lights in support of Earth Hour This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Mar 10th, 2020 Residents and business are being asked to participate in Earth Hour and switch off their lights at the end of the month. Organised by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the global event sees millions taking part and the lights going off in landmark buildings like Buckingham Palace, Cardiff and Edinburgh Castles, The Sydney Opera House and the Eiffel Tower. As with previous years, this years Earth Hour will take place on Monday 30th March at 8:30pm. In addition to taking part in Earth Hour Wrexham Council is also holding an event in the Council Chamber here in the Guildhall for members of the public to have their say on what the local authority has been doing to improve our environment and what else it should be doing. Wrexham Council say this will help develop ideas on how we can all work together to build a strong response to improving our environment in the future. The event takes place between 4pm and 6pm on Tuesday, March 24. Places are limited, so please book by 5pm on Thursday 19th March 2020. You can book your place, here. Occidental Petroleum slashed its quarterly payout to investors for the first time in 30 years after oil prices crashed Monday. The Houston oil and gas producer on Tuesday cut its shareholder dividend to 11 cents from 79 cents and reduced its range of 2020 capital spending by nearly one-third, to between $3.5 billion and $3.7 billion, down from $5.2 billion to $5.4 billion. "Due to the sharp decline in global commodity prices, we are taking actions that will strengthen our balance sheet and continue to reduce debt," Chief Executive Officer Vicki Hollub said in a statement. The move comes less than two weeks after Hollub reassured Wall Street analysts and investors that Oxy would maintain its dividend payment, calling it one of the defining characteristics of our company and its second most important priority after maintaining operations. Oxy has sought to maintain healthy dividend payments to investors, many of whom were skeptical of its $37 billion acquisition of Anadarko. The deal, completed in August, saddled Occidental with more than $38 billion of debt. RELATED: Occidental Petroleum lost almost $1B and now faces coronavirus But that was before Monday, when oil prices suffered their biggest one-day decline in 30 years, plunging 25 percent more than $10 a barrel to settle in New York at $31.13 per barrel. The crash came after OPEC and its allies failed to strike a deal last week with Russia to cut production amid declining demand caused by the widening coronavirus epidemic. West Texas Intermediate crude prices have climbed nearly 15 percent to $34.71 per barrel by midday Tuesday. Oxy, faced with a choice between maintaining current dividends and reducing debt amid declining revenue, chose the latter. Its cuts to dividends and spending will allow the company to break even with U.S. crude prices nearing $30 per barel, Hollub said. Leo Mariani, a senior equity analyst at KeyBank, said he was not surprised that Oxy decided to cut its dividend. From a practical perspective, the market has been anticipating dividends would be cut in half, Mariani said. Honestly, its a good thing. It would help them improve their balance sheet quicker. Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday, officially made public its plans to unilaterally increase oil output next month, as its state-owned company pledged to supply a record 12.3 million barrels a day, more than 25 percent higher than last months production. Reliable sources had earlier told Bloomberg of the planned move of the worlds largest oil exporter to massively increase its output from about 9.7 million a day it produced this month. The news organisation reports that the supply hike puts Aramco above its maximum sustainable capacity, indicating that the kingdom is even tapping its strategic inventories to dump as much crude on the market as quickly as possible. In response to the price war, Russia Energy Minister Alexander Novak said the country had the ability to boost production by 500,000 barrels a day, putting the countrys output potentially at 11.8 million barrels a day. Saudi Arabias decision to flood the market with as many barrels came after Moscow rejected Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) resolve to cut crude oil production by a combined volume of about 1.5 million barrels per day, to stop further reduction in international oil prices. Since the last meeting of OPEC+, and the inability of the organisation to reach a deal on oil production cuts, oil price in the international market has tumbled. Yesterday, the oil price reached nearly 30 years of fall as it dropped to $34.36 per barrel. Nigeria had pegged oil production at 2.18m barrels per day, with a price benchmark of $57 per barrel in its 2020 budget. Faced with the reality of what is on ground, President Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday, set up a committee to assess the impact of the coronavirus epidemic on Nigerias 2020 budget and the economy in general. The primary task of the Committee under the chair of the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, is to assess the impact of the crash in crude oil price on the size and implementation of the budget. According to a tweet on the official twitter account of the ministry, the committee briefed the president with an interim brief o Tuesday and, subsequently, launched into further deliberations with a view to submitting a final report within the next 24 hours on what steps should be taken to respond to the emerging complexities. The International Energy Agency earlier this week said it expects global oil demand to fall in 2020 the first full-year decline in more than a decade because of the deep contraction in China, which it said accounted for more than 80 percent of global oil demand growth in 2019, and major disruptions to travel and trade. As India prepares to launch its first astronauts into space , the program will proceed under tighter funding than hoped, at least for the time being. The human spaceflight program of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), called Gaganyaan, received only about 30% of the funds sought by the according to the Times of India . ISRO said it will find a way around the low budget, but details were not provided in the news report. Gaganyaan is designed to send three crew members into space for five to seven days in a small spacecraft, roughly 10 feet by 11 feet (3 meters by 3.4 m) in diameter. Should India achieve its goal of flying its own astronauts, it will be only the fourth country to do so after the United States, the Soviet Union (now Russia) and China. Related: India looks beyond the moon to Mars, Venus and astronaut missions The 2020-21 budgetary estimate for Gaganyaan is 4,257 crore (about $639 million), with this figure representing about a third of ISRO's overall budget . The actual amount the agency is allocated so far for human spaceflight, however, is 1,200 crore ($180.3 million). While the impact to Gaganyaan is unknown, ISRO has said it will cost about 10,000 crore ($1.5 billion) to launch Gaganyaan before Aug. 15, 2022, which is Independence Day in India. In general, human spaceflight programs often deal with reduced budgets in one of two ways: by delaying launches or by making cutbacks within the program to allocate the lesser funding received. India's Parliamentary Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change tabled a report Friday (March 9) asking for more funds bringing ISRO up to its original request, the Times added. But whether that will be implemented is unclear. ISRO plans to conduct an uncrewed Gaganyaan test mission on its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket in December 2020 or early 2021, according to an ISRO report , targeting July 2021 for a second test flight. If all goes to plan under the current schedule, humans would fly in December 2021. The agency pointed to significant progress in the program in recent times, including the completion of preliminary design reviews (which are typically done just before hardware is finalized). ISRO performed a pad-abort test to qualify its crew escape system in July 2018, among other milestones, the agency said. "Various technological and infrastructure developments pertaining to crew, human-rated launch vehicle, orbital module, crew safety, reliability and [the] crew escape system are in the process of realization," ISRO said. "[The] overall concept, configuration and interfaces have been firmed up and preliminary design reviews have been completed." Crew selection and training is also underway under a memorandum of agreement with the Indian Air Force and the Institute of Space Medicine, ISRO added. The first phase of crew selection is completed and once the astronauts are selected, they will be trained at Russian facilities. ISRO also has a contract with Glavkosmos, a Russian launch service provider under its agency Roscosmos, for crew selection, medical examinations and training. Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook . This conundrum led a judge in the original trial to rule that the jury couldn't hear sound recordings since they weren't protected. The appeals court differed at first as the panel of judges had decided that the recordings should have been admitted. They also said that the jury had not been instructed properly on what constitutes as original work and what was protected. The new trial was worrying because it may potentially set different copyright standards for older recordings. Skidmore thinks the process of transcribing original sheet music was "burdensome". Now, the Ninth has reversed their initial opinion after the case was review en banc - meaning the entire bench of circuit-court judges are reviewing this instead of a select panel. "These arguments cannot overcome the statutory requirements," Circuit Judge M. Margaret McKeown said in the majority 54-page decision. "Skidmore also complains that restricting protection to the deposit copy disadvantages musicians who do not read music, because it can be time-consuming and expensive to make an accurate deposit copy. Apparently, that was not a problem here, as Wolfe's work was transcribed for the sheet music deposit. Digital transcription and other technological advances undercut this argument not to mention that for decades now, sound recordings have been accepted as the deposit copy." The court also overturned the Ninth Circuit's "inverse ratio rule", a precedent that has been in place for copyright suits for almost 50 years. To win an infringement case, plaintiffs have to prove that two works are "substantially similar". The rule also held that the more famous the song was, the less similiarity was required to establish copyright infringement. "The world of copyright protection for music changed dramatically during the 20th century," McKeown concedes in the judicial decision, "and those changes dictate our analysis here." More than 20 MLAs of the Congress from Madhya Pradesh, including some ministers supporting rebel leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, are mulling to resign as the members of the Legislative Assembly, sources said on Tuesday. The MLAs, currently holed up in a resort in Bengaluru, might send their resignations via e-mail, a senior Congress leader told PTI. If the MLAs follows the suit of Scindia who has resigned from the Congress, the Kamal Nath-led government will be reduced to minority. "We came to know that former state minister and BJP leader Bhupendra Singh has contacted the Assembly officials to know the nitty-gritty of resignation procedure last night," he said. Had Scindia been placated in time, the situation would not have come to such a pass, he added. A short while ago, Scindia, accompanied by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi amid indications that he might join hands with the BJP to topple the Madhya Pradesh government. In case of the resignation by 20 MLAs, the number of the Congress legislators in the 230-member House will come down to 94 from the current 114. The current effective strength of the House is 228 with two seats vacant. However, in case of resignation by the 20 MLAs, the strength of the Assembly will be 208 and the magic number required to prove majority will be 105. The BJP has 107 MLAs. The Kamal Nath government is supported by two legislators of the BSP, one of the SP one and four Independents. Even with their support, the Congress will have 101 MLAs, four short of the halfway mark. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley on Monday gave her endorsement to Senator Kelly Loeffler (R., Ga.) in an intra-Republican battle for one of Georgias Senate seats. Right off the bat, [Loeffler] put her marker down on what she wanted to fight for, Haley said at a campaign event near Atlanta. But then she went and showed it through her actions. She supported President (Donald) Trump and voted to end the impeachment and told Congress to get back to work. Loeffler was appointed to the Senate in December by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp to fill a vacancy left by former senator Jonny Isakson, who retired due to health issues. Kemp reportedly thought Loeffler would shore up GOP support among female suburban voters, but his appointment bucked the wishes of President Trump, whose preferred choice was Representative Doug Collins (R., Ga.). Collins subsequently chose to enter the special election for Isaksons Senate seat, setting up an intra-Republican battle and drawing the ire of the National Republican Senate Committee. Haleys endorsement of Loeffler is the highest-profile endorsement the freshman senator has received. The presidents style is not Kellys style, right? Haley said at the campaign event. But at the end of the day, they both agree on the same results: how we get wages up, how we get unemployment down, how do we make retirements fatter. Loeffler has been criticized over her stance on abortion, and Collins has received the support from some quarters in the GOP, including former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee. More from National Review Oke Adetola David A student of the Osun State University, Oke Adetola David has written an apology letter after accusing the Vice Chancellor of stripping him naked over a dress he wore to school. The student who apologized for portraying the school in a bad light, agreed to follow the rules set by the university in his further dealings. Read his apology letter below: CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Qantas Group has announced some drastic changes to its operations, due to impact of the deadly coronavirus crisis. The changes include reducing international capacity by a quarter, cancelling bonus payments for 2020 as well as no salary for its chief executive officer and chairman for the rest of the current financial year. The airline said it is not possible to provide guidance at this time on the financial impact of the coronavirus. Qantas board will take a 30 percent reduction in fees. Group Executive Management will take a 30 percent pay cut. It will freeze all non-essential recruitment and consultancy work. The airline has decided to cancel the off-market buyback announced in February, which will preserve A$150 million in cash. But, it will still pay an interim dividend of 13.5 cents per share on 9 April. Qantas Group will further cut its international capacity by almost a quarter for the next six months, following the spread of the coronavirus into Europe and North America, as well as its continued spread through Asia. The cuts will bring the total international capacity reduction for Qantas and Jetstar from 5 per cent to 23 per cent versus the same time last year and extend the cuts until mid-September 2020. The airline will ask all Qantas and Jetstar employees to take paid or unpaid leave in light of reduced flying activity. Qantas said it will use smaller aircraft and reduce the frequency of flights to maintain overall connectivity, rather than exit routes altogether. Accordingly, Qantas has grounded eight of its largest aircraft, the Airbus A380, until mid-September. A further two A380s are undergoing scheduled heavy maintenance and cabin upgrades, leaving two of its A380s flying. Meanwhile, the airline will temporarily re-route the existing Sydney-Singapore-London return service to become a Sydney-Perth-London service from 20 April citing strong customer demand for the service. The airline will delay start of its new Brisbane-Chicago route from 15 April to mid-September. Jetstar will suspend flights to Bangkok and reduce flights from Australia to Vietnam and Japan by almost half. Jetstar's daily Gold Coast to Seoul flight was suspended last week. In total, 38 Qantas and Jetstar aircraft has been grounded across the international and domestic network. Qantas and Jetstar will waive change fees for new international bookings made from today until the end of March, if customers change their travel plans. It applies to travel commencing up to 30 June 2020 and is limited to one free change per customer. Customers will need to pay any fare difference, the airline said in a statement. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de New York under a state of emergency following a coronavirus outbreak on Monday launched its own brand of hand sanitizer, made by jail inmates. Governor Andrew Cuomo said 100,000 gallons of "NYS Clean" would be produced a week by prisoners, who already manufacture soap, to meet shortages. "This is a superior product," said Cuomo, as the gel was unveiled from behind a curtain at a press conference. "It has a very nice floral bouquet," he added, after rubbing some on his hands. The product, which has an alcohol content of 75 per cent, will be provided for free to government agencies, schools, the public transportation system and prisons, Cuomo said. It is part of the government's "Corcraft" scheme where prisoners make dozens of products including cleaning supplies, bedding and clothes. The sanitizer will cost USD 6 a gallon to make and is not expected to go on general sale. The announcement came as the number of confirmed cases in the state rose to 142, the vast majority of them in Westchester County, just north of New York City. There have been 19 confirmed cases in the Big Apple. The United States has at least 22 deaths from the coronavirus and 566 confirmed cases, according to a Johns Hopkins tally. No one in New York state has yet died from the virus but eight people have been hospitalized. Thousands of students at schools and universities were staying home this week after a suburb of Westchester shut its public schools and New York's Columbia University, Hofstra University and Yeshiva University suspended classes. Elsewhere, the Southern District of New York said Monday it would not allow anyone who had visited China, South Korea, Japan, Italy and Iran in the last 14 days to enter any of its courthouses An auto parts store might not be your first thought when making lunch plans, but after trying Paque Ronald food truck, which has a standing residence in the OReilly Auto Parts parking lot on Highway 31 in Hoover, you might decide to think again. The new Venezuelan food truck serves authentic arepas, cachapas, and empanadas, among other delicacies from the owners home country. Paque Ronald, provides a peek into Venezuelan cooking with corn-based vessels (pancakes, pita pockets) and sandwiches stuffed or served with an array of savory meats, beans, cheese, and other fillings. Arepas, palm-sized griddlecakes made from cornmeal dough, are the standard bread in Venezuela. The name also is used for the variety of fillings served in them. The La Llanera Arepa with shredded beef, tomato, avocado, and handmade cheese. Owner Ronald Montilla offers a dozen options for his arepas ($5-$8), mostly built around shredded beef, shredded chicken, pork, cheese, black beans, or avocado. The brunchy Revotillo Arepa features scrambled eggs and cheese. Montilla also uses arepas as top and bottom buns for the heartier Arepon sandwiches ($10-$14). In addition to the meat filling of choice, the set-up includes ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and tartar sauce. Venezuelan cuisine also gives familiar foods a new twist. At Paque Ronald, Hamburguesas ($8-$10) are your typical bun and beef patty (or two; its an option), with cheese, lettuce and tomato. But fried potato sticks, ham, and fried egg also are stacked on. In Venezuela, people put even more things on, like bacon or corn, says Montilla, who owns the truck with his wife Angelica Barboza. Both were born in the northwest Venezuelan city, Maracaibo. Burgers also can be made with chicken, smoked pork chop (chuleta ahumada), or a mixta combination. Other items on the menu include stuffed and deep-fried turnovers called empanadas ($3-$4) and cachapas ($8-$14), which resemble big pancakes, but are made from egg-enriched sweetened batter that includes corn flour and cream. Montilla halves cooked cachapa pancakes, sandwiching its filling of shredded beef, chicken, pork, or cheese between the half-moon slices. The Supercachapa is a combo that includes ham in the mix. The cheese filling in the cachapas is a slab of the mozzarella-like Venezuelan signature called queso de mano. The pork and handmade cheese cachapa. Another version of a Venezuelan sandwich is the Patacon ($10-$13), young plantain pounded flat and fried before served with an elaborate filling. The Pernil Patacon, for example, has shredded beef, ham, cheese, cabbage, and tomato. Pabellon is your best introduction to Venezuelan food. In many Venezuelan restaurants, the dish starts with shredded beef stewed with onion, garlic, bell pepper, tomatoes, and other seasonings. Served with white rice and black beans, Pabellon encapsulates the indigenous, European, and African culinary influences on the former colony. The truck offers its take on the classic Pabellon by using its primary elements as fillings for empanadas, patacon, and arepas. The Pabellon empanadas, patacon, and arepas include shredded beef, cumin-scented black beans, and sweet plantain; white cheese replaces the rice. Also look for Pabellon Criollo (with rice this time) when its among the trucks daily lunch specials ($8). The food trucks menu is bilingual the English translations clearly describe each menu item, and the dishes are numbered to simplify ordering. The menu at Pa'que Ronald. Montilla says he is gratified by the growing diversity of customers since Paque Ronald opened in May 2019. When we started, a lot of people didnt know Venezuelan food, he says. People are getting to know us. Were getting people from Mexico, El Salvador not just Venezuelans. And, thank God, Americans are coming and getting a taste of Venezuela. Details Paque Ronald food truck | 1559 Montgomery Highway (U.S. 31) in Hoover (OReilly Auto Parts parking lot) |205.573.5305 | Hours: Tues.-Sat., 11 a.m.-8 p.m. This article was produced for Birmingham magazine. Subscribe today! On Friday, the oil markets worst fears came true: OPEC+ failed to agree on how to deal with the coronavirus effect on oil demand, sending oil prices plunging. But with the start of the new week came new horrors for the oil market, with Russia and Saudi Arabia waging a full-on oil price war as both prepare to increase oil production and flood the market. And now, the market is left wondering which mega oil producer will cry uncle first: Saudi Arabia or Russia. But a third-wheel in this oiltastrophe is none other than US shale, and both Russia and Saudi Arabia are likely rooting for the death of Americas oil production, which undermined OPEC+s best efforts to manage the market thus far. Amid this catastrophic development that saw an ugly end to the Saudi Arabia and Russia relationship, analysts and banks are scrambling to redo their oil price forecasts yet again, with the coronavirus still breathing down their necks, and with the two increasing oil production at a time when oil demand is expected to contract in 2020 for the first time since 2009. And what the early analysts are predicting is that oil prices will falland fall hard. And its already begun. Spot prices for WTI crude had fallen to $30.23a price level not seen in years. Brent crude was trading down to $34.36 Is this price sustainable for oil producers? Russia, at least, says yes. Russias Finance Ministry on Monday declared that Russia could sustain $25-$30 oil for at least sixand as many as tenyears. But some analysts say this is magical thinking, and that a more realistic timeframe for weathering a super low oil price environment can be measured in months, not years. Related: Offshore Wind To See $200+ Billion Expansion By 2025 Regardless, it is not important that Russia be able to withstand $25 for ten years. It only needs to hold out longer than now-rival Saudi Arabia, and thats a likely scenario. Story continues Russias eagerness to test that theory, to some, may seem rather cocksure, but there is likely a method behind their seeming madness. If Russia and Saudi Arabia had indeed agreed to even more of a production cut, what then of US shale? Russia has long argued that further production cuts are merely playing into the hands of US shale; the more production OPEC+ members cut, the more room US shale is given to ramp up production. An oil cartels strength to manipulate markets, after all, is directly tied to the percentage of global production they wield. And the United States produces more oil than either Saudi Arabia or Russia. We, yielding our own markets, remove cheap Arab and Russian oil from them to clear a place for expensive American shale. And to ensure the efficiency of its production. Our volumes are simply replaced by the volumes of our competitors. This is masochism, Rosneft spokesman Mikhail Leontiev told Russias Ria Novosti news agency over the weekend. There is no real solution to this predicament that OPEC and its allies have put themselves in. Their market manipulation efforts have managed to hold prices up for a time, but it has also opened the door for US shale to turn on the tapsand US producers were all too willing to take advantage. Now, Russia is ready to push back US shale with low oil prices that Russia hopes will knock back Americas zealous energy independence campaign. The Case For Saudi Arabia Like Russia, Saudi Arabia claims low breakeven levels for oil too. But these figures are not audited, and not verifiable. The Kingdom has said in the past that their straight-up breakeven is $10 per barrel. But thats not the whole monetary story. Aramco struggled to generate a profit even when oil was hovering around $45 per barrel back in 2016, reporting a free cash flow of just $2 billion. The price at which Saudi Arabias budget breaks eventhe fiscal breakeven--is more like $83.60 per barrelnearly twice the level that Russia needs, and well below what oil is trading at today. Related: Climate Change Goals May Not Go Far Enough It seems highly unlikely that Saudi Arabia would be able to outlast Russia in this game of chicken, but it might be banking on at least outlasting US shale. But such a strategy from The Kingdom may bring back painful memories for Russia (and the United States) of 1986, when Saudi Arabia, frustrated with OPEC members who kept overproducing when the market wasnt hungry for it, employed a strategy of willfully overproducing itself, undercutting oil pricesa strategy that sank oil to just $10 a barrel. The Mighty US Shale Takes on Saudi Arabia and Russia US shale producers are a whole different beast from Saudi Arabia and Russia, and US shale producers wont go down without a fight. Not state-owned, each US shale producer can act independently. But they also are not officially subsidized and therefore must bend to the will of the markets. That is, unless banks are willing to extend cash to US producers regardless of production companies viability in a low-price environment. Thus far, US shale has outlasted what even most analysts thoughtcertainly longer than what Saudi Arabia thought, when it tried to drown US shale in oil just a few years back before it failed miserably and decided to, with the help of OPEC, cut production instead. Analysts are predicting that many US oil companies will face tough times if oil prices continue down its current path. US shale has long been accused of being debt-laden, and breakevens for US drillers are somewhere in the high $40s per barrel. But analystsand OPEC--have made that mistake before, at their peril. US shale has lapped up many of the barrels that OPEC and Russia have ceded, whether propped up by debt or not, and they very well may do so again, leaving Russia and Saudi Arabia to fight over who will be the biggest loser. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Read this article on OilPrice.com The Bexar County Republican chairwoman and a candidate for sheriff disputed results of the March 3 elections, asking Tuesday for a recount or a whole new countywide primary vote. But the county elections administrator held firm on the outcome of the Super Tuesday primaries and the more than 250,000 total votes counted. I stand behind this election, said Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacque Callanen, who has held the post for 15 years. While some have lamented long lines at polling places on election day and delays in the release of early vote and other election totals, Callanen denied allegations raised by Republican Chairwoman Cynthia Brehm and Democratic sheriffs candidate Michelle Barrientes Vela that people were denied the right to vote. Brehm and Vela told the Bexar County Commissioners Court and reporters that some were turned away, and polling sites shut down. Neither provided specific locations where they said those irregularities occurred. But Vela, a former county constable who placed third among five candidates in the Democratic sheriffs race and faces charges related to alleged actions as constable, said the results are not accurate. On ExpressNews.com: County getting vote system ready after test run In a matter of days, theyre wanting to shut down and move on to the runoff. I dont think were quite there yet, said Vela, who faces one count of aggravated perjury, and two counts of tampering with or fabricating evidence and three counts of official oppression. She has maintained her innocence. During the citizen comment portion of a busy meeting, Vela asked commissioners to put aside your personal feelings for me and begin looking into our voting process and the possibility of corruption here in Bexar County. I think this is not only a county issue, but a national issue, Vela said. Brehm, who is in a runoff to keep her seat as chairwoman, said she also fielded concerns that candidates names were left off some ballots. There are enough inconsistencies to cause concern about this election process, Brehm told commissioners, asking them to throw out this election. But the Commissioners Court has no say over the political parties primaries. The partys precinct chairs will meet Thursday night to review and canvass the votes. But Brehm told reporters, I feel wholeheartedly that theyre going to throw this election out. She said she also plans to file a complaint with the secretary of states office. Brehm had leveled a complaint last year with the state agency, saying election officials had tampered with ballots in the May city election. But according to an account provided by Callanen at the time, Brehm and three Republican allies camped out at county elections office for two days, causing so much disruption that Callanen called the Sheriffs Office. Brehm disputed that, saying they were poll-watching, as allowed by law. State officials questioned Callanen and later backed her up, finding no tampering had occurred. On Tuesday, Callanen dismissed the latest complaints as misinterpretation or misinformation. Callanen has previously mentioned that early voting had to be briefly interrupted at some poll sites, as tabulator bins filled with ballot cards were replaced with empty bins so voting could continue. She has said a computer at election headquarters crashed three times when election officials tried to transfer data on about 122,000 early votes with a thumb drive, so early vote totals could be reported to the public as polls closed. That caused at least an hour-long delay in public posting of early voting results. Vote figures for absentee mail-in and election night also were reported on separate files that night, not in the consolidated report voters are used to seeing. Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff asked that the county information technology department work with the vendor, Election Systems & Software, to determine what went wrong with the countys new $12.6 million system when the computer failures occurred at election headquarters. Talking to reporters afterward, Callanen flatly denied any inaccuracies in the vote totals. She noted that late mail-in and provisional ballots are still being counted this week, and she didnt rule out a possibility they could affect the outcome of one or two down-ballot races. The numbers will change. But were only counting what the law allows us to count, she said, not taking a position on Brehms call for a new election. On ExpressNews.com: Discord erupts over March 3 primary Thats between her and the state party. We have nothing to say about that, Callanen said. In other business Tuesday, commissioners agreed to begin work on a long-range program to develop up to 22 projects for trail connections, ecosystem restoration and other improvements along the San Antonio and Medina rivers and local creeks, at a total of $240 million, with some projects receiving federal assistance. But commissioners said they want to see priorities in other areas, such as literacy, job training and affordable housing, before committing to a 10-year program to build those river and creek projects. Also approved was an agreement with Sundt Corp. to demolish the old Bexar County Jail, at a cost not exceeding $1.25 million. Razing the 1960s structure, which functioned as the county jail until 1987 and has since been leased, will make room for a new University of Texas at San Antonio College of Business building as part of a $5.7 million land deal with the university that commissioners approved in January. The old jail is on the west side of San Pedro Creek, between Dolorosa and Nueva streets, near a segment of creek undergoing widening and beautification under the countys San Pedro Creek Culture Park project. shuddleston@express-news.net | Twitter: @shuddlestonSA This dissonance of words and actions is the Canadian governments signature Trudeau-era balancing act of performative even-handness, in which the prime minister repeats nice things about reconciliation, then uses government force to override Aboriginal will: In 2018, Mr. Trudeau ensured the expansion of a major tar sands oil pipeline, the Trans Mountain, by ordering a $3.5 billion nationalization of the line. The government acquired its assets from the Kinder Morgan company after Native-led protests threatened to make construction untenable. It is in Canadas national interest to protect our environment and invest in tomorrow, while making sure people can feed their families today, he explained. The Obama era in the United States was similarly marked by this rhetorical balancing act: At the height of the Standing Rock uprising, that administration too promised reconciliation and empowerment for Indian Country, but President Barack Obama ultimately helped the fossil fuel industrialists win the fight and continued to defend his all-of-the-above energy strategy. The betrayal on both sides of North Americas 49th parallel has meant that despite the heightened symbolic respect paid by the center left to Native nations, Indigenous people are losing land in a year-by-year battle of attrition with energy interests. There is, however, solid legal standing to support the restoration of Native land rights, explicitly embedded in Canadian law. Though the government of British Columbia originally declared the enormous territory it overtook in the mid-19th century to be Crown lands, most were never affirmatively ceded by First Nations through treaties. So in the 1980s and 90s, the Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs along with another First Nation tribe sued British Columbia and the Canadian government for Aboriginal title to tens of thousands of square kilometers of land in Canadas northwest. In 1997, Wetsuweten claimants brought an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada, which found that the government had no right to extinguish the Indigenous peoples rights to their ancestral territories. There was, however, a bit of a catch: The ruling clarified Aboriginal title rights but only created guidelines for negotiations over disputes, leaving the fate of any contention among the federal government, elected tribal leadership and hereditary chiefs the exact quandary surrounding the current Coastal GasLink standoff legally murky. Encouragingly, there are some signs that the government may be willing to stand down. On March 1, the hereditary chiefs and senior government ministers announced a tentative outline for a negotiated agreement that Carolyn Bennett, the federal crown-Indigenous relations minister, said will honor the protocols of the Wetsuweten people and clans. Ms. Bennett said the talks were about ensuring that this never happens again, that rights holders will always be at the table. But no details about the governments stance on rights and titles for the future were disclosed, and both sides acknowledged they havent reached an agreement on the pipelines construction, which after pausing for the talks resumed last week. So among activists there appears to be just as much skepticism as hope. The proposed arrangement will continue to be reviewed by the clans in the coming days. Its not over yet, said Chief Woos, a hereditary leader. The content of a possible final agreement is up in the air. But if there is one, it is likely to answer continuing questions about whether Native political authority over their old territories in Canada will finally be realized or remain a thin formality, a veneer of legitimacy for ongoing colonialism. Audrea Lim is a journalist. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. WASHINGTON - Acting director of national intelligence Richard Grenell has declined to appear before Congress on Tuesday to speak about foreign election threats, citing apprehension about his preparedness to address sensitive subjects that tend to upset the president, according to three people familiar with the matter. The top intelligence community official asked President Donald Trump to be excused from the briefings because he anticipated pointed questions from Democrats about politically volatile subjects - such as intelligence assessments that Russia is once more interfering in U.S. politics, two of the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe private discussions. Maura Beard, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), said in a statement that the agency never told Congress that Grenell would participate in the briefing. She said so despite a list circulated to lawmakers Monday showing that he was scheduled to appear. "FBI and DHS are the lead in charge of securing our elections, and the [intelligence community] is participating in today's briefings in support of that mission," Beard's statement said, referring to the Department of Homeland Security. "The [intelligence community] is focused on detecting and countering foreign election-related threats." The intelligence community's top counterintelligence official, William Evanina, will appear instead, Beard said. Grenell's name had been included in a list of briefers given to Congress on Feb. 27 and again Monday, people familiar with the matter said, along with other national security officials including FBI Director Christopher A. Wray, National Security Agency Director Paul M. Nakasone and acting homeland security secretary Chad Wolf. The latest list of briefers, provided to Congress on Tuesday morning, included Evanina in lieu of Grenell. Trump has long chafed at notions that Russia has interfered in or sought to intervene in the election, dating back to his pique at the U.S. intelligence community's unanimous conclusion that Moscow took steps to aide his election in 2016. "There is another Russia, Russia, Russia meeting today," Trump tweeted Tuesday morning. "It is headed up by corrupt politician [House Intelligence Committee Chairman] Adam "Shifty" Schiff, so I wouldn't expect too much!" Schiff tweeted in response: "Mr. President, you are wrong. As usual. Today's briefing for all House Members focuses on the threat of foreign interference in our election. The briefers are agency heads and senior officials. They are your own people. We will insist on the truth, whether you like it or not." Another notable absence in the briefings is the intelligence community official who ordinarily would appear before Congress, election threats executive Shelby Pierson, who was not scheduled to be present at the closed, all-members meetings in the House and the Senate scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. She drew Trump's ire last month after she informed lawmakers that Russia had developed "a preference" for Trump. Though she believed she was fulfilling her duty to keep Congress informed about foreign interference attempts, the disclosure angered the president, who feared Democrats would leak the assessment to undermine him in the 2020 election. A day after the briefing, Trump scolded his then-acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, pressing him to explain why Congress was briefed on the matter before him. Maguire protested, saying he had in fact informed the president beforehand. The following week, Trump fired Maguire and replaced him with Grenell, another loyalist and the current U.S. ambassador to Germany. Grenell, who is serving in both positions, has made clear he sees his acting DNI role as short-term. Grenell, who lacks substantive intelligence community experience, has been one of Trump's most vocal and partisan backers. Even before he took the ambassador position, he cast doubt on the idea of Russian interference in the 2016 election. In an opinion article for Fox News, he played down the severity of the threat, saying "Russian or Russian-approved tactics like cyber warfare and campaign of misinformation have been happening for decades." Tuesday's briefing is part of a regular series to keep lawmakers apprised of the government's progress in securing federal elections and on foreign interference. Congress in December mandated such briefings for leadership and the House and Senate intelligence committees. CLEVELAND, Ohio Homicide detectives are investigating after a 50-year-old woman was found dead Monday afternoon in an apartment on the East Side, police say. Police say the victim was found by her son at about 1 p.m. in her residence on the 2400 block of Morris Black Place in the Woodland Hills neighborhood. The son was checking on his mother after not seeing her and found her body in a decomposed state, police say. The victim had unknown injuries, according to police. Homicide detectives and officials with the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiners Office were called to the scene. Her identity has not been released. More crime-related content on cleveland.com: Cleveland motorcycle club member killed in shooting that hurt 17 others remembered as reliable, funny friend Cuyahoga County Jail supervisor headed to prison for pepper-foam attack on inmate, extortion attempt One dead, one in critical condition after shooting at Cleveland gas station Ohio plastic surgeon accused of drugging women, recording sexual assaults Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 02:40:56|Editor: yan Video Player Close LOS ANGELES, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Niki Caro, director of Disney's China-based female hero film "Mulan," voiced her hope that the heroine's "fighting spirit" would inspire the world at "this difficult time" marked by the spread of COVID-19 during the film's world premiere in Los Angeles Monday evening. Based on the legend of an ancient Chinese heroine, Hua Mulan, "Mulan" is a live action adaptation of Disney's 1998 animated film of the same name. Mulan, according to folk legend, lived during a tumultuous era of the Chinese history more than 1,400 years ago. She disguised herself as a man to serve in the army in place of her aged father and fight for the country. "Our wonderful journey with Mulan started four years ago. During the preparation and production of the film, we spent a great deal of time in China. This film is not only a celebration of its rich culture and history, but also of its people," Caro told the audience at the Dolby Theatre. "And at this difficult time, we hope that Mulan's fighting spirit will continue to inspire around the world," she noted. "Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in China, and around the world who are affected by the coronavirus outbreak. And our deepest respect to everyone working so hard to battle the disease -- you are a living testament to Mulan, and you bring honor to us all," she added. Directed by Caro, the movie stars Liu Yifei as the title role following a year-long global casting, with Gong Li as a powerful and dangerous witch, Donnie Yen as an army commander, and Jet Li as the emperor of China. The cast of the movie, including Liu, Li, Yen, and other stars, such as Christina Aguilera who has recorded two songs for the film, attended the world premiere. Although the outbreak of COVID-19 is affecting Hollywood and the global film industry, forcing theaters to be shut down and some major events to be canceled, Disney is going to release "Mulan" on schedule. The movie is expected to bring in at least 85 million U.S. dollars in its opening weekend in the United States later this month. Irans Minister of Health has lambasted authorities at the Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Trade (MIMT) for "deceitful" remarks regarding promises of producing large quantities of protective masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus. In a letter to his counterpart at the MIMT, Saee Namaki has rejected the claim that Iran was capable of manufacturing millions of medical masks per day, dismissing it as "demagoguery" and a "hollow slogan" to deceive the people. Namaki has also vehemently complained about the activity of a "highly complicated network" that "hoards millions of antiviral masks" across Iran. "During the past week, the Ministry of Health has only received one million medical masks," Namaki has lamented in his letter to the MIMT Minister, Reza Rahmani. In recent days, several authorities at different state entities of the Islamic Republic have parroted a remark, claiming that Iran can manufacture a massive number of medical masks. "We are attempting to manufacture at least one million medical masks per day," an industry official Masoud Amrollahi, claimed on Sunday, March 1. Speaking to the members of Iran's "National Coronavirus Combat and Prevention Headquarters" on Monday, MIMT's deputy, Hossein Modarres Khiabani, said, "Based on the Ministry's agreement with the Clothing Union, the production of 4.5-5 million medical masks per day will soon begin in the country." As the head of Prevention Headquarters, Namaki has insisted in his letter that law enforcement and security agents should not be content with just to confiscating medical masks hoarded in the warehouses. "You should step in, control medical mask factories, and address the problem," Namaki has urged the Islamic Republic Police. Namaki's letter to the MIMT Minister is dated February 29, but local media published it today, Monday, March 2. The whole argument about medical masks and lack of disinfectants stems from state control of the economy, a highly controlled foreign trade system and cumbersome price-setting systems. Irans economic model is a strange combination of capitalism and state control, leading to inefficiencies and corruption. In another letter to the Islamic Republic President Hassan Rouhani last Friday, Namaki had also complained about the health ministry not receiving enough medical masks and forced to buy what it needed from merchants and smugglers at much higher prices. He also alleged of a network hoarding protective masks. Hours after receiving Namaki's letter, President Hassan Rouhani assigned the Minister of Intelligence Mahmoud Alavi, to investigate possible hoarding of medical coveralls and masks. Meanwhile, the conservative editor of Khabar Online, Mohammad Mohajeri, claimed in a tweet on Monday that the Minister of Intelligence has called and urged him to follow up on the case, and ask Namaki to identify the person in charge of the "complicated network" dominating the medical mask market in Iran. It is strange, to say the least, for one minister to ask a newspaperman for information another minister might have. People wondered on social media if the minister of intelligence is not in speaking terms with the health minister. The Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters commenced the public hearing of the Social Media Bill on Monday, having passed first and second readings. The bill, Protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulations Bill, 2019, was introduced in the Senate in November 2019 and is sponsored by Niger senator, Mohammed Sani Musa. Many Nigerians have kicked against the bill and the lawmakers have come under criticism for considering the bill. Many have said the bill is targeted at silencing the media and the masses. The legislation comes few years after a similar anti-social media bill introduced in the eight Senate, sparked outrage across the country. Over 20 institutions and groups that appeared at the public hearing, asked the lawmakers to trash the legislation even as many said Nigeria has existing laws that could cover the provision of the bill. There were however, three groups that supported the bill the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Islamic Affairs and Civil Voices Coalition for protection of Rights and Privileges. 1. Nigerian Army Solomon Udounwa, the Deputy Chief of Policy and Planning of the Nigerian Army, spoke on behalf of the army. He supported the bill as he said the mission of the army is to win all land battle in defence of the nation. He noted that Nigeria has had governments that have taken measures to promote national security, measures that may appear to limit individual liberties but all in the interest of the nation. He also gave reasons as to why the bill should be passed and signed into law. Internet falsehood, he said, undermines leadership, creates chaos, weakens institutions of governance and can be used to disrupt the economy and create social upheavals. For the army in particular, Mr Udounwa said fake news that targets the military has serious impact on it as an institution, its operations and personnel welfare. Internet falsehoods can undermine military leadership, lower troops morale, hurt the image of the image of the service and even harm personnel safety and that of their families. Internet falsehood not only distorts information but also misinforms members of the military and the general public. It severely impacts operational security and could also endanger inter-service rivalry where two or more services of the armed forces and other security agencies are pitted against each other. The officer listed measures taken by the army to limit falsehoods. These include doctrinal reviews, establishment of new units for specialised and specific functions to tackle the menace, improved information management, conduct of regular military-media interface, personnel education and enhancement of civil military cooperation activities. The Nigerian Army Cyber Warfare command to strengthen our response which has among other things, contributed immensely to the successful monitoring of the last general elections, he added. The officer said the army has submitted about 31 point observations on the bill and some of the observations have to do with provisions that are at variance with the constitution, others that appear to deny fair hearing, provisions that appear to exclude the minitary from this bill and typographical and other drafting errors. READ ALSO: He urged the Senate to look at the bill again and consider it in the interest of national security. 2. Coalition In a short presentation, the representative of Civil Voices Coalition for protection of right and privileges, Aliyu Mustapha, said they have acknowledged the threat to national security and everything goes with regulation. He said they support the bill but that section that will affect the right of Nigerians should be look into. He did not elaborate. 3. NSCIA On his part, the Director of Administration at the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Yusuf Chinedozi Nwoha, said the bill that seeks to criminalise the issue of internet falsehood is supported by Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs. He, however, urged the Senate to harness and pass the bill in such a manner that it will not gag the freedom of speech of people as enshrined in the constitution. Outside this, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs supports this bill, he said. Background Many have argued that the Nigeria Army has a valid point in its support for the legislation. Advertisements This is not unconnected to the fact that there have been cases of false news about the military and it has had to come out on some occasions to debunk these. Moreso, it is understandable that certain information that the military would want to be keep secret, are sometimes leaked out to the public hence the support for the bill. In the same vein, the support of the NSCIA can be justified by the fact that internet falsehood sometimes creates chaos and confusion which leads to religious arguments and condemnation on social media. However, while it is easy to make excuses for the two groups, it is not so for the Civil Voices Coalition. Besides the fact that they acknowledged the threat to national security, no other reason was given by the group. Checks by this newspaper show that the group does not have existing platforms on social media and no active website as well. The only information that can be found on the group online is from three days ago from a news platform about the group discussing the same subject matter. Meanwhile, in his closing remarks, the chairman of the committee, Opeyemi Bamidele, assured that the Senate has not taken a stance. He said the lawmakers will go through every memoranda in presenting its report. This is a private member bill. The Senate cannot be held responsible for a member bill. We will advise the Senate based on our findings. No one has any firm position on this. We know the eyes of the world are on us. PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how the sponsor of the bill said the opinion of Nigerians on the bill supersedes his personal interest. The hearing is one of the final steps of the process of bill passage after which the legislation will be considered and possibly passed into law if the lawmakers vote in support of the bill. Emily Ratajkowski looked like she meant business on Tuesday morning. The supermodel wore a black blazer with matching slacks as she added a designer purse on her shoulder while heading to an appointment in New York City. But the Inamorata founder seemed to forget her shirt at home as she appeared to have absolutely nothing on beneath her jacket, not even a bra. Woman on a mission: Emily Ratajkowski meant business on Tuesday when she was seen strutting around New York City in a power suit The 28-year-old beauty teamed the look with a pair of loose fitting baggy trousers for the same style. Emily completed her ensemble with white sneakers that looked too casual for her power suit. The London born beauty accessorized with a over-the-shoulder Bottega Veneta bag that had a statement gold chain. Statement bag: The London born beauty accessorized with a over-the-shoulder bag that had a statement gold chain and she added a pair of Vera Wang shades Emily's brunette tresses were worn down with a center part and she kept a low profile with a pair of dark tinted Vera Wang shades. She appeared to be wearing a natural amount of makeup complete with blushed cheeks and a plump nude lip. Not seen with her was her beloved German Shepard, Colombo, and her husband of two years, Sebastian Bear-McClard. Emily shared a photo on Instagram on Tuesday morning with her man from the night before. The brunette bombshell stunned in a black crop top that drew attention to her incredibly toned mid-section. Love: Emily shared a photo on Instagram on Tuesday morning with her man from the night before She said 'I do': The model/actress married the 33-year-old movie producer in a court house in February 2018 The model/actress married the 33-year-old movie producer in a court house in February 2018. Emily posted a series of snaps on Instagram from their wedding on her anniversary last month, with a short clip showing their intimate vows. '2 years ago at the courthouse,' she wrote across the video of her nuptials to the film producer. She was dressed to the nines in a yellow power suit on her big day while boasting that she '10/10 would marry again.' Emily rose to fame after her standout appearance in Robin Thicke's 2013 Blurred Lines music video. Since then she has launched her very successful swim, intimates and clothing line, Inamorata. An Uptown landlord who was accused of renting apartments only to "young, skinny white girls" and then propositioning some of them for sex has agreed to have no contact with tenants for the next decade. Jerry W. Kelly Jr., 54, must hire an independent property manager to oversee his roughly 100 properties and inform his tenants of a new anti-sexual harassment policy, according to a settlement resulting from a 2018 lawsuit. Should Kelly violate the terms of the settlement, a judge could order him to pay a fine. The moves will settle a suit brought by the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center that claimed Kelly ignored calls from prospective male tenants, entered female tenants' apartments without permission and asked them to trade rent for sexual favors. A real estate agent Kelly hired to help lease his apartments told the housing center that she saw him turn away more qualified male renters in order to rent to "young, skinny white girls." Kelly denied the claims in an interview with this newspaper, but also said he liked to "keep it with just girls" at one of his apartment buildings. Federal housing law generally forbids landlords from barring tenants based on gender, age, race, family status and other considerations. The housing center learned of Kelly's troubles with tenants from a social media post in 2017 and from the former real estate agent. The center then had "testers" inquire about renting apartments from Kelly, who only returned calls from the female testers, attorneys said. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up A U.S. District Court judge in February denied Kelly's request to dismiss the case against him. The center and Kelly reached a settlement soon after that. The deal bars Kelly from contacting his tenants for the next 10 years unless the tenants expressly agree to that contact. A professional property manager will manage the apartments in line with federal housing laws, and will advise Kelly's tenants of a new sexual harassment policy and complaint procedures. Tenants with complaints about Kelly can contact the housing center, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or the property manager. New Orleans landlord accused of only renting to 'young, skinny, white girls' disputes claims in court A New Orleans landlord accused last year of renting apartments only to young, skinny white girls and asking his tenants for dates says the l Fair Housing Action Center Executive Director Cashauna Hill said Monday that the deal means other young women won't have to deal with Kelly's advances. Were also incredibly grateful to the former tenants and witnesses who made this case possible, and we implore any person with knowledge of similar behavior to report their suspicions to the Fair Housing Action Center," Hill said. Kelly's attorney, Peter Koeppel, did not immediately return a phone call for comment. British beef could soon be heading to the US after government officials agreed the next step of an export deal worth around 66m over the first five years. The US has agreed equivalence of standards on the UKs disease control measures following a three-week inspection last summer. It means that after the final administrative details are carried out, British beef can be shipped to the United States. It comes after an ongoing process of negotiations between the AHDB, Defra, APHA, FSA, Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and Hybu Cig Cymru Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) and other organisations including UKECP. The inspections in August 2019 included tours of five beef sites, four pork and lamb, as well as several laboratories. The aim of the visit was to progress approval for British beef and lamb exports and achieve ongoing approval of pork exports to the American marketplace. AHDB International Market Development Director, Dr Phil Hadley said the announcement is a boost for the farming industry. "Todays announcement is a crucial step in our ambitions to gain market access for our beef and lamb, to go with our existing pork trade, to the all-important US market," he said. We have worked collaboratively with industry and government to get this agreement and we will continue to work to get this partnership over the line and to see our products in the US market. "Once the final administrative details are carried out, commercial trade will begin. It comes as figures show that 2019 was one of the best years on record for UK red meat exports - rocketing to more than 1.5 billion. According to HMRC, the total value of red meat exports rose 13% year-on-year, with more than 661,000 tonnes of pork, lamb and beef shipped around the world. Countries across the Middle East have begun closing their borders as the number of cases in the region soared past 8,600, with the vast majority within Iran. Iran on Tuesday recorded a sudden leap in coronavirus deaths with 50 more fatalities, as Saudi Arabia shut off air and sea travel to 14 counties to stem a spike in cases there. Iranian health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said 54 people have died, pushing the total death toll to 291 an 18 per cent increase from the day before. Some 8,042 Covid-19 cases have now been recorded in the country, he added, saying the rate of spreading disease is still rising. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, reported an additional five new cases, and in response cut off air and sea travel with Bahrain, Egypt, France, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Spain, South Korea, Syria, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. The kingdom had earlier closed off its land borders as well. Out of concern to protect the health of citizens and residents and ensure their safety, the kingdoms government decided to temporarily suspend the travel, it said in an interior ministry statement. Abu Dhabis long-haul carrier Etihad, which operated 12 flights daily to Saudi Arabia, said three flights had been airborne at the time of the Saudi announcement. Only Saudi citizens were permitted to disembark when the planes landed in Dammam, Jeddah and Riyadh, with the rest of the passengers having to return to Abu Dhabi, the airline said. Jordan's health minister also announced on Tuesday the country was closing its border crossings with Israeli-occupied West Bank, and banned travel to Lebanon and Syria because of the outbreak. It comes after Israel all but sealed off the country, saying all returning Israelis will from Thursday have to self-quarantine for 14 days regardless of where they travelled from and foreigners will only be permitted entry if they can prove they can also self-isolate. At least 58 people have been infected by the virus, according to Israels health ministry. On Tuesday, the Israelis shuttered Erez border crossing with Gaza for all traffic bar humanitarian cases. The exceptional move will have a massive impact on Gaza residents who work in Israel or have family in the West Bank. The Palestinian authorities, meanwhile, placed further travel restrictions in West Bank and put Bethlehem on lockdown, as the cases there rose to 25. Recommended Iran coronavirus death toll surges to over 230 In Iraq, the authorities ordered the closure of the Najaf province, home to holy Muslim Shia sites, for non-residents for a week to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. At least seven people have died in the country and 50 cases have been officially recorded. Iraqs cabinet also called on citizens to avoid travelling outside the country and commuting between its provinces, according to local news reports. Lebanon also recorded its first death from the virus on Tuesday: a person returning from Egypt who was in quarantine. Morocco also recorded its first fatality, an 89-year-old Moroccan woman who had returned from Italys Bologna. Egypt, meanwhile, has suspended prison visits nationwide for 10 days as well as mass gatherings as the number of cases there rose to 59. There were media reports that they may ban the smoking of shisha pipes to prevent the spread of infection. In Kuwait, the authorities closed all cinemas and wedding halls. Iran, however, remains the regions worst affected country. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced that all Iranian doctors and nurses who die combating the disease will be considered martyrs like slain soldiers, meaning their loved ones could receive payments and benefit from the state. It also bestows religious importance on those fighting the virus in the Shia theocracy, which experts fear may be under-reporting the total number of cases. Coronavirus: Temperature checks and disinfection at Iran airport Concerned by the soaring death toll, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Iran asked the country to temporarily release all prisoners including dual and foreign national saying that it is unfortunate and disturbing to have political prisoners locked up amid the outbreak. There are thought to be at least six Britons jailed in Iran including British-Iranian charity work Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been behind since 2016 and who has shown symptoms of the virus. Iranian authorities have insisted she is in good health. A number of dual and foreign nationals are at real risk, even if they have not [got coronavirus] they are really fearful of the conditions, Javaid Rehman told journalists in Geneva on Tuesday. This is also my worrying concern and therefore I have recommended to the state of the Islamic Republic of Iran to release all prisoners on temporary release, he said. The day before, the Iranian authorities temporarily freed about 70,000 prisoners to combat the spread of the coronavirus in jails, the head of the judiciary said. Panic in Iran has sparked rumours that alcohol could cure the deadly disease in Ahvaz, the capital of southwestern Khuzestan Province. Alcohol is banned in Iran, but bootleg makers sold fake liquor as a cure to desperate citizens, killing 36 people who died from alcohol poisoning, the official IRNA news agency reported. YEREVAN, 10 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 10 March, USD exchange rate up by 1.61 drams to 482.09 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.58 drams to 547.12 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.19 drams to 6.70 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 1.60 drams to 629.27 drams. The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals. Gold price down by 85.67 drams to 25923 drams. Silver price down by 8.32 drams to 261.71 drams. Platinum price down by 341.16 drams to 13484.61 drams. (HedgeCo.Net) The Securities and Exchange Commission charged two traders in connection with a long running international insider trading scheme. The traders allegedly generated profits of more than $4 million trading in the securities of U.S. public companies in advance of news that these companies had been targeted for acquisition. According to the SECs complaint filed in federal court in Manhattan, Tomer Feingold and Dov Malnik, both Israeli citizens who reside in Switzerland, participated in an international insider trading scheme between 2013 and 2015. The complaint alleges that Feingold and Malnik indirectly obtained nonpublic information about impending corporate transactions from Benjamin Taylor and Darina Windsor, London-based investment bankers, both of whom the SEC charged in October 2019. Feingold and Malnik allegedly used the information to net over $4 million in illicit profits trading the securities of at least seven different companies through their individual accounts and through brokerage accounts in the names of entities that they controlled. The case originated from the SEC Market Abuse Units Analysis and Detection Center, which uses data analysis tools to detect suspicious patterns, such as improbably successful trading across different securities over time. Enhanced detection capabilities enabled SEC Enforcement staff to spot the unusual trading activities alleged in the SECs complaint. The SECs complaint charges Feingold and Malnik with violations of the antifraud provisions of Sections 10(b) and 14(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rules 10b-5 and 14e-3 thereunder. The complaint also names Adamas Healthcare Fund, Amiservice Development Limited, Bravo Business Limited, Kuray Investments Limited, Mignon Group Limited and Upbeat Worldwide Investments Limited, entities controlled by Feingold and/or Malnik, as relief defendants. The SEC seeks disgorgement of ill-gotten gains plus interest, penalties, and injunctive relief. Reach key decision makers with sales-ready leads that shorten your sales process. Move the needle by delivering funnel qualified leads to your sales team. Learn more Twitter on Sunday applied its manipulative media label to a deceptively edited video showing presidential hopeful Joe Biden saying, re-elect Donald Trump. It was the first time the service enforced rules adopted last month to control synthetic and manipulated media. The flagged video was posted to Twitter by Dan Scavino, White House director of social media, and retweeted by the president. By the time Twitter labeled it, the video had been viewed 5 million times and retweeted 20,000 times, according to The New York Times. Twitters policy states it will label media as manipulative if it is shared in a deceptive manner and if the content is likely to impact public safety or cause serious harm. Scavinos video is edited to truncate Bidens remarks: We can only re-elect Donald Trump if in fact we get engaged in this circular firing squad here. Its got to be a positive campaign. Labeling in Obscurity Twitter developed its manipulative media policy in response to a survey of more 6,500 global users last fall, and following discussions with civil society and academic experts. Nearly nine out of 10 individuals said placing warning labels next to content that was significantly altered would be acceptable, noted Yoel Roth, Twitters head of site integrity, and Ashita Achuthan, the platforms group product manager. Overall, people recognize the threat that misleading altered media poses and want Twitter to do something about it, they wrote in an online post. How effective labeling manipulative media will be in reducing the flow of misleading information on the platform remains to be seen. Its better than nothing, but its not a heck of a lot, said John Carroll, a media analyst for WBUR in Boston. A D V E R T I S E M E N T The first time I looked at a screenshot of it, I didnt even see the warning, he told TechNewsWorld. The label doesnt appear in the tweet detail, but is visible on timelines and in searches, Twitter spokesperson Katie Rosborough acknowledged. Were working on a fix, she told TechNewsWorld. It might help to make the label larger. If you want an effective warning, youd have a diagonal banner across the video that stays there for the entire length of the video, Carroll recommended. That would be effective. What theyre doing now is not, he said. Perpetuating Misinformation Id praise Twitter for trying to do something good, but I dont know if its going to do any good given the times we live in, said Dan Kennedy, an associate professor in the Northeastern University School of Journalism in Boston. Taking down the content may be a better solution than labeling it, he continued. Theres a lot of research that suggests repeating or perpetuating a lie or in this case, calling additional attention to the lie only makes people believe it all the more, even though its labeled as manipulated,' he told TechNewsWorld. In Twitters global survey, a majority of respondents (55 percent) supported removing or hiding manipulative media, while opponents raised concerns about free expression and censorship. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Twitters labeling approach is intriguing, observed Vincent Raynauld, an assistant professor in the department of communication studies at Emerson College in Boston. Twitter is trying to point out misinformation while circumventing free speech issues, he told TechNewsWorld. Some people might say this content should be banned altogether from the platform, which is a reasonable argument, but the approach Twitter is taking is interesting because its educating users about what content is real and what content is not, Raynauld continued. Its also adding a layer of meaning to the actions people are taking by posting this kind of content, he added. Tackling Deep Fakes The core problem Twitter should be addressing is deep fakes, maintained John Sample, vice president of the Cato Institute, a public policy think tank in Washington, D.C. Manipulation of media online is developing in ways that make it difficult for people to determine the veracity of not only the message in a video, but the action, too, he told TechNewsWorld. Twitter should be applying its manipulative media policy to deep fakes, instead of clips edited to misinform, but in a traditional way that can be corrected by counter-speech people pointing out the manipulation on Twitter, Sample said. They should focus on the central problem, which is deep fakes, because they cant be corrected by counter-speech, he said. If they go with these edge cases, like the Biden video, I suspect theyre going to do too much and create problems for themselves with regulators and politicians, Sample added. The challenge for Twitter will be weeding out harmful manipulative media from manipulative media thats not harmful, maintained Karen North, director of the Annenberg Program on Online Communities at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. They will have a problem identifying problematic content, she told TechNewsWorld. The same technology that goes into manipulated media goes into artistic media, so its going to be a challenge for them to identify manipulated media with sinister intent versus manipulated media with artistic intent, North added. Living Up to Responsibilities Although Twitter tagged the Scavino video as manipulated content, Facebook let it run unchallenged. Facebook hasnt shown any inclination to label videos, NUs Kennedy observed. Facebook remains far more powerful than any social media platform, and its not especially responsible in its behavior, he added. Social media platforms should do more to address the problem of distributing false content, media analyst Carroll maintained. They have the ability to at least police the content thats brought to their attention and make a judgment about whether it should be there or not, he said. This isnt about misleading information. This is about content that can demonstrably be proven false, continued Carroll. This is about the debate that Mark Zuckerberg and a whole lot of other people dont want to have, he added. Facebook is a media company. Its not a merely tech platform anymore, and it should be forced either through public opinion or government regulation to act like a media company. If youve never had a Philly cheesesteak sandwich, its probably time you did. Id never had one until friends raved about Jersey Jos (187 16th Ave. SW, next to Toppers Pizza). Jay Beck, a native Philadelphian who now lives in Rochester, grew up eating the sandwich. "This is the closest thing to the original Ive ever had, including the bread. Theres nothing like it," he said. Without knowing what he was talking about, I went to see and taste it for myself. I was welcomed by "Jersey Jo" as if I were a long-lost friend friendliness is also on the menu. ADVERTISEMENT Owner Joe Phillips grew up in New Jersey, where Philly cheesesteaks are served in delis, restaurants and sandwich shops. "It was and still is a part of life around the Jersey-Philadelphia area, as well as up and down the East Coast," he said. IBM brought Phillips to Rochester 13 years ago to support the AS/400 system. He worked in other areas there until becoming a victim of layoffs. After a stint at VACAVA, a local software company, he decided to start his own food business. Aware that Rochester didnt really need another hamburger and pizza business, he decided on his favorite the Philly cheesesteak. That was the easy part. When he was looking for financing, banks in town turned him down because he lacked restaurant experience. "That was a difficult time, because I knew this would be a successful business," he said. Finally, a close friend became a backer, so Phillips had the financing he needed to move forward. However, he faced more hurdles. Phillips felt strongly that he had to have specific ingredients, all from suppliers on the East Coast. They, too, turned him down, but this time, his persistence paid off. ADVERTISEMENT "I was calling my meat man at least three times a day, and finally, he said he would send me several boxes," he said. "The Amoroso Bread Company, the same thing. A Philly cheesesteak sandwich has to be on this bread. Nothing else will do." They sent him a pallet. Within 10 days, he had to reorder everything. That was five years ago, and he and his staff are still turning these sandwiches out almost as fast as they can make them. Thats not all thats available, either other options include hamburgers, jumbo chicken wings, chicken fingers and specialty sandwiches, including a vegetarian sub. So what, exactly, is a Philly cheesesteak sandwich? In its authentic version, its frozen steak, sliced very thin and quickly "scrambled" into small pieces with a special spatula on a hot griddle. (Jos is so finely frizzled, I thought it might be ground beef its not. He uses ribeye.) Next, he puts cheese over the meat, either provolone or Cheez Whiz (yes, Cheez Whiz!). In fact, Cheez Whiz is the cheese of choice, the sine qua non, for hardcore cheesesteak connoisseurs. Sauteed onions, finely chopped mushrooms, and sweet and hot peppers can also be included. Actually, customers can choose their toppings, and there is quite a list. Then everything is scooped onto the Amoroso roll, a hoagie that is long, soft and slightly salty (I liked them so much, Ive been back twice). There are two sizes, the 6-inch and the 12-inch (good to split). It was being tired of hot dogs that actually started the whole thing. Brothers Pat and Harry Oliveri ran a hot dog stand in the early 1930s in the Italian section of south Philadelphia. One day, Pat decided he didnt want a hot dog for lunch, so he went to a nearby butcher and bought a small steak. He then cut it up, grilled it with onions and put it on a bun. The aroma attracted a cab driver who wanted it, then another cabbie, and another, and so it went. The rest is history. Cheese wasnt added until the 40s by an employee. Cheez Whiz didnt come around until the mid-50s. Eventually, the brothers built a sandwich shop that is still turning out these beloved sandwiches 85 years later Pats King of Steaks. ADVERTISEMENT Jersey Jos is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and and 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. Its closed on Sunday. During the summer months, Phillips also has a food truck downtown and does regional fairs. He is hoping to go to the Minnesota State Fair. Poonch (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], Mar 10 (ANI): The Indian Army on Tuesday handed over a Pakistan national, who was apprehended in the forward area of Balakot sector, to the Mendhar police station here. According to the officials, Fariyad Ali (20), a resident of Nakial Kotli in Pakistan was apprehended by Army soldiers in the forward area along the Line of Control in Balakot sector late Sunday night. Fariyad Ali is being questioned, police said. (ANI) Earlier today the vivo V19 went official in Indonesia, but now we are seeing the same name on vivo Malaysias Twitter. Not it's easy to suspect this is just a teaser for the launch of the same phone in a different market, but it's not how vivo goes about things. The teaser shows two cameras, clearly hinting at a dual selfie snapper. The new phone will change the way you see the night and will arrive soon. Change the way you see at night. Its coming.#V19 pic.twitter.com/vLE718CZE3 Vivo Malaysia (@vivo_malaysia) March 9, 2020 The dual selfie cameras indicate that the Malaysian V19 will actually take after the vivo V17 Pro rather than any of the regular V17 versions. vivo is certainly turning this lineup into a confusing mess, but here's an attempt to clear things up a bit. The new phone, lets call it vivo V19 Malaysia, will be different from the vivo V19 Indonesia. The vivo V19 Indonesia is actually the same phone as the vivo V17 India with its L-shaped camera. Guess the vivo Then there's the other vivo V17 with a rhombus-shaped camera setup that can be seen in Russia. It is called vivo S1 Pro in the Philippines and some other countries, but vivo Y9s at the domestic scene, since we already have a vivo S1 Pro in China which is the local version of the vivo V15 Pro. We would love to draw an infographic explaining all the differences, but it would be better if vivo just had some consistency in its naming policy. Via Microsoft last week said it would eliminate one of the diagnostic data collection settings in Windows 10 and change the naming of two others. The Redmond, Wash. developer cited a 2019 effort designed to give enterprise customers more control over what data Microsoft harvested. "As part of the Microsoft initiative to increase transparency and control over data, we're making some changes to the Settings app and Group Policy settings that will start showing up in Windows Insider builds this month," wrote Brandon LeBlanc, a senior program manager, in a March 5 post to a company blog. Windows Insider is the Microsoft preview program that offers customers early peeks at Windows 10's under-construction code. The diagnostic changes debuted in build 19577, which was released March 5. Enhanced, be gone! Windows 10 launched with three telemetry settings Basic, Enhanced and Full and a fourth, Security, was later added. In ascending order of the amount of data Microsoft collects, the four were Security, Basic, Enhanced and Full. Enhanced got the ax. That setting included all the data collection specified by the Security and Basic options, then added additional types of information to the total that Microsoft gleaned from machines. Among what Enhanced harvested were more operating system events, including Hyper-V and Cortana; specific events from apps bundled with Windows 10 or downloaded from the Microsoft Store; and all crash dumps. Microsoft claimed that the Enhanced setting retrieved packages between 239KB and 348KB per day, per device. With build 19577, systems that had previously been set to Enhanced were to default to Basic, the next level lower in collection quantity, according to a message posted to the Insider section of Microsoft Answers. Name changes Along with the deletion of the Enhanced setting, Microsoft will rename the others. The Security option will be retitled "Diagnostic Data Off" Basic will be called "Required Diagnostic Data" Full will go by "Optional Diagnostic Data" Those labels do better describe the setting than what they replaced the originals were so muzzy as to make customers guess at what they defined and so at least edge toward Microsoft's promise of transparency. The "Diagnostic Data Off" formerly Security should be exactly that, as Microsoft has long defined the option as "only the diagnostic data info that is required to keep Windows devices ... protected with the latest security updates." The company admits to some collecting OS, device ID, device class but the option waives all user content and data that might finger the user, including company name. "Required Diagnostic Data" (formerly Basic) and "Optional Diagnostic Data" (tagged as Full previously) also are more accurate, although neither gave clues as to what may be collected, making them almost as imprecise as their predecessors. The first label, "Required..." may have been chosen because that telemetry level has been the Windows 10 default since version 1903, the spring feature upgrade of last year. The second, "Optional..." seems like a catch-all, which it may well be, that will include everything Microsoft wants to collect that is not in Required. Unclear telemetry Because the diagnostic changes are limited to Windows Insider and may not reach production-grade builds for some time, it's no surprise that they have not been documented. Microsoft noted that, in fact. "We will publish additional information about the revised diagnostic policies as we approach public release," stated the reply in Microsoft Answers. Although the renaming of Basic and Full as "Required..." and "Optional..." seemed straightforward, the removal of the Enhanced level left unanswered questions. Would data collected under that setting be shifted up to "Optional..." or down to "Required..." or split between the two? (It would be uncharacteristic of Microsoft and its telemetric practices to stop collecting a specific data category.) Microsoft said nothing of the oddball setting it introduced in late 2017 dubbed "Enhanced (Limited)" that restricted data collection to the minimum necessary for the then-Windows Analytics service (rebranded "Desktop Analytics" when Microsoft retired the earlier label at the end of January 2020). The telemetry Microsoft collects is used by enterprise customers in Desktop Analytics to help make update and upgrade readiness calls. Will there be something similar in either "Required..." or "Optional..." with the abandonment of Enhanced? Nor did Microsoft hint at when these changes would reach non-Insider customers. The build number for the Insider update where the data collection modifications appeared was higher than the one identified as the basis for Windows 10 2004, the year's first perhaps only feature upgrade (build 19041), implying that the new telemetry settings won't make it into the impending upgrade. Microsoft's talk of transparency and control falls somewhat flat when so much of the data collection nuts-and-bolts remains fuzzy. Recent Sale $3.075 MILLION 10-57 Jackson Avenue (between 49th and 50th Avenues) Queens This three-story, 4,300-square-foot building in Long Island City was built in 1931. It last changed hands in 2013. The ground floor, which was recently occupied by BANY, an Asian restaurant, is vacant. The second floor is occupied by the GKAP Development Group, and the third floor is a two-bedroom apartment. Buyer: Marlung Chin Buyers Broker: Jason Prifold of Compass Seller: 1057 Jackson Avenue Sellers Brokers: Evan J. Daniel, Ashley Jeshiva and Edward DiTomasso of Modern Spaces Commercial & Investment Division The trial of a man accused of murdering his wife during a family boating holiday to celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary heard on Monday that he blamed himself for her death. Dungannon Crown Court heard that Stephen McKinney (43) told police that while he tried his best to save his 35-year-old wife Lu Na, and as a "man" should have, he also lamented the fact she was not wearing a life jacket. The trial, now in its third week, was told the McKinney's decided to celebrate their May anniversary early because he would not be available and had taken the children for an Easter boating holiday on Fermanagh's Lower Lough Erne. Mr McKinney, originally from Strabane, now has an address in Castletown Square, Fintona, Co Tyrone. He denies murdering his wife, whose lifeless body was pulled from the lough in the early hours of April 13, 2017. One officer who went to the west jetty of Devenish Island, where the tragedy unfolded, recorded in his notebook Mr McKinney appeared "numb and preoccupied about the safety of his wife and children ... he wasn't there at the moment as if he couldn't hear the questions being asked". Under cross-examination by defence QC Martin O'Rourke, the officer accepted he had described Mr McKinney as being "extremely distressed and erratic ... unable to follow basic instructions at times". Another officer who accompanied Mr McKinney and his children to the South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen, said he was "sombre, his head was down and obviously was upset ... his eyes were puffy and watery as well, and obviously he had been crying ... concerned for his wife, asking about her condition". He said the conversation they had, he recorded a short-time later, in his police notebook, in which Mr McKinney told him: "I tried my best to save her. She can't swim. I heard a splash and I heard 'help' and I jumped in. "I had hold of her and the boat and she kept pulling me down. "I tried my best ... I kept trying to hold her up ... I'm not a good swimmer, that's why my children are learning to swim." After being told his wife had died, the officer saw Mr McKinney in the smoking area outside A&E and they had another conversation. The officer said he recorded, within "speech marks" what Mr McKinney told him: "I'm supposed to be a man and be there and save her ... I don't want to go into there and speak to the children, but I have to be a man". "I jumped in and had hold of the boat and did my best to save her ... if only she was wearing a life jacket ... there's only two on the boat and they were in with the children in case the boat sank ... they were supposed to throw two more over and they didn't. "The boat was tied. If only she was wearing a life jacket ... I should have saved her." The officer said Mr McKinney was emotional, his eyes still puffy and at one stage he was crying. A second officer said he was with Mr McKinney when a doctor informed him that despite doing everything possible to resuscitate his wife she had died. He said Mr McKinney remained "calm ... fairly subdued ... didn't shout or raise his voice, or break down in tears", and at the news: "I think he said 'I knew it. How am I going to tell the children?'" The officer said to him the conversation was "significant" and made a note in his notebook within minutes. He said the father-of-two told him he and his wife were having "a quiet evening on the boat playing Monopoly and had a few beers", but that Lu Na complained the "boat was moving. I said it wasn't but she's very fussy and she argued with me. "Then she went out. I heard a shout. I went to help. How am I going to tell the children?" He said Mr McKinney was taken to see his wife and spent "a very short time ... one or two minutes" with her. The officer said when he emerged from behind the curtain, he did not observe any tears or high emotion. He said Mr McKinney had seemed anxious to go back home to Co Donegal very quickly but agreed with Mr O'Rourke that he had said he wanted to get home with his children. California state officials said on Tuesday they were ordering a major Christian group to stop offering an alternative to health insurance, joining several states scrutinizing these cost-sharing programs that provide limited coverage. The plans, which have become increasingly popular, rely on pooling members contributions to cover their medical expenses, but they are not required to meet standards for traditional insurance plans. The states insurance regulators accused Trinity HealthShare, which runs ministry plans, and Aliera, which sells them, of misleading consumers and offering products tantamount to health insurance policies without state approval. The state estimated that up to 11,000 residents might belong to plans being offered by Aliera and Trinity. A Republican congressman has been forced to self-quarantine over coronavirus less than a week after he appeared to mock measures to contain the outbreak by wearing an enormous gas mask in Congress. Matt Gaetz, a representative for Florida, shared a picture of himself wearing the mask on Twitter ahead of a vote on an emergency funding package for the US response to the virus last week. On Monday, he was told to quarantine himself after learning that he came into contact with an attendee at CPAC, a major conservative conference, who tested positive for Covid-19. Mr Gaetz also flew with Donald Trump on Air Force One on Monday and was not informed he had come into contact with the infected attendee until midway through the flight. While the Congressman is not experiencing symptoms, he received testing today and expects results soon, a statement from Mr Gaetz's office said. Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Show all 11 1 /11 Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Ben Gurion International airport, Israel Reuters Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Daxing International Airport, Beijing AFP via Getty Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Taoyuan International Airport, Taiwan EPA Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Noi Bai International Airport, Vietnam AFP via Getty Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Haneda Airport, Tokyo Reuters Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Changsha Huanghua International Airport, China Reuters Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Shanghai Pudong Airport in Shanghai, China EPA Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Daxing International Airport, Beijing AFP via Getty Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Haneda Airport, Tokyo Reuters Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Shanghai Pudong Airport in Shanghai, China EPA Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Noi Bai International Airport, Vietnam AFP via Getty Although he has insisted he was not making light of the outbreak in his Twitter post, the Republican lawmaker received widespread criticism for the image, which followed an interview with Vanity Fair that showed him joking about the virus. As he complained about a lack of media coverage for himself due to the outbreak dominating the news cycle, Mr Gaetz said: I am just low-key convinced that Jillian [Lane Wyant - his chief of staff] would give me coronavirus to get me back on television. The congressman also jokingly asked if coronavirus was being weaponised to take out the boomers. Recommended CPAC chairman shook hands with Trump after coronavirus exposure The backlash against his response to the virus was intensified on Saturday, when it was revealed that one of his constituents, a resident from his district in Santa Rosa County, Florida, had died due to a coronavirus-related illness. This is an absolute tragedy. It is also deeply saddening that when presented with an opportunity to lead, @RepMattGaetz chose to make a cheap joke about an epidemic that would ultimately claim the life of one of his constituents, Bobby L Rush, a Democratic congressman for Illinois, wrote on Twitter. Mr Gaetz said he was extremely saddened to learn of the death on Saturday. He is one of five senior Republicans, including senator Ted Cruz, who have self-quarantined over their contact with the CPAC attendee. Doug Collins, a Georgia congressman who has gone into self-isolation, was seen greeting Mr Trump with a handshake in Atlanta on Friday when the pair visited the headquarters of the Centre for Disease Control (CDC). Mark Meadows, the presidents newly appointed chief of staff, was also among the five self-quarantined Republicans. Health experts have warned coronavirus is likely to spread widely in the US, which has already seen more than 700 confirmed cases and at least 26 deaths from the outbreak. Singapore reported six new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday taking the total number of cases in the country to 166. The new cases include a Singaporean who had recently gone to France, said the Health Ministry. To date, 93 COVID-19 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals in Singapore. Twelve of the remaining 73 cases in hospital are in critical condition, admitted in the intensive care unit. Singapore's Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said many locally transmitted coronavirus cases in the country "were the result of the socially irresponsible actions of a few individuals" who continued to attend events and activities despite being unwell. Speaking at a press conference here, Gan said a lot of patients with confirmed coronavirus infection did not minimise social contact despite being aware of the issue. "To curb the spread of coronavirus in Singapore, members of the public should avoid social contact and see a doctor early if unwell. About 35 of the confirmed cases in Singapore so far did not minimise social contact, although they had already developed fever or respiratory symptoms, or had not consulted a doctor early when unwell," Gan was quoted as saying in a report by Channel News Asia. The minister said more than 22 per cent of the people with coronavirus infection continued to work or carried on with their daily routine despite being sick. Meanwhile, a cruise liner, turned away from ports in Malaysia and Thailand due to coronavirus concerns, docked in Singapore on Tuesday morning. Some of its passengers were immediately taken to the Changi Airport here by bus for their flights. The Costa Fortuna berthed at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre as part of a scheduled call, after the ship was barred from stopping in Penang and Phuket. This was despite the cruise operator stating there were no suspected coronavirus cases on board. The ship, however, was carrying dozens of Italian passengers. Italy has the second largest reported cases of coronavirus after China. Similarly, Singapore's Nanyang Technological University has terminated an international student from a postgraduate course after he breached his 'Stay Home Notice'. Image credit: AFP The Dutch Prime Minister shook hands on stage after warning against the greeting in a speech at a news conference. Speaking following a crisis meeting of government ministers on Monday to discuss the Covid-19 outbreak, Mark Rutte said: From this moment on, we stop shaking hands. You can do a foot kiss, bump elbows, whatever you want. I see all kinds of great variations on shaking hands emerging at schools, but from today we stop shaking hands. As he wrapped up the press conference, he shook hands with Jaap van Dissel of the Public Health Institute, who quickly pointed out the premiers error. Sorry, sorry, we cant do that any more. Do it again, Mr Rutte said, before bumping elbows with Mr Van Dissel. As of 3pm on Tuesday, there are approximately 113,672 confirmed cases of Covid-19 worldwide, with 4,012 deaths reported globally linked to the illness. CAIRO When tourists in Luxor woke up on Monday to find themselves confined to their hotels or cruise ships on the Nile, it seemed that Egypt was taking extreme measures to confront the coronavirus in the ancient town at the heart of its tourism industry. Government doctors were sent out to test visitors, hoping to stop the spread of the illness. Yet only a fraction of people ended up getting tested, and even before any of the results came back, business quickly returned to normal with tourists unleashed en masse to visit the towns fabled temples. The contradictory and often chaotic approach in Luxor reflects a major dilemma facing Egyptian officials: Can the government continue to welcome cash-carrying visitors at the same time it tries to battle a looming public health crisis in the jewel of its tourism industry? Luxor, home to the iconic Valley of the Kings and King Tutankhamens tomb, is now the center of the countrys coronavirus outbreak. On Friday and Saturday, 45 passengers and crew members aboard a riverboat, the A Sara, tested positive for the virus and were taken by military air transport to an isolation unit at a hospital on Egypts north coast. New Jersey has confirmed its first death from the coronavirus as it is revealed a New York City medic with the disease was infected by his flight attendant girlfriend and cases in the tri-state area rises to 52. The 69-year-old man from Bergen County in New Jersey died on Tuesday after being hospitalized last week with coronavirus symptoms. The man, who had no history of international travel, was among the 15 coronavirus cases reported in the state. There are now 36 confirmed cases of coronavirus in New York City and more than 170 in New York state. Connecticut has reported two coronavirus cases. Health officials said Tuesday that one of the New York City cases was a NY Fire Department emergency medical technician who contracted the virus from his flight attendant girlfriend. It comes as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said there would be no widespread school closures for now and insisted there wouldn't be an Italy-style lockdown after 17 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in the city. New York City has confirmed five new cases of coronavirus as Mayor Bill de Blasio says he can't get a coherent answer from the FDA over its 'unfathomable' decision not to approve automated testing WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF CORONAVIRUS? Like other coronaviruses, including those that cause the common cold and that triggered SARS, COVID-19 is a respiratory illness. The most common symptoms are: Fever Dry cough Shortness of breath Difficulty breathing Fatigue Although having a runny nose doesn't rule out coronavirus, it doesn't thus far appear to be a primary symptom. Most people only become mildly ill, but the infection can turn serious and even deadly, especially for those who are older or have underlying health conditions. In these cases, patients develop pneumonia, which can cause: Potentially with yellow, green or bloody mucus Fever, sweating and shaking chills Shortness of breath Rapid or shallow breathing Pain when breathing, especially when breathing deeply or coughing Low appetite, energy and fatigue Nausea and vomiting (more common in children) Confusion (more common in elderly people) Some patients have also reported diarrhea and kidney failure has occasionally been a complication. Avoid people with these symptoms. If you develop them, call your health care provider before going to the hospital or doctor, so they and you can prepare to minimize possible exposure if they suspect you have coronavirus. Advertisement There are now 36 confirmed cases of coronavirus in New York City and more than 170 across the state, including two school bus drivers who each have contact with about 80 children. New Jersey has also reported its first coronavirus death - becoming the first fatality in the tri-state area. The Mayor said on Tuesday that New York City will not close down to contain the coronavirus outbreak following the Italian government's decision to place its country on lockdown. 'We cannot shut down because of undue fear,' de Blasio told MSNBC's Morning Joe. 'I would advise against these mass closures when we're keeping this situation relatively contained... ask me in a week, ask me in a month - it might change.' He is also currently not considering widespread closures to public schools. Health officials have previously said school closures in the city would be a last resort. 'Our schools are running. And we've said, even if, God forbid, we found a case in a school, we're not shutting down all our schools. We're not even shutting that school down long term,' de Blasio said. 'We'll go in, clean that school, isolate individuals who had that really direct contact, and then get up and running. We'll have a day where a school is shut to get reset, then get back up and running. Because people's livelihoods are at stake. Parents need a place for their kids. 'We can stay safe but still keep our lives going, our economy going. People have to pay the rent, people need money for food etc.' De Blasio said individual schools might close for a brief period of students or teachers became infected. The outbreak has resulted in a number of mostly private schools canceling or suspending in person classes. In New York City, Columbia University, Yeshiva University, New York University and Juilliard announced that classes would be canceled or offered online. Elsewhere in the state, public and private schools in Scarsdale in Westchester County will be closed until at least March 18 after a staffer tested positive. Two bus drivers in Long Island's Nassau County are among the new cases who have tested positive for coronavirus. Those two drivers are responsible for roughly 80 students on various daily routes. The positive tests have resulted in several Long Island school closures including in Oyster Bay, Locust Valley, Glen Cove and Westbury. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday the state was implementing a new policy that if student or teacher tested positive, the school would be shut down for at least 24 hours to be assessed and disinfected. De Blasio, pictured on Monday handing out coronavirus information at Union Square, has confirmed five new coronavirus cases in the city, bringing the total to 25 Meanwhile, de Blasio also said he couldn't get a coherent answer from the FDA over its 'unfathomable' decision not to approve automated testing. Health officials in the city would be able to test thousands of people a day for coronavirus if the FDA approved automated testing, de Blasio said on Tuesday. Currently, officials in New York City can only carry out 100 or so coronavirus tests per day. 'As recently as eight days ago New York City did not have the ability to do their own tests. We finally have that ability but what we still don't have is approval from the FDA to do automated tests,' de Blasio said. 'If we had the approval from the FDA for automated tests, it would be thousands of tests we could in a single day with results the same day. 'It's unfathomable that after this long these tests have not been approved.' It came as de Blasio confirmed the additional cases in the city and said 258 people have returned negative tests so far. About 1,580 people are currently in voluntary quarantine while 34 are under mandatory quarantine. The main cluster of cases in the state remains in Westchester where a Manhattan attorney was first struck down with the virus early last week and subsequently infected his family and others. The Mayor on Monday urged sick or vulnerable New Yorkers to only use the subway if necessary to avoid spreading coronavirus. A seven-year-old girl in the Bronx and a the head of New York and New Jersey's Port Authority Rick Cotton are among the recently confirmed cases. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled a new state-made sanitizer on Monday as he gave the update on the increased number of coronavirus cases after declaring a state of emergency over the weekend New York Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled the new sanitizer on Monday as he gave an update on the increased number of coronavirus cases after declaring a state of emergency over the weekend Elsewhere in the tri-state area, New Jersey now has 15 cases and Connecticut has reported two cases. The US death toll from the disease is currently at 27 with the majority being from Washington state following an outbreak at a nursing home just outside Seattle. To cope with the outbreak, Gov Cuomo announced the state would be making its own hand sanitizer after declaring a state of emergency over the weekend. Speaking about the new sanitizer, Gov Cuomo said it was made up of 75 percent alcohol and will be provided to facilities including schools, the MTA, government run buildings and prisons. Cuomo said that state currently has the capacity to make 100,000 gallons of the sanitizer per week, adding that it is cheaper for officials to make it instead of buying it on the market. It is being manufactured by Corcraft, which is the company that relies on prisoners in New York to make products, and is being made by inmates at the Great Meadow correctional facility. The state-made sanitizer costs about $6 per gallon to produce, according to Cuomo. He said the production stemmed from reports of price gouging on sanitizer. Leading Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden called a Detroit factory worker "full of s---" in a testy exchange on gun policy Tuesday as voters cast ballots in Michigan's crucial primary. Video shared by reporters on Biden's tour of the Detroit auto plant shows the former vice president surrounded by workers as he argued face to face with a man in a hard hat and an orange high-visibility vest. The worker accused Biden of "actively trying to end our Second Amendment right." Biden immediately responded: "You're full of s---." Bo Erickson CBS TWEET Biden was visiting with members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers who are building a new Fiat Chrysler assembly plant. "I support the Second Amendment," Biden said in the clip. But "the Second Amendment just like right now, if you yell 'fire,' that's not free speech." "I have a shotgun, I have a 20-gauge, a 12-gauge," Biden said. "You're not allowed to own [just] any weapon. I'm not taking your gun away at all. You need 100 rounds?" The worker then claimed Biden had said he was going to take guns away. "I did not say that! I did not say that!" Biden fired back, raising his voice. The worker said he had heard Biden make that claim in a viral video. "It's a viral video like the other ones that came out" that were "lies," Biden said. "Don't be such a horse's a--," Biden added as the exchange grew more heated. The National Rifle Association quickly shared the video on Twitter. "Joe: Gun owners see through your lies," the NRA's official account tweeted. NRA TWEET But Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates and other campaign figures retweeted numerous accounts praising Biden's stance on gun reform. "We will literally pay them to keep promoting it," Bates tweeted, referring to the Trump campaign. Bates TWEET Asked for comment on Biden's remarks, Bates referred CNBC to his tweet. The clash with a worker came as Biden worked to win Michigan's primary and the bulk of its 125 pledged delegates and put more distance between him and Sen. Bernie Sanders, who fell behind in polls and delegates after Super Tuesday. NBC News projected Tuesday night that Biden had indeed won. Biden is now considered the clear front-runner to clinch the Democratic nomination and take on President Donald Trump in November. This is not the first time Biden has locked horns on the campaign trail. After a man in Iowa made baseless accusations about Biden's son Hunter, the former vice president called the man "a damn liar" and "fat." A spokeswoman claimed at the time that Biden had said, "Look, facts," not "Look, fat," referring to the man. 3 people at events attended by Pres. Trump, VP Pence test positive for coronavirus Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment At least one person who was at last weeks Conservative Political Action Conference attended by President Donald Trump, and two people at an American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference this week, where Vice President Mike Pence was a speaker, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to reports. The American Conservative Union has learned that one of our CPAC attendees has unfortunately tested positive today for coronavirus, the ACU said in a statement Saturday about CPAC, which was held in Maryland, Feb. 26-29. The exposure occurred previous to the conference, it added. This attendee had no interaction with the President or the Vice President and never attended events in the main hall. The attendee, who was not identified, was tested at a New Jersey hospital, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed the positive result. The individual is under the care of medical professionals and has been quarantined. Our children, spouses, extended family, and friends attended CPAC, the statement continued. During this time, we need to remain calm, listen to our health care professionals, and support each other. We send this message in that spirit. The Presidents physician and United States Secret Service have been working closely with White House Staff and various agencies to ensure every precaution is taken to keep the First Family and the entire White House Complex safe and healthy, the White House said. The AIPAC also said that at least two attendees at its conference held March 1-3 in Washington, D.C., had tested positive, according to USA Today. The AIPAC conference was attended by Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., former 2020 Democratic candidate Michael Bloomberg, former candidate Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and many other lawmakers. We have continued to remain in constant communication with the Westchester County Health Department and the DC Health Department which is coordinating with the New York Health Department, and national health authorities, the AIPAC said in a statement. The D.C. Department of Health said that there is no identified risk to conference attendees at this time. All attendees and members of the public are urged to follow the well-established prevention tips like staying home if sick and calling ahead to a health provider if experiencing symptoms, it said. Meanwhile, the death toll for the COVID-19 rose to at least 19 in the United States on Saturday as Florida reported the first two deaths on the U.S. East Coast, according to The Wall Street Journal. New deaths were reported in Washington state. New York state has also declared a state of emergency. The Trump administration spoke to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, urging more stringent measures to contain the infection. Pence, who is coordinating a federal coronavirus task force, met with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last week in the wake of the confirmation of four cases of infection in addition to four cases among people repatriated to the U.S. The U.S. has recorded more than 410 cases. More than 100,000 people across the world have tested positive, over 80,000 of them in China, from where the virus originated. Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - Tunisia on Monday evening suspended all maritime links as well as most air flights with Italy, which has been particularly affected by the coronavirus outbreak Cathay Pacific Airways is likely to announce a small second-half loss but a full-year profit for 2019 on Wednesday, reflecting the impact of months of social unrest in Hong Kong, according to analysts. The citys embattled de facto flagship carrier is expected to deliver a 2019 profit of about HK$1.15 billion (US$148 million), a halving of 2018s results, while revenue is projected to fall roughly 3.4 per cent to about HK$107.2 billion, according to calculations based on an average of estimates from six analysts. The airline made a profit of HK$2.6 billion in the second half of 2018, and HK$1.35 billion in the first half of 2019. August anti-government protests that shut down Hong Kong International Airport produced a pronounced effect on Cathay Pacifics bottom line. Photo: Felix Wong Luya You at Bocom International, who accurately predicted Cathays 2019 first-half profit estimate, is predicting a second-half profit of just HK$116 million, citing flight capacity cuts and cost-control measures during the period. Bocom projects a full-year profit of HK$1.46 billion for the airline. The transportation analyst said in a research note on Monday that success in suppressing variable costs would determine the bottom line. Jefferies Andrew Lee, meanwhile, said continuing traffic and yield pressure would see losses in both the second half of 2019 and first half of 2020. The equities analyst projected a full-year 2019 profit of just HK$387 million. One of the most high-profile corporate victims of months of anti-government protests, Cathay experienced a year of tumult, including the ousting of CEO Rupert Hogg and most of Cathay Pacifics top team amid intense scrutiny from mainland Chinese authorities. The US-China trade war also dented the airlines cargo business. Cathay Pacifics earnings results on Wednesday will also provide more insight for the January-June 2020 period, which the company has already warned it expected to be significantly down from last years first half. Company executives are expected to offer insight into the painful measures required to limit the financial fallout. Story continues In 2019, Cathay set all-time records for the number of passengers each month up to July, only for demand to plummet in August due to the protests. After a year in which passenger numbers were hammered by Hong Kong protests, Cathay Pacific enters 2020 equally bedevilled by the global Covid-19 epidemic. Photo: Felix Wong For the year, the airline carried 35.23 million passengers down by 0.7 per cent. While January to June number were actually stronger than the year prior, up 776,000 from 2018, the final half saw 1.01 million fewer people fly the airline. That second-half performance saw an average of about 40 per cent fewer inbound travellers between August and December. Outbound passenger numbers also fell, though less severely. Cathay has tried to prop up that shortfall by increasing the number of transit customers passing through Hong Kong a group that generates less profit. Before the protests made their impact, a three-year restructuring and HK$4 billion cost-cutting drive had been due to finish at the end of last year, with 2020 supposed to be a banner year that marked a return to robust levels of profitability. Last year, the airline was also boosted by the HK$4.93 billion purchase of budget airline HK Express to gain a footing into the booming low-cost segment of travel. This article Cathay Pacific to count the cost of Hong Kong unrest, as analysts predict losses for protest period first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. Big techs civilization-busting bias By Selwyn Duke If you could transport yourself back to the Middle Ages and tell people that living things too small to see can cause disease, theyd think you were crazy. Seeing is believing and, quite often, not seeing is not believing. Tragically, this phenomenon is also operative with the virus in our political system called Big Tech bias, which is, unseen by most and with no paper trail, killing Republican electoral chances and remaking our nation. What if I told you that Big Tech could have been responsible for President Trumps impeachment? What about the credible expert who warns that Big Tech can shift up to 15 million votes in November? Note here that over the last eight elections and 32 years, no president has won by more than 9.5 million votes. Shifting 15 million is easily enough to turn most any modern election. And what if it can be said with certitude that Big Tech will win numerous races for Democrats this fall? Do I have your attention yet? Are you skeptical? Well, Im going to explain this in a way you havent heard before. Conservatives understand vote fraud a subject Ive reported on for years and are wary of it. But after studying Big Tech manipulation, I can tell you that vote fraud is small potatoes in comparison. The aforementioned expert, Dr. Robert Epstein, a Democrat-favoring liberal who is the senior research psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology, has warned for years that Big Tech companies now have unprecedented power to sway elections. In President Eisenhowers famous 1961 farewell address, he warned not only about the rise of a military-industrial complex, Epstein recently wrote; he also warned about the rise of a technological elite who could someday control our country without us knowing. That day has come, he laments. I know what you may be thinking: No tech nerd can change my vote. Heck, I hear all the time from conservatives who wont even use Facebook or Twitter. But its not about you. Its not about me. Well vote our passions regardless. Its about swaying undecided voters and a majority of Americans now get a good percentage of their news from Big Tech. Roughly speaking, approximately 35 percent of the electorate will vote Democrat and 35 percent Republican regardless. Its the 30 percent in-between wholl decide the election. Capturing a majority of them will likely win you the day. Now, these are people who, like so many others, often make emotion-based voting decisions. They have no firm party allegiances and choose who they perceive is the best candidate. So if you alter their perception, you alter their vote. This is what big Tech does. By exposing voters to just the right news at just the right time, they manipulate opinion. This is nothing new. Conservatives used to complain pre-Internet/cable news/talk radio of how the mainstream media which then had a monopoly over information flow shaped public opinion. The difference is that with Big Tech collecting information on tens of millions of users, it can devise algorithms perfectly suited to the manipulation effort. It also can better effect an illusion of impartiality (Google just delivers what you search for, right? Yeah). How effective is this? As Epsteins previous studies have shown, this can have a huge impact on the decisions of undecided voters, who often assume that their [Google] search results are unbiased, reported Breitbart last year. In fact, Epstein found that Google bias alone assuredly won the Democrats seats in the 2018 midterms. He determined that this bias could have influenced 4.6 million undecided voters to support Democrat candidates, Breitbart also relates and this is a low-end estimate. Moreover, this calculation doesnt even factor in Facebook, Twitter and other tech giants. In other words, its entirely conceivable that Big Tech could have won the House for the Democrats. If this was so, it also means the tech leviathans are responsible for Trumps impeachment and the stymieing of his agenda, phenomena only possible because Nancy Pelosi holds the speakers gavel. Worse still, Epstein reports that if the whole of Big Tech favors the same candidate, it can shift up to 15 million votes in November. I mentioned earlier how significant this figure is, and its why Epstein wrote last month that Trump cant win [n]o matter which weak candidate the Democrats ultimately nominate. I myself wouldnt be so sure; then again, maybe Epstein knows something I dont. Of course, the suspicious may suggest that Epstein is a manipulator himself whos trying to dishearten Trump supporters. Forget that. Im certain Epstein is a straight shooter whos genuinely concerned about a dystopia-delivering tech oligarchy. Also know that he has his own conspiracy theory and an understandable reason to entertain it. Last year brought Epstein fame hes considered a Google whistleblower and testified before Congress in June and also tragedy: His wife was killed in a fatal car crash late December. A few weeks later, he tweeted the following: Last year, after I briefed a group of state AGs about #Google's power to rig elections, one of them said, "I think you're going to die in an accident in a few months." A few months later, my beautiful wife #Misti died a violent death. Makes you wonder. https://t.co/D2lw4e7QPI pic.twitter.com/c7zT1nn4K0 Dr. Robert Epstein (@DrREpstein) January 20, 2020 Epstein now emphasizes in his anti-Big Tech writings that hes NOT suicidal. Im fairly confident his wifes tragedy was just an accident, but what Im completely sure of is no conspiracy theory: Big Tech will win the Democrats millions of votes in November. While President Trump emphasized last year when asked about tech power that he won in 2016, the point is this: Its possible that more than Hillary Clintons entire three-million popular vote advantage was attributable to Big Tech meddling (not to mention vote fraud). Thus, Big Tech might have handed the Democrats their puerile She won! talking point. Furthermore, what you can bet on in November is that however well the GOP does, it would have done better if not for Big Tech meddling. For instance, if Trump wins by two million votes, he would otherwise perhaps have won by 10 or 15 million. If the Democrats retain the House, they otherwise might have lost it. If they flip the Senate, the Republicans otherwise might have held it. No, I cant give you precise numbers (and it doesnt really matter); thats Epsteins domain. But this is a bit like illegal migration: Its hard to accurately measure something so shadowy its not hard to know that it threatens your civilization. Big Tech censorship is nothing new, and I and millions of other traditionalists have long been victimized by it. But the tech leviathans, not wanting a 2016 repeat and smelling blood, are now putting the hammer (and sickle) down. They, not the Russians, are the ones literally hacking our republic. As Epstein warned when testifying before Congress, [D]emocracy as originally conceived cannot survive Big Tech as currently empowered. It most certainly cannot and we ignore these warnings at our own peril. Contact Selwyn Duke, follow him on Gab (preferably) or Twitter, or log on to SelwynDuke.com. Home SAN FRANCISCO, March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On March 10, No. 1 company-wide Top Producer for five years running, Tanya Dzhibrailova celebrates 15 years with Corcoran Global Living (formerly Zephyr Real Estate). Tanya has held a spot in the top-producer category for all 15 years of her tenure, and is poised to continue her dominance of that top spot. Tanya is a highly-sought speaker and lecturer in industry conferences and gatherings, and she readily shares her expertise and encouragement in her chosen profession. Her loyal customer following is well known and apparent by the voluminous rave reviews on both Yelp and Zillow. She is frequently featured in prestigious listings such as the Leading 100 and Top 1000 Realtors both locally and nationwide. We decided to work with Tanya based on her overwhelmingly positive Yelp reviews and we couldn't be happier we did so. Tanya has a wealth of knowledge and experience navigating the competitive and complicated San Francisco market. I highly recommend Tanya and know you'll benefit as much as we have, from her knowledge and extensive network of fellow brokers, lenders, and contractors. Ben T. Tanya is dedicated to excellence and has an impressive list of certifications, accomplishments and skills: Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS), Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist (CLHMS), Graduate Realtor Institute (GRI), Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES), Certified GREEN Sustainable Property (GREEN), Certified Internet Professional (e-PRO), Seller Representative (SRS) and Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR). She is also a member of the Luxury Marketing Council of San Francisco, Institute for Luxury Home Marketing, Round Table of San Francisco, and Top Agent Network (TAN). Tanya is unstoppable in her pursuit of success, commented Randall Kostick, Broker of Record. We look forward to many more shared milestones with our No. 1 Top Producer. Tanya is based at the West Portal office and may be reached at her website: www.PropertiesbyTanya.com. About Corcoran Global Living With 10 locations across San Francisco, Marin, San Mateo and Alameda Counties, Corcoran Global Living is strategically positioned to serve our loyal customer base throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. We are San Franciscos No. 1 independent real estate firm with over $2.1 billion in gross annual sales and a current roster of more than 300 dedicated, professional agents. We are also San Franciscos most frequently chosen independent real estate brokerage with one in ten transactions represented by one of our agents. From luxury homes and income properties to vacation getaways and first-time homes, we have the experience, service and expertise to surpass our clients highest expectations. For more information, visit www.CorcoranGL.com . A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fec16d1b-e47f-4ae1-9d4a-d5619b906fdf Jordan's health minister said Tuesday that the country would bar entry to travellers coming from France, Germany and Spain to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. Saad Jaber told journalists in the capital Amman that the move, effective from this coming Monday, was part of efforts to limit the virus' spread in the kingdom. Jordan, which had already barred travellers from South Korea, Iran and Italy, has so far had one confirmed COVID-19 case in a traveller returning from Italy. Amman would also "no longer allow Jordanians to visit" countries covered by the ban, Jaber said. The kingdom, which is heavily dependent on tourism, would also "ban the entry of a ship coming to (Red Sea tourist resort) Aqaba from Italy, carrying 700 people", he said. Jaber added that the kingdom would bar travellers arriving from and departing to neighbouring Lebanon as well as partially shut down its land borders with Israel and the Palestinian territories. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ** Hope College is among the colleges and universities across the nation that have shifted to remote instruction to help stem the spread of COVID-19, with in-person instruction scheduled to resume on Tuesday, April 14. Correspondingly, all college-sponsored events through Monday, April 13, have been canceled. For more information on the Hope College response to the virus, please visit hope.edu/coronavirus. ** The Hope College Chapel Choir will perform on Thursday, March 26, at 7:30 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts. The public is invited. Admission is free. The choir will open with Let the People Praise Thee, by William Mathias. The program will continue with Heilig and He is Watching Over Israel, by Felix Mendelssohn; Sicut Cervus, by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina; Like as the Hart and O, Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem, by Herbert Howells; Praise to the Lord, by F. Melius Christiansen; and A Boy and a Girl, by Eric Whitacre. Lastly, the Chapel Choir will perform The Last Words of David, by Randall Thompson, and O Thou, the Central Orb, by Charles Wood. The Hope College Chapel Choir, founded in 1938, has toured extensively throughout the United States and Canada and has traveled abroad on eight occasions, singing in Chartres Cathedral, San Lorenzo in Florence and the American Church in Paris. The choir performs with the Hope College Symphonette and College Chorus in the annual Hope College Christmas Vespers program, broadcast throughout the United States on PBS Television and National Public Radio. The Chapel Choir is directed by Dr. Christopher Dekker, director of choral activities and visiting assistant professor of music. A 2009 Hope graduate, as a student he was a member of the choir, and for two spring-break tours was an accompanist for the ensemble. Dekker has additional degrees from Central Michigan University and the University of Notre Dame. Audience members who need assistance to fully enjoy any event at Hope are encouraged to contact the college's Events and Conferences Office by emailing events@hope.edu or calling 616-395-7222 on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts is located at 221 Columbia Ave., on Columbia Ave. between Ninth and 10th streets. He is the writer and director of the film franchise centered around a family is that is forced to live in silence while hiding from monsters with ultra-sensitive hearing. But it was certainly hard to keep quiet about how great John Krasinski looked on his latest outing. The 40-year-old actor looked dapper while he arrived for his Good Morning America interview in New York City on Tuesday. Hunk: John Krasinski looked dapper while he arrived for his Good Morning America interview in New York City on Tuesday John went hell for leather in a black jacket with matching lace-up dress shoes. He completed the look with a black button down with matching trousers and patterned socks. His short brown locks were elegantly disheveled as he sported a significant amount of scruff on his face. Vibe: The 40-year-old actor went hell for leather in a black jacket with matching lace-up dress shoes Casual cool: He completed the look with a black button down with matching trousers and patterned socks As he once again directed his talented actress wife Emily Blunt in the film he gushed about her on the program even calling her 'the best working actress' and his greatest collaborator. Of their return to the thriller franchise, John said: 'Emily and I were genuinely overwhelmed by how much kindness and respect people gave us and so as corny as it sounds, this is a thank you note to the people would came out on the first one. 'I couldn't do a movie that wasn't as organic and personal to me. 'The first movie -- as psycho as it sounds -- was a love letter to my kids and what I really felt about being a parent and this one is my dream for my kids. I hope that they are as brave and courageous and willing to be the people who light the candles in the middle of the dark so that's what this movie is all about.' Handsome: His short brown locks were elegantly disheveled as he sported a significant amount of scruff on his face Though he is married to the 37-year-old British actress, getting her to sign on to the sequel was no walk in the park. Krasinski said: 'She was a tough sell. I thought I had an in. 'She said, "Listen the first one was so personal to you, why don't you go write the script and if I can see that it's as personal I'll do it"' She read the first scene and she was like, "I'm in" -- I was lucky to have her.' Sweet: As he once again directed his talented actress wife Emily Blunt in the film he gushed about her on the program even calling her 'the best working actress' and his greatest collaborator 'The first movie -- as psycho as it sounds -- was a love letter to my kids': John said the 2018 original film was dedicated to a surprising group of people The 2018 thriller A Quiet Place was the first movie that both Blunt and Krasinski had starred in together, though they've been married since July 2010. The thriller was set in a post-apocalyptic world invaded by alien creatures who hunt by sound, with Blunt and Krasinski playing parents trying to protect their children (Simonds, Noah Jupe). The first movie was a breakout hit, earning $188 million domestic and $340.9 million worldwide from just a $17 million budget. 'She was a tough sell': Though he is married to the 37-year-old British actress, getting her to sign on to the sequel was no walk in the park Cute couple: John and 37-year-old Emily seen at A Quiet Place Part II premiere in New York City on Sunday night The sequel brings back Emily Blunt as Evelyn Abbott and Millicent Simmons as Regan Abbott, with a few new characters surfacing as well. Cillian Murphy comes aboard as Emmett, alongside Djimon Hounsou as another mysterious character. A Quiet Place II is the only movie opening in wide release on March 20, with Deadline projecting it to debut at $60 million in its opening weekend. PCA church explains why it allowed transgender performance on its property Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment After drawing severe criticism, Memorial Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, Missouri, seeks to explain why a theatre production, called Transluminate and which highlighted the work of several transgender playwrights, was held at a venue space owned and operated by it. The church does not believe in transitioning to a different gender, Memorial Presbyterian Church said in a statement. However, we want to affirm the human dignity of people with gender dysphoria. Transluminate is a short-play festival and celebration of transgender, agender, non-binary, genderqueer, and genderfluid artists, read the public invite to the event, held Feb. 29 and March 1 at The Chapel arts venue that Memorial owns. Criticizing the church, The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood noted, Details from the Transluminate event announcement describe performances that include themes of gay marriage, transgenderism, and even trans-speciesism. The announcement also included the following content warning: Plays may contain adult language and frank sexual situations. The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood pointed out that the celebration would seem to be at odds with the confessional standards of the PCA, referring to the Westminster Larger Catechism. How can a PCA church host an event that contradicts its own confessional standards? How can this church allow a celebration of the very sin that scripture binds them to oppose? it asked. Zach Groff, lecturer in Old Testament Hebrew at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, highlighted in an article published on the website of Reformation21 what Memorial Presbyterian Church says about its arts venue: We host The Chapel, a volunteer-led not-for-profit arts venue. The Chapel provides all services including drinks free of charge to artists, theatre companies and their guests. This is a practical, real-life way that we can support local artists and manifest the Welcome of Jesus through our hospitality and through our service. Setting aside the issue of whether God mandates His church to facilitate art installations and live musical/theatrical performances, what do we make of the relationship between Memorial PCA and Transluminate insofar as the festival is hosted and sponsored by The Chapel, which is in turn partnered with (i.e. subsidized and served by) Memorial PCA and its church members? Groff asked. Memorial argued that the art venue is a separate entity. One of the buildings the church owns became a secular arts venue named The Chapel, Memorial Presbyterian Church said. Modeled after the Harrison Center for the Arts in Indianapolis, The Chapel has a separate, subsidiary board, a separate public identity, a separate building and a separate street address. Memorial also said: Our ministry to our local arts community has flown under the radar for a long time and allowed us to love people different from ourselves and do so without worrying our friends at a distance. We realize we at Memorial are now under a scrutiny we were not under 13 years ago when we began this ministry. The church added that it does not endorse art at The Chapel. Responding to this, Groff wrote, Taken at face value, the language of our ministry clarifies that The Chapel is at least a part and unavoidably an integral part of Memorial PCAs outreach to artists, musicians, and thespians in St. Louis. Groff also pointed out that Memorial Presbyterian Church hosted the first Revoice Conference, a gathering of LGBT Christians who seek to adhere to biblical standards of sexual ethics, not as a safe guide on issues of gender and sex. Memorial Presbyterian Church pastor Greg Johnson spoke at Revoice in 2019 and is slated to speak again in 2020, The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood wrote. In its statement, Memorial Presbyterian Church sought to explain: Christian freedom is not getting as close to sin as you can without crossing a line. Rather, Christian freedom is getting as close to sinners as you can by crossing a different set of lines. We will be looking into how the decision was made to host this theatre production and will be seeking to assess whether the right lines or wrong lines were crossed. We understand it is strange for a church to own a secular arts venue. We know of only two in the PCA. But for us, it has opened the door for conversations with people who often are hostile to Christianity. That is why we gave up use of one of our buildings and handed it over to use by artists. Thats why we have served them these past thirteen years. The Congress Legislative Party on Tuesday decided to urge the BJP government in Karnataka to not implement Population Register (NPR) in the state to maintain the sovereignty of the Constitution. This comes after a meeting held by state Congress party leaders. In the meeting, Siddaramaiah, Dinesh Gundu Rao, G Parameshwara and RV Deshpande were present. In December last year, former finance minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram had said that NPR was a non-controversial issue and has been made "suspect and controversial" because of BJP's approach. Earlier, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had said that his government will request the Centre to reverse the conditions of NPR to those prevailing in 2010 as questions proposed in the register are causing insecurities in the minds of minorities. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had said that he would form a committee to look into various aspects of the NPR. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After sailing close to the wind since the Lok Sabha elections last year, the Madhya Pradesh government, run by the Congress, was on the verge of collapse on Tuesday, and it looks certain that Shivraj Singh Chouhan of the BJP will return as chief minister. Chouhan had been chief minister from 2005 to the end of 2018, when the Congress returned to power. This was after four-time Lok Sabha member and former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, 49, quit the Congress. In the wake of his resignation, as many as 21 Congress legislators believed to owe allegiance to him sent their ... (Photo : www.pxhere.com) Dubbed as the world's most powerful supercomputer, IBM Summit is helping experts to combat the COVID-19 global outbreak. The supercomputer is reportedly given tasks that are crucial when it comes to identifying what chemicals or substances can be used to cure or even prevent the virus. Read More: Coronavirus Makes Apple Retract Statement That Disinfecting Wipes Are Now SAFE to Use The COVID-19 Is a highly contagious virus that originated in China and so far, 115,000 people are confirmed to be a carrier of the virus. The fatality for this outbreak is also around 4,000, which encouraged the World Health Organization (WHO) and Google to issue an SOS alert. Unreal Computing Prowess Standard computers would usually perform tasks and give results after months, while on the other hand, the IBM Summit does everything and produces an output within one to two days. This speed increase is significant as it helps a lot of researchers and scientists to come up with a coronavirus cure. As of the moment, researchers have easily identified 77 molecule compounds that will help with the search for the cure. 200 petaflops are IBM Summit's ultimate computing capability, which is super ahead when compared to regular computing machines. Read More: Google My Business Tells Owners to Update Listings Due to COVID-19 Outbreak To achieve such computing power, the team behind the computing beast equipped it with 4,608 server nodes. Each node has double IBM POWER9 CPU installed alongside several Nvidia Tensorcore V100 GPUs. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) hosts the IBM supercomputer. This massive leap in terms of computer power would stay relevant in our modern-day society as it would be a great help in research, AI, and even energy. IBM Summit's Fight Against the Coronavirus Thousands of simulations are being run on the machine. To identify a compound that would help with the formulation of the virus' cure. Coronavirus strain has been the ability to travel from one host to another easily, is all thanks to its protein. The scientists are seeking compounds that would help out bind the protein out of the virus to prevent spreading. Although the results that are being made are promising, Jeremy Smith, a Molecular Biophysicist, tells the public to suppress their expectations and don't let it loose. According to him, the results that they got from the IBM summit aren't exactly sure that would produce a cure yet. Still, they are hopeful that it will be useful to establish theoretical frameworks that would help with the cure progress. Ginni Rometty, IBM's head, said that they are being approached by several government entities to help with the outbreak. With the rapid infections happening around the world, an immediate cure is needed to prevent more spreading and even fatalities. She said that health agencies are also convincing them to help manage the outcome of the COVID-19 outbreak with the help of the supercomputer. IBM Summit could handle these tasks without fail. The Clinical Development System made by IBM has been offered to the government for free to reduce the funds needed to combat the outbreak. The system would get data from devices that are connected on the internet, which makes it a lot easier to manage and organize. Non-profit-organizations may also use the Operational Risk Insight tool. Read More: COVID-19 Infected Vietnamese Heiress Attends Paris Show: Pics Found on Instagram, But Not Anymore? 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Astronomers scouring the cosmos for new planets have made a chance discovery, identifying the rare eclipse of two brown dwarfs. "This is a great example of scientific serendipity," Adam Burgasser, a co-leading author on this study and a professor of physics at UC San Diego, said in a statement . "While searching for planets, we found an eclipsing brown dwarf binary, a system that is uniquely suited for studying the fundamental physics of these faint celestial objects." Brown dwarfs, often referred to as "failed stars," are celestial objects that are too big to be considered planets and too small to be stars. Roughly between the size of a giant planet and a small star, scientists think that these strange objects emit mostly infrared radiation. Brown dwarfs seem to form like less massive stars, and because astronomers consider them the missing link between gas giant planets like Jupiter and small stars like red dwarfs, they help to provide insights into scientists' understanding of how objects like stars and planets form. Related: Brown Dwarfs: Failed Stars of the Universe Explained (Infographic) Making a rare discovery This international team of researchers was working on a project called SPECULOOS (Search for habitable Planets EClipsing ULtra-cOOl Stars), which searches for planets orbiting tiny stars (and brown dwarfs). The project identifies planets by spotting them transiting, or passing, in front of their star, which causes a temporary dip in brightness. With this project the researchers set their sights on the brown dwarf 2MASSW J1510478-281817, better known as 2M1510. The brown dwarf, located in the constellation Libra, looked a little different, however. This led the team to speculate that it might actually be two brown dwarfs orbiting one another. "Among the first test observations we performed, we turned one of our telescopes to a known brown dwarf. But suddenly the object appeared to get dimmer for about 90 minutes, which indicated an eclipse just took place," Michael Gillon, principal investigator of the SPECULOOS project, said in the statement. Astronomers have spotted two brown dwarfs orbiting each other. (Image credit: UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM/AMANDA J. SMITH) "We rapidly realized that we were probably looking at two eclipsing brown dwarfs, one passing in front of the other, a configuration which is much rarer than planetary systems," Artem Burdanov, a co-author on this study and a postdoctoral researcher at MIT, added in the statement. The team confirmed their suspicion that the brown dwarf was really two from observations with the powerful 10-meter Keck II telescope and the 8-meter Very Large Telescope in Chile, where the SPECULOOS telescopes are located. This is only the second such system to ever be identified, making it extremely rare. They are especially difficult to spot because the system needs to be aligned "just so" at just the right time for it to be observed and identified. What also made this a rare find was that there was a third component orbiting farther away from the two brown dwarfs, making it a brown dwarf triple system. Yet another unique feature of this system is that 2M1510 is among a very small group of brown dwarfs that scientists can determine the age of. "Collecting a combination of mass, radius and age is really rare for a star, let alone for a brown dwarf, Amaury Triaud, the primary author of this study and a Birmingham Fellow at the University of Birmingham in the U.K., said in the statement. "Usually one or more of these measurements is missing." By filling in these missing pieces, "we were able to verify theoretical models for how brown dwarfs cool, models which are over 30 years old. We found models match remarkably well with the observations, a testament to human ingenuity," Triaud added. This work was published yesterday (March 9) in the journal Nature Astronomy. Follow Chelsea Gohd on Twitter @chelsea_gohd . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook . Ayub Nurhussein, 29, pictured, is charged with entering into a funding arrangement totalling 2,699.19 for the purposes of terrorism, which he denies A terrorist who admits hoarding pro-Islamic State propaganda helped raise thousands of pounds for 'fighter brothers' in the Middle East, a court heard. Ayub Nurhussein, 29, is charged with entering into a funding arrangement - totalling 2,699.19 for the purposes of terrorism between April 11 and July 11 last year. Jurors at the Old Bailey were told that multiple communications had taken place between the defendant and another man, Said Mohammed, 30, via the private messaging app Telegram. It is claimed that Mohammed was in contact with a third person in Iraq, known as Wassim. Prosecutor Alistair Richardson said multiple messages had been exchanged in which Wassim had asked Mohammed to help raise funds from 'brothers from abroad' to support IS activities. 'The situation is bad, my brother. The situation is bad at all levels in Iraq,' he said. 'If there are brothers...that would still give support, tell them this is a time of seriousness and this is a time when the Mujahedin (fighters) really need you. 'This is a time of vulnerability and this is a time when we need brothers from abroad to help.' Mr Richardson said that Wassim had arranged for a European go-between to allow money to be sent to support IS - also known as Daesh - with 'no problems'. In a voice message which was forwarded on to Nurhussein on April 19 by Mohammed, Wassim said: 'Brother, this is the name of a sister in Denmark - you can transfer to it.' The defendant responded to Mohammed by saying: 'With Allah's permission I will finish in four hours' time and I will transfer the amount.' The court heard that on April 20 a transaction of 1,300 was made from an account in Manchester to a Western Union bank branch in Copenhagen to a woman, named as Rwan Ebrahim. Mr Richardson said that in June the defendant had contacted Mohammed with confirmation that his request to open a Western Union account had been approved, saying 'the next transfer would be easier'. A second transaction of 599.19 was made by Nurhussein on June 5 to the same bank in Copenhagen and collected by another man, Ali Aga, who was accompanied by Ms Ebrahim. Mohammed subsequently sent a message to Wassim that said: 'Brother, the brother has sent the money and he is at work.' Jurors at The Old Bailey, pictured, were told Nurhussein made three bank transfers to a woman in Denmark after contacts in Iraq said: 'This is a time of seriousness and this is a time when the Mujahedin (fighters) really need you' Mr Richardson said that the proximity of the calls and transactions between the two men and Wassim 'clearly' demonstrated the defendant's involvement in the funding. The court heard how, on July 2, the process was repeated again - with Nurhussein transferring 800 to the Danish bank. Jurors were also shown extracts from clips with 'graphic and grotesque propaganda' shared from Nurhussein's phone that, Mr Richardson said, demonstrated the defendant's 'mindset' at the time when the transactions were made. Nurhussein has already pleaded guilty to seven counts in relation to possession and dissemination of terrorist material. Mr Richardson said there was a 'shared and declared intention' between Mohammed and Nurhussein to 'travel to Syria to join their Mujahedin brothers'. A message from Wassim to Mohammed read: 'Brother this may be the last time you have to send [money] I have found you a way to Iraq.' 'Preparations were made to travel to Iraq to join Islamic State,' said Mr Richardson, adding that Mohammed had told Nurhussein 'you'd better learn the Syrian language'. Nurhussein, of Urlwin Road, south west London, has pleaded not guilty to entering into a funding arrangement for the purposes of terrorism. He wore a blue tracksuit in the dock and smiled as the prosecution gave its opening. Mohammed, from Manchester, is not before the court. The trial, which is expected to last two weeks, continues. In a massive setback for the Congress, its prominent youth leader Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the party and appeared set to join BJP Tuesday amid a rebellion in Madhya Pradesh by his supporters, pushing the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government to the brink of collapse. A shell-shocked Congress, in a largely symbolic move of no consequence, expelled Scindia, the party general secretary and scion of the erstwhile Gwalior royal family, on charges of anti-party activities. On Tuesday morning, as much of India was celebrating Holi, Scindia met senior BJP leader and Home Minister Amit Shah, following which he called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his 7, Lok Kalyan Marg residence. There was no official word on what transpired at the meetings. However, BJP sources asserted that the decision of the party's top two leaders to hold long deliberations with Scindia underlined the importance they attach to him. In the resignation letter dated March 9 to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Scindia said "it is now time for me to move on" as he was unable to serve the people of the country while remaining in the party. The Congress party said his letter was received at Sonia Gandhi's residence only at 12.20 pm on Tuesday. With Scindia quitting the party, the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh appeared headed for a collapse as the former Guna MP has the support of at least 17 legislators. The Congress has a wafer-thin majority in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly whose current effective strength is 228. If the resignations of the 17 MLAs is accepted, the strength of the Assembly will fall to 211. The magic number for retaining the majority then will be 106. The Congress, however, will be left with 97 seats while the BJP has 104 seats. The Congress has the support of four Independents, two BSP and one SP MLA, but is unclear if they will continue to support Congress or go with BJP Noting that the events of the day had been drawing themselves out for a year, Scindia, in his letter to Gandhi, said it was now best for him to look at a fresh start. "Having been a primary member of the Congress party for the last 18 years. It is now time for me to move on. I am tendering my resignation from the primary membership of the Congress and as you well know this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year," Scindia wrote in the letter. "While my aim and purpose remains the same as it has always been from the very beginning, to serve the people of my state and my country, I believe I am unable to do this anymore within this party," Scindia said in his resignation letter posted on Twitter. "To reflect and realise the aspirations of my people and workers I believe it is best that I now look ahead at a fresh start," he said. The former Guna MP also thanked Gandhi and his other former Congress colleagues for "providing him with a platform to have served the nation". Soon thereafter, a statement from AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said the Congress president has "approved the expulsion of Jyotiraditya Scindia from the Indian National Congress with immediate effect for anti-party activities." Meanwhile in Bhopal, 14 Congress MLAs loyal to Scindia sent their resignations to Madhya Pradesh Governor Lal Ji Tandon, Raj Bhavan sources said. Scindia, once considered a rising star of the party, has long been at loggerheads with Kamal Nath who belongs to the old guard. After narrowly winning the state Assembly elections in December 2018, Kamal Nath took over as chief minister. But trouble started brewing recently when Scindia's supporters in the government were side-lined, and it appeared that his ambitions to be the state Congress president were also thwarted. It was also clear that the central leadership was not ready to listen to his grievances. This weekend, Scindia and six ministers in the Kamal Nath Cabinet went to Bengaluru and became incommunicado. It then became clear that a rebellion was brewing in the party and Kamal Nath would lose the support of the six ministers as well as other MLAs loyal to Scindia. Kamal Nath on Tuesday wrote to Governor Tandon seeking immediate removal of six ministers who belonged to Scindia's camp. The outcome of the political drama being played out on Holi day goes beyond Madhya Pradesh, which itself is important for both the BJP and the Congress. MP was one of the three major states where the Congress evicted BJP in the series of Assembly elections before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. With the imminent loss of Madhya Pradesh, it will become clear that the Congress leadership has failed to keep a cohesive united front and has been unable to control the conflicting ambitions of its many regional leaders. Continued infighting is likely to further debilitate the party, which is already a pale shadow of its former greatness at the national level. Regaining Madhya Pradesh will greatly enhance BJP's strength in the Hindi belt, and Congress will have only Punjab and Rajasthan, where again it is beset with factional feuds, as the major states under its control. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said joining hands with BJP at a time of "national crisis" speaks volumes about Scindia's "self-indulgent" ambitions. He added that people like Scindia prove they cannot thrive without power, and the sooner they leave the better. Another Congress leader, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, also slammed Scindia, saying it "is sad for the Congress party". "He had been entrusted with important jobs by the party. But now the situation had come to such a pass that he found it more convenient to switch over to the other party," Chowdhury told PTI. "Some sort of allurement, enticement offered by the BJP had convinced him for switching over," Chowdhury said. "Now he has become the asset of the BJP party. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) - Rise in focus on improved quality of workforce, better regulatory compliance, and numerous advantages offered by employment screening services fuel the growth of the global employment screening services market PORTLAND, Oregon, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Employment Screening Services Market by Service (Criminal Background Checks, Education & Employment Verification, Credit History Checks, Drug & Health Screening, and Others), and Application (Banking & Financial Sector, Government Agencies, Information Technology, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2019-2026." According to the report, the global employment screening services industry was estimated at $4.06 billion in 2018 and is expected to hit $7.64 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 8.3% from 2019 to 2026. Drivers, restraints & opportunities- Increase in focus on improved quality of workforce, better regulatory compliance, and several benefits offered by employment screening services drive the growth of the global employment screening services market. On the other hand, certain technological risks and discrimination concerns impede the growth to some extent. However, development in emerging economies is expected to create multiple opportunities in the industry. Download Sample Report:https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/4555 The criminal background checks segment to retain its dominance during the estimated period- Based on service, the criminal background checks segment contributed to nearly one-third of the global employment screening services market share in 2018, and is expected to dominate by the end of 2026, owing to numerous benefits provided by the criminal background checks services such as identifying potentially risky hires, helping safeguard organization's reputation and protecting organizational assets. The education and employment verification segment, on the other hand, would cite the fastest CAGR of 9.7% throughout the forecast period. The fact that various organizations across the globe are adopting this service to eliminate the risk of hiring a candidate with fraudulent background and induct candidates with personal and professional credibility drives the growth of the segment. The banking and financial segment to lead the trail during the study period- Based on application, the banking and financial sector accounted for more than one-third of the global employment screening services market revenue in 2018, and is anticipated to maintain the lion's share through 2026. Rise in number of fraud and several highly published cases of scandal in the BFSI sector boosts the growth. Simultaneously, the government agencies segment would grow at the fastest CAGR of 9.3% from 2019 to 2026. This is attributed to increase in need for employment screening in the emerging countries such as India, China, and Japan, for reducing criminal and fraud activities in the government sector. North America to rule the roost by 2026- Based on geography, North America held the major share in 2018, garnering nearly half of the global market, owing to increase in the number of immigrants in search of jobs, which drives the growth of the market. At the same time, the Asia-Pacific region is projected to manifest the fastest CAGR of 10.0% by 2026. This is due to rise in demand for advanced products and services, along with an upsurge in governmental initiatives to protect valuable insights of the organizations in this province. Enquire For Discount: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/4555 Key players in the market- ADP LLC. Paychex, Inc. First Advantage REED HireRight LLC Capita PLC Paycor, Inc. Insperity CareerBuilder LLC. Experian Access AVENUE- A Subscription-Based Library (Premium on-demand, subscription-based pricing model) at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/library-access Avenue is a user-based library of global market report database, provides comprehensive reports pertaining to the world's largest emerging markets. It further offers e-access to all the available industry reports just in a jiffy. By offering core business insights on the varied industries, economies, and end users worldwide, Avenue ensures that the registered members get an easy as well as single gateway to their all-inclusive requirements. Avenue Library Subscription | Request for 14 days free trial of before buying: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/avenue/trial/starter Related Studies: Open Banking Market Size, Share | Competitive Analysis and Future Trends by 2026 APAC Digital Remittance Market Size, Share | Competitive Analysis and Future Trends by 2026 Armenia Stock Market Size, Share | Competitive Analysis and Future Trends by 2026 Armenia Banking Market Size, Share | Competitive Analysis and Future Trends by 2026 About Us: Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States USA/Canada (Toll Free): 1-800-792-5285, 1-503-894-6022, 1-503-446-1141 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg This article is part of our latest special report on Museums, which focuses on the intersection of art and politics. Imagine walking on the Lower East Side at the turn of the 20th century in what was then the most densely populated place on Earth with people from all over the world. You would hear a cacophony of languages, bump against people and inhale the urgent smells of survival. Four museums in the neighborhood not only reimagine this immersive experience, they repurpose it as a tool to learn about immigration today. The Tenement Museum, the House on Henry Street, the Museum at Eldridge Street and the Museum of Chinese in America all fling you back to a bustling past, and, in the process, help you examine your own identity. What does it mean to be an American? Gabrielle Spear, 27, a guide at the Tenement Museum asked her group of visitors in the Under One Roof tour, which displays the lives of three families from Germany, Puerto Rico and China who lived in 103 Orchard Street over a span of 50 years. Actress Priyanka Chopra took to Instagram to share a colourful Holi picture with husband Nick Jonas from their recent trip to India. The couple, who recently went back to USA celebrated Nick Jonas' first Holi in Mumbai and Pune. Taking to Instagram, the Quantico actress wished her fans a happy Holi. "We have already been living in color over the past few days. Literally. Nicks first Holi was made so special being home. May everyone celebrating have a very happy and safe Holi," she wrote. Check it out: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Priyanka Chopra Jonas (@priyankachopra) on Mar 10, 2020 at 12:25am PDT Previously Nick had shared a couple of photos and videos from a Bollywood Holi bash in Mumbai. One of the pictures also featured Katrina Kaif. "My first Holi! (Five days early)So much fun celebrating with such incredible people here in my second home in India," he wrote. On the work front, Nick recently wrapped his band Jonas Brothers' Happiness Begins tour with brothers Joe and Kevin. Priyanka, on the other hand, is currently working on the film adaptation of The White Tiger by Arvind Adiga, with Rajkummar Rao. Follow @News18Movies for more In the conference, moderated by Samira Ardalan, a medical student from Italy, the panel discussed how the regimes coverup and the inadequate response has caused a major health crisis, with over 2,000 dead and thousands more infected. Ardalan explained that the outbreak, caused by the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Mahan Air continuing flights to China after the outbreak began there, has killed and infected so many Iranians, but that the regime is covering up the truth and refusing to announce the real figures. She said: The coronavirus outbreak proves once again that the Iranian regime neither wants nor can help the people. It is the duty of the international community to intervene and prevent the regime from destroying the lives of the Iranian people. Italian rheumatologist Dr. Masoumeh Taheri said: The Iranian regime has been handling the situation in an irresponsible way... [Iranian regime President Hassan] Rouhani and Khamenei are responsible for putting Iranians lives at risk. Dr. Sina Dashti, an infectologist from Sweden, began his comments with the fact that Iranians will lose many friends and family members to this disease, which the mullahs cannot and will not do anything to contain. The reason is that the regime doesnt want the facts about the virus revealed, which is only helping to spread the virus because it will make the mullahs look as weak as they are. He said: Iranians are fighting with two enemies. One is COVID-19 and the second is the Iranian regime... Lack of medicine and medical gear is killing healthcare workers. The IRGC is taking advantage of this situation to make a fortune. Ordinary Iranians are helping supply important material to hospitals while the government does not The only solution is to topple this regime. Italian microbiologist Dr. Virginia Pishbeen said: As we receive updates from Iran, the virus is becoming even more concerning and the situation is more alarming Where there are no social and political rights, the right to healthcare will also be missing. Dr. Massoud Maghsoodi, a pharmacist in Michigan, advised that the regimes failure to quarantine any areas to stop the spread of the coronavirus means that the virus spread far beyond the initial outbreak areas. He decried remarks from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei about the virus not being that bad and that people should pray, saying that instead, Iranian medical professionals should tell the people how to protect themselves. He urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to send an investigation team to Iran and for all other international health organizations to provide health supplies to the people and healthcare workers, not the regime who have been hoarding and profiting from them. Australian physician Dr. Ali Zahedi said: In every normal country, people rally behind their government to fight disasters. Iranians are left abandoned to fight two viruses: COVID-19 and the mullahs regime. I would like to commend my colleagues inside Iran who are putting their lives on the line to save the coronavirus patients Iran is now the number one exporter of coronavirus to the world. Dr. Kimia Shahverdi, a pharmacist in Germany, called on the United Nations and the international community to protect the people of Iran because the mullahs wont. Read More: Exclusive Report about Coronavirus Outbreak in Bushehr, Southern Iran A coordination centre became operational on Tuesday morning to keep in touch with the public health departments and the healthcare facilities under the authority of the Health Ministry for real-time identification of the risks related to coronavirus infection and establishing required measures. "The operational centre will provide us with the up-to-date situation, all the useful and vital information for establishing the correct measures for the epidemic stages we find ourselves in. We will know about the existing medicine stocks, medical devices and disinfectants nationwide in hospitals, as well as the number of healthcare staff involved in the actions we conduct to contain infection, the number of free beds in the infectious disease wards and ICU, so that we can act in a coordinated way," said acting Minister of Health Victor Costache who went on Tuesday to the coordination centre, where he held a video conference with those involved.Costache also unveiled a plan of measures for the preparation of hospitals, one of them being the limitation of scheduled hospitalisations in relation to the bed occupancy rate (including ICU beds) and local epidemiological developments. Depending on the dynamics of the situation, it may even be decided to ban scheduled admissions."Hospitals will report bed occupancy rates daily to the centralised electronic system of the coordination centre. The measure is required both to secure the capacity to take over cases by hospitals, as well as to the correct and efficient management of material and human resources. Adequate public communication will be secured so that, during this period, the public will only call on hospitals for emergencies. The aim is to avoid the overcrowding at healthcare facilities," according to a press statement released by the Strategic Communication Group (GSC).In addition, a support network for infectious disease hospitals has been established. Depending on the contagiousness of non-coronavirus cases, support hospitals will be established, where patients will be transferred from infectious disease hospitals."In the first phase, it is recommended that the support hospitals should not be represented by the important emergency hospitals in the area, which can provide medical assistance for the other medical-surgical emergencies. Included in the network of support may be hospitals from other counties as well, mainly those with infectious disease wards, as well as hospitals from networks other than under the authority of the Ministry of Health (Ministry of Transport, Ministry of National Defence, private hospitals)."In the ministry's plan, measures are also provided for the case of the crisis spreading and hospitals for infectious diseases getting overwhelmed, as well as regulations regarding the use of protective equipment. Salina, N.Y. Construction on the mixed-use redevelopment of the former Le Moyne Manor property should start by the end of April. Developers are working now on getting final approvals from the town of Salina. The new project, which also be known as Le Moyne Manor, will feature four three-story buildings of about 25,000 square feet each. The buildings will house 66 luxury apartments along with some retail space on the ground floor of one of them. Rents for the apartments will range from about $1,650 to $2,000 a month, said Louis Muraco of Empire Management Co. of CNY, a Syracuse-based real estate development firm. Muraco, his father David and his sister Alexis are partnering on the Le Moyne project. They announced it last year. Their company, Empire Management, will manage the project. Le Moyne Manor, a landmark banquet hall and inn, closed in 2011. Muraco's father bought the property in 2016 and began planning a redevelopment. The three fully residential buildings at the site will contain 18 apartments each and the mixed-use building will have 12. All the apartments will have a deck, most with views of Onondaga Lake. Ground-floor apartments in the three residential buildings will have patios. The development's 1,200-square-foot apartments will all have two bedrooms and two bathrooms. They'll feature high-end finishes, including soft-close kitchen cabinets, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, LED lighting, security systems, oversize closets, high ceilings, and more. The mixed-use building will have space for two retail tenants. One potential tenant, a beauty services retailer, is already in the works, Muraco said. Developers want a restaurant or cafe for the other space. The mixed-use building will also feature a community room with views of Onondaga Lake plus a fitness center, lounge, business areas and possibly storage units, Muraco said. The building will have a deck in the back that looks toward the lake. The entire property will have car ports lit with solar panels on the sides of the buildings for tenant parking. Muraco declined to comment on the total cost of the project. The developers are planning to apply for tax breaks with the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency soon. Well-known Syracuse architect Ward Wellington Ward designed a home on the property overlooking Onondaga Lake in 1916. The site was later converted to an events space and became a popular spot for social events and business meetings. Developers demolished the vacant building at the site in 2018. The propertys proximity to the lake, village of Liverpool and downtown Syracuse add to its appeal, developers said. The apartments should attract both millennials and older people. Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598 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. If it wasnt clear before Monday, it sure is now: the coronavirus outbreak is not only a health crisis, but potentially an economic one as well. The spread of COVID-19 is slowing the world economy, tanking oil prices and sending stock markets into a tailspin. No one knows where all this is taking us, but how bad things get will depend in considerable measure on how effectively all of us, and especially our governments, react to the threat. Leadership, in other words, is crucial. Governments cant decree an end to a health crisis like coronavirus, but if people believe their leaders are being straight with them and doing all that can reasonably be done, its much more likely that well all work together to contain and minimize the outbreak. In that regard, we can already see a striking divergence between authorities that are handling the challenge well, and those that are flunking the test. In Canada, the coronavirus crisis seems to be bringing out the best in governments at all levels. For one thing, medical professionals have been allowed to take the lead. Politicians, for the most part, have kept themselves where they should be: off to the side, supporting the experts who know best and are most likely to inspire confidence among the worried public. It was striking on Monday that the chief medical officers of Canada, British Columbia, Ontario and Alberta (three of them women) took turns updating the situation. All were straightforward, clear and detailed. None engaged in political spin. Dr. Theresa Tam, Canadas chief public health officer, has been briefing almost daily. On Monday she advised Canadians not to travel on cruise ships, a good suggestion given the outbreaks on some vessels. In British Columbia, the lead has been taken by chief medical officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, a veteran of the SARS crisis back in 2003. Along with Ontario, B.C. is the province with the most cases of COVID-19 so far (32 as of Monday, out of 77 across the country). Henry announced the first death in B.C. with the professional aplomb that has marked all her briefings. In Ottawa, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has been put in charge of coordinating the national response to the crisis. The Trudeau government has earmarked $27 million in extra funding for research into developing a coronavirus vaccine, and Finance Minister Bill Morneau says he plans to announce support for those quarantined as a result of COVID-19. These are good and necessary steps. They give hope that Canadian governments are on the right track to, at the very least, minimizing the impact of the disease in this country. We shouldnt take any of this for granted. In fact, we dont have to look far to find an example of just the opposite a leader who seems interested only in how this crisis might affect his political prospects, who undercuts his countrys own medical professionals, and plays fast and loose with the truth about the most serious public health threat in years. No prizes for guessing the identity of this person. Of course its Donald Trump, who from the very beginning has shamelessly politicized the COVID-19 outbreak. He has blamed Democrats and the media for supposedly exaggerating the threat, which again on Monday he compared to the common flu, an equivalency that every medical professional says is plain wrong. Last week the U.S. Congress approved a package worth $8.3 billion to fight the coronavirus. But long before that emergency response the Trump administration cut funding for research and brought forward a budget proposal that would defund key elements of pandemic preparedness, including support for the Centers for Disease Control and National Institutes of Health. With any luck, American medical professionals, local governments and decent people in Trumps own administration will provide an effective response to COVID-19. But that will be despite, not because of, the president. On both sides of the border, leadership matters. Read more about: The ache in three of Kathy McCracken's teeth started almost four years ago. It was hard for her to chew and swallow. She was sensitive to both hot and cold food. "Pain, pain, pain" was how McCracken, now 69, described the feeling. After taking X-rays, she said, her dentist told her six teeth would need to be pulled. She had two teeth with exposed roots, holes in another two, one tooth with a cap that had a cavity underneath, and a piece of a tooth left from one that had been pulled, she said. McCracken found herself in difficult circumstances. The dental insurance she had through her husband's employer was already maxed out for the year and, living on a fixed income, she couldn't afford to pay the $3,000 out-of-pocket estimated cost of treatment. Seeing her predicament, her pastor in Statesville, the Rev. Amy Spivey, offered to use money from Monticello United Methodist Church's discretionary fund to cover it. "I thought about her dental health as something that is a major gap in her Medicare and how because it's such an extenuating issue and there's no insurance or resources for it, she was caught," Spivey said. But when the bill for the tooth extractions ended up being more than $13,000 and McCracken's account was sent to collections, McCracken and the church went into protest mode to fight charges four times higher than expected. "This is a rural, small, country church," said Bjarne Berg, the finance chair of Monticello United Methodist. "We don't have a lot of resources, but when the church members get into this sort of trouble, we try to help each other out." Dental care is a medical expense that frequently leads to large out-of-pocket bills, since commercial insurers often stipulate a maximum payout of a couple of thousand dollars a year and Medicare offers no or limited coverage. That leaves patients extremely vulnerable. Though both McCracken and her church had gotten estimates in advance, they fell victim to a common bait-and-switch: Many procedures can be done safely and relatively cheaply at an outpatient center but cost vastly more when performed in a hospital. Told the procedure would be performed at Viewmont Surgery Center - about 30 miles away in Hickory, North Carolina McCracken authorized Spivey to contact the health care provider to confirm the $3,000 price estimate. "I had to make sure that I had the money in the discretionary fund to cover it, and we did, and I felt confident about that," said Spivey. With the church ready to cover her bill, McCracken's dental work was booked. But a couple of weeks before the surgery, McCracken said, the dentist's office told her instead to go to Catawba Valley Medical Center, also in Hickory, to sign papers. She didn't think too much of it. "I thought that the Viewmont Surgery Center was a satellite of the hospital, but you have to go to the main hospital to sign the papers," said McCracken. While she was filling out the papers at the hospital, the administrative staff asked for her insurance card. McCracken had recently gotten her new Humana Medicare Advantage card in the mail and noticed it said dental was included. She handed it over and figured the insurance would help with anything left over after the estimated cost. But that's not how it played out. Still confused about the difference in the two facilities, on the day of surgery, McCracken's son drove her to Catawba Valley Medical Center, where she had six teeth extracted under general anesthesia in a procedure that took about 45 minutes. But instead of the health care providers initial $3,000 out-of-pocket estimate for the procedure, McCracken received a bill of more than $13,000 from the hospital. It is unclear why McCracken's treatment was switched from one facility to another, and her dentist didn't respond to multiple calls and emails for an explanation. "I was stunned and hurt. The first thing I thought is, 'Where are we going to come up with this?'" McCracken said. After being notified that her account had been sent to collections, McCracken asked the hospital for help. Catawba Valley told her she did not "appear to qualify for financial assistance" under its charity care policy and offered her a 25% discount on the bill. When asked to respond about McCracken's account being sent to collections and her not qualifying for financial assistance, Matt Webber, the Catawba Valley Health System's spokesperson, noted in an email that protecting patient privacy prevented him from speaking about McCracken's medical care or financial arrangements. He also wrote, however, that KHN's understanding of how the facility handles patient concerns about billing and financial matters was "incomplete" and "inaccurate," though he provided no specifics. But Berg, the church's finance chair, was determined that neither the church nor McCracken would pay such a high bill, especially because the church had prepaid before the facility switch the dentist $1,427. The church also had paid a $700 bill to the anesthesiology group involved in the procedure. He helped McCracken compose emails and letters contesting the bill and set up a meeting with hospital administrators to negotiate. Thankfully, McCracken had saved all her medical paperwork, including the original cost estimates. After Berg discussed reimbursement rates with hospital staff, Catawba Valley Medical Center said the $13,000 bill could be settled if the hospital received $3,000 in payment. Berg found additional church funds to cover this amount bringing the total that Monticello United Methodist paid for McCracken's tooth extractions up to $5,127. Seniors should be aware of coverage specifics McCracken is one of 22 million seniors or about a third of the total Medicare population who was enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan during 2019. Traditional Medicare does not cover dental care, except when related to a medical procedure, such as for oral cancer. But dental coverage varies widely for seniors who enroll in Medicare Advantage plans. Even though many of those plans advertise "dental benefits," that is often limited to routine cleanings and exams, as was the case for McCracken. More seniors "will get some needed dental coverage, but also more will be confused about how much coverage they actually have, particularly because dental benefits vary so much across plans," said Meredith Freed, a Medicare policy analyst at the Kaiser Family Foundation. (KHN is an editorially independent program of the foundation.) For now, McCracken's tooth pain is mostly gone. But she has only seven top teeth and seven bottom teeth left in the front of her mouth and she worries about what will happen when those teeth wear down. But she now feels better prepared to deal with the financial side of these issues and has already started contacting her insurance companies to find out what dental work, like dentures, might be covered. "I've got a feeling if I don't get some teeth in there, I'm going to have some problems," McCracken said. But she added: "If it wasn't for my church and Berg doing what he did, I would still be in a bad position." As we've covered before, a trademark is a word, phrase, symbol, and/or design that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others. And trademark infringement is the "unauthorized use of a trademark or service mark on or in connection with goods and/or services in a manner that is likely to cause confusion, deception, or mistake about the source of the goods and/or services." In the case at hand, the Girl Scouts would be hard pressed to show that Kaneh's use of the names of its cookies (which are protected by trademark registrations), was likely to cause consumer confusion or mistake about the source of the goods, since Kaneh was only referencing the cookies in a comparative manner, to explain to customers what its cookies tasted like. In fact, this comparative manner of use would make it very clear to customers that Kaneh's cookies were not Girl Scout cookies. A regional Nigerian health commissioner on Monday confirmed the country's second COVID-19 case in a man with links to a factory which recently hosted an Italian businessman. Lagos State Commissioner for Health Akin Abayomi told reporters in Lagos that all forty people who had been in close contact with the Italian national, who visited the Lafarge cement company in Ogun State, had been tested for the new virus, with one coming out positive. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80-thousand people have been diagnosed and more than 58-thousand have so far recovered. In a statement published on Twitter, Nigerian Minister of Health Osagie Ehanire said that the affected individual displayed "no significant clinical symptoms." Abayomi added that authorities were now conducting extensive contact tracing, in "extremely aggressive" efforts to curb the spread of the new virus in Nigeria. The new case brings the west African country's total number of infections to two. Anahita Mukherji By As long as youre alive, youre in the race. Seventy-seven-year-old Joe Biden suddenly finds himself closest to the finish line in the US Democratic primaries, after having been written off on several occasions. A month ago, Bernie Sanders, and not Joe Biden, was widely declared the clear front-runner to win the primaries. And then, all of a sudden, Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg, moderate candidates competing for votes with Biden, unexpectedly pulled out of the race and announced their support for the former US vice-president, who now leads Sanders; 664 delegates have declared their support for Biden, 573 for Sanders. Progressive candidate Elizabeth Warren, who vied for votes with Sanders, also pulled out of the race. The moderate and progressive votes within the party are now clearly split between two candidates, Biden and Sanders. Ironically, the two candidates endorsed by The New York Times in mid-January, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar, have both dropped out of the race. Many rued the fact that this left no viable woman candidate in the race. While the drama will further unfold on Tuesday as six more states go to polls in the primaries, the contest that once included a plethora of candidates now boils down to two white men in their 70s, a centrist and a leftist. In a primary that once included a candidate of colour, Kamala Harris, women like Warren and Klobuchar, and a gay man, Pete Buttigieg, many lament the fact that the winner will not represent the diversity that many of the contestants who dropped out of the primary brought with them. What is heartening, though, is that both white men locked in battle to become the Democratic presidential nominee, have immense support with Americas people of colour. The credit for Bidens surge ahead of Super Tuesday, when a host of states went to polls, goes to show the tremendous support he enjoys among black voters. Sanderss win in states like California has been pegged to his huge support among Latinos. While Sanders was earlier criticised for not doing enough to reach out to black voters, he has, in recent years, made an extra effort to do so, while Biden is scrambling to reach out to the Latinx community. Biden has been a regular at events that support the black community, such as the Selma to Montgomery march in Alabama that commemorates violence targeted at African Americans fighting for the right to vote half a century ago. While a number of Democratic nominees joined the march this year, Biden is seen as someone with a longstanding commitment to the black community, not someone who is making a guest appearance. Biden is also beloved among the black community because he was the vice president who stood by Barack Obama, Americas first black president. Many black voters also believe that a moderate like Biden would be the best bet when it comes to beating Trump. While older black voters prefer Biden, Sanders enjoys greater support among younger black voters, who believe in the need for radical changes in the government, and a hope for more equitable medical services and a reduction in massive student debt. Meanwhile, Sanders has endeared himself to the Latinx population, promising to reverse Trumps brutal immigration policies. He wants to create a comprehensive immigration program that will include a pathway to citizenship for large swathes of undocumented workers. This means a lot for Latinos who have long struggled for recognition and full citizenship in America, and are throwing their lot behind Sanders. An endorsement from the young Latina Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who called him Tio Bernie, has furthered his support among Latinos. It is particularly heartening that Sanders, with his Latino base, is wooing the black community and Biden, with his black base, is wooing Latinos. The two front-runners in the US Democratic primary are doing their level best to represent Americas most marginalised communities. Sanders himself has done so at the cost of white, working-class votes. The focus has long been on how Biden represents the moderate faction of Democrats while Sanders represents the partys progressive streak. However, it is important to note that, no matter who wins, the next Democratic presidential nominee will enjoy immense support from people of colour, while taking on a deeply racist president buoyed by the support of white supremacists. Anahita Mukherji An independent journalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area Tweets @newspaperwalli Rep. Matt Gaetz tested negative for the novel coronavirus after entering self-quarantine Monday due to contact with an individual at CPAC who was confirmed to have the illness. Why it matters: Gaetz was traveling with President Trump on Air Force One about an hour before his office announced that he would go into self-quarantine. Between the lines: Gaetz received pushback last week for wearing a gas mask on the floor of the House as Congress weighed emergency coronavirus funding. Many viewed the stunt as making light of the situation. A citizen in Gaetz's Florida district died from the virus a few days later. A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted. The big picture: Multiple members of Congress have self-quarantined after a CPAC attendee tested positive for COVID-19 last week. CPAC speakers included President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and various members of Congress were in attendance. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 9) All four new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country are admitted in various private hospitals in Metro Manila, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III confirmed to CNN Philippines on Monday. He said the 38-year-old Taiwanese man with no history of travel outside the Philippines is admitted at the Makati Medical Center, while the 32-year-old Filipino who traveled to Japan is confined in St. Luke's Medical Center in Taguig City. The 86 year-old American national who traveled to the US and South Korea was brought to the Medical City in Ortigas, while the 57-year-old man who has no recent travel history is in St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City. "Lahat itong mga ospital na ito may kakayahan na pangasiwaan itong mga kaso," he said. He added DOH will now disclose hospital names where patients are admitted to "combat fake news." He also warned hospitals against refusing patients showing symptoms linked to coronavirus. The Health Department reported late Sunday evening four new cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of people in the country who have been infected to 10. All four were tested Saturday and the results were released Sunday. Duque said all four are showing mild coronavirus symptoms. Marikina City Mayor Marcy Teodoro confirmed the American national is a resident in their city. The man, who has hypertension, started showing symptoms on March 1. He said they have traced eight of his contacts, saying four of them showed flu-like symptoms. Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said the 57-year-old man confined in St. Luke's lives in the District 1 area. She added the patient entertained visitors from China, United States, and Davao since December. Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto announced that aside from the patient confined in Medical City, there is one Pasig resident who tested positive and is confined in a different city. It remains unclear if this patient is included in the 10 cases announced by the DOH. The Health Department reported late Sunday evening four new cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of people in the country who have been infected to 10. All four were tested Saturday and the results were released Sunday. The new cases came just a day after the Health Department announced that local transmission of the virus has been confirmed in the country after a 62-year-old man from Cainta, Rizal with no previous travel history outside of the Philippines tested positive for the virus. His wife later on also tested positive. President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday declared a state of public health emergency upon the recommendation of the Health Department. It will allow for easier access to financial resources to control the spread of the disease in the country. DOH also raised Code Red sublevel 1 a preemptive call to ensure that national and local government and public and private health care providers can prepare for possible increase in suspected and confirmed cases. World trade in major arms grew by 5.5 per cent in the past five years. The US is the top exporter. Russian arms exports are down. Imports in the Middle East rose by 61 per cent; Saudi Arabias jumped by 130 per cent. China is the worlds fifth exporting country. Stockholm (AsiaNews) The United States, Russia, France, Germany and China are the main arms sellers in the world; Saudi Arabia is the leading importer. China ranks fifth among the exporting countries: 53 states buy Chinese weapons. The press release by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute on the world arms trade follows: International transfers of major arms during the five-year period 201519 increased by 5.5 per cent compared with 201014. According to new data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the largest exporters of arms during the past five years were the United States, Russia, France, Germany and China. The new data shows that the flow of arms to the Middle East has increased, with Saudi Arabia clearly being the worlds largest importer. Significant increase in arms exports from the United States and France Between 201014 and 201519, exports of major arms from the USA grew by 23 per cent, raising its share of total global arms exports to 36 per cent. In 201519 total US arms exports were 76 per cent higher than those of the second-largest arms exporter in the world, Russia. Major arms transferred from the USA went to a total of 96 countries. Half of US arms exports in the past five years went to the Middle East, and half of those went to Saudi Arabia, says Pieter D. Wezeman, Senior Researcher at SIPRI. At the same time, demand for the USAs advanced military aircraft increased, particularly in Europe, Australia, Japan and Taiwan. French arms exports reached their highest level for any five-year period since 1990 and accounted for 7.9 per cent of total global arms exports in 201519, a 72 per cent increase on 201014. The French arms industry has benefited from the demand for arms in Egypt, Qatar and India, says Diego Lopes Da Silva, SIPRI Researcher. Notable decrease in Russian arms exports Major arms exports by Russia decreased by 18 per cent between 201014 and 201519. Russia has lost traction in Indiathe main long-term recipient of Russian major armswhich has led to a sharp reduction in arms exports, says Alexandra Kuimova, SIPRI Researcher. This decrease was not offset by the increase in Russian arms exports to Egypt and Iraq in 201519. Arms flows to countries in conflict Arms imports by countries in the Middle East increased by 61 per cent between 201014 and 201519, and accounted for 35 per cent of total global arms imports over the past five years. Saudi Arabia was the worlds largest arms importer in 201519. Its imports of major arms increased by 130 per cent compared with the previous five-year period and it accounted for 12 per cent of global arms imports in 201519. Despite the wide-ranging concerns in the USA and the United Kingdom about Saudi Arabias military intervention in Yemen, both the USA and the UK continued to export arms to Saudi Arabia in 201519. A total of 73 per cent of Saudi Arabias arms imports came from the USA and 13 per cent from the UK. India was the second-largest arms importer in the world over the past five years, with its neighbour Pakistan ranking 11th. As in previous years, in 2019 India and Pakistanwhich are nuclear-armed statesattacked each other using an array of imported major arms, says Siemon T. Wezeman, Senior Researcher at SIPRI. Many of the worlds largest arms exporters have supplied these two states for decades, often exporting arms to both sides. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been militarily involved in Libya as well as Yemen over the past five years and was the eighth-largest arms importer in the world in 201519. Two-thirds of its arms imports came from the USA during this period. In 2019, when foreign military involvement in Libya was condemned by the United Nations Security Council, the UAE had major arms import deals ongoing with Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the UK and the USA. In 201519 there were again armed clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Both countries are building up their military capability through imports, including missiles capable of attacking targets inside each others territory. Russia accounted for almost all of Armenias arms imports over the past five years. A total of 60 per cent of Azerbaijans arms imports came from Israel and 31 per cent from Russia. In 201519 Turkish arms imports were 48 per cent lower than in the previous five-year period, even though its military was fighting Kurdish rebels and was involved in the conflicts in Libya and Syria. This decrease in imports can be explained by delays in deliveries of some major arms, the cancellation of a large deal with the USA for combat aircraft, and developments in the capability of the Turkish arms industry. Other notable developments 1) Germanys arms exports were 17 per cent higher in 201519 than in 201014. 2) China was the fifth-largest arms exporter in 201519 and significantly increased the number of recipients of its major arms: from 40 in 201014 to 53 in 201519. 3) South Koreas arms exports rose by 143 per cent between 201014 and 201519 and it entered the list of the top 10 largest exporters for the first time. 4) Israeli arms exports increased by 77 per cent between 201014 and 201519 to their highest-ever level. 5) West and Central European states had outstanding orders at the end of 2019 for imports of 380 new combat aircraft from the USA. 6) Egypts arms imports tripled between 201014 and 201519, making it the worlds third-largest arms importer. 7) Brazils arms imports in 201519 were the highest in South America, accounting for 31 per cent of the subregions arms imports, despite a 37 per cent decrease compared with 201014. 8) South Africa, the largest arms importer in sub-Saharan Africa in 20052009, imported almost no major arms in 201519. The finding was by chance, when the scientists were working on the results from the first light of one of the four telescopes of the project, in Chile. Shortly after the building of the first SECULOOS telescopes, and during the test observations, the team pointed at a well kown brown dwarf 2MASSW J1510478-281817, since renamed 2M1510, in the constellation of Libra. The observations of SPECULOOS picked up an unusual signal which made the researchers suggest that 2M1510 could be two brown dwarfs instead of one, and in orbit around each other. "Among the first test observations which we made -says Michael Gillon, an astrophysicist at the University of Liege, and Principal Investigator on the SPECULOOS project-, we pointed our telescopes at a known brown dwarf. But, suddenly, the object appeared to darken for 90 minutes, which indicated that an occultation had just occurred. The researchers could confirm their hypothesis using two of the most powerful telescopes, one of the two 10m Keck telescopes, in Hawaii, and one of the four 8m telescopes of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile, the latter being on the same site as the SPECULOOS telescopes which took the initial observations. The Keck and the VLT have sensitive spectrometers which can be used to measure the velocities of celestial objects. The astronomers detected the velocities of both brown dwarfs of 2M1510 while they orbited around each other. This discovery coincides with the 25th anniversary of the verification of the first brown dwarf, named Teide 1. This was made with the IAC-80 telescope at the Teide Observatory (Tenerife), by a group of IAC astrophysicists led by Rafael Rebolo Lopez, together with Maria Rosa Zapatero Osorio, and Eduardo Martin Guerrero de Escalante. "The first observations which led to the new discovery were made in summer of 2017, which shows the observing and data analysis effort needed. With the new Artemis telescope, inaugurated in the Teide Observatory and integrated in the SPECULOOS consortium, we hope to discover soon systems as interesting as this one", explains Roi Alonso, a memer of the Artemis research team, and an author of the article. The detection of occulting brown dwarfs is extremely rare: until now only one other system of this type has been identified. These systems give the opportunity to astronomers to measure directly the radii and the masses of the brown dwarfs, which are basic quantities for theoretical models. 2M1510 is also special because it is one of the few brown dwarf systems which have known ages, because it belongs to a nearby group of young stars known as the Argo stellar association. "Obtaining data on the mass, the radius, and the age is really rare for a star, and even rarer for a brown dwarf", explains Amaury Triaud, a researcher at the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Birmingham and the first author of the article. "Normally we lack one of more of these parameters. As we have all of them, we can verify the theoretical models about how brown dwarfs cool down, models which we have bad for over 30 years. We find that the models fit the observations very well, evidence of human ingenuity", he adds. The SPECULOOS project The mission of the SPECULOOS project (Search for habitable Planets EClipsing ULtra-cOOl Stars) is to investigate planets orbiting ultra-cool dwarfs, which include the smallest stars as well as brown dwarfs. Brown dwarfs (also known as substellar objects) are less massive than stars but more massive than planets. They are too small to produce the fusion of hydrogen to helium in their centres, the process which produces the energy of normal stars such as the sun. Astronomers predict that ultracool stars and brown dwarfs should have large populations of rocky planets, nearby and potentially habitable, offering many opportunitites to explore a variety of atmospheres and climates. One example is the system of 7 planets, TRAPPIST-1, discovered by members of the same team. The data which led to this discovery were obtained at the Southern Observatory of SPECULOOS, one of the installations dedicated to the project. SPECULOOS South is in the Paranal Observatory, Chile, operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and funded by the European Research Council (ERC), as well as the Simons foundation, the MERAC foundation and the Science, Technology and Facilities Council. The SPECULOOS project also involves telescopes at the Teide Observatory (Tenerife, Spain), San Pedro Martir (Mexico), Oukaimden (Morocco) and the La Silla Observatory (Chile). The team which made the discovery is made up of researchers from the University of Birmingham; the University of California, San Diego; the University of Liege; the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias; the American Museum of Natural History; the University of Cambridge, the University of Berne, Massachussetts Institut of Technology (MIT); the University of Gottingen; and the University of Warwick. ### WASHINGTON With multiple lawmakers reporting potential exposure to the coronavirus on Monday, Congress faced difficult questions about whether to curtail its activities in the coming days, a step leaders are resisting even as fears rise. Representative Julia Brownley, Democrat of California, said Monday that she was closing her offices in Washington for a week after meeting there with a person who later tested positive for the virus. Her announcement came as three Republican representatives, Mark Meadows of North Carolina, Doug Collins of Georgia and Matt Gaetz of Florida two of whom have spent time with President Trump in recent days said they would self-quarantine after being informed that they had interacted at the Conservative Political Action Conference with someone who has tested positive. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona, both Republicans, took similar steps after earlier coming into contact with the same person. The incidents underscored the balancing act congressional leaders confront in protecting themselves, their staffs and the thousands of people who move through the Capitol complex each day without unsettling a public that is accustomed to seeing its government working in times of crisis. OAKLAND, Calif. - Thousands of increasingly bored and restless passengers aboard a cruise ship struck by the coronavirus waited for their turn Tuesday to get off the vessel and go into two weeks of quarantine at military bases around the U.S. Passengers wearing masks trickled out of the Grand Princess and walked to the bottom of a ramp, where masked officials in yellow protective gear and blue plastic gloves took their temperature and led them to a tent for more screening before they lined up to board a bus. After days of being forced to idle off the Northern California coast, the ship docked Monday at Oakland with about 3,500 passengers and crew, including at least 21 who tested positive for the new virus. Were trying to stay calm and were trying to stay positive, but its getting harder and harder. They cant make up their minds how to keep us safe, said passenger Beryl Ward, 77, of Santa Fe, New Mexico. The slow evacuation of the 951-foot ship began Monday. About two dozen people who needed acute medical care were taken off first, though it was unclear how many of them were infected, California emergency authorities said. Also, more than 200 Canadians on board were flown to a military base in their country, Canadian officials said. About 2,000 passengers, including hundreds of Californians, were still aboard Monday night. Authorities said foreigners from more than 50 countries would be flown home, while U.S. passengers would be flown or bused to military bases in California, Texas and Georgia for testing and 14-day quarantines. The Grand Princess ship had been held off the coast since Wednesday because of evidence that it was the breeding ground for more than 20 infections tied to a previous voyage. Passengers were isolated in their cabins for days. When they were finally allowed a few minutes on deck, Ward said, they were warned to wear masks and try to stay 6 feet (2 metres) away from each other. Wards cabin mate, Carolyn Wright, 63, also of Santa Fe, said she looked out her cabin window as passengers lined up to depart and also saw people in yellow protective clothing, gloves and hazardous materials suits. They were queuing up the passengers like cattle, Wright said. Everybody was bunched up. They were physically touching each other and they were backed up along the gangplank. She added: Im just totally freaked out by that. Its outrageous. If thats safe, then why were we stuck in our rooms? Its been stressed for the past five days that were not to have any contact with any other passengers? Wright and others said they werent being told details of what was happening. Im willing to be quarantined, Wright said. But I want to know if Im positive or not. We dont even know if were going to get tested. Its all rumour and speculation. Im bored and frustrated, she added. All of a sudden a two-week vacation has turned into a five-week vacation. About 1,100 crew members, 19 of whom tested positive for the virus, will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship, which will dock elsewhere after passengers are unloaded, Gov. Gavin Newsom said. He and Oaklands mayor sought to reassure people that no passengers would be exposed to the public before completing quarantine. Another Princess ship, the Diamond Princess, was quarantined for two weeks in Yokohama, Japan, last month because of the virus. Ultimately, about 700 of the 3,700 people aboard became infected in what experts pronounced a public health failure. The virus has infected over 700 people in the U.S. and killed at least 27, many of them from a single nursing home in the Seattle area. The virus has shaken global markets, with stocks Monday taking their worst one-day beating on Wall Street since 2008 and oil prices suffering their most brutal losses since the start of the 1991 Gulf War. For most people, the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. Most people recover in a matter of weeks, as has happened with three-quarters of those infected in mainland China. Several universities have begun online-only courses, including the University of Washington, Stanford University, Columbia University and the University of California, Berkeley. ___ Rodriguez reported from San Francisco. Associated Press writers Janie Har, Jocelyn Gecker and Juliet Williams in San Francisco, Robert Jablon in Los Angeles and Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report. ___ The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ___ Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak 09.03.2020 LISTEN It used to be that if you go abroad and failed after four years of the first degree, six years for masters or ten years of Ph.D. you are too embarrassed to return home. Village people would visit your families asking questions after each degree. Today, the same people would beg you to stay away and send money home. The celebration before you leave is to become a cash cow, not to come back and build your countries. This friend of ours had a flourishing medical practice at home and a visa to the United States. It took him a while to decide since his wife also had a good job as a nurse. He eventually sold his business and moved. Needless to say, he took many examinations while his wife got a job as a nurse after passing her exams sooner than him. Well, nothing spoiled. She worked hard even before getting her state nursing license. Sometimes two, three jobs or overtime to provide a comfortable home for their grown children. As a good husband, he also helped anyway he could, providing support to the wife. She was always tired and complained of the lack of cordiality to black professionals. The relationship in the family changed somehow, since the wife and children that had always come to him for support when they were back home, shifted the responsibilities to the wife alone. Apart from the little slights that could happen anywhere, the family held together. Credit must be given to both husband and wife that adapted to the realities of a new country. The uncomfortable situation has broken some other families. He finally took other exams in related fields and passed as a brilliant man from his school days. But medical practice eluded him. He could have gone to remote areas like Indian Reserves but decided to stick with his family especially in America where children without father at home could easily go astray. Moreover, he had to uproot his family again, especially the children that had become adapted to a major city. Nevertheless, the distance within the family grew and he lamented privately to his friends that the worst mistake he ever made was leaving home to settle abroad. He never blamed his wife. If anything, he praised her for putting up with him. Indeed, he remembered very well that his wife was not willing to leave home, it was the children that dreamt about America every day. Eventually, the lure of America flowing with milk and honey was too much to resist. The same children later turned into Americans, losing the close African relationship they had at home. There were times he thought about saving some money to go back home and buy back his medical practice. (For whia!). Unfortunately, the practice had grown so big, he could not afford it, even at a discount. No amount of money would buy back that location. Anyway, the owners whose wish and prayers came true would not sell it. On vacation, one of his successful friends with two big trucks (tippers) and employees running goods and services asked him for advice. He would like to sell his business and check out to America! The doctor raised alarm! Here is a man that wished he had not sold his own business and even tried to raise money to buy his business back. When he asked the truck businessman if he was crazy, he answered no. He heard a great deal about America and just want to be like him. There is a difference between an honest living and becoming comfortable; being in money in Africa compared to America or Britain. It is may not be so obvious for the blind to see it. There is more to being rich as a Blackman in your own country and being rich in the Diaspora. Actually, the good doctor was lucky with his situation. Another friend of ours made it big with his own medical practice, employing other doctors and nurses. One went into group practice with his friends and made it big too. These are all successful businesses from a distance but in America, they paid heavily. Any successful Black in Diaspora has to be above par since you are constantly being watched to see how you overcome the odds against you, installed for a purpose. Even if you are the head of the dog catchers. Many hid their pain with painkillers or booze, some of them lost their marriages and the most unfortunate ones were targeted and raided for abusing Medicaid and Medicare. When the names of some medical practice or nursing homes got into the news, please understand that there are other sides to these stories. These were hardworking Africans that got caught up in a mess they never expected. Their excuses are that they billed the same way every medical practice or nursing home did. Using the same accountants. There is a familiar brilliant specialist that was almost crippled for some procedures he performed in one of the biggest hospitals in the USA. He got so tired and fed up, he sued for discrimination and won big. The intelligent man collected his judgment money and established his own Medical Center. He did not stop there, he built up his African village and going into politics in his State; (wonder why, why!) Before you ask everybody to sue for money, note that for every one that succeeded, many lost their discrimination cases. As a judge explained in a lecture, if every case of discrimination won, most businesses would be killed in Judeo-Christian capitalism. It is the most egregious case that won. None of these folks would come home and tell you of their struggles, frustrations, pains, broken marriages and regrets. Each of these is too embarrassing to tell. We also have to understand that for each of the successes in America or Britain, there are also many casualties. Nobody wants to listen to your sorry cases. We love successful stories O! Therefore, when you hear that visas are geared to attract the best talents and migrants that can invest heavy cash, you must wonder if those before you that have paid with their families, mental and physical health are coming back to tell you the truth or they are too embarrassed to admit that they made the worst mistakes in their lives. Look, there are different prices to pay in each country no matter where you are, even in African countries. True, but African brilliant talents pay more on top of those problems when they are not in their own countries. Nobody wants to work in a hostile environment no matter how strong you are. The stress of working against all odds takes its toll on your families, mental and physical health. Those who came back home and fought for our Independence were driven by the hypocrisy they faced abroad. A C-17 Globemaster aircraft of the Indian Air Force before their departure from Hindan airbase for Tehran to airlift Indian citizens, in Hindan. PTI photo New Delhi: A military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) brought back 58 Indians from coronavirus-hit Iran on Tuesday, official said. The aircraft, a C-17 Globemaster, was sent to Tehran on Monday evening. About 2,000 Indians are living in Iran, a country that has witnessed increasing numbers of coronavirus cases in the last few days. The IAF aircraft has landed. Mission completed. On to the next, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted. In an earlier tweet, he said, First batch of 58 Indian pilgrims being brought back from Iran. IAF C-17 taken off from Tehran and expected to land soon in Hindon. Thanks to the efforts of our Embassy @India_in_Iran and Indian medical team there, operating under challenging conditions. Thank you @IAF_MCC. Appreciate cooperation of Iranian authorities. We are working on the return of other Indians stranded there (sic), Jaishankar added. The aircraft landed at Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad, from where the passengers were taken to a medical facility. According to latest reports, 237 people have died of novel coronavirus in Iran while the number of positive cases stands at around 7,000. It is the second such evacuation by the C-17 Globemaster in the last two weeks. On February 27, 76 Indians and 36 foreign nationals were brought back from the Chinese city of Wuhan by the aircraft of the Indian Air Force. The C-17 Globemaster is the largest military aircraft in the IAF's inventory. The plane can carry large combat equipment, troops and humanitarian aid across long distances in all weather conditions. Four days ago, a Mahan airline plane brought swab samples of 300 Indians from Iran to India. Is Sea Moss a Legit New Superfood? Sea mossa.k.a. Irish sea mossis a type of red algae believed to boost your health and enhance your skin. While it lacks significant science to back up the benefits, experts say it has some stand-out advantages, and many cultures have turned to it to improve health. In Scotland, Ireland, and Jamaica, it's often used to help enhance the immune system and fight off colds. As a mucilaginous food, sea moss can soothe the respiratory and digestive tract, keep you full, and much more. It's loaded with key minerals such as folate, which helps prenatal health, and iodine, which supports the thyroid. Because sea moss is high in immune- boosting nutrients like iron, it may help fight off cold and flu symptoms. And sea moss has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, which means it can boost skin health. Thousands of Buddhists monks gathered under the holy Bodhi tree here on Monday and offered special prayers for the eradication of deadly coronavirus. "Today is a very special day, the full moon day in the Buddhist calendar. On this auspicious occasion, the Mahakaruna Foundation and Mahabudh international meditation centre have organised global prayers for the eradication of coronavirus," organiser Huizhong Yang told reporters. He said that thousands of Buddhist monks, nuns and other people gathered here and offered special prayers for the well being of the public at large. "Medical science and technology are trying their best to control the spread of coronavirus. But there are certain things beyond medical technology. We need prayers. Where science fails, spirituality is successful," Yang said. This comes as several cases of the deadly COVID-19, a new virus of the coronavirus family, have spread in various countries across the world. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bengaluru, March 10 : Karnataka Health Minister B. Sriramulu on Tuesday confirmed four positive Coronavirus cases in the state. "COVID-19 has been diagnosed in four persons in Karnataka so far, keeping them and their family members isolated and monitoring their health," tweeted Sriramulu. He urged everybody to take precautions and cooperate in preventing the spread of the infection. Earlier, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Tuesday said three positive coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Bengaluru. "Three positive cases from Bengaluru, Karnataka have been confirmed," said ICMR in a statement, a Ministry of Health and Family Welfare institution. The state recorded its first positive case on Monday. All the four cases are now concentrated in Bengaluru. A techie, his daughter, wife and his colleague are the confirmed positive cases in Bengaluru who are being monitored at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases at Hombegowda Nagar in the city. The techie had returned to Bengaluru from USA via Dubai recently. Meanwhile, Karnataka government suspended classes to all students up to fifth standard in Bengaluru. "All primary classes in BBMP, Bengaluru Urban and rural district to be suspended and holidays for those children till further orders as decided in the meeting chaired by chief secretary," tweeted Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister Suresh Kumar. Scheduled examinations for primary students have been cancelled with parents receiving late night and early morning messages from schools apprising the development. With the latest government decision, classes have been cancelled for all students in the city from kindergarten to fifth standard. The Karnataka government is releasing a media bulletin every day at 6 p.m. with the latest information on Coronavirus status in the state. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Vietnams Ministry of Health has confirmed the countrys 33rd new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection who is another passenger on the London Hanoi flight that carried the countrys patient No.17. The new patient is a British man who came to Vietnam on flight VN0054, operated by national carrier Vietnam Airlines, from London that landed at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi during the small hours of March 2. The 58-year-old man then traveled to Hoi An City in the central province of Quang Nam. He was sampled by Quang Nams Center for Disease Control and tested by the Pasteur Institute Nha Trang in the south-central city of Nha Trang. The test results have shown that he is positive for the novel coronavirus, making him the 13th passenger on the flight VN0054 to have been infected with COVID-19. He is currently quarantined and treated in Quang Nam. At least 13 people traveling on flight VN0054 have tested positive for the virus since N.H.N., a 26-year-old Vietnamese woman who was on the same flight, was announced Vietnams patient No.17 on Friday last week. N.s aunt and chauffeur, who drove her to the hospital, were also infected. A 24-year-old Vietnamese woman who arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on a private jet earlier this week has also tested positive for the virus after interacting with N. at the Milan Fashion Week in Italy last month. People are captured on a street in Hoi An Ancient Town, located in the central province of Quang Nam, in this undated photo. Photo: Le Trung / Tuoi Tre The novel coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected over 114,100 people and killed more than 4,000 globally, according to Ministry of Health statistics. Vietnam has so far confirmed 33 infections, including 19 Vietnamese, two Chinese nationals, one Vietnamese American, nine British citizens, one Mexican, and one Irish national. Sixteen of the patients had recovered and been discharged from the hospital by February 26, while 17 others were still under treatment as of Tuesday afternoon. Patient No. 17 was confirmed after Vietnam had reported no new infection since February 13. At least 15 other infections can be traced back to the Hanoi woman, with over 100 people in Vietnam being placed in quarantine for interacting with N. or with those who had close contact with her. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Canada reported its first COVID-19 death on Monday after a man died at a long-term care home in North Vancouver as the federal government asked provincial and territorial leaders to share their state of readiness to deal with the new coronavirus. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 9/3/2020 (673 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Canada reported its first COVID-19 death on Monday after a man died at a long-term care home in North Vancouver as the federal government asked provincial and territorial leaders to share their state of readiness to deal with the new coronavirus. Dr. Bonnie Henry, British Columbia's provincial health officer, and Health Minister Adrian Dix announced news of the death at the Lynn Valley Care Centre on Sunday night. The man's symptoms were detected some time between Thursday and early Friday. "He was a man in his 80s and he had a number of underlying health conditions, unfortunately, so (he was) in that risk group for people who are more likely to have severe disease with this," Henry told a news conference in Victoria. Another resident in her 70s who tested positive at the same facility also had pre-existing conditions but is in stable condition, Henry said, adding the "outbreak" is especially concerning because it involves transmission in the community, not through travel. A second health-care worker from the same facility has also been tested positive for COVID-19 and is in isolation at home. The initial worker is believed to have worked at two other care homes. "There is investigation, obviously, ongoing in those facilities to determine exactly who had contact with whom and whether she worked when she was ill," Henry said. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his condolences go out to the family of the man who died in B.C. "We are co-ordinating with provincial authorities, we are working together, we are ensuring Canada's actions are consistent with what the World Health Organization and global experts are saying," he said. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland wrote the provinces and territories asking them to inform the federal government of their state of readiness and any shortages they're facing ahead of Friday's first ministers meeting in Ottawa. The meeting will include discussions on the potential impact of the spreading virus on the country's health-care system and its economy. In her letter, she noted the federal government is already leading a bulk procurement of personal protective equipment. Finance Minister Bill Morneau said the Canadian economy is strong enough to weather the economic impacts of the novel coronavirus. Carrying multiple people who have tested positive for COVID-19, the Grand Princess maintains a holding pattern about 30 miles off the coast of San Francisco, Sunday, March 8, 2020. The cruise ship is scheduled to dock at the Port of Oakland on Monday. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) The federal government has enough wiggle room in its finances to help individuals and businesses deal with the fallout, Morneau said, without providing details of any plans or when the federal budget will be released. He also would not reveal whether he expects the deficit to be bigger than previously projected, given the sharp decline in oil prices and the hit to the markets on Monday, saying only that Ottawa is in a position to respond to challenges like COVID-19, and the budget is only part of the response. The government is being urged to ease access to federal sick leave benefits, along with tax credits and other breaks, to help workers who can't afford to stay home when sick, as well as to help small businesses that might not have the cash flow to manage the effects of the outbreak. In British Columbia, neighbouring Washington state reported 22 deaths on Monday, with some of the cases linked to a care home in Kirkland, about a 20-minute drive north of Seattle. At least 169 cases infections from the virus have also been reported, raising concerns about transmission of more cases to B.C. One person visiting from Seattle was tested positive for the virus in British Columbia last week but Henry said she is not concerned about spread of COVID-19 from Washington, where the infection is believed to have occurred. "But it is clear that their strategy has been a challenging one in the U.S., and there's no way we could stop people going back and forth," Henry said. "There are many Canadians who live in Washington state." Canada now has at least 78 cases of the respiratory illness: 32 in British Columbia, 35 in Ontario, seven in Alberta and four in Quebec. Earlier Monday, the country's top doctor urged Canadians to avoid travelling on all cruise ships to protect against the spread of the novel coronavirus. Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam had previously advised Canadians to think twice about cruises, but she toughened her warning due to what she described as a changing global situation. "Cruise ships have passengers from around the world who may be arriving from areas with known or unknown spread of the novel coronavirus," she told a news conference. The update came as Canada prepared to repatriate 237 Canadians aboard a cruise ship that docked in California on Monday afternoon. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne confirmed the government has chartered a plane to fly the Canadians aboard the Grand Princess to the air force base in Trenton, Ont. Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois-Philippe Champagne and Minister of Health Patty Hajdu listen to a question from the media during a news conference in Ottawa, Monday March 9, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld There are 21 people diagnosed with COVID-19 aboard the Grand Princess, which is carrying more than 3,500 people from 54 countries. There's no word on the nationalities of the patients. Tam said passengers will be screened for symptoms before they board the plane, and those who exhibit them will stay in the U.S. for further assessment. Passengers without any symptoms will be quarantined for 14 days upon their arrival in Canada. However, Champagne warned Canadian travellers there is no guarantee more government flights will come to the rescue in the future. "People will be on notice, obviously, of the danger associated with getting into a cruise line at this stage, and therefore we will look at cases on a case-by-case basis," he said. He said the circumstances involved in the repatriation of citizens from the Grand Princess are "exceptional," in part because the American government asked for Canada's help and the cruise line will be paying the cost. As of Monday, there were six cases of COVID-19 in Canada believed to be linked to the previous voyage of the Grand Princess cruise ship. That included a man in his 40s from the Edmonton area who was confirmed as a patient on Sunday. He had recently travelled to the United States, but health officials believe the source of the infection is more likely to have been a travel companion who had sailed on the Grand Princess. 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. A presumptive case reported in Quebec on Sunday was also likely linked to cruise travel, although officials did not specify which ship. Anxiety over the virus contributed to new plunges in volatile North American stock markets, which nosedived as the price of oil collapsed. The loonie also plunged against the U.S. dollar. The rout at the start of trading triggered circuit breakers on the stock markets in Canada and the United States, which temporarily put a halt to trading. There are now more than 110,000 cases worldwide, with the largest group still in China. But massive outbreaks have developed outside the virus's epicentre, including in South Korea, Iran and Italy. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 9, 2020. With files from Camille Bains, Laura Osman, Morgan Lowrie, Teresa Wright, Joanna Smith and The Associated Press. Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday approved the expulsion of Jyotiraditya Scindia for "anti-party activities". "Congress President has approved the expulsion of Jyotiraditya Scindia from the Indian Congress with immediate effect for anti-party activities," read a statement issued by KC Venugopal, General Secretary, All India Congress Committee (AICC). Earlier today, Scindia had resigned from Congress, stating that "it is time to move on". "Having been a primary member of the Congress Party for the last 18 years. it is now time for me to move on. I am tendering my resignation from the primary membership of the Indian Congress and as you well know this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year," said Scindia in his resignation letter submitted to Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi. The development comes a day after Congress MLAs loyal to Scindia indicated that they may pull out from the Kamal Nath-led government. In a late-night Cabinet meeting, around 20 Cabinet ministers in Madhya Pradesh tendered their resignation to Chief Minister Kamal Nath. The Chief Minister has accepted their resignations and is likely to reconstitute the cabinet. Earlier, several Congress leaders, including Digvijaya Singh, had accused the BJP of horse-trading and conspiring to bring down the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh. Congress has been witnessing an internal turf war in Madhya Pradesh since the party formed a government in the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A PERSON suspected to be infected with coronavirus reportedly escaped on Sunday from Wilkins Hospital in Harare before further tests could be conducted, Health minister Obadiah Moyo has confirmed. The 26-year-old person, who is of Thai origin and had travelled from his home country, is the fourth person suspected of being infected with the novel virus, which has, in the past two months, grown into a global epidemic. The city health director Prosper Chonzi also confirmed the case, saying the man had earlier presented himself at the privately-owned Trauma Centre complaining of a sore throat and a cough. He was then referred to Wilkins since Thailand is one of the countries with confirmed cases of Covid-19. However, the man, who had been accompanied by his father and two other Zimbabweans, checked himself out while authorities were readying to collect some specimens, Chonzi said. The attending staff was gearing up with protective clothing when the man walked out and, along with his people, sped off. Chonzi said the police had been notified and they were following up on the contact details that the man gave immigration officials when he came into the country. However, we are not particularly worried about this case because he came into the country on February 14 aboard Emirates, who are very thorough on these issues. He also passed through Dubai, which has stringent measures, so we are not too worried, he said. Chonzi, however, said the man had passed the 14-day incubation period and was highly unlikely to pose any serious danger. The tests that we wanted to conduct were for our own satisfaction since the 14-day incubation had passed without him exhibiting any signs of sickness, he said. Government has been accused of hiding vital information on suspected coronavirus cases, with human rights lawyers and doctors threatening to take legal action to force government to release information timeously. In yet another case, officials from Chiredzi have also announced that three people who recently returned from China a week ago were in self-isolation. The three were said to be staying in Chiredzis Tshovani high-density suburb while in self-quarantine. The announcement was made by Chiredzi town secretary Charles Muchatukwa in a speech read on his behalf during a council service meeting last week. However, Chiredzi General Hospital superintendent David Tarumbwa dismissed the report as reckless and said the issue could cause unnecessary public panic. I dont know where this is coming from because a health official was supposed to be there when this announcement was made, he said. Information permanent secretary Ndavaningi Mangwana denied receiving information from Chiredzi concerning the three cases. The Health ministry on Sunday released a statement stating that all identified suspected cases had been appropriately followed up, tested and found to be negative of Covid-19. All tests were conducted by well-trained local laboratory teams. Additional samples from all suspects cases are being sent for confirmation testing by the Regional Reference Laboratory. To date, all samples have tested negative for Covid-19, the statement read. African Health ministers are at an emergency meeting in Ethiopia to map out a co-ordinated action plan to prepare and respond to Covid-19 infections in Africa. South Africa has recorded four more cases of coronavirus, bringing the total to seven. Health minister Zweli Mkhize announced yesterday that four more people who were part of a group of 10 travellers who recently returned to South Africa from Italy the same group with which South Africas first three patients were part of had tested positive. In a nutshell: Sharing online account passwords with friends and family is something many people do, but not everyone is comfortable with revealing their credentials. Now, a new Chrome extension will allow you to share access to Netflix, Spotify, Disney+, etc. without divulging login details. The extension comes from DoNotPay, which was behind the AI-powered robot lawyer app that helps users contest parking tickets. It can also help refugees apply for asylum protection, aid consumers in suing robocallers, and even sue anyone by pressing a button. Once you install the DoNotPay Chrome extension, head to a website youd like to share with someone. Its then a matter of hitting the DoNotPay icon at the top of the browser and selecting Generate Link, which creates a shareable link that can be sent or emailed. If youre not into sharing passwords freely, an exchange feature lets you trade subscriptions, so you can swap access to an account, say Netflix, for access to someones Disney+ account. Recipients of the links need to have the DoNotPay extension installed and will be logged into a senders account automatically after verifying their identity. As it works by transferring the cookie of a logged-in session, nobody will see your password. The company says (via VentureBeat) it does not store the cookies or have access to them, and that they are encrypted in transit. While people you share accounts with will be able to make minor changes, such as adding titles to watch lists, they wont be able to change passwords or two-factor authentication details. DoNotPay creator Joshua Browder said theres no limit on the number of people you can share an account with, though many services do restrict how many devices can stream their content simultaneously. Most online subscription services policies restrict the sharing of usernames and passwords, and while DoNotPay isnt technically giving away these details, the companies are unlikely to see it that way. A North Alabama school district has canceled all overseas trips in response to coronavirus. In a letter to parents, Huntsville City Schools Superintendent Christie Finley outlined instructions in the event of a long period of school closures. Those plans include distance learning using district-issued laptops for grades 3-12 and assignments posted online for grades K-2. The letter also said all international school trips for the rest of March have been canceled. I understand the frustration that many of you may feel about this but we believe this is the best decision for our students, Finley wrote. Domestic field trips are being evaluated on a case-by-base basis.1 The Grissom High School Band was set to go to Dublin this week to play in the St. Patricks Day Parade. That parade has been canceled by Dublin officials, however, after 21 Irish patients were diagnosed with coronavirus. Here are the latest coronavirus updates: Death toll grows The U.S. currently has more than 600 cases of coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control. There are 26 confirmed deaths from COVID-19: 22 in Washington state, two in Florida and two in California. There are no confirmed cases in Alabama. NASA employee diagnosed with coronavirus NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced the first confirmed case of coronavirus at one of the space agencys facilities. On Sunday, March 8, we received confirmation an employee at NASAs Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley tested positive for the coronavirus. We believe the exposure at the center has been limited but out of an abundance of cautionAmes Research Center is temporarily on mandatory telework status with restricted access until further notice, Bridenstine said. Bridenstine said public health officials are working to determine potential contacts for the employee and assess areas that may require additional cleaning. 34 cruise ship passengers to arrive in Georgia Thirty-four passengers of the Grand Princess are expected in Georgia as soon as today. Gov. Brian Kemp said the people will be housed at Dobbins Air Reserve Base after what he called a secure transfer. The Grand Princess has been docked in Oakland, California since Monday afternoon after being kept offshore for four days waiting results of coronavirus tests. At least 21 people on board have tested positive. Georgia currently has six confirmed cases of coronavirus. Port Authority chief has coronavirus Rick Cotton, head of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, has tested positive for COVID-19, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced. Cotton will be working from home as the rest of his staff undergoes testing. Cuomo made the announcement during a press conference unveiling state-made hand sanitizer and cleaning solution which he said was stronger than whats currently available on the market. The sanitizer is being produced by inmates at Great Meadow Correctional Facility. Israel will place visitors in isolation or 14 days Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said anyone entering the country from abroad even if they are citizens will be placed in isolation for 14 days. The rule will be in place for at least two weeks. Think you have coronavirus? Heres what you should do Symptoms of coronavirus include fever, cough and shortness of breath. But what should you do if you think you have coronavirus? You can find out here. Heres more on AL.coms coverage of coronavirus: Alabama tested about 20 people for coronavirus, no cases so far Alabama tourism official blasts State Department over cruise ship warning Sen. Ted Cruz self-quarantines after exposure to coronavirus at February political conference Hangout Fest moving forward as industry grapples with coronavirus worries Louisiana reports first coronavirus case Archbishop issues new advisory on coronavirus Alabama church group quarantined in Israel tests negative for coronavirus, starts journey home Publix limits purchases due to coronavirus: Hand soap, disinfectants, tissue, rubbing alcohol Sun Belt tournament proceeding as scheduled despite presumptive coronavirus case in New Orleans Fake coronavirus cures: Feds warn 7, including televangelist Jim Bakker, about health claims For complete AL.com coverage, go here. Borsa Italiana non ha responsabilita per il contenuto del sito a cui sta per accedere e non ha responsabilita per le informazioni contenute. Accedendo a questo link, Borsa Italiana non intende sollecitare acquisti o offerte in alcun paese da parte di nessuno. Sarai automaticamente diretto al link in cinque secondi. A Turkish prosecutor is seeking up to 15 years for a Turkish employee of the US consulate in Istanbul for his alleged links to Fethullah Gulen, the Pennsylvania-based Sunni preacher who is accused of masterminding the failed 2016 coup. Metin Topuz, a veteran translator for the US Drug Enforcement Agency, was arrested in October 2017 on charges of membership of the so-called Gulenist Terror Group or FETO, sparking a diplomatic row between the NATO allies and a temporary freeze on visa services for Turkish nationals at US missions in Turkey. Topuz and the US government deny all the accusations. In todays hearing, however, the prosecutor dropped separate espionage and coup-plotting charges against Topuz that carry a 35-year sentence, citing insufficient evidence. He denied the defenses demands that Topuz be released pending trial. Topuz is accused of intense contact with Turkish police officers who led a massive corruption probe in December 2013 against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his family and of his cabinet. He said that interacting with the police force was part of his routine duties. The evidence against Topuz rests in part on secret witness testimony, which the judiciary typically allows in highly politicized cases. "It is appalling. Topuz is literally being prosecuted for interacting with the appropriate Turkish officials," noted Howard Eissenstat, an associate professor at St. Lawrence University and senior non-resident fellow at the Project on Middle East Democracy. "It underlines how Turkish prosecutors have continued to pursue political cases." Erdogan, who was prime minister at the time of the 2013 scandal, successfully painted it as a US-inspired conspiracy to cripple Turkey. Much of the investigation centered on Iranian Turkish tycoon Reza Zarrab, who with the help of Turkeys state-run Halkbank ran a multi-billion dollar oil-for-gold trading scheme allowing Iran to dodge US sanctions. Zarrab boasted during his courtroom trial in New Yorks southern district of how he had bribed a former economy minister and made large donations to a charity run by Erdogans wife Emine. He struck a plea bargain, becoming the chief witness for the prosecution in its ongoing criminal case against Halkbank. Erdogan continues to lobby President Donald Trump to get a potential fine on Halkbank dropped. Critics say Ankara views Topuz and two other US mission employees held on similarly specious charges who have now been freed though not acquitted as bargaining chips for a deal. The State Department has not reacted to todays ruling as of this writing. Nor did the US Embassy in Ankara, a further sign analysts say of how the administration is trying to woo back Turkey just as Ankaras relationship with Moscow hits major turbulence over the rebel-held province of Idlib in northwest Syria. It shows the utter fecklessness of the US government in defending its own people, Eissenstat told Al-Monitor. But appeasement rarely works with Erdogan. In October 2019, while Washington pressed its Syrian Kurdish allies to make one concession to Ankara after another, Turkish forces mounted a massive offensive against them, overrunning several towns in northeastern Syria as US forces stood back. Anyone imagining #Erdogan is interested in "rebooting" US-#Turkey relationship hasn't read cases against #OsmanKavala, which are based on a purported CIA hand in the attempted coup of July 2016, Eissenstat observed in a tweet. He was referring to the globally acclaimed Turkish philanthropist who has been in prison since October 2017 on a catalogue of outlandish charges linked to his purported efforts to help overthrow Erdogan. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that he be released over lack of credible evidence. Its verdicts are binding for Turkey. Last month a Turkish court cleared him of charges related to the 2013 Gezi protests. But instead of being freed as expected, Kavala was remanded in custody, once again on a further set of coup-plotting charges. Amnesty International condemned the move as calculated cruelty. The ECHRs ruling on the initial case was set to go into effect today. Under its rules, Kavala would have had to be released because the European court set a two-year limit, among other things, on pre-trial detention. Kavala has been in prison now for 861 days. But in a further dark twist, Kavala faced a new set of espionage charges on Monday to justify keeping Kavala locked up, tweeted Emma Sinclair-Webb, Turkey director for Human Rights Watch. In a statement issued through his lawyers, Kavala bemoaned the charges, which he said had been fabricated at the last minute." He said, It is extremely upsetting and worrisome to see that the intention to continue my detention at all costs, leading members of the judiciary to violate the laws. Your browser does not support the audio element. Editor's note: Dr. Se Gun Song is a South Korean who teaches social work at Thang Long University in Hanoi. He wrote the following piece for Tuoi Tre News after learning about what he calls "rising anti-Korean sentiment" in Vietnam following a recent report on South Korean cable news channel YTN, which painted in a bad light Vietnam's treatment of South Korean nationals placed under quarantine in the Southeast Asian country. The following article has been edited by Tuoi Tre News for clarity, consistency, and coherence. A South Korean news channel has issued a statement regarding a recent report on the treatment of its nationals placed under quarantine in Vietnam, as the Southeast Asian country struggles to maintain its grip on the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). A couple of days ago, I received a text message from a Vietnamese colleague advising me not to "go around telling you are a Korean in Hanoi now." I thought she must have heard some rumors. I was grateful for her advice but could not help thinking that she was overreacting somewhat. Today I saw the headline "rising anti-Korean sentiment in Vietnam" on the Korean news on the Internet. The news reported on the #ApologizeToVietnam campaign in detail, which is drawing a great deal of public attention at the moment. Here is what I have to say on the issue as a Korean living in Hanoi who loves Vietnam and Vietnamese people. In Korea, media outlets can raise diverse voices. In recent years, along with the growing popularity of Internet news, the focus of journalism has increasingly become to garner as many readers clicks as possible. This leads to sensationalism, and real truths are often compromised and distorted in the process. South Korea has an upcoming national election in April, so this is a very sensitive period in Korean politics. The majority of Koreans are very upset about the wide spread of the coronavirus and the governments response, and many are even jealous of the Vietnamese governments prompt response. News coverage in the Korean media, which reported on the treatment of Koreans in Da Nang that triggered the anti-Korean sentiment subsequently, was specifically intended to highlight the negative impact of the South Korean governments failure to effectively deal with the coronavirus. The reporter wanted to portray how Koreans suffer because the government has failed to successfully quarantine people. It has virtually nothing to do with Vietnamese peoples treatment of Koreans. Dr. Se Gun Song, a social work lecturer at Thang Long University in Hanoi, Vietnam, is seen in this provided photo. I would like to ask #ApologizeToVietnam campaigners who should apologize, since an apology would represent no more than a single reporter or a media company who has a hidden agenda. The news is by no means representative of how the majority of Koreans feel. Despite the attempt to sensationalize the issue, and although it is true that there are some people who show their emotions, if you look at Koreans comments, the majority support and even praise the Vietnamese governments proactive approaches in dealing with the virus. Koreans are generally fond of Vietnamese people, and recent news articles regarding Vietnam are popular. The journalist who covered the story in a negative light simply wanted to take advantage of heightened interest in the relationship between the two countries. This, together with one ladys comment on banh mi, should not be interpreted as the true voice of South Koreans on this matter. I am pretty sure that if the journalist had further asked the woman how the banh mi tasted, she would have reluctantly responded, "it tasted unexpectedly good," which, of course, would have been revealed in the article. It is unfortunate that such an event has been picked up and escalated by some young people in Vietnam, and that it has grown into a whole campaign. These days, South Koreans are conscious of how they are seen by the rest of the world. The turbulent modern history of South Korea includes the country dealing with four of the most powerful countries in the world: the U.S., Russia, China, and Japan. South Koreans want to confirm their countrys heightened status in the international arena. The recent winning of the Best Picture Oscar by a Korean film, Parasite, has boosted the Korean sense of raising its national class, yet this confidence has plummeted since the massive coronavirus outbreak in Korea. Over the years Vietnam and Korea have built something extraordinary. Many people from both countries have worked hard to reach where they are at now. We are in great need of each other, too. It is very important for Korea, which is experiencing the rapid aging of its population, to rely on young and highly educated Vietnamese people. For Vietnam, whose economy heavily depends on foreign trade, South Korea is an important business partner. My favorite way to describe Vietnam is as a mother-in-law country. Since Korea has an increasing number of Vietnamese women marrying Koreans, we call Vietnam family! We can find real friendship in times of trouble. If this small incident really affects the relationship built so far, then the relationship is no more than the hype built around the Park Hang Seo syndrome. This silly episode of miscommunication needs to be stopped now. If any Vietnamese people feel hurt at the course of events that has unfolded in the last two weeks, I do not hesitate in the slightest to offer my sincere apology to them, my Vietnamese friends. Asda and Morrisons have kicked off a new petrol price war by slashing the cost of a litre by 2p to 114.7p amid an oil standoff between Saudi Arabia and Russia. The oil war between the Saudis and Russians sent the FTSE 100 tumbling to its worst day since the 2008 crash. It came after both sides failed to agree supply targets, with markets already struggling due to uncertainty sparked by the coronavirus crisis. Motorists filling up at an Asda and Morrison's forecourts will now pay no more than 114.7ppl for petrol and 116.7ppl for diesel. Motorists filling up at Asda forecourts will now enjoy lower fuel prices thanks to the oil war between Saudi Arabia and Russia (file image) Asda senior fuel buyer Dave Tyrer said: 'Once again we're pleased to be passing on wholesale cost reductions to customers. 'It will be a welcomed boost, especially to diesel drivers who are seeing some of the lowest fuel prices since 2017.' Asda has sparked a petrol price war by cutting its prices by 2p amid an oil standoff between Saudi Arabia and Russia (file image) Asda said these are its lowest fuel prices since November 2017. The retailer has brought fuel prices down by up to 11ppl since January. AA fuel price spokesman Luke Bosdet said: 'For the past two years, UK drivers have had to endure petrol averaging 125p a litre - 15p a litre higher than during the lows of 2015 and 2016. 'Now, at last, some real financial relief will flow from the pumps. However, there is currently a 6p, soon to be an 8p, gap between the UK average price of petrol and what competitive supermarkets like Asda charge for it. 'That's a more than 4-a-tank difference between forecourts that have their customers' interests at heart and those that don't.' Asda has kicked off a fuel price war as the Saudis and Russians failed to agree on supply As investors already deal with the fallout from coronavirus, Saudi Arabia announced plans to flood markets with extra supply - wiping billions off companies. The Saudis are trying to punish Russia after the two sides failed to agree to supply targets. Leaders will also be hoping it pushes US shale gas companies under, as their operations become economically unviable. The move sent the price of a barrel of Brent Crude down 30 per cent initially on Monday, before settling at around 20 per cent down on a day earlier, to just 36.1 dollars a barrel. UP: Elections not won on exit polls basis, results will be surprising: Kamal Nath Madhya Pradesh govt crisis: Will Kamal Nath find ways to blame BJP or accepts party's failure India oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P New Delhi, Mar 10: On Monday, the 15-month-old Madhya Pradesh government fell into crisis after Congress general secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia's loyalists fled the state. Meanwhile, there are reports claiming that Scindia is all set to join the BJP as he allegedly met Prime Minister Narendra Modi with respect to his entry into India's single-largest party. With these developments in Madhya Pradesh is grabbing the headlines, Telangana BJP chief spokesperson, K Krishna Saagar Rao said, "Whatever is happening in Madhya Pradesh is an internal strife between the older and younger generation of leaders in the Congress party. BJP has nothing to do with the current mess in Madhya Pradesh's Congress party, which is currently in government." Madhya Pradesh Crisis: Will Jyotiraditya Scindia join BJP? "It is also very evident going by the media reports, that Congress MLA's are vertically split between Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia groups in Madhya Pradesh, and there's a good possibility that the gap might even widen further," the BJP spokesperson said. However, Rao further said that it can be seen the BJP is certainly keeping a close watch on the events unfolding in the state and the party believes that what is happening in Madhya Pradesh, is the symptoms of a larger disease that Congress party is currently is suffering across the nation - "headlessness". Also, it can be seen that Congress has no one else to blame but themselves, for the situation they are in Madhya Pradesh. On March 9, 17 Congress MLAs (including six ministers) supporting Jyotiraditya Scindia were flown by a chartered plane to Bengaluru in BJP-ruled Karnataka. It can be seen that the Congress is fighting hard to make all the attempts to negotiate and compromise with Scindia. But, a solution to this seems unlikely. Meanwhile, the BJP has called its MLAs to Bhopal for a show of strength. Madhya Pradesh numbers: Here is how it is stacked up If sources are said to be believed, Shivraj Singh Chouhan could be chosen as the leader of the legislative party. What we know so far: On Monday, 17 Madhya Pradesh Congress MLAs allegedly went missing. These MLAs, who are said to be the loyalists of Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, were apparently traced to Bengaluru, Karnataka. Following these developments in the state, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath called a late-night meeting of his cabinet. It is reportedly said that all ministers resigned from the ruling government in an attempt to allow Kamal Nath to reorganise the cabinet. 20 ministers out of 28, resigned. However, Jyotiraditya Scindia has maintained silence on this matter. The number game in Madhya Pradesh: Currently, there are 228 MLAs in the 230-member Madhya Pradesh assembly. With 228 seats, a party needs to have 115 seats to form government in the state. However, the state Congress is one short of the majority mark, with 114 seats in its fold. But, Kamal Nath's government is supported by one Samajwadi Party MLA and two legislators of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Madhya Pradesh crisis: Congress MLA goes 'missing'; son files police complaint With 17 MLAs resignation, the majority mark in the assembly will come down to 106, paving way for the BJP that has 107 seats in its fold, and would stake claim to form the government. Rose Parade rejuvenates Stary's love of music, teaching Ronald Stary of Watertown Middle School has returned from the Rose Parade. This year, the parade honored 300 music directors. Courtesy photo Baby on the Way, a Kelsey-Seybold signature event, took place at Kelsey-Seybolds Tanglewood Clinic on Feb 25. The event helped parents confidently prepare for the newest members of their families. Kelsey-Seybold physicians participated in a speaker panel that covered new parent topics, including labor, delivery, and postpartum care, and answered questions. Attendees mingled with vendors, enjoyed a complimentary dinner, and were treated to specially crafted, nonalcoholic MOMosas. Turkey defies EU pressure to shut border, says to host migration summit FILE PHOTO: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and EU Council President Charles Michel pose in Brussels By Tuvan Gumrukcu and Ece Toksabay ANKARA (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday he would not stop migrants trying to cross Turkey's border into Greece despite EU pressure to do so, but he also announced a summit next week in Istanbul with European leaders to seek a solution to the crisis. Tens of thousands of migrants have been trying to get into Greece, a European Union member state, since Turkey said on Feb. 28 it would no longer keep them on its territory as part of a 2016 deal with Brussels in return for EU aid for the refugees. Greece has sent troops to the border area and used tear gas and water cannon against the migrants, but the pressure has continued. Greece said it stopped 963 illegal migrants in the 24 hours to 6 a.m. on Tuesday and arrested 52. Erdogan, speaking to reporters on his plane back to Turkey after discussing the migrant crisis on Monday in Brussels with top EU officials, repeated his call on Greece to change tack. "We are not thinking of closing these gates. Our proposal to Greece is to open the gates. These people won't stay in Greece. Let them cross from Greece into other European countries," he said, calling for a "just, humane sharing" of the burden. His comments will revive memories of the 2015-16 migrant crisis, when more than one million people, mostly fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Asia, reached the EU via Turkey and Greece, boosting support for far-right parties. Greek military vehicles and soldiers on foot continued on Tuesday to patrol along the wire and steel fence that separates the Kastanies crossing from Turkey's border post at Pazarkule. Greek officials said the 52 migrants arrested from Monday to Tuesday included Syrians, Afghans and Iranians. Ankara says Greece's stance violates the migrants' human rights. It has also accused Greek forces of shooting dead four migrants on the border, a claim Athens strongly denies. Story continues On Tuesday Turkey's migration authority said it had filed two applications to the European Court of Human Rights regarding one migrant it says was killed by Greek forces and a family it said was pushed back from the border. More lawsuits are being prepared on behalf of migrants whose rights have been violated, it said. SUMMIT Erdogan said he would convene a summit in Istanbul on March 17 on the migrant issue with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and possibly British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He said he had stressed in the Brussels talks the need to update both the 2016 migration deal between Ankara and the EU and Turkey's customs union with the bloc, and also to revive Turkey's stalled EU accession process. "The EU leaders accepted that Turkey had fulfilled its responsibilities under the March 18 (2016) agreement and that the EU had acted slowly," Erdogan said, adding that technical and political teams would now produce a road map. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, will conduct this process and try to come up with proposals in time for a summit of EU leaders on March 26, Erdogan said. Ankara says the EU has so far handed over only about half of the six billion euros initially promised to help house, feed, educate and care for the 3.6 million refugees living in Turkey. Turkey also wants more European support over the war in neighboring Syria, where Turkish troops face off against Russian-backed Syrian government forces. The 2016 pact also envisaged European countries taking in thousands of Syrian refugees directly from camps in Turkey and rewarding Turks with visa-free travel to the EU. On Tuesday a German official said Germany would take in up to 100 children living in refugee camps in Greece. Germany took in nearly one million refugees in 2015-16, but Merkel has since faced a political backlash from right-wing voters. (Additional reporting by Renee Maltezou in Kastanies, Ali Kucukgocmen in Istanbul and Madeline Chambers in Berlin; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Gareth Jones) The Armed Forces of Ukraine got the military hardware for this sum In 2019, Ukraine received military hardware from the EU countries and the U.S. Its total values made $143 million as Economic Truth reported. Within the international military aid, the Armed Forces of Ukraine got armored vehicles HMMWV type and Island vessels. Besides, Ukraine got communication equipment, navigation equipment for vessels of the Naval Forces, counter-battery radars, cybersecurity means, night-vision devices, tents, portable lighting systems, personal protective equipment for personnel, mine-clearance equipment, medical equipment and various replacement parts for earlier received technical means. As we reported, members of Congress have been informally notified of the Defense Department's plans to provide $125 million in new military assistance to Ukraine, including armed patrol boats. Earlier, Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne announced his Governments intention to allocate $ 2 million to Ukraine to support the police. Center for Disease and Control (CDC) Director Robert Redfield testifies before the House Appropriations Committee on the CDC's budget request for fiscal year 2021 on Capitol Hill on March 10, 2020 in Washington, DC. Lack of funding has hampered the federal government's response to the coronavirus outbreak, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told lawmakers Tuesday. The hearing in the House was originally intended to address concerns about the CDC's 2021 budget. But lawmakers' questions for Director Robert Redfield focused more specifically on the outbreak, particularly regarding the slow rollout of tests across the country. "The truth is we've underinvested in the public health labs," Redfield told them. The tests were initially marred by quality control issues, delaying testing for Americans who were or thought they were infected and prompting some states such as New York to seek emergency approval to use their own test kits. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., was among the lawmakers who questioned Redfield on this point. She noted that her congressional colleagues were able to quickly obtain tests and results, while some of her constituents in Washington, one of the states hardest hit by coronavirus, were still waiting. "I find it interesting that when my colleagues," she said, "were able to get tested almost immediately and quickly receive their results while folks in my district and across Washington state are unable to get their testing results back." Already, 23 have died in Washington, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. At least 19 of those deaths can be linked to the Life Care residential home in Kirkland, according to local official tallies. Redfield blamed the lack of adequate funding and resources. "There's not enough equipment, there's not enough people, there's not enough internal capacity, there's no search capacity," he said. The CDC's budget, meantime, fell by 10% from 2010 to 2019, according to health policy organization Trust for America's Health. The Trump administration has enlisted private companies to help cut the difference. The CDC is partnering with Integrated DNA Technologies to manufacture the tests under a CDC contract. IDT is partnering with commercial labs, including LabCorp and Quest, for the testing. Experts, though, have cautioned that because the partnership with private companies is new, it can be difficult to anticipate how quickly they will be able to ramp up production and testing. During the hearing Redfield was also pressed on the CDC's failure to update its website with the number of people being tested every day. "Why are we only updating the CDC website now three days a week?" asked Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis. "World Health Organization does it daily. This is information people really want to know." Redfield said the website is now being updated with those numbers daily, adding that the CDC records only the number of people tested by the CDC and by public health labs, not those tested by private labs. As of Monday, Redfield said, 4,856 individuals have been tested by public labs. The testimony from Redfield comes amid weeks of conflicting signals sent by the Trump administration and health officials on the way the United States is responding to the outbreak. On Monday morning, Health Secretary Alex Azar said in an interview on Fox News that the United States regards the situation with gravity, saying the coronavirus "is a very serious health problem. Nobody is trying to minimize that." But that same day, as the stock market plunged, President Donald Trump downplayed the impact of the outbreak. "So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on," he tweeted. "At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!" Trump tweet Trump on Friday signed an $8.3 billion spending package aimed in part at supporting research for vaccines and helping support states that are battling the outbreak. The spending package includes more than $3 billion in vaccine research and $2.2 billion in prevention and preparedness efforts. The coronavirus, which is believed to have originated in Wuhan, China, has spread to dozens of countries globally with more than and at least 4,090 deaths so far, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. There have been at least 761 cases in the United States and at least 27 deaths, according to the latest tallies from Johns Hopkins University. The outbreak has roiled markets and led governments to take drastic actions as it rapidly spreads across the globe. WASHINGTON - Voters in Missouris Democratic primary ranked health care as the most important issue facing the country, well above climate change, the economy, race relations, foreign policy and many other social issues. About half the voters named health care, an issue that has intensely divided the field of Democratic candidates. Roughly 2 in 10 had climate change on their minds, according to a wide-ranging AP VoteCast survey of the Democratic primary electorate in Missouri. The Associated Press declared Joe Biden the winner just after the polls closed Tuesday in Missouri. Heres a snapshot of Democratic voters in Missouri who they are and how they voted based on preliminary results from AP VoteCast, a survey of 1,891 voters, conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago. DO THEY WANT A BIG CHANGE ? Voters in Missouris Democratic primary were slightly more likely to say they wanted a candidate who would bring fundamental change to Washington over one who would restore the political system to how it was before Donald Trump was elected in 2016. WHAT ELSE VOTERS WANT About 9 in 10 said it was very important that a nominee can beat Trump. About 8 in 10 considered it highly important that the candidate is a strong leader and cares about people like them. Roughly 7 in 10 said a nominee should have the right experience. Having the best policy ideas and being willing to work across the aisle was considered very significant for a Democratic nominee by about 6 in 10 voters. DIVIDED BY RACE Among white voters in Missouri, Biden had an advantage over Bernie Sanders. That lead widened among black voters. About three-quarters of black voters supported the former vice-president over the Vermont senator. DIVIDED BY AGE Sanders continued to show strength among young voters under 30. About 7 in 10 supported the 78-year-old senator. Older voters were more likely to support Biden than Sanders by a roughly three to one margin. LARGELY UNIFIED AGAINST TRUMP A wide majority say they will definitely vote for the Democratic candidate against Trump in the general election. Still, nearly 2 in 10 say their decision will depend on which Democrat is on the ballot in November. PRIMARY PROCESS SKEPTICISM Voters are generally confident that the Democratic Partys nomination process is fair. Still, just about a quarter say they are very confident that the process for selecting a presidential nominee is fair. Roughly 3 in 10 have little to no confidence, while about 4 in 10 say they are somewhat confident. DEBATING HEALTH CARE The campaign has featured a contentious debate among candidates over the best way to tackle health care, an issue seen as the most important facing the country by roughly half of voters. There is majority support for a government-run health care system for all Americans, with about two-thirds of voters saying they are in favour. Roughly 3 in 10 are opposed. But support for a public option, where every American could buy into a government-run insurance plan if they wanted to, is even higher. Close to 9 in 10 are in favour. About 6 in 10 voters are in favour of either proposal, while roughly a quarter say they favour a public option but oppose a single-payer system. CLIMATE CHANGE, THE ECONOMY AND OTHER ISSUES Roughly 2 in 10 voters said climate change is the most important issue facing the nation. A wide majority about three-quarters expressed support for a tax on the use of carbon-based fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas . About 1 in 10 called the economy the top issue. A significant majority described the economic system in this country as unfair. That includes about 4 in 10 who said its very unfair. Small shares of voters considered race relations, immigration, gun policy or abortion most important. ___ AP VoteCast is a survey of the American electorate conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for The Associated Press and Fox News. The survey of 1,891 voters in Missouri was conducted for seven days, concluding as polls closed. Interviews were conducted in English or Spanish. The survey is based on interviews with a random sample of registered voters drawn from the state voter file. The margin of sampling error for voters is estimated to be plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. ___ Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game. A San Antonio developer is starting work this month on nearly 300 luxury apartments in northern Bexar County. Embrey Partners LTD is building the complex, a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units, on U.S. 281 just outside Hill Country Village. We worked closely with officials from Hill Country Village to ensure that our community concept plan would fit the context of the adjacent neighborhood, Jimmy McCloskey, executive vice president for development, said in a statement. On ExpressNews.com: Owner of former Lone Star Brewery complex wants at least $13.5 million for property The firm bought land in the area last month, deed records show. Much of the property is outside the city limits, and Embrey has an agreement with the Hill Country Village requiring it to pay an annual fee of more than $40,000 in lieu of taxes. Embrey also will apply for permits from the city and follow its landscape ordinance, Mayor Gabriel Durand-Hollis said. We felt that it was a win-win, he said. They stay in the extraterritorial jurisdiction rather than be subject to our city taxes, but its still a lower fee than if they went into San Antonio. Rents at the complex, dubbed the Estates at Hill Country Village, will range from $1,200 to $2,500 per month. Embrey declined to disclose the cost of the project. Residents are expected to begin moving in during the second quarter of 2021 and construction to wrap up in early 2022. Embrey is known for building upscale apartments in Texas and other states. In San Antonio, the developer has built complexes at the Pearl, near the Rim and on the far West Side. On ExpressNews.com: Terramark building mixed-income apartment complex on near West Side The company is working on a mixed-use development with luxury apartments and office space near Alamo Heights thats expected to be finished in fall 2021. Embrey plans to move its headquarters there, taking about half of the office space and leasing out the rest. The firm also is teaming with Area Real Estate, a San Antonio developer led by David Adelman, to demolish several self-storage buildings near downtown and construct apartments and office, retail and commercial space. The plans also call for removing several billboards that have long been viewed as an eyesore. Construction is expected to start this spring and take roughly a year, Adelman said in November. madison.iszler@express-news.net Rory Stewart, independent candidate for mayor of London, has criticised the government response to coronavirus (AFP via Getty Images) Rory Stewart has criticised the governments response to coronavirus, accusing it of taking half-hearted measures. The independent London mayoral candidate said Boris Johnson had made a serious mistake by not following the lead of other European countries that have closed schools and cancelled sporting events. The former Tory government ministers comments came as Italys prime minister put his entire country into lockdown in response to the outbreak of Covid-19, the disease caused by coronavirus. Read more: How much do you know about coronavirus? On Monday, the British government decided to remain in the containment phase of its planning, meaning measures such as social distancing will not be introduced yet. The UK confirmed its sixth coronavirus death on Tuesday, with the number of cases rising to 373. Stewart, the former international development secretary, said: "The government has made a serious mistake today. In a statement shared on Twitter, he said: They should be acting much more aggressively to contain coronavirus. "Schools should be shut now. If the government are not prepared to shut them now, they should - at the very least - state clearly and transparently what their triggers will be for closing schools over the next few days. "All medium and large gatherings should be cancelled. All passengers coming from hotspots should be tested and quarantined. There is no excuse for passengers not being tested off a plane from Milan last night. Story continues "There is no justification for half-hearted measures. "China shows both the dangers of acting too slowly at first and then the benefits of acting decisively. We should have no regrets about spending money to do the absolute maximum to prevent the spread of this disease." People wear medical masks as a precaution against coronavirus in central London on Monday (Getty Images) Read more: Doctor's coronavirus Facebook post attacking 'wave of fear' goes viral Italys prime minister Giuseppe Conte put his entire country on lockdown on Monday evening, banning all but the most important travel and halting social gatherings. It means all 60 million Italians have been told to stay at home the only travel allowed will be for proven work reasons, health conditions or other cases of necessity. Watch the video below Conte said: "Our habits must be changed, changed now. We all have to give up something for the good of Italy. When I speak of Italy, I speak of our dear ones, of our grandparents and of our parents. The nationwide restrictions take effect on Tuesday until 3 April and include extending the closures of schools and universities and closing bars, restaurants and cafes at dusk. Italy has had 9,172 cases of coronavirus, according to John Hopkins University, and the number of deaths has increased to 463. A total of 724 people have recovered from the virus. Read more: Train passengers in row over cough amid coronavirus fears Restrictions on movement initially applied to 11 towns in northern Italy, with a total population of about 50,000 people, before being expanded on Sunday to all of Lombardy and 14 provinces in the neighbouring regions of Veneto, Piedmont and Emilia Romagna. Boris Johnson outlined the government's response to the coronavirus outbreak on Monday (Getty Images) The Foreign Office has warned against all but essential travel to Italy. In the UK, people with "minor" cold, flu or fever symptoms could soon be asked to stay at home in self-isolation. England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty pointed to tighter measures aimed at protecting the public, particularly the vulnerable and elderly, which could be implemented in the next 10 to 14 days. Hong Kong: Gov't to step up anti-epidemic measures (To watch the whole media session with sign language interpretation, click here.) Chief Executive Carrie Lam said in an effort to control the spread of COVID-19, the Government plans to impose more restrictions on other countries. Speaking to reporters ahead of todays Executive Council meeting, Mrs Lam explained that certain factors must be taken into consideration before imposing such restrictions and the Government would contact the consulates of countries concerned. Hong Kong is an international city and an aviation hub. Thats why in the last two months or so we have been keeping the consular community informed of the strategy, of the measures that we have been taking, so that when the time comes, they know the background. The more specific type of contact happens after full deliberation of the various factors, ie the number of cases confirmed in that particular country or area, the speed of the number of cases surges, thirdly the frequency of Hong Kong people travelling to that particular country and finally the measures taken by that respective authority in controlling the spread of the virus. Having taken into account all these factors, if the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has decided to introduce some measures, whether it is in putting that country or area under a Red Outbound Travel Alert or imposing port health requirements or quarantine requirements on arrivals from that country or region, or even more drastically to restrict the entry of arrivals from that country, then as a matter of respect and courtesy we will reach out to that particular consul general, and that is exactly what we are doing today, so that we could make the announcement within today. Given that health experts and the World Health Organization predict that the epidemic will last long, Mrs Lam said the citys operations need to resume in a gradual and orderly manner. She also reaffirmed that the Government will be extra vigilant in ensuring social distancing. This story has been published on: 2020-03-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. As novel coronavirus spreads across the world with increasing number of cases being reported from Italy, certain reports suggest that the outbreak could have been linked to buffet dining. According to a report by Strait Times, a business meeting at Grand Hyatt Singapore in January has been linked to more than a dozen coronavirus cases in at least six countries, from Spain to South Korea. The Diamond Princess cruise ship in Hong Kong, which was quarantined on Yokohama, was serving buffets as usual. On the ship, onboard celebrations, opera performances and goodbye parties continued. Representational Image While robust sanitation measures were put in place, buffet utensils were rotated more frequently and cleaning was stepped up, the damage had been done. Could coronavirus spread be linked to buffet dining? At group dining sessions, like those of a buffet, diners touch communal ladles, and come into close contact with other people. This results in higher risk of transmission of the virus. However, food heated above 60 deg C poses no higher risk of transmitting the coronavirus. Representational Image The Singapore Food Agency in a Facebook post said that there is "currently no evidence that the novel coronavirus is associated with the consumption of food". Experts have suggested that there is no reason to stay away from buffets with proper attention to personal hygiene, and keeping food above 60 deg C. Of course, eating in smaller groups could minimise the transmission. Coronavirus has claimed more than 3,000 lives so far since its outbreak in China's Wuhan and infected more than 1,00,000 people worldwide. (Newser) Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was arrested in Texas on a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated, authorities said Tuesday. Jones, who founded Infowars and produces his radio show in Austin, was booked into an Austin jail shortly after midnight and released on bond a few hours later, Travis County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Kristen Dark said, per the AP. The Austin American-Statesman, citing the arrest affidavit, reports Jones' wife called authorities Monday night regarding a verbal fight that had been physical earlier; she told the dispatcher Jones was leaving in a vehicle and was possibly drinking. story continues below On the way to the residence, a deputy saw the vehicle and pulled it over; Jones allegedly smelled strongly of alcohol and told the deputy he and his wife had gotten in an argument while out to dinner at a sushi place, during which he drank a bottle of sake. He said he then walked three miles home and the argument continued before he took off "to get away from his wife." An article posted on his Infowars website said Jones discussed the arrest on his show Tuesday and claimed that his blood-alcohol level was under the legal limit of 0.08%; the American-Statesman says that, per the affidavit, his blood alcohol level was 0.076 at 11:55pm and 0.079 at 11:59pm. (Read more Alex Jones stories.) Vietnamese returning from South Korea are about to be sent to quarantine at Can Tho Airport in southern Vietnam, March 8, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Huu Khoa. Two mobile apps will assist Vietnamese and foreigners complete health declarations to help contain the Covid-19 spread in the country. Developed by the Ministry of Information and Communications along with the Ministry of Health in collaboration with domestic tech firms, "NCOVI" was designed for Vietnamese and "Vietnam Health Declaration" for foreigners entering Vietnam. The two free apps are available on both the Google Play and Apple stores. Authorities have suggested all Vietnamese download NCOVI, register their mobile numbers and ID information and confirm their state of health. App users can update their health status on a daily basis. They can also report suspected cases of infection in their neighborhood. Health authorities will collect such information to track down those to be monitored or quarantined to limit the spread of Covid-19. For foreigners entering Vietnam, the "Vietnam Health Declaration" is recommended. It operates the same as NCOVI. Via the two apps, authorities will provide updates on the situation in Vietnam alongside guidance on prevention. Besides, Vietnamese and those entering the nation can fill out health declarations on https://tokhaiyte.vn. Commenting on the launch of both apps, Deputy Prime Minsiter Vu Duc Dam, head of the National Steering Committee on Covid-19 Prevention and Control, said he hopes they would allow timely interaction with medical authorities. He insisted all personal information provided would be used only for purposes of protecting public health. Vietnam last Friday demanded everyone arriving in Vietnam fill out health declaration forms. Arrivals can choose to file the declaration in paper or electronic form, available in English, Chinese, Korean, Italian, Cambodia, Russian, Spanish, French, Thai and Japanese. Those with symptoms like coughing, fever, shortness of breath, and fatigue are required to be examined and quarantined. Vietnam already required those arriving from mainland China, South Korea, Iran, and Italy, the worst-hit countries, to be quarantined for at least 14 days. The nation recorded its 32nd case of infection on Tuesday. The patient is a 24-year-old woman who'd met Hanoi's first Covid-19 infection in London. It now has 16 active Covid-19 infections, including the latest. Covid-19 has advanced to 115 countries and territories and claimed over 4,000 lives, with 3,000 fatalities in China, followed by Italy with 463 and Iran with 237. Afghanistan's Ghani, Abdullah, Delay Swearing-In Ceremonies By Ayaz Gul March 09, 2020 Afghanistan's president-elect Ashraf Ghani and his election rival, runner-up Abdullah Abdullah, had prepared for parallel swearing-in ceremonies Monday, fueling political tensions and posing a fresh challenge to U.S.-led peace efforts. Both ceremonies have been delayed, however, for a few hours, apparently to allow for hectic U.S. diplomacy to resolve the crisis. The Afghan election commission late last month declared incumbent Ghani the winner of the bitterly contested September 28 presidential election. But Abdullah, the incumbent chief executive, rejected the outcome as fraudulent, claiming that he and his team had won the vote and threatened to form his own government. Monday Abdullah tweeted his determination tomove forward: "No one should have underestimated our commitment to genuine democracy & our resolve to uphold rule of law. Our track record of self-denial & compromise should not have given cause to anyone to take us for granted. Invalidation of all fraudulent votes is the way out!" On Sunday, the deputy presidential spokesperson, Durrani Waziri, told VOA that arrangements have been put in place for incumbent Ghani to take the oath of office to begin his second term. She said the Afghan Foreign Ministry has invited representatives of all the diplomatic missions in Kabul to Monday morning's event at the presidential palace. Waziri noted that Abdullah and former president Hamid Karzai are among a large number guests invited to Ghani's swearing-in. A spokesman for Abdullah told VOA they have also made their own arrangements in the office of the chief executive, adjacent to the presidential palace, where Abdullah will be sworn in as the president of Afghanistan around the same time Ghani's inauguration will take place. " All necessary preparations have been taken. Foreign guests, and national political as well as jihadi personalities have been formally invited to the inauguration. We have also invited Ashraf Ghani to the event," said Faridoon Khwazoon. He added all Kabul-based local and international media have also been invited to cover the ceremony. Khwazoon told the Afghan Tolo TV that U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, was holding back and forth meetings with both sides in a bid to resolve the crisis. But there were no immediate signs of a breakthrough. "We have presented our plan to Mr. Khalilzad to give it to the other side [Ghani's office]. Their plan has been received by us through Mr. Khalilzad. So far, we have not reached a tangible result," the station quoted Abdullah's spokesman as saying. The political turmoil poses a serious challenge to a landmark deal the United States signed with the Taliban insurgency a week ago to help bring stability to Afghanistan. The agreement signed February 29 in Qatar requires the Taliban to open negotiations with an inclusive Afghan delegation of political forces and civil society, and negotiate a permanent cease-fire. The intra-Afghan talks are to begin Tuesday, but the inauguration crisis, analysts say, is likely to hamper efforts aimed at forming a united Afghan delegation to engage in talks with the Taliban. Both Ghani and his traditional rival Abdullah also had claimed victories in the 2014 fraud-marred presidential election, leading to months of political chaos in the country. Washington's intervention at the time had settled the dispute under a deal that allowed Ghani to become the president and Abdullah to head a newly formed office of the chief executive of the outgoing so-called national unity government of Afghanistan that was plagued by deep political rivalries and controversies throughout its tenure. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address CLEVELAND, Ohio Cuyahoga County on Tuesday opened its emergency operations center and joint information center, operated in coordination with the city of Cleveland, in response to three confirmed coronavirus cases in the county. Other organizations that are now staffed at the emergency operations center include representatives from the city, county and state emergency management offices, Cuyahoga Countys fire and police chiefs associations, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority and United Way 211, among others. The emergency operations center monitors and coordinates resources that may be needed by Cuyahoga County communities, such as masks, water, disinfecting wipes or other supplies. If local municipalities cant find such supplies, the county can step in to provide them. If the county cant find supplies, requests can be passed along to the state, Cuyahoga County Public Safety Director Alex Pellom said. Operations at the joint information center are aimed at making sure everybodys on the same page so we can make sure proper guidance and information is flowing correctly, Pellom said. Workers at the center will coordinate and distribute coronavirus-related information to the public, local communities and first responders, Pellom said. The emergency operations center has been called into action several times in recent years, including in the aftermath of the fatal police shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014 and during the Ebola scare in 2015, and the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in 2016, a county spokeswoman said. The center is at the county Juvenile Justice Center, but is not open to the public. Pellom is directing county residents to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Ohio Department of Health for information. They can also call the state department of health at 1-833-4ASKODH. Information and tips about coronavirus are also being shared on Cuyahoga Countys social media accounts. There have been 116 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and three deaths in Australia Anyone in the store who feels unwell in the next two weeks should visit a GP Woolworths warned other customers who may have come into contact with her The woman was in the store between 11.30am and 12.30pm on Sunday She visited the store at Livingston Marketplace in Canning Vale, south of Perth Woolworths has issued an urgent warning to customers after a woman with coronavirus shopped one of its supermarkets. The COVID-19-infected woman visited the store at Livingston Marketplace in Canning Vale, south of Perth, for an hour on Sunday. The supermarket giant notified other customers who may have come into contact with the woman in the store between 11.30am and 12.30pm. The COVID-19-infected woman visited the store at Livingston Marketplace (pictured) in Canning Vale, south of Perth, for an hour on Sunday The supermarket giant issued a notice to other customers who may have come into contact with the woman in the store between 11.30am and 12.30pm 'We have been advised that the risk to anyone (team members or customers) who were in the store during this time is very low,' the notice read. 'Anyone who was at the store around that time on Sunday and becomes unwell in the next two weeks should contact the Department of Health. 'We have a detailed cleaning program in our stores every day and are taking all actions required. CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement 'As per public health advice, customers and team members should be assured they can continue to shop at our store with confidence.' There have been six confirmed cases of the virus in Western Australia. Within four hours of opening on Tuesday, more than 450 people attended three new coronavirus clinics at Perth hospitals. Of those, more than 300 require further assessment, East Metropolitan Health Service chief executive Liz MacLeod said. There have been 116 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and three deaths in Australia. At least 114,000 people have been infected globally and more than 4,000 have died. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10) More and more women are rising to positions of powerbut only after overcoming the persisting hurdle that is gender inequality. In CNN Philippines Politics as Usual on Tuesday, Chaye Cabal-Revilla, Senior Vice President and Group Controller of telecommunications company PLDT, stressed that women in the workplace generally have to put in more work while climbing the rungs to senior leadership. We are in our positions right now because we earned itwe worked hard for it, Cabal-Revilla said. The top executive added that women in the workplace are generally more detailed, more patient, and have better insight. Cabal-Revilla also recounted how she felt the need to challenge herself and push the boundaries of traditionally-male work by going down underground cables, learning how to troubleshoot and splice copper herself despite working in finance. Her sentiment was echoed by Director of the General Santos City Police Colonel Portia Manalad who said that women are not able to move up into higher positions as quickly as men. Everything we have right now, we deserve, she said. Manalad is the first and lone female to graduate from the Philippine National Police Academy in 1995. She is also the first female to work as police director in Cotabato City. Very challenging kasi maging babae especially dito sa PNP na talagang ngayon palang nagkakaroon ng babae na umaakyat sa senior leadership, Manalad said. Meanwhile, Pediatrics Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Lulu Bravo stressed that women have to juggle more demands apart from work, including having to do most of the caregiving and household responsibilities in the family. In our culture, its always a thing that. the woman has that extra job to ensure that the family is whole. A recent study by the United Nations Development Programme found that despite remarkable progress in some areas of the world, 9 out of 10 people globally are still biased against women. This discrimination is manifested in various aspects of womens lives, including work. Findings, which contain data from over 80 percent of the world population, revealed that 40 percent feel that men have more right to a job when jobs are scarce. Half of the worlds men and women also feel that men make better political leaders. Women today are the most qualified in history, and newer generations of women have reached parity in enrollment in primary education, the study read. But the transition from the education system to the world of paid work is marked by a gender equality discontinuity associated with womens reproductive roles. The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a special bill to enable better provisions to be made to combat the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, outbreak and empowering Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to declare a state of emergency if necessary as the infections continue to rise. The bill, which will be effective for a period of up to two years, is a revision of an existing law on novel influenza and has been made applicable to COVID-19. It will be valid until February 2022 as COVID-19 was officially classified as a designated infectious disease in Japan in February. The bill is likely to clear the lower house of parliament on Thursday and the upper house a day later as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition holds a majority in both chambers. Under the newly amended law, the government would have extended powers once a state of emergency has been declared for particular parts of the country. Regional governments will be able to instruct local people to stay at home, issue closures to schools and restrict the use of locations that facilitate large groups of people gathering together or cancel large scale events altogether. Local governments will also have the authority to demand that supplies deemed essential to combating the spread of COVID-19 be sold to them or requisitioned and authorities will also be able to temporarily commandeer private land or facilities for the purposes of providing medical care. "Given that individual rights would be suppressed after an emergency declaration, I would thoroughly examine its potential impacts when making a decision," Abe told a budget committee session on Monday. Under the current law, the prime minister does not have the legal grounds to forcibly close schools or cancel events, although the Japanese prime minister has requested such measures to be taken. As the new law will restrict some rights of the people, opposition parties have been concerned that checks and balances be maintained to ensure citizens' freedom as much as possible. The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Democratic Party for the People, to this end, are of the opinion that Abe should seek the approval of parliament before being allowed to declare a state of emergency. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kamal Nath resigns: What happens in Madhya Pradesh next MP Crisis: 22 MLAs including 6 ministers close to Scindia resign, seek protection India oi-Deepika S Bhopal, Mar 10: The 15-month-old Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh was pushed to the brink on Tuesday with 22 MLAs including six ministers who are said to be close to Scindia submitted their resignation to Governor Lalji Tandon via email. The development comes minutes after Scindia resigned from the Congress in Delhi saying it was now time for him to move on. He was promptly expelled from the Congress by party president Sonia Gandhi. The MLAs who are presently staying at a Bengaluru resort sought protection and police escort by writing to the Karnataka DGP after submitting their resignation. While 19 MLAs, most of them believed to be loyal to expelled party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, have sent their resignation letters via e-mail to Raj Bhavan. "We have received resignations of 19 MLAs through e-mails with attachments," a Raj Bhawan official told PTI. Meanwhile, Congress MLA from Sumawali, Adal Singh Kansana has resigned as member of the legislative assembly. Following the suit, Congress MLA from Sumawali (Morena), Adal Singh Kansana has tendered his resignation as member of legislative Assembly. The Congress produced a copy of Bisahulal Singh's resignation letter which he submitted to the speaker. Former chief minister and senior BJP leader later announced that Singh (65) has joined the BJP. Madhya Pradesh crisis: Floor test likely on March 16 and here are the numbers The current effective strength of the House is 228 with two seats vacant. However, in case of resignation by the 20 MLAs, the strength of the Assembly will be 208 and the magic number required to prove majority will be 105. The BJP has 107 MLAs. The Kamal Nath government is supported by two legislators of the BSP, one of the SP one and four Independents. Writing was on the wall: Why Scindia decided to quit the Congress Assuming that these legislators continue to support the Kamal Nath government in the changing political scenario, the tally of the Congress and its allies will be maximum 101 MLAs, still four short of the halfway mark. with PTI inputs With an increasing number of confirmed infections in Egypt, the threat of the new coronavirus came closer to home this week This week saw growing concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus in Egypt to replace the possible insouciance of a few days earlier when many had done little but joke about the matter. But that was before the Ministry of Health and Population announced the detection of further coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of infections in Egypt to 59. On 6 March, the ministry reported the first fatality in the case of a German tourist, 60, who had been admitted to hospital in Hurghada shortly after his arrival to Egypt. Plenty of rumours were circulated in the meantime, some about where new cases had been found and others on whether schools or other institutions would be shut or not. As Al-Ahram Weekly went to press, the government was denying that schools would be closed. However, Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli has suspended events involving large gatherings or those involving the movement of large numbers of people between governorates. The regulation includes local moulids, or religious festivals, several of which were planned for this month. Several other events were cancelled this week, and the Luxor Festival for African Cinema has cancelled public screenings. World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said this week that depending on their context, countries with Covid-19 community transmission could consider closing schools, cancelling mass gatherings, and other measures to reduce exposure, referring to the scientific name of the new coronavirus. Khaled Megahed, official spokesman for the Ministry of Health in Cairo, said that among Egypts 59 cases, 45 were detected among foreign tourists aboard a Nile cruise. The whole cruise was put under quarantine. The ministry examined the tourists, and those who tested positive for Covid-19 were taken by military plane to the Al-Negeila Quarantine Hospital in Marsa Matrouh. The tourists were infected by a Taiwanese-US national who returned to Taiwan in February after travelling on the cruise ship. At a press conference, Megahed said 21 of the cases had already recovered, while the others were still receiving medical treatment. In order to screen incoming individuals, Megahed said devices would be imported and distributed to airports nationwide. In its efforts to contain the spread of the virus, the Health Ministry has also stepped up the inspection of hotels. The cabinet issued a statement on Tuesday in which it said that national carrier EgyptAir had decided to resume some flights to Saudi Arabia to bring back Egyptian nationals stuck in the country after a decision by the Saudi authorities to halve flights to and from Egypt over increasing worries over the new coronavirus. Two flights will operate a day from Jeddah to Cairo, and some other flights will be operating from Medina, Riyadh, Dammam, Qassim, and Abha to Cairo. In addition, the Saudi embassy in Cairo also allowed flights from Egypt to Saudi Arabia on 10 and 11 March to return Saudi nationals to Saudi Arabia after they had been stuck in Egypt when the authorities shut down flights. Saudi Arabia has suspended travel by its nationals and residents to nine countries, including the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, South Korea, Egypt, Italy, and Iraq in an attempt to slow down the spread of the coronavirus. The Saudi Foreign Ministry said that the authorities had been taking all the necessary measures to slow down the spread of the virus, as more than 7,000 cases had been confirmed in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia also announced that all arrivals from countries that had recorded infections would need to submit polymerase chain reaction (PCR) certificates. Following the announcement, thousands of Egyptians clamoured in front of the Ministry of Healths central laboratories in Cairo in order to undergo the required test. The test determines whether the virus is present in the blood and if so in what quantity. Kuwait has also temporarily suspended flights to Egypt from 6 to 13 March. The suspension also includes seven more countries, among them Lebanon, Syria, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines. According to the WHO, the global death toll from the new coronavirus is now around 3,800, with some 110,000 confirmed cases since Covid-19 first emerged in China in late December. The coronavirus has already crossed into 110 countries. However, during the WHOs daily press briefing on Monday Ghebreyesus said there were reasons for optimism. Of the four countries with the most cases, China is bringing its Covid-19 epidemic under control, and there is now a decline in new cases being reported from Japan, he tweeted. *A version of this article appears in print in the 12 March, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: (CNN) Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex have marked their final engagement as senior members of the royal family by attending the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey. The duke and duchess joined Harry's grandmother, the Queen, as well as Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex on Monday afternoon for the annual event held at the church in central London. The engagement also marked the first time Meghan and the Queen have been seen together since the duchess and Prince Harry announced in January their decision to step back from royal life and become "financially independent." The 93-year-old monarch called a crisis meeting to iron out an exit deal after the pair shared their desire to "carve out a progressive new role within this institution" in an Instagram post. Meghan and Harry, who will officially bow out as senior royals on March 31, were not part of the Queen's procession through Westminster Abbey. William and Kate also skipped the formal entrance. According to the UK's PA Media news agency, Harry and Meghan smiled, and Meghan waved at William and Kate as they arrived at the ancient abbey. For the occasion, Meghan wore an emerald-green Emilia Wickstead dress featuring an elegant cape, with a matching fascinator by Scottish milliner William Chambers. Harry, who is sixth in line to the British throne, and Meghan have carried out two joint engagements since returning to the UK last week. On Thursday they celebrated the achievements of those injured in service at the Endeavour Fund Awards. On Saturday, they attended a concert at London's Royal Albert Hall to raise money for the Royal Marines Charity and CLIC Sargent, a children's cancer charity. The couple will begin a 12-month transition period from March 31, as they work on establishing their non-profit organization. The organization will focus on the duke and duchess' current causes, including the Commonwealth, community, youth empowerment and mental health. "The Duke's priorities remain supporting the welfare of servicemen and women, conservation, sport for social development, HIV and Travalyst which works to mobilize the tourism and travel industry for social good," a spokesperson said in a statement last month. "For the Duchess, her focus remains women's empowerment, gender equality, and education." This story was first published on CNN.com, "Harry and Meghan bid farewell to life as senior royals with final engagement." Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree | Journal-Courier The cause of a fire in the 500 block of North Prairie Street that sent one person to the hospital Monday remains under investigation by the Illinois State Fire Marshals Office. Fire crews responded just after 11 a.m. Monday to the blaze at 503 N. Prairie St., where firefighters removed one man from the third floor of the building. The man was treated on the scene by firefighters and EMS before being taken to the hospital. TWIN FALLS Retired lawmakers sowed the seeds of civility Monday at the City Club of Southern Idahos event. Former Idaho Gov. C.L. Butch Otter and former U.S. Rep. Walt Minnick presented Civil Talk in Uncivil Times to a full house at the Turf Club. How can we help people be civil when they disagree? Otter, a Republican, asked. Its not an impossible mission. Otter, Minnick and former Idaho Rep. Maxine Bell, who moderated the event, relayed personal stories about a time when politicians worked together to solve problems. Government was never intended to take sides, the former governor later told the Times-News. It was intended to solve problems at all levels. But now a contentious political division stands in the way. Whats wrong with government today is that people dont treat others as colleagues, Minnick, a Democrat, said. They barely treat them as humans. Its an uncivil war, he said. Today, we need to find a path forward, Otter said, and that path is the calm and civil way. Civility starts at home, they say. Reach out. Make connections. Be the example, Otter said. Support the people who demand civility. The movement to return civility to politics began on a national level by former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford before she was shot in a 2011 assassination attempt in Tuscon, Otter said. Gifford was working with the University of Arizona to create an institute for civil discourse in her home state. After the attempt on Giffords life, the National Institute for Civil Discourse was created. Keith Allred a graduate of Twin Falls High School became the executive director for the institute in January 2019. He got the job because his CommonSense American pilot program, advocating for government by the people, was gaining traction. Allred chose Otter and Minnick as co-chairmen of the Idaho group. The men have two more city clubs to visit on this tour. We need to make civility popular, Otter said. We have a simple message: Words matter. Actions matter even more. The City Club of Southern Idahos next event is scheduled for April 20. Love 4 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 MINNEAPOLIS - A Lebanese national charged with conspiring to export drone parts and technology from the U.S. to Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate U.S. export laws. Issam Hamade pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Minnesota. His brother, Usama Hamade, faces similar counts and is also charged with smuggling. Prosecutors said the brothers acquired sophisticated technology for drones from 2009 to 2013 and illegally exported them to Hezbollah, which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization. Issam Hamade faces up to five years in prison when sentenced next month, but prosecutors plan to ask for 30 months, according to a plea agreement. Hamades defence attorneys plan to ask for time served. Hes expected to be deported after he serves his time. The Hamades were arrested in February 2018 in South Africa and were extradited to the U.S. last fall. According to an indictment, the parts included inertial measurement units, which can be used to track an aircrafts position, and digital compasses, which can be paired with the inertial measurement units for drone guidance systems. The parts also included a jet engine and 20 piston engines. In the plea agreement publicly filed Tuesday, Issam Hamade admitted that his brother arranged to purchase parts and technology from various countries, including the U.S., from 2009 to 2011. He also admitted that he transferred money from Lebanon to accounts in South Africa at his brothers request, knowing the money was being used to buy these parts. The plea agreement says Hamade had reason to believe the parts and technology were going to Syria, in violation of U.S. export laws. Russia gives Iran 50k coronavirus testing kits to help fight epidemic 03/10/20 Source: Press TV Russia has provided Iran with tens of thousands of testing kits for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as the Islamic Republic steps up the battle against the flu-like virus originating from China. Official Iran's statistics on coronavirus as of March 6th Infections: 8,042 Deaths: 291 New Cases: 881 Recovered: 2731 Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali said Tuesday that the Russian government had donated 50,000 diagnostic kits to Tehran's Embassy, adding that the equipment will be supplied to the medical personnel at the front line of the fight against the coronavirus outbreak inside Iran as soon as possible. He also hailed Russia's cooperation with Iran to counter the epidemic and stressed that both countries were determined to enhance ties in the health sector. "Iran has taken necessary measures to contain the coronavirus and prevent its spread," said the diplomat, but added that "eradicating this virus requires regional and global cooperation." The Iranian ambassador further expressed hope for closer Tehran-Moscow cooperation against the growing epidemic, which he described as an international threat. Iran is developing its own diagnostic kits, which will be supplied to the market as of March 20. On Tuesday, Iran confirmed 54 news deaths, the highest daily toll so far, raising the total fatality count to 291. A total of 8,042 infections have been diagnosed. And 2,731 patients have recovered, the Healthy Ministry said. Most of the infections have been reported in the provinces of Tehran, Mazandaran, Isfahan, Rasht and Qom, where the virus was first found. The coronavirus initially emerged in China late last year and is now spreading in Europe and across the Middle East, sparking fears of a global pandemic. The illness, whose symptoms are fever, cough and difficulty breathing, may cause lung lesions and pneumonia. Since December 2019, over 114,510 people have been infected in several countries, with more than 4,020 deaths mostly in China. Anti-Semitism is 'alive and well,' disguised among America's elites, Gary Bauer warns Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment NASHVILLE, Tenn. American Values President Gary Bauer warned that the ancient evil of anti-Semitism is alive and well among those in powerful positions both in the United States and abroad. During a breakfast to honor Israel at the NRB 2020 Christian Media Convention, Bauer, recently appointed by President Trump to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, said he worries about subtle anti-Semitism in the U.S. Often, he said, it comes disguised and all dressed up. You have people in powerful positions, people who went to all the right schools, who run the universities, who deliver us the news. The anti-Semitism is alive and well among those people, he said at the breakfast sponsored by Combat Anti-Semitism, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem and NRBTV. Sometimes anti-Semitism comes disguised as a little old lady, Bauer said, referring to longtime White House correspondent Helen Thomas, who once said the Jews need to go back to where they came from Germany and Poland. (Watch Helen Thomas' comments here.) Anti-Semitism has climbed out from underneath its rock, he emphasized. Bauer pointed out that in several major European cities, mobs walked through the streets chanting, Death to the Jews. The Labor Party of Great Britain is also riddled with anti-Semitism, and in the United States, synagogues have been routinely attacked. Weve had Jews beaten on the streets not only of European countries. Weve had Jews beaten in recent months on the streets of New York City, a city that prides itself as being one of the most progressive cities in America, Bauer said. Weve got anti-Semitism in the finest universities in America. ... Normal, good Americans save all their lives to send their children to these universities, and some professor is giving them Jew-hatred in the classroom. Anti-Semitism is becoming so normalized in America, that when Congress tried to pass a resolution condemning the anti-Semitic comments of two of its members, the politics got so involved that before it was over, the resolution was condemning every hatred known to man, and of course by doing that it wasnt doing anything. They couldnt bring themselves to simply condemn anti-Semitism by members in their ranks, Bauer stressed. If you hear somebody questioning the historic presence of the Jews in the Holy Land, theres only one motivation for that. Thats anti-Semitism. But the Palestinian Authority does it regularly. So does the United Nations, he continued. Christians have an obligation to fight anti-Semitism, Bauer stressed, because an attack on the Jewish presence in their homeland is an attack on Christianity too. The Jews in Israel are not visitors. They didnt arrive yesterday. They didnt move to Israel a few years ago. Israel is the cradle of the Jewish people. It is their past, it is their present, and it is their future, Bauer said. He also criticized Christian denominations that pass resolutions not condemning countries such as Russia, China, or Venezuela countries known for severe human rights abuses but condemn Israel. And they do it in the name of Christ. Its outrageous, Bauer said. ... These mainline denominations and their hateful resolutions do not speak for us. You cannot be a Christian and hate Jews. You simply cant. Bauer said Israel is the only nation on Earth that was created by a sovereign act of God, adding, The Jewish people dont occupy the land. They own the land. Amid rising anti-Semitism, Christian United for Israel, the largest pro-Israel organization in the U.S., will be releasing an upcoming documentary, titled Never Again? The film engages contemporary audiences with the horrific events of the Holocaust and demonstrates why the events of 75 years ago must be understood and remembered by the coming generation. Writer/producer Rick Eldridge told The Christian Post that the film has a current and relevant message for today as we are still seeing that same sort of prejudice going on, even in America. Could [the Holocaust] happen again? The answer is yes. Maybe in different ways than a concentration camp, but its happening on the streets of Brooklyn, in synagogues, he said. It could happen again because people are indoctrinated and it all begins with words, he added. Words hurt. Words become actions and actions become philosophies and ways of life and before long, we have it built into us. Weve seen it in our culture throughout history, and its hard to explain and understand when you see what people do to each other. If we stop and look and listen and begin to evaluate, Why do we feel the way we feel? maybe things would change, he added. Weve used the word tolerance instead of love. Tolerance has limitations, love is universal. The hope is well educate and understand the heart of this matter and people will leave with a better understanding and personal place of, What can I do to make a difference? The message of the film is love, not hate. Its an acceptance and tolerance of all people and all cultures. Poland's dispute with Europe over the country's political purge of judges has turned into a game of chicken. The European Union's top court held a hearing on Monday as part of a bid by the European Commission to suspend Poland's disciplinary regime for judges, which EU regulators have said undermines democracy. A decision could come within days. The leadership in Warsaw is using the clash to reinforce support for the ruling Law & Justice party ahead of a presidential election in May. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is ready to ignore the decision by the court in Luxembourg, according to a senior government official who asked not to be named. Poland receives more aid on a net basis than any other EU member and is the paradigm of the post-Cold War integration project. Yet it's become a lingering headache for a continent contending with issues ranging from an argument over its budget following the U.K.'s departure, a new wave of refugees landing in Greece and the coronavirus outbreak. The standoff revolves around Poland's overhaul of its justice system since Law & Justice took control in 2015. The five-year power grab, which could culminate next month if Law & Justice takes over the Supreme Court, has effectively given a single political party influence over the judiciary. A recent report by Sustainable Governance Indicators on rule of law put Poland only ahead of Turkey and Hungary among 41 EU and OECD countries. Poland ignored the rulings of its own Supreme Court and passed a law this year to punish judges for following EU legal procedures. Some 60 Polish judges have been the target of the disciplinary authorities, according to a report by the Polish judges' association published on Feb. 29. Punitive measures range from probes and 40% pay cuts to forced transfers and attacks on social media. A top Justice Ministry official resigned in August after accusations that he ran a smear campaign against judges who criticized the government. Last week, Poland began to prosecute a judge who's questioned the legality of the government's actions. "Poland's justice system is seriously ill," said Michal Wawrykiewicz, a Warsaw-based lawyer who represented independent judges in a case heard by the EU Court of Justice. "If it's not contained. it will spread and attack the EU's common legal framework. You can't safeguard a system that includes financing, funds, values and human rights without an independent and impartial judiciary." The government argues that its judicial changes are similar to some other EU members and says European institutions don't have the authority to interfere in how Polish courts are run. Law & Justice leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the country's most powerful politician, told the Gazeta Polska newspaper last week that the European Court of Justice is "acting as if it were a side in a political dispute" and is "helping the opposition." President Andrzej Duda, who is campaigning for re-election, has painted the court as the bogeyman for Poland. "I'm the president of Poland and I say this: They won't impose on us-in foreign languages-how to manage Polish matters," Duda said in Zwolen, southeastern Poland, as he stepped up campaigning in January. "Yes, we're part of the EU, but first and foremost we're Poland." The government is betting that the EU isn't able to stop its actions, and recent evidence suggests it may be right after threats of financial penalties or diminished voting rights so far came to nothing. Indeed, Poland is protected by a veto from Hungary, which is also at loggerheads over rule of law and the takeover of democratic institutions. That said, Norway last week suspended $74 million (700 million kroner) of funding for Poland's judicial system via grants it provides under an agreement to freely trade with the EU as a non member. The decision is a "clear signal" of concern about the rule of law in Poland, said Audun Halvorsen, state secretary at the Norwegian Foreign Ministry. According to Donald Tusk, a former Polish prime minister and the country's highest-ever ranking EU official, Law & Justice doesn't understand the bloc's consensus-based approach to decision making. The party sees politics as "an unrestricted power play," Tusk said in Bialystok, eastern Poland, on Feb. 24. "If we give into this, we're on the way to a catastrophe." Poland now stands on the verge of having its judiciary effectively leave the EU's interconnected legal system. That could mean that Polish judicial decisions aren't respected by its EU partners. A German court said last week that it rejected a Polish extradition request, citing recent judicial reforms that made it impossible to guarantee a fair trial in Poland. EU Court of Justice President Koen Lenaerts, whose tribunal is weighing a suspension of the Polish measures, said in Warsaw this year that "you can't be a member of the EU if you don't have independent, impartial courts." European diplomats in Warsaw privately warn that Poland is heading in a "suicidal" direction. The question is how Poland responds. "The legal and political ramifications of open defiance could be many and significant," said Laurent Pech, a professor of European law at Middlesex University in London. "This could lead to the imposition of financial sanctions, more legal action and politically speaking, we could see more pressure being put on EU institutions to find ways to suspend funding to Poland." - - - With assistance from Bloomberg's Stephanie Bodoni. As markets tanked Monday, President Donald Trump announced plans for a payroll-tax cut to stimulate the economy, as well as potential wage relief for hourly workers affected by coronavirus. Democrats have proposed alternatives, such as paid sick leave for workers staying home due to the virus. While both proposals could marginally increase domestic demand, neither addresses the particular pressure points of this crisis. The shock from coronavirus is likely to be temporary, if deep, for a quarter or two, but its potential for lasting economic harm centers on businesses that will have trouble servicing their debt due to revenue loss from the crisis. Airlines, cruise operators, and energy companies in particular are facing staggering losses as demand for their products tanks. President Trump hinted at potential government assistance of those firms on Monday. But rather than being an ancillary concern, such assistance should be at the forefront of the administrations response to the coronavirus shock. Airlines earn razor-thin margins from their operations, so even a temporary reduction in revenue has dramatic effects on their bottom line. They tend to be highly leveraged due to the large capital costs involved in owning and operating a fleet of aircraft. While lower oil prices will reduce their variable costs somewhat, that wont matter if they cant sell tickets. American Airliness short-term debt-coverage ratio for the last twelve months was 0.8x, meaning it made 20 percent less from operations than it paid to service debt. As cash flow plummets, American Airlines and its peers might not have enough cash on hand to pay back short-term liabilities. Accordingly, the companys implied cost of funding shot from less than 3 percent in February to nearly 12 percent last week. If airlines default on their debt, it could spell doom for a sector that employs roughly 500,000 Americans. And even if they withstand the crisis, international competitors such as Emirates, which receive lavish government subsidies, will be well-positioned to wrest market share from them in the aftermath. Story continues Shale-oil companies are in a similar position. Since 2016, the price of oil has fallen, due in large part to the abundance of natural gas produced in the United States. Even before the coronavirus hit, the decline in prices had already pushed domestic profits down industry-wide. As demand for energy decreases due to the virus, firms such as Occidental Petroleum will almost inevitably fail to meet debt payments. Exacerbating that harm is the collapse of OPEC+ talks between Saudi Arabia and Russia, whose collective caps on oil output have put a floor beneath oil prices in recent years. A weakened American energy industry is a particularly alarming possibility, because of the national-security implications of losing domestic sources of oil and gas. Indeed, American energy independence has reshaped the geopolitical landscape in the U.S.s favor. Corporate-bond yields, which move inversely to bond prices, skyrocketed on Monday as investors sold off the debt of firms threatened by the virus. High-yield spreads the difference between the rate at which the U.S. government borrows and that at which highly leveraged corporations borrow surpassed 660 basis points, their highest level since 2016, due largely to sell-offs of energy bonds. With markets expecting insolvency for strategically crucial firms, the federal government now faces the choice of propping those firms up or letting them go into bankruptcy. Bailouts tend to be unpopular due to the moral hazard involved in saving flailing businesses. If firms know the government will step in to assist them in times of need, they have an incentive to take outsize risk. This argument held weight during the 2008 bailouts, because that financial crisis was largely the creation of banks taking huge risks on mortgage securities. But the current shock is a different beast. Airlines and energy firms are not responsible for the havoc wrought by the coronavirus, nor will temporary assistance make them likely to take actions that risk another pandemic in the future. (In fact, such firms couldnt do so even if they wanted to.) But if every American business had to prepare for the tail risk of a global shock, it would permanently hinder economic growth. The clock is ticking. If the White House and Congress wait, financial pressures will continue to mount. They must act now to protect the American economy. More from National Review HOLYOKE The cancellation of the 69th-annual Holyoke St. Patricks Day Parade and Road Race was a difficult decision based on advice from the Centers for Disease Control and local public health officials for stemming community spread of the new coronavirus, Mayor Alex B. Morse said Tuesday. Speaking at a press conference at City Hall, Morse also cited input from the citys police and fire chiefs, who said the risk of community spread of COVID-19 at the events presented risks for potentially devastating effects" on long-term public safety. Lowering or delaying the epidemics peak is a critical tool that allows for enhanced preparation locally and statewide, Morse said. The decision followed suit with Boston, Lawrence and New Haven, Connecticut, where officials this week announced the cancellation of St. Patricks Day festivities. Parades were also canceled across Ireland. Morse was joined by other city officials and Marc Joyce, the Holyoke parade committees 2020 president, who said he came with a heavy heart and would try to keep his emotions in check. The cancellation marks a first for the parade committee, which has endured March snowstorms and unexpected events over the decades. First held in in 1952, the event blossomed into one of New Englands major annual traditions, in some years drawing an estimated 400,000 spectators to the Paper City. This is such a fast-moving virus that changes not only daily but hourly, Joyce said. Every day you get up, and its gotten worse." Joyce said that while the city ultimately made the call, After more information and listening to all the professionals here, theres no question in my mind that the right decision is to cancel the parade and road race." He thanked the City of Holyoke and public safety officials for their support. We understand this is a decision that had to be made. Well make the best of it going forward, he said. The parade committee plans to honor award recipients parade weekend at smaller gatherings, including the Bishops Mass March 21 and Ambassador Award Breakfast March 22 at the Holyoke Senior Center. However, the committee maintains a wait-and-see attitude. It would be irresponsible of us to carry on with these events as scheduled, Joyce said of the parade and road race. The disease has shown no signs of abating in the U.S., and the number of presumptive cases in Massachusetts more than doubled from Monday to Tuesday as Gov. Charlie Baker announced a state of emergency. Morse said he arrived at this decision after meeting with the citys Emergency Management Advisory Council, which includes health and public safety representatives. Joyce also met with the council, and members their concerns about the potential for 250,000 to 400,000 spectators descending on a community of 40,000 amid a global disease outbreak. The mayor said the while the Massachusetts Department of Public Healths latest advisory notes a slow spread of the disease, the Center for Disease Control and local health officials recommended taking control measures to reduce or delay the epidemics spread. Measures include hand sanitizing, social distancing, implementing work-from-home policies and postponing large gatherings. The mayor said he shared the concerns of first responders who have limited protective equipment, and called on the state to increase supplies for first responders and front-line personnel. My concern is possibly exposing 100 percent of police resources in the city in a 48-hour period," said Police Chief Manny Febo. We could handle fix or six officers being out at a time five or six officers if they get sick, they come back, five or six more go out. But if we have 30, 40 or 50 percent of the police department that goes down a week or two after the parade it becomes a real problem for us, and it becomes a problem for the safety of the citizens of Holyoke. In addition to city and state police providing security at the parade and road race, officers and firefighters from around the region march in the parade. Sean Gonsalves, director of the Holyoke Health Department, said the city followed CDC protocol. He was worried that encouraging large groups in confined spaces would place the public at risk. CDC guidelines call for six feet of space between people, which helps reduce the diseases spread. During parade weekend, people crowd into bars, restaurants and beer tents, or pack in tightly along the parade and road race routes. Were talking an additional 200,000 to 300,000 extra people entering the city of Holyoke, who are going to be coming from out-of-state, Gonsalves said. He added that city and hospitality workers would be impacted if the new coronavirus took hold in Holyoke, and could forced to endure 14-day quarantines during the diseases incubation period. Fire Chief Jeffery Przekopowski said his top priority remains to protect first responders and Holyokes residents and visitors. He agreed with the recommendations from the CDC and state health officials to limit mass gatherings. The one way to stop the community spread is through social distancing, good hygiene and measures of that sort, Przekopowski said. Morse said he would speak with state officials about the economic impact the cancellation will have on the local business community. T housands of people in the UK will suffer from coronavirus infection, according to the deputy chief medical officer. Dr Jenny Harries said the situation in other countries looked certain to be the outcome here in the UK. "We will see thousands [of cases], I am sure, in due course," she told Sky News this morning. "We will start moving that way, probably, over the next week." She added: "We will see many thousands of people infected by coronavirus. That's what we're seeing in other countries. "The important thing for us is to make sure that we manage those infections and make sure that those individuals who are most affected, so our elderly people, particularly those with chronic underlying conditions, get into hospital and get treatment and we support other people in the home environment." Coronavirus - In pictures 1 /106 Coronavirus - In pictures A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" is seen on an underground station platform Getty Images Customers wearing face masks shop at the pork counter of a supermarket following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province Reuters Westminster Bridge is deserted in London the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown PA Canadian passengers Chris & Anna Joiner ask for help onboard the MS Zaandam, Holland America Line cruise ship, during the coronavirus outbreak, off the shores of Panama City via Reuters A man crosses a nearly empty 5th Avenue in midtown Manhattan during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York City Reuters The London Eye is pictured lit blue in support of the NHS, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Commuters cope with Coronavirus Jeremy Selwyn Milan's Piazza del Duomo empty AFP via Getty Images People in protective clothing walk past rows of beds at a temporary 2,000-bed hospital for COVID-19 coronavirus patients set up by the Iranian army at the international exhibition center in northern Tehran, Iran AP Martina Papponetti, 25, an ICU nurse at the Humanitas Gavazzeni Hospital in Bergamo, Italy poses for a portrait at the end of her shift AP Pope Francis celebrating a daily mass alone in the Santa Marta chapel at the Vatican, as part of precautionary measures against the spread of the new coronavirus COVID-19 AFP via Getty Imag Vysheyshaya Liga - FC Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino v FC Belshina Bobruisk - Torpedo Stadium, Zhodino, Belarus, March 27, 2020 Players in action during the match despite most sport being cancelled around the world as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Hanks and Wilson both have coronavirus Tom Hanks General view of an emergency makeshift field hospital as it is set up at Pacaembu Stadium for coronavirus (COVID-19) patients with a capacity of 200 beds in Sao Paulo, Brazil Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling on people to stay away from pubs, clubs and theatres, work from home if possible and avoid all non-essential contacts and travel in order to reduce the impact of the coronavirus pandemic PA Naomi Campbell catches a flight in a hazmat suit with goggles, a surgical mask and rubber gloves @naomi Sophie and Emily Ward pose for a photograph with their hand-drawn picture of rainbows and a message on their window in St Helens, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Corona virus outbreak. PA Shoppers queue outside a branch of Costco, in Croydon, south London, on the weekend after Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered pubs and restaurants across the country to close PA Charing Cross Tube Bakerloo Line very quiet at 8.15am Jeremy Selwyn A woman with a plastic box over her head on the London Underground. PA A Racegoer attend Cheltenham Festival on Ladies Day wearing a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits a laboratory at the Public Health England National Infection Service in Colindale PA A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A couple kiss in Milano Centrale railway station in Milan on March 8, 2020 AFP via Getty Images A combination picture shows visitors wearing protective face masks following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) looking at blooming cherry blossom nd a pigeon walking at an closed cherry blossom viewing spot during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (not pictured) urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors, in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from spreading Reuters This combination photo created on March 5, 2020 shows tourists visiting Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap province on March 16, 2019 (top) and on March 5, 2020 AFP via Getty Images Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump looks at the $2.2 trillion coronavirus aid package bill as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Vice President Mike Pence stand by during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House Reuters A satellite image shows an empty South Beach during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Miami, via Reuters General view inside the empty stadium as the two teams line up prior to the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg match between Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund at Parc des Princes UEFA via Getty Images A Sainsbury's supermarket in Cambridge is among those to sell out of antibacterial hand sanitizer PA Tents and ambulances are set up next to the Princess Cruises Grand Princess cruise as it sits docked in the Port of Oakland on March 09, 2020 in Oakland, California. The Princess Cruises Grand Princess has been held from docking until today as at least 21 people on board have tested positive for COVID-19 also known as the Coronavirus Getty Images Medical staff produce traditional Chinese medicine to treat patients infected by the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images Army soldiers wearing protective suits spray disinfectant as a precaution against the new coronavirus at a shopping street in Seoul, South Korea AP Russian President Vladimir Putin wearing protective gear walks at a hospital for patients infected with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Moscow via Reuters 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 Passengers on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship are seen as the ship arrives at Daikoku Pier where it is being resupplied and newly diagnosed coronavirus cases taken for treatment as it remains in quarantine after a number of the 3,700 people on board were diagnosed with coronavirus Getty Images Dave Abel pictured in hospital in Japan Manchester United fans in the stands during the Premier League match at Old Trafford PA Police officers wearing masks stand in front of the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in La Caleta, in the Canary Island of Tenerife AP Carnival revellers wear protective face masks at Venice Carnival Reuters A general view is pictured of Burbage Primary School in Buxton, Derbyshire after the closure of the school as a pupil's parent has tested positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19 AFP via Getty Images People wearing face masks walk past the Olympic rings in front of the new National Stadium, the main stadium for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Game Getty Images People leave Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre in Milton Keynes where Coronavirus evacuees are due to be released from quarantine today and allowed to go home PA Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA A woman wears a mask while crossing London Bridg Getty Images A general view of Worthing Hospital in West Sussex PA Passengers relax on board the Holland America-operated Westerdam cruise ship, which has been denied permission to dock in Thailand over coronavirus fears via Reuters A child waves as she sits in a vehicle carrying residents evacuated from a public housing building, following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, outside Hong Mei House, at Cheung Hong Estate in Hong Kong Reuters A woman wearing a Minnie Mouse face mask looks at her mobile phone in Beijing on February 11, 2020 AFP via Getty Images The Costa Smeralda cruise ship of Costa Crociere, carrying around 6,000 passengers, is docked at the Italian port of Civitavecchia after a health alert due to a Chinese couple and a possible link to coronavirus on board, in Civitavecchia, Italy Reuters A patient covered with a bed sheet at an exhibition centre converted into a hospital as it starts to accept patients displaying mild symptoms of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images A medical official takes the body temperature of a man at the departure hall of the airport in Changsha, Hunan Province, as the country is hit by an outbreak of a new coronavirus, China Reuters The view of the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center Getty Images A plane carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, arrives at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire A police vehicle enters the gates of the Royal Air Force station RAF Brize Norton in Carterton AFP via Getty Images Passengers wear face masks as the push their luggage after arriving from a flight at Terminal 5 of London Heathrow Airport AFP via Getty Images French citizens arrive and settle aboard of an evacuation plane with destination southeastern France, before departure from Wuhan Airport (WUH), China AFP via Getty Images Police stand at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge that crosses from Hubei province in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, China Reuters A member of staff at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside prepares for a bus carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China PA Doctor Paul McKay, who is working on an vaccine for the 2019-nCoV strain of the novel coronavirus, poses for a photograph with bacteria containing fragments of coronavirus DNA, at Imperial College School of Medicine (ICSM) in Londo AFP via Getty Images Workers produce masks at the Thai Hospital Product Company Ltd. factory in Bangkok AFP via Getty Images Passengers wearing face masks are seen on a bus after disembarking from the Costa Smeralda cruise ship, after tests on a woman from Macau with suspected coronavirus came back negative, in Civitavecchia, Italy Reuters People hoard bottles of alcohol after the Philippine government confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in the country, in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines Reuters Taking precautions: with fears growing that the coronavirus will spread from China, a health official checks a womans temperature on the underground in Beijing Getty Images An empty road is seen in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020, amid a deadly virus outbreak which began in the city AFP via Getty Images Students wearing masks meditate prior to a lesson at a high school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia AP Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital wear protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus AFP via Getty Images Staff move bio-waste containers past the entrance of the Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, where some infected with a new virus are being treated, in Wuhan, China AP Workers driving excavators at the construction site of a field hospital In Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The builders will complete the 1,000-bed hospital by February 3 to cope with the surge of 2019-nCoV patients in the city Getty Images Buddhist monks wear masks as they walk near Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodi AP A woman and a child wearing protective masks walk toward check-in counters at Daxing international airport in Beijing AFP via Getty Images An employee sprays disinfectant on a train as a precaution against a new coronavirus at Suseo Station in Seoul, South Korea AP A policeman wearing a mask walks past a quarantine notice about the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China at an arrival hall of Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan Reuters Paramilitary police wear face masks as they stand guard at Tiananmen Gate adjacent to Tiananmen Square in Beijing AP The resident wear masks to buy vegetables in the market in Wuhan Getty Images Staff sell masks at a Yifeng Pharmacy in Wuhan AP Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV AP She said some "much more specific measures" will be released over the next week. This advice will be aimed at older people, she added. "We're still looking at the numbers and which groups of individuals are most likely to need the most support," she said. 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 An "ultra vulnerable group" could also be identified. Dr Harries said that the timing of an intervention is essential and the Government is assessing the most efficient point to do so. Speaking on BBC Radio 4s Today programme, commenting on the number of new cases compared to China in the past 24 hours, she said: China is in a very different position. They are at the end of their current epidemic peak and we will be shortly at the start of ours. If you have a new disease, the normal thing is, it will take off gradually. It will rise very rapidly at one point and come back down again when it effectively runs out of people in the population to infect. It comes as more than 300 people have been infected with the virus in the UK, while five people who have been struck with it have died . While it has been suggested Britons with minor cold, flu or fever symptoms could soon to be asked to stay at home in self-isolation in a bid to tackle the coronavirus outbreak. 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. A court in London is set to decide the fate of a luxurious London mansion and two other properties linked to the family of former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev. During a March 10 hearing at the London High Court, lawyers for the companies that own the properties will demand that an investigation by Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) be halted, the British broadcaster BBC reported. It said the case involved a vast property -- with an underground pool and a cinema -- located on one of London's most exclusive roads, commonly known as "Billionaires Row." The high-security home is owned by companies based in tax havens, but public records show that the occupiers are Nazarbaev's grandson Nurali Aliev and his wife, Aida, according to the report. The property is said to be one of three worth more than $104 million in total that have been subject to unexplained wealth orders (UWOs) since May 2019. Under an UWO, the NCA can apply for a court to seize property when a suspected corrupt foreign official, or their family, cannot identify a legitimate source of the funds used to buy it. The BBC said it could not identify the properties in question for legal reasons. Aliev presents himself as a businessman and investor. His grandfather, Nazarbaev, was president of oil- and gas-rich Kazakhstan for three decades until he suddenly resigned in March 2019. Aliev's mother, Darigha Nazarbaeva, is the former president's daughter and current speaker of the parliament's upper chamber, the Senate. His father, Rakhat Aliev, was a senior government member who became an opponent of Nazarbaev. He was found dead in an Austrian prison in 2015 while awaiting trial for the alleged murder of two bankers in Kazakhstan. Last year, a British court ordered the son of Moldova's former Prime Minister Vladimir Filat to hand over $650,000 following an NCA investigation. With reporting by the BBC SALEM, Ore. After a second legislative session failed to produce a successful cap-and-trade climate bill following two walkouts by Republican lawmakers, Governor Kate Brown announced on Tuesday the executive action she intends to take instead. The infusion of $5 million to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) on Monday marked the preamble to Governor Brown's efforts to single-handedly enact more stringent carbon emission standards in Oregon. On Tuesday morning, Governor Brown's office said that she would host a press conference at 10:30 a.m. in the Capitol building "to discuss the next steps her administration will be taking to address climate change and the reduction of carbon emissions in Oregon." Backed by a group of youth climate activists, Brown began by describing the impact that climate change would have on younger generations if not addressed by leaders. "If we adults dont take action right away, it is the next generation that will pay the price. We owe it to them to do our part to ensure that the globe they inherit is on a better trajectory than the one its on today," Brown said. "Immediate and comprehensive efforts are needed to tackle this scourge that is devastating the Oregon we know and love, and a smart approach can both protect the environment and grow our economy." RELATED: Oregon's Republican walkout ends, cap-and-trade bill 'dead' (2019) Brown said that the executive order would be "sweeping and comprehensive," directing state agencies to tackle climate change by setting new science-based reduction goals. "As a state, we will pursue every option available under existing law to combat the effects of climate change and put Oregon on a path we can be proud to leave behind for our children," Brown said. The executive order would essentially aim for the same ambitious goals that the latest cap-trade-bill, Senate Bill 1530, had contained. Governor Brown referenced statements she made in July of 2019 promising to take executive action if lawmakers could not agree on a climate bill that contained certain compromises. Under the executive order, the Oregon DEQ would set and enforce more stringent "sector-specific" carbon standards for the transportation and natural gas industries, as well as other large industrial polluters. The caps set would grow lower over time in an effort to meet the state's reduction goals. For the state as a whole, those goal include reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 45 percent below 1990 levels by 2035, and 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. It also includes a gradually higher clean fuel standard. The state would aim to lower pollution from fuels 25 percent by 2035. "This is the most ambitious goal for clean fuels in the country, and it will substantially reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector, using a model proven to reduce pollution at a very minimal cost," Brown's office said. "At the same time, it will create new jobs in the biofuels sector and expand investment in transportation electrification." Governor Brown said that three major goals of the bill would be environmental justice for communities most impacted by climate change, funds for the transition to a clean energy industry, and a greater focus on wildfire mitigation. According to Brown, her Department of Justice has reviewed the executive order to ensure it complied with the Oregon Constitution and laws. In spite of that, a legal challenge from Republicans is practically inevitable. RELATED: Oregon Senate Republicans walk out to deny cap-and-trade vote The Governor is ignoring Oregonians. She is not listening to three quarters of the state or the 28 counties that signed proclamations against the cap and trade concept," said Senate Republican Leader Herman Baertschiger, R-Grants Pass. "Its obvious Kate Brown is not Oregons Governor, she is Portlands Governor, and as she promised, she is serving revenge, cold and slowly. This is a developing story, and NewsWatch 12 will update the article with more details as they emerge. Turkish officials say Ankara is evaluating the US offer but it had not changed its plans on Russian S-400 systems. The United States has offered to sell Turkey its Patriot missile defence system if Ankara promises not to operate a rival Russian system, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said, in what he called a significant softening in Washingtons position. Two Turkish officials told Reuters News Agency that Turkey was evaluating the US offer but added that Ankara had not changed its plans for the Russian S-400 systems, which it has said it would start to activate next month. NATO allies Turkey and the US have been at odds over Ankaras purchase last year of the S-400s, which Washington says are incompatible with the alliances defence systems. After heavy fighting in northwestern Syrias Idlib region this year, Turkey asked Washington to deploy Patriots along its border with Syria for protection. But the US said Turkey could not have both the S-400s and the Patriots. Speaking to reporters on his return flight from Brussels, Erdogan said Ankara had told Washington to deploy Patriot systems to Turkey and that it was ready to buy the systems from the US, as well. We made this offer to the United States on the Patriot: If you are going to give us Patriots, then do it. We can also buy Patriots from you, he said. They also softened significantly on this S-400 issue. They are now at the point of promise us you wont make the S-400s operational,' Erdogan added. Previous talks between Turkey and the US on the purchase of the Patriots have collapsed over a host of issues, from the S-400s to Ankaras dissatisfaction with Washingtons terms. Turkey has said it will only agree to an offer if it includes technology transfer and joint production terms. Syria conflict While ties between Ankara and Washington have been strained, the US has offered support for its ally as it battles to stop Russia-backed Syrian government advances in Idlib. But US officials said on Tuesday Ankara had to clarify its position on the S-400s for their security ties to advance. US special representative for Syria James Jeffrey and US Ambassador to Turkey David Satterfield told reporters on a conference call from Brussels that Washington was discussing with NATO what support it can offer Turkey militarily. Jeffrey also said they had considered possible responses should Russia and the Syrian government break a ceasefire in Idlib, officials said. He suggested other NATO states could individually or as an alliance provide military support to help Turkey. But he ruled out sending ground troops and said there still needed to be a resolution to the S-400 issue for the security relationship to move forward. You can forget ground troops. Turkey has demonstrated that it and its opposition forces are more than capable of holding ground on their own, Jeffrey said. The issue is the situation in the air, and its what we are looking at, he said, adding that Washington did not believe that Russia and Syrian had any interest in a permanent ceasefire in Idlib. They are out to get a military victory in Syria, and our goal is to make it difficult for them to do that, Jeffrey said. Our goal is to make them think twice. If they ignore our warnings and preparations and move forward, then we will react as rapidly as possible in consultation with our NATO and European allies on what the package of sanctions and other reactions will be. Position unchanged While Erdogan has frequently referred to the S-400 purchase as a done deal and said Turkey would not back away from it, he did not repeat that stance in his comments on Tuesday. Turkish officials, however, said Turkeys position remained unchanged. The United States has once again brought up the Patriot offer. The United States previous strong stance isnt the case any more. They are approaching Turkey more empathetically now, a senior official said. The core condition is that the S-400s are not activated, or in other words, they are not unboxed. This offer is being evaluated, but there is no change of stance on the S-400s, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Another Turkish official told Reuters the latest offer by Washington also included Turkeys return to the F-35 stealth fighter jet programme, which Ankara was involved in both as manufacturer of plane parts and customer for the jets. 191214125236127 After Ankara bought the S-400s, Washington suspended its involvement in the programme and threatened sanctions. There is a US offer for Patriots, but this offer includes the F-35s, the Turkish official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Air defence systems can be purchased, but Turkeys conditions are clear: there has to be issues like the know-how transfer and joint production. Turkey has said it plans to activate the S-400s it received from Russia in April. The US has warned such a move will trigger sanctions, though Ankara has repeatedly said good ties between Erdogan and US President Donald Trump may be able to avert this. Under a US law, known as Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), purchase of defence equipment from Russia could invite sanctions. However, the president can opt to issue a waiver. Levain says its their first new cookie flavor in 25 years. Photo: Melissa Hom No fewer than seven people had chocolate on their face when I walked into the newest location of Levain Bakery, on Lafayette in Noho, last week. Levain, which opened its first location on the Upper West Side in 1995, sells over a dozen other baked goods including baguettes, round loaves of wheat, small pizzas, ciabatta, brioche, and muffins but most people, probably like 90 percent, according to one staffer, come for the cookies. Prior to opening the Noho location, Levan sold just four varieties: chocolate chip-walnut, dark chocolate chip, dark chocolate peanut butter chip, and oatmeal raisin. Its newest offering, dubbed the two chip because it contains both semisweet and dark chocolate chips, makes it five. Levain says this is its first new cookie flavor in 25 years, and for people who follow such developments, its a very big deal. Levain is wildly popular. In 1997, two years after Levain opened, the New York Times called its signature product the largest, most divine chocolate chip cookies in Manhattan. Since then, its cookies have been named the best in New York by seemingly every publication, including, in 2005, in this one. They garner international praise. Blake Lively, Andy Cohen, Ellie Kempner, Danielle Brooks, and a dozen other celebrities have professed their love. Nearly 200,000 people follow Levain Bakery on Instagram; thousands more tag the bakery in their photographs of its gooey, craggy, chocolate-studded cookies. This is a boulder of a cookie, with a size, texture, and heft that approximates an experienced bakers fist. I say this as a former baker and pastry chef myself. After college, I went to culinary school to study pastry, and then to France, where I spent time in kitchens run by Joel Robuchon, Georges Blanc, and Michel Troisgros. I worked as a pastry chef and private chef for 10 years before shifting to journalism. Like most other American-born kids, I grew up with chocolate chip cookies, a cookie as American as capitalism. The cookie, of course, was famously invented in 1938, when Ruth Wakefield, owner of the Toll House restaurant in Whitman, Massachusetts, published her recipe for Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookies in her Tried and True cookbook. A year later, Wakefield sold Nestle the rights to her recipe for $1. Over the years, many innovations have been applied with varying degrees of success to the original recipe. Levains cookies are six ounces and about four inches wide by an inch or so high. (The company doesnt share specific ingredient information, but they do say that the cookies contain dairy, eggs, and wheat, and note that theyre produced in a facility that handles tree nuts, peanuts, and soy.) Besides making a cookie so massive it couldnt be ignored, Levain did two other important things to ensure its cookies stood out: It baked the cookies fresh at least every 30 minutes, ensuring each customer received a warm cookie, and it started in a space so small that only a few people could fit inside at a time, resulting in a near-permanent line out the door. Levains new locations are larger, but the size and freshness of its cookies has stayed the same. And until this year, it didnt budge when customers asked for a chocolate chip cookie without walnuts. It is the weighted blanket of pastries. People have been asking almost since day one why we didnt make a chocolate chip cookie without walnuts, co-owner Pam Weekes told the Post. Were chocolate chip-walnut cookie people. Wed never done one without [nuts], but we finally caved. Levains two-chip is built out of the same dough it uses for its signature chocolate chip-walnut, except instead of semisweet chocolate chips and walnuts, bakers fold in semisweet chocolate chips and dark-chocolate chips. After you order a cookie at the counter at Levain, the cashier turns around and gently picks up a fragile cookie with a piece of bakery tissue paper. Its slipped into a paper bag and handed over with a (laughably insufficient) single white square paper napkin. The cookies warmth radiates through the bag, and its heft is comforting. It is the weighted blanket of pastries. The first thing everyone does when they pull a Levain cookie out of the bag is break it into two. This is something of an ingrained cultural tic learned from commercials, magazine ads, or social media which quickly demonstrates how fresh the cookie is: If the chocolate chips are still warm, theyll stretch, pleasingly, between the two halves and the inside of the cookie will be a bit gooey. Levains cookies are served very fresh and are, by design, almost raw inside. The many, many chocolate chips are no longer chips but puddles of chocolate, and the inside is a damp, warm mass of undercooked dough, gooey and soft. Americans love cookie dough. Despite Department of Health warnings and countless news reports, people eat cookie dough. They like to remember sneaking a bit of cookie dough out of the mixing bowl as a kid, the adrenaline rush of a very petty theft acting as an appetizer to the sugar rush. Theres a lot of memories people have, I think, of a mom or a family member baking cookies at home and getting to have a taste of the batter, says Dr. Mary Ellen Camire, a food scientist at the University of Maine. Cookie dough is a different texture, and its a different taste from a baked cookie. Camire notes that little kids who might be missing some of their teeth tend to really like it: Its easy to get into your mouth in smaller pieces, and the dough is in a liquid state, she says. With a baked cookie, we have to use saliva to wet it, and chew it a little, before we can start to taste it. Sugar-based doughs and batters dissolve in our mouths, so we can taste them immediately. New Yorkers in the know have been safely satisfying their craving for raw cookie dough since 1995 by lining up at Levain, where the cookies have always been extremely underbaked. You can pull out some of the inside of a Levain two-chip and roll it into a small ball of dough. The melted chocolate makes this a messy endeavor, but there it is, a nubbin of cookie dough, likely safe enough to eat after spending a spell in the oven. It is so sweet that it makes my salivary glands ache. As I ate this new cookie, I looked for the nutty flavor of browned butter but couldnt taste it past the sugar. There was the scent of vanilla and a bit of molasses. There was so much chocolate. I wanted the roasted, fruity, earthy flavors of dark chocolate to balance out the sweetness of this cookie, but they didnt. When I asked what kind of chocolate Levain used, my cashier had to get a manager. We dont actually give out our brands, but its one you can get at your local grocery store, the manager told me. When I prodded further, she estimated that the semisweet chocolate chips were around the level of a Toll House or Nestle semisweet chocolate chip, which is 47 percent cacao solids to sugar and other ingredients, while the dark chocolate chips were around 60 percent. (Two emails to the company went unanswered.) As far as dark chocolate is concerned, this is not very dark. Jacques Torress chocolate chip cookies, which blew up around 12 years ago, use at least 60 percent chocolate throughout. In Chicago at Mindys Hot Chocolate, chef Mindy Segal makes her chocolate chip cookies with 64 percent chocolate. And the author Dorie Greenspan, who once ran a cookie shop called Beurre et Sel in Manhattan, writes in her book Dories Cookies that she prefers to use bittersweet chocolate, which the industry agrees is at least 70 percent cacao. Eating half of one made me feel as though I had accomplished a feat, not unlike finishing a kale salad. Regardless of how much sugar is in Levains chocolate chip cookie dough, the type and amount of chocolate it uses produces a cookie thats so sweet it blows out the taste buds. This can be a very good thing or a not-so-good thing, depending on who you are, what stage of life youre in, what you want from your cookies. I found it impossible to eat an entire Levain cookie, even with a cup of water and a coffee. Eating half of one made me feel as though I had accomplished a feat, not unlike finishing a kale salad. For me, the effort required to enjoy a cookie like Levains defeats the purpose. I like being able to eat one without feeling ill. I like a chocolate chip cookie with a balance of flavor and texture, a little crisp on the edges, a little chew, and a little gooey in the center. I like tasting the butter and brown sugar first, followed by the vanilla and toasted flour, and then the chocolates many flavors as I chew. Levains cookie is significantly less complex and, frankly, tastes a little cheap. Still, it seems a lot of Americans want this nostalgia-tinged comfort, and they want it in as many places and forms as they can get it. By some estimates, Levain is selling more than $6 million in cookies a year. After years of resisting expansion, its growing, even as copycats like Chip in NYC and Dutchess in Miami serve up gooey flavors like peanut butter jelly, funfetti, and strawberry shortcake to new, adoring fans. As I ate my cookie in the NoHo store, listening to Destiny Childs Independent Woman playing on the sound system, I noticed a woman video recording herself eating the two-chip. Its great, she said loudly, while chewing. Its so warm and gooey. Im so glad they got rid of the nuts. Look at all of that chocolate! She looked so happy, but then her expression changed. She saw something as she looked back at herself on the screen. I have to put the phone down now because I have chocolate on my face. Byeeee! Eat like the experts. Sign up for the Grub Street newsletter. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. Parking Spot Dispute Leads to Deadly Atlanta Mall Shooting: Police A man was shot and killed in an Atlanta malls parking lot, according to authorities, who said the dispute appeared to be over parking. Officials said the shooting occurred when two groups of people got into an argument over the spot. The two groups went into the Lenox Square Mall before the argument escalated when they got outside, reported Fox5. Someone then opened fire, striking a 25-year-old man twice in the head, said police. The four suspects in the case then drove off but crashed before leaving the parking lot. They tried to escape on foot, but an off-duty Cobb County police officer grabbed one of the alleged assailants, said police, according to the New York Post. The man was released without charges, said a police spokesperson. At this time, investigators are seeking four persons involved in the incident, spokesman Anthony Grant told the paper. The investigation remains ongoing. Grant said it isnt clear whether the 25-year-old victim was alone or with a group. The shooting is the fourth such incident at the mall in several months, according to local media reports. This is a prime concern for us. We have dedicated a tremendous amount of resources to this area and we will continue to do so until we can take back this space, Atlanta police spokesman Andrew Senzer told Fox5. He said that he believes the mall is still a safe place for the public. He added to the CBS affiliate: This is a premier retail space for people to go from all over the metropolitan Atlanta area This is a prime concern for us. We have dedicated a tremendous amount of [police resources] to this area and we will continue to do so until we can take back this space. GH Phipps + Pype Not only are we reducing cost by identifying these extraneous requirements, but were also reducing the workload for the designers, which in turns means fewer delays on the project as we wait for submittals to be approved. Top Colorado general contractor GH Phipps Construction Company has spent the last seven months streamlining key construction workflows nationwide with the use of Pype AutoSpecs. Pype, a Software as a Service (SaaS) provider for the construction industry, provides artificial intelligence and machine learning platforms that automate specific documentation processes surrounding contract compliance and risk mitigation in construction. Reading the spec book and identifying contract items can move so much faster when using AutoSpecs, said GH Phipps Mechanical/Electrical Coordinator Keith McIntyre. Due to its accuracy, we no longer have to go back to the specifications to find submittals and contract items we missed. We reinvest the time saved in the log creation phase in reviewing the submittals and collaborating with the design team. Collaboration is at the heart of a partnership with Pype, says Pype CEO and co-founder Sunil Dorairajan. General contractors are no stranger to managing relationships with multiple stakeholders on a project, and a key piece of that is turning potential arguments and lawsuits into conversations and meetings instead. AutoSpecs scans a spec book received by the general contractor and can automatically identify key requirements that need to be submitted to the design team for review. The faster teams can create their submittal log, the sooner they can review it with the design team and discuss which requirements do or dont make sense for the schedule, budget, or scope of the project. Half of the time we review project submittal logs with the designers, theyll realize theyve set themselves up to review thousands more submittals than they expected to, added McIntyre. Not only are we reducing cost by identifying these extraneous requirements, but were also reducing the workload for the designers, which in turns means fewer delays on the project as we wait for submittals to be approved. In addition to GH Phipps being able to leverage Pype across every project, as an enterprise partner they also play a significant role in shaping the future of Pypes offerings. Our platforms are created, updated, and enhanced based on the needs of our users, said Karuna Ammireddy, Pypes CTO and co-founder. Weve built platforms that address critical industry needs, and our discussions with enterprise clients help us hone in on the improvements and new features that make the biggest impact. As this partnership grows, GH Phipps is already exploring new ways to leverage these solutions. We showed the solution to our preconstruction department, McIntyre told us. Theyre currently looking at different ways AutoSpecs can be used to estimate faster during the bid process. The GH Phipps and Pype partnership has started off strong, but the best is yet to come as they uncover innovative uses cases that will improve GH Phipps projects and the construction industry as a whole. About Pype Pype is the construction industry's first SaaS provider for submittal log management and project closeout. By using patented AI and machine-learning algorithms, our platforms liberate project teams from error-prone spreadsheet workflows and ensure contract compliance from precon through closeout. These cutting-edge solutions present unprecedented insights on spec and closeout data to help teams extract actionable information from specifications and plans to close communication gaps between design, construction, and operations teams. Over 40% of the ENR top 400 use AutoSpecs and Closeout on projects coast-to-coast to provide a higher level of quality assurance, efficiency, and risk management using Pypes exceptionally accurate and richly integrated software technology. About GH Phipps GH Phipps is a 100% employee-owned, full-service Construction Manager/General Contractor. Revenues of over $330 million make GH Phipps one of Colorado's largest contractors and the recipient of the ENR Mountain States 2018 Contractor of the Year award. Corporate headquarters are located in Greenwood Village, Colorado, with branch offices in Colorado Springs and Fort Collins, Colorado. GH Phipps Wyoming, a subsidiary, is based in Laramie, Wyoming. New Zealand feels far away, yet the grief of the mass shooting there one year ago feels close, particularly as minority communities around the world continue to fear similar far-right extremist attacks. On March 15, 2019, a suspected white supremacist livestreamed his cold-blooded killings of 51 worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch. He was caught and now faces 92 charges including murder, attempted murder and terrorism. He has pleaded not guilty. The families of the victims, their communities and the wider public in New Zealand are still grappling with what happened and how to prevent similar attacks as they prepare to mark the first anniversary of the tragedy. It feels like yesterday, says Aya Al-Umari, 34, in a WhatsApp call with me from Christchurch. Her eldest brother, Hussein, was killed in the attack. The emotions are still raw. Its one of those days you remember, when my world started crashing down. Al-Umari, 34, is now her parents only surviving child. Its the silence that hits us real bad, she explains. Thats when we truly miss Husseins cheerfulness and the joy that he brought us. A memorial on Takapuna beach in honour of the victims of the Christchurch mosque terror attacks, the worst mass shooting in New Zealand's history. Cam McLaren Despite the pain, Al-Umari says shes made peace with what happened, citing in part the outpouring of love expressed to her family and to New Zealands Muslims in the aftermath of the attack. This event was an attempt to create hate and division, but instead it brought about more unity and love. Prime Minister Jacinda Arderns leadership was also remarkable. Within weeks, her government banned semi-automatic assault rifles. A few months later, she rallied countries around the world to sign on to the Christchurch Call, a voluntary commitment from social media platforms and governments to do more to remove extremist content posted online. Her government also convened a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the attacks set to conclude in April. Jumayah Jones, a survivor of the Christchurch terror attacks, prays at the Al Noor Mosque on Aug. 22, in Christchurch, New Zealand. Lisa Maree Williams Yet advocates within New Zealands Muslim community echo concerns that exist in many countries, including here in Canada. They worry that government institutions, law enforcement, and internet platforms havent taken enough proactive measures to protect their communities from rising far-right extremism and hate. New Zealands Islamic Womens Council carefully documented how years of warnings were met with an anemic response. While little might have been able to be done when the gunman opened fire, there was a multiplicity of actions that could, should, but were not taken by the public sector in the years prior to the attacks. Had they been taken when they should have been, the gunman is likely to never have got to the door of the mosques, reads part of its submission to the Commission. The focus was almost exclusively on violent extremism from among Muslim communities, the council argued, with little attention paid to growing far-right movements. An Australian teenager cracked an egg on the head of Senator Fraser Anning for his remarks about the New Zealand mosque massacre. The Associated Press And the dangers in Christchurch havent gone away. Earlier this month, a member of a white supremacist group was arrested for making threats against one of the two mosques targeted last year. Such groups continue to radicalize members on a variety of social media channels, railing against Muslims, Jewish people, and other minorities. This is all too familiar: the lack of focused resources examining the scourge of far-right extremism, the frustrating efforts to hold social media platforms accountable, the rise in xenophobia. Canadas federal government has pledged action on all of these fronts but progress is slow. In the meantime, hateful posters, toxic online messages, and other expressions of division continue to appear across Canada, most recently reported in Saskatoon where posters warning of a great replacement of Europeans Canadians were found on property belonging to an immigrant agency and an LGBTQ advocacy centre. Racism targeting Indigenous communities during recent blockades were well documented, with very few people facing consequences for spreading vitriol. Some of those commemorating this weeks painful anniversary in Christchurch will be wearing a green square, similar to ones worn recently to remember those killed at a mosque in Quebec City in 2017. Its heartbreaking, though unsurprising, that this symbol has gone international. The battle against hate is a global one and its one we must win. DETROIT, March 9 (Reuters) - Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden will focus campaign efforts on Monday on Michigan, the biggest prize of the six states to hold contests this week, where a win could give him an insurmountable lead. A victory for Vermont senator Bernie Sanders in Michigan, which offers 125 of the 1,991 delegates needed to secure the nomination, is critical for him to recapture momentum in the bid to face Republican Donald Trump in November's general election. Sanders spent the weekend drawing thousands to his events across the state, and is set to return. Here is what is happening on the campaign trial on Monday: HARRIS JOINS BIDEN IN DETROIT Biden will be joined by former rival candidate Kamala Harris, now a Biden backer, in Michigan. Biden got a boost on Sunday with an endorsement from Harris, a black senator from California and a former candidate for the 2020 Democratic nomination, who will campaign with him Monday night in Detroit. One of the most talked-about moments of Harris' campaign was her blistering attack on Biden during a June presidential debate. She called his remarks about working with segregationist senators hurtful and questioned Biden's 1970s opposition to school busing. Still, black voters have backed Biden overwhelmingly, and propelled him to big victories in South Carolina's Feb. 29 presidential primary and on Super Tuesday last week. They will be crucial in Michigan, where they make up almost 14% of the population and as much as 80% of some areas of Detroit. Biden will also make stops in Grand Rapids and Flint. A win in Michigan would give Biden a very comfortable lead as the state-by-state nominating process moves into friendly territory for the former vice president to Barack Obama. SANDERS RETURNS TO MICHIGAN The winner in Michigan will also earn bragging rights through the rest of the Democratic primary season that he can carry it against Trump, who flipped the state Republican in 2016 by a narrow margin of votes over Hillary Clinton. Story continues On Monday morning, Sanders will hold a rally in St. Louis, Missouri, which along with Michigan, Mississippi, Washington state, Idaho, and North Dakota, will hold contests on Tuesday. He will then return to Michigan, where he is due to join a roundtable on the coronavirus with public health experts in Detroit. Sanders, who has made universal healthcare a pillar of his campaign, tweeted on Sunday that a vaccine for coronavirus, once developed, should be freely available. Sanders won Michigan in the 2016 Democratic primary against Clinton, but lags Biden in support among African American voters. On Sunday, he sought to close that gap with an endorsement from civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, who said the senator's progressive agenda offered black Americans, those most left behind socially and economically, the best chance to catch up. (Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Michael Perry) Advertisement Actors, politicians and celebrities are all paying their respects today to a photographer whose own creative flair helped capture some of the defining moments of the 20th century. Terry O'Neill made his name in the early 1960s, when his pictures helped capture the mood and catalogue the revolutionary cultural changes that would define the decade. Veteran actor Terence Stamp and Cherie Blair, both of whom were subjects of O'Neill's lens, attended a service in Mayfair, London, given to remember the veteran photographer, following his passing in November. Actor Terence Stamp arrives at the memorial service for Terry O'Neill at the Grosvenor Chapel in Mayfair. Stamp appeared alongside model Jean Shrimpton in a picture taken by Terry O'Neill in 1963, just as all three stars' careers began to rise O'Neill took a family portrait of the Blair family (including Cherie, pictured above) inside 10 Downing Street for the Prime Minister's Christmas Card in 2001. Cherie was pictured at the centre of the card, today she headed to Mayfair to pay her respects to the veteran snapper Socialites and actors including Tamara Beckwith, left, and Nigel Havers, right, celebrated the life and career of Terry O'Neill Over the course of a 60-year career he would photograph members of the Royal Family, prominent politicians and celebrities - ranging from the of Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland to Amy Winehouse and Kate Moss. O'Neill would capture moments that remain iconic to this day - including Elton John's two-day concert at Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium in 1975. The following year he captured an exhausted Faye Dunaway as she sat poolside hours after winning an Oscar for her performance in Network. Terry O'Neill died last November after a long battle with prostate cancer, one month after he had collected his CBE for services to photography from the Duke of Cambridge at Buckingham Palace. Speaking at the time, the British photographer said the honour 'surpasses anything I've had happen to me in my life'. Terry O'Neill's widow Laraine Ashton clutches an order of service outside Grosvenor Chapel, Mayfair, where she met some of the countless celebrities, politicians and familiar names her husband had worked with over the course of a 60-year career Hairdresser to the stars Nicky Clarke (right) was in attendance, as was veteran TV political journalist Andrew Neil Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason and his wife Annette arrive at the memorial service. Mason's band were among the musicians to be pictured by Terry O'Neill in the swinging sixties His death sparked an outpouring of grief from the many famous faces that had worked with him over the decades. Terry O'Neill: The Man Who Shot The Swinging Sixties Terry O'Neill in 2018. Mourners gathered today to pay respects to the photographer's life and 60-year career following his death in November 2019 After getting his big break by snapping former home secretary Rab Butler in an airport terminal, Terry O'Neill never looked back. The British photographer's love of music and young age compared to co-workers in his office meant he was regularly sent out to snap up and coming bands. Those young up-and-comers would soon become household names The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Speaking on his early success, O'Neill once said: 'I started at the top and never looked back'. After helping launch the careers of rock legends, O'Neill's attention widened to all of the sixties' culture. Household names including Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Elizabeth Taylor and Frank Sinatra were all captured by O'Neill's lens. By the 1970s he was taking pictures of Elton John on stage in LA and carried out an iconic back stage shoot of David Bowie during his last performance as Ziggy Stardust. In later life his legendary status opened new doors, he would photograph the Blairs for their 2001 Christmas card in Downing Street, he would take a portrait of The Queen and met Nelson Mandela. Advertisement Boxer Frank Bruno tweeted: 'Very sad to see the passing of Terry O'Neill, over the years he did lots of photo sessions with me "A character"' Actress and singer Barbra Streisand tweeted: 'Terry O'Neill - You took such wonderful pictures. May you RIP' Comedian and children's author David Walliams also paid tribute to the 'genius' of Mr O'Neill, tweeting that his death was the 'end of an era. RIP the great photographer Terry O'Neill. A huge talent and an absolute gentleman'. The British photographer was born on 30 July 1938 in Heston, West London, and originally aspired to be a jazz drummer due to his love of music. Hoping a job as an airline steward would get him to New York where he could play jazz clubs, the young O'Neill began applying, but found there were no positions available. Instead it was suggested he took a job in the photography department of British Overseas Airways Corporation, which later became British Airways. He said: 'Part of my work was to take photographs of people arriving and departing at the terminals. I happened upon a very well-dressed bowler-hatted man, taking a quick nap in the departures area, and he was surrounded by African chieftains, fully clad in their regalia. 'Soon after, I was approached by an editor who told me that they wanted to show the photo to his paper. 'The man napping turned out to be then Home Secretary Rab Butler. 'The paper ran my photo and I was off and running. I was offered a job at the Daily Sketch where I worked for several years before going out on my own.' In those early days the brightening star was picked out for musical jobs because of his own love for jazz and due to his young age compared to other photographers in the office. Those early opportunities would go on to be the foundation of a career defined by marking some of the most iconic people of the last half a century. WASHINGTON Its clear health insurance will cover a coronavirus test for most Americans who need one. But how much will insured people have to pay for it? The answer could dramatic effects on how many people are tested, which could influence the spread of the disease and how it is treated around the country. As events unfold quickly, federal and state officials are wrestling with the insurance question whether covered people should have any co-payments and whether the tests should be subject to deductibles, for example. Theyre also sorting out insurance coverage of Covid-19 treatments and the eventual vaccine, which wont be ready until well into 2021 at the soonest, experts say. And Congress debating how to make coronavirus-related health care affordable for millions of Americans who lack insurance. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence met with nine health insurance executives at the White House some from Connecticut to discuss how private insurers are responding to the outbreak. SIGN UP: Get the latest Connecticut coronavirus news delivered directly to your inbox The Trump administration has already directed Medicare and Medicaid to cover the costs of coronavirus tests. But details on how much insured Americans will pay out-of-pocket for the covered test are still emerging, as is coverage information for therapeutics and vaccines. Its a key issue insurers, some of whom are major employers in Connecticut, are confronting now. The White House meeting Tuesday included leaders from Anthem, which operates the Blue Cross and Blue Shield brand in several states; UnitedHealth Group; Aetna/CVS Health; and Bloomfield-based Cigna all with large operations and sales in Connecticut as well as the heads of Humana, Centene Corp. and Kaiser Health Plan Inc. These companies agreed to waive all co-pays for coronavirus testing and extend coverage for coronavirus treatment in all their benefit plans, Pence announced Tuesday. They also agreed to no surprise billing for medical services, Pence said, referring to hefty bills for out-of network services that a customer cant control, such as in emergency rooms. Some of these companies have gone a step further, promising coronavirus tests will come with no out-of-pocket costs meaning no co-pays, coinsurance or deductibles. Aetna/CVS Health, UnitedHealth Group and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield in Connecticut have made such promises in statements to the press. Wendy Sherry, president of Cignas Connecticut market said Tuesday, Cigna will cover the full cost of COVID-19 testing for our customers when its prescribed by a health practitioner. Humana will also waive out-of-pocket costs associated with COVID-19 testing, according to the trade association Americas Health Insurance Plans, which also attended the Tuesday White House meeting. The private insurers who attended the White House meeting will also cover tele-medicine services, Pence said. A coronavirus bill signed by Trump Friday will also allow seniors using Medicare to access tele-medicine services for coronavirus treatment in their homes. I think that tremendous progress is being made, Trump said Tuesday. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and Insurance Commissioner Andrew N. Mais have encouraged all Connecticut health insurers regulated by the Connecticut Insurance Department to promise no out-of-pocket costs for a provider visit and testing or tele-health treatment for COVID-19. Im encouraging all employers to follow the lead of the health insurance industry in affirming that their plans will be covering coronavirus testing with no out-of-pocket costs, Connecticuts healthcare advocate, Ted Doolittle, said. State Senate Democrats in Connecticut sent a letter to Lamont Friday, asking that he require all insurers to provide the testing with no cost to consumers. Its unclear whether Lamont could order that, but on Tuesday, Sen. Matt Lesser, D-Middletown, co-chairman of the legislatures insurance committee, issued a statement praising the actions by the governor and insurance department. New York went further, requiring all health insurers in the state to waive all cost-sharing associated with coronavirus testing, including emergency room, urgent care and office visits. Washington state also issued an emergency order requiring insurers to waive co-pays and deductibles for any person needing a COVID-19 test. Both New York and Washington have over 100 confirmed cases of coronavirus. Connecticut had two confirmed cases, as of late Tuesday, at least one of which was contracted on a visit to California, health officials said. Left unsaid in the push for free coverage of coronavirus teasting and treatment is how the costs will be covered in the long run. At the state level, where insurers and regulators haggle every year over allowable rates, coronavirus coverage is likely to become part of the mix of costs which could raise rates on all plans. Ensuring coronavirus health care is affordable is fore of mind for Democrats in Congress, who are pressing for additional measures in possible new legislation to address the outbreak. When theres insurance coverage available, thats probably the best way to pay for it, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn, said about coronavirus health care. Thats why we have insurance. But for those who dont have an insurance to cover it, then as a public health matter we should ensure that cost isnt a barrier to getting tested and getting treated. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Democratic Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said Sunday they will push for cost-free testing for all Americans, patient reimbursement for any non-covered coronavirus-related costs and protections from price gouging of medical and non-medical essentials during this emergency. Schumer announced last week that he will advocate for legislation to make sure the coronavirus vaccine is also covered by Medicare and free for eligible seniors. Insurance issues are often contentious in Connecticut, a center of the industry, as lawmakers push for more coverage at lower cost to consumers and the companies sometimes push back. Aetna, part of Rhode Island-based CVS Health, has its insurance and health management headquarters in Hartford and Cigna, founded as Connecticut General in Hartford, is in Bloomfield. The insurance industry contributes $13.9 billion to the states gross domestic product or about 5 percent of the states total activity. Nearly 3 percent of all working people were employed directly in insurance in 2018, the highest percentage of any state, according to the latest 2018 Connecticut Insurance Market Brief, prepared by PwC and Connecticut Insurance & Financial Services, an economic development group. emilie.munson@hearstdc.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A man charged with abusing the corpse of a missing Alabama woman was granted bond Tuesday. Fredrick Hamptons bond was set at $15,000 and he must wear an electronic monitor, news outlets reported. Hampton, 50, was arrested in January at a home in Cleveland, Ohio. He is not charged in Paighton Houstons death but is charged with abuse of the Trussville womans corpse. Houston, 29, was last seen on Dec. 20, leaving a Birmingham bar with two men. Family members told news outlets that she later sent a text to a friend asking the person to answer if she called because she didnt know who she was with and feared that she was in trouble. Her body was found on Jan. 3 in a shallow grave behind a home in Hueytown, about 13 miles (21 kilometres) west of Birmingham. The home belongs to relatives of Hampton. Jefferson County Coroner Bill Yates ruled Houstons death an accidental overdose. He said she died of morphine and methamphetamine toxicity. Deputy Chief David Agee said Houston and Hampton were wilfully together the night she disappeared. He said evidence shows after Houston died, Hampton disposed of her body. Hampton is a convicted sex offender, but his attorney, Emory Anthony, said he is not a flight risk. Hes presumed to be not guilty, hes entered a pleas of not guilty and well see whether the state of Alabama can carry their burden of proof, Anthony said. On trial: Former first minister of Scotland Alex Salmond arrives at the High Court in Edinburgh. Photo: Jane Barlow Former first minister of Scotland Alex Salmond has lodged defences to accusations of sexual assault. The 65-year-old arrived at the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday for the first day of his trial over accusations of sexual assault, including one of attempted rape. His lawyer Gordon Jackson QC lodged special defences of consent and alibi. Consent was given as a defence for three alleged sexual assaults and an alleged indecent assault against three women. Alibi was claimed for a charge of sexual assault against a woman. The first complainant began giving evidence shortly before lunch and told the court she had supported independence. She was asked by advocate depute Alex Prentice QC if she supported the objectives of the SNP. The woman said: "I never grew up political. I was a soft supporter of independence but I wasn't necessarily hardcore party politically orientated." Judge Lady Dorrian earlier told the jury of nine women and six men they must be "impartial" during the trial. The judge said the accused is a "very well known figure" and they should decide the case on the evidence heard in court and "nothing else". She added: "The overriding requirement that you must satisfy is that of impartiality. "You cannot allow yourselves to be swayed by sympathy or prejudice." Salmond faces 14 charges of alleged offences against 10 women, all of which he has pleaded not guilty to. The charges span a period between June 29, 2008 and November 11, 2014, with one sexual assault said to have taken place in the month of the Scottish independence referendum in September 2014. The indictment alleges Mr Salmond attempted to rape a woman at the first minister's official residence, Bute House in Edinburgh, in June 2014. It is said he placed her legs over his, repeatedly kissed her face and neck, groped her and then blocked her path. Mr Salmond is then alleged to have pinned her against a wall, pulled at her clothes and stripped himself naked before trying to rape her on a bed. The former MP is also accused of sexually assaulting a woman with intent to rape in December 2013. He is alleged to have forced a woman to lie on his bed at Bute House and then pulled up her dress with intent to rape her. The first charge listed accuses Mr Salmond of indecently assaulting a woman by kissing her mouth and groping her on various occasions around Glasgow between June 29, 2008 and July 24, 2008. It is also alleged he sexually assaulted a woman on various occasions between May 2011 and June 2013 at the Scottish Parliament, Bute House and elsewhere by touching her bottom and stroking other parts of her body. Mr Salmond - who was Scotland's first minister from 2007 to 2014 - is also accused of sexual assault by allegedly taking off a woman's shoe and trying to kiss her foot in October 2013. He is further accused of grabbing a woman by her shoulders at Bute House, repeatedly kissing her face, trying to kiss her lips and touching her leg and face in September 2014, the month of the Scottish independence referendum. Several charges involved the accused allegedly groping women, including one incident at a restaurant in Glasgow in March 2012. Mr Salmond's trial, which is expected to last for four weeks, continues. Merdeka.com - Akun Facebook Nurwanti Listya Dewi menyebarkan pesan berantai tentang organisasi UNICEF yang memberikan tips untuk mencegah penularan virus corona atau Covid-19 pada 7 Maret 2020. Akun ini menyebarkan pesan berantai yang diklaim dari UNICEF. *INFORMASI PENTING*1. Corona merupakan virus berukuran besar. Diameter virus ini 400-500 micro, sehingga masker jenis apa pun dapat mencegah masuknya ke tubuh kita dan tidak perlu menggunakan masker yang mahal. 2. Virus corona tidak melayang di udara, tapi menempel pada benda, sehingga penularannya tidak melalui udara. 3. Apabila menempel di permukaan logam, virus corona dapat hidup selama 12 jam. Mencuci tangan dengan sabun dan air sudah cukup. 4. Apabila menempel di kain, virus corona dapat hidup selama 9 jam, sehingg mencuci pakaian atau menjemurnya di bawah sinar matahari selama 2 jam sudah cukup untuk membunuhnya. 5. Apabila menempel di tangan, virus corona dapat hidup selama 10 menit, sehingga menyediakan _*sterilizer*_ berbahan dasar alkohol cukup untuk berjaga-jaga. 6. Apabila berada di udara bersuhu 26-27 C, virus corona akan mati sehinga tidak hidup di daerah panas . Di samping itu, minum air panas dan berjemur di bawah sinar matahari sudah cukup sebagai pencegahan.Menghindari makanan dan minuman dingin termasuk ice cream sangat penting. 7. Berkumur sampai dalam dengan air hangat dan garam akan membunuh virus corona di sekitar anak tekak (telak - Jw.) dan mencegahnya masuk kedalam paru-paru. Dengan mengikuti petunjuk ini cukup untuk mencegah virus corona. *UNICEF* Mohon sebarkan informasi ini untuk mencegah timbulnya ketakutan yang tidak perlu. Konten yang disebarkan akun Facebook Nurwanti Listya Dewi telah 6.100 kali dibagikan dan mendapat 298 komentar warganet. Penelusuran Cek fakta Liputan6.com menelusuri kebenaran tentang pesan berantai yang diklaim dari UNICEF. Penelusuran dilakukan menggunakan situs pencari google dengan memasukkan kata kunci "Message on Coronavirus from Unicef". Hasilnya terdapat beberapa artikel yang membantah pesan berantai tersebut. Satu di antaranya yang dimuat situs thequint.com dengan judul artikel "Message on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Neither From UNICEF Nor Accurate". With 28 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in India and the global number climbing to 93,000, there is a deluge of misinformation around the outbreak. CLAIM Against this backdrop, an unverified message claiming to be from UNICEF (United Nations International Children Education Fund) is doing rounds on various social media platforms. The message is being widely shared on Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter. WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR The Quint can confirm that the guidelines mentioned in the viral message are misleading and have not been issued by UNICEF. You can find the list of UNICEF guidelines on coronavirus here. Now, let us asses the veracity of each claim. 1. The virus does not settle in the air, but on the ground, so it is not transmitted by air: While the viral message claims that coronavirus is not transmitted by air and settles on the ground, according to WHO findings, coronavirus can spread from person to person through small droplets, when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales. These droplets land on objects and surfaces around the person. Other people then catch COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. People can also catch COVID-19 if they breathe in droplets that are coughed out or exhaled by a person with COVID-19. So far, there is no information about where the virus settles. 2. Coronavirus when it falls on a metal surface, will live for 12 hours, so washing hands with soap and water well enough: Quint FIT spoke to Professor Ramanan Laxminarayan, Director of Centre for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy, who informed us that washing hands and using hand sanitisers are important precautions one can take to prevent coronavirus infection. He also mentioned that coronavirus cannot survive on a surface for more than 12 hours. 3. If the virus is exposed to a temperature of 26-27 C. it will be killed, as it does not live in hot regions: The fact that coronavirus cannot survive in warmer temperatures has not been established yet. Professor Laxminarayan says, Several coronavirus cases have been reported in tropical countries. However, as respiratory pathogens usually disappear in summers, the same is possible with coronavirus. Well have to wait to find that out. 4. Drinking hot water and sun exposure will do the trick and staying away from ice cream and eating cold is important: There is no study yet which suggests that drinking hot water can help contain coronavirus or avoiding frozen food or ice creams can reduce the risks of contracting the infection. Quint Fit had earlier debunked this claim. 5. Coronavirus is large in size, with a cell diameter of 400-500 micro, so any mask that prevents its entry does not need to be used by pharmacists to trade muzzles: According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), usage of masks does not particularly help in preventing the contraction of coronavirus. A person needs to wear a mask only if they are taking care of an infected patient. Dalam artikel tersebut dijelaskan pesan berantai yang terlanjur viral itu bukan berasal dari UNICEF. Pesan berantai tersebut diduga berasal dari sumber yang tidak terverifikasi. Artikel tersebut juga menyertakan pedoman pencegahan Covid-19 yang dikeluarkan UNICEF. Pedoman tersebut diunggah situs resmi UNICEF, unicef.org dengan judul "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): What parents should know". What is a novel coronavirus? A novel coronavirus (CoV) is a new strain of coronavirus. The disease caused by the novel coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, China, has been named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) CO stands for corona, VI for virus, and D for disease. Formerly, this disease was referred to as 2019 novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV. The COVID-19 virus is a new virus linked to the same family of viruses as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and some types of common cold. How does the COVID-19 virus spread? The virus is transmitted through direct contact with respiratory droplets of an infected person (generated through coughing and sneezing), and touching surfaces contaminated with the virus. The COVID-19 virus may survive on surfaces for several hours, but simple disinfectants can kill it. What are the symptoms of coronavirus? Symptoms can include fever, cough and shortness of breath. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia or breathing difficulties. More rarely, the disease can be fatal. These symptoms are similar to the flu (influenza) or the common cold, which are a lot more common than COVID-19. This is why testing is required to confirm if someone has COVID-19. Its important to remember that key prevention measures are the same frequent hand washing, and respiratory hygiene (cover your cough or sneeze with a flexed elbow or tissue, then throw away the tissue into a closed bin). Also, there is a vaccine for the flu so remember to keep yourself and your child up to date with vaccinations. How can I avoid the risk of infection? Here are four precautions you and your family can take to avoid infection: Should I wear a medical mask? The use of a medical mask is advised if you have respiratory symptoms (coughing or sneezing) to protect others. If you dont have any symptoms, then there is no need to wear a mask. If masks are worn, they must be used and disposed of properly to ensure their effectiveness and to avoid any increased risk of transmitting the virus. The use of a mask alone is not enough to stop infections and must be combined with frequent hand washing, covering sneezes and coughs, and avoiding close contact with anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms (coughing, sneezing, fever). Does COVID-19 affect children? This is a new virus and we do not know enough yet about how it affects children or pregnant women. We know it is possible for people of any age to be infected with the virus, but so far there have been relatively few cases of COVID-19 reported among children. The virus is fatal in rare cases, so far mainly among older people with pre-existing medical conditions. What should I do if my child has symptoms of COVID-19? Seek medical attention, but remember that its flu season in the Northern Hemisphere, and symptoms of COVID-19 such as cough or fever can be similar to those of the flu, or the common cold which are a lot more frequent. Continue to follow good hand and respiratory hygiene practices like regular handwashing, and keep your child up to date with vaccinations so that your child is protected against other viruses and bacteria causing diseases. As with other respiratory infections like the flu, seek care early if you or your child are having symptoms, and try to avoid going to public places (workplace, schools, public transport), to prevent spread to others. What should I do if a family member displays symptoms? You should seek medical care early if you or your child has a fever, cough or difficulty breathing. Consider calling ahead to tell your health care provider if you have traveled to an area where COVID-19 has been reported, or if you have been in close contact with someone with who has traveled from one of these areas and has respiratory symptoms. Should I take my child out of school? If your child is having symptoms, seek medical care, and follow the instructions from the health care provider. Otherwise, as with other respiratory infections like the flu, keep your child well rested at home while symptomatic, and avoid going to public places, to prevent spread to others. If your child isnt displaying any symptoms such as a fever or cough and unless a public health advisory or other relevant warning or official advice has been issued affecting your childs school its best to keep your child in class. Instead of keeping children out of school, teach them good hand and respiratory hygiene practices for school and elsewhere, like frequent handwashing (see below), covering cough or sneeze with a flexed elbow or tissue, then throwing away the tissue into a closed bin, not touching their eyes, mouths or noses if they havent properly washed their hands. What is the best way to wash hands properly? Step 1: Wet hands with running water Step 2: Apply enough soap to cover wet hands Step 3: Scrub all surfaces of the hands including back of hands, between fingers and under nails for at least 20 seconds. Step 4: Rinse thoroughly with running water Step 5: Dry hands with a clean cloth or single-use towel Wash your hands often, especially before eating; after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; and going to the bathroom. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water, if hands are visibly dirty. What precautions should I take for my family if we travel? Anyone planning a trip overseas should always check the travel advisory for their destination country for any restrictions on entry, quarantine requirements on entry, or other relevant travel advice. In addition to taking standard travel precautions, and in order to avoid being quarantined or denied re-entry into your home country, you are also advised to check the latest COVID-19 update on the International Air Transport Association website, which includes a list of countries and restriction measures. While traveling, all parents should follow standard hygiene measures for themselves and their children: Wash hands frequently or use an alcohol-based sanitizer with at least 60 per cent alcohol, practice good respiratory hygiene (cover your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze and immediately dispose of the used tissue) and avoid close contact with anyone who is coughing or sneezing. In addition, it is recommended that parents always carry a hand sanitizer, pack of disposable tissues, and disinfecting wipes. Additional recommendations include: Clean your seat, armrest, touchscreen, etc. with a disinfecting wipe once inside an aircraft or other vehicle. Also use a disinfecting wipe to clean key surfaces, doorknobs, remote controls, etc at the hotel or other accommodation where you and your children are staying. Can pregnant women pass coronavirus to unborn children? At this time, there is not enough evidence to determine whether the virus is transmitted from a mother to her baby during pregnancy, or the potential impact this may have on the baby. This is currently being investigated. Pregnant women should continue to follow appropriate precautions to protect themselves from exposure to the virus, and seek medical care early, if experiencing symptoms, such as fever, cough or difficulty breathing. Is it safe for a mother to breastfeed if she is infected with coronavirus? All mothers in affected and at-risk areas who have symptoms of fever, cough or difficulty breathing, should seek medical care early, and follow instructions from a health care provider. Considering the benefits of breastfeeding and the insignificant role of breastmilk in the transmission of other respiratory viruses, the mother can continue breastfeeding, while applying all the necessary precautions. For symptomatic mothers well enough to breastfeed, this includes wearing a mask when near a child (including during feeding), washing hands before and after contact with the child (including feeding), and cleaning/disinfecting contaminated surfaces as should be done in all cases where anyone with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 interacts with others, including children. If a mother is too ill, she should be encouraged to express milk and give it to the child via a clean cup and/or spoon all while following the same infection prevention methods. What is UNICEF doing to help? As of 1 March, UNICEF had delivered nearly $1 million worth of supplies including masks, protective gloves, and goggles for health workers in China. UNICEF is also working with the World Health Organization, the National Health Commission and other partners to strengthen risk communication and tackle misinformation so that children, pregnant women and their families know how to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This includes the development of online training modules for health workers, and FAQs and guidance for pregnant women and children. On 17 February, UNICEF appealed for US$42.3 million to scale up support for efforts to contain the COVID-19 virus outbreak. The preliminary funds will support UNICEFs work to reduce the transmission of the virus, including by strengthening risk communication and tackling misinformation. Kesimpulan Pesan berantai tentang pencegahan terhadap virus corona yang diklaim dari UNICEF ternyata tidak benar. Narasi yang disebarkan oleh akun Facebook Nurwanti Listya Dewi tidak sesuai dengan fakta sebenarnya. [dan] English Danish Company announcement no 2020-04 10 March 2020 Annual general meeting Today, Demant A/S held its annual general meeting at the companys premises, Kongebakken 9, 2765 Smrum, Denmark. All proposals put forward by the Board were adopted by the general meeting, implying among others the following decisions: The companys Annual Report 2019 was approved, and the years profit, DKK 971 million, will be transferred to the companys reserves. The Boards remuneration for the 2020 financial year was approved. Niels B. Christiansen, Niels Jacobsen, Benedikte Leroy and Lars Rasmussen were re-elected members of the Board of Directors. Anja Madsen was elected new member of the Board of Directors. The companys auditors, Deloitte Statsautoriseret Revisionspartnerselskab, were re-elected. The companys share capital will be reduced by nominally DKK 919,173.40, corresponding to the companys holding of treasury shares at 4 February 2020. The companys holding of treasury shares was acquired during 2019. As a result of the capital reduction, article 4.1 of the articles of association will be amended no later than four weeks after expiry of the deadline for the filing of claims by creditors, which means that upon expiry of this deadline, it will appear from article 4.1 that the companys share capital is DKK 48,138,234. Until the next ordinary general meeting, the Board was authorised to let the company buy back shares with a nominal value of up to 10% of the share capital. A revised version of the companys remuneration policy was approved. In his address, the Chairman of the Board, Niels B. Christiansen, gave an account of the Groups development in 2019. He said among other things: 2019 was an eventful year for the Group: We changed our name and launched new, innovative products, which means that all our business activities now have completely updated and leading product portfolios for the benefit of our customers and users. We introduced the first Philips-branded hearing aids on the market where they got a positive reception, and we launched EPOS to support our growth ambitions in the intelligent audio and video solutions business area. Unfortunately, 2019 will also be remembered as the year where we were hit by cybercrime, which had a significant, negative impact and meant that we did not achieve satisfactory results for 2019. We did everything we could to limit the impact on our business, and I notice that both in difficult times and in general, the Groups employees display great engagement in their work and thus contribute to fulfilling our ambitions, says Niels B. Christiansen, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Demant. After the general meeting, the Board of Directors elected Niels B. Christiansen Chairman and Niels Jacobsen Deputy Chairman of the Board. * * * * * * * Further information: Sren Nielsen, President & CEO Phone +45 3917 7300 www.demant.com Other contacts: Rene Schneider, CFO Mathias Holten Mller, Head of IR Christian Lange, IR Officer Trine Kromann-Mikkelsen, VP Corporate Communication and Relations Attachment By Ofeliya Afandiyeva President Ilham Aliyev has said that the February 9 snap elections resulted in the forming of a multi-party Parliament in the country and that all political forces participated in the elections. The president also said that inter-party dialogue will help to implement reforms in the country more easily. Aliyev made the remarks while attending the first session of the Parliaments sixth convocation on March 10. A multi-party parliament has been formed as a result of the elections involving all political forces, and I believe that this is an important step forward in the development of democracy. As you know, the New Azerbaijan Party won the majority of seats. Obviously, the New Azerbaijan Party has a quite valuable and effective say in the Milli Majlis. Deputies from the New Azerbaijan Party gathered this morning upon my request and took important decisions. My recommendation was that representatives of the parties should be represented in the leadership of the parliament and the committees of the sixth convocation. This has never been the case before. Opposition members were not represented in the leadership of the committees of the Milli Majlis and in the parliamentary leadership during the last convocation. But I believe that there is a need for Azerbaijan to strengthen its political system and strengthen its political relations on a healthy basis. I think the New Azerbaijan Party is taking the right step in this area for the common good, the president said while addressing the parliaments session. The president said that the new Parliament will improve the countrys political system. The elections have once again demonstrated that our policy is highly appreciated by the people The sixth convocation is the multi-party parliament. This is a very positive sign. I believe that the Parliament will and should play a crucial role in improving the political system. All political forces participated in the elections. Just a marginal group, calling itself the opposition, supposedly boycotted the elections. This is ridiculous, because the Azerbaijani people have long boycotted this shameful structure, which has been in the dustbin of history for 27 years. In such a situation, the announcement of the boycott is both funny and surprising, Aliyev highlighted. Aliyev also said that inter-party dialogue will help to implement reforms more easily. I believe that political reforms should be carried out in the current large-scale reforms period. Political reforms cannot be implemented without extensive inter-party dialogue. One party - the ruling party cannot conduct political dialogue alone. Because there is a need for dialogue and the initial impression is positive. This initiative is implemented without any conditions. However, the association-type group that marginalized and lost all its support, refused to meet... A new political configuration of Azerbaijan is being formed. I believe that the Parliament will take the necessary steps to improve the political system in the legislative sphere and the multi-party system in Azerbaijan will be built on a solid basis. Presently, no serious criteria are required to create a political party. I think this practice should be stopped I think this will be one of the issues on the agenda of the Milli Majlis, the president said. Both the elections and the post-election period, and the steps taken by the government towards political parties - all this represents a new stage in our existing policy. This is a manifestation of our reformist course. As you know, a new phase of reforms began after the 2018 presidential election, Aliyev went on saying. Furthermore the president said that there will be further reshuffling in central and local executive bodies as well as in all government agencies. I reiterate that if someone wants to work in public sphere, his intentions and deeds must be pure. If a person does not have these qualities, he should quit his job. I recommend that MPs be active in the constituencies from which they are elected and be constantly in contact with voters. It is no secret that in the past, some parliamentarians - to some extent or completely had kept distance from the voters. They did not visit their own constituencies and were not interested in citizens problems. This must be stopped. In the past, there have been many cases to appoint relatives in positions, to acquire some land, to provide support for some business and so on Therefore, the newly formed Milli Majlis must be morally flawless. Because, this is the essence of our major reforms, the president said while defining the mission of the MPs. The head of the state particularly stressed the success of the February 9 snap parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan: The parliamentary elections held on February 9 became a significant event in the life of our country. All elections are an important event, but the feature of the current elections was that they were snap. The main reason for holding these elections in February is to deepen the reforms and without wasting time, to organize the function of the Milli Majlis in the new composition. I believe that the electoral process was successful and this time great interest was shown in the elections Equal conditions were created for all candidates, no discrimination was allowed. In fact, the participation of more than 1300 candidates is a manifestation of their confidence in the elections. I consider that in general, the election process was successful and the election results reflected the will of the Azerbaijani people. The main thing is that the Azerbaijani people were satisfied with the elections. Aliyev also touched upon international assessment of the parliamentary elections: To monitor the elections, we invited international organizations, observers and the vast majority of them very positively assessed the preparation period, the campaign period, and the election day. It can be said that the absolute majority of observers considered the elections as another successful step in the development of democracy and stated that the Azerbaijani people freely exercise their suffrage and the election results reflect the real picture. The international observers who declared this, of course, reflected the real state of affairs. At the same time, always approaching the election process in Azerbaijan through the prism of double standards and in a biased way, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and some structures under its influence, found some gaps and tried to present them as a big deal. Not a single election is perfect. There were shortcomings this time too, and the cancellation of the results in four constituencies indicates that Azerbaijan itself is interested prevent such negative cases, the president said. He added that the main goal was to ensure a healthy election environment for the Azerbaijani people. Aliyev highlighted the non-constructive approach of the OSCE ODIHR. The election assessment of the OSCE ODIHR in some countries shows again and again how biased and prejudiced their functions are. It indicates that this organization carries out a political order. The last example was the 2018 parliamentary elections in Armenia. As you know, these elections were completely faked by the ruling Nazi Republican Party - I call this party Nazi, not only because of their ideology and their essence, but also for their symbol. It is enough for anyone to see that there is no difference between the symbol of Armenian Republican party and Nazi Germany and the OSCE ODIHR gave a positive conclusion about these rigged elections, during which the Republican Party fraudulently won more than 50 percent of the vote. In addition, the head of the state underlined the statement by the European Union regarding the elections: We did not send an invitation to the European Parliament because, firstly, we are not a member of this organization, and secondly, we do not see the need for it, for the same reasons. Thus, the European Parliament has taken the leading position in adopting unfair resolutions against Azerbaijan. Their resolutions are totally meaningless to us, but I must say that such trends are still observed today. The head of the state pointed out that the main task of the MPs is to enrich legislative base of the state, to control implementation of the laws and to follow new challenges in the world in order to adjust legislative base according to it. I believe that the legislative framework related to our national values and the preservation of our traditional national values should be wider, Aliyev said. In general, our activities within international organizations should be more purposeful. The MPs who represent us there should be active, not to act as tourists, and then have to report, he stressed the significance of deputies role within international arena. Furthermore, Aliyev mentioned the importance of the contributions in economic, social, information security, interreligious and intercultural dialogue aspects by the parliament. He also praised stability in Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani people live in peace, stability and security. We have been living in a stable environment for almost 27 years. The countries are fragmented, and the geographical boundaries of some countries do not reflect the real situation, that is, they simply maintain their sovereignty and territorial integrity on the map. In fact, they have long lost, they have long been divided into tribes, sects, and different regions. How many unfortunate processes and revolutions have taken place in our neighborhood. What benefits did revolutions give? Only damage, problems, confrontation, the president said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Senior Haryana Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi on Tuesday described Jyotiraditya Scindia's exit from the party a big blow and said there are many devoted leaders across the country who feel "alienated, wasted and discontented". Stressing that Scinda was a central pillar of the party, Bishnoi, who is younger son of the former Haryana chief minister Bhajan Lal, felt that the Congress leadership should have done more to convince him to stay. He also said the party needs to empower young leaders who have the capacity to work hard and resonate with the masses. "Scindia's departure is a big blow to the Congress. He was a central pillar in the party and the leadership should've done more to convince him to stay," the 51-year-old Adampur MLA said in a tweet. "Like him, there are many other devoted INC leaders across the country who feel alienated, wasted & discontented," Bishnoi added. Bishnoi, who in the past was a known detractor of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, in another tweet said, "India's oldest party needs to empower young leaders who have the capacity to work hard and resonate with the masses." Bishnoi, who is a four-time legislator and has remained the Lok Sabha MP twice, had floated his own outfit the Haryana Janhit Congress over 10 years ago when the Congress high command picked Hooda over Bhajan Lal for the chief minister's post in 2005. At that time, Hooda was an MP from Rohtak. Bishnoi and his father had severed ties with the Congress and floated their own outfit. His party had also entered into an alliance with the BJP but the arrangement did not work and their pact broke weeks before the 2104 assembly polls. In 2016, Bishnoi returned to the Congress. He merged his party with the Congress. At present, Hooda is the Leader of Opposition in the Haryana assembly. Last year, Bishnoi had termed the scrapping of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 a good decision. Earlier on Tuesday, in a massive setback for the Congress, its prominent youth leader Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the party and appeared to join the BJP amid a rebellion in Madhya Pradesh by his supporters, pushing the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government to the brink of collapse. A shell-shocked Congress, in a largely symbolic move of no consequence, expelled Scindia, the party general secretary and scion of the erstwhile Gwalior royal family, on charges of anti-party activities. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Democratic presidential hopefuls Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (L) and former Vice President Joe Biden chat during a break in the fourth Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season co-hosted by The New York Times and CNN at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio on October 15, 2019. Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images WASHINGTON There is more at stake in the race between former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders than simply who will top the Democratic Party's ticket in November. It's a battle to control the direction the party will take over the next decade, and to define and shape the party's core message. As Sanders and Biden compete for the primary prize of Michigan's 125 pledged delegates on Tuesday, nowhere is there more significant, and potentially consequential, distance between the two men than there is on trade policy. Sanders has spent his career leading the opposition to foreign trade deals. In Congress, he has voted against every trade agreement that has come to the floor in the past three decades, save for a 2011 South Korea vote that he sat out. Biden meanwhile, is a lifelong advocate for foreign trade. He voted for the North American Free Trade Agreement in the Senate, supported allowing China to join the World Trade Organization and, as vice president, tried unsuccessfully to convince Democrats to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The politics of trade in Michigan are tricky for Biden, even though polls there show him leading Sanders by double digits going into Tuesday's primary. That's because Sanders won the 2016 Michigan primary, defeating Hillary Clinton in part by promising an end to trade deals that have hurt organized labor and manufacturing in the state. Trump went on to narrowly win Michigan in the general election in large part by railing against trade deals like NAFTA, and promising an "America First" approach to the rest of the world. The billionaire businessman's message appealed to union workers and blue collar voters in Michigan, whose industries had been gutted for decades by shifts in manufacturing overseas. Today, even before the eventual Democratic nominee will take on Trump, the schism between Sanders and Biden on trade reflects an ongoing battle over a crucial piece of the party's platform. Democrats and free trade 101 "This primary is a referendum on the concept of free trade, as it has existed as a pivotal platform of the Democratic Party ever since the 'New Democrats' of the 1990s," said professor Greg Brew of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University. "At the end of the 1970s, both parties seemed to acknowledge that the wide approach to trade, what we were doing as a country, wasn't working," Brew said in an interview Monday. "All these presidents tried different policies over a decade and none of them really worked." Then, in the 1980s, Democrats began embracing the notion that globalized trade would lead to economic expansion and growth, Brew said. "This grew under Bill Clinton, who embraced NAFTA, letting China in the WTO, and a heavier reliance on financing for growth," he added. "Joseph Biden as a senator was marching in step with this." This approach to macroeconomic policy is what's known as the "Washington Consensus," Brew said. "And in a nutshell, it says you can spur economic growth by deregulating, opening up markets to foreign trade and investment and moving capital to where it's needed. And this primary is a referendum on the Washington consensus." Representatives for the Biden and Sanders campaigns did not return a request for comment. The silence is understandable, however, given how fraught a subject trade is within Democratic ranks. "The reputation of trade, and NAFTA specifically, especially for the auto industry, is pretty negative, at least in southeast Michigan. Alan V. Deardorff professor, the University of Michigan "The reputation of trade, and NAFTA specifically, especially for the auto industry, is pretty negative, at least in southeast Michigan," said Alan V. Deardorff, a professor of international economics and public policy at the University of Michigan. "Sanders thinks his views will help him in Michigan, or at least in southeast Michigan, whereas Biden presumably knows he does not want to talk about this a lot," Deardorff said in an interview Monday. "There are plenty of people in Michigan that believe that trade has hurt the state," Deardorff said. But he also acknowledged a potential problem for Sanders: His views on trade seem more sympathetic to Trump's than one might want in a nominee to run against Trump. For now, however, Sanders is focused on the primary, and on drawing distinctions with Biden, not Trump. "In the industrial Midwest, Sanders is arguing that Trump won these states in 2016 with the same arguments that Sanders himself is making, and that's why he should be the one to face Trump in these crucial swing states: Because a protectionist platform worked here the last time," said Brew, of Southern Methodist University. "But the realities of renegotiating big trade deals and dealing with tariffs have turned out to be very different from the 2016 campaign promises of 'America First' and tougher trade deals," he added. "And after four years of trade wars and retaliatory tariffs under Trump, it's a risky proposition for Sanders to argue that we need more of both." A shifting view of trade In many ways, the Sanders campaign's effort to draw a clear line between his opposition to trade deals and Biden's support for them is also predicated on political divides that were pivotal to the 2016 election but which, four years later, may not exist in the same forms anymore. In 2016, Trump capitalized on what he painted as a deep divide between "liberal elites" on the coasts and rural Americans in the Midwest; and between blue collar voters and suburban voters. Rural Americans and blue collar voters, Trump argued, had been victimized by a generation's worth of bad trade deals deals that were struck behind closed doors by Washington elites, to benefit billionaires and political donors. But this has changed, said former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, who now works as a pro-trade advocate. "Talking about foreign trade used to be just for Washington elites. But now it's an issue that's being talked about as a kitchen table issue for real people, especially in rural America," said Heitkamp, a CNBC contributor who has endorsed Biden. "After four years of trade wars, midwesterners clearly are appreciating the importance of foreign markets and foreign trade," she said. "Part of this is that we've seen how integrated the supply chains are, and how important the world market is to rural America. And this has recalibrated people's thinking on the need for trade." Indeed, a recent Gallup report revealed that 82% of Democratic voters now say foreign trade is "an opportunity for economic growth," the highest percentage since Gallup first began polling the question in 1992. Heitkamp, however, cautioned that polls like this risk obscuring Democrats' real feelings about trade by giving them only two options: one that Trump has embraced, and one that he hasn't. "They'll disagree with anything he agrees with," she said. The big picture for Biden Listening to Sanders' campaign ads and speeches in the past week, you'd be forgiven for thinking Biden was a heartless corporate capitalist, a friend to the "banksters" who robbed people's pensions. "The community has been decimated by trade deals," a union auto worker in Michigan says to the camera in a recent Sanders campaign TV ad. "Only one candidate for president has consistently opposed every disastrous trade deal. And that candidate is Bernie Sanders." Sanders has worked hard to drive home this characterization of his opponent. "In Michigan, the people here have been devastated, devastated in Flint and Detroit, by these disastrous trade agreements that Joe Biden voted for," Sanders said Sunday on CNN's State of the Union. But experts say Biden's approach to trade is broader, and more complex, than Sanders would have voters believe. "Biden is not just someone who delivers a message of open markets and laissez faire his world view is more nuanced than that," said Jack Caporal, an associate fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and an expert in global trade policy. "It goes back to a line that the Obama administration used, which was basically, we live in a global world, and if the United States retreats and isolates itself, and is no longer seen as a credible rule maker, we'll become a rule taker," Caporal said. "Biden sees trade as a way for the United States to remain a credible rule maker." Trade is part of Biden's broader argument about U.S. influence across the globe, said Brew, of SMU. "What's happening right now on a global scale, with oil prices falling, and global markets struggling to respond to the coronavirus, this could pull in Biden's favor," he said. "By linking trade and foreign policy, Biden can say it's time that we reassert our influence in the world, and lead on these issues, because a world without U.S. leadership includes a host of new instabilities." Kabul [Afghanistan], Mar 10 (ANI): The US has started withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, a spokesman for US Forces in Afghanistan said on Monday, exactly 10 days after the United States signed a deal with the Taliban in Doha amid looming political chaos in Kabul. The US will cut the number of forces in the country to 8,600, according to a statement by US Forces' Afghanistan spokesman Colonel Sonny Leggett. "In accordance with the US-Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Joint Declaration and the US-Taliban Agreement, US Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A) has begun its conditions-based reduction of forces to 8,600 over 135 days," Leggett said in the statement quoted by the US media. "USFOR-A maintains all the military means and authorities to accomplish our objectives -including conducting counter-terrorism operations against al-Qaeda and ISIS-K and providing support to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces," the statement read. "USFOR-A is on track to meet directed force levels while retaining the necessary capabilities," it added. The deal with the Taliban was aimed at bringing peace to Afghanistan after about two decades of war. The pullout of US troops -- a part of the US-Taliban agreement -- came as Afghanistan's rival leaders, Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, were each sworn in as President in separate ceremonies on Monday, creating a complication for the US as it figures out how to move forward on the agreement. The US has not tied the withdrawal to political stability in Afghanistan or any specific outcome from the all-Afghan peace talks. Instead, it depends on the Taliban meeting its commitment to preventing "any group or individual, including al-Qaeda, from using the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the US and its allies". (ANI) [March 10, 2020] Walmart and PenguinPickUp launch first location in Montreal LAVAL, QC, March 10, 2020 /CNW/ - Walmart Canada is offering Montrealers more pickup options with the opening of its first Walmart/PenguinPickUp location in downtown Montreal. The new pickup location will give busy downtown customers who do not have a Walmart store nearby even more options for shopping at Walmart. Located at 1692 Mont-Royal Avenue East, customers can order groceries, general merchandise and other items on Walmart.ca, then choose a convenient time to pick up their items on site. Montreal's first Walmart/PenguinPickUp location is the latest in a suite of innovative stores and services offered by Walmart Canada and third-party partners to help time-strapped downtown customers shop where, when and how they want, while enjoying Walmart's everyday low prices. "Montreal's first Walmart/PenguinPickup location in the heart of the city is about providing Montrealers with greater access to Walmart's low prices in a way that is convenient for them," said Alexis Lanternier, Executive Vice President, e-Commerce. "Investing in innovation is critical for the future of our business and to deliver on the changing needs of our customers with a more flexible and convenient shopping experience, wherever they live." "PenguinPickUp is pleased to support Walmart's initiative to make their online product offering even more accessible via our store located at 1692 Mont-Royal Avenue East, Montreal" said Patrick Jobidon, President of PenguinPickUp. Fast Facts Montreal's first Walmart/PenguinPickup location located at 1692, Mont-Royal Avenue Est, Montreal first Walmart/PenguinPickup location located at 1692, Mont-Royal Avenue Est, Toay's grand opening brings the total number of co-branded Walmart/PenguinPickUp locations to 6 across the country $50 minimum order minimum order $2.97 pickup fee ( $4.97 weekends) pickup fee ( weekends) Hours of operation: Monday to Friday 8am 9 pm , Saturday and Sunday 9am 6pm About Walmart Canada Walmart Canada operates a growing chain of more than 400 stores nationwide serving 1.5 million customers each day. Walmart Canada's flagship online store, Walmart.ca is visited by 900,000 customers daily. With more than 90,000 associates, Walmart Canada is one of Canada's largest employers and is ranked one of the country's top 10 most influential brands. Walmart Canada's extensive philanthropy program is focused on supporting Canadian families in need, and since 1994 Walmart Canada has raised and donated more than $400 million to Canadian charities. Additional information can be found at walmartcanada.ca, facebook.com/walmartcanada and at twitter.com/walmartcanada. About PenguinPickUp PenguinPickUp is a network of free, convenient "one-stop pick-up" locations for all e-commerce purchases including groceries, courier and dry-cleaning services. PenguinPickUp offers a customer-focused experience that allows online shoppers living in urban areas to have their online purchases shipped to a PenguinPickUp where they will be securely stored. They can come and pick up their packages at their convenience. Since its launch three years ago, customers have shipped purchases from more than 5,000 different retailers to PenguinPickUp PenguinPickUp locations can store anything from health & beauty, fashion, apparel, electronics, food (fresh and frozen) to furniture. Customers can ship almost anything to PenguinPickUp from anywhere in the world and any online retailer. PenguinPickUp is owned by Mitchell Goldhar, Executive Chairman of SmartCentres. For more information, please visit penguinpickup.com. SOURCE Walmart Canada [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] S ince the first traces of coronavirus were detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year, the outbreak of Covid-19 has spread globally. Every continent bar Antarctica has been affected by the deadly disease - and confirmed global cases have soared past three million. As of April 29, more than 569,768 people in the UK have been tested for Covid-19, of whom more than 157,149 tested positive. The country's death toll has risen to more than 22,000 - with new daily updates on care home deaths set to see the figure soar further. It comes amid growing uncertainty over when Britain's lockdown will end, with many worried about the crippling effect on the economy. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has warned the country could "fall behind" if it does not set a route out of the curbs. Here is the latest on the situation in European countries affected by coronavirus to date - plus the areas in the UK and London where cases have been reported. European coronavirus map Loading.... Several European countries including France, Italy and Spain have imposed nationwide shut downs in a bid to curtail Covid-19. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also rolled out a lockdown on March 23 after it appeared social distancing guidance issued by the Government was not being followed. Great Britain coronavirus map Loading.... Government scientific experts had predicted the UK's coronavirus outbreak could last for around four to six months. All non-essential shops and businesses have been ordered to close while Brits have been told to stay at home to stem the coronavirus spread. Schools across the UK are shut, except for the children of key workers. Parts of London where people have contracted coronavirus Loading.... London has emerged as the epicentre of Covid-19 in the UK, with deaths in the capital accounting for a large proportion of the overall nationwide toll. Several boroughs are now contending with more than 500 known cases of coronavirus. What is coronavirus? Coronavirus is a new respiratory disease. This particular strain has been named Covid-19, and there is currently no cure for the disease. Symptoms include fever, coughs, tightness in the chest, headaches, shortness of breath, chills and body aches. In more severe cases people with the coronavirus can develop pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. What is the official advice being given? To help contracting or spreading the disease, you should do the following: Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, on a regular basis Wash your hands as soon as you get into work and when you get home If you are unable to wash your hands with soap and water, use hand sanitiser gel Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve when coughing and sneezing Immediately dispose used tissues and wash your hands afterwards Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing If you have symptoms like a fever or a continuous cough, you are advised to stay at home for 7 days. You should only call 111 if you feel you cannot cope with the symptoms, you do not get better after 7 days, or your symptoms worsen. Climate legislation protests in the Pacific Northwest are shining a spotlight on a new trucking and logging activist group that has put down roots in a region with a long history of conflict between rural timber communities and urban environmentalists. Earlier this week about 400 truck drivers rallied at the Washington state capitol in Olympia against a bill they argue would hike fuel prices and threaten their businesses. "The concern is cost," said Todd Stoffel, the owner of a small log truck company in Washougal, Washington and a co-founder of Timber Unity Washington, an offshoot of a group in Oregon that has been holding protests to try to prevent emissions legislation from passing into law. Those protests bore fruit. The Oregon legislative session came to an abrupt close yesterday, effectively killing a controversial bill that would have capped emissions from polluting industries, including transportation fuel providers. The session ended after Republican legislators, galvanized by the Timber Unity rallies, walked out of the capitol last week, denying a quorum Oregon state law requires for the legislature to conduct business. The Washington proposal, aimed at curbing tailpipe emissions, has met with equally vehement opposition. Stoffel's fuel bill would increase by around $6,300 a year if the legislation passes, he told FreightWaves. "The money is just not there." The Timber Wars Conflicts pitting rural natural resource workers against urban groups favoring environmental regulations have been a fixture in the Pacific Northwest since at least the 1980s, when efforts to preserve the spotted owl's habitat helped bring an end to logging on federal land in Oregon. As the environmental debate here shifts from logging to greenhouse gas emissions, Timber Unity, a group with 60,000-plus members, has emerged as the next generation of conservative rural activism. "Timber Unity looks very very similar to groups that organized in the late 1980s and 1990s called the Yellow Ribbon Coalition that organized in response to a lot of the legislation that struck down logging," said Steven Beda, a professor at the University of Oregon who studies Pacific Northwest labor and environmental history. Story continues Then, as now, logging trucks were potent symbols of the timber wars. "A lot of the folks involved in Timber Unity are younger," Beda explained, "but some lived through the spotted owl conflict. So their understanding of protests and politics are really shaped by that era. Because the logging truck became such an important symbol in that era, they are carrying that forward into the present day." A former union pipefitter, Stoffel got into the logging truck business after an injury forced him to look for another job. When he couldn't find another union position, "I had to do something," he said. "So I got my CDL [commercial driving license]." The career change shifted his politics from center left to right. "I didn't see the costs associated with doing business," he said. "When my name went from the back of the check to the front of the check, my whole perspective changed." Shifting Political Alliances That shift dovetails with key realignments in the timber industry over the past century, according to Beda. "For most of the 20th century, most rural counties voted for Democrats because Democrats were aligned with organized labor," he said. But as the Democratic party started to turn away from rural areas, timber workers allied more and more with Republicans and conservative politicians. Simultaneously, the big unions, including the International Woodworkers Union (IWU), which merged with the International Association of Machinists in the 1990s, began to decline. These institutional changes led to a new alliance between timber industry employers and employees, according to Beda. During the 1930s, timber workers battled corporate timber interests, calling on companies to practice environmentally-friendly timber management and support sustainable communities that would lead to healthy forests and jobs. By contrast, the modern day logging and truck protests, Beda said, are notable for the partnerships between workers and employers joining forces to battle environmentalists. The Oregon Trucking Association and the Washington Trucking Associations, the two major trucking associations in the Pacific Northwest, are among the most vocal opponents of state efforts to limit carbon emissions. Adam Lardy shares those sentiments. A co-founder of Timber Unity, Lardy runs a log trucking business in rural Washington County, Oregon. He says he was inspired to act after he heard about Oregon's clean diesel bill, which would have required all trucks to be upgraded with 2010 engines. "I spent my life savings on these trucks," he said. He recalled meeting with Oregon senators and "not believing what was going on down there. Who the hell can afford to spend a quarter of a million dollars on a new log truck and trailer?" Funded with t-shirt and hat sales along with a lot of hoodies this winter Timber Unity isn't going away, Lardy said. Mounting Criticism But as the group gains political clout, it has also drawn scrutiny. A report published this week links the organization to racial extremism and violence. Macroeconomic forces are also bearing down on an organization that blames environmental regulations for the challenges facing rural communities. "The log market is very volatile and right now it's really in the tank," Stoffel said. "The load pays what the mills say it pays, and if it's not enough, then it's tough cookies." Hedging against the downturn, Stofell recently bought a dump truck for hauling asphalt. He said Timber Unity, is about employment in the "whole natural resource sector," and "gives people a voice so their voice can be heard." In Oregon, where Democratic legislators are expected to mount yet another effort to pass a greenhouse gas bill, the message has come through, loud and clear. Political power in the Northwest has pivoted toward cities, Beda said. But Timber Unity's activism, he said "is something that has to be responded to." Image Sourced from Pixabay See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Private equity firm KKR & Co Inc. said late on Monday an employee in its London office had tested positive for coronavirus, and that it would temporarily close both its London offices to have them sanitized. Our London office has recently been impacted, with a member of staff being confirmed with COVID-19, a company spokeswoman said in a statement, adding that the individual was at home and recovering well. As a necessary precaution, the company is temporarily closing both its London offices to implement a thorough cleaning and sanitization process and employees have been asked to work from home until further notice, the spokeswoman said. Bloomberg had first reported the news. KKR said it also requires those employees with close contact with the impacted individual to self-quarantine themselves for 14 days. KKR is the latest to join a slew of banks in London to send staff home and to other locations in a bid to contain the spread of the virus in the main financial hub. More than 111,600 people have been infected by the virus globally and over 3,800 have died, according to a Reuters tally of government announcements. (Reporting by Bhargav Acharya in Bengaluru; editing by Shailesh Kuber) Topics COVID-19 London Salesforce's World Tour conference in Sydney usually attracts more than 10,000 attendees but last week the only people who turned up were the speakers after the event was moved online. The sales platform's decision to shift its annual Australian conference to the internet is in line with companies around the world, which have switched to remote conferences in a bid to protect against coronavirus. Pip Marlow, head of Salesforce in Australia and New Zealand, said going online enabled the sales platform to connect globally. Credit:Louise Kennerley Technology company Atlassian is moving its annual conference scheduled for April in Las Vegas online, while large international conferences are also seeking alternative arrangements, with technology and music conference South by South West (SXSW) in Austin Texas that was scheduled for this week cancelled by "devastated" organisers who are scrambling to organise a virtual conference for the estimated 400,000 attendees. The shift to online is a massive blow to Australia's $30 billion events and conference industry, but businesses which offer remote conference software are in demand. We've read that cows are bad for global warming because they burp out methane gas, which traps heat more in the air, and their grazing land rules it out to be used as agricultural bent. But a new research claims that cows are in fact essential for reducing global warming, as they help reintroduce carbon from the air into the soil they graze on -- besides just being an abundant source of meat for the world to eat. Getty Researchers at UC Davis claim that a single cow can belch roughly 100 kg of methane each year, and since there are over a billion cows on the planet, that's releasing a lot of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere which contributes to global warming. This has been the accepted wisdom so far. But a whole new branch of research from Texas A&M University led by Professor Richard Teague argue that cows are in fact essential for re-introducing and trapping carbon back into the soil -- which is more than the warming gases cows and other cattle emit, according to a CNN report. Their argument is based on a logical principle -- most cattle around the world sit inside cattle sheds or domesticated cattle pen, standing and sitting in a confined space their entire life. That's not how cows were meant to evolve -- feeding from a conveyor belt of sludge and releasing harmful methane into the atmosphere. No, their role in the natural scheme of things is to graze in open grasslands, and trap carbon into the soil, which then becomes beneficial for agriculture. During his research, Professor Teague found that 30-40% of the earth's surface is natural grassland meant for cattle and other animals to graze on, and this way they can be an asset for ensuring food security for humans. Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air and trap it as carbon in the soil through their roots. Scientists claim that the soil's capacity to carbon is much more than in the atmosphere, and that right now there's three-four times more carbon trapped in soil than in the air. What's more, cow dropping contain carbon as well. By encouraging cattle herds to graze in the wild, they reintroduce carbon into the land which is then better conducive to agricultural needs, ensuring a clean and good crop without excessive harmful fertilizer use. So as it turns out, cows aren't the problem anymore, but they well may be the answer to arrest global warming and regenerate land ripe for agriculture. 13:30 - EDWARDSTONE (16/1) - A couple of the Irish horses could be very good in this race with the likes of Abacadabras and Asterion Forlonge to the fore but I've gone for the eachway value. Edwardstone has won two of his three starts over hurdles and would have beaten Stolen Silver last time out had he not hung left on the run-in on appalling ground. He's seen to best effect on soft or good to soft and will benefit from a strong pace. The Supreme is often run at a frantic pace and that will play to his strengths. He'll be held up in fourth or fifth and could be staying on strongest up the hill. With bookmakers paying four and five places on the eachway market, this horse is tremendous value. 14:10 - FAKIR D'OUDARIES (4/1) - Course form is important at Cheltenham and that's why Fakir D'Oudaries, fourth in last year's Supreme Novice Hurdle, is getting the nod here. This race has been won by an Irish-trained horse in four of the last five years and we again dominate the market with Fakir D'Oudaries and Notebook of Henry De Bromhead's yard. Fakir D'Oudaries lost to that rival last time out but connections have admitted tactics were wrong that day. He also found himself short of room up the inside and was forced out. Nonetheless, he was only beaten a little over a length by Notebook. He saw out the hill well last year after a fast-run Supreme and is a Grade 1 winner over fences thanks to an incredible 22-length win in the Drinmore at Fairyhouse in December. This horse jumps well and will be ridden patiently for a strong finish. Expect him to be right in the frame as they hit the last. 14:50 - DISCORAMA (9/1) - Continuing the trend of course form being king at Cheltenham, this horse could be one of the best-handicapped of the week. Paul Nolan is a somewhat forgotten man in Irish racing but he has his string in good form and could land a couple of winners this week. This lad could be one of them, despite losing his last two races by a cumulative 78 lengths. He has had a wind operation since then and also has some serious form in the book. Looking at Cheltenham, he was second in the Martin Pipe in 2018 and looked all over the winner of the four-miler last year before given way to Le Breuil at the line. He has shaped as a proper staying chaser without really taking flight. He hasn't won a chase race since his first over fences at Naas back in November 2018, but don't hold that against him either. He was second to Delta Work, relegating Ryanair Chase favourite A Plus Tard to third in a Grade 1 at Punchestown last April and was just the lengths down on many people's idea of a winner this week, Champagne Classic, before his withdrawal. That run behind Delta Work is the best in the book and if he comes back to that form and laps up Cheltenham again, he could be powering up the hill in front come 3pm on Tuesday. 15:30 - DARVER STAR (12/1) - This would be somewhat of a fairytale for his Louth owners, but in a very open and relatively weak Champion Hurdle, this horse could outlast them all up the hill. While unlike a future champion winner, he picked up his first win in a handicap hurdle at Wexford in April last year after five unsuccessful trips to the track before that. He was rated 104 in that Wexford race but has had a meteoric rise since then. He's won four times in the intervening period, including a listed race in Limerick last October, but it is his performances in defeat in graded company that catch the eye most of all. After his fourth win on the spin, he went up against Ballymore favourite Envoi Allen at Fairyhouse in December. He was a 20/1 outsider but admirably finished just four lengths behind Envoi Allen. That was good enough form but may have been written off as a fluke if Darver Star didn't follow it up with something similar. He did just that and probably surpassed that display by running Honeysuckle very close at Leopardstown last month. He was slow enough to get into stride but after the last, he was gaining ground on Henry De Bromhead's star and market principle in the Mare's Hurdle all the way to the line. He was denied by half a length but beat the likes of Petit Mouchoir and Supasundae in the process. 16:10 - STORMY IRELAND (12/1) - I accept that this race is a match between Benie Des Dieux and Honeysuckle but the former is 8/11 and while I think she'll win, I'm going to the place market. As evidenced last year when Benie Des Dieux fell at the last while streaking clear, anything can happen in racing. If one or both of the top two in the market misfire, Stormy Ireland is best placed to pick up the pieces. She was second in this race last year and is evidently a better horse this term. She was runner-up on two occasions leading into last year's festival but has won three on the spin this winter. She won all three at her ease by a combined 15 lengths. She'll be staying better than most up the hill and could even spring a surprise on one of the big players. I'll be surprised if she's out of the first three home. 16:50 - LORD SCHNITZEL (40/1) - A race for an eachway bet so how about a 40/1 shot. Lord Schnitzel could land a shock here based off two decent runs in a form book littered with poor displays. He finished just three lengths behind Carefully Selected last November and finished ahead of the likes of Glenloe in a race won by Faugheen a couple of weeks earlier. This is his best trip ands while he deserves to be 40/1, he's capable of putting in a performance on his day. At a shorter price, Espoir De Guye (7/1) is a rapid improver with a nice profile. 17:30 - LORD DU MESNIL (8/1) - This notorious slog has been shortened somewhat this year but you still need a horse that stays all day to tackle the Cheltenham hill after running three and a half miles. Having finished second in a Grand National trial at Haydock last time out, Lord Du Mesnil fits that bill superbly. He is a distance specialist and has a top jockey on board in Sam Whaley-Cohen. Before that National trial, Lord Du Mesnil beat decent yardstick Perfect Candidate by nine lengths. He has won three times this season, improving on each occasion. Carefully Selected is the big gamble of this race for Willie Mullins but is prone to a mistake, a trait which could cost him over this gruelling trip at Cheltenham. DAY 1 TREBLE: 14:10 - Fakir D'Oudaries 14:50 - Discorama 16:10 - Benie Des Dieux ALL TO WIN - 75/1 Oil prices suffered an historic collapse Monday after Saudi Arabia shocked the market by launching a price war against onetime ally Russia. US oil prices crashed as much as 34% to a four-year low of $27.34 a barrel as traders brace for Saudi Arabia to flood the market with crude in a bid to recapture market share. Crude finished with a staggering loss of nearly 26% to settle at $31.13 a barrel. Brent crude, the global benchmark, plunged 24% to close at $33.36 a barrel. Both oil contracts suffered their worst day since 1991, according to Refinitiv. And they are both now at four-year lows. The shock to oil also rattled stock markets, which were already in a panic because of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Markets in Asia plunged during Monday trading, while US stocks recorded massive declines. In Europe, the FTSE 100 plunged 8.5%, while Germany's DAX was down 7.4% and Italy's main index fell 7%. Energy stocks were clobbered. ExxonMobil and Chevron plunged more than 9% apiece, and BP tumbled 20%. Exploration and production companies suffered even steeper losses: Pioneer Natural Resources plummeted more than 30%, while Occidental Petroleum lost 40%. The turmoil comes after the implosion of an alliance between OPEC and Russia, which had been restraining oil supply since the start of 2017 in an attempt to support prices. Russia refused to go along with OPEC's proposal to rescue the coronavirus-battered oil market by further cutting production at a meeting in Vienna on Friday. The standoff left the oil industry shell-shocked and sparked a 10% plunge in oil prices Friday. Crude oil was already stuck in a bear market because of a sharp drop in demand linked to the coronavirus outbreak. Saudi Arabia escalated the situation further over the weekend. The kingdom slashed its April official selling prices by $6 to $8, according to analysts, in a bid to retake market share and heap pressure on Russia. "The signal is Saudi Arabia is looking to open the spigots and fight for market share," said Matt Smith, director of commodity research at ClipperData. "Saudi is rolling up its sleeves for a price war." Analysts said that Russia's refusal to cut production amounted to a slap to US shale oil producers, many of which need higher oil prices to survive. "Russia has been dropping hints that the real target is the US shale oil producers, because it is fed up with cutting output and just leaving them with space," analysts at energy consulting firm FGE wrote in a note to clients Sunday. "Such an attack may be doomed to failure unless prices remain low for a long time." The 2014-2016 oil crash caused dozens of oil and gas companies to file for bankruptcy and hundreds of thousands of layoffs. However, the US shale industry emerged from that period stronger and the United States would eventually become the world's leading oil producer. "The perils of playing a game of brinksmanship with Vladimir Putin were proven in dramatic fashion," Helima Croft, head of global commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets, wrote in a Friday note to clients. "It is hard to see how the relationship can easily be put back on a solid footing." Laura He contributed to this report. can't wait for my fellow americans to disappoint me again, it's almost like a kink at this point Reply Thread Link mmm ya oppress me harder zaddy Reply Parent Thread Link nothing tickles my pickle quite like being denied access to basic health care for the 900th time or reproductive rights for that matter since our current frontrunner thinks Roe v Wade "went too far" Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Hahahaha me every 4 years Reply Parent Thread Link anyways what down ballot (state, local!) races are you excited for Reply Thread Link https://www.statesman.com/news/20200303/joseacute-garza-and-margaret-moore-head-to-runoff-in-travis-county-da-race https://www.joseforda.com/ My friends in austin are excited at the possibility that Gar\za could get the nomination and possibly win. Reply Parent Thread Link awesome! i'm so excited for all the DAs who want to and are trying to end cash bail. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Im cautiously optimistic we can flip the Senate. Am I delusional? Maybe! But Im still gonna donate to Senate races and see if I can textbank for some of them. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Thank you, North Carolina. I am honored to be your Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate. https://t.co/Ak2kwXXFAZ Cal Cunningham (@CalforNC) March 4, 2020 . We MUST flip the Senate. I'm going to do everything I can to help send R-Thom Tillis packing. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Is this s strict ffa. Or can we talk about other political and/or pop culture shit? Trying to find a place to talk about corey felddman :/ Reply Thread Link What happened? Reply Parent Thread Link Cant you make a topic or was it rejected? Reply Parent Thread Link idk how and I feel like someone else would make on way better imo Reply Parent Thread Link That should get its own post. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I will be smokin dat green green on st pattys ah ha ha (so a normal day) Reply Thread Link lolol Reply Parent Thread Link I voted for BERNIE!!! And guess what, I also got my ex Trump supporting mother to vote for Bernie too! My younger brother however refuses to vote... Reply Thread Link yas babes!!! nice job Reply Parent Thread Link thank you for your awesome work! Reply Parent Thread Link good for you! im sure that wasnt easy and I wish more ppl would get some courage and do the work of educating family. his supporters are more likely to be swayed by loved ones than random canvassers. esp his white supporters Reply Parent Thread Link Update I just got back from the polls, I convinced my brother to vote but it turns out he wasn't registered at the right polling place. :( Reply Parent Thread Link You did the lords work today Reply Parent Thread Link lol I always read it as toowohsday Reply Parent Thread Link Whenever I need to spell out "two" I think of that episode of Daria with Kenny not knowing how to pronounce it lol Reply Parent Thread Link who is in your icon, bb? Reply Parent Thread Link its making this hellscape a little lighter this evening Reply Parent Thread Link i really want bernie to win tbh. i am tired of voting for "the lesser of two evils", etc. i want a candidate i can get behind, not one that will leave me going "well it's not trump." Reply Thread Link NBC News: Michigan expects delays in primary results due to backlog of absentee ballots Jesse Rodriguez (@JesseRodriguez) March 10, 2020 well at least we know this means bernie is doing well lol Reply Thread Link lmao Reply Parent Thread Link Absentee ballots went up 97% this year from previous years because you don't need a "qualified reason" to get one anymore, aka anyone can request. I almost applied but I like to get stickers and my polling place always has candy. Reply Parent Thread Link idk about michigan but florida sends you a "i voted by mail" sticker with your ballot! Reply Parent Thread Link You still get stickers with the absentee ballot. :) No candy though. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link The St. Pat's party I was supposed to go to got delayed til April/May because of Covid-19 concerns (I'm in Korea.) So I'm treating myself to a solo day out - I'm going to spend the night in a town an hour from me, cut my hair, get my nails done, eat a thick ass burger, and play a ton of DDR. I've been cooped up in my house and at work only for the past 2 MONTHS cause of this virus, so I am ready to be out for a day. Reply Thread Link I posted this in the other thread but just saw this on twitter -- MOPrimary* Early Exit Polls: 18-29: 12% (-4 from 2016) 30-44: 17% (-8) 45-64: 35% (-2) 65+: 36% (+14) so... um..... Reply Thread Link basically old people want everyone to die like them IJAF Reply Parent Thread Link Yea, and they tricked the youths into not showing up. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I'm going to punch myself in the face instead of all my fellow Millenials and Gen Z'ers I want to punch. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link we need to open up voting for younger than 18, we need some of those middle school/hs activist votes. ugh i'm so perplexed by the apathy of my generation. like i get the source, but the lack of effort (accounting for suppression) frustrates the fuck outta me. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I think that 18-29 range was literally just my sister, me, and some of our friends. Reply Parent Thread Link question like there's an age limit [18] how old a person has to be to vote. should there be a cut off, and if so what age should it be? Edited at 2020-03-10 11:18 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link no cutoff imo. fuck boomers, but an age limit is majorly fucked up. Just bc white ppls grandpappy marched against integration, doesnt mean everyone else should be disenfranchised. Not after all we endured and still experience. Did you see those Texas lines on ST? Reply Parent Thread Link No Just like there shouldnt be an IQ test before you can vote. What the fuck. Reply Parent Thread Link nnnnnn Reply Parent Thread Link lmao Reply Parent Thread Link cat food and shitty nursing homes for all!! jesus christ, elder abuse/poverty are some of the grimmest stats out there. its also an ~identity politics~ issue because women receive less SS benefits and are likely to be overprescribed medication in homes to keep them as zombies. Edited at 2020-03-10 11:23 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I don't think there should be a maximum cutoff age for voting, even if I personally want to gather everyone over 55 in one place with a bunch of angry college kids and force them to listen to what those kids really care about. I think a lot of older people don't realize that the results of their votes are things that the generations behind them are going to have suffer for. But also COVID-19 2020 - the greatest unity candidate, already out here with a compelling "mandatory sick leave" agenda, actively fighting the CPAC crowd. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link No, that would be extremely fucked up. We can't really complain about Boomers when our generation still won't vote. I mean, we very much can and will and it's justified - but at some point people need to get off their asses and vote. Reply Parent Thread Link absolutely not Reply Parent Thread Link Nah when youre an adult, youre an adult. Reply Parent Thread Link There should be an independent media because our current msm the biggest voter suppression weapon Edited at 2020-03-10 11:58 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link we all can certainly continue to yell about this option in our homes when we're upset but actually doing it would be really fucked up. the whole "they're gonna die soon" argument is bs too since people die at every age. what we need to do is get more of this stupid country to actually vote in all the primaries and elections. Edited at 2020-03-11 12:37 am (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link Elders should have a right to vote for their future. These things affect them too. ... even if 90% vote like idiots. Reply Parent Thread Link well my new state--MA--has disappointed me so pls pls pls home state--MI--don't break my heart. Reply Thread Link Please for the love of God everyone. Be civil. It's getting out of control. Reply Thread Link yeah... Twitter is a mess too but honestly this election more than anything has shown me that Twitter and what you read online isn't really connected much to real life. Edited at 2020-03-10 11:31 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link I had a session Monday with a psychiatrist, Dr. Tichianaa Armah of Community Health Center Inc. She sat in her office in Stamford and I was at home, on my laptop. She made sure I was stable and asked how I would ideally like to spend the postcard-perfect, early spring day. Nothing odd there. Mental health professionals for years have treated patients remotely, either by phone or, more recently, using any number of video apps. Ours was a simulated session to demonstrate a point. This type of treatment, whether for mental health or for many physical medical issues, can happen easily and efficiently. State law allows it and many insurance companies pay for video doctor visits like the one we recreated. Heres who doesnt reimburse for live, remote visits: Connecticuts Medicaid system, known generally as HUSKY Health. Any HUSKY patient who needs treatment, whether for mental health or any other medical service, needs to trudge to a doctors office. Thats a population of 800,000 people who often dont have a way to get there, and cant take half a day off from work. And poverty tends to afflict them with more than the typical bevy of ailments, as poverty does. The rule should have changed in 2015 when the state allowed tele-medicine. It should have changed in the years since, when Armahs colleagues at CHC by far the largest primary-care provider for low-income Connecticut residents on Medicaid pleaded, cajoled and lobbied the state Department of Social Services to do so. Now we have the COVID-19 coronavirus forcing vast swaths of society to remain isolated. Suddenly it not only makes sense for DSS to loosen its restriction it would be dangerous if it didnt happen. And so were finally seeing some movement, with a hastily arranged meeting set for Tuesday probably remotely, by video, of all ironies. Crises will do that, but it shouldnt have come to this. Most other states are way ahead of Connecticut when it comes to tele-medicine. I have argued from a humanitarian standpoint, we have a technology we should use, said Mark Masselli, founder and CEO of the 48-year-old Community Health Center, which has 17 full-service clinics in Connecticut cities and 210 locations, many in schools and homeless shelters. Better than in-person? Arguments against Medicaid reimbursement have been somewhat murky. Perhaps it would lead to a flood of new patient visits that would cost taxpayers many millions of dollars as if treatment for poor people isnt good for all of us. Perhaps it would lead to an influx of low-quality charlatans, as if theres a crush of doctors eager to treat the poor. I thought the argument might be about quality. How could a remote session, whether with a psychiatrist or an internist, work as well as a good-old, in-person visit? In fact, in some cases at least, Armah who teaches at Yale School of Medicine and did her residency there, and heads behavioral health for CHC said remote visits can be preferable. They keep patients at ease and the docs can see their surroundings. Some of our patients, because of the neighborhoods they live in, they dont really come out of their homes, she said And if theyre suffering from depression, They dont really get out of their beds to wash their faces and brush their teeth. And they miss appointments they would make remotely. On Monday, after coronavirus hit Connecticut, some patients didnt show up in Stamford. Meredith Johnson, the CHC chief of staff, came to the health center from Yale New Haven Health System, where she set up the tele-medicine system. Protocols for remote treatment are far along in the industry, she said. We cant reach through the camera and feel your glands, she said, but for many issues, its no problem. CHC has been testing tele-medicine for mental health for months now. I saw how efficient it can be, as they sent me a disclosure and approval form, then a link with help in setting up a Zoom account if I needed it, then a phone call to make sure I was ready for the lunchtime appointment. If DSS allowed us to be able to bill tele-health like they have in other states, we should be able to bill the full spectrum of patients, Johnson said. Youre not alone It took a public health crisis to make it happen, if it does happen in the coming days and weeks. I think COVID-19 is to urban areas what the rural need was for rural areas 10 to 15 years ago, Johnson said, referring to the rise of tele-medicine in places like Wyoming and Montana. Connecticut? Heres a line from a recent blog post at eVisit, a company that offers remote medical treatment technology: Almost all states (except Connecticut and Rhode Island) have some form of coverage for live telemedicine within their Medicaid programs. This is a tipping point, Johnson said. If were not going to approve tele-health now, when would we approve it? In my session with Armah, I told her I felt isolated, living alone with my child grown and gone, working at home most days. She showed how she can delve quickly into my psyche. Youre not alone, she said. Even as one of the fortunate healthy people, with access to medical care and transportation, I could see how her words, her face, her treatment, could be a lifeline. Thats all the more true for the thousands of students in Community Health Center care, who may soon be homebound in the coronavirus crisis. And if HUSKY qualifies for reimbursement, doctors treating many privately insured patients may get online more readily, and perhaps accept more Medicaid patients. My whole purpose in life is to improve access to mental health care, said Armah, whos from The Bronx. State actively working on changes On Friday, the 18 federally qualified community health centers across the state, of which CHC is the largest, sent a letter to Dr. Deidre S. Gifford, a medical doctor whos Gov. Ned Lamonts social services commissioner. COVID-19 presents yet another significant challenge to our patients, including potential quarantines and other public health measures that may restrict movement and access to health care facilities throughout our state, the letter said. For patients with anxiety and other medical and behavioral health issues, the consequences of isolation and lack of access to their providers can lead to very negative consequences. About an hour after I sent an email to DSS asking about the issue, CHC received an invitation to a meeting Tuesday. The department isnt saying it will immediately approve billing for HUSKY patients. We understand the importance and are actively working on policy changes in response to the COVID-19 issue, as well as for routine use in Medicaid/HUSKY Health under certain circumstances, DSS spokesman David Dearborn said in an email. Its a challenge, with federal rules and technology and privacy concerns. But with Connecticut late to the party, it ought to happen fast. And here we are in a crisis, said Masselli, the CEO, where unfortunately even if they say Okay, go ahead, many people wont be ready because the department did not give them ample time to prepare. Home Just In Govt, traders say Nepal has enough foodstuffs for next six months Kathmandu, March 10 The government officials and traders have jointly said the country has sufficient foodstuffs for the next six months, assuring the public does not need to worry about any shortage due to possible obstructions in the supply system in the wake of the novel coronavirus infection across the world. During a meeting called by the government to take stock of the situation in Kathmandu on Tuesday, the traders said they could easily make available the necessities for the next half year. Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada told journalists after the meeting that the countrys current stock of medicines would suffice for the next four months. Though India initially restricted the export of 26 medicines and their ingredients, it later agreed to relax the restriction, he claimed. Khatiwada said, There is no obstruction in the supply of goods from India. There is no need to hoard things. During the meeting, the traders requested the government to relax the obstruction at Rasuwagadhi and Tatopani customs points as the rate of spread in China was decreasing of late. India retains its position as the second-largest arms importer in the world followed by Saudi Arabia, says a new report. India was the second-largest arms importer in the world over the past five years, while its neighbour Pakistan ranked 11th, notes the latest report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute that tracks arms deals around the world. After retaining the pole position for a decade, India slipped to the second slot last year due to an increase in indigenous arms production. The same trend continues. Between 2015-19, New Delhi imported 9.2% of its arms as compared to 14% between 2010-14 a drop of 32%. Saudi Arabia now imports 12% of its arms (2015-19) as against 5.6% in 2010-14 a jump of 130%. In the same period, Pakistans import declined by 39%. The SIPRI report shows how Russia gradually lost the lucrative Indian arms market over the years, though the communist country remains a key supplier. Also Russias loss was not exactly a US gain as India diversified its supply to Israel and France. Although India remains the main recipient of Russian arms in 201519, accounting for 25% of the total, Russian arms exports to India fell by 47 per cent between 201014 and 201519. The USA became the second-largest arms supplier to India in 201014 as the security relationship between the two countries developed into a strategic partnership. However, in 201519 India continued with its policy of supplier diversification, and imports of arms from the USA were 51% lower than in 201014. In contrast, arms imports from Israel and France increased by 175% and 715% (thanks to the Rafale deal) respectively, making them the second and third-largest suppliers of major arms to India in 201519. China, on the other hand, accounted for 51% of Pakistans arms imports in 201014 and for 73% in 201519 continuing its dominance in the arms market of its all-weather ally. The overall decrease in Pakistans arms imports was linked to the USAs decision to stop military aid to Pakistan. The USA accounted for 30% of Pakistans arms imports in 201014 but for only 4.1% in 201519. Pakistan continued to import arms from Europe in 201519 and strengthened its arms import relations with Turkey with orders for 30 combat helicopters and four frigates in 2018. SIPRI has identified 160 states as importers of major arms in 201519. The top five Saudi Arabia, India, Egypt, Australia and China account for 36% of total arms imports in 201519. Of these, Saudi Arabia, India and China were among the top five importers in both 201014 and 201519. The peace institute gave the example of Balakot air strike to illustrate how heavily India and Pakistan depend on imported arms for any conflict. Cross-border attacks between India and Pakistan intensified in early 2019. Pakistan reportedly used combat aircraft imported from China, equipped with Russian engines, and combat aircraft from the USA supported by airborne early warning and control aircraft from Sweden. India reportedly used combat aircraft imported from France and Russia, guided bombs from Israel and artillery from Sweden, says the report. Many of the worlds largest arms exporters have supplied these two states for decades, often exporting arms to both sides, it adds. In the wake of six positive Covid-19 cases reported from Kerala, the states Director General of Prisons Rishi Raj Singh has issued a directive to set up isolation cells in the jails across the state. As per the DGs directions, prisoners with symptoms like fever and cold will be moved to the isolation rooms. The new inmates will be admitted to the jail and lodged for six days in specially set up rooms in the admission block. The directive also tells the jail authorities to lodge the prisoners who come back after parole in a separate room in the admission block. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A row broke out today over whether to close UK schools in a bid to halt coronavirus. Rory Stewart, the independent mayoral candidate, said Britain should follow Italy and parts of the US in shutting schools. But he was accused by GPs of being irresponsible as his call runs against advice from the Governments top medical and scientific advisers. Mr Stewart, a former Tory cabinet minister, last night cancelled his mayoral campaign launch event in Battersea on Thursday. The event, which was expected to have attracted 1,000 supporters, will instead become a virtual broadcast. He said he decided to set an example by cancelling: We have to take the coronavirus seriously. That means stopping large-scale gatherings. We should be doing this across London. He told BBC Breakfast schools should shut to show that the Government was acting decisively. He said: Evidence from other pandemics is that closing schools and large gatherings earlier rather than later stops the peaks of this kind of disease. Dr Clare Gerada, a former chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: It is irresponsible to be second-guessing expert advice. Dr Ellie Cannon accused Mr Stewart of a lack of sense, tweeting: Such egotism to try & usurp expert advice for your own political gain. Where is your data to back up these wild ideas? A woman lost her family home and was adjudicated a bankrupt after Bank of Ireland (BoI) charged her more than twice what she should have been paying on her mortgage, the High Court heard. Deirdre Dennis said she was left financially crippled and personally devastated by the level of overcharging on her monthly repayments, between June 2012 and December 2017, to BoI. She is now asking the court to annul the bankruptcy petition she made in October 2017 in an effort to deal with what she believed were her debts. Her counsel Eoin McGonigal SC said while BoI admitted a "catastrophic error" in her case, it came after she had exited bankruptcy in October 2018, and after her former family home at Seaview Terrace, Killala, Co Mayo, had been sold by the bank. In February 2019, counsel said, BoI wrote to Ms Dennis after it had completed a review of her mortgage under their Tracker Mortgage Examination. In its correspondence BoI accepted, acknowledged and unreservedly apologised for failing to provide her with a tracker mortgage at a time when she was entitled to one. BoI said she was entitled to compensation, redress and a refund of interest charged and accepted the bank's failure was a factor in her losing her home. It also withdrew its claim in her bankruptcy of amounts totalling 115,000. Ms Dennis has applied to the High Court to have her bankruptcy annulled. Counsel said when seeking to be adjudicated a bankrupt she believed she owed BoI some 171,000 on foot of loans taken with the bank. Her then home was valued at 73,000. She also had additional debts of 66,000 owed to Revenue and another financial institution. She claims that had she all the relevant information from BoI in October 2017 she would not have sought to be adjudicated a bankrupt. The court was told the bankruptcy trustee was not opposing the annulment application. BoI did not wish to make any submissions to the court, Ms Justice Teresa Pilkington was told. In a sworn statement, Ms Dennis said she spent years "fighting to keep my head above water". Despite her struggles, including her business failing in 2008, she always tried to maintain her mortgage payments as best she could. She said she pleaded with BoI to apply a common sense approach to the level of her repayments and made many personal sacrifices. In 2014 she said she had to stop making repayments and left the property which was in negative equity. In 2015 BoI sought an order for repossession of her family home so it could sell the property, which she consented to. In early 2019 BoI admitted it had overcharged her. She now rents a property at Killala Road, Ballina, Co Mayo, which she says she ended up paying twice as much for than she been paying the mortgage for the previous home she was "forced" to leave. She could not understand why her account was not examined sooner, or why BoI continued to pursue possession proceedings against her in 2015 when it should have known her loan account would come under examination. Ms Justice Pilkington, after hearing legal submissions and noting it was "a very unusual case", reserved her decision. Focused on promoting gender equality, increasing female representation in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers and providing support and direction for professional women, Jane Egerton-Idehen, a Tech Executive, Author and Speaker has launched Be Fearless, Campaign a national campaign focused on highlighting the hurdles that prevent women from fulfilling their potential, and providing a guide to younger women on the complexities of navigating career and life opportunities in their fields. Jane Egerton-Idehen decried the gender gap that still undermines the economic security of most Nigerian women by limiting their ability to work and pursue a career and urged for gender equality focused on enabling higher growth, productivity and economic stability, not only for women, but their families and ultimately the country. She stressed that Nigerian women still have just three-fourths the legal rights and opportunities of men and called for activities that empower Nigerian women especially in technology. Speaking at the online release of her new book Be Fearless: Give yourself permission to be You, Egerton-Idehen who is also the Country Manager Nigeria/Regional Sales Manager, West Africa for Avanti Communications emphasized the under-representation of women in corporate Nigeria and challenges young women to pursue their dreams. There is a significant gender imbalance in corporate Nigeria, especially in the technology industry where ratio of women to men is as high as 1:5. We must now deliberately work towards a more balanced sector where everyone is enabled. The theme of the International Womens Day Each for Equal reminds us that there is still more to be done towards improving gender equality and fostering a healthier, wealthier and more harmonious world. We hope to encourage more young girls and stimulate gender-equality discussions, via this campaign, my new book, endowments to girls and the experiences of many African women who are contributing to this campaign, she said. Egerton-Idehen also encourages the lovers of women; parents, siblings and husbands and colleagues to empathise and help them achieve their potential at home and in the workplace. The campaign features a book tour to about 20 tertiary institutions in Nigeria, book reading sessions at some leading book stores, scholarships to female students in STEM courses and a formal launch of her new book. The campaign is also expected to encourage leading entrepreneurs and businesswomen in Nigeria to share their experiences building successful careers, challenges they encountered and learnings they hope to pass on to a younger generation of African women. Be Fearless: Give yourself permission to be You chronicles the authors remarkable experiences challenging gender roles and stereotypes, via her rise from the slums of Ajegunle in Lagos, Nigeria, to brokering million-dollar deals for global telecoms giants. Written with the young woman who dreams of being more in mind, Egerton-Idehen opens up about her less-privileged background, education, career journey, marriage and motherhood stories, exploring the cultural expectations, biases, and impossibilities that turn dreams of career success into wishful thinking and demystifies them. The book is available online March 17th on Amazon 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 U.S. Airlines Cut Flights as Many Corporations Limit Travel With lucrative business travel drying up because of concerns about Coronavirus, U.S. airlines are taking aggressive action to cut flights, park airplanes and slash costs, with many executives saying Tuesday at an investor conference that they must reduce capacity to avert what could be the worst U.S. airline economic disaster since 9/11. None, however, is moving as fast as United Airlines, where President (and future CEO) Scott Kirby is planning for what he calls a worst-case scenario. To stem short-term problems, United over the weekend finalized cuts for 10 percent of its April domestic capacity and 20 percent of its international capacity, but now expects to slash more flights this spring, Kirby told investors. In May it will cut at least 20 percent of total capacity, and in future months it plans cuts at least as large or larger, until we see concrete signs of returning demand, he said. We have been taking early and aggressive action, because we have seen the impact of demand when the virus spreads, Kirby said. Kirby, who becomes CEO in May, joined executives from other airlines at the JP Morgan Industrials Conference, an annual event. All the executives expressed concern about the current climate, but many tried to strike an optimistic tone, saying they can weather a short-term crisis. Some executives tried to play up positives, noting many leisure travelers are biting at discounted fares, even as corporate travelers stay home. However, Kirby outlined a more dire scenario than most competitors. In the past four days, he said, gross bookings for transpacific routes have fallen 70 percent, compared to expectations, while gross bookings to Europe are off about 50 percent. In the domestic market, he said, domestic bookings are off only about 25 percent. But he added, were planning for the public concern about the virus to get worse before it gets better. How bad, no one knows. But Kirby shared with investors what he said is a dire case scenario, in which leisure and business traffic falls more precipitously. He said United will be ready. Story continues Kirby said its possible revenue could be down 70 percent in April, 70 percent in May, 60 precent in June, 40 percent in July, 40 percent in August, 30 percent in September, 30 percent in October, and 20 percent in December. He said it may take 18 months before demand fully recovers. I suspect that sounds shocking to all to some of you, and for what its worth, we dont expect it will be that bad, Kirby said. But were biased toward being too aggressive and taking action as opposed to running the risk of looking back at some point and wishing we had been more aggressive, sooner. In a worst-case scenario, he said, everything will be on the table, including last-minute aircraft deferrals and employee furloughs. JetBlue Also Sounding Alarm Six airlines presented at Tuesdays JP Morgan conference, which took place over the telephone, rather than in person, because of Coronavirus fears. The only other airline executive to get close to Kirbys level of concern was Robin Hayes, CEO of JetBlue Airways. (Perhaps not coincidentally, United and JetBlue were the first two airlines to announce capacity cuts last week.) When I look at how the demand has deteriorated in the last couple of weeks, it appears to be worse than what we saw after 9/11, Hayes said. For JetBlue, the picture changed on Feb. 25, when the airline began seeing a significant and dramatic decline in forward bookings, Hayes said. The airline may need to make further schedule cuts than the 5 percent capacity decrease it detailed last week, he added. Conventional wisdom suggests JetBlue should be better equipped to handle the drop in demand, since 80 percent of its business is leisure travelers. Most companies have significantly cut back on travel, which should disproportionately affect global carriers like United. Corporate traffic generally cannot be stimulated at any price. Usually, though, leisure customers will fly if the price is right. But JetBlue isnt seeing that, at least not yet. Well see how this moves going forward said Dave Clark, vice president of sales and revenue management. But as of the latest, the two market segments were about roughly equally impacted for us. Leisure Demand OK at Other Airlines Other airlines executives also expressed concern, though none in as stark terms as Uniteds Kirby. Delta Air Lines has seen a 25-30 percent drop in net bookings over the past two weeks, CEO Ed Bastian said, and the airline is prepared for it to get worse. To compensate, it plans to slash international flying by 20 to 25 percent, and domestic by 10 to 15 percent. In the short term, Delta executives said, the airline will park jets, but eventually it may retire some older airplanes earlier than expected. This clearly is not an economic event, Bastian said. This is a fear event, probably more akin to what we saw at 9/11 and not necessarily what we saw in 2009. I think youre seeing a suspension of activities, whether it be corporate activities, group activities, events where people get together in large numbers, all of which impact our demand set. American Airlines also will cancel some flying, but not much as much as its top two competitors. It is making a 10 percent cut in international flying, with more than half of that coming in transpacific sectors, and a 7.5 percent cut in domestic flying. American had already been flying fewer domestic flights than expected because of the Boeing 737 Max grounding. American is also discounting flights, including departures several months out. CEO Doug Parker said. Under normal circumstances, an airline might not drop prices so far in advance, because its revenue management system would hold seats for last-minute business travelers, who pay high fares. But no one is sure when they will return, so Parker said American wants the revenue now. If business travelers return, American will make less money, but Parker called that a a high-class problem, since the reemergence of corporate travelers will be good, overall. Mostly Parker said, leisure travelers are responding well to the lower prices, since unlike business travelers, they are not limited by corporate decree. Theres real demand for air travel, Parker said. Alaska Airlines reported a similar dynamic. The airline tested a fare sale last week to see if customers would respond, President Ben Minicucci said, and found results encouraging. There still appears to be demand for travel, which is good news, he said. Still, Alaska is suffering just like the others. In the past 15 days, Minicucci said, Alaska has seen 265,000 fewer bookings in March than last year, and 270,000 more cancelations. Alaska does not plan cuts for April, but likely will cull flights in May. It will target flights it expects might lose money, including underperforming red-eyes, Minicucci said. Spirit In Unusual Situation In a typical downturn, ultra-low-cost-carriers often perform best, because travelers trade-down to no-frills airlines. Spirit Airlines has the lowest costs in the industry, so it can make money selling $49 tickets when a competitor cannot. As CEO Ted Christie put it on Tuesday, Anyone can sell low fares, the issue is who can sell low fares at a profitable level? But its too soon to see those dynamics play out. Major airlines know business travelers arent booking, and those airlines need revenue, so for now, big carriers are dropping prices to Spirits levels to fill planes. Its probably not a viable long-term strategy for higher-cost airlines, but for now it works, and it hurts Spirit. The airline plans to cut 5 percent of its April capacity and is evaluating its May plans, executives said. Spirit expects to cancel flights on off-peak days, like Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, and on routes where it has multiple flights each day. Subscribe to Skift newsletters for essential news about the business of travel. Shedd leadership, she said, continues to actively monitor the status of the spread of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) as well as work to ensure all contingency plans, policies and procedures are up to date and in alignment with guidance provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO) and US State Department regarding travel. Fans of remote work often cite studies showing that people who work from home are more productive, like a 2014 study led by the Stanford professor Nicholas Bloom. The study examined remote workers at a Chinese travel agency and found that they were 13 percent more efficient than their office-based peers. But research also shows that what remote workers gain in productivity, they often miss in harder-to-measure benefits like creativity and innovative thinking. Studies have found that people working together in the same room tend to solve problems more quickly than remote collaborators, and that team cohesion suffers in remote work arrangements. Remote workers also tend to take shorter breaks and fewer sick days than office-based ones, and in studies, many report finding it hard to separate their work from their home lives. Thats a good thing if youre a boss looking to squeeze extra efficiency out of your employees, but less ideal if youre someone trying to achieve some work-life balance. Working in isolation can be lonely, which explains the popularity of co-working spaces like WeWork and The Wing. Even in Silicon Valley, where the tools that allow for remote work are being built, many companies are strict about requiring their workers to come into the office. Steve Jobs, for one, was a famous opponent of remote work, believing that Apple employees best work came from accidentally bumping into other people, not sitting at home in front of an email inbox. Creativity comes from spontaneous meetings, from random discussions, Mr. Jobs said. You run into someone, you ask what theyre doing, you say Wow, and soon youre cooking up all sorts of ideas. Ill grant that office work has its downsides, even in healthy times. Commuting has been shown to make us less happy, and the open-plan office, a truly cursed workplace design trend that emphasizes airy spaces with rows of desks and little privacy, has made distraction-free focus nearly impossible. [This article is part of the developing coronavirus coverage, and may be outdated. Go here for the latest on the coronavirus.] Myka Meier is an etiquette expert with more than 61,000 followers on Instagram. Strangers regularly approach her with questions about social and business protocol. But last Tuesday was something else. Ms. Meier, 37, said she was approached eight or nine times at the Plaza Hotel in New York, in between the classes she regularly holds there, with some version of this question: I dont want to touch people what do I do without being rude? There were so many people coming up to me I had to go find a seat off to the side, Ms. Meier said. This article is reprinted with permission from Geopolitical Futures. The first person to die from coronavirus on American soil passed away on Feb. 29 at a Seattle area hospital incidentally, the same hospital where my daughter was born just ten and a half months ago. For epidemiologists, the most important unanswered question about the Wuhan coronavirus, or COVID-19, is the case-fatality rate. But for the general public, the question is much more personal: Might I or anyone I love get sick and die? When faced with uncertainty, people make decisions cautiously, and they base them on emotion and personal experience instead of statistics. If enough people answer Yes, there could be major repercussions as panic sets in around the world. Small behavioral modifications, such as telecommuting or reducing factory activity to avoid spreading the disease, made by millions of people can have a large impact. The United Nations already estimated $50 billion worth of exports worldwide will be affected, excluding non-trade economic activities such as travel tourism, as manufacturing slows and governments impose measures like port restrictions. This is why it is necessary to develop a risk of death profile for COVID-19. The first substantial effort to do just that was published by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Though these numbers should be thought of as preliminary (and perhaps specific to only China), they allow us to begin to comprehend the risk that our global society is facing. After analyzing 44,672 confirmed cases, Chinese health officials estimated the case-fatality rates by age group: (click to enlarge) Of the 416 children aged 0 to 9 who contracted COVID-19, precisely zero died. This is unusual for most infectious diseases, but not for coronaviruses; the SARS coronavirus outbreak also had minimal impact on children. For patients aged 10 to 39, the case-fatality rate is 0.2 percent. The case-fatality rate doubles for people in their 40s, then triples again for people in their 50s, and nearly triples yet again for people in their 60s. A person who contracts COVID-19 in their 70s has an 8 percent chance of dying, and a person in their 80s a nearly 15 percent chance of dying. The virus can be lethal in a variety of ways. Viral infections in the lungs can trigger an immune response so strong that it fatally damages the lungs. In others, a systemic immune response, called a cytokine storm, can cause multiple organ failure. This could explain why some young, healthy people are killed by the virus, such as Dr. Li Wenliang, the 34-year-old doctor who died shortly after alerting the world to this new strain of coronavirus. An older persons immune system may not be able to fight a respiratory virus. Underlying conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes can worsen outcomes. The above statistics are no doubt frightening numbers. But there are at least three major mitigating factors. First, the number of mild or asymptomatic cases is unknown and probably substantial. Second, China is still a poor country with low-quality health care and, at the epicenter of the outbreak in Hubei province, was overwhelmed by the virus. (The case-fatality rate in Chinese provinces outside Hubei, where hospitals arent overloaded, is much lower.) Third, smoking is much more prevalent in China than America, especially among men (52 percent in China versus 16 percent in the U.S.), and smoking is a risk factor for poor responses to respiratory infections. Together, this means the case-fatality rate is likely inflated, and it would be a mistake to apply these figures to the United States or other advanced nations. The real question, then, is how inflated the case-fatality rates are. At this point, its impossible to determine because scientists are still collecting data on how widespread the virus is. But to get a sense of how exaggerated these numbers might be, it is useful to examine the case-fatality rate for seasonal influenza. For the 2018-19 influenza season, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention provides estimates for the number of cases (defined here as symptomatic illnesses) and deaths. From these, we can derive case-fatality rate estimates by age group. (click to enlarge) If COVID-19 ends up being similar to seasonal influenza, then the case-fatality rates for COVID-19 are inflated by a factor of 20 to 100. Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the U.S. NIAID, co-authored an editorial for the New England Journal of Medicine in which he wrote: If one assumes that the number of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic cases is several times as high as the number of reported cases, the case fatality rate may be considerably less than 1%. This suggests that the overall clinical consequences of Covid-19 may ultimately be more akin to those of a severe seasonal influenza(which has a case fatality rate of approximately 0.1%) or a pandemic influenza(similar to those in 1957 and 1968) rather than a disease similar to SARS or MERS, which have had case fatality rates of 9 to 10% and 36%, respectively [emphasis added]. We have reason to believe this view is closest to reality. In South Korea, public health officials screened about 100,000 people and detected over 7,300 cases. So far, the death toll is 50, which translates to a case-fatality rate of 0.7 percent. Thats still seven times worse than seasonal flu, but its far lower than the initial reports from China. (click to enlarge) The Future of COVID-19 Stat News describes two possible scenarios that epidemiologists envision for the future of COVID-19. In the first, COVID-19 becomes just another cold virus, and possibly evolves to become less lethal as well. What we call the common cold is actually caused by roughly 200 different viruses. Each year, about 25 percent of common colds are due to four coronaviruses, and some scientists think COVID-19 could eventually join this group as its fifth member. In the second scenario, COVID-19 behaves more like a severe seasonal flu, vanishing in the summer and returning to hit us hard in the winter. In neither scenario does COVID-19 resemble the Spanish flu of 1918, which disproportionately killed young people. In neither scenario does the virus mutate to become more lethal. Most likely, the opposite will be true. There is an inverse relationship between lethality and contagiousness; that is, the most contagious viruses tend to be less lethal. Evolutionary pressures namely, the biological imperative to reproduce as far and wide as possible (which means not killing people) may push COVID-19 down this path. For now, influenza remains the far bigger global public health threat. Each year, about 1 billion people become infected with seasonal flu, killing some 300,000 to 500,000. This season alone (2019-20), about 20,000 Americans have died from flu, including 136 children. Yet, very few people fear the flu. Society has accepted it as part of reality, and people carry about their daily lives without excessive concern over influenza. This is the likely future for COVID-19. Until then, perhaps the last word should be given to virologist Dr. Lisa Gralinski, who told The Scientist, If youre over fifty or sixty and you have some other health issues and if youre unlucky enough to be exposed to this virus, it could be very bad. While everyone else should remain vigilant and take proper precautions (e.g., washing hands and avoiding crowds) until more data comes in, from a scientific perspective the public alarm is disproportionate to the risk. Chinese President Xi Jinping at Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan on Tuesday. CGTN Xi Jinping visited Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus, for the first time during the outbreak on Tuesday. The visit came as China recorded a dramatic reduction in new cases and deaths, suggesting it has turned a corner with the outbreak. Xi has been largely absent from the front lines, placing Premier Li Keqiang in charge. His Tuesday visit appears to show his readiness to take control of the narrative now the worst is over. China recorded just 19 new cases on Tuesday, while Italy, Iran, and South Korea continue to struggle to control the virus. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday visited Wuhan for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak began in an apparent sign that he's trying to claim victory over the disease now that the country has turned a corner with it. His visit to Wuhan, where the coronavirus first broke out, came as the country records fewer and fewer cases each day. China recorded just 19 new cases on Tuesday, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Last month, the country had been reporting thousands of new cases a day. The move indicates that Xi, who previously appeared to avoid taking responsibility for the fight against the virus, wants to score political points from the good news. State TV crews on Tuesday filmed him visiting Wuhan's Huoshenshan Hospital, which city authorities had panic-built in late January to accommodate coronavirus patients. He was also filmed walking through a local neighborhood waving at residents in their windows, and later speaking to local shop workers from a safe distance. He also spoke with infected patients via video link, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.. Xi, center, seen talking to Wuhan residents on Tuesday. CGTN Tuesday's visit is the first time Xi has ventured into Wuhan during the outbreak, which started in early December 2019. Story continues During the first few months of the outbreak Xi has been entirely absent from the front lines, suggesting he wanted to distance himself from the public anger aimed at the lackluster response, censorship, and attempted cover-ups, as Business Insider's Alexandra Ma has reported. On January 26, Xi placed Premier Li Keqiang in total control of the response, an unusual move as Xi has spent the last decade consolidating power and accountability in the president's office. "For Li, it's the only time in seven or eight years that he's been the man of the moment," Richard McGregor, a Chinese politics expert at the Lowy Institute, told The Wall Street Journal at the time. "It's a huge opportunity for him." A man delivers vegetables to a person on the other side of a barrier to stop others from entering in Wuhan on February 23, 2020. Getty Images On January 28, Xi claimed to the World Health Organization that he was "personally commanding" the response to the outbreak, but that line has not matched up with reality. In an internal Communist Party speech published in February he also claimed he had been leading coronavirus prevention efforts since January 1, before the outbreak reached its peak, inviting suspicion that his guidance did not work. He only made his first public contribution to the anti-virus effort on February 10 when he visited a coronavirus testing centre in Beijing, and ceremoniously had his temperature taken. But now that China is recovering from the outbreak it seems Xi is keen to take a stronger part in the narrative. "If the situation improves, he will take credit. If it worsens the blame will be pinned on Li Keqiang," Willy Lam, professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, predicted to The Guardian on February 4. Earlier this week Wang Zhonglin, the Communist Party secretary in Wuhan, called for "gratitude education" so that citizens can properly thank the party and Xi for their efforts in the coronavirus. The statement drew swift backlash as many citizens had been lamenting the lack of freedom of speech during the outbreak. Xi inspecting novel coronavirus prevention and control work in Beijing on February 10, 2020. This was his first public appearance since the outbreak. Xinhua via REUTERS On March 2, Xi Jinping also visited the Academy of Military Medical Sciences in Shenzhen to monitor the effort to find a vaccine for COVID-19, the official name for the disease. Around 70% of coronavirus sufferers in China have recovered, the AP reported, citing the WHO. Meanwhile other countries, notably Italy, Iran, and South Korea, continue to struggle with the outbreak within their borders. Italy recorded a dramatic uptick in cases and deaths on Monday evening, prompting Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to impose a nationwide lockdown from Tuesday. Read the original article on Business Insider PORTLAND, Ore., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CrowdStreet, Inc. ("CrowdStreet"), a technology provider with an online marketplace for direct equity investment in commercial real estate (CRE), today announced it has been recognized by Forbes as one of America's Best Startup Employers for 2020. More than 10,000 companies were initially considered for the recognition, and of those companies, 2,500 qualified for in-depth analysis and only 500 are being recognized. This prestigious award is presented by Forbes and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The awards list was announced on March 10, 2020 and can currently be viewed on the Forbes website . Forbes and Statista analyzed more than seven million data points to identify the top Startup employers. In particular, three aspects of each company were assessed during the evaluation: Employee Satisfaction: extensive research was conducted on Average Length of Employment, Employee Ratings, and Quantity of Ratings. Employer Reputation: a measurement of social media success; company-specific information was algorithmically extracted from social media channels such as news sites, micro-blogs, blogs and social networks. Company Growth: extensive metric calculations were evaluated including Website Traffic, Job Openings, Headcount Information, and Funding Information. The recognition comes on the heels of the Portland-based technology platform announcing it had crossed the $1 billion investment threshold in commercial real estate deals made by individual investors. The company also announced that CrowdStreet sponsors had distributed more than $100 million in returns since the CrowdStreet Marketplace launched in 2014, as reported to the company by sponsors. CrowdStreet currently has 110 employees, growing 168% from 2018. The company plans to expand its team in 2020 across several departments including Capital Markets, Engineering, Finance & Operations, Investments, Legal, Marketing and Marketplace services. For more information on career opportunities, visit https://www.crowdstreet.com/careers/#job-board . "Members of the CrowdStreet team represent some of the most talented and passionate individuals in the business, all committed to helping drive the democratization of investing in commercial real estate," said Gaylyn Sher-Jan, Chief People Office of CrowdStreet. "We prioritize our people and ensure that as the business grows we are able to maintain the culture that so many of our employees sought out when they joined our team. We're honored to accept this award and look forward to the continued growth of our team and business." About CrowdStreet CrowdStreet operates an award-winning online commercial real estate investment marketplace that gives investors access to institutional-quality offerings. CrowdStreet technology allows sponsors to raise capital through online syndication and manage their investors, both on the Marketplace and with a SaaS solution. CrowdStreet is helping to create a community where individual accredited investors and CRE firms can work together to build wealth through commercial real estate. For more information, please visit www.crowdstreet.com. PR Contacts Melissa Hourigan (National) Fabric Media [email protected] 720-608-1919 Cary Brazeman (Real Estate) CRELIX Marketing Partners [email protected] 310-205-3590 SOURCE CrowdStreet Related Links https://www.crowdstreet.com A technology company, Dataphyte, on Saturday, hosted Abuja Open Data Day in commemoration of International Open Data Day. Joshua Olufemi, the Managing Director of Dataphyte, said the event is meant to promote awareness about the importance of open data for development, transparency, innovation and government efficiency. Mr Olufemi stressed that it will help to build the capacity required in civil society and change agents on how to support or contribute to the proliferation of open data in the society. On the importance of open data in Nigeria, he said it provides a tool for decision-making and an instrument for citizen engagement and participation in governance. It is also a context for the accountability sector which includes the civil society and media to constructively criticise and demand accountability from the government as well as a tool for eradicating misinformation in public space, he said. Agboola Akinola of YouthHubAfrica, a participant, said that the programme was an eye-opener for him. It will go a long way in helping me understand what government and civil society are actually doing and also in better decision-making, he said. Data generally is an evaluation and monitoring tool that can be used to review how decisions of citizens and government, policy and practice are impacting or creating the desired or undesired change or outcome, Ijeoma Okereke, programme executive, Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ), said. Mr Olufemi said he hopes that people will be introduced to data tools, become aware of data and its use as well as the problems surrounding data in Nigeria. READ ALSO: The event which had in attendance over 30 participants from the media and civil society space was in collaboration with Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ), Connected Development (CODE), International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), Public and Private Development Centre(PPDC), Open Knowledge Foundation. Dataphyte is a technology company that deploys data tools and technology for socio-economic development and corporate sector growth outcomes. One of Australias top scientists will not be able to do any new research on breast and pancreatic cancer, after federal government research funding ran out. Dr Darren Saunders heads a lab at the University of NSW partially funded by the federal government to research cancer and motor neuron disease. On Monday afternoon, he announced on Twitter that the funding had run out and he had not been able to secure new grants. Wow, that was rough. My dad just found out that my lab has run out of research funding, Dr Saunders wrote. To be honest, it was much harder telling him than finding out myself. YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS. In a major move to boost morale and show support, Mayor of Tsakhkadzor Artur Harutyunyan has visited the Golden Palace hotel in the resort town to congratulate on International Womens Day the women who are among the 31 quarantined people in the facility. The Mayor of Tsakhkadzor went to the Golden Palace hotel on March 8 with flowers to congratulate the women on the holiday. There is nothing unusual, Governor of the Kotayk Province (which includes Tsakhkadzor) Romanos Petrosyan said at a news conference. Petrosyan called on tourists to continue visiting the famed resort town. He did not elaborate on the precautionary measures taken during the mayors visit. He said there are many tourists in the town, even on business days. We had little panic moods on the first day, but then when we visited the town with the prime minister and our other colleagues the panic fully subsided, Petrosyan said, adding that the resort town is living its normal life. Armenia reported its first novel coronavirus case on March 1. The virus was confirmed in an Armenian man who traveled to Iran. He was hospitalized in Yerevan, while his direct contacts were taken to the Tsakhkadzor resort towns previously defunct Golden Palace hotel. The hotel was quickly re-launched by healthcare authorities and the 31 quarantined people have all necessary conditions, including food service, internet etc. Shortly after the news, there were unconfirmed reports that tourists are leaving the town and cancelling hotel bookings. However, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his family personally visited the town to show support and dismissed the concerns. UPDATES: 15:48 - Tsakhkadzor mayor clarifies the report, says he hasn't personally entered the hotel but gave the flowers to the hazmat personnel and asked to convey them to the women who are quarantined. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan NEW YORK, March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The World Education Services (WES) Mariam Assefa Fund and the Tarsadia Foundation today announced a joint $1 million grantmaking initiative to support the success of immigrants, refugees, and their communities nationwide. The Opportunity Challenge: $1 Million to Uplift Immigrant Communities seeks to identify, test, and advance sorely needed, holistic solutions that empower immigrant communities, while also addressing some of the impediments that many immigrants in low-wage jobs face, such as affordable childcare, stable housing, food security, and reliable transportation. The challenge will open on March 23, 2020, and grant submissions will be accepted through May 26, 2020. A selection committee comprised of experts and community leaders will identify a shortlist of applicants. Seven organizations will ultimately be awarded up to $200,000 for a two-year period. Successful proposals will focus on two categories: new ideas, which pilot-test innovative approaches, and established programs, which build on solutions that have proved success. Were thrilled to join the Tarsadia Foundation in surfacing impactful, community-led solutions that address factors contributing to economic insecurity among immigrants and refugees, said Monica Munn, Senior Director of the WES Mariam Assefa Fund. We know that achieving economic mobility is not solely a function of someones education, skills, or networks. Many factors outside the workplace pose significant roadblocks for immigrants and refugees in low-paying jobs. We believe the Opportunity Challenge will unleash creative thinking about what is a chronic challenge for so many people. The need for a range of solutions to eradicate these roadblocks is urgent. Immigrants now constitute 17% of the countrys workforce, and contribute substantially to the nations economy. However, a range of factors, including lack of affordable childcare, reliable transportation, stable housing, and other critical enablers of success are often unavailable to immigrants. Lack of access to affordable, dependable childcare is linked to workplace absences, disrupted work schedules, and inability to maintain employment. Research shows that lack of access to reliable transportation, and stable housing are similarly limiting. At Tarsadia Foundation we are committed to building a more inclusive and equitable world for all people, regardless of zip code, gender or color of skin, said Priya Bery, CEO of the Tarsadia Foundation. As a family of immigrants, we are passionate about tackling the structural barriers that have marginalized these communities for far too long. Were hopeful that through our partnership with the WES Mariam Assefa Fund and with the launch of the Opportunity Challenge, we can build new bridges to progress and enable people everywhere to become the architects of their own future. The Opportunity Challenge is the latest WES initiative to help enable immigrants, refugees, and international students with tools to succeed and with access to opportunities where they can thrive academically and in the workplace. WES has a 45-year history that seeks to ensure that internationally educated students, immigrants, and refugees are able to succeed in the U.S. and Canada, said Esther Benjamin, CEO of World Education Services. As we expand our work as a social enterprise, Im excited that the WES Mariam Assefa Fund is pushing us to expand our lens to focus on more vulnerable immigrant individuals. I am equally excited to see this joint philanthropic challenge establish a new partnership model for bringing multiple contributors together to tackle a pressing challenge. About WES and the WES Mariam Assefa Fund WES is a 501(c)3 non-profit social enterprise dedicated to helping international students and professionals achieve their educational and workplace goals in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1974, WES evaluates and advocates for the recognition of international education qualifications. Launched in 2019, the WES Mariam Assefa Fund supports catalytic efforts to build more inclusive economies for immigrant and refugee workers in the U.S. and Canada and ensure they have the skills, knowledge, and supports to succeed. About the Tarsadia Foundation Tarsadia Foundation is a global family foundation that has been active in service and philanthropic giving over the past 10 years. Tarsadia Foundation is on a mission to unleash human potential and is committed to building a world where economic inclusion and boundless opportunity exists for all, in harmony with the planet. Through their grants and investments, they are fueling Inclusive Mobility, tackling Current Crises and Future Threats, and inspiring Human Transformation across the globe. Contact info: Silan Akgul, sakgul@wes.org (631) 565-5244 Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10) San Miguel Corporation has offered to pay in advance 22.68 billion in capacity charges for its Ilijan power plant, calling it a "gesture of good faith" amid a pending court case with the government. SMC President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon Ang said he was offering to settle the fees for its 1,200-megawatt Ilijan plant to the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) early to help the state-run firm manage its debts. "Right now, the best and quickest way we can do this ahead of a decision on our case is to fully pay the P22.6 billion remaining balance in capacity charges of SPPC (South Premiere Power Corporation) for the Ilijan power plant in full, Ang said in a statement on Tuesday. The contract for the power plant in Batangas prescribes a fixed monthly payment for capacity and generation fees, which the firm estimates to be worth 392 billion when the deal expires in June 2022. But the conglomerate said SPPC won the bidding for the power facility for just $870 million, or just roughly 43.9 billion. SMC said buying a brand new power plant these days would only cost the company about 40 billion. "We hope that PSALM interprets this prepayment as a gesture of good faith on our part," Ang said. "Like them, we also have a purpose. Ours is to provide consumers with stable and more affordable electricity." San Miguel said SPPC has paid 314.6 billion to PSALM as of January 2020, split into 240.7 billion in generation charges and 73.9 billion in capacity fees. However, Ang clarified that the payment is separate from the pending case between SPPC and PSALM. The government is chasing after 23.9 billion in generation charges from the SMC unit since 2015 due to differences in computing generation charges. PSALM computed the private firm's dues against electricity prices quoted in the Wholesome Electricity Spot Market, but SMC said a fixed rate approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission should be used. Ang added that the early payment would help raise fresh funding for state projects, as well as efforts to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak. RIDLEY TOWNSHIP Students in Ridley High Schools advanced carpentry class spent the past week helping out Cub Scouts who dont have access to power equipment to cut wood blocks for their Pinewood Derby cars. Two years ago, a Leader at Pack 284 in Wayne, Lauren Amjed, started a Cub Scout Pack in the inner city of Philadelphia at Lewis Elkins Elementary, Pack 3199. The school is located at D Street and Allegheny Avenue in a heavily impoverished area, said Tyrell Preston, a Cub Scout leader at Pack 284 in Wayne and staff member at Ridley School District who helped connect the Scouts with the high school students. Last year, Lauren organized a Pinewood Derby, the pinnacle of the Cub Scout year. I would go there to help out in a clothing depot. The school needed work and I would help, explained Lauren Amjed who has a sone in Scouts. I thought it would really be great to bring scouting to the school. Theyve got kids who wanted to be involved in scouts. The Wayne troop purchased 50 kits for the Scouts in Philadelphia but they had no way to cut the cars from the wood block that comes with the Pinewood Derby kit. At that point Preston came up with the idea to partner with area high school wood shop classes. Finding that his local school, Radnor, no longer has a wood shop, he looked to Ridley where he was able to get help from Ridley carpentry and construction teacher Robert Coyne. We did 40 last year. I guess we did a good job, so they want 150 this year! said Coyne on a recent morning as the students finished up the last of the cars. The kids in the city dont have the opportunity to cut these, so our kids are cutting a rough pattern in them. They are going to then paint them and put them together. I originally told the students to keep it fairly simple because I didnt know if we would be able to get 150 done in a week, but they did a pretty good job with that and then they came up with some crazy ideas. The wood shop they really did a great job, said Amjed. We initially thought theyd do one of three designs, but the kids imitations took over. It was a huge success. Coyne is also sending some sandpaper with the newly cut cars so the Scouts can smooth them down before painting. Wayne Troop 284 is also donating used cars to the project. The leaders are happy to accept any donations. Students at Conestoga High School have also cut 50 cars for the project. It feels good helping them out, it warms the heart, said Ridley student John Devley, who cut more than 20 of the cars himself. On Saturday, Amjed will bring the cut cars and kits to the scouts for a decorating party at the Gesu School in North Philadelphia. At that point the Scouts can paint and decorate cars, their derby will be a week later. Its fantastic, just to link the two parts of the suburbs and the city, Amjed said. These kids are great and theyre doing something that is real and they can put their hands on right away. To see that is great. Coyne said his students really enjoyed doing the work. Hes been the wood shop teacher for the past ten years and finds that students really embraced the hands-on opportunity to turn design ideas into reality. Coyne teaches 60-75 students a semester who take the class as an elective, comparable to an art or music class. Coyne, who is retiring in December, worries about the future of classes like his that are available outside of vo-tech locations. Its good for students in all ranges, Coyne said. There are really some outstanding kids that make some great projects. If you eliminate it in the high school, the only opportunity you have to do it is vo-tech. That is going to take out 80-90 percent of the school population, because they want to take general education, or college prep. One kid made a car shaped like a guitar. Last year, a student made a large Lego man. They wouldnt have the opportunity to do that because they wouldnt be going to vo-tech. Were going to miss some kids in that area. Ridley School District Superintendent Lee Ann Wentzel said the district has no plans to end the wood shop at the high school. In fact, officials are expanding opportunities for hands-on education, including a new program they will offer in partnership with Delaware County Community College. Those are jobs we need people to know how to do, and for student looking to find what they are interested in, Wentzel said. There is going to be a need for students to have access to these resources. There is a future in having the ability to work with your hands and sometimes student dont know it until they do it. Wentzel said one issue is the shortage of teachers that have the skills that Coyne mastered. Specialized areas like his are hard to find, Wentzel said. It used to be called industrial arts, now its technical education. Its still going to remain in our critical plans. Two other county schools that still have wood shops are Springfield High School, which is preparing to move its shop into a new building under the direction of longtime teach George Trout, and Haverford High School, which offers practical wood shop as well as cabinet and furniture making. Featured stories 6 active meth labs busted by Jefferson police (WEWS Channel 5) Cleveland shooting victim trapped in ambulance when door wont open (WJW Channel 8) Cleveland motorcycle club member killed in shooting that hurt 17 others remembered as reliable, funny friend (cleveland.com) Coronavirus Gov. Mike DeWine, at the podium, with Ohio Department of Health Dr. Amy Acton, to the left, announce the first cases of the new coronavirus in Ohio -- three people in Cuyahoga County. (Laura Hancock, cleveland.com) Three Ohioans, all from Cuyahoga County, have coronavirus, Gov. 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Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal said the amendments were revised by the State Council, the Higher Council for Judges, the Central Bank of Egypt, the Financial Control Authority, Military Justice, and the board of the Anti-Money Laundering Unit. According to Abdel-Aal, the idea behind the new batch of amendments to the anti-money laundering law aim to dry up new sources of funding for terrorists and organised crime. As you might note, these amendments come just two weeks after we approved amendments to the anti-terror law and terrorist entities law, and all seek to target terrorist movements which resort to new forms of money laundering activities to commit their crimes, Abdel-Aal said. Abdel-Aal said Egypt was one of the first countries to take measures against money laundering. The policy began in 1980 and several measures had since been taken to crack down on this kind of dangerous criminal activity, Abdel-Aal said. The amendments come at a time when Egypts legal framework against money laundering and terrorism financing has become subject to review by the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENA FATF), added Abdel-Aal, noting that a FATF delegation visited Egypt last week and reviewed the latest legislative action in Egypt against money laundering. FATF is the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog. Bahaaeddin Abu Shoka, chairperson of parliaments Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee and leader of the opposition Wafd Party, told MPs that the amendments, approved by the committee on 2 March, generally aim to upgrade the law in terms of widening the scope of the definition of money laundering to include the selling and smuggling of oil, natural resources, securities and cryptocurrency, among other assets. The amendments will also toughen penalties in the form of a seven-year prison sentence and that hefty fines will be imposed on those convicted of laundering any such assets, Abu Shoka said. A report prepared by parliaments Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee said amendments to the 16-article law are part of a wider effort to crack down on terrorism funding. The report explains that three main articles of the anti-money laundering law will be amended. Article 16 will be amended to give greater powers to the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorism Funding Unit, with the objective of expediting the necessary measures in this respect, primarily freezing the assets and cash of those suspected of funding terrorist crimes, the report said. Article 18 will be amended to make it compulsory for local authorities and the anti-money laundering unit to strengthen cooperation and exchange information with international organisations focused on 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 the illegal funding of terrorist crimes. MPs said they warmly welcome the new amendments. MP Osama Sharshar said the amendments come at the right time to target the black schemes and conspiracies of terrorist militias at the local and foreign levels These militias resort to laundering money to fund their terrorist crimes that aim to disrupt the national economies of certain countries, Sharshar said, charging that some of these militias also receive money from foreign intelligence agencies to spread terror in the Middle East and North Africa for political reasons. Sharshar said the new amendments are in line with the most up-to-date international guidelines that aim to safeguard national economies against money laundering and organised crime. Majority speaker Abdel-Hadi Al-Qasabi said money laundering has become a major source of funding for terrorist activities in recent years. These amendments target these crimes and implement Egypts commitments in line with the Middle East and North Africa Financial Task Force, Al-Qasabi said. Adel Nasser, parliamentary spokesperson of the Future of Homeland Party, said several reports showed that 80 per cent of terrorist crimes in 2018 and 2019 were funded by money laundering operations. We saw how terrorist militias stole oil revenues to spend on their members and commit their crimes, Nasser said, adding that in the past these militias used to attack jewellery shops and steal their money and they have fatwas [religious edicts] that claim their crimes do not violate Islam. Nasser said terrorist militias in Libya used illegal trade in oil to fund their operations against tourists in Egypt. An Islamic State affiliate in North Sinai claimed responsibility for downing a Russian passenger plane in Sinai in November 2015, Nasser said, adding that these operations sought to destroy the countrys national economy. *A version of this article appears in print in the 12 March, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: Sleep Awareness Week encourages people to assess their sleep patterns and routine for better sleep health. (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. Today marks World Sleep Day, an annual event encourages people to change their sleep routine to improve their overall health as Brits lose, on average, 200,000 working days a year because of exhaustion. According to Bupa, the average British adult gets just a touch over six hours of sleep every night, a figure that is disproportionately less than the recommended eight hours. There are a whole host of products, from pillows to eye masks, sleep sprays and lamps, which claim to help you snooze more soundly. Some may recommend supplements such as magnesium or CBD oils, others prefer essential oils to help them doze off. While most arent scientifically-proven to work, a number include natural oils and fragrances that are known to help promote relaxation and, in turn, sleep. Watch: 3 tried and tested products that get rid of dandruff Shop 10 top-rated sleep products This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray | 19.50 from John Lewis & Partners This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray is something of a cult sleep buy. Infused with a natural, aromatherapeutic blend of lavender, chamomile and vetiver its designed to calm both mind and body. One John Lewis review reads: Since using this spray I have slept really well and not just a light sleep, it is a deep sleep so I wake up feeling really refreshed. Specialist Synthetic Weighted Blanket | 80 from John Lewis & Partners Specialist Synthetic Weighted Blanket A weighted blanket is said to improve your sleep as the pressure from the blanket calms the body down and John Lewis' own brand blanket has been a huge hit with shoppers, selling out numerous times. The weighted blanket is available to buy in six different weights, from 2.5kg up to 11.5kg, all of which vary in price depending on how heavy you want your blanket. I was given this blanket about four weeks ago, I have never slept so well! Im far less restless and don't ache as much on waking, shared one shopper. Story continues Slip Silk Pillowcase | 85 from Cult Beauty Slip Silk Pillowcase Silk pillowcases make for a restful nights sleep because they are soft to touch and gentle on the skin, which can be soothing for those struggling to sleep. The Slip pillowcases has received glowing reviews from customers, with one claiming it made them have a better sleep. They shared: Although I seldom have insomnia, this makes me have better sleep, don't wanna leave my pillow every morning and it makes my dry damaged hair feel smoother. Better You Magnesium Sleep Mineral Lotion | 7.27 (Was 9.95) from Amazon Better You Magnesium Sleep Mineral Lotion Better Yous Magnesium Sleep Mineral Body Lotion is another top-rated product customers have hailed a great sleep aid, as the solution works to relax tense and tired muscles. One shoppers review read: I can't live without this product in my life. Another shared: I have had problems falling asleep on and off for years... I saw this product and am so glad I gave it a go. It worked the first night I used it and every night since for almost a month. Within 30 minutes of applying it to my shoulders and neck I can feel myself dropping off and I sleep really well now. Bucky 40 Blinks Ultralight & Comfortable Contoured | 16.32 from Amazon Bucky 40 Blinks Ultralight & Comfortable Contoured The Bucky eye mask has been specifically moulded with a contoured design to avoid putting any pressure on the eyes when you go to sleep. The item has received 70% five star reviews. One of which read: This is a fantastic product, best sleep ever. Feather and Down Pillow Spray | 7 from Boots Feather and Down Pillow Spray The Feather and Down Pillow Spray has received rave reviews from customers praising the product as the best sleep spray". The spray is a soothing blend of lavender and chamomile essential oils, which aim to reduce anxiety and calm the mind and body to help the user slip into a deep sleep. The memory foam pillow | 59 from Eve Sleep The memory foam pillow A memory foam pillow is hot property in the bedroom because it contours to your head and neck to release tension, and align your spine, which works to help you get a better nights sleep. Eve Sleeps pillow has received almost 90% worth of five star reviews on Trust Pilot, with some claiming it helped them have the best sleep ever. A separate shopper wrote: I used to wake up with really bad neck pain, but after a bout a week of using the Eve pillow it completely went. Lumie Bodyclock Glow 150 Wake up to Daylight SAD Light | 99 from John Lewis & Partners Lumie Bodyclock Glow 150 Wake up to Daylight SAD Light The Lumie Bodyclock Glow is a popular purchase among customers who are looking to adjust their sleep pattern, or test out light therapy to boost their mood. One review read: Honestly couldn't have a better thing to say about this Lumie lamp. Not only does it really help me get to sleep at night with the gradually dimming light, it is also great for waking me up gently in the morning as the light gets gradually brighter. Since getting my Lumie I've not once woken up feeling sluggish but instead refreshed, which definitely has a lot to do with the lamp. Dagsmejan Tunica with Nattwarm Sleep Tech | 76 from Dagsmejan Dagsmejan Tunica with Nattwarm Sleep Tech What we wear to bed can have a negative impact on our sleep pattern, but Swedish fashion brand Dagsmejan prides itself on changing that. The label has specifically created luxury lounge and sleepwear made from merino and Tencel from eucalyptus, which means the fabric is lighter, more breathable and helps to regulate your body temperature. The brand has received, on average, 4.7 out of 5 across their 323 reviews, one of which read: Light and very pleasant on the skin. In cold weather nice and warm and even if the surroundings are warmer, you do not sweat. Classic Collection Comfort Support 800 Pocket Spring Mattress | 299 from John Lewis & Partners Classic Collection Comfort Support 800 Pocket Spring Mattress If your old mattress has become uncomfortable after years of wear and tear, a new one may help to improve your sleep. This Classic mattress from John Lewis boasts a ReActive Pocket spring system, which provides optimum cushioning and support for the customer. One happy shopper said: "Since this mattress arrived last week I have been sleeping like a baby." Watch: Yahoo! Style UK share all the details on infrared sauna blankets Before you go: Sign up for The Life Edit newsletter to get the latest shopping and lifestyle news. Widespread speculation that schools will shut early for Easter and that children could be sent home for up to three weeks have been dismissed as inaccurate by education officials and politicians. With concern about the spread of the coronavirus among schools, there had been reports on social media, in WhatsApp groups and among staff in schools today that facilities would close on Friday. This would be ahead of next week's St Patrick's Day holidays for schools as well as the following weeks for the Easter holidays. But the Department of Education has rubbished the suggestions with officials privately criticising the origin of the speculation which has emerged online on social media forums today. In a detailed statement, a department spokesman told the Irish Examiner: "The Department of Education and Skills is liaising closely with the Department of Health on a continuing basis. "Any decision to close schools will be made on public health advice. There is no such advice at this point. "It is essential that any decisions regarding responses to Covid-19 are proportionate, necessary and based on specific public health advice. No other response is appropriate. "Public health professionals will contact schools if there is any action to be taken. Schools should not take unilateral action. "Schools, pre-schools and higher education settings have been provided with advice and guidance in respect of Covid-19. "The Department is deeply conscious of the significance of decisions concerning school closures, and the potential impact any such decisions would have on parents, families and the wider community." Nonetheless, officials also privately insist the situation with COVID-19 is evolving and that clinical advice can change on a daily basis. While some university facilities and workplaces today and this week have begun sending people home or asking them to study or work off site, the Department of Education is not to introduce emergency measures as of this afternoon, officials explained. Fianna Fail education spokesman Thomas Byrne also criticised the rumours, tweeting: "I've just met very senior department of education officials who informed me that there is currently no plan for large scale school closures. They say they'll be guided by public health advice which at the moment is not to have large scale closures." Meanwhile, Trinity College Dublin announced earlier today that it is to Read More: - with reporting by Press Association Known COVID-19 cases are mushrooming in some Southeast Asian nations that had long reported few or none as the region grapples with imported infections. Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines three nations likely to have underreported cases reported the most new infections in the past 24 hours, while Singapore braces for new infections from an Italian cruise ship that docked this morning after being turned away by Malaysia and Thailand. There have been no reports of COVID-19 aboard the vessel so far. Malaysia reported nearly 20 new cases last night, including one individual who recently visited virus-hit Iran. Indonesias 13 new cases included two foreign nationals, while Vietnam reported its 31st case in a British national who flew on the same plane as the previously reported Vietnamese socialite who was ill. The number of cases in the Philippines has risen to 24, prompting the country to declare a public health emergency. In Hong Kong, chief executive Carrie Lam was expected to announce further travel restrictions today as precautionary measures against the coronavirus. Other major updates from yesterday: Italy announced a nationwide lockdown as infections surge to nearly 10,000 by Tuesday morning. Global infections have surpassed 110,000. Nearly 4,000 have died from the disease. The World Health Organization director-general continues to refrain from outright declaring the disease a pandemic but engaged in a semantic exercise to describe it as an uneven epidemic at a global level. Frances culture minister has contracted the coronavirus. Cases in the country have surpassed 1,200. Nearly a thousand passengers have disembarked from the virus-hit Grand Princess cruise ship in San Francisco after around 20 people, including at least 19 crewmembers tested positive for COVID-19. More updates from Coconuts newsrooms in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong: Singapore Singapore has stopped waiving medical fees for COVID-19 patients on short-term visas but continues to pay for their diagnostic testing costs. The total confirmed cases rose to 160 after 10 new infections were reported yesterday. New cases include people linked to the dinner in Jurong as well as imported cases. A total of 36 cases have been linked to SAFRA Jurong so far. Imported cases include two individuals who recently arrived in Singapore from Indonesia. Ten people are now in critical condition. A total of 93 people have been discharged from hospitals so far. A cruise ship reportedly carrying around 2,000 people, including dozens of Italians, has docked in Singapore this morning after it was rejected by Malaysia and Thailand. Costa Fortuna originally departed its homeport in Singapore on March 3 and has not picked up any new passengers, Singapores port authority wrote in a Monday statement. Passengers will have their temperatures checked upon disembarkation. Those who show symptoms will undergo swab tests. Story continues Manila Malaysia Malaysia reported 18 new cases, bringing the countrys total tally to 117. One of the new cases involves a man who was in virus-hit Iran from Feb. 20 to 27. He tested positive for COVID-19 on March 5. Two of Malaysias COVID-19 patients are in critical condition and in ICU. Indonesia Coronavirus cases rose to 19 in Indonesia after 13 new infections were reported. They involve 11 citizens and two foreign nationals who had prior contact with Indonesias first COVID-19 case. Indonesia did not reveal the nationalities of the foreigners. One of the new patients, known as case No. 8, also suffers from diabetes and is in a serious condition after getting infected with COVID-19. Hong Kong Total cases in Hong Kong still stands at 115 Tuesday morning. City authorities are expected to expand its travel restrictions to include travelers from more countries. Thailand Grab confirmed with Coconuts today that its office in Bangkoks Phrom Phong has closed five days for disinfection after one of its Singaporean employees visited it and later tested positive. Grabs Singapore offices have also closed for cleaning, Bloomberg reported. The official count of confirmed cases still stood at 50 on Tuesday morning. Songkran festivities on Khaosan Road were canceled Monday, followed by an announcement that official celebrations would be called off citywide. Vietnam A British national has been reported as Vietnams 31st COVID-19 patient. The 49-year-old man had flown in from London to Hanoi onboard the same flight as the infected Vietnamese socialite Nguyen Hong Nhung. Nhungs personal chauffeur and aunt are Vietnams 18th and 19th patients, respectively. Nine other foreign nationals from the same plane tested positive for the new coronavirus on Sunday. They include seven Brits, an Irish citizen and a Mexican. Cambodia Three family members of the first Cambodian officially known to have COVID-19 have so far tested negative for the disease, according to Khmer Times . The 38-year-old man reportedly contracted the disease from a Japanese man visiting the country. The Japanese man departed Siem Reap and transited through Vietnams Ho Chi Minh before arriving in Nagoya, where he was diagnosed with a fever and taken to a hospital. He subsequently tested positive for COVID-19. Myanmar Myanmar has yet to report official cases of COVID-19 in the country. Despite their deaths due to COVID-19-like symptoms, the government denies it caused three deaths last week involving individuals who showed symptoms consistent with the disease. Nonetheless Yangon was considering canceling Thingyan, the water festival similar to Songkran in Thailand. Additional reporting Khyne Palumar, Chayanit Itthiponmaetee. Related: Indonesia says community clinics capable of early COVID-19 detection Cancel Culture: No Songkran on Khaosan Road this year 10 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in PH, bringing total to 20 Mapping COVID-19 in Singapore: 30 now linked to SAFRA Jurong; 1 likely infected in hospital This article, COVID-19 in Southeast Asia: Italian cruise ship docks in Spore; 20+ infected in Philippines, Grab shuts Bangkok office, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company. Want more Coconuts? Sign up for our newsletters! Singapore's Health Minister Gan Kim Yong on Tuesday said that many locally transmitted coronavirus cases in the country "were the result of the socially irresponsible actions of a few individuals" who continued to attend events and activities despite being unwell. Speaking at a press conference here, Gan said a lot of patients with confirmed coronavirus infection did not minimise social contact despite being aware of the issue. "To curb the spread of the coronavirus in Singapore, members of the public should avoid social contact and see a doctor early if unwell. About 35 out of the 160 confirmed cases in Singapore so far did not minimise social contact although they had already developed fever or respiratory symptoms, or had not consulted a doctor early when unwell," Gan was quoted as saying in a report by Channel Asia. Gan said more than 22 per cent of the people with coronavirus infection continued to work or carried on with their daily routine despite being sick. Singapore has been making every efforts to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus infection. Meanwhile, a cruise liner turned away from ports in Malaysia and Thailand due to coronavirus concerns, docked in Singapore on Tuesday morning, with some passengers immediately taken to the Changi Airport by bus for their flights. The Costa Fortuna berthed at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre as part of a scheduled call, after the ship was barred from stopping in Penang and Phuket. This was despite the cruise operator stating there were no suspected coronavirus cases on board. The ship, however, was carrying dozens of Italian passengers. Italy has the second largest reported cases of coronavirus after China. Similarly, Singapore's Nanyang Technological University has terminated an international student from a postgraduate course after he breached his Stay Home Notice'. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ANSAmed - Today's events in the Mediterranean (ANSAmed) - ROME, MARCH 10 - These are the main events scheduled in the Euro-Mediterranean for today: ANKARA - Mission of a Russian military and intelligence delegation for talks with corresponding Turkish authorities ahead of the start on Sunday of joint patrols in Idlib (Syria). BRUSSELS - Conference of EU leaders to discuss the coronavirus emergency. ROME - The 11th edition of the 2020 Francophone Film Festival continues (to March 13). (ANSAmed). CapitalG and Menlo Ventures co-lead Series C investment with participation from Andreesessen Horowitz to advance ediscovery technology, fuel international expansion OAKLAND, California, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Everlaw , the cloud-based ediscovery and litigation platform, today announced it has closed a $62 million Series C funding round led by new investor CapitalG and existing investor Menlo Ventures, with participation from existing investors Andreessen Horowitz and K9 Ventures. With this investment, Everlaw's total funding reaches $96 million, and Jesse Wedler, partner at CapitalG, will join the company's board of directors. In addition, Everlaw has achieved a FedRAMP Authority to Operate at the moderate impact level with support from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), enabling the DOJ to securely implement the platform for ediscovery, collaboration, and document review for productions, investigations, and litigation. The digital universe is growing exponentially, expected to reach 44 trillion gigabytes this year. As the volume of data grows and ediscovery workloads become more demanding, litigators and investigators are struggling with the cost and complexity of mining through massive troves of documents. Evidence is the lifeblood of law, but only a small fraction of documents are relevant in any given case, which is why modern ediscovery is a new imperative for quickly uncovering that needle of truth in the haystack required to advance justice. Everlaw's cloud-based ediscovery solution enables legal teams to easily find relevant information for internal investigations and litigation, and to collaborate on research, analysis, narrative-building and courtroom-ready presentation of the material. It uses artificial intelligence to quickly reveal connections and insights in all types of written and multimedia data that might otherwise be overlooked and that can help make or break a legal case. "The stakes for uncovering the truth and upholding justice have never been higher. Yet the process to find this information is incredibly challenging, and we want to give teams the tools they need to find the needles in the haystack - those critical pieces of evidence that change the trajectory of their cases," said AJ Shankar, founder and CEO of Everlaw. "This investment will help us further scale growth, from recruiting efforts to continued international expansion and investing in new features so organizations around the globe can use our truth-finding machine to advance justice and the rule of law." Everlaw has been gaining momentum within a market expected to grow to $17 billion by 2023. The company is the first cloud-native software to earn a FedRAMP Moderate Authority to Operate with support from the DOJ, an achievement that reflects Everlaw's commitment to security. Both data stored and the number of matters on the platform have more than doubled year-over-year, with customers such as Hilton, Dick's Sporting Goods, Juniper Networks and the National Association of Attorneys General, and global law firms like Travers Smith, Orrick, Covington & Burling LLP, and Greenberg Traurig LLP. In addition, journalists, educators and nonprofits rely on Everlaw every day to do their jobs. Processing up to 500,000 documents per hour, Everlaw's technology is five times faster than the nearest cloud competitor, with its largest case reaching 68M documents. Quotes from Investors "Everlaw is modernizing the way litigators and investigators bring evidence to light," said Jesse Wedler, partner at CapitalG. "Technology is well-suited to address today's data overload problem, and with their world-class engineering team and cloud-native product, Everlaw is enabling litigation teams to focus on truth discovery and leave the manual work to the machines." "The legal industry continues to replace broken, manual workflow with modern software," said Tyler Sosin, Menlo Ventures partner and Everlaw board member. "As a category-leader, Everlaw can build a multi-billion dollar business. But ediscovery is just the tip of the iceberg: We believe that Everlaw can extend their product offering to customers, with purpose-built software that brings new efficiency to the legal sector." "Everlaw is changing the way legal teams uncover the truth buried in mountains of data and documents," said Steven Sinofsky, board partner at Andreessen Horowitz. "Everlaw has already established itself as a leader in the $11 billion ediscovery market, and promises to make a lasting impact defining modern work solutions for litigators." Quote from Analyst "Everlaw is well-positioned to transform the legal industry," said Ryan O'Leary, lead analyst at IDC. "And, with the explosion of data, transforming often highly manual ediscovery processes is needed to bring ediscovery into the digital age. Large corporations in particular will greatly benefit from efficiencies gained through Everlaw's unique search capabilities and AI-powered technology." About Everlaw Everlaw blends cutting-edge technology with modern design to help government entities, law firms, and corporations solve the toughest problems in the legal industry. Everlaw is used by Fortune 100 corporate counsels and household brands like Hilton and Dick's Sporting Goods, 76 out of the AM Law 100, and all 50 U.S. state attorneys general. Based in Oakland, California, Everlaw is funded by top-tier investors, including CapitalG, Menlo Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, and K9 Ventures. Learn more at https://www.everlaw.com . Media Contact Elena Keamy Mission North for Everlaw everlaw@missionnorth.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1084448/Everlaw_Logo.jpg A mother of the bride admitted that she wouldn't let her daughter alter her traditional Chinese wedding dress because she wanted her to 'look pregnant' on her big day. Kirsty, 36, and her partner Simon, 46, from Birmingham appear in the new W series 'The Wedding Fixer' tonight, which sees expert planner Sarah Haywood help ordinary couples navigate their big days. The couple had their hearts fixed on a modern, Western wedding, but Kirsty's mother Sharon had other ideas, and even forced her daughter to hold her reception in a Chinese restaurant. Another aspect of the wedding headstrong Sharon wasn't budging on was her daughter's dress, which Kirsty felt was 'boxy' and made her look 'like a potato'. However, her mother refused to get it tailored because it's 'traditional' for the bride to appear pregnant. The Wedding Fixer saw Sarah Haywood (pictured left) meet a mother of the bride who admitted she wouldn't let her daughter (pictured) alter her wedding dress because she wanted her to 'look pregnant' on her big day Sharon (pictured right), from Birmingham, refused to get the dress tailored as it's 'traditional' for the bride to appear pregnant Before trying the traditional dress on, Kirsty said: 'When I did recommend to Mum about tailoring it previously, she was like "No, no". 'She was dead set against the idea. So Sarah has a big job on her hands trying to persuade my mum, All the best to Sarah. She's going to need all the help she can get.' After trying on the outfit which she would wear for the reception, Sarah said: 'Your face says everything. I've never seen someone so miserable trying on a wedding dress. It needs tailoring doesn't it? 'It looks like a sack at the moment,' agreed Kirsty. One aspect of the wedding head-strong Sharon wasn't budging on was her daughter's dress, which although Kirsty felt was 'boxy' and 'looked like a potato' Sarah argued to Sharon that the best possibility may not be wearing the dress at all, as it 'doesn't fit' Sharon immediately interjected: 'No, that's the style. All the people will think she's pregnant, that's good luck.' Sarah questioned: 'You want her to look pregnant on her wedding day? 'Yeah, that's the tradition', said Sharon, to which Sarah immediately responded: 'A tradition to look pregnant on your wedding day? I don't think so. I really don't think so.' Sharon went on: 'No it looks like you have a big bum, that's good.' 'So you want your daughter on her wedding day to look like she has a big bottom and is seven months pregnant?' quizzed Sarah. 'Yes, yes,' confirmed Sharon. Later, the row about the wedding dress rumbled on as Sharon was still refusing to let her daughter change the garment, despite her fearing she would look 'hideous' on her wedding day Later, the family gathered for a home cooked meal, where Sarah asked about any issues that could arise before the wedding Sharon finally revealed that she had conceded on her daughter's dress as she no longer wanted to 'argue' over the topic After Sarah tried to tell Sharon that the best possibility may be to ditch the dress completely, she said: 'I don't know how many times I can say it doesn't fit. 'I think the mum's about to turn on me, she just said "You're very clever". This could go really wrong now.' Later, the row about the wedding dress rumbled on with Sharon still refusing to let her daughter change the garment, despite her fear of looking 'hideous' on her wedding day. She said: 'Now, the conclusion is my mum has said, "No, it doesn't need to be altered". So I just don't know what to do about it now. 'The shape of it now, it's blatantly obvious that it doesn't fit. It's like a potato. 'Why would I put myself through that, to make myself look so hideous on my wedding day?' Kirsty was thrilled that her mother had given her blessing or the dress to be altered before the reception Kirsty and Simon (pictured right) appeared at their wedding reception with the bride wearing an altered version of the gown Later, the family gathered for a home-cooked meal where Sharon finally revealed that she had conceded on her daughter's dress because she no longer wanted to 'argue' over the topic. Sarah quizzed the family: 'What other issues are there or jobs to be done?' 'The main thing is the Chinese wedding dress, are we going to get altered', said Kirsty. After Sharon nodded, Sarah asked her: 'Why have you suddenly conceded?' 'I don't want to argue', said Sharon. 'Fair enough, we're going to leave here with it tonight', said Sarah. The Wedding Fixer airs on W at 10pm Tuesday Lorraine Kelly was put in her place by the former Miss World 1970 runner-up Pearl Jansen on Tuesday. Pearl, 70, was appearing on Lorraine to discuss the upcoming movie Misbehaviour - which follows the events surrounding the disrupted 1970 beauty pageant in which she took part as a 20-year-old. But the ex-Miss Africa South took issue with the chat show host's constant interruptions while she was trying to talk. Shhh! Lorraine Kelly was put in her place by the former Miss World 1970 runner-up Pearl Jansen on Tuesday By the end of the segment she had had it, when trying to answer a question about what she feels personally about the film being made. 'Right, listen, before - sorry - before you interrupt me!' she snapped at the 60-year-old, before stating that Lorraine had asked her a question and that she was going to answer it. Lorraine kept quiet and let Pearl say her piece, explaining that the film 'has given me the opportunity to meet [Miss World winner] Jennifer [Hosten] in person. 'Because of Misbehaviour we are getting the opportunity to get together,' she said. Pearl appeared on the show alongside Loreece Harrison, who plays her in the film. Piped down: Ex-Miss Africa South took issue with the chat show host's constant interruptions while she was trying to talk Pearl, 70, was appearing on Lorraine to discuss the upcoming movie Misbehaviour - which follows the events surrounding the disrupted 1970 beauty pageant in which she took part as a 20-year-old They also discussed the fact that Pearl was known as Miss Africa South, rather than South Africa. She said: '[They said], "Pearl you're going to be miss Africa South". This didnt matter to me at the time - I thought Im going to have this amazing opportunity, that's what mattered to me at the time. 'I think it celebrates more than [beauty]. Im talking from a South African perspective - the girls entering this competition are going for the opportunity, they're not concerned about that. Throwback Tuesday: Pearl appeared on the show alongside Loreece Harrison, who plays her in the film Hush, now! 'Right, listen, before - sorry - before you interrupt me!' she snapped at the 60-year-old, before stating that Lorraine had asked her a question and that she was going to answer it Let me finish! By the end of the segment she had had it, when trying to answer a question about what she feels personally about the film being made 'To me it didn't matter, I came from the apartheid era so this was an opportunity.' Loreece talked about how things have changed for Miss World as a competition. She said: 'When you look at where we are now in comparison it is mind-blowing - the rise of the womens liberation movement and the change when the first black woman won! She's had it up to here! Lorraine kept quiet and let Pearl say her piece, explaining that the film 'has given me the opportunity to meet [Miss World winner] Jennifer [Hosten] in person Reunion: 'Because of Misbehaviour we are getting the opportunity to get together,' she said 'I think theres a way to go but I dont think theres a problem with a woman enjoying that stage and enjoying that moment [of the Miss World competition].' Pearl explained that back in the day they would measure the women's 'buttocks, hips, that kind of things' and that she's glad 'this isn't happening today, not at all'. 'I didnt think in my time that I was flaunting my body,' she added. Lorraine airs on ITV weekdays from 9AM. Most passengers were directed straight to their homes for two weeks of self-isolation. A few foreign tourists, delighted to learn they had just made it in under the wire, were allowed to set off sightseeing, still hoping for a normal vacation. Others remained unsure of their fate even as they walked out into the Israeli sun. Support to expand Medicare coverage to all Americans has fallen among current beneficiaries of the federal health insurance program, eHealth CEO Scott Flanders told CNBC on Monday. About 37% of the Medicare recipients surveyed support the idea that Medicare or Medicare-like coverage should be extended to all Americans, according to an eHealth survey set to be released Tuesday. That number is down from 41% a year ago, according to eHealth, a digital health insurance marketplace company. EHealth surveyed 1,000 Medicare beneficiaries. "They just don't think that those under 65 should be able to participate, and you can't really blame them," Flanders said in an exclusive interview with "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer. "They've been paying into Medicare all their lives and it's like: 'Wait a minute, we don't want [to be] flooded by people who haven't paid into it.' And so that number is up to 58% of Medicare beneficiaries who say we should not have Medicare for All." The U.S. government launched Medicare more than five decades ago to insure people 65 and older. The program also supports some people with disabilities who do not meet the age threshold, along with those with permanent kidney failure, according to its website. The report will come out in the thick of the Democratic Party's presidential primary race as voters in six states, including Michigan, get to cast their ballots in the contest Tuesday. The tight race pits former Vice President Joe Biden, who says he wants to expand on the current American health-care system known as Obamacare, against Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., whose signature campaign policy "Medicare For All" would replace Obamacare with a system fully funded by the public. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, remains a distant contestant in the primary race. Sanders' plan is to transform the country's private health-care industry, replacing it with a single-payer program. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who dropped out of the nominating contest last week, had a similar plan to transition to Medicare for All, which would have cost $20.5 trillion in new federal spending. "What's going on, really, when Elizabeth Warren published her plan, it became common knowledge that it's not an affordable solution," Flanders said. Warren had surged to front-runner status late last year, but she faced criticism for the price tag, and her position in the polls began to dwindle until she ended her campaign after Super Tuesday. Sanders has refused to outline how he would pay for his version of a universal health-care system, though he argues that existing federal taxes already cover a large part of what his plan would include. Analysts project that Sanders' Medicare for All proposal would cost $32 trillion over 10 years. "I like her," Flanders said of Warren. "She's smart and, you know, she works to actually be able to explain what she offers. But when it was explained it was rejected, and it's because it truly at this stage of our GDP it's not affordable." EHealth shares fell almost 3% during Monday's marketwide sell-off. The stock is up 36% to $130.70 per share since the beginning of 2020. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2020) - EuroLife Brands (CSE: EURO) (FSE: 3CMA) (OTC Pink: EURPF) ("EuroLife" or the "Company"), a vertically integrated enterprise focused on the pan-European hemp, cannabinoid, and health and wellness sector, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dean Callaway as Chief Financial Officer ("CFO"). Mr. Callaway will provide financial strategies and oversee the Company's financial operations on a contractual basis. Mr. Callaway is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Dalhousie University and an MBA from Nijenrode University in the Netherlands. He has over 25 years of financial leadership experience with notable organizations including Merrill Lynch, TransAlta, Enbridge and Terasen where he worked in corporate finance, project development, and mergers and acquisitions. Over the past 13 years he has worked for private and public companies on the TSX and TSXV operating in oil and gas and cannabis sectors in international jurisdictions including Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Colombia, Africa, the United States and most importantly Europe where he resided in the Netherlands. "I am very pleased to welcome Dean to the EuroLife team in role of Chief Financial Officer" said Shawn Moniz, CEO of EuroLife. "Dean brings to EuroLife a successful corporate finance track record with extensive international experience. His familiarity with the capital markets along with his finance leadership experience, and unquestionable work ethic will add significant value to our Company as we continue to execute on our European expansion strategy." To facilitate the appointment of Mr. Callaway, Miroslav Beganovic has stepped down as the CFO and Corporate Secretary of the Company. Shawn Moniz, the Chairman, CEO and a director of the Company has been appointed as Corporate Secretary. The Company wishes to thank Mr. Beganovic for his contributions to the Company and wishes him all the best in his future endeavors. The Company is also very pleased to announce that it is in the last and final round of due diligence regarding the closure of the acquisition of the Dresden Hemp transaction. In preparation of this transaction, and further to the news release on January 27, 2020, it is accessing the European Equity Group credit facility with by drawing down $100,000 CDN by issuing 2,000,000 units (the "Units") of the Company at a price of $0.05 per unit. All proceeds of this draw down will be put towards the acquisition of the Dresden Hemp facility. Each unit consists of one common share (a "Share") of the Company and one transferable common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one additional Share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.075 per Share at any time on or before the 24-month anniversary of the draw. The Company also announces that it has issued an aggregate of 5,197,500 common shares at a deemed price of $0.05 per common share to various consultants, in lieu of cash, for past services performed for the Company. All securities issued are subject to a four-month hold period. About EuroLife Brands Inc. EuroLife Brands (CSE: EURO) (FSE: 3CMA) (OTC Pink: EURPF) is a leading global markets cannabis brand empowering the medical, recreational and CPG cannabis industry worldwide through a data-driven CBD marketplace supported by exclusive and unbiased physician-backed cannabis education and detailed consumer analytics. For additional information: Contact: ir@eurolifebrands.com or visit EuroLifeBrands.com No stock exchange or securities regulatory authority has reviewed or accepted responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Some of the statements contained in this release are forward-looking statements, such as estimates and statements that describe the Issuer's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Issuer or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature, they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are posted on www.sedar.com. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/53327 The leader of cult-like self-improvement group NXIVM that attracted heiresses and Hollywood actresses is requesting a new trial in his sex-trafficking case. A jury convicted Keith Raniere in June on all counts of sex-trafficking and coercing women into sex. He and his lawyers filed a motion Monday in Brooklyn federal court for a new trial, arguing that two witnesses perjured themselves when they denied they were planning to sue him after the trial. The two women who testified at Raniere's trial are part of an 80-plaintiff lawsuit filed in January against Raniere and members of the group's top leadership, according to the motion. Some plaintiffs claim they were recruited as sex slaves and were forced to have Raniere's initials branded on their bodies. The federal lawsuit, filed in Brooklyn on Tuesday, accuses NXIVM founder Keith Raniere and his inner circle of running a corrupt organization that duped victims into paying thousands of dollars for classes based on false scientific claims Attorney Neil Glazer, who represents the two women, told the New York Post they did not initially intend to join the lawsuit but changed their minds after they saw how much evidence was revealed during the trial. Raniere ran a once-thriving organization based in Albany, New York, called NXIVM, pronounced NEHK-see-uhm. Raniere was accused of turning his female devotees into his sex slaves through shame, punishment and nude blackmail photos. His adherents included actress Allison Mack of TV's 'Smallville'; an heiress to the Seagram's liquor fortune, Clare Bronfman; and a daughter of TV star Catherine Oxenberg of 'Dynasty' fame. Raniere is scheduled to be sentenced on April 16. He is set to receive a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence and could get up to life in prison. The lawsuit filed in January claims that Raniere's self-improvement group was also a pyramid scheme that swindled millions of dollars out of people. The federal lawsuit filed in Brooklyn accuses NXIVM founder Keith Raniere and his inner circle of running a corrupt organization that duped victims into paying thousands of dollars for classes based on false scientific claims. Keith Raniere is seen during closing arguments in a courtroom sketch. A jury convicted him in June on all counts of sex-trafficking and coercing women into sex Among Raniere's adherents were Smallville actress Allison Mack (right) and Seagram's liquor heiress Clare Bronfman (left) who were both charged with racketeering Raniere, the guru of the cult that attracted heiresses and Hollywood actresses, was convicted last year of turning his female devotees into his sex slaves through such means as shame, punishment and nude blackmail photos. In addition to forcing women to become sex slaves and branding them with Raniere's initials, the lawsuit also details claims of NXIVM carrying out fraud, as well as physical and emotional abuse on its members. The former members, many of whom are only identified as Jane or John Does, claim NXIVM preyed on people who wanted to better themselves with the cult's costly self-improvement courses. NXIVM marketed itself as a personal improvement and professional development training program. The 200-page lawsuit claims NXIVM exerted their power over its members, took their money and made it financially, physically and psychologically difficult to leave. Raniere and his associates are accused of obtaining the trust of the victims and forcing them to become dependent on them by using a 'self-esteem eroding curriculum' and a 'dangerous form of psychotherapy'. NXIVM is also accused of forcing victims to undergo illegal human experiments and falsely claiming they could cure medical conditions like Tourette's syndrome and OCD. The members claim NXIVM used psychological treatments that were not scientific and that the methods were actually 'pseudo-scientific hodgepodge' that risked serious psychological injury and emotional distress. At least 40 members of the cult were part of a 'human fright experiment' in which electrodes were used on their heads to measure brainwaves, according to the lawsuit. The members believed they were going to be watching Raniere speak but were actually shown graphic footage or five women being beheaded and dismembered in Mexico. Many who participated in the courses were left traumatized and broke, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit comes as Raniere and several of his associates wait to be sentenced for charges related to their involvement in the cult. Raniere, who was found guilty on all counts of sex-trafficking and coercing women into sex, faces life in prison. Among Raniere's adherents were co-founder Nancy Salzman, Smallville actress Allison Mack and Seagram's liquor heiress Clare Bronfman who were all charged with racketeering. They pleaded guilty before facing trial. Raniere was arrested at a Mexican hideout in 2018 following an investigation into his group. Mack admitted helping Raniere assemble his harem and collect 'collateral' while Bronfman confessed to committing financial crimes for him. Among those caught up in the group was a daughter of Dynasty TV star Catherine Oxenberg. Her daughter India left NXIVM after her mother publicly spoke out against it. 'This was a very frightening group,' Oxenberg said after Raniere was convicted. 'I had to save a child who was caught in the grips of this cult, so I wasn't going to stop until I succeeded.' Vietnam seeks to invest $60 mln in two highways A landmark in Thanh Hoa Town of central Thanh Hoa Province. Photo by Shutterstock/sirokuma. The government is seeking approval from the National Assembly to spend VND1.4 trillion ($60 million) on building two coastal highways in central Thanh Hoa Province. Their construction was approved last year. Another VND343 billion ($14.7 million) will come from the public investment budget approved for this year. The highways are together estimated to cost VND3.08 trillion ($132 million), with the rest coming from private investors under a public-private partnership model. Investors will collect toll for 23 years to recoup their investment. One highway will run 10.5 kilometers from Hoang Hoa District to tourism hotspot, the beach town Sam Son, while the 14.5-kilometer second highway will connect Quang Xuong and Tinh Gia districts. They will allow speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour. It is unclear when the construction will start, but last year Thanh Hoa authorities had proposed a time frame of 2019 to 2023. Thanh Hoa is the most populated province in Vietnam and the fifth largest. One, he said, was a family collecting money to get treatment for a child with cancer. The other involved family members who said they were trying to raise money for funeral expenses, Andrade said. I want everybody to think about that, he said. Were prepared to throw people in jail and fining them to cover costs that they cant cover because theyre not fortunate enough because of a medical emergency, medical condition or a death. Its going to imprison people for doing the thing that they should be able to do with no problem. Rep. Kirsten Engel, D-Tucson, said the proposed legislation threatens to undermine First Amendment rights of people, not only to solicit funds but also to stand in a median holding protest signs. Those are the kinds of protests teachers engaged in during their 2018 walkout that eventually resulted in Gov. Doug Ducey agreeing to significant raises, Engel said. She also suggested the law could be used to harass certain people by leaving it up to police to determine whether someone in a median was intending to cross the street. It rained goals in Imphal in an entertaining I-League match with Neroca emerging 4-3 winners against Punjab FC thanks to a hat-trick from Ghnaian striker Phillip Adjah Tettey at the Khuman Lumpak Stadium here on Tuesday. Tettey gave Neroca the lead in the fifth minute before Dipanda Dicka restored parity three minutes later by scoring his 50th I-League goal. Tettey scored his second in the 37th minute to reclaim Neroca's advantage before substitute Girik Mahesh Khosla (59th) brought Punjab back to level terms near the hour mark. The visitors were reduced to 10 men after Yumnam Raju was sent off for a second bookable offence. Neroca soon raced to a 4-2 lead, courtesy of an own goal from Punjab's Danilo (75th) and shortly afterwards, Tettey scored his third of the match in the 82nd minute. Dicka converted a penalty in the 86th minute, but the home side held on for the remainder of match in a nervy finish. Gift Raikhan made wholesale changes to the home side's line-up. Dhananjoy Singh and Rojen Meitei were called upon at the back. Jiteshwor Singh dropped just behind Imran Khan in midfield. Khangam Horam and Singam Subash Singh started upfront. Punjab gaffer Yan Law made three changes. Yumnam Raju and Samuel Shadap were reinstated to the four-man defence. Sergio Barboza Jr. also made his return, starting out wide. The match kicked off to a blistering start. In the fourth minute, Sergio Barboza's menacing run was read by Himanshu Jangra, who made himself available for a pass with an overlapping run. Jangra picked out Dipanda Dicka inside the box, who had a crack first time but was denied by the crossbar. Just a minute later, Neroca caught Punjab napping on the counter. Jiteshwor Singh led the charge and found Imran Khan to his left. Khan played Tettey through on goal and the Ghanaian forward clinically slotted past Kiran Limbu for the opener. In the 8th minute, the home side shot themselves in the foot during a corner routine when Imran Khan conceded position outside the Punjab box, which led to a break. Sanju Pradhan ran the length of the pitch before squaring across goal for Dicka, who made no mistake this time to restore parity. Neroca pressed effectively, and it paid dividends in the 37th minute. Kiran Limbu's wayward pass was picked out, which put Tettey through on goal again. Danilo couldn't recover in time, and Tettey restored Neroca's advantage heading into the break. In the 48th minute, it was veteran Sanju Pradhan who played culprit and lost the possession to Tettey but with a hat-trick beckoning, he fluffed his lines with his finish. Near the hour mark, Sanju's set-piece delivery wasn't read by the Neroca backline, allowing substitute Khosla scored a spectacular equaliser. Yumnam Raju made matters worse for the Punjab outfit, after he picked up a red card for a second bookable offence. The Orange Brigade thoroughly capitalised on their one-man advantage. In the 75th minute, Imran Khan's left-footed curler found the head of Danilo, and the Brazilian, to his dismay, netted an unfortunate own-goal. Neroca added to Punjab's misery by adding a fourth. Some schoolboy defending from Punjab again added the final nail in the coffin. Eze Kingsley gave the ball away and in an attempt to recover the ball, went down to put Tettey through on goal for his hat-trick, which he duly notched this time. Dicka's 86th-minute penalty made it 4-3 to head towards a nervy finish with five minutes added on but Neroca held on to register a vital win in their quest to avoid relegation. Neroca have now moved a place above with 18 points, while Punjab remain in third with 23. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Reports linked to the Avon Community School Corp. bring Indiana's total confirmed cases to four two in Hendricks County, one in Marion County and another confirmed Monday in Noble County, just west of Fort Wayne. Seven cases have been confirmed in Chicago as of Monday afternoon, with Jacqueline B. Vaughn Occupational High School in the city's Portage Park neighborhood closing this week after a school employee in her 50s received a presumptive positive test result for the virus, according to a city of Chicago statement. Though no cases have been reported in Northwest Indiana, school leaders across the Region are notifying the community of steps taken to monitor reports of the virus and to sanitize schools should the virus be reported in their districts. "The job of schools right now is the safety, security and well-being of our students," Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick said Monday, noting her Department of Education staff has been in regular contact with state and local health officials. "They are aware there are 1.2 million students sitting in our schools and 78,000 educators and a lot of families that are impacted. On that end, I want you to feel confident your state is doing amazing work in a collaborative fashion." Italian hospitals are so 'overwhelmed' by coronavirus that strokes are going untreated and elderly patients are not even being assessed, a doctor at the centre of the crisis has said - while another medic said people in the UK and US should be panicking more. Doctors in Italy have been forced into life-or-death decisions over who should receive intensive care, with virus cases piling up around the country. One Italian medic warned that the public may be underestimating the 'epidemiological disaster' because of warnings not to panic. Daniele Macchini said he 'understands the need not to panic' but said he 'shuddered' because the 'message of the danger of what is happening does not reach people'. 'The war has literally exploded and battles are uninterrupted day and night,' Daniele Macchini said in a lengthy Facebook post. 'Cases are multiplying, we arrive at a rate of 15-20 hospitalisations per day all for the same reason. 'The results of the swabs now come one after the other: positive, positive, positive. Suddenly the emergency room is collapsing.' Medics treat a patient at a hospital in Schiavonia, in northern Italy which has been worst-affected by the coronavirus outbreak in the country A coffin is taken out of a hospital in the presence of two relatives and a funeral home employee in Venice today, with funerals banned because of the nationwide lockdown The surgeon in Bergamo in northern Italy said that doctors on the front line were 'part of a single team to face this tsunami that has overwhelmed us'. He also urged people to abide by Italy's stringent new quarantine measures. 'So be patient too, you can't go to the theater, museums or gym. Try to have mercy on that myriad of older people you could exterminate,' he said. 'It is not your fault, I know, but of those who put it in your head that you are exaggerating - and even this testimony may seem just an exaggeration for those who are far from the epidemic, but please, listen to us - try to leave the house only to indispensable things. 'Do not go en masse to stock up in supermarkets: it is the worst thing because you concentrate and the risk of contacts with infected people who do not know they are higher. You can go there as you usually do.' Despite his warning, many Italians have done exactly that today with long queues forming outside supermarkets. The virus is spreading so fast in Italy that doctors are making comparisons to wartime triage medics deciding who lives, who dies and who gets access to intensive care. Another medic in northern Italy told a friend in the UK that hospitals were running at '200 per cent capacity' with operating theatres hurriedly converted into intensive care units. Non-coronavirus cases are being sidelined with some medics being given a 'leaflet' and told to perform specialist tasks for which they are not qualified, while some patients over 65 are not even being assessed, the doctor said. The medic's comments were published in a Twitter thread by UK-based friend Jason van Schoor (pictured), an anaesthetist and clinical fellow at University College London Part of the Twitter thread in which a UK-based anaesthetist relays a message from a doctor in northern Italy. ITU means intensive treatment unit and OR means operating room. NIV means non-invasive ventilation In full: Chilling message from medic in northern Italy 'I feel the pressure to give you a quick personal update about what is happening in Italy, and also give some quick direct advice about what you should do. 'First, Lombardy is the most developed region in Italy and it has extraordinary good healthcare, I have worked in Italy, UK and Australia and don't make the mistake to think that what is happening is happening in a third world country. 'The current situation is difficult to imagine and numbers do not explain things at all. Our hospitals are overwhelmed by Covid-19, they are running 200 per cent capacity. 'We've stopped all routine, all ORs [operating rooms] have been converted to ITUs [intensive treatment units] and they are now diverting or not treating all other emergencies like trauma or strokes. 'There are hundreds of patients with severe respiratory failure and many of them do not have access to anything above a reservoir mask. 'Patients above 65, or younger with comorbidities, are not even assessed by ITU, I am not saying not tubed, I'm saying not assessed and no ITU staff attends when they arrest. 'Staff are working as much as they can but they are starting to get sick and are emotionally overwhelmed. 'My friends call me in tears because they see people dying in front of them and they con only offer some oxygen. Ortho and pathologists are being given a leaflet and sent to see patients on NIV [non-invasive ventilation]. PLEASE STOP, READ THIS AGAIN AND THINK. 'We have seen the same pattern in different areas a week apart, and there is no reason that in a few weeks it won't be the same everywhere, this is the pattern: 1) A few positive cases, first mild measures, people are told to avoid ED [emergency department] but still hang out in groups, everyone says not to panic. 2) Some moderate respiratory failures and a few severe ones that need tube, but regular access to ED is significantly reduced so everything looks great. 3) Tons of patients with moderate respiratory failure, that overtime deteriorate to saturate ICUs [intensive care units] first, then NIVs, then CPAP [continuous positive airway pressure] hoods, then even O2 [oxygen]. 4) Staff gets sick so it gets difficult to cover for shifts, mortality spikes also from all other causes that can't be treated properly. 'Everything about how to treat them is online but the only things that will make a difference are: do not be afraid of massively strict measures to keep people safe. 'If governments won't do this at least keep your family safe, your loved ones with history of cancer or diabetes or any transplant will not be tubed if they need it even if they are young. By safe I mean YOU do not attend them and YOU decide who does and YOU teach them how to. 'Another typical attitude is read and listen to people saying things like this and think 'that's bad dude' and then go out for dinner because you think you'll be safe. 'We have seen it, you won't be if you don't take it seriously. I really hope it won't be as bad as here but prepare.' Advertisement In addition, medical staff themselves are becoming 'sick and emotionally overwhelmed' and left 'in tears' because they cannot stop people dying, they said. The medic's comments were published in a Twitter thread by UK-based friend Jason van Schoor, an anaesthetist and clinical fellow at University College London. The doctor also issued a warning for the UK, saying that the Italian chaos would repeat itself in Britain 'if you don't take it seriously'. His warning was echoed by a second doctor who suggested people should be more scared, saying that overzealous warnings to remain calm meant 'the danger of what is happening does not reach people'. Experts have suggested that the UK outbreak is around two weeks behind that in Italy, meaning Britain could be heading for a similar nightmare within a fortnight. Mr van Schoor said he was passing on a message from a 'well-respected' friend who worked as an intensive care medic and A&E consultant in northern Italy. 'The current situation is difficult to imagine and numbers do not explain things at all,' the unnamed medic told Mr van Schoor. 'Our hospitals are overwhelmed by Covid-19 [the disease caused by coronavirus], they are running 200 per cent capacity. 'We've stopped all routine, all operating rooms have been converted to intensive care units and they are now diverting or not treating all other emergencies like trauma or strokes. 'There are hundreds of patients with severe respiratory failure and many of them do not have access to anything above a reservoir mask. 'Patients above 65, or younger with comorbidities, are not even assessed by [intensive care], I am not saying not tubed, I'm saying not assessed.' The medic added: 'Staff are working as much as they can but they are starting to get sick and are emotionally overwhelmed. 'My friends call me in tears because they see people dying in front of them and they con only offer some oxygen.' The medic added that Lombardy, the area of northern Italy at the centre of the crisis, was 'the most developed region in Italy and has extraordinary good healthcare'. 'Don't make the mistake to think that what is happening is happening in a third world country,' they said. Offering advice for the UK, the doctor said: 'We have seen the same pattern in different areas a week apart, and there is no reason that in a few weeks it won't be the same everywhere.' Describing the pattern, the medic said it would start with a few cases - as the outbreak did in the UK - before spiralling into a major crisis where intensive care units are 'saturated'. They warned that staff would 'get sick so it gets difficult to cover for shifts' while mortality would 'spike from all other causes that can't be treated properly'. 'We have seen it, you won't be [safe] if you don't take it seriously. I really hope it won't be as bad as here but prepare,' the doctor said. Experts have warned that the UK is following the same trajectory as Italy, and could end up in a similar situation within two weeks. University College London biology professor Dr Francis Balloux said: 'The trajectory of the epidemic in the UK is so far roughly comparable to the one in Northern Italy, but with the epidemic in Northern Italy two to three weeks ahead of the situation in the UK.' Dr Balloux said that it was possible the UK could face a similar lockdown to the one which has brought Italy to its knees. Adam Kay, the bestselling British author and former doctor, warned in a tweet about the crisis in Italy: 'This is us in a fortnight'. Italy has suffered the worst outbreak in Europe and one of the heaviest outside China. Healthcare workers wearing protective suits, masks and gloves are pictured at work in the Amedeo di Savoia hospital in Turin The death toll from the outbreak in Italy has jumped by 168 to 631 today, an increase of 36 cent, the Civil Protection Agency said. The total number of cases in Italy rose to 10,149 from a previous 9,172, an increase of 10.7 per cent. Northern Italy has been worst affected, but the government's drastic quarantine measures have now been extended to the entire country. The UK currently has 382 confirmed cases, with six deaths. The Italian society of anesthesiology and intensive care has published 15 ethical recommendations to consider when deciding on intensive care admissions. The criteria include the age of the patient and the probability of survival, and not just 'first come first served.' 'It's a reasoning that our colleagues make,' said Dr Guido Giustetto, head of the association of doctors in northern Piedmont. 'It becomes dramatic if, rather than doing it under normal situations, they do it because the beds are so scarce that someone might not have access to medical care.' One doctor in Lombardy, Christian Salaroli, told Il Corriere della Sera: 'If a person between 80 and 95 years old has severe respiratory failure, it's likely we will not go ahead. 'If they have multi-organ failure, with more than two or three vital organs, it means that their mortality rate is 100 per cent.' The Lombardy government has been scrambling to increase its capacity, converting operating and recovery rooms into isolated wards. It has cobbled together 150 more beds in the last two weeks and expects another 150 in the coming week. 'Unfortunately we're only at the beginning,' said Dr Massimo Galli, head of infectious disease at Milan's Sacco hospital. Speaking to SkyTg24, Galli noted that the numbers of infections registered in Lombardy last week were similar to those in Wuhan, China in late January. Biotalys, a Belgian biotech startup out of Ghent, has raised an extra 10 million ($11.5 million) in Series C funding from new specialist investor Novalis LifeSciences a New Hampshire based investment and advisory firm for the life sciences industry and existing investors. The additional close takes the round to 45 million ($54.9 million.) Biotalys is developing a platform of biological crop protection products to prevent things like strawberries from fluffing up with fungus. Chemical fungicides are a tried and tested way to get rid of fungal outbreaks like powdery mildew and botrytis; but many of these are coming under scrutiny from consumers and regulators. So Biotalys is working to produce biological alternatives by mimicking the immune response of certain animals, such as llamas. The llama, it transpires, of all innocuous creatures, has a set of defenses at the cellular level heavy chain antibodies that have the potential to fight crop stressors such as fungi. (Other creatures getting attention for the same reason are, by contrast, sharks.) Working off the back of years of research by the pharmaceutical industry, Biotalys is using the DNA design of such naturally-occurring antibodies to inspire the creation of similar proteins with the same fungal-fighting properties, through fermentation. But, to clarify: We have no llamas in our labs, just scientists, said Biotalys CEO Patrice Selles, speaking to AFN by phone. He emphasized how his company was not extracting antibodies from the llamas themselves but was working on new ways to identify, optimize and produce protein-based biocontrol products with a similar cellular structure as naturally-found immunity, such as that in llamas, via fermentation. It is a process that has brought plenty of investor interest already, as AFN has already reported. Founded in 2013 as a spin-off from the VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology), this Series C brings total funding into the company to 61 million to date. Marijn Dekkers, a former CEO of Bayer who now chairs Novalis LifeSciences, will join the Board of Directors of Biotalys as an observer. Novalis LifeScience is very interested in break-through biotechnologies that can substitute synthetic pesticides, said Dekkers, in a statement sent to AFN. The protein-based biocontrol solutions developed by Biotalys are a promising novel class of these future food and crop protection agents. We look forward to being part of this exciting company. Bringing on an American investor has a strategic as well as a financial dimension, according to Selles; the company is expecting to launch its first biofungicide in 2022 in the fruit and vegetables market in the US, followed by global market introductions to crops like grapes, strawberries, and cucumbers, among others. To be present in the US, he said, we felt that we needed a specialised US investor. Proceeds from the financing, the team says, will be used for the further development, registration and commercial-scale production of Biotalys most advanced biofungicide product and to continue to expand and build the companys unique discovery platform. In addition, the funds will support the accelerated development of its product pipeline with applications in food and crop pests and diseases. The advantages, the team add are that their technology brings the high-performance characteristics and consistency of chemicals with the clean safety profile of biologicals, making them ideal crop protection agents for both pre- and post-harvest applications. Wondering where they have been hiding since 2013? Well, they have been hiding under another name branded as the impossibly spelled Agrosavfe. The company rebranded to Biotalys in the hopes of being a talisman for global crop protection late last year. With 140,000 low-income Pima County individuals and families facing a civil legal threat each year, Step Up to Justice (SU2J) was launched in 2017 with a focused mission to assist those who cannot afford an attorney. SU2Js pro bono service model is motivated by a central question: How can we direct quality free civil legal services to the most people in need at the lowest cost? In response, SU2J has established a full-service, free civil legal center, whose team of volunteer attorneys has assisted over 3,750 low-income clients. In less than three years, SU2Js volunteers have donated nearly $4 million dollars in free legal help. SU2J clients include: Grandparents who need to establish a guardianship so that they can enroll children in school or obtain medical services when parents are unavailable due to incarceration addiction or health problems. Tenants living in substandard conditions who seek to provide a safe and secure home for their families. Domestic-violence victims seeking to escape a dangerous marriage. Debt-ridden families trying to make a new start. Update: An updated list of what colleges are doing was published Saturday, March 14, 2020. SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Syracuse University, Cornell University and a number of other colleges today announced plans to close classrooms and move classes online. Gov. Cuomo announced today that SUNY/CUNY colleges will move to distance learning starting March 19 for the rest of the semester. For SU that means students have been told to stay home after spring break, which starts at the end of the week. Classes will be held online March 23 through at least March 30 when officials will evaluate whether to extend online classes. Le Moyne College is extending spring break until March 23 while a decision is made on whether or not to move classes online. Cornell University also announced late this afternoon it will move to online classes through the rest of the semester. Colgate University also decided today to move classes online after spring break until April 19, with classes set to resume April 20. Spring break ends March 22. Other schools that are closing or partially closing include: University of Rochester, Harvard University, Columbia, Princeton, Rice, Stanford University, Hofstra, University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Washington, among others. Whats happening at other Central New York and Upstate New York colleges? Central New York Cayuga Community College: A SUNY school. Moving online as of March 19. Updates Cazenovia College: Spring Break extended to March 22 and students should remain at home. The college will be moving to remote instruction. Updates Colgate University: Moving to online classes. Updates Cornell University: Moving to online classes . Updates. Hamilton College: Moving to online classes March 30 for two weeks. The situation will be reevaluated in the middle of April. Updates Hobart and William Smith Colleges: Will move to a remote instruction model beginning March 23, however the colleges will remain open. Updates Ithaca College: Switching to online starting March 23 through April 5. Spring break extended a week, and a decision on whether to continue online classes after April 5 will be made. Updates LeMoyne College: College on spring break. College is extending spring break until March 23, with decision on online to come. Updates Onondaga Community College: Going online as of March 23. Updates Pomeroy College of Nursing at Crouse Hospital: Classes moving online beginning March 16 through at least March 29. Updates SUNY Cortland: Part of SUNY. Going online as of March 19. Updates SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (Syracuse): Part of SUNY. Going online as of March 19. Updates SUNY Morrisville: Part of SUNY. Going online as of March 19. Updates SUNY Oswego: Part of SUNY. Going online as of March 19. Updates Syracuse University: Moving classes online. Updates Tompkins Cortland Community College: Part of SUNY. Going online as of March 19. Updates Utica College: Moving classes online March 23. Updates Wells College: Extending spring break, with instruction expected to resume on March 23. Faculty and staff are still expected to report. Updates Upstate New York Clarkson University: Business as usual. Updates Finger Lakes Community College: A SUNY school. Going online as of March 19. Updates Hartwick College: Remote instruction only beginning March 23. Updates Hobart and William Smith Colleges: Moving to a remote instruction model starting March 23. Students have the option to live on campus or return to their homes. Updates Jefferson Community College: The college is open and classes will run as scheduled through Wednesday, March 18. Classes on March 19 and 20 are cancelled. Classes will resume on March 30, details on distance learning will be forthcoming. Updates Monroe Community College: Part of SUNY. Going online as of March 19. Updates Nazareth College: Students are on spring break, which has been extended to March 22. Information about alternative delivery and online coursework will be shared from program chairs. Updates Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: The school suspended all in-person instruction and moving to online alternatives until at least March 30. Updates. Roberts Wesleyan College: Business as usual. Updates Rochester Institute of Technology: Spring break is extended through March 22. Starting March 23, the campus will be open, but in-person classes will move to alternative delivery. Updates. Skidmore College: Students are on spring break this week, and theyve been told that their break is being extended a week. The school is moving to remote learning on March 23 through the remainder of the semester. Updates. St. Bonaventure: Classes continuing on campus as this time. Updates St. John Fisher College: classes will be suspended from Friday, March 13 through Sunday, March 22. Classes will resume in an online format on Monday, March 23. Updates SUNY Albany: School closed March 12 after student came down with coronavirus. At the end of Spring Break, all classes will be offered remotely until further notice. Updates. SUNY Binghamton: Part of SUNY. Going online as of March 19. Updates SUNY Brockport: Part of SUNY. Going online as of March 19. Brockport hosting SUNY students who are under quarantine. Updates SUNY Buffalo Part of SUNY. Going online as of March 19. Updates. SUNY Broome Community College: Part of SUNY. Going online as of March 19. Updates SUNY Fredonia: Part of SUNY. Going online as of March 19. Updates. SUNY Geneseo: Part of SUNY. Going online as of March 19. Updates. SUNY Polytechnic: Part of SUNY. Going online as of March 19. Updates University at Buffalo: Part of SUNY. Going online as of March 19. Updates. Union College: One staff member has a confirmed case of COVID-19. Classes suspended March 12 and 13. Updates. University of Rochester: Classes are moving to online starting March 18. Updates Utica College: Going online as of March 23. Updates *** 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. Syracuse, N.Y. Welcome to the CNY Foodie 5, a roundup of pop-up dinners, restaurant specials and anything else a food-loving Central New Yorker desires for the week to come. Have an event youd like to see featured? Email me at jpucci@syracuse.com. Subscribers only: Join an insider text group with Jacob Pucci to get the inside scoop on the restaurants and cuisines of Central New York. SIGN UP HERE 1. Silver City Baking Co. St. Patricks Day pop-up Andrea Maranville has opened Silver City Baking Co. in Oneida, N.Y. Teri Weaver | tweaver@syracuse.comTeri Weaver | tweaver@syracuse.com Silver City Baking Co., the Oneida bakery owned by Great American Baking Show finalist Andrea Maranville, is typically not open for retail business. But their doors will be open this Friday for all your St. Patricks Day needs, including Irish soda bread, Irish apple cakes, yeast doughnuts, chocolate stout cake, macarons and lots more. To reserve your baked goods of choice, call 518-791-3469 or email amaranville@hotmail.com. Where: Silver City Baking Co., 170 Kenmore Ave., Oneida. When: Friday, March 13, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. How much: Prices vary. 2. Lodge Food and Wine Pairing Dinner A new sign from parent company Hillrom has been installed in front of the Welch Allyn campus in Skaneateles, N.Y. The Lodge at Welch Allyn is one of the premier wedding and event venues in Skaneateles and now heres your chance to check out the space without the need to score a wedding invite. The lodge is hosting a five-course Italian dinner with a different drink pairing for each course. Dinner includes cioppino seafood stew, panzanella salad, pappardelle pasta with bolognese, veal osso bucco and for dessert, lemon crostata with a drink of limoncello. Where: The Lodge Skaneateles, 4355 State Street Road, Skaneateles Falls. When: Friday, March 13. Cocktails and hors doeuvres at 6 p.m., dinner at 6:30 p.m. How much: Tickets are $65. 3. ArtRage Pancake Breakfast Zaria Forman exhibits her work as large scale murals at ArtRage Gallery. Update: This event has been postponed. Fuel up before the parade with a hearty breakfast of buttermilk pancakes (also available gluten-free), turkey or plant-based sausage, real New York maple syrup, fresh fruit, juice, coffee or tea at this fifth annual breakfast that benefits ArtRage Gallery in the citys Hawley-Green neighborhood. Where: Bishop Harrison Community Center, 1342 Lancaster Place, Syracuse. When: Saturday, March 14, from 9 a.m. to noon. How much: $10 sliding scale donation for adults, free for children under 5. 4. Lumpia eating contest Fresh lumpia from Oompa Loompyas at Taste of Syracuse. Not only is National Lumpia Day a real day, but theres a Syracuse brewery hosting a lumpia eating contest. How many of these Filipino treats can you eat? Put your money where your mouth is, or just head over to Eastwood Brewing Company and watch the fast, furious and fried competition. Where: Eastwood Brewing Company, 108 Walter Drive, Syracuse. When: Saturday, March 14, from 3 to 7 p.m. How much: $25 to enter. Free to attend. Bring money to drink. 5. Cayuga Nature Center Maple Fest Participants try the sap during the Journey to the Sugar Bush tour at Hudson Mills Metropark on Sunday, Mar. 8, 2020. Mikayla Carter | MLive.com Maple Weekend events are slated at sugar shacks across the state later this month, but before that, help quench your maple syrup thirst at the Cayuga Nature Centers annual maple fest. There will be a pancake breakfast, as well as a guided maple tour, vendors and live music. Where: Cayuga Nature Center, 1420 Taughannock Blvd (Route 89), Ithaca. When: Sunday, March 15, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Breakfast served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. How much: Members: Adults: $10; seniors: $7; children: $5, age 3 and under: Free; family (up to 5 people): $25. Non- Members: Adults: $12; seniors: $10; children: $7; age 3 and under: Free; family (up to 5 people): $35. Final Bites: Around CNY: Elsewhere: Jacob Pucci finds the best in food, dining and culture across Central New York. Contact him by email at jpucci@syracuse.com. Subscribers only: Join an insider text group with Jacob Pucci to get the inside scoop on the restaurants and cuisines of Central New York. SIGN UP HERE Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work The coronavirus-hit Grand Princess Cruise Ship pulled into the Port of Oakland after it idled off the coast of California. The cruise ship unloaded more than 3,500 people after it arrived in port Monday. Dozens of passengers were taken away to military bases to be quarantined after the ship suffered a cluster of coronavirus cases aboard. Twenty-one people involving 19 crew members and two passengers tested positive for coronavirus. The 23 people who needed medical care were taken off the ship. Health officials did not disclose how many of them carry COVID-19. Authorities said it will take three days to fully unload all passengers on the ship. Health officials are expected to screen all passengers. Canada arranged chartered flights to retrieve the 240 citizens that were aboard the Grand Princess. Passengers from the U.S. will be flown or bused to various military bases in California, Texas, and Georgia. They will reportedly undergo testing and a two-week quarantine. The ship will leave port after all passengers are unloaded and will dock somewhere else to unload over 1,100 crew members. The crew who tested positive for coronavirus will receive their treatment aboard the ship. Caribbean Princess Another cruise ship from the Princess Cruises delayed its docking. The decision was made after two crew members aboard the Caribbean Princess were found to have transferred from another Princess ship infected by the coronavirus. The CDC gave the ship a "no sail order" and ordered all passengers and crew to stay on board. Princess Cruises said the crew members showed no signs of COVID-19 but are self-quarantined in their own cabins. Another Princess Cruis ship, the Regal Princess, unloaded passengers at Port Everglades after two crew members who came from the Grand Princess tested negative for coronavirus. The Regal Princess has the capacity to cater to 3,560 passengers. While the Caribbean Princess can hold 3,600 guests. Princess Cruise did not release the exact number of people aboard both ships. CDC's Warning The United States State Department released a warning on Sunday after several cruise lines offered a large discount for a week of a voyage. The State Department advised citizens and tourists to avoid traveling on cruise ships. The warning echoed the guidance released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) where they reported an increasing threat of COVID-19 aboard cruise ships. In light of recent coronavirus cases, various cruise lines released travel advice and changes in their screening procedures to combat the spread of the disease. Multiple cruise lines are now implementing temperature checks as advised by the World Health Organization(WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Coronavirus Around the World The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 has continued to rise. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said coronavirus has infected more than 143 people in the state. New Jersey also declared a state of emergency after 11 cases of coronavirus were identified and confirmed. Various schools have closed doors after Connecticut reported two cases of the virus. Florida declared a state of emergency on Monday after 13 people tested positive for coronavirus. Italian Prime Minister Guiseppe Conte also placed the whole nation of Italy in lockdown after more than 9,000 people were confirmed to be infected. Japan reported 26 new cases, bringing the country's total to 1,210. Vietnam also confirmed one new case involving a British national. The country now has 31 confirmed cases. The Philippines also reported four new coronavirus cases, mere hours after health officials revealed 10 new patients. The country now has a total of 24 confirmed COVID-19 cases. [March 10, 2020] MindBridge announces opening of new office in London, United Kingdom LONDON, March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MindBridge, a leading global provider of artificial intelligence-based risk and anomaly detection solutions for the accountancy and financial services industry, today announced the opening of its new office in London, United Kingdom. This expansion positions MindBridge as the foremost global center of AI application excellence for the accountancy, audit, and financial services space. The decision to expand into Europe continues our strategy for growth and support into areas that are leading accountancy and financial services, said Eli Fathi, MindBridge CEO. Some of the worlds most sophisticated accountancy firms and thought leaders are in this region and its critical for vendors, industry bodies, and clients to collaborate and ensure everyone benefits from the value added by artificial intelligence. Since releasing its flagship Ai Auditor in March 2017, MindBridge has grown its client base into 15 countries around the world and tripled the size of its workforce. With record year-over-year growth and the application of its AI platform towards solving broader use cases with the Bank of England, Payments Canada, and Bank of Canada, MindBridge continues to expand into new markets, including corporate finance. International Trade Minister, Graham Stuart MP, said: London is the world-leading hub for fintech firms, offering an open, international business environment powered by global connections that offer businesses the opportunity for accelerated growth. Its brilliant to see MindBridge is setting up in the UK as they expand their operations following a successful inward trade mission to London and Edinburgh last year. I am confident that they will flourish in London and beyond. The opening of the London office sinals our commitment be a trusted artificial intelligence provider in the European financial services market, said Rachel Kirkham, Director, AI Solutions, Europe at MindBridge. There is growing demand for AI-driven risk and anomaly detection that organizations can bring in-house without the need for deep data science and programming skills. The future of accountancy, and broader financial services, demands a technology-literate and data-driven workforce. Practitioners will need to evolve their skills and adopt new principles to meet the needs of changing business needs and regulations. To further this, MindBridge was accredited by the ICAEW Technology Accreditation Scheme. Craig McLellan, manager of the ICAEW Technology Accreditation Scheme, commented: We are delighted that MindBridge has been accredited by the ICAEW. It is the first and currently only data audit & analysis software solution provider to have gone through our rigorous evaluation methodology. With the ICAEW Technology Accreditation Scheme being the benchmark for software used by accountants in both the business and practice markets, we welcome industry and software companies in embracing a modern approach to finance and accountancy. For more information, visit mindbridge.ai . About MindBridge: MindBridge Analytics Inc. is a FinTech company headquartered in Ottawa, Canada. Through the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies, the MindBridge platform detects anomalous patterns of activities, unintentional errors and intentional misstatements. Using MindBridge Ai Auditor, organizations across multiple industries can minimize financial loss, reduce corporate liability and can focus on providing higher value services to their clients. About Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Investment) Graham Stuart MP was elected as the Member of Parliament for Beverley and Holderness in 2005. He became Minister for Investment at the Department for International Trade in January 2018. Graham was born in Carlisle. He attended school in Scotland before going to Selwyn College, Cambridge to read philosophy and law. At Cambridge he chaired the Cambridge University Conservative Association and founded Whats On in Cambridge. After university Graham developed a successful career in publishing and was a member of Cambridge City Council from 1998 to 2004. In Parliament Graham: chaired the Education Select Committee (2010 to 2015) was Assistant Government Whip with responsibility for the Department of Health, and later for HM Treasury and the Ministry of Defence (2016 to 2018) About ICAEW: ICAEW is a world leading professional membership organisation that promotes, develops and supports over 181,500 chartered accountants and students worldwide. We provide qualifications and professional development, share our knowledge, insight and technical expertise, and protect the quality and integrity of the accountancy and finance profession. Contact: Name: Roy Sarkar Email: [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Australian Survivor's Brooke Jowett was 'hurt' when her ex Locklan 'Locky' Gilbert was announced as the Bachelor last week. And on Tuesday, Brooke took to Instagram to show Locky what he was missing as she posed naked with only a towel to cover her modesty. The 26-year-old personal trainer was taking part in Lee Carseldine's towel challenge to raise money for the Stroke Foundation, after his mother died of a stroke last year. Showing Bachelor Locky what he's missing! Australian Survivor's Brooke Jowett (pictured) posed NAKED for Lee Carseldine's 'towel challenge' on Tuesday Blindsided: Brooke was 'hurt' when her ex Locklan 'Locky' Gilbert (pictured) was announced as the Bachelor last week 'For those who missed it, my dear friend Lee lost his beautiful mother to a stroke while filming in Fiji late last year,' Brooke captioned the post. 'Stroke Foundation says stroke can be prevented. Join the towel challenge and help raise awareness of stroke and funds to support stroke research. 'Take a cheeky towel photo, post it in black and white, call out your mates and make a donation. Lets make a difference.' On Tuesday, Brooke and a band of Survivor castmates such as Felicity Egginton and Daisy Richardson shot photos for a towel challenge-themed calendar. Girls just want to have fun! On Tuesday, Brooke and a band of Survivor castmates such as Felicity Egginton (pictured right) shot photos for a towel challenge-themed calendar Handsy! Daisy Richardson and Robert Skibicki tested their trust in one another Behind the scenes at the towel challenge photo shoot, there were plenty of racy antics between Survivor cast mates. Daisy Richardson and Robert Skibicki tested their trust in one another as they held each other's towels up. Meanwhile, Felicity Eggington certainly wasn't camera shy as she covered her breasts with her hands with only a towel to cover her remaining modesty. Tragic: On Monday night's episode of Survivor: Australia, Lee was forced to leave the jungle early and fly back home after discovering his mother Elizabeth (pictured) had a stroke. She died one hour later in September last year, when the episode was filmed Great cause: On Tuesday, Lee announced he was bringing back the towel challenge from last year, except this time it would be in support of the Stroke Foundation. Pictrued: Lee on the right with Survivor cast mates On Monday night's episode of Survivor: Australia, Lee was forced to leave the jungle early and fly back home after discovering his mother Elizabeth had a stroke. Lee was not able to get home in time as his mother died one hour after her stroke in September last year - which is when the episode was filmed. On Tuesday, Lee announced he was bringing back the towel challenge from last year, except this time it would be in support of the Stroke Foundation. Serving looks! Felicity Eggington certainly wasn't camera shy at the photo shoot He also posted his own towel challenge snap from September last year when he was in hospital. 'This photo was taken in my hospital shower as soon as I returned home to treat a badly infected leg and fix a bung shoulder. Oh and also I may have been high as a kite on morphine,' he captioned the post. Meanwhile, Survivor hunk David Genat showed off his toned abs and bulging biceps in a bathroom mirror selfie. Members of the Women's Party pose during the party's inauguration ceremony held at a theater inside the Seoul Arts College complex in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, March 8, the 112th International Women's Day. Courtesy of O Yu-jin This is the first in a series to deal with minor parties with specific agendas that were newly launched to target proportional representation seats for the April 15 general election. ED. By Jung Da-min "I won't be silenced!" Women chanting the famous phrase of the worldwide #MeToo movement are now gearing up to enter the National Assembly of Korea, reflecting years-long calls by an increasing number of women who have joined rallies to make their voices on gender-related issues heard. About 10,000 women have gathered to create a party that is "for women, of women and by women" under the name of the Women's Party. The party succeeded to meet the requirements to become a legal political party having at least 1,000 members each in at least five regions under the central headquarters in Seoul, with 8,200 registering as party members in late February, in only nine days since registration started. Thirty-seven days after discussions to launch the party were started among participants at a forum on the women's movement in early February, the Women's Party held its inauguration ceremony on March 8, the 112th International Women's Day, at a theater inside the Seoul Arts College complex in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. A few dozen members attended the ceremony in person, all wearing face masks as a prevention against the COVID-19 spread. The event was aired through online platforms for those who could not be there over concerns about the virus. Congratulatory speeches were delivered by Chang Do-song, Korea's first female manager of a bank and former head of a branch of the now-defunct CHB Bank from 1954 to 1993, and former lawmaker Sohn Bong-scuk who headed many women's movements for the past few decades and was Korea's first woman member of the National Election Commission. "There were many difficulties when I was leading women's rights groups, but now I feel like I am witnessing a new era seeing the Women's Party gaining about 10,000 members within 37 days," Sohn said. "We are neither progressive nor conservative but solely focused to work for women's agendas. The Women's Party aims to enter the National Assembly." Members of the Women's Party observe silence in respect for the female martyrs of Korea during the party's inauguration ceremony at a theater inside the Seoul Arts College complex in southern Seoul, March 8. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-min The Women's Party officials say that it aims to have four members take Assembly seats in the April 15 general election. Under a changed electoral system, minor parties have a better chance of winning proportional representation seats. "The launch of the Women's Party is a result of the electoral reform that expands the proportional representation seats and is a warning to the existing political parties," Kim Eun-ju, who headed the preparatory committee for the party establishment and now a party co-leader, said in an opening speech. The party officials say that they put priority on the "agenda of women" when it comes to policy discussions. One issues that the party is trying to shed light on is online sexual crimes, such as those involving spycams or online platforms including file-sharing websites and social network services. The issue of crimes involving spycams, in particular, had brought nationwide rallies among young women in 2018. Tens of thousands of women, mostly in their teens through their 30s, gathered for six rallies held throughout the year near Hyehwa Station or Gwanghwamun Square to protest the "male-dominated" government authorities, condemning them for neglecting their duties to protect women citizens. "Korean society regarded women in their 20s who protested in the streets as extreme feminists while not asking us why we could not help being that furious," Lee Ji-won, one of the seven co-leaders of the Women's Party representing different age groups, said during her acceptance speech. Lee was elected to represent women in their 20s. "Women in their 20s are no longer turning away from the digital-based violence against women ... Women in their 20s are no longer turning away from the misogyny rampant in their daily lives." Seven co-leaders of the Women's Party representing different age groups from teens through 60s hold hands during the party's inauguration ceremony at a theater inside the Seoul Arts College complex in southern Seoul, March 8. Courtesy of O Yu-jin US Army Lt. Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander of US soldiers in Europe, is working remotely after possibly being exposed to the coronavirus during a recent conference. Cavoli took command of the US Army in Europe in January 2018 and speaks Italian, Russian, and French. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. US Army Lt. General Christopher Cavoli, commander of US Army Europe, observes a live-fire exercise as part of Breakthrough 2019 at Koroshegy Hill in Hungary, June 12, 2019. US Army/Spc. Nyatan Bol The Army general in charge of US soldiers in Europe and his staff are working remotely after they may have been exposed to the coronavirus (COVID-19) during a recent conference. "Out of an abundance of caution and following recommended protocols, he and others potentially affected are self-monitoring and working remotely to fulfill their command duties and responsibilities," Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy said in a statement on Monday, referring to Lt. Gen. Christopher Cavoli. Cavoli assumed command of US Army forces in Europe in January 2018 and speaks Italian, Russian, and French. "The health and welfare of our Soldiers, Families, Civilians, Allies and Partners is a critical priority," McCarthy said. "We'll continue to provide them the most up-to-date information on appropriate measures to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19." The Army is conducting daily assessments of the situation and consulting with medical professionals, among others, the secretary said. He further explained that the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and the US Army Medical Research and Development Command "are working on research efforts to control, contain and prevent the virus." Army researchers are currently working to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus, Army officials told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday. The first phase of testing, which involves testing on mice, is underway, said Dr. Kayvon Modjarrad, director of Emerging Infectious Diseases at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. The next step is to test the vaccine on larger animals, such as monkeys. It is unclear when human trials will begin, but a vaccine capable of combating the coronavirus is at least a year, maybe longer, away."The earliest, earliest, earliest [is] probably 12 to 18 months to get something out to the population," Modjarrad said. Business Insider The new "Star Wars" land at Walt Disney World's Hollywood Studios in Florida has been open since August 2019, and with the addition of the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance attraction in December 2019, the area is complete, at least for now. While crowds have lessened since Galaxy's Edge first opened, there's still a lot for travelers to know about navigating the landscape of planet Batuu. While Disney once controlled crowds through a timed entrance system, guests of Hollywood Studios can now enter Galaxy's Edge whenever they want, without having to check in with a cast member. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't have a plan in place when you visit. My family and I recently spent two days exploring Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. Here are our tips for getting the most out of your experience on Batuu. (Terri Peters) The real key to enjoying your time at the Black Spire Outpost is a bit of advance prep work and a lot of patience. As a mom who has visited Batuu more than once since its opening, it's worth it. Galaxy's Edge is one of the most immersive, fun experiences I've seen at Disney World and I visit a lot, both as an annual pass holder with my family and for media previews. My family of four recently spent time on Batuu, where the planet's three suns (read: 90-degree blazing Florida heat) and overwhelming amount of things to take in left us exhausted. On this visit, we experienced the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge attraction for the first time, and were blown away. When we returned home, sweaty and ready for early bedtimes, we all agreed the crowds, heat and chaos were a small price to pay for the experience. Here are my tips for getting the most out of your time at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. 1. Make those reservations Does your kid want to build a lightsaber? Are they dying to create a customized droid? Are mom and dad looking forward to grabbing a drink at Oga's Cantina? You'll need a reservation for that. If your family builds a customized droid in Galaxy's Edge, the creation interacts with the entire planet of Batuu, coming to life when you pass certain panels, buildings and towers. (Terri Peters) Having a reservation for the parts of Batuu that are important to your family will ensure you're able to enjoy these experiences without crossing your fingers that there's room for you in the stand-by line. Story continues From the lightsaber building experience, which my husband described as "like a yoga and meditation session where you also get to build a lightsaber" to the cantina, where my kids drank virgin fuzzy navels from porg mugs while a droid DJ played music, reservations are key on planet Batuu, and can be made up to 180 days in advance using the My Disney Experience app. At Oga's Cantina, my kids loved the Cliff Dweller, a mix of fruit juices and ginger ale served in a porg mug. I chose a more adult libation, the Outer Rim, the bar's take on an intergalactic margarita. (Terri Peters) Pro tip: Those porg mugs? They'll cost you $35 if you take them home, but kids can enjoy the drink and leave the cup behind for only $6. 2. Understand how to secure a spot on both of the rides Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, a fast-paced smuggling mission where you ride in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon, has transitioned to Disney's fast pass system, meaning you can book a time slot to climb on board in advance of your visit. But don't worry, there's also a stand-by line if you aren't able to secure a reservation just be prepared to wait in line for a few hours during busy times. The newest addition to the area, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, requires guests to be at the park prior to its opening, then to hop into the My Disney Experience App when opening time arrives to attempt to get into a "boarding group." We've seen reports of people lining up hours before Hollywood Studios opens to secure a spot, so keep an eye on what others report on social media prior to your visit so you can plan accordingly. Within minutes of the park opening, boarding groups for the day fill up and you're out of luck. There's also no stand-by line for the attraction at this time, so it's boarding group or bust. If you see this sign at the Hollywood Studios entrance, there's no room to ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance that day. (Terri Peters) Pro tip: When boarding groups are filled, Hollywood Studios will place signs throughout the park entrance area letting guests know. And, the same information will be reflected in the My Disney Experience app. 3. Interact with cast members and characters While I always find Disney employees delightful, the "cast members" working inside Galaxy's Edge take it to the next level. Everyone you encounter on Batuu, from the ride attendants to the shop workers, think they live on the planet. They've never heard of Earth, and one gasped when I mentioned Build-A-Bear Workshop, saying, "You build creatures on your planet?" Another approached my daughter, saying, "If you see Vi, tell her to ignite the spark; she'll know what you mean." When my daughter ran into the character Vi Moradi, a resistance spy and main character in Galaxy's Edge who roams the streets of Batuu avoiding members of the First Order, she relayed the message. Vi's face lit up with a smile. "Light the fire!" she exclaimed, much to my daughter's delight. Just another day in Batuu: Kylo Ren checks in with my daughter about her allegiance to the First Order while a storm trooper looks on. (Terri Peters) We were also teasingly trolled by Storm Troopers who check guests' allegiance to the First Order, and my daughter was approached by a First Order Officer unhappy about the R2-D2 headband she was wearing, calling it an "unregistered droid." 4. Engage with the Play Disney Parks app The Play Disney Parks mobile app has been around for a while now, allowing guests to play games and earn rewards. In Galaxy's Edge, the app developers have truly helped make the entire land come alive. Once inside Batuu, you can search for jobs to complete for characters like Rose Tico, and message back and forth with them as you complete your tasks. Through the app guests can intercept communications, hack into droids and control panels and show their devotion to the First Order or the Resistance (your choice). The Play Disney Parks mobile app gets a galactic makeover on Batuu, where guests can hack into droids, complete jobs for Star Wars characters and more. (Terri Peters) My kids loved moving through the app and leveling up; the more they explore and participate, the deeper their story within the land grows, making them excited for future visits. (Clever, Disney!) Pro tip: My 11-year-old son helped me and a few other adults learn to use the app. If it looks overwhelming to parents, know that kids will figure it out just fine and teach you a thing or two! Never miss a parenting story with the TODAY Parenting newsletter! Sign up here. 5. Don't worry: It's not just for "Star Wars" fans My daughter doesn't like "Star Wars" and I had never watched a single film until this year, leaving my knowledge a bit limited. On the other hand, my husband and son are huge fans of the franchise. Whichever end of the spectrum your family falls on, it won't matter. Batuu is an interactive experience filled with things to do, characters to meet and ways to explore. My daughter fell in love with the droids, and watching her face light up when she activated her lightsaber was a highlight of the trip. My typically anti-Star-Wars daughter, 9, lost herself in the magic of building a lightsaber at Savi's Workshop. (Terri Peters) The magic won't work miracles, though: When I asked her later if she'd watch "The Force Awakens" with me now, she still refused, even after a really amazing character interaction with Rey. 6. Invest in Memory Maker For photo opportunities on Batuu, Disney's Photo Pass service offers some new features. In addition to "magic shots" where TIE fighters fly overhead in the background or porgs appear in the photo, guests can pose for two new types of images: Super Zoom and Tiny World. The Super Zoom photo captures your family's photo, then zooms out to give a complete view of Black Spire Outpost before zooming back in on your group. For the Tiny World image, you're captured standing in the middle of Batuu in a shot that's round like a planet. My family's Pro tip (from my husband): "Even if they only purchase Photo Pass for the day they're in Galaxy's Edge, the money is worth it for the photos they take there." That's big praise from my often anti-photo other half. 7. Do your homework in advance Whenever my family travels to a theme park, we spend time watching YouTube videos about the specific things we'll be doing on our trip. Not only is this a great way to get excited about your trip together as a family, it also helps identify what everyone most wants to experience during the visit. Some of our family's favorite YouTube channels are TheTimTracker and TPMVids. When you're scrolling through your phone over your morning coffee, it pays to visit blogs that write about Disney for parents. Sites like WDW Prep School and Disneylists.com offer valuable tips and knowledge for parents who may otherwise have no idea where to start. Pro tip: I know these content creators have uploaded some fantastic advice for parents visiting Galaxy's Edge, because they were each at the media previews of Batuu I've attended! 8. Immerse yourself in Batuu before you go You won't find Batuu in a "Star Wars" film, but the planet exists on the written page. Authors and illustrators have been hard at work creating books that tell stories within Galaxy's Edge, and reading them in advance is a great pre-visit activity. Delilah Dawson tells a story of the secret history of Batuu in her book "Black Spire," while Zoraida Cordova's "A Crash of Fate" is a young adult novel that tells the story of two friends who grew up together in Batuu then reunited. There's also a series of Galaxy's Edge comic books, giving all types of readers a way to get excited about the land before they arrive. 9. Know your roles on Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run With a team of six guests on this fast-paced ride aboard the Millennium Falcon, make sure everyone in your party understands their job before they buckle their seatbelts. The attraction moves fast and when the ride starts, each person in your group will want a grasp of their "job" so they fully enjoy the experience. Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run is a fast-paced, bumpy adventure. It's helpful to know your role (pilot, gunner or engineer) before you board, but when in doubt, hit the buttons that light up around you. (Terri Peters) Hondo Ohnaka, a smuggling space pirate and star of the attraction, will explain the roles during the ride pre-show, but don't be afraid to ask cast members questions if there's confusion. And, when in doubt, tell kids to just hit the buttons that light up around their seat and they'll be fine! 10. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is worth the wait The latest addition to Galaxy's Edge, Rise of the Resistance, may be difficult to get into, but if you're lucky enough to snag a boarding group, you'll see it's well worth the hassle. This isn't your typical three-minute Disney ride: It took my family about 25 minutes to make it through the experience. Expect to board several different space crafts, find yourself outside on planet Batuu a few times and feel like you're face-to-face with characters like Kylo Ren, Finn, a fleet of stormtroopers and more. There are explosions, light-sabers and blast-offs through the galaxy: Everything you'd want from a "Star Wars" attraction and plenty of time to take it all in. May the force be with you and your family as you navigate Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge! (Terri Peters) Pro tip: The rides in Galaxy's Edge are amazing, but they're last on my list because the interactive nature of the experience is about so much more than one attraction. If little ones can't handle the long wait times for Smuggler's Run, or you can't snag a boarding group for Rise of the Resistance, there's plenty to do without it. Most of all, pace yourself and have fun! Japan's government Tuesday approved draft "state of emergency" measures that would allow authorities to keep people inside and commandeer buildings for hospitals, as Tokyo steps up its fight against coronavirus five months before the Olympics. If approved by parliament, the draft bill would give Prime Minister Shinzo Abe the power to declare a state of emergency and impose drastic measures but Tokyo stressed that the situation had not yet reached that point. "Currently we are not in a situation where we need to declare a state of emergency," top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Tuesday. The virus has infected more than 500 people across Japan and been linked to nine deaths. Its spread has cast doubt over whether the Olympics can open as scheduled on July 24, although authorities insist planning is continuing as normal. Unlike neighbouring South Korea, Japan has not undertaken widespread testing and the Abe government came under heavy fire for its handling of the Diamond Princess cruise ship that docked near Tokyo with nearly 700 people eventually becoming infected onboard. Tokyo has said the coming few weeks will be crucial in slowing the spread of the coronavirus and Abe has urged schools to close for several weeks, in an announcement that caught the whole country off-guard. The bill approved by the cabinet on Tuesday is a revision of a 2012 law aimed to slow the spread of new strains of flu and is expected to sail through parliament this week with opposition support. Under the new law, once the prime minister declares a state of emergency in a specific part of the country, local governments can require residents to stay indoors, close schools and limit the use of facilities in which large numbers of people gather. Land and buildings could be requisitioned as makeshift hospitals. Abe has said that even though Japan is not yet seeing an epidemic over a wide area, "it is important to always prepare for the worst case". With the new legislation, the government can take similar steps against the new coronavirus for up to two years. Separately, Abe has pledged an emergency financial package to tackle the outbreak. A group of Kano elders loyal to the dethroned Emir of Kano state, Sanusi Lamido has described the dethronement and exile of the former central bank of Nigeria Governor as sad, unfortunate and illegal. In a statement on Tuesday, the chairman of the elders group, Bashir Othman-Tofa stated that the group would seek redress in a law court and further called for calm among the dethroned Emirs supporters. We, ADVOCATES FOR A UNITED KANO, have received with utter shock and disbelief the statement read by the Secretary to Kano State Government, announcing the removal of His Highness Muhammad Sanusi ll, as Emir of Kano. In view of this sad, unfortunate and illegal dethronement of the Emir by Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the ADVOCATES call on all Kanawa and residents of Kano State and beyond to stay calm, and not to resort to any violent reaction whatsoever. Violence is no solution to anything, for no one can predict where it may lead to. Read Also: Sanusi Dethronement: Dont Tag Me Gandujes Daughter Warns Nigerians On Instagram We absolutely believe in whatever Allah (subhanaHu wa Taala) ordained, and we put our complete trust in Him, for He Has power over all things, the statement read in part. Be that as it may, the ADVOCATES FOR A UNITED KANO shall continue to challenge, by lawful and peaceful means, each and every brazen act of illegality perpetrated by the Government of Kano State. In particular we have vowed to sustain our judicial challenge to the unlawful Law passed by the Kano House of Assembly under which the Governor purportedly removed the Emir, the statement added. In an age when people are trying to reduce waste, the coronavirus outbreak has thrown a bit of a wrench into that plan. On March 4, Starbucks released a public statement that they would be pausing the use of personal cups and for here ware in all of their stores. Our focus remains on two key priorities: Caring for the health and well-being of our partners and customers and playing a constructive role in supporting local health officials and government leaders as they work to contain the virus, Rossann Williams, executive Vice President said. The signs say that Starbucks is still committed to sustainability and the public statement notes they will still honor the 10-cent discount for anyone who brings in a personal cup or asks for for here ware. A sign at the Dunkin Donuts on Farrell Road off the John Glenn Blvd. exit off I-690 has alerted customers that they have also temporarily stopped the refilling of travel mugs. The location on 7th North St. in Liverpool has also said they are also not refilling reusable mugs at the moment. Dunkin Donuts at Destiny USA would not confirm if they are allowing reusable mugs or not. Some locally owned coffee shops in Central New York are still allowing reusable mugs at this time. Have you seen any changes in local stores due to the coronavirus outbreak? Email us at features@syracuse.com. Read more NY coronavirus update: plans for paid sick leave, school closings; inmates to make hand sanitizer Coronavirus upside? Gas prices falling Dont touch your face! Coronavirus advice tougher to follow than we thought (video) Think you have coronavirus? Dont race to doctors office or ER Thanks for visiting syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. The Activist Mommy on What Fuels Her Fight Against Sexualization of Kids, Evil in Culture Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment WASHINGTON A Christian activist mother with over 600,000 followers on Facebook and known for her viral videos railing against evil at work in culture, is urging every Christian to engage in the fight for the preservation of children's innocence. Voting is not enough, she maintains. Known as The Activist Mommy, Elizabeth Johnston, a petite blonde mom of ten is now based in North Carolina. The longtime pro-life advocate considers it a privilege to inspire others to resist the increasingly coarsened American culture, particularly the sexualization of children and youth taking place in popular media and in government-backed sex-ed curriculums in public schools. Her viral video in July of 2017 blasting Teen Vogue for its article promoting anal sex to young people brought awareness to many parents who had no idea the teen fashion magazine was marketing that agenda to minors. The magazine shut down the print publication for good months after that last summer. Johnston has a new book coming out called Not on My Watch, which explains how she became an activist. It also aims to encourage and equip others to use their voices to push back against evil of all kinds. It will be released early next year. "Voting is not enough. Voting Republican is not enough. Waiting for Republicans to fix our problems is not enough. As everyday citizens, as moms and dads, we can powerfully affect change," she told The Christian Post Friday in a sit-down interview. "You don't have to have some fancy title in front of your name to make a difference. Every single person is a powerful force to be reckoned with." CP caught up with Johnston Friday afternoon at the Values Voter Summit, the largest annual national gathering of social conservatives in the United States, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel to talk about her rise and ongoing advocacy. Below is CP's lightly edited transcript of an interview with The Activist Mommy. CP: Many first came to notice you after made a video that went viral in the days after the 2017 inauguration of Donald Trump, where you blasted the Women's March. Your online platform has only grown from there. Now that you have over half a million followers, how has your life changed? Ever since you started speaking up what has been the greatest challenge and the greatest blessing, particularly given that the issues you routinely address are touchy? Johnston: The greatest blessing is to inspire people. Every day I receive messages from people telling me my boldness has inspired them to take action on an issue that they had feared before. So that is a tremendous blessing, to stiffen the spines of others and be the impetus to get them engaged in the battle. The greatest challenge is probably the risk to my children from death threats and whatnot that I receive. And the slander, the hit pieces written about me, and the people trying to get my husband to lose his job. Those are challenges but I'm not going to be silenced. It is a tactic that is commonly used by progressives on the Left. They bully Christians into silence and all too often are successful. And I decided that they are not going to be successful with me. I'm going to preach God's Word and speak His truths until the day I die, no matter what risk that brings my way. CP: Many Christians seem tired of the culture wars, or are overwhelmed by them, too busy, or are afraid to use their voice. What do you want to say to Christians who feel as you do but, for whatever reason, hesitate to speak? Johnston: I think there is a spectrum in the Christian community. You might be on the side of the spectrum where you truly are a devout believer in Jesus Christ and you would do anything he told you to do but you are listening to pastors and spiritual leaders who are telling you that you have to be "nicer" than Jesus. Let me tell you, Jesus turned over tables for a lot less than baby murder and the sexualization of children. What we have taking place in society is so beyond Jesus turning over tables and yet we're not willing to rise and be counted and fight for our hard-earned religious liberties, our freedoms, our children's innocence? Then I think there is a part of the Christian community that truly has not been born again and converted. They might be in the church but because they have not been born again they do not understand the concept of "The righteous are as bold as a lion" (Prov. 28:1). Because in order to be bold as a lion what do you need? Righteousness. And so I think there are some in the church that just really have not consecrated everything to Christ, haven't picked up their cross and followed Him yet. Because when Jesus becomes Lord of their life, you have a righteous indignation over kids being sexualized, kids being confused about their gender, over unborn babies being slaughtered in the womb. CP: You frequently speak to what you like to call "gender insanity." You're speaking about it on a panel here at the Values Voter Summit this weekend. Why is this cultural push toward confusing kids about their biological sex and, more generally, gender ideology so damaging to young people? Johnston: I do not believe that the agenda to confuse children about their gender is accidental. I believe it is intentional. I encourage everyone to read the book The Naked Communist by W. Cleon Skousen. In that book he lays out 40-something communist goals that were actually read into the Congressional record in the 1960s. The book also explains how there is an intentional Marxist assault on our values in the United States. Some of those goals were about deconstructing the natural family, to pull children away from the natural love of their parents, to confuse them, and inculcate the schools, media, and churches. We knew this as early as the 1960s, and we clearly see this all unfold with their agenda. Notice how patient they've been. Notice how they have had a multi-generational vision. But as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, no one should have a better multi-generational perspective than us, to pass our biblical values, religious liberty onto the next generation and the next generation. CP: What do you want Christian leaders here at the summit to know about life as an activist? For those who would like to be more outspoken, what would you emphasize they do? How should they start? Johnston: I am beyond honored to be speaking here at VVS, very thankful for Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council. I am very honored to be on a panel with Dr. Michelle Cretella and Dr. Paul McHugh [about the threat of gender ideology] who are two amazing doctors who have not drunk the progressive Kool-Aid and have risked their professional lives. I can't even believe that I'm speaking on a panel with them. They have taken a stand and they are heroes of mine. But I'm here to tell people that voting is not enough. Voting Republican is not enough. Waiting for Republicans to fix our problems is not enough. As everyday citizens, as moms and dads, we can powerfully affect change. We can push these drag queen story hours out of our public libraries. We can push pornographic, gender-bending sex ed out of our schools. We can get Teen Vogue shut down. I've done it. I've seen other moms do it with my own eyes. We are a powerful force as mama bears to be reckoned with. And I'm here to tell parents to stand up and be counted. Show some courage. Show your kids that you actually believe in what you say you believe in. Show your kids that they actually mean enough to you that you will risk something, your job, your reputation, whatever it is, you'll risk something to protect your children's innocence. Because they are worth it. CP: Where did you get your inspiration to fight so doggedly? Johnston: From all the amazing examples in God's Word. The Bible is replete, absolutely filled with examples of people modeling courage. We have Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We have the Hebrew midwives who refused to kill those children and risked everything to rescue them. And Jesus, who laid everything on the line for us. He did not shrink back from death itself. We have the examples of the apostles who were told they could not speak or preach in the New Testament. They said "we will be obey God, even though it means disobeying man." They put their lives on the line. We have a Bible full of examples of courage and civil disobedience. And as Christians they are our examples and we need to pattern our witnesses after them. CP: What is your upcoming book Not On My Watch all about? Johnston: It's coming out in February. I'm really excited about inspiring everyday Americans through this book. Their voices are so important. You don't have to be a politician to make a difference. You don't have to have some fancy title in front of your name to make a difference. Every single person is a powerful force to be reckoned with. We are the 11th hour in our nation. And we are a very confused and a sin-sick nation. We need all hands on deck. We need all American citizens, all moms and dads on deck protecting children, protecting babies, from this Marxist darkness that is seeking to snuff out our liberties. And so this book is kind of half memoir back story of mine, about what inspired me, and the other half a cultural primer to encourage people to get out of their church pews and into the fight. CP: What's next for you on the activism front? Johnston: I'd love to give Netflix a black eye like we did Teen Vogue. They are pushing very dangerous, pornographic, border line child pedophilia with the content they promote on their platform. But I would really love to see parents push these drag queen story hours happening in libraries out of their communities. Drag queens used to be only in adult nightclubs. And how we have somehow allowed this to take place in the light of day to influence kids who are 5 years old and let them speak confusion about gender. And I want to inspire parents to say 'no' to the evil American Library Association and their connection to these Drag Queen story hours. The Seattle-area nursing home at the epicenter of the US coronavirus outbreak linked to the deaths of 19 elderly patients died says it has no kits to test 65 employees who are showing symptoms of the virus. The staffers, representing more than one-third of workers at Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington, are currently off work sick. In the meantime, a federal strike team of nurses and doctors is helping care for the 53 patients who remain in the center. With the nursing home accounting for over half of all coronavirus deaths in the US, as well all its patients tested, it's unclear why it had not been given kits for staff even as the University of Washington offered to process tests. Life Care Center, in Kirkland, Washington, is linked the majority of cases in the state as well as 19 deaths. Pictured: A patient is loaded into an ambulance at the Life Care Center in Kirkland, March 9 One-third of staff members, about 65, are showing symptoms, but the center says it has no kits to test them. Pictured: Gene Campbell talks through a window with his wife of more than 60 years, Dorothy Campbell, March 5 The University of Washington School of Medicine said it could test all Life Care staff, but the federal government has not given kits for the center's employees. Pictured: A worker wears a mask as he loads new supplies of protective gowns past a sign banning visitors from the Life Care Center, March 9 Twenty-one of Life Care's residents, including those now in hospitals, have tested positive for the virus. Pictured: A security guard stands next to the sign that marks the entrance to the parking lot of the Life Care Center, March 9 'We would like more kits to test employees,' Life Care Center spokesman Tim Killian told reporters, adding he did not know why they had not been forthcoming. 'We've been asking the various government agencies that have been supplying us with test kits.' At a press briefing on Tuesday, Killian said that about 30 employees had been tested and that 'potentially' all 180 would be. If they test positive, the criteria for returning to work is either undergoing home isolation for seven days or until 72 hours after fever is gone and symptoms improve, whichever is longer. At a Monday press conference, Vice President Mike Pence said that one million test kits had been distributed and that four million were expected to go about by the end of this week or the next. However, he did not specify where the kits were sent to, or would be sent to. Since February 19, 26 of the nursing home's 120 patients have died, with 13 of 15 autopsies carried out so far showing that coronavirus was the cause. Twenty-one of Life Care's current residents, including those now in hospitals, have tested positive for the virus. Killian said that means a total of 55 positive tests have been linked to the facility, including on-site residents, those in hospitals and patients moved to different facilities. The outbreak has shown how quickly the new virus spreads among elderly residents with weak immune systems and underlying health conditions living in close quarters. Since February 19, 26 of the nursing home's 120 patients have died, with 13 of 15 autopsies carried out so far showing that coronavirus was the cause. Pictured: Charlie Campbell accompanies his mom Dorothy Campbell to see her husband Gene at Life Care, March 5 The outbreak has shown how quickly the new virus spreads among elderly residents with weak immune systems and underlying health conditions living in close quarters. Pictured: Marty Shape, left, talks to his mother, Judy Shape, right, on the phone, at Life Care March 9 Two other nursing homes in the greater Seattle area have also reported that at least two residents and one staff member have the virus. Pictured: A security guard wears a mask and wipes his hands as he walks near the entrance of the Life Care Center, March 9 'We've had patients who, within an hour's time, show no symptoms to going to acute symptoms and being transferred to the hospital,' Killian said at a news conference on Sunday. 'And we've had patients die relatively quickly under those circumstances.' The University of Washington School of Medicine said on Monday it could test all of Life Care's staff members. The laboratory's current testing is running at about 500 specimens per day, but it has the capacity for more than 1,000 tests per day. 'We're happy to perform testing if they can get samples and send them through the University of Washington Department of Laboratory Medicine,' said Alex Greninger, assistant director of UW Medicine Clinical Virology Laboratories. In the US, nearly 800 people have tested positive and 28 people have died He did not know why Life Care had not received kits, but said a general reason why testing was not higher was a shortage of people to pick up specimens and bring them to his university lab. Two other nursing homes in the greater Seattle area have also reported that at least two residents and one staff member have the virus. Worldwide, more than 116,000 people in more than 100 countries have been infected with coronavirus and more than 4,000 have died. In the US, nearly 800 people have been diagnosed with the virus and 28 people - in California, Florida, New Jersey and Washington - have died. A lawyer for House Democrats had argued to the court that the full evidentiary record assembled by Mr. Mueller is important, for example, in part because of suspicions that Mr. Trump may have lied under oath in his written answers to Mr. Mueller when he denied knowing about outreach to WikiLeaks regarding the contents of the emails that Russian hackers had stolen from Democrats, and the organizations plans to publish them. The appeals panels decision came less than two weeks after a different three-judge panel on the appeals court ruled, 2 to 1, that Congress had no right to sue to enforce a subpoena against an executive branch official who defied it in that case, Donald F. McGahn II, the former White House counsel and a key witness to several efforts by Mr. Trump to obstruct the Russia investigation that were detailed in the Mueller report. Judge Rogers and Judge Griffith were also part of the panel that heard the McGahn subpoena dispute but disagreed with each other. Over Judge Rogerss dissent, Judge Griffith and another judge sided with the Trump administration in rejecting the Houses right to sue to enforce a subpoena for executive-branch information. In the Mueller case, Judge Neomi Rao, a former administration official whom President Trump appointed to the appeals court last year, filed a dissenting opinion. She argued that the grand-jury information dispute should turn out the same way as the McGahn subpoena case had turned out with a decision that the House lacked standing to sue, delivering a victory for Mr. Trumps secrecy powers in part because the grand-jury records are currently in the control of the executive brach. But in a concurring opinion, Judge Griffith said that the grand jury information was different because courts traditionally oversee grand juries and so the executive branch does not own the records, even if it is housing them. He also noted that there is a tradition of grand jury evidence being turned over to Congress for the impeachment of various officials. Federal courts, including courts in our own circuit, have approved the disclosure of grand jury materials to the House of Representatives in seven prior impeachment proceedings, he wrote. Congressional applications for access to grand jury materials have thus traditionally been thought capable of (and indeed to require) judicial resolution. Advertisement The TRIC Awards 2020 saw the great and the good of the showbiz world flock to London's Grosvenor House in London on Tuesday. Susanna Reid was leading the glamorous arrivals at the annual awards show, where she was joined by a host of famous faces celebrating the very best in TV and radio from the past year. The 49-year-old presenter looked elegant as ever in a red, figure-hugging dress as she joined her Good Morning Britain co-host Charlotte Hawkins on the red carpet. Dynamic duo: Good Morning Britain's Susanna Reid (left) and Charlotte Hawkins (right) were leading the glamorous arrivals at the TRIC Awards 2020, held at London's Grosvenor House in London on Tuesday Susanna, who was fresh from her GMB hosting duties, looked lovely in the simple dress, which boasted an asymmetric neckline. The TV presenter completed her look with pale pink stilettos and a slick of scarlet lipstick, styling her hair in tumbling waves. Charlotte, 44, was chic in an off-the-shoulder white number featuring oversized bow detailing on each sleeve. The host accessorised with a rectangular silver clutch and a pair of dazzling embellished heels. But it was This Morning who won the Daytime Programme accolade at the Television and Radio Industries Club Awards. The popular programme - which is presented by Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield - won the prize ahead of ITV rivals Good Morning Britain - which is hosted by Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid Glamorous: Susanna, who was fresh from her GMB hosting duties, looked lovely in the simple dress, which boasted an asymmetric neckline Elsewhere at the event, Fiona Bruce was on handed to claim the award for Best News Presenter, and Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly were named the TV Personality award winners. Gavin & Stacey - which returned to TV screens over Christmas for a special, one-off episode - was the winner of the Entertainment Programme accolade, and The Great British Bake Off claimed the Best Food Programme prize. Greg James - who hosts the iconic Radio 1 Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 1 - won the Radio Personality gong, and Kellie Bright - who stars as Linda Carter in EastEnders - was named the Soap Actor award winner. TV favourites: Susanna and Charlotte were flying the flag for GMB at the TRIC event, which aims to 'promote goodwill in the television and radio industries' However, Coronation Street was the winner of the Soap of the Year gong. Meanwhile, the Netflix series The Crown - which chronicles the life of Queen Elizabeth II - won the Streamed Programme award, while That Peter Crouch Podcast - which is hosted by the former England football star - won in the Podcast category. Elsewhere, Love Island winners Paige Turley and Finley Tapp were spotted putting on an amorous display on the red carpet. Stylish: The blonde beauty, 44, was chic in an off-the-shoulder white number featuring large bow detailing on each sleeve The pair couldn't keep their hands off one another as they posed for a smooch upon arrival, proving their romance is still going strong in the outside world. There were a number of Strictly stars in attendance, including professional ballroom dancer Katya Jones, who shimmied down the red carpet in a glittering navy jumpsuit. Love Island contestants including 2019 favourite Ovie Soko and this year's winter finalist Demi Jones put in appearances, while Celebs Go Dating favourites Amy Childs, Amy Hart and Olivia Bentley were also guests. Sealed with a kiss: Elsewhere, Love Island winners Paige Turley and Finley Tapp were spotted putting on an amorous display Strictly fabulous: Mike Bushell and Katya Jones looked ready to rumba as they arrive at the annual awards show Bold and bright: Amy Childs (left) and Natalie Anderson (right) commanded attention in vibrant hues TV beauties: Louisa Lytton, Amy Hart and Olivia Bentley (left to right) were rocking the red carpet at the annual event Flower power: Lisa Snowdon dressed to impress in a yellow and black floral frock, set off with matching ankle boots Meanwhile, newly-engaged Jessica Wright showed off her new ring while wearing a bridal white ensemble. The former TOWIE star donned a white suit including a broderie embellished jacket - and was feeling the love with a pair of heart-shaped earrings. From Capital FM host Roman Kemp to Drivetime DJ Sara Cox, the radio industry was also well represented at the event. TRIC stands for Television, Radio and Industries Club, a British institution which was chartered in 1931 to 'promote goodwill in the television and radio industries'. Bride-to-be: Meanwhile, newly-engaged Jessica Wright showed off her new ring while wearing a bridal white ensemble Happy: The reality star accepted a proposal from her partner William Lee-Kemp during a romantic trip to the French Alps Veteran TV hosts: Piers Morgan (left) flashed a big grin as he arrived at the awards show post-GMB, while Eamonn Holmes was also in attendance GMB reunion: Once inside the event, Susanna, Piers and Charlotte posed with EastEnders star Jake Wood Jokes on Susanna: In typical Piers fashion, the acid-tongued presenter poked fun at Susanna as she stood over him to take a selfie, which he captioned: 'My fans dont seem to have got the social distancing memo.. #coronavirus...' [sic] 'A rose between two thorns': The former BGT panellist beamed from ear-to-ear alongside his stunning co-stars Fun afternoon out: The dynamic duo enjoyed some downtime after hosting their morning show, while BBC's Fiona Bruce opted for an elegant display in a navy jumpsuit (R) It aims to do so by the holding of high-profile events and raising money for good causes nominated by TRIC. This year TRICs chosen charities are Variety, the Childrens Charity and Breast Cancer Care. The annual awards show, first held in 1969, celebrates achievements across the fields of TV and radio and always boasts a star-studded guest list. Lorraine Kelly is on hosting duties after taking on the title of TRIC president in July 2019 and picking up the Special Recognition Award last year. Strictly ladies: 2018 contestant Katie Piper (L) dazzled in a structured off-shoulder jumpsuit, while Katya shimmered in her navy ensemble Dazzling: Emma Weymouth (left) looked incredible in a nude, sequinned slip, while Katya looked stunning in her bedazzled one-piece and her former Strictly co-star Michelle Visage (L) nailed business chic in structured trousers and a quirky blouse Hostess: Lorraine Kelly (left) was on hosting duties after taking on the title of TRIC president in July 2019 and picking up the Special Recognition Award last year. Also joining her at the event was Emilia Fox (right) Floral queen: Emilia, 45, nailed springtime chic in a blue floral midi dress and yellow satin court shoes Holding hands: The actress arrived at the award ceremony with her millionaire talent agent fiance Luc Chaudhary Handsome chaps: Kelvin Fletcher, Dean Gaffney and Joey Essex (from left to right) got suited and booted for the awards Radio favourites: Roman Kemp (left) was flying the flag for Capital FM while Sara Cox (right) rocked the red carpet Statement looks: (L-R) EastEnders star Luisa Bradshaw-White exuded sophistication in a V-neck dress, while Hollyoaks' Nikki Sanderson caught the eye in a polka dot strappy frock, and singer Mica Paris showcased her pins in a bedazzled LBD The lads! Ex-TOWIE star James Lock posed for snaps with former Love Islander Eyal Booker (L), while Jake reunited with his EastEnders co-star Dean Celebs galore: (L-R) Love Island winter finalist Demi Jones sizzled in a ruched satin mini dress, while basketball player Ovie Soko looked suave in a grey coat and Dancing On Ice's John Barrowman stood out in kooky blue trainers by Louis Vuitton In good company: (L-R) Ainsley Harriott brought his daughter along, while Eamonn larked around with the red carpet correspondent, Lizzie Cundy Wow-factor: (L-R) Media personality Lizzie wowed in a metallic bondage-style dress, while soap star Kellie Bright turned heads in an asymmetric red dress and broadcaster Anneka Rice teamed an elegant black dress with a blush pink coat Handsome attendees: Love Island's Josh Ritchie cut a dapper figure in a classic suit (L), while Hollyoaks actor Owen Warner looked effortlessly cool in a clingy T-shirt and matching trousers (R) The champs: Kellie scooped the Soap Actor Award for EastEnders, while Fiona picked up News Presenter prize for a second year running, and Paige and Finn held onto Peter Crouch's Podcast of the Year trophy in his absence Impressive: Roman and Sonny Jay scooped the Radio Programme Award for their breakfast show on Capital Radio, while soap star Nikki held onto Line of Duty's Crime Programme trophy Triumphant: James, Amy and Pete Wicks (far right) collected the Radio Personality Award for Greg James as he appeared to skip the event On cloud nine: Gavin and Stacey actresses Ruth Jones, Melanie Walters and Alison Steadman posed with their Best Entertainment Programme accolade following the success of the Christmas special Yay! Ainsley (far left), joined GBBO 2019 winner David Atherton (second from right) and finalists Alice Fevronia (second from left), and Steph Blackwell (far right) as they scooped the Best Food Programme award Pat on the back: The crew of The Crown were awarded with the Streamed Programme Award Other winners at the 2019 ceremony included Radio Personality recipient Greg James, news presenter Fiona Bruce and soap actor Danny Dyer. Once inside the event, Susanna and Charlotte posed with their co-anchor Piers and EastEnders star Jake Wood for a cosy snap. In typical Piers fashion, the acid-tongued presenter poked fun at Susanna as she stood over him to take a selfie, which he captioned: 'My fans dont seem to have got the social distancing memo.. #coronavirus...' [sic] Celebs Go Dating: The line-up of CGD (Joey Essex, Dean Gaffney and James Lock L-R) all appeared in high spirits as they left the bash Best of friends: Liv and Pete shared a laugh as they left the party arm-in-arm Good pals: The pair, who both star of Celebs Go Dating, have formed a close friendship Off they go: Joshua Ritchie led the group out of the award ceremony Radiating glamour: Viscountess Emma Weymouth radiated glamour as she made her way into the annual glittering gala Dapper gents: (L-R) Pete Wicks, Josh Ritchie and James Lock showed off their dapper styles as they partied together Catching up: James was seen catching up with Made in Chelsea's Olivia Bentley as they enjoyed the day's festivities Getting friendly: James playfully hugged his pal as she laughingly leaned away from him Ensemble: Amy Willerton turned heads in a navy ensemble, which she teamed with knee-high black leather boots BRIDGEPORT A jury began deliberations Tuesday afternoon in the trial of Jayvell Washington, accused of killing Eugene Rogers. The 12-member Superior court jury deliberated about an hour and a half before going home for the evening. Deliberations are to resume Wednesday morning. More than a dozen judicial marshals stood outside the courtroom at the Fairfield County Courthouse as the number of family members for both the victim and defendant increased. A previous meeting of the families in the Golden Hill Street courthouse ended in a melee. The 40-year-old Washington is accused of fatally shooting 50-year-Rogers on Jan. 27, 2019, in the parking lot of a Reservoir Avenue gas station in Bridgeport. Washington is charged with murder, attempted murder, first-degree assault and gun charges. Video from the gas station played for the jury during the trial showed Rogers approach Washingtons Mini Cooper. The drivers side door opened, Rogers pulled out a handgun and then tumbled backward onto the ground. The video shows bullet shells being ejected both from Rogers gun and from the open car door. Rogers was shot once in the head, according to the autopsy report. Judge Alex Hernandez instructed the jury, that based on the evidence at trial, they could consider a self-defense claim. In his final argument on Tuesday, Senior Assistant States Attorney Michael DeJoseph claimed Washington fired a total of four shots at Rogers and therefore the jury should discount any defense claim that Washington fired in self-defense. Rogers gun only fired one shot. DeJoseph also said that by law Washington had a duty to retreat when he saw Rogers approaching with a gun. Washingtons lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Jared Millbrandt, who was expected to argue the self defense claim, instead told the jury there was no evidence that his client fired the shots. He admitted Washington had been in the car but pointed out that neither the video nor any witness puts the gun in his hand. A defense witness claimed he saw two heads in Washingtons car before the shooting. The Kansas City area has its first confirmed case of the new coronavirus, a Johnson County woman who has been admitted to University of Kansas Hospital. Health officials said Monday she is doing well and likely picked up the virus while traveling to the northeastern United States. Judge Neomi Rao, dissented, saying the House Judiciary Committee lacks legal grounds to ask the court to enforce a subpoena for the grand jury materials. Rao would have returned the case to District Court to determine whether the committee can still show its inquiry is preliminary to an impeachment proceeding and that it has a particularized need for disclosure. Photograph: Tom Brenner/Reuters Two Republican congressmen who were in close contact with Donald Trump in recent days have self-quarantined over concerns that they were also in contact in the same period with a known carrier of the coronavirus. Republicans Matt Gaetz of Florida and Doug Collins of Georgia announced on Monday that they had begun two weeks of self-imposed isolation, as recommended by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for anyone who has come into contact with the virus. Both congressmen said they were asymptomatic. Gaetz flew with Trump on Air Force One from Orlando to Washington on Monday and was informed en route that he had come into contact with a virus carrier at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland last month. While the congressman is not experiencing symptoms, he received testing today and expects results soon, said a message posted to Gaetzs Twitter account. Collins greeted Trump with a handshake at an airport in Atlanta on Friday before the two visited the CDC headquarters for an update on coronavirus. Collins subsequently learned that he also had been potentially exposed at the conservative conference, held each year in Maryland. Per pool report: "Matt Gaetz was also seen boarding via front steps.@mattgaetz was on AF1 with Trump today from Orlando to DC/. Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) March 9, 2020 Health experts have warned that coronavirus is expected to spread widely in the United States and have encouraged vulnerable populations, including the elderly and those with underlying illnesses, to stay at home as much as possible. Dozens of deaths from the virus have been recorded in the United States out of hundreds of confirmed cases, but rates of testing have been low. The White House denied on Monday reports that it had issued internal guidelines, as many organizations have, seeking to limit daily personal contact in an attempt to discourage the spread of the virus. Story continues Trump has falsely claimed the virus is contained in the United States and accused the media and Democrats of exaggerating the threat it poses, in an effort to hurt him. The virus is not contained. From earlier today, Rep. Matt Gaetz exits the Beast with President Trump and then boards Air Force One. pic.twitter.com/GfTEhI4UMx Jeremy Art (@cspanJeremy) March 9, 2020 Trump did not respond to a question shouted by reporters Monday about whether he had been tested for the virus. In a news conference Monday, Pence said he did not know whether Trump has been tested. I just simply dont know what the White House physician has recommended to the president, Pence said. Well let you know tonight. Gaetz and Collins were two of Trumps most vocal supporters during the impeachment hearings and trial. Related: Trump 'not concerned at all' after CPAC guest tests positive for coronavirus Gaetz had worn an enormous gas mask last week during a House floor vote on an emergency funding package for the coronavirus response, but he later faced widespread condemnation when one of his own constituents died from the illness. Gaetz and Collins join fellow conservative politician Ted Cruz, who is also in self-quarantine. The Texas senator had attended the same event and met the same infected person. I am writing to support Joe Dooling for U.S. Congress. Dooling is the third generation of his family to call Montana home. Along with his wife Julie and son Tyler, he farms and ranches in the Helena Valley. I like the fact that Dooling was born and raised in Montana and shares the same concerns as we do. He knows how important it is to have good-paying jobs, quality schools, more individual freedoms and less government. Having good ole Montana values and ethics, Joe Dooling will tell it like it is and work hard to ensure a brighter future for Montanans while preserving our rural way of life. I have found Joe to be an outstanding individual. He has many skills and abilities. Among these are: 1. First and foremost, he is a very hard worker. Dooling always puts in extra time and effort to accomplish the goal at hand. He goes above and beyond the call of duty. 2. Dooling has the determination and drive to do the best possible job, no matter what the situation is. 3. Dooling uses common sense in his approach to problem-solving. 4. Dooling cares about the quality of his performance and takes pride in his work as a rancher and central committee chairman. 5. Dooling is perceived as successful in all his endeavors, and is respected by neighbors, colleagues and peers alike. When you combine the skills above with such personal traits as honest, loyalty, leadership and enthusiasm, you know Joe Dooling is truly an outstanding individual. Its time to send a Montana rancher to Washington to represent Montanans. Rick Ripley is a retired school superintendent, rancher and former Montana legislator. He writes from Bowman's Corner. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 15:43:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KUNMING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Since more countries in Asia are experiencing plagues of desert locusts, China's northwestern and southwestern border regions have strengthened measures to prevent and control the crop-damaging pests. 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. So far, the desert locusts have spread from East Africa to India and Pakistan, while experts believed that the pests may enter Tibet from Pakistan and India, travel to southwest China's Yunnan Province from Myanmar or invade northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from Kazakhstan. China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration has recently urged local authorities to step up monitoring, issue early warnings and alerts promptly, strengthen staff training and devise and improve emergency response plans to combat the possible spread of locusts. The provincial forestry and grassland bureau of Yunnan said a monitoring network consisting of about 120 monitoring sites would be set up across the border areas in the province to prevent the invasion of desert locusts and its spread to other domestic regions. The provincial agriculture and rural affairs department also organized relevant departments to work out an emergency prevention and control plan of the desert locusts and introduce techniques of pest control. Yunnan's Dai-Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture of Dehong borders Myanmar. The local plant protection workers have been mobilized to survey crop fields. So far, more than 166 hectares of cropland have been checked, and no desert locusts were found in the prefecture. Statistics showed that between 2015 and 2019, pests annually affected more than 2 million hectares of grassland, and the area of grassland where pests were prevented or controlled was over 1 million hectares, according to the locust and rat control headquarters of Xinjiang. Xinjiang experts are forecasting a high possibility of pest infestation in the grassland this year, which could be caused by several kinds of locusts. Although there is a low-risk of large-scale pest occurrence in southern Xinjiang, the vast region borders eight countries and the migratory locusts may fly into the region, according to the experts. Meanwhile, Xinjiang has intensified monitoring and preventive efforts, mobilized personnel and prepared facilities, planes and pesticides to cope with the risk. "Tibet has faced increasing risks of locust plagues in recent years due to the impact of global warming. Therefore, we should never let down our guard and take precautions," said Nyima Zhaxi, dean of Tibet Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences. The city of Xigaze, neighboring countries of Nepal, Bhutan and India, has set up an emergency working group and intensified surveillance and patrols in mountain passes and valleys and is preparing anti-locust materials including pesticides. "The grassland in Xigaze is of poor quality and grows low grass. Once desert locusts move into China on a large scale, it may have a great impact on animal husbandry," said Lhaba Toinzhub, an official of a local forestry department. The agricultural department of Ngari Prefecture said the spring farming in Ngari will start from the end of April and last until mid-May, and relevant departments have kept a close eye on the trend of the overseas locust plagues. Shopian (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], Mar 9 (ANI): The two terrorists who were killed in an encounter in Shopian earlier on Monday have been identified and one AK-47 along with other arms and ammunition have been recovered, said Kashmir Police. "Terrorists identified as Shabir Ahmad Malik of Kulgam who was active since December 2017 and Amir Ahmad Dar of Wadina Melhoura who was active since 2019. One AK-47, one UBGL, one AK-47 magazine, one Chinese five pistols, one magazine of Chinese pistol and five (No's) 9 mm live rounds recovered," said Kashmir Zone Police. "It is pertinent to mention that Shabir Ahmad Malik was Pakistan trained terrorist and was involved in various terror-related cases in south Kashmir," Police added. Two terrorists affiliated with proscribed terror outfit LeT were killed in Shopian encounter earlier today. (ANI) CALGARY, Alberta, March 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Parkland Fuel Corporation (Parkland) (PKI.TO) announced today that through its wholly owned U.S. subsidiaries (collectively, "Parkland USA"), it has entered into an asset agreement to acquire seven retail sites located in and around Billings, Montana. All seven retail sites feature a strong convenience store offering and a Conoco-branded forecourt. This acquisition expands our Montana business and scales our existing Northern Tier Regional Operating Center, said Doug Haugh, President of Parkland USA. ConoMart Super Stores is a well-run, customer-focused business and we look forward to welcoming the team to Parkland. Pro forma the acquisition, Parkland expects a modest increase in annual run-rate adjusted EBITDA for its USA operating segment. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2020 and is subject to customary closing conditions. About Parkland Parkland is an independent supplier and marketer of fuel and petroleum products and a leading convenience store operator. Parkland services customers across Canada, the United States, the Caribbean region and the Americas through three channels: Retail, Commercial and Wholesale. Parkland optimizes its fuel supply across these three channels by operating and leveraging a growing portfolio of supply relationships and storage infrastructure. Parkland provides trusted and locally relevant fuel brands and convenience store offerings in the communities it serves. Parkland creates value for shareholders by focusing on its proven strategy of growing organically, realizing a supply advantage and acquiring prudently and integrating successfully. At the core of our strategy are our people, as well as our values of safety, integrity, community and respect, which are embraced across our organization. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking information and statements (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). When used in this news release the words "expect", "will", "could", "would", "believe", "continue", "pursue", "pro forma" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking statements with respect to, among other things, the successful completion of this acquisition and the timing thereof; expected benefits of the acquisition, including potential synergies, organic growth and acquisition opportunities and the expected annual run-rate adjusted EBITDA of Parklands USA operating segment following the acquisition. Story continues 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. No assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release. Parkland does not undertake any obligations to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements except as may be required by securities law. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of numerous risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, failure to complete this acquisition; failure to satisfy the conditions to closing of the acquisition; failure to achieve the anticipated benefits of the acquisition; general economic, market and business conditions; industry capacity; competitive action by other companies; refining and marketing margins; the ability of suppliers to meet commitments; actions by governmental authorities and other regulators including but not limited to increases in taxes or restricted access to markets; changes and developments in environmental and other regulations; and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of Parkland. See also the risks and uncertainties described in "Forward-Looking Information" and "Risk Factors" included in Parkland's management discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2019 dated March 5, 2020 (the "Annual MD&A"), as filed on SEDAR and available on the Parkland website at www.parkland.ca. Annual run-rate adjusted EBITDA is an internally-prepared estimate of annualized adjusted EBITDA which assumes full year contributions from the acquisitions to date. Annual run-rate adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure and may not be comparable to similar measures used by other issuers. See Parklands Annual MD&A for further information on how Parkland calculates adjusted EBITDA and a reconciliation to the nearest IFRS measure. For Further Information Parkland Investor Inquiries Brad Monaco Director, Investor Relations 587-997-1447 Brad.Monaco@parkland.ca Parkland Media Inquiries Leroy McKinnon Senior Specialist, Corporate Communications 403-567-2573 Leroy.McKinnon@parkland.ca Several members of a drug trafficking gang are at the Cao Bang People's Court in Cao Bang Province. Photo courtesy of the Cao Bang Newspaper. Carrying 162 kg of drugs, six smugglers were awarded capital punishment in the northern Cao Bang Province on Monday. Tran Van Bang, 33, Tran Van Thanh, 32, Nong Tai Kinh, 30, Nong Van Khoi, 29, Tran Van Thu, 32, and Nong Tai Tuong, 34, were sentenced to death by Cao Bang People's Court. Phan Van Hien, 32, Phuong Thi Ly, 23, Trieu Van Tinh, 31, Phuong Ich Dau, 37, and Doan Trong Duy, 27, received life sentences. Nguyen Van Quyen, 40, was jailed for 27 years. Bang, the mastermind, traded around 157 kg of heroin from November 2017 to February 2018, the court stated. Cao Bang police found Bang in a car transporting heroin and methamphetamine in Hung Dao Commune on February 23, 2018. Bang said he received the drugs from a man in northern Son La Province for personal use, and that his cousin Thanh was following in another car from northern Vinh Phuc Province to Cao Bang to sell four bags of heroin to Kinh and Khoi, according to investigators. Seeing Bang being arrested, Thanh turned his car around and drove towards northern Bac Kan Province before dropping all the heroin by the road. Police however retrieved the bags and found 95 kg of heroin inside. Further investigations uncovered the rest of the gang who confessed to have traded around 162 kg of drugs in total from Son La to Cao Bang, worth billions of VND (VND1 billion = $43,000). Vietnam is a key trafficking hub for drugs from the Golden Triangle, an intersection of Laos, Thailand and Myanmar and the world's second largest drug producing area after the Golden Crescent in South Asia. Though it has some of the world's toughest drug laws, including death for smuggling and trading, drug busts continue to be frequent. Those convicted of possessing or smuggling over 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kg of methamphetamines face capital punishment. The production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal narcotics is also punishable by death. [March 10, 2020] Computer Design & Integration LLC (CDI LLC) Recognized for Excellence in Managed IT Services Computer Design & Integration LLC (CDI LLC) announced today that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named CDI LLC to its 2020 Managed Service Provider (MSP) 500 list in the MSP Elite 150 category. This popular list identifies North American solution providers that deliver operational efficiencies, IT system improvements, and a higher rate of return on investments for their customers. These accomplished MSPs work tirelessly to guide their customers and create solutions for complex IT issues. "CDI is honored to be recognized by CRN for the sixth consecutive year," said John Carter, President, CDI Managed Services. "This distinction further emphasizes our ability to build and implement white-glove, customer-first, cloud solutions that meet the changing demands of the marketplace. We look forward to helping enterprises increase business agility and embark on their digital transformation journeys through a hybrid IT operating model." CRN's annual list is divided into three categories: the MSP Pioneer 250 who are focused primarily on the SMB market; the MSP Elite 150, large data center-focused on- and off-premises; and the Managed Security 100 made up of off-premises-focused, cloud-based IT security services. As a member of the MSP Elite 150, CDI is recognized for its data center expertise and its cloud and managed services portfolio, which includes public, private and hybrid cloud management, a complete suite of business continuity solutions, as-a-service offerings, digital transformation initiatives, IT service management, and its proprietary Hybrid Cloud Automation Framework (HCAF) and Zero Touch Operations (ZTO). "MSPs are the critical bridge for customers looking to assess, implement and migrate their IT and cloud solutions to drive efficiencies, lower costs and secure your environment," said Bob Skelley, CEO of The Channel Company. "On behalf of our team at The Channel Company, I want to congratulate the accomplished companies on CRN's 2020 MSP 500 list and thank them for their commitment to finding innovative solutions that move the IT channel forward." The MSP500 list will be featured in the February 2020 issue of CRN and online at www.crn.com/msp500. About Computer Design & Integration LLC (CDI LLC): CDI LLC was founded in 1995, with corporate headquarters in New York City, as well as office locations in Teterboro, N.J., Philadelphia, Atlanta and Boston. The firm has been recognized as one of the nation's top 500 IT solution providers offering clients and businesses of all sizes the most up-to-date hybrid IT technology solutions that solve today's most complex business challenges. CDI LLC continually focuses on achieving client satisfaction by developing and implementing comprehensive and innovative technology solutions that enhance day-to-day business workflow processes. As one of the largest solution providers, CDI LLC combines the required experience, exceptional talent, quality assurance and stability that its clients strive to achieve. For more information, visit cdillc.com or call 1-877-216-0133. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. About The Channel Company The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers, and end-users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelco.com Copyright 2020. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005053/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] 'Cult' mom Lori Vallow remains behind bars in an Idaho jail after two local bond companies have reportedly refused to help her post $1million bail 'Cult' mom Lori Vallow remains behind bars in an Idaho jail after two local bond companies have reportedly refused to help her post $1million bail. Lori, who faces charges of neglect and desertion for the disappearance of her children Joshua 'JJ' Vallow and Tylee Ryan, was booked into Madison County Jail in Rexburg last Thursday after being extradited from Hawaii. A judge reduced Lori's bail from $5million to $1million on Friday. She is required to put up 10 percent of that amount - $100,000 - to be released. But four days later she is still in custody as two local bond companies tell the East Idaho News they were contacted by Lori's representatives but declined to work with her. The businesses did not say why they declined, but the outlet speculated they are worried about being stiffed with the full $1million bail if Lori fails to appear in court. Prosecutors have indicated that Lori's husband Chad Daybell has more than enough money to post 10 percent of the bail. In court documents they wrote that Chad received $430,000 from his previous wife's life insurance policy after she died in October. The documents also cited one of his bank accounts which had a balance of $152,000 at the time of her arrest last month. Lori is seen on Friday in Madison County Magistrate Court, where a judge lowered her bail from $5million to $1million. The mother is facing felony charges of neglect and desertion for the disappearance of her children Joshua 'JJ' Vallow and Tylee Ryan Lori is being held at Madison County Jail. Her next court appearance is scheduled for March 18 Should Lori manage to post bail, she will be required to wear a GPS monitor, sign a waiver of extradition and will be restricted to Fremont, Madison, Jefferson and Bonneville counties. Madison County authorities say they are confident they can keep track of the defendant if she is released and are prepared to do so as soon as she posts bail. 'We have the paperwork ready, but so far, nothing has happened,' Sheriff Sgt Isaac Payne told the East Idaho News. 'We have done our due diligence as far as getting an ankle monitor, and we are ready if she does find a bondsman.' In the meantime, Lori is being held in a smaller segregated portion of the jail but is not in isolation, Payne said. She is allowed to meet with her attorneys and clergy members in person but must conduct all other visits through a video chat system. Lori is seen in a mugshot taken after she arrived in Idaho last Thursday. She is charged with two counts of felony child desertion and nonsupport of children, as well as three misdemeanor counts of resisting and obstructing an officer, solicitation of a crime and contempt of court Lori's children, seven-year-old JJ and 17-year-old Tylee, were last seen in Idaho in September but were never reported missing by their mother or the man she married weeks later, prolific doomsday author Chad Daybell. The couple fled Idaho for Hawaii in late November, hours after police began asking questions about the children's whereabouts. Authorities tracked them down in the Kauai town of Princeville on January 25 and served Lori with a court order requiring her to physically produce the children to authorities in Idaho within five days. She failed to meet the deadline, prompting her arrest on February 20. An Idaho warrant charged her with two counts of felony child desertion and nonsupport of children, as well as three misdemeanor counts of resisting and obstructing an officer, solicitation of a crime and contempt of court. Lori's children, seven-year-old Joshua 'JJ' Vallow (left) and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan (right), were last seen in Idaho in September but were never reported missing by their mother or the man she married weeks later, prolific doomsday author Chad Daybell Lori was arrested in Kauai on February 20 and was jailed there until being extradited to Idaho last Wednesday. She is seen being escorted through Lihue Airport in handcuffs that night Lori was held in a Kauai jail on $5million bond until being extradited to Rexburg on March 4. At a hearing two days later, Lori's attorneys asked that her bond be reduced to $50,000, saying she was presumed innocent and did not deserve to have her case tried in the media. 'This is a violation of Lori's constitutional rights,' her lawyer said. Prosecutors responded by saying the bond was set so high because Lori is a flight risk. 'This case didn't start as a criminal case - it started as a report of two missing children who are still missing,' [one of the prosecutors said], adding Lori fled 'very quickly' after police began asking questions about the children's whereabouts in November. They also noted that Lori's husband Chad received funds from his wife's life insurance policy - around $430,000 - which gives the couple means to flee. He added that Lori has relocated four times since last August, there are three active investigations into suspicious deaths that she has been linked to, and that she left every home she's had in the last few months in suspicious circumstances. The judge ultimately agreed to reduce bail to $1million. Lori is next scheduled to appear in Madison County Magistrate Court for a preliminary hearing on March 18, where prosecutors will need to prove there is enough evidence to support the felony charges her before the case can proceed to District Court. Lori appeared in Madison County court Friday wearing magenta lipstick and pink handcuffs Her husband Chad is seen in the crowded courtroom during the hearing JJ's grandparents Larry and Kay Woodcock (left and center) were also in the courtroom Authorities began searching for JJ and Tylee in late November after performing a welfare check ordered by concerned relatives who said they hadn't spoken to JJ, who is autistic, in months. When officers first went to Lori's home in Idaho on November 26, she told them that JJ was visiting relatives in Arizona - which investigators say was a lie. Officers returned the following day and found that Lori and Chad had fled from the home. The couple were named persons of interest in the children's disappearance in mid-December. 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. Lori and Chad issued a statement after they went on the run insisting that they'd done nothing wrong. It has since emerged they had told people Tylee was dead and that Lori has no minor children. Last week the FBI released these photos of the family at Yellowstone National Park on September 8 and asked anyone with information about that day to come forward 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. 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. 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 Last week, the FBI in Salt Lake City made a public plea for information about the trip to Yellowstone, asking anyone who was in the park on September 8 and has photos of the children or family to submit them to the authorities. Detectives are reportedly preparing to search Yellowstone as soon as the snow melts, which could not happen until May or June. The search for JJ and Tylee 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 Lori's brother Alex Cox (pictured) died under mysterious circumstances on December 12 A troubling portrait of Lori and Chad has emerged from accounts from family members who claim the couple are members of a dangerous cult obsessed with the end of the world. Kay Woodcock - the sister of Charles Vallow who is also JJ's grandmother - issued a statement in December in which she described how Lori turned into a 'monster' after she met Chad in 2017. Chad, 51, is a prolific author of 25 books focusing on doomsday scenarios and near-death experiences. He is what's known as a 'prepper' - someone who is getting ready for the End of Times - and was a member of a group called Preparing a People. Late last year DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that Chad had been kicked out of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints months earlier after he declared himself a prophet. Lori reportedly began reading Chad's writing while she was living in Hawaii with Charles, JJ and Tylee between 2014 and 2017. It's unclear how or when exactly Lori and Chad met, but family members say it was sometime around June 2017. The pair made their first appearance together in December 2018 on a podcast for Preparing a People. Lori and Charles' marriage deteriorated rapidly as she became more and more involved with Preparing a People, and he filed for divorce and for custody of JJ in February 2019. In court documents, Charles claimed that Lori had recently become 'infatuated, at times obsessive, about near death experiences and spiritual visions'. 'Mother [Lori] has told Father [Charles] that she is sealed [eternally married] to the ancient Book of Mormon prophet Moroni and that she has lived numerous lives on numerous planets prior to this current life,' the documents state. 'Mother also informed Father that she is a translated being who cannot taste death sent by God to lead the 144,000 into the Millennium. 'Mother believes that she is receiving spiritual revelations and visions to help her gather and prepare those chosen to live in the New Jerusalem after the Great War as prophesied in the book of Revelations.' Charles also claimed in the petition that Lori had threatened to kill him if he got in the way of her mission. The Canadian government on Monday announced a bill to ban so-called "conversion therapy," which tries to change the sexual orientation of young LGBT people. The bill would create five new offenses in the Canadian criminal code, including prohibiting subjecting a minor to the practice, either in Canada or abroad. An adult would also not be able to undergo conversion therapy against his or her will, and no one would be allowed to profit from or advertise it. If the bill passes, Canada's laws on conversion therapy would become some of the "most progressive and comprehensive in the world," David Lametti, the minister of justice, told reporters while presenting the bill to parliament. Two adults who had been forced to undergo conversion therapy in childhood testified on about their experiences. "I'm a survivor of conversion therapy," said Erika, a trans woman. "My body is a prison because of what my conversion therapist did to me, and I live with that every day," she said in a vehement denunciation of the practice. The bill's adoption by parliament appears all but assured, even though Justin Trudeau's Liberal government is the minority in the House of Commons. The left-wing New Democratic Party has already announced it intends to back the bill. The bill states that conversion therapy causes harm not only to the victims but also to society, particularly because the practice is founded on and helps spread myths and stereotypes about sexual orientation and gender identity, including the myth that sexual orientation and gender identity can and should be changed. The law would define conversion therapy as "any service, practice or treatment designed to change a person's sexual orientation to heterosexual, gender identity to one that matches the sex assigned at birth, or to repress or reduce non-heterosexual attraction or sexual behaviors." According to a recent official survey, 47,000 Canadian men who identify as part of a minority sexuality group had been subjected to conversion therapy. Chief Medical Officer for Wales confirms nine new cases of coronavirus no cases stated in North Wales This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Mar 10th, 2020 The Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Dr Frank Atherton, has confirmed that nine further patients in Wales have tested positive for coronavirus (COVID -19) in an update release at 8:30pm this evening. Two of the patients have recently returned together from northern Italy, and are resident in the Carmarthenshire local authority area. The other seven patients were tested following tracing in connection with the Neath Port Talbot Council resident who was tested positive at the weekend and which was announced yesterday (9 March). One of the seven is a resident of Cardiff local authority area, one is from Swansea local authority area and the other five are all from Neath Port Talbot local authority area. All nine patients are being managed in clinically appropriate settings. Dr Atherton said: I can confirm that nine additional individuals in Wales have tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total number of positive cases in Wales to 15. All of the individuals are being managed in clinically appropriate settings. All appropriate measures to provide care for the individuals and to reduce the risk of transmission to others are being taken. We have always been clear that we expected the number of positive cases to increase, which is in line with what has happened in other parts of the world. The identification of the seven individuals linked to the Neath Port Talbot resident case shows that the contact tracing and community testing being carried out by Public Health Wales is working as it should. Id like to take this opportunity to assure the public that Wales and the whole of the UK is prepared for these types of incidents. Working with our partners in Wales and the UK, we have implemented our planned response, with robust infection control measures in place to protect the health of the public. To protect patient confidentiality, no further details regarding the individuals will be released. Wales NHS has launched a new online symptom checker today for those worried about coronavirus. People who think they may have symptoms of COVID19 are being urged to use the new service as a first port call. The new service is aimed easing some of the strain off the NHS 111 telephone helpline which has seen a huge spike in the number of calls it is dealing with. We know lots of you are worried about Coronavirus. Thats why weve developed our new online symptom checker. This should be your FIRST port of call for advice. 111 is very busy so bear with us especially if youre awaiting a call back. While waiting the best idea is to stay home Also be aware of the general advice on hand washing and catching coughs and sneezes in tissues, and Guidance for schools: advice for parents or carers. The new symptom checker can be found here: www.nhsdirect.wales.nhs.uk PUNE A day after a couple that had travelled to Dubai at the end of February tested positive for Covid-19 (coronavirus) in Pune, three more persons tested positive for the virus on Tuesday. The daughter of the couple, and the taxi driver who drove the couple from the Mumbai international airport to Pune on March 1, both tested positive for the infection as per the National Institute of Virology (NIV), according to district collector Naval Kishore Ram, who added, Apart from these two, a co-passenger who was on the same Dubai-Mumbai flight as the couple, has also tested postive. All the five - three family members, the driver and the flight passenger - are in isolation at the Naidu Hospital in Pune. According to the health ministrys website, the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases across India is 47. Currently, 17 are in isolation in Pune, five positive cases and 12 suspected. The couple tested positive late on Monday evening. Punes divisional commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar said that the infected husband and wife are currently stable and under observation. The administration is now tracking a group of 40 persons who were with the couple on their trip to Dubai. These 40 persons are from various districts in the state. We appeal for calm and not to reveal the identity of the patients or their workplace to protect their privacy, Mhaisekar said at a press briefing on Tuesday, at which district collector Naval Kishore Ram, PMC additional commissioner Rubal Agarwal and Pune Police joint commissioner Ravindra Shisve were also present. Mhaisekar said, The couple had arrived in the country on March 1 after a 15-day visit to Dubai. They took a private cab from Mumbai airport to Pune. On March 8, one of the two started showing symptoms of infection and were referred to Naidu hospital for a checkup. Their samples were sent to NIV and tested positive. Since Dubai is not in the initial list of the 19 countries from where citizens were being screened, the couple was not screened at Mumbai airport. The administration has now formed five teams which include officials from the revenue department, police, health, BMC and PMC to track the 40 people who had travelled with the couple to Dubai. The administration is also listing down people who came in contact with the couple at their workplace or the areas where they visited to keep a check on them too, Mhaisekar said. Mhaisekar said that the city administration has increased its bed capacity to 207 at 21 hospitals, besides Naidu hospital for Covid-19. He also advised private doctors to take note of patients travel history and if s/he shows symptoms including cold, cough and fever. Any person showing these signs must be referred to Naidu hospital immediately, Mhaisekar said.. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. DALLAS, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Integrity Marketing Group, LLC, ("Integrity") today announced it has acquired LifeSmart Senior Services, Inc. ("LifeSmart"), a Medicare marketing organization based in Chicago, Illinois. As part of the transaction, founder Richard Kozlowski will become an owner in Integrity. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. LifeSmart Senior Services is the newest addition to Integrity Marketing Group's family of companies. For over 15 years, LifeSmart has made it their mission to help seniors in making informed choices about Medicare and life insurance products and services. Its experienced agents bring extensive knowledge about the changing Medicare marketplace and offer proprietary products and policy options. "The Kozlowskis have grown their business by becoming more than just experts in serving Seniors with their health and life insurance needs; their agents and clients view them as true advocates. This partnership with Integrity allows them the freedom to focus on deepening existing relationships and expanding their reach to new agents," said Bryan W. Adams, Co-founder & CEO of Integrity. "With additional resources available through the Integrity platform, LifeSmart gains a strategic advantage to continue its vigorous growth." "We got into this business because we wanted to help people, and Integrity's values reflect that same commitment," said Richard Kozlowski, Principal at LifeSmart. "As an agency undergoing significant growth, we knew we needed support to reach our goals. Integrity's offerings provide LifeSmart access to the best resources in the industry and watching Integrity's explosive growth made it an easy choice for us to join the Integrity team." The Integrity platform offers LifeSmart access to comprehensive support systems and partnership with the industry's leaders, enabling LifeSmart to maintain efforts on organic growth. LifeSmart will also leverage Integrity's world-class sales and marketing resources for strategic collaboration. In addition, LifeSmart employees will become immediately eligible to participate in Integrity's previously announced Employee Ownership Plan. "We've known the partners at Integrity for many years and they have always made us feel like family," said Victoria Kozlowski, President of LifeSmart. "As a part of the Integrity family, our employees gain ownership in a much larger business, which is going to mean the world to them. This helps our family of agents, our employees and ultimately the customers we serve, which makes it a wonderful way to move forward." "As owners in Integrity, Rich and Victoria have diversified their business, protected their family and keep running their business day-to-day. LifeSmart now has the support system from our Integrity shared services to remove the burden of IT, HR and accounting off their shoulders so they can scale the success they've experienced," said Tom Schueth, Co-founder and Managing Partner at Integrity. "This acquisition shows how powerful a partnership with Integrity can be to drive growth in today's competitive landscape." For more information about LifeSmart's decision to partner with Integrity, view a video at: www.integritymarketing.com/lifesmart About Integrity Marketing Group Integrity Marketing Group, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is the leading independent distributor of life and health insurance products focused on serving Americans. Integrity develops exclusive products with insurance carrier partners and markets these products through its distribution network that includes other large insurance agencies throughout the country. Integrity's almost 1,000 employees work with over 250,000 independent agents who service over 5 million clients annually. In 2020, Integrity expects to help insurance carriers place $2.5 billion in new premiums. Visit www.integritymarketing.com for more information. About LifeSmart Senior Services LifeSmart Senior Services is a Medicare marketing organization founded in 2005. The company serves as a source of knowledge and information about Medicare options and life insurance for the senior market. LifeSmart provides comprehensive benefit packages to seniors, including Medicare Supplemental, Medicare Advantage, hospital indemnity, final expense, dental and life insurance, across offices in Illinois and Indiana. Visit www.medicarelifesmart.com for more information. SOURCE Integrity Marketing Group, LLC Related Links https://www.integritymarketing.com Italy is extending its coronavirus quarantine measures, which include a ban on public gatherings, to the entire country. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said that people would only be permitted to travel for work or family emergencies. He said the measures, which come into effect on Tuesday, were to defend the most fragile members of society. The decision follows a large increase in Italy's coronavirus death toll which jumped by 97 to 463. It is the worst-hit country in the world after China.In the United Kingdom, people who show "even minor" signs of respiratory tract infections or a fever will soon be told to self-isolate in an effort to tackle the coronavirus outbreak. The Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the UK governments chief medical adviser Chris Whitty said a change in advice could happen in the next two weeks. Five people have now died from coronavirus in the UK.As the international community struggles to contain the spread of coronavirus, the World Health Organisation has praised China for its response and suggested it offers a model for others to follow. But inside China there's anger over the way the authorities have handled the outbreak, with censorship being stepped up, which is the very approach that experts say helped to accelerate the spread in the first place. A medical worker in protective clothing attends the COVID-19 coronavirus response-training exercise, at the Oleksandrivska Clinical Hospital in Ukraine. Pavlo Gonchar | SOPA Images | LightRocket | Getty Images Stock markets are plunging down about 7% at Monday's close oil prices are in free fall, supply chains are being disrupted, and in the middle of it all, small- and medium-sized businesses are dealing with frightened employees, skittish customers and an uncertain future. The situation is so dire, President Donald Trump plans to meet with Senate leaders Tuesday to discuss a payroll cut, small business aid and help for hourly workers who might become sick. Ever since the coronavirus started infecting people in China, Eric Plam, president of Skyroam, a San Francisco-based company that creates and sells Wi-Fi-enabled hotspots to businesses, has been busy figuring out how to keep his staff safe and his business operating. The business has about 120 staff in Shenzhen, China out of 180, including 20 in the U.S. all of whom were told by the Chinese government not to come into work after the virus started spreading. At the time, Plam didn't understand what was happening. "I first thought it was the flu," he says. "I was wondering why they weren't going into work." He's since called off several in-person meetings, told employees they can work from home and turned a board meeting, which was supposed to take place in Beijing, into a videoconference call using Amazon Chime, an online videoconferencing program. "It went really well," he says. "Everyone was able to join without having to travel, and we were able to translate live, so people were able to speak in Chinese and English as they usually do." About 807 miles north in Seattle, Henry Albrecht, CEO of Limeade, an employee engagement software company, has been reacting in much the same way. He too has canceled all nonessential travel, while most of the 160 or so employees that work from the Seattle office (100 more already work remotely) are now stuck at home. "There are 12 people here," he says. "Luckily, we're in the software business, so working from home is an option." Not too late to plan Plam and Albrecht are just two executives out of thousands who run small- to medium-sized businesses now scrambling to figure out how to handle all this disruption. This wouldn't have been an issue a decade ago, when American businesses mostly conducted business closer to home, but now many companies are global. "We encouraged small businesses to be more global and to export more, and now they're more vulnerable to things like the coronavirus," says Andrew Sherman, a Washington, D.C.-based partner with Seyfarth, a global law firm. Despite cases continuing to rise and markets sending people and companies in a panic, it's not too late for businesses to set up remote workforces, communicate with staff and prepare for a worsening outbreak. Here are a few things you can do now. 1. Communicate with staff One of the most important things you can do is communicate with your employees. Many are likely concerned about their health and how they can continue working as more things get shut down. Albrecht's own Limeade ONE platform comes with an internal communications feature where people can instant message each other. As soon as the outbreak's seriousness became clear, Albrecht set up what he calls a "care in crisis" channel that automatically sends push notifications to staff whenever he posts. "There's an intentional importance attached, because the messages are coming from me," he says. It's in that channel where he provides updates on the virus itself he's posted a number of CDC videos on COVID-19 and how to monitor oneself for the disease along with recommended handwashing and social-distancing procedures, travel updates (most are canceled) and ideas on how to work effectively from home. Employees can also post their own messages in that channel, which he says is key. "It's powerful," he says about the two-way communication. "We want to hear from our people as well. We also have the ability to ask people to take a quiz so they can tell us if they need more information on something." 2. Invest in work-from-home technology While most people likely have a phone, a computer and an internet connection, some may not have enough bandwidth to do the kind of work they do at the office at home. Some companies may also not be set up with the right collaboration tools, such as internal communications programs or secure Wi-Fi networks to allow for remote work. With coronavirus cases surging, Eric Plam, president of Skyroam in San Francisco, told his employees to work from home. Skyroam Inc. While Plam has only 20 employees in San Francisco, anyone who is feeling a bit under the weather is encouraged to stay home. At the moment, though, most are at work. If anyone does decide to stay home, whether in the U.S., China or in his other offices, in France and Germany, they can use Skyroam's own technology, which creates Wi-Fi signals by tapping in local data networks. This gives them office-grade internet without having to pay for it themselves. His phone has been ringing off the hook over the last couple of weeks with more companies than ever wanting to find ways to help their staff work remotely. For Albrecht, Microsoft Teams is coming in handy. It's a collaboration program that allows people to video chat and work on Word files together from wherever they may be. Google's G Suite, which comes with collaborative software like Google docs, sheets and hangouts, is another alternative. 3. Create a disaster preparedness policy A lot of companies haven't planned for a crisis on this scale, but as many are finding out now, they need one, says Sherman. A good plan will cover a number of things, including procedures around remote work. It should spell out how people should work from home and what tools they'll need to get the job done; how to handle travel; what to do about meetings and more. It's also important to include things such as insurance coverage for business closures or trip cancellations, how to get financing when no one is investing, what lines of credit are in place, supply chain alternatives and more, says Sherman. While service businesses may be able to continue operating in some way, other companies, such as restaurants or local movie theaters, will have to think hard about how to manage staff and cash flows if people stop going out. "What is plan B?" he says. "If something were to happen, do I have the right alternative business models in place?" All of this should be documented, says Sherman, as it shows that people are thinking about what could happen in a worst-case scenario, and it acts as an easy-to-reference guide on what to do, how to communicate and how to keep business running in difficult times. "You need all the elements of a crisis-management or disaster-preparedness plan in place," he says. Photo: The Canadian Press Airlines are slashing flights and freezing hiring as they experience a sharp drop in bookings and a rise in cancellations in the face of the spreading coronavirus. Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly says the outbreak might do more damage to airlines than the terror attacks of 2001 did. An industry trade group has issued the same warning. Delta Air Lines said Tuesday that travel demand has fallen so badly in the past week that it expects one-third of seats to be empty this month on flights within the United States previously the market most immune to virus fallout. Business travellers are grounded as meetings and conferences are being cancelled. Leisure travellers are scared. Normally airlines try to lure reluctant customers by discounting fares, but that won't work in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak. If you are scared of flying, you are probably scared at any price, said Delta President Glen Hauenstein. Delta, the world's biggest airline by revenue, said net bookings declined 25% to 30% in the past two weeks and could get worse. The said it will cut international flights by 20% to 25% and reduce U.S. flying by 10% to 15%, roughly matching cuts previously announced by United Airlines. CEO Ed Bastian said the airline is prepared to do more if the outbreak grows. Delta is cutting spending, including putting a freeze on hiring, offering voluntary unpaid leave, delaying voluntary pension contributions and suspending share buybacks. American Airlines announced it will cut international flying by 10% this summer and reduce U.S. flying by 7.5% in April. It has delayed training of new pilots and flight attendants. United said it has arranged $2 billion in additional bank borrowing to preserve financial flexibility raising liquidity from $6 billion to $8 billion. The airlines are also evaluating their assets planes, engines, spare parts and other items to determine what could be used as collateral for more borrowing, if that is needed. United CEO Oscar Munoz will waive his base salary through June, and Kelly, the Southwest CEO, said he will take a 10% pay cut. In a video to employees, Kelly said the virus poses a problem not seen since the 9-11 attacks, and it may be worse. The International Air Transport Association, an airline trade group, estimates that the outbreak could reduce carriers revenue by between $63 billion and $113 billion depending on how far and deep it spreads. The same group said the terror attacks in 2001, which devastated the U.S. airline industry but had less impact overseas, cut revenue by about $20 billion. European airports expect 187 million fewer passengers this year because of the outbreak. Airports in Italy, where a nationwide quarantine was put in place Tuesday, are most affected. Airport officials urged the Italian government to provide emergency financial support, and said aid might be necessary in more countries if authorities clamp down on travel. Airlines have been waiving change fees and touting stepped-up cleaning of airplane cabins to make passengers feel more comfortable about flying. They have also cut prices, although that has not stemmed the drop in demand. Hopper, a travel-data research firm, said the average domestic airfare fell 14% last week, with fare-sale discounts running more than 50% on some major routes. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 20:57:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (2nd R) poses for a photo with Chen Xu (1st R), China's permanent representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva, after signing an agreement on China's donation of 20 million U.S. dollars to the WHO for cooperation in dealing with the novel coronavirus epidemic, in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 10, 2020. The WHO chief said on Tuesday that COVID-19 cases in China have been in significant decline, following the country's "impressive" efforts in containing the virus. (Xinhua/Liu Qu) GENEVA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday that COVID-19 cases in China have been in significant decline, following the country's "impressive" efforts in containing the virus. "What we saw in terms of experience from China is really impressive. Now the outbreak in China is on the decline, and there is a significant decline. The virus is hammered, and on a retreat. We're very glad that it's reversing and the viruses retreating (in China)," said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in response to questions from Xinhua. The WHO chief made the remarks after signing an agreement with Chen Xu, China's permanent representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva, on China's donation of 20 million U.S. dollars to the WHO for cooperation in dealing with the novel coronavirus epidemic. He expressed the appreciation for China's quick move in identifying and sequencing the novel coronavirus pathogen and sharing the sequence with the rest of the world, which has enabled the world to prepare for testing, diagnostics and other response action. "This helped actually the global community to move on. And this is very, very important," he underlined. The WHO chief recalled his visit to China in late January, when both WHO and the Chinese leadership agreed that the response effort should focus on Wuhan city, the epicenter of the outbreak and Hubei, the province it sits in, where serious public health measures need to be taken. He reiterated that other countries should use the window of opportunity brought by China's massive COVID-19 response action to contain the virus as soon as possible. China's progress in containing the virus should be attributed to government leadership and the cooperation of its people at the same time, said Dr. Tedros, as "it cannot happen without the strong commitment from the government and strong cooperation by the people." "This virus is very contagious and it's a new one, but still can be contained. The experience we have so far from China is that containment is possible," he said, urging all other countries to step up measures. Ambassador Chen said the COVID-19 outbreak in China has gone down in a steady manner, thanks to the strong leadership and the united efforts of the whole nation. China will "do a good job to look after our own business, while in the meantime, try to extend a helping hand to those in need. That is why we have this donation of 20 million U.S. dollars to WHO." According to the Chinese ambassador, the donation is part of China's response to the appeal of WHO, aiming to help countries with weaker health systems to fight the spread of the virus. "I think we are in the same boat." "This is the time for facts, not for panic; this is a time for rationality, not for rumors; and last but not least, this is the time for solidarity, not for stigma," Chen noted. FREDERICTON - The New Brunswick government tables its 2020-2021 provincial budget today, but the focus for most people will be more on the politics than the finances. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/3/2020 (672 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FREDERICTON - The New Brunswick government tables its 2020-2021 provincial budget today, but the focus for most people will be more on the politics than the finances. "The Higgs government will stand or fall on it, and it all depends on whether they can get the support of the third parties," said Donald Wright, a political scientist at the University of New Brunswick. New Brunswick Finance Minister Ernie Steeves poses Monday, March 9 in Fredericton with bright orange sneakers in advance of Tuesday's provincial budget. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kevin Bissett The minority Progressive Conservative government of Premier Blaine Higgs has been under fire since introducing proposed health reforms that included the nighttime closing of emergency rooms in six community hospitals. The government put the reforms on hold following a public and political backlash, but the Opposition Liberals are using the issue as a reason to try to topple the government. "The only responsible position for a leader of an Opposition party is to defeat this government at the earliest opportunity. I believe it is time for citizens to decide it is time for an election in New Brunswick," Liberal Leader Kevin Vickers tweeted Monday. The vote on any budget bill is considered a confidence vote. The current standings in the provincial legislature are 20 Tories, 20 Liberals, three Greens, three People's Alliance members, one Independent and two vacancies. The Independent is former Tory deputy premier Robert Gauvin, who quit the caucus over the health-care dispute. Liberal Daniel Guitard sits as Speaker of the legislature, but Vickers has suggested he could be recalled from that role in order to give the party the votes it needs to topple the government. There have also been questions about how Saint John Liberal Gerry Lowe will vote. Lowe has suggested he wants funding for a school in his riding, and is considering a return to municipal politics. Wright calls Lowe a "loose fish ... meaning he could flip or flop, depending on what is in the budget." Green Leader David Coon said he would be discussing the budget with his caucus Monday evening and Tuesday morning, and would not say yet how he plans to vote. Wright said neither Coon nor People's Alliance Leader Kris Austin want a provincial election, but he was surprised the Liberals are pushing for one. He said Vickers "played his cards even before the hand was dealt." "I was surprised at how quick out of the gate Kevin Vickers was to say he would vote against the budget when he hadn't event see it. You would think they would try to work with the government, but not this leader," Wright said. He said that could backfire on the Liberals, depending on the content of the budget. Finance Minister Ernie Steeves said Monday the budget does hit the government's target of $125 million in surplus to apply to the net debt. He insisted it's not an "election budget." "It isn't about spending big money and not tackling the debt. We are tackling the debt first and foremost," Steeves said. The vote on the budget is expected March 20. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2020. A cruise ship off the French coast became the latest to have its journey disrupted by coronavirus after it was denied permission to dock in Marseilles today. Two passengers on the German-owned vessel Aidasol were hauled off the ship after showing flu-like symptoms - sparking fears they had been infected with the virus. Their fellow tourists were kept on the ship while the two passengers were tested in hospital on the mainland. However, the tests eventually came back negative, said a spokesman for the Marseilles port authority. The cruise ship Aidasol (pictured near Marseilles today) was refused permission to dock in France amid coronavirus fears over two passengers According to public service broadcaster France Bleu, a speedboat was dispatched to send emergency workers to the ship and retrieve the suspected virus patients. The Aidasol had been due to have a stopover in Marseilles today, but French authorities refused permission. The local health authority confirmed that two people were taken to Marseille and were being tested in the port city. The seven-day cruise, entitled Pearls of the Mediterranean, is meant to stop at Marseilles after arriving from Mallorca and Barcelona, according to the company's website. It is then intended to continue to Italy, stopping in Livorno and Rome before ending up back in Mallorca. The ship is owned by AIDA Cruises, a German subsidiary of cruise ship giant Carnival Corporation. The ship is now idling in the Mediterranean (pictured) while the two passengers are tested for coronavirus in hospital on the mainland Health authorities around the world have been keeping a watchful eye on cruise ships after a series of voyages were wrecked by virus fears in recent weeks. The Diamond Princess became one of the world's largest clusters of virus cases when more than 700 people tested positive during a two-week quarantine in Japan. A sister ship, the Grand Princess, has been held off the US coast for days after a former passenger died of the virus. Another vessel, the MS Westerdam, was turned away by five governments in a sign of official panic over cruise ships despite no cases being confirmed on board. Several other ships have had their journeys disrupted by the virus after passengers required urgent tests or countries refused them permission to dock. Experts have highlighted a number of reasons why cruise ships are vulnerable to the spread of disease, including the large number of elderly passengers in a confined space. Some passengers have started to cancel cruise ship bookings or abandon plans to make them as the virus continues to spread around the world. Cruise ships have also taken preventative measures themselves, with Royal Caribbean turning away guests with passports from China, Hong Kong and Macau and guarding against arrivals from Italy, Iran and South Korea. [March 10, 2020] Thycotic Announces Expanded Availability of Cloud PAM Solutions in Canada WASHINGTON, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Thycotic, provider of privileged access management (PAM) solutions to more than 10,000 organizations, including 25 of the Fortune 100, today announced the availability of its cloud-native PAM solutions delivered via its new local data center in Canada. Thycotic is experiencing explosive growth in its cloud business, with 405 percent growth in 2019 driven by 350+ new cloud customers. The demand for cloud-based PAM solutions delivered via regional data centers is being driven in part by the need to meet regulatory compliance requirements for locally hosted data. For example, Canadian customers often require that Canadian and provincial "in-country only" privacy laws for data security are strictly followed. The new Canadian data center will meet rapidly growing demand for PAM solutions in this key region. "We continue to see strong demand and rapid adoption of cloud-based security solutions," said Jai Dargan, VP of Product Management at Thycotic. "We are committed to empowering companies in all geographies with comprehensive, cloud-based privilege security and helping them minimize costs and management time. These new data centers demonstrate that commitment." Thycotic's cloud-based solutions are delivered on Microsoft Azure Cloud Services for maximum security, availability and redundancy. The Canadian data center joins existing data centers in the U.S., Europe, Singapore, and Australia. Organizations can evaluate the latest version of Thycotic's PAM solutions, available both on-premise and in the cloud, with a free 30-day trial, please visit www.thycotic.com for more information. About Thycotic Thycotic is the leading provider of cloud-ready privilege management solutions. Thycotic's security tools empower over 10,000 organizations, from small businesses to the Fortune 500, to limit privileged account risk, implement least privilege policies, control applications, and demonstrate compliance. Thycotic makes enterprise-level privilege management accessible for everyone by eliminating dependency on overly complex security tools and prioritizing productivity, flexibility and control. Headquartered in Washington, DC, Thycotic operates worldwide with offices in the UK and Australia. For further information, please contact: Steve Kahan Jacqueline Velasco Thycotic Lumina Communications T: 202-802-9399 T: 408-680-0564 E: [email protected] E: [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thycotic-announces-expanded-availability-of-cloud-pam-solutions-in-canada-301020946.html SOURCE Thycotic [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] When she was outfitting her Brooklyn apartment a few years ago, native Houstonian Katherine Stevens began searching for a classic Persian-style rug in a cowhide shape. Stevens wanted to blend a traditional, ornate design element she takes influence from her antiques-dealer grandmother with her own modern Texas sensibility. That juxtaposition intrigued her, she says. When her rug search came up empty, Stevens got to work. She moved back home to Houston and took an epic, monthlong buying trip through Morocco, Turkey and India. A few months later, she launched Domada, the Spanish word for domesticated, at a booth at Round Top Antiques Weeks. Stevens, who studied interior design at Parsons School of Design, uses real cowhides to trace the shape of her rugs. At a local rug warehouse, she oversees the surging of the pieces that she then hand-edges. Due to the curves of the shape, the process is labor intensive, says Stevens, 32. Each one-of-a-kind rug takes about two days to make. To find her rugs, some dating back as far as 1880, Stevens scours estate sales. But most come to her through word of mouth. Shell get a call from someone who has inherited a rug or a houseful of rugs and wants to unload them. Stevens buys the antiques, but not before typically convincing the client to keep one of the heirlooms for themselves so she can reinvent it into a hide shape. Homeowners in her generation often dont think they can incorporate an antique serapi rug or a Moroccan kilim with their more modern art and furniture collection, she says. By reshaping the rugs perhaps cutting down to the border flank or the center medallion the new look fits their color palette and design aesthetic. They can retain something that was their grandmothers, but feel more like them, Stevens says. The rug is something that was already gorgeous but has been made into something that takes it into a new dimension. Some clients lay their cowhide shape on top of a larger seagrass rug. Others place them under a coffee table or in an entry foyer and it totally changes the way the room looks, she says. These go in as a work of art. One client used her monotone green Turkish oushak rug as a wall hanging in her dining room. Stevens convinced another to lay two black-and-white, modern rugs Stevens has them made at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul in her living room in opposing orientation. Domada rugs are permanent design features in the Levis store in Tokyo. The rugs also dot the Kendra Scott boutiques in Manhattan, Austin and New Orleans. Stevens hopes to soon take on hospitality projects. For now, most customers are discovering Domada online, where Stevens also sells smaller rugs in the shape of sheep and tiger skins and throw pillows shes made with the excess. Customers in Scandinavia told Stevens they bought a Domada rug because they wanted the look of a cowhide but not an actual bovine. The cruelty-free angle I did not anticipate, being sort of a carnivorous Texan, she laughs. Find Domada at Marburger Farm Antique Show, Tent E, in Round Top March 31-April 4. Cowhide rugs start at $2,000. Smaller creatures start at $250. Pillows from $375 a pair; domadadesigns.com. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 10 By Fidan Babayeva Trend: To date, the Azerbaijani Agrarian Credit and Development Agency (AKIA) has allocated subsidies worth 75 million manat ($44.1 million) for autumn crops, Chairman of AKIA under the Azerbaijani Ministry of Agriculture Mirza Aliyev said. Aliyev made the remark in Baku at the briefing dedicated to the instructions related to the issuance of subsidies, farm cards and sale of preferential fertilizers, Trend reports on March 10. Some 180,000 farmers have subsidiary funds on the cards, the chairman added. Some 474,520 farmers were registered in the electronic agricultural information system. Some 361,307 farmers were dealing with autumn crops. "Agricultural products have been sown at 993,718 hectares in the country, Aliyev said. Some 279,553 farmers cards have been prepared, of which 102,500 have been issued. Some 156,391 farmers cards are in the regional branches of Kapital Bank and farmers may take them." The new rules for subsidizing the production of agricultural products have entered into force since the beginning of this year. In accordance with these rules, agricultural subsidies will be issued to farmers through the electronic agricultural information system. The new mechanism related to agricultural support measures serves to increase accountability, transparency, ensure the efficient use of budgetary funds, as well as simplify the process of farmers' appeals and the provision of farmers with subsidies. Theres nothing pretty about the state of affairs right now. Except for perhaps the new in section of Zara. There you will find pie-crust collars and puff sleeves, pintuck frills and petal pink wallpaper florals. These may be tumultuous, politically-charged, pandemic-impending times, but as far as our wardrobes are concerned, things couldnt be lovelier. This is, of course, no coincidence. When the going gets tough, the ruffles get going, so its no surprise that weve reached peak prettification. After all, life seems so much sweeter when youre wearing a big blouson-sleeve periwinkle print smock dress. Among the pick of the bunch are London-based brand Yolke. Founded by friends Anna Williamson and Ella Ringner in 2013 as a dreamy sleepwear brand, Yolke has recently woken up to ready-to-wear with its new ethically-minded collection serving as an homage to Laura Ingalls Wilders classic series, Little House on the Prairie. Yolke x Female Narrative / Yolke It launches today, but the collection has already proven so popular that the brand has sold half of its stock on pre-orders alone. The two most popular styles are also the most feminine in the form of its floor-sweeping, button-front and silk-georgette frilled empire line Valentina dress, both in linen with a foxglove print and in organic viscose peppered with bright meadow florals. Dressing up was a big part of my childhood I was never far from a box full of hand-me-downs from mother, aunts and grandmother, says Ringner, who describes herself as a magpie when it comes to vintage printed cottons and anything with a ruffle. She tells me this collection has been a few years in the making because we had to wait for the right time. That time, she believes, is now. For so long femininity has been associated with gender roles that today we largely see as outdated, but women are forging new relationships with their own interpretation of what it means to be feminine. The roles are being reset, women are forging new paths femininity is empowered. Yolke x Female Narrative / Yolke Fittingly, the brand has chosen to celebrate its new launch with a collaboration with creative agency Female Narratives with a campaign shot by photographer India Hartford-Davis on Hampstead Heath starring founders Tijana Tamburic and Franzi Klein. Certainly, its no surprise that it is female designers that are leading this trend. Central Saint Martins alumni Louise Markey founder of namesake label LF Markey has recently introduced new line Meadows which is devoted to this idyllic aesthetic. Fusing historical influences with a modern attitude, high-necks, puff-sleeves and bluebell embroidery are all key to Meadows vision which is in residence at a Redchurch Street pop-up until the end of the month. Check smock, 220, Sleeper / Sleeper Sleeper a brand founded by friends and former fashion editors Kate Zubarieva and Asya Varetsa and led by a largely female workforce is also a pioneer of this look, no more so than with its current spring/summer collection which is brimming with gingham picnic checks, smocked ruffle sleeves and lace up corset waistlines. Similarly Reformation, the cult brand by LA native Yael Aflalo, has also adopted a millennial Little Women mindset for its newest launch which takes vintage Laura Ashley-esque prints and a period accurate silhouette and translates it into series of fresh and youthful dresses with the addition of shorter hemlines or thigh-high splits. Cecilie Bahnsen, Susie Caves label The Vampires Wife, and Simone Rocha are also well worth seeking out if you have a bit more cash to splash. [March 10, 2020] As Coronavirus Spreads, eLearning Company Offers Platform and Accounts Free to Organizations Moving Corporate Training Online Canadian eLearning company commits to ensuring training continues during a time when concerned companies have called a halt to in-person training NEW GLASGOW, Nova Scotia, March 10, 2020 /CNW/ -- As the response to the novel coronavirus continues to restrict travel and cancel major public events, one company is committed to ensuring staff training and development continues. Canadian-based Velsoft Training Materials is offering unrestricted access to its learning management system for companies scrambling to deal with the fallout from the spread of the virus. The workplace learning and development (L&D) industry has been hit hard by the cancellation of face-to-face events. It is expected that the virus will continue to spread throughout the world, causing havoc on travel or gatherings for public events. Companies are frantically establishing contingency plans but the coronavirus continues to move faster than their preparations. "Many training events have been transformed to online or virtual events to stem the spread of the contagious virus," says Jim Fitt, founder of Velsoft. "However, not every organization knows where to start in providing virtual or distance training." Fitt and his team have created a plan to offer their technologies to help companies move their corporate training online. Woring remotely has quickly become an accepted practice, with companies attempting to shield their staff from the epidemic. Many companies, such as Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon, Ford Motor, HSBC, AT&T, CNN, Citigroup and Twitter, have directed employees to work from home to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. Fitt notes that many organizations currently offer online staff training, but others have not yet embraced this model. "All we are hoping for is to help get things back to normal as quickly as possible," Fitt adds. "Cancelling or postponing training will have a lasting effect on companies already bracing for impacts likely to reverberate across corporations long after the outbreak is eventually brought under control." Fitt and his team are committed to ensuring as much training as possible go uninterrupted, which is why free access to Velsoft's eLearning platforms is being offered to those wanting to train their teams remotely. Until the end of April, companies can access all course authoring and learning management system software for free with no obligation whatsoever. Velsoft believes the effect of the coronavirus on global higher education is a predictor to a disruption about to happen to the $366.2 billion USD workplace L&D industry. The company's Chief Operating Officer David Gormley says the company is paying very close attention to what schools and universities are doing. "As the number of people impacted by the virus grows at alarming rates, students at universities in affected areas face the prospect of losing an entire semester or more," Gormley says. Moving classes online is the number one way higher education institutions are responding to the COVID-19 outbreak. For more information: Carol Dunn Communications Director 1-902-759-4791 [email protected] View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/as-coronavirus-spreads-elearning-company-offers-platform-and-accounts-free-to-organizations-moving-corporate-training-online-301020902.html SOURCE Velsoft [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The street party on Elliot Street will include music from Sons of Zion and local performers. The announcement is the best reason to "close the road and celebrate this milestone together as a community," says Opotiki mayor Lyn Riesterer The government will be investing $79.4 million into the building the new entrance, adding to the $20 million previously pledged by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council under its Regional Infrastructure Fund. Together, this funding is the green light for the long-planned build of twin seawalls which will allow year-round, all-tide access to the town. Lyn says there are so many people and agencies to thank and acknowledge for 20 years of work, that she is worried shed miss someone if she tried. "I know for certain that the biggest thanks needs to go to the community as a whole. They have been behind us all the way for so many years. This project has provided a vision for us to build a future that turns our negative statistics around. And the local people and local businesses have kept backing up our efforts to do this and it has finally paid off. "So we are taking a moment to celebrate with some live music, food, games for the kids, a few speeches and some well-deserved congratulations. "This moment is important to stop, reflect, acknowledge and celebrate. Because from here there is some hard mahi to make sure this project hits all the right notes - it employs local people, it provides pathways and training opportunities and we benefit from this entrance in every way possible.". There will be food trucks and childrens activities available including face painting and rides. The council says to bring cash for food and activities a blanket to sit on to listen to the live music. Elliot Street between Church Street and St John Street will be closed off for the party. The party is on from 4pm to 8pm, Saturday, March 14. More information can be found here. Twelve more people have tested positive for coronavirus -- six in Kerala and three each in Karnataka and Pune -- state authorities said on Tuesday as the total cases went up to 59. IMAGE: A medic looks on at a patient who has shown positive symptoms for coronavirus at an isolation ward in Hyderabad. Photograph: PTI Photo The health ministry said the total number of confirmed cases has risen to 50, adding the rest are being retested for confirmation. Once the fresh cases declared by the state governments are taken into account, the figure will go up to 59. In Karnataka, chief minister B S Yediyurappa said four persons have been confirmed for coronavirus, including three new cases. In Pune also, three persons tested positive, a day after two cases were reported. In the morning, 58 Indians were brought back home from coronavirus-hit Iran in a military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force. IAF spokesperson Group Captain Anupam Banerjee said the C-17 Globemaster aircraft evacuated 25 men, 31 women and two children. It also brought swab samples of 529 Indians to carry out laboratory tests and check whether they have coronavirus infection. Those who returned have been quarantined at a medical facility in Hindon. Announcing the latest cases in Kerala at a media interaction in Thiruvananthapuram after a special cabinet meeting held to discuss the coronavirus situation, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said at least 1,116 people are under observation -- 149 in isolation wards of various hospitals and 967 under home quarantine. The fresh cases are friends and relatives of an Italy-returned couple and their son who had on Saturday tested positive for the deadly virus along with two other kin staying with them at their home in Rane in Pathanamthitta district, health minister K K Shailaja, who was also present, said. The aged parents of the couple are among the six latest positive cases, she said. IMAGE: People wear masks outside the special isolation ward at medical college in Kochi. Photograph: ANI Photo In Jaipur, the combination of lopinavir and ritonavir, both second-line HIV drugs, was administered was administered on an elderly Italian couple undergoing treatment for Covid-19 at the SMS Hospital. The Drug Controller General of India approved "restricted use" of these medications for treating those affected by novel coronavirus after the Indian Council of Medical Research sought their emergency approval. SMS Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr D S Meena said the Italian man and his wife had developed severe respiratory problems following which a decision was taken to put them on the combination of lopinavir and ritonavir. According to officials, consent of the patients was taken before the drugs were administered. This combination along with other drugs has been used in clinical trials in China, where coronavirus first emerged, and Thailand for treating Covid-19 patients. In Karnataka, a software engineer who returned from the United States on March 1 tested positive on Monday, becoming the first COVID-19 patient in the state. According to health department officials, his wife and daughter too tested positive for the virus on Tuesday. Another person, who had travelled from America via London and arrived in Bengaluru on March 8, also tested positive, they said. State health minister Sriramulu said the family members of the four persons have been quarantined. Using a hashtag of #CoronaVirusOutBreak, the minister said, "I appeal to the people to make sure that this disease does not spread further." A day after two persons related to each other tested positive for novel coronavirus in Pune, the Maharashtra health department said. This takes the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Pune district as well as in Maharashtra to five. IMAGE: Foreign tourists being checked in the wake of coronavirus, during their visit to Taj Mahal in Agra. Photograph: ANI Photo One of them is related to the two confirmed coronavirus patients and had returned from Dubai with them, while the other is driver of the cab in which the family had travelled from the Mumbai airport to Pune, said district collector Naval Kishore Ram. The condition of all of them was stable and they were undergoing treatment in the isolation ward of civic-run Naidu Hospital, he said. After Mizoram, Manipur has shut its border with Myanmar indefinitely amid the novel coronavirus scare. Neighbouring Mizoram had on Monday also sealed its borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, and banned the entry of foreigners to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus. An official order, issued by Special Secretary (Home) H Gyan Prakash, said the Indo-Myanmar border in the Manipur sector would remain shut until further orders. In Kerala, schools and colleges and cinemas will remain closed in the state till March 31. Classes 1 to 7 of all schools -- state, CBSE and ICSE boards -- will remain shut and examinations which have begun for them will be put on hold. Examinations for class 10, class 12 and vocational higher secondary will, however, continue. Final examinations of class 8 and 9 also will proceed as usual. Temple and church festivals, which witnesses mass gatherings should be avoided, but rituals can be held in a low key manner, Vijayan said. As the hill temple Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala will reopen on March 13, monthly pujas can be held, but at this juncture devotees should avoid darshan, he said. The coronavirus threat also cast a shadow on Holi celebrations which were subdued across the country. CLEVELAND, Ohio - Ohio and nine other states likely will play key roles today and next Tuesday in the 2020 Democratic presidential race, with 929 delegates being decided on the two days. Voting takes place today in six states, including neighboring Michigan, where 125 delegates will be on the line. Other states voting today are North Dakota (14 delegates), Idaho (20), Mississippi (36), Missouri (68), and Washington (89). North Dakota is having a caucus. Then next week, on St. Patricks Day March 17, a total of 577 delegates will be decided by voters in Arizona (67), Ohio (136), Illinois (155) and Florida (219). Heading into today, Joe Biden held a 670 to 574 delegate lead over Bernie Sanders, with 165 delegates for others, the Associated Press estimated. A total of 1,991 of the 3,979 delegates determined by primaries and caucuses are needed to secure the nomination on the first ballot at the Democratic National Convention. If there is a second ballot, an additional 771 automatic delegates - so-called super delegates - get to vote. Ohio has 17 super delegates. If there is a second ballot, all delegates may vote for any candidate, regardless the primary results. Read previous stories 7 interesting things about Ohio presidential primaries past and present; results and more Census mailing starts Thursday; key dates and what to expect Ohio presidential election results - 1960 to 2016 (county details with interactive maps) Election night might not provide clarity to Ohio Democratic presidential vote; no immediate county by congressional district Early voting historically is used little in Ohio primaries Donald Trump vs. Barack Obama on jobs, and jobs growth under other presidents Dow Jones up 49% in first 3 years of Donald Trump; how this ranks vs. Obama, Bush, Clinton, Reagan, Carter In Westerville, Ohio, Democrats picked a suburban presidential debate site that is trending blue 5 numbers that say a lot about presidential politics in Ohio Alarming clusters of the coronavirus swelled on both coasts of the U.S. on Tuesday, with more than 70 cases now tied to a biotech conference in Boston and infections turning up at 10 nursing homes in the hard-hit Seattle area. Presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden abruptly canceled rallies because of worries about the virus, and New Yorks governor announced he is sending the National Guard to scrub public places and deliver food in a New York City suburb that is at the center of the nations biggest known cluster of infections. On Wednesday, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee will announce a ban on gatherings and events of more than 250 people in virtually the entire Seattle metro area to try to stop the spread of the outbreak, said a person involved in the planning of the decision. The ban would apply to sporting events like Seattle Mariners baseball and Seattle Sounders soccer games. The order would not prohibit the operation of workplaces and is not expected to include school closures, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they werent authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Santa Clara County in California, home to San Jose and Silicon Valley, on Monday announced a ban on all gatherings of 1,000 people or more. Also in California, three Transportation Security Administration officers at Mineta San Jose International Airport have tested positive for COVID-19, the agency said Tuesday. They were receiving medical care and all TSA employees who had contact with them over the past 14 days are being quarantined at home, the agency said. At least 24 people have died in Washington from COVID-19, most in the Seattle metro area. Nineteen of the deaths are linked to one suburban Seattle nursing home and authorities in King County said the virus has spread to at least 10 long-term care facilities Late last month Inslee declared a state of emergency over the virus outbreak. There are more than 260 confirmed cases in the state, most in the three counties that would be affected by Inslees new order. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency as cases statewide jumped by 51 from the day before, to 92. Of that number, 70 are now connected to a meeting held last month by biotech company Biogen at a hotel in downtown Boston. Baker said the state of emergency will give him greater authority to take such actions as shutting down large events, gaining access to buildings or stockpiling protective gear. The moves came as the battle to stop the virus from spreading intensified. More schools and universities sent students home, while conferences and other events were canceled. The United Nations announced it would close its New York headquarters to the public and suspend all tours. The Coachella music festival that draws tens of thousands to the California desert near Palm Springs every April was postponed until October. And one of the biggest resort operators in Las Vegas, MGM Resorts International, said it would close buffets at all of its Las Vegas Strip casinos as a precaution. A top federal health official pointed to Europe, rather than the virus point of origin in China, as the likely source for the infections continued spread to the U.S. Right now the epicenter the new China is Europe, Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Capitol Hill. And theres a lot of people coming back and forth from Europe that are now starting to seed these communities. Authorities in Washington state reported two new deaths from the virus a man and woman, both in their 80s, who were residents of a nursing home and a senior center. Of the 24 deaths in the state, 19 have been tied to a single nursing home, Life Care Center of Kirkland. But the state officials said they are now working with 10 nursing facilities where residents or workers have been tested positive. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced new nursing-home rules that would limit visitors and subject health care workers to screening. Similarly, in Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said state-run nursing homes will severely restrict visitors, with private operators strongly urged to follow suit. Six cases have been diagnosed in the state. The decisions by both Democratic presidential candidates to call off rallies in Cleveland came as voters headed to the polls for a primary election in neighboring Michigan. We are heeding the public warnings from Ohio state officials, who have communicated concern about holding large, indoor events during the coronavirus outbreak, Sanders campaign spokesman Mike Casca said in a statement. All future Bernie 2020 events will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said three schools and other gathering places will be shut down for two weeks in a containment zone in New Rochelle, the epicenter of an outbreak of more than 100 cases. Officials said the National Guard troops will help clean public spaces and deliver food to people quarantined at home in the zone, which extends a mile in all directions from a synagogue connected to some of the cases. Officials would not say how many National Guard members would be involved, and there was no immediate sign of any troops on the streets. Apart from those who are under quarantine, residents and visitors to the community of 79,000 will be able to come and go freely, with no checkpoints, and businesses can remain open, officials said. It is a dramatic action, but it is the largest cluster of cases in the country, Cuomo said. The numbers are going up unabated, and we do need a special public health strategy. New Rochelle and surrounding Westchester County account for the majority of the states 173 coronavirus cases. New York City, with 100 times the population of New Rochelle, has 36 known infections. The virus has infected more than 800 people in the U.S. and killed at least 29, with one state after another recording its first infections in quick succession. New Jersey reported its first coronavirus death Tuesday. Worldwide, about 118,000 have been infected and over 4,200 have died. For most people, the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. Most people recover in a matter of weeks, as has happened with three-quarters of those infected in China. On Wall Street, stocks surged Tuesday after suffering staggering losses the day before, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining more than 1,100 points on hopes the Trump administration would take steps to cushion the economy from the damage caused by the outbreak. In Oakland, California, thousands of restless passengers who have been stuck aboard a cruise ship hit by the coronavirus waited their turn to get off the vessel and go to U.S. military bases or back to their home countries for two weeks of quarantine. Im bored and frustrated, said Carolyn Wright, 63, of Santa Fe, New Mexico. All of a sudden a two-week vacation has turned into a five-week vacation. After being forced to idle for days off the California coast, the ship docked Monday in Oakland with about 3,500 passengers and crew, including at least 21 who tested positive for the virus. Authorities said foreign passengers would be flown home, while Americans would be flown or bused to military bases in California, Texas and Georgia. About 1,100 crew members, 19 of whom tested positive for the virus, will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship, which will dock elsewhere after passengers are unloaded, Gov. Gavin Newsom said. ___ Rodriguez reported from San Francisco. Associated Press writers Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Washington; Steve LeBlanc in Boston; Mike Stobbe and Adam Geller in New York; Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations; Janie Har, Jocelyn Gecker and Juliet Williams in San Francisco; Robert Jablon in Los Angeles; and Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report. ___ The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ___ Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak ___ This story has been corrected to show that the number of dead is at least 29 because a South Dakota death hasnt been definitively linked to coronavirus. Marin County health officials are recommending the cancellation or postponement of nonessential indoor gatherings of more than 100 people for two weeks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Officials with Marin Health and Human Services are not recommending the same for outdoor events because the transmission is low at this time. The Independence day celebration could be used as a national day for fundraising to fund yearly independence projects, instead of a fully hype political platform. Ghana as a country was declared free on 6th March 1957 by the first Black president of Ghana, H.E. Dr Kwame Nkrumah. Since the declaration of "Ghana your beloved country is free forever", we have been free to choose our leaders, manage our own resources and to take full charge of the administration of our dear country. Past and present presidents of the republic have always tried to keep the historical day a memorable way by organizing Independence day parade. Bringing students from both private and public institutions together to match to mark the historic day at the various regional, municipals and district capitals and addressed by senior government officials. But the president flagged by ministers, ambassadors, Members of Parliament, former presidents and first ladies, the diplomatic community and above all and invited guest of honor or guest speaker. My concern is that, is that the only way we can celebrate the day? What has been the significant impact of the Independence parade? We as a country need to look at the way we celebrate the day. Celebration of Independence day should not be a political hyped platform that the sitting government will see it as a campaign platform and an avenue to bring their political party members together to waste state resources. Independence day celebration is seen as a party grounds for the ruling party, where state resources are used to cater for them. We spend huge amount of monies in catering for the invited guests from other countries, schools that are invited are taken care of while some schools are still operating under trees, others lack furniture and others don't get access to portable drinking water. My recommendations 1)Future governments should try as much as possible to cancel the needles Independence day parade and instead channel resources that would have been used into key national development areas. 2) it should be used as a day of National donation/fundraising to help to execute a project. This means that a previous year's project must ready to commission on the next independence day. 3) Government should use it as a history teaching day. Lectures should, therefore, be organized and seasoned historians and political scientist be made to give speeches. Independence day should be used a national fundraising day to help raise resources to execute developmental projects instead of borrowing for parties. It is not logical for us to spend money celebrating a day that brings absolutely nothing to the general public. The day can be marked in a different way without using state's resources to finance it. We can vary the style of celebration and not necessarily spending money from government coffers. I remain a citizen NEWINGTON One of the states largest healthcare chains is taking precautions to protect patients from and educate them about the respiratory illness known as COVID-19. These include restricting visitors to member hospitals and adding a informational text message service. Tuesday morning, Hartford HealthCare hosted a press conference at its COVID-19 Clinical Command Center in Newington. Hartford Healthcare has seven hospitals in its network, including St. Vincents Medical Center in Bridgeport. Health system officials detailed how the health system is responding to the outbreak, which has sickened at least two people in Connecticut and hundreds nationwide. So far, no patients or employees at any of the chains facilitys have tested positive for COVID-19 said Dr. Ajay Kumar, Chief Medical Officer, Hartford HealthCare. But, Kumar said we are taking real steps to help prevent the spread of the illness. This includes restricting visitors to one per patient at all hospitals systemwide. Those individual who are going to be coming are going to be screened for symptoms or travel, Kumar said. Visitors to nursing homes in the chain also will be banned, though some exceptions will be made on compassionate grounds, Kumar said, for those patients at the end of life or with other extenuating circumstances. All these measures we are taking to keep our communities safe, he said. Kumar also announced the launch of a text message service that will provide real-time updates on the outbreak. People call dial 31996 and type in COVID19 to receive the latest news on COVID-19. Last week, the hospital chain launched a hotline, 860-972-8100 or (toll-free) 833-621-0600. where people can ask questions about COVID-19. At the press conference, Hartford HealthCare officials said the line has received more than a thousand calls from all over the country, including Washington state, which has been hit hard by the illness. The situation is difficult and health care providers throughout the region should be commended on the way theyve worked together to respond, said Jeffrey Flaks, president and CEO of Hartford HealthCare. These are unprecented times and we are asking people all through the healthcare system to work through issues that are almost impossible to plan for, he said A letter communicating the decision of the Kano State Government to sack the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, was transmitted to the monarch prior to his eviction from the palace on Monday. Mr Sanusi who was appointed as the 14th Fulani Emir of Kano in 2013 was removed on March 9 after a long-drawn battle with the state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje. A copy of the five-paragraph letter seen by PREMIUM TIMES said Mr Sanusi was removed on accusations of insubordination for staying away from official functions in the state. The Secretary to the Kano State Government, Usman Alhaji, who signed the letter, also informed the deposed emir that the government had decided to banish him to Nasarawa state, a distance of over 600 kilometers from Kano. A replacement of Mr Sanusi was announced hours after he was removed on Monday. The new emir is Aminu Bayero, son of Mr Sanusis predecessor, Ado Bayero. See the letter below. The coronavirus outbreak has greatly impacted economies in almost all parts of the world. This has been significantly experienced by businessmen and investors in countries where there are confirmed cases of COVID-19 that, until now, continue to rise. Latin America is not at the center of the infectious virus. However, the region is not immune to infection. The region is already struggling to cope with its economic problems and political unrest even before some countries in the region were hit by the virus. There are things that everyone should know aside from the health problems that COVID-19 is bringing. It is always a common assumption that the country's economy reflects the status of the living and lifestyle of people living in the country. These things will be negatively affected due to the impacts brought by the virus. Read related article: Coronavirus Is Hurting Latin America's Economy Latin America has an estimated 500 million people. These people will be affected economically due to the impact that COVID-19 will bring in the local and national economies. According to a recently published article, here are the four possible outcomes of COVID-19 in Latin America: 1. Anger Over Inequality Protests have been raging in countries of Latin America since last year. People were asking for more improved and equal access to services most especially in healthcare. The worst-case scenario here will be seeing middle-class families suffering in long lines in the government's already overwhelmed hospitals while the rich are getting the best access in private hospitals. This will surely outrage its people. It can be remembered that it has been reported since last year that one of the reasons why a country in Latin America did a mass protest because of the lack of access to the government's healthcare service. An example of this is in Brazil where the government's healthcare service is a more pressing issue compared to corruption and unemployment. 2. A Rougher Year for Economies There are countries in Latin America that are struggling to cope up with its economic problem. Most especially in countries like Argentina and Brazil where their steel production has been already affected even before these countries were infected with the virus. China has been the long economic trade partner of some Latin American countries like Brazil, Chile, Peru, and several others. However, these countries were more affected since the virus began. It is projected that they will be severely affected. Brazil, the number one producer of steel and copper in the world, had its 10 percent down in January and its oil production is also affected since Monday. 3. Changing Values in Politics Some politicians in some countries in Latin America have been dysfunctional in some ways. It is not a surprise anymore why there were mass protests since last year. These are just few of the reasons why investors are hesitant to invest in some countries. In the recent article, it was mentioned that the military government in Latin America is back. It is just a projection that might be put into reality if countries in Latin America cannot provide the basic medical supplies in the country like surgical masks, medical gloves, and disinfectants like alcohol. During the 1980s and 1990s, militaries in the government in Latin America were very prominent because they helped to stabilize the country. If the effect of COVID-19 will not be controlled in the region, then there is a great possibility that militaries will again take over the government. 4. More Discrimination Against Migrants Latinos and Hispanics were already discriminated in the United States even before the country was hit by the virus. This is expected to become more significant within the countries in Latin America. There were 5 million Venezuelans who moved to Colombia, Peru, Brazil, and somewhere else in Latin America. However, 69 percent of the Colombians have an unfavorable opinion of Venezuelan migrants, 68 percent of people in Peru do not trust the Venezuelan migrants. The discrimination among the Latin Americans is expected to spike most especially Latinos and Hispanics who came from countries who have confirmed cases of COVID-19. Birmingham has the fastest mobile internet download speeds of any city in Britain, new data shows. With an aggregate median download speed of 28.9Mbps, the West Midlands city was quicker than any of its rivals, according to research from RootMetrics. Liverpool came a close second with speeds of 28.8Mbps while Manchester finished third with average speeds of 26.7Mbps. Although some may expect London to have some of the fastest speeds, it came ninth of the list, with Coventry, which is nearly 18 times smaller, beating the capital to come fifth. Birmingham has been named as the city in the UK with the fastest internet download speeds To find the fastest and slowest speeds, network testing firm RootMetrics took an average of download speeds recorded on EE, O2, Three, and Vodafone in each of the 16 most populated metropolitan areas in the UK and ranked them in the last six months of 2019. It revealed that Birmingham's impressive speed was largely due to EE's incredibly fast median download speed of 51.6Mbps. With this speed, downloading a 600MB video from Netflix would take less than two minutes. However, on the networks of O2 or Three, downloading the same movie would take between five and eight minutes. Not only did Birmingham have the highest speed, it also demonstrated one of the biggest increases in speed since the last RootMetrics data collection, with an increase of 4.2Mbps. It was joined by Hull, which also had an increase of 3.6Mbps, thanks to faster speeds from EE and O2. Graph showing how much quicker a video can be downloaded if the download speed is quicker However, Three's median download speed of 7.1Mbps in Hull was the slowest speed RootMetrics recorded across all UK metros in the second half of 2019. On the other end of the spectrum, Newcastle came last on the list for fastest download speeds, with an average of 20.1Mbps. Meanwhile, Sheffield and Leeds and Bradford both came just behind with median speeds of 20.7Mbps. Clearly, which network customers are with has a big impact on how quick their speeds are. For example, Manchester residents will find that subscribers of EE or Vodafone will likely have a faster mobile experience than customers of O2 or Three. Quick: Birmingham's speed was largely due to EE's fast median download speed of 51.6Mbps Glasgow's fourth-fastest aggregate median download speed of 26.7Mbps was also largely propped up by EE and Vodafone, with EE registering an outstanding median download speed of 41.3Mbps and Vodafone clocking a strong 39.0Mbps. On the other hand, O2 and Three weren't nearly as fast, recording median download speeds of 11.4Mbps and 14.9Mbps, respectively. Similarly, in Leeds and Bradford, customers with Three saw speeds of 15.2Mbps compared to EE's strong 36.2Mbps. 5G results Although 4G provides relatively fast speeds across the country, especially those from EE and Vodafone, it is likely to get much quicker when 5G is fully rolled out. This is especially likely to be the case with London, which, despite only coming ninth in the list, is expected to rise much higher after the introduction of 5G. While 5G results weren't factored into London's - or any cities - aggregate median download speed, EE and Vodafone delivered incredibly fast 5G median download speeds of 149.2Mbps and 97.7Mbps, respectively, in the capital. Speed is clearly important for mobile users with 71 per cent saying slow data performance significantly reduces productivity whilst another 40 per cent said slow data performance leads to a loss of customers, according to another survey by RootMetrics. However, 5G is not expected to be present everywhere until 2021 or 2022, as it takes new network technologies time to reach their full capabilities. Shevlin Sebastian By Express News Service KOCHI: Sunil Kant Munjal was supposed to arrive in Kochi at 4.15pm on a recent Wednesday. But at 3.30p the information came through that he was in Coimbatore. So, it seemed he would be late. But thanks to a helicopter ride, he was right on time. The chairman of the Hero Enterprise had come to release the book about the family called The Making Of Hero during the annual meeting of the Kerala Management Association. The 221-page book published by HarperCollins Publishers has already scaled up the bestseller charts. The book traces the history of the Munjal family who migrated to Ludhiana, Punjab from Kamalia in Pakistan during the partition in 1947. Hero Cycles was set up in 1956. In 30 years, it became the largest bicycle company in the world. Very early in the book, Sunil answers an important question. While my uncles Dayanand and Om Prakash were packing up to move to Ludhiana, one of their suppliers, a Muslim man by the name of Kareem Deen, was preparing to shift to Pakistan. Pic Albin Mathew He manufactured bicycle saddles under a brand name he had created himself. Before he left, Kareem Deen went to see his friend Om Prakash Munjal. What happened next would be a life-changing moment for our family. Uncle Om Prakash asked Kareen Deen whether the Munjals could use the brand name for their business. He agreed and so, with nothing more than a casual nod, his brand passed to the Munjals. Yes, dear reader, you guessed correctly, it was Hero. The book is packed with numerous anecdotes and shows the trials and tribulations the family faced before they were able to make a mark. As the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in the foreword, Brijmohan Lall Munjal and his brothers belonged to the first generation of entrepreneurs who believed in the credo of learning by doing. They also ran their enterprise like a giant family and prioritised people and profits together in a symbiotic relationship. They had the providential good luck too. In the 1970s when Atlas Cycles, the largest player in the industry, was plagued by a long labour strike which coincided with the peak season for bicycles, many Atlas dealers had to rush to Hero Cycles to procure their supplies. Once they entered into this relationship, they got to experience our way of doing business. From this point on, their relationship with Hero became permanent, this put us on a continuous growth path, says Sunil. One of the most important chapters is on how the family restructured the company so that the transition of ownership to the younger generation would be smooth. As Sunil says, Global research studies, show that 94 per cent of family businesses rarely survive beyond the third generation. In many cases, they tend to implode because of infighting. Only 6 per cent remain intact or make a smooth transition. Thanks to careful planning, the Hero Group has managed to stay in the six per cent. In a way, this book can be a textbook for family firms on how to run a successful business. The body representing US immigration judges has recommended that coronavirus advice posters from the Centres for Disease Control be posted in court buildings only to be ordered by a government office to take them down. The incident comes just a week after an immigration judge retired while claiming the Trump administration was turning the Immigration Courts into a politburo rubber stamp, and the governments immigration policies have been accused of potentially hastening the spread of coronavirus by scaring immigrants into dropping their health insurance. The National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ) recommended to judges that they hang warning posters in both English and Spanish in public areas of their courts as part of a list of measures to combat the spread of the virus. However, only hours after it tweeted out its official advice, it said the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), which oversees the immigration courts, had ordered the posters to be taken down. EOIR has ordered immigration court staff to remove CDC posters designed to slow spread of coronavirus, the NAIJ tweeted. No, this is not a parody account. NAIJ had recommended to immigration judges that they post in courthouses the English and Spanish language versions of the CDCs Stop the Spread of Germs and Symptoms of Coronavirus Disease 2019 posters. EOIR ordered that they be removed. It then providedlinks to English-language versions of the posters in question. In an email obtained by legal news website Law & Crime, an EOIR judge wrote: This is just a reminder that immigration judges do not have the authority to post, or ask you to post, signage for their individual courtrooms or the waiting areas. Per our leadership, the CDC flyer is not authorised for posting in the immigration courts. If you see one (attached), please remove it. Story continues The EOIR has been contacted for comment. The Immigration Court system is responsible for hearing the cases of immigrants threatened with deportation. It is not part of the judiciary, instead governed by the EOIR, which in turn is under the oversight of the Department of Justice. This means that unlike other courts, the Immigration Courts can be subject to direct political instruction from the executive branch, and are meant to implement the attorney generals interpretation of the law. The Trump administrations harsh immigration policies have put the courts under heavy pressure. There is currently a backlog of one million cases waiting to be heard. A 4-year-old boy on Tuesday died after he fell into a septic tank covered with a wooden plank in Govandi suburb of Mumbai, police said. The incident took place near a temple in Shivaji Nagar area of the eastern suburb, an official said. "Arif Nasuullaha Shaikh was playing with other kids when he fell in to the septic tank covered with a wooden plank. CCTV footage of the incident showed the boy falling in with a man standing close by failing to notice the mishap as he was busy talking on his mobile phone," the official added. A passerby who saw children crowding around the septic tank alerted others as well as police, he said. "Arif was taken out of the tank and rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival. An accidental death report (ADR) has been registered," said the Shivaji Nagar police station official. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Loading Loading A group, Nigeria All Patriots Assembly (NAPA) has called for the sack of the countrys service chiefs due to the mounting insecurity across Nigeria, even as it called on pressure groups, cultural organizations, civil society groups, students, among other concerned Nigerians to join it proposed mass protest. NAPA has gone a step further to organise a sensitization rally to protest the continued stay of the service chiefs in office at the popular Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, Ojota, Lagos on Monday, March 16. In a statement sent to journalists on Monday, March 9 by its director of communications, Bolanle Oluwaseyi, the group said there is a need for urgent mass action to salvage Nigeria from its current travails. Part of the statement read: We are witnesses to the serial multi-sectoral damage done to our collective national interest that has adversely affected the economy, social cohesion, politics and every other national development index in the last five years. First, there was the total mutilation of the electoral system by discarding all rules of fairness, credibility, decency and inclusivity that are basic demands for every working democracy. This was followed by the emasculation and bastardization of the nations justice system by vandalizing the established judicial regulations and turning the judiciary into a temple no longer of justice, but of suppression of the popular will of the people. As if these were not enough, we are today faced with maniacal desperation to mortgage our collective security by compromising the entire national security structure. Insecurity in Nigeria: Catholics protest in Abuja over nationwide killings As the nation reels in harsh economic realities and a thriving criminal industry take a huge daily toll through insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, ethnic and religious conflicts, the administration has stubbornly refused to heed calls to review and adjust its ineffective security arrangements. Calls from the nations National Assembly, the civil society, religious and cultural leaderships and even subtle rebukes from a section of the international community have been swept aside by an unrepentant club of a few who have caged the presidency and held the entire nation captive. In the wake of these unfolding realities and the unyielding destructive stand of the clannish federal leadership, the entire country is gripped by palpable fear, traumatic uncertainty and agonizing daily losses to lives and properties. The group said it has become necessary for a mass mobilization to rescue Nigeria. It said the mass protests will among other things: 1. Expose the ineffectiveness, incompetence, contradictions, partisan affiliation and professional compromise of the current service chiefs and heads of other security agencies. 2. Expose the serial lies, complacency, doublespeak and deceit of particularly the Chief of Army Staff and his determined desperation to suppress the truth and contrary views. 3. Demand for the immediate sack of the service chiefs and heads of other security agencies and a complete overhaul of the national security machinery. 4. Demand for the consequent probe of the activities of the sacked service chiefs and their conspirators in the last five years. NAPA called on pressure groups, cultural organizations, civil society groups, students, women, trade and labour unions and on other concerned Nigerians to join its protest which it noted, will be held nationwide after the Lagos rally. The Pentagon on Monday awarded contracts to three companies that will be tasked with building small, mobile nuclear reactors that will generate power for American troops stationed at home and abroad. The Department of Defense picked three firms - BWX Technologies of Virginia; Westinghouse Government Services of Washington, DC; and X-energy of Maryland - to design a small nuclear microreactor that can be forward deployed with US forces abroad. The three companies will compete in an engineering design competition where the prototypes will be unveiled in two years, the Pentagon announced. BWX Technologies will be paid $13.5million; Westinghouse Government Services will receive $11.9million; and X-energy will get $14.3million - all as part of a combined $39.7million investment in Project Pele. The Pentagon announced that it has awarded contracts to three companies that will compete to build a prototype mobile nuclear reactor The nuclear reactor is small enough to be fitted on a truck and can deliver power to far-off, remote places where American troops are stationed The Pentagon wants to pick a prototype that can generate in the 1-5megawatt range. If the technology is perfected, it would enable the Pentagon to deliver energy to soldiers in remote locations without having to bear the burden of using costly infrastructure. The project involves the development of a safe, mobile and advanced nuclear microreactor to support a variety of Department of Defense missions such as generating power for remote operating bases, said Pentagon spokesperson Lt. Col. Robert Carver. After a two-year design-maturation period, one of the companies funded to begin design work may be selected to build and demonstrate a prototype. Scientists warn that there are safety risks inherent in bringing nuclear fuel into battlefield conditions. The above image shows a nuclear plant The Pele Programs uniqueness lies in the reactors mobility and safety, said Dr. Jeff Waksman, Project Pele program manager. We will leverage our industry partners to develop a system that can be safely and rapidly moved by road, rail, sea or air and for quick set up and shut down, with a design which is inherently safe. The deployment of small, mobile nuclear reactors would enable [military] units to carry a nearly endless clean power supply, enabling expansion and sustainment of operations for extended periods of time anywhere on the planet. Project Pele is being managed under the auspices of the Strategic Capabilities Office. The United States risks ceding nuclear energy technology leadership to Russia and China, said SCO Director Jay Dryer. By retaking technological leadership, the United States will be able to supply the most innovative advanced nuclear energy technologies. One advantage of using microreactors is that military bases that are hooked up to the civilian energy grid could continue to generate power if the grid is compromised. But others say that the mobile reactors could pose a safety risk especially if radioactive fuel is brought into battlefield conditions. Fielding these reactors without commanders fully understanding the radiological consequences and developing robust response plans to cope with the aftermath could prove to be a disastrous miscalculation, Edwin Lyman, the head of the Nuclear Safety Project at the Union of Concerned Scientists, told Defense News. Kathmandu, March 10 Nepali Congress senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel has accused the president of his party Nepali Congress, Sher Bahadur Deuba, of trying to partner with some leaders of the ruling Nepal Communist Party, thereby weakening his own party. Referring to a recent dinner meeting reportedly held between Deuba and the NCPs executive chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, which allegedly agreed to nominate Bamdev Gautam for the National Assembly, Deubas rival Paudel says such activities prevent the party from playing its active role on the opposition side. I am concerned about where our party is heading to, he said, We have to be clear about our views so that we can win two-thirds majority seats (in the next elections), Paudel told Onlinekhabar during an interview, But we have failed to play our role as the opposition. I feel our leadership has failed to do so. Data exclusively collected by Radio Farda show that at least 927 have died of Covid-19 in thirty out of 31 provinces of Iran. The data is based on dispersed official comments made by provincial authorities, the sources affiliated with the Ministry of Health (MH) of the Islamic Republic, and local news agency reports. However, the official death toll announced by a central authority in Iran put the number at 237 as of March 9. Citizens, several politicians and commentators say the official number is simply too low and many more have succumbed to the virus. Meanwhile, Radio Farda's sources at the Ministry of Health say that the novel coronavirus has killed at least 173 just in the province of Tehran. Nonetheless, the government has so far refrained from publishing any figures related to the number of victims in the province. And it is not just Tehran. The central authority in charge of announcing coronavirus casualty numbers has so far also refused to say how many have died in Qom Province, the epicenter of the epidemic. The reason behind the secrecy could be the high number of victims in the two neighboring regions. Furthermore, the nationwide official number of 237, which does not include Tehran and Qom, is not broken down and it is not clear how many have died in different provinces. However, from public statements by officials and data released by local hospitals, Radio Farda has determined that 200 people have died in the northern province of Gilan alone. In Qom at least 120 people have died and in Isfahan 103. These figures combined with a breakdown of numbers from Irans 31 provinces, brings the estimated total figure to 927. Meanwhile, several members of Majles (Islamic parliament) have repeatedly noted that the data provided by the health ministry are much lower than the actual number of Covid-19 victims. The ministry has officially banned provincial health authorities from presenting any data on the number of people who have died of the novel coronavirus. The data collected by Radio Farda represent the minimum number of casualties, while the real number is much higher. Most of the victims are from the Province of Tehran, and its neighboring region, Qom, the capital of the Shi'ites' seminaries in Iran. "This outbreak could still go in any direction," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general. The Islamic Republic officially admitted its first confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infections on February 19, 2020 in Qom. As of 9 March 2020, Iran has the third-highest number of COVID-19 deaths after China and Italy, the highest in Western Asia and the fourth-highest number of SARS-CoV-2 cases, surpassed by only Mainland China, Italy and South Korea. World Health Organization officials have described the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in Iran as "very worrisome." P ablo Mari is ready to play a key role in Arsenals push for FA Cup glory and Champions League qualification after admitting he was burnt out when he joined the club. Mari arrived at Arsenal on loan in January from Brazilian club Flamengo, but he did not make his debut until Monday last week. That came against Portsmouth in the FA Cup and the Spaniard followed it up by playing the full 90 minutes against West Ham on Saturday. Prior to that Mari had not played a single minute for Arsenal as his loan spell at Deportivo last season was followed by a summer move to Flamengo, which, given the Brazilian league runs April to December, meant the defender had no time off for 18 months. I was on holiday and I was a little bit tired, Mari told Standard Sport when discussing his move to Arsenal in January. I played one year and a half continuously, more or less 60 games. So for me it was a little bit hard when I went on holiday and then I came back a little bit not fit really. With the other guys and staff we did really well and I think now I am really fit to play a lot of games. TODO: define component type apester Maris two appearances for Arsenal have yielded two clean sheets and he is in line to feature against his old club Manchester City on Wednesday. The centre-back spent three years there before leaving in 2019, but he never played for them and was instead continually loaned out. Ive learned a lot because when I was there I was young, now I am little bit older, Mari added. In Pictures | Arsenal vs West Ham | 07/03/2020 1 /25 In Pictures | Arsenal vs West Ham | 07/03/2020 Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Arsenal FC via Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Arsenal FC via Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images West Ham United FC via Getty Ima AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images HOLLAND, MI - A Hope College student is being tested for coronavirus after potentially being exposed to the virus off campus. The student contacted the colleges health center on Monday afternoon, reporting minimal flu-like symptoms in combination with a possible off-campus exposure to the virus, according to a letter posted on the colleges website. As a precautionary measure, the Ottawa County Department of Public Health gave the directive for the student to be tested and to be isolated, the letter states. The college emphasized that the student has not been diagnosed with the virus at this point. It said the action to test and quarantine the student was taken out of an abundance of caution. In keeping with the Department of Public Health directives, we are working with the student's roommate to take all recommended precautions and proactively monitor their health, the colleges letter states. The health department has not recommended that any additional actions be taken on Hopes campus in response to the potential coronavirus case. Business will continue as normal; classes will proceed and offices will remain open, the college said. Michigan has no confirmed cases of the coronavirus, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. As of Monday evening, testing had been approved for 63 people in Michigan, 39 of whom have tested negative, according to the state. Results are pending for 24 people. Nationwide, the virus has infected 600 people, and at least 26 have died, the Associated Press reported Tuesday morning. Most of the deaths have occurred in Washington state. More than 115,800 people have been infected worldwide and over 4,000 have died, the AP reported. Symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties, according to the World Health Organization. In severe cases, it can cause kidney failure, pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome and death. PREVENTION TIPS Much like how you would safeguard yourself from the flu, doctors suggest people use hand sanitizer and wash their hands regularly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people disinfect frequently-touched objects and surfaces (countertops, doorknobs, bathroom faucets) using a regular household cleaning spray or disinfectant wipes. READ MORE: Coronavirus Q&A, 15 things to know about COVID-19s spread Detroit restores water service to unpaid homes amid coronavirus outbreak Grand Rapids-area hospitals urge visitors to stay home due to coronavirus Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 21:34:57|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close TOKYO, March 10 (Xinhua) -- A Japanese girl has recently drawn great attention on social media with her Chinese-language cartoons on preventing COVID-19 infections. The cartoons featured a giant panda in a nurse's hat talking about epidemic prevention knowledge. With her lively painting style, easy-to-understand explanation and best wishes in difficult times, the Japanese girl "Xiang Xiang" has gained a large number of fans in China, with many leaving her messages saying "Thank you, beautiful Japanese girl!" "The epidemic does not know national boundaries, and we will work together." "I just did what I was supposed to do," Xiang Xiang said. "I didn't expect to receive so many warm messages. I feel like I have received a lot of gifts." "Please take good care of yourselves and come back safely!" said the Japanese girl, whose real name is Iwasaki Haruka, in a video recorded at her home in Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture. She was expressing her best wishes for her former colleagues in China-Japan Friendship Hospital of Beijing and prayer for the safety of all the medical staff in the front line of fighting COVID-19 in China's Wuhan. In the summer of 2018, she was sent to Beijing by the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers and worked as a volunteer nurse in China-Japan Friendship Hospital. Her Chinese colleagues affectionately referred to her as "Xiang Xiang" because her name has the same Chinese character as the popular panda cub Xiang Xiang born at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo. The cartoon "Xiang Xiang Diary" took a panda nurse as the protagonist and recorded the daily work with her colleagues. Xiang Xiang's volunteer service at the hospital was not supposed to end until July this year, but she was forced to return to Japan on Jan. 29 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. When she learned that her colleagues went to Wuhan in the fifth medical aid team, she hand-painted the logo of the national emergency medical aid team, where the hospital belongs, and used it as her WeChat avatar, also adding "Keep fighting, China-Japan Friendship Hospital" to show her support to her former colleagues. When she thought of her Chinese colleagues at the front line of fighting the virus regardless of danger, Xiang Xiang drew the first cartoon of a nurse, adding "Keep fighting, Wuhan" in Chinese characters. "The Japanese salute to all the medical workers in Wuhan and look forward to your early triumph and safe return!" she wrote in both Japanese and Chinese in the cartoon. "Many of my colleagues are taking care of critically ill patients in Wuhan. I just did what I could, which is what Xiang Xiang the panda nurse should do," she said. As the epidemic continues to spread in Japan, Xiang Xiang said she had learned from media reports that the Chinese government and relevant agencies have donated medical supplies to Japan. She said she wanted to sincerely say "thank you" as a Japanese. "I believe as long as we work together, there is no difficulty we cannot overcome," Xiang Xiang said. "Be strong, China! Be strong, Wuhan! Be strong, Japan! Let's keep fighting together!" she said with a smile in the video. Technavio has been monitoring the CBD-infused cosmetics market and it is poised to grow by USD 3.09 bn during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of about 31% 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. Request a free sample report This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200309005090/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global CBD-infused Cosmetics Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Khiron Life Sciences Corp., L'Oreal SA, The CBD Skincare Co., The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. and Unilever Group are some of the major market participants. Although the product portfolio expansion leading to product premiumization will offer immense growth opportunities, availability of counterfeit products will challenge the growth of the market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments. Product portfolio expansion leading to product premiumization has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. However, availability of counterfeit products might hamper market growth. CBD-infused cosmetics market 2020-2024: Segmentation CBD-infused cosmetics market is segmented as below: Product Skincare Make-up and Haircare Fragrances Others 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=IRTNTR41142 CBD-infused cosmetics 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 CBD-infused cosmetics market report covers the following areas: CBD-infused cosmetics market size CBD-infused cosmetics market trends CBD-infused cosmetics market industry analysis This study identifies increase in introduction of organic CBD cosmetic products as one of the prime reasons driving the CBD-infused cosmetics market growth during the next few years. CBD-infused cosmetics market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the CBD-infused cosmetics market, including some of the vendors such as Khiron Life Sciences Corp., L'Oreal SA, The CBD Skincare Co., The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. and Unilever Group. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the CBD-infused cosmetics 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 CBD-infused cosmetics market 2020-2024: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024 Detailed information on factors that will assist CBD-infused cosmetics market growth during the next five years Estimation of the CBD -infused cosmetics market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the CBD-infused cosmetics market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of CBD-infused cosmetics market vendors Table of Content 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 PRODUCT Market segmentation by product Comparison by product Skincare Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Make-up and haircare Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Fragrances Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Others Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Market opportunity by product PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison North America Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Europe 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 Increase in introduction of organic CBD cosmetic products Multichannel distribution for CBD cosmetics Growing popularity of anti-pollution and anti-aging CBD-infused cosmetic products PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption Competitive scenario PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Cannuka LLC Cronos Group Inc. Elixinol Global Ltd. Endoca BV Isodiol International Inc. Khiron Life Sciences Corp. L'Oreal SA The CBD Skincare Co. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. Unilever Group 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/20200309005090/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/ Photo: Ted Partrick/Flickr Missed the most recent top news in Charlotte? Read on for everything you need to know. NC teen shot at traffic light may soon be removed from life support, family says Read the full story on WNCN. SC man traveled to Italy, returned through Charlotte airport, now isolated at home Read the full story on WRAL TV. Single dad adopts 13-year-old left at hospital by adoptive parents Read the full story on Fox 4 Kansas City. CMS says county health officials would determine if schools close in response to COVID-19 Read the full story on WCNC. Man facing second-degree murder charge after west Charlotte hit-and-run Read the full story on WCNC. 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. James Debusk's 19-year-old granddaughter is on life support, he says. "Bri is a beautiful young woman, for whom life just started," he says, choking back tears. A South Carolina man with a presumptive positive case of coronavirus returned from Italy on a flight that landed at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, officials confirmed Monday. He thought being a single man would make him ineligible, but he was definitely wrong. As schools close across the country in response to coronavirus cases, we're getting new insight into what would happen if CMS schools are impacted. Two members of staff at Ervia have tested positive for coronavirus. The news was confirmed just hours after it was revealed that a Read More: In a statement, Ervia, the parent company for Gas Networks Ireland (GNI) and Irish Water, confirmed they had been advised by two individuals that they have tested positive for the Coronavirus (Covid-19). "Both recently returned home from an affected area in Europe," the statement said. "The Crisis Management Team in Ervia has been meeting over the past number of weeks to co-ordinate the response across both businesses to ensure the safety and well-being of staff and maintenance of services. "Ervia had protocols already established, these individuals self-isolated before being diagnosed and did not return to work following their trip abroad. "Staff in Ervia have been notified of these developments." How are communism and Islamism similar? Muslim reformer explains Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland Speaking on a panel discussion at the 2020 Conservative Political Action Conference, Muslim reformer Asra Nomani offered her thoughts on the similarities between communism and Islamism as both ideologies try to squash religious freedom. So when you think of communism, it's an ideology, right? Nomani asked. And so, from my vantage point, there is another ideology that we call Islamism, which is the ideology of political Islam. So what that means is many of you might have heard of organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood or a lot of the theocracies like in Iran that are running the state. Those are all not just about a religion of Islam, which my parents taught me was how to practice. [It] is about control over people. And that's where I think communism and Islamism are very similar. Nomani, a founder of the Muslim Reform Movement who made headlines in 2016 when she announced she voted for Republican President Donald Trump despite being a liberal Muslim, was among several panelists who participated in a CPAC breakout session in late February titled Without Religious Freedom, Whats Left? Joining her on the panel were U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, conservative commentator Todd Starnes, Epoch Times Senior Editor Jan Jekielek and Sander Gerber, a fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. With America vs. Socialism being the theme of CPAC 2020, much of the discussion focused on the threat to freedoms posed by communist China as the government has pushed the idea of social transformation to restrict the freedoms of different religious minority groups over the last several decades. It is deeply disturbing and I think the Chinese are probably the very best in the world at it, Brownback, the former governor of Kansas, said. They have started it in several places. In Christianity, for instance, in China, they want to rewrite the Bible to make it with Chinese characters. They're also taking crosses down on the front of churches, taking down a picture of Jesus and putting up a picture of Xi Jinping, taking down Scripture from the wall and putting up statements for the Communist Party. And then you gotta sing patriotic songs and not hymns, he added. That sounds like trying to change thinking behavior. Brownback contended that Chinas war on faith wont work because these sorts of things have been tried throughout human history. The Kingdom of man has often tried to take over the kingdom of God, he said. Its never worked. It may be successful for a little while: tanks are stronger than somebodys human flesh standing there. But ultimately the Roman Empire switched when they were killing Christians earlier. Nomani, a former Wall Street Journal reporter born to Sunni Muslim parents in India, said that what Brownback described happening in China is one of the fundamental reasons we shouldn't allow a man to use God to govern our laws of our states. What is being branded as transformation in China the ideology of communism is the law in too many countries, she contended. For example, if you leave the religion, people can have faith or not have faith in a real free society, she said. But what we face in countries like Bangladesh is attacks on people who leave the faith. The UAE is now finally making breakthroughs and having relationships with even the State of Israel. But there was a point when all the countries would not even allow a conversation to be had with somebody from Israel because that violated their idea of what the kingdom of God sanctioned them to do as human beings. To me, that is the most inhumane way to be practicing your faith because you're essentially saying, This human being who is from a nation that you oppose, you will not even give that person the simple respect of recognizing their humanity. That's fundamentally flawed and that's where I think we can really use our critical thinking to evaluate whether something is transformation or tyranny. Nomani stated that any transformation that demands people think the same way as ruling leaders is really tyranny. I think that is how we can tell the difference, Nomani explained. Starnes, a former Fox News columnist who often writes about domestic religious freedom issues, warned the panel that people also need to keep a pretty close eye on what's happening here [in the U.S.] when it comes to attacks on religious liberty. You know, just a few days ago, there was a CNN town hall meeting. And Don Lemon asked Mayor Pete Buttigieg about whether or not religious organizations like Christian colleges and charities should lose all federal funding if they discriminate against LGBT Americans, Starnes said. And Mayor Pete said, Absolutely. You also had former Congressman Robert ORourke from Texas say just last year that churches that discriminate against LGBT should lose all their tax-exempt status. Starnes stressed that there could be an effort if Democrats were to reclaim control in 2020 to dictate what churches believe in their church houses. That is absolutely unacceptable here in the United States of America, where we are free to practice our religion without government intrusion and interference, Starnes contended. He also objected to an effort from Democrats in California to dictate what Christian colleges and universities [teach] regarding doctrine on their campuses. They wanted to dictate the kinds of people Christian colleges and universities could employ on their campuses, Starnes said. This is, quite frankly, unconstitutional. The lawmakers, under pressure, brought back that legislation. But, again, when we're looking at what's happening across the world, we need to pay very close attention to what's happening here in this country because religious liberty is under attack. And we have to be diligent. Gerber told those in attendance about the dangers of the spread of the BDS movement a Palestinian-led boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign against Israel in the U.S. It's spreading like wildfire, Gerber said. And the BDS movement is denying the existence of the Jewish state. Gerber said the BDS movement misportrays Israel is racist and apartheid. At [New York University], 51 student groups signed a letter banning two pro-Israel groups from having anything to do with the other student groups, he said. At the University of California, there are Jewish students being excluded from certain activities because they're pro-Israel. It's happening actually across the country. All of this has been propagated by political Islamic movements that are pushing these falsehoods. So when it comes to the liberal college campuses, it's ended up restricting Jewish students freedoms on those campuses. And that's why President Trump signed the Title VI executive order to force protection. Although the BDS movement is based in Palestine, Nomani warned that the BDS movement has hubs at American universities like Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where Nomani used to teach. Money has flowed in from Islamist movements that want to ultimately deny people their fundamental rights and deny Israel's right to exist, Nomani said. They use political issues in America, then claim Islamophobia and then oppress others in their own tyranny. en. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks while introducing health care legislation titled the "Medicare for All Act of 2019" with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), during a news conference on Capitol Hill, on April 9, 2019 in Washington, DC Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images Twenty of the nation's leading economists argued in favor of Medicare for All in an open letter that Business Insider first published on Tuesday. They argue that existing research suggests there would be massive savings and it would reduce waste in healthcare. "There's been too much loose talk that Medicare for All is unaffordable. What's really unaffordable is the current system," signatory Gerald Friedman said in an interview. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Twenty of the nation's leading economists argued in support of Medicare for All in an open letter first published by Business Insider on Tuesday. "We believe the available research supports the conclusion that a program of Medicare for All (M4A) could be considerably less expensive than the current system, reducing waste and profiteering inherent in the current system, and could be financed in a way to ensure significant financial savings for the vast majority of American households," the economists wrote in the open letter. "Most important, Medicare for All will reduce morbidity and save tens of thousands of lives each year," the group of economists said. The letter was provided by Business for Medicare for All, an advocacy group pressing for universal healthcare in the US. The economists aren't coming out in favor of a specific candidate, though some have individually consulted with Democratic presidential campaigns (at least one has endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders). Instead, they're making the case that a government-run health insurance system would slash wasteful spending and generate massive savings for most Americans. Dr. Gerald Friedman, a professor at the University of Massachussetts Amherst, told Business Insider that the best argument for a universal healthcare system is its potential ability to rein in the skyrocketing costs of healthcare. Story continues "There's been too much loose talk that Medicare for All is unaffordable," Friedman said. "What's really unaffordable is the current system. We spend about twice the average for affluent countries in the OECD on healthcare," referring to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development. Friedman also noted that increased spending often leads to worse health outcomes compared to other developed nations. Among the letter's signatories are prominent progressive economists like former Labor secretary Robert Reich; Jeffrey Sachs, a leading expert on poverty; Gabriel Zucman and Emmanuel Saez, two professors at the University of California, Berkeley, who laid out plans for a wealth tax; and Darrick Hamilton, a professor of economics at the Ohio State University and a pioneer in economic inequality research. Medicare for All is the signature plan of Sen. Bernie Sanders, the remaining progressive candidate in the Democratic primary. It would set up a new government health insurance system that provides comprehensive benefits to Americans and toss out deductibles, co-pays, and out-of-pocket spending. Private insurance would be eliminated as well. Estimates for a system that ensures benefits on the scale Sanders is seeking is upwards of $30 trillion over 10 years. A recent study from the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning organization, suggested it could increase the wages of workers and boost the development of small businesses. The proposal turned into an ideological faultline in the primary, dividing moderates like former Vice President Joe Biden who sought incremental measures to expand coverage and progressives such as Sanders calling to replace the existing system with something entirely new. In addition to Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren also rolled out a plan to achieve universal healthcare within four years before dropping out of the race. Skeptics of Medicare for All argue it's a progressive pipe dream that won't be achieved anytime soon. They note it'd be an enormous lift politically even among Democrats, most of whom don't support the idea, The New York Times reported. An ongoing poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that while a slim majority of the public supports Medicare for All, backing flips when respondents learn they could lose their private health insurance or pay more in taxes. The economists in the letter, though, say that "shifting the burden" onto taxation of wealthier households would "magnify savings." "A system that cuts costs and shifts financing to income and wealth taxes will dramatically lower this burden, producing significant savings for workers and businesses," they write. Read the original article on Business Insider EASTHAMPTON The mayor on Tuesday announced that a section of Ferry Street will close for about six months staring April 1 so that $3.5 million in road and infrastructure improvement work can be done. The road will be closed from Emerald Place to the Manhan Rail Trail, Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle said in a written statement. The work is funded by a $3.5 million MassWorks grant to improve public infrastructure in support of the redevelopment of the Ferry Street Mills, LaChappelle said. The improvements include the construction of a mini roundabout at the intersection of Lovefield, Pleasant and Ferry Streets, moving overhead wires underground on Ferry Street along Lower Mill Pond, the construction of a pedestrian walkway on Ferry Street along Lower Mill Pond, sidewalk and water, sewer and drainage improvements, upgraded Manhan Rail Trail crossing, new pavement and new traffic control measures. A map of the detours for motorists is on the citys website. The mayor said the Manhan Rail Trail would remain open during the construction. The Archdiocese of San Francisco announced the closure of all its schools after a student tested positive for the coronavirus. The 90 schools in San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin counties will shut down Mar. 12 through Mar. 25, said Pamela Lyons, superintendent of schools in a letter to families Tuesday. The announcement did not identify the school the student attends, but the principal of Riordan High School in San Francisco confirmed that a student there tested positive for the virus Sunday. The all-boys high school had already announced a two-week closure on Sunday. At the time, officials said a students parent had tested positive. Schools across the region have struggled with the decision over whether to close or not. Lyons said all buildings will be closed and any planned school events, including fundraisers and field trips, would also be postponed or canceled. I understand the hardship this may cause for families, Lyons said. We made this decision out of maximum consideration for the health and safety of our children and school community members. Instruction would continue through distance learning, she added. 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. Lyons called on the community to pray for the sick, health care providers and officials as well as city leaders. Additional diagnoses of COVID-19 across our schools are likely, she said. Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker - Chad Da Don called on Stogie T to be apart of his 3rd part of his F U sequel music - Stogie T declined as he feels he's at the point in his career here collaborating on other artists work is just not an option - So, that's it, Stogie T will no longer be featuring on anyone else's work, at least for now PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Briefly.co.za News on your News Feed! When Chad Da Don suggested a collaboration with Stogie T, he was not keen and turned down the offer swiftly. The hip hop artist stated last year that he will no longer feature on fellow artists projects. Soon after this he released an album which only had six features from 8 songs. The album is titled, Empire of Sheep. Briefly.co.za knows that there is no doubt that Stogie T scooped features for his project, but there is no way that he will get involved on any other rappers work. Stogie T commented that he is so proud of all the features he has done but that it has come to a time where working on his own work is all hell be doing. READ ALSO: AKA has a feeling Kairo is going to be a musician 'eventually' I am so proud of all the features I have done. There have been some truly iconic ones. Whats your favourite song I was featured on? He wrote. Focusing elsewhere. Also, its not the end of collaborations with artists if I invite them but I am just not jumping on your project thats all. Its the difference between getting booked and doing your own productions, he clarified. Unfortunately, Chad struck a dud and Stogier T most certainly will not a part of his 3rd part of his F U sequel music. In other news, Gigi Lamayne let the world know that Stogie T is her all-time favourite Mzansi rapper. All this love floating around in the hip-hop scene is lit. Knowing that Gigi respects and praises the late ProKid, hearing that Stogie T was her fave came as a bit of a shocker. Enjoyed reading our story? Download BRIEFLY's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news! Source: Briefly News A: The OPM has told agencies that employees who have symptoms of acute respiratory illness are recommended to stay home and not come to work until they are free of fever (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit [37.8 Celsius] or greater using an oral thermometer), signs of a fever, and any other symptoms for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom-altering medicines (e.g. cough suppressants). Employees should notify their supervisor and stay home if they are sick. While COVID-19 has not yet been declared a pandemic, we do know that many of our clients are concerned about the health and economic impacts of the virus and that a major global pandemic could affect sporting, leisure or business events where a multiple number of people gather, said Crawford & Company global chief operating officer Rohit Verma. Numerous stakeholders are impacted if an event is delayed or cancelled and we are ready to provide advice. Verma noted that in the past years, there were similar global health issues such as the Zika virus, SARS, avian flu, and swine flu all of which led to events around the world being cancelled. The cancellations led to many insurance clients asking their carriers and brokers about how they should handle their own events. We want to give carriers, brokers and corporates easy access to experts who are experienced in handling contingency, business interruption and casualty claims arising from such events, Verma remarked. A release said that support through Crawford & Companys new helpdesk is accessible 24/7, with representatives from around the world available either for claims notification or private consultation to answers inquiries about the claims impact of the virus. Imagine the power company decided it had too much money, so it was giving $100 credits to its customers. But theres a catch: Only people with a power bill of at least $100 would get the credit. We dont mean people who owed less than $100 wouldnt get the full credit. We mean they wouldnt get any credit at all. So someone with a $99 bill would still owe $99 that month, while someone with a $100 bill would pay nothing. And someone with a $199 bill would pay $99 the same as someone who used half as much electricity. Gov. McMaster proposes $430M tax relief in his SC state budget. Will taxpayers see a dime? Gov. Henry McMaster wants to provide nearly $430 million in tax relief in the upcoming state budget, representing about a quarter of the anticipated surplus. Pretty crazy, right? Well, thats what House budget writers want to do with our tax money: Give $100 tax credits to everybody who has an income tax bill of $100 or more and nothing to those whose tax bill is $99 or less. So if this proposal becomes law, people who owe $99 in S.C. income taxes will have to pay $99 more than people who owe $100, and the same amount as people who owe $199. One hundred dollars is the tax liability for people with $6,250 in taxable income. Thats individuals who make $18,250 and families who make $30,250 or potentially any amount above that, depending on their tax exemptions, deductions and credits. +2 Scoppe: Are SC taxes high? Anti-tax group says no With about a billion dollars more to spend next year, Republican representatives decided it was only fair to give $96 million of that to taxpa In other words, the people who lose out on that $100 tax credit are, for the most part, the people who need an extra $100 the most. Only about 100,000 of South Carolinas 2.4 million filers paid taxes of less than $100 in 2018. But the fact that a crazy policy is unfair to a small number of people doesnt make it any less crazy. But crazy, and unfair, and shortsighted, and pandering are what you end up with when politicians are desperate to go out on the campaign trail and say they cut our taxes. Which are not particularly high, despite the rhetoric of people who believe there shouldnt be any taxes. Or any government. The 2020-21 state budget proposal includes $128 million for these one-time $100 tax credits. Thats better than the proposal by Gov. Henry McMaster, who wants to spend $430 million to give not only one-time tax credits but also permanent tax cuts, which would make it even more difficult for our state to provide a decent education to all children, and protect vulnerable children and adults and prevent riots in state prisons and cover other basic services that have been underfunded for more than a decade. Additionally, giving tax credits that we can apply on our 2020 tax returns is better than sending out tax rebates, which the state paid $700,000 to mail to 1.2 million taxpayers last year. Editorial: $1.8 billion is a lot of money, but not enough for more SC tax cuts S.C. budget writers started talking about tax cuts after they learned last week that theyll have an additional $1.8 billion to spend in next years budget. But even if it made sense to raise or reduce taxes based on one years revenue, it wouldnt make sense in this case, because the additional revenue is largely the result of budget forecasters being too conservative in the past two years. The crazy language that results in people with $99 in taxes due paying more than people with $198 in taxes due is a holdover from last years $50 tax rebate checks, which lawmakers wanted to make sure didnt go to people who didnt pay at least $50 in income taxes. We get that, although we do question the logic of saying only people who pay income taxes count as taxpayers, considering all the money they pay in sales taxes. But this was a lazy way of accomplishing that goal. Its an even lazier way when the money is applied as a tax credit, rather than mailed out as a check. If lawmakers are determined to give away $100 tax credits, they should rewrite the proviso so people who owe less than $100 in taxes get their tax liability eliminated. Better yet, they should eliminate the whole tax credit, and use that $128 million to pay for some of those many needs that budget writers say we cant afford. REUTERS/Chris Helgren As were already seeing, the day after the TSXs (^GSPTSE) biggest single day rout since 1987, stock market recoveries arent always v-shaped. After coming out of the gates with a 3 per cent rebound Tuesday, the rally fizzled as the trading day passed. The TSX even briefly dipped into red. V-shaped recoveries might seem like the norm for investors over the last few years. A recent example is the steep declines at the end of 2018 over trade war fears, that were erased relatively quickly. (Yahoo Finance Canada) But v-shaped recoveries are historically rare. Keith Richards, portfolio manager at ValueTrend uses technical analysis to determine where stocks go next. Hes looking out for something called a complex basing period during the selloff as a sign the bottom is in. In English, this means choppy violent moves that wash out the non-believers in a recovery (i.e. the masses who feel that this is the way its going to be for the rest of eternity), Richards told Yahoo Finance Canada. Thats why I called this selloff just another ending of the world this may take months to complete, but as somebody once said this too, shall pass. Keep calm and carry on Investing over the long-term has historically been a winning strategy. Stan Wong, director of wealth management and portfolio manager at Scotia Wealth Management, expects equities to outperform cash and bonds over the intermediate and long-term. It is difficult to determine if we will see a V-shape or U-shape recovery for the TSX (and other world equity markets) over the near-term but intense volatility (both upwards and downwards) will likely be the norm for the next while, Wong, told Yahoo Finance Canada. Wong says investors should focus on the next 3-5 years instead of the next 3-5 days and fear and panic are never winning strategies. The equity markets have been at the mercy of the headlines and news flow related to the COVID-19 outbreak and now, geopolitical events related to the oil market as well, he said. Story continues While the near-term impact of the virus outbreak and oil price war is undoubtedly unsettling to market participants, long-term investors need to remain composed and structure their portfolios based on fundamentals, not headlines or transitory world events. Jessy Bains is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow him on Twitter @jessysbains. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android. An Uber driver. A Starbucks barista. A Walmart store employee. Retailers, fast-food chains and customer service-related companies face a new challenge as the coronavirus outbreak spreads in the U.S.: Some of their workers are getting sick. Walmart became one of the latest U.S. companies to confirm it had a sick employee on Monday. The female employee works in Cynthiana, a small town about 30 miles northeast of Lexington, Kentucky. She became the state's first resident to test positive for COVID-19. The coronavirus outbreak has changed how consumer-facing brands do business in recent weeks. Starbucks and Dunkin' banned reusable mugs. McDonald's stepped up frequency of cleaning. Some Taco Bell and Wendy's franchises are using tamper-proof packaging to keep delivery drivers from swiping fries. Target is putting limits on purchases of hand sanitizer and some cleaning products to keep the items stocked on shelves. It also is wiping down checkout lanes and touchscreens every 30 minutes. Even with prevention measures, companies may see the number of sick employees rise, said Dr. David Zieg, a family medicine doctor and consultant for human resources firm Mercer. "We can take all the precautions we need, but cases will pop up," he said. "It's the nature of this particular virus." The number of cases in the U.S. is rising so quickly, the case counts are changing by the hour and local officials are having trouble keeping up. There were roughly 100 cases across the U.S. a week ago. By Tuesday afternoon, infections climbed above 800 across the country. The size and scope of some companies also increases the odds. Walmart, for example, has stores across the country and is the nation's largest private employer with 1.5 million workers in the U.S. When he spoke about the first case in Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear acknowledged Monday that employers may worry about facing stigma from customers who are fearful of the virus. "For everybody who has been through that Walmart, I know it's going to make you nervous," Beshear said at a news conference, according to a report in the Lexington Herald Leader. "Just because you've been there doesn't mean that you have the coronavirus. We have to stay calm." It could be another four to five months before voters in Houstons District B can select a new city council member, extending a delay that has held up a runoff there since December. The Houston-based First Court of Appeals previously denied requests from top vote-getters Tarsha Jackson and Cynthia Bailey to expedite the appeal process of the legal case that has held up the runoff. On Tuesday, the appellate court also denied a request to dismiss the case outright. Doug Ray, assistant Harris County attorney, said the two sides now will exchange briefs on a standard schedule, a process he said could take four or five months. The runoff was supposed to be in December with a dozen other city contests, and the winner would have taken her seat in January. It was pulled from the ballot amid the ongoing litigation. Now, it will miss the May 2 ballot, as well. Who knows when there will be an election? said Larry Veselka, the attorney representing first-place finisher Jackson. Its ridiculous. Renee Jefferson-Smith, who finished third in the November election, has filed the lawsuits and appeals. She asserts that Bailey, who finished ahead of her and qualified for the runoff, is ineligible because of her 2007 felony theft conviction. Jefferson-Smiths legal team has said the city erred in administering the election by not declaring Bailey ineligible. The Texas Election Code prohibits candidates with felony convictions from running, though the statute has not stopped people in several cities from reaching the ballot. The statute says candidates must have been pardoned or otherwise released from their resulting disabilities, but it does not define that phrase. Oliver Brown, attorney for Cynthia Bailey, said Jefferson-Smiths team is just beating a dead horse. Thats all theyre doing now, Brown said. Theyre costing these candidates money, because they keep trying to ramp up their campaigns, and then they have to stop. Jefferson-Smith and her lawyers did not respond to requests for comment. They have lost several rulings in the lower courts. A judge denied a request to declare Bailey ineligible in a separate case in November. In the current case, a judge ruled in February that the runoff should continue with Jackson and Bailey, and he ordered an election for May 2. Jefferson-Smith appealed that ruling, and state law says the runoff cannot proceed until the ruling is final. Election officials said they needed to start printing mail ballots by this week if the runoff were to be decided in May. Attorneys for Jackson and Bailey said they hoped an expedited process would allow them to make that deadline. The appellate rulings all but ensure that will not be the case. dylan.mcguinness@chron.com Washington: The collapse in global oil prices will benefit Australian taxpayers by reducing the money the Morrison government needs to spend to tap into the United States' emergency fuel reserves, according to Energy Minister Angus Taylor. Taylor on Monday (Tuesday AEDT) signed a deal in Washington with the Trump administration to purchase oil from the US government's vast Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Energy Minister Angus Taylor has visited Washington to sign an agreement to buy fuel from the Trump administration. Credit:AAP Taylor's US visit coincided with the outbreak of a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia that has caused oil prices to hit their lowest levels since 1991. "Lower fuel prices will mean lower costs for us," Taylor told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Prince Andrew's failure to speak to the FBI is inflicting more pain and suffering on Jeffrey Epstein's victims who feel like they are in a 'torture chamber', their lawyer has claimed today. Gloria Allred, who represents five women who were allegedly abused by the Duke of York's paedophile friend, has revealed she sent a letter to the royal's Windsor home urging him to help the authorities but has not had any reply. Ms Allred also believes that claims Andrew has not been contacted by the authorities in the US are false. She said: This is so hypocritical on the part of Prince Andrew. There is this drip drip drip and this torture chamber where he says he will speak to them, then he wont, then he will with conditions. This does nothing but inflict more pain and suffering on the victims. US star attorney Gloria Allred (left last month) represents five of Epstein's victims and says Prince Andrew (pictured yesterday) is torturing them by not speaking to the FBI Prince Andrew has allegedly refused to cooperate with the Jeffrey Epstein probe in the US despite publicly offering to help. Pictured are Prince Andrew and Epstein accuser, Virginia Roberts, pictured together at a time where Virginia claims Andrew had sex with her three times Epstein, 66, killed himself in prison awaiting a trial on sex trafficking charges and the FBI wants to speak to Andrew about what he saw or knew - not because he committed any crime Ms Allred told the BBC: Prince Andrew didnt say what he meant or mean what he said when he was sympathetic to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and that he would speak to the authorities, the FBI and the Department of Justice if required. Hes shutting the door. 'I understand he has been contacted by the authorities. I sent a letter to his home in December on behalf of the victims asking him to speak to the FBI. He doesnt have to come here he can speak to them in the UK'. The Duke of York has completely shut the door on co-operating voluntarily with US investigators over the Jeffrey Epstein case, a top New York prosecutor said yesterday. In a statement which raised the possibility of a transatlantic legal battle, outspoken US attorney Geoffrey Berman said the American authorities are now considering further options. His extraordinary broadside came days after details emerged of the high-powered legal team assembled by the Duke of York as the FBI continues to investigate his close association with paedophile Epstein. He is being advised by extradition expert Clare Montgomery QC, who previously fought to keep Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet from facing justice. Prince Andrew, 60, was a friend of Epstein, the convicted sex offender and millionaire financier who killed himself last August while in custody in New York awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. In a notorious BBC interview last autumn, Andrew vehemently denied allegation that he had sex with Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who says she was trafficked by Epstein when she was 17 and forced to have sexual interactions with the prince The Queens second son denies all claims of sexual misconduct relating to the Epstein case but has stepped back from public duties after an interview with the BBC about their friendship backfired spectacularly. Yesterday Mr Berman, US attorney for the southern district of New York, said: Contrary to Prince Andrews very public offer to co-operate with our investigation into Epsteins co-conspirators, an offer that was conveyed via press release, Prince Andrew has now completely shut the door on voluntary co-operation and our office is considering its options. The duke told the BBC in November that he was willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations if required. But in January Mr Berman accused him of failing to help the FBIs Epstein probe, saying he had provided zero co-operation despite a request for an interview. He suggested the prince had rebuffed all attempts by federal prosecutors to interview him. At the time, an angry and bewildered Andrew denied claims that he had snubbed the FBIs Epstein inquiry, friends said. A source close to the prince claimed: Nothing could be further from the truth. He was in fact more than happy to talk but hasnt been approached by them yet, the source insisted. Andrew has categorically denied having any knowledge that Epstein was sexually abusing teenage girls. Andrew said he did not remember ever meeting Ms Giuffre (pictured) and claimed he was at Pizza Express with his daughter on the day that Virginia alleges the sexual encounter took place, despite a photograph showing him with his arm around her He has also strenuously denied claims made by Virginia Roberts that she was forced to have sex with him on three occasions in London, New York and on Epsteins private Caribbean island. Miss Roberts alleges she first had sex with Andrew in 2001 when she was 17 after being trafficked by Epstein. She said she was flown on Epsteins private jet to London to meet the duke and the pair were photographed together in the Belgravia home of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epsteins former girlfriend. Miss Montgomery, who has been hired by the duke, is Britains most respected extradition lawyer. In 1999 she represented Pinochet in front of the Law Lords when he faced multiple allegations of human rights abuses. Attempts to extradite him were dropped after he was ruled unfit to stand trial. Buckingham Palace refuses to comment on Andrews legal battle with the US authorities, saying the matter is being dealt with by the princes legal team, which is yet to issue a statement. Prince Andrew admits spending FOUR DAYS at Jeffrey Epstein's House of Depravity in 2010 because it was a 'convenient place' to stay Mrs Maitlis (pictured) asked Andrew about on occasion where he was invited as the 'guest of honour' to one of Epstein's parties During his ill-fated Newsnight interview, Prince Andrew dismissed his four-day visit to paedophile Jeffrey Epsteins New York house of depravity by describing it as a convenient place to stay while he broke off their friendship in an honourable way. Speaking for the first time about the 2010 visit to the 60 million Manhattan home just five months after the financier left jail following his conviction for child sex charges the Duke of York confirmed he attended a dinner party there on December 2 before his infamous walk in the park with the shamed US financier three days later. He revealed that it was during that stroll through Central Park captured in a picture that went around the world, haunting him ever since that he finally broke off their 11-year friendship. When asked by Emily Maitlis why he stayed with a convicted sex offender, Andrew replied: Ever since this has happened and since this has become, as it were, public knowledge that I was there, Ive questioned myself as to why did I go and what was I doing and was it the right thing to do? I went there with the sole purpose of saying to him that because he had been convicted it was inappropriate for us to be seen together. I had a number of people counsel me in both directions, either to go and see him or not to go and see him and I took the judgment call that because this was serious and I felt that doing it over the telephone was the chickens way of doing it I had to go and see him and talk to him. He said the photograph in the park was taken when he broke the news to Epstein they could no longer be friends. We had an opportunity to go for a walk in the park and that was the conversation coincidentally that was photographed, which was when I said to him, I said, Look, because of what has happened I dont think it is appropriate that we should remain in contact and by mutual agreement during that walk in the park we decided that we would part company and I left, I think it was the next day [in fact it was two days later] and I never had any contact with him from that day forward. Incredibly, the Prince cited the reason for breaking off the friendship as the attendant scrutiny he was under rather than the fact Epstein had pleaded guilty and served time for child sex offences. Andrew said Epsteins reaction to his decision was understanding, adding: He didnt go into any great depth in the conversation except to say that hed accepted a plea bargain, hed served his time and he was carrying on with his life, if you see what I mean. And I said, Yes but Im afraid to say thats as maybe but with all the attendant scrutiny on me then I dont think its a wise thing to do. Advertisement His comments came after the newspaper revealed that a highly respected former Royal protection officer has raised questions about Andrew's 'alibi' for the night he allegedly had sex with Ms Roberts in London. Ms Roberts claims that she was flown to London by Epstein in March 2001 when she was 17 and coerced into having sex with the Duke. This was the first of three alleged sexual encounters with the Prince. Andrew, 60, has categorically denied the claims, and in November he told Newsnight's Emily Maitlis: 'I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever.' In an interview with Dateline last year, Ms Giuffre said: 'I just couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that even royalty were involved. 'He was a prince. He was famous. It just stuck out in my mind. I grew up watching Disney, and princesses and princes were the good people in the world, and he wasn't.' Spring youth and newcomer camp in Vienna Austria's OVSV reports the Landesverband Wien (LV1) is organizing a youth and newcomer camp in Vienna for all young, motivated radio amateurs from all regional associations in Austria The event takes place on the first weekend in May (April 30th to May 2nd), and accommodation has already been organized for you. The following activities are planned: - May 1st AOEE: joint contesting (including introduction to contesting) and setup of the station - May 1st Fox hunt in the Prater - direction finder available - Fieldday at the Bisamberg (various bands - bring your equipment) - Kit project in the LV1 workshop - Activation of club stations with special callsigns - Visit to the Technical Museum in Vienna Key data: Date: Thursday, April 30th Afternoon to Saturday 02.05. afternoon Accommodation: Brigittenau youth hostel, 1200 Vienna Age: 0-30 years Registration: by email to me at oe1mpr@oevsv.at If you have any questions, please just contact me. 73 de Matthias OE1MPR Today we'll take a closer look at Uni-President China Holdings Ltd (HKG:220) from a dividend investor's perspective. Owning a strong business and reinvesting the dividends is widely seen as an attractive way of growing your wealth. 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, Uni-President China Holdings likely looks attractive to investors, given its 3.3% dividend yield and a payment history of over ten years. We'd guess that plenty of investors have purchased it for the income. When buying stocks for their dividends, you should always run through the checks below, to see if the dividend looks sustainable. Click the interactive chart for our full dividend analysis SEHK:220 Historical Dividend Yield, March 9th 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. 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, Uni-President China Holdings paid out 78% 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. We also measure dividends paid against a company's levered free cash flow, to see if enough cash was generated to cover the dividend. Uni-President China Holdings paid out 75% of its free cash flow last year, which is acceptable, but is starting to limit the amount of earnings that can be reinvested into the business. 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 Uni-President China Holdings's strong net cash position, which will let it pay larger dividends for a time, should it choose. Story continues We update our data on Uni-President China Holdings every 24 hours, so you can always get our latest analysis of its financial health, here. Dividend Volatility One of the major risks of relying on dividend income, is the potential for a company to struggle financially and cut its dividend. Not only is your income cut, but the value of your investment declines as well - nasty. For the purpose of this article, we only scrutinise the last decade of Uni-President China Holdings's dividend payments. The dividend has been cut on at least one occasion historically. During the past ten-year period, the first annual payment was CN0.029 in 2010, compared to CN0.24 last year. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 24% a year over that time. The dividends haven't grown at precisely 24% every year, but this is a useful way to average out the historical rate of growth. Uni-President China Holdings has grown distributions at a rapid rate despite cutting the dividend at least once in the past. Companies that cut once often cut again, but it might be worth considering if the business has turned a corner. Dividend Growth Potential Given that the dividend has been cut in the past, we need to check if earnings are growing and if that might lead to stronger dividends in the future. Uni-President China Holdings has grown its earnings per share at 3.6% per annum over the past five years. There are exceptions, but limited earnings growth and a high payout ratio can signal that a company is struggling to grow. That's fine as far as it goes, but we're less enthusiastic as this often signals that the dividend is likely to grow slower in the future. Conclusion To summarise, shareholders should always check that Uni-President China Holdings's dividends are affordable, that its dividend payments are relatively stable, and that it has decent prospects for growing its earnings and dividend. First, we think Uni-President China Holdings is paying out an acceptable percentage of its cashflow and profit. Second, earnings growth has been ordinary, and its history of dividend payments is chequered - having cut its dividend at least once in the past. Ultimately, Uni-President China Holdings comes up short on our dividend analysis. It's not that we think it is a bad company - just that there are likely more appealing dividend prospects out there on this analysis. It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. As an example, we've identified 1 warning sign for Uni-President China Holdings that you should be aware of before investing. 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. Night curfew timings revised in Bengaluru; Major roads to be closed from 6 pm today till 5 am tomorrow Karnataka imposes weekend curfew to contain the surge in Covid-19 cases; details here 17 rebels from MP carted to a star hotel at Marathhalli, Bengaluru India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Bengaluru, Mar 10: The Congress government in Madhya Pradesh plunged into a political crisis on Monday after a sulking Jyotiraditya Scindia, along with at least 17 MLAs, virtually raised a banner of revolt prompting Chief Minister Kamal Nath to call a late-night cabinet meeting where around 20 ministers present resigned reposing their faith in his leadership. Nath alleged that the BJP was adopting immoral ways to "destabilise my government" and vowed not to let it happen. The MLAs who are in Bengaluru are being managed by Jyotiradiya's personal assistant Purushotham Parashar. Sources tell OneIndia that Parashar had accompanied the 17 MLAs. The group is being kept at a hotel in Marathhalli. After the dramatic developments, MP Forest Minister Umang Singhar told PTI, "We have resigned. Now it is up to the chief minister to take a call." Amid political drama, Madhya Pradesh Cabinet to be expanded soon The minister said they have requested the chief minister to reconstitute the cabinet. Nath had cut short his Delhi visit and rushed to Bhopal where he had called the urgent cabinet meeting at around 10 pm after a faction led by senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia who, along with at least 17 legislators, went incommunicado, sparking intense speculation about the fate of his government. Many of these legislators, including ministers, had flown to Bengaluru earlier in the day. Scindia, however, kept his cards close to his chest and there was no word from him on the developments. The BJP, meanwhile, called a meeting of its MLAs on Tuesday, where sources said Shivraj Singh Chouhan may be elected as the leader of the legislature party. Trouble has been brewing in the Congress ahead of Rajya Sabha polls as it had last week accused the BJP of trying to topple its government after 10 MLAs of the ruling party and those of its allies travelled to Haryana, though the BJP had denied the charge. Of them, eight had come back and many of them wanted ministerial berths, according to sources. However, two Congress MLAs have not yet returned. Scindia and Nath have fallen out over the post of the state Congress president, which is currently held by the chief minister. While calls made to Scindia by PTI remained unanswered on Monday, mobile phones of at least six ministers who are supporters of the Guna royal are switched off. The ministers whose mobile phones were switched off were health minister Tulsi Silavat, labour minister Mahendra Singh Sisodia, transport minister Govind Singh Rajput, women and child development minister Imarti Devi, food and civil supplies minister Pradyumna Singh Tomar and school education minister Dr Prabhura Choudhary. Madhya Pradesh crisis: Congress MLA goes 'missing'; son files police complaint Sources said several legislators, including a few ministers, arrived in Bengaluru by chartered flights and were staying at an undisclosed location. "It is a fight for survival of Scindia now. It is a do or die battle for Scindia and his group which is being sidelined," a source close to the scion of erstwhile Gwalior kingdom said. Earlier in the day, a section of Congress leaders, mostly of Kamal Nath camp, demanded that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra be nominated from the state for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls, seen by many as an attempt to thwart Scindia's chance to reach the Upper House. Nath, who left for Delhi on Sunday night, was supposed to come back to Bhopal on March 12 after celebrating Holi, but returned after meeting Sonia Gandhi in the national capital, and went into a huddle with Digvijay Singh and other senior leaders at his residence, before calling the cabinet meeting. After the meeting with Gandhi, Nath said any decision on the party's nominees for Rajya Sabha polls would be taken unanimously. "All issues were discussed with the Congress president and everything will be resolved unanimously," he told reporters in Delhi. The Madhya Pradesh chief minister, however, skirted the issue of whether Scindia can be nominated for the Rajya Sabha seat from the state. Even as the government appeared to be on a sticky wicket, Public Relations Minister PC Sharma claimed, "It will last its full five-year term and there was no political crisis." "Just now we have handed over our resignations to the chief minister at the cabinet meeting," another minister Sajjan Singh Verma told reporters, adding that it was to express their solidarity with Nath. Earlier Nath told the cabinet meeting, "I will not allow (anyone) to destabilise my government with the help of mafia." "I have dedicated all my life to serving the people, but the BJP has indulged in immoral ways to destabilise my government. My biggest strength is people's faith and their love showered on me. I will not allow any-one to destabilise the government elected by the people," he said. While factionalism has reared its head again in the Congress, the BJP too was having some anxious moments due to a couple of MLAs. The Rajya Sabha terms of Congress veteran Digvijay Singh, and BJP leaders Prabhat Jha and Satyanarayan Jatiya will end on April 9. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 10, 2020, 7:48 [IST] Rev. John J. Farry, 79, of New Hope, a longtime Catholic priest known for his kindness, compassion, and lively sense of humor, died March 5 of respiratory failure at St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne. Known to parishioners as Father Jack, he was pastor of St. Leo Church in Tacony in the 1990s and 2000s. Jack, you have always been in our thoughts and prayers since your retirement from St. Leo's, friend Scott Adair wrote in an online message. Never a time goes by that we do not fondly reminisce about our [happy] times and realize that you were the one that helped bring it all together. Born in Philadelphia to Joseph A. and Jean Kumbat Farry, Father Farry graduated from Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood with the class of 1967. He was ordained a priest on May 20, 1967, at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul by Cardinal John Krol. Father Farry served in various roles at churches in Philadelphia and the suburbs. He was named parochial vicar at St. Anthony of Padua Parish, South Philadelphia, in 1967. He then served as an assistant pastor at Epiphany Parish, South Philadelphia, starting in 1968; Presentation B.V.M. Parish, Cheltenham, in 1970; St. Cecilia Parish, Fox Chase, in 1975; Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, Strafford, in 1979; St. Luke the Evangelist Parish, Glenside, in 1982; and St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Croydon, for a short time in 1991. Father Farry was appointed pastor of St. Leo Church later in 1991 and named pastor emeritus in 2009. The 18-year assignment was the culmination of his career. He then became senior priest at Queen of the Universe Parish, Levittown, before retiring in June 2015. He was much loved there. The Rev. John F. Wackerman, his colleague at Queen of the Universe for six years, said Father Farry typically began a sermon with a funny anecdote that would get the congregation laughing and would segue to a Gospel passage to illustrate his point. The technique hit it on the mark, Father Wackerman said. He had a wonderful sense of humor, said Father Wackerman. He made the people laugh. He was a dedicated priest. As he was approaching his 50th anniversary of becoming a priest, he said at dinner one night, If I had to do it all over again, I would. Parishioner Fran Rapposelli wrote in an online message: I loved your sense of humor and how you compared our everyday struggles with God's teachings. You were very down to earth and called it like it was. You will be missed by us parishioners at Queen of the Universe. You reminded us that even priests can be comedians, while still preaching respect for the Word of God and the Sacraments, wrote parishioner Joan Curran. Father Farry often returned to celebrate Mass on the weekends at Queen of the Universe. He was a deeply spiritual man who dedicated his life to serving God and ministering to the parish families, his relatives said in a statement. Underneath his dry and witty personality, he had a very kind and gentle heart, the family said. He is survived by his brother, Joseph Farry; niece Mary K. McDonough; and nephews Joseph and Anthony Farry. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 11, at Queen of the Universe Church, 2443 Trenton Rd., Levittown. Interment will be in Resurrection Cemetery, Bensalem. Foreign Minister Cavusoglu says Ankara ready to work constructively to reach agreement with bloc before next EU summit. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said a 2016 refugee deal between Turkey and the European Union needs to be updated, expressing Ankaras hopes to reach a new agreement in time for a summit of the blocs leaders later this month. In an interview with state-run Anadolu news agency, Cavusoglu said on Tuesday Turkey was ready for constructive work on the issue, taking into account developments in neighbouring Syria where a government-led offensive has forced nearly a million people to flee towards the Turkish border. If we reach an agreement by March 26 when there will be an EU leaders summit, this issue will come on to the agenda of this meeting, Cavusoglu said. He spoke a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan left meetings in Brussels with EU and NATO leaders without issuing a joint statement or appearing at a joint news conference, as had been expected. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with European Council President Charles Michel prior to their meeting at the European Council [Virginia Mayo/AP Photo] Erdogans trip came as tens of thousands of asylum-seekers have been trying to break through the land border between Turkey and Greece for days after Ankara announced it would no longer prevent people from trying to cross into the EU amid risk of new arrivals from Syria. Turkey, which hosts approximately four million mostly Syrian refugees, has repeatedly railed against what it describes as unfair burden-sharing following a 2016 deal with the bloc to halt the influx of refugees into Europe. In March 2016, Turkey and the EU agreed upon a deal in which Brussels would provide billions of euros in aid to help Ankara finance housing, schools and medical centres for the refugees it hosts on its soil. But Ankara has repeatedly accused the bloc of not fulfilling its commitments under the deal, including visa-free travel for Turkish citizens and an enhanced customs union. If we are to come up with a road map with the EU, we expect them to be sincere, Cavusoglu said. It is not only about keeping migrants in return for more money, he added, noting that EU visa liberalisation and an update of the countrys customs union with the bloc must be implemented to help solve the refugee issue. While the land crossing on the Turkish side of the border with Greece remains open, Erdogan on Friday ordered Turkeys coastguard to prevent risky Aegean Sea crossings after hundreds of refugees and migrants landed on Lesbos and four other Greek islands over the past week. Turkey-backed Syrian opposition fighters in the town of Saraqeb, in Idlib province [File: Ghaith Alsayed/AP Photo] Idlib corridor Ankara also wants more European support in northwest Syrias Idlib province, where its troops are supporting rebels against the Russian-backed Syrian government forces. Turkey and Russia back opposing sides in Syrias long-running conflict but last week agreed to a ceasefire in the countrys northwest after Ankara launched an offensive against Damascus following the deaths of dozens of Turkish soldiers in recent attacks. Cavusoglu said on Tuesday that, as part of the ceasefire deal, Turkeys military will patrol to the north of a security corridor being set up around a strategic highway in Idlib and Russian forces will patrol the southern side. A Russian military delegation arrived in Ankara on Tuesday for talks on details of the accord, Cavusoglu said. Under the agreement, joint Turkish-Russian patrols were to begin along the highway itself on March 15. It was not clear what would happen to the pocket of rebels which it will create to the south of the highway. Cavusoglu said Russia would ensure that Syrian government forces do not try to enter the corridor along the M4 and that Turkey-backed rebels would remain in place. He also said there had been a small violation of the ceasefire by Syrian government forces on Monday and that the Russians had sent them a strong warning. Cong accuses BJP of using Tek Fog app to propagate agenda on SM, seeks intervention by SC BJP set to pull out all stops in UP, SP main contender BJP meeting underway as crisis worsens for Kamal Nath in MP India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Mar 10: A meeting of the BJP is underway in Bhopal to discuss the ongoing issues in Madhya Pradesh. Narendra Singh Tomar has been put in charge to oversee the situation. The meeting held in Bhopal was attended by Shivraj Singh Chouhan, V D Sharma and Vinay Sahasrabuddhe. Tomar had also taken part in a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister, Amit Shah and Chouhan. After securing 114 seats, the Congress came to power in 2018. The House has 230 members. Madhya Pradesh Crisis: Scindia, accompanied by Amit Shah, meets PM Modi However the current strength has been reduced to 228. The Congress had gone on to form the government with the support of 121 MLAs, which included four independents, 2 BSP and 1 SP MLA. Meanwhile the Congress continued to make efforts to woo Scindia back. However as of now, it appears as though Scindia has not relented. If the 17 MLAs stick to their decision then the strength of the Congress would come down to 104. In the 228 member House, a party needs 115 seats. The BJP on the other hand has 107 MLAs. It needs 8 more MLAs to hit the majority mark. If the rebels extend support to the BJP, then the party will have 124 MLAs. After the dramatic developments, MP Forest Minister Umang Singhar told PTI, "We have resigned. Now it is up to the chief minister to take a call." The minister said they have requested the chief minister to reconstitute the cabinet. Madhya Pradesh govt crisis: Will Kamal Nath find ways to blame BJP or accepts party's failure Nath had cut short his Delhi visit and rushed to Bhopal where he had called the urgent cabinet meeting at around 10 pm after a faction led by senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia who, along with at least 17 legislators, went incommunicado, sparking intense speculation about the fate of his government. Many of these legislators, including ministers, had flown to Bengaluru earlier in the day. Scindia, however, kept his cards close to his chest and there was no word from him on the developments. The BJP, meanwhile, called a meeting of its MLAs on Tuesday, where sources said Shivraj Singh Chouhan may be elected as the leader of the legislature party. Trouble has been brewing in the Congress ahead of Rajya Sabha polls as it had last week accused the BJP of trying to topple its government after 10 MLAs of the ruling party and those of its allies travelled to Haryana, though the BJP had denied the charge. Madhya Pradesh numbers: Here is how it is stacked up Of them, eight had come back and many of them wanted ministerial berths, according to sources. However, two Congress MLAs have not yet returned. Scindia and Nath have fallen out over the post of the state Congress president, which is currently held by the chief minister. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 10, 2020, 11:51 [IST] A 24-year-old techie, who tested positive for coronavirus, has recovered and no fresh cases of coronavirus have been reported in the State, Telangana Health Minister E Rajender said on Tuesday. However, vigil has been stepped up due to the spread of the virus in other states. The state reported its first COVID-19 case on March 2 when a 24-year-old software engineer who returned from Dubai tested positive. The techie, who works in Bengaluru, is currently undergoing treatment at the state-run Gandhi hospital here. "The person who tested positive has also recovered. But he will be kept in hospital for 14 days as per protocol," Rajender said. During treatment, his samples were collected and the first test was found negative and another test will be conducted, he said. "After (both) the tests results are found to be negative twice then he will be discharged," the minister said. The Centre has permitted setting up a new laboratory at the Osmania Medical College herefor conducting COVID-19 tests, Rajender said, adding, it will be opened soon. As of now tests are being done at a lab in the Gandhi Hospital. "Of the 41,102 passengers screened at the international airport in Hyderabad, 277 were found to have symptoms. But, after examination, all tested negative," the minister said. As many as 200 medical staff have been deployed at the Hyderabad airport to screen all passengers,he added. According to a mediabulletinon COVID-19 issued by the state government on Tuesday night, results of 21 samples (cumulatively) are awaited even as five samples tested negative. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - March 9, 2020) - The Stock Day Podcast welcomed BioLargo, Inc. (OTCQB: BLGO) ("the Company"), developer of sustainable products and a full-service environmental engineering company focused on products for air quality control, water treatment, and more. BioLargo President & CEO Dennis P. Calvert joined Stock Day Podcast host Everett Jolly for an interview about BioLargo's recent company milestones. Jolly began the interview by asking Calvert for an update on the PFAS crisis and BioLargo's solution for this issue. "This is [being referred to as] the contaminant of the decade," said Calvert. "Some people estimate that it now touches about 98% of the world's population. [In high concentration] it has been linked to adverse health effects now and there are proposals before Congress to [designate] the contaminated sites super-fund sites which would qualify them for federal funding," Calvert explained. Calvert then expanded on the high costs associated with the treatment of PFAS-contaminated wells, noting that well decontamination across the United States would represent a multi-billion dollar project given the current solutions available on the market. However, BioLargo has developed a scalable and cost-effective solution for this crisis. "We received an EPA grant about nine months ago and we're in application for Phase II," said Calvert. "We're advancing the work," he added, noting that this includes scaling the technology as they prepare for commercial trials. Jolly asked about the potential of BioLargo's other innovations. Calvert commented, "Now at every level in the company, we're in discussions with industry leaders about partnering and licensing." Calvert noted that the PFAS solution represents the Company's fastest growing innovation, but expressed his confidence in the value of their additional technologies. Story continues Jolly asked about BioLargo's financial goals. "On the financing side, the key for us is to really stay away from debt," said Calvert, noting that the Company has almost finished paying off its convertible debt. "Now we're at the point where we need to put capital to work and then push that top-line revenue dramatically forward, and also be alert for licensing," said Calvert. "It's all getting better. This painful era is behind us and we're intact and the business has never been better." To hear Dennis Calvert's entire interview, follow the link to the podcast here: https://audioboom.com/posts/7525619-biolargo-inc-updates-the-stock-day-podcast-on-commercialization-of-pfas-solution 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 BioLargo, Inc. BioLargo, Inc. is an innovative technology developer and environmental engineering company driven by a mission to "make life better" by delivering robust, sustainable solutions for a broad range of industries and applications, with a focus on clean water, clean air, and advanced wound care. We develop and commercialize disruptive technologies by providing the capital, support, and expertise to expedite them from "cradle" to "maturity" (www.biolargo.com). Our engineering division features experienced professional engineers dedicated to integrity, reliability, and environmental stewardship (www.biolargoengineering.com). Our industrial odor control division, Odor-No-More (www.odornomore.com) features CupriDyne Clean Industrial Odor Eliminator (www.cupridyne.com), which eliminates the odor-causing compounds and VOCs rather than masking them, and is now winning over leading companies in the solid waste handling and wastewater industries and other industries that contend with malodors and VOCs. Our subsidiary BioLargo Water (www.biolargowater.ca) develops the Advanced Oxidation System "AOS," a disruptive industrial water treatment technology designed to eliminate waterborne pathogens and recalcitrant contaminants with better energy-efficiency and lower operational costs than incumbent technologies. Our subsidiary Clyra Medical (www.clyramedical.com) features effective and gentle solutions for chronic infected wounds to promote infection control and regenerative tissue therapy. Contact: Name: Dennis P. Calvert Phone: (888)-400-2863 Address: 14921 Chestnut St, Westminster CA, 92683 Email: dennis.calvert@biolargo.com Safe Harbor Act This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ from expectations, estimates and projections and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as "expect," "estimate," "project," "budget," "forecast," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "may," "will," "could," "should," "believes," "predicts," "potential," "continue," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. 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/53264 The two service members killed during a mission to eliminate an ISIS stronghold in a mountainous region of north-central Iraq have been identified as members of Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command. Gunnery Sgt. Diego D. Pongo, 34, of Simi Valley, California, and Capt. Moises A. Navas, 34, of Germantown, Maryland, died Sunday while on a mission with Iraqi forces in the Makhmur Mountains, south of Erbil. Following their deaths, more troops were sent into the region on a recovery mission that became a brutal fight, according to information released by Operation Inherent Resolve. Related: 2 US Troops Killed in Iraq During Anti-ISIS Mission "The forces trekked through mountainous terrain and eliminated four hostile ISIS fighters who were barricaded in the caves. The recovery took approximately six hours," Col. Myles B. Caggins III, a spokesman for the OIR coalition, said in a statement. Ultimately, some 15-19 ISIS fighters were killed, officials said. Pongo and Navas were both assigned to 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, Marine Forces Special Operations Command, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C. "The hearts of the entire Marine Raider community are with the Pongo and Navas families as we mourn this tremendous loss," Col. John Lynch, the commander of Marine Raider Regiment, said in a statement. "In times like these we come together and rely on each other, sharing our burdens and providing strength to those that need it. We will do everything we can to lift up and support our grieving families in order to and honor the incredible lives and the ultimate sacrifices of Gunnery Sgt. Pongo and Capt. Navas. According to information released by MARSOC, Pongo enlisted in the Marines in 2004, deploying as a rifleman with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and later deploying to Afghanistan with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment as a sniper team leader. He joined MARSOC in December 2011, completing deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Pongo, said Lynch, had a "larger-than-life personality." "The command as a whole became witness to his dynamic personality, and love for family, when he brought his mom to this past years Marine Corps Birthday Ball ceremony and together they out-danced the rest of us on the dance floor," Lynch said. "He also loved going on adventures with his daughter, hiking, camping, and woodworking. He was [an] advanced sniper, a foreign weapons instructor, a combat marksmanship leader, and he was fluent in multiple languages." Pongo's awards include a Bronze Star with combat valor device, earned in 2013; and a Purple Heart, two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and two Combat Action Ribbons. He is survived by his daughter and mother. Navas began as an enlisted Marine, joining the Corps in 2004 as an administrative clerk and rising to the rank of sergeant before earning a commission through the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program in 2010, according to MARSOC officials. He earned his special operations officer military occupational specialty in 2016, and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Inherent Resolve prior to the current deployment. Lynch said most knew Navas as "Mo," and added that he was born in Panama. He had recently been selected for promotion to major, he added. "In addition to being a phenomenal Marine officer and Raider, he truly was a family man, and cherished his time watching his children play sports," Lynch said. Navas had earned the Purple Heart, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and Combat Action Ribbon. He is survived by his wife, daughter, and three sons. Pongo and Navas are the first U.S. troops to die in the fight against ISIS since another Marine Raider, Gunnery Sgt Scott Koppenhafer, was killed Aug. 10, 2019 in Iraq. The deaths of the Marines remain under investigation. New York Times reported Monday that officials are now reviewing U.S. military operations in Iraq and how U.S. forces advise local troops in the wake of the casualties. -- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck. Read More: Here's How the Marine Corps is Fielding Its New 40mm Grenade Launchers Siliguri (West Bengal)[India], Mar 9 (ANI): The health officials of the West Bengal government have set up a temporary medical camp at Fulbari Integrated Check Post (ICP), scanning those entering India from Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan amid coronavirus outbreak in the country. The total number of positive coronavirus cases climbed to 43 on Monday after four new cases were reported from Uttar Pradesh, Jammu, and Kashmir, Kerala, and Delhi. "We are screening all the people who are coming from Bangladesh, the truck drivers, everyone," said Dr Tanmoy Naskar "The new cases include one from Delhi with travel history to Italy, one from Jammu with travel history in Iran and one from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh who was infected by six persons who were found positive in Agra. The UP patient was found through contact tracing", said Sanjeeva Kumar, Special Secretary, Union Health Ministry. He also clarified that the patient from Murshidabad, West Bengal tested negative for COVID-19 and hence, no death has been reported due to COVID-19 in the country so far. The deadly coronavirus which originated from China's Wuhan has caused the deaths of over 3300 people globally. (ANI) "His whole life he was told everyone would fear him; no one is going to like him," Klockenkemper, a senior, said. "That's why he exiled himself and shut himself into his swamp." Global fintech investment in 2019 fell just shy of 2018s record with $135.7 billion invested across 2,693 deals, according to the Pulse of Fintech H22019, a bi-annual report on global and regional fintech investment trends published by KPMG. The main theme for 2019s global fintech market was diversity with fintechs and fintech investment expanding across product, sector and geographic borders. The expanding definition of fintech and its increasing reach and interconnectivity helped keep fintech investment robust despite the global economic and trade challenges that hindered growth in 2019, including concerns related to Brexit and ongoing trade tensions between China and the US, said the report. In fact, despite these concerns, cross-border transactions remained high with $54.2 billion in cross-border M&A deal value across 138 deals. This focus on cross-border transactions will likely continue as maturing fintechs look to grow and achieve scale and the big tech giants look to extend their reach and gain market share in less developed markets, it said. Many niche areas of fintech continued to grow and evolve throughout 2019; in particular, proptech investment grew from $1.9 billion in 2018 to a record $2.6 billion in 2019, while fintech-focused cybersecurity investment more than doubled from $316.9 million to $646.2 million. Blockchain and cryptocurrency investment continued to fluctuate, falling from $6.3 billion to $4.7 billion year-over-year, although Facebooks announcement of Libra and the Peoples Bank of Chinas announcement of accelerated research and experimentation on digital currency and electronic payments have helped breathe new life into the space. 2019 Key Global Highlights * Global fintech investment fell just short of 2018s record year, with $137.5 billion invested in 2019 compared to $141 billion in 2018. * Global corporate VC investment participation rose during every quarter of 2019, leading to $16.7 billion in total annual VC invested with CVC involvement; CVC-related deal volume was also robust, with 553 deals over 2019, including 166 in Q319 the second-highest quarter ever in terms of CVC fintech deals volume after Q218. * The number of fintech deals by global tech giants including Alibaba Group, Alphabet, Apple, Baidu, IBM, Microsoft and Tencent increased for the fifth straight year, with $3.5 billion invested across 46 deals in 2019. * Cybersecurity related fintech investment more than doubled year-over-year, from $316.9 million to $646.2 million. Proptech investment rose to a record high of $2.6 billion in 2019 from $1.9 billion in 2018. According to Manav Prakash, Advisory Partner at KPMG in Bahrain: In 2020, the lines are going to continue to blur between financial services and non-financial services with big techs like Alibaba, Tencent, Google and others continuing to look for ways to integrate financial services within their ecosystem of offerings to their customers. Integration will be a big priority and the unbundling of financial services that has occurred over the past few years will likely start to reverse as fintechs, traditional financial institutions, and big techs look to provide more value and more seamless experiences to their customers. Key Predictions for 2020 * The big tech giants like Alphabet, Alibaba and Tencent will increase their focus on the fintech space, both working to increase their reach into developing markets and to increase the value of their ecosystems to their customers. * Maturing fintechs and challenger banks will continue to expand the breadth of their service offerings beyond their initial niche focus areas and make strategic moves across international borders. * The unbundling of financial products will begin to reverse course as consumers increasingly seek a primary interface to manage all of their financial affairs on a holistic level. * Cybersecurity-focused fintechs will become more attractive as traditional financial institutions shift from building to buying cyber solutions, particularly in areas like fraud, security, and identity management. * Consolidation is going to increase, with bigger and bolder M&A deals becoming the norm in more mature fintech sub-sectors. * Building on the momentum of Hong Kong (SAR) and Australia, more countries in the Asia Pacific region will develop digital banking regimes and use digital banking licenses to guide digital bank efforts. * The focus on open data opportunities will move beyond banking and into other aspects of the financial services industry. Anthony Harris, Head of Digital and Innovation at KPMG in Bahrain, notes: Regulators are increasingly allowing new Fintech entrants into their financial sectors in order to accelerate industry transformation. And as the Fintech-driven unbundling of incumbent financial institutions product portfolios hits a peak, the race is now on to re-bundle services and experiences around customer-centric, data-driven platforms. Competition is coming from Neo Banks, Fintechs as they look to scale, and Technology Platform Challengers such as Amazon, WeChat, Alibaba. Firms that effectively orchestrate platform or ecosystem environments typically end up as the winners. TradeArabia News Serivce Wa Army Says Its Willing to Work With Myanmar Govt to Hold Voting in Its Territory KABUL - The United States began withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, the U.S. military said Tuesday, taking a step forward on its peace deal with the Taliban while also praising Afghan President Ashraf Ghanis promise to start releasing Taliban prisoners after he had delayed for over a week. The U.S.-Taliban deal signed Feb. 29 was touted as Washingtons effort to end 18 years of war in Afghanistan. The next crucial step was to be intra-Afghan talks in which all factions including the Taliban would negotiate a road map for their countrys future. But Ghani and his main political rival, Abdullah Abdullah, were each sworn in as president in separate ceremonies Monday. Abdallah and the elections complaints commission had charged fraud in last years vote. The dueling inaugurations have thrown plans for talks with the Taliban into chaos, although Ghani said Tuesday that hed start putting together a negotiating team. The disarray on the Afghan government side is indicative of the uphill task facing Washingtons peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad as he tries to get Afghanistans bickering leadership to come together. In an early Tuesday tweet, Khalilzad said he hoped the two leaders can come to an agreement on an inclusive and broadly accepted government. We will continue to assist. U.S. military spokesman in Afghanistan Sonny Leggett said in a statement Tuesday the military had begun its conditions-based reduction of forces to 8,600 over 135 days. Currently the U.S. has about 13,000 soldiers in Afghanistan 8,000 of whom are involved in training and advising Afghanistans National Security Forces, while about 5,000 are involved in anti-terror operations and militarily supporting the Afghan army when they are requested. Ghani had been dragging his feet on releasing some 5,000 Taliban prisoners, something agreed to in the U.S.-Taliban deal. Ghani promised Monday to announce a decree to free the prisoners after the U.S. and a number of foreign dignitaries appeared to back his claim to the presidency by sending their representatives to his inauguration. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo released a statement Monday saying, We also welcome President Ghanis announcement that he will issue a decree March 10 on Taliban prisoner release. Taliban officials said late Monday that a flurry of biometric identifications were being conducted on Taliban prisoners, hinting at a mass release, according to prisoners currently in lockup. The Taliban officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they werent authorized to talk to the media. Sohail Shaheen the Talibans spokesman in Doha where the insurgent group maintains an office, tweeted Tuesday the names of the 5,000 prisoners are with an American delegation and the list cannot be manipulated, without elaborating. In his tweet, Shaheen said any prisoners handed over will be verified before being accepted. The Associated Press contacted a Taliban prisoner in Afghanistans Pul-e-Charkhi Jail on the outskirts of Kabul who said four Taliban had been released Monday and another three Tuesday. The seven had completed their sentence, said Maulvi Niaz Mohammad in a telephone interview. They were not part of the 5,000 on the Taliban prisoner list, he said. Mohammad, who had also been interviewed by The AP in the prison in December, is in telephone contact with the Talibans Prisoners Commission, which is headed by Maulvi Nooruddin Turani, a former Taliban justice minister and a violent enforcer of the Talibans strict code of conduct. Meanwhile, Pompeo said he strongly opposed the establishment of a parallel government in Kabul, despite early signs of one emerging. Abdullah had quickly sent his vice-presidents to occupy the official offices Monday, ahead of Ghanis plan to send his vice-presidents to their offices Tuesday. Pompeo warned against any use of force to resolve political differences. Both candidates but particularly Abdullah are backed by warlords with heavily armed militias, underscoring fears they could use force to back their candidate. The U.S. has said its partial troop withdrawal over an 18-month period provided for in the deal will be linked to the Taliban keeping their promises to help fight terror in Afghanistan, but not to the success of talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government. Over the weekend, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said the insurgent group was committed to its agreement with the U.S. and called on Washington to do its part to make sure its prisoners were freed. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for a rocket attack that took place during Ghanis inauguration ceremony. IS also claimed a brutal attack last week on a gathering of minority Shiites that killed 32 and injured scores more. The U.S. in reaching its deal with the Taliban said it expected the Taliban, which has been battling Afghanistans IS affiliate, to further aid in the effort to defeat IS. Gannon reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Washington and Tameem Akhgar in Kabul, Afghanistan contributed to this report ____ The Saudi Ministry of Health yesterday (March 9) reported five new cases of the new Coronavirus (COVID19). The ministry stated that three of the five cases were a male and two female citizens who were quarantined in a hospital in the Eastern Region after their return from Iran and Iraq as laboratory tests showed that they were carrying the virus. The fourth case involved a citizen with mild respiratory symptoms, and he came to a hospital in the Eastern Region, and he has been quarantined, and those in contact with him were identified and necessary preventive measures were taken towards them. The fifth case was that of an Egyptian man coming from Egypt, who showed mild respiratory symptoms as well. He has been quarantined in a hospital in Makkah Region and those in contact with him were identified and necessary preventive measures were taken towards them. The ministry stated that with the new five cases, the total number of confirmed cases of the new Coronavirus in the kingdom is 20. The Ministry of Health assures everyone that the cases are currently quarantined, being dealt with and provided with the health care in accordance to approved health procedures. The Ministry of Health called upon everyone who were in countries where the new Coronavirus is spread, to immediately communicate with the Health Service Center 937 for advice that protects them, their families and the society. Paul Chinn / The Chronicle 2019 Blue Bottle Coffee is expected to pay $1.5 million to former employees due to a class-action lawsuit, which alleged the Oakland company failed to pay its hourly employees overtime wages and provide required breaks. In June 2018, Keenan Patterson filed a lawsuit that later obtained class-action status against Blue Bottle on behalf of nonexempt, hourly workers. One month later, Paige Dunn filed a similar lawsuit against the Nestle-owned coffee company. A judge merged the lawsuits together and, in September 2019, approved the settlement. The terms will be finalized at an April 3 hearing in Oakland. [March 10, 2020] Docutech, a Leading Provider of Document, eClose and Fulfillment Technology Solutions for Mortgage Lenders and a Serent Portfolio Company, Acquired by First American for $350 Million Serent Capital, a San Francisco and Austin based private equity firm focused on investing in high-growth technology and services businesses, announced that its portfolio company Docutech, a leading provider of document, eClose and fulfillment technology for the mortgage industry, has been acquired by First American Financial Corporation, a leading global provider of title insurance, settlement services and risk solutions for real estate transactions in a $350 million deal. Founded in 1991, Docutech provides innovative solutions that are widely used by lenders across the U.S. and have contributed to the industry's evolution toward a digital real estate closing experience. "Over 3 years ago, we partnered with Serent with the goal of growing our products and reaching more customers," said Ty Jenkins, Founder and former Chairman of Docutech. "We've been able to deliver on that vision by building an exceptional relationship with the Serent team and have strengthened the company for its next chapter of growth." "Serent has played an instrumental role in enhancing Docutech's growth over that last few years," said Amy randt, CEO and President of Docutech. "Serent helped us accelerate our go-to-market sales operation, strengthen our products and customer delivery, and expand the executive team. We have been able to capitalize on our momentum in the mortgage lending market while also driving continued profitability." "Docutech has spent nearly 30 years becoming a trusted leader in mortgage document solutions," said Lance Fenton, Partner at Serent Capital. "They've built an outstanding team and continue to deliver the best-in-class products and services to the mortgage industry. We are honored to have been a part of their journey to their next growth milestone." Docutech represents Serent's 6th investment in the mortgage technology sector. Serent's previous investments in the sector include Optimal Blue and Mercury Network. Raymond James and Kirkland & Ellis served as advisors to Docutech. About Serent Capital Serent Capital invests in growing businesses that have developed compelling solutions that address their customers' needs. As those businesses grow and evolve, the opportunities and challenges that they face change with them. Principals at Serent Capital have firsthand experience at capturing those opportunities and navigating these difficulties through their experiences as CEOs, strategic advisors, and board members to successful growing businesses. By bringing its expertise and capital to bear, Serent seeks to help growing businesses thrive. For more information on Serent Capital, visit www.serentcapital.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005702/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] RALEIGH, N.C. - The U.S. Department of Defence identified two service members killed in Iraq on Sunday as members of a Marine special forces unit based in North Carolina. A Defence Department news release issued Tuesday said the Marines died while assisting Iraqi security forces in the north-central part of Iraq. The latest release did not elaborate on the circumstances. Earlier in the week, a military news release said two service members were killed by enemy forces Sunday during a mission to eliminate a stronghold for the Islamic State group in a mountainous area of Iraq. The slain Marines were identified in the release as Gunnery Sgt. Diego D. Pongo, 34, of Simi Valley, California; and Capt. Moises A. Navas, 34, of Germantown, Maryland. They were both assigned to the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death. Submit DENVER, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As communities and organizations across the globe brace for impact from the spread of the novel coronavirus, the nation's leading data science and software engineering bootcamp provider Galvanize is prepared to convert their immersive in-person bootcamps to remote learning at any of their campuses across the nation if needed. "First, and most importantly, our thoughts go out to those affected by the virus," said Harsh Patel, CEO of Galvanize. "As a provider of both online and in-person tech education across the United States, we are working diligently to provide learning opportunities for our students no matter where they are, and no matter the circumstances they face." Galvanize, which has eight physical campuses in major cities across the United States, already provides remote data science and Hack Reactor software engineering immersive bootcamps for students who choose to prepare for a career as a data scientist or software engineer at home. Because of these existing remote capabilities, Galvanize anticipates all students will be able to continue their training online if the coronavirus spread impacts a previously scheduled in-person immersive bootcamp. Galvanize's remote programs are live courses with actual instructors and are not self-paced. The company's remote data science program provides the same Python-based curriculum, real-world case studies, and machine learning concepts as its in-person programs. The full-time remote Hack Reactor software engineering bootcamp offers the same modernized curriculum as the in-person program, which is optimized for academic rigor and efficiency. State-of-the-art conferencing software allows students to chat and problem-solve with instructors and classmates, and pair programming teaches students to collaborate with other students. "Many people and institutions are facing difficult choices when it comes to moving forward with personal and professional goals," Patel said. "Whatever happens in the weeks ahead, Galvanize wants data science and software engineering students to know we are here to meet their needs." About Galvanize Galvanize is a learning community for technology with eight physical campuses across the U.S. where innovative startups, aspiring students, and large enterprises benefit from a dynamic, unique technology ecosystem. Galvanize is an industry leader in technology education, offering the Data Science and Hack Reactor Software Engineering immersive bootcamps, that propel careers and help individuals thrive in the digital economy. In addition to its physical campuses, Galvanize offers full-time and part-time immersive bootcamps to individuals remotely, and tailored workforce training to enterprise clients to address each of their unique needs. With 8,000+ graduates, Galvanize alumni have gone on to bring their talents to over 2,250 companies. Galvanize is a subsidiary of K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN), a premier provider of innovative, high-quality online and blended education solutions, curriculum, and programs to students, schools and enterprises in primary, secondary and post-secondary settings. Learn more at www.galvanize.com . SOURCE Galvanize Related Links http://www.galvanize.com Chinese Premier Li Keqiang announced measures on March 3 during a State Council meeting to reduce several port fees. Port construction duties have been suspended until June 30. The port construction duty is a levy on businesses using the port facilities which the port authorities collect for the upkeep and maintenance of the port. This exemption applies to both import and export activities in China. Meanwhile, harbor dues have been cut and port facility security charges slashed by 20% across all Chinese ports. Rates vary by product, so the percentage decrease will have a different cash value for commodities. Container detention charges will also be cut by half. Market participants have reported significant difficulties in the logistics sector since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Beijing stopped workers returning to their workplaces after Chinese New Year to stem the spread of the coronavirus. This meant port logistics ground to a standstill because there were no port workers to unload incoming cargoes and no truck drivers available to transport material domestically to the ports to reload the docked ships. This has caused particular issues for those shipping material by containers. There are over 1 million 20-foot equivalent (TEUs) containers sitting at ports across China, according to one minerals trader. A shipping source put that figure at 1.7 million. Several commodities priced by Fastmarkets are shipped in containers, but this situation is yet to greatly affect the price of these materials. The price for TEU usage has risen to $1,400 from $1,100 due to the lack of available logistics, according to one iodine consumer. This is a nominal increase in the overall cost of most materials; for example a container of iodine costs $700,000 when using the low-end of Fastmarkets spot price range. Fastmarkets assessed the price of iodine min 99.5%, spot, delivered US/EU, cif Asia at $35-39 per kg on March 6, unchanged week on week, but up from $34-39 per kg at the start of February. Market participants attributed the $1 increase on the low end of the range to undersupply in the market. Similarly, in minor metals, prices remain unaffected by the slowdown in logistics and shipping. Fastmarkets' price for molybdenum drummed molybdic oxide 57% Mo min, in-whs Rotterdam was at $9.35-9.45 per lb on March 6. The assessment has fallen since the outbreak of the coronavirus, but this was due to weak consumer demand and a global economic slowdown following the outbreak rather than logistical issues. The slow recovery in in the logistics sector is causing delays to deliveries and may influence prices, which market participants are keeping a keen eye on. Additional reporting by Susan Zou in Shanghai and Ewa Manthey in London. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Made Anthony Iswara (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 The Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) is setting its sights on alternative sources of foreign direct investments (FDI) because it expects the COVID-19 outbreak is about to cause a sharp decline in the flow of investments from China, Indonesias second-largest foreign investor. BKPM head Bahlil Lahadalia said the agency was still calculating the investment realization figures for the first quarter, which would be announced in April. Nevertheless, he named Europe, the Middle East, South Korea, Japan and Singapore as some potential FDI sources to cushion the potential decrease from China. We shouldnt be too pessimistic in the midst of the coronavirus. We will find markets in other countries, Bahlil told reporters after a press conference in Jakarta on March 6. 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 Starting in the fall of 2021, students in the Rochester school district will have one more avenue through which to pursue their post-high school careers. Thats because Rochester Public Schools recently received a $1 million grant from the Minnesota Department of Education that will go toward the creation of a school that will allow students to receive not only their high school diploma, but also exposure to career opportunities and professional development. Called "Pathways in Technology Early College High," or P-TECH for short, the school will allow students to focus on a couple career pathways, including computer information systems and licensed practical nursing. "Our vision for our P-TECH graduates is that they have the academic and professional skills required to either continue their education in a four-year-postsecondary institution or secure employment into entry-level careers in one of our two pathways," RPS Superintendent Michael Munoz said in a press release. The school will be free to students. ADVERTISEMENT To some extent, the program will be similar to the existing PSEO program offered through the state, which allows high school students to finish their junior and senior years of high school at a college or university free of cost. For example, a student who completes the coursework at P-TECH would be able to graduate with a two-year degree or diploma similar to if they undertook PSEO. The two options differ somewhat, though. Brandon Macrafic, principal on special assignment to the Rochester Career and Technical Education Center, said the P-TECH option will include benefits such as providing internships and one-on-one mentorships. Students who graduate from P-TECH are also guaranteed to be first in line for a job interview with the "community partners" involved with the program. Macrafic said the school will also include an element of professional development. "(Theyre) not only learning the specifics of being a nurse or being a computer technician, but also the professional skills that students need to get and keep a job," he said. P-TECH will also be a little different from PSEO in terms of its timeline. Although the program is designed to last six years, students can complete the program in less. Because of that, students can start taking part in P-TECH as early as ninth grade, rather than waiting until their junior year, like they would have to for PSEO. Rochester Public Schools has not yet determined a location for the new school. However, Macrafic said theyre leaning toward putting it in a neutral spot rather than folding it into one of the existing schools in the area. The district plans to accept 25 to 30 students a year in each pathway. Although there arent any prerequisites to participate in the program, the district hasnt determined yet how it plans to select the students who apply in case more students apply than are available slots. The "community partners" involved with the school so far include IBM and Mayo Clinic. IBM was actually one of the founders of the P-TECH school model in New York. Tory Johnson, senior state executive for IBM Minnesota, said the school is designed to help students who arent necessarily interested in pursuing a four-year degree get ready for the job market. ADVERTISEMENT While it will provide work for students just entering the job market, it also will address a shortage of workers. He described two-year technology jobs as the trade jobs of the future. "You dont necessarily have to have a four-year degree to have a meaningful job in technology," he said. In addition to being the first P-TECH school in the state, Minnesota is one of only 10 states throughout the country to establish such a school. Like IBM, Mayo Clinic sees the partnership with Rochester Public Schools as a way to develop talent and address the shortage of workers. While an organization like Mayo is able to pull talent from anywhere, Director of Workforce Development Guy Finne said the clinic still relies on a lot of homegrown workers. Finne also drew another distinction between P-TECH and PSEO, saying that students taking advantage of the PSEO option often use it as a launch pad for their four-year careers. He said P-TECH, on the other hand, is a good resource for students who may only want to pursue a two-year degree, at least at first. "I think its a tremendous strategy to help create pipelines from our area high schools right to employment," he said. A coronavirus patient in Ireland who has been diagnosed with Covid-19 has spoken about the disease from his hospital bed. The man is one of Read More: In an interview with Claire Byrne on RTE's Claire Byrne Live, the man spoke about being diagnosed with Covid19 and what happened after it was confirmed. The patient, who spoke by phone and was not identified, said that a couple of days after being abroad for a short trip, he "started to have a little bit of fever". He said the only symptom he had was that fever. "I didn't have any respiratory problem, any lung inflammation, any cough, any sneezing so [it] was just the fever but again based on the fact I was abroad I preferred to self-isolate myself anyway because I was not sure if it was safe to go around. "But I didn't have any severe symptoms. I actually feel great now." Explaining why he contacted health officials, he said: "Given that I was abroad I decided to self-isolate myself and call and explain the situation. "So what they did was send a medical officer to my apartment and the medical officer took a swab of my throat and nose. "After 24 hours I was notified about the positivity of the test and an ambulance picked me up at my place and drove me to the hospital." When asked if the medical officer came in protective gear, the patient said he "was fully, let's say, dressed up". After finding out he had tested positive for Covid-19, the patient said it was less than an hour before he was taken to hospital. "So basically the HSE called me back and they notified me. They had a lot of questions about people I was in contact with, about my co-workers, and these kind of things just to understand if someone else could have got the virus from me." Then in less than an hour the ambulance was at my place and they picked me up and they drove me to the hospital very quickly. The patient said he has been in isolation since and is in a private room. "I am being tested every day for the virus and when I (test) negative for two consecutive days, it means I will be free of the virus and I can go back home," he said. The patient said being in isolation in the hospital is "boring", adding: "I am here and I just have to read, watch some movies and that's the only things. Apart from that I am fine." He said he has not been told how long it will take for the virus to work through his system, saying it depends on the person. "I think it depends on person to person. It depends on the symptoms you had; if they are more severe it may take longer. "I am just waiting here and hope that it will happen soon." The Department of Health confirmed Read More: Meanwhile, the Government announced today that Read More: The Government has also announced Read More: Speaking at a press conference, Mr Varadkar said 60% of the population could contract Covid-19. What we have seen from other countries and what we have seen from what is available at the moment, is that we could we could easily have 50% or 60% of our population contracting Covid-19. For the vast majority of the population this will be a mild illness and may even by asymptomatic. However there will be a significant part of the population who will require critical care. A percentage that we dont honestly know yet it could be 1% or 3% mortality. We just dont know that with any degree of certainty. It is not the kind of thing we have seen in a very long time. Mr Varadkar said he thinks the Irish health system will cope as best as possible. "This wont be an ordinary situation If you consider the numbers of people who could become very illeven if the health service was twice the size it is now we will struggle. It will be like nothing in our living memory. Useful information The HSE have developed an information pack on how to protect yourself and others from coronavirus. Read it here Anyone with symptoms of coronavirus who has been in close contact with a confirmed case in the last 14 days should isolate themselves from other people - this means going into a different, well-ventilated room alone, with a phone; phone their GP, or emergency department - if this is not possible, phone 112 or 999 and in a medical emergency (if you have severe symptoms) phone 112 or 999 - additional reporting by Press Association On the morning of March 10, the Vietnamese Fatherland Front and TH Group announced a programme on giving fresh milk produced by the group to nurses, doctors, and those who are in isolation due to COVID-19 in Vietnam and China. Tran Thi Nhu Trang, representative of TH Group and director of the groups Fund for Vietnamese peoples health, said that in the context of the raging COVID-19 outbreak, all people need to stay united and join hands, as well as raise awareness about the fight against the epidemic, contributing to the nations great efforts to eradicate COVID-19. Representatives from TH Group and the Vietnamese Fatherland Front launched a programme on giving fresh milk to nurses, doctors, and those quarantined due to COVID-19 in Vietnam and China Earlier on March 3 in Chinas Wuhan city, ground zero of the epidemic, TH Group also presented 240,000 glasses of fresh milk to patients and doctors. The milk is not only the sole Vietnamese fresh milk allowed to be exported to China, it is also an ambassador for the friendship between Vietnam and China, and for the love and heart of TH Groups founder. TH Group not only presents one million glasses of milk, it will also stand ready to co-operate with other socio-political organisations to fight the epidemic, Trang said. Truong Thi Ngoc Anh, Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front, said that the front has been co-operating with by people and firms like TH Group via several programmes. We highly appreciate TH Groups programme on giving 1.24 million glasses of fresh milk to nurses and doctors and those affected by the COVID-19. It demonstrates the groups fine community-oriented mindset. I believe that the programmes fine values will continue being expanded in the community, Anh said. Under a protocol signed in April 2019 between the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Chinas General Administration of Customs on veterinary and health requirements for dairy products to be exported from Vietnam to China, TH Group has met all strict import requirements and conditions set by China, a market with a population of 1.4 billion people. Since 2015, TH Group has participated in Vietnam-China trade promotion forums, fairs, and exhibitions, and has been exporting yoghurt products to China. In 2017, the group established a company in Guangzhou city to distribute the products. In April 2019, TH inked an MoU on strategic partnership on market development and consumption of foodstuff, farm produce, and fresh milk products with Chinas Wuxi Jinqiao International Food City Co., Ltd. The two companies will expand the presence of TH true MILK products in China. Currently, TH Groups sterilised yoghurt products are sold in Chinas Datonghua, Jimailong, and Laopodaren supermarket chains. The group has also completed negotiations with other famous supermarket chains including Walmart, Shanmu, and Bubugaojia in China. Coronavirus: Albania suspends flights-ferries to Italy Goods continue to travel. Six test positive (ANSAmed) - TIRANA, MARCH 10 - Albania has decided to implement a total suspension of air and sea connections with Italy due to the coronavirus emergency, Infrastructure Minister Belinda Balluku announced on Tuesday. ''Our measure follows the announcement by Premier Giuseppe Conte last night that all of Italy would be a protected zone'', explained Balluku. The last flight for Italy was an Alitalia one that left at 11:25 local time for Rome while the last ferries will leave for Bari and Brindisi tonight. ''I want to specify that the measure only concerns the transport of passengers. Commercial vessels will be able to continue their activities as normal while crews will go through medical checks'', said Balluku. The Albanian minister added that if Italian authorities want to take back home Italian citizens who have remained in Albania, this could only happen through flights and ferries coming from Albania without passengers. Six cases have been confirmed so far in Albania, including a 28-year-old returning from Florence, who infected four family members, and a 31-year-old who returned seven days ago from Milan after a 24-hour stay in Italy. (ANSAmed) WATERLOO The city has now invested more than $5 million to buy up farm land for a new South Waterloo Business Park. Waterloo City Council members voted unanimously Monday to approve spending $1.7 million to purchase just over 47 acres of land southeast of the Ansborough Avenue interchange on U.S. Highway 20. The move is the latest acquisition under a 2010 agreement with L & H Farms, owned by the Hollis family, for the city to buy 191 acres of land for future development. Just 38 more acres remain to be purchased. Resident David Dreyer voiced the only opposition to the contract during a public hearing for the vote. He objected to the city spending more than $35,000 per acre to buy property for economic development prospects when it still has hundreds of vacant acres in its other industrial parks. It was a bad situation that the city made, Dreyer said. Thats a lot of money to waste. But Community Planning and Development Director Noel Anderson said he remains confident the land, which is among several state certified sites in the state, will attract a major tenant. Weve got three large prospects looking at it right now, Anderson said. Any of them would be great. Theyre all very big. He noted the city just missed a major development at that location in 2013. We were second place for Facebook, which is on expansion five in Altoona, Anderson said. We were the other site. The social media giant is close to completing 3.5 million square feet of building space as part of a nearly $2 billion investment in Altoona just east of Des Moines. The city is buying the land over a 10-year time period as tax-increment financing revenue becomes available. Essentially, property taxes paid by existing businesses in the San Marnan TIF district are financing the acquisition. The Couriers Most-Read Local Business Stories from 2019: Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Kolkata, March 10 : Holi, the festival of colours, was celebrated with mirth and gaiety across West Bengal on Tuesday as people participated in large numbers draped in festive spirits. While the Bengali community predominantly celebrated 'Dol' (spring festival similar to Holi) a day back, it was the turn of the non-Bengali communities to splash colours on one another to soak in the spirit of revelry during the day. The city's hot spots, including amusement parks and community centres, saw substantial footfalls as revellers feasted and spent time with friends and family with peppy Bollywood numbers being played in the background. Plates of crunchy gujiyas, sev, laddoos and other sweets vanished from the plates in the blink of an eye as tall glasses of coolers like lassi and thandai were enjoyed by the old and young alike as they smeared gulal on each other. For the first time in 20 years, teachers at the University of Ilorin have agreed to comply with the directive of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to proceed on a two-week strike. On Monday, the national president of ASUU, Biodun Ogunyemi, declared the warning strike during an executive meeting of the association in Enugu. Mr Ogunyemi said the strike was to protest the failure of the federal government to implement the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, the 2013 Memorandum of Understanding and the 2017 Memorandum of Action. The University of Ilorin joined the strike on Tuesday, the first time teachers in the university will embark on strike in about two decades. The school had rejected previous industrial actions called by ASUU as a result of a split in the association in the institution. This resulted in the university becoming famous for a stable academic calendar. The feud in the local ASUU chapter was eventually resolved July last year through the effort of the vice-chancellor, Abdulkareem Age. The UNILORIN ASUU branch chairman, Moyosore Ajao, told PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday that University of Ilorin will join in the strike action. Speaking on the schools over 19 years of uninterrupted academic calendar, Mr Ajao said, everything that has a beginning must surely have an end. We cannot be part of a body and say we dont want to function with the body. The question everybody should ask is how did ASUU get bad like this? It is because we have an irresponsible government. And we have a dishonourable minister of finance who would not want to pay people, after working to earn a pay. Mr Ajao said all academic activities in the school will be on hold for the period of the warning strike, including the first-semester examination that is currently going on in the school. READ ALSO: ASUU University of Ilorin is on strike and the strike is total. The lecturers are not involved in any official matter, he said. According to the chairman, the academic staff of the University of Ilorin have not benefited anything from not joining in industrial action for the past 20 years. We have not benefited anything from government for us not going on strike. Rather, we have been maligned by our colleagues. We have been labelled traitors by our colleagues. When some people go to struggle for something and youre reaping from the benefit of their struggle, what moral right do you have to lay claims to those things? The spokesperson of the institution, Kunle Akogun, refused to comment on the development. Spread the love Chicago, IL Over the past few years, the residents of Chicago have been subjected to a militarized police state occupation. Innocent family after innocent family each waking up in the middle of the night as heavily armed storm troopers throw flash bangs into their homes, haul them outside in the cold, point guns at their heads, and even handcuff small children. These families are being terrorized in their own homes, many of them left with PTSD, and no one is being held accountablebecause the state is the one behind the terror. As the following case illustrates, cops can be seen on their own body cameras breaking the law and they face no consequences. Thanks to the tireless efforts by the folks at CBS 2 in Chicago, the rest of America is getting a glimpse into the horror that is the Chicago police departments inability to raid the correct home. In only three years, CBS 2 has documented over 50 innocent families who have been raided by Chicagos finest based on faulty information. Hardly an isolated incident, weve reported on cops raiding a four-year-olds birthday party, smashing his cake and other raids where they held small children at gunpoint. One of these families has even been raided mistakenly three times. It is an utter disaster. Toni Tate and her family are the latest victims in this never-ending attack on the innocent carried out by the Chicago police. In raid after raid, body camera footage is conveniently lacking and now we have evidence as to why that may be. Cops recorded themselves turning off their body cameras as they terrorized this innocent family. And they just came in flying, guns drawn, said Tate. Tate told CBS 2 that she feared cops were going to kill her because she was holding a spoon. That part was caught on body camera footage. I got a spoon in my hand, said Tate as heavily armed cops pointed guns at her and her children. For two and a half minutes, cops are seen on the body camera footage terrorizing this family. Guns are pointed at Tates two daughters as one of them holds a baby. Tates son is forced to the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back as a cop points an AR-15 at his head. Tate is also seen being humiliated in her nightgown with her hands cuffed behind her back as cops further violate the rights of this innocent family. The scene is like something out of Afghanistan as soldiers conduct raids of suspected Al-Qaeda members. Sadly, however, it is taking place smack in the middle of the land of the free. Just as soon as the abuse started, video of it ended. Kill cameras! That order reportedly came from Sgt. Anthony Bruno who was recorded on his own body camera giving the order to fellow cops to halt the documentation of their abuse which went on according to Tate, for another hour. We were both handcuffed for about almost an hour, said Tate. During the raid, cops even admitted to raiding innocent families all the time. Toni Tates brother showed up and reminded officers that people are fed up with their wrong raids, saying: Police always kick in doors with search warrants and they dont even be the crib they looking for, bro! It happens. The officer can then be heard saying, It do. Youre right. It was that brazen. As CBS 2 reports, Bruno gave the kill cameras order after recording only two and half minutes of the raid inside the house. It appears to be a complete violation of the Chicago Police Departments body camera policy. Sheila Bedi, a law professor at Northwestern University, told CBS 2 that this is a clear violation. Policy cannot be more clear, said Bedi in regard to the departments body camera policy. They had to have their cameras on during these raids. Despite this blatant violation captured on camera, no one will likely be held accountable as this is not the first time incidents like this have happened. As CBS 2 reports: Just four months earlier, Bruno and a team of officers were caught doing the same thing during another wrong raid. Three innocent children had guns pointed at them as they were forced to the ground. Police body camera video shows one of the siblings face down on the floor crying, Please do not shoot me, please. After terrifying that 14-year-old, her 7-year-old brother, and her 11-year old-sister, police interrogated them without a parent present. One officer can be heard on the body camera saying, Just tell us, do you know where the stuff is at? Because if you can tell us that, then we are out of here. Interrogating children without a parent present is illegal yet no action was taken against Bruno and his team of terrorizing cops who can cover up their crimes and face no accountability. The only reason, the only justification, for cutting off cameras in this type of situation is some sort of cover-up, said Bedi, or its some recognition that they made a bad call they dont need documentation of it. The Chicago police department appears to be entirely unconcerned with officers violating the law and the abuse shows that these laws and policies are essentially meaningless. Its critically important that Chicago police officers who violate policy, like the body cam policy, are held accountable. Or else the policies are meaningless not worth the paper they are written on, said Bedi. Foreign investors are aggressively selling Asian equities this month amid worries of a deeper economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak in the region.Overseas investors have sold a net $9 billion worth of regional equities so far in March, after offloading $5.6 billion last month, data from stock exchanges in India, Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam showed. Radhika Rao, an economist at DBS Bank, said the outbreak was expected to take an economic toll on the region given its proximity and strong trade and production linkages with China. "Travel bans have hit the tourism sector across the region, while supply chain disruptions within China will weigh on the export and manufacturing performance of export-dependent economies," she said. Taiwanese equities saw the biggest foreign fund outflow in the region at $3.6 billion, while South Korea witnessed overseas sales of $2.5 billion. South Korea is one of the most severely affected countries outside mainland China, with the total number of infections at 7,478 and the death toll at 51. Indian equities, which are also hit by a turmoil at private sector lender Yes Bank, saw an outflow of $1.7 billion. Indonesian and Philippine equities witnessed the least amount of foreign fund outflows, with just about $108 million and $65 million, respectively. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan has declined 11.8 per cent so far this year, after rising about 16 per cent in 2019. The flu-like virus has now left 4,000 people dead worldwide and infected more than 114,000, according to a Reuters tally of government announcements. However, there was some sign of relief this week, with China and South Korea both reporting a slowdown in new infections. "With the outbreak only just starting to spread in Europe and the United States, further outflows can be expected even as infections appear to be under control in China," said Khoon Goh, head of Asia research at ANZ. Also read: Oil plunges 30% after Saudi Arabia launches price war Also read: Oil prices will ease if global tensions do not flare up: Oil minister Washington, March 10 : Several US lawmakers were self-quarantining after coming into contact with individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19. Congressman Doug Collins said on Monday that organisers of late last month's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) told him that they have discovered a photo of him and an attendee with COVID-19, Xinhua reported. "While I feel completely healthy and I am not experiencing any symptoms, I have decided to self-quarantine at my home for the remainder of the 14-day period out of an abundance of caution," the Georgia Republican said in a statement. The attendee contracted the disease before the CPAC, held in National Harbor, Maryland, just south of Washington DC, according to the American Conservative Union. Congressman Matt Gaetz was also informed Monday that he came into contact with the CPAC attendee. "While the Congressman is not experiencing symptoms, he received testing today and expects results soon," Gaetz's office tweeted. "Under doctor's usual precautionary recommendations, he'll remain self-quarantined until the 14-day period expires this week." The Florida Republican's Washington DC office will be closed, according to another tweet. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Congressman Paul Gosar of Arizona, both Republicans, have separately said that they would self-quarantine until 14 days had passed since interacting with the individual at the CPAC. US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence spoke at the CPAC, which took place from February 26 to 29. The White House has said there is no indication either of them "met with or were in close proximity to the attendee." White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said Monday that Trump wasn't concerned about the potential of being exposed at the CPAC, saying that "people are taking appropriate precautions." "The president of the United States as we all know is quite a hand washer," she said. Congresswoman Julia Brownley announced Monday that she will self-quarantine after she interacted with a person in Washington, DC, who tested positive for COVID-19 last week. The California Democrat also said she is closing her Washington DC office this week after the interaction with the individual who is currently self-quarantining. She is the first Democratic lawmaker in Congress to self-quarantine. As of Monday evening, there are over 600 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the US and 22 deaths, according to real-time data maintained by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) EUROPEAN leaders agreed to coordinate on possible flight restrictions due to the coronavirus crisis, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said. Mr Varadkar said the issue was discussed at a European Council video conference on the Covid-19 outbreak. He took part in the meeting with 27 other EU leaders this afternoon. Mr Varakdar said solidarity was expressed with all members States hit by the virus, especially Italy. "We also agreed that our highest priority as leaders must be protecting public health and human life, preventing the spread of the virus and working to mitigate its impact on our people." Funding for research to develop new tests, treatments and a vaccine was discussed. There is also to be a coordinated approach to the procurement of medicines, medical devices and protective equipment. He said an inventory of stock is to be created "so our health services are prepared for the number of cases, as they continue to increase as they inevitably will." Mr Varadkar added: "While health and human life are our over-riding concerns we also considered the potential economic impact of this crisis, which could be severe and long lasting." He said plans were discussed to protect jobs and the most exposed sectors including small and medium enterprises. Mr Varadkar said the issue of flight restrictions was discussed and "we agreed to coordinate on that". He welcomed the European Commission's announcement that it will bring for legislation to protect airline landing slots where flights are stopped from the most affected areas. He noted that all flights have been suspended between Italy and Ireland. Mr Varadkar said the Cabinet subcommittee on Covid-19 here will meet on Friday and Monday to discuss further actions. "I want to assure the public that all actions being taken by government have been taken on the advice of the expert national public health emergency team - led by the Chief Medical Officer, and informed by guidance from the World Health Organisation, and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. "Every action that they've recommended has been taken to date." Mr Varadkar added: "Every day we ask the experts is there more that we should do. And they remind us of the need to make the right interventions at the right time for the right length of time because anything else could be counterproductive." He again said the most effective way for people to protect themselves and others are to wash hands and follow the advice of healthcare professionals on sneezing, coughing and what to do if you have symptoms. The United States continues to condition the supply of the Patriot air defence systems to Turkey on returning the already purchased S-400 systems back to Russia, US Defense Department spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman said in a briefing on Tuesday, Trend reports citing Sputnik. "Turkey is not going to receive a Patriot battery unless it returns the S-400," Hoffman told reporters. Earlier on Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the United States has softened its stance on Turkeys purchase of the Russian S-400 air defence systems and reduced its demands to asking Ankara not to put the weapon on active service. In Retrospect: News from the Jan. 13, 1922 and Jan. 12, 1972 Souderton Independent Bringing with her a message of female empowerment, Philadelphia-based author and activist Feminista Jones will discuss the state of feminism in the 21st Century during a Saginaw Valley State University Women's History Month presentation later this month. Her talk, titled "Intersectional Feminism/Womens Empowerment," is scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 19, in SVSU's Rhea E. Miller Recital Hall. Her presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session. Both are free and open to the public. Jones is a feminist writer, public speaker, retired social worker, and community activist. She is an award-winning blogger and author of four books including the critically-acclaimed 2019 release, Reclaiming Our Space: How Black Feminists Are Changing the World from the Tweets to the Streets. Her thought-provoking, conversation-starting writing has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time magazine, Essence, Complex, Vox, Salon, and EBONY. Jones recently addressed challenges facing the modern feminist movement in a July 2019 blog entry, titled "We Need a 21-Century Kind of Feminism." "The 21st-Century wave of feminism will not be collectively successful in its fight for gender equality if we do not embrace intersectionality as praxis and create space and support for all girls and women to become actively engaged in the work," Jones wrote in the blog entry. "Women of color, queer and trans women, disabled women, immigrant women, and poor women must all be called in and allowed space at the table to contribute their wisdom and experiences to the modern feminist movement." In 2017, Jones was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Philadelphia by Philadelphia magazine, and in 2018, she was featured in Philadelphia Style magazine for her community and activism work. Jones lecture is part of SVSU's Dow Visiting Scholars and Artists program. For more information about Jones presentation and the Dow Visiting Scholars and Artists program, visit www.svsu.edu/publiclectures. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images Update: Weinstein has been sentenced to 23 years in prison. Read our original post below. Harvey Weinstein is scheduled to be sentenced in Manhattan Supreme Court Wednesday morning following his rape and sexual-assault conviction on February 24. A jury found Weinstein guilty of third-degree rape and a criminal sexual act in the first degree for attacks on two women, onetime actress Jessica Mann and former Project Runway production assistant Mimi Haleyi. Mann testified that Weinstein raped her at a Midtown East hotel in early 2013; Haleyi said on the witness stand that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in the summer of 2006. Weinstein was found not guilty of three counts one count of first-degree rape and two counts of predatory sexual assault. Weinstein was taken into custody right after the verdict came down. He was initially held in Bellevue Hospitals prison ward owing to chest pain, heart palpitations, and high blood pressure. On March 4, doctors gave Weinstein a heart stent (effectively, a tube that keeps arteries open); the next day, he was transferred to an infirmary ward on Rikers Island. Here, the rundown of everything to know about Weinsteins upcoming sentencing and whats next for the movie producer turned convicted rapist. Is Harvey Weinstein going to prison? Weinstein faces a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 29. The range is wide because Weinstein was convicted of two different charges that carry different possible sentences. The most serious crime Weinstein was convicted of, a criminal sexual act in the first degree, has a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 25. Third-degree rape does not have a minimum prison sentence, and the maximum time behind bars for this charge is four years. Had Weinstein been convicted of predatory sexual assault, his maximum possible sentence would have been life in prison. So how is his sentence determined? Justice James Burke, who presided over this case, has the power to give Weinstein a sentence greater than the five-year minimum. Burke will take several things into account in making his decision. Before sentencing, both Weinsteins team and prosecutors submit their arguments for what they think his sentence should be. Longtime criminal-defense attorney Robert Gottlieb previously told Vulture that Weinsteins lawyers could file character letters vouching for him in their bid for a less severe sentence. Weinsteins victims can also submit statements in writing. Probation Department officials will also compile a pre-sentence report for the judge. This report will feature background info on Weinstein, including details on his work and family life, information on his crimes, as well as other accusations against him. Gottlieb said this report is really just to assist the judge, along with all the other written submissions, in determining the most appropriate sentence. How much time do prosecutors want? In a letter submitted on Friday, March 6, the Manhattan District Attorneys Office did not recommend a specific prison term. Prosecutors listed numerous instances of alleged past misdeeds, which include sexual harassment and assault, as well as non-sexual physical attacks and threats, over a period of more than 40 years. They said that Weinstein displayed a staggering lack of empathy, treating others with disdain and inhumanity, and consistently advanced his own sordid desires and fixations over the well-being of others. They said that these alleged acts show a lifetime of abuse towards others, sexual and otherwise, and as a result, the People will ask the Court to impose a sentence that reflects the seriousness of defendants offenses, his total lack of remorse for the harm he has caused, and the need to deter him and others from engaging in further criminal conduct. Its impossible to predict what Weinstein will get and hard to make apples-to-apples comparison to other cases. One recent conviction for a first-degree criminal sexual act in New York involving a man who pleaded guilty to sodomizing an 11-year-old girl at knifepoint resulted in a sentence of ten-to-20 years in prison. Another New York case which involved not only a conviction for a first-degree criminal sexual act but also for first-degree rape and sexual abuse resulted in a ten-year sentence. Charges and sentences vary from state to state, but Weinstein already faces more potential prison time than another high-profile convict, Bill Cosby, the disgraced ex-comedian who was sentenced to three-to-ten years in prison after being convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand at his Pennsylvania home. How much time did his lawyers ask for? They are asking for five years, which is the minimum sentence. In a letter arguing for leniency on Monday, his legal team said that Weinstein, like most people, is complicated and the trial did not fairly portray who he is as a person. His life story, his accomplishments, and struggles are simply remarkable and should not be disregarded in total because of the jurys verdict, their missive said. They tout Weinsteins philanthropic efforts and say he has already suffered since allegations against him surfaced in October 2017. Weinsteins life has been destroyed. His wife divorced him, he was fired from The Weinstein Company, and in short, he lost everything, his lawyers wrote. Not only that, but Mr. Weinstein was constantly maligned by the media, having long since been convicted in the court of public opinion before ever stepping foot in [court]. Mr. Weinstein cannot walk outside without being heckled, he has lost his means to earn a living, simply put, his fall from grace has been historic, perhaps unmatched in the age of social media. They say Weinstein has also suffered from Manns claim that he doesnt have testicles. And on top of it all, he had to endure descriptions of his appearance, his hygiene, his genitalia, and the most deeply personal and intimate matters become the subject of national and international scrutiny and intrigue, they wrote. What happens at the sentencing? Prosecutors will make more detailed arguments about what they think Weinsteins sentence should be. Weinsteins lawyers as well get the chance to make their own sentencing argument. Weinstein also has the opportunity to address the court if he wants to. Prosecutors said in last weeks letter that Haleyi and Mann would give the court statements during Weinsteins sentencing. Its not yet known whether Haleyi and Mann will speak or if their statements will simply be read. After all the legal arguments and statements are made, Burke will hand down Weinsteins sentence. What happens after Weinsteins sentencing? Weinstein will ultimately be transferred from New York City Department of Correction custody into the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) system. According to DOCCS, Weinstein will initially be taken to a reception center before his eventual transfer to another prison. (Per the New York Times, this center is downstate, in Fishkill, while Weinsteins assigned prison will be upstate.) At the reception center, Weinstein will be required to receive a shower and delousing treatment. Weinstein, like all male inmates, will be required to receive a shave and a haircut, the agency document indicates. And state-issued clothing, along with personal-care products, are provided to each inmate. He will have a physical and a dental examination. Weinstein will also get an inmate rulebook and watch an orientation video, which includes information on communicable diseases, suicide prevention, and sexual abuse. Like other inmates, Weinstein will get a pamphlet, The Prevention of Sexual Abuse in Prison; What Inmates Need to Know, and watch a gender-specific version of the film Ending Sexual Abuse Behind the Walls; An Orientation. Security personnel will also determine whether Weinstein is at risk from other inmates, according to DOCCS. University art exhibition begins at UnDegUn town centre gallery This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Mar 10th, 2020 An art exhibition has launched featuring the work of a range of Wrexham Glyndwr University lecturers demonstrating their artistic skills. Heterotopic Encounters opened with a private viewing on Friday where guests including current Glyndwr students were given a first chance to see the artwork on display as well as a chance to speak to some of the artists involved. Among the lecturers from the university displaying work at the exhibition at UnDegUn, Wrexham, were the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology Professor Alec Shepley, the leader of the Facultys Masters in Art Practice and Design Practice Dr Karen Heald, and the Facultys Associate Dean for Research, Dr Sue Liggett. Professor Shepley explained that for all Glyndwrs lecturers working on the universitys art courses maintaining a professional practice is also key to their academic work. He said: The show involves artists who are lecturers at Glyndwr working alongside artists who are from the North East Wales Region. The idea for a show like this has been in my head for a few years, and its great to finally see it taking place and Id like to see it in other galleries too after this! It began with an essay I wrote, which the artists then responded to and from there, it all happened very quickly. Other Glyndwr lecturers who are displaying their work at the show include Fine Art lecturers Paul Jones and Ali Roscoe, and Tracey Simpson who is also a Director for the Arts Consultancy ADDO and studying for a PhD in Art Practice at Glyndwr. Glyndwr students have also been involved in the production of a number of the artworks, including Professor Shepleys piece. The piece, Untitled (Cabinet of Ecotones) 2020, features a film featuring Duet/Deuawd made by a group of third year arts undergraduates who journeyed across Wrexham to participate in an art action using tools from the installation, which was filmed and then became part of the installation itself. The film is an homage to Belgian artist Francis Alys film Duet. Other pieces examine some of the often-missed features of Wrexhams streetscape, a piece where graphics are generated using the temperature, humidity and pressure in UnDegUn and ten stepping stones cast using a paving slab mould but using jelly so the stones work against their usual function. Between them, the artists on display at Heterotopic Encounters have shown work internationally and closer to home across the UK, in galleries in towns and cities as diverse as Edinburgh to Wolverhampton and Llandudno to London. Professor Shepley added: Each one of the artists who are taking part from Glyndwr is a practicing artist, and their pieces relate directly back to their ongoing research interests. It was important, too, that students were also involved in the project, and are producers of knowledge and work just as much as they are receivers. We are also going to be using the space to teach in by bringing foundation year students here next week. Indeed, the show is all about engaging with students to get them where they need to be as artists and if we, as lecturers, are not practicing artists ourselves, how can we speak the language and teach students? Heterotopic Encounters runs at UnDegUn on Regent Street in Wrexham until March 23 and is the final show in UnDegUns current location before the project moves to new premises. The gallery is open between 11am and 4pm every Tuesday to Saturday. To find out more about studying arts courses at Wrexham Glyndwr University click here for undergraduate options: https://www.glyndwr.ac.uk/en/Undergraduatecourses/ and here for postgraduate options: https://www.glyndwr.ac.uk/en/Postgraduatecourses/ A fantasized day in the life of French performer Clea Gaultier. She wakes up next to an American-accented guy, who she teases that she'll give him a surprise if he guesses right whether she wants coffee or orange juice. Coffee is the winner, and the prize is a blowjob and leisurely fuck. At breakfast, she takes a selfie of herself and her paramour, a clever touch. She splits for the gym and the POV lapses until we become a trainer working with Amirah Adara as Clea walks in. Clea drops to the ground, doing splits and crunches as the trainer looks on appreciatively, cheering her on. Adara gets the trainer's attention by grabbing his crotch, and when he invites Gaultier to join their little party, she begs off (!) saying she has to do some shopping. Fortunately Lilu Moon is there to pick up the slack. Gaultier goes lingerie shopping with Darcia Lee, trying on bra-and-panty sets as Lee watches in the dressing room, getting turned on, with predictable results. Next, Gaultier heads off to a photo shoot. When she walks onto the seamless wearing just spike heels and a necklace, the photographer says he wants "something wild," framing her in his viewfinder as we watch. She delivers. The American guy is back, joining her in a dimly-lit bar, and she proposes a test: Answer some questions about her like her favorite color, and you'll get a quick b.j. in the bathroom back there. There's a moment of suspense when the guy gets one question wrong, but she grades on a curve. Back in the bar, he admires Alexis Crystal, so Gaultier walks over, inviting her back for a three-way avec anal, s'il vous plait. Silly fun with a European flair, right down to the contrived situations and dubbed dialogue. FILE PHOTO: Workers are seen near Qantas Airways, Australia's national carrier, Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the tarmac at Adelaide Airport By Jamie Freed SYDNEY (Reuters) - Qantas Airways Ltd will cut its international capacity by nearly 25% over the next six months and delay an order for Airbus A350 planes as part of sweeping changes in response to a coronavirus-led plunge in passenger demand. The Australian airline also said on Tuesday it is cancelling plans for a A$150 million ($98.73 million) off-market share buyback to preserve cash. Qantas' chief executive and chairman will take no salary for the rest of the current financial year, the management team will receive no bonuses and all staff are being encouraged to take paid or unpaid leave. "We are using every lever we can to avoid redundancies," Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce told reporters in Sydney. "We think we can do that into September with these cuts." Airlines around the world are experiencing a collapse in demand due to the coronavirus, which an industry body last week estimated could lower passenger revenue by as much as $113 billion this year. Qantas shares fell as much as 7.2% in early trade on Tuesday but rebounded to close 7.2% higher, compared with a 3.1% rise in the broader market <.AXJO>. "This is a significant but appropriate response," Jefferies analyst Anthony Moulder told clients of the action taken by management. The airline said it could no longer provide guidance on the financial impact of the coronavirus, which at the time of its half-year results on Feb. 20 it had estimated could result in a A$100 million to A$150 million hit to underlying earnings before interest and tax this financial year. The carrier is now grounding the equivalent of 38 planes, more than double the 18 it had announced last month. Qantas' capacity reduction for the June quarter will rise to 17%, up from 4% at the time of its interim results. That includes plans to ground eight of its 12 A380 superjumbos, with two remaining flying and the other two in maintenance. Story continues Sydney Airport Holdings Pty Ltd , Australia's largest airport, said provisional data for the first nine days of March indicated a 25% fall in international passengers and a 6% decline in domestic passengers. AIRBUS DELAY Qantas had been expected to place an order for up to 12 A350-1000 planes capable of the world's longest flights from Sydney to London by the end of the month. Airbus had set that deadline on the basis the production slots were potentially valuable and could be sold to other airlines, Joyce said. "In the current environment that doesn't seem to be the case. Nobody is ordering aircraft," he said. "We have asked Airbus for a delay in the decision. We would rather wait for the coronavirus issue to be out of the way before we put a firm aircraft order in for the A350." Airbus did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Joyce said the airline remained hopeful of pilots voting for a proposed pay package for the flights. Last month, Qantas said it would hire other pilots to fly the A350s if a deal was not approved. The union has not yet made a formal recommendation to Qantas pilots. Memos last week from two leaders, viewed by Reuters, advised pilots to reluctantly approve the company's offer, but the pair do not represent the entire union panel. (Reporting by Jamie Freed in Sydney; Editing by Sandra Maler, Matthew Lewis and Jane Wardell) A change in chemical composition enabled scientists to boost the longevity and efficiency of a perovskite solar cell developed at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The new formula enabled the solar cell to resist a stability problem that has so far thwarted the commercialization of perovskites. The problem is known as light-induced phase-segregation, which occurs when the alloys that make up the solar cells break down under exposure to continuous light. "Now that we have shown that we are immune to this short-term, reversible phase-segregation, the next step is to continue to develop stable contact layers and architectures to achieve long-term reliability goals, allowing modules to last in the field for 25 years or more," said Caleb Boyd, lead author of a newly published paper in Science titled "Triple-halide wide-bandgap perovskites with suppressed phase-segregation for efficient tandems." Boyd and co-author Jixian Xu are associated with University of Colorado-Boulder Professor Michael McGehee's research group, which investigates perovskites at NREL. Additional NREL scientists who contributed to the paper are Axel Palmstrom, Daniel Witter, Bryon Larson, Ryan France, Jeremie Werner, Steven Harvey, Eli Wolf, Maikel van Hest, Joseph Berry, and Joseph Luther. Perovskite solar cells are typically made using a combination of iodine and bromine, or bromine and chlorine, but the researchers improved upon the formula by including all three types of halides. The research proved the feasibility of alloying the three materials. Adding chlorine to iodine and bromine created a triple-halide perovskite phase and suppressed the light-induced phase-segregation even at an illumination of 100 suns. What degradation occurred was slight, at less than 4% after 1,000 hours of operation at 60 degrees Celsius. At 85 degrees and after operating for 500 hours, the solar cell lost only about 3% of its initial efficiency. "The next step is to further demonstrate accelerated stability testing to really prove what might happen in 10 or 20 years in the field," Boyd said. The new formula created a solar cell with an efficiency of 20.3%. Silicon remains the dominant material used in solar cells, but the technology is approaching its theoretical maximum efficiency of 29.1%, with a record 26.7% established to date. But putting perovskites atop a silicon solar cell to create a multijunction solar cell could boost efficiency and bring down the cost of solar electricity. NREL scientists were able to create a tandem perovskite/silicon solar cell with an efficiency of 27%. By itself, the silicon solar cell had an efficiency of about 21%. ### DOE's Solar Energy Technologies Office funded the research. NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for the Energy Department by The Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC. LAS VEGAS, March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Manufacturers of construction, mining, and agriculture equipment remain a critical part of the U.S. economy and represent 12 percent of all manufacturing jobs in the United States, according to a new report released today by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). The Market Size and Economic Contributions of the Off-Highway Industry provides a detailed assessment of the equipment manufacturing industrys contributions to the U.S. economy and the role it plays in creating opportunity and supporting jobs for 2.8 million Americans across the country. The report, produced by IHS Markit, was released at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020, North Americas largest construction trade show, which is owned and operated by AEM. Every day the 2.8 million men and women of our industry roll up their sleeves and go to work building state-of-the-art equipment in communities across the country, said Dennis Slater, President of AEM. This report tells the story of the people who make America by building the combine the farmer uses to harvest his corn and the excavator the construction worker uses to build our roads and bridges. The report shows significant overall direct job growth for the industry over the last three years, at a rate of nearly 10 percent, fueled in part by historic tax reform and regulatory relief. However, tariffs on steel and other critical inputs, along with a protracted trade war with China, caused direct job growth to slow to just 1.2 percent in 2019, with both the construction and agriculture equipment sectors contracting by 0.7 and 0.6 percent respectively. The new report on the economic impact of the equipment manufacturing industry comes as a recent national poll shows that ninety-one percent of registered voters say manufacturing is critical or important to the U.S. economy. The same poll also shows that more than three quarters of registered voters want to know how presidential candidates plan to support and grow manufacturing in the United States. 2020 is an important election year for our industry, and for all manufacturers, said Jeff Reed, AEM Board Chair, and President & CEO of Reed International/VSS Macropaver. Voters look to elected officials and candidates to support pro-manufacturing policies. That means supporting free and fair trade, infrastructure investment, strong agricultural communities, and training the next generation of Americas workforce, all of which is critically important to the 2.8 million men and women of our industry. The report focuses on several measures of economic value, including the total number of jobs supported by the equipment manufacturing industry and its contribution to the amount of gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States. Highlights include $791 billion dollars a year are generated by equipment manufacturers in total equipment sales and output Equipment manufacturing jobs pay 35 percent more than the national average Equipment manufacturers support at least 1,000 jobs in 44 states Equipment manufacturers support at least 1,000 jobs in nearly two-thirds of every U.S. congressional district The top five states with the most jobs supported by the equipment manufacturing industry are Texas (622,882), Illinois (245,624), Wisconsin (187,699), Ohio (163,990), and Indiana (139,842) To keep equipment manufacturing front and center in 2020, AEM is launching a series of initiatives to educate and engage the men and women of the industry on the policy issues that matter. This includes the AEM 2020 Manufacturing Express, a three-month, 20-state bus tour that will highlight the importance of equipment manufacturing to communities across the country, connect manufacturing voters with elected officials and candidates, and promote civic engagement. The bus tour will be unveiled at a 2:30 pm PT press event this Thursday, March 12, at CONEXPO-CON/AGG in Las Vegas. About the report The Association of Equipment Manufacturers commissioned IHS Markit, a global information provider, to conduct an analysis to estimate the contribution of the agriculture, construction and mining manufacturing segments of the equipment manufacturing industry to the U.S. economy. The report relies upon a well-established approach, grounded on government data and augmented by AEM member data and IHS Markit proprietary industry analysis. The economic contribution of the industry is measured in terms of employment, output, value added (i.e., contribution to GDP), labor income and tax revenue. For each measure, the direct, indirect, and induced contributions of the industry are calculated using a combination of the IHS Markit Business Market Insights industry model, Regional economic model, Census and StatsCan metrics and factors derived from the IMPLAN model, an input-output model based on government data. AEM is the North American-based international trade group representing off-road equipment manufacturers and suppliers, with more than 1,000 companies and more than 200 product lines in the agriculture and construction-related industry sectors worldwide. The equipment manufacturing industry in the United States supports 2.8 million jobs and contributes roughly $288 billion to the economy every year. Media Contacts: David Ward (AEM) 202-256-6180 dward@aem.org David O'Brien 215-760-8617 dobrien@craftdc.com Attachment Click here to read the full article. Acupuncture sits in an odd corner of the public consciousness. Most people kind of know what it is, but comparatively few have given the ancient form of Chinese medicine a go themselves. And its often for the understandable uncertainty that comes with being sporadically covered in needles like the pins dotting a military map. Ora is looking to change that with an environment that stays true to the practice but kicks the relaxation and luxury up a few notches. Walking into Oras airy space on West 4th Street in Manhattans NoHo neighborhood is like stepping into a cross between a boutique hotel lobby and a minimalist apothecary. Designed by Rockwell Group, its white walls extend up to high ceilings from which hang a sculptural array of ombre tassels around soft lighting. This is suspended above a lengthy marble counter where guests can speedily check-in before retiring to a selection of supple taupe seating as they await treatment. According to founder Kimberly Ross, every detail was thoroughly considered. More from Robb Report I really wanted to focus around the experience, design being a huge part of the experience, Ross told Robb Report. We wanted it to not be transactional and a huge part of our brand mission is to educate people on acupuncture and Eastern medicine, so we wanted to create a space that would help facilitate the conversation. The counter check-in is meant to be more like a kitchen counter than a true hospital-like check-in. For Ross, that mission is personal. A Type-1 diabetic with chronic digestive issues, she was referred to acupuncturist Gabriel Sher (now Oras director of acupuncture) when she was working in real estate development in New York City. After regular sessions, she noticed great improvement in her symptoms and saw the methodology as a complement to her Western treatments. When she moved to Boston to start at Harvard Business School in 2017, she also stopped seeing Sherand her health issues quickly returned. Rosss hunt for another skilled acupuncturist left her frustrated, but also made her realize that others might experience the same problem. From that point on, her graduate work focused on developing what would become Ora. Story continues Ora offers an array of services designed to address everything from nagging aches and pains to digestion and even sexual health. Ross explained that one of acupunctures greatest benefits is its versatility. Why I love acupuncture is that I might be going for my chronic health issues, but I think it also meets you where you are that day. If youre having terrible neck pain or awful sinuses that day, you can also get relief for that. We wanted to make sure the treatments are tailored to you. Treatments take place in serene rooms with dim lighting and exceptionally comfortable beds where highly trained staff selected by Ross and Sher customize a plan for every patient. And for those shy of needles, you neednt worry. Ross confirmed that the needles are the width of a human hair, quite literally a fraction of the size used in your typical doctors office. Clients also have the option of choosing treatments of different lengths to best suit busy schedules. After a session is complete, they can enjoy a selection of specially developed teas and tonics (which I can say from experience are far tastier than the word medicinal would have you believe). It was really through my own health reasons that I found acupuncture and then through my passion that would help other people, Ross said. So many people are really trying to feel better and struggling at that and acupuncture was something I was able to turn to to help me. I wanted to create a space that [other people] could also turn to. Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. M Ps have praised the Evening Standards campaign to reduce school exclusions as a way to tackle Londons violent crime epidemic. A debate in Westminster Hall was told of the link between pupils excluded from school becoming caught up in violent crime and being at risk of being recruited by county lines drugs gangs. Sarah Jones, the author of an all-party report on knife crime, paid tribute to the Standards Excluded campaign, which aims to encourage greater inclusion. Some 57 applications to the 1 million fund for inclusion units, based on work in Glasgow and at the Dunraven school in Lambeth, have been received. Ms Jones said exclusions in England had increased 70 per cent since 2012. She said this mirrored the increase in knife crime, with children aged 10 to 17 responsible for a fifth of incidents about 9,000 a year. James Murray, Labour MP for Ealing North, said Northolt High School in his constituency had made a bid to the Standards fund. Six more cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Kerala, and the total number of infected people now stood at 12, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said here on Tuesday. The affected include three who had come from Italy and eight who came in contact with them, Vijayan told reporters after a special cabinet meeting on Tuesday. A three-year-old child, who returned along with his parents from the European nation, had tested positive in Kochi on Monday. The samples of his parents have also been sent for testing and the results are awaited, Vijayan said. Totally, 1,116 people are under surveillance in the state and 149 in various hospitals, he said. India's first three positive cases, reported from Kerala earlier, have been treated and discharged from hospitals. In the backdrop of more cases being reported, classes for grade one to 7 would not be held in all state, CBSE and ICSE schools. But, exams for grade eight, nine, 10 and higher secondary would be held. Students who are under observation would be permitted to write examinations in a special room. The Chief Minister said all colleges would also be shut till this month end. Madrasas and tutorials would also be closed till March 31. Marriage rituals can be held but people should aovid attending such functions. It is better pilgrims do not visit Sabarimala for darshan, Vijayan said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Wells Fargo board chair and another board member suddenly resigned Sunday, according to a news release from the banking giant. On Monday, Wells Fargo announced the resignations of Elizabeth A. Duke, who has been the chair of the banks board of directors since 2018, and board member James H. Quigley. In a joint statement, Duke and Quigley said that they resigned to help the bank turn the page on its numerous scandals. Since we were made aware of the egregious harms suffered by Wells Fargos customers, we were and remain fiercely determined to do right by them and to strengthen the bans culture and controls, Duke and Quigley said. Out of continued loyalty to Wells Fargo and ongoing commitment to serve our customers and employees, we recommended to our colleagues on the Board that we step down from our leadership roles and they have accepted our resignation from the Board. We believe that our decision will facilitate the banks and the new CEOs ability to turn the page and avoid distraction that could impede the banks future progress. Putin Launches "War On US Shale" After Dumping MbS & Breaking Up OPEC+ By Tyler Durden OPEC+ is no more, after a torrid 24 hours in which Russia overturned the balance of power in the oil world, leaving the members of OPEC+ dazed and confused, shocking Saudi which now faces social unrest with the price of oil far below Riyadh's budget, and - in a repeat of the Thanksgiving 2014 OPEC massacre - sending oil prices plunging by the most since the financial crisis. And now, Bloomberg has the stunning backstory behind Friday's announcement that Russia is quitting its output deal with OPEC and its allies, after last week's Vienna summit meant to back a proposal by oil producers to cut output collapsed, causing a 10% plunge in oil prices, with some markets seeing their biggest one-day falls since the financial crisis. Driving a stake right through the heart of his former OPEC colleagues, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said that "considering the decision taken today, from April 1 of this year onwards, neither we nor any OPEC or non-OPEC country is required to make (oil) output cuts." With global fears over coronavirus already severely impacting the oil market (down 30% since the start of the year), and with the Russians surprising oil ministers gathered at OPEC headquarters by suddenly abandoning a plan meant to keep oil prices steady, the biggest shock was felt by the Saudis, because as Bloomberg puts it, Putin has just effectively dumped crown prince MbS to start a war on America's shale oil industry: Alexander Novak told his Saudi Arabian counterpart Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman that Russia was unwilling to cut oil production further. The Kremlin had decided that propping up prices as the coronavirus ravaged energy demand would be a gift to the U.S. shale industry. The frackers had added millions of barrels of oil to the global market while Russian companies kept wells idle. Now it was time to squeeze the Americans. After five hours of polite but fruitless negotiation, in which Russia clearly laid out its strategy, the talks broke down. Oil prices fell more than 10%. It wasnt just traders who were caught out: Ministers were so shocked, they didnt know what to say, according to a person in the room. The gathering suddenly had the atmosphere of a wake, said another. Heading into Friday's critical session, OPEC had been pushing for an additional 1.5 million barrels per day of cuts, reducing production by 3.6% of the world's total supply, which would have required Russia and other non-OPEC states (but mostly Russia) to contribute 500,000 bpd to the extra cut. Mohammed bin Salman and Vladimir Putin, file image via AFP/Getty Images. Bloomberg quotes Russian state-run think tank Institute of World Economy and International Relations president Alexander Dynkin as saying, "The Kremlin has decided to sacrifice OPEC+ to stop U.S. shale producers and punish the U.S. for messing with Nord Stream 2." Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter "Of course, to upset Saudi Arabia could be a risky thing, but this is Russias strategy at the moment flexible geometry of interests," Dynkin added, but what he really meant is flexible budgets, because unlike the rest of OPEC+, "Russia's budget is better prepared for lower oil than six years ago." As such, the Kremlin can now sit back and wait as one after another OPEC nation gets "Venezuela'ed", and its production permanently taken offline amid social unrest, resulting in far lower long-term output. The ultimate target, of course, is US shale - drag the price of oil low enough for long enough, and Russia may just succeed where Saudi Arabia failed in 2014, after shale - funded generously by junk bonds - not only survived the great oil price crash of 2014/2015, but has since reached record output. But new storm clouds are coming out... Meanwhile, it is unclear what's next for Russia's diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia: Putin's cultivation of deep engagement with the OPEC+ coalition over the past three years is what helped cement a bond with Saudi Arabia's leader MbS. But now it seems Riyadh's more powerful ally the United States is pushing Russia into a position of seeing itself as 'forced' to react at an opportune moment of extremely heightened market sensitivity, given Washington's recent crippling Nord Stream 2 sanctions and measures against Russian state-oil giant Rosneft. Consider Friday payback. " Source " Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here WA will not close any schools in response to the coronavirus outbreak, Education Minister Sue Ellery says, after the head of the state's peak doctors' body said the move would be "one of the most effective ways you can slow this thing down". Australian Medical Association WA president Andrew Miller on Tuesday said the government should consider closing schools as a pre-emptive measure. The new clinic at Royal Perth Hospital attracted a long line of people that snaked down the path. Credit:Sharon Smith He said the illness was starting to pop up in Australian schools, and once WA got to the point of having to close a few schools on an ad-hoc basis it would be smart to close them all and get ahead of the curve. "I think it should be actively considered in the next week or two. If we see what I think we are going to see, which is once they start testing large numbers of the population they are going to see this is more widespread than they think," Dr Miller said. BOGOR, Indonesia (AP) King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands apologized Tuesday for his country's aggression during its colonial rule of Indonesia and formally recognized the Southeast Asian country's independence date, in his first state visit to the former Dutch colony. The king's apology was conveyed after he and Queen Maxima were hosted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his wife, Iriana, at an official ceremony in the ornate colonial-style presidential palace in Bogor, just outside the capital, Jakarta. The Netherlands did not initially apologize for its 350 years of colonial rule and aggression until 2013, when the Dutch ambassador expressed remorse for a series of massacres carried out by the Dutch military to crush resistance against colonial rule in Java and Sulawesi islands after Indonesia's 1945 declaration of independence. That apology came only after the victims' widows took the Dutch government to court. "In line with the previous statement by my government, I would like to express my regret and apologize here for the excessive violence on the part of the Dutch in those years," the king said Tuesday at a joint news conference with Widodo. I do so with full awareness that the pain and sorrow of the affected families will be felt for generations. Indonesia declared its independence from Dutch colonial rule on Aug. 17, 1945, but the Netherlands refused to acknowledge it and fought unsuccessfully to maintain control of the lucrative Asian outpost. It finally recognized the country as an independent nation in December 1949. Indonesian authorities claim some 40,000 people were killed during the fighting, while most Dutch historians estimate the dead at about 1,500. A 1968 Dutch report acknowledged violent excesses in Indonesia but argued that Dutch troops were conducting a police action often incited by guerrilla warfare and terror attacks. The Dutch government has never prosecuted any soldiers for the killings despite a U.N. report condemning the attacks as deliberate and ruthless as early as 1948. Story continues The 2013 apology by the Dutch ambassador cleared the way for the biggest-ever Dutch trade mission to Indonesia in November 2013, led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Subsequent apologies were made by Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders in 2016 and Rutte late last year during visits in Indonesia. But unresolved demands from those affected by past war crimes still loom large over the monarch's current visit. "On Aug. 17, it will be 75 years since Indonesia declared its proclamation, claiming its place among free and independent countries," the king said Tuesday. "Today, the Dutch government explicitly acknowledged it both politically and morally." The four-day state visit by the royal couple, who arrived in Jakarta on Monday, aims to deepen economic ties with Indonesia. It's the first trip to Indonesia for the king since he ascended the throne in 2013, and the fourth for the queen, whose previous trips were part of her role as U.N. Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development. The king and queen started their busy day Tuesday by laying a wreath at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery to honor Indonesia's war dead, especially those who fell during the War of Independence. In the afternoon, the royal couple laid a wreath at Menteng Pulo Cemetery, the resting place of almost 4,300 Dutch soldiers who died during World War II and the independence war. The king and Widodo witnessed the signing of agreements for economic partnership in the areas of agriculture, health care, coastal protection and the maritime industry. Under the Widodo administration, ties between the two countries have strengthened significantly. "We certainly cannot erase our history, but we can learn from the past," Widodo said. "We try to learn from history to strengthen our commitment to build an equal relationship that respects and benefits each other." Widodos visit to the Netherlands in 2016 was the first by an Indonesian leader since Abdurraham Wahid in 2000. In 2010, then-President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono canceled a visit at the last minute amid moves by a separatist group to have him arrested for alleged human rights violations. The Dutch royal couple is scheduled to meet the Sultan of Yogyakarta on Wednesday. On Thursday, the king and queen will visit Lake Toba in North Sumatra province, one of Indonesia's "10 new Balis," an ambitious plan to boost tourism and diversify Southeast Asia's largest economy. They will also visit Sebangau National Park on Borneo island on Thursday. ___ Karmini reported from Jakarta, Indonesia Scientists at UCL have invented a new test to identify the earliest genetic changes of prostate cancer in blood: a process which could allow doctors to see if cancers have spread, monitor tumour behaviour and enable better treatment selection. In the study, published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers at UCL Cancer Institute used Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) to establish if they could identify prostate cancer DNA in blood plasma. Previous studies have focused on tissue samples, however this requires an invasive biopsy. Researchers say their successful discovery in blood represents a prostate tissue "fingerprint", or early circulating biomarker, and when detected identifies that cancer is active and spreading. As this can be detected in a simple blood test, commonly known as a liquid biopsy, physicians could monitor cancer response to treatment regularly and in real-time. Moving forward researchers will see if this test could complement or replace the existing prostate specific antigen test, which is used for prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment monitoring. Lead author, Dr Anjui Wu (UCL Cancer Institute), said: "Metastatic prostate cancer - the most dangerous late stage of the disease - can vary substantially in its treatment response and clinical progression. "We urgently need biomarkers that will help us determine how far along each patient's cancer is, to determine the best course of treatment. "With tumour biopsies difficult to obtain, being able to identify prostate cancer DNA signatures at the earliest opportunity in blood, will help monitor patients better and assist more effective treatment selection and combination." In this proof of concept study, the researchers set out to investigate a process called DNA methylation - that is, a chemical change in DNA molecules that can affect gene function and has been studied in tissues. To do this, the methylation and genome profiles of circulating-cell free DNA (degraded DNA fragments released to the blood plasma) from 25 metastatic prostate cancer patients were concurrently profiled using NGS. As a control, four healthy blood plasma samples were also analysed. The research group interrogated the molecular profiles to identify circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) methylations, which can be used to sensitively track tumour content change. Traditionally, the amount and quality of circulating cell-free DNA extracted from blood can be limited: surprisingly, researchers discovered 1,000s of methylation changes specific to the prostate gland in blood samples from men with prostate cancer. Using this finding, they developed these changes into a signature (a blood test that can be used in the clinic) for tracking prostate genetic material in blood to monitor cancer activity. Corresponding author, Professor Gert Attard (UCL Cancer Institute), said: "We are now testing our new technique in trial patients to see if it can complement or substitute the traditional serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) for diagnosis, risk assignment and monitoring how well a treatment is working. "We believe the increased sensitivity and additional information we derive, will significantly improve the outcomes of men with advanced prostate cancer." Professor Mark Emberton, Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences at UCL, said "The field of liquid biopsies has shown great potential recently to improve the diagnosis and management of cancer patients. "This test could be the first to tell us cancer has got into blood before the spread is large enough to see on imaging. This could allow targeting of treatment for men at the highest risk of prostate cancer spread." ### Peer reviewed; meta-analysis; people This research was funded by a Prostate Cancer Foundation Challenge Award, with additional support from Cancer Research UK, and the John Black Charitable Foundation. DETROIT, MI Police say an intoxicated man caused a chain-reaction crash on Detroits east side that sent four people to the hospital on Monday. A video posted by Click On Detroit shows a blue 2019 Dodge Charger speeding on Van Dyke near Merkel Avenue at 9:37 p.m. and slamming into the back of a white 2011 Lincoln. The Lincoln was spun sideways across the center line and struck by a gray 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix, the video shows. All three cars came to rest outside the Van Dyke Coney Island. Restaurant workers rushed outside to help the crash victims, Click On Detroit reports. Detroit police said the 41-year-old woman driving the Lincoln and her 14-year-old female passenger were taken to a nearby hospital and are in stable condition. A 30-year-old man driving the Grand Prix and his 28-year-old female passenger were also taken to a nearby hospital and also are in stable condition, Click On Detroit reports. A 39-year-old man driving the Charger was arrested at the scene and is being charged with operating while intoxicated, officers said. AS THIS column predicted, the lockdown in China would not be as airtight as vacuums. Today, COVID-19 has become a global menace, penetrating even the United States. The doubling of the cases reported in the Philippines indicate that our health authorities are not in control. Somewhere in our communities are Filipinos and non-Filipino visitors with no symptoms but might be highly contagious, who the Department of Health (DOH) failed to detect. Of course, DOH personnel are not expected to detect non-symptomatic persons using temperature handguns. That instrument simply cannot do that. However, our health authorities can still do something to beat the catching up game it is playing with COVID-19 in our midst. This approach will be very difficult to do but can be done if the DOH works with other government agencies, such as the Bureau of Immigration and other relevant agencies. The only chance we have right now is to catch up with the non-symptomatic persons among us. If we cannot catch up, then the only option is to lockdown cities with positive cases of COVID-19, at least to contain those who have been in contact with these patients. However, this is effective only if these asymptomatic persons have not left the cities first before the lockdown is initiated. Well, medical science cannot help us because surveillance based on symptoms cannot detect the asymptomatic. However, strategic movements can. The key to this strategy is the travel history of Filipinos and non-Filipino visitors. This must be the focal point in a parallel tracing of potential asymptomatic persons in the country. This requires many health personnel to do the tracing. However, this strategy can be made more efficient if travel information can be readily searched for travel histories. This, however, assumes that our travel databases recorded travel histories. Nevertheless, even if travel histories are not recorded in our database, all arriving flyers may be the starting point for the tracing effort. A DOH official talking to them individually can be more persuasive than a general call to self-quarantine. The problem with self-quarantine is that an asymptomatic person will have no reason to self-quarantine. However, a person with known travel history to countries now reporting cases of COVID-19 may be persuaded to self-quarantine or stay in the government quarantine facilities. This recommendation may sound impractical. However, it is only impractical if it will not be made actionable. This strategy is also very difficult to implement. Yet, it is the measure of our health authorities commitment to protect our people from COVID-19 before it is too late. Jyotiraditya Scindias long and eventful political career in the Congress party started after his father Madhavrao Scindias untimely death in 2001. And on Tuesdayon the birth anniversary of his fatherScindia will embark on a new political journey in his life from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). For many workers in the Congress, Jyotiraditya Scindia, 49, stood for what was seen as the modern face of the grand old party. Suave, highly educated, untainted and with a clear understanding of issues and a deep connection to the grassroots. After the untimely death of Madhavrao Scindia in a plane crash, Jyotiraditya Scindia took the plunge in electoral politics and filed a nomination for the by-election in the Guna parliamentary constituency of Madhya Pradesh. Scindia, the grandson of Jivajirao Scindia (the last maharaja of the princely state of Gwaliors) defeated his nearest rival, the BJPs Desh Raj Singh, by a margin of 450,000 votes. He went on to win the seat for four straight terms but lost the polls in the last general elections, primarily due to infighting within the Congress. Many party insiders pointed fingers at some senior state leaders of the party for Scindias defeat. The Harvard and Stanford University-educated Scindia has been the Congress pillar of strength not just in Madhya Pradesh but in the Centre as well. He was one of its top assets in Parliament as well as the organisation. During the UPA government, Scindia was inducted in the Union council of ministers first as the minister of state for communications and information technology in 2008. A year later, in the second UPA government, the young Scindia was given the charge of Commerce and Industry as the minister of state. On October 28, 2012, Scindia was made the Union minister of state (independent charge) for power. Among the young Turks of the Congress, he was the first to be given an independent charge as a minister of state. In Parliament, Rahul Gandhi, Scindia, Sachin Pilot, Milind Deora and Jitin Prasada were seen as a close-knit group that sat next to each other and often led the partys attack against the political rivals. A fiery orator, Scindia was later made the chief whip of the party in the 16th Lok Sabha when Narendra Modi came to power at the Centre in 2014. With the exit of Scindia, the Congress has not just lost a bright, young leader but also a key face of the party at a time when it is grappling to give a new shape to the organisation. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON I get where they are coming from, from a safety point of view, Deng said. We knew there was no way (the district) was going to let us go, especially with Italy being locked down. A lot of parents wouldnt have felt it was safe for us to go. If we went, we might not have been able to leave and that would have been very bad. Farmers in the Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) face large fines if they are not compliant with the scheme's targets by October. The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) is to write to farmers currently failing to meet the scheme's requirements to inform them of where they stand and what the penalty for non-compliance will be. Teagasc beef specialist Martina Harrington recently warned that with the programme in the sixth and final year of its first phase, farmers now must fulfil the scheme's replacement strategy, which is viewed as the most difficult target. "The big one is the 50pc requirement for four-and five-star cows/heifers on October 31, which incurs a 140pc penalty," she said. "So, not only will you not receive any payment for this year, you will also be deducted a further 40pc of the gross payment from another scheme." Compliance status Non-compliant farmers could still meet the requirements in this area by genotyping females born before June 30, 2019 or by buying in genotyped four- or five-star cows/heifers. Harrington said farmers can check their compliance status by logging into their account on the ICBF website. She said the information is also relevant to farmers currently meeting their BDGP targets. These farmers need to monitor their overall herd rating to ensure they remain in the compliance bracket by not selling eligible animals. Almost 40m in payments was issued to over 22,000 farmers under BDGP in 2019. Trevor Phillips has been suspended by the Labour Party Labour leadership hopeful Lisa Nandy today said she was 'troubled' by comments made by Trevor Phillips about Islam after he was suspended by the party over allegations of Islamophobia. Ms Nandy said that she 'admired a lot of the work' done by the veteran anti-racism campaigner but she then expressed concerns about some of his previous remarks. However, she refused to say whether she agreed with the suspension. Mr Phillips is now being investigated by the party over past comments, some of which date back years, including remarks on Pakistani Muslim men sexually abusing children in northern British towns. He stood by his remarks yesterday, blaming 'gangsterism' and suggesting he was a victim of 'payback' after criticising the Labour leadership's handling of anti-Semitism cases. Meanwhile, Ms Nandy also said Mr Phillips' case 'highlights how badly discredited' the Labour Party's complaints process has become. Ms Nandy said all allegations needed to be taken 'seriously' but cautioned that there was a 'particular problem' in Mr Phillips' case given his status as a former chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. The watchdog is currently investigating the Labour Party over allegations of anti-Semitism. Ms Nandy said Mr Phillips' case 'shows how far we have lost the trust of everybody in this process' as she said the party's complaints process must be totally independent in comments which will be seen as a warning against a stitch-up. It came as Mr Phillips called on Ms Nandy and her other leadership challengers to say publicly whether they support his suspension. The Telegraph reported the 66-year-old has called on Ms Nandy, Sir Keir Starmer and Rebecca Long-Bailey to 'pick a side' in the row. Lisa Nandy told ITV's Good Morning Britain programme the case of Trevor Phillips 'highlights how badly discredited' Labour's complaints process is Ms Nandy was asked during an interview on ITV's Good Morning Britain programme whether she agreed with Mr Phillips but she would not be drawn. She replied: 'I don't know if there is something to the allegations or not. 'I have admired a lot of the work that Trevor Phillips has done on combating racism over the last few years but I have also been troubled with some of the things he has said about Islam.' Setting out what specifically she was 'troubled' by, Ms Nandy continued: 'That he has said that Islam is not a race and therefore Muslims do not experience racism. 'He has also made a series of comments about how Muslims are different and how Muslims think in particular ways and have particular attitudes.' But Ms Nandy also said she was 'really troubled by' Labour's complaints process. 'I think this just highlights how badly discredited the Labour Party has become and the Labour leadership has become about the way that we handle complaints,' she said. 'There is a particular problem in the case of Trevor Phillips. He was the chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Labour is currently being investigated by the Equality and Human Rights Commission for institutional anti-Semitism. 'It just shows how far we have lost the trust of everybody in this process and why there has to be an independent process that is not subject to political interference.' The Wigan MP said Labour has 'got to take these allegations seriously' and added: 'I don't know where this complaint has come from but if somebody has made a complaint about Islamophobia, given how prevalent Islamophobia is, given the impact that it is having in the real world on people, we have to take it seriously. 'It doesn't mean that you presume guilt. I have said that in every case of anti-Semitism as well.' Mr Phillips said that his case represented a 'test for the kind of party these candidates want to lead'. His call was supported by the government's anti-Semitism adviser Lord Mann, who said: 'It is a mark of leadership... either back the investigation or back Trevor Phillips. 'To suspend the first head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission is not a sit on the fence issue.' A Labour Party spokeswoman said: 'The Labour Party takes all complaints about Islamophobia extremely seriously and they are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures, and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken.' Voting in the Labour leadership race is ongoing and will come to a close on April 2. A winner will then be announced at a special event on April 4. NEW BERLIN, Wis., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- United Heartland, a leading national workers' compensation insurance company, continued its focus on offering workers' compensation insurance in Pennsylvania with the addition of Brett Roth, senior business development specialist. The announcement reflects the continued commitment of United Heartland to expand its footprint throughout the U.S. and to deepen the relationship opportunities within the markets it already serves. United Heartland entered the Pennsylvania market in March 2019. Roth brings broad industry experience from underwriting guaranteed cost and loss sensitive business, to forecasting and pricing model development. Most recently, he served as founder of an insurtech business focused on workers' compensation market rates and analysis to help producers grow their business. He holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from Connecticut College and has earned the Associate in Risk Management (ARM). In his new role, Roth will be responsible for business in the company's Mid-Atlantic Region. "The addition of Brett deepens our expertise and helps solidify our presence in the local market," said Steve Cooper, president of United Heartland and Third Coast Underwriters. "Last year, our entry into Pennsylvania affirmed our assertion that there is a need for the high-touch, customer service-focused approach to workers' compensation that United Heartland excels at providing. Our approach has been particularly successful within our six key business segments education, health care, long-term care, manufacturing, nonprofits/social services and wholesale/retail. Brett's experience and unique knowledge of Pennsylvania will allow us to build on our recent successes. We're excited to have him on board." Under the guidance of Regional Director Tracy Bain and Regional Manager David Schaschwary, the United Heartland team will continue to explore opportunities for appointing agents and identifying qualified customers within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. "Our high-touch service model, with local loss control and claims support, allows us to be nimble and responsive to customer needs, and we look forward to working with agency partners who share that philosophy," said Bain. "We are confident our value proposition and tireless commitment to controlling our customer's total cost of risk will be attractive to potential customers in Pennsylvania." For information regarding additional agency appointments, contact Roth at [email protected]. About United Heartland United Heartland is the marketing name for United Wisconsin Insurance Company, a member of AF Group. Insurance policies may be issued by any of the following companies within AF Group: Accident Fund Insurance Company of America, Accident Fund National Insurance Company, Accident Fund General Insurance Company, United Wisconsin Insurance Company, Third Coast Insurance Company or CompWest Insurance Company. SOURCE United Heartland; AF Group Related Links http://www.unitedheartland.com OTTAWA U.S. and Canadian fighter jets have intercepted and escorted two Russian reconnaissance planes flying off the coast of Alaska, only days after Canadas top general described Russia as the greatest immediate threat to North America. Canadian CF-18s and American F-22s were scrambled Monday after the North American Aerospace Defence Command spotted the two Russian Tu-142 Bear aircraft approaching the Alaskan coast, Norad said in a statement. The Russians remained in international airspace over the Beaufort Sea north of Alaska for about four hours before departing, according to Norad. They approached within 50 nautical miles, or 92 kilometres, of the Alaskan coast, but did not enter U.S. or Canadian airspace. The Tu-142 is a long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine aircraft, though one version of the plane can be used to communicate with Russian ballistic submarines. Norad continues to operate in the Arctic across multiple domains, U.S. Gen. Terrence OShaughnessy, Norad commander, said in a statement. As we continue to conduct exercises and operations in the North, we are driven by a single unyielding priority: defending the homelands. The appearance of Russian aircraft off North Americas coast comes less than a week after Canadian military officials, including chief of the defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance, called Russia the greatest military threat to North America today. The most immediate state-sponsored military threat, if I could caveat it that way, that we face right now and today in physical space is Russia. I would say that China poses a more credible threat in cyberspace right now, Vance told a defence conference in Ottawa on March 4. The Russian flight also comes as the federal government is preparing to launch a major review of North Americas defences, including those that go beyond the traditional domains of land, sea and air to include space, cyberspace and information. The Liberal government has said it plans to upgrade those defences alongside the U.S., though it has not set a timetable or budget for the initiative. Read more about: Dell Technologies has announced that the negotiations with Symphony Technology Group (STG) have ended and that they will be selling RSA Security Business to the private equity firm. The sale of the legacy security firm is reportedly held at a value of $2.075 billion. Symphony Technology is part of an investor group that will be acquiring RSA from Dell. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board and AlpInvest Partners are part of the investor group and are also involved in the sale. The sale will include RSA Archer, RSA NetWitness Platform, RSA SecurID, RSA Fraud and Risk Intelligence, and RSA Conference. The technology firm acquired RSA when Dell bought EMC in 2015 for the price of $67 billion. EMC bought RSA back in 2006 at the same price that it was sold today for: $2.1 billion. According to Dell COO and vice chairman Jeff Clarke, the company sold RSA as part of their company-wide security strategy. RSA was no longer aligned with the approach they were planning on taking. The sale of RSA will also simplify Dells business and product portfolios. Dells strategy regarding security is to push for a more modernized take, employing automated and intelligent security measures on platforms, devices and infrastructures to help protect data. RSA, on the other hand, provides the risk, security, and fraud teams of companies with the ability to manage digital security risks on a holistic level. RSA looks at managing areas such as threat detection and response, access and identity management, and risk management, which they all integrate into their products. With data becoming such a commodity in todays digital age, companies are looking for ways to improve their security against data breaches and fraud. Trade shows are often a common place for data to become compromised, which is why event lead capture products and services have also been automated and made more secure. As a result, investment in data and data security firms have increased in recent years. Google, for example, has even acquired Santa Cruz, California based data platform provider Looker as part of their bid to strengthen their data analytics capabilities. RSA president Rohit Ghai mentions STGs acquisition of their company as the next chapter of RSAs long history. Ghai emphasized their focus on their customers and reassured those concerned that the company would be able to weather this latest change. RSA, STG, and Dell will be coordinating with each other to ensure a smooth transition following a change of ownership due to the sale. The acquisition however, is still subject to all kinds of regulation and approval before the deal between Dell and STG concerning RSA is finalized and the turnover happens. Symphony Technologys acquisition of RSA comes on the heels of the private equity firms acquisition of Red Seal, which is a company that specializes in providing cyber risk modeling to other companies. At the moment, STGs plans for RSA are still unclear, but given that the Palo Alto, California-based private equity firm has a record of investing or acquiring software, data, and analytics businesses, they may be looking to use RSA to supplement their product and business portfolios. The ousted emir of Kano Muhammad Sanusi ll has said that his six years reign as the emir of the ancient city made him a fulfilled man in life. He equally said he was leaving the throne as a fulfilled and happy man. Sanusi ll, who dropped this message in Hausa to the people of Kano,after his dethronement by the Kano state government on monday, said, l am taking the dethronement in good faith. l am urging for calm as l take the dethronement in good faith. According to him,everything that has a beginning and must definitely have an end. With this development, he directed his family members and all his loyalists, whom he has control over to pay homage to whosoever emerge as the new emir in order to preserve the dignity of the royal institution. He equally said he was leaving the throne as a fulfilled and happy man, as he has everything to thank the almighty Allah for making things to happened the way they happen. The former monarch enumerated some of his achievements while as emir for nearly six years and he said he was very much Happy that he followed the footstep of his grand father the Sanusi I. He, however, prayed for peace, progress and economic buoyancy of Kano and Nigeria. And finally pray for a happy ending . Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates In the trial on the Boeing crash of Malaysian Airlines of 17 flight in the sky over Donbas against one of the accused, Oleg Pulatov, the prosecutor's office asks for a hearing at the air base to inspect the reconstruction of the downed airliner. Prosecutor Dedy Woei-A-Tsoi voiced such a request to the court on Tuesday in the trial on the case of MH17 in Schiphol, an Interfax-Ukraine agency correspondent reports from the court's hall. In the case against Pulatov, we ask that the hearing be postponed to Gilze Gijen air base to inspect the reconstruction of the MH17 flight on a date to be determined by the court, the prosecutor said. In addition, the prosecutor's office asks to safely question six witnesses, whom she conditionally named witnesses M58, S07, S17, S21, S27 and S32. The prosecutor also considers it necessary to conduct an examination with respect to identifying possible signs of manipulating visual material in relation to two versions of the same video installation of the Buk air defense system in the village of Snizhne, which, according to Russia, was uploaded to the Internet on July 16, 2014, that is before the tragedy. Dedy Woei-A-Tsoi also invited Pulatov's representatives to consider the possibility for him to be questioned as a witness in court or by an investigative judge in Russia. Perhaps, he will be able to challenge one or more intercepted phone calls. However, his defense stated that it was not able to take any decision on this issue then. Defense counsel Sabine ten Doesschate said they understand the desire of the prosecutor's office to move forward and that they announced their readiness from June 8 [the second session of the trial is scheduled for June 8, and the defense intends to study the case materials before that date]. She noted that three months left until June 8, and the investigation had more than five years. The time gap is very big. This is the minimum period to formulate requests for the investigation, the defense attorney said. Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Tuesday parried questions on the exact number of MLAs supporting the party in Madhya Pradesh amid a political crisis triggered by the resignation of Jyotiraditya Scindia and 14 MLAs loyal to him. Repeating his allegation that the BJP was trying to destabilise the Congress-led government, Singh told reporters that the BJP had arranged three chartered planes for Bengaluru on Monday to fly out some MLAs loyal to Scindia. "We want to know why Bengaluru is used everytime to destabilise governments?" he questionned. When asked about the number of MLAs supporting the Congress in the current political scenario, Singh only said, "Just wait". He said an atmosphere of uneasiness has been prevailing in the BJP since the Kamal Nath government started cracking a whip on various mafias. "We (the state government) are exposing Vyapam scam, e-tendering scam, Madhyam scam.. In the honey-trap case, BJP men were found to be involved. This will be exposed," he said. The political crisis in Madhya Pradesh precipitated with the resignation of Jyotiraditya Scindia over his apparent marginalisation in the state Following Scindia's suit, 14 legislators loyal to him have sent their resignation letters via e-mail to Madhya Pradesh Raj Bhavan. Scindia was subsequently expelled from the Congress by party president Sonia Gandhi. Speculation that the Guna royal might join the BJP gained ground after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi this morning. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dubai-based Nigerian celebrity, Hushpuppi has expressed that Nigeria cannot get better with the way things are going in the country. He made this statement in reaction to the dethronement of former CBN Governor, Muhammadu Sanusi as the Emir of Kano. Also Read: Presidential Aide Debunks Reports That Buhari Is Unaware Of Sanusis Removal Reacting to the whole scenario, Hushpuppi queried how Governor of Kano, Abdullahi Ganduje reportedly caught on camera collecting bribe could impeach Sanusi. The instagram celebrity expressed that until Nigeria is taken out of the hands of this old corrupt and manipulative politicians, there will be no hope for the country. See his post below: Highlights Different police departments are dropping Holi tweets Pune Police and Mumbai Police used Hindi songs in their tweets The tweets have sparked all sorts of reactions online Happy Holi! The festival of colours is finally here. Its a day many were eagerly waiting for, at least the ones who love colours. And it shows as the day is being celebrated across the country with great fervour. In fact, many are also taking to social media to express their enthusiasm surrounding the day or to simply wish others. Among them are different police departments. However, their tweets are not just about wishing people. Some departments are also dishing out cautionary messages for the potential perpetrators. Two such departments are Pune Police and Mumbai Police. Their posts have captured peoples attention because of their Hindi song twist. Pune police shared what they think when they see hooligans on streets. Using a line from a famous song of the 1990 movie Dil, the department tweeted this: Mumbai police picked a popular Holi song to put forth a message for the miscreants. They chose a song from the movie Elaan released back in 1971. Check out what they shared: People dropped all sorts of comments on both the tweets. While some praised the creativity of the departments, others simply extended their Holi wishes. Happy Holi to all you people, wrote a Twitter user. Sending lots of love and warm wishes on Holi to you, wrote another. You guys are really creative, commented a third. I believe that is what Pune Police do 24 x 7 every day but on the occasion of Holi you are just reminding Pune citizens of your firm resolve to maintain law and order and peace with a touch of humour, praised a fourth. What do you think of the Holi tweets? One bite into the Thousand Sunny (the cutlets concealed a cache of American cheese and onion brulee), and I knew I was overmatched. The sandwich was still greasy from its dip in a housemade chile oil, and the spice blend had been applied with a heavy hand, giving the nosh a particularly powdery persona. Thats the last thing I remembered before my Thousand Sunny collapsed into a black hole from which no light or human screams could escape. I felt as if someone had placed a hot poker directly on my tongue. I had to keep my mouth open, like a dog, in hopes that the night air might cool off my inflamed palate. So much water was pooling at the base of my jaw that I worried I might drown. I could taste nothing but my own fear. Dimension Data has announced that Internet Solutions will be absorbed into its brand. In a mail announcing the change, seen by MyBroadband, Dimension Data CEO Grant Bodley said the move is part of a plan to better serve their stakeholders. We will be bringing together our employees as one people, with one name: Dimension Data, he said. Our colleagues from Systems Integration, Internet Solutions, Britehouse, and ContinuitySA will unify as Dimension Data to create a dynamic, industry-defining company. One people Bodley went on to state the absorption of these businesses, and all of them using the Dimension Data name, is driven by our strong belief that bringing these great businesses together and operating as One People will be a better company. There will also be a single operating model for the new business, and Dimension Data has redesigned its structures accordingly. We have redesigned our business into a single operating model structured so that we can effectively and efficiently execute our go-to-market strategy, which will enable your success in a digital-first world. These go-to-market areas include: Intelligent Infrastructure Intelligent Workplace Intelligent Business Applications Intelligent Customer Experience Intelligent Security Were very excited about the future and are committed to bringing these changes online quickly. May I assure you that we will continue to deliver your services seamlessly and efficiently as we work through this integration process, said Bodley. Leadership cuts and fibre sale This move follows recent leadership cuts at Internet Solutions, which resulted in 16 executives being retrenched at the company. Internet Solutions is entering a new era in its business, in which it will transform itself to drive the future of intelligent infrastructure, IS said at the time. This requires new leadership models and skills and, as a result, the company entered a focused review of its executive and senior leadership level. This retrenchment process was concluded in December 2019. Internet Solutions also recently sold its fibre assets to Link Africa, which it said was in line with its strategy to disinvest in Layer 1 and 2 assets. Neither Link Africa nor Internet Solutions were willing to disclose how much the deal was worth. Internet Solutions confirms it has sold its fibre assets to Link Africa for an undisclosed sum, an Internet Solutions spokesperson said. The company will continue to provide fibre services to its clients through its strategic partnerships with Link Africa and other fibre providers. With the acquisition, Link Africa said that its network now has over 400 points of presence across South Africa and reaches 8,500km. The Robert Davis Scholarship Program will offer two scholarships of $1,000 to college or university students in North America LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2020 / Dr. Robert Davis is excited to announce that he will be launching a scholarship program to support college and university students in North America. The Robert Davis Scholarship Program will offer two scholarships of $1,000 each. Robert Davis has over 25 years of experience contributing to the fields of medical technology, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, artificial intelligence, and more. Robert Davis is a co-founder of RD Heritage Group, which is an investing company providing resources in fundraising, marketing, and international trade primarily within the private sector. The Robert Davis Scholarship Program is expected to launch in the coming weeks. Applicants will be required to submit proof of enrollment in the form of an acceptance letter from their college or university. Applicants will also be required to write and submit a 500-word essay that lists small actions they can perform to make a positive impact on society as a whole. "With so much change and negativity in the world as of late, it is important that we all take a stand and do what we can to make the world a better place," says Robert Davis. For more information, please visit: http://www.robertdavisscholarship.com/ About Robert Davis Robert Davis is a successful entrepreneur and a co-founder of RD Heritage Group, headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. He attended the University of Michigan, receiving his Bachelor of Science as the top third in his class. He went on to the University of Miami School of Medicine and internal residency training at the University of Nevada's Las Vegas School of Medicine. After working as an ER and ambulatory care physician, Dr. Robert Davis made a career change into investments and strategic partnerships. He co-founded RD Heritage Group along with John Dean Harper and Jim Carmichael. RD Heritage invests in real estate, healthcare, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, energy, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and oil & gas. CONTACT: Dr. Robert Davis apply@robertdavisscholarship.com SOURCE: Dr. Robert Davis View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/579920/Dr-Robert-Davis-to-Launch-Scholarship-Program A member of the communication team of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Brogya Genfi is urging the ruling government to reduce fuel prices. According to him, the prices of crude oil have dropped significantly on the global market and so the same should reflect in Ghana. Contributing to a panel discussion on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', Brogya Genfi asked government to be sensitive to the plight of Ghanaians and "reduce fuel prices by 20%". Speaking on the same platform and on the same issue, the Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr supported that there will be the need for the authorities in charge to reduce fuel prices. "The prices need to come down to take away the huge burden and suffering of Ghanaians," he urged. NDC Calls For Drastic Reduction Of Fuel Prices The National Democratic Congress (NDC) as a matter of urgency is demanding an immediate and drastic reduction of minimum 20% in the pump prices of fuel from the ruling NPP government. In a statement signed by the National Communication Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, he stated that; "the declining prices of crude oil on the international market, coupled with the artificial stability the Ghana cedi appears to be chalking, which is largely due to the Coronavirus outbreak and the injection of the recent $3 billion Eurobond into the economy, should have led to a significant drop in the pump prices of fuel by now." Listen to their submissions in the video below Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video SAN DIEGO As the head of a homeless shelter in San Diego, Bob McElroy knows firsthand how epidemics can turn deadly for people living on the streets. Three years ago an outbreak of hepatitis A, an otherwise preventable and treatable disease, killed 20 people in San Diego County alone, most of them homeless. Now as the coronavirus spreads across the country, Mr. McElroy is faced with a new threat, one that he can only hope to ward off with a stockpile of hand sanitizer. Under a single tent in downtown San Diego, his shelter sleeps more than 300 people, a majority of them over 50 years old, a warehouse of human beings arrayed like cadets in military barracks. Numbered bunk beds are spaced just two feet apart. Were just saying our prayers, Mr. McElroy said. If it gets in here it would be a disaster. SAN FRANCISCO, March 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hagens Berman urges CPI Aerostructures, Inc. (NYSE: CVU) investors who have suffered significant losses to submit their loss now to learn if they qualify to recover their investment losses. CPI has admitted to improper revenue recognition and a securities fraud class action has been filed. Class Period: May 15, 2018 - Feb. 14, 2020 Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Apr. 24, 2020 Sign Up: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/CVU Contact an Attorney Now: CVU@hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895 CPI Aerostructures, Inc. (CVU) Securities Class Action: The Complaint alleges that during the Class Period, Defendants concealed that: (1) CPI Aero falsely applied generally accepted accounting principles and thus revenue, net income, retained earnings, and contract assets were overstated; (ii) as a result, CPI Aeros financial statements and annual report for 2018 and first three quarters of 2019 could no longer be relied upon and required restatement; and (iii) the Company lacked adequate internal controls over financial reporting and effective disclosure controls and procedures during the class period. The Complaint alleges that the truth began to emerge on Feb. 8, 2019, when CPI Aero disclosed that its Q3 2018 financial statements could no longer be relied upon due to an error . . . in the Companys billing process, which inflated the Companys reported revenue and income before provision for income taxes, net income, and EPS. The Complaint further alleges that on Feb. 14, 2020, CPI Aero announced that its financial statements for fiscal year 2018 and first three quarters of 2019 should no longer be relied upon due to errors relating to the Companys recognition of revenue from customer contracts. The Company also disclosed that, contrary to prior representations, CPI Aero maintained ineffective internal control over financial reporting for 2018. CPI Aero further announced the resignation of recently appointed CFO Dan Azmon. On this news, the CPI share priced dropped nearly 30%. Were focused on recovering investors losses and proving that CPI Aerostructures admitted accounting errors were intentional, said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation. Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding CPI Aerostructures should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email CVU@hbsslaw.com . About Hagens Berman Hagens Berman is a national law firm with nine offices in eight cities around the country and eighty attorneys. The firm represents investors, whistleblowers, workers and consumers in complex litigation. More about the firm and its successes is located at hbsslaw.com . For the latest news visit our newsroom or follow us on Twitter at @classactionlaw . Fifty-eight Indians were brought back home from coronavirus-hit Iran in a military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday. The aircraft, a C-17 Globemaster, was sent to Tehran from Hindon airbase near Ghaziabad on Monday evening. IAF spokesperson Group Captain Anupam Banerjee said the aircraft evacuated 25 men, 31 women and two children. It brought swab samples of 529 Indians to carry out laboratory tests and check whether they carry coronavirus infection. About 2,000 Indians are living in Iran, a country that has witnessed increasing numbers of coronavirus cases in the last few days. The official said the Indian citizens who have returned from Iran have been quarantined at a medical facility in Hindon. "The IAF has activated necessary medical protocols and has put required facilities in place to provide fellow citizens with adequate care and support," Banerjee said. Soon after the C-17 Globemaster arrived at Hindon airbase, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted, "The IAF aircraft has landed. Mission completed. On to the next." The external affairs minister said the government was working on bringing back more Indians from Iran. Iran is one of the few countries which are reporting sizeable number of coronavirus cases. According to latest reports, over 237 people died of coronavirus infection in Iran while number of positive cases crossed 7000 mark. It was the second such evacuation by the C-17 Globemaster in the last two weeks. "Thanks to the efforts of our Embassy @India_in_Iran and Indian medical team there, operating under challenging conditions. Thank you @IAF_MCC. Appreciate cooperation of Iranian authorities. We are working on the return of other Indians stranded there," Jaishankar tweeted. On February 27, as many as 76 Indians and 36 foreign nationals were brought back from the Chinese city of Wuhan by the aircraft of the Indian Air Force. The C-17 Globemaster is the largest military aircraft in the IAF's inventory. The plane can carry large combat equipment, troops and humanitarian aid across long distances in all weather conditions. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Close on the heels of launching the new version of the Iata NDC based travel aggregator platform, TPConnects conducted a series of successful workshops for Travel Agents in UAE. Sunil Kumar, global president, United Federation of Travel Agents Association (UFTAA), and Amer Akthar, regional manager Finance and Distribution Service IATA Gulf and Near East, attended the workshop in Dubai along with senior managers from Air Mauritius, Egypt Air, Emirates, Gulf Air, Lufthansa, Oman Air, Saudi Gulf Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Srilankan Airlines. NDC and ONE Order are key transformational projects, launched by Iata to modernise and simplify airline distribution. TPConnects new NDC based Travel Aggregator platform will give travel agencies worldwide access to airline content including ancillaries and fares via an NDC connectivity, alongside content from traditional Global Distribution Systems (GDSs), and other APIs. The aggregator solution launched is used by big size travel management companies in the world. The Travel Aggregator B2B platform is offered with minimal upfront investment and on a per passenger booking fees. For Online Travel Agents (OTAs) and booking engine providers, TPConnects provides a Single NDC API where Travel Agents can access all their airline partners content without building and maintaining each connection or integration separately. Kumar emphasised the need of travel agents transforming to online from an offline environment. For the travel industry in UAE, this workshop is an important engagement and its an impressive learning experience on The Changing Trends in Travel Distribution and the impact NDC will be creating worldwide. "I am glad to be part of this event. The workshop encourages stakeholders to be pro-active as Iata and the airlines industry unfolds, in a big way, the New Distribution Capability and ONE Order," Kumar said. Along with NDC, evolution in business practices and customer fulfillment that is planned was also shared. "I am delighted to deal with the extensive interaction along with speakers from Iata and TPConnects. We collectively led the event into an interesting new world of discovery and opportunity. We are proud to be pioneering in this field, collaborating with leading travel players, and deploying truly innovative solutions for all of our customers," said Kumar. Akhtar answered questions and clarified Iatas various initiatives including the New Generation of Iata Settlement Systems (NewGen ISS) and the three levels of travel agent accreditation, enabling agents to choose the one that best fits to their business model. George Rajan, TPConnects vice president Sales, said: We are proud to be industry leaders in Iata NDC and ONE Order and are glad to conduct these kinds of interactive and collaborative workshops to educate the travel agency community on Iata initiatives." Omeir Khan, account manager from Lufthansa Group presented Lufthansas NDC deployment and content differentiation along with the aggressive plans in GCC. Lufthansa is one among the 21 IATA Leaderboard airlines who have committed to process by the end of 2020 at least 20 per cent of indirect sales through Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that align with the New Distribution Capability standard. Oman Air Sales Team and NDC champions from UAE presented the NDC solution for travel agents and the content differentiation they offer including discounted ancillary product offer on the NDC channel. - TradeArabia News Service Even as the political crisis that has gripped the Kamal Nath-led government in Madhya Pradesh is still unfolding, workers of the opposition BJP on Tuesday broke into celebrations at the party office here. Scores of BJP workers, including women, danced and smeared each other with colours to mark the festival of Holi. A woman activist, however, said they are elated because of Holi and in view of the early onset of "Diwali", hinting at uncertainty prevailing over survival of the Kamal Nath government. The Congress has been accusing the BJP of trying to topple the Kamal Nath government, which has been in power since December, 2018. Earlier in the day, the state government was pushed to the brink with 19 MLAs of the ruling party sending their resignations via e-mail to Raj Bhavan, immediately after disgruntled leader Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the party in Delhi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 9/3/2020 (673 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us They smelled a rat. Dozens of canine sniffers and their human companions searched out hidden rodents Saturday during the Westman Rat Wranglers Barn Hunt clubs hunt trials at Sola Dog Salon and Daycare in Brandon. BUD ROBERTSON/THE BRANDON SUN Joanne Sykes, from McAuley, northwest of Virden, points out a potential rat hiding spot to Ryan, an Irish setter, during barn hunt trials Saturday. Doggie daycare owner Stephanie Inkster said as many as 20 people from as far away as Regina signed up for the three-day trials, which wrap up today. Inkster noted none of the rats is eaten as the dogs search through piles of hay for hidden PVC tubes holding the rats. "We dont want them to get hurt," she said of the rats, adding they dont have a very long lifespan as it is. BUD ROBERTSON/THE BRANDON SUN Are you in there? Ryan goes deep to sniff out a rat. The barn hunt involves different skill levels to test the canines hunting acuity. The first level of barn hunting is instinct-based. A dog is presented with three tubes: one containing a rat, a decoy tube with soiled bedding and an empty tube. Spaced about 18 inches apart, the dog is required to give some kind of indication which tube holds the rat. The next level, Novice, involves a rat hidden in hay along with a tunnel and hay bales the canine is required to traverse while hunting. The next level, Open, has two rats, followed by Senior with four rats, and ends with the highest level, Master, which can have anywhere from one to five rats hidden. As well, two Crazy 8 classes are held each day in which a dog is given two minutes to find eight rats hidden in a course. The Brandon Sun Drivers already are paying less at the pump this winter, but prices are about to plummet even more. The U.S. average price of gas was $2.34 per gallon on Tuesday, down 8 cents from $2.42 a week ago, according to GasBuddy, an online gas price tracker. But prices are expected to drop below $2 a gallon by the end of March, according to the companys forecast model, with the cheapest gas at $1.85 in the Great Lakes states and the Midwest. The prediction comes as a price war heats up between two of the largest oil-producing countries and as the spread of the coronavirus continues to strain global travel. An employee wearing a face mask fills up a car at a gas station in Bangkok on March 9, 2020, as the rapidly spreading coronavirus fans fears over the global economy. (Photo: MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images) This is unprecedented, Allison Mac, a spokeswoman for GasBuddy, told Yahoo Money. Not to sound cliche, but nothing like this has ever really happened before, given the coronavirus as well as a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia. Read more: Coronavirus and travel: What you need to know This weekend, Saudi Arabia and Russia failed to negotiate a pathway to curb oil output in an already oversaturated market. Rather than compromise, Russias refusal to temper oil production led Saudi Arabia to flood the market instead, depressing oil prices. The price of crude oil plunged 22% to $32.54 per barrel on Sunday from Fridays close of $41.57. Its only recovered 3.5% on Tuesday. Fearful of being out and about Before the spat between the countries, oil had already been on a downslide since mid-February because of the ripple effects from the coronavirus, or COVID-19. China, the worlds second-biggest oil consumer behind the United States, has decreased its consumption after shutting down much of its economy to contain the disease. Graph credit: GasBuddy.com As the virus has spread to Europe, Australia, Africa, South America, and North America, many governments are advising their citizens to adjust their travel plans to varying degrees. People across the world are trying to mitigate their exposure risk by remaining home and avoiding highly trafficked spaces like airports, movie theaters, restaurants, amusement parks, and malls. Story continues This is definitely a situation where people are just fearful of being out and about, Mac said. Summer gas could be cheaper, too With nearly 330 million Americans staying put, that means the countrys collective consumption of gasoline which is derived from oil is creating a paradox. Lower gas prices tend to encourage people to travel by car or plane, but fear of coronavirus exposure may demotivate many from going anywhere. A paramedic on call puts on protective gear as a precaution against the spread of the novel coronavirus in the garage of the Mohacs street station of the National Ambulance Service Budapest, Hungary, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. (Photo: Zoltan Balogh/MTI via AP) If the sharp decline in oil remains, that's going to mean spring and summer gas prices likely to be cheaper than last year, Jeanette Casselano, an AAA spokeswoman, told Yahoo Money. For those who remain undeterred to travel, nows the time to take advantage of low prices and take that flight or road trip. But definitely wipe down the gas pump while you're filling up, Mac said, because that gas pump is full of germs. Stephanie is a reporter for Yahoo Money and Cashay, a new personal finance website. She can be reached at stephanie.asymkos@yahoofinance.com. Follow her on Twitter @SJAsymkos. Read more personal finance information, news, and tips on Cashay Since legalization in 2018, weve been committed to supporting this emerging market. Mike Chapman, Business Unit Manager said. Exotic Automation & Supply, a premier Parker Hannifin distributor, announced today they will be exhibiting at the 2020 Michigan Cannabis Expo held March 18-20, 2020 at the Frankenmuth Expo Center in Birch Run, Michigan. The Michigan Cannabis Expo is Michigans largest cannabis expo and features over 80,000 square feet of the top cannabis industry suppliers exhibiting the latest in cannabis production technology. The show features two days of expo hall networking and seminars lead by industry experts covering licensing, production, growing techniques, banking, hiring and more. Exotic offers many solutions to support this growing industry including air & inert gas (CO2 & Nitrogen N) handling/plumbing systems, stand-alone nitrogen generators, filtration products and other fluid connector solutions including fittings and ball valves. Many of Exotics customers are requesting Parker Hannifin Transair Aluminum Air Pipe, which is known as the most advanced air, inert gas and vacuum aluminum air piping system on the market. The piping is available with Parker Hannifins exclusive voice of the machine condition monitoring system which wirelessly monitors pressure, humidity, temperature and flow. Since legalization in 2018, weve been committed to supporting this emerging market. Mike Chapman, Business Unit Manager said. Our air handling systems save time and money and delivers a much cleaner solution both cosmetically and at the point of use over traditional solutions. We assist customers with design, sizing, layout and systems are installed by our certified installers - all 100% backed with our exclusive factory authorized 10-year leak free warranty and are available 24/7. We are looking forward to meeting with show attendees to learn how we can help support their business growth goals. Steve Orlando, Vice President of Sales & Marketing said. For over five decades, Exotic has supplied solutions to new, rapidly developing industries and we are excited about the opportunities that await us in this market. Product representatives will be on-site at booth #412 to provide more information and answer questions. Please visit the companys website at http://www.exoticautomation.com for more information. About Exotic Automation & Supply: Exotic Automation & Supply was founded in 1963 and has grown to become one of Parker Hannifins largest distributors in the United States. Exotics headquarters is located in New Hudson, Michigan. The company maintains full-service centers throughout Michigan & Indiana with locations in Ann Arbor, Freeland (Saginaw), Lansing, Taylor, Flint, Indianapolis, Jackson, Livonia, Noblesville, Rochester Hills, Shelby Township as well as at the main New Hudson complex. Starting a business can be both challenging and rewarding. I caught the startup bug quite early in my career. From launching an import/export clothing company from my college room at uni, to founding an Australian education course aggregator in 2005, and then in 2013, co-founding Longtail UX alongside my business partner, Andreas Dzumla. Overall though, while its been a roller-coaster of a ride, I wouldnt swap the experience for anything. Mistakes along the way are all just part of the journey the trick is to learn from your mistakes quickly and to continue to press forward. Being your own boss comes with responsibilities. The business vision starts and ends with you, this includes setting the strategy and motivating and guiding the team. Added to these, youre also responsible for the less glamorous aspects of running a business, like ensuring proper systems and processes are in place, and above all, that you NEVER miss a staff payroll, irrespective of whether or not youre drawing a salary yourself! As the CEO, you never really clock-off youre always running things over in your head and the constant highs and lows can be extreme. When experiencing the highs, its essential to get your team together and celebrate your wins. Because along with the highs, also inevitably come the lows. During the tough periods, its important to stay true to your vision and to always remember why youre doing what youre doing. There are a few things Ive learnt along the way that can help you do exactly that. Surround yourself with smart and successful people Getting a new venture off the ground can be draining on you, and on those closest to you. At times, it can also feel quite lonely. So you need a trusted sounding board. One of the most valuable things you can do as a founder is to surround yourself with a diverse network of fellow entrepreneurs and other successful people, who are on (or have been on) the Startup journey themselves. So align yourself with smart people who you respect and who can offer different skill-sets, strengths, and perspectives, and who are always willing to challenge you. Hire smart, motivated people with strong ethics and good values Another vital factor to consider is the workforce you employ as they are the main contributor to your business culture. Andreas Dzumla (co-founder) and I established five core values that we hold any potential hire up to, as well as acting as a code of conduct for those already working with us: driven, transparency, game-changers, collaboration, and we care. Weve found these invaluable in identifying the right people for our growing team and in maintaining a culture that we can all thrive in. In essence, you spend the majority of your time in the office, and so you want it to be an environment that feels genuinely comfortable and that lifts you up. Celebrate your wins! Its too easy to land a win and then jump straight into the next challenge. Take the time to get your team together and let them know that each and every win matters. And make it clear that without them and their efforts, there are no wins. Not only is this great for team spirit, its a necessary reminder of why we do what we do. As a startup founder, you naturally spend a lot of time obsessing about the future remind yourself to be present in the moment. Our first client at Longtail UX was a top-5 Aussie ecommerce business. Nearly 6 years on, theyre still one of our major clients, and we continue to deliver them YoY revenue and traffic growth. Thats one of my proudest achievements as a startup founder. Championing successes like these gives you the motivation to reach for the next win and shows the team the value of their work in the bigger picture. Similar: Google, Uber then :Different: Mina Radhakrishnans tech life and startup Learn from your mistakes Early on at Longtail UX, one of the biggest challenges, we faced (and fortunately learned from!), was that sales and marketing is a specialist discipline and that great products like ours do not, unfortunately, sell themselves. You need the right people to drive your sales & marketing efforts. So continue to believe in your product, but also invest in sales and marketingearly! An incredible product alone wont do your talking for you, you need to build enough noise around your target audience to engage them in a conversation. We reevaluated our strategy and hired an awesome sales & marketing team. As a result, the business has grown threefold in the last 12 months. As an entrepreneur, making mistakes is part of the journey. Put them in perspective, make changes quickly when you need to, and remember that mistakes are valuable learning points. And dont forget, too, that managing your stress and staying alert to what the market tells you good and bad will be critical to you maintaining your motivation, your positivity, and ultimately, to surviving the journey. Take time out for your family Starting a business can be physically and mentally exhausting. So you need to develop an ability to switch off sometimes. This is something Im still working on.But its necessary, because at the end of the day, running a Start-up is a marathon not a sprint. Taking the time out from your hectic schedules and spending it with family is also vitally important. Im fortunate to have a talented and endlessly tolerant and supportive wife and four great kids (plus a dog and two cats). And theyre a massive part of why I get the opportunity to do what I doas well as being a great motivator! When faced with uncertainty about your professional choice as a startup founder, its crucial to remind yourself why you started your venture and to continually evaluate your business mission and vision. Although my journey as an entrepreneur has been at times challenging and stressful, it has also been incredibly rewarding, and so given the choice again, Id definitely take the same path! Will Santow is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Longtail UX. Keep up to date with our stories LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-09 22:59:48|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close NEW DELHI, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh scheduled for next week has been deferred over the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic, the foreign ministry said Monday. "We have received formal notification from the Government of Bangladesh that a decision has been taken by them to defer the public events being organized to celebrate the centenary of the birth of the Father of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, on account of the detection of cases of coronavirus in Bangladesh, and the larger global public health situation in this regard," foreign ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. "The impact of this deferment applies also to the large gathering planned for March 17, at which the Prime Minister of India was invited." Modi's was scheduled to travel to Dhaka on March 17 to attend the centenary celebrations of Bangladesh's founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. This is Modi's second trip abroad that has been cancelled in wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. Last week India's foreign ministry said the India-European Union (EU) summit which was scheduled to be held later this month has been postponed in wake of the COVID-19 epidemic. Modi was supposed to travel to Brussels to attend the India-EU summit. India and the 27-nation EU were scheduled to hold their 17th summit in Brussels on March 13. Growth from coins High-yield dividend stocks are highly sought after by many investors. However, chasing too high of yield can be risky as the long-term sustainability of such stocks is brought into question. Yet, there are a few gems that offer both an incredibly high yield and a potentially safe investment. Inter Pipeline (TSX:IPL) and its excellent yield of 8.7% look to offer itself as just that type of stock. We look at its dividend payout history as well as its future growth prospects to determine whether or not its a safe investment. Dividend Aristocrat status For the past 11 consecutive years, the company has managed to retain its Dividend Aristocrat status, hiking its annual yield every year. Just recently, it announced a dividend increase from 7.6% to 8.7%. The increase eased investors fear of the company potentially losing its Aristocrat status. However, with a current payout ratio of 130%, it looks far from healthy. Furthermore, the companys decision to invest in the construction of a $3.5 billion project Heartland Petrochemical Plant doesnt alleviate our fear of the companys long-term dividend sustainability either. The good news is that right now, the company has a good credit facility of $1.6 billion and, over the past two years, generated a healthy undistributed cash flow of $670 million. Assuming the Heartland project, once complete in 2021, does bring in the predicted EBITDA of approximately $500 million annually, the company currently has more than enough financial leverage to likely safely ride through a difficult 2020. Future growth prospects While the company averaged an annual growth rate in earnings of 5% in the past five years, analysts predict a far less stellar figure for this year, with its revenue and earning contracting by 1.8% and 17%, respectively. However, 2021 looks to be more favourable for the companys growth as it completes its most ambitious project yet. This prediction is in line with the companys historical growth, which has mainly come from acquisitions and new developments. Story continues While energy prices are still in a slump, its unlikely to impact the future performance of Inter Pipeline. As a provider of services in the energy sector rather than a producer, the impact of volatility on its earnings is likely to be minimal. By 2040, oil and gas production is expected to increase by around 58% and 33%, respectively. As a niche company that transports, stores, and refines these commodities, this trend also represents a steady growth for the companys earnings. Summary Back in 2019, about 15 Canadian companies lost its Dividend Aristocrat status. With an unhealthy payout ratio, high steak investments, and a gloomy picture for the oil industry in total at present, the sustainability of its dividends looks uncertain but only for this year. If you can stomach the current risks associated with the investment, the value proposition on offer is hard to match. All bets are on the expected returns from the companys ambitious projects. Once complete, if the company starts churning in strong cash flow as expected, investors can expect even further generous dividend increases down the road. The post Huge Dividends Can Be Yours With This Crazy 8.7% Dividend Stock appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada. More reading Fool contributor Jason Hoang 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 10.03.2020 LISTEN Information gathered by this portal reveals that the incumbent Member of Parliament of Fomena constituency, Hon Andrew Amoako has resigned from contesting in the upcoming New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary primaries. An aspirant Mr. Philip Owusu Asante is contesting the incumbent Hon. Amoako. This latest development will pave way for Mr. Philip Owusu to go unopposed in upcoming parliamentary primaries on April 25. "After a broader consultation with some Chiefs and other vibrant politicians who Ive taken as my political advisers, Ive decided with my team to withdraw from the parliamentary primaries of the New Patriotic Party, part of his resignation statement reads. Hon. Amoako also said he has been subjected to a series of unfair treatment from the Ashanti regional chairman of the party, Chairman Wuntumi and even from the national level. According to him, the NPP regional chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako popularly known as Chairman Wontumi is backing a candidate against him and making it difficult for fair competition to take place. More soon... Duterte has announced plans to scrap 21-year-old agreement with US amid what critics say is a move closer to China. Senators in the Philippines have launched a Supreme Court challenge against the president scrapping a long-standing defence agreement with the United States. They argue that President Rodrigo Duterte cannot unilaterally scrap any agreement approved by them. The Philippines has been one of Washingtons closest allies in Asia for decades and Dutertes critics fear he is selling out to China. Al Jazeeras Jamela Alindogan reports from Manila. Thousands of Mexican women refused to work or go to school Monday in a bid to fight back against the rising number of femicide in the country. An estimated 80,000 women joined in "A Day Without Women" a day after they marched the streets in protest of gender violence sweeping over the country. The capital was filled with men walking to work. Some ticket stations were closed. Female journalists joined the strike as the Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador gave a press conference to a half-empty room. Protestors stormed the streets after Sunday's chaotic march. Outside Mexico's main cathedral, dozens were injured after some women clashed with male anti-abortion proponents who said abortion was "femicide" and performed the Nazi salute. In other places, women wore masks as they smashed cars and vans with hammers and threw Molotov cocktails at buildings and policewomen who were deployed during the march. Many protesters also drew graffitis on the palace walls calling Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador a misogynist. Two recent cases of femicide sparked the start of numerous protests across the country where women urged the government to take action. Read More: Mexican Women Urge Government to Put A Stop To Violence And Femicide Ingrid Escamilla, 25, was murdered, mutilated, and skinned by her 46-year-old boyfriend. A local media outlet plastered photos of her body across a tabloid cover. A 7-year-old child named Fatima Aldrighett was also found sexually abused and murdered days after she was reported missing. The child was found wrapped in a plastic bag at an abandoned rental home in Tlahauc. Two more cases of femicide were found on Ecatepec, a place known for multiple cases involving women. The number of femicide cases has seen a steady rise since 2019 where a total of 1,006 were reported---a ten percent increase from the 912 cases in 2018. An average of 10 women is murdered in Mexico every single day. The majority of femicide cases are never solved. According to reports by an independent party that investigates and chronicles femicides in Mexico, only 726 cases were investigated as "femicide"--- out of the 3,000 murders where the victim was a woman. The protests have increased in intensity as more women reveal their struggles in one of the most dangerous countries in the world for the female gender. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has faced intense backlash for blaming the rising number of femicide cases to the neoliberal policies of previous administrations. Obrador addressed the one-day strike on Monday, saying it "had no big impact" on the economy. He also said his conservative opponents are disguising their views as an act of "feminist movements." He warned the strikers to be cautious of the people who are using their advocacy to attack the government. They Don't Do Anything The coordinator of the National Citizen's Observatory of Femicide Maria de la Luz Estrada told Associated Press living in Mexico, as a woman, resembled a war due to the number of women that have disappeared, and been abused, raped or murdered. Veronica Hernandez, a university professor, said Mexico was "hell" for all females. She said the government isn't "taking action" to sort the problem. When asked if she trusts law enforcement authorities, she said: "No ... because they are part of the problem, which is structural." Enzymes are natures powerhouses. Found in the cells of all animals, plants, and every other living organism, they accelerate the chemical reactions that trigger thousands of biological functionsfrom forming neurons to digesting food. They perform their jobs so selectively and so quicklymillions of times faster than a blink of the eyethat the field of biomimetic chemistry has emerged over the past few decades with the goal of designing artificial enzymes that can mimic the powers of natural enzymes in industrial settings. Artificial enzymes could, for example, convert corn into ethanol or help create new drugs more quickly, cheaply, and effectively. Moving one step closer to achieving that goal, Rajeev Prabhakar, a computational chemist at the University of Miami, and his collaborators at the University of Michigan have created a novel, synthetic, three-stranded molecule that functions just like a natural metalloenzyme, or an enzyme that contains metal ions. It wasnt clear that they could be made, but we made them. And, then we used them to successfully catalyze reactions, said Prabhakar, a professor of chemistry who studies enzyme reactions in hopes of designing their artificial analogues. This is an incremental but important step in the development of artificial enzymes, which has long been considered chemistrys holy grail. Unfortunately, as good as natural enzymes work in our bodies and other life forms, they dont tolerate other settings very well. Theyre also very expensive and not easy to prepare and purify. For their groundbreaking study published in Nature Chemistry this week, Prabhakar and graduate student Vindi M. Jayasinghe-Arachchige joined forces with Vincent L. Pecoraro, a University of Michigan chemistry professor, to improve the performance of the artificial enzymes Pecoraros lab pioneered over the years. The Michigan researchers had previously created simpler synthetic metalloenzymes that successfully catalyzed a number of chemical reactions. But those artificial macromolecules were designed with three identical, or symmetrical homotrimeric strands, which, Prabhakar said, limited their catalytic abilities. In the new molecule, which Jayasinghe-Arachchige designed on the University of Miamis supercomputer with Prabhakars guidance, the third strand differs in structure from the other two strands. Her quantum mechanical calculations showed that the more complex, non-symmetrical, three-stranded structure, known as a heterotrimeric coil, expanded the catalytic performance of homotrimeric artificial metalloenzymesa finding that Pecoraro and his team confirmed with experiments in his Michigan lab. Our techniques are different, but complimentary, Prabhakar said. What we do the Pecoraro group cannot do, and what they do, we cannot do. We model molecules on the computer so we can predict their structural properties and the mechanism of their formations. They use our models to build the real thing, and in this case that is the first example of a natural heterotrimeric molecule. Most lay people would probably find the study as incomprehensible as its title: Heteromeric three-stranded coiled coils designed using a Pb(II)(Cys)3 template mediated strategy. But the bottom line, Prabhakar said, is that the collaborative research conducted in Miami and Michigan opens the door to a new strategy for achieving the creation of artificial enzymes that work as well as natural enzymes. In addition to Pecocaro, Prabhakar, and Jayasinghe-Arachchige, other co-authors of the study include Prabhakars former graduate student, Thomas J. Paul, now at the University of Michigan; Audrey E. Tolbert, Catherine S. Ervin, and Kosh P. Neupane, also from the University of Michigan; and Leela Ruckthong, from King Mongkuts University of Technology, in Thailand. Now in her last year of study for her doctorate in chemistry, Jayasinghe-Arachchige said she remains fascinated by the advances in computational chemistry techniques that allowed her to model the chemical structures and reactions of the new molecule. Im excited that our findings will create new avenues toward the development of efficient artificial enzymes that can be used to enhance the quality of life, said Jayasinghe-Arachchige, and as a woman in a field where women are underrepresented, I hope this study will motivate women to join the fascinating world of STEM fields. OTTAWA - U.S. and Canadian fighter jets have intercepted and escorted two Russian reconnaissance planes flying off the coast of Alaska, only days after Canada's top general described Russia as the greatest immediate threat to North America. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/3/2020 (671 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. An American F-22 escorts a Russian Tu-142 Bear aircraft in international airspace near Alaska in this March 2020 handout photo. Military authorities say U.S. and Canadian fighter jets were scrambled Monday to intercept two Russian reconnaissance planes travelling near the North American coastline. The North American Aerospace Defence Command says the two Russian Tu-142 Bear aircraft flew within 92 kilometres remained in international airspace north of Alaska for about four hours before departing. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - NORAD OTTAWA - U.S. and Canadian fighter jets have intercepted and escorted two Russian reconnaissance planes flying off the coast of Alaska, only days after Canada's top general described Russia as the greatest immediate threat to North America. Canadian CF-18s and American F-22s were scrambled Monday after the North American Aerospace Defence Command spotted the two Russian Tu-142 Bear aircraft approaching the Alaskan coast, Norad said in a statement. The Russians remained in international airspace over the Beaufort Sea north of Alaska for about four hours before departing, according to Norad. They approached within 50 nautical miles, or 92 kilometres, of the Alaskan coast, but did not enter U.S. or Canadian airspace. The Tu-142 is a long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine aircraft, though one version of the plane can be used to communicate with Russian ballistic submarines. "Norad continues to operate in the Arctic across multiple domains," U.S. Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, Norad commander, said in a statement. "As we continue to conduct exercises and operations in the North, we are driven by a single unyielding priority: defending the homelands." The appearance of Russian aircraft off North America's coast comes less than a week after Canadian military officials, including chief of the defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance, called Russia the greatest military threat to North America today. "The most immediate state-sponsored military threat, if I could caveat it that way, that we face right now and today in physical space is Russia. I would say that China poses a more credible threat in cyberspace right now," Vance told a defence conference in Ottawa on March 4. The Russian flight also comes as the federal government is preparing to launch a major review of North America's defences, including those that go beyond the traditional domains of land, sea and air to include space, cyberspace and information. The Liberal government has said it plans to upgrade those defences alongside the U.S., though it has not set a timetable or budget for the initiative. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2020. More than two weeks needed before verdict in MH17 case can be delivered presiding judge Judge Hendrik Steenhuis who is presiding over the trial of four accused of involvement in the MH17 tragedy, has said it will likely take more than 14 days to rule on the four people indicted in the MH17 tragedy. The judge said this on Monday during the first court hearing. "A court decision is usually announced 14 days after the hearing. In this case, it will take more time," Steenhuis said. The presiding judge reported on the sequence in which certain actions will take place in court, after which he analyzed whether the suspects were duly informed. They include three citizens of Russia and one Ukrainian: Igor Girkin (Strelkov), Sergey Dubinsky, Oleg Pulatov and Leonid Kharchenko. Steenhuis said none of the suspects appeared in court. He then asked two lawyers whether they fully represent the interests of Oleg Pulatov, to which he received an affirmative answer. Having reported all the details of how the charges were brought to the suspects, the judge concluded that the summons was delivered properly and on time. While "there was no indication that Girkin and Kharchenko had received subpoenas, Dubinsky knew that he should appear in court. The court does not doubt that they all know about this court. Despite the fact that they knew, they refrained from being present," the judge said. He then gave the floor to the prosecution. Prosecutors said that the four were involved in organizing the delivery of deadly weapons. "They organized the delivery of the deadly weapon BUK missile was transported to Ukraine and delivered to the place where the rocket was launched and MH17 was shot down. The suspects are also involved in the return of missile launcher," prosecutors said, explaining that this is why they are accused of the death of everyone who was on board MH17. The representative of the prosecutor's office read out the names of the victims. The Boeing-777 of Malaysia Airlines, operating the MH17 flight from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), was shot down in the sky over the Donetsk region on July 17, 2014. All 298 people on board died. Two thirds of passengers are nationals of the Netherlands. By Elizabeth Culliford SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Twitter Inc has used its new 'manipulated media' label for the first time on a video clip of U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden that was retweeted by President Donald Trump. By Elizabeth Culliford SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Twitter Inc has used its new "manipulated media" label for the first time on a video clip of U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden that was retweeted by President Donald Trump. The video, posted on Saturday by White House social media director Dan Scavino, showed Biden during a speech in Kansas City, Missouri, in which he said the words "Excuse me. We can only re-elect Donald Trump." Biden's full sentence, which was cut off in the clip, was "Excuse me. We can only re-elect Donald Trump if in fact we get engaged in this circular firing squad here. It's gotta be a positive campaign so join us." Twitter rolled out its new policy, which labels tweets with altered or synthetic media such as so-called deepfakes or more manually edited videos, on March 5. [nL4N2A441E] The tag made its debut on Sunday afternoon, but Twitter said it failed to appear when people searched for the tweet or clicked into it, only when it was seen in timelines. A Twitter spokesman said the company was working on a fix for the glitch. Scavino, in a subsequent tweet, said "the video was NOT manipulated" and Jenna Ellis, a senior legal adviser to the president, wrote on Twitter: "The clip was accurate and was A CLIP of Bidens embarrassing gaffe." Social media companies are under pressure to police misleading or false information on their platforms ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November, in which Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders are vying to be the Democratic nominee to oust Republican President Trump. The video, which had millions of views on Twitter, was also posted on Scavino's Facebook page where it had about 1 million views. The Biden campaign slammed Facebook Inc for showing the video on its platforms without labels over the weekend. "Facebook won't say it, but it is apparent to all who have examined their conduct and policies: they care first and foremost about money and, to that end, are willing to serve as one of the world's most effective mediums for the spread of vile lies," said Greg Schultz, Biden's campaign manager. A Facebook spokesman said on Monday the company's third-party fact-checkers had now rated the video as "partly false." "We are reducing its distribution and showing warning labels with more context for people who see it, try to share it, or already have," he said. "As we announced last year, the same applies if a politician shares the video, if it was otherwise fact checked when shared by others on Facebook." (Reporting by Elizabeth Culliford in San Francisco, additional reporting by Scott DiSavino in New York; Editing by Michael Perry, Christian Schmollinger and Tom Brown) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Tuition will increase slightly next year and so will employee paychecks under budget guidelines approved Monday by the University of New Mexico Board of Regents. Regents wont approve an entire university budget until May, but this week they set important rates that will affect the budget: how much students will pay to go there and how much employees will make. In the next fiscal year, base tuition will increase 2.6% next year, and students will also see a reduction to the discount offered to in-state students who take more than 15 credit hours per semester. And university employees will see raises of about 4%, though exact details of how the raises will be spread over the entire workforce were unclear. The budget guidelines are assuming a 6% decline in UNM enrollment next fall. And while officials say they are hopeful the student population wont drop that much, they said they are taking a conservative approach to try to ensure that projected tuition revenue materializes. At the start of this school year, the university had to use about $4 million in reserves to plug shortfalls that were the result of UNM enrollment dropping about 7% from the year before. Theres a history lesson thats a part of this budget, Regent Sandra Begay said. The guidelines reflect what had previously been recommended by a Budget Leadership Team made up of faculty, staff and student representatives. The recommendations had been considered and approved by regent committees last week. Teresa Costantinidis, the senior vice president for Finance and Administration, said not instituting any tuition increases would force the university to reduce the budget by about $10 million. UNMs main campus is expecting about $208 million in state appropriations next year, which is about a 13% increase from the current year, and about $114 million in tuition revenue, which is comparable to what it generated in tuition this year. But Provost James Holloway said that even with the guidelines approved Monday, university leaders over the coming weeks and months will have to trim about $10 million from main campus spending. He said that process will take into consideration which academic programs are seeing growth, which units have reserves and other factors. He said the cuts wont be spread evenly across the main campus. Historically, UNM has gone for across-the-board cuts, he said. We cant do that anymore. A veteran was left surprised and thankful after his home surveillance camera caught a delivery driver securing an American flag that was blown off his porch in Augusta, Maine, on February 19. David Price, a Marine Corps veteran who served in the Gulf War, said he wanted to give a big thank you to the Dead River driver who fixed his flag. Footage from Prices home camera shows the driver brushing snow off the flag and putting it back on its mount. Price said he ended up calling Dead River, a petroleum distributor, to show them the video. One of our customers shared this video recognizing our delivery drivers act of kindness while making a delivery! the company said on Facebook in response to Prices footage. Credit: David Price via Storyful No solution from senator As usual, my state senator is blaming someone else for our state road problems (Sen. Michael McDonald, Road bonding reforms needed to protect taxpayers March 5 Macomb Daily). Like his Republican colleagues, he wants to offer criticism, but again no solutions. I wonder why our Republican government for eight years never had the solutions except to rob from state retirement fund or pass? I have contacted Senator MacDonald with these same concerns and get nothing back. Craig Thomson Clinton Twp. Is coronavirus overhyped? (Its) very interesting how the media explosion of the coronavirus has become the new center of attraction and attention. The panic displayed throughout the world has become a tidal wave of fear and irrational thinking. Auto supplies dwindling, workers furloughed, hospitals overwhelmed, sanitary supplies exhausted, the rush of compulsive buying shows how much the public is controlled by buzz words, epidemic, pandemic, youd think it was the resurrection of the black plague and small pox combined. Just compare the deaths attributed to the coronavirus vs. the swine flu. Last year the world saw over 12,000 deaths caused by the swine strain. Maybe the rumor that China caused the imagined panic just to show the world how dependent we are on China and their manufacturing monopoly. Ronald Navickas Shelby Twp. Sky Light Holdings Limited (HKG:3882), which is in the consumer durables business, and is based in China, received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the SEHK over the last few months, increasing to HK$0.34 at one point, and dropping to the lows of HK$0.26. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether Sky Light Holdings's current trading price of HK$0.26 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 Sky Light 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 Sky Light Holdings What is Sky Light Holdings worth? Good news, investors! Sky Light Holdings is still a bargain right now according to my price multiple model, which compares the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average. In this instance, Ive used the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stocks cash flows. I find that Sky Light Holdingss ratio of 1.71x is below its peer average of 12.25x, which indicates the stock is trading at a lower price compared to the Consumer Durables industry. Whats more interesting is that, Sky Light Holdingss share price is quite volatile, which gives us more chances to buy since the share price could sink lower (or rise higher) in the future. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for how much the stock moves relative to the rest of the market. Can we expect growth from Sky Light Holdings? SEHK:3882 Past and Future Earnings, March 10th 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. 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. However, with an extremely negative double-digit change in profit expected next year, near-term growth is certainly not a driver of a buy decision. It seems like high uncertainty is on the cards for Sky Light Holdings, at least in the near future. Story continues What this means for you: Are you a shareholder? Although 3882 is currently trading below the industry PE ratio, the adverse prospect of negative growth brings about some degree of risk. Consider whether you want to increase your portfolio exposure to 3882, 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 an eye on 3882 for a while, but hesitant on making the leap, I recommend you dig deeper into the stock. Given its current price multiple, 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 Sky Light Holdings. You can find everything you need to know about Sky Light Holdings in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in Sky Light 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. Misinformation and emotive posts shared and reshared online have exaggerated the threat of the coronavirus and have made it difficult to gauge the real risk, says Alex Webb. YOU may not have been exposed to the new coronavirus yet, but youve probably been exposed to an adjacent contagion. Maybe youve even spread it: by retweeting complaints in Australia about supermarkets sold out of hand sanitiser; by liking Gwyneth Paltrows Instagram post of herself in a face mask; by scrolling agog through Facebook photos of long supermarket queues for water and paper towels in Texas. Online platforms are amplifying social contagion, making it harder for people to know the real risks or the appropriate precautions. Panic-buying isnt a new phenomenon. But instant knowledge of the ripple effects of the virus, whether justified or not, turbocharges the panic. Its new on this scale. When the Spanish flu took hold a century ago, there was, initially, very little press coverage. It was so named not because it originated in Spain, but because thats where the viruss impact was first widely reported. Censorship imposed during World War I meant that the press in France, Britain, the US, and Germany barely covered the disease until late 1918, when millions were already infected. Spain was a non-combatant, so newspapers were free to report on the illness, which killed 50m people globally. In the era of Covid-19, the challenge is the inverse: information and misinformation are spreading faster than the virus, accelerated by the online news cycle and endless personal reactions and anecdotes shared far beyond ones closest family and friends. Last week, in an attempt to cut through the noise, Facebook chief executive officer, Mark Zuckerberg, said that the social network would give the World Health Organisation free advertising for its response to the disease, and work to remove false claims and conspiracy theories about thevirus. Back in 1918, support for censoring Spanish flu reports stemmed from the medical establishments view that there was a direct link between a persons emotional state and their physical well-being, historian Mark Honigsbaum has written. Spreading negativity, it was feared, would not just undermine public morale, but also make the general population more likely to contract and succumb to the malady. These days, medical authorities have different reasons to be circumspect in their public statements. Not only do they want to avoid provoking hysteria which might keep crucial medical gear and service from those who need it more but they want to avoid crying wolf. In the midst of the swine flu outbreak of 2009, Englands chief medical officer warned there could be 65,000 fatalities. In the end, 214 people died. That has added to an erosion of trust and deference not only toward experts, but expertise, according to Honigsbaum, author of The Pandemic Century: One Hundred Years of Panic, Hysteria and Hubris. That may result in people being less likely to seek salient expert advice. In the decade since swine flu, the way we consume news has changed. Facebook has grown from 360m to 2.5bn users. Multitudes of people are now rapidly sharing and resharing information, without weighing how trustworthy or frenzy-feeding it may be. The fire hose of information has made it harder to know what to trust. Its not necessarily that people are inclined to believe fake news, but, because untrustworthy sources are presented in the same way as credible ones, the latter are devalued. A 2018 Pew Research Center survey found that 57% of Americans expect news they see on social media to be largely inaccurate. People like and share away irrespective. Facebook and Twitter are trying to crack down on misinformation and to ensure the most trusted information surfaces first for those who search for it but thats only part of the equation. The viral nature of real personal experiences or opinions also accentuates panic. The social networks arent going to block a photo from a friend, nor should they. But the post could still make you consider rushing out to the supermarket to stock up on toilet paper, whether or not you need to. The US surgeon general even took to Twitter to urge people to stop buying masks, to ensure there are enough for health-care professionals. Theres a strand of social thought called contagion theory, which looks at how ideas, and, at times, irrational behaviour, are spread in a group. Social networks play on this by generating emotional reactions to content Facebook invites you to respond to a post with a like, love, angry, amazed, laughing, or crying emoji. All these emotions are broadcast out to an array of people, near and far, encouraging them to feel and do the same. Social networks are wired to stir up emotional engagements and make them contagious, says Tony D Sampson, a critical theorist and author of the upcoming, A Sleepwalkers Guide to Social Media. It can be detrimental to a range of things, from politics to health, he says, because what spreads tends to be on a rapid visceral register of communication, rather than reasoned thinking. The irony is that, as the epidemic progresses, those advertising their efforts to combat the real-world virus are also perpetuating the digital contagion. Platforms and health authorities will need to keep playing catch up. Alex Webb is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Europes technology, media, and communications industries When the multibillionaire Michael R. Bloomberg hired an army of staff members for his presidential campaign, he lavished them with salaries that were nearly double what other candidates were paying. His campaign also promised something rivals could not match: job security through the general election, even if he dropped out of the race. But now, less than a week after Mr. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, left the Democratic presidential race endorsing former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and pledging to put his vast resources behind him hundreds of Mr. Bloombergs field organizers and regional organizing directors around the country are suddenly without jobs, having received emails on Monday that encouraged them to keep their campaign-issued electronics as a sort of severance payment. In a series of conference calls on Monday, campaign staff members outside certain battleground states learned that their work had ended and that they would be paid through the end of March, according to seven people who were on such calls. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing nondisclosure agreements they had signed with the campaign, from which they were seeking to be released. We sincerely appreciate your commitment and dedication over the past few months! read an email that the workers received, which was reviewed by The New York Times. As a token of our appreciation, we are offering you the opportunity to keep your laptop and iPhone. Close up detail of an Albert Square sign on the set of EastEnders. (BBC) EastEnders fans are seriously annoyed with Lola Pearce as she wasted no time snogging her ex Peter Beale, just hours after turning down Jay Browns marriage proposal. Lola - whos played by Danielle Harold in the BBC soap - is currently pregnant with Jays baby. But while Jay is desperate to become a dad, Lola has no intention of having another child just yet. Jay hoped he could change her mind by getting down on one knee, but Lola tried to gently let him down. Read more: EastEnders fans predict affair for this unlikely pair Unfortunately Jay didnt take her refusal very well at all and yelled at her to forget everything between them as he clearly wasnt enough for her. Lola is stunned as Jay asks her to marry him in EastEnders An upset Lola, who had already flirted with Peter as he trained Habiba Ahmed on the Square, headed off to drown her sorrows. It wasnt long before Peter found her and offered her a shoulder to cry on. Along with a few massive shots of straight vodka courtesy of his new job at The Prince Albert. And, predictably, it was only a matter of time before Lola and Peter were kissing up against a wall. Poor Jay. Fans took to Twitter to share their disgust at Lolas attitude and at Peter for making a move on his vulnerable ex. Lola and Peter kiss just hours after Jay proposed to her. One viewer tweeted: My heart is absolutely broken for jay poor jay. While another agreed, saying: Bloody heck Lola, you had a good man in Jay! Others blamed Peter for the betrayal, with one angry watcher saying: Peter has wanted that since he got back he is a snake. Another added: Peter is such a pig. And a third fumed: Hi Peter, I missed you. But after that, I want you to scuttle off back to New Zealand. Please and thanks. Hi Peter, I missed you. But after that, I want you to scuttle off back to New Zealand. Please and thanks #EastEnders https://t.co/oHAcNUkC4Z Tom Gardiner (@IAmTomGardiner) March 10, 2020 Peter - played by newcomer Dayle Hudson - returned during the epic 35th anniversary episodes last month. Story continues Hes been living in New Zealand with his now ex-girlfriend Lauren Branning and their son Louie. Read more: EastEnders fans wonder when the Coronavirus will hit Walford EastEnders continues Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One. When an artist dies, there is, inevitably, a subsequent exhibition of their "final" works, often finished by other collaborators. After lyricist Fred Ebb's passing in 2004, Broadway saw three of his unfinished projects put on over the ensuing decade, finished by longtime partner John Kander and others to varying degrees of success. The late playwright Edward Albee, meanwhile, avoided public scrutiny of his long-talked drama Laying an Egg by ordering all of its manuscripts destroyed in his will. With the New York debut of Unknown Soldier at Playwrights Horizons, we've begun the parade of composer Michael Friedman's "last" musicals, but co-writer Daniel Goldstein and director Trip Cullman have let his memory down. The main character is Ellen Rabinowitz (Margo Seibert), a fortysomething gynecologist who has discovered a photo in an old magazine of her grandmother Lucy (Estelle Parsons) as a young woman (Kerstin Anderson) on a picnic with a World War I soldier who has lost his memory (Perry Sherman). Ellen knows little about the origin of this image the resentful Lucy died without telling her ward anything so she enlists the help of Andrew Hoffman (Erik Lochtefeld), a librarian at Cornell University, to help solve the mystery. Traversing the 20th century, Unknown Soldier then explores the bourgeoning flirtations between unhappily married Ellen and equally unhappily married Andrew, and the emotionally unstable Lucy's seduction of the eponymous unknown soldier. Perry Sherman, Estelle Parsons, and Kerstin Anderson in Unknown Soldier. ( Joan Marcus) Friedman, who died of AIDS-related complications at the age of 41 in 2017, contributed a typically accomplished score that at once contains his thoroughly distinctive voice and a sweeping classical texture that feels relatively new for him. There's even a pair of songs (beautifully delivered as solos by Lochtefeld and Seibert, respectively) that I would feel comfortable calling two of the best musical-theater ballads of our young decade. This is an album that I'd be very happy to listen to alongside The Fortress of Solitude and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, mainly so I didn't have to think about Daniel Goldstein's incomprehensible book and lyrics (the latter of which, to not completely blame him, Friedman also contributed) and Trip Cullman's perplexing staging. Unknown Soldier is a story built on piecing together a puzzle, but building that puzzle has outsmarted its surviving creators, who give us a clutter of tone, style, and Brechtian distance that undercuts the emotions on both sides of the proscenium. Messy sexual politics dog both principal storylines; the most glaring occurs when Lucy takes advantage of the soldier's amnesiac state to get herself pregnant. The main characters are female, and yet they all seem like products of the male gaze (the only women on the immediate creative team are the musical director and the projection designer). No one seems to know that sugar doesn't melt into water; it dissolves (listen for that lyric). On a more basic level, it's slow, hard to follow, and bewilderingly designed, with one of the most weirdly proportioned sets (by Mark Wendland) that I've ever seen. The performances are all quite good; in addition to Seibert and Lochtefeld, Anderson is extremely convincing as the delusional Lucy, while the 92-year-old Parsons, who never met a line she couldn't earn a laugh on, is delightful as a Lucy whose feelings have hardened with age and time. They and the music salvage this woebegone production, which proves that sometimes it's just better to let sleeping shows lie. (Updates prices) By Mai Nguyen SINGAPORE, March 10 (Reuters) - Prices of industrial metals rose on Tuesday as a drop in new coronavirus cases in China boosted hopes for an improvement in domestic demand, while President Xi Jinping's visit to the outbreak epicentre in the central city of Wuhan aided sentiment. Xi's first visit to Wuhan since the epidemic follows a sharp drop in new cases in mainland China in the past week, with 19 new infections by Monday, down from 40 a day earlier. Benchmark three-month nickel on the London Metal Exchange (LME) climbed as much as 2.7% to $12,985 a tonne, while the most-traded nickel contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (ShFE) rose as much as 4.3% to 104,000 yuan ($14,990.34) a tonne. "The worst is over in China," a base metals trader said. Factories slowly coming back online also raised hopes of an uptick in demand. "In China, the semi-fabricator industry is improving slowly," CRU Group analyst He Tianyu said, adding that demand from construction and infrastructure sectors is also improving, albeit at a slower pace. Utilisation rate at copper semi fabricators, which process the metal into products such as wire-rod or tubes, has picked up to 60% from 40%-50% a week earlier, as more people return to work, the analyst said. LME copper rose 1.2% to $5,603 a tonne by 0710 GMT and zinc advanced 1.3% to $2,006 a tonne. ShFE copper increased 1.8% to 44,350 yuan a tonne and ShFE zinc jumped as much as 3.9% to 16,010 yuan a tonne before easing to close at 15,910 yuan a tonne, up 3.3%. FUNDAMENTALS * CHINA: Business and travel activities are steadily recovering, but rapidly rising infections globally will pose a challenge to the country's broader economic resumption. * CHILE COPPER: Copper output at Codelco, the world's top copper miner, plunged 6.8% in January from a year earlier. Production at BHP's BHP.AX Escondida, the world's largest copper mine, rose 10%. * For the top stories in metals and other news, click or PRICES Three month LME copper Most active ShFE copper Three month LME aluminium Most active ShFE aluminium Three month LME zinc Most active ShFE zinc Three month LME lead Most active ShFE lead Three month LME nickel Most active ShFE nickel Three month LME tin Most active ShFE tin ARBS ($1 = 6.9378 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Mai Nguyen; Editing by Uttaresh.V, Aditya Soni) Messaging: mai.nguyen.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) LME price overview COMEX copper futures All metals news All commodities news Foreign exchange rates SPEED GUIDES )) ANNAPOLIS (March 10, 2020)Maryland officials on Tuesday announced two new positive cases of COVID-19 in Prince George's Countybringing the state's total to eightamid a push for increased resources to battle the growing crisis. There are now three known cases of the coronavirus in Prince George's, County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said Tuesday, standing in front of a giant digital world map of the latest virus numbers. A Prince George's couple, officials confirmed Tuesday, contracted the virus while traveling internationally on a cruise ship. And yesterday evening, Alsobrooks said, a woman in her 50s tested positive for the virus after traveling to Boston. All three Prince George's residents are "self-quarantined." Alsobrooks said the county has raised the level at the Emergency Operations Center and Joint Information Center from "enhanced" to "partial activation," allowing for more resources to go toward battling the virus. Workers at the Gaylord National Resort located at the National Harbor were alerted by the county that an attendee from New Jersey at the Conservative Political Action Conference held in February tested positive for the virus; Carter said workers were told to see a physician and stay home if they began experiencing symptoms. Prince George's County Public Schools Chief Operating Officer Barry Stanton said the education system suspended school-sponsored international travel, created a designated time for young students to wash their hands and started looking into the possibility of remote classes. "The most important message that we want to send to parents is to please keep their children at home if they are ill," Stanton said. There are four additional confirmed cases in Montgomery County and one in Harford County. In a press conference Tuesday in front of his full cabinet, Gov. Larry Hogan said he expects the number of confirmed cases to rise throughout the country as more people are tested. "This problem continues to evolve and escalate rapidly," he said, calling the response an "all hands on deck operation." Hogan declared a state of emergency Thursday, giving the state flexibility to better coordinate among different agencies and to utilize various resources to help fight the disease, which continues to spread in Maryland. Hogan also submitted emergency legislation, passed unanimously last week by the Maryland Senate and the House of Delegates, which would allow the state to transfer up to $50 million from its rainy day fund. Hogan, who also serves as chair of the National Governors Association, has stepped into the national spotlight during the epidemic, appearing on national television, working with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and other governors, and stressing the need for bipartisanship. During a Sunday appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," Hogan praised the efforts of Pence and his team, while acknowledging he hasn't been pleased with President Donald Trump's response, which has often contradicted statements made by public health officials. "He hasn't communicated the way I would and the way I might like him to," Hogan said of the president. COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by a new coronavirus, a family of viruses that can also cause diseases such as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome). Older people and those who have serious chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and lung disease may be at higher risk, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Earlier Tuesday, Hogan said during his press conference, he met with representatives from the state's long-term care community. In hopes of preventing an outbreak similar to the one in a Washington state nursing home where 18 people have died, Hogan said, facilities should limit visitors, staff members should avoid international travel and facilities should use online methods to facilitate communication. As of March 10, there have been 647 reported cases of COVID-19 and 25 deaths in the United States in 36 jurisdictions, including Washington, D.C., according to the CDC website. Hogan announced March 3 that the state's Public Health Laboratory was approved for COVID-19 testing, which allows local cases to be tested and diagnosed more quickly in the Maryland Department of Health's Baltimore labs rather than waiting for results from the Centers for Disease Control labs in Atlanta. Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, D-Baltimore, and Sen. Clarence Lam, D-Baltimore and Howard counties, introduced legislation that would allow for telehealth services to treat patients remotely, restrict price gougingof food, water, medicine, cleaning supplies and moreand allow for those who may not have insurance or full coverage to get tested and receive vaccines when available. "We're seeing rising cases of COVID-19 throughout the state," Lam said. "I think the legislature needs to take some proactive steps to be able to empower the governor with the tools that he needs to really respond to this public health crisis." Senate bill 1080 was cross-filed by House Speaker Adrienne Jones, D-Baltimore County, as HB 1663 Monday night. "It does make sure that we do not forget those that are most vulnerable, and that includes folks that may not have insurance you can still get tested," Lam told Capital News Service. "And once we have a vaccine, which is probably a year out, it also says that they would not have to pay for that vaccine." Lam added that he expects the legislation to advance in the General Assembly this week. As of March 9, the World Health Organization reports 109,577 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 3,809 deaths in 104 countries/territories/areas. Wall Street rebounded Tuesday, with small gains as of Tuesday afternoon after suffering its worst day since 2008 a day earlier. Trading was halted for 15 minutes Monday after the S&P 500 fell more than 7% Monday, triggering a market circuit breaker designed to slow trading down and allow investors to evaluate market conditions. Colleges and universities are also taking precautions to protect students and staff against the COVID-19 crisis. More than a dozen universities across the country have shifted classrooms online, while in Maryland, the University of Maryland, College Park is preparing its students and staff for that possibility. In an email to students and staff Monday evening, College Park campus officials announced restrictions on travel and meetings, and suggested students and staff plan for the possibility of online classwork. University System of Maryland Chancellor Jay Perman in a statement on Tuesday urged all system universities to prepare students to remain off campus for two weeks after next week's Spring Break. The statement also indicated some state universities may need to cancel classes this week in preparation for such a change; Towson University has announced it will cancel classes for the week beginning Wednesday. The University of Maryland Medical System on Tuesday announced changes to the visitor policy at its 13 system hospitals and other healthcare facilities. According to a press release, all UMMS visitors must check in at the front desk, visitors younger than 18 will be limited, adult visitors are limited to one per patient, visitors may be screened for flu-like symptoms and denied access if those symptoms are present, and visitors with international travel may not visit until 14 days after returning to the United States. The new coronavirus is also taking a toll on Maryland businesses. The Capital News Service reported Feb. 28 the state could feel the effect of a strained global supply chain later this month or next month. Shipments to the Port of Baltimore have already been delayed or cancelled because of the outbreak. Due to a lack of overseas goods and services available to fill container ships, The Seagirt Marine Terminal at the Port of Baltimore closed on Thursday and will close again on March 17. Hugh Garbrick and Wesley Brown contributed to this report. (Kitco News) - Gold has been an overwhelming force in currency markets and while the market could be taking a break in the near-term, there appears to be room for more upside, according to one fund manager. In a recent interview with Kitco News, Christopher Cruden, director at Insch Kintore Ltd, noted that in February his firm held a maximum amount of long gold positions against all Group of Seven currencies: U.S. dollar, Canadian dollar, Australian dollar, British pound, euro, Swiss franc, and Japanese yen. However, in an update Tuesday, Cruden said that the Insch Kintore fund has now turned neutral on gold; it only holds full long position against the British pound, he said. The shift comes as gold prices hold relatively steady near all-time highs in a number of global currencies. Cruden said that he was expecting to see the current pause in the gold market as the yellow metal has made most of its gains in the currency market in a low volatile market. "The one thing we know about trends is that low volatility initiates a trend and high volatility signals an end to the trend," he said. "Because volatility has been so low for so long we are expecting the next trend break-out to be a major event." Cruden noted that the Kintore fund is fairly agnostic on gold prices as it can hold both long and short positions in currency markets. However, he added that listening to some of the experts in the marketplace, it sounds like the precious metal still has a lot of bullish momentum. "I would be delighted if they were right," he said. Personally, Cruden said that he expects gold prices to go higher as central banks continue to maintain ultra-loose monetary policy. Cruden's comments came before the Federal Reserve announced an emergency inter-meeting 50-basis-point rate cut. "I don't have a lot of faith in central banks," he said. "I think investors should have some gold to hedge against rampant stupidity in monetary policy." Even after the Federal Reserve's emergency cut, markets are pricing in another 50 basis point move at the next monetary policy meeting. Later this week, economists are expecting the European Central Bank to also loosen its monetary policy through "targeted initiatives." While investors have piled into gold at unprecedented levels as panic has gripped financial markets, Cruden said that he is happy to continue to see gold as a global currency. He added that the fundamental flaw in all gold products is that it is a bet that prices will continue to go up. "Being in gold is fine when prices are going up but what happens when the trend shifts," he said. "Gold's fundamental strength is that it is not correlated to anything so you should have the flexibility up and down to follow the prevailing trend." The Cruden comments come after Insch Kintore opened up its gold currency strategy to regular investors. In early February, the company partnered with British investment Rudolf Wolff ltd to create a fund for European, British and U.S. investors. Year-to-date, the strategy is up 18%. Meanwhile, April gold futures last traded at $1,659 an ounce, up roughly 9% since the start of the year. The death toll from alcohol poisoning in Iran has risen to 44 after locals tried to ward of deadly coronavirus with bootleg booze. The killer bug has infected more than 8,000 and killed 291 in Iran, making it one of the deadliest outbreaks outside of China. Many took to 'bootleg alcohol' over the misguided belief that it would cure the rapidly spreading disease. The highest poisoning toll struck in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, where it grew by 16 to reach 36. The death toll from alcohol poisoning in Iran has risen to 44 after locals tried to ward of deadly coronavirus with bootleg booze. Pictured: Two women wear protective masks as they walk in Tehran, Iran Victims had 'drank bootleg alcohol over rumours that it would be effective in treating coronavirus and were poisoned', state media reported. The poisoning toll in Khuzestan is higher than its 18 direct deaths from coronavirus, news agency IRNA said. Seven more people have died from bootleg alcohol in the northern region of Alborz and one in Kermanshah, western Iran. Alcohol is banned in Iran for everyone except some non-Muslim minorities but local media regularly report on lethal cases of poisoning from bootleg liquor. The killer bug has infected more than 8,000 and killed 291 in Iran, making it one of the deadliest outbreaks outside of China. Pictured: A woman wearing a mask in Iran as she walks along the street Seven more people have died from bootleg alcohol in the northern region of Alborz and one in Kermanshah, western Iran. Pictured: A man wears a mask in Tehran amid wide-spread coronavirus panic Iran has scrambled to try to contain the spread of coronavirus which has hit all of its 31 provinces. On Thursday, Iranian authorities warned they may use 'force' to limit travel between cities in the hope of containing the virus. Speaking at a news conference, health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour did not elaborate on the threat to use force, but acknowledged the virus now was in all of Iran's provinces. The threat may be to stop people from using closed schools and universities as an excuse to go to the Caspian Sea and other Iranian vacation spots. Iran has scrambled to try to contain the spread of coronavirus which has hit all of its 31 provinces. Pictured: A man wears a mask on a bus in Tehran And in another sign coronavirus is spreading within state institutions, it was announced that female lawmaker Fatemah Rahbar, an MP, had died. Her death came after the reported death of Mohammad Mirmohammadi, a member of the Expediency Council. The council exists to resolve disputes between parliament and the Guardian Council, a governmental body that vets electoral candidates among other duties. Iran's deputy health minister, Iraj Harirchi, and another member of parliament, Mahmoud Sadeghi, also said they have contracted the virus. By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 09, 2020 | 08:27 PM | GRAVES COUNTY The Kentucky State Police are searching for 42-year-old Allen J. Franklin of Paducah. Franklin's last known address in Paducah does not exist, and he has not verified his address since December of 2019. He has an active warrant for Failure to comply with the Kentucky Sex Offender Registry, a class D felony. Anyone with information about Franklin is asked to contact the Kentucky State Police Post 1 at 270-856-3721, or anonymously at 1-800-222-5555. Tips may also be reported anonymously through the KSP app, available on the app store. For more information on Kentucky's Sex Offender Registry check out the link below. Kentucky State Police are asking for the public's help with locating a missing non-compliant sex offender. On the Net: The inconvenience and uncertainty faced by Yes Bank depositors may be short-lived as State Bank of India (SBI) Chairman Rajnish Kumar has said the moratorium could be lifted within a week. Assuring depositors of safety of their hard-earned money, Kumar said once the state-run lender stepped in there shouldn't be any worry about money as the financial system was sound, according to media reports. It would be business as usual for Yes Bank with SBI's entry, Kumar assured depositors. His statement gains significance as both depositors and investors are concerned about the bank's future and capital adequacy. Prashant Kumar, the RBI-appointed administrator, has also said efforts are on to lift the moratorium before the April 3 deadline and it could be lifted as early as Saturday. According to the administrator, there should not be any issue on the liquidity front. As per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) draft reconstruction scheme for the crisis-hit private lender, the SBI will take up 49 per cent in the bank by investing Rs 2,450 crore. On Thursday, the RBI placed Yes Bank under moratorium and capped the withdrawal limit at Rs 50,000 till April 3. The SBI Chairman also said he didn't receive any direction from the government and the bank was closely working with the apex bank. Kumar's statement comes a day after Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) Krishnamurthy Subramanian said there was no reason to worry as Indian banks had adequate capital. The RBI last week also superseded Yes Bank's board of directors and appointed former SBI CFO Prashant Kumar as administrator. The new board of directors will stand constituted from the appointed date. It will comprise a CEO and MD, non-executive chairman and non-executive directors. The SBI will have nominee directors appointed on the board of the reconstructed bank. The RBI may appoint additional directors to the board, who shall continue in office for one year, or until an alternate board is constituted by Yes Bank. The SBI will not reduce its holding below 26 per cent before completion of three years from the date of infusion of the capital. WALTHAM, Mass., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO), the world leader in serving science, today announced that Paul G. Parker will join the company, effective April 15, 2020, as senior vice president, strategy and corporate development, which also includes corporate social responsibility. Parker will report to Marc N. Casper, chairman, president and chief executive officer, and will be based in Waltham, Mass. Parker joins from Goldman Sachs & Co., where he served for six years as co-chairman of Global Mergers & Acquisitions and as a member of the firm's Partnership Committee. His investment banking career spans 35 years, having held numerous global operating and senior client relationship roles at Goldman Sachs and other leading financial services firms including Barclays, Lehman Brothers and J.P. Morgan. Parker is a graduate of Harvard Business School and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "We are pleased to welcome Paul to the Thermo Fisher leadership team as we broaden our deep bench of executive talent," said Casper. "With more than three decades of investment banking experience, Paul is a highly respected leader in the global banking and finance community and brings skills that will complement our team. Having worked closely with Paul over the years, I am confident he will make significant contributions to our ongoing success as we continue to execute our proven growth strategy and create shareholder value." Parker said, "I am proud to join such an exceptional company and management team. Under Marc's leadership, Thermo Fisher has successfully executed a visionary plan that has positioned the company as the unmatched leader in life sciences and healthcare. I look forward to working alongside my new colleagues to continue the company's growth trajectory through strategic M&A and by advancing its commitment to corporate social responsibility." Shiraz Ladiwala, currently head of strategy and corporate development for Thermo Fisher, announced his plans to retire from the company in March 2021. He will serve as senior vice president, integrations, until that time and will primarily lead integration planning for the QIAGEN acquisition, which was announced on March 3, 2020. Casper concluded, "On behalf of the entire Thermo Fisher team, I would like to thank Shiraz for his significant contributions during his outstanding 20-plus year career with us. His insights and leadership have guided us through significant value creation and I'm pleased that we will continue to benefit from his expertise in the coming year." About Thermo Fisher Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) 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. Media Contact Information: Karen Kirkwood Phone: 781-622-1306 E-mail: [email protected] Investor Contact Information: Ken Apicerno Phone: 781-622-1294 E-mail: [email protected] SOURCE Thermo Fisher Scientific Related Links http://www.thermofisher.com Konga Hailed for Corona-virus Management Strategies Lagos, Victoria Island, March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Konga, Nigerias foremost e-commerce giant, has once again won the admiration of stakeholders in the e-commerce sector with its high-level emergency readiness, which came to the fore with the spread of the dreaded coronavirus outbreak to Nigeria. As a matter of fact, Konga had immediately activated a comprehensive preventive compliance system that drew widespread commendation. The development is striking, particularly considering the fact that businesses in the retail sector, especially those that involve physical contact such as e-commerce companies, have been hard hit since the coronavirus outbreak. Nevertheless, stakeholders have praised Konga for its timely and proactive measures in the face of the entry of the disease into Nigeria. In fact, the e-commerce giant had impressed with its swift reaction. Konga had not only instituted strict health checks for its staff including all customer-facing personnel such as delivery men, store staff and others; it had also gone beyond this to set up an internal feedback mechanism where all employees and management were regularly updated on latest developments on the coronavirus scourge, what to do when ill and preventive tips to keep them protected. In addition, a high-alert was activated for all staff who regularly came into contact with external customers and the public as they underwent special sessions and checks, solely as a preventive measure. Furthermore, alcohol-based sanitizers were immediately installed at all Konga offices, stores, and pick-up locations nationwide while infra-red thermometers were also deployed to screen staff and visitors to these locations. The measures have seen Konga receive high praise from several quarters. I have been overwhelmed and impressed with the Konga response to the coronavirus entry into Nigeria, disclosed Haruna Okogie. I visited the office in Ogba for some inquiries and was among those subjected to temperature checks at the entry point. I was also advised to use the hand sanitizer installed. Even the security men at the gate showed a high level of awareness for the disease which I have not witnessed elsewhere, even among more learned members of the public. Konga deserves commendation for this. Also, Sade Awe, a shopper, shared her experience at a Konga store in Ikorodu. I was at the store to pick up an item I had ordered online. To my surprise, the attendant at the store had so much information about coronavirus which to me, showed the existence of some institutional knowledge structure. When I pressed, she disclosed that the companys management shared regular updates on the disease as well as protective/preventive tips with all staff. In fact, one of the first things she did after greeting me warmly when I entered the store was to offer me some sanitizer for my hands. God bless Konga for their thoughtfulness. Meanwhile, Oracle of the Nigerian ICT industry and former President, Information Technology Association of Nigeria (ITAN), Dr. Chris Uwaje was also among those who lavished encomiums on Konga. What Konga has done is very commendable. The measures are actually in two parts which a lot of people seem to underestimate. The first part, as it were, is the corporate responsibility to be able to secure customer satisfaction and assurance. But the most critical part is the secure strategies for the staff who deliver the products that the customer wants. If the whole Konga network is down technology-wise because of coronavirus, the infrastructure will still be alive. But if the staff is not there, who will deliver the last-mile to the benefit of the customer. So, there has to be a special programme for the staff. This is essential to make sure that they are not affected and that secures the confidence of the customer for continuity. Indeed, Nigerians had been thrown into a state of panic and anxiety when on Thursday, February 27, 2020; the Federal Ministry of Health confirmed the first case of the deadly coronavirus in Lagos, Nigeria. Equally important, the case is an Italian citizen who works in Nigeria and just returned from Italy to Lagos via a stopover in Ogun State. Since this development came to light, the level of apprehension in business circles has reached fever-pitch. Also, the situation has been worsened by a number of false reports and myths about the disease which the Federal Ministry of Health working in concert with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Lagos State Government and State Ministry of Health have done their best to dispel. On Monday, March 9, 2020, the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire confirmed the second case of coronavirus in Nigeria. Although the public posturing from the authorities is that the initial solitary case of the Italian was under control and that the patient was making a recovery from the virus; the confirmation of the second has heightened fears of a major outbreak of the disease in Nigeria. Gideon Ayogu Konga +234(0)8129851122 gideon.ayogu@konga.com BOISE Legislation in Idaho to create transparency in medical bills sent to people and to rein in predatory medical debt collectors headed to the governors desk on Monday. The Senate voted 32-1 to approve the measure backers call consumer protection legislation. Republican Gov. Brad Little has been touting cutting rules and regulations in the state since he took office a little over a year ago. His spokeswoman, Marissa Hyer, declined comment on whether Little will sign the bill into law because she said he does not comment on pending legislation. If Little signs the bill, the law would take effect on Jan. 1. The bill seeks to cap attorney fees charged to former patients at $350 for those who do not contest their bills in court and $750 for those who do. It would also set a 45-day deadline for medical facilities to get bills to peoples insurance providers. There are loopholes in the law that allow the exploitation of Idahoans, Republican Sen. Kelly Anthon told senators. Idaho law should make sure that information is made available to patients, and that patients are given a fair chance to make the payment. Its unusual for legislation that adds regulations on industry to advance in the conservative Idaho Legislature that has super-majorities of Republicans in the House and Senate. Clearly theres a problem in this area with the way our current law is, but I just cant resolve in my mind that this is the lightest touch that we can do to fix this problem, said Republican Sen. Steve Vick, the lone vote against the bill in the Senate. Making the situation even more unusual, one of the medical debt collectors is another lawmaker. Republican Rep. Bryan Zollinger is listed as a manager of Idaho Falls-based Medical Recovery Services. Zollinger has said the legislation will result in people who pay their bills seeing increases in medical costs because they will also have to pay the bills of those who dont when medical providers pass on those expenses. Billionaire Frank VanderSloot, the founder of Idaho Falls-based wellness shopping club Melaleuca, helped initiate the legislation after a debt collection agency targeted one of his employees, tacking on legal fees that he said turned a $294 bill into about $5,500. He also said he spent $1 million in legal fees defending more than 200 people who he said appear to have been caught up in predatory medical billing by attorneys. Many of those cases involved Medical Recovery Services. Knowing these folks, I think theyre going to step it up. I dont think theyre going to back down, VanderSloot said after the Senate vote. He said he hoped judges would consider the dollar limits in the legislation when deciding cases this year between now and Jan. 1 if Little signs the bill into law. Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 President Muhammadu Buhari says the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) has adversely affected the countrys main revenue. The president said this when workers in the health sector under the aegis of Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and Assembly Healthcare Professionals Associations (AHPA) paid him a courtesy call at the State House, Abuja. The Federal Government had announced the possibility of an impending plan to reduce the N10.6tn 2020 National Budget, following the impact of the outbreak of Coronavirus on the global crude oil price on Monday. Read Also: Coronavirus In Italy Sparks Total Lockdown Buhari while addressing members of JOHESU and AHPA, appealed to workers in the health sector to bear with the administration in their demands as it braced up for the challenges posed by coronavirus to the economy. He said in a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu, Your case is certainly receiving attention, but you must bear in mind the condition that the country is in now. Coronavirus is not improving matters. It is affecting what we very much depend on, the petroleum industry and therefore revenue. So, please try and help us with your people. Let us be patriotic, let us look at the ways and means of the government and appeal for restrainWe have to emphasize that it is very important we maintain cohesion together, because if we allow sentiments or popularity to overwhelm our reasoning faculties, we will be in trouble and it will be too late for us to adjust, so please bear with us, he said. We thank God. God is very sympathetic to us. The three previous rainy seasons were good. We had good foresight in getting fertiliser, making it available and we virtually achieved food security. We made good decisions, and we saved hundreds of millions of dollars on importation of food. If not, we would have been in real trouble, he added. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Rifka Sibarani, Birut Zemits, and Stephen Miller (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 15:02 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2069991c1 3 Opinion coronavirus,COVID-19,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,Chinese-Indonesians Free The COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak has led to widespread travel bans and turmoil on global financial markets. But it has also given rise to xenophobic responses targeting Chinese communities in several affected countries. This has been happening in a situation where online misinformation is credited as being as dangerous as the virus itself. Misinformation outbreaks have been central to xenophobic responses. Researchers have already suggested this misinformation has complicated efforts to communicate the risks associated with COVID-19. For example, misinformation has amplified the fears of the virus outbreak in Indonesia as online hoaxes about COVID-19 lead to racist responses towards the Indonesian Chinese community. Meanwhile, in Australia, misinformation has cost Chinese-Australians business and safety. In Europe, Chinese Italians have been reported to be targets of racism. Even in the Ukraine, protesters have attacked buses carrying COVID-19 evacuees. This xenophobic sentiment is also directed at Chinese Indonesians. Therefore the Indonesian government needs to implement strategic risk communication to curb the fearmongering and racist sentiments on social media, especially after the public disclosure of COVID-19 patients in Indonesia. Involve the public to win trust Risk communication is not just about the scientific community or the experts providing guidelines, instructions and warnings to public. Effective risk communication needs to involve the public and it requires trust from the public. The major challenge for risk communication in the digital era is that so many more people have so much more access and opportunity to create content of widely varying quality, including material that is misleading, fanciful or patently false. At times, content of this sort can even be picked up by mainstream media or shared by public figures, which further spreads poor online information. In this context, the Indonesian governments risk communication approach has been criticised. The government is notorious for hiding problems to protect its public image. A recent example of this was when the government tried to restore peace in West Papua by curbing internet access amid mass political tension. This approach might lead to misinformation and poor-quality information spreading further on the internet. A study in Australia argues that when members of the public are dissatisfied with the information provided by authorities, they will opt for alternative information sources. As we have argued, this information can be of varying quality, and is often not fact-checked or otherwise verified. In the context of the COVID-19 outbreak, this can lead to harmful outcomes, for example by encouraging social tension, such as the recent xenophobic sentiments towards the Chinese-Indonesians. Dark past repeats In the Indonesian case, managing online misinformation is not just about reducing the risks of an epidemic, but also about restoring community cohesion. Throughout the period of the Suharto regime (1965-1998), Indonesians of Chinese descent were the target of discrimination and violence. As the regime established itself in 1965-66, Chinese-Indonesians were caught up in the anti-communist violence that was unleashed with military backing. In the last days of the regime (1997-1998), they were again targeted by violent riots. The prejudice underlying such attacks on Indonesian-Chinese communities continued to resonate in the reform (reformasi) era that followed the fall of the Suharto regime in 1998. In the 2017 Jakarta election, Chinese Indonesians in Jakarta again became targets of bigotry when a Chinese Indonesian served as acting-governor and then ran as governor of the capital. Its such a shame that coronavirus carriers are hidden in Indonesia. It seems the government is concealing things, worrying that the Chinese will be kicked out by the locals. When its announced that Indonesians have been infected, we should realise that the coronavirus came from the boss of the communist countries. Its very easy for people to say bad things about Chinese Indonesians. Weve been told to go back to Wuhan, that the slanty-eyes cause trouble, that because we have money, we can stock up all we want. The coronavirus spreads as a result of our behaviour, so we cant go around panicking. Steps to improve risk communication There are several recommendations that the Indonesian government could consider to communicate effectively during the current health crisis without causing xenophobic responses or mass panic: 1. Involve and engage health workers at the local level (e.g. midwives, general practitioners). A one-way communication that does not address public concerns will make the public ignore the governments risk messages. Also, people are more likely to respond to information coming from community-based sources rather than experts. 2. Use positive story-telling with straightforward and accessible information to avoid complexity and misunderstanding. Australian research on anti-vaccine misinformation suggests government risk communication can be more effective when conveyed through a storytelling approach. An example would be highlighting positive stories of preventing virus spread, rather than amplifying fears of the virus. Moreover, such research indicates the best messaging is straightforward. Social media is not a space for complex messages. 3. Be persuasive, not instructional. People will be likely to change their perception of the source of their fears when they feel reasoned with, not instructed. Anti-Chinese rhetoric is deeply rooted in Indonesian history and will not be easily disappear. But this means it is even more important for the Indonesian government to openly and persuasively address the anti-Chinese rhetoric. By understanding public concerns and inviting public participation, risk communication will be more relevant and effective. The internet must be used strategically as it has now become one of the most important places people go when they they need simple answers to some of their most troublesome questions. The COVID-19 virus does not care about race or nationality. If we let our prejudices confuse and muddy our view of the issues at hand, we will only help its spread. --- Rifka Sibarani, PhD Candidate, Charles Darwin University; Birut Zemits, Assistant Dean Research, College of Education, Charles Darwin University, and Stephen Miller, Lecturer in Indonesian Studies, University of the Sunshine Coast This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Car insurance costs can be lowered, when using the right strategies. 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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/ A vital 6m transport and public realm upgrade designed to open Corks docklands for more development must go through the planning process again after City Hall admitted a technical administrative omission in a planning notice. The work will delay delivery of the Docklands to City Centre Road Network scheme by several months. City councillors voted 24-5 last September to approve Part 8 planning on the scheme which includes extensive work on Victoria Road and the Old Blackrock Road, including contra-flow bus and cycle lanes. But it was legally challenged by the Save Cork City Community Association CLG - the group leading opposition to the 150m Cork flood defence scheme. Cork City Council confirmed it will now advise the High Court that it is consenting to the setting aside of the Part 8 planning approval for the scheme. This is due to an omission in the Part 8 public notice whereby the conclusions of the environmental screening exercise, while undertaken, were not referenced in the notice, it said. Cork City Council will now undertake a new Part 8 planning process with the design, as previously approved, being subject to further public consultation. The councils director of infrastructure development, Gerry OBeirne, said: The administrative error in the drafting of the public notice reflected a weakness in the councils internal processes which has since been corrected. A new planning process will be undertaken in respect of the proposed works. This will take an estimated four to five months to complete. The Green Party, whose city councillors voted against the project last year and warned of a legal challenge, said the setting aside of planning approval provides an opportunity to positively re-engage with the public. Cllr Oliver Moran said people should sit down and talk out the problems. "Its obvious that the current situation is untenable, he said. There are 15km of flood works planned for the city that we can see ahead of time will be challenged ferociously and effectively at every turn. Instead of slugging it out at each turn, we need to shift our attention to what we agree on, and work back from there. What Cork City Council was trying to do with this project from a transport perspective is mission-critical to opening the Docklands. So lets use the opportunity we have now to re-engage, learn, collaborate, problem-solve and to work together to move beyond where we are." Officials say the upgrade is key to unlocking the potential of the docklands, the construction of thousands of new homes and the creation of thousands of jobs. The IEA forecasts global oil demand to decline because of the coronavirus outbreak. Source IEA This is the main content of the latest oil market forecast released by the International Energy Agency (IEA). Global oil demand has been hit hard by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and the widespread shutdown of Chinas economy. The IEA now sees global oil demand at 99.9 million barrels a day in 2020, down around 90,000 barrels from 2019. This is a sharp downgrade from the IEAs forecast in February, which predicted that global oil demand would grow by 825,000 barrels a day in 2020. The short-term outlook for the oil market will ultimately depend on how quickly governments move to contain the coronavirus outbreak, how successful their efforts are, and what lingering impacts the global health crisis has on economic activity. To account for the extreme uncertainty facing energy markets, the IEA has developed two other scenarios for how global oil demand could evolve this year. In the more pessimistic case, global measures fail to contain the virus and global demand falls by 730,000 barrels a day in 2020. In the more optimistic case, the virus is contained quickly around the world and global demand grows by 480,000 barrels a day. The impact of the coronavirus on oil markets may be temporary but the longer-term challenges facing the worlds suppliers are not going to go away, especially those heavily dependent on oil and gas revenues, according to the IEA. The medium-term market report also considers the impact of clean energy transitions on oil market trends. Demand growth for gasoline and diesel between 2019 and 2025 is forecast to weaken as countries around the world implement policies to improve efficiency and cut CO2 emissions and as electric vehicles increase in popularity. The impact of the energy transition on oil supply remains unclear, with many companies prioritising short-cycle projects for the coming year. For Vietnam, falling world prices and demand would slash the budget, but it could potentially boost consumer spending and help businesses trim costs, which may in turn stimulate local consumption and production. More generally, Vietnamese officials have emphasised that the country is now much less reliant on oil exports for revenue than it was before, with the current less than 10 per cent a far cry from the previous 20-25 per cent rate. NIO Inc. (NIO or the Company) (NYSE: NIO), a pioneer in China's premium electric vehicle market, today provided its February 2020 delivery results. (Photo source: NIO) NIO delivered 707 vehicles in February 2020, consisted of 671 ES6s, the Companys 5-seater high-performance premium electric SUV, and 36 ES8s, the Companys 7-seater high-performance premium electric SUV and its 6-seater variant. The Company plans to commence deliveries of the new ES8 in April 2020. As of February 29, 2020, cumulative deliveries of the ES8 and the ES6 reached 34,218 vehicles, of which 2,305 vehicles were delivered in 2020. The novel coronavirus has broken out in China since the end of January 2020. While the overall passenger vehicle sales in China took a hit and slumped over 78% year on year in February 2020, NIOs deliveries had declined by 12.8% year on year for the same period, said William Bin Li, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of NIO. Deliveries have been constrained as services are being cautiously reopened and people are encouraged to avoid unnecessary close-range contact. In addition, the production has started ramping up gradually from the middle of February and supply chains have remained challenging. Nevertheless, with most NIO Houses and NIO Spaces staying in full or partial operation, we have aggressively explored a variety of online traffic channels to promote our products, technologies and services to potential users. Our direct sales model, enabled by well-developed purchase functions on the NIO app, has played a critical role in this sales environment. We are pleased to see positive responses from different channels, which are being translated to encouraging order numbers, concluded Mr. Li. Steven Feng, chief financial officer of NIO, added, We expect that it will take time for the industry and NIO to resume normal productions. We will keep monitoring and coordinating supply chain resources and accelerate productions to fulfill the growing demand. Something unusual happened in the U.S. House Financial Services Committee Tuesday. A Wells Fargo CEO testified and there were few fireworks, few gaffes and few controversies. In his first performance on a major stage, new Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf dodged the fate of his predecessors Tuesday, receiving a cautiously optimistic reception by the committees Republicans and a skeptical one by the committees Democrats. Thats a stark change from the performance of his predecessors, who both resigned shortly after appearing in front of a hostile, angry Congress. I genuinely believe that Wells Fargo is an important institution for this country. I really do, Scharf said. And just because the company has not been well run, doesnt mean it cant be well run. Taking office in October, Scharfs brief tenure was a distinct advantage as he was not around when the banks sham sales scandal occurred. The bank has struggled to recover from the revelation that, from 2002 to 2016, it committed a wide range of sales misconduct, most notably creating accounts in customers names without their consent. Scharf reiterated his contrite tone, while shying away from the bold statements and timelines of his predecessors. Members of both parties expressed optimism about the future of the bank. You now have an opportunity to help us change not only the culture at your bank, but to change the culture across banking, said Rep. Al Green, DTex. Rep. Warren Davidson, ROhio, said in the hearing that Scharf seemed like a person who had the potential to come in and change a very large organization Some Democrats, though, were critical of Scharfs preparation and his repeated deference to his brief time at the company. You shouldve been much more prepared in acknowledging and owning what this company has done before, said Rep. Rashida Tlaib, DMich. Concerns remain Congress has been one of the sharpest critics of the banks practices. In two reports issued last week, one by the panels Democrats and another by the Republicans, committee staff detailed Wells Fargos efforts to recover from the revelation of its sales practices. Story continues After their release, the chair of the committee, Rep. Maxine Waters, DCalif., called for the resignation of the chair of its board of directors, Elizabeth Betsy Duke, and board member James Quigley, over concerns about their oversight of the bank. The pair resigned Sunday, but are still on track to testify before the panel on Wednesday. I am very concerned that the banks pattern of harming consumers appears to persist, Rep. Maxine Waters, chair of the House Financial Services Committee, told Wells Fargos CEO Tuesday. In February, the bank agreed to a $3 billion settlement to resolve probes into the sales practices. Democrats criticized that settlement as too small. While generally reserving judgment on Scharf as an executive, some Democrats argued that Wells Fargo was simply too big and too broken. I am very concerned that the banks pattern of harming consumers appears to persist, Waters said. Wells Fargo isnt ready to be Americas bank again. Republicans, though still critical of the banks past practices, were less adamant that Wells Fargo isnt a sustainable enterprise. Grossly mismanaged We know breaking up the bank is not the answer, said N.C. Rep. Patrick McHenry of Cherryville, the top Republican on the panel. Wells Fargo isnt too big to manage. The findings of these documents was that it was grossly mismanaged Scharf, in his prepared testimony, said he has no preconceived notions about what size our company should be and he was considering additional changes to the banks business model. After the hearing, Waters asked U.S. Attorney General William Barr to review last years testimony from then-Wells Fargo CEO Tim Sloan to determine if he had knowingly and willfully (made) a false statement to Congress. The Democrats report found that Sloan gave inaccurate and misleading to the committee. Sloan said the bank was in compliance with a 2018 consent order from the banks federal regulator, relating to a product it offered. That wasnt true, the Democrats report said, citing the regulator. A spokesman for the Department of Justice declined to comment. Josh Cohen, a lawyer for Sloan, called Waters allegations completely unfounded. While headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo has 27,000 workers in Charlotte, a legacy of the banks 2008 purchase of Wachovia. Mr Benard Guri, the Executive Director of Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD), a Non-Governmental Organisation, has said government could achieve her Ghana beyond Aid (GbA) agenda, if the nation build on its sources of indigenous knowledge. He said the initiative of developing through the GbA was a laudable idea of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos government, saying the concept required policy guideline that could be designed through developing the nations sources of indigenous knowledge. Mr Guri said the building on the nations indigenous knowledge remains a catalyst that could push forward the GbA agenda and position the nation well to minimize her over-reliance on foreign partners for development. He was speaking at the closing session of the fourth African Learning Training (ALI) on Revitalizing African Cultural Heritage and Bio-Cultural Resources for Food Sovereignty held at Techiman in the Bono East Region. It was organised by the COMPAS Africa Network for Endogenous Development, an international network for the enhancement of endogenous development, and co-hosted by the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD), an NGO, and the College for Community and Organisational Development (CCOD), an affiliate of the University for Development Studies. Participants who attended the one-week intensive training workshop comprised Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), actors and advocates drawn from Ghana, Benin, Cote DIvoire and Guinea. As part of the training, the participants took a field visit to interact with the chiefs and people of Oforikrom, a town in the Techiman Municipality, learnt their cultural systems and visited some tourist attraction sites in the area We must develop our rich bio-cultural resources, heritages, agro-ecology and promote our food sovereignty to make us more reliant as a nation, Mr. Guri explained. Dr Gabriel Gbiel Bernakuu, the President of the CCOD, commended the participants for making themselves available for the training and expressed the hope that they would go back home, apply and share the knowledge acquired to bring about positive changes in their communities and countries. Certificates of participation were presented to the participants. 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 Squamous cell carcinoma is a very unusual type of cancer. They occur in many tissues - for example in the lungs, esophagus, pancreas, throat and pharynx, and on the skin. Due to the many mutations in this type of cancer, treatment is a particularly challenging task for medicine. However, all squamous cell carcinoma have a common Achilles' heel: They are dependent on the cancer protein ?NP63. This is a protein that only occurs in this type of tumor and regulates essential biological processes. An international research team led by Julius-Maximilians-Universitat (JMU) Wurzburg in Bavaria, Germany, has now found a way to inactivate the cancer protein with the help of another protein and thus curb the growth of squamous cell carcinoma. Traffic tickets become effective again The helpful protein is the deubiquitylase USP28, which is particularly common in squamous cell carcinoma. It controls the amount of the cancer protein ?NP63. "The deubiquitylase belongs to the so-called ubiquitin-proteasome system, which can be imagined as a towing company," explains Dr. Markus Diefenbacher, group leader at the JMU Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I. His research group was in charge of the study. "In healthy cells, this towing company marks incorrectly parked' proteins with a kind of parking ticket, namely the protein ubiquitin. "It then towed the parkers away and disposed of them. But the protein can remove the parking ticket and thus prevent the towing. In tumour cells, there is often a loss of traffic wardens/controllers or an accumulation of USP28. Therefore, ?NP63 in a tumour cell behaves in a similar way to an incorrectly parked car where the parking ticket is permanently removed," explains Diefenbacher. No direct attack possible The research team has now been able to prove the dependence of squamous cell carcinoma on the protein USP28: Using a preclinical inhibitor, it switched off ?NP63's parking ticket remover in the tumor cells. The tumors then stopped growing. "Many cancer proteins are constructed in such a way that it is not possible to develop a direct active substance against them with the methods currently available," explains the Wurzburg researcher. Also, no direct therapeutic attack on the cancer protein NP63 is possible. However, by switching off USP28, the cancer protein could be rapidly degraded in human and animal tumor cells and the tumor could be fought. At the same time, there were no side effects in healthy cells. "We have thus discovered a good new way of attacking squamous cell carcinoma," said Diefenbacher. Searching for other inhibitors The inhibitor used is not yet suitable for therapeutic use in humans. It still needs further research. This is done in collaboration with the research group of JMU professor Caroline Kisker at the Rudolf Virchow Centre for Experimental Biomedicine. Diefenbacher: "In cancer therapy, inhibitors are already being used that switch off the entire ubiquitin-proteasome system. Our work now shows a possibility of switching off only one component of this system and thus being able to combat the tumour cells even more specifically." Next, Diefenbacher's team will look for further inhibitors that can also be used against USP28. "In addition, we will also look for other proteins in squamous cell carcinoma which these tumours depend on, and investigate whether the ubiquitin-proteasome system can be used to target these proteins for therapy," says the JMU researcher. ### Publication partners The study results are published open access in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine. The study involves groups from JMU (Biocentre, Comprehensive Cancer Centre Mainfranken, Rudolf Virchow Centre, Faculty of Medicine) and research teams from the University Hospital Wurzburg, the University of Cordoba, the Instituto Maimonides de Investigacion Biomedica Cordoba (IMIBIC), the Hospital Universitario Reina Sofia in Cordoba, the Technion Haifa in Israel and the Goethe University Frankfurt. U.S. Cements Position As Largest Arms Exporter, With Russia A Lagging Second By RFE/RL March 09, 2020 The United States has supplied more than one-third of global arms over the past five years, cementing its position as the world's top weapons seller, according to a Swedish based research institute. In a report published on March 9, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said that global volumes of arms transfers increased by nearly 6 percent in the 2015-19 period, compared with 2010-14. Exports of weapons from the United States grew by 23 percent during the latest period, raising its share of total exports to 36 percent. Russia was the world's second-largest exporter with 21 percent of global arms deliveries, but Russian exports were 18 percent lower than in 2010-14. "Russia has lost traction in India -- the main long-term recipient of Russian major arms -- which has led to a sharp reduction in arms exports," said SIPRI researcher Alexandra Kuimova. "This decrease was not offset by the increase in Russian arms exports to Egypt and Iraq in 2015-19," she added. France was the third-largest exporter, followed by Germany and China. Saudi Arabia remained the world's top arms importer in 2015-19, with 12 percent of the global total. With reporting by dpa Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s-cements- position-as-largest-arms-exporter-with-russia -a-lagging-second/30477261.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 Resting postures such as squatting or kneeling may be better for health because they require more muscle activity than sitting on a chair, researchers claim. The findings are based on data gathered from a hunter-gatherer population in Tanzania who wore devices that measured physical activity as well as periods of rest. Anthropologists from the US found that despite being sedentary for almost 10 hours each day, equivalent to clocking a shift in the office at the desk, the Hadza people appeared to lack the markers of chronic diseases associated with long periods of sitting. They believe this is down to the "active rest postures" used by the tribe. Dr David Raichlen, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Southern California's Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and lead author on the study, said: "Even though there were long periods of inactivity, one of the key differences we noticed is that the Hadza are often resting in postures that require their muscles to maintain light levels of activity - either in a squat or kneeling." The researchers believe these active rest postures may help "protect people from the harmful effects of inactivity". Prolonged sitting has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death, but according to the researchers, this contradicts the evolutionary aspect which favours strategies that conserve energy. Brian Wood, an anthropologist at the University of California, and one of the study authors, said: "Preferences or behaviours that conserve energy have been key to our species' evolutionary success. "But when environments change rapidly, these same preferences can lead to less optimal outcomes. Prolonged sitting is one example." Dr Raichlen said: "Being a couch potato - or even sitting in an office chair - requires less muscle activity than squatting or kneeling. "Since light levels of muscle activity require fuel, which generally means burning fats, then squatting and kneeling postures may not be as harmful as sitting in chairs." The study is published in the journal 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences'. The cast of Celebs Go Dating were certainly in the mood to party as they rung in the end of filming with a bash at Sheesh Restaurant in Essex on Tuesday night. Amy Hart brought the glamour in a plunging navy satin jumpsuit as she joined the likes of Olivia Bentley, 24, Amy Childs, 29, and Alison Hammond, 45, at the celeb hotspot. The girls were joined by the rest of the series line-up- James Lock, 33, Dean Gaffney, 42, and Joshua Ritchie, 25. It's a wrap! Amy Hart oozed glamour in a plunging navy satin jumpsuit as she joined the cast of Celebs Go Dating at Sheesh in Essex for the series wrap party on Tuesday night Amy, 26, showcased her ample cleavage in the plunging jumpsuit which had flared trousers. The Love Island beauty threw a camel faux fur coat over her shoulders and added extra pizzazz to her party outfit with 670 gold Gucci heels. Styling her blonde locks in an low chignon, Amy finished off her glamorous look with a full face of make-up. Party hopper: Olivia Bentley, 24, headed from the TRIC Awards at Grosenor House in London to attend the party in Chigwell and looked stunning in a black minidress with a silver choker Party-time: The cast of Celebs Go Dating were certainly in the mood to party (Joshua Ritchie, Alison Hammond, Olivia, Amy Childs, Dean Gaffney, Amy Childs and James Lock L-R) She's got style: Liv showed off her tanned and toned legs in thigh-high suede boots and layered a black checked blazer over her LBD Olivia, meanwhile, headed from the TRIC Awards at Grosenor House in London to attend the party in Chigwell and looked stunning in a black minidress with a silver choker. She showed off her tanned and toned legs in thigh-high suede boots and layered a black checked blazer over her LBD. Former TOWIE star Amy C turned heads in a black pencil dress and a plush faux fur grey coat. Strike a pose: Alison Hammond appeared in high spirits as she joined the cast for the bash Dapper: James and Dean were smartly dressed in suits for the wrap party Their wrap party comes as Tuesday's show aired, where Joshua and James competed to win their date, Olivia's affections. The duo treated Olivia to a starter and main course, before the brunette beauty revealed who she wanted to have desert with. Joshua felt under pressure when he was caught out lying that he hadn't been on a night out prior. He said in the video tape: Wow Olivia has totally busted me there. Time to stitch up James Lock', before telling Olivia that James had persuaded the group to go to a strip club'. Animated display: The pair put on an animated display as they partied with the stars And it wasn't long until James felt he was being grilled by the brunette as he told her as he was getting older, one night stands were a thing of the past. To which she responded: 'When was your last one?', with James sheepishly replying 'a month ago' which caused her doubt his previous statement of being a 'changed man'. However, the TOWIE hunk ultimately impressed Olivia the most and after staying for an expresso martini agreed to go on a second date. e Elsewhere in the episode, Olivia went on a date with personal trainer Alex, 24, who was left somewhat flustered by her inappropriate questions such as his favourite sex position over dinner. Discovering there was no chemistry, the Made In Chelsea star revealed she was pining for Dom as she said: 'Alex in a nice guy, but he's not Dom'. Celebs Go Dating continues on E4 at 9pm. WASHINGTON Since the beginning of the year President Donald Trump has made a point of holding campaign rallies before every Democratic primary election. But as fears over the spread of coronavirus ripple across the country, a Trump rally on the eve of the primary in the key battleground state of Michigan was notably absent from his schedule. Instead, he flew to Orlando, Florida for a fundraising event after spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort. Trump was photographed shaking hands with supporters upon his arrival in Florida, even as health officials have warned to avoid public gatherings and limit personal interactions with others. COVID-19 has shown no signs of slowing its spread across the U.S. Confirmed cases surpassed 600 across more than 30 states and the District of Columbia on Monday. The U.S. death toll rose to 22, while the worldwide total approached 4,000. "I'm not concerned at all," the president told reporters Saturday when asked if he was troubled by the cases around Washington. "No, we've done a great job with it." Cities across the country have scrapped high-profile music festivals while universities are canceling classes to curb regional outbreaks of coronavirus, raising fresh questions about whether Trump and his Democratic challengers Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden should be holding campaign rallies that attract thousands of people. All three men are also in their 70s, an age bracket that is particularly vulnerable to the effects of COVID-19. 'Judgment call' When asked whether the president should continue with campaign rallies during a press briefing Monday, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, largely evaded the question and called it a "judgment call." He told reporters that it "might be a good judgment" to hold a rally in a place where there's no community spread, but added: "If you want to talk about large gatherings in a place where you have a community spread, I think that's a judgment call and if someone decides they will cancel it I wouldn't publicly criticize them." Story continues Coronavirus spreading in the U.S.: Here's everything to know But former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told USA TODAY that the campaigns should be focusing on protecting the candidates from the risk of transfer of coronavirus as they crisscross the U.S. amid uncertainty over affected areas. "They fly around the country, they see different audiences, they're in regions where there could be outbreaks we haven't detected yet," he said. "I think it would be smart for the campaigns and political leaders to lead by example and start to curtail large gatherings," Gottlieb said, noting that the U.S. has asked municipalities to scale back public events and businesses have proactively told employees to work remotely amid the panic. "For the campaigns to lead by example and do that would be very important to send a powerful message," he added. 'You can't be a politician and not shake hands' Trump has indicated he isn't making changes to his routine because of the coronavirus. A self-acknowledged germophobe who is said to frequently slather his hands with sanitzer, Trump recently told Fox News there is no way to politely avoid shaking hands. "You can't be a politician and not shake hands," he said at a town hall in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Thursday. "The bottom line is, I shake anybody's hand now. I'm proud of it." President Donald Trump at his rally Monday in Charlotte. Tim Murtaugh, director of communications for the Trump campaign, dismissed reports that there was any scaling back of the president's events over coronavirus. He said the "main consideration for rallies is President Trump's schedule." He pointed out Trump attended last week's rally before North Carolina's primary election, the Scranton town hall and fundraising events over the weekend and on Monday. "The campaign is proceeding normally. We will announce rallies when they are ready to be announced," Murtaugh said. Coronavirus panic: Donald Trump floats payroll tax cut, other financial relief for businesses But the rally and the town hall came before the American Conservative Union announced Saturday that one of the attendees at last month's Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, had tested positive for the coronavirus. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence both spoke at the event, which was held Feb. 26-29. The group said the man, a New Jersey resident, was exposed to the virus before the conference, where he "had no interaction with the President or Vice President." An image emerged over the weekend of Trump shaking hands with Matt Schlapp, the chairman of the American Conservative Union, who acknowledged he was in direct contact with the individual who tested positive over the four-day conference. President Donald Trump is greeted by Matt Schlapp, Chairman of the American Conservative Union, as the president arrives to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2020, at National Harbor, in Oxon Hill, Md. While the timeline of events was unclear, a "Women for Trump" bus tour due to kick off Monday featuring Schlapp's wife, Mercedes Schlapp, was suspended due to "scheduling conflicts" and not because of coronavirus, according to campaign spokesman Ali Pardo. Administration officials have also downplayed concerns over the virus inching closer to the president. But since Saturday's announcement, several Republican lawmakers who came in contact with the individual at CPAC have said they are self-quarantining as a precaution. Two of those lawmakers Rep. Matt Gaetz and Rep. Doug Collins have been in close contact with Trump in recent days. Business as usual? While there is no indication the president has had any exposure to coronavirus, the growing list of lawmakers who have and are in close proximity to the president underscores how much the outbreak poses a threat to both Trump's health and his re-election bid. "I dont know if Trump is risking his health by campaigning, but hes certainly taking a big political risk. If the coronavirus continues to spread, Democrats will accuse Trump of prioritizing politics over public health," said Alex Conant, a Republican strategist who worked on Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's campaign. "Kissing babies and shaking lots of hands doesn't seem like a good idea in the midst of a contagious epidemic. Nobody wants to get their supporters sick." President Donald Trump greets Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., as he arrives on Air Force One Friday, March 6, 2020, at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Ga. The White House has echoed the Trump campaign's sentiment. White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said Monday "while we have asked all Americans to exercise common-sense hygiene measures, we are conducting business as usual." Trump is slated to speak at the Republican Jewish Coalition meeting in Las Vegas this weekend, but First lady Melania Trump canceled a Beverly Hills fundraiser scheduled March 18. Grisham said it was due to "scheduling conflicts." The Secret Service announced Monday it was being updated on coronavirus developments and working with medical authorities as an extension of the agencys protective mission. What's new:Coronavirus live updates: Another cruise ship kept from port; NY making its own sanitizer; stock market freefall The agency is currently working in partnership with the White House Medical Unit to ensure the safety and wellness of the president, First Family and White House staff, Secret Service spokeswoman Cathy Milhoan said. For operational security reasons, the U.S. Secret Service does not disclose security methods or procedures. The Democratic candidates are also continuing to campaign even as more coronavirus cases continue to crop up across the country. Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose rallies routinely draw several thousands, said the issue weighs on his mind but he did not announce any plans to change the protocol for those gatherings. Its something we have thought about a lot, Sanders said during a roundtable in Detroit with medical officials discussing the effects of the coronavirus. We do not hold a rally without first conferring with local public health officials.I think every organization in American is taking a hard look at what the coronavirus will mean to their operations and, yes, that is true of our campaign as well. The senator told CNN host Chris Cuomo he's "used more hand sanitizer in the last two weeks than Ive used in my entire life." Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., campaigns during a rally on Boston Common, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) ORG XMIT: MAMS121 Biden's campaign also said they are following "guidance offered by federal and local public health officials on the types of events we hold and how we execute them. Video shared online showed attendees slathering on hand sanitizer as they entered a Biden event. People walking into the @JoeBiden rally in Detroit are being given hand sanitizer upon entry. Same was offered to the press corps. pic.twitter.com/sWLPbm8vxs Sarah Mucha (@sarahmucha) March 9, 2020 "In contrast with our current president, who not only doesnt amplify the guidance that the experts offer but directly contradicts it Vice President Biden and our team will lead by example in following expert advice and complying with reasonable risk mitigations," the Biden campaign said in the statement. "At the same time, we will continue to run an aggressive, national campaign to win the Democratic nomination and defeat Donald Trump." As of Monday afternoon, Biden and Sanders had not formally requested Secret Service protection, though the agency has been preparing for months to take on expanded protection duties for multiple candidates for the 2020 campaign. Once teams are assigned, agents typically received detailed medial briefings for them and their families to account for such things as food allergies to chronic illnesses. The Democratic National Committee also said they will not cancel the upcoming Democratic primary debate on Sunday. The debate, which is being hosted by CNN and Univision, will be held in Arizona. Five cases of coronavirus have been reported in the state. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden arrives for a rally at Tougaloo College in Tougaloo, Mississippi on March 8, 2020. The DNC said they "are in touch with local officials and will follow their guidance." But as presidential candidates forge ahead, Gottlieb, who served as the head of the Food and Drug Administration between May 2017 and April 2019, warned the months ahead will be difficult as health officials across the country work to mitigate the acceleration of the virus, both new and old cases that have gone undetected. "I think that this is going to play out over the next two months, but you're really going to see a change I think in the country's perception and mood and approach over the next two weeks and things will look a lot different," he said. Contributing: John Fritze, Ledge King, Rebecca Morin and Kevin Johnson This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus outbreak: Should Trump, Biden and Sanders cancel rallies? Falls organisers are asking New Year's Eve revellers whether the Victorian leg of the festival should cut ties with its Lorne venue. Falls Festival Lorne was cancelled late last year amid extreme weather conditions. Organisers deemed the event too risky given the extreme temperatures, winds, nearby forest and one road in-and-out. Falls is polling attendees to see what they think of the festival potentially cutting ties with Lorne. Credit:Ian Laidlaw A survey circulating among festivalgoers asks whether they would prefer Falls relocate to a "picturesque property two hours from [the] Melbourne CBD, not in a forest, with open plains" or a "Melbourne city location" with no camping. A Falls spokeswoman would not be drawn on whether the festival has already cut ties with its existing Lorne site. She said organisers are "considering all options at this stage". "The extreme weather and fire conditions along the whole east coast of Australia these past months was unprecedented," she said. "We will always put the safety of our patrons and staff first based on the information provided by emergency services. We are very interested in what our audience has to say and always take their feedback on board. Stay tuned." Loading Chloe McNamara, a student at the University of Melbourne, was on of the thousands of people who were sent home from Falls last year. She said wouldn't go again if the festival was held in the city. "For me, the camping aspect is absolutely essential to a good, multi-day festival," she said. "I personally would buy tickets again even if it was in the same location as I have had such a great time in the past. "However ... my friends are likely to not want to take the risk of cancellation. It was definitely markedly dustier and drier driving in this year. I would understand moving the festival to a more open area or having a back-up location." Expedia Business Services New Top Boss to Pull Levers for Long-Term Growth At the same time that Expedia Chairman Barry Diller took control of the companys leadership last December, he promoted Ariane Gorin to an expanded role as group president of Expedia Business Services. Gorin had been president of Expedia Partner Solutions, which provides business-to-business services. Under the new group Expedia Business Services, Gorin now also oversees Egencia, the corporate travel arm. The company created the Expedia Business Services umbrella group last year, and Egencia boss Rob Greyber now reports to Gorin. Since then, Diller has groused about Expedia Groups inefficiency. The company in late February announced layoffs for about 12 percent of its workforce. Much of Dillers publicly voiced complaints have been about the groups consumer-facing groups. But the teams Gorin oversees are on the business-to-business side. The partner solutions effort lets airlines, hotels, online and offline travel agencies, and other companies onward sell Expedias travel offers and get a cut. Gorin has a track record of success. She helped champion several enterprise deals that launched in late 2018 and led to a rise in gross bookings in 2019. Skift caught up with Gorin to get an update. The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. Skift: Why has the company created a new organization called Expedia Business Services? Ariane Gorin: While Expedia Partner Solutions (EPS) and Egencia have different end-users, the teams share many common practices and capabilities. They can learn and help one another from B2B sales and account management to B2B customer service. In other words, we created EBS to sharpen our focus on our B2B capabilities and be opportunistic about enabling both Egencia and EPS to serve our customers and partners better. So, its an exciting time, and Im delighted to lead it. Skift: One wing of Expedia Business Services helps hotel group partners advance their objectives. Is there an example of a recent partnership youd like to call out here briefly? Story continues Gorin: Well we are very pleased with what you guys at Skift called the I-just-saw-an-elephant-fly moment. At the end of last year, we became the exclusive global redistributor of Marriotts wholesale rates, availability, and content. Marriotts hotels were spending too much time navigating the complex web of third-party redistribution and competing technology standards. We listened, and then we looked at the capabilities weve developed at Expedia Partner Solutions connections to thousands of trusted distribution partners, technology solutions APIs and templates, billing, and commissions systems. Working side by side with Marriott, we created a single point of access and uniform distribution solution for all Marriott hotels worldwide. It is going to save them a ton of time and give travelers a consistent experience of hotel descriptions, room rates, and fees. So, lets hope for more flying elephants like these this year. Skift: What opportunities do you see for Expedia Group to use technology to remove more friction from the travel sector or from travel booking? Gorin: Technology can play a massive role in reducing pain points and stressors for travelers both during booking and also while on their trip. Brand Expedia will soon roll out a trip assistance function on our app that will alert the hotel that a travelers flight is delayed and therefore needs a late check-in. Were also piloting a shuttle tracking technology program built by Track My Shuttle, allowing hotel guests to see exactly where to find shuttle pickup for their hotel and follow along with a live route map. And for Egencias business travelers, we recently launched Smart Mix, which intelligently analyzes data and complex scenarios, factoring in the personal preferences of each traveler and their companys travel policy to deliver smarter search results out of hundreds of hotel and flight options. For example, lets say you have a biannual event every year, one in Berlin and one in San Francisco. Our machine learning knows what hotels, flight times, and ground transportation options your travelers prefer, so those results are what you see first. Overall, we make it faster for travelers to find exactly the hotel theyre looking for. Skift: What are Expedia Business Services hopes in Europe? You joined Expedia in 2013 as vice president of market management in Europe, and you led the regional team in expanding the hotel network. So we imagine its still a critical region for you. Gorin: EMEA has been a key region for growth for EBS, and we continue to see a significant opportunity here, particularly as we expand further into emerging markets within Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa. On the Egencia side, we recently announced a significant new deal with British Petroleum (BP), and on the EPS side, we see massive growth for our new API, Rapid. Our product team has built some incredible features within Rapid, which are aimed at both improving the traveler booking experience and helping our partners to generate more revenue. We are powering some of Europes leading airlines, such as Norwegian, to offer special hotel rates for their customers. Or look at loveholidays. Loveholidays can now, powered by EPS versatile API, Rapid, give holidaymakers booking with that agency access to Expedia Groups global supply of more than 500,000 properties in more than 25,000 destinations. Skift: You now also lead Expedias travel management service Egencia. Is corporate travel an area you expect to grow in Europe? Gorin: Corporate travel in EMEA is a massive market, and roughly half of Egencias gross bookings come from customers in EMEA so EMEA is definitely a top priority for us. We understand the challenges in this market coordination across multiple geographies, diverse and unique supply networks, the importance of rail, adopting and adapting to NDC [the new distribution capability], and advanced security and safety regulations. So were investing every day to exceed our customers expectations. Skift: Youve overseen Expedia Partner Solutions for years. Is it fair to call it an affiliate sales business? Gorin: Actually EPS doesnt have an affiliate booking solution. (Our sister B2C brands at Expedia Group do, though.) When we retired the EAN brand and replaced it with EPS, it was due to an organizational change. But personally I was very happy to replace affiliate with partner, as in my mind affiliate always had a bit of a non-equal ring to it, whereas partnership feels more like a meeting of equals where two companies are working together to reach a common goal through our API and template solutions. And thats how Ive always seen our business. Skift: On a personal note, youre on the advisory council of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London. Is there any color on how classical music plays a role in your life? Gorin: I grew up in a musical family. I played the violin and was lucky to be a member of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. One of my favorite feelings was during a performance when I knew a piece so well that I could play it by heart and didnt have to concentrate on the notes and instead could listen to how all of the instruments of the orchestra came together perfectly to create something magical. I remember playing Barbers Adagio for Strings and being transported to another world through music a world without worries, a world that brings calm and peace of mind. Its not an easy time for orchestras around the world, as funding becomes more and more difficult. Getting to be involved with the RPO in London has been one of the highlights of the last few years for me. Subscribe to Skift newsletters for essential news about the business of travel. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram Berlin, March 10, 2020 Authorities in Cyprus must quickly and thoroughly investigate the bomb attack at the offices of the Cyprus Times parent company, determine whether it was tied to the outlets journalism, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 2:10 a.m. on March 4, a pipe bomb exploded outside the office of MC Digital Media Group, a building which houses the offices of the Cyprus Times news website as well as other media outlets owned by the group, in the southern Cypriot city of Limassol, according to news reports. No one was injured in the blast, which broke windows at the office but did not cause extensive damage, according to a report by the Cyprus Times. In a phone interview with CPJ, Cyprus Times editor-in-chief Myriella Avraamidou said she believed the attack was related to the outlets reporting, but said they had not received threats about any specific articles before the bombing. Cypriot authorities should conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the motives behind the bombing of MC Digital Media Groups offices, and hold those responsible to account, said Gulnoza Said, CPJs Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, in New York. Authorities must ensure journalists safety and guarantee that they can report on issues of public interest without fear or intimidation. Police have ruled out personal motivations for the attack, and are investigating how the bombing could have been tied to MC Digital Media Group outlets journalism, Avraamidou said. Cyprus Times is an independent news outlet that covers local affairs and publishes investigative reporting, Avraamidou told CPJ. The other outlets owned by MC Digital Media Group cover specific topics such as sports, business, and lifestyle issues, she said. The Cyprus police did not immediately reply to CPJs emailed request for comment. What started as a bold plan to slow the spread of the coronavirus in the Seattle area is quickly devolving into a Nimby battle. Officials in King County, Washington, the epicenter of the outbreak in the U.S., said this week they would use emergency powers to buy and renovate an Econo Lodge south of Seattle to house virus patients. The move led to a swift rebuke from the mayor of Kent, Washington, the suburb near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport where the 85-room motel is located. Workers and residents nearby are livid, and some have asserted that wealthier parts of the county never would have been picked. Were one of the largest cities in the county, and we know we have a role to play in preventing the spread of the virus, Kent Mayor Dana Ralph said in a phone interview. But we were not included in the conversation or decision making. This type of consternation is common when a community pushes back against an unwanted project inspiring the term Nimby for not in my backyard. This time, the backlash comes as health officials try to contain a spreading public health crisis, revealing a challenge that many communities across the U.S. may face as they try to slow the outbreak. Washington state counties are not the only places where that is going to be discussed, said Irwin Redlener, a disaster preparedness expert and public health professor at Columbia University in New York. We might have to adopt procedures and protocols that would be unacceptable in the absence of a true national emergency. In other words, our standards might have to get much more lax. Kent isnt alone in fighting quarantine plans. Last month, federal officials scrapped a proposal to move coronavirus patients from a cruise ship to a FEMA facility in Anniston, Alabama, after opposition from residents and the city council. Theres also been controversy over a proposal to place some patients in a state-owned facility in Orange County, California. Ralph said King County had been considering buying the Econo Lodge for some time, potentially as a location for isolating people with hepatitis A, measles and tuberculosis. The current plan includes $4 million for the purchase of the motel and another $1.5 million in emergency funds for renovations and to hire as many as 11 existing employees. The facility could open within two weeks. King County officials are also looking to set up quarantine housing at other sites, including in Seattle. The motel will be used for patients who are infected with the coronavirus but arent seriously ill, part of an effort to keep hospital beds available for people who need them. County officials said it was the only property on the market that meets its criteria: separate heating and cooling systems for each room and doors that open to the outside, rather than a hallway. From that perspective, a motel is a very good solution, said David Abramson, a professor at New York Universitys School of Global Public Health. Theyre almost entirely private spaces. Thats little comfort for people in Kent, a working-class suburb home to a massive Amazon.com Inc. fulfillment center, Jeff Bezoss Blue Origin space venture and Boeing Co. facilities. On Thursday morning, cars raced by on the highway behind the motel, where a room with a single bed was going for $78.68 a night. Trucks were parked at the edge of the property, which sits near a Dennys, a bowling alley and a Ford dealership. Inside, confusion and anger reigned. The front-desk worker at the motel, who asked to not be identified by name, said that she had learned about the plan to quarantine coronavirus patients from news reports and was strongly opposed. She had yet to hear from her manager whether she would still have a job. And, even if she did, she wasnt sure she wanted it for fear of infecting her family. At the gas station across the street, a steady stream of customers gave Rupali Handa, 35, and her coworkers an earful about the plan, some saying that a quarantine site wouldnt have been proposed for a wealthier part of the region. Im sorry for the people who are going through this, Handa said of those whove contracted the illness. But officials should quarantine people somewhere else. With assistance from Patrick Clark. Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. To build a new starship every three days or 72 hours: This was the agenda in an all-hands meeting SpaceX big boss Elon Musk called for, at 1 a.m. last Sunday of Feb. 23. This was based on a story Ars Technica published late this week. In the wee hours that weekend, Tesla and SpaceX billionaire boss, famous for setting unusual goals, wanted to know from everyone in his team the reason his factory was not operating 24/7 to build a Starship rocket system. The engineering team at SpaceX told Musk there would be more people needed to take shifts to make the 24/7 operations possible. So, in the next 48 hours from that 1 a.m. meeting, the company hired exactly 252 workers, doubling the current number, employees at the factory, as the report from Ars Technica stated. The said report described what it's like to work under Musk's management. ALSO READ: SpaceX's Starship SN1 Model Seemingly Burst While Undergoing Pressure Test What it's Like to Work at SpaceX Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX President started employment at the rocket company in 2002. More than a decade-and-a-half later, she said she "still loved working for Musk." However, she admitted, her work at SpaceX is intense. The company's president added, there's no question that Elon is quite aggressive when it comes to his timelines. This attitude though, Shotwell said, drives them to do this faster and better. One more thing she realized, with their boss's aggressiveness on timelines, both time and money in the world do not provide the best solutions. Therefore, she said, "Putting that pressure on the team" to move fast is quite essential. Shotwell also said she had learned how to listen and think before refusing or declining the bold goals of Musk. First of all, she explained, when their big boss says something, one has to pause and not blurt out right away. Not Just a Boss who Orders People to Do Things Those who have worked with Musk will surely agree that there's something the public needs to know about their boss. That, he is not the typical company owner or head who orders people to do things. What needs to be understood is that Musk is the chief engineer of SpaceX, too, and this, as stated in the said article, "is not a courtesy title." In an interview with Ars Technica, Musk said when SpaceX first began, no great engineers were taking the job. Therefore, he didn't see the point either, of hiring someone to take the chief engineer title, who wasn't great, as well. And so, he took the responsibility and became SpaceX's chief engineer. Nearly every technical decision made at the rocket company, especially the hard ones, goes directly to him. Musk spent a lot, if not all, of his days in South Texas since December. On Christmas, workers there shared, "he worked all-nighters alongside them to get the dome structure, as well as the welds right for SN1." Nevertheless, he hasn't spent so much of his time here just for the building of Starship. Instead, he is attempting to build a production line for Starships and he wants to build a lot of them really fast, as always. Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Vice President Joe Biden speak during a break at the Democratic presidential primary debate at the Charleston Gaillard Center in Charleston, S.C., on Feb. 25, 2020. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) Sanders, Biden Cancel Ohio Rallies Over Coronavirus Concerns Democratic presidential candidates Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders canceled their election night rallies in Ohio on March 10, citing concerns about the coronavirus spreading throughout the United States. Sanderss campaign first announced March 10 that his rally in Cleveland would be canceled. Out of concern for public health and safety, we are canceling tonights rally in Cleveland. We are heeding the public warnings from Ohio state officials, who have communicated concern about holding large, indoor events during the coronavirus outbreak, according to a statement from his campaign. While Sanders expressed his regret to would-be attendees, he said that all future campaign events will have to be evaluated. A statement from Biden confirmed he would also cancel a rally in Cleveland. In accordance with guidance from public officials and out of an abundance of caution, our rally in Cleveland, Ohio tonight is cancelled. We will continue to consult with public health officials and public health guidance and make announcements about future events in the coming days, said a statement to local news outlets. Vice President Biden thanks all of his supporters who wanted to be with us in Cleveland this evening. Additional details on where the Vice President will address the press tonight are forthcoming. Small bottles of hand sanitizer selling at $4.99 at a grocery store in New York City on March 9, 2020. (Jeenah Moon/Getty Images) Ohio confirmed its first three COVID-19 cases on March 10, prompting Gov. Mike DeWine to issue a state of emergency to allow the state to buy health-related supplies without contractual issues, according to The Associated Press. The announcements from the two candidates came the same day as multiple state Democratic primaries, with Michigan having the largest pledged delegate prize. Ohio will hold its primary on March 17. The cancellations came after Vice President Mike Pence announced that major insurance companies would waive co-payments on coronavirus testing and will extend coverage on treatment. A man wearing a mask to protect against coronavirus takes pictures at the New York Stock exchange (NYSE) in the Manhattan borough of New York City on March 9, 2020. (Carlo Allegri/Reuters) Im pleased to report that as you requested, Mr. President, that all the insurance companies here, either today, or before today, have agreed to waive all co-pays on coronavirus testing, and extend coverage for coronavirus treatment in all of their benefit plans, Pence said while sitting next to President Donald Trump and insurance company CEOs. Over the weekend, it was revealed that an attendee at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) held in late February tested positive for the virus and is now being quarantined at a New Jersey hospital. Trump, Pence, and other administration officials attended the event, but the White House later stated they didnt have contact with the infected individual. However, several members of Congress announced they would self-quarantine for 14 days after saying they had interacted with the COVID-19 patient. So far, CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp, Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and now-acting White House chief of staff Mark Meadows are in self-isolation, although none of them have confirmed to have had any symptoms. If Meghan Markles pillar-box red Safiyaa dress had come with a message, it would have been one of defiance. Undoubtedly the traffic-stopping creation the Duchess wore to attend the Mountbatten Music Festival on Saturday was statement dressing in the most literal sense. Im still here, you wont intimidate me and most definitely I wont apologise for my existence were among the sentiments that silently echoed a wardrobe choice as searingly bold as it was stunning. In fashion terms, this look was something of a curveball. While the recently completely round of catwalk shows have suggested terracotta and brick are ripe for revival, red in its purest, London-bus-inspired form is rarely a first choice among fashion players particularly when worn head to toe. It is also something of a deviation for the Duchess, who enjoys the neutrality of tonal ivory and the sanctity of black. POOL/AFP via Getty Images The gown, which was a perfect match for Prince Harrys Captain General of the Marines jacket, allowed the couple to present a united front in a way that would not cause offense to the royal family: no words were spoken and no there was no public display of emotions. For Meghan, who is a firm believer in a womans right to dictate her own terms, this was also a reclamation of the colour red a peaceful protest, if you will. Certainly, a quiet act of rebellion: she was playing with the notion of the scarlet woman and having a dig at her critics in the process. This was a reminder that red in all its loud, proud glory isnt a shade to shy away from. Try a pillar-box red blazer for a difficult meeting youve been dreading at work or a long awaited catch-up with an ex and you too can feel the power of the fashion worlds most unapologetic shade. During a weekend in which the soon-to-be-departed royal power duo succeeded in reminding the UK what it would be missing once they decamp for Canada for good, the Duchesss wardrobe choices have rarely felt more thought-through or loaded with political intent. The aqua Victoria Beckham dress, worn to the Endeavour Awards on Thursday, and the tourmaline Emilia Wickstead dress worn for the duos last high-profile trip to church yesterday, confirm a determination to stand out, not disappear, among the flash bulbs. With designers from little-known Safiyaa to Beckham playing key roles in her wardrobe, theres also a sense that the Duchess is pledging an allegiance to the British fashion industry and making a promise to stand by it. Photo: iStock Read on for the most recent top news you may have missed in Stockton. Car flies off I-5, crashes through 2 backyards Read the full story on Recordnet.com. 1 assaulted during armed robbery in Stockton; 3 wanted, police say Read the full story on CBS13 CBS Sacramento. DUI suspect arrested after crashing into patrol car, Stockton police say Read the full story on FOX40. Tubbs among big city mayors talking homelessness with Newsom Read the full story on Recordnet.com. This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. A small car came flying off Interstate 5 in Stockton late Monday morning, crashing through two backyards before coming to rest on its side. The Stockton Police Department said they are searching for three men in connection with an armed robbery in which one of the victims was assaulted. The Stockton Police Department said they arrested a suspected drunken driver after he crashed into a patrol car. Officials identified him as 28-year-old Jamar Williams. Some conservative politicians and officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, are using Wuhan virus, a term that proliferated on news sites and in political commentary, mostly before the virus received an official name. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has frequently used the term on the Senate floor, and on Monday evening, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, the House minority leader, drew criticism for calling the disease the Chinese coronavirus in a tweet. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., used it when announcing that he and several staff members had come into contact with a person who attended the Conservative Political Action Conference and tested positive for the virus. They've left fans desperate to know when he's finally going to pop the question. But it seems that Sam Faiers will need the help of some of her partner Paul Knightley's pals to finally get her dream proposal, as she asks one of them to 'put a word in' ahead of her trip to Venice on Wednesday's The Mummy Diaries. In an exclusive first look at this week's episode, Sam also tells her pals that she needs to up her game when it comes to her sexy holiday wardrobe, before confessing she hasn't worn racy lingerie in four years. Scroll down for video Plotting: Sam Faiers asks one of her boyfriend Paul Knightley's pals to 'put a good word in,' as she hopes for a holiday proposal in Wednesday's The Mummy Diaries During an evening with her female, Sam hints that she would be on the lookout for a proposal from Paul as they celebrate their five year anniversary. As one of her pals recalls being present when the couple first met, her pal says: 'He had longer hair, and I called him David Hasselhoff,' earning a hilarious reaction from her pals.' Sam then added: 'So Ferne [McCann] had met Paul a few weeks before in Spain. She was like 'I've seen this guy I think you'll really fancy him. I'd already clocked him before she said ''that was the guy I was telling you about.'' Will it happen? In an exclusive first look at Wednesday's show, Sam hopes that Paul may finally pop the question during their romantic getaway to Venice Hilarious: During a night out with her female pals, Sam says she is thinking about a possible proposal, as she and Paul prepare to celebrate their five-year anniversary Cheeky: One of her pals asks: 'Apart from gondolas and pasta, what else could happen in... Venice?' while twisting and rubbing her ring finger One of her pals then hints that Sam could be on the hunt for a proposal, as she says: 'Apart from gondolas and pasta, what else could happen in... Venice?' while twisting and rubbing her ring finger. Quipping back, Sam hints that her priorities are in a completely different place, as she rubbed her friend's leg to a hysterical reaction. As another pal asks: 'Is there gonna be any wedding bells soon?' Sam admits: 'I don't know everyone always asks this question.' No idea! As another pal asks: 'Is there gonna be any wedding bells soon?' Sam admits: 'I don't know everyone always asks this question' One of Sam's pals then suggests that perhaps her partner could help move things along, saying: 'I think it's like the right time now... Dan said to me the other night he said ''if I was Paul, now would be the right time.'' As Sam affirms that Dan and Paul were 'really close,' she and her pal suggest he could 'put a word in.' The mother-of-two then goes onto say she's determined to fill her suitcase with sexy clothes as she prepares for the getaway without her two children. She explains: 'All Paul sees me in is my pyjamas or loungewear,' before her pal recalls the infamous 'midi nightie.' Need a hand? One of Sam's friends also suggests that her boyfriend Dan could 'put in a good work' with Paul Glam it up: The mother-of-two then goes onto say she's determined to fill her suitcase with sexy clothes as she prepares for the getaway without her two children. The worst thing! She explains: 'All Paul sees me in is my pyjamas or loungewear,' before her pal recalls the infamous 'midi nightie' Explaining the iconic garment, Sam says: 'Basically it's just a strappy long nightie, and brushed cotton, and it's like loose-fitting so it's really really comfortable but nothing about it is sexy whatsoever.' Her mates burst into giggles as Sam reveals her unflattering nightie is grey, adding: 'I probably haven't worn sexy underwear since before kids. 'When you're younger you wear all the thongs and that, now, I don't know how I used to wear all that stuff. I have to wear comfy cotton knickers!' A long time ago! Sam then confesses that she hasn't worn sexy underwear since before she had kids four years ago, and can't see how she used to wear them Plans: Sam also says that when she is engaged she is hoping to tie the knot within the year, and wants to have her hen party in Las Vegas It seems that the prospect of a proposal is weighing on Sam's mind, as she tells her pals: 'As soon as I'm engaged I want to be married within the year, I want it to be really small, I want it my best friends and family. Billie and Greg had 100 people in the Maldives that is epic. 'You know I want my hen do in Vegas by the way!' with her pal adding: 'Maybe we need to tell Paul just to get something going - we need to go to Vegas!' Sam adds that she knows Paul would be keen to have his stag party in Vegas, but she wouldn't mind as she knows he's 'Mr Vegas at heart.' Her friend recalls that once they visited the infamous Nevada hot spot 'twice in one month,' with Sam adding: 'Yeah they love Vegas - Paul and Tony love Vegas!' Sam and Billie Faiers: The Mummy Diaries airs on Wednesday at 9pm on ITVBe. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 16:07:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HANGZHOU, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Swedish home furnishing giant IKEA announced Tuesday the opening of its flagship store on Alibaba's online marketplace Tmall as a major step to boost e-commerce sales. It is IKEA's first-ever online official flagship store on a third-party platform. Anna Pawlak-Kuliga, CEO and president of IKEA China, unveiled the new store on the same day via a live-stream signing ceremony together with Jiang Fan, vice president of Alibaba Group and President of Taobao and Tmall. More than 3,800 IKEA products, including best-selling items for living rooms, bedrooms and from other categories, have been put on sale in the first stage. The initial service area mainly covers places in the Yangtze River Delta region and will gradually expand to the whole country. The two have also knocked through between their respective membership systems. The cooperation with Alibaba is another breakthrough in IKEA's sales channel development, Pawlak-Kuliga said, noting that it will better meet the shopping demands of Chinese customers anytime and anywhere. Data from Alibaba showed that some 30,000 merchants have set up shops on Taobao every day since February, including offline brands and retailers. PDUFA date of December 30, 2020 BUFFALO, N.Y., March 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Athenex, Inc. (ATNX), a global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapies for the treatment of cancer and related conditions, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has completed its filing review and determined that the Companys New Drug Application (NDA) for tirbanibulin ointment (formerly known as KX2-391 or KX-01 ointment) for the treatment of actinic keratosis (AK) is sufficiently complete to permit a substantive review. Under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), the FDA has set a target action date of December 30, 2020. Additionally, the FDA has communicated that it is not currently planning on holding an advisory committee to discuss the application. We are delighted by the FDAs acceptance for filing of the NDA for tirbanibulin ointment, which was submitted in late December 2019, said Dr. Rudolf Kwan, Chief Medical Officer of Athenex. It marks an important step towards bringing this valuable treatment option to AK patients and we look forward to working with the FDA during the review process towards potential approval. Dr. Johnson Lau, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Athenex, also stated, Tirbanibulin is the first compound to come out of our discovery program, and this represents a significant milestone as the first NDA filing for our company. We would like to thank our team for their hard work and dedication, especially in making the submission ahead of schedule. We are excited to continue collaborating with our partner, Almirall, to prepare for the potential commercial launch of tirbanibulin ointment for AK in the U.S. The tirbanibulin ointment NDA includes data from two positive pivotal Phase III studies of tirbanibulin ointment 1% in actinic keratosis. As previously reported, the studies achieved the primary endpoint of 100% clearance of the AK lesions on Day 57 within the face or scalp treatment areas. Safety results showed that tirbanibulin ointment was well tolerated, with few adverse events. Story continues Athenex and Almirall, S.A. entered into a license agreement in which Athenex granted Almirall an exclusive license to research, develop and commercialize tirbanibulin ointment in the U.S. and European countries, including Russia. Almirall will employ its expertise to support the development in Europe and commercialize the product in the defined territories. About the Phase III Clinical Program of Tirbanibulin Ointment Two double-blind, randomized, vehicle-controlled, parallel group, multi-center studies (KX-AK-003 and KX-AK-004) were designed to support the registration of tirbanibulin ointment as field therapy for AK of the face or scalp. The studies enrolled a total of 702 patients across 62 sites in the US. Tirbanibulin ointment 1% or vehicle (randomized 1:1) was self-administered to 25 cm2 of the face or scalp encompassing 4-8 typical AK lesions, once daily for 5 consecutive days. About Actinic Keratosis Actinic Keratosis is a common skin condition that is induced through ultra-violet light damage, resulting in patches of thick, scaly or crusty skin. Left untreated, the lesions may progress to squamous cell carcinoma and consequently treatment by a dermatologist is recommended. AK is the most common pre-cancerous condition in dermatology and affects more than 55 million Americans, and accounts for between 14-29% of dermatologist visits in the U.S.1 About Athenex, Inc. Founded in 2003, Athenex, Inc. is a global clinical stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to becoming a leader in the discovery, development and commercialization of next generation drugs for the treatment of cancer. Athenex is organized around three platforms, including an Oncology Innovation Platform, a Commercial Platform and a Global Supply Chain Platform. The Companys current clinical pipeline is derived from four different platform technologies: (1) Orascovery, based on P-glycoprotein inhibitor, (2) Src kinase inhibition, (3) T-cell receptor-engineered T-cells (TCR-T), and (4) Arginine deprivation therapy. Athenexs employees worldwide are dedicated to improving the lives of cancer patients by creating more active and tolerable treatments. Athenex has offices in Buffalo and Clarence, New York; Cranford, New Jersey; Houston, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; Hong Kong; Taipei, Taiwan; multiple locations in Chongqing, China; Manchester, UK; Guatemala City, Guatemala and Buenos Aires, Argentina. For more information, please visit www.athenex.com. Forward-Looking Statements Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are typically identified by terms such as anticipate, believe, continue, could, estimate, expect, foresee, goal, guidance, intend, likely, may, plan, potential, predict, preliminary, probable, project, promising, seek, should, will, would, and similar expressions. Actual results might differ materially from those explicit or implicit in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: the development stage of our primary clinical candidates and related risks involved in drug development, clinical trials, regulation, manufacturing and commercialization; our reliance on third parties for success in certain areas of Athenexs business; our history of operating losses and need to raise additional capital to continue as a going concern; our ability to integrate CIDALs assets into our existing operations; competition; intellectual property risks; risks relating to doing business internationally and in China, including the impact of public health epidemics such as the coronavirus; the uncertainty of when, if at all, we will be able to resume full API production operations in Chongqing; and the other risk factors set forth from time to time in our SEC filings, copies of which are available for free in the Investor Relations section of our website at http://ir.athenex.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=254495&p=irol-sec or upon request from our Investor Relations Department. All information provided in this release is as of the date hereof and we assume no obligation and do not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. References 1. E. Stockfleth et al. Physician perceptions and experience of current treatment in actinic keratosis. JEADV 2015, 29, 298306 CONTACTS Investor Relations: Tim McCarthy Managing Director, LifeSci Advisors, LLC Direct: 212-915-2564 Athenex, Inc.: Randoll Sze Chief Financial Officer Email: RandollSze@athenex.com Jacqueline Li Corporate Development and Investor Relations Email: JacquelineLi@athenex.com (Natural News) The Evergreen Health elderly care facility in Kirkland, Washington, where multiple patients with the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) were transported for treatment a few days back has announced that it will no longer test for the novel disease because the government says it has already gone endemic. In a Community Message to its staff, the facility explained that new screening protocols are now being put in place due to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) determination that the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) has basically breached containment, and can no longer be controlled. As of March 3, 2020, we have halted performing nasopharyngeal testing in our outpatient clinics, including all five urgent care locations, Evergreen says, noting that the CDC determination is what led to this change. The CDC has determined COVID-19 is now endemic, meaning that the virus is now considered to be regularly found in our region amongst our population, the memo further explains. While the standard previously was to test only people with known risk factors such as history of travel and exposure to a confirmed case these being high-risk candidates for acquiring the disease Evergreen is simply going to stop testing everyone because theres no real point, the facility has decided. As a secondary reason for not conducting anymore testing, Evergreen added that there is an increased risk of transmission when performing any nasopharyngeal testing, which begs the question: Why was it being performed previously, then? Listen below as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, discusses the prevalent belief that this entire Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) crisis is nothing but a giant hoax: Three more infected Life Care Center residents have died, bringing Washington death toll to 22 statewide Most of the coronavirus patients who were brought in to Evergreen Health came from the nearby Life Care Center, where we have since learned that another three patients have died, raising Washingtons total statewide death count to 22. According to Seattle & King County Public Health, there were 33 new cases of the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) reported through Sunday, and 116 total known cases of the disease in King County as of March 9. Two have since died from these 33 new cases, while the third death occurred in a previously reported case. All three of these latest deaths occurred in elderly people, one in her 70s, one in her 80s, and one in her 90s. Of the 20 deaths reported in King County, 19 are associated with Life Care Center, a local news affiliate has reported. There is one death in Snohomish County and another death in Grant County. The latest test results have arrived for 35 of Life Cares 55 residents, revealing 31 positives, one negative, and three inconclusive results. The facility is still waiting to receive test results for the remaining 20 residents. Despite promises by the Trump administration that there would be one million new test kits available by the end of last week, this never actually happened. Consequently, testing remains limited, and is only available to people who meet strict criteria. While testing is becoming more available, there are still limitations, reports explain. If you have symptoms and are high risk, call your health care provider and have a conversation with them about whether it makes sense for you to get tested for COVID-19. Public Health does not do testing. Youll have to get tested through your health care provider. The only real prevention advice that the government is offering, anyway, is to wash your hands, avoid people, and constantly disinfect your home. Authorities are also advising the public to pay close attention to any symptoms that might develop. To keep up with the latest Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) news, be sure to check out Pandemic.news. Sources for this article include: Archive.org Q13Fox.com NaturalNews.com D-FW Workers The Cost Of Expansion (TNS) When Uber expanded its rideshare service across the country roughly a decade ago, it quickly became apparent to early users just how slow the taxi cab industry had been to adapt new technologies.When would your cab arrive? What if it didnt come at all? Did the cab driver have a decent driving record? Does the company take credit cards?Ubers platform introduced reliability, consistency and a seamlessness to the transportation industry and its now looking to do the same for temporary staffing.The Uber Works app will connect Dallas-Fort Worth workers with nearby businesses that need to fill shifts and features an expedited onboarding process as well as rapid payment for the worker.Uber Works CEO Andrey Liscovich said he hopes that businesses will see that "pushing a button and getting a ride can turn into pushing a button and getting a shift filled reliably.Ubers rideshare business faced considerable criticism about treatment of drivers as it matured over the years. And Liscovich acknowledges the complexities of temporary staffing pale in comparison to hailing a cab via smartphone app.The many industries that rely on temporary work require differing skill sets, which is why Uber Works will primarily focus on general labor opportunities and intro-level jobs that dont require up-front training, the company said.But workers wont necessarily be employed by Uber.The tech company is working with established staffing agencies, including TrueBlue, to handle the actual employment, payments and benefits for Uber Works users. Washington-based TrueBlue connected more than 300,000 people with work in 2019, according to its latest financial filing.We know that this is a hard problem to solve, Liscovich said. Even if it takes time, we are committed to seeing through all these nuances and challenges.Like other Uber apps, the Uber Works platform is two-pronged. It features a worker-facing app as well as one dedicated to the businesses providing the shifts. Workers are required to upload W-2 forms and other employment materials to the app and undergo a background check, a process that takes 24 to 48 hours, according to the company.From there, workers can browse shifts at companies around them that will list hours, directions to the business and a list of tasks and expectations. The app will even remind you not to be late for your shift.At launch, the platform will include dozens of businesses posting available shifts, said Liscovich. The pay varies from job to job, but the company said workers can expect average hourly wages of between $12 and $16 that will be paid within 48 hours of completing the work.Like Ubers ride-hailing platform, those hourly pay rates will be subject to surge pricing if a shift is particularly hard to fill.Dallas-Fort Worth is the third city to get the service. In Chicago, where Uber Works launched in October, hundreds of workers have completed thousands of shifts using the platform, according to Liscovich.The temporary workforce in the U.S., or workers who pick up jobs on a seasonal or irregular basis, was 2.9 million workers strong by the end of 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.In Dallas, Uber is specifically recruiting businesses in event work, hospitality and light industrial jobs like warehouses, which make up the greatest share of temporary worker employment in the country, according to the American Staffing Association.Youre seeing ... more and more people in the workforce that dont have one job," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, who believes Uber Works launching in D-FW could be a boon for business amidst a historically tight labor market. "They have a job and a side hustle and theyre looking to pick up some more time if they can. This just makes that matchup that much easier.The industries Uber Works plans to focus on at launch account for roughly 30% of the employment opportunities in D-FW, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.Warehouse jobs and other types of light industrial work are big business in Dallas-Fort Worth, a key shipping hub for North America. The size of D-FWs industrial sector was also a driving factor in the San Francisco-based tech companys decision to launch Uber Freight an app connecting truck drivers to loads of goods in need of transport in Texas not long ago.Uber is hoping that the companies using its Freight app will see benefit in using Uber Works as well.With the launch of Uber Works, Dallas-Fort Worth is increasingly becoming an area of focus for the $4 billion tech companys newest business initiatives since announcing that it was setting up shop in Deep Ellum in August.Uber has referred to the Dallas hub, which currently employs roughly 300 workers, as the spine to support all of our global offices and operations across the world.The company has been battling the high costs of expanding its Uber Eats platform over the last year and expects to take on a loss of between $1.25 billion and $1.45 billion by the end of 2020.The Uber Works service is free for workers, but they must follow the rules. If theyre miss shifts or show up late too many times, their account can be deactivated. Uber will charge businesses that sign up for Uber Works consistent with the work hours provided through the platform, according to the company.We are not trying to grow the costs, Liscovich said. Were being very responsible with pricing. Our mandate is to make sure that were growing sustainably. AM Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) to B- (Fair) from B (Fair) and the Long-Term ICR to bb- from bb of Echelon Property & Casualty Insurance Co., based in Chicago. AM Best also downgraded the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) to bbb from bbb+ and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of B++ (Good) of Echelons parent company, Guardian Insurance Co. Inc. (Guardian), a property/casualty insurer domiciled in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. AM Best has placed all of these ratings under review with negative implications. The ratings of Echelon, Guardians wholly owned subsidiary, reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best categorizes as weak, as well as its marginal operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate ERM. The rating downgrades of Echelon reflects a continued material decline of its risk-adjusted capitalization that has resulted from unfavorable reserve development. The deterioration in reserves is the result of a significant increase in unseasoned non-standard personal automobile business. The new business and decline in capitalization has increased leverage and reflects the companys increased vulnerability to continued reserve inadequacy. Echelon, an admitted P/C insurance company, has been in business since 2004. On its website the company says it currently specializes in writing Personal Auto, Commercial auto, General Liability, Liquor Liability, and Inland Marine in Illinois, Indiana, Arizona, and Missouri. The ratings of Guardian reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best categorizes as adequate, as well as its marginal operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM). The rating downgrade of Guardians Long-Term ICR reflects a revision in AM Bests view of the companys balance sheet strength to adequate from very strong. Guardian, founded in 1984, offers property/casualty insurance in the Caribbean. Guardians risk-adjusted capitalization has been impacted negatively by significant premium growth and operating losses. The operating losses are due to reserve deficiencies caused by the significant amount of unseasoned business, which has caused policyholder surplus to deteriorate. Although management has implemented rate increases and revised the companys underwriting guidelines in an attempt to improve results, these actions have not proven sufficient to return the company to profitability. In addition, the company has above average leverage measures and a high dependence on reinsurance, as it is concentrated geographically in a catastrophe-prone area. Guardian and Echelons under review with negative implications status considers Lockhart Companies Inc.s (the ultimate parent) expected capital contribution to be executed in March 2020. The negative implications reflect the potential for the ratings to be downgraded in the event the capital contribution is insufficient to maintain the current balance sheet strength assessments. These ratings will remain under review until AM Best reviews these companies final year-end 2019 financial statements and the capital contribution is executed. Lockhart Companies Inc., was established in the 1800s and largest real estate owner in the USVI, according to information on its website. Topics Property Property Casualty AM Best Illinois Casualty Model Brigitte Nielsen says her children who live in Italy are 'scared' of the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak in the country. The Danish beauty detailed her kid's experiences while guest hosting The Talk this week, telling the table that while the situation is stable, it's still difficult for her loved ones to deal with. 'What my kids are saying, they are fine, but it is a very, very difficult situation for them, because they are scared,' the 56-year-old mother-of-five explained. Anxious: Model Brigitte Nielsen said her children who live in Italy are 'scared' of the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak in the country while guest co-hosting The Talk It was unclear which of her children she was speaking of, but current husband Mattias Dessi is a native of Italy. They share one child, a one-year-old daughter named Frida. Adult son Raoul is also reportedly a resident of the country, according to a 2011 article from The Telegraph. 'What my kids are saying, they are fine, but it is a very, very difficult situation for them, because they are scared,' she went on. So far 631 residents of Italy have been killed by COVID-19. In addition to worrying about the virus, Nielsen said her kids were anxious about food and other necessities getting scarce. Numbers: So far 631 residents of Italy have been killed by COVID-19 Emotions: 'What my kids are saying, they are fine, but it is a very, very difficult situation for them, because they are scared,' the 56-year-old mother-of-five explained to her co-host Native: It was unclear which of her children she was speaking of, but current husband Mattias Dessi (above 2019) is a native of Italy. They share one child, a one-year-old daughter named Frida 'My younger son had to go out to the supermarket and get food. There is no more food,' she revealed. 'Here in America, they are looking for toilet paper. In Italy, they are looking for food. So there is a panic, not only about getting the virus but the fact that there is nothing to be eaten and there is no clean water. While her offspring seem to be handling the situation at hand, Brigitte said she couldn't help but worry as a mother. Stocking up: In addition to worrying about the virus, Nielsen said her kids were anxious about food and other necessities getting scarce Maternal instincts: 'It's hard for me as a mom to be on the other side of the planet and I said, "You cannot come over for Easter." Now they definitely cannot come over because the entire lockdown' 'It's hard for me as a mom to be on the other side of the planet and I said, "You cannot come over for Easter." Now they definitely cannot come over because the entire lockdown.' Later in the day Brigitte took to Instagram to share a message of support with her Italian fans and followers, speaking in their mother-tongue. Nielsen is a mother-of-five who has also been married five times. Her eldest son Julian was raised by her first husband Kasper Winding and had little contact with his mother growing up. Hot mama: Nielsen (above September 2019) is a mother-of-five who has also been married five times. Her next husband was Sylvester Stallone, but the couple's two-year relationship ended before having any kids. After that she had son Killian with ex-fiance Mark Gastineau in 1989. Brigitte and third husband, director/photographer Sebastian Copeland, did not have children but she and fourth spouse Raoul Meyer welcomed sons Douglas Aaron and Raoul, Jr. in the 90s. She was married to husband number five, Mattia Dessi, in 2006. In 2018, Brigitte gave birth to their daughter Frida at 54-years-old. You might not know her name, but you've no doubt seen Dava Guthmiller's eye-popping designs. Guthmiller's Potrero Hill studio, Noise 13, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, has styled the city's coolest events, institutions, shops, and startups with inventive branding, clever illustrations, and stunning packaging for clients including Eat Drink SF, SHN (now Broadway SF), and Uber. Guthmiller, 45, grew up on the outskirts of Sacramento, working in her family's vintage auto repair shopwashing cars, going to Hot Rod swap meets and, as it turns out, developing an insatiable love for colors, lines, and craftsmanship. Then, an early trip to the grocery store sparked an obsession with wine labels. "I thought they were the most elegant thing on the shelfa tiny, single image that gives you a sense of where something was made and how it might make you feel," she says. Guthmiller worked in restaurants all through design school at SF's Academy of Art University; shortly after graduation, she launched Noise 13, where she would build her design dream from scratch, focusing first on what she knew best: the SF foodie scene. (Courtesy Noise 13) Noise 13 nailed the bold and unapologetic attitude of cannabis brand Skunk Factory with this cool package design inspired by defiant street style from fashionwear to caution tape. // skunkfactory.com "In 1994, I moved to SF when it was still weird and wonderful. The overlap of creativity and business was everywhere, and there was always someone new to collaborate with," she says. "But even more so, I found my love of food in SFfrom the variety to the passion for farming, preparing, eating, and even the collaborative way chefs work together. I've been volunteering for Slow Food since 2004. I love the whole scene." The wine label lover snagged a coveted first wine client in Robert Mondavi Winery ("Having the opportunity to work with this legacy family that really loves what they do was beyond special"), but it wasn't until Uber came knocking in 2013 that Guthmiller's passion for cars would play out in her career: Her small shop achieved milestone success with its sleek art direction, design, and illustrations for the now-iconic startup. These days, Guthmiller again finds herself at the cutting edge of packaging design. As cannabis vies to become the new wine, brands such as Skunk Factory are Noise 13's new Mondavi. The design studio is bringing its signature elevated style to the blossoming weed world, wrapping everything from Dovana's gourmet edibles to Skunk Factory's vapes and flowers in ultra-creative, upmarket packaging. Guthmiller even launched the site Revel & Rouse in 2018 to help mainstream this budding lifestyle, blending her swank design with cool cannabis brands, wellness-minded articles, and events. For design savants, Guthmiller founded In/Visible Talks in January 2018 with fellow SF artist/designer Arianna Orland. The year-round series of intimate and creative salonsthink hands-on maker workshops and artist discussionsculminates every January in a one-day design conference that brings together global designers of every mediuminterior, product, architecture, graphic design, fine artfor the ultimate inspiration mashup. For more information on In/Visible Talks events, go to invisibletalks.com. WFH for Private offices in Delhi, restaurants & bars to be shut as Omicron-led to sudden rise in Covid cases Lata Mangeshkar admitted to ICU in Mumbai Hospital after testing positive for Covid Coronavirus: 2 more test positive in Kerala; total cases rise to 14 in state India oi-PTI Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 10: Two more people tested positive for coronavirus in Kerala on Tuesday, taking the total infected cases in the state to 14, Health Minister Health minister K K Shailaja said. They are the parents of the a 3-year old child who tested positive in Kochi on Monday on return of the family from Italy she told reporters here. Their condition was stable, she added. Earlier, six fresh coronavirus cases were confirmed in the state on Tuesday. They are friends and relatives of Italy-returned couple and their son who had on Saturday tested positive for the virus along with two other kin staying with them at their home in Pathanamthitta district. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 10, 2020, 21:02 [IST] Women wearing face masks walk as South Korean army soldiers spray disinfectant as a precaution against a new coronavirus on a street in Seoul, Monday, March 9, 2020. AP South Korea said Tuesday that it has stepped up vigilance in its battle to halt the spread of the new coronavirus, with an alarming cluster of infections emerging in Seoul, although the pace of daily new infections continued to slow. The 131 new cases, which were detected on Monday, brought the nation's total number of infections to 7,513, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). Monday's additional cases were far below the daily increases of 500 or more last week and marked the slowest one-day rise in confirmed cases in two weeks. So far, 54 people, mostly elderly patients with underlying illnesses, have died in South Korea from the respiratory virus that emerged in China late last year, the KCDC said. About 63 percent of confirmed cases have been linked to a branch of the Shincheonji religious sect in Daegu, which, at a population of 2.5 million, is the country's fourth-largest city. The pace of daily new inflections has shown signs of slowing in recent days as health authorities have completed extensive testing of 210,000 Shincheonji followers who are at the center of the rapid spread, but authorities are still on high alert over new clusters of infections. Of the 131 new cases, which were detected on Monday, 92 are in Daegu and 10 are in North Gyeongsang, the KCDC said. The total number of confirmed cases in Daegu and North Gyeongsang, the two epicenters of the virus outbreak here, stood at 5,663 and 1,117, respectively. Deputy National Communications Director for the Convention People's Party [CPP], Benjamin Nsiah, has asserted that the country is retrogressing in terms of development due to the lack of visionary leaders. Commenting on the Kintampo-Tamale highway accident which claimed the lives of over 30 people on Monday, March 9, 2020, Mr. Nsiah affirmed that even though human error can lead to accidents on our roads, most of these fatal incidents occur as a result of the lack of visionary leaders. Lack of visionary leaders in Ghana has led to the construction of bad roads resulting in loss of precious lives through accident. What at all do past and current government use toll booth revenue collection for that stops us from ensuring the country has state-of-the-art roads. Must we always wait on the Road Safety Commission/ Authority to come out and tell us the measures they have put in place to curb the high number of accidents on our roads, he lamented. Touching on the recent act of vigilantism by some Sogakope youth following the gruesome murder of an aseemblyman in the area, the CPP communicator, contributing to discussions on UTVs Adekye Nsroma newspaper discussion show, opined that the country urgently needs a policy document to positively shape the conscience of the youth. ...it is time that as a country we act on what we say as leaders, as we lay-out a policy document to shape the youth front of the country, otherwise we will labour in vain. The Police service need to develop a unique and professional way of handling matters brought to their jurisdiction, he added. Listern to the video below; Source: Elizabeth Semiheva Bedi/ peacefmonline.com / [email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Penguin Random House has become the second of the Big Five U.S. publishers to announce it would not attend this year's rescheduled Bologna Children's Book Fair, scheduled for May 47, due to the spread of the new coronavirus. This follows a similar announcement from Simon & Schuster last Friday. PRH released a statement that said, In light of the travel risks related to the coronavirus and our ongoing concerns for the health and wellbeing of our employees, authors, and partners, Penguin Random House will not participate in the Bologna Book Fair. PRH said the decision applied to all worldwide employees. The news is beginning to sow doubts among some in the publishing community of the viability of going ahead with the fair, particularly as travel restrictions become more widespread. Italy has been hit especially hard by the coronavirus and on Monday the government extended travel restrictions to the entire country, putting 60 million people under lockdown and quarantine-like conditions. Marco Ghezzi, publisher at Quinto Quarto Edizioni, lives in Brisighella, a medieval village outside Bologna. He said that the coronavirus has put their publishing program on "hiatus" for the moment and they are likely to postpone the publication of some key titles. "We work from home, but market is plummeting, and it is really difficult to plan ahead," he said. At Bookabook, a Milanese tech start-up and publishing house, working conditions have changed. Co-founder Tomaso Greco sees the coronavirus leading to a shift in the way Italian publishers may work. "We work at home and use software to collaborate," Greco said. "But now many companies in publishing are investing to improve their remote working tools and workflows. Companies that have never before tried smart working are trying it it is safe and it works." That said, Greco was quick to note that even if publishers can still find ways to work, selling books is likely to be more of a challenge. "In Italy, with everything closed and the streets empty, it looks like a bad B-movie," he said. "With so many bookstores closed, well see if online stores will compensate for the loss, but for many bookstores and publishers, I fear it will turn into a tragedy." Japan's government plans to spend 430.8 billion yen ($4.1 billion) in a second package of steps to cope with the fallout of the coronavirus outbreak, two government sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Tuesday. The government also plans to adopt fiscal measures totalling 1.6 trillion yen to support corporate financing as part of the package, due to be announced later on Tuesday, the sources said on condition of anonymity, as the plan is not public yet. A 24-year-old Vietnamese woman who arrived in Vietnam on a private jet this week has tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), raising the countrys total to 32, the Ministry of Health said on Tuesday. N.T.T., who lives in London, attended the Milan Fashion Week in Italy from February 18 to 24, where she interacted with Vietnamspatient No.17. Vietnams 17th COVID-19 patient is a 26-year-old woman who went to London, Milan, and Paris prior to returning to Hanoi on March 2. On February 27, the two young women met up, attended a party together, and hung out with a group of mutual friends in England. T. briefly self-quarantined in London before boarding a charter plane to return to Vietnam. She is now receiving treatment at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City after testing positive for the virus. Patient No. 32 began coughing without a fever on March 2 while she was in London, according to the governments verified Facebook account. She went to a hospital in London for a health checkup and was told to practice self-quarantine at home. Upon learning that her friend, patient No. 17, had tested positive for COVID-19 in Hanoi on Friday last week, she returned to the hospital but was only given more medications, which did not help ease her illness symptoms. Concerned about her health, the patient boarded a private jet back to Vietnam and went through immigration at 8:15 am on Monday. She was coughing and had a body temperature of 37.5 degrees Celsius. The woman was taken to a makeshift hospital in Cu Chi District for quarantine immediately after entering, and was later transferred to the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases at 8:30 pm on Monday. Her samples were tested by the Pasteur Institute Ho Chi Minh City on the same evening, with results coming out positive at 10:30 pm. A private jet chartered to transport 24-year-old N.T.T. from London to Ho Chi Minh City is seen at Tan Son Nhat International Airport on March 9, 2020. Photo: Tran Huynh / Tuoi Tre Vietnam has so far confirmed 32 infections, including 19 Vietnamese, two Chinese nationals, one Vietnamese American, eight British citizens, one Mexican, and one Irish national. Sixteen of the patients had recovered and been discharged from the hospital by February 26. Patient No. 17 was confirmed after Vietnam had reported no new infection since February 13. Her older sister, who lives in the UK and attended fashion events in Milan and Paris with N., tested positive for the virus before she did. A handful of Vietnamese celebrities who may have had contact with the two at the events have been quarantined for health checks in Vietnam. Over 100 people in Vietnam have been placed in quarantine for interacting with N. or with those who had close contact with her. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Jyotiraditya Scindia, the scion of the erstwhile Gwalior royal family, quitting the Congress and eyeing to join the BJP is like "homecoming", as his aunt puts it, following in the footsteps of his father and grandmother. The dramatic resignation of the 49-year-old Scindia lays bare the Congress's failure to get its own house in order amidst intense power struggles between elder and younger leaders. Scindia believes in the Congress he did not find the royal road to a position he deserves. So, "it is now time for me to move on", he wrote in his resignation letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi. The timing of his resignation -- the 75th birth anniversary of his late father Madhavrao Scindia who too had quit the Congress in 1996 to float his own outfit -- is "politically significant and symbolic", according to a Congress veteran. On Tuesday morning, as much of India was celebrating Holi, Scindia met senior BJP leader and Home Minister Amit Shah, following which he called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his 7, Lok Kalyan Marg residence. There was no official word on what transpired at the meetings. However, BJP sources asserted that the decision of the party's top two leaders to hold long deliberations with Scindia underlined the importance they attach to him. In a massive setback for the Congress, Scindia quit the Congress and in a coordinated rebellion on Tuesday 22 MLAs loyal to him resigned in Madhya Pradesh, pushing the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government to the brink of collapse. Denied what he considered was his due the post of Madhya Pradesh chief minister after the Congress won state elections in 2018 -- Scindia, a four-time former parliamentarian from Guna in Madhya Pradesh in his resignation letter wrote today's events had virtually been building up for a year. The resignation of Scindia, a long-time aide of former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, is set to change existing power equations within the Congress. Several youngsters in the grand old party are awaiting leadership roles but for veterans who continue to assert themselves leaving little space. Scindia's loyalists point out how he has avenged his father's insults by jolting the grand old party and walking out of the clutches of Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath and former CM Digvijay Singh who were politically active even at the time of Madhavrao Scindia. The entire Gwalior royalty, including his aunts Vasundhara Raje (former Rajasthan CM) and Yashodhara Raje Scindia (former minister), is currently in the BJP fold. It's like "homecoming" for him, Yashodhara Raje Scindia said on Tuesday. As former MP of the Congress and the party's chief whip in the 16th Lok Sabha, Scindia long charted a political course independent of his clan. Not only was his late grandmother Vijaya Raje Scindia a founder of the Jana Sangh in 1967, his own father cut political teeth with the Jana Sangh in 1971 before moving to the Congress in 1980. Late Madhavrao Scindia briefly left the Congress in 1996 and was later pacified to rejoin ranks. In similar twists of fate, Jyotiraditya Scindia became a Rahul Gandhi aide just like his father had become a Rajiv Gandhi confidante. Though late Madhavrao Scindia never lost an election starting 1971, Jyotiraditya could preserve the family's winning tradition only till 2019 when he lost Guna to his a former aide. Cornered in Madhya Pradesh political space by CM Kamal Nath and Digvijay Singh, Scindia had few months ago dropped the Congress reference from his Twitter profile. Although he insisted that nothing should be read into it, Scindia had in some sense foretold a big story. Insiders say Scindia felt let down by Rahul Gandhi who did not insist on the CM's post for his confidante even as Kamal Nath came up trumps in the internal power struggle. Even later, Scindia was not made MP Congress chief as Nath retained the post. All that the former MP got was a complementary role beside AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Uttar Pradesh where he was named general secretary west UP in January 2019. The party won just one seat -- Rae Bareli from UP in the 2019 LS polls after which Scindia withdrew from the state ceding space for Vadra. The Gwalior royal first became Guna MP in 2002 after winning a by-election necessitated following his father's demise. He was only 31 years old at the time. He gradually made his way up the Congress ladder becoming Minister of State for Communications ad IT in 2007 during Congress led UPA 1. In 2009 he became MoS Commerce and Industry and in 2012 was appointed MoS Power during UPA-2. After the Congress lost the 2014 General Election, Sonia Gandhi named him the party's chief whip in Lok Sabha. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Trumpworld is clearly counting on being able to change their narrative again on a dime, as they always have before. In a news conference on Monday evening, Trump said some very major economic measures will be coming, after implying in a tweet just hours earlier that the economy was not at risk. The White House seems to assume that tomorrow when Americans confront indisputable evidence that more people are falling ill and dying, and that concerns about the epidemic werent part of some Fake News hoax to bring down the president Trump can offer up a new narrative or scapegoat. The Invisible Man - 4/5 Stars When I first told people I was going to write a review of this weeks new release, 'The Invisible Man,' I was met, rather expectedly, with the jokes. Amongst them, one person beamed 'you should write 'I couldnt see anyone there!, laughing like he had pulled a joke out of the Billy Connolly catalogue. So firstly, I want to assure you I wont be taking that route. So, if you are looking for a pun or two, you wont be able to see any he... - dammit, lets move on. 'The Invisible Man' is a continuation of Hollywoods new found love for reboots, with the classic novel by HG Wells first brought to the big screen back in 1933, and this time we have Australian director Leigh Whannell taking the reins to give it a more modern touch. Whanell, who is attached to previous horror/thriller block- busters such as Saw and Insidious as a writer, is well experienced in the genre, and from minute one, you know the film is in very good hands. The film tells the story of Cecilia, played by Elisabeth Moss. We are thrown straight into her unhappy world in an opening sequence that absolutely sets the tone for what is to come in terms of sheer tension. Cecilia has drugged her boyfriend Adrian (Oliver Jackson Cohen) into a deep sleep in the early hours of the morning, and immediately sets about the process of getting the hell out of there. Which wouldn't be too difficult in a normal house, but a normal house it is not. She has to tread a gadget world obstacle course featuring security alarms, passwords and cameras in what I can only describe is a setting you would see in a Mission Impossible meets 24 type of film. Because it turns out, her boyfriend is a genius millionaire scientist/control freak who has taken every precaution in an attempt to keep her in his clutches. After narrowly making her escape thanks to her sister Emily, Cecilia finally has some sort of freedom, but matters soon take a very strange turn. Shortly afterwards she is delivered the news that Adrian has killed himself by his lawyer brother, and that he has also left $5 million of his vast fortune to her. So hey, its not all bad. Except it is; its very bad. Just when Cecilia believes her life is becoming a little bit rosier, events begin to spiral out of control in quite sinister ways. The oven suddenly goes on fire, her blanket is tossed around her bedroom, and she too ends up drugged. Adrian still very much has a pulse, and through his scientific and technical wizardy, hes only gone and made himself invisible in a bid to make his exs life a living hell, with very tricks more brutal than the last. A new tinder account and going back on the market would have been less hassle, but, what do I know? Now on paper, it all sounds a bit over the top, and in the hands of a lesser film maker I may have headed for the exit early. But this film delivers, for two reasons. Firstly, Whanells direction is flawless. He burrows into the quite effective horror trope of less is more, not resorting at all to endless jump scares that we see too often nowadays. His camera work excels in making the viewer completely uneasy throughout. There is one sequence where the camera is simply moving slowly from left to right while Cecila wanders the house alone during the night. Whanell plays with the audience superbly. He knows he has us in the palm of his hand. Where is Adrian? What will he do next? Now in a role that requires the lead to portray terror, paranoia, rejection and abuse, Elisabeth Moss is outstanding. This is a film with very strong themes; in some quarters it has been called the first big film of the #metoo movement in its representation of domestic abuse, and there is certainly symbols of that at different stages, with Moss carrying the flame in fine fashion as she attempts to defeat her own predator. She is utterly convincing in her despair as her world begins to fall apart from all angles, including one horrifying turn of events that will have your jaw almost touching the floor - you have been warned. She shows all her acting props that were also on display in the hugely popular Handmaid's Tale series. So, if youre a weirdo like myself and enjoy being disturbed and uncomfortable for two hours or so, then The Invisible Man will be money well spent. Hey, we might even get a sequel, although, given the film's climax, I canny see that happening. Ill stop now. The Invisible Man is now showing at Brunswick Moviebowl. Incoming White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said he is placing himself in self-quarantine Monday after a fellow Conservative Political Action Conference attendee tested positive for the coronavirus following the annual event in the D.C. area less than two weeks ago. Meadows says he is not exhibiting symptoms, and a spokesman said the North Carolina congressman tested negative for the virus but will remain at home until Wednesday, presumably the 14-day mark from when Meadows attended the four-day convention that ran from Feb. 26 to 29. Advertisement The gathering was attended by President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, as well as senior administration officials and a wide range of elected Republicans. Republican Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz both announced Monday they were self-quarantining after learning they came into contact with the individual who tested positive. Neither Collins nor Gaetz has exhibited symptoms of the virus, but they have been in close contact with Trump since the conference. Gaetz traveled with Trump on Air Force One on Monday. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar, both of whom attended CPAC, announced over the weekend that they would be self-quarantining, as did CPAC chairman Matt Schlapp, who introduced Trump and shook his hand before the presidents remarks on the final day of the conference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gaetz told the Washington Post he was put into a closed-up room on Air Force One after he found out about his exposure to the virus, but after the plane landed Trump coaxed him up front before leaving the aircraft. He was not hyper-cautious about being in the same space that I was in, Gaetz said. I refused to go into his office; I stood outside the door. I told him he could talk from that distance. Collins accompanied Trump on a visit to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday and was photographed that day shaking the presidents hand. Despite coming into close contact with people who have been exposed to the virus, which appears to be able to be spread asymptomatically, the White House insisted that Trump had not been tested for the coronavirus. The President has not received COVID-19 testing because he has neither had prolonged close contact with any known confirmed COVID-19 patients, nor does he have any symptoms, White House spokesperson Stephanie Grisham said in a statement. President Trump remains in excellent health, and his physician will continue to closely monitor him. The president of the United States, as we all know, is quite a hand-washer, Grisham told Fox News. He uses hand sanitizer all the time. So hes not concerned about this at all. First he ordered the detention of at least four senior members of his own royal family. The next day he plunged Saudi Arabia into a price war with Russia that sent energy and stock markets around the world into free fall. For a while, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia had appeared to be living down his reputation for dangerous aggression. Perhaps chastened by the blowback over his connection with the killing of the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the 34-year-old crown prince had kept a low profile for more than a year. Now his new power plays are reviving debates in Western capitals about whether he is too rash to trust as a partner. His sudden, steep cut to the price of oil has rocked a global economy already at risk of falling into recession, threatened to burn through Saudi Arabias cash reserves and undermined his grandiose promises of new investments to lessen the kingdoms dependence on oil. New Delhi, March 10 : Before Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor could shift his base from India to any foreign country, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) took him in its custody and his plan to sell his three Delhi-based properties amounting over Rs 1,000 crore failed. The three properties -- 40, Amrita Shergill Marg; 18 Kautilya Marg, Chanakya Puri; and in the Diplomatic Enclave on Sardar Patel Marg -- are not directly linked to Kapoor but officials said that he had tasked some top property dealers here for hunting some buyers to sell these assets to. It is learnt that all the properties are linked to Kapoor's wife Bindu Kapoor, who is also under the scanner as ED probes suspicious transactions of around Rs 4,300 crore. Bindu Kapoor bought a luxurious bunglow at 40, Amrita Shergill Marg -- a prime location in Lutyens' Delhi -- in the name of her company Bliss Abode Ltd while the other two properties belong to Bliss Villa (Delhi) Private Ltd. Known for a flamboyant lifestyle and penchant for publicity, Kapoor, sources said, wanted to shift his base in the US, the UK or France by selling properties in Delhi and Mumbai soon after he got tip off about ED's investigation against him. It is suspected that he did not want to leave any of his property in India before shifting his base, said the source, adding the ED has began probing his three prime properties in Delhi which have a value of more than Rs 1,000 crore. The source said that the property at Amrita Shergill Marg was bought from Avantha Realty, Gautam Thapar's company which had borrowed money from Yes Bank. According to sources, Kapoor's wife had bought this property in the name of her company Bliss Abode Ltd on account of a loan default by Avantha Realty. Yes Bank's exposure to Avantha Realty was Rs 500 crore. Bliss Abode Pvt Ltd had bought this property by raising Rs 380 crore from a Mumbai- based non-banking financial company. The address of Bliss Abode is also the same as the property bought. Yes Bank allegedly, instead of going for a procedure under the RBI's suggested guidelines to recover the loan, sold the property for a bare minimum price of Rs 380 crore to Bliss Abode Pvt Ltd. Amrita Shergill Marg is one of the most prime areas of Delhi and sources said that the property was priced at around Rs 450 crore. The Chanakya Puri property is in the name of Bliss Villa (Delhi) Pvt Ltd which was incorporated on September 9, 1971. It is classified as non-government company and is registered at the Registrar of Companies, Delhi. Its authorised share capital is Rs 20,000,000 and its paid up capital is Rs. 18,374,800. The Directors of Bliss Villa (delhi) Private Limited are Bindu Kapoor, and Ajita Madhukar Potdar. The third property in Diplomatic Enclave on Sardar Patel Marg is also a prime property linked to Rana but more information about the property could not be gathered. It is learnt that the selling price of the Chanakya Puri and Sardar Patel property was fixed Rs 350 crore and Rs 250 crore, respectively. The ED not only have started its probe into these three Delhi-based properties but also another property in Mumbai which was bought by Rana's family on tony Altamount Road in Mumbai in 2018 for Rs 128 crore. Jointly owned by Citibank and GlaxoSmithKline, the property is next to Mukesh Ambani's 27-storey Antilla. The ED as well as the CBI have registered separate cases against Rana Kapoor, his wife, their three daughters -- Rakhee Kapoor Tandon, Roshni Kapoor and Radha Kapoor, and Dewan Housing Finance Ltd (DHFL) promoter Kapil Wadhwan for hatching a criminal conspiracy from April to June 2018 between for extending financial assistance to DHFL by Yes Bank Ltd. For this, the Kapoors were paid kickbacks of Rs 600 crore. Kapoor was arrested by the ED on Sunday after hours-long questioning in Mumbai and was been sent by a Mumbai court in the agency's custody till March 11. (Rajnish Singh can be contacted at rajnish.s@ians.in) SEATTLE - Immigrant rights groups want U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release detainees at its Washington state jail who are at high risk from the coronavirus. In a letter sent to ICE late Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and Columbia Legal Services said ICE should release on parole any detainees who are older than 60, pregnant, or who have underlying conditions such as a weakened immune system or heart or lung disease. Those in detention are especially vulnerable to contagious outbreaks, they said. It wasnt immediately clear how many detainees at ICEs 1,575-bed Northwest detention centre in Tacoma might be considered high-risk. A statement Tuesday from ICE provided no indication that the agency is considering releases unless ordered by a judge. The Seattle area has the deadliest coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., with at least two dozen deaths as of Tuesday most linked to a suburban nursing home. The GEO Group, a for-profit corporation that runs the detention facility, said Tuesday it has not had any confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the jail. The company declined to say how many detainees or staff had shown symptoms or been tested. In an emailed statement, ICE similarly said it had no confirmed cases. The agency is following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control in terms of when detainees and staff should be tested, and that as of March 3, four detainees had met that criteria. Staff are being provided protection equipment such as masks. Those at high-risk can be kept together in units, the agency said: The CDC advises self-monitoring at home for people in the community who meet epidemiologic risk criteria, and who do not have fever or symptoms of respiratory illness. In detention settings, cohorting serves as an alternative to self-monitoring at home. The agency said it is screening new detainees for COVID-19 and that its protocols call for medically isolating those who have mild symptoms, while those with moderate to severe symptoms or who need higher levels of care are transported to hospitals. Sixteen of the 20 detention centres run by the ICE Health Services Corps have airborne infection isolation rooms, it said. ICE is actively working with state and local health partners to determine if any detainee requires additional testing or monitoring to combat the spread of the virus, ICE said. Enoka Herat, immigration counsel at the ACLU of Washington, called the agencys statement inadequate. Instead of doing something proactive and preventative, theyre waiting for the worst-case scenario, she said. There has been increasing concern nationally about how a coronavirus outbreak in jails might affect prisoners, and immigrant rights activists in New York on Friday demanded that ICE provide information about what precautions it is taking and how it would handle an outbreak at detention facilities there. Immigration judges have grappled with how to handle hearings in their courtrooms. In the absence of guidance from the Justice Department, which runs the immigration court system, the union that represents immigration judges on Monday sent out guidance. It included posters with the CDCs coronavirus information as well as advice that judges keep hand-sanitizer on the bench and on counsel tables and that they limit the number of people in their courtrooms. Advocates have also asked the Department of Homeland Security to make clear that it will not conduct immigration enforcement operations in or around hospitals or medical clinics. Several Democratic U.S. senators, including Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kamala Harris of California, sent DHS a letter to that effect last week. Immigration enforcement actions, when they take place in or around hospitals or other medical facilities, could discourage undocumented immigrants from seeking necessary medical care, the letter said. ICEs statement said that absent unusual circumstances it does not conduct operations around medical facilities and that people should seek care if they need it. Jails and prisons across the country have been stepping up inmate screenings, sanitizing cells and urging lawyers to scale back in-person visits to prevent the new coronavirus from spreading through their vast inmate populations. People in detention are highly vulnerable to outbreaks of contagious illnesses, the immigrant rights groups letter said. They are housed in close quarters and are often in poor health. Without the active engagement of NWDCs administration, they have little ability to inform themselves about preventive measures, or to take such measures if they do manage to learn of them. Given that Washington state has the nations most severe coronavirus outbreak, the groups also said ICE should stop any transfers in and out of the Northwest detention centre. Any response to the disease should not result in prolonged or widespread lockdowns that might violate detainees rights, they said. Maru Mora Villalpando, who monitors the Northwest detention centre with the group La Resistancia, said a detainee who was released on Friday had been in medical isolation for undisclosed reasons. He reported that the medical isolation unit was full, she said. The fact that the unit is full yet the detention centre is not at capacity is a sign local authorities should be doing something, Mora Villalpando said. We are really worried. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. Google Assistant supports a lot of different device types and now you can add sensor-only devices to that list. These types of devices include things like smart smoke detectors and sensors. Which means that these types of devices are about to become a whole lot more useful for anyone that owns them. This support only allows for users to get alerts. So at the moment users cant actually complete any actions in regards to the new support. But that could be coming down the road. Advertisement When and if that does happen, a smart home setup could have the ability to initiate an action based on something one of the sensor-only devices detects. Sensor-only devices may now report carbon monoxide levels through Google Assistant Sensor support is a big thing here because it could lead to some even more in-depth smart home control. For the time being though, youll be able to use Google Assistant to report things such as carbon monoxide levels and smoke levels measured in parts per million. Among a number of other things. Advertisement This is no doubt useful but the broader possibilities, such as routines which initiate when sensors detect something, are the more useful function. The thing is, those kinds of automations arent available yet. They can be in the future though now that sensor-only devices are supported. Which is something that was needed if brands wanted to lay out automations like this in the first place. Water purifiers and water softeners have support now as well In addition to smoke detectors and sensors Google Assistant also now supports water purifiers and water softeners. Advertisement If you live in an area where you have hard water, then you may have a water softener to help counteract this. Hard water is particularly high in mineral content such as calcium and magnesium. Hard water isnt harmful to your health, but it can interfere with lathering action of soaps and detergents. It can also lead to lower levels of water flow and less efficient heating. If you have a smart water softener, you will now able to ask Google about the cleanliness of your water filter as well as the lifetime of that particular filter so youre aware of when exactly it needs to be replaced. Advertisement Smoke detectors can report when smoke is detected and when levels are high Smoke detectors are now supported too and one of the features of Google Assistant support is being able to report if smoke is detected. Beyond that it can also report when smoke levels are high if smoke is detected in the first place. Its also capable of reporting what the smoke is in parts per million. If you have something like a Nest Protect smoke alarm and it goes off, you could essentially ask Google how high the smoke level is from your smartphone and receive a response. 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 Tyler Chang has a new baby, a new home in Diamond Bar, and the instinct to protect both in the age of coronavirus. That's how the computer programmer wound up in a City of Industry gun shop for the first time, staring at rows of shotguns lining the walls. Rap metal blared from the speakers as Chang, who is from China, imagined his nightmare scenario: A pandemic forces company shutdowns and leads to mass unemployment. "People won't have money, and they won't be able to eat," Chang, 28, said in Mandarin. "And if they don't have food, they'll have to steal." Because of its large Chinese clientele, Gun Effects in the City of Industry uses bilingual signs. (Josie Huang/LAist) There could be riots, he said, forcing him to fend off intruders. Chang said he knows it sounds unlikely but it's important to prepare. His friend Derek Zhao who accompanied him, nodded: "You remember 1992? The riots in Los Angeles?" A SURGE IN CUSTOMERS Gun shops around the San Gabriel Valley that cater to Chinese immigrants report a surge in business as customers grow increasingly anxious about their personal safety with each day COVID-19 widens its reach in the U.S. Gun Effects, where Chang was shopping, said its customer base has jumped from half Chinese to about 70%. Arcadia Firearm and Safety reports a tenfold increase in business. Rowland Sporting Goods estimates sales are up 500%. This isn't just happening in Southern California, according to The Trace. Gun shops in Washington state, which has the highest number of coronavirus deaths in the U.S, are also seeing increased traffic from customers of Chinese descent. The line for the register at Gun Effects in the City of Industry stretches almost to the door, just minutes before closing. (Josie Huang/LAist) With minutes to go before closing on a recent evening at Gun Effects, 30 people were still in Dennis Lin's shop and the line for the register stretched almost to the door. "Probably about like a week or two ago, it started getting busier and busier," Lin said. "I would say a couple hundred people pass by here just in one day." Office clerk April Zhao came to Gun Effects with her father, whom she said was eager to buy a gun because all his friends were doing it. The Rancho Cucamonga resident said she herself was scared that she would be physically attacked for being Chinese because the coronavirus originated in the city of Wuhan. "So I have to protect my family and my son," Zhao said. Has she experienced any racism so far? "Not yet," she said. "I just see the news." icon DON'T MISS ANY L.A. CORONAVIRUS NEWS Get our daily newsletter for the latest on COVID-19 and other top local headlines. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy DISCRIMINATION AND BULLYING News outlets have chronicled how Asians are facing discrimination and bullying around the world, including in Southern California. Well-known conservatives such as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Fox News host Tucker Carlson have created unease by using the term "Chinese coronavirus." Everything you need to know about the Chinese coronavirus can be found on one, regularly-updated website: https://t.co/nGCCDVqcqe Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) March 9, 2020 Asian American politicians and activists have criticized the phrasing. They've also called out the media for its reflexive use of photos showing Asian people in masks to illustrate stories about coronavirus. Despite the ramped-up tensions over coronavirus, Win Tun, who was looking for a rifle at Gun Effects, said he is not scared about being targeted like some of the Chinese-born shoppers around him. Win Tun, an electrical engineer from Monterey Park, said that because he grew up in the U.S., he doesn't share the same fears of being targeted like Chinese-born gun buyers. (Josie Huang/LAist) "Me growing up here, I feel everybody is the same," said Tun, an electrical engineer, who came from Myanmar as a child almost 20 years ago. "You have your right, we have our right, everybody knows it." A HISTORY OF TURBULENCE But first-time Chinese gun buyers have other things on their mind than stopping prejudice in its tracks, according to David Liu, owner of the Arcadia gun store. Liu, who is from China, said that turbulent Chinese history has taught its people to expect the worst, even violence. "Americans, nobody ever invaded you," Liu said, who wore a mask over his face. "China's always in chaos. They're always in crisis. So people have a sense of danger more than Americans." David Liu teaches gun safety to customers in his Arcadia gun shop. (Josie Huang/LAist) On a recent afternoon, two couples -- one from San Marino, the other from Arcadia -- browsed his small shop on the third floor of a shopping complex. Liu prominently displays "Make America Great Again" caps and posters of the action movie character John Wick, known for his expert gunplay. Liu said because China heavily restricts private gun ownership, most of what his Chinese customers know is from watching movies like John Wick, and that can create safety problems. Inside David Liu's Arcadia gunshop. (Josie Huang/LAist) "When they see a gun, they just pick it up and pull that trigger," Liu said. "We basically have to yell at them. I will be a little tougher on them in the beginning because you want them to remember." Outside the store, he's perched a bottle of hand sanitizer on a small table for customers to use, as well as printed advice in Chinese on what models of handguns to buy and a plea that customers not overstock on ammunition. He's already sold out once before. At the larger Rowland Sporting Goods, managers say they carry pallets worth of ammunition and are ready for the onslaught of new business they're getting. March typically presents a lull at the store before hunting season picks up later in the spring. But it was abuzz on a weekday as managers fielded questions from customers like Eva Hung, a stay-at-home mom from Rowland Heights. Manager Tank Tan helps a customer at Rowland Sporting Goods. (Josie Huang/LAist) Hung, who had never touched a firearm before this visit, had bypassed the handguns and was gamely trying on a Remington 870 shotgun. "It's too hard to squeeze a handgun and I don't have time for target practice," Hung said. "It'll be easier to shoot a shotgun." She hopes, though, to never use it. She brightly said maybe the sight of the shotgun, or the metallic click it makes, would be enough to scare off intruders. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS: Research provides the only existing nomogram able to assess the chance of long-term survival after surgery Pancreatic cancer is predicted to become the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths by 2030. However, recent developments in staging and treatment provide options to improve the long-term survival rate for an otherwise devastating diagnosis. Today, new research published in Annals of Surgery from the University of Colorado Department of Surgery at the Anschutz Medical Campus offers a roadmap to new guidelines for physicians in prioritizing treatments and improving outcomes through surgery. The study suggests a new concept of resectability and identifies objective pre-operative prognostic factors that can predict long-term survival of patients affected by pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the most common type of pancreatic cancer. "Our research suggests that a new concept of resectability should be considered that is meant to reflect the biology of the tumor and response to chemotherapy," said Marco Del Chiaro, MD, PhD, FACS, Chief of Surgical Oncology and Director of the National Pancreas Foundation Center of Excellence at the Anschutz Medical Campus. "Therefore, this will partially overcome the existing guidelines that are mostly based on tumor anatomic features. Tumor anatomic features are extremely subjective and vary between center to center and surgeon to surgeon." In the study, researchers analyzed nearly 8,000 patients who underwent pancreatic resection for PDAC from January 2010 to December 2016. The research found that the main prognostic factors for survival were age, sex, levels of carbohydrate antigen CA 19-9, tumor size, primary site, neo-adjuvant treatment (a treatment given to shrink a tumor before surgery), Charlson/Deyo score and facility type. For example, academic facilities were associated with better survival rates. The strength of the findings were validated by a high significant randomized test, log-rank test and simple hazard ratio. One of the most critical findings is that the tumor engagement of peri-pancreatic arteries at pre-operative scans, historically considered by several centers a contraindication for surgery, does not have a negative impact on survival rates after resection. "This is the only existing nomogram based on pre-operative objective variables able to assess the chance of long-term survival after surgery for PDAC," said Atsushi Oba, MD, PhD, research associate for surgical oncology, University of Colorado Department of Surgery, and lead author of the paper. "Our results suggest that current classifications of resectability on local anatomic and radiologic features should no longer be considered accurate and that more precise prognostic criteria should be defined. The new PDAC nomogram can become a useful tool for patients and counseling physicians in selecting therapy." The study offers the advantage of estimating the outcome of each patient before an operation, and regardless of local anatomic features of the tumor, to understand if a patient qualifies or not for an operation based on his or her long-term predicted survival. The use of the nomogram in clinical practice should be proposed after a prospective validation. "These results support the direction we're taking at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus," said Dr. Richard Schulick, MD, MBA, FACS, Chair of the Department of Surgery and Director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center on the campus. "By providing a multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of pancreatic diseases, we offer patients personalized care and can match candidates with different kinds of therapies that will work best for their individual case. The result is introducing a new concept of prognosis-based staging for patients and the possibility to overcome the old concept and limitations of the anatomical staging of the disease." ### About the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is a world-class medical destination at the forefront of transformative science, medicine, education, and patient care. The campus encompasses the University of Colorado health professional schools, more than 60 centers and institutes, and two nationally ranked hospitals that treat more than 2 million adult and pediatric patients each year. Innovative, interconnected and highly collaborative, together we deliver life-changing treatments, patient care, professional training, and conduct world-renowned research powered by more than $550 million in research awards. For more information, visit http://www.cuanschutz.edu. Many home buyers start out starry-eyed when they first embark on shopping for a house, with visions of a big backyard, a home office, a cute coffee shop down the blockand much, much more. The problem? If budgets are tight (as they usually are), then all too soon, those dreams collide hard with reality. It can be a devastating mental adjustment for buyers who aren't prepared. Worried your own home search standards might be too much of a stretch? To help, allow us to point out some top dream home hopes that experts say you should ditch. Trust us, it's best you know these delusions upfront rather than down the road! 1. The hope that you won't have to settle Yes, daydreaming about the house you'll own one day is fun. So is window shopping real estate listings online. However, keep in mind that listing photos show a house in its best light, and the visions in your head are just a fantasy. The more you invest in these fantasies, the more jarring it can be to match those with a brick-and-mortar house. So let's just break it to you upfront: Odds are, your dream home won't have everything on your wish list. OK? You'll almost certainly have to sacrifice something and settle. To get a more realistic barometer of properties you might consider, stop daydreaming, stop window-shopping, and set foot in a few open houses sooner rather than later. This will help ground your dreams and keep them from veering too much into flights of true fancy. 2. The hope that your dream home will be right on (or under) budget Lots of buyers run into trouble when they combine big expectations with small budgets. Jessica Edwards, a real estate broker in North Carolina, explains that the problem often comes from buyers zeroing in on one number: the home's purchase price. Many buyers get caught up on the purchase number, she says, but the reality is that a home costs much more than just that. A house is always more expensive than you think it will be, says Kevin Michels, a financial planner in Utah. You may have factored in the mortgage payments, insurance, and property taxes. But what about the cost of new furniture, home improvements, home maintenance, utilities, cable and internet, yard maintenance, and HOA dues? Michels advises that buyers look at a home's PITI (principal, interest, taxes, and insurance) to get a better idea of how much it will cost. As a rule of thumb, he says, if your PITI cost is close to the budget you set for yourself, you're buying too much home. 3. The hope that your house will be huge The thing about dream homes is that, in your imagination, they can get pretty large and luxurious. You might be fantasizing about lots of extra rooms for friends and family, a big backyard, a formal dining room, and maybe even a movie theater, but if you get too ambitious, you can run into problems. Orell Anderson, president of Strategic Property Analytics, explains, With house upkeep, cleaning, landscaping, pools, and other amenities, the costs associated with a larger home can really add up. Too much is not always good. While you may be thinking that you'd love a fabulous mansion with all the bells and whistles, that kind of home can be extremely pricy. And it will cost even more to maintain it. Anderson suggests that you carefully consider what you truly need in your dream home, not just what you want. Think about the how much space you need to live in, he says, Are you planning on having any kids? If so, how many? Do you really need a home that is 3,500 square feet? 4. The hope that your dream home will look just like houses on Instagram After watching renovation shows on TV and following designers social media accounts, you may have high expectations for how your home should look. In the world of reality TV and social media, it seems like everyone has the most amazing designer home with all of the bells and whistles, says "Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles" real estate agent James Harris. Expectations can become skewed for buyers. So don't expect a home to look Insta-worthy the instant you walk through the door. It's likely to take time and your personal touch to bring it up to snuff. 5. The hope that your dream house wont need repairs Many home buyers assume that as long as they conduct a home inspection on a house and it comes out OK, they won't have to do any major repairs for many years to come. That's just not true. Home inspections really only point out the glaringly obvious problems that need to be fixed, and maybe not ones a few years down the road, says Tyler Drew, a California real estate developer. This can include siding and fascia degradation, trees growing through the main sewer or septic lines, or appliances, cabinetry, or windows nearing the end of their functional lives. It can be difficult to step into the role of homeowner. As Drew says, This is especially hard on long-time renters used to having landlords fix issues. 6. The hope that remodeling your home will be easy (and cheap) Want to make over the home so that it's exactly to your liking? That's fine, just keep in mind that even small upgrades can add up. This is especially true if you hire a professional to get it done right. Thinking you'll dabble in a little DIY? That's fine, but Harris warns that you shouldn't get too excited. It is important to set realistic goals for the entire process that are within your reach, he says. In other words, go ahead and make your own cosmetic changes, but before you start knocking down walls or swapping out electrical components, do your research and make sure it's within your skill set, and safe. For guidance, here are six home improvement projects never to try yourself. The post 6 'Dream Home' Hopes That Are Completely Delusional appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 17:35 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2069ad74e 1 National Karen-Agustiawan,pertamina,graft,Supreme-Court,corruption,appeal,corruption-case,Attorney-General Free The Supreme Court has acquitted Karen Galaila Agustiawan, former president director of state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina, of all graft charges, overturning an eight-year prison sentence imposed by the Jakarta Corruption Court last year. Supreme Court spokesperson Andi Samsan Nganro said that the ruling was announced on Monday. The justices that presided over the case were chief justice Suhadi and justices Krisna Harahap, Abdul Latif, Mohammad Askin and Sofyan Sitompul. The justices said that Karen's actions were part of a business judgement and not a crime. According to the justices, a directors decision regarding a company activity is inviolable, even if the decision ends up costing the company. It is part of the risk of doing business, Andi said. Karen was sentenced to eight years imprisonment by the Jakarta Corruption Court on June 10, 2019, after being convicted in a case involving Pertaminas investment in the Basker Manta Gummy (BMG) Block, Australia, in 2009. The case began in 2009 when Pertamina acquired a 10 percent stake of Roc Oil to work on the BMG Block through its subsidiary, PT Pertamina Hulu Energi (PHE). Through the acquisition, Pertamina planned for the BMG Block to produce up to 812 barrels of oil per day (bpd). However, the block could only produce an average of 252 bpd, resulting in state financial losses of Rp 568 billion (US$39.7 million). The judges said that Karen had violated investment procedures, leading to the losses. Read also: Former Pertamina boss Karen Agustiawan sentenced to 8 years The panel of judges said in its verdict that she had colluded with Pertamina's former financial director Ferederick ST Siahaan, former mergers and acquisitions manager Bayu Kristanto and legal and compliance counsel Genades Panjaitan in her acts of corruption. Karen immediately filed an appeal after her verdict was announced. Previously, the Supreme Court also acquitted ST Siahaan in the case. Karen was the first woman to lead Pertamina, challenging long-held norms in a male-dominated industry. One of the few women to have succeeded in breaking the glass ceiling looming over the oil and gas industry, Karen has more than 30 years of experience working in the field. When appointed president director of Pertamina in 2009, she had been working in the industry for 25 years. (gis) HOUSTON A suburban Houston woman has tested positive for the new coronavirus after flying home from Italy, prompting health officials on Tuesday to tell everyone who shared the business/first class sections on the two flights with her to self-isolate and call their doctors. The woman, who is in her 20s, had been living temporarily in Italy, now one of the hottest COVID-19 infection zones, and flew back in business/first class on March 3 to consult her own doctor. County officials are appealing to everyone who sat in that section on Lufthansa Flight 309 from Florence, Italy, to Frankfurt, Germany, and on United Flight 47 from Frankfurt to Houston on March 3 to self-isolate and call their doctors. The woman is the latest positive test to be announced in Texas. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as a fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause severe complications, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered. The wife and 3-year-old child of a North Texas man found to have the new coronavirus following a trip to California have also tested positive, health officials said Tuesday. Texas has now more than two dozen confirmed cases of COVID-19. That does not include cases brought in from Wuhan, China, and two cruise ships for quarantine at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in San Antonio. About 380 passengers from the Grand Princess began arriving Tuesday night in San Antonio. The family lives in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, and all were in stable condition and under self-quarantine at their home, Collin County Health Care Services said in a statement. Another child in the family was also being re-tested. The father is believed to be the first person in Texas to contract the virus within the U.S. Dr. John Hellerstadt, commissioner of the Texas Department of Health and Human Services, said Tuesday that he could not provide lawmakers with the number of people tested for the virus in the state. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has also asked health insurers to waive costs related to diagnosing the virus for families who are on state-regulated insurance plans. A dozen cases around Houston have all been related to travelers on an Egyptian cruise. In Montgomery County, located just north of Houston, health officials said Tuesday that a man in his 40s who was being treated at a local hospital tested positive. Officials said hes a Montgomery County resident and that they are gathering details on his travel history. Tarrant County also reported its first case Tuesday, described as a person who had recently traveled to a conference in Kentucky. The county provided no other information. Also Tuesday, Dallas County reported its first positive case, a 77-year-old from out of state. The person, who has an extensive travel history, is being treated at a Dallas-area hospital. Later, county officials reported that a person close to the 77-year-old, this one aged in the 50s, also had tested positive. The Northeast Texas Public Health District on Tuesday reported a case in Gregg County. That patient, who traveled within the U.S., was isolated at home. Collin County officials said the father was in his 30s and is believed to have been exposed to the virus during a trip to Silicon Valley in February. The county said the familys children had no symptoms and were not contagious while attending school. In Austin, the MotoGP racing series on Tuesday postponed the annual Grand Prix of the Americas that was scheduled for April until Nov. 15. Local organizers said MotoGPs decision was based on global travel considerations and noted that many of the race teams are based in Italy. The risk of shipping everything here, having fans coming here, and then not having an event, that was too big a risk to take, said Bobby Epstein, chairman of the Circuit of the Americas race track where the grand prix is held. Meanwhile, the first planeload of passengers arrived at Kelly Field in San Antonio shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday. The masked passengers deplaned to vehicles that whisked them to the adjoining Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. It was the first of two planeloads of ship passengers to make the deliveries Tuesday night. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 380 Grand Princess passengers are expected to be quarantined at the base. The 380 either live in Texas or surrounding states, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg has said. More than 230 people, caught by the quarantine in Wuhan, China, or stranded by a quarantine aboard the cruise ship Diamond Princess in Japan, were repatriated to Lackland earlier this month. Eleven were isolated after they were diagnosed with the virus, the others have been released. ___ The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) Purdue is joining a growing list of universities across the country canceling in-person classes due to coronavirus concerns. As of now, there are no confirmed cases throughout Purdue's three campuses. A letter sent out by Purdue President Mitch Daniels said all courses should be moved online or alternative delivery before March 23. No timeline was given, but Daniels said it could "potentially go through the end of the semester." Spring break is next week. In addition, all university-sponsored events involving external visitors are canceled from March 16 through May 2. Daniels said all gatherings of 50 or more attendees should be postponed or canceled. Purdue commencement is May 15-17. Research activities and all other normal campus operations will continue. The university is also strongly discouraging personal international travel. You can view the entire letter from Purdue President Mitch Daniels below: Dear members of the Purdue University community, The global outbreak of COVID-19 continues to warrant the attention of each and every one of us as we work together to keep our students, staff, and faculty safe and healthy. While we have no cases of COVID-19 on our campus, there are confirmed cases in Indiana. We continue to make decisions in our precaution-containment-continuity framework, with our overarching focus on health and safety especially for those in high risk categories. Ensuring health and safety now means taking actions that aim to limit exposure of Purdue community members to the virus, imposing social distancing where appropriate, and generally elevating preventive hygiene practices across the campus. To that end, and following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH), and our own public health safety experts, we are implementing a number of actions intended to slow the spread of the virus and protect the health of our Purdue community. We recognize that these actions will be disruptive and create challenges for many of you, as well as have financial implications for the University, but the health and safety of our community is our focus at this extraordinary time. IMMEDIATE ACTIONS: We ask every faculty and staff member teaching this semester to accommodate students who are not feeling well by being flexible with attendance policies. Likewise, we have guidance on the COVID-19 website for faculty and staff who have students displaying flu-like symptoms in class to assist those students in seeking medical attention. FUTURE CLASSES AND INSTRUCTION: All faculty and staff should move their courses to online or alternative delivery before March 23 and should be prepared to continue as long as in-person instruction seems inadvisable (potentially through the end of the semester). To be clear, the campus will remain open after spring break. However, starting March 23, students must take their courses online. (Students in clinical programs, such as the DVM, will be contacted directly by their department.) Students in areas with limited Internet access should contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 765-494-1747 or odos@purdue.edu. STUDENTS WHO LIVE IN RESIDENCE HALLS: Students in the residence halls have the option of choosing whether to return to campus or not after spring break. Again, we will work to ensure that all students can complete their program of study online or have other accommodations. PREPARING FOR ONLINE INSTRUCTION: Our Innovative Learning group has prepared a set of resources to assist faculty and staff in delivering their courses online, including finding alternative means of instruction for laboratory and clinical courses if required. Faculty and staff involved with teaching will receive a separate message from Dr. Frank Dooley, senior vice provost for teaching and learning, with additional details. The web link to the online teaching resource page can be found here: https://www.purdue.edu/innovativelearning/teaching-remotely/ TRAVEL: We are suspending all university-sponsored domestic and international air travel effective March 16 through May 2. A faculty or staff member who believes that they have an essential business reason to travel by air can request a waiver through their unit leader (dean, vice provost, vice president, etc.), but the expectation is such waivers will be rare. Nonessential travel by other means (bus, van, car) is strongly discouraged. EVENTS: We are suspending all university-sponsored events (including those hosted by registered student organizations) involving external visitors effective March 16 through May 2. For purposes of this suspension, gatherings of 50 or more attendees should be postponed or canceled. Where possible, organizers can explore ways of conducting the event through livestreaming or other technologies. A faculty or staff member who believes that they have an essential business reason to hold an event can request a waiver through their unit leader (dean, vice provost, vice president, etc.), but again, the expectation is such waivers will be rare. At this point, we hope to be able to host Commencement exercises, but a final decision will be made at a later date. SUMMER STUDY ABROAD: To provide students with maximum opportunity to secure alternative academic arrangements, all summer study abroad will be cancelled. Students will be reimbursed by the University for any expenses that are not reimbursable from other sources. Students should check with their academic advisor about alternative coursework for the summer. RESEARCH AND GRADUATE STAFF: Research activities will continue at this time. Those who are involved in these activities should expect a separate communication from EVPRP Theresa Mayer and Dean of the Graduate School Linda Mason with specific guidance in this important area. STAFF: All other normal campus operations will continue at this time and campus will remain open. Supervisors should be making plans around essential personnel and telework in case we need to take more aggressive actions. PERSONAL TRAVEL: We urge all travelers to carefully consider their intended destinations for personal trips and check on restrictions or quarantine measures that may be recommended or required by the CDC upon arrival or return. Personal international travel is strongly discouraged. BEST PRACTICES: We continue to ask everyone in our community to follow the CDC recommendations for preventive actions: Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Stay home when you are sick. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe. You can find the most recent information and guidance for the campus on this website: https://Purdue.university/covid-19 We recognize that these actions will raise many questions about specific situations. We have tried to anticipate many of your questions and have posted more information here. Please do keep us informed of your questions and concerns at ehps@purdue.edu and do check the COVID-19 website regularly for updates. We will continue to provide updates via email as the situation changes and as new decisions are made. Again, we know this is an exceptionally challenging time for our campus, and it will take all of us working together to navigate this most difficult situation and protect the health and well-being of our Purdue community. Our deepest thanks in advance for coming together as Boilermakers to make extraordinary things happen at this extraordinary time. The committee for Worcesters County St. Patricks Parade will meet with the city today at 3:30 p.m. to discuss the status for the event planned for Sunday amid concerns of the coronavirus. Mary Ellen Murphy, the chairperson for the parade, said she has had no idea how the meeting would end following Boston canceling its St. Patricks Day Parade. I know they canceled Boston, Murphy said. I know Holyoke didnt cancel theirs. Were going to keep our fingers crossed. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced Monday the citys parade would be canceled due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. As of Monday afternoon, the Department of Public Health that there are 41 presumptive positive cases across Massachusetts and one confirmed case. A spokesperson for the city of Worcester said the city is monitoring the situation. Normally, the committee plans the citys St. Patricks Day Parade, but the city and the committee will meet to discuss the event. Murphy said planning of the event began a day after last years parade, which was postponed because of weather. Murphy said the parade is meant to honor veterans, this years Grand Marshal Rep. Harold Naughton Jr. and the children who spent months making floats. Its a lot of work, Murphy said. A final decision is expected this afternoon following the meeting. Related Content: 10.03.2020 LISTEN In the first week of March, representatives of President Trumps administration presented conflicting responses on Ethiopias right to operate the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD) for the production of electrical power for the nations of East Africa. The construction of the GERD is over 70% complete and is expected to commence operation in 2021, with a capacity to generate 6,200 megawatts of electricity. The GERD built near the border of Sudan, will be filled by water from the Blue Nile, that flows from Lake Tana, located in the mountainous region of Ethiopia. Ethiopia cannot be deprecated for exercising its sovereign right to exploit its most important resource, water, for the benefit of its people, and neighboring African nations. Ethiopia and the two downstream nations, Sudan and Egypt, have been involved in discussions that now primarily focus on the fill rate-how much water is withdrawn each year from the Blue Nile to fill the GERDs 79 billion cubic meter reservoir. Egypt is justifiably concerned about how the reduced flow of the Blue Nile resulting from filling the reservoir will affect the level of water reaching Egypts High Aswan Dam. The Blue Nile contributes 85% of the Niles volume of water when it joins the White Nile just north of Khartoum. Without harming downstream nations, the GERD requires a minimal fill rate to permit the generation of electricity. Egypt, claiming that filling the GERD reservoir with water from the Blue Nile will cause hardship for its people, has made excessive demands on Ethiopia to guarantee an unreasonable allocation of the Niles water. This is principally an issue to be resolved by the engineers in the technical committees of the three nations. Since December, the Trump administration has hosted, several meetings of the three nations in Washington, under the auspices of the US Treasury Secretary, Steve Mnuchin. Secretary Mnuchins involvement was to be as a neutral observer, not a mediator. However, recent written and oral statements from Mnuchin, and the Treasury Department, has called into question the impartiality of the US. Retired Ambassador David Shinns blog of February 29, he questioned whether, the United States seems to be putting its thumb on the scale in favor of Egypt. Mnuchin Not Impartial Following the decision by the Ethiopian delegation not to participate in the February 27-28 meeting with Sudan and Egypt, Mnuchin publicly tipped his hand in favor of Egypt. In a February 28th letter, the U.S. Department of the Treasury wrote that Egypt initialed an agreement on the GERD, and instructed Ethiopia that final testing and filling should not take place without any agreement. Feb 28 letter by Secretary of the Treasury on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam . The truth is, there is no existing document to be initialed or signed, because such an agreement can only come about as the fruitful result of the participation by the representatives of all three nations. Mnuchin, has no legal or political authority to instruct Ethiopia about the functioning of the GERD. The next day, on February 29, Ethiopias Ministry of Foreign Affairs rebuffed Mnuchins letter: 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. The Foreign Ministry wrote: 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). Statement Feb 29 by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia on GERD On March 3, testifying before the House Ways and Means committee, Mnuchin was even more blatant in his disregard for Ethiopias sovereignty over the GERD. Congressman Steven Horsford (D-Nev) asked Mnuchin to correct the narrative that the US is not trying to impose its will on Ethiopia and requested a balanced approach towards all the core nations involved. Mnuchin brazenly responded, Ethiopia should not fill the dam until there is an agreement signed. Presently, Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia have not formulated any agreement to be signed. Clearly, Mnuchin has without any mandate, expanded his role as a neutral moderator to an advocate for Egypts position. (Courtesy of Yale Environment 360) State Department Doesnt Agree On the very same day that Mnuchin was infringing on Ethiopias sovereignty, another branch of the Trump administration, the U.S. State Department, had a different response to the GERD negotiations. On March 3, the Woodrow Wilson Africa Program sponsored a forum, The Trump Administration and U.S. Africa Policy: What has been accomplished and what lies ahead? The speaker was Tibor P. Nagy, Jr., Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African affairs, an experienced ambassador to Africa. I was able to question him about the US position towards Ethiopia. Specifically, I asked, since President extols national sovereignty for the U.S. and repeatedly exalts America First, wasnt it a double standard to deny Ethiopia the same sovereign rights regarding the GERD? Nagy then flatly contradicted Mnuchin, when he answered, What I can say is that the U.S. has consistently said we are neutral in that whole business. Nagys boss, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in Addis Ababa on February 18, said A great deal of work remains, but Im optimistic that over the coming months we can resolve this. Clearly Nagy and Pompeo are not operating on the timetable of President Trump and Mnuchin who wanted the deal resolved by the end of February. Sudan Differs With Egypt and Arab League Mnuchins letter of February 28, implies that Sudan supported the so called agreement written without Ethiopias participation. Sudan in fact refused to add its initials to those of Egypt on the agreement. This indicates that it was only Egypt, just one of the three nations involved, who with Mnuchin, took this stance. According to an article from Middle East News Agency (MENA), Sudan rejected a resolution from the Arab League supporting Egypts position regarding the GERD on March 5. MENA reports that Sudan, asked not to include their name in the decision [resolution], and added that decision is not in Sudans interest (emphasis added.) At the Arab League Summit, Sudan formally withdrew its name from the resolution criticizing Ethiopia. Ethiopias Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the Arab League resolution in a strongly worded statement on March 6. They wrote, Ethiopia expresses its profound appreciation to Sudans principled position that helps advance win-win solutions for all parties involved through a commitment to open dialogue. Ethiopia reiterated that it has the right to use its Nile water resource to meet the needs of the present and future generations. March 6 Statement on Arab League Africa Needs Energy Once the GERD is completed, it will have the capacity to produce 6,200 megawatts of electrical power. This will benefit not only the people of Ethiopia, but also those nations of the Horn of Africa and beyond. Sub-Saharan Africa needs energy, and lots of it-minimally 1 million additional megawatts. It is a matter of survival. Without abundant and accessible electricity, African nations will not develop, and thus be subjected to various forms of destabilization due to rising unemployment of its youth and persisting poverty. Ethiopia has taken a bold step in constructing the largest hydro-electric dam in Africa intended to develop the Nile River Basin. All existing difficulties can and must be resolved in a dialogue among the three principal nations, who share this majestic historic waterway, the birthplace of ancient civilizations. There is no intrinsic conflict between Ethiopia and the down stream nations of Egypt and Sudan, as Sudan has already implicitly recognized. It is appropriate here to repeat what I wrote last October: How many years will it take to fill the GERDs reservoir, and what will be the flow rate of the Nile at the Aswan Dam, are yet to be resolved. These are technical matters that scientists and engineers must continue to examine in an atmosphere of good will and good faith. Such cooperation is essential to promote the common interests of all nations for a prosperous Nile Basin. Grand Renaissance Dam Essential for Africas Economic Growth Lawrence Freeman is a Political-Economic Analyst for Africa, who has been involved in the economic development policy of Africa for 30 years. He is the creator of the blog: lawrencefreemanafricaandtheworld.com ABC Radio Melbourne's new breakfast host Sammy J has recorded a bump in audience share. The breakfast show is up 0.5 percentage points for the first radio survey of 2020, according to research company GfK. The result comes after ABC bosses axed Sami Shah and Jacinta Parsons' breakfast show after two years and replaced them with entertainer Sammy J. Sammy J is ABC Radio Melbourne's new breakfast host. Credit:Penny Stephens The ABC's breakfast program now commands an 11.1 per cent share of Melbourne's available listeners, up from Sami and Jacinta's best-ever result of 10.6. The timeslot is also up a full point year-on-year, according to GfK's measurements. Parsons has since moved to Afternoons, with that timeslot also recording a modest jump in audience share (up 0.4 percentage points to 6.0). Shah has not been given a permanent role with the station but the ABC has said he will appear in "various roles" as the year unfolds. Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon who is currently in his hometown Lucknow, will visit MP anytime if required, said sources. Tandon is closely monitoring the current political situation in the State. He is currently in his hometown in Lucknow, on the occasion of Holi. He will be staying there till March 12, said sources. At the moment he is not having any formal talks with the media. He did not give any statement on being asked about the current political uproar in the State. He just wished "Happy Holi". According to the sources, MP Governor will not be making any remark regarding the political crisis. He kept taking updates about the activities that took place in Madhya Pradesh throughout the day and did not meet anyone. Earlier, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Gopal Bhargava and BJP leaders including Narottam Mishra reached the residence of Speaker to submit resignations of 19 Congress MLAs. Scindia, who had served the Congress for 18 years, had resigned from the party, stating that "it is time to move on." Congress leaders, including Digvijaya Singh, have accused the BJP of horse-trading and conspiring to bring down the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh. The Congress in Madhya Pradesh has been witnessing differences since it formed a government in the state in 2018 after 15 years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Commenting on the news of the mass media about personnel changes expected to be made in the government, Governor of Kotayk Province of Armenia Romanos Petrosyan told reporters that he hasnt received any offer to serve as minister. According to Petrosyan, he is performing his duties and has already refuted the information. On March 13, I will be on leave to participate in the campaign for the constitutional referendum, he added. On April 5, Armenia will hold a referendum for amendments to a particular article of the Constitution. The authorities have proposed early termination of the powers of 16 members of the Constitutional Court, including the president of the Constitutional Court, referring to them as representatives of the former regime. Besides the ruling My Step Alliance and former President Levon Ter-Petrosyans Armenian National Congress political party, all other political parties have refused to participate in the campaign and have referred to it as legally vulnerable, to say the least. The response will be considered affirmative not only in case of half of YES votes, but also not less than quarter of voters included in voters list, that is, nearly 650,000 people. Two men have been arrested for a brutal assault on journalist M Karthi who sustained serious head injuries an attack in Sivakasi on March 3. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate the Indian Journalists Union (IJU) condemn the attack and highlight the need for stronger protections for journalists in India. M Karthi, a reporter with the Tamil weekly Kumudham Reporter, lost six teeth on his upper jaw and two teeth in his lower jaw when he was allegedly set upon by two men brandishing iron rods. That day he had published the story Rajendra Balaji ai veezhthuvara Rajavaraman? (Will Rajendra Balaji be defeated by Raja Varman?).The story detailed the possible defeat in an upcoming election of Tamil Nadus minister of dairy development, KT Rajendra Bhalaji, by a rival faction.After the report, M Karthi received various harassing calls from the minister and others, he said. M Karthi told Sivakasi Town Police he was outside Bell Hotel smoking a cigarette at 8.30pm, when a man aged 50-55 years old and dressed in a white t-shirt and a lungi (sarong) hit him with an iron pipe, striking his head and my mouth. When I shouted, passers-by started to arrive and he ran away, M Karthi said in the complaint received by Sub Inspector P. Pandian. The journalist is currently undergoing treatment at the Sudha Nursing Home in Sivakasis Virudhunagar district. Two men, K Poomurugan and V Pandiarajan, were arrested on March 5 after reportedly confessing to the crime. Poomurugan has 11 pending cases against him, while Pandiarajan has seven. The Hindu reported the two accused were "pained" after reading a Kumudam Reporter story on an "intra-party feud" in the AIADMK. Pandiarajan is reported to be a "devout AIADMK functionary. The Hindu also quoted the deputy superintendent of police (Sivakasi), Prabhakaran, saying that Pandiarajan is an accused in the 2017 murder of journalist S Karthigai Selvan. The Madras Reporters Guild condemned the attack and urged the Tamil Nadu government to "ensure that journalists can function with freedom, and without fear". IJU said: The attack yet again reveals the growing intolerance by the political establishment against critical reporting. The ruling AIADMK government must caution its ministers and legislators against trying to silence the press through such cowardly actions and must commit to protecting freedom of press and right to information. IFJ said: The ruling government in Tamil Nadu must strongly condemn such brutal efforts by politicians and their cadres to silence critical media. This is clearly not an isolated case. Two local county councillors are hoping to claim seats at the upcoming Seanad elections which takes place later this month. Fine Gael have nominated Cllr Micheal Carrigy following his unsuccessful tilt at a Dail seat three weeks ago while Fianna Fails Mick Cahill is running on the Administrative Panel after receiving a nomination from the Association of Irish Local Government (AILG). Cllr Cahill said he had always harboured ambitions to seek a seat to Leinster Houses upper house. If I set my mind to something I dont half do it, said the AILG President. Theres no point in running unless you go the whole hog. The Ballymahon based councillor said it was his firm belief the body he chairs should have a senator upholding its interests at national level. There are a lot of issues around pay, conditions and back office supports, he said. As well as that, there are a lot of new councillors and independent councillors that are not in party structures and who dont have a support structure behind them. The 43 senators elected from various panels are voted for by outgoing senators, incoming TDs, city and county councillors. Athlone-based Gabrielle McFadden has also been nominated by an outside body to run while former Roscommon-Galway Fianna Fail TD Eugene Murphy is also in the hunt for a seat after securing a party nomination to run under the Agricultural Panel. Approximately 60 seats are up for grabs when voting gets underway across three different categories. Forty three of those will be elected from panels of candidates representing specified vocational interests while six will come via specified university panels. A further eleven senators will be nominated by the Taoiseach, a move which wont come to pass until a new government is formed. According to its voting rules, the Seanads six university panel candidates are elected by graduates from Trinity or NUI, representing around 160,000 people. Within the scope of the Human Rights and Women in the Armed Forces of Armenia Project being implemented by the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan, today the administrative complex of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia hosted theme-based discussions with His Honor of the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom Jeff Blackett. As reported the Ministry of Defense, the first of the theme-based discussions was organized in partnership with the Center for Human Rights and Integrity at the Ministry of Defense and was devoted to effective investigation of disciplinary violations, proportionate punishment, etc. The second discussion was devoted to the prevention of violence in the armed forces, particularly the identification of potential cases of violence against servicewomen and the introduction of effective mechanisms for response. His Honor Blackett shared Great Britains practice and the institutions and mechanisms introduced for ensuring effectiveness of the investigations of and trials over disciplinary violations and military crimes in the armed forces of the United Kingdom and the prevention of sexual assaults against women. In his essay Everybodys Protest Novel, James Baldwin lambastes Harriet Beecher Stowes one-dimensional portrayal of Uncle Tom. The protest novel, he writes, becomes something very closely resembling the zeal of those alabaster missionaries to Africa to cover the nakedness of the natives to reduce all Americans to the compulsive, bloodless dimensions of a guy named Joe. Stowes Uncle Tom, her only black man, has been robbed of his humanity and divested of his sex. Much like Uncle Tom, Xavier, the perfect biracial teenager, is presented as a nonthreatening fantasy for the books white audience. When a girl sexts Xavier, inviting him for a repeat of an encounter theyve had together, he mechanistically thinks, What straight cis male wouldnt? But Xavier wouldnt, because when it came to hookup culture, hed figured out fast he wasnt built for that. An absurd amount of real estate is given to Xaviers good grades, good work ethic, good recommendations. Before eating an apple, he shines it on his shirt. Just as Brad Whitman functions as a testimony against flamboyant spending, Xavier operates as a paragon of humility. His car? A paint-flaking Honda. His guitar? He saved up for it by working a minimum-wage job, without a lot of complaint. His matriculation at an elite private college? By means of a substantial scholarship. Xaviers bootstrapping is matched with an active rejection of surface symbols of blackness and hip-hop. I hate cornbread, he says. Out loud. To himself. The idea of wearing diamond earrings? Xavier says, As if. When things turn dire for Xavier, his respectability politics are all he has to cling to: He wasnt just some random black perp, a thug from the hood. He was half white (not that it should matter). Upon discovering the apostrophe in front of the word hood, I was overcome and placed the novel down. As far as Fowlers black characters are concerned, to quote Baldwin, We have only the authors word that they are Negro and they are, in all other respects, as white as she can make them. A Good Neighborhood is a pitch-perfect example of how literary endeavors of allyship not to be confused with indictments of systemic oppression can limit a novels understanding of human behavior. It provides the same frustration one feels at Thanksgiving, when your self-described open-minded aunt wont shut up about the beautiful gay couple she waves to at the gym. Is it possible to enjoy a work of art with bad politics? Absolutely. Ive seen Pretty Woman nine times, minimum. But when a story is presented as art and activism, it becomes the readers responsibility to take the novel at its repetitive word. Here, in this good neighborhood, it is not a tragedy that violence happens to black men, but rather, that it can happen to one of the good ones. If America is a house on fire, A Good Neighborhood is mostly concerned with exiting quietly, in a single-file line. Researchers have identified a major shift in how to treat brain injuries after rejuvenating immune cells to support the repair process. The University of Queensland study focused on the brain's learning and memory centre, the hippocampus, and its unique ability to produce new brain nerve cells during adult life, which is critical for learning. The team used animal models to investigate how the immune system interacts with brain nerve cells after injury and how this influenced the ability to learn and remember. The study was published in the journal cell. UQ School of Biomedical Sciences and Queensland Brain Institute researcher Dr Jana Vukovic said up until now, the brain's immune cells, known as microglia, were considered to drive inflammation, resulting in cognitive deficits after injury. "However, when we removed microglia from mice we were surprised that there was absolutely no change in their behaviour or ability to repair brain tissue," she said. Dr Vukovic's team then depleted microglia and allowed them to repopulate the brain, finding this profoundly increased brain repair. "The rejuvenated microglia improved the mice's learning and memory, preserved tissue loss and stimulated the birth of neurons," said Dr Vukovic. "We have shown that microglia, in part, have been misunderstood and that we need to learn more about how they support and stimulate pathways to promote repair." Brain injuries impact a person's ability to concentrate, make decisions, learn and remember, and can range from mild to severe, and be short-term or permanent. PhD candidate Emily Willis said the findings may lead to the development of therapeutics that alleviate learning and memory deficits associated with a wide range of neurological conditions, such as brain injury and dementia. "It's no longer about inhibiting microglia's pro-inflammatory elements, it's about finding a way to shift them to a state that supports brain repair," Ms Willis said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Calif. considers bill to allow low income housing on church property Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A California state senator has proposed a bill that would allow religious groups and nonprofits to build affordable housing on their properties regardless of local zoning laws. Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco announced the introduction of Senate Bill 899 last Friday, which would allow the construction of affordable housing on properties owned by churches, hospitals, nursing homes and other nonprofit organizations if all units go to lower income families. Wiener said in a statement last week that the proposed legislation was part of an effort to meet the growing need for affordable housing in the state. California desperately needs housing of all kinds, including affordable housing for our low income residents, Wiener said. Churches and other religious and charitable institutions often have land to spare, and they should be able to use that land to build affordable housing and thus further their mission. Wiener added that his bill ensures that affordable housing can be built and removes local zoning and approval obstacles in order to do so. Eddie McCoven, spokesman for the Clairemont Lutheran Church of San Diego, expressed support for the legislation in an interview with the libertarian news outlet Reason. In recent times, Clairemont Lutheran has struggled to get approval for an affordable housing project on their church property due to local zoning restrictions. If this type of legislation was already in place when we were starting this project, we would be a lot further along than we are, McCoven told Reason. Any congregation that decides this is something they want to pursue, would probably make it a whole lot easier and a much more streamlined. Across the country, efforts have been made to have developers and faith-based organizations form partnerships to provide affordable housing for low income households. In New York City, for example, the group East Brooklyn Congregations has been able to provide 6,000 affordable housing units through its real estate arm, The Nehemiah Housing Development Fund Company. The Rev. David Bowers of Enterprise Community Partners told The Christian Post in an earlier interview that such partnerships can greatly aid the development of affordable housing. Theres so much land owned by houses of worship across the country in communities of all sorts. Its one of those universal things in America. And so theres tremendous potential with that land, Bowers said. Parents push back against Wash. state sex ed bill; gov. expected to sign Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Despite considerable public pushback, Washington state lawmakers have approved a comprehensive sex education curriculum in legislation for public school students some parents say is tantamount to grooming. According to MyNorthwest, Republicans in the Evergreen state strongly resisted the measure, at one point even attempting to add more than 200 amendments to impede the bill from advancing. Conservative legislators contended that the material was not age-appropriate and that it usurps the parent-child relationship. "I'm not sure why we're rushing to remove the innocence of our youth," Rep. Mike Steele, R-Clehan, said in a house floor speech last week. "We put so much on them. I don't know why we think it's appropriate to put more, to put such weight upon their backs at such young ages. This is heavy, heavy material." Democratic defenders of the legislation maintained that the bill is vital for children. The hard work that we put into this bill in both the House and Senate is well worth it because it will improve safety for children statewide, said the bills sponsor, Democratic Sen. Claire Wilson. We must ensure that our kids have the tools and knowledge they need to recognize and resist inappropriate behavior." Around the country, particularly in politically liberal states, sex-ed curriculum and recommended resources that feature explicit descriptions of various sexual acts and cartoon images that appear pornographic have been contested by parents who do not want their children exposed to it, prompting activism, including sit-outs where children are withdrawn from school in protest of graphic sex ed. Also included in the controversial lessons is the promotion of the idea that some people might be born in the wrong body and that biological sex exists on a spectrum. Beth Daranciang, a Seattle resident who was a Republican candidate for state senator and an activist for the protection of children and women, commented in an email to The Christian Post Monday that influential interest groups appear to be calling the shots. "The Democrats in Washington are heavily funded by Planned Parenthood and their allies. Planned Parenthood helped develop the curriculum and is frequently mentioned in the curriculum as a resource," Daranciang said. "Planned Parenthood benefits when teens and young adults get contraceptives, STI testing and abortions from them. A new program of PP provides hormone therapy for transgender patients. Those hormones are expensive and life-long, which is a huge benefit to Planned Parenthood's business model," she added. Kim Wendt, a Tacoma-area mom and co-founder of Informed Parents of Washington, told The Christian Post in a phone interview Monday that the curriculum is being presented as necessary and full of vital tools for children. Her parent group believes, however, that this is all part a larger more nefarious agenda to sexualize children. "Backed by Planned Parenthood and my guess would be the porn industry," she mused, noting that this is a worldwide movement being fought at the smallest, most rural school districts in the United States all the way to the United Nations. "It's well-funded and it's meant to sexualize our children all the way down to kindergarten." Wendt recounted that Seattle-area police officers have gone on local radio stations and, having viewed some of the content in the CSE lessons, said that with their work in the human trafficking division, the material mirrors how traffickers groom their child victims to enter the sex trade. Wendt and Daranciang were both present in the room until approximately 2 a.m. early Thursday morning when the bill was finally voted on. "To me, it was just obvious that it was an agenda. There were very reasonable amendments put forth and every one of them was shot down and it was on party-line and there was no negotiation." "So it was obvious that there was something pushing the Democrats to push this through," she reiterated. "So there's a lot of power behind it and money. They didn't get it through last year, they took a lot of flack so they made sure it went through this year." She urged parents to get involved at the school board level. While a provision exists that teachers do not have to teach every lesson specifically set forth in the curricula, parents need to be engaged locally because truth and transparency coming from the state as to what is being taught is scarce, particularly given how sex ed lessons are being integrated with other subjects where students cannot opt out, she noted. "Parents really need to wake up and pay attention to what is being put in their schools," she stressed. "They need to engage at the school board level to make sure they know fully what is being taught." When the bill was being considered, members of the local Satanic Temple, dressed in head-to-toe black, rallied at the state capitol to support the bill. Gov. Jay Inslee, a liberal Democrat, is expected to sign the legislation. Washington House Republican leader J.T. Wilcox and Senate Republican leader Mark Schoesler announced in a Sunday joint press release obtained by CP that they were forming a committee called Parents for Safe Schools, which is committed to having the governor veto the bill and should he refuse, rally Washington parents to overturn it through a referendum at the ballot box. Rep. Wilcox said: I am a father and a grandfather. These are young children. The youngest are still learning to tie their shoes. The state is going to take away parental rights and force a curriculum that is not age appropriate. That is outrageous. Nothing we do in Olympia is more important than protecting our kids. We will fight this with every tool at our disposal. For a referendum to appear on the November ballot, 129,811 signatures will have be to gathered by June 10. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga has resumed work after a 14-day quarantine was lifted by the State Emergency Commission on Tuesday, the presidential press office said ULAN BATOR , (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th Mar, 2020 ) :Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga has resumed work after a 14-day quarantine was lifted by the State Emergency Commission on Tuesday, the presidential press office said. "President Battulga returned to his work because the National Security Council will hold an emergency meeting as the country registered on Tuesday the first novel coronavirus case," the press office said in a statement. Battulga was placed under a 14-day quarantine after a one-day visit to China on Feb. 27. He has not shown any symptoms related to the COVID-19. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marchio Irfan Gorbiano and Dyaning Pangestika (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 21:31 671 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2069ba01f 1 World dutch-royal-indonesia,dutch-royal-tour,King-Willem-Alexander,Central-Kalimantan,speedboat,accident Free Dutch King Willem-Alexander offered his condolences regarding a speedboat collision on the Sebangau River in Central Kalimantan involving members of an advance team preparing for the Dutch royal visit that resulted in seven deaths. "We're deeply saddened by the tragic boat accident yesterday on the Sebangau river. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims and with the injured," King Willem said at the Bogor Presidential Palace on Tuesday. The incident occurred on Monday when a speedboat owned by the areas military command hit a boat owned by the Sebangau National Park. Both boats were carrying passengers who were involved in the preparation for a visit by King Willem-Alexander and his delegation to the Sebangau National Park near Palangkaraya. The fatalities include Kuala Kapuas commander Lt. Col. Bambang Kristianto Bawono and workers from the national park. The king and the delegations are scheduled to visit the area on Thursday, in which the national park is among other places the Dutch king plans to visit during his four-day stay in Indonesia. (dpk) TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar still intends to travel to Washington DC on Wednesday to take part in several St Patricks Day events, despite the coronavirus already disrupting elements of his US trip. Mr Varadkar was due in New York on Tuesday to hold a series of meetings related to Irelands bid for a place on the UN Security Council, but his plans were cancelled to allow him to deal with the coronavirus outbreak in Ireland. New York is one of the worst-affected states in the US with the number of people infected with the coronavirus going up by around 25, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday - a day after the total stood at 142. Officials were still determining the exact number of new cases. The UN is closing its headquarters to the general public, suspending tours and limiting the number of staff there. As it stands, Mr Varadkar is now due to fly into Washington DC on Wednesday and take part in the annual Ireland Funds dinner that evening. He looks forward to attending a series of engagements in Washington on Wednesday evening and Thursday, including meeting with President Trump, a spokeswoman said. On Thursday Mr Varadkar is due to meet President Donald Trump at the White House after a breakfast meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence. Mr Varadkar and the Irish delegations will then attend a lunch hosted by the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Capitol Hill. While American media has reported that Mr Trumps administration is considering asking foreign dignitaries not to attend the White House, officials there briefed on Tuesday that the annual St Patrick Days events are still due to go ahead as things stand. Northern Irelands First and Deputy First Ministers Arlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill have cancelled their planned trips to the United States due to the coronavirus. A number of DUP and Sinn Fein figures had already travelled to the US prior to the cancellation with MP Ian Paisley Jr and Northern Irelands Economy Minister Diane Dodds among those arriving in New York on Monday. Meanwhile, The Irish Embassy has told people due to attend a St Patricks Day event on Thursday that it has asked the venue to take additional precautions. Hand sanitisers will be available for attendees and surfaces such as door handles sprayed regularly, an email stated. It has also advised anyone who has recently travelled to or shares a home with someone who has travelled to China, Hong Kong, Macau, Iran, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Italy, or any other severely affected area not to attend the event. Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden arent heeding calls to cancel rallies and other large events because of coronavirus fears, even when the request comes from a Democrat Rep. Jackie Speier, who urged them to lead by example! to try to limit the virus spread. President Trump isnt slowing his pace, either, even though he like Sanders and Biden is in his 70s, a high-risk group for getting very sick from this illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are 605 confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. and 22 deaths, with many of the dead in the same age range as the three finalists in the presidential campaign. Speier tweeted Monday, Until we know the extent of the community spread of the coronavirus, I call on ALL candidates for President to stop holding public rallies & large scale events. The CDC has been absolutely clear, people should not congregate in large groups, tweeted the San Mateo Democrat, who has not endorsed in the race. The candidates must lead by example! The candidates campaigns would look radically different if they followed the CDCs advice, because their daily routine is filled with activities people should avoid in order to limit coronavirus spread. According to the health agency, your risk of exposure to respiratory viruses like COVID-19 may increase in crowded, closed-in settings with little air circulation if there are people in the crowd who are sick which describes the setting of many political rallies. The CDC guidelines also suggest that seniors and those with underlying health conditions avoid nonessential travel such as long plane trips. Those trips are essential to a presidential hopeful. Biden, 77, held a rally Monday at a Detroit high school with former rivals and new endorsers Sens. Kamala Harris and Cory Booker. On Tuesday, he is scheduled to make Ohio campaign stops in Cleveland and Columbus, in advance of that states March 17 primary. The campaign has made one concession to coronavirus: People entering Bidens Detroit event were given a squirt of hand sanitizer. Sanders, 78, headlined a rally Monday in front of nearly 3,000 people at a St. Louis theater. We are continuing to consult with state health agencies before every rally, campaign spokeswoman Anna Bahr told The Chronicle by email Monday night. Trump, 73, does not have any rallies scheduled, but he shook hands and mingled with donors at two fundraisers last weekend in Florida. He also held a rally in North Carolina on Feb. 28, two days after confirmation of the first coronavirus case in the U.S. contracted by community exposure. Trumps campaign communications director, Tim Murtaugh, said Sunday, What were doing at the campaign is proceeding as normal. Bidens campaign declined to comment on Speiers request to stop holding rallies. But one top medical professional thinks he and the other candidates would show leadership by changing their plans. Yes, its prime rally season, but if you want to show you can be a good leader, you should be concerned about the well-being of the citizenry, said Louise Aronson, a UCSF professor of medicine and author of Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life. If you want to show us that you are a responsible leader and not engage in dangerous behaviors, cancel your rallies, Aronson said. Each of the three candidates is at higher risk of becoming seriously ill because of their age, said Aronson, who is a geriatrician. Nearly 15% of the people over 80 who contracted the virus in China have died, compared with 1% of those between ages 50 and 59, according to Chinese health officials. The immune system, like other parts of our body, works less well when we get older, Aronson said. However, she said, Biden, Sanders and Trump appear to be exceptional for their age, given the hectic schedules they maintain and the demands placed on them. Sanders, however, carries extra risk because he suffered a heart attack in October, Aronson said. He had stents inserted following a partial artery blockage. Coronavirus is affecting other politicians who arent holding mass rallies. Six members of Congress have self-quarantined after learning they came into contact with people who had the virus. Democratic Rep. Julia Brownley of Westlake Village (Los Angeles County) said she met last week with someone in Washington who later tested positive. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Doug Collins of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona said they were exposed to a person at last months Conservative Political Action Conference who later tested positive. So did Trumps incoming chief of staff, North Carolina GOP Rep. Mark Meadows. Collins accompanied Trump on a visit to the CDC in Georgia last week, and Gaetz flew on Air Force One with the president on Monday. Trump said Tuesday he had not been tested for the virus. I dont think it a big deal. I would do it, Trump told reporters after meeting with Republicans on Capitol Hill. I dont feel any reason. I feel extremely good. I spoke to the White House doctor. Terrific guy, talented guy. He said he sees no reason to do it. No symptoms, no anything. Gaetz made light of coronavirus last week, wearing a large gas mask on the House floor during a vote on an emergency federal funding package to respond to the virus. Now he is self-quarantining for 14 days and has closed his congressional office, and one of his constituents has died of the disease. This story has been updated with President Trumps comments Tuesday on not having been tested for coronavirus. An earlier version of this story misidentified Tim Murtaugh. He is President Trumps campaign communications director. Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli 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. CHICO, Calif. It is the night many high school students wait all year for: PROM! And for many, the choice of attire is perhaps more important than the event itself, especially the all-important prom dress. This year, the Student California Teachers Association Chico Chapter, is working to help local students look their best for the big night, with the 16th Annual Cinderellas Closet. The prom dress giveaway for local high school students is Sunday, April 5, 2020, at the Chico Mall from 11AM until 6PM. Jamie Gunderson with SCTA tells Action News Now Cinderellas Closet is designed to offer students dresses, shoes and accessories, all of which are donated from members of the community. Donations can be dropped off Monday through Friday, from 9AM until 4PM, at several locations in the area, including: The Chico Mall Management Office Chico State BMU room 220 The CTA office at 1430 East Avenue, from 3PM 5PM The Liberal Studies office at Chico State, Tehama 211. For more information - call 530.343.0706. It was the only time that I wished Id had a mask, he said. So do masks really work? The answer is yes and no. Dr. Tierno said he had seen people wearing surgical masks on the subway and it was like having no mask at all. Air can seep in through the gaps. A cloth mask, too, provides little protection. Sometimes mask wearers cover only their mouths, leaving noses exposed. For most people, a mask is not necessary, he said. In February, the surgeon general urged the public to stop buying masks, warning that it wont help against the spread of the coronavirus but will take away important resources from health care professionals. Seriously people STOP BUYING MASKS! the surgeon general, Jerome M. Adams, said on Twitter. When one is needed mostly in a place where a lot of illnesses have been reported people should wear an N95 respirator, a heavy-duty mask fitted to the face that filters out 95 percent of smaller air particles. But, Dr. Tierno warned, it is a very tough mask to breathe through. Please! Wash your hands. This seems so simple that Trevor Noah recently made a joke about it on The Daily Show. Health professionals say washing hands with soap and water is the most effective line of defense against colds, flu and other illnesses. Just think about where your hands have been in the past 24 hours. Now, think about all the hands that have touched airplane tray tables and seatbelt buckles. If that doesnt give you pause, consider whether you bite your nails, touch your face or rub your eyes. The 10 dirtiest things are your fingers, Dr. Tierno said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Seoul, South Korea Tue, March 10, 2020 07:01 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20696c95d 2 World North-Korea,weapon,rocket,Pyongyang,drill,military Free North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen another "long-range artillery" drill, state media reported on Tuesday, a day after Japan said the nuclear-armed country had fired what appeared to be ballistic missiles. It was the second-such "drill" in a week and comes as a prolonged hiatus in disarmament talks with the United States drags on. Kim "guided another firepower strike drill of long-range artillery" and "highly appreciated the perfect combat readiness" of the forces, KCNA said. The North has been continuing to refine its weapons capabilities, analysts say, more than a year after a summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump broke down in Hanoi. Pyongyang is under multiple sets of United Nations, US and other sanctions over its weapons programs. The North "appeared to have carried out joint firing drills involving various types of multiple rocket launchers", South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Monday, expressing "strong regret" over Pyongyang's actions. The military leadership in Seoul initially said three projectiles were involved, before changing the description to "multiple". The devices were fired northeast into the sea from South Hamgyong province and flew 200 kilometers at a maximum altitude of 50 km, the Joint Chiefs said. That was slightly shorter but also slightly higher than last Monday's firing of what the South's military described as two short-range ballistic missiles. A US State Department spokesperson called on North Korea to "avoid provocations" and abide by UN Security Council resolutions. Pyongyang should "return to sustained and substantive negotiations to do its part to achieve complete denuclearization," the spokesperson said. The State Department did not offer details on the latest launches but a Japanese defense ministry spokesman said North Korea had appeared to fire "ballistic missile[s]" -- which it is banned from doing under Security Council resolutions. 'Serious issue' Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told parliament: "Repeated launches of items such as ballistic missiles have been a serious issue for the international community, including our country." In an emergency meeting, South Korea's security ministers said the North's continued firing drills were "not helpful" to efforts for lasting peace on the Korean peninsula. After last week's launch, KCNA also said Kim had overseen a "long-range artillery" drill. It carried images of multiple launch rocket systems and several of a larger caliber rocket being fired in a forest. Monday's firing came days after Kim sent a personal letter to the South's President Moon Jae-in, offering "comfort" for the rapid outbreak of new coronavirus in the country. South Korea has one of the world's largest infection totals outside China with more than 7,400 cases, while Pyongyang insists it has not had a single one. That message had followed an unprecedented statement by Kim's younger sister Yo Jong, berating Seoul's "truly senseless" and "perfectly foolish" condemnation of Pyongyang's weapons test last week. The North carried out a series of weapons trials late last year, the last of them in November, which it often described as multiple launch rocket systems although others called them ballistic missiles. It also conducted static engine tests, most recently in December. Pyongyang set Washington a unilateral deadline of the end of 2019 to offer fresh concessions on sanctions relief, and at a party meeting in late December Kim declared the North no longer considered itself bound by its moratoriums on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests. He also threatened a demonstration of a "new strategic weapon" soon. Heightened tensions in 2017 were followed by two years of nuclear diplomacy between Pyongyang and Washington, including three meetings between Kim and Trump, but little tangible progress was made. By IANS Director Ladj Ly's "Les Miserables" is not a contemporary, retelling of Victor Hugo's classic. In fact, it is a gritty and fiery urban thriller with a social urgency bubbling under the surface to provide added depth. Set in the low-income housing district of Montfermeil, which was also the setting for parts of Victor Hugo's novel, the film tells us of the class struggle and culture clashes between disenfranchised immigrants in Paris today. The narrative follows police officer Ruiz (Damien Bonnard) on his first day of work at his new unit in the ghettos of Paris, where he patrols along with his experienced partners, the veteran short-fused squad leader Chris (Alexis Manenti) aka "the Pink Pig" and his absolutely laidback companion Gwada (Djibril Zonga), who harass mostly the Muslim immigrants to the point of simmering community resentment. It is in this community we meet a few key players, namely a little thief Issa (Issa Perica), who steals, "Johnny" - a lion cub from the circus. This nearly starts a gang war between the gypsies, led by the combative Zorro (Raymond Lopez), and the local mafia, led by their self-pronounced leader who is addressed as, "Mayor" (Steve Tientcheu). When Zorro threatens retaliation, Ruiz gets them to agree to a deadline for the police to recover the animal. Soon, via social media, they trace the cub to Issa and when they confront him at the playground in the middle of a pitched crowd of kids, tensions escalate. An accident occurs where Issa is injured and by happenstance, the incident is recorded via a drone camera. The police team panic for if the video gets public, the resulting outrage could engulf the whole city in violence. How the trio manipulate the different factions of the community to get hold of that footage, forms the crux of the tale. This is an efficiently made thriller that confidently blends several subplots and moods to create an effective and potent drama that delivers a masterful commentary on life in this new century. There is a fair amount of compassion, humour and incidents showing how streetwise kids, hardened criminals and shady officers of the law are all trying to make ends meet in a dog-eats-dog world. While the story appears taut, there are moments that seem to be stretched for dramatic effects. As for the cast, while every actor appears natural and delivers a compelling performance, Damien Bonnard as Ruiz and Issa Perica playing the "bad boy" - Issa, shine. Designed like a cinema-verite, docu-drama with plenty of authenticity in its details of beat cops, a minority community under surveillance and mistrust, and the corrupting influence of power, the images are astutely captured by DoP Julien Poupard's cinematography. The visuals are accompanied by a stirring electro score from Pink Noise, which elevates the viewing experience by heightening the tension in key places and avoiding cliche soundtracks. In general, with respect to the downtrodden, the film clearly indicates that the situations during Victor Hugo's time and today, have not changed. Overall, while the film appears like a steaming pressure cooker, ready to shoot out scalding steam, it ends on an ambiguous note with a quote by Victor Hugo, making the film feel incomplete and generic. The appointment of the acting minister was approved at a government meeting on March 10, 2020 Yuriy Polyukhovych Open source Yuriy Polyukhovych was temporarily entrusted with the duties of the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine. The press service of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine reported this. The appointment of Yuriy Polyukhovych as the acting minister was approved at a government meeting on March 10, 2020. Yuriy Polyukhovych was born on November 1, 1980, in Kostopil, Rivne region. He received his master's degree in history in 2003 at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. He studied at the postgraduate course of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Cand. Sc. History. Author of more than 40 scientific publications. Since 2000 he has been a representative of Ukraine to the European Association of Mayanists WAYEB. In 2014-2016, he was a Research Fellow (Postdoctoral fellowship) at the University of California, Chico (USA). He also worked at the National Institute of Anthropology and History (Mexico). Polyukhovych has experience of working in private companies, in which he has been involved in innovation development. From 2014 to 2016, Polyukhovych was an adviser to the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine on a public basis. Since 2017, he heads the Ukrainian Research Foundation NGO. Yuriy Polyukhovych is fluent in English, Spanish and Classic Maya language (Mayan hieroglyphic language). Earlier, on March 4, Verkhovna Rada accepted the resignation of Oleksiy Honcharuk and his government. 353 MPs voted for the corresponding draft resolution. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated that he is not ashamed of work of the government headed by Oleksiy Honcharuk. SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Matterport , the market leader for spatial data capture, today announced the expansion of its Value-Added Resellers (VARs) Program in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Latin America (LATAM) initially in Colombia and Mexico. New VARs will be trained and certified to offer Matterport's all-in-one 3D platform to customers across various industries including photography, real estate, architecture, engineering, and construction. The Matterport all-in-one 3D data platform streamlines workflows by replacing thousands of photos with accurate and immersive 3D models or 'digital twins' of any given site. The Matterport Pro2 camera allows users to capture a digital twin of any space that is accurate within one percent. These 3D digital-twins are delivered in a navigable, photo-realistic format that uses patented computer-vision and artificial intelligence technologies. "Our reseller program offers industry experts a new opportunity to help their customers realize new operating efficiencies with the Matterport 3D data platform," said Jorge Rojas, Global Channel Manager at Matterport. "We're excited to open our VAR program to new partners who will provide in-country sales, training, and support to customers across the globe." All partners of the Matterport Reseller Program gain exclusive access to insights and tools, including the Matterport Reseller Program Portal, special rates on hardware and software-as-a-service (SaaS) plans and demo equipment. The program is designed to accelerate selected businesses through the use of 3D digital twin technology while offering rich sales, marketing and technical support for partners who develop deep expertise in the Matterport ecosystem, aligning goals and objectives. Some program benefits include: Sales Support Matterport Pro2 Camera Discount. Matterport SaaS Recruiting Commission. Dedicated Matterport Channel Sales Manager. Marketing Support Marketing Collateral. Marketing Development fund. Lead Generation Opportunity. Technical Support Post-Sales Technical Support. 24x7 Support. To learn more or join the Matterport Reseller Program, visit https://matterport.com/find-matterport-value-added-reseller-var About Matterport Matterport is the leading spatial data company digitizing and indexing the built world. Its unique 3D capture technology creates the spatial data layer on which the industry can interoperate, and the company's all-in-one 3D data platform makes it fast and easy to turn any physical space into an accurate and immersive digital twin. The Matterport platform helps customers realize the full potential of space at every stage of its lifecycle including planning, construction, appraisal, marketing, and operations. Learn more at matterport.com . Connect with Matterport on Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn , and Instagram . All trademarks and product names are the property of their respective companies. Matterport Media Contact Nikki Dance FortyThree for Matterport [email protected] 831.401.3175 SOURCE Matterport Related Links https://matterport.com Amid MP crisis, BJP, Congress in Twitter race to pay tribute to Madhavrao Scindia India oi-Deepika S Bhopal, Mar 10: Amid the political crisis that has plunged the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh into a political crisis, the BJP and the Congress have indulged in a twitter race to pay tributes to Madhavrao Scindia, father of Jyotiraditya Scindia. Madhavrao Scindia was a Congress stalwart who served as Union minister under different Congress regimes and was elected to the Lok Sabha for nine terms, without ever losing an election. BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan paid tribute to Madhavrao Scindia, father of Jyotiraditya Scindia on his birth anniversary today. Madhya Pradesh govt crisis: Will Kamal Nath find ways to blame BJP or accepts party's failure Singh had earlier said that the current political crisis is "none of our business", calling it Congress' internal conflict. When asked about the political crisis in the state, Chouhan said, "We have nothing to do with this. This is Congress' internal matter and I would not like to comment on it. We had said on the first day that we are not interested in bringing down the government." Minutes after former MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan remembered Madhavrao Scindia, father of Jyotiraditya Scindia, the Madhya Pradesh Congress also paid tribute to the former leader. "We honour Madhavrao Scindia on his birth anniversary today. He served as a Lok Sabha MP for nine terms and served as the Railways Minister. The first Shatabdi Express was launched during his tenure," tweeted the Congress. The MP government plunged into a political crisis on Monday after a sulking Jyotiraditya Scindia, along with at least 17 MLAs, were carted away to Bengaluru and this is a major development ahead of the crucial Rajya Sabha elections. Nath alleged that the BJP was adopting immoral ways to "destabilise my government" and vowed not to let it happen. Madhya Pradesh Crisis: Will Jyotiraditya Scindia join BJP? The MLAs who are in Bengaluru are being managed by Jyotiradiya's personal assistant Purushotham Parashar. The minister said they have requested the chief minister to reconstitute the cabinet, in an apparent move to quell dissent in the party by accommodating some of the rebel MLAs in the council of ministers. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 10, 2020, 10:24 [IST] The new uncertainty about political rallies and face-to-face contact with voters has the potential to remake the entire presidential campaign. Not only will Democrats need mass rallies to help unite the party, after a bruising primary race, behind a nominee and a policy agenda. It is Mr. Trump, more than any American leader in modern politics, who has used mega-rallies to motivate his supporters, dominate cable news airwaves with coverage and feed his own ego and morale. In recent days, Mr. Trump has complained to advisers about the toll the coronavirus is taking on his efforts to campaign publicly, and has continued to insist in private, as he has done in public, that worries about the virus are being overblown, according to two people familiar with his comments. Following his lead, the campaign has told reporters that all of its activity was proceeding as normal. But several people close to Mr. Trump have suggested to his campaign and White House officials that he not go ahead with rallies, a person close to Mr. Trump said. It was unclear how forceful any of them had been in pushing him away from them. Since his 2016 campaign, Mr. Trump has left the glad-handing at diners and the round-table discussions to surrogates, focusing solely on rallies to communicate his message and connect with supporters. Any slowdown or suspension of rallies would deprive him of a major political weapon at a time when concerns about the virus as well as the damage to a national economy that is Mr. Trumps calling card in the 2020 race could further alienate some disaffected Republicans and independents from the Trump camp. For the first time in months, Mr. Trump has no rally scheduled for the coming weeks. His last campaign rally took place on March 2 in Charlotte, N.C., on the eve of Super Tuesday. But on Tuesday evening, his campaign announced a Catholics for Trump event at a convention center in Milwaukee on March 19. It is not technically a rally, but two campaign officials described it as a test run to see how people reacted to the president holding a large-scale event. YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia has updated its travel advisory against Italy to the highest Do Not Travel warning as the country is battling the novel coronavirus outbreak. The Armenian foreign ministry called on all nationals currently in Italy to immediately return to Armenia. Given the Italian authorities announced measures for the prevention of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) spread, we call on Armenian nationals to strictly refrain from traveling to Italy, and those who are currently in Italy to immediately cut short their trip and return to Armenia, the foreign ministry said. Armenian citizens are urged to contact the embassy. Earlier the MFA had advised against all but non-essential travel. Italy has extended its emergency coronavirus measures, which include travel restrictions and a ban on public gatherings, to the entire country. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced that he is extending restrictions already in place in the north. "All the measure of the red zones are now extended to all of the national territory," Conte said at a press conference on Monday evening as he also announced a ban on all public events, CNN reported. The Prime Minister said the move was taken in order to protect the population. His announcement came at the end of a chaotic day that saw prison riots across the country. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte ordered people to stay home and seek permission for essential travel. Ninety-seven people have died of the novel coronavirus since Sunday in Italy, bringing its total number of deaths to 463. The country has 9,172 cases so far. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan Businesses are preparing for large parts of their workforces to be off work because of the coronavirus after officials said even mildly ill people should stay home. The English Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, admitted people could soon be told to self-isolate for a week if they have any sort of cold or flu-like symptoms. Experts have already predicted that up to one in five workers in the UK more than six million people could be off sick at the same time because of the outbreak. Professor Whitty's announcement that the threshold for sick leave could be lowered especially if it happens before the end of winter, when colds and flu are rampant makes this scenario even more likely. And gaps in the workforce could have knock-on effects on services in day-to-day life such as fewer trains and buses running and less variety on supermarket shelves. At least 373 people in the UK have been diagnosed with the coronavirus and six are officially confirmed to have died. England's chief medical officer Professor Whitty said: 'We are now very close to the time... where we should move to a situation where we say ''everybody who has even minor respiratory tract infections or a fever, should be self-isolating for seven days afterwards''' At least 373 people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus in the UK and six have died, according to official figures When the Government moves to the next phase of its coronavirus action plan it is expected to urge greater numbers of people to work from home. But not all jobs can be done from the living room. Sectors like maintenance work, public transport, construction sites and supermarkets and retail could all take a hit if large numbers of employees take time off work. If these industries see huge numbers of staff taking sick leave it could mean bus and rail timetables have to be reduced, construction projects put on hold and store opening hours shortened. In China, some factories and warehouses have been totally shut down for weeks, while others are working at reduced capacity. And parts of the economy cannot survive without others shops must have suppliers which send products through hauliers, bus operators must have fuel which is made from imported oil, and teams of builders must use materials bought from merchants and transported on lorries. WHAT HAPPENS IF EMPLOYEES HAVE TO SELF-ISOLATE? Will people get paid if they self-isolate? If someone is diagnosed with coronavirus and told to self-isolate, or is told to stay at home by the NHS, the Government or their employer because they are at risk of having the virus, they will be entitled to statutory sick pay (SSP). The Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, has written to employers telling them people who are officially told to self-isolate are entitled to sick pay whether they've been diagnosed or not, The Telegraph reports. SSP is paid by an employer to contracted staff who earn at least 118 per week. It is worth up to 94.25 per week. People who choose to stay at home because they are afraid of catching the coronavirus, but have not officially been deemed to be at risk, may not be entitled to sick pay and it is for them to work out a solution with their bosses. People who are genuinely ill with flu-like symptoms such as those caused by the coronavirus can take time off work with pay as usual. The Government has relaxed its sick pay rules so that workers are entitled to get statutory pay from the first day they are ill, instead of the usual four days. People who are told to self-isolate but are healthy can work from home and may be told to by their bosses which would entitle them to full pay. What happens to people who are self-employed or don't earn enough to qualify for sick pay? There are currently no rules which ensure pay for low-earners or the self-employed if they have to self-isolate, but the Government is under pressure to take action on this and may announce measures in its budget on Wednesday. Can employers force staff to come in to work or stay home? Employers are within their rights to tell employees to stay at home if they think they are at risk of spreading coronavirus into the workplace. People who are forced to stay home by their bosses should still be paid in full. If someone insists on going into work after being told not to by their employer, the company can phone Public Health England for advice on what to do next. PHE may take action to protect the other employees at the company or the public if they think the worker is a risk. The Government last month drafted a new law which allows them to arrest and forcibly detain and quarantine people who may be infected with the coronavirus and are at risk of spreading it recklessly. In the event that someone insists on staying at home without good reason, the employer is not under any legal obligation to pay them and they may face disciplinary action. Advertisement In the UK the outbreak is far less severe and no drastic measures have hit day-to-day life yet, but the prospect of them happening in future is looming. Local councils have already admitted they may have to empty bins less often and schools could lump pupils into bigger classes if teachers go off sick. NHS hospitals will cancel non-urgent operations to make bed space for coronavirus patients and the police will stop investigating or responding to low-level crimes if they start to run low on officers. Officials said the advice for anyone with a cough or cold to self-isolate for seven days could be brought in within the next two weeks. They said huge disruption to the economy was likely to be the price of keeping the public safe. Medical officer Professor Whitty said in a briefing with Boris Johnson yesterday: 'We are now very close to the time, probably within the next 10 to 14 days... where we should move to a situation where we say ''everybody who has even minor respiratory tract infections or a fever, should be self-isolating for seven days afterwards''.' Those with a heavy cold, sore throat, dry cough or a minor fever will be advised to self-isolate for seven days. The Government has told employers that people who have been officially advised to go into self-isolation will be eligible for statutory sick pay whether they have been diagnosed with coronavirus or not, entitling them to up to 94.25 per week. Official rules have been relaxed on sick pay to allow people to claim this from the first day they are ill, if it is coronavirus related, instead of the fourth day as usual. But there is no legal obligation for companies to pay if an employee has taken it upon themselves to self-isolate, The Telegraph reports, which they may do if the Government extends its advice to people with coughs and colds. However, people should be entitled to full pay if their employer is the one who tells them to stay at home, workplace experts ACAS said. What happens when an employee is in isolation but healthy will be up to their employer they may be asked to work from home, if possible, or may simply be left to wait out their quarantine period. If someone has been told to self-isolate but insists on turning up to work, their bosses can call Public Health England for advice about what to do next. The Government last month pushed through a law change giving the police extraordinary powers to arrest people and force them into quarantine if they are deemed to be at risk of deliberately spreading the virus. One economist, Roger Farmer, from the University of Warwick, said lower-earning staff are likely to be worst hit. He told MailOnline a growing outbreak could have a 'substantial effect' on the UK. 'We're already seeing a substantial shift away from high street shopping,' he said, 'and a lot of supermarkets are already offering home delivery; I expect that will be stepped up, and I suspect shopping on Amazon will increase. 'It won't be a question of the workforce shrinking but of nobody using them [businesses]. I would expect potentially fewer trains and bus services and suspect people will stop using them.' Another expert at Warwick, Professor Janet Godsell, agreed that the risk of labour shortages runs parallel to the risk of running out of customers. As increasing numbers of people go into self-isolation, shops and businesses will suffer the brunt of a sudden drop in footfall. Professor Janet Godsell said: 'There are two sides to this. We will see a reduction in demand because people will stop doing things [meaning less business for] hotels, airlines and catering companies. 'There are companies that could be at financial risk.' Companies face running out of cash if both their staff and customers are cooped up at home budget airline Flybe quickly went under when it saw a drop in customers, meaning it could no longer afford to pay the bills. Professor Godsell said she didn't believe there was a risk of people not being able to get products in supermarkets, but said there could be less variety as core products get prioritised. A man with underlying health conditions in his 80s has become the UK's sixth coronavirus death. NHS officials confirmed the man who hasn't been identified died last night at the Watford General Hospital (pictured) 'Significant' spread of the virus is now expected within the UK. England's deputy chief medical officer, Dr Jenny Harries, predicted 'many thousands of people' would get COVID-19. Most people only get a mild illness and don't need medical help, while others may be hospitalised and a small proportion will get pneumonia and die. Dr Harries told Sky News: 'We currently have relatively few cases here, which is why we are still in the containment phase [the first step of government action plan]. BANKS STEP UP TO HELP BUSINESSES AND CUSTOMERS Banks have been forced to step up and provide assistance to small businesses and customers as coronavirus wreaks havoc on the economic market. Which banks have issued guidance, and what is their stance on Covid-19? Royal Bank of Scotland: RBS has pledged to defer mortgage and loan repayments for up to three months for customers impacted by coronavirus. It will also waive early closure charges on fixed savings accounts and offer refunds on credit card cash advance fees so affected customers can access cash without penalty. RBS customers can apply for increased temporary credit card limits and request an increased cash withdrawal limit of up to 500 pounds to help them manage disruption. Lloyds: Lloyds Banking Group has offered 2bn of new funding for small firms, which wont come with any arrangement fee, to help their cashflows cope with the virus. Natwest: Natwest said it would pledge 5bn of funding to support small and medium-sized businesses across the UK amid disruption caused by coronavirus. The banks said funding will be used to provide loan repayment holidays of up to six months, as well as temporary emergency loans with no fees. It will will also grant overdrafts of extensions of existing overdraft limits, as well credit limits of up to 500,000 to support cashflow Advertisement 'Obviously we will have significant numbers in a way in which the country is not used to. 'This is the sort of thing that professionally we're trained for and very rarely see, almost in a professional lifetime. 'Large numbers of the population will become infected because it's a naive population, nobody has got antibodies to this virus currently. 'We will see many thousands of people infected by coronavirus, that's what we're seeing in other countries and the important thing for us is to make sure that we manage those infections.' The Government is expected to announce measures to help businesses cope in its budget tomorrow, which could include sick pay for the self-employed and low earners. The global financial markets, which indicate the stability of economies around the world, have already taken a battering this week. On Monday morning the UK's FTSE 100 economic index plunged 8.5 per cent at opening and saw its value bomb by 130billion, as markets and the price of oil collapsed on what was dubbed 'Black Monday' because of the coronavirus. London's index of its 100 most valuable companies was predicted to open at least 300 points down this morning but the drop was worse and hit 550 points as coronavirus cases soared above 110,000 worldwide. Among the biggest fallers were oil giants BP and Royal Dutch Shell, whose stocks tumbled more than 20 per cent, while travel firm Tui was down more than 14 per cent. Stock markets in New York, Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Sydney and Saudi Arabia all also fell dramatically. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 14:08 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206990538 1 National #coronavirus,coronavirus,coronavirus-mask-rush,COVID-19,outbreak,#outbreak,face-mask Free The governments repeated warnings often go unheeded as irrationality prevails amidst the growing panic over news of the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Indonesia in the past week. Supermarkets reported panic buying within hours of the government announcing Indonesias first two confirmed cases of COVID-19 on March 2. One item in huge demand, which has become scarce, is face masks. This happened in spite of governments assurances, backed by experts and doctors, that masks are unnecessary except for health workers and sick people. By Monday, one week after President Joko Jokowi Widodo announced Indonesia had joined the rest of the world in being infected by the virus, the number of confirmed cases has jumped to 19. Dozens more are currently being observed by hospitals. The rush to buy face masks has inevitably led to shortages and skyrocketing prices. I cannot keep them in stock as it was very hard to find masks in suppliers, Dyah, the owner of a small drug store in West Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post on Friday. When I managed to find them, they were very expensive as well, she said, adding that a box of 50 masks now sells for about Rp 190,000 (US$13.50), up from its normal price of Rp 25,000. The shortage may also have been caused by Indonesia exporting masks in large quantities to China when the coronavirus started to spread there in January. Indonesia has since banned further exports. Singaporeans and Malaysians visiting Indonesia in January and February were seen buying up face masks at Jakartas convenient stores. Prices had been gradually increasing since but they jumped after news of the first two confirmed COVID-19 cases last week. As the most commonly sought masks, the N95, which can filter 95 percent of dust particles from air, are starting to disappear and people are turning to surgical masks, usually available at drug stores, for Rp 480,000 a box. There are also hoarders profiteering on the panic buying. The National Polices Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) reported 17 cases of 30 distributors hoarding more than 800 boxes of masks. They had been holding onto their supply, allegedly waiting for the announcement of the first confirmed cases to sell the masks at huge markups, North Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Budhi Herdi Susianto was quoted by kompas.com as saying after the arrest of two suspects in his jurisdiction. Coordinating Legal, Political and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD had called the mask hoarding by businesses an economic crime. The National Consumer Protection Agency (BPKN) chairman Ardiansyah Parman says police could charge profiteers with hoarding essential goods, which under the 2014 Trade Law is a crime punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of Rp 50 billion. Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto, who had made several public gaffes in his handling of the coronavirus, blamed the high prices of masks on the public. Who asked you to buy? he demanded, lashing out at a journalist who turned up wearing a mask to a media briefing about the first confirmed cases last week. The Health Ministry and the World Health Organization have repeatedly reminded the public that they only need to use the masks when they are sick. Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing, said WHO advises on its website. If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected 2019-nCoV infection. Zubairi Djoerban, head of the Indonesian Doctors Associations coronavirus task force, said wearing masks to prevent COVID-19 would not be effective for healthy individuals. If you are not used to wearing a mask, you may touch your face more often and that would increase the risk of contracting a disease, he told the Post on Monday. Bhima Yudhistira, an economist at the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance, said he suspected the traders orchestrated the scarcity of face masks. This is disaster capitalism. Someone is looking to benefit from the situation, Bhima told the Post on Friday. Any hoarding that could potentially disturb and harm the community must be stopped because it causes scarcity and price hikes. Naufal Abdurrahman Supangkat, a 21-year-old student living in South Jakarta, dispelled his fear over the disease and decided to wash his hands frequently to reduce his risk. As long as Im going to places that I know are safe, I see no need of wearing a mask outside, he said, adding that he prefers to wash his hands regularly, in line with advice from WHO, or use hand sanitizer. (mfp) -- Made Anthony Iswara contributed to this story. Rescue authority officers check on safety facilities at a polling station in Gwangju, Monday. Yonhap By Do Je-hae The National Election Commission (NEC) said Tuesday that people who have been either hospitalized or quarantined after being confirmed to have the new coronavirus will be allowed to vote in the upcoming general election from their residence or place of treatment. Under Article 38 of the Public Election Law, people with limited mobility due to disabilities or those who reside in hospitals, nursing homes and detention centers can vote from their place of residence rather than visiting polling stations. The NEC determined that this law is applicable to voters with COVID-19, according to its statement. "Those who are eligible to vote from their place of residence will have to apply between March 24 and 28 by mail," the NEC said in the statement. Turkish prosecutors called Tuesday for espionage charges to be dropped against a US consular staffer but still sought up to 15 years in prison over his alleged ties to a failed 2016 coup. Metin Topuz, a Turkish citizen who worked as a liaison for the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Istanbul, has been jailed since October 2017. He is accused of links to US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, who had a vast network of supporters embedded across Turkish society until he was blamed by Ankara for ordering the attempted coup in July 2016. Topuz has repeatedly rejected the allegations, saying he had 3,000 meetings with officials in his 25 years with the DEA, and that prosecutors had simply cherry-picked those with members of Gulen's movement. At the latest hearing on Tuesday, prosecutors said espionage charges should be dropped, but that he should still face up to 15 years in prison for membership of the movement. Tens of thousands of people have been arrested over suspected ties to Gulen and more than 100,000 people been sacked or suspended from public sector jobs. Gulen rejects the coup accusations. Washington's refusal to extradite Gulen, combined with differences over the Syrian conflict and Turkey's decision to buy a Russian missile defence system, have put unprecedented strain on relations between the NATO allies. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) REDWOOD CITY, Calif., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Zeno Functional Food's SOBAR protein-bar, the world's first food specifically designed to reduce alcohol absorption, was the winner in FoodBev Media's World Food Innovation Awards in the Best health or wellness food category. SOBAR was also selected as a finalist in the category Best snacking innovation. Think before you drink with a SOBAR. SOBAR wins a global food innovation award. "I am humbled by this international recognition," said SOBAR inventor Joseph Fisher, MD PhD. "I believed that creating a low-calorie snack that could help people drink more responsibly and keep sober was a sound idea. I'm so pleased that the global health and wellness community has both embraced and validated the SOBAR approach." World Food Innovation Awards Awarded in London by FoodBev Media, the innovation awards are an annual global competition for new products and the longest and most established awards scheme in the food industry. Entries come from companies around the world pitting the largest food conglomerates against each other as well as against the smallest of emerging brands. Submissions are evaluated based on their innovative approach, functionality, potential health benefits, market impact, and problem-solving capabilities; the awards are divided into 28 distinct categories. About SOBAR SOBAR is a convenient 210-calorie snack bar that uses a patent-pending mix of ingredients, termed Alco-HOLD, designed to hold alcohol in the stomach longer where it can be more effectively inactivated. This food demonstrated remarkable efficacy in a published and peer-reviewed clinical trial, reducing alcohol absorption by about 2x as much per calorie compared to the control foods evaluated. SOBAR is currently available in the U.S. in 3 flavors and new formulations designed for global distribution will launch by Q3 2020. ZENO is currently seeking importing and distribution partners in other countries. Related links: https://www.getsobars.com FoodBev Media awards announcement: https://www.foodbev.com/news/world-food-innovation-awards-2020-winners-announced/ Social media: @getsobars CONTACT: Joseph Fisher, MD, PhD, President Phone: 650-262-1259 Email: ([email protected]) WARNING DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE. Eating a SOBAR or any other food: (1) does not prevent all alcohol absorption and you can still become intoxicated. (2) will not sober you up or lower your blood alcohol level if you are already intoxicated. (3) can slow alcohol absorption and you may experience a delayed effect from the alcohol consumed. SOURCE Zeno Functional Foods, LLC Related Links https://www.getsobars.com 2019 ANNUAL RESULTS Six-fold increase in EBITDA Revenue up 59% Six-fold increase in EBITDA, with EBITDA margin of 13.8% Strengthened financial power drive robust growth Upbeat on 2020 London, 9 March 2020, - INVIBES ADVERTISING, a tech firm specialising in digital advertising, today announced the release of its audited financial statements for FY 2019. Audited consolidated data, in k IFRS 2019 2018 ? Revenue 9,699 6,075 +59% Purchasing and external expenses (5,491) (3,626) +51% Personnel expenses (2,869) (2,193) +31% EBITDA 1 1,339 230 +482% As a % of revenue 13.8% 3.8% Depreciation, amortisation and provisions (656) (428) +53% Operating income (expense) 686 (198) NA Financial income (expense) (117) (83) +41% Extraordinary income 2 23 940 n/s Net income 591 661 -11% Revenue up 59% INVIBES ADVERTISING reported revenue of 9.7m for FY 20193, implying overall growth of 59% and organic growth (excluding ML2GROW in 2019) of 56%. Based on the Group's intrinsic scope4, revenue growth practically doubled (+91%), from 5.0m to 9.5m. This robust growth was fuelled by several key drivers, including extremely healthy top-line momentum in France and also the expansion in the group's international reach which gained traction over the year and now spans six countries in Europe. The Group employed a total of 83 people at the end of 2019. Six-fold increase in EBITDA INVIBES ADVERTISING chalked up a near six-fold increase in its EBITDA to 1.3m in 2019, up from 230k in 2018. EBTIDA margin therefore came in at 13.8% for the year, some 10 points ahead of the year-earlier figure. This outstanding growth in operating profitability notably stemmed from the combined effect of: Contributions from certain countries, such as Switzerland and Spain, which exceeded their break-even point in 2019; Contained growth in expenses, notably personnel costs, which increased at a slower pace than revenue and testify to the speed at which teams were able to become operational and productive. Taking into account the 656k charge for amortisation and depreciation, INVIBES ADVERTISING recorded operating income of 686k, compared with an operating loss of 198k in 2018. Net profit came in at 591k, which was slightly lower than in the year-earlier period. This was due to demanding comparison with 2018 when the Group recorded an exceptional gain of 940k in relation to the buy-out of DREICOM, the price of which was less than its net book value (resulting in negative goodwill). Strengthened financial position at 31 December 2019 As of 31 December 2019, the Group's finances are solid, with 6.9m in equity and 2.5m in net cash (compared with 2.4m at 31 December 2018), taking into account gross proceeds of 1m from the first tranche of the capital increase reserved for Generis Capital Partners and conducted in November 2019. INVIBES ADVERTISING therefore has greater financial resources with which to comfortably fund its strong growth in France and abroad. Upbeat on 2020 2020 will see INVIBES ADVERTISING leverage its scalable business development model and implement the keys to its success in France across all of the countries it has newly entered and in which it is expanding: A unique technology platform providing disruptive advertising solutions that are continuously being enhanced with new, non-intrusive formats; The use of proprietary algorithms to determine the most effective targeting approach for each ad campaign, thereby generating the best KPIs for advertising clients; The inclusion of major local media groups in its network of publisher partners so as to build a wide-ranging and powerful inventory through which to broadcast advertising campaigns; To add to these advantages, the Group has a seasoned salesforce with teams assigned to each country to ensure the consistent implementation of sustainable digital ecosystems, not to mention the loyalty shown by major advertising brands who regularly demonstrate their trust in the Group by renewing their campaigns. In addition to these key success factors and with a view to cementing its momentum, INVIBES ADVERTISING will be taking advantage of the upcoming roll-out of pan-European advertising schemes which should pave the way to natural growth in average ad campaign budgets. About INVIBES ADVERTISING Founded in 2011, INVIBES ADVERTISING is an advanced technology company specialized in digital advertising. It has developed advertising solutions using an in-feed format built into media content. The principle is similar to social networks and it is optimized for dissemination in a closed network of media websites. Our clientele includes a large number of acclaimed companies: advertisers and media agencies. INVIBES ADVERTISING is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange. Read our latest press releases at: https://www.invibes.com/investors.html Follow the latest news about INVIBES ADVERTISING on: Linkedin: @Invibes advertisingTwitter: @Invibes_advFacebook: @Invibes advertising Financial & Corporate Contacts INVIBES ADVERTISING Kris VLAEMYNCK, CFO kris.vlaemynck@invibes.com ATOUT CAPITAL, Listing Sponsor Rodolphe OSSOLA rodolphe.ossola@atoutcapital.com +33 (0)1 56 69 61 80 ACTIFIN, Investor Relations Alexandre COMMEROT acommerot@actifin.fr +33 (0)1 56 88 11 11 ACTIFIN, Financial Media Relations Jennifer Jullia jjullia@actifin.fr +33 (0)1 56 88 11 19 1 EBITDA = Current operating income before depreciation, amortization and provisions 2 Gain related to transactions resulting from the acquisition of DREICOM 3 Including the acquisition of DREICOM, consolidated as of 01/01/2018, and a stake in ML2Grow, consolidated as of 01/01/2019. 4 Alternative performance indicator used by INVIBES ADVERTISING to monitor its operating activities. It is calculated by excluding, in respect of acquisitions, changes in the scope of consolidation over the period, i.e. excluding the contribution of DREICOM in 2018 and ML2GROW in 2019. This indicator shows the Group's intrinsic revenue performance over the period. Attachment Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 01:50:02|Editor: yan Video Player Close LONDON, March 10 (Xinhua) -- In combating COVID-19, countries should stand by each other and work together in the spirit of a community with a shared future for mankind, Chinese ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming has said. "Virus knows no borders," said Liu. "In face of difficulties and challenges, it is all the more important that we stay open in order to deepen cooperation and, in turn, promote development." The ambassador made the remarks Monday at an event in Scunthorpe, an industrial town in northeastern England, in celebration of the acquisition of British Steel by China's Jingye Group. "This acquisition also demonstrates the confidence and belief that China and the UK will work together to overcome any difficulty," Liu said. The cooperation between China's Jingye and British Steel "is the best interpretation of the prevailing trend of our times, that is, countries should be open to cooperation, embrace innovation and share the benefits of development," Liu said. Describing the acquisition deal as a "golden fruit" of the China-Britain "Golden Era", Liu said this "golden fruit" is especially valued at this critical time when the Chinese and British people are working together to get COVID-19 under control. "It is my hope that the deal between China's Jingye and British Steel will provide a strong impetus to China-UK joint response to challenges and instill confidence in an open global economy," he said. Chinese steelmaker Jingye Group on Monday completed the acquisition of British Steel's business and assets in Britain and the Netherlands, said the Chinese steelmaker in a statement. The completion secures the future of approximately 3,200 jobs, said Jingye, pledging to invest 1.2 billion pounds (about 1.38 billion U.S. dollars) to place the business on a more competitive and sustainable footing. Anuradha Shukla By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Both Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) is probing the kickbacks received by Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoors family against loan sanctioned to Dewan Housing Finance Ltd. Kapoors two prime properties in Delhi and Mumbai have now come under their scanner and the investigative agencies are probing how they were being purchased. ALSO READ | Yes Bank crisis: Why use depositors' money to rescue banks? ask experts According to sources, there are two prime properties under scanner, one at Altamount Road in Mumbai, next to RIL chairman Mukesh Ambanis 27-storey Antilla and another at Amrita Shergill Marg in New Delhi, that is also the address of many top business tycoons, including KP Singh of the DLF group, the Burmans of Dabur Group, Goenkas of the RPG group and Mittals of Bharti Group. Interestingly, both properties were bought in the name of Rana Kapoors wife Bindu Kapoor. The bungalow at 40, Amrita Shergill Marg was owned by Gautam Thapar, who had mortgaged his bungalow against a loan borrowed for Rs 400 crore for his company Avantha Realty. The loan was taken at an 11 per cent interest rate in March 2016. In August 2016, the bungalow was sold to Bliss Abode owned by Bindu Kapoor for Rs 378 crore, according to sources in the investigative agency, suspecting the same quid pro quo. The officials claim, the Mumbai property was bought through a shell company owned by Bindu Kapoor. The investigative agencies are also looking at the money trail to buy a property in the UK and two other prime locations. Investigation suspects similar Modus operandi in the realty dealing with Bliss Habitat Pvt Ltd, 100 per cent subsidiary of Rab Enterprises, owned by Bindu Kapoor paid to one of the subsidiary of Indiabulls for acquisition of the real estate property, who was also a client of the company. ALSO READ | YSR Congress seeks probe into Chandrababu Naidu's 'links' with Yes Bank On Sunday, the non-banking finance company, however, was quick to clarify that Sameer Gehlaut, promoter of Indiabulls Housing Finance, or any of his companies or any of his family members companies have no loans outstanding from Yes Bank. Rs 2,450 crore infusion into Yes Bank announced 26 per cent of YES Bank to be owned by SBI Rs 2.09 lakh crore is the deposits of Yes Bank SBI rescue package The package which it claims was voluntarily taken on by it, follows a similar deal for IDBI which was bought over at huge price by LIC. Yes Bank debenture trustee moves HC on RBI move to write-down AT-1 bonds Axis Trustee Services Ltd, a debenture trustee of Yes Bank, on Monday petitioned the Bombay High Court against the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) proposal to write-down additional tier-1 (AT1) bonds. The petition is likely to be taken up for hearing by a division bench of Justices KK Tated and SK Kotwal later this week. The debenture trustee has sought relief against the proposal made by RBI as part of its plan to rescue the private sector lender, which has been put under a moratorium last Thursday. A day after putting it under a moratorium, the RBI had come out with a draft of the SBI-led restructuring package, which entails writing-down of over Rs 8,600 crore outstanding to AT-1 bondholders. It cited global practices adopted in the Basel framework for the move. Inclusion of this condition has led to massive unease among the investors, which include mutual fund houses and bank treasuries. The deadline for public comments on the draft ended on Monday evening. The petition was mentioned by the trustee's lawyer on Monday before the bench, which asked them to inform RBI, Yes Bank and the Union government about filing of the petition. The petitioner later wrote a letter to the respondent parties informing them about the plea. "In view of the fact that the matter is sub-judice, you (Government and RBI) are requested not to precipitate any action to the prejudice of the AT-1 bondholders," the letter reads. While such a move has caused unease among the AT-1 bondholders, some industry experts have opined the nature of the instrument is such that the interest of the investors become obsolete in cases of adversities and have also pointed to the premium paid to such holders on coupon rates. CBI issues lookout circular against seven accused The CBI on Monday issued a lookout circular against seven accused in the Yes Bank scam, including its co-founder Rana Kapoor and his family members, to prevent them from leaving the country, officials said. The agency has booked Kapoor, his wife Bindu and daughters Roshini, Raakhe and Radha, besides DHFL promoter Kapil Wadhawan and Dheeraj Wadhawan, promoter of RKW Developers, they said. The lookout circular (LOC) was issued against all these seven accused to prevent any attempts to leave the country, the officials said. The Enforcement Directorate has already issued an LOC on the basis of which Kapoor's daughter Roshini was stopped at the CSM International Airport, Mumbai, from leaving for London, they said. Kapoor and Kapur families under scanner for pre-collapse Yes Bank share trades Several people linked to Kapoor and Kapur families, the erstwhile promoters of Yes Bank, are said to have traded with unpublished inside information in shares of the now-under-moratorium lender and are under probe along with those who supplied the inside news of a government-sponsored rescue plan, sources said. Those under the scanner of Sebi and other agencies include members of now disgraced Rana Kapoor family as well as those linked to the family of late Ashok Kapur, the sources said. The two erstwhile founders of one of the most famous new age banks in India's history, which used to proudly call itself the country's fourth-biggest bank till about a year ago but has now become the latest example of the ever-expanding financial sector distress. The bank was started in 2004. Markets regulator Sebi has been asked by other probe agencies to look deeply into the trades done on March 5, the day when the bank was placed under moratorium late in the night. Shares of Yes Bank had zoomed 27 per cent last Thursday amid reports that the government has given the go-ahead to State Bank of India and other financial institutions to take over the capital-starved company. Hours later, the RBI placed Yes Bank under the moratorium, but that announcement was closely followed by another announcement from the government that SBI was asked to rescue the bank and also rope in some other investors. According to the sources, these investors are likely to include some marquee public and private sector financial institutions. However, they said that the share deadlines of some have come under the scanner for trades conducted last Thursday and before that, presumably with inside information about the rescue plan and also about the moratorium. The suspects include those associated with the Kapoor and Kapur families, the sources added. On Monday, Yes Bank administrator Prashant Kumar said he is hopeful of the moratorium being lifted by Saturday. Yes Bank has been put under a moratorium by the Reserve Bank till April 3, and customers are not allowed to withdraw more than Rs 50,000 from their accounts. (With inputs from PTI) [March 10, 2020] Killi Introduces Passive Data Dividend for Qualifying Users First Dividends Paid in Transparent, Passive Revenue Program - More Modules to Come NEW YORK, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Killi, a consumer-led privacy application wholly owned by Freckle Ltd. (TSXV: FRKL) (the "Company"), today announced the launch of its Data Dividend program to users who consent and share specific pieces of data over a predetermined time frame. Subscribers who share data will automatically receive: notification of their dividends via SMS and/or email the amount, in cash, of each dividend that will automatically be credited to their account, a clear, transparent description of who purchased their data and, clear opt-out functionality for future dividends and data sales All of the above are market firsts. The first Data Dividend payment was made to U.S. and Canadian users who shared their location data during the month of January 2020, and again to those who shared their data in February. Consumers in February saw a doubling of dividends vs those distributed in January. Starting in March Killi will pay users a weekly dividend for users who have shared location for the previous seven days, multiplied by the number of companies that purchased this data. "Last year, California Governor Gavin Newsom proposed a data dividend that could allow residents to get paid for providing enterprises with access to their personal digital data." said CEO Neil Sweeney. "Killi is the company that has made the Governor's vision a reality, and we will be aggressively expanding our Data Dividend program into other areas to include a variety of additional passive revenue opportunities for customers." By voluntarily enabling location sharing, American and Canadian subscribers have increased their earnings (ARPU) by approximately 120% in January and approximately 89% in February. This location-rich data is especially attractive to companies in need of location data since Apple's September release of iOS13, which reduced the availability of consented location data in the global market considerably. Companies that are interested in acquiring location data that is 100% consumer-consented and conforms with all privacy regulations are encouraged to reach out to Killi directly to participate in this program. The higher ARPU generated by passive dividends for consumers, when combined with the research surveys and video opportunities currently available inside of the product, will continue to increase the loyalty and lifetime value of the Killi user, allowing the ecosystem to continue to expand internationally. "This is the first time ever that the consumer has been given access to transparently see who is purchasing their data and be compensated accordingly." added Mr. Sweeney. "There are a number of companies collecting data today that are offering rewards or tokens in exchange for this consumer data but they are hiding who the purchaser of this data is as well as the true value of this data from the consumer. Killi is challenging this blatant bait-and-switch by providing not only passive income to its users, but also the transparency the consumer deserves. Passive dividends clearly benefit all of Killi's stakeholders, and we have more Data Dividend modules planned for releaseseveral of which have the potential for multiple payments from the same datasets provided by users." About Freckle Ltd. Freckle's consumer identity mobile application "Killi" (killi.io) allows consumers to take back control of their digital identity from those who have been using it without their consent. With Killi, consumers can opt-in and select specific pieces of personal information that they would like to share with companies, as well as answer specific surveys, and be compensated directly for these answers. Download Killi here. Freckle, via its data and offline measurement products, also allows leading brands and platforms to measure the effectiveness of their advertising by independently matching media spend to in-store visitation while remaining media agnostic. Freckle's technology is used by Fortune 500 brands like McDonald's, Lexus, Walmart, Verizon and AT&T, and is a core component of the top demand-side platforms (DSPs) and data management platforms (DMPs) used around the world. For more information, please visit freckleiot.com / killi.io Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. DISCLAIMER FOR FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements and are prospective in nature. Forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts, but rather on current expectations and projections about future events, and are therefore subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including: the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, capital expenditures and other costs, financing and additional capital requirements, ability to secure additional sales, ability to negotiate partnerships on favorable terms, and user acceptance of the improved UI. These statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "may", "should", "will", "could", "intend", "estimate", "plan", "anticipate", "expect", "believe'' or "continue", or the negative thereof or similar variations. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding: expansion of the Killi application outside of North America; increasing ARPU for Killi; expansion of the Data Dividend program; continued payments of Data Dividends; addition of further modules to the Killi application; improvement of the Killi UI; improvement of user engagement and user retention; expansion of Freckle's global presence; building Killi into a legal global DTC application for Data Privacy; and, improving key data metrics. Although management of the Corporation has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Corporation assumed no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws. The securities of the Corporation have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirement. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/killi-introduces-passive-data-dividend-for-qualifying-users-301019999.html SOURCE Freckle Ltd. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported on 6(local time) that an international human rights organization has marked out North Korea for the world's worst oppressor of civil rights and political circles. Freedom House, a U.S.-based international human rights watchdog, released its "Freedom in the World 2020," which surveyed 210 civil and political freedoms in 195 countries and 15 municipalities around the world last year. According to the report, North Korea scored 0 out of 40 political freedoms and 3 out of 60 civil liberties in this year's report, with 3 out of a total of 100, according to the report. Syria received zero total points to rank at the bottom, while Eritrea, South Sudan and Turkmenistan ranked second in total. "North Korea is the only remaining absolute dictatorship in the world," said Puddington, a senior researcher at Freedom House, in an interview with RFA. "In the World Freedom Report that has been released since 1972, no other country has persistently received the lowest free index like North Korea." "Eritrea, South Sudan, Turkmenistan and even Syria, which ranked at the bottom of the year, will have room for improvement after five or 10 years. But the three major leaders of North Korea have all been controlling everything to maintain the totalitarian dictatorship in the North, he pointed out. He said, "I don't think there is any possibility of change because the North's three leaders -- Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un -- have fully taken control of all sectors of the North's party, law, military and security agencies. However, three points were given, that there is a little bit more economic freedom, such as local markets, and a little more gender equality than some other countries," he said. (Photo : Screenshot from: The School District of Osceola County Official Website) Parents, Teachers, and Students are now under pressure and panic as news broke out that a patient that has a confirmed case of the Coronavirus visited the high school to attend an event last Saturday, March 7, which caused the schools to close down. Read Also: Goodbye Bad Habits! This Device Will Vibrate Whenever You Touch Your Face as A Way to Avoid Coronavirus! The school is reported to close down to avoid the risk of the virus FOX 9 has gathered a voicemail from Superintendent Mark Luebker, that the confirmed patient had attended the Destination Imagination regional tournament last Saturday at Osceola Public School, saying that "Out of an abundance of caution, the decision has been made to cancel school and all activities for Tuesday, March 10, so that recommended cleaning can take place to ensure the safety of students and staff," They have now decided to close down schools in Osceola as a precautionary measure to try and prevent Coronavirus to spread amongst teachers and students and ensure their safety as much as possible. They are unsure of other schools have been affected as well Aside from Osceola, people have been questioning if other schools have been affected by this virus as well. Luebker responded to this and said that the risk of this spreading to other schools is considered very low. Though, they are unsure if there is actually no risk of this virus spreading at all, recommending that parents and teachers should always check back on the Osceola Schools website for any updates regarding this unfortunate matter. Both Minnesota and Wisconsin each have two confirmed cases of COVID-19 or Coronavirus as of Monday night. Read Also: READ! Coronavirus Has Two Strains Which Will Make it Even More Difficult to Contain Since The Other Half Doesn't Know They Are Infected Until It's Too Late Educating Students on COVID-19 to Fight Stigma According to the guidance by the World Health Organization regarding practical actions, while some schools are open, students should be provided with reliable information about how to protect themselves from the virus. Proper hygiene and handwashing should be promoted as well as providing students with hygiene supplies. School buildings should be regularly cleaned and disinfected, especially where the cafeteria is airflow and ventilation should also be increased. UNICEF is also urging all schools to provide students with support in this time of need. They should be provided with vital information on measures on how to protect themselves and their families. Mental health support should also be facilitated. Prevention of stigma and discrimination towards other students is important. By encouraging the children to be kind to one another, people canto avoid various stereotypes whenever the virus is brought up as a subject or topic of conversation. This guidance also offers some important tips and checklists for caregivers and parents as well as the students themselves. Whenever the student is sick, monitoring their health and keeping them home is a must. Encourage them to ask questions and to express any concerns or thoughts about the virus. The most important guidance of all is to remind the children to practice using a tissue or a handkerchief when sneezing or coughing and avoid touching face, mouth, eyes, and nose. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. MANILA, Philippines The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday said it has temporarily suspended the processing of foreign travel in the police force amid the rising cases of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country. PNP Director for Police Community Relations, Major General Benigno Durana Jr., said all applications for foreign travel under process by the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management are put on hold. On instructions of Police General Archie Francisco F Gamboa, the Philippine National Police has suspended the processing of Foreign Travel and Authority to Travel Abroad for official functions in the light of latest development on the COVID-19 situation in the country, he said in a statement. Three police personnel are now being monitored by the PNP Health Service, while one, a dependent of one of the three policemen, is under home quarantine. Three have manifested coronavirus symptoms while one is asymptomatic. Durana said two of the four have travel history to Japan, which has now recorded more than 500 confirmed cases. The Philippines has imposed temporary travel restrictions to China, Hong Kong and Macau and in North Gyeongsang province in South Korea. Exempted from the ban are overseas Filipino workers, permanent residents and students. As of March 10, Tuesday, the Philippines has confirmed 33 coronavirus infections. The post PNP suspends foreign travel among cops amid COVID-19 threat appeared first on UNTV News. GamesRadar+ is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more Donald Trump for the first time left the door open to getting tested for coronavirus after interacting with several members of Congress who had contact with an infected person. "I don't think it's a big deal. I would do it," he told reporters on Capitol Hill. "I feel extremely good. I feel very good. But I guess it's not a big deal to get tested, and it's something I would do." But he did not commit to it after taking a limousine and Air Force One ride on Monday with Florida GOP Congressman Matt Gaetz, and shaking hands on Friday with Georgia GOP Congressman Doug Collins. Both are among several lawmakers in self-quarantine, despite claiming no virus symptoms, after interacting with the positive individual at a conservative policy conference that Mr Trump also attended. The president made those remarks as he left a meeting about the coronavirus outbreak with Senate Republicans. He made the rare trip to the Capitol to try and rally his fellow Republicans around an economic stimulus plan his staff is still cobbling that they say is needed to ward off a major slowdown amid coronavirus fears. As he headed back to the White House, he again downplayed the threat from the sickness: "It will go away. Just stay calm." He did not explain why he thinks so, but in recent weeks has said he expects as temperatures warm, the virus will be killed. Some public health experts disagree, however. Democrats and some former public health officials have criticised Mr Trump for being too dismissive of the virus, saying his administration's response was too slow, causing, among other things, a delay in the production of testing kits. The president was on Capitol Hill to float his proposal to slash payroll taxes, help hourly workers not miss paychecks if they get sick, and provide federal assistance to small business. So far, most GOP lawmakers are taking a wait-and-see approach as both chambers of Congress get ready for a week-long recess next week. Mr Trump fired off a tweet earlier Tuesday blaming House Democrats for the expectation around Washington that no coronavirus stimulus is likely to reach his desk before lawmakers return later this month. But Republicans control the Senate, including the legislative calendar. A security official wearing a face mask guards the entrance to ASEAN Economic Ministers' Meeting in Danang, Vietnam on Tuesday, March 10, 2020. Vietnams Health Ministry reported the countrys 34th case of COVID-19 Tuesday, a woman that may have contracted the disease in a manner unrelated to the recent Hanoi outbreak. In late February the Southeast Asian country had a mere 16 cases and all 16 had recovered, but since then the virus has resurged, with the 17th case reported Friday, followed by an outbreak centered around her in the capital Hanoi. According to the South China Morning Post, a woman named Nguyen Hong Nhung was identified as Hanois patient zero after she returned home on a flight from London on March 2. She had also visited Paris and Milan. The ministrys report said the 34th case is a woman who returned to Vietnam from the U.S. after transiting in Qatar and Incheon International Airport in South Korea. She entered Vietnam at Ho Chi Minh Citys Tan Son Nhat International Airport on March 2. On Monday she was hospitalized after showing symptoms, and tested positive for COVID-19. Also on Tuesday, 12 new cases were discovered in passengers that were on the same March 2 London-Hanoi flight with Nguyen. Ten of those infected passengers were Britons, two of whom were already in quarantine in Lao Cai province. Another three confirmed cases were also reported in Danang, 476 miles south of the capital, bringing the total in that city since the Hanoi outbreak to five. Economic crunch Vietnams finance ministry reported that the government plans to allocate 518 billion dong (U.S. $22.2 million) from the countrys 2020 reserve state budget to the Health Ministry to prevent the spread of the virus. This appropriation of funds comes as the economy slowed in the first two months of the year because of COVID-19. State media reported Sunday that hundreds of Vietnamese trucks carrying produce or fruit were stuck for days at the Sino-Vietnamese border awaiting clearance. Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Huynh Le. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Aryzta has reported a 2% organic decline in revenue from its European operation as the business refocuses on frozen bakery. Describing its European business as performing well, the company announced that European EBITDA for the first half of its 2020 financial year rose 2.8% to 100.7m. Europe has delivered EBITDA and margin growth consistent with its focus on profitable volume and increased operating efficiency, said Aryzta CEO Kevin Toland. Total group revenue fell 2.5% to 1.65bn, with EBITDA up 12% to 169.8m. Aryzta has transformed its business in the past year, demerging Delice de France through a management buyout, selling Signature Flatbreads and agreeing the sale of a 43% stake in French frozen food business Picard. The company said this had helped it to reduce debt further. In contrast with the European operations, EBITDA at Arzytas North American business fell 22.8% to 46.5m, while revenue fell 5.3%. Factors impacting North American profitability are being addressed and we expect an improved performance in H2, added Toland. Revenue at Aryztas Rest of World division rose 8.6%, while EBITDA fell 3.5% Aryzta continues to make strategic and financial progress with our portfolio refocus to a frozen B2B business now complete. Our net debt is at its lowest level since 2013, and we continue to expect to deliver underlying EBITDA growth for FY20. The issue has prompted several states to reform their segregation policies in recent years, though Illinois lags behind. While Illinois has significantly reduced the number of days juvenile offenders spend in isolation and no longer uses segregation as a punishment for young people as part of a consent decree between the department and the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, those policies do not extend to the adult population. Unity has acquired Irish art software company Artomatix for an undisclosed fee. Based in Dublin, Artomatix is a leading AI-driven 3D content creation platform that uses neural networks to streamline artistic workflows. It's best known for building the 3D content creation platform ArtEngine, which features scan-based and example-based material creation workflows, and has partnered with a number of notable video game companies including Activision, Warducks, Keywords, and Unity. Commenting on the move, Unity's chief product officer Brett Bibby said the deal will help anyone interested in creating high fidelity visualizations, and suggested it will prove particularly beneficial to those developers working on content for the next generation of consoles. "ArtEngine helps game studios deliver realistic content for the next generation of consoles; enables VFX studios to deliver better visuals for films; and can achieve equally impressive results for creatives working in other industries," he commented. "It removes the burden of minutiae material creation work -- such as photoconversion to PBR materials, up-resing, deblur, seam removal, unwarping, color matching, and much more -- helping artists focus on value-adding parts of the creative workflow." Moving forward, Artomatix will continue operating out of Dublin and will look to expand its team "exponentially" over the next two years. Howard Marks put it nicely when he said that, rather than worrying about share price volatility, 'The possibility of permanent loss is the risk I worry about... and every practical investor I know worries about. 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. Importantly, Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:MOH) does carry debt. But is this debt a concern to shareholders? What Risk Does Debt Bring? Debt assists a business until the business has trouble paying it off, either with new capital or with free cash flow. In the worst case scenario, a company can go bankrupt if it cannot pay its creditors. However, a more usual (but still expensive) situation is where a company must dilute shareholders at a cheap share price simply to get debt under control. Of course, debt can be an important tool in businesses, particularly capital heavy businesses. When we think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together. See our latest analysis for Molina Healthcare How Much Debt Does Molina Healthcare Carry? The chart below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Molina Healthcare had US$1.26b in debt in December 2019; about the same as the year before. However, its balance sheet shows it holds US$4.40b in cash, so it actually has US$3.14b net cash. NYSE:MOH Historical Debt, March 10th 2020 A Look At Molina Healthcare's Liabilities Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Molina Healthcare had liabilities of US$3.27b due within 12 months and liabilities of US$1.56b due beyond that. On the other hand, it had cash of US$4.40b and US$1.41b worth of receivables due within a year. So it actually has US$977.0m more liquid assets than total liabilities. This surplus suggests that Molina Healthcare has a conservative balance sheet, and could probably eliminate its debt without much difficulty. Succinctly put, Molina Healthcare boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load! Story continues On the other hand, Molina Healthcare's EBIT dived 12%, over the last year. If that rate of decline in earnings continues, the company could find itself in a tight spot. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Molina Healthcare can strengthen its balance sheet over time. So if you're focused on the future you can check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts. Finally, a business needs free cash flow to pay off debt; accounting profits just don't cut it. While Molina Healthcare has net cash on its balance sheet, it's still worth taking a look at its ability to convert earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, to help us understand how quickly it is building (or eroding) that cash balance. In the last three years, Molina Healthcare's free cash flow amounted to 31% of its EBIT, less than we'd expect. That weak cash conversion makes it more difficult to handle indebtedness. Summing up While we empathize with investors who find debt concerning, you should keep in mind that Molina Healthcare has net cash of US$3.14b, as well as more liquid assets than liabilities. So we are not troubled with Molina Healthcare's debt use. 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. To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Molina Healthcare . If, after all that, you're more interested in a fast growing company with a rock-solid balance sheet, then check out our list of net cash growth stocks without delay. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. 10.03.2020 LISTEN A kindergarten-going child of two and a half years went missing from school, possibly abducted by an unknown person in the afternoon of Friday, 6 March 2020. The case was reported to the Effiduase in Ashanti region police station same day or the next. The police only attended on Monday, 9 March 2020. They only went to the school, interviewed the teachers and the parents of the child and left with the assurance to them that the Crime Officer will take over the case and get back to them in due course. The local assembly had organised volunteers to search the nearby bushes for the child since Friday that he went missing from school but without success. One would expect the police to at least take a cursory view of the footpaths leading from the school to the nearby villages and farms to have a rough idea about how the abductor could have escaped with the child, if not to comb the bushes for the child. One would expect the police to interview some of the village folk if on that fateful Friday strangers looking suspicious had come into the village and if yes, for what reason and where they had been to in the village. However, nothing of the sort seemed to have occurred. Does this not tell from the word go that the police have established that the child will never be found either dead or alive hence not taking the search for him any seriously? Is it out of incompetence or lack of logistics that the Ghana police almost always are incapable of conducting successful search for reported missing or murdered persons? Anyway, it has come to my attention that on that fateful Friday afternoon, there were people who deal in what is called "condemn", thus, rejected old and overused household utensils, buckets, etc., of aluminium and iron-based, come to Ntunkumso. Some were seen around the school area. According to my source of information, some of these "condemn" (condemned)-materials-buying guys have a bad history. Some had been caught kidnapping children and doing all sorts of illegal activities. One was said to have been caught with a kidnapped child whose mouth had been taped off, in his bag. I am told they carry big bags. Could this clue assist the police in their investigation into locating the whereabouts of the missing child? Until the parents have found their child dead or alive, they will never be themselves. Therefore, let anyone with information to help find the child do communicate them to the police. Rockson Adofo Tuesday, 10 March 2020 (@FahadShabbir) The North Macedonian government on Tuesday announced the temporary closure of the country's kindergartens, schools, and universities, as well as the postponement of all public gatherings of over 1,000 people for 14 days in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th March, 2020) The North Macedonian government on Tuesday announced the temporary closure of the country's kindergartens, schools, and universities, as well as the postponement of all public gatherings of over 1,000 people for 14 days in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. According to the latest official data, a total of seven people in North Macedonia have contracted coronavirus disease, after the first case was confirmed two weeks ago. In a statement published on the North Macedonian government's official website, ministers unveiled a set of measures that also includes banning spectators from all sporting events for a period of 30 days. Those arriving in North Macedonia from areas severely affected by COVID-19 are also required to enter self-isolation for a period of 14 days upon arrival, and legal measures have been established to prosecute those who violate quarantine regulations, the government also announced. A number of countries in the region, including Albania, Bulgaria, and Moldova, recorded their first case of COVID-19 this past weekend. The first confirmed case in North Macedonia was a woman who returned from Italy, according to Health Minister Venko Filipche. Since the start of the outbreak in late December, more than 115,000 people worldwide have contracted coronavirus disease, resulting in the deaths of over 4,000 people. Over half of the people who contracted COVID-19 have recovered, although the number of cases is rising rapidly across Europe. Story Highlights Approval of congressional Republicans is up six points since October to 40% Congressional Democrats' approval now 35% vs. October reading of 38% Mitt Romney now viewed more favorably by Democrats than Republicans WASHINGTON, D.C. -- More Americans approve of the job congressional Republicans are doing than of congressional Democrats' performance -- 40% vs. 35%. The rating for Republicans in Congress has risen six percentage points since late October, before the impeachment of President Donald Trump in the U.S. House of Representatives. Over the same period, congressional Democrats' approval rating has edged down three points and disapproval has climbed five points, from 57% to 62%. In general, congressional Democrats have historically had slightly higher job approval ratings than congressional Republicans. The average approval rating since 1999, when Gallup began periodically tracking both, is 41% for the Democrats in Congress and 35% for the Republicans in Congress. Yet, Republicans have edged out Democrats a number of times over the 21-year trend. The latest readings for these measures, from a Feb. 17-28 poll, are Gallup's first since the Dec. 18 impeachment of Trump in the U.S. House of Representatives and his subsequent acquittal in the U.S. Senate on Feb. 5. The votes in the House and Senate broke largely along party lines, with only a few exceptions. This split is similarly reflected in rank-and-file partisans' approval ratings of Republicans and Democrats in Congress. Although majorities of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, as well as Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, approve of the job their own party's members of Congress are doing, there is a significant difference between the two groups. Republicans' approval of congressional Republicans has jumped 13 points to 76% since October, but Democrats' 65% approval of congressional Democrats is virtually unchanged from October. Republicans' and Republican leaners' more positive evaluations of their own party's congressional caucus are the major reason Republicans in Congress receive higher ratings than Democrats in Congress overall. Partisans' Approval Ratings of Congressional Republicans and Democrats Do you approve or disapprove of the way the [Republicans in Congress/Democrats in Congress] are handling their job? October 2019 February 2020 Change % Approve % Approve pct. pts. Republicans in Congress Republicans/Republican-leaning independents 63 76 +13 Democrats/Democratic-leaning independents 13 7 -6 Democrats in Congress Republicans/Republican-leaning independents 8 6 -2 Democrats/Democratic-leaning independents 64 65 +1 GALLUP Just as the public's assessments of congressional Republicans appear to have benefited from Trump's impeachment, so too has Trump. In January and February, the president's job approval rating rose to his personal best of 49%; it remains elevated from where it was before his impeachment. Likewise, Trump's favorability rating, which was 41% in October, reached 48% in January and is currently 46%, including 89% favorable among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. McConnell's Favorability Rating Up After Impeachment Just as job approval for President Trump and the Republicans in Congress has risen, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's image has also improved after impeachment. McConnell's favorability rating has increased by six points since October to 33% now, because of a 15-point jump to 62% among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. There has been no meaningful change in McConnell's unfavorable rating (48%) since October. Although, on a relative basis, McConnell's favorability is not particularly high, it is his highest rating since Gallup's first reading in 2010, and it is well above his personal low of 18% in 2015, the year he became the majority leader. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's 39% favorability is roughly the same as it was in October, but her unfavorable rating has climbed -- from 50% in October to 55% now -- and nearly matches her highest unfavorable of 56% that came just before the 2010 midterm elections in which Republicans regained control of the House. She receives a 71% favorable rating from her party's base. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's current favorable, 31%, is in line with all of Gallup's readings for him since 2017, but his 46% unfavorable rating is his highest of five measurements (though similar to the 44% from June 2018). Fifty-eight percent of Democrats and Democratic leaners view him favorably. Although he was not included in the October 2019 Gallup poll, his latest favorability is roughly in line with a reading from January 2019. Favorability Ratings of U.S. Congressional Leaders, Before and After Impeachment % Favorable Mitch McConnell Nancy Pelosi Chuck Schumer % % February 2020 U.S. adults 33 39 31 Republicans/Republican-leaning independents 62 8 6 Democrats/Democratic-leaning independents 8 71 58 October 2019 U.S. adults 27 40 N/A Republicans/Republican-leaning independents 47 8 Democrats/Democratic-leaning independents 11 67 GALLUP Vice President Mike Pence's current 41% favorable rating is essentially unchanged from October. While Pence did not play a major role in the impeachment proceedings, Trump has since tasked him with overseeing the U.S. government's response to the coronavirus. As cases of the virus continue to multiply in the U.S. and the Trump administration's actions are scrutinized, Americans' views of Pence could change. Romney Now Viewed Favorably by More Democrats Than Republicans Utah Sen. Mitt Romney was the sole Republican to break with his party and vote to convict Trump on one of the two charges in the Senate impeachment trial. Although Romney's 39% favorability among U.S. adults is unchanged from a year ago, he is currently viewed more favorably among Democrats than he is among Republicans, a reversal of previous readings. A 56% majority of Democrats but just 23% of Republicans now hold favorable views of Romney. Compared with Gallup's prior reading of Romney in February 2019, his favorable rating is up 19 points among Democrats and down 22 points among Republicans. Romney's decision last week to back the Republicans' investigation of Hunter Biden's actions in Ukraine could quickly temper Democrats' opinion of him. Implications Republicans in Congress appear to have benefited from the impeachment of the president, as they are currently enjoying improved job approval ratings. Likewise, the favorable ratings of Republicans Trump and McConnell have risen after the impeachment. Meanwhile, the public's ratings of congressional Democrats and Democratic leaders are the same or slightly worse than before impeachment, given no change in favorability or approval but higher unfavorable and disapproval ratings. In the coming months, as Americans' memories of the impeachment fade, their opinions of political leaders may change. The coronavirus outbreak and the Democratic presidential nominating contests have already largely superseded Trump's impeachment in the news. View complete question responses and trends (PDF download). Learn more about public opinion metrics that matter for the 2020 presidential election at Gallup's 2020 Presidential Election Center. Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works. Nursing homes and assisted living centers should take action to curtail most social visits, and should even take steps to keep some employees away, to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, the industry said on Tuesday. The recommendation follows an outbreak of the virus in the region around Seattle, where five long-term care facilities have been hit with cases, including a facility in Kirkland, Wash., where 18 residents have died. The mortality rate is shocking, said Mark Parkinson, president and chief executive officer of the American Health Care Association. He said that the death rate might well exceed the 15 percent reported in China for people aged 80 and older who were infected. The challenge of the virus is one of the most significant, if not the most significant issues the industry has ever faced, he said. Industry officials said they are recommending that nursing homes should allow people to enter only if it is essential. Staff members, contractors and government officials should be asked, Do you need to be in-building to operate? said Dr. David Gifford, the health care associations chief medical officer. As for family members, he said, Our recommendation is they should not be visiting. Anyone who does visit, he said, should be screened carefully at reception and anyone who has signs of illness should be turned away. Rajkot, March 10 : On-field umpire C Shamshuddin was on Tuesday ruled out for the remainder of the Ranji Trophy final after he got hit around the lower abdomen area on the opening day of the title clash between Bengal and Saurashtra. Shamshuddin could not take the field on Day 2 and went for a check-up in a local hospital after his pain aggravated. Shamshuddin's replacement, Yashwant Barde, will join Padmanabhan on the third day. Shamsuddin's on-field partner Anantha Padmanabhan was the only one officiating in the middle during the first session with local umpire Piyush Khakar standing at square leg. Post Lunch, S Ravi joined Padmanabhan in the middle. Shamshuddin was the TV umpire. When you ask an average business audience to name the first person to fly solo, non-stop across the Atlantic, most people know it was Charles Lindbergh. Most can also name Amelia Earhart as the first woman to achieve that feat. But silence usually prevails when people are asked to name the second or third aviator to do it. The fact that the third person was Earhart reveals an important facet of human psychology, namely that we tend to remember people and things based on their category rather than as part of the broader whole. If you are the first or the best, that tends to stick. Related: How to Start a Consulting Business: Determine Your Business Model Consultants and professional service providers would do well to heed this lesson at a time when theyre swimming in an ever-expanding pond of similar firms. There are an estimated 700,000 business consulting firms globally, and many of their services are fast becoming commodities. Whether its getting help on an audit or installing Salesforce, customers know theyre going to get similar types of people and services from the industry. Figure out what makes you special Rather than keep fishing in these vast waters, expert service providers need to shrink their pond by honing in on what they do best. So you cant be the best barbecue restaurant in town? Fine. But maybe instead of being the second or third best maybe you can position yourself as the premier dry-rib joint. Carving out a niche for your practice whether you are self-employed or running a practice inside a bigger company takes on even greater importance when you consider how technology has dispersed an industrys clientele across the globe. Its harder for these far-flung clients to differentiate between one provider and another. The way to cut through this absence of signal is to be the worldwide expert at one particular thing. The simplest way to position yourself as a niche expert is to focus on your most successful case studies. Where have you achieved the best results and added the most value to clients? Build on your successes to create a niche Your practice may have the ability to help any kind of management team, but perhaps, for instance, its worked closely with several mining companies and achieved strong improvements to their supply chain. Backed by this record, maybe you should try to build a niche as the worlds only practice that helps mining sector COOs to drive down costs and control their supply chains. Related: How to Start a Consulting Business: Get Ready to Launch I know one law firm with a regulatory practice that was maybe good enough to make the top 200 firms in the country based on reputation. But it happened to be based in Colorado and California where those states have legalized cannabis and hemp in recent years. The firm has leveraged that geographical advantage to build a practice around helping cannabis and hemp companies navigate regulations and is now fast on its way to becoming the number-one law firm in the country in that niche. Create channels to put your expertise on display After deciding what pond you want to dominate, you can start taking steps to cement your ownership of it. You might publish articles on it or create a regular newsletter highlighting recent trends in order to achieve name recognition among those who matter. You might seek speaking engagements or fund cocktail parties at relevant events. The aim is to narrowcast, not broadcast. We know that it only takes a small collection of select clients to build a successful practice so focus on the 200-300 executives globally who can make this happen. Related: How to Use Your Expertise to Start a Consulting Business Once youve dominated a niche, you can extend that success by entering adjacent niches. Youve done great work with North American mining companies, so maybe an expansion to South American mining firms would work. Or perhaps you could expand into supply-chain solutions for agricultural commodities and hire people accordingly. Resist the urge to be multi-faceted None of this is rocket science but there can be hurdles. Perhaps the most common objection heard from providers is not wanting to downplay or give up on all the other wonderful things they can do. This misses the point. It can be fine to do other things, as long as you have a clean, crisp go-to-market strategy in your chosen niche. Your niche practice should have its own microsite that occupies a relevant URL and features 2 to 3 illustrated case studies explaining how you helped people. If youre part of a larger family of companies, its fine to point that out on the site; just dont throw everything on this particular website with drop-down menus for each specialty. If your mining sector expertise, for instance, is displayed alongside your achievements in crypto-currency accounting, its going to dilute your credibility as a specialist and erode your target customers trust in your ability to get the job done. Keep things simple and direct and that focus can bring surprising results. Related: How to Start a Consulting Business: Determining Your Rates Memo to Expert Service Providers: Carve Yourself a Unique Niche Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Burma Major Powers Beat a Path to Prominent Kachin Partys Door in Northern Myanmar Ethnic Kachin people visit Myitsone, at the confluence of the Mali and Nmai rivers outside Myitkyina, the capital city of Kachin State, in 2017. / REUTERS YANGONThe Indian ambassador to Myanmar, an economic officer from the US Embassy and a counselor from the Chinese Embassy in Yangon held separate meetings with leaders of a popular Kachin party last week. The issues discussed ranged from the peace process to political affairs and investment in Kachin State. On Thursday, the leaders of the Kachin State Peoples Party (KSPP) met with the counselor from the Chinese Embassy in the morning and a US delegation in the evening in Myitkyina, the state capital. The next day, they held a meeting with Saurabh Kumar, Indian ambassador to Myanmarthe partys first meeting with a diplomat from Myanmars powerful northwestern neighbor. Formed as the result of a merger between a group of popular Kachin parties, the KSPP is now the strongest party representing the Kachin people. Lying next to Chinas Yunnan Province, Kachin State plays a strategically important role in Chinas ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The network of infrastructure projects across the region is Chinese President Xi Jinpings signature foreign policy initiative. Myanmar became an official member of the BRI last year after signing a memorandum of understanding establishing the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) in September 2018. Kachin is already home to massive Chinese investments including dam, mining and industrial projects as well as tissue culture banana plantations, among others. Under the BRI plan, China is set to invest US$400 million (545 billion kyats) in the Myitkyina Economic Zone on 4,700 acres of land along the Ledo Road and US$22.4 million in an industrial park in the border town of Kanpiketi, which will bring the state even more firmly into Chinas economic orbit. Kachin State also plays a vital role in Chinas planned China-Myanmar Irrawaddy Economic Belt, a strategic land and water transport route expected to start in Kunming and run through Yunnans Longchuan to Kachins Bhamo, then to Yangon and the Indian Ocean. Gumgrawng Awng Hkam, the KSPPs vice president and a member of its Central Executive Committee, told The Irrawaddy that the Indian ambassador sought the views of Kachin politicians on possible investment opportunities and ways to support development in the state. India is also considering reconstructing a segment of the Ledo Road in Kachin State. But they want to ensure that they are not merely helping the flow of Chinas exports and that there will be no restrictions on India, Awng Hkam said. The Ledo Road was built during World War II to enable the Western allies to deliver supplies to China and thus aid the war effort against Japanese forces. It was an overland connection between Ledo in Indias Assam State and Kunming in Chinas Yunnan Province. China has made the area a strategic priority, with the ultimate aim of linking it with India as part of its BRI, although India strongly opposes the initiative. India wants to know our opinion on the important position of the Ledo Road. For us, it would be useful to improve relations with India, especially economically, Awng Hkam said. In recent years, the Myanmar government has reportedly asked India to reconstruct the Ledo Road as an alternative to the existing Lashio-Kunming Burma Road. Meanwhile, the Myitkyina to Shingbwiyang section is the only part of the Ledo Road that can currently be traveled by car. The rest of the route needs to be rebuilt. Myanmars land border with northeastern India stretches for some 1,624 kilometers, and Myanmars geographic position gives it a key role in New Delhis Act East policy, which aims to boost economic integration with Southeast and East Asia while providing a counterweight to Chinas influence in the region. Currently, India is involved in several infrastructure projects in Myanmar including the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, which aims to connect the eastern Indian seaport of Kolkata with the Sittwe deep-water port in Rakhine State by sea. New Delhis strategic goal is to create a Special Economic Zone surrounding the Sittwe port, and in so doing, cement Indias footprint in Rakhine and boost its presence in the Bay of Bengal. The Sittwe port is meant to be Indias answer to the Chinese-funded Kyaukphyu port, which is intended to cement Chinas geostrategic footprint in Rakhine. Aung Hkam said, The ambassador asked about Chinese investment in Kachin, saying India will find a way to deepen its engagement with Kachin, especially economic relations. It seems they are fully aware of Chinas growing leverage in Kachin State and they dont want to see China gain the upper hand here, Aung Hkam said. The Indian ambassador also met with the Rev. Hkalam Samson, president of the Kachin Baptist Convention. They also discussed the Ledo Road project, as well as opportunities for India to help the peace process and facilitate the return of Kachin internally displaced persons (IDPs) across the state. The ambassador said they want to contribute to the social welfare of the Kachin people. India wants to know what they can do to establish closer relations with us, Rev. Hkalam Samson said. The ambassador also asked about the Kachin party and its potential to win in this years upcoming general election. Rev. Hkalam Samson said, When it comes to helping the peace process, I told them not to talk only with the government side, and urged them to talk with armed groups as well. Officials from the KSPP also held a meeting with Kelly Tek, economic officer at the US Embassy, on Thursday evening. This is not the first time US officials have landed in Myitkyina. In November, US Ambassador Scot Marciel met with several Kachin political figures in Myitkyina including the leaders of the KSPP, and promised to continue US support for Kachins political and economic development. Awng Hkam said, This time, the US officials sought potential investment opportunities in Kachin State, especially in the agricultural sector. We also discussed matters relating to the election, Awng Hkam said. The KSPP has long asked the US and the UK to open liaison offices in Myitkyina. It seems they have been carefully watching us, because of Chinas growing influence here, Awng Hkam said. Personally, I understand that US investment is still hard to carry out here because the conditions are insecure due to the civil war, he added. At a meeting between a counselor from the Chinese Embassy and KSPP President Manam Tuja, the Chinese side said they would continue to support the peace process in Kachin State. Chinas role in the peace process became crucial in 2017, as it began acting as a peace broker between the military and ethnic armed groups, especially those that are active near its border and havent signed a ceasefire with the government. Manam Tuja said, I told them that peace should come first, before making economic agreements. They should implement the projects after peace prevails in Kachin State. The officials also discussed the KSPPs prospects in the 2020 elections. Chinese Ambassador Chen Hai visited Myitkyina in November, but only met with government officials, representatives of Chinese companies and Chinese residents in Kachin State. Since assuming his position in mid-2019, he has not yet officially met with politicians from the KSPP. According to Manam Tuja, the counselors trip was intended to pave the way for a visit to Myitkyina by the ambassador in the near future. The Kachin State government recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a Chinese-backed company to develop a business park project in Kanpiketi as part of the BRI. However, locals have criticized the government over the projects lack of transparency. Awng Hkam said they told the counselor that the KSPP strongly opposes the Myitkyina Economic Zone and Kanpiketi business park projects for the same reason. China should respect the concerns and point of view of locals. We urged them to invest in that kind of project after we have successfully built a federal system in Kachin, Awng Hkam said. Kachins strategic location has also attracted Japan, which seeks to counter Chinas influence in Myanmar. Japanese Ambassador Ichiro Maruyama was the first foreign envoy to meet with KSPP leaders after the party received its official registration letter from the Union Election Commission (UEC) last year. Many observers have been critical of Myanmars tilt toward China, which comes amid a disengagement by the West due to the Rohingya crisis in Rakhine State. Amid severe pressure on Myanmar from the international community, China has shown support for Naypyitaw over the Rakhine crisis. Experts say the two countries diplomatic ties have reached new heights under the National League for Democracy (NLD) government. Early this year, President Xis visit to Myanmar alerted other powerful players in the region to the need to bolster their own ties with Myanmar. During the Chinese presidents trip, Myanmar and China signed a feasibility study on a China-funded resettlement project for IDPs in Kachin State. Rev. Hkalam Samson said the US has been making all possible efforts to counterbalance Chinese influence, though it has yet to launch economic activities in the state. But for India, it is the very first time they have directly engaged with us, he said. Xis trip signaled to the powerful players that it is not time to sit back and relax. They also need to engage in practical cooperation on economic development here, Rev. Hkalam Samson said. You may also like these stories: Fighting Blocks off Food Supplies to Myanmars Chin State Township Myanmar Military Chief Meets Kachin Religious Leader Kachin NGOs Ask for Mask Donations for IDPs Near China-Myanmar Border The youth pastor accused of inappropriately touching a 12-year-old girl told her to lie and say it never happened, according to an arrest affidavit. Clayton Turner, 40, was arrested Friday on charges of aggravated sexual assault and indecency with a child-contact after the victim told a school district employee that a family member had touched her. Turner is thought to have had access to children at several places of worship through his work, said Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, who warned the public that there may be more victims. The 12-year-old said that on Feb. 22 she was at Turner's home with her sister when, in the middle of the night, Turner came into her bedroom. She said Turner got on top of her, began touching her breasts and attempted to kiss her, the affidavit said. READ ALSO: BCSO arrests youth pastor charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child Her sister, who was sleeping beside her, woke up and used the flashlight app on her cell phone to see what was happening. She told police she saw Turner touching her sister's breasts. Turner then got up, pretended to "roar" and told the girls he was trying to scare them before leaving the bedroom, according to the affidavit. The victim said Turner had been touching her since she was about 8 years old. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox According to the affidavit, after the abuse allegations, Turner allegedly sent the girl a text message that read: "You need to say this never happened. I never said anything about you when you kissing me when you came in my room and laid on the bed and pull up your shirt and when I was on the couch and you got on top of me when you put my hand on it, I never said anything when you would be on the couch doing your thing I never said anything. Tell your (sic) and who ever else nothing happened." Turner is being held on a $105,000 bond. Anyone with information about Turner is asked to call BCSO at 210-335-6070. The city of Santa Fe is working to install 120 hand-sanitizing stations around town to help combat the spread of germs in the wake of the coronavirus, Mayor Alan Webber said at a media briefing Monday. In addition to the hand-sanitizing stations, the city has been wiping down high-activity areas in its facilities, ranging from doors at City Hall to equipment at its recreation centers. There have been no reported cases of the deadly virus so far in the state and the mayor said the city is taking a watch and wait approach before taking such measures as requiring non-essential city employees to work from home. On Monday, Santa Fe Public Schools Superintendent Veronica Garcia issued a ban on all out-of-state and out-of-country trips involving staff and students. The measure affects official SFPS business only, not personal travel. We dont have the authority to regulate personal travel, said David Carl, SFPS chief community engagement officer. But many students are likely to take vacations with their families during the districts March 14-20 spring break. During his media roundtable, Webber said he is consulting with state and county government officials in crafting a response to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Kyle Mason, the citys Emergency Management Director, attended a New Mexico Partners in Preparedness convention in Albuquerque earlier this month that focused on how to best protect the public during emergencies. Although Austin, Texas, canceled the South by Southwest festival showcasing music and technology scheduled to start March 13, Webber said its still too soon to tell whether the spread of the coronavirus will impact large gatherings in the City Different. Among the events that draw many international visitors are the International Folk Art Market and the Santa Fe Opera, which has sold a record number of tickets for its summer 2020 season, Webber said. The mayor noted that many visitors to Santa Fe drive from nearby states and do not fly, limiting their exposure to germs. The coronavirus has hit home for the mayor personally. His wife and daughter were due to travel to Japan, and he was going to join them the last week of their trip. But that trip has been canceled, he said. By Steve Holland and Alexandra Alper WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Monday said he will be taking "major" steps to gird the economy against the impact of the spreading coronavirus outbreak and will discuss a payroll tax cut with congressional Republicans on Tuesday. "We'll be discussing a possible payroll tax cut or relief, substantial relief, very substantial relief, that's a big number," Trump told reporters. He did not provide details but said a news conference will be held on Tuesday. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the top two Democrats in Congress, told reporters that any payroll tax cut should be limited to those affected by the virus. They also said they are crafting new legislation, on the heels of $8.3 billion coronavirus funding enacted last week, that might be ready to be introduced this week. Among proposals that could be included are ensuring water supplies are maintained for people even if they cannot pay their bills as a result of the crisis, expanded unemployment insurance, medical leave and providing food for children who rely on school nutrition programs if schools are shut. Vice President Mike Pence said the administration was consulting Congress on providing paid sick leave to workers, an idea that Democrats already have been trying to advance. The stepped-up response to the coronavirus came as the number of confirmed cases in the United States hit 605, according to Johns Hopkins University. Three additional deaths in Washington state, according to officials, brought the total nationwide to 25. Earlier Monday, Johns Hopkins said that worldwide, there are 113,584 cases, with 3,996 deaths, the majority in China. The Trump administration moves came as stock markets plunged and top health officials urged some people to avoid cruise ships, air travel and big public gatherings. The administration was planning to huddle in coming days with executives of the banking, hospital and health insurance industries. Story continues While an across-the-board payroll tax cut has been under discussion, top White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow and others have advocated specific tax credits, loans or direct subsidies to certain industries or hard-hit areas. A payroll tax cut could encourage consumer spending and help households that might otherwise struggle to make rent and mortgage payments on time or pay medical bills if family members' work hours are reduced during the coronavirus outbreak. 'BEYOND THE FACTS' In Florida, state health officials said everyone returning from China, Iran, South Korea and Italy must isolate for 14 days while travelers from other countries affected by the outbreak should monitor their health. Thirty-four U.S. states and the District of Columbia have reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) infections of the respiratory illness COVID-19 that can lead to pneumonia. Louisiana had its first presumed coronavirus case, Governor John Bel Edwards announced on Monday. As worries over the virus deepened, a wave of selling took over Wall Street. The Dow fell a record 2,000 points when trading opened and the S&P 500 posted its largest single-day percentage drop since December 2008, the depths of the financial crisis. A nearly 25% plunge in oil prices contributed to fears of a looming recession. Trump, who often points to the stock market as a gauge of his economic record, criticized news media organizations' coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and accused Democrats of hyping the situation "far beyond what the facts would warrant." The CDC advised colleges and universities to consider asking students studying abroad to return home and cancel or postpone upcoming travel. Several U.S. universities were either moving to virtual instruction or considering the step and limiting gatherings on their campuses. Anthony Fauci, head of infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health, and other health officials say older Americans, especially those with chronic medical concerns, should avoid big social gatherings, cruise ships and airline flights. As leaders in the U.S. Congress reviewed potential plans for operating amid coronavirus, four Republican lawmakers - Senator Ted Cruz and Representatives Paul Gosar, Doug Collins and Matt Gaetz --announced that they would self-quarantine after coming in contact at a conservative political conference with an attendee who later tested positive for the virus. Gaetz traveled with Trump aboard Air Force One on Monday. Republican Representative Mark Meadows, Trump's incoming chief of staff, will self-quarantine until Wednesday, a spokesman said. Trump and Pence, who is heading the administration's overall response to the crisis, also attended the conference. The White House said there was no indication either came into contact with the infected attendee. The White House late Monday said that Trump had not received the coronavirus test. Pence said he has not been tested. CRUISE SHIP The coronavirus outbreak, which originated in China late last year, has spread to at least 105 countries and territories. Italy, which has the second-highest death toll, said it was extending to the rest of the country restrictions on movement imposed on much of its wealthy industrial north in an effort to contain the virus. The hardest-hit place in the United States has been a nursing home in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, and Washington state is considering mandatory measures such as banning large gatherings but not necessarily imposing massive quarantines. The Life Care Center facility has accounted for most of the 18 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths in Washington state. The three new deaths reported on Monday were all former residents of the facility. In California, officials planned to offload 2,400 passengers on Monday and Tuesday from the Grand Princess cruise ship, which was barred from returning to San Francisco last week due to a coronavirus outbreak on board. Most of the passengers will go into quarantine at military bases in the United States, with those requiring immediate medical attention heading to hospitals. The crew of 1,100 will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship, unless they are in need of acute care off the vessel. California has more than 100 confirmed cases, while on the East Coast, cases in New York state rose to 142, up from 105 a day earlier, Governor Andrew Cuomo said. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio asked employers in the nation's most populous city to consider staggering workers' start times to ease crowding on public transport and to allow more telecommuting where possible. De Blasio said there were 20 confirmed cases in the city as of Monday afternoon. (Reporting by Steve Holland and Alexander Alper; Additional reporting by Susan Heavey, Lisa Lambert, Heather Timmons, Eric Beech, David Shepardson, Makini Brice, David Morgan and Susan Cornwell in Washington, Nathan Layne, Jonathan Allen and Peter Szekely in New York, Brendan O'Brien in Chicago and Trevor Hunnicutt in Flint, Michigan; Writing by Paul Simao and Richard Cowan; Editing by Bill Berkrot, Cynthia Osterman and Leslie Adler) China busiest coal railway saw freight volume drop for a fourth consecutive month in February, as the novel coronavirus outbreak pushed down coal output, and market demand remained weak. The 653-kilometer (405-mile) Daqin railway, which starts in Datong in the coal-rich province of Shanxi, and snakes through four regions until it reaches the Hebei province port city of Qinhuangdao, carried 23.71 million tons of coal last month. That was down 25.56% compared with the same period last year, according to a report filed by the rail operator to the Shanghai Stock Exchange Tuesday. A transportation analyst told Caixin that dip is due to slumping supply and demand, not transportation capacity. The analyst said the coronavirus hasnt had a big direct impact on the railways operations, as few workers are needed to transport goods. Many of the coal mines in northern China are yet to resume work even after an extended Lunar New Year holiday, and those that have started operating again are often running under full capacity due to labor shortages, as mandatory 14-day quarantines are keeping many workers off-site. Ordos, in North Chinas Inner Mongolia autonomous region, has 333 coal mines and can produce more of the fossil fuel than any other city in China 838 million tons a year. But as of Sunday, just 179 mines with combined annual capacity of 572 million tons are up and running, according to the local energy administration. Energy-hungry manufacturers in Chinas most developed regions have also taken a long break, contributing to low demand. Daily coal consumption by the six biggest state-owned power generators, a figure often used as a gauge of economic activity, dropped to 394,900 tons in February, posting a 24.65% year-on-year decline, data from the China Coal Transportation and Distribution Association showed. Total freight volume on the Daqin railway fell 4.48% to 431 million tons in 2019. Zeng Hao, a coal analyst at consultancy Fenwei Energy Information Services, previously told Caixin that this figure was in part due to a higher comparison base in late 2018, as import restrictions drove purchases of domestic coal higher. Unlike the downbeat performance of coal-focused railways, general freight lines saw an uptick last year, transporting 13.32 million tons more goods compared with 2018, according to China Railway Group Ltd. That follows Beijings drive to move logistics away from dirtier road transport to comparatively cleaner rail. Contact reporter Lu Yutong (yutonglu@caixin.com) and editor Joshua Dummer (joshuadummer@caixin.com) A South African court has cleared President of allegations that he misled parliament about the funding of his campaign to become leader of the ruling African National Congress party. Ramaphosa had been accused by the country's public watchdog of misleading lawmakers about a USD 34,000 contribution from the CEO of a local company, Africa Global Operations, formerly known as Bosasa. The company has been implicated in a state probe into allegations of corruption in government and state-owned enterprises during former president Jacob Zuma's tenure from 2009 to 2018. The Pretoria High Court Tuesday dismissed the watchdog's report which is a boost for Ramaphosa, who became president on promises to rid of corruption. Ramaphosa replaced Zuma as ANC leader and later as president of the country after Zuma resigned under pressure amid numerous allegations of graft. Friends and relatives prepare to bury Abdullah Esomuso, who died more than a month after he was found unconscious in a military interrogation center in southern Thailands Pattani province, Aug. 25, 2019. Updated at 1:55 p.m. ET on 2020-03-12 Thailands Ministry of Justice has signed with military legal officers an agreement aimed at promoting an understanding of human rights and related laws among members of the armed forces. Officials of the justice ministrys Rights and Liberties Department and the militarys Judge Advocate General (JAG) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Monday, about a year after military-backed parties won the March 2019 elections that, according to critics, was engineered to keep former junta leader Prayuth Chan-o-cha as prime minister. Prayuth had held the post since 2014 when he led a junta that overthrew the elected government of then-Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Thailand has seen more than 20 coups since the country converted from absolute to constitutional monarchy in 1932. The purpose of the MOU is to promote knowledge and understanding of rights, freedom, human rights and related laws among judge advocates so they can train other personnel, said a statement released after the ceremony. Following the 2014 coup, the Prayuth-led National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) the juntas official name ordered civilians to stand trial in military court. At least 98 people had been charged with violating Lese Majeste, Thailands strict royal defamation law, while more than 400 faced allegations of violating a law that prohibits public political gatherings of more than five people. After Prayuth took his oath in July 2019 as the leader of an elected government, he revoked many NCPO orders that deprived people of political freedom and transferred those cases from military courts to civilian courts. Despite the change, JAG officers did not stop prosecutions of opposition members. In October 2019, a JAG officer filed a complaint against 12 people, including academics, civilians and opposition party members, for allegedly discussing potential solutions to the separatist conflict that has dragged on for years in Thailand's southern border region, known as the Deep South. One of those charged, Chalita Banthuwong, a professor at Kasetsart University in Bangkok, appeared to suggest that an amendment to the 2017 junta-backed constitution might help settle the conflict, according to a video posted on YouTube and Facebook. Government officials accused her and the others, including Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the former leader of the now-defunct Future Forward Party, of attempting to create chaos and incite turmoil during Sept. 28, 2019, Deep South forum. Police said they are continuing their investigation. Chalita expressed skepticism about the MOU. I havent seen the details yet but it is likely just a mere image-building effort rather than an attempt to genuinely protect peoples rights and freedom, Chalita told BenarNews. In the past it was the military who filed complaints to police against the junta-resistant citizens. Deep South issues Col. Pramote Prom-in, spokesman for the Internal Security Operations Command-4, which covers the Deep South, hailed the agreement as a positive step. Violence related to a separatist insurgency has led to more than 7,000 deaths since 2004 in the mainly Muslim and Malay-speaking region. The MOU signing is a good thing. It makes government officials aware of human rights issues essential to the Deep South, Pramote told BenarNews on Tuesday. Previously we were not aware of human rights concerns because they were not in our training curriculum, he said. We learned on the job and gained experience. He blamed some human rights activists for publicizing false stories about the military. The prosecutions would not have happened to some rights advocates if they were sincere, he said, adding, Some of them accused us of torture. He said he wanted the activists to understand that violent suspects often have weapons, so the military must react to subdue them. Meanwhile, the family of Abdullah Esomuso, 34, who fell into a coma after being interrogated at an army camp in Pattani province in July 2019 and died a month later, said they had been waiting for justice. On Tuesday, Abdullahs family told BenarNews that Pattani police had interrogated 18 witnesses and were compiling evidence to proceed with a complaint. Our lawyer will urge the police to speed up the case. We heard from the Cross Cultural Foundation that officials from the Department of Special Investigation plan to question his widow and me and gather forensic evidence, Abdullahs cousin, Muhammad Nomud Mamud, told BenarNews. This story was updated to correct the name of the Cross Cultural Foundation. Revenue Minister R Ashoka on Monday expressed helplessness on acting against errant sub-registrars, during a debate in the Legislative Assembly about the fraudulent sale of 21.19 acres of precious government land in Yelahanka in Bengaluru. Former minister Krishna Byre Gowda, who represents Byatarayanapura, raised the issue of survey number 75/4 measuring 21.19 acres in Chokkanahalli in Yelahanka, which he said had been sold illegally. The records of rights, tenancy and crops (RTC) clearly says it is government land. It cannot be sold at all. How did the sub-registrar allow the sale to be registered? Gowda said, during Question Hour. Gowda added that a report from the forensic science laboratory confirmed that the documents had been fudged. I brought this to the notice of the authorities in early January. But no action was taken until I sent this question through the Speaker. Does it require members to raise a question in the Assembly for the government to take action, he asked. In his reply, Ashoka said the sub-registrar concerned had been suspended. But he came back after moving court against the suspension. Then, we transferred him to Tumakuru, but again, he came back after moving Karnataka Administrative Tribunal. This is how our system is, he said. Having said that, Ashoka assured the House that the government will protect the land. Gowda also claimed that under the Byatarayanapura sub-registrar limits, the sale of 10 properties had been registered using the same property ID. Every property has a unique ID. But in 10 cases, the ID of one property had been used to sell 10 different properties. How did this manipulation happen? he sought to know. Senior JD(S) legislator A T Ramaswamy, who earlier led a joint House committee to study encroachment on government land, said Bengaluru had become a haven for landgrabbers. During another discussion, Ashoka admitted to irregularities during survey works, especially when it comes to identifying cases of RTCs having multiple ownership and converting them into single ownership (phodi-free). Surveying has become a big knot. There are irregularities. In fact, retired tahsildars have signed off in some cases, Ashoka said. Ramaswamy lamented that the phodi-free drive, which the government launched in 2015, had become a bitter pill for farmers. If you dont simplify the process, then farmers will continue to suffer, he told Ashoka. Advertisement Parts of Britain deluged by recent storms were today braced for more flooding amid further torrential rain before nearly an inch of snow falls later this week. Flood barriers have been deployed to protect Hereford, three weeks after a record high on the River Wye of 20ft (6.11m) - more than 6ft (2m) above the level which leads to minor flooding in the city. The Environment Agency said the River Wye was expected to peak in Hereford this evening at around 16ft (5m), while the Met Office has warned of heavy rain in parts of Wales and northern England. Meanwhile, the River Severn in Shrewsbury is predicted to rise to levels which may cause flooding in the town tomorrow. Up to four inches (100mm) of rain is expected in less than 24 hours in Wales, with the Environment Agency saying there could be 'significant flooding' along the Ouse and Aire in Yorkshire, along with floods in the Severn estuary. Flooding has been affecting roads in Wales around Talbot Green and Builth Wells as well as train lines between Llanharan and Llanstrisant, and between Mountain Ash and Aberdare. But many parts of England enjoyed temperatures warmer than Nice in France today, with the mercury rising as high as 17C (63F) in East Anglia thanks to a southwesterly airflow originating from the Azores. By 2.30pm, Cromer in Norfolk had recorded the warmest UK temperature of 2020 so far with 16.2C (61.2F). However, a snow and ice warning is then in place for Scotland and northern England from 9pm tomorrow, which threatens up to 0.8in (2cm) of snow above 500ft (150m) as well as sleet and flurries to lower levels. The Sportsman's Rest pub in the Welsh village of Peterston-super-Ely flooded today for the third time in three weeks Dave Throup, Environment Agency manager for Herefordshire and Worcestershire, tweeted: 'As forecast some absolutely torrential rain over mid Wales. 'River Wye in Herefordshire now responding to last night's heavy rain in Wales. Expecting a peak of around 5m in Hereford tonight. That's around a metre lower than February 17.' In another tweet, Mr Throup said February's floods on a stretch of the River Teme near Leintwardine, Herefordshire, had created new channels, undercut banks and created huge new gravel deposits. Areas of Wales already hit by flooding in February, including Builth Wells and Newtown, were among those expected to be worst hit by the heavy rain today, with flooding likely to cause damage to homes and businesses. In an amber warning which ran until this morning, the Met Office said: 'Homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, causing damage to some buildings. Fast flowing or deep floodwater is likely, causing danger to life. 'Delays and some cancellations to train and bus services are likely, while spray and flooding will probably lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.' Worcestershire Cricket Ground has re-emerged from the flooding today which left it under water in recent weeks Flooding on a road in the Vale of Glamorgan village of Peterston-super-Ely on the outskirts of Cardiff this morning Within the amber warning area, forecasters said there was 'a good chance some communities cut off by flooded roads'. Power cuts and loss of other services to some homes and businesses were said to be 'likely'. Pub landlord stranded upstairs in his pub which has flooded for the third time in three weeks Landlord Huw Jones has had his pub in Wales for 16 years but has never known a year like it. One again he is stranded upstairs in his Peterston-super-Ely pub, the Sportsman's Rest, which has flooded for the third time in three weeks. He is waiting there for the water to recede after a group of his regulars came to help him move some of the stock, tables and chairs out of the flood water around 5.45am today. The Sportsman's Rest pub in Peterston-super-Ely has been flooded today after the River Ely burst its banks again The River Ely has burst its banks again, with roads closed and flooded in Cardiff. 'I woke up early and realised that we had been flooded again,' he said. 'I couldn't believe it was happening again. There is a group of regulars who I can call on and when I phoned they leapt out of bed and came down to help me move some of the stock and the furniture. 'They have been fantastic, but it is starting to get embarrassing now as I have had to call on them three times in three weeks. I have been here for 16 years and never known a year like it. It just seems to never end.' This morning there was about 2ft of water in the pub, slightly less than the 2ft 6in that flooded in on February 29 when Storm Jorge brought heavy rain to Wales. That day locals brought Mr Jones and his pub manager bacon sandwiches and winched them in when the pair got stranded upstairs. Mr Jones says: 'We were still trying to dry the pub out from two weeks ago. The assessors had been in and the walls were so wet it didn't even register on their equipment. All the skirting boards had to come off and we were trying to get the walls dried out.' The pub has been flooded on September 28, February 15 and 29, and again today. Advertisement The Met Office said the rain would be 'persistent and heavy', with 2in to 2.8in (50mm to 70mm) of rain 'likely to fall widely' in upland areas and 0.8in to 1.6in (20mm to 40mm) at lower levels. In the worst-hit areas, up to 100mm (4in) was forecast for high ground. 'Given saturated ground and high river levels, this may be enough for some flooding and disruption,' the warning added. Affected areas include the upland sources of the River Severn and rivers in Yorkshire, which flooded dramatically in the wake of storms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge last month. Some 26 flood warnings and 161 flood alerts remained in force, including on stretches of the Severn and Wye, and the Aire, Ouse and Ure in Yorkshire. Warnings in force including on the River Aire at Snaith Ings, East Yorkshire, near where 120 homes were flooded recently. Temporary flood barriers were also still in place along the Severn at Bewdley in Worcestershire. The Environment Agency has urged communities in the north and west of England and those living along coasts and estuaries to check their flood risk due to heavy rain and high tides. A spokesman said: 'Heavy rain falling across already wet catchments may lead to significant flooding for some places along rivers in the north of England and the West Midlands, including the Ouse and Aire in Yorkshire. 'Significant surface water flooding is also possible across parts of the West Midlands and the north of England into Tuesday. This is due to further heavy rain falling on already saturated ground. 'Localised coastal flooding is likely in the Severn estuary and in the Wye estuary (and) also possible on the Mersey estuary and on the Yorkshire coast.' The Environment Agency said its response includes continued use of 30 pumps on the lower River Aire, to remove floodwater in Snaith. In Mytholmroyd in West Yorkshire, which flooded during Storm Ciara, an additional 65 metres (213ft) of temporary barriers have been installed to bolster the town's defences. Nearly 5,000 homes and businesses were affected by the floods from Storms Ciara and Dennis alone, according to the Association of British Insurers. Gales are also expected to accompany the forecast heavy rain, with gusts of up to 50 mph on exposed coasts and hills in the south and west of the country. But it is set to turn very mild for a time today, with temperatures reaching 16C (61F) in southern and eastern areas - on a par with Barcelona, Spain, and warmer than Nice, on the Cote D'Azur, where 15C (57F) is expected. Met Office forecaster Nicola Maxey said: 'Tuesday will be the warmer day of the week with temperatures possibly reaching 16C (60.8F) in some isolated spots. We are looking at a southwesterly airflow originating from the Azores. An amber rain warning was in place for Wales this morning (left), while temperatures will rise in the South East later (right) Rain and snow will fall tomorrow and Thursday, with Scotland and northern England getting nearly an inch of the white stuff 'There will be some showers and it turns cooler through the week and then less cold at the weekend. There may be a risk of ice and snow showers in the north between Wednesday and Thursday.' Sunshine and showers are set arrive in the wake of the deluge, when it is likely to turn chillier from tomorrow onwards, with the chance of wintry showers over northern hills. Marco Petagna, Met Office spokesman, said: 'It is likely to be an unsettled week, with the most persistent rain on Monday into Tuesday. 'If some of the showers forecast for later in the week merge into longer spells of rain, there is potential for further warnings to be issued, given the saturated state of the ground. 'Strong winds are expected with the heavy rain, with gales on exposed hills and coasts in the south and along the west coast. Some 26 flood warnings and 161 flood alerts remained in force today, including on stretches of the Rivers Severn and Wye 'On Thursday, there could be further severe gales of up to 60mph in Northern Ireland, Scotland and into North West England.' But Mr Petagna said there could finally be some good news in the coming weeks. 'Our 30-day forecast suggests there are hints of things becoming a bit drier with mild days and temperatures into the mid-teens (Celsius). However, frosts are still possible at night,' he said. The Met Office predicts further spells of wet and windy weather for the next week but 'more settled conditions with longer periods of drier and brighter weather' could arrive for the second half of the month and into April. However, unsettled conditions are likely to persist in the west and north. A 53-year-old woman was allegedly murdered in the Charkhari police station area of Mahoba district by her brother-in-law when she was taking a bath in a river, police said on Tuesday. Police have arrested the accused. Mahoba SP Manilal Patidar on Tuesday said, "Premrani (53), mother of the village pradhan of Gurha village in the Charkhari police station area, died after she was attacked by her elder brother-in-law Rampal Rajput with an axe." He said the incident took place on Monday when the deceased was taking a bath along with other women in the Arjun river. "The accused has been arrested and the axe was seized," he added. The SP said the accused is mentally retarded and being interrogated. The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) When Katie Brennan went to police with allegations of a sexual assault, the four police officers who questioned her reduced her to tears. Then, she says, they spelled her name wrong on the police report and misrepresented what she said. Months later, prosecutors declined to take her case. When she went public with her accusations, she was told by state officials she had violated state policy about speaking publicly about a sexual harassment complaint against a state employee. We could do better, Brennan said of how her case was handled. Weve come a long way, but there is more to do. Brennan who made headlines last year when she testified at a state legislative hearing about accusing an adviser to Gov. Phil Murphy of rape spoke Monday at the second hearing of a committee looking for ways to combat the toxic culture for women in New Jersey politics. Brennan and her attorney, Katy McClure, outlined some of the two dozen ways they say New Jersey can reform its policies to treat sexual assault victims more fairly. There is momentum for making major changes in New Jersey, Brennan said. It is never a convenient time for a revolution, a convenient time to smash the patriarchy. Its never a convenient time to hold your friends and colleagues accountable. But now is that time. Change is here. Change is coming, Brennan said. The forum was the second of three public meetings of the Workgroup on Harassment, Sexual Assault and Misogyny in New Jersey Politics. The group was founded by state Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, to look for ways to combat the toxic culture for women in and around the Statehouse. Weinberg founded the group, made up of top female lobbyists, politicians and policy experts, in response to a Dec. 29 NJ Advance Media report on widespread, unreported sexual harassment in local and state politics. The Workgroup on Harassment, Sexual Assault and Misogyny in New Jersey Politics holds a public forum at Rowan College at Burlington County. Listening from left, former state Assemblywoman Elizabeth "Lisa" Randall, Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, state Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, and Patricia Teffenheart, executive director of the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com The first forum, held in Fort Lee last month, included several women speaking before an audience of about 50 people. Mondays hearing at Rowan College at Burlington County in Mount Laurel included four speakers, including Brennan, speaking before about 25 people. Another hearing will be held next Monday at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. Thirteen members of the Workgroup on Harassment, Sexual Assault and Misogyny sat silently during Brennans passionate testimony. None asked questions. The members said the purpose of the hearing was to listen. Brennan, a volunteer on the Murphy campaign, said she was raped by former campaign adviser Albert Alvarez in 2017. The accusation, made public in 2018, and allegations of an ensuing cover-up led to legislative hearings and a scathing legislative report detailing the ways Brennans case was mishandled. Alvarez denied any wrongdoing, was never arrested and two county prosecutors who reviewed the case declined to prosecute. Alvarez resigned from his state job. Brennan, now chief of staff to the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, filed suit against Alvarez and the state last year. She alleged the Murphy campaign and the state failed to properly investigate her case. She released a list of 27 proposed changes to state laws and regulations last month that would overhaul how sexual assault allegations are handled by police, prosecutors, judges, political campaigns and employers. The proposal includes calls for the state to drop its policies requiring state employees to remain silent about sexual harassment complaints until they are investigated. Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, a co-chair of the workgroup, said she was concerned about Brennan and her attorneys testimony about how some women are treated when they make a complaint. As I listened to Katie, 25 years ago we heard stories about women who were victims of domestic violence and when they would call the local police, the local police said, Oh just work it out between you two and walk away," Oliver said. We are at a turning point now. Thomas Bracken, president and CEO of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, was among the others who spoke to the workgroup at Mondays hearing. He spoke about changes made to his organizations annual Walk to Washington networking train trip, help last month. The NJ Advance Media report on sexual harassment in politics included several accounts of women who said they were groped or subjected to sexual comments from men on the annual Chamber Train trip, which includes people networking in crowded train cars. Those accounts prompted the Chamber of Commerce to make several changes to this years trip, including banning hard alcohol on the train, increasing security and offering a hotline where attendees could report inappropriate behavior. The hotline got two calls during the train trip, Bracken said. One was from someone who missed the train. The second was a prank call" from a prominent New Jersey leader. The Workgroup on Harassment, Sexual Assault and Misogyny in New Jersey Politics held a public forum at Rowan College at Burlington County on Monday. Thomas Bracken, New Jersey Chamber of Commerce president, was the first to testify.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Bracken, who declined to name the caller or say if he was a lawmaker, said the man was reprimanded for his joke, which violated the chambers policies. This individual is a very prominent person in the state of New Jersey, but we made it very clear that no matter who called or did anything like that, they would be treated the same, Bracken said. The workgroups next public forum will be held March 16 from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Rutgers Labor Education Center at 50 Labor Center Way in New Brunswick. Anyone who wants to sign up in advance to speak at either the Mount Laurel or the New Brunswick public forums can sign up in advance at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/publicforum. Speakers can also sign up at the door to the events. The workgroup also plans to hold a closed-door listening session for those who do not want to speak in public, though the date and location have not been announced. The New Jersey Coalition on Sexual Assault is also collecting peoples experiences with and opinions about sexual harassment in politics and government in an online survey. Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find her at KellyHeyboerReporter on Facebook. A man has died after he was trapped in a conveyor belt at a fertiliser factory north of Brisbane on Tuesday afternoon. The incident, at Queensland Organics in the Moreton Bay suburb of Narangba, is being investigated by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland inspectors. Queensland Organics manufactures organic and organic-based fertilisers and has been operating since 1995. Credit:Google Maps Police have since confirmed the death of the 38-year-old man, who lived in the Moreton Bay suburb of Caboolture. A Queensland Ambulance Service spokesman said the patient was in a critical condition when paramedics arrived. One of Harvey Weinstein's victims who testified at the movie mogul's trial is urging the judge to 'not give him special treatment' during sentencing tomorrow. In an open letter published on Medium, 43-year-old aspiring actress Tarale Wulff, described her experience as one of three Molineux witnesses who testified at Weinsteins criminal trial last month where she told the jury how Weinstein invited her for an audition then allegedly raped her in his New York apartment and told her 'don't worry, I've had a vasectomy'. The 67-year-old will be sentenced Wednesday and faces a maximum of 29 years in prison after being found guilty of criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree. In court documents filed Monday, Weinstein asked for leniency and only a five-year prison sentence. Wulff writes: 'My hope is that Judge [James] Burke will hold Weinstein accountable by imposing a prison sentence that reflects what he has done to us and knowing that whatever sentence he renders, it will never undo what has happened. 'Those events will continue to haunt me and the other survivors for the rest of our lives.' Tarale Wulff took the witness stand at Weinstein's trial last month, claiming he allegedly masturbated in front of her at the Cipriani's club in New York and on a second occasion allegedly raped her at his apartment The 67-year-old faces a maximum of 29 years in prison after being found guilty of criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree last month Wulff is not permitted by law to give a victim impact statement at tomorrows hearing, but writes that 'it is important for me, however, that my voice is heard.' She said during the trial that on one occasion Weinstein masturbated in front of her while she was working as a cocktail waitress at the upscale New York restaurant Cipriani. Wulff and two other women were so-called 'Molineux' witnesses who testified about the producer's 'prior bad acts' at the trial that has been considered a milestone for the #MeToo movement. But, Weinstein did not face charges in those cases due to the statue of limitations and other legal issues. Prosecutors used their testimony to bolster their case against the embattled producer. The charges he faced came from the assault allegations of Mimi Haleyi, who accused him of forcibly performing oral sex on her in 2006, and Jessica Mann, who claims Weinstein raped her in a New York hotel 2013. The high-profile trial finally came to an end last month, with jurors finding Weinstein guilty on two counts. 'I appreciate the work of the jurors and their ultimately holding Harvey Weinstein responsible,' Wulff wrote. 'I cannot appreciate what it would be like to pass sentence on another person, but I am confident that Judge Burke will do what is right and not give Weinstein any special treatment.' Wulff writes that she hopes 'the sentence sends a clear message that times have changed and that more women need to speak out for themselves and that men and women need to speak out for others. 'We need to show self-love and empathy to overcome centuries of illogical thinking that has normalized the sexual mistreatment of women. This is hopefully just the beginning. The conversation must continue.' Wulff, 43, wrote about her experience as one of the three Molineux witnesses who testified at Weinsteins criminal trial last month The charges Weinstein faced came from the assault allegations of Mimi Haleyi, who accused him of forcibly performing oral sex on her in 2006, and Jessica Mann, who claims Weinstein raped her in a New York hotel 2013 Wulff urged the judge to not give Weinstein 'special treatment' during sentencing after the disgraced movie mogul asked for a five-year prison sentence Wulff also writes about her alleged rape and how it has haunted her for years since. 'After I was raped by Weinstein in 2005, I was confused. Why didnt I scream? Why didnt I fight? I thought I was stronger and I hated myself for being weak. That self-hate turned into shame and guilt. 'Shame that I never should have felt and guilt that was not mine to own. I didnt know that at the time. I didnt realize it for 12 more years.' 'Harvey Weinstein stole a part of my self-worth, treating me like I was nothing and I became fearful and mistrustful, not only of others but of myself. These feelings were unbearable to live with and I pushed back the fear, shame and guilt to move on with my life. That is how I survive.' Wulff tells of the trauma of testifying and reliving the assault. 'Testifying was surreal,' she says 'Mentally I was nervous and intimidated but in my heart I knew I had my truth and no matter what anyone said to me, I would go home with my truth.' Weinstein is housed at the Rikers Island prison complex in New York In court documents filed Monday, Weinstein asked for leniency and only a five-year prison sentence On Monday Weinstein's defense team asked a judge in court papers to consider a sentence of only five years, far short of the potential 29-year maximum term allowed by law. The papers argue Weinstein should get credit for supporting various charitable causes during his rise to one of Hollywood's most powerful producers. On the health front, Weinstein is dealing with heart problems, ramifications of unsuccessful back surgery stemming from a car crash last summer and a condition that requires shots in his eyes so he does not go blind, his lawyers have said. The disgraced film producer is caged in a dorm-style cell in New York's notorious Rikers Island prison with two other inmates, a source claimed Sunday. He's currently being treated for a concussion after falling and hitting his head in prison, it has been reported. His spokesperson Juda Engelmayer told Page Six: 'He's miserable but trying to be optimistic as best he can. He has had a lot of time to think about his life and be humbled, but he thinks it's going to be a long, uphill battle from here.' A 27-year-old man was shot and killed Tuesday morning by a Winnipeg police officer responding to reports the man had been using a weapon with a blade to assault other residents of his Charleswood home. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/3/2020 (671 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A 27-year-old man was shot and killed Tuesday morning by a Winnipeg police officer responding to reports the man had been using a weapon with a blade to assault other residents of his Charleswood home. It is the first incident in 2020 involving an officer firing a weapon, police spokesman Const. Rob Carver said. A resident and a neighbour called police just before 5 a.m., Carver said, adding five general-patrol units were dispatched to the Kowalsky Crescent home. The call was coded as "family trouble," although Carver wouldn't elaborate on the relationship between the three residents. The other residents were taken to hospital, one in unstable condition, the other stable. The man who was shot died after being taken to Health Sciences Centre. Police were called to investigate an assault with a weapon at the Kowalsky Crescent home around 5 a.m. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press) Though details were still being sorted out, it's believed the shooting took place outside the home, Carver said. He didn't say how many shots the officer fired. The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba has confirmed it is now investigating the shooting and the events leading up to it. Because the case is now before the IIU, police couldn't share much more information, Carver said. "We're going to try and give the public as much information as we can, up right until the point where deadly force was used," he said. In a release, the IIU said it was notified of the shooting by police shortly after it occurred and only one officer was involved with discharging a weapon after dealing with a person outside the home. "Since this matter involves a fatality, a request for the appointment of a civilian monitor will be made to the Manitoba Police Commission," the IIU release stated. The IIU is mandated to carry out investigations into every serious incident involving Manitoba police officers. A large section of Kowalsky Crescent was taped off Tuesday morning after an officer shot a man outside a residence. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press) Once investigations which draw on eyewitness accounts, forensic reconstruction, officer accounts and a review of available surveillance footage, among other evidence are complete, the IIU civilian director publishes a report determining if an officer has committed an offence. If the determination is yes, the civilian director may lay charges against the subject officer or refer the matter for a Crown opinion as to whether the officer should be charged. Investigations often take several months to complete. As far as police are concerned, the incident is being treated as a homicide, meaning the officers' weapons, uniforms and equipment are all seized as evidence, Carver said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The officer who shot the man "won't be back at work for a little bit" while the post-incident process is carried out, he said, adding the time off is not disciplinary. It wouldn't be uncommon for five general-patrol units to respond to a reported assault situation, Carver said. "We try to bring as many members as we can because lots of officers make for, typically, a safer, less-volatile situation. Obviously, in this case, it has resulted in a death," he said. You bring the tools and the tactics that you have at your disposal. We can never be sure how it's going to unfold, and unfortunately, this is a tragedy for everyone involved, including our officers." The IIU has requested anyone with video footage or information that might help investigators determine what happened to call 1-844-667-6060. ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca KANSAS CITY, Mo. - As Joe Biden cradles a delegate lead through the handful of primary states that will vote Tuesday, he has unleashed a rarely used weapon in what has become a two-man battle for the Democratic presidential nomination: Brevity. Biden's event in St. Louis, framed by the Gateway Arch, clocked in at about seven minutes Saturday. A short time later, at a windswept event in Kansas City, people were streaming toward their cars after Biden wrapped up in 12 minutes. His longest speech of the weekend, in the gym of Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi, didn't quite make 15 minutes. It is a seismic shift for Biden, 77, who in five decades of political office and three White House runs has never had a reputation for breviloquence. It's a habit perhaps nurtured in the Senate, which prides itself on limitless debate and has a special term - filibuster - for talking endlessly. In his shortened speeches, Biden still touches on his platform points, takes subtle jabs at Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and makes more than a few passing references to former president Barack Obama - he just does it all much faster. "Senator Sanders is a good guy," Biden said in Jackson, speaking from a teleprompter, as he did at all his campaign rallies this weekend. "He says we need a record turnout to beat Donald Trump. And he's absolutely right. And we're going to be the campaign to do it." He added that "155,000 more votes were cast in the South Carolina primary than four years ago, and guess what? They voted for us." Mostly gone are the not-so-brief diversions into Biden family lore, wonky dispositions on complex policy points and anecdotes about the history of the phrase "rule of thumb." Combined, the Bidenisms have often put his campaign events dangerously close to exceeding the running time of a feature-length movie. The less Biden strays from his streamlined and teleprompted remarks, the less likely he is to make a gaffe that could ricochet around the Internet. Even with his shorter speeches, he's made an unforced error or two. In his Sunday remarks at New Hope Baptist Church (14 minutes), he derided Mississippi's former governor for not accepting Medicare-for-all - which happens to be Sanders' chief policy proposal - instead of the Affordable Care Act. Biden's critics have seized on the length of his sometimes-meandering stump speeches and occasionally labyrinthine tangents as a sign that he lacks focus and sharpness. His supporters, though, see Biden's willingness to talk for as long as people will listen as a strength, one that reflects his desire and ability to connect with voters. When he was campaigning in New Hampshire before that state's Feb. 11 primary, Biden occasionally took more time to answer a single question than the entire length of his seven-minute speech in St. Louis. At a town hall in Hudson, New Hampshire, a month ago, a woman told Biden during the question-and-answer period that she had autism, asking what he would do to help her and others with disabilities. What followed was a 10-minute response that touched on a range of subjects, from his son's military service in Kosovo to Medicare negotiations over prescription drug prices to an ailment called ankylosing spondylitis, a spinal disorder whose signature look Biden briefly demonstrated for the audience. "I had a son who, when he came home from Iraq - not Iraq, when he came from Kosovo," Biden said midway through the answer. "He was over there and he came home. It turns out he was exposed to significant bacteria. And it turns out he had a, he had a marker for ankylosing spondylitis. Ankylosing spondylitis is, you know, bamboo spine, you know what that is, OK. And you see, people are like this - the reason they can't straighten up is if they do the vertebrae will crack, it fuses together. And there was an experimental drug, it was on the market, that he got into a study on, but he had to take a shot once a week for $5,000 a shot. He was an attorney general of a state making $102,000 a year - a lot of money. But he was, that's what he had to pay $5,000 a week until it got approved, and then it went on the market, and it was able to go on the market at a reasonable price." The former vice president concluded - at that point he'd been standing at the microphone for more than an hour - by telling the crowd, "There's a lot more to say. . . . And my staff's going to kill me because I'm keeping you here so long." The Biden campaign declined to talk about the greater strategy behind the candidate's briefer speeches and declined to say whether this is the Biden voters will see for the rest of the primary contest and, if he makes it, the general-election race against President Donald Trump. However, the new approach may be more in line with what at least one powerful ally wants to see. A few days before the South Carolina primary, during a meeting on a World War II-era battleship docked near Charleston, House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., offered a critique of his longtime friend's campaign. Included in it were worries that Biden's speeches were too meandering. "I said, 'There's a reason preachers deliver their sermons in threes. You know - Father, Son and Holy Ghost,' " Clyburn recounted telling Biden. "Zero in on how to make this personalized, talk about their families, and talk in terms of people's communities." "I got it," Biden replied, according to Clyburn, whose endorsement later that week helped propel Biden to a momentum-changing victory in South Carolina. Biden is not the first candidate to institute a rhetorical course correction this campaign season. Late last year, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., scrapped her 45-minute stump speech, choosing instead to focus on a town hall format. In April, as the spotlight began to dim on Beto O'Rourke's presidential campaign, the former Texas congressman sought to add more substance to his stump speeches. He also stopped standing on countertops. Most voters who hear Biden's stump speech are experiencing it for the first time and are thus unaware of the newly abbreviated nature of his remarks. But the newfound brevity has not gone unnoticed by the campaign of the man who remains Biden's chief obstacle for the Democratic presidential nomination. On Saturday, Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir responded to a tweet that mentioned just how short Biden's remarks had been by launching into his own comparative critique - apparently aimed at showing how much stamina Sanders has, as well as the senator's ability to speak at length without mistakes. "Bernie has three public events just today in two different states," Shakir tweeted, "each speaking engagement extending for close to an hour." (TNS) In the interest of speeding the process of recounting votes in a close election, the Florida House passed legislation Monday to allow county supervisors of elections to purchase special equipment to conduct both machine and manual recounts.But theres only one vendor ClearAudit digital imaging system from Clear Ballot Group of Boston and the prospect that the state could be dependent on a single proprietary software tool has supporters worried that security could be undermined.Technology is a tool not a process. This recount concept is not ready for prime time, said Liza McClenaghan, Common Cause Florida state board chair.Both Common Cause and the League of Women Voters say the technology offers promise as a way to give supervisors of elections another tool to store and track paper ballots, but they say the states rush to encourage counties to start using digital images of ballots for recounts is a mistake.If the measure passes both chambers, they will urge Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto it.We are very concerned about this, said Patricia Brigham, president of the League of Women Voters of Florida. We have huge elections security issues in our country and our state, and when you have only one machine authorized to do these automatic audits, you open yourselves up for problems.Currently, nine counties Bay, Broward, Columbia, Hillsborough, Indian River, Leon, Nassau, Putnam, and St. Lucie are prepared to use the equipment for the 2020 election cycle, but the legislation allows every county to use it.The ClearAudit digital imaging system was the only system approved to conduct automated audits for the 2016 and 2018 general election cycles, but the legislation would allow it to also handle recounts.The House staff analysis of HB 1005 notes that the bill may result in a positive fiscal impact to private sector companies that manufacture or sell automatic tabulating machines and then notes only one machine has been authorized to conduct independent automated audits in the state.Recounts in Florida, a state that is almost evenly divided between Republicans, Democrats and voters affiliated with no party, have become a regular feature of every statewide election in recent years.In 2018, the results of the U.S. Senate race, the governors race and the race for agriculture commissioner were all delayed because the closeness of the vote led to a recount.It was nothing short of chaotic. Machines and processes broke down; ballots were lost; deadlines were blown, President Trump tweeted allegations of fraud. And a federal judge declared Florida the laughingstock of the world.State law requires that if the margin of victory in any race is one-half of 1% or less, each canvassing board must conduct a machine recount. Election officials run the paper ballots through the voting systems automatic tabulating equipment to determine whether the returns correctly reflect the votes cast.If the results indicate a margin of victory of one-quarter of 1% or less, a manual recount of the over votes and under votes must be conducted. The county canvassing board reviews disputed ballots, such as those with stray pen marks or oddly marked votes, to try to discern the voters intent.The bill allows county canvassing boards and supervisors of elections to use automated tabulating equipment and the digital image of the ballots. The ClearAudit system takes a digital image of each ballot and that can then be used to expedite the recount.Rep. Cord Byrd, R-Neptune Beach, the House sponsor of the measure said the system is another tool to ensure the integrity of our voting system.But elections advocates say the precedent is the problem.The proposal that the digital image generated by the software is trustworthy while the paper may be consulted is ludicrous, McClenaghan of Common Cause said.Byrd said the bill gives supervisors of elections the option of purchasing the equipment and specifically says that no one has to use the system until there are competing systems..No ones being forced to use this, he said.He argues that paper itself can be hacked by a pen and it takes one stray mark to spoil a ballot but the digital image wont replace the paper ballot.The paper is always the best evidence, he said. Theres no judge who is going to say, OK, Im gonna take the PDF image over the actual physical ballot. Thats not going to happen. This is not a substitute.The idea is being pushed by Leon County Supervisor of Elections Mark Earley who has adopted the technology to streamline his voting tabulation system, Byrd said.Earley invited a bipartisan group of legislators to see how the system operates and everybody came away impressed, Byrd said.McClenaghan of Common Cause Florida says Earleys use of the technology has been impressive. Every day, after early voting, he runs the paper ballots through equipment, stores the ballot images and keeps tracks which ballots were cast, she said. If he is required to conduct a manual recount, he will be able to conduct an audit quickly.Two days after the election, every ballot has an image, she explained. So when youre looking at the recount process, he can pull up images and decide if someone circled the oval or did something else.But McClenaghan said not every supervisor would use the equipment this way and the state should not be authorizing the automation of ballots without a better system in place.Its not ready for prime time, they havent thought it all the way through, she said. Theyre just saying this will be faster and there is nothing in elections that is important to be faster.The bill was unanimously approved by the House and a companion measure is scheduled for a vote in the full Senate, where it is expected to pass. About 1 in 40 postmenopausal women diagnosed with breast cancer before age 65 have cancer-associated mutations in their BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, according to a study led by researchers at the Stanford School of Medicine. The prevalence of the mutations in this group is similar to that of Ashkenazi Jewish women, whom the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force suggests should discuss their cancer risk with their physicians to determine if genetic testing is warranted. Currently, most guidelines dont address testing postmenopausal women with breast cancer in the absence of other risk factors. The finding is the first to suggest that postmenopausal women who have been newly diagnosed with breast cancer but who dont have any hereditary risk factors, such as close family members diagnosed with breast cancer before age 50, may still benefit from genetic testing for inherited cancer-associated mutations. Identifying women with inherited cancer-associated mutations, particularly in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, is important because some of the mutations also substantially increase the risk of other cancers, including ovarian cancer. Because these mutations are passed through families, knowing that a woman carries one of these mutations may encourage her healthy relatives to discuss their own risk factors with their doctors. Theres been a lot of controversy in the field as to whether every woman with breast cancer should receive genetic testing, said Allison Kurian, MD, MSc, associate professor of medicine and of epidemiology and population health at Stanford, in part because we didnt know how prevalent cancer-associated mutations are in this largest subgroup of newly diagnosed people that is, women who develop breast cancer after menopause without the presence of any known hereditary risk factors. Kurian is the lead author of the study, which was published March 10 in JAMA. Marcia Stefanick, PhD, professor of medicine and of obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford, is the senior author of the study. Cancer-associated variants Unlike mutations that accumulate over time, specifically in cancer cells, germline mutations are inherited and are found in every cell of the body. A canine study carried out at the University of Helsinki has described a gene variant in the regulatory region of the retina resulting in the abnormal function of retinal genes and, eventually, in the loss of vision in dogs. The study can benefit the diagnostics and treatment of retinitis pigmentosa, a disease suffered by two million human beings globally. "For now, changes in the regulatory regions of genes as causes of disease are relatively poorly known. In fact, our recently published study offers, in addition to diagnostics, a valuable model for understanding the biology of the retina and associated diseases," says Professor Hannes Lohi, who headed the study. Since the 1990s, attempts to identify the genetic cause of retinal atrophy in Miniature Schnauzers have been made all over the world. The breed suffers from progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), which results in complete loss of vision for the dog. Lohi's group identified a number of dogs with the same pedigree in the process of losing their vision, an indication of hereditary disease. "We started compiling research data by comparing eye examination statements, quickly suspecting that more than one form of the disease occurred in the breed. This was an observation central to the progress of the project," says Maria Kaukonen, DVM, the principal author of the article and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki. Based on their symptoms, the researchers divided the dogs into two groups, after which subsequent gene analyses demonstrated that the diseases were also different on the basis of the underlying genes. Dogs in group 1 lost their vision by the age of five, while the age of vision loss among group 2 varied more, in addition to which male dogs were overrepresented among the sick dogs. In addition to regular eye examinations, the study was supplemented by optical coherence tomography (OCT), a technique not previously used in veterinary medicine in Finland. The imaging revealed the complete destruction of photoreceptors, or cells that respond to light stimuli, in the dogs suffering from the type 1 atrophy. Disease caused by a peculiar gene defect of the regulatory region "For the longest time, looking for the gene defect felt like looking for a needle in a haystack. We finally made a breakthrough after finding out that some of the healthy dogs have an almost identical locus of chromosome 15, only missing the mutation causing blindness. This implies that the mutation is a recent development," Kaukonen explains. "The mutation we identified in the regulatory region results in hyperactivity in at least two retina genes previously associated with blindness. This is an interesting and uncommon find, as well as one of the first regulatory region mutations linked to retinal atrophy. Most likely, there are many more similar mutations, but they remain underrepresented in the literature due to the challenge of identifying them," Lohi speculates. Rectifying previous research findings "An American study published last year identified the same chromosomal locus as did our analysis, but the PPT1 gene in their proposal is actually associated with a very different disease of the nervous system, leaving us unconvinced. Nevertheless, a commercial gene test was developed on the basis of these ambiguous findings, which has caused a great deal of confusion among dog owners and breeders. The gene variant identified by us has now been tested for in over 1,600 dogs, with the results matching the disease perfectly. Now, we will be able to design a reliable gene test for the breed to support breeding and diagnostics," Lohi enthuses. The study was part of Kaukonen's recently approved doctoral thesis, which investigated the genetic causes of canine hereditary ocular diseases, and also part of a bigger research effort by Professor Lohi's research group looking into the heredity of ocular diseases. This was also the first study to utilise findings generated by the international DoGA research project headed by Professor Lohi, aimed at expanding the understanding of the canine genome. The DoGA project also employs researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. ### TROY In the Rensselaer County Court House second floor courtroom, about 105 jurors, court officials and spectators were packed in Monday for the start of a murder trial with ears cocked listening for coughs. It was a typical cattle call of potential trial jurors, but this time it came as the world confronts the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by novel coronavirus. Sitting shoulder to shoulder in a stuffy courtroom brought home the threat of exposure to some in the jury pool. Zachary Klinger of East Greenbush pointed out that he and the other jurors sat in the jury assembly room for two hours before they entered the courtroom to sit another two hours as the jury selection process started. Keeping in mind Gov. Andrew Cuomos declaration of a state of emergency, Klinger said it was disconcerting to sit inside the courtroom. Klinger spoke as he left the court after being excused. Another juror, who declined to be identified, pulled out a bag of hand wipes and gloves to show how she had come to court prepared. I heard one cough, she said before leaving the courthouse. Others leaving the courtroom said they werent worried about the new coronavirus, comparing it to the flu. In the jury assembly room, Rensselaer County Commissioner of Jurors Jenet Marra said she had hand sanitizer available to help soothe the nerves of any of the 170 potential jurors who came through the courthouse. The jurors were brought to the courtroom in a morning shift of 85 jurors and an afternoon shift of another 85. Even though fears about COVID-19 spreading have gripped many people, jurors in New York cant use it to avoid jury duty, only delay it. At the website NYJUROR.GOV, people selected to report for jury duty are advised to stay home if they have been directed to self-monitor for coronavirus, have been diagnosed with the disease or have serious flu symptoms (fever, cough, or shortness of breath). Your service will be temporarily postponed until this health emergency has passed, the announcement advises. The jury pool members were greeted by signs at the courthouse directing them to the jury assembly room and warnings about coronavirus. This is the first major trial in county court since COVID-19 has begun to spread across the state and the country. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Those called for jury duty were there to find out if they would be selected as one of the 12 jurors and four alternate jurors for the trial of James White, 39, of Schenectady. White is charged with nine counts of first-degree murder and four counts of second-degree murder for his alleged role in fatally stabbing Brandi Mells, 22; Shanta Myers, 36; and Myers' two children: Jeremiah Myers, 11, and Shanise Myers, 5, in their basement apartment at 158 Second Ave. in Lansingburgh on Dec 21, 2017. White also was indicted for one count of burglary, one count of robbery and two counts of criminal possession of stolen property. The top murder count carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without possibility of parole. Judge Debra Young ran through the usual greetings for the jury pool, thanking them at the start for responding to the summons for jury duty. Jury selection continues Tuesday and is expected to last through the rest of the week. The city of Monterey, which receives from 15 to 20 cruise ship visits per year, is asking the vessels to stay away as a means of keeping COVID-19 at bay. City officials said in a statement they were acting out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of the safety of our residents, workers and visitors. No cases of the new coronavirus have been reported in Monterey County. The city was scheduled to receive 20 cruise ship arrivals this year each of which would deposit from dozens to thousands of travelers into the citys tourism district near Cannery Row and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Taxes on cruise ships bring in more than $100,000 in revenue to the city each year and cruise tourists spend up to $1 million at local businesses, a former city employee told The Chronicle in 2018. Monterey officials began putting out the word to cruise companies last week after hearing concerns during a City Council meeting and in closed session deliberations about ship arrivals at the citys popular harbor. I think it was clear among all of us on the City Council looking at the map, looking at the outbreak and evaluating our options that something needed to happen, Councilman Ed Smith said. City leaders have been tracking San Franciscos approach to isolating an inbound Princess Cruise Lines vessel with carriers of COVID-19 aboard, he said. Were in the same situation with every city in America, Smith said. We want to see the quarantining and how it goes and continue educating the public and get them to stop living in panic mode. A small cohort of Monterey locals has urged the council for years to ban cruise ships entirely over environmental concerns following a high-profile incident in which a vessel with Crystal Cruises dumped 36,400 gallons of sewage and waste into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Fears over the potential threat of cruise ship passengers sparking a coronavirus outbreak in the coastal community added a new dimension to the issue. Carrie Larssen, a Monterey resident who spoke at last weeks council meeting, said the health concerns about hosting cruise ships extend beyond COVID-19. Now Playing: Here is what you need to know about the coronavirus. Video: Manjula Varghese Our point is: These ships are incubators of mass outbreaks throughout history influenzas, E. coli, norovirus, chicken pox, Larssen 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. Cruise season was just starting, with the first ship of 2020 having visited March 3. The next one was set to arrive March 31 but has been canceled. Three more arrivals, scheduled through the end of April, have also been canceledl. Subsequent cruise ship visits remain on track. The city will take a wait-and-see approach with cruise arrivals the rest of the year, Smith said. Eight of the ships scheduled to arrive in Monterey belong to Princess Cruise Lines, the company at the center of the coronavirus outbreak. After news reports emerged about the spread of COVID-19 aboard a Princess ship in February in Japan, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a statement advising travelers to defer cruise ship travel. Like many other viruses, COVID-19 appears to spread more easily between people in close quarters aboard ships, CDC officials said. Gregory Thomas is The Chronicles editor of lifestyle and outdoors. Email: gthomas@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @GregRThomas A young girl wears a protective mask in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Ritzau Scanpix Geneva, 10 March 2020 The worlds response to the COVID-19 crisis must encompass and focus on all, including those forced to flee their homes. The elderly among the worlds forcibly displaced population are particularly vulnerable, warned today UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, launching its initial COVID-19 appeal. UNHCR is urgently seeking an initial US$33 million to boost the preparedness, prevention and response activities to address the immediate public health needs of refugees prompted by COVID-19. To date and based on available evidence, there have been no reports of COVID-19 infections among refugees and asylum seekers. However, the virus can affect anyone and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that the global response includes all people, said Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Allowing full access to health services, including for the most marginalized members of the community, is the best way to protect us all. Everyone on this planet including refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced people should be able to access health facilities and services. More than 70 million people globally have been forced by persecution, conflict, violence and human rights violations to flee their homes. Of those, more than 20 million are refugees, of whom 84 per cent are being hosted by low or middle-income nations which have weaker health and water and sanitation systems. UNHCR is currently strengthening its overall preparedness, prevention and response measures to COVID-19 around the world. The health and well-being of refugees and humanitarian personnel working for them in more than 130 countries around the world are central to these efforts. The outbreak is a global challenge that must be addressed through international solidarity and cooperation. Alongside other UN agencies and partner organizations, UNHCR has been following developments closely and working at global and country levels in line with the COVID-19 guidance issued by the World Health Organisation. UNHCRs response to COVID-19 builds on its previous experience in SARS, Ebola, and influenza outbreaks. These preparedness measures protect refugees before, during and after global health emergencies. In that regard, UNHCR advocates for refugees and asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons to be included in the national surveillance, preparedness, response plans and activities. In particular, UNHCR calls on States to ensure that their rights are equally respected should restrictions on entry, travel, and freedom of movement be imposed. To date over 100 countries are reporting local transmission of COVID-19. Of those, 34 countries have refugee populations exceeding 20,000 people, and who are currently unaffected by the virus. In these contexts, prevention, preparedness and communication are key. Because refugees and internally displaced people often find themselves in places that are overcrowded or where public health and other services are already overstretched or poorly-resourced, all UNHCR operations have been advised to put in place contingency plans and mechanisms in collaboration with governments and partners. These will closely monitor, report, mitigate and respond to protection and public health risks for the forcibly displaced. Where applicable, and if there is a need to supplement national responses, UNHCR is contributing to epidemiological surveillance, reporting, contact tracing and investigation of alerts in collaboration with ministries of health, WHO and partners, including at points of entry and refugee sites. In addition, UNHCR operations are actively contributing to overall UN efforts and reviewing capacity of public health partners to respond in the event of an outbreak in refugee/IDP camps or settlements. Operations are also being advised to check their stocks of medical and other hygiene supplies, equipment and personal protective kits. Knowing the value of timely, accurate and relevant information, UNHCR is strengthening communications with refugee and internally displaced communities, particularly regarding hygiene and sanitation measures. These materials are being adapted to suit local linguistic and cultural needs. UNHCR is also looking at issues such as adequate access to clean water, waste disposal and soap in health facilities, collective shelters and the wider community and training staff to ensure infection control in health centres. For more information on this topic, please contact: A number of 21 Romanian citizens who entered Romania through the Giurgiu-Ruse border checkpoint (with Bulgaria) on board of a bus coming from Italy through Greece have been placed in quarantine for a period of 14 days in the Giurgiu municipality area. "A number of 21 Romanian citizens who returned to Romania on Tuesday through the Giurgiu-Ruse border checkpoint, on board of a bus coming from Italy through Greece have been placed in quarantine for a period of 14 days in the Giurgiu municipality area. They will be taken biological samples, which will be then sent to the National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Prof. Matei Bals," reads a press release of the Giurgiu County Prefect Aneta Matei on Tuesday.The bus was also carrying parcels, which required a "decontamination of the bus and the trailer, and also the sealing and storage on an isolated platform within the same quarantine area," while the entire area is now under the surveillance of the Giurgiu County Gendarmerie Inspectorate. Local journalism has never been more important for the health of our democracy. The collaboration between Stringr and Google shows how we can both play to our strengths and come together to create tools that allow newsrooms to do what they do best. Stringr, creator of the largest international on-demand video news service, today announced an expansion of their existing partnership with the Google News Initiative. Not only will the partnership continue through the end of the US 2020 election, but also it has expanded with new tools for editors and publishers; now including video transcription capabilities. In addition, new international publishers have signed on to participate in the program. Beginning in September 2019, Stringr and Google have been providing daily raw video footage and packages from the 2020 U.S. campaign trail, pushed to more than 70 individual partners. These partners include media organizations like The Boston Globe, FOX Television Stations, News Press & Gazette, Lee Enterprises, The Weather Group/Local Now, and Flood Communications. Video packages range from candidate profiles and debate recaps to deep explainers about campaign and policy issues. Taken together, Stringr content has been used in media markets that collectively reach more than 75% of all US households. Since we began working with the Google News Initiative last fall, demand has skyrocketed," explained Lindsay Stewart, co-founder of Stringr. "With Googles reach, were able to satisfy our core mission: expanding access to original video content that represents a more detailed, granular picture. As a result, all partners of the Google News Initiative are able to better help their viewers actually understand the election news - not just consume it. Stringrs ability to capture multiple events simultaneously has been crucial in an election season. For Super Tuesday, the platform had people on the ground nationwide; covering over 100 polling stations across all 14 participating states, and filming hundreds of hours of man-on-the-street interview footage that would be impossible for most outlets to get themselves. The political broadcast news packages made available include voiceovers for newscast networks, edited digital packages with captions, and raw video assets of various events that may be edited by the organization and tailored directly to their local audiences. Our stations report breaking news and offer vital insights into how their local communities will be specifically impacted," said Michael Fabac, Director of News & Marketing at News-Press & Gazette. "Through Stringr, we're able to provide them with ground-level footage that offers unique context and perspective to our reporting on our broadcast and digital platforms. Local journalism has never been more important for the health of our democracy, added Rebekah Dopp, Google, The collaboration between Stringr and Google shows how we can both play to our strengths and come together to create tools that allow newsrooms to do what they do best, which is report and tell stories that help us all make sense of the world around us. Learn more about Stringrs partnership with Google News Initiative here. About Stringr Stringr (http://www.stringr.com) is a comprehensive video marketplace that enables media organizations to source custom footage, edit and publish under very tight deadlines. The company leverages the only nationwide network of more than 100k highly responsive videographers who provide broadcast-quality video in every major US market and the United Kingdom. Stringr is based in NYC and was founded in 2014 by Lindsay Stewart and Brian McNeill, who met at The Wharton School. About the Google News Initiative The Google News Initiative represents Google's largest-ever effort to help journalism thrive in the digital age. Through its partnerships, programs, and products, the Google News Initiative works with thousands of organizations worldwide to support quality independent journalism, financial sustainability, and development of new technologies that drive innovation. Google invested $300 million over three years to energize these collaborations, and to lay the foundation for new products and programs for a diverse set of news publishers, to benefit the entire ecosystem. This includes supporting thought leadership on topics like consumer revenue, advertising and data that are critical to the future of the news industry. One surprising side effect of Covid-19? Bargain business class airfares. This April, front-of-airplane fares between Dublin and New York can be found from 735 one-way with Aer Lingus. On select dates this summer, United has round-trips to Newark in its Boeing 787-Dreamliner Polaris cabin from just 1,352. Flying via London? British Airways has a Club World luxury sale running to March 17, with deals including business class fares and a four-night hotel stay in New York from 1,249pp (1,432pp). Granted, those are eye-watering prices compared to regular economy fares - but they're a relative steal for the luxury of turning left. On busier dates this spring, by contrast, business fares between Dublin and New York soar above 2,500 return with both United and Aer Lingus... for flights alone. "There's real value happening in business class airfares, because many airlines are struggling to fill business class sections," says John Spollen, MD of Cassidy Travel and President of the Irish Travel Agents' Association. Jonathan Bridge of Trailfinders notes other "excellent" Business Class fares - an 1,849 return rate with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul to Bangkok, for instance, or 2,049 to Tokyo - prices he says are due to availability. Expand Close New York City / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp New York City "It's understandable to some extent, as the corporate traveller has been told not to fly," says Paul Hackett, CEO of ClickAndGo.com. "They're cancelling travel arrangements and making space at the front of airplanes." "As a leisure guest, it could be the cheapest time to buy a business class seat." Of course, the low fares come against a backdrop of increasingly tough trading conditions, with airline shares falling, capacity being cut, Flybe failing and Ryanair and Aer Lingus this week further slashing Italian routes. "Airports across the continent now facing a full-blown crisis," ACI Europe, the airports' industry association, said this morning, noting a 13.5pc fall in airport business (down 67 million passengers) this quarter alone. Irish tour operators and travel agents are also feeling the effects of Covid-19, as concerned customers hold off booking holidays, or take to the phones with queries about trips already booked. "There's a small group of consumers who are booking; they tend to be a younger demographic and they tend to be online," Hackett says. But overall, business "is significantly down", he notes. "This is Q1, the busiest booking period for holidays in the year... it is all down to consumer confidence, and people feeling that they don't have the confidence to book at the moment." "If anybody tells you sales are going well, they're not telling the truth." Expand Close Polaris, the big and bold statement of intent by American giant United Airlines / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Polaris, the big and bold statement of intent by American giant United Airlines Despite the business class bargains, airlines have so far held the line on discounting. But could more aggressive sales stimulate demand? "I've been keeping an eye on fares and while a few of them have business class sales on at the moment, I wouldn't say there's anything exceptional," says Jonathan Bridge of Trailfinders. "My UK colleagues are seeing more in the way of sales." "I have a suspicion that they're struggling with re-routes, cancellations and date amendments at present and while I was expecting some very aggressive promotional fares to appear, this possibly isn't their priority at present," Bridge says. "I don't think it's a price thing at the moment," is Paul Hackett's take. "I think consumers are holding off, they are still in a nervous phase, an information-gathering phase. For now, I honestly don't think any price would inspire bookings." What will inspire bookings, many in the industry hope, is more airlines, cruise lines and travel companies moving to waive change fees to reassure customers and shore up confidence. Airlines like BA, Aer Lingus, Emirates and United have all waived change fees, as have cruise lines including MSC and Silversea, and travel companies like The Travel Corporation - with various terms and conditions, of course. Ryanair remains a notable holdout, however, continuing to charge customers between 35 and 95 for changing flights, depending on the route, dates and method. Expand Close Passengers travelling during the pandemic. Photo by Sergei Bobylev\TASS via Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Passengers travelling during the pandemic. Photo by Sergei Bobylev\TASS via Getty Images Waiving the fee "would would give everybody a fighting chance to encourage bookings in these uncertain times," John Spollen says. The ITAA President notes "a softening" in bookings over a few weeks, but advises anyone nervous about travel not to rush into a decision before speaking to their travel agent or tour operator. The industry rebounded after the SARS outbreak of 2003, he notes, and there is "good value out there" in April and May particularly, in part driven by a reduction in hotel room rates. "It's a question of keeping calm," he believes. "We've dealt with many crisis before (volcanic ash, SARS, airline strikes, terror attacks and so on) and are confident things will bounce back in due course," Jonathan Bridge agrees. "Being fully bonded and with our financial guarantee, we're reassuring our clients that Trailfinders will be here to help them now and will still be in a strong position to book their travels once things return to some semblance of normality!" '"When confidence returns, it will become a price issue," Hackett predicts. "Because then, airlines and destinations will have lots of capacity that hasn't been sold." New Delhi: Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on Monday evening treated us to pictures of how the Bachchans' celebrated Holika Dahan. She shared a set of pictures - one with daughter Aaradhya and the other two of the bonfire during Holika - and wishes everyone on Holi. "Happy Holi to all. Love and light," Aishwarya captioned her post. The mother-daughter duo was dressed casually for the celebrations and happily cheered for the photo. Aishwarya takes the selfie with Aaradhya set against the backdrop of the bonfire. Take a look: Aishwarya is married to actor Abhishek Bachchan and Aaradhya was born to them in November 2011. On the work front, Aishwarya, who was last seen in 'Fanney Khan', is all set to collaborate yet again with Mani Ratnam for a film titled 'Ponniyin Selvan'. Holi, the festival of colours, is being celebrated on Tuesday, March 10. It marks the victory of good over evil. On the eve of Holi, Holika Dahan is organised at various places. While on the main festival of Holi Milan, people celebrate the day by smearing colours on each other and exchanging sweets, the festival of Holika Dahan is celebrated in a different way by setting a holy bonfire termed as 'Holika'. Holi celebrations this year is marred by the coronavirus fear. Large gatherings have been called off due to the outbreak. SEYMOUR Longtime VFW Post and Auxiliary 12084 Commander and U.S. Army Veteran Al Yagovane, a champion of local veterans and veterans causes for decades, and the consummate patriot, is retiring. Yagovane will be honored during the VFWs annual Irish Dinner Dance, set for 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday at Villa Bianca, 312 Roosevelt Drive. A tireless advocate for veterans, Yagovane is the driving force behind the creation of the Broad Street Park, which pays homage to veterans of all wars. The park, nearly 30 years in the making, was officially dedicated in 2013. Yagovane began building the park in 1984, and helped rally some 80 volunteers through the years to complete the project. Efforts to finish the park stalled for a bit in the early 1990s when Yagovane answered the call of duty to serve overseas in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. But Yagovane and his volunteers got the job done, creating a reflective place to honor those who served the country. Memorial brick sales helped fund the effort. The town honored Yagovane with a Community Service Award during the annual Memorial Day Parade in 2013 for his dedication in seeing the completion of the park, located at the corner of Broad and River streets. Speaking of the Memorial Day Parade, Yagovane led an effort to bring the parade back to town, after a several year hiatus. He also initiated an annual Memorial Day essay contest for town students, asking them to describe what the day means to them. Longtime Seymour Middle School Teacher Harvey Catlin said hes proud to call Yagovane a friend, and is thankful to all Yagovane has done to educate students about veterans and the military. Al Yagovane is an amazing man and a consummate patriot, Catlin said. Al has always been a friend to students in Seymours schools. Al has always been an eloquent spokesman for veterans in our community. Everyone who lives in this community owes him a great debt of gratitude. Catlins students regularly participate in the annual Veterans Day Candlelight Vigil held at Broad Street Park, another event Yagovane founded. Yagovane has a knack for rallying fellow Post members to help out in the community. Whether its holding a clothing drive to help a resident displaced by an apartment fire, a boot drive to help a U.S. Navy veteran who was shot at a Virginia naval base, hosting job fairs to help local veterans find employment or delivering fruit baskets to veterans hospitals, Yagovane and the Post strongly believe in giving back. Al is the guy with all the ideas that has helped keep the Post moving, said fellow Post member and U.S. Navy Veteran George Chiodo. Post Quartermaster Steve Forster said Yagovane has done an incredible job as the Posts biggest cheerleader, and wished him only the best in a well-deserved retirement. Yagovane was not immediately available for comment. The Irish Dinner Dance will feature a sit down dinner of corned beef, cabbage, pasta, salad, carrots, potatoes, rolls, cake, coffee and soda. Music will be provided by Tony Castle. There will also be a cash bar, 50/50 raffle and door prizes. Tickets are $27 and wont be sold at the door. For more information or tickets, call George at 203-671-3776 or Steve at 203-654-1002. By Tom Hals (Reuters) - A Florida couple who was aboard the coronavirus-hit Grand Princess ocean liner has sued the ship's owner for more than $1 million, claiming the company put profits over safety and did not have proper screening protocols in place. Ronald and Eva Weissberger of Broward County, Florida sued Princess Cruise Lines Ltd, a unit of Carnival Corp, alleging the company caused them emotional distress and trauma as they fear they will develop the COVID-19, a flu-like disease caused by the virus. The Weissbergers said Princess Cruise lacked a proper screening protocol to minimize the risk of passengers' exposure. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. Carnival did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Grand Princess docked in Oakland, California, on Monday so its 2,400 passengers could disembark and be taken to quarantine or medical sites. An initial round of testing aboard the ship last week found that 21 people, mostly crew, were infected with the coronavirus. The ship has been linked to 12 coronavirus cases from an earlier voyage to Mexico. The Weissbergers, who boarded the ship on Feb. 21 when it departed from San Francisco, were still passengers on the Grand Princess when the lawsuit was filed, according to the complaint. They claim passengers were only asked to "fill out a piece of paper confirming they were not sick" without being further questioned or screened prior to boarding. "Defendant Princess chose to place profits over the safety of its passengers, crew and general public in continuing to operate business as usual, despite their knowledge of the actual risk of injury to plaintiffs, who are elderly with underlying medical conditions," the complaint said. On Wednesday, the Grand Princess was denied entry to San Francisco Bay as it sailed back from Hawaii after state and local health authorities learned that some passengers from an earlier cruise on the same ship had developed flu-like symptoms. Story continues The ship was allowed to dock in Oakland on Monday. The lawsuit said that the cruise operator should have developed methods for protecting passengers due to its experience with another of its cruise liners, the Diamond Princess, which was quarantined in Japan. About 700 aboard that ship became infected and seven passengers died. The complaint did not identify the Weissbergers' medical conditions or provide their ages. Princess is refunding passengers the full price of the cruise plus air travel, hotel, ground transportation and pre-paid shore excursions. (Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware; Editing by Richard Chang, Noeleen Walder and Cynthia Osterman) If Joe Biden wins the Democratic nomination, Ill worry that his candidacy might be doomed. Doomed by Bernie Sanders supporters who, out of pique, will sit out the election; doomed by a throwback messenger with no particularly stirring message; doomed by hints of infirmity that many voters find worrisome and that Donald Trump will exploit with crass efficiency. If, despite this, Biden wins the presidency, Ill worry that, as a potential one-termer, hell bend too far to appease his partys progressive wing. That hell do so in order to cut a figure for history. That hell over-empower federal agencies, overregulate business and overtax individuals. That hell appoint judges with cramped views of religious liberty and free speech. That hell resume a policy of appeasement toward Iran. Then again, if Biden wins, there will be other things that, for a change, I wont have to worry about. And most of these will be the things that really matter. If Biden wins only the nomination, I wont have to worry that theres a fair chance that, in Sanders, a man could be elected president who, without nuance or discrimination, demonizes entire sectors of American industry. I wont have to worry about getting my health insurance taken from me or watch my savings shrink to nothing thanks to monetary policy on the Weimar Republic model. I wont have to worry that the self-described dirtbag left will become to the Democratic Party what the Hannity-Carlson-Ingraham right is to the Republican Party. I wont have to worry that not one but both major U.S. parties have become unrecognizable from what they were just five years ago; that theyve succumbed to their respective extremes; that nowhere in American politics do centrists have sway; and that on nothing is compromise possible. And if Biden wins the White House? In that case, I wont have to worry about the president trying to criminalize his political opponent. Not with demagogic chants of Lock her up, nor with quiet attempts to strong-arm an ally for the sake of digging up dirt on an American citizen. I wont have to worry about White House officials being forced to choose between their ethical obligations and their loyalty to the president. I wont have to worry about an attorney general who chooses loyalty over obligation and, a year later, is bluntly reprimanded by a Republican-appointed federal judge for doing so. If Biden wins, I wont have to fear that the president might order the abrogation of a free-trade agreement with a major trading partner only for a watchful adviser to snatch the order from his desk before he can sign it. I wont have to read about frantic aides wondering if the president is really serious about his threats to withdraw the U.S. from NATO. I wont have to cross my fingers hoping that a clever general will convince the president that the reason we shouldnt betray our desperate Kurdish allies in Syria is so we can keep the oil. If Biden wins, I wont have to watch another press conference like Trumps in Helsinki. I wont have to wonder why the president seized his own translators notes after a meeting with Vladimir Putin. I wont have to hear paeans of praise sung for North Koreas ogreish tyrant, or for Turkeys pernicious strongman, or for Chinas cult-of-personality despot. If Biden wins, I wont have to read that the president has told fellow American lawmakers to go back to their countries of birth or ancestry. I wont have to watch the U.S. close its doors to desperate refugees. I wont have to cringe in shame and disgust as the attorney general cites the Apostle Paul to defend a vile policy of separating children from parents as a useful deterrent against illegal immigration. If Biden wins, I wont have to listen to the president call members of my profession the enemy of the American people. Or people of my political viewpoint human scum. Or colleagues stone cold losers. I wont have to spend time wondering whether being an unindicted co-conspirator in a hush-money scandal rises to the level of an impeachable offense. I wont have to steer family conversations away from politics lest they veer into X-rated territory. If Biden wins, the word Stormy will refer only to weather and Daniels only to whiskey. If Biden wins, I will write column after column opposing him on policy grounds. But at least Ill feel relief that the American people didnt vindicate Trumpism and the nativism and meanness it represents. If Biden wins, he will amuse, embarrass and probably alarm me with his gaffes, misstatements and memory lapses. But Ill never feel ashamed to think of him as my president, much less to root for his success. If Biden wins, it will not mean a great American presidency. It will mean a decent one. That will be more than enough for me. While lifestyle choices and genetics go a long way toward predicting longevity, a new study shows that certain community characteristics also play important roles. American communities with more fast food restaurants, a larger share of extraction industry-based jobs, or higher population density have shorter life expectancies, according to researchers from Penn State, West Virginia, and Michigan State Universities. Their findings can help communities identify and implement changes that may promote longer lifespans among their residents. American life expectancy recently declined for the first time in decades, and we wanted to explore the factors contributing to this decline. Because of regional variation in life expectancy, we knew community-level factors must matter. By analyzing place-based factors alongside personal factors, we were able to draw several conclusions about which community characteristics contribute most strongly to this variation in life expectancy." Elizabeth Dobis, postdoctoral scholar at the Penn State-based Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development (NERCRD), and lead author of the study Life expectancy refers to the length of time a person born in a given year can expect to live. Dobis and her colleagues analyzed on a county-by-county basis how life expectancy in 2014 has changed from a 1980 baseline, using data from more than 3,000 U.S. counties. They developed a statistical model to determine the relationship between a dozen community variables and each county's 2014 life expectancy, while controlling for personal variables that are known to be important, such as sex, race, education, single-parent status, obesity, and alcohol use. The community variables they examined included health care access, population growth and density, fast food restaurants, healthy food access, employment by sector, urbanization, and social capital, which measures the networks and bonds providing social cohesion among residents. They looked at each variable in isolation while holding others constant, allowing them to determine which variables independently exert the strongest effect on life expectancy. The researchers found that a county's 1980 life expectancy value strongly predicted variations in the 2014 value, but it didn't account for all of the variation. "When we controlled for historical life expectancy, we found three additional community factors that each exert a significant negative effect--a greater number of fast food restaurants, higher population density, and a greater share of jobs in mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction," Dobis said. "For example, for every one percentage point increase in the number of fast food restaurants in a county, life expectancy declined by .004 years for men and .006 years for women." This represents a 15-20 days shorter life span for every man, woman and child in a community, for each 10 percentage point increase in fast food restaurants in a community--or a 150-200 day shorter life span if the number of fast food restaurants were to double. Similarly, a one percentage point increase in a county's share of jobs in the mining, quarrying, oil and gas sectors was found to decrease average life expectancy by .04 years for men (or 15 days) and .06 years (22 days) for women. The research, which was published recently in Social Science and Medicine, also revealed several community factors that are positively related to life expectancy, including a growing population, good access to physicians, and a greater level of social cohesion. "We were surprised by the strong positive contribution of social capital to life expectancy within communities," said NERCRD Director Stephan Goetz, professor of agricultural economics and regional economics at Penn State and a co-author on the study. "Places with residents who stick together more on a community or social level also appear to do a better of job of helping people in general live longer." "Another interesting finding was that lower population density, or living in more rural areas, is associated with higher life expectancy," Goetz said. "This suggests that living in large, densely-settled metropolitan areas, with all of their amenities and other advantages, comes at the expense of lower life expectancy, at least in a statistical sense." In addition to being the first life-expectancy study to include community variables in a county-level analysis, this also was the first study to statistically analyze the extent to which disparities in life expectancy are geographically clustered. This analysis revealed some striking patterns. "We found exceptionally low life expectancies in the areas of the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations in South Dakota," Dobis said. "We found similar 'cold spots' of low life expectancy in the arctic and interior portions of Alaska, the Deep South surrounding the Mississippi River, and in the Appalachian regions of Kentucky and West Virginia." The research also revealed four "hot spots" of high life expectancy: a section of the Northeast spanning from Philadelphia to New England, southern Minnesota and the eastern Dakotas into Nebraska, an area in Colorado, and an area spanning central Idaho into the upper Rocky Mountains. The team's findings have important policy implications, as they suggest that certain aspects of the built environment can be changed to enhance life expectancy. For example, public places that promote social interaction could increase a community's social capital levels, which in turn promote longer lifespans. An Australian mother has began a crowdfunding campaign in her latest attempted to get back her two children who were taken to Lebanon by her ex-husband. Supporters of Sally Faulkner have so far donated $67,000 to aid her latest legal fight to gain custody of her two young children Lahela, 9, and Noah, 7. The two children travelled to Beirut with their dad Ali Elamine in May 2015, but never returned. Ms Faulkner infamously made a bid to recover her children some 11 months later that landed her and a 60 Minutes crew - including journalist Tara Brown - behind bars in Beirut. While in prison Ms Faulkner handed custody of her children to her ex-husband, but is now trying desperately to bring her kids back to Australia - having not had contact in almost five years. Supporters of Sally Faulkner (pictured) have so far donated $67,000 to aid her latest legal fight to gain custody of her two young children Lahela, 9, and Noah, 7 Ms Faulkner has not seen her two children since they travelled to Beirut with their father Ali Elamine (pictured) for a holiday in May 2015 and never returned 'Sally Faulkner, is one of the best human beings I know. Shes brave, strong, and an incredible Mother,' a close friend who is running the GoFundMe on her behalf wrote. 'What shes been through, I wish upon no one in this world. 'The next stages are crucial in her legal case and hopefully will result in Lahela and Noah being reunited with their Mother and Australian family. Please help in any way you can to assist, Sally can no longer do this on her own.' The crowdfunding effort in aid of Ms Faulkner comes just weeks after she admitted she was running out of money, despite having 'several wins'. Among those backing Ms Faulkner's case is outspoken mummy blogger Constance Hall. In a post on Instagram, Ms Hall urged her 426,000 followers to donate and support the case until all 'her babies are home'. 'Let's get Sallys legal team so much resources that they fly into court in a private jet, scoop up those babies and bring them home,' Ms Hall wrote. 'And after they have had their privacy and settled in, maybe even a couple of years later, we can throw them the worlds biggest party. The case became famous when 60 Minutes (reporter Tara Brown pictured left of centre) tried to recover the children with Ms Faulkner (pictured centre) but they were arrested in Lebanon The mother-of-four has been pursuing legal avenues to get her children back ever since she returned from Lebanon in 2015 Among those backing Ms Faulkner's is mummy blogger Constance Hall (pictured), who urged people to donate so much money that she and her legal team could 'fly into court in a private jet' 'We are powerful and we aren't giving up on Sally.' Ms Faulkner and Mr Elamine began dating in 2008 when she was an Emirates flight attendant, and had their first child in 2010. They lived together as a family in Beirut until a car bomb exploded near their home in August 2013 and she returned to Brisbane with the children. The distance between them ended their marriage, but Ms Faulkner said the couple remained amicable and Mr Elamine visited regularly, so she agreed they would visit Lebanon with him. 'Ali was a good father and the kids loved him, I trusted him and never thought he would take them away forever,' she wrote. 'Not long after arriving in Lebanon, Ali phoned me at home and told me that the kids would be staying with him and would never be returning to Australia.' Ms Faulkner recently said she had experienced 'several wins' in her long and expensive custody battle but was running out of money Lebanese policemen surround Australian TV presenter Tara Brown while escorting her from a courthouse to Baabda Prison for women Ms Faulkner believed her ex-husband's change of heart arose from her new relationship with her now-fiance Brendan Pierce. Four days later she discovered she was pregnant with her third child, Eli. She and Mr Pierce have since had another son together named Izac. In another post this month, Ms Faulkner wrote to her eldest children about their two half-brothers she hopes they will one day meet. 'Your little brother Eli just turned four years old. We had a party at the park with all of our friends, and your cousins too,' she wrote. 'We talked about how good it would be if you were both here. We talk about you all the time and Eli often tells me stories with you both in it, he doesn't understand yet why he can't see you... but he loves you both so very much. The mother-of-four on Tuesday issued a renewed plea to see Lahela and Noah again and let them meet her two youngest children Ms Faulkner sent this handwritten letter to Lahela at her school just before Christmas, but it never made it to her as it was intercepted by a teacher 'Your little brother Izac is growing up too and although he can't say much yet, we will be making sure that your names are some of the first words he learns. 'Lahela, I can just imagine you picking him up all the time and making him laugh, like you always made Mummy laugh.' Ms Faulkner said she agreed to the 60 Minutes child recovery plan because she was desperate, the Australian Government was no help, and the legal case was bleak. 'All I could hear were their little cries asking to come home. Ask yourself, what would you have done?' she wrote. 'I was driven by love and desperation and I was very unlucky that it didn't work out, however I would do it all over again if it meant that I had my children home with me today.' Lahela and Noah learning to surf at a beach in Beirut, in a photo sent to their mother by a friend of Mr Elamine Ms Faulkner vowed to never give up on her two eldest children and has spent a fortune fighting to bring them back to Australia Child recovery agents hired by Channel 9 managed to grab Lahela and Noah and reunite them with their mother, but everyone was caught before they could leave. Nine negotiated a $500,000 settlement to have kidnapping charges dropped and Ms Faulkner was forced to surrender custody before she could go home. 'I have no contact whatsoever with Ali and he has refused requests from my lawyers to have any form of contact with Lahela and Noah,' she wrote. 'Welfare checks by the Australian Embassy in Beirut have been unsuccessful and my constant messages were left unanswered.' Ms Faulkner sent a handwritten letter to Lahela at her school just before Christmas, but it never made it to her as it was intercepted by a teacher. 'I want you to know I wish I could hug you and tell you how much I love you and Noah,' it read. 'There have been so many tears and moments where we have spent hours talking about you and wishing you were both here.' Mr Elamine has indicated he never plans to let his ex-wife see her children again and they are happier without her. 'I will do what I like regardless of what she says,' he said in 2018. Three months ago she sold the home in Brisbane where she lived with Lahela and Noah 'because there were too many negative memories and moments attached to it' Lahela and Noah with an unknown man in Lebanon where they are still living with their father Noah holds up school awards in English and science in a photo sent to Ms Faulkner by a friend of her ex-husband 'Anything I say is spun against me and for sure its all done on her part I dont care about anything but my kids... and when they grow up they will know what she has done.' Ms Faulkner also apologised to her children for letting them end up in Lebanon, unable to leave and with the prospect of never seeing their mother again. 'If I knew back then what I know now, I would have never let you step foot on that plane. The one that left Brisbane carrying my entire life on board and away from me,' she wrote. 'I would have never trusted Daddy when he said he would bring you back. I never thought in a million years that he would do this to us. 'He knew how much love I had for you both, and how much you both loved me, your Mummy.' Three months ago she sold the home in Brisbane where she lived with Lahela and Noah 'because there were too many negative memories and moments attached to it'. 'They say 'home is where heart is' but my heart felt half empty, so I never felt settled there,' she wrote. Homewood Holdings Missouri-based American Construction Source acquired Homewood Holdings, a regional lumber and building materials dealer operating in California, Washington and Arizona. Homewood continues to operate under its local brand names of Homewood Lumber (Loomis, California), Evergreen Lumber (Port Orchard), Eagle Creek Siding (Tumwater), Custom Choice Door (Lakewood) and The Door Mill (Chandler, Arizona). Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. In context: Google's crackdown against apps violating its Play Store policies recently saw all of Cheetah Mobile's apps pulled from the Android marketplace after the Chinese developer was found guilty of churning out ad-infested apps with excessive data collection and dodgy in-app purchase mechanisms. In an alleged misunderstanding, Google has also booted Antutu's popular benchmarking apps on account of its relationship with the shady development studio. Though not as impactful as they once were, smartphone benchmarking apps are still fairly popular among users looking to test their devices to the limits (and occasionally brag about them). Antutu has been one such household name, appearing in thousands of YouTube comparison videos and sites over the years, informing users about the performance they are getting for their money. A recent development, however, saw all of the company's three benchmarking apps (Antutu 3DBench, Antutu Benchmark, and Altutu Benchmark) removed from the Google Play Store, most likely due to its association with Cheetah Mobile, reports Android Police. The most prominent indicators were Antutu's privacy policy on its (archived) app listing page that pointed users to Cheetah Mobile's website and the fact that the latter's CEO, Fu Sheng, was named the chairman/manager of Beijing Antutu Technology Co., hinting towards Cheetah Mobile's ownership of Antutu. An excerpt from Antutu CEO Zhao Chen's detailed statement to Android Police is shown below: We received a notification email from Google on March 7th informing us that AnTuTu was one of the related publisher accounts of Cheetah Mobile, all AnTuTu apps were removed from the Play Store. But in fact, We think there is some misunderstanding about it. Antutu is NOT the related account of Cheetah Mobile!! AnTuTu was founded in 2011, even before Cheetah Mobile, and is one of the earliest Google Play developers. Cheetah Mobile invested in us in around 2014 and became one of our shareholders since then. However, we still retain a considerable account of shares and Independent operation of the company as well as our own independent Google Play account. Cheetah Mobile has never touched our Google Play account, and AnTuTu has NOT done any promotion of Cheetah Mobile's software. He also said that Antutu was working on changing its legal supplier from Cheetah Mobile and that Fu Sheng's position with the company was due to investor requirements, noting that he "does not actually participate in the operation or the management of Antutu." Philippine Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has not been sleeping well. "It is very difficult for us to sleep every night without lingering fears," he said in early February, as he presided over an investigation into potential security risks stemming from Chinese part-ownership of his country's power grid operator. The Philippines is far from the only country running on China-backed electricity. As a complement to President Xi Jinping's signature Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, Beijing is pushing what it calls Global Energy Interconnection -- a vision of a multi-trillion-dollar worldwide electricity network. China already has a number of power lines connected to other countries, including Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, while lines into Thailand, Pakistan and Bangladesh are under consideration. For emerging economies hampered by chronic electricity shortages, such investments may be a blessing. Critics, however, worry that China's expanding presence in regional power grids could leave partner countries vulnerable. Xi himself proposed Global Energy Interconnection in 2015 at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit, as a way to meet the world's demand for clean power. Like the Belt and Road itself, China frames the concept as beneficial for everyone. "It increases mutual trust in politics and creates a new pattern of energy security featuring cooperation, mutual benefit and win-win results," says the website of the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization, or GEIDCO, the body leading the charge. Xi's pitch was not exactly new. European Union countries had been linking their grids, while the Renewable Energy Institute founded by SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son had been calling for a networking linking Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea, China, Mongolia and Russia. But the president's proposal dovetailed with his broader drive to build infrastructure spanning Asia and Europe. State Grid Corporation of China workers at a power substation in the Tibet Autonomous Region: The company is a driving force for Beijing's electricity interconnection vision. Reuters State Grid Corporation of China workers at a power substation in the Tibet Autonomous Region: The company is a driving force for Beijing's electricity interconnection vision. Reuters Tomas Kaberger, chair of the Renewable Energy Institute's board and a senior adviser to GEIDCO, believes that interlinked grids make economic sense and will inevitably spread. "It is like railway systems or telecom systems [that develop] step by step, but one day it will all be interconnected," he said. Proponents stress that the connections would allow for more efficient use of renewable resources. Wind power generated in breezy areas, for example, could be supplied to less-windy places with higher demand. Kaberger credits GEIDCO with developing the overall vision, "presenting a global innovation agenda which engages the industry" and spurs transmission technology development. China has certainly switched on the investment. Chinese companies announced 35 new power transmission projects outside China between March 2018 and December 2019, on top of the dozens of power generation projects, according to Washington-based consultancy RWR Advisory Group. A GEIDCO report issued last year estimated that total investment in power sources and grids in Belt and Road countries would reach a staggering $27 trillion by 2050. A key player for Beijing is the State Grid Corporation of China. Backed by readily available Chinese financing, the state-owned company has steadily won contracts and brought other Chinese companies into the fold. SGCC has built grids connected from China to Russia, Mongolia, Myanmar and Laos, while also investing in grid operators in European countries such as Portugal and Italy. In 2007, years before Xi made his case to the U.N., SGCC secured the right to participate in the Philippines' grid -- one of its first major overseas moves. The company partnered with local tycoons to establish the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, or NGCP, in 2009 as part of a privatization effort. The 25-year contract, which can be extended for another quarter-century, gives SGCC 40% of the consortium -- the legal maximum foreign ownership in public utilities. The Philippine government's National Transmission Corporation, known as TransCo, still owns the transmission assets. But TransCo said NGCP has installed Chinese equipment, including some from telecom giant Huawei Technologies, in its system while appointing Chinese executives including a chief technology officer -- despite restrictions in the constitution that would seem to preclude such moves. Some experts suggest SGCC's recent push for a "power internet of things" -- bringing more information and communications technology into the industry -- means China may not need to control much physical infrastructure to hold sway over electricity supplies. Instead, "China will likely be able to achieve the interconnection of regional energy distribution networks ... through the global deployment of comprehensive Chinese tech solutions for the power sector, such as smart meters, communications networks and data management systems," said Claire Chu, a senior analyst at RWR Advisory. She added that significant use of ICT in the power sector heightens security risks. This is what keeps people like Gatchalian up at night. In December, Philippine Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi asked an uncomfortable question out loud: Could China "really shut down" the nation's power grid? "We can say that in this digital age, anything and practically everything is possible remotely," Cusi said. "You can start your car even at the parking area, you can put on the air-con, you can lock and unlock it." At the investigation hearing in February, opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros also raised alarm about SGCC's ownership. "They are bound by law to gather intelligence and report to the Chinese government if requested and they may not refuse," Hontiveros said, referring to China's vaguely worded national intelligence law. "What happens in case of a diplomatic or political conflict between the Philippines and China?" she added. China's own energy needs have fueled investment in domestic projects, like this solar plant in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. Reuters China's own energy needs have fueled investment in domestic projects, like this solar plant in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. Reuters In the West, the Donald Trump-led backlash against Huawei has emphasized similar suspicions of China's intentions. And U.S. politicians have long held concerns about the safety of the electric grid as well. "Lawmakers and experts in Washington have been engaged in discussions about power grid security for several years now," noted Chu. The National Defense Authorization Act for 2020, signed in December, recommends a national strategy for securing the power network against cyberattacks. Security aside, there are questions of competition to consider. Just as Huawei has rapidly grown into a telecom powerhouse, China's energy companies are gaining access and experience that could give them a global edge. "Getting hold of power grids gives [SGCC] a lot of information about a country's energy supply and demand," said Yobun Inoue, senior coordinator at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan. This could lead to other contracts, like power plant construction. China's own appetite for electricity has driven big investments in domestic infrastructure over the years. From 2013 to 2018, spending on energy and grid systems surged almost 40% to reach 534 billion yuan ($76.42 billion), according to the IEEJ. "The large part of global investment in the most advanced transmission projects has been within China" in the last decade, said the Renewable Energy Institute's Kaberger. Now China hopes to use its technological expertise to set international standards. One focus is ultrahigh voltage technology, which enables power transmission over long distances with minimal energy loss. In Brazil, China's UHV transmission standard was used for the 2,538 km Belo Monte grid launched last October under a 30-year concession. At the International Electrotechnical Commission, meanwhile, China has become more outspoken in technical discussions and leads a number of working groups on standardization. "Achievements in standardization are conducive to [our] participation" in the Belt and Road, Shu Yinbiao, SGCC's then-chairman, told state media in a 2017 interview. An RWR Advisory report warned that standardization would lead to a "global reliance on China as an industry leader in control of key power technologies ... which will no doubt have strategic consequence." Yet some industry insiders suggest those concerns are overblown. "There is no technology at the moment that can only be done by Chinese companies," said Eiichi Zaima, research advisor to the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry. Kaberger agreed that the power business offers equal opportunities to other players -- China just happens to be quick to seize them. Global Energy Interconnection, he stressed, is not a uniquely Chinese idea that other countries could not explore on their own. He said there is only a risk that China will control the development "if other countries do not engage in it." Put another way, if you snooze you lose. Nikkei WASHINGTON After casting a vote in the House on Monday, Rep. Lois Frankel used a tissue to open a chamber door and exit the floor. She showed off a small bottle of hand sanitizer stowed in her purse, a product that has become a prized possession after selling out in stores. Frankel is also washing her hands "a lot" while worrying about how the rapidly spreading coronavirus will affect families, communities, businesses and the economy. "It's like preparing for a hurricane," the Florida Democrat said, "which is, you've got to be prepared and hope for the best." Those winds could blow powerfully through the halls of Congress where many like the 71-year-old Frankel are in the at-risk age bracket. Their jobs are all about public interaction and frequent travel. Handshakes are the coin of the realm. Millions of tourists, constituents and lobbyists visit each year and spring is the busiest season. Anxiety has been rising on Capitol Hill as at least half a dozen lawmakers who've come in contact with an infected person are self-quarantining including North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows who is about to become President Donald Trump's chief of staff with a few closing their offices. White House: Trump has not been tested for coronavirus, despite indirect contact Staying in session Congressional leaders have so far decided not to temporarily recess. "At the present time, there is no reason for us not to continue with our vital legislative work in the Capitol," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., wrote to lawmakers Monday night. She'd already noted to reporters last week that while some work can be done remotely, "We can't vote from home." And she reinforced that to her colleagues at Democrats' closed-door caucus meeting Tuesday. We are the captains of the ship," she said, according to two Democratic sources. "We are the last to leave." Story continues Coronavirus updates: World death toll passes 4,000, lockdown paralyzes Italy, US markets open with massive gain But Capitol Hill's health and safety officials continue to monitor the fast moving situation. Lawmakers were scheduled to be briefed by officials Tuesday and President Donald Trump was scheduled to go to Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers on a stimulus package aimed at curbing the impacts of coronavirus. CDC Director Robert Redfield told lawmakers Tuesday that the nation had underinvested in public health labs and hospitals are already nearly at full capacity for dealing with flu victims with respiratory problems. We really dont have a lot of resiliency in the capacity of our health care system, he said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on her way back to her office after signing the Coronavirus Emergency Response Package. Hard habits to break Some were already taking action on their own. They've turned town hall meetings into Facebook Live events or teleconferences, limited travel and meetings, figured out alternative forms of greeting and encouraged staff to work from home. A note on the office door of Rep. Pete Aguilar announces the California Democrat and his staff are "foregoing all handshakes." Instead, they recommend a polite elbow bump or a friendly wave or even a full rendition of Adeles 2015 hit, Hello. But Sen. Tim Kaine was among the lawmakers finding shaking hands a "hard habit to break. We are in a profession where we are with a ton of people and we are interacting with them, said the Virginia Democrat. Its challenging. An easier step for Kaine was doubling the amount of sick time each employee receives. I don't want anyone feeling a little bit sick and then [saying] I dont have a sick day, I should come in,'" he explained. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill on Jan. 25, 2020. Cutting back on travel, meetings Rep Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., the No. 3 House Republican, skipped a House Republican leadership retreat over the weekend in an attempt to limit attendance at non-critical meetings. Many of us have people in our families who are particularly vulnerable and, after consulting with physicians, Liz determined the best approach is to limit participation in non-essential gatherings, her spokesman, Jeremy Adler, said. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., is trying to cut down on any unnecessary traveling noting that at 85-years-old, he is in the age group that is most at risk. I think the main thing is, life goes on and we try to carry on but this is a real concern in the world for all of us, he said. We just have to be alert. Don't panic and be smart. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised people over 60 and those with underlying health problems to avoid large crowds. The average age in the Senate is 63. In the House, it's a spry 58. I just dont see how you make all of these folks get on a plane twice a week, said a senior Democratic aide said, adding that some members are worried about their health and they should be. Protecting yourself from coronavirus: Here's what you need to know Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware, speaks on Capitol Hill on June 12, 2018. Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, 58, said hes washed or sanitized his hands probably 10 times today. Focusing on coronavirus Lawmakers have to worry about not being conduits or recipients of the virus while working on the nation's response to the outbreak. Multiple coronavirus-related hearings are scheduled for this week. Congressional check writers on Tuesday grilled the head of the CDC over how it's handling of the crisis and the administration's proposed budget cuts for the agency. CDC Director Robert Redfield told lawmakers that the nation had underinvested in public health labs and hospitals are already nearly at full capacity for dealing with flu victims with respiratory problems. We really dont have a lot of resiliency in the capacity of our health care system, he testified. Members of the House Homeland Security Committee are asking how state health officials view the situation and want to hear how federal officials are responding. Other panels are examining travel insurance for virus-related cancellations as well as the effects of the virus on small businesses and on their supply chains. Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Iowa Republican who heads the Senate Finance Committee, is considering targeted tax relief measures. Economic help?: Donald Trump floats payroll tax cut, other financial relief for businesses and workers as coronavirus spreads Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., released Sunday a list of actions they say are needed to help families get through the outbreak, including enhanced unemployment benefits and free testing and treatment for the virus. The package may be introduced this week though not necessarily not voted on. "If members of Congress can go on self imposed quarantine and still get paid," Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., tweeted Monday, "It only makes sense that Congress should pass emergency laws to give paid sick leave to every American until this emergency is over." Self-quarantining Gallego's Arizona colleague, Republican Rep. Paul Gosar, was among those who, at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference, came in contact with a person who later tested positive for the virus. Gosar closed his office "out of an abundance of caution" and is self-quarantining at home as are three senior members of his staff. "I'm doing my reading, doing interviews," Gosar told Fox News. He's also tweeting. "Been thinking about life and mortality today," he tweeted Monday, along with a photo of armored warriors in bloody battle, inspiring a meme. "Id rather die gloriously in battle than from a virus. In a way it doesnt matter. But it kinda does." Been thinking about life and mortality today. Id rather die gloriously in battle than from a virus. In a way it doesnt matter. But it kinda does. pic.twitter.com/m6vU5RTQHJ Paul Gosar (@DrPaulGosar) March 9, 2020 Flashbacks to 2001 Some who were in Washington for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the letters containing anthrax spores that were mailed to Democratic senators Tom Daschle and Patrick Leahy weeks later, were having flashbacks. "This feels like November of 2001," said Brad Fitch, head of the Congressional Management Foundation. "You had uncertainty both (about) your personal future and your offices future and your capability to continue delivering services. A Senate office building and a few House offices including that of now Vice President Mike Pence who is leading the administration's response to the coronavirus were closed for months. Daschle, whos spoken to a number of lawmakers in recent days, said hes heartened by the serious approach members have taken. Frankly I applaud those members who have been exposed to coronavirus in different events over the last couple of weeks who self-quarantine. I think its the right thing to do, the former Democratic Senate leader told USA TODAY. Fitch, whose foundation works both with congressional offices to improve operations and with citizen groups to be effective advocates, is aware of multiple groups that have cancelled planned visits. One group whose members had already flown in from all over the country decided once they got to Washington to replace the planned in-person meetings with phone calls. "This is the busiest season for fly-ins," Fitch said, noting the groups can be as large as 1,000 or more. "No group wants to either expose their own membership by asking them to get on a plane, or the Congress." Whether Congress should recess for an extended period is a judgment call that should be guided by health professionals, Daschle said. Theres a balance there, he said. It cant be businesses a usual. But at the same time, there is the possibility of overreaction. So finding that balance and doing what appears to be the most prudent is critical and thats a leadership call and a science call. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., said he felt a bit concerned returning to Washington Monday after watching the news and seeing several of his colleagues had come into contact with someone who tested positive for the virus. "It does create a kind of depression," Cohen said. "You get a little bit down about it. But while some members were calling for Congress to take a break, Cohen said he trusts the speaker to make the right call. I think Nancy Pelosi knows best, he said with a smile. She's my congressional mother. She says it's time to go home, I'll go home. She says it's time to come to school, Im coming to school. Contributing: Ledyard King, USA TODAY. Here's the latest on the outbreak of COVID-19: Travel fallout: Amerian, Delta cutting global and domestic flights Oops: Family says they bought 12-year supply of toilet paper by accident Is it safe to ride?: Coronavirus fears are challenging public transit agencies Health or a paycheck?: Workers with no paid sick leave face tough choice amid coronavirus scare This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus: Congress worries about own health amid national response Police have released footage of a vehicle they hope to identify in their investigation into the deaths of a Gold Coast bikie and his friend, with family members making an emotional plea to the public for help. Car enthusiast Cameron Martin, 47, died when his Mercedes-Benz sedan veered off the road and hit a tree on Tallebudgera Creek Road in Tallebudgera about 9.30pm on October 18. Cameron Martin (right) was a car enthusiast and keen jet skier. He died less than two kilometres from where his friend Shane Ross was found dead several days later. Credit:Facebook Investigations revealed Mr Martin had suffered a gunshot wound to the chest before his car slammed into a tree. His friend and Comanchero member, Shane Ross, 36, was found dead in Tallebudgera bushland days later. Fighting back tears at police media conference on Tuesday morning, Mr Ross' wife Alex said "a choice from his very distant past did not define him as a human being". By PTI NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Monday arrested the brother of suspended AAP councillor Tahir Hussain in connection with the violence in northeast Delhi last month, officials said. Hussain's brother Shah Alam was arrested by the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police, they said. Three other persons have also been arrested for allegedly sheltering Alam, police said. Shah Alam's name surfaced during the investigation into the case. Hussain was arrested by the Delhi Police on Thursday for the alleged murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma, during the recent violence in north-east Delhi. A Delhi court later sent Hussain to 7-day police custody, in connection with the case. The Karkardooma Court had earlier rejected the anticipatory bail plea of the suspended AAP leader, observing that nobody had appeared from the accused side. ALSO READ | SIT monitoring suspended AAP Councillor Tahir Hussains relatives, friends closely Hussain is an accused in the FIR lodged over the alleged killing of IB officer Sharma whose body was recovered from a drain in Chand Bagh on February 26. The deceased's father, Ravinder Kumar, on whose complaint the FIR was lodged, named the AAP leader as an accused. He has alleged that Hussain, whose office is located near Chand Bagh Pulia, had gathered men who were pelting stones and petrol bombs during the violence which led to tension and fear among local residents. At least 53 people, including Ankit Sharma and a Police Head Constable Rattan Lal, were killed in the violence that rattled the national capital recently. (With ANI Inputs) Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 02:34:18|Editor: yan Video Player Close CAIRO, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Tourism in Egypt has not been affected by COVID-19 and no tourist sites have been closed over the novel coronavirus, the Egyptian tourism and antiquities minister said Tuesday. "In February 2020 during the virus crisis, nearly 900,000 tourists visited Egypt, marking a four-percent increase compared with February 2019," Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled al-Anany told a joint press conference with the ministers of health and information. He noted that at least 210,000 tourists visited Egypt in the first week of March 2020, describing the number as "a normal rate." "The archeological sites are open for visitors on a daily basis and none of them has been shut down," the minister said, refuting claims of closing some sites over COVID-19 concerns. Anany noted that his ministry coordinates closely with the health ministry and other authorities concerned to safeguard Egyptians working in the tourism field as well as foreign and local visitors. "It is a crisis that the world is going through and I hope it will soon come to an end in the whole world," said the Egyptian tourism and antiquities minister. Egypt has recently discovered about 45 coronavirus cases onboard a Nile River cruise ship, raising the number of COVID-19 cases detected in the country to 59. Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed announced on Tuesday that 26 cases have recovered and been tested negative for the virus. The COVID-19 has infected more than 117,000 people worldwide over the past couple of months, some 4,000 of whom died. TDT | Manama CrediMax announced launching its latest feature allowing users to register and use their debit cards on MaxWallet. Users are now able to purchase using any debit card issued by local banks in Bahrain, CrediMax statement said. CrediMax said it is also currently running its Use and Win campaign for MaxWallet users, giving a chance for three lucky winners to win an iPhone 11 Pro Max each. The campaign will run till 30th of April, 2020 where cardholders can enter the raffle for any usage amount. Full campaign details can be viewed on CrediMax website or social media channels. Users are able to scan and pay using their MaxWallet on all our POS terminals including the latest smart POS without the need to use separate devices. CrediMax QR solution supports the acceptance of both MaxWallet and BenefitPay users on all CrediMax POS terminals MaxWallet is available on both Android and iOS. : The Karnataka assembly on Tuesday witnessed heated exchange of words between Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar and former speaker K R Ramesh Kumar over the disqualification of 17 MLAs last year that eventually led to the fall Congress-JD(S) coalition government. Sudhakar was among the rebel Congress and the JD(S) MLAs who had resigned from the assembly and was later disqualified by Kumar under the anti-defection law, taking note of the Congress partys complaint for his alleged anti- party activities. During the debate on the Constitution, Sudhakar raised the issue of how he along with 16 others had to go into oblivion for 14 months. Directing his angst against Kumar, Sudhakar said, The Speakers scope of enquiry with respect to acceptance and rejection of a resignation tendered by a legislator is limited to examine whether such a resignation was tendered voluntarily or genuinely." Once it is demonstrated that the member is willing to resign out of his free will, the speaker has no option but to accept the resignation. It is constitutionally impermissible for the speaker to take into account any extraneous factors, he said. Congress MLA U T Khader questioned him why he had quit the Congress and now blaming them. In reply, Sudhakar said the matter was not related to him alone but all the 17 members who had to suffer all the 14 months. Kumar objected to it, saying, Do they want to debate on the Supreme Court (which had upheld the MLAs disqualification) judgement? Speaker is a quasi judicial authority. Then he asked the law minister whether the Supreme Court order be debated in the house. Soon, pandemonium broke out. The presiding officer Shivanand S Patil adjourned the house. Later, both said they would move the breach of privilege motion against each other. Denouncing Sudhakar, the Congress legislative party leader Siddaramaiah said the medical education minister raised the issue of disqualification of MLAs unnecessarily and spoke against Ramesh Kumar without any provocation. It (the disqualification) was not done by Ramesh Kumar in the capacity of Ramesh Kumar but as the speaker of the Assembly. The Supreme Court had upheld the speakers order, Siddaramaiah pointed out. He said Sudhakars statement that Kumar disqualified them to mentally torture them and reference to the Supreme Court judgement was uncalled for. Following this, unparliamentary words were used against Kumar. The derogatory words against Kumar amount to the breach of house and breach of privilege, Siddaramaiah said. Kumar had disqualified the MLAs which eventually led to the fall of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government headed by the then chief minister H D Kumaraswamy. Kumaraswamy resigned as the chief minister after losing a trust vote, which paved the way for the BJP-led government in the southern state under Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa. The lawmakers had approached the apex court, challenging Kumar's decision to disqualify them. Some of them had contended in their pleas that the decision taken by Kumar before resigning as the speaker was entirely illegal, arbitrary and mala fide exercise of his power under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution. They had also questioned Kumar's decision to reject their resignations by holding that those were not voluntary and genuine. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Olanrewaju Adesanya The Lagos State House of Assembly has been thrown into a war zone, as suspended lawmaker and demoted principal officers were debarred entry into the premises. At about 8:21pm Hon. Lanre Oshun was sighted having altercation with security operatives at the gate of the assembly, querying why he should be debarred entry but after some minutes without access into the complex he left. When Oshun was contacted via phone he said he his on his way to Burdillon to seek a redress. The Deputy Majority leader, Hon Muyiwa Jimoh few minutes after Oshuns was turned back also showed up at the gate and was also bounced. However the Chief Whip was spotted within the complex observing the development, information has it that he managed to enter the house in the Deputy Speakers vehicle. There are insinuations that lawmakers are already holding meetings to engender replacement for the deposed principal officers and two lawmakers suspended indefinitely. According to feelers gathered, the bickering was borne out of the need to trim down the influence of Senator Bayo Osinowo, who was formerly a staunch member of the Lagos Assembly and still maintains a grip hold of situation in the house. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 01:19:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JERUSALEM, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Israel has begun an expedited procurement operation to purchase medical equipment for the Israeli army, the Ministry of Defense said Tuesday. The cost of the purchased equipment is about 50 million new shekels (14.1 million U.S. dollars), in Israel's largest procurement operation since the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict. According to the ministry's statement, the current procurement will support the preparation of Israel's security system to deal with the novel coronavirus. The purchased supplies include face masks, gloves, armored suits for medical teams, medical devices such as defibrillators and monitors, and disinfectants. The operation is made on the Israeli army's demand, in order to support its preparations for dealing with the coronavirus spread scenarios. The ministry noted that most of the procurement will be carried out in new shekel currency, from Israeli suppliers and marketers "to support the Israeli economy during this complex period." Recent articles published in the Nevada Independent, POLITICO, and the Reno Gazette-Journal about Dan Pattersons whistleblower complaint against the Battle Mountain District Office of the Bureau of Land Management miss a key point. Congress has directed how BLM must manage our public lands. BLM employees whether they are a district manager or a staff person cannot insert their personal preference for any particular industry or for conservation over natural resources development. The whistleblowers portrayal of a chummy relationship between BLM and the industries it regulates, including Nevadas mining industry, overlooks BLMs legal obligations to manage public lands for multiple uses as Congress mandated nearly 45 years ago when it enacted the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. In FLPMA, Congress directed BLM to manage public lands for multiple uses that provide the nation with domestic sources of minerals, food, timber, fiber, and outdoor recreational opportunities, while at the same time minimizing environmental impacts and protecting air quality, water resources, fish and wildlife habitat, sensitive plants and animals, and archaeological sites. The mission Congress established for BLM requires a careful balancing act to authorize mining, ranching, oil and gas, renewable energy, logging, recreation, and other activities, while simultaneously ensuring the environment is protected. That is exactly what BLM has done at mineral exploration and mining projects throughout Nevada. All mineral activities on public lands, ranging from small exploration projects to large mining operations, must comply with Congress command to prohibit unnecessary or avoidable environmental impacts. Contrary to the whistleblowers assertions, BLMs mining regulations have not changed since 2017. Additionally, before companies can begin exploring or mining, they must furnish federal and state regulators with a reclamation bond. BLM, the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, and the U.S. Forest Service currently hold over $3.15 billion in reclamation bond monies to ensure Nevada exploration and mining projects will be properly reclaimed. As the top metals mining state in the country, Nevada mines produce gold, silver, copper, lithium, barite, and other minerals that are the building blocks of the Nations economy, conventional and renewable energy infrastructure, manufacturing sector, and national defense. Everyone who owns a smart phone, a computer, a car, or a house; who lives and works in a building; who travels on a bus, train, or airplane; or flips on a light switch, uses minerals. Nevadans should be proud of the substantial contributions that Nevadas mining industry makes in providing these essential minerals from highly regulated and environmentally responsible mining operations. Because many Nevada mines are located on public lands, BLM plays an important role in ensuring these mines are built and operated in compliance with numerous federal and state environmental protection laws and regulations. Nevada mining companies spend millions studying the environment at their proposed mines and are required to provide this information to BLM and NDEP. The whistleblowers description of the Environmental Impact Statement that BLM developed for the Gemfield Mine Project in Esmeralda County is misleading. It took BLM six years to complete this EIS and cost the company $3,632,000, as shown on the cover of the document. The multimillion-dollar price tag for an EIS reflects the level of detailed environmental studies that companies must perform and pay for, and the thorough analyses the agencies conduct in evaluating proposed mining operations. This is not the fast-track, preordained process described in the whistleblowers complaint. The whistleblower overlooks Esmeralda Countys involvement in the Gemfield Mine Project EIS and dismisses the findings of the Countys expert hydrologist who doublechecked BLMs conclusions to verify the post-mining pit lake will not adversely impact groundwater or harm wildlife. In fulfilling their obligations to ensure the health and safety of Esmeralda County residents, County officials took extra care to scrutinize the proposed mine. The whistleblower has shown total disregard for Esmeralda Countys ability to know whats best for their community and to carefully consider the impacts of this project in their backyard. The whistleblower criticizes BLM for approving two Notices for initial exploration at Rhyolite Ridge, a promising lithium project in Esmeralda County. His criticism ignores BLMs longstanding regulations for small exploration projects that impact fewer than five acres and are located at least one mile apart. Notice-level projects must adhere to the same environmental protection standards as larger projects, including protecting sensitive plants like the Tiehms buckwheat at the Rhyolite Ridge Project. Notices remain in effect for an initial period of two years and can be extended if the company is complying with environmental protection standards and the reclamation bond remains sufficient to guarantee reclamation. Because it can take many years to discover a mineral deposit, its not unusual for companies to have multi-year Notices. The whistleblower used to work for the Center for Biological Diversity, a group that wants to protect plants and animals by limiting other uses of public lands. CBD frequently challenges permits for natural resource development projects to achieve their objective. He implies that BLMs mission should be more like that of his former employer and contends BLM issues too many permits. But its BLMs job to issue permits for mineral exploration, mining, ranching, oil and gas and renewable energy development, and other land uses so long as the proposed projects comply with environmental protection standards. Despite his preference for species protection over natural resource development and other uses of public lands, the whistleblowers complaint cannot change the Congressional mandate governing how BLM must manage and regulate public lands. The changes he wants would literally take an act of Congress to amend the law. Maybe that will happen someday. But until it does, we should appreciate the difficult job that Congress has given BLM and recognize the agencys efforts to reach the balance Congress requires. We should understand that working under a system of stringent laws and regulations, companies throughout Nevada build and operate mines that safeguard the environment. We should remember that these mines provide thousands of high-paying jobs, generate tax revenues, benefit nearby communities, place the utmost importance on worker health and safety, and produce the minerals we use and need in our daily lives. Debra Struhsacker is co-counder and a director of the Womens Mining Coalition, which was founded in 1993 with the mission to bring the story of the modern mining industry to Members of Congress. Love 18 Funny 0 Wow 3 Sad 0 Angry 0 Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 06:54:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, March 9 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday was encouraged by what he saw as movement-building in gender equality, and asked for more efforts to further carry forward the cause. This year, the world marks the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and its Platform for Action, which together define the most comprehensive and transformative global agenda for gender equality and women's empowerment, he told the opening meeting of the 64th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). "A key legacy of the Beijing process was movement-building. These past 25 years have seen growing, strengthened, vibrant, transnational and diverse women's movements that are increasingly challenging slow and piecemeal progress by calling for urgent systemic change." They are advancing gender equality and demanding accountability from governments and other powerful actors. They are forging coalitions and working across themes, sectors and political boundaries to advance the rights of women and girls and show how they are inextricably linked to economic, social and environmental justice for all, said Guterres. "These movements are proposing bold new alternatives for a different world." By January 2020, the United Nations has achieved gender parity -- 90 women and 90 men -- in the ranks of its full-time senior leadership, two years ahead of the target that the secretary-general set at the start of his tenure, and the world body has a roadmap for parity at all levels in the coming years, said Guterres. "This long-overdue change is an essential recognition of the equal rights and value of women staff, and a fundamental instrument to change power relations within our organization. It is also about improving our efficiency and our effectiveness for the people we serve." But Guterres cautioned that the vision of the Beijing Declaration has been only partly realized. Women in parliaments are still outnumbered three-to-one by men; women still earn just 77 cents for every dollar earned by men; and unpaid care and domestic work remain stubbornly feminized the world over, said Guterres. In some areas, progress toward gender equality has stalled or even gone into reverse. Some countries have rolled back laws that protect women from violence; others are reducing civic space; still others are pursuing economic and immigration policies that indirectly discriminate against women. Women's access to sexual and reproductive health services is far from universal, he noted. "We must push back against the pushback." "With nations around the world searching for solutions to the complex challenges of our age, one way to get us on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals is to accelerate the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action," said Guterres. Gender equality is fundamentally a question of power, he observed. "We still live in a male-dominated world with a male-dominated culture, and have done so for millennia. Centuries of discrimination, deep-rooted patriarchy and misogyny have created a yawning gender power gap in our economies, our political systems and our corporations. This simply has to change." He saw the CSW as an opportunity to further galvanize the momentum for gender equality and women's rights. "I urge you to use this session to focus on what unites us and to strongly reaffirm the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and its full, effective and accelerated implementation. Let us send a clear message to the world that women's rights are human rights, and that gender equality is central to all the Sustainable Development Goals," he said. This year's CSW meeting, which was originally scheduled for March 9-20, has been reduced, for the time being, to a one-day event owing to fears for the coronavirus. The general debate and all side events have been canceled. The CSW asked capital-based delegations and other stakeholders to refrain from traveling to UN Headquarters in New York for the meeting, as recommended by the secretary-general. "I am truly saddened that the extraordinary circumstances ushered in by the spread of the coronavirus have left us no choice but to postpone the full session of the CSW and, instead, gather for just this one day," said Guterres. "I know that activists and women's groups around the world share my disappointment. But I also take heart because I know we remain committed to the cause of gender equality. We all understand the imperative of achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality." The CSW under the UN Economic and Social Council is an organ that promotes gender equality and the empowerment of women. Its annual meeting is a major event for the cause of gender equality and is of special interest to nongovernmental organizations. Investment in nursing homes for the elderly through acquiring real estate or the shares of companies managing such homes is increasing in Japan. Generally, investors should be aware of the relevant regulations in order to consider risks; however, the structure of Japanese laws and regulations on these homes is complicated because there are historically two authorities involved, each having established different regulations. The following is a brief introduction from the latest legal perspective for potential investors. The first authority involved is the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW). The MHLW supervises nursing homes based on the Act on Social Welfare for the Elderly. Under this act, there is a concept of 'a fee-based home for the elderly' (Nursing Home), basically meaning a facility that provides services for taking in elderly persons and providing them with nursing care services. The MHLW published guidelines for prefectural governors on the method of administrative guidance for Nursing Homes and the desirable conditions involved, such as staffing, management, internal rules and services. The second authority involved is the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), which supervises nursing homes under the Act on the Securement of a Stable Supply of Elderly Persons' Housing. This act has another definition for such facilities: 'a residence with health and welfare services for the elderly' (Service Residence), which is rental housing for the aged which provides residents with safety-check services and life-advisory services. The MLIT requires Service Residences to satisfy certain conditions that are generally looser than those of Nursing Homes. As the descriptions above show, most Service Residences also fall under the definition for a Nursing Home. These Service Residences, therefore, must comply with both the MLIT requirements and the MHLW guidelines. However, in practice, due to the differences between jurisdictions, many of them seem to comply with only the MLIT requirements as Service Residences. Even though, in 2015, the MHLW amended its guidelines and clarified that they applied also to Service Residences that fell under the Nursing Homes definition, the authorities do not as yet appear to be enforcing this policy perfectly. The local authorities directly supervising Nursing Homes tend to overlook non-compliance by Service Residences by applying provisions in the guidelines that use the wording 'in accordance with the type of service provided' and thus allow some flexibility. However, since it is expected that administrative guidance on Service Residences will become stricter to unify the regulations, investors should carefully monitor future activities of the authorities. Yuuri Asakura 2021 Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC. For help please see our FAQs. Share this article A barber in Beijing is supporting his wife and child by charging food and other expenses to a credit card while he waits for his employer's shop to reopen. A waiter at a barbecue restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri, washes his hands more often and hopes for the best. A parcel delivery driver in Britain worries about getting sick from the people who sign for their packages. While white collar workers trying to avoid contagion can work from home or call in sick if they experience symptoms of the virus, that's not an option for the millions of waiters, delivery workers, cashiers, ride-hailing drivers, museum attendants and countless others who routinely come into contact with the public. Their dilemma is often compounded by spotty sick leave policies or inadequate health insurance coverage, leaving them vulnerable to the fast-spreading coronavirus that has already claimed thousands of lives and put them in a financially precarious position. "The recommendations on what people should be doing to protect themselves really gives a sharp indication of the divide between white collar and blue collar workers," said Shannon Liss-Reardon, a workers rights attorney in Boston. "Our social safety net is just not equipped at this moment to deal with a crisis like this, and it will disproportionately affect the most vulnerable low wage workers." The vast majority of people recover. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. In mainland China, where the outbreak emerged in December, almost three-fourths of more than 80,000 patients have recovered. While tech companies like Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft have implemented work-from-home policies, only 29 per cent of US workers have that option, according to the Bureau of Statistics. That means retail workers like Mendy Hughes must fend for themselves. The Walmart cashier in Malvern, Arkansas, serves hundreds of people a day and her big worry is what will happen to her income if she catches the virus or comes in contact with someone who's had it and must self-quarantine for 14 days. "If I can't go to work, I could try to take a leave but it will be unpaid," said Hughes, who earns USD 11.60 an hour. "I don't know what I would be doing about taking care of my family." Hughes, a diabetic and mother of four, gets 48 hours of sick leave a year but she fears it wouldn't be nearly enough time to recover. In the United States, about 27 per cent of private sector workers don't have access to paid sick leave, according to the Bureau of Statistics. Some countries, like Britain, are looking into helping out non-permanent workers. There is no federal sick leave policy in the US, but 12 of the 50 states and Washington DC require employers to offer paid sick leave. In Britain, parcel delivery driver Ed Cross worries about catching the virus from the machine he hands people who sign for their packages. "People have coughed on their hand and then got hold of my machine and you sort of make a joke of it trying to point it out," Cross, 53, said. "But yeah, it's what we face daily." "We only have to go to the wrong house and we could catch it, as simple as that," said Cross, who on a recent day handed packages to 110 people on his route in Whitby, northern England. Waiter Joey Ingham, who works at a barbecue restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri, popular with business travelers, says he doesn't have insurance. His protection? Washing his hands more often. "If I wasn't able to come into work, it would be hard to make ends meet, said Ingham, who waits on 80 to 120 people a shift. If he felt sick, he'd probably talk to a manager" about what to do, but noted management hasn't yet outlined any policies. Liss-Reardon said most gig workers independent or temporary contractors she represents don't have health insurance. "We won't have a fully insured population until we get universal healthcare, he said. "There are going to be these huge gaps. The burden is falling on the poorest and most vulnerable in our society. This is just another example. The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends workers without insurance contact a local health department or community health center for help. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends emergency room visits only for patients who are very sick. In France, where people have the right not to work and get full pay when they consider their workplaces to be dangerous, some service staff briefly stayed home because of contagion concerns. Workers at the Louvre, the world's most-visited museum, refused to work for two days and were only coaxed back after management introduced a raft of new anti-virus measures. "We are asking for gloves. We are asking for disinfectant gels, and masks for the drivers," said Bastien Berthier, of the Paris metro's UNSA union. In China, where the outbreak has been raging for two months, many service industry workers have it far worse, with business evaporating as people are forced to hunker down at home. A barber in Beijing who would give only his surname, Long, said he is supporting his wife and child by charging food and other expenses to a credit card while he waits for his employer to reopen. "I can ask for sick leave or compassionate leave, but I get nothing without working," said Long, 33. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Fresh off an endorsement by former presidential rival Cory Booker, Joe Biden is coming to New Jersey later this month to raise money for his campaign. The fundraiser in Montclair is scheduled for March 20, according to an invitation obtained by NJ Advance Media. Among the hosts are Michael Blumenthal, treasury secretary under President Jimmy Carter; Michael Kempner, who raised more than $500,000 for President Barack Obama; and Gordon MacInnes, former president of New Jersey Policy Perspective, a progressive research group. Biden on Monday picked up the endorsements of Booker, who also sought the Democratic presidential nomination, and Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-12th Dist., who had backed Booker. Watson Coleman, a member of the House Progressive Caucus, called Biden a strong ally in the fight to advance our partys progressive values. Biden has been consolidating support as the more moderate alternative to Bernie Sanders since resurrecting his campaign with strong victories in the South Carolina primary and most of the Super Tuesday states. Another test comes Tuesday with primaries or caucuses in six states, including Michigan, where Sanders beat Hillary Clinton four years ago. Biden led Sanders among Democratic voters and those who lean Democratic, 54% to 35%, in a Quinnipiac University poll released Monday. In addition, 80% of Democrats said Biden was likely to defeat President Donald Trump in November, while 61 percent said the same about Sanders. Its down to two and looks very much like the Biden resurgence could be a fatal blow to the Sanders revolution, Quinnipiac University poll analyst Tim Malloy said. The poll of 559 registered Democratic voters and independents who lean Democratic was conducted March 5-8 with a margin of error of 4.2 percentage points. 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. On Tuesday, politician Lord Bethell spoke in the House of Lords about the risk of transmitting coronavirus through kissing and other forms of social intercourse, saying: Kissing is wonderful but potentially dangerous. As an in-person sex worker, this isnt good for business. The coronavirus outbreak threatens a significant part of my livelihood. From my contacts within the industry, I know that escorts are experiencing a higher rate of cancellations and fewer bookings than usual. I became an independent escort in October 2019, in a bid to ease the financial strain of being a single parent. My income from my office job was roughly $32,000, all of which, plus any money I made from freelance writing, was going straight to childcare costs, bills and the taxman. Because I am new to the industry, my income has fluctuated wildly as I adjust my responsibilities. In the beginning I was making roughly $2,580 a month, only working the odd evening. Then in January I started working more flexibly for my admin job and made just under $6,500; in February, I made $8,592 (not including tips or gifts). I was on track to make the same this month until I had my first cancellation, from an Italian client, which wiped $646 almost 10% off my income. That may not seem like a lot but keep in mind the nature of self-employment. I put away 40% of my income for tax, and then there are the vast expenses: lingerie, lube, condoms, toys, hotels for my incall days (an incall is where clients come to the sex worker, who hosts in their apartment, hotel, etc.; an outcall is where you go to the client), travel costs, nails, laser hair removal. Every booking I lose makes me panic that little bit more. Like many escorts, a good proportion of my clients are traveling to London for business. Of the rest, the majority of my bookings come from one particular client, who accounts for roughly $3,875 of my monthly income. While he is based in the UK, he travels often for work. There is obviously a risk of him getting coronavirus while traveling and passing it to me, but there is also the risk of him having less expendable income due to the unstable economy. Ordinarily, it wouldnt be as nerve-wracking, as I get new email inquiries almost daily, but finding new, reliable clients right now is not easy. Story continues I have noticed a drop, and last month I had the most cancellations I have ever had. jane A fellow independent in-person sex worker, Jane*, agrees. I definitely have noticed that I have been getting less inquiries from people I havent met. I dont know whether they are scared of contracting the virus or because the economy is a little bit shaky from the virus and also Brexit, or whether its all of those things together, she says. But I have noticed since the outbreak in Italy, its become a lot more serious for the UK. Maybe since the end of January I have noticed a drop and last month, in February, I had the most cancellations I have ever had. It is right for clients to be diligent about their health, especially if they are older or have underlying health conditions. But I believe a lot of these cancellations are down to people being advised to avoid touching others. A colleague of mine, Letizia Miro, has also experienced cancellations: I had one cancellation from a client who was coming to a big conference in London. Also a Fly-Me-To-You (where the client pays to fly their chosen escort to their country), which was meant to happen at the end of the month to Germany, probably wont happen either. The issue with big bookings like this is that once you lose just one or two, your predicted income can decrease dramatically, and its hard to get replacement bookings to make up for it. Jane raises the point that as self-employed sex workers, if we cant go to work, then we dont get paid. If we contract the virus, we will be unable to work for weeks with no sick pay. And even if we dont get sick ourselves, if the virus becomes more widespread in the UK, what is already looking like a bleak few months for sex workers may leave us without any income whatsoever. There is an obvious slowdown [of jobs] due to the cancellations of conferences and business meetings. Less movement overall. And less movement means less prospective clients coming to London for business, Letizia says. Basically, Im relying on regular clients. I have prepared myself for a very slow April. I feel clients in general might feel put off by the physical proximity. Like many of us, Jane has been searching for ways to supplement her income should things get more serious. If London shuts down like China or Italy, no one will be seeing a sex worker, obviously, she tells me. Im assuming people will find other ways to make money, whether or not they have side businesses or other forms of sex work they do. Camming, phone chat, Im assuming people will rely on those streams of income instead of in-person sex work. Online sex work has boomed in recent years with the rise of sites like OnlyFans. And if in-person workers migrate towards camming, its hard to see how an already oversaturated market could be as profitable as in-person work for sex workers who do not already have a large online following. Jane, who used to do camming before becoming an in-person sex worker, also used to work in a brothel and believes that workers there may be facing situations that put their health at significant risk. As an independent worker I have that privilege to ask if clients have been in contact with [the virus] and to say no, at this point. If you are working at a brothel, you dont really have a choice of who you can see and definitely not a choice of if they have traveled to X, Y, and Z recently. With sex workers having to pay a house fee to the brothel owner, regardless of whether they come into work or not, you can see how the virus is a serious financial as well as a health worry. If sex workers run into debt with their manager, they may avoid the brothel and turn to street work for money. Coronavirus is making many people fearful but for sex workers, the lack of security it creates is leaving us extra vulnerable. *Name has been changed Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here? How To Date In The Age Of Coronavirus Coronavirus: Starbucks Bans Reusable Cups How U.S. Healthcare Affects Coronavirus Testing WASHINGTON, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Lobbyists 4 Good, the nation's first nonprofit that hires lobbyists on behalf of the American people, announced today that it has hired former Representative Steve Driehaus as a lobbyist. Mr. Driehaus, who served as a Member of Congress from Ohio's 1st Congressional District, will lobby Congress to pressure the African nation of Mauritania to end protection for perpetrators of ethnic cleansing campaigns against black Africans from 1989 to 1992 and restore citizenship for thousands of Mauritanians. Many of Driehaus's former constituents are of Mauritania descent and their families came to the U.S. to escape the violence and severe human rights violations by the Mauritania government. The campaign was created on Lobbyists 4 Good's platform after the community had already met with Driehaus to ask his help lobbying Congress. "Mr. Driehaus should be applauded for taking on this issue as a lobbyist," said Billy DeLancey, Co-founder and CEO of Lobbyists 4 Good. "It proves that not all members of Congress take jobs with big corporations or wealthy special interest groups when they leave Congress. The people funding this campaign are lucky to have somebody with his experience and expertise." The campaign has already raised over $5,000 with an average donation of $200. It was started by Hawa Sall who was born in a refugee camp in Senegal after her family fled the violence. "I think, too often, lobbying is associated with former Members trying to use their experience to parlay it for personal financial gain," said Driehaus. "But lobbying is also necessary to educate current Members about injustices that persist around the world. It is a way to give voice to the voiceless. That is why I entered public service, and I view lobbying as a means of continuing that service to the people of southwest Ohio. I hope that drawing upon my experience, we can affect change for the thousands of Mauritanians, living in the US and abroad, who are adversely impacted by their government's policies." Congressman Driehaus has also agreed to lobby Congress to increase funding for the United States Peace Corps if the campaign can reach the $5,000 milestone needed to hire a lobbyist. Driehaus served as a Peace Corps Country Director in the African countries of Swaziland and Morocco, empowering youth and combating the scourge of HIV/AIDS after he left Congress. More about Lobbyists 4 Good Lobbyists 4 Good is the first crowdfunding platform that empowers people to hire lobbyists working for them. Similar to other crowdfunding platforms, individuals submit campaign ideas on their website and funds are raised through peer-to-peer small donations. Campaigns must align with the group's Founding Principles and raise $5,000 to hire a lobbyist for the issue. More about former Representative Steve Driehaus Mr. Driehaus is the Managing Partner of the Good Government Group based in Cincinnati. He served as a Member of Congress from Ohio's 1st Congressional District focusing on regional development issues, financial reform, and government accountability. After Congress, he led the efforts of the United States Peace Corps in the African countries of Swaziland and Morocco, empowering youth and combating the scourge of HIV/AIDS. Before serving in Congress, Steve served eight years in the Ohio Statehouse, and was elected by his peers to House Minority Whip. He received his B.A. from Miami University (OH) and his M.P.A. from Indiana University. SOURCE Lobbyists 4 Good We are proud to have built a platform that drove significant revenue growth to our network year over year. - Lee Curtis, RESIDE CEO & Founding Partner At last months Corporate Housing Providers Association Annual Conference in Austin, TX, RESIDE Worldwides (RESIDE) global accommodations marketplace and end-to-end technology management platform, 3SIXTY celebrated their partner network. 2019 was another record year for our 3SIXTY Global Network, said Lee Curtis, CCHP, RESIDE CEO and Founding Partner. We are proud to have built a platform that drove significant revenue growth to our network year over year. 3SIXTY aggregates over 500 supply chain partners to offer clients access to over 1,000,000 globally compliant, fully vetted, quality, and cost-effective accommodations options in over 60 countries. The revenue and guest satisfaction scores generated by our Global Partner Network this year were our highest yet, said Matt Daniel, CCHP, Vice President of Global Services for 3SIXTY. These numbers reflect the reason for why we invest in our network and in our partners every single day. Our Award Reception was a night to celebrate them and to thank them for their contributions to helping the RESIDE brand portfolio grow alongside their organizations. 3SIXTYs first award recognized partners who achieved Top Block Rating by scoring over 8 on a 10-point scale on guest satisfaction surveys and delivered an exceptional guest experience. Top Block award winners were AHI Corporate Housing, Apartments Colombia, Apartment and Relo Center, Avenida Suites, California Corporate Housing, Churchill Living, Corporate Stays, Easystay, Empire State Properties, MAC Furnished Suites, Pinnacle Furnished Suites, Premier Furnished Solutions, Select Corporate Housing, Now Leasing, Compass Corporate Housing, Korman AVE AKA, RESI Housing, DelSuites, Dublin City Apartments, National Corporate Housing, Zeus Living, Crown Corporate Housing, Corporate Apartment Specialist, Paragon, Maryam Suites, Premiere Suites, Stadia Suites, Suite America, Stay Furnished Apartments, Travelers Haven, Dwel Serviced Residences, The Accend Companies, CWS, LEVEL, Yong Suites, Avenue West, Stafford Housing, V-Suites, Creative Housing Solutions, Weichert, Prestige Accommodations, AMSI, Frasers Hospitality, Serviced Apartments in Dublin, Dwellworks, and Oasis Collections. The second award went to global partners who went above and beyond in creative situations; partners who were willing to take risks and think outside the box. The Partner in Excellence awards went to Oasis Collections for the AMERICAS/LATAM region, Serviced Apartments in Dublin for the EMEA region and Frasers Hospitality for the APAC region. LEVEL Furnished Living was named as the winner of the Consultants Choice award for their exemplary partnership, going above and beyond, being easy to work with and for their focus on delivering excellent customer service to our guests. The 3SIXTY team introduced a new award this year to recognize the Rookie of the Year. Pinnacle Furnished Living earned this outstanding partner of the year recognition for joining the 3SIXTY partner network and hitting the ground running while maintaining a high service standard level. The last award of the evening was to celebrate the partner who embodies the key components driving the 3SIXTY partner program: high revenue production, operational excellence, best in class service, value and transparency. The Partner of the Year award was proudly delivered to Churchill Living. For more information regarding joining the 3SIXTY network, please contact Partner Relationship Manager, Tyler Nicol, CCHP, at tyler.nicol@3SIXTY.online. 3SIXTY 3SIXTY is a global accommodations marketplace and an end-to-end technology management platform designed to dramatically improve the overall mobility process for relocation and travel companies, clients, and guests. We provide clients with access to over 1,000,000 globally compliant, fully vetted, quality, and cost-effective accommodations options in over 60 countries. providing them with bilateral guest communications, case management and business intelligence reporting to create an all-around platform to manage, monitor and elevate their mobility process. RESIDE Worldwide, Inc. Headquartered in Seattle, WA, RESIDE Worldwide, Inc. is the leading provider of professionally operated and managed global alternative accommodations with a portfolio of premier hospitality and technology brands (ABODA by RESIDE, Broadway Plaza, The Beekman Tower, The Residences at W New York, OnBase Suites and 3SIXTY). RESIDE's mission is to present a new way to stay; offering a curated experience to guests no matter the destination or duration of their stay. RESIDE has assembled a world-class partner network of over 1,000,000 of the best globally-compliant accommodations options in over 60 countries to satisfy growing consumer demand for high-quality, flexible and vetted housing solutions for business or leisure travel. In a black fur hat and clutching binoculars, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw his latest firing drill, a move Seoul said Tuesday aimed at drawing the attention of the US and South Korea. Kim "guided another firepower strike drill of long-range artillery", the North's KCNA news agency reported, a day after Japan said Pyongyang had fired what appeared to be ballistic missiles. The North has been continuing to refine its weapons capabilities, analysts say, more than a year after a Hanoi summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump broke down. Images carried by official Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed rockets blasting out of multiple launchers each with four firing tubes, striking what appeared to be an island target. Other pictures showed smaller-calibre projectiles and artillery shooting salvos of rounds. Kim, wearing a Russian-style hat and a khaki military jacket, watched from a trench next to an officer in a black facemask. Pyongyang has closed its borders and imposed strict conditions as it seeks to avoid the worldwide coronavirus outbreak. The three joint firing drills Kim has supervised in the last fortnight were his first military-related activity this year, Seoul's unification ministry said Tuesday. "It is for strengthening internal solidarity and externally, attracting the attention of the US and South Korea and pressuring their change in attitude," it added in a statement. North Korea is under multiple sets of United Nations, US and other sanctions over its weapons programmes. Washington and Pyongyang talks have been deadlocked since Hanoi over sanctions relief and what North Korea would be willing to give up in return, and a high-profile meeting between Trump and Kim failed to break the logjam. Pyongyang set Washington a unilateral end-2019 deadline to offer fresh concessions, and in late December Kim declared the North no longer considered itself bound by its moratoriums on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests. He also threatened a demonstration of a "new strategic weapon" soon. The North carried out a series of weapons tests late last year, the last of them in November, which it often described as multiple launch rocket systems although others called them ballistic missiles. It also conducted static engine tests, most recently in December. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Bandung Tue, March 10, 2020 12:43 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2069891ee 1 National COVID-19,coronavirus,referral-center,hospitals,West-Java,garut,HasanSadikinHospital Free A number of referral hospitals for COVID-19 in West Java have complained of a lack of protective gear for medical personnel who handle patients suspected of having been infected by the virus. Eight out of 52 hospitals in the province have been appointed as referral hospitals for COVID-19 patients, including Hasan Sadikin Hospital in Bandung considered the largest hospital in the province and Dr. Slamet Hospital in Garut. However, the hospital in Garut lacks sufficient protective gear for its medical personnel, forcing them to refer a man suspected to have COVID-19 to Hasan Sadikin Hospital on Monday. The patient, a 42-year-old man who recently traveled to Macau, China, was the 11th suspected COVID-19 patient in West Java. West Java Health Agency head Berli Hamdani Gelung Sakti said the medical team at Dr. Slamet Hospital had to transfer the patient because of a lack of protective gear, although the hospital had an adequate isolation room and other medical equipment. The agency responded last Friday by requesting the Health Ministry send the needed equipment. "The Health Ministry responded by saying it was ready to supply all the necessary protective gear requested by the referral hospitals," Berli told The Jakarta Post on Monday. Read also: Jakarta designates five more hospitals as COVID-19 referral centers According to the health agency, a suspected COVID-19 patient can be attended to in a hospitals isolation ward by at least 20 medical personnel and doctors every day. Each personnel must wear a complete set of protective gear, consisting of three layers of clothing, two layers of gloves, a cap, a face mask, goggles and special shoes that can cost about Rp 200,000 (US$14) to Rp 300,000. The supply of masks and other protective gear is being depleted. It is harder to find them now even though they are manufactured by an Indonesian factory. Procuring them has become a struggle, Berli said. Some of the referral hospitals are also hindered in tending to suspected COVID-19 patients because of problems surrounding their isolation wards. Berli explained that Hasan Sadikin Hospital had six isolation wards, but one of them is currently under renovation. "Some hospitals also report broken medical equipment. Each isolation ward in a hospital would have from 20 to 30 beds, while the intensive care unit (ICU) room would hold six to nine beds, according to the health agency. Read also: Indonesia launches official protocols for COVID-19 outbreak We are still calculating whether we have sufficient equipment [to handle COVID-19 cases], Berli said. The agency head said he hoped the ministry could send protective gears soon to COVID-19 referral hospitals across the province because the isolation room in Hasan Sadikin Hospital was full. "[If the protective gear is available], patients could be treated in referral hospitals closest to their homes rather than being transferred to [Hasan Sadikin Hospital] in Bandung, Berli said. As of Monday, the provincial health agency had observed 533 people for COVID-19, 216 of whom tested negative for the virus. There are also 49 suspected patients who have been treated in isolation rooms of referral hospitals, 22 of whom had been discharged. (nal) The French government have been forced to send the public an important message when it comes to Coronavirus management. Cocaine will not cure the disease. A few fake breaking news images made the rounds on social media reporting that the Devil's dandruff offered a quick fix as a way of beating COVID-19. Headlines included "Scientists discover how a Class A drug can eradicate an epidemic" and "Scientists is shocked to discover that this drug can cure the virus." The coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. could grow to be as serious as it is in Wuhan, China, Johns Hopkins University Dr. Marty Makary told CNBC on Tuesday. "What happened in Wuhan could happen here. Why do we think otherwise?" Makary said on "Squawk Box," referencing the Chinese city where the new virus originated in December. The city of 11 million people was locked down on an unprecedented scale as the outbreak intensified. It remains on lockdown even as new cases in the region decline. New cases in Wuhan and its surrounding Hubei province have dropped to below 50 a day, according to figures from the Chinese government, even as the disease spreads at greater rates across the globe. "The American immune system is not stronger than the Chinese immune system," said Makary, a surgeon and professor of health policy and management. "Viruses don't care about politics and they don't care about location." Worldwide, there are more than 114,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 4,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins. There are cases in more than 100 countries and regions. But China has the most by far. Outside of China, Italy is home to the most COVID-19 cases, with at least 9,172 confirmed cases and more than 450 deaths. Italy on Monday extended its travel restrictions to include the entire country of 60 million people. They should not travel other than for work or emergencies, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said. There are now more than 750 confirmed cases in the U.S., with 26 deaths. "We need to tell people right now to stop all nonessential travel. I feel strongly about that," Makary said, adding he does not "like the idea of talking about contingency plans, but we've got to start making these plans." "We've got to brace for a three-month problem," said Makary, author of- Makary urged that the U.S. should take the disease more seriously, saying he's was worried about the capacity of the nation's health-care system to handle a serious spike in cases. America has about 100,000 intensive care unit beds that "operate at full capacity or near full capacity," he said. "If we get 200,000 critical care cases, we're going to be overrun," he warned. "So we need to do more." I needed fresh air and exercise, meticulously avoiding others if I left home. Night walks with the dog. Thank heavens for the dog. And for friends and family who left my coffee and the shopping on the yellow chair outside the front door. We were monitored each day by the public health unit of our local health district. They checked that I was well, and isolated. Yes, and yes. Once media revealed the story, we had the added the anxieties of family, friends and patients, with constant calls, texts and questions, worrying about us, worrying about themselves, asking for advice and for the knowledge we didn't have. Isolation after exposure is scary because there is time to consider the risks. That leads to worrying days of information gathering, sharing and overload, pondering any slight change in our bodies and enduring long anxious nights. We called each other and talked. We worried about our families, our friends and our future, our sick doctor, our hospital colleagues, our responsibilities, and our community. Over 60, I have lifelong asthma and Im allergic to medications that may be needed for secondary infections. I packed a bag ready for hospital. We were watchful for new cases at work and elsewhere. Obsessed. We were amazed we had no spare time! NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard and Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant have tried to explain and update transparently to the general public the situation as it is evolving. However, given my own experience with this virus and the challenges of predicting and detecting it, I am concerned that our efforts to control it are not ramping up quickly enough. I am concerned that preparations within healthcare for the cases to come are already behind the level of need. Healthcare workers are ill, or in isolation, or worried to go to work. Healthcare workers have died elsewhere. Facilities are short-staffed. Work safety, especially in smaller institutions or general practice, is threatened by lack of consistent guidelines, inadequate protective clothing, design of safe places for changing gowns, and by the fact they cannot know which patients may be carrying the virus. Retired doctors cant fill gaps in service. Already out of practice by definition, by age they are in a high-risk group. NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard, left, and NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant. Credit:AAP There are many reasons to suspect there is under-diagnosed community spread of COVID-19 because this is a new disease that is unfamiliar. We know COVID-19 illness can be mild or asymptomatic. Not all people have fever. Not all people have a cough. Some have abdominal pain. Those infected dont know they have it. We know people are not necessarily honest or careful about their travel history. (In Singapore, lying about travel history has been made a criminal offence.) As I write, we still dont know how hard it is to catch, how my colleague became infected, whether people are infectious before showing signs of illness (we think they are but for how long: one day? Two days? More?) Other unanswered questions: Are they infectious after they recover? Can they get it again? The assistance aims to strengthen their capacity in planning, implementing, monitoring, and reviewing reform processes. Canada will provide financial assistance to the Ukrainian police amounting to $2 million over the following three years, according to Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne. "While in Ukraine, Minister Champagne highlighted Canada's continued commitment to the country's ambitious reform efforts and engaging women in peace and security efforts," the press service of the Canadian Government wrote following the minister's visit. The minister also announced more than $2 million over three years to help strengthen the capacity of the National Police of Ukraine in planning, implementing, monitoring and reviewing reform processes. Read alsoReuters: On Ukraine visit, Canada minister presses Iran for access to black boxes from plane crash Also, the top diplomat discussed "the work that Canada is doing to stand up for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression." During his visit, Minister Champagne visited Canadian troops deployed on Operation UNIFIER at the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre in Yavoriv. Salesforce executive Phil Calvin brings extensive SaaS expertise to the industrialization of advanced therapies SAN FRANCISCO, March 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vineti, Inc., the provider of the leading digital platform of record for personalized therapeutics, today announced the hiring of Phil Calvin as the companys new Chief Technology Officer. As a proven technology executive with more than 25 years of experience in enterprise software development, Mr. Calvin will bring deep enterprise software expertise to Vinetis goal of industrializing personalized therapeutics, such as CAR-T cell therapies. Phil has an extensive track record in SaaS, enterprise software development, technical leadership, and entrepreneurial experience. His areas of expertise include technical strategy, cloud architecture, and engineering executive management. Prior to Vineti, Phil spent nearly a decade at Salesforce in a variety of architectural and engineering executive roles, most recently leading the Platform Engineering organization focused on making the Salesforce platform trusted, accessible and scalable. Phil joined Salesforce in 2010, after the acquisition of his company Sitemasher. His earlier career includes several startups and engineering roles, including serving as Principal Architect at Citrix after an acquisition of another one of his companies. He began his engineering career with an internship at Microsoft. As Vinetis CTO, Phil will lead the Product and Engineering organizations. Phils unique software perspective invaluable to the growth of advanced therapies -- comes from his experience in both technology innovation and technology leadership. His extensive background in creating and scaling large-scale cloud software systems will serve Vinetis biopharmaceutical partners at a time when the industry is tackling the challenges of standardization and scale with digital technology. I'm excited to join Vineti and help the team scale to deliver the best platform for the growing world of advanced therapies, Phil said. The best technology innovations should be available to serve the best medical science. Technology can put life-saving therapies in the hands of patients, and Im ready to help make that happen at a whole new level. Story continues The Vineti software platform is specifically built to manage transformative new personalized therapies, such as CAR-T cell therapies, at scale while safeguarding patient safety and regulatory compliance. Vinetis configurable, modular enterprise software platform improves cell and gene therapy manufacturing efficiency, makes these new therapies simpler for doctors and nurses to manage, and provides unprecedented control of the most complex supply chain in the history of medicine. The Vineti platform also enables seamless integrations with other technology systems and stakeholders in the personalized therapy ecosystem. Vineti is currently serving patients, healthcare providers, and researchers in hundreds of leading medical centers and manufacturing centers world-wide, on behalf of more than a dozen advanced therapy biopharmaceutical partners and growing. We are thrilled to welcome Phil as our new CTO, said Amy DuRoss, CEO and Co-Founder of Vineti. Even in a city such as San Francisco -- so full of technology superstars -- Phil truly stands out. With his leadership, both our company and our industry will be wired for a whole new phase of growth. About Vineti Vineti is the first commercial, configurable cloud-based platform to expand patient access to life-saving cell and gene therapies. Vineti was co-founded by GE and the Mayo Clinic to solve the key challenges that patients, medical providers, biopharmaceutical companies and regulators face in the delivery and commercialization of individualized therapies. Now a fully independent company, Vineti offers a digital platform of record to integrate logistics, manufacturing and clinical data for personalized therapies. The Vineti software solution aligns and orchestrates the cell and gene therapy process and improves product performance overall for both clinical- and commercial-phase therapies. The Vineti platform supports the full continuum of patient-specific therapies, including cancer vaccines and autologous and allogeneic therapies. The platform can also be harnessed for drug products requiring companion diagnostics or REMS programs. The company is expanding rapidly, and the Vineti platform will be in use in hundreds of leading medical centers world-wide in 2020, on behalf of multiple biopharmaceutical partners. In 2019, the World Economic Forum honored Vineti as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer. Vineti is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with offices in Bethesda, Maryland and Yerevan, Armenia. For more information, please visit http://vineti.com . Media Contact: Joseph Salerno for Vineti Director, PR and Scientific Communications HDMZ, Inc. joseph.salerno@hdmz.com 312-506-5241 New Delhi: Crisis-hit Yes Bank said on Tuesday that customers could now make payments towards their credit card and loans through other bank accounts, days after prominent banking services were curtailed after the RBI imposed moratorium on the lender. The announcement comes as panic gripped the bank's customers, who queued before ATMs and bank branches to withdraw money. They were also not even able to access Internet banking and other services like digital payments through another party's platform. Forex services and credit card purchases, among others, were also impacted. "Inward IMPS/NEFT services have now been enabled," Yes Bank tweeted. "You can make payments towards YES Bank credit card dues and loan obligations from other bank accounts. Thank you for your co-operation." The Reserve Bank of India had put a moratorium last Thursday on the cash-strapped Yes Bank, imposed withdrawal restriction of Rs 50,000 only till April 3 and superseded its board through appointment of an administrator. However, the bank has now said that its ATMs are fully up now and customers can withdraw the stipulated amount from other banks' ATMs as well. During the moratorium period, Yes Bank will not be able to grant or renew any loan or advance, make any investment, incur any liability or agree to disburse any payment. As per the RBI's draft reconstruction scheme, State Bank of India will pick up 49 per cent stake in the crisis-ridden Yes Bank under a government-approved bailout plan by infusing capital of Rs 2,450 crore. The bank's financial health is not sound as it has failed to raise enough capital under the new leadership of Ravneet Singh Gill, who took charge as the managing director and CEO from March last year. Troubles at new-generation private sector started brewing up ever since the the Reserve Bank denied extension to its co-founder Rana Kapoor who now is in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate on charges of financial mismanagement and money-laundering to continue as MD and CEO in September 2018, and had asked the lender to find a new successor. Yes Bank's administrator, Prashant Kumar, a former SBI executive, had on Monday assured customers that the moratorium period could end by this weekend. Srisoonthorn residents rally against quarantine zone PHUKET: More than 100 local residents gathered at the Phuket Disaster Prevention and Mitigation College in Srisoonthorn yesterday (Mar 9) to rally against a COVID-19 quarantine zone being set up there. healthcorruptionCoronavirus By Eakkapop Thongtub Tuesday 10 March 2020, 05:13PM Governor Phakaphong offered no immediate concrete solution to the residents concerns, but said he understood their predicament. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub More than 100 local people gathered to argue against a quarantine zone being set up at the Phuket Disaster Prevention and Mitigation College in Srisoonthorn. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Bunk beds have already been set up at the college. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Bunk beds have already been set up at the college. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub More than 100 local people gathered to argue against a quarantine zone being set up at the Phuket Disaster Prevention and Mitigation College in Srisoonthorn. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub The rally followed Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana last Friday (Mar 6) announcing the college was one of four areas had been designated as quarantine zones where arrivals from South Korea were to remain for 14 days before being allowed to roam the island. (See story here.) Srisoonthorn Mayor Worawut Songyot yesterday said that local residents in principle did not object to the college itself being designated as a quarantine zone. What did concern them was that the college building is located in a government compound where four other government offices are located. The compound itself is a focal point for community activities, especially after work hours, he said. Local people are worried about it because the location will have risk people in the area and it would not be safe enough with a quarantine zone established there. The safest option is for the quarantine zone to be some other place, not here, Mayor Worawut said. Phuket Governor Phakaphong arrived in person soon after news of the rally had spread. Governor Phakaphong explained to the residents gathered at the site, I am following the announcement in the Government Gazette that came into effect on Mar 6 after the Phuket Communicable Disease Committee held an urgent meeting regarding people arriving from the Republic of Korea. To support the situation, measures have been issued for surveillance, prevention, observation of groups traveling from Korea in line with Section 34 of the Communicable Disease Control Act 2015 to protect the safety of Phuket people, he said. Governor Phakaphong offered no immediate concrete solution to the residents concerns, but said he understood their predicament. People are worried that this place is not safe. I will raise this issue with the Phuket Communicable Disease Committee, he said. Members of one of the country's leading beef breeding societies were subject to intimidation in the run-up the society's AGM and council election. In the run-up to the Irish Charolais Society's (ICCS) AGM on Sunday, one member - running for election to the society's national council - received intimidating correspondence. ICCS president Noel McGoldrick described the incident as "skulduggery". He called for an immediate end to "the practices of mailing council members, their families, their partners - and indeed potential council members - letters and notes of an intimidating nature". Mr McGoldrick hit out strongly at an "underlying current, hell-bent on disrupting progress within our society" in a hard-hitting address to the AGM in Mullingar. "It is not sufficient to refer to this as merely a disruption of progress. That does not suffice at all. Skulduggery is closer to the mark," he said. He said he has become "extremely concerned" about the intimidation experienced by some members over recent years. "This is simply unacceptable and has to stop. "Attempts to tarnish the integrity of our electoral process and, by association, everyone linked to that - from our members to the staff and professionals we entrust to oversee the affairs of this society - will simply not be tolerated," he added. In East Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, traveling locust swarms the size of Manhattan are putting potentially hundreds of millions at risk of starvation in what the UN has called the worst outbreak in a quarter of a century. What it means: "Millions will starve because clouds of approximately 80 million desert locusts per square kilometer are voracious," writes Robert Rotberg, founding director of the Harvard Kennedy Schools Program on Intrastate Conflict. "In one day they consume wheat, barley, sorghum, or maize crops that feed 35,000 people. Masses the size of cities can consume 1.8 million metric tons of vegetation every day enough to feed 81 million people." "The United Nations is to test drones equipped with mapping sensors and atomizers to spray pesticides in parts of east Africa battling an invasion of desert locusts that are ravaging crops and exacerbating a hunger crisis." What's happening: The outbreak had been mostly confined to Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia initially, but the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says its now tracking 15 countries in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia affected by the locusts, Scientific American reports. "The swarms have appeared in a swath hundreds of miles wide, from South Sudan in the west to parts of Pakistan in the east." What's next: Authorities in East Africa are already undertaking a coordinated campaign of aerial pesticide spraying, "but experts say the scale of the infestation is beyond local capacity as desert locusts can travel up to 150 km (95 miles) in a day," the World Economic Forum notes. - Mayor Edwin Olivarez has confirmed that two San Juan residents tested positive in Paranaque - The patients who are a couple were admitted at Unihealth-Paranaque Hospital and Medical Center - However, they were transferred to Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa for a full treatment - The local government unit also did a contact tracing to know if the couple was able to spread the coronavirus in Paranaque City PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed! Paranaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez has confirmed that two San Juan residents tested positive at a private hospital in the city. KAMI learned that the patients are a couple and they are confined at the Unihealth-Paranaque Hospital and Medical Center. In a report by the ABS-CBN News, the couple opted to go to the Paranaque hospital because their child worked there. However, the patients were transferred to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa for full treatment. Through a Facebook post on Monday, Mayor Olivarez said that the couple has a travel history to Indonesia. Today, March 9, 2020, two persons non-residents of Paranaque, with history of travel to Indonesia, tested positive for COVID 19, it read in the post. I wish to assure our constituents that your City Government is exerting all efforts in the implementation of all procedures and protocols imposed by the National Government through the Department of Health in addressing the COVID 19 National Public Health Emergency, it added. In a different Facebook post, the Paranaque mayor said that the local government has been doing a contact tracing to know if the couple were able to spread the coronavirus in the city. Tayo po ay nagsasagawa na din ng contact tracing dito po sa ating lungsod kung sakaling may iba pang lugar na napuntahan ang mag asawang nagpositibo dito po sa ating lungsod, he said. PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! As previously reported by KAMI, Mayor Joy Belmonte has confirmed that 3 out of 24 patients that tested positive for COVID-19 are residents of Quezon City. As of posting time, the Department of Health (DOH) has recorded a total of 35 cases of coronavirus in the Philippines. 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! Paano nga ba nagsimula ang Hazelberry Cafe ni Ara Mina? Gusto mo bang matikiman ang mga ito? Magpapamigay sila ng libreng cupcake! Panuorin para malaman kung paano ka makakakuha sa KAMI HumanMeter YouTube Channel! Source: KAMI.com.gh "I was on my parents' property out of Maitland, and after the rain I was on the veranda writing a long letter to a friend in England. "The paddock was cracked from the drought, a dark colour. "They Understood What I Meant" "I saw it happen literally." The poet Dorothea Mackellar photographed at Randwick on March 11, 1965. Credit:Staff photographer "As I wrote the letter, the land to the horizon became green. "I would not have seen this by walking across the paddock, but from the veranda looking to the horizon I could see this taking place. It was actually becoming green. "That is why I called it a filmy veil. "After the poem was published people wrote to me and said they understood exactly what I meant, but they did not have the words for it." Miss Mackellar who, some poetry experts say, was the first to sing of the beauty of Australia's ruggedness and empty wastes wrote "My Country" while in her teens. It was published in the London "Spectator" in September, 1908. Almost immediately afterwards it appeared in "The Sydney Morning Herald," and then in most other major Australian newspapers. Four Books of Verse My Country was given an immediate place in Australian school reading books a place it still occupies. Its author proceeded to publish four books of verse and three novels, two of the latter in collaboration with Ruth Bedford. She said she felt humble when she realised "My Country" had been a standard part of Australian children's education for more than 50 years. "I do not consider I have written a line of real poetry in my life." she said. "The reason 'My Country' enjoyed a certain amount of popularity is that it was a statement of fact and it was sincere." Loading Has Evaded Publicity Miss Mackellar retired from the Australian literary scene soon after publication of her last volume, "Fancy Dress and other Verses" in 1926, and has since evaded publicity. A "Herald" reporter sought an interview after reports that she was ill and, although not normally allowed visitors, she agreed. The interview took place in a private hospital at Randwick where Miss Mackellar, who has a heart ailment, has been a periodic patient for many years. She is recovering from her latest attack. Soon Miss Mackellar hopes to return to the small house at Darling Point where she has lived since before World War II. She said yesterday that many people thought she was dead, because "people in hard covers should be dead like Shakespeare." Now, although only a name at the end of "My Country" to most Australians, Miss Mackellar receives mail from other patriots of her wide brown land. Doctors take samples from a man for Covid-19 tests during a drill at Cu Chi field hospital in HCMC, March 4, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran. Vietnam has 210 people tagged on suspicion of contracting the novel coronavirus as of Tuesday morning, up 110 from the day before. The number of new suspects since early March has ranged from 70 to 100 cases a day. A suspected person shows symptoms of cough, fever or shortness of breath, and has a history of travel from or through epidemic-stricken areas or has had come into close contact with an infected patient. Suspected persons are subject to compulsory isolation in hospitals specialized in treating Covid-19. As of Tuesday, the country had 20,075 people placed under medical monitoring, either at home, military camps or certain general hospitals, up nearly 2,000 against the previous day. Most of these people are in the major cities of Hanoi, HCMC, Da Nang and Can Tho. Vietnam had gone 22 days without any new infection until 26-year-old Nguyen Hong Nhung was confirmed positive last Friday, making her Hanois first Covid-19 patient and the country's 17th. Vietnam has since recorded 16 new infection cases, all but one related to Nhung. Nhung had flown to Hanoi from London on Vietnam Airlines flight VN54, in the business class, on March 2. There were 201 passengers on the flight, including 21 in the business class. 12 people on the same flight, 11 of them foreigners, have tested Covid-19 positive. Nhung's personal chauffeur and an aunt have also been infected. A 24-year-old Vietnamese woman who'd met Nhung at a party in London is infected with the novel coronavirus, the Health Ministry confirmed Tuesday, after she arrived in Vietnam on a private jet. The Covid-19 outbreak has thus far spread to 115 countries and territories around the world, killing over 4,000. The Oakland Community Health Network is almost ready to name a new CEO. The network, responsible for the oversight and management of Oakland Countys public mental health system, has narrowed the candidate list to five applicants with the help of Bloomfield Hills-based The Hunter Group, an international executive search firm. In August 2019, Annette Downey announced she would be leaving as CEO and returning to her previous employer, Community Living Services-Oakland County. The network would later name Anya Eliassen, its current chief financial officer, as interim executive director and CEO. This week, interviews are being conducted with all five candidates. Once those interviews conclude, the networks board of directors will choose a finalist grouping to include two or three candidates. All candidate interviews are open to the public. You can view a complete schedule by visiting the networks website at: http://www.oaklandchn.org/. The network services over 28,000 residents including emotionally disturbed children, those intellectually and developmentally disabled, mentally ill, or suffering from a substance use disorder. Its Fiscal Year 2020 budget totals $336 million. Posted on: March 10, 2020 2:38 PM The tunicle which former Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket is thought to have been wearing when he was murdered is to return to Canterbury Cathedral for an exhibition marking the 850th anniversary of his martyrdom. Archbishop Becket was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral on 29 December 1170 by four knights of Henry II. Tradition says that they interpreted Henrys words will no one rid me of this turbulent priest? as a command for him to be assassinated. The relic will go on display to mark 850 years since his death and 800 years since his remains were moved from the Cathedrals crypt into a new shrine. The tunicle is housed inside a 17th century glass reliquary which usually resides at the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. It is being loaned to the Cathedral by the Vatican for public display from 4 July to 3 August this year. Venerated by pilgrims for hundreds of years, the artefact will be a focus for prayer for the thousands of pilgrims expected to come to Canterbury this summer, and will give historical perspective to the bishops of the worldwide Anglican Communion attending the 2020 Lambeth Conference in Canterbury during this time, a cathedral spokesman said. An artefact of huge historical interest and one that demonstrates Canterbury Cathedrals long and eventful story the tunicle will also provide visitors with the opportunity to get a rare close-up glimpse of an item from a key event in English history. . . There is strong scholarly support for the relics authenticity: a 1992 study confirmed that the garment dates to the late 12th century or early 13th century, is probably of northern French or English origin, and, although a simple garment, is of the finest textile and sewing quality. The Precentor of Canterbury Cathedral, Max Kramer, commented: the relic reminds us of the cost of bearing faithful witness to Christ. Many of the bishops who will be attending the Lambeth Conference lead Christian communities suffering violent persecution and oppression for their faith. We hope that seeing the garment associated with Beckets death, and being reminded of his extraordinary legacy will help them to find the strength and encouragement of God as they continue to witness to our shared faith with great courage in difficult times. A number of other historic artefacts have been loaned to Canterbury Cathedral the mother church of the Anglican Communion for the exhibition. These include an early Canterbury Cross; a gold pendant dating from shortly after St Augustine reintroduced Christianity to England; and the stole of Oscar Romero. [March 10, 2020] BitSight Named to Fast Company's Annual List of the World's Most Innovative Companies for 2020 BOSTON, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BitSight , the Standard in Security Ratings, has been named to Fast Company's prestigious annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies for 2020. The World's Most Innovative Companies list honors the businesses making the most profound impact on both industry and culture, showcasing a variety of ways to thrive in today's fast-changing world. This year's list features 434 businesses from 39 countries. "BitSight is transforming how the global marketplace measures and manages cyber risk," said Stephen Boyer, co-founder and chief technology officer at BitSight. "Earning a spot on Fast Company's Most Innovative list is a testament to BitSight's unique ability to help our customers understand and achieve measurable cyber risk reduction in these uncertain times." BitSight earned a place on the list for its ability to transform how companies manage security risk by reducing information asymmetry and increasing transparency about cybersecurity through Security Ratings. BitSight Security Ratings are real-time, data-driven measurements of organizational security performance that help investors, insurers, companies, government agencies and regulators make informed, dynamic risk decisions impacting financial decisions, business relationships, and national security. BitSight's latest innovations ensure organizations understand the cyber risk exposure of their own organization and their third-party ecosystem. BitSight's unique, industry-first Security Performance Management solutions Peer Analytics , Enterprise Analytics , and Attack Surface Analytics help organizations continuously measure and monitor security program performance and efficacy, allocate limited resources to focus on the areas that will have the greatest impact on their cyber risk management programs, and facilitate data-driven conversations around security that help maintain the trust of the marketplace. Fast Company's editors and writers sought out the most groundbreaking businesses on the planet and across myriad industries. They also judged nominations received through their application process. The World's Most Innovative Companies is Fast Company's signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. It provides both a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors of the economy. "At a time of increasing global volatility, this year's list showcases the resilience and optimism of businesses across the world. These companies are applying creativity to solve challenges within their industries and far beyond," said Fast Company senior editor Amy Farley, who oversaw the issue with deputy editor David Lidsky. Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies issue (March/April 2020) is now available online at fastcompany.com/most-innovative-companies/2020, as well as in app form via iTunes and on newsstands beginning March 17, 2020. The hashtag is #FCMostInnovative. About BitSight BitSight transforms how organizations manage cyber risk. The BitSight Security Ratings Platform applies sophisticated algorithms, producing daily security ratings that range from 250 to 900, to help organizations manage their own security performance; mitigate third party risk; underwrite cyber insurance policies; conduct financial diligence; and assess aggregate risk. With over 2,100 global customers and the largest ecosystem of users and information, BitSight is the Standard in Security Ratings. For more information, please visit www.bitsight.com , read our blog or follow @BitSight on Twitter. About Fast Company Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Since 2011, Fast Company has received some of the most prestigious editorial and design accolades, including the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) National Magazine Award for "Magazine of the Year," Adweek's Hot List for "Hottest Business Publication," and six gold medals and 10 silver medals from the Society of Publication Designers. The editor-in-chief is Stephanie Mehta and the publisher is Amanda Smith. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com . View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bitsight-named-to-fast-companys-annual-list-of-the-worlds-most-innovative-companies-for-2020-301019981.html SOURCE BitSight [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 09:14 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2069773e9 1 Business Indonesia,property-market,coronavirus,outbreak-in-Indonesia,share-prices-indices,Savills,report,Perintis-Triniti-Propert Free Indonesias property market has been basically unaffected by the new coronavirus outbreak as the countrys property sales are less dependent on foreign buyers, studies have shown. The Indonesian property sector is basically a domestic play with locals taking up almost the entire sales market, according to a February report by Savills World Research Indonesia. But the prices of their shares on the local stock market have dropped sharply in recent days. With very minor foreign involvement in Indonesian property sales market, direct impact from Chinese investors pulling back as an impact of COVID-19 outbreak will be essentially insignificant, the report says. Read also: Property developers upset over thinning housing loan subsidy The report pointed to an Indonesian policy that restricted foreign ownership of property in Indonesia as one of the contributing factors to Indonesias locally dominated property landscape. By law, only foreigners with a valid working visa are eligible to own residential property built on a Right to Use land title, the report stated. Property ownership by foreigners is regulated under Government Regulation No. 103/2015 and Agrarian Ministerial Regulation No. 13/2016. Under the ministerial regulation, foreigners can only purchase landed houses for at most Rp 10 billion (US$699,888) and Rp 5 billion for apartments. PT Perintis Triniti Properti Tbk president and chief executive officer Ishak Chandra told reporters during a discussion on the impact of the coronavirus on the property industry on Feb. 5 that his company had not seen any decline in sales. Our sales in February are very high, Ishak said, noting that between Feb. 21 and Feb. 23, during the BCA Expoversary exhibition, the company sold 30 units with a total revenue of Rp 23 billion. The company hopes to achieve between Rp 800 billion and Rp 900 billion in marketing sales in 2020 through its projects in Tangerang and Batam, up from Rp 518 billion in 2019. Ishak acknowledged that the impact of the novel coronavirus on the property sector was more prominent for developers who sold some of their property to foreigners. However, for his company, with 10 to 15 percent foreign buyers, he did not see any impact. The last four years have not been easy for any Indonesian property developer, but Triniti Land group was able to meet the companys sales target, Ishak said in a written statement. Read also: Education, food outlets rule Jakarta malls as department stores give way Despite not being affected significantly by the virus outbreak, property companies and the property sector as a whole have not been performing well on the stock market. PT Perintis Triniti Properti Tbks shares, listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) under the code TRIN, had fallen 11.76 percent month-to-month (mtm) to Rp 210 by the close of trading on Friday. On Monday, the share prices fell further, by 7 percent to Rp 195 just before the close of the trading. The IDX Property index fell 5.45 percent to 399.10 on Monday amid a sharp fall in most share prices on the IDX on Friday. The property index has declined by 20 percent this year. (ydp) OTTAWACanada marked a grim milestone Monday as British Columbia announced the death of an elderly man who succumbed to the novel coronavirus in a long-term-care home, where he was infected by contact with a health care worker who picked up and passed on the viral disease at her workplace. It was the nations first fatality in a viral outbreak that is whipping around the globe, shaking stock markets and leaving policy-makers scrambling. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed condolences Monday to the family of the man, whose name was not released, and said he wanted to reassure Canadians that we have our top medical experts, our top scientists on this issue. We are co-ordinating with provincial authorities ensuring Canadas actions are consistent with what the World Health Organization and global experts are saying. We are going to do everything to keep Canadians safe. Still, his government scrambled to assess what gaps exist in Canadas critical care capacity as COVID-19 spreads and hospitals worry about testing capacity and shortages of intensive care beds and protective equipment. There was no denying the COVID-19 headlines were bleak: Three of four provinces with active cases reported new infections, running up Canadas coronavirus tally to 78. Ontario is the nations hot spot, with a total of 35 cases. The province said it is ramping up surveillance testing. B.C. reported five new cases, for a total of 32, including the man in his 80s who died. Health authorities said he had underlying medical conditions that left him vulnerable to a severe case of the disease. B.C. investigators say he had contact with a health worker who also contracted the infection at the Lynn Valley care facility in North Vancouver. Alberta reported three new COVID-19 cases, for a total of seven. Quebec has two confirmed cases and two presumptive cases. With more than 110,000 cases spread throughout more than 100 countries, World Health Organization director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the threat of a pandemic has become very real. So far, 93 per cent of all known infections have been registered in just four countries, suggesting it could still be controlled, Tedros said. He urged countries to take swift action to trace all known cases. Italy, which failed to act quickly enough at the outset two months ago, moved to lock down the entire country Monday, banning all public events and non-essential travel. In Canada, news of the B.C. death cast a new urgency on federal and provincial efforts to halt the community transmission of the disease. While most Canadian coronavirus cases have been traced to travellers arriving from affected areas abroad, or their close contacts, there are signs in B.C. and Ontario of community transmission cases in which the origin of the infection is not tied to travel. The virus is transmitted through contact with droplets that are coughed or sneezed by an infected person, or by physical contact with contaminated surfaces. Amid the contagion that is spreading around the world, federal authorities warned Monday that Canadians should avoid all cruise ship travel as the ships have proven to be effective incubators for the spread of the virus. Dr. Theresa Tam, Canadas chief public health officer, said cruise ship vacations represent a risk no longer worth taking. Cruise ships have passengers from around the world who may be arriving from areas with known or unknown spread of the novel coronavirus, Tam said, adding that the virus can spread quickly on board due to close contact between passengers. Cruise passengers factor in several of the new infections reported in Canada over the past few days, including some Canadians who were detained on a ship in the U.S. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said Ottawa will repatriate up to 237 Canadians including former Ontario attorney general John Gerretsen and his wife from the Grand Princess cruise liner in California waters, but only if they test negative for the disease. They will be sent into 14-day quarantine at CFB Trenton. Any Canadians aboard the Grand Princess who test positive will be required to self-isolate in the U.S. or get treatment in the U.S. health system, depending on the severity of their symptoms. Champagne warned the new, tougher public health assessment of the risk posed by cruise ship travel serves as notice that the Canadian government may no longer bail out stranded passengers. Future cases would be assessed on a case-by-case basis, he said. Ottawa has also advised all international travellers to monitor for symptoms. On Monday, Toronto city Councillor Josh Matlow and Liberal MP Anthony Housefather were self-isolating after coming into contact with infected people. The worlds stock markets shed billions of dollars in value in the face of the escalating viral outbreak and a weekend oil price crash after Saudi Arabia and Russia clashed over supplying world markets. It left the Trudeau government dispatching minister after minister on Monday to settle jittery public and financial nerves. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland wrote all premiers and territorial leaders to determine what shortages they face in advance of a first ministers meeting this week. She said the government is already trying to assist with bulk purchases of personal protective equipment for health care workers and asked premiers to please inform us ahead of the first ministers meeting of your state of readiness and any critical supply or capacity gaps you are concerned with in order for us to respond quickly to potential challenges we will face in the days to come. Freeland told the Commons that the government is planning for worst-case scenarios but that Canadas strong fiscal position means we have the firepower to support our economy and we will. The virus originated in Wuhan, China, in late December. China has seen a steady decline in new cases amid drastic efforts to contain its spread. Read more about: A Madison man was sentenced a decade behind bars for enticing a teenager into illegal sexual activity. James Reeves Vance, 46, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 10 years in prison without parole. The court also sentenced Vance to 15 years of supervision once hes released and will be required to register as a sex offender. Vance pled guilty in October 2019. Prosecutors said he met the child victim through the Game of War app on her cell phone. They also communicated through email and by phone and met two separate times when Vance drove from Alabama to Kansas City in April 2017. Vance gave her a diamond ring and promised to marry her when she turned 18. The childs victims father discovered the communications and reported it to law enforcement. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Connelly. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department. SALT LAKE CITY, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ARUP Laboratories today announced the launch of its new test for the novel coronavirus. ARUP will start COVID-19 testing on March 12, 2020. As a leading national reference laboratory, ARUP is working to scale up its testing capacity to support regional and national testing needs. Health systems and their hospitals are encouraged to first work with their state laboratory department facilities to determine their best testing options. "As this public health concern has grown, developing a test to detect COVID-19 is a priority for us," said ARUP CEO Sherrie Perkins, MD, PhD. "ARUP as well as other laboratory leaders have come together to assist with the national and global response." ARUP's molecular diagnostic assay is designed to detect RNA of the virus known as SARS-CoV-2 in respiratory specimens of patients meeting the CDC's clinical criteria for COVID-19 testing. The test is performed using a qualitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method similar to that used for other qualitative molecular assays. The test is specific to SARS-CoV-2 and does not detect additional coronaviruses. On Feb. 29, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave a number of certified labs permission to begin validating testing for COVID-19. ARUP's new COVID-19 test will be provided as a laboratory-developed test, pending review by the FDA under emergency use authorization (EUA). "The collaboration with government agencies has helped us to fast-track this test and get it into the hands of physicians faster," said Perkins, who earlier this week, along with other members of the American Clinical Laboratory Association, attended a meeting to discuss Coronavirus testing with Vice President Mike Pence and the government's Coronavirus Task Force. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease caused by infection by a new form of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that has now been detected in multiple locations around the world, including the United States. For the most current information, visit the CDC website. State and local health authorities may also have information available. "Access to accurate diagnostic testing with result reporting in a meaningful clinical time frame is essential for patient care and the broader public health response to this outbreak," said Kimberly Hanson, MD, MHS, who oversees the Immunocompromised Host Infectious Diseases Services at the University of Utah Hospital and Huntsman Cancer Center. She is also ARUP's section chief of Clinical Microbiology. "Decisions on which patients to test for SARS-COV2 should be based on the local epidemiology of COVID-19, clinical signs and symptoms as well as the course of illness," Hanson added. "It is also important to consider and test for other causes of respiratory illness in symptomatic patients, including infections such as influenza." ARUP is an academic-medical laboratory that serves as a national reference laboratory for its clients throughout the country. ARUP serves more than half the country's academic-medical centers and children's hospitals. Its research arm, the ARUP Institute for Clinical & Experimental Pathology, continuously improves on current tests, develops new tests, and catalyzes laboratory diagnostic technologies. ARUP Media Contacts Cyndee Holden, 801-583-2787 ext. 3318, [email protected] Peta Owens-Liston, 801-583-2787 ext. 3635, [email protected] About ARUP Laboratories Founded in 1984, ARUP Laboratories is a leading national reference laboratory and a nonprofit enterprise of the University of Utah and its Department of Pathology. ARUP offers more than 3,000 tests and test combinations, ranging from routine screening tests to esoteric molecular and genetic assays. ARUP serves clients across the United States, including many of the nation's top university teaching hospitals and children's hospitals, as well as multihospital groups, major commercial laboratories, group purchasing organizations, military and other government facilities, and major clinics. In addition, ARUP is a worldwide leader in innovative laboratory research and development, led by the efforts of the ARUP Institute for Clinical and Experimental Pathology. ARUP is ISO 15189 CAP accredited. SOURCE ARUP Laboratories Related Links aruplab.com An Arla Foods-backed study has found that 66% of consumers in the UK, Denmark, Sweden and Germany do not see nutrition as part of sustainable diets. Moreover, half (49%)... Read More Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 02:16:55|Editor: yan Video Player Close ATHENS, March 10 (Xinhua) -- All schools and universities across Greece will be closed for 14 days to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias announced on Tuesday. The measure applies to all levels, from kindergarten to tertiary education, public and private and is taken after suggestions of the ministry's committee of experts, he explained, according to an e-mailed press statement. "Once again I stress that we should all demonstrate responsibility," Kikilias said, requesting parents to keep children at home. In coordination with employers' associations, the government has announced measures to facilitate employees to work from home or in shifts and support affected businesses, he added. Greece has reported a total of 89 confirmed cases of COVID-19 so far since the first one was reported on Feb. 26. Vangelis Marinakis, ship owner and owner of Olympiacos FC and Nottingham Forest FC, announced on Tuesday that he is among the infected. "I feel good as I take all the necessary measures and am complying with the doctors' instructions. I advise all my fellow citizens to do the same. A speedy recovery to us all," he said in a post on his Facebook account. Marinakis had traveled to Britain lately. So far most cases in Greece are linked to travelers who returned from Italy and a group who had traveled to Israel and Egypt, and their close contacts. One of the cases, an elderly man hospitalized in western Greece since last week, was in a critical condition, according to the Greek Health Ministry. Greek authorities have introduced a series of measures to contain the epidemic, reiterating calls to the public to follow experts' instructions. BBC 5 Live host Nihal Arthanayake took a day off work to mourn the death of his beloved Staffordshire Bull Terrier Luna. Many were sympathetic to Nihal for needing to take time off after the death of his pet, who was set to turn 15 in October. The Staffie was put down on Friday after becoming seriously ill. BBC 5 Live host Nihal Arthanayake pictured with his wife Eesha and dog Luna in February 2019 Luna (pictured), who was set to turn 15 in October, was put down on Friday after becoming seriously ill Nihal wrote on Twitter yesterday: 'Taking the day off today. With the family. See you tomorrow back on the radio from 1pm. Thanks again for all your amazing messages.' The BBC presenter was met with an outpouring of support on Twitter, with many listeners empathising with his 'bereavement'. 'It is a bereavement and people who don't understand that have never truly loved a family pet,' one Twitter user said. 'Sending you all lots of love. The pain of loss must be devastating, I well up just at the thought of it happening to our fur baby, but in time hopefully your thoughts of Luna will bring less sadness and instead provoke laughter & smiles as you remember your happy years together,' another said. One Twitter user said: 'It will get easier, but it takes time. It's taken me 8 months to be able to look at photos of Indi's last day out at her favourite beach before she started to decline rapidly. Knowing you gave Luna a wonderful life will help in time.' Nihal announced that he would be back in the studio on Tuesday. 'Back on the radio today. House feels so weird. Just expect Luna to walk into the kitchen, sniffing in every corner on the off chance there's a bit of food there. A dog brings a presence way bigger than their physical size,' he said. One listener told him: 'If you are not 100% on it, we will understand,' to which he replied: 'I won't be Sean.' Nihal pictured with Luna before her death. In previous tweets, Nihal detailed the final trip to the vets, which he described as 'one of the saddest journeys' of his life Luna (pictured) was put down on Friday after becoming seriously ill BBC 5 Live host Nihal Arthanayake (pictured) took a day off work to mourn the death of his beloved Staffordshire Bull Terrier Luna In previous tweets, Nihal detailed the final trip to the vets, which he described as 'one of the saddest journeys' of his life. 'We all put our hands on her heart as the injection went into her front left leg. She was gone in seconds. And our hearts broke all at the same time,' he said. Last year, Nihal was involved in an feud with fellow broadcaster Ben Fogle, who hosted Britain's Top 100 Dogs on ITV, over his dog Luna. The BBC 5 Live host told listeners that his wife Eesha once had an unpleasant encounter in the park with a man who warned his child not to go near her dog because Staffies are a dangerous breed. At the end of the story, he 'revealed' that the man in question was Fogle - but Fogle insisted it was a case of mistaken identity, and that he had never been to the park in question. Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) on Monday differentiated Democratic socialism from authoritarian communism at a CNN town hall at which he fielded a question from a Russian immigrant who accused him of being eager to implement many Soviet-style policies. My fathers family left Soviet Russia in 1979 fleeing from some of the very same socialist policies that you seem eager to implement in this country, audience member Samantha Frenkel-Popell said. So my question is, how do you rectify your notion of democratic socialism with the failures of socialism in nearly every country that has tried it? Is it your assumption that I supported or believe in authoritarian communism that existed in the Soviet Union? I dont and never have. And I opposed it, Sanders responded. What do I mean when I talk about democratic socialism? It certainly is not the authoritarian communism that existed in the Soviet Union and in other communist countries, the senator said. What democratic socialism means to me is we expand Medicare, we provide educational opportunity to all Americans, we rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. Sanders has drawn criticism for comments praising the communist regimes of the Soviet Union and Cuba, as well as the left-wing Nicaraguan strongman Daniel Ortega. People there seemed reasonably happy and content, Sanders said of the Soviet Union after his honeymoon in Yaroslavl, Russia. I didnt notice much deprivation. Documents discovered by the New York Times revealed that Soviet officials had attempted to use Sanderss initiative to form a sister-city relationship between Yaroslavl and Burlington, Vt., where Sanders was mayor, to advance Soviet propaganda. Were very opposed to the authoritarian nature of Cuba but you know, its unfair to simply say everything is bad. You know? Sanders said of the communist island nation in a February interview on 60 Minutes. When Fidel Castro came into office, you know what he did? He had a massive literacy program. Is that a bad thing? Even though Fidel Castro did it? Story continues The comments drew sharp rebukes from Florida politicians in both parties, whose constituents include a large population of Cuban refugees and exiles. More from National Review Lockdown was the word of the day as concerns about the coronavirus intensified in the Bay Area and well beyond, as health officials and political leaders struggled to extend due caution while tamping down hysteria. The Grand Princess cruise ship docked at the Port of Oakland on Monday, with the 3,500 passengers and crew members destined for a 14-day quarantine. Most dramatically, in Europes most afflicted nation, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the banning of public gatherings and restrictions on travel other than for work or emergencies. As if to emphasize that this was nothing to laugh off, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who had worn a gas mask in the House chambers to mock the growing anxiety, went into self-quarantine Monday after learning that he had been in contact with an infected attendee at a conservative conference late last month. He also had flown with President Trump on Air Force One over the weekend. Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., was seen in a photograph with the infected person at the conservative conference and went into self-quarantine. Collins had shaken hands with Trump while greeting him on the tarmac in Atlanta. Neither Gaetz nor Collins has experienced symptoms. For now, the nations health experts are advising commonsense measures to reduce risk of exposure: frequent hand washing, cleaning and disinfecting surfaces at home and work, avoid touching ones face or mouth, staying home from work when sick, and skipping nonessential travel and public events especially for those over 60 who are at higher risk to complications that could lead to death. Its hard to argue with the caution demonstrated by the governments and organizations that have taken additional measures to keep the public healthy. Some conferences, college classes and workplaces have switched to online interactions. Other endeavors that could not be replicated online from the St. Patricks Day Parade to the ballet and symphony canceled scheduled events. On Friday, San Franciscos Department of Public Health recommended that nonessential large gatherings be canceled or postponed for a period of at least two weeks. Vice President Mike Pence, the White House point person on the coronavirus, emphasized that the risk remains relatively low for most Americans. Yet the best efforts of Pence and health officials to put the outbreak in perspective its serious, but not cause for panic are not advanced by Trumps continuing effort to dismiss the legitimate concerns as a political game by Democrats and the media. Perhaps most ludicrously, Trump on Friday expressed reservations about allowing the Grand Princess to reach an American port because I dont need to have the numbers double because of one ship that wasnt our fault. To their credit, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf rose above the political fray to arrange to have the Grand Princess dock at an isolated section of the Port of Oakland. On Sunday, Newsom and Schaaf, in a calm and detailed way, described the rationale for the site and the procedures that would be taken to prevent potentially wider exposure to the local population. Health experts made clear that keeping the passengers and crew on the ship would have increased the danger of additional infections. In a sign that reality may be sinking in, Trump said Monday that he will ask Congress to cut payroll taxes and look for ways to help the airline, hotel and cruise industries that are taking an economic hit from the coronavirus. This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters. Right after Melanie Shankles new book was released, she got a message on her Instagram account from a reader letting her know that the foreword was missing. Shankle immediately checked her husbands copy. No foreword. Then she checked a box of copies. Nope. This was especially vexing because the foreword written by Shankles friend and fellow writer Jen Hatmaker is plugged on the cover. As annoyed as she was, Shankle, who first made a name for herself as the author of the popular Big Mama blog back when her now-teenage daughter was a toddler, also saw the humor in the situation. I did laugh, she said. I was like, when you write a book called On the Bright Side, a lot of things will come along to see if you really believe it. You have to put your money where your mouth is. The situation was swiftly resolved for digital and audio copies. For readers who opted for a hardcover edition, Shankle posted a link to the text on her blog and her Instagram account: You can tape it in the book, she said, laughing. On ExpressNews.com: SA curators shares secrets on the hidden parts of art works Shankle wrote much of On the Bright Side, a collection of essays about how to see the best in things, on a laptop while sitting on the couch in her cozy Alamo Heights living room with a dog on either side of her. The book is filled with stories from her own life, including some very funny haiku attributed to those dogs. She hopes her experiences illustrate the importance of not giving in to the seemingly ever-present temptation to see the absolute worst in people. And yes, she did start working on it right after the 2016 election cycle. This year, because its another presidential election year, I think were all poised and ready to hate each other, and I hope its a reminder to find the bright side to find the bright side in your life, to find the bright side in other people, to find the bright side in your circumstances, she said. I have a 16-year-old, so I always say this: Life is going to be hard and its also going to be beautiful, and its going to have a mix of those moments, but what you can control is your reaction to it and how you respond to it. And I think youre always going to be better off coming from a place of joy and looking for the light instead of looking for the dark. The message seems to have been received as intended by the Associated Press reviewer, who wrote of the book, Readers are encouraged to think before speaking, to stand firm when fighting to be your true self, to embrace the redemptive power of loving others and to recognize the importance of being brave. Shankles faith helps her see the bright side, and she weaves bits of Scripture into the book. I think whether you share my faith or not, I hope Ive written it in a way where everybody can find what that is in their own life, she said. Like what are the things that help you find the bright side? And it doesnt have to be what it is for me, but its this is where it lies for me. As humans I think what has happened to me, on social media, is its kind of exaggerated all the ways we dont agree. At the end of the day, if we sit down face to face, I bet we want a lot more of the same things than were led to believe. Shankle herself got a lesson in the potential for social media to turn seriously sour when a website printed an excerpt from one of her books in which she shared a comically exaggerated account of how she had set her daughters hermit crabs loose in the back yard, where they promptly vanished. She imagined the critters as teeny travelers making a journey similar to the one the Joad family makes in The Grapes of Wrath. A certain percentage of the internet did not find that the tiniest bit funny. The comments were like, I want to beat her up in a dark alley; She shouldnt be a mom; I saw on her Facebook page that she also owns dogs, she shouldnt be allowed to own dogs, she recalled. It was so shocking to me to have all these people make this huge leap about me based on hermit crabs. In Texas, for better or worse, theyre classified as bait. But it was so eye opening to go, wow, we really can be led to believe the absolute worst about a person and not know anything. I always laugh because I say that is the day I learned that there are over 75 different groups on Facebook dedicated to re-homing hermit crabs. On ExpressNews.com: Museum of Pocket Art is returning to SA for CAM Shankle first wrote about the hermit crabs on her blog, which began simply as a hobby. She always had wanted to write and grew up as a devotee of Erma Bombecks humor column. But she opted for a more practical career path, which, in a roundabout way, led her back to writing. I was in pharmaceutical sales. And it was killing my soul, she said. And so I just needed a creative outlet. At the time, my daughter was about to turn 3, so you see, at that age, there were so many funny things and stories, and so I just thought, Im going to start writing these down. She posted to the blog every day for 10 years, never expecting much to come from it. But all that practice paid off. As she found her voice, her writing sharpened. Three years in, she got an email from a literary agent, asking if shed be interested in writing a book. It took her about four years after that to produce her first manuscript, but since then, shes picked up the pace. Shes produced three New York Times bestsellers, Sparkly Green Earrings, Nobodys Cuter Than You and The Antelope in the Living Room, in addition to to two devotionals, one aimed at girls and one aimed at women, The same day that On the Bright Side came out, she also released her first childrens book, Piper and Mabel: Two Very Wild but Very Good Dogs. The story of two adventure-seeking dogs was inspired by her own dogs, also named Piper and Mabel, and Laura Watkins based her illustrations on photos of them. It was harder than she expected to write for children, and shes not sure shell do it again unless theres a lot of interest in knowing more about Piper and Mabel. These days, Shankle doesnt write on her blog nearly as much as she used to, though shes kept doing Fashion Friday posts about sales and cute clothes shes found while internet shopping. Shes also taking a bit of a break from her other writing because her daughter will be a senior in high school next year, and she wants to focus more of her energy on that. But she will be jotting down notes on her phone for future work. Something will happen and Ill go, I want to remember that, she said. To me, that was the biggest gift the blog gave me all those years. You think youre gonna remember stuff, but you dont. Melanie Shankle will give a reading from On the Bright Side at 7 p.m. March 19 at Barnes & Noble, 321 NW Loop 410, No. 104. dlmartin@express-news.net | Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN SANTA FE Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed legislation that will prohibit the trafficking of wildlife threatened with extinction one of six bills she acted on Monday, 48 hours before the signing deadline. Altogether, the governor approved five bills Monday and vetoed one. The new wildlife law, Senate Bill 75, prohibits the sale or purchase of shark fins and parts of endangered species such as lions, elephants and rhinoceroses. Its intended to make it easier for local law enforcement to crack down on illegal wildlife trafficking in New Mexico. The legislation establishes civil penalties of $10,000, or three times the value of the animal product. Also approved Monday were bills aimed at promoting redevelopment of a coal-fired power plant near Grants, establishing a new speciality license plate and requiring insurance coverage for certain heart tests. She vetoed one proposal, Senate Bill 232, which would have made $49.5 million available for a series of local road projects throughout the state, citing economic uncertainty. Altogether, Lujan Grisham has now signed 80 of the 88 bills passed by lawmakers in the 2020 session. She has vetoed just one. Among the seven remaining proposals are the main budget bill and bond packages for public works. The bills approved Monday include: House Bill 8, allowing the formation of an economic development district a taxing authority to help McKinley and Cibola counties respond to the planned closure of the Escalante power plant. The counties could impose a tax to aid in redevelopment of the site, near Grants. House Bill 157, establishing a special license plate to support children with cancer. Drivers who want the special plate will pay a $40 annual fee, with most of the revenue going to the Department of Health to support childhood cancer awareness, outreach and education. House Bill 126, requiring most health plans to cover heart scans for certain patients. The test, called a heart artery calcium scan, is intended to determine the risk of a heart attack. EUGENE, Ore. -- With the spread of the coronavirus, travelers have been warned by the federal government to stay away from traveling by cruise ship if you have an underlying health condition. Many cruise lines and travel agencies are implementing new policies that will allow travelers to feel safer when they make the decision on whether or not to board. Royal Caribbean recently announced a new option to cancel a trip up to 48 hours in advance. RELATED: US CORONAVIRUS CASES RISE SHARPLY TO MORE THAN 700 AND CRUISE SHIP WITH 21 MORE PATIENTS ARRIVES IN PORT One Eugene man and his wife have been awaiting upcoming cruises through Avalon Waterways since last summer when they bought their tickets. I'll take care, but I'm not going to stay here and then wonder what if," Jim Westcott said. Westcott said their journey will begin in the Netherlands in April, and their second cruise is to France shortly after. He said that Avalon Waterways did issue a statement in protection of its travelers. Theyre going to check everyone to make sure their passports don't show that theyve been any place thats going to risk the safety of the other passengers, Westcott said. As a retired couple, Westcott said that he and his wife did not hesitate to stick with their travel plans when news of the coronavirus broke. They are, however, aware of the precautions they need to take. I kind of feel like I have to go, because if I dont, I feel like I miss a period of time, Westcott said. This might be a year before it calms down. I dont want to miss travel. Major American universities -- including Harvard, Princeton and Columbia -- have been forced to cancel classes because of the coronavirus and move lessons online, affecting tens of thousands of students. The US government has refrained from imposing an official ban so the often privately run institutions are each grappling with how best to deal with the fast-moving outbreak. Ahead of the start of spring break at the end of this week, Harvard on Tuesday announced it would transition to having all classes online by Monday 23 March. The university, located in Cambridge, Massachusets, asked its 36,000 graduate and undergraduate students not to return to campus after the spring recess and to continue studying remotely "until further notice." "The goal of these changes is to minimize the need to gather in large groups," Harvard president Lawrence Bacow said in a statement posted on the university's website. Without going quite so far, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), also based in Cambridge, canceled all gatherings likely to attract at least 150 people until May 15. Classes with 150 or more students will move online, starting this week, it added. In New York, Columbia, New York University and Fordham have all announced that they are switching to remote learning. Princeton University in New Jersey said it would move all lectures and seminars online from March 23 to at least April 5, as it cancelled events of more than 100 people. On the other side of the country, in California, at least five universities, including Berkeley and Stanford, have suspended all or most of their in-person classes. A spokesperson for the American Council of Education (ACE) said it was "impossible to say" how many schools and students had been affected because "the situation changes all the time." ACE president Ted Mitchell told the Los Angeles Times the coronavirus was "probably the greatest short-term challenge facing higher education in a generation." (Photo : REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo) FILE PHOTO: Jack Dorsey, CEO and co-founder of Twitter and founder and CEO of Square, speaks at the Consensus 2018 blockchain technology conference in New York City, New York, U.S., May 16, 2018. Twitter isn't going to let go of CEO Jack Dorsey just yet. That's due to the fact Twitter has introduced a temporary cease-fireplace with Elliott Management, the "activist investor" fund that wanted Dorsey replaced. But the emphasis here must be on "transient." The settlement Twitter and Elliott announced today gives Elliott the tools it needed to besides Dorsey the soonest. Earlier reports say Elliott Management Corporation's head Jesse Cohn reportedly wanted Jack Dorsey gone out of Twitter. That won't happen right away, but the process could really take place by the end of this year as Elliott now has a seat on the table anew. Again, if you want a road map for how this stuff works, take a look at eBay. The eCommerce CEO was changed the same year Elliott was given a seat at that company's table. ALSO READ: Don't Tell Your Ploy Yet! Twitter Boss Says Announcing His Relocation Plans to Africa is a "Mistake" Due to Coronavirus? Twitter to 'buy-back' US$2 billion worth of stocks The deal sees Twitter committing to buy back US$2 billion worth of stocks. It's also naming two new board members. One of which is from Elliott Management and the other from Silver Lake Partners, an investment company that's putting US$1 billion into Twitter to fund the buybacks. Noticeably, the settlement appears to be leaving Jack Dorsey, Twitter's chief executive, in place even after Elliott had pushed for his ouster. "While our CEO structure is unique, so is Jack and so is this company," Twitter's lead independent director Patrick Pichette said in a statement. Earlier this year Elliott, which is one of the industry's wealthiest stockholders with more than $40 billion in assets under management, nominated four directors to Twitter's board. The move to remove Dorsey was publicized late last month. Those familiar with the negotiations stated they expected a speedy conclusion. ALSO READ: Twitter rules as top place to work, perks galore big reason New board members to create "the CEO succession plan" this year Both new board members had fantastic things to mention about running with Dorsey in a press launch published today. The announcement shows that while Dorsey is sticking around for the time being, the board will investigate when it would be suitable to have a new CEO. The new board members will be part of a committee evaluating "the CEO succession plan." They'll be joined by three additional board members, all of whom currently serve on the board. The group intends to search their findings publicly by the end of the year. Elliott's preliminary objections to Dorsey have been vague. They seemingly had to do with Twitter perpetually being a chunk of a mess, and Dorsey was also walking a completely separate second huge company. But the investment organization had purchased a four percent stake on Twitter, giving it the leverage to make some noise and potentially cause problems for Dorsey. Last year, Elliott ran almost this exact identical playbook with AT&T. After shopping for a great stake within the telecom company, Elliott posted a lengthy word trashing AT&T's current acquisitions and inventory performance and is known as for major changes. In the quit, AT&T agreed to 3 desires and far less dramatic changes that appeased Elliott. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. "Orlando has already accomplished so much in his decade of banking experience," said BBVA USA Texas Border Region CEO Susana Valencia. "That eagerness for continued success in his career will help us continue to succeed in our McAllen and Upper Rio Grande Valley operations. McAllen is an economically booming landscape, energized by growing businesses and services. Orlando brings all the skills and energy necessary to meet the unique banking needs this area deserves." Castaneda began his career at BBVA as an associates program trainee, quickly becoming a commercial relationship associate, followed by a position as an associate portfolio manager in the bank's oil and gas finance division. "With local infrastructure projects being planned, and an expanding energy industry in the Rio Grande Valley, Orlando's experience is going to serve our clients very well," said Valencia. "Also, his skillset is not limited to this sector. Having worked in an economically diverse market such as Houston and being from the Rio Grande Valley is only going to bolster the value he will bring to our operations." Castaneda earned his bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley, where he also obtained an MBA. He is currently a CFA Level III candidate. News of the hire comes just months after former McAllen City President Jon Rebello was promoted to become the bank's Austin CEO . Rebello also served as the bank's Texas Border Region CEO, a role now filled with the promotion of Valencia , who is also the bank's Laredo City President. The new structure also comes directly after the rollout of BBVA USA's new 5-year strategy, highlighted by its six pillars - including helping clients and communities transition towards a sustainable future and improving clients' financial health. "As we continue to grow as a bank, our new strategy is going to allow us to reach even greater milestones than what we have already achieved," said BBVA USA Texas Region Executive Jeff Dudderar. "Texas is one of the bank's most economically solid markets throughout its entire global footprint, and we have ample opportunities to capitalize on that for the bank and, more importantly, our clients." The BBVA McAllen team has had a long history of living by its new pillars including in April 2019 when BBVA became the first Rio Grande Valley company to take the Lights Out RGV! pledge , which included a reduction in lighting in corporate and larger area offices. The BBVA USA Foundation gave a $15,000 grant in 2016 to the Mission Economic Development Corporation to support its new Center of Education and Economic Development. The facility offers educational programs for small businesses and entrepreneurs in the Rio Grande Valley, with classes in science, technology, arts and math. For more information on the bank's new 5-year strategic plan, click here. For more BBVA news visit, www.bbva.com and the U.S. Newsroom . Additional news updates can be found via Twitter and Instagram . For more financial information about BBVA in the U.S., visit bbvausa.investorroom.com . About BBVA BBVA Group BBVA (NYSE: BBVA) is a customer-centric global financial services group founded in 1857. The Group has a strong leadership position in the Spanish market, is the largest financial institution in Mexico, it has leading franchises in South America and the Sunbelt Region of the United States. It is also the leading shareholder in Turkey's Garanti BBVA. Its purpose is to bring the age of opportunities to everyone, based on our customers' real needs: provide the best solutions, helping them make the best financial decisions, through an easy and convenient experience. The institution rests in solid values: Customer comes first, we think big and we are one team. Its responsible banking model aspires to achieve a more inclusive and sustainable society. BBVA USA In the U.S., BBVA is a Sunbelt-based financial institution that operates 641 branches, including 330 in Texas, 89 in Alabama, 63 in Arizona, 61 in California, 44 in Florida, 37 in Colorado and 17 in New Mexico. The bank ranks among the top 25 largest U.S. commercial banks based on deposit market share and ranks among the largest banks in Alabama (2nd), Texas (4th) and Arizona (6th). In the U.S., BBVA has been recognized as one of the leading small business lenders by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and ranked 8th nationally in terms of dollar volume of SBA loans originated in fiscal year 2018. SOURCE BBVA USA Related Links www.bbva.com The Vatican's Saint Peter's Square and its main basilica were closed to tourists on Tuesday as part of a broader clampdown aimed at curbing the coronavirus outbreak. The Holy See said the measures will remain in place until April 3 "in order to halt the spread of the coronavirus". Italy's new nationwide restrictions on public gatherings and movement between cities are also meant to stay in place for the coming four weeks. The Vatican has so far officially confirmed one case of the COVID-19 disease caused by the new virus that has killed 463 people in surrounding Italy in just over two weeks. It was also waiting for the results of a second person who may have been in contact with someone infected by the virus. Pope Francis himself was forced to break with centuries of tradition and deliver his Sunday Angelus Prayer via livestream instead of out of his Vatican window to limit crowds on Saint Peter's Square. Saint Peter's stunning basilica is one of the world's most popular tourist attractions. Its dome soars over Rome and is visible across the Italian capital. It is filled with frescos and statues by great Renaissance masters such as Michelangelo. The 83-old-pontiff is himself still recovering from a cold he developed about two weeks ago. The Argentine-born pope has enjoyed a life of good health and follows a rigorous schedule despite having a part of a lung removed when he was young. His unusual absence during the coronavirus scare prompted immediate speculation that he had contracted COVID-19. A newspaper reported last week that the pope had been tested for the virus but was not infected. The Vatican neither confirmed nor denied the report. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) TORONTO and JERSEY CITY, N.J., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- While educational institutions are trying to evolve and become more adapted to the digital age, colleges and universities have still lagged when it comes to improved processes for cross-border tuition payments. Fortunately, PayMyTuition, a leading provider of technology-driven global payment processing solutions for international tuition payments, announced today its solution to this problem. By way of their newly developed artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technology, the PayMyTuition platform solution can now enable colleges and universities to settle international tuition payments in real-time. "Today, we have the ability to make digital payments instantly from our smart-phones, but until now, to make international tuition payments, both students and educational institutions experience a high level of friction within the customer experience, manual reconciliation processes, and delays in the availability of funds to the institution, hindering students from immediate enrollment access," said Arif Harji, Chief Market Strategist at MTFX Group. "PayMyTuition AI and machine learning technology was developed specifically for educational institutions, providing them an alternative solution that can remove all the friction and restrictions that exist within current offerings, while enabling real-time settlement for the first time." In the always-on digital environment that we live in, customers expect optimal convenience and digital solutions across the entire payment ecosystem, and the element of real-time settlement has, until now, been lacking. PayMyTuition enables educational institution student information systems to optimize payment processing methods, giving students payment methods and timing flexibility. This technology will help institutions to reduce costs, prevent errors and improve overall speed with the ability of real-time settlement. The utilization of AI and machine learning technology within the platform will also provide institutions with large and complete amounts of rich data, including student information and payment statuses, of which they didn't have visibility on before, making end-to-end payment transactions simple and transparent. PayMyTuition's real-time cross border tuition payment solution is an industry first and can be seamlessly integrated, by way of their real-time API, into most student information systems including: Banner, Colleague, PeopleSoft, Workday and Jenzabar. The company is expanding rapidly, with plans to enable 30 educational institutions across North America with real-time tuition settlement in the next 60 days. PayMyTuition will continue working with customers across the globe to be able to provide unparalleled customer experience to all students, while significant efficiencies are delivered to the institution, now, all in real-time. For more information, visit www.paymytuition.com. About PayMyTuition by MTFX PayMyTuition is part of the MTFX Group of Companies, a foreign exchange and global payments solution provider with a track record of 23+ years, facilitating payments for over 8,000 corporate and institutional clients across North America. Media Contact Crystal Reize PayMyTuition [email protected] Related Images paymytuition-mtfx-group.png PayMyTuition - MTFX Group PayMyTuition is part of the MTFX Group of Companies, a foreign exchange and global payments solution provider with a track record of 23+ years, facilitating payments for over 8,000 corporate and institutional clients across North America. SOURCE PayMyTuition Related Links http://www.paymytuition.com Throngs of Irish racing fans have pushed ahead with their annual jaunt to Cheltenham, despite growing fears over a coronavirus pandemic. The four-day festival kicks off today, after Ireland's Six Nations clash with France was postponed until October due to similar concerns. It now remains to be seen if Ireland's U-20s and women's internationals will also be called off and postponed in line with the men's games. Leinster and Ulster's Champions Cup quarter-final games are still scheduled to proceed in April. However, the European Professional Club Rugby will continue to monitor developments in the meantime. There had been much speculation in recent days as to whether the Cheltenham festival, which usually attracts more than 200,000 attendees over the week, would go ahead. But with racing chiefs insisting it was going to be business as usual at the race meeting in Gloucestershire, which had its third confirmed case in the county over the weekend, many racing fans were keen to plough on with their plans. The latest statement from Cheltenham chiefs last night said: "British Racing remains in close communication with the government and we welcome their guidance that the business of the country should continue as usual at this time, while ensuring we adhere to the latest public health advice in full." But an unsettled atmosphere prevailed at Dublin Airport as fears of the coronavirus pandemic continued to wreak havoc with people's travel plans. Lots of worried-looking travellers were wearing gloves while security saw lengthy queues, with most people carrying multiple hand sanitisers. One airport worker said a morning flight yesterday out to Birmingham Airport, a popular hub for the racing festival, saw around 50 no-shows as racing fans opted to hedge their bets and stay at home instead. Expand Close Coronavirus cases in England. See story HEALTH Coronavirus. Infographic PA Graphics / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Coronavirus cases in England. See story HEALTH Coronavirus. Infographic PA Graphics For others, it was business as usual and they were happy to push ahead with their yearly trip over to the Gloucestershire town, while being mindful of taking extra precautions. Andrew Coonan, secretary of the Jockey Association, was flying out with his two adult children Becky and Charlie and admitted the outbreak represented a "significant concern for all of us". "It's not just Cheltenham. It's the bigger picture here because there's other meetings for our riders. Aintree's coming up, Punchestown, Fairyhouse. "So we're very much watching the space with regards to what's going to happen here. Nobody seems to be able to give any clear guidance; which is understandable. But as the situation evolves, it's a major worry," he said. Asked if he thought racing chiefs were correct in pushing ahead with the festival, given so many other large-scale events have been cancelled, he said it was "hard to give a very clear view on this". "There's two ways of looking at this. I don't think you can look at it on just the economic importance of Cheltenham although obviously it's hugely important. With the bigger picture, all we can really do is be guided by what the medics and doctors are telling us. "At this point in time, we're being told that going ahead with it is a reasonable course of action," he said. "I have come across people who said, 'Look, I really don't want to take the chance' and have taken a personal view that it isn't in their best interest. "Others have taken a view that they're listening to what the medics are telling us and being guided by that." Husband and wife Mervyn and Caitriona Gray said it was their second year going together and said there was some concern there, given they have two young children at home. "We have accommodation booked and we said we'd better go." Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 19:04:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- An online recruiting program jointly launched by six major job-hunting websites in China has offered over 2 million jobs for university graduates amid the COVID-19 outbreak, according to the Ministry of Education. The program, started on Feb. 28, was part of the ministry's efforts to boost the employment of university and college graduates against the backdrop of the COVID-19 epidemic, downward economic pressure and an increase in the number of graduates. Official data showed that over the last week or so, there have been 250,000 more graduates registered and 530,000 more resumes posted at the six websites including the country's leading human resource service provider 51job.com and zhaopin.com. According to the ministry, provincial and municipal graduate employment departments and universities will advance employment services and more than 20,000 online recruiting events are expected in March. The Department of Education and Skills has responded to speculation on social media that schools across the country are to close for a number of weeks from this Friday in response to the coronavirus outbreak. In a statement, issued this Tuesday afternoon, a spokesperson said the Department is liaising closely with the Department of Health on a continuing basis. Any decision to close schools will be made on public health advice. There is no such advice at this point. It is essential that any decisions regarding responses to Covid-19 are proportionate, necessary and based on specific public health advice. No other response is appropriate. Prior to the statement being issued, several messages were circulating on WhatsApp and on other social media platforms, suggesting an announcement was imminent that all schools and third-level institutions would not reopen after St Patricks Day due to the Covid-19 situation. Read also: Late Late Show due to be broadcast from Limerick postponed The Department of Education and Skills is urging all schools to remain calm and to listen to the advice they are given. Public health professionals will contact schools if there is any action to be taken. Schools should not take unilateral action. Schools, pre-schools and higher education settings have been provided with advice and guidance in respect of Covid-19, said a spokesperson. The Department says it is deeply conscious of the significance of decisions concerning school closures, and the potential impact any such decisions would have on parents, families and the wider community. This is an evolving situation and the health advice is being updated on a daily basis. The Department of Education and Skills and Department of Health will continue to work closely together on this issue, reads the statement. Up-to-date guidance for schools and parents can be found at www.education.ie/covid19. Marine General Frank McKenzie, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East, told the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that he had no confidence that the Taliban would honor a peace agreement with the U.S. and the Afghan government. To date, Taliban attacks are higher than we believe are consistent with an idea to actually carry out this plan, McKenzie said. If theyre unable to draw down the current level of attacks, then the political leadership will be able to make decisions based on that. McKenzie also told the committee that the U.S. has not developed military plans to withdraw troops from Afghanistan within 14 months as called for in the peace agreement. The military does have a plan to reduce the amount of troops to 8,600 by summer 2020. Representatives of the Taliban signed a peace accord with the U.S. at the end of February, with the Trump administration aiming to end the 19-year war in Afghanistan. However, Taliban fighters have continued to conduct attacks throughout the country. The organization has a loose central command that does not necessarily have full control over different Taliban cells, but McKenzie said the attacks indicated the Taliban are more widely dismissive of the peace agreement. Earlier in March President Trump spoke with Taliban chief negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar by phone following reports of fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security forces. Trump called the call a very good talk, and said both sides have agreed there is no violence, dont want violence. More from National Review A bus driver has allegedly kicked a coughing passenger off his bus over fears they have coronavirus. 'Who's the person that keeps coughing?' the bus driver shouted according to a passenger who said she witnessed the incident in Auckland, New Zealand on Friday night. When a man behind raised his hand, the driver said: 'Get off my bus,' the unnamed woman told the New Zealand Herald. The woman who said she witnessed the incident said a bus driver ordered a coughing man off an NX2 (like that pictured) or an NX1 near Victoria Park, Auckland, on Friday night New Zealand's harbour city of Auckland. As of Tuesday afternoon there were only 5 cases of coronavirus in New Zealand but tensions are running high as cases rise worldwide The woman said the bus driver mentioned 'coronavirus' but the coughing man insisted he did not have the virus, and that he was just coughing. The woman said the bus had been either the NX1 or NX2 to the North Shore. The woman said the passenger got off the bus near Victoria Park on Friday, sometime between 8pm and 9pm. 'I felt so bad for him but I didn't say anything because I didn't want to get kicked off the bus,' the woman told the NZ Herald. None of the rest of the passengers said anything either, she said. The passenger did not seem upset and calmly got off the bus, she said. Auckland Transport told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday that they had not received a complaint. 'This is an anonymous unsubstantiated report to the NZ Herald,' a spokesperson for Auckland Transport said. CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement Coronavirus tensions have been raised in Auckland since Friday when it was revealed that a man infected with coronavirus went to a Tool concert at Spark Arena in Auckland on February 28. The concert was packed to capacity, sparking fears of contagion. As of Tuesday afternoon New Zealand still had five confirmed cases of Covid-19 and two probable cases, the Otago Daily Times reported. A further 47 people were under investigation for the virus while 281 had tested negative. Almost 9000 New Zealanders had registered to self-isolate with Healthline, a free health advice line run by NZ's Ministry of Health. Coronavirus fears are also elevated in New Zealand as worldwide coronavirus case numbers are rising rapidly including in neighbouring Australia, where 103 people had tested positive to the virus as of Tuesday afternoon and three had died. A worker sprays disinfectant as sanitization operations against Coronavirus are carried out in the museum hosted by the Maschio Angioino medieval castle, in Naples, Italy, on March 10, 2020. (Alessandro Pone/LaPresse via AP) Italy Reports 168 New Deaths: Coronavirus Updates From March 10 The novel coronavirus that originated from Wuhan, China, and the disease it causes, COVID-19, has spread to more than 100 countries and territories around the world, killing thousands. Below are updates from March 10. For March 11 updates, click here. Italy Reports 168 Deaths Within 24 Hours Italys death toll from the new coronavirus has risen 168 in just 24 hours, authorities said on March 10. There have been 631 deaths from COVID-19. Italian authorities also said the number of confirmed cases rose to 10,149. Italy has the highest number of cases and deaths in the world outside China, where the virus started late last year. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Monday that the whole country would be placed under mandatory quarantine. Teams of police patrolled cafes to make sure owners kept customers 1 meter (3 feet) apart during daylight hours and then enforced a strict 6 p.m. closure order. The streets of Rome were as quiet as they are during the capitals annual mid-August vacation shutdown. Its bad. People are terrorized, said Massimo Leonardo, who runs a market stall. Ive never seen anything like it. For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illnesses, including pneumonia. More than 116,000 people have been infected worldwide and over 4,000 have died. Police officers check citizens and tourists at the Venice Santa Lucia railway station in Venice, to make sure that they are not violating the quarantine, before they get on the trains to leave the city, in Italy on March 10, 2020. (Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images) New York Announces Containment Zone New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that schools, houses of worship, and businesses in New Rochelle, a town just outside New York City, will be shut down for two weeks in an effort to stem the spread of the new coronavirus. One of the largest clusters of cases in the nation centers around the Westchester County locale. After a lawyer who lives in New Rochelle and works in the borough of Manhattan in New York City tested positive for COVID-19, the disease the virus causes, his family and a neighbor who drove him to a hospital tested positive. Officials have since located more than 100 cases in the immediate area, prompting them to implement what theyre calling a containment area. New Rochelle is a particular problem. It is what they call a cluster. The numbers have been going up. The numbers continue to go up. The numbers are going up unabated. And we do need a special public health strategy for New Rochelle. What we are going to do is focus on an area concentric circle around the site of the majority of the cases in New Rochelle, Cuomo told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday. Starting Thursday, all facilities in the area, which measures one mile in diameter, will be closed. Schools will get a thorough cleaning. A testing station will be set up by the state and a private healthcare system. Cruise Ship Passengers Sue Princess Cruises A Florida couple aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship where 21 people have tested positive for coronavirus have sued the ships operator for $1 million, claiming that the company acted negligently by failing to protect passengers from the virus. Ronald and Eva Weissberger, residents of Broward County, filed a lawsuit against Princess Cruise Lines on Monday, alleging that the companys lack of screening procedures for coronavirus, or COVID-19, and failing to adequately warn passengers about potential exposure to the virus, had exposed the couple to actual risk of immediate physical injury. The Grand Princess, carrying about 3,500 people, was anchored off the coast of San Francisco from March 4 after health authorities learned that some passengers had developed flu-like symptoms and that guests of an earlier cruise aboard the same ship had tested positive for coronavirus. At least 21 people19 crew members and two passengershave been diagnosed with the virus. The ship has begun disembarking passengers for transport to quarantine stations or hospitals after it arrived at Port of Oakland on Monday. Read more here. Passengers are disembarked from the Grand Princess cruise ship at the Port of Oakland in Oakland, California on March 10, 2020. (Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images) New Jersey Reports First Death New Jersey, which is next to New York state, announced its first death from the new virus on Tuesday. The male patient was in his 60s, Gov. Phil Murphy said. The man lived in Bergen County. The man had a history of diabetes, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, GI (gastrointestinal) bleeding, and emphysema. But he had no history of travel outside of the United States, state Commissioner of Health Judith Persichilli said at a press conference. The man had a history of traveling back and forth to New York, which has one of the highest case counts in the United States. More Countries Restrict Travel To and From Italy Additional countries announced travel restrictions as the coronavirus epidemic in Italy forced the entire country into quarantine. Malta and Spain announced a ban on air traffic from Italy. Malta turned away another cruise ship and British Airways canceled flights to the whole country. Austria barred travelers from crossing the border without a medical certificate. Britain, Ireland, Hong Kong, and Germany strengthened travel advisories or flat-out urged their citizens to leave. Even the Vatican erected a new barricade at the edge of St. Peters Square. Italy now has more coronavirus cases than anywhere but China, registering 10,149 infections with 631 deaths. And officials say they expect many, many more. Get out of northern Italy if youre there. We dont know how long the Italian authorities will keep the window open, said Erik Broegger Rasmussen, head of consular services for Denmarks foreign ministry. US Evacuee Describes Coronavirus Symptoms Coronavirus patient Carl Goldman, among the American evacuees who were on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, described what the virus is like in an interview from his hospital bed. Goldman, while speaking from a quarantined area in the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, told Fox News on Tuesday that he suffers from an underlying health problem and was taken to a special unit. I had a precondition called Guillain-Barre syndrome and I think thats why they put me in the biocontainment to make sure that I was stable and that the virus did not go into my lungs and chest, which seems to be the killer in this, Goldman told Fox, adding that the majority of people who contract COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, have fairly mild cases, just like I am. According to the Mayo Clinic, Guillain-Barre syndrome is a rare disorder where the bodys immune system attacks the nerves and can lead to partial or full paralysis. The website notes that most people who suffer from the disorder have to be hospitalized to get treatment. Read more here. U.S. passengers who were evacuated from the quarantined cruise ship the Diamond Princess and officials wait for the takeoff of a Kalitta Air airplane bound for the United States at Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan, on Feb. 17, 2020. (Cheryl and Paul Molesky via AP) South Korea Sees New Cluster of Infections In South Korea, the capital of Seoul has recorded at least 64 new cases of the novel coronavirus in a major cluster outbreak outside of Daegu and the broader North Gyeongsang province. The infection cluster happened at a call center in the neighborhood of Sindorim in Seoul, local outlet Yonhap News Agency reported on March 10. The municipal government of Seoul stated that at least 64 people in connection with the call center were infected with the virus as of 1 p.m. local time on Tuesday. Among those, 40 employees of the call center and their family members live in Seoul. Additionally, 13 employees live in Incheon and 11 employees live in Gyeonggi province. The call center is located on the 11th floor of a high-rise building, which is 19 floors above the ground and 6 floors underground. There are 207 other employees of the call center waiting to be tested for the virus. Read more here. UK Revises Case Definition The United Kingdom revised its definition of cases meeting the criteria for testing for the new virus. Patients who meet the following criteria should be tested, regardless of epidemiological links, the government said, requiring admission to a hospital: having either clinical or radiological evidence of pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or influenza-like illness. Jake Dunning, an infectious diseases consultant and researcher, called the revision an important update. In essence, if the patient has an acute respiratory illness (more detail is provided in the guidance) that is bad enough to require admission to hospital, a travel-related exposure or contact with a confirmed case is no longer needed to implement required IPC & test for COVID-19, he said on Twitter. Austria Shuts Border With Italy In a dramatic move to keep the coronavirus from shifting north, Austrias chancellor says the country is barring travelers from Italy from entering. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Tuesday that exceptions will be made for those with medical notes and authorities will help repatriate Austrians from Italy. Malta has suspended all flights into and out of Italy. Austria, Britain, and Ireland have issued travel advisories for the whole country as Italys extraordinary anti-coronavirus lockdown looked set to isolate the country inside and out. Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela announced that until further notice, flights to and from Italy would be suspended and ships from Italy would only be allowed to dock if they were carrying cargo, food, or medicine. Abela said the cruise ship MSC Grandiosa, which was to dock in Malta on Tuesday would not be allowed in since it just came from Palermo in Italy. Austria issued a full travel warning for Italy to urgently recommend that Austrian travelers return home. Britain and Ireland advised against all nonessential travel. Germanys national disease control institute is describing all of Italy as a risk area. Italian soldiers speak to a passenger at Milano Centrale train station in Milan, Italy, on March 10, 2020. (Emanuele Cremaschi/Getty Images) Boston, Ireland Cancel St. Patricks Day Parades Ireland and the U.S. city of Boston canceled St. Patricks Day parades over coronavirus fears. Irelands National Public Health Emergency Team made the recommendation to cancel the festival in Dublin. Other events linked to the holiday in Ireland were also canceled, including the parade and concert in Belfast City. The decisions being made out of an abundance of caution to ensure that we are doing what is needed to keep the residents of Boston safe and healthy, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said of the cancellation in Massachusetts. Walsh said people should take preventative measures including washing hands and staying home if theyre feeling sick. Nine Boston residents have tested positive for the new virus. Boeing Employee Tests Positive A Boeing employee at the companys jet plant in the U.S. state of Washington tested positive for the new coronavirus, the company said. The employee is in quarantine and receiving care. As a precaution, weve asked all coworkers of the employee who were in close contact to remain home to self-quarantine and self-monitor, and weve conducted a thorough cleaning of the work areas and common spaces, Boeing said in a statement. The company previously asked all employees in the Puget Sound region who are able to perform work remotely to work from home. Australia Opens First Drive-Through Virus Testing Station In an Australian first, a formal drive-through coronavirus testing station has been set up at an Adelaide hospital, a move aimed to ease the pressure and risk for doctors. It is one of two formal clinics of its kind that exists globally, although a Melbourne doctor runs a solo operation with a similar structure in the car park outside his practice. The other clinic was first seen in South Korea. Read more here. South Australia Hospital staff simulate a drive-through coronavirus testing at the Repatriation Hospital in Adelaide on March 10, 2020. (David Mariuz/AAP Image) Italys First Patient is Out of ICU Italian doctors celebrated one small victory in their battle against the coronavirus after a 38-year-old man was moved out of intensive care for the first time since he tested positive Feb. 21 and opened Italys health care crisis as Patient No. 1. The 38-year-old Unilever worker named Mattia was the first person to test positive in the north who hadnt been to China. At the San Matteo hospital in Pavia, there was a sigh of relief after Mattia began breathing on his own Monday with just a small amount of oxygen assistance, said Dr. Francesco Mojoli, head of intensive care. He was moved out of the ICU to a sub-ICU unit and was speaking with doctors. This disease has a long life, Mojoli told RAI state television. Now we hope that the fact that he was young and in good shape will help him get back to his normal life. Across the region, the viruss spread has grown exponentially, and the Lombardy government has been scrambling to increase its ICU capacity, converting operating and recovery rooms into isolated wards to treat the 440 critical virus patients currently in need. It has cobbled together 150 more beds in the last two weeks and expects another 150 in the coming week. On Monday, the government took broad new measures to restrict Italians movements nationwide and prevent social gatherings, realizing that limited restrictions werent containing the spread. For example, the region surrounding the capital RomeLaziosaw its cases jump from 87 to 102 in a day, a sign that the virus was propagating far from the northern concentrations. Also alarming was Italys high fatality rate: With 463 dead and 9,172 infected, Italys fatality rate is running at 5 percent nationwide and 6 percent in Lombardy, far higher than the 3-4 percent estimates elsewhere. Dr. Giovanni Rezza, head of infectious disease at the National Institutes of Health, attributed the high rate to the fact that Italy has the worlds oldest population after Japan, and the median age of its virus-related dead is 80. But there are young people who are infected too. Some have been in intensive care, like Patient No. 1. Singapore Charges Visitors for Treatment Singapore has started charging visitors for coronavirus treatment, the city-state said as it reported new imported infections involving people who had traveled from neighboring Indonesia. Indonesia, the worlds fourth-most populous country, reported its first virus case earlier this month and officially has just 19 infections compared to 160 in Singapore. Disease experts have questioned how many cases could be going undiagnosed in Indonesia. Singapores new measures announced late Monday came into effect on March 7, when authorities said two symptomatic Indonesian travelers arrived in Singapore. Both had reported coronavirus symptoms in Indonesia before arriving in Singapore. One had previously sought treatment at a hospital in Indonesias capital Jakarta. Another case involved a Singaporean who had visited her sister in Indonesia who had pneumonia. The health ministry did not say whether its new stance on payment for treatment related to specific cases. In view of the rising number of COVID-19 infections globally, and the expected rise in the number of confirmed cases in Singapore, we will need to prioritize the resources at our public hospitals, the health ministry said in a statement. Foreigners who are short-term visit pass holders who seek treatment for COVID-19 in Singapore need to pay but testing for the virus remains free. Treatment of severe respiratory infections in Singapore public hospitals typically costs between S$6,000 to S$8,000 ($4,300-5,800), according to the Ministry of Healths website. Of 33 imported cases reported by Singapore to date, 24 involve travel to Chinawhere the virus first surfaced late last yearthree to Indonesia and the others to Italy, Britain, France, and Germany. Singapore has also determined that some of its local cases had travel history to Indonesia. Researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the United States said in a study last month Indonesias lack of confirmed cases at that time may suggest the potential for undetected cases, urging authorities there to strengthen outbreak surveillance and control. Meanwhile, The Epoch Times reported that Chinese authorities have been quarantining Chinese nationals returning from South Korea and charging them a fee, while visitors who are quarantined have not had to pay anything. Chinese leader Xi Jinping speaks next to outgoing Macau Chief Executive Fernando Chui at Macau International Airport in Macau, China on Dec. 18, 2019, ahead of the 20th anniversary of the former Portuguese colonys return to China. (Jason Lee/Reuters) Chinese Leader Xi Jinping Visits Wuhan Chinas state-run media Peoples Net reported on Tuesday that Chinese leader Xi Jinping has arrived at Wuhan by plane. Xi will inspect the virus prevention and management actions being taken in Wuhan as well as Hubei province. Read more here. South Korean with USFK Tests Positive A Korean national employed by the United States Forces Korea (USFK) has tested positive for COVID-19, marking the ninth USFK-related case of the virus in South Korea. The employee, who has been isolated at her residence off-base, was working at Camp Walker in Daegu. Koreas CDC and USFK health professionals are actively conducting contact tracing to determine whether anyone else may have been exposed, the force said in a statement. So far, only one U.S. service member has tested positive. Mongolia Confirms First Case in French Worker Mongolia said on Tuesday that a French national working in the country has been confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus that has spread throughout the globe, marking the countrys first case. The National Emergency Commission said in a statement the patient, a 57-year-old man, traveled to Mongolia from France and transited through Moscow. The government has identified 42 people the patient has met with and another 120 individuals who had close contact with the patient, who works for Badrakh Energy in southern Dornogovi province and is in stable condition. Mongolia has suspended all local travel in Dornogovi province, the commission said. The infection comes despite stringent border and travel controls imposed by Ulaanbaatar to keep out the virus, which emerged first in China and has now infected more than 100,000 people globally. Mongolia has halted border crossings from China, imposed travel bans on people from Japan and South Korea until March 11 and suspended schools through end-March. Mongolian President Battulga Khaltmaa and other government officials submitted to a 14-day quarantine in late February after returning home from their visit to China as a precautionary measure. Crude oil volatility index (OVX) on March 9, 2020. (TradingView) Oil Prices Jump 6 Percent After Biggest One-Day Fall Since 1991 Oil prices jumped more than 6 percent on Tuesday, clawing back some ground on hopes that a price war will not be sustained by top producers Saudi Arabia and Russia that sparked the biggest daily rout since the 1991 Gulf War. U.S. shale producers also moved to deepen spending cuts, which could reduce future production after OPECs decision to pump full bore into a global market hit by shrinking demand due to the coronavirus outbreak. Brent crude futures rose $2.31, or 6.7 percent, to $36.67 a barrel by 0115 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained $1.79, or 5.8 percent, to $32.92 a barrel following declines of nearly 25 percent on Monday. Both benchmarks dropped to their lowest since February 2016 in the previous session and recorded their biggest one-day percentage declines since Jan. 17, 1991, when oil prices fell at the outset of the U.S. Gulf War. Panama Confirms First Case Panama has confirmed its first coronavirus case. The patient is a Panamanian woman who had returned Sunday from Madrid. Panamas Health Minister Rosario Turner said Monday the 40-year-old womans positive test was confirmed at the Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas. The woman is isolated at home and will receive daily visits from health workers. Barcelona to Host Napoli in Empty Stadium Barcelonas Champions League match against Napoli will be played in an empty stadium because of the coronavirus outbreak, the club said Tuesday. The Spanish club said no fans will be allowed in to watch the match at Camp Nou on March 18. The teams drew 1-1 in the first leg in Italy. Tuesdays Champions League game between Valencia and Atalanta in Spain will also be played in an empty stadium. Two Europa League matches in the country also have been affectedSevilla vs. Roma on Thursday and Getafe vs. Inter Milan on March 19. Frank Fang, Melanie Sun, Zachary Stieber, Jack Phillips, Janita Kan, Reuters, and The Associated Press contributed to this report. For updates from March 9, click here. Sundar Pichai, chief executive officer of Google Inc., speaks during the Google I/O Developers Conference in Mountain View, California, U.S., on Tuesday, May 8, 2018. The latest restriction comes as the coronavirus breakout has killed more than 4,200 people and infected at least 118,000 people around the world . On Monday, CNBC reported that the company blocked all external visitors from coming into some of its offices, including New York and the San Francisco Bay Area where its Silicon Valley headquarters are located. "All offices in North America are now on recommended work from home status, if roles allow," a Google spokesperson said in an email to CNBC. "Our goal is to reduce the density of people in offices, which expert advice suggests may slow down the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the burden on the local community and health resources." Google is telling all of its North American employees to stay home until at least April 10, as the COVID-19 coronavirus spreads. Last week, CNBC found internal emails from the company's chief executives, discussing the large-scale gravity of the coronavirus on its more than 300,000-person workforce as they outlined how Alphabet planned to prepare for worsening conditions. "We know this is a very unsettling time for everyone," CEO Sundar Pichai said in an internal email, adding that the company has security and "resilience" teams running a 24-hour command center to help executives monitor the situation as it progresses. Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat told employees in an e-mail that "every Google office is affected in some way." "Given the dynamic nature of the COVID-19 epidemic, everyone should be prepared to work from home unexpectedly," Porat wrote. "Take your laptop home every night." In a tweet on Tuesday, Pichai urged Google employees to contribute "to social distancing if you are able to," in an effort to help minimize the spread of the virus and save the health-care system "for people in need." tweet Google also said on Tuesday that it's setting up a "COVID-19 fund" that will pay global temporary staff and vendors sick leave if they have potential symptoms of the virus or can't come to work due to quarantine. "We know it's an uncertain time and everyone is navigating a lot of ambiguity right now," Adrienne Crowther, the company's director of workplace services, wrote in a blog post. "As we all do so, we want to help everyone in our workforce prioritize their health and the health of our communities." The fund will also cover the company's commitment to pay hourly service workers who are affected by reduced work schedules. WATCH NOW: World Health Organization: Threat of coronavirus pandemic has become very real. 1.1k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard As the coronavirus outbreak continues to take a toll on the American economy, Democratic policymakers have taken to their chambers to work on a package that includes paid sick leave for those who self-quarantine and more robust employment insurance for those whose jobs are affected. President Donald Trump has different ideas, however: Hes announced he will meet with Congress to discuss a possible payroll tax cut, or relief, substantial relief, very substantial relief. Its a big number. Were also going to talk about hourly wage earners getting help so they can be in a position where theyre not ever going to miss a paycheck. The American public will be taken care of, Trump added. President Donald Trump said he will be meeting with Congress to discuss a substantial payroll tax cut or relief, to support the economy as it deals with the #coronavirus outbreak https://t.co/CWZifd2e40 pic.twitter.com/MCAiPf3Kml Reuters (@Reuters) March 10, 2020 Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the proposed payroll tax would be a stop-gap measure. The economy will be in very good shape a year from now. This is not like the financial crisis, Mnuchin said. This is about providing proper tools of liquidity to go through the next few months. Trump has entertained cutting payroll taxes for a while, telling reporters as recently as August 2019 that hed been thinking about payroll taxes for a long time. It remains to be seen how such a measure would be approved by both chambers of Congress; the president has a long history of pitting Republican and Democratic lawmakers against each other. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has already come forward with criticism for the presidents proposal. It seems President Trump is more focused on the stock market than addressing this pandemic, he said, adding that Trump can demonstrate leadership and take action by ensuring tests and treatment are available and affordable, and that Americans receive guaranteed paid sick leave, among other people-focused initiatives. One of the best ways to ensure economic security is for Pres. Trump to demonstrate leadership and take action to combat coronavirus itself. Ensure tests and treatment are available and affordable, Paid sick leave for all Americans workers, And other people-focused initiatives. Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) March 9, 2020 The coronavirus outbreak has claimed at least 26 lives in the United States. SACRAMENTO California is about to wade back into the fight over affirmative action, nearly a quarter-century after state voters banned the consideration of race and sex in public education, employment and contracting. Lawmakers and civil rights groups said Tuesday they would try to repeal Proposition 209, the 1996 state constitutional amendment that they argue has been devastating for women and people of color. They will ask the Legislature to put ACA5 on the November ballot. It would strip language from the state Constitution prohibiting universities, schools and government agencies from using race or sex in their admissions criteria, hiring and procurement decisions. It must pass both the Assembly and the Senate with a two-thirds vote by the end of June to qualify for the ballot. Voters could then repeal Prop. 209 by a simple majority. Debate over Prop. 209, both in the years leading up to it and the decades since, focused largely on race-conscious policies in college admissions. But supporters of repealing the affirmative action ban said it has had broader impacts that have received far less attention, including curtailing efforts to use hiring to increase diversity in police departments and school workforces. The campaign will largely focus on public contracting, where critics said changes resulting from Prop. 209 cost small businesses run by women and people of color billions of dollars. We have all survived and endured Proposition 209, and it has not been a luxury, said Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, the San Diego Democrat who is carrying the measure. It has been a hard journey. And it has caused a lot of losses. Prop. 209 was the culmination of decades of controversy over affirmative action policies in California. It was championed by then-Gov. Pete Wilson, who used the issue to help launch an unsuccessful bid for president, and other Republican politicians, including eventual 1996 presidential nominee Bob Dole. After the measure passed with nearly 55% of the vote, Wilson hailed a new era of equal opportunity under the law, where Californians would be judged only by their merit. But the change has remained divisive. Opponents point to examples like UC Berkeley, one of the most selective universities in the state, where the proportion of Latino and black freshmen dropped by half immediately after Prop. 209 took effect. Despite gains, those students continue to be underrepresented compared to California as a whole. Eva Paterson, a civil rights attorney and president of the nonprofit Equal Justice Society in Oakland, was a self-proclaimed affirmative action admittee to Berkeley Law School in 1972. She said she has been looking for a way to undo Prop. 209 ever since it passed. With opposition to President Trump expected to drive a motivated liberal electorate this November, she said, the time is right to mount a challenge. Trump and his white supremacist friends have shown very clearly that racism and discrimination is very much alive and well, Paterson said. Youve got this perfect storm of a change. The Legislature last considered the issue in 2014, when a proposed constitutional amendment that would have asked voters to reverse the ban on consideration of race and sex in college admissions passed the Senate before being caught up in complex racial politics. Concerned that it would limit their childrens ability to get into Californias most selective colleges, Asian American groups mobilized against the measure. Their campaign included town hall meetings across the state and a drive to re-register Asian American Democrats as Republicans. That led three Asian American state senators who had already voted for the proposal to ask legislative leaders to hold it. Representatives for one of the groups, the 80-20 National Asian American Political Action Committee, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. But the organization has fought in court to overturn college affirmative action policies that it says discriminate against Asian American applicants by holding them to a higher academic standard. Paterson said she is sympathetic to fears that repealing Prop. 209 would shut students out of elite colleges. But she said Asian Americans have also been hurt by the law, particularly in public contracting. Her group commissioned a study in 2015 that concluded businesses owned by women and people of color have lost out on more than $1 billion annually in state and local government contracts since the elimination of affirmative action programs. Procurement with those businesses by Caltrans, for example, had dropped by more than three-quarters. We pay taxes. Those are our tax dollars and were not getting any of that money, Paterson said. This is a way of leveling the playing field and getting money to qualified people of color. Anne Cervantes, an architect in San Francisco, said she has struggled her whole career with a glass ceiling in her industry for women and Latinos. Without race-conscious programs, she said, its hard for her firm to compete against bigger companies with more connections. How is a small office like mine, under 10, going to participate or even grow? she said. Repealing Prop. 209, she said, would open the floodgates for everyone to participate. Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff [March 10, 2020] American Physical Society (APS) Endorses 'Virtual March Meeting' Site for Knowledge Sharing after Show Cancellation In the wake of last week's cancellation of the APS March Meeting, the world's largest physics show, due to coronavirus concerns, the American Physical Society (APS) has formally endorsed the Virtual APS March Meeting site created by show participants as a digital alternative for knowledge sharing between presenters and attendees. Led by the team at Q-CTRL, a quantum computing startup that was set to participate at APS, the Virtual March Meeting site was quickly created and went live within two days following notice of the show's cancellation on March 7. As word spread among physicists on social media, the free site attracted attention from the thousands of scientists and students set to attend the March Meeting. To date, the site now has more than 120 presentations uploaded, most with video narration by presenters, over 7,000 users, and more than 41,000 page views. Following is a statement on the APS web page regarding research sharing on the Virtual March Meeting site: "We are pleased to partner with Q-CTRL to deliver the Virtual APS March Meeting website. There users can host or participate in live webinars hosted by Google (News - Alert), link to presentation materials or recordings, join technical discussions, and browse shared material." Site visitors can browse all of the originally scheduled sessions or find presentations by the date and time they would have been presented at the APS show. The idea for the site was inspired by hearing from so many disappointed show attendees and presenters, according to Q-CTRL founder & CEO Professor Michael J. Biercuk. "The March Meeting is an essential part of the annual scientific calendar, especially for the many thousands of students and junior researchers presenting scientific talks," Biercuk said. "We knew we had to take urgent action and saw an opportunity to put our team's skills in software development to work in support of the community. The site was literally built overnight and was live before the second day of the original schedule." Several other quantum technology startups and researchers collaborated to conceive the solution and provide critical early endorsement on social media, Biercuk said. "We were very proud to collaborate with colleagues across quantum computing to bring this site to reality - it's a great way to show how the private sector can give back to support the broader research community," he added. The Q-CTRL team hopes that the technology behind the site can be developed and expanded to support future meetings going online, both in response to the ongoing coronavirus crisis and as a mitigation mechanism for emissions-intensive international travel. Q-CTRL was set to present technical talks and host a booth at the APS trade show. The team planned to use the APS meeting as a launch pad for the Beta release of its professional-grade BOULDER OPAL software tools for stabilizing and reducing errors in quantum hardware - the critical challenge of quantum computing. The company is now planning to hold a series of webinars with live demonstrations of the product starting in April 2020. The American Physical Society (APS) is a nonprofit membership organization working to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics through its 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 U.S. and throughout the world. ABOUT Q-CTRL Q-CTRL was founded in November 2017 and is a venture-capital-backed company that provides control-engineering software solutions to help customers harness the power of quantum physics in next-generation technologies. Q-CTRL is built on Professor Michael J. Biercuk's research leading the Quantum (News - Alert) Control Lab at the University of Sydney, where he is a Professor of Quantum Physics and Quantum Technology. Q-CTRL has assembled the world's foremost team of expert quantum-control engineers, providing solutions to many of the most advanced quantum computing teams globally. The team's expertise led Q-CTRL to be selected as an inaugural member of the IBM (News - Alert) Q startup network in 2018. Q-CTRL is funded by SquarePeg Capital, Sierra Ventures, Sequoia Capital China, Data Collective, Horizons Ventures, and Main Sequence Ventures. Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, the company recently opened its U.S. headquarters in Los Angeles. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005409/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Fresh off of Air Force One, Donald Trump made his way down a line of officials in Atlanta last week on his way to visit the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters, shaking every hand in sight. The gesture, under normal circumstances, is unremarkable. But, with the novel coronavirus epidemic spreading across the globe, March 2020 is no ordinary time. And as it happens, one of those men he shook hands with would soon self quarantine, after learning he had come in contact with a carrier of that deadly virus. Representative Doug Collins that man who shook the presidents hand wouldnt be the only potentially infected individual who the president came in contact with either. Representative Matt Gaetz, too, would end up in self quarantine after accompanying the president on his presidential plane. Mr Gaetz even says he refused to join Mr Trump in a room for a mid-flight chat, and opted to stand in the doorway for fear of spreading the bug. Underlying these interactions and eventual sensible precautions is a sobering reality: a silent and invisible virus that has tanked global markets, killed thousands and put an entire country on lockdown could very easily infect one of the most powerful people on earth. The virus doesnt care if youre the president of the United States, Katrina Mulligan, the managing director and an expert on national security at the Centre for American Progress, told The Independent. I think thats a thing that warrants precaution. (Mr Trump said on Thursday that he is not worried about getting the virus, even after it was reported that Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro who he had dinner with at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday was being monitored for the virus after a close aide who was also at the dinner and pictured with the US president of his tested positive.) Its a prospect that could have pretty significant impacts, for both Donald Trump, the man, as well as Donald Trump, the president. As far as personal implications, experts interviewed for this story noted that Mr Trump is in a worrying age bracket deaths have been concentrated among older people but that it does not appear as though he has any underlying health concerns that would put him in particular risk, other than obesity. Mr Trump a billionaire whose life is guarded at all times in myriad ways would also be unlikely to face the kinds of issues presented by inadequate lack of medical care. Plus, while the fears surrounding the virus are real, health officials say the average person would have mild symptoms from the disease. You have to remember that the vast majority of individuals who get this virus have a mild illness. Even those who are older, they tend to be more likely to have severe symptoms but that doesnt mean they will for sure have severe symptoms, said Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He continued: We know that presidents, just like every other human being, are susceptible to this virus. I would assume that the president, like anyone his age, would be taking the appropriate precautions. National guard deployed in New York to stop spread of coronavirus But beyond Mr Trump himself, the head of the US government contracting the coronavirus would likely lead to considerable panic, with the alarms topping the already considerable fears weve seen so far. Markets wouldnt just plunge, theyd likely be halted as the nation grappled with yet another question of when the president might relinquish power to his vice president if his condition continues to deteriorate and if he would willingly relinquish that power, even temporarily. Its spreading in our society dramatically, and with the growth rate, it doubles every five to six days, people think, said Steve Morrison, the director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. So, why wouldnt he be exposed? Why wouldnt he likely be exposed to this thing? Ms Mulligan, with the Centre for American Progress, said theres at least one scenario where things really go off the rails, too. She noted that Mr Trump has largely been downplaying the risks of coronavirus, even as markets have dropped and cases in the US have skyrocketed. He and his supporters have begun describing the epidemic as something of a conspiracy perpetuated by Democrats and the news media he so often calls fake. So, should the president get the virus many of his supporters are currently denying with slick memes on Facebook, might they look for someone to blame? What if they believe the president was somehow targeted? This is the same America, frankly, that believed Hillary Clinton was running some sort of sex ring out of a pizza parlour in DC. Crazier things have happened, she said. This is one of those areas where gaslighting has consequences, she continued. In recent weeks, as the CDC has issued a range of warnings to Americans, the president has seemingly ignored that advice. Older Americans, for instance, are being told to avoid large gatherings when possible. The 73-year-old president has meanwhile seemed all too eager to disregard in favour of his trademark Make America Great Again campaign rallies. Instead of substituting tapping toes or elbows for a firm handshake, Mr Trump has decidedly taken the optically dignified approach of shaking any hand that comes his way. He has been seen with supporters on rope lines, glad handing all the way down. He has been shaking hands even as he has reportedly expressed private concerns to his aides that he should stop. Its a habit that puts Mr Trump at risk of contracting the virus, according to health officials. But, at least hes listening to the second half of the handshake warning, which is not to touch your face. I havent touched my face in weeks, he joked last week in the White House during a meeting about the coronavirus spread. I miss it. Indiana Connections Academy opens enrollment for 2020-21 school year For a decade, we have worked to accommodate the needs of modern learners through unique curriculum opportunities, close-knit collaboration with fellow students and staff, supportive teachers and flexibility. Students in grades K12 can now enroll at Indiana Connections Academy, a tuition-free online public school, for the 20202021 school year. For 10 years, Indiana Connections Academy has provided high-quality, personalized online education taught by certified teachers using structured LiveLesson sessions paired with the flexibility for students to learn anywhere theres an Internet connection. For a decade, we have worked to accommodate the needs of modern learners through unique curriculum opportunities, close-knit collaboration with fellow students and staff, supportive teachers and flexibility, said Chandre Sanchez-Reyes, executive director of Indiana Connections Academy. By providing students with the personalized tools they need academically, socially and emotionally, we have seen and look forward to continuing to see our students lead successful and productive lives. Through advanced technology tools, teachers work closely with students to nurture their strengths and provide additional support for areas of difficulty. The diverse student body includes competitive athletes with demanding schedules, previously home-schooled students looking for academic support, children with medical issues and students seeking expanded course offerings among others. We chose virtual school for many reasons, one of which was because of a bullying incident, said Julie Cooney, parent of a student at Indiana Connections Academy. Though we confronted the bullying problem head-on, it made us painfully aware of how much time is actually wasted at brick and mortar in any given day having to deal with issues that do not even pertain to school. My daughter is so far ahead of her peers from her previous school since we made the decision to switch to Indiana Connections Academy! Research shows that Indiana families enroll their students in Indiana Connections Academy for a variety of reasons and to meet a variety of educational needs. The top five reasons cited by parents who enrolled their children in Indiana Connections Academy include: 1. Flexible schedule (42 percent) 2. Dissatisfaction with local public school (38 percent) 3. Safe environment (36 percent) 4. To avoid bullying (27 percent) 5. More involvement with childs/childrens learning (23 percent) A third-party survey also revealed high praise for the online schools teachers, its curriculum in addition to its use of technology to engage students, with 95 percent of parents agreeing their children are satisfied with the program and 94 percent of parents would recommend the school to other families. Indiana Connections Academy offers many activities throughout the course of the year to help build community and relationships including numerous field trips, Student Government, National Honor Society, prom and an in-person graduation ceremony. Indiana Connections Academy also offers many course options for students, including core classes in math, science, language arts and social studies; extensive electives including foreign languages, digital technology and career technical courses, as well as honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses. The K-12 school also offers a broad assortment of online clubs, ranging from robotics and gaming to poetry and art. With an enrollment cap of 5,000 students, it is recommended that families enroll immediately, especially those families who are new to Indiana Connections Academy. Details about upcoming information sessions including dates and locations are available online or by calling 800.382.6010. For more information about Indiana Connections Academy, visit IndianaConnectionsAcademy.com. About Indiana Connections Academy Indiana Connections Academy is a K-12 virtual charter school authorized by Ball State University that offers students statewide a high-quality, highly accountable, tuition-free, public education option. Founded in 2010, Indiana Connections Academy delivers superior, personalized education for students, with the freedom and flexibility to experience our online learning community from anywhere. The combination of state-certified teachers, a proven curriculum, technology tools and community experiences create a supportive and successful online learning opportunity for families and children who want an individualized approach to education. For more information, call 800-382-6010 or visit IndianaConnectionsAcademy.com. NAPLES, Fla., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a surge in beheadings, abductions and other violent assaults by Islamic extremists targeting Catholic priests, Protestant ministers, and ordinary Christians in sub-Saharan Africa, 20 leading experts in international religious freedom convened a three-day emergency strategy session, March 5-7, on how to respond. It was held at Ave Maria School of Law in Naples, Florida. At the meeting, the experts resolved to form a new international network named, "The Strategy Coalition to Protect Christians and Religious Pluralism in Sub-Sahara," in order to press for new government policies and humanitarian aid. The meeting heard eye-witness testimony and discussed policy initiatives of governments and inter-governmental entities, with briefings from governmental, congressional, and episcopal representatives. It concluded with identifying strategies to help the persecuted sub-Saharan African communities. Most participants have been involved in aiding and advocating for the Christians who faced ISIS genocide in Iraq and Syria since 2014. Rev. Joseph Fidelis , a Nigerian priest of the Maiduguri Catholic diocese, the epicenter of the persecution, opened the session detailing atrocities in his area stating, "What is happening to Nigerian Christians is gross persecution and terrorism. The entire population is poor and suffers at the hands of the militant groups. If climate change was the sole reasons for terror, why are non-Christian villages passed by, while Christian villages are razed, and their residents slaughtered?" The priest related that he frequently traveled the same highway out of the northeastern city of Maiduguri where a Catholic bride and her wedding party of six women were abducted and beheaded in late December. Over two thousand Nigerian Christians have been murdered since 2018 in Nigeria and nearly two dozen Christians there were beheaded around Christmas by local Boko Haram militants, some with direct links to the Middle Eastern terror group ISIS. Along the Niger border in Burkina Faso last month, at least 24 more people were killed, 18 injured and others kidnapped when armed men thought to be linked to Al-Qaeda attacked a Protestant church during the Sunday worship service. In eastern Kenya, extremists extracted Christians from a public bus and executed them on the spot, in recent days. Ave Maria Law Professor Jane Adolphe , the session's organizer and main sponsor, said: "The presentation of Rev. Fidelis vividly portrayed the gruesome reality of sexual violence as a tactic of terror. Specialized in trauma support, he is on the front lines welcoming female victims with his gentle manner and soothing voice. His very being is in marked contrast to the criminals and terrorists who have captured, enslaved, and systematically raped women and girls as religiously justified treatment of the "infidel," something codified and regulated." "ISIS and Al-Qaeda -- the same violent forces that brought Iraq's Christian communities to near-extinction -- are now joining efforts against sub-Saharan Christians and we must act before it's too late," said co-sponsor Nina Shea of the Washington, DC - based Hudson Institute. She recommended that "Congress and the State Department review whether religious genocide threatens sub-Saharan Christians and others and USAID support African locals to document the abuses." "The Pentagon should drop any recommendation to withdraw US troops from Africa at this time," she added, noting that Nigeria's President Buhari appeared "unwilling to take meaningful action to protect the Christians and other vulnerable communities from growing Islamic extremism, while elsewhere governments may be unable to do so." "ACN is made aware of the need for a global strategy through its local projects partners," said Marcela Szymanski and Edward Clancy of the Pontifical Foundation Aid to the Church in Need, another co-sponsor. "After hundreds of unpunished murders during 2019 in Burkina Faso , Nigeria , Kenya and Mozambique , the terrorist groups feel confident enough to leave notes in the Christian villages demanding that the young men and women be "delivered" to them in servitude or else they will raze the village." Genocide Watch's Gregory Stanton , after briefing the group on genocide's legal meaning, stated that, in Nigeria and Cameroon , "Boko Haram," is a "terrorist group bent on genocide." He declared that "Fulani militants in central Nigeria are also committing crimes against humanity and genocidal massacres against Christians." Former Congressman Frank Wolf , sponsor of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, read from a message he received: "I am back from Nigeria . Absolutely the worst situation in the world and maybe the most dangerous." Wolf urged action ranging from raising public awareness to the creation of advisory groups on the ground to the special envoys for Nigeria and the Lake Chad region. "Aware of the previously good relations of Muslims and Christians in the region, the involvement of the Muslim communities, supporting their Christian neighbors and promoting pluralism is urgent and should be achievable," said Kent Hill , of the Religious Freedom Institute in Washington DC. Africa surpassed Latin America as the continent with the most Christians in 2019. The Vatican has called Africa the "beacon of hope" for the Church in the future. The question is whether the Christian community in sub-Saharan Africa will face the same fate of the Christian community in Iraq. The meeting was organized under the auspices of the International Center on Law, Life, Faith and Family (ICOLF) www.icolf.org, headquartered at Ave Maria School of Law; and co-sponsored by Ave Maria School of Law www.avemarialaw.edu, the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom, and Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International. It gathered experts from the United States, Poland, Brussels, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, the United Kingdom and Nigeria. It is the second event organized by ICOLF on the persecution and genocide of Christians. The first one, in 2016, led to the book edited by Ronald J. Rychlak, Jane F. Adolphe, "The Persecution and Genocide of Christians in the Middle East: Prevention, Prohibition, & Prosecution" (Angelico Press: 2017). ABOUT AVE MARIA SCHOOL OF LAW Ave Maria Law was founded in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1999 and in 2009 relocated to Naples, Florida. Ave Maria Law was named the best Catholic Law School in the U.S. by The National Jurist's PreLaw Magazine. Ave Maria Law was ranked #1 Most Diverse Law School by PreLaw. The Princeton Review named Ave Maria Law one of the nation's most outstanding law schools since 2005. The Law School was ranked number one on the "Most Conservative Students" list in the book. Ave Maria Law has earned the Military Friendly School designations by VIQTORY since 2017. Ave Maria School of Law is licensed by the Florida Commission for Independent Education, License Number 4007 and is fully accredited by the American Bar Association. SOURCE Ave Maria School of Law Related Links http://www.avemarialaw.edu This article was published 6/3/2020 (675 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Nygard faces sex-crime charges in Toronto, but not Winnipeg Toronto police secured an arrest warrant for Peter Nygard on Wednesday for six counts of sexual assault and three counts of forcible confinement for alleged incidents that took place between October 1987 and March 2006. (Phil Hossack / Winnipeg Free Press files) Posted: 8:03 AM Oct. 1, 2021 Accused serial rapist Peter Nygard is facing criminal charges in Toronto but not in Winnipeg, where he launched and grew his multimillion-dollar fashion empire. Toronto police secured an arrest warrant Sept. 29 for six counts of sexual assault and three counts of forcible confinement. The charges cover alleged incidents, all involving women, between October 1987 and March 2006. Read Full Story A class-action lawsuit alleges Winnipeg fashion mogul Peter Nygard lured women, many under the age of 18, to his Bahamian estate so he could assault, rape and sodomize them part of a decades-long sex-trafficking scheme his companies helped him achieve. Justice officials in New York have filed a nine-count indictment against Nygard for sex-trafficking and racketeering offences over decades. Class-action lawsuit alleges Nygard sexually assaulted 10 women, girls at island estate Peter Nygard, founder and chairman of Nygard International, is the subject of a class-action lawsuit alleging he lured women, many of them minors, to his Bahamian estate so he could sexually assault them part of a decades-long sex-trafficking scheme. Posted: 8:19 PM Feb. 13, 2020 A class-action lawsuit alleges Winnipeg fashion mogul Peter Nygard lured women, many under the age of 18, to his Bahamian estate so he could assault, rape and sodomize them part of a decades-long sex-trafficking scheme his companies helped him achieve. Read Full Story Dozens of women lodge new allegations of abuse against Nygard (Mintaha Neslihan Eroglu/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images/TNS) Winnipeg businessman Peter Nygard is the subject of a civil class-action lawsuit filed in the U.S. Posted: 7:35 PM Feb. 14, 2020 In the wake of a civil class-action lawsuit filed in the U.S., dozens of women including some from Winnipeg have come forward with allegations of sexual assault against fashion mogul Peter Nygard. Read Full Story Probe necessary to find out if Nygard bribed police, others in sex crimes: Bahamas official Peter Nygard. Posted: 7:00 PM Feb. 18, 2020 A senior Bahamian politician is calling for an investigation into allegations that Winnipeg fashion mogul Peter Nygard concealed a decades-long sex trafficking ring at his island estate by bribing police and public officials. A recent class-action lawsuit alleges Nygard, 77, and his business associates lured women many of them girls under the age of 18 to his Bahamian estate so he could drug, assault, rape and sodomize them. Read Full Story 'I didn't recognize you with your clothes on': woman recounts visit to Nygard Cay SUPPLIED PHOTO Nygard at his home in the Bahamas. Posted: 6:08 PM Feb. 21, 2020 She thought it was an opportunity for a relaxing Caribbean vacation. Instead, for a few weeks in the late 2000s, she said she found herself squarely in a den of iniquity, captained by its hedonistic owner Winnipeg fashion mogul Peter Nygard at his compound in the Bahamas. Read Full Story Nygard disputes sex-crime allegations after lawsuit accusers quoted in New York Times story Posted: 12:52 PM Feb. 24, 2020 After a New York Times expose detailing allegations of rape and sexual abuse against him was published over the weekend, Winnipeg fashion mogul Peter Nygard disputed all accusations through a spokesman Sunday. Nygard is facing claims in a class-action civil lawsuit filed earlier this month in New York, with 10 women listed as complainants. Since the suit was filed, more women have come forward with corroborating allegations. Read Full Story Nygard exits company following FBI raids in New York Posted: 11:45 AM Feb. 25, 2020 NEW YORK Peter Nygard is stepping down from the company he forged for more than a half-century, amid mounting allegations the Winnipeg fashion mogul has run a decades-long sex-trafficking ring with the complicity of countless business associates. On Tuesday morning, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and detectives from the New York Police Department raided Nygard's corporate headquarters in Times Square. Read Full Story Nygard sex scandal endangers business empire Posted: 3:21 PM Feb. 26, 2020 Peter Nygard built his womens fashion empire through self-promotion and self-mythologization. His name formed an unmistakable umbrella over his companys international corporate operations, and his looming visage plastered on billboards across Winnipeg, and mounted in gigantic photographs at most of his stores worldwide has long enforced the notion that he is the company and, in turn, the company is him. Read Full Story Retail chain Dillard's drops Nygard clothing Posted: 7:00 PM Feb. 26, 2020 A major U.S. retail partner for embattled Winnipeg women's fashion house Nygard has pulled the label from its shelves following multiple sexual assault allegations against founder Peter Nygard. Read Full Story City councillor Kevin Klein distances self from former employer Nygard MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Councillor Kevin Klein reacts to the 2019 budget at City Hall in Winnipeg on Friday, March 1, 2019. Winnipeg Free Press 2019. Posted: 7:00 PM Feb. 27, 2020 Winnipeg Coun. Kevin Klein says the recent sex-crime allegations against former employer Peter Nygard are "shocking," adding he has no current relationship with the fashion mogul. Klein (Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood) said Thursday he worked for Nygard on two separate occasions: four months in 2012, and two weeks in 2014. Read Full Story Mogul's key to the city could be rescinded Sydney Mook / Grand Forks Herald Peter Nygards plaque hangs on a wall at the University of North Dakota. Posted: 8:06 PM Feb. 27, 2020 MAYOR Brian Bowman says hes cautious about how he awards honorary keys to the City of Winnipeg and believes there are cases in which that honour should be removed. The mayors comments come in the wake of multiple serious sexual assault allegations facing Peter Nygard in a class-action lawsuit. The prominent business leader is a recipient of the ceremonial key, though the mayor said he believes that gesture could be rescinded. Read Full Story Case no surprise to local Finnish women MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The Nygard store on Notre Dame Avenue in Winnipeg on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020. Winnipeg Free Press 2019. Posted: 5:18 PM Feb. 27, 2020 PETER Nygard often said he was proud of his roots in Finland. But some members of Winnipegs Finnish community were not so proud of Nygard. A Finnish-Canadian woman from the Winnipeg area whose family visited Nygards Falcon Lake cottage when she was a child told the Free Press recent sexual assault allegations against Nygard come as no surprise to Finnish people in Winnipeg. Another Finnish-Canadian woman, who worked for him, said the same. Read Full Story Nygard accuser speaks out Posted: 3:00 AM Mar. 2, 2020 NASSAU, Bahamas The first red flag came her first day on the job. Richette Ross thought she was being hired as a massage therapist. On paper, she says she was, working at Winnipeg fashion mogul Peter Nygards Bahamian estate from 2009 to 2014. Read Full Story Bahamian woman alleges Nygard raped her as a 14-year-old aspiring model Posted: 7:00 PM Mar. 2, 2020 NASSAU, Bahamas It was the summer of 2015 and she walked up the stairs to Peter Nygards bedroom thinking it was her chance to become a model. She had just graduated from Grade 9. She was 14 years old and a virgin. It was a dream coming true, she thought. Read Full Story Sometimes a picture isn't worth anywhere near a thousand words Posted: 5:59 PM Mar. 3, 2020 It's often been said that you're judged for the company you keep. In the era of social media, perhaps it's more accurate to say you're judged for the company you appear to keep. Read Full Story Alleged Nygard sex ring fuels raging Bahamas corruption scandal Posted: 7:00 PM Mar. 3, 2020 NASSAU, Bahamas The former retail shop in the largest regional mall is shuttered, the lavish oceanfront property is all but abandoned and Peter Nygard hasnt been in the country for more than a year. But the effects of Nygards alleged reign of abuse in the developing island nation live on in the women who say he raped them. Read Full Story Winnipeg court told Nygard refused to pay bills Posted: 4:52 PM Mar. 3, 2020 As sexual assault allegations continue to mount against Peter Nygard, a legal fight over the Winnipeg clothing magnates unpaid bills returned to a Winnipeg courtroom Tuesday. At issue is a 2018 decision by a California arbitrator awarding public relations firm Sitrick Group LLC $1.7 million for unpaid services. Read Full Story Sometimes a picture isn't worth anywhere near a thousand words Peter Nygard and country singer Tanya Tucker at the Nygard 50 Years in Fashion gala in 2018. (Jason Halstead / Free Press files) Posted: 5:59 PM Mar. 3, 2020 It's often been said that you're judged for the company you keep. In the era of social media, perhaps it's more accurate to say you're judged for the company you appear to keep. Read Full Story Klein condemns mayor's statement on councillor's past work for Nygard Supplied A photo from Nygard's corporate website shows Peter Nygard, left, with Kevin Klein at a 2008 company event in Winnipeg. Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman has asked the city councillor if Nygard's current legal challenges could "distract" the him from his role as Winnipeg Police Board chair. Posted: 5:17 PM Mar. 5, 2020 Winnipegs mayor is being accused of trying to undermine a key council critic after questioning if that councillors past job at a Peter Nygard company could distract him from his duties. Mayor Brian Bowman told reporters Thursday hed asked Coun. Kevin Klein (Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood) if the legal challenges facing Nygard could "distract" the councillor from his role as Winnipeg Police Board chair. Read Full Story Vivid details of trauma etched into memories of women who say Nygard raped them as girls Posted: 7:00 PM Mar. 5, 2020 NASSAU, Bahamas They share a common, traumatic experience all have accused Peter Nygard of raping them as girls. Years later, as they describe the horror, their ability to recall precise details is striking. Read Full Story Strength in numbers in #MeToo era Posted: 7:00 PM Mar. 6, 2020 The man has money, almost beyond imagination. The man understands that wealth of that level is equivalent to power, because it can buy raw intimidation. That kind of money can afford to be shameless. It can pay for whole armies of lawyers to sow lawsuits. It can find its way into bank accounts linked to key politicians. So there is nothing the man cant buy, including at least, for a time his privacy from the eyes of justice, because justice of any kind depends on a counterbalance of power, and his wealth weighs heavy on the scales. He gets all that he wants: the airplanes, the yacht, the lavish estate on a lush private island. Read Full Story Nygard company to restructure amid lawsuits Posted: 1:57 PM Mar. 10, 2020 After a string of sexual crime allegations and legal troubles that have ensnared its founder, The Nygard Group of Companies is facing its latest challenge: a corporate restructuring. The women's fashion company said Tuesday that it is seeking financial support and protection by filing a notice of intention to file a proposal under the Canadian Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act "in order to protect the livelihood of thousands of dedicated employees." Read Full Story Nygard companies plan to seek bankruptcy protection in Canada Posted: 11:47 AM Mar. 10, 2020 The group of companies founded by Peter Nygard will seek protection under the Canadian Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act amid mounting sex crimes allegations against the Winnipeg fashion mogul. A spokesman for the group of companies said Tuesday the move is designed to facilitate a corporate restructuring and does not mean it is declaring bankruptcy or in receivership. Read Full Story Internal memo tells Nygard employees to preserve documents Posted: 7:00 PM Mar. 11, 2020 Workers at Peter Nygards companies and staff at his properties have been warned not to destroy documents or they could face criminal charges, an internal company memo leaked to the Free Press shows. The warning comes as the fashion mogul finds himself ensnared by a U.S. federal law enforcement investigation and a class-action lawsuit filed by 10 women accusing him of drugging, raping and sodomizing them. Read Full Story Nygard Group gets temporary reprieve from going into receivership MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES A judge has suspended a move by U.S. lenders to put the Nygard Group of companies into receivership. Posted: 7:38 PM Mar. 13, 2020 Just days after announcing they were seeking bankruptcy protection, the Nygard Group of companies has staved off being placed into receivership for now. In a decision Friday, a judge suspended the move by U.S. lenders White Oak Commercial Finance LLC and Second Avenue Capital Partners, pending the outcome of negotiations between Nygard and finance company Great American Capital. Read Full Story Court orders Nygard companies into receivership Posted: 2:08 PM Mar. 19, 2020 The Nygard Group of companies has been ordered into receivership, after a judge ruled Wednesday it had not acted in good faith with its lenders and an insolvency trustee. "I am satisfied in light of the materials filed that a receiver should be appointed immediately to take control of the Nygard Group of companies," Manitoba Court of Queens Bench Justice James Edmond said. Read Full Story Number of accusers in Nygard sex-crimes lawsuit climbs to 46 Posted: 7:00 PM Apr. 21, 2020 Three dozen more women have stepped forward to publicly accuse embattled fashion mogul Peter Nygard of drugging, assaulting and raping them over the course of five decades, including 18 Canadians and multiple Winnipeggers. The accusations are part of a class-action lawsuit originally filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on Feb. 13. Late Monday night, the lawsuit was amended, expanding the number of accusers to 46 from 10. Read Full Story Manitoba judge approves receiver's plan to liquidate Nygard Group assets, inventory Posted: 12:44 PM Apr. 30, 2020 A court-appointed receiver has been given the green light to begin liquidating the assets and inventory of the embattled Nygard Group of companies. Manitoba Court of Queens Bench Justice James Edmond approved a motion Wednesday by receiver Richter Advisory Group to begin selling off the assets at a date yet to be determined. Read Full Story Anti-exploitation group pushes for Nygard investigation in Canada Posted: 5:10 PM May. 1, 2020 A national child rights advocacy agency is urging the federal and Manitoba justice ministers to investigate embattled Winnipeg fashion mogul Peter Nygard for alleged crimes against children. "This is not a matter which should be left only to foreign jurisdictions to consider," David Matas, lawyer for Beyond Borders ECPAT Canada, wrote in a letter dated April 30 to federal Justice Minister David Lametti and Manitoba Justice Minister Cliff Cullen. Read Full Story Nygard undermined court-appointed receiver, documents show JASON HALSTEAD / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS "(Peter) Nygard is still in full possession and control of the Nygard facilities and business and there is no right given by the court according to our lawyers that the receivers can come in to our buildings and cut off our communication," read the email in part. Posted: 6:37 PM May. 13, 2020 Hit with a class-action lawsuit last February alleging sex crimes spanning decades, Peter Nygard immediately announced he would step down from the Nygard Group of companies, but documents filed by a court-appointed receiver now suggest he continued to cling to the reins of his floundering fashion empire. Nygard Group was ordered into receivership March 18 after a judge ruled it had not acted in good faith with its lenders and an insolvency trustee. Read Full Story Nygard accusers file to amend lawsuit, bring allegations of destruction of evidence Posted: 5:26 PM May. 19, 2020 The lawyers representing the women accusing Peter Nygard of rape and sexual misconduct are seeking to amend their class-action lawsuit against the Winnipeg fashion mogul to include additional complainants and allegations of destruction of evidence. The plaintiffs in the case filed a motion in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York Monday, requesting a conference to discuss the latest developments in the ongoing saga involving Nygard and his 46 accusers. Read Full Story Nygard lawsuit climbs to 57 accusers Posted: 3:57 PM Jun. 16, 2020 The number of women who have stepped forward to publicly accuse Peter Nygard of rape and sexual misconduct has risen to 57, according to the latest version of the U.S. class-action lawsuit filed against the Winnipeg fashion mogul. The lawyers representing the plaintiffs filed a second amended complaint in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on March 10, including new details about Nygards alleged reign of abuse and the accounts of new accusers. Read Full Story Receivership leaves Nygard locked out of Winnipeg residence Posted: 3:27 PM Jun. 26, 2020 Fallen fashion mogul Peter Nygard is trying to forestall the sale of his namesake business Notre Dame Avenue property, saying an apartment in a warehouse building has been his permanent home since leaving the Bahamas a year and a half ago. The Nygard Group of Companies was placed in receivership last March after creditors White Oak Commercial Finance and Second Avenue Capital Partners sought repayment of a US$25- million loan. Read Full Story Judge OKs sale of Nygard's Notre Dame property Posted: 9:41 PM Jun. 30, 2020 There will be no more Notre Dame Avenue sleepovers for Peter Nygard. On Tuesday, a judge approved a motion by court-appointed receiver Richter Advisory Group to proceed with a purchase offer by Mist Holdings Inc. for the Notre Dame Avenue property that is a namesake business of Nygards. Read Full Story Winnipeg police investigating Nygard on sex assault charges, accusers confirm MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The Nygard store on Inkster in Winnipeg on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020. Winnipeg Free Press 2019. Posted: 7:00 PM Jul. 6, 2020 Peter Nygard is the subject of an ongoing Winnipeg Police Service investigation after multiple women stepped forward to file formal criminal complaints against the embattled fashion mogul for alleged sexual assault. While it was known Nygard was the subject of an investigation in the U.S. by a joint child-exploitation task force, this is the first confirmation that a criminal probe into the allegations against him is underway in his hometown. Read Full Story Nygard's lawyers argue U.S. federal court should throw out class-action suit Posted: 12:01 PM Jul. 9, 2020 The legal team representing Peter Nygard in U.S. court has asked for the class-action lawsuit against him, which alleges decades of sexual abuse and human trafficking, to be dismissed with prejudice. The notice of the motion was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York Tuesday. Read Full Story Nygard Toronto headquarters sale approved Posted: 5:24 PM Aug. 10, 2020 A judge has approved the sale of embattled fashion mogul Peter Nygards Toronto headquarters. Queens Bench Justice James Edmond OKd the move by receiver Richter Advisory Group on Monday. Read Full Story Sons sue Nygard over 'abuse' Posted: 8:56 PM Aug. 16, 2020 Two of Peter Nygards sons have filed a lawsuit against their father claiming the Winnipeg fashion mogul paid a sex worker to rape them when they were teenagers. The accusations from Nygards children identified only as "John Doe No. 1" and "John Doe No. 2" in court documents come to light as their father finds himself ensnared by mounting rape allegations. Read Full Story Manitoba community strips Nygard name from park Posted: 1:34 PM Oct. 16, 2020 The Manitoba community of Deloraine has officially renamed a park that for years was emblazoned with the name of the towns most famous former resident, Peter Nygard. Read Full Story Judge approves sale of Nygard's Winnipeg warehouse Posted: 7:10 PM Nov. 19, 2020 A judge has given the green light for the sale of Peter Nygards Inkster Boulevard warehouse, one more step in the dissolution of the fallen moguls fashion empire. Manitoba Court of Queens Bench Justice James Edmond authorized the sale proposal by court-appointed receiver Richter Advisory Group on Thursday. Read Full Story Judge orders preservation, sharing of Nygard business documents Posted: 5:19 PM Dec. 8, 2020 Less than three weeks after a judge approved the sale of former fashion magnate Peter Nygard's Inkster Boulevard warehouse, lawyers involved in the case returned to court Tuesday. On the docket: asking a judge to clarify how they should handle tens of thousands of electronic and physical documents that belonged to Nygard's former businesses and must be preserved as legal battles rage on. Read Full Story Nygard 'serious flight risk,' considered travel under alias, RCMP officer says Posted: 6:44 PM Dec. 15, 2020 Phone records seized by justice authorities show as recently as this past June, Peter Nygard "was considering the logistics of travelling under an alias," alleges an RCMP affidavit filed in support of Nygards extradition to the U.S. "I believe Nygard presents a serious flight risk," Sgt. Stefane Nicolas, a member of the force's Federal Serious and Organized Crime Unit, wrote in the affidavit made public Tuesday. Read Full Story Nygard's court appearance gives glimpse of man behind tanned, buff visage RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS LOCAL - Nygard in Remand Centre Photo of Peter Nygard's outlet store on Broadway, with sign and broken window on front door. Pictures good go with story on how he in custody at the Winnipeg Remand Centre and his company is being dismantled. Fashion mogul and accused sex trafficker Peter Nygard is in custody at the Winnipeg Remand Centre. Nygard was being held at the pre-trial detention centre, located at 141 Kennedy Street, as of Monday evening, two sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to the Free Press. The disgraced Winnipeg fashion executive is currently the subject of an ongoing U.S. federal law enforcement investigation. See Ryan's story. Dec 15h,. 2020 Posted: 7:00 PM Dec. 15, 2020 The strangest part, as the man shuffled down the dimly lit hall, was the change of perspective. If you don't run in the same circles as Peter Nygard, if you've never seen him in the flesh, then you are used to him looking down: from a billboard, for instance, or an oversized poster of himself affixed to a store wall, looking thick-armed and tan. Read Full Story Nygard 'top girlfriend,' niece accused in Florida, California lawsuits MELISSA RAE GRABOWSKY/ WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES From left: Bojana Djukic, Danyane Gomez, Peter Nygard, Ryan Marcel Daneault and Suelyn Medeiros at Nygard for Life in September 2008. A lawsuit claimes Medeiros lured young women to Nygard's Bahamian estate to be raped. Posted: 12:50 PM Dec. 15, 2020 A Florida woman is suing fallen fashion mogul Peter Nygards top girlfriend, Instagram model Suelyn Medeiros, claiming she lured her and other young women to his Bahamian estate to be raped. Read Full Story Dishevelled, shackled Nygard led into Winnipeg courtroom for extradition hearing Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard appears in front of a judge in court in Winnipeg on Dec. 15 in this court sketch. Posted: 8:49 AM Dec. 15, 2020 Led into a Winnipeg courtroom in shackles, Peter Nygard walked slowly as he came into view, surrounded by sheriffs and dressed in the grey sweatshirt and track pants of an inmate. A mask covered his face, his long grey hair was tied into a messy bun, and he sat in the prisoners box looking dishevelled and dismayed. Read Full Story Nygard 'serious flight risk,' considered travel under alias, RCMP officer says Posted: 6:44 PM Dec. 15, 2020 Phone records seized by justice authorities show as recently as this past June, Peter Nygard "was considering the logistics of travelling under an alias," alleges an RCMP affidavit filed in support of Nygards extradition to the U.S. "I believe Nygard presents a serious flight risk," Sgt. Stefane Nicolas, a member of the force's Federal Serious and Organized Crime Unit, wrote in the affidavit made public Tuesday. Read Full Story Receiver tells judge sale of Nygard warehouse must proceed Posted: 3:00 AM Dec. 18, 2020 A court-appointed receiver is fighting to proceed with the sale of one of Peter Nygards flagship business properties after the transaction was put on hold in advance of an appeal by Nygard to have the receiver discharged. Last month, Court of Queens Bench Justice James Edmond approved the sale of Nygards Inkster Boulevard warehouse by receiver Richter Advisory Group, with a set closing date of Jan. 18, 2021. Read Full Story Arrest 'seemed so surreal': Nygard accuser Serena Hickes never intended to tell anyone about allegedly being raped by Peter Nygard. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press) Posted: 3:00 AM Dec. 22, 2020 For nearly 30 years, Serena Hickes stayed quiet about what happened to her when she worked as a sales clerk in one of Peter Nygards retail stores. The 49-year-old Winnipeg woman said she intended never to report to police that when she was in her early 20s, Nygard raped her; she was never going to tell anyone at all. Read Full Story Nygard to spend Christmas behind bars Posted: 12:55 PM Dec. 24, 2020 Peter Nygards legal team has yet to file a bail application, meaning the Winnipeg fashion mogul is likely to spend Christmas and New Years Eve alone in jail. Nygard was arrested by the RCMP, working in co-operation with the Winnipeg Police Service, on Dec. 15, at a residence in the south end of the city. Read Full Story Nygard in custody, empire shattered Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard appears in front of a judge in court in Winnipeg on Dec. 15 in this court sketch. Posted: 3:00 AM Dec. 26, 2020 Its a story that took far too long to break. Allegations of rape and sexual misconduct swirled around Peter Nygard for decades. Throughout those years, he built a multimillion-dollar fashion empire, became one of the most recognizable Winnipeggers, rubbed elbows with high-profile people and was even given a key to the city. Read Full Story Judge clears path to Nygard Inkster property sale MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES The Nygard warehouse on Inkster Boulevard in Winnipeg. Posted: 3:55 PM Jan. 4, 2021 Manitobas highest court has given a court-appointed receiver the green light to proceed with the sale of one of Peter Nygards flagship business properties. The transaction had been put on hold in advance of a Nygard appeal to have the receiver discharged. Read Full Story Former fashion mogul Nygard seeks bail while fighting extradition to U.S. Daniel Crump / Bloomberg Media. Lawyers will be making their arguments by teleconference. Posted: 7:00 PM Jan. 5, 2021 After three weeks in jail, fallen fashion mogul Peter Nygard will fight for his freedom Wednesday morning as U.S. justice authorities seek his extradition to face charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. His 50-year-old business empire in tatters amidst ongoing receivership proceedings, Nygard, 79, is facing prosecution in the U.S., accused of sexually abusing dozens of women and girls over a period of decades. Read Full Story Accused sex offender Nygard to spend at least two more weeks jailed while feds review extradition Peter Nygard appeared by video in a Winnipeg courtroom. (La Liberte Manitoba / Tadens Mpwene) Posted: 7:00 PM Jan. 6, 2021 A bail application for embattled fashion mogul Peter Nygard was adjourned Wednesday after lawyers for the attorney general of Canada requested more time to examine extradition materials from U.S. authorities and affidavits from his defence team. Nygard, 79, is facing possible extradition to the U.S. to face charges of sex trafficking and racketeering spanning three decades. Read Full Story Convicted drug trafficker one of Nygard's backers in bail application FACEBOOK A former Hells Angels associate and convicted drug trafficker is among the supporters offering to help fashion magnate Peter Nygard win his release on bail while he faces possible extradition to the U.S. for sex crimes and racketeering.Steve Mager, 43, was among 34 gang members and associates arrested in 2009 in what was described at the time as one of the biggest drug and gang busts in Manitoba history. Posted: 5:58 PM Jan. 8, 2021 A former Hells Angels associate and convicted drug trafficker is among the supporters who have offered to help fashion magnate Peter Nygard win his release on bail while he faces possible extradition to the U.S. for sex crimes and racketeering. Steve Mager, 43, was among 34 gang members and associates arrested in 2009 in what was described at the time as one of the biggest drug and gang busts in Manitoba history. Read Full Story Nygard lawyer issues public apology to alleged 1979 rape victim Posted: 11:58 AM Jan. 11, 2021 Winnipeg lawyer Jay Prober has issued a written apology to a woman who has accused fashion magnate Peter Nygard of sexually assaulting her four decades ago, saying he did not mean to include her in a group of accusers he alleges are trying to cash in on the sexual abuse claims swirling around Nygard. KC Allan, 58, filed a complaint with the Law Society of Manitoba following Probers comments last year and threatened to sue him for defamation. Read Full Story Jail a 'death sentence,' Nygard lawyer argues Greg Fenske (left) testifies at the bail hearing for Peter Nygard (right) who appeared by video from Headingley Correctional Centre. Posted: 12:08 PM Jan. 19, 2021 In the 12 years Greg Fenske worked for Peter Nygard, he never saw or heard anything suggesting the fallen fashion mogul was involved in the sexual abuse of multiple women and girls, he told a bail hearing Tuesday. "I understand the allegations being made, I dont agree," said Fenske, who until the fashion empire went into receivership last March, was a director of the Nygard Group of companies. Read Full Story Nygard held in 'condemned cells' area No XMP or IPTC Header Found Posted: 7:00 PM Jan. 20, 2021 Disgraced and debilitated one-time fashion mogul Peter Nygard spends his days in protective custody near the old gallows in the "condemned cells" area at Headingley Correctional Centre, the Free Press has learned. The 79 year old, accused of sex crimes and racketeering over a 25-year period, is being held on the main floor of the jail because he's unable to climb stairs, a source told the newspaper. Read Full Story Nygard lawyers pitch bail with 24-hour video monitoring Peter Nygards lawyers say he is in frail health and at risk of contracting COVID-19 if he remains in custody. (La Liberte Manitoba / Tadens Mpwene) Posted: 7:00 PM Jan. 28, 2021 Lawyers for former fashion magnate Peter Nygard argue they have come up with "as close to a perfect bail plan as you could have." A judge said Thursday she will need a few more days to decide whether it will be enough to win his release from jail. Read Full Story Nygard's Broadway building approved for sale MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES A Court of Queens Bench Justice has approved the sale of the 13,000-square-foot Nygard store at Broadway and Sherbrook in Winnipeg. Posted: 5:30 PM Jan. 29, 2021 A judge has approved the sale of Peter Nygards Broadway retail facility, the fourth property to be sold since the Nygard Group of companies went into receivership. Court of Queens Bench Justice James Edmond approved the sale of the 13,000-square-foot facility Thursday. Read Full Story Klein addresses appearance in Nygard doc An undated image from a documentary by CBC's The Fifth Estate shows Winnipeg Coun. Kevin Klein at Peter Nygard's seaside estate in the Bahamas. Posted: 3:00 AM Feb. 4, 2021 A city councillor who appeared in a recent documentary playing poker with Peter Nygard and a group of women says he was never part of the personal life of the disgraced fashion mogul who faces sex charges. "I think people are smart enough to know that Im true to my word on this. I worked for him for a very short time. Im not a part of his life. I left his employ and that was the end of it for me. Ive seen the allegations. This is something that shocks me," said Coun. Kevin Klein. Read Full Story Nygard bail appeal enhances communications monitoring La Liberte Manitoba / Tadens Mpwene Peter Nygard during his bail hearing in January. Posted: 3:43 PM Mar. 1, 2021 An updated bail plan for jailed fashion magnate Peter Nygard is "significantly more robust" than the one that failed to win his release last month, his lawyers say in newly filed court documents, including measures to monitor all his telephone calls and electronic communications. Nygard, who has added high-profile Toronto lawyer Brian Greenspan to his legal team, is appealing an order by Queens Bench Justice Shawn Greenberg last month denying him bail as he awaits possible extradition to the U.S. on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. Read Full Story Nygard's lawyer proposes '21st century' bail plan during appeal hearing Peter Nygard faces prosecution in New York on nine counts of sex trafficking and racketeering and has been in custody since Dec. 14, when he was arrested on a U.S. extradition warrant. (Mintaha Neslihan Eroglu/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images/TNS) Posted: 5:51 PM Mar. 18, 2021 Peter Nygard is being kept in jail on the basis of "extreme and inflammatory allegations" that are unsupported by the charges against him, his lawyer said at a hearing Thursday. The fallen fashion mogul is appealing the decision to deny him bail. Read Full Story Legal expert 'shocked' by imprisoned Nygard's phone privileges La Liberte Manitoba / Tadens Mpwene Peter Nygard appears at a bail hearing January 28, 2021. To the surprise of legal experts, Nygard has been provided his own phone in jail while awaiting possible extradition to the United States. Posted: 4:00 AM Mar. 20, 2021 CASUAL observers arent the only ones wondering why fallen fashion tycoon Peter Nygard has been provided his own phone in jail while awaiting possible extradition to the United States. Local legal experts say they are unaware of any other case like it in Manitoba. Read Full Story Justice officials say Nygard not getting special treatment La Liberte Manitoba / Tadens Mpwene Peter Nygard appears at a bail hearing in January. Posted: 4:00 AM Mar. 26, 2021 JAILED fashion magnate Peter Nygard is not receiving "special treatment," Manitoba Justice officials have insisted in the face of nagging questions about his enhanced phone access while in custody. One Winnipeg defence lawyer Thursday dismissed that claim as "preposterous." Read Full Story Denied: Nygard kept in the slammer Peter Nygard will remain in Headingley Correctional Centre. (La Liberte Manitoba files / Tadens Mpwene) Posted: 6:10 PM Mar. 26, 2021 Manitobas highest court has dismissed fashion mogul Peter Nygards application for bail the second time he's tried to get out of jail. "Ultimately, I am not persuaded that the proposed changes to the bail plan constitute a material change in circumstances," ruled Manitoba Court of Appeal Justice Jennifer Pfuetzner in a written decision released Friday afternoon. Read Full Story Peter Nygard finds buyer for Falcon Lake property Peter Nygard's properties at Falcon Lake have been sold. CBC News is told the buyer is a young software developer who knows Nygard through poker tournaments. The sale price is not known. (Travis Golby / CBC News) Posted: 7:09 AM Apr. 7, 2021 Fashion mogul Peter Nygard is selling his property at Falcon Lake, Manitoba. The multimillion-dollar property was quietly offered up in February to a handful of people who already own cottages in the area and was tentatively sold last month. Read Full Story New lawsuit alleges Peter Nygard directed women to have sex with longtime friend This photo, included in the lawsuit, calls Daniel Fitzgerald, fourth from right, a longtime friend and associate of Peter Nygard, centre. The lawsuit alleges Fitzgerald 'knowingly participated in Nygard's alleged sex trafficking venture by engaging in sex acts' with three women referred to as Jane Doe 1, 2 and 3. (United States District Court, Central District of California Western Division) Posted: 10:27 AM Apr. 29, 2021 A longtime friend of Peter Nygard's is being sued by three women who say they were forced to engage in "commercial sex acts" with him at Nygard's direction. The court filings say Daniel Fitzgerald was a frequent guest of Nygard's and attended his "pamper parties" and dinners at Nygard's Marina del Rey property in California, which were used to "facilitate and enable Nygard's sex trafficking scheme." Read Full Story Next steps unclear after Nygard consents to U.S. extradition on sex charges La Liberte Manitoba / Tadens Mpwene Peter Nygard at bail hearing in January, 2021. 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. Posted: 11:15 AM Oct. 1, 2021 Peter Nygard has agreed to be extradited to the United States to face prosecution on sex charges. Nygard, 80, consented to the extradition on one charge of sex trafficking during an early morning hearing Friday before Court of Queens Bench Justice Glenn Joyal. Read Full Story Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) joined the Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM) in its 84th anniversary ceremony on February 23 and, in the keynote speech, embraced this corrupt institution known for its thuggery against workers as a key part of his governments agenda. This embrace between AMLO and the CTM, which was welcomed by the corporate media and the Business Coordinating Council (CCE), is not merely a ceremonial gesture. After years claiming to fight for workers to free themselves from the shackles of the CTM and introducing a labor reform to ostensibly facilitate this by requiring union recognition votes, AMLO and his labor secretary, Luisa Maria Alcalde, seek to give a progressive gloss to the CTM, speaking not a word of its record of betrayals and thorough corruption. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (Credit: Eneas De Troya) Facing a wave of mass strikes and protests and growing opposition to the traditional parties in recent years, the AMLO administration seeks to preserve the striking levels of social inequality feeding popular unrest by revitalizing the corporatist use of the trade unions, chiefly the CTM. This means suppressing any struggle by the working class for its independent interests by subordinating it politically and organizationally to the alliance of the corporations, the capitalist state and the trade unions. While fomenting nationalist sentiments to better chain workers to the national bourgeoisie and forestall the growing support for coordinating workers struggles internationally, AMLOs corporatism is entirely subordinated to foreign capital. In fact, the Trump administration dictated the terms of AMLOs signature policy, the labor reform, in order to prevent any challenge from below to securing Mexico as a cheap labor platforma critical piece in drawing production away from China as part of Trumps economic war for US imperialist hegemony. To the applause of the CTM Congress, AMLO declared: Beyond party flags, well carry out the Fourth Transformation of public life in Mexico. Regarding workers, I want to thank the trade unions and especially the CTM because we achieved, in 14 months, to increase the minimum salary twice as an agreement between labor and employers, which I acknowledge and celebrate since todays business people in Mexico are not exploiters or slavers as they were under the Porfiriato [18841911]; most business people in Mexico have a social dimension. They act with justice and humanism. He then praised the CTM leader and Senator for the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Carlos Aceves del Olmo, ending his speech with a Long live the CTM! A commemorative video compiled by the CTM and Aceves himself rendered tribute to the government and committed to acting as AMLOs numerous, powerful and determined ally. Alcalde congratulated the CTM unions for including empty provisions in its statutes about new voting requirements. She explained that going through these motions will convince workers of the unions legitimacy and transparency. Meanwhile, the government will keep its hands away from internal union affairs, which means that it will generally rubber stamp any browbeating or fraud used by the CTM. The initial stage of this process was exemplified during the 2018 wave of wildcat strikes against the CTM unions by 70,000 maquiladora workers in Matamoros, where Morena activists and politicians, as well as the independent unions ostensibly opposed to the CTM like Los Mineros and the Electricians Union (SME), intervened to sideline initial rank-and-file committees formed outside the control of the CTM and chain workers back to the trade unions. Significantly, workers carried out a massive march to the border with the US to call American workers to join their struggle, while many issued international appeals through the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter. Last year, in the context of the national strike at General Motors in the United States, the company fired workers at its Silao complex in Mexico for organizing against the CTM and fighting for joint actions with GM workers in the United States against the oppressive conditions. Now, the local CTM union is carrying out vote fraud and all sorts of charades to comply with the new union recognition requirements. In another example last month, APTIV auto-parts workers in Ciudad Victoria demanding a 30 percent raise struck following the legally stipulated process until the new Federal Labor Board arbitrarily declared the action illegal and the local CTM union shut the strike down. AMLO, Alcalde and Aceves all claimed that the CTM embodies the legacy of the Mexican Revolution (191020), chiefly the 1917 Constitution, and the administration of Lazaro Cardenas (193440), which promoted the founding of the CTM and nationalized oil. However, contrary to AMLOs glamorizing of Mexican capitalism today, the life for the impoverished majority is dominated by the violation of the basic social and democratic rights fought for with blood by millions of workers and peasants during the revolution against the Porfiriato. During the Mexican Revolution, the independent interests of workers and growing support for socialism found no organized expression due to the lack of a Marxist party like the contemporaneous Bolshevik Party that led the 1917 Russian Revolution. The corrupt union leader Luis Morones and his Mexican Regional Workers Confederation (CROM) subordinated workers to one ruling faction after another of the Mexican bourgeoisie during the revolution and even drove workers into battalions to fight against the revolutionary peasant armies of Francisco Villa and Emiliano Zapata. Ultimately, the lack of a revolutionary working-class leadership resulted in the inability of Villa and Zapata to break fully with the liberal bourgeoisie and in the failure of their limited perspective based on land reform. Opposition grew among workers in the following decades, especially as the Great Depression ravaged Mexico in the 1930s. In response, the ruling Party of the Mexican Revolution (PRMthe PRIs predecessor) and its leader Plutarco Elias Calles handpicked the populist Lazaro Cardenas to become president. Cardenas in turn promoted the founding of the CTM under the leadership of the Stalinist Vicente Lombardo Toledano, who had led a reformist faction in the CROM before organizing against the white trade unions, the same slogan used today by AMLO. The workers movement peaked with a wave of wildcat strikes in 1937, led by oil and railway workers. Cardenas successfully maneuvered to suppress these struggles with the help of the CTM by nationalizing oil and the railroads, with the benefits channeled to the national bourgeoisie. In 1938, Leon Trotsky, who was living in exile in Coyoacan, explained: We are in the period in which the national bourgeoisie seeks a bit more independence from foreign imperialism. The national bourgeoisie is forced to flirt with workers, peasants and now we have the left-oriented strongman of the country like today in Mexico. If the national bourgeoisie is compelled to abandon the struggle against foreign capitalists and work under its direct tutelage, well have a fascist regime. But even at that time in Mexico, he added, the bourgeoisie was absolutely incapable of developing democratic rule due to its fear that too many concessions would open the door for socialist revolution. War production during World War II, the post-war boom and especially the globalization of finance and supply chains and the formation of the North American trading bloc in the 1980s and 1990s bound the interests of the Mexican elite and its new billionaires to foreign finance and foreign markets, under the tutelage economically and militarily of US imperialism. This evolution, reproduced in different forms across the world, turned the CTM and all trade unions into industrial police to enforce concessions from workers to the corporations and the state. Under globalization, social reforms and any significant improvement to workers living standards would fatally undermine the profit interests of the Mexican ruling class, leading to capital flight and the direct intervention of imperialism. Consequently, unlike the times described by Trotsky in which the bourgeoisie could use limited social reforms to its benefit, the only response available to social unrest today is a sharp turn toward dictatorship and fascism. The chief immediate challenges for AMLOs government were the brewing rank-and-file rebellion against the CTM and opposition to the military and its so-called war on drugs. Recent developments have revealed that what is being proposed as an alternative to the CTM is a so-called independent trade union vetted by the US corporations, along with the Mexican and US authorities. At the same time, AMLO created a National Guard and enshrined its activities in the Constitution to provide a new facade for the same military leadership and expand domestic military operations. However, after Mexicos first annual economic contraction since 2009, and with the falling popularity of AMLO, the ruling class is scrambling to prevent the slightest disruption to the demands of the transnational corporations and Wall Street. This has pushed AMLO to directly promote the CTM. The dangers raised by AMLOs program in the service of imperialism cannot be understated if workers dont break free from his political influence and capitalist institutions like the trade unions. Workers need to build rank-and-file committees independently of the trade union apparatus and develop a political leadership based upon a socialist and internationalist program, that is, a section of the International Committee of the Fourth International. UK-based Aon yesterday said it would buy Willis Towers Watson for nearly $30bn (26bn) in an all-stock deal that creates the world's largest insurance broker but is almost certain to face regulatory hurdles. The deal unifies the sector's second and third largest names into a company worth $76bn by current share prices, and adds scale in a battle with falling margins. "We know each other well and this came together pretty quickly," Aon CEO Greg Case said on a call with analysts, adding that the deal was motivated by "unmet client needs". First mooted a year ago, the deal creates a company that will overtake market leader Marsh & McLennan in terms of value. It follows a period of brutal competition that has driven down insurance premiums even as claims continue to increase. Aon confirmed last year it was in early-stage talks with Willis Towers but scrapped the plans, without giving a reason. Analysts said an Aon-Willis deal might have trouble clearing anti-trust hurdles. Aon's shares plunged nearly 11pc in pre-market trade, while Willis' shares rose just 3.14pc, although both moves came in a market hit heavily by yesterday's collapse in oil prices. "The insurers and re-insurers are unlikely to be happy about the deal, given the scale of the two players coming together," said Ben Cohen at Investec. The deal terms state Aon will be obligated to pay a fee of $1bn to Willis if the deal were to fall through. Aon chief financial officer Christa Davies said she was confident of getting all "necessary approvals". The deal follows other moves to consolidate the global insurance business. Marsh last April sealed its purchase of UK rival Jardine Lloyd Thompson for $5.7bn, at the time cementing its position as the biggest global player. Bloomberg THE youth wing of Fianna Fail in Laois says it is opposed to the party entering a government coalition with Fine Gael. A statement by Laois Ogra PRO Jessica Canisales outlined the position. At a meeting of Ogras national council earlier in the month, delegates from all over the country voted to oppose Fianna Fail entering a coalition with Fine Gael. "This was the first opportunity members have had to discuss the potential coalition between the two parties, and we have rejected it. "While this vote may not be binding within the party, it is a clear indication that members are not in support of this option. "In the recent election, our members campaigned for a change of government. "The party ruled out a grand coalition with Fine Gael prior to, and throughout, the election. "The charge that is often made against our longer serving members, that Fianna Fails opposition to Fine Gael is due to civil war politics, cannot be made against Ogra members. We must stand up for what we believe to be right, and I am firmly of the belief that this is the right course of action. A statement said chairperson Thomas Foy was at the national council meeting and spoke on behalf of the Laois organisation on the issue. "We judge Fine Gael on their actions, or more accurately their inaction. The scandals that Fine Gael have presided over such as cervical check, the National Childrens Hospital over-run and the housing crisis are damning. "We cannot reconcile the neglect the country has endured under Fine Gael in government; almost 10,000 people homeless, rents spiralling out of control, a crisis in our health service and inaction on climate change. "The prospect of returning Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy or Health Minister Simon Harris to the cabinet table doesnt sit well with us. "We have to look at the facts of what a Fine Gael government has meant for Ireland and Laois, and we have decided that we cannot in good conscience accept more of the same, ssid the statement. As to a deal with Sinn Fein, Laois Ogra did not object to or reject the idea. "We were not able to agree a position regards this; however there was no opposition to opening talks with all other parties including Sinn Fein. There was a consensus that the only clear mandate was one to remove Fine Gael from power," they added. Strategic Communication Africa Limited (Stratcomm Africa) has been adjudged the best in non-profit communication at the just ended 8th National PR and Communications Excellence Awards of the Institute of Public Relations Ghana. The event, which took place hosted at the Labadi Beach Hotel on Saturday 29th February, 2020, was attended by leaders in the PR industry in Ghana. A number of companies who have excelled in various ways over the period under review also won awards. Kofi Baah- Boakye, Stratcomm Africa Business Development Manager, commented: we are pleased with this recognition of Stratcomm Africas non-profit communication, which includes our efforts, through communication, to help to create a Greener, Healthier, Wealthier, Cleaner and more beautiful Ghana and also improve literacy. Stratcomm Africa has over twenty-five years of experience in working with individuals and organisations, public and private, local and international to communicate their messages effectively. Communication for Development, including Behaviour Change Communication, is a key focus of Stratcomm Africa. The theme for the celebration of Stratcomm Africas 25 years of existence has been Communication Excellence for Africas Prosperity in this Digital Age. 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 Kanye West has gone out West. The rapper, music producer, fashion designer, and entrepreneur known for his real estate holdings in Calabasas has also made some major land grabs in Wyoming. Last year, the husband of the reality TV star Kim Kardashian West made headlines when he purchased Monster Lake Ranch, 11 miles outside of Cody, WY. Since renamed West Lake Ranch, the $14 million property of 9,000 acres includes a restaurant and saloon, an event space, office building, horse barns, and a shooting range. West struck again a few months later and picked up another property in the town of Greybull, WY. The $14.5 million ranch, on 6,713 acres, includes heated helicopter pads and walk-in saunas, TMZ reported. A source told People that Kanye, 42, intends to use the space for his "Sunday Services." West has made no secret of his affection for Wyoming. He recorded part of his ninth studio album, Jesus Is King, in Cody. Hes purchased an additional 11 acres of commercial property within the town. And the New York Times reported hes looking to produce his Yeezy fashion line there, even moving some of his team to the Cowboy State. The man known as Yeezus also apparently started to build an amphitheater in Wyoming, but the construction had to pause for lack of proper permits. West is in fine company when it comes to his choice of Wyoming. Charlie Powers, listing agent for Powers Land Brokerage, notes that the town of Cody has long attracted a lot of net worth up here. Bill and Melinda Gates have a ranch nearby, as does Ron Simek, co-founder of Tombstone Pizza. But the area has long been known for roping steers rather than recording. Ranching and farming is a lifestyle choice, Powers says. They choose it. People in ranches, they like the beauty and they like the outdoors. And they like the lifestyle that it affords them. He noted that the area has a mix of both working cattle ranches and recreational ranches, where the only work required is to just look out your window and enjoy the view. The Times added a healthy dose of skepticism in reporting that the mercurial star would be putting down roots in the state. It can be hard, with Kanye West, to separate concrete plans from jokes, fancies, or outlandish aspirations," it commented. "For now, the people of Cody have to wait and see what develops. Should the multihyphenate mogul want to put down more roots in Wyoming, we've spotted seven options for additional plots he can add to his Western empire. So slip on your cowboy boots, press play on "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," and have a look at what West could buy... Price: $6.9 million Cool ranch details: With 833 acres, Bull Creek Ranch captivates the Western soul. There are views of the Absaroka Range and Carter Mountain, and the ranch includes a haymaking operation. Along with nice homes, the grounds include incredible infrastructure, hay barns, equipment shops, and irrigation, plus proximity to millions of acres of public wilderness. Bull Creek Ranch realtor.com Price: $5.2 million Cool ranch details: Located a mile west of Dubois and 80 miles from downtown Jackson Hole, the Warm River Ranch sits on 1,559 acres. There's a five-bedroom home with private Wind River frontage, direct access to the national forest, and a cow/calf operation. Dubois, WY realtor.com Price: $5.5 million Cool ranch details: The 950-acre working cattle ranch features two log homes, a guesthouse, horse barn, utility buildings, indoor arena, ponds, views, and wildlife. Cody, WY realtor.com Price: $22,975,000 Cool ranch details: A river runs through it. The legacy Wyoming ranch has been owned by a Texas family as a retreat and wildlife sanctuary for over 40 years. With over 20,000 acres, the land includes 11 miles on both sides of the Laramie River and features world-class fishing and hunting. Known locally as the elk sanctuary, its rarely been hunted. Elk, pronghorn antelope, white-tailed and mule deer, bears, and mountain lions inhabit the land. Trout and walleye can be caught in fishing pools on the enormous spread. Laramie, WY realtor.com Price: $24,450,000 Cool ranch details: With nearly 300 acres of Wyoming landscape and proximity to Jackson Hole, the ranch has a 6,000-square-foot residence with six bedrooms. Walls of glass provide incredible views from every room. The property also includes a day lodge with commercial kitchen, haybarn, and 120 acres of fenced pasture. Thayne, WY realtor.com Price: $3,960,000 Cool ranch details: This place is worthy of a magazine spread. Recently featured in Elle Decor, Shaw Ranch has it all. Spread over 230 acres at the foot of Wind River Range, the hobby ranch includes a riding arena, three ponds, a heated barn and hayloft, and one exquisite log home. The 8,639-square-foot main residence includes cherrywood floors and cabinets, two wet bars, a home theater, and walls of windows. Shaw Ranch realtor.com Price: $2.8 million Cool ranch details: Welcome to the Double Rainbow Ranch. The recreational paradise on 360 acres features a log home, manager's home, a trout-filled lake, and access to thousands of acres of public forest. Custom-built in 2001, the Alpine log home has a vaulted two-story living room with a large river rock fireplace and offers privacy along with breathtaking views of wildlife. Double Rainbow Ranch realtor.com The post Wild, Wild Kanye West: For Kanye Stans, These 7 Ranches in Wyoming Are Yeezus-Worthy appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. The Irish Cancer Society has cancelled its main fund raising event Daffodil Day due to the coronavirus risk. Chief executive Averil Power said the decision was taken to cancel Daffodil Day street collections and events that were scheduled for March 27. She said: We have made this decision to protect the health and well being of our patients, volunteers and supporters. We also want to focus all our energies on providing cancer patients and their families with the information, advice and support they need at this time. Meanwhile, the Department of Education has moved to scotch rumours that a decision has been made to close schools. The statement today is a response to reports circulating widely on social media that schools would not re open after St Patrick's Day. A spokesperson said the Department was liaising closely with the Department of Health on a continuing basis. "Any decision to close schools will be made on public health advice. There is no such advice at this point", the spokesperson said. It repeated that it was "essential that any decisions regarding responses to Covid-19 are proportionate, necessary and based on specific public health advice. No other response is appropriate." It added that public health professionals will contact schools if there is any action to be taken and that schools should not take unilateral action. The spokesperson said it was deeply conscious of the significance of decisions concerning school closures, and the potential impact any such decisions would have on parents, families and the wider community. "This is an evolving situation and the health advice is being updated on a daily basis. The Departments of Education and Health will continue to work closely together on this issue ." While transport operators have noticed a 5pc decrease in passenger numbers in recent weeks. "The Authority has engaged with all operators(*) and is continually monitoring the public transport landscape in respect of the COVID-19 outbreak," a spokesperson for the National Transport Authority said. "We are actively engaged with Senior Health officials and all operators will continue to follow whatever advice we are given to assist us in dealing with COVID-19. "Overall public transport has seen a reduction in passenger numbers by some operators estimated at approximately 5%. The Authority will continue to monitor transport patterns and will respond with the operators. "Business Continuity plans are in place and will be enacted in a way that is proportionate to the situation as it evolves. Any actions that are taken will be guided by the National Public Health Emergency Team and the advice of the Chief Medical Officers. "The Authority and transport operators have displayed the public information posters across the transport network to assist in disseminating public health messages. Meanwhile, Trinity College Dublin is closing its lecture halls and other key buildings in the face of the growing threat from coronavirus. In a drastic response to the spread of Covid-19, the university has announced that lectures will cease from today, and will be delivered online from 9am tomorrow until the end of the academic year. However, tutorials, seminars and laboratory practicals, which involve smaller numbers, will continue to be given in the usual fashion. No decisions have been made on arrangements for annual exams, which take place in about five weeks and involve about 1,000 students a day sitting in the RDS, Ballsbridge. The world-famous, city centre university also closed Book of Kells exhibition and Old Library, the Science Gallery and the Douglas Hyde Gallery, with immediate effect. Notices of the closures of the public attractions were posted online and at the main entrances to the college today. The Book of Kells, regarded as Irelands greatest cultural treasure , now attracts more than one million visitors each year, mainly from the US. While the action falls short of full closure, Trinity is the first Irish higher education institution to announce such a wind-down in campus activities, which goes well beyond the advice of the Government. In continuing to deliver teaching in tutorials, laboratories and seminars, social distancing protocols will be used in these small group settings to minimise any risk of spreading the virus This will allow Trinity to maintain continuity of teaching and learning while minimising the need to bring together students in large groups the university has advised students and staff today. This will slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but further measures may be necessary and these arrangements will be kept under continuous review. Trinity said the measures were being taken in the interests of the health and well-being of students and staff and to decrease any potential impacts on the larger community. The decisions are based on the concept of social distancing which has been recommended by many experts. Our goal is to decrease the number of instances that lead to students, staff, and visitors coming together in large groups in close proximity with each other. In its statement to students and staff, the college said it recognised that teaching is one of Trinitys great strengths and that the decision regarding academic activities will be inconvenient to many of you but we must recognise that COVID-19 presents a very serious threat to the health and well-being of all in the Trinity community. Further actions may be needed. The well-being of everybody in our college community is our number one priority. Anyone who is unsure about what constitutes a lecture has been advised to consult their timetable and, if they are still unsure, should consult their school or course co-ordinator. No decisions have been made on arrangements for exams, which take place in about five weeks and involve about 1,000 students a day sitting in the RDS, Ballsbridge. Trinity College was hit with a case of coronavirus last week, although the person involved is understood to have made a good recovery and , while that may have concentrated minds, universities elsewhere have also cancelled face to face classes. Meanwhile Dublin City University (DCU) has announced the postponement of its Spring graduation ceremonies, scheduled for March 21 DCU president Prof Brian MacCraith said the decision was taken following the careful consideration of a range of factors associated with the evolving COVID19 situation, both nationally and internationally. As this event would have involved significant travel for graduates and their families, the University considers that it is in the best interests of all concerned that this non-critical event is postponed. He added that the university was prioritising the deployment of resources for the development of contingency plans associated with potential changes in the delivery and assessment of academic programmes over the coming weeks and months, in the event of a curtailment or suspension of normal academic activities. This comes as Omniplex Cinemas announced they will implement in-cinema seat separation as part of their measures to encourage effective Social Distancing in cinemas. Other measures include self-Scanning of tickets, increased cleaning regimes and hand sanitising stations in every cinema foyer, a statement yesterday said. In-cinema seat separation is the cornerstone of the plan, whereby every second cinema seat will be unoccupied in a checkerboard pattern. Visit our Covid-19 vaccine dashboard for updates on the roll out of the vaccination program and the rate of Coronavirus cases Ireland Mark Anderson, director of Omniplex Cinemas said it would give one metre separation between each guest, as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for social distancing. By reducing our capacity by 50pc we hope to give cinemagoers peace of mind when attending the movies, he said. The cinema group is the largest on the island with more than 245 screens in 32 locations. By Kim Bo-eun The rapid spread of the coronavirus in China after its outbreak in Wuhan prompted businesses to suspend the operation of manufacturing plants that countless global companies depend on for their products. Businesses around the world are set to be affected by this disruption, with shortages in production expected from Apple's iPhones to Hyundai Motor's cars. Firms' international supply chains expose them to the fallout from disturbances in locations across the globe. Every year, the Fire on the Mountain Festival asks a renowned metalworker to join the festival as its Master Blacksmith. This is an opportunity to bring big names from around the country to Spruce Pine to share their talent and skills. Last year brought John Rais from Philadelphia, Pa; years before brought Maegan E. Crowley from Colorado and artists from Wisconsin, Virginia and Arizona. This years master blacksmith is Elizabeth Brim, a local blacksmith, with ties to Penland School of Craft, which has a permanent public installation in downtown Spruce Pine. Born and raised in Columbus, Georgia, Brim graduated with an MFA in printmaking from the University of Georgia before she moved to this area. Once here, she expanded her skills at Penland School of Craft, taking classes as a core fellow before eventually teaching classes herself. She later served as the Iron Studio coordinator. Since then, she has continued to tackle gender stereotypes with the imagery in her work, breaking into a male-dominated craft, hammer in hand, with pearls around her neck. After the reception, Brim will offer a lecture upstairs in the Artist Resource Center on the second floor of Toe River Arts at 7pm. She will present a slideshow of early work and how it has evolved into her current practice. World number one Amit Panghal (52kg) and Lovlina Borgohain on Tuesday signed off with bronze medals at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers, where both of them secured their maiden tickets to the quadrennial showpiece by making the semifinals. World silver-medallist and top seed Panghal went down to Jianguan Hu of China in a split 3-2 decision. It was revenge for Hu, an Olympic and world bronze-medallist who lost to Panghal in the Asian semifinals last year. Panghal had endured exhausting contests in the run-up to the semifinals and he could not outpace the determined Chinese in Tuesday's clash. Earlier, two-time world bronze-medallist and second seed Borgohain lost to third seed and 2018 world silver-medallist Hong Gu of China in a unanimous 5-0 verdict after struggling to find her range against the experienced 30-year-old. Gu will next be up against reigning world champion and top seed Chen Nien-Chin of Taiwan who outpunched Thailand's Baison Manikon in her semifinal bout. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The proportion of survey respondents who had not heard about 5G network rollout. Of the respondents who had, 19 percent of iPhone owners believed that they already had a 5G device, though Apple has not yet released a 5G iPhone. ( Business Insider March 10, 2020) BERKELEY (BCN) A 52-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder for allegedly stabbing a 74-year-old man in Berkeley on Sunday night, police said. Suspect Ogun Jumoke also is being held on suspicion of battery with serious bodily injury for allegedly biting a second victim who tried to intervene in the attack on the 74-year-old man in the 1300 block of University Avenue, several blocks west of the North Berkeley BART station, at about 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, according to police. Jumoke, who doesn't have a listed permanent address, was able to leave the area after he allegedly bit the witness who tried to intervene but officers were able to locate and arrest him nearby in the area of Tenth and Delaware streets, police said. The 74-year-old man, who's a Berkeley resident, was transported to a hospital with stab wounds to his torso, according to police. The witness who tried to intervene, a 32-year-old Berkeley man, was transported to a hospital with a bite wound. MORE NEWS: Thousands on virus-hit cruise ship wait their turn to leave Police said their investigation into the stabbing indicates that the encounter began after Jumoke saw the 74-year-old man walking with his small dog along University Avenue. 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. Washington: The Trump administration on Monday accused state actors of touching off a historic slump in global oil prices, and urged Russia's ambassador to the United States to consider the importance of calming the markets. Oil prices suffered their biggest daily rout since the 1991 Gulf War on Monday as top producers Russia and Saudi Arabia launched a price war in the face of weak demand prompted by the spread of the coronavirus. These attempts by state actors to manipulate and shock oil markets reinforce the importance of the role of the United States as a reliable energy supplier to partners and allies around the world," US Energy Department spokeswoman Shaylyn Hynes said in a statement. The department did not name any country, but said it was watching the fallout from last week's meeting in which a three-year pact between Russia and Saudi Arabia, the top producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, collapsed after Russia declined to follow OPEC's lead in cutting output. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin emphasised the importance of orderly energy markets in a previously scheduled meeting on Monday with Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov, the Treasury said in a statement. Mnuchin's pleas could face an obstacle after the Trump administration last month slapped sanctions on a subsidiary of Russian state oil major Rosneft that it says provides a lifeline to Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro. The United States and most other Western countries consider Maduro's 2018 election a sham. But Russia, which has boosted operations in Venezuela as the country faces an economic crisis, believes it is unfair to penalize Russian companies without also placing sanctions on U.S. companies that have operations in the South American country, including Chevron Corp. PRODUCERS The market rout poses a threat to the bustling US drilling industry, an important segment of the US economy that has made the country into the world's largest producer of oil and gas and reversed its historic role as a proponent of low energy prices. The plunge could push many US producers, some of whom have already been hit by near-record low natural gas prices, into bankruptcy. The oil and gas industry downplayed the effect of the oil price drop on US producers, however. Mike Sommers, the head of the American Petroleum Institute industry group, said efficiency advances brought about during the U.S. shale revolution are protecting American drillers from gyrations in global oil markets. US producers today are more efficient and more productive than they have ever been and their investments are for the long term, Sommers told reporters in a teleconference. Sommers acknowledged that producers cannot be entirely shielded from global market forces, however. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette on Monday directed his department to determine whether a scheduled sale of 12 million barrels of oil from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve should take place this month, the DOE said. The department had announced the sale on Feb. 28 in compliance with a 2015 law that ordered occasional sales to help pay for government programs. President Donald Trump, who is seeking re-election in November, tried to put a silver lining on the oil price drop. "Good for the consumer, gasoline prices coming down!" he wrote. TEN additional cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Ireland bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 34. Details of the additional cases, which were detected in six men and four women at locations across the country, were revealed by National Public Health Emergency Team this Tuesday evening. Five of the new cases are associated with travel from an affected area while two relate to healthcare workers. The cases include one male, a healthcare worker, in the south of the country, associated with hospital transmission; one female, a healthcare worker, in the east of the country, associated with possible hospital transmission; three males, in the south of the country, associated with travel from an affected area; one male, in the west of the country, associated with close contact with a confirmed case; one female, in the west of the country, associated with close contact with a confirmed case; one female, in the south of the country, associated with close contact with a confirmed case; one male, in the east of the country, associated with travel from an affected area and one female, in the east of the country, associated with travel from an affected area. The HSE says it is now working rapidly to identify any contacts the patients may have had, to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread. Speaking at a media briefing, Dr Tony Holahan, chief medical officer at the Department of Health, said Ireland still remains in containment phase. He added that 1,784 suspected cases of Covid-19 have been tested in Ireland, to date. "98% of all suspected cases in Ireland have tested negative. While Ireland remains in containment phase, there is no room for complacency. We all have a part to play in limiting and slowing the spread of this disease, he said. Read also: Department of Education says no advice yet to close schools due to coronavirus Meanwhile, a visitor ban remains in place at University Hospital Limerick, University Maternity Hospital Limerick, and Ennis, Nenagh, St Johns and Croom Hospitals. Almost all elective surgeries and outpatient appointments which had been scheduled across the six sites have been cancelled. A number of patients who have contracted Covid-19 remain in isolation at UHL. Read also: New coronavirus virus helpline for Limerick launched _____________________________________________________________________________________ For updates and advice on Covid-19, visit the HSE website or the dedicated coronavirus section of our website. The private-equity owner of Warren-based Art Van Furniture announced Thursday it is closing all of its corporate-owned stores and beginning liquidation sales. The closings include both an Art Van Furniture store, 15701 Market Drive, and an Art Van PureSleep store, 22731 Michigan Ave., in Dearborn. Dearborn Public Information Director Mary Laundroche said the city is disappointed in the companys decision to close the stores. We dont own or control the property at either location, but, as always, we stand ready to be a resource for any company or individual who wants to explore development opportunities, she said. She said the disappointment was extra because the decision had nothing to do with operations or customer traffic at the Dearborn sites, which are both popular stores. Over the weekend, both stores were packed with customers looking for deals. By Monday afternoon, foot traffic wasnt nearly as busy, but it was still much busier than a typical Monday, according to employees. Ive been needing a new couch for a few months, said Amanda Franklin of Dearborn Heights. Getting a possible 40 percent discount is just extra. It means I can afford something nicer than I might have gotten. Other customers had similar thoughts. The deals are what brought me here, Dearborn resident Steve Ledford said. Art Van has been owned by Boston-based Thomas H. Lee Partners since 2017 when it purchased the retailer for $550 million. Last month, the company announced it was looking at preparations for a sale and Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding. The company filed for Chapter 11 on Sunday night in a Delaware bankruptcy court. Despite our best efforts to remain open, the companys brands and operating performance have been hit hard by a challenging retail environment, said Diane Charles, Art Vans vice president of corporate communications. The closings were announced by AVF Holdings, Inc., which operates under the brands Art Van Furniture, Art Van PureSleep and Scott Shuptrine Interiors in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Ohio. AVF Holdings will be selling Levin & Wolf Furniture in Ohio and Pennsylvania to Robert Levin, pending court approval. Eight Wolf Furniture Stores in Maryland and Virginia also will be liquidated. In total, about 190 stores are closing. Art Van Furniture was founded by Art Van Elslander, who was well-known in southeast Michigan not only for his stores, but also philanthropic efforts up until his death in 2018. Mr. Van, as Van Elslander was known by the company employees, opened his first furniture store in metropolitan Detroit in 1959 the same year Little Caesars started selling pizzas and Motown started making music growing it to the No. 1 furniture and mattress retailer in the Midwest. Liquidation sales began Friday at all Art Van Furniture, Art Van PureSleep and Scott Shuptrine Interiors in Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana and Missouri, company officials said. Customers jammed many stores Saturday seeking discounted prices. The surge caught workers off guard, Charles said. We were overwhelmed by the traffic at all of our stores throughout the region, not just in metro Detroit, she said Sunday. So we made the decision to close early on Saturday. Our workers need time to restock, regroup and refresh after the past couple of days. Employees at both stores in Dearborn said they dont know when they will close for good. The Macomb Daily contributed to this report. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Actress Jane Fonda has cast her lot in with Bernie Sanders, with an endorsement of the Vermont senator in his bid for the Democratic nomination. The 82-year-old cited Mr Sanders commitment to fighting climate change, and said he is the only candidate who can take on that global crisis. We have to get a climate president in office, and theres only one right now, and thats Bernie Sanders, Fonda told USA Today. She then added, before attending a climate protest in Los Angeles: So, Im indirectly saying I believe you have to support the climate candidate. Fonda, a two-time Oscar winner, has become a well known and regarded figure among climate change protesters, and has been seen getting arrested while at demonstrations previously. Mr Sanders, for his part, has included the Green New Deal first introduced by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Washington to call for a transition to renewable energies and an end to the greed of the fossil fuel industry. The democratic socialist faces an uncertain path to the Democratic nomination, however, after it appeared early in the primary season that he might amass a massive delegate lead against a fractured opposition. But, after Joe Biden won the South Carolina primary, the former vice president managed to consolidate support among moderate Democrats, and outperformed expectations on Super Tuesday. Mr Sanders is now seeking a comeback on Tuesday, when a half dozen states will vote including Michigan, where observers see a must-win for the Vermont senator to keep his narrow path to the nomination open. Read more Joe Biden leads Bernie Sanders by more than 20 points in Michigan By Ofeliya Afandiyeva Azerbaijan demonstrates successful model of tolerance amid growing religious and ethnic intolerance and violence in different parts of the world, Azerbaijani Consul General in the US state of Los-Angeles Nasimi Aghayev said during the meeting with Governor of USs Idaho state Brad Little on March 5. During the meeting, the sides discussed opportunities for cooperation between Azerbaijan and the state of Idaho in various fields, especially in agriculture, tourism, information technology, transportation, science, education and culture. Consul General of Azerbaijan informed about Azerbaijans development after the restoration of independence and added that there is great potential for boost relations between Azerbaijan and Idaho. The diplomat also spoke about Azerbaijan's ancient traditions of tolerance and multiculturalism, noting that representatives of different religions and nations live in peace and tranquility in the country today. The Consul General stressed that Azerbaijan has shown a successful model of tolerance against the growing religious and ethnic intolerance and violence in different parts of the world and this model has been widely welcomed by the international community. In turn, Governor Brad Little expressed his satisfaction with the meeting and expressed interest in developing cooperation with Azerbaijan. The meeting was also attended by the Senator of Idaho State Senate Brent Hill, the House Majority Leader of the Idaho House of Representatives Mike Moyle and his deputy Jason Monks, Director of the Idaho State Department of Agriculture Celia Gould and the Director of the Idaho State Department of Commerce Tom Kealey and other officials. At the meeting, the Consul General also met with Lauren McLean, the mayor of Boise, the capital of Idaho and with senators from various states and other officials. Note that Consulate General in Los Angeles covers California as well as 12 other Western U.S. states. Founded in 2006, the Consulate General is Azerbaijan's first and only diplomatic mission on the West coast. On April 10, 2012, President Ilham Aliyev appointed Nasimi Aghayev as Consul General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles. Aghayev is the senior representative of Azerbaijan in California and in 12 other Western U.S. states. A strong partnership with the United States plays a major role in Azerbaijan's foreign policy. This has held true ever since the U.S. recognized Azerbaijan's independence on December 25, 1991 and moved swiftly to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries two months later. U.S. opened an Embassy in Baku in March, 1992. Azerbaijan's Embassy in Washington, DC was opened in April, 1993. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz House Judiciary Committee has long maintained it needs access to the full report to find out if Trump abused his power. A United States appeals court has upheld a ruling granting a Democratic-led House of Representatives committee access to material that had been redacted from former special counsel Robert Muellers report on Russian interference in the 2016 election. In a two-to-one decision, a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the law requires the Justice Department to produce grand jury material from Muellers investigation to the House Judiciary Committee, which has been investigating the presidents actions during the probe. Representative Jerrold Nadler, who chairs the committee, subpoenaed the material in the spring of last year and in July submitted a petition to a federal judge as part of a continued investigation into whether the president and his inner circle abused his power or lied during the Mueller probe. If wrongdoing is found, the House could bring new articles of impeachment against the president. The petition requested all portions of Muellers report, any underlying transcripts or exhibits referenced by redacted portions of the report, and transcripts of grand jury testimony or exhibits related to, among others, Trumps knowledge of Russian attempts to interfere in the 2016 election or any crimes committed by his associates. In her opinion, Judge Judith Rogers wrote that because Mueller stopped short of reaching conclusions about Trumps conduct to avoid stepping on the Houses impeachment power, the Committee has established that it cannot fairly and diligently make a final determination about the conduct described in both volumes of the Mueller Report without the grand jury material referenced therein. Russian influence campaign Mueller submitted his report to US Attorney General William Barr in March 2019 after completing a 22-month investigation that detailed Russias campaign of hacking and propaganda to boost Trumps candidacy in the 2016 election as well as extensive contacts between Trumps campaign and Moscow. In regards to Trump, Mueller said the inquiry did not find sufficient evidence that he or his team colluded with Russia. The report also did not conclude that Trump was guilty of obstructing the investigation, but did not exonerate him either. Barr, a Trump appointee whom Democrats have accused of trying to protect the president politically, released the 448-page report in April 2019 with some parts redacted. The president has long called the probe a partisan witch-hunt. However, while a subsequent investigation by Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz released in December found numerous errors in how the investigation was conducted, it did not find evidence of political bias. Several Trump associates, notably Republican operative Roger Stone and former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, have been charged with crimes related to the probe. Meanwhile, the president has called for all cases related to Muellers investigation to be thrown out. The Department of Justice could ask the same appeals court to reconsider Tuesdays decision or appeal the ruling to the US Supreme Court. She never fails to turn heads on an outing. And Yazmin Oukhellou ensured all eyes would be on her as she headed to watch Tina The Musical at the Aldwych Theatre in London on Monday. The TOWIE star, 25, looked radiant on the outing as she treated her grandmother to a West End show for her birthday. Glamorous: Yazmin Oukhellou ensured all eyes would be on her as she headed to watch Tina The Musical at the Aldwych Theatre in London on Monday Yazmin was a vision of beauty as she slipped into an ab-baring tan co-ord that consisted of a crop top and flares. Layering up, she shrugged on a faux fur coat, whilst she injected some further glamour with a chunky gold necklace. Yazmin completed the look by toting a small Gucci handbag with brown leather panels. Beauty in beige: Yazmin was a vision of beauty as she slipped into an ab-baring tan co-ord that consisted of a crop top and flares 2020 marked a new beginning for Yazmin as the star took to Instagram to pen 'I'm ready for a new chapter in my life', following a string of public rows with her on/off boyfriend James Lock. During The Only Way Is Essexmas special, Yaz was caught up in another furious row with Lockie, prompting bystander Pete Wicks to advise that the exes should cut all contact. The Essex native, 30, acted as a mediator between the former couple after the pair struggled to end all contact following their emotional split. Delightful duo: The TOWIE star, 25, looked radiant on the outing as she treated her grandmother to a West End show for her birthday He told Yaz: 'You both obviously care about each other. Together you're a nightmare.' Adding: 'It's not love it's an obsession. I like you as a person but you're as bad as each other. 'He does still care about you. He's worried about you. It's so raw for the both of you the worst thing you can do is keep talking.' After Lockie apologised for his behaviour during their relationship Yaz started crying as she told Georgia, Gemma and Bobby: 'I'm not buying it. 'I'm sometimes a s**t girlfriend but I didn't deserve this. It's hurtful just seeing him like this. I never want to be with him again, he's hurt me that much.' Cumberland County will fly all county flags at half-staff in honor of its fallen firefighter. County commissioners ordered the lowering of the flags at all county facilities in respect for and memory of firefighter Jerome Guise, of Citizens Fire Company No. 1, Mount Holly Springs. Guise died early Monday while fighting a house fire on the 1500 block of Boiling Springs Road, Monroe Township. Resident Jessica Diehl was also killed in the fire. County officials say Guise was a 17-year-veteran of the department and is survived by his three young children, his father, mother and sister. The county flag will remain lowered until sunset Monday. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday ordered the commonwealth flag at all state facilities, public buildings and grounds be flown at half-staff, as well. A procession of firetrucks and apparatus is set to start at noon to escort Guise from the Dauphin County Coroners Office to Mount Holly Springs. His funeral is tentatively set for Saturday. 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. The buildings may be empty, yet class is in session for students and teachers at Northshore School District. Located in the Seattle suburbs, not far from the epicenter of Washington state's outbreak of coronavirus, or COVID-19, the district was forced to close two schools for sanitizing after two employees reported being exposed to someone who had potentially contracted the disease. In a letter to parents last week, Northshore announced it had made the decision to shutter all its facilities for up to two weeks and move instruction for its more than 23,000 students online. They are expected to login using a district Gmail account to access assignments and receive information about teacher office hours. Parents are being encouraged to create a daily schedule and watch videos using Zoom that have been posted to the district's online learning site for support. The move from classroom to cloud-based learning is one Northshore had been preparing for long before coronavirus hit the region. More from Personal Finance What you need to know about coronavirus and health insurance How to build a cash reserve if coronavirus has you miss work Here's how to reduce the taxes on your Social Security benefits So far, it appears to be the exception, not the rule. "The number of districts who have capacity to do that is about 20% to 30%," said Dan Domenech, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators, adding that the estimate is optimistic at best. As COVID-19 spreads to new areas of the country, educators are faced with a race against time to come up with contingency plans that would allow learning to continue should schools close. There's also the issue of student services, especially providing nutrition. Thirty million children receive free or reduced lunches on a daily basis at schools across the country, according government data. Northshore says it is providing meals for pickup at 22 school sites while its online learning program is in place. Shibu BS By Express News Service KOCHI: As concerns regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak refuse to die down, the Malayalam film industry too has started to feel the heat. With theatres shut down in the state till March 31, many big films will now have to find new dates. This comes at a time when many of the producers and distributors have been banking heavily on their Vishu releases, all of which are now facing an uncertain fate due to the outbreak. Many releases planned for the vacation season - including Mohanlal-Priyadarshan teams big-budget film Marakkar: Arabikkadalinte Simham - will have to be rescheduled. Tovino Thomas-starrer Kilometres and Kilometres was the first malayalam movie to be rescheduled. The films release date initially was March 13, but this has now been postponed. Announcing the same through his official Facebook page, Tovino said the decision was made in the wake of the Health departments warning that mass gatherings should be avoided. Big-budget films take the hit The movies that were scheduled for release in the next few weeks are Sumesh and Ramesh, Marakkar: Arabikkadalinte Simham, Halal Love Story, One, Malik and Keshu E Veedinte Nadhan. All of them are now under a cloud. Among these, Marakkar, directed by ace filmmaker Priyadarshan, is said to be the costliest production Malayalam has ever seen. The film was made at a budget of Rs 100 crore and was scheduled to release on March 26. Movies like Marakkar need a worldwide release to retrieve the huge investment. It was also expected to hit screens in China - the epicentre of the outbreak. In terms of budget, Malik is one of the biggest ventures in actor Fahadh Fazils career. While One has Mammootty in the lead, Tamil Superstar Vijays Master was also slated for a Vishu release in Kerala. Recently in Hollywood, the makers of James Bond sequel No Time to Die had postponed the release of the movie to November from the initially scheduled date in April, in the wake of the outbreak. The Coronaviruses cases in India map: U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., speaks during a Congressional field hearing on the Affordable Care Act in Apache Junction, Ariz. Gosar appears to be signaling support for a conspiracy theory that Jeffrey Epstein did not kill himself while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Matt York/AP On Sunday night, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) announced on Twitter that he and his staff would self-quarantine after coming into contact with an individual who tested positive for COVID-19 at CPAC. Gosar quickly came under fire for the tweet in which he referred to the coronavirus as the "Wuhan virus." Critics say the use of the term, singling out the Chinese city where the outbreak began, is racist and ignorant. As the coronavirus sweeps the globe, Asian people have reported experiencing more racism and xenophobia with the spread of the disease both abroad and in the US. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. After coming into contact with an individual who tested positive for COVID-19, the disease associated with the coronavirus, at the Conservative Political Action Conference last month, US Rep. Paul Gosar announced on Twitter that he and his staff would self-quarantine. While many praised the Arizona representative along with and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex) for taking precautionary measures against the novel virus, others have lambasted Gosar for referring to the coronavirus as the "Wuhan virus." "Most people call it the coronavirus. Some call it Covid-19. But only the most ignorant and racist among us would call it the Wuhan virus," the CEO and founder of Cool Quit tweeted in response to Gosar's tweet. Gosar's tweet ignited a heated debate about whether the phrase "Wuhan virus," which singles out the Chinese city at the center of the coronavirus outbreak, is inherently racist. Fellow US Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif), MSNBC's Chris Hayes and American journalist Molly Jong-Fast were just two of many who called out the Republican congressman on Twitter for using the term "Wuhan virus." "Calling #COVID19 the Wuhan Virus is an example of the myopia that allowed it to spread in the US. The virus is not constrained by country or race. Be just as stupid to call it the Milan Virus," Lieu quipped on Twitter. Story continues However, others quickly defended the Republican representative, pointing out that several media outlets had previously referred to the disease in a similar fashion. "Newsflash... There are THOUSANDS of entries of mainstream news outlets including NBC, referring to 'Wuhan Virus,' as well as ASIAN media itself & top medical institutions calling it Wuhan Virus," conservative pundit Michelle Malkin tweeted. World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) March 2, 2020 In response to the overwhelming backlash, Gosar doubled down on using the term "Wuhan virus," defiantly using the term repeatedly and claiming his critics were simply "snowflake Leftists who think everything is racist" on Twitter. "Just astoundingly ignorant to have all major media refer to it as #WuhanVirus for months but somehow, today, you've decided that's #racist. If you think this virus cares about your race you probably work for or watch MSNBC," Gosar retorted on Twitter. Gosasr also claimed that people on the left were spreading fake information that COVID-19 was a "hoax," and insinuated that President Donald Trump and his allies had never doubted the "existence or persistence" of the novel virus. In fact, President Trump called the virus a "hoax." And GOP politicians and conservative pundit Rush Limbaugh, who was recently awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, previously aired a widely-debunked conspiracy theory that the coronavirus was a leaked Chinese biological weapon and erroneously claimed the virus was nothing more than a "common cold" being "weaponized" against Trump. Although Gosar stood by calling the disease the "Wuhan virus" on Twitter, a spokesman for the Arizona congressman told The Washington Post that he did not "did not have some sinister undertone or meaning." In an official statement from Gosar's office on Sunday, the official designation "COVID-19" was used instead. Media outlets have shifted their language as the virus spread beyond China's borders The debate comes as people of Asian descent have experienced increased discrimination in the wake of the novel virus. As the coronavirus swept across the globe, infecting more than 11,000 people in over 100 countries, racism and xenophobia have spread with the infectious disease. Members of the Asian diaspora have reported more incidents of being racially discriminated and isolated at school, work, and other public places. In the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, many media outlets, including Business Insider, referred to the disease as the "Wuhan coronavirus." However, the World Health Organization later designated "COVID-19" as the official name for the disease, NPR reported. WHO offered guidelines in 2015 on naming illnesses and recommends avoiding the use of names that refer to specific groups of people, places, or professions to prevent stigmatizing those included in the name. Since then, Business Insider and other news organizations have taken measures to stop using labels and images when reporting on the coronavirus that could be construed as discriminatory. However, some politicians, including Gosar, have resisted using the new nomenclature for the coronavirus although the virus has spread far outside Wuhan, China. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ignored pleas from Beijing to stop referring to the disease as the "Wuhan virus," rising tensions between the US and China in the midst of the outbreak, the South China Morning Post reported. Read the original article on Insider Motorolas upcoming flagship is set to replace succeed the Moto Z4. The Motorola Edge+ is expected with a dual-curved display, 108MP camera setup, and an in-display scanner. The latest leak regarding the Edge+ is the logo that was found in the FCC filing. Slight update to the logo. Previous one was missing the + pic.twitter.com/XAchxSGpjF Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) March 9, 2020 Along with the FCC filing, diagrams of the Moto Edge+s antenna placement were also revealed, thus confirming the presence of mmWave 5G support at least for the US version, which is likely coming to Verizon as a carrier-exclusive. mmWave antenna locations. Also, a 3D model of the device showing the triple rear cameras. (h/t @Cstark_27 ) pic.twitter.com/R5wucbV1UG Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) March 9, 2020 The FCCs filing is usually an indication that a device is set to go on sale quite soon. Weve not yet heard any word from either Verizon or Motorola about the Edge+, but it certainly is an exciting time for Motorola. Previously leaked renders of the Motorola Edge+ The Moto Edge+ is expected to come with a 5,000 mAh battery, a 6.67-inch FHD+ display with 90Hz refresh rate, up to 12GB of RAM and is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865. Source The actor Philip Glenister says hed like to reprise his best-known role as DCI Gene Hunt, from Life On Mars. But hes worried the outspoken character would be too toxic for todays woke sensibilities. Even when the show premiered in 2006, there were complaints about Hunts unreconstructed sexism and racism. His co-stars were obliged constantly to express their distaste for his Neanderthal Seventies worldview. Last thing I remember it was 1985 and we were celebrating the end of the miners strike. A crowd of us had gone to the boozer to blow some of that luvvly overtime wed earned at the Battle of Orgreave In the first series, John Simm played a policeman called Sam Tyler, who was transported back to 1973 after a car crash. The sequel, Ashes To Ashes, featured Keeley Hawes as Alex Drake, a high-flying female DI who is shot in 2008 and wakes up in 1981. Ashes To Ashes transferred the action from Manchester to London. If the BBC does summon the courage to revive Life On Mars, it should bring the show bang up to date and catapult Hunt forward in time to the present day. (In the opening scene, a dishevelled, hungover Gene Hunt stumbles into the squad room at New Scotland Yard . . .) Christ, that was some session. I must have passed out in the khazi. Can I help you? Yes, luv. Put the kettle on. It feels like a rabid pangolin has crawled down my gullet and died. Who do you think youre talking to? The actor Philip Glenister says hed like to reprise his best-known role as DCI Gene Hunt, from Life On Mars. But hes worried the outspoken character would be too toxic for todays woke sensibilities Some dopey WPC, I assume. Now stop getting your girdle in a twist and make me a cup of tea. Im busy. And Im not a WPC, Im a DS. And Im a DCI, luv. So just do as youre told or youll spend the rest of your career out at Elstree, wearing serge knickers and sensible shoes and helping old ladies cross the road. Im not a luv, guv. And you cant threaten me like that. This is 2020. Bloody hell. Twenty past eight. I must have been sparko for hours. Not 20.20 at night. The year 2020. What? Its happened again. And this time, its happened to me, only in reverse. Sorry, guv? Last thing I remember it was 1985 and we were celebrating the end of the miners strike. A crowd of us had gone to the boozer to blow some of that luvvly overtime wed earned at the Battle of Orgreave. That was 35 years ago. Youre telling me, darling. I only went into the bog for a Jimmy Riddle. Come to think of it, I had to use trap three cos there was no urinal. If the BBC does summon the courage to revive Life On Mars, it should bring the show bang up to date and catapult Hunt forward in time to the present day. (In the opening scene, a dishevelled, hungover Gene Hunt stumbles into the squad room at New Scotland Yard . . .) Thats because its a non-binary bathroom, guv. Eh? Unisex. For all ranks and genders. That would explain why there was a bird in there, fixing her make-up. I wondered why the hell any Doris in her right mind would want to use the gents khazi, especially after its just been vacated by some bloke shifting 15 pints and a prawn bhuna. It wasnt a bird, guv. I mean woman. That was the Mets first gender-fluid officer. Gender-fluid? Some days they define as male, other days they define as female. You mean weve got a female Commissioner? Cressida Dick. Sounds like something nasty youd pick up on shore leave in Port Said. Very funny. Shes heard it all before, guv. And Id leave it out unless you want to be hauled up by HR on a diversity violation Sounds like bloody Danny La Rue. Who? Never mind. Before your time. Look, do you know a DI called Sam Tyler? Doesnt ring any bells. Ive only been out of Hendon a couple of years. How about DI Alex Drake? There was a Deputy Assistant Commissioner Alex Drake, took early retirement on health grounds. Left under a bit of a cloud, something to do with that bungled Operation Midland business. Midland? Paedos In High Places, guv. You know, the ex-Prime Minister Edward Heath and all that lot, politicians, a general . . . So they finally caught up with Grocer Heath, eh? I always had him down as a confirmed bachelor. Bent as a nine bob note. Youve got it all wrong, guv. They were all innocent, falsely accused by a known fantasist, egged on by a Labour MP called the Nonce Finder General. Meanwhile the real culprits got away scot-free. Such as? Cyril Smith. Fat Cyril. Tell me something I dont know. Weapons-grade kiddie-fiddler. The Pied Piper of Rochdale. Still, what do you expect? He was a sodding Liberal, lived with his mum. But the brass wouldnt let us nick him back then. Same with that Jimmy Savile, I suppose. Now there was a real ladies man. Used to invite us CID lads to his parties when I worked in Manchester. You couldnt move for dolly birds, young dancers off Top Of The Pops. More flesh than Dewhursts window. Howsabout that then! Whats the old bugger up to these days? Hes still dead. Shame. Gotta light? Sorry, guv. This is a smoke-free environment. What! How can you run a nick without a ready supply of Kensitas? Not to mention single malt. Where do you keep the bottle, by the way? We dont. The Commissioner wont allow alcohol anywhere on the premises. Havent we got any proper rapid response vehicles? We did have one, but the anti-terror squad crashed it into a wall racing to a shout in South London. Nutter wearing a suicide vest stabbing shoppers in Streatham. Did they get him? Yes, guv. Shot him dead For Chrissakes. Who is the Commissioner these days? Dick. Less of the bloody cheek, Miss Marple. No, guv, thats her name. Her? You mean weve got a female Commissioner? Cressida Dick. Sounds like something nasty youd pick up on shore leave in Port Said. Very funny. Shes heard it all before, guv. And Id leave it out unless you want to be hauled up by HR on a diversity violation. Still, while Im here, might as well make myself useful. Its quieter in here than pork supper night in a synagogue. Where is everyone? Most of them are self-isolating, sir. We used to have another word for that. Give it a rest, guv. Theyre in quarantine because of the coronavirus. Serves them right for drinking fizzy pop. Should have stuck to scotch. Never did me any harm. Apart from falling asleep on the toilet and waking up 35 years later. Point taken, pet. Anyway, they cant all be off sick. No, the rest of them are on hate crime duty, sitting at their computers looking for inappropriate tweets on the internet. Ive no idea what youre talking about. But Gene Hunts idea of police work is not gawping at a computer. Its kicking in doors and feeling collars and stuffing the evidence so far down chummys throat that hell cough like a coal miner with emphysema. We dont go in for that sort of thing these days, guv. Its all community coppering now. Have a look at this story in tonights evening paper. Gotta light? Sorry, guv. This is a smoke-free environment. What! How can you run a nick without a ready supply of Kensitas? Not to mention single malt. Where do you keep the bottle, by the way? A police officer has taken to roller skates to connect with young tearaways terrorising a local skateboarding park. What is this Scotland Yard or Starlight Express? Hang on. Heres something more up your street, guv. Weve just had a report of a blagging at a warehouse in Peckham containing 500,000 toilet rolls, street value several million quid. Right, fire up the Quattro and surround the place with armed bastards. Dont you mean: Charge up the Tesla? Weve gone all-electric, only the batteries keeping going flat. And well never get across the river to Peckham because the climate emergency brigade are blockading all the bridges. Turn the water cannon on them, then. Cant do that, guv. Its their yuman rites, innit. Havent we got any proper rapid response vehicles? We did have one, but the anti-terror squad crashed it into a wall racing to a shout in South London. Nutter wearing a suicide vest stabbing shoppers in Streatham. Did they get him? Yes, guv. Shot him dead. One hundred and EIGHTY!! They deserve a medal. Actually, guv, the two officers involved in the crash have been put on restricted duties and are under criminal investigation for dangerous driving and gross misconduct. Bloody hell, I need a drink. Talk about Life On Mars . . . The Global Artificial Joints Market is expected to reach USD 27.6 Billion by 2027, according to a new report by Reports and Data. This is mainly associated with the growing geriatric population and the increasing incidence of osteoarthritis and arthritis, which are expected to accelerate market growth globally. Based on statistics, the rising obese population, unhealthy eating habits, which will result in obesity, which tend to give rise to the need for knee and hip replacement surgeries, are also some of the factors that help to grow the size of the global market. Osteoarthritis is one of the leading diseases in advanced countries. It is also found in adults younger than the age of 60 years, who had to undergo total knee and hip replacement surgeries, are propelling the market growth in many developed countries. The artificial joint, also known as prosthesis, is a device that is surgically implanted to replace a natural bone to correct joint abnormalities and to improve joint function. Request free sample of this research report at: https://www.reportsanddata.com/sample-enquiry-form/1345 The global artificial joints market is segmented on the material used, such as oxinium, ceramic, alloy, and other materials. In recent years, artificial joints have gained popularity, and it is anticipated to grow further during the forecast period. Factors such as the reduced risk of chemical inertness, corrosion resistance, osteolysis, non-allergic properties, and biocompatibility are expected to drive the growth of the market. The North American market for artificial joints accounted for the largest market share of nearly 29.5% in 2019. North America currently dominates the artificial joints market due to the continuous increase in obese population, technological advancements, higher cost of implantable joints, rising geriatric population, upsurge in funding by government agencies and private organizations in healthcare. Florida, California, and Texas are significant revenue-contributing regions in North America. Further key findings from the report suggest The artificial joints are designed to replicate the movement of a typical, healthy joint. The growing incidences of age-related musculoskeletal disorders are one of the major factors responsible for the market growth globally. Musculoskeletal disorders are the most prevalent disorder that affects the aging population. The most common musculoskeletal disorders among the aging population include fractures, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and infections. Hip and knee replacements are the most popular procedures for joint replacement and are expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.8% during the forecast period. Replacement surgery is also suitable for other joints, including the wrist, ankle, shoulder, and elbow. The materials are alloys of titanium and cobalt-chromium. The bearing portion of the joint is made of wear-resistant, high-grade plastic. The metal-plastic compound is the largest revenue-generating segment. It accounts for the largest market share of around 41% by 2019 and is the most prevalent type used in artificial implants worldwide. The availability of high-level prosthetics that offer customization and improved functionality will continue to witness increasing demand in developed markets. However, high cost and lack of favorable reimbursement policies are the factors that will hinder broader adoption. The prosthetic clinics end-user segment was valued at USD 7.4 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.6% during the forecast period. The market in the Asia Pacific region is anticipated to be the fastest-growing region with the highest CAGR of 4.9% during the forecast duration. This notable rise in the geriatric population, along with technological advancement, is anticipated to boost the market in this region. Moreover, developing economies such as India and China, with a significantly vast pool of potential reconstructive surgery patients, represent a significant opportunity for the Artificial Joints Market. Key participants include Aesculap AG, Biomet, Inc., Depuy Synthes (Johnson & Johnson), DJO Global, Inc., Exactech, Inc., Globus Medical, JRI Orthopaedics, Medtronic, Inc., NuVasive, Inc., AK Medical, SAMO, Smith & Nephew, Stryker Corp., Arthrex, and Zimmer Holdings. Order Your Copy Now: https://www.reportsanddata.com/checkout-form/1345 For the purpose of this study, Reports and Data segments the Global Artificial Joints Market on the basis of Material, End-User, Application, and Region: Material Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2017-2027) Cobalt-chromium alloys Titanium alloys Metal-plastic End-User Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2017-2027) Prosthetics clinics Hospitals Rehabilitation center Others Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2017-2027) Hip and knee Ankle Wrist Shoulder Elbow To identify the key trends in the industry, click on the link below: https://www.reportsanddata.com/report-detail/artificial-joints-market Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2017-2027) North America S. Europe Germany K. Asia Pacific China India South-east Asia Latin America Brazil Middle East & Africa About Reports and Data Reports and Data is a market research and consulting company that provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. Our solutions purely focus on your purpose to locate, target and analyze consumer behavior shifts across demographics, across industries and help clients make a smarter business decision. We offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a multiple industries including Healthcare, Technology, Chemicals, Power, and Energy. We consistently update our research offerings to ensure our clients are aware about the latest trends existent in the market. Reports and Data has a strong base of experienced analysts from varied areas of expertise. Contact Us: John Watson Head of Business Development Reports And Data | Web: www.reportsanddata.com Direct Line: +1-212-710-1370 E-mail: sales@reportsanddata.com As the rest of the world grapples with a burgeoning virus outbreak, Chinas ruling Communist Party has deployed its propaganda playbook to portray its leader as firmly in charge, leading an army of health workers in a peoples war against the disease. The main evening news on state TV regularly shows President Xi Jinping and his underlings giving instructions on the outbreak or touring related facilities. Coverage then segues to doctors and nurses on the front lines, drawing on a tradition of upholding model workers and the importance of sacrifice on behalf of the people and the party. For the Communist Party, the epidemic is both a risk and an opportunity. It seeks to avoid blame for any mishandling of the outbreak, notably a slow initial response that allowed the virus to take hold. Conversely, it seeks credit for overcoming the crisis, enhancing the legitimacy of its rule. State media, a tightly controlled internet and mass mobilization campaigns have all been harnessed for the effort.- Upbeat, if emotional, state messaging leaves the impression that self-sacrificing citizens, national unity, and enlightened leadership will inevitably triumph in China, as the fight against the virus shifts beyond the countrys borders, said Ashley Esarey, a specialist on the Chinese media at the University of Alberta. The tried and true formula appears to remain effective at promulgating the partys version of events, though the rise of social media is an ever-present challenge. A growing minority has long questioned the party line, but even many of them accept it out of habit or a lack of alternatives. Most passively embrace a narrative that is repeated over and over, said Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at the University of Londons School of Oriental and African Studies. Li Desheng, a 22-year-old student who said news webcasts are his main source of information, commended the response of the party and the government, saying they had proven effective at stopping the spread of the virus. There is a Chinese idiom that says, Point to a deer, call it a horse, the philosophy major said in an interview conducted via instant message. If you say a deer is a horse, then that is a distortion of fact. When watching a news webcast at least at present, I think a deer is still called a deer, and a horse is called a horse, so I believe the report. Its not just a matter of whats shown, though its also whats omitted. State media trumpeted the throwing up of new medical facilities in a fortnight without reporting on the woes of people unable to find a hospital bed that necessitated the Herculean effort. It touted crackdowns on wild animal markets and plans to shut them down, without questioning why they hadnt been sufficiently regulated since SARS, a similar virus outbreak in 2002-03. June Teufel Dreyer, a China expert at the University of Miami, said the party may have lost credibility with what she called engaged public opinion, but that its difficult to know what portion of Chinas 1.4 billion people that represents. Zhou Songyi, another 22-year-old student, said she doesnt find any useful information on the epidemic from the official Peoples Daily newspaper or state broadcaster CCTV, citing stories that, even if true, have a PR agenda rather than seeking to inform the public. Social media has given her digital-savvy generation almost instant feedback on some state-media reports, though critical comments are often removed by the countrys internet censorship. The battle for truth-telling on the internet is another sign that people do not simply trust in the government, said Elizabeth Economy, director of Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. She added, though, that the propaganda works on those who believe in the party and want to be comforted and persuaded. The core of the approach is to stifle any criticism while providing positive role models and showing the party as Chinas only real hope. China has barred citizen journalists from popular social media platforms after they reported on overcrowded hospitals and other problems. Non-state media outlets such as the magazine Caixin have done some independent reporting but stopped short of criticizing the leadership. The medics are portrayed as heroes not because of their dedication as health professionals, but because they are party members, said Anthony Saich, a China expert at Harvard University. He believes the crisis has damaged confidence in Xis leadership to a degree but wont have a lasting impact. The health workers form the basis of the peoples war, a term adopted early on by Xi. A recent CCTV evening news broadcast showed him visiting military health units. Everyone maintained a safe distance from each other, following the government-ordered protocol, their mouths and noses covered by protective masks. Wars invite people to cast aside their squabbles and dissent and to come together, said David Bandurski of the China Media Project at the University of Hong Kong. Wars make heroes and heroes are the stuff propaganda thrives upon. Nationalist campaigns have worked before, channeling anger away from the party in the SARS outbreak, territorial disputes with Japan, last years Hong Kong protests and the ongoing trade war with the U.S. This time, the official coverage of the virus may help blunt any lasting political damage to Xi and the partys authority, even as the social and economic costs of the outbreak exact a rising toll. More than 3,000 people have died in China from the virus. The leadership has been very eager to write the happy ending to this story before anyone really knows what the world is dealing with, Bandurski said. ___ Associated Press STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- While there are currently no plans to close New York Citys public schools, some of Staten Islands private and Catholic schools are preparing out of an abundance of caution to switch to virtual learning if schools are instructed to close due to the coronavirus, or COVID-19. Each faculty member at Gateway Academy has prepared or is fine-tuning a two-week instructional contingency plan in case on-ground instruction is interrupted due to the COVID-19, said Christopher DeSanctis, head of school at Gateway Academy, Richmond Valley. *** CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** DeSanctis told the Advance/SILive.com that for its older students, the school created email folders through its online school operations system called RenWeb, which can be used to facilitate instruction directly with students. JOURNALING APPS AND MORE The school is also implementing other options like journaling apps, in which students who can write or type can use a daily learning log that keeps teachers informed about what was accomplished each day at home. Students would take a few minutes each day to update the log and reflect on the days activities and lessons. Our teachers are, at varying degrees depending on age and grade level, also implementing into their plans free and low-cost options like class Facebook pages, Google Classroom and journaling apps, all of which can be easily used as communication tools, he said. ...These are just a few methods, among others, that we are using to prepare for a worst case scenario of school closure. St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School isnt planning on canceling classes at this point, but if it becomes necessary in the future, students will be able to continue their education uninterrupted through Virtual Days using Seas Seamless Online Learning Environment. VIRTUAL DAYS The Virtual Days are the same as in-person education, and there would be zero impact on summer vacation and no need to extend spring break. According to Principal Rev. Michael Reilly, it would be business as usual. Staff and students alike are adept and familiar with Virtual Day education because it isnt something new -- its something the school has been using for years now (usually in the case of snow, students can stay home and be safe and there arent any days to make up), said Reilly. The schools maintenance and janitorial staff have increased the frequency of and manner in which they clean and disinfect the building, such as cleaning doorknobs and desks. At St. Peters Boys High School, New Brighton, Principal Michael Cosentino said the school is prepared if it needs to move to online learning. Students and teachers will be able to use the schools online portal, which has been typically serviced for instruction when schools were closed for in-person classes on snow days. GOOGLE CLASSROOM Assignments can be given and graded online, he said. A lot of teachers have Google Classroom and can give feedback to students right away. Communication would be there via text message and email from the teachers." According to an email sent to families at Monsignor Farrell High School, Oakwood, the school has reached out to medical experts to educate and advise school officials about the coronavirus and how best to contain it. As a precaution, and per New York State Department of Health and CDC guidance, the school canceled its Easter trip to Europe in April. Lou Tobacco, president and CEO of Monsignor Farrell, said the school has assembled a task force that is preparing for virtual learning using Microsoft Teams, which will allow students to take quizzes, tests, and complete assignments online. Any student can access [Microsoft Teams] through any device, whether its a phone, iPad or a home computer, said Tobacco. "So our Microsoft Teams facilitates an online learning experience." Tobacco made it clear that virtual learning is at the ready in an abundance of caution. That is a worst-case scenario should our hands be forced, he said. I do not see us having to do that. We are monitoring the situation on a daily basis, keeping informed. Were prepared so were not caught or blindsided...Im cautiously optimistic that we dont need it. HEIGHTENED STATE OF PREPAREDNESS At Moore Catholic High School in Graniteville, the school is operating in a heightened state of preparedness, according to Principal Gina DeSantis. We remain in constant contact with the Archdiocese of New York Superintendent of Schools Health and Safety Task Force which provides real-time information from the Center for Disease Control (CDC)," said DeSantis. She said any adjustment to the schools operations will be in compliance with their recommendations. In addition, the schools full-time licensed nurse is providing guidance through her vigilance in communicating emerging information from the health department and the CDC. In the unlikely event of area school closures, we are fully prepared to provide effective remote instruction using our digital platforms, DeSantis said. As always, the health and safety of our school community remain our priority. Per New York State, if there is a confirmed case in a New York school, the school must be closed for at least 24 hours while the Department of Health investigates and determines whether additional closure is needed. As part of a precautionary measure due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), Wagner College is canceling all classes beginning Wednesday for the remainder of the week at its Grymes Hill campus and instructing students to prepare for online courses, according to an email sent to the school community on Tuesday. When students return from spring break -- which will be from March 16-21 -- they should be prepared for at least one week of online courses, from March 23-27. On Monday, St. Johns University suspended face-to-face instruction at all its campuses -- including the Grymes Hill location -- until March 27 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), according to a public alert message on the schools website. While Conrado Gempesaw, the university president, said there are "no known cases of COVID-19 at this time on any of the St. Johns University campuses or locations, the school decided to close all campuses as a precautionary measure. CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK The first man who tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) on Staten Island is an EMS worker, a source with knowledge of the case told the Advance/SILive.com. The man is not believed to have contracted the virus while at work; instead, health officials suspect his girlfriend, who recently traveled overseas, the source said. His name and address have not been released by officials due to medical privacy laws. As of Tuesday morning, there are 36 confirmed coronavirus cases in New York City, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced. In New York State there are 173 positives, 31 more than Monday, he said. CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: Coronavirus developments for March 10: 1st death in N.J., New Rochelle schools close Coronavirus: Wagner College cancels classes, prepares for online learning Coughs, sneezes, surfaces. Heres how coronavirus is and isnt spread. Coronavirus: Heres how NYC school buses are being sanitized Man with coronavirus on Staten Island is an EMS worker, source says Cuomo: Insurers cant charge New Yorkers for coronavirus testing FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. His paintings adorn gallery walls worldwide and can sell for tens of millions of pounds. But now fans of Pablo Picasso can buy one of the Spanish artist's ceramics for as little as 5,500. An exhibition in central London this month will see 24 pieces, including plates and vases, put on display for purchase. A collection of ceramics by Pablo Picasso will be shown in London later this month where they will be sold. The items include, from left, Face No 111, 18,000; Vase with Two High Handles, 48,500; Goat's Head, 28,000; and Prow Figure, 18,500 The cheapest item for sale is the Bird with a Worm ashtray which costs 5,500 The most expensive item on display is this Woman's Face, which will cost 70,000 Bird with Worm, an ashtray inscribed with 'Edition Picasso', is the cheapest item at 5,500. Woman's Face, a rectangular ceramic dish, will cost 70,000. The early 1950s works are part of a 600-piece collection created during a 25-year collaboration with the Madoura Pottery workshop in Vallauris, south-eastern France, where Picasso met his second wife Jacqueline Roque. Items featuring female muses and faces and owl-inspired jugs range from 17,500 to 50,000. Other exhibits at the Huxley-Parlour Gallery in Mayfair include the Figure de Proue, a white ceramic vessel resembling a figurehead found on a ship's bow. Picasso's 1921 painting Nature Morte, depicting a newspaper and a glass of absinthe, is separately being raffled for charity on March 30. Tickets are available online for 87. Its current owner, billionaire art dealer David Nahmad, said he believes Picasso would have backed his artwork being raffled. 'Picasso was very generous,' he said. 'He wanted his art to be collected by all kinds of people, not only by the super-rich.' Spanish Artist Pablo Picasso produced the works as part of a 600-piece collection in collaboration with the Madoura Pottery workship in Vallauris, south-eastern France (Corrects spelling to "Sriwat" from "Wriwat", paragraph 17) By Chayut Setboonsarng and Anshuman Daga BANGKOK/SINGAPORE, March 9 (Reuters) - CP Group's $10 billion deal to buy Tesco PLC's 2,000 Thai retail outlets marks the end of a three-way tycoon tussle - and the beginning of the first engagement for Thailand's newly powerful antitrust watchdog. The British grocery chain on Monday chose Dhanin Chearavanont's operator of 12,000 7-Eleven convenience stores over the Chirathivat family's Central Group of Companies Ltd - Thailand's biggest retailer by market capitalisation - and beer magnate Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi's TCC Group Co Ltd, said people with direct knowledge of the matter. Interest from the tycoons and their overlapping businesses in a deal only flagged in December has already drawn what sources said was the Thai watchdog's first pre-transaction warning about antitrust compliance. The Office of Trade Competition Commission (OTCC) found its voice after becoming independent under new laws in 2017 with a mandate to block transactions that would create monopolies, at a time of increased public scrutiny of tycoons' business empires. The first deal the watchdog has to rule on is the country's second-biggest after Charoen Pokphand Group Co Ltd (CP Group) paid $9.4 billion for a minority stake in Ping An Insurance Group Co of China Ltd in 2012, Refinitiv data showed. "The transaction pits one of the most influential family conglomerates against a newly empowered regulator," said Ben Kiatkwankul, partner at consultancy Maverick Consulting Group. "The asset's size and increasing public sentiment versus tycoon dominance in the economy will make the OTCC's task challenging." CP Group runs its 12,000 7-Eleven convenience stores through CP All PCL and about 80 cash-and-carry stores under Siam Makro PCL. The firm on Monday said, upon antitrust approval, the deal will give it "a complementary retail business ... and enable the company to operate a wider range of outlets." Story continues It will gain control of 1,965 stores Tesco operates in Thailand - much of which the British firm bought from CP Group during the 1997-8 Asian financial crisis. Included are 200 Tesco Lotus hypermarkets and 1,600 Tesco Lotus Express convenience stores. It will also buy 74 outlets in Malaysia. OTCC Chairman Sakon Varunyuwatana previously told Reuters the watchdog set up a committee to rule on the deal and which is able to provide a preliminary review of each proposed Tesco bid upon suitor request - though none had been received. "We are ready with a committee and have mapped out several scenarios," Sakon said. "The committee is comprised of economists, academics related to the retail business, competition law experts and our own officers and experts." "We can tap into information across other agencies to support our investigation," he said. Under the 2017 law, proposed mergers that could lead to market dominance or monopoly must be reviewed by the OTCC committee, which approves or rejects the proposal based on business necessity and its impact on consumers and the economy. Dominance is defined as having a market share of over 50%, or 75% when combined with two peers. "The question is how antitrust is defined," said a banker familiar with the deal. "Will 7-Eleven stores be included to calculate market share?" In 2018, the energy regulator blocked Global Power Synergy PCL's proposed $4 billion merger with Glow Energy PCL over monopoly concerns regarding industrial estates. It finally approved the deal on condition Glow sold a power provider. The likely outcome for the Tesco deal is regulatory approval with broad conditions - and with a very public explanation, said Jirapong Sriwat, Partner at Nishimura & Asahi (Thailand). "The Thai public is not afraid to express strong opinions towards tycoons. These views have been echoed in parliament and could gain momentum in other industries," said Kiatkwankul. "The OTCC's mandate is to protect public interest and market competition and so it will have to set a clear precedence." (Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng in Bangkok and Anshuman Daga in Singapore; Editing by Jennifer Hughes and Christopher Cushing) The Midland County jail must resolve several maintenance issues that caused it to fail a recent state inspection or risk being required to vacate sections of the jail and relocate inmates. Brandon Wood, executive director of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, said the jail has no more than a year to fix those issues and be re-inspected before that possibility could occur. However, he said most county jails issued non-compliance notices choose to have another inspection much sooner, usually within 60 days of failing the first inspection. A TCJS inspection report shows the jail was inspected on Feb. 12. An inspector noted several maintenance issues, including clogged sinks, toilets and showers, leaks and areas without hot water or no water at all. Wood said sheriffs offices have 30 days from the time they receive a non-compliance notice to submit a plan for corrective action, which TCJS reviews and then approves if it addresses all necessary areas. The Midland County Sheriffs Office has not yet submitted that plan, Wood said, but they have until March 18 to do so. If the concerns arent corrected within a year, the sheriff and county judge will have to appear before the jail commission board, Wood said. He said the board could decide the affected areas of the jail cant be utilized, leading to inmate transfers. More for you Criner: Vision for MCSO is to be well-respected The commission will likely request an update from the sheriffs office if the issues arent resolved after six to nine months, he said. Sheriff Richard Gillette said the jail was put on notice about the plumbing problems during their last inspection a year ago. He said theyve tried to get the issues resolved quickly, but theyre short-staffed on maintenance workers. The jails getting older -- its 30 years old, so maintenance issues are increasing every day, he said. We fix a leak here and two more start somewhere else. Its been a real challenge to keep up with plumbing issues. The next step is hiring additional plumbing vendors, Gillette said. County commissioners on Monday approved an exception that will allow the county to hire vendors without going out for bid, citing the urgency of the situation. Gillette said he will not know the cost of the needed repairs until he receives quotes from the vendors. He said he believes there is enough in the countys contingency fund to cover the cost. Im sure its frustrating to inmates and to the employees that work in the jail that were having these problems, he said. But were going to do our best to correct them. The main source of the plumbing problems is the drainage system, Gillette said. He said workers will need to replace drainage lines and pipes. He said he expects they will have the repairs done and be re-inspected within a few months. Well get the problems fixed, well get the jail re-inspected and well move forward, Gillette said. Rebranding 10 March 2020 Radisson Hotel Group is proud to announce that Cour des Loges hotel in Vieux-Lyon, a UNESCO World Heritage listed district, will join Radisson Collection. The latest signing brings the Group's portfolio in France to 19 hotels and 3,280 rooms in operation or under development. Located in the historic Vieux-Lyon district, Cour des Loges will receive a thoughtful renovation in 2021, introducing the exceptional Radisson Collection brand to the hotel while preserving the character and history of the building. The renovation will position the hotel as a premium destination for business and leisure travelers alike, featuring 60 guest rooms, including two junior suites and four suites. Guests will be able to take full advantage of leisure activities such as a fitness center and spa with a swimming pool, sauna, hammam, jacuzzi, relaxation room, and two treatment rooms. Business clientele will also be able to make use of 343m2 meeting space spread over 6 meeting rooms. In keeping with Lyon's reputation for haute cuisine, the hotel will offer guests a variety of gourmet fine dining options, including Michelin star chef Anthony Bonnet's restaurant, Les Loges. Having trained alongside the best award-winning culinary experts in Lyon, Anthony has created a dining destination within the hotel, with a spectacular menu using locally sourced produce. Elsewhere, diners can also indulge in the bistro Le Cafe-Epicerie and relax in the cigarette lounge bar, Le Bar Fumoir. Guests will also be offered cooking classes hosted by experts at La Petite Loge. Situated in the heart of the largest Renaissance district of Lyon, guests staying at the hotel will be immersed in culture, surrounded by historical landmarks such as Basilica Notre-Dame de Fourviere and Place Bellecour. The iconic destination also offers guests a wide range of cultural festivities including the Festival of Lights, the Lumiere Film Festival and the Nuits Sonores. The hotel can be easily accessed from two local train stations and is conveniently only 21km the airport. Oscar nominee Chloe Sevigny showcased her bump in a black-ruched floral frock while attending The New Group 25th Anniversary Gala inside Guastavino's in Midtown Manhattan on Monday night. The expecting 45-year-old - whose due date is April 30 - paired her midi-dress with a black puff-sleeve leather jacket, white socks, and black loafers selected by stylist Haley Wollens. 'I'm having a little bit of a shoe dilemma. My feet have swollen so I don't fit in any of my shoes,' Chloe lamented to People on March 3. In bloom: Oscar nominee Chloe Sevigny showcased her bump in a black-ruched floral frock at The New Group 25th Anniversary Gala inside Guastavino's in Manhattan on Monday '[Otherwise] I feel good. It's been pretty good...I like to joke that the hardest part is being around my friends when they're drunk. 'Normally I like being a little tipsy or something but being out, that's been the biggest adjustment. Everything else has been good so far.' Sevigny middle parted her short blonde pixie cut and she rocked red lipstick, mascara, and defined her sparse brows. The Queen & Slim actress will welcome her first child with her boyfriend since 2018, Karma Art Gallery director Sinisa Mackovic. Her due date is April 30! The expecting 45-year-old paired her midi-dress with a black puff-sleeve leather jacket, white socks, and black loafers selected by stylist Haley Wollens Chloe lamented to People on March 3: 'I'm having a little bit of a shoe dilemma. My feet have swollen so I don't fit in any of my shoes...[Otherwise] I feel good. It's been pretty good' 'The hardest part is being around my friends when they're drunk': Sevigny middle parted her short blonde pixie cut and she rocked red lipstick, mascara, and defined her sparse brows 'I'm enjoying all the attention I get from my boyfriend with all the massages and foot rubbing and all that,' Chloe noted. Back in 2018, Sevigny hinted to Who What Wear that she wanted to have a daughter, so that she could inherit her massive fashion collection. Also there was Sex and the City alum and former New York Gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon wearing a sleeveless dotted LBD with matching pumps. Back in 2016, the 53-year-old Bernie Sanders supporter - who's an Oscar away from EGOT status - directed a stage production of Steve for The New Group. Croatian babydaddy: The Queen & Slim actress will welcome her first child with her boyfriend since 2018, Karma Art Gallery director Sinisa Mackovic (pictured February 24) Chloe noted: 'I'm enjoying all the attention I get from my boyfriend with all the massages and foot rubbing and all that' (pictured February 24) Three-time Tony nominee Ethan Hawke suited up and wore his favorite hat to the off-Broadway benefit where tickets/tables cost between $1K and $25K. Back in 2007, the 49-year-old father-of-four directed the two-act play Things We Want for The New Group. Medea thespian Bobby Cannavale is a big supporter of The New Group having appeared in their 2015 benefit reading of The Way We Get By as well as their 2005 revival of Hurlyburly. Game of Thrones alum Peter Dinklage and his wife Erica Schmidt were the man and woman of the hour since they were honored with the Mimi and Michael Mendelson Award for Outstanding Commitment to Theater. Miranda! Also there was Sex and the City alum and former New York Gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon wearing a sleeveless dotted LBD with matching pumps At the helm! Back in 2016, the 53-year-old Bernie Sanders supporter - who's an Oscar away from EGOT status - directed a stage production of Steve for The New Group Another nineties icon: Three-time Tony nominee Ethan Hawke suited up and wore his favorite hat to the off-Broadway benefit where tickets/tables cost between $1K and $25K Company man: Back in 2007, the 49-year-old father-of-four directed the two-act play Things We Want for The New Group Beanie: Medea thespian Bobby Cannavale is a big supporter of The New Group having acted in their 2015 benefit reading of The Way We Get By as well as their 2005 revival of Hurlyburly The New Jersey-born 50-year-old and the LA-born 44-year-old - who eloped in 2005 - are parents of a 17-month-old baby and an eight-year-old daughter. Hamilton thespian Jasmine Cephas Jones Instastoried a video of the married couple mingling at the event where they displayed a portrait of Dinklage. Erica not only directed Peter, she adapted Edmond Rostand's 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac at the Daryl Roth Theatre which ran through December 22. Man and woman of the hour! Peter Dinklage and his wife Erica Schmidt were honored with the Mimi and Michael Mendelson Award for Outstanding Commitment to Theater Creative partners: The New Jersey-born 50-year-old and the LA-born 44-year-old - who eloped in 2005 - are parents of a 17-month-old baby and an eight-year-old daughter BTS: Hamilton thespian Jasmine Cephas Jones Instastoried a video of the married couple mingling at the event where they displayed a portrait of Dinklage In a massive setback for the Congress, prominent youth leader Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the party and in a coordinated rebellion on Tuesday 22 MLAs loyal to him resigned in Madhya Pradesh, pushing the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government to the brink of collapse. Scindia, 49, appeared set to join the BJP, a party which had his late grandmother Vijaya Raje Scindia as one of the leading lights amid speculation he may get a Rajya Sabha ticket and be given a central ministry. BJP sources said Scindia, a former Union minister and a four-time Lok Sabha MP, is likely to be inducted into the party in the next day or two and certainly before March 13 -- the last day for filing of nominations for the three Rajya Sabha sets in MP. In a largely symbolic move of no consequence, a shocked Congress expelled Scindia, the party general secretary and scion of the erstwhile Gwalior royal family, on charges of anti-party activities. As the country celebrated Holi on Tuesday morning, Scindia, once considered a rising star of the Congress, met senior BJP leader and Home Minister Amit Shah after which he called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, residence. While there was no official word on what transpired at the meetings, BJP sources claimed that the decision of the party's top two leaders to hold long deliberations with Scindia underlined the importance they attach to a politician considered close to Rahul Gandhi. In his resignation letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi dated March 9, Scindia said it is now time for me to move on as he was unable to serve the people of the country while remaining in the party. The Congress said his letter was received at Sonia Gandhi's residence only at 12.20 pm on Tuesday, a day which was also Scindia's father and Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia's 75th birth anniversary. Scindia's decision to quit was welcomed as ghar wapsi (homecoming) by his paternal aunt and BJP MLA from Madhya Pradesh, Yashodhara Raje. His other paternal aunt, Vasundhara Raje, is also a BJP leader and a former chief minister of Rajasthan. Madhavrao Scindia had also started his political innings as an MP of the Jana Sangh, the earlier avatar of the BJP, in 1971 but joined the Congress later. Kamal Nath govt in trouble With Scindia's loyalist MLAs following suit, the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh appeared headed for a collapse and will be reduced to minority if the resignation letters of the 22 legislators are accepted by Assembly Speaker NP Prajapati. The Congress, whose tally before the rebellion is 114, has a wafer-thin majority in the Assembly whose current effective strength is 228. It also has the support of four Independents, two BSP and one SP MLA but some of them are now likely to switch sides to the BJP. If the resignations of the 22 MLAs are accepted, the strength of the Assembly will fall to 206. The Congress, on its own, will then be left with 92 seats while the BJP has 107 seats with the magic number for a majority being 104. A delegation of BJP leaders met Prajapati in Bhopal and handed over the resignations of 19 Congress MLAs who are holed up in a resort in Bengaluru in BJP-ruled Karnataka. Senior BJP leader Bhupendra Singh reached Bhopal on Tuesday afternoon by a special flight, carrying with him the resignations, said BJP MLA Vishwas Sarang. Three more Congress MLAs who are in Bhopal also submitted their resignations to the Speaker. Six of the MLAs are ministers. After their resignation, Kamal Nath wrote to the Governor seeking their immediate removal. Singh read out the names of the MLAs whose letters he was submitting in front of Prajapati, claiming that the Congress government had lost its majority. He also claimed these resignations were in the MLAs' own hand-writing. The number of Congress MLAs resigning could reach 30 very soon, he claimed. "I have received these resignations. I will take action on these letters as per the established rules and regulations of the state assembly," said Prajapati. Governor Lalji Tandon, who is in Lucknow to celebrate Holi, said he is keeping a tab on the political developments in the state and that any decision related to it will be taken only after reaching Raj Bhavan in Bhopal. "At present, I am a spectator. Once I return there, only then can I make any comment after seeing all things, letters in which people have made some complaints," Tandon said to a query whether he will call any party to prove its majority on the floor of the House. 'Looking for a fresh start' Noting that the events of the day had been drawing themselves out for a year, Scindia, in his letter to Gandhi, said it was now best for him to look at a fresh start. "Having been a primary member of the Congress party for the last 18 years. It is now time for me to move on. I am tendering my resignation from the primary membership of the Congress and as you well know this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year," he wrote. "While my aim and purpose remains the same as it has always been from the very beginning, to serve the people of my state and my country, I believe I am unable to do this anymore within this party," Scindia said in his resignation letter posted on Twitter. "To reflect and realise the aspirations of my people and workers I believe it is best that I now look ahead at a fresh start." Soon after, a statement from AICC general secretary KC Venugopal said the Congress president has "approved the expulsion of Jyotiraditya Scindia from the Indian National Congress with immediate effect for anti-party activities". Scindia has long been at loggerheads with Nath who belongs to the old guard. After narrowly winning the state Assembly elections in December 2018, Nath took over as chief minister. But trouble started brewing when Scindia's supporters in the government were sidelined, and it appeared that his ambitions to be the state Congress president were also thwarted. It was also clear that the central leadership was not ready to listen to his grievances. This weekend, Scindia and six ministers in the Nath Cabinet went to Bengaluru and became incommunicado. It then became clear that a rebellion was brewing in the party and Nath would lose the support of the six ministers as well as other MLAs loyal to Scindia. Congress leaders decry personal ambition Several Congress leaders accused Scindia of betraying the trust of the people and placing "personal ambition" over ideology. Criticising him, many party leaders referred to the 1857 revolt against the East India Company and the role of the Scindia royals back then as well as Vijaya Raje Scindia's switch from the Congress in 1967. "Joining hands with the BJP in a time of national crisis speaks volumes about a leader's self-indulgent political ambitions, especially when the BJP is ruining the economy, democratic institutions, social fabric and as well the judiciary," wrote Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Twitter. Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said ideology did not matter to Scindia, claiming that "political convenience" and "personal ambition" played a major part in his decision to quit the party. Chowdhury alleged that some sort of "allurement and enticement" offered by the BJP had convinced Scindia to switch over from the Congress. "It is sad news for the Congress party because Jyotiraditya Scindia had been nurtured by the party over the years," said Chowdhury. "He had been entrusted with important jobs by the party. But now the situation had come to such a pass that he found it more convenient to switch over to the other party." Senior party leader Jairam Ramesh said, "The father had once called the BJP 'deshdrohis' (traitors). Wonder what he would be thinking of his son joining that gang?" Congress MP Karti Chidambaram tweeted, "I understand ambition. But is ideology irrelevant?" Some leaders also voiced concerns over the state of the party. Haryana Congress leader and MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi said Scindia's "departure is a big blow" to the Congress. "He was a central pillar in the party and the leadership should've done more to convince him to stay. Like him, there are many other devoted INC leaders across the country who feel alienated, wasted and discontented," he said. "India's oldest party needs to empower young leaders who have the capacity to work hard and resonate with the masses." (With inputs from agencies) UPDATE: 8 new coronavirus cases pushes N.J. total to 23 State health officials on Tuesday announced the first coronavirus death in New Jersey as a 69-year-old man from Bergen County, while the total number of positive cases in the state increased to 15. We are sad to report the first death in a case of COVID-19 in New Jersey," New Jersey officials said in a statement. "Our prayers are with the family during this difficult time. We remain vigilant to doing all we can across all levels of government to protect the people of New Jersey. In addition, there were 20 pending tests at the state lab as of Tuesday with another 31 people considered under investigation, New Jersey Department of Health officials said. There have also been 44 negative tests so far. The 69-year-old man, who had pre-existing health conditions, died Tuesday morning, state health officials said. He is among the four new presumptive positive coronavirus cases revealed Tuesday from the states lab. The mans history included diabetes, hypertension, gastro-intestinal bleeding and emphysema, officials said. He came down with a fever and cough that were treated with antibiotics and tamiflu. When his condition didnt improve he was admitted to Hackensack University Medical Center on March 6. Though the man didnt have a history of international travel, he regularly went back and forth to New York, officials said. The other three new coronavirus cases include one in Bergen County and two in Burlington County. There are now coronavirus cases in seven of New Jerseys 21 counties. Officials declared a state of emergency on Monday evening to help coordinate the response. State health officials also advised residents to stock up on a 14-day supply of food and medicine just in case they need to be quarantined. The coronavirus outbreak in New Jersey has prompted dozens of school districts to close or call for early dismissals to either clean facilities or plan with staff to switch to online instruction. In addition, colleges in New Jersey have started to make announcements about schedule adjustments with spring break nearing. On Monday, officials announced five more positive tests, pushing the total at that time from six to 11: An 18-year-old from Clifton was exposed to coronavirus after having close contact on March 2 with a person in New York who was a known positive case. The Passaic County resident, who is not hospitalized, showed an onset of symptoms Friday. A 48-year-old Berkeley Heights resident was exposed to coronavirus after having contact with friends who traveled from Milan, Italy. The Union County resident showed an onset of symptoms March 1 and was hospitalized at Overlook Medical Center in Summit. The friends tested negative and the case remains under investigation. Officials called it an unusual case. A 27-year-old Little Silver man who attended the attended the Biogen conference in Boston from Feb. 24-28 showed an onset of symptoms on Feb. 29. Though he is not hospitalized, 170 conference attendees have tested positive for coronavirus. An 83-year-old Hazlet woman fell ill on March 3 and was hospitalized at Hackensack Meridians Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel. Its not known how she was exposed to the virus. A 30-year-old from Teaneck began showing symptoms on March 3 and was hospitalized at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck. How the person got exposed to coronavirus is not known. Prior to Monday there were six known cases in the state: A 70-year-old male healthcare worker from Teaneck, who was in stable condition in the ICU of St. Josephs Medical Center. He was admitted to the Paterson hospital Friday. He had an onset of symptoms Feb. 28, officials said. A 32-year-old man from West New York, who was in stable condition at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack. This man also has not completed a full interview and it is not known who in New Jersey he came in contact with after his onset of symptoms, also on Feb. 28, officials said. 32-year-old man who lives in an apartment in Fort Lee and works in New York City, where he has another residence. The man, a health care worker, had traveled to Fort Lee alone on March 1 and had no contact with any other people while in town, according to Fort Lees mayor. The man was being treated for the coronavirus in Hackensack University Medical Center. An Englewood woman in her 30s who sought treatment at Englewood Health Hospital in Bergen County. Officials said she was released from the hospital March 5 and is self-quarantined at her home. There was a gathering of 15 people at the womans home on Feb. 29; all of those people were told to self-quarantine. A 61-year-old man from Cherry Hill, who was admitted to Jefferson Cherry Hill Hospital on March 3 and was in stable condition, according to state officials. A 55-year-old Englewood man who was admitted to Englewood Hospital and Medical Center on March 4 and was in stable condition, according to state officials. The Englewood man attended services at Temple Young Israel in New Rochelle, New York which a number of of New York coronavirus cases has been tied to on Feb. 23. The Englewood man attended the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland, a spokeswoman for Gov. Phil Murphy told NJ Advance Media. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. 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 Oyo State Government says it has received 156,000 applications in the ongoing recruitment exercise to fill 10,600 teaching and non-teaching vacancies in the state public schools. The state Commissioner for Education, Olasunkanmi Olaleye, made the disclosure on Tuesday, while addressing journalists at the end of the weekly state executive council meeting. Mr Olaleye said 91,000 job seekers applied for the 7,000 vacant teaching positions, while 65,000 submitted applications for 3,600 vacancies in the non-teaching sector. He said the process for the conduct of Computer Based Tests (CBT) for all qualified applicants was ongoing, saying that the CBT would likely hold in April after thorough scrutiny of the applications. The commissioner urged all the applicants not to fall into the hands of scammers and fraudulent individuals claiming to assist them in getting job. He said getting the teaching and non-teaching jobs advertised would be purely on merit, stressing that competence and academic qualifications would be looked into. Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Health, Bashir Bello, said the state government had set aside five centres, where any suspected Coronavirus-infected individuals would be quarantined. He said the centres are State Hospital, Adeoyo, Ibadan; Jericho Chest Hospital, Ibadan; Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Ogbomosho; University College Hospital, Ibadan and Army Barracks Clinic, Odogbo. Mr Bello also said surveillance centres had been earmarked in each of the 33 local government areas, while rapid response department had been created in all the zones in the state. The commissioner said government was on high alert to curtail any possible outbreak of Coronavirus in the state, saying it had also notified all the hotels and hospitals on precautionary measures to adopt in case of any reported case. He further said government had intensified awareness in market and other public places to educate the people on the virus. Mr Bello also disclosed that the state executive had approved the purchase of 10 ambulances, including three that would be specially used for intensive care with required equipment. He said that the remaining seven ambulances would be distributed to each of the seven zones in the state to enhance healthcare delivery. (NAN) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Mar. 10 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Turkeys export of steel to Azerbaijan in January-February 2020 decreased to $14 million in value, which is 10.83 percent less compared to the same period of 2019, Turkeys Ministry of Trade told Trend on March 10. Turkeys export of steel to Azerbaijan in February 2020 also decreased to $7.1 million, which is 2.66 percent less compared to February 2019, the ministry noted. In January-February 2020, export of steel from Turkey to world markets dropped by 9.5 percent compared to the same period of 2019, amounting to $2.1 billion. Turkeys steel export amounts to 7.4 percent of the countrys total export for January-February 2020. In February 2020, Turkeys export of steel to world markets amounted to $1 billion, which is 15 percent less compared to the same month of 2019, and 6.9 percent of the countrys total export. From February 2019 through February 2020, Turkeys steel export has exceeded $13.6 million. Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 06:11:31|Editor: yan Video Player Close ALGIERS, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune approved on Tuesday urgent measures against the collapse of oil prices in international markets. The measures include arranging an additional budget, establishing Islamic banks and rejecting any move toward external borrowing, according to a statement issued by the Algerian presidency. Earlier in the day, Tebboune chaired a working meeting with the cabinet members headed by Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerrad and the central banker Ayman Benabderrahmane, the statement said. The meeting was devoted to "assessing the economic situation" in Algeria after the oil price collapse in international markets "due to the global economic slowdown as a result of the spread of the coronavirus," it noted. Tebboune called on the ministers to take all necessary measures "to limit the effects ... on the national economy." The Algerian president instructed the minister of finance to submit as soon as possible the first complementary financial bill (additional budget) "to include measures that would address the financial effects resulting from the current crisis." The minister was also tasked with "accelerating the path of establishing private and public Islamic banks." In addition, Tebboune instructed the minister of agriculture to increase national production with the aim of reducing the import bill of consumer products and animal feed, especially corn and red meat, by at least 50 percent. The minister of industry was asked to take necessary measures to achieve a national production, revive the mechanical industry and remove all red tape hindering the development of small and medium enterprises. As an economy fully dependent on oil revenues, Algeria has been struggling since the sharp drop of oil prices in 2014. People wearing masks to protect against coronavirus in central London (PA Images via Getty Images) A health chief has warned that the coronavirus outbreak could last months in the UK and that a vaccine may never be found. Professor Jason Leitch, the Scottish governments national clinical director, insisted concern about the risks posed by coronavirus is not being overhyped. He said escalation measures in the UK are looking inevitable, despite the British governments decision on Monday to remain in the containment phase of its response to Covid-19, the disease caused by coronavirus. Prof Leitch told BBCs Good Morning Scotland that it was legitimate for there to be concerns especially for at-risk groups and the outbreak would last months, not weeks. He said the decision to escalate the response across the UK would happen once there is sustained community spread, rather than a critical number of cases. Read more: Government has made 'serious mistake' in tackling coronavirus Just now, all 23 of Scotlands cases can be linked to travel or people who have travelled, he said. We know the route for everybody who has got an infection. When we stop being able to do that, which we think is now inevitable, we will have to do something different with society. Prof Leitch warned that scientists may not be able to find a vaccine for coronavirus. The reason people are sick is pneumonia and therefore you need to give their body time to recover from the pneumonia, he said. Read more: How UK response to coronavirus outbreak compares to EU This is not a bacteria, you cant give them antibiotics, and until we get a treatment which we may never get we have to support the individual to recover themselves. Empty shelves of a Tesco store in Leytonstone, London, as many people panic buy over coronavirus fears (Getty) Asked about people with underlying health conditions who are believed to be most at risk, Prof Leitch said: People should be behaving sensibly and normally with these health conditions. Millions of people live with chronic health problems all day and every day. Just now, the advice for these people is to go about their business as usual. Dont panic buy, make sure youve got your medicines in place, make sure youve got friends and family who can look after you and know where you are. Story continues England's deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries said on Tuesday that the start of the UK peak of the coronavirus outbreak is expected within the next 10 to 14 days. Watch the video below She said "many thousands of people" would contract coronavirus as the disease continued to spread in the UK. "We currently have relatively few cases here, which is why we are still in the containment phase," she said. "Large numbers of the population will become infected because it's a naive population - nobody has got antibodies to this virus currently. "We will see many thousands of people infected by coronavirus, that's what we're seeing in other countries, and the important thing for us is to make sure that we manage those infections." Ethel Schwartz Weinberg, 83, of Philadelphia, a physician who received approval for the first internship in acute care medicine, laying the groundwork for the specialty of emergency medicine, died Wednesday, March 4, of melanoma at her home. In 1970, Dr. Weinberg successfully appealed to the American Medical Association for the innovative internship program. The move grew from her belief that women physicians were at a disadvantage in the medical field because of their dual role as mothers. She noticed that while many trained for the profession, some were leaving to raise children. I was struck that we needed some form of training that did not require the traditional working hours of a resident and where there were part-time jobs available, she said in a biography on file at the National Library of Medicine. It seemed that acute care medicine in emergency rooms was a feasible idea. In 1968, she had joined the faculty at Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania. Her duties included medical staffing issues. She envisioned and created the internship while directing its Retraining Program for Women Physicians. It was not an easy sell. She met with the heads of the American Medical Association and the American Board of Medical Specialties in a Chicago hotel room. They told me that there was no such thing as acute care medicine, but 'if it would keep the girls happy, they would approve it," she said in the biography. At that time, hospitals were just starting to hire doctors specifically for emergency-room work. The internship program not only allowed women to get their foot in the ER door but also helped set the training standard for the new medical specialty. It shows that when she got involved, something grew, said Dr. Jerry Escovitz, her friend and colleague as a medical educator. At that time, 8% of doctors were women. She was a trailblazer, and she blazed a trail a lot more brightly than the average person. Dr. Weinberg went on to become a dean at Womans Medical, and that post led to more senior jobs in medical school and hospital administration. In 1974, President Richard M. Nixon appointed her to the National Library of Medicines Board of Regents. In 1980, Dr. Weinberg was named senior associate dean at Temple University School of Medicine, and in 1986 she became vice president for academic affairs at Baystate Medical Center, a training hospital for the Tufts University School of Medicine. She was named dean at Baystate in 1988. During her tenure there, she realized that there was a lack of appreciation for large, independent teaching hospitals within the field of medical education. In 1989, she formed the Alliance of Independent Medical Centers in Chicago to address the common interests of those hospitals. She was the first president of the alliance and remained its chair until 1994. The nonprofit has 80 member hospitals and health systems across the nation, said executive director Kimberly Pierce-Boggs. Dr. Weinbergs vision, passion, and leadership changed the landscape in 1989, and 31 years later we are a strong and deeply respected voice in the academic medicine community, Pierce-Boggs said. She was a force of nature and will be deeply missed. In retirement starting in 1996, Dr. Weinberg relocated to Chapel Hill, N.C. Returning to Philadelphia in 2010, she began volunteering at the National Museum of American Jewish History and organized an internship program that places college students at Philadelphia museums and cultural institutions during the summer. Ethel was a visionary in the true sense of the word, said her friend Judy Finkel, the academic liaison at the museum. She looked at life as the way things were and then proceeded to change and improve them as she envisioned. Born in Wilmington, she graduated from Hahnemann Medical College in 1961 and served a residency in anesthesiology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital from 1973 to 1975. Since her field was anesthesiology, not acute care, she didnt get to enjoy the internship she had created. She is survived by a son, David; a daughter, Diane; and four grandchildren. Her husband, Saul Weinberg, died in 2007. They were married for 48 years. A memorial service will be at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 21, at the National Museum of American Jewish History, 101 S. Independence Mall East, Philadelphia. Interment is private. Covid-19 updates: China reports zero cases outside Hubei as world steps up fight Iran Press TV Monday, 09 March 2020 8:20 AM China has reported zero cases of infections with the new coronavirus Covid-19 outside Hubei Province, the epidemic's epicenter, for the first time since the outbreak started in December 2019 and later reached other world continents, where the disease continues to infect more people and take more lives. The novel coronavirus, which first emerged in the city of Wuhan in Hubei, has killed more than 3,800 people and infected over 108,000 in at least 95 countries the majority in mainland China. The country's National Health Commission on Sunday recorded 40 new cases, down from 44 a day earlier, the lowest since Beijing first began to release data on January 20. Of the new infections, 36 were in Wuhan and the remaining four had been imported from Iran, one of the worst-hit countries. On Sunday, China also reported 22 new deaths which were all, except one, in Hubei, bringing the toll to 3,119. More than 80,700 people have in total been infected in mainland China. China closed several makeshift hospitals for coronavirus patients and some schools reopened on Monday as normality slowly returns to the country after weeks of battling the epidemic. Last week, a top government official said that a lockdown imposed on some 56 million people in Hubei since late January could soon be lifted. On the contrary, the global fight against the outbreak has been stepped up since the weekend as more people are contracting Covid-19. Italy Italy, which has stood alone as a hot zone in Europe, placed a quarter of its population on lockdown on Sunday. Health officials reported a huge jump in deaths from the disease on Sunday, with Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte saying that the country is "facing an emergency, a national emergency." Cases of coronavirus almost tripled from about 2,500 infections on Wednesday to more than 7,375 on Sunday across the country. The death toll also rose from 233 to 366, a rise of more than 50 percent in 24 hours. As part of effort to limit the transmission of COVID-19, Pope Francis recited the Angelus prayer via livestream on screens on Saint Peter''s Square in Vatican City on Sunday. The traditional Angelus normally attracts large numbers of people to Saint Peter's Square. "To recite the Angelus this way is a safety measurement to avoid overcrowding and the possible spread of the virus," he said. Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases has also been on the rise in all of Italy's neighbors. French health authorities reported three new deaths on Sunday, bringing the toll to 19. The number of reported infections also rose to 1,126 cases. The country, which is currently at a coronavirus alert level 2, has announced a ban on gatherings of more than 1,000 people. In Germany, fears of the virus' spread have prompted the government to call for the cancelation of large events. As cases reached close to 850 in the country, Health Minister Jens Spahn said Sunday that gatherings of more than 1,000 participants should be scrapped. In another development, Berlin and Paris withdrew their representatives from North Korea and closed their missions in Pyongyang on Monday, according to the British ambassador there. North Korea has not confirmed any cases of the coronavirus, but it has made foreigners from any country that has reported a case spend 30 days in quarantine. It has also reinforced border checks. Turning point nears in virus fight: South Korea Across the North's border, South Korea has reported 69 new cases. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said Monday the new cases brought the country's total infections to 7,382, while the death toll rose by one to 51. Authorities expressed hope on Monday that the country was nearing a "turning point" in the crisis as the rate of new infections fell to its lowest in 10 days on Sunday. Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip, however, warned that it was premature to say the crisis was over. "There are still many patients arising from Daegu and nearby regions ... and sporadic infections continue to emerge elsewhere, though they're not spreading as fast," Kim said. The South has imposed mutual travel restrictions with Japan in a move that has sparked a diplomatic and economic feud between the two. Seoul suspended visas and visa waivers for Japan on Friday after Tokyo announced travel restrictions from South Korea. According to data gathered by Japanese local governments, the viral infection has increased to 483 as of Monday, after three more cases were reported earlier in the day. A total of 14 people have also died from the illness in the country. Middle East In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has become the latest country to announce new cases of the disease. The Health Ministry said on Monday there were four new cases of coronavirus, taking the total infections to 11 in the kingdom. Kuwait said it had discovered one new case on Sunday, bringing the number of those infected in the country to 62, according to the Kuwaiti Health Ministry. Meanwhile, the number of cases in Lebanon and Palestine stands at 22 each. The total number of confirmed cases in Iraq climbed to 54 on Sunday, according to health officials, who also confirmed two further deaths due to the coronavirus. This took the total number of deaths in Iraq to six. Iran has been the worst hit country in the Mideast, with a total of 6,566 infected cases and a total of 194 deaths on Sunday. At least 2,134 people have also been released from hospitals after recovering from the illness. Egypt reports first death Egypt's Health Ministry reported the country's first death from the coronavirus on Sunday. It said that a 60-year-old German tourist, who had arrived in Egypt seven days ago and was taken to hospital in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada, passed away on Sunday. The ministry said in a statement that officials registered seven new cases - four foreigners and three Egyptians on Sunday. This brought the total number of confirmed cases to 55 in Egypt. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) reduces flights to a number of European countries and also cancels the second frequency of individual internal flights within Ukraine. "In connection with the recommendations of the governments of many countries to prevent mass events, restrictions on the intensity of movement between countries and the associated reduction in demand for air travel, UIA cancels some flights to Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Germany, Israel, Spain, the UK, Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Poland, Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Denmark, as well as the second frequency of individual internal flights within Ukraine," the company reported on its Facebook page. The company reports that it will inform the airline about its further decisions in the context of quarantine in Italy later. Passengers who left their contact details when booking will be informed of some changes in the schedule in advance. UIA recommends checking the status of flights a few days before departure on the website or calling the airline's call center. US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, surging in the polls and with several weighty endorsements in his pocket, and rival Bernie Sanders hit the campaign trail in Michigan on Monday on the eve of a primary vote in the key battleground state. Biden, 77, was joined at an event in Flint, Michigan, by Cory Booker just hours after the New Jersey senator and one-time presidential hopeful announced he was throwing his support behind the former vice president. "This could be the turning point not just of a primary campaign," Booker said. "This could be the day we turned a whole nation around." Michigan is the biggest prize of six states that hold primaries on Tuesday to decide on a Democratic candidate to face Republican incumbent Donald Trump in November. Speaking at the event with Booker in Flint, Biden said Michigan "is an important contest not just for the Democratic primary. "The outcome of Michigan in November may determine who the next president of the United States is going to be," he said. "We're not looking for a revolution," Biden said in a jab at Sanders, the 78-year-old senator from Vermont who is a self-described democratic socialist. "What we ought to be able to do is trust the water that comes out of the pipes," Biden said in a reference to a drinking water pollution crisis gripping Flint for the past six years. Sanders was campaigning in Detroit, Michigan, on Monday and held a roundtable with experts on the coronavirus, which has left at least 26 people dead in the United States and sent stock markets plunging. Sanders criticized Trump's handling of the crisis. "Donald Trump does not have a natural ability to understand the coronavirus and his reckless statements are confusing people in this country and all over the world," Sanders said. Booker, the charismatic former mayor of Newark who dropped out of the race in January, is the latest prominent African-American politician to back Biden's bid for the White House, his third following unsuccessful runs in 1988 and 2008. Story continues California Senator Kamala Harris, who ended her campaign for the nomination in December, also endorsed Biden, who served for eight years as vice president to Barack Obama, America's first black president, as did another also-ran, former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick. Booker and Harris, both touted as possible vice presidential picks for Biden, were to join him for a "Get Out the Vote" rally in Detroit on Monday evening. Biden leads in polls Biden has surged since scoring a decisive victory in the South Carolina primary on February 29, with endorsements from key African-American leaders helping him claim the frontrunner mantle in the race. Former Democratic candidates Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Michael Bloomberg and Beto O'Rourke have also swung behind Biden, seeing a moderate as having the best chance of defeating Trump. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who dropped out of the race last week and has a sizeable following on the left, has yet to decide whether to endorse Biden or Sanders. Tuesday's primaries will be the first one-on-one duel between Biden and Sanders since all the other major candidates dropped out of the grueling nomination battle that began more than a year ago. Besides Michigan, Democrats will also be voting in Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota and Washington. Michigan is shaping up as a must win for Sanders, who narrowly won the state over Hillary Clinton during his failed 2016 bid for the Democratic nomination. The latest polls for Michigan, however, have Biden with a lead of between 15 and 20 points. The latest Missouri poll has Biden up there by nearly 19 points while he leads Sanders by a narrow two-point margin in Washington. Sanders, desperate to reboot his campaign after losing 10 of the 14 states which voted on Super Tuesday last week, cancelled plans to speak in Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois in order to focus on Michigan. Sanders gained the endorsement of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson on Sunday. Jackson endorsed Sanders at a rally on Sunday in Grand Rapids, Michigan, repaying the Vermont senator for having supported his 1988 bid for the White House. "I stand with Bernie Sanders today because he stood with me," Jackson said. "I stand with him because he stands with you." Biden's Super Tuesday surge brought an influx of donations -- $22 million in the past few days, his campaign said in a statement Sunday. It said $12 million would be spent on hiring new staff and launching a major media campaign in battleground states. (AFP) A newborn girl has been dumped at a public bathroom in China during the coronavirus outbreak. The baby, not even 10 days old, was found crying inside a toilet cubicle on Sunday in Sichuan Province, according to state media. She was taken to a hospital to be quarantined. Doctors have given her a coronavirus test and are expecting the result. Footage trending on Chinese social media purports to show the girl crying while lying on the floor naked. The newborn, less than 10 days old, was discovered inside a public toilet in China Police have recorded the child's DNA information and are looking for her parents. The baby was discovered by a passer-by on Sunday night at a restroom in the city of Mianyang, reported China News. The onlooker, Mr Zhao, immediately alerted police and called for an ambulance. One officer, known as Meng, said: 'The person who called the police claimed to hear a child's cries upon entering the public toilet before discovering the baby.' Officer Meng said the baby was covered by a piece of blue-and-white cloth when they arrived. Paramedics performed preliminary checks on the baby and found her to be largely healthy. She was then taken to the Mianyang Central Hospital. Paramedics performed preliminary checks on the baby and found her to be largely healthy One police officer, known as Meng, told China News: 'The person who called the police claimed to hear a child's cries upon entering the public toilet before discovering the baby' The baby was under round-the-clock care in the quarantine units in Mianyang Central Hospital Footage trending on Chinese social media purports to show the girl crying while lying on the floor naked. One of the pictures released by Mianyang Evening News shows paramedics examining the girl in the toilet. Another image shows the baby lying in an incubator in Mianyang Central Hospital. Dr Wang Xiaoshuang, the chief physician at the department of neonatal care, said the baby had low body temperatures and sustained minor dehydration when she arrived. The doctor suggested that the conditions could be caused by the fact that she had been deserted for a long time. The baby was under round-the-clock care in the hospital's quarantine units. A passenger has his temperature checked at Changsha railway station in Changsha today The coronavirus has infected more than 80,700 people and killed at least 3,130 in China Wuhan and the rest of Hubei have been on lockdown since late January in a bid to curb the epidemic. Wuhan streets were still largely deserted on March 10 when Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived for his first visit to the city at the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic Medical workers gave her an X-ray scan on the chest as well as a nucleic acid test to detect possible coronavirus infection. The X-ray scan did not show any abnormality. The result for the nucleic acid test was yet to come back. Speaking to China News, officers from Mianyang Public Security Bureau urged the girl's parents to contact them as soon as possible. Under Chinese criminal law, any parents who desert their children can be imprisoned for up to five years. However, in reality, few of them are given punishment due to a lack of law enforcement. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 20:42:08|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close TOKYO, March 10 (Xinhua) -- A fresh emergency package was adopted by Japan on Tuesday to the tune of 1 trillion yen (9.54 billion U.S. dollars) aimed in part at supporting businesses reeling from the COVID-19 epidemic. The package includes 500 billion yen (4.77 billion U.S. dollars) in zero-interest loans for small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) suffering from cash-flow problems in the wake of the outbreak of the pneumonia-causing virus. Government officials also said Tuesday that the latest emergency package being adopted has also allocated funds to help support non-regular and freelance workers who have had to quit or postpone their jobs to take care of their children following the nationwide closure of schools amid the outbreak. The package will provide such workers with a daily subsidy of 4,100 yen (39 U.S. dollars), government officials said, to run through early April when the school closure period may come to an end. The government's first initial package launched about a month ago specifically made financial provisions for SMEs in Japan's key tourism sector which has been battered by the spread of COVID-19 infections, leading to inbound travel restrictions and the number of international and domestic flights being slashed by Japanese carriers. Non-tourism-related industries also hard-hit by the outbreak of the virus were also offered zero-interest loans totaling 500 billion yen, under the government's first emergency package. Other moves by the government to mitigate the downside effects of the COVID-19 epidemic spreading in Japan, include the Cabinet on Tuesday approving a special bill empowering Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to declare a state of emergency if necessary as the number of pneumonia-causing infections continue to rise across the archipelago. The bill, which will be effective for a period of up to two years, is a revision of an existing law on novel influenza and has been made applicable to the COVID-19. It will be valid until February 2022 as the COVID-19 was officially classified as a designated infectious disease in Japan in February. The bill is likely to clear the lower house of parliament on Thursday and the upper house a day later as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition holds a majority in both chambers. Under the new amended law, the government would have extended powers once a state of emergency has been declared for particular parts of the country. Regional governments will be able to instruct local people to stay at home, issue closures to schools and restrict the use of locations that facilitate large groups of people gathering together or cancel large scale events all together. Local governments will also have the authority to demand that supplies deemed essential to combating the spread of the COVID-19 be sold to them or requisitioned, and authorities will also be able to temporarily commandeer private land or facilities for the purposes of providing medical care. "Given that individual rights would be suppressed after an emergency declaration, I would thoroughly examine its potential impacts when making a decision," Abe told a budget committee session on Monday. As the new law could restrict some rights of the people, opposition parties have been concerned that checks and balances be maintained to ensure the freedom of citizens as much as possible. The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Democratic Party for the People, to this end, are of the opinion that Abe should seek the approval of parliament before being allowed to declare a state of emergency. As the government's efforts to combat the spread of the virus continue to be rolled out and evolve amid an ever-changing situation to cover both fiscal and health risks, government authorities and health officials reported there were 530 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infections in Japan as of 7:30 p.m. local time, with the death toll rising to 27. Of those infected, the majority were in Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido at 111 confirmed cases, followed by 86 cases in Aichi Prefecture. Sixty-seven people have tested positive in Tokyo, while Osaka has 55 confirmed cases according to the latest official tally. Kanagawa Prefecture, meanwhile, has 43 confirmed cases, followed by 23 infected people in Tokyo's neighboring prefecture of Chiba. Five members, including four children, of a family died and another was injured when a boulder hit a house in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district early on Tuesday, officials said. The incident occurred at Barmean village in Ramnagar area, following which the house totally collapsed and five family members were buried, according to officials. Locals and police rushed to the spot and recovered five bodies, and a injured person, Raj Singh, has been hospitalised, the officials said. The deceased have been identified as Sharda Devi (35), Aarti Devi (16), Anu Devi (14), Swani Devi (12), and Pawan Singh (10), they added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The coronavirus is deadly it will end up killing quite a few oldies but we (and the rest of the world) are making so much fuss about it mainly because its new. Thanks to that fuss, its likely to do more damage to the economy than it does to life and limb. How much damage we do to the economy and whether it lasts a few months or a few years will be determined largely by the way Scott Morrison and his ministers manage all the fuss: on the medical side and the economic side. Theres one sound medical reason for being concerned about the newness of this particular virus: as yet, we have no natural immunity to it. But dont worry, well get it in due course although well have calmed down long before that. The novel coronavirus, as the medicos call it, will have lost its novelty in a different sense. The news media are making a great fuss for no reason other than the virus newness. New is what news is about. Whats new is unknown and whats unknown is frightening. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 10 By Fidan Babayeva Trend: Misunderstanding occurred in some issues because farmers are provided with subsidies through the Electronic Agricultural Information System (EKTIS) for the first time in Azerbaijan this year, Chairman of the Azerbaijani Agrarian Credit and Development Agency (AKIA) under the Azerbaijani Ministry of Agriculture Mirza Aliyev said. Aliyev made the remark in Baku at the briefing dedicated to the instructions related to the issuance of subsidies, farm cards and sale of preferential fertilizers, Trend reports on March 10. Despite great raising awareness campaign, farmers still do not know about some rules, the chairman added. One of the main issues that confuse farmers is the liberalization of the supplier market. Although we, as farmers, create conditions for the registration of suppliers in Electronic Agricultural Information System, they must carry out their activities in the districts and promote it among farmers. We have posted a list of these suppliers and their contact numbers on our website, but besides this, they must improve logistics and relations with the farmers." However, the market of fertilizers and pesticides has been completely liberalized in the country, Aliyev added. Azerbaijani farmers are not used to buying a card. As is known, in accordance with the rules, only 25 percent of the subsidiary funds may be cashed out, the chairman said. Cash and non-cash funds are separately visible on the farmers card balance. A farmer who wants to buy fertilizers may pay 70 percent of the price of the product by using non-cash funds on the card. The remaining 30 percent must be paid in cash or non-cash form, Aliyev said. Until this year, in accordance with the existing rules for the sale of fertilizers, 70 percent of the price was paid directly to the state supplier. The farmer saw only 30 percent of the price he paid. Presently, these funds are transferred to the farmers in the form of subsidies." The new rules for subsidizing the production of agricultural products have entered into force since the beginning of this year. In accordance with these rules, agricultural subsidies will be issued to farmers through the electronic agricultural information system. The new mechanism related to agricultural support measures serves to increase accountability, transparency, ensure the efficient use of budgetary funds, as well as simplify the process of farmers' appeals and the provision of farmers with subsidies. Authorities said earlier that she initially told authorities her daughter was with her father, Ethan Perry, who is stationed with the Army in Louisiana, but that was not the case. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} In the motion to increase bail, which was filed Monday in Sullivan County Criminal Court in Blountville, District Attorney General Barry Staubus cited several factors, including that Boswell is unemployed, does not have a residence and has out-of-state contacts that could make her a flight risk. Fraley said she has contacts in Texas, which she visited last fall. C. Brad Sproles, a Kingsport-based attorney appointed to represent Boswell, wrote in a response to the motion that Boswell is not a flight risk because, among other things, she is a lifelong Sullivan County resident who has no prior criminal record. The State seeks to have the Court increase her bond based upon the anticipation of possible future charges, Sproles wrote. The States position is contrary to the purpose of a bond not being used to punish a Defendant, but to insure their continued appearance in court. This article is part of our latest special report on Museums, which focuses on the intersection of art and politics. For indigenous artists all over the world, the march toward representation in museums has been slow and not at all steady. It has come in fits and starts. In North America, Canadian institutions have generally made more sustained efforts at devoting space and resources to indigenous art than those in the United States. But that has been changing of late. A current show at the Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville offers American viewers a chance to see works by indigenous artists from a remote part of Australias Northern Territory known as Arnhem Land. Israel will require all citizens who return from abroad to self-quarantine for 14 days as a precaution against the spread of coronavirus, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. It will admit foreigners only if they can prove they have the means to self-quarantine, Israeli media said, adding this measure would go into effect on Thursday. All those coming to Israel from abroad will be placed in isolation for 14 days, he said on his Twitter account. Interior Minister Aryeh Deri said the measure would be effective immediately for all Israelis returning to the country. They will have to prove they have adequate accommodation to be quarantined during their stay in the country. After a day of complex discussions, we made a decision: everyone who comes to Israel from abroad will enter the 14-day isolation, Netanyahu said in a statement. This is a tough decision, but it is essential to maintain public health and public health precedes everything. He added the ruling would be valid for two weeks. The measure means some 300,000 citizens in a country of around nine million would need to self-isolate, Israeli media report. Israel has so far recorded 42 cases of Covid-19, and no deaths. It has already imposed restrictions on travellers arriving from several countries including Italy, the worst-hit European country. SOURCE: AGENCIES PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-10 23:56:23 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 885 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2020 / PROGRESSIVE PLANET SOLUTIONS INC. (TSXV:PLAN) ("PLAN" or the "Company"), an emerging leader in the commercialization of natural pozzolans, is pleased to present a corporate update on the company's activities.We are accelerating our efforts to commercialize our developing portfolio of natural pozzolan properties. In combination with these efforts, we are seeking to address the massive carbon footprint and requirements of one of the world's largest industriescement production.Research Partnership with University of AlbertaThroughout the world, fly ash is generated as a by-product of burning coal for electricity generation. Fly ash is used as a supplementary cementing material in blended cement mixes. The supply of fly ash is directly related to the amount of coal which is combusted in power plants which in many parts of Canada, and the world, are scheduled for decommissioning or already being decommissioned.In December 2019, PLAN announced a strategic relationship with the University of Alberta to conduct work with respect to improving the slump of the natural pozzolan from its Z-1 Quarry so that it possesses similar rheology to commercially available fly ash.We have received an interim report from the University which describes the work done to date. The slump has been improved with a combination of various inputs which will remain proprietary; however, one input in the blend which we will disclose is pulverized, recycled glass.The preliminary results are encouraging and in turn we believe there is tremendous potential for using waste material in a proprietary blend to create a high-quality supplementary cementing material (SCM) for the cement industry as a potential replacement for fly ash.The initial research trial is expected to conclude at the end of April 2020 at which time we expect to finalize our proprietary formulation for CSA testing. Once CSA testing is completed, we intend to begin production on a small scale to introduce our SCM to the BC and Alberta markets.Natural PozzolansIn the fall of 2019, we announced the option of the Z-2 Natural Pozzolan Property. In February 2020, we announced the option of the Z-3 Natural Pozzolan Property (Heffley Creek). These three properties form the core portfolio of natural pozzolan properties for PLAN.These three high quality properties near Kamloops, BC are all close to rail access to the Lower Mainland and Alberta.We are currently finalizing the 2020 exploration plans for both the Z-2 and the Z-3 and expect to commence exploration work in late April or early May with work commencing once the snowpack is melted and the ground is sufficiently dry to conduct field work.The intention for the Z-2 Property is to start to quantify the amount of natural pozzolan contained in an area of the property where we have already confirmed natural pozzolans occur.For the Z-3 Property, we intend to conduct soil work on the property while completing further testing in areas previously drilled by LaFarge Canada which identified natural pozzolans.For the Z-1 Property, our COO is working to renew the Notice of Work (license to mine the property) which is up for renewal in July 2020. In the interim, we will continue to draw down on the previously mined stockpile of natural pozzolan as required.Z-1 Zeolite for Denaturing CannabisPLAN is experiencing an increase in the volume of denatured cannabis it is collecting from its contract with one of Canada's largest extraction facilities. The success of utilizing our Z-1 natural pozzolan in the denaturing process has resulted in additional extraction companies requesting samples and pricing. We view supplying Z-1 natural pozzolan to denature cannabis as a growth opportunity in 2020.Comminution Toll ProcessingPLAN completed a small comminution contract in 2019. Comminution is the process of pulverizing rocks into fine powders. Based on industry feedback, PLAN intends to procure additional comminution equipment to enable it to respond to commercial demand forcomminution services. We are targeting soft rock phosphate and limestone companies. This same equipment is used for pulverizing natural pozzolans and will increase our capacity to process our own material. This complementary revenue stream will support our capacity growth for other core initiatives.Third Party Building Product DevelopmentOver the last six months, PLAN has supplied pulverized natural pozzolan from the Z-1 Quarry to three companies which produce cementitious products. In particular, we are jointly working on product development with one of these companies and on sharing the costs of CSA testing on the building product which we hope will ultimately contain Z-1 pulverized natural pozzolan as a core ingredient.Commenting on the recent activities and milestones, PLAN's CEO, Steve Harpur, said "We are very excited about the potential for our natural pozzolan assets and affiliated cementitious building products in development to contribute to the effort of reducing the carbon footprint of the cement industry. The PLAN team, which welcomed Mike Wypych as COO in February 2020, is accelerating our efforts to lay the foundation for significant commercialization and expansion in 2020."For further information or investor relations inquiries, please contact:Stephen Harpur, CEOsharpur@ progressiveplanet.ca Or:investors@ progressiveplanet.ca 1-800-910-3072NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.SOURCE: Progressive Planet Solutions Inc. Uh-oh! It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here. Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the Congress on Tuesday following a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and may join the BJP as the saffron party set in motion its plan to topple the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh to capture power there. Scindia, a leading Congress figure for years, drove down to the residence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the former BJP president who continues to drive his party's political affairs. The two leaders then went to the prime minister's residence where they held talks for over an hour. Soon after his meeting with Modi, the former Union minister tendered his resignation to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, saying it was now time for him to move on. The Congress also announced his expulsion for "anti-party activities" as the crisis looming over the Madhya Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Kamal Nath deepened. There was no official word on what transpired in the meeting but BJP sources asserted that the decision of the party's top two leaders to hold long deliberations with Scindia, the scion of the erstwhile Gwalior royalty with considerable influence in the region, underlined the importance they attach to him. The two top BJP leaders gave final shape to the modalities of Scindia's expected entry into the party. He is likely to be sent to the Rajya Sabha, sources said, adding that he may get a berth in the Union cabinet if his revolt against the Congress leads to the fall of the Madhya Pradesh government, as the BJP expects. The 49-year-old leader was long upset with the Congress as he believes that Nath and Digvijaya Singh, another party satrap in the state, were working in tandem to marginalise him. At least 22 Congress MLAs, many of whom loyal to him, have resigned to reduce the ruling Congress in the state to a minority. While the Congress, which was voted to power in the state after 15 years in 2018, has 114 MLAs, the BJP has 107 legislators in the 230-member assembly. Four Independent MLAs, two lawmakers of the Bahujan Samaj Party and one Samajwadi Party legislator are supporting the Congress-led government. As many as 17 MLAs close to Scindia went incommunicado on Monday, with most of them believed to be camping in Bengaluru. Election for three Rajya Sabha seats from the state is slated for March 26. Both the Congress and the BJP are sure to win one seat each, and the changing dynamics in the state means that the saffron party may eye to win the third seat. The Scindia family is one of the most distinguished political dynasties in the country and Jyotiraditya Scindia's decision has snapped its decades long ties with the Congress. His two aunts, Vasundhara Raje and Yashidhat Raje, are already in the BJP with the former serving as the Rajasthan chief minister for 10 years. His father Madhavrao Scindia had also started his political innings as an MP of the Jana Sangh, the earlier avatar of the BJP, in 1971 but joined the Congress later. His grandmother Vijayaraje Scindia had begun his political career as a Congress MP in 1957 and then joined the Swatantrata Party, now defunct, before she moved to the Jana Sangh and emerged as a leading hardline ideologue of the party. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The hunt is on for an Australian or New Zealand performer to spend up to 12 weeks at US comedy school, The Second Citys Chicago Training Centre. The Equity Foundation, supported by The Second City, CBS Television Studios, ITV Studios Australia, Media Super and Showcast is offering a once-in-a-lifetime scholarship. The prize includes an $AU20,000 cash prize, a week in Los Angeles with CBS Television Studios to meet with casting and comedy development executives, as well as attending a table read, run through and taping of The Late Late Show with James Corden. Were looking for students who are ready to learn our art form and dive into life without a script, or at least life where the script is built by the students and not someone else, says the Second Citys managing director, Rosie Chevalier. You dont have to worry about being funny; you only have to worry about being brave and committed. CBS TV Studios senior vice president of talent and casting, Matt Skrobalak, said, New Zealand and Australia have an amazing track record of producing unique comedy voices and performers like Taika Waititi, Chris Lilley, Rebel Wilson, Flight of the Conchords and Madeleine Sami to name just a few. CBS TV Studios is proud to be partnering with the Equity Foundation to discover, cultivate and promote the next great comedy talent. David Mott, CEO of ITV Studios Australia said, Were delighted to support this scholarship which is a wonderful opportunity for an up-and-coming comedy artist to build their skills. Upon their return from The Second City, our talented creative teams look forward to working with the lucky recipient to develop comedy projects for the Australian market. In order to apply for the scholarship, applicants* need to submit a self-test of a one to two minute video of a self-devised character/song/monologue/piece or an existing comedic piece of the applicants choosing, to the Equity Foundations website. Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Bill Murray, Mike Myers, Joan Rivers and Martin Short are among the comedic stars who have trained at The Second City, the worlds premier name in improv-based sketch comedy and education. It opened its doors as a small cabaret theatre nearly 60 years ago and now has a variety of theatres, training centres, and theatrical and touring Company ensembles all over the world. The Equity Foundation is the regions leading provider of professional development programs tailored to the unique needs of performers. Annually the Equity Foundation delivers more than 150 master classes, workshops, film screenings, in conversations, international scholarships and other events for Equity members in Australia and New Zealand. Media Super is the Principal Partner of the Equity Foundation. Media Super CEO Graeme Russell noted that there was nothing funny about the current gyrations on world share markets, so it was a welcome relief to be associated with developing the comedy skills of a member of our community. As the $6.5b super fund for performers, were proud to work with the Equity Foundation to provide opportunities for up-and-coming he said. *Applications are open to all Equity Australia and New Zealand members aged 19 years and over. Applications close close Sunday April 5 at 6pm AEST. SIOUX CITY -- Sioux City Community School District Superintendent Paul Gausman in a Monday meeting again asserted that an outside consulting firm will conduct a fair and detailed review of the reportedly problematic climate at West Middle School, and two school board members volunteered to join the process of vetting study questions to get greater buy-in from teachers. "Why wouldn't we be involved?" asked Sioux City School Board member Monique Scarlett, who was the first to raise the possibility of having board member input with the consulting firm. Some board members said they wanted to not get too hands-on with the consulting inquiry, so they could focus on weighing in at the end by addressing solutions. But ultimately, as the issue was talked out, the consensus was that Scarlett and board member Ron Colling, a former teacher, work with the K12 Insight firm to vet questions that will be posed to West Middle School personnel. "We are trying to rebuild some trust here," said board member Dan Greenwell, who was the first to go along with Scarlett's idea of having board members be involved. Scarlett said that was warranted, because "it is alarming" for her to get many evening calls from West Middle teachers and others in the school who said they may resign. Gausman was giving an update on a topic that has been aired for three months in school board meetings, following a group of West Middle personnel who got together in December and informed board members about what they see as a poor environment in terms of leadership, morale and discipline at the school. Sioux City School Board members Greenwell and Taylor Goodvin have been critics of the district choosing K12 Insight, a firm headquartered just outside Washington, D.C. -- a firm that touts itself as "help(ing) school leaders turn every day interactions into exceptional experiences" -- as the consultant. Two weeks ago Gausman said he would soon work out a contract with K12 Insight to work as consultants looking at West Middle. He has favored hiring an outside consultant for a clean look and to obtain actual data on what's happening in West Middle at a time when emotions are running high. Board members in early January said they had heard complaints from teachers about a vexing environment at West Middle School, and an eight-page summary was shared in a meeting. A printed listing reportedly came out of a meeting of West Middle School teachers in December during holiday break. The report at one point says "student behaviors are out of control, and contagious," as "admins (administrators) will no longer discipline" and "teachers let things slide because there is no time for all of the documentation," according to a copy of the document obtained by The Journal. The summary also said the lunchroom atmosphere approximates a "war zone," there are an insufficient number of counselors, punishments aren't sufficient to match extreme student behaviors, and some parents are feared and catered to by administrators. Gausman said the Sioux City Education Association, the local union that represents the district's teachers, was involved in the background work in assessing the two finalists for consultants. On Monday, Gausman said no one at West Middle School will be forced to participate in questions from K12 Insight, and confidentiality will be ensured when the survey takes place by the end of March. "The administration will not know who participated in what fashion ... Their answers are given in confidence," he said. Board president Jeremy Saint added about the entire process that will play out, "I hope that we will be able to extract things that will be useful ... That we'll end up with good ideas." Other issues have been raised at West Middle, as at the board meeting two weeks ago the mother of a sixth-grade girl who suffered a broken arm and elbow after two other girls at West Middle School pressured her into a Skull Breaker Challenge has criticized district leaders, claiming a distracted physical education teacher should have intervened in the dangerous viral prank. The mother complained to board members that the district did not report the incident to her, and her daughter did not receive immediate medical care at the school. The Skull Breaker Challenge, which is popular on the video-sharing social media platform TikTok, has been linked to student injuries across the country, with many unsuspecting students ending up in emergency rooms with serious head injuries. Love 2 Funny 1 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 22:08:49|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close HAVANA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero said here on Monday that COVID-19 is a potential threat for the country, suggesting the Cuban people prepare and not make unnecessary overseas trips. "Novel coronavirus has not entered the country. In case it happens, the population will be immediately informed," Marrero said during a TV address. "We must pay attention to novel coronavirus spread and work to prevent or tackle its outbreak, if necessary." He commended the huge efforts made by the Chinese government in fighting the novel coronavirus and its valuable experience in handling the epidemic. Marrero also highlighted the importance of social organizations, trade unions and universities on information dissemination about the disease. Meanwhile, Cuban Public Health Minister Jose Angel Portal said all suspected COVID-19 patients in the country have tested negative. "Cuba has the capacity to diagnose patients infected with the novel coronavirus nationwide. Three medical laboratories were set up in the provinces of Havana, Santa Clara and Santiago de Cuba to test samples coming from the western, central and eastern regions," he said. Portal said 3,200 beds and intensive care units are now available for the treatment of the novel coronavirus in hospitals across the island. "Cuba is increasing preventive measures and passenger control at the airports, ports and marinas," he added. Roberto Morales Ojeda, Cuba's deputy prime minister, said that Cuba would not have enough face masks to supply the whole population, as a result of a global scarcity and the economy blockade imposed by the United States. Brian Head Welch opens wellness centers to help others find healing, body, mind, and spirit Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Evangelist and rock star Brian "Head" Welch announced the opening of a series of wellness centers to help others find healing. Named Zivel, the performance and recovery suites are designed to help people function at their best. Some of the services included at the facilities are saltwater floating, cryotherapy, infrared sauna, oxygen therapy and compression therapy. Welch, who is a member of the popular rock band Korn, is a recovering drug addict who has found solace in his Christian faith and is receiving therapy similar to what he offers at his wellness centers. "In 2005, I found healing after years of struggling with addiction, depression, and suicidal ideation," Welch said in a statement. "I consider myself extremely blessed to have been made whole body, mind and spirit and I've devoted my life to help others find the healing they deserve." "The most exciting thing for me about Zivel is that our services can help revitalize every part of a person's life, body, mind and spirit, which again, is what I feel is my life's purpose." Welch developed the facility with Dr. Matt ONeill, a physical therapist he first met in 2017 when the doctor went on tour with the band to help them decompress during their gruesome tour schedule. They first launched a parent company in 2018 and Zivel was registered as an LLC later that year. The spa-like facilities are now opened in Bakersfield, California; Spring Hill, Tennessee; and Melbourne, Florida. Facilities are also planned for Texas, Georgia, Washington State, Arizona, and an additional location in Florida. Our goal is to open locations in every state, and eventually around the world to help people young and old. Because Zivel is more than just another spa offering, it is a way of life, where we truly believe that everyone should be treated and feel like a rock star, ONeill and Welch shared in the statement. Welch is gearing up to hit the road with Korn this summer. Two Algerian soldiers were killed on Saturday during a combing operation in the Chlef region (203 km from Algiers), the Algerian Ministry of National Defense announced on Sunday. The ministry said during a search and combing operation carried out by a detachment of the National Peoples Army in the locality of Beni-Bouateb, wilaya of Chlef, a homemade bomb exploded killing two soldiers. On Monday, a soldier and an alleged jihadist were killed in a shootout in the town of Tafasour, near Sidi Belabbes, about 520 kilometers west of the capital. On February 11, a suicide bomber aboard a car bomb detonated his explosives while trying to forcefully enter a military base located at Bordj Badji Mokhtar, in the Timiaouine border area, more than 1,700 km south of Algiers, according to the Algerian Ministry of Defense. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the suicide attack, in which an Algerian soldier was killed. The activity of radical Islamist movements has increased in recent years in the Sahel countries, as well as in the vast desert territory in southern Algeria. Instability in Libya, Nigeria and Mali aggravated the situation. According to the Algerian Defense Ministry, security forces killed 15 suspected terrorists in 2019 and arrested 28 others, in addition to the destruction of a hundred pillboxes, the seizure of 750 homemade bombs and 1,900 kilos of explosive materials. Yve Digital, a distribution and online marketing company has held its third music and money conference at the Hilla Liman Hall, University of Ghana. The conference aimed at sensitizing musicians on ways of making money through the digital online space like includes facebook, soundcloud, audiomack, among others. Speaking to the media after the conference, Mr. Kwame Baah, Content Manager of Yve Digital, said his outfit looks to spread its tentacles across the country and teach musicians on the need to capitalize on the digital space. "The music and money conference seeks to teach upcoming musicians and content creators the skills and tools needed to become successful in the online marketing space. "We engaged them in topics which include branding, planning, execution and promotion techniques in the online space and hopefully it could impact significantly on their knowledge about the digital space," he said. The music and money Workshop which started in 2019 has seen some massive participation by lots of Ghanaian artistes. 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 There's no doubt that money can be made by owning shares of unprofitable businesses. For example, biotech and mining exploration companies often lose money for years before finding success with a new treatment or mineral discovery. Having said that, unprofitable companies are risky because they could potentially burn through all their cash and become distressed. So should Murray Cod Australia (ASX:MCA) shareholders be worried about its cash burn? In this report, we will consider the company's annual negative free cash flow, henceforth referring to it as the 'cash burn'. First, we'll determine its cash runway by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves. Check out our latest analysis for Murray Cod Australia When Might Murray Cod Australia Run Out Of Money? A company's cash runway is the amount of time it would take to burn through its cash reserves at its current cash burn rate. Murray Cod Australia has such a small amount of debt that we'll set it aside, and focus on the AU$15m in cash it held at December 2019. In the last year, its cash burn was AU$5.6m. Therefore, from December 2019 it had 2.6 years of cash runway. Arguably, that's a prudent and sensible length of runway to have. You can see how its cash balance has changed over time in the image below. ASX:MCA Historical Debt, March 10th 2020 How Well Is Murray Cod Australia Growing? Some investors might find it troubling that Murray Cod Australia is actually increasing its cash burn, which is up 19% in the last year. The silver lining is that revenue was up 23%, showing the business is growing at the top line. Considering the factors above, the company doesnt fare badly when it comes to assessing how it is changing over time. In reality, this article only makes a short study of the company's growth data. This graph of historic earnings and revenue shows how Murray Cod Australia is building its business over time. How Easily Can Murray Cod Australia Raise Cash? Even though it seems like Murray Cod Australia is developing its business nicely, we still like to consider how easily it could raise more money to accelerate growth. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. Many companies end up issuing new shares to fund future growth. We can compare a company's cash burn to its market capitalisation to get a sense for how many new shares a company would have to issue to fund one year's operations. Story continues Murray Cod Australia's cash burn of AU$5.6m is about 7.7% of its AU$73m market capitalisation. That's a low proportion, so we figure the company would be able to raise more cash to fund growth, with a little dilution, or even to simply borrow some money. Is Murray Cod Australia's Cash Burn A Worry? It may already be apparent to you that we're relatively comfortable with the way Murray Cod Australia is burning through its cash. In particular, we think its cash runway stands out as evidence that the company is well on top of its spending. Although its increasing cash burn does give us reason for pause, the other metrics we discussed in this article form a positive picture overall. Considering all the factors discussed in this article, we're not overly concerned about the company's cash burn, although we do think shareholders should keep an eye on how it develops. Readers need to have a sound understanding of business risks before investing in a stock, and we've spotted 5 warning signs for Murray Cod Australia that potential shareholders should take into account before putting money into a stock. If you would prefer to check out another company with better fundamentals, then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt or this list of stocks which are all forecast to grow. 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. This is an opinion column. If this were the Three Little Pigs, Ohio is building its polling places out of bricks. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is taking coronavirus seriously and has planned ahead of an outbreak rather than waiting for one to strike. Ohio is getting ready. Alabama insists this Big Bad Coronawolf is so overblown. In Ohio, LaRoses office is taking steps to protect the public and poll workers. Theyre making sure citizens can safely exercise their right to vote while not compromising their personal safety. Here are a few of the things Ohio is doing right. They are moving polling places out of senior citizen centers and other places where those at a higher risk of the disease could be exposed. They are encouraging citizens to vote early or vote by mail both options Alabama doesnt have. They are implementing curbside drop-off for absentee ballots. They are taking steps to keep voting machines clean and to protect the health of poll workers who if you havent noticed at your polling place, typically arent spring chickens. None of these measures is crazy. None of these measures is panic-inducing. None of these measures is especially expensive. In an earlier time, you might have even called these steps conservative. And before I forget LaRose is a Republican. This isnt partisan. Not there, at least. While a few of Ohios steps will require public employees to work a little harder, its a cheap insurance policy that protects voters most precious right. But here? Such things are crazy talk. Alabama has a runoff election in three weeks. But when I asked Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill about our plan in case coronavirus spreads, he tried to shut the conversation down. Not only would he not answer the question, but he seemed to get mad that Id even asked. Im going to tell you why were not going to talk about that, Merrill said. Because we dont need for people to be concerned about something that may not ever happen. The story that youre thinking about writing is not even important. I hope for all our sakes that hes right. But if hes not, then what happens? We follow the lead of the governor, Merrill said. We follow the lead of (State Health Officer) Dr. Scott Harris. We follow the lead of the Alabama Department of Health. When they tell us that we have a concern. Thats when well introduce that to everybody. I asked him what the that was theyd introduce. Is there a secret plan? Well respond, he said. How? Well respond accordingly based on what information we have, he said. Merrill wouldnt tell me any more than that. We dont have any (coronavirus cases) yet, he said. So we dont need to have our people have an increased level of anxiety. Three weeks ago, Italy had three reported coronavirus cases. Today that country is under lockdown, its hospitals are overrun, and its quarantined from the rest of the world. If theres anything weve learned about this virus, its that it moves fast and its better to be prepared today than sorry later. For now, Alabama is doing nothing. Merrill insisted several times theres nothing to stop anyone from voting absentee. If you want to vote absentee, you can go vote absentee right now, he said. Only, in Alabama, we dont have no-excuse absentee voting, so thats not true for everybody, or even most people. None of the legally acceptable excuses would cover someone who has to self-quarantine or someone who doesnt want to expose themselves in a crowded setting on Election Day. Were not prepared. We could change that, though. The Alabama Legislature is in session right now. The governor and lawmakers could start fixing these problems today. Or Merrill could share the plan, if there is a plan. Or just borrow someone elses. But he wont. Because Merrill isnt LaRose. And this aint Ohio. Its Alabama, where we dont build our houses out of bricks. Or sticks. Or straw. Heck, we dont even have a house. Kyle Whitmire is the state political columnist for the Alabama Media Group. You can follow his work on his Facebook page, The War on Dumb. And on Twitter. And on Instagram. The War on Dumb is a thing on Facebook now, too. Expect better, demand better, come help Alabama do better. https://t.co/B2JeYkFWSf pic.twitter.com/GugqXDdsMC Kyle Whitmire (@WarOnDumb) December 18, 2019 More columns by Kyle Whitmire We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Its what all of San Antonio wants to know: Will Fiesta be canceled because of the new coronavirus? So far, no even after the cancellation of Austins South by Southwest Festival last week. But Fiesta is still five weeks away, and so while none of the 113 Fiesta events scheduled for next month has been canceled, organizers of the 129th edition of the 11-day citywide party are warily watching as the COVID-19 outbreak continues to unfold. A decision to cancel Fiesta, to be held from April 16 to 26, would come from Mayor Ron Nirenberg in consultation with San Antonio Metropolitan Health District officials, according to Fiesta Commission executive director Amy Shaw. Shaw, along with representatives from most Fiesta organizations, attended a meeting about the coronavirus with city and health department officials Monday, where, she estimated, there were about 100 people. Well do whatever the city and public health officials tell us to do, said Shaw, who explained that the Fiesta Commission does not have the authority to unilaterally cancel Fiesta. Obviously, the health and well-being of our attendees is our No. 1 concern. But absent a single case of community transmitted disease, its too early to make a decision to cancel. On Monday, Nirenberg released a statement that read, in part, We are closely monitoring the coronavirus situation and will continue to do so daily. The start of Fiesta is more than five weeks away, and I will ensure that our decision is informed by the latest guidance from our health professionals on how we best keep our community safe. On ExpressNews.com: The worst myths and misinformation about coronavirus Aside from the mayors statement, City Hall and Metro Health officials did not respond to specific questions or grant interviews Monday about Fiesta. Still, San Antonians have taken to social media to express their Fiesta cancellation fears, with memes such as a battle scene from the movie Braveheart with text that reads, Me and my crew ready to protect our FIIIEEESSSTTTAAA!!! and a scene from Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby with the text, Dear sweet 6 pound baby yoda, please dont let them cancel FIESTA. The last time Fiesta was canceled was from 1942 to 1944, during World War II. One reason Fiesta is still moving forward, even after SXSW was canceled, is that the two events attract two different audiences, Shaw said. While 75 percent of Fiesta attendees live within 50 miles of San Antonio, more than 75 percent of SXSW attendees come from outside Texas, with 26 percent of those coming from another country, where the disease might be more prevalent. Were Fiesta to be canceled, the blow to many area nonprofits would be huge, as many build their entire annual budgets around funds raised during Fiesta. Each year, for example, A Night in Old San Antonio raises $1.5 million for the San Antonio Conservation Society. Without that money, said chairwoman Terry Schoenert, the organization would be looking at making staff cuts, eliminating grants and dropping programs such as heritage education tours. Cancellation also would mean that more than 60,000 Fiesta Oyster Bake attendees wouldnt be able to pay to consume 36,000 chickens on a stick, 22,000 gallons of beverages, 4,000 ears of corn and up to 100,000 oysters during the two-day event at St. Marys University on the West Side. That would severely impact the St. Marys University Alumni Associations ability to fund student scholarships, according to an email from Steve Rosenauer, executive director of the event. On ExpressNews.com: Commentary: Coronavirus is the consequence of ignoring science Its also unclear if some events would still go one without the Fiesta banner in case of cancellation. Fiesta Cornyation donates more than $200,000 annually to AIDS-related charities and student scholarships raised from proceeds from its three-day satirical show at the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre, a privately owned facility. Ray Chavez, the groups executive director and a board member, said there would be a board meeting this week in which that possibility will be discussed. Were not the only organization that supports (AIDS-related) programs, but if we had to cancel Cornyation, it would be a big blow to them, Chavez said. While most tickets sold to Fiesta events are nonrefundable, Shaw said that if the event were canceled, she would hope that some accommodation could be made, although each event is run by a different organization. But so far, groups are already making preparations for dealing with the large crowds that Fiesta attracts. NIOSA, for example, will have more hand sanitizers available than ever before, Schoenert said. We normally have it for the food servers, but this year well have it for attendees, too, she said. Staff writer Peggy OHare contributed to this report. Richard A. Marini is a features writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | rmarini@express-news.net | Twitter: @RichardMarini She recently baffled her followers when, along with fellow Love Island star Georgia Harrison, she revealed an unlikely friendship with movie star Rebel Wilson. And Montana Brown gave her fans more to admire today as she showed off two sizzling new bikini designs she will be adding to her Swim Society collection. The former Love Island star, 24, looked sensational as she struck a series of poses in a new pink polka dot bikini which showed off her svelte figure and taut abs. Itsy bitsy teeny weeny pink polka dot bikini: Montana Brown gave her fans more to admire today as she showed off two sizzling new bikini designs she will be adding to her Swim Society collection She posted another two pictures of her in a gorgeous yellow string bikini and flaunted her toned body. The bikinis are designed to suit all body types and go up to a size 20. The reality star was recently seen posing in a skimpy red string bikini as she stood on the snow-capped peaks of California's Mammoth Mountain. The former Love Island star, 24, looked sensational as she struck a series of poses in a new pink polka dot bikini which showed off her svelte figure and taut abs. She posted another two pictures of her in a gorgeous yellow string bikini and flaunted her toned body She posted the pictures in the final hours of her late winter getaway, pairing the flattering two-piece from her range with a pair of black snow boots. Shielding her eyes with a pair of mirrored sunglasses, Montana captioned the images: 'Swim Society takes Mammoth Film Festival.... I got brain freeze trying to think of this caption so thats all you get.' Montana and her fellow Love Island pal Georgia showed that they have Hollywood in their sights as they took to Instagram to boast of their unlikely friendship with movie star Rebel Wilson. Sensational: The reality star was recently seen posing in a skimpy red string bikini as she stood on the snow-capped peaks of California's Mammoth Mountain Say what? Montana and her pal Georgia Harrison have Hollywood in their sights as they took to Instagram 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. 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. As the new coronavirus continues to proliferate in New York, residents may be curious about what measures local, state and federal governments can take in response. This week, the Italian government announced a quarantine of the country. Theaters, museums and gyms are closed and civil ceremonies including funerals are canceled. Could something like that happen in the Empire State? The answer, at least legally, is almost certainly yes. The government is generally given wide latitude by the courts to act decisively during emergencies. This is not to say that the government is completely unconstrained, but these constraints are political rather than legal. And at the federal level, the concern may be that because of President Donald Trumps obsession with the short-term state of the economy, the government will do too little rather than too much. Lets start at the state and local level. While the U.S. Constitution explicitly and implicitly limits federal power, the states retain their broad police powers that is, the power to regulate the health, safety and morals of the people under their jurisdiction. The implications of the spread of the new coronavirus are a quintessential subject for the exercise of the police power. So long as the state or local actions taken in response to a crisis dont violate the equal protection or due process clauses of 14th Amendment or the parts of the Bill of Rights that now apply to the states, such as the right to free speech, they are permitted by the Constitution. History indicates that the courts will be reluctant to second-guess the actions of state and local officials in response to COVID-19. Even during the periods when the courts have been most aggressive in finding limits to the police powers of state and local governments in the broad language of the due process clause, the courts allowed them broad discretion to act in response to health crises. In 1905, the same year the Supreme Court infamously struck down New Yorks carefully crafted law imposing a limit on the number of hours bakers could work, the court upheld a compulsory vaccination law in Massachusetts. In upholding the mandatory vaccination law, the court also emphasized that quarantines were well within the police powers of the state. It is extremely unlikely that contemporary courts would question this finding. As Cornell University Law School professor Michael Dorf observes, the question of the federal governments powers to deal with a pandemic is somewhat more complicated. The federal government does not have a general police power. It has, though, been able to pass a considerable amount of health and safety legislation through its power to regulate interstate commerce. One of these statutes permits the executive branch to issue quarantine orders to prevent diseases from spreading across state and federal lines. Because the COVID-19 pandemic originated abroad and is already spreading across state lines, it would certainly fall within the ambit of the law, which would authorize the Trump administration to issue quarantine orders. The constitutionality of this statute has not yet been tested. But while the current Supreme Court is less sympathetic to federal power than any since the New Deal, it is extremely unlikely that the court would rule that federal quarantine orders exceed the federal governments power to regulate interstate commerce. The courts four-member liberal block remains committed to the New Deal vision of expansive federal power. And its enormously unlikely that the conservative majority would find a Trump administration quarantine order unconstitutional, particularly given the courts general tendency to defer to the executive branch during times of crisis even when, as with the ban on travel from some majority-Muslim countries upheld in 2018, the emergency is mostly a figment of Trumps imagination. Although judicial pushback against quarantine orders from any level of government is unlikely, thats not to say that there arent constraints. Quarantines are highly disruptive and inconvenient, and they cannot easily be tailored to affect only people lacking in political clout. They also would have a deleterious effect on the national economy, which is of considerable interest to politicians seeking reelection. Which brings us back to Trump. Far from erring on the side of scaremongering or taking excessive action, he has repeatedly downplayed the risk posed by COVID-19. Some of this denial has been outright dangerous, such as his recently ordering the removal of language from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance suggesting that vulnerable populations and the elderly avoid air travel. One advantage of the federal system is that it will allow more responsible leaders like New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to take action if they deem it necessary. Broad quarantines are an extreme measure that should only be taken as a last resort but public officials shouldnt put their reelection prospects above the health of the public. WASHINGTON Intelligence officials told lawmakers behind closed doors on Tuesday that Russia was not directly supporting any candidates as it tried to interfere in the presidential race, an assertion that contradicted an earlier briefing and prompted accusations from Democrats that the Trump administration was politicizing intelligence. The I.C. has not concluded that the Kremlin is directly aiding any candidates re-election or any other candidates election, an unclassified summary given to lawmakers said, using shorthand for the intelligence community. Nor have we concluded that the Russians will definitely choose to try to do so in 2020. Speaker Nancy Pelosi challenged the officials during the first of two briefings on Tuesday, saying their assertions differed from a classified hearing last month where a top election security official discussed Russias preference for President Trumps re-election, according to three people present for Tuesdays session. The previous briefing drew angry responses from House Republicans. Mr. Trump attacked the briefings earlier in the day, accusing Representative Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California and the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, of dwelling too much on Russian election interference. There is another Russia, Russia, Russia meeting today, Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter. It is headed up by corrupt politician Adam Shifty Schiff, so I wouldnt expect too much! Three persons in Maharashtra's Beed district are under observation as they had traveled to Dubai with four persons in Pune who have tested positive for the coronavirus, a health official said here on Tuesday. The persons from Beed did not show any symptoms of the virus but were under watch as a precaution, he clarified. Three people tested positive for the coronavirus in Pune on Tuesday. All three had come in contact with a man and a woman who had tested positive a day earlier. According to health authorities in Beed, a group of 40 persons had traveled to Dubai and returned on March 1. Some of those found positive in Pune were part of the group. Three people -- two men and a woman -- from Beed were also part of the same group, said district civil surgeon Ashok Thorat here. These Beed residents were duly tested and were not found to have any infection, he said. "Still, as a precaution, we will be monitoring their health till March 28," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Iran has temporarily released 70,000 prisoners as part of measures to combat the ongoing coronovirus disease in the country. Iranian judiciary chief, Ebrahim Raisi, said on Monday, the country has temporarily released approximately 70,000 prisoners due to the coronavirus outbreak. This has become a necessary measure for the country to respond to the deadly coronavirus outbreak as new cases have been on the rise in the country, the official explained. Moreover, containing an epidemic outbreak in congested areas and places such as prisons can be difficult. Startling statistics So far, the world has eyes on three countries outside China Iran, Italy and South Korea as they are fast becoming hotspots of Covid-19. New cases are reported daily and South Korea has the most cases outside of China with roughly 7,500 infections. This is followed closely by Italy and Iran, which both had more than 7,000 cases as of Monday morning, according to data compiled by John Hopkins University. READ ALSO: As of Monday, data on the disease from John Hopkins University shows that the virus has infected more than 111,300 people around the world, killing at least 3,892. Also, over 100 countries, including Nigeria have reported at least a case of the disease. Outbreak At the onset of the outbreak, the Iranian government had downplayed the magnitude of the outbreak and refused quarantine as a measure to contain the spread. Several senior members of the Iranian government, including the deputy minister of health had been infected. Also, the government has been accused of downplaying the severity of the epidemic and not revealing the true extent of the crisis. Health experts fear the number of infections in the country is much higher than the official figures cited. Uttar Pradesh's could challenge, in the Supreme Court, the Allahabad High Court's Monday order for taking down hoardings here with details of anti-CAA protesters. Though no decision has been taken on the issue, officials went into a huddle soon after the verdict. The Chief Minister was in Gorakhpur on Monday, and a final decision would only be taken in consultation with him. Adityanath, however, commented on the issue. "The high court order is being studied. The government's first priority is the security of UP's 23 crore people... whatever decision is in the public interest, that decision will be taken," he said. Following the verdict, Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Avnish Kumar Awasthi met Lucknow District Magistrate Abhishek Prakash, Police Commissioner Sujeet Pandey and officials of the Law Department. The state government, which has been given one week to comply with the high court order, will also consult apex court lawyers about filing the appeal in the Meanwhile, the Chief Minister's media adviser Mritunjay Kumar, in a tweet, said: "The high court order on removing the posters of the rioters should be understood in the right perspective. Only their poster will be removed, not the cases filed against them." A section of Twitter users welcomed the HC verdict. Murshidabad (West Bengal) [India], Mar 9 (ANI): A day after the death of a man with suspected symptoms of coronavirus who was admitted in a Murshidabad hospital in West Bengal, Sanjeeva Kumar, Special Secretary (Health), has clarified that the deceased had tested negative for coronavirus. The man was admitted to the hospital's isolation ward with fever, cough and cold following his return from Saudi Arabia. The clarification by the Special Secretary has confirmed that no death due to COVID-19 has happened in the country so far. Meanwhile, the state government health officials have set up a temporary medical camp at Fulbari Integrated Check Post (ICP), scanning those entering India from Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. The Centre on Monday confirmed that 43 cases of novel coronavirus infection have been reported in India so far. The deadly coronavirus which originated from China's Wuhan has caused deaths of over 3300 people globally. (ANI) The mayor of Washington DC has told hundreds of people to self-quarantine after potential exposure to the first confirmed case of the new coronavirus in the nation's capital, identified as the rector of prominent Episcopal church. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Monday that anyone who entered Christ Church Georgetown on February 24 or between February 28 and March 3 is requested to self-quarantine for two weeks from the date of their entrance to the church. Rev. Timothy Cole, the church rector, announced Sunday that he was the person whom city officials had been referring to as 'patient 1.' He remains hospitalized and the church has canceled all activities until further notice. Cole has said he believed he had recovered from a common cold when he began to feel ill again in early March. He was diagnosed with the flu on March 3, but on March 7, he tested positive for coronavirus. Mayor Muriel Bowser (left) said Monday that anyone who entered Christ Church Georgetown on February 24 or between February 28 and March 3 should self-quarantine. Rev. Timothy Cole (right), the church rector, announced Sunday that he was DC's 'patient 1' The self-quarantine orders come as the virus continues to roil the normal routine in the nation's capital. A popular convention city and a springtime destination for hundreds of school trips and thousands of tourists, Washington officials have insisted that the city remains open for business. But tourism leaders admit that they expect virus fears to cut into the visitor numbers - including for the popular Cherry Blossom Festival, which starts on March 20. Officials on Saturday had announced the district's first positive test, but identified the victim only as a man in his 50s, later revealed to be Rev. Cole. A second local positive test involves a man who visited the Washington area from Nigeria, but he was being hospitalized in Maryland. Late Monday, the district announced three more confirmed cases, including one man who had attended Christ Church. The church's Facebook page said its organist/choirmaster was quarantined at home but feeling well 'given the circumstances.' District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser said Monday that anyone who entered Christ Church Georgetown (pictured) on February 24 or between February 28 and March 3 is requested to self-quarantine for two weeks from the date of their entrance to the church Dr. Anjali Talwalkar of the Washington Health Department said Monday that an exposure risk is defined as coming within six feet of a person with active virus symptoms. 'Several hundred people were potentially impacted,' she said. A Washington high school linked to the second case was closed Monday, though no new confirmed coronavirus cases have been reported. Three people who stayed at the same house as the Nigerian man who tested positive in Maryland were tested Sunday and all were negative. But one of them works at the School Without Walls High School. Bowser said the school was closed for a deep cleaning and to give time to communicate with staff and parents; she expects the school to re-open Tuesday. Two charter schools in Washington, D.C., also voluntarily closed Monday but there have been no reported or suspected virus cases linked to either. Several Republican members of Congress announced they would self-quarantine after coming in contact with an infected person during the recent Conservative Political Action Conference. Bowser said she was 'evaluating' whether to declare a 'public health emergency' if the virus continues to spread. As both a mayor and the de-facto governor of a quasi-state, Bowser has more powers than the average city mayor. Formally declaring a health emergency would enable her to impose quarantines and closures and also take steps to prevent price gouging on supplies, she said. 'I don't believe that's where we are right now,' Bowser said. Maryland has reported six confirmed cases. Virginia has reported three. Coronavirus: how big, how bad, and what to look out for Cases of illness from the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) disease, known as COVID-19, have been confirmed in more than 100 countries. Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause illnesses that can range from a common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The Conversation Africas Ina Skosana spoke to Shabir Madhi about the situation. What percentage of people who get the virus are dying from it? Is this high compared with other infectious diseases? Theres no straightforward answer to this question because the epidemic is still at an early stage. It all depends on what the denominator is, which influences the case fatality risk. And were still working with unknowns. The current estimate is that between 1% and 3% of people diagnosed with COVID-19 die. The problem with this estimate is that the starting point is when individuals have become ill, rather than when they were infected. The actual number of people who are infected might be much higher than the actual number of cases that are presenting for medical care. The implications of this are huge. For example, if the number of people who have been infected but havent gone on to develop the disease is high it would mean that the case fatality risk would go down. The numbers in Iran point to further difficulties with calculating the fatality rate. Initial reports from Iran indicated a case fatality of 10%. This seems very unlikely. This indicates that a large number of cases were going undetected and possibly that mainly very severe cases were being investigated. When investigating very severe cases the case fatality risk is going to be higher. A 1% fatality risk is moderate and is in the ballpark of other viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus associated with hospitalisation in children. It is, however, lower than the case fatality risk was for the coronavirus strains that caused the SARS epidemic in 2002 which was 10% and for MERS in 2013, which was about 35%. Nevertheless, based on current knowledge, the case fatality risk for COVID-19 is higher than observed for seasonal influenza virus, which has a fatality risk of about 0.1%. Annually, seasonal influenza virus is estimated to cause up to 290,000 deaths globally. Currently, the global number of deaths due to COVID-19 is approximately 4,100. Is the reaction overblown? No. Its warranted. This is because we dont know how this epidemic is going to pan out. So even if the case fatality risk is very low, if a high percentage of a population becomes infected that low fatality risk could result in a large number of deaths. For example, if an epidemic involves 100 people with a case fatality risk of 10%, 10 people will die. But if an epidemic infects a million people with a case fatality risk of 1%, there will be 10,000 people dying. The case fatality risk needs to be interpreted in the context of the number of individuals who are going to become infected to be able to understand the total impact of the epidemic. And right now we dont know what percentage of the different populations will become infected. Who is most vulnerable to dying from infection? Current experience which is largely driven by what has come out of China and more recently from Iran and Italy is that people over the age of 50 seem to be more susceptible, particularly if they have underlying medical conditions or co-morbid conditions. These include cardiac problems (case fatality risk 10%), diabetes and lung disease (case fatality risk of 7%). People over the age of 70 have a case fatality risk of 14%. The big unknown for Africa, particularly countries like South Africa, is what the impact will be on populations with a high prevalence of HIV and TB. The epidemic has only broken out in countries with very low HIV prevalence, so we dont know to what extent individuals living with HIV might have an increased susceptibility to severe disease. This is true of TB too. Because TB affects peoples lungs it means that people with the disease have a low tolerance threshold for an additional assault. In the context of HIV, we have shown that even in the era of antiretroviral treatment, individuals with HIV still have a 10-fold greater susceptibility to severe influenza illness than the general population, and a higher case fatality risk. We expect there may be differences in susceptibility and outcomes for COVID-19 cases in settings such as South Africa. What are the symptoms that should get me worried? The symptoms are very non-specific and very similar to other viral infections like the influenza virus. Unfortunately there isnt a particular trigger thats different to any of the other viruses. But people can be mindful of a few things. For example, their travel history to a place where the virus is circulating. Or whether the person has come into contact with someone who has visited one of the places where the virus has been shown to be circulating. Of course this isnt definitive. The classical signs and symptoms one can look out for include a fever, cough, headache and myalgia (muscle pain). Again these are very non-descript. What treatment is available? Currently theres no specific antiviral treatment to cure SARS-CoV-2 infection. Besides supportive care, no therapeutic agent has been proven to be effective in treating or improving the outcome of COVID-19 cases. There are clinical trials under way and others are being planned to evaluate different antiviral agents and other possible therapeutic options. The biggest concerns are about a more severe disease, where patients may end up with pulmonary damage which requires supportive care including supplemental oxygen and then might have to be put on to ventilator. Current estimates are that 15% of COVID-19 cases result in severe disease. Most low- to middle-income settings have fragile health care systems that lack resilience against external shocks such as the demands posed by unexpected epidemics. These countries may lack the capacity to scale up curative services over a relatively short period of time. Such a scale-up of curative services was undertaken in Wuhan to complement existing curative services. But a quick-fix solution to address an increase in demand for curative health-care services is unlikely in most African countries should SARS-CoV-2 start circulating widely on the continent. This is a culmination of the systematic lack of investment in health care in most countries. Its not something that can be rapidly fixed in the middle of a pandemic. Shabir Madhi, Professor of Vaccinology and Director of the MRC Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Bhopal: Jyotiraditya Scindias acrimonious exit from the Congress is significant for more reasons than one. The chain of events triggered by his resignation not only reduced the Kamal Nath government to minority, but has effectively severed all ties between the Scindia royal family and the Congress. The bitter divorce, set in motion on Monday evening when MLAs loyal to Scindia were whisked away to Bengaluru, is eerily reminiscent of the way the Guna royals grandmother Vijayaraje Scindia broke away from the Congress in 1967. Like today, the exit had resulted in the collapse of the DP Mishra-led Congress government, following which Govind Narayan Singh became the CM of a coalition government. Rajmata, as Vijayaraje was known, had lured away 35 MLAs from the Congress after tensions with Mishra came to a head. The trigger was said to be the then CMs criticism of royal families during a party workers convention in Panchmarhi. Apart from the Congress rebels, the Sanyukt Vidhayak Dal (Samvida) government which replaced the DP Mishra dispensation also comprised MLAs from the Praja Socialist Party and the Jan Sangh. The coalition government lasted 19 months and collapsed in 1969. Continuing in her footsteps, Vijayarajes son and Jyotiradityas father Madhavrao Scindia entered politics and won his first election, the Guna seat, on a Jan Sangh ticket in 1971 at the age of just 26. He contested the seat as an Independent candidate in 1977 and won again despite a strong wave for the Janata Party. Splitting the family ideologically, Scindia senior joined the Congress and won the Guna seat for a third time in 1980, while his mother became a founding member of the BJP and helmed its affairs in Madhya Pradesh. The wedge between mother and son widened when in 1984 the Congress fielded Madhavrao from Gwalior, the hometown of the Scindias, in a 11th hour move to defeat Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Madhavrao won the epic content. During this time, his sister Vasundhara Raje also joined the BJP. Scindia seniors own revolt against the Congress began in 1993 when he lost the CMs post to senior party leader Digvijaya Singh, a fate he seems to have passed on to his son who was overlooked for the states top job in favour of Kamal Nath in 2018. Madhavrao left the Congress to float his own political party, the MP Vikas Congress, and joined the United Front government in 1996. He eventually returned to the Congress and Jyotiraditya continued in his footsteps, winning the Guna bypoll following his fathers demise in a plane crash in 2001. Scindia junior won the Lok Seat thrice, but lost out to Krishna Pal Singh Yadav in 2019 general elections. The cold blow came months after he was denied the CMs chair in MP. With his entry into the BJP, the Scindia family now boasts of four BJP leaders Jyotiraditya, his aunts Vasundhara Raje and Yashodhara Raje, and Vasundharas son Dushyant who is the lawmaker from Rajasthans Jhalawar. Welcoming her nephews decision on Tuesday, Yashodhara Raje Scindia said, "Rajmata's blood took the decision in the national interest, the new country will be created, now every distance has ended. The U.S. sanctions on Irans oil sector are impacting the Islamic Republics ability to potentially increase production in the long term if the U.S.-Iran tensions subside and sanctions ease. Iran relies 100 percent on imports for oil rig equipment, but the sanctions have stifled such imports from the U.S. and Europe, Mohsen Mihandoust, a director at Irans Society of Petroleum Engineers, told Reuters in an interview published on Tuesday. Due to the sanctions, at least a quarter of the oil rigs, or 40 out of 160, in Iran are now out of workeither idle or under repairs, Reuters reported, citing financial documents and sources in the industry. Irans oil rigs will be inefficient or very old within the next five years, according to Reuters sources. With the U.S. sanctions in place, Iran doesnt have many options to repair rigs in the short to medium term because it cannot import spare parts. Even in the event of the U.S. lifting the sanctions, Irans oil industry may need years to recover its oil production to levels last seen just before the sanctions were imposed in May 2018. The U.S. sanctions on Irans oil industry and exports have significantly cut Iranian oil exports, as the United States ended in May last year all waivers for all of Irans oil buyers and is going after anyone dealing with Iranian oil. Iran continues to export oil, using all back channels it can think of. However, the primary buyer of Iranian oil under the no exemption sanctions, China, is experiencing an unprecedented slowdown in oil demand due to the coronavirus outbreak, so its not clear how much oil Iran can place with its key customer in the coming months. Meanwhile, the U.S. is now going after Irans floating storage. Washington plans to issue warnings to oil shippers, insurers, and port authorities that storing Iranian crude oil will bring the wrath of U.S. sanctions, a U.S. State Department official said on Monday. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The virus that causes barley yellow dwarf, the most widespread disease of cereal crops, manipulates its host plant and insect vector to promote its own survival, according to an international team of researchers. The group found that the virus raises the temperature of its host plants along with the heat-tolerance of its aphid vectors to create regions on the plants where aphids can feed free from competing insects. The findings could have implications for crop health as the global climate warms. "The effects of viruses on the thermal biology of vectors may be of particular interest in light of global climate," said Mitzy Porras, postdoctoral scholar, Penn State. "Some species may be more successful under warming conditions, and this raises urgent questions about which insect vectors will cope and how they will impact ecological communities and our food crops." To investigate the effects of BYDV on the thermal tolerance of aphids, the team used two strains of BYDV and two species of aphid -- BYDV-PAV, which is transmitted by Rhopalosiphum padi and BYDV-RMV, which is transmitted by a larger competing aphid species Rhopalosiphum maidis. "We found that in the absence of competition both aphid species preferred the stems on the lower, cooler sections of the plants, even when infected with BYDV," said Porras. "But when both aphid species were present, the smaller R. padi was able to move to the upper leaves of the plants where it was warmer." The findings appeared on March 4 in Nature Communications. Looking more closely at the thermal tolerances of each of the aphid species, the scientists placed the insects, both with and without viruses, onto a critical temperature maxima setup and slowly increased the temperature until the aphids stopped moving. They recorded the maximum temperature as the point when the aphids turned upside down and could no longer return to an upright position. Afterward, they returned the aphids to their plants to recover. They found that when R. padi was infected with the virus it tolerated higher temperatures than it did without the virus, and it also tolerated higher temperatures than R. maidis. An additional analysis provided further evidence that BYDV influences R. padi's thermal tolerance. It revealed higher expression of three heat-shock protein genes when R. padi was infected with the virus. "This enhanced thermal tolerance -- which was associated with higher expression of three heat-shock protein genes -- allowed aphids to occupy the higher and warmer regions of infected host plants when displaced from cooler plant regions by competition with the larger aphid species, R. maidis," said Edwin Rajotte, professor of entomology. "In other words, the virus increased the vector's fitness, along with its own chances of being acquired and transmitted to new host plants." Next, the team used infrared thermal imaging to examine the impacts of the viruses on the temperatures of the wheat plants. They found that infection by BYDV-PAV increased the temperature of both stem and leaf surfaces by 2 to 3 C, while no similar effects were observed for infection by BYDV-RMV. "Considering all of this data together, we show for the first time that a virus infection can increase both the host plant's temperature and the vector's heat tolerance, and that these changes allow certain aphids to occupy higher and warmer regions of infected host plants when displaced from cooler regions by competition with the larger aphid species," said Porras. ### The U.S. Department of Agriculture National's Institute of Food and Agriculture supported this research. Other authors on the paper include Carlos Navas, professor of biology, University of Sao Paulo; James Marden, professor of biology and associate director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Penn State; Mark Mescher, adjunct professor of biology, Penn State; Consuelo De Moraes, adjunct professor of biology, Penn State; Sylvain Pincebourde, researcher, Universite de Tours; Andres Sandoval-Mojica, postdoctoral researcher, University of Florida; Juan Raygoza-Garay, associate researcher, University of Toronto; German Holguin, professor of electrical engineering, Universidad Tecnologica de Pereira; and Tomas Carlo, associate professor of biology, Penn State. Posted on: March 10, 2020 2:41 PM Work to reinstate Christ Church Cathedral in the New Zealand city of Christchurch could finally get underway by Easter. The cathedral has been closed since it was partially destroyed in an earthquake in February 2011. The diocese had planned to demolish and rebuild a new cathedral on the site but a public campaign for reinstatement claimed victory after a deal involving the dioceses property trustees and synod, the New Zealand government and Christchurch City Council was agreed in September 2017. For the past 14 months, workers have been preparing the site by collecting and recording artefacts and securing it. Now, an application for resource consent the legal authority to begin work has been lodged with Christchurch City Council for the first phase of the work to reinstate the building. The application has been made by Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Limited, a joint venture company established by the diocese and the Crown the name used to describe the New Zealand government to manage the process. If granted, the permission for this stabilisation phase of the reinstatement will allow for the deconstruction of some parts of the building to manage collapse hazards and to allow access to the building for stabilisation works and for salvage and investigation works. The application also seeks permission to extend the boundary of the works site into Cathedral Square and the construction of a temporary two-story site office. The removal of the newer additions to the Cathedral is required to allow safer and faster access to stabilise the older parts of the Cathedral, the joint venture company said on its website. Without removing some parts of the building . . . the stabilisation and subsequent reinstatement works would take longer, cost more and require major interruption to the road network adjacent to the site, including pedestrian areas and the tram operation. Explaining the need to expand the site into Cathedral Square, the company said that the size of the Cathedral site is limited by the road boundary to the north, south and east of the Cathedral. The site is constrained. It is not safe to work in the collapse zone immediately around the Cathedral building until the most dangerous parts of the building have been deconstructed, removed or propped. Works will involve the use of large machinery on site. There also needs to be sufficient space for vehicles to access and exit the site safely, for site offices, and space to store some materials. For these reasons, the proposed site occupies more of Cathedral Square at the western end of the Cathedral. The construction site hoarding will move up to 12 metres into Cathedral Square on the western side. This increase is the minimum amount required to enable an efficient reinstatement. Cathedral Square will still be able to function in much the same way. The company said that it was beneficial to begin the stabilisation phase of the reinstatement even though the final plans for that are still being developed. The stabilisation design has reached a point where stabilisation can begin, once resource consent is granted, they said. Stabilisation is the first major step in the physical reinstatement process. It will protect against further earthquake damage, enable access to areas that are currently inaccessible. This will allow detailed inspections and investigations that are needed to inform the next stages of the project. Stabilisation will also help to protect the Cathedral from weather and to minimise any further deterioration of the heritage fabric. The work to reinstate the cathedral is expected to last at least ten years, with around 100 personnel working on the site. The High Court has rejected objections raised by a vulture fund to a personal insolvency arrangement (PIA) writing off 2m in debts owed by a publican. A judgment on the matter, delivered by Mr Justice Denis McDonald, is just the latest in a series of large write-offs approved by the court under legislation aimed at allowing debtors to keep their family homes and get a fresh start. Gary Hyde (51), a publican who has also been involved in boxing promotions, had debts totalling almost 2.85m. But under the PIA, which the majority of his creditors approved, over two-thirds of this will be written off and he will get a restructured mortgage for his home at Rathcooney, Glanmire, Co Cork. Some 589,915 was owed on the property to Promontoria Scariff DAC, an Irish affiliate of giant vulture fund Cerberus. But this debt will now be written down to the market value of 420,000, with repayments to be made on a tracker rate of 0.75pc over 21 years. Promontoria Scariff's objections to the PIA were the main stumbling block to the debt deal, but these were rejected by Mr Justice McDonald in a judgment delivered yesterday. Another property worth 425,000 is to be sold by a receiver, according to court filings. Beyond that Mr Hyde will have to contribute a sum of 2,093 to creditors under the arrangement, devised by personal insolvency practitioner Alan McGee. The debt deal also involved an interlocking application from Mr Hyde's wife Fiona. Secured creditors will receive a return of 35pc under the PIA, compared to 31pc if Mr Hyde was forced into bankruptcy. Unsecured creditors will get a return of just 0.1pc, but would have got nothing at all if Mr Hyde went bankrupt. According to court filings, Mr Hyde's main business, the Castle Inn in Glanmire, got into difficulty and he went through expensive but ultimately unsuccessful legal actions which resulted in the appointment of receivers and the sale of the business. He was unable to service debts on other investments and receivers were appointed to those also. After losing his livelihood, he fell into mortgage arrears. Mr Hyde's largest creditor was Everyday Finance, which was owed 1.78m. The next biggest debt was the mortgage debt owed to Promontoria Scariff. He also owed 326,300 to the Revenue Commissioners, 35,400 to GE Capital, 35,000 to Thomas Coughlan Solicitors and 17,100 to Cork City Council. Promontoria Scariff objected to the PIA, claiming procedural requirements under the Personal Insolvency Act were not complied with. It was claimed the personal insolvency practitioner had incorrectly classified a judgment mortgage creditor of Mr Hyde, GE Capital, as an unsecured creditor. This was an issue which would have had a bearing on the vote taken by creditors, in which the PIA was approved. But the practitioner's counsel, Keith Farry, said GE Capital had not itself chosen to raise any issue over its classification. He also pointed out that the issue being pursued by Promontoria Scariff was not raised in its initial notice of objection. In a written judgment, Mr Justice McDonald said he had "considerable reservations" as to whether it was open to the vulture fund to pursue the argument. Ultimately, he found GE Capital was correctly treated by the practitioner as an unsecured creditor for the purpose of the vote. For a PIA to be approved, it needs to be voted for by creditors with more than 50pc of the value of the secured debts and creditors with more than 50pc of the value of unsecured debts. The judge said both criteria had been fulfilled. Four security guards working at Dresden's Royal Palace are under investigation for their suspected involvement in the biggest jewellery heist since the Second World War. Germany was left in shock when priceless treasures including three sets of diamonds thought to be worth 1bn were whisked from the Green Vault of the museum in an early morning raid after a fire cut power to the building. Investigators have long suspected the robbers had inside knowledge of the layout of rooms where the treasures were kept and the museum's 'Fort Knox-like' security system. German Chancellor Angela Merkel standing next to museum director Dirk Syndram during her visit to the Gruenes Gewoelbe (or Green Vault) at the Royal Palace in the eastern German city of Dresden in 2006 Police officers working behind a taped off area at the Schinkelwache building on November 25 following the brazen heist at Dresden's Green Vault Two security guards who were on duty in the early hours of November 25, when the raid was carried out, are suspected of helping the thieves as they did not confront the robbers, the Guardian reports. They also called police to report the robbery instead of pressing a panic alarm, possibly costing valuable time and allowing the burglars to escape in a getaway car. A third guard, who was arrested on November 29, is thought to have passed on information about the museum's floor-plan and security measures. And a fourth guard is suspected of meddling with the alarm system, enabling the thieves to smash open the cases containing the glittering jewels unhindered. The suspects have 'behaved cooperatively', chief prosecutor Jurgen Schmidt told Bild newspaper, and 'initially said they wanted to speak to investigators, but subsequently they reserved their right to silence'. Seven people are thought to have been involved in the robbery. Stolen: A cabinet of 18th-century jewellery (left) which was smashed open and looted by burglars at a German museum at 5am on November 25, causing an 'immeasurable' loss The jewels were stolen after thieves set fire to a junction box, cutting power to the museum's alarms, then managed to get through a small gap in a grille of a window on the ground floor The pieces stolen from the Royal Palace that houses the historic Green Vault including a hairpin Maria Josephas (right) with large diamond by Johann Melchior Dinglinger from 1713 and reworked in 1719 is in the exhibition 'Splendor et laetitia' A hat clasp of the diamond rose set (left) and a Breast Star of the Polish White Eagle Order (right) that were stolen from the Green Vault. The Breast Star briefly resurfaced in January when it was offered to an Israeli security firm through the dark web A chain of 177 Saxon pearls (left) and a hair aigrette in the form of a crescent moon (right) that were both stolen from the Green Vault Museum directors have previously described the thought of thieves having inside knowledge as the 'worst thing imaginable'. They have appealed to them not to break up the stolen items - three jewellery sets commissioned by Saxony's former ruler Augustus the Strong as a show of power. However, experts fear the objects have already been destroyed as they are too recognisable to be sold on the open market. However, The Dresden White Diamond and the breast star of the Polish Order of the White Eagle both briefly resurfaced in January after they were offered to an Israeli security firm through the dark net for 7.9million. After disabling the building's power supply with a fire at a junction box, the thieves broke in through a window. Under cover of darkness they cracked open the display cases with axes before making off with the jewels. Police said they were called at 4.59am and arrived within minutes, but the burglars had already left in an Audi A6. Picking through the wreckage, state museum director Marion Ackermann said that diamond-encrusted shoe buckles and buttons, the queen's pearl necklaces and a diamond-studded sword had been left behind. 'The cabinets are not empty', she said, voicing the hope that some of the stolen items may yet be found. An aigrette for the hair in the form of a sun (left) and a jewel in palmette shape (right) that were stolen from the Green Vault in Dresden An 'epaulette' of the diamond rose set (left) and a jewel of the Polish White Eagle Order (right) that were stolen from the Green Vault The Dresden White Diamond briefly resurfaced on the dark web in January when it was offered to an Israeli security firm for 7.5million along with the breast star of the Polish Order One of the pieces (above) stolen from the Royal Palace that houses the historic Green Vault (Gruenes Gewoelbe) in Dresden Dresden's Green Vault takes its name from the green-coloured columns and decoration in rooms such as this one Treasures: Visitors look at the collection in Dresden's Green Vault which dates back to the 18th century and contains thousands of items The lost treasures have been likened to the 'crown jewels' of Saxony, and akin to the Queen's treasures kept in the Tower of London. Saxony's 18th-century ruler Augustus the Strong competed with French monarch Louis XIV to assemble the most extravagant jewellery, museum director Marion Ackermann explained yesterday, describing the items stolen as 'state treasures of the 18th century'. Augustus, who was elector of Saxony from 1694 to 1733 and also king of Poland for much of that time, established Dresden as a cultural centre and founded the museum which was targeted on Monday. The museum also houses a 25-inch figure of a Moor studded with emeralds and a 648-carat sapphire gifted by Tsar Peter I of Russia at a meeting in 1698. Other valuable items include a jewel-studded sculpture of an Indian royal court, made out of gold, silver, enamel, precious stones and pearls. Another is a 1701 golden coffee service by court jeweller Johann Melchior Dinglinger, decorated with lounging cherubs. They've been happily married since 2002. But Dame Joan Collins, 86, has admitted that she wouldn't have even met her husband Percy Gibson, 55, when she was in her 30s as he wasn't even born yet. The legendary actress told Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on Tuesday's Good Morning Britain that despite their sizeable age gap she likes to think they'd have been a good match years earlier. Scroll down for video Hilarious: Joan Collins, 86, admitted she wouldn't have even met her husband Percy Gibson, 55, when she was in her 30s, as he wasn't even born yet Speaking about her 18-year marriage to Percy, Joan said she thinks the main reason why their relationship has lasted so long, is that he's never been interested in sharing her acting spotlight. She explained: 'It's very hard as an actor on set, and there's a term called DCOL, Doesn't Count On Location. 'I had a lot of experiences like that... two actors are disastrous, I remember dating Terence Stamp and we were fighting for the mirror. 'Also because of going on location so much, half of the films you do you're on location in different countries, so the actors are split up I don't think it's good.' Happy: The actress has been married to fifth husband Percy since 2002, when they tied the knot in London (pictured last month at the Vanity Fair Oscars party) Candid: Joan was a guest on Tuesday's Good Morning Britain where she spoke about why she thinks her marriage to Percy has lasted so long Happy: The Dynasty star said that Percy has never been interested in sharing her acting spotlight, and admitted that dating other screen stars has always been a recipe for disaster When Piers asked if she thinks they would have gotten together at a younger age - such as her 30s - Joan quipped: 'He wasn't born!' Joan added that she likes to think her and Percy would have still become a couple, even without the sizeable age gap. She told Piers and Susanna: 'Of course, he would be the same person I would think, we would be very compatible, we have the same interests and we like the same things.' Percy is Joan's fifth husband, after she was married to Maxwell Reid from 1952 to 1956, followed by Anthony Newley from 1963 to 1971, Ronald S. Kass from 1972 to 1983 and Peter Holm from 1985 to 1987. Funny: When Piers asked if she thinks they would have gotten together at a younger age - such as her 30s - Joan quipped: 'He wasn't born!' Mr and Mrs: Joan added that she likes to think her and Percy would have still become a couple, even without the sizeable age gap United: She told Piers and Susanna: 'Of course, he would be the same person I would think, we would be very compatible, we have the same interests and we like the same things' Aware: Joan also chatted to Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid about the coronavirus outbreak, saying that it's already wreaked havoc with her schedule Joan also chatted to Piers and Susanna about the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, saying that she's trying to be vigilant without letting the virus wreak too much havoc in her everyday life. She said: 'I think you have to be really careful, the mask I wore is a very special mask Percy found it on Amazon or so, and it filters out everything.' Explaining she still likes to wipe down her seat when travelling on an airplane, the Dynasty star added: 'I've had so many things cancelled, I cancelled going to New York, I cancelled going to Berlin I was meant to get an award, I'm just waiting for what else will be cancelled.' The Royal Television Society (RTS) Programme Awards will be held behind closed doors next week amid coronavirus concerns. RTS said it has been monitoring the current climate in line with official guidance against large gatherings of people, and has decided to streamline the format of the ceremony. The organisation said that nominees and RTS representatives will still be able to attend the event, which will now be more intimate, and that the broader industry will be able to watch the ceremony via a live link. The Royal Television Society said its awards ceremony will be a more intimate affair (RTS) The event will take place on March 17. RTS chief executive Theresa Wise said: While adapting as necessary to the current situation, we aim to continue celebrating the past year of television and excellence in our industry in the best way possible by honouring nominees and winners through a streamlined event. We look forward to offering everyone the opportunity to join us via live stream as we host the RTS Programme Awards. This years RTS Programme Award nominees include Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Derry Girls Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Jared Harris. Waller-Bridge and Jackson are both up for female comedy performance, along with Diane Morgan for Motherland. Waller-Bridge is also up for the comedy writer award for Fleabag, which has an additional nomination in the scripted comedy category. Video of the Day Saoirse-Monica Jackson is one of the RTS nominees (Matt Crossick/PA) Chernobyl is up for the mini-series prize, while its lead star Harris has received a nod in the male actor category. Top Boys Micheal Ward, Gentleman Jacks Suranne Jones and Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa are among the other nominees in the acting categories. BBC Three, Channel 5 and Sky Atlantic are in the running for the channel of the year gong. The UK currently has 373 confirmed cases of coronavirus, and on Tuesday a sixth death was announced. Britain's answer to Greta Thunberg, Finlay Pringle, has objected to the first vertical launch spaceport planned for the Scottish Highlands saying it will destroy habitats. Pringle - who shot to fame in 2018 for telling Bear Grylls he 'sucks' over a shark diving experience - has lodged a formal protest over the 17.3m development. The port is due to be built in Sutherland on the Moine Peninsula, south east of Tongue in the far north of Scotland. The 12-year old from Wester Ross told Highland Council the spaceport was set to be sited close to Europe's largest peat bog, a potential UNESCO world heritage site. In time, up to 12 launches a year could be made from Sutherland, carrying small, commercial satellites that will typically be used for Earth observation. Scroll down for video Notional image of the UK's first commercial spaceport at the Sutherland Site in Melness, Scotland, which will conduct the UK's first vertical, orbital rocket launch in the early 2020s Pringle has been dubbed Scotland's leading young environmentalist by the likes of wildlife TV presenter Chris Packham and campaigner Greta Thunberg. He said in his letter to the council: 'The spaceport site is close to a Special Area of Conservation; Special Protection Area; RAMSAR site (Wetland of International importance) and also 3 SSSI designations for rare plants and animals. 'In this unique area they are proposing a spaceport for space tourism and to launch satellites for research we don't need, such as to study climate change!' He claims that the spaceport will release up to 950 tonnes of CO2 into the air, saying to expel that much CO2 launching research satellites is wrong. 'How backward is that, we already have more than enough information about climate change to know that we only have 10 years left to reduce our carbon dioxide levels - no more study is required,' he said. 'We just need governments and councils to listen to the science and take proper, meaningful action on the climate emergencies they have declared.' A number of other objections have been raised to the spaceport plans with just 88 of the 300 comments on the planning application in favour of the development. Melness Crofters Estate (MCE), who own the earmarked site, and local community councils have backed the scheme - but haven't done so 'lightly'. 'We wanted to ensure that the environment was protected and safety ensured,' wrote Dorothy Pritchard, chairperson of MCE. 'There is a balance to be struck between environmental issues versus employment; MCE negotiated hard to ensure that our land is protected now and in the future.' MCE, will receive income from the spaceport and says funding will go back into the 'whole community' and it intended to set-up a charitable fund to help local projects. It said protesters who had run a 'sustained, vociferous campaign' had 'misrepresented' the spaceport and the intentions of MCE. The facility would comprise a launch control centre, a single launch pad and associated infrastructure. These would include roadways, fuel storage, office premises, and antennas. Finlay Pringle was awarded the Young Animal Hero award in 2019 and can be seen here with Liz Bonin and Ben Fogle who presented the honour. He says placing a spaceport in Scotland near important ecological sites is harmful and damaging A temporary lightning tower would also be installed at the launch pad around flight days with about 12 expected per year. The planning application to Highland Council includes measures to address and minimise impacts on the land and marine environments. Some of MCE members have objected to the Space Hub Sutherland development proposals put forward by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). Mr Gordon McEwan, a shareholder of MCE, who lives 'very close' to the site, said he felt let down by the organisation. 'I, for one, object to this application with all my heart and soul,' he wrote to Highland Council, saying he believed it will impact the peace and quiet of the area. BRITAIN'S FIRST SPACEPORT WILL SUPPORT 12 ORBITAL LAUNCHES PER YEAR The UK Space Agency has selected Sutherland, on Scotland's north coast, as the site for Britain's first spaceport. The site is being developed by US aerospace and defence behemoth Lockheed Martin. It will launch satellites and rockets into space as early as this year. The port will boost Scotland's already burgeoning satellite industry. Outside of the US, Scotland produces more satellites than any country. It is hoped the UK will launch an estimated 2,000 satellites by 2030. The Sutherland project is under pressure from similar bids in Scandinavia. The first Northern European site to offer commercial launches is set to hold a stake in the global space industry worth billions. Advertisement 'Yes, we need jobs and a healthy community - at what cost to this beautiful land and peat bog - my backyard. 'That is what every visitor to the Highlands comes to see, enjoy and appreciate.' Pringle says one of his main objects is the impact on the peat bogs - partly due to their unique habitat but also because they are a 'vital carbon sink'. 'Compared to the Amazon rainforest peatbogs can store 30 times the amount of carbon dioxide from the same land area. 'Just recently the Scottish Government recognised this importance by announcing funding to help restore more of this precious habitat. 'Why then are Highlands and Islands Enterprise using 9.8M of public money to support the building of a spaceport? 'Surely it doesn't make sense to spend our money restoring peat bogs and then to spend more of our money destroying them?' Scotland's largest private landowner, billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen, is among those who have objected to the spaceport being built in the Highlands. Mr Povlsen's company Wildland Ltd has made a holding objection, saying it is concerned about the potential ecological and landscape damage. Pringle says he just wants people to listen and governments to start to take action. 'We need people in authority to take the climate and ecological breakdowns seriously, refusing planning for this project would be a good start and signal the council is prepared to take positive action on climate change,' he said. (UPDATED) THE Department of Health (DOH) clarified Tuesday, March 10, that there are only nine new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the country, bringing the total to 33 (not 35 as earlier reported). DOH Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the 11 reported by the DOH through its official Facebook page earlier was not actually the number of confirmed cases, but of positive samples. Two of the 11 positive samples were repeat tests from patients 7 and 8 -- a 38-year-old Taiwanese with no travel history and a 32-year-old Filipino male who had travel history to Japan. "We found out that the number initially reported to us was the number of samples, and while we did our validation, we only found nine new cases. So we only have new cases, not 11," Vergeire said. The DOH announced on Monday, March 9, a total of 24 confirmed cases in the country. Vergeire said all the new confirmed cases have been confined in various hospitals. Patient 21 has been admitted at the Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium, while patient 22 has been confined at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center. Patient 23 was brought to the San Lazaro Hospital, Patient 24 to St. Luke's Medical Center-Quezon City, Patients 25 and 26 at the New Clark City quarantine facility, and Patients 27 to 33 at The Medical City. Vergeire said patients 21 to 24 are currently in stable condition, while patients 25 and 26 are asymptomatic. The status of patients 27 to 33 is still subject for verification, she added. The DOH assured that its Epidemiology Bureau is conducting comprehensive contact tracing activities for all the confirmed cases. "The DOH is also in close coordination with local government units and Center for Health Development for implementation of prevention and control measures at the local level," said Vergeire. She added that the Philippine National Police, government agencies and concerned stakeholders are helping in the identification and management of close contacts. Story continues The health department once again called on the public to cooperate in the investigation and contact tracing, with the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in the country. Vergeire said those close contacts who may develop mild symptoms are advised to isolate or subject themselves to home quarantine for 14 days to prevent the spread of the new virus, while those with severe symptoms are advised to go to health facilities for admission and isolation. The DOH also advised Filipinos to avoid visiting public places or attending mass gathering, and at the same time practice proper hygiene, cough etiquette and social distancing. (LMY) American troops have begun leaving Afghanistan for the initial troop withdrawal required in the US-Taliban peace agreement amid political chaos in Kabul that threatens the deal. Hundreds of troops are heading out of the country as previously planned, but they will not be replaced as the US moves ahead with plans to cut the number of forces in the country from about 13,000 to 8,600, the official said. An official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss the movement before it was publicly announced. The pullout comes as Afghanistan's rival leaders were each sworn in as president in separate ceremonies yesterday, creating a complication for the United States as it figures out how to move forward on the deal and end the 18-year war. The sharpening dispute between President Ashraf Ghani, declared the winner of last September's election, and his rival Abdullah Abdullah, who claims fraud in the vote along with the election's complaints commission, threatens to wreck the next key steps and even more violence. The US has not tied the withdrawal to political stability or any specific outcome from the all-Afghan peace talks. Instead, it depends on the Taliban meeting its commitment to prevent "any group or individual, including al-Q'aida, from using the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States and its allies". Under the peace agreement, the troop withdrawal had to begin within 10 days of the deal signed on February 29. US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said on March 2 that he had already approved the start of the withdrawal, which would be coordinated by military commanders in Afghanistan. The US official said the troops leaving now had been scheduled to depart, but they will not be replaced. Mr Esper has said General Scott Miller, America's commander in Kabul, will pause the withdrawal and assess conditions once the troop level goes down to 8,600. The long-term plan is to remove all US troops within 14 months if security conditions are met. 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. Meanwhile, two US service members were killed in north central Iraq while accompanying Iraqi security forces on a mission targeting Isil. The two soldiers, killed on Sunday, were not being publicly identified until their families could be notified, the Combined Joint Task Force for Operation Inherent Resolve said. The deaths highlight that despite losing its territorial caliphate in Iraq and Syria, Isil can still pose a threat. A US Inspector General report earlier this year said that despite the death of Isil leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the group continued low-level attacks and while it did not appear to grow stronger, it did not "lose its freedom of movement or ability to hide and transport fighters and supplies in Iraq's desert and mountainous terrain". "[Isil] in Iraq retains enough manpower and planning capabilities to conduct regular small-scale attacks and occasionally infiltrates urban centres, but has not tried to hold territory," it added. There are about 5,200 US troops in Iraq. Tanaiste & Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney TD during a press briefing in the Courtyard of Government Buildings, Dublin Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins MINISTER for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has urged Irish people to cancel travel plans to all parts of Italy but said that stopping tourists coming from Italy is out of his control. In light of internal developments in Italy, the Department of Foreign Affairs has upgraded travel advice to Irish citizens, recommending against travel to the whole of Italy. There are now almost 10,000 people infected with Covid-19 in Italy and close to 500 people there have died from the virus. Mr Coveney has urged Irish people to avoid travelling to all parts of Italy, unless absolutely essential. "Up until yesterday, our travel advice for Italy was that nobody should travel to the northern regions, unless it was absolutely essential. Now that is extended to the country as a whole," he said. "The vast majority of the 24 people who have tested positive in Ireland so far, have come from northern Italy, and they brought it home with them. Read More "It really is totally unprecedented that you'd have a Minister for Foreign Affairs advising Irish citizens not to travel to large EU member states. But that is the advice this morning." Last weekend, hundreds of Italian rugby supporters arrived in Dublin despite their Six Nations clash with Ireland being postponed. Mr Coveney said that it is out of his jurisdiction to control flights leaving Italy for Ireland, but that the caretaker Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, will today raise the issue of flights and further EU-wide responses at a meeting of the European Council. "The truth is that a very, very small numbers of people will be traveling out of Italy to other countries. But the Taoiseach has a council meeting with other EU leaders today, it's a teleconference meeting," Mr Coveney said on RTE's Morning Ireland. "The truth is that we have no experts on the planet on Covid19 because it's new - 13 weeks ago, no one ever heard of it. "We can't control that (flights from Italy) but effectively, Italy is now in lockdown as a country that 60 million people aren't moving around, except for to facilitate essential work. "He (Mr Varadkar) will be raising the issue of how do we manage air travel collectively, across the European Union to try to reduce risk of the spread of this virus." The Tanaiste said that while the virus is still in the 'containment phase' in Ireland, it is inevitable that it will be upgraded to more serious phases. "There are different phases here in terms of how you respond to something like this. So we are currently in the initial - what's called - containment phase," he said. "In other words, anybody who tests positive, we want to establish who they are, where they've come from, and the likely source of infection. "But I think it is inevitable that we will move on to what's called the delay phase, which is essentially trying to stop the spread of a virus in a population that has no immunity and recognizing the reality that we effectively have no vaccine and no treatment for this virus right now. "And therefore, the only way that we have of effectively limiting the numbers of people who contract the virus is through good public communication, and of course, providing comprehensive and good health care to people who have symptoms." The total number of deaths linked to the virus in Italy are now 463, accounting for 52pc of fatalities outside of China. With all of Italy under lockdown, reeling financial markets and rioting prisoners, it remains to be seen how the country can cope. Over 9,000 people have become infected in Italy in little over two weeks, lending weight to the stringent measures announced by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Monday. Businesses, including bars and restaurants, have been told they can only remain open if they can guarantee customers remain a metre apart. While payments on mortgages will be suspended across the whole of Italy after the coronavirus outbreak, Italy's deputy economy minister said on Tuesday. As of today, there have been 564 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States according to the online dashboard at John Hopkins University. Each day, the numbers are growing as the people in quarantine facilities become positive with this spreading virus. Rooting from Wuhan, China which has now 80,735 confirmed cases; COVID-19 is now a global health crisis. Affecting millions of people in the world economically as the global market plunge, government leaders of different countries are taking drastic measures to contain and prevent the spread of the virus. As the cases of coronavirus surge in neighboring countries in Europe, the US administration takes steps to decrease the number of confirmed cases. The US government is now modifying its plan from 'containment' to 'mitigation' of the virus. But how prepared is the United States in dealing with the slow but steadily increasing number of confirmed cases? Trump just signed the $8.3 billion budget allotted to pay for the multifaceted response in tackling this deadly virus. These steps include finding the vaccines or potential treatments and providing tests for suspicious people who show the symptoms of the disease. Trump is known for his unscientific response to issues like climate change. Recently, in one of his meetings Trump questioned why we can't use the flu vaccine for coronavirus. Experts have warned that Trump's prejudices against scientific facts might negatively influence the response to combat the spread of coronavirus. In his recent tweet, Trump assured that the administration is doing its best to 'attack Coronavirus'. He also praised Vice President Mike Pence as he 'is doing a great job'. Pence is the authority in charge of the U.S. response toward coronavirus claiming that the Vice President has 'a certain talent for this'. Trump believes that the experience of Pence with health care policy makes him a good fit for the role. Despite the administration's effort in reducing and covering the medical costs of testing for coronavirus especially for those who have no health insurance, some gaps still need to be filled. As Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar confirms that the five cities were viable to test suspected cases of coronavirus, reports claimed that the tests are not working. Also, testing has been limited to people visited in China or come in contact with the person positive of COVID-19. The malfunction of tests limits the number of people that could have been tested. The reality is in contradiction of the President's statement stating the virus was 'very much under control in the USA'. He also claims that the U.S is ready for anything including a massive outbreak of this deadly virus. Coronavirus is a looming threat of a global pandemic. Experts say that misinformation about the spreading of the virus makes the situation much worse. Infecting over 100,000 people globally, with 3,015 deaths solely in China and 267 fatalities in other countries including the 22 confirmed deaths in the U.S., governments are trying to take unprecedented steps to combat this outbreak. Franco-Nevada (FNV) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.59 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.49 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.24 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 20.41%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this precious metals streaming and royalty company would post earnings of $0.45 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.54, delivering a surprise of 20%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times. Franco-Nevada, which belongs to the Zacks Mining - Gold industry, posted revenues of $258.10 million for the quarter ended December 2019, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 10.35%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $148.20 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Franco-Nevada shares have added about 15.3% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's decline of -8%. What's Next for Franco-Nevada? While Franco-Nevada has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Story continues Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Franco-Nevada was favorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to outperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.54 on $251.30 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $2.26 on $1.04 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Mining - Gold is currently in the top 17% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. 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 Franco-Nevada Corporation (FNV) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research 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. 'Bura na mano, Holi hai' has been the Indian pretense to assault women since as long as human memory can remember. 'Consent' seems to be a distant factor when the festival of colour swings by every year. And every year, the hooliganism seems to take on newer forms. This year, many of the Holi horrors unfolded on the video-sharing app TikTok with videos of people forcibly putting colour on people went viral before Holi. Many of the videos, of course, featured women who were harassed for the sake of the video under the pretense of Holi celebrations. In this horrible video, two boys can be seen forcibly dropping what appears to be mud on a woman after they removed her dupatta to uncover her face. In another, a woman can be seen sitting with her head bent on the floor while surrounded by a number of reveling men and a woman. The men were pelting her head with color-filled balloons. Much like the last video, it did not look like the woman consented to the "celebrations". Many such videos appeared on Tik Tok. And these weren't all. There were so, so, so many. Even men were not spared. In this video, for example, a man can be seen forcibly putting silver paint on an older man who clearly did not enjoy the experience, neither did he give permission for it. Many of the videos have been deleted from TikTok after backlash as some of them were clear documentation of assault. In fact, some were not even SUGGESTIVE of violence but actual depictions of assault and violence against women passed off as humour. While the trend of violent TikTok videos that promote violence against women and violation of consent may be new this year, the normalisaton of such violence has been an unending process in India, what with films, songs and pop culture references promoting such behaviour as "celebration" and "mirth". The fact remains that even today, many women such as possibly the ones seen in the videos, face misbehavior and assault on Holi. And now, it looks like people are now monetizing such violence by putting videos of it on online platforms for likes. Venture capital firm Portag3 Ventures p3vc.com appointed Chris ONeill as a Partner, based in San Francisco. ONeill is a 20-year veteran of the technology world with broad operational experience that includes the turnaround of Evernote as Chairman and CEO and key leadership roles at X, Googles Moonshot Factory, where he continues to serve as an advisor, and Managing Director, Google Canada, where he led Googles Canadian operations. ONeill has been an advisor and active angel investor for several years, where he has primarily focused on helping entrepreneurs build enduring companies such as Ritual, Relay (acquired by Kik), Milq/Layer 6 (acquired by TD Bank), and Helpful (acquired by Shopify). He currently serves on the board of directors of Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) and is a former board member of Tim Hortons (NYSE: THI), and Shop.org. ONeill is a Charter Member of the C100, and a former member of the Canadian Council for Chief Executives (now Business Council of Canada). He graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a B.A in Economics and holds an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. In his new role at Portag3, ONeill will work with Portag3 portfolio companies as they pursue their next wave of growth and navigate the complexities that come with it. He will also work with the Portag3 and Sagard Holdings team on developing the Portag3 Ventures platform to encompass adjacent investment strategies. Led by Adam Felesky, CEO, Portag3 Ventures is an early-stage investor supporting the worlds most innovative financial technology companies. Portag3 alongside Diagram Ventures, a fintech venture builder is a part of the venture capital strategy of Sagard Holdings, a multi-strategy alternative investment platform. The firm has a presence in Toronto, Montreal, New York, San Francisco, Europe and Southeast Asia. FinSMEs 10/03/2020 Some of the regions most affected by the virus, including Italy and China, are not major markets for Uber. But the company has seen a decrease in rides to and from airports, Mr. Chai said. The company is also expecting to lose commuter rides as more people work from home. An Uber spokesman declined to comment on the remarks. Mr. Chais message differed from that of Lyfts chief financial officer, Brian Roberts, who said last week at a financial conference that the company was experiencing its strongest week to date. We believe people would be more likely to use ride share than a crowded bus or subway. On the negative side, less travel could lead to fewer high-value airport rides and there could just be less business activity overall, JP Morgan analyst Doug Anmuth wrote in an investor note last week after Mr. Robertss comments. A Lyft spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. New York auto show is moved to August. The annual New York International Auto Show, scheduled to open in early April at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, has been rescheduled for August out of concerns about the coronavirus, its organizers said on Tuesday. The show, which draws hundreds of thousands of people each year, is owned and operated by the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, led by Mark Schienberg. It was set to open for media days on April 8 and run through April 19. The new dates are to be Aug. 26 to Sept. 6. For 120 years, the show must go on has been heavily embedded in our DNA, Mr. Schienberg, the association president, said in a statement announcing the move. He added, While the decision to move the show dates didnt come easy, our top priority remains with the health and well-being of those involved. The decision was made after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo over the weekend declared a state of emergency in New York. A bill to remove the prohibition on yoga instruction in K-12 public schools in Alabama passed the House of Representatives today. The Alabama State Board of Education banned yoga from Alabama schools in 1993 because of its connections to eastern religions. Rep. Jeremy Gray, D-Opelika, is sponsor of the bill to repeal the prohibition. The House passed it today by a vote of 84-17, sending it to the Senate. Grays bill says school systems may offer yoga as an elective. It says the instruction will be limited to poses, exercises, and stretching techniques, and that all of those moves would be called by English names. The bill says chanting, mantras, mudras, use of mandalas, and namaste greetings are prohibited. President Trump on Monday evening said he will speak with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Republicans about a possible payroll tax cut that would provide "very substantial relief" amid the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic. "We have a great economy, a very strong economy, but this has blindsided the world," Trump said. The coronavirus epidemic, as well as Saudi Arabia cutting oil export prices by nearly 10 percent, is worrying investors, and on Monday, U.S. stocks fell more than 7 percent in the Dow's worst day since 2008. Trump said he wants to meet with McConnell on Tuesday, and in addition to discussing a payroll tax cut, he will also bring up "hourly wage earners getting help so they can be in a position where they are not ever going to miss a paycheck." Trump said the COVID-19 epidemic is "not our country's fault, this is something we've been throw into," and the government is working with the airline, cruise, and travel industries as they will feel the effects of people staying home. "The main thing is we are taking care of the American public," he said. More stories from theweek.com Trump's former pandemic adviser: 'We are 10 days from our hospitals getting creamed' Biden wins Mississippi Democratic primary The next Democratic debate will happen without a live audience thanks to coronavirus The Trump administration did not adequately respond to the threat posed by the coronavirus, Northwell Health CEO Michael Dowling told CNBC on Tuesday. "I do think that the federal government was slow to respond," Dowling said on "Squawk on the Street." "We activated our emergency management system six weeks ago when at the federal level people were talking about, 'Don't worry about this; it's going to go away.'" Dowling did not reference comments from a specific government official, but National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow said on Feb. 25, "We have contained this. I won't say [it's] airtight, but it's pretty close to airtight." At that point, there were less than 60 confirmed cases in the U.S. There are more than 760 now, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. White House spokesman Judd Deere pushed back on the suggestion that President Donald Trump was slow to respond to the coronavirus. "Very early he took decisive actions like instituting travel restrictions and utilizing quarantine authority and he is prepared to take additional action," Deere wrote in an email. Northwell Health is the largest health-care provider in New York, operating 23 hospitals and nearly 800 outpatient facilities across the state. New York has 148 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, the second most in the U.S. behind Washington state. "This is actually going to get worse before it gets better. We don't know how long it's going to take," Dowling said. "But we, in our health system, along with working with all the other health systems, we're pretty well prepared." Northwell received federal approval Sunday to conduct manual coronavirus tests at its laboratory on Long Island. Dowling said it took too long for Northwell to receive approval, saying the nonprofit hospital system "had been urging to move the process along more quickly for many, many, many weeks." New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been critical of the federal government for not allowing more local facilities to do tests. "It's one thing for the federal government not to have the testing capacity in place themselves that was bad enough but there's no excuse for them not to be authorizing existing labs to do the work," Cuomo said Sunday, according to The Journal News. On Tuesday afternoon, Cuomo said he plans to deploy the National Guard to New Rochelle, a coronavirus hot spot just north of New York City. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have taken steps during the course of the outbreak to make it easier for more facilities to conduct tests. It also eased restrictions on who could be tested. The CDC, in an email response to CNBC, said the agency "established a COVID-19 Incident Management System on January 7," and two weeks later "activated its Emergency Operations Center to better provide ongoing support to the COVID-19 response." Northwell is now hoping to receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to conduct automated tests for the coronavirus, Dowling said. It can manually process around 75 to 80 tests per day. If automated testing were approved, Dowling said Northwell could quickly begin to conduct 1,000 tests per day and "probably up to 2,000 tests a day when it's fully operational, because we've got to ramp this up." However, Dowling stressed that testing everyone would be a mistake. He said health officials must prioritize those who are showing symptoms and those who have been in contact with someone who has the disease. Doing so would help minimize the public's fear toward the outbreak, Dowling said. "We've got to keep people calm. Keep people realistic. Focus on the issue and solve it," he added. "We will win this. You can defeat this like we've done with Ebola, SARS, H1N1." The standoff between oil majors Saudi Arabia and Russia could "last a while" as they wait for each other "blink first," an analyst said Tuesday. The oil markets tanked Monday, plunging over 20% amid already poor sentiment due to the coronavirus outbreak. The oil slump followed a disagreement on production cuts between OPEC and its allies. Russia declined to lower output last week, and Saudi Arabia announced Saturday that it will offer discounts to its official selling prices next month. The kingdom is also reportedly planning to raise production. "It's always tough to pick a fight with Russia, with Putin," said Robert Johnston, director of global energy and natural resources at the Eurasia Group, a consultancy. "Now you have a standoff between Saudis and Russians over who will blink first. I do think this is going to last a while; I think this could be two to three months at least," Johnston told CNBC. As much as the squabble is about oil production and prices, it is also about challenging the narrative of U.S. energy dominance, he added. The U.S. shale industry has changed the landscape for the global energy sector as the country heads toward becoming a net energy exporter. "Russia has been pushing back against U.S. influence all over the world, so think this is tied to that. I don't think that would be resolved in the next two or three weeks," said Johnston. It is an expensive and risky move by Moscow, which is a relatively expensive producer and it remains to be seen if they will be able to "kill shale or put it into hibernation," he said. But, "they do have a lot of dry powder to work with here." There are already about 3 million barrels a day in crude oil oversupply this year, so any loss in U.S. supply due to producers being squeezed out in the low-price environment would not be bullish for prices, said Richard Gorry, managing director at JBC Energy Asia. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The NYPD is seeking the publics assistance in locating a 14-year-old Elm Park girl who was last seen in Brooklyn. Niah Sykes was last seen on Halsey Street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of the borough on Thursday, March 5, at approximately 4:30 p.m., police said. Sykes is a resident of the 2200 block of Richmond Terrace, according to police. It is not clear why she was in Brooklyn. Police describe Sykes as a black female with black hair, standing at 5-feet-4-inches tall and weighing 140 pounds. She was last seen wearing a black ski jacket, black pants and white sneakers. Anyone with information in regard to this missing person is asked to call the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls are kept strictly confidential. MOSCOW - Russia's parliament offered a path Tuesday for President Vladimir Putin to stay in power for an additional 12 years after his term expires in 2024, approving an amendment that would reset his presidential terms. The plan, floated and supported by Putin's United Russia party, is part of a sweeping rewrite of Russia's constitution that many view as a way for Putin to retain control of Russia well into the next decade. The term-limit proposal was met with applause when it was introduced by State Duma deputy Valentina Tereshkova, beloved nationally as the first woman in space. The plan would reset the current term limits to zero, meaning Putin could run twice more for the presidency, once a restructured constitution is adopted. "I propose that we either lift the restriction on the number of presidential terms or indicate in an article of this bill that the incumbent president, just like any other citizen, has the right to run for president after the updated constitution takes effect," Tereshkova said. Parliament then adjourned for 90 minutes to phone Putin and ask for his thoughts. That prompted him to make a rare in-person appearance. He said he was against eliminating presidential term limits altogether. However, if Russia's Constitutional Court says resetting term limits is legal, that amendment and other proposed changes can be approved in a nationwide vote on April 22. Putin, 67, has been in power for 20 years. He first proposed constitutional changes in his January address to parliament, and one of the reforms he suggested was limiting presidential terms to two. "I am actually positive that a strong presidential vertical is absolutely necessary for our country," Putin said Tuesday. "I am sure a time will come when supreme presidential power in Russia will not be, so to speak, personalized so much and will not be centered on one particular person," Putin added. When the constitutional changes were proposed in January, analysts speculated that it could be an avenue for Putin to retain influence past his current presidential term. One of his suggestions was "enshrining" the State Council, which advises the president, in the constitution and giving it vague and broad power, including say in foreign policy. That led some to believe that Putin's post-2024 plan was to head that body. But in a recent visit to the factory city of Ivanovo roughly 150 miles from Moscow, Putin rejected that notion. "There are suggestions to give the State Council some special powers and [for me to] become the head of that State Council. What will it mean? It will amount to the situation of diarchy in our country. Such a situation is absolutely fatal for Russia," Putin said in Ivanovo on Friday. He reiterated that point Tuesday: "Vesting other authorities, centers of authority, such as the Security Council or the State Council, particularly, which are not directly elected by the people, with any serious powers related to the presidency, in my opinion, would be wrong and unacceptable and, furthermore, dangerous." The proposed term-limit amendment came a day after the value of the Russian ruble plummeted to its lowest level in more than four years, responding to a dramatic drop in oil prices after the collapse of Russia's cooperative agreement with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Tuesday's proposal "will calm everyone down," Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the upper house of parliament, told reporters in comments broadcast on state-run television. Lev Gudkov, director of the Levada Center, Russia's lone independent pollster, said that the depreciation of the ruble, coupled with concern over a coronavirus outbreak, "will undoubtedly affect the attitude of the Russian population to Putin and to the Russian government in general" and that an "upcoming sharp rise in consumer prices, a jump in inflation and a rise in the cost of living will increase the degree of discontent." In his address to parliament Tuesday, Putin said he was "absolutely positive" Russia "will go through this period in a commendable manner." He also said the country has "had enough revolutions." He concluded: 'I'm sure that together, we will do many more great things, at least until 2024. Then, we will see." Nick Desai had been planning last week for months, envisioning what some call the Super Bowl of the grocery industry to flaunt his big idea: junk food snacks made from peas, instead of corn. The chief executive officer of PeaTos hired a hip-hop DJ. He planned to send about 15 staffers and spend more than $100,000 (U.S.) at Natural Products Expo West, a trade show in Anaheim, California, expected to draw nearly 88,000 attendees and 3,700 exhibitors. But last Monday, on the eve of the opening, organizers postponed the event as the coronavirus outbreak deepened in the region. When you see the brand, when you see the people, you can quickly get a sense of the energy level and the culture of a company can come across, Desai said. Its almost impossible if you dont meet them in person. The spread of the virus across the U.S. has already caused the scuttling of more than 50 major corporate events with an estimated attendance of 940,000 people, according to data collected by Bloomberg. Much of the economic impact is obvious. Those attendees arent flying, staying in hotels, ordering Ubers and racking up bar tabs on the corporate Amex. In the U.S., spending on business trips rose to $327 billion in 2018 up 21 per cent from five years earlier in accounting for about 40 per cent of all expenditures, according to the U.S. Travel Association. Whats harder to calculate is all the missed-opportunity costs. Maybe Desai and his sales team would have inked a new distribution deal for their PeaTos brand? Perhaps a buyer from a major food retailer could have tasted its pea-based classic cheese crunchy curls and bought into Desais marketing that pitches the orange snack as a healthier alternative to Cheetos, a category giant made by PepsiCo Inc.s FritoLay unit. So much of what happens at these shows is that one chance interaction that is very difficult to replicate in a non-real life setting, Desai said. A lot of it is enjoying your time together, you know, having a cocktail together. If this is more like a six-month thing, well all have to learn new skills. As much as the business world has gone digital with video conferencing and Slack channels, there are more conferences and trade shows than ever just try to find a media company that doesnt have an events division. Some chalk this up to corporate America already being so much about screen time, making the in-person meeting more valuable. Everyone in the industry is at that show, said Shadi Bakour, CEO of PathWater, a five-year-old company selling water in reusable aluminum bottles, which had inked a sponsorship deal for Expo West. From lawyers, distributors, retailers and investors to you name it. You can run into someone that can change your entire business just by walking around. But what happens if months of the conference schedule are wiped out? Walmart Inc., Ford Motor Co., International Business Machines Corp. and Amazon.com Inc. have already suspended non-essential U.S. business travel to events like trade shows, among many others. If this is more like a six-month thing, well all have to learn new skills. Companies and some of the conferences are finding ways to make do by gathering online. A daylong virtual meeting was organized for would-be attendees of the cancelled HIMSS Global Health and Conference and a virtual conference for the American Physical Society meeting. Google Cloud also moved its conference online. The benefit of this, though not necessarily for the right reason, will facilitate that digital connection much faster, said Anne Greven, global head of food and agriculture startup innovation at Rabobank. The coronavirus has the potential to disrupt travel for more than just a few months. After businesses survive without the in-person touch for a prolonged period, its not hard to envision managers liking the lower-cost structure and not reinstating as many trips when the health threat recedes. That would be more bad news for major airlines, which are already cutting schedules and pulling profit guidance amid the turmoil. But there was also plenty of speculation that business travel would be permanently muted after the September 11 attacks in 2001, only for it to bounce back. Behaviour does change, though, especially when it comes to the internet. Remember there was a time when many scoffed at the idea of buying clothes from a website without trying them on first. Now people are purchasing cars and houses online. If this is more like a six-month thing, well all have to learn new skills, said Mark Randall, a long-time tech executive whose stops include Amazon and Google. Still, the digital realm cant replace all types of activities. Mergers and acquisitions this year are off to the slowest start since 2013, and in a growing number of cases being delayed. Imagine trying to close a deal remotely? said Randall, who after a career as a tech executive now invests in and advises companies. Ive done a zillion negotiations with vendors on billion-dollar sized deals, and I havent done one remotely. Good luck doing that on Zoom. Charif Souki, co-founder and chairman of natural-gas producer Tellurian Inc., has already experienced the pain of not having face-to-face communication. The company has been trying to secure customers for a $29 billion liquefied gas project in Louisiana, but those efforts have been subdued by the coronavirus outbreak, which has surpassed 113,000 globally and caused more than 3,900 deaths. Weve had video conferences with some of our potential customers, but at the end of the day, you have to close the deal in person, Souki said. If the virus continues to expand and we continue to have these quarantines and restrictions, we will have to adjust. Rick Woldenberg, CEO of toymaker Learning Resources, said his management team is groping our way along when it comes to navigating what he called not normal times. The closely-held company, based in Vernon, Hills, Illinois, has cut back on travel and doesnt expect in the near future to be visiting its manufacturing partners in China, where the virus originated earlier this year. The use of technology will expand in many ways the way we interact with customers, but I do not think the value of being in the same room as people will diminish, Woldenberg said. Like any business, we do business with people. Your ability to communicate your integrity, trustworthiness its always better in person to come to an agreement. Tuoi Tre News had a conversation with UN Women Vietnam Head of Office Elisa Fernandez Saenz to discuss women's rights and Vietnam's progress in this field. UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion of women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide. This year's International Womens Day is a time to look back and celebrate the progress weve made for women. Looking back on the progress of Vietnam in its fight for the empowerment of women in the past year, what will you celebrate? In Vietnam, the 8th of March or International Womens Day (IWD) is a day of the year to celebrate the contribution of women to the development of the country. On this day, Vietnamese women often receive beautiful flowers and small gifts from their husbands or work supervisors, or they will get a one-time offer to do the household chores from the men in their lives. Yet, the intention and the spirit of IWD are much more than a one-day acknowledgment. It is the day where we take stock of how much progress we have made and the remaining gaps ahead to realizing womens rights and gender equality in every corner of the world. In Vietnam, we have seen remarkable progress on womens rights and leadership in some areas, notably on access to education and maternal health and in strengthening the legal and institutional framework for gender equality. The revised Labor Code that was approved by National Assembly in November last year has added a number of provisions that aim to promote and protect womens rights further. Five significant changes include: a reduced retirement age gap between men and women (from five- to a two-year gap), the removal of a ban on women in some types of jobs, supporting workers (both male and female) in childcare by requesting the state and employers to plan and organize daycare facilities and kindergartens, ensuring equal rights to reproductive health care and child-rearing by recognizing male workers entitlement to paternity leave, and an enhanced definition of sexual harassment in the workplace. What are UN Womens recommendations for Vietnam to advance gender equality? Gender inequality and discrimination against women and girls remain an overwhelming injustice across the globe. Today, not a single country can claim to have achieved gender equality. In Vietnam, serious concerns remain. While the National Assembly has its first chairwoman, 72.7 percent of delegates at the National Assembly are still men, and there is currently no female minister. A gender pay gap of 13 percent persists in wages, with a continuing concentration of women in low-paid jobs in the informal sector, who are outside the scope of the Labor Code, without access to social protection. Prevalence of violence against women and girls remains too high (with 58 percent of ever-married women having experienced one form of violence by their husband) and there is an imbalance in the sex-ratio at birth (112 boys / 100 girls). On average, women do three times as much unpaid care and domestic work as men. That is at least two extra hours every day. Ethnic minority women and girls face more challenges and gender inequality compared with the Kinh (Vietnamese) group. This demonstrates the persistence of gender biases and higher values appointed to males, which continues to fuel discrimination against women. Elisa Fernandez Saenz, Head of Office of UN Women Vietnam, is seen in this provided photo. As the ASEAN Chair for 2020 and a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for 2020-21, Vietnam has unique and synergistic opportunities to showcase its leading role in promoting gender equality in the region and the world. We need to promote womens participation in leadership and decision-making roles in all sectors: government, private sectors, and social organizations. We need to address the persistent social and cultural norms that discriminate, and we need initiatives and commitments to be fully resourced. We need to invest in social protection systems, public services and sustainable infrastructure to support the increased productivity and economic viability of womens work in the informal economy. For lasting change, we also need new mechanisms for focused collective action, with accountability and clear monitoring and evaluation frameworks for the national commitment on gender equality. What will be the focus of UN Women Vietnam for the coming year? Are there any key projects you are excited to start or continue working on for 2020? UN Women will continue to support the people and the government of Vietnam to further promote gender equality by enhancing womens economic empowerment, strengthening womens voices and capacity in climate activities, ending violence against women and girls, improving womens access to justice, and making gender equality a key part of the national legal framework, policies and plans. This year, UN Women, together with feminists across the world and the governments of Mexico and France, will convene the Generation Equality Forum in Mexico City from May 7 to 8, and in Paris from July 7 to 10. The Generation Equality Forum will launch a set of six catalytic Action Coalitions to drive investment and produce tangible, irreversible results on gender equality. Action Coalitions are global, innovative, multi-stakeholder partnerships that will mobilize governments, civil society, international organizations, and the private sector to catalyze collective action for game-changing results across generations for girls and women and accelerate progress toward gender equality and partnerships. We hope that Vietnam will be an active part of the Generation Equality Coalitions this year and in the years ahead. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The names of two men whose deaths are being investigated as Birmingham homicides have now been released. The Jefferson County Coroners Office identified the victims as Daniel Leroy Jackson, 24, and Bryan Edward Hooper, 46. Jackson was killed Sunday night in southwest Birmingham. The citys West Precinct officers were dispatched shortly before 7:30 p.m. to a report of a person down in the 1700 block of Maple Avenues, said Sgt. Rod Mauldin. When police arrived at the residence, they Jackson unresponsive in the yard from at least one gunshot wound. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service pronounced Jackson dead at the scene. Police have not released any additional information about Jacksons death. Hooper died Friday, almost a week after he was apparently injured in a fight. On Saturday, Feb. 29, North Precinct officers were dispatched to a fight call at Second Avenue North and 13th Street. Officers arrived on the scene to find Hooper unresponsive on the ground, Mauldin said. Hooper was taken to UAB Hospitals Trauma Center where he remained until his death. The Jefferson County Coroners Office said he died from blunt force trauma. Mauldin said information gathered in the preliminary investigation led detectives to classify the death as a homicide. He did not elaborate. Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates said authorities have not been able to locate any family members for Hooper. He is a white male believed to have been homeless and possibly had relatives at one point in Tennessee. Anyone with information on Hoopers family is asked to call the coroners office at 205-930-3603. Police have not announced arrests in either slaying. Anyone with information is asked to call Birmingham homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. As the coronavirus spreads across the United States, much of the nation is attempting to limit the pandemics reach. Schools are shuttering, businesses are telling workers to stay home, and federal judges are restricting entry to the courthouse for high-risk individuals. On Monday, immigration judges tried to do their part by putting up CDC posters that explained how to identify symptoms of the coronavirus and stop its spread. But the Trump administration promptly ordered these signs taken down, asserting that judges had no authority to place advisories in their courts without permission. Advertisement Hours after the National Association of Immigration Judges revealed this directive, the government reversed course, announcing that it would let the signs stay up. While the administration quickly walked back this particular gag on immigration judges, however, Trumps Department of Justice has been quietly muzzling these judges for years. It has relentlessly sought to transform them into cogs in the presidents deportation machine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The coronavirus poster controversy is a microcosm of the DOJs hostile attitude toward immigration judges, who are appointed by the attorney general to adjudicate immigration matters, including asylum and removal proceedings. On Monday, the judges union, the National Association of Immigration Judges, sent a letter with guidance on dealing with the coronavirus. Among other recommendations, the NAIJ suggested that judges put up two posters prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 Symptoms and Stop the Spread of Germs, in both Spanish and English versions. A few hours later, Christopher A. Santoro, acting chief immigration judge, sent the following email: Advertisement Advertisement Earlier today the NAIJ sent a message to immigration judges suggesting that they post a CDC-generated coronavirus precaution flyer in public areas of the courts, to include doors to courtrooms. This is just a reminder that immigration judges do not have the authority to post, or ask you to post, signage for their individual courtrooms or the waiting areas. Per our leadership, the CDC flyer is not authorized for posting in the immigration courts. If you see one (attached), please remove it. Thank you. The key word in Santoros email was authority. He declared that immigration judges do not have the authority to post signs in their individual courtrooms or the waiting areas. A federal district court judge would have unquestioned power to post public health warnings in a courthouse. But immigration courts do not function like typical federal courts. They are not independent from the political branches, but are part of the executive branch, overseen by the Executive Office for Immigration Review. That office is located within the Department of Justice. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions appointed EOIRs current director, James McHenry. When Santoro noted that our leadership ordered the CDC posters taken down, he was likely referring to McHenry. (The DOJ did not return my request for comment.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After NAIJ publicized Santoros letter, the Department of Justice backtracked. A DOJ spokesperson told CNN that these signs should not have been taken down. The matter is being rectified. Then, on Tuesday morning, Santoro sent another email completely reversing his previous demand and asking them to put up information about the coronavirus. He attached several approved CDC flyersincluding the very same Stop the Spread of Germs advisory that NAIJ sent out the day before. The initial ban on CDC posters lined up with the presidents dangerously dismissive response to the coronavirus. Trump has referred to the virus as a hoax and botched the governments early response through negligence and disorganization. His administration still hasnt produced nearly enough tests for the country, potentially exacerbating community spread. And he has misleadingly compared coronavirus to the flu in an apparent effort to downplay its seriousness. Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration has made life miserable for immigration judges. Much like Trump will not let CDC officials speak about the coronavirus without his administrations approval, his deputies have barred immigration judges from speaking about their work in public. As the Trump administration ramps up deportations and detains or turns away record numbers of asylum-seekers, the Justice Department has dramatically abridged immigration judges free speech. Judges must obtain approval from their superiors before speaking to the public in a personal capacity about any topic relating to immigration law. As Cristian Farias explained in the Atlantic, these requests must go through the judges supervisor, then three different offices within the agency. (Farias is a writer in residence at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, which sent a letter challenging the memo.) This prior restraint applies not only to speeches and panels but also to written pieces intended for publication in any print or online media as well as presentations to law school students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Immigration judges are trapped in a gray area, tasked with enforcing the law impartially yet controlled by political appointees. Attorney General William Barr has authority to overrule their decisions. So does McHenry, the EOIR director (who is not even Senate-confirmed), under a rule put in place by Barrs Justice Department. Barr has repeatedly intervened to overrule decisions that dont align with administration policy. Trumps attorneys general have consistently treated immigration judges like law enforcement officers rather than neutral arbiters of the law. The administration has made life miserable for these judges unless they deport as many people as quickly as possible. It has subjected immigration judges to a quota system that forces them to decide cases hastily or risk termination. It has revoked their long-standing authority to close cases temporarily without issuing a final decision. It has shuffled them around the country, dramatically increasing their already backlogged caseloads. All the while, Trump has implemented draconian policies strictly limiting asylum claims and forcing asylum-seekers out of the U.S. Advertisement Barr has appointed partisan immigration judges friendly to the administrations policies while punishing those judges who question his hard-line approach. In 2019, the Justice Department took the shocking step of trying to bust the NAIJ, which would deprive judges of a union. It is difficult to see this move as anything other than retaliation for the NAIJs objections to Barrs agenda. Advertisement The administrations directive to remove CDC posterseven though migrants are especially vulnerable to the coronavirus due to Trumps policieswas an extreme manifestation of this antagonism. The point is to make these judges feel powerless, not just in their official duties but in their efforts to run a safe and efficient courthouse. The administration may have retreated in the face of public outcry, but the impact will linger. How, after all, could these judges feel they have authority to spare an asylum-seeker from deportation when they cant even post public health warnings during a burgeoning pandemic? Triple M is the number one radio station in Brisbane and shares the top spot at breakfast with Hit105 in this year's first radio ratings. Triple M's The Big Breakfast and Hit105's Stav, Abby & Matt are the most popular stations at breakfast, both with 11.4 points for the 5.30am-to-9am time slot. The rival shows increased their audience share in that time slot 0.4 per cent since the last survey in 2019. Triple M's Marto, Margaux and Nick Cody show shared the top Brisbane breakfast show title with Hit105's Stav, Abby and Matt. Triple M content director Scott Menz said Brisbane had welcomed radio personality Margaux Parker, who replaced Robin Bailey, into the fold. Two communes in northern Vietnam port city Hai Phong have been put under lockdown, bringing the total to six, the city chairman confirmed Monday. Viet Hai and Gia Luan Communes in Cat Hai District would be put under lockdown as one of Vietnam's 32 Covid-19 patients, a 66-year-old British woman, visited both areas on March 5 after landing at Hanoi's Noi Bai Airport on March 2, said Nguyen Van Tung, chairman of Hai Phong People's Committee. The British tourist was one among 10 infected foreigners on the Vietnam Airlines VN54 flight with 26-year-old Nguyen Hong Nhung, Vietnam's 17th and Hanoi's first Covid-19 patient. The British woman is under quarantine in central Hue and currently in stable condition. The lockdown started on Monday but the authorities have not decided when it would end. Additionally, Cat Ba Island of Cat Hai District, about 20 km from the coast and a popular destination, would stop receiving tourists beginning Tuesday to prevent the disease from potentially spreading, said Tung. Checkpoints would be erected at Cat Hai ports and entry points from Tuesday for the same purpose, he added. Previously, Hai Phong had already put four residential areas under lockdown after several locals were found to have traveled on the same VN0054 flight with Nhung. The localities are Tan Lap Street in Duong Kinh District, Tran Van Lan Street in Hai An District, Trai Village in Thuy Nguyen District and Alley 132 of An Da Street in Ngo Quyen District. Over 4,500 people across these areas have either been forced to stay put or have had their movements restricted to prevent the possible spread of Covid-19, with barricades and checkpoints erected to control exit and entry. As of Monday, 42 people, either on the VN54 flight who returned to Hai Phong or those who were classified to be at risk of infection in the city, have tested negative for Covid-19. Seven are still waiting for their test results. Vietnam has recorded 33 cases of Covid-19 infection so far. Of the 17 active cases, 13 shared the same flight from London to Hanoi on March 2. The global death toll has reached 4,028, mostly in mainland China, followed by Italy (463), Iran (237) and South Korea (54). Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden suggested in a new interview that he could veto Medicare for All, one of the top policy goals of his 2020 rival Senator Bernie Sanders, questioning the high price tag of a universal health care program. MSNBC host Lawrence ODonnell asked Biden in a pre-taped interview whether he would sign Medicare for All legislation if he became president and a watered-down version of the bill passed both legislative chambers. It comes to your desk. Do you veto it? ODonnell asked. I would veto anything that delays providing the security and the certainty of health care being available now, Biden responded. You got to look at the cost. I want to know how did they find $35 trillion, in the event the legislation passed by some miracle, if some epiphany occurred, Biden said. The former vice president went on to suggest that Medicare for All would result in tax hikes on the middle and working classes. Is it going to significantly raise taxes on the middle class? Which it will, Biden said. My opposition isnt to the principle that you should have Medicare. Everybody, health care should be a right in America, he added. My opposition relates to whether or not its doable, and, two, what the cost is and what the consequences to the rest of the budget are. How are you going to find $35 trillion over the next 10 years without having profound impacts on everything from taxes for middle class, working class people, as well as the impact on the rest of the budget? the Democratic 2020 frontrunner questioned. Sanders argues his plan would cost $30 trillion over a decade. The Vermont progressive has cited a Yale University study claiming that universal health care would save $450 billion per year in health care costs as well as save 60,000 patients from dying unnecessarily every year. Biden currently leads Sanders in polling nationally, with 51 percent support compared to Sanderss 35.3 percent, according to the RealClearPolitics average of polls. More from National Review UNITY, Maine, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Students from all over the country come to study at Unity College 's Flagship campus in Unity, Maine, because of their passion for sustainability and desire to become the environmental leaders of tomorrow. These are the students who aren't content sitting in a classroom and listening to lectures for four years. Unity College students are ambitious and are eager to get their hands in the soil or to head out into the field to conduct challenging primary research as undergraduates. Experiential education is one of the most important parts of the curriculum at Unity College in Unity, Maine. Unity College has identified several locations where students who exemplify those characteristics are prevalent, including Houston, Texas. The College will hold a Meet and Greet event at the Houston Museum of Natural Science's Brown Gallery from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 18, to encourage prospective students and their families to find out more about the College. "Students who attend this event will quickly discover that Unity College is unlike any other school they're looking at," said Unity College President Dr. Melik Peter Khoury . "We pride ourselves on our experiential curriculum, and have enhanced it for first- and second-year students through TERRAIN , which offers a hands-on, real-world educational approach that goes way beyond the classroom through expeditions and short courses." Senior high school students interested in Fall 2020 will be able to receive on-the-spot admissions decisions at the event, and all students can get all their questions answered. Light refreshments will be served and there will be free parking and access to permanent exhibits at the museum. Those interested in attending are asked to fill out the registration form at unity.edu/houston. About Unity College The first institution of higher education in the nation to divest from fossil fuel investments, Unity College is changing the face of higher education . Sustainability science lies at the heart of its educational mission, offering environmentally-focused degrees on campus and online. For more information, visit unity.edu . Contact: Joel Crabtree, (207) 509-7292 Associate Director, Media Relations [email protected] SOURCE Unity College Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], Mar 10 (ANI): After Jyotiraditya Scindia along with 19 Congress MLAs resigned from the party, party leader Laxman Singh said that the Kamal Nath-led government will not survive in Madhya Pradesh and the party should be prepared to sit in the opposition. "The Congress government will not survive and we will sit in the opposition and run the party's programs strongly. Whoever is gone has gone. We cannot do much about it. Now, it is time for us to sit in the opposition and work as a strong entity. We will ask the people to give us one more opportunity in the next election," Singh told reporters here. "I will meet Chief Minister Kamal Nath to discuss the future strategy," Laxman, brother of former chief minister Digvijaya Singh said. Earlier today Scindia had resigned from Congress, stating that "it is time to move on". Apart from this, 19 Congress MLAs, including six state ministers from Madhya Pradesh, who are in Bengaluru tendered their resignation from the state assembly today. In a late-night Cabinet meeting, around 20 Cabinet ministers in Madhya Pradesh tendered their resignation to Chief Minister Kamal Nath who accepted their resignations and is likely to reconstitute the cabinet. Earlier, several Congress leaders, including Digvijaya Singh, had accused the BJP of horse-trading and conspiring to bring down the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh. Congress has been witnessing an internal turf war in Madhya Pradesh since the party formed a government in the state. (ANI) Looking at staff clad in green Pure Oasis T-shirts less than an hour before a dream years in the making would come to fruition, co-owner Kevin Hart said to the dispensary staff, You have all made history. There is no one that can take this from you. The history was not just in being Bostons first recreational marijuana dispensary. Pure Oasis is also the first business to open through one of the Cannabis Control Commissions equity programs, designed to help people and communities that were disproportionately harmed by the war on drugs. Its a culmination of individual wins and the sum of those individual wins equals success, Hart said. This is why we are going to be successful. Hart and fellow co-owner Kobie Evans, in passionate pep-talks, urged their staff to have fun and let go of any stress they felt in the days leading up to the monumental opening at the dispensary on Blue Hill Avenue in the Grove Hall part of Dorchester. Understand that this is history thats happening here in Boston, Evans said. This is similar to the end of prohibition. You guys are part of it. You guys are instrumental in us being here. Thank you for that. Enjoy this moment. When the first sale was made at 11 a.m., the owners and staff burst into applause. We set out on this journey a long time ago to show people who look like us that if you work hard and you persevere then success is soon to come, Hart said. Pure Oasis has employees who have criminal backgrounds. One of the business missions is giving back and giving people a second chance, all while supporting the community, Evans said. The war on drugs had a very detrimental impact on neighborhoods just like this and thats why were here, to try and remedy some of those negative effects and to try and create a balance, Evans said. And thats what equity is, its balance. How do you balance out what has happened in a negative light and create something positive in the community. In Dorchester, @MyPureOasis is up and running. Heres a look at the countdown to the first sale. @masslivenews pic.twitter.com/8hzTU6tjk9 Melissa Hanson (@Melissa__Hanson) March 9, 2020 Two hours before its opening, Pure Oasis had its first customer lined up outside. I thought I was gonna come in and there was gonna be a lot of people out here, said Lisa Clement, who drove in from Randolph and landed on Blue Hill Avenue at 9 a.m. I was shocked just because of the area its in, [I thought] there would be a lot of people in here. This was her first time shopping at a recreational dispensary. She hadnt gone to others because theyre too far away from her and too crowded. I can get it and get out, Clement said from the front of the line around 10 a.m., an hour before the first sale. And while Pure Oasis opened with a smaller fanfare than what Massachusetts saw with the first sales in the Northeast in November 2018 - which were highlighted with long lines and major traffic jams - that move was deliberate in an effort to be a good neighbor, Evans said. That is by design," Evans said. Opening up on a Monday was by design because what it does is allow us to scale into our operations, scale into the week and again not conflict any sort of nuisance on the community. Hart said he and Evans want to find out what the neighborhood needs and address any concerns that come up as their business gets going. The pair also hope to open dispensaries in Mattapan and in Medford, Hart said. Coming from as far as Fall River and as close as five minutes up the road, the opening was marked by a small, but steady stream, of customers lining up to head inside the dispensary, leaving with brown paper bags of product and a smile on their faces. Among the first 10 people in line Monday, waiting behind a white rope and under the warm sunshine, was Shane Bass of Fall River who has made the time to visit a number of marijuana shops on their opening day. Ive been to NETA (in Brookline), Ive been to Northeast Alternatives in Fall River, Ive been to Solar Therapeutics in Somerset, Ive been to In Good Health in Brockton, Ive been to Pure Oasis today for the grand opening, and they just opened Hope Heal Health in Fall River for recreational," he said. I grew up probably about five minutes away from here so its almost like supporting the local businesses and the people that are in my community as well. Bass said he sees legal marijuana as beneficial for the community and all of Massachusetts. It will help prevent people having to buy it off the streets. And you have these nice places where you can go and actually be able to speak to somebody about the product that youre getting and know exactly what youre getting rather than having to be concerned about the products that youre getting on the street," Bass said. Bass said he planned to buy 1/8 of flower and was looking for a strand he hadnt purchased yet. "I have an anger problem and when I smoke it helps me stay calm, " said Bass, who said hes 30 now and has been smoking for about 15 years. Arthur Weeks usually shops at NETA in Brookline and went to Pure Oasis on Monday to check things out, without the intention of buying anything. I want to see the different incentives they have for patients, said Weeks, who is a medical marijuana patient. For me to come over here, its a five-minute walk. Weeks has lived in the neighborhood for 74 years and said a pot shop was a long-time coming. He compared the legalization of marijuana to the prohibition and subsequent legalization of alcohol. There was a time they didnt allow us to have liquor. The government figured out how to legalize it and put their fingers on that," he said. If you use it and use it responsibly, its just like drinking, alcohol is legalized. Weeks said, however, that he thinks its too early to tell if the dispensary is a good addition to the neighborhood. The biggest roadblock Pure Oasis faced in trying to open, Evans said, was in arranging a host community agreement with the city of Boston, a step necessary in order to move on to the CCC licensing process. Theyre currently going through that struggle in Medford, he said. The opening comes more than three years after voters in Massachusetts legalized recreational marijuana. Its also more than a year after Cultivate in Leicester and NETA in Northampton became the states first two shops to open. Greater Boston saw its first opening with NETA in Brookline about a year ago. Some people had concerns that Pure Oasis would tie up traffic in Dorchester. Like with most marijuana businesses, there was pushback by some members of the community along the way. There are a lot of issues that people have. Some people have issues with parking. Some people have issues with a myriad of things. Some people have issues and they need a voice, Evans said. Everyone needs a voice and every voice should be heard. While traffic was a concern of some neighbors, Elizabeth Soto of Dorchester thought the neighborhood could benefit from more people driving through. Honestly the traffic is good because a lot of traffic comes up here ... Come on down, see how we get down," she said about Dorchester. "This is perfect because people that dont know [Pure Oasis is open], they can let their relatives know. Soto went inside to check out the business on Monday morning. I really wanted some granddaddy kush, thats my favorite strand of weed, so, unfortunately, I didnt get anything but a free sticker. But Ill be back tomorrow and maybe try something because Ive only got 20 bucks on me. So, I have to live within my means but it smells very heavenly, said Soto, who lives in Dorchester and said she uses marijuana to help calm her depression and anxiety. Soto said she hopes to make a purchase by the end of the week. Im just glad that theyre finally here in the community and this is awesome, and, yay, we get to smoke all the weed we want, Soto said with a laugh. Related Content: Any student who gambled on the Jarrow March not making a repeat appearance on the higher level paper may now be regretting it. The topic turned up again this year, in the Dictatorship and Democracy section. According to teacher, Sean Delap, a question involving the Jarrow March and social and economic problems in Britain and Germany in the inter-war years has appeared every year, bar one, at higher level since the introduction of the new course in 2006. Future history students cant afford to ignore this question, Mr Delap from the Institute of Education, Dublin advises. Overall, he thought the paper was fair and that students had a reasonable choice in each section. However, he said there were some tricky elements and it was perhaps more challenging than in recent years. He said students who studied their case studies in each section would be happy as questions on these appeared in each section. However, students who may have been expecting the Treaty to appear in the Documents Based Question, would have been disappointed as Belfast during World War II appeared instead. However, it was extremely straightforward, he said. Mr Delap thought the questions in the Northern Ireland section were difficult enough while questions in Europe and the World were more straightforward. The waiver includes emergency room, urgent care and office visits related to COVID-19 testing for the states individual, small and large group markets, the State Health Benefits and School Employee Health Benefits Plans, NJ FamilyCares CHIP population and the states uninsured population, which is eligible for Charity Care, according to a news release from the state. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} As we continue to strengthen our efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, we must ensure that our residents are focused on their health and not on the cost of medically necessary testing, Murphy said. These actions bolster our states coordinated response and preparedness efforts by eliminating affordability concerns for New Jerseyans. Murphy encouraged employers to consider measures to support access to screenings, testing and related services. Our residents play a big role in our response and mitigation efforts, Oliver said. And we encourage them to continue doing their part. Were going to get through this together in New Jersey. The newly appointed Liaison Prosecutor for Serbia at Eurojust, Ms Gordana Janicijevic, has taken up her duties. Ms Janicijevic was officially introduced today to the Eurojust College during a visit of Serbian Republic Public Prosecutor Ms Zagorka Dolovac. Serbia is the 7th country to have a Liaison Prosecutor at Eurojust. Liaison Prosecutors can open cases for support from EU Member States and participate in coordination meetings and coordination centres to step up the fight against cross-border crime. Since 2015, Serbia has already cooperated with Eurojust in nearly 150 cases involving serious organised crime. Eurojust President Mr Ladislav Hamran said: 'I warmly welcome Ms Janicijevic to The Hague and look forward to an excellent cooperation. It is of great importance that an increasing number of countries want to work together with Eurojust in the fight against cross-border organised crime and terrorism. I am convinced that the valuable experience of Ms Janicijevic and the full backing of the Serbian authorities will play a crucial role in our efforts to further increase our operational and strategic cooperation with the Western Balkans region.' Photos Eurojust Republic Public Prosecutor of Serbia Ms Zagorka Dolovac pointed out: 'This is an important moment and day in the joint history of the Republic Public Prosecution Office of Serbia and Eurojust, and also a significant development in the relationship between the Republic of Serbia and the European Union. Our joint professional efforts and commitment were recognized and now are allowed to prosper even more. I am certain that our representation here in The Hague will be able to continue with proven quality and reliability in cooperation with European and other colleagues to fulfil the most important task of protecting our societies from dangers and consequences which contemporary crime represents.' Liaison Prosecutor for Serbia Ms Gordana Janicijevic stated: 'I am very honoured to be the first Liaison Prosecutor for Serbia at Eurojust. Given the previous caseload, I believe that having a cooperation agreement and presence at Eurojust will enhance the already excellent cooperation between Serbia and Eurojust in fighting serious transnational crime. I look forward to a close cooperation with all the countries represented at Eurojust, and I expect an increased exchange of information and the most efficient coordination.' Ms Janicijevic was Deputy Republic Public Prosecutor of Serbia before starting in her new role at Eurojust. The opening of a Serbian liaison office at Eurojust is supported by the Instrument of Pre-Accession Assistance IPA/2017 project 'Countering Serious Crime in the Western Balkans', of the European Commission (DG NEAR) and the German Federal Government. Eurojust and Serbia have signed a cooperation agreement in November of last year. Between 2008 and 2018, Eurojust has already concluded similar agreements with three other countries in the Western Balkans: North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania. Both North Macedonia and Montenegro already have Liaison Prosecutors in The Hague. Serbia has worked with Eurojust on 150 cases involving serious crime since 2015 and attended 22 coordination meetings. It has participated in seven Joint Investigation Teams (JITs), most of which involved drug trafficking cases, and took part in two joint action days supported through Eurojust's coordination centre. The most frequently involved crime types are drug trafficking, swindling and large-scale fraud. She's been called Married At First Sights hottest bride ever. And Kasey 'KC' Osborne has revealed to NW magazine that she has spent a significant amount of money transforming herself into the bombshell she is today. 'I've dropped $40,000 on changing my look,' she confirmed. Extreme makeover: Married At First Sight 'intruder' bride KC Osborne (pictured) transformed into the bombshell she is today with $40,000 worth of cosmetic treatments including a boob job, Botox, fillers and veneers 'I've obviously had my boobs done, Botox, filler in my cheeks, having my lips done and veneers.' The Intruder bride has spent the past decade working in Los Angeles as a professional dancer where she overhauled her looks. A throwback photo of KC on So You Think You Can Dance shows how dramatically different she looked before her makeover. Dramatic change: A throwback photo of KC on So You Think You Can Dance (pictured) shows how dramatically different she looked before her makeover with thinner lips, lighter hair, less prominent cheeks and natural breasts The brunette bombshell is seen with thinner lips, lighter hair, less prominent cheeks and natural breasts. Her dramatic transformation has seen the stunning dancer be compared to Hollywood actress Kate Beckinsale. KC has achieved the same accentuated cheekbones and plump cheeks as Kate, which the actress has been celebrated for for years. Comparison: KC's dramatic transformation has seen the stunning dancer be compared to Hollywood actress Kate Beckinsale (pictured) She also has a very similar button nose and slightly plumped-up pout to Kate, ensuring the two could be sisters. KC is no stranger to the Hollywood limelight as she used to work as a Pussycat Doll in the musical act's burlesque show. She even rubbed shoulders with Harry Styles and David Beckham during her stint in Hollywood. Don't cha wish your bride was hot like her? KC used to work as a Pussycat Doll (pictured) in the musical act's burlesque show, and even rubbed shoulders Harry Styles and David Beckham She recently returned to Australia and quickly landed a spot on the new season of Married At First Sight. She also works as a dance teacher and has her own dance workshop. The MAFS relationship experts matched KC with 'down-to-earth' Drew Brauer, a 31-year-old musician and charity founder from Cairns. Married At First Sight continues Wednesday at 7.30pm on Channel Nine Before the Taqba Dam impounded the Euphrates River in northern Syria in the 1970s, an archaeological site named Abu Hureyra bore witness to the moment ancient nomadic people first settled down and started cultivating crops. A large mound marks the settlement, which now lies under Lake Assad But before the lake formed, archaeologists were able to carefully extract and describe much material, including parts of houses, food and tools -- an abundance of evidence that allowed them to identify the transition to agriculture nearly 12,800 years ago. It was one of the most significant events in our Earth's cultural and environmental history. Abu Hureyra, it turns out, has another story to tell. Found among the cereals and grains and splashed on early building material and animal bones was meltglass, some features of which suggest it was formed at extremely high temperatures -- far higher than what humans could achieve at the time -- or that could be attributed to fire, lighting or volcanism. "To help with perspective, such high temperatures would completely melt an automobile in less than a minute," said James Kennett, a UC Santa Barbara emeritus professor of geology. Such intensity, he added, could only have resulted from an extremely violent, high-energy, high-velocity phenomenon, something on the order of a cosmic impact. Based on materials collected before the site was flooded, Kennett and his colleagues contend Abu Hureyra is the first site to document the direct effects of a fragmented comet on a human settlement. These fragments are all part of the same comet that likely slammed into Earth and exploded in the atmosphere at the end of the Pleistocene epoch, according to Kennett. This impact contributed to the extinction of most large animals, including mammoths, and American horses and camels; the disappearance of the North American Clovis culture; and to the abrupt onset of the end-glacial Younger Dryas cooling episode. The team's findings are highlighted in a paper published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports. "Our new discoveries represent much more powerful evidence for very high temperatures that could only be associated with a cosmic impact," said Kennett, who with his colleagues first reported evidence of such an event in the region in 2012. Abu Hureyra lies at the easternmost sector of what is known as the Younger Dryas Boundary (YDB) strewnfield, which encompasses about 30 other sites in the Americas, Europe and parts of the Middle East. These sites hold evidence of massive burning, including a widespread carbon-rich "black mat" layer that contains millions of nanodiamonds, high concentrations of platinum and tiny metallic spherules formed at very high temperatures. The YDB impact hypothesis has gained more traction in recent years because of many new discoveries, including a very young impact crater beneath the Hiawatha Glacier of the Greenland ice sheet, and high-temperature meltglass and other similar evidence at an archaeological site in Pilauco, located in southern Chile. "The Abu Hureyra village would have been abruptly destroyed," Kennett said. Unlike the evidence from Pilauco, which was limited to human butchering of large animals up to but not younger than the YDB impact burn layer, Abu Hureyra shows direct evidence of the disaster on this early human settlement. An impact or an airburst must have occurred sufficiently close to send massive heat and molten glass over the entire early village, Kennett noted. The glass was analyzed for geochemical composition, shape, structure, formation temperature, magnetic characteristics and water content. Results from the analysis showed that it formed at very high temperatures and included minerals rich in chromium, iron, nickel, sulfides, titanium and even platinum- and iridium-rich melted iron -- all of which formed in temperatures higher than 2200 degrees Celsius. "The critical materials are extremely rare under normal temperatures, but are commonly found during impact events," Kennett said. According to the study, the meltglass was formed "from the nearly instantaneous melting and vaporization of regional biomass, soils and floodplain deposits, followed by instantaneous cooling." Additionally, because the materials found are consistent with those found in the YDB layers at the other sites across the world, it's likely that they resulted from a fragmented comet, as opposed to impacts caused by individual comets or asteroids. "A single major asteroid impact would not have caused such widely scattered materials like those discovered at Abu Hureyra," Kennett said. "The largest cometary debris clusters are proposed to be capable of causing thousands of airbursts within a span of minutes across one entire hemisphere of Earth. The YDB hypothesis proposed this mechanism to account for the widely dispersed coeval materials across more than 14,000 kilometers of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Our Abu Hureyra discoveries strongly support a major impact event from such a fragmented comet." Research on this study was conducted also by Andrew Moore, from the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York; William M. Napier, from the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium in Norther Ireland; Ted E. Bunch and James H. Wittke, from Northern Arizona University; James C. Weaver, from Harvard University; Malcolm LeCompte and A. Victor Adedji, from Elizabeth State University in North Carolina; Paul Hackley, from the United States Geological Survey; Gunther Kletetschka, from the Czech Academy of the Sciences, Charles University in the Czech Republic and University of Alaska; Robert E. Hermes, from Los Alamos National Laboratory (retired); Joshua J. Razink from the University of Oregon; Michael Willam Gaultois, from the University of Liverpool in the UK; and Allen West, from the Comet Research Group in Arizona. Astrobiology Please follow Astrobiology on Twitter. Meenakshi Shedde By Express News Service Indian cinema has had an exciting run at the 70th Berlin Film Festival, which ran from February 20 to March 1. An unprecedented 21 South Asian films and talent were selected in various sections of the Berlinale. These include four Indian films Pushpendra Singhs Laila aur Satt Geet, Prateek Vats Eeb Allay Ooo!, Akshay Indikars Sthalpuran and Ekta Mittals short Gumnaam Din. Rima Das, director of Village Rockstars and Bulbul Can Sing, was also on the Berlinales Generation 14plus International Jury. This is the 22nd year Im working with the Berlin Film Festival, and I have always been struck by how much incredible world-class talent there is in South Asian nations. This year, the Berlinale Talents (BT), a mentoring programme for young and upcoming filmmakers in multiple film disciplines, chose an exceptional 16 Berlinale Talents from South Asia, including seven from India. It was a historic opportunity for South Asian filmmakers to explore collaboration and collectives, which was the theme of BT this year. The Indian Talents were Ivan Ayr (Soni; director, screenwriter), Geetika Vidya (Soni; actor), Dominic Sangma (MaAma; director, screenwriter), Acharya Venu (MaAma; cinematographer, director), Varun Sasindran (Omarska; director), Mukul Haloi (Tales From Our Childhood; director, screenwriter), and Prantik Basu (Rang Mahal; director, ). Altogether, 255 Berlinale Talents participated in the six-day programme of about 100 events with internationally renowned film experts, mentors, and producers. This years highlight was distinguished German director Wim Wenders presenting Pakistani filmmaker Anam Abbas with the Talents Enablement Programme Award for her work as founding member of the Documentary Association of Pakistan collective. This volunteer-driven group has been promoting screenings of Pakistani documentaries to local audiences since 2017. I am very honoured. This award will help us make the film movement sustainable, expand to a regional South Asian cooperation network, and influence policy in our country, said producer-director Abbas. I want to help Pakistani cinema find a new voice that is its own. I learnt that a wealth of opportunity lay in collaboration between countries. It is so important and heartening to connect to our neighbours in the region, especially those outside India. Our industries are very similar and lack state support, yet, people are making excellent international films. Once we collaborate regionally, these walls will fall! The South Asian talents beyond India included solid woman power. There were also Nida Mehboob, director, cinematographer, also from Pakistan; Bavaneedha Loganathan, director, screenwriter from Sri Lanka; Asmita Shrish, director, screenwriter Nepal/UK; and Sadia Khalid, film critic/journalist from Bangladesh. Other South Asian Talents included Rajesh Prasad Khatri (director, Nepal) and Kiran Pokharel (director, producer, Nepal). BTs many sections include Script Station, Doc Station, Editing Studio, Talent Project Market, and Summit; with both workshops and talks with international mentors. Despite Soni opening at the Venice Film Festival and now showing on Netflix, Ivan Ayr is at BTs Script Station with his new script, Landlocked. I had in-depth discussions with script consultants about my characters and their journey. I learned that one should get feedback on a script as early as possible, before getting married to a story structure, Ayr said. It was also the first time I met filmmakers from neighbouring nations. The fellowship for Anam Abbas is a great step forward, as artists are the only lifeline in a culturally-oppressed society. Online distribution can help, but India should first open up to world cinema beyond Bollywood or Hollywood, he added. Rajesh Prasad Khatri, a filmmaker from Nepal, who remains a primary schoolteacher in a remote mountain village in Nepal, is an absolute revelation. His debut short, Jaalgedi, won a Special Prize in the Berlin Film Festival, 2018. Even though his next project, Shyam Swoyet Tasvir, is still at the script and development stage it was part of BTs Script Station he already has three top international producers attached to it, Catherine Dussart (France), Chong Shuk Fong (Hong Kong) and Min Bahadur Bham (Nepal). I became a filmmaker by clearing a dustbin, he said. I was an assistant on a friends film, and after the shoot, when I cleared the dustbin, I found the script, film notes, and everything I needed to become a filmmaker. I make excuses to get leave from school when I want to shoot my film, but I dont want to give up the job because when I make small children laugh, that joy is what keeps my filmmaking going as well. Also filming in challenging circumstances is Dominic Sangma, from tiny Shillong in Meghalaya, and whose Indo-Chinese collaboration MaAma was at the Mumbai Film Festival and won Best Cinematography for fellow BT participant Acharya Venu at the Shanghai International Film Festival. Sangma was at BT with his second project Rapture, which was already at Cannes Film Festival. BT has been valuable. I had great meetings with producers and now feel confident of starting my second film soon. Sole BT South Asian actress Geetika Vidya (Soni), said that on being selected for the BT Acting Studio, she called home and had to help them understand what BT is, for them to be able to participate in my happiness. She was in BT to gain technical expertise to reach the audiences head and heart, and to learn to stay strong and resolute in times of uncertainty. Rajee Samarasinghe, a Sri Lankan filmmaker based in Los Angeles, has had two distinctions back to back: his 15m short Gimhanaye Netra, was selected for the International Film Festival Rotterdam in January, and he was selected at the BT (Doc Station for Your Touch Makes Others Invisible) in February. The best thing about BT was the rare opportunity to meet people from a variety of creative disciplines and countries. I think I will end up working with a lot of the folks I met here. Also, it was nice to meet so many South Asian filmmakers. Anam Abbas is such an amazing creative force and her win was well-deserved. Likewise, writer-director Bavaneedha Loganathan, also from Sri Lanka, added, This was the first time I met other south Asian filmmakers. I learnt about the importance of sustainability in filmmaking, funding platforms, and working collectively. I made good friends with South Asians, especially the women participants, and hope to work with them in the future. I also met Wim Wenders and Victor Kossakovsky (director of Gunda), and their masterclasses were priceless. The lone BT film critic from South Asia, Sadia Khalid Reeti from Bangladesh, was earlier on the FIPRESCI Jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019. A screenwriting graduate from UCLA, she is currently an editor with the Dhaka Tribune. I was the first Bangladeshi in BTs Talent Press section for film critics, said Khalid. Hearing top critics talk about their philosophy of film criticism, and being mentored by some of them, will enrich my work. We got to meet trailblazers from our region. When Anam Abbas won the award, it made me proud, and gave me hope that our local initiatives may also receive recognition someday. I believe regional co-production between BT alumni will offer exciting films that will truly uphold our heritage, culture, and values on the global stage. International producers are competing to produce New York-based Nepali filmmaker Deepak Rauniyars next. His Highway was in the Berlin Film Festival, and his Seto Surya was at the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals. He was in the Berlinale Talent Project Market where meetings are set up with producers for Anam Abbass Mariam (Pakistan) and his film The Sky is Mine. My film generated good interest, and we received requests from almost double the number of companies that we could officially meet in two days! he said. I wish there were more forums like this in South Asia.The writer is India And South Asia Delegate to the Berlin Film Festival, National Award-winning critic, curator to festivals worldwide and journalist. 'Coronavirus is a respiratory disease, causing mild symptoms ranging from a fever and a dry cough to more serious conditions such as severe pneumonia, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.' Q. Exactly what is coronavirus, or Covid-19? A. Coronavirus is a respiratory disease, causing mild symptoms ranging from a fever and a dry cough to more serious conditions such as severe pneumonia, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. These symptoms do not necessarily mean you have the illness. They are similar to those for much more common viruses, such as colds and flu. Generally, coronavirus can cause more severe symptoms in people with pre-existing medical conditions or weakened immune systems, older people, and those with long-term conditions like diabetes, cancer, heart and chronic lung disease. Q. Where did coronavirus come from? A. A new strain of coronavirus (Covid-19) was first identified in Wuhan City, China in December 2019, which has now spread to 111 other countries and territories around the world. Read More Q. What are the risks? A. The UK Chief Medical Officers have declared the risk to the public to be low to moderate. Q. What areas are most at risk? A. If you have recently been travelling outside of the UK, you may be at an increased risk of Covid-19. Areas of risk are China, Thailand, Japan, Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Macau, Italy, Iran, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. Q. What should I do if I have been to these countries? A. Stay indoors and avoid contact with other people if you've travelled to the UK from the above named places in the last 14 days, even if you do not have symptoms. Q. How long does it take for the symptoms to show up? A. The incubation period - between infection and showing any symptoms - lasts up to 14 days, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. But some researchers say it may be up to 24 days. Q. How deadly is coronavirus? A. Four out of five people who contract coronavirus will only experience mild symptoms, a WHO examination of data from 56,000 patients has shown. The proportion of people dying from the disease appears low (between 1% and 2%) - but the figures are unreliable. Q. How does coronavirus spread? A. It is not yet known exactly how coronavirus spreads. However, similar viruses are spread via droplets, such as those produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. So, coughing and sneezing into tissues, not touching your face with unwashed hands, and trying to avoid close contact with infected people are important. Q. How can I protect myself and stop coronavirus spreading? A. Always carry tissues with you and use them to catch your cough or sneeze. Then bin the tissue, and wash your hands, or use a sanitiser gel. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after using public transport. Use a sanitiser gel if soap and water is not available. Don't touch your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Avoid close contact with people who are unwell. Q. What is the treatment? A. There is no specific treatment for Covid-19. For patients with the disease, treatment has involved "supportive care," such as fluids and medication to relieve symptoms like shortness of breath. Q. Should I be avoiding public places? A. Most people can continue to go to work, school and other public places. The current government advice states mass events and public gatherings should not be cancelled, and people should continue to act normally for now. People only need to stay at home and self-isolate if they are advised to do so by NHS 111 or a health professional. Q. How fast is it spreading? A. Hundreds of new cases are being reported worldwide each day. However, it is thought health agencies may be unaware of many cases. After starting in China, coronavirus is now spreading fast in countries like South Korea, Italy and Iran. Q. Should I wear a face mask? A. Face masks for the general public are not recommended to protect from infection, as there is no evidence of benefit from their use outside healthcare environments Q. What should I do if I think I have contracted coronavirus? A. Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. In Northern Ireland call the NHS 111 phone service for further advice. Q. Where can I get tested for coronavirus? A. Testing can take place at hospital, in a drive through facility based at Antrim Area Hospital or at home - but only if there's a high chance you have the virus. Q. What does the coronavirus test entail? A: If a health professional decides that you need to be tested, they will take some samples to test for coronavirus. This may include samples of: mucus from your nose; throat or lungs; blood or a stool sample. Q. What about a vaccine? 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 WHO has convened a group of experts to fast-track promising tests, drugs and vaccines, but few believe one will be ready for at least another year. Q. What is the current advice for travellers? A. While the Public Health Agency (PHA) does not issue travel advice, if you're concerned about the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on your existing travel plans, check with your airline, tour operator, cruise line or other transport and accommodation providers as applicable. People who plan to travel should check the latest government travel advice. Q. Will my travel insurance cover me if I want to cancel my trip due to the coronavirus? A. Travel insurance will likely only step in when the country you are going to has been named by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) as somewhere you should not travel to at all, or where you should only travel if it is essential. It is important to check your travel insurance policy for the scope of cover. Q. What is the risk to children? A. In general, children appear to be relatively unaffected by coronavirus, according to data from China. This may be because they are able to shake off the infection or have no symptoms or only very mild ones similar to a cold. However, children with underlying lung problems, such as asthma, may have to be more careful, as the virus could trigger an attack. Q. Will the warmer weather bring any relief? A. Some observers have pointed to the fact that Africa has relatively few cases of Covid-19 which may be a response to hotter conditions there. The virus cannot take the heat, in other words. Q. Can the virus be spread on banknotes? A. The Chinese government has said that cash received by all banks must be sterilised before being released to customers, in order to reduce the spread of the disease. Using contactless cards can minimise the risk of handling cash but these cards can also harbour germs and viruses. The best practice is to wash your hands thoroughly after handling banknotes, cards or coins. Q. Can animals get Covid-19? A. The WHO says at present, there is no evidence that companion animals/pets such as dogs or cats can be infected with the new coronavirus. The WHO has advised pet owners to maintain good hygiene, like washing their hands with soap and water after contact with their pets. Q. How are exam boards preparing in case schools have to close? A. Exam boards across the UK currently say there are no changes to timetables and that students, schools and colleges should prepare for exams as normal in early May. The CCEA in Northern Ireland say they are monitoring the situation closely. Q. Will I get paid by my employer if I have to self-isolate? A. Provisions for sick leave vary from company to company. Many employees will have contracts that allow them their normal pay while they are unable to work because they are sick. Q. Should I be disinfecting my phone? A. Coronavirus is believed to be transferred between people in droplets from coughs and sneezes. But experts think that it can survive on surfaces, possibly for days. So it's important that your phone - at home, mobile or at work - is cleaned thoroughly and often. Q. Is stockpiling of food and cleaning items a good idea? A. Official guidance says no, stock piling is not a good idea. The British Retail Consortium - representing most British supermarkets - said it was working "as hard as they can" to ensure people have access to products. It assured the public retailers are well-versed in providing effective measures to keep things "running smoothly". Two of the states latest coronavirus patients are a married couple from Riverton who recently returned from a trip to Italy, a county official told NJ Advance Media Tuesday. The 62-year-old man and 60-year-old woman traveled with someone who tested positive for the virus, said Herb Conaway, director of Burlington Countys health department. They began to have symptoms and (because they were informed about the spread of the virus) called ahead to an area hospital, where doctors took precautions including protective equipment, Conaway said. They were tested Sunday and results came back Tuesday morning as presumptive positive - meaning the test result still has to be verified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC. The two were sent home, where they remain isolated, and officials are working on contact tracing, or tracking down people who came into contact with the couple and may be at higher risk for contracting the virus. Late Tuesday, the town of Robbinsville, in Mercer County, announced the man works in a professional office in town, which has been closed and cleaned. The town did not identify the offices location. The West Windsor Township Health Department, which oversees Robbinsville, began notifying persons who have been in contact with the patient about possible precautions, Robbinsville said in a statement. Robbinsville Mayor Dave Fried said he would provide details as they become available. We have been preparing for this eventuality for several weeks, Fried said in a statement. Earlier in the day, Robbinsville suspended activities at their senior center until at least March 22, and the town has ordered sanitary supplies and are educating town employees on proper, health-oriented procedures. "Even with a presumptive positive case locally, there is no reason to panic, Fried said. Italy announced a quarantine Sunday that would affect a quarter of its population, and later expanded it to the entire country of 60 million people. The Burlington County health department is also monitoring 20 people, most of whom recently passed through Newark-Liberty or John F. Kennedy International airports. Conaway said that monitoring is in accordance with the CDC, which mandated health screenings and monitoring for travelers returning from China and Iran. Elsewhere in South Jersey, the condition of the one known coronavirus patient in Camden County is improving. That 61-year-old man is in stable condition at Jefferson Cherry Hill Hospital, and the seven people he came into contact with have shown no symptoms. They will end their quarantine tomorrow, Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said in a statement. Just to reiterate, this patient did not take mass transit and did not attend any social gatherings while he was symptomatic, Cappelli said. Camden County has also suspended travel out of the state and country for all employees. New Jersey officials declared a state of emergency on Monday evening to help coordinate the response to the virus. State health officials also advised residents to stock up on a 14-day supply of food and medicine just in case they need to be quarantined. Editors Note: This story has been updated with information from the town of Robbinsville. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Amid the crisis in the ruling Congress' Madhya Pradesh unit, 19 MLAs of the party, who are staying in the city, have written to the Karnataka Director General and Inspector General of Police seeking protection and police escort. "We have come to Karnataka state voluntarily on some important work, regarding which we require protection and escort from local police for our safe movement and safe stay in and around Bangalore," the letter dated March 9 and signed by 19 legislators said. The MLAs, including six ministers, on Tuesday sent their resignation letters via e-mail to the Raj Bhavan in Bhopal from Bengaluru, putting the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh in a crisis. The move came as the congress prominent youth leader Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the party and appeared set to join BJP Tuesday amid a rebellion in Madhya Pradesh by his supporters, pushing the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government to the brink of collapse. Among the 19 here, two are women. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Airport staff prepare to check passengers arriving at Entebbe Airport, Uganda, for coronavirus (AFP via Getty) A father and daughter have been arrested in Uganda for giving out a fake coronavirus vaccine, it has been reported. The pair were arrested in the Mayuge district, about 75 miles from the capital, Kampala, according to the BBC. Scientists have yet to develop a vaccine against Covid-19, the disease caused by coronavirus. On Tuesday, a UK health chief warned that a vaccine may never be found. Read more: Government has made 'serious mistake' in tackling coronavirus There have been more than 116,000 cases of coronavirus worldwide, according to John Hopkins University, including 4,088 deaths. More than 64,000 people have recovered after contracting the virus. There have been no cases of coronavirus in Uganda. In the north of the continent, there have been 20 cases in Algeria and 59 in Egypt, where one person has died from the disease. Health experts are said to be puzzled at the low coronavirus rate across African countries. Read more: How UK response to coronavirus outbreak compares to EU Police in Uganda said they had received reports that people were being given some kind of mixture to purportedly inoculate them against the coronavirus. Two people were arrested but have since been released on police bond, the BBC reported. Screening at Entebbe Airport in Uganda, where there have been no coronavirus cases (AFP via Getty) Samples of the liquid concoction they allegedly gave out have been taken for testing at a government forensic laboratory in Kampala. Police believe the suspects gave the fake vaccine to people for free in the hope of later charging a fee for it. Meanwhile, England's deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries said on Tuesday that the start of the UK peak of the coronavirus outbreak is expected within the next 10 to 14 days. She said "many thousands of people" would contract coronavirus as the disease continued to spread in the UK. Watch the video below The 20-something college student didnt know she had the new coronavirus as she flew home from a study abroad program in Italy, landing at one of the nations busiest airports. She took a train to a St. Louis station shared by Amtrak and the Greyhound bus service. Her father, who was exposed to her but shows no signs of illness, went to a coffee shop and took another daughter to a father-daughter dance at a hotel and a house party. The Grand Princess cruise ship that has been idling off the California coast with at least 21 coronavirus patients onboard traveled under the Golden Gate Bridge after 11:10 a.m. Monday. The ship docked at pier 22 in the Port of Oakland just after noon at an 11-acre site enclosed with a fence. Tents were set up and at least 10 ambulances and 15 buses were parked in the containment area. Federal and state officials have been making plans for flights and buses to whisk passengers aboard the boat to military bases or their home countries for a 14-day quarantine. "None of the passengers who disembark will be released into the general public," a statement from the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) said. The boat is carrying about 2,400 passengers and 1,100 crew members and has been traveling in circles off the coast of California for several days as state and federal officials made disembarkment plans. Here's a rundown of the plan of action for disembarking: Passengers who require acute medical treatment and hospitalization not only related to COVID-19 will disembark first and go to healthcare facilities in California for treatment. Once this group has been cared for, 962 California residents aboard will disembark for testing and isolation. "It is expected that these actions will take the greater part of the day on March 9th," Cal OES said. "California residents who disembark will be transferred to Travis Air Force Base or Marine Corps Air Station Miramar for testing and quarantine." Next, non-Californians will be transported to facilities in other states for testing and isolation. "Residents of other states will complete the mandatory quarantine at Joint Base San Antonio Lackland in Texas or Dobbins Air Force Base in Georgia," according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The disembarkment could take two to three days. Crew will be quarantined aboard the ship, and those in need of more acute medical care will be transported off the ship to a medical facility. The ship will only stay in the Port of Oakland for the duration of disembarkment Federal and state officials chose the port of Oakland for the disembarkment because it's one of the few ports that can accommodate the 951-foot-long ship. "The Port of Oakland location was the easiest to seal off, securely move passengers toward their isolation destinations and protect the safety of the public," the statement reads. The Port of Oakland is the fifth-busiest container port in the United States after Long Beach, Los Angeles, Newark and Savannah. At least 21 people on the Grand Princess have tested positive for coronavirus, including 19 crew members and two passengers. The tests were initially administered to 46 people (of the roughly 3,500 passengers and crew) who were displaying symptoms. Vice President Mike Pence said in a press conference Friday that all passengers would be tested. The concern of the Grand Princess started after a 71-year-old passenger from a previous voyage on the same boat died of coronavirus last Wednesday at a hospital in Roseville in Placer County, near Sacramento. He had underlying health conditions. The Los Angeles Times reported he had the virus before boarding the boat that traveled between San Francisco and Mexico, Feb. 11 to 21. This means the virus may have been circulating in the state for a longer duration than originally thought. "Dr. Grant Tarling, the cruises medical officer, said the man who later died in Placer County after leaving the cruise sought medical care on the ship Feb. 20 and had been sick for several days," the Times reported. "Tarling said two waiters who served the man multiple times were subsequently infected." 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: Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The debate over healthcare has become a major issue in our country. Our private healthcare system is extremely overpriced and does not provide the quality of care one would expect. It hardly reflects a Christian ethic, yet many Christians continue to support it. If we really think about it, our current healthcare system thrives on peoples misfortune. Hospitals, doctors and insurance companies make huge profits by exploiting those born with poor health or experiencing an illness beyond their control. No one expects hospitals and doctors and insurance companies to offer their services for free, but no one expects them to gouge their patients when they are most vulnerable either. The government refuses to implement price controls, which, in essence, gives a green light to hospitals, doctors and insurance companies to charge whatever they wish. They charge what they want to because they can get away with it. They are accountable to no one. And who is to stop them? That explains the relentless rise in health care costs year after year. In 2003 President Bush signed into law the Medicare Modernization Act which forbids the Secretary of Health and Human Services from negotiating prices of drugs with drug makers. That law has only exacerbated the problem and has certainly been a boon for the pharmaceutical industry. Many are now calling for a government-run, universal healthcare system because the issue of rising healthcare costs has gotten out of control. But as might be expected, critics call this idea un-American. For them, its better to be American and exploit another person for personal gain than be un-American and help people struggling with being able to afford health care. Transitioning to a universal healthcare system is a socialist approach to the problem. There is no denying that. But why is there vociferous objection to such an approach? In the Book of Acts in chapter 2:45, Christians pooled together their goods and money to help those in need. That was a form of socialism. This would be replicated in a universal healthcare system. All the citizens of our country would pay into the system. Our public education system is a form of socialism. Property taxes are pooled together to pay for the public education of our children until they graduate from high school. It is assumed that their education is a right. We have socialized education at this level. Why not socialize our healthcare system so everyone can receive basic medical care? To a certain degree, our country already has a socialized healthcare system: Veterans Administration healthcare. I have used the healthcare services of the VA since I am a veteran. I have to say that the quality of care I have received has exceeded the quality of care I have received in the private sector. The doctors are more caring and spend more time with patients than private doctors. The five-minute, three hundred dollar visit to the doctor is unheard of there. The doctors are less likely to order unneeded medical tests. The VA is not profit driven and does not derive any ridiculous monetary gain from my misfortune. The idea that profit plus private equals quality simply is not true. In the article More Money, Same Results, in the Harvard Gazette, researchers at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health concluded that higher healthcare costs do not equate to better outcomes. If you spend more money on a car or a TV, you tend to get a nicer car or a better TV, said senior author Anupam B. Jena, the Ruth L. Newhouse Associate Professor of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School. Our findings show thats not the case when it comes to medical care. Spending more doesnt always mean you get better health. The argument that capitalism can fix the problem without any government interference is wishful thinking. Actually, unregulated capitalism was the cause of the financial crisis in 2008-2009. Businesses did a very poor job of regulating themselves. Today, the same holds true with hospitals and insurance companies, which are businesses. If it is true that capitalism is the panacea to all our nations problems, why did the government have to get involved in the financial crisis of 2008-2009 and impose regulations on the financial industry? The entire healthcare system needs oversight from an outside party such as the government to regulate it. Hospitals, doctors and insurance companies are incapable of regulating and policing themselves, especially when it comes to controlling high costs. Universal healthcare in our country would be more humane than our current private healthcare system. The amount of bankruptcies filed by people who are unable to pay their medical bills would dramatically decrease. A person would not have to worry about declaring bankruptcy because of the cost of treating a broken arm. A sick person would not have to spend hours on the phone arguing with an insurance company about paying for a necessary medical procedure or what is and is not covered under their medical plan. Doctors and insurance and hospital executives would not be able to gobble up a persons entire lifelong savings because of an unforeseen illness. The argument that healthcare in countries with universal healthcare is much worse is completely false. Those who benefit the most from the way things are now in our healthcare industry intentionally disseminate this false information. Sad to say, many Americans believe them. It is time for Americans to think for themselves and do their research before putting their trust in the rhetoric of hospital and insurance executives. My wife had pneumonia while we lived in Russia and went to be treated at a hospital in Finland. The care she received was excellent and cost half of what it would have cost had she received the same treatment in the United States. Other countries such as Sweden, Germany, and Denmark have better quality healthcare systems. Just look at the metrics of patient outcomes and longevity. Other countries fair better than our country. The notion that America has the best healthcare system in the world is a myth. A major obstacle that has to be torn down so our country can move forward with healthcare is the powerful healthcare lobby. It has a stranglehold on the members of Congress. Those who have the most to gain from our current healthcare system will not go down without a serious fight, however. Multi-million dollar salaries and billions in profits are at stake here. The American way is threatened. But the American way is not the Christian way. Universal healthcare is more aligned with Christian values than our current system. Christians espouse look out for the interests of others (Phil. 2:4) do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Matt. 7:12) love your neighbor as yourself (Matt. 19:19)carry each others burdens (Gal. 6:2)do not boost the price (Amos 8:5)defend the rights of the poor and needy (Prov. 31:9). The fact that there is public discussion about healthcare means that serious problems exist in our present healthcare system. The current democratic presidential candidates who advocate universal healthcare are responding to the publics outcry. The status quo approach to solving the healthcare issue has not worked for years. That approach has to change since the current system is unsustainable. The transition to universal healthcare is inevitable because the public outcry against the current system will get louder, much louder. Healthcare costs will continue to rise unchecked, and employers will pass more and more of those costs on to their employees. When all is said and done, though, the hospitals, doctors and insurance companies will have only themselves to blame for our nations adoption of universal healthcare. Their greed will lead to the eventual demise of private healthcare. If the current presidential administration remains in power for four more years and does nothing to address the issue of healthcare in a significant and meaningful way, it will only get worse and make the call for universal healthcare that much more urgent. Unfortunately, as of right now, the mentality of many of our political leaders is Yes, its unfortunate you have a bad medical condition, but deal with it. Such is life. Good luck. Do we Christians agree with that? 10 new Covid-19 cases confirmed in Ireland today. 34 cases in total There are now 50 cases on the island of Ireland - 34 here, 16 in the North Department of Education says schools Read More: will not close will not close Two members of staff at Read More: Ervia in Cork test positive; One memeber of staff Read More: at Apple in Cork tests postive Ervia in Cork test positive; One memeber of staff at Apple in Cork tests postive Irish Cancer Society Read More: cancels all Daffodil Day street collections cancels all Daffodil Day street collections Republic of Ireland's Euro 2020 play-off Read More: to be played behind closed doors to be played behind closed doors Ryanair and Aer Lingus cancel flights to Italy Trinity to deliver online lectures for the rest of the semester There are now 34 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland, the Department of Health has announced. 10 new cases have been confirmed this evening. They are: One male, a healthcare worker, in the south of the country, associated with hospital transmission One female, a healthcare worker, in the east of the country, possible hospital transmission Three males, in the south of the country, associated with travel from an affected area One male, in the west of the country, associated with close contact with a confirmed case One female, in the west of the country, associated with close contact with a confirmed case One female, in the south of the country, associated with close contact with a confirmed case One male, in the east of the country, associated with travel from an affected area One female, in the east of the country, associated with travel from an affected area A statement from the department revealed that the HSE is "working rapidly to identify any contacts the patients may have had, to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread". Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said; 98% of all suspected cases in Ireland have tested negative. While Ireland remains in containment phase, there is no room for complacency. We all have a part to play in limiting and slowing the spread of this disease. At the briefing today the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ronan Glynn, dismissed as "conjecture" suggestions that Covid-19 had been present in Ireland since around Christmas, and was responsible for some of the respiratory illness seen this season. "We've been looking for cases (of Covid-19) for some weeks, and there wasn't anything," he said. The National Public Health Emergency Team met earlier today and a number of decisions were made during it. They are: The Health Protection Surveillance Centre will formally update guidelines for healthcare workers returning to work following exposure to a confirmed case, as per recommendations from the Expert Advisory Group (EAG). Confirmed cases who are clinically appropriate can remain in their home, in self-isolation. This is subject to the development of criteria for their discharge from self isolation by the EAG tomorrow (11 March). Socially restrictive actions around hospitals and nursing homes are not necessary at this moment in time. Laboratory testing will commence in regional laboratories. The Department of Health also announced that as of March 9, 1,784 people have been tested for Covid-19 in Ireland. The figure is an increase of 1,387 tests in one week. Earlier today, it was revealed that a worker at Read More: Read More: It was also announced today that there were Read More: It brings to 50 the number on confirmed cases on the island of Ireland. State Duma MP proposes to lift presidential terms limits in Russia RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 14:59 10/03/2020 MOSCOW, March 10 (RAPSI) Lawmaker Valentina Tereshkova on Tuesday proposed to consider removal of restrictions on the number of presidential terms. She also believes it necessary to allow the acting Head of State to again hold the office. The State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin in turn noted that the proposal of Tereshkova requires discussion with the President. Earlier on Tuesday, another MP Alexander Karelin during a plenary meeting on Tuesday proposed to hold early State Duma election. SAN FRANCISCO, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Invitae Corporation (NYSE: NVTA), a leading medical genetics company, announced today the acquisition of Diploid, a privately held Belgian company that developed Moon, artificial intelligence (A.I.) software capable of diagnosing genetic disorders in minutes based on next-generation sequencing data and patient information. The addition of Moon to Invitae's state-of-the-art variant interpretation infrastructure extends its ability to quickly and efficiently turn large amounts of genetic data and phenotypic information into actionable reports for patients and clinicians. "The addition of Diploid's software to Invitae's best-in-class variant interpretation platform will provide an immediate increase in throughput, improving the customer experience and lowering COGS for our exome offering, further extending the advantage of Invitae's platform to the benefit of clinicians and their patients," said Sean George, co-founder and chief executive officer of Invitae. "More importantly, this technology will help us accelerate progress toward the routine use of whole genome sequencing in addition to panel and exome testing, ultimately helping more patients get the diagnosis they need, sooner." Moon is powerful and simple to use. When interpreting exome or whole genome data, geneticists must identify the one or two mutations responsible for the patient's condition among thousands of sequence variations observed. With Moon, geneticists can upload next generation sequencing data, enter a patient's symptoms and age of onset, and the causal variants are suggested within minutes. The speed and accuracy of Moon is powered by A.I. algorithms, a proprietary gene-disorder model, and a continuously updated genetic evidence database. Invitae and Diploid successfully completed a pilot study of the performance of Moon and found that in 94% of the 150 previously-solved exome cases, the causal mutation was found within the top three of Moon's ranked list of sequence variants. "We are dedicated to building the best medical genetics diagnostic system in the world. With Invitae we are joining like-minded scientists creating a world-class genetic interpretation framework at scale," said Peter Schols, founder and chief executive officer of Diploid. "By bringing these technologies together, we can help more patients benefit from in-depth genetic sequencing to move from searching for answers to finding a diagnosis and discussing treatments that can help." The speed and accuracy of genetic diagnoses enabled by Moon has real-world benefits for patients. Rapid whole genome sequencing, interpretation and diagnoses has proven to be critical for the care of infants with genetic diseases in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units. Because Moon can go from whole genome sequencing data to an answer in minutes, it can be instrumental for providing rapid and accurate care required for critically ill patients. Under the definitive agreement, Invitae will acquire Diploid for approximately $95 million, subject to certain adjustments, consisting of $32 million in cash and $63 million in Invitae common stock (based upon a trailing average trading price). The acquisition has closed. RSUs In connection with the transaction, Invitae granted restricted stock units ("RSUs") having a value of up to $5 million to certain continuing employees of Diploid. The RSUs were granted under Invitae's 2015 Stock Incentive Plan, which was amended and restated to create an additional pool of shares of Invitae common stock to be used exclusively for the grant of inducement awards in compliance with New York Stock Exchange Rule 303A.08 ("Rule 303A.08"). The RSUs were approved by the Board of Directors of Invitae and granted as an inducement material for continued employment following the acquisition of Diploid by Invitae in reliance on the employment inducement exemption under Rule 303A.08. The RSUs vest 50% at 12 months and 50% at 24 months from the grant date. The number of RSUs that vest on each vesting date will be calculated based on the volume-weighted average trading price of Invitae's common stock on the New York Stock Exchange for 30 days immediately preceding such vesting date. Any unvested portion of an award granted under an RSU agreement will accelerate upon the applicable employee being terminated without Cause or for Good Reason (as such terms are defined in the RSU agreement). Conference Call and Webcast Details Management will host a conference call and webcast today at 2:00 p.m. Pacific / 5:00 p.m. Eastern to discuss the acquisition. The dial-in numbers for the conference call are (866) 393-4306 for domestic callers and (734) 385-2616 for international callers, and the reservation number for both is 4663118. Following prepared remarks, management will respond to questions from investors and analysts, subject to time limitations. The live webcast of the call and slide deck may be accessed by visiting the investors section of the company's website at ir.invitae.com. A replay of the webcast and conference call will be available shortly after the conclusion of the call and will be archived on the company's website. About Invitae Invitae Corporation (NYSE: NVTA) is a leading medical genetics company whose mission is to bring comprehensive genetic information into mainstream medicine to improve healthcare for billions of people. Invitae's goal is to aggregate the world's genetic tests into a single service with higher quality, faster turnaround time, and lower prices. For more information, visit the company's website at invitae.com. About Diploid Diploid is on a mission to provide clinical labs, hospitals and nation-wide sequencing programs with the tools to diagnose every rare disease patient. Its Moon platform is the first software worldwide to use artificial intelligence for rare disease diagnostics. Thanks to its use of advanced machine learning and deep phenotype integration, Moon is now widely recognised as the fastest genome interpretation solution, going from whole genome sequencing to diagnosis in minutes. In addition, Moon's autopilot feature enables unsupervised reanalysis of negative cases, making continuous genome interpretation a reality. Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to the potential benefits of the acquisition; the capabilities and benefits of Diploid's technology; the company's ability to integrate and expand the use of Diploid's technology and the impact thereof; and the company's business strategy, and its beliefs regarding the ways in which the proposed acquisition will contribute to that strategy. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the risk that expected benefits of the proposed transaction may not be achieved in a timely manner, or at all; the risk that Diploid's technology may not be efficiently or successfully integrated into, or otherwise scale with, the company's platform; the company's history of losses; the company's ability to compete; the company's ability to manage growth effectively; the company's ability to use rapidly changing genetic data and technology to interpret test results accurately and consistently; security breaches, loss of data and other disruptions; laws and regulations applicable to the company's business; and the other risks set forth in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risks set forth in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and Invitae Corporation disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Contact: Laura D'Angelo [email protected] (628) 213-3283 SOURCE Invitae Corporation Related Links https://invitae.com SAN DIEGO At 9:12 a.m. on April 12, 1963, the nuclear-powered submarine Thresher issued its final coherent message. Experiencing minor difficulties, it began. Have positive up angle. Am attempting to blow. Will keep you informed. The first and last sentences were unduly and tragically optimistic. After a garbled message from the boat at 9:17 a.m., none of the 129 aboard Thresher were ever heard from again. The difficulties had not been minor. They had been fatal, taking the vessel and her crew to a watery grave in the North Atlantic. Almost 57 years later, this remains the U.S. Navys worst undersea disaster. Its also one of the most mysterious. While there are numerous theories about what caused the Threshers sinking, the official story is still under wraps. In 1963, a naval court of inquiry blamed Threshers loss on catastrophic flooding from a ruptured pipe. Among those who dispute this theory is Bruce Rule, a former naval officer who eavesdropped on Soviet subs via SOSUS, a top secret network of hydrophones installed on the ocean floor. Now retired, Rule concluded that the sub lost power for unknown reasons, then plunged helplessly from 1,300 feet to 2,400 feet below the surface. At that extreme depth, he maintained, the pressure hull collapsed in the blink of an eye one-twentieth of a second. The Navys investigation resulted in a 1,700-page report. Only 19 pages have been publicly released. Capt. Jim Bryant, a retired submarine skipper, wants the public to see the other 1,681 pages. I feel a responsibility to the men who were aboard, he said, and their families. Last year, Bryant went to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeking to pry loose the report. On Feb. 10, a federal judge ordered the Navy to release its report in monthly 300-page segments, beginning May 15 and continuing until Oct. 15. When the Navy requested more time to review documents and redact classified information, Bryants lawyer noted that the Navy already had promised to do this 22 years ago. Then, in 2012, the Navy announced it had nearly completed its declassification review but wasnt going to release anything. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden noted that history this month, while rejecting the Navys plea for more time. Normally I defer to the government, he said during a hearing, but I cant say I have a lot of confidence in how this looks now. Bryant, 72, is an unlikely foe of the Navys silent service. Raised in Pasadena and educated at the U.S. Naval Academy, he was a young officer when Adm. Hyman Rickover, the nuclear navys demanding leader, tabbed him for submarine duty. Before his retirement in 1994, Bryant served aboard three Thresher-class subs, commanding one, Guardfish, from 1987 to 1990. WhileBryant won a court order to see the official Thresher report, its unclear whether this victory was large or small. Thats because material deemed essential to national security will be redacted. Peter Rowe is a San Diego Union-Tribune writer. Cold case detectives are offering a $1 million reward to help solve the 36-year-old mystery of how a young woman was fatally shot on a speed boat in front of three witnesses saying they need one final piece of admissible evidence to charge the killer. Part-time model Janita McNaughton, 23, was shot without warning on Boxing Day 1983 while standing on the boat moored in Western Port Bay. Janita McNaughton, fatally shot on December 27, 1983. She had been invited on the 6.7-metre Savage outboard half cabin cruiser by her boyfriend, jeweller Mark Adams. There were three other friends on board including fellow jeweller Theo Komianos and his business partner Michael Kelly. Despite being shot between the eyes from close range those on the boat first told police the shot was fired from shore. Later, after receiving legal advice, they retracted the story and claimed she was shot when a gun accidentally discharged after it was dropped in the boat. Russia has claimed that the ceasefire agreed between them and Turkey has been broken eight times by illegal armed groups in a number of locations writes SANA. Illegal armed groups have broken the ceasefire eight times in the Idleb de-escalation zone in the past 24 hours, Rear Admiral Oleg Zhuravlev, the chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Parties in Syria, said at a briefing on Sunday. Eight ceasefire violations by illegal armed groups have been documented over the past 24 hours, he said, adding that the militants had opened fire on inhabited localities in the regions of Aleppo, Lattakia and Idleb. Apart from that, Zhuravlev said that the Russian military police had conducted patrols along five routes in the regions of Aleppo and Hassakeh. Additionally, Russian aircraft patrolled the area taking off from Metras airfield. In the past 24 hours, the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Parties in Syria carried out three humanitarian missions in the regions of Aleppo, Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor. A total of 825 food sets, with a cumulative weight of over 3.9 tonnes, were handed out to Syrians in need. Russian military doctors provided medical services to 274 Syrian citizens in the cities of Kobani in Aleppo province and Qamishli in Hassakeh province. Idleb is the only Syrian region that has been controlled by illegal armed groups since 2012. A northern de-escalation zone was set up in Idleb in 2017 to give shelter to militants who refused to surrender arms in eastern Ghouta and Syrias southern regions. The Russian reconciliation center continues to fulfil its assigned tasks after the completion of the military campaign in Syria. The centers officers regularly travel around the countrys liberated areas to assess the humanitarian situation. The main efforts of the Russian military are now focused on assisting the refugees in returning to their homes and the evacuation of civilians from de-escalation zones. 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. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Rizki Fachriansyah and Marchio Irfan Gorbiano (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 President Joko Jokowi Widodo has named four candidates, including a controversial former Jakarta governor, to lead the body responsible for relocating the capital city from Jakarta to an area in East Kalimantan. Executive director of local pollster KedaiKOPI Kunto Adi Wibowo said that President Joko Jokowi Widodos decision to consider Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama as a potential candidate for the capital city authority was a result of the pairs previous experience as the governor and vice governor of Jakarta between 2012 and 2014. Ahok succeeded Jokowi as governor after the latter was elected president in 2014. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login A new study published in the journal Nature Communications in March 2020 reports that a fifth of the malaria risk in deforestation hot spots is down to the export trade in coffee, timber, soybean, cocoa, wood products, palm oil tobacco, beef, and cotton. What this means, for ordinary consumers, is a need to understand the environmental impact of buying such products, which are obtained through sources that lead to forest destruction and the increased breeding of mosquitoes. It is noteworthy that many of these commodities are directed at wealthy consumers. Global demand for products such as coffee, tobacco, cocoa, timber and cotton is depleting the rainforests and creating conditions where mosquitoes thrive. Image Credit: Szymon Apanowicz / Shutterstock Industrial agriculture and deforestation Agribusiness, or industrial agriculture, is a distinct form of agriculture characterized by a high input-land ratio and intensive use of land, with fewer fallow periods. The inputs include chemical fertilizers and pesticides, irrigation, and mechanization. The proponents of agribusiness claim the yield is more than doubled using these techniques. However, it is true that this requires increasingly more inputs to keep pace with the consumption of rich countries, and that most of the increased yield is not being used to reduce global malnutrition. It is estimated that up to 70% of deforestation in South America is due to agribusiness, including soy, palm oil, and cattle breeding on ranches. Most of these activities occur in developing countries to produce goods that are consumed by rich countries. Today, deforestation is driven less by the spillover of rural populations into forest territory and more by the growth of cities and the need to produce goods for the global market. Leave the forests alone! Earlier studies have shown that cutting down rainforest or disturbing its environment in other ways is a risk factor for malarial transmission because it creates an ideal habitat for mosquitoes, with a lower predator risk and warmer conditions. The current study relates to the disruption of rainforest ecology to the worldwide demand for certain goods, which in turn promotes the breeding of malaria-carrying mosquitoes. The study and its findings The investigators from the University of Sydney looked at how the increasing demand for goods by consumers far away from the location where these goods were grown or procured was driving a relentless business to feed that demand. The route they followed was, as senior author Professor Manfred Lenzen explains, "We achieved this by quantitatively relating malaria incidence first with deforestation, then to primary commodity production, which we then connected to global supply-chain networks and ultimately to worldwide consumer demand." In other words, they traced the links of agribusiness with the number of malaria cases, using a stepwise approach. The first stage was to find out how the incidence of malaria was linked to deforestation. Next, they examined how the ruin of forests was related to the need for forest-derived commodities or goods grown on erstwhile forest land. This was then analyzed in light of the volume of these commodities taken up by global supply chains. This was finally linked to the worldwide requirement for these goods using an analytic method that is commonly used by statistical researchers, called multi-region input-output (MRIO) analysis. This allowed the investigators to dig deeper than mere correlations between the malaria incidence and tree cutting by looking for the root cause. In the words of researcher Arunima Malik, "This study is the first to assess the role of global consumption in increasing deforestation and, in turn, malaria risk. Unsustainable human consumption is clearly driving this trend." Malik explains, "This work goes beyond simple incidence mapping and correlations, in that it unveils a global supply-chain network that links malaria occurring in specific locations because of deforestation with globally dispersed consumption." Implications In the words of researcher Manfred Lenzen, "We need to be more mindful of our consumption and procurement, and avoid buying from sources implicated with deforestation, and support sustainable land ownership in developing countries." The findings of the study should be harnessed to a global change in the way consumers buy specific goods. This can help to reduce malaria incidence all over the world by bringing in regulation to change the way these global supply chains import products from areas in which the malaria impact is high. Such regulations include the need to label products with respect to their origin, providing certification that they are obtained with minimal ecological impact, negotiations between environmentalists and supply chains, and setting procurement standards that will be beneficial for the environment and drive sustainable development. Legal options should also be utilized if necessary, some experts feel. For instance, another researcher Leonardo Chaves says legal mechanisms could be a good action to achieve malaria control. Initiating such mechanisms has already met with resistance in Brazil, where agriculture-based business corporates are against new laws that would mean landowners have to conserve a part of their land by allowing the growth of native vegetation only. Chaves counters such criticism: "If we lose this land to agricultural use, we could greatly increase malaria risk, and the bill of each case of malaria in the Amazon is paid by poor and vulnerable families in this region," Dr. Chaves said. "Development never reaches the small rural producer; it just makes illness." "It was very chaotic and we were in distress," Tsegaye Workineh, who said he was one of the first people to reach the crash site, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "It is a sight that I will never forget in my entire life. You're lucky that you haven't seen it. It was very shocking." Even as Americans are obsessed with whether Trump is controlling the Wuhan Virus or whether Costco will have more toilet paper, unnerving things are happening on the Greece-Turkey border. Turkey has unleashed tens of thousands of Muslim refugees who are headed to Europe, an invasion that, if successful, could destroy Europe's economy and will advance the demographic change started in 2015. On February 29, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that he was sending the millions of Syrians and other Muslim refugees staying in his country to Europe via Greece. He justified the move by claiming that Europe was not helping Turkey financially with the refugees and that he needed Europe to support his war against Russian and Syrian offensives. Almost instantly, several thousand Syrians and other Muslim migrants had massed along sections of the 120-mile border between Greece and Turkey. Greece, though, which still has a lagging economy long after the recession officially ended, has refused to admit the Muslim migrants. Nearly 80% of Greeks polled agree with the government. Turkey has pushed back against the Greek stand at the border and released footage purporting to show Greek soldiers shooting the migrants: Shots fired? | #Turkey says #Greek soldier fired at migrants A footage handed out by the Turkeys govt on Saturday allegedly shows a #Greece's soldier firing shots toward a barbed-wire fence at the border. pic.twitter.com/yLWtd8KgmN RT (@RT_com) March 7, 2020 In addition to trying to score propaganda points, Turkey has also attacked the Greek guards, not with bullets, but with tear gas: Footage shows the tear gas clouds on the Greek side of the border after Turkish police fired teargas rounds over the border pic.twitter.com/HFpVpLml6G CNW (@ConflictsW) March 4, 2020 In addition, Turkish armored vehicles have been seen using ropes to pull down the Greek border fence: A Turkish armoured vehicle with a rope attached to it was reportedly trying to pull down the Greek border fence this evening #Turkey #Greece pic.twitter.com/2lW3QuFypL CNW (@ConflictsW) March 7, 2020 All of the above videos need to be taken with a grain of salt, because the first casualty of both war and almost-war is truth. When the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, accused Turkey of aiding the migrants with crossing into Europe, Turkey's interior minister, Suleyman Soylu, did not deny it. He said the point behind sending the refugees is to destroy Europe's economy: Refugees who cross to Europe will soon top to a million, European governments will fall, their economies will be destabilized and their stock exchanges will tumble and they can't do anything about it, says #Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu. pic.twitter.com/xeUBX8uiwZ Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) March 7, 2020 While Western Europe is paralyzed, Central European nations are sending help to Greece: [T]he Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia pledged to help Greece to deal with pressure along its border. Speaking after meeting his counterparts from the other three countries, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said the situation was serious and the EU must protect its borders. "We're ready to help," Babis said. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said his country was ready to deploy guards at the Greek-Turkish border, while his Slovak counterpart Peter Pellegrini said the growing number of migrants "poses a security threat not just for Greece." Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that there are some 130,000 migrants on the move that the EU has to stop on its borders, and that "Hungary will take an active role in doing so." The four countries have been known for their tough stance against migrants and rejected an EU plan to redistribute refugees in member states. World War I was not an intentional war. The great powers stumbled into it over two months. In June 1914, anarcho-socialist Bosnians assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the tottering Austro-Hungarian Empire. The empire declared war on Serbia, Russia countered, Germany declared war on Russia, and Germany then attacked France and Belgium. The Belgian king sought help from Britain, and boom! World War I. By War's end, Russia was communist, America was a world power, and 40 million people were dead, not counting the approximately 17 to 100 million who died when war unleashed the Spanish Influenza on the world. The point of that little history lesson is a reminder that, in Europe, limited border wars have spiraled out of control before. It would be well if Western Europe, not just Central Europe, would take a firm stand against Turkey and an equally firm stand against uncontrolled Muslim invasions. Travelex, a Finablr company and market leading foreign exchange specialist, has extended its relationship with Bahrain International Airport (BIA) to operate multiple outlets at the new passenger terminal building. Travelex has signed a five-year contract with Bahrain Airport Company (BAC), successfully winning a tender to provide currency exchange services. BAC Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Yousif Al Binfalah and Travelex Managing Director Tom Fane signed the agreement in the presence of Bahrain's Minister of Transportation & Telecommunications and BAC Chairman, Engineer Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed, and members of the BAC commercial team. Travelex will now operate four stores in the airports new terminal, providing travellers to and from Bahrain with access to a wide variety of currencies and services to match their travel needs. Two stores will be located at landside, accessible to the public, and two more at airside, after passengers pass through security and immigration. Retail areas at the new terminal will be three times larger than at the existing airport, offering passengers more variety and transforming BIA into a key commercial hub. This supports BACs goal to increase the aviation sectors contribution to the national economy in line with Bahrains Economic Vision 2030. The new passenger terminal, one of the biggest construction works undertaken in the kingdom, spans approximately four times the footprint of the existing terminal and will boost the airports capacity to 14 million passengers every year. With this new contract, Travelexs tenure as a preferred currency exchange provider to Bahrains airport customers hits the 20-year mark, making it one of the longest standing relationships Travelex has in the region. - TradeArabia News Service Burma Myanmars NLD to Pick General Election Candidates in Late April An NLD election campaign in 2015. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy NAYPYITAW The National League for Democracy (NLD) will select its general election candidates at the end of April, according to a central executive committee member. The Union Election Commission (UEC) has not announced the election date, which is expected to take place in November. It announced the date of the November 2015 general election 11 months ahead of the date. Dr. May Win Myint said candidate selection would be based on recommendations from town elders for each constituency. Town elders are long-term party supporters, according to Dr. May Win Myint. The NLD members met in Pyinmana on Monday to discuss strategy and party efforts for the election. Dr. May Win Myint urged NLD members to speak to the public and boost support. She also urged the parliamentarians and cabinet members to fulfill their duty. Now is a very significant time for the NLD and the party cannot make any mistakes, she said, adding that all members should contribute to peace-building efforts, which were crucial for a strong, democratic country. U Thant Zin Tun, the NLD parliamentarian for Naypyitaws Dekkhinathiri Township, said regular party meetings would be held before the election. The 2010 and 2015 general elections were both held in November. You may also like these stories: Over 37M Eligible Voters in Myanmar; Lists for 2020 Poll Not Yet Complete, UEC Says Major Powers Beat a Path to Prominent Kachin Partys Door in Northern Myanmar Indian Govt Shuts Key Border Trade Gate with Myanmar Over Coronavirus Fears Probably not since the 1957 All-Ireland final has there been such a Louth interest in what you might call an away fixture. Darver Star goes in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham this Tuesday afternoon, and its not only those who have a few quid laid out on the bay gelding wholl be glued to the telly when the Starter calls them in at around 3:30. Hes a local horse whos caught the sporting publics imagination like no other before him, and all will want to see how he fares out in what is the worlds most prestigious hurdle race. As is well known by now, Darver Star is owned by three mid-Louth men, Simon Fagan, Pat Cluskey and Sean Fanning. The latter pair bred the eight-year-old and have been a long time in the racing game but its Fagan whos probably best known by the wider public. This is because his picture was all over the papers and on television screens seven years ago after his numbers had come up in the Lottery, netting him 3.6 million. If its luck thats needed, and it does come in handy, then its good to have someone like Simon on the team. By the way, theres a connection between the Louth 57 team and Darver. Jimmy McDonnell was at full-forward in Louths defeat of Cork, and in brackets beside his name was his club team, Darver Volunteers. The flags were out throughout the county all those years ago and will be again if this other local star is successful. This might surprise regular readers of this page: I wont be laying out anything on the Gavin Cromwell-trained horse this afternoon. Yes, Ive been in the horses corner almost from the start, writing bits about him even when he was neither popular nor profitable to be following. Cluskey, who had huge faith in the horse all along, was keeping me up to speed and, as we say in this game, I got a nice bit of copy out of it. I share his part-owners faith; I think Darver ran an incredible race last time out at Leopardstown, his performance that day was much, much better than he was given credit for on television and in the trade papers. If all goes well throughout the race he should be there or thereabouts. No, its just that I dont want to put the hex on the horse. Im on that bad of a run lately that I could paper the bookies office where I bet many times over with spent dockets. Im beginning to think I might be told some day that my trade is no longer required we feel its unfair that anyone should be betting so many losers (Some chance!!). Last Friday, for instance, I was on Arian at Fos Llas seven lengths clear going to the last, he buckled over. If I wasnt so used to this sort of thing I might have to buy a new telly to see todays race. But Ill be shouting for Darver, hoping his star shines on the biggest stage of all. He carries the Louth red-and-white colours, and should they be in view on the climb to the finish-line, Ill be joining in a Louth cheer, which might just be louder than the one that went up when Sean Cunningham put the ball in the net 63 years ago. SCIC will auction off its shares in Cienco 5 on March 20 The auction of 17.56 million Cienco 5 shares owned by State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) will take place at the Hanoi Stock Exchange, with the starting price set at VND19,300 (84 US cents) a share. Investors (if any) who replace SCIC in Cienco 5 need to spend at least VND339 billion ($14.74 million). Although SCIC is the shareholder with the highest ownership rate, Hai Phat Group has more than 51 per cent ownership in the company, divided in two subsidiaries (Hai Phat Invest and Hai Phat Tu Do Investment JSC) and has hence dominated decision-making in the firm. This came to the fore in early 2019, when consulting shareholders about a potential co-operation between Cienco 5 and Hai Phat Real Estate JSC (55:45) to jointly implement the second phase of a build-transfer (BT) project and Phu My Hung Urban Area. SCIC did not approve, but the decision still made it through with Hai Phat Group's subsidiaries acting in concert. SCIC's announcement of the auction contained absolutely no financial information of Cienco 5 in 2019, citing the fact that the 2019 audited consolidated financial statements have yet to be issued. In addition, investors interested in Cienco 5 also have to put up with a high starting price, nearly double the starting price set by the MoT several years ago. In the 2018 fiscal year, Cienco 5 earned only VND307 million. Compared to the scale of its charter capital, earnings per share (EPS) has not reached VND7, which makes the VND19,000 ($0.84) starting price rather unrealistic. Cienco 5 is not required to be listed like other equitised SOEs because it does not satisfy public company conditions. Because of this reason, information on its business activities is hard to access. The business situation of this corporation was only revealed by SCIC's disclosure until 2018. The published information paints a picture of difficulties in recent years, particularly a major hardship stemming from the equitisation process itself. Prior to implementing equitisation at the parent company, Cienco 5 equitised its subsidiaries with the ownership rate falling below the majority level. All resources of equipment, labour, technology are in the associated companies. The corporation has only an executive management apparatus at the office, a number of fixed assets for management, and a minor portion of contributed capital in associated companies, read the SCIC statement. This means that about half of Cienco 5's VND151 billion ($6.56 million) capital has been invested in associated companies, many of which are rolling massive amounts of debts with little prospects of repayment. According to the representative of Unistars International Auditing Company, the unit responsible for auditing Cienco 5, some of the companies Cienco 5 holds a share in did not send financial statements or confirm their debts. Stagnant equity is also the reason why Cienco 5 needs to borrow more as it is preparing for new projects, leading to increased financial costs and reduced corporate profits. Tourist arrivals plummet 44.3% in Feb, tourism revenues stand to drop B1.5trn BANGKOK: The number of tourist arrivals in Thailand fell 44.3% in February from a year earlier, due to the coronavirus epidemic, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said on Monday (Mar 9). COVID-19CoronaviruseconomicstourismChinese By Bangkok Post Tuesday 10 March 2020, 09:16AM Tourist arrivals at Phuket International Airport so far for March. Image: TAT Arrivals at Suvarnabhumi airport so far this month are no better. Image TAT Arrivals at Don Mueang airport so far this month are no better. Image TAT Tourists are screened at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok. Photo: TAT Visitors from China, Thailands biggest source of tourists, tumbled 85.3%, TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn told a meeting of tourism operators. In the worst-case scenario, the number of foreign tourists may fall to 30 million this year from last years 39.8 million, with spending down 22% if the virus situation bottoms in May, he said. Just last week, Mr Yuthasak said tourist numbers might drop by 6 million this year. Tourism is crucial to Thailand as spending by foreign visitors amounted to B1.93 trillion last year, or 11% of gross domestic product (GDP). The TAT sees a worst case this year of 10 million foreign tourists staying home and B1.5 trillion lost as forward bookings continue to flash warning signs. Governor Yuthasak said that if the coronavirus crisis extends beyond May, the number of tourists would hit rock bottom in that month. In such a scenario, it would take another three months for restoration and business would be back in September. As a result, Thai tourism would have 30mn international visitors, down from 39.8mn in 2019. For the best-case scenario, visitors would decline to 34.2mn if the tension subsided in March, with business cratering in April before bouncing back by July. Mr Yuthasak said Thai tourism stands a 30% chance of the worst-case scenario after international arrivals from Jan 25 to Feb 29 plunged 40% year-on-year to 2.8 mn. During that period, the Chinese market tumbled 81% to 264,653 visitors. Demand for travel to Thailand during this month will be stagnant, as forward bookings at full-service airlines are down 40% year-on-year, Mr Yuthasak said. The average occupancy rate of hotels nationwide in February fell to 63.2% from 71.9% a year earlier. The TAT is maintaining its domestic targets of 172mn trips and B1.13trn in tourism revenue. Kobsak Pootrakool, Deputy Secretary-General to the Prime Minister for political affairs, said shutting down the country is the last option if the outbreak proves uncontrollable. The government pledges to support operators throughout the hardship with financial measures and take good care of tourists in Thailand, he said. Kalin Sarasin, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC), said the private sector agrees that more measures from the government will help prevent unemployment, though such actions will only affect some local operators, not all. Speaking yesterday at a workshop of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, Mr Kalin said the governments stimulus ideas keep changing from time to time. He said he would wait to see the more concrete plans officially announced after todays Cabinet meeting. The TCC will carry out its own tourism confidence plan in eight related segments of the economy, including a promotion to stimulate shopping among Thai consumers. Thailands economy may grow less than 1% this year, Thanavath Phonvichai, Dean and economics professor of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, told reporters on Monday. Growth in 2019 was 2.4%, the lowest in five years. The central bank will closely monitor global oil prices and financial market developments and discuss them at its monetary policy review on March 25, Assistant Governor Chantavarn Sucharitakul said in a text message to reporters. The central bank last month cut its key rate by a quarter point to a record low 1.0%. Most economists expect further easing this month. Read original stories here and here. One Ukrainian serviceman was killed, four received injuries amid shell attacks mounted by the illegal armed formations on March 10, the Defense Ministry of Ukraine reported on its website. "According to a preliminary data, as of 12.30 one Ukrainian serviceman of the JFO was killed, four received injuries," reads the report. According to the ministry, since the beginning of the current day, enemy fired at Ukrainian positions five times using 120mm mortars, hand anti-tank and automatic easel grenade launchers, an anti-tank missile system, machine guns and small arms. The village of Pisky of Yasynuvativsky district of Donetsk region came under attack, though disengagement areas evaded shell attacks. The Defense Ministry also reported that enemy was increasing the engineering equipment of combat positions along the contact line and deep into the temporarily occupied territory in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. At the same time, work is being carried out to camouflage the combat positions of tanks, artillery systems, including multiple-rocket launch systems, which are in readiness for immediate use, are located in areas near the contact line at distances less than certain Minsk Agreements on the withdrawal of heavy weapons. "At the same time, Russian propagandists have intensified the dissemination of fake messages accusing the units of the Joint Forces Operation of not observing the ceasefire in order to discredit the Ukrainian soldiers," reads the statement. Superstar Aamir Khan took to Instagram to wish fans 'Holi Mubarak'. The actor, who is currently shooting for Forrest Gump remake Laal Singh Chaddha did not show his Holi look, probably to keep his character's physical transformation a secret. In the picture of Kiran and Azad, the film producer looks ready to play Holi in white. Azad can be seen posing with a water gun. In the second picture, Azad cab be seen having played with bright colours. "Holi Mubarak guys. Love.a," he captioned the pictures. Laal Singh Chaddha also stars Kareena Kapoor in the lead. Aamir and team recently wrapped the Chandigarh schedule of shooting and will now shoot in Amritsar. Actress Mona Singh, who had previously worked with the duo in 3 Idiots, posted a series of picture from the schedule wrap party. "Worked hard and partied harder , chandigarh schedule wrap n now off to amritsar. #laalsinghchaddha #bestteam #happiness #partymode #workmode #punjab," she wrote. Directed by Secret Superstar helmer Advait Chandan, the film is slated to release on Christmas 2020. Follow @News18Movies for more The first full day I awoke without plans no map of the city, no travel guide, no list of top restaurants. I wanted to get to know Oaxaca bit by bit, to let Oaxacans show me their city. When I found my way to Calle Macedonio Alcala, the main strip, I was mesmerized by the scene: Dozens of Oaxacans in their Sunday best filled the plaza outside Santo Domingo Church. Fathers held hands with their daughters. Women dressed in traditional indigenous huipiles and colorful wraparound skirts sat in the shade selling rebozos (shawls) and sombreros. A New Jersey man became the first person in the state to die from the new coronavirus, officials announced on Tuesday. The man was identified as John Brennan, 69, of Little Ferry, by a friend and an official with the company that owns Yonkers Raceway, where Mr. Brennan worked. He had a history of health problems before contracting the coronavirus, the states health commissioner, Judith Persichilli, said. He went to doctors last week complaining of a fever and a cough. He was admitted to Hackensack University Medical Center on Friday and subsequently had two heart attacks, Ms. Persichilli said. Officials said at a news conference that he died Tuesday morning. Mr. Brennan was not known to have traveled outside the United States, but he did travel between his home in New Jersey and New York, Ms. Persichilli said. Yonkers Raceway is in Westchester County, just north of New York City. We are sad to report the first death in a case of Covid-19 in New Jersey, Gov. Philip D. Murphy and Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver said in a statement. Our prayers are with the family during this difficult time. Joe Faraldo, the president of the Standardbred Owners Association of New York, said that Mr. Brennan, a longtime friend, was in charge of making sure that those horses were well cared for in the paddock and that he regularly held court in his small office near the racetrack. Bigg Boss 13: On the occasion of Holi, Arti Singh has shared her favourite Holi memories and one of them includes the one time she had too much bhaang. The actress recently won hearts with her stint in Bigg Boss 13. Bigg Boss 13: Arti Singh is on cloud 9 after a successful stint in Bigg Boss 13. Post the shows wrap up, the television actress has been showered with a lot of praise and acclaim for being one of the most dignified contestants in the show. On the occasion of Holi, Arti has revealed her favourite memories related to the festival in an interview with a news portal. She also shared how she almost missed a flight after having too much bhaang one particular afternoon. Arti Singh said that her favourite Holi memories go back to her time in Lucknow. She used to celebrate the festival with some of her closest and oldest friends. They have absolute blast while playing Holi with colours. Recalling a fun incident from her past, the actress shared that once she drank too much in the afternoon and couldnt even function properly. Interestingly, she had to catch a flight the same day in the evening. Looking at her condition, Arti Singhs mother also got quite angry that day. Now that she looks back at all these memories, she laughs at them. Needless to say, Arti has different facets to her personality and this is one of them. Also Read: Mujhse Shaadi Karoge: Aanchal Khurana to enter Shehnaaz Gill, Paras Chhabras swayamvar? Although Arti is yet to announce any new project, she recently reunited with her Bigg Boss 13 co-contestants Paras Chhabra, Mahira Sharma, Vishal Aditya Singh, Shefali Zariwala and Hindustani Bhau among many others and had a fun time. She also shared photos from their reunion on her Instagram account. Also Read: Rumoured couple Parth Samthaan, Erica Fernandez snapped by paparazzi at Ekta Kapoors party Also Read: Mujhse Shaadi Karoge: Paras Chhabra makes Sanjjanaa Galrani cry! For all the latest Entertainment News, download NewsX App Northern Irish people on lockdown in Italy's coronavirus ravaged red zones have warned people back home to "be sensible" in their responses to the crisis to avoid a similar situation here. Italy is the worst-hit country after China. The death toll has jumped by 97 to 463, with Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte describing the outbreak as the country's "darkest hour". In response to the crisis, Italy has placed up to 16 million people under quarantine. Anyone living in Lombardy and 14 other central and northern provinces needs special permission to travel. Milan and Venice are both affected. Read More Expand Close Richie Hughes, wife Silvia and their daughter Nina / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Richie Hughes, wife Silvia and their daughter Nina English teacher Richie Hughes (45) from Londonderry lives in Milan with his wife Silvia and their daughter Nina. He said: "At the start there was a case here and a case there and then the numbers started to go up. "And we saw the spectrum of responses from the panic buying, going out emptying shops and supermarkets to the gung-ho 'I don't care, I'm not paying any notice to this' approach. Both were equally in different ways, not very sensible. "In my opinion the government and airports and authorities were slow when they heard of the virus and then had to take pretty extreme measures. "And they found that people were not taking the measures and advice, so they ended up having to take more extreme measures." Mr Hughes explained how the lockdown is not as dramatic as some believe. "We are on lockdown. But it is not lockdown in your house with streets being patrolled by police," he added. "They have stopped trains and planes coming in and out. There are restrictions on movement and there are fines for people who try to move around. We can go out to the shop and buy food, there are some cafes open, but there are a lot which are closed." He said the measures are so extreme because people were being selfish. "There was either one extreme where they are panic buying soap and leaving none for anyone else, or the other extreme where they didn't care and went where they wanted," he added. "Both were selfish and have created a scenario where our towns and cities are on lockdown. I would say to people, it is coming, it's on its way and it's really important to be sensible." Expand Close Deane Harkin / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Deane Harkin Deane Harkin (31) from Derry lives in Bergamo near Milan. The primary school teacher and father-of-one has lived in Italy for nearly eight years. "On Sunday afternoon I was out with my daughter and we were in the park and everyone was having picnics and walking around," he said. "Then on Sunday evening they just announced that everything is being shut down. So we have to stay in our houses. People are allowed to go to work but if you go out for any other reason than work you can get a fine or be arrested. "We are allowed inside our own residential areas, in our own communities. The shops are open but the bars, cafes and restaurants are just open until 6pm. But you have take your seat and they bring you down your coffee and you have to keep your distance from others. "People had been panic buying for a while, but the shops seem okay now." Expand Close Phil Clark / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Phil Clark Dunmurry-born businessman Phil Clark (54), brother of UTV's Paul Clark, has lived in Bassano near Venice for 10 years. He said life is still functioning despite the lockdown. "There are still things functioning," he said. "Places are still open. You have to stand a metre apart from the person next to you. You have to be cautious. "Restaurants and bars are taking a hit from it and there is a certain degree of hysteria. We had an Italian national of Chinese origin beaten up and there is also a resistance of people going to Chinese restaurants. "Ten days ago the shops were stripped of tinned food and pasta, but they have been restocked now so there is plenty of food. "Because the schools are off there are a lot of kids walking about. I think a lot of the time Italians can be quite blase about things. People are still going about their daily lives but putting something up around their mouth to protect themselves." Expand Close Tiarnan McMeekin / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Tiarnan McMeekin Tiarnan McMeekin (27), an English teacher from Glengormley, arrived home from Milan just days ago. "I flew home from Italy a few days ago and I am in self-isolation now for two weeks," he said. "I work as a teacher in Milan but because everything is closed due to the quarantine I decided to come home. I wanted to be close to family if anything did happen. "It was very surreal over there before I left. It was so quiet. There are no tourists, bars are closed and the main tourist sites are shut." A 63-year-old man who was punched to the ground by his neighbour suffered enough on the day, a judge said as he struck out the case against the victim for allegedly threatening to put a bullet in the head of the other man. Judge Con OLeary was shown video evidence from CCTV outside one of the houses of some verbal altercation that occurred moments before the punch. Timmy ORiordan, 68, of 29 Fairhill Drive, Fairhill, Cork, pleaded guilty in June to a charge of assaulting Timmy Forde at Fairhill Drive, Fairhill, Cork, on July 16 2018. ORiordan was previously bound to keep the peace and told to stay away from his neighbour for a year and he was also fined 350 for assaulting him. Today Timmy Forde (63) denied a charge of engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour in a public place. He said he never said any such thing as putting a bullet in his neighbours head and said that he only remarked: We are too old for this kind of thing. Defence solicitor, Michael Quinlan, said that whatever words were uttered by Timmy Forde were said as he was standing in his own drive and that this was not a public place, so the charge should be dismissed. Judge Con OLeary said: When Mr Forde was on his own driveway he said something (from the CCTV) he was angry and outspoken and it produced the intended result, it upset Mr ORiordan as intended. He (Mr Forde) did not anticipate it would go quite so far. Most of the verbalising was in his driveway. Maybe he said something as he turned into the driveway (of his neighbour, Timmy ORiordan) but I cannot be sure of that. I think Mr Forde has suffered enough. Mr ORiordan had an astonishing reach an extremely accomplished pugilist. The judge then struck out the threatening charge the only count faced by Timmy Forde. Timmy Forde said in evidence today that he had to get 25 stitches to a head wound and was concussed after the punch that knocked him to the ground. Timmy ORiordan testified that the other man called him a bum, but this was denied. He told me he would put a bullet in my head, Timmy ORiordan said at Cork District Court. Inspector James Hallahan confirmed that Timmy ORiordan had already been convicted of assaulting Mr Forde. As coronavirus spreads in South Carolina, one Democratic state lawmaker is proposing a law that would make tests free a measure intended to ensure people are tested for the virus rather than stay home because of the possible cost. The bill by Sen. Darrell Jackson, D-Richland, would require all health insurers in South Carolina to waive copayments and deductibles for coronavirus tests. That includes private insurance and the State Health Plan, which covers state government employees. A hearing on Jackson's bill could be held as early as next week. "I wanted us to be on the forefront of this," Jackson said. "There will come a time sooner than later when that test will be more available to people who are not symptomatic but just the reassurance to know, 'I'm OK'." He added, "They may have kids. They may be in a house with elderly parents with immune deficiency challenges. This will allow them to go take the test without having to worry about a copay." Meanwhile, President Donald Trump's administration said Tuesday it secured promises from top insurance companies to waive out-of-pocket expenses for testing. And at least one of the state's largest private insurers already committed to covering costs. As of Tuesday evening, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control was reporting nine positive tests for coronavirus at its labs. DHEC has the capacity to run roughly 1,000 coronavirus tests, agency director Dr. Rick Toomey said earlier this week. Agency funding has covered the tests. But going forward, DHEC will not be the only authority running tests. Private labs like LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics also received government approval to run tests. The Medical University of South Carolina has applied for permission from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to conduct its own tests. Those organizations will want to bill health insurance companies and Medicare. Consumers have worried about the costs they might face if they are tested for the virus. Medicare is already covering tests, Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said during a town hall with the AARP on Tuesday. Major insurers' commitment to cover the bills for testing should help tamp down overall costs, Verma said. Chief executives of UnitedHealth, Anthem and Humana were present at the meeting with Trump administration officials, as was the leadership of the trade group the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. "We really don't want costs to be a barrier to getting a test," Verma said. Companies part of the the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina is one of them will cover tests "with no cost share to the member," the company said in a statement. BlueCross BlueShield is the insurance company for the state health plan, which covers public employees throughout South Carolina, including teachers and local government workers. Blue Cross also said it would waive 30-day limits on medication refills. State insurance commissioners have also taken steps to mitigate costs. In Washington state, where the first coronavirus case was confirmed in the U.S., the insurance regulator issued an emergency order last week that requires companies to waive copays and deductibles. The S.C. Department of Insurance has yet to take that step. Making tests free will not address the costs of hospitalization and other screenings that could be required if a person needs to be treated. Adam Benson contributed to this report. On Tuesday, March 10, at 11:30, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency will host a presentation of the educational program aimed to change the existing view of the Chornobyl zone and the events of 1986. The state course for the preparation of guides of the Chornobyl zone will allow earning UAH 2,300 per day. Participants: Acting Head of the State Agency for Management of the Exclusion Zone Kateryna Pavlova; Vice-rector of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine for academic and educational work, PhD in Economics, Academician of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences, Honored Worker of Science and Technology of Ukraine, Professor Serhiy Kvasha; radiation reconnaissance platoon commander, writer, ecologist Serhiy Myrny; CHORNOBYL TOUR director Yaroslav Yemelianenko (8/5a Reitarska Street). Registration of journalists with press cards on the spot. Details by phone: (050) 077 7609. The Pentagon on Monday designated four bases where passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship will be quarantined for 14 days once they disembark in Oakland, California. Travis Air Force Base and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California; Lackland Air Force Base, Texas; and Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia, will provide temporary housing for the U.S. citizens among the 3,500 passengers and crew aboard the Grand Princess, said Robert Salesses, a Pentagon deputy assistant for Homeland Defense. Travis, Miramar and Lackland all have previously provided temporary housing for U.S. citizens returning from China or who were aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship off the coast of Japan. All of the passengers aboard the ship were expected to come ashore by late afternoon Monday at the port of Oakland. Related: Read Military.com's COVID-19 Coverage The non-U.S. citizens aboard the Grand Princess are to be sent back to their home countries after screening, according to California officials. It was not immediately clear how many of the passengers would be sent to each of the four bases. In a statement Saturday, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said he expected about 34 Georgia residents aboard the Grand Princess to be sent to Dobbins, but added that other East Coast residents might also go to the base. At all four bases, each of the passengers will be provided with a single room with bathroom, Salesses said. If they show symptoms of coronavirus and test positive, they will be taken to local hospitals, he added. While at the bases, the passengers will be under the supervision of the Department of Health and Human Services; they will have no contact with Defense Department personnel, Salesses said. In a statement Sunday, Health and Human Services (HHS) said that nearly 1,000 passengers from the Grand Princess who are California residents are expected to go to Travis and Miramar; residents of other states will complete the mandatory quarantine at either Lackland or Dobbins. "Throughout the quarantine, passengers will be monitored for symptoms" of COVID-19, HHS officials said. In addition to the U.S. citizens, there are passengers from more than 50 other countries aboard the cruise ship. "The Department of State is working closely with the home countries of several hundred passengers to arrange for repatriation to their countries," according to the statement. At least 21 confirmed or suspected cases of coronavirus have been reported aboard the ship -- 19 crew members and two passengers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Read more: The Marine Corps May Want a Version of Armys Next-Gen Squad Weapon She's been keeping herself busy since splitting from her boyfriend-of-nine-years Austin Butler. And Vanessa Hudgens enjoyed a late night shopping trip with her mother, Gina, in Studio City, Los Angeles, California on Monday evening. For the outing, the High School Musical star, 31, teased a glimpse of her washboard abs in a white crop top with wrap detailing on it. Close bond: Vanessa Hudgens enjoyed a late night shopping trip with her mother, Gina, in Studio City, Los Angeles, California on Monday evening Vanessa teamed the item of clothing with a black figure-hugging midi skirt which showcased her toned figure. The star finished her ensemble with a pair of suede knee-high heel boots and a beige trench coat. Vanessa styled her brunette locks into a curly blow-dried hairdo, she added a slick of glamorous make-up. Meanwhile, her mother Gina, also showed off her fashionable style as she wore a black maxi dress with a longline jacket and Gucci belt. Stylish: For the outing, the High School Musical star, 31, teased a glimpse of her washboard abs in a white crop top with wrap detailing on it She finished the chic ensemble with a pair of fishnet tights, holographic platform trainers and an orange beanie hat. Showing their charitable side, Vanessa and her mother gave back to the community by shopping at Goodwill during their evening trip. Vanessa has been keeping herself busy since splitting from her boyfriend-of-nine-years Austin Butler, who is playing Elvis in a new movie. Us Weekly broke the news of the couple's split, which looked to happen either in November or December, they had been dating since September 2011. Details: Vanessa teamed the item of clothing with a black figure-hugging midi skirt which showcased her toned figure 'Vanessa and Austin are officially broken up, and Vanessa has been telling those close to her about their breakup,' a source told the site. The couple failed to appear on each other's social medias over the Christmas and New Year period, with fans worrying at the time they had split. It comes after Vanessa told the November 2018 issue of Women's Health that she was in no rush to wed. 'I want to get married, travel, then have kids probably in my late 30s,' she explained at the time. 'Everyone's clock is different.' Vanessa dated her High School Musical costar Zac Efron from 2005 to 2010. Elyctis and Kimaldi Alexandre Joly, CEO of Elyctis declares: We have been very happy to work with Kimaldi, which, thanks to their expertise and market presence, has allowed us to deliver our readers for significant projects. With our partnership, we will participate in even more business in across all market areas. Headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, Kimaldi has been developing and marketing products dedicated to identification for more than 20 years. The company has built a significant expertise in the identity technologies and markets thanks to a strong presence in the fields of biometric systems, RFID systems, access control, time & attendance, card printers, kiosks and POS systems and citizen identification. Kimaldi combines its systems integration and hardware development capabilities with a role as an importer of hardware coming from the most prominent manufacturers of electronic devices. Kimaldi has been marketing Elyctis ID BOX One readers as part of its product range since 2012 as they fit perfectly market requirements for identity readers in a wide variety of situations. Consequently, Kimaldi and Elyctis have been working on several large-scale projects over the last couple of years. Elyctis readers read not only ID cards and ePassports, but also all other forms of ID documents: driving licenses, voter cards, healthcare cards, age license cards, etc. Analyzing market demand, Elyctis has developed a range of readers that are adapted to all ID document reading situations. Elyctis ID BOX One are adapted to all phases of ID document lifecycle: enrolment, reading, control, home reading and mobile reading. Also, Elyctis readers fit market requirements for a wide variety of situations: they can be integrated in another device, used as desktop readers, as portable readers, or fitted as an add-on on existing kiosks. Elyctis and Kimaldi have decided to reinforce their partnership building upon the skills of both companies in order to expand onto new markets. The partnership is anticipated to benefit from Kimaldi market presence not only in Spain, but also in Portugal, Russia Germany and Latin America. All Kimaldi offices offer a rigorous pre-sale, sale and after-sales service carried out by technical sales specialists. Joaquim Garcia, CEO of Kimaldi adds: We now have many resellers working with Elyctis products. This capillarity brings us many projects, in different vertical markets. In addition, we believe that new European directives will increase the needs for reliable and convenient ID readers such as those manufactured by Elyctis. Alexandre Joly, CEO of Elyctis declares: We have been very happy to work with Kimaldi, which, thanks to their expertise and market presence, has allowed us to deliver our readers for significant projects across all their market areas. With the expansion of our partnership, we are confident we will be able to participate in even more business in all regions. About Kimaldi Kimaldi manufactures and distributes high-quality hardware for identification since 1998. The companys main areas of expertise are biometric technologies, RFID and OEM products. Kimaldi is currently present in 4 countries: Spain (with headquarters in Barcelona and a delegation in Madrid), Portugal, Russia and Germany. All offices offer a rigorous pre-sale, sale and after-sales service carried out by Technical Sales Specialists. More information at https://www.kimaldi.com. About Elyctis Created in 2008, Elyctis mission is to supply system integrators with mobile and fixed hardware to access data of eIDs (NIC, passport, resident permits, driving license). The company specializes in the development, industrialization, production and marketing of readers and terminals dedicated to Secure Identity Documents (e-passport, e-ID card, e-driver license...). The company, which now employs 25 people, has a longstanding expertise in eID projects, as well as hardware and software developments, especially in the combination of optics, antenna design, high security software and integration. Elyctis sells its products through its network of distributors and systems integrators, to whom it provides development environment to facilitate the use of its readers. Elyctis is headquartered in Pertuis, France, and has a sales office in Hong Kong. Alexandre Joly, Elyctis founder and CEO is a laureate of Reseau Entreprendre since 2011, and a laureate of the Reseau Entreprendre Ambition program in 2016. More information at http://www.elyctis.com. Even as the political crisis in Madhya Pradesh continues, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday accused the BJP of planning a conspiracy to reverse the mandate of people in the state as Chief Minister Kamal Nath has acted against mafias. "This is part of a conspiracy to reverse the mandate of people of Madhya Pradesh because Kamal Nath has acted against mafias," said Singh while speaking to media here. He alleged that his party has evidence that three chartered planes, which reportedly flew Congress MLAs to Bengaluru, were arranged by the BJP. Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia resigned from the party on Tuesday, stating that "it is time to move on." The resignation comes hours after Congress MLAs loyal to Scindia indicated that they may pull out from the Kamal Nath-led government. In a late-night Cabinet meeting, around 20 Cabinet ministers in Madhya Pradesh tendered their resignation to Chief Minister Kamal Nath. Earlier, several Congress leaders, including Digvijaya Singh, had accused the BJP of horse-trading and conspiring to bring down the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The money was acquired, concealed and projected by Kapoor and other accused to proclaim them as "untainted", and the ED sleuths were still probing the money trail of the crime, for which Kapoor's custodial interrogation was needed, sources said. Mumbai: While seeking the custody of Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor, the Enforcement Directorate contended that prima facie he was involved in generating Rs 4,300 crore in black money and "laundering" the amount. Consequently, holiday court judge S.R. Salunkhe granted three days' custody of Kapoor ED to till March 11. Hours later on Sunday, Kapoor's daughter Roshni Kapoor was prevented by ED from boarding a flight to London following a Look Out Notice (LOC) issued against the Kapoor family. The ED further said that the alleged kickbacks of Rs 600 crore loan to DoIt Urban Ventures India Pvt. Ltd. (DUVIPL), run by Kapoor's three daughters, was acquired by "pledging highly undervalued assets as mortgage" with Dewan Housing Finance Ltd (DHFL) and its promoter, Kapil Wadhawan and others. According to sources, the matter came to light during another ED investigation when it was found that Yes Bank had subscribed to DHFL's debentures worth Rs 3,700 crore between April-June 2018. Simultaneously, it was also revealed that DHFL sanctioned a Rs 600 crore loan to DUVIPL, run by Kapoor's daughters - Roshni Kapoor, Radha Kapoor-Khanna and Raakhee Kapoor-Tandon - who are the compnay's 100 per cent shareholders. Virtually snatching the thunder from the Central Bureau of Investigation, New Delhi, the ED swooped on Kapoor's premises at 11 p.m. on March 6 (Friday night), took him for investigation and arrested him after around 30 hours, early Sunday morning. Incidentally, the CBI-EOW, New Delhi, had filed its first information report against Kapoor and others on the morning of Saturday, March 7, when he was already under the ED's detention, the sources pointed out. The CBI's FIR claimed that Kapoor, Wadhawan and others entered into a criminal conspiracy to extend financial benefits to DHFL through Yes Bank, in return for substantial "undue benefits" to Kapoor and his family members through their companies. After Yes Bank subscribed to the DHFL debentures of Rs 3,700 crore, DHFL reciprocated by giving kickbacks of Rs 600 crore to Kapoor and his family disguised as a "loan" to DUVIPL, it added. The ED said that Yes Bank had sanctioned another Rs 750 crore loan to a DHFL group company which was corroborated by the company's official Rajendra Mirashie who stated that DUVIPL gave five properties valued at Rs 735 crore as mortgage to DHFL. Investigations subsequently proved that the agricultural land was merely worth Rs 40 crore against the inflated amount of Rs 735 crore shown for the mortgage. Mirashie said that the Kapoors never interacted with him and all instructions were received by him through two aides - Rana Kapoor's Sr. Executive Secretary Lata Dave or Kapil Wadhawan's Executive Assistant S. Govindan. Also Read: CBI FIR says Kapoor & family got Rs 600 cr kickbacks as loan He also stated that the DUVIPL had no business activities or any revenue and its properties of around 100 acres in Raigad were lying unutilised, though the loan was to be repaid in a single shot after 60 months (in 2023), but DUVIPL was only paying the interest so far. Quaid Najmi can be contacted at q.najmi@ians.in Michigan will hand out 125 pledged delegates on Tuesday night, the most on offer on the second Super Tuesday. Biden and Sanders wage endorsement duel Sanders is highlighting his own big endorsement, that of Rev. Jesse Jackson, who won a caucus in Michigan during his 1988 presidential campaign and may offer the Vermont senator an opening into the state's critical African American community. He is also slamming Biden for his past support for trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement and the former vice president's support of trade deals with China, which he says helped to devastate manufacturing in Michigan. And Sanders believes he is far better positioned than the former vice president to beat Trump, despite the contrary views of the centrist portions of party that are gathering around Biden. "This is really a no-brainer. Our campaign is the campaign that can bring young people into the political process, that can speak to working class people, some of whom voted for Trump," Sanders said on "Cuomo Prime Time" on CNN on Monday. Rafael Riviere Named Special Agent in Charge of the San Juan Field Office FBI Director Christopher Wray has named Rafael Riviere as the special agent in charge of the San Juan Field Office in Puerto Rico. A native of Puerto Rico, Mr. Riviere most recently served as the chief of the Leadership Development Program at FBI Headquarters in Washington. Mr. Riviere joined the FBI as a special agent in 1998 and was assigned to the Dallas Field Office, where he worked drug investigations targeting Mexican drug trafficking organizations. In 2001, he transferred to the Fajardo Resident Agency of the San Juan office. In Puerto Rico, he worked cases involving police corruption, organized crime, drugs, domestic terrorism, and violent crime. He also served on the SWAT team and deployed to Haiti to support kidnapping investigations. Mr. Riviere was promoted to supervisory special agent in 2008 and transferred to the Counterterrorism Division at FBI Headquarters. He held several different positions in the division, including as the unit chief managing all the international terrorism investigations run by the eight FBI divisions on the West Coast. In 2014, Mr. Riviere transferred to the Washington Field Office as a supervisor, leading the squad responsible for the initial assessments of all possible terrorist threats in the region. In 2017, he was promoted to assistant special agent in charge for the Washington Field Office Counterterrorism Division Response Branch. Mr. Riviere was named section chief in the Human Resources Branch at Headquarters in 2018, where he oversaw the Leadership Development Program. Before joining the FBI, Mr. Riviere was a commissioned officer with the U.S. Air Force for 12 years, including time as an experimental laser physicist. Mr. Riviere has a bachelors degree in physics from the University of Puerto Rico and a masters in electrical engineering from the University of New Mexico. This story has been published on: 2020-03-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Elected officials from Hudson County say RWJBarnabas and CarePoint Health have come to an agreement on the sale of two hospitals in Jersey City and Hoboken, but the owner of a North Jersey nursing home chain is blocking the transaction. Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Hoboken Mayor Ravinder Bhalla, Bayonne Mayor James Davis and other local officials said Monday that Avery Eisenreich is impeding a deal that would see RWJBarnabas acquire Christ Hospital and Hoboken University Medical Center from CarePoint. Eisenreich, the owner of the Alaris Health network of nursing homes, owns a 25% stake in both hospitals. He also owns 70% of the HUMC property and 25% of the Christ Hospital property through operating companies. We feel that we are at a point now that we waited long enough, Fulop said during a press conference outside an Alaris facility in Jersey City. It seems Barnabas and CarePoint have come to an agreement and the last obstacle is the landlord Alaris, who is holding up the deal. We are calling on Alaris to stop putting greed in front of a solution and their greed is ultimately, putting tens of thousands of peoples health at risk here in Hudson County," Fulop added. A spokesman for SB Hoboken Propco, the limited liability company that owns the HUMC land, said the entity would welcome RWJBarnabas as a tenant. "To ensure that this vital institution stays as an acute care hospital, SB Hoboken Propco, LLC has offered to extend the current lease, which began in 2011, until 2035 under the exact same terms and conditions, which would also include a right to purchase the real estate at the lease expiration. It should be plainly obvious that we are not impeding any transaction or making unreasonable demands of any kind. Eisenreich also owns 100% of the Bayonne Medical Center land. The hospital is not part of the negotiations between RWJBarnabas and CarePoint. Hudson Countys elected officials got involved in the hospital negotiations after talks between RWJBarnabas and CarePoint broke down last month. Those negotiations have been revived, but the immediate future of CarePoints three hospitals is cloudy. At least 45 corporate employees of CarePoint received layoff notices last week. Fulop said RWJBarnabas is looking to acquire HUMC land and facility, but that Eisenreich is seeking about $300 million for the property alone, which was sold for $50 million last year. State Sens. Brian Stack and Sandra Cunningham, who were also in attendance Monday, said they will be introducing legislation with Sen. Nicholas Sacco that will allow municipalities to explore condemnation of hospital properties if the hospitals are at financial risk. We all know how important healthcare is, Stack said. Its said that one person could hold it up and we need stop this from happening not only in Hudson but all over the state of New Jersey. In an emailed statement, CarePoint Health officials said they appreciates the support for the bill that was announced Monday. "We are hopeful that passing this bill paves the way for the Hoboken Hospital Property and Bayonne Hospital Property to be purchased from Avery Eisenreich by the cities, the statement read. This will allow RWJBH to finalize the Hoboken University Medical Center and Christ Hospital transactions. CarePoint and RWJBH have already agreed on material terms satisfying both parties as it relates to the Christ Hospital Property and sale of the Hoboken and Christ Hospital operations, the statement read. Nicole Mankowski, a nurse at Christ Hospital and union president, said it has been a very stressful environment for quite a few months. You never want to open a newspaper and have to answer to your members and to your fellow nurses the things they are reading, on whether the doors are opening or closing, Mankowski said it business as usual for the nurses as the patients come first. As far as what is going on in their head it is a very stressful time. To tackle the coronavirus outbreak, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is partnering with the University of Washington to offer home testing kits to people in the Seattle area. According to 'Seatle Times' the foundation is pledging $5 million to facilitate at-home coronavirus test kits to those at risk in the Seatle area. The leader of coronavirus response at Bill Gates foundation, Scott Dowell reportedly said that their main motive is to eventually process thousands of tests every day with the help of the kits. While speaking to the international media outlet, Dowell said that the 'at-home' kits will allow people to take swabs of their nose and send samples for testing. He further stated that the results will also be quick and will be released within a day or two. The infected people, however, would have to fill a small questionnaire with their whereabouts and their travelling history to better understand the route of the deadly disease. READ: Delhi CM, Ministers Skip Holi Celebrations In View Of Recent Violence, Coronavirus Outbreak Dowell reportedly said that the project is to identify the people who are positive for the virus so that they can be safely isolated and cared for. He further added that it is also for the identification of their contacts, who can then be quarantined. The project comes as the coronavirus cases in the United States have been rising at an exponential rate, especially in Seatle and Washington DC. READ: Nawab Malik Asks People Not To Panic After 2 Positive Cases Of Coronavirus Emerge In Pune 729 confirmed cases in US Currently, the United States has 729 Coronavirus patients and the deadly virus has claimed 27 lives in the country. According to reports, Washington DC also confirmed three more people positive of coronavirus. New York has also declared a state of emergency which forced the suspension of schools and colleges in the State. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on March 7 declared the state of emergency to help New York quickly and effectively contain the spread of the virus. According to an international media outlet, the state of emergency will allow expedited procurement of cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer, and other essential resources. As of now, eight states in the US have declared an emergency in response to coronavirus which includes Washington, Florida, California, Kentucky, New York, Maryland, Utah and Oregon. Governor Kate Brown was the latest to declare emergency as he put Oregon under emergency on March 8. Virginia and Connecticut reported their first cases on March 8. READ: Coronavirus Outbreak: China's President Praises Wuhan Medical Workers READ: Coronavirus Scare: Chicken Sales Decline By 35 Pc Despite Govt's Attempt To Dispel Rumours Relatives of residents at the Life Care Center are living with mounting "anger and fear and frustration" after the novel coronavirus was blamed for five deaths at the Washington state nursing home, a family member told CNN. Pat Herrick's mother has lived at the facility in the Seattle suburbs for seven years. The center is now the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States. Six deaths have been tied to the Kirkland facility, King County officials said, and friends and family of its 108 patients have been barred from visiting. More than 50 residents and staff will be tested after experiencing symptoms, Dr. Jeffrey Duchin, health officer for Seattle and King County, has said. Wednesday, he told reporters that at some point all residents will be tested. Across the country, at least 154 cases of novel coronavirus have been reported as of Wednesday. And at least 10 deaths have been reported in Washington state alone. At the Life Care Center, "Current residents and associates continue to be monitored closely, specifically for an elevated temperature, cough and/or shortness of breath," the nursing home said in a statement Monday. Herrick praised the workers at the nursing home, but wonders whether they are getting the support they need. "They are flooded," she told CNN. "This crisis right now, I think part of the concern is they don't have the resources... We're in unprecedented times." Some family members of patients are on a private email chain to share their concerns, Herrick said. The facility also sends daily emails to the families, but the discussion among some families is why isn't the facility testing all patients. "Why aren't they testing our families? That's the big one," she said. "And also, having been there with our families, are we at risk?" Herrick has had a cold and a sore throat and decided against going to work Tuesday, she said. The son of a nursing home resident tests positive Kim Frey said she is worried about the health of her 89-year-old mother, who is immobile and lives at Life Care Center. She says she believes her mother might be an asymptomatic carrier of the disease. Before families were banned from visiting the nursing home over the weekend, Frey, her siblings and their father used to visit frequently. Now Frey's brother has tested positive for coronavirus and is isolated at home. And Frey's father, who has dementia, is feeling sick. Frey took her father to a hospital, where she believes he will be tested for coronavirus soon. "He doesn't really know where he is or why he's there," Frey said. "He's just trying to cooperate." As for herself, she said she thinks she already had coronavirus. "Let's just say I'm immune," she said. "Then what? Am I OK to take a shower and re-enter the world? Everything is a decision." Investigation at the center An investigation into Life Care Center was launched after a resident and a health care worker tested positive for coronavirus, Duchin said. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has sent 20 people to help out with the investigation, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said. "Unfortunately, we are now starting to find more cases in Washington state that appear to have been acquired locally, and we know the virus is spreading in some communities," said Dr. John Wiesman, the state's secretary of health. It's not clear how the virus reached the center, but the first reported case of coronavirus in the United States was a man from nearby Snohomish County. Duchin said he did not have a specific timetable for when all residents would be tested. All residents there are going through the same medical precautions whether they have a positive coronavirus test result or not, he said. Officials at Life Care Center, which operates more than 200 facilities in 28 states, are monitoring residents and workers closely, Executive Director Ellie Basham said in a statement. King County plans to buy a motel and put recovering patients in isolation there, the county said in a news release. A federal disaster medical assistance team will be arriving in Kirkland on Thursday to help with staffing at Life Care Center. Anyone who wants to be tested should be able to Bonnie Holstad said she also wants to know why her husband isn't being tested, especially since Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday that anyone who wants to be tested should be able. But in her back and forth with the center, she told CNN, she is getting "excuses" that they can't test him until they get guidelines directly through official channels on what to do. Sunday, Holstad was holding a sign outside the facility, asking for an update on her husband, a Parkinson's disease and dementia patient who she says has a cough. She said that no one at the facility was answering the phone. CNN has reached out to Life Care Center about Holstad's husband but has not received a response. Amir Medawar told CNN affiliate KIRO that even when a nurse at Evergreen hospital agreed that his mother should be transported immediately for testing, he had to argue with the staff to get his mother there. "Here we're in ground zero, and I had to pull teeth to get her tested," Medawar said Tuesday. His mother is still waiting for results at Evergreen Hospital, KIRO said. The Exorcist star Max von Sydow has died aged 90, his agent Jean Diamond has confirmed to PA. The Oscar-nominated actor is said to have died at his home in France. A statement said: It is with a broken heart and with infinite sadness that we have the extreme pain of announcing the departure of Max von Sydow, March 8, 2020. Actor Max von Sydow arrives at the premiere of Walt Disney Pictures' and Lucasfilm's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens", 2015. (Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Dodge) Appearing in over 100 films and TV series, the Sweden-born actor was best known for his performances in Ingmar Bergmans The Seventh Seal, as Father Merrin in the iconic horror film The Exorcist, as Ming The Merciless in Flash Gordon, and more recently as Lor San Tekka in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and as the Three-eyed Raven in HBOs Game of Thrones, for which he received an Emmy nomination. Swedish actors Bengt Ekerot and Max Von Sydow on the set of Det Sjunde Inseglet (The Seventh Seal), written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. (Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images) His last film appearance was in Thomas Vinterbergs 2018 film Kursk alongside Colin Firth and Matthias Schoenaerts. Read more: Daniel Craig spoofs Bond on SNL Von Sydow received two Academy Awards nominations in his lifetime. One for Best Actor in 1987s Pelle The Conquerer, and one for Best Supporting Actor in 2012s Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. He received Golden Globe nominations for his work in The Exorcist and Hawaii. Swedish actor Max von Sydow and American actress Linda Blair on the set of The Exorcist, based on the novel by William Peter Blatty and directed by William Friedkin. (Photo by Warner Bros. Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images) He is survived by four children and his wife Catherine Brelet. He married Brelet in 1997 and became a citizen of France in 2002, relinquishing his Swedish citizenship. UK film critic Mark Kermode, who interviewed von Sydow for his The Exorcist documentary The Fear of God, was among those paying tribute to the actor. The radio presenter simply shared his headshot without a caption. Hot Fuzz director Edgar Wright hailed the actor as an iconic presence in cinema. Max Von Sydow, such an iconic presence in cinema for seven decades, it seemed like he'd always be with us. He changed the face of international film with Bergman, played Christ, fought the devil, pressed the HOT HAIL button & was Oscar nominated for a silent performance. A god. pic.twitter.com/klhJ9RusdQ edgarwright (@edgarwright) March 9, 2020 The legendary actor who gave us both Brewmeister Smith and Ming the Merciless has finally laid down his King in the eternal chess match. Farewell, Max von Sydow. You were in many much more respected movies than Strange Brew and Flash Gordon but I loved you for those flicks first. https://t.co/ltytehF5Rm KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) March 9, 2020 Guardian film critic Guy Lodge also paid tribute to the actors ability to bring unpredictable humanity to films. Story continues Farewell, Max von Sydow, an actor who could bring great gravity to weightless junk, and quick, unpredictable humanity to, well, very grave films. His run of collaborations with Bergman have so much more life and electricity than the dour reputation with which people tag them. Guy Lodge (@GuyLodge) March 9, 2020 Talking about Von Sydow while promoting Star Wars: The Force Awakens, director JJ Abrams called the actor a gentleman. He was awesome, Abrams told Vanity Fair. It was interesting because normally I would be nothing but terrified at the thought of directing an actor like Max von Sydow because, youd think, Thats a guy whos going to see right through you. Max von Sydow as Lor San Tekka in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. (Disney) But the truth is he was such a gentleman, so sweet, that he made it easy. He had to work a lot of late nights, too, and he was a complete trooper. NEW YORK Attorneys representing former top gubernatorial aide Joseph Percoco, SUNY Polytechnic Institute founder Alain Kaloyeros and three upstate businessmen convicted of corruption charges in 2018 are scheduled to argue their appeals Thursday before a panel of federal judges in Manhattan. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is scheduled to hear the arguments on the 17th floor of the Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse at 40 Foley Square at 10 a.m. The case will be heard by Senior Circuit Judge Reena Raggi and Circuit Judges Denny Chin and Richard J. Sullivan. The six defendants were initially charged together in September 2016 but their cases were split into separate trials in 2018 before U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan. In March 2018, jurors convicted Percoco who had been executive deputy secretary to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and his close friend of taking more than $300,000 in bribes in separate schemes that involved payments to his wife, Lisa Toscano-Percoco. Percoco, 50, is serving a six-year sentence in Otisville Correctional Facility in Orange County for accepting $285,000 from Connecticut-based energy company executive Peter Galbraith Kelly, who hired Percocos wife to a $90,000-a-year low-show teaching job at his company, Competitive Power Ventures. It was cast by prosecutors as a backdoor way to influence Percoco in an attempt to land the company a lucrative agreement with the state. Percoco accepted another $35,000 from Steven Aiello and Joseph Gerardi, the top executives at COR Development in Syracuse. They wanted Percoco's influence to help build a parking lot near an Inner Harbor hotel project in Syracuse. Their hopes hit a snag when a lawyer for Empire State Development said it required a labor peace agreement. They also wanted the state to expedite the release of money that COR was set to receive and to facilitate a raise for Aiello's son, Steven, who worked for Cuomo. Jurors convicted Percoco of honest services fraud, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and solicitation of bribes and gratuities. Aiello was convicted of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. Gerardi was acquitted in that trial. Ex-government consultant Todd Howe, who testified against Percoco and was a central figure in both criminal conspiracies, received five years probation. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Kaloyeros, who was once the face of the nanotechnology industry in New York state, Aiello, Gerardi and Buffalo developer Louis Ciminelli were convicted of wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy in July 2018. Gerardi was also convicted of lying to federal agents. Jurors determined the men conspired to rig $855 million in state contracts for projects overseen by SUNY Poly to benefit COR and LPCiminelli, run by Louis Ciminelli. The contracts were part of the governor's "Buffalo Billion" initiative to help the ec0nomies of central and western New York. Aiello, 61, was sentenced to three years in federal prison; Kaloyeros, 64, was sentenced to 3 1/2 years; Gerardi, 60, received 2 1/2 years and Ciminelli , 64, received two years and four months. They were also fined hundreds of thousands of dollars each. All four remain free pending appeals. On Thursday, federal prosecutors will be allotted 12 minutes to make their case to defend the Percoco case convictions and another 18 minutes to defend the bid-rigging case. Defense attorneys for Percoco and Aiello will receive eight minutes in the first case. Attorneys have six minutes in the arguments for Kaloyeros, Aiello, Gerardi and Ciminelli. An endorsement from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who ended her presidential bid last week, would not significantly sway Democratic primary voters toward Sen. Bernie Sanders or former Vice President Joe Biden, a new poll found. In a survey of almost 1,000 Democratic primary voters, Morning Consult found that Sanders gained support by just 2% with a theoretical endorsement from the Massachusetts senator. If Warren chose to back Biden, the current frontrunner for the Democratic nomination after a string of victories beginning with South Carolina, Biden wouldnt gain any ground whatsoever, the poll found. Warren declined to endorse either candidate last week, though the campaigns of both Sanders and Biden have been in touch with her about a potential endorsement. Political consultants said she would face a difficult decision either way, potentially facing the ire of progressives or party leaders and Senate colleagues depending on her pick. Morning Consult conducted the survey from March 5 to March 7, just after Warrens exit from a race that quickly became a two-man contest after Super Tuesday, when Biden rebounded and won 10 states. In a similar poll taken in January, a Warren endorsement would have made a bigger impact, giving Sanders an 11-point jump or Biden 14 points. Warren held off on endorsing anyone in the 2016 presidential race until throwing her support behind former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after she secured enough delegates for the Democratic nomination. The latest Morning Consult polling shows Biden with 57% of support from Democratic primary voters, compared to Sanders 38%. Bidens success on Super Tuesday reshaped a race that had seen Sanders quickly climb to frontrunner status in national polls after victories in New Hampshire and Nevada and nearly winning Iowa. Heading into Tuesdays primaries Michigan, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota and Washington, Biden has won 670 pledged delegates compared to Sanders 574. Joe Biden told a member of the public they were full of s**t during a confrontation over gun control in Michigan on Tuesday. The Democratic frontrunner made the comments during a tour of a car manufacturing plant in Detroit, as primary voting in the swing state was already underway. A video of the incident shows what appears to be a worker in the factory approach Mr Biden and accused him of actively trying to diminish our Second Amendment right and take away our guns. Mr Biden responds: Youre full of s**t. I support the Second Amendment. He then tells an aide to "shush" while he argues with the man. Im not taking your gun away, at all, he continued, before adding that he was in favour of restricting the sale of assault rifles. Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Show all 15 1 /15 Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Joe Biden and Dr Jill Biden watch Barack Obama's farewell speech on 11 January. Obama called Biden his 'brother' Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years US President Barack Obama speaks alongside US Vice President Joe Biden about the Affordable Care Act AFP/Getty Images Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama Getty Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years President Obama listens to Joe Biden speak of his work on defeating cancer on 18 October in the White House Reuters Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years U.S. President Barack Obama is applauded by House Speaker Paul Ryan and Vice President Joe Biden while delivering his final State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in Washington Reuters Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years U.S. Vice President Joe Biden interjects as President Barack Obama delivers remarks at a reception for the 25th anniversary of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics at the White House in Washington REUTERS Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Obama and Vice President Joe Biden react after a heckler was removed for their extended interruption (Reuters) Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with Speaker of the House John Boehner (R) as Vice President Joe Biden looks on Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Barack and Michelle Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden observing a moment of silence outside the White House to mark the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks Getty Images Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Barack Obama and Joe Biden putt on the White House putting green Getty Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years President Barack Obama and Joe Biden in April 2013 AFP/Getty Images Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years January 1, 2013: U.S. President Barack Obama winks as he arrives with Vice President Joe Biden (L) in the briefing room Reuters Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and others receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House May 1, 2011 in Washington, DC Getty Images Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Vice-President Joe Biden, right, confirmed that the US was looking at ways of taking legal action against Julian Assange - back in December 2010 GETTY IMAGES Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Joe Biden, left, and retired military officers watch President Barack Obama sign orders to close down the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in January 2009 GETTY IMAGES Mr Biden then referenced the AR-14 rifle as an example, apparently confusing it was the notorious AR-15 assault weapon, which has been used in a number of high profile mass shootings. The incident came on the same day that Mr Biden received his third endorsement from a major national gun control group in as many days. The Newtown Action Alliance, which was founded after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, said the former vice presidents "support for gun violence prevention has never wavered." Mr Biden is favourite to beat rival Bernie Sanders in Michigans primary. A 13-year-old boy has killed his elder brother, 20, in Bayelsa State. It was gathered that the little boy named Ebikari Andrew stabbed his elder brother, Fineboy Andrew, with a kitchen knife. They were said to have had a misunderstanding which resulted in a fight on Sunday. The state Police Command confirmed the incident in a statement on Monday, saying Ebikari stabbed Fineboy in the stomach. The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Asinim Butswat, said the father of the two siblings rushed the victim to the hospital where he was confirmed dead. The suspect has been arrested and the murder weapon is recovered. Investigation is going on, he said. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Britons are being held in quarantine in Vietnam after catching coronavirus on a flight from London. Graham Craddock, 68, and his wife, Mary, 69, were accused of spreading coronavirus 'everywhere' after travelling around Hanoi. They, along with five other Britons, contracted the illness from a 26-year-old woman sat two rows in front of them on their Vietnam Airlines flight from Heathrow. Glenys and Eric Holmes from Manchester were also on the plane but have been given the all clear. Even so, they are still being quarantined in Loi Cai Hospital in north Vietnam which they described as a 'prison'. Glenys and Eric Holmes from Manchester have been given the all clear but are still being quarantined in Loi Cai Hospital in north Vietnam Britons are being quarantined in filthy Loi Cai Hospital with no hot water and a bucket instead of a shower Mr and Mrs Holmes (right) were also quarantined with Jackie (left) and Alan (second left) Becker who all tested negative for coronavirus Graham Craddock, 68, and his wife, Mary, 69, were also quarantined in Loi Cai Hospital (pictured) before they tested positive and were moved to Hanoi Mrs Holmes said: 'The facility is like an old bit of hospital that must have been unused. It was originally a mental hospital I think. 'It is just like a prison. We have no hot water. We have had no towels. There are no curtains. 'The first facilities we were taken to had a hole in the floor for a toilet. 'We have now been moved to a slightly better one. 'There is no shower. It is a big bucket of water. Mrs Holmes (second right) told how the facility where she and her husband Eric (right) and another couple, Mr and Mrs Becker (left), are staying has no English interpreters to help them understand what is going on Mrs Holmes (pictured) said: 'It is just like a prison. We have no hot water. We have had no towels. There are no curtains' 'We have been given the all clear but we aren't allowed to go yet because of 14 days quarantine. 'Nobody is talking to us, there are no English interpreters here. It is unbelievable, it really is. 'We do not know when we will be allowed home.' They are staying with one other couple - Jackie and Alan Becker - who also tested negative for coronavirus. The bug has infected more than 110,000 world wide and killed more than 4,000. There are at least 30 confirmed cases in Vietnam, including seven Britons. Mr and Mrs Craddock were also quarantined in Loi Cai Hospital and were put in a filthy wing with no hot water and a broken toilet. The couple, who visited attractions in Hanoi and in the north-west of the country, were told by officials that they had infected people 'everywhere' they had been. Mr and Mrs Holmes are staying with one other couple who has also tested negative for coronavirus - which has infected more than 110,000 world wide and killed more than 4,000. Pictured: People being tested for the virus at a quarantine hospital The couple, who visited attractions in Hanoi and in the north-west of the country, were told by officials that they had infected people 'everywhere' they had been. They were told by officials that they had to leave Lao Cai because the hospital needed to house 54 more suspected cases and were transported four hours away to a facility in Hanoi, The Guardian reports. The 26-year-old wealthy socialite who contracted the virus had visited London, Milan and Paris before travelling back to Vietnam. Domestic violence one in five Irish women has been assaulted by a current or former partner Domestic violence is one of the world's biggest problems, lurking in plain sight. In the US, 50 women are killed each month by their partners by guns alone; in the UK, two women are murdered weekly. One in five Irish women has been assaulted by a current or former partner. Traditionally these crimes have been minimalised as family quarrels that are nobody else's business; that affect a minority, people who have made poor life choices. Rachel Louise Snyder is determined to overturn such assumptions in this passionately written, highly intelligent and lucid book. No Visible Bruises arose from her reporting for the New Yorker, where she probed ways to combat crimes that she prefers to describe as "intimate partner terrorism". It won rave reviews when it appeared in the US and was a New York Times and Esquire book of the year. It's not hard to see why. Snyder weaves compelling personal accounts through her deeply researched narrative. She knows that while facts are important, human stories, in all their complexity, are the best data points. She begins by turning a lens on a single family. A young mother, Michelle, was brutally murdered by her husband, Rocky, along with their two children. Snyder follows various threads of the narrative, speaking to Michelle's mother, father, friends and sisters, as well as to Rocky's parents. She traces how their relationship evolved, showing how it had many of the predictors for violence from early on. They got together at a tender age - Rocky was 24, Michelle was just 14 - and were immediately inseparable, enmeshed. Rocky took drugs and became increasingly violent and controlling, stalking Michelle when she tried to take classes. By foregrounding Michelle's story, Snyder pays her a respect she didn't receive when she was alive, and at the same time showcases the human impact of domestic violence. The book's delicate focus on women like Michelle doesn't diminish Snyder's use of statistics. She tells us that 137 women are killed by their partners across the globe each day, 50,000 in 2017 alone; that every minute in the US, 20 people are assaulted by their partners. Between 2000 and 2006 - a period including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - just over 3,000 American soldiers perished, but more than 10,000 Americans died in "domestic homicides". Video of the Day Then there is the meagre response. In 1990s America, pet shelters outnumbered domestic violence shelters by three to one. Although men are also victims of domestic violence, Snyder is not afraid to put her finger on an unspoken part of the picture, which one researcher describes as the elephant in the room. "It is men who are violent," she writes. "School shootings are carried out by young men. Mass murders. Gang warfare, murder-suicides and familicides and matricides and even genocides: all men. Always men." And why? A culture of toxic masculinity that prevents many men from expressing emotion while also suggesting they are superior to women, at the top of the hierarchy. Yet the murderers whom Snyder meets aren't different from the norm; they are often terrifyingly normal - charming and more appealing than their victims (although as she acknowledges, they have often been victims of abuse as children). As a community worker she interviewed put it: "The average batterer is pretty likeable." An expert storyteller, Snyder deploys sophisticated narrative devices, whetting our curiosity by disclosing key facts, then telling us she will come back and explain them later. She also brings herself into the account, which makes it both more personal and - since she's a woman - more self-aware. Snyder is an interesting figure, a university professor who dropped out of high school. She's white and successful, inherently more privileged and protected than many of those she speaks to. When she visits one of her interviewees in prison, she can't help cracking a joke at an unsmiling guard. Afterwards she tries to imagine one of the regular visitors, "the black woman who comes every Sunday, trying to get away with what I'd tried to get away with," and is filled with shame. Domestic violence does not play out in a vacuum but maps onto a host of public health worries, from mass shootings (in the US, abusing or killing one's partner is often a first step towards more widespread violence) to child welfare to homelessness. It's also clear that fixing the culture would benefit both women and men. When Snyder speaks to Michelle's father and father-in-law, each grieving the loss of their child and grandchildren, she observes how hard they try not to cry, and considers, "How unfair it is that we live in a world in which they're made to believe their tears are shameful." No Visible Bruises is much more than a long-form study of a thorny problem; it's literary non-fiction at its best, an authoritative, multi-dimensional work that melds hard-headed reporting with self-reflective analysis. By shedding light on a form of violence that's not only hidden but also ignored, Snyder's book is likely to play a part in making it visible, understood and, perhaps one day, addressed. Bhopal: The 15-month-old Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh was pushed to the brink on tuesday with 14 MLAs loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia camping in Bengaluru sending their resignations to Raj Bhavan, sources said. A short while ago Scindia resigned from the Congress in Delhi saying it was now time for him to move on and he was promptly expelled from the Congress by party president Sonia Gandhi. We have received resignations of 14 MLAs through two e-mails with attachments, a Raj Bhavan official told. State Governor Lalji Tandon who is in lucknow for celebrating Holi is likely to rush back to Bhopal by cutting short his visit, sources said. However, it could not be confirmed whether the governor will be returning by this evening, when the Congress and the BJP will be holding their respective legislature party meetings. According to sources in the Scindia camp, six more MLAs, including some ministers, might also resign from the assembly. In case the six MLAs decide to follow the suit of Scindia, the number of the Congress legislators in the 230-member House will come down by 20 (including the 14 MLAs who have sent their resignation letters to Raj Bhavan) to 94 from the current 114. The current effective strength of the House is 228 with two seats vacant. However, in case of resignation by the 20 MLAs, the strength of the Assembly will be 208 and the magic number required to prove majority will be 105. The BJP has 107 MLAs. The Kamal Nath government is supported by two legislators of the BSP, one of the SP one and four Independents. Assuming that these legislators continue to support the Kamal Nath government in the changing political scenario, the tally of the Congress and its allies will be maximum 101 MLAs, still four short of the halfway mark. Italy steps up measures as coronavirus cases top 6,300, death toll at 366 People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 08:16, March 09, 2020 A total of 6,387 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Italy since the epidemic first broke out here over two weeks ago. The spike in infections and fatalities comes after Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said early on Sunday that effective immediately, the government is locking down the entire northern Lombardy region as well as several provinces in the nearby regions of Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont and Veneto in an effort to contain the spread of the virus. ROME, March 8 (Xinhua) -- A total of 6,387 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Italy since the epidemic first broke out here over two weeks ago, the Civil Protection Department said Sunday. In addition, 366 people have died and 622 recovered, Civil Protection Department Chief Angelo Borrelli told reporters at a televised press conference. This was up from 5,061 cases, 589 recoveries and 233 deaths announced in an official tally on Saturday evening. Most of Sunday's fatalities occurred in Lombardy (113), followed by the regions of Emilia-Romagna (eight), Veneto (five), Lazio (two), Liguria (two), Friuli Venezia Giulia (one), Marche (one), and Puglia (one), said Borrelli. Borrelli also broke down the Sunday death tally by age ranges: one fatality occurred in the 0-49 age group, one in the 50-59 age group, 14 in the 60-69 age group, 39 in the 70-79 age group, 60 among people aged 80-89, and 18 deaths occurred among those aged over 90. Of those who tested positive, 2,180 people are under home isolation, 3,557 are hospitalized with symptoms, and 650 are in intensive care, said Borrelli, who also serves as extraordinary commissioner for the coronavirus emergency. The spike in infections and fatalities comes after Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said early on Sunday that effective immediately, the government is locking down the entire northern Lombardy region as well as several provinces in the nearby regions of Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont and Veneto in an effort to contain the spread of the virus. According to the government decree that goes into effect until April 3, unprecedented restrictions will be taken as preventive measures, impacting some 16 million people in the north, which accounts for over one-six of the country's population. Also on Sunday, the Health Ministry said in a statement that Health Minister Roberto Speranza has spoken on the phone with World Health Organization (WHO) Europe Regional Director Hans Kluge to illustrate the government's new restrictive measures. In a tweet, Kluge expressed full support for the measures taken by Italy. "Italy has taken a brave decision to contain &mitigate the risk of COVID-19 for its population. WHO fully supports the commitment of the government at state ions, the people of Italy, all doctors, nurses &health staff at the frontline. United with Italy," Kluge wrote. The WHO, which is the health agency of the United Nations, had sent a Rapid Response Team (RRT) on a 12-day mission to Italy which ended on March 6. Its recommendations included "maintaining a strong focus on containment measures across the country, and prioritizing the identification and testing of suspect cases. In areas with wider virus transmission, they recommend a combination of strategies that prioritizes patient isolation and care and hospital preparedness to prevent disease and protect lives," the WHO said in a statement. "We acknowledge the efforts of the (Italian) Ministry of Health as well as other national and regional authorities ... and we are grateful for the transparent information-sharing that is critical for us to better understand this outbreak and support response efforts," said WHO RRT Leader Dina Pfeifer. Michele Emiliano, governor of the southern Puglia region in the heel of Italy's boot, wrote on Facebook early on Sunday that he has signed an order mandating a 14-day quarantine period for "those who arrive in Puglia from Lombardy and the (14) northern provinces (under lockdown)." His message followed media reports that hundreds of people flocked to northern train stations in a bid to get home to other regions before the government lockdown went into effect. Many residents of Italy's impoverished southern regions move to the wealthier northern regions in order to study and find jobs. "I speak to you as if you were my children, brothers, grandchildren: stop and go back," Emiliano wrote. "Do not bring the epidemic ... into your land, Puglia, by running away (from the northern regions placed under lockdown) to avoid the government's decree," the governor pleaded. "This exodus does not help you and is harmful to your loved ones who await you in Puglia," Emiliano wrote. Also on Sunday, Italian President Sergio Mattarella said in a speech to the nation that "for reasons we all know, this year we will not be able to celebrate International Women's Day at the Quirinal (presidential palace in Rome)." "First of all I wish to express gratitude to the many women who are hard at work in hospitals, laboratories, and red zones (quarantine areas) to fight the spread of the virus," Mattarella said. "They work in difficult conditions, with skill and a spirit of sacrifice, with dedication," Mattarella said. In related news on Sunday, Italian news agency ANSA reported that prisoners have protested in penitentiaries in the cities of Frosinone, Modena and Salerno over new restrictions imposed in order to stem the spread of the virus. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday evening confiscated and provisionally attached former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi portrait painting purchased by Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor from Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The federal probe agency seized the portrait from Kapoor's house in Mumbai and took it to its Mumbai Zonal office where he is being kept in custody. ED confiscated the painting of Rajiv Gandhi under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and suspects it to be bought with the proceeds of crime. The painting which is a portrait of Rajiv Gandhi was painted by artist MF Hussain was bought by Kapoor in the year 2010 for a whopping Rs 2 crore. The sketch was given to Rajiv Gandhi in 1985 at the Congress party's centenary celebration ceremony. Also Read: Rana Kapoor's Rs 2,000 cr investments, shell firms, 44 paintings under ED's scanner Back in 2010, Priyanka Gandhi had also written a thank you letter to Kapoor that reads, "Thank you for purchasing the portrait of my father, Shri Rajiv Gandhi painted by Shri MF Hussain which was presented to him in 1985 at the ceremony of Congress Party's centenary celebrations and is present in my ownership and possession." "I acknowledge receipt of a letter dated June 3, 2010, as well as your payment by cheque dated June 3, 2010, drawn on your HSBC account of Rs 2 crore, representing full and final payment toward subject painting," she added in the letter. Business Today has seen a copy of the letter. The ED had placed Kapoor under arrest after being interrogated for around 15 hours at the wee hours on Sunday. He has been sent to ED's custody till March 11. The probe agency had registered a fresh Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) on Saturday against Kapoor before placing him under arrest. The ECIR was registered following the CBI FIR against Kapoor, DOIT Infra Ventures LTD, Kapil Wadhawan and DHFL. "The fresh complaint was registered only upon discovery and enough evidence of the two suspicious transactions which were thoroughly checked and verified through Kapoor, his family members, relatives and other beneficiaries involved," ED said in an official statement. Also Read: Yes Bank crisis: ED arrests Rana Kapoor; CBI alleges kickbacks to daughters' firm "The legal team worked till late night with Joint Director Satyabrata Kumar discussing legal issues and challenges. Kumar and the legal advisor left the office only at 4 am after Kapoor was placed under arrest," it added. According to ED officials, Yes Bank invested Rs 3,700 crore in short-term debentures of scam-hit DHFL (Dewan Housing Finance Ltd). In return, DHFL allegedly "paid kickback of Rs 600 crore" to Kapoor and his family members in the form of loans to DoIT Urban Ventures (India) Pvt Ltd, officials said. DoIT Urban Ventures Ltd is a company allegedly held by his family members and promoter-director of DHFL Kapil Wadhawan. Also Read: Yes Bank crisis: CBI raids seven locations in connection with Rana Kapoor, others (ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, MARCH 10 - Turkey is hoping to reach an agreement with the European Union for a new accord on migrants by March 26, when a summit of leaders of the 27 member States is scheduled to discuss it and possibly approve it, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said after a meeting in Brussels between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the presidents of the European Council and the commission, Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen. ''We are ready for constructive work'', said Cavusoglu. ''It's not only a matter of keeping migrants in exchange for money'', added the minister, who will lead a task force over the coming days to try to find an agreement with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. (ANSAmed). GILROY (BCN) The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office announced Tuesday that the three police officers who shot a gunman at last year's Gilroy Garlic Festival did so lawfully. Santino Legan, 19, opened fire on a crowd of people during the festival's family fair on July 28, 2019, and ultimately killed three people -- a 25-year-old man, a 13-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy -- and wounded another 17. Legan used an AK-47 assault rifle to fire 36 shots into the crowd, and was carrying several dozen rounds with him at the time of the shooting. Gilroy police detective Eric Cryar and officers Robert Basuino and Hugh Del Moral shot and brought Legan down less than a minute after he opened fire, according to the district attorney's office report. "Placing themselves, literally, in the line of fire to stop a mass murderer undoubtedly saved lives and prevented further bloodshed," report author and Deputy District Attorney Rob Baker wrote. "In light of the grave circumstances of this case, their actions were unquestionably lawful and justified." After taking shots to the chest, back, hands and legs, Legan shot and killed himself with the AK-47. "If we didn't take the action that we took there could be a lot of dead people," Cryar said. The FBI and the Gilroy Police Department continue to investigate the shooting, according to the district attorney's office. 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. There may be a global revolt against plastic, but Danish toymaker Lego, famous for its multi-coloured plastic building bricks, remains a raging success, even if it, too, aims to go green. Once revolutionary, then a ubiquitous material, plastic is increasingly being shunned due to the lasting harm its chemical components do to the planet. As a result, Lego has vowed that its iconic bricks will be 100 percent sustainable by 2030. With pieces that are virtually unbreakable and reusable for generations, Lego -- whose name is a contraction in Danish for "Leg Godt" or "Play Well" -- has always had sustainability as a leitmotiv, Tim Brooks, head of corporate responsibility, told AFP. Now, the company just has to adapt to environmental and consumer demands. A study by the NPD market research group showed that 47 percent of Christmas shoppers worldwide chose not to buy a toy due to sustainability concerns. "Toy manufacturers are really embracing this topic... There's a lot of innovation in both packaging and material for toys," Frederique Tutt, a toy industry expert at NPD, told AFP. Lego, based in the western Danish town of Billund, has no plans to abandon plastic. Rather, it aims to improve on the materials it uses. Currently, most of its pieces are made of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), a petroleum-based substance also used to make household appliances. "We want to use plastic in a responsible way, and particularly where it is in a high quality, durable and reusable application. And that's what Lego bricks are," said Brooks. For now, two percent of its plastic pieces, or 80 of the around 3,600 construction pieces, are made of a biosourced material, a sugarcane-based polyethylene. These pieces are mostly trees, leaves and bushes in the kits, which do not have to meet the same durability requirements as bricks, which have to stick together tightly. It is a technical challenge, as Lego wants to ensure that customers do not notice any difference between the old plastic and any new materials. "We don't want you to notice it," Brooks insisted. New pieces must have the same physical properties as the old ones: strength, colour fastness and sticking power, in order to remain compatible with older pieces. Over the years, the Danish company has evolved from simple brick kits to complex designs, such as its Harry Potter or architecture themed kits, and has made a strong foray into video games, apps, movies, cartoons and amusement parks. That diversification has helped the group recover from its financial woes in the early 2000s. In 2019, it posted a six-percent rise in sales. Lego encourages customers to hand down their bricks to younger generations. "The brick has been compatible since 1958. You can buy something from the shelves today that works with something from the late 1950s," Brooks said. The company estimates that 96 percent of consumers either hold on to their Lego kits or pass them on, stressing the distinction between Lego's bricks and single-use plastics. In addition to developing bioplastics, Lego, which is leading a project in the US providing second-hand kits to disadvantaged children, is making cautious advances in the field of recycled plastic. "Recycled materials is a very interesting area but you need to understand where that material comes from," Brooks said. The company refuses to divulge its production secrets, but insists it reuses its own plastic waste products in its production. In 2014, Lego vowed to reduce its carbon footprint, partnering with the environmental group WWF. It says it has relied solely on renewable energy sources since 2017. "They made climate savings and shifted to more windcraft, now they're looking into alternatives to their plastic," said the head of WWF Denmark, Bo Oksnebjerg, of the company's efforts. Kirkby, Lego's parent company, has meanwhile invested almost $1 billion in wind farms. Lego is also working to improve its packaging, reducing the amount of plastic bags separating pieces and slashing the size of its boxes to reduce transport volumes. It aims to use only recycled or renewable materials by 2025. Antidia Citores, spokeswoman of the environmental group Surfrider Europe, stressed meanwhile that Lego needed to also look at the production end, as replacing one plastic with another would not reduce emissions. "Changing one plastic for another is not a revolution, not in terms of pollution or carbon emissions," she said. English Swedish Press release Stockholm 10 March 2020 SEBs annual general meeting shortened Due to the new coronavirus, SEB has decided to take a number of precautionary measures at the annual general meeting at Konserthuset, Hotorget, Stockholm on 23 March, at 1pm. Registration starts at 11.30. To reduce the risk of infection spread, SEB will shorten the time of the actual AGM and also cancel a number of activities that were previously planned to be held in conjunction with the event. SEB will no longer have an exhibition and wont offer any food or any informal meetings with the banks management before the AGM begins. SEB will also limit the time for some speeches. With these precautionary measures, SEB aims to safeguard our shareholders and employees health and make the AGM as safe, short and efficient as possible. Shareholders who are worried about the spread of infection also have the possibility to avoid attending in person and instead appoint a proxy holder who can vote on their behalf. SEB is also recommending such a solution for anyone who has visited an area with widespread infection or who has been in close contact with someone who has been infected with the new coronavirus. SEB will propose to the AGM that it approves allowing shareholders to follow the meeting via webstream. Both CEO Johan Torgebys and Chair of the Board Marcus Wallenbergs speeches will be published at sebgroup.com after the AGM. Shareholders who want to authorise a proxy holder can find relevant documents using this link: sebgroup.com/about-seb/annual-general-meeting/annual-general-meeting-2020 Further information about the AGM will be sent to registered shareholders by post. For further information, please contact Christoffer Geijer, Head of Investor Relations +46 (0)8 763 8319 christoffer.geijer@seb.se Press contact Frank Hojem, Head of Communications +46 (0)8 763 9947 frank.hojem@seb.se SEB is a leading Nordic financial services group with a strong belief that entrepreneurial minds and innovative companies are key in creating a better world. SEB takes a long-term perspective and supports its customers in good times and bad. In Sweden and the Baltic countries, SEB offers financial advice and a wide range of financial services. In Denmark, Finland, Norway, Germany and UK the bank's operations have a strong focus on corporate and investment banking based on a full-service offering to corporate and institutional clients. The international nature of SEB's business is reflected in its presence in some 20 countries worldwide. At 31 December 2019, the Group's total assets amounted to SEK 2,857bn while its assets under management totalled SEK 2,041bn. The Group has around 15,000 employees. Read more about SEB at http://www.sebgroup.com . Attachment The Centers for Disease Control has ordered the elderly and sick to stock up on medications and avoid large crowds, cruise ships and airplanes in order to protect themselves against coronavirus. The elderly and those with underlying health conditions should also avoid touching door handles, hand rails and elevator buttons in public places, according to the advice on the CDC's website. Other advice includes stocking up on enough medication and food to 'stay at home for a period of time'. 'If a COVID-19 outbreak happens in your community, it could last for a long time,' the advice warning says. In the US, there are now more than 750 cases of coronavirus and 26 deaths. Vulnerable Americans - including the elderly and those with underlying conditions - have been told to avoid public places and not to touch door handles or elevator buttons to avoid getting coronavirus (pictured, a worker at the Life Care Center in Washington which is at the center of an outbreak) Those at risk of infection should also stockpile food an essential medicine in case they are confined to their homes 'for a period of time' (pictured, a patient is taken out of the Life Care Center in Washington) The CDC issued the new advice for vulnerable people on Monday, stemming from an early study of 70,000 Chinese coronavirus patients. The advice is directed towards 'older people' and those with serious underlying health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and lung disease. While the CDC does not specify what qualifies as an 'older person', it says the virus can be serious in those above 60, and most serious in those aged 80 or older. In order to protect themselves against the disease, vulnerable people should wash their hands thoroughly, avoid touching their face, and regularly clean 'high-touch' surfaces in their own home. Tables, doorknobs, light switches, handles, desks, toilets, faucets, sinks and cell phones should all be cleaned regularly, the CDC says. If coronavirus starts spreading through a local community, vulnerable people should stay at home as much as possible - particularly avoiding large crowds and poorly ventilated spaces. 'Consider ways of getting food brought to your house through family, social, or commercial networks,' the advice says. Americans have begun panic-buying in case of a widespread lockdown, with selves stripped across the US Footage from a Costco in Burbank, California showed customers being forced to line up outside due to the large crowds trying to get inside as panic buying across the country continued 'Stay in touch with others by phone or email. You may need to ask for help from friends, family, neighbors, and community health workers if you become sick. 'Determine who can provide you with care if your caregiver gets sick.' Symptoms of coronavirus include fever, a cough and shortness of breath. The CDC warns that if you are a vulnerable person, you should contact your doctor if you get any of these symptoms. The vulnerable should also seek immediate care if they develop 'emergency symptoms', including difficulty breathing, persistent pain in the chest, confusion or blueish lips or face. 'Our goal is to protect you,' Dr Nancy Messonnier of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. 'This will require you and your family to take action.' She acknowledged many people won't welcome the tips, but said, 'these are the kind of recommendations that I've made for my parents,' who are in their 80s. It comes as families across the US continue to clear out the shelves of supermarkets as the coronavirus spreads to more states, forcing some stores to ration more strictly. Costco outlets have begun to tighten rations that they had put on products in a bid to spread supply. Several stores reduced the number of packets of flour, sugar and rice each customer is allowed to buy from five to two per customer. Kroger has placed limits on certain items such as cold and flu-related products to five each per order. Footage from a Costco in Burbank, California showed customers being forced to line up outside due to the large crowds trying to get inside. The line of people with shopping carts was so long it snaked through the parking lot. Dr Nancy Messonnier, of the CDC, said that while the precautions will not be welcomed they are designed to keep people safe from infection WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF CORONAVIRUS? Like other coronaviruses, including those that cause the common cold and that triggered SARS, COVID-19 is a respiratory illness. The most common symptoms are: Fever Dry cough Shortness of breath Difficulty breathing Fatigue Although having a runny nose doesn't rule out coronavirus, it doesn't thus far appear to be a primary symptom. Most people only become mildly ill, but the infection can turn serious and even deadly, especially for those who are older or have underlying health conditions. In these cases, patients develop pneumonia, which can cause: Potentially with yellow, green or bloody mucus Fever, sweating and shaking chills Shortness of breath Rapid or shallow breathing Pain when breathing, especially when breathing deeply or coughing Low appetite, energy and fatigue Nausea and vomiting (more common in children) Confusion (more common in elderly people) Some patients have also reported diarrhea and kidney failure has occasionally been a complication. Avoid people with these symptoms. If you develop them, call your health care provider before going to the hospital or doctor, so they and you can prepare to minimize possible exposure if they suspect you have coronavirus. Advertisement As the CDC warned the vulnerable to avoid cruise ships, thousands of passengers aboard the Grand Princess waited anxiously on Tuesday for their chance to leave the vessel, even if it meant being shipped to military bases for weeks of quarantine. After days of being forced to idle off the Northern California coast, the Grand Princess docked Monday at the Port of Oakland with some 3,500 passengers and crew on board. About two dozen people who need acute medical care were taken off the ship, although it wasn't clear how many had tested positive for the new virus, according to Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the California Office of Emergency Services. Many of the nearly 240 Canadians on board left the ship after the critically ill and stood outside two tents displaying Canadian flags. Canada and the UK were among the countries sending chartered flights to retrieve their citizens. But some 2,000 passengers, including hundreds of Californians, were still aboard by the time disembarkation ended Monday night. It was to resume on Tuesday morning, the captain told passengers. The Grand Princess had been held off the coast since Wednesday because of evidence that it was the breeding ground for more than 20 infections tied to a previous voyage. US passengers will be flown or bused from the port - chosen for its proximity to an airport and a military base - to bases in California, Texas and Georgia for testing and a 14-day quarantine. Some arrived on Monday night at Travis Air Force Base in Northern California. The ship carried people from 54 countries and foreigners were to be whisked home. About 1,100 crew members, 19 of whom have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship, which will dock elsewhere after passengers are unloaded, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said. The California governor and Oakland mayor sought to reassure people that none of the cruise ship passengers would be exposed to the public before completing the quarantine. Officials were trying to decide where the ship and its crew would go next. Cruise ships have come under scrutiny by those who view them as potential germ factories because they pack thousands of people in close quarters. Another Princess ship, the Diamond Princess, was quarantined for two weeks in Yokohama, Japan, last month because of the virus. Ultimately, about 700 of the 3,700 people aboard became infected in what experts pronounced a public health failure. A third vessel, the Caribbean Princess, was supposed to dock in Grand Cayman on Monday but the cruise line said it will keep its thousands of passengers and crews from disembarking until crew members are tested for COVID-19. Advice also includes avoiding cruise ships such as the Grand Princess, which is currently being evacuated in San Francisco after an outbreak on board At least 21 people on board the Princess have tested positive for the virus, with more than 2,000 on board who will now need to be evacuated Around the world, nations have limited the movements of millions of people in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. Italy was to impose travel restrictions and other strict public health measures nationwide starting Tuesday. In Northern California, Santa Clara County announced a ban of all large gatherings of at least 1,000 people for the rest of the month in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The virus has shaken global markets, with stocks taking their worst one-day beating on Wall Street since 2008 and oil prices suffering their most brutal losses since the start of the 1991 Gulf War. Even with Asian markets posting modest gains Tuesday, fear was rampant that economies stood at the brink of recession. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said communities will need to start thinking about canceling large gatherings, closing schools and letting more employees work from home, as many companies have done after an outbreak in the Seattle area. CORONAVIRUS TRAVEL TIPS As the novel coronavirus spreads across the globe, health experts advise plane travelers to sit in a window seat, disinfect their table trays and window blinds, and warn that wearing a mask won't prevent infection. Officials say the best way to avoid catching the virus, which is spread through viral particles within mucus or saliva, is to keep your hands clean, disinfect your space, and avoid touching your face. It is also advised that plane travelers choose a window seat to have less contact with potentially sick people. 'Book a window seat, try not to move during the flight, stay hydrated and keep your hands away from your face,' Vicki Stover Hertzberg, professor of biostatistics and bioinformatics at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, said. 'Book a window seat, try not to move during the flight, stay hydrated and keep your hands away from your face,' a professor of biostatistics and bioinformatics at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, said Hertzberg helped conduct a study that followed passengers and crew members on 10 three to five-hour flights during the flu season and found that passengers who sit in the window seats had less contact with ill people. Wearing a mask on the plane may not prove helpful as the air in the aircraft is considered sterile because there are so few microorganisms at such a high altitude and the plane draws fresh air from the outside. About 50 percent of the air in cabins is recirculated but it goes through sophisticated air filters similar to those used in surgical environments, before it's its pushed back into the plane. A problem with paper masks is that they don't have a respirator to filter out infectious air articles. That means passengers are more likely to catch the virus through direct contact from someone with the virus or surfaces rather than through the air. But one study found that the other coronaviruses - such as SARS and MERS - remains on metal, glass, and plastic surfaces for up to nine days. Top tips include: - Good hand hygiene: Frequently wash hands for at least 20 seconds or using hand sanitzer - Disinfect your space: Bring your own wipes and wipe down window blinds, seat belts, arm rests, touch screens and tray tables - Choose a window seat: Sit near the window and avoid moving around the cabin to limit exposure to potentially sick people - Use touch screen with a tissue: Avoid contact with surfaces that may hold the virus - Avoid touching your face: 2019-nCov is spread through viral particles in mucus or saliva. Avoid touching your face and transferring germs picked up from surfaces Advertisement A man, wearing a protective mask, looks at his phone as he waits for a train at Union Station in Washington, DC A man, wearing a protective mask, walks past shops in Union Station in Washington, DC Ying Yong, the party secretary of Hubei province where Wuhan is located, told local officials that preparations should be made for resuming business production and the safe and orderly movement of individuals, according to a notice published on Hubei's government website. Already, there are signs the lockdown is loosening. Jingzhou, a city in Hubei, has ordered roads and village entrances in low-risk areas to be reopened to restore agricultural production. The edge toward normalcy in China and improving reports from South Korea - where new infections continued to dip - contrasted with a widening problem elsewhere in the world. Italy's far-reaching restrictions were to last through April 3 and violators risked up to three months in jail or fines of 206 euros ($225). Schools and universities were remaining closed and pubs, eateries and cafes were to shutter at dusk. 'Our habits must be changed, changed now,' Conte said. In the U.S., President Donald Trump was planning to announce proposals Tuesday aimed at curbing the economic fallout from the outbreak. He said the measures would include payroll tax relief. Trump dove into handshakes with supporters Monday and flew back from a Florida fundraiser with a lawmaker who later went into a voluntary quarantine because he came into contact with someone who had tested positive for the virus. Trump's incoming chief of staff, too, went into quarantine, also stemming from concerns from a conservative political gathering an infected person attended. Worldwide, more than 114,000 cases of the virus have been reported in about 100 countries. The leader of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said Monday, 'the threat of a pandemic has become very real.' The most recent additions are Panama, adding to a few dozen cases in Latin America, and Mongolia, which borders China. Authorities there said Tuesday the country's first virus patient was a French energy worker who met with colleagues and traveled while he was infected. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two U.S. service members were killed in north central Iraq while accompanying Iraqi security forces on an mission targeting Islamic State, the U.S. military said in a statement on Monday attributing the deaths to "enemy forces." The two U.S. military members, killed on Sunday, were not being publicly identified until their families could be notified, the Combined Joint Task Force for Operation Inherent Resolve said in the statement released by the command. The deaths highlight that despite losing its territorial caliphate in Iraq and Syria, Islamic State can still pose a threat. An Inspector General report published earlier this year said that despite the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the militant group continued low-level attacks and while it did not appear to grow stronger, it did not "lose its freedom of movement or ability to hide and transport fighters and supplies in Iraqs desert and mountainous terrain." "ISIS in Iraq retains enough manpower and planning capabilities to conduct regular small-scale attacks ... and occasionally infiltrates urban centres, but has not tried to hold territory," the Inspector General said it was told by Combined Joint Task Force for Operation Inherent Resolve. There are about 5,200 U.S. troops in Iraq. (Reporting by Idrees Ali; Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Alex Richardson and Steve Orlofsky) A medical expert in Iran has confirmed numerous citizen reports indicating a loss of the sense of smell and vision among people in recent weeks, coinciding with the spread of coronavirus in the country. Deputy Chairman of Irans Rhinology Association Dr. Ebrahim Razmpa told the local ISNA news website that During the last month there is a sudden, unexpected and unbelievable jump in cases of weak sense of smell and difficulty with vision, reported across the country. "Rhinology is the study of the nose, including the sinuses. Rhinology concerns itself with medical and surgical diseases of the nasal passages as well as paranasal sinuses", the journal of Otology & Rhinology describes. Razmpa who is an ENT surgeon says there are two theories as to why the sense of smell is deteriorating among many people in Iran. The first theory revolves around the impact of coronavirus, which seems to be more probable, he said. Razmpa however added that this does not mean everyone who has a problem with the sense of smell is infected with the coronavirus. The second possibility is that the phenomenon is related to increasing exposure to chemicals in washing and disinfecting materials, which are being used frequently in recent weeks as a preventive measure against the deadly virus. The graph in the tweet shows below how number of online searches about loss of sense of smell jumped in recent weeks in Iran JEFFERSON, N.C., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The case arose from care provided at Ashe County Memorial Hospital by a Watauga County spine surgeon several years ago. Wilmington-area medical malpractice and nursing home neglect law firm Daniel Pleasant Holoman LLP represented Mr. Ballou, 67, who suffered complications in February 2014 after spine surgery. Mr. Ballou alleged his excruciating complications went untreated for days despite numerous calls to the surgeon's office, an approximate 7-hour stay in Ashe County Memorial's emergency department, and the spine surgeon's further delays in surgical intervention after Mr. Ballou was transferred to Watauga Medical Center. He alleged that the delay in diagnosing and treating the complication, a well-known condition called spinal epidural hematoma, resulted in compression on his spinal cord, and ultimately led to permanent spinal cord injury. He was unable to return to work as a result of his injuries. Trial lawyers Thomas Pleasant and Justin Holoman of Daniel Pleasant Holoman LLP tried the case on behalf of the Ballous. Daniel Pleasant Holoman LLP partner Butler Daniel litigated the case pre-trial for the Ballous. After an almost two-week trial which ended on December 13, 2019, Mr. Ballou was awarded the amount of $816,988.00$416,988 in economic damages and a further $400,000 in non-economic damages. According to the Clerk of Court's office, this was the largest money damages jury verdict in the history of Ashe County. Daniel Pleasant Holoman LLP is proud to have been a part in this historic case and is looking forward to continuing the fight for victims of medical malpractice in North Carolina and beyond. For further information or to comment on this matter, please contact Thomas Pleasant ([email protected]) or Justin Holoman ([email protected]) or contact law firm Daniel Pleasant Holoman LLP at dph-attorneys.com . SOURCE Daniel Pleasant Holoman LLP Related Links https://www.dph-attorneys.com She's weeks away from the release of the final episode of her hit spy thriller, Homeland. And Claire Danes was intent on enjoying a little retail therapy as she stepped out in New York City on Monday afternoon. The 40-year-old actress looked simply chic in an all-black ensemble as she made her way in and out of boutiques in the Manhattan area. Lovely: Claire Danes was intent on enjoying a little retail therapy as she stepped out in New York City on Monday afternoon Claire stayed warm underneath a structured black peacoat with a leather belt wrapped above her waist. She kept up with her monochrome theme wearing a pair of skinny jeans and added a small pop of color with nude mules. The mother-of-two wore her platinum blonde hair straight with a distinct part toward the side and hid her eyes behind a pair of cat-eye lenses. City slicker: The 40-year-old actress looked simply chic in an all-black ensemble as she made her way in and out of boutiques in the Manhattan area Fashionable: Claire stayed warm underneath a structured black peacoat with a leather belt wrapped above her waist As the Showtime spy thriller Homeland comes to an end, Claire hoped that her portrayal of a character with bipolar disorder helped destigmatize mental illness. 'I dont think there have been many shows or many opportunities in pop culture to focus on people who are wired a little differently from most, and experience the world through such a different filter,' Danes told The Associated Press on the red carpet for the premiere of the Showtime series' eighth and final season last month. Danes, who plays CIA analyst Carrie Mathison, said she took the task of portraying the highs and lows of mania and depression seriously. Out and about: The mother-of-two wore her platinum blonde hair straight with a distinct part toward the side and hid her eyes behind a pair of cat-eye lenses. As the Showtime spy thriller Homeland comes to an end, Claire hoped that her portrayal of a character with bipolar disorder helped destigmatize mental illness 'I was really humbled by the process in my efforts to kind of make sense of it, and just have profound respect for people who live with this day in and day out,' Danes said. Homeland has also helped explain the complexity of national security through the work of the intelligence community. Before each season, principal cast members and producers meet with intelligence professionals to discuss the issues that 'keep them up at night.' Danes said these are the people that help keep the world safer. 'I'm in the land of make believe. You know, I take risks in a very qualified way,' she said. 'And these people do it for real. So, you know, all the respect in the world to them.' The final episode of the program airs on April 26 on the Showtime network. Prosecutors told her and Miller that they were not targets of the inquiry, Johnsen said in a statement. They both willingly participated in brief interviews with investigators and later appeared before a grand jury to provide information and documents relevant to the governments investigation, the statement read. The government will consider union calls for paid sick leave for casual workers affected by the coronavirus crisis but Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter has flagged the government will not "jump to a solution in anticipation of a problem". Mr Porter said he did not agree with claims casual workers would go to work while feeling sick or awaiting testing because they needed to earn their wages. "I think people by and large behave very, very responsibly and sensibly, but if circumstances arise, where there are issues around incentives or disincentives in that respect, we will look at them," Mr Porter said. He argued that many casuals, who receive 25 per cent more per hour in wages than permanent staff members, "would have already made provisions for [staying home while sick or quarantined] because of course the purpose of casual employment is that you're paid extra in lieu of those types of entitlements". ST. LOUIS, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ponce Health Sciences University has announced plans to invest more than $80 million in a new campus in north St. Louis and to expand education programs by offering a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) program. Designed to create opportunities for more students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds to access medical education and build careers in health care, PHSU-St. Louis will support up to 1,200 students and create up to 120 staff and faculty positions at the new campus, upon opening planned for fall 2021. Construction is set to begin in late fall 2020 or early winter 2021, with PHSU and University Ventures, which owns and operates the school, providing the working capital for the new campus. "We are honored to establish this program in St. Louis, a world-class center for medical education and health care," said Dr. David Lenihan, president of PHSU. "We are also proud to build our new campus in north St. Louis and bring significant economic benefits to the community. We will be positioned to provide opportunities for students across the community and beyond to pursue careers in medicine." The campus expansion arrives as north Saint Louis experiences several developments in the area, including construction of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) West facility. In a statement, U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay addressed the significance of this project to the city's north side: "As you well know, north St. Louis suffers from significant health care disparities in access to both emergency and primary care, high rates of chronic illnesses and lower life expectancies than other parts of our region. This is an important project that will increase access to quality health care in underserved neighborhoods. This is a worthy goal for which I will continue to advocate." U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt also shared the following statement in support of the announcement: "The growing shortage of doctors in Missouri and across the United States poses a significant challenge, particularly in underserved urban and rural areas. PHSU-St. Louis's new M.D. program will help more students get the training they need to meet health care workforce demands and improve access to quality care. Today's announcement is great news for economic development in the region and will further strengthen Missouri's role as a national leader in medical education." Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe commented, "As many people know, I was born and raised in north St. Louis. The investment of a medical school in the area of the city where I grew up will have a tremendous impact on the rebuilding efforts currently underway. The positive effect of this project will also not only be felt there, but across the state, by having a new medical school that is dedicated to graduating doctors that are likely to practice in underserved areas. Dr. Lenihan's innovation in identifying and educating students will bring positive recognition to the St. Louis region and all of Missouri." Alderwoman Tammika Hubbard, representing the city's 5th ward, where the new PHSU-St. Louis campus will be built, said during an event for the new campus: "We have so many people in our community that would love to serve in a capacity in the health care field but just simply can't get through school, so it's very important that you all are here today and supporting my constituents in the 5th ward and constituents throughout the city of St. Louis." PHSU-St. Louis, established in 2018, currently offers accredited health science programs at its facility in the historic Globe Building, including a Master of Science in Medical Sciences (MSMS) and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (PsyD). Designed to improve academic credentials to professional schools, PHSU's MSMS program offers a one-year, multidisciplinary core curriculum focused on basic medical science. First introduced at PHSU's Puerto Rico campus, the MSMS program has helped students achieve a board passage rate of 100% on the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1, compared to a 95% passage rate for the rest of the nation. Graduates have also earned residencies at some of the nation's most prestigious institutions, including Johns Hopkins and the Mayo Clinic. Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez Garced issued the following statement: "I would like to congratulate the Ponce Health Sciences University on the historic announcement of its medical school campus expansion from Ponce, Puerto Rico, into St. Louis, Missouri. Puerto Rico produces top-rated medical practitioners and the Ponce Health Sciences University is part of such success." PHSU-St. Louis has also established a new partnership with Saint Louis University School of Medicine in which SLU will refer students interested in pursuing medical degrees to PHSU's MSMS graduate program. In turn, SLU will grant interviews to MSMS graduates for admissions consideration to the SLU's School of Medicine. "We are excited Ponce Health Sciences University is coming to town and see it as a win for the region and for our School of Medicine," said Dr. Daniel Blash, vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer at Saint Louis University School of Medicine "We look forward to continuing to explore the potential for partnership between our schools that exists." Herb B. Kuhn, president and CEO of the Missouri Hospital Association noted, "Opportunities in the health care workforce are significant, including for physicians. The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration estimates that 13,800 primary care physicians are needed to meet demand in all currently designated shortage areas. Several Missouri counties have no primary care physicians. The Missouri Hospital Association applauds PHSU's efforts to address the shortages that exist today and that are expected in the long-term." About Ponce Health Sciences University Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU), a fully-accredited university, is dedicated to providing the highest quality graduate education programs available in medicine, clinical psychology, biomedical sciences and public health in order to prepare world-class, culturally competent health professionals to better serve a growing population of diverse patients across the United States. Located in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and St. Louis, Missouri, PHSU is recognized around the world for its educational service and research achievements. SOURCE Ponce Health Sciences University Related Links https://www.psm.edu As every investor would know, not every swing hits the sweet spot. But really big losses can really drag down an overall portfolio. So consider, for a moment, the misfortune of The Agency Group Australia Limited (ASX:AU1) investors who have held the stock for three years as it declined a whopping 90%. That would be a disturbing experience. And over the last year the share price fell 64%, so we doubt many shareholders are delighted. On the other hand, we note it's up 9.1% in about a month. We really feel for shareholders in this scenario. It's a good reminder of the importance of diversification, and it's worth keeping in mind there's more to life than money, anyway. See our latest analysis for Agency Group Australia Agency Group Australia isn't currently profitable, so most analysts would look to revenue growth to get an idea of how fast the underlying business is growing. When a company doesn't make profits, we'd generally expect to see good revenue growth. That's because it's hard to be confident a company will be sustainable if revenue growth is negligible, and it never makes a profit. Over three years, Agency Group Australia grew revenue at 58% per year. That is faster than most pre-profit companies. So on the face of it we're really surprised to see the share price down 54% a year in the same time period. You'd want to take a close look at the balance sheet, as well as the losses. Ultimately, revenue growth doesn't amount to much if the business can't scale well. Unless the balance sheet is strong, the company might have to raise capital. The graphic below depicts how earnings and revenue have changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image). ASX:AU1 Income Statement, March 9th 2020 We like that insiders have been buying shares in the last twelve months. Even so, future earnings will be far more important to whether current shareholders make money. This free interactive report on Agency Group Australia's earnings, revenue and cash flow is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further. Story continues A Different Perspective The last twelve months weren't great for Agency Group Australia shares, which cost holders 64%, while the market was up about 3.5%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Shareholders have lost 54% per year over the last three years, so the share price drop has become steeper, over the last year; a potential symptom of as yet unsolved challenges. We would be wary of buying into a company with unsolved problems, although some investors will buy into struggling stocks if they believe the price is sufficiently attractive. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Agency Group Australia better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should learn about the 5 warning signs we've spotted with Agency Group Australia (including 3 which is are potentially serious) . If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on AU 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. HALIFAX - Nova Scotia's lobster industry has taken a tentative step aimed at reopening its crucial export market in China. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/3/2020 (671 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A fishing boat, loaded with traps, head from port in West Dover, N.S. on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019 as the lobster season on Nova Scotia's South Shore begins after a one-day weather delay. Nova Scotia's lobster industry has taken a tentative step aimed at reopening its crucial export market in China. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan HALIFAX - Nova Scotia's lobster industry has taken a tentative step aimed at reopening its crucial export market in China. The market for the province's lobster had dried up over the last month as China dealt with the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Premier Stephen McNeil says a flight with 67 tonnes of live lobster left for China on Saturday. McNeil says it's a sign the market may be starting to loosen up, and it's positive news for rural parts of the province. Fisheries Minister Keith Colwell says the initial flight is considered a test to determine how the distribution system in China fares with moving lobster product. China had been the No. 1 one market for air freight shipments of live lobster from Nova Scotia. "They are our biggest buyers of lobster," said Colwell. "That's not going to change. The people in China have to get back to normal life again and once that happens we'll be back in business." The province sent $525-million in seafood exports to China in 2018 the bulk of which was lobster. Nova Scotia markets to 80 countries. Prior to the appearance of COVID-19, overall lobster sales had been booming. Provincial figures indicate total exports of just over $1.2 billion between December 2018 and November 2019 _ an increase of nearly 17 per cent over the previous 12-month period. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2020. Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media BRIDGEPORT Students of Housatonic Community College will have online classes for the remainder of the week, an announcement from the college Tuesday indicated. In the interest of campus safety, HCC will conduct a practice telecommuting drill from all scheduled classes from March 11 through March 14, the announcement said. Estranged royal couple Peter and Autumn Phillips put on a united front as they arrived together at the Cheltenham Festival today. The couple, who announced their separation last month, proved they remain on good terms despite their split as they spent the day together at Cheltenham Racecourse. It is the first time Canadian-born Autumn, 41, has been seen in public since they announced their split in a public statement last month, and she appeared to debut a ring-free wedding finger. The racecourse is just a short drive from Gatcombe Park, Princess Anne's Gloucestershire estate where Autumn and Peter continue to live while they co-parent their daughters, Savannah, nine, and Isla, seven. Victory! Peter Phillips celebrated behind his estranged wife Autumn as they took in the action at Cheltenham this afternoon Still on good terms! Autumn was seen laughing with her mother in law Princess Anne as they watched from the stands, and didn't appear to be wearing her wedding ring Light-hearted moment: Peter, left, and Autumn shared a joke in the stands this afternoon Still civil: The estranged royal couple put on a united front as they arrived together side by side for day one of the Cheltenham Festival Mother-of-two Autumn looked smart in black Jaeger trousers and Somerset by Alice Temperley pussy-bow blouse, which she wore underneath a green blazer by Really Wild. She finished the look with a Stella McCartney bag and shoes by The Fold Lonodn. Meanwhile Peter, 42, was dapper in a blue suit, navy overcoat and a tweed cap. Meanwhile Peter's sister Zara Tindall, 38, looked smart in a classic navy Guinea coat and a matching feather fascinator by Juliette Botterill Millinery as she arrived at Cheltenham with her BFF Dolly Maude. Autumn and Peter announced last month that they had separated after 12 years of marriage. Peter and Autumn Phillips, who announced their separation last month, proved they remain on good terms at Cheltenham Racecourse today The couple appeared to be thoroughly getting into the spirit of the event, cheering on their bets from the stands The only tense moment the couple appeared to share was during the races, where Peter watching his horse from behind his program Peter looked to be having a very successful afternoon, celebrating with his hands in the air while Autumn smiled and cheered They revealed they had informed their families of their 'amicable' decision to divorce 'at the end of last year' after deciding it was 'the best course of action for their two children and ongoing friendship'. The statement, released by a spokesperson on behalf of the couple, revealed the former couple have both remained in Gloucestershire to co-parent daughters Savannah, nine, and Isla, seven. The statement issued by Gerard Franklin, their official spokesperson, read: 'After informing HM The Queen and members of both families last year, Peter and Autumn jointly agreed to separate. Princess Anne was seen cheering in the stands as Autumn watched from one side and Peter watched from the other side Autumn and Peter put on an animated display together and proved they continue to have a friendly relationship It was reported last month that Peter and Autumn informed their families of their 'amicable' decision to divorce 'at the end of last year' after deciding it was 'the best course of action for their two children and ongoing friendship' Won something? Peter Philip appeared animated as he cheered while he watched the race alongside Autumn today Friendly exes: Peter Phillips and Autumn Phillips on day one of the Cheltenham Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham 'They had reached the conclusion that this was the best course of action for their two children and ongoing friendship. The decision to divorce and share custody came about after many months of discussions and although sad, is an amicable one. 'The couple's first priority will remain the continued well being and upbringing of their wonderful daughters Savannah and Isla. 'Both families were naturally sad at the announcement, but fully supportive of Peter and Autumn in the joint decision to co-parent their children. 'Both Peter and Autumn have remained in Gloucestershire to bring up their two children where they have been settled for a number of years. Peter and Autumn have requested privacy and compassion for their children while the family continues to adapt to these changes.' Peter appeared to be going through a rollercoaster of emotions while watching the tense races, while Autumn looked more calm The Queen's grandson looked delighted when his horse came through, while his estranged wife grinned at their companions 945mm.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 7 Jul 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 945mm homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if 945mm has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the 945mm homepage on Delicious. 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A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND Our latest contributor contends the U.S. has been interfering in Iran for generations. "America has aimed this aggression directly and indirectly on Irans politics, economics, and society," Richard Stocking says. US aviation regulators have asked Boeing to rewire all their 737 MAX aircraft before allowing the troubled aircraft to fly again. As per reports, the entire fleet of Boeing's 737 MAX aircraft were grounded worldwide after an Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed right after takeoff. The incident involving the Ethiopian Airlines aircraft occurred less than six months after a plane of the same model was involved in a similar fatal accident in Indonesia. As per reports, experts have blamed both crashed on the planes anti-stall flight system. Both accidents witnessed an uncontrolled drop in the aircraft's nose moments before the planes crashed. According to reports, regulators have concluded that the wiring layout of their 737 MAX aircraft violates safety standards. Their measures to prevent short-circuit could cause similar sharp drops in aircraft pitch. The order to modify the wiring on planes would apply to almost 800 737 MAX aircrafts that have already been produced and even those that have been handed over to airlines. According to reports, the Federal Aviation Authority released a statement that said that it was working with Boeing to address the recently discovered wiring issue. The statement also added that the aircraft will be cleared to return to passenger service only after it is satisfied that all safety-related issues were addressed. Read: Ethiopian Investigators Conclude Design Of Boeing 737 MAX Caused Crash: Reports Read: FAA Seeks $19.7 Million Penalty Against Boeing Over Sensors Ethiopian Airlines crash killed 157 As per reports, the aircraft manufacturer Boeing claimed that they were discussing the wiring issue with regulators and that they expected the planes to return to service by mid-2020. All 157 people who were aboard the Ethiopian Airlines jet were killed in the crash shortly after its takeoff from Addis Ababa last March. The Ethiopian Airlines crash followed the October 2018 crash of a Boeing 737 MAX that was operated by Lion Air in Indonesia. The aircraft that crashed moments after leaving the Jakarta airport killed 189 people on board. In February, a US congressional report accused Boeing of brushing off the concerns of engineers and released a "fundamentally flawed' aircraft. The reports also claimes that the Federal Aviation Authority had failed in its duty to exercise oversight of the company and that it ignored warnings about the safety standards of the aircraft from its own experts. Read: HAL Finalises Plan To Produce Military Helicopter On Par With Boeing's Apache Guardian Read: Japans ANA Orders 20 More Boeing 787 Dreamliners (With inputs from agencies) Scotlands calf registration during 2019 reached 552,700 head, the same as 2018 but 2.5% lower than in 2017, according to the latest market commentary. What the registrations do show, however, is a continuing trend towards native breed sires, Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) highlights. The now account for around 28 percent of all registrations, up from 20 percent a decade ago. Aberdeen Angus dominates the native breeds accounting for 19% of all Scottish calf registrations, up from 14% ten years ago. The details of calf registrations also show a reduction in importance of dairy-sired calves. Despite the Scottish dairy herd maintaining its size over the past year, the number of dairy-sired calves has fallen 3.5% between 2018 and 2019 however, all of the fall was in dairy-sired males. This reflects the growth in the use of sexed semen to produce replacement dairy stock leaving scope to increase the use of beef sires on a greater number of dairy cows, said Stuart Ashworth, Director of Economics Services at QMS. Associated with this, beef-sired calf registrations in Scotland increased despite a fall in the size of the suckler herd, he added. According to Mr Ashworth, this pattern is not unique as it is repeated in both England and Wales who show a decline in dairy-sired male calves of 11% between 2018 and 2019, while female dairy calf registrations are broadly unchanged. Collectively this adoption of science has contributed to a switch of around 34,000 head of cattle in GB from dairy-sired beef from the dairy herd, to beef-sired animals from the dairy herd over the past year, said Mr Ashworth. Closer examination of calf registration data also reveals that while the age profile of female cattle under thirty months of age on farms is unchanged over a number of years, the profile of male cattle has changed with a greater proportion being slaughtered at a younger age. For example, the proportion of 18-24 month old male cattle on British farms at the turn of the year is 2 percentage points lower than twelve months ago. Indeed, the average age prime male cattle are slaughtered at in the UK has fallen by around a fortnight in the past five years, said Mr Ashworth. During 2020, prime slaughter cattle will be largely drawn from those animals born during 2018 and, because there were fewer than born in 2017 and with some having been sold younger, this points to a slightly tighter supply of prime cattle in 2019. The recently released December 2019 census results from Ireland show a similar pattern there, with the number of 1-2 year-old cattle on Irish farms falling 2.7% from a year ago and the number of male cattle in this age group falling 4%. Prime cattle supplies in Ireland can therefore also be expected to tighten through 2020. Economic theory tells us that tighter supplies support prices but the caveat to that is that demand must remain firm domestically and internationally and access to international markets must be open with minimal constraints, said Mr Ashworth. In this context, the demand side of the equation for beef from Scotland remains sensitive to consumer opinion and international trade arrangements. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday accused Jyotiraditya Scindia of betraying the trust of people and ideology, saying people like him cannot thrive without power and the sooner they leave the better it is. Hitting out at Scindia soon after he resigned from the Congress, Gehlot said joining hands with the BJP atthe time of national crisis spoke volumes about his self-indulgent political ambitions. "Mr Scindia has betrayed the trust of people as well as the ideology. Such people prove that they can't thrive without power. Sooner they leave the better," he said on Twitter. "Joining hands with the BJP in a time of national crisis speaks volumes about a leader's self-indulgent political ambitions, especially when the BJP is ruining the economy, democratic institutions, social fabric and as well the judiciary," he said. Gehlot landed in Delhi on Monday night to make last-minute efforts to save the Madhya Pradesh government of the Congress. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-09 21:48:08|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close Director of the Institute of Virology at the Charite Berlin Christian Drosten attends a press conference briefing COVID-19 situation in Germany, in Berlin, capital of Germany, March 9, 2020. No fatalities have been recorded despite Germany reporting 1,112 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of 8 a.m. (0700 GMT) Monday, according to the country's disease control agency. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi) by Tian Ying BERLIN, March 9 (Xinhua) -- No fatalities have been recorded despite Germany reporting 1,112 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of 8 a.m. (0700 GMT) Monday, according to the country's disease control agency. The confirmed cases were recorded in 15 out of Germany's 16 federal states. The vast majority of cases nationwide are recorded in North Rhine-Westphalia following Baden-Wuerttemberg and Bavaria. The risk level in Germany was set to "moderate" by the agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) a week ago. GOVERNMENT MEASURES Germany has taken various measures, including cancelling several big trade fairs, to slow down the spread of the virus. In the meantime, the country is working at full speed to test and identify suspected cases, hospitalizing severe cases while quarantining mild ones at home. "Everything has to be done to slow down and reduce the intensity of an infection wave that could build up in the next weeks or months," Lars Schaade, vice president of the RKI, told a press conference Tuesday. There are three phases to slow down an epidemic outbreak: containment, protection, and mitigation. Germany is in containment phase and possibly even in mitigation already, German media Der Spiegel cited RKI President Lothar Wieler as saying. On Wednesday, Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn first met with the leaders of the German health care system, followed by a meeting with his colleagues from various federal states. The aim of the talks was to coordinate joint efforts against the spread of the disease. The governmental crisis unit to counteract COVID-19 set up on Feb. 27 banned the export of face masks and other medical protective equipment on Wednesday. It also decided to procure protective equipment for medical practitioners, hospitals and federal authorities. On Friday, Spahn exchanged views with the EU health ministers on the containment of the coronavirus and the supply of medicines during the pandemic. On Sunday, the health minister recommended that events with over 1,000 participants be canceled due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus. The choice is up to federal states to decide whether to implement the policy. He also advised German citizens against traveling to seriously-affected regions such as Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia and Italy. Some public facilities such as schools and kindergartens were temporarily closed and major events have been cancelled or postponed, including the ITB Berlin travel trade show, Leipzig Book Fair and the Hannover Fair. The Bundesliga Games remains underway. Since there is growing demand for disinfectants in pharmacies, the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health announced on Wednesday an exception to an ordinance, allowing pharmacists to manufacture and sell hand disinfectants. HOSPITAL RESPONSE To date, there has been no fatalities due to COVID-19 in Germany. The first 16 patients, including 14 related tied to an automobile supplier Webasto in Bavaria and two from China, have been discharged from hospital after recovery. Clemens-Martin Wendtner, chief physician of the infectious disease center of the Munich Schwabing Hospital that had treated nine of the 14 Bavarian patients, told Xinhua that the key to their successful treatment is early identification. A Chinese Webasto employee, the source of the first wave of infection, notified the company upon her diagnosis in China. The most severe case was treated with the HIV drug Ritonavir and broad-spectrum anti-bacteria medicines. More importantly, low-pressure single isolation rooms with mobile HEPA filters were also crucial to prevent the patients from being re-exposed to virus-borne air, according to Wendtner. However, the successful treatment in an epidemic outbreak hinges largely on sufficient medical resources and their efficient deployment. As the number of infected cases continues to rise, mounting pressure on the German medical system is foreseeable. Christoph Luebbert, head of the infectious diseases center of the Leipzig-based St. Georg hospital, told Xinhua that when the number of infected patients surges, asymptomatic and mild cases have to be quarantined at home. Most importantly, reliable diagnosis methods are needed, he said. (Zhang Yirong from Berlin and Zuo Wei from Frankfurt also contributed to the story) Three more people tested positive for the coronavirus in Maharashtra on Tuesday, and all three had come in contact with a man and a woman who had tested positive a day earlier, the state government said. It took the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Maharashtra to five, said a press release issued by the state health department. Samples of a man and a woman from Pune who had been to Dubai recently tested positive on Monday evening. On Tuesday, their daughter and the driver of the cab in which the family had traveled from the Mumbai airport to Pune, also tested positive, Pune district collector Naval Kishore Ram informed. Further, another person who had travelled by the same flight as them also tested positive, the state health department said on Tuesday evening in a release. The condition of all these patients was stable, the release added, appealing people not to panic. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) American aerospace company, Boeing on Tuesday confirmed that an employee at its Everett facility, Washington, has tested positive for coronavirus and is now in quarantine receiving care and treatment. "We have notified our employees and are following the advice of public health officials," sais Boeing in a statement cited by Fox Business. "As a precaution, we've asked all coworkers of the employee who were in close contact to remain home to self-quarantine and self-monitor, and we've conducted a thorough cleaning of the work areas and common spaces," the statement read. The multinational company has also asked employees in the Puget Sound region who are able to perform work offsite to telecommute from home. Boeing has been listed among one of the Washington-based companies that have reported employees infected with the coronavirus. Last week, a Facebook employee in Seattle was the company's first employee to test positive for coronavirus. An Amazon employee at the company's Seattle headquarters was also diagnosed and quarantined. (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 Kharishar Kahfi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, March 11, 2020 07:56 671 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20698dcc6 1 Opinion gender-equality,women-empowerment,gender-inequality,Women,love Free People often like to share their personal stories with me, including a woman in her mid-50s. More than once she has conveyed her life story about how she always wanted to restart her career after giving birth to her first son. I told my husband that I always wanted to work, even just as an office employee in Jakarta, she told me. However, he always said, Why do you want to work? Will your paycheck be enough for you to buy your lipstick? She resumed her story by saying that since then, she had become a stay-at-home mother, who takes care of her two sons and helps them to succeed later in their lives. That woman is, in fact, my mother. A change in favor of women is possible. As my father grows older, it seems that he is eventually realizing that women like my mother also have wishes to pursue their own dreams and passions. My father now does his best to support his wife to become a well-known shoemaker! On his days off he sometimes takes her to a neighboring town for a hand crochet workshop. Read also: In ASEAN, gender equality still very much a 'tick-the-box' issue As Democratic Party politician Elizabeth Warren put it, the doors of opportunity did not open for my mother simply because men did not allow them to. My mothers story breaks my heart. I believe women should have the equal opportunity to live their lives as they wish, like men. Many young people today say, Im happy as long as you are happy. While I do not see myself as a feminist, the term has inspired me to take part in the fight to break open the doors of opportunity to allow my beloved women to feel happy and to flourish as they wish. And I believe it is never too late for me, as well as other boys and men, to join this fight. According to the latest estimates by the World Bank, in 2018 females made up about 47 percent of the worlds total population; meaning, around 3.7 billion women and girls live on the planet. Many face similar struggles in shaping their own lives and futures, blocked by those doors of opportunity that will not open up for them. Things might be brighter now compared to previous eras, although improvements are still urgently needed. In the workforce, the World Bank and the International Labor Organization reported in 2018 that around 48 percent of women worked in various sectors. While the number looks fairly good, the figure has actually dropped from 51 percent in 2005. In Indonesia, womens workforce participation has stagnated in the last two decades at around 50 percent, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS). Furthermore, women are still constrained from holding corporate middle- to top-level positions. According to 2018 data from the McKinsey Global Institute, Indonesia is among the countries with the lowest ratio of women to men in managerial level positions and higher, with only 30 women holding positions of power to every 100 men. I still do not understand why men, who dominate office workplaces, are still afraid to appoint women to top positions, when increased women leadership can only have a good influence on fellow workers. For example, The Jakarta Posts newsroom is comprised of more women than men, with more women in the top positions. While we are expected to do our best, my female superiors always care about our well-being. For example, they remind us not to work during our holidays, for our physical and mental health. That, I suppose, is rare in newsrooms around the world, let alone in Indonesia. Read also: Catalyzing change for gender equality With more awareness of inequality, there has never been a better time for men to stand side by side with women to break open those doors of opportunity together. The fight actually starts with us men admitting we are more privileged than our female counterparts. After that, comes the hardest part: giving up some privileges to allow women to have chances to flourish. Changes will be impossible if men never give up their privileges for womens sake. In the workplace, for example, men should start sharing workshop and training opportunities with their women coworkers, to better enable a level playing field for skill improvement and promotion. I might be a hypocrite to suggest this step, as I still want to use those privileges for my personal development. But I am trying my best to help my female coworkers gain equal opportunities. Contrary to many accusations, women having successful careers do not seem to cause families to break apart, as shown by my female superiors at the Post. Their children seem to be just like those of other families with stay-at-home moms; maybe their husbands dont demand to be served by their wives, as our traditions demand, and are willing to do domestic chores. I love my mother, and am romantically involved with a hard-working and inspiring woman, whom I see as my partner. My mother might not be around when the global movement for gender equality and equity succeeds. However, it is not too late for me to join in breaking down those barriers, as it would be the utmost expressions of love for these two women. This is because happiness brought about by equality is not only about what the women we love should do with their lives, but also about what we men can do to help them live a fulfilling and happy life. Worker are seen inside a Samsung Electronics semiconductor plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics By Kim Hyun-bin Local companies are bracing for possible difficulties after Japan strengthened travel restrictions on people traveling there from Korea, a move that could hinder some companies' capabilities in maintaining their production lines and implementing and exporting new technologies. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the new travel restrictions that impose a 14-day quarantine period and also suspend a visa-waiver program for Koreans, including invalidating visas already issued. They will remain in place through the end of the month. The move could cause difficulties for companies exporting goods amid concerns that the restrictions could be extended if the epidemic continues. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2020 / Lucky Minerals Inc. (TSXV:LKY)(OTC:LKMNF)(FRA:LKY) ("Lucky" or the "Company") announces the results of its Annual General and Special Meeting of Shareholders which was held on March 5, 2020 (the "Meeting"). The Shareholders approved each resolution as presented and set out in the Information Circular that was sent to the Company's Shareholders and filed on SEDAR on February 7, 2020. The following resolutions were approved and passed by Shareholders at the Meeting: a) Approval of Meeting Notice, Management Information Circular, Form of Proxy, Voting Instruction Form, and request for annual and interim financial statements. b) Approval, and appointment of, Dale Matheson Carr-Hilton Labonte LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants, as the Company's auditors for the ensuing year. c) Set the number of Directors for the ensuing year at five (5) and to elect the following individuals to the Board of Directors: Adrian Rothwell, Joao Carrelo, Robert Rosner, Shaun Dykes, and Francois Perron. Mr. Stuart Greene did not stand for re-election. The Company wishes to thank Mr. Greene for his dedicated service and contribution as a Director during his tenure, and the Board of Directors, along with management, wish him all the best in his future endeavours. d) Ratify the Company's rolling 10% stock option plan. e) Seek disinterested Shareholder approval pertaining to the second closing of a shares for debt transaction with certain creditors, directors, and officers of the Company to settle an aggregate of $114,057 of debt through the issuance of 2,281,144 common shares of the Company at a deemed price of $0.05 per share. f) Continuation of the Company under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) and adoption of new articles. In addition to the matters related to the aforementioned Meeting, the Company also announces that, effective March 5, 2020, Mr. Sebastian Tang resigned as Chief Financial Officer. Robert Rosner, Director, has been appointed as interim Chief Financial Officer to replace Mr. Tang until such time as a permanent individual is appointed to the position. The Company also wishes to clarify the hold period relating to the closing of the private placement announced in February. Common shares and warrants issued in that transaction are subject to a four month and one day hold period expiring June 25th, 2020 and not June 13th, 2020 as initially published. About Lucky Lucky is an 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. Lucky has a memorandum of understanding on Fortuna with First Quantum Minerals Ltd. ("First Quantum") whereby First Quantum is able to earn up to 70% of copper targets. The Emigrant Creek Project covers a 15 km2 area in an intensely altered and mineralized porphyry copper-gold-molybdenum system in southern Montana. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Adrian Rothwell" Chief Executive Officer Further 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 Information This 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, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological or operational difficulties or inability to obtain permits encountered in connection with exploration activities; and labor relations matters. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect the Company's forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations also include risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. 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 the Company. 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 the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by Canadian securities law. SOURCE: Lucky Minerals Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/579954/Lucky-Provides-Annual-General-Special-Meeting-Results Look familiar? Masked men on the streets of Sydney. It's February 19, 1919 on the corner of Hunter and O'Connell and the CBD is embroiled in the Spanish influenza pandemic. The Sydney Morning Herald two weeks earlier reported 50 arrests on trams and trains for failure to wear a mask. "Pleading guilty yesterday at the Central Police Court to the charge of being in an Oxford-street tram without wearing a mask, Eileen Leigh, 19, was fined 20/ [one pound], in default, seven days' imprisonment. Defendant said that she had her mask under her chin as she was suffering from catarrh," the report said. Masked men on Hunter and O'Connell streets, 1919. Credit:Milton Kent/City of Sydney The image reproduced from a glass plate negative is among unseen photographs of Sydney at the start of the 20th century about to go on show in a new exhibition entitled Developing Sydney: Capturing Change 1900-1920. Just like today, the state government was preoccupied with bulldozing the place to make way for development. Photographers with glass plate cameras were dispatched by the City of Sydney to record the condemned buildings perchance dispute should ensue and to document the changing cityscape. (Bloomberg) -- Many Lyft Inc. and Uber Technologies Inc. drivers have seen a bump in business from the spreading coronavirus, but theyre also weighing the risks of staying safe versus continuing to earn a paycheck. A study to be published Friday shows that more than half of ride-hailing drivers said they were now very concerned about reduced earnings as a result of the virus and 41% said theyve modified their driving strategy as a result. These changes include reducing hours, refusing airport rides and halting driving entirely. The survey of 871 drivers in the U.S. from March 1 to March 4 compared data with similar four-day periods in 2020 and was conducted by driver productivity app Gridwise. They are doing what they have to do to continue earning, said Brandon Sellers, a product growth specialist at the Pittsburgh-based startup. About one-third of drivers are now wiping down their cars with disinfectant after every ride, using hand sanitizer and wearing a mask, he said. The data is telling us that drivers are afraid. The fear among drivers comes just as more passengers seem to be seeking rides or ordering food delivery in an effort to avoid crowds. But for those drivers willing to take the risk, wages increased 6% during the study period, according to Gridwise, due to fewer drivers competing for rides and more surge pricing, which increases prices during peak demand. Lyft Chief Financial Officer Brian Roberts said Tuesday during a conference in San Francisco that the last week of February marked the highest amount of revenue and rides in the companys eight-year history. He suggested concerns about the virus spreading actually sparked an increase in demand from users who normally take public transit. During a separate conference the following day, Uber Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi suggested an increase in food orders could offset what he acknowledged was a modest, but non-material dip, in airport rides. He reiterated last months pledge that Uber would be profitable by years end, adding that he was more confident now than before fears of the virus had taken hold. Story continues The Gridwise survey also found that 18% of drivers second-guessed whether or not they would pick up passengers of Chinese or other descent. The situation remains fluid. New reports of outbreaks and government responses, from Californias declared state of emergency and lockdowns in parts of Washington state, could change rider and driver behavior. Uber and Lyft flagged the virus as a risk factor in their annual filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Lyft noted it had already disrupted supply chains for producing bikes and electric scooters, while Uber said the fear of such a pandemic could have an impact. On Thursday, Lyft became the latest company to be affected by the epidemic after an employee was confirmed to have been in contact with someone exposed to Covid-19. The company closed its San Francisco office for deep cleaning and ordered employees to work from home for a week. (Corrects last paragraph to reflect accurately the status of the Lyft employee) To contact the reporter on this story: Lizette Chapman in San Francisco at lchapman19@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Mark Milian at mmilian@bloomberg.net, Molly Schuetz, Andrew Pollack 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 request to annex 80 acres into Southwest Rochester for a planned new middle school could spur $5.8 million in added fire department costs. "This is a warning. Im not saying this is going to happen, but its an impact we did not plan for," said Rochester Fire Chief Eric Kerska. The school district wants Rochester to annex a portion of 150 acres it has agreed to purchase for $2.9 million in the area north of 40th Street Southwest, between Bamber Valley Road and Odyssey Drive. The 80 acres are identified as an area for potential expansion through 2040, but the surrounding land isnt targeted for growth during the same period. Rochesters Planning and Zoning Commission will review the proposed annexation during its 6 p.m. meeting Wednesday, which prompted Kerska to raise concerns. ADVERTISEMENT The fire chief said the added cost of creating an additional station to house two fire trucks and 12 firefighters is likely a worst-case scenario, but significant expansion of the citys southwest boundary is not part of the fire departments 20-year strategic plan adopted by the Rochester City Council last year. The plan was created with the goal of maintaining the citys current rating with the Insurance Services Office. The city has a ISO 3 rating, which relies on being able to respond to calls in most parts of the city within four minutes. The lower the rating, the better the citys standing. Kerska said Rochester is approximately the same geographic size as Minneapolis or St. Paul, without the services to cover the area. "As long as we keep growing geographically, it threatens the ISO 3 rating," he said, adding that moving to a ISO 4 rating would likely require businesses in the city to pay higher premiums. To maintain the ISO 3 rating, the fire departments strategic plan suggests that two new fire stations will be needed between 2030 and 2040, with an anticipated cost of $11.7 million. Kerska estimates a third station would cost at least $5.8 million for the building, equipment and staff in the first year. Staffing expenses in future years would be $1.2 million. Any final decision on new stations would likely occur after 2030, and Kerska said growth patterns could alter expectations for when and where fire stations are built. Heather Nessler, the school districts executive director of communications, marketing and technology, said the issue wasnt raised during nearly a year of meetings with city staff regarding the proposed southwest site. ADVERTISEMENT She said since the 80 acres being addressed Wednesday is already considered for potential expansion, it shouldnt alter existing plans. "From our understanding, an additional fire station in this area would most likely be due to potential new residential development, which would only occur if the city allowed this," she said, noting that added growth isnt required to support a southwest middle school. Kerska acknowledged that the potential need for a new fire department is related to potential growth beyond the proposed 80 acres, but he said school development and related sewer expansion historically has fueled added development. "If you build the sewer capacity, then the owners of the cornfields will sell them and develop them," he said. "Thats what the last 30 years has taught us." However, the City Council would have the opportunity to deny future expansion in the area. The school district is also considering a possible northwest location for the middle school being constructed with a portion of funds from a recently successful $180.9 million referendum vote last year, but it is not the preferred option at this point. The option would use a proposed donation of up to 40 acres. The district has confirmed that it has looked at potential sites on land owned by Mark Kramer, an Iowa-based developer who has tackled various Rochester projects. Kramer owns approximately 500 acres north of Valleyhigh Drive Northwest, between 50th and 60th avenues. Kerska said Kramers property also sits outside the fire departments current area for a four-minute response, but the strategic plan calls for addressing the concern as development continues in the area. ADVERTISEMENT "I feel a school there would not change our existing strategic plan," he said of the northwest location. The potential added cost for fire department coverage, as well as connection to city sewer, is cited in the citys Community Development Departments recommended denial of southwest annexation. Planners from the department will present their case to the commission during Wednesdays meeting. As the potential landowner seeking annexation, the district isnt expected to have a role in the meeting. District officials, along with others in the community, will have the opportunity to weigh in on the requested annexation during a planned April 6 public hearing, when the City Council will consider the request. What:Rochester Planning and Zoning Commission meeting When:6 p.m. Wednesday Where:Council chambers of the city-county Government Center. 151 Fourth St. Agenda:In addition to receiving a report on the requested annexation of 80 acres for Rochester Public Schools, the commission will hold a public hearing on a proposed change to the Chateau Circle Special District north of 55th Street Northwest and Villa Road. For the last three years, two factors have been hugely influential in the oil markets. The first has been the surge of shale oil production in the United States, which has turned the country from a large oil importer to an increasingly important exporter. The second is the alliance between Saudi Arabia and Russia, which during the last three years have cooperated in trimming production to try to counter shales effect. Now that cooperation between two of the worlds three largest oil producers the third is the United States appears to be at an end. Saudi Arabia, as the dominant member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, last week proposed production cuts to offset the collapse in demand from the spreading coronavirus outbreak. Russia, which is not an OPEC member, refused to go along. And the impasse has turned into open hostilities. After talks with OPEC members in Vienna, Russias energy minister, Alexander Novak, had returned to Moscow for consultations on Thursday. In his absence, OPEC officials met and came up with what amounted to an ultimatum. The group as a whole would trim production by 1.5 million barrels a day, or about 1.5% of world supply. OPEC, meaning largely the Saudis, would make the bulk of the cutbacks, 1 million barrels, as long as Russia and other producers trimmed the rest. RECESSION: Houston recession risk mounts as markets collapse, oil nosedives The gambit was something of a boss move, said Helima Croft, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, but it backfired badly. Russia had played hard to get before, but this time Novak was not playing. The answer was no again, and the Saudi oil minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, and other officials headed back to their hotels with no results and no communique. Failing to tighten supplies, the Saudis threatened to flood the market. The standoff was ominous for the industry. Not only had OPEC and a wider group of producers together known as OPEC plus failed to agree on new cuts, but they had also failed to sign off on the extension of 2.1 million barrels a day in previous trims that would expire at the end of March. That created the danger of a tremendous flow of oil coming onto a market that was already hugely oversupplied and experiencing a steep slump in demand. From April 1, neither we nor any OPEC or non-OPEC country is required to make output cuts, Novak said after the meeting, according to Reuters. The Saudis struck back, notifying buyers on Saturday that they would offer deep discounts on their oil sales for April. The price cuts will probably be followed by other producers in the region, like the Saudi allies Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. The intent, Saudi officials said, is to create more demand for their oil with lower prices. AN OPPORTUNITY: Stock markets just offered you a buying opportunity The Saudis have been producing about 9.7 million barrels a day. The International Energy Agency, a Paris-based organization advising governments and industry, figures that the Saudis could produce more than 2 million additional barrels, while Kuwait, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates could add another 1 million barrels a day. The market was spooked by this potential deluge of crude. At one point on Monday, prices were down by more than 30%. By afternoon, they had recovered to around $36 a barrel for Brent crude, the international bench mark, still a steep 21% drop. The market really was banking on this alliance between OPEC and Russia, said Neil Beveridge, an analyst at Bernstein, a market research firm. With that relationship apparently sundered, there is just no support, he added. The Russians and the Saudis have long had a fraught relationship. FUEL FIX: Now more than ever, you need our energy news in your inbox Despite having enormous oil reserves, Russia and Saudi Arabia have rarely seen their way to cooperation. In his autobiography, Out of the Desert, Ali Naimi, the longtime Saudi oil minister, recounts that on the eve of what became a crucial OPEC meeting in November 2014, he met with Novak to ask for help in dealing with a growing oil glut. Joining in the talks was Igor Sechin, a close associate of President Vladimir Putin who is chief executive of Rosneft, Russias largest oil company. The Russians refused to go along, Naimi says, and he packed up his papers and washed his hands of trying to stabilize the market through cuts. A price slide to below $30 a barrel focused minds, eventually persuading the Russians to join forces with the Saudis. A kind of bromance developed between Novak and Khalid al-Falih, who succeeded Naimi as Saudi oil minister in 2016, who put on what seemed natural displays of camaraderie at OPEC news conferences. But there were tensions, and for at least a year the Russians hinted that they were tiring of the arrangement, which capped the growth of oil companies like Rosneft. As production from shale continued to rise, OPEC and its allies had to keep cutting. They could see an endless series of cuts going forward, said Bhushan Bahree, a senior director at IHS Markit, a research firm. They wanted to go back to growth rather than continue this arrangement with the Saudis. For their part, the Saudis absorbed most of the cuts to keep Russia on board, a situation that also stoked tension. In addition, al-Falih was fired last year by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and replaced by the princes older half brother, Prince Abdulaziz, who is a veteran oil official, but does not seem to have the warm relationship with Novak that al-Falih enjoyed. In addition, power brokers like Sechin in Moscow appeared to be turning Putin against the Saudi deal. The Saudis have been pushing for cuts since at least early February as it became clear that the epidemic was going to hit demand hard. The Russians also argued in meetings that there was an opportunity to damage the shale industry in the United States, which had hurt both of the big producers. And Russia has built up a $570 billion fund that Moscow hopes will tide the country through an oil-revenue famine. Russia may well damage the shale industry, but at great cost. The International Energy Agency forecast that shale output might decline in a $40-a-barrel environment. But a price war carries huge risks for the world, including depriving oil-producing countries of the wherewithal to finance social programs including health care at a time when they are threatened by the virus. Playing Russian roulette in oil markets may have grave consequences, said Fatih Birol, the agencys executive director. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Political activists from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) held a protest against Islamabad for the oppression of indigenous people, exploitation of natural resources and sponsoring cross-border terrorism in the region. Held on the occasion of 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the protesters were holding banners like "Release all political prisoners from Gilgit-Baltistan" and "CPEC and mega projects in disputed areas of Gilgit-Baltistan are unacceptable". Speaking to ANI, Nasir Aziz Khan, spokesperson of United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP) said, "Since the last 73 years, we have been deprived of our basic fundamental human rights. That is why we have no say at any platform in Pakistan. We do not have any representation in Pakistani institution, for example, Pakistan National Assembly or Senate or anywhere, we cannot raise our voice. Those who dare to raise their voices are victims of the state." He said, "Pakistan is marginalising our people, there is a witch-hunting of the political opponents. If you see Gilgit-Baltistan, people like Baba Jan, Iftikar Hussain and their colleagues were trialled under anti-terrorism laws and they are facing 40 to 90 years of life imprisonment. This is the irony of society." The protestors strongly condemned cross-border terrorism as it has severely affected the peace and harmony in the region. Nasir said, "We are facing cross-border terrorism sponsored by the state and there are extremist groups roaming freely in our region. They are recruiting youngsters in that region. We can say that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Taliban spokesperson Ehsaan Ullah Ehsaan, who was in the custody of the Army, managed to escape from the Army's custody." "Same is the case for Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, who was also in custody. Now they say that he has escaped with his family. This is the clear message for the people that the state is still protecting them, sponsoring them and sending them to different areas," he further said. The protest was also joined by activists from Kashmir Valley, who strongly condemned Pakistan for giving sponsoring and sheltering terrorists and disturbing peace in the region. Junaid Qureshi, a Kashmiri from Srinagar who also heads a think-tank, the European Foundation for a South Asian Studies (EFSAS) said, "PoK belongs to Jammu and Kashmir. It is a part of Jammu and Kashmir and people have been facing huge difficulties." "If you look at Pakistan and the people there, the Baloch have been facing difficulties. The Pashtuns have been facing it and we are under illegal occupation. Pakistan- occupied Kashmir is illegally held by Pakistan. So, you can imagine the kind of attitude they have towards their own citizens. That is slavery and that is the colonisation of us," Qureshi said. "At the same time, they are trying to sell part of our state, which is Gilgit-Baltistan to the Chinese. So, this cross-border terrorism which Pakistan is perpetrating -- there is no fault of people of PoK in that. This is happening because they have put lent officers, who run the state of affairs there," he added. "This cross-border terrorism is imposed on them to function as a launchpad in the valley, create disturbance and kill people. This is the agenda of Pakistan to keep that part boiling while they keep their colonial masters in power in PoK," the activist further said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There wasn't a fashion conundrum in sight as former Countdown host Carol Vorderman made a glamorous appearance at Cheltenham Racecourse on Tuesday afternoon. The maths whizz made sure her wardrobe added up by tastefully teaming a skintight black jumpsuit with a camel coat on day one of the 2020 Cheltenham Festival. With a belted waist, the outfit served to accentuate Carol's famous curves as she rubbed shoulders with fellow guests at the Gloucestershire event. Looking good: Carol Vorderman made a glamorous appearance at Cheltenham Racecourse on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the annual Cheltenham Festival The 59-year old added to her look with a wide-brimmed hat, but with string winds gusting across site she was forced to hold onto her head-wear while posing for pictures. Not letting the cool weather rain on their parade, many female racegoers were pictured braving the chill to begin the four-day race, which originated in 1860, in style. On Tuesday Cheltenham chiefs confirmed the latest confirmed case of coronavirus would not affect the four-day fixture that begun with Champion Day on Tuesday. Zara's husband Mike Tindall looked dapper in a checked three piece waistcoat and suit and navy tie (right) The most recent case, the third in Gloucestershire, was diagnosed over the weekend and then announced hours before the start of the four-day Festival. Princess Anne's son Peter Phillips, 42, and his wife Autumn, 41, were seen arriving to the festival around midday, with Autumn cutting a chic figure in a khaki blazer, trousers and suede black court shoes while Peter opted for a tweed cap and navy suit. The couple, who announced their separation last month, proved they remain on good terms as they strode into Cheltenham Racecourse side by side. Here they come: Princess Anne's son Peter Phillips and his wife Autumn were seen arriving to the festival. The couple, who announced their separation last month, proved they remain on good terms The four-day event is held just a short drive from Gatcombe Park, Princess Anne's Gloucestershire estate where Autumn and Peter continue to live while they co-parent their daughters, Savannah, nine, and Isla, seven. It was reported last month that Peter and Autumn informed their families of their 'amicable' decision to divorce 'at the end of last year' after deciding it was 'the best course of action for their two children and ongoing friendship'. Joining the royal brigade, the Queen's granddaughter Zara Tindall was also spotted arriving with Mike after her brother Peter, donning a buttoned wool trench by Guinea, a Juliette Botterill Millinery hat, a Rebecca Taylor dress from Trilogy Stores, LK Bennet boots, a hat and an Aspinal Saddle bag. Dapper: Nick Knowles opted for a traditional look, arriving in a pinstripe suit, checked coat and tweed hat Going ahead: On Tuesday Cheltenham chiefs confirmed the latest confirmed case of coronavirus would not affect the four-day fixture that begun with Champion Day on Tuesday Zara's husband Mike Tindall looked dapper in a checked three piece waistcoat and suit and navy tie. On Monday some horses had already arrived at the course by the time news of the latest case of coronavirus was made official, leading some racing fans to worry about the possibility of a last-minute change to the schedule. But on Monday a Cheltenham Racecourse spokesman confirmed there were no plans to postpone the event, saying: 'British Racing has been in close communication with the Government. 'We welcome the guidance that the business of the country should continue as usual at this time, while ensuring we adhere to the latest public health advice in full.' She described the episode as a preview of what may happen in New York State, where more than 170 cases had been confirmed as of Tuesday afternoon. You can think of the trickle effect that will have, how that will impact care, Ms. Edmund-Sealey said. Thats what will happen now that were in crisis. This article is based on interviews with several people who work at Lawrence and came into contact with Mr. Garbuz during his stay there. (He was later transferred to a hospital in Manhattan, where he remained on Tuesday.) It will be some time before public health officials determine how many people at the hospital end up being infected. Regardless, better understanding of what happened over Mr. Garbuzs four days at Lawrence, which has about 290 beds, could help other hospitals more quickly make diagnoses in the future. It could provide insight into how hospitals might limit the number of people exposed to each patient. In the larger picture, it may help contain the spread of an outbreak. He is a very caring hardworking person who constantly cares for his clients and those around him over himself, Adina Lewis Garbuz, Mr. Garbuzs wife, said about him on Facebook. Both of them work at a law firm in Manhattan. I think it is from this that he was run down and susceptible to the illness he acquired. So, I ask all of us who are running on the hamster wheel of life, particularly us New Yorkers, to learn from this and take a moment to take care of yourself. An X-ray taken shortly after Mr. Garbuz arrived at Lawrence on Feb. 27 seemed to show he had pneumonia. He was taken to a room on the hospitals fifth floor, but then was moved to another room. At first, he was walking on his own. But as his breathing troubles worsened, he told hospital workers that he could no longer walk. He was given a wheelchair. With his health deteriorating, he was moved again, this time to the critical care unit on the third floor. Each of these moves brought him into contact with more staff members and patients. ALBANY The Diocese of Albany has issued new guidelines for worship as concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus continue, which includes that people should receive Communion in the hand rather than on the tongue. Complete coronavirus coverage The diocese also said until further notice, there will be no distribution of the Eucharist from the chalice/cup - and reassured devoted Catholics that receiving the host alone "imparts all the graces of the full reception of the Eucharist under both forms." Holy water fonts will also be emptied and changed regularly, and might be emptied and removed entirely, if it's determined to be the best course of action. The diocese also joined other congregations in telling members to not shake hands. "People may still, for example, turn to each other and say 'Peace be with you.'" Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The guidance changed from last week, when the diocese said only said those with cold and flu symptoms should avoid drinking from the chalice and taking Communion by tongue. Human trafficking is a serious problem, and it affects every county in Tennessee. According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal industry behind drugs. Since 2007, in Tennessee, there have been 823 human trafficking cases reported, with 93 cases reported in 2019 alone. Chattanooga is more susceptible to this epidemic because of the many roadways, including I-75 and I-24, and its proximity to Atlanta - a major hub in human trafficking. Human trafficking isnt just happening in other countries or other states; its happening right here at home. Tennessee is blessed with community leaders and law enforcement officers who are deeply committed to putting an end to human trafficking and we are united in the fight against this modern day slavery, but there is much more to be done to stop this growing epidemic. As a Christian, as a parent, and as an American, I am deeply troubled by this horrific crime, and I will stop at nothing to end human trafficking once and for all. To that end, we must continue to crack down on websites and social media accounts that promote human trafficking. The internet is one of the most significant recruiting tools for human traffickers, and we must take action against websites that facilitate human trafficking. As your Senator, I will always support initiatives that limit recruiting tools for human traffickers and make the internet a safer place for our children. Additionally, we must also ensure our local religious and charity organizations, our local governments, and our local law enforcement officers have the resources they need to educate our community on how to spot human trafficking and report it to law enforcement. The whole community must be involved so that we can identify human trafficking, apprehend these heinous criminals, and save the victims. Remember, TBIs human trafficking hotline is 1-855-55-86484 or text BE FREE to 233733. We must all be vigilant and help our neighbors in order to prevent and put an end to this horrific crime. Above all, we must provide support for the survivors of human trafficking. These victims have endured unthinkable hell, and together, as a community, we must embrace them and provide them with the care and the resources they need to rebuild their lives. Providing support for victims includes ensuring they have access to justice. Human traffickers - those who exploit others and force them into modern day slavery - should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law -- and that includes the death penalty. Human trafficking is one of the most atrocious crimes, and the death penalty should absolutely be considered for these criminals. Tennessee has been a leader in curbing human trafficking, but we must remain committed to ending this growing epidemic. As your Senator, I will continue to support efforts to combat human trafficking and work with Senator Marsha Blackburn and President Trump to ensure our local communities and government have the resources they need to put an end to this nightmare once and for all. Bill Hagerty * * * Bill, You have my vote, and I don't care what letter is in front of your name. Put these animals to sleep and rid them from our society. Proud father of two. Recie Austin SpaceX founder Elon Musk dismissed concerns Starlink satellites would obscure astronomers' view of the night sky - saying it would have 'zero impact'. Musk predicted his growing network of broadband satellites would 'not cause any impact whatsoever in astronomical discoveries.' SpaceX has so far sent about 300 Starlink satellites into orbit - with plans to grow that number, potentially up to 42,000. Scientists raised objections after the initial batch appeared as a train of bright lights shortly after they launched last year. They have argued that they were a death knell for both optical and radio astronomy, with the European Southern Observatory saying it could harm astronomers ability to spot dangerous asteroids and supernovae. Scroll down for video This video still image provided by SpaceX shows a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as it lifts off to launch 60 new Starlink satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida on February 17, 2020 Speaking at a satellite internet conference in Washington, DC, Elon Musk said his company had already taken measures to reduce their reflectivity. 'I am confident that we will not cause any impact whatsoever in astronomical discoveries, zero,' he said. The billionaire said the company would 'take corrective action if it's above zero.' He said the issue only occurred as the satellites were 'tumbling' as they raised their orbit, and that once they achieved their final flight path, the issue went away. 'I've not met someone who can tell me where all of them are,' said Musk. 'So it can't be that big of a deal.' While he has predicted no impact, he did say that SpaceX was working with the science community to reduce the potential for reflection. This includes painting the antennas black instead of white, and placing a sunshade on the satellites to make them less visible. A study by the European Southern Observatory into the impact of satellite constellations - such as Starlink - found most telescope arrays could mitigate against the problem - but some would still be affected. Wide-field surveys - particularly those done with large telescopes such as the US National Science Foundation's Vera C Rubin Observatory - would be most affected. Up to half of exposures with the Rubin Observatory would be 'severely affected', depending on the time of year and the time of night, the study found. 'Mitigation techniques that could be applied on ESO telescopes would not work for this observatory although other strategies are being actively explored.' The system of satellite broadband coverage is due to go live in the northern United States and Canada later this year and expand to global coverage by 2021. Musk wouldn't be drawn on the cost to users, nor on precise speed, but said it would be enough to stream high definition movies and to play high-end video games. He added that the user terminal would look like a 'UFO on a stick' and would not require a specialist to install, unlike other home satellite dishes. 'The box will have just two instructions and they can be done in either order: point at sky, plug in,' he said. The dish would then automatically align itself to a target satellite. Around 19 Starlink satellites were imaged shortly after launch by a telescope array in America and astronomers say it is causing observation problems Musk said the network was primarily targeted at a niche market of three to four per cent of users who live in remote areas. He said Starlink was not a threat to traditional telecommunications companies. He also dismissed the potential impact of next-generation 5G networks on his business model, saying that technology was excellent for high density cities but didn't have the range to do well in rural settings. 'Space internet only works well in sparsely populated environments', he said. Musk said he was hoping to generate $30 billion revenue a year, or 10 times what SpaceX is earning from its space launches, and plough the profits back into rocket and spaceship development. Several rivals are also vying for a slice of the pie, including London-based startup OneWeb and giant US retailer Amazon, whose Project Kuiper is far less advanced. By Trend American companies could bring the capital and expertise if Azerbaijan develops an attractive investment environment in this sector, Nathan Reich, Energy Diplomacy Officer, Bureau of Energy Resources, US Department of State, told Trend. He noted that the governments of the United States and Azerbaijan have a close relationship. "We have successfully worked together on a range of important political, economic, security, social, and humanitarian issues for nearly thirty years, and I expect we will continue to do so for many years to come. On the energy front, I would stress two areas. First, theres the continued development of the Caspians oil and gas production potential. With the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and the nearly completed Southern Gas Corridor, Azerbaijan and its neighbors have greater access to Europe and the worlds energy markets," said the energy diplomacy officer. Reich pointed out that top-tier international oil and gas companies continue to explore and develop new fields in Azerbaijans portion of the Caspian Sea because the country continues to offer an attractive investment environment. "That is a reputation Azerbaijan has built over decades, and so long as it maintains one, foreign investment will continue to arrive. The US government supports this and views it as a natural response to Azerbaijans commitment to best practices in the oil and gas sector," he added. Reich said the US would also like to see Azerbaijans Caspian neighbor, Turkmenistan, take advantage of these export routes. "Turkmenistan has plentiful offshore condensate and natural gas reserves. Companies would like to develop and export them. Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, and perhaps Europe could consume the natural gas and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline could be used to export the condensate to global markets. The arrangement would diversify Turkmenistans export markets, reduce its flaring of natural gas, and provide it with a new source of long-term revenue that could be used to help stabilize and sustainably grow its economy," said the energy diplomacy officer. Second, there is the realization of Azerbaijans renewable energy potential, particularly wind and solar, he continued. "Azerbaijans demand for energy will likely grow in the years ahead, and the economics of renewable energy there are becoming increasingly attractive. In part this is because the domestic price of alternative sources of energy, including natural gas, is rising. Renewable energy could help Azerbaijan affordably and sustainably meet its growing energy demand, and American companies could bring the capital and expertise if Azerbaijan develops an attractive investment environment in this sector," noted Reich. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Dedmon said during his eight years in California he learned the intricacies of growing cannabis in both the medical and recreational marijuana business there. Though he does not meet the social equity requirements, others in his group put it in that category. He knows there are challenges because of the climate difference in the two states. Before Afghanistan's ex-chief executive Abdullah Abdullah held a parallel inauguration declaring himself the President, he was reportedly offered a power-sharing deal. According to a local Afghan media outlet, Ashraf Ghani had offered Abdullah 40 per cent of his cabinet and a role overseeing peace negotiations with the Taliban. However, Abdullah demanded the top job as he already enjoys strong support from Jamiat, one of the country's largest parties with a strong base in the north. On March 9, Ghani and Abdullah appointed themselves as the president. While Ghani took oath in the presence of American and UN diplomats, Abdullah, on the other hand, held his own swearing-in ceremony. While speaking to an international media outlet, US and Western diplomats also said that an arrangement will have to brokered between the two before both start appointing their ministers. READ: China Backs Ghani, Congratulates Him On Re-election As Afghanistan President The month-long political crisis in Afghanistan seems to be worsening with two power centres in the country. Abdullahs separate claim to power has also created a fear of the Taliban gaining ground in a political vacuum, especially when the US forces have signed a deal to withdraw gradually. Last month, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) declared incumbent Ghani as the winner of the presidential elections - with Ghani securing 50.64 per cent of the total votes polled, estimated as more than 1.8 million, and Abdullah got 39.52 per cent of the votes. READ: 'India And Afghanistan Have Been Victims Of Cross-border Terrorism By Pakistan': Experts 'Fake and staged' The Taliban has reportedly denounced the results calling the election 'fake and staged'. Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson of the Taliban, said in a statement that it rejects the 'meaningless appointment' and considers it a failed effort at 'throwing dust' in the eyes of the nation. This development comes amid the break down of the peace accord signed by Taliban with the United States that laid out the conditions-based path to the full withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan over the course of 14 months. The political climate of Afghanistan currently looks grim as Defence Minister has threatened the Taliban of starting attack if they dont stop violence within a week. Defence Minister Asadullah Khalid said in a statement that Afghan forces will remain in defence mode until the end of this week because of the peace agreement. But Khalid warned that Afghan troops will 'target the enemy everywhere' if the Taliban do not stop attacks by the end of the week. READ: US Begins Troop Withdrawal From Afghanistan, Official Says READ: Abdullah Declares Himself Afghanistan President As Ghani Swears-in For Second Term The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has introduced a new submarine to its fleet that runs on lithium-ion batteries. The vessel, named Ouryu, launched in 2018 but was recently welcomed into service at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) shipyard in Kobe last week. It is the first Japanese submarine to use the technology, which requires less maintenance and allows for longer endurance at high speeds of 20 knots while submerged compared to lead-acid batteries. The Ouryu is the sixth Soryu-class boat to be built by MHI and is 276 feet long, 2,950-pound submarine that supports a crew of 65 people and carries up to 30 21-inch heavyweight torpedoes. Scroll down for video The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has introduced a new submarine to its fleet that runs on lithium-ion batteries. The vessel, named Ouryu, launched in 2018 but was recently welcomed into service at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) shipyard in Kobe last week Ouryu was christened in June of 2018, but was recently brought into service on Thursday, March 5, 2020, according to DefenseNews. Although is similar in look to the Soryu class, but Ouryu and the upcoming Toryu submarine use lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide, or NCA, batteries. Masao Kobayashi, former head of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's submarine fleet, said that this technology requires less maintenance and provides longer endurance at high speeds while submerged compared to lead-acid batteries. However, he also noted that Ouryu cost $608 million compared to the $488 million to build those without the batteries. Ouryu was christened in June of 2018 (pictured), but was recently brought into service on Thursday, March 5, 2020. The technology requires less maintenance and provides longer endurance at high speeds while submerged compared to lead-acid batteries Japan first introduced lithium-ion batteries into its submarines back in 2002 and began testing the technology in 2006. In other news, the US Navy is developing a different submarine that is controlled by artificial intelligence that could kill without human control or input. The project is being run by the Office of Naval Research and has been described as an 'autonomous undersea weapon system' according to a report by New Scientist. Details of the killer submersible were made available as part of the 2020 budget documents, which also revealed it has been named CLAWS by the US Navy. Very few details about the 'top secret' project have been revealed beyond the fact it will use sensors and algorithms to carry out complex missions on its own. It's expected CLAWS will be installed on the new Orca class robot submarines that have 12 torpedo tubes and are being developed for the Navy by Boeing. The navy has not revealed what CLAWS stands for or commented on the story, the only information is what has been released to congress in the budget documents. They are set to be armed with 12 torpedo tubes and with CLAWS they could be used to sink targets on their own without input from a human, New Scientist reports. New York is sending in the National Guard to a containment area in Westchester County amid what Gov. Andrew Cuomo describes as the state's "greatest public health challenge" in the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. Cuomo in a news conference on Tuesday announced the containment zone that will be established in New Rochelle, where the governor said there is "probably the largest cluster in the United States of these cases." New York has confirmed 108 coronavirus cases in Westchester compared to 36 in New York City. Within this containment area with a radius of one mile, the National Guard will deliver food to homes and clean public spaces, Cuomo said. "Large gathering facilities" including schools in the area will be closed for two weeks. No travel restrictions will be imposed. "This will be a period of disruption for the local community," Cuomo said. "I understand that. ... It is a dramatic action, but it is the largest cluster in the country, and this is literally a matter of life and death." More stories from theweek.com Coronavirus is 10 times more lethal than the seasonal flu, Trump's task force immunologist says The coronavirus outbreak is now officially a pandemic Gaming expo E3 canceled over coronavirus concerns One wrote the royal was 'killing them with kindness' on last official appearance Joined Queen, 93, and other royals for Commonwealth Day service in London Fans of Meghan Markle went wild after she was the only royal to perform a curtsey to Prince Charles as he took his seat in Westminster Abbey yesterday. The Duke, 35, and Duchess of Sussex, 38, joined the Queen, 93, and other senior royals at Westminster Abbey yesterday in their last official duty as working royals. While Kate Middleton, 38, Prince William, 38, and Prince Harry appeared to greet Prince Charles, 71, with a slight nod, Meghan was the only one to sweep into a deep curtsey, marking the royal duo's first encounter since Megxit. Royal fans couldn't help but pick up on the moment, with one commenting the royal was 'so great' for performing the gesture, and others suggesting she was 'killing them with kindness' with the move. Meghan Markle, 38, sent royal fans wild yesterday after she performed a low curtsey for Prince Charles, 71, at the Commonwealth Service One commented on the Duchess' bond with her father-in-law, saying: 'He [Prince Charles] likes her.' Another agreed, saying: 'That was the first thing I thought before I read your comment! She is so cute and lovely.' Another wrote: 'Meghan, as always, looks great.' One added: 'Yes I did notice that and I was so proud.' Royal fans were delighted with the gracious move by the Duchess, with one commenting that she was 'killing' the other royals with kindness ahead of Megxit As the Queen, Prince Charles and Camilla filed into Westminster Abbey, Kate and Meghan could be seen offering a deep curtsey to the monarch. Moments later, the Duchess of Sussex swept into a second deep curtsey as Prince Charles' walked directly in front of her. In keeping with tradition, Meghan is required to curtsy to anyone that outranks her upon entering a room. That includes The Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William and Kate Middleton. Curtseying, within the confines of the royal court, is not only a physical act but a political one, too. The Duchess of Sussex could be seen dipping low into a curtsey as the Prince of Wales walked past in Westminster Abbey (pictured) The curtsey or courtesy is one of the last great eccentricities of British royalty. It was instituted in the 1500s as an easier alternative to dropping down on ones knees which is what people used to do when confronted with royalty. Over time, men adopted a low bow, while women developed a more graceful and lasting movement that has remained a hallmark of royal politesse ever since. The current rules on who-curtseys-to-who come from a document drawn up by the Queens private secretary in 2005 and circulated among the family and courtiers only. Entitled Precedence Of The Royal Family To Be Observed At Court, its purpose was to clarify Camillas place in the firm following her marriage to Charles. Yesterday marked Meghan's final engagement as a senior member of The Firm before she steps back from royal duty at the end of the month In 2012, the rules were updated to include the Duchess of Cambridge and her place in the order of precedence is behind the blood royal Anne, Alexandra, Beatrice and Eugenie (although when William is by her side she is not expected to curtsey to the last two). A few years ago, the Queen privately acknowledged the curtsey was anachronistic indicating that she no longer expected women publicly introduced to her to perform it (and indeed, younger royal women are also more relaxed with each other). Meghan performed her first public curtsy in December 2017 at St. Mary Magdalene church in Sandringham. The Duke and Duchess made their final royal appearance yesterday before pursuing their new life in America Commentators said the former actress had not adhered to royal protocol because she failed to plant her right foot behind her left leg properly. But yesterday she showcased how she had finessed the move over the years as she performed a low curtsey for Prince Charles. Meghan dazzled in a breathtaking green Emilia Wickstead dress with asymmetrical cape and hat by William Chambers. Meanwhile Kate opted for a red ensemble, re-wearing a coat by Catherine Walker and a hat by Sally-Ann Provan. The service at Westminster Abbey today marked the first time the couples have reunited since Meghan and Harry announced Megxit in January (pictured left, Kate and Prince William arriving at the service and right, Prince Harry and Meghan) The occasion marked the first time the couples had reunited since the announcement of Prince Harry and Meghan's plans to step down from life in as working royals. It was also their last public royal duty before they walk away from the monarchy. From March 31, the monarch's grandson and American former actress Meghan will no longer use their HRH styles as they pursue a new life of personal and financial freedom, mostly in North America. Vietnam has reported two more cases of Covid-19 infection, including a British man and a Vietnamese woman who returned from London. The latest patient is a 58-year-old British man who traveled to Vietnam on the same Vietnam Airlines flight with other 9 foreign passengers who were also tested positive to Covid-19 previously. The 32nd patient is a Vietnamese young woman who met and joined a party with the first case of Hanoi who returned to the country on March 2. The latest case is under the treatment in Ho Chi Minh City The woman, T.N, 24, is now under treatment in Ho Chi Minh City after returning to the country from London, the UK by a private jet on Monday morning, local media reported. T.N. is said to be daughter of a famous businessman in Vietnam. The girl showed symptoms of pneumonia on March 2. She met and joined a party with Nguyen Hong Nhung, the first case of Hanoi, in London on February 27. T.N went to a hospital in London for medical checkup and was given outpatient treatment. On March 7 after learning about Nhungs infection, she came back to the hospital and told the doctors about her contact history but was told to be isolated at home without any test for SARS-CoV-2. After returning to Vietnam, T.N was sent to Cu Chi Field Hospital for isolation and taken samples for testing which showed positive on the same day. She is now with fever and dry cough but no shortness of breath. In a related move, Ho Chi Minh City authorities have call for medical checkup of Vietnamese artists who participated in Milan Fashion Week on February 18-24. The city expected that any artists who came from the event will soon cooperate with local authorities for medical checkup after an attendee of the Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks was tested positive with the new coronavirus. The attendee is elder sister of Nguyen Hong Nhung, the first case of Hanoi, who returned the country from London on March 2. Nhung also visited Milan in mid-February. So far, Vietnam has 32 people infected with the new coronavirus, including 12 foreigners who are British (8), Chinese (2), one Irish, and one Mexican. As of March 10, the global infected people hit 114,433, including 4,027 deaths, of them, 3,136 in China. Italy becomes the largest virus outbreak outside China with 9,172 cases and 463 deaths. South Korea ranks second with 7,513 (54 deaths), followed by Iran with 7,161 (237 deaths). Hanoitimes/VietNamNet Linh Pham VN Health Ministry urges locals to stay alert against fake coronavirus news The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has quashed a rumor that the number of coronavirus infections in the country will surge from the current 31 to 100-500 in a week. The empty Price Chopper may be a hub of activity next year. The Williamstown Theatre Festival is planning to buy the building and move its set construction there. PreviousNext Williamstown Theatre Festival Buying Price Chopper Building David Carver of Scarafoni Associates speaks to the Planning Board on Monday about the space being let to Community Legal Aid. At left are WTF Trustee Katie Schmidt, property manager David Moresi and attorney Donald Dubendorf. NORTH ADAMS, Mass. The vacant Price Chopper building on State Road was approved Monday as the new construction home for the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Attorney Donald Dubendorf, representing the theater festival, told the Planning Board that property "now will be hopefully a site for set construction and, in the future, perhaps rehearsal space as well." The 60-year-old building had been occupied by Central Markets and its successor Price Chopper until the latter closed in 2016. The property has been for sale but has not evoked enough interest from a buyer despite the neighborhood's hopes a small grocer might be interested. It has been managed by Moresi & Associates. The Williamstown Theatre Festival is planning to purchase the entire property from the Golub Corp., which owns the plaza as North Adams Realties Corp. The building also has a restaurant, Oriental Buffet, and a Rent-A-Center. "The goal is in the future to use all of that space if that becomes possible not just the currently unoccupied space formerly occupied by the grocery store, but also the other two spaces," said Dubendorf, adding that the festival would honor the current leases held by the two tenants. The purchase would not include the former Friendly's, being eyed by a marijuana retailer, or the former site of the replica Fort Massachusetts, which was donated to the city as a park by the Golub family. Dubendorf said no exterior changes were planned and that the parking would be more than sufficient for the activities planned with the building. Charles LaBatt of Guntlow & Associates presented schematics. According to the application, the former grocery would be used for scene construction with a paint shop, carpentry shop and welding shop with the tenant spaces to be used for rehearsals when they become available. The number of deliveries and activity is not expected to exceed that during the time the supermarket was open. It's expected to be used mainly between May and September and will be manned by 50 to 70 people during peak construction time, which would be June through August when the festival is running. The WTF was asking for unrestricted hours because of the nature of the work. Planners asked about noises and disruption because the property does back onto a dense neighborhood. "Let me first say the theater festival will be a good neighbor," Dubendorf said. "We have engaged Hill Engineering to work with us on those issues. So if we've got excessive noises, we'll look to control them within the building. We'll meet or exceed your requirements." The festival does not plan to occupy the building until May 2021. "I know you've got folks have moved around a little bit. I'm glad you've finally found a permanent home that can last for a few years," said Planner Kyle Hanlon. Planner Lisa Blackmer asked if the property would become nonprofit. "That's a conversation that the theater festival board will will engage in as soon as we can get control of the property with the mayor," Dubendorf said. "The issue has been broached and we'll talk to the mayor about that at some length." Planner Lynette Bond said it was an exciting project but also sad if the restaurant were to close because there aren't many restaurants in the West End. In other business, the board approved: In Motion Dance Academy operated by Jennifer Howard to open in the Holiday Inn. The dance studio opened last year on Ashland Street and offers classes in ballet, jazz, tap, modern and hoip hop for all levels. Community Legal Aid to open at 33 Main St. in the Berkshire Plaza. The Worcester-based office had been in the Empire Building. Its hours will be 8 to 5 on weekdays. Shear Madness Salon, operated by Kim Oakes, was approved to move next door to 81 Main St., where the salon had first opened in 2008. A couple years later, she had relocated to the much larger space at 77 Main St., the former Newberry's. Oakes said she wanted to reduce the size and rent by returning to the smaller space. Her hours will be 11 to 8 Tuesdays and Thursdays; 9 to 5 Wednesdays and Fridays; and 9 to 3 on Saturday. Samnang Poeuk was approved for an automoble electronics and accessories busines, Automan Sam, at 303 State St. Poeuk said his business would include selling and installing electronics such as security, remote starters, power windows and locks, and heated seats. He will also offer diagnosis and repair, tinting, hydro imaging and vehicle lettering. The building, which has two bays, will have some interior and exterior improvements and new signage. The property has 12 spaces and the board but a condition that no more than six vehicles could be parked overnight. Poeuk said he did not think that would be an issue. TD Bank on Main Street was approved for new signage. The format and size will not change the but color will go to a bright green from the current brownish with a green stripe. Editor's note: Shear Madness is moving next door on MAIN STREET. The original location was in error. Three children were injured Tuesday when a school bus struck low-hanging wires while making a turn in Pemberton Township, authorities said. The 42-year-old woman driving the bus was turning from Red Feather Trail onto Cayuga Trail just before 9 a.m. when the bus hit the wires, Pemberton Township police said in a statement. Three of the students complained of neck pain, police said. It wasnt immediately clear what school the students attend. The crash remains under investigation. Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to call police at 609-894-3308 or 609-894-3352. 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. DECATUR, Ga. When Dr. Nancy Messonnier warned the nation in late February that the spread of coronavirus was "inevitable," her words and tone demanded attention. She was every mom and she was serious. The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Immunizations and Respiratory Disease told reporters she contacted her kids' school superintendent in this Atlanta suburb about safety measures and urged others to take similar action. "I had a conversation with my family over breakfast this morning and I told my children that while I didnt think that they were at risk right now, we as a family need to be preparing for significant disruption of our lives," Messonnier said during the Feb. 25 press briefing. "You should ask your childrens school about their plans for school dismissals or school closures." Coronavirus, explained: Everything to know about COVID-19, from symptoms to how to protect yourself As coronavirus cases spread throughout the U.S., Decatur residents and local officials take comfort in knowing their town is home to many Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials, including Messonnier, who are working around the clock to fight the deadly disease. National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Director Nancy Messonnier speaks during a press conference in January. Despite criticism of the agency for its slow roll out of testing for the virus and sometimes conflicting information from President Donald Trump and members of his administration, the city believes in their hometown medical experts. Decatur, a progressive town of about 19,000 people, is just 2 miles from the CDC headquarters in northeast Atlanta. The city boasts a mix of urban and suburban neighborhoods and is known for its family-friendly events, charming downtown and science-savvy residents. You cant throw a rock without hitting a Ph.D. around here, said Dan Whisenhunt, editor and publisher of the online news site Decaturish. They're the smartest people you ever met in your life." Story continues Joyce Morley is a Dekalb County, Ga. school board member and Decatur resident, DeKalb County school board member and therapist Joyce Morley feels safer going to church and helping run schools that are full of CDC officials and parents. When they (CDC) have their press conference, theyre not playing, Morley said. Theyre never going to falsely lead us and their local and state government. Infectious conversations, everywhere Christa Sobon, a program manager for Cox Automotive, said during the Ebola epidemic, she'd see one parent dropping off his children and then on TV a short time later. "To me, regardless of the administration, I dont believe many politicians," said Sobon, who has 10- and 12-year-old daughters in City Schools of Decatur. "Im going to be more inclined to believe the scientists who have dedicated their careers to infectious disease." Last week, patrons at the Starbucks in downtown Decatur said they were relieved to see a sign at the front counter stating the coffee shop was temporarily stopping the use of reusable cups to prevent coronavirus. A timer behind the counter also beeped every 30 minutes to remind employees to wash their hands. Coronavirus: Children aren't at great risk, WHO report says, but some doctors aren't so sure Alaska Matthews said such practices and living where they do help calm their fears. Matthews said they have a handful of friends in the community who work for the CDC and don't appear to be "overly concerned." It isnt at the point where they feel we need to be freaking out about it," Matthews said. "I feel that I would definitely be able to find out quickly if there were any distressing changes in the state of the coronavirus. Jessica Barfield, a waitress at Leon's Full Service in downtown Decatur, said she feels confident word of any warnings from the nearby CDC would spread fast in the community. Whatever procedures they lay out, like it would probably happen more quickly with us being closer," Barfield said. Jessica Barfield is a local resident and waitress in downtown Decatur, Ga. Whisenhunt says there was no CDC halo effect apparent the weekend of March 1, when the DeKalb County Emergency Management Agency website was free of any mention of coronavirus until he pointed it out to them. The same level of confusion appeared to be plaguing departments across the U.S. First, the city of Decatur said DeKalb County's Emergency Management Agency was coordinating the response to the virus. Then, the DeKalb County Board of Health declared they were, said Whisenhunt. Eric Nickens, spokesman for the health board, said it was a misunderstanding and not a turf battle. Whisenhunt understands the reaction to wait to see if its really going to be a thing" and engage in it then, but wishes there was more of a clear benefit to CDCs presence. CDC is down the street and "were out here with our pants around our ankles trying to figure out what to do," Whisenhunt said. Dan Whisenhunt is editor and publisher of the online news site Decataurish.com. Are schools overreacting or not doing enough: US schools are in a 'state of alert' amid coronavirus outbreak Meanwhile, there are 17 confirmed coronavirus cases in Georgia including an employee at the neighboring Fulton County Schools, which will be closed Tuesday for cleaning. Still, City Schools of Decatur have not taken any drastic measures. Superintendent David Dude said in an email to USA TODAY that he wasn't immediately expecting school closures. But, like most of the country, school administrators were developing a plan in case students have to complete class work at home, he said. If schools close, Sobon said she feels confident knowing she can count on CDC parents for advice when needed. "You don't know them in their professional capacity. You know them on the lacrosse field, you know them as a neighbor and as a fellow parent," she said. "It's almost surreal." Mom at the mic Dude confirmed Messonnier emailed him Feb. 25 asking how the district planned to address the threat of coronavirus. "She has a great deal of expertise in this area and has offered her support in this and future planning we undertake in this area," Dude said, noting he expects she will be an "ally moving forward." Former CDC director Thomas Frieden said the coronavirus fight couldn't be in better hands. Messonnier first joined the CDC in 1995 and has held a number of leadership posts at the agency, including deputy director of the infectious and respiratory center from 2014-2016, and leading the Meningitis and Vaccine Preventable Diseases Branch in the center's Division of Bacterial Diseases from 2007 to 2012. Coronavirus myths, debunked: A cattle vaccine, bioweapons and a $3,000 test Frieden described Messonnier as level-headed, caring and reliable. He said she has ably delivered the CDC's responses to bacterial meningitis and anthrax in previous years. She has had to deal with very difficult situations in the past and she has dealt with them well, said Frieden, who was director from 2009-2017. "All of us are learning, but the experience that she has has prepared her extremely well for this challenge. Ellis reported from Decatur and O'Donnell reported from McLean, Virginia. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus: Georgia residents near CDC find comfort in Messonnier Press Release March 10, 2020 Gatchalian urges DepEd: Suspend graduation rites to contain COVID-19 spread Following the declaration of a state of public health emergency in the country over the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Senator Win Gatchalian has urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to suspend graduation rites, including Preschool graduations and moving-up ceremonies nationwide. He says Daycare graduation rites should likewise be suspended. The lawmaker earlier cautioned DepEd to follow recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) on holding public gatherings like graduation rites but he said the virus' local transmissions now call for the suspension of the upcoming ceremonies. Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), who usually are parents or relatives of the graduates, tend to show up in graduation rites and this might compromise the safety of students, teachers, and all school personnel present in the occasion. Gatchalian also called for the cancellation of other activities or non-academic projects such as field trips, film showing, and other events imposed by some schools as a requirement for graduation or completion. For this year, the DepEd has stated that graduation should not be earlier than March 30, 2020, but not later than April 3, 2020. The Department of Health (DOH) has raised the COVID-19 Alert System to Code Red sublevel 1, following the local transmission and a possibility of community transmission. The country now has ten cases of COVID-19, with three cases of local transmission recorded. According to the DOH, the response to this stage includes intensified contact tracing, home quarantine for close contacts of COVID-19-positive patients, enhanced Severe Acute Respiratory Illness surveillance, and activation of laboratories outside the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM). Community-level quarantine or lockdown, including the suspension of work and classes, will be implemented at the "sustained community transmission" stage, when the links in the increasing number of local cases cannot be established. "Huwag na nating hintayin pang magkaroon ng kumpirmadog kaso sa ating mga mag-aaral, mga magulang, guro, at iba pang mga kawani sa paaralan. Upang masiguro natin ang kanilang kaligtasan, mainam na ipagpaliban muna natin ang mga seremonya ng pagtatapos, pati na rin ang mga malalaking pagtitipon na maaaring magdulot ng mas malaking panganib", said Gatchalian, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture. Gatchalian also urges DepEd to increase its vigilance and readiness in terms of monitoring persons at risk and providing timely interventions for those who display COVID-19-like symptoms, including access to isolation and treatment facilities. All these steps, Gatchalian said, should be done in close coordination with local health officials and health care providers while classes still remain. Most shale oil wells drilled in the United States are unprofitable at current oil prices, Rystad Energy has warned. The Norwegian consultancy said, as quoted by Bloomberg, that drilling new wells would be loss-making for more than 100 companies. Just five shale drillersExxon, Chevron, Occidental, and Crownquestcan drill new wells at a profit at $31 per barrel of West Texas Intermediate. The problem is the nature of shale oil wells: while quick to start production and expand it, they are also quick to run out of oil, so drillers need to keep drilling new ones to maintain production, which is what U.S. shale patch players have been doing for years. However, this has affected investor returns, Bloomberg notes, and now it is affecting spending plans. Companies should not be burning capital to be keeping the production base at an unsustainable level, Tom Loughrey from shale oil data company Friezo Loughrey Oil Well Partners LLC told Bloomberg. This is swing production -- and that means youre going to have to swing down. The situation is more positive for drilled but uncompleted wells, according to Rystad. The consultancy said yesterday that as much as 80 percent of DUCs in the U.S. shale patch have a breakeven price of less than $25 per barrel of WTI. Yet this is dangerously close to current prices. If nobody blinks in this supply war, prices may have to go this low in order to properly reduce production and get supply-demand back in balance, Rystads head of shale research, Artem Abramov, said in the news release. This could turn out to be one of the greatest shocks ever faced by the oil industry, as coronavirus containment measures will add to the headache of producers fighting for market share. And OPEC has clearly stated that it wont be coming to the rescue in the second quarter of 2020, he also said. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: There's a battle of economic might in the global oil patch, and it's rapidly turning into a tussle of wills between the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Russia and the US. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 34, escalated an oil-price war on Tuesday with a move to flood the market with crude, a day after the oil market suffered its deepest rout since 1991. Russian President Vladimir Putin helped kick off the fight in the first place to inflict a blow on the US. The US President's response to the oil tussle between Russia and Saudi Arabia has raised eyebrows. Credit:Bloomberg At stake is the future of the oil market and the US shale industry, and President Donald Trump's next move could be key. The US has become the world's biggest oil producer, making it a target for the Saudis and Russians, who rank just below. Trump, whose November re-election bid gets tougher with the spread of coronavirus and each downward tick of key economic indicators, promised Monday to help struggling US shale drillers. He could still exert influence over Saudi Arabia, which benefits from American military support. Coronavirus (COVID-19) test kits will be delivered to Ukraine on March 15-16, Deputy Health Minister of Ukraine Viktor Liashko has told a press briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday. "If private medical facilities and pharmacies start purchasing them, it will be possible to check [for the virus] there. One [test kit] will cost around UAH 360. We are currently expecting a centralized supply of 1,000 test kits at the state level," he said. Liashko added that a batch of 50 test kits, each designed for testing 100 samples, will arrive in Ukraine soon. "They have departed from Copenhagen. We are expecting them to arrive today or tomorrow," he said. The deputy minister also said that COVID-19 test kits will be distributed among regional laboratories this week. "This will reduce the time of research and increase the number of people who undergo testing. We are preparing to possible growth of the number of COVID-19 cases. This week we will pass [the test kits] to Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, which have necessary equipment. The next priority regions are Chernivtsi, Zakarpattia and Lviv," he said. Liashko also said that the condition of the man, who had been hospitalized with COVID-19 in Chernivtsi, is stable. "The man with the registered [COVID-19] case is under observation in the infectious disease hospital. His condition is stable. His condition did not get worse, however the patient continues to stay isolated until he stops generating the virus," he said. Liashko also said that the laboratory of the Public Health Center carried out 20 tests during the past weekend and all of them proved negative. He added that results of another four tests for suspected COVID-19 cases will be reported soon. There are no specific territories with the highest number of suspected COVID-19 cases in Ukraine, Liashko said. "Today we have received the results from London-based central laboratory of the World Health Organization. They confirmed the results received by our laboratory. They confirmed the qualification of our specialists," the deputy minister said. He also said that the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine keeps in touch with the Ukrainian citizens who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or have suspected COVID-19 cases. "Some 49 Ukrainians are currently being quarantined. These are mainly the people on board of a ship near California. All of those infected are in stable condition," the deputy minister said. There are various algorithms of introducing restrictions on mass events, Liashko said, adding that these algorithms may change depending on circumstances. [March 10, 2020] Convergency Provides Life Sciences Companies with a Specialized Approach to High Value Projects Convergency LLC, a consulting and advisory firm for pharmaceutical, life sciences and other heavily-regulated industries, today announced a new approach for delivering data management and digital transformation services to the life sciences sector. Convergency can uniquely act as an implementer or adviser, while ensuring proposed technical approaches align with business objectives. Convergency's core competency includes design and implementation of Integrated Data environments and Clinical Trial Management Decoupling, while developing more effective and efficient processes along the entire drug delivery value chain. "The life sciences industry, in many cases has forged ahead with multi-million dollar, digital transformation and data management projects, only to be disappointed with technical dead-end results, months or even years down the road," said Brian Nigl, CEO and founder of Convergency. "Convergency provides life sciences companies with a prudent path forward in a world of uncertainty. We seamlessly connect the avalanche of data scattered over multiple disparate systems within the drug delivery ecosystem, to ensure that data is compliant, integral and available to the right individuals at the right time." Convergency's consultants have decades of experience designing and implementing integrated data environments and reducing drug delivery cycles by 20 to 35 percent. Convergency unlocks the value of data by bringing together process improvement practices (based on Lean Six Sigma practice), data analytics, AI, along with key infrastructure and cloud-based technology in Amazon AWS and Microsoft (News - Alert) Azure. "I chose Convergency to advise and guide us on our three year integrated data analytics project," said S. Rogers, Director, at leading Japanese Pharmaceutical Organization. "They have demonstrated on numerous occasions that they are interested in my professional success." Demand for Business Process Outsourcing services in Life Sciences is massive and growing. The global Life Sciences BPO market was valued at around US$ 213 Billion in 2018 and is projected to expand at a CAGR at a 7.9% from 2019 to 2027, according to Transparency Market Research (TMR)'s new report titled, Life Sciences BPO Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2019-2027. Value Proposition of Key Convergency Services Aids life sciences companies with their digital transformation and evolution into a modern cloud-based world Provides real-time analytics and actionable insights for accelerating time to market Enables life sciences companies to build out more effective data analytics platforms Provides a more effective and efficient approach to integrated data management and decoupling of clinical trials Streamlines and optimizes processes on the drug delivery value chain About Convergency LLC Convergency is an advisory and consulting firm focused on serving the needs of life sciences, healthcare and financial organizations. Convergency unlocks value in data, revamps processes to lower costs and accelerates time-to-market, while increasing shareholder and patient value. Convergency has a track record of delivering "right-sized" solutions with greater speed and effectiveness than traditional consulting firms. Convergency was founded by Brian Nigl, who has over 30+ years experience in heavily-regulated industries, helping businesses transform and achieve competitive advantage. Visit www.convergency.cloud for further information. Follow us on social media: LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005003/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Before joining Kusto Group, Daniel Kunin served as a senior advisor to the Government of Georgia during a time of transition from failed state to emerging economy. It was in this position that Kunin was introduced to the Kusto Group team. "We quickly became friends," says Kunin of Kusto's administration. "What attracted me to join their project was my friendship with the owners and their genuine entrepreneurial spirit, which runs right through the business." Kusto Group's global perspective Soon after joining the company as a managing director, Kunin helped initiate and spearhead the process of moving Kusto Group's headquarters to Singapore. The company had already established numerous ventures in the Southeast Asian region and the new location afforded the company a renewed global perspective that could potentially open up the company to larger and more diverse markets "Singapore is obviously in and of itself a thriving financial centre too, which we felt would give us greater access to capital markets." The next challenge for Kunin came when Kusto Group continued its global expansion with the purchase of Israeli paint manufacturer, Tambour, in 2014. The move of buying an established, leading market competitor was a bit out of character for the company which had grown by reforming existing businesses into profitable ventures. Yet, Kunin insists the company's acquisition of Tambour was not a change of strategy but rather an opportunity that was recognized and acted upon. According to Kunin, "Kusto Group's investment strategy is founded upon entrepreneurship that is also opportunistic - that doesn't necessarily have to be acquisitions - but it is almost always about transformation. Today, Tambour looks very different from when we acquired it - not only has it grown it is also more focused. I expect it to look different in five years as well as we continue transforming and growing it." State Farm is getting out of the banking business. The property/casualty insurer said it has formed a strategic alliance with U.S. Bank, allowing it to assume State Farm Banks existing deposit and credit card accounts. As part of the deal, State Farm agents will in turn market U.S. Bank deposit products and co-branded credit cards to State Farm customers. Plans call for the transition of State Farm deposit and credit card accounts to begin after closing, subject to regulatory approval, later this year and into 2021. Current State Farm Bank customers do not need to take any action, the insurer said. State Farm said that the U.S. Bank alliance is part of a broader strategy to exit its banking operations. Beyond assuming State Farm Banks existing deposit and credit card accounts, U.S. Bank and the insurer are looking at ways to give State Farm customers access to vehicle loans and business banking products. State Farm President and CEO Michael Tipsord said that the new dynamic will ultimately help customers. When we combine State Farms deep customer relationships with the scale and capabilities of companies like U.S. Bank, we can help significantly more people, Tipsord said. The move is similar to what giant insurer Nationwide did in 2018, selling off its approximately $2.4 billion in deposits in Nationwide Bank to Axos Bank, which now provides. banking services to Nationwide customers. Mutual of Omaha shedded its banking operations in 2019. CIT Group acquired Mutual of Omaha Bank for $1 billion. The deal ended Nebraska-based Mutual of Omahas foray into the banking sector, initiated in 2007. Life insurer MetLife sold its retail banking arm back in 2011. Topics USA A 32-year-old construction worker from Kalyan in Thane district drowned in a creek while celebrating Holi, police said. Deceased Surinder Vikramsingh, who works at a construction site in Maharal village, was part of a group of five people who ventured into a creek for a swim in the afternoon, Kalyan taluka police sub inspector Bajrang Rajput said. Vikarmasingh's body has been fished out, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) UP: Elections not won on exit polls basis, results will be surprising: Kamal Nath Madhya Pradesh numbers: Here is how it is stacked up India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Mar 10: The Kamal Nath led Madhya Pradesh government is in crisis. 17 MLAs who are supporting Jyotiraditya Scindia were carted away to Bengaluru and this is a major development ahead of the crucial Rajya Sabha elections. After securing 114 seats, the Congress came to power in 2018. The House has 230 members. However the current strength has been reduced to 228. The Congress had gone on to form the government with the support of 121 MLAs, which included four independents, 2 BSP and 1 SP MLA. If the 17 MLAs stick to their decision then the strength of the Congress would come down to 104. In the 228 member House, a party needs 115 seats. The BJP on the other hand has 107 MLAs. It needs 8 more MLAs to hit the majority mark. If the rebels extend support to the BJP, then the party will have 124 MLAs. All 22 MLAs in Kamal Nath cabinet resign to make way for Scindia camp After the dramatic developments, MP Forest Minister Umang Singhar told PTI, "We have resigned. Now it is up to the chief minister to take a call." The minister said they have requested the chief minister to reconstitute the cabinet. Nath had cut short his Delhi visit and rushed to Bhopal where he had called the urgent cabinet meeting at around 10 pm after a faction led by senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia who, along with at least 17 legislators, went incommunicado, sparking intense speculation about the fate of his government. Many of these legislators, including ministers, had flown to Bengaluru earlier in the day. Scindia, however, kept his cards close to his chest and there was no word from him on the developments. The BJP, meanwhile, called a meeting of its MLAs on Tuesday, where sources said Shivraj Singh Chouhan may be elected as the leader of the legislature party. Trouble has been brewing in the Congress ahead of Rajya Sabha polls as it had last week accused the BJP of trying to topple its government after 10 MLAs of the ruling party and those of its allies travelled to Haryana, though the BJP had denied the charge. Explained: What is Kamal Nath doing to save his government Of them, eight had come back and many of them wanted ministerial berths, according to sources. However, two Congress MLAs have not yet returned. Scindia and Nath have fallen out over the post of the state Congress president, which is currently held by the chief minister. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 10, 2020, 8:01 [IST] Lisa Snowdon cut a glamorous figure as she attended the TRIC Awards 2020 at The Grosvenor House Hotel in London on Tuesday. The model, 48, looked radiant as ever as she walked the red carpet at the event where she told MailOnline about her impending nuptials to fiance George Smart. Asked how her wedding plans were going, Lisa admitted: 'Theyre not! We are very much in love and together just been rubbish at organising things. So yeah, I dont know.' Stunning: Lisa Snowdon, 48, cut a glamorous figure as she attended the TRIC Awards 2020 at The Grosvenor House Hotel in London on Tuesday For the event, Lisa donned a bright yellow long-sleeved floral printed dress with structured shoulders. The garment also featured a daring leg split while the former Britain's Next Top Model host added height to her frame with a pair of black ankle boots. Letting her brunette locks fall loose down her shoulders, Lisa completed her look for the event with a pair of hoop earrings. The TV star, who is a regular on This Morning, caught up with her colleague Eamonn Holmes at the event as they posed for a snap together on the red carpet. Outfit: For the event, Lisa donned a bright yellow long-sleeved floral printed dress with structured shoulders The TV star also opened up on her fitness regime, saying her dedication to exercise has helped her mentally, as well as physically. 'Well I love my food so in order to be able to eat, I have to work out so exercise is crucial for me. Not only physically, mentally. Ive always spoke openly about it how it has helped my mental health. 'So I try get as much sleep as I can equally have a good balance in life... work rest and play basically lots of water and exercise. I cook a lot of my own food as well... if you cook your own meals know what is going on with them.' It comes after Lisa revealed she often feels 'sad' seeing families on Instagram after deciding to not have children - but says she enjoys the 'freedom' it brings her lifestyle. Ensemble: The garment also featured a daring leg split while the former Britain's Next Top Model host added height to her frame with a pair of black ankle boots Lisa, who is unable to conceive naturally, told Closer magazine that she discussed having children through IVF with George shortly after they became engaged. They ultimately chose not to go through the 'tough process' of fertility treatment. And while Hertfordshire-born Lisa insisted she couldn't be happier with entrepreneur George, there are times when it's difficult to see other people with their children on social media. Speaking about how she decided against going down the route of IVF, she told the magazine: 'I knew I was well into my 40s and it would be a tough process and I very much enjoyed the freedom our lifestyles gave us. 'Although I have moments when I feel sad seeing Instagram pages with pictures of other people's kids, I'm a realist. But I feel so blessed that I've met George and I really couldn't be happier with how things are'. Pals: The TV star, who is a regular on This Morning, caught up with her colleague Eamonn Holmes at the event as they posed for a snap together on the red carpet The TV presenter, who had a fertility test when she was 39 which showed her chances of becoming pregnant would be low, admitted she had even considered freezing her eggs. But after thinking long and hard about children, her Yorkshire-born partner told her he 'just wanted to be with her'. She told the magazine: 'We discussed alternative ways to do it and he said "Do you know what? I want to be with you. It's about me and you".' Lisa has previously opened up about having children and earlier this month posted a message on Instagram revealing she sometimes craves 'a family of my own', despite admitting 'it is too late' for her to have her own children. She told MailOnline: 'I didn't have kids and that decision was made for me. I wasn't with the right people so I didn't want to bring a child into a relationship where I wasn't happy or would have to do it by myself. 'I'm quite fortunate that I came to terms with not having my own family but that doesn't stop me when looking at Instagram. Plans: Lisa told MailOnline about her upcoming wedding to fiance George Smart, 40, saying: 'We are very much in love and together just been rubbish at organising things' 'It didn't happen for me. It's too late for me. I've come to terms with that. I'm sad for people that can't come to terms with it, my heart breaks for them. It's the maternal instinct that will never go.' Lisa is really close to her nephews and nieces; Filey, eight, Willow, six, Rudie and Sidney, both three, and six-month-old Stella, and loves that she can give them back to their parents at the end of the day. 'Finley is eight, Willow is six and Ruthie is three. I don't feel childless because I get all the fun stuff and then I can give them back. 'They're a nightmare to get out the house when we have a time frame. I feel very lucky I have that fix. Relationship: Lisa, who is unable to conceive naturally, told Closer magazine that she discussed having children through IVF with George shortly after they became engaged 'I don't think I could love them anymore if I'd had them and birthed them. I love them so much.' 'I'm with my sister and her kids a lot. George's brother has two gorgeous little girls aged three and six months. She advises other women in her situation to 'get amongst your friends' kids' for 'cuddles, connection and love'. The model and presenter first dated George years ago when they both worked for MTV, but it wasn't until the pair were reintroduced to each other through a mutual friend four years ago that their relationship was rekindled. In January 2017, the couple announced they were engaged after 14 months of dating. (Newser) It's difficult for people to wash their hands often, as everyone is being advised to do, if their home's water has been turned off. So in the spirit of limiting the spread of the new coronavirus, Detroit is moving to turn the water back on for the more than 3,000 households whose water has been shut off for nonpayment of bills, the Metro Times reports. Officials said Monday they also plan to suspend shutoffs. The city and state governments were under pressure to keep water flowing for health reasons. "The notion that a City could shut off water on people in the midst of a potential infectious disease epidemicreally EVERis unconscionable," a former Detroit health director said in a statement. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer rejected a moratorium on shutting off water last month. On Monday, she issued a statement saying restoring service is "the right thing to do to keep families safe and protect public health." story continues below Under the plan, residents with a household income of 150% of the federal poverty level or below can have their water turned back on if they pay $25 a month for as long as the outbreak lasts. The state will pick up the tab for the first month, per WXYZ. So far, Michigan has no confirmed cases of coronavirus. "Shutting off water and telling people to wash their hands to stop #coronavirus at the same time is a special kind of oppression," the Center for Popular Democracy Action tweeted Sunday. (Water shutoffs have been an issue in Detroit before.) Southeastern South Dakota is only one heavy rain or snow storm away from major flooding this spring. While Sioux Falls got a fraction of snow during February, theres still an elevated risk of flooding. City, county and National Weather Service officials are preparing for almost guaranteed levels of flooding throughout the region. Extreme wetness caused by heavy precipitation in recent years has set the region on the brink of overflowing, said Mike Gillispie, senior service hydrologist for NWS in Sioux Falls. Even though we dont have a lot of snow left, were just getting into spring where were looking for heavier snow or rains, Gillispie said. We just dont have the room to store that moisture that we would normally have had two or three years ago. While southeastern South Dakota has experienced some of the most ideal conditions to slow flooding threats, one major precipitation event could wash that away. Several factors have already set up Sioux Falls and surrounding areas for guaranteed minor flooding this spring, the Argus Leader reported. Moderate flooding in Brookings, Dell Rapids and Sioux Falls are all but guaranteed, Gillispie said. The catch is that the severity of flooding will be driven by rain and snow the area receives over the next two months and how much of it falls at one time. We just dont have that storage, Gillispie said. Even with a little precipitation and snow melt, thats enough water to push us up toward that moderate level of flooding. Due to a wet past few years, the soils around Sioux Falls are heavily saturated, the river levels are higher than normal, and the aquifers are nearly full. Just a few inches of precipitation could lead to major flooding in the area, Gillispie said. As of late February, Sioux Falls has a 50% chance of hitting the flood levels of March 2019, which tore through Dell Rapids, Renner and Sioux Falls. Several homes had to be evacuated in a southern Sioux Falls neighborhood near Tomar Park. Normally, the chance of reaching that stage of flooding for this time of year would be 15%, Gillispie said. Last years Big Sioux River flow rates at this time of the year were around 300 cubic feet per second. The river was at 1,200 as of Feb. 27, which is nearly 1,000 cfs more than normal. Partnered with heavily saturated soil, the Big Sioux River is on the edge of overflowing. The NWS issued a flood warning for the Big Sioux River at Interstate 90 between Thursday and Monday. The locations minor flood stage river level is 12 feet, and the river level was at 11.68 feet as of 2 p.m. on Wednesday. The river is expected to rise to 13.5 feet by Monday afternoon, according to the warning. Aquifers storing groundwater are nearly full around southeastern South Dakota. That means that the ground has little room to absorb any additional snow melt or rainfall. Aquifers are about an extra four inches full than normal, Gillispie said. If soils would be normal, the first four inches of snow melt could soak in, but now theres not that room to hold four inches of water, Gillispie said. That storage space isnt available. That water will run off into the rivers. Minimal snow pack around southeastern South Dakota is keeping conditions stable for now, Gillispie said. Sioux Falls has had a relatively dry winter; while areas north, like Brookings, have more snow that will work its way into the Big Sioux River over the next month. Additionally, the last two weeks have been an ideal melt, with above-freezing temperatures during the day and below-freezing overnight. Thats allowed precipitation to slowly absorb into the oil and rivers, instead of overwhelming the system in one fast melt. Sioux Falls is expecting above-normal temperatures and minimal precipitation for the next few weeks. Seasonal outlooks are pointing to a relatively normal spring, but since March is expected to be dry, that could mean April and May might be wetter than normal. Its better than above normal, Gillispie said. But because of how wet it is, even normal precipitation is going to cause worse than normal flooding. Although its a recipe for concern, Gillispie is less worried than he was a month ago. The chances of a repeat of March 2019s flood are relatively low, locally. But, some minor to moderate flooding will happen. There are still a couple of months to get through before were out of the woods for the probability of major flooding again, he said. Until we get a chance to thaw and dry out the soil, any rain or snow has the potential to cause issues. City and county officials are preparing for flooding as spring makes its way into the Midwest. Were expecting and preparing to have spring flooding, said Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken at a Februeary news conference. Sioux Falls officials have been working since fall 2019 to prepare for this years flooding reviewing last years response, buying additional pumps, and inventorying sandbags and trap supplies, said Sioux Falls Emergency Manager Regan Smith. Several leaders and key players in flooding response teams attended a flooding preparation workshop in late February, where they discussed emergency response protocol. Smith said that city officials remain cautiously optimistic as they prepare for flooding. Were going to have flooding every year to some degree, he said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Flood South Dakota By Chris Hedges March 09, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - There is only one choice in this election. The consolidation of oligarchic power under Donald Trump or the consolidation of oligarchic power under Joe Biden. The oligarchs, with Trump or Biden, will win again. We will lose. The oligarchs made it abundantly clear, should Bernie Sanders miraculously become the Democratic Party nominee, they would join forces with the Republicans to crush him. Trump would, if Sanders was the nominee, instantly be shorn by the Democratic Party elites of his demons and his propensity for tyranny. Sanders would be red-baited as he was viciously Friday in The New York Times As Bernie Sanders Pushed for Closer Ties, Soviet Union Spotted Opportunity and turned into a figure of derision and ridicule. The oligarchs preach the sermon of the least-worst to us when they attempt to ram a Hillary Clinton or a Biden down our throats but ignore it for themselves. They prefer Biden over Trump, but they can live with either. Only one thing matters to the oligarchs. It is not democracy. It is not truth. It is not the consent of the governed. It is not income inequality. It is not the surveillance state. It is not endless war. It is not jobs. It is not the climate. It is the primacy of corporate power which has extinguished our democracy and left most of the working class in misery and the continued increase and consolidation of their wealth. It is impossible working within the system to shatter the hegemony of oligarchic power or institute meaningful reform. Change, real change, will only come by sustained acts of civil disobedience and mass mobilization, as with the yellow vests movement in France and the British-based Extinction Rebellion. The longer we are fooled by the electoral burlesque, the more disempowered we will become. I was on the streets with protesters in Philadelphia outside the appropriately named Wells Fargo Center during the 2016 Democratic Convention when hundreds of Sanders delegates walked out of the hall. Show me what democracy looks like! they chanted, holding Bernie signs above their heads as they poured out of the exits. This is what democracy looks like! Sanders greatest tactical mistake was not joining them. He bowed before the mighty altar of the corporate state. He had desperately tried to stave off a revolt by his supporters and delegates on the eve of the convention by sending out repeated messages in his name most of them authored by members of the Clinton campaign to be respectful, not disrupt the nominating process and support Clinton. Sanders was a dutiful sheepdog, attempting to herd his disgruntled supporters into the embrace of the Clinton campaign. At his moment of apostasy, when he introduced a motion to nominate Clinton, his delegates had left hundreds of convention seats empty. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter After the 2016 convention, Sanders held rallies the crowds pitifully small compared to what he had drawn when he ran as an insurgent on Clintons behalf. He returned to the Senate to loyally line up behind Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, whose power comes from his ability to funnel tens of millions of dollars in corporate and Wall Street money to anointed Democratic candidates. Sanders refused to support the lawsuit brought against the Democratic National Committee for rigging the primaries against him. He endorsed Democratic candidates who espoused the neoliberal economic and political positions he claims to oppose. Sanders, who calls himself an independent, caucused as a Democrat. The Democratic Party determined his assignments in the Senate. Schumer offered to make Sanders the head of the Senate Budget Committee if the Democrats won control of the Senate. Sanders became a party apparatchik. Sanders apparently believed that if he was obsequious enough to the Democratic Party elite, they would give him a chance in 2020, a chance they denied him in 2016. Politics, I suspect he would argue, is about compromise and the practical. This is true. But playing politics in a system that is not democratic is about being complicit in the charade. Sanders misread the Democratic Party leadership, swamp creatures of the corporate state. He misread the Democratic Party, which is a corporate mirage. Its base can, at best, select preapproved candidates and act as props at rallies and in choreographed party conventions. The Democratic Party voters have zero influence on party politics or party policies. Sanders naivete, and perhaps his lack of political courage, drove away his most committed young supporters. These followers have not forgiven him for his betrayal. They chose not to turn out to vote in the numbers he needs in the primaries. They are right. He is wrong. We need to overthrow the system, not placate it. Sanders is wounded. The oligarchs will go in for the kill. They will subject him to the same character assassination, aided by the courtiers in the corporate press, that was directed at Henry Wallace in 1948 and George McGovern in 1972, the only two progressive presidential candidates who managed to seriously threaten the ruling elites since Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The feckless liberal class, easily frightened, is already abandoning Sanders, castigating his supporters with their nauseating self-righteousness and championing Biden as a political savior. Trump and Biden are repugnant figures, doddering into old age with cognitive lapses and no moral cores. Is Trump more dangerous than Biden? Yes. Is Trump more inept and more dishonest? Yes. Is Trump more of a threat to the open society? Yes. Is Biden the solution? No. Biden represents the old neoliberal order. He personifies the betrayal by the Democratic Party of working men and women that sparked the deep hatred of the ruling elites across the political spectrum. He is a gift to a demagogue and con artist like Trump, who at least understands that these elites are detested. Biden cannot plausibly offer change. He can only offer more of the same. And most Americans do not want more of the same. The countrys largest voting-age bloc, the 100 million-plus citizens who out of apathy or disgust do not vote, will once again stay home. This demoralization of the electorate is by design. It will, I expect, give Trump another term in office. By voting for Biden, you endorse the humiliation of courageous women such as Anita Hill who confronted their abusers. You vote for the architects of the endless wars in the Middle East. You vote for the apartheid state in Israel. You vote for wholesale surveillance of the public by government intelligence agencies and the abolition of due process and habeas corpus. You vote for austerity programs, including the destruction of welfare and cuts to Social Security. You vote for NAFTA, free trade deals, de-industrialization, a decline in wages, the loss of hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs and the offshoring of jobs to underpaid workers who toil in sweatshops in China or Vietnam. You vote for the assault on public education and the transfer of federal funds to for-profit and Christian charter schools. You vote for the doubling of our prison population, the tripling and quadrupling of sentences and huge expansion of crimes meriting the death penalty. You vote for militarized police who gun down poor people of color with impunity. You vote against the Green New Deal and immigration reform. You vote for limiting a womans right to abortion and reproductive rights. You vote for a segregated public-school system in which the wealthy receive educational opportunities and poor people of color are denied a chance. You vote for punitive levels of student debt and the inability to free yourself of debt obligations through bankruptcy. You vote for deregulating the banking industry and the abolition of Glass-Steagall. You vote for the for-profit insurance and pharmaceutical corporations and against universal health care. You vote for bloated defense budgets. You vote for the use of unlimited oligarchic and corporate money to buy our elections. You vote for a politician who during his time in the Senate abjectly served the interests of MBNA, the largest independent credit card company headquartered in Delaware, which also employed Bidens son Hunter. There are no substantial political differences between the Democrats and Republicans. We have only the illusion of participatory democracy. The Democrats and their liberal apologists adopt tolerant positions on issues regarding race, religion, immigration, womens rights and sexual identity and pretend this is politics. The right wing uses those on the margins of society as scapegoats. The culture wars mask the reality. Both parties are full partners in the reconfiguration of American society into a form of neofeudalism. It only depends on how you want it dressed up. By fostering an illusion among the powerless classes that it can make their interests a priority, the Democratic Party pacifies and thereby defines the style of an opposition party in an inverted totalitarian system, political philosopher Sheldon Wolin writes. The Democrats will once again offer up a least-worst alternative while, in fact, doing little or nothing to thwart the march toward corporate totalitarianism. What the public wants and deserves will again be ignored for what the corporate lobbyists demand. If we do not respond soon to the social and economic catastrophe that has been visited on most of the population, we will be unable to thwart the rise of corporate tyranny and a Christian fascism. We need to reintegrate those who have been pushed aside back into the society, to heal the ruptured social bonds, to give workers dignity, empowerment and protection. We need a universal health care system, especially as we barrel toward a global pandemic. We need programs that provide employment with sustainable wages, job protection and pensions. We need quality public education for all Americans. We need to rebuild our infrastructure and end the squandering of our resources on war. We need to halt corporate pillage and regulate Wall Street and corporations. We need to respond with radical and immediate measures to curb carbon emissions and save ourselves from ecocide and extinction. We dont need a Punch and Judy show between Trump and Biden. But that, along with corporate tyranny, is what we seem fated to get, unless we take to the streets and tear the house down. Chris Hedges, spent nearly two decades as a foreign correspondent in Central America, the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans. He has reported from more than 50 countries and has worked for The Christian Science Monitor, National Public Radio, The Dallas Morning News and The New York Times, for which he was a foreign correspondent for 15 years. https://www.truthdig.com/author/chris_hedges/ Taiwan public health expert calls for WHO to declare COVID-19 pandemic ROC Central News Agency 03/09/2020 05:57 PM Taipei, March 9 (CNA) A leading public health expert in Taiwan has urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare COVID-19 a pandemic due to the surge in cases and spread of the disease around the globe. COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has accumulated 105,586 infections, including 3,500 deaths, in over 100 countries around the world since it first appeared in China around the end of last year, according to WHO statistics valid as of Sunday. However, the vast majority of cases and deaths have been in China, the statistics showed. As of Monday, Taiwan had confirmed a total of 45 COVID-19 infections, including one death and 15 people who have been discharged after being hospitalized for treatment. Chan Chang-chuan (), dean of National Taiwan University's (NTU) College of Public Health, said the WHO believes the mortality rate of the disease is 3.4 percent, which means that COVID-19 is pointing toward the direction of pandemics in the past. Past pandemics included the 1968 pandemic caused by an influenza A (H3N2) virus that reflected excess deaths in people 65 years and older, according to the American Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The severe illness associated with elderly people is also reflected in the current coronavirus outbreak, which was declared a global emergency by the WHO at the end of January. Other past pandemics also include the 1957-1958 Asian Flu pandemic and the 1918 influenza pandemic, the most severe pandemic in recent history, according to the American CDC. "Bill Gates seems to think that the current COVID-19 outbreak might be the 'once-in-a-century pathogen' that will lead to a similar situation like the 1918 pandemic," Chan said, adding that he agrees with Gates that people need to address the situation with the correct attitude. "From a professional perspective, the NTU's College of Public Health would like to urge the WHO this week to declare COVID-19 as a global pandemic," Chan said. However, at an earlier WHO press briefing on COVID-19 Thursday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pushed back the idea of calling the current situation a pandemic because he said the situation has not yet arrived at that level. "Unless we're convinced it's uncontrollable, why do we call it a pandemic?" he asked. "But with flu, we know it is uncontrollable and it affects a big part of the population -- 2 billion for instance with H1N1. If we reach that conclusion, then it will be uncontrollable, and then we may be in a position to say that." Michael J Ryan, WHO Health Emergencies Programme executive director, relayed the same idea, saying that for the WHO to declare a pandemic, then in theory, every human on the planet would be exposed to the coronavirus, which is not supported by current data. (By William Yen) Enditem/J NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address An Australian woman is trapped in Italy with her husband and two young children after the whole country was put in coronavirus lockdown. Hermionie Kitson and her Italian husband Francesco are in a small town in the south of Italy and were shocked at how suddenly the quarantine came in. They are stuck inside, barely able to go to the supermarket, home schooling their children, and worried about Ms Kitson's 97-year-old grandmother. The usually bustling Trevi Fountain in Rome is closed an the square abandoned like many of the country's most famous landmarks Photos from the country where 10,000 people were infected and 631 have died show famous landmarks usually swamped with tourists completely empty. 'It doesn't feel like a holiday, it feels like a pretty serious situation,' Ms Kitson told the Today show on Wednesday morning. 'It's difficult to digest. Nobody really knows exactly where the perimeters are. We are in lockdown so we have to stay in the house. 'We have to have special permission to leave the house but we don't know exactly what that means.' Ms Kitson said it was unclear when they could go to the supermarket and how much help they could be to her grandmother - who has to abide by different rules because of her age. 'There's confusion and fear but people are trying to work together to eliminate the cases,' she said. Hermionie Kitson and her Italian husband Francesco are in a small town in the south of Italy and were shocked at how suddenly the quarantine came in Mr Kitson said his car dealership was close to closing and 60 per cent of his staff were being sent home on annual leave The couple said their two young children were 'getting bored in the house' and they were worried about where they could take them. They haven't been at school for some time with lessons instead being emailed to the couple as the campus could be closed until May. Mr Kitson said his car dealership was close to closing and 60 per cent of his staff were being sent home on annual leave. 'All the other shops are closing down, nobody can move around so I don't think many people will think about buying a car right now,' he said. Ms Kitson said she didn't expect the town where they lives would be so quickly quarantined as it was far from the centre of the outbreak and not a big city. 'I was quite shocked because this area wasn't anywhere near that zone, this area hasn't been so badly affected by the coronavirus cases,' she said. 'I thought perhaps it would happen in Rome. But I didn't really think that it would happen so quickly at home. It was a surprise.' Piazza della Scala in Milan is empty with Italy quarantined with 10,000 people infected and 631 dead The Piazza Navona in Rome has barely anyone around with residents told to stay indoors and stay away from each others Francesco said the quarantine is supposed to end on April 4 but he thinks it will be extended. Dillon Burt, an Australian teacher living in Turin, in Italy's northwest, said the lockdown of the country was a 'sad, sombre feeling'. He said only 10 people were allowed in supermarkets at a time and there was extra security to enforce numerous restrictions. 'We had to wear gloves to touch all produce whether it be fresh or package as well as one metre distance from the cashier and other people who are working around the supermarket,' he told the ABC. Mr Burt has been teaching his students via Skype and there is no timetable for schools to reopen. [March 10, 2020] Angelini Pharma Acquires ThermaCare From GSK ROME, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Angelini Pharma announces today it has acquired the ThermaCare global business rights, excluding North America, from GSK. The deal also includes the dedicated US manufacturing site for ThermaCare in Albany, Georgia. The acquired asset supports Angelini Pharma reinforcing both its Consumer Healthcare business and consolidating its International presence. Heat therapy is widely known to help ease muscle pain, reduce soreness, and loosen tight muscles. ThermaCare uses patented technology that produces real heat to help the body rebuild damaged tissue and accelerate healing. ThermaCare products are formulated for: Lower Back & Hip, Neck, Wrist & Shoulder, Knee & Elbow, Multi-Purpose Muscle, Multi-Purpose Joint and Menstrual. "Along to prescription drugs, Angelini Pharma is recognized for having built a successful Consumer Healthcare business by consistently delivering high-quality solutions to our customers," said Angelini Pharma CEO Pierluigi Antonelli. "I am convinced that the ThermaCare deal will represent a significant incremental growth engine for our accelerated international expansion." "ThermaCae is a global key brand, we are proud to have won an international tender," commented Angelini Holding President Francesco Angelini and Vice Presidents Thea Paola Angelini and Sergio Marullo di Condojanni. "Thermacare is a very coveted and successful product. This acquisition confirms our engagement to strengthen the internationalization path undertaken by the Group. The operation once again points out Angelini's commitment to supporting the development and growth of our Healthcare business." About Angelini Pharma Angelini is committed to help patients fighting diseases with a focus on CNS (included pain), Rare Diseases and Consumer Health. Angelini Pharma is an "integrated pharmaceutical company" with extensive R&D programs, world-class manufacturing and marketing of both active ingredients and branded drugs. For further information please visit www.angelinipharma.com. About Angelini Group Angelini is an international group leader in the health and well-being area of the pharmaceutical and mass-market sectors. Founded in Italy in 1919, and sees it operating in 17 countries with a staff of 6,000 and a turnover of 1,700 million. In the Pharma sector, Angelini gives constant and foremost attention to the areas of Mental Health (and pain) Rare diseases and Consumer Health. Angelini products are marketed in 70 countries around the world, thanks to both its direct presence and strategic alliances with leading international pharmaceutical groups and local companies. The Angelini group also operates in the Personal Care sector through Fater, a joint venture with Procter & Gamble, a leader in the Italian market for absorbent hygiene products and a key player in the European bleach market. In the Machinery sector, the Fameccanica group, another joint venture with P&G, is the world leader in the design, construction and installation of integrated production lines for the market for disposable absorbent hygiene products. Angelini Beauty is the Business Unit dedicated to the Cosmetics and Perfumery sectors, through licences with the world of fashion and luxury brands. In the Wine sector, Bertani Domains operates with six wineries and an overall production of approximately 4 million bottles per year. About GSK GSK is a science-led global healthcare company with a special purpose: to help people do more, feel better, live longer. For further information please visit www.gsk.com. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1121341/Angelini_Holding_Logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Dublin last year accounted for 41pc of IDA-sponsored visits by potential overseas investors. New figures provided by acting Minister for Business Heather Humphreys show that last year, a total of 700 IDA site visits around the country were carried out by potential overseas investors. The trend of Dublin having by far the largest share continued at 41pc, or 284 visits. The next highest number of visits was recorded in Cork, which accounted for 68 or 9.8pc. Limerick recorded the third highest amount at 57 or 8.1pc, and was followed by Galway at 46 or 6.6pc. Leitrim recorded the lowest number of visits at two for the year, or 0.3pc of the total. Other counties to record five or fewer included Longford, Mayo and Roscommon (3), Meath and Monaghan (4), and Kerry and Laois (5). An IDA spokeswoman said: "There have never been more people employed in the multinational sector in Ireland than there are today - 245,096. "Site visits are not indicative of IDA's efforts to market a region to overseas investors or indeed of IDA's activities in a region, which include working with the existing base of companies to sustain and increase their levels of investment." The children pacing behind bars or sleeping on the cold ground as the Greek winter ebbs into spring do not look like weapons. On the contrary, their faces tell of their innocence and need, victims of a war of words that erupted between the European Union and Turkey after Turkey on Feb. 28 reneged on a deal to prevent migrants and asylum seekers from travelling to the E.U. But you would not know it from the confused and panicked messages that came out of Europe in the past week, as tens of thousands of people began to gather at the Greece-Turkey border. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who has a history of taking a hard line on migration, accused Turkey of using such people as a weapon and expressed outrage that Turkey would exploit human lives. Hours later, the E.U. Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, said Greece was Europes shield. And what does a shield protect against, if not weapons? Greek police stand guard near the border. | Emin OzmenMagnum Photos for TIME A clash with Greek police near the border. | Emin OzmenMagnum Photos for TIME Razor wire at the border crossing. | Emin OzmenMagnum Photos for TIME In the years since I wrote a book about the 2015 refugee crisis, when a million desperate people made their way to the E.U., many things remain the same: nations are still divided over how to deal with people seeking sanctuary; the blocs asylum system remains unreformed and not fit for purpose; warning signs of further turmoil are repeatedly ignored. What has changed is the language. For all the blocs failings at the height of the crisis, speeches usually touched on the importance of protecting those in need and upholding the E.U.s moral values. Now, it is the cold, hard language of war and security it is the borders and a nebulous European way of life which need protecting, not people. The system is dehumanizing these people this is what Europe has purposefully decided to do, says Marco Sandrone, a field coordinator for Doctors Without Borders on the Greek island of Lesbos, where an increase in arrivals is making a dire situation even worse. Story continues Migrants wait for food distribution in the buffer zone between Turkey and Greece in Edirne, northwest Turkey. | Emin OzmenMagnum Photos for TIME Talks in Brussels on Monday between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and E.U. officials ended without any concrete guarantees from either side, meaning that for now the men, women and children stuck at the frontiers remain caught in this geopolitical tussle. The current standoff began at the end of February when Erdogan said he would no longer abide by a 2016 deal with Brussels to stop people leaving Turkey for the E.U. In 2015, spurred by the brutal war in Syria, just over a million people arrived in the E.U. seeking sanctuary. Nations bickered over who should take care of them; police fired tear gas at borders; far right parties capitalized on the failures saw support surge. So in 2016, the E.U. promised Turkey 6 billion ($6.8 billion) in aid, visa-free travel for its citizens into the E.U., and other trade-related incentives in return for its help stopping people leaving. Greek authorities repel migrants who sought to force their way across the Turkish border. | Emin OzmenMagnum Photos for TIME Small fires built for keeping warm in the encampment. | Emin OzmenMagnum Photos for TIME Muhammed, who fled Syria three years ago and was living in the Turkish port city of Mersin, rests against a tree. | Emin OzmenMagnum Photos for TIME The number of people arriving in Greece plummeted in 2017, but Turkey never let its neighbors forget the power it now wielded. Whenever the E.U. tried to censure Turkey over human rights or political repression, Turkish officials would threaten to back down on the deal and let the 3.6 million Syrian refugees living there travel to the E.U. And the deal caused immense suffering. People arriving on the Greek islands were meant to have their asylum requests processed there, with rejected applicants returned to Turkey. But Greece simply did not have the processing capacity, and the island camps swelled, with more than 40,000 people now living in abysmal conditions there. Marc Pierini, a former E.U. diplomat and now visiting scholar at the Carnegie Europe think tank, said the deal was a bizarre piece of diplomacy that offered an array of promises on unrelated fields that the E.U. would always struggle to uphold. But for all its flaws, the E.U. desperate to contain the rise of nationalist forces bet all their cards on the deal. Politicians said this is done with, we dont have to worry too much, Pierini says. A tent made of propped-up branches, wrapped in plastic. Many migrants slept in the area for days, waiting for a chance to cross the border. | Emin OzmenMagnum Photos for TIME It was heavy fighting in the Syrian region of Idlib that pushed Erdogan to finally make good on his threats in late February. Turkey was worried about a fresh influx of refugees and frustrated by the lack of outside help in its military efforts against Russian-backed forces in Syria. Erdogans government also argued that the E.U. aid was never fully disbursed. The E.U. says the money went to third parties rather than the Turkish government, with more than half spent and other funds allocated for dispersal. So on Feb. 28 Erdogan encouraged refugees to head to the border with Greece. We opened the doors, he told Parliament. Some heeded his call, and within days a state of panic descended on the E.U, with unmistakable echoes of 2015. Volleys of tear gas once again flew over the heads of children as riot police were deployed to a border; Greek coastguard vessels were accused of breaching international law by pushing vessels at sea back to Turkey. Greece announced that people arriving in March would get no help, resulting in confused new arrivals sleeping at Lesbos port. A BBC report showed newly arrived children detained in cages. Greece claims to have repelled 35,000 people at the land border since Feb. 28, a significant increase on the 15,000 arrivals by land from Turkey in the whole of 2019. Sandrone says they have seen a few hundred arrivals in a day by sea on Lesbos, unusually high given the winter weather conditions. Men and a child wait in front of the border crossing. | Emin OzmenMagnum Photos for TIME A man sleeps on the ground. | Emin OzmenMagnum Photos for TIME Thousands of migrants wait near the Pazarkule border crossing. | Emin OzmenMagnum Photos for TIME In theory, the E.U. should be prepared by now, says Vasilis Stravaridis, General Director of MSF Greece. We are talking about five years that we have a chronic emergency this is not something new, he tells TIME. There should be a holistic plan which involves all E.U. member state governments to facilitate the evacuation of all these people. But the bloc seems doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past. There were already signs that the Turkey deal was not holding. The numbers arriving to claim asylum in Greece had been rising before Erdogans announcement, with around 75,000 arrivals in 2019 the highest number since 2016. That trend emerged last summer, but there was no new agreement on processing arrivals or distributing people among other E.U. nations, should there be a dramatic increase. The recent ceasefire in Idlib took the immediate pressure off Turkey, and the E.U. has said it will review the terms of the 2016 deal, signaling that they will capitulate on some of Ankaras demands for more money and other forms of assistance. Erdogan is due to meet European leaders in Istanbul next week to continue the negotiations. But any number of world events could send more people on the difficult journey to Europe. You have to go back to the drawing board and find something, Pierini says, because the issue is not going to go away. LOS ANGELES Colleges and universities across the country are launching sweeping measures across core campus operations including instruction, lab work, admissions and financial aid as they confront the fast-moving global coronavirus outbreak. UC Berkeley, San Jose State, San Francisco State, Santa Clara, Princeton, Ohio State and Vanderbilt universities became the latest institutions to announce this week that they would suspend all or most in-person classes immediately or in coming weeks. UC San Diego announced Monday night that all lectures and discussion courses would be conducted online for the spring quarter, which begins March 25. Harvard University is moving to virtual classes and is asking students to move out of their dorms in five days, university spokeswoman Rachael Dane told CNN on Tuesday. Overall, more than 25 universities in the United States, Mideast, Asia and Italy have announced moves to online learning. Other campuses are stepping up restrictions on travel, large gatherings, study-abroad programs and campus events and tours. California Institute of Technology officials, citing an abundance of caution in light of the quickly evolving COVID-19 situation, announced cancellations of all on-campus visit programs indefinitely. The long-term results of the coronavirus will remain to be seen, but its clear that the short-term challenge is probably the greatest that higher education has faced in a generation, said Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education. Every college and university is on a war footing about this and are trying to assemble as much information as possible. Mitchell said higher education has experienced such tumult only a few times in the last century. After 9/11, he said, widespread travel restrictions were initiated and some students were targets of racial and religious profiling. During the Vietnam War, many campuses were inflamed by antiwar protests and lost some students and faculty members to the military draft. The Great Recession of 2008 financially sapped higher education but the damage took place more gradually, with the University of California losing one-third of its state funding over three years, said Nathan Brostrom, who was UC chief financial officer at the time. The difference with the coronavirus, Brostrom said, has been the speed of its onslaught and the dramatic effect it is having across campus. Teresa Watanabe and Nina Agrawal are Los Angeles Times writers. In a massive political development that comes as a setback for Congress, one of its senior leaders and former MP, Jyotiraditya Scindia resigned from the primary membership of Congress party on March 10. Earlier, Scindia had - along with Home Minister Amit Shah - met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the latters residence in the national capital. In his resignation letter addressed to interim Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Scindia wrote that this is a path that has been "drawing itself out over the last year", alluding to the infighting within the party's state unit. "While my aim and purpose remain the same as it has always been from the very beginning, to serve the people of my state and country, I believe I am unable to do this anymore within this party," Scindia has said in his letter, adding that in order to "reflect and realise the aspirations of my people and my workers I believe it is best that I now look ahead at a fresh start". Minutes after the development, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal released a brief statement saying that the party's interim chief, Sonia Gandhi, has "approved the explusion" of Jyotiraditya Scindia from Congress "with immediate effect for anti-party activities". Follow LIVE updates here. The development comes amid high political drama in the state ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections on March 26 and the Budget session of the Assembly scheduled for March 16. Earlier on March 9, 17 MLAs - reportedly loyal to Scindia - were flown to Bengaluru in Karnataka where the BJP is in power. Reports then suggested that this was a part of the internal tussle within the Congress' Madhya Pradesh unit, where tensions between the Scindia and Chief Minister Kamal Nath faction had been simmering ever since the formation of the government in 2018. The Congress holds a thin majority in the 230-member Assembly with its own 114 MLAs and support of two legislators of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), one of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and four independents. The BJP has 107 legislators while two seats are vacant. Who is Jyotiraditya Scindia? Why is this development important? Rumblings within the state Congress unit were on for some time before the crisis blew out in the open, with legislators and ministers loyal to Scindia indicating that the Kamal Nath government will "face crisis" if he is neglected and another saying that he will be the first to support Scindia's new party, if he decides to float it. Jyotiraditya is the last scion of the Scindia family of Marathas which ruled the Gwalior state in pre-independent central-India. His grandmother Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia was once a prominent figure in the Jana Sangh. Jyotiraditya was born on January 1, 1971 in Bombay (now Mumbai) to Madhavrao Scindia and Madhavi Raje Scindia. He studied at Campion School in the city before being sent to The Doon School in Dehradun. He pursued Economics at Harvard University from where he graduated in 1993. In 2001, he completed his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Stanford Graduate School of Business. He also roughed it out with various jobs with Merryl Lynch; the UN in New York; Morgan Stanley in New York, Hong Kong and Mumbai. He jumped into politics after his fathers demise. In 2002, he won the bypoll for the Guna Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh, earlier held by his father. He was re-elected from Guna in the 2004 Lok Sabha election. In 2007, Jyotiraditya was inducted into the Manmohan Singh cabinet as the Minister of State (MoS) for Communications and Information Technology. He was re-elected in 2009 and appointed as the MoS for Commerce and Industry. In 2012, he was made MoS for Power with independent charge. WASHINGTON, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) President and CEO JC Scott issued a letter to the Trump Administration's COVID-19 Task Force outlining pharmacy benefit managers' (PBMs) commitment to offering patients assistance with obtaining prescribed prescription drug regimens. PBMs also stand ready to support federal, state, and local public health agencies as they fight COVID-19. Click here to read the letter. "We recognize the essential role that prescription drugs play in helping hundreds of millions of Americans maintain good health," said Scott. "While COVID-19 itself is a new public health challenge, our companies have substantial experience in helping to mitigate prescription drug access concerns. In the event a national emergency is declared, our companies are fully prepared to provide early access to prescription refills, access to therapeutic alternatives in the event of COVID-19 related shortages, and address pharmacy access barriers." PCMA is the national association representing America's pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). PBMs administer prescription drug plans for more than 270 million Americans who have health insurance from a variety of sponsors including: commercial health plans, self-insured employer plans, union plans, Medicare Part D plans, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), state government employee plans, Medicaid plans, and others. SOURCE Pharmaceutical Care Management Association Related Links http://www.pcmanet.org The St. Patricks Day parade is one of New York Citys oldest and most popular traditions. After parades in Boston and throughout Ireland were canceled amid growing concerns over the new coronavirus, there were questions about whether New York would follow suit. But, it seems that, for now, the citys 258-year-old parade is still on. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio explained the citys current thinking at a press conference about the coronavirus on Monday. It comes back to transmissibility, he said. We see transmission in the home as the leading element, and transmission from people who had close physical proximity. It needs that direct connection. It doesnt entirely fit to cancel big events. Now, were going to watch that day to day, hour to hour. At a certain point we might say, The numbers are telling us something different. New York state is one of the countrys most active coronavirus centers, with 173 confirmed cases. The virus has readily spread in Westchester County, where there are 108 cases in what Gov. Andrew Cuomo called probably the largest cluster of these cases in the United States. In response, the governor announced an emergency 1-mile radius containment zone in New Rochelle and deployed the National Guard. In New York City, there were 36 confirmed coronavirus cases, as of Tuesday. While the city hasnt yet instructed people to avoid large gatherings, major area universities like Columbia, Hofstra, and New York University have either canceled in-person classes or plan to do so shortly, and some will shift students to online classes in order to contain the spread of the virus. One epidemiologist advised alertness and vigilance, but was ultimately supportive of the citys decision to not cancel the St. Patricks Day parade. I dont think that they should cancel it, said Robyn Gershon, a professor of epidemiology at NYUs College of Global Public Health. I think that people who are elderly, people who have chronic diseases or people who are sick are probably not going to go. If you dont get stuck in a crowded noisy bar where youre smacked up against everyone, it will probably be fine. The people who go to those places are not really at risk. We need to try and be as normal as possible. De Blasio has the final say on whether the parade is held, and other city officials have remained cautious on the issue. On Monday, Council Speaker Corey Johnson wrote in a statement to City & State: The City is monitoring new information, and decisions like this one will be guided by what public health officials have to say. We will follow our health experts advice and will do what is best to keep New Yorkers healthy and safe. On Tuesday, Johnson canceled his State of the City address, which had been scheduled for Thursday, out of an abundance of caution. The St. Patricks Day parade, which first took place in 1762, attracts around 2.1 million people annually. It is one of the biggest parades in the world, featuring marchers, bagpipes, high school bands and, of course, local politicians. The parade is especially important in New York state, where 11.5% of people said they have Irish ancestry, which was second only behind Italian heritage, according to census data. Despite the public health concerns, Gershon said there are many reasons to hold these types of events. Theres something about being in a community where were all cheering and clapping where people are excited, she said. Its good to take ourselves away from something thats stressing us out a lot. If city officials are intent on hosting it, I think that people should not be afraid to go. To prevent spreading diseases, she advised attendees to cover their coughs, use tissues and regularly apply hand sanitizer. By Agencies NEW DELHI: Amid the political crisis in Madhya Pradesh following the resignation of Jyotiraditya Scindia from the Congress, the Grand Old Party on Tuesday paid homage to Madhavrao Scindia on his 75th birth anniversary on March 10. Soon after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi earlier in the day, the disgruntled Scindia had tendered his resignation to party president Sonia Gandhi, saying it was now time for him to move on. The development came before the Congress claimed that the party has expelled Scindia for "anti-party activities". "Congress President has approved the expulsion of Jyotiraditya Scindia from the Indian National Congress with immediate effect for anti-party activities," read a statement issued by KC Venugopal, General Secretary, All India Congress Committee (AICC). "Having been a primary member of the Congress Party for the last 18 years. it is now time for me to move on. I am tendering my resignation from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress and as you well know this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year," said Scindia in his resignation letter submitted to Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi. We honour Madhavrao Scindia on his birth anniversary today. He served as a Lok Sabha MP for nine terms & served as the Railways Minister. The first Shatabdi Express was launched during his tenure. pic.twitter.com/b6FwZjptGu Congress (@INCIndia) March 10, 2020 The party tweeted: "We honour Madhavrao Scindia on his birth anniversary today. He served as a Lok Sabha MP for nine terms & served as the Railways Minister. The first Shatabdi Express was launched during his tenure." The father of Jyotiraditya died in an air crash in 2001 in Mainpuri with journalists on board while on the way to his constituency. The shocker for the Madhya Pradesh government came on a day when Chief Minister Kamal Nath met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi at her residence in New Delhi and briefed her about the current political situation in the state following last week's attempt to topple the government. Some Democratic presidential candidates are vowing to end Americas reliance on oil and natural gas. Think tanks call it deep decarbonization. Activists call it keeping it in the ground. What if keeping it in the ground means putting people in the ground prematurely? Overlooked in the climate debate is that oil and natural gas have provided the foundation on which global population has tripled since 1950. From 1950 on, a graph of greenhouse gas emissions tightly correlates with a graph of global population. It takes energy, medicine and food to sustain todays population of 7.7 billion people. Oil and gas contribute overwhelmingly to all three. The links between oil, gas and global health care are too numerous to list, but too vital to ignore. Since the days of the horse and carriage, when Felix Hoffmann at Bayer linked the petrochemical acetyl group with tea from willow bark to make aspirin (1897), petrochemistry has been the basis for pharmaceuticals. The petrochemicals cumene, phenol and others are used to create penicillin and cancer-fighting drugs. Petrochemicals provide the polymers that make both time-release drugs and the capsules they come in. Drugs from petrochemicals aid infants in respiratory distress. In all, approximately 99 percent of pharmaceutical feedstocks are derived from petrochemicals. Hospitals are also heavily dependent on petrochemicals for everything that keeps medical services antiseptic: plastic gloves, sutures coated with triclosan to reduce infection and antibacterial soaps and other cleansers. Prosthetics, too. And of course the energy to power hospitals, ambulances and helicopters. Just a decade ago, the American Journal of Public Health feared running out of oil would impair the future of health care. Since then, hydraulic fracturing has ended that risk: There is plenty of oil and gas for the rest of the century. Oil and gas continue to put the modern in modern medicine. Oil and gas are the horse, medicine the carriage. How will renewable energy replace their benefits? It cant. Will we lightly give up these gains before we understand the alternatives? Recently, Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, released a draft bill on climate change. Called the CLEAN Future Act, Pallones bill seeks net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050. The goal is to decarbonize the economy. The bill would not eliminate oil and gas, but as currently drafted, it could substantially limit the benefits they give our civilization. Pallones bill is a serious effort. It merits substantial input from the oil and gas industry. So, too, does legislation being developed by Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., the Trillion Tree Act. This idea, recently championed at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, would harness the power of photosynthesis to store atmospheric carbon in the Earths vast grasslands and forests. The CLEAN Future Act, and the drastic plans of the Green New Deal, all rely on eliminating new emissions of greenhouse gases. Reducing emissions is part of a strategy for fighting climate change. But more focus must be given to removing those gases once they are in the atmosphere. Technology to remove carbon dioxide from the open air is already commercial. Long-term carbon storage projects are already in operation. And a trillion trees alone could remove all the carbon dioxide that the United Nations says we need to remove by 2100. Humanity is inventive enough to turn down the temperature without turning off medical innovation. While climate activists focus on rising sea levels, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention focuses on rising viruses. There are sensible ways to fight both; all require continued use of oil and gas. When the choices are studied seriously, we will find that it is safer, healthier and cheaper to decarbonize the atmosphere than to decarbonize the economy. Leggette is an attorney in Houston with 40 years experience in energy issues. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RevoluGROUP Canada Inc. (TSX-V: REVO), (Frankfurt:IJA2) (the Company) is pleased to announce that it has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) on Monday 9th March 2020 with Miami based Coello & Company to mutually begin studying an updated proposal submitted to the company by Coello & Company to solicit 28 (twenty-eight) state issued MSB (Money Service Business) licenses in the United States of America for the wholly owned subsidiary RevoluGROUP USA Inc., to later permit the companys proprietary RevoluPAY App and Visa Card to operate seamlessly with funds originating from these states within the United States, allied to unlimited deposits and national/international transfer/payment with said funds utilizing the RevoluPAY app and analogous RevoluPAY Visa Card. Coello & Company Miami LOI Further to the news release dated 3rd February 2020, the company has received an updated proposal dated 9th of March 2020 for consulting services which include both an ongoing advisory function and assistance for the successful petition of Money Services Business (MSB) registration and licensing for a total of twenty-eight (28) US States. RevoluGROUP CEO, Mr. Marshall, signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Coello & Company LLC Managing Director, Mr. Chris Coello, to expedite the approval of the updated proposal. The parties having agreed upon a 45-calendar day window to reach a definitive agreement and, during the interim, to begin preparing any and all corporate documents required. United States licensing is required for companies to transmit funds from one US domiciled party to both national and, international beneficiaries, (commonly known as a Money Transmitter (MT) licenses) when funds originate in the United States. These licenses are governed by each individual state from which the funds originate. The proposal outlines a chronology which includes simultaneous application for the Florida license, as well as the twenty-seven (27) state licenses that can be petitioned through the recently introduced National Multistate Licensing System & Registrys (NMLS) Multistate Money Services Businesses Licensing Agreement (MMLA) Program. The MMLA program provides a convenient central submission point for most information required to obtain multi-state licenses and, in order to reduce the amount of paperwork required for each state/license. 27 US MMLA Initially Proposed Petition States The Coello & Company proposal outlines petitioning 1 MSB license for the state of Florida, the legal domicile state of the wholly owned subsidiary RevoluGROUP USA Inc and, simultaneously, the following 27 individual state MSB license petitions through the MMLA: California, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wyoming. European PSD2 Bank License Update Further to the news release dated 26th February 2020, during the final phases of the Central Banks analysis of the companys PSD2 license petition, a direct line of three-way communication has been permitted by the Central Bank between Alfredo Manresa, CEO of the companys wholly owned subsidiary RevoluPAY S.L and, corporate attorneys Hogan Lovells and, the Head of License Supervision at the Central Bank. The company is appreciative of this latest step proposed by the Central Bank to allow the last-minute details to be expedited in a timely manner. The company remains confident that a PSD2 Banking license will be granted. About RevoluPAY The Companys flagship technology is RevoluPAY, the Apple and Android multinational payment app. Built entirely in-house, RevoluPAY features proprietary, sector specific, technology of which, the resulting source code is the property of the Company. RevoluPAYs built-in features include: Leisure payments, Travel Payments, Retail and Hospitality payments, Remittance Payments, Real Estate Payments, pay-as-you-go phone top-ups, Gift Cards & Online Credits, Utility Bill payments, etc. RevoluPAY is powered by blockchain protocols, and, is squarely aimed at the worldwide multi-billion dollar leisure sector and, + $595 billion family remittance market. RevoluPAY is operated by the European wholly owned subsidiary RevoluPAY S.L located in Barcelona. RevoluPAY S.L operates under European E-money - Directive 2009/110/EC through a licensed electronic money institution or EDE Banking Licensed entity. RevoluGROUP Canada Inc. controls 5 wholly owned subsidiaries on 4 continents. About RevoluGROUP Canada Inc.: RevoluGROUP Canada Inc. is a multi-asset, multidivisional publicly traded Canadian company deploying advanced technologies in the; Online Travel, Vacation Resort, Mobile Apps, Money Remittance, Mobile Phone Top-Ups, EGaming, Healthcare Payments, Esports, Invoice factoring, Blockchain Systems, and Fintech app sectors. Click here to read more. For further information on RevoluGROUP Canada Inc. (TSX-V: REVO) visit the Companys website at www.RevoluGROUP.com. The Company has approximately 158,139,272 shares issued and outstanding. RevoluGROUP Canada Inc. Steve Marshall ______________________ STEVE MARSHALL CEO For further information contact: Don Mosher RevoluGROUP Canada Inc. Telephone: (604) 685-6465 Toll Free: 800-567-8181 Facsimile: 604-687-3119 Email: info@revolugroup.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. She just returned back home to Los Angeles from a busy Fashion Week season. And Kaia Gerber made sure to get in some family time on Monday, as she grabbed coffee with her dad Rande Gerber. The father-daughter-duo matched in straight cut denim jeans for their stroll through West Hollywood. Family stroll: Kaia Gerber made sure to get in some family time on Monday, as she grabbed coffee with her dad Rande Gerber in West Hollywood The 18-year-old runway maven looked casual chic in an oversized striped button-up blouse, in white and red vertical stripes. She teamed it with straight medium wash jeans that hung off her legs a bit. For an easy vibe she wore black and white Converse sneakers, with a brown leather crossbody bag hanging across her chest. Her look: The 18-year-old runway maven looked casual chic in an oversized striped button-up blouse, in white and red vertical stripes, straight jeans and Converse sneakers Wardrobe change: The model changed into a white crop top and black leather jacket for a dinner at the popular San Vicente Bungalows in West Hollywood Kaia kept her short brunette locks down in a sleek style and pushed behind her ears. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she looked extra chic in a pair of large butterfly sunglasses. Meanwhile dad Rande looked easy and casual while sipping on Blue Bottle Coffee with his youngest. It Girl: The nepotistically-privileged daughter of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber just returned from France where she stormed the runways of Miu Miu (L), Chanel (M), Alexander McQueen (R), Givenchy, and Valentino The 57-year-old husband of Cindy Crawford matched his daughter in medium wash straight jeans and black and white sneakers. He teamed it with a plain black tee and a thin black windbreaker jacket. The DNA Model Kaia Gerber flew back home to from Paris last week after hitting the runways in NYC, Milan, London and Paris. In the City of Love she stormed the runways of Miu Miu, Chanel, Alexander McQueen, Givenchy, and Valentino. No pain, no glory! Gerber posted snaps of her gnarly Paris Fashion Week ankle blisters and two men squeezing her into a tight PVC ensemble backstage Line-up: Rande has been married to Cindy Crawford, 53, since 1998, and the couple share model children Presley, 20, and Kaia, 18 (pictured in 2017) On Wednesday, Kaia shared 'highlights from the last month' with her 5.6M social media following including a meme from NBC's The Office captioned: 'If I don't have some cake soon, I might die.' Gerber posted snaps of her gnarly Paris Fashion Week ankle blisters and two men squeezing her into a tight PVC ensemble backstage. In another shot, the 5ft9in catwalker wore both an eye mask and a face mask while seated at a window seat in Delta One class. The Louis Vuitton brand ambassador also shared a picture of false eyelashes resting above her belly button and a snap of her head looking distorted. Weeks after Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a series of subpoenas demanding information about incarcerated immigrants in Oregon, only one law enforcement agency has said it complied with the demands. The subpoenas are part of a broad and escalating battle between state and federal governments over sanctuary laws and immigrant rights. Federal authorities issued a spate of subpoenas in February to several Oregon agencies, including the Washington County Sheriffs Office, the Clackamas County Sheriffs Office, the Hillsboro Police Department and the Oregon State Police. The subpoenas had a March 3 deadline. Washington County complied, while Hillsboro has initially refused. The Hillsboro Police Department, as well as other agencies, are still reviewing the legality of the subpoenas, in light of what they see as contradictions between state and federal laws. Oregon has a statewide sanctuary law that limits cooperation between local enforcement agencies and federal immigration enforcement. Immigration advocates have lauded the intent of the laws to protect immigrants, but opponents contend they unfairly hamper enforcement efforts and help criminals. In a statement, ICE said the subpoenas were a necessary response to dangerous sanctuary laws that force Oregon law enforcement agencies to deny information requests. So far this year, ICE has also issued subpoenas in California, Colorado, Connecticut and New York. The statement thanked the Washington County Sheriffs office for complying with the subpoena. ICE will use the information provided by (the Washington County Sheriffs Office) to locate, arrest and remove dangerous criminal aliens from our community, said Michael Melendez, acting field office director for enforcement and removal. The subpoenas requested contact information for individuals, including addresses, phone numbers, and passport or foreign identification card information. A spokesman from the Washington County Sheriffs Office said the decision to comply was about following the law. In a statement, the agency said the subpoenas were legal according to federal law and that sharing requested information complied with Oregon law. I dont think we want to weigh in as far as the politics are concerned, Deputy Brian van Kleef said. Its about following the law and keeping communities safe. As law enforcement we are caught between federal and state law, and we do our best to strike a balance between the two. The city of Hillsboro, however, called the subpoenas a new tactic designed to circumvent state and local laws. In a statement issued March 6, city officials said they are waiting for an opinion from a federal court judge about the legality of the subpoena. This is a moral issue and a matter of principle, Mayor Steve Callaway said. ICE has taken a political action, making a strategic decision to use an administrative subpoena to undermine state and local law. We will not go along with this tactic at the expense of our community members. Advocates for immigrant rights contend the subpoenas are an effort at racial division and fearmongering. We understand its a coordinated campaign from ICE, intended to cause fear in our community and in Oregon immigrants, said Ivan Hernandez, spokesman for the Oregon immigrant advocacy group Causa. This is a message of hate and division and is not what we stand for here in Oregon. These fears were further stoked when ICE officers arrested a man at a school bus stop in the Tigard-Tualatin School District Feb. 26. Clackamas and Wasco law enforcement have yet to announce how they will respond to requests that place them in the middle of contradictory state and federal laws. According to Sgt. Marcus Mendoza, the Clackamas County Sheriffs Office has requested a federal court determination. The agency cooperated with a past request from ICE in 2014 that resulted in the county being fined for complying after an Oregon court declared the request invalid. The Wasco county Sheriffs Office also intends to examine the legal requirements. We are presently engaged in the careful review of the Immigration Enforcement Subpoena, the Wasco County Sheriffs Office said in a Feb. 26 news release. We are dedicated to a thorough process. The Oregon State Police did not respond to requests for information about its response to the subpoenas. -- Piper McDaniel; amcdaniel@oregonian.com; 503-221-4307; @piperamcdaniel Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. A bargaining chip for dealing with the Likud. Thats how Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz described the option of forming a minority government with the support of the Arab Joint List after the September 2019 election. For the past few days, however, he has pushed ahead with the same idea and fully intends to implement it. The one person behind the scenes who has given him the confidence he needs to push ahead with this is Yisrael Beitenu party chairman, Avigdor Liberman. Liberman has shifted gears in his plan to remove Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from politics once and for all. On March 5, it became obvious that he was willing to walk back the promise most identified with him that he would not cooperate with the Joint List. In the past, he even charged its members with aiding and abetting terrorism and told them to go to that parliament in Ramallah. Now, however, when forced to choose between his promise to never sit in a government with Netanyahu and his total rejection of the Joint List, Liberman chose to break the latter promise. It was the kind of turning point in the plot, which restored hope to the Blue and White party after failing to win at the ballot box March 2, after yet another election. The Likud and the right-wing Orthodox bloc actually got stronger, and the Blue and White party and its leaders slipped into despair. But then Liberman showed them that all was not lost, and that when dealing with Netanyahu, they had no choice but to break out their somewhat more unconventional weapons. Besides, Liberman already promised that there wouldnt be a fourth round of elections. His calculations were simple: There is a common interest among the anti-Netanyahu bloc Blue and White, Labor-Meretz-Gesher, Liberman and the Arab Joint List to get rid of Netanyahu immediately, and this bloc holds 62 seats, compared to Netanyahus own bloc of 58 seats. As far as Liberman is concerned, it is all one move, and seeing it through would mean that the right-wing, ultra-Orthodox bloc of Netanyahu would be history. It will then be possible to form a stable unity government without Netanyahu. This tactic was based on the assumption that the Likud and the right would feel so threatened by the possibility of losing power that they would break apart Netanyahus bloc. The plan sounded promising. The problem, as became quite clear over the last few days, is that it wasnt worked out to the last detail. Two right-wing Knesset members from the Blue and White party, Yoaz Hendel and Zvi Hauser, refuse to support a minority government backed by the Joint List. Without them, the chance of it actually happening is slim. They held a series of intense talks with Blue and White senior Moshe Yaalon, who brought them to the Blue and White party in the first place. He went so far as to demand that they resign from the Knesset if they dont support the move. Yet even that was not enough to convince them to change their minds. Both Hendel and Hauser are standing firm for now, and have no plans to resign. Netanyahu jumped on this opportunity to attack Gantz, calling him Erdogan. This was, of course, his way to hit back at the Blue and White party, which used their campaign to compare him to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the dictator who came to power in a democratic election. As it turned out, the deal wasnt sealed with the Joint List either. Over the last few days, its members have announced that they will not recommend Gantz without a series of steps on his part, including a promise to repeal the Nationality Law and reject the Trump deal. The problem is that Gantz already embraced the deal, calling it historic. What all this shows is that Gantz may be galloping ahead, toward the goal of a minority government, without preparing himself adequately for such an extreme move. It could cause him to lose everything. If this attempt fails, it is unlikely that he will continue to lead the Blue and White party. In fact, its voters could start to abandon the party altogether, after following it through thick and thin in the past three elections. Furthermore, the Blue and White party will no longer be able to run as a centrist party with right-wing tendencies. As much as it has pulled through everything and acted tenaciously as a united party, it could split. That would be one failure too many. Once that happens, the right will get even stronger in the polls. Given the Hauser and Hendel crisis, it seems obvious to everyone that the Blue and White party will not last long in its current constellation. The uncomfortable truth jutting out from the polls is that most of Israels Jewish citizens, including a significant number of Blue and White supporters, are unwilling to accept the notion of cooperation with the countrys Arab Knesset members. In contrast, most of the Joint Lists Knesset members have a strong sense of identity as Palestinians. They do not hide that, nor will they suppress it in any way, when faced with Jewish nationalism. This is the source of their strength among the Arab public, which gave them a historic 15 seats. On the other side of the divide is Netanyahu, but it is not just him either. During the last election campaign, all the leaders of Blue and White swore that they would not, under any circumstances, sit in a government backed by the Arab Joint List. Gantz was asked about this in every interview he gave, right up to the election. In response, he declared again and again that it would never happen. Former Chief of Staff Yaalon said that these were lies being spread by Netanyahu, while the No. 2 in the party, Yair Lapid, reiterated confidently that there would be no government supported by the Joint List. They were not speaking in a vacuum either. All internal polling by Blue and White in the weeks leading up to the election indicated that the party was losing seats to the Likud and other parties on the right. Netanyahu was able to stick us with the Arabs, someone said at a Blue and White party campaign meeting, according to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity. And in fact, Netanyahu ran a successful campaign, arguing that Gantz would not have a government without the Joint List. This message trickled down to the wider public, as much as Blue and White did everything they could and more to prove that Netanyahu was spreading lies. For now, Gantzs actions in favor of forming a government supported by the Joint List only validates Netanyahus claim. It certainly poses a problem for those Blue and White voters who lean to the right, but also for those with more centrist views. The immediate consequence of all this is that if there is a fourth round of elections, the Blue and White party will not run with the same list as it has now, and that this will likely have implications in the voting booth. These are tense times, different from anything the Israeli political system has seen since its inception. On one side is a prime minister who is about to stand trial for bribery, but is nevertheless more popular than ever in his own party, but also among supporters of the right-wing, ultra-Orthodox bloc. On the other side are the extreme steps being taken to bring him down. What all this means is that this political quagmire is far from over. While the option of a unity government is not on the table, it may yet resurface as a result of the impending crises surrounding the coronavirus and the economic emergency that will likely ensue. That would offer a good opportunity for everyone to climb off of their high horse and avoid a fourth round of elections, from which the only person who would really benefit is Netanyahu. J oe Biden might not look like an invigorator of the progressive cause. He is 77, which makes Donald Trump at a mere 73 look like a candidate for the youth vote. The US presidency is set to be a race of septuagenarians Bidens radical opponent, Bernie Sanders is a year older. But Biden, a former vice-president under Obama, has made the great political comeback of the campaign, consolidating support in the fractious Democratic Party ranks since his breakthrough in South Carolina on Super Tuesday last week, and accumulating endorsements as fast as he can send his homely, handwritten thank you for your faith in me notes. Cory Booker, the New Jersey senator, has now pledged his support, along with former fellow contenders Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg who fought doughty campaigns but fell by the wayside. Michael Bloomberg, the former New York mayor who entered the fray with a fortune to spend, is also out, but likely to throw his formidable data-gathering machine behind Biden. Perhaps more significantly as the Michigan state primary held tonight looks set to seal Bidens new-found status as frontrunner Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the firebrand New York congresswoman, has said she will back her ideological foe if he emerges as the partys candidate a savvy break with hardline Sanders supporters muttering darkly about betrayal and preparing for oblivion. Nomination battles can feel like an extended family feud. But the Biden advance is also a moment when our own battered centrists might feel a tingle of encouragement, it is, it turns out, still possible to make advances from the middle ground. If Biden sustains his momentum in Michigan and make it decisive in the Florida primary next week, it is hard to see how the Democrats will not enter the presidential race represented by a warhorse who first ran for nomination back in 1988. Old school: Democratic front-runner Joe Biden at a rally in Detroit, Michigan / AP Watching this unfold in the US, then returning to the UK to find the Labour leadership race grinding on to the point where even the waspish John McDonnell conceded to Andrew Marr that it felt interminable, it struck me that Bidens surge is totemic of where middle-ground hopes and fears lie. Biden, as one senior Democrat in Washington put it to me is, a not-ideal candidate except for the fact that he can beat Trump, which makes him a the perfect one. The high-minded, like Cory Booker (who always sounds like Tony Blair circa 1997) says he can return honour to a US reputation traduced by Trump. But honour without connection to blue-collar Americans is an empty boast and a one-way ticket to the I told you so lecture circuit. See Hillary Clinton for proof. You do not need a candidate you like or identify with. You need a candidate who can stop your opponent Bidens voting record is old-school support for the hard-pressed working-classes he connects with from a hardscrabble background in Pennsylvania. He supports higher minimum wages, and climate-change policies which diverge from Trumps denialism, and has challenged the divisive identity politics of his foes by winning big among black Americans in his latest state contest. After half a century of machine politics, there are flaws too in his patchy voting record and most recently, the squalls surrounding his son Hunters business dealings in Ukraine. However, the single reason for supporting him is that he is the only candidate with any realistic chance of beating Donald Trump, which makes him the sole candidate in the race who the President fears. That is the lesson the Labour Party needs to take from the US contest. Is Labour choosing a candidate with any chance of winning power or one who is a diversion from reality? The more time I spend in the US, the more I believe the American electorate is sending a signal that the Left in Britain needs to hear. You do not need a candidate you like or identify with. You need one to stop your opponent (in this case Boris Johnson with a large majority) securing two terms in office the politicians industry standard for success. It is fashionable to deride American politics as a bit crazy, venal or superficial. That is parochial short-sightedness, when you consider the flashpoints of Labours race, in which even a natural centrist like Lisa Nandy started out eloquently defending small-town, Leave-voting Britain, then lost herself in an arcane argument over transgender rights. Sir Keir Starmer, the likely victor, has also just tied himself to an undeliverable commitment to mass renationalisation. Add the decision to suspend Trevor Phillips, a former head of the Equalities Commission, who has been from the party over alleged Islamophobia. I happen think some of Phillipss past language about Muslims and their different way of life jars and that he has drawn overly sweeping conclusions about Muslim communities in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and arguments about integration. But the large tent of democratic parties must accommodate a range of views and strengths of feeling. They are not a dictatorship of the woke, because if they attempt to be, they will fail and leave behind the majority of voters. It brings to mind the response attributed to the poet W H Auden who observed that we were not put on earth to be nanny to the world. We can have our own convictions, but it is wrong to assume our fellow humans share them. The other reason to learn from the Biden surge is that it involves a shift away from assuming that the public is as progressive as its noisy activists. Condescension is built into this recipe. Hence the absurdity of Corbyn supporters asserting that a vast array of policies at the last general election was popular on the doorstep, while the party succumbed to a Tory surge in its heartlands. The race for the White House is a reminder that the job of opposition is to take power from someone else. If it cannot take this task seriously, it might as well not show up. Biden, warts and all, is showing up on behalf of middle-ground Democrat supporters. Until Labour has proved it can put aside its suicidal sectarianism and do likewise, dont mock America. The US presidential race shows Labour the way ahead, if it can escape its deadly echo chamber and listen up. Our decision to close school is above and beyond what is being recommended by health authorities and is not in response to a threat in our community. We feel it is extremely important that we take all necessary precautions to best protect our students, staff and community members. We do anticipate school being reopened on Thursday, March 12, the districts announcement said. William Shakespeares final, bleak comedy, Measure for Measure, is a play about justice and mercy, in which a zealous judge punishes an innocent man, extorts his sister for sex and is eventually brought low by his own corruption. Portland playwright Anya Pearsons new adaptation of the play, which runs through March 22 at Bag&Baggage in Hillsboro, moves the setting from Renaissance Vienna to modern-day Portland and asks, What if the innocent man were black? Would justice and mercy still prevail? If youve paid much attention to the news, you already know the answer. The Measure of Innocence begins with Claudio (Donovan Mahannah) being violently arrested outside the Moda Center by a trio of white cops who have mistaken him for a purse-snatcher, despite the protestations of his friends who have been with him all night. At his arraignment, a smug prosecutor named Angelo (James Luster) insists on Claudios guilt, a jaded and distracted public defender (Kymberli Colbourne) offers scant opposition and an uncaring judge (Mandana Khoshnevisan) sets an unattainable bail. While Claudio sits in jail, his pregnant fiance, Juliet (Janelle Rae), struggles alongside his friend Lucky (Curtis Maxey Jr.) and devout sister, Isabel (Kayla Dixon), to get anyone with power to help him. No one does. Claudio is offered an outrageous plea bargain. Isabel visits the prosecutor to beg for her brothers release. Things get worse from there. The Measure of Innocence was commissioned by Bag&Baggage as part of its Problem Play Project, a series of new works by writers of color inspired by Shakespeare plays that dont fit into classic categories of comedy and tragedy, such as A Winters Tale and Troilus and Cressida. Pearson embraces the oddity the original play, cramming her adaptation with dramatic ideas. There are comic interludes, poetic choruses, scenes of silent movement and urgent asides by the playwright herself. There are quotes drawn from news so recent that the script seems to be written almost on the fly. What Pearson has created is a work of provocation, an attempt to shock the predominantly white, predominantly liberal Hillsboro audience out of complacency and into action. She repeatedly interrupts the story to remind viewers that the violence and injustice happening onstage racist police officers, indifferent courts, pointless imprisonment and sexual coercion are not metaphorical, but reflect the real experiences of millions of African Americans. I am tired of the world being broken, she writes in the program. This is how I fight. Join me. Janelle Rae as Juliet and Donovan Mahannah as Claudio in "The Measure of Innocence" at Bag&Baggage Productions.Casey Campbell Strengths: The story at the heart of The Measure of Innocence is tightly directed (by Wednesday Sue Derrico) and movingly performed. Mahannah plays Claudios imprisonment with aching subtlety, shifting slowly from stoic defiance to resigned defeat as he is ground down by a system designed to do just that. Rae shows Juliet moving in the opposite direction, her rage and dismay growing ever stronger as she realizes the courts are not necessarily interested in justice. Maxey, a gifted performer who Id love to see onstage much more often than he has been, brings a loose, buoyant charm to Lucky, a garrulous striver who turns his creativity to trying to free his friend. Perhaps as an echo of Shakespeares bawdy, comic asides, Pearson inserts a scene of pious progressive women saying increasingly awful, racist things while congratulating themselves for their righteousness. At first, the scene felt like an odd distraction, but as it dragged on it reminded the viewers that they share responsibility for injustice and Oregon is no exception. Weaknesses: Pearson tries a lot of things in Measure, not all of which work. Writing herself into the play as a chorus is an interesting idea, but her interruptions are so frequent as to imply a lack of confidence in her story to convey her ideas, the actors to perform them and the audience to understand them. A little less interpretation would go a long way. In addition to herself, Pearson offers two mouthpieces in the forms of Shakespeare (Phillip J. Burns) and an unnamed Late Night Talk Show Host (Murren Kennedy) two white men, she says, to set the audience at ease. Her dialogue with Shakespeare makes sense, as she wrestles with adapting his story, but the host serves no purpose that I could discern. Kennedys performance is good, but the play wouldnt suffer at all from his absence. Several times, a character called President appears to deliver incoherent mashups of Donald Trump quotes. Eventually, he is joined by Nixon and Hitler. Perhaps these monologues are intended to show how racist ideology pervades the structures of American life, or perhaps as a reminder not to be crushed into complacency, but they made me want to crawl under my seat a credit, I suppose, to James Lusters skill as an impersonator. Derrico, the director, has some trouble tying all these pieces together, as demonstrated on the night I attended, when the audience, thinking the play had ended, burst into premature applause three times. Murren Kennedy, Anya Pearson, and Phillip J. Berns in "The Measure of Innocence" at Bag&Baggage Productions.Casey Campbell Takeaway: The Measure of Innocence is overstuffed and overlong, but nonetheless affecting and persuasive. Written as both an anguished work of protest and a clever reinterpretation of a difficult text, it mostly succeeds at both goals, though not always at the same time. The play isnt tidy or polished, but it will make you feel sorrow and anger, and might spur you to action. The Measure of Innocence When: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays through March 22. Facilitator James Dixon leads an audience discussion after each performance. Where: The Vault Theatre, 350 E. Main St., Hillsboro Tickets: $32 adults, $27 students and seniors, bagnbaggage.org or 503-345-9590. Ben Waterhouse, for The Oregonian/OregonLive The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday said it was yet to decide whether to approach the Supreme Court against the Allahabad High Court's order to immediately remove the posters of those accused of vandalism during protests against the amended citizenship law. The posters, bearing photographs, names and addresses of those accused of vandalism during protests against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act in December, had come up at major road crossings in Lucknow last Thursday. The Allahabad High Court had on Monday ordered the Lucknow adminstration to remove these posters. "Nothing has been decided on this yet. We will decide what we have to do," Awanish Awasthi, additional chief secretary, home, told PTI when asked about media reports that the state government would challenge the decision in the apex court. Asked about any meeting of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath with senior officers, Awasthi said: "No such meeting was held". A bench of Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Ramesh Sinha also directed the district magistrate and the Lucknow police commissioner to submit a report in this regard by next Monday. The court had on Sunday termed the move "highly unjust", saying it was an "absolute encroachment on personal liberty of individuals". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [March 10, 2020] First Trust Advisors L.P. Announces Continuation of Share Repurchase Programs for Certain Closed-End Funds First Trust Advisors L.P. ("FTA") is pleased to announce that the Board of Trustees of each of First Trust High Income Long/Short Fund (NYSE: FSD), First Trust/Aberdeen (News - Alert) Emerging Opportunity Fund (NYSE: FEO), and First Trust/Aberdeen Global Opportunity Income Fund (NYSE: FAM) has authorized the continuation of each Fund's Share Repurchase Program. Pursuant to each Fund's Share Repurchase Program, each Fund may, from time to time and at the direction of management personnel, repurchase up to the amount of shares in each Fund's Share Repurchase Program described below in secondary market transactions in accordance with applicable law. Each Fund's Share Repurchase Program will continue until the earlier of (i) the repurchase of the amount of shares remaining in each Fund's Share Repurchase Program (4.35% of outstanding FSD shares, 4.91% of outstanding FEO shares and 4.18% of outstanding FAM shares) or (ii) March 15, 2021. Fund Number of Shares Available for Repurchase through March 15, 2021 First Trust High Income Long/Short Fund 1,496,664 First Trust/Aberdeen Emerging Opportunity Fund 248,240 First Trust/Aberdeen Global Opportunity Income Fund 533,527 Each Fund's repurchase activity will be disclosed in its shareholder report for the relevant fiscal period. There is no assurance that any Fund will purchase shares at any specific levels or in any specific amounts. The risks of investing in each Fund are spelled out in its respective shareholder reports, and other regulatory filings. Each Fund's daily closing price and net asset value per share as well as other information can be found at www.ftportfolios.com or by calling (800) 988-5891. FTA is a federally registered investment advisor and serves as the Funds' investment advisor. FTA and its affiliate First Trust Portfolios L.P. ("FTP"), a FINRA registered broker-dealer, are privately-held companies that provide a variety of investment services. FTA has collective assets under management or supervision of approximately $138 billion as of February 29, 2020 through unit investment trusts, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, mutual funds and separate managed accounts. FTA is the supervisor of the First Trust unit investment trusts, while FTP is the sponsor. FTP is also a distributor of mutual fund shares and exchange-traded fund creation units. FTA and FTP are based in Wheaton, Illinois. The information presented is not intended to constitute an investment recommendation for, or advice to, any specific person. By providing this information, FTA is not undertaking to give advice in any fiduciary capacity within the meaning of ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code. FTA has no knowledge of and has not been provided any information regarding any investor. Financial advisors must determine whether particular investments are appropriate for their clients. FTA believes the financial advisor is a fiduciary, is capable of evaluating investment risks independently and is responsible for exercising independent judgment with respect to its retirement plan clients. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the laws of such state or jurisdiction. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005929/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Furloughs. Sick leave. Working from home. You could experience any of these measures as businesses try to prevent their employees from being exposed to the coronavirus outbreak that health officials warn is almost inevitable in the United States. Some companies have already taken precautions like limiting travel to affected countries or big international conferences. Others have asked employees to stay home because they visited a country with a more serious outbreak. But with new unexplained cases being reported in the United States and the first domestic death from the illness reported on Saturday a growing number of American workers could soon be asked to alter their routines, or just stay home. Exactly how that affects you will depend on many factors, including the generosity of your employers benefits and where you live. Heres what labor lawyers and business groups say could potentially unfold in your workplace and what rights workers have. US President Donald Trump discussed "global energy markets" with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, the White House said Tuesday, after a deep plunge in oil prices shook markets worldwide. The White House statement said Trump spoke with the crown prince on Monday but gave few details on the substance of their discussions, "The president and the crown prince discussed global energy markets and other critical regional and bilateral issues," it said. On Monday, oil prices plummeted by more than 30 percent in international markets as a price war broke out between Saudi Arabia and Russia, triggering a massive sell-off in global stock markets. By Tuesday, oil prices had bounced back 10 percent and stock markets also rebounded. (Newser) Joe Biden is rallying for last-minute votes in Michiganand he maybe didn't get this guy's. While visiting an assembly plant being built for Fiat Chrysler, one of the construction workers started a heated conversation with the Democratic contender about guns. "You are actively trying to end our Second Amendment right and take away our guns," the man said, to which Biden replied, "You're full of s---." CBS News quotes the conversation from there, and it remained just as colorful: Biden insisted he was supportive of the Second Amendment, per Bloomberg. "I have a shotgun, I have a 20-gauge, a 12-gauge. My sons hunt. Guess what? Im not taking your gun away at all. You need 100 rounds? story continues below The man pushed back, saying Biden was "trying to take our guns." Biden insisted, "I did not say that. I did not say that." The man then referenced a viral video, which Biden shot down, describing it as "a viral video like the other ones they're putting out that are simply a lie." Then the finish: "This is not OK, alright?" the man said. Biden's response: "Don't tell me that, pal, or I'm going to go out and slap you in the face." The man insisted, "You're working for me, man!" Biden disagreed: "I'm not working for you. Don't be such a horse's ass." From Detroit Biden is headed to Columbus, Ohio, where he's set to talk to leaders of gun safety groups. Michigan is one of six states holding its primary on Tuesday. (Biden has dropped the f-bomb before.) By Stephanie Kelly NEW YORK (Reuters) - Crude prices suffered their biggest daily rout since the 1991 Gulf War on Monday as top producers Saudi Arabia and Russia began a price war that threatens to overwhelm global oil markets with supply.A nearly 25% slump in oil prices triggered panic selling and heavy losses on Wall Street's main stock indexes as the rapid spread of coronavirus amplified fears of a global recession. [MKTS/GLOB] Saudi Arabia and Russia both said they would raise production at the weekend after a three-year pact between them and other major oil producers to limit supply fell apart on Friday. By Stephanie Kelly NEW YORK (Reuters) - Crude prices suffered their biggest daily rout since the 1991 Gulf War on Monday as top producers Saudi Arabia and Russia began a price war that threatens to overwhelm global oil markets with supply.A nearly 25% slump in oil prices triggered panic selling and heavy losses on Wall Street's main stock indexes as the rapid spread of coronavirus amplified fears of a global recession. [MKTS/GLOB] Saudi Arabia and Russia both said they would raise production at the weekend after a three-year pact between them and other major oil producers to limit supply fell apart on Friday. Moscow had refused to support the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in making a deeper oil cut to cope with the substantial fall in demand caused by the impact of coronavirus on travel and economic activity. Brent crude futures fell $10.91, or 24.1%, to settle at $34.36 a barrel. The contract fell by as much as 31% earlier in the day to $31.02, its lowest since Feb. 12, 2016. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell $10.15, or 24.6%, to settle at $31.13 a barrel. WTI earlier dropped 33% to $27.34, also the lowest since Feb. 12, 2016. Monday marked the biggest one-day percentage decline for both benchmarks since Jan. 17, 1991, when oil prices fell a third at the outset of the U.S. Gulf War. Trading volumes in the front-month for both contracts hit record highs. Energy stock prices have also fallen sharply, and shale producers began cutting spending in anticipation of lower revenues. Exxon shares lost more than 12%, the largest one-day percentage loss since Oct. 15, 2008, the height of the financial crisis. Chevron's shares fell more than 15%, the biggest loss since the October 1987 "Black Monday" market crash. "Over the weekend every company redid their numbers and basically shale goes into survival mode in terms of capital expenditure and activity," said Dan Yergin, vice chairman of IHS Markit. Saudi Arabia plans to boost its crude output above 10 million barrels per day (bpd) in April from 9.7 million bpd in recent months, two sources told Reuters on Sunday. The kingdom slashed its export prices at the weekend to encourage refiners to buy more. Russia, one of the world's top producers alongside Saudi Arabia and the United States, also said it could lift output and that it could cope with low oil prices for six to 10 years. OPEC, Russia and other producers had cooperated for three years to restrain supply in a group known as OPEC+. Other countries in that group are likely to raise supply and cut prices to compete, adding to a market already awash with crude. "The prognosis for the oil market is even more dire than in November 2014, when such a price war last started, as it comes to a head with the signicant collapse in oil demand due to the coronavirus," Goldman Sachs said. Saudi Arabia, Russia and other major producers last battled for market share in 2014 in a bid to put a squeeze on production from the United States, which has not joined any output limiting pacts and is now the world's biggest producer of crude thanks to a rapid rise in output from the shale sector. The global outbreak of the coronavirus prompted de facto OPEC leader Saudi Arabia to seek additional output cuts from the OPEC+ group. More than 110,000 people have been infected in 105 countries and territories and 3,800 have died, the vast majority in mainland China, according to a Reuters tally. China's efforts to curb the coronavirus outbreak has disrupted the world's second-largest economy and cut shipments to the biggest oil importer. The International Energy Agency said oil demand was set to contract in 2020 for the first time since 2009. The agency cut its annual forecast and said that demand would contract by 90,000 bpd in 2020 from 2019. Major banks also have cut their demand growth forecasts. Morgan Stanley predicted China would have zero demand growth in 2020, while Goldman Sachs sees a contraction of 150,000 bpd in global demand. Bank of America reduced its Brent crude price forecast to $45 a barrel in 2020 from $54 a barrel. "The radical shift in policy suggests that Saudi will allow inventories to build sharply over the next three quarters," said a Bank of America Global Research report. "As a result, we now expect Brent oil prices to temporarily dip into the $20s range over the coming weeks." (Additional reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov in London, Aaron Sheldrick in Tokyo, Scott DiSavino and Jessica Resnick-Ault in New York and Shu Zhang in Singapore; Editing by Simon Webb, Marguerita Choy and Sonya Hepinstall) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Chances are Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has never heard of Silviu Itescu, the head of Australian biotech Mesoblast. They have little in common other than a fierce commercial interest in COVID-19. They both want to find a cure. Over the past month, the epidemic has played havoc with Qantas's business. Its share price, which is down about 40 per cent, has now spread to Joyces pay packet. (He announced on Tuesday he would not receive a salary for the rest of the financial year). The sharemarket minnow Mesoblast distinguished itself on Tuesday as one of the best-performing stocks on the ASX - up 28 per cent in morning trading after it announced success in treating a sample, albeit small, of patients that had a severe response to COVID-19. One persons crisis is anothers opportunity. Biotech Mesoblast is gearing up for trials. And other than chief executive Itescu, no one will be more pleased than two of Mesoblasts big shareholders, Anthony Pratt and his brother-in-law Alex Waislitzs Thorney Investment. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel in the ongoing trial of a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, in an FCT High Court on Tuesday, expressed frustration over attitude of witnesses from the Office of the SGF. Mr Lawal is facing trial alongside six others in an alleged N544.1 million grass-cutting scandal. He was arraigned alongside, his brother, Hamidu Lawal, who is a director of Rholavision Engineering Limited. Also, an employee of the company, Sulaiman Abubakar and the Managing Director of Josmon Technologies Limited, Apeh John Monday, are being prosecuted by EFCC. They are charged on a 10-count charge bordering on conspiracy and fraud. The six defendants all pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against them. The EFCC counsel, Ofem Uket, made this known after leading Aminu Muhammed, a Principal Procurement Officer in the OSGF, in evidence. The witness testified as the fourth prosecution witness (PW4) in the case. He said 80 per cent of the witnesses called by the anti-corruption commission so far were from the OSGF, adding that he knew what he was facing from them. Over 80 per cent of the witnesses I bring to court, are all coming from OSGF, Mr Uket stated. He told the court that the case was adjourned until February 19 at the instance of the witness. I called him last week, he said he was in his village. I called him yesterday in the presence of the IPO and he said he was in Bauchi. The IPO told him that he (IPO) had a tracker which showed that he (witness) was in Abuja. It was then he admitted that he was in Abuja. I only saw him today, Mr Uket told the court. The judge, Jude Okeke, however, stated that the court had nothing to say to the complaints raised by the prosecutor because he (prosecutor) knows what to do in that instance. Mr Okeke adjourned the matter until April 8. Earlier, the witness told the court that he was a member of the Evaluation Committee of the Presidential Initiative on North-East (PINE). According to him, after evaluating the bids submitted by companies bidding for projects by PINE, including Rholavision Engineering Limited and Josmon Technologies Limited, his committee sent reports to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and the Ministerial Tender Board in the OSGF. He stated that the technical reports sent by his committee was for approval by the Ministerial Tender Board (MTB), adding that where any irregularities occurred the reports would be sent back to PINE for correction. They checked the report and approve or send it back to PINE, when the report is approved, the company gets the contracts, he stated. The contracts, the witness said, were awarded by PINE. Members of the MTB, according to the PW4, were permanent secretaries or their representatives, Directors of Legal, Finance, Procurement, Internal Audit and Press in the OSGF. Muhammed stated that he was the person who signed the letters of award of contracts to both Rholavision Engineering Limited and Josmon Technologies Limited. Advertisements He added that it was not the MTB in the OSGF that allowed him or the PINE secretary to issue letters of award of contract. The PW4 further stated that about 108 companies including the fifth and sixth defendants, bided for different projects from PINE. However, while being cross-examined by counsel for the defendants, including Akin Olujimi, SAN, and Solomon Ameh SAN, counsel for Mr Babachir and Mr Hamidu respectively, the witness stated that nine of the defendants played any roles in the procurement processes conducted by PINE. (NAN) With every day passing, and the headlines getting further hogged by worrisome developments regarding the spread of the coronavirus, the need for a treatment or vaccine becomes more acute. The market has recognized the need, too. While the bloodbath across all the major indexes continues, apart from a few outliers, the biotech companies searching for solutions are among the only names to have experienced any upward movement recently. Which brings us to small-cap biotech firm CytoDyn Inc. (CYDY). Yesterday, CytoDyn reported it had filed an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to launch a Phase 2 trial in the U.S. with leronlimab (PRO 140) in patients infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus. CytoDyns management have noted that deaths caused by COVID-19 are mostly a result of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), as the virus in human lungs causes an influx of macrophage and immune cells and the cytokines released result in even more influx of immune cells and inflammation. As an immunomodulator, leronlimab could disrupt this cycle and reduce ARDS-related mortality. Additionally, CytoDyn is in talks with licensing partners in China and Taiwan to develop leronlimab to treat cancer as well as coronavirus infections. The company has successfully completed a Phase 3 trial with leronlimab in combination with standard anti-retroviral therapies in HIV-infected treatment-experienced patients which met its primary endpoint. CytoDyn has submitted the first section (non-clinical) of its Biological License Application (BLA) for that indication, while the clinical and CMC (chemistry, manufacturing and controls) portions of the BLA are still being worked on. H.C. Wainwrights Yi Chen argues the successful data on other indications for leronlimab will stand the company in good stead. Chen said, In our view, since leronlimab has already shown solid safety in multiple clinical trials in HIV and cancer, it has an edge vs. other therapies currently only undergoing preclinical testing. There are over 110,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases globally, with the epidemic approaching 4,000 deaths worldwide. leronlimab may become a lifesaving drug if its efficacy against COVID-19 and ARDS can be proven in a Phase 2 trial. Story continues As a result, Chen reiterates a Buy rating on CytoDyn shares, alongside a price target of $1.50. Investors could see upside of 38%, should the target be met over the next twelve months. (To watch Chens track record, click here) To find good ideas for biotech stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. That's according to the country's health ministry. No new cases of the novel coronavirus infection have been recorded in Ukraine, while bio samples of four patients are still being tested. Thats according to the Health Ministry's Public Health Center. In its report posted on Facebook, the Center says that since year-start, a total of 40 biological samples from individuals with suspected Covid-19 have been submitted for lab examination. Only one person tested positive for coronavirus on March 3. Read alsoUkraine to ban mass events, temporarily shut schools amid coronavirus concerns As UNIAN reported earlier, on March 3, the first case of coronavirus infection was confirmed in Ukraine's Chernivtsi. The patient had just arrived from Italy, the country with the fastest pace of coronavirus spread outside China to date. The man was hospitalized, while his wife, who had also traveled along with the Chernivtsi-based man, was also admitted to a hospital a few days later after a short period of isolation at home. The woman has no symptoms of coronavirus, health officials report. OTTAWA - The Liberal government is defending its decision to take more than $4.1 million from Veterans Affairs Canada's operating budget at a time when the department is struggling with a backlog of tens of thousands of disability applications from injured ex-soldiers. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/3/2020 (671 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence Lawrence MacAulay responds to a question during Question Period in the House of Commons in Ottawa on January 27, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA - The Liberal government is defending its decision to take more than $4.1 million from Veterans Affairs Canada's operating budget at a time when the department is struggling with a backlog of tens of thousands of disability applications from injured ex-soldiers. Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay found himself under fire for the move during an appearance before a parliamentary committee on Tuesday, where he noted the reallocated funds went mainly to providing emergency help to veterans, and their families, who are considered especially at risk. But the minister, who insisted eliminating the backlog of 44,000 applications for assistance from injured veterans is his top priority, later sidestepped questions about why the government didn't add more money to meet veterans' needs instead of taking funds from the department. Veterans' advocates, including Canada's veterans ombudsman, have said long delays mean stress and frustration for veterans already suffering from physical and psychological injuries. MacAulay pointed to the department's efforts to speed up the processing of applications through digitization and other internal changes even as he emphasized the billions in new benefits and services promised to veterans in recent years. "The fact is we're doing everything to digitize the program, remove the paperwork," MacAulay told The Canadian Press. "What we want to do is make sure that we simplify the process, make it more efficient, and there's a large amount of money put into Veterans Affairs itself." Veterans Affairs Canada's top civil servant, retired general Walter Natynczyk, told the committee the money transfer did not affect efforts to address the backlog and highlighted the department's internal efforts to approve applications faster. Yet while the department has significantly increased the number of requests for assistance it is approving, Natynczyk acknowledged it has not been able to keep up with the applications filed each year. Nor could MacAulay or Natynczyk say when the backlog will be eliminated. Veterans ombudsman Craig Dalton last month called on the government to produce a detailed plan and timetable for dealing with the problem. "It's pretty irresponsible to give figures on something," MacAulay told The Canadian Press when asked about Dalton's request. "We do not know what the applications will be." Conservative and NDP MPs were unimpressed with the government's decision to take resources from the department's operating budget as the backlog grows and demanded to see a detailed plan to address the overall problem. "I always hope that money is getting right out to the veterans who desperately need it," said NDP veterans-affairs critic Rachel Blaney. "But when we look at the depth of the backlog ... having those resources to address that should be more urgent in my opinion." Conservative veterans-affairs critic Phil McColeman blasted the government and department for not having produced a detailed strategy for eliminating the backlog, including securing more resources, to ensure veterans receive the benefits and services they need in a timely manner. "It's mismanagement," he said. "Why isn't someone who is doing the planning of solving the problem recognizing that funds are there for the resources that they need and aggressively going after getting those resources in place so that we can solve this backlog problem?" This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2020. Italy reported 977 new cases of COVID-19 and 168 new deaths Tuesday. The country has the second-most infected patients in the world with 10,149 cases and 631 dead. As a result of the rapidly multiplying virus, Italians are living their first day under a nationwide lockdown after a decree signed late Monday by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte extended restrictions on movement from hard-hit northern regions to the rest of the country. The directive bans all but the most important travel and puts the final kibosh on social gatherings after Italians failed to take previous warnings to heart amid skyrocketing infections. All sporting events are being suspended. Schools and universities are closing through April 3. Museums and archeological sites are closing. On Tuesday, the streets of Italy were empty and transportation systems were deserted. The government is requiring guards to take the temperatures of train passengers. In Rome, teams of Italian police patrolled cafes to make sure owners were keeping customers 3 feet apart. The streets of the Italian capital were as quiet as they are during the annual mid-August vacation shutdown. Travelers at Milans main train station had to sign police forms self-certifying that they are traveling for "proven work needs, situations of necessity, health reasons or to return home. Ski lifts were ordered to close after students whose classes were canceled began organizing trips to winter resorts. The Italian government is assuring its citizens that supermarkets will remain open and stocked after panic buying erupted after broad anti-virus measures were announced nationwide, sparking overnight runs on 24-hour markets. Shoppers lined up overnight outside a Rome Carrefour to stock up after the government extended restrictions on movement from hard-hit northern Italy to the rest of the country. Some shoppers wore masks as they waited with their carts to be allowed into the store a few at a time. Major European airlines are canceling flights to and from Italy. 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: Kim Brent / The Enterprise There is no good time for a school to lose class time over a threat made by a student, but right now its worse than usual. Area schools are heading into the home stretch for this semester, and struggling students can still bring up their grades and finish strong. With the threats from the coronavirus growing daily, its not inconceivable that some schools in the region could be temporarily shut down to prevent the infection from spreading, even though nothing like that is on the horizon now. Every day of instruction matters. So the last thing our schools need now is a threat that separates students and teachers, but unfortunately thats happening. In the Beaumont ISD recently, threats led to the evacuation of Vincent Middle School and a lockout at Amelia Elementary. Not long ago, in January, Evadale schools were closed due to a threat. That same month, someone wrote a threat on the wall of a bathroom at Vidor High School, causing the district to excuse absences for the day. SUZHOU, China, March 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Innovent Biologics, Inc. ("Innovent" or "the Company") (HKEX: 01801), a world-class biopharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes high quality medicines for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune, metabolic and other major diseases, today announced that the Company achieved first patient dosing in a pivotal Phase 2 registrational trial of pemigatinib (IBI375), a FGFR1/2/3 inhibitor, in China. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pemigatinib in patients with advanced cholangiocarcinoma with FGFR2 fusions or rearrangements who have progressed from at least one prior systemic therapy in China. Dr. Jian Zhou, Vice President of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, stated: "The intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas ("iCCAs") account for approximately 15~20% of all liver tumors with a significant uptrend. Most patients with iCCAs are not amenable to surgical resection with curative intent due to local invasion and metastasis at initial visit. Currently, the chemotherapy of gemcitabine combined with cisplatin is recommended as a first-line treatment for patients with advanced cholangiocarcinoma, with 15~26% overall response rate ("ORR"). Unfortunately, most patients will develop resistance to this chemotherapy, and the effective alternative therapies are limited. A previous study of pemigatinib, a FGFR targeted therapy, in patients with CCA who have FGFR2 fusions or rearrangements demonstrated significant efficacy and safety, with 36% ORR, 7.5 months median duration of response ("DOR"), and 21.1 months preliminary overall survival ("OS"), providing new hope for patients. We anticipate to achieve promising results for the trial of pemigatinib in Chinese patients with advanced cholangiocarcinoma." Dr. Hui Zhou, Vice President and Head of Oncology Strategy and Medical Sciences of Innovent, stated: "Cholangiocarcinoma, a malignant tumor arising from biliary epithelium cells, has poor prognosis and high unmet treatment needs due to lack of effective treatment. We are glad that the first patient dosing in the Phase 2 clinical trial of pemigatinib has been completed, and the data of the study will be used to support the new drug application ("NDA") for pemigatinib in China. It is an important milestone for pemigatinib to enter the Chinese market and we believe this trial in China will benefit patients with cholangiocarcinoma who have FGFR fusions or rearrangements and provide more treatment options to clinicians." About Advanced Cholangiocarcinoma and FGFR2 Fusion/Rearrangement Cholangiocarcinoma is a malignant tumour arising from biliary epithelium cells, and cholangiocarcinomas are categorized as intrahepatic or extrahepatic according to anatomical location. The incidence of cholangiocarcinoma has increased progressively over the past years. Surgical resection remains the mainstay of potentially curative treatment, but only a minority of patients have early stage disease that is amenable to surgical resection with curative intent. Unfortunately, most patients who have undergone a surgical resection will relapse. For patients with advanced or unresectable cholangiocarcinoma, the available systemic therapies are of limited effectiveness: the median overall survival with the current standard-of-care chemotherapy regimen is less than 1 year. Fibroblast growth factor receptors ("FGFRs") play an important role in tumor cell proliferation and survival, migration and angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels). Activating fusions, rearrangements, translocations and gene amplifications in FGFRs are closely correlated with the development of various cancers. Amounts of studies have demonstrated that FGFR2 fusion/rearrangement can lead to the development and/or progression of cholangiocarcinoma, FGFR- targeted therapeutics have produced striking benefits in these patients. About Pemigatinib Pemigatinib is a potent, selective, oral inhibitor of FGFR isoforms 1, 2 and 3 which, in preclinical studies, has demonstrated selective pharmacologic activity against cancer cells with FGFR alterations. In November of 2019, the United States Food and Drug Administration (the "U.S. FDA"), accepted for Priority Review the NDA for pemigatinib, submitted by Incyte Biosciences International Sarl ("Incyte"), for the treatment of previously treated, locally advanced cholangiocarcinoma with FGFR2 fusions or rearrangements. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act ("PDUFA") target action date is May 30, 2020. Previously, the U.S. FDA granted pemigatinib Breakthrough Therapy designation for the treatment of previously treated, advanced/metastatic or unresectable FGFR2 translocated cholangiocarcinoma. Additionally, the U.S. FDA granted pemigatinib Orphan Drug designation for the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma, a designation granted to investigational compounds intended for the safe and effective treatment, diagnosis or prevention of rare diseases or disorders that affect fewer than 200,000 people. In December 2018, Innovent and Incyte entered into a strategic collaboration for three clinical-stage product candidates discovered and developed by Incyte, including pemigatinib (FGFR1/2/3 inhibitor). Under the terms of the agreement, Innovent has received the rights to develop and commercialize the pemigatinib and two other assets in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. About Innovent Inspired by the spirit of "Start with Integrity, Succeed through Action," Innovent's mission is to develop and commercialize high quality biopharmaceutical products that are affordable to ordinary people. Established in 2011, Innovent is committed to developing, manufacturing and commercializing high quality innovative medicines for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune, metabolic and other major diseases. On October 31, 2018, Innovent was listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited with the stock code: 01801.HK. Since its foundation, Innovent has developed a fully-integrated multi-function platform which includes R&D, CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls), clinical development and commercialization capabilities. Leveraging the platform, the company has built a robust pipeline of 22 innovative assets in the fields of oncology, autoimmune, metabolic diseases and other major therapeutic areas, with seventeen in clinical development, five in Phase 3 clinical trials, three NDAs under review by NMPA with priority review status, while Tyvyt (sintilimab injection), officially approved for marketing in China in 2018, has been the only PD-1 inhibitor included in the NRDL since 2019. Innovent has built an international team of advanced talents in high-end biological drug development and commercialization, including many overseas experts. The Company has also entered into strategic collaborations with Eli Lilly and Company, Adimab, Incyte, Hanmi and other international pharmaceutical companies. Innovent strives to work with all relevant parties to help advance China's biopharmaceutical industry, improve drug availability to ordinary people and enhance the quality of the patients' lives. For more information, please visit: www.innoventbio.com. SOURCE Innovent Biologics, Inc. Related Links http://www.innoventbio.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 15:14:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CHONGQING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality launched a special cargo train service on Tuesday for epidemic-hit export enterprises in west China via its land-sea freight route. A cargo train, carrying 50 containers of sodium carbonate, departed Chongqing on Tuesday for Qinzhou in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region before they will be shipped to Bangkok of Thailand. "In the special period amid novel coronavirus outbreak, the new train service can help epidemic-hit enterprises which have resumed production in west China," said Li Tiejun, executive deputy general manager of Qinghai Wucai Alkali Industry Co., Ltd., the producer of the sodium carbonate. Li said the new transportation mode will cut the procedure of changing containers when goods are transported from land to sea, which can save logistics cost and time and reduce damages during cargo transportation. The land-sea route is part of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a trade and logistics passage jointly built by western Chinese provincial regions and Singapore under the framework of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity. Chongqing is a center of operation for the corridor, with goods from western Chinese provinces and regions shipped to the Beibu Gulf in Guangxi before they are transferred to other parts of the world along sea routes. By Feb. 29, the land-sea freight route had seen a total of 1,674 trips, transporting 910 million U.S. dollars worth of goods, such as cars and auto parts, architectural ceramics, chemical raw materials and products. The Restaurants Association of Ireland has said it supports the Government's decision to cancel St Patrick's Day festivities, but says the loss to the sector will be significant. While the financial loss to restaurants and local businesses will be huge this St Patricks Day, the Restaurants Association of Ireland fully supports the governments decision to cancel all parades in the interest of public safety," said a statement issued today. "However, the losses to restaurants and the hospitality sector need to be taken into consideration by the government. We are demanding that the government immediately implement emergency business supports to prevent closures and job losses." "What were hearing from our members is that they are experiencing 80% corporate booking cancellations due to COVID-19. The cancellation of one of the biggest tourism draws of the year is a further blow to many restaurant businesses and could be the straw that breaks the camels back. While our number one priority is the safety of our customers and the public, we need the government to step up and step in and help Irish restaurants survive. The Restaurant Associations top four asks of the government are: Immediate reduction of the VAT rate to 9% for Tourism and Hospitality businesses for a minimum period of 6 months Irish Banks must defer loan repayments for at least 6 months Revenue must introduce a moratorium on VAT payments Employer PRSI must be halved to support employers. Nosa Aigbogun, a member of the Living Faith Church (a.k.a Winners Chapel), Uwasota branch in Benin, Edo state, has been admitted in ho... Nosa Aigbogun, a member of the Living Faith Church (a.k.a Winners Chapel), Uwasota branch in Benin, Edo state, has been admitted in hospital, following injuries inflicted on him by suspected thugs in military uniform, allegedly hired by Pastor Gideon Oyedepo. The resident pastor who is a younger brother of the General Overseer of the church, Bishop David Oyedepo, was accused of constantly harassing and assaulting members of his branch, slapping them at will. Aigbogun, who is recuperating at a medical facility in Benin, said he was the latest to be slapped by the Pastor. He said since he was transferred to their branch as resident pastor, the younger Oyedepo has enthroned himself as emperor and has become a problem to members of the church. He appealed to the founder of the church, Bishop Oyedepo, to rescue them from further beatings from his younger brother. I want concerned authorities to rescue us from him, we have received enough slaps. We are begging his elder brother, Bishop David Oyedepo, to save us from the overnight emperor before is too late. Since his arrival at our branch, he has slapped two persons and he keeps saying nobody can do him anything. He has turned the branch to something else. They called for unity meeting on Sunday and I was part of those that attended. All of a sudden, he just turned to me and started calling me devil, idiot. Before you know it, he just slapped me and he said I cannot do him anything and that he has been planing to deal with some of us in the church. His P.A. joined him, I wanted to retaliate, but other members pleaded and I listened. But today, on his instruction, his P.A. went and brought soldiers who they said were from Supply and Transport (S&T) Barracks. A friend of mine who saw them before me, alerted me and suggested that I should run. I hid myself but they searched and located me and demanded that I follow them. When I asked where they were from, they pounced on me, rough-handled me and beat the hell out of me, he said. Aigbogun who said he had reported the case at Okhoro Police Station, said all he wants is justice. Other members of the church told journalists that Gideon Oyedepo threaten that should his elder brother who owns the church act on complaints of members and perhaps drop him, he will form a white garment church of his own. Efforts to get reaction from Pastor Gideon Oyedepo failed, as he neither responded to a call made to his mobile phone, nor responded to text messages sent to him. Many people in the Trump orbit isolated themselves Monday after potential exposure to the virus US President in an unscheduled briefing on Monday after the worst stock market crash since 2008 said his administration will ask Congress to pass payroll tax relief and support the via tax cuts as the crisis in election year draws closer to his political fortunes in November. Trump said he would elaborate on the details Tuesday afternoon. "They will be major," he said. He also said that his administration was working on programme to create loans for small businesses that are affected and will also look at helping the airline, cruise and hotel industries. The or COVID-19 has infected nearly 114,000 people in 111 countries and killed almost 4,000. The virus cut deeper into America's cities Monday with the death toll ballooning to 22, total cases topping 600, thousands of workers asked to work from home or from disaster recovery sites and many schools shuttering down and moving to online classes. Trump reassured hourly wage workers that they are "not going to miss a paycheque" and won't get "penalised for something that's not their fault." "We will be taking care of the American public," he said. "The big decision was early when we shut down our borders," Trump said about his decision last month to restrict US entry to foreign citizens who had been to China. "We were the first ones ever to do that. We've never done that in our country before. We would have a situation that would be a lot more dire." Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that the market downturn of nearly 8 per cent was due to the "unprecedented move" in the oil market, where the prices tumbled by about 10 per cent. He said the was resilient and the situation was not like in the 2008 recession when the end was not it sight when it began. Many people in the Trump orbit isolated themselves Monday after potential exposure to the virus. One of them was with Trump on Air Force One on Monday. With no vaccine in sight until at least the end of the year and neighbourhood pharmacies saying they don't have test kits available yet, life as usual is up in the air across the United States. US Vice President Mike Pence said today that one million tests had been sent out across the country and that number would be four million by the end of the week. "The mood is becoming really scary in public spaces, people are looking at each other in a way that we haven't ever experienced before," Gigi Chang, a New Jersey resident told IANS. Trump administration health experts asked older people and those with underlying conditions to take immediate precautions, stock groceries and adequate medical supplies. Trump continues to play down the threat. "Nothing is shut down, life and the go on," he wrote. "At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!," he tweeted early Monday. Spooked by and an oil price war, US stocks suffered their worst single-day decline in more than 10 years on Monday. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Customized support is needed to help marginal firms stay afloat Calls are mounting among small firms and the self-employed for policymakers to come up with customized support to minimize damage from the outbreak of the new coronavirus. Many of those business owners say more than just damage relief is needed to help them maintain minimal levels of operation and production. According to the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Monday, 38.1 percent of 357 corporate requests for help it received were about falling sales, followed by 29.7 percent about difficulties securing parts and materials, 14.6 percent about export difficulties, and 5.3 percent about epidemic-preventing goods. The drop in sales is the most urgent issue as it directly leads to difficulties in covering operating expenses. The government has offered emergency funding plans, but companies are complaining about the long waits and rigid criteria to receive the relief funds. They stress the need for a fast-track support system. No less acute is the shortage of disinfection supplies at industrial sites. As the government has implemented a rationing system of face masks for the public, it ought to set aside a quota for factories or introduce a state-subsidized distribution system. Confusion is still rampant at production sites, on matters ranging from the correct method to wear a mask to how much business space should be quarantined and for how long. Clearer quarantine guidelines that accurately reflect the pathological characteristics of COVID-19 are necessary. Exporters have called for proper support so that they can conduct required business travel. They want the government to secure emergency diplomatic channels for businesspeople who have to go abroad to win orders or manage production at overseas plants. Equally urgent is supplementing childcare services for working couples. The government has proposed that schools extend the operation of their daycare programs while encouraging companies to allow for childcare vacations. A more practical idea is to let one of the parents work from home or take childcare leave, and the government should incentivize firms to go in this direction. Now is the time for policymakers to speed up the provision of customized support for businesses and prepare for a prolonged coronavirus outbreak. Governor Seyi Makinde has signed the Oyo State Security Network Bill, known as Operation Amotekun, into law. Mr Makinde signed the bill on Tuesday, a week after it was passed into law by the state House of Assembly. The signing ceremony took place at the Government House in Agodi, Ibadan, the state capital. After signing the bill, Mr Makinde said Operation Amotekun will support federal government security agencies in tackling security challenges in the state. It will create a safe and secure environment for people to carry out their daily transaction peacefully, he said. The governor said he was hopeful that the creation of Amotekun will create a safe environment for investments in the state. Alphagreen Group, a London, UK-based company which owns a consumer marketplace for legally certified cannabis (CBD, cannabidiol) products, secured 500k in its first equity funding round. Several tech angel investors took part in the round alongside the cannabis-focused investment company ENEXIS AB. Established in 2019 by Alexej Pikovsky, CEO, Alphagreen Group owns and runs Europes largest consumer marketplace for certified cannabis (CBD, cannabidiol) products, Alphagreen.io. The UK-based marketplace has the largest number of high-quality products available in Europe. These high-quality non-psychoactive products (e.g. CBD) are from top global cannabis brands such as Cibdol, Endoca, FourFiveCBD, Wunder Workshop and Mr Nice. The company also operates Alphagreen Med, which is their 100% owned subsidiary in Dusseldorf looking to distribute medical cannabis to pharmacies in Germany. FinSMEs 10/03/2020 A man in China has been rescued after being buried for 69 hours under a collapsed hotel used as a coronavirus quarantine centre. At least 20 people have died and nine remain trapped after the building crumbled to the ground on Saturday evening, leaving more than 70 trapped. Officials said the hotel had been illegally rebuilt several times. Rescue works are ongoing. The hotel's 65-year-old owner is under police investigation. Firefighters in Quanzhou are pictured carrying out the man on Tuesday after he was trapped under a collapsed hotel for 69 hours. The unidentified man was sent to a nearby hospital At least 20 people have died and nine remain trapped after the building collapsed on Saturday The 66-room hotel (pictured) had reportedly been turned into a coronavirus quarantine centre The Xinjia Hotel in the southern city of Quanzhou had seven storeys and 66 rooms, according to reports. As of 9am today local time, 61 people had been rescued from the wreckage, according to Shang Yong, Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Emergency Management. Among them, 41 were injured and 20 died, Mr Shang said. Rescuers said the unidentified man was freed this afternoon - nearly three days after the building toppled - and sent to a nearby hospital. He was pulled out after a 10-year-old boy and his mother were rescued around midnight after being trapped for 52 hours. A video released by Quanzhou Fire Brigade shows a firefighter trying to establish contact with the stranded man by shouting at him using a loudspeaker. Rescuers first noticed the survivor at around 1:30pm using life detectors, according to a post from the firefighters on Weibo Firefighters are pictured trying to drag the man out of the debris this afternoon in Quanzhou The man is pictured being carried by a team of firefighters after being freed from the rubble Firefighters first noticed the stranded man at around 1:30pm using life detectors, said Quanzhou Fire Brigade on its official account on Twitter-like Weibo. Rescuers then narrowed down his location by scanning nearby areas, hitting on the debris and shouting into cracks using a loudspeaker. The man responded at around 2pm to rescuers, who then asked him to knock on the wall to tell them if there were others near him. After confirming he was the only one trapped at the spot, firefighters started to dismantle the rubble using tools as well as their bare hands. They eventually opened up a small passage wide enough for one person to enter to reach the man. He was freed at 4:38pm. Rescuers help a woman and her son out of the rubble of a collapsed hotel on March 9. The pair were rescued after being trapped under the wreckage for 52 hours in the city of Quanzhou Rescuers carry a trapped woman on the rubble of a collapsed hotel in Quanzhou on March 9 Rescue workers wearing face masks move a boy from the rubble of a collapsed hotel which has been used for medical observation following an outbreak of the novel coronavirus China is no stranger to building collapses and deadly construction accidents. In this March 8 photo, rescuers pull a young child out from the rubbles of the collapsed hotel in Quanzhou The accident has exposed safety loopholes neglected by local authorities, Mr Shang said at a press conference. 'This hotel was illegally constructed and had repeatedly violated the regulations,' Mr Shang said, adding local officials had 'neglected their supervision responsibilities'. Local media published video that appeared to show the hotel's facade crumbling to the ground in seconds, exposing the structure's steel frame. The building in the coastal city of Quanzhou - which has recorded 47 virus cases - had been repurposed to house people who had recently been in regions hard hit by COVID-19, according to local newspaper Quanzhou Evening News. Surveillance footage trending on Chinese social media has captured the shocking moment the seven-storey hotel crumbling to the ground on Saturday evening in the city of Quanzhou Authorities said the 66-room hotel in Quanzhou had been illegally rebuilt several times Video posted online Tuesday by the Ministry of Emergency Management showed rescuers bowing over the body of a victim, with one rescuer breaking down in tears and leaving the scene. Earlier footage from the ministry showed rescuers helping children don surgical masks before pulling them from the remains of the hotel. A 12-year-old boy told emergency workers his mother was still buried in the rubble. 'She was next to me just now,' he said in the video. His mother was pulled out alive hours later, according to the ministry. Rescuers were also seen spraying disinfectant on each other, part of 'strict decontamination' measures between shifts. Besides the 61 people pulled out, nine others escaped on their own, the ministry said. Rescuers carry an injured person from the rubble of a collapsed hotel on March 8 in Quanzhou Rescuers search for survivors on Sunday after the hotel crumbled to the ground the day before Cars are seen scattered at the scene while rescue workers continued their efforts on Sunday Rescuers were seen responding Saturday night after the Xinjia hotel collapsed at 7:15pm The first floor had been undergoing renovation since before the Lunar New Year holiday, and authorities said construction workers called the hotel's owner minutes before the collapse to report a deformed pillar. The owner has been summoned by police while investigators work to determine whether the renovation or an original structural issue was at fault, according to the ministry. Quanzhou Evening News reported Sunday that all of the people quarantined in the hotel had tested negative for the virus. The emergency management ministry said some 200 local and 800 Fujian province firefighters had been deployed to the scene along with 11 search and rescue teams and seven rescue dogs, according to Xinhua. The National Health Commission said it had dispatched to Quanzhou 18 medical experts from the nearby cities of Fuzhou and Xiamen. China is no stranger to building collapses and deadly construction accidents that are typically blamed on the country's rapid growth leading to corner-cutting by builders and the widespread flouting of safety rules. At least 20 people died in 2016 when a series of crudely-constructed multi-storey buildings packed with migrant workers collapsed in the eastern city of Wenzhou. This has been confirmed by Russian president's spox. U.S. President Donald Trump will not be attending this year's Victory Day Parade on Moscow's Red Square May 9. That's according to Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin's press secretary, an UNIAN correspondent in Russia reports. Russian authorities received the corresponding information via diplomatic channels, the spokesman added. As earlier reported by Information Resistance OSINT group, Russian supervisors were selecting members of illegal armed groups in Russia-occupied Donbas to be sent to Moscow to participate in the Victory Day parade on May 9. As UNIAN reported, the Ukraine Crisis Media Center launched an appeal to foreign leaders with a call to refrain from official visits to Moscow for the May 9 military parade. Read alsoRussia "hired network of Britons" for intelligence operations media "To remind you, this year marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the bloodiest military conflict in human history: World War II. In the civilized world, this is an occasion to recall the causes and consequences of that terrible war and to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again. The Russian Federation exploits this date to justify aggressive policies against other independent countries, past and present," reads the statement published on the UCMC website, in support of the #StopPutinsParade campaign. Participation in the event by the leaders of the civilized world "legitimates Russian aggression, and encourages the Russian leadership to continue gross and systematic violations of the sovereignty of other states and the human rights of their citizens." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had not yet been invited to visit Moscow on May 9. A soldier sits on atop a military vehicle for quarantine work at a screening facility for coronavirus patients at a hospital amid the rise in confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Daegu, Korea, March 8, 2020. Reuters One Air Force officer stationed in the southeastern city of Daegu tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the military to 37 on Tuesday, the defense ministry said. Of the total, 20 were in the Army, 13 in the Air Force, two in the Marine Corps and one each in the Navy and a unit under the direct control of the ministry, according to the defense ministry. NAPA, Calif., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission has certified Leafy Green Agency as a Responsible Vendor Trainer offering the state-required Responsible Vendor Training Program to Marijuana Establishment Agents. Leafy Green Agency's approved Responsible Vendor Training program met all of the standards determined by the Cannabis Control Commission and satisfies the state's required two hours of Responsible Vendor Training for marijuana establishment staff. "We're very excited to be approved as a Massachusetts Responsible Vendor Trainer," says Leafy Green Agency Co-Founder, Vanessa Niles, RN, M.D., F.A.C.O.G. "We're looking forward to working with cannabis industry workers in Massachusetts to ensure they're meeting safety, quality, and compliance standards." Responsible Vendor Training from Leafy Green Agency will be offered through in-person classes across the Commonwealth to owners, managers, and employees who are involved in the sale and handling of marijuana and as such, are required to attend and pass an approved RVT class within 90 days of hire. Massachusetts Responsible Vendor Training from Leafy Green Agency provides comprehensive lectures and interactive activities on the effects of cannabis on the body, laws related to selling to minors, compliance with the state's inventory traceability system, identification and dispensing rules, recordkeeping, storage, packaging, labeling, and more. "Leafy Green Agency has been offering cannabis business, career, and investing seminars in Massachusetts for some time," explains Dr. Niles. "Being certified as a Massachusetts Responsible Vendor Trainer is an elite designation that only a small number of training providers has been able to achieve. We're proud that our curriculum and world-class instructors have been recognized by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission." As a certified Responsible Vendor Trainer in Massachusetts, Leafy Green Agency will start scheduling seminars for marijuana establishment agents in cities throughout the Commonwealth immediately. To view the current schedule and register for Leafy Green Agency's Responsible Vendor Training in your area, visit https://leafygreenagency.com/responsible-vendor-training-classes/ or call 707-563-1457. View the full nationwide schedule for all of Leafy Green Agency's business, career, and investing certification seminars at www.leafygreenagency.com/register-now. About Leafy Green Agency Leafy Green Agency provides in-person education and training across the United States for medical professionals, entrepreneurs, investors, and workers who are interested in becoming part of the fast-growing cannabis industry. Leafy Green Agency is a state-approved Responsible Vendor Trainer in Illinois and Massachusetts. Leafy Green Agency also offers career and business consulting services to help clients throughout the country navigate the complex legal cannabis industry. Learn more at LeafyGreenAgency.com. Contact: Vanessa Niles MD Leafy Green Agency [email protected] 707-563-1457 SOURCE Leafy Green Agency Related Links www.leafygreenagency.com Both Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden are cancelling their planned campaign events tonight in Cleveland due to coronavirus concerns, putting pressure on President Trump to follow suit. Additionally, CNN announced Tuesday evening it would cancel the live audience for the debate it is hosting in Phoenix this Sunday ahead of the next round of primaries. 'At the request of the campaigns and out of an abundance of caution, we have made the decision to eliminate the debate live audience, the press filing center and spin room in Phoenix,' the network said in a statement. The two major remaining Democratic 2020 contenders will still meet on the debate stage but there will be no audience to cheer them on - or boo them. It will be the first debate featuring just two candidates. Both men also had plans to address voters who went to the polls as part of 'Super Tuesday 2' from Ohio - a traditional swing state where voters cast ballots a week from now. Biden will address Tuesday night's results from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - where his campaign is headquartered - instead. The Trump campaign has not announced any rally cancellations. President Donald Trump is scheduled to speak at the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas on Saturday and organizers said the event will continue. And the Trump campaign announced Tuesday that the president will be in Milwaukee on March 19 to launch a 'Catholics for Trump' coalition. As the coronavirus outbreak grows - and with Sanders, Biden and Trump all in their 70s, a group that is in more danger of dying if they contract the virus - there had already been chatter in Washington if campaign events should go on. For Sanders the result could be disastrous, as the Vermont senator uses rally attendance to make the point that he's a stronger candidate to go up against Trump than Biden, who attracts far fewer supporters in the flesh. Trump, too, could see his re-election chances dwindle if he's kept off the campaign trail for long. Joe Biden (left) and Bernie Sanders (right) both nixed their campaign events Tuesday night, which were both to take place in Cleveland, Ohio. Sanders' campaign put out a statement saying they were 'heeding the public warnings from Ohio state officials' The candidates were planning to use Cleveland as a backdrop while addressing the results from six 'Super Tuesday 2' states: Washington, Idaho, North Dakota, Missouri, Mississippi and Michigan Bernie Sanders did campaign Tuesday during the day, visiting a polling location at Warren E. Bow Elementary School in Detroit, Michigan Word of Sanders' cancellation came first. 'Out of concern for public health and safety, we are canceling tonight's rally in Cleveland,' a Sanders spokesperson said. 'We are heeding the public warnings from Ohio state officials, who have communicated concern about holding large, indoor events during the coronavirus outbreak.' The spokesperson added that 'All future Bernie 2020 events will be evaluated on a case by case basis.' The Daily Beast then reported that Biden's Ohio event was also off. 'In accordance with guidance from public officials and out of an abundance of caution, our rally in Cleveland, Ohio tonight is cancelled. We will continue to consult with public health officials and public health guidance and make announcements about future events in the coming days,' said Kate Bedingfield, Biden's deputy campaign manager, confirming the news to reporters. The coronavirus cancellations come as Sanders is trying to grab some of the momentum back from Biden who's now the delegate leader in the Democratic primary race. In 10 days' time, Biden has turned around his entire campaign - winning South Carolina, beating Sanders in 10 of 14 states on 'Super Tuesday' and getting a flurry of endorsements - including from ex-rivals Michael Bloomberg, Kamala Harris and Cory Booker. With Biden cementing his frontrunner status, Sanders needs something to change the narrative and he's hoping Michigan - like the state did in 2016 - will give him that opportunity. Exit polls were not encouraging for Sanders when voters in Michigan were asked who they trusted to handle a national crisis. Fifty-one per cent said Biden, while 32 per cent said Sanders. In Missouri the numbers were even worse wtih 61 per cent saying Biden and 27 per cent pointing to Sanders, according to CBS News. In Washington state, 46 per cent chose Biden, while 27 per cent said Sanders. In total, voters from six states headed to the polls Tuesday. In 2016, Sanders was down by an average of 21.4 points to Hillary Clinton in Michigan polls when his surprise win - by just 1.4 per cent - poured new energy into his campaign. In 2020, the Real Clear Politics polling average shows Sanders down by 22.4 points to Biden in Michigan. That hasn't deterred Sanders, who's spent the last few days in the state. On Friday, he held a Detroit rally with Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who represents the city in Congress and is one of the four members of the so-called Democratic 'squad.' On Saturday, he held a town hall on 'racial and economic justice' in Flint, Michigan, known for its water troubles. Joe Biden (center left) has amassed a number of big endorsements since his South Carolina primary win 10 days ago including those from Kamala Harris (left), Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (center right) and Cory Booker. Harris and Booker, both U.S. senators, already had dropped out of the presidential race Bernie Sanders (right), pointing a finger at Fox News Channel's Martha MacCallum (left) and Bret Baier (center), has been dedicating the last few days to campaigning in Michigan. He participated in a Fox News Town Hall in Detroit Monday night Bernie Sanders also held a coronavirus public health roundtable in Detroit, Michigan on Monday as he focused heavily on the state. Sanders won it by just 1.4 per cent in 2016, after being down 21.4 points in the polls to Hillary Clinton Joe Biden knows that stopping Bernie Sanders in Michigan means the nomination could be his. Here he's photographed touring a Fiat Chrysler plant in Detroit Tuesday, where he got into an altercation with a voter about his Second Amendment stance On Sunday, he was joined on the campaign trail again by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, another member of the 'squad.' They rallied together in Ann Arbor, the home of the University of Michigan. Then on Monday in Detroit, Sanders held a coronavirus town hall with public health experts, among other events. Talking to Chris Cuomo on CNN Monday night, Sanders predicted he could win the state again. He also argued that his large, loud crowd meant he would be best positioned to take on President Trump in the general election. 'Does anyone really believe, let me throw it out to you, you know this stuff, that a campain like Joe's, which is frankly the same-old, same-old establishment politics, supported by the wealthy, and they got all the governors and senators supporting them, does anybody really think that that is going to be the campaign of excitement and energy that's going to grow the base that we need to defeat Trump?' Sanders mused. 'I don't think so.' But Democrats, in an almost unprecedented way, have gotten behind Biden. And the former vice president is aware that if he wins Michigan, he's basically ended the race for Sanders. On Monday night, he held his own Detroit rally where he held hands with Harris and Booker - who made their endorsements official - and the state's governor, the up-and-coming Gretchen Whitmer. But the rally wasn't without drama, as a group of anti-NAFTA protesters heckled the vice president. He told his crowd the 'Bernie Bros are here.' Another larger group of pro-Green New Deal activists - a concept Sanders supports - - also showed up. Politico reported that Biden's senior adviser Symone Sanders, who was Bernie Sanders' 2016 press secretary, got hit in the head with an iPad and knocked down. She wasn't injured. Symone Sanders also wrestled a Vegan activist off the stage at Biden's 'Super Tuesday' primary night event in Los Angeles, California last week. It wasn't personal to Biden, as protesters from the same group interrupted an Elizabeth Warren event in Los Angeles the night before. Biden also got into a back-and-forth with Michigan voters Tuesday morning as he toured a Fiat Chrysler plant in Detroit. 'You're full of s*** man,' Biden told a plant worker who accused him of 'actively trying to end our Second Amendment right,' according to video of the incident from CBS News. He told another worker to 'shush' as he explained his point. Beyond Michigan, 'Super Tuesday 2,' as it's been nicknamed, will include votes from Missouri, Mississippi, Idaho, North Dakota and Washington state. While not a lot of polling has been conducted in Washington, Sanders' campaign could get a boost there. However, he won't have the same advantage he did in 2016, as Washington is holding a primary Tuesday instead of a caucus. Four years ago when Democrats caucused for their presidential pick, Sanders won overwhelmingly - 72.7 per cent to Clinton's 27.1 per cent. Now in the state, Biden has had a slight lead in polls taken this month, while Sanders was leading in February surveys. Also, just like on Super Tuesday when Sanders eventually won the biggest delegate prize - California - the narrative for the night had already been set, that Biden was the big winner. Additionally, Washington state also has mail-in balloting, which means results could be slow to come in. A big outstanding question mark for 'Super Tuesday 2' is where Warren's voters will find a home. President Trump - trying to sow discord among the Democrats - blamed Warren for Sanders' underwhelming Super Tuesday showing. 'Our modern day Pocahontas wont go down in history as a winner, but she may very well go down as the all time great SPOILER!' Trump tweeted Wednesday. The president suggested that while moderates like Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg, who dropped out and endorsed Biden before Super Tuesday, cleared the way for the former veep, Warren paid no such courtesy to Sanders, a fellow progressive. So far she hasn't gotten behind either Sanders nor Biden. On Tuesday, Sanders surrogates continued to press the point. 'I deeply respect @Ewarren,' tweeted New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, one of the only ex-2020 hopefuls to have endorsed Sanders. 'Our nation + our party are better + more progressive because of her leadership. Now our progressive movement needs her more than ever.' 'Senator, if the shoe was on the other foot @BernieSanders would have endorsed you already. Please join us!' de Blasio wrote. As the votes come in Tuesday night, Biden and Sanders were already looking ahead, having both planned the now-canceled events in Ohio. Voters in Ohio - along with Arizona, Florida and Illinois - head to the polls in a week. And the two remaining mainstream candidates - as Tulsi Gabbard is still technically in the race - are suppoed to debate each other in Phoenix, Arizona Sunday night. The deadly coronavirus arrived by courier Feb. 6, delivered to a windowless, air-locked laboratory in a secret location on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus. It came sealed in two 500-microliter vials, wrapped inside plastic pouches, placed inside a third sealed plastic container, all packed with dry ice. A team of scientists protected head-to-toe by Tyvek body suits with battery-powered respirators opened the vials, got down to work and havent stopped since. Members of an elite lab of virologists at the universitys Gillings School of Global Public Health, their mission is to come up with a drug to treat the pathogen that has already infected over 90,000 people and killed more than 3,000. For veteran researcher and lab leader Ralph Baric, its the moment he has both long feared and expected. As early as the 1990s, Barics work was raising red flags: Coronaviruses so named for the crown-like spikes that help them invade cells had an extraordinarily high ability to mutate and adapt. That suggested new coronaviruses might spread into humans in the future. In one study, he showed coronaviruses that infected mice could rapidly adapt to invade hamster cells. It was not that difficult to evolve strains that could jump between species, Baric says. Almost 30 years later, thats exactly whats occurred with the deadly new coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2. Scientists believe it began in a cave somewhere in China, with bats flying off to spread the virus to other animals in the wild. Some of those animals eventually wound up in one of Chinas open-air markets where live animals are caged in close proximity a perfect setting for transmitting viruses to humans. Until two months ago, Baric was little known outside academic circles. When he began his career, coronaviruses were understood as causing little more than a common cold in people. But his work has suddenly taken on new urgency. Barics 30-person team was one of the first in the U.S. to receive samples of the virus isolated from a patient in Washington by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A handful of other labs are also racing to find anything that might slow the virus spread or ease its symptoms, the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine among them. Barics team is growing as much of the virus as it can to test possible drugs for their ability to inhibit it inside human lung cells in a test tube. This first round of testing will likely wrap up soon. If it works, scientists will test a slew of new drugs in mice that have been engineered to carry human lung receptors that the coronavirus can infect. Now that we have the virus, it is a lot of people working all the time, says Lisa Gralinski, an assistant professor under Baric. The pace is just as frenzied at the few other labs with samples. It has been 18-to-20-hour days for the past two months, says Matthew Frieman, a University of Maryland virologist and a Baric protege, who was also among the first to receive the virus. Researchers at the World Health Organization have called Gilead Sciences Inc.s remdesivir, developed with Barics assistance, as the most promising agent identified so far against the new virus. Trials of the drug are underway in hard hit areas of China and Gilead says it expects results by April. To speed the efforts, government agencies are redirecting existing funds to bolster coronavirus research. Suddenly at the center of the action, Baric prefers to focus on his work in his office piled high with research papers, virology books and framed patents he hasnt yet hung up. His warnings about the dangers of coronaviruses were first proven on the mark when SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, swept through China and other countries in 2002 and 2003, eventually killing almost 800. The virus also originated in bats and is thought to have passed through palm civets on its way to people. By 2012, a deadly pathogen from camels, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), began killing people in the region. Eventually, more than 850 died. In 2015, Baric and his colleagues were able to show that SARS-like viruses in Chinese horseshoe bats posed a particular threat to cause a new outbreak. The virus spike in the bat coronavirus was unusually adaptable, allowing it to recognize receptors in multiple species, including human lung cells. Over the past five years, Baric, working closely with Vanderbilt University infectious disease specialist Mark Denison, tested almost 200,000 drugs against SARS, MERS and other bat coronavirus strains. He found at least two dozen that appeared to hinder the virus. Among the most promising was Gileads remdesivir, a drug that fared poorly when used against a recent Ebola outbreak in Africa. In the lab, it worked against numerous coronavirus strains, including SARS and other bat coronaviruses that are similar to the new strain. With every coronavirus it was tested on, it had high potency and efficacy, Denison says. The workload, Baric says, is overwhelming as companies and researchers around the globe turn to his lab for help. Hes narrowed down the search to about 100 drugs that are likely to show promise against coronaviruses. As a contract physical therapist, Zach King crisscrosses the Puget Sound region working for whatever nursing home needs him that day. If anyone can claim to be at the frontline in the battle against COVID-19, it is him. Last Thursday, the 29-year-old Seattle resident reported to work at a facility in Bellevue, just seven miles away from the Life Care Center in Kirkland, where 31 of the roughly 55 remaining residents have tested positive and 18 are known to have died. King was going about his business when a full-time employee tipped him off: Two residents he was scheduled to treat were showing respiratory problems consistent with COVID-19. Normally cheerful and chatty, King was furious. No one in management had warned him. I wouldnt see them," he said, "I just refused to do it. Three hours to the south, COVID-19 has crossed the river into Oregon. There have not been any fatalities in Oregons senior residential facilities -- in fact, there hasnt yet been a single confirmed case in them, so far. But the hard truth for the 45,000 residents of the states senior residential facilities is that a Kirkland-like nightmare could play out here. Kirkland should be a wakeup call for all of us, said U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden. I have long been fearful about whether there are adequate protections for the elderly in a health care emergency or heaven forbid, a pandemic. COVID-19 has already challenged Oregons largest, wealthiest hospitals. With tighter budgets, less safety equipment and less training in how to use that equipment, the states senior residential facilities may be even more vulnerable. Oregon officials aimed to address that Tuesday, announcing a series of emergency policies they hope will better protect residents at long-term care facilities, including limiting and screening visitors, documenting who has visited and reducing residents community outings. Washington introduced similar rules on Monday requiring that all nursing home visitors and employees get screened for the virus. It also will require facilities to isolate any resident who tests positively for COVID-19. In Oregon, regulators are also taking steps to make sure their new and existing laws are enforced. They announced Monday an ambitious plan to visit every senior living facility in the state and review their illness prevention plans. All residential care facilities need to have such a plan to receive a state license. State officials said the new reviews will focus on pandemic response plans and infection control procedures. The states Office of Aging and People with Disabilities, which has regulatory oversight of long-term care providers in Oregon, has assembled a team of 70 people to conduct reviews of about 670 facilities statewide. In the process of doing reviews, the team will provide technical assistance on infection control and emergency planning if it is determined that is needed. "We are dedicated to doing everything possible to work in partnership with care providers to protect vulnerable Oregonians," said Department of Human Services Director Fariborz Pakseresht. How significant is the risk? At noon Tuesday, Paksereshts agency told all of its employees to immediately refrain from entering any long-term care facility. The state requires that senior living facilities adopt emergency response protocols for fires, bombs, natural disasters and pandemics. At many facilities, the protocols emphasize basic hygiene -- more and better handwashing and coughing into ones elbow. The disease protocols also encourage the use of personal protective equipment like face masks, hoods and full body suits. Yet that equipment is in short supply in some facilities and training in how to use them is scattershot. Plus, some operators worry that masks, face shields and other equipment will frighten residents. One of our key principles is to operate a home-like environment to the extent possible, said Michael DeShane, president of Concepts in Community Living. It becomes an issue to have people running around with those weird looking helmet gizmos. While we dont want to underreact, we also dont want to overreact such that communities begin to look like hospitals. It is a tricky issue. But DeShane and others in the industry say they are prepared. The virus has all our attention, said Tom Stanley, co-founder of Cascade Living Group, which has 15 senior living operations in Oregon. This is a unique virus in the sense that its brand new and we dont fully understand all of its characteristics. But all responsible providers have good solid infection control measures in place. Another factor operators keep in mind: Some predicted killer viruses have fizzled. We have been through so many different issues that I have become inured, DeShane said. Still, he said his company is taking COVID-19 seriously. In a recent letter to residents and their families, the company said it has emergency supplies in each of its facilities, including sufficient food to feed residents and staff for an extended period of time. It also has increased cleaning and disinfecting procedures as well as screening visitors for possible illness. The industrys response protocol also mentions isolation, another tried and true strategy to control the spread of disease. Ideally, a facility could place an infected resident into a separate room with negative air flow to prevent the spread of contaminants, experts said. Short of that, facilities should improvise and move the resident away from others. But many senior facilities dont have isolation chambers with negative air flow technology. Many dont have a dedicated isolation room at all. For those facilities, industry guidelines suggest operators attempt to maintain six feet of separation between sick residents and healthy ones. Staffing is another vital issue. If caregivers themselves get sick or quit due to concerns about the virus, that could be devastating to the residents. "Facilities have infectious disease protocols -- and its important these are being followed, said Jake Cornett, executive director of Disability Rights Oregon. But if you're a person with a disability or an older adult who needs support, what happens if your support worker is exposed or quarantined? Your need for care doesn't go away because your support worker catches the virus. With some nursing home workers barely making minimum wage, they cant afford not to work. Some get little -- if any -- paid time off, which raises the specter of sick workers unknowingly spreading COVID-19 to vulnerable seniors. The staffing challenges are real, said Melissa Unger, executive director of the Service Employees International Union in Oregon. The Centers for Disease Control guidelines state that if you are sick you stay home. But if you literally cant afford to stay home, thats a problem. SEIU represents 3,500 nursing home employees and many more home health workers. Even without a highly contagious virus on the loose, its never been easy to fill all the 85,000 jobs in Oregons senior centers. The strong economy and low unemployment has made it even harder. Turnover is already huge, said Rosie Ward, senior vice president of strategy for the Oregon Health Care Association. DeShane, the senior care center operator agrees, saying one-third of his workforce is perpetually in flux. King, the Seattle-area physical therapist, is just hoping the predictions of pandemic prove overblown and that some normalcy can be restored. While some of his co-workers have quit worried theyll get sick and infect their families King doesnt feel like hes in physical danger. Hes young enough and healthy enough to survive the disease. But he is worried about the financial risk. As a contract employee, he gets paid more than some of his peers who work fulltime for a single facility. But he has to buy his own health insurance and he only has five days of paid time off a year. What if I cant work? he wonders. I dont have a plan for if I get sick. Subscribe to our Oregon coronavirus newsletter: This content is from: Features Lawyers who worked on Barbados recent debt restructuring explain how it came together, including an analysis of the innovative natural disaster clause New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will hold a meeting with chief executives of amalgamating banks on Thursday to review preparedness for the merger beginning April 1. Earlier this month, the Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the consolidation of 10 state-owned banks into four. According to sources, the finance minister will review the planning and preparedness of merging banks on March 12. Agenda of the high-profile meeting includes readiness of anchor banks to minimise disruption to customers and ensuring credit flow to productive sectors of the economy, sources said. The meeting will also review the preparedness of the delivery of banking services and products to customers after the mergers. It will also discuss business and financial plans, including credit and deposits growth, and year-wise synergy realisation after the mergers. The mergers are scheduled to come into effect from April 1. As per the proposal, the Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) and the United Bank of India (UBI) would be merged into Punjab National Bank (PNB). The move will make PNB India's second-biggest public sector bank after State Bank of India (SBI). Syndicate Bank will be merged with Canara Bank, creating India's fourth-largest public sector bank. Union Bank of India, Andhra Bank, and Corporation Bank will be merged together to create the fifth-largest public sector bank. Indian Bank and Allahabad Bank will be merged to form India's seventh-largest public sector bank. The mega consolidation would help create banks with a scale comparable to global banks and capable of competing effectively in India and globally. Last year, Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank were merged with Bank of Baroda. Prior to this, the government had merged five associate banks of SBI and Bharatiya Mahila Bank with SBI. Citing an example of the merger of Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank with Bank of Baroda, Sitharaman after the Cabinet meeting had said the operating profit of the resulting lender has improved and retail loans are now sanctioned in 11 days on an average as compared to 23 days earlier. Jennifer Carroll zests a lemon on plates that will eventually be the main dish featuring sticky pomegranate roasted red cabbage, spiced cauliflower couscous and coconut tzatziki during the Veggie Curious pop up dinner at Amrita Yoga South, 2306 South St, 2nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA on January 31, 2020. Read more Jennifer Carroll, co-executive chef at Spice Finch in Rittenhouse, is best known for her multiple star turns on the Bravo reality series, Top Chef. She made her debut in season six in 2009 and has gone on to compete again in seasons 8 and 15, as well as on an episode of a spin-off show, Top Chef Duels. This month, shell appear in another all-star season that reunites fan favorites of the past, this one set in Los Angeles. The show premieres March 19. Carroll cant say much about the upcoming season, but she can share that one of her favorite parts of Top Chef in general is Restaurant Wars. In this episode, a mainstay of every season thats also beloved by fans, the contestants work frantically for 24 hours to create a pop-up restaurant in what is often not a restaurant space. The chefs dream up the concept, the menu, and the decor and serve a meal to an eager crowd of fans and judges. If youve ever thought it might be fun to be a diner at one of these impromptu events, nows your chance. Carroll and her partner chef Billy Riddle have launched a monthly series of pop-up dinners inspired by Restaurant Wars. Theyre transforming different venues around the city into fully fledged restaurants for one night only. Just like on Top Chef, dates and locations for the dinners are a closely held secret until tickets become available on Eventbrite. Carroll kicked off the series with a Veggie Curious supper in January at Amrita Yoga studio on South Street. The four-course meal took diners through a vegetarian (and mostly vegan) menu that fit right into the plant-based craze of the moment. Even before the first bites were served, guests encountered a number of quirky surprises that related to its wellness theme. The evenings dress code was shoeless. Diners jettisoned all footwear at the entryway, mingling and sipping drinks in their socks. A long communal table ran through the center of the room. Candlelight softened the atmosphere, a fitness studio with exposed beam ceilings and brick walls. Bundles of white cloth hung from the ceiling silk loops used to practice aerial yoga. Heather Rice, owner of Amrita Yoga, demonstrated some gravity-defying poses before the meal began. Each event will have a different theme the Veggie Curious dinner was followed up with a Caribbean-inspired feast in an interior design showroom. The March event will celebrate womens empowerment. The through-line is Carroll and Riddles collaborative cooking. Throughout their careers, theyve both worked in many fine-dining kitchens, including some with Michelin stars, and they bring that expertise to bear at these more whimsical events. We always start with the best ingredients we can get and we ask ourselves, how can we elevate this without ever making it pretentious? says Carroll. The Veggie Curious menu showed off Carroll and Riddles enthusiasm for global flavors. A rich fluffy focaccia was served with a wedge of sunflower seed-based cheese. The chefs swaddled a savory sweet potato filling in Swiss chard leaves. The main dish placed a surprisingly meaty roasted red cabbage, glazed with pomegranate, at the center of the plate, satisfying all possible curiosity over whether vegetables could carry the meal. The supper concluded with a guided meditation and ginger turmeric shot. The pop-up dinners are small affairs. In January, just 24 people attended the event. We keep it very intimate, so I can interact with every guest, she says. And true to the style of Restaurant Wars, Carroll played the perilous front-of-the-house role, charming diners, talking about the menu, and posing for photos with her fans. Behind the scenes, Riddle cooked, using a makeshift kitchen set up on folding tables, putting out some of the prettiest plates anywhere in the city. Jen has done this kind of cooking on TV many times. Shes made dinner at a gas station. Shes been challenged to make some dishes on a beach with just coconuts and a fire, says Riddle. It makes any space seem like a viable restaurant to the couple. We wanted to do something that would let us be more creative and experimental, to try out different types of flavors and cuisines. Its fun for me, Carroll explains, adding that shes fueled by stress and being under pressure. Luckily, at the end of these pop-up dinners, theres no dramatic judging or cheftestants throwing each other under the bus, no tearful goodbyes, and no one packs their knives to go. Keep an eye on Carrolls Instagram feed @ChefJenCarroll for news about upcoming events and to stay up to date on Carrolls wins and losses on Top Chef as this seasons contest unfolds. A 6m transport and public realm upgrade into Corks docklands is facing a lengthy delay after City Hall admitted a technical administrative omission in a planning notice. City councillors voted 24-5 last September to approve the Part 8 planning report on the Docklands to City Centre Road Network Scheme, which will include extensive work on Victoria Road and the Old Blackrock Road, including contra-flow bus and cycle lanes. But it was legally challenged by the Save Cork City Community Association CLG - the group leading opposition to the 150m Cork flood defence scheme. In a statement issued today, the city council confirmed that it is advising the High Court that it is consenting to the setting aside of the Part 8 planning approval for the scheme. This is due to an omission in the Part 8 public notice whereby the conclusions of the environmental screening exercise, while undertaken, were not referenced in the notice, it said. Cork City Council remains fully committed to this important public realm and sustainable transport project. It will now undertake a new Part 8 planning process with the design, as previously approved, being subject to further public consultation. The councils director of infrastructure development, Gerry OBeirne said the notice omission, the consequential legal action and delay are sincerely regretted. The administrative error in the drafting of the public notice reflected a weakness in the councils internal processes which has since been corrected. A new planning process will be undertaken in respect of the proposed works. This will take an estimated four to five months to complete. The transport and public realm upgrade has been described as a transformational project for the city as it continues to grow. Officials say it is key to unlocking the potential of the docklands, the construction of thousands of new homes and the creation of thousands of jobs in the city centre. Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday said the government had allocated between $800 million to $2 billion to address the economic impacts of the novel coronavirus outbreak, which had affected upwards of 80 countries and infected more than 100,000 people. Hun Sen said the lower end of the allocation would help deal with economic slowdown over the next six months, with the $2 billion expected to be needed if the outbreak lasted more than one year. The government allocates funds based on two scenarios of COVID-19, he said. There will be $800 million for a period of six months and $2 billion if the outbreak lasts a year and longer. Last week, the Cambodian government announced an allocation of $30 million to finance Cambodias screening and monitoring efforts, as well as cutting capital expenditures by 50 percent at all ministries and state institutions. Meas Sok Sensan, spokesperson of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, said the government had enough reserves from good economic growth over the years, adding that it would be used to pay workers affected by factory suspensions and for tax breaks announced for tourism businesses. The government has collected higher-than-expected tax revenues over the last five years, he said. So, the last five years have seen us save some money that we could use to cope with crises. The prime ministers capital infusion seemed to match forecasts made by the Asian Development Bank on Tuesday for all countries it provides funding. The forecast showed the best-case scenario, two months of outbreak, would result in $283 million in GDP loss, whereas six more months of the viral outbreak would see a $711 million loss in GDP. A moderate-case loss of $391 million would result in a 1.59 percent drop in GDP growth, whereas a hypothetical worst-case scenario, where the outbreak would last more than 6 months, would see close to $1 billion in GDP loss. The development bank factored in drops in Chinese and other tourist arrivals, drop in income, especially from Chinese tourists, vis-a-vis similar losses during the SARS outbreak, and drop in tourism from various travel bans and restrictions across the world. San Chey, executive director of the Cambodian Social Accountability Alliance, said that while it was good the government had allocated emergency funds for the COVID-19 outbreak, the administration needed an ironclad plan to prevent wastage and scandals linked to the allocated money. To prevent any bad scandals with the budget, we have to think of the spending and prepare a specific plan to prevent any irregularities that may occur, he said. WASHINGTON The Justice Department must give Congress secret grand jury testimony from special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday, giving the House a significant win in a separation-of-powers clash with the Trump administration. The three-judge panel said in a 2-1 opinion that the House Judiciary Committees need for the material in its investigations of President Donald Trump outweighed the Justice Departments interests in keeping the testimony secret. The opinion authorizes access to information that Democrats have sought since the conclusion of Muellers investigation, enabling lawmakers to review previously-undisclosed details from the two-year Russia probe. Writing for the majority, Judge Judith Rogers said that with Mueller himself having stopped short of reaching conclusions about Trumps conduct to avoid stepping on the Houses impeachment power, the committee was able to persuasively argue that it needed access to the underlying grand jury material to make its own determinations. Courts must take care not to second-guess the manner in which the House plans to proceed with its impeachment investigation or interfere with the Houses sole power of impeachment, Rogers wrote, calling the committees request for the grand jury material directly linked to its need to evaluate the conclusions reached and not reached by the Special Counsel. House Democrats cheered the opinion, with Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the Judiciary Committee chairman, saying the panel remains committed to holding the President accountable to the rule of law and preventing improper interference in law enforcement investigations. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the ruling a rejection of the presidents insistence that he is above the law and a further rebuke to Attorney General William Barr. Last week, another federal judge scolded Barr in a separate case for what he said were misleading public statements by the attorney general about Muellers findings. Judge Thomas Griffith issued a separate concurring opinion in Tuesdays appeals court decision. Judge Neomi Rao, a Trump appointee, dissented, suggesting that the need for the testimony could have waned after Trumps acquittal at a Senate impeachment trial last month. After all, the Committee sought these materials preliminary to an impeachment proceeding and the Senate impeachment trial has concluded. Why is this controversy not moot? Rao wrote. It is unclear when the materials might actually be turned over. The Trump administration can ask the full appeals court to rehear the case, and can appeal to the Supreme Court. The ruling softens the blow of a loss the House endured two weeks ago when judges on the same court said they would not force former White House counsel Don McGahn to testify before Congress. The split decisions leave neither the administration nor Congress with a clear upper hand in an ongoing inter-branch dispute. The ruling is a major win for Democrats who have fought the Justice Department for nearly a year, but its unclear what the House will actually do with the material. Lawyers for the Democrats have said the grand jury material could potentially be used for additional articles of impeachment, though the Senate impeachment trial over the presidents interactions with Ukraine ended weeks ago in an acquittal. The case is one of several disputes between the Trump administration and Congress that courts have grappled with in recent months. The two sides had been similarly at odds on the question of whether McGahn could be forced to testify about Trumps behavior during the Russia investigation. The appeals court ruled in a recent 2-1 decision that judges had no role to play in that dispute and dismissed the case. Mueller issued a 448-page report last April that detailed multiple interactions between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia and that examined several episodes involving the president for potential obstruction of justice. Mueller said his team did not find sufficient evidence to establish a criminal conspiracy between the campaign and the Kremlin to tip the election, though pointedly noted that he could not exonerate the president for obstruction. Portions of the report were blacked out, including grand jury testimony and material that Mueller said could harm ongoing investigations or infringe on the privacy of third parties. Grand jury testimony is typically treated as secret, in part to protect the privacy of people who are not charged or are considered peripheral to a criminal investigation. But several exceptions allow for the material to be turned over, including if it is in connection with a judicial proceeding. The House argued that the impeachment inquiry met that definition, and it sought copies of testimony referenced in Muellers report. Chief U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell sided with the House last October in ordering that the material be turned over. The Justice Department appealed that decision, with lawyers arguing that the material sought by the House had no relevance to the impeachment inquiry and that the House already had ample information about the investigation. Several dozen witnesses appeared before Muellers grand jury, including former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. ___ Associated Press writer Mark Sherman in Washington contributed to this report. ___ Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP Six more people tested positive for coronavirus in Kerala on Tuesday forcing the state government to cancel all public events and close down educational institutions to contain the disease. After an emergency cabinet meeting, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said six fresh cases were reported from the state taking the total number of infected in the state to 12. The new cases are family members and neighbours of the three who returned from Italy on February 29 and dodged health authorities. Highlights Out of the 12, nine are in Pathanamthitta, two in Kottayam and one in Kochi Kerala cancelled all public events, shut some classes for a month 1116 people under surveillance in the state and 149 in various hospitals They have shown the signs of the disease in initial testing, which could increase the number of infections in the county to more than 50, if the developments are confirmed by the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune. ALSO WATCH | Coronavirus: What we know and what we dont Among the 12 infected, one is in Kochi, two in Kottayam and rest are in Pathanamthitta. At least 1116 people are under observation in the state and of these, 967 have been quarantined in their homes and rest admitted to hospitals. A high vigil is the need of the hour. We have enough experience in controlling another outbreak (nipah) two years ago. We will overcome this challenge also. Everyone should co-operate with health and civic officials, the chief minister said. More test results, including those of the parents of a three-year-old who tested positive in Kochi on Sunday, are pending in the state, which has the highest density of population in the country. From imported cases to local transmission, the state government has pressed the emergency button announcing a series of measures to check the spread of coronavirus. Vijayan said schools till Class 7 will be closed for a month and all public functions stand cancelled as a precautionary measure. He also urged people to avoid festivals and other large gatherings. This is also the season of festivals and weddings. We can avoid large gatherings. Weddings can be done in simple functions also. In this situation, it is not advisable to go for a pilgrimage in Sabarimala. All will have to co-operate with us to contain the virus, he said. The hill shrine dedicated to Lord Ayyappa in Sabarimala will open for the monthly poojas on Thursday. However, examinations for Classes 8 to 10 and higher secondary would be held. Students, who are under observation, would be permitted to write exams in a special room. Also read: Experts warn against false hope, say summer may not help tackle coronavirus The chief minister said all colleges, madrasas and tutorials also be closed till March 31. The government reiterated it will deal with people who hide their travel history and mingle with others. State health minister KK Shailaja, who also attended the press meet, said those infected include the grandparents of a man who came back to the state from Italy. She also said except one, a three-year-old in Kochi, all the Covid-19 patients were infected by the three people who came from Italy and had failed to inform health officials about their return. We have seen how negligence on the part of three persons who returned from Italy created such a situation. We want people to be more responsible and vigilant. Voluntary disclosure is crucial in containing the virus, she said. Also read: Italys link in 35 of Indias 44 coronavirus cases Many social and religious bodies have announced their support to the government. The Catholic Bishops Council has issued separate guidelines to conduct prayers and other offerings at churchesdevotees are being asked to receive holy communion, considered the most sacred, on their hand and not the tongue. It has also advised believers to avoid large gatherings and masses. The Nair Service Society has also asked people to skip big gatherings. Cinema theatres have announced they will not screen movies and film units have also suspended their shooting. Hotels and resorts have been asked not to entertain foreign guests until further notice. Kerala had already strengthened its efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus on Monday after six cases were reported from the state. Health minister Shailaja had on Monday called for community surveillance, scaling up of contact tracing and tapping local bodies to stop further spread of the deadly disease. The state had reported Indias first three cases of coronavirus in January this year and all of them have recovered fully. The state had witnessed the outbreak of another dangerous virus, nipah, two years ago. Though it was claimed 17 lives it was localised and contained effectively There are 49 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country so far. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Interim Defense Minister Nicolae Ciuca welcomed on Tuesday Admiral Adnan Ozbal, the Commander of the Naval Forces of the Republic of Turkey, on an official visit to Romania between March 9 and 11, shows a press release of the National Defence Ministry (MApN) sent to AGERPRES. The discussions focused on the evolution of the Romanian-Turkish cooperation in the field of defense both in the regional context and within the North-Atlantic Alliance. The security of the Black Sea was also an important topic analyzed during the talks, and it was underlined the importance to adopt the best measures for the stability of this region, an objective that can be sustained by strengthening the military cooperation between Romania and Turkey, the press release states."The cohesion of the Black Sea riparian countries is essential and it is necessary for all the countries of the area to work together to ensure with NATO support the security in the region," said Minister Ciuca.The commander of the Turkish Naval Forces was also welcomed by the Chief of Defense Staff, Lieutenant General Daniel Petrescu. The two officials stressed that the good bilateral military relations are also highlighted in the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMCMG 2), the command of which was taken over by the Romanian Naval Forces in January 2020, for a period of six months, and during the multinational and NATO exercises. It was also appreciated the collaboration in the field of hydrography and of the navy military education, the MApN release further shows. The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on March 9 that there was now a "very real" threat that the global outbreak of the new deadly coronavirus will become a pandemic, but stressed the virus could still be controlled. "Now that the #coronavirus has a foothold in so many countries, the threat of a pandemic has become very real. But it would be the first pandemic in history that could be controlled. The bottom line is: we are not at the mercy of this virus"-@DrTedros#COVID19 World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) March 9, 2020 "The threat of a pandemic has become very real," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters, while stressing that "it would be the first pandemic in history that can be controlled... we are not at the mercy of the virus". The WHO chief said, "We need to remember that with decisive, early action, we can slow down the coronavirus and prevent infections. Among those who are infected, most will recover. Of the 80,000 reported COVID-19 cases in China, more than 70 percent have recovered and been discharged." Afghanistan Swears in Two Presidents By Ayaz Gul March 09, 2020 Afghanistan's president-elect Ashraf Ghani and his election rival, runner-up Abdullah Abdullah, took part in parallel swearing-in ceremonies Monday, fueling political tensions and posing a fresh challenge to U.S.-led peace efforts. Both ceremonies were initially delayed, apparently to allow for hectic U.S. diplomacy to resolve the crisis. However, after several hours the inaugurations began. Ghani was the first to take the oath, in a ceremony shown live, where among other foreign guests were U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and U.S. commander of international forces Scott Miller. Abdullah also was sworn in in a ceremony in his office, with both cermonies broadcast live by all afghan televeisoin stations, some showing the two on split screens. The Afghan election commission late last month declared incumbent Ghani the winner of the bitterly contested September 28 presidential election. But Abdullah, the incumbent chief executive, rejected the outcome as fraudulent, claiming that he and his team had won the vote and threatened to form his own government. Monday Abdullah tweeted his determination to move forward: "No one should have underestimated our commitment to genuine democracy & our resolve to uphold rule of law. Our track record of self-denial & compromise should not have given cause to anyone to take us for granted. Invalidation of all fraudulent votes is the way out!" Ghani and Abdullah both have come under sharp criticism from Afghan politicians and public who have taken to social media to express their outrage. " This mockery of a dignified and brutalized nation by a handful is weakening Afghanistan," tweeted Hekmat Khalil Karzai, former Afghan deputy foreign minister." Their actions are an insult to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice defending our nation. Afghanistan needs to be shielded from those responsible for this tragic comedy," lamented Karzai, currently chairman of the Center for Conflict and Peace Studies (CAPS) in Kabul. The political turmoil poses a serious challenge to a landmark deal the United States signed with the Taliban insurgency a week ago to help bring stability to Afghanistan. The agreement signed February 29 in Qatar requires the Taliban to open negotiations with an inclusive Afghan delegation of political forces and civil society, and negotiate a permanent cease-fire. The intra-Afghan talks are to begin Tuesday, but the inauguration crisis, analysts say, is likely to hamper efforts aimed at forming a united Afghan delegation to engage in talks with the Taliban. Both Ghani and his traditional rival Abdullah also had claimed victories in the 2014 fraud-marred presidential election, leading to months of political chaos in the country. Washington's intervention at the time had settled the dispute under a deal that allowed Ghani to become the president and Abdullah to head a newly formed office of the chief executive of the outgoing so-called national unity government of Afghanistan that was plagued by deep political rivalries and controversies throughout its tenure. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Body-shaming is nothing new. Celebrities, especially women, have been criticised by all and sundry on social media for being too fat, too skinny, too tall, too short or too dark for a good while now. But what is new is that more and more of these celebrities are hitting back at the trolls. Recently, Shruti Hassan posted a picture on her social media and was mocked by trolls for her loss of weight. One even went to the extent of saying she looked like a person suffering from HIV. Shruti instantly posted another picture as well as a sharply-worded response. Im not one driven by other peoples opinions of me but the constant commenting and shes too fat now shes too thin is so avoidable. These two pictures have been taken three days apart, she said, and went on to add that, No one, famous or not, is in a position to judge another person. Ever. Thats just not cool. In the long post, the actress, among other things, asserted that yes Ive had plastic surgery which Im not ashamed to admit. Do I promote it? No am I against it? No its just how I choose to live. The biggest favour we can do for ourselves and others is learn to accept the changes and the movement of our bodies and minds. Shruti Hassan is not the first celebrity to get trolled. Being a celebrity doesnt necessarily mean youre born with a thicker skin, but people have unrealistic expectations of what a woman should look like, feels actress Pooja Bhatt. We live in a time where people are more obsessed with appearances than what is going on in someones heart or head. One can blame social media to a large extent but frivolity sells more than depth. Though eventually what lasts is your talent and nothing more beauty bodies eventually fade what lasts is what you have to say, she feels. Pooja says, Celebrities often starve and put themselves through gruelling regimes to fuel these unrealistic expectations. Its up to us to decide whether we want to live a life that constantly feeds that expectation or one that permits us to be true to ourselves and our own, unique body type. Actress Neha Dhupia too made a point when she posted, Dont give two hoots about how you look as long as you are happy in your body. Trolling on social media is the most misogynistic way to demean women, feels actress Sameera Reddy. Throwing light on what she was going through during her pregnancy, including body shaming and post-partum blues, Sameera posted on her social media handle: I had so much self-loathing. I would look at the mirror and ask, What happened to Sameera Reddy? Body shaming is a problem, and with social media it has taken a more glaring shape that of personal slights and is no longer a casual observation. The larger question is why people feel they have the right to shame someone about their body. People today are exposed to a lot of information on global fashion trends through social media channels. With this over-exposure, they are quick to form opinions. When their favourite stars fail to keep up with global fashion trends, they express their disappointment by trolling them, says Reema Sarin, fitness trainer to celebrities and founder, Bollyfit. Cellulite is a reality, as are stretch marks and gravity. Isnt it time people accepted that fact? New Delhi: More than 113, 000 people have been affected worldwide due to COVID-19 and nearly 4,000 people have lost their lives due to the virus, which originated from Chinas Wuhan city last year in December. The novel coronavirus has caused panic among the people worldwide and hence people are taking all precautionary measures to contain its spreading. You should not be panic. But should be concerned and aware of the symptoms: People infected with novel coronavirus take five days on average to start showing symptoms of the virus, disease analysts at Johns Hopkins University said on Monday, in the largest such study of known cases worldwide. A 14-day monitoring and quarantine period for people who have been exposed to infection is advised. Some state health agencies are recommending people isolate themselves for that period after returning from any international travel. We have a lot of confidence that the incubation period is around five days, The Wall Street Journal quoted Justin Lessler, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health who led the team that analyzed the progression of the disease in 181 cases, as saying. Some people will have really short incubation periods and some people will have really long ones, he said. The goal is catching most cases that are infected and have symptoms developed before the deadline. Among people told to self-quarantine, isolate themselves or stay home are people returning from parts of China and Iran, those who developed symptoms after spending time in other countries with sustained community transmission, and those with no known exposure who are sick. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people are said to be more contagious when they become symptomatic because the virus is typically spread when someone coughs or sneezes. In such a case, people are tend to isolate themselves in order to contain the virus from being spread further. Other researchers studying a smaller number of cases estimated COVID-19 has an incubation period as short as two days to as long as 14 days, with a few reported cases taking up to 27 days to develop. In research published Monday online in the academic medical journal Annals of Internal Medicine, the scientists calculated that the median incubation period of the virus is 5.1 days. All told, about 97.5% of those who develop symptoms will do so within 11.5 days of exposure, The Wall Street Journal reported, the scientists as saying. Even so, they cautioned that, as a matter of statistical probability, the 14-day monitoring and quarantine period likely would miss some cases. As of Monday, the disease had spread to more than 100 countries and territories and millions of people under quarantine in affected places. But the Johns Hopkins researchers focused only on confirmed cases of Sars-CoV-2 infection reported between January 4 and February 24 outside of Hubei province in China, the epicenter of the virus. All told, researchers analysed 181 reports in the news media and public-health notices that included the likely dates of patient exposure and first symptoms. All of them involved people who had traveled to Hubei or its capital Wuhan. That way, the scientists could use travel itineraries to estimate the time of first exposure, Dr. Lessler said. Scientists acknowledge the weaknesses in analysing secondhand reports but Dr. Lessler said that under the circumstances, it is the most reliable way to help determine the incubation period without access to individual patient records. That early period of the epidemic is important in figuring out the incubation period because it is your only time when you can be confident about catching those exposure points, Dr. Lessler said. Generally, the researchers estimate of a 5.1-day incubation period for the novel coronavirus is in line with the known behavior of two closely related coronavirusesSars-CoV and Mers-CoVthat have caused infectious disease outbreaks in recent years. Other coronaviruses responsible for the common cold typically have an incubation period of about three days, the scientists said. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Purely as a matter of economics, its perfectly understandable why Hachette Book Group would toss Woody Allen overboard hoping to keep his son Ronan Farrow happy. At 32, Farrow is a journalistic supernova. His Pulitzer Prize-winning New Yorker articles about Harvey Weinstein in 2017 helped expose a sexual predator and usher in the MeToo movement. And his book Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators, a cloak-and-dagger account of how he got the story, was an instant best-seller, selling more than 200,000 copies. The publisher of that book was Little, Brown & Co., one of Hachettes two primary imprints. No doubt Little, Brown harbored dreams of publishing Farrow for years to come. Allen, on the other hand, is 84. His career peaked more than 40 years ago. The movies Annie Hall and Manhattan came out in 1977 and 1979, respectively. Though Allen has written books before collections of short humor pieces they were also published decades ago. And while he has continued to churn out movies, they dont hold the cultures attention as they once did. It is unlikely that Grand Central Publishing Hachettes other chief imprint bought Allens memoir, Apropos of Nothing, expecting anything more than modest sales. Given Allens age, it certainly didnt envision a long-term relationship with the author. So when Farrow objected to Hachette publishing Allens book and said he was severing ties with the company, and more than 100 Hachette employees walked out in protest of the Allen book last Thursday, it didnt take Hachette long to fold. As I said, from a revenue point of view, it was the obvious move. But in every other way, the decision stinks, a craven capitulation to woke culture. There are times when the right thing to do is to stand up for principle, even if it costs some money or causes a valued performer to walk away. This was one of those times. Or it should have been. Story continues As youve no doubt read, Ronan Farrows objection to Allens book is that his sister Dylan Allens adopted daughter has accused Allen of sexually abusing her in Connecticut in the early 1990s when she was 7. (Her mother, Mia Farrow, has long made the same accusation.) Last week, in an email to Michael Pietsch, the chief executive officer of Hachette, Farrow wrote: Your policy of editorial independence among your imprints does not relieve you of your moral and professional obligations to the publisher of Catch and Kill, and as the leader of a company being asked to assist in efforts by abusive men to whitewash their crimes. In fact, Farrow got it exactly backward. Pietschs moral and professional obligation was to publish Allens book, not to squash it. There are two principles at stake. The first is the core American belief that a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Allens case is much different from those of, say, Harvey Weinstein or Matt Lauer, who abused numerous women and whose actions were confirmed by investigations of one sort or another. Although Allen has engaged in behavior that could be considered creepy in Manhattan he plays a middle-aged man dating an underage girl; and, of course, there is his marriage to another of Mia Farrows adopted children, Soon-Yi Previn Dylan Farrow is the only one who has ever accused him sexual abuse. Allen, for his part, has always denied Dylan Farrows accusation and has long accused her mother of planting the idea during their acrimonious breakup. Connecticut authorities investigated the accusations, bringing in the Child Sexual Abuse Clinic of Yale-New Haven Hospital, which concluded that Allen had not abused Dylan (the Farrow legal team disputed the results). He was never charged. In 2014, after New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, a friend of Mia and Dylan Farrow, aired the abuse allegations, Allen offered his rebuttal in a long blog post. You can read it here. What this feels like is a sad family drama. While Ronan Farrow has always sided with his sister, another of Allens adopted children, Moses Farrow, now a family therapist, has supported his father. Mia Farrow has cut off all contact with Moses; Dylan and Ronan will have nothing to do with Allen or his wife, who is also their sister. For years, most people viewed it as just that a family matter and Allen was able to continue with his career. But the MeToo movement changed the perception of him. A number of actors who had been cast in his films expressed regret, and several said they would donate their salaries from the movies to charity. In 2018, Amazon.com Inc. abruptly ended a deal it had with Allen and canceled a movie that was scheduled to be released. And now his memoir has also been canceled. Despite zero proof, the mob has pronounced him guilty. An untouchable, Vox called him. Which leads me to the second principle: Mobs shouldnt decide what gets published and what doesnt. At first, that seemed to be Pietschs position as well. He noted that the various Hachette imprints operated independently. He then added: We do not allow anyones publishing program to interfere with anyone elses Each book has its own mission Our job as a publisher is to help the author achieve what they have set out to do in the creation of their book. But the rank and file were having none of it. Hachette held two town-hall meetings, which were followed by a walkout of more than 100 employees. They demanded that Grand Central cancel the book, of course, but they also demanded that the company recognize that Hachette employees have the ability to speak up about books with which they disagree without fear of reprisal. Sure, why not. Lets see: Hachette has a division called Center Street, and a few months ago it published Triggered by Donald Trump Jr., a book devoted to mocking and smearing liberals. Whats to prevent an uprising of employees over that book or over his fathers autobiography when his presidency is over? Hachette also publishes the work of acclaimed photographer Sally Mann, who has printed pictures of her naked children. Could you see a right-wing mob one day objecting to her work? I sure could. In the aftermath of Hachettes decision, author Stephen King tweeted: Daniel Okrent, the author and former public editor of the New York Times, sent me an email that read in part: Trump publishes. Hannity publishes. OJ publishes. HITLER publishes, for chrissakes. But not Woody Allen. I have no special insight into Allens memoir. My guess is he would have laid out his side of the controversy, thus giving readers additional context in deciding how to think about Dylan Farrows accusation. But in the moment were living in, the employees of a large book publisher concluded that readers didnt deserve that information. Their action is a repudiation of everything for which publishing is supposed to stand. On Friday, after Hachette announced it was canceling Allens book, Suzanne Nossel, the executive director of the PEN American Center, which defends free expression, issued a short statement. Here is how it concluded: As a defender of free speech and the availability of a wide breadth of books and ideas, we also fervently hope that the outcome does not lead publishers to shy away from manuscripts that editors think are worthwhile but that are about, or even by, people who may be considered contemptible. Sadly, they already have. To contact the author of this story: Joe Nocera at jnocera3@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Daniel Niemi at dniemi1@bloomberg.net This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners. Joe Nocera is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering business. He has written business columns for Esquire, GQ and the New York Times, and is the former editorial director of Fortune. His latest project is the Bloomberg-Wondery podcast "The Shrink Next Door." 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. By Indranil Sarkar March 10 (Reuters) - Online video interviews increasingly being used by major recruiters seem to be the perfect answer to the disruption caused by coronavirus, but there is a catch: many senior-level positions still require a face-to-face meeting before the final handshake. Recruiters PageGroup and Robert Walters as well as global tech giants Google, Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft owned LinkedIn have said they were moving job interviews and other interactions online in response to the outbreak. The epidemic may have even made part of the recruiters' job simpler. "It was actually easier to get hold of many clients because they were at home, bored and on the end of a mobile phone than it was when they were in meetings, walking factories or flying somewhere," PageGroup Chief Executive Steve Ingham told reporters last week while presenting its annual results. However, without that final face-to-face interview to seal the deal and fill the advertised position, recruiters may not be able to cash in fees that can reach $100,000 or higher for senior banking jobs, and roughly half of that for senior accountants. That, together with concerns the fallout of the epidemic that has spread to over 100 countries will hurt the global economy and dent hiring, has cast doubt over recruiters' 2020 outlook. PageGroup reported a 3% drop in gross profit in the first two months of this year and voiced caution about its revenue while rival Robert Walters Plc warned last week that the outbreak could hurt profit in 2020. Adrien Bizouard, country manager at Robert Walters Vietnam told Reuters business continued as usual there, but in mainland China, Hong Kong and Japan interviews have moved to Skype. Asia-focused recruitment firm Edge Partnership said it had seen some delays in final hiring, but not much financial impact on its Hong Kong business yet. Managing Director Guy Erricker said clients there were happy to delay hiring both because of the restrictions imposed in response to the epidemic and because of uncertainty over how their staffing needs may look like in two to three months. "We probably have to wait through the next two or three weeks to see if the deals are actually going to be closed in time," Erricker told Reuters. Story continues Recruiters globally have had a tumultuous past few months as Brexit, the Sino-U.S. trade war and pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong hit business confidence and crimped companies for hiring. Businesses that promote remote work and video conferencing, however, stand to do better during the upheaval, Zoe Harte, head of human resources and talent innovation at Upwork, an U.S.-listed online marketplace for freelance work, told Reuters. Web conferencing firm Zoom Video Communications Inc last week said it had seen a jump in usage and had started to remove the 40-minute limit on free meetings for users in China to help more people to work remotely. "Companies that develop the culture and tools to enable remote work and recruiting will be better positioned to support their employees and candidates in the midst of the health concerns," Upwork's Harte said. (Reporting by Indranil Sarkar in Bengaluru Writing by Tomasz Janowski Editing by Patrick Graham and Bernard Orr) Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 05:15:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close GENEVA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Facts have proved once again that peace and tranquility are the most fundamental guarantees for human rights, and advancing the political process is the only practical way to resolve the Syrian issue, a senior Chinese diplomat said here on Tuesday. During the interactive dialogue with the Commission of Inquiry of the Syrian Arab Republic at the ongoing 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, Liu Hua, Special Representative for Human Rights of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that the prolonged Syrian crisis has caused the suffering of the Syrian people for many years. "People in many areas have been displaced, and the most basic human rights, such as the right to life, have not been guaranteed," she said. The Chinese diplomat proposed the following suggestions: First, all parties should abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and safeguard Syria's sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity. The international community must adhere to the general direction of a political settlement, promote the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2254, and reach a political solution that accommodate the concerns of all parties through inclusive political dialogue, she said. Second, all parties should unify standards and continue to resolutely combat all terrorist organizations in northern Syria listed by the Security Council, in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions and international law, prevent terrorists from continuing to harm the people or escaping or creating more disorder in the Middle East. Third, the international community should provide the United Nations with sufficient funding to ensure that it provides humanitarian supplies to people in need throughout Syria. At the same time, the international community should also support the Syrian government's efforts in its reconstruction in areas with a relatively stable security situation, repairing housing, livelihood, medical and educational facilities, so as to help the Syrian people out of the shadow of war and gradually lead a stable life, said Liu. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: During Proper No. Twelve's launch in late 2018, founder McGregor and his partners pledged that the whiskey company would donate $5 for every case of Proper No. Twelve sold until donations reached $1 million annually to first responder organizations around the world. Thanks to the tremendous love and support for the brand as well as the high-quality liquid, Proper No. Twelve has become a bartender and consumer favourite, setting sales records for the industry. Proper No. Twelve has sold approximately 200,000 9-liter cases in America and, based on the $5 per case donation the company will donate $1 million dollars in the United States. The company is proud to announce it has selected the New York-headquartered Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation to receive this $1 million donation for the United States. The donation will go towards paying off the mortgages for families of law enforcement officers and firefighters across the country, who were killed in the line of duty and left behind young children. Tunnel to Towers has a score of 100 for Accountability & Transparency on Charity Navigator. Additional donations will be announced in March and April for first responder organizations in Ireland, Canada, the UK, Australia, Russia, Poland and South Africa. Conor McGregor stated, "I am so grateful to the hardworking team at Proper No. Twelve, our distributors, retailers and pub owners along with the millions of whiskey fans that have embraced the brand generating record sales. These sales enable us to make our first significant donation to such deserving families. First responders around the world are the true-life heroes. They are the ones running into emergency situations. This has been a dream of ours since we started the business. Ken, Audie and I had bold ideas for the brand, and sales have surpassed all of our projections! We are so proud to partner with the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation to honour these proper heroes. The foundation's goal is to ensure stability and security for these families facing sudden tragic loss. I hope to inspire my fans and all Proper Twelve drinkers to join me and support this worthwhile cause." In addition to the donation to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, McGregor has recorded PSAs (public service announcements) to encourage others to donate $11 per month to the foundation. These spots, one of which can be viewed here, will air throughout the United States on television. Ken Austin, co-founder of Proper No. Twelve said, "When we began the vetting process on where to give, we saw the fundraising commercials that Tunnel to Towers was playing on TV. My wife grew up in The Rockaways in Queens, New York. Many first responders live in that area and many lost their lives on 9-11, just as Stephen Siller did. Conor said let's donate the million dollars to Tunnel to Towers, but we need to do more. And through the TV spots with Conor, the hope is that many will donate and we can help raise many millions for the foundation and these families." "We are overjoyed to receive the donation from Conor McGregor and his team," said Tunnel to Towers Foundation Chairman and CEO Frank Siller. "We did not solicit their support - they approached us and have been nothing but generous, dedicated partners. Conor's commitment to first responder families can serve as a role model for others. We are extremely grateful, and I know which whiskey we will be drinking this Paddy's Day and beyond." Media Contact: Kate Laufer Gorenstein | [email protected] About the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation's mission is to honor the sacrifice of FDNY Firefighter Stephen Siller, who laid down his life to save others on September 11, 2001. To date, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation has spent over $250 million to honor and support our first responders and veterans and their families. For more about the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, please visit tunnel2towers.org . The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation (EIN: 02-0554654) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. For more about the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, please visit tunnel2towers.org. You can request a copy of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation's most recently filed financial report from the Charities Bureau Registry on the New York Attorney General's website (www.charitiesnys.com) or by contacting: Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10306; or New York State Attorney General Department of Law, Charities Bureau, 28 Liberty Street, New York, NY 10005. Information on New York charitable organizations can be found on the New York Attorney General's website (www.charitiesnys.com) or by contacting (212) 416-8401. About Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey Numerous Irish whiskey makers sought McGregor's endorsement over the years, but as a true born and bred Irishman, he did not want to simply endorse an Irish whiskey. Inspired by his pride for Ireland and his love of Irish whiskey, McGregor wanted to create his own whiskey that would match his high standards and make his country proud. McGregor, his manager Audie Attar and entrepreneur Ken Austin developed the brand under the project name "Notorious" through which came the foundation of what was to eventually become Proper No. Twelve. It became a longer and more complicated project than originally expected, so McGregor turned to a distillery with a proven history of quality whiskey making. He met David Elder, esteemed master distiller, previously of Guinness, and together they took painstaking measures to bring the whiskey to fruition. "We created close to one hundred blends and ultimately selected what we knew was the one and only proper whiskey blend. We took the time to develop an incredible whiskey, and I'm excited to share it with the world," said McGregor. Visit www.properwhiskey.com and follow on Instagram and twitter @properwhiskey. About Conor McGregor Conor McGregor is a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) World Champion, father, philanthropist and entrepreneur who has added Founder and Chairman to his name with the Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey brand, owned by his company Eire Born Spirits. McGregor has catapulted into stardom not only as a Mixed Martial Arts World Champion but as a cultural phenomenon recognized for his outspoken personality and incredible work ethic. He is among the biggest pay-per-view draws in MMA history. McGregor's strong work ethic and dedication to MMA have allowed him to achieve his tremendous success. In the last six years, McGregor has gone from an apprentice plumber receiving social welfare to becoming one of the most recognized and highest paid athletes in the world. SOURCE Eire Born Spirits By Express News Service KOCHI: The Customs Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) on Monday booked four persons, including a woman, in two separate incidents of gold smuggling at the Cochin International Airport (CIAL) at Nedumbassery. AIU officers have also seized 1.5kg of gold worth `68 lakh. In the first incident, 500 grams of gold was recovered from a woman, who had concealed it inside her dress. The gold was brought by a Malapuram native who was travelling on a flight from Bahrain via Kozhikode to CIAL. His brother and sister-in-law boarded the flight from Kozhikode airport. Inside the flight, he handed over the gold to his sister-in-law, hoping that checking will not be stringent for domestic passengers, said an officer. However, based on a tip-off, Customs officials intercepted the woman at the arrival terminal. Later, after interrogation, they booked her husband and brother-in-law, who brought gold from Bahrain. In the second incident, a passenger was intercepted with 1kg of gold, which was concealed inside a microwave oven. The Koduvally native had arrived in a flight from Riyadh. The gold was found during baggage checking. After recording the arrest, he was released on bail. SPRINGFIELD A bill that would give a state tax credit of up to $1,000 a year to foster families has bipartisan support in Illinois, but the cost of such a credit isnt yet known. State Rep. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, filed House Bill 5119 and members of both parties signed up in support. State Rep. Mark Batinick, R-Plainview, signed on to the bill and said such an incentive could help encourage more people to become foster parents. When you look at all the issues going on at the state level, weve heard about the deaths of people that are in state care, we need more good people doing this and so we need to incentivize good practice, good behavior, Batinick said. An Office of Inspector General annual report for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services found that of the children that had some kind of interaction with the department in a 12 month period, 123 of them died. Batinick said donated his recent legislative pay raise to two foster families. Ive seen the inside of how special these people are and a lot of that stuff isnt reimbursed, Batinick said. State Rep. Mike Zalewski, D-Riverside, said the measure has merit. You know where a foster parent says I went through the exercise of helping a child, Im going to put it on my Illinois income tax return and let my liability go downward, Im excited about that as an opportunity, but again we have to make sure that we can afford it, Zalewski said. What we do on tax credits this year is up for discussion, Zalewski said. Those cost [the state] money, unfortunately. Baileys measure was filed in February, but remains in the House Rules Committee. Zalewski said he plans a subject matter hearing for the House Revenue and Finance Committee soon because the bill is worth discussing. I think I view it as more of a Ive done this magnanimous thing and I want to be helpful, but it may have hurt my bottom line, I might have not been able to go on the vacation I wanted, I may not have been able to afford the new appliance, what can the state do to help me alleviate that kind of burden, that seems like a worthwhile cause, Zalewski said. Lawmakers return to Springfield on March 18. A subject matter hearing in Chicago on the topics of other tax credits such as affordable housing tax credits, prompt payment, the earned income tax credit, and online ticket resale taxes is scheduled before that. Delaware County school superintendents and a representative from Episcopal Academy on Monday met with county officials in person or via conference call to discuss a path forward in preparing for a potential outbreak of coronavirus. Lori Devlin, director of InterCommunity Health, Medical Countermeasures Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Department of Health; Delaware County Intermediate Unit; county council Vice Chairman Dr. Monica Taylor and county Emergency Services Director Timothy Boyce were on hand for the planning session. I am very happy with how Mondays meeting went, Boyce said. All of the superintendents arrived with plans already in place for their respective districts and we spent quite a bit of time discussing what is in the best interest of the districts students and staff. Upper Darby School Superintendent Dr. Dan McGarry sent a message to parents outlining steps the district will be taking including asking the school board to declare Friday as an in-service day. As a unified County response to the Coronavirus/COVID-19, school districts throughout Delaware County have agreed to hold planning and preparation meetings with their staffs, McGarry said. Upper Darby School District will be asking our school board of directors to designate this Friday, March 13, as an in-service day for our teachers and staff. Similar to a regular in-service day, students will not report to school on March 13, but staff will report on that day. The March 13 planning and preparation day will provide teachers and staff time to prepare to deliver instruction to our students K-12 if we are required to close our district. At this time, all afternoon and evening school district activities will continue, but we are monitoring these activities closely. During Mondays meeting, Boyce introduced a pandemic action plan that includes the following four steps: Monitoring, limiting outside events, postponing field trips and other activities, and finally, closing school if necessary. In any event, each individual school district will decide its path forward. Due to the lack of snow this winter, there are snow days that are available for use. As of Tuesday afternoon, several school districts decided to either close or use Friday or Monday as in-service days to conduct deep cleaning of the schools. DCIU Executive Director Dr. Maria Edelberg said the districts and DCIU have all been working together to solidify a working plan. We are working to best guide our schools in the event of an infectious disease outbreak, Edelberg said. Dan Nerelli, superintendent of the Chichester School District, said he is taking guidance from health officials. Police officers are investigating the killing of an elderly man inside a police station on Sunday in Kakamega County, Kenya. Benson Waluvengo Benjamin, 62, died at the Kabras Police Station on the same day he was arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer. The deceased was arrested on Sunday at about 3am at Litungu Bar and Restaurant in Malava town over claims that he had assaulted Constable Elisha Arunga, who is attached to the Kakamega North Directorate of Criminal Investigations. Corporal Alois Nzuki reported that he heard some commotion from the stations report office and on checking he found that the arresting officer had hit the suspect on the head with a hoe handle. The injured suspect was taken to Malava Sub County Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Police headquarters told K24 Digital that the offending officer was arrested and will be charged with murder once investigations are complete. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Drivers were hit with over $100 million worth of fines after being caught out by traffic cameras last year. Motorists in Victoria were hit with $86million worth of fines after being caught by speed cameras and $140million for red light camera infringements. Freedom of information documents obtained by 9News also revealed the locations of Victoria's highest earning cameras. Motorists in Victoria were hit with $86million worth of fines after being caught by speed cameras and $140million for red light camera infringements The top earning mobile speed camera was located on Ballarat Road, in Footscray, and earned the Victorian government $1.1 million last year. A camera on the Great Ocean Road also earned the Victorian government just over $1 million. After that, the most lucrative cameras were all located in central Melbourne along Huntingdale Road, Station Street and Beaconsfield Parade. The freedom of information request also showed that fixed red light cameras amassed over 476,000 fines. A huge sum of $8.7 million was brought in by a camera on the corner of King Street and Latrobe Street. Other top earning red light cameras were located at Warragul Road in Chadstone and Fitzroy Street in St Kilda. Some Victorian residents spoke out against the traffic cameras slammed them as a massive money spinner fro the government. One activist, John King, told 9News: 'It's just a rolling money bank. I've called them piggybanks on poles.' YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS. The Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan met with the Speaker of the National Assembly of Serbia Maja Gojkovic within the framework of the official visit to Serbia on March 9-11 . As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the parliament of Armenia, welcoming the Armenian delegation, Maja Gojkovic noted that this is already the second meeting after the one held in the frameworks of the Inter-Parliamentary Union sitting. The Head of the legislative body of Serbia noted that the two peoples have historical warm relations. Maja Gojkovic recalled the assistance shown to Armenia by the Serbian people after 1988 Spitak earthquake, and during its transportation the Serbian pilots fell victims of the plane crash. She added that Armenia in its turn was one of the countries that showed humanitarian aid to those who suffered from the disastrous flood in Serbia several years ago. In his turn the Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia thanked his colleague for the invitation and warm reception and reaffirmed the friendly ties existing between the two peoples, where the Armenian community in Serbia that gets support from official Belgrade, also plays its role. Ararat Mirzoyan noted that the potential of huge political and economic cooperation exists between the two countries which confidently should be called into life with joint efforts. The process of visa abolishment is also characteristic between the two countries. The parties discussed the perspectives of deepening the relations between the two countries, the possible economic cooperation, the more intensive cooperation of the two parliaments at bilateral level between the Friendship Groups and Standing Committees, as well as on multilateral platforms. While touching upon the conflicts of Kosovo and Nagorno Karabakh the heads of the two countries parliaments agreed that despite the differences existing between them, the peaceful negotiations have no alternative and have reached an agreement at least not to harm each others interests on the international platforms. At the end of the meeting Ararat Mirzoyan and Maja Gojkovic signed a Memorandum of Cooperation between the two countries parliaments and made statements for the press. Let us note that before the launch of the official meeting the heads of the two parliaments laid flowers in memory of the pilots who fell victims during the plane crash in 1988. The two shootings each occurred this month on the same block in Southeast Washington, both of them in the daytime, exactly one week apart, according to the D.C. police. The Kremlin says U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will not attend the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow on March 10 that it was not clear who would represent the United States at the event. "We have been informed via diplomatic channels that President [Trump] will not attend," Peskov said. He did not elaborate. A military parade for the occasion will be held in Moscow on May 9. Moscow said earlier that along with Trump, the Kremlin had also invited British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and officials from other nations. With reporting by TASS and Interfax Former Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has been appointed into the board of Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency, KADIPA, by Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai. The new appointment was announced in a statement El-Rufais Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Muyiwa Adekeye on Tuesday. This appointment comes less than 24 hours after Sanusi was dethroned by the Kano State Government, headed by El-Rufais APC colleague Abdullahi Ganduje, for disobeying lawful authorities. However, the statement said the governor approved Sanusis appointment while reconstituting the board of KADIPA. According to the statement, Sanusi was named the Vice Chairman of the board. The statement reads: Malam Nasir El-Rufai has appointed His Highness, Muhammad Sanusi II into the board of KADIPA. The appointment is part of the reconstitution of the board of KADIPA, which is statutorily chaired by the Deputy Governor, and has as internal members senior officials of the Kaduna State Government. Governor El-Rufai said that Kaduna State hopes to benefit from the profile, experience, intellect and networks of His Highness, Muhammad Sanusi, who before becoming Emir, had built a solid reputation in global financial circles. Malam Nasir El-Rufai said that Kaduna State is honoured to be able to call on the services of a man of such calibre to drive its development. The Governor also said that he is confident that the new board, which includes the most senior officers of the state will further propel KADIPA to greater success in attracting investments to Kaduna State. He disclosed that the external members have been carefully chosen to further reinforce the investment credentials of the state. The new board of KADIPA has the following members: 1. Her Excellency, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe Chairman 2. His Highness, Muhammadu Sanusi II Vice-Chairman 3. Balarabe Abbas Lawal, Secretary to the State Government 4. Bariatu Y. Mohammed, Head of Service 5. Jimi Lawal, Senior Adviser-Counsellor 6. Aisha Dikko, Attorney-General of Kaduna State 7. Idris Nyam, Commissioner, Business, Innovation & Technology 8. Fausat Ibikunle, Commissioner, Housing & Urban Development 9. Thomas Gyang, Commissioner, Planning & Budget Commission 10. Farida Dankaka, KACCIMA 11. Amal Hassan, Private Sector 12. Hafiz Bayero, MD, Kaduna Markets Development Company 13. Altine Jibrin, Director-General, KADGIS 14. Umma Aboki, Executive Secretary, KADIPA Malam Nasir El-Rufai has expressed his gratitude to members of the reconstituted board of KADIPA for agreeing to serve. The exit of Jyotiraditya Scindia signals the deepening leadership crisis in the Congress which continues to grapple with factionalism and growing power struggles between old and young leaders. The fact that Scindia failing to get an audience with Congress President Sonia Gandhi, as pointed out by sources, reinforces the grudge many hold in the party about the high command becoming progressively distant. Scindia's departure is seen as a big blow to the Congress, which lost a prominent young face, but it is also feared that his revolt may trigger a wave of dissensions in the party where youngsters have long felt sidelined by veterans. The first Congress leader to publicly lament Scindia's departure on Tuesday was former MP and sitting Haryana MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi who said it was a big blow and the party needed to empower youngsters who resonate with the masses. "Jyotiraditya Scindia's departure is a big blow to the Congress. He was a central pillar in the party and the leadership should've done more to convince him to stay. Like him, there are many other devoted INC leaders across the country who feel alienated, wasted & discontented. India's oldest party needs to empower young leaders who have the capacity to work hard and resonate with the masses," said Bishnoi, whose turf war with former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is well known. Several young leaders in the Congress have been voicing their anxieties in public of late. In Rajasthan, Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot is engaged in a continuous power tussle with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. In Punjab, former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu has been at loggerheads with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. Ahead of Maharashtra elections, former Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam had threatened to quit the party accusing Sonia Gandhi's "coterie of sidelining Rahul Gandhi's team members". Another young Maharashtra Congress leader Milind Deora has been striking a note of dissent of late. "The resignation of Scindia may well encourage other disgruntled young leaders in the Congress to raise banners of revolt or to look for space in other parties. We have off and on heard of many Congress leaders being in backdoor channel talks with the BJP. Such parleys may get intense now," said a Congress insider. Multiple issues like party is adrift, weak-decision making processes and uncertain future leadership are causing anxieties among leaders who have long political careers ahead of them, insiders say. "Many leaders are feeling stifled in the party as they have no voice in the decision-making process. Scindia pointed out in his resignation letter today that he felt he could not serve the people or the country by staying in the Congress. That sense is shared by many leaders and the high command needs to address these concerns," said another senior leader. Scindia's departure from the Congress also raises question marks about delayed decision-making and status quo in the Congress, with the former MP himself pointing out in the letter that Tuesday's events had been building up for a year. After being denied the chief minister's post in 2018, Scindia waited for long to be PCC chief, even as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and former chief minister Digvijaya Singh continued to steamroll his plans. This week it became clear that Nath did not favour even a Rajya Sabha seat for Scindia, as several Madhya Pradesh leaders began demanding Priyanka Gandhi's entry to the upper house from the state. Of the three seats going to elections from Madhya Pradesh, Congress was expected to get only two, with Digvijaya Singh the main contender and Priyanka's name floated as a second. "It was only after all doors were shut on him, that Scindia decided to quit. The final harm was done by Sonia Gandhi's decision to not even meet Scindia, which the former MP would have taken as a blow to self respect," said a leader close to Scindia. Veterans are in control of leadership roles across Congress state units with most of them being 70 plus. "In such a scenario it is natural for youngsters to look for opportunities. Many young leaders also feel demoralised by Rahul Gandhi's continued reluctance to take up party's reins or stand by them. Scindia's proximity to Rahul Gandhi was well known but even Scindia did not get a hearing in the Congress what to talk of others," said a source. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) TDT | Manama The National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) said it has signed a collaborative agreement with Eagle Hills Diyar (EHD) to provide NBB customers with special offers for properties within a waterfront development project, Marassi Al Bahrain in Diyar Al Muharraq. The signing ceremony was held on 18th February 2020 at the EHD Sales Centre in Marassi Al Bahrain. The agreement allows NBB customers to benefit from special offerings on mortgage loans when purchasing properties in Marassi Al Bahrain Development. The deal was signed by Subah A. Latif Al Zayani, Head of Retail Banking at NBB and Dr Maher Al Shaer, Managing Director of Eagle Hills Diyar. Commenting, Al Zayani said the deal extends housing solutions at competitive rates, and our mortgage loans to prospective buyers, facilitating their purchase of any of the residential units under Marassi Al Bahrain development including complementary property registration charges. Also commenting, Dr Al Shaer said, As a highly successful addition to the Kingdoms real estate sector, we look forward to welcoming NBB customers to the Marassi way of life i.e. true waterfront living. Few issues have so divided Australians in the past couple of years as the federal governments promise to enact religious freedom legislation, not least because the farther edges of its advocates and opponents distrust each other so vehemently. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Attorney-General Christian Porter announced the updated draft in December. Credit:Rhett Wyman The Coalition government has already prepared two drafts for possible legislation, and has to walk a tightrope between the suspicions and concerns some legitimate, most less so of both sides. Debate about the legislation will continue throughout 2020, and it is likely that a bill will be brought to the Federal Parliament later in the year. Following on from the delayed release of the Ruddock committee report into religious freedom and now two consultation drafts, legislation is looking inevitable. It is unfortunate that we are becoming locked into divisive debate about the content of religious freedom legislation without the debate that should come first: do we truly need a legislative solution in this form? Amid the political turmoil in Madhya Pradesh, BJP MLAs would be flown out of Bhopal and possibly out of the state on Tuesday night, party sources said. With 22 Congress MLAs quitting and plunging the Congress government in the state into a crisis, a meeting of the BJP Legislature Party was held on Tuesday evening. With the possibility of the Congress, which would be reduced to minority in the Assembly if the resignations of its MLAs are accepted, trying to poach BJP's legislators, the saffron party was taking precautions to keep its flock together, sources added. After the meeting, Leader of Opposition Gopal Bhargava said all the party MLAs were going to "celebrate Holi" at an undisclosed location. "We are going to celebrate Holi. We are going to the airport in buses. From there we will leave for the location as per the directives of party leaders," he said, without disclosing what their destination would be. Five chartered buses could be seen parked outside the BJP office. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) UPDATE TUESDAY: Latest on schools and colleges that are closing or changing schedules (Tuesday, March 10) With the announcement Monday afternoon that the number of coronavirus cases in New Jersey jumped to 11, many school districts have announced closures or early dismissals to figure out how to deal with the disease. The following schools have announced closures or early dismissals related to coronavirus: Berkeley Heights Public Schools: closing Tuesday, March 10 after a parent of a student tested positive for coronavirus. The entire family was quarantined and the school will be cleaned and will likely reopen on Wednesday, March 11. Cranford School District: closing Monday, March 16 Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees: closing at 12:05 p.m. on Thursday, March 12 and Friday March 13 so staff can put together a coronavirus plan. Elizabeth Public Schools: closing at 12:15 p.m. on Monday, March 16 for a staff in-service meeting on coronavirus. The Frisch School: the private school in Paramus announced last week it be closed for several days after dozens of its students were potentially exposed to the coronavirus at a bat mitzvah in New York last month. Haddonfield Public Schools: closing on Monday, March 16 so staff can prepare for the possibility of virtual classrooms and at-home learning, the districts superintendent said. Jersey City Public Schools: closing at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11 to initiate plans and coordinate with staff for satellite learning options. Little Silver Public Schools: canceled after school activities (excluding aftercare) this week, March 9 to March 13, for cleaning. Lyndhurst School District: closing early on Thursday, March 12 to plan for any possible closures in response to coronavirus. Monmouth University: cancelling all classes (face-to-face, hybrid, and online) for the remainder of the week, with spring break beginning as scheduled on Saturday, March 14. A student contacted university health services to report flu-like symptoms and was transported to Monmouth Medical Center for further evaluation. Montclair Public Schools: no closures announced but all school tours and some field trips were cancelled after a staff member was being tested for coronavirus and was in self-quarantine at home until her laboratory results were returned. North Arlington Public Schools: closing early on Thursday, March 12 and Friday, March 13 to continue planning and preparing for a potential school closure, the district superintendent announced. Paramus Public Schools: closing Wednesday, March 11 to receive needed comprehensive training in remote instruction. Princeton University: all lectures, seminars, and precepts will move to virtual instruction beginning Monday, March 23. Red Bank Regional School District: closing Tuesday, March 10 for cleaning after the sibling of a student tested positive for coronavirus. Roselle Public Schools: closing on Tuesday, March 10 and Wednesday, March 11 so that school and office buildings can be sanitized after the district learned that a staff member made contact with someone who was recently diagnosed with coronavirus. Rowan University: lengthening its spring break a week so staffers can develop plans to teach courses remotely if coronavirus prompts a closure. Stevens Institute of Technology: cancelling classes on Tuesday, March 10 in preparation to bring all courses online through Canvas. All classes will resume on their normal schedule on Wednesday, March 11 through Friday, March 13, but will be held completely online. Trenton Public Schools: cancelling classes Thursday, March 12 for planning, and Friday March 13, for cleaning. Warren Hills Regional School District: closing Wednesday, March 11 to develop coronavirus preparedness plans. Wayne Township Public School: closing Friday, March 13 for an extensive cleaning of our buildings, district officials said. MORE: Keeping up with coronavirus in N.J.: First, dont panic. Our newsletter might help. Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon 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 UN Investigator Warns Against Isolating North Korea as Threat of COVID-19 Looms By Lisa Schlein March 09, 2020 A U.N. investigator Monday warned of serious consequences if COVID-19 gains a foothold in North Korea, and urged the government to accept international offers of help to contain the spread of the deadly virus. The investigator submitted a report on the North's human rights situation to the U.N. Human Rights Council. The U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea, Tomas Ojea Quintana, said the lack of freedoms and wide-range abuses in the tightly controlled, highly secretive society run counter to the transparency needed to combat the coronavirus epidemic. Ojea Quintana acknowledges the government's extensive efforts in preventing an outbreak of this virus inside the North. He warns a widespread infection in North Korea would be devastating for the people as many are malnourished, suffering from stunted growth and are vulnerable to getting sick. The U.N. official is calling on North Korea to allow full and unimpeded access to medical experts and aid workers and urges the government not to restrict access to vital information. The government in Pyongyang has not publicly disclosed any cases of COVID-19. "Measures to contain and combat the spread of COVID-19, such as lockdowns and quarantines, as well as treatment of patients, should be carried out in strict accordance with human rights standards. Further isolation of the country is not the answer. The international community must respond accordingly and offer medical and scientific assistance," he said. The United States and other countries have imposed economic sanctions on North Korea because of its nuclear weapons program. Ojea Quintana said sanctions create economic hardships for the people and given the coronavirus crisis, they should be reviewed. The U.N. rapporteur describes the overall human rights situation in North Korea as abysmal. "Basic freedoms continue to be limited, control and surveillance are pervasive, and the population fears arbitrary arrest and mistreatment, including detention in political prison campsA recent account refers to frequent deaths of prisoners due to hard labor, lack of food, contagious diseases and overcrowding," he said. Ojea Quintana said women are the most abused members of this repressive society. He said women are the primary caretakers of the household and are under pressure to provide money and labor to the government. He said women are vulnerable to threats, imprisonment and sexual abuse from local state officials. Additionally, he said they have no political power or recourse to justice. The North Korean delegation boycotted the U.N. Council session and did not avail itself of its right of reply as the concerned country. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address "Continued international expansion is key to the consolidation of CI&T. The company has already expanded its presence in the North American market, accelerating its annual growth from 25% to 30% in recent years," said Bruno Guicardi, Co-founder and President at CI&T. "With the entry into the European continent, we hope to obtain a similar result." The London office will be the central hub for CI&T operations and responsible for building new business relationships and servicing new and existing clients. The Lisbon office meanwhile will focus on the development of digital and design solutions, highlighting CI&T's goal of continuing to be on the forefront of innovation. It will also focus on talent acquisition looking to tap into Lisbon's growing talent pool, cutting-edge infrastructure and competitive costs. CI&T provides strategy, research, design and engineering services to the world's largest companies, digitally transforming customers' businesses by co-creating new business models, digital products and platforms, and innovative ways of working. "The global digital transformation market has doubled in the last 18 months, and 69% of UK companies plan to invest in this process over the next three years. We are talking about a market estimated at US $2 billion," added Carolina Rossi Wosiack, EMEA Managing Director at CI&T, who will be based in London. "There is a great opportunity to help traditional companies like Konica Minolta make an impact through digitization." "CI&T is a key partner for Konica Minolta, supporting us with new development projects for the Healthcare IT industry. Their experience and professionalism has been invaluable in successfully setting up efficient processes and development environments, as well as advising on product definition, refinement and requirements engineering," notes Florian Ertl, Senior Product Owner for Digital Workplace R&D, Konica Minolta. "What has been most welcomed, is the CI&T team is a great working example of agile software development: fast, flexible, open, and fully engaged with the project and wider team members." This announcement comes on the heels of several key achievements for CI&T in 2019 and highlights the company's continued momentum and global growth. In addition to a strategic minority investment from Advent International, CI&T welcomed EmbraerX to its growing client portfolio, unveiled its new Prisma Bay Area innovation center in Oakland and was the recipient of a number of industry accolades including Inc. 5000, and Great Place to Work. About CI&T CI&T is a digital solutions partner for some of the world's biggest companies, helping them drive growth and continuous innovation across business, people and technology. With operations across North America, Latin America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region, CI&T has a proven track record of delivering complex end-to-end solutions for the digital enterprise. For more information, visit www.ciandt.com . PR Contact Benny To Illume PR for CI&T 310.452.4446 ciandt@illumepr.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1120956/CIandT_Expands.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1096357/CI_and_T_logo.jpg Related Links http://www.ciandt.com SOURCE CI&T Mgon.net 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 10 Dec 2012, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the mgon homepage on Twitter + the total number of mgon followers (if mgon has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the mgon homepage on StumbleUpon. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the mgon homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if mgon has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the mgon homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. The total number of people who shared the mgon homepage on Delicious. Basic Information PAGE TITLE DESCRIPTION KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The title found in the head section of the homepage. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. 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. Domain and Server DOCTYPE CHARSET AND LANGUAGE Chinese (Simplified, China) UTF-8Chinese (Simplified, China) SERVER Apache/2.4.1 (Unix) PHP/5.3.10 (PHP/5.3.10) OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux Operative System running on the server. Character set and language of the site. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) The language of mgon.net as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. 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 mgon.net 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 type of Facebook page. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. The URL of the found Facebook page. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, walks with King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands as they inspect the honour guard during the welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia (Adek Berry/AP) King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands has apologised for his countrys aggression during its colonial rule of Indonesia and formally recognised the Southeast Asian nations independence date, on his first state visit to the former Dutch colony. The kings apology was conveyed after he and Queen Maxima were hosted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his wife, Iriana, at an official ceremony in the ornate colonial-style presidential palace in Bogor, just outside the capital, Jakarta. The Netherlands did not initially apologise for its 350 years of colonial rule and aggression until 2013, when the Dutch ambassador expressed remorse for a series of massacres carried out by the Dutch military to crush resistance against colonial rule in Java and Sulawesi islands after Indonesias 1945 declaration of independence. That apology came only after the victims widows took the Dutch government to court. King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Queen Maxima are welcomed by Indonesian President Joko Widodo on their arrival at the presidential palace in Bogor, West Java (Adi Weda/AP) At a joint news conference with Mr Widodo on Tuesday, the king said: In line with the previous statement by my government, I would like to express my regret and apologise here for the excessive violence on the part of the Dutch in those years. I do so with full awareness that the pain and sorrow of the affected families will be felt for generations. Indonesia declared its independence from Dutch colonial rule on August 17 1945, but the Netherlands refused to acknowledge it and fought unsuccessfully to maintain control of the lucrative Asian outpost. It finally recognised the country as an independent nation in December 1949. Indonesian authorities claim some 40,000 people were killed during the fighting, while most Dutch historians estimate the dead at about 1,500. A 1968 Dutch report acknowledged violent excesses in Indonesia but argued that Dutch troops were conducting a police action often incited by guerrilla warfare and terror attacks. The Dutch government has never prosecuted any soldiers for the killings despite a UN report condemning the attacks as deliberate and ruthless as early as 1948. The 2013 apology by the Dutch ambassador cleared the way for the biggest-ever Dutch trade mission to Indonesia in November 2013, led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima are making a four-day state visit to Indonesia (Dita Alangkara/AP) Subsequent apologies were made by Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders in 2016 and Mr Rutte late last year during visits in Indonesia. But unresolved demands from those affected by past war crimes still loom large over the monarchs current visit. On August 17, it will be 75 years since Indonesia declared its proclamation, claiming its place among free and independent countries, the king said on Tuesday. Today, the Dutch government explicitly acknowledged it both politically and morally. The four-day state visit by the royal couple, who arrived in Jakarta on Monday, aims to deepen economic ties with Indonesia. It is the first trip to Indonesia for the king since he ascended the throne in 2013, and the fourth for the queen, whose previous trips were part of her role as UN Secretary-Generals Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, accompanied by Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Bok, right, observe a moment of silence as during their visit to a Dutch war cemetery in Jakarta (Dita Alangkara/AP) The king and queen started their busy day on Tuesday by laying a wreath at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery to honour Indonesias war dead, especially those who fell during the War of Independence. In the afternoon, the royal couple laid a wreath at Menteng Pulo Cemetery, the resting place of almost 4,300 Dutch soldiers who died during the Second World War and the independence war. The king and Mr Widodo witnessed the signing of agreements for economic partnership in the areas of agriculture, healthcare, coastal protection and the maritime industry. Under the Widodo administration, ties between the two countries have strengthened significantly. We certainly cannot erase our history, but we can learn from the past, the president said. We try to learn from history to strengthen our commitment to build an equal relationship that respects and benefits each other. Mr Widodos visit to the Netherlands in 2016 was the first by an Indonesian leader since Abdurraham Wahid in 2000. In 2010, then-president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono cancelled a visit at the last minute amid moves by a separatist group to have him arrested for alleged human rights violations. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his wife Iriana (Achmad Ibrahim, Pool/AP) The Dutch royal couple are scheduled to meet the Sultan of Yogyakarta on Wednesday. On Thursday, the king and queen will visit Lake Toba in North Sumatra province, one of Indonesias 10 new Balis, an ambitious plan to boost tourism and diversify Southeast Asias largest economy. They will also visit Sebangau National Park on Borneo island on Thursday. CHICAGO, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Malt Extracts and Ingredients Market by Product (Extracts and Ingredients), Source (Soy, Wheat, and Rye), Grade (Standard malt and Specialty malt), Application (Beverages, Food, and Pharmaceuticals), Form (Dry and Liquid), Region - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Malt Extracts And Ingredients Market size is projected to reach USD 20.4 billion by 2025, from USD 17.6 billion in 2020, recording a CAGR of 3.0% during the forecast period. The increasing production of craft beer, along with the adoption of malt-based food, is projected to drive industry growth during the forecast period. Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=97763660 The ingredients segment, by product, is projected to dominate the malt extracts and ingredients market due to their increasing use in beer production Malt ingredients are mainly used for beer production. They are also preferred for the production of whiskey. Thus, the increase in the consumption of alcohol is expected to the market for malt ingredients during the forecast period. Ingredients are also available in both powdered and flaked forms. The high shelf life of powdered ingredients is also a driving factor, as manufacturers find them easy to distribute in remote areas. Furthermore, the rising popularity of various artisanal and craft beers is further propelling market growth. Browse in-depth TOC on "Malt Extracts and Ingredients Market" 118 - Tables 47 - Figures 173 - Pages Demand for specialty malt, by grade, to remain high during the forecast period The market for specialty malt is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. This is owing to the high preference of specialty malt for food, pharmaceutical, pet food, and personal care products applications. There is a variety of standard malts in the market; these include crystal, roasted, dark, and specially kilned. The barley segment is projected to dominate the malt extracts and ingredients market, owing to its high adoption for beer production Barley, as a source of malt extracts and ingredients, dominates the market, owing to its high preference for beer production. Barley is one of the most popular and traditional sources for malt ingredients due to its high protein content and ease of malting. This is due to the extensive use of barley in the beer industry and the rising awareness of consumers about the health benefits of barley-based beverages. The dry segment is estimated to dominate the malt extracts and ingredients market due to its increasing consumption by food manufacturers The dry segment, by form, is projected to dominate the global malt extracts and ingredients market during the forecast period. Owing to its high popularity and other properties offered, which include high shelf life and ease of handling. Dry malt is produced by heating liquid malt and spraying it from the atomizer in the heated chamber. When the moisture content is removed from the malt, the remaining crystalline form is called dry malt. The increase in demand for the dry form is due to its increased use in bakery and confectionery. The use of malt extracts and ingredients in food applications to remain high during the forecast period The food application segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, owing to the high preference of malts as a natural sweetener. They are mainly used in baked goods, bread, cookies, bagels, rolls, pretzels, pizza crusts, biscuits, crackers, and several snacks. Apart from bakery, they are also used in the confectionery sector for the preparation of malted milk balls, chocolates, and candies. Malt ingredients are also used in the manufacturing of mixes of several food options, such as waffles, sauces, pancakes, soups, gravies, muffins and cakes, breakfast cereals, baby food, granola, popcorn, energy bars, ice cream cones, baked beans, table syrups, toppings, yogurt, frozen foods, and peanut butter. Speak to Analyst: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=97763660 With the increasing demand for craft beer, Asia Pacific is estimated to dominate the malt extracts and ingredients market in 2020 The changing lifestyle and increasing buying power of consumers have increased the demand for malt extracts and ingredients. The growth of the region is owing to the increasing production of craft beer and the rising acceptance of convenience foods among consumers due to their hectic lifestyles. Also, the inclination of the millennial population toward natural food additives and natural sweeteners drives the Asia Pacific malt-based food market, which, in turn, is driving the demand for global malt extracts and ingredients. In recent years, the rise in innovation in various applications has increased the market's horizon. This factor is also expected to propel the market growth. This report includes a study of the development strategies adopted by the leading companies. The scope of this report consists of a detailed study of malt extract and ingredient manufacturers, such as Groupe Soufflet (France), Muntons PLC (US), Viking Malt (Finland), Diastatische Producten (The Netherlands), Laihian Mallas (Finland), Rahr corporations (US), Graincorp Limited (Australia), Malteurop Group (France), Maltexco (Chile), Malt products (US), and Holland Malt (Netherlands). Browse Related Reports: Specialty Malt Market by Type (Roasted, Crystal, and Dark), Application (Brewing, Distilling, Non-alcoholic Malt Beverages, Bakery), Source (Barley, Wheat, and Rye), Form (Dry & Liquid), and Region - Global Forecast to 2022 https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/specialty-malt-market-104724801.html Infant Formula Ingredients Market by Ingredient Type (Carbohydrates, Oils & Fats, Proteins, Vitamins, Minerals, Prebiotics), Application (Growing-up Milk, Standard Infant Formula, Follow-on Formula, Specialty), Form, Source, Region-Global Forecast to 2025 https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/infant-formula-ingredients-market-198132825.html Browse Adjacent Markets: F & B Ingredients Market Research Reports & Consulting About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Sanjay Gupta MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/malt-ingredients-market.asp Visit Our Web Site: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/malt-ingredients.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg Patients in a hospital's intensive care unit are kept under close observation: clinicians continuously monitor their vital signs such as their pulse, blood pressure and blood oxygen saturation. This furnishes doctors and nurses with a wealth of data about the condition of their patients' health. Nevertheless, using this information to predict how their condition will develop or to detect life-threatening changes far in advance is anything but easy. Researchers at ETH Zurich and Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, have now developed a method that cleverly combines a patient's various vital signs with other medically relevant information. Fusing this data enables critical circulatory failure to be predicted several hours before it occurs. In future, the aim is to use the method for real-time evaluation of hospital patients' vital signs to provide an early warning system for the medical staff on duty, who, in turn, can take appropriate action at an early stage. Extensive dataset The researchers were able to develop this approach thanks to the wealth of data supplied by the Department of Intensive Care Medicine at Bern University Hospital. In 2005, it became the first large intensive care unit in Switzerland to start storing granular, high-resolution data for intensive care patients in digital form. For their study, the researchers used anonymised data from 36,000 admissions to intensive care units, which came exclusively from patients who agreed to their data being used for research purposes. On the initiative of Tobias Merz, research associate and former senior physician at the Department of Intensive Care Medicine at the University Hospital in Bern and who now works at Auckland City Hospital, researchers led by ETH professors Gunnar Ratsch and Karsten Borgwardt analysed this data using machine learning methods. "The algorithms and models we developed were able to predict 90 percent of all circulatory failures in the dataset we used. In 82 percent of the cases, the prediction came at least two hours in advance, which would have given doctors at least two hours to intervene," explains Ratsch, Professor of Biomedical Informatics at ETH Zurich. Relatively few variables required For each patient in their study, the researchers had several hundred different variables combined with other medical information at their disposal. "However, we were able to show that just 20 of these variables are sufficient to make accurate predictions. These include blood pressure, pulse, various blood values, the patient's age and the medication administered," explains Borgwardt, Professor of Data Mining at ETH Zurich. To further improve the quality of the predictions, the researchers plan to incorporate patient data from other large hospitals into future analyses. In addition, they will make the anonymised dataset, the algorithms and the models available to other scientists. Small number of highly relevant alarms "Preventing circulatory failure is a crucial aspect of patient treatment in intensive care. Even short periods of inadequate circulation significantly increase the mortality of patients," Merz says. "In intensive care units today, we have to deal with a multitude of alarm systems, but they're not very accurate. Often, they trigger false alarms or they give us only a short advance warning, which can delay initiation of adequate measures to support a patients circulation," he says. With their approach, the researchers aim to replace the large number of alarms with a few, highly relevant and early alarms. This is possible, as the study showed that the new method could cut the number of alarms by 90 percent. Some further development work is required to make the method ready for use as an early warning system. Ratsch explains that the first prototype already exists, but before the system can be employed in everyday clinical practice, its reliability must be demonstrated in clinical studies. ABINGDON, Md., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Rev Canna, a new medical cannabis dispensary in Abingdon, Maryland, invites residents of Harford County and neighboring communities to a ribbon-cutting ceremony and other festivities on March 10. Local cannabis cultivators will be on hand to educate patients on how to best use cannabis to treat their conditions. Rev Canna offers a carefully curated menu of flower, extracts, topicals, edibles, vapes, and other cannabis products from top Maryland cultivators, including Cresco, SunMed, Rhythm, MPX, Curio Wellness, Kind Therapeutics, Harvest, and Grassroots. Representatives from these brands will be available to answer questions about their products. The Maryland-based mobile espresso bar Park and Perk Cafe will offer coffee and snacks, while the lifestyle brand Crabcakes and Cannabis will offer swag that celebrates Maryland-state pride. The ceremony will be held outside the dispensary at 12 pm ET. Rev Canna is located at 3111 Emmorton Road. Rev Canna's Owner Tara Brown and Manager Mark de Souza, who is also the CEO of Chicago-based, multi-state cannabis company Revolution Global, will cut the ribbon. "Rev Canna is thrilled to be joining Maryland's legal cannabis industry, offering patients the highest-quality, responsibly-grown products," said de Souza. "Our products help patients live happier, healthier lives while managing chronic conditions, pain, and the side effects of chemo. We have received wonderful support in Abingdon already and look forward to officially introducing ourselves to the community today." Maryland's medical cannabis industry has thrived since its legalization in December 2017. Today there are nearly 90 dispensaries, more than 1,000 medical providers licensed to prescribe, and more than 50,000 patients statewide. Rev Canna is the first dispensary to open in the Abingdon area. Maryland residents who are interested in applying for a medical cannabis card can learn more at Rev Canna or the MMCC website. About Rev Canna Rev Canna is a medical dispensary located in Abingdon, Maryland. Since 2020, Rev Canna has offered extracts, topicals, edibles, vapes, and pre-roll products to patients in the state. We offer the highest quality cannabis products with a comfortable, safe environment for all patients. The dispensary stocks products from 13 cultivators statewide. For more information, visit: https://www.revcannamd.com/ Media Contact: Emily Seeley [email protected] (415) 5177507 SOURCE Rev Canna Related Links https://www.revcannamd.com SpendEdge has been monitoring the global document management and storage services market and the market is poised to experience spend growth of more than USD 5 billion between 2018-2023 at a CAGR of over 11% during the forecast period. Request Free Sample Pages. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005396/en/ Read the 104-page research report with TOC and LOE on "The Global Document Management and Storage Services Market, Pricing Outlook in Geographies that include APAC, North America, South America, and MEA, and insights into best practices to optimize procurement spend." The exponential increase in the volumes of data is making it a cumbersome task for buyers to streamline and maintain accurate records of the data. This is creating the requirement of document management and storage service providers to mitigate risks, reduce costs, streamline workflows, and build solutions that can improve buyers' operational efficiency. Driven by this demand, a majority of service providers are adopting cloud-based data storage services which, apart from their boosting their portfolio, are increasing their demand in the document management and storage services market. Subscribe to our procurement platform to get instant access to over 1000 market-ready procurement intelligence reports without any additional costs or commitment. The Top Document Management and Storage Service Providers Enlisted in this Report: Service providers are tackling a stark rise in their R&D expenses that are dedicated to developing cost-effective document management and storage solutions that are scalable and reliable. This is increasing their TCO which is expected to be compensated by buyers in the form of higher procurement spend in the market. Considering this probability, this report has listed the top document management and storage service providers, SLA agreement insights, and the selection and negotiation strategies that buyers must undertake to achieve optimal and cost-effective procurement in this market. Cintas- With the rapidly evolving compliance landscape and growing volume of data, an effective designing of document management policies is becoming difficult. This makes it imperative for buyers to assess the ability of this service provider to offer value-added services. These value-added services must include consulting services and help formulate effective records management programs, retention schedules, and litigation readiness. Iron Mountain- Collaboration with service providers who adopt digital solutions and big data analytics will help in the better prediction of trends, manage consumer data, and employ targeted marketing. Iron Mountain employs an analytics dashboard that provides access to overall inventory, analyzes inventory activity and spend data, and helps this service provider to derive future projections. Carbonite- Buyers are prone to cyber threats that can lead to loss of critical business information despite having robust digital document systems in place. This makes it crucial for buyers to assess the ability of this service provider to offer tape vaulting services offsite that help secure critical business information. Buy 1 report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 reports and get the third for free. Download the free sample of this report on the document management and storage services market. Some of the key topics covered in this report are: Document management and storage services market spend segmentation by region Document management and storage services supply market analysis Regional spend opportunity for document management and storage service providers Document management and storage service providers cost structure Total cost of ownership analysis in the document management and storage services market Document management and storage services pricing models analysis Category management objectives Cost saving opportunities in the document management and storage services market Free sample of reports that you may like: Global Incident and Emergency Management Software Market Procurement Intelligence Report Global Management Consulting Industry Procurement Market Intelligence Report About SpendEdge: SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions. To know more, https://www.spendedge.com/request-free-proposal View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005396/en/ Contacts: SpendEdge Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager US: +1 630 984 7340 UK: +44 148 459 9299 https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us Against a backdrop of worldwide lockdowns and economic disruptions, South Carolina hospitals are preparing for a surge in coronavirus cases in the coming weeks. Hospitals here are erecting tents to triage potentially ill patients; theyve set up new telemedicine programs to reduce face-to-face visits to clinics. Behind the scenes, theyve stockpiled supplies and worked on staffing strategies, officials told The Post and Courier this week. Well see a lot of cases, said Michael Schmidt, a professor of immunology at the Medical University of South Carolina. Some of our staff have been working day and night on this since January. MUSCs new free online screening system is an example of this planning, he said, and how the health care community has begun to ramp up. Were at the beginning of a surge. The preparations reflect a shift from containing the new infectious disease to managing its spread so it causes less misery and fewer deaths. It also comes amid lingering uncertainty about the diseases lethality, a lack of clarity due in part to inadequate testing. Fatality rates have been disturbingly high in China and Italy, Schmidt said. But in South Korea, which has done extensive testing, mortality rates are more akin to a bad cold virus. A growing consensus, he said, is that if youre elderly and infirm, youre at more risk. But if youre healthy, its going to be like any other winter virus you get. So far, the state Department of Health and Environmental Control has identified nine confirmed or likely cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus, including two new possible cases in Camden. But the cluster of cases in Camden suggest that an outbreak is basically here, Schmidt said. As more tests become available, the number of cases likely will accelerate. Pandemic or not? Despite this likelihood, South Carolina public health leaders have failed to acknowledge the state is in the early stages of a pandemic as defined by its own official disease plan. Published in 2017, DHECs plan said a pandemic should be declared when widespread outbreaks take place internationally and within the United States, including cases in South Carolina. So far, at least 800 people in 36 states have tested positive, a number growing by the day. Twenty-nine people have died, including 16 at a nursing home in Kirkland, Wash. At least 14 states, including North Carolina and Florida, have declared states of emergency. Worldwide, there have been at least 118,000 cases. South Carolinas infectious disease plan discusses scenarios like this, noting that the severity of a pandemic wont be known in its early stages. Because of this, state officials should assume the pandemic is the highest level of severity, the plan said. The plan is modeled on a novel flu outbreak, and given that it was published in 2017, it does not specifically address the coronavirus. But it does offer guidance based on past epidemics. In dealing with a pandemic, the plan states, the public should be advised of the virus arrival, while reminding that its nature will cause it to spread throughout the entire state eventually. In a severe case, the states health workers will face a surge in their services, especially six to eight weeks into the pandemics wave. The plan cites a CDC computer model showing that a likely pandemic scenario would mean about 25 percent of the states residents would be affected, triggering more than 370,000 clinical visits and 3,300 deaths. Officials at DHEC did not respond to questions about its plan. In press conferences, top DHEC leaders and Gov. Henry McMaster have urged the public to practice good personal hygiene and remain calm. Dan Drociuk, an epidemiologist with DHECs division of acute diseases for 20 years, stressed the term pandemic is often incorrectly viewed as a scary word that means mass deaths are occurring or expected. Its just a description of how a new infectious disease is spreading around the world, he said. It means you have to look at things differently. You may have a mild or severe pandemic. Still, such events have precedent. South Carolinas last experience with a disease pandemic was in 2009 when the swine flu swept through. Lessons from swine flu Like COVID 19, the swine flu was a new virus. Because it was new, scientists didnt know its mortality rate and how quickly it would spread. Early on, experts wondered whether it would be as deadly as SARS. The SARS outbreak in 2003 involved about 8,000 people and killed 774 people, but it was contained in Asia. The 2009-10 swine flu turned out to be more contagious than SARS but much less severe. In April 2009, a few cases of swine flu, also called the H1N1 flu virus, popped up across the country. Then, within weeks it was everywhere. In all, the CDC estimates that nearly 61 million people in the United States contracted that flu. More than 274,000 people were hospitalized and 12,400 people died. Its mortality rate of about .001 percent was less than some other seasonal viruses. In 2009, a DHEC official called the swine flu a Category 1 type of pandemic, compared to the 1918 Spanish Flu, which he called a Katrina-like Category 5 pandemic. The Spanish Flu killed more than 675,000 people in the United States and 50 million people worldwide, including 14,200 people in South Carolina. This year's coronavirus outbreak has "a lot of similarities" to what health care professionals experienced during the 2009 swine flu pandemic, said Dannah Wray, director of infection prevention for Roper St. Francis Healthcare. "The challenge then was to adjust what you were doing as it played out," he said. The same holds true today for the coronavirus. "We have to be on our toes, day to day." Politics and science Partisan politics also threaten to infect preparations. Democrats have assailed the Trump administration for its slow roll-out of testing and the presidents perceived lack of urgency in addressing the virus. Republicans, in turn, have accused their opponents of whipping up a public mania and exaggerating the threat to undermine Trump. Dr. John Simkovich, a former regional director for DHEC, said it is important that people tune out the politicking and take their guidance from state leaders and the CDC. This is very serious because its cost a lot of people their lives, he said. Its no place for partisanship at all. The information has to be factual and honest and tell people what you know and dont know. Amid this uncertain backdrop, hospitals across the state have begun to mobilize. Hospitals prepare for surge At MUSC, staff in January began checking on supplies and protective gear, said Heather Woolwine, MUSC media relations director. The institution already has a unit to handle Ebola patients, one of just a handful across the country. And that team is always doing drills. Staff currently screen incoming patients and separate them from others if they show flu-like symptoms. As with other hospitals across the country, MUSC is wrestling with a serious shortage of surgical gowns and masks, she said. The emergence of COVID-19 came at the same time a major manufacturer recalled 7.7 million surgical gowns. Woolwine said MUSC staff have been hunting for more gowns and N95 respirator masks, which are more robust than simple surgical masks. We have an emergency supply of all these items, but were trying to think long-term. Roper St. Francis Healthcare also has been planning for a surge, said Chris McLain, chief physician officer. He said the hospital system is "watchful and waiting for what may come." Their hospitals have enough supplies for normal operations, but an epidemic would create a shortage for everyone, he said. Like MUSC, Roper St. Francis is offering free virtual care consultations for anyone experiencing virus-like symptoms. At Trident Medical Center in North Charleston and Prisma Health in Columbia, masked screeners greet patients with respiratory problems and ask questions about travel and contact theyve had with anyone who may have had coronavirus exposure to determine risk. Dr. Scott Sasser, Prisma Health's acute care chief clinical officer for the Midlands, said the hospital started preparations several months ago when the illness first emerged. Prisma Health has one coronavirus patient in its care. Free medical consultations Area hospitals are offering free consultations for people who are experiencing symptoms of the coronavirus. They are: Medical University of South Carolina: Chat online with a health care provider at www.musc.care and use the code COVID19 at checkout. Roper St. Francis Healthcare: Virtual care consultations and screenings can be accessed at https://www.rsfh.com/virtualcare/. Trident Medical Center: Call Consult-A-Nurse at 843-797-3463 to speak with a registered nurse. Prisma Health: Online virtual visits at prismahealth.org/virtual-visit. Use the code: Covid 19. Any patient who may have the virus is placed in an isolation room that is monitored around the clock. All staff who enter the room wear protective equipment, including a face shield, respirator, gown and gloves. The site manager makes sure the equipment remains in the room and possibly infected materials are disposed of properly. "I have to assure you we take care of patients with infectious diseases on a daily basis so we're accustomed to doing this and we're very confident in our skills," said Dr. Steve Shelton, medical director of emergency management for Prisma Health in the Midlands. In the Midlands, Lexington Medical Center erected the tent as an extra level of triage. Anyone who comes to the ER with respiratory symptoms will be sent to the tent for an initial screening before being taken inside, said Jennifer Wilson, a spokeswoman for the hospital. Other hospitals are contemplating similar steps. Meanwhile, the South Carolina Hospital Association is urging its members and the state to begin conserving protective equipment for medical workers in case the viruss spread causes shortages. Its recommending that hospitals not allow visitors, medical students and interns into areas where they would require protection like gowns and masks. And it is asking state regulators to temporarily stop requiring annual tests that make sure medical workers masks fit them. Each test uses a mask, and the hospital group says its members test 50,000 workers a year, which could deplete their supplies. The association says it has also lined up companies that can provide temporary staffing and extra supplies, but it wasn't immediately clear how many workers and masks theyll be able to provide. We launch into similar protocol that we do during hurricanes, said Schipp Ames, the hospital associations vice president of communications. The group collects instructions from state and federal authorities and relays them to hospitals. Weve taken that response and really applied it here. Dr. Lee Biggs, Tridents chief medical officer, said area hospitals are in close contact with one another to make sure the region is as prepared as it can be for the virus. This is not Trident, MUSC or Roper St. Francis operating independently, he said. We are all in alignment to meet the needs of the community. Catherine Templeton led the state Department of Health and Environmental Control from 2012 to 2015, a time when fears of an Ebola outbreak gripped the nation. She said the country as a whole does not have enough to respirators, ventilators and intensive care units to handle a pandemic without extra resources. But South Carolinas main trauma centers are as prepared as any to deal with this new threat, she said. They are state of the art, she said. If you are going to get coronavirus, you want to get it in South Carolina." Thad Moore, Seanna Adcox, Jessica Holdman and Stephen Hobbs of The Post and Courier contributed to this report. Many will welcome the United States-Taliban peace deal signed in Qatar. They see a war that has lasted nearly 19 years, taken the lives of nearly 3,600, wounded tens of thousands more, and cost trillions of dollars. They see a Taliban force that remains strong, with significant territorial control and financial strength. They see, in short, a war that has lasted too long and doesnt seem winnable. The desire to get out of such a seemingly never-ending conflict is understandable, but we urge caution to our fellow citizens and President Trump. For all the failings and frustrations in Afghanistan since October 2001, the U.S. mission there has achieved some good things. This peace deal shouldnt become an excuse to abandon Afghanistan, which would be a terrible moral and strategic error. This isnt about nation-building but rather a matter of national security. The Trump administration must hold firm to a conditions-based approach to this deal. If the Taliban lives up to its word, the U.S. should do the same. If the Taliban breaks its word, which is increasingly likely in the second half of the deals implementation, Trump or his successor must be ready to return some U.S. forces to Afghanistan and exert renewed military pressure on Taliban forces. As structured, the deal holds the U.S. to a sharp timeline for troop drawdowns. The U.S. is pledged to reduce its force level to 8,600 over the coming 135 days. But, if the Taliban conform with its own obligations to suspend attacks and obstruct external terrorist groups such as al Qaeda, the U.S. will follow through, withdrawing all its forces over the next nine and a half months. This adds up to a 14-month timeline for total withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Afghanistan. Such a rapid timeline will encourage our NATO partners to expedite their own drawdowns. It will complicate U.S. commander Gen. Scott Millers contingency planning and freedom of action. It is possible that the Taliban and its Haqqani network allies will abide by their obligations in the second half of this agreement. Perhaps they will pursue serious negotiations with the Afghan government, joining the political process with influence instead of trying to tear it down with bombs. But theres reason to fear an alternative outcome. Namely, that the Taliban will wait toward the latter end of the 14-month withdrawal window and then launch a campaign of limited but steadily escalating violence against the Afghan government. The Taliban is a keen strategist and will want to maximize its leverage for the moment the last U.S. soldier leaves Afghanistan. That will become a critical issue if the Trump administration or its successor refuses to alter the withdrawal timetable, even if the Taliban breaks its word. With U.S. popular opinion increasingly opposed to our continuing presence, theres a risk that political expediency will take precedence over what is best for national security. And there are two risks in that premature, nonconditions-based approach. First, it would allow the Taliban to realign with its ideological partners, al Qaida. A premature withdrawal would also jeopardize the Afghan government. While the U.S. should not be operating under some delusion that Afghanistan will become a Western-style democracy, it would be a moral stain for the U.S. to give the Taliban space to defeat the government. In part, thats because Afghanistans multisectarian society has a manifest majority opinion in opposition to Taliban dominance. But, theres a simpler reason we should want to avoid Kabuls fall: the striking dichotomy of prospective risk and reward. The risk of that outcome is that the Afghan people and democratic government would be subsumed by a fanatically anti-American regime, a regime that would find institutions of power via which to fuel its jihadist impulses. Alternatively, the prospective reward is that the U.S. retains an ally that will help stabilize a fractious region and that is supportive of our long-term counterterrorism interests. We note with some concern that the U.S.-Taliban agreement makes prisoner release commitments with which the Afghan government is presently uncomfortable. Trump must learn from President Barack Obamas mistake. Although popular with voters, Obamas withdrawal from Iraq led directly to an Iranian sectarian agenda ruling in Baghdad on the one hand and ISISs bloody caliphate on the other. Numerous terrorist attacks followed from Paris to Orlando, and U.S. forces were pushed back to the battlefield. The lesson: Any peace favorable to U.S. interests will require more than words. It will require an attention to circumstances and a dedication to national interests. The Washington Examiner Long-term follow-up of the London patient suggests no detectable active HIV virus remains in the patient. Although the treatment is high-risk and only suitable for certain patients, the results provide evidence that this patient is the second to be cured of the virus - replicating the finding that HIV cure is possible through stem cell transplantation. [1] A study of the second HIV patient to undergo successful stem cell transplantation from donors with a HIV-resistant gene, finds that there was no active viral infection in the patient's blood 30 months after they stopped anti-retroviral therapy, according to a case report published in The Lancet HIV journal and presented at CROI (Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections). Although there was no active viral infection in the patient's body, remnants of integrated HIV-1 DNA remained in tissue samples, which were also found in the first patient to be cured of HIV. The authors suggest that these can be regarded as so-called 'fossils', as they are unlikely to be capable of reproducing the virus. Lead author on the study, Professor Ravindra Kumar Gupta, University of Cambridge, UK, says: "We propose that these results represent the second ever case of a patient to be cured of HIV. Our findings show that the success of stem cell transplantation as a cure for HIV, first reported nine years ago in the Berlin patient, can be replicated." [1,2] He cautions: "It is important to note that this curative treatment is high-risk, and only used as a last resort for patients with HIV who also have life-threatening haematological malignancies. Therefore, this is not a treatment that would be offered widely to patients with HIV who are on successful antiretroviral treatment. [2] While most HIV patients can manage the virus with current treatment options and have the possibility of living a long and healthy life, experimental research of this kind following patients who have undergone high-risk, last-resort curative treatments, can provide insight into how a more widely applicable cure might be developed in the future. In 2011, another patient based in Berlin (the 'Berlin patient') was the first HIV patient to be reported cured of the virus three and half years after undergoing similar treatment. Their treatment included total body irradiation, two rounds of stem cell transplant from a donor who carried a gene (CCR532/32) that is resistant to HIV, and a chemotherapy drug regimen. [2] The transplant aims to make the virus unable to replicate in the patient's body by replacing the patient's immune cells with those of the donors, whilst the body irradiation and chemotherapy targets any residual HIV virus. The patient reported in this study (the 'London patient'), underwent one stem-cell transplantation, a reduced-intensity chemotherapy drug regimen, without whole body irradiation. In 2019, it was reported that their HIV was in remission, and this study provides follow-up viral load blood test results at 30-months and a modelling analysis to predict the chances of viral re-emergence. Ultrasensitive viral load sampling from the London patient's cerebrospinal fluid, intestinal tissue, or lymphoid tissue was taken at 29 months after interruption of ART and viral load sampling of their blood at 30 months. At 29 months, CD4 cell count (indicators of immune system health and stem cell transplantation success) was measured, and the extent to which the patient's immune cells have been replaced by those derived from the transplant. Results showed no active viral infection was detected in samples of the patient's blood at 30 months, or in their cerebrospinal fluid, semen, intestinal tissue, and lymphoid tissue 29 months after stopping ART. The patient had a healthy CD4 cell count, suggesting they have recovered well from the transplant, with their CD4 cells replaced by cells derived from the HIV-resistant transplanted stem cells. Furthermore, 99% of the patient's immune cells were derived from the donor's stem cells, indicating the stem-cell transplant had been successful. Since it was not possible to measure proportion of cells derived from the donor's stem cells in all parts of the patient's body (i.e. measurement was not possible in some tissue cells like lymph nodes), the authors used a modelling analysis to predict the probability of cure based on two possible scenarios. If 80% of patient's cells are derived from the transplant, the probability of cure is predicted at 98%; whereas if they have 90% donor derived cells, they predict a 99% probability of cure. Comparing to the treatment used on the Berlin patient, the authors highlight that their case study of the London patient represents a step towards a less intensive treatment approach, showing that the long-term remission of HIV can be achieved using reduced intensity drug regimens, with one stem cell transplant (rather than two) and without total body irradiation. However, being only the second reported patient to undergo this experimental treatment successfully, the authors note that that the London patient will need continued, but much less frequent, monitoring for re-emergence of the virus. Speculating on what their results might mean for future developments of HIV cures that utilise the CCR5 (HIV resistant) gene, co-author on the study, Dr Dimitra Peppa, University of Oxford, UK, says: "Gene editing using the CCR5 has received a lot of attention recently. The London and Berlin patient are examples of using the CCR5 gene in curative therapies outside of gene editing. There are still many ethical and technical barriers - e.g. gene editing, efficiency and robust safety data - to overcome before any approach using CCR5 gene editing can be considered as a scalable cure strategy for HIV." [2] Writing in a linked Comment, lead author Professor Sharon R Lewin, University of Melbourne, Australia, (who was not involved in the study), says, "The finding of no intact virus can be reassuring for a patient who might face significant anxiety and uncertainty about whether and when viral rebound off ART might occur, which in other settings has been completely unpredictable. Given the large number of cells sampled here and the absence of any intact virus, is the London patient truly cured? The additional data provided in this follow up case report is certainly encouraging but unfortunately in the end, only time will tell." ### NOTES TO EDITORS This study was funded by The Wellcome Trust and amfAR. It was conducted by researchers from University of Cambridge, UK; Africa Health Research Institute, South Africa; University of Oxford, UK; Harvard University, USA; IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Spain; Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain; University College London, UK; Imperial College London, UK; University Medical Center, Utrecht, Netherlands; Mortimer Market Centre, Department of HIV, Central and North West London NHS Trust, London, UK; Imperial College NHS Healthcare Trust, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK; Oxford National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK; University of Vic Central University of Catalonia, Spain; Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, Barcelona, Spain The labels have been added to this press release as part of a project run by the Academy of Medical Sciences seeking to improve the communication of evidence. For more information, please see: http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/AMS-press-release-labelling-system-GUIDANCE.pdf if you have any questions or feedback, please contact The Lancet press office pressoffice@lancet.com [1] Evidence for first patient reported cured of HIV (known as the 'Berlin patient')- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21148083 [2] Quote direct from author and cannot be found in the text of the Article. [3] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1027-4 Peer-reviewed / Case study, Modelling / People Timothy Cole, rector of Christ Church, Washington DC, US, tested positive for coronavirus after shaking hands with over 500 worshipper... Timothy Cole, rector of Christ Church, Washington DC, US, tested positive for coronavirus after shaking hands with over 500 worshippers during holy communion. The priest was diagnosed with the virus on Saturday and has been confirmed as the citys first coronavirus patient. Health officials said hundreds of people had interactions with the priests. The officials have asked all worshippers who visited the church in Georgetown either on February 24 or February 28 to self-quarantine themselves for two weeks. Cole, who has been a rector of the church since 2016, wrote an email to members to notify them of his condition. First, I want to assure you that I will be OK. I am receiving excellent care and am in good spirits under the circumstances, he said. I will remain quarantined for the next 14 days as will the rest of my family. The church, which was founded in 1817, has cancelled all services until further notice. The mayors office had said the second confirmed coronavirus patient is a Nigerian who had recently traveled to DC and being treated at a Maryland hospital. The US confirmed its first case of person-to-person transmission of the virus on January 30. Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo (right) welcomes King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands at the Presidential Palace in Bogor, a city south of Jakarta, March 10, 2020. Dutch King Willem-Alexander offered the first royal apology to Indonesia on Tuesday for excessive violence by Dutch forces during a campaign to re-occupy the then-Dutch East Indies region after the Southeast Asian nation proclaimed its independence in 1945. The king delivered the apology after he and his wife, Queen Maxima, were welcomed by Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo and his wife, Iriana, at the presidential palace near Jakarta on the first full day of a four-day visit. In the years immediately after the Proklamasi, a painful separation followed that cost many lives, Willem-Alexander said, referring to Indonesias proclamation of independence on Aug. 17, 1945. In line with earlier statements by my government, I would like to express my regret and apologize for excessive violence on the part of the Dutch in those years, he said. I do so in the full realization that the pain and sorrow of the families affected continue to be felt today. In welcoming the king, Jokowi said his government was committed to building ties based on mutual respect, mutual benefit and equality. I want to say that we certainly cannot erase history, but we can learn from the past, Jokowi said. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi also welcomed the apology. There is one new element that the king expressed remorse and apologies for the violence carried out by the Dutch side. I think it is quite clear and does not need a further explanation, Retno told reporters. Indonesia declared independence in 1945 after Japan, which occupied the then-Dutch East Indies for 3 years, surrendered unconditionally following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But the Dutch, which had colonized the region to control the spice trade, officially recognized Indonesias sovereignty only in December 1949. The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army waged violent anti-insurgency operations that led to the killings and summary executions in South Sulawesi and West Java between 1946 and 1947. Estimates of the deaths in the South Sulawesi massacre vary from 1,500 to 40,000, while authorities said almost 500 people were killed in the West Java village of Rawagede. In 2013, the Dutch government for the first time made a general apology for the mass killings carried out by its troops in Indonesia. Deadly accident The kings visit, which runs through Friday, was marred by news of a fatal boating accident that killed seven people and injured 20 others, including two Dutch Embassy staff members. Two boats one carrying park rangers and the other carrying members of the presidential guard corps collided on Monday while surveying a location to be visited by the Dutch royal couple in Palangkaraya, the capital of Central Kalimantan province, according to Yusuf Latief, spokesman for the national search and rescue agency. Those killed included local military chief Bambang Kristianto, Yusuf said. The royals planned to visit Palangkaraya on Wednesday to discuss conservation within the Borneo rainforest. The king called the accident tragic. We are deeply saddened by the tragic boat accident, yesterday, on the Sebangau River, he said. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims and with the injured. The kings office said the visit through Thursday would focus on economic ties, nature conservation, culture and science. The Netherlands is among the largest importers of Indonesia palm oil. On Tuesday, officials from both nations signed business deals valued at $1 billion (14.3 trillion rupiah) in the areas of sustainable palm oil production, human resource development and disease control. In the European region, the Netherlands is Indonesias second largest trading partner, largest investor and fourth largest tourism contributor, Jokowi said. A South African court on Tuesday ruled in favour of President Cyril Ramaphosa in a probe of suspected money laundering and personal enrichment linked to his 2019 party leadership election campaign fund. Judges dismissed an investigation by Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane in which she accused Ramaphosa of misleading parliament over his campaign financing. In a damning report last year, Mkhwebane -- South Africa's ethics watchdog -- published findings concerning a 500,000 rand (USD 31,460) donation to Ramaphosa's campaign from a company facing extensive corruption allegations. Ramaphosa initially told lawmakers that the payment was to his son for consultancy work at the company, now known as African Global Operations (AGO). He later backtracked and said it was a donation towards his campaign to become ANC party leader -- a hard-fought battle in which he beat ex-president Jacob Zuma's chosen candidate. Mkhwebane accused Ramaphosa of deliberately misleading parliament for illegal purposes. But the president dismissed the report and took the case to the High Court, which on Tuesday declared Mkhwebane's findings as "unlawful". "There is simply no evidence that the president received personal financial benefit from any campaign contributions," said judge Elias Matojane. "Her findings on the money laundering issue were not only irrational but indeed reckless," he said. Mkhwebane's spokesman was not immediately available for comment. "The Presidency welcomes the settlement of this matter and reaffirms its commitment to honest and effective governance," Ramaphosa's office said on Twitter. Mkhwebane was appointed Public Protector in 2016 and her term ends in 2023. While her position is meant to investigate public corruption and misconduct, she has been criticised for being close to graft-tainted Zuma. A handful of Mkhwebane's other investigations have already been dismissed in court, and parliament is currently assessing her competency for the job. Few months after winning the ANC leadership, Ramaphosa went on to become president after Zuma was entangled in graft scandals that forced him to step down in February 2018. Ramaphosa led the ruling African National Congress (ANC) in the May 2019 national elections where the party won with a reduced majority. He has vowed to crack down on high-level corruption that looted state coffers during Zuma's nine-year administration. The ANC remains bitterly split between Zuma and Ramaphosa's supporters. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) VANCOUVER, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Equinox Gold Corp. (TSX: EQX, NYSE American: EQX) ("Equinox Gold" or the "Company") and Leagold Mining Corporation (TSX: LMC,OTCQX: LMCNF) ("Leagold") have combined their businesses, creating one of the world's top gold producing companies operating entirely in the Americas. Ross Beaty, Executive Chair of Equinox Gold, stated: "We have created a major gold producer by combining the assets and leadership teams of Equinox Gold and Leagold, with a peer-leading growth profile and powerful financial, technical and operational management. Equinox Gold now has six producing mines, two development projects, two expansion projects and the financial capacity to fund its development plans. On behalf of the entire Equinox Gold team I thank our outgoing directors, Marcel de Groot, Jacques McMullen and Sam Drier, for their guidance and support, and I personally welcome Neil Woodyer as Vice Chair, as well as Gordon Campbell, Peter Marrone and General Wesley Clark to the new Board of Directors. I look forward to working with the combined management team as we further build Equinox Gold into an important global gold producer." The Board of Directors and leadership teams of the companies have been combined as follows: Board of Directors Executive Team Ross Beaty Executive Chair Christian Milau Chief Executive Officer Neil Woodyer Vice Chair Greg Smith President Len Boggio Director Attie Roux Chief Operating Officer Tim Breen Director Peter Hardie Chief Financial Officer Gordon Campbell Director Doug Reddy EVP Technical Services General Wesley K. Clark Director Marshall Koval Director Peter Marrone Director Equinox Gold common shares and warrants will continue trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange and NYSE American Stock Exchange with no changes. Leagold shares are expected to be de-listed on or about March 11, 2020. Leagold shareholders will receive 0.331 of an Equinox Gold common share for each Leagold share held. Each Leagold warrant and option will become exercisable for Equinox Gold common shares, as adjusted in accordance with the exchange ratio. Leagold shares deposited in an online trading account will update automatically to reflect the conversion to Equinox Gold shares, generally within two weeks of closing. Leagold shareholders who still hold physical share certificates or DRS Statements must submit a Letter of Transmittal to Equinox Gold's transfer agent, Computershare Investor Services Inc., to receive new Equinox Gold share certificates. Additional information regarding the process is available on Equinox Gold's website at www.equinoxgold.com. The concurrent US$670 million debt and equity financings associated with the merger have also been completed. Terms of the financings are described in the joint management information circular dated December 20, 2019 that is available for download on Equinox Gold's website, on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov. About Equinox Gold Equinox Gold is a Canadian mining company with six producing gold mines, a multi-million-ounce gold reserve base and a strong growth profile from two development projects and two expansion projects. Equinox Gold operates entirely in the Americas, with two projects in the United States, one in Mexico and five in Brazil. Equinox Gold's common shares are listed on the TSX and the NYSE American under the trading symbol EQX. Further information about Equinox Gold's portfolio of assets and long-term growth strategy is available at www.equinoxgold.com or by email at [email protected]. Cautionary Notes & Forward-looking Statements This news release includes certain statements that constitute "forward-looking statements", and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws collectively "forward-looking statements". These include statements regarding the growth potential of the Company. When used in this news release, words such as "will", "growth", "objective", "look forward", "strategy", "execute on" and similar expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements as well as phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "should", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotation of such terms. As well, forward-looking statements may relate to future outlook and anticipated events, such as the timing regarding de-listing of Leagold's shares, the Company's ability to realize the synergies anticipated with the business combination, the Company's growth potential, activities underway at the Company's portfolio of assets, and the Company's ability to successfully advance its development and expansion projects and achieve its growth objectives. These forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties, including the risk factors identified in Equinox Gold's Annual Information Form dated December 31, 2018, the joint information circular for the Leagold merger dated December 20, 2019, and in Equinox Gold's year-end MD&A dated February 28, 2020, which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and EDGAR at www.sec.gov. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time those statements are made and/or management's good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date those statements are made. Except as required by applicable law, Equinox Gold assumes no obligation to update or to publicly announce the results of any change to any forward-looking statement contained or incorporated by reference herein to reflect actual results, future events or developments, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting the forward-looking statements. If Equinox Gold updates any one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that the company will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. SOURCE Equinox Gold Corp. Bachelor Nation is one step closer to finding out who Peter Weber will choose to spend the rest of his life with. During part one of The Bachelor finale, Webers final girls got to meet his parents, Barbara and Peter Sr., as well as his baby brother Jack. After a difficult meeting with Webers family, Madison Prewett had a difficult conversation with Weber. But as Prewett was doing so, the Australian outback seemed to have other plans. [Spoiler alert: This post contains spoilers for Part One of The Bachelor season finale.] Madison Prewett & Peter Weber | John Fleenor via Getty Images Peters family had their minds made up Webers parents first met Prewett when he brought her to their vow renewal. It was early on in the competition, but the Webers seemed to think Prewett was a good match for their son. When Barbara and Peter Sr. learned of Prewetts ultimatum, their feelings began to change. Before Prewett even arrived at their Australian villa, Webers parents had their minds made up Hannah Ann Sluss was the woman for Weber, as far as they were concerned. Its hard enough to be the second girl visiting with the bachelors parents, but even harder for Prewett because Webers parents mistook her sharing her heart as an ultimatum. Madi breaks up with Peter Prewetts final date with Weber took place after her awkward family encounter. The couple took a helicopter over Uluru, but not even a sacred rock could protect Weber from what was coming next. Prewett expressed over and over again how she loved Weber, but she could also clearly see how different they were from each other. Thats when she decided to surrender. After their helicopter flight, Weber poured some sparkling apple juice for Prewett, further demonstrating their differences in lifestyle. Webers mom made it clear to Prewett that Weber liked to drink, liked to party, liked to socialize. It was at this point Prewett questioned whether or not love could conquer all. As much as we want this, I dont know that we can give each other what we need, Prewett said. Considering Barbaras wishes, Prewett told Weber she didnt want him to change for her. In letting him go, Prewett hoped Weber would be able to find his soul mate. The Australian outback distracts Bachelor Nation As Prewett was breaking Webers heart, the Australian outback seemed to be rebelling against their separation. Throughout Prewetts entire breakup monologue, she and Weber swatted away pesky bugs. I just got more of a sight into life outside of this, Prewett explained as a small fly landed on her face. Distracted, she swatted the bug away and continued: I wouldnt want you to feel like you have to change any of that for someone that you want to be with (swat) and I wouldnt wanna feel like I have to change any of that for someone I want to be with (swat). At this point, Weber was rendered speechless and could only sway his head back and forth between his shoulders to prevent bugs from landing on him. When he finally found the words to explain to Prewett that he was willing to do whatever it took to be with her, the bugs were back with a vengeance. Webers arm flew distractingly so amidst his intense and emotional conversation with Prewett, and Bachelor Nation had a hard time ignoring it. Please, somebody mention when Peter and Madison couldnt swatting at bugs the entire time during their break up. I was dying pic.twitter.com/1gmrDYPHn4 Amanda Allen (@abroombaugh1) March 10, 2020 One fan on Twitter called the producers of the show the real winners for setting the couples up in the middle of the Australian outback to have serious discussions in that red clay with all the bugs. Tonights episode of #TheBachelor brought to you by Off! bug spray pic.twitter.com/aLoVtXKOHD Josh Watson (@J_Watson21) March 10, 2020 Did The Bachelor producers do this on purpose, or was it an honest mistake? Thats neither here nor there whats important is part two of The Bachelor finale tonight. Will Prewett return to fight for love, will Weber settle for Sluss, or will something completely unexpected happen? Tune in to The Bachelor tonight on ABC. The case numbers and death toll were correct at the time of writing. The coronavirus tends to take five days to cause symptoms, research suggests. Scientists from John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, looked at 181 people who tested positive for the strain Covid-19 between 4 January and 24 February. Read more: Questions doctors are being asked about the coronavirus Results show most developed the tell-tale flu-like symptoms within five days, while nearly all (97.5%) endured fever, cough and breathlessness within 11.5 days. The scientists predict 101 out of every 10,000 patients develop symptoms after 14 days, the typical time suspected sufferers spend in quarantine. One expert stressed there is little evidence to suggest a quarantine period of 14 days is not suitable. A passenger is pictured wearing a mask after arriving at Brussels Airport. Belgium has 239 confirmed cases (Getty Images) Covid-19 emerged at a seafood and live animal market in the Chinese city Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, at the end of last year. It has since spread globally into more than 100 countries across every inhabited continent. Read more: Why drying your hands is important to ward off the coronavirus Since the outbreak was identified, more than 111,000 people have tested positive for the virus, according to John Hopkins University data. China is still the epicentre of the outbreak, with 80,735 of the confirmed cases. Incidences appear to be plateauing in the Asian country, however, with just 40 new patients being identified overnight the lowest since reporting began at the beginning of the year. A man is pictured having his temperature read by the Polish Rescue Service on the Polish-German border. Poland and Germany have 16 and 1,151 confirmed cases, respectively (Getty Images) Eighteen countries have just one confirmed case. With four out five incidences thought to be mild, more than 62,000 patients have recovered worldwide. Globally, the death toll is approaching 4,000. The UK has 319 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with five Britons having died after being diagnosed with Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus. How long does the coronavirus Covid-19 infection take to cause symptoms? Covid-19 was officially declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 30 January. Story continues The following day, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced all citizens returning from Hubei would be subject to mandatory quarantine for up to 14 days. The UK government also recommends people stay indoors and avoid contact with other people if they have returned from a high-risk area in the past 14 days. With Covid-19 virtually unheard of at the start of the year, and little known about how long it takes to cause symptoms, the John Hopkins scientists set out to learn more. Read more: Should we be concerned by the second strain of coronavirus? Using news and public-health reports of the virus in 50 regions outside Hubei, the team noted the time of possible exposure to symptom onset. Exposure was largely calculated according to the time between the earliest possible arrival to and latest possible departure from Wuhan. For those who had not been to the city, exposure was defined as the maximum possible interval of exposure to the infectious person. Results, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, suggest most developed symptoms within 5.1 days. Less than 2.5% showed signs of infection within 2.2 days. Covid-19 is one of seven strains of the coronavirus class that is known to infect humans. Four of the strains cause the common cold, which tends to come on quicker. Human coronaviruses that cause common colds have mean illness-incubation periods of about three days, said study author Professor Justin Lessler. To allow for the possibility symptoms like a sore throat or cough could be caused by a non-coronavirus infection, the scientists also looked at fever, which is more specific to Covid-19. They calculated it generally took 5.7 days from infection to fever onset, with 2.5% developing it within 2.6 days and nearly all (97.5%) within 12.5 days. Overall, the scientists concluded a 14-day quarantine period is well supported by the evidence. Read more: Dog tests 'weak positive' for coronavirus - but experts 'doubt it could spread to humans' They added, however, longer monitoring periods might be justified in extreme cases. The costs of extending quarantine will need to be considered, but may be justifiable in high-risk scenarios, such as a healthcare worker who did not wear protective gear around a patient. An accurate estimate of the disease incubation period for a new virus makes it easier for epidemiologists to gauge the likely dynamics of the outbreak and allows public-health officials to design effective quarantine and other control measures, said Professor Lessler. Quarantines typically slow and may ultimately stop the spread of infection, even if there are some outlier cases with incubation periods that exceed the quarantine period. By looking at publicly-reported cases, the scientists noted only severe patients may have been included. Mild incidences that did not cause symptoms could have a different incubation period, they added. One expert stressed the study is based on assumptions. Read more: Coronavirus 'could spread in faeces and urine' We have to acknowledge the models [the scientists] use to estimate [the] incubation period [time between infection and symptom onset] make key assumptions and perhaps the assumption most likely to impact on their data is that a person became infected as soon as they came into contact with the virus, said Professor Jonathan Ball, from the University of Nottingham. This might not be true, the real infection time point might be much later, yet assuming the infection occurred at an earlier date will make the incubation period appear longer. I think it is really important when dealing with this outbreak that we fully understand the limitations of studies and their findings, and also base any intervention or policy on norms, not extremes. As it stands there is little evidence to suggest a quarantine or self-isolation period of 14 days is not suitable. Also, there is little, if any, evidence that people can routinely transmit virus during the asymptomatic period. Speaking on 3 March, the WHOs director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: Evidence from China is that only 1% of reported cases do not have symptoms. Patients who do not sneeze or cough, the main routes of transmission, would be expected to pass the virus to fewer people. The analysis shows that one case in 100 will fall outside the current 14 day incubation period, which seems to encompass the vast majority of infections, said Professor Peter Openshaw, from Imperial College London. Given that no isolation advice will be adhered to perfectly, there seems no justification for changing the recommendation that 14 days of isolation is sufficient. A family are pictured wearing masks in Dhaka, Bangladesh (Getty Images) What is the new coronavirus Covid-19? Most of those who initially caught Covid-19 worked at, or visited, the wet market in Wuhan. Officials confirmed early on in the outbreak the virus spreads face-to-face via droplets that have been sneezed or coughed out by a patient. There is also evidence it may be transmitted in faeces and urine. Read more: Could the coronavirus spread on public transport? In severe cases, pneumonia can come about when the infection causes the alveoli (air sacs) in the lungs to become inflamed and filled with fluid or pus. The lungs then struggle to draw in air, resulting in reduced oxygen in the bloodstream. Covid-19 has no specific treatment, with care being supportive while a patients immune system works to fight off the virus. To prevent infection, officials recommend regular hand washing and social distancing. Szijjarto said that in terms of Hungary's bilateral ties with neighboring countries, its relations with Ukraine were the most challenging. Hungary will continue to block NATO-Ukraine Council meetings until minority rights are restored in Ukraine, Peter Szijjarto, the foreign minister, told lawmakers on Tuesday. In a speech in parliament, Szijjarto said Hungary's stance had been portrayed on the global stage as a Russia-friendly policy. This, he said, was "absurd," according to Hungary Today. Szijjarto said that from afar it was perhaps understandable that the lives of 150,000 ethnic Hungarians were less important than geopolitical considerations. "But for us, this community is more important than any geopolitical matter," he said. Read alsoHungarian FM names condition for Zelensky-Orban meeting The minister noted that on March 26, his Ukrainian counterpart, who has been asked by his president to work towards restoring bilateral relations, will visit Budapest. "We're ready and we'll also make sensible suggestions," he added. He said that in terms of Hungary's bilateral ties with neighboring countries, its relations with Ukraine were the most challenging. Whereas Hungary supports Ukraine on matters of territorial integrity and sovereignty, it must keep in mind the many violations in legislation of Hungarian national minority rights. The violations not only concern the Hungarian community's rights but minority rights more broadly, he added. The aims of ensuring that every Ukrainian citizen speaks the state language properly while national minorities are able to speak in their mother tongue should not be mutually exclusive, Szijjarto said. In Ukraine, Hungarian students study Ukrainian seven hours a week, and whereas this may be sufficient to learn the language, it falls short when it comes to speaking. The solution would be to improve the standard of Ukrainian language teaching, and Hungary is prepared help finance such an endeavour, he added. As UNIAN reported earlier, relations between the two countries slid to a chill after the Ukrainian parliament in 2017 passed a new education law. Hungary has since been blocking the meetings of Ukraine-NATO Commission, claiming alleged violation of rights of Hungarians living in Ukraine due to the provision of the law that determines that the language of command in educational facilities shall be the state language, which is Ukrainian. Read alsoHungary puts forward new proposals regarding Ukraine's education law According to the conclusion of the Venice Commission of Dec 8, 2017, Ukrainian authorities were recommended to balance the provision of the language article of Law "On Education". On January 16, 2020, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, passed bill No. 0901 on secondary education in the second reading and as a whole. Three models of studying the Ukrainian language in schools are supposed. The first model is provided for the indigenous peoples of Ukraine who do not live in the linguistic environment of their language and who do not have a state that would protect and develop this language. First of all, these are the Crimean Tatars. For them, the first model includes teaching in the language of the indigenous people from 1 to 11 (12) classes along with a thorough study of the Ukrainian language. The second model is for schools with instruction in the language of national minorities whose languages belong to the EU languages. Depending on the language group and language environment, the use of this model may be different, but the basics are: - elementary school: the use of the mother tongue along with the study of the official language; - grade 5: at least 20% of the annual volume of study time should be taught in Ukrainian with a gradual increase in volume so that in grade 9 to reach at least 40% of subjects that are studied in the official language; - high school: at least 60% of the annual amount of study time in these institutions should be instructed in the official language. The third model will work for the rest of the national communities of Ukraine. It concerns national minorities whose language belongs to one of the Ukrainian language families, as well as those who live mainly in the environment of their own speech (Russian language). Primary schools there will also have a minority language along with the study of Ukrainian, and from grade 5 at least 80% of school hours will be instructed in the official language. At the same time, Szijjarto says Hungary proposes not to increase the number of subjects taught in Ukrainian by the national minorities, which is provided for by the new law on secondary education. WFH for Private offices in Delhi, restaurants & bars to be shut as Omicron-led to sudden rise in Covid cases Coronavirus cases in India rises to 55 as 6 cases reported in Kerala, three more in K'taka India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Mar 09: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases climbed to 55 as six more positive cases reported from Kerala's Pathanamthitta and three more in Karnataka of Covid19. In his press conference, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said,''Six more cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed in Kerala, the total number of the state is now 12.'' He also said that all public functions, festivals and weddings where large number of people converge should be deferred. ''Classes and exams till seventh standard will remain suspended till March 31. Exams of Class 8, 9 & 10 will be conducted as per schedule. All vacation, tuition classes, anganvadis, Madrasas should be closed till March 31,'' he said. As many as three new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Karnataka, taking the total number of infected people to four, Health Minister B Sriramulu said on Tuesday. "So far four people have been confirmed for COVID-19. The patients as well as their family members have been quarantined..," Sriramulu said in a tweet. Running a hashtag of Coronavirus Outbreak, the minister said, "I appeal to the people to make sure that this disease does not spread further." However, the minister did not elaborate. Meanwhile, Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar convened a meeting with the health department officials to assess preparedness and ensure public safety. Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu reported one case each, officials said. One more case was reported positive for coronavirus by state officials in Karnataka, but there was no immediate confirmation from the Union Health Ministry. The ministry in a statement also clarified that the patient from Murshidabad, West Bengal, who died on Sunday had tested negative for the infection and "hence so far no death has been reported due to the disease in the country". Coronavirus Scare: Globemaster with first batch of 58 Indian pilgrims returns from Iran In the wake of rising cases of coronavirus, the Cabinet Secretary held a meeting via video conference with chief secretaries of all states and Union territories on Monday. He laid emphasis on actions such as surveillance at points of entry (PoE), surveillance in the community, laboratory support and hospital preparedness. He also called upon states and UTs to scale up logistics, quarantine facilities, capacity building, information management and risk communication, an official statement said. "One more new case has been reported from Punjab. Thus, as of now there are 44 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country," the ministry said in a statement, adding the figure includes the three patients from Kerala who were discharged last month following recovery. As many as 11,913 cases are under Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) community follow-up. Also 404 Indian contacts of the US citizen tested positive in Bhutan have been identified and put under surveillance in Assam, the ministry said. As the COVID-19 scare spread -- with 110,041 people from more than 90 countries infected and 3,825 people killed -- India sent a military transport aircraft with a specialist medical team to Iran on Monday night to bring back Indians stranded in the nation. About 2,000 Indians are living in Iran, where 7,000 people have tested positive for the contagious disease with flu-like symptoms and 237 people killed. So far, Government of India has evacuated 890 passengers from COVID-19 affected countries. Out of these, 842 were Indian citizens and 48 belonging to different nationalities including Maldives, Myanmar, Bangladesh, China, US, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa and Peru, the ministry said. Coronavirus: Karnataka reports first COVID-19 case as IT professional tests Giving details of the new cases reported in India, officials said the patient in Jammu, the first case in Jammu and Kashmir, is learnt to have a travel history to Iran while the patient from Uttar Pradesh had come in contact with the six people from Agra who had tested positive. The Delhi patient has no travel history and had come in contact with a positive patient from the city, Delhi Health Department officials added. With Delhi recording its fourth coronavirus case, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan chaired a meeting with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and senior officials. In Karnataka, a software engineer who returned from the US recently has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, becoming the first COVID-19 patient in Karnataka, state Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar said on Monday. Asserting that the government is prepared to deal with the outbreak, Vardhan stressed on the need for coordinated action between departments and agencies for activities such as contact tracing, community surveillance, hospital management and ensuring adequate personal protection equipment and masks. A total of 9,41,717 international passengers from 8,827 flights have been screened at airports till now with 54 passengers being referred to IDSP/ hospitals, the ministry said. To meet the increasing demand and convenient screening of passengers, manpower deployed at airports have been substantially increased. There are now 286 doctors, 160 nurses and 295 paramedics stationed at airports across the country, it informed. Of the 3,003 samples tested for COVID-19 so far, 44 were positive and 2,694 samples returned negative results. The results of the other cases are awaited. Underlining the Centre's preparedness to deal with COVID-19, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers D V Sadananda Gowda said in Bengaluru that there was sufficient stock of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), need to make medicines, for the next three months. Coronavirus Outbreak: Why self-declaration is key in tackling the deadly disease In the Kerala town of Kochi, officials said the three-year-old child who tested positive for coronavirus and its parents landed at the Cochin International Airport Limited at 6 am on March 7 from Italy. They underwent thermal screening and the child was detected with symptoms of the disease. The family was immediately referred to the isolation ward of the Kalamassery Medical College Hospital, they said. Samples of the parents have also been sent for lab tests, the officials added. The five cases from Kerala reported on Sunday are three members of a family with a travel history to Italy and two of their relatives who came in contact with them. The family is reported to have visited relatives and attended few functions and their contacts are being traced, the ministry said in a statement. Up north, in Jammu, a 63-year-old woman who declared positive was among the two patients declared "high viral load cases" by the administration on the weekend. They are undergoing treatment at the isolation ward of the Government Medical College (GMC) hospital and are in a stable condition, officials in Jammu said. "The test report of the woman patient is positive, while the report of the other patient is still awaited," a Health Department official said. The two with a travel history to Italy, South Korea and Iran had fled the hospital's isolation ward on Wednesday shortly after being admitted there but were brought back within hours of the incident, the official said. Jammu and Kashmir administration spokesperson Rohit Kansal said they are watching the situation and have put 400 people under surveillance in Satawari and Sarwal areas of Jammu. In Mangaluru, a person who arrived from Dubai and was admitted to the isolation ward of a hospital with symptoms of coronavirus went missing, sources said. The number of COVID-19 cases in India, which was just six till last Tuesday, includes 16 Italians as well as three Kerala patients who were discharged last month following their recovery. Coronavirus: IAF aircraft to leave for Iran tonight to bring back Indians The coronavirus scare cast a shadow over Holi on Tuesday in large parts of north India with many people cancelling their celebrations. In Kerala, notwithstanding the scare and strict government guidelines, lakhs of women took part in the famous "Attukal Pongala" festival, an all-women ritual at the Attukal Bhahavathy Temple here. Unlike previous years, women devotees, including children and elders, could be seen wearing face masks while preparing the offering, as a precautionary measure in the wake of the virus outbreak. Thanhs family has lived in the resettlement area in Dong Ty Hamlet since 1970s when the Thac Ba hydropower plant was built and put into operation. Like other households in the commune, his source of income came from agricultural farming and fishing on the lake. It wasnt until 2008 when Thanh and his wife, Ly Thi Sau, decided to open his homes door to welcome visitors, making them the first family to open a homestay in the commune. In preparation for turning his house into a homestay facility, Thanh built new toilet, bought new blankets and pillows, and allocated an area near his house to plant fresh vegetables, raise pigs and chicken, and breed fish. Since the homestay was launched, Thanh has always bear in mind to serve every tourist with sincere and hospitality as his friends. Therefore, his facility has been welcomed visitors from many European countries, including France, Belgium and Sweden, who have then introduced it to their friends after their stay there. Always treat visitors with all of your heart, Thanh said, describing it as the secret of his success. Resultantly, the brand Thanh Sau Homestay from the names of Thanh and his wife, has been popular among visitors to Dong Ty without any advertisement campaign. In a bid to increase his homestays attraction among visitors, Thanh encouraged his neighbours to establish an art troupe to delight visitors and restage cap sac ritual, an indispensable rite of passage in the life of every Dao male as it helps him earn the recognition of being mature enough to join in the communitys major activities. The troupes members deliver Dao folk songs and dance and invite tourists to join fire-camp and bamboo pole dance, helping them to get closer to Dao ethnic culture. He has also visited Hanoi many times to collect experience to develop homestay services. Scenic beauty of Thac Ba lake in Yen Bai province Tuong Van Hiep, Thanhs son, also gets involved in his familys business. He takes visitors to a boat trip to Thac Ba Lake, where they can admire the scenic landscape and explore the diverse ecosystem. Lisa Garsson, from the UK, joined a 28-member group of tourists to spend their trip in Thanh Sau Homestay. She said she was impressed by the unique culture and tasty dishes of Dao ethnic people in Yen Bai. The success of homestay tourism model in Dong Ty, the Yen Bai Provincial Department of Science and Technology in coordination with the provincial Peoples Committee conducted a research on evaluating tourist activities and seeking solutions to improving homestay tourism in the east of Thac Ba Lake in Yen Binh District, attracting the participation of more than 100 local households. Thanks to the joint effort, tourist signs have been installed and more diverse tourist products have been created, contributing to luring tens of thousands of visitors to area. Thac Ba Lake has risen into an attractive destination for vacationers to Yen Bai. Last April, the Prime Minister has approved a master plan on the development of the Thac Ba Lake national tourism site, planning to turn the site into a national tourism hub by 2025. Accordingly, about 1,200ha out of total 28,800 hectares (excluding the area of the water) will be used to develop the tourism zone. Over the next five years, the site will develop into an ecotourism, resort and recreation centre of Yen Bai Province and the northern midland and mountainous area. A Rhode Island man charged with posing as a driver for Uber, then kidnapping and raping a woman outside a Boston restaurant, pleaded not guilty on Monday. Prosecutors say 39-year-old Alvin Campbell Jr, who is the brother of Boston City Council member Andrea Campbell, was arraigned at Suffolk County Superior Court on two counts of aggravated rape, three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 and one count each of kidnapping and photographing an unsuspecting nude person. Campbell has been held on $250,000 bail since pleading not guilty at his District Court arraignment on January 9. Alvin Campbell Jr, 39, has been indicted on counts of rape, kidnapping, indecent assault and photographing unsuspecting nude person. He is the older brother of Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell (pictured together, right) According to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, on the night of December 6, Campbell, pretending to be a ride-sharing driver, picked up the victim outside The Harp bar in downtown Boston, after the real Uber she had ordered through her phone app had inexplicably left, reported Boston Globe. The woman, who was intoxicated, got into Campbell's black SUV with the expectation of being taken home. She is said to have passed out in the backseat during the commute. Prosecutors said after sexually assaulting her inside the vehicle, Campbell drove her to his apartment in Cumberland, Rhode Island, and raped her. He also allegedly videotaped the assaults. The woman woke up hours later inside the bogus Uber driver's home suffering from pain in her groin and an injury to her chest. Campbell then drove the victim to a CVS pharmacy and left her there, according to court records. The woman somehow made her way home, then went to a hospital to undergo a sexual assault evaluation and filed a report with the Boston Police Department. Detectives identified Campbells SUV from surveillance video, which ultimately led them to his home in Rhode Island. The three-term Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell (right) said in a statement last month that she is 'heartbroken, saddened and devastated' by her sibling's (left) alleged involvement in the assault When police executed a search warrant and went through the contents of Campbell's phone, they allegedly found videos showing the 39-year-old man groping and raping the woman in his car. 'The clips showed her both clothed and naked. Campbell addressed her by name and commented crudely about her body. He said at one point, "Raise your eyebrow if youre all right," and later "Do you want to go upstairs to your house or come to my house?"' according to documents obtained by Boston Herald. A DNA test comparing a swab from the victim's rape kit and a sample from Campbell produced a match, the prosecutors said. A search of the suspect's car and home allegedly yielded a luggage tag bearing the victim's name. Campbell is also a suspect in at least three other sexual assaults, where his DNA reportedly matched samples from the victims' rape kits that were entered into the FBI database. Campbell is also a suspect in at least three other sexual assaults. His past criminal record includes convictions for armed assault and gun possession by a felon Court records indicate that Campbell has an extensive criminal history going back two decades, including a stint in a state prison for armed assault with intent to rob in 2000, followed by a 57-month sentence in federal prison in 2006 for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Prosecutors said Campbell has been charged in the December rape as a habitual criminal. If convicted at trial, he could face a life sentence. The three-term Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell, Alvin's younger sister, said in a statement to Lowell Sun last month that she is 'heartbroken, saddened and devastated' by her sibling's alleged involvement in the assault. She continued: 'I will continue to pray for the victim who had the courage to come forward and I want her to get all of the supports, services, and protections she is entitled to. I will also pray for my brother. Im trusting that the judicial process will ensure that justice is served.' The cheery woman grabbed me on my way to the stage. She couldnt wait to tell me that, after a long career in the Washington area, she was moving to the Midwest. About the great house she found at half the price and a fraction of the property tax. The quick, easy trips to work, stores and everywhere else. The proximity of parks and bike trails and open, rural spaces. Packed and ready to go, she was the happiest person I met all month. Mid-Atlantic PRINCETON, N.J. Cezanne: The Rock and Quarry Paintings Through June 14 When a renowned curator like John Elderfield, formerly of the Museum of Modern Art, asks us to look again at a hyper-specific part of a great artists oeuvre, it is best to follow his lead. Mr. Elderfield, now a curator at the Princeton University Art Museum, has trained his eye on the rock formations painted by Paul Cezanne, and he has gathered about 15 paintings in the genre, some of them major loans. He demonstrates how the artists longtime interest in geology helped turn him into the master we know today. Princeton University Art Museum, artmuseum.princeton.edu New York CORNING In Sparkling Company: Glass and Social Life in Britain During the 1700s May 9 to Jan. 3 The early 20th-century world of Downton Abbey is appealingly lavish, but it looks positively threadbare compared to the splendor of 18th-century Britain, as presented in this show in upstate New York. Buffeted by economic and intellectual tailwinds, the craftsmanship of tableware and other decorative items was at a high point in the period. Visitors will see some remaining elements of the famous glass drawing room, designed by the acclaimed architect Robert Adam for the duke of Northumberland; it once featured green glass pilasters. Corning Museum of Glass, cmog.org NEW YORK CITY Studio 54: Night Magic Through July 5 The louche and licentious world of the short-lived nightclub Studio 54 might seem a slender reed on which to hang a museum show, but the Brooklyn Museum is going all out to prove that suspicion wrong. The exhibition ranges over documentation of the club itself to the fashion, art and photography of the era. And it even goes back to earlier iterations of cocktail and nightlife culture, finding room for 1930s glassware in its very eclectic mix. Brooklyn Museum, brooklynmuseum.org Gerhard Richter: Painting After All Through July 5 Routinely listed as one of the greatest living painters and producer of works garnering record-setting auction sales, the German artist Gerhard Richter is 88 and is only now getting his biggest New York museum show. Spanning 60 years via more than 100 works, the exhibition will present his seminal blur works like Uncle Rudi (1965) as well as his splattery, painterly and colorful compositions like Abstract Painting (2016). He has had many styles and periods, all of them suffused to differing degrees with Germanys painful and complicated 20th-century history. Met Breuer, metmuseum.org Other Points of View Through May 17 The motto of the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art is the future is queer, but for this show it looks to the past for illumination. The independent curator Tirza True Latimer uses a short-lived magazine View (1940-47), founded by Charles Henri Ford and Parker Tyler as the prism to examine mid-20th-century art from an L.B.G.T.Q. perspective. The more than 100 works include cover art from the magazine; several works by Mr. Ford himself, and some that depict him; and other works of the time that may take on new meaning in a new context, by the likes of Georgia OKeeffe, Isamu Noguchi and others. Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, leslielohman.org Nam June Paik: Art in Process May 5 to July 3 Gagosian has represented the estate of the video art pioneer Nam June Paik since 2015 but has not shown his work in New York, other than at fairs, until now. So the gallery is giving over two of its exhibition spaces to the Korean-American artist, and the show will include pieces that have never been on display, including painted sections of the Berlin Wall (2005), as well as the acclaimed video work One Candle, Candle Projection (1988-2000). For anyone who missed the just-closed show of his work at the Tate Modern or even for those who caught it this exhibition will be a must-see. Gagosian, gagosian.com McLaren Northern Michigan expects increase in COVID patients during the upcoming weeks As of Jan. 3, McLaren Northern Michigan had 20 COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized, as well as three in the intensive care unit. Franck Riester Franck Riester, the minister of Culture of the French Republic has tested positive for coronavirus. He is not in hospital, but rather confined to his home, with very few symptoms, Frances health minister Olivier Veran said in an interview with French news channel BFMTV on Monday evening. The minister is believed to have contracted the virus at the countrys lower house National Assembly, where five cases have been confirmed in recent days. As of Monday evening, there were 1,412 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 30 related deaths in France. All but one person of the MPI delegation tested negative for the coronavirus This has been confirmed by the Ministry of Health in the evening on March 9. Accordingly, excluding the 21st infected person, who was diagnosed two days ago, the rest of the delegates of the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and Minister Nguyen Chi Dung have tested negative for the virus. They are reported to be in good health, showing no symptoms and tested negative twice. Minister Dung and the delegation were on flight VN0054 of Vietnam Airlines from London and landed in Hanoi in the early morning of March 2. Also at the business class of the flight, Patient 17 (Nguyen Hong Nhung) was sitting close to Minister Dung, along with Patient 21 (Nguyen Quang Thuan), a member in the MPI delegation. He is vice chairman of the Central Theoretical Council of the Communist Party of Vietnam and a member of the Advisory Team of the prime minister. On March 7, the MPI sterilised its entire headquarters (6b Hoang Dieu Street, Ba Dinh district, Hanoi). All MPI delegates who were on flight VN0054 are isolated at home and their health is monitored regularly. In case they develop symptoms of fever, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, or breathing difficulties, they will be immediately quarantined at the hospital and tested for COVID-19. On flight VN0054, after the two cases were detected for COVID-19 infection, eight foreigners from the UK, Ireland, and Mexico, who travelled to Lao Cai, Quang Ninh, Hue, and Danang, have also tested positive for the coronavirus. All of them are being treated at hospitals and their health are getting better. Before flight VN0054, Vietnam has reported no new case for 22 days between February 13 and March 6. As of March 9, Vietnam reported 31 cases of infection, 16 of whom have recovered. Most of the recent new cases can be tied to VN0054. Besides these, up to 23,228 people undergo isolation at home or in concentrated facilities and 101 others are quarantined at hospitals. Energy titan Saudi Aramco said Tuesday it will boost crude oil supplies to 12.3 million barrels per day in April, flooding markets as it escalates a price war with Russia. Riyadh had already slashed its price for April delivery after Russia refused its proposal that producer alliance OPEC+ orchestrate a co-ordinated cut of 1.5 million barrels per day. The production cut had been mooted to shore up global oil prices, which have gone into meltdown as the deadly new coronavirus casts a pall over the world economy, but now price cuts and rising output indicate an unravelling of OPEC+ co-operation. "Saudi Aramco announces that it will provide its customers with 12.3 million barrels per day of crude oil in April," the company said in a statement to the Saudi stock exchange. Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest crude exporter has been pumping some 9.8 million bpd so its announcement on Tuesday means it will be adding at least 2.5 million bpd from April. "The Company has agreed with its customers to provide them with such volumes starting 1 April 2020. The Company expects that this will have a positive, long-term financial effect," the statement said. Saudi Arabia says it has an output capacity of 12 million bpd but it is not known for how long it can sustain such levels. The kingdom also has millions of barrels of crude stored in strategic reserves to be used when needed and is expected to use it to provide the extra supply to the global market. "Production above 12 million bpd shows the Saudis have something to prove," director of Britain-based RS Energy Bill Farren-Price said. "This is a grab for market share. The taps are open and the prices have been cut sharply," Farren-Price told AFP. In a quick response, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said Moscow could boost production in the short term "by 200,00-300,000 bpd, with a potential of 500,000 bpd in the near future". But he stressed that Moscow was in favour of extending a December agreement that had seen OPEC and Russia agree to cut production by 500,000 barrels per day in 2020, lowering output from October 2018 levels by 1.7 million barrels per day. The events of recent days have signalled a disintegration of collaboration between OPEC and Russia. Russia is a non-OPEC member and the world's second-biggest oil producer, but Moscow and other non-members have in recent years co-operated with the oil cartel in an arrangement known as OPEC+. The Saudi price cuts over the weekend, which were the first salvo in the price war, sent oil prices crashing -- registering the single biggest one-day loss in three decades on Monday. Saudi Arabia draws around 70 per cent of its revenues from oil, and the revenues are key to ambitious reform programmes launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Early reviewers praised the original iPhone, calling it a revolutionary device that could change the future of computing. Now, more than a decade later, the cultural conversation has shifted: Consumers fret that the smartphone era has changed our behavior and ruined our attention spans. One study found that just having a phone nearby distracts adults; anecdotally, people report that constant internet access has ruined their ability to read books and that they imagine their phone is ringing or vibrating even when its not. Advertisement This concern is magnified when applied to the youngest generations, who have grown up with screens in hand and all around them. If device use distracts adults, what could it be doing to young minds as they develop? UNICEF warns that the negative effects of screen time for babies and toddlers range from shorter attention span to lower empathy, and organizations like the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that parents avoid all screen timeTV watching or device usefor infants and limit exposure to an hour a day for toddlers. As those kids grow into teens, they acquire their own devices and spend hours a day on them; in a 2017 Atlantic feature, psychologist Jean Twenge wrote that the arrival of the smartphone has radically changed every aspect of teenagers lives, from the nature of their social interactions to their mental health. (Other experts, as Lisa Guernsey wrote for Slate, are wary of Twenges alarmism.) Studies have linked heavy smartphone use in teens to decreased mental well-being and increased depressive symptoms; time looking at screens also takes time away from other healthful activities, like exercise or sleep, so organizations like the Australian Department of Health recommend kids between 5 and 17 limit their screen time to two hours a day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Human behavior is messy, and measuring that behavior is even messier. These conclusions and recommendations come from dozens of studies probing correlations between screen time and behavior. But as any scientist will be quick to tell you, correlation is not causation, and its not clear that screen time actually causes, say, depression or anxiety. Thats because studies that show causal links are difficult to come by; theyre difficult to design and difficult to execute, leaving us with fewer causal conclusions and more associative studies to rely on for decision-making and policy. We know, for instance, that smartphone use is associated with depression in teens. Smartphone use certainly could be the culprit, but its also possible the story is more complicated; perhaps the causal relationship works the other way around, and depression drives teenagers to spend more time on their devices. Or, perhaps other details about their lifesay, their family background or level of physical activityaffect both their mental health and their screen time. In short: Human behavior is messy, and measuring that behavior is even messier. Advertisement Many of the current studies that probe associations simply ask participants to report things like their device use and their mood, an approach that is easy and relatively cheap to do because it requires minimal in-person intervention from researchers. But to probe causes, researchers must exert tighter control over the variables in their study, like how much and what kind of screen time people are engaging in. To establish a causal link, researchers would need to carefully design a study that dictates subjects device use while also tracking other factors like exercise and family socioeconomic status (which could then be accounted for through analysis of the data). But this sort of study would be both expensive and logistically difficult. Unlike medical researchers, who can assign different medications or treatments to patients and study the effects of each treatment, screen time researchers would have a hard time finding people willing to limit themselves to a researchers prescribed device use. (Ethics boards might also find such prescriptions unethical, especially for childrens researchgiven results from correlational studies showing links between heavy device use and negative outcomes, it would be hard to approve assigning children to a high screen time group.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even a medical trial style of screen time study might have flaws when adapted to study screen time. Human behavior is messy, and measuring that behavior is even messier; when humans know theyre being studied, that can change how they act. In medical research, its possible for both researchers and participants to remain in the dark about who got what treatment, a type of design researchers call a double blind study. But with behaviors, its impossible to keep things double blind; parents know what treatmenthow much screen timetheir kids are getting, and that alone could affect the results. In that case, just doing the study in the first place can skew researchers results. Additionally, careful research takes precious time, and smartphones and tablets have only been around a decade; compared with a technology like television, which has been around for decades, there have just been fewer opportunities to run comprehensive studies on devices, let alone probe into causality. But the jury is still out even on many causal effects of TV, as well, though researchers have more confidence in links between TV watching and outcomes like sedentary behavior, given the sheer number of in-depth, longitudinal studies that suggest those connections with more confidence. It takes years for researchers to design a project, receive approval for it from their universitys ethics board, recruit participants, collect the data, write up the paper, and publish itand by then, some fundamental aspect of the technology may have changed. Jenny Radesky, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan, jokes that she would never write a grant about, say, Pokemon Go: The biggest challenge for media researchers right now is that the pace of scientific discovery is so much slower than the pace of technological evolution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, researchers are trying their best. Eric Rasmussen, an associate professor of media and communications at Texas Tech, has designed a series of studies that carefully manipulates what media children are consuming and how they are consuming it, and examines those variables effects on childrens social and emotional development. In a 2015 study, he and his team assigned some children to watch 10 episodes of Daniel Tigers Neighborhood, a PBS show inspired by Mister Rogers Neighborhood, whereas others watched 10 episodes of Pure Nature, a documentary show. Of the families asked to watch Daniel Tiger, some parents were assigned to watch the show with their child and talk about the episodes as much as possible, whereas others were told to watch together and not to talk about it, or not to watch the episodes with their child at all. Rasmussen and his collaborators found that kids assigned to watch Daniel Tiger with parents who talked about it with them were more likely to exhibit empathy (according to a questionnaire filled out by childrens parents) and to score higher on tests of self-efficacy and emotion recognition. By manipulating these variables, Rasmussen and his team were able to see how TV watching could result in a positive outcome for children, and that the effect appears to be driven mostly by quality time chatting with a parent. They found similar effects in a more recent study where parents and children interacted around Daniel Tigers app. Advertisement Advertisement Radeskys research has also carefully manipulated variables to get a better glimpse at the potential effects of screen time. Trained as a pediatrician, Radesky got interested in screen time research when she was working with children and families in the early 2010s. I was seeing a lot of kids [who] for some reason were just harder to parentfussy, more intense, more overwhelmed by the world, she says. Around that same time, portable devices had become more widely available; phones and tablets could keep these fussy kids entertained at the dinner table, or as they settled down for bedtime. I was hearing in clinic: [The screen] is the only thing that calms them down! I cant take this away at bedtime, its the only thing that helps them fall asleep. Her hypothesis was that childrens temperament and behavior affected the amount of screen time they were exposed to, and screen time, in turn, affected their temperament and behavior; for a fussy toddler or preschooler, screen time might be a must to keep parents sane, but that screen time might also displace opportunities to learn self-regulation skills that would help them be less fussy over time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To test this hypothesis, Radesky is collecting data from preschoolers three times over the course of six months, including their self-regulation deficits, how they use media, and family demographics. Her team can then create models of how childrens self-regulation and media use change over time to better understand how one might affect the other. Its not evidence of causality, but its stronger evidence than one-time correlation, says Radesky. More exhaustive study design means more time, effort, and funding costs from researchers. Rasmussen estimates that their TV study cost about $10,000, and the app study cost $35,000. (Its worth noting that the Fred Rogers Co. funded the latter study.) And it requires time and buy-in from families, too; for Rasmussens studies, parents had to commit to two weeks of TV watching or app engagement, plus follow-up meetings on campus for additional testing. If we had more money, we could do a lot more experimental research, says Rasmussen, but with tightening budgets for basic science, correlational research is a much more feasible option. Advertisement And even well-designed lab studies have their drawbacks. Its possible that any contrived study scenario can produce results that arent generalizable to real life, where parents and kids arent taking part in a study. (Researchers would say that such a study lacks ecological validity.) For example, one of Rasmussens studies looked at interactions between kids and parents while they watch videos in Rasmussens lab, which is set up like a living room with a couch, TV, and chairs. Ideally, in order to establish ecological validity, we would go into their home and do the same thing, but when we go into their home and do that, were disrupting the normal flow of things, says Rasmussen. Just being observed can affect behavior, which only makes it more difficult to design a screen time study from which researchers might draw conclusions about devices causal powers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Until more large-scale projects like Rasmussens and Radeskys are completed, were left mostly with correlational data to guide our decisions about screen time. No matter what, kids are going to spend time on their phones and tabletsand parents of the youngest users want guidance. Radesky wants to focus on solutions that can help families make the right decisions for themselves. You cant solve a problem just by taking the kids phone away, says Radesky. You need to solve all the underlying problems that contribute to the drama youre having. For instance, sometimes you just need to put an episode of Daniel Tiger on the tablet so you can have a few minutes to prep dinner, or draw the bath. Rather than feeling guilty about screen use and getting wrapped up in what Radesky calls the competitive cult of intense parenting, parents might benefit from taking a problem-solving approach: So this doesnt feel good to you. How can you change that? How can you find replacement activities? How can you ask for help? Theres a strong consensus, she says, that certain activitiestalking, playing, reading, being boredare opportunities for parents and children to spend quality time together and for children to develop and learn. Those things can happen in the presence of screens, but we often let the screens distract us instead. Its not so much the screen that causes problems, but the fact that it often supplants opportunities to engage in richer activities instead. Rasmussen also says he gets questions from concerned parents asking what they should do with their kids in light of the uncertainty about screen times causal effects. Parents can set boundaries on use but can also teach their kids about how to set their own boundaries around screen time and what they choose to do on their devices. A parents job is to give our kids tools to deal with the media content themselves, he says. Protecting our kids is good, but empowering them is great. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. Donald O. Rockwell, the Paul B. Reinhold Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics in Lehigh Universitys P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, has been elected as a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). AIAA recently announced its Class of 2020 Fellows, which includes 14 faculty members at universities in Australia, England, France, and the United States. According to its website, the society confers the distinction of Fellow upon individuals in recognition of their notable and valuable contributions to the arts, sciences or technology of aeronautics and astronautics. AIAA has nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries and 95 corporate members. It is the world's largest technical society dedicated to the global aerospace profession. Rockwell was recognized for his breakthrough insight into unsteady aerodynamic flows and structural interactions using novel experimental approaches and advanced image processing as well as his technical leadership and educational achievements. From 1994 to 2009, Rockwell was the editor-in-chief of Experiments in Fluids, the leading international journal for advances in experimental techniques related to fluid mechanics and aerodynamics. Professor Rockwell has been an excellent mentor for many young professionals, especially at Lehigh, by helping them launch their careers, says D. Gary Harlow, professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics. For many years he has been a key leader for graduate education in mechanical engineering, and he continues to be a critical member of the Lehigh community. Rockwell is also a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, the American Physical Society, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He received the 2013 AIAA Fluid Dynamics Award for outstanding contributions to the understanding of the behavior of liquids and gases in motion as related to needs in aeronautics and astronautics. AIAA president John Langford congratulated the newest Fellows in a press release, calling them the best minds in the industry. They have earned the respect and gratitude of the aerospace community for their dedication, creativity and contribution to better understanding our world in terms of its limits and how we can push past those boundaries. The Fellows will be inducted during a May 19 ceremony and will also be recognized on May 20 at the AIAA Aerospace Spotlight Awards Gala at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. A major focus of Rockwells research has been the laser-based imaging of unsteady development of vortex flows that are present for a wide range of aerodynamic configurations, extending from insect flight to large-scale maneuverable aircraft. He has led the formulation of new directions of research on unsteady aerodynamic flows through three international workshops held at Lehigh and in the Washington, D.C., area, in response to invitations from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (ASOFR) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR). Over more than 40 years at Lehigh, Rockwell has earned international renown for illuminating the complex physics of fluid flowsfrom the breaking of ocean waves to the flow of blood past a catheter. His research interests and approaches extend to other areas of applied science and engineering including vortex-induced enhancement of contaminant transport in shallow river and coastal flows, flow-induced vibration of structures in the ocean environment and components of power plant systems, and noise due to vortex- interactions in nuclear submarine systems. He has advised about 40 PhD students, half of whom are now faculty members at universities in 10 different countries. His research within Lehighs Fluids Research Laboratory has been funded for decades by the National Science Foundation, ASOFR, and ONR. Rockwell has collaborated with visiting faculty and scientists from a number of countries, including Japan, China, Australia, Germany and Turkey, who have performed research in Lehighs fluid mechanics labs. His research has also been funded by NASA, the Volkswagen Foundation, Lockheed-Martin, Arrow International, and Combustion Research and Flow Technology. ### Related Links: One week after the first confirmed case of coronavirus and with 17 patients now having tested positive for the disease Covid-19, Polish hospitals are on the brink of collapse. More than 170 people are hospitalized and over 4,000 are in domestic quarantine. At a press conference on Monday, Polish Minister of Health ukasz Szumowski said that new cases in Poland would emerge very fast in the coming days. Donald Tusk, the former prime minister of Poland of the opposition party Civic Platform (PO), described the situation on twitter as very serious. The Polish government advises that all gatherings with more than 1,000 people be cancelled. So far, the majority of cases were infected in Germany and one patient was reportedly infected in the Czech Republic. Patients are now being treated in at least half a dozen Polish cities, including Zielona Gora and Wrocaw in Silesia, in Cracow and in the Warsaw region. In neighbouring Ukraine, public schools have been closed in the Chernivtsi region where the first confirmed case of coronavirus was recorded. In the Czech Republic, 31 cases were confirmed as of Monday afternoon. The situation is rapidly spinning out of control, threatening to trigger a massive social and political crisis in the region. After two months of falsely claiming that Poland would not be dramatically affected by what is now the most far-reaching pandemic since the Spanish flu in 1918/1919, the far-right government of the Law and Justice Party (PiS) announced on Monday that it will introduce medical tests on the Czech and German border. Passengers on trains and buses, as well as car drivers, will have their temperature taken. The number of cases has skyrocketed in Germany over the weekend. It reached 1,151 by Monday afternoon, with two people reported dying from Covid-19. After Italy and France, Germany is the country with the highest recorded number of corona patients in Europe. Germany has a Polish-born population of about 2 million, the vast majority of which still have close connections to their family and friends in Poland. In addition, thousands of Polish workers also work in Germany on a seasonal and short-term basis. There are direct train connections between several major Polish cities and Berlin. Many Poles also live in or commute to North Rhine-Westphalia, the main centre of the outbreak in Germany. The Czech government too has introduced temperature measurement of car and train passengers at 10 border crossings. Reports make clear that even the so far limited number of patients is bringing the Polish health care system to the brink of a total break-down. The university hospital in Zielona Gora, where the first confirmed case has been treated for a week, already reported shortages of critical medical supplies by Wednesday. On Friday, hospital workers told the Gazeta Wyborcza that they had only 400 masks and 40 suits for the protection of doctors and nurses, sufficient for a few hours of work. The hospital requested 2 million zloty (about US$530,000) of emergency help to acquire basic medical equipment such as cardiac monitors, respirators, inhalators, bronchofiberscopes and equipment for external disinfections. As in the US and many other countries, Polish hospitals are reporting that they are only receiving a portion of the masks and other medical equipment that they had ordered to confront the coronavirus outbreak. Basic medical supplies, including disinfectants, sanitizers and masks, have surged in price internationally in recent weeks. China, which accounts for about 80 percent of the global production of masks, reportedly all but stopped exports in January to confront the massive outbreak of Covid-19 within its borders. Many Polish hospitals are systematically delaying planned operations that are not immediately necessary to help protect patients and staff from infections. However, much of the funding for hospitals from the National Health Fund (NSZ) is based on the number of operations they perform. Thus, the measures they take to protect patients and medical staff from infections are set to further worsen the financial position of the hospitals, making it even more difficult to acquire necessary medical equipment. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that the government would spend 100 million zloty ($26.5 million) on the fight against the coronavirus. But this will be only a drop in the ocean. Even before this crisis, Polish hospitals were facing shortages of medical equipment across the board. While cuts have been implemented by all Polish governments since the dissolution of the Polish Peoples Republic by the Stalinist bureaucracy in 1989 and the restoration of capitalism, the situation has become nothing less than catastrophic under the PiS government. In a poll conducted last year, 92 percent of Polish hospitals indicated that they were running on a deficit, up from 51.21 percent in 2015. The median deficit of Polish hospitals rose from 1 million zloty (about $265,000) to 5 million zloty ($1,326,000) in the same time period. This means that for years most hospitals have been unable to purchase new and necessary medical equipment. According to an article by the Rzeczpospolita published last autumn, every day of 2019 a medical department was closed in a Polish hospital due to lack of funding and personnel. In some months, up to three departments were closed per day. The number of medical departments at hospitals specializing in infectious diseases was cut from 119 to 79 in the past few years. Thirty percent of virologists in Poland are old enough to retire, the very demographic most vulnerable to the coronavirus. In February 2020, the German Deutschlandfunk reported that a third of Polish hospitals were set to be closed in the near future even though the number of patients was rising. In light of this staggering crisis, Rzeczpospolita warned last week that Chaos in the health care system [because of the coronavirus] could upend Polish politics and impact the outcome of the presidential elections in May. The complete breakdown of the Polish health care system is a direct result of the restoration of capitalism and decades of social cuts in which all bourgeois parties have been complicit. Poland is now one of the most unequal countries in Europe, with income inequality on a level similar to that of Germany and Britain. As everywhere else, the issue is not a lack of resources. While PiS has engaged in further cuts in health care and offered only a paltry 500 zloty child benefit per month to families with multiple children, the number of millionaires in the country has risen in the past five years. The wealth research firm Wealth-X noted in a 2019 report that Poland was among the countries with the fastest growing layer of high net worth individuals in the world, along with countries such as Kenya and Ukraine. In the study, high net worth individuals were defined as those with between $1 million and $30 million. In 2017, an estimated 57,000 people in Poland had a net worth of over $1 million. Meanwhile, the median income in Poland is just about a third of the European Union average. Millions of workers, including teachers, doctors as well as most pensioners, have to get by on just a few hundred dollars a month. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriza Pinandita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 Beginning this year, the Netherlands has stopped providing development aid to a number of countries, including Indonesia. But the Dutch have promised to replace the arrangement with a new cooperation initiative intended to bring the partners into a different, more equal phase of relations. The new relationship will be top of mind as the Dutch king begins his state visit to Indonesia. Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi confirmed this on Monday, saying that both sides had been engaged in numerous cooperation initiatives and that it was not merely Indonesia asking for something from the Netherlands. They acknowledge the efforts we have been making so far, [...] so we have to place ourselves in the shoes of a mutual collaborator and no longer a recipient of assistance, Retno told reporters after a meeting with Dutch counterpart Stef Blok in Jakarta. 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 [March 10, 2020] American Lending Center and Sunstone Management Raise Money for A Perfect Love Foundation American Lending Center (ALC), in partnership with its sister company Sunstone Management, recently hosted a fundraising event to benefit A Perfect Love, a non-profit that raises money for American families who have adopted children with disabilities from China. All donations to A Perfect Love will be managed for free by the Sunstone Foundation to ensure the non-profit's longevity as an international public welfare fund. A Perfect Love remains an ideal partner for ALC and Sunstone as they continue building out their corporate social responsibility model. Established in 2019, the foundation operates two projects: one to raise funds for families who have adopted Chinese infants with disabilities, and the other to send experts from America to train teachers at Suzhou Bo'ai School in China, an international children's rehabilitation school serving children who are unable to enter the regular school system. Thus far, ALC and Sunstone have raised $33,000 for the foundation by hosting a "Love Fundraiser," during which they sold raffle tickets and solicited individual contributions. We feel lucky to be involved with A Perfect Love, which has already supported the adoption of many Chinese infants," stated John Shen, ALC and Sunstone's Chief Executive Officer. "As an international corporation, it is our corporate and social responsibility to donate to a cause so wholly dedicated to improving the lives of these children." About American Lending Center ALC's predominant focus on placing EB-5 investments exclusively in the senior loan structure has created the best capital protection for investors throughout the EB-5 process. Its rigorous construction management system led by highly successful third parties, in coordination with the senior loan operation, has driven the consistent success of its investments. As a result, ALC has successfully provided over 350 million dollars to American ventures and created over 10,000 full-time jobs throughout the US. It has achieved a 100 percent construction success rate and fully refunded the EB-5 investors who obtained permanent green cards. About Sunstone Management Sunstone Management, with subsidiary Sunstone Venture Capital Fund, is a diversified private capital management and investment firm offering wealth management solutions to high net worth clients worldwide, in particular U.S. new-immigrant families. Focusing on investments in U.S. based small businesses and lower middle markets, its offerings are carefully structured to meet targeted investor goals ranging from short term senior debt products to longer term, equity, growth capital, and venture capital investment strategies. Sunstone is also extremely active as an investor in tech startups as a founding member of the Long Beach Accelerator, sponsor of the Sunstone Innovation Challenge and more. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005828/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Rathowen playwright, Jimmy Keary, is no stranger to overseas theatre, with a number of his plays being performed in the States and across Europe. But now hes breaking into the Canadian market, with his play, The Two Loves of Gabriel Foley, being picked up by the Benevolent Irish Society in Prince Edward Island. The play will be performed for six nights in the Katherine Hughes Memorial Hall from March 5 to 7 and 10 to 12. A lady called Mary OMorain saw a performance of the play down in Kerry last year and thought it would be good for her sons group in Canada, Jimmy told the Longford Leader. She got the script off me and sent it over to her son, Dr Cian OMorain, and the Benevolent Irish Society will be performing it in March. And, he added, the same play will be performed in the Irish Cultural Centre in Boston for four nights, from April . It has also been performed at the Doonbeg Festival, the Mid Ulster Festival and the Lislea Festival - so this play really gets around. The Two Loves of Gabriel Foley was written in 2010 and is a three-act comedy that has been popular all over the world. The story takes place in a small town in County Westmeath in the early 1990s. A local farmer, middle-aged Gabriel Foley, who is unmarried and considers himself unlucky at love, has come to the realisation that he will not be having a family if he doesnt make some serious changes in his life and make them soon. The story takes on some hilarious twists when Gabriel takes questionable courting advice from his married best friend Liam Gavigan. Gabriels mother, Aggie, lives with him and is constantly reminding him that she despairs of ever having any grandchildren to spoil. Gabriel joins the local Theatre Group as a way to meet a potential wife and the fun begins. The play brings to the stage many of the elements that make a play interesting. It contains comedy, unresolved romance, elder vs youth values, local gossip, interfering relatives, ulterior motives, a love triangle, etc. This is indeed a very good high comedy. So far this year, Jimmys plays have been staged in Donegal, Tyrone, Galway, Clare, Limerick, Wicklow, Waterford, Leitrim and Tipperary. Jimmy himself is still busy writing plays and is almost finished his 23rd play, Finders Keepers, a three-act comedy, which tells the story of farmer Bernie Bennett. Bernie is tired of her on/off relationship with local farmer Michael Kennedy and wants him to propose marriage. But Michael isn't keen until another farmer Sam Cullen shows an interest in Bernie. But has Michael left it too late? For now, though, Jimmys other plays are still doing the rounds. Close to home, The Pillar Box Drama Group in Moydow will be staging Jimmys play, Im The One For You, from March 5 to 8. More than 130 Indians are on a cruise ship that US authorities allowed to dock in California on Monday after keeping it away at sea for days off because of an outbreak of Coronavirus on board affecting both passengers and crew. We can confirm that there is one guest passenger and 131 team members from India aboard Grand Princess, Princess Cruises, owner of the cruise, said in a statement to Hindustan Times. But the company declined to answer questions about their well-being, if any one of them had tested positive for Coronavirus, and, if yes, what was their condition, and where they were. We are not able to provide any additional information, it said. The ship is carrying 2,421 passengers and 1,113 crew members; and 21 of them have tested positive for Coronavirus. It was supposed to return to San Francisco after a round-trip to Hawaii on Thursday, but authorities kept it at sea, debating where to dock it given the virus outbreak on board. There are a large number of foreign nationals on board. Canada and the United Kingdom are flying home their nationals among the passengers, according to US authorities and the rest will be quarantined 14 days in camps on US military bases in California and Georgia states. There have been 423 coronavirus cases in the US, thus far, according to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with 19 deaths. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2020 / Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. (TSXV:BAY)(OTCQB:ATBHF) ("Aston Bay" or the "Company") announces that it has granted stock options in accordance with the terms and conditions of its rolling Stock Option Plan, entitling the purchase of an aggregate 3,500,000 common shares by certain officers, directors, consultants, employees and advisors to the Company. Each stock option will be exercisable at $0.06 per common share until March 10, 2027. About Aston Bay Holdings Aston Bay is a publicly traded mineral exploration company exploring for gold and base metal deposits in Virginia, USA, and Nunavut, Canada. The Company is led by CEO Thomas Ullrich with exploration in Virginia directed by the Company's advisor, Don Taylor, the 2018 Thayer Lindsley Award winner for his discovery of the Taylor Pb-Zn-Ag Deposit in Arizona The Company has also acquired the exclusive rights to an integrated dataset over certain prospective private lands at the Blue Ridge Project and has signed agreements with timber and land companies which grants the company the option to lease the mineral rights to 11,065 acres of land located in central Virginia. These lands are located within a gold-copper-lead-zinc mineralized belt prospective for Carolina slate belt gold deposits, as well as sedimentary VMS, exhalative (SEDEX) and Broken Hill (BHT) type base metal deposits. Don Taylor, who led the predecessor company to Blue Ridge and assembled the dataset, has joined the Company's Advisory Board and will be directing the Company's exploration activities for the Blue Ridge Project. The Company is actively exploring the Buckingham Gold Project in Virginia and is in advanced stages of negotiation on other lands in the area. The Company is also 100% owner of the Aston Bay Property located on western Somerset Island, Nunavut, which neighbours Teck's profitable, past-producing Polaris (Pb-Zn) Mine just 200km to the north. The Aston Bay Property hosts the Storm Copper Project and the Seal Zinc Deposit with drill-confirmed presence of sediment-hosted copper and zinc mineralization. The Company's public disclosure documents are available on www.sedar.com. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Statements made in this press release, including those regarding the closing and the use of proceeds of the private placement, management objectives, forecasts, estimates, expectations, or predictions of the future may constitute "forward-looking statement", which can be identified by the use of conditional or future tenses or by the use of such verbs as "believe", "expect", "may", "will", "should", "estimate", "anticipate", "project", "plan", and words of similar import, including variations thereof and negative forms. This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect, as of the date of this press release, Aston Bay's expectations, estimates and projections about its operations, the mining industry and the economic environment in which it operates. Statements in this press release that are not supported by historical fact are forward-looking statements, meaning they involve risk, uncertainty and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although Aston Bay believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which apply only at the time of writing of this press release. Aston Bay disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by securities legislation. We seek safe harbour. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Ullrich, Chief Executive Officer Telephone: (416) 456-3516 Sofia Harquail, IR and Corporate Development sofia.harquail@astonbayholdings.com (647) 821-1337 SOURCE: Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/579919/Aston-Bay-Holdings-Grants-Options Fears about the growing coronavirus outbreak has prompted the cancellation of West Springfield High Schools scheduled trip to Ireland, officials announced this week. Timothy Connor, interim superintendent of schools, wrote in a letter to the public school community Monday that the district has a pandemic plan, as the number of patients with the respiratory infection in both the United States and Massachusetts increases. More than 420 cases of the coronavirus, named COVID-19, have been confirmed in the U.S. across 35 states, according to the Center for Disease Control and Preventions website. Nineteen deaths have been reported. The most important information for you to know is the following: We have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in West Springfield Public Schools, Connor wrote. Local health officials will continue to take actions as warranted by the evidence." West Springfield school officials have provided parents and guardians with strategies for ways to speak with children about the outbreak without causing additional anxiety and have continued to reinforce proper hand washing. Central Maintenance Department staffers are installing more than 40 additional hand sanitizer dispensers across school buildings and stepping up cleaning of common areas, including hand rails, bathroom surfaces, doorknobs and other hard surfaces, according to Connor. There are currently 40 presumptive positive cases of the illness across the commonwealth and one confirmed case. In Western Massachusetts, five people reportedly have the disease in Berkshire County. No patients were reported in Hampden, Hampshire or Franklin Counties, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. West Springfield Public School officials are discouraging the use of masks per recommendations from the CDC and DPH, as the devices are not effective and cause children to bring their hands to their faces to adjust masks, according to Connor. The superintendent also reported that the Lower Pioneer Valley Collaborative, the school districts bus company, has stepped up its sanitization procedures by now disinfecting buses at end of each day. As a reminder, students and staff who are sick are encouraged to stay home, and the district will continue to respond to these situations with flexibility, Connor said in in his letter. Connor, West Springfield Director of Public Health Jeanne Galloway and Christine Beaumont, director of health services in the city, participated in the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Educations conference call with DPH about protocols to be taken if school closures are needed. Related Content: (Bloomberg) -- When Alphabet Inc.s Google published revenue from its cloud business for the first time last month, a feeling of bitter vindication swept through International Business Machines Corp. Google, which is ranked the third-biggest cloud provider in the world by industry analysts, reported $9 billion in cloud revenue for 2019. IBM lists $21 billion in cloud sales, yet usually its relegated to fifth place. Research firm Gartner Inc. even excludes it from their top-six rankings. After Googles report, employees at IBM thought theyd finally get the credit they deserved. But the industry didnt notice. Google still holds the bronze medal behind Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Corp.s Azure. Analysts say IBM will remain near the tail-end of their rankings because the company defines the cloud more broadly than industry leaders. What IBM calls cloud is different to what Amazon and Google call cloud, said Ed Anderson, an analyst at Gartner. All companies have their own unique definition of cloud, and analysts like Anderson try to weed out the numbers that go beyond traditional descriptions. You can see this posturing with IBM, Anderson said. They are really nervous about reporting a number that is too small and nervous about reporting a number that is too big that no one will believe. Analysts prioritize whats known as pure public cloud, the infrastructure that allows companies to rent servers, control their computing power on demand and only pay for what they use. Amazon.com Inc.s AWS pioneered this new way of computing in 2006, and along with Microsoft, the two hold more than 50% of the global market in public cloud. IBM only has a small public cloud but it sweeps other businesses into its calculation of cloud revenue, including software, hosting services and consulting to help companies migrate data to the cloud -- a market IBM dominates. While these services are crucial, they are not as sexy as the core public cloud offerings that have defined the market and deserve to be the main industry measurement, according to analysts from prominent firms such as International Data Corp., Synergy and Gartner. Story continues For a company like IBM, which has undergone multiple transformations in its 108-year history, its important to communicate that they are not just about yesterdays technology, said Frank Gens, chief analyst at IDC. Thats why they are all feisty about wanting to establish their cloud credentials. Armonk, New York-based IBM has struggled with declining revenue over much of the past decade as it was slow to adapt to the shift in computing to the cloud and away from the big servers it had traditionally managed on-site for companies. Now its staked a turnaround on newer technologies, including artificial intelligence and cloud computing. In 2018, IBM paid $34 billion to acquire open-source software provider Red Hat to help bolster its credentials as a top cloud contender. The company recently said Arvind Krishna, the head of cloud, would be taking over as chief executive officer when Ginni Rometty steps down next month. Despite all this, IBM is still waiting for recognition. Were proud of our progress and weve invested for this specific moment in the evolution to cloud, spokesman Saswato Das said. We like our hand, and weve already done better than most people actually give us credit for. When IBM created its cloud division about seven years ago, it decided to use a broad definition when recording sales. The company includes all of its cloud-oriented hardware, software, professional services and any remote infrastructure service it runs for clients into the total number. IBM did this to boost its performance, knowing it was defining cloud in a different way to that of its rivals, according to people familiar with the company who didnt want to be named discussing private information. Only about half of IBMs reported $21 billion in cloud revenue actually comes from core public cloud offerings. AWSs $35 billion in cloud revenue almost all comes from public cloud. Googles cloud numbers also include corporate software sales like Gmail and Google Docs. In the early days of a new industry, experts, market leaders and analysts typically get to set the boundaries on how to best measure the sector. But some experts say that view should update as the market develops to ensure the industry accurately reflects where clients are spending their money. Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT, said initially the cloud was so closely associated with AWS that many analyst firms believed if cloud didnt closely model what AWS was doing it wasnt worthy of being called cloud. However, the market has become increasingly diverse and simply focusing on core public cloud ignores the billions of dollars flowing into services associated with cloud migration and adoption. (Corrects to remove reference to cloud washing in fourth paragraph.) To contact the reporter on this story: Olivia Carville in New York at ocarville1@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Molly Schuetz at mschuetz9@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. GALVESTON Nannette Metoyer has been running a cruise booking agency, Cruise Cats, out of her neon-blue Galveston bungalow for 25 years. She has weathered market fluctuations due to global pandemics, economic recessions and soaring oil prices. So when the U.S. Department of State issued a travel advisory Sunday warning people with underlying health conditions against traveling by cruise ship due to the increased risk of infection from the new coronavirus, Metoyer knew to brace herself for an increase in calls from her clients. Theres not been a lot of new bookings, its slowed down a little bit, Metoyer said. (My clients) are more concerned about getting confined on a cruise ship for 14 days. Theyre not afraid of getting sick. My older clients with respiratory issues yeah, theyve got a little more worry. As of Tuesday, the Galveston cruise industry was still grappling with how to deal with an anticipated slowdown in bookings out of the nations fourth-largest cruise port due to widespread concerns about the coronavirus, which has already stranded and quarantined travelers on several cruise ships across the globe. On Monday, the Grand Princess cruise ship, which had 21 people aboard who tested positive for the novel coronavirus, was finally cleared to dock in Oakland, Calif. Another cruise ship, the Diamond Princess, was quarantined off the coast of Japan after a coronavirus outbreak infected 700 people on board. A dozen Houston-area residents tested positive for the new coronavirus after traveling on a Nile River cruise ship later quarantined in Egypt. The operator has canceled all Niles River cruises through May 31. Cruise shops are still routinely coming in and out of Galvestons port, but travel agents are noticing more customers rescheduling trips. Amid the concerns, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the world's largest cruise industry trade association, presented a plan Tuesday to Vice President Mike Pence, who is leading the White House coronavirus task force, on how it will deal with such infections going forward. Roger Rees, the executive director of the Port of Galveston, said CLIA plans to hire an outside contractor, Global Rescue, to handle future coronavirus cases on board cruise ships, including evacuations. The real issue is the safety and security of all the passengers, Rees said. This new wrinkle that (CLIA) will introduce today will also take care of some of that idling of the ships not being able to go to ports. This way they will be able to go onto the ships themselves and take the people off and lessen the exposure (to the virus). Going out full The Galveston Wharves recently hosted a tabletop exercise meeting with 55 officials representing a number of agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Coast Guard, the University of Texas Medical Branch, the Galveston County Health District, and cruise line officials. Objectives for this exercise included reviewing coordinated communications procedures in the first 24 hours of any infectious disease being reported by vessel crews in the Houston-Galveston area. A second meeting is scheduled for later in March. Were ready, weve had a series of conference calls with federal, state, and local (officials) to get ready for any kind of outbreak that would come to Galveston, Rees said. Rees struck an optimistic tone when discussing the viruss impacts on Galvestons cruise industry, which makes up 60 percent of the ports business and continues to grow. Royal Caribbean Cruises recently agreed to invest about $100 million in a 150,000-square-foot terminal, which is slated to open in November 2021, to accommodate the cruise companys largest ships. Cruise ships leaving Galveston are still going out full, with only a couple hundred passengers canceling, Rees said, a normal rate for this time of year. I couldnt tell you what the future looks like at this point, but I can certainly say we havent seen any significant decrease in passengers this time of year, Rees said. Galveston travel agents tell a slightly different story. While there hasnt been a flood of outright cancellations for cruise travel, many future passengers have rescheduled trips, hoping that the coronavirus outbreak will be contained enough in the coming months to resume normal international travel. Were not having that many true cancellations because the cruise lines are being very generous to help people reschedule for a future date, said Claire Johnson, who manages Galvestoncruises.com. As far as new bookings, were still booking new people in the future. Theyre still paying. Indeed, Carnival Cruise Lines, one of the two cruise operators that berth in Galveston, is offering onboard credits for passengers who choose to keep their bookings for departures between March 6 and May 31, ranging from $100 per cabin for 3- and 4-day cruises to $200 per cabin for 6-day and longer cruises. Travelers weigh options Any Carnival guests who booked prior to March 6 that wish to change their plans will be allowed to move their booking to a new date and receive a future cruise credit. A Carnival spokesman declined to share how many passengers had chosen to reschedule or cancel bookings. A spokesman for Royal Caribbean, the other cruise line operating out of Galveston, said that while the company is developing more stringent boarding procedures, including taking the body temperature of passengers at embarkation, as of now they are not offering credits to passengers who want to reschedule bookings. The rescheduling of cruises has not yet hurt merchants who rely on cruise traffic for business. Gino Vaiani, who manages a Galveston parking lot for cruise customers, said travelers have been calling to reschedule future parking reservations, but he is still seeing plenty of business from cruises coming into port. I had families and kids and parents going out, Vaiani said. I did not see a big difference yet, but were feeling it a little bit. Were waiting on it. But the coronavirus panic among cruise passengers has left booking agents like Nannette Metoyer walking her clients carefully through all of their options. She says she is telling first-time cruise passengers not to take their maiden voyage during a viral outbreak and warning clients with health concerns not to go on a cruise. Im not heavy-duty sales, Im actually a counselor that finds them what they need, Metoyer said. Im not shoving stuff down their throat. You tell me if you want something. Metoyer, who has been on more than 150 cruises, hopes the coronavirus will run its course and business will resume as usual. If not, she joked that she plans to eventually throw caution to the wind and get back on a cruise ship herself. I do truly believe if this is the end of the damn world, lets party like its 1999. Lets get on the damn plane, lets go! nick.powell@chron.com We do feel at this point it does make good sense to have that option should it be needed, Wang said. We are not saying this is needed, we are saying we would take these steps so in the event it is needed, we would be able to look into that option immediately." Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. London, UK, March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Ferrero Group has selected StayinFront , a leading global provider of mobile, cloud-based field force solutions to improve retail execution and field force effectiveness for its Belgium and Luxembourg divisions. This partnership is an expansion of an already existing association between the two companies. Ferrero Belgium and Luxembourg chose StayinFront TouchCG Core to consolidate a number of different applications into a single, easy-to-use solution to enable the field sales reps to benefit from the latest enhancements in mobile technology such as offline Order Entry and configurable dashboards with territory and store-level KPIs. We are utilizing several StayinFront TouchCG modules including Auditing, Order Entry, Promotions, Share-of-Shelf and the team collaboration module, StayinFront Chat , for efficient communication between field reps and managers to share best practices and opportunities to sell more, explained Emilio Castano Rodriguez, IT Business Partner Europe Multi-Countries, Ferrero Group. We are impressed with the flexibility of the StayinFront solution that will support the rapid deployment of a single solution across the region with localization, to allow each market to have specific functionality for key business processes. I am excited by the expansion of our partnership with Ferrero outside of the Asia-Pacific region, and look forward to working with the Ferrero Europe and US businesses to deliver innovative solutions to help the Sales teams deliver top-line growth, stated Wayne Gallaway , Vice President and Managing Director, StayinFront EMEA. Our award-winning software was created with all companies of all sizes in mind so field teams can Do More, Know More and Sell More in every store visit. About Ferrero Group Ferrero began its story in the little town of Alba in Piedmont, Italy, in 1946. Today, with a consolidated turnover of over 11.4 billion euros, Ferrero is amongst the market leaders of the Sweet Packaged Foods market worldwide. The Ferrero Group is present throughout the world with more than 41,000 people and 25 production plants. Ferrero is the producer of many brand icons that are loved generation after generation, including Nutella, Ferrero Rocher, Tic Tac, Kinder Joy, Kinder Chocolate and Raffaello, which are present and sold in more than 170 countries. Product freshness and high quality, the careful selection of the finest raw materials, sustainable agricultural practices and continuous research and innovation are some of the key elements of Ferreros success. For further information visit: www.ferrero.com and www.ferrerocsr.com About StayinFront StayinFront is a leading global provider of mobile, cloud-based field force effectiveness and customer relationship management solutions for consumer goods and life sciences organizations. Companies of all sizes, in over 50 countries use StayinFront software to streamline sales operations and reduce the complexity, time and expense associated with field efforts. StayinFront products are seamlessly integrated to provide companies with timely, accurate field data and actionable insights, enabling field reps and management to Do More, Know More and Sell More. Headquartered in Fairfield, New Jersey, StayinFront has offices in Chicago, Canada, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Ireland, Poland, India, Australia, Singapore, and New Zealand. Through its 20:20 Retail Data Insight and StayinFront Digital subsidiaries, StayinFront delivers stand alone and tightly integrated actionable insights and guided selling by analyzing retail images and data to brand managers and sales forces around the globe. For more details about StayinFront products and solutions, visit www.stayinfront.com . StayinFront Contact Wayne Gallaway Vice President and Managing Director, StayinFront EMEA +44 (0) 1494 429 560 wgallaway@stayinfront.com The body found 10 feet down in a Bessemer manhole has been identified as a woman missing from north Alabama for more than a year. Karen Joyce Scott was 38 when she was last seen in December 2018. Her partially-skeletonized remains were discovered Feb. 25, 2020 by sewer workers in the west Jefferson County city. The discovery was made about 3:18 p.m. that Tuesday by Jefferson County workers in a manhole in the 3100 block of Exeter Alley. Bessemer Police Chief Mike Roper said county employees were in the area doing work. The manhole was covered. It took authorities several hours to remove the body from the manhole. The Jefferson County Coroners Office used dental records to identify Scotts remains. Bessemer police on Tuesday said Scotts death is being investigated as a homicide. Lt. Christian Clemons said there is evidence Scott had been shot. In the months prior to her disappearance, Scott was arrested in Marshall County on methamphetamine and heroin trafficking charges. Authorities seized $45,580 from Scott at the time of her arrest by the Marshall County Drug Task Force, which moved to formally seize the money. In January 2019, a circuit judge issued the judgement against Scott and ordered the money be forfeited. The judge ordered roughly $9,000 to the Marshal County District Attorneys Office, and the rest to the drug task force. Authorities have not said whether those incidents could factor into the death investigation. The probe is ongoing, and the police department is asking anyone that has information of the disappearance and/or death of Scott to please contact the Bessemer Police Department. They can do so at 205-425-2411 or the Tip Line at 205-428-3541. Id like to inform all participant that the phones are on listen only. Todays call is recorded. If anyone has any objections, you can disconnect at this time. I would like to turn the call over to Paul Fulton with CDC public affairs. Thank you, you may begin. Thank you. Thank you all for joining us today for this briefing to update you on CDCs COVID-19 response. Were joined by Nancy Messonnier, director of CDCs National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Well make opening remarks. I turn the call over to Dr. Messonnier. Good afternoon. Thank you all for joining us. As of today, there are more than 110,000 cases of COVID-19 worldwide. In the U.S., as of Sunday evening, 34 states plus New York City and D.C. have reported more than 500 cases of COVID-19 to CDC and 19 deaths. Nearly half of reported cases are in California and Washington. 18 of the deaths are in Washington. The remaining one is in California. Right now the states with the most cases are California and Washington. But other communities are also dealing with cases of COVID-19. Thats why Id like to talk to you today in greater detail about risk. Risk can be looked at in two ways. There is risk of being exposed and getting sick from this virus and there is risk of getting very sick or dying from illness with this virus. This virus is capable of spreading easily and sustainably from person to person based on the available data. The report of the World Health Organization mission to China describes the virus as being highly contagious. And theres essentially no immunity against this virus in the population because its a new virus. Based on this, its fair to say that as the trajectory of the outbreak continues, many people in the United States will at some point in time either this year or next be exposed to this virus and theres a good chance many will become sick. But again, based on what we know about this virus, we do not expect most people to develop serious illness. Reports out of China that looked at more than 70,000 COVID-19 patients found that about 80% of illness had was mild and people recovered. 15 to 20% developed serious illness. Lets talk about who those people are. So far it seems like its not children. Of the 70,000 cases, only about 2% were in people younger than 19. This seems to be a disease that affects adults. And most seriously older adults. Starting at age 60, there is an increasing risk of disease and the risk increases with age. The highest risk of serious illness and death is in people older than 80 years. People with serious underlying health conditions also are more likely to develop serious outcomes including death. The people who are at greatest risk are those older and who also have serious long-term health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, or lung disease. Last week CDC added guidance to our website for people who are at higher risk for serious illness. Our goal is to protect you. This will require you and your family to take action. Id like to go through our recommendations for people at highest risk. Make sure you have supplies on hand like routine medications for blood pressure and diabetes. And over-the-counter medicines and medical supplies to treat fever and other symptoms. Have enough household items and groceries so that you will be prepared to stay home for a period of time. Take everyday precautions like avoiding close contact with people who are sick, cleaning your hands often, and to the extent possible, avoid touching high touch surfaces in public places. Avoid crowds especially in poorly ventilated spaces. This weekend the federal government made a very specific recommendation in this context that travelers particularly those with underlying health issues defer all cruise ship travel worldwide. We also recommend that people at higher risk avoid nonessential travel such as long plane trips. Lastly, and most importantly, know whats going on in your community. If you could end up in the role of helping to care for a family member or friend who is at greater risk, we recommend you familiarize yourself with your loved ones medication and help them get extra to have on hand. Help them also get food, medical supplies and other necessities so they can minimize trips to the store. Create a plan for if they get sick and if you get sick. You have to identify backups to take care of them. Everyone has a role to play to protect our family members, friends, colleagues, and neighbors who are at most risk. I understand these recommendations may not be popular and that maybe and that they may be difficult for some people. At CDC, our number one priority is the health and safety of the American people. These are the kind of recommendations that I have made to my parents and Im taking the appropriate steps recommended for family members of vulnerable people. Other staff at CDC are doing the same. We have more than 1,500 people who have worked on this response so far. And we take the health and safety of our employees very seriously. CDC is an essential component of the U.S. critical infrastructure on this response. To date no one in CDCs workforce has tested positive for COVID-19. We will continue to work with the Office of Personal Management on federal government strategies and guidance. Some businesses and local governments are already taking similar measures. The point of these is to reduce exposures, reduce illness which in turn can protect our most vulnerable. But its also a strategy to keep workplaces up and running though on a modified basis. Government officials and public health departments will make decisions based on local conditions at the time. We urge you to follow their lead. Before I close, I want to give you an update on public lab capacity. 78 state and local public health labs across 50 states now have the capacity to test up to 75,000 people for COVID-19. We will have more information online this afternoon for clinicians on how to access the tests. The information will also be about the commercially available kits. However, we want to caution people that different states will have different capacity for testing as well as different policies about who should be tested. Lastly, I want to recognize and share your concern about the outbreak and what might happen here in the United States. Weve gotten a lot of questions about events and conferences where cases have been identified. CDC is working with state and local public health departments to reach these people but we also want those who attended these functions to monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms and call their health care provider if they become ill. Especially if theyre in a high risk group. During an outbreak with the new virus, there is a lot of uncertainty. Our guidelines and recommendations are likely to be interim and subject to change as we learn more. We know that in South Korea no one under the age of 30 has died and in Japan no one under the age of 50 has died. Data from these countries help us understand the potential risk here in the U.S. Thats why its so important for older adults and people with serious underlying health conditions to be prepared. Ill be happy to take questions now. If youd like to ask a question, please press star 1. Record your name slowly and clearly. Your name is required to introduce your question. Our first question is from Tom Howell with the Washington Times, your line is open. The first publicly documented case in mid-January is someone that traveled from China to Washington. I want to know what about is there anything about that fact that speaks to what were seeing now in Washington state? Im just wondering if contact tracers investigated that and if there is any link to what were seeing now. Thank you. Messonnier: You may remember that the response to that initial case in the United States was quite aggressive with the health department having the lead in CDC supporting them. They did very aggressive contact tracing looking to identify anybody who had had contact with that initial case and sort of concentric circles outward. They didnt find any evidence of COVID-19 in any of those contacts. Now I think youre probably referring to a publication that came out within the past couple of weeks looking at the genetic sequencing data of the initial patient versus and comparing it to the cases that are now circulating in Washington state. And one hypothesis that the author made was that the changes between the initial case and now suggested that the strain had been circulating in the population. I think thats an interesting hypothesis. But another hypothesis is that a secondary seeding of the community and the strain causing the more recent cases in Washington state matches sequences that have been posted from China. So I think thats an interesting hypothesis. I expect well see more of it. But there are alternate explanations of the same findings. Thank you. Next question, please. Thank you. Our next question comes from Issam Ahmed with AFP. Your line is open. Yeah. Thank you for doing this. I was wondering with regards to your advice about, you know, higher risk Americans inviting them to stock up on groceries and medicine at this point. Where would you draw that cutoff at this point? Is that for over 60? Thank you. Messonnier: Thanks for letting me clarify. You know, I want to clarify the reason to stock up is that there is a rational for being in a higher risk group wanting to avoid congregate settings. So its not the reason to stock up now is so you can stick close to home. The reason I went into data in greater detail is because its important for the American public to understand the risk. We use the broad categories of over 60 or over 65, but the data really says that as you get older, the risk goes up and so in the broader age category of over 60 or over 65, over 80 or older has the greatest risk. So I would recommend that people make their own decisions based on an understanding of that risk. My parents are in their 80s. Theyre not in an area where there is currently community transmission. But Ive asked them to stick close to home so they can avoid the potential risk of being in congregate settings. Next question. Thank you. Our next question comes from Eben Brown with FOX news. Your line is open. Thank you very much for taking my call. I just want to piggyback on an earlier question. There is even just for my own personal goings about a lot of empty shelves in stores and things like that. There seems to be I was in an airport the other day where someone had not just a regular old mask but like a big molded plastic mask with canisters on. There seems to be like a growing I dont want to say panic, but kind of headed that way. Is there a way that we all can provide some sobriety here because the last thing I think we all need is a panic but we want to be people vigilant and make the right decisions. Messonnier: I think thats a really great point. And really important thing for the media to try to communicate. You know, right now in the United States most communities by far the vast majority of communities are not having community transmission. This is a time for people to prepare for what they might need to do but not a time for people to clear out the shelves. And I really want to focus on the United States and the families at highest risk because in the setting where its really clear that it is older Americans who are at the highest risk right now, we want to make sure that theyre taking every precaution to prepare themselves so that if there is more widespread transmission, they can stick close to home. In terms of masks, as you implied and Ill say, we really do not think this is the time for Americans to be going out and getting masks. Masks are really important for those at highest risk in the health care setting and we want to make sure that we save enough masks for our health care workers on the front lines who will need to continue to be able to do their work and take care of all of us. So in particular in the setting of concern about masks, I ask people to please fight the urge to buy a mask and make sure we save them for the people that really need them. Next question. Thank you. Our next question comes from Andrew Joseph from STAT. Your line is open. Hi. Thanks. Can you elaborate a little more on how you all see this potentially playing out? Obviously, there are mitigation efforts and hopefully they work. But youre saying many people will get exposed this year or next. So if you can just sort of explain what that might look like if it is kind of persists for months to years. Messonnier: Yeah. I think that as we said since the beginning, respiratory viruses thats spread like this tend to spread. And what we as a community need to do is do everything we can to protect ourselves and our families and our communities so that the if it does spread, it is in a slower fashion so that were all better prepared and so that our health care sector can take care of patients. We continue to believe that in most communities contact tracing is really appropriate because it identifies the contacts and keeping them from spreading can have a significant role in slowing this down. You likely will see in some communities like in Seattle and in California more efforts towards broad fed community mitigation as an attempt at a community level to slow this spread. I think we need to be we need to make sure that were listening to our local health departments. I also think people need to understand that there are personal responsibilities that were asking everyone in the United States to take to make sure that theyre doing their best to protect themselves and their families and their communities and right now especially to make really strong efforts to protect those who are older and at underlying risk. As a community, the United States we can really mitigate the impact of this disease and as long as we work together that, will continue to be CDCs goal. Next question, please. Thank you. Our next question comes from Lindsey Tanner with the Associated Press. Your line is open. Lindsey, your line is open. (No response) Our next question comes from Roni Rabin with the New York Times. Your line is open. Hi. Dr. Messonnier, can you be more specific by with have a high rate of diabetes and chronic conditions in people that are much younger than 80s, can you be more specific about people in their 40s and 50s should be doing and people in their 60s and 70s? Messonnier: I think its really important for us to stress as we have I think throughout the course of this that we are making recommendations based on the available data and when more data becomes available fine tuning them and trying not to get beyond what we know. What we know from the data is the highest risk is those in both older and with underlying health conditions. There are reports of individuals who are adults but with serious underlying health conditions who have also had more serious outcomes. And I think that if youre in one of those groups separately or together that is underlying illness, underlying illness and older adult or underlying illness and younger, you need to be thinking towards what personal precautions you might want to take. And certainly for those with diabetes and high blood pressure, managing your diabetes and high blood pressure is a priority. When more data becomes available from our investigations in the United States and from our work globally investigating well certainly provide more direct data. But right now, there is not data to be as precise as were asking. Next question, please. Thank you. Our next question comes from Brenda Goodman from WebMD. Your line is open. Hi, Dr. Messonnier, I was hoping that you could explain a little bit about the difference between containment and mitigation. And also tell us if there are any communities in the U.S. that have moved from containment to mitigation, for example, Seattle? And why. Messonnier: Sure. Thats a great question. I think its really important to make it really clear that this is not an on/off switch that you switch from one to the other. In general, containment means that you stop the spread. What it has meant in this setting is decreasing the number of potentially exposed people coming into the United States through border control. And then tracking every case and every potential contact, every case in order to keep them from spreading it further. So very much sort of what you would imagine when you think about person x had in contact with person y and person y had contact with six others and tracking down every one of those individuals and asking them to stay home, you can, weve seen you can keep it from spreading further. Mitigation is more community level interventions. And what that means is that youre working to decrease the impact of the disease on a community. In Seattle and in California, they havent stopped entirely contact tracing but they have started mitigation. And I think that you will likely see local health departments deciding when there is community spread to start turning on more of the mitigation measures even while theyre still doing some level of contact tracing. So again, its not an on/off switch. Its a dimmer. You will see I think lots more communities starting to implement some kind of mitigation measures when theyre seeing community spread. It will look different in different places and thats why its really important for folks to stay informed of what is going on in their local area and to follow their advice of the local health department. We have time for three more questions. Next question, please. Thank you. Our next question comes from Jose Paliey with Univision. Your line is open. Hi, doctor. My question is New York City is an area with community transmission and earlier in the call you mentioned people should avoid crowds and poorly ventilated spaces. My question is what does that mean for subways and busses where commuters like myself are regularly pressing up against each other in very tighten closed spaces. Messonnier: Again, I think its really important for two different things. One is to pay attention to the recommendations from your local health department which are going to be more tailored to the specific situation in terms of spreading your community and the risks. In terms of avoiding crowded settings, our focus really is on those with the higher risk and oldest among us and especially those with underlying illnesses. So for people again, older and underlying illnesses, we are recommending avoiding crowds, congregate settings because those are places where in general there is lots of transmission of respiratory diseases. Were asking individuals to be aware of the risks but individuals are going to have to make personal decisions based on their own situations. Next question, please. Thank you. Our next question comes from John Tozzi with Bloomberg News. Your line is open. Thank you for taking the question. I want to clarify. You said earlier that 78 state and local health labs have the capacity to test up to 75,000 people. Is that 75,000 in what period? Is that cumulative? Daily 75,000? Weekly? Messonnier: Cumulative. Again, its the public health sector CDC lab kits, 75,000 but more are coming onboard soon. 75,000 cumulatively. But, I think as you know the number of commercially available kits, the number of commercially available tests is much larger than that and our expectation within the next couple weeks is more and more commercial entities become come onboard is the majority of the available testing will actually be from the commercial sector. Okay. Last question, please. Thank you. Our last question comes from Brianna Abbott with The Wall Street Journal. Your line is open. Hi. Thanks for taking my question. As you mentioned, there have been cases that are now starting to be linked to conferences and mass gatherings. Companies have taken steps to cancel these. I wonder from a public health perspective, is cancelling mass gatherings something we should broadly start doing or is that an overreaction? Where do we stand on that? Messonnier: It is really difficult to make those kind of pronouncements broadly. I think the thing at this point were recommending is consideration of the local situation, consideration of what is going on in the locale where the event is being held. But and also where people are coming from and what the event is and how big it is. So the decisions, for example, in Seattle may look quite different than the decisions being made in a location right now where there is not community spread. I think that were going to need to follow the local communitys lead. And again, a lot depends on the population. So were looking both at risk of exposure but also the risk to the individuals and as you look at those two factors together, in consultation with local and state health departments, decisions may be different in different events and different locations. Thank you, Dr. Messonnier and thank you all for joining us for todays briefing. Please check CDCs COVID-19 website for the latest updates on CDCs response efforts. If you have more questions, please call our number or e-mail us. Thank you. That concludes todays conference. Thank you for participating, you may disconnect at this time. The 83-year-old Pope Francis reportedly urged Catholic priests on March 10 to 'have the courage' to go out and hand help to coronavirus patients. Pope's message for Catholic priests came after Italy was put on a nationwide lockdown. Italy is also the epicentre of the European virus outbreak with more than 9,000 cases and 463 deaths so far. During a mass in the Vatican City, the Pope said, Let us pray to the Lord also for our priests, that they may have the courage to go out and visit the sick... and to accompany the medical staff and volunteers in the work they do. READ: Lebanon Records First Novel Coronavirus Death: Health Ministry On the other hand, the Italian government has asked people not to travel. The Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on March 10 said that the government is extending its coronavirus quarantine measures, which also include a ban on public gathering, to the entire country. Speaking at a televised press conference, Conte said people would only be permitted to travel for work or family emergencies. Nationwide lockdown Italy is the worst-hit country after China. Earlier, the country had only locked down several provinces in the north, including financial hub Milan and tourist hotspot Venice. However, as the number of confirmed cases increased to 9,172 from 7,375, the Italian PM ordered the whole country to be under lockdown. READ: Coronavirus Scare Keeps Holi Celebrations Low-key In Goa In the latest set of measures to combat COVID-19, schools and universities already shut down across the nation will extend their closures until April 3, alongside travel restrictions. PM Conte urged his fellow countrymen to stay at home and avoid public gatherings while stating that public transport facilities will remain operational. Meanwhile, a crackdown on restaurants and cafes, which had been told to close at dusk in the north of the country, will now be extended nationwide. First detected in the city of Wuhan, in Hubei Province of China, the virus outbreak has now spread across more than 80 countries since December 2019. As per reports, the total number of confirmed cases within China has reportedly hit 80,761 and more than one lakh worldwide. According to reports, the death toll in China has also surpassed 3,000 and the National Health Commission also confirmed more than 26 new cases. The death toll due to the deadly virus across the world also mounted to 4,031. READ: Sombre Holi In Parts Of Punjab, Haryana Amid Coronavirus Scare READ: Coronavirus Scare Keeps Holi Celebrations Low-key In Goa "Shawn Kieffer, Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners director,told 41 Action News the loss was due to coronavirus fears. He also said there are enough workers to keep all of the polls open." KCMO election board loses poll workers ahead of primary KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City, Missouri, Election Board lost 10 percent of its poll workers in the past two days. Shawn Kieffer, Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners director, said that there still are enough volunteers to assist with Tuesday's Presidential Primary election. In much the same way we think that hottie Rosie might have been faking her love for America during her glam model days before. . . We consider this latest, disappointing election development . . .Turns out the Coronavirus is more important than local Democracy . . . But also, this makes sense . . . Poll workers come into contact withof people during the course of their day. They deal with driver's licenses pulled from filthy pockets next to dirty money. And a great many poll workers are older and retired - A group that faces a bigger threat from this global sickness.Developing . . . (Alliance News) - Close Brothers Group PLC on Tuesday reported a reduced interim profit after booking higher expenses and an increased impairment loss of financial assets. The FTSE 250-listed merchant bank posted a GBP124.1 million pretax operating profit for the six months ended January 31, down 8.5% from GBP135.6 million the year before. This was despite an improved operating profit from its Winterflood unit of GBP10.6 million, up 14% from GBP9.3 million. Close Brothers reported a 3.1% rise in operating income to GBP420.0 million from GBP407.4 million - with interest income up 2.9% at GBP323.5 million from GBP314.5 million and 5.3% rise in non-interest income to GBP165.9 million from GBP157.6 million. However, administrative expenses climbed 4.4% to GBP257.6 million from GBP246.7 million and the company incurred a GBP36.7 million loss on impairment of financial assets, up 68% from GBP21.9 million. These factors combined to push the bank's operating profit lower year-on-year. Net interest margin in the first half fell to 7.8% from 8.1% the prior year. The company increased its dividend per share for the period by 3.2% to 22.7 pence from 22.0p. As at January 31, Close Brothers' loan book was flat at GBP7.6 billion compared to July 31. Total client assets at January 31 stood at GBP14.0 billion, a 5.3% increase from July 31's figure of GBP13.3 billion. Its CET1 capital ratio rose to 13.4% at the end of January from 13.0% at the end of July. Chief Executive Preben Prebensen said: "The performance of the group continued to demonstrate the consistent application of our business model in a period of lower activity in the UK economy. We delivered a strong return on opening equity of 13.6% and declared an interim dividend 3% higher than the prior year. We are confident that our resilient business model and the deep experience of our people leave us well placed to navigate the current uncertainty, and to continue serving our customers and clients in a range of market conditions." Shares in Close Brothers were up 1.6% at 1,156.00p in London on Tuesday morning. By Anna Farley; annafarley@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Emily Blunt and Jack Whitehall in a still from Jungle Cruise. (Disney) Disney has released a new trailer for Jungle Cruise, the upcoming action adventure film based on its popular theme park ride. Starring Dwayne The Rock Johnson, Emily Blunt, Jesse Plemons and UK comedian Jack Whitehall, the film comes to cinemas in July. The swashbuckling film is described as an adventure-filled, Amazon-jungle expedition starring Dwayne Johnson as the charismatic riverboat captain and Emily Blunt as a determined explorer on a research mission. The trailer reveals that Blunts character is on the search for a mythical tree that heals all. Brits host Whitehall is said to be playing Blunts sister in the film, and his involvement in the film caused a bit of a stir when it was announced in 2018. According to a report by The Sun, Whitehalls character is set to make history as one of the first openly gay characters in a live action Disney film. A source told the tabloid his role hugely effete, very camp and very funny. Read more: 2020s most exciting new movies The Jungle Cruise is a river boat ride usually found in the Adventureland areas of Disney Parks. There are currently four in operation globally at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, Magic Kingdom at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, Tokyo Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland. Emily Blunt and Jack Whitehall in a still from Jungle Cruise. (Disney) The ride simulates a river cruise aboard a 1930s-style tramp steamer, taking park guests on a gentle ride past a series of animatronic jungle animals, and was partly inspired by the 1951 film The African Queen. It has been open at Disneyland since the park first opened in 1955. Check out the new poster for Disneys #JungleCruise. See it in theaters July 24! pic.twitter.com/xZyN3J4jPW Walt Disney Studios (@DisneyStudios) March 10, 2020 It joins the ranks of Pirates of the Caribbean and Tomorrowland in the small group of Disney attractions adapted into movies. Story continues Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt in a still from Jungle Cruise. (Disney) Its been directed by Spanish filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra who will reteam with The Rock for DC Comics movie Black Adam when it shoots later this year. Jungle Cruise comes to cinemas on 24 July. Watch the first trailer below. Earlier, Jyotiraditya Scindia had resigned from the Congress stating that 'it is time to move on.' Bhopal: Reacting to the resignation of Jyotiraditya Scindia from the Congress, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday criticised the party leaders over their "double standards". "For some Congress leaders when Scindia ji was in Congress he was a Maharaja, now he is a mafia? These are their double standards," Chouhan said. Earlier, Scindia had resigned from the Congress stating that "it is time to move on." "Having been a primary member of the Congress Party for the last 18 years. it is now time for me to move on. I am tendering my resignation from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress and as you well know this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year," said Scindia in his resignation letter submitted to Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi. Scindia also asserted that time had come to look ahead at a fresh start. The development comes a day after Congress MLAs loyal to Scindia indicated that they may pull out from the Kamal Nath-led government. In a late-night Cabinet meeting, around 20 Cabinet ministers in Madhya Pradesh tendered their resignation to Chief Minister Kamal Nath. The chief minister has accepted their resignations and is likely to reconstitute the Cabinet. Follow LIVE updates on Madhya Pradesh political crisis here Earlier, several Congress leaders, including Digvijaya Singh, had accused the BJP of horse-trading and conspiring to bring down the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh. The number of patients who have tested positive for the infectious coronavirus continues to spike and has now reached 535, with a death toll of more than 22 in the United States. Coronavirus is now a worldwide health concern. Cases of individuals who are infected with the virus continue to rise in almost all parts of the world. The death-related cases also continue to surge. U.S. health officials have now warned people that they should avoid traveling most especially to countries that have coronavirus cases and informed them that a possible regional lock-down may be declared if it is deemed necessary to control the spread of the virus. The announcement was made after it was discovered that the virus has spread across 34 states in the country. Recently, Connecticut reported its first case and another patient who has the coronavirus symptoms surrendered to the authorities to be treated. In recent reports it was stated that because of the increasing number of patients who are positive for the coronavirus, there are many schools across the country which have been shut down. That includes schools in Washington State, New York, California, and Oregon. It is also expected that other states will do the same in hopes of stopping the spread of coronavirus. There have been different massive information dissemination on how to prevent and control the spread of the virus. The U.S. government is trying its best to control the spread of the virus that continues the rise. However, for the U.S. leading expert on infectious diseases Dr. Anthony S. Fauci that the only way to stop the spread of coronavirus is to have a regional lockdown. He also advised that those who have a weak immune system, elderlies, and those who have health condition problems should stay at home and avoid to expose themselves in crowded places. Fauci said: "I don't think it would be as draconian as 'nobody in and nobody out. But there'll be, if we continue to get cases like this, particularly at the community level, there will be what we call mitigation." He also added that the Trump administration is ready to take appropriate action if the virus gets worst. Part of the plan in mitigating the virus is to restrict travels in the states in the country where the percentage of infected individuals and death tolls are very high. This means that there might be a temporary regional lockdown in some areas in the United States if COVID-19 cases continue to rise. Meanwhile, the U.S. government has already suspended the U.S. army travels to and from countries where there are confirmed cases of COVID -19 like Italy and South Korea until May 6. There are more than 4,500 U.S. soldiers who stationed in these countries. The U.S. State Department also released a statement that U.S. citizens most especially those who have health problems should not travel by cruise ship because there is a great risk of COVID-19 infection. This is after few cruise ships were reported to have been carrying passengers who have COVID-19 symptoms. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 15:56:25|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close NEW YORK, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Over 750 cases of COVID-19 were reported in the United States as of midnight Monday as the death toll rose to 26, according to the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering. At least three states -- New Jersey, Florida and Rhode Island -- have declared a state of emergency as confirmed COVID-19 cases keep growing. The Grand Princess cruise ship that carries some 3,500 people, including 21 confirmed coronavirus patients, docked at the Port of Oakland in California on Monday after being held off at sea for days. Passengers will disembark and the crew members will remain quarantined on board the ship. Authorities said the disembarkation process is expected to take days, and those with immediate medical needs and those with symptoms or testing positive for the coronavirus will disembark first. California Governor Gavin Newsom said earlier that most of the nearly 1,000 California passengers will be quarantined at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, Northern California, while others will be sent to a military base in San Diego for a mandatory 14-day quarantine. In a tweet Sunday, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf reassured the public about their safety, stressing that "no one will be quarantined in Oakland, nor will any passengers be released into the general public." She also defended the state government's decision to offload the passengers in Oakland. "Oakland's role in this operation is to support our state and federal authorities as they conduct a critical public health mission to help those impacted by the COVID-19 virus," Schaaf said. According to the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco, 20 Chinese nationals are on the Grand Princess cruise ship, including 11 crew members and nine passengers. Also in California, Los Angeles County on Monday identified its first case of community transmission of COVID-19 as the total number of confirmed cases reached 19 in the county. Barbara Ferrer, director of LA County Department of Public Health, called on people to work together on slowing the transmission of the novel coronavirus. "We continue to urge everyone to do their part: stay home if you are sick and keep your children home if they are sick; plan for the possibility of school and business closures, and be sure to follow any additional directives issued by Public Health and/or local officials," said Ferrer in a statement. Meanwhile on the East Coast, over 140 people were diagnosed with COVID-19 in the state of New York as of Monday afternoon, with nearly 100 clustered in the Westchester County, one of the country's biggest COVID-19 hotspots. A seven-year-old girl in New York City's Bronx Borough is among the eight new patients diagnosed in the city on Monday. She's also connected to the first identified case in Westchester, said New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. "As New York City continues to see more cases of community transmission, I am reminding New Yorkers to remain vigilant and take the necessary steps to protect themselves," he told a press briefing on Monday. The mayor also called on the federal government to help the city increase testing capacity "so we can get the job done faster," he said. Currently, 24 New York City residents are under mandatory quarantine and 2,019 others are under voluntary home isolation, he added. During another press conference on Monday, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the state will produce up to 100,000 gallons of alcohol-based hand sanitizer each week, which will be distributed to New Yorkers free of charge. He also said the state is going to set a policy for all schools that if a student tests positive in a school, that school is closed for an initial 24-hour period for assessment. Then a determination will be made about whether to close the school for longer. Both the governor and the mayor stressed that the people at risk are senior citizens and those people with an underlying illness or a compromised immune system. The illegal armed formations on March 10 shelled a military truck belong to one of the units of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) using antitank missile system. "There are casualties among the Ukrainian defenders after the antitank missile system hit the truck," the ministry reported on an official website. Reserve units from the JFO are in readiness for use in the area of the operation. "The situation is being controlled. The enemy's losses are being clarified," the ministry said. At the same time, the Defense Ministry said that since the beginning of the current day, enemy was shelling the positions of the JFO five times, as a result of which one serviceman was killed and four Ukrainian servicemen were wounded. The first of a 1billion nationwide network of more than 100 electric forecourts is to open this summer near Braintree in Essex. It claims to be the first custom-built electric charging station in the UK. The company behind the network, Gridserve, says it will charge 24 electric vehicles at once with superchargers that can deliver up to 350kW of charging power that will allow motorists to charge their vehicles within 20 to 30 minutes while they grab a coffee or do a bit of shopping, and much faster in the future as battery technologies mature. Charging stations: The first of a 1billion nationwide network of more than 100 electric forecourts is to open this summer near Braintree in Essex - and it will look like this Gridserve released computer generated images of how the UK's first battery charging station - similar to a fuel filling forecourt - will look when it's built and ready to serve motorists later this year. It aims to have a full UK-wide network operational within five years on busy routes and near powerful grid connections close to towns, cities and major transport hubs. It follows the Governments announcement that it plans to ban the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles within 15-years, and possibly as soon as 12 years. The project has been backed by a 4.9million grant from Innovate UK. Gridserve says the electric charging bays will be powered by clean, zero carbon solar energy and battery storage to ensure that carbon emission targets can be met whilst also keeping prices low. The firm said in a statement: Whilst vehicles charge, drivers will be able to relax or shop in a state of the art two storey building, which will house a range of facilities including a coffee shop, convenience supermarket, and airport-style lounge with high-speed internet and meeting rooms. The facility will also function as an education centre for electric vehicles and sustainable energy, which will help people to understand, test drive, and secure vehicles that are most suitable for them, with the ultimate aim of providing the confidence, and support to transition to an all-electric future. The company behind the network, Gridserve, says it will charge 24 electric vehicles at once with superchargers The facility will have a dedicated shop in a state of the art two storey building, which will house a range of facilities including a coffee shop, convenience supermarket, and airport-style lounge with high-speed internet and meeting rooms The first electric forecourt near Braintree is on a 2.5-acre site adjacent to Great Notley, just off the A131, is supported by a 4.86 million grant from Innovate UK, one of the largest awarded last year. The site has links to Stansted Airport, Chelmsford, Colchester and the busy M11 motorway. Gridserve founder and chief executive Toddington Harper said: Weve designed our Electric Forecourts entirely around the needs of electric vehicle drivers, updating the petrol station model for a net-zero carbon future. Many more people want to buy electric vehicles but are worried about how to charge them. We will help solve that challenge and deliver the confidence needed to make the switch to electric transport. Solar panels on the roof over the charging stations and the two-storey building will power the premises with renewable energy Additional parking will be available and facility will also function as an education centre for electric vehicles and sustainable energy Mr Harper added: This will be the most advanced charging facility in the UK, and possibly the world. Drivers will be able to turn up and charge their vehicle at the fastest rate each vehicle can support, using 100 per cent renewable energy, and with the best possible charging experience. James Cleverly, Minister of State at the Foreign Office, former Conservative Party chairman and MP for Braintree, said: Our government is committed to increasing the take-up of electric vehicles, to clean our air and enable us to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Gridserve's electric forecourt is pioneering the world-class charging infrastructure that we need to support our policies and will inspire people in towns and cities throughout the country to have the confidence to make the move to sustainable transport. The first electric forecourt near Braintree is on a 2.5-acre site adjacent to Great Notley, just off the A131 By PTI NEW DELHI: Indian Youth Congress (IYC) chief Srinivas B V on Tuesday slammed Jyotiraditya Scindia, who has announced his resignation from the primary membership of the Congress, and thanked party chief Sonia Gandhi for expelling the former Guna MP "who was promoting anti-party activities and factionalism". Soon after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Tuesday, disgruntled Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia tendered his resignation to party president Sonia Gandhi, saying it was now time for him to move on. Gandhi, however, immediately expelled him from the Congress for "anti-party activities", as the crisis looming over the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh deepened. "The history of 1857 and 1967 was once again repeated," Srinivas B V said, referring to the 1857 Revolt against East India Company and the role of the Scindia royals back then as well as Vijayaraje Scindia's switch from the Congress to the Jana Sangh in 1967. "I would like to thank Congress president Sonia Gandhiji for taking the strong steps to expel the leader who was promoting anti-party activities and factionalism," the IYC chief said. "No person is, nor will be greater than the party," he added. On this day in 1913, Harriet Tubman passed away in Auburn. Her age was unknown, but it was somewhere between 90 and 95. Below is the full obituary for the American icon that appeared in The Citizen the next day. (Editor's note: Two quotes attributed to Tubman contain exaggerated phonetic spellings that most would now consider racist. The quotes have been transcribed as they were originally published in the interest of historic preservation. One use of a racial slur has also been paraphrased.) HARRIET TUBMAN IS DEAD "I Go to Prepare a Place for You" the Last Words She Uttered. BORN IN SLAVERY NEARLY 100 YEARS AGO She Rendered Wonderful Service to the Cause of the Abolitionists and Her "Underground Railroad" Had a Record of Never Running a Train Off the Track or Losing a Single Passenger Too Feeble to Withstand Pneumonia A Sketch of Her Career. Harriet Tubman-Davis, Aunt Harriet, died last night of pneumonia at the home she founded out on South Street road near here. Born lowly, she lived a life of exalted self-sacrifice and her end closes a career that has taken its place in American history. Her true services to the black race were never known but her true worth could never have been rewarded by human agency. Harriet's death was indeed the passing of a brave woman. There was no regret but on the contrary she rejoiced in her final hours. Conscious up to within a few hours of her passing she joined with those who came to pray for her and the final scene in the long drama of her life was quite as thrilling as the many that had gone before. Yesterday afternoon, when the trained nurse, Mrs. Martha Ridgway of Elmira, and Dr. G. B. Mack had decided that her death was but the question of a few hours, Harriet asked for her friends, Rev. Charles A. Smith and Rev. E. U. A. Brooks, clergyman of the Zion A. M. E. Church. They, with Eliza E. Peterson, national superintendent for temperance work among colored people of the W. C. T. U., who came here from Texarkana, Tex., to see Harriet, and others, joined in a final service which Harriet directed. She joined in the singing when her cough did not prevent, and after receiving the sacrament she sank back in bed ready to die. LOVE TO ALL THE CHURCHES. To the clergymen she said: "Give my love to all the churches" and after a severe coughing spell she blurted out in thick voice this farewell passage which she bad learned from Matthew: "I go away to prepare a place for you, and where I am ye may be also." She soon afterward lapsed into a comatose condition and death came at 8:30 o'clock last evening. Those present when she died included Rev. and Mrs. Smith and Miss Ridgway, the colored nurse. Two grandnieces of Harriet, Miss Alida Stewart and Miss Eva Stewart, were in Washington attending the inaugural and had not returned to Auburn. Harriet's nephew, William H. Stewart, and his eon, Charles Stewart, were in attendance during the final hours. Harriet's age was unknown Born a slave of slave parents her lowly origin did not become a matter of sufficient moment to demand chronicling until it was too late to obtain other than a vague story of her childhood. Today, more than half a century after John Brown said: "I bring you one of the bravest and best persons on this continent" when he presented Harriet to Wendell Phillips, a glance over her remarkable career shows that the hero of Harper's Ferry might well be quoted in selecting Harriet Tubman's epitaph. First Married in 1844. Harriet was first married to John Tubman, the marriage taking place in 1844. She became separated from her husband at the time of the Civil War when she was active in the violation of the fugitive slave law. Her husband died during this period. A number of years ago she married Nelson Davis of this city. Harriet Tubman-Davis, or "Aunt Harriet" as she was familiarly known to Auburnians, died in the modest institution she founded here several years ago under the name of The Harriet Tubman Home for Aged and Indigent Negroes. The building is out on South Street road and the property on which it is located adjoins a place that was given to Harriet by William H. Seward, Lincoln's secretary of state. The place had been deeded to the African Methodist Episcopal Church and among the leading colored people who is interested in it is Bishop C. R. Harriss, D. D., of Salisbury, N. C., one of the most prominent Zion A. M. E. clergymen. Booker T. Washington, on his visit here two years ago, considered a visit to Harriet Tubman as the most important duty he had here on that occasion. It had been Aunt Harriet's hope that her home in Auburn would receive support on a par with that extended to Hampton and Tuskegee, but her hopes were not realized. Up to the last, however, Harriet labored faithfully for her Home and spent much of her time about town seeking local aid for her charges. Exact Age Not Established. Her age has never been established, but it is known that she was over 90 years and possibly was even more than 95 years. To a reporter, who met her some time before she was finally compelled to remain at the Home, she replied to the question of her age: "Indeed I don't know, Sir. I am somewhere's about 90 to 95. I don't know when I was born, but I am pretty near 95." She was in the office of Superintendent of Charities F. J. Lattimore at the time, and her mind was unusually clear. Medal from Queen Victoria. It is no exaggeration to say that Harriet Tubman, as she is best known, furnishes a career of self-sacrifice that, in her services to the negro race, does not fall far short of the brilliancy of Joan of Arc, Grace Darling or Florence Nightingale. She has been honored by thousands and exalted personages have been equally eager to pay homage with the humble folk that she labored for. She was the friend of William Lloyd Garrison, Wendell Phillips, John Brown, Gerrit Smith, Seward, Lincoln and others connected with the Anti-Slavery period. One of the treasured possessions that she leaves behind is a medal given to her by Queen Victoria. Her Underground Railway. Her premier claim to recognition rests in the wonderful manner in which she operated for 15 years the Underground Railway by which she personally conducted over 300 runaway slaves safely into Canadian territory. Her shrewdness in doing this work was nothing short of marvelous. She made no less than 19 trips down into the Southland in her dangerous work, and this in the face of the fact that her own eyes beheld in every railroad station and post office the placards of the State of Maryland which offered $12,000 reward for her body, dead or alive, while a reward of $40,000 additional was offered by an association of Southern planters whose slaves she was spiriting away to freedom. Fortunately for Harriet she was unable to read so that her very ignorance probably was her salvation, because she proceeded in simple faith to carry out her plans without the strategy that might have been observed had she known that her life was in constant danger. Indeed her instinctive knowledge that danger was near when such proved to be true caused her friends, both negro and white, to believe that she was divinely inspired. The prices set on her head were high but nobody ever succeeded in capturing Harriet, although she had many narrow escapes and on one occasion hid herself and six fugitive slaves in "potato holes" dug in the fields, the runaways covering themselves completely with dirt. The Eliza-crossing-the-ice episode of Uncle Tom's Cabin was not more thrilling than many of the escapes in which Harriet figured. In later years Harriet's wonderful career was recognized by several friends and one, a daughter of one of the professors of Auburn Theological Seminary, collected the facts that were then available concerning Harriet Tubman and made the aged negress the heroine of the book:"Harriet, The Moses of Her People." Her Wit Was Sharp. Harriet's sharp wits maintained their edge even in late years. In a visit to Rochester just prior to the death of the late Susan B. Anthony the latter presented Harriet as the "Conductor" of the Underground Railway. Harriet promptly declared: "Yes, ladies, I wuz de conductor ob de Undergroun' Railway an' I kin say what mos' conductors can't saydat I nebber run my train off de track an' I nebber los' a passenger." Born in Slavery in Maryland. Harriet was born in slavery, her parents being Benjamin Ross and Harriet Green. Her birthplace was on an estate in Dorchester County, Maryland, and the time has been fixed as in the decade of 1815-1825. In later years her relatives became known under the name of Stewart and have borne that name for over 60 years. Harriet took her parents and brothers to Canada but came to Auburn with her kinsmen when the Civil War settled for all time the question of slavery. As a child Harriet was known as "Araminta" but later was called "Harriet." She moved on a plantation near Cambridge, Md. Those who tried to obtain a definite date for her birth when her career was being studied 30 years ago decided that 1814 was the year, but Harriet herself did not believe that she was so close to rounding a century when she last talked with the reporter. Skull Fractured at 12 Years. As a child of six years she was apprenticed to a weaver but was turned to work in the fields. When she was about 12 years of age she was struck on the head by a metal weight thrown by an angry overseer at a fleeing insubordinate slave. The blow resulted in a fracture of Harriet's skull and caused her to be subject to periodic fits of insensibility during her after life. This injury was largely relieved after the Civil War when she submitted to an operation at the Massachusetts General Hospital. There, despite the fact that the use of anaesthesia had come into general use, Harriet insisted that the operation go on without ether, and it is recorded on good authority that the task was accomplished by the surgeons. In her youth Harriet's injury had caused her to be unfitted for high class labor and she was put to work driving oxen, carting, plowing and hard manual labor. This developed her physically so that in time her strength became so great that she did more work than a male slave and her market value stood at the current rate paid for a first class male slave, $150. In 1844 Harriet's owner was a kind man and she was allowed to marry a free negro, John Tubman. Soon afterward, however, her owner died and she became the property of a minor son and in turn she was placed in charge of a Doctor Thompson, guardian for the minor. The sale of the slaves was ordered in settling the estate, and then Harriet conceived the great idea of liberation. She resolved to break her own shackles and one night stole away, following the North star as her guide. By day she hid and by night she traveled, ever Northward until she reached Philadelphia where the good Quakers befriended her. Establishing herself as a free negress her work of liberating other slaves began. Big Reward for Her Capture. In December, 1850, she visited Baltimore where she secretly met her sister and two children who were fugitives and brought them to Philadelphia. The next year she went "down into Egypt" to get her husband, but he had married another negress and at this point their ways parted forever. Instead of taking her husband to freedom she took a party of fugitives, and her success and their gratitude caused her to devote her life to this work. She established a headquarters at Cape May, N. J., and in the Fall of 1852 disappeared from her usual haunts to reappear in a few weeks with nine fugitives. Then the Fugitive Slave Law drove her from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York into Canada, her only refuge. With Thomas Garrett, the well known Quaker abolitionist of Wilmington, Del., she aided in freeing over 3,000 slaves, her personal conduct taking 300 of them into Canada. Through Garrett she met the leaders in the Anti-Slavery movement and soon had established her Underground Railway, stations being located in every abolitionist center wherein fugitives were concealed and fed by day and aided on their way to Suspension Bridge and Canada by night. Journey followed journey to the South and Harriet's depredations became so great among the slaves that the Legislature of Maryland was forced to act and a reward of $12,000 was put on her head while slave owners privately banded together and put up $40,000 for her capture. Detectives everywhere, North and South, were on the watch for her and she had many narrow escapes, but a divine providence seemed to watch over her. Many times she sat huddled in Southern railway trains while the cars used by the "(black people)" were placarded inside and out with rewards for her capture persons actually shoved her aside to read the bills. Harriet in her ignorance not knowing the import of the signs. On one occasion she went back to her own home and found a former overseer, who knew her well, coming down the street. Her ready wit had caused her to prepare for such an emergency. On entering the town she had purchased two chickens which she tied together, and as she carried them along the highway she was unsuspected. When about to be confronted by her former overseer she allowed one of the chickens to escape and giving chase created a laugh but eluded close inspection and probable discovery. She laughed last. Her remarkable career is filled with such incidents and that a complete volume on her life has not been written leaves a peculiar vacancy in Abolitionist bibliography. Freed Mother and Father. In 1857 Harriet made one of her most important trips South and brought away to freedom her mother and father. They were conducted by Underground to Auburn, an important "station" where the coming secretary of state for Lincoln, Seward, resided. Out on South Street, where William H. Seward's mansion is, that kind gentleman sold to Harriet on easy terms a plot of ground where she built a home for her fugitive slave parents. It was in this house that Harriet spent many years, and she lived long enough to see her last ambition gratified in the foundation on adjoining premises of the Harriet Tubman Home for Aged and Indigent Negroes. One time, however, she broke off active participation in its behalf, because, as she explained to the writer: "Wen I gabe de Home over to Zion Chu'ch w'at you s'pose dey done? Why, dey make a rule dat nobody should cum in widout a hundred dollars. Now I wanted to make a rule dat nobody should cum in 'nless dey didn't hab no money. W'at's de good of a Home if a pusson w'at wants to git in has to have money?" Scout Army Nurse and Spy. Harriet's possessions at one time included many letters and documents of interest to the historian. They included letters from the most prominent abolitionists and generals of the Federal Army during the wartime period. It must be said that Harriet Tubman was probably the only woman who served through the war as scout, army nurse and spy, taking her life in her hands many times in the last capacity. She was proud of the fact that she had worn "pants" and carried a musket, canteen and haversack, accoutrements which she retained after the war and left as precious relics to her colored admirers. When the war broke out she did not wait for the Emancipation Proclamation but began at once forcibly to free slaves. In 1863, when it was decided to use negro troops, Harriet was instantly alert to became nurse for a regiment, and when the famous Fifty-fourth Massachusetts marched away from Boston, the event now commemorated by the bronze tablet of Col. Robert Gould Shaw and his men opposite the State House on Boston Commons, Harriet followed a few days later with a commission in her pocket from Governor Andrew. She cooked for Colonel Shaw and dined with him, too, on certain occasions, and when she was not acting cook she was turned loose as escaped "contraband" to browse around in the enemy's lines, only to reappear soon with valuable news of the Confederate movements. On one occasion she informed Major General Hunter at Hilton Head of mines planted in the river and several gunboats sent to the scene removed a lot of torpedoes that would certainly have destroyed an expedition about to pass over that dangerous ground. Harriet went to Fort Wagner after that famous charge was made there and aided in burying the black soldiers and their white officers, and in nursing the injured. Her success as a nurse, especially her ability to cure the men of dysentery by means of native herbs, became so well known to the army surgeons that she was transferred by the War Department to Fernandina, Fla., which in 1863-65 was a military base, as in the Spanish-American War of 1898. She Drew a Pension. Her services were subsequently recognized by Congress which issued her a pension, which during the past seven years, owing to the efforts of Hon. Sereno E. Payne, leader of the House and a resident of Auburn, was increased. Yet she died in poverty, all of her money having been expended as fast as acquired in aiding indigent negroes. Among Harriet's effects are papers indicating her intimate friendship with men and women of prominence before and after the war. She lived for a time at the home of Emerson in Concord, then with the family of William Lloyd Garrison, and visited the Alcotts, the Whitneys, Mrs. Horace Mann and Phillips Brooks. A letter written by Wendell Phillips to an Auburn lady in June 16, 1868, says regarding Harriet Tubman: "The last time I ever saw John Brown was under my own roof when he brought Harriet Tubman to me saying: 'Mr. Phillips, I bring you one of the best and bravest persons on this continent General Tubmen, as we call her.' The famous leader of Ossawatommie narrating to Boston's famous preacher the career of Harriet and concluding for himself, said: 'In my opinion there are few captains, perhaps few colonels, who have done more for the colored race than our fearless and sagacious friend, Harriet.'" A Treasured Pass. Letters from such important personages are found in abundance among Harriet's belongings and there are tributes from Frederick Douglass, Gerrit Smith, Queen Victoria, John Brown, Seward, Phillips, Generals Baird, Gilmore, Hunter, Montgomery, Saxton, Surgeon General Barnes, etc., etc. One of her most treasured "passes," most of which are hardly decipherable owing to wear and tear in service during the war, and now dim with age, is the following issued to her by Maj. Gen. David Hunter of Port Royal near Hilton Head, S. C., headquarters of the Department of the South in 1863 at a time when carte blanche privileges were conferred only upon the most trusted persons in the service of the Federal government. The pass reads: "Pass the bearer, Harriet Tubman, to Beaufort and back to this place, and wherever she wishes to go; and give her free passage at all times, on all government transports. Harriet was sent to me from Massachusetts by Governor Andrew at Boston and is a valuable woman. She has permission, as a servant of the government, to purchase such provisions from the Commissary as she may need. "DAVID HUNTER, "Major General Commanding." Shimer and the Gold. In Auburn there has grown up a wealth of anecdotes about Harriet that illustrate her unique character. None is better known, perhaps, than her adventure with the late Anthony Shimer. In this Harriet has been generally conceded to have been an innocent pawn moved by clever swindlers who mulcted the Auburn miser of $2,000. A negro named Stevenson had come to Auburn in 1873 with a story that another negro, Harris, had come from the vicinity of Charleston, S. C., with a hoard of $5,000 in gold which he had found during the war and had concealed and which he dared not to exchange for the more convenient greenbacks in the South because the government would seize the gold. The negro, it was said, would gladly change his gold for greenbacks and after some interest had been stirred in Seneca Falls the people who like to obtain much for little in Auburn began to warm up to the proposition. Through the late John Stewart, a brother of Harriet Tubman, the latter was interested in the matter and she called upon many prominent citizens. They advised her not to have anything to do with the offer but she had faith in it and finally after Shimer had heard of the proposition through one Thomas, a Seneca Falls negro, he accepted as corroborative the stories told by Harriet. Shimer knowing that gold bore a premium of 12 per cent at the time, agreed to give $2,000 in greenbacks for $2,000 in gold, and a party consisting of Shimer, Charles O'Brien, then cashier of the City Bank, Harriet Tubman and her husband, her brother, John Stewart, and the man Stevenson started out to make the exchange in the seclusion of a forest in the South end of the county. They drove to Fleming Hill expecting to find the representative of the owner of the gold there, but he was not there so they drove on to Poplar Ridge where they got out and put up at the tavern. Then the man Stevenson explained that the transaction was of such a secret character that only himself and Harriet could meet the mysterious stranger with the gold and Shimer easily handed over his money to Harriet, who departed with Stevenson. They were to return as soon as the gold had been passed for the greenbacks. After due time had passed and they failed to return the party became suspicious for the first time and started out to search for the missing pair with the $2,000. Stevenson was never seen again. Harriet was found bleeding and gagged, her clothing torn and making her way along as best she could. She was taken back to the tavern where she told a story that was generally accepted as a romance. It was apparent that the man Stevenson and his pal, Harris, were swindlers and that having taken Harriet alone to a secluded place they had forcibly taken the money from her. Harriet, however, narrated a story that included hypnotism and ghosts to account for the loss of the money and her injuries, and Shimer, who was the "goat," probably for the first time in his life, almost suffered heart disease at his loss. He attempted in his characteristic manner to hold Harriet and her brother responsible for his loss, charging that they had "borrowed" the money from him. He was never able to collect the money. Harriet leaves very little property, and so far as known her possessions include only the seven acres, little brick house and barns on the place out on South Street road where she lived so many years. Funeral Arrangements Incomplete. The arrangements for the funeral were incomplete at a late hour this afternoon. Rev. Charles A. Smith and Rev. E. U. A. Brooks are in charge of the matter and expect to complete the arrangements late today. Love 31 Funny 3 Wow 4 Sad 4 Angry 3 But they arent always the most visible in the fight. He wants to see more African Americans like himself speaking out about climate change and much more. He recently founded and serves as executive director of OneMillionOfUs, which aims to mobilize a million new voters for the 2020 presidential election. ENGLEWOOD, Colo., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- WOW! Internet, Cable & Phone (NYSE: WOW), a leading broadband provider, today announced Rich Fish, chief financial officer will leave the company effective April 1. A search for a new CFO is currently underway and his duties will be assumed on an interim basis by senior officers of the company's finance department. Over the course of seven years at WOW!, Fish has been instrumental in the design and implementation of operational changes at the company, including its 2017 initial public offering and strengthening the company's balance sheet. As part of WOW!'s leadership team he helped define the company's transition strategy aimed at adding service and product choices for customers and at expanding WOW!'s broadband network to improve the customer experience. "We are grateful for Rich's time here at WOW! and the valuable contributions he has provided," said Teresa Elder, CEO of WOW!. "Our leadership team is committed to the financial success of the company to meet our goals. We are growing our broadband business by improving the value proposition of our HSD services and further building upon the strength of our advanced network." To learn more about WOW!, please visit www.wowway.com . About WOW! Internet, Cable & Phone WOW! is one of the nation's leading broadband providers, with an efficient, high-performing fiber network that passes three million residential, business and wholesale consumers. WOW! provides services in 19 markets, primarily in the Midwest and Southeast, including Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia. With an expansive portfolio of advanced services, including high-speed Internet services, cable TV, streaming, phone, business data, voice, and cloud services, the company is dedicated to providing outstanding service at affordable prices. WOW! also serves as a leader in exceptional human resources practices, having been recognized by the National Association for Business Resources for six years as a Best & Brightest Company to Work For, winning the award for the last two consecutive years. Visit wowway.com for more information. SOURCE WideOpenWest, Inc. Related Links http://www.wowway.com This article contains spoilers for Gentefied. Its a tug of war familiar to many Latinos. Do you want tradition or innovation? Chris asks Casimiro, or Pop, on the new Netflix series Gentefied. What I want is a taco! Casimiro says, in Spanish. There are several contrasts at play in this exchange, as Chris tries to come up with ways to revitalize Mama Finas, his grandfathers struggling restaurant, like making a chicken tikka masala taco. Its old versus new, communalism versus individualism, family versus outsiders. These are familiar tensions, ones that a lot of first-generation Latinos, like myself, feel. Both of my parents emigrated from Mexico, and I was born in the United States. My Mexican heritage is an important part of who I am, but I feel deeply American. We struggled to make ends meet growing up, and now I am middle class. And while I love barbacoa, I also have a soft spot for artisanal tacos I would eat that chicken tikka masala taco. The streaming era has given us more representation with shows like Vida and the Party of Five reboot, which also address gentrification and intergenerational conflict from the Latino lens. Its a refreshing change of pace. But its the way Gentefied portrays its characters personal struggles and tackles serious issues with humor and nuance that I find so relatable. For some of us, Gentefied is a microcosm of the world we experience complex, challenging and, yes, even funny. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP Working President J.P. Nadda during the two-day compulsory orientation programme 'Abhyas Varga' organised for all the newly-elected Members of Parliament of BJP in the Image Source: PK New Delhi, March 10 : The BJP Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting at the party headquarters here started on Tuesday evening to decide on the candidatures for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election scheduled on March 26. Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived a little after 6 p.m. and was welcomed by BJP President J.P. Nadda. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had reached the BJP office before that. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari too are in attendance. Interestingly, the BJP CEC meeeting is taking place on a day when Jyotiraditya Scindia announced to step down from the Congress, ending his 18-year long association with the party, soon after meeting Prime Minister Modi in the national capital along with Shah. The latest development has plunged the Kamal Nath-led 15-month old Congress government in Madhya Pradesh into a deep crisis. Scindia is tipped to join the saffron party later in the evening in the presence of Shah. In the 245-member Upper House, members from 17 states are set to retire. The BJP has only 82 members in the Rajya Sabha, well short of the 120 required for a simple majority. Though the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has 97 seats. Attaining the magic figures of 120 may not only be unpragmatic, but also highly ambitious for the BJP. But it definitely wants to better its tally from the current 82. File photo showing Kenyan police officers checking vehicles after an ambush by gunmen in Lamu county, Kenya, on Jan. 2, 2020. The U.S. Africa Command confirmed an Al-Shabaab terror attack at Manda Bay Airfield, Kenya, on Jan. 5, 2020. (Stringer/AFP/Getty Images) Senior Figure in Somalias Al Shabaab Killed in Air Strike: State Media MOGADISHUA senior terrorist commander in Somalias al Shabaab group with a $5 million bounty on his head was killed in an American airstrike on Tuesday, Feb. 22, according to Somalia state media, in a blow to the militants Islamist insurgency. According to a Somalia state radio report late on Saturday, Bashir Mohamed Mahamoud was the head of al Shabaabs operations. He was killed in the airstrike in the Sakow district of the Jubba region in Somalias south. Mahamoud sometimes used the alias Bashir Qoorgaab. AFRICOM forces killed in an airstrike Bashir Mohamed (qoorgaab), the operation head as well an executive member of al Shabaab, the state radio reported, using an acronym for the U.S. militarys Africa Command. Post-strike assessments confirm the two terrorists killed in Feb. 22 precision airstrikes were an individual associated with the attack on Manda Bay and his wife, who was also a known al-Shabaab member, U.S. Africa Command said in a statement on Feb. 25. Related Coverage US Military Says It Killed Terrorist Leader Who Plotted Kenya Attack Bashir Mohamad was a senior leader of al Shabaab who had been in charge of planning and directing terrorist operations on the Kenya border region, Africa Command wrote, adding that he was involved in an attack on Kenyas Manda Bay base on Jan.5. The terrorist group launched an attack on Manda Bay and killed a U.S. service member and contractor. U.S. and Kenyan forces were ultimately able to push the terrorists back. Since Jan. 5, U.S. Africa Command and our partners have pursued those responsible for the attack on U.S. and Kenyan forces at Manda Bay, said U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend in a statement. This strike demonstrates that we will continue to relentlessly pursue those responsible for Manda Bay and those wishing to do harm to Americans and our African partners, Townsend added. The radio report said Mahamoud had also been responsible for a series of attacks on Somalias national army military bases among other attacks. Somalias information minister Mohamed Abdi Hayir Mareye did not respond to a Reuters call for comment. Al Shabaab could not be reached for comment. Epoch Times staff contributed to this report. By PTI IMPHAL: Manipur has shut its border with Myanmar indefinitely amid the novel coronavirus scare, officials said on Tuesday. Neighbouring Mizoram had on Monday also sealed its borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, and banned the entry of foreigners to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus. An official order, issued by Special Secretary (Home) H Gyan Prakash on Monday, said the Indo-Myanmar border in the Manipur sector would remain shut until further orders. ALSO READ | Coronavirus fears: Manipur government suspends bio-metric attendance for 1 month "In view of possible threat of transmission of Coronavirus/COVID-19, Government of Manipur hereby prohibits movement of people across the international border and accordingly orders closure of Gate No 1, No 2, Moreh and other crossing points along Manipur sector of Indo-Myanmar border until further orders," it said. The state government directed the district magistrates, police and other officials to immediately take necessary action, including keeping the gates concerned closed. The move comes days after Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh announced similar curbs on visit of foreigners. Bhutan has also shut its borders to foreign visitors for two weeks in an effort to limit the impact of the disease. The virus, which first emerged in China's Hubei province last December, has spread to more than 100 countries, with over 4,000 deaths worldwide and more than 1,10,000 confirmed cases. According to the Union Health Ministry, the number of positive cases in the country stood at 44. However, the Indian Council of Medical Research has also counted three persons from Karnataka and two from Pune as positive. Six more cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said. By Susan Cornwell and Nathan Layne WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Americans, especially those who are vulnerable, may need to stop attending big gatherings as the coronavirus spreads through U.S. communities, a top health official said on Sunday, as investors braced for another volatile week in financial markets. Anthony Fauci, the head of the infectious diseases unit at the National Institutes of Health, said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that after initial missteps distributing tests, there should be 400,000 more tests available by Monday and 4 million by the end of the week. In the United States, 19 people have died out of about 450 reported cases of coronavirus, which originated in China last year and causes the sometimes deadly respiratory illness COVID-19. The outbreak has killed more than 3,600 globally. More than half of the 50 U.S. states have reported cases, including the first cases in Virginia and Connecticut on Sunday. As the outbreak spreads, daily life has been increasingly disrupted, with concerts and conferences canceled and universities telling students to stay home and take classes online. To contain the outbreak in China, the government quarantined millions of people for weeks. Italy has announced similar measures, locking down 16 million people in the north of the country. As recently as Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would continue to hold his political rallies, which sometimes draw up to 20,000 people. The Democrats competing to challenge him in the Nov. 3 presidential election, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden, have not canceled any campaign events so far. Germany, which has nearly 1,000 cases, on Sunday urged the cancellation of all events with more than 1,000 people. Fauci said authorities in the United States may also need to consider steps to keep people out of crowded places if the virus continued to spread. Still, he downplayed the likelihood of the type of large-scale quarantines put in place in China and Italy, while saying nothing could be ruled out. Story continues "I don't imagine that the degree of the draconian nature of what the Chinese did would ever be either feasible, applicable, doable or whatever you want to call it in the United States," he said in an interview on CBS' "60 Minutes" that will air on Sunday night. "But the idea of social distancing, I mean, obviously, that's something that will be seriously considered." He urged those most at risk to limit travel. "If you're a person with an underlying condition and you are particularly an elderly person with an underlying condition you need to think twice about getting on a plane, on a long trip, and not only think twice, just don't get on a cruise ship," Fauci said on "Meet the Press." U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams told CNN cases would rise, adding that the average age of death for people with the virus was 80, and the average age of those needing medical attention was 60. "Unfortunately, you are going to see more deaths, but that doesnt mean that we should panic, he said. Communities need to prepare for more cases so we can prevent more deaths, Adams said. In financial markets, talk about recessions and bear markets was growing as investors try to assess how badly the outbreak will damage global growth. Many strategists have turned more pessimistic in recent days and are anticipating further market drops and a possible end to the longest economic expansion in U.S. history. CRUISE SHIP CRISIS The hardest hit place in the United States has been a nursing home in a suburb of Seattle and Washington state is considering mandatory measures such as banning large gatherings but not necessarily imposing massive quarantines, the governor said. The cruise ship Grand Princess, barred from returning to San Francisco last week due to a coronavirus outbreak on board, will send its 2,400 passengers to at least four quarantine centers. The crew of 1,100 will be quarantined and treated on board the ship. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the number of cases in New York is now 105 and he expects that to rise as testing expands. "What we are really trying to do here is avoid the massive disruption of closing everything down for two weeks the way China did, the way Italy is doing," he said. Cuomo said a lawyer from Westchester County who is believed to be at the center of the outbreak there had attended a number of large gatherings, contributing to the roughly 70 people in Westchester who have tested positive. "It's these large gatherings where you can expose a number of people in a very short period of time and then it's like dominoes, right, then the tree continues to expand with branches." (Reporting by Susan Cornwell in Washington and Nathan Layne in New York; Additional reporting by Barbara Goldberg in New York; Writing by Lisa Shumaker; Editing by Tim Ahmann, Sonya Hepinstall and Daniel Wallis) MANILA, Philippines The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Tuesday directed the Philippine National Police (PNP), and all mayors and village chiefs in Metro Manila to keep students away from malls, public markets and other crowded places following the declaration of class suspensions until March 14. President Rodrigo Duterte on late Monday night announced the suspension of classes in Metro Manila as part of government efforts to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the communities. The President has directed all local officials in NCR from mayor down to punong barangays as well as all units of the Philippine National Police to ensure that no children are seen loitering around and, if they are seen, they are to be immediately sent home to do their homework,DILG Secretary Eduardo Ano said in a statement. Our police officers and the barangay officials will serve as truant officers to ensure that kids stay at home. I have also directed all our Metro Manila Mayors to personally direct their respective Chiefs of Police to implement the presidential directive so that Local Governments and the police will jointly implement this policy of the government,he added. Ano said the class suspension aims to pre-empt social distancing in order to slow down the virus spread, and that allowing students to go to public places during this time will defeat the very purpose of the action. The DILG chief called on students parents to cooperate, monitor their childrens activities and ensure they stay home to do their homework to remain productive despite class suspensions. In the Task Force Meeting last night in Malacanang, the DepEd (Department of Education) said that they will give home assignments or performance tasks to all students so that they will have something productive to do during this period, he said. In a separate statement, DepEd earlier said it already directed schools to facilitate communication with the students and parents and to provide the necessary assignments to continue the process of learning the required competencies. Story continues Home quarantine measures will also be strictly enforced for those suspected of having contracted coronavirus. Meanwhile, Ano called on all local government units in Metro Manila to temporarily suspend all mass gatherings to stop the spread of the virus. He also reminded the public to maintain proper hygiene, and boost their immune system to fight the disease. We have no choice but to undertake these measures because public health demands it. Together with sustained hygiene (like regular handwashing, coughing etiquette, thermoscans and face masks), suspensions of classes and mass gathering will enable us to defeat this virus faster, he said. According to DILG Undersecretary and Spokesperson Jonathan Malaya, the decision to suspend classes and mass gatherings this week was recommended by the DOH Expert Advisory Group in order to lower the number of people exposed to the virus, as well as decrease the risk of transmission per contact. The DILG official also reiterated there is no need to lockdown Metro Manila following confirmation of the virus local transmission. We are still at Sublevel 1 and this type of alert level does not require a lockdown but only enhanced hygiene and preemptive social distancing measures, Malaya said. He also clarified that the following measures are only applicable in Metro Manila as of this time. There is no decision yet about other places in the country. That would be dependent on the findings and recommendations of the DOH, he said. As of posting time, the country has 24 confirmed novel coronavirus cases. The post DILG tells PNP, local execs: Keep students away from malls, other crowded areas appeared first on UNTV News. The recipients have demonstrated innovation on many levels and represent leaders in the industry. We look forward to seeing their future endeavors. Multi-Tech Systems, Inc., a leading provider of Industrial Internet of Things solutions announced today that mPowerTM Edge Intelligence, has received a Best in Show Award by Embedded Computing Design, published by Open Systems Media, at Embedded World 2020 hosted in Nuremberg, Germany. mPower Edge Intelligence, is a new embedded software offering, building on MultiTechs popular application enablement platform, to deliver programmability, network flexibility, enhanced security and manageability for scalable Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions. The award-wining solution represents the unification and evolution of well-established MultiTech smart router and gateway firmware platforms. In addition to ongoing support of the current feature-sets, MultiConnect rCell 100 Series industrial cellular router customers now have access to the programmability of the industry-leading Conduit IoT programmable gateway, while gateway customers can enjoy the additional security features currently available on the rCell. MultiTech was involved on many levels at Embedded World - from participating on a security panel; demonstrating award-winning devices and launching a new Conduit 300 gateway developer kit, said Prasad Kandikonda, Vice President of Engineering at MultiTech who received the honor at the Open Systems Media award ceremony. Receiving award recognition from Embedded Computing Design for mPower Edge Intelligence was icing on the cake and we are honored to be acknowledged for our continued commitment to innovation. Embedded World Exhibition & Conferences is the worlds biggest gathering of embedded experts. The Best in Show awards recognize excellence in innovation. Assessed by Embedded Computing Designs expert editorial team, nominations are judged on Design Excellence; Relative Performance and Market Impact/Disruption. "We congratulate Embedded Worlds Best of Show award winners, said Rich Nass, Executive Vice President, Open Systems Media. The recipients have demonstrated innovation on many levels and represent leaders in the industry. We look forward to seeing their future endeavors. About Embedded Computing Design Embedded Computing Design is the go-to trusted property for information regarding embedded design and development. We cultivate the largest global community of embedded designers through our content leadership channels, including blogs, design articles, videos, news, and product information. Coverage comes in the form of digital (websites, webinars, interactive magazines, newsletters, online education, apps, and traditional social media), print magazines, and live events. Applications covered include: IoT, Automotive, Medical, Industrial, DIY, Consumer, Digital Signage, Machine Learning, AI and more. About MultiTech MultiTech designs, develops and manufactures communications equipment for the industrial internet of things connecting physical assets to business processes to deliver enhanced value. From the earliest analog systems, to the cellular heart of todays industrial Internet of Things to the latest low-power wireless technology and beyond, MultiTech has consistently connected businesses in ways previously unimaginable and has been doing so for 50 years. Our commitment to quality and service excellence means you can count on MultiTech products and people to address your needs, while our history of innovation ensures you can stay ahead of the latest technology with a partner who will be there for the life of your solution. Visit http://www.multitech.com for more information. MultiTech Press Contact: Jennifer Costello - Phone: +1 781-715-4870, Email: jennifer.costello@multitech.com The spread of coronavirus in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey has led many Lehigh Valley institutions such as schools and venues that draw crowds to close or make changes to stave off any potential threat to the people they serve. On Thursday, March 11 the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported a positive test for the virus that causes COVID-19 was returned in Northampton County, marking the first reported case in the Lehigh Valley. Concerns over the spread of the virus which causes COVID-19 have spawned advisories from many institutions along with some school closures for preparedness and cancellations of events out of an abundance of caution. Weve compiled a list below of all these announcements and will be updating the list as more come in. (If youre revisiting this post, refresh your browser to get the latest information.) Allentown Art Museum announced Friday, March 13 it will be closed to the public from March 14 to March 31 in response to COVID-19. During this time the galleries are closed and all programming and events are canceled. Information about the annual fundraising gala, planned for April 4, will be communicated in the coming days, according to the announcement. Allentowns St. Patricks Day Parade Committee announced Friday, March 13, the annual St. Patricks Day parade set for March 22 has been canceled, along with related events: a pub crawl, City Hall flag raising ceremony, coronation and community day celebration, Roman Catholic Mass, 5K run and pipe band exhibition on Allentowns West End. Bethlehem, Hacketstown and Jim Thorpe made similar calls for their 2020 St. Paddys Day parades. ArtsQuest said Saturday, March 14 that effective immediately it has postponed its Musikfest Cafe performances through March 31. ArtsQuest is asking all patrons to hold on to their tickets for all postponed shows, and tickets will be honored at the rescheduled dates, and says details on other postponed shows will be announced once new performance dates are confirmed. The ArtsQuest Center and its Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas remain open at this time, but we have reduced the attendance capacity for each cinema by 50 percent. The Banana Factory and its programming also remain open at this time, but the Visitor Center at SteelStacks will be closed for the next two weeks for thorough cleaning and disinfecting. Bethlehem Area School District announced its childcare centers will be closed beginning Tuesday, March 17, under new Pennsylvania Department of Education guidelines. Childcare centers were to be open at combined centers on Monday, March 16. The Bethlehem Area School Board canceled its 6 p.m. March 16 human resources committee meeting, but is still holding its finance committee meeting at the districts education center, 1516 Sycamore Street. The boards regular meeting scheduled for March 23 has been moved from East Hills Middle School to the ed center. An executive session will be held at 6 p.m. followed by the regular meeting at 7 p.m. Bethlehem Area Public Library canceled its spring book sale that was scheduled for March 25 and 28. Bethlehems emergency shelter announced on Friday, March 13 that it will be closing at 7 a.m. Tuesday, March 17. "Just as the nursing homes, schools and others are doing, we cannot allow any volunteers after tonight. After tonight, we will rely on paid staff only to be present to chaperone our guests, the Friday announcement says. On Saturday, Sunday and Monday evenings, our guests will be allowed into the Shelter to spend the night only. In the morning, they will be asked to depart the church promptly before 7 a.m. The Bethlehem Township Community Center has canceled all events and programs until at least March 30. Bethlehem Township in Northampton County will end access to the public at 4:30 p.m. March 16 to the municipal building until further notice. The commissioners meeting scheduled for that night was canceled. During regular 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. business hours Monday through Friday, the public can reach township staff by email or phone. The staff directory is available at this link. The general phone number is 610-814-6400. Tax, sewer and other payments can be made electronically, by mail or via a dropbox in the front of the building at 4225 Easton Ave. Due to the extraordinary circumstances, the township is reviewing all payment deadlines, penalties and fees, Manager Doug Bruce said in a news release. Permit forms are available online and can be submitted via email, mail or in the dropbox. If you are waiting for a certificate of occupancy, call the planning department at 610-814-6430 to arrange it to be issued. If township staff is required to go into a home or a business, they might ask questions about peoples health in those structures before scheduling an appointment. Bethlehem Township police remain on duty. The public works, physical plant and sewer systems operations will continue as normal. The townships yard waste drop-off center will stay open during its regular noon to 4 p.m. Monday-Wednesday-Friday and 10 a..m to 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 p,m. to 4 p..m. Sunday schedules. Boys & Girls Club of Easton said Friday, March 13, it will be closed for the duration of the statewide closure of K-12 schools and will reopen when school resumes. Effective 1 p.m. Thursday, March 12, Cedarbrook Senior Care & Rehabilitation suspends visitation of all non-medical guests and volunteers to their Allentown and Fountain Hill locations, per a statement from Lehigh County. Visitor restrictions include Brookview apartments tenants visiting the nursing home. Visitor restriction measures are taken as a precaution to protect residents and staff from the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The Crossings Premium Outlets, announced Monday, March 16 it would be cancelling its job fair scheduled from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 19. Sen. Pat Browne (R-Lehigh), announced Sunday, March 15 his Allentown, North Whitehall Township and Upper Macungie Township offices will be temporarily closed for meetings, effective Monday, March 16, 2020, until further notice. Browne stated in-person meetings would not take place in his Senate offices, however, staff would still be available to respond to email and phone messages. The Celtic Cultural Alliance has canceled Bethlehems 2020 Parade of Shamrocks that was scheduled for Saturday, March 14 in the city. Centenary University is moving to online instruction from Monday, March 16, through March 27. The Hackettstown, N.J., school plans to reevaluate this policy March 25. All in-person student activities and admission events will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Dorms are open on a restricted basis. Students can request access to their rooms. The Center for Animal Health and Welfare in Williams Township has modified hours. Starting Wednesday, March 18, the center will be open to the public Wednesday through Sunday noon to 4 p.m. The center will only accept visitors actively seeking adoption. This change will be in effect through April 17. Palmer Township announced Saturday, March 14, the Charles Chrin Community Center will be closed to all activities from March 16 to March 29. An update will be provided at that time. The Civic Theatre of Allentown announced March 12 that it is postponing all shows and putting its film series on hiatus. Performances will be rescheduled before the end of June and tickets to the original showtimes will be honored or exchanged. The Crayola Experience said it was temporarily shutting down all of its locations and stores, including Easton, for a two-week period beginning at the end of business on March 13. Crayola Experience will offer guests a 30-day extension on all valid tickets. DeSales University announced March 11 that it will resume classes on Monday, March 16, using online, virtual instruction; no classes will be held on-campus. Currently, students can return to dorms on Sunday, March 22, and classes will resume on campus Monday, March 23. Diocese of Allentown says on its website that it has already has taken steps to limit the spread of disease at Masses. Because of flu season, the diocese previously suspended hand shaking and other physical contact during the Sign of Peace at Mass, it says. Also, the diocese suspended the sharing of the Chalice at the Eucharist, another step that prevents the spread of flu and the coronavirus. Also, the diocese said Thursday, March 12 that effective immediately, and until further notice, Bishop Alfred Schlert, in union with the Bishops of Pennsylvania, has dispensed the faithful of the Diocese of Allentown from the obligation to attend Saturday Vigil/Sunday Masses. Diocese of Allentown was to close all its schools on March 12 in Northampton and Lehigh counties and keep them shut on March 13. The diocese plans to reopen the 22 facilities on March 16. In light of concerns surrounding coronavirus, the Discover Lehigh Valley Regional Spelling Bee, slated for March 18 has been cancelled. We are disappointed to have to make this announcement, but know that it is in the best interest of participating students as well as their teachers and families, Discover Lehigh Valley says in a statement. East Stroudsburg University has added a second week to spring break to prepare for the launch of alternative teaching methods, if necessary, according to a news release issued Wednesday, March 11. Students went on break March 9 and were supposed to return March 16. Now theyll return to school March 23, the release says. The campus remains open. Our plan to delay the return of students to campus through March 21 is intended to keep our students safe at home while giving our faculty time to convert face-to-face courses to distance education in the event that remote delivery of classes will be required in the week/weeks to follow, the release says. Easton has closed city hall to visitors starting Monday, March 16. Business can still be transacted by residents via phone or email. The drop-off recycling center is closed until further notice. The city is weighing whether to postpone public board meetings. We expect this to continue for the coming weeks, and we will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates on our web site, through EastonAlerts, and through our social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The Easton Public Market will be open regular hours on Saturday and Sunday, March 14-15 for shopping and carryout but will eliminate seating. After its normal days off on Monday and Tuesday, it will switch to carryout only on Wednesday. Easton Area School District has gone from a half-day to a full in-service day on Monday, March 16. Teachers will receive guidance March 16 on how to deliver instruction through technology and other resources in the event that schools close. The Forks Athletic Association has suspended all sports until at least April 6. Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem announced Thursday, March 12 the cancellation of all events for two to three weeks, including these events either canceled or postponed: Lucy Wainwright, Frog Holler, Blackwater, The Razzies (Member Appreciation concert), Daves Night Out, Kristy Cox and Serene Green, Pierre Bensusan and all jams and open mike until further notice. Gracedale Nursing Home is closed to visitors except for residents in hospice care. Family and friends can call the units to check on loved ones at 610-829-3818. Grand Central Landfill announced Friday, March 13 that the upcoming community meetings scheduled for March 18 at the Plainfield Township Fire Social Hall and March 19 at Wind Gap Fire and Lookout Fire social halls will be postponed for the health and safety of all residents due to the virus concerns. Greater Lehigh Valley Athletics announced Friday, March 13 postponement of all events and activities effective immediately through March 30, including all practices, meetings and tournament participation. Greater Valley YMCA, announced Sunday, March 15 it would be closing at its Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton/Phillipsburg, Nazareth, Suburban North and Slate Belt area facilities. Members accounts will be credited for two weeks of membership. All YMCA branches and the Forks Education Center will continue to operate early childhood education, preschool programming, and temporary school age childcare, as well as other services including the Allentown warming station and free youth meals programming. Hackettsowns Business Improvement District on Thursday, March 12 postponed its St. Paddys Day parade set for Sunday, March 15. Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Kempton, Pennsylvania, announced March 13 it was closing all visitor services and programs through March 30, when it will reevaluate the situation. This includes closing all trails and lookouts. Kutztown University on Wednesday, March 11 extended its spring break and suspended classes until Monday, March 23. University dorms remain closed until Saturday, March 21. The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards event scheduled for March 22 has been cancelled. Lafayette College announced Wednesday, March 11 it is moving to remote teaching and learning from March 23 through April 5. Lafayette is also cancelling all college events and non-essential Lafayette-sponsored travel from March 16 through April 5 and, during that same timeframe, providing room and board only to students who have no option but to remain on campus, including those from countries with travel restrictions and other extenuating circumstances. Lehigh Carbon Community College is currently on spring break and has not announced schedule changes as of Thursday, March 12. A March 10 letter to the campus acknowledged the school might need to transition to online instruction only. Lehigh Carbon Community College Foundation announced Wednesday, March 11 its sixth annual Raising the Paw Bingo that had been scheduled for Saturday, March 21 will now take place on Friday, June 19. Doors will now open at 5 p.m. for bingo registration, basket raffle ticket and special raffle ticket purchases, dauber purchases and vendor shopping. Bingo will begin at 6 p.m. Lehigh County has shut its government center to the public, but the courthouse remains open after the county recorded its first COVID-19 case. Those needing assistance from the Department of Human Services can call 610-782-3200. Children and youth queries can go to 610-782-3064. Lehigh County will be closing all its senior centers starting Friday, March 13 through March 23 to assure all residents that we are taking every precaution when it comes to our vulnerable elder population, a news release states. Lehigh County Humane Society, has announced on Sunday, March 15 all events will be postponed until further notice. The societys veterinary clinic and business office will remain open by appointments only. All animal care activities, including dog walking, is being handled by staff only at this time. The society also is limiting visitors to its animal areas by appointments only. Make sure to follow us on Facebook and visit our website for updates. " Lehigh Valley Arts Councils event Young at Art, scheduled for March 14, has been postponed due to the threat of spreading coronavirus. We are hopeful to reschedule the event, but a date has not yet been determined, a news release says. Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts in Bethlehem is closed March 13 for students, but faculty and staff are to report. The building at 321 E. Third St. will receive a deep cleaning and the faculty will revise lesson plans to prepare for remote learning. Students will return on Monday, but face some restrictions, according to the schools website. Lehigh Valley Childrens Centers in a Monday, March 9 advisory asked that you and/or any family member experiencing mild-to-moderate illness and flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, refrain from entering our center. If you or a family member has been out of the state or country within the period of the past 2 months, and are experiencing any of these symptoms, refrain from entering the center. If you or the child in care is showing any of these symptoms we urge you to seek medical evaluation. Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. announced March 11 that it is postponing its 2020 annual meeting, originally scheduled for March 19. It will be rescheduled when public health officials determine it is safe to host large events. Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum is canceling all public programs, the Lehigh County Historical Society announced March 12. The museum itself will remain open for gallery visitors. The Lehigh Valley Knife Show has been postponed until Sept. 26-27 after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said groups should not put on events for the next eight weeks that consist of 50 people or more. The show was originally scheduled for April 18-19 at the Charles Chrin Community Center in Palmer Township. Lehigh University on Wednesday, March 11 announced that it is taking its courses online for the next two weeks starting Monday, March 16. Students must move out of the dorms and students who live in off-campus housing are being urged to go home. Lehigh Valley Auto Show and Gala set for March 18-22 at Lehigh University is postponed indefinitely, organizers announced Thursday, March 12. Lehigh Valley International Airport says in a travel advisory issued Monday, March 9 that an important initial step was ensuring (Lehigh-Northampton) Airport Authority staff were educated with accurate information provided by the World Health Organization. It also says it has added hand-sanitizer stations in the terminal complex and increased custodian sanitizing work. Lehigh Valley Wine Trail announced on its Facebook page that the last three weekends of its March passport event will be postponed. The wine trails board of directors will meet to decide when and how the Vino in the Valley event can be continued. Miller Symphony Hall announced Thursday, March 12 The Met: Live in HD presentation of Wagners The Flying Dutchman at Miller Symphony Hall on Saturday, March 14 has been canceled. Other shows were still on. Miller Symphony Hall is always cleaned and disinfected on a regular basis, the Allentown venue said. We have continued to maintain that practice and have increased the extent of cleaning particularly in areas open to the general public during events. Martin Guitar announced March 12 that it was temporarily suspending factory tours on March 16. It said it was closely monitoring the coronavirus situation and following the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The tours will resume as appropriate, the Upper Nazareth Township company said. More than 25,000 people visit the factory each year, the company said. Moravian College says on its website that its senior leadership and medical professionals in the Health Center and the Bethlehem Health Bureau are continuing to monitor this situation. As of 5 p.m. Thursday, March 12, Moravian is banning members of the the public from its dorms, but the campus remains open to visitors. The college is canceling all registered parties and gatherings and college President Bryon Grigsby to look out for everyones well being over St. Patricks Day. Muhlenberg College announced Tuesday, March 10, that it is ending in-person classes Friday, March 13, and all students must move out of dorms by Saturday afternoon. While Nazareth Area School District schools are closed for the next two weeks there will be no campus activities, no use of playgrounds and no in-school child care. Schools will be open the morning of Monday, March 16, for students and parents to retrieve items left inside. The buildings will close at noon. Come in, get what you need and leave. Please do not congregate inside or outside of the buildings, Superintendent Dennis Riker said. Kindergarten registration is postponed. The March 24 school board meeting is canceled. A non-school board construction meeting will continue on March 17, although the district is working on ways the meeting can be viewed listened to remotely. No formal instruction has been set up for children, but they are encouraged to take advantage of online exercises set up by administrators and teachers. Nazareth Moravian Church announced Saturday, March 14 all services and activities are canceled for two weeks beginning Sunday, March 15. The church office will also be closed. The Nazareth Soccer Club has canceled all activities through March 31. This includes indoor training, practices and coaches meetings. The start of the micro-season is postponed until April 13. The start of the classic season is postponed until further notice. Northampton Community College is extending its spring break until Monday, March 23, although online classes will resume March 16 as planned. The school announced Wednesday, March 11 its alumni association spring craft fair set for Saturday, March 14 has been postponed. Northampton County Office of Elections and Voter Registration on Thursday, March 12 canceled demonstrations of the ExpressVote XL machines that had been scheduled for March 15 in Bethlehem, March 17 in Bethlehem Township, March 25 and 27 in Easton, March 30 in Upper Nazareth Township and April 2 in Allentown. Northampton County on Facebook announced Tuesday, March 10 that although there were currently no reported cases of the coronavirus inside the Northampton County Prison, Director of Corrections James C. Kostura in a proactive move has banned volunteers, visitors and tours. The Northwestern Lehigh School District, as part of its preparations if it has to close for a time, is surveying parents as to if their homes have WiFi and if younger students, whose district-issued Chromebooks are kept in their homerooms, have devices at home that could be used in distance leaning. Older students carry district-issued Chromebooks or MacBooks. The surveys must be completed by March 15. The Nurture Nature Center in Easton is temporarily closing and postponing all public events and programs from March 14 through April 3. The Palmer Township Athletic Association has suspended all sports through April 1. The organization will reassess at that time. Penn State University President Eric J. Barron, in an announcement shared by the Lehigh Valley campus, also announced it will move to remote learning for all classes beginning Monday, March 16, through Friday, April 3, with a plan to resume in-person classes on Monday, April 6, at the earliest. During this three-week period following spring break, undergraduate and graduate students at all campus locations are strongly discouraged from returning to campus, off-campus locations, and group dwellings (e.g., apartments and fraternities), and should return to, or remain at, home during this time period, Barron announced. The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections reports all inmate visitation is canceled for 14 days, beginning March 13. Also, enhanced screening is being done on all staff, vendors and contracted providers. The Pennsylvania Farm Show complex has canceled all events planned for March. Pennsylvania state parks and forests have canceled all public programs, events and trainings through the end of April. The parks and forests will remain open except for Evansburg, Fort Washington, and Norristown Farm Park in Montgomery County. They are closed to visitors for 14 days. Phillipsburg Town Hall will be closed to visitors starting Monday and until further notice, Mayor Todd Tersigni announced Friday, March 13, as officials work to limit spread of the new coronavirus. Phillipsburg School District is changing a previously scheduled in-service day from Friday, March 20 to Friday, March 13 in order to allow our staff the time to being the planning process in the event of a public health-related school closure, the district wrote in a letter to parents. Allentown-based Phoebe Ministries, which operates health care centers and personal care communities, said March 12 in a news release that starting at noon that day it would restrict nonessential visits to those facilities. Essential vendors or visitors in certain circumstances will be allowed in on a case-by-case basis, the news release said. No resident or staff member has been diagnosed with COVID-19, the news release said. Safe Harbor Easton announces that the homeless shelters drop-in day program has closed. Meals, toiletry items and clothing can be picked by program participants at the mouth of the parking lot. Staff will maintain the recommended six-foot buffer. The winter shelter will close starting March 14. The nine remaining participants will be provided for to the best of our ability, the shelter said in an announcement. Clothing donations will not be accepted. Two staff members will serve as residential managers in case of a total quarantine. Salisbury School Districts theater performances of Into the Woods scheduled for March 12-15 have been postponed, the school district announced March 12. New dates have not been set. Questions should be directoed to salisburytheatre@salisburysd.org. The Saucon Valley School District, as of March 14, will not allow use of district facilities, both inside and out, by groups or events not directly connected to a school sponsored activity. This includes youth-community activities, the recreational swim program and non school related clubs or functions, the district said on its website. The ban is in place until further notice. School related functions such as clubs and athletics will continue but be monitored daily, the district said. The Super Gigantic Garage Sale, planned for this weekend at the Allentown Fairgrounds, has been postponed until May 30-31. Tatamy Mayor Christopher Moren announced Wednesday, March 11 the boroughs Annual Easter Egg Hunt set for Saturday, April 4 is cancelled this year. Borough offices are closed, and all public meetings are cancelled thru March 31. Triangle Tech outside Bethlehem said Wednesday, March 11 it continues to monitor the coronavirus situation with the best interests of its entire school community in mind. Warren Countys senior centers in Hackettstown, Washington and North Warren will immediately close for activities and congregate meals until further notice, the county announced Thursday, March 12. Meals will be delivered to seniors who had registered for the March 13 congregate sites. Residents who already received home-delivered meals will continue to get them as normal. The Phillipsburg senior center will be closed the week of March 16 and meals will be delivered to anyone who registered for the congregate site. Washington Borough on Friday, March 13 announced that beginning March 16, due to the coronavirus, there will be no access to Borough Hall, the Borough Department of Public Works Garage, the Borough Wastewater Treatment Plant or the Borough Library by the general public. West Eastons borough hall will be closed to the public until further notice, according to a news release. If you need service from borough hall, call 610-252-6651 or email the appropriate person. Contact information is available on the boroughs website. Tax and water-sewer payments and permit submittals can be placed in the dropbox at the side door. It will be checked frequently. If you want to make a cash payment and arent comfortable putting it in the drop box, call the borough and someone will check the box for you. Building inspections and planned permit applications will continue. All March committee meetings are canceled. Garbage and recycling collection will continue as scheduled. Borough parks remain open but equipment at borough playgrounds is not being sanitized, so follow safe hygiene practices. Updates with be added to the boroughs Facebook page and website and through emergency text alerts. Wind Creek Casino will close for two weeks through March 29. Do you have a coronavirus-related advisory, cancellation or closure that isnt on this list? Please email us at news@lehighvalleylive.com so we can add it. Nick Falsone may be reached at nfalsone@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickfalsone. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Zimbabwe has strongly objected to the European Unions calls for President Emmerson Mnangagwas government to shed light on the fate of pro-democracy activist and journalist, Itai Dzamara, who was abducted by suspected state security agents five years ago. In a tweet, the European Union in Zimbabwe said, Five years after his abduction, Itai #Dzamara remains missing. We call on Govt to shed light on his fate & serve justice, and to tackle all human rights violations decisively, in line with #Zimbabwes repeated commitment to human rights, freedoms & national healing. In a swift response posted on its twitter handle, Zimbabwes Information Ministry criticized the E.U, saying its tweet implied that the government had a hand in the abduction of Dzamara, the leader of Occupy Africa Unity Square, who wanted the late former president Robert Mugabe to resign for failing to properly run the country. Government feels strongly that no Zimbabwean should disappear without a trace and sympathizes with the Dzamara family in their quest for their loved ones safe return. To this government, every Zimbabwean counts. It is therefore diplomatically unhelpful and misleading to insinuate that government does not intend to shed light into Mr. Dzamara's disappearance, as if it had a hand in it. Government remains open to engagements with all diplomats accredited to Zimbabwe and provide clarity on any matter of mutual interest using agreed formal channels. The ministry noted that since Dzamaras disappearance on March 9, 2015, a taskforce of skilled detectives was put in place to investigate the matter. The ministry said a reward of US$10,000 from the Zimbabwe Republic Police is on offer on information on Dzamaras whereabouts. The police have regularly issued public appeals for information including in recent times. They have also submitted nine reports to the High Court of Zimbabwe in compliance with the order of that court. These reports are publicly available. Dzamaras wife, Sheffra, has expressed dismay over the manner in which the government is handling the issue. She told VOA Zimbabwe Service that there is nothing being done by the government to find my husband. It appears as if someone can just be abducted like that with the government not doing anything to find the person. Its very sad. My children are always asking me about their father and Im at the same time asking the government to provide answers to what happened to my husband. She sent a letter to President Mnangagwa on Tuesday appealing for his help to find her husband, who was abducted by people in an unregistered vehicle while he was at a barbershop in Glenview, Harare. Nick Mangwana, permanent information secretary, was unavailable for comment as he was not responding to calls on his mobile phone. Amnesty International has also urged Zimbabwes government to find the pro-democracy activist. Muleya Mwananyanda, Amnesty Internationals Deputy Director for Southern Africa, said, Imagine not being able to tell your children if their father is alive or dead. Someone knows where Itai Dzamara is, but they have chosen to subject his family to five long years of uncertainty. We join Itais family in calling on the Zimbabwean authorities to conduct a thorough, independent, effective and transparent investigation into his disappearance. People do not simply vanish into thin air. We need to see an inquiry with findings that are made public, and suspected perpetrators brought to justice, as well as an end to the harassment and intimidation of activists and critics in Zimbabwe. Amnesty International says the government should to set up an independent judge-led Commission of Inquiry into the circumstances around the abduction of Itai Dzamara, with powers to subpoena witnesses. The findings of any inquiry must be made public and those suspected to be responsible should be brought to justice in fair trials. Members of the public with information to contribute to the Commission through submissions must also be allowed to do so. It noted that under President Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe remains a dangerous place to criticize the government. Security forces routinely use repressive laws such as the Public Order and Security Act to prevent people from carrying out peaceful protests and voicing their criticism. Government critics have increasingly faced harassment and intimidation under president Mnangagwas administration, including being charged with trumped-up treason charges, for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. President Mnangagwa was vice president when he told the United Nations Universal Periodic Review in Geneva in 2016 that the government was actively pursuing the search for Itai Dzamara. Amnesty International says the government has failed to give regular updates on the search efforts for the activist, despite a court order issued in 2016 instructing it to do so. [March 10, 2020] City of Lawton, Oklahoma, Creating "Virtual City Hall" with Multiple Tyler Technologies Solutions Tyler Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: TYL) announced today that is has signed an agreement with the city of Lawton, Oklahoma, for several Tyler solutions, including Munis enterprise resource planning (ERP), EnerGov civic services, New World public safety, Incode court, Brazos eCitation, Socrata data and insights, and Tyler Content Manager. The city currently has several custom developed software systems that are nearing the end of life, and there is a sense of urgency to upgrade its infrastructure. The city looked for a vendor that could integrate several applications that managed public safety, financial and human resources information, citations, data, and other citywide processes. "We knew Tyler was the industry leader in the space and were impressed by their software after seeing it in action at other municipalities," said Michael Cleghorn, city manager, city of Lawton. "Implementing these solutions will help bring our city into the 21st century, something we have needed to do to meet the expectations of our constituents. It will also begin to fulfill our vision of a 'Virtual City Hall' that will allow greater accss for all citizens. We look forward to streamlining processes, increasing transparency, and bringing quantifiable efficiencies to our people and staff." The city of Lawton is looking forward to many benefits from Tyler's solutions, including Reduced paper as a result of electronic ticketing for law enforcement Automated reporting capabilities for staff Minimized user error because of the switch from paper-based to electronic processes Better access for constituents, including the ability to pay bills online Increased transparency, especially when it comes to making city finances available to the public Ability for constituents to visualize Permit and Code Enforcement data on a map "We are excited to support the city of Lawton's vision of creating a 'Virtual City Hall' for their constituents, where they can easily access local government services thanks to improved technology," said Lynn Moore, president and chief executive officer of Tyler. "Tyler has the citywide domain expertise to help Lawton streamline processes from public safety to ERP management, and we look forward to helping the city realize the benefits of a connected community." The city of Lawton is located in southwest Oklahoma and has a population of more than 92,000. About Tyler Technologies (News - Alert), Inc. Tyler Technologies (NYSE: TYL) provides integrated software and technology services to the public sector. Tyler's end-to-end solutions empower local, state, and federal government entities to operate more efficiently and connect more transparently with their constituents and with each other. By connecting data and processes across disparate systems, Tyler's solutions are transforming how clients gain actionable insights that solve problems in their communities. Tyler has more than 26,000 successful installations across more than 10,000 sites, with clients in all 50 states, Canada, the Caribbean, Australia, and other international locations. A financially strong company, Tyler has achieved double-digit revenue growth every quarter since 2012. It was also named to Forbes' "Best Midsize Employers" list in 2019 and recognized twice on its "Most Innovative Growth Companies" list. More information about Tyler Technologies, headquartered in Plano, Texas, can be found at tylertech.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005049/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The politician who went missing while defending his home from a wild bushfire has revealed he will quit his job. New South Wales Minister for Roads and Transport Andrew Constance says he will resign from politics after completing the bushfire recovery effort. The MP for Bega on the New South Wales south coast spoke with Alan Jones on 2GB on Tuesday morning, and said he will step down from office after helping those effected by our horror bushfire season. Mr Constance has been on the front line of the crisis - going missing after staying back at his family home in Malua Bay to fight off an approaching blaze on New Years Eve. More than 400 homes were destroyed by fires in Mr Constance's electorate, leaving the regional economy in tatters. The 46-year-old said the political response to the bushfires and the disconnect between the community effected by the tragedy made him realise how ineffective the political system is in Australia. Mr Constance (pictured with his wife Jennifer) said he will continue to help with the bushfire recovery effort and then resign from politics Children in Mr Constance's electorate of Bega (pictured) played in face masks as they were forced to live in emergency camps after fleeing their homes in December Fire burned to the edge of Mr Constance's home (pictured) on New Year's Eve, with more than 400 homes destroyed by fire in his electorate Bega MP Andrew Constance on the front line of Australia's bushfire crisis, fighting a blaze near his home in Malua Bay in December 'I've got to be honest with you, it took a bloody big fire to make me realise how wrong politics is in this country,' he said. Mr Constance said he will work to make sure no victims of the bushfires are forgotten and help to lift those effected off their knees. He has taken leave from office to stay with victims and provide any assistance he can. The Liberal MP of almost 17 years said there is no trust between the Australian community and the government through many politician's scripted approach to office. 'Now we've got this mechanical political approach to everything, that it's all scripted,' he said. 'Let's start operating on our guts... I used to be one of those machine politicians, I know that.' Mr Constance was frustrated with various efforts of the bushfire recovery program including the slow distribution of funds for those who had lost their homes. 'If announcements are going to be made about money from government, we've got to make sure that the money is in people's accounts that day,' he told Daily Mail Australia in January. A satellite image shows the scope of the fires that devastated Batemans Bay on the NSW south coast in December 'It's not a case of make the announcement, then try and work it out because that is a false hope. 'People are needing the support right now at this very minute. 'The outpouring of gratitude for the generosity of Australians has been amazing but there's too many people in the middle. 'It's got to go to the people who need it now who are in this crisis and not next week, not the week after, right now.' The reality of the bushfire tragedy hit hard for Mr Constance, who shared the story of defending his home on The Project. 'I thought I was going to die that day and thought I was going to lose Jen (his wife) and the kids and never see them again,' he said. 'And then Cobargo happened and it just really dawned on me that the profession itself in terms of politics is so wrong in this country. 'I don't want to be like that any more.' Mr Constance slammed calls for bushfire funds to be delegated to fight against coronavirus, as bushfire-affected communities are still suffering and need all the help they can get. By Laman Ismayilova After a 24-year break, Azerbaijani chefs have joined the World Culinary Olympiad. The World Culinary Olympiad is held once every four years. The event was held in the German city of Stuttgart. Last time national chefs took part in the World Culinary Olympiad in 1996. This time, national team included Tahir Amiraslanov (head of the delegation), Ogtay Jafarov, Jeyran Asgarova, Agha Salamov, Emil Jafarov, Nijat Babayev, Samir Asgarov, Nigar Meyludova. The local chefs showed their best in catering. Participants who scored 60-69.9 points (4th place) were awarded with a diploma, 70-79.9 points with a bronze medal, 80-89.9 points with a silver medal, 90-100 points with a gold medal. National team was awarded with diploma. Since this was their first participation in the Olympics after such a long break, local chefs faced many difficulties that relate to both technical and organizational aspects. "Yes, there were difficulties, but we are still happy to participate in the Culinary Olympiad. The event was a great experience for young chefs, a great opportunity to test our strength. We hope that we will show a good result in 2024," Ogtay Jafarov told Trend Life. At the same time, local chefs took part in the White Garlic Festival held in Chechnya. The festival brought together 20, 000 guests. The national team included Tahir Amiraslanov (jury chairman), Tunzala Mammadzade, Eynur Nagdaliyev, Royal Bakhishov, Rovshan Ganiyev, Anar Gasimov, Ruslan Shikhiyev, Zaur Aliyev, Naim Iskandarov, Ali Abbasov, Aslan Nuruyev, Aslan Nuruyev, Aslan Bakhchiyev. Moreover, Azerbaijani culinary experts also joined the jury of the festival. Anar Gasimov, Tunzala Mammadzade and Ruslan Shikhiyev held master classes as part of the festival. Tahir Amiraslanov delivered a lecture on Azerbaijani cuisine, its modern trends and restaurant business. The Azerbaijani team won first place in "black box" competition, which brought together 14 culinary teams. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz After Morocco announced early Tuesday the suspension of all flights to and from Italy, which went under lockdown to stop the spread of the Coronavirus, the merchant navy decided later in the day the suspension of maritime links between Morocco and Italy. In a note addressed to the shipping companies, the directorate of the merchant marine underlines that the transport of passengers between Moroccan and Italian ports is temporarily suspended, from this Tuesday March 10. This decision is part of the measures taken by Morocco to combat the spread of the coronavirus, the note said. The shipping companies concerned must take the necessary measures to inform passengers and avoid their movement to the ports of departure, insists the Merchant Navy in its note. Italy, which is the virus epicenter in Europe with more than 9,100 cases and about 463 deaths, is hosting a large Moroccan community of more than 450,000 souls. Besides, Italians are among the most numerous outbound tourists visiting Morocco, with more than 305,000 Italian tourists in 2019. The two first coronavirus cases reported in Morocco, a 39-year man and an 89-year woman, both came from Italy. The old woman, who was suffering from chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases passed away this Tuesday noon. Is there anything more contemptible than those who desert their duty, or spread defeat in the face of the enemy? That is what the Leo Varadkar circle in Fine Gael and the Foolish Faction in Fianna Fail are doing: delaying the formation of a government the majority put in place three weeks ago. Mentally put in place three weeks ago. Have the abortion and marriage referendums taught Fine Gael and Fianna Fail's Foolish Faction nothing about the fast mind of Majority Ireland? The iron rule of modern Irish politics is that Majority Ireland is always ahead of politicians and the media - in that order. A week after the election, Majority Ireland had already worked out the only alternative to Sinn Fein in government was a coalition of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Green Party. Having put that democratic coalition mentally in place, Majority Ireland waited for politicians to catch up (the media never did). Micheal Martin was the first to face facts. Simon Coveney and Charlie Flanagan were close behind. Leo Varadkar never caught up. Like some student politician he postured and philosophised about going into opposition, creating a new political persona: Fine Gael Trot. Since Micheal Martin, in tune with Majority Ireland, was never for turning on coalition with Sinn Fein, Varadkar's vacuous response led to one conclusion: Fine Gael was prepared to let the ship of state drift towards the rocks, while Leo Varadkar sunned himself. Majority Ireland stared at this spectacle of political turpitude, first in disbelief and then in despair. A mindless section of the media, which pretended that Martin and Varadkar were equally to blame, only added to the air of anarchy. Martin stoically soldiered on. He knew the growing threat of covid-19 meant we desperately needed a government that was also immune to new threats from triumphalist Sinn Fein. Last week, Colm Keena in the Irish Times told us three things about post-election Sinn Fein. First, it is the wealthiest party in Ireland. Second, it agreed Micheal Martin was right to say that unelected activists - not TDs - decide party policy. Finally, Gerry Adams will head a new unit whose aim is a united Ireland - probably in his lifetime. In sum, council houses still take second place in the party of safe houses. Any student of Sinn Fein - and I am one of the most diligent - knows Gerry Adams never really retired. The Teddy Bear stuff was just Adams hiding in plain sight. The new unit signals a major push on Northern Ireland that is bound to end badly. The recent rallies were a foretaste of what to expect from Sinn Fein in power. And, of course, the tiny Foolish Faction in Fianna Fail would have been the first to fold for two reasons: first, as traditional nationalists, they are easily seduced by Sinn Fein's sectarian fables; second, they reject the alternative to Sinn Fein's sectarian saga - republican pluralism based on the teachings of Wolfe Tone. Luckily, the foolish faction has no clout. More worrying were mealy-mouthed remarks about "respecting Sinn Fein's mandate". Here's a reality check. Hitler did not seize power by force: he had a democratic mandate. But there is no democratic mandate that excuses an evil policy. German social democrats, communists and Christians did not respect Hitler's mandate to do evil. They died on gallows and guillotine, defying his morally flawed mandate. Like the late Con Houlihan, I do not respect the mandate of a party which condones political torture and murder. Certainly, I can forgive working people who voted for Sinn Fein. And young people who voted because everybody else was doing so. But I can't forgive the 17% of upper-class people who voted for Sinn Fein while Breege Quinn's cries for justice on radio were still ringing in their ears. True, the Fianna Fail canvassers I spoke to after the election were frustrated, confused in their reactions and unsure what they would finally settle for. At first, they knew what they did not want: coalition with either Sinn Fein or Fine Gael. But that soon changed. In the past two weeks, I believe that most of them, like Fine Gael members, have learned the lesson of the lesser of two evils. Yes, Sinn Fein's sweeping success calls for analysis. But you don't analyse a situation while agitators are working up angry crowds. You first hunt off the agitators and then fix whatever made the crowd angry. In short, you put Sinn Fein in opposition. After that, you build the houses and the hospitals. Micheal Martin began that process at a six-hour meeting just after the election. He got a mandate to make up a government without Sinn Fein. Predictably, Sinn Fein went to work on the shaky nerves and bad politics of the Foolish Faction. Predictably, too, Sinn Fein media cheerleaders tried to start the same stampede they work up every time Martin makes a progressive decision, be it on abortion, or supporting Fine Gael during the first difficult act of Brexit. Leo Varadkar pretends a few dissenters in Fianna Fail might change Martin's mind. But to what end? Does he believe a majority in Fianna Fail secretly wants a deal with Sinn Fein - as Pearse Doherty does? If so, Leo Varadkar is living on Planet Media, where he spends far too much time already. If not, he is playing adolescent mind-games not fit for grown-up politicians. Either way, he is out of touch, because Majority Ireland can see that Micheal Martin is one of the few adults in the room. Martin proved that last week when he told Sean O'Rourke he was willing to slay any sacred cows to give us a stable government. So, why is Leo Varadkar not helping him to do so? Why is his close associate, Josepha Madigan, still warbling about Fianna Fail doing a deal with Sinn Fein? Time for Fine Gael to consult its old moral compass. If Leo Varadkar has lost his way, then Tanaiste Simon Coveney should tell him the following facts of life about Fine Gael. Fine Gael politicians founded the Free State and declared our Republic. Fine Gael has always put country before party. Liam Cosgrave tipped off Jack Lynch that Charles Haughey was doing business with the IRA rather than risk ruining the country for party gain. Time for both parties to spend some time together, do the job in housing and health and rebuild their frayed morale. Sinn Fein has no secret formula for success, just a fanaticism that will fade with time - and Opposition. Fianna Fail and Fine Gael should heed James Carville, Clinton's brilliant Cajun spin doctor, who recently reprimanded Democrat defeatists: "I think the other side wants us to think there are no swing voters, that we're doomed and it doesn't even matter if you have a message because you can't reach anyone. I think that's bull***t. But, look, if no one's persuadable, then let's just have the revolution. Falling into despair won't help anyone, though. I mean, you can curse the darkness, or you can light a candle. I'm getting a f*****g welding torch, okay?" Eoghan Harris is a Dublin-based political commentator The enemy employed mortars, banned by Minsk accords, as well as grenade launchers, UAVs, heavy machine guns, and small arms. Russian-led forces in eastern Ukraine's Donbas over the past day violated ceasefire ten times, according to the Joint Forces Operation Headquarters in Kyiv. The enemy engaged Ukrainian defense positions along the front line with 120 mm and 82 mm mortars, proscribed by the Minsk Agreements, as well as grenade launchers of various types, UAVs, heavy machine guns, and small arms. "Four shellings were recorded in the zone of responsibility of the Skhid [East] tactical grouping, namely: near the settlements of Shyrokine and Hnutove, where the enemy dropped VOG-17 grenades from UAVs; and near Avdiyivka, where the enemy attacked twice, using MANPADs, heavy machine guns and small arms. Read alsoUkrainian language stripped of official status in Russian proxy Donbas "republic" rights watchdog The enemy carried out six attacks in the "Pivnich" [North] tactical grouping's zone, including: next to Orikhove, where the enemy mortared our troops for five minutes using 120 mm launchers; near Zaitseve (four 82 mm mortar mines); near Vodiane (four 82 mm mortar mines and four shots from an easel anti-tank grenade launcher); in the area of Novoluhanske, Luhanske, and Mayske (grenade launchers of various types, large-caliber machine guns, and small arms," the press service wrote. It is noted that Russian-controlled forces, neglecting international humanitarian law, opened fire on an ambulance vehicle with the Red Cross marking. They dropped two VOG-17 grenades onto the vehicle from UAVs. "Yesterday, on March 9, one Ukrainian defender sustained combat injuries amid enemy shelling," the report says. About 20 minutes into his AP English IV class Thursday, a Dayton senior was surprised when he saw a tv camera, lights and a stream of people bust into his classroom. KPRC Channel 2 news anchor Owen Conflenti announced they were looking for Bryan Rodriguez, and the shy senior made his way to the front. Since 2015, KPRC Channel 2 has been awarding 20 scholarships to deserving area high school seniors. Each of them has been featured in KPRCs weekly newscasts during the morning broadcasts. MORE FROM DAVID TAYLOR: Girls basketball: Liberty County schools bow out in 1st round The station, in partnership with Texas Mattress Makers, presented Rodriguez a $2,500 scholarship. I had no clue they were coming, Rodriguez said, until they walked through the door. The senior had filled out a scholarship application and wrote an essay hoping he might be selected but had heard nothing back and forgot about it. I was blown away by the whole scene, he said. MORE FROM DAVID TAYLOR: Dayton speech, debate teacher honored with national award Conflenti asked questions relating to his essay in which Rodriguez described himself as always being the underdog, and he told of the influence his community activities have had on him. Rodriguez received well wishes and congratulations from his classmates during the final hours of his school day, even some he really didnt know. It was nice to hear they were supporting me, even though they didnt know me. By the end of the day, news had spread on social media about the visit to Dayton High School. When he arrived home, he got the best hug of all. My parents gave me a big hug and congratulated me, he said. TOP HITS: Get Houston Chronicle stories sent directly to your inbox His work ethic and willingness to sacrifice has earned him another special honor in his family. Im a first-generation college student, he said. They work hard every day, and they always remind me about being the first. I try and put in the time to make sure the struggle is worth it, he said. It hasnt been easy, but the reward is great. Its been a lot of hard work, but nothing more than anyone else can do too. Rodriguez ranks 4th in his class out of 332 seniors. He is the president of the National Honor Society in which he leads monthly meetings and events, handles and organizes fundraising, and maintains the chapter status. Not all his time is consumed under a study lamp and at the desk. He is a member of numerous honor societies including the Science, English, Tri-M Music and Technical honor societies. He devotes his free time by serving at St. Anne and Immaculate Conception church, being a part of St. Peter Teen A.C.T.S., being a member of the Diocesan Youth Leadership team, competing in UIL Ready Writing competitions, singing in the Dayton High School concert choir even earning a Division I rating on a medium ensemble at contest. He also serves on the DHS Peer Assistance Leadership and Service (PALS) and has been active in numerous other organizations. As a member of the Dayton Chamber of Commerce Junior Ambassadors since July 2018 to present, he assists in coordinating the annual community tailgate event by contacting local businesses and gaining their support and helps with the monthly Chamber luncheons. We at the Chamber are very proud of Bryan, said Paula Moorhaj, executive director for the Dayton Chamber of Commerce. He is a sweet, kind and hard-working young man, and we congratulate him for his accomplishment. Rodriguez is also very active on the St. Joseph Catholic Youth Leadership Team and is one of their team leaders since 2017. The Youth Leadership Team volunteers for many service projects. Rodriguez has big plans. I plan on attending the University of Texas in Austin to pursue a degree in corporate communications in the Moody College of Communications, he said. Dr. Ronald Wright, his AP English IV teacher had high praise for the senior. Bryan is a tenacious student leader and athlete who is dedicated to learning. He possesses strong leadership skills which he uses both at school and in his church community and is always striving to do his best. I believe he is very deserving of this scholarship and I'm very proud of him." Principal Geoff McCracken was happy to nominate Rodriguez for the scholarship. Bryan is a student who exemplifies everything that we want to see in a high school student, he said. He is a leader among his peers, his character is impeccable, and he is an outstanding student. The scholarship will be sent to the college he attends and used for his tuition fees. He knows it will never cover all of his tuition, but hes still applying for more. Ive done applications for all the scholarships that are available locally, but Im also looking around for any other opportunities to help defray the cost of college, he said. His peers and teachers were impressed with his humility in accepting the scholarship award. Im just grateful to receive the opportunity for the scholarship and God blessed me with the ability to receive it. Now I just want to make sure that they feel the money is well spent to its potential, he said. Rodriguez story will air on Wednesday, March 11 on KPRC-Channel 2 at the 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. hour. dtaylor@hcnonline.com Was Earl Van Best Jr. the Zodiac Killer? Probably not. Photo: Courtesy of FX Soon after production on FXs true-crime series The Most Dangerous Animal of All began, its producers faced a vexing problem: Was their protagonist a beleaguered soul with a profound identity crisis who had simply made a mistake, or was he a con man? The series follows Gary L. Stewarts painful quest for his biological father, which he documented in the 2014 best-selling memoir, The Most Dangerous Animal of All: Searching for My Father and Finding the Zodiac Killer. In the book, Stewart lays out his case for linking his deceased father Earl Van Best Jr. to the Zodiac Killer, the unidentified serial murderer who terrorized Northern California in the late 60s and 70s. Though his evidence was circumstantial, Stewart gathered a lot of it: an uncanny police sketch, partial-fingerprint evidence, matched handwriting, encrypted messages in letters written by the Zodiac Killer, and partial DNA. In Stewarts view, it all pointed to a horrifying truth: The grown man who eloped with his 14-year-old mother, got her pregnant, and later abandoned Stewart as an infant in an apartment building stairwell was also the elusive serial killer who murdered at least five people. Inspired by meeting his biological mother, Jude Gilford, who tracked him down 18 years ago, Stewart set out on a labored, at times torturous, process that lasted a dozen years and culminated in the memoir he co-wrote with journalist Susan Mustafa. Four years later, executive producer Ross Dinerstein and director Kief Davidson saw the potential in a documentary series that would follow Stewarts amateur sleuthing, but also depict the toll the obsessive search took on him and his family. They hired a private detective to retrace Stewarts steps and to vet him, and before long, investigator Zach Fechheimer was poking holes in each of Stewarts claims. Yes, the sketch of Zodiac looks a lot like Earl Van Best Jr., but experts dismissed the handwriting and fingerprints as matches and discredited the DNA analysis. Fechheimer also noticed that Stewart had doctored a police report, and in the biggest revelation tracked down Van Best Jr.s whereabouts to Europe at the same time the Zodiac Killer was on his rampage. While the story was turning out exponentially more complicated and compelling than the producers imagined, debunking every one of Stewarts theories threatened to destroy their relationship with him and possibly derail the show. They decided to wait to present Stewart their findings until close to the end of the yearlong production. The hardest part for me was knowing there was enough evidence to say Gary is not correct, but we couldnt necessarily tell him what we found out, Davidson said. There was a few weeks there that I just couldnt wait to be able to interview him because you dont really like sitting on information that will have an impact on someone elses life. As the discrepancies mounted, the producers forged ahead because, they decided, what mattered was that Stewart believed his father was the Zodiac Killer. We struggled with having information that we couldnt share with Gary, said Dinerstein, founder of Campfire, the production company behind the series. I felt guilty about that, but we knew it would affect him in a specific way and affect his interview. We had to be strategic with how we disseminated information, which was hard because I consider Gary a friend. Gary Stewart in The Most Dangerous Animal of All. Photo: Courtesy of FX Dinerstein and Stewart had an easy and quick connection from the first time they spoke on the phone in 2018. A true-crime fan, Dinerstein had read the memoir and responded to its nature versus nurture themes, so he called Stewart to tell him he was interested in buying the rights. I believed the book word for word, Dinerstein said. A couple of weeks later, they met in New Orleans for lunch. By the time the meal was over, Stewart chose Dinerstein over other producers who were courting him. I saw a really kind man and a really interesting, conflicted man who had everything in the world, but had this primal wound that he was not able to heal, Dinerstein said. He didnt have closure. And I thought this show could be his closure. It could be almost like a therapeutic experience. I found him to be very genuine. Once Stewart signed with Campfire, Dinerstein gave the book to Davidson to see if hed want to join the project. Although hes not typically drawn to true crime, Davidson saw potential in expanding the story that Stewart tells in the book. But he told Stewart from the start that he would conduct his own investigation. Gary was making pretty bold claims in the book, Davidson said. I came at it from a more skeptical viewpoint [than Dinerstein], but it wasnt that I was a nonbeliever. I wasnt a believer either. I was somewhere in the middle. Both men say that Stewart was enthusiastic to work with them and expressed that he was looking forward to finding the finality he did not get with the release of the book. (Stewart declined to be interviewed by Vulture for this story.) It was really after meeting Gary and seeing the complexity in his struggle, understanding who he was and where he came from, that made me want to go further, Davidson said. The primary goal wasnt to solve the Zodiac case, but I did say, Lets turn over every rock. The series blends archival footage from the 60s and 70s with reenactments of Van Best Jr.s life and relationship with Stewarts mother, and reenactments of Stewart investigating his fathers history and the Zodiac Killer case for his book. At times, while Stewart is filmed doing something hes already done in the past like reading old newspaper articles in the library about his parents marriage he openly sobs. The docuseries also features interviews with Stewarts biological mother and aunt, law enforcement officials, and Mustafa, who breaks down when she learns much of her book is false. Eventually, she conducts her own review and declares shes going to burn the book by the end of the series. Garys not an actor. When he showed us where his father left him in the stairwell, he broke down, Dinerstein said. Its just really hard for him. He just wears his emotions on his sleeve and is easily triggered by all of it. When the time finally came to confront Stewart with their new evidence, Davidson said he became angry but stuck to his theory. No matter what we threw at him, hed say, So we got the fingerprints wrong, we got the handwriting wrong, that doesnt mean Im wrong, he recalled. I can only speculate that this has become such a part of his identity that its a hard pill to swallow. Dinerstein was not in Louisiana the day Stewart learned what their investigation had turned up, but he spoke to him on the phone after they finished filming. He knows we had to tell all sides of it, Dinerstein said. But he feels what we presented is irrelevant. I think he still believes, but I also think, for the first time in his life, hes ready to put it to bed after the series comes out. Six months after production ended, the producers still struggle with their conclusions about Stewart. Davidson is convinced that Stewarts father was not the Zodiac Killer, but Dinerstein is not so sure. I dont think were ever going to know who the Zodiac Killer is, he said. I would be surprised if Earl Van Best Jr. is the Zodiac, but I also wouldnt be surprised if Earl Van Best Jr. was involved or had some connection to it. For Davidson, the lingering questions are more about Stewart himself. Throughout this process, wed go back and forth wondering if this was just one big con, he said. I dont believe it is a con. I think this man really believes this. But is there an element of opportunism? Or did he believe for a good chunk of his adult life and then it changed but theres a cover-up? That part we dont know. In Stewarts last moment in the series, he drives away in a car featuring a VANBEST vanity plate. Dinerstein says he noticed it at their first lunch and it pinged me as unusual. Even though theres no evidence that Van Best Jr. was the Zodiac Killer, he was, without a doubt, a pedophile who impregnated a teenager and then abandoned their newborn son in a stairwell. One way to look at that is to ask if hes trying to cash in, Davidson said. It doesnt quite fit the profile of the person with the identity crisis who just wants to find his father. I put it at the very end of the show because I still dont quite know whats really going on there. The producers allowed Stewart to screen the series ahead of its release to assuage his anxiety over it being a hit piece. That took another, final surprising turn. I think he was quite pissed at me with that last interview and he felt blindsided, Davidson said. But then I get a text from Gary, after he watches it, basically saying that I was brilliant and that he was super happy with it. So Gary is a huge fan of the series. But then you have to ask yourself: What does that tie into, that he loved it so much? How is that even possible? Coronavirus kills 168 more people in Italy in a day, raising death toll to 631, as Morocco, Lebanon confirm 1st deaths. Coronavirus has killed 168 more people in Italy in the past 24 hours, the highest toll in a single day since the start of the outbreak in the country. The whole of Italy a country of some 60 million people was placed under quarantine as the government stepped up efforts to tackle the coronavirus outbreak that has killed 631 people and affected more than 10,000. Globally, more than 4,000 people have died from the coronavirus and over 113,000 cases have been confirmed, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). About 64,000 people have recovered around the world. Here are the latest updates: Tuesday, March 10 22:20 GMT Turkey confirms first coronavirus case Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said that one male patient was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus after going through testing, Reuters news agency reported. It is the countrys first confirmed case of the coronavirus. Koca said the person is in isolation and family members of the patient are under observation. 22:00 GMT Pence confirms Trumps stimulus proposal includes payroll tax relief US Vice President Mike Pence confirmed that the stimulus proposal President Donald Trump discussed with lawmakers included payroll tax relief. Pence also said the Trump administration wants small and mid-size businesses to have resources to provide paid family leave to workers. 21:08 GMT Honduras suspends deportation flights Honduras has deportation flights from Mexico, a senior official told reporters, citing coronavirus fears. Reuters news agency reported that Foreign Minister Nelly Jerez said the flights will be stopped because Honduras does not have the capacity to quarantine people who may be infected at the airport. Bus deportations, however, will not be affected. 20:30 GMT Bernie Sanders cancels Cleveland rally over coronavirus concerns US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has canceled a rally in Cleveland over concerns about holding large public gatherings during the coronavirus outbreak. Out of concern for public health and safety, we are canceling tonights rally in Cleveland, campaign spokesman Mike Casca said in a statement. We are heeding the public warnings from Ohio state officials, who have communicated concern about holding large, indoor events during the coronavirus outbreak, he said. All future Bernie 2020 events will be evaluated on a case by case basis. 19:55 GMT EU pledges $28bn to tackle coronavirus crisis The European Commission will set up an EU fund worth 25 billion euros ($28bn) to tackle the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus outbreak, the head of the EU executive branch said. Speaking after an emergency video conference of EU leaders, Ursula von der Leyen said the investment fund should be financed with 7.5 billion euros of EU money and help vulnerable sectors of the economy. This instrument will reach 25 billion euros quickly. To realise this I will propose to council and parliament this week to release 7.5 billion euros of investment liquidity, von der Leyen told a news conference in Brussels. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen makes a speech as she holds a press conference after she attended the weekly college meeting of the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium [Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu] 19:32 GMT Air Canada suspends Italy flights Air Canada, the countrys flag carrier, has halted all flights to and from Italy over the coronavirus outbreak, until at least May 1. The airlines last flight to Rome is scheduled to take off from Toronto on Tuesday, with the final return flight departing Rome for Montreal on Wednesday. All affected affected customers will be notified and offered a full refund, it said. Air Canada said regulations and ongoing health and safety concerns prompted the decision. 19:21 GMT Algeria suspends political, sports gatherings Algeria has suspended economic, cultural and political gatherings to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Health Minister Abderrahmane Benbouzid said. The sports ministry earlier announced the postponement of all international sports gatherings and said local sports events would be played behind closed doors. So far, Algeria has confirmed 20 cases of coronavirus. 18:47 GMT New York sending in National Guard to control virus New Yorks governor announced he is sending the National Guard into a New York City suburb to help fight what is believed to be the nations biggest cluster of coronavirus cases. Schools, houses of worship and large gathering places will be closed for two weeks in a containment area centered in New Rochelle, and the troops will scrub surfaces and deliver food to the zone, which extends a mile in all directions from a point near a synagogue connected to some of the cases, Governor Andrew Cuomo said. We are implementing new emergency measures in New Rochelle, which has the biggest cluster of #Coronavirus cases in the state. Starting on Thursday for 2 wks, there will be a containment zone with a 1 mile radius around the site of the most cases in New Rochelle. pic.twitter.com/y4eZDK9zfU Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 10, 2020 18:35 GMT Trump, Democrats at odds over coronavirus economic proposals United States President Donald Trump and Congress are moving towards new legislation to support the US economy with competing priorities. Democrats in the US House of Representatives want to focus any legislation on helping families that may be hurt by school and workplace closures. Trump and Republicans in the Senate, meanwhile, have promoted the idea of a temporary elimination of payroll taxes as a way to boost the economy a plan many Democrats have dismissed. Read more here. 18:10 GMT Pentagon says coronavirus cases likely higher than official count The US militarys official tally of service members and related personnel who have been infected by the coronavirus likely undercounts the actual total, the Pentagon acknowledged, as a second service member in the United States tested positive for the virus. I think that it is likely, given what we are seeing around the world, and the fact that we have people all over the world, that there are more, Joint Staff Surgeon Air Force Brigadier General Paul Friedrichs told a Pentagon news briefing. 18:05 GMT Portugal suspends flights to and from Italy Portugals government suspended all passenger flights to and from Italy for 14 days starting on Wednesday as a preventative measure to stem the spread of coronavirus, it said in a statement. On Monday the government suspended flights to Italys most affected northern regions, but it now said that after constant monitoring of the evolution of the epidemic and following Italys decision to put the country on quarantine, it was decided to expand the suspension to all Italian regions. 17:18 GMT Italy coronavirus deaths jump to 631 The death toll in Italy from the novel coronavirus has surged to 631 after 168 more fatalities were confirmed in the last 24 hours, according to officials. It is the highest single-day toll to date since the outbreak started in the European country. The total number of cases in Italy also rose to 10,149 from a previous 9,172, the Civil Protection Agency said. 17:00 GMT Berlin cancels large cultural events over virus fears Large cultural events in Berlins theatres, operas and concert houses will be cancelled from Wednesday to prevent coronavirus contagion, authorities in the German capital said. The measure will remain in place until April 19, and will also affect concerts at the renowned Berlin Philharmonic, Berlins culture senator, Klaus Lederer, said, adding that it was regrettable but one must assume the responsibility. The Berlin Philharmonic building was designed by German architect Hans Scharoun and completed in 1963 [File: Sean Gallup/Getty Images] 15:33 GMT Six new cases confirmed in Qatar Six more coronavirus cases were confirmed in Qatar, the countrys health ministry said, taking the total number of infections in the Gulf state to 24. All the new cases are expatriate residents, who have had contact with previously announced community cases, the ministry said in a statement. 15:25 GMT Germany v Italy friendly to be played without fans Germany and Italy will play their international football friendly on March 31 in Nuremberg behind closed doors due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, Germanys Football Association (DFB) said. The virus has already had an impact on German football with several Bundesliga games to be played without spectators. As things stand, the friendly between Germany and Italy on 31st March in Nurnberg will take place behind closed doors. The city of Nurnberg informed the DFB today. #DieMannschaft #GERITA pic.twitter.com/FwMgORZiEZ Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) March 10, 2020 Read more about how the virus has affected global sports. 15:19 GMT Greece shuts schools, universities for two weeks Greece will shut schools, universities, daycare centres and other educational establishments for two weeks to contain the spread of the coronavirus, the health minister said. 14:36 GMT Qatar bans shisha in all cafes and restaurants Qatar has decided to prohibit the smoking of shisha in all cafes and restaurants in the country as a preventive measure against coronavirus, the Ministry of Public Health said. The decision comes in light of the current health conditions as well as in line with preventive measures to prevent infection with Coronavirus (COVID-19), a ministry statement said. So far, there are 18 confirmed cases of infection in Qatar. The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) issued Tuesday a decision to prohibit Shisha/hookah in all restaurants and cafes operating in the country, starting from today until further notice. https://t.co/hiSbbLMe8C (@MOPHQatar) March 10, 2020 14:20 GMT DRC confirms first coronavirus case The Democratic Republic of the Congo has confirmed its first case of coronavirus in the capital Kinshasa, the health ministry said. The patient is a Belgian citizen, who has been in the country for several days, Health Minister Eteni Longondo said, adding: He is confined to a hospital. A second statement later issued by the health ministry said the patient is a Congolese citizen, who has been placed in quarantine. 13:56 GMT Morocco reports first coronavirus death Moroccos health ministry confirmed the countrys first death from coronavirus in Casablanca as its overall number of new infections rose to three. The dead patient, who entered Morocco from Italys Bologna, is an 89-year-old Moroccan woman suffering from respiratory and heart diseases, the health ministry said in a statement. Morocco cancelled all trips to and from Italy and banned fans from attending football matches, cancelled events involving foreign travellers and gatherings of more than 1,000 people as precautionary measures to avert an outbreak of the virus. 13:47 GMT Sixth person dies in the UK, cases rise to 373 A sixth person has died from coronavirus in the United Kingdom, the health ministry said, as the number of confirmed cases increased to 373, up from 319 the day before The octogenarian patient, who was being treated by West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, had underlying health conditions, Chris Whitty, Englands chief medical officer, said in a statement. .@CMO_England has confirmed a sixth patient in England who tested positive for coronavirus (#COVID19) has died. The patient was being treated at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust and had underlying health conditions. For latest information: https://t.co/CZh5JdyN2Q pic.twitter.com/6twIMY8jqX Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) March 10, 2020 13:40 GMT Brunei reports five more coronavirus cases Brunei said five more people had tested positive for the coronavirus after the tiny Southeast Asian nation reported its first case a day ago. The first coronavirus patient in the sultanate was a 53-year-old Bruneian man who returned from the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur on March 3 and started showing symptoms four days later, Bruneis health ministry said. He was one of 90 Bruneians who attended a mass gathering of Islamic missionaries at a mosque in Kuala Lumpur. 13:40 GMT Spain cancels flights from Italy for two weeks Spain decided to cancel all direct flights from Italy for two weeks in a bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus, according to the governments official gazette. This measure will take effect from March 11 at midnight and continue until midnight of March 25, the gazette said. 13:25 GMT Swedens coronavirus risk now very high Swedens Public Health Agency raised the risk level for local contagion of the new coronavirus to very high from moderate and said it was seeing signs of community spread in the Nordic country. The agency said in a statement it was seeing signs of community spread of the virus in the regions centred around the two biggest cities, Stockholm and Gothenberg. The agency does not see general contagion all over the country, but the risk level is now being raised to the highest possible, it said. The announcement came minutes after the Stockholm region reported a jump in confirmed coronavirus cases to 207, an increase of 60 since Monday. 13:17 GMT Vatican closes St Peters Square, Basilica to tourists St Peters Square and its main basilica have been closed to tourists and guided groups because of coronavirus, but individual members of the faithful can enter the basilica to pray, the Vatican said. A nun walks past St Peters Square after a decree ordering the whole of Italy to be in lockdown [Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters] A statement said the Vatican would also be closing its post office in the square, which draws many tourists, as well as its bookstore and photo service. A cafeteria inside the Vatican for employees would also close. All measures will remain in effect until April. 3. Harvard to move to virtual classes amid coronavirus outbreak Harvard University asked its students not to return to campus after Spring Break and said it would begin moving to virtual instruction for graduate and undergraduate classes amid the coronavirus outbreak. The US universitys goal is to complete the transition by March 23, it added in the statement posted on its website. Harvard will begin transitioning to virtual instruction for graduate and undergraduate classes. Read President Bacows message to the community. https://t.co/njh3ci1QEH Harvard University (@Harvard) March 10, 2020 This is Saba Aziz in Doha taking over from my colleague Mersiha Gadzo 12:24 GMT Turkey says coronavirus outbreak highly likely It is highly likely that there is a coronavirus outbreak in Turkey, but there have not been any confirmed cases for now, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. Europe is very late in taking measures and it is still being too slow, Koca said. It is highly likely this outbreak is currently in Turkey. There are no confirmed cases of this virus, he added. 10:50 GMT Austria to deny entry for travellers from Italy Austria will deny entry to people arriving from Italy in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said. Other measures include cancelling university lectures and encouraging companies to allow employees to work from home, he said. Indoor events of more than 100 people and outdoor events of more than 500 will also be banned. 10:50 GMT Coronavirus kills 54 more people in Iran The coronavirus has killed 54 more people in Iran in the past 24 hours, the highest toll in a single day since the start of the outbreak in the country. This raised the death toll to 291 amid 8,042 cases, health ministry spokesperson Kianoush Jahanpour said in a televised conference. 881 new cases have been confirmed, taking the total infection tally to 8,042. 10:20 GMT Denmark cancels flights from severely affected countries All flights to Denmark from areas severely hit by the coronavirus such as northern Italy, Iran and South Korea will cease on Tuesday, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said. 10:15 GMT Death toll in France jumps to 30 The death toll in France from the coronavirus outbreak has risen to 30 from 25 a day earlier, the French public health authority said. 10:06 GMT British Airways cancels all Italian flights British Airways cancelled all flights to and from Italy after the country was put on lockdown until next month to tackle coronavirus, it said. In light of the Italian governments announcement and the UK governments official travel advice, we have contacted all customers who are due to travel today [March 10], the airline, owned by International Airlines Group (IAG), said. 10:03 GMT Kazakhstan imposes travel restrictions Kazakhstan barred entry to travellers from Italy and is adding France, Germany and Spain to the list from March 12, chief sanitary doctor Zhandarbek Bekshin said. The Central Asian country neighbouring China has not reported any cases of coronavirus so far. 10:00 GMT Serbia imposes travel restrictions Serbia closed its borders for foreigners arriving from countries most affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The temporary ban applies to people arriving from Italy, certain provinces in China, South Korea, Iran and Switzerland, the government said in a statement. So far four people in Serbia, including a Chinese national, have tested positive for coronavirus. 09:56 GMT Lebanon records first death A 56-year-old Lebanese man has died from the coronavirus, marking the countrys first recorded death from an epidemic that has so far infected 41 people in the country. The man had been receiving treatment in a state-run Beirut hospital, a health ministry source told the AFP news agency, adding that the patient had recently returned from Egypt, which is also in the grip of COVID-19. 09:18 GMT Japan unveils $4bn package Japan unveiled a second package of measures worth about $4bn in spending to cope with the fallout of the coronavirus outbreak, focusing on providing support to small and mid-sized firms, amid mounting concerns about the fragile economy. The package of 430.8 billion yen ($4.1bn) in spending, reflects the pressure policymakers are under to bolster fragile growth and stem the risk of corporate bankruptcies, as event cancellations and weakened tourism threaten to hit the economy hard. To help fund the package, the government will tap the rest of this fiscal years budget reserve of about 270 billion yen ($2.6bn), Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. 09:15 GMT Wizz Air suspends all flights to Italy, Israel Wizz Air has suspended all flights to Italy and Israel after the two countries announced moves to try to contain coronavirus, the low-cost carrier said. Flights to and from Italian airports will be cancelled from March 10 until April 3 and flights serving Israels Tel Aviv and Eilat will be suspended from March 12 until March 23, the company said. 09:09 GMT Polish president calls off big election rallies Polish President Andrzej Duda said he will not organise large campaign meetings ahead of elections in May in a bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus. I have made the decision that I will not organise large meetings in connection with my presidential campaign, because these are meetings that hundreds of people come to, state news agency PAP quoted Duda as saying. It seems to me that the risk that this may lead to the spread of coronavirus is too great. 09:00 GMT Beijing to extend winter heating season Beijing will extend its winter heating season by a week until March 22 as part of efforts to contain the coronavirus epidemic, an official from the municipal government said. The extension of the period when centralised systems provide heat to homes will help people keep warm as they stay indoors, and limit the number of people catching colds and going to hospital where they risk infection, the official said. 08:58 GMT Czech Republic closing schools, banning events The Czech Republic will suspend schools other than universities from Wednesday, and ban events hosting more than 100 people, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said. The country has so far reported 40 cases of coronavirus. 08:25 GMT Number of cases in Philippines rises to 35 The Philippine health department has confirmed 11 new cases of COVID-19, raising the total number of people infected to 35. President Rodrigo Duterte has placed the Philippines under a state of public health emergency, and suspended all school classes in the capital until Saturday. Other restrictions in social activities were put in place, including the suspension of visits at the national prison and live audiences in television shows. A square in Milan remains empty following imposed quarantines on the Lombardy and Veneto regions, which contain roughly a quarter of the countrys population [Pier Marco Tacca/Anadolu Agency] 08:17 GMT Payments on mortgages to be suspended across Italy Payments on mortgages will be suspended across Italy due to the coronavirus outbreak, Italys deputy economy minister said. Yes, that will be the case, for individuals and households, Laura Castelli said in an interview with Radio Anchio. Italys banking lobby ABI said on Monday lenders representing 90 percent of total banking assets would offer debt moratoriums to small firms and households grappling with the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak. 08:05 GMT Italy lockdown: what are the restrictions? Italy is the first European country to put more than 60 million people on lockdown to stem the spread of coronavirus. All sporting events, schools and universities have been cancelled. Places of public gathering such as cinemas, theatres and nightclubs remain closed. Religious ceremonies including funerals and weddings will also be postponed. Read more here about all the restrictions in place. "Behind me are the funeral announcements." Italian journalist, Francesca Borri, reports from the epicentre of the #coronavirus crisis in Lombardy, Italy. Follow latest updates: https://t.co/IIoQ4wRjZ3 pic.twitter.com/Fm4g3T4Xoy Al Jazeera News (@AJENews) March 10, 2020 06:57 GMT Palestinian COVID-19 cases jump to 26 Palestinian authorities confirmed a new coronavirus case in the occupied West Bank. The Health Ministry has reported a new coronavirus case in Bethlehem, which increased the number of people infected with coronavirus to 26, government spokesman Ibrahim Melhem said in a statement. Last week, the Palestinian Health Ministry announced a state of emergency in Bethlehem and Jericho over suspected coronavirus cases. 06:57 GMT German tourist diagnosed with coronavirus in northern Cyprus A German woman on holiday in northern Cyprus has been diagnosed with coronavirus, Anadolu news agency reported. The Greek Cypriot government in the islands south also confirmed its first two cases of coronavirus on Monday. 05:25 GMT Hubei introduces health code system to get people back to work Authorities in Chinas Hubei said on Tuesday they will implement a health code mobile phone-based monitoring system to start allowing people to travel within the province, as it tries to get life back to normal. The statement, published on the governments website, said the move was aimed at promoting the resumption of work and production. Chinas President Xi Jinping arrived in the provincial capital, Wuhan, on Tuesday for his first visit and is meeting medical workers and others involved in the fight against the virus. Photos: President Xi visits patients, medics at Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan (Photos: People's Daily) https://t.co/z44szN0n6p pic.twitter.com/0Jz94npsPs Global Times (@globaltimesnews) March 10, 2020 04:30 GMT Singapore to stop free treatment for foreign visitors with COVID-19 Foreign visitors will have to pay if they are treated for COVID-19 at Singapores public hospitals to prioritise resources given an expected rise in cases, the Ministry of Health said in its daily update on the coronavirus situation in the country. The decision came into effect on March 7. Testing of foreign visitors people on short-term visit passes will still be free, while residents and those on long-term passes will continue to receive free testing and treatment at government facilities, it said. 04:00 GMT Gates, other charities pledge $125m towards COVID-19 treatments The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome and Mastercard pledged $125m to support the development of treatments for the coronavirus. The effort, known as the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, will focus on identifying, assessing and developing new and repurposed drugs that can be used to treat patients. It will also focus on ensuring the drugs are affordable and available to less privileged populations. 03:40 GMT Incoming Trump chief of staff in self-quarantine Incoming White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has put himself in quarantine because he might have come into contact with a person who tested positive for the coronavirus, his spokesman said Monday. Meadows is not exhibiting symptoms, and a precautionary test came back negative, the spokesman said on Twitter. Mark Meadows was advised this weekend that now 12 days prior at CPAC, he may have come into contact with the COVID-19 positive test individual, the tweet said, referring to a conservative conference that took place late last month. Hell be self-quarantined till the 14 day period passes Wednesday. Trump appointed Meadows to the post of chief of staff on Friday. 03:20 GMT Chinas Xi Jinping on first visit to Wuhan: State media Chinas Global Times is reporting that President Xi Jinping has arrived in Wuhan on his first visit to the city where the coronavirus originated at the end of last year. We will bring you more details as we get them. Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives at Wuhan for COVID-19 epidemic control work pic.twitter.com/jxh3rFat5b Global Times (@globaltimesnews) March 10, 2020 03:05 GMT Death toll in China hotel/quarantine facility collapse jumps to 20 The death toll from the collapse of a hotel used as a coronavirus quarantine facility in eastern China has risen to 20, the Ministry of Emergency Management said at a press conference on Tuesday. Ten people are still feared trapped in the rubble. The building in the coastal city of Quanzhou was being used to house people who had recently been in regions hit by COVID-19, according to the local newspaper Quanzhou Evening News. It collapsed on Saturday evening. Emergency workers have rescued dozens from the rubble. The search is continuing for 10 people thought to be still trapped [Zeng Demeng/Xinhua via AP Photo] 02:55 GMT Japan to announce second package of virus measures Japans government is due to unveil the second package of measures to cope with the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak. Finance Minister Taro Aso says the measures will focus on financial support for small businesses but are also expected to include subsidies to parents who must take leave because of closed schools, and to beef up medical facilities. 02:20 GMT Mongolia seals off cities after coronavirus found Mongolia has barred anyone from entering or leaving its cities for six days after reporting its first case of coronavirus. The capital Ulaanbaatar and all province centres are quarantined until March 16 to curb the outbreak, Deputy Prime Minister Enkhtuvshin Ulziisaikhan told a press conference. 02:05 GMT Trump not tested for coronavirus White House US President Donald Trump has not been tested for the coronavirus even though at least two lawmakers with whom he has recently come into contact are in self-isolation after attending a conference where a delegate was confirmed with the virus. The President has not received COVID-19 testing because he has neither had prolonged close contact with any known confirmed COVID-19 patients, nor does he have any symptoms. President Trump remains in excellent health, and his physician will continue to closely monitor him, White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said in a statement. 02:00 GMT Panama confirms first coronavirus case A 40-year-old woman in Panama has tested positive for coronavirus, the countrys health minister said on Monday, the countrys first case. The unnamed woman had travelled from Spain and sought hospital care for fever and cough when she arrived in Panama, Health Minister Rosario Turner told reporters. The woman, whose nationality was not disclosed, has since been sent home in stable condition, the minister added. 01:25 GMT South Korea reports 131 new cases of coronavirus South Korea has just released the first of its two daily updates. South Korea has been testing thousands of people for coronavirus, and the numbers seem to be slowing [Heo Ran/Reuters] The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the country had 131 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, bringing total infections to 7,513. (The number) is continuing this steady downward trend that weve seen now for a few days, Al Jazeeras Rob McBride said from Seoul. You have to remember this is based on literally thousands of tests that are being done, actively searching out new cases among high-risk groups. 01:15 GMT Mongolia confirms first coronavirus case in French national Mongolia said on Tuesday that a French national working in the country had been confirmed to have the coronavirus, marking the countrys first case. The National Emergency Commission said in a statement the individual travelled to Mongolia from France via Moscow. It has identified 42 people the patient met and a further 142 individuals who had close contact with the person. 01:05 GMT 31 people in Seattle care home confirmed with virus A spokesman for the Seattle-area nursing home the site of the worst COVID-19 outbreak in the US said on Monday that 31 residents still living in the home have tested positive for the virus. Authorities have said 19 coronavirus deaths have been linked to the Life Care Center of Kirkland, including three that were announced on Monday. Life Care Center spokesman Tim Killian says the home is still awaiting the outcome of 20 other tests. Killian said residents who have tested positive will be treated at the centre, and those who test negative will be moved to a different part of the building. 00:55 GMT Morocco suspends all Italy travel Moroccan Prime Minister Saad Eddine el-Othmani said early on Tuesday that his country is suspending all travel to and from Italy amid fears about the coronavirus. Due to coronavirus spread in Italy, government of Morocco decided to suspend all travel to and from Italy until further notice, the prime minister wrote on his Twitter account. #MapActu Au vu de la propagation du Coronavirus en Italie, le gouvernement du Royaume du Maroc a decide de suspendre jusqu'a nouvel ordre tous les vols en provenance et a destination du territoire italien (communique)#coronavirus #COVID2019 pic.twitter.com/RU9NgVLtwg Agence MAP (@MAP_Information) March 10, 2020 00:50 GMT Albania closes schools, stops Italy flights and ferries Albania has closed schools for two weeks and suspended flight and ferries to Italy until April 3 after reporting its first cases of the coronavirus on Monday. More than 400,000 Albanians live in Italy. 00:20 GMT China cases continue to slow Mainland China reported 19 new cases of coronavirus infections on Monday, the National Health Commission said on Tuesday, down from 40 cases the day before. That brings the total number of confirmed cases in mainland China so far to 80,754. The death toll from the outbreak in China reached 3,136 as of the end of Monday, up by 17 from the previous day. The central province of Hubei, the epicentre of the outbreak, reported 17 new deaths, all of which were in the provincial capital of Wuhan. 00:15 GMT Qantas grounds planes, CEO gives up pay Australian airline Qantas has grounded eight of its 10 A380 planes and is rerouting flights as it grapples with a sharp drop in demand. Qantas and its budget airline Jetstar will cut international routes by 25 percent for the next six months with the biggest reductions in Asia and the US. In the past fortnight, weve seen a sharp drop in bookings on our international network as the global coronavirus spread continues, CEO Alan Joyce said. We expect lower demand to continue for the next several months, so rather than taking a piecemeal approach, were cutting capacity out to mid-September. Joyce is Australias highest-paid CEO, receiving 24m Australian dollars ($15m) in pay for the 2018 financial year. He will not receive a salary for the rest of the financial year, which ends on June 30 in Australia. Other Qantas executives will take a 30-percent pay cut, and there will be no bonuses for management. Staff are being encouraged to take annual and unpaid leave. 00:00 GMT First passengers leave Grand Princess cruise ship in California The first passengers are being taken ashore from the Grand Princess, a cruise ship that confirmed 21 coronavirus cases, in the California port of Oakland. US Vice President Mike Pence said those with the virus were being dealt with in proper isolation. The Grand Princess has more than 3,500 passengers and crew on board. Emergency workers in gowns, gloves, respirators and face shields took those requiring immediate treatment to waiting ambulances. California health, local and state officials are working around the clock with @CDCgov to ensure the health of passengers & crew aboard the Grand Princess and the protection of public health in Oakland and surrounding communities. We wont rest until their wellbeing is assured. pic.twitter.com/eatybBtQ9g Ann O'Leary (@Ann_OLeary) March 9, 2020 California Governor Gavin Newsom said people will leave the ship in small groups. More than 900 passengers from the state are on the ship. Anyone symptomatic will be fitted with a surgical mask and disembarked via a separate gangway to avoid disease spread, a statement from Newsoms office said. Click here to read all the updates from yesterday (March 9). 10.03.2020 LISTEN Some seven persons arrested for their involvement in disturbances at Anglogold Obuasi Gold mine have been slapped with four charges conspiracy to commit crime, unlawful assembly, unlawful demonstration and causing unlawful damage. The seven, who are currently on remand were part of a group of demonstrators who blocked the main entrance of the mining company demanding employment for indigenes. Speaking to Citi News, the Obuasi Municipal Commander, DSP Martin Asenso said calm has been restored while investigations continue. The court remanded them into prison custody. They are expected to reappear on the 23rd of this month. We proffered these charges against them; unlawful assembly, unlawful demonstration, and causing unlawful damage. Meanwhile, the Unit Committee Secretary of the Anyinam Electoral Area, Kojo Kwarteng who confirmed that three persons were injured said they would be seeking bail for the seven remanded persons. The family and community leaders have decided to hire a lawyer, he said. Anglogold Ashanti ex-staff stage demo over delays A similar protest occurred in the area weeks ago when some former workers of Anglogold Ashanti poured onto the streets of Obuasi to protest delays in the release of their monies from the Heritage Fund, established over 100 years ago. The over 6,500 affected ex-workers had accused the government of being adamant in listening to their concerns. The process to retrieve the money was initiated after the closure of the mine in 2014. Convener for the group, Isaac Asiedu warned that they will take action against the government if it fails to release the monies. We are demonstrating to protest against the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo for the delay and refusal of the payment of the Heritage Fund due members of the company following the collapse of the company. The Heritage Fund that was instituted by a British man in 1897 to benefit the workforce of the company when mining ceased operation has still not been released after the company was closed in 2014. All processes that were commenced to fully claim benefits have proved futile. The President claims to be a listening government but he is not because he has remained adamant on this issue. We the members are embarking on a demonstration through the principal streets of Obuasi. This is to enable the government to realise the intensity and frustration of its members. ---citinewsroom Looking for small bathroom ideas that will make the whole space seem bigger? So is most of Manhattan. The lack of square footage, limited natural light, and number of fixtures to squeeze in make a small bathroom one of the more challenging spaces to decorate. But done right, the whole room can seem brighter and more spacious. And no, you wont have to spend a zillion dollars to carve a window into the wall (or call on something retro, like glass bricks). These small bathroom ideas go beyond making the most of the available space and prove that bold design elements can be right at home in even the tiniest rooms. Here are the best ways to turn powder rooms, half-baths, and just little tiny (sometimes windowless) bathrooms into less cramped, more enjoyable situations. Your small bath may just be your next favorite room. 1. Keep Your Colors Light and Bright Emily Gilbert Photography A wood floor and vanity give this city bathroom a warm and serene feeling. A soft mint-green hue reflects natural light from the window. The space surrounding the freestanding tub makes the room feel more open, as does the lightweight curtain fabric, which allows maximum light to enter. 2. Or Double Down on Dark Color Gilles Mendel's Contemporary Bathroom Joshua McHugh Wait, what? Oftentimes I like to paint small bathrooms [typically windowless rooms] a dark color, like black. It gives depth and creates an illusion of a larger space, says Jenny Wolf of Jenny Wolf Interiors. Go with a high-gloss in a super dark color, advises Fleming James of Oliver Street Designs. The hue will simultaneously impart a big-night-sky effect and also bounce the little light you have around the space. (Doing so will also draw attention to the light fixtures, she points out, so youll need to choose them thoughtfullybulbs that bring in plenty of light, shapes you dont mind being pretty pronounced.) 3. Mirror a Wall Modern Bathroom by Joanne de Guardiola William Waldron Rather than just hanging one above the vanity, consider mirroring a whole wall of your tiny bathroom. The reflection of light and pattern (and, sometimes, that open door) will do the same good work a window does. Story continues 4. Or Incorporate Multiple Mirrors If mirroring an entire wall wont work in your space, you can just add multiple mirrors to one wall. 5. Opt for a Glass Shower Door Emily Gilbert If youre starting your small bathroom design from scratch, consider scrapping the curtain entirely. I also recommend glass shower doors in a small bath, as it will help to open up the space, Wolf says. 6. Or Remove Your Shower Door Completely Small Bathroom Design KristianSeptimiusKrogh The slightly more adventurous might even consider no shower door at all (a good drain is wise in that case). 7. Backlight the Mirror Minimalist bathroom with sink and mirror. Mirror with led backlight Anton Minin This can be a chic and modern way to amplify light, James says, if you do not have room for sconces or simply want a more minimalistic look. 8. Take On Tile Photo: Matt Harrington/Courtesy of McGrath II Tile is a durable way to add impact and can be used from floor to ceiling. For smaller bathroom walls, we like to specify ceramic tiles that are small, says Suzanne McGrath of the design firm McGrath II. The designer is a fan of using one-by-four and two-by-six floor tileswhich are also less expensiveon bathroom walls. 9. Give the Curtain a Lift If you have the luxury of choosing where your shower curtain goes, James says to take the fabric all the way up past the usual height of the tub. Extending the curtain nearly to the ceiling will certainly elongate the walls, she says, adding that the taller your ceiling in the bathroom, the more this will help. 10. Install a Pocket Door Though this trick is a little more labor-intensive, replacing your door with a pocket door that tucks away into the wall can open up room for additional storage. Youll just need to find another spot to hang your towels. 11. Keep the Floor Clear Traditional Bathroom by Alison Martin Interiors Ltd. and Jean Perin Interior Design Joshua McHugh Covering the floor with a vanity or storage containers can create a cramped space, not to mention tripping hazards. A pedestal or floating sink keeps the floor clear, and installing floating storage will help keep everything you need at arms length. 12. Try a Large-Scale Wall Covering Small Bathroom Ideas: Contemporary Bathroom by Timothy Whealon Inc. Photo: Simon Watson You might think you need to go for a petite motif, but its actually better to go big. Medium- and large-scale wallpapers and tile patterns can actually make a space feel larger, James explains. Whether you choose big tiles or an even bigger pattern is up to you; she says theyll both give an illusionary scale in tight quarters. 13. Use High-Gloss Paint to Reflect Light and Amplify the Space casey-kenyon-brooklyn-apartment-10.jpg Photo: Roland Bello Designers Casey Kenyon and Jonathan Becks Brooklyn bathroom feels decidedly airy thanks to light-reflecting high-gloss paint. 14. Extend Bathroom Tile Into the Shower Bathroom renovated with mosaic of grey tiles. Washbasin, shower and skylight piovesempre Unbroken lines give any space more depth. Use this concept in your bathroom by installing the same tile on your floor and shower. The effect is an unbroken surface that makes the entire room seem larger. 15. Opt for a Patterned Floor Francesco Lagnese Believe it or not, this bathroom is windowless. Tall mirrored medicine cabinets and a glass shower amplify light from the interior fixtures, brightening up the space. Wolf used built-in cabinets to save floor space. A herringbone wood floor gives the illusion of a larger and warmer bath. 16. Install a Shelf in the Shower Some of the best small bathroom ideas are all about creating space for storage, including your soaps and bottles. If you shower lacks space, you can install a shelf in about 20 minutes. 17. Add a Shower Niche Photo: Aubrie Pick Another major space saver? A shower niche. If youre designing a small bathroom, make sure to include a shower niche in your plans. 18. Use a Ledge to Create Space A narrow ledge along the entire length of this bathroom is the perfect perch for a mirror, toothbrush, and other essentials. 19. Move Your Towel Bar In a West Village powder room by designer Ashley Darryl, a towel bar is fastened to the side of the floating sink. 20. Upgrade Your Bathroom Accessories Patterned towels, vintage rugs, and sophisticated lighting also add pops of personality. Lighting and bath fixtures are like the jewelry of the room. Use them to bring a little glamour into the space," says Los Angelesbased interior designer Sarah Samuel. 21. Rethink Your Sink If youre designing your tiny bathroom from scratch (or remodeling), consider a tiny corner sink. Theres no rule that says you have to have a full-size standard sink. A corner sink gets the job done just as wellplus it gives you plenty of space and less to clean. 22. Choose Compact Pieces Hulking vanities and blocky tubs may look at home in a larger bathroom, but they can make a small bathroom feel claustrophobic. Install compact toilets and sinks or consider floating versions to open up the space. If a tub is a must, consider a Japanese soaking tub to add serenity without taking up square footage. 23. Use Closed Storage to Stay Organized Bottles and tubes scattered on the countertops are guaranteed to distract from even the most gorgeous bath. Samuel suggests closed storage, such as a linen closet or vanity with drawers and doors, to keep things tucked away. Display only your favorite and most frequently used, well-designed products. 24. Get Your Cabinets in Order Dont forget about whats inside the cabinets too. Compartmentalize your cabinets with specific storage sites for tools and toiletries. Large baskets keep hair dryers, flat irons, and brushes from becoming a tangled mess, while smaller trays are great for holding makeup and beauty products. 25. Curve Some Surfaces Small bathroom in gray tones yuryRumovsky Reclaim some of your space with a curved sink or shower. It might not seem like much, but it can make a difference, especially in a tiny space where real estate matters. 26. Add Stylish Shelving Molena 3-Tier Display Wall Shelf $43.99.00, Wayfair BUY NOW Forget anything basic. Opt for a sleek shelf that fits your decor and gives you extra space (a precious commodity in a small bathroom). 27. Choose a Wall-Mounted Faucet Small Bathroom Ideas Not only is a wall-mounted faucet a real space saver, its also stylish, modern, and easy to clean. 28. Use a Bathtub Caddy Expandable Bathtub Caddy $25.00, West Elm BUY NOW Whether or not you find yourself with a small bathroom, you just might find yourself with a small bathtub ledge. When bathtubs are made to fit compact spaces, designers may opt to shave off the width of the edgesand if you dont have a shower niche or corner shelf, youre out of luck. The solution? A bathtub tray. Sure, its made for relaxing in a bathtub with a book and a glass of wine, but it doubles as a place to set your toiletries. 29. Get Creative With Storage In cramped rooms, any open space is an opportunity. Take the area underneath the sink in this Carnemark-designed bath, which is just the right size for a stack of artfully rolled towels. 30. Add a Ladder for Towels A vintage vanity with an undermount basin. A vintage vanity with an undermount basin. Photo courtesy of Making Home Base We love this country-chic small bathroom that gets creative with a ladder. It can hang more towels than a bar, and it gives the bathroom a unique feel. If you dont have enough space for a ladder that stands alone, choose one that is made to sit above a toilet. 31. Pare Down Your Bottles Bathroom Lets be honest: We usually dont need all those toiletry bottles. Streamlining your grooming products will give you more space, so do a Marie Kondo and pare down your shampoo collection. Or, at the very least, store the products you dont use daily somewhere other than your counters or bathtub ledges. Getting rid of any clutter will make your small bathroom seem much bigger. 32. Go for Custom Toiletry Bottles Custom Toiletry Bottles $29.99.00, Etsy BUY NOW You can take this a step further and actually get custom toiletry bottles, which come in a variety of styles and sizes. In a small space, every design choice mattersso even this seemingly small upgrade can really streamline your surfaces and make everything look organized and clean. 33. Install a Skylight Bathroom renovated with mosaic of grey tiles. Washbasin, shower and skylight piovesempre This is one of the more ambitious small bathroom ideas, but it will make a major impact. Installing a skylight will open up your entire bathroom and significantly brighten the space. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest The South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC) is warning South Africans against mobile phone snatching fraud. While the theft of mobile phones is nothing new, SABRIC said there is an emerging trend where personal and confidential information from these phones is used to commit crimes. SABRIC said people should be aware that their phone stores far more information than what they may be aware of. This is even more applicable if you use your mobile device to do your banking. Remember, your phone is equal to a bank card and could even act as a gateway to your bank account, SABRIC said. Because so much sensitive information is on our phones, we need to take mobile security very seriously, said SABRIC acting CEO Susan Potgieter. How criminals access information on your phone There are a number of ways that criminals can access information stored on your phone if it is stolen. One way is to access all open applications on your unlocked phone and view your sensitive data. Another is to use social engineering to obtain your usernames and passwords stored in the cloud. Tactics used could be vishing, where criminals call you and manipulate you into believing that they are from the bank to coerce you into revealing confidential information like PINs or passwords. Criminals can also use phishing, where you are sent an email, which you believe to be from your bank or a legitimate service provider. The phishing emails typically contains a link which opens a web page which asks you for your PIN or passwords. Potgieter said once your password has been compromised, all other credentials on your phone are available and may be exploited. In addition to social engineering, your credentials could also be compromised through shoulder surfing in public places such as restaurants, she said. What you should do if your phone is stolen When your mobile phone is lost or stolen, you should immediately contact your bank to deactivate your banking app, block cards, and block your bank account. Make sure you always have your banks hotline number stored somewhere other than on your mobile phone, said Potgieter. If you have activated the Find My iPhone or Find my Device facility, locate or wipe your device. If you receive an email or SMS after doing this, dont click on any links as these are not safe, she said. When a bank clients mobile phone is stolen, they tend to focus on protecting their photos and social media profiles however, their highest priority should be protecting their money. Now read: Beware this email fraud scam when buying a car in South Africa Israel: Netanyahu's trial on March 17 after appeal rejected Court rejects defense's postponement request (ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, MARCH 10 - A court in Jerusalem has rejected Benyamin Netanyahu's request to postpone by 45 days a trial against him scheduled to start on March 17. The prime minister's defense attorneys had requested more time to examine the evidence against him. The trial will begin as scheduled. The prime minister faces charges of corruption, fraud and abuse of power. (ANSAmed) The prosecutors of the Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) detained 25 crime group members on charges of robbing moving trucks; the robberies were committed both in Romania and in other EU states. The investigators conducted on Monday 73 home searches in Bucharest and the Ilfov, Arges, Prahova, Teleorman and Ialomita counties, 18 of which under a European warrant issued by France; the authorities seized 100 mobile terminals, 200 perfumes of various brands and other cosmetics, more than 300 pairs of footwear, about 400 new clothing items, laptops and sunglasses, 3 luxury cars, 5 guns the licenses of which are being checked, battery chainsaws, white weapons for which indications exist that they might have been used to commit crimes, walkie talkies, as well as about 20,000 lei.The 25 defendants were due to be brought before the Bucharest Court on Tuesday with a proposal for a 30-day remand period.DIICOT argues that five organized crime groups were formed in Romania between 2016 - 2018, which engaged in robbing goods of significant value from trucks rolling on public roads, both in Romania and in several European states - Belgium, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands and Spain.The prosecutors determined that for their criminal activities the suspects were using fast cars of foreign origin, mainly 7 or 8-seat vans or utility vehicles with powerful engines and equipped with sunroof - an absolutely necessary feature, as the robbers drove close to the moving HGVs with the headlights off and then climbed into the trucks to steal from the load inside and then make a fast escape.Secured with straps or harnesses, the robbers jumped from their cars on the moving truck doors, cut the locks or forced the locking systems and once inside, grabbed the goods and threw them through the open sunroof in the criminal vehicle rolling at the side of the truck.Other criminal vehicles were driving all at the same speed at a considerable distance behind the truck train so as to not allow other cars to get close to the robbers as they broke into the trailers.Sometimes, when required, one of these cars collected the stolen goods tossed from the truck and subsequently transported them to a temporary storage place.Following the extensive criminal investigation by DIICOT, criminal investigation was ordered against 47 suspects, and criminal investigation was initiated against 24 suspects under a European warrant issued by the Paris Judicial Court; 10 of the latter group have already been arrested by the French authorities. Its a small thing but to be surrounded by that and the way they think, and the way they buy and the way they discuss, I think that was the main objective, he said. We want to make sure we are close to the consumer and sitting in a campus in Deerfield is not the way to be close to the consumer. Howellss socialism originated in an ethical crisis. He attended court to watch trials; he visited factories. He defended those accused of the Haymarket bombing. Liberalism failed him. He could no longer believe, as he once did, that in the United States the ills that afflicted humanity could be averted by honest work and unselfish behavior. By the late 1880s what he had called the smiling aspects of American life seemed to be disappearing. Howells regarded socialism as not a positive but a comparative thing Every citizen of a civilized State is a socialist. If anyone believed that the postal department, the public schools, the mental hospitals, the almshouse are good things; and that when a railroad management has muddled away in hopeless ruin the money of all who trusted it, a Railroad Receiver is a good thing, then that person embraced socialism. Howells believed that the postal savings-banks, as they have them in England; and national life-insurance as they have them in Germany are good things. Like Howells, Bernie Sanders embraces a series of modest changes. Mr. Sanders often rightly seems bewildered that free public college education once the norm in California and the universal health care of Canada and Europe can seem to be radical solutions to American problems. Opponents of socialism cast such proposals as dangerous and un-American, but Henry James was closer to the truth when he described the limits of Howellss imagination. He thought Howellss deficiencies as a novelist arose from his being too much at home with the moderate, the optimistic, the domestic, and the democratic to take great risks. James could have been describing Howellss socialism and that of his contemporaries. Frances Willard, for example, was an evangelical Christian and a self-described Christian socialist who drew little distinction between her Christianity and her socialism. In Every Christian there exists a socialist; and in every socialist a Christian. She was a president of the Womans Christian Temperance Union, which influenced the vision in Looking Backward of American socialism. Francis Bellamy, Edwards cousin and another Christian socialist, wrote the Pledge of Allegiance. Liberty and justice for all pretty much epitomized the values behind his beliefs. The modesty of socialist goals could ironically emerge as Mr. Sanderss shield. Radicals anarchists, Communists and other Marxists have at critical moments influenced Americas development, often for the better, and most of them have despised American socialists as insufficiently revolutionary, ideologically incoherent, hopelessly sentimental and utterly enmeshed in existing society. They were right which was why American socialists have been far more influential than their radical critics. Socialists appealed to sensibility, values and justice, not ideologies. They put their hope in the benevolence and fairness of the mass of Americans what Howells called the sufficiency of the common rather than in elites. They often did not know exactly where they were going or how to get there, but they knew the direction they must go and who must accompany them. They did not despair. They seem quite familiar and quite American. After a Jerusalem district court judge rejected Benjamin Netanyahu's request to postpone his corruption trial, the embattled Israeli prime minister is scheduled to appear in court next week as a defendant. On Tuesday, Judge Rivkah Friedman-Feldman dismissed Netanyahus request for a 45-day delay in the court proceedings. The prime ministers legal team had requested the postponement on the grounds that it needed more time to review the evidence requested from the state prosecutor. There are no grounds for justifying the postponement of the hearing, Friedman-Feldman said, according to The Times of Israel. Netanyahu, the countrys first sitting prime minister to be tried in court, was indicted in November on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. The investigation alleges Netanyahu accepted lavish gifts from wealthy businessmen and offered regulatory favors to media tycoons in exchange for favorable media coverage. The 70-year-old Israeli leader denies any wrongdoing and has called the trial a politically motivated witch hunt orchestrated by his leftist rivals, the media and state prosecutors. Friedman-Feldman, one of the three judges on the panel trying Netanyahu, ruled Tuesday that the prime minister must appear in court March 17, when the criminal charges against him will be read out. The ruling comes as Netanyahu seeks reelection for the third time in under a year. As with the previous two rounds of voting, last weeks national elections ended with both Netanyahus Likud and the centrist Blue and White Party failing to secure the necessary 61 votes needed to form a new government. Blue and White's leader, former army chief Benny Gantz, announced Monday he was in talks with Israeli kingmaker Avigdor Liberman to form a governing coalition with his secular nationalist Yisrael Beitenu Party. According to Haaretz, Gantz is also working to secure an endorsement from the Arab-led Joint List coalition. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin is expected to choose the prime minister-designate next week after consultations with the eight parties. (Newser) A Louisiana woman was arrested on drug charges after police determined the $5,000 cash she used to post an inmate's bail had a "strong odor of marijuana." Authorities began investigating Stormy Lynn Parfait, 33, on Friday, shortly after she showed up at the Ashland jail to pay the bond fee for an inmate being held there on drug charges, the Terrebonne Parish Sheriffs Office said in a statement. After catching a whiff of the cash, a detective searched her car while she was still at the jail and found nearly $40,000 more in cash inside, along with about 100 Klonopin pills and a food stamp card that wasn't registered to Parfait, according to the sheriff's statement. story continues below Investigators found hundreds of additional pills and cash as well as marijuana, cocaine, and paraphernalia, during a search of Parfait's home later. Four unattended children there were turned over to a relative, the AP reports. Parfait was charged with multiple counts of possession with intent to distribute drugs, four counts of illegal use of a controlled drug in the presence of persons under 17, taking contraband to or into a correctional institution, and other related charges, authorities said. (Read more Louisiana stories.) Of late, Bernie has been making a big push about his being Jewish. He's doing this because of concerns about the anti-Semites with whom he surrounds himself and his hostility to Israel. On Monday, he undercut his own "I'm a proud Jew" message when he took on Phillip Agnew, a rabid anti-Semite and America-hater, as his newest senior adviser. Bernie's efforts to appear philo-Semitic arise from the fact that Judaism, unlike any other religion, has not only doctrinal components, but also genetic and cultural aspects. Jews are a race because their genes identify them as Jewish. Jews are undoubtedly a religion, as evidenced by the fact that millions of Jews live their lives to a greater or lesser extent in accordance with the Torah. And finally, Jews are a culture, one that is distinct from other cultures and that is not dependent on religious worship or even on genetic Jewishness. (Trump, for example, has a decidedly Jewish sense of humor.) Bernie is genetically Jewish. He and his followers wield like a shield the fact that he had relatives who died in the Holocaust. Bernie has an accent one associates with Jews raised in Brooklyn, and he undoubtedly is comfortable with some Yiddish expressions and probably likes chicken soup with matzoh balls (but who doesn't?). But what Bernie does not have is a religious or cultural affinity for Judaism. As a socialist, he's hostile to religion. As a communist, he's hostile to the world's only Jewish state. During his three months in Israel, he lived on a kibbutz so Marxist and unsupportive of the Jewish state that Bernie, for many years, refused to name it. Bernie is a Jew in genes only. Nothing more. And like so many Jews who have turned against their lineage and their faith, Bernie is an anti-Semite. The self-loathing Jew is a stereotype rooted in fact. Other famous self-loathing Jews are Karl Marx, Noam Chomsky, and George Soros. They are all dangerous people who use their troubled inner battles to damage other Jews. American Jews, even progressive Jews, are beginning to notice Bernie's anti-Semitism, and Bernie needs to win them back. That's how we get ads like this: I would be very proud to be the first Jewish president. Together, we will counter the hatred and bigotry of the Trump administration. Thank you @jewsforbernie for standing with us. pic.twitter.com/dznfwQEYsU Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) March 5, 2020 But try as he will to woo Jews, Bernie's innate anti-Semitism keeps oozing out. The latest example (via Twitchy) is the news on Monday that Phillip Agnew will be a senior adviser to Bernie's campaign. In a Twitter thread, John-Paul Pagano spells out how deeply Agnew hates both America and Jews: Sanders campaign promotes to Senior Advisor Phillip Agnew, who tweets: America is responsible for mass shooting at Orlando nightclub, lied about killing Osama bin Laden, murders its citizens for money pic.twitter.com/XNB2f046XX John-Paul Pagano (@johnpaulpagano) March 8, 2020 Sanders' new Senior Advisor, Phillip Agnew, is a co-founder of Dream Defenders, which contributed the section to the platform of the #BLM coalition, Movement for Black Lives, that singled out Israel for an accusation of "genocide" against Palestinians. His politics are in line. pic.twitter.com/c97qGmyP9y John-Paul Pagano (@johnpaulpagano) March 8, 2020 Bernie Sanders' new Senior Advisor, Phillip Agnew, extends his vision of a savage America, somnolent about its brutal history, to Israel--a violent racist fraud "masquerading as a Jewish state". What will be be advising @BernieSanders on? pic.twitter.com/PpNUAYGEbZ John-Paul Pagano (@johnpaulpagano) March 8, 2020 .@BernieSanders believes that embracing people like Agnews will help him with the black voters he's performed poorly with, but that's the kind of ham-fisted, tone deaf and embarrassing move you'd expect from a white antique socialist, for whom class and not race is everything. John-Paul Pagano (@johnpaulpagano) March 8, 2020 This is what Phillip Agnews represents today -- a small group of useful idiots who have had their sympathies preyed on since the Six-Day War.https://t.co/awZag9M83P John-Paul Pagano (@johnpaulpagano) March 8, 2020 UPDATE: On Sep-11 2016, @BernieSanders new Senior Advisor Phillip Agnew shared a cartoon by Carlos Latuffwho won 2nd Place in Irans International Holocaust Cartoon Competitiondepicting 9/11 as just desserts of US foreign policy. Agnews caption: What goes round comes round pic.twitter.com/0mmO0JnJho John-Paul Pagano (@johnpaulpagano) March 9, 2020 It's both depressing and frightening that one of the last two people standing in the Democrat Party primary is a man who thinks Agnew is a good pick for a senior campaign adviser. Meanwhile, Rashida Tlaib, one of Bernie's biggest cheerleaders, tweeted out a picture of herself on Monday proudly wearing a shirt that erases Israel from the map: The shirt that @RashidaTlaib is wearing here promoting antisemite @Lsarsours book totally wipes Israel off the face of the earth. A Palestinian flag painted over the entire map of what we now know as Israel. pic.twitter.com/ltBAFIWgSR Reagan Battalion (@ReaganBattalion) March 9, 2020 And there's one of Bernie's surrogates, Amir Zahr, a virulent anti-Semite by any standards. All of these surrogates are the type of anti-Semites who profess to love Jews but whose political positions make clear that they love Jews best when the Jews are dead and gone. It's reasonable to judge people by the company they keep. Bernie doesn't hang with a very nice class of people. Technavio has been monitoring the automotive HD maps market and it is poised to grow by USD 815.93 mn during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of almost 17% 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. Request a free sample report This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005402/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Automotive HD Maps Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Intel Corp., NavInfo Co. Ltd. NVIDIA Corp., The Sanborn Map Co. Inc. and TomTom International BV are some of the major market participants. Although the adoption of cloud-based HD maps will offer immense growth opportunities, data security concerns associated with HD maps and autonomous vehicles will challenge the growth of the market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments. Adoption of cloud-based HD maps has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. However, data security concerns associated with HD maps and autonomous vehicles might hamper market growth. Automotive HD Maps Market 2020-2024: Segmentation Automotive HD Maps Market is segmented as below: Application Passenger Cars Commercial Vehicles Geographic segmentation APAC Europe MEA North America South Africa 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=IRTNTR40653 Automotive HD Maps 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 automotive HD maps market report covers the following areas: Automotive HD Maps Market size Automotive HD Maps Market trends Automotive HD Maps Market industry analysis This study identifies adoption of satellite imaging technology to generate HD maps as one of the prime reasons driving the automotive HD maps market growth during the next few years. Automotive HD Maps Market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the automotive HD maps market, including some of the vendors such as Intel Corp., NavInfo Co. Ltd. NVIDIA Corp., The Sanborn Map Co. Inc. and TomTom International BV. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the automotive HD maps 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 Automotive HD Maps Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024 Detailed information on factors that will assist automotive HD maps market growth during the next five years Estimation of the automotive HD maps market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behaviour The growth of the automotive HD maps market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of automotive HD maps market vendors Table of Content 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 APPLICATION Market segmentation by application Comparison by application Passenger cars Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Commercial vehicles Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Market opportunity by application PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison North America Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Europe Market size and forecast 2019-2024 APAC Market size and forecast 2019-2024 MEA Market size and forecast 2019-2024 South America 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 Adoption of satellite imaging technology to generate HD maps Integration of HD map content in ADAS Adoption of V2X technology to enhance performance of HD maps PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption Competitive scenario PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Alphabet Inc. CARMERA Inc. Civil Maps DeepMap Inc. HERE Global BV Intel Corp. NavInfo Co. Ltd. NVIDIA Corp. The Sanborn Map Co. Inc. TomTom International BV 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/20200310005402/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/ Where Is Investigation Report Into Coronavirus Whistleblower? By Joyce Huang March 09, 2020 One month after the death of China's coronavirus whistleblower doctor Li Wenliang, civil groups and rights advocates at home and abroad are demanding answers from the Chinese government's investigation into his alleged grievance and speech suppression. Many, however, say pessimistically they won't get their hopes up as they suspect that China is likely paying just lip service. In a press statement, a Washington-based non-profit organization Citizen Power Initiative for China urged the Chinese authorities to soon release results of the investigation, which it said shouldn't have taken more than a month. "Dr. Li's name as a rumormonger is still yet to be cleared even though China's National Health Commission had just honored him, along with 33 other medical professionals [who died from the coronavirus disease, for their outstanding performance and dedication to the country's fight against the outbreak," the statement said. Questions to be answered The group said that it expects the Chinese government to answer their five major questions in the to-be-released investigative report. Those include: whether Li was telling the truth about the virus? If yes, who should be held responsible for the police arrest of Li and his associates? How did the police obtain Li's private WeChat messages? At that time, whether the central government was aware of the outbreak in Wuhan and who should be held responsible for the state media CCTV's report, which called Li and his associates rumormongers. VOA's email to China's National Supervisory Commission for response went unanswered. The 34-year-old ophthalmologist from Wuhan, the center of the outbreak, was among eight whistleblowers reprimanded by local authorities for trying to sound the alarm about the deadly coronavirus during December of last year. Public fury His death on Feb. 7 triggered an outpouring of public anger and sorrow in China as well as fury at Chinese officials. On the same day, China rushed to announce that a team of investigators would be sent to Wuhan to see if Li was wronged an apparent attempt to ease public anger. The doctor had since become the face of speech suppression in China amid calls for free speech there. Patrick Poon, China Researcher at Amnesty International, said that China continues to crack down on the likes of Li such as citizen journalists Chen Qiushi and Fang Bin who tried to unveil what is happening on the ground or criticism of China's handling of the outbreak. Lip service Under such circumstances, no one should expect too much from the investigation report, he said. Poon said China is just paying "lip service" with the investigation serving few purposes other than calming public outrage toward Li's death. "It's very unfortunate. But definitely it is something what the Chinese government is trying to do to divert public attention on the case, and also, to try to ease public anger on the Chinese government's mishandling of the outbreak," said Poon. The Hong Kong-based rights activist called on China to involve third-party independent investigators if it is truly serious about getting to the bottom of the matter with transparency. Chen Bingzhong, a former health official, also said that he holds no hope for such an investigation report because no members of the supervisory commission dare to tell the truth. Lies upon lies Shall investigators uncover the truth about Li's grievance and speech suppression, higher-ups of the Communist Party will be at fault since local police took orders from the Communist leadership to arrest the whistle-blowing doctor, who had exposed the government's initial cover-up of the virus, Chen said. China is now either caught in a dilemma or regrets to have proposed to investigate Li's case, Chen said. The health expert urged China not to come up with a window dressing report, which he said would be "lies upon lies" and trigger another outpouring of public anger. He also called on the public to keep pressuring the government for answers. " The public should keep asking to hold those party leaders, who decided [to arrest Li], accountable. The leaders should offer answers. If no truth is unveiled, this [investigation] is nothing but another lie, upon many other lies," he said. Still waiting Requests for the release of investigation results were seen on China's social media. On Weibo, China's Twitter-like microblogging, several users wrote "we are still waiting." In response to the requests, one Weibo user said that "[authorities] thought we've forgotten" and another mocked sarcastically that "[this] will remain an unsolved mystery." A rights lawyer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that he expects the commission to keep stalling the release of the results as it is never in its intention to get to the bottom of Li's case. Even if a report is ready internally, the supervisory commission will only make public a report that is watered-down so as not to endanger the authority of those in power, he said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has announced has coronavirus. Marinakis is understood to have met the team last Friday after the 3-0 loss to Millwall. The EFL are understood to be in talks with the Championship club concerning their owner and the appropriate action to take next, with Forest schedule to face Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday. The Greek businessman, who also owns Olympiacos, who will face Wolves behind closed doors in the Europa League on Thursday due to the virus, confirmed he is recovering in a statement. The 52-year-old said: The recent virus has visited me and I felt obliged to let the public know. Evangelos Marinakis confirmed he has coronavirus on social media (Getty) I feel good as I take all the necessary measures and I (adhere) to the doctors instructions. I strongly advise all my fellow citizens to do the same. I wish all a quick recovery. Recommended Forest owner reveals he has virus as Cheltenham goes ahead Marinakis attended the Emirates on 27 February as Olympiacos defeated Arsenal after extra-time with the Gunners insisting they're following all the government guidelines. "Our home match with Olympiacos in the Europa League was played on Thursday 27th February and none of our staff who came into contact with him on that match day have reported any symptoms since," the Gunners told football.london. "We continue to follow strict protocols with regard to coronavirus. We're following the Government health guidelines and have additional procedures in place to protect our players and staff. This has included regular deep cleaning of areas used by players at Emirates Stadium and our training centre." The shipping magnate was also present at the City Ground against Millwall last Friday. Marinakis will not be able to attend matches for two weeks due to the governments advice to self-isolate for at least two weeks. The next possible game the Forest owner could attend is the away trip to Derby on 4 April. Tomas Jancevskis was fined a total of 400 for the thefts A shoplifter who stole more than 100 Lottery scratchcards in a spate of thefts was "hoping to get lucky", a court has heard. Down-on-his luck Tomas Jancevskis (31) was drunk and had no other explanation for why he stole three batches of scratchcards from supermarkets. He ended up out of pocket when Judge Ann Ryan fined him a total of 400 at Dublin District Court. Jancevskis, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty. The court heard he went to Tesco on Fleet Street last March 10 and stole 70 scratchcards, worth 1 each. On March 19, he returned to the same store and took another 13 scratchcards. None of the cards in these two thefts was recovered. Jancevskis went to Tesco, Omni Centre, Santry, on April 2 and stole another 19 scratchcards. He was stopped and these were recovered intact. Intoxicated Jancevskis, from Lithuania, had been working on and off here for a number of years, his solicitor Kate McGhee said. He hoped to return home soon and "sort himself out". He was intoxicated at the time of all three thefts and he was "hoping to get lucky." He could not explain his actions, except for his issues with alcohol. He had no previous convictions. Jancevskis had gone on a "spate of stealing" and there were injured parties who were at a loss, the judge said. The accused also separately admitted obstructing a garda drug search. While acting suspiciously in the city centre, he was stopped and put an item in his mouth and swallowed it. Jancevskis did not swallow a drug but he accepted he was paranoid, drunk and obstructive. Jennifer Crew, the supervisor of the virology lab at the Illinois Department of Public Health in Chicago, simulates the process of testing for the coronavirus on Friday, Feb. 7, 2020. In this photograph the specimen would be opened before the test is administered. NOTE: THIS IS NOT A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE TEST BEING ADMINISTERED ON ACTUAL SPECIMENS, BUT A SIMULATION OF THE TEST TO ENSURE BIO SAFETY AND SECURITY. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune) [March 10, 2020] Lloyds Banking Group collaborates with Google Cloud Google technology chosen for bank's public cloud transformation SUNNYVALE, California, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Google Cloud today announced that Lloyds Banking Group, the UK-based financial institution that serves 26 million customers, will collaborate with Google Cloud to help drive its digital evolution and overall cloud transformation program. As part of Lloyds Banking Group's commitment to invest 3 billion to transform itself for success in a digital world, this five-year strategic collaboration will see Lloyds Banking Group deploy a number of Google Cloud services to help streamline, modernise and improve the customer experience. In addition, Google Cloud experts will collaborate with Lloyds Banking Group to enhance engineering disciplinesall in an effort to boost efficiency and offer innovative new services to the bank's retail and commercial customers. Zaka Mian , Group Transformation Director, Lloyds Banking Group said, "As the UK's largest digital bank we have made strong progress in transforming not only our systems, but also how we work." "The size of our digital transformation is huge and Google Cloud's capabilities will help drive this forward, increasing the pace of innovation, as well as bringing new services to our customers quickly and at scale. This collaboration gives us a strategic advantage to continue as a leader in banking technology." "Banking customers today expect secure access to their funds, without downtime, and delivered through the modern experiences they receive in other aspects of their lives," says Thomas Kurian, Google Cloud, CEO. "We are proud to work with such a storied institution as Lloyds Banking Group, which helped to createand continues to redefinethe next generation of financial services." About Google Cloud Google Cloud provides organizations with leading infrastructure, platform capabilities and industry solutions, along with expertise, to reinvent their business with data-powered innovation on modern computing infrastructure. We deliver enterprise-grade cloud solutions that leverage Google's cutting-edge technology to help companies operate more efficiently, modernize for growth and innovate for the future. Customers in more than 150 countries turn to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to solve their most critical business problems. About Lloyds Banking Group: Lloyds Banking Group is the largest digital bank in the UK, with around 16 million customers actively managing their account online and ten million on mobile. The Group is investing 3bn during the next phase of its strategy, with a strong focus on technology and people to demonstrate expertise as the UK's largest digital bank. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1032194/Google_Cloud_Logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] UW in the News State, national and international media frequently feature the University of Wyoming and members of its community in stories. Here is a summary of some of the recent coverage: The Casper Star-Tribune (CS-T) and Laramie Boomerang were among media outlets announcing that Edward Seidel, the current vice president for economic development and innovation for the University of Illinois System, has been selected as UWs 28th president. Wyoming Public Radio, Laramie Live, Gillette News Record, K2 Radio and The News-Gazette in Champaign, Ill., were among other media outlets reporting on the selection. In a Wall Street Journal article, titled Global Viral Outbreaks Like Coronavirus, Once Rare, Will Become More Common, UW economics Professor David Finnoff says the U.S. needs to build a stronger health infrastructure to fight future pandemics. Other experts interviewed said various factors are driving a rise in worldwide epidemics. Chad Baldwin, UW associate vice president for communications and marketing, was among Albany County officials discussing with The Boomerang preparedness measures for possible coronavirus outbreaks in the state. Christine Porter, the Wyoming Excellence Chair in Community and Public Health at UW, also was interviewed for the article. The Montana Standard interviewed UW Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources Assistant Professor Temple Stoellinger as part of an article that details how officials are debating increasing Yellowstone National Park fees to help pay for wildlife conservation. UW Professor Jim Caldwell spoke with Cowboy State Daily, saying that, in terms of digital asset education, the university is poised to take advantage of the states lead in the blockchain world. Laramie Live published UWs release noting that Microsofts AI for Earth program awarded grants to UW scientists to examine biomedical imaging datasets to understand the molecular basis of human disease, and to evaluate migration congregation points and potential for chronic wasting disease transmission. Zach Wallace, a research scientist with UWs Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, discussed with Wyoming Public Radio his conservation efforts with golden eagles. The population is declining in Wyoming due to conventional and renewable energy development and other human-caused threats. The Cody Enterprise published UWs release noting Wallaces efforts. The CS-T detailed the benefits of the Hathaway Scholarship for graduating Wyoming high school seniors. The scholarship can be applied to attend UW and the states community colleges. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch will speak at UWs College of Law in September as part of the schools centennial celebration, reported Legal News. U.S. News and World Report and The CS-T reported that both Wyomings House and Senate approved a state budget that will include $2.5 million in matching funds for the UW College of Law. Gov. Mark Gordon will consider the budget this week. Sweetwater County students are among 101 recipients of the 2020 Trustees Scholars Award, the universitys top academic scholarship for Wyoming students. UWs release announcing the honored students was published by SweetwaterNOW. The CS-T interviewed UW law Professor Jason Robison, a water law expert, who discussed how regional state lawmakers are hoping their voices will be heard as Colorado River drought negotiations are about to begin. UW scientists are assisting in a Montana wildlife study, according to The Billings Gazette. The study is part of an overall effort to capture and collar elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep and pronghorns to learn more about their use of the land at different times of the year. KGAB Radio published UWs release announcing the annual GRO-Biz Conference later this month in Cheyenne. The event, for small-business owners to gain government contracts, is sponsored, in part, by UW. UW history Professor Emeritus Phil Roberts discussed in a CS-T interview the life history of Mary Bellamy, who was the first female elected to the Wyoming House of Representatives in 1910. UW students Jarod Alles, Josh Farrell and Hayden Jensen have gone viral with their video series about a guy with a really tall cowboy hat, according to a feature story in The CS-T. Their series has been viewed nearly 30 million times on the video app TikTok. Pope Francis today urged Catholic priests to visit people suffering from coronavirus despite a ban on most travel across Italy. Francis prayed that clergymen would 'have the courage to go out and go to the sick people' as he celebrated Mass by himself at the Vatican this morning. The service in the chapel of Francis' residence was live-streamed by the Vatican today, with the 83-year-old pontiff avoiding public gatherings. Italy has imposed tough new quarantine rules nationwide, including a ban on most travel, but there are limited exceptions for 'urgent' work and health reasons. Pope Francis gathers his thoughts during a live-streamed Mass at his Vatican guest house today, which he celebrated alone The Pope celebrates Mass in an empty chapel this morning, a week after the 83-year-old pontiff cancelled a series of events over health fears In his homily today, Francis prayed for Italy's thousands of sick patients and the doctors and nurses who are caring for them. 'Let us pray to the Lord also for our priests, that they may have the courage to go out and go to the sick people bringing the strength of God's word and the Eucharist and accompany the health workers and volunteers in this work that they are doing,' Francis said. His service today, held in the chapel of the Santa Marta guest house where he lives, came just hours after Italy extended its quarantine measures to the whole country. Travel across Italy is only allowed for 'urgent, verifiable work situations and emergencies or health reasons', according to a decree signed by Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte last night. 'Necessities' such as grocery shopping are allowed but it is unclear whether a clerical visit would belong to that category. People who want to travel will need to fill in a document explaining their reasons for doing so and carry it with them. If they are found to have lied they face fines or jail terms, but the restrictions will generally work on an honour system. Public transport will remain operational, but Conte says he wants as many people as possible to stay at home. Francis holds up a Communion wafer during his solitary Mass at the Vatican this morning where he urged priests to visit coronavirus sufferers The pontiff leans towards the altar at today's Mass in a chapel of the Santa Marta guest house at the Vatican where he lives Francis sits during this morning's Mass at the Vatican, a city-state surrounded entirely by Italy which has imposed tough new quarantine measures The pope last week cancelled a series of engagements after suffering from a cold during an Ash Wednesday service. Fears were raised after Francis was pictured hugging and kissing members of the public after speaking with a hoarse voice and blowing his nose in church. However, the pontiff is thought to have tested negative for coronavirus last week. He resumed some private meetings yesterday, including with bishops from France and two departing ambassadors. Francis has enjoyed generally good health, although he had part of one lung removed as a younger man. The Vatican, which is surrounded by Rome, has imposed restrictions on movement and contact among its personnel in a bid to contain the virus. One person inside Vatican City has tested positive and five people who came into contact with that person are under precautionary quarantine. The Vatican Museums are also closed, including the Sistine Chapel, in yet another blow to Italy's valuable tourism industry. St Peter's Square, the centrepiece of the Vatican, was almost empty today with only a few dozen people walking around, most of them without masks. Italy registered 1,807 more confirmed cases as of Monday evening, for a national total of 9,172. The number of dead in Italy also increased by 97 to 463 - most of them elderly with previous ailments. One seriously injured Ukrainian military serviceman died as he was being evacuated, a war journalist reported. The enemy engaged Ukrainian defenders with 120-120 mm mortars and howitzers in the latest escalation in eastern Ukraine's Donbas warzone. In the area near Pisky and Avdiyivka, a Ukrainian GAZ-66 military truck was hit, while one of the reconnaissance battalions suffered casualties, journalist Yuriy Butusov wrote on Facebook. Earlier this morning, Ukrainian positions were shelled as the enemy employed 120-122 mm mortars and howitzers before the Ukrainian side returned fire an hour later. Read alsoUkraine reports 1 WIA amid 10 truce violations by enemy forces in Donbas over past day In turn, war journalist Andriy Tsaplienko reported via Telegram that one seriously injured Ukrainian military serviceman died as he was being evacuated. UPDATE The Joint Forces Operation HQ issued a statement on the latest spark of hostilities: "Today, on March 10, Russian occupation forces attacked the positions of Ukrainian defenders in the Donetsk direction. Russian invaders engaged the Joint Forces' positions with weapons proscribed by the Minsk agreements, in particular, 120 mm mortars, and also opened fire employing grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and small arms weapons." "Now the battle is over, and to suppress enemy fire, JFO units employed available weapons and delivered an adequate response to the Russian invaders, the report reads. "In addition, the enemy hit a JF military truck with an anti-tank guided missile. As a result of the hit, losses are reported among Ukrainian defenders," the press center said. As reported earlier, over the past day, March 9, Russian-led forces in Donbas ten times violated the ceasefire. After a lengthy, chatty intro with Chanell Heart and Gia Paige, they sit, asses out, on barstools as director/performer Mike Adriano ping-pongs between them. They repair to a bed where Paige starts ass-fucking Heart with her tongue. Adriano divides his camera's attention from one end of Heart to the other before getting into the action himself, switching from Heart's mouth to Paige's ass and back again. The leisurely scene continues with Paige's ass and Heart's mouth (specializationit's not just for doctors any more) for the better part of an hour until Adriano pops in Paige and she squeezes it out onto Heart's hand and they share it in a sloppy kiss. Euro-performers and longtime friends Esperanza Del Horno and Luna Rival do their first scene together, with Rival purring in French about what's going to happen as Del Horno, from the Netherlands, shrugs that she doesnt understand what she's saying. Rival voraciously gobbles Adriano's dick, deep throating and gasping for air, then relinquishes to Del Horno, who slowly envelops him inch by inch before Rival lubes Adriano with vegetable shortening straight from the blue can and aims him toward Del Horno's asshole. There's asshole stacking and gape glove use before the scene ends. Disc two starts with Anny Aurora and Avi Love, in matching lingerie and stockingsalthough they playfully traded stockings to mismatchstanding stoically as Adriano inspects them with his camera, then Aurora plugs Love with a largish dilator as a prelude to Adriano's penile invasion. Aurora takes a turn getting her back 40 plowed, gaping pretty for the people before Love jumps back in. On. They timeshare his dick with mouth and asshole until he goes splooey in Love's bung, then it's squeeze-it-out and kiss time as Adriano backs off to observe. Cassie Del Isla and Nelly Kent take the anchor lap, with Del Isla telling Adriano, "Oh yes, bring the cock," after the camera inspection. Del Isla lubes up Kent's bum with globs of shortening and holds her open once Adriano goes in. They trade mouth and ass actionwith a plastic squirt bottle of lube in a supporting roleuntil Adraino fills Del Isla's ass, when it's squeeze-share-and-kiss time. Four-hour-plus run time gives full value. [March 10, 2020] Inmarsat Wins Two MSUA Mobility Innovation Awards Inmarsat, the world leader in global, mobile satellite communications, today announced that its L-band Advanced Communications (News - Alert) Element (LACE) II solution has been named as the winner of the "Top Government Mobility Satcom Innovation" category in the Mobile Satellite User Association's (MSUA) 2020 Mobility Innovation Awards. Additionally, Inmarsat's (News - Alert) SATCOM as a Service campaign was named the winner of the "Best Mobility Marketing Campaign" category. This is the fourth time in the past five years that Inmarsat's technology has been the recipient of these awards, a testament to the value the company consistently delivers to its government and military customers. The Inmarsat LACE II solution, with its efficient terminal size, weight and power (SWaP), is an ideal choice for military and civilian government users that require mission-critical, high-rate data feeds to and from remote locations, worldwide. Integrating the latest advancements in compact, high-throughput L-band terminals, LACE II is a high-gain, two-way terminal that delivers record-breaking data rates up to 8Mbps across Inmarsat's reliable, global L-band space and ground network. Government-tested and in use today, LACE II is a lightweight, easy-to-use, rapid-pointing terminal the size of a laptop and weighs only 10.8lbs. The terminal uses the award-winning Wideband Streaming L-band (WiSL) innovative lease capability and, from the moment the transit case is opened, connectivity is established in less than two minutes. Inmarsat's SATCOM as a Service is te next-generation model for delivering value to government customers. Based on Inmarsat's 40 plus years as a leader in global mobility solutions, which are unique in the market, SATCOM as a Service delivers an end-to-end, fully integrated capability that brings mobile, high-throughput connectivity the way users seek it: easily, affordably and operationally available no matter where they operate. Through its commitment to continual innovation and its focus on serving government markets, SATCOM as a Service is recognized as a purpose-built solution for government users who require worldwide mobility delivered through a single subscription. Inmarsat has demonstrated how SATCOM as a Service is a readily available alternative to address government users' most essential communications challenges. It allows for rapid delivery of proven technology and on-going innovation that covers satellites, ground infrastructure and type-approved terminals to provide a fast, cost-effective solution. Inmarsat's forward-looking innovation arrives at no capital expense for customers. Once Inmarsat implements and tests these new technology-enabled improvements, subscribed users simply "connect" and enjoy the benefits. "Today's government agencies and military forces are more mobile than ever, and require agile communications systems - and SATCOM is a critical enabler for mission success," said Steve Gizinski, Chief Technology Officer, Inmarsat Government. "As a trusted commercial owner/operator, Inmarsat understands and supports the government's drive toward a fully-integrated SATCOM architecture and has invested heavily into enhancing SATCOM mobility, flexibility, redundancy, throughput, resilience and protection. The MSUA awards are a testament to the hard work of Inmarsat's team and our continued commitment to the success of our customers' missions." To learn more about Inmarsat's LACE II solution, visit https://www.inmarsatgov.com/capability/l-band/lace2/. To learn more about Inmarsat's SATCOM as a Service offering, visit https://www.inmarsatgov.com/capability/global-xpress/global-xpress-satcom-as-a-service/. About MSUA Mobile Satellite Users Association (MSUA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the interests of the satellite mobility users and providers worldwide. It serves the interests of the satellite mobility community by fostering communications among and between users, equipment suppliers, satellite operators, applications developers and other market stakeholders. In addition, MSUA gathers and disseminates news, information, analysis, trend data and event announcements critical to the satellite mobility community as well as facilitates member discounts for satellite mobility events. Finally, MSUA assembles mobility user and provider views on system and service concerns, and conveys this information to regulatory and other authorities both in the U.S. and in Europe. About Inmarsat Inmarsat is the world leader in global, mobile satellite communications. It owns and operates the world's most diverse global portfolio of mobile telecommunications satellite networks, and holds a multi-layered, global spectrum portfolio, covering L-band, Ka-band and S-band, enabling unparalleled breadth and diversity in the solutions it provides. Inmarsat's long-established global distribution network includes not only the world's leading channel partners but also its own strong direct retail capabilities, enabling end to end customer service assurance. The company has an unrivalled track record of operating the world's most reliable global mobile satellite telecommunications networks, sustaining business and mission critical safety & operational applications for 40 years. It is also a major driving force behind technological innovation in mobile satellite communications, sustaining its leadership through a substantial investment and a powerful network of technology and manufacturing partners. Inmarsat operates across a diversified portfolio of sectors with the financial resources to fund its business strategy and holds leading positions in the Maritime, Government, Aviation and Enterprise satcoms markets, operating consistently as a trusted, responsive and high-quality partner to its customers across the globe. For further information, follow us on LinkedIn (News - Alert) or on Twitter @InmarsatGlobal. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005315/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Married At First Sight intruder bride KC Osborne has lashed out at co-star Stacey Hampton for leaking private messages to media outlets. Appearing on Hit Mid North Coast's Krysti and Bodge, KC said the leaks were 'disappointing' and that she would 'never do that to someone'. 'I'm not going to badmouth her, but I will say that it's disappointing,' KC said, clearly upset during the radio interview. Scroll down for video Brides at war? MAFS star KC Osborne, 31, (L) has lashed out at co-star Stacey Hampton, 26, (R) for exposing their heated exchange to the media during a radio interview on Monday 'And those messages were sent way before I even had a drink with Michael,' KC clarified to the hosts. During the tense exchange between the two women, Stacey seemed upset that KC had planned to have a drink with her ex; Michael Goonan. 'I was like, you know what? Michael has always been my friend,' she said. KC added she defiantly decided to go for the drink: '[I thought] I am going to go have a drink with him and you are not going to tell me that I can't.' Her way: 'I was like you know what Michael has always been my friend,' KC (pictured) said of the controversial meet-up with Michael Defiant: KC added she defiantly decided to go for the drink: '[I thought] I am doing to go have a drink with him and you are not going to tell me that I can't.' Here: Stacey and Michael (above) Daily Mail Australia revealed last Wednesday that KC had met up with Michael, 28, for a social drink. Leaked text messages between KC and Stacey, 26, revealed she had been in contact with Stacey's now ex-'husband', Michael. After being asked on a date by Michael, KC messaged Stacey last month to ask her permission, leading to a heated exchange. Despite promising Stacey she wouldn't catch up with Michael, photos emerged of KC and the company director out in Sydney. Not happy: Leaked text messages between KC and Stacey, 26, revealed she had been in contact with Stacey's now ex-'husband', Michael Stacey told Daily Mail Australia last week she was fuming with her former friend, who she considers betrayed her by sneaking around. 'KC was my friend. She went behind my back and proceeded to see Michael after he broke my heart. KC and I are now no longer friends,' she said. It comes after the 31-year-old dancer was quizzed on the Fox FM Fifi, Fev & Byron show about her relationship with Michael last week. Hurt: 'KC was my friend. She went behind my back and proceeded to see Michael after he broke my heart. KC and I are now no longer friends,' Stacey (pictured) said KC refused to admit if she hooked-up with Michael after the show's filming wrapped. 'Have you hooked up after the experiment?' quizzed the radio host. 'You know everything is going to reveal itself after the experiment,' replied KC. Married At First Sight continues on Channel Nine, Tuesday, 7.30pm WASHINGTON President Donald Trump has not been tested for coronavirus, the White House said Monday, despite indirect contact through at least two lawmakers. White House officials announced late Monday that the president had not been tested after a series of encounters with lawmakers who had contact with others who had tested positive for the virus. Top among those was Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who announced he was placing himself in quarantine less than an hour after getting off Air Force One. "The president has not received COVID-19 testing because he has neither had prolonged close contact with any known confirmed COVID-19 patients, nor does he have any symptoms," White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said. "President Trump remains in excellent health, and his physician will continue to closely monitor him." During a briefing at the White House on Monday, Vice President Mike Pence said he didn't know whether or not the president was tested. Pence said he was not tested. "I've had no recommendation that I will be tested," Pence said. President Donald Trump greets Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., as he arrives on Air Force One Friday, March 6, 2020, at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Ga. "The White House physicians, their directive is to see to the health and well-being of the president of the United States." Though there is zero indication the president has been exposed to the virus there have been several circumstances in which it has come close to him. Gaetz said Monday that he had come into contact with a person who tested positive at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland late last month. He flew with Trump aboard Air Force One from Florida back to Joint Base Andrews outside of Washington, D.C., on Monday. More: Lawmakers self-quarantining over coronavirus had contact with Trump More: Donald Trump floats payroll tax cut, other financial relief for coronavirus Days before Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., announced he had placed himself in quarantine, he was seen meeting with Trump at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, shaking the president's hands on the tarmac before the visit. Story continues Both Collins and Gaetz said they had no symptoms. A self-acknowledged germophobe who is said to frequently slather his hands with sanitizer, Trump recently told Fox News there is no way to politely avoid shaking hands. "You can't be a politician and not shake hands," Trump said at the town hall in Scranton, Pa., on Thursday. "The bottom line is, I shake anybody's hand now. I'm proud of it." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump has not been tested for coronavirus, the White House said. T ired of the 9am Central line tussle? Youre not alone. Complaints to TFL have recently hit a five-year high, with over 110k angry passengers voicing their concerns throughout 2019. And whilst going underground for your commute may still be the most practical and time efficient route, its by no means the most comfortable or glamorous let alone the most enjoyable. But there are other ways to get where you want in the capital that come without any chance of an armpit in the face and which are far more luxurious. So why not put away your Oyster, head above ground and treat yourself to some of the best ways to travel like an A-lister in London. Train Belmond British Pullman Belmond British Pullman This restored 1920s train holds individual carriages each with a unique story to tell. Ornate decor runs throughout, with art-deco nuances and antique upholstery and lighting. Once on board, the team pull out all the stops, offering a seasonal British menu and champagne. Guest chefs include Raymond Blanc in September of this year, whilst Michel Roux Jr is serving up his five course tasting menu in October. Travel to major UK cities including Cambridge, York, Bath and Winchester, or head to sites including Highclere Castle for a luxurious day away from city life. Boat Thames Limo The Thames Limo Skip city traffic entirely and take to the banks of the Thames. The Thames Limo prides itself on being the perfect combination of Italian style and British flair, and offers VIP charter services up and down the length of the river (previous VIPs have included Taylor Swift, Joe Jonas, Karlie Kloss and Gigi Hadid). Book it for a full day or for hour-long slots, with hampers, floral bouquets, champagne and personal photographers all being optional extras. Well take the lot. Bike VanMoof VanMoof A bike thats turbo-boosted, has anti-theft technology and can be tested at home using AR? The future is here. Say hello to VanMoof, a Dutch bicycle brand intending to change the face of the city bike. And change they have. The Electrified S2 & X2 are supremely sleek and have built in rider recognition, location tracking, and a three-stage theft defence system. This bike means business. Ride-hailing service Wheely Wheely's luxury service There once was a time when any app-ordered car seemed the lap of luxury but those days are over. Wheely has ushered in a new era of luxury cabs, and were not complaining. Their drivers are more like chauffeurs, with the added extras of umbrella-covered door opening, in-car chargers and bottled water being amongst their first-class touches. Next time you're awaiting your Uber in the pouring rain, think of Wheely youll wish youd discovered it sooner. Car - THE OUT One of the options with THE OUT For days when being your own chauffeur seems preferable, opt for luxury car rental service, THE OUT. Choose from a range of Jaguars and Land Rovers via the app, get one delivered to your doorstep and theyll collect it afterwards. All insurance is included, you can add an unlimited number of extra drivers and you can even order a car to the airport. Tres chic. Plane 365 Aviation One of 365 Aviation's private jets / Carlos Yudica - Fotolia EDMONTONAlberta announced seven new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, for a total of 14 in the province. All of the cases are travel related, the government said in a news release. Three of the new cases are from the Edmonton area and four are from Calgary. The Edmonton cases involve a man in his 70s and a woman in her 60s who travelled together as well another woman in her 30s who had recently travelled outside of Canada. The Calgary cases involve a man in his 50s, two women in their 30s and one in her 40s. The travellers recently returned from visiting a range of countries, including France, the Netherlands, Egypt, Iran, Taiwan, Germany, Malaysia, Trinidad and Tobago, Panama, the Philippines and the United States. In several of the confirmed cases, the individuals visited more than one country. The government says public health teams are already identifying and notifying anyone who came into close contact with the infected individuals. All close contacts displaying symptoms are being tested. Even those not displaying symptoms will self-isolate for 14 days to prevent any possible spread if they were to display symptoms in the future, the release reads. It adds the risk level in Alberta is currently considered low. Last week, Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said the province was still searching for 44 Albertans who were aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship before returning to the province on Feb. 21. On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said the Canadians who were on board the Grand Princess cruise ship that docked Monday in California had returned home. After having being held just off the coast of California for five days, 228 Canadians arrived early Tuesday at Canadian Forces Base Trenton to begin a 14-day quarantine. with files from The Canadian Press Read more about: The Justice Department must give Congress secret grand jury testimony from special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday, giving the House a significant win in a separation-of-powers clash with the Trump administration. The three-judge panel said in a 2-1 opinion that the House Judiciary Committee's need for the material in its investigations of President Donald Trump outweighed the Justice Department's interests in keeping the testimony secret. The opinion authorizes access to information that Democrats have sought since the conclusion of Mueller's investigation, giving lawmakers previously-undisclosed details from the two-year Russia probe. Writing for the majority, Judge Judith Rogers said that because Mueller himself 'stopped short' of reaching conclusions about Trump's conduct to avoid stepping on the House's impeachment power, the committee had established that it could not make a final determination about Trump's conduct without access to the underlying grand jury material. Crucial material: Robert Mueller's underlying grand jury material should be handed to Congress, federal appeals judges ruled We want it: The House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Jerry Nadler, had demanded the full underlying material for the Mueller report 'The Committee's request for the grand jury materials in the Mueller Report is directly linked to its need to evaluate the conclusions reached and not reached by the Special Counsel,' wrote Rogers, a Clinton appointee. Judge Thomas Griffith, a George W. Bush appointee, issued a separate concurring opinion. Judge Neomi Rao, a Trump appointee, dissented, suggesting that the need for the testimony could have waned after Trump's acquittal at a Senate impeachment trial last month. 'After all, the Committee sought these materials preliminary to an impeachment proceeding and the Senate impeachment trial has concluded. Why is this controversy not moot?' Rao wrote. It is unclear when the materials might actually be turned over. The Trump administration can ask the full appeals court to rehear the case, and can appeal to the Supreme Court. The ruling softens the blow of a loss the House endured two weeks ago when judges on the same court said they would not force former White House counsel Don McGahn to testify before Congress. The split decisions leave neither the administration nor Congress with a clear upper hand in an ongoing inter-branch dispute. The ruling is a major win for Democrats who have fought the Justice Department for nearly a year, but it's unclear what the House will actually do with the material. Lawyers for the Democrats have said the grand jury material could potentially be used for additional articles of impeachment, though the Senate impeachment trial over the president's interactions with Ukraine ended weeks ago in an acquittal. The case is one of several disputes between the Trump administration and Congress that courts have grappled with in recent months. Secrets: The Robert Mueller report relies on material which the judges said must be handed to Congress - the testimony given to the grand jury he convened The two sides had been similarly at odds on the question of whether McGahn could be forced to testify about Trump's behavior during the Russia investigation. The appeals court ruled in a recent 2-1 decision that judges had no role to play in that dispute and dismissed the case. Mueller issued a 448-page report last April that detailed multiple interactions between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia and that examined several episodes involving the president for potential obstruction of justice. Mueller said his team did not find sufficient evidence to establish a criminal conspiracy between the campaign and the Kremlin to tip the election, though pointedly noted that he could exonerate the president for obstruction. Portions of the report were blacked out, including grand jury testimony and material that Mueller said could harm ongoing investigations or infringe on the privacy of third parties. Grand jury testimony is typically treated as secret, in part to protect the privacy of people who are not charged or are considered peripheral to a criminal investigation. But several exceptions allow for the material to be turned over, including if it is in connection with a judicial proceeding. The House argued that the impeachment inquiry met that definition, and it sought copies of testimony referenced in Mueller's report. Chief U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell sided with the House last October in ordering that the material be turned over. The Justice Department appealed that decision, with lawyers arguing that the material sought by the House had no relevance to the impeachment inquiry and that the House already had ample information about the investigation. Several dozen witnesses appeared before Mueller's grand jury, including former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Almaden Minerals Ltd. (Almaden or the Company; AMM: TSX; AAU: NYSE American) is pleased to announce a proposed non-brokered private placement financing (the "Offering") of up to 4,900,000 units, which may be increased, (the Units) at a price of $0.41 per Unit. Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company and one non-transferable common share purchase warrant, each whole share purchase warrant (a "Warrant") entitling the holder to purchase one common share of the Company at a price of $0.65 per share for 3 years following the closing of the Offering. Almaden intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering for permitting activities relating to the Ixtaca project, and for general corporate purposes. Certain insiders of the Company may participate in the Offering. The issuance of Units to insiders of the Company pursuant to the Offering will be considered related party transactions within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (MI 61-101). The Company intends to rely on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements of sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 in respect of such insider participation, based on a determination that fair market value of the participation in the Offering by insiders will not exceed 25% of the market capitalization of the Company, as determined in accordance with MI 61-101. The Company may pay finders fees in connection with the Offering in cash, shares, warrants or combinations thereof. Closing of the Offering is anticipated to be on or about March 26, 2020 (the Closing Date) and is subject to receipt of applicable regulatory approvals including approval of the TSX and NYSE American exchanges. The securities issued will be subject to a standard four month hold period in Canada. About Almaden Almaden Minerals Ltd. owns 100% of the Ixtaca project in Puebla State, Mexico, subject to a 2.0% NSR royalty held by Almadex Minerals Ltd. The Ixtaca Gold-Silver Deposit was discovered by Almaden in 2010. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Morgan Poliquin Morgan J. Poliquin, Ph.D., P.Eng. President, CEO and Director Almaden Minerals Ltd. THIS NEWS RELEASE, PROVIDED PURSUANT TO APPLICABLE CANADIAN REQUIREMENTS, IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES, AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN. THE OFFERING IN QUESTION HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND THE SECURITIES SOLD IN SUCH OFFERING MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. PERSONS ABSENT REGISTRATION OR APPLICABLE EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS. Forward Looking Statements Certain of the statements and information in this news release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian provincial securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements or information. Forward-looking statements or information in this news release relate to, among other things: the proposed Offering, the composition of the Units, and the intended use of net proceeds of the Offering. These forward-looking statements and information reflect the Companys current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions. These assumptions include: stability and predictability in Mexicos mineral tenure, mining, environmental and agrarian laws and regulations, as well as their application and judicial decisions thereon; continued respect for the rule of law in Mexico; prices for gold, silver and base metals remaining as estimated; currency exchange rates remaining as estimated; availability of funds; capital, decommissioning and reclamation estimates; mineral reserve and resource estimates; prices for energy inputs, labour, materials, supplies and services (including transportation); no labour-related disruptions; all necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals being received in a timely manner; the ability to secure and maintain title and ownership to properties and the surface rights necessary for operations; community support in the Ixtaca Project; and the ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws. The foregoing list of assumptions is not exhaustive. The Company cautions the reader that forward-looking statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release. Such risks and other factors include, among others, risks related to: political risk in Mexico; crime and violence in Mexico; corruption; environmental risks, including environmental matters under Mexican laws and regulations; impact of environmental impact assessment requirements on the Companys planned exploration and development activities on the Ixtaca Project; certainty of mineral title and the outcome of litigation; community relations; governmental regulations and the ability to obtain necessary licences and permits; risks related to mineral properties being subject to prior unregistered agreements, transfers or claims and other defects in title; changes in mining, environmental or agrarian laws and regulations and changes in the application of standards pursuant to existing laws and regulations which may increase costs of doing business and restrict operations; as well as those factors discussed the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Almaden's Annual Information Form and Almaden's latest Form 20-F on file with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could affect the Company and may cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements or information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that the Companys forward-looking statements or information will prove to be accurate. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Contact Information: They walked the corridors of Capitol Hill, carrying photographs of the children, spouses and parents they lost. They met with lawmakers and regulators, calling for changes they believed might prevent future deaths. And they mourned alone and together, an international support group drawn to one another through shared tragedy. In the year since the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, the families of the victims have become a political force, pressuring governments and companies to overhaul aviation safety. And though they did not accomplish everything they set out to achieve, their presence at corporate meetings, congressional hearings and the crash site itself injected a potent emotional charge into a saga that has upended the global aviation industry. The crash, on March 10, 2019, was the second time in five months that a new Boeing 737 Max had malfunctioned. The accident claimed 157 lives, including humanitarians, executives, students and retirees. Entire families were killed. Chris and Clariss Moore of Toronto lost their daughter, Danielle. Moore usually called Danielle before either of them got on a plane. But they only had time to text before Danielle boarded Flight 302, on her way from Addis Ababa to the U.N. Environment Assembly in Nairobi. An hour later, Moore got a call from a Canadian official telling her that Danielle was dead. When I heard that it felt like the whole world collapsed, Moore said. Did she call for me? Did she scream for us? A year after the crash, the families continue to call for more scrutiny of the Max, press for an overhaul to aviation laws and confront Boeing executives. At times, when the bureaucracy is all too much, their efforts can seem futile. Yet they have found some solace in one another, renting houses together, holding vigils and staying in touch via WhatsApp. On Tuesday, many families will gather in Ethiopia and travel on a newly constructed road to the remote crash site. At a memorial service, each name will be read aloud. More than anything, though, as they remember their loved ones, they are left trying to make sense of the incomprehensible. In the frantic hours after the crash, as the news ricocheted around the world, families and friends of those killed fought through shock to make travel plans, racing to Addis Ababa in search of whatever they could find information, belongings or remains. They gathered in the Skylight hotel, a new complex built by Ethiopian Airlines to host passengers with long layovers. The hotel had just opened and was mostly empty. Protective tape still covered the elevator doors and many of the room fixtures. As distraught guests arrived, it became clear the losses cut across the globe. In addition to Ethiopians and Kenyans on the plane, there were Americans, Israelis, Chinese, Indians, Moroccans and more. Flight 302 was known as the U.N. shuttle, covering a route popular with diplomats and aid workers. At breakfast in the hotel restaurant, five Yemeni men sat sobbing, occasionally embracing. They had lost their friend Abduljali Hussein, who had fled the war in his native country and started a business in Nairobi. Initially, the grief-stricken mostly kept to themselves, stunned and separated by linguistic and cultural barriers. Paul Njoroge, a Kenyan businessman living in Toronto, could barely leave his room. His wife, three children and mother-in-law had been on the flight. He had bought their tickets. Over the next few days, some of the families began to coalesce. They visited the crash site together. They met with the chief executive of Ethiopian Airlines. And they eventually found one another online. The niece of Marcelino Tayob, a U.N. official from Mozambique who died on the flight, started a WhatsApp chat with a few others. The group grew quickly, becoming a clearing house for information, anger and plans. From those first tentative introductions, at least three different organizations have emerged. Ethiopian families started their own group. The French created the Association Flight ET 302. And another group of family members, drawn from several countries, formed the Flight ET 302 Families Foundation. They were an extraordinary group of people, said Virginie Fricaudet, president of the French group, whose brother Xavier was among those killed. It has to be said. In October 2018, nearly five months before the Ethiopian Airlines accident, Lion Air 610 crashed off the coast of Indonesia. All 189 people on board were killed. A faulty sensor on that 737 Max triggered a new automated system that sent the plane into a nosedive. Boeing pledged to fix the Max after the Lion Air disaster and began work on a software update. But regulators around the world let the plane keep flying, and Boeing maintained that the Max was safe. Only after the crash in Ethiopia was the Max grounded. The fact that the 737 Max was known to have problems haunts the families. To some, it is evidence that Boeing bears responsibility for the deaths of their loved ones. The second crash was corporate manslaughter, said Zipporah Kuria, who lost her father, Joseph Waithaka. They knew what the issues were and they did nothing about them. If they had grounded the plane after the first crash, my dad would still be here. To others, the guilt is more intimate. Njoroge blames himself for not knowing about the problems with the Max. Sometimes I still go through the feeling that I killed my family, he said. For Michael Stumo and Nadia Milleron, who lost their daughter Samya, the idea that a corporation turned a blind eye to safety was especially galling. Milleron is the niece of Ralph Nader, the consumer advocate who has spent his career working to hold companies and governments to account. After the crash, Nader criticized the Federal Aviation Administration and what he called a broken culture at Boeing. The plane cannot be refixed, Nader said in a television interview, suggesting that the Max never fly again. It has to be recalled. Milleron and Stumo became the most visible U.S. family members, and were soon co-ordinating the efforts of other families around the globe. On April 29, Boeing held its annual shareholder meeting at the Field Museum in Chicago. Outside, friends and family of Samya Stumo staged a silent protest, holding pictures of her and a sign that read Prosecute Boeing & execs for Manslaughter. Across town that same day, lawyers from the Clifford Law Offices announced that they were suing Boeing on behalf of families who lost relatives in the crash, including Njoroge. I stay up all night crying, thinking of the horror that they must have endured as pilots struggled to keep the plane flying for 6 minutes, Njoroge said at a tearful news conference, imagining the last moments of his wife and their three children. The terror that my wife must have experienced with little Rubi on her lap. Our two children beside her, crying for their daddy. Days after the Boeing shareholder meeting in Chicago, Stumo travelled to Washington. There, he met with officials from the Transportation Department, Congress and other federal agencies. Around the same time, Milleron made an emotional trip to Canada. She and Samya had planned to travel together to Toronto in May to visit family. Milleron decided to go ahead. Chris and Clariss Moore invited Milleron to stay at their home. She initially declined, before agreeing to stay for a couple of nights. It proved to be cathartic. That weekend there was a memorial service for Angela Rehhorn, who, along with the Moores daughter, Danielle, was representing Canada at the U.N. conference. Milleron and the Moores attended, and Njoroge joined as well. Being with others who lost their loved ones on that flight helped somehow, and they arranged to take more trips together. The next month, Milleron, Stumo and Njoroge travelled to Washington. Njoroge met with Nader, who had also been aware of the problems with the 737 Max before the crash in Ethiopia. Like Njoroge, Nader has experienced similar feelings of guilt for not telling his family to avoid the plane. On July 17, Njoroge and Stumo testified before Congress. In his prepared testimony, Njoroge laid out a set of ambitious requests: an entirely new approval process for the Max, mandatory simulator training for pilots and an overhaul to the aviation regulatory regime. That same day, Boeing announced it would set up a $100 million (U.S.) fund to support the families and communities affected by the crash. But the pledge was vague and the timing angered families. Stumo said it seemed like a PR stunt to us. There were more meetings, more vigils. At times it all blends together, a year consumed by mourning. We have a little bit of amnesia, Stumo said. The grief has affected our memory. In early September, members of about 20 victims families gathered in Washington for the six-month anniversary of the crash. They held a vigil outside the Transportation Department and met with Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, who broke down crying after hearing their stories. Milleron rented a house on Airbnb where many families stayed. They spent days together, sharing meals and exchanging memories of their loved ones in between appointments on Capitol Hill. There was a shared sense of support, and over dinner in the evenings, even some laughter. Then, in between meetings at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Milleron got a call. It was a firm handling the administration of remains recovered from the crash site. Samyas were on the way home. Milleron collapsed. My knees buckled, she said. I couldnt stand up. Security guards rushed to her side to see if she needed medical attention. The families were back in Washington in late October. At a contentious meeting with the FAA, they accused the agency of being too deferential to Boeing. The next day, Dennis A. Muilenburg, Boeings chief executive at the time, testified before the Senate. During the hearing, families stood behind Muilenburg, holding posters of the dead. After the hearing, Milleron confronted Muilenburg, calling on him to resign. In the months since Muilenburg testified, the families have had some of their demands met. The Max remains grounded, and is undergoing an unprecedented level of regulatory scrutiny. Muilenburg was fired, and Boeings new chief executive, David L. Calhoun, has pledged to be more transparent. Boeing said it would recommend that Max pilots train on simulators before flying the plane. The families will have a say in how Boeings $100 million fund is distributed. Yet to the families, in many of the most important ways, little has changed. Their lawsuits against Boeing have not been resolved. Muilenburg walked away with $60 million. While government officials have heard out the families, there is no sign that the Max will undergo an entirely new approval process. There is also little chance that the regulatory regime will be fully overhauled. Travellers could be flying on the 737 Max again this summer. To Moore, none of it makes sense. It feels like some kind of Kafka novel, he said. Nobody is listening to us. Read more about: Business groups see an opportunity with the new, more conservative Republican-led Louisiana Legislature to gain traction on a top goal, to rein in civil lawsuits and damage awards against them. GOP lawmakers have made the idea their top priority for the three-month legislative session that started Monday, filing a long list of bills on the subject. Challenges to passage involve whittling down the so-called tort reform proposals to an achievable, more focused package and battling the influence of personal injury lawyers and others who oppose the measures. The biggest unknown involves Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, who could jettison the bills if they reach his desk. The governor has offered only vague statements about being willing to negotiate on the issue with lawmakers. Significant changes were last made to the civil litigation system more than 20 years ago during Republican former Gov. Mike Fosters tenure. Business lobbyists have gained a toehold with the ideas this time by tying the changes to a consistent irritant for Louisiana residents: the cost of car insurance. Louisianas automobile insurance rates are second-highest in the nation, averaging around $2,200 per year, according to Bankrate.com and other websites that track the auto insurance industry. Many Republican lawmakers ran on the idea that Louisianas legal climate encourages people in car accidents to sue insurance companies and other businesses, driving up insurance premiums. The lawmakers and industry argue that lessening those lawsuits and the payouts awarded through them could lower automobile insurance. Business organizations say the number of car accidents in Louisiana is only slightly higher than the national average, but the number of people who claim injuries in an accident is twice the average. Sen. Heather Cloud, a Turkey Creek Republican, said her trucking business is hanging on by a thread because of high insurance costs. She believes drivers target truckers in accidents because theyre promised big payouts in lawyer advertisements. Supporters of the civil litigation system rewrite say if Louisiana makes it harder to win large damage claims in injury lawsuits, that could help draw more insurance companies, creating competition that will force down rates. They say curtailing what they consider an overly litigious environment in Louisiana could attract businesses beyond the insurance industry to the state, creating jobs and boosting economic investments. It is our legal environment that hurts that prosperity that we need to have in our state, said Sen. Barrow Peacock, the Shreveport Republican who chairs the judiciary committee that will hear many of the civil lawsuit-themed bills. Critics, including plaintiffs attorneys, counter theres no proof legal system changes would lower insurance rates. They say the changes could keep people injured in car accidents from adequate compensation while ignoring other reasons insurance premiums are so high, such as distracted drivers, uninsured drivers and poor road conditions. An organization calling itself Real Reform Louisiana run by several Edwards allies suggests business lobbyists are pushing the civil litigation bills to boost their bottom lines. The organization says other approaches will force down car insurance rates, such as limiting what insurance companies can use to set premiums, requiring the industry to release details of how it calculates rates and pressuring GOP Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon for tougher regulations. Tort reform will just pad the profits of insurance companies and big business by rigging the courts against the people of Louisiana, Eric Holl, executive director of Real Reform Louisiana, said in a statement. If lawmakers pass the bills, its unclear what Edwards, who won his reelection bid with significant support from personal injury lawyers, will do with them. The only car insurance-related bills on Edwards legislative agenda are filed by Democratic Sen. Jay Luneau of Alexandria, to prohibit auto insurance companies from using gender, credit scores, military deployments and certain other risk classifications to set rates. I think we ought to focus on making changes that are proven to have a direct impact on the cost of premiums, Edwards said as he touted Luneaus proposals. That comment suggests the governor doesnt see a clear link between changing access to the courts and insurance costs. If Edwards rejects civil litigation measures that reach his desk, Republicans would need to vote as a bloc and get help from non-GOP lawmakers to attempt a veto override. Republicans have a two-thirds super-majority in the Senate to override a gubernatorial veto, but fall two votes short of that benchmark in the House. Related: Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Legislation Auto Louisiana Politics Fuel Your Pipeline. Close More Deals. Our full-service marketing programs deliver sales-ready leads. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee! Learn more Facebook is clamping down on ads and misinformation relating to coronavirus, implementing a policy Head of Health Kang-Xing Jin outlined last month. Criticism of social media platforms for spreading fear and confusion about coronavirus is rife. Still, Facebooks decision-making has raised a few eyebrows, as the coronavirus ad restrictions could be interpreted as limiting free speech in a way that is inconsistent with Facebooks general practices. Notably, it has refused to block politicians from spreading misinformation in ads on its platform on the grounds that doing so would hinder free speech. Curtailing Ads for Fake Cures Were taking steps to stop ads for products that refer to the coronavirus and create a sense of urgency, like implying a limited supply, or guaranteeing a cure or prevention, a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement provided to TechNewsWorld by company representative Andrea Vallone. For example, ads with claims like face masks are 100 percent guaranteed to prevent the spread of the virus will not be allowed, the spokesperson said. Not only is this announcement not really new, but it shouldnt have to exist, as not allowing advertising thats intentionally misleading or is absolute fraud should not be allowed, remarked Liz Miller, principal analyst at Constellation Research. The United States Federal Trade Commission has some fairly straightforward guidelines on advertising that makes medical claims, Miller told TechNewsWorld, and can set fines running into the millions of dollars if they are breached. Why isnt Facebook looking to the FTC Act for guidelines and insisting theyre the minimum expectation for all health or medical advertising? she asked. Clearing Out Misinformation Facebook also is removing content that promotes false claims or conspiracy theories about the coronavirus, or false claims about what health resources are available. It is also taking these actions: A D V E R T I S E M E N T Labeling misinformation as such and directing users to more accurate information such as pop-ups redirecting them to the World Health Organization or local or regional health authorities; Providing ad credits to WHO and ministries of health across Asia; and Sharing aggregated and anonymized mobility data and high-resolution population density maps with researchers at universities to help inform their forecasting models for the spread of the virus as part of Facebooks broader Data for Good program. A Concerted Effort Facebook might be ramping up its efforts in the wake of a meeting it hosted at its Menlo Park campus between WHO and 12 high-tech firms, including Google, YouTube, Amazon, Twitter, Salesforce, Verizon, Airbnb, Twilio and Dropbox. Apple, Lyft and Uber reportedly were invited but did not attend. The meeting focused on how the attendees were working to stop the spread of misinformation. The group will meet every few months. Prior to the meeting, Twitter said it was not seeing significant coordinated attempts to spread disinformation at scale with respect to coronavirus, but that it would remain vigilant and would remove people tweeting misinformation from its service. Speech Is Not Free Facebooks actions against fake ads and misinformation about coronavirus raise questions about its support for freedom of speech, which was its argument for refusing to take action against misleading statements politicians might post on its platform. Facebooks position certainly suggests that if the penalties were higher for fake political news, Facebook would be more aggressive at moderating that content as well, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group. This shows they can do it, and that if the risks are high enough for Facebook, they will do it, he told TechNewsWorld. On the other hand, false medical claims do potentially carry liability back to Facebook, whereas false political claims do not, Enderle pointed out. Thats probably dictating Facebooks behavior. Facebook is not a free speech zone, said Mike Jude, research director at IDC. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Even its contract claims that it reserves the right to exclude any commentary that violates its rules. If you put any limits on speech its no longer free, he told TechNewsWorld. Facebook could report people advertising purported cures for coronavirus to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Jude said, but that would be the camels nose in the tent when it comes to social media regulations, and they probably dont want that. Clamping down on ads is different from restricting misinformation spread through user posts and conversations, Constellations Miller noted. The latter falls under the question of whether an individual user has the right to spread content that is based on misinformation, she pointed out. In that situation, Facebook must tread a fine line between free speech and giving the community the opportunity to debunk misinformation, and banning content, Miller observed. Opening a Can of Worms Moderating is a slippery slope, remarked Enderle. What constitutes the truth for one group may constitute a lie for another, and sensibilities concerning what is appropriate content vary widely. Facebooks fact-checkers may be having problems enforcing its rules in a logically consistent way, Jude suggested. Once the body of rules becomes so complex that a human cant articulate how its applied consistently, the whole edifice collapses, he added. Remember Robocop 2, when the committee came up with all the rules he had to follow and had them hardwired in? When he saw a crime he couldnt function because of all the contradictions built into the rule book, Jude said. Facebook is now the committee trying to program its version of Robocop, he suggested, trying to contain badness with a rule book that has too many internal inconsistencies. Every new rule they adopt just makes it worse. From almost the very beginning of the COVID-19/coronavirus crisis in January and early February, its often been asked whether it might be the Chinese Chernobyl. Could the crisis expose the weakness of the mix of oppression, information control, and social disgust that underpin the Chinese Communist regime and trigger its collapse? Others have suggested that it might instead be president Xi Jinpings Tiananmen, meaning he will use all the tools at his disposal to tighten down and prevent, well . . . a Chinese Chernobyl. It is too soon to know what may happen. But its not too soon for attempts to whitewash the timeline and Chinese-government actions in the earliest moments of the crisis. Indeed, even now, the level of public anxiety about both the virus and what the Chinese government is doing and saying about it remain high. It is helpful to review the current status and the timeline that got us here. On Monday, February 24, the World Health Organization determined that reported cases of COVID-19/coronavirus had peaked. At the time, there were about 76,000 reported cases in China, and about 1,800 cases elsewhere in the world. In the United States, there were 14 reported cases. As of March 7, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and state and local public health reporting suggest the number is more than 300 cases, a twenty-fold increase. Globally, there are more than 100,000 cases, with more than 350 deaths in Italy alone. The world has barely begun to reckon with what the Chinese government claims to have gotten under control. Its true that forced quarantining and other extreme measures in China played a critical role. The World Health Organization report of its February mission to China praises the PRC for its response: The response structures in China were rapidly put in place according to existing emergency plans and aligned from the top to the bottom. This was replicated at the four levels of government (national, provincial, prefecture and county/district). The leader of the World Health Organization mission to China in February, Canadian epidemiologist Dr. Bruce Aylward, encouraged the world to access the expertise of China, adding that if I had COVID-19, Id want to be treated in China. Story continues But the WHO report and subsequent reporting about what the world can learn from China represents a real-time cleansing of the actual record, a record that includes intentional obfuscation and failure to respond in the early stages of the crisis. This includes the governments early attempts to stifle communication about the virus, the censorship of doctors and others on social media as cases were being observed in late December, and the continuing suppression of information on social media across the country about how the government, from President Xi Jinping to local administrators, continues to mislead the public and the rest of the world. On March 3, researchers at the University of Toronto Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy published Censured Contagion, a report that meticulously documents a timeline and body of facts that paint quite a different picture than the WHO report, and placing WHOs accolades for Chinas response structures that were rapidly put in place in doubt. The WHO report concludes that the beginning of the epidemic was December 30, 2019, with the collection of samples from a pneumonia patient in Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital. Data provided in graphics in the report show essentially zero cases before that date. Yet the Munk School researchers found that censorship of certain keywords in social media had already begun by then. They highlight social-media reports during the prior week by doctors reporting an unknown pathogen, linking it to the Wuhan seafood market. By December 31, social-media channels, including WeChat, were already censoring the terms Wuhan seafood market and unknown Wuhan pneumonia. As careful as the recent Munk School report is, its essential elements were available to WHO researchers before they made their February 16-24 trip and wrote their report praising the PRC response. On February 1, the Washington Post published a story excoriating Beijings early handling of the outbreak. The story includes anecdotes consistent with the Munk School analysis, such as how the Wuhan Public Security Bureau on New Years Day had begun detaining people for spreading rumours about Wuhan hospitals receiving SARS-like cases. The government-controlled Xinhua News Agency, the Post reported, called on those online to jointly build a harmonious, clear and bright cyberspace. WHO and its director-general, the Ethiopian politician Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, have received criticism for their own response to the crisis. Michael Collins at the Council on Foreign Relations labeled it a joint dereliction of duty in a searing blog post in late February. Collins correctly concludes that WHO laundered the PRC record, damaging its own credibility by doing so. The most galling result of that image-burnishing is the ubiquity of coverage and repetition by third parties who dont care to find out the truth to the effect that the world should actually thank the PRC for its strong reaction, because it bought the world the necessary time to prepare for the challenge. Science magazine online, the publication of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science, posed the question this week: Can Chinas COVID-19 strategy work elsewhere? This is just one example. This reflects what we already know about the Chinese government. It is developing into a modern state, one whose public-health system has significantly advanced from its ordeal with the SARS epidemic just 20 years ago. Per capita wealth is up more than 300 percent, and the Chinese share of the global GDP has more than doubled, from about 7 percent to more than 16 percent over the same period. Alongside that growth and progress, though, China under President Xi is ever more repressive. It uses some of the most sophisticated technology in the world simply to control its population. That includes Internet censorship, social-media monitoring and tracking of ordinary citizens, and the mass detention of Muslims and other minorities. But Chinese government face-saving is not stopping at the Chinese border. It is also attempting to control the narrative through state-controlled media, and through their willing partners in the West, including WHO. Government propagandists published a compendium of state-news agency articles, official government statements, and other documents in a book called A Battle Against Epidemic: China Combatting COVID-19 in 2020. The publication faced immediate scorn in social media within the country. Fortunately, despite the well-documented censorship of social media, citizen journalism continues. A popular meme shows Dr. Li Wenliang, the Wuhan ophthalmologist whose social media questioned the Wuhan pneumonia in late December and who eventually died from the virus, with barbed wire where his facemask should be. Several citizen journalists have gone missing, including in Shandong province, where there have been reports including in the Epoch Times that significant underreporting of COVID-19 by official statistics continues despite the WHO declaration that the caseload has peaked. In times of duress, the most innate qualities of countries tend to predominate. Thats what weve seen with the PRC. We can recognize the intensity of Chinas public-health response. But we should acknowledge and condemn the methods by which the world was kept in the dark for too long, and the means by which Beijing continues to interrupt the flow of information. We should not be thanking Beijing for its actions. Instead, we need honesty and the pursuit of the truth to defeat this challenge. And we must acknowledge that the Chinese governments actions early on almost certainly led to the global crisis were facing. More from National Review Hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents are heading to the polls today. The big event is Michigans Democratic primary, which could be critical in determining who is the partys nominee in November. The Democrats have 15 names on the ballot, although 12 candidates have dropped out. The active candidates are former Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii. The Republicans also are holding their presidential primary, and there are four candidates on the Republican ballot: President Trump, former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, and former congressmen Joe Walsh and Mark Sanford. The latter two have dropped out of the race, although their names remain on the ballot. In addition, more than 200 communities, school districts and counties have various tax proposals and initiatives on the ballot, including a request by The Detroit Institute of Arts to renew a 0.2-mill levy on property owners in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties Here is what voters should know. 1. There is still time to register to vote. Michigan residents now can register to vote up to and including Election Day. You must go to your city or township election office before 8 p.m. Tuesday to register, and you can vote at the same time. To be eligible to vote, the person must be a U.S. citizen age 18 or older. To verify residency, the person must present a Michigans drivers license, state identification card, current utility bill, a bank statement, a pay check, a government check or current government document. The document must have the persons name and current address. 2. Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The best way to avoid lines is to avoid first thing in the morning, lunch hour and early evening. People standing in line at 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote. 3. Double-check the location of your polling place. Infrequent or new voters: Be aware every voter is assigned a polling place; you can't just go to any polling place in your city or township. Unsure of where to vote? Its easy to check at www.michigan.gov/vote -- just type in your name, birth date and ZIP code, and the database will give you the address and a map of your polling location.. Even if you're a frequent voter, it doesn't hurt to double check since polling places can change. 4. Deadlines for absentee voters. Voters who already obtained an absentee ballot have until 8 p.m. Tuesday to return it to their city or township clerks office. At this point, that means hand-delivering: Postmarks dont count, and ballots received after the deadline are thrown out. If you lost your absentee ballot, you can go to your polling place and vote after election workers verify that your ballot hasn't been returned. 5. You can see a copy of your ballot online to plan out your decision-making. You can see your ballot online at www.michigan.gov/vote -- just type in your name, birth date and ZIP code. Although its a short ballot for most voters, you might want to see if youll be voting on any local ballot proposals. 6. You must specify whether you want a Democratic or Republican ballot. Voters must choose between participating in the Democratic or Republican primary, and pick which ballot they want. Theres also an option for voters who dont wish to participate in either primary, but are casting a vote for local proposals or candidates on the March 10 ballot. If you search by your name at michigan.gov/vote, you can see a preview of your specific ballot. 7. Bring a photo identification to your polling place. You don't need your voter's registration card, but you should bring a photo ID. Acceptable IDs include driver's license; state-issued ID card; ID issued by another state; federal or state-issued photo ID; U.S. passport; military ID; student ID or tribal ID card with photo. Voters who do not have an acceptable form of ID or failed to bring it with them to the polls still can vote. They simply sign a brief affidavit stating that they're not in possession of a photo ID. Their ballots are included with all others and counted on Election Day. 8. You cant take a selfie inside the polling place, but you can take a picture of your ballot. Voters are allowed to take a photograph of their own ballot but only while in the voting booth. Taking any other type of photograph within the area where people are voting is prohibited, as is sharing images of a voted ballot within 100 feet from the polling place. Some locations have a selfie wall or backdrop that voters can take a photo against but it must be outside the polling place. Taking selfies of themselves, either in the voting booth or anywhere within the area where people are voting is prohibited Incidentally, the ban extends to use of video cameras, still cameras and other recording devices in polling places when they are open for voting. This includes still cameras and other recording features built into many cell phones. The ban applies to all voters, challengers, poll watchers and election workers. Exceptions are made for credentialed members of the news media, though certain restrictions remain. 9. Leave your candidate T-shirts or buttons at home. Michigan bans election-related materials at polling places. This includes clothing and buttons as well as materials such as pamphlets, fliers and stickers. You cannot display such items in the polling place or within 100 feet of an entrance to a polling place. If you go to the polls with a shirt or button bearing election-related images or slogans, you will be asked to cover or remove it. 10. What to do if you experience or see problems. Voting is a public process and anybody is allowed to observe. However, poll watchers cannot interact with voters. Anybody who sees a problem at a polling place on Tuesday should alert the poll workers. If that doesn't work, call the city or township clerk. Citizens seeking to report voter fraud can contact their county clerk, the Michigan Secretary of State office at (517) 335-3234 and/or the nonpartisan Election Protection Hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE. Passengers arrive on an international flight at the SeattleTacoma International Airport (also known as Sea-Tac Airport) on March 8, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. Karen Ducey | Getty Images Washington state COVID-19 cases could reach 64,000 by May if health officials and the public aren't able to contain the outbreak now, Gov. Jay Inslee said Tuesday. The Evergreen State has at least 162 confirmed coronavirus cases across eight counties as of Monday night, but infectious disease experts say the actual number could be closer to 1,000 or more, Inslee said at a press conference. He said public health officials have not tested all 7.5 million residents in the state, and experts believe there are "many, many other people today in Washington state" who have the virus but don't have symptoms and haven't been diagnosed yet. "If we assume there are 1,000 or more people who have the virus today, what the experts are telling us, in an epidemic like this, looking at the characteristics of this virus, people who are infected will double anywhere from five to eight days," he said. "If you do that math, it gets very disturbing." "When something doubles every day, it gets to a very large number very quickly. If there are 1,000 people infected today, in seven or eight weeks, there could be 64,000 people infected in the state of Washington," he said. Inslee declared a state of emergency last month after the state reported its first death from the virus a man in his 50s from King County with underlying health conditions. The flu-like virus appears to be particularly severe for the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, Inslee noted on Tuesday. "We know this is a fatal disease all too frequently for those particularly of age and those who have chronic conditions," he said. With that in mind, Inslee said, the state is issuing new rules for nursing homes and long-term care facilities, limiting patients to one person or visit per day. Visitors must be adults and the visit must take place in residents' rooms. This does not apply to "end of life situations," he added. The move came as New York, which is also dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak, deployed the National Guard to New Rochelle, a coronavirus hot spot just north of New York City. American lifestyle brand Tory Burch has announced the opening of a new store at Taj Mall, a luxury shopping centre in Amman, Jordan. It will be the brands first location in Jordan and will feature a wide assortment of the Tory Burch accessories including shoes, handbags, and jewellery. The stores facade is distinguished by orange lacquer doors a signature Tory Burch design detail. In keeping with all Tory Burch retail locations, the interior has an inviting, residential feel. Oak panel walls and aged brass etageres offer a neutral backdrop for a sophisticated mix of furnishings, including leopard rugs, a white gesso chandelier and egg-shaped velvet sofas inspired by French designer Jean Royere. Since launching its first boutique in the Middle East in 2011, the brand has expanded to include 24 points of sale across the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Additional store openings are planned for the Middle East in the next year, continuing to bring Tory Burchs unique design sensibility to the region. Tory Burch launched in 2004 with a small boutique in Manhattans Nolita neighbourhood and the designers classic but bohemian aesthetic resonated with tastemakers from the very beginning. Over the past decade, the company has grown into a global brand with more than 300 boutiques around the world. Art, music, travel, interiors and the designers own stylish parents are inspirations for the collection. - TradeArabia News Service Over the past decade, Ikeas tip-prone dressers have killed six children, forcing the retail giant to recall millions of bureaus worldwide and pay at least $96 million in settlements to grieving families. But last year, when another Ikea dresser no longer met safety standards, the company didnt rush to take the product off its shelves. Instead, it kept selling the dresser. Ikeas three-drawer Kullen dresser became noncompliant with the furniture industrys safety standard in mid-August after it was updated to further safeguard against the danger of bureaus falling onto children. Sixteen weeks passed before Ikea took the dresser off the market on Dec. 2. Then the company waited again, until last week, to issue a recall for the product, which federal safety regulators say poses a risk of death or serious injury to children. The safety standard, though voluntary, is drafted by a committee made up of some of the biggest players in the furniture industry. Ikea is an active participant on that committee and was aware of the proposed changes months before the standard officially updated in August. Vladimir Brajkovic, head of product compliance for Ikea of Sweden, said in a statement that Ikea had begun plans to phase out the Kullen dresser before the standard was published. Implementing a new standard or legislation is always a big undertaking for a company of our size, Brajkovic said. Products are distributed globally to Ikea stores through an extensive distribution network involving large-scale logistics management. It is an intricate system where millions of products arrive at thousands of different destinations every day. Janet McGee, whose son Ted died in a tip-over of an Ikea Malm dresser in 2016, said Ikea could have taken the dresser off the market in a day by removing it from its website and sending an email to store managers. Instead, she said, Ikea put more children at risk. It just begs the question: When are you going to take this seriously? What does it take? she said. Do you need more of our kids to die? Story continues Ted McGee was killed when an Ikea dresser tipped onto him in his Minnesota bedroom in 2016. Tip-overs have been an intractable danger for decades, with a child dying on average every two weeks, according to federal data. Virtually all dressers have the potential to tip, but Ikeas have proven particularly hazardous. At least nine children have died in tip-overs of Ikea dressers since 1989. As part of a 2016 recall of 17.3 million units, Ikea pulled about half its bureaus off the market and said they did not meet the industrys safety standard, including the popular, low-cost Malm line. The vast majority of product recalls including the two Ikea has issued for its dressers are voluntary, after a company negotiates the terms with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the federal agency tasked with protecting Americans from hazardous products. Product liability experts say companies make a complicated calculation leading up to that decision, weighing the financial benefit of continuing to sell a product against the cost of a recall and their liability if a consumer is hurt. In January, Ikea paid $46 million to the parents of a 2-year-old California boy who died in 2017 when he was trapped beneath the Malm dresser in his bedroom. The familys lawyers said they believe it is the largest settlement resulting from the wrongful death of a child in U.S. history. Joleen and Craig Dudek join a news conference in Philadelphia via video on Jan. 6. IKEA agreed to pay $46 million to the parents after their 2-year-old son died when a recalled Ikea dresser tipped onto him. Michael Green, a Wake Forest University law school professor who has represented companies facing product liability suits, said that regardless of Ikeas reason for continuing to sell the noncompliant Kullen dresser, the companys troubling history on dresser safety opens it to scrutiny. If there is a child that is badly injured by one of these dressers (sold) during that 4-month period, boy, theres a lot of juries that would get awfully inflamed, he said. An awfully good plaintiff is an innocent child who has a dresser fall on her. The standard the Kullen and other Ikea dressers failed to meet includes a simple test: Open a drawer, hang a 50-pound weight on it, and see if the unit tips. It is meant to ensure that a dresser can remain upright under the pull of a child, even if the dresser hasnt been attached to the wall. It is a voluntary standard, like most that guide the safety of consumer products in the United States. But in practice, the furniture guideline has become voluntary by name only. In February 2019, the CPSC warned manufacturers it would consider any dressers that didnt comply to be defective and seek recalls where appropriate. The agency has since issued nine dresser recalls, compared with none the year before. Ikeas three-drawer Kullen dresser did not fall under the safety standard at the time of regulators warning. Then, the test applied only to dressers taller than 30 inches, and the Kullen was about an inch and a half shy. But in August, the height threshold was lowered to 27 inches, making the Kullen subject to the standard. The standards committee, which is made up of furniture manufacturers, safety advocates and consumers, had been considering the height change for more than a year, and it was preliminarily approved in June. Several committee members, in interviews with USA TODAY, said Ikea had time to prepare. Theyve been at the table for as long as I have. They knew these changes were coming, said Bill Perdue, vice president of regulatory affairs for the American Home Furnishings Alliance, a trade association whose members include some of Ikeas main competitors. Everybody knew they were coming. It wasnt a secret. Perdue said manufacturers in his association began preparing for the new standard well in advance, and many pulled noncompliant dressers off the market or redesigned them before the standard was updated. It just baffles me, he said of Ikeas decision to delay. Ikea declined to say how many Kullen dressers were sold in the nearly four months that passed before the company took the product off the market. By then, Ikea has received six reports of the Kullen dresser tipping over, two of them resulting in minor injuries, according to Ikea. The company said the reports were received some time after its 2016 recall but declined to elaborate. Ikea has now recalled more than 18.1 million dressers in the United States alone, including 820,000 three-drawer Kullen dressers sold since 2005. As of January, just 8% of the recalled products had been returned or repaired, according to numbers provided by Ikea. Consumers who own a recalled dresser can request a free anchoring kit from Ikea or return it, in most cases for a full refund. Ikea will pick up the dressers from buyers homes. McGee said she wishes the Kullen dresser had been included in the recall from the start and said Ikea had reason to be watching the dresser closely. The Kullen line is a virtual lookalike to Ikeas Malm line, which has been involved in the deaths of five children, including her sons. Three of those deaths were caused by the three-drawer Malm. That dresser was recalled in 2016. The Kullen was not, because of a height difference of 2 inches. Ikea's Malm dressers, including this six-drawer model, were recalled in 2016. One of them killed three children, McGee said. And the other one continued to be sold for 3 years after. Brajkovic of Ikea of Sweden said the company stands by the safety of our products. He said the recalled Kullen dresser is safe when attached to the wall as the instructions direct. Ikea has said the same of its other recalled dressers. In an email about the recall to consumers last week, Ikea opened by describing its products as marrying both safety and quality, then provided a set of tips on how to safely use dressers. Only then, at the close of the email, did Ikea provide information on the recall. Marietta Robinson, who served as a commissioner at the CPSC when Ikeas 2016 dresser recall was announced, said Ikea has always downplayed its responsibility to make safe dressers and instead focused on anchoring, placing the burden on the consumer. She said she had been hopeful after the 2016 recall that Ikea recognized the need to make its dressers inherently stable, but it comes as no surprise to her that Ikea sold another noncompliant dresser. I have been appalled by their conduct from the very beginning, she said. "The company has been consistently focused on profits and not on the safety of kids." Tricia L. Nadolny is a reporter on the USA TODAY investigations team. She can be reached at tnadolny@usatoday.com or @TriciaNadolny. I own an Ikea dresser. Now what? Was my dresser part of the recall? If you own a Malm dresser sold between 2002 and mid-2016, there is a good chance it was recalled. But more than 100 other lines of Ikea dressers are included as well. A full list of products, along with steps for taking part in the recall, is available at ikea-usa.com/saferhomestogether. I own a recalled dresser. Should I keep it or get rid of it? If it is not anchored, first make sure it cannot be reached by children. The recall allows people to keep or return the item, but safety advocates recommend that the dressers be removed from homes because of the concern that they will not be anchored or they will later be used by someone unaware of the recall. Many of the recalled dressers can be returned for a full refund. Consumers can bring the dresser to any Ikea retailer, or Ikea will come pick it up from your home, free of charge. I want to keep my Ikea dresser. What are my options? You should anchor it to the wall. You can request a free wall anchoring kit from Ikea and install it yourself, or Ikea will send someone to your home to attach it for you free of charge. Do I need a receipt to take part in the recall? Typically a receipt is not required, but Ikea says it can request a receipt based on the total number of dressers being returned by one customer. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ikea dresser recall: Retail giant sold product it knew was dangerous (Source: SunStar) THE eight South Korean nationals who were among the 26 who arrived in Cebu from Daegu City, South Korea last February 25 have completed their 14-day home quarantine. Department of Health-Central Visayas Director Jaime Bernadas said in a text message that the eight South Koreans finished the quarantine Tuesday, March 10. He said they will be issued a completion certificate today, March 10. He said the eight South Koreans planned to stay with their families in Cebu City. Of the 26 South Koreans who arrived in Cebu last February 25, only eight were quarantined, as the 17 have already returned to South Korea and one was transferred to Angeles City in Central Luzon where he resides. (JCT) She was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in her home town of Forest City, Iowa where she was baptized, confirmed, and married. She graduated from Forest City High School in 1993. A lifelong learner, she received degrees from Waldorf College, the University of Iowa, Buena Vista, and eventually followed her father's footsteps as a science educator receiving her master's in chemistry from North Carolina Central University in Durham. While attending NCCU she wrote articles for the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, dumbing down papers so that Congress could eventually understand them. (She never was sure if her attempts were successful). After graduation, she worked as a program coordinator for the micro- and nanotechnology program in the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University. Her favorite part of this job involved inspiring the next generation of young women to pursue careers in STEM fields. She ran workshops for young adults (4th grade and up) enabling them to gain hands-on experiences in a high-tech lab setting. She loved her work and her coworkers and was passionate enough about it to continue working until a week before her passing. While attending the University of Iowa, she met her soul's companion and partner in life, Matt Kerr. They were married on August 9th, 1997. In 2002, after experiencing some cabin fever, they pinned a map to the wall, Melissa threw a dart behind her back, and fate landed them in Raleigh, NC. Ten years later they welcomed Jude Seunghyun Kerr into their lives, making their family complete. Jude has been the joy of their lives ever since. The Neighbours creator left behind assets worth $800million overseas and $71million in Australia when he died in 2016 The bitter legal battle over TV mogul Reg Grundy's $900million fortune has finally come to an end. Mr Grundy's widow Carolyn Joy Chambers-Grundy and estranged daughter Viola La Valette have been trading blows over the money since he died aged 92 in 2016. His daughter was claiming her father had suffered Alzheimer's during his final years which caused him to reduce how much money he left her in the will. The two hadn't seen each other for 22 years before Mr Grundy's death. But the pair have reached a confidential settlement over the funds, bringing an end to the three-year long battle at the New South Wales Supreme Court, according to the Daily Telegraph. The Neighbours creator left behind assets worth $800million overseas and $71million in Australia when he died in 2016. Nearly all of that went to his second wife, former actor Carolyn Joy Chambers Grundy. His daughter Viola La Valette, born to first wife Patricia La Powell, was allocated yearly payments of $250,000. But she challenged the figures - seeking access to documents about her father's mental state and health leading up to his death. At one point the battle for the estate even attracted a third party, former Victorian mayor Simon Russell, who was claiming to be the TV mogul's long lost son. The cafe owner claimed he was the 'love child' of Grundy, and was born before Grundy married his first wife Lola Powell in 1954. Australian entrepreneur Reg Grundy with second wife Joy Chambers- Grundy in 2005 Russell was first elected as Mayor for Sandringham Council in 1994 and was elected as Mayor a second time in 2001 and 2002 for Bayside Council, when the cities amalgamated. However Russell dropped his claim against the late media mogul's estate after DNA tests concluded the two men were not related in June 2019. Friends of the Grundy family came forward to say they had never heard of La Valette before, A Current Affair reported in 2017. She had not spoken to her father for 22 years up to his death. Mr Grundy was behind several long-celebrated soap operas and game shows like Sons and Daughters, The Young Doctors, The Restless Years, Sale of The Century and Neighbours. He also produced ABBA: The Movie alongside Stig Anderson, and was known to keep his private life out of the public eye. After marrying his first wife in his 20s and divorcing her years later, Mr Grundy lived with his daughter Kim, and his mother in the 1960s while he built his television empire. Reg Grundy left behind assets worth $800million overseas and $71million in Australia. Pictured: his sprawling property in Bermuda At one point the battle for the estate even attracted a third party, former Victorian mayor Simon Russell (pictured), who was claiming to be the TV mogul's long lost son Mr Grundy met Joy, an author and actress, when she was a panellist on the game show I've Got a Secret, and married her four years later in 1971. She went to star in several of her husband's soaps including The Restless Years, The Doctors and Neighbours. Ms Grundy continues to live in the couple's sprawling Bermuda mansion. However, she did briefly return to Sydney for the court appearance. The couple moved to Bermuda in the early 1980s and they were there together the day he passed away. In 1983, Mr Grundy was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, and was made an Companion of the Order of Australia in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 2008. TV Mogul Reg Grundy left Nearly all his $900million fortune to his second wife - former actor Carolyn Joy Chambers-Grundy (pictured) Mr. Brennan last worked at the racetrack on March 2, Mr. Faraldo said. He wasnt coughing or anything else, he said. The next morning he called me and said, I dont feel well. Mr. Faraldo, 74, said he is battling a fever and has seen a doctor, but has not yet been tested for coronavirus. The two men spoke regularly while Mr. Brennan was hospitalized the last time about 9:40 p.m. on Monday, Mr. Faraldo said. He was annoyed that they didnt have the test results yet, Mr. Faraldo said. He had been tested for coronavirus on Saturday, but the results did not come back until Tuesday, Ms. Persichilli said. He went into cardiac arrest on Monday night, but was revived, Ms. Persichilli said. On Tuesday morning, Mr. Brennan had a second heart attack, this one fatal. Mr. Brennan, who was single and had no children, regularly traveled into New York City after leaving work, Mr. Faraldo said. The racetrack is just north of the city in Yonkers, N.Y., a city that borders New Rochelle, where there is a cluster of coronavirus cases. On Tuesday, New York State officials created a one-mile radius zone in New Rochelle, where schools and other buildings will be forced to close and the National Guard will be deployed. There were 108 patients with the virus in Westchester on Tuesday most of them in New Rochelle, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said. - Thirty-seven Liberian pharmacists have completed a programme at the University of Benin - The Liberian pharmacists recently completed a specialised Doctor of Pharmacy programme - The programme was aimed at upgrading the skills of practicing pharmacists in Liberia with considerable years of practical experiences A specialised Doctor of Pharmacy programme has been completed at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) by 37 Liberian pharmacists. The school collaborated with the Nigerian Association of Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Scientists in the Americas, and the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, to organise the programme. According to the head of Medicines Information at the Liberia Medicines & Health Products Regulatory Authority, Dr Juwe D Kercula, the programme was aimed at upgrading the skills of practising pharmacists with considerable years of practical experiences, FPA reports. Legit.ng notes that Kercula said: "These trained Pharmacists are now equipped to ensure that pharmaceutical products deliver the maximum therapeutic outcomes for the patients and the processes leading to these outcomes." The registrar general at the Pharmacy Board of Liberia, Dr Menmon PZ Dunah, assured Liberians to expect the highest standards in pharmacy practice in the country. According to Dunah, the Doctor of Pharmacy programme will institute new measures to ensure that patient-centred cares are provided by all pharmacists. In other news, a 28-year-old sickle cell anaemia survivor Musonda Mwilwa has fulfilled her dream of becoming a medical doctor. Mwilwa said she had always wished to be a medical doctor even after she was diagnosed with sickle cell anaemia when she was nine months old. The 28-year-old lady was among the 31 doctors that were inducted by Zambia Medical Association at Lusaka Apex Medical University (LAMU) on Thursday, January 30. According to Mwilwa, whenever she was going through pain, her mother was her source of comfort who assured her that her future was bright and extraordinary. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read the best news on Nigerias #1 news app She said: Despite people displaying their negative attitude, I never allowed this negative mindset to stop my ambition of becoming a doctor one day." Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a man identified as Momo Bertrand said he had finally been hired by the United Nations (UN) after being rejected 500 times. Bertrand took to LinkedIn to make the disclosure, saying he started applying for jobs at the UN after completing his master's degree programme. Bertrand said he told his classmates about applying for UN jobs, but he was laughed at and advised to apply to be a kindergarten teacher. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better 18-year-old teenager studying for Phd makes startling revelation | Faces of Nigeria - Legit TV Source: Legit.ng Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 09:27:17|Editor: ZD Video Player Close PYONGYANG, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), guided another firepower strike drill of long-range artillery sub-units of the Korean People's Army (KPA) on Monday, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Tuesday. Kim watched the drill at an observation post and ordered the start of the fire, said the report, without giving details about what kind of weapons were tested. The purpose of the firepower strike drill was to "inspect the sudden military counterattack capability of the long-range artillery units on the front," it said. South Korean officials said that the DPRK fired at least three unidentified projectiles Monday, the second such move within a week. South Korea's Defense Ministry said it detected different types of short-range projectiles fired from the Sondok area on the east coast of the DPRK into the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. "The artillerymen on the front hit the target with excellent marksmanship in the presence of the Supreme Leader, fully demonstrating their combat power ...," the KCNA said. On March 2, Kim visited a firepower strike drill ground of long-range artillery sub-units of the KPA and guided the drill, according to the KCNA. A former student at a prestigious New Jersey magnet high school has filed a federal discrimination lawsuit alleging 'endemic anti-Semitism' at the Marine Academy of Science and Technology, and accusing school administrators of failing to put a stop to it. The plaintiff, who only wishes to use her first name, Paige, claims in her 65-page complaint that she was once sent a text message featuring a photo of a classmate posing on a beach with the words 'I h8 Jews' written in the sand. On another occasion, someone left a rock near her desk at school scrawled with the name 'adolf.' 'Paige,' a former student at the Marine Academy of Science and Technology in New Jersey, in 2018 was sent this photo showing her classmate posing on Sandy Hook Beach Paige has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit, alleging 'endemic anti-Semitism' at the Marine Academy of Science and Technology, a top magnet school in New Jersey The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Trenton last Wednesday, also accuses teachers at the school of poking fun at a classmate's last name, 'Giuffre,' and encouraging students to read Adolf Hitler's virulently anti-Semitic autobiographical manifesto 'Mein Kampf' at school. The state Attorney General's Office in November 2019 found probable cause that the school failed to adequately address anti-Semitic harassment targeting Paige, who transferred out of the district in her senior year. According to the complaint, filed on the student's behalf by civil rights lawyer Eric Hecker, with the New Jersey firm Cuti Hecker Wang LLP, Paige enrolled at the elite public school specializing in marine sciences as a freshman in 2015, and on the first day of school heard an anti-Semitic exchange between two teachers and a student. The lawsuit recounts how two naval science teachers were having trouble pronouncing the last name of a student spelled 'Giuffre.' 'The student told the teachers how to pronounce his name, and they both laughed while one of them said that it sounded like 'Jew fray' and the other said he would not want to have a name like that,' the complaint alleges. During her time at MAST, Paige allegedly saw 'on numerous occasions' her fellow students drawing swastikas in their notebooks, as well as on school lunch tables. 'This was a common practice among MAST students during the lunch hour,' according to the lawsuit, which claims that school officials knew, or should have known, about the swastikas but failed to take any action. During the plaintiff's sophomore year, Paige allegedly observed several of her schoolmates reading 'Mein Kampf' during their mandatory 'read period,' even though the curriculum did not include any studies of World War II or the rise of Nazi Germany. According to the complaint, some of the students said in class how much they liked Hitler's anti-Semitic opus, and one student in particular was often seen carrying the book. A naval science teacher at the school - one of the two who allegedly made fun of the last name 'Giuffre' - was heard praising 'Mein Kampf' as a 'great book,' according to the lawsuit. Also during Paige's sophomore year, another student allegedly created a video in which he doctored images of a naval science teacher sporting a mustache reminiscent of Hitler's and made it look like he was wearing a Nazi uniform. The recording also featured the date 'April 20,' Hitler's birthday. When Paige's parents reported some of the anti-Semitic incidents to a school official, they were allegedly told 'there has always been racism and anti-Semitism and always will be.' Paige and her parents were said to have repeatedly raised concerns about anti-Semitism at the school, but the lawsuit alleges that their complaints had fallen on deaf ears. The final straw for Paige came toward the end of her junior year, when MAST sponsored a field trip to Sandy Hook Beach. After Paige complained about her treatment, someone left this rock scrawled with the name 'adolf' near her desk in English class She did not go on the trip because of a prior commitment, but later she received a photo as part of a text message chain featuring one of her schoolmates lying on the sand next to oversized letters spelling out the phrase 'I h8 Jews.' The student in the photo commented that the image should be the 'yearbook cover,' and another MAST student concurred, saying it would make a 'great' cover. After Paige and her parents complained to school administrators about the photo, an investigation was carried out and two students were suspended from school for four days, while a third student was given a two-day suspension for commenting on the text message chain. According to the complaint, Paige's classmates at MAST quickly figured out that she was the one who reported the incident to school officials and labeled her a 'snitch.' She then became the target of an alleged retaliation campaign, which included having a rock with the name 'adolf' handwritten on it placed directly behind her seat in English class. Paige dropped out of MAST before her senior year with a 4.0 GPA and transferred to another school, but her stay there was short-lived because, according to the lawsuit, some of her former classmates spread rumors among her new classmates that she was a 'snitch,' leading her to become ostracized. The complaint alleges that her departure from MAST after her junior year had hurt her chances of getting accepted into Tulane University, which was her college of choice. She applied to New York University, University of Pennsylvania, Emory University, Northwestern University, and the University of Virginia, but was rejected. Paige is now a freshman at an unspecified out-of-state college, where according to the complaint, she has been having trouble 'forging new friendships and establishing relationships with professors' because of her 'anger and trust' issues. The Monmouth County Vocational School District, which is named as a defendant in Paige's lawsuit, has released a statement saying MAST is committed to providing a safe and inclusive learning environment' for all students that is free from harassment, intimidation and bullying and all forms of bias and discrimination.' A lawyer representing the boy in the 'I h8 Jews' photo told New York Post it was intended as a 'tongue in cheek sarcastic joke' that was not to be taken literally. The student and the other teen connected to the photo had their admissions to Cornell University and NYU, respectively, rescinded after Paige's complaint to the state Attorney General's Office last year. Patients with hypertension appear to be at a higher risk of dying from the coronavirus, said a top Chinese intensive care doctor whos been treating critically ill patients since mid-January. While theres been no published research yet explaining why, Chinese doctors working in Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the virus first emerged, have noticed that infected patients with that underlying illness are more likely to slip into severe distress and die. Of a group of 170 patients who died in January in Wuhan -- the first wave of casualties caused by a pathogen thats now raced around the world -- nearly half had hypertension. Thats a very high ratio, said Du Bin, director of the intensive care unit at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, in an interview with Bloomberg over the phone from Wuhan. He was among a team of top doctors sent to the devastated city two months ago to help treat patients there. From what I was told by other doctors and the data I can see myself, among all the underlying diseases, hypertension is a key dangerous factor, said Du, one of the most respected critical care experts in China. Though there is no research published on that yet, we believe hypertension could be an important factor in causing patients to deteriorate, leading to a bad prognosis. As the outbreak picks up speed in Europe and the U.S., plunging countries like Italy into crisis, doctors are struggling to treat the highly-infectious pathogen thats infected over 108,000 people globally in just three months. Understanding the course of the disease and identifying individuals at greatest risk are critical for optimizing care for a global contagion thats killed more than 3,700 people since emerging in China in December. Answers may lie in studying the large pool of patients in China, where more than 15,000 remain hospitalized although new infections have slowed dramatically. The disease turns critical in 6% of patients and deterioration can happen very quickly. Well keep an eye on old people and those with high blood pressure. They are the key focus, said Du. Besides the hypertension factor, Dus other insights into treating the disease are: Move Aggressively to Ventilate Du said that doctors should not hesitate to escalate measures for patients facing respiratory distress, as organ failure can set in quickly after. That means doctors should intervene aggressively with invasive ventilation measures -- inserting a tube into a patients throat or cutting the throat open to create an airway -- when low blood oxygen levels cant be improved by less invasive measures. Almost half of the patients who require invasive mechanical ventilation end up dying, but most of those who recover are those who were put on invasive ventilation early, said Du. Patients need to use invasive ventilation as early as possible, theres no point of doing it late, he said. Respiratory therapists -- doctors that specialize in ventilation and oxygen treatment -- are becoming all the more important in treating patients critically ill with Covid-19 as they are more knowledgeable and can fine-tune ventilators to suit patient conditions. No Magic Bullets in Drugs There is growing anticipation over drugs being developed to treat the virus, with investors adding billions to the market value of pharmaceutical companies testing treatments now. But Du said drugs alone cannot save patients, especially those in severe condition. The experience of SARS, the epidemic 17 years ago that sickened almost 8,000 people, showed that most patients can be cured without a specific anti-viral drug, said Du. And the abundance of antibiotics has not prevented deaths by bacterial infections, he added. When theres a virus infection, we hope theres a drug that can kill the virus and change the clinical outcome. But theres no magic bullet. Instead, teamwork among specialists and nurses in intensive care units can be more crucial in keeping patients alive, he said. An ICU doctor should work like a conductor in an orchestra to provide life-sustaining treatment while taking into consideration different specialist views, he said. Threat of Re-infection Reports that people who have recovered and been discharged from hospital later test positive again -- and even die from the disease -- have ignited fears that the virus can somehow re-emerge. Du said that patients becoming re-infected again within days of leaving the hospital makes no sense theoretically as the anti-bodies in their bloodstream generated from fighting the disease do not disappear so quickly, although they dont necessarily stay forever. What we need to look at in terms of those who tested positive again is concerns over the authenticity of their negative results, he said. For example, samples taken from different areas of the same patient could test differently depending on where the virus resides. Test kits made by different manufacturers could also have inconsistencies that impact test results, he said. Mild Impact on Pregnant Women, Children Despite their seeming physical vulnerability, pregnant women and children do not seem to be affected by the coronavirus in a serious manner, Du said. This is in contrast to other viruses like influenza. From what we known, infected pregnant women do not get into a serious situation with the coronavirus, Du said. With influenza, pregnancy is a high risk factor that can cause severe symptoms and lead to bad outcomes, but not this time. Children infected with the coronavirus also seem to experience only mild symptoms, said Du. He has not seen any child infections deteriorate to a state which requires intensive care. (Updates with section on infections among pregnant women and children) To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Dong Lyu in Beijing at dlyu3@bloomberg.net;Claire Che in Beijing at yche16@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Rachel Chang at wchang98@bloomberg.net, Sharon Chen For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2020 Bloomberg L.P. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A provincial pledge to fund marketing and promotions to help Eglinton-area businesses survive extended transit construction appears to fall short of the direct compensation many need to survive, local representatives say. Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney issued a letter Monday saying the province will provide an extra $3 million to Eglinton-area merchants' groups for marketing, promotion and cleanup assistance on top of millions of dollars already provided. In addition, Metrolinx will work with the Ministry of Transportation to explore the feasibility of opening portions of the Eglinton Crosstown (light rail line) sooner so that business and residents can reap the benefits of the line as soon as possible, Mulroney wrote. Metrolinx has twice delayed the opening date for the Crosstown line, most recently by two years into late 2022. The news was a major blow to many businesses reeling from reduced business as a result of disruptive construction on Eglinton, after many others were forced to shut their doors. Councillor Josh Matlow (Ward 12 Toronto-St. Paul's), who has been pressing the province to help save remaining businesses, said the Ford government had taken a good step in the right direction with the pledge. Im grateful to Minister Mulroney, said Matlow. What will be important to the businesses on Eglinton is whether $3 million will be sufficient and how many of them will be eligible to receive compensation. They dont want a handout. They simply need a life line to survive the construction. Maureen Sirois, chair of the Eglinton Way Business Improvement Area, said the money is welcome and business groups appreciate the Ford government recognizing the impacts of construction. But there is nothing in the letter about direct compensation and I think there has to be a place for that, Sirois said. Maybe this can be the start of that conversation. Sirois said the Ontario government should put language in its future contracts with companies hired to build transit projects that requires them to pay compensation if construction is extended. Mayor John Tory issued a statement thanking Mulroney for the welcome news. David Rider is the Star's City Hall bureau chief and a reporter covering city hall and municipal politics. Follow him on Twitter: @dmrider Read more about: John Bercow delivers the keynote speech at the 'Parliament and Brexit' conference in London on Tuesday (REUTERS/Henry Nicholls) John Bercow has mocked Boris Johnson and his army of eager beaver Tory MPs, saying they are wrong if they think they will achieve a strong Brexit. The former Commons speaker used a keynote speech in Westminster on Tuesday afternoon to attack the administrations of Johnson and Theresa May, while also defending Remainer MPs who challenged the fraught Brexit process in Parliament. Bercow, who opened his slot at the Parliament and Brexit conference by parodying his own famous shout of ordaaair, was accused in his final years in the speakers chair of siding with Remainer MPs. On Tuesday, he conceded the prospects of parliamentary assertiveness are now much less great because of Johnsons majority won in Decembers election. In a parting shot, however, he said: The Brexit negotiations, which I think are going to be fraught and difficult, are being led by the prime minister at the most proficuous time: early in the parliament when he has got the sun on his back and a very large number of new, aspiring, eager beaver Conservative MPs. They share his undiluted passion for what they consider a strong Brexit. Boris Johnson won a strong majority in December's election (AFP via Getty) They are entitled to their views but in my personal opinion, they suffer a material disadvantage. They are wrong. After Britain left the EU on 31 January, the UK entered a transition period in which the government will negotiate its future relationship with the EU, including a vital trade deal. John Bercow speaks at the Parliament and Brexit conference (Reuters) Of the legacy of the 2017-2019 parliament, which inflicted numerous humiliating defeats on May and Johnson, Bercow said: What I do not accept is the narrative that has come to be entrenched in large parts of the predominantly Brexit-supporting media that this paralysis [of the Brexit process] was the fault of those perfidious or treacherous MPs. The normal course of events is governmental initiation in parliament and control of the order paper. It was for the government to come and say what it wanted to do to implement its policy. And it didnt. For two years after the referendum. Story continues That wasnt parliaments fault, of Conservative soft Brexiteers, of Remainer rebels, of the chair that was the government which hadnt made up its mind what it wanted by way of Brexit beyond the incessant articulation over a period of years of a slogan. Bercow, whose speech was punctuated with animated finger jabs for each key point he made, defended Remainer MPs who held back the government. Brexit briefing: 296 days until the end of the transition period The only duty of an MP, he said, is to say or do what he or she thinks is right. I dont accept the characterisation of the last parliament as rotten, useless. I think the last parliament was struggling to deal with the issue as best it could in the light of a referendum that told us nothing about what Brexit meant. I think my parliamentary colleagues were genuinely doing their best to try to get a better outcome. Polish President Andrzej Duda following a meeting of the National Security Council (RBN) which he attended on Tuesday, said the talks had been "very substantive, without criticism of the government." The president also said many important propositions had been made, including by members of the opposition. Thanking all those who had attended, Duda said the meeting had been a very "factual discussion." He said that during the sitting, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and his ministers had presented very detailed information and that all participants had taken part. "I want to stress very strongly. It was a very substantive discussion without criticism of the government. That means, what has been done to date by the government, by the sanitary inspectorate, was very highly assessed. I'm glad of that because I believe that both the government and the inspectorate deserve such an appraisal, as do the services - the police, border guard, fire brigade," the president said. (PAP) American Canyon had an uptick in major crimes in 2019, though it still recorded the third lowest total in seven years. Crime is not spiking up, American Canyon is still a great town, but we have a slight rise, Police Chief Oscar Ortiz said. American Canyon for the fourth consecutive year had no murders, new statistics show. It had six rapes, six robberies, 130 assaults, 56 burglaries, 346 larcenies and 23 auto thefts. American Canyon reported having 568 violent and property crimes. That compares to 533 in 2018, 584 in 2017, 551 in 2016, 763 in 2015, 707 in 2014 and 627 in 2013. The figures combine homicide, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, larceny and auto theft. Property crime is the reason for the uptick, Ortiz said. The city had rashes of vehicle burglaries. The main shopping centers with Safeway and Walmart continued experiencing thefts. The problem with property crime is growing throughout the state of California, Ortiz said. American Canyon is not immune to it. The reason is recent criminal justice reform measures that effectively decriminalized many types of crimes, Ortiz said in a March 3 report to the City Council. He gave Proposition 47 and Proposition 57 as examples. Officers in 2019 gave 125 cite-and-release tickets for cases involving methamphetamine, cocaine and opiates. Ortiz said methamphetamine is a particular problem in American Canyon. People can have cocaine, heroin or meth and they get a ticket, Ortiz said. Whereas, before Prop. 47 specifically, they would actually get a trip to the jail to at least try to push them into some counseling or some rehabilitation. At 1:30 a.m. Feb. 24, an officer stopped a man walking down a residential street near Gadwall Park. The downtown Fairfield resident on probation for burglary had a bag of methamphetamine in his pocket. He received a ticket and went on his way. We didnt get any burglaries that night in that neighborhood, Ortiz said. But those are the type of crimes where it would have resulted in a trip to jail, historically or in the past. Councilmember David Oro said he hoped the man got the message not to return. He said the city wants a reputation that criminals know they shouldnt come to American Canyon. Councilmember Kenneth Leary asked what citizens can do to discourage crime. Ortiz urged residents to call police if they see anything suspicious. Ortiz said 62 residents have joined the Police Departments home video surveillance camera registry. The database lets police know what addresses have cameras. Police might contact the homeowner if a crime takes place in that area. Have we looked at surveillance cameras that the city would own and manage? Councilmember Mark Joseph said. I know there are privacy issues and all of that. But, as you mentioned, at the end of the day, eyes-and-ears is how you catch bad guys. Ortiz said he and City Manager Jason Holley have talked about that idea. There are challenges, such as the cost of storing the data for a year as required by government code. Traffic citations on local roads fell from 774 in 2018 to 382 in 2019. Citations on the American Canyon stretch of Highway 29 fell from 662 to 219. The number did kind of surprise me, how low it was compared to past years, Ortiz said. One reason is a veteran motorcycle officer retired and the department had to train the replacement. Another is police put more effort on residential streets in reaction to public requests, which resulted in fewer citations but created good interaction with the community, Ortiz said. Joseph said a purpose of giving speeding tickets is to reduce collisions. Collisions on local roads fell from 89 in 2018 to 79 in 2019. Collisions on Highway 29 fell from 80 to 58. Ultimately, youre achieving the real objective, Joseph told Ortiz. Especially if you are out in the local neighborhoods, slowing people down, then giving warnings all of that is good stuff. The American Canyon Police Department is a division of the Napa County Sheriffs Office. The city last year agreed to pay the Sheriffs Office $6.75 million in 2019-20, $6.95 million in 2020-21 and $7.19 million in 2021-22 for police services. You can reach Barry Eberling at 256-2253 or beberling@napanews.com. 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. Jane Hirshfield. Knopf, $27.95 (128p) ISBN 978-0-5256-5780-4 From the opening poem, Let Them Not Say, to the closing, My Debt, the masterful ninth book from Hirshfield (Come, Thief) is an account of how We did not-enough to save the world. Most poems are no longer than a page, though some are considerably shorter (My Silence is only a title). They are set against a page and a half of prose in the middle of the book about Capital which, for the writer, is language as slippery as any other kind of wealth. Through this juxtaposition, Hirshfield urges a reckoning of human influence onand interference withthe planet. In As If Hearing Heavy Furniture Moved on the Floor Above Us, she begins: As things grow rarer, they enter the ranges of counting and ends, underscoring humanitys obliviousness: We scrape from the world its... wonder.../ Closing eyes to taste better the char of ordinary sweetness. Hirshfield suggests that people are unable, or unwilling, to comprehend their role in their own destruction: If the unbearable were not weightless we might yet buckle under the grief. Hirshfields world is one filled with beauty, from the generosity of grass to humanitys connection to the muskrat. This is both a paean and a heartbreaking plea. (Mar.) The Oregon Health Authority received a new supply of coronavirus test kits Tuesday from the federal government, one day before officials were set to run out. The new kits from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allow for testing of up to 4,800 people, according to the state. Those tests arrived just in time. Agency officials acknowledged late Monday that they had just 130 tests remaining and would run out by Wednesday. Its not immediately clear if state officials will now broaden the pool of Oregonians who they are willing to test for COVID-19 at the state lab. Officials have acknowledged there are more cases in Oregon that have gone undetected because of a lack of testing and testing capacity to check more people. -- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregnian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt The latest news on the novel coronavirus and the illness dubbed COVID-19 (all times Eastern): Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/3/2020 (671 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A bus carrying Canadian passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship drives away after they arrived on a government plane from Oakland, Calif. to Canadian Forces Base Trenton in Trenton, Ont., on Tuesday, March 10, 2020.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg The latest news on the novel coronavirus and the illness dubbed COVID-19 (all times Eastern): 11:25 p.m. Health officials in northern Ontario have confirmed the first case of the novel coronavirus in the Sudbury area. In an online statement, Sudbury public health says a man in his 50s tested positive for COVID-19 after he went to the emergency department at Health Sciences North on Saturday. It says the investigation is ongoing, but adds that the man attended a convention by Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada in Toronto on March 2 and 3. The public health agency says the man was sent home after being diagnosed, where he remains in isolation. --- 7:15 p.m. Seven additional people in British Columbia have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 39. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says two of the new cases are health-care workers at the same long-term care facility where a small outbreak has already been identified. A total of eight cases are now linked to the Lynn Valley Care Centre, including two family members or close contacts of a health-care worker. Henry says the initial health-care worker who tested positive at the seniors facility has been admitted to hospital for monitoring, adding that no additional residents of the facility tested positive today. Three of today's cases are travel-related, including a woman who was on a tour in Egypt, a person who returned from Germany and a man in his 90s who was on the Grand Princess cruise. Henry says a woman in her 80s who was recently admitted to an intensive care unit in critical condition has been released from hospital. 6:50 p.m. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau plans to announce federal funding to help provincial health care systems cope with the increasing numbers of Canadians infected with the new coronavirus and to help workers who are forced to self-isolate. Government sources, not authorized to discuss the plans publicly, say Trudeau will hold a news conference Wednesday morning to announce the new measures. More moves to respond to COVID-19 are expected in Finance Minister Bill Morneau's coming budget. The immediate objective is to try to contain the spread of the illness as much as possible and help people hurt financially by being forced into quarantine or self-isolation. The sources say the federal government is ready to do more if the situation worsens. 5:45 p.m. The number of novel coronavirus cases in Alberta has doubled to 14. The province's chief medical officer says the new cases involve four people from the Calgary region and three people from the Edmonton area. Dr. Deena Hinshaw says the new patients are recovering in isolation at home. Hinshaw says one of the previously diagnosed patients is receiving treatment in hospital. She says all of the cases are travel-related. 5:39 p.m. Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Regan says he's isolating himself until he gets the results of a test for the virus that causes COVID-19. On Twitter, the MP from Newfoundland and Labrador says he's had a bad cold and a doctor recommended a test for the novel coronavirus as a precaution. He says he's not aware that he's been in contact with anyone who has the illness but will work from home. 3:00 p.m. The Manitoba government is preparing to spend about $35 million on personal protective equipment as part of a federal procurement plan to deal with the spread of the novel coronavirus. The procurement through the Public Health Agency of Canada will include items such as gloves, face masks and shields, thermometer covers and hand sanitizer for patients and health-care workers. Health Minister Cameron Friesen says Manitoba is the first province to sign on. 2:58 p.m. Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault says the government plans to offer guidance to event planners about when they should consider shutting down large gatherings in light of a possible novel coronavirus outbreak. Though there's been only limited community transmission of the virus in Canada, concert promoters, major sports leagues and festivals say they are watching carefully to decide whether they should be bringing crowds of people together. Guilbeault says the decision will ultimately be up to individual event planners, as well as provinces and territories. He explained some jurisdictions may be better situated to handle mass gatherings than others, and it's not up to the federal government to dictate which events should go ahead and which should be cancelled. 2:50 p.m. Air Canada is suspending flights to and from Italy, saying Italian regulations and "ongoing health and safety concerns" prompted the decision. The airline's last flight to Rome is scheduled to take off from Toronto today, with the final return flight departing Rome for Montreal on Wednesday. Air Canada hopes to restart service May 1. Meanwhile, it says affected customers will be notified and offered a full refund. In January, Canada's largest airline halted all direct flights to China the epicentre of the virus as it braced for a hit to revenues. Its shares have fallen about 40 per cent in the past seven weeks. 1:58 p.m. New Brunswick's education minister has ordered all preschoolers and students travelling abroad to refrain from returning to school for two weeks in a bid to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Dominic Cardy sent a letter to parents Monday saying the precautionary measure among the most aggressive taken by any province also applies to school and early learning centre staff, volunteers and family members of students. Cardy says the new rule applies to those who have returned from international travel as of March 8. The minister has also cancelled all international school-related travel for the remainder of the school year. 12:21 p.m. U.S. President Donald Trump says the Canadians who were on board the Grand Princess cruise ship that docked Monday in California were returned home "in a very dignified fashion." Trump made the comments during a meeting Tuesday at the White House with health officials, cruise industry executives and members of Vice-President Mike Pence's coronavirus task force. He thanked both Canada and the United Kingdom for their help in repatriating foreign nationals, including 228 Canadians who arrived early Tuesday at Canadian Forces Base Trenton to begin a 14-day quarantine. Trump said the Canadians were taken "in a very dignified fashion back into Canada." It was not clear what Trump meant by "dignified," although it may have been a response to complaints from some frustrated passengers that after weeks of being isolated in their cabins, many were in close contact with one another as they queued up to be screened. By midday Tuesday, there were 687 active COVID-19 cases recorded in the U.S., plus 27 deaths. 12:13 p.m. A Montreal hospital is asking its staff to limit travel to limit the spread of COVID-19. The Sainte-Justine hospital told staff in an internal memo that they should travel only if absolutely necessary. The hospital also asked staff to stay home from work for two weeks if they've visited certain regions, including China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Iran, India, Egypt, Japan and parts of Italy and France as well as the Seattle area. 11:38 a.m. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says he is in regular contact with his counterpart in Italy to try to learn from that country's experience with the novel coronavirus. Italy has gone into total lockdown, as officials restrict travel to 60 million people to limit the spread of the virus. The country has confirmed more than 9,000 cases of COVID-19, and has reported more than 460 deaths. 11:00 a.m. Ontario health officials have announced one new case of the novel coronavirus. The man in his 40s recently travelled to Switzerland and is now at home in self-isolation. The new case brings Ontario's total number of COVID-19 cases to 36. 9:52 a.m. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says there were 228 Canadians on board a plane that landed at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, Ont., carrying passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship. The ship is now docked in Oakland after idling for several days off the coast of California. Champagne says a handful of Canadian crew members on the ship have tested positive for the novel coronavirus and will have to stay on board. Some Canadian passengers also stayed behind for medical reasons unrelated to the virus, and are being cared for by the California health system. There were 237 Canadians among the 3,500 passengers and crew on board the Grand Princess. Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said Ontario's most recent case was a man in his 30s. (Newser) A mother in Minnesota dragged her 11-year-old son out of bed before throwing him off a fourth-floor balcony, according to police. The boy, who suffered serious head injuries, a broken femur, and a fractured jaw, is expected to survive. Found at the foot of his family's apartment building in St. Paul around 8:40am Monday, he was conscious and breathing but unable to tell officers what had happened, reports KARE. The boy's 33-year-old mother confessed, though she did not provide a reason for the attack, police rep Steve Linders tells the St. Paul Pioneer Press. story continues below Itayvia D. Lloydarrested on suspicion of aggravated assault and malicious punishment of a child"had gone into the child's bedroom, dragged him out of his bunk bed and thrown him off the balcony," Linders tells KARE. "We don't know what would make someone do this." Police made the arrest after interviewing Lloyd, her 6-year-old son (also home at the time), as well as a friend of Lloyd's who was there. Police Chief Todd Axtel thanked first responders. As a grandfather and officer "who has responded to calls like thiscalls involving the unthinkableI know the emotional toll this can take on a person," he said. (Read more Minnesota stories.) The Abu Dhabi Maritime Academy (ADMA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Association of Freight and Logistics (NAFL) to further the logistics education and training standards offered in the UAE. Both organisations will work closely together to create and introduce new professional development programmes in the field of freight and logistics, while also offering globally recognised degrees, such as the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) Diploma, a statement said. The agreement was signed by Captain Maktoum Al Houqani, Managing Director, Abu Dhabi Maritime Academy; and Nadia Abdul Aziz, President of NAFL at ADMA, during an event-filled day that included a seminar showcasing the new courses on offer and a workshop highlighting the freight forwarding and logistics service market. Captain Al Houqani said: Reinforcing our long-standing role as an enabler for the Middle Easts maritime and trade industry, our newly minted agreement with NAFL has expanded our capacity to develop the future leaders of the worlds logistics market. Combining NAFLs expertise on global best practices and our state-of-the-art training facilities will not only provide talented youth with the opportunity to develop a skill set that is future ready but at the same time elevate the quality of freight and logistics services offered within the UAE. In addition to offering the International FIATA Diploma and courses in freight and logistics, the two parties will collaborate on formulating awareness programmes that will highlight the benefits of the market for prospective students in search for a rewarding career within an evolving and critical industry. Under the terms of the agreement, ADMA will focus its efforts on marketing and delivering the new programmes, while NAFL is expected to develop and provide the specialised trainers to head up the courses and issue the related certifications and diplomas upon completion. Nadia Abdul Aziz, President of NAFL and the VP of International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations, said: We are very excited to be joining forces with ADMA to accelerate the development of the future generation of logistics professionals. Combining our subject matter expertise along with the academys well-established education management processes will result in an enriched learning experience for the benefit of students, who will be better equipped to contribute and drive future progress for the global logistics standard. - TradeArabia News Service FLINT, Mich. The Democratic presidential nomination, and perhaps the presidency itself could come down to places like this: a troubled post-industrial city with a large African American population that tends to vote Democratic but went to the polls in fewer numbers than usual in 2016. Thats why over the last two days, with the race for the Democratic nomination suddenly tilting toward former Vice President Joe Biden, and Sen. Bernie Sanders desperate to stop his momentum, both candidates came to this long-declining city with some of their most high-profile surrogates. Ahead of Michigans primary Tuesday, they each tried to woo the African American voters here who, in South Carolina and other states, have reshaped the race by siding with Biden. The implications go beyond this one state. Michigan hosts the first primary of the three so-called blue wall states along with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin that President Donald Trump cracked in 2016 to effectively seal the election. Michigan is an important contest, not just for the Democratic primary, because the outcome of Michigan in November may determine who the next president of the United States is going to be, Biden told a small group of invited guests at an appearance in Flint on Monday afternoon. Demographically and politically, Michigan has much in common with Pennsylvania, and could provide some clues about the Keystone State, which will not vote until late April. Both are swing states that have historically supported Democrats for president, but went to Trump by the narrowest of margins in 2016. Both have long manufacturing traditions that have eroded. Both have a mix of big liberal cities (Philadelphia, Detroit), conservative rural regions, and affluent suburbs with more moderate voters. Their per capita incomes are nearly identical. Both are older and whiter than the country as a whole, but also have significant black populations that can play a major role in elections. READ MORE: Pennsylvania is critical in 2020. Heres how Trump could win or lose it. Over the last several days, Biden and Sanders have each made the case that they are best suited to winning back Michigan and states like it. Sanders visited Flint on Saturday before holding a Sunday rally attended by more than 10,000 roaring, mostly young, supporters at the University of Michigan. Tuesday is a very, very important day and Michigan is the most important state to vote that day, Sanders said in the plaza at the heart of the campus in Ann Arbor, where he decried the lead crisis in Flint and crumbling schools in Detroit and elsewhere. It will send 125 delegates to the Democratic national convention, the most of any of the six states voting Tuesday. With Biden surging, Michigan opens a two week stretch that could decide the nomination. A big victory here for the vice president could presage the outcome in the Midwestern states of Illinois and Ohio, which vote next week, along with Florida, and could leave him with an insurmountable delegate lead. Voters here in a state long synonymous with auto-making fondly recalled Bidens role as the point man in rescuing the industry after the financial crisis. Im a son of a Local 651 retiree, and because of Vice President Biden my fathers pension was honored, said Glenn Cotton, a Flint lawyer, referring to the United Auto Workers local. When we were on the ropes, when our auto industry was struggling, who had our backs? Barack Obama and Joe Biden, said Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Biden supporter speaking later at a Detroit rally. At the same event, however, a protester disrupted Bidens speech by holding up a sign decrying NAFTA, the trade deal he supported and that Sanders blames for decimating U.S. jobs. Climate change protesters followed. Recent polls show Biden ahead in Michigan by double digits, including one from Monmouth University released Monday in which the former vice president was supported by 51% of likely primary voters, to 36% for Sanders. Sanders, the survey found, was struggling with some of the same constituencies that powered him in 2016. Yet polls also showed Sanders badly losing in the 2016 Democratic primary in Michigan just before he pulled off a major upset to beat Hillary Clinton, showing strength with working-class voters and, in hindsight, exposing the first signs of her weakness in the kinds of places that would cost her the general election. The way Edward Jones figures it, Flint is where Clinton lost Michigan. In this city, the birthplace of General Motors now marked by abandoned factories and homes, and a tainted water supply, voters didnt come out for Clinton the way they had for past Democrats. She could have won the state in Flint or Detroit, said Jones, 50, a Flint resident who supports Biden. Nobody in Flint and Detroit really voted. Compared to four years before, Clintons 2016 vote total fell by 26,000 in Genesee County, home to Flint, and nearly 76,000 in Wayne County, where Detroit sits. She lost Michigan to Trump by fewer than 11,000 votes. Sanders and Biden have leaned heavily in recent days on surrogates who could rouse people of color, particularly African Americans. In Flint, Biden was joined by Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who previously criticized Bidens record on race, but on Monday rallied around him to try to help him seal the nomination. READ MORE: Cory Booker endorses Joe Biden for president. He is the person to unify us. A lot of people are waking up to the reality, African American voters in the South, African American voters here in Detroit, they have played a pivotal role in my entire lifetime in choosing a Democratic nominee, Booker said on CBS Monday morning, shortly after announcing his support for Biden. Booker later appeared alongside the former vice president at a rally in Detroit, where Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.) also joined and a thumping high school marching band fired up the crowd. Sanders has rolled out support from Harvard University professor and activist Cornel West, civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, and high-profile liberal Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Detroit and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Michigan is 14% African American, slightly higher than the 13.4% national average. In Pennsylvania 12% of the population is black. Sanders, in 2016, upset Clinton in rural areas and suburbs, but lagged in cities with large African American populations, such as Flint, Detroit, and Saginaw. He has worked since then to build a better rapport with black voters, but African Americans have recently powered Biden to a string of victories. Jones, the Flint resident, echoed many black voters at Bidens events who referred to his time as the top lieutenant for President Barack Obama, and also said Biden is the candidate who can best win moderate voters. I dont think Bernie could put together the same coalition as Biden," he said. Sanders supporters, meanwhile, said the Vermont senator offers a welcomed excitement with his vision of free public college, Medicare for All, and other programs. Many in the crowd in Ann Arbor told stories of crushing student loan debt, or fears that one big medical bill could wipe them out. I went to college when you could afford it working part time, and I cant imagine kids going to college nowadays, said Paula Harrington, 54, of Swartz Creek, near Flint. The Sanders campaign is also hoping for a strong showing among the states large Arab American community. Tareq Yaqub, 29, who is of Palestinian heritage, praised the way Sanders has criticized Israels treatment of Palestinians. As a psychiatrist, he said, he has seen far too many people who cant get treated because the costs are too high, and many doctors dont accept insurance because the payments are too low. I dont want the status quo, said Yaqub, of Ann Arbor. I want a vision we can believe in for our children and grandchildren. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Riza Roidila Mufti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 17:26 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2069acc08 1 Business motorcycle-taxi,ojol,transportation-ministry,Price-caps,Gojek,Grab,ride-hailing-application Free The Transportation Ministry announced on Tuesday its plans to increase the fare pricing for ride-hailing ojek (motorcycle taxis) in Greater Jakarta, with the new fares to become effective on March 16. The ministry's move comes in response to the ojol (ojek online) drivers' demands to help them meet the rising cost of living in the capital city and surrounding areas. The new fare pricing sets a per kilometer floor price of Rp 2,250, up from Rp 2,000 previously, and a per kilometer ceiling price of Rp 2,650, up from Rp 2,500. The policy also fixes the base fare for the first 4 kilometers to between Rp 9,000 and Rp 10,500 depending on the service, from between Rp 8,000 and Rp 10,000 previously. This [fare hike] is to accommodate the drivers' aspirations," said land transportation director general Budi Setyadi. Drivers' demand for higher fares was based on the minimum wage hike and increasing living cost in Greater Jakarta, as well as the prevailing ministerial decree that stipulated a quarterly fare evaluation. "The decision has been made through discussions with other parties, including the YLKI, [ride-hailing] companies and [relevant] associations, he said, referring to the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI). Read also: Ministry mulls over 'ojol' drivers' demand for fare increase in Greater Jakarta Aside from e-commerce and online travel services, the ride-hailing sector has contributed the most to Indonesia's flourishing digital economy with US$6 billion in 2019, according to the e-Conomy SEA 2019 report by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company. The figure posts growth of 57 percent from $900 million in 2015. While the ministry's new policy increases the fare pricing for Greater Jakarta, which is designated as Zone 2, it maintains the current pricing for Zones 1 and 3. The fare pricing for Zone 1 (Sumatra, Bali and Java, excluding Greater Jakarta) is to retain a per km floor price of Rp 1,850 and per km ceiling price of Rp 2,300, while the fare pricing for Zone 3 (Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara, Maluku and Papua) is respectively Rp 2,100 and Rp 2,600. The fixed base fare for both zones is between Rp 7,000 and Rp 10,000, depending on the service. From our discussions with the ojol drivers association, the call for a fare increase comes from [the drivers] in Greater Jakarta. Meanwhile, based on our discussions with [the drivers] in several regencies and cities in East Java and Central Java, they are fine with the current rate, said Budi. The Two-Wheeled Action Movement (Garda), which represents ojol drivers, said that the new fare policy met the drivers demand. Garda accepts the regulator's decision. It is in line with our calculations, which we have communicated to the Transportation Ministry, said Garda chief Igun Wicaksono. Read also: Digital economy reaches new highs in 2019 despite skills gap, cyberattack issues YLKI chairman Tulus Abadi, however, criticized the ministry for issuing the new pricing policy solely in response to a demand from the drivers, emphasizing that public policy must be based on the needs of the general public in their entirety. In keeping with the higher fares, Tulus also called on ride-hailing companies Gojek Indonesia and Grab Indonesia to improve their safety standards.as well as the services that their driver partners provided. In the early days of ojol, drivers were equipped with face masks and hair covers, but these are no longer [provided] now. Especially amid the current issue of the coronavirus outbreak, it is possible that ojol drivers could become a medium of [infection] he added, stressing that the drivers must adhere to the principles of consumer protection. Tulus also highlighted the poor safety record among ojol drivers and their low compliance with road rules. Separately, Grab and Gojek agreed to implement the new fare pricing, and promised to inform both drivers and users about the new policy. It is also our job to monitor the impact this new policy will have on consumers, because it will definitely spark a public reaction, said Grab Indonesia's head of public affairs, Tri Sukma Anreianno. Meanwhile, Gojek Indonesia's chief of public policy and government relations, Shinto Nugroho, expected a decrease in customer demand following the fare hike. However, she expressed hope that the decline would be relatively insignificant, noting that the company's present focus was "long-term sustainability for both drivers and passengers". EFE Latam Videos San Cristobal de Las Casas (Mexico) 9 ene (EFE).- Las investigaciones y repatriaciones de cadaveres de los 56 migrantes fallecidos en un accidente de trafico en el sureno estado mexicano de Chiapas no han concluido cuando se cumplio un mes del accidente . El pasado 9 de diciembre, un trailer que trasladaba a migrantes de Centroamerica, escondidos en una caja con respiradero, se volco en la carretera Tuxtla-Chiapa de Corzo, a la altura del kilometro 9, dejando 56 muertos y cientos de indocumentados heridos. Pese a la tragedia, las autoridades de Mexico y Guatemala no han presentado avances en las investigaciones, mientras que familiares de los afectados esperan su recuperacion para volver a sus lugares de origen. Es el caso de Emilio Yboy Lopez, un agricultor guatemalteco que hace un mes recibio una llamada avisando de que su hijo, Jenrry Soel Yboy Hernandez, de 21 anos, tuvo un accidente y sufrio una fractura de cadera. Todavia consternado pero aliviado, Emilio, a quien le tomo tres dias llegar a Tuxla, narra la historia de su hijo, quien, dice, tenia el sueno de juntar dinero y construir su casa en su lugar de origen. "Yo le dije que no fuera (al viaje), pero me argumento que ya llevaba dos anos en Guatemala y no habia juntado nada, y por invitacion de sus amigos se fueron con los que conocian", lamento. Jenrry era velador de una empresa de textiles en la capital guatemalteca. Emilio dice que en cuanto le den de alta regresaran a su pais para que se recupere "creo que lo volvera a intentar (ir a Estados Unidos)", pero antes, aclaro "hay que pagar lo prestado". Segun datos de la Fiscalia General de la Republica (FGR), del total de fallecidos, se han identificado 54 cuerpos, la mayoria de nacionalidad guatemalteca, y se ha repatriado a 31 de ellos: 11 a Republica Dominicana y 20 a Guatemala. El viceministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Guatemala, Eduardo Hernandez, informo que de los repatriados, ocho eran originarios de Quiche, dos de Chimaltenango y el resto de Quetzaltenango, Izabal, Baja Verapaz, San Marcos y Escuintla. Todos eran hombres de entre 18 y 40 anos. En Mexico, de acuerdo con la Secretaria de Salud de Chiapas, la asistencia medica se continua brindando a 13 migrantes centroamericanos en diferentes nosocomios de la entidad y el estado de salud que guardan es delicado estable. SIN AVANCES EN INVESTIGACIONES A un mes del fatal accidente, las autoridades mexicanas no han dado a conocer los avances sobre las investigaciones para determinar las causas del accidente, ni cuentan con algun presunto responsable. Solo se sabe que la Fiscalia General de La Republica (FGR) da seguimiento a una carpeta de investigacion. En tanto el gobierno de Guatemala a traves del jefe de la Fiscalia contra el Trafico Ilicito de Migrantes, Stuardo Campo, informo en su cuenta de Twitter que "un equipo de fiscales e investigadores busca ubicar a los traficantes de personas". En la provincia de San Pedro de Macoris y en el municipio de Bani, de donde eran una buena parte de los dominicanos accidentados, se logro detener a cinco personas de una banda de traficantes de migrantes. En un comunicado, la Procuraduria General de Republica Dominicana detallo que esta red "se dedicaba a traficar con personas desde Santo Domingo hacia Estados Unidos, a traves de paises como Guatemala, Panama y Mexico". GOBIERNOS SOLAPAN DELITO Para algunos expertos en movilidad migratoria en la frontera sur del pais, el silencio que guardan los gobiernos de Mexico y Guatemala para desarticular estas redes y la lentitud para actuar dejan entrever que las autoridades solapan a los grupos delincuenciales que operan en la zona. "Ese trailer no pudo pasar desapercibido, cuando existen retenes en la zona de Comitan, San Cristobal y Tuxtla, esto quiere decir que hay una red criminal que investigar y desarticular", dijo a Efe la antropologa Aki Kuromiya, investigadora de El Colegio de la Frontera Sur. Anadio que de lo ocurrido con el trailer se detecto "a gente de zonas rurales lejanas al centro de Guatemala, que no se tenia el registro de ser poblados con deseos de migrar al extranjero, pero hoy son captados por esta red de "polleros" o guias". Por su parte Jorge Lopez Arevalo, catedratico de la Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, de la Universidad Autonoma de Chiapas (UNACH), expreso que la militarizacion de las fronteras lo unico que provoca es el encarecimiento de la migracion. "Los migrantes aportan importantes recursos economicos que reparten por todas las carreteras mexicanas incluso hasta en los Estados Unidos", comento el catedratico. Y senalo que Chiapas tambien expulsa poblacion indigena hacia los Estados Unidos y esas personas "corren con la misma suerte del centroamericano". Afirmo que esto corresponde a un "estancamiento de crecimiento economico de hace 40 anos en el sur de Mexico". La region vive un flujo migratorio record hacia Estados Unidos, cuya Oficina de Aduanas y Proteccion Fronteriza (CBP) "encontro" mas de 1,7 millones de indocumentados en la frontera con Mexico en el ano fiscal 2021, que termino el 30 de septiembre. Mientras que Mexico ha detectado mas de 190.000 inmigrantes indocumentados de enero a septiembre, cerca del triple que en 2020, ademas de haber deportado a casi 74.300, de acuerdo con la Unidad de Politica Migratoria de la Secretaria de Gobernacion del pais. (c) Agencia EFE Casandra Spahr was so passionate about voting today that she made the two-hour drive from Grand Rapids to Jackson to cast her ballot. It was really important for me to vote today, said Spahr, who is 28. "I never received my absentee ballot, so Ive been working pretty hard going to (Jackson) City Hall, getting an affidavit, coming here and making sure my vote is counted. Spahr voted for Bernie Sanders. I dont agree with what has been going on in our country lately, and this is the best way I can put my voice forward and hopefully see the change that I am looking for," she said. I voted for Bernie. I just think he has the American peoples best interest at heart. His views on choice align a lot with mine and hes giving people basic opportunities. She joined hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents going to the polls to participate in Michigans presidential primary. The big event is Michigans Democratic primary, which could be critical in determining who is the partys nominee in November. The contest has come down to a two-man race between former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. The Republicans also are holding their presidential primary, although President Trump is expected to romp to victory over the three others on the ballot. Judy and Al Clark, who voted in Portage, chose different ballots -- Judy Clark picked a Democratic ballot to vote for Biden and Al Clark went with a Republican ballot to vote for Trump. We canceled each other out, Judy said. We just have a different opinion on things Kelly Ross, 38, was a Portage voter who went with Bernie Sanders. A big reason was Sanders stance on health care, which Ross particularly appreciated since she recently underwent a liver transplant. It sounds silly but everyone assumed it (Trump) wouldnt happen but then it did happen and were all shocked," said Ross, a grocery-store produce manager. "Your vote does count. You have to get out there. Matt Colwell voted for Trump in November 2018, but went with Sanders in this primary. Like Trump, Colwell sees Sanders as an outsider promoting change, and he likes Sanders promotion of universal health care. Were the only industrialized country that doesnt have a program like that," Colwell said. "Probably Biden would be a better pick or Trump for the stock market, but I think we need to ensure health care for everybody. Everybodys talks about there needs to be change and that means you need to vote somebody in office to make the change happen," Colwell said. In Grand Rapids, 30-year-old Keegan Kallmyer called Biden "Donald Trump in Blue. He voted for Sanders. He basically backs the same thing that Donald Trump did years prior and is a big flip-flopper, and Bernie Sanders has been true to his colors since like Day 1," said Kallmyer, who voted for Libertarian Gary Johnson in 2016. Kara Randall, 28, of Grand Rapids, didnt vote in the 2016 primary. This time, shes casting her ballot for Sanders, "because honestly its like the first candidate that Ive ever actually felt represented by. Every other candidate is like Oh yeah I guess thats good enough you know?" she said. "But Bernies actually like, Oh we have to take care of our people and we, you know, can use our taxes to the things that theyre supposed to go to and for good public works and stuff like that. Tim Roest, 58, of Grand Rapids Township, cast his ballot for Biden. Because lesser of all evil another election, no choices again," he said, adding he worries that Sanders cant pay for all his promises. Roest said his biggest deciding factor was picking a candidate who can beat Trump. I hate Trump the guy has no morals," Roest said, adding he thinks Biden has a better shot than Sanders. Bernies running on 'a-lets-raise-your-taxes platform. Michelle VanElsacker, a 44-year-old registered nurse in Bay City, also was thinking about beating Trump in casting her ballot for Biden. I love Bernie," she said. But even though I like his direction I feel that hes probably going to be easier defeated by the rest of the country. Dawn Rodriguez, a 57-year-old homemaker in Bay City, is part of the Bernie-or-bust crowed. If its not Bernie Sanders, then I dont want any of the rest of them, Rodriguez said. He expresses everything that I believe in. Corporations have taken over our Reps, they own them, and we gotta put a stop to that. James Denison of Ann Arbor, is a University of Michigan graduate student, said he voted for Sanders, in large part because I agree with many of his policies. He had the strongest climate change policy even before everyone else dropped out. Burton resident Sue Jozwiak was among those who chose a Republican ballot, I dont like the division and anger of everything," she said about the presidential election. :I think you should have a right to vote for whoever you want to without feeling intimidated or attacked. They can vote for who they want to," she said about Democrats. I dont care. Im not sitting there with spears in my hands. ... I hope its not Hillary, but I dont know, shes the only one that wont go away. When asked who she voted for, Jozwiak said, Trump, duh. I didnt know there was anyone else! Lines were shorter at many polling places. One reason was the lack of competition on the GOP ballot. Another big factor is Michigans new election law that allows any voter to cast an absentee ballot. As of this morning, 804,216 absentee ballots had been cast, a 60% increase over the 2016 primary. Absentee ballots can be turned into city and township election clerks before 8 p.m. today. Also, as of 2:30 p.m. today, 4,736 have taken advantage of the new provision that allows resident to register to vote on Election Day and cast a ballot, Rollow said. That has created lines in some city clerk offices, including Ann Arbor, East Lansing and Kalamazoo. Turnout is "really a mixed bag, precinct by precinct, said Jake Rollow, a spokesman for the Michigan Secretary of State office. While some precincts are reporting soft turnout, others are reporting lines even with high absentee participation, he said. MLive reporters Mikhayla Dunaj, Cheyna Roth, Lindsay Moore, Riley Murdock, McKenna Ross and Emilly Davis contributed to this story. Egypt and the UAE have trained and will provide equipment to forces loyal to retired Gen. Khalifa Haftar to block Turkish vessels from delivering aid to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), reports say citing both Egyptian and Emirati sources. The Egyptian military have trained a Libyan commando consisting of 50 Haftar loyalists to carry out operations against Turkish navy vessels off the coast of Libya, The New Arab reports. The UAE according the sources who spoke to the London-based media outlets Arabic website, will provide boats for the mission, which will be supervised by Egyptian naval officers before being handed over to naval forces linked to Haftar. Both Egypt and UAE are well-known backers of the east-based military Gen who launched in April an offensive to overthrow the GNA, propped up by Turkey, Qatar and Italy. Turkey has vowed military endorsement to the GNA, with which it signed in November a security and maritime agreement enabling Ankara to deploy boats and fighters to Libya. The UN has deplored foreign interference in Libyan internal affairs and the breach of the arm embargo imposed on the country since 2011. The North African country has been embroiled in crisis since the fall and death of former strongman Muammar Gaddafi, killed in a NATO-backed revolution. Morask said she doesnt believe the abatement will have a significant impact on tax bills because the township portion makes up such a small part of the total bill and because there are other factors that determine how much residents pay, like the county tax rate and the equalized assessed value of property. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2020) - Eclipse Gold Mining Corporation (TSXV: EGLD) ("Eclipse" or "the Company") is pleased to provide an exploration update for its Hercules Gold project located in Lyon County, Nevada. "We are excited by the continued strong sample results on the Hercules Target and look forward to drilling shortly," said Michael G. Allen, President, CEO and Director. "Since acquiring the core claims in early August of 2019, we have expanded the property by staking 976 additional claims, giving us a district-scale property position. Ongoing mapping and sampling have yielded exciting new results, with the Sprite showing being on ground recently acquired through staking." The Company is pleased to report results of new rock chip samples collected on the Hercules Project. Fifteen samples collected over a strike length of approximately 260 m (see Table below) indicate the presence of a potential high-grade core to the Hercules Target. Sample Number Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) 483271 0.29 5.1 483272 4.32 11.5 483273 7.99 115.0 483277 0.62 2.0 483278 8.21 14.5 483279 1.75 66.1 483734 0.70 2.3 483735 12.55 57.3 483736 29.50 880.0 483737 66.00 333.0 483738 1.51 6.2 483740 17.05 74.0 483741 3.96 32.9 483742 6.87 123.0 458641 6.78 142.0 Figure 1. Zoom in on potential High-Grade Core To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6892/53309_figure1enhanced.jpg Additional sampling on the Hercules Target has identified a broad zone of gold mineralization in which gold values are associated with widespread silicification. Figure 2. Current sampling results at the Hercules Target To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6892/53309_figure2enhanced.jpg New Showing The Company has identified a new showing, called Sprite, on ground staked by the Company in August 2019. Sprite was originally identified as a hyperspectral anomaly and flagged for reconnaissance sampling, the results of which ranged between below detection and 0.69 g/t gold with 12.7 g/t silver in eight widely-spaced samples. Mineralization appears to be hosted in the same permeable volcaniclastic rock as elsewhere on the property. Sprite is an irregular 700 m by 700 m window through overburden that limits the extent of the showing. Further work will be needed to understand the nature of the mineralization at Sprite and its relationship to the main targets on the property. Figure 3. Location of Sprite showing in relation to other targets. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6892/53309_figure3enhanced.jpg Exploration and Interpretation Work to date has identified the presence of a large low sulphidation epithermal system that is exposed on surface in the northwestern part of the Walker Lane Trend. Mineralization appears to be controlled by high angle North-South and Northeast trending structures. Mineralization is both focussed along these structures and is disseminated in the adjacent andesite tuff volcaniclastic rock. Additional hyperspectral anomalies that have been identified on the property remain to be evaluated. Additional Acquired Claims The Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Hercules Gold USA, LLC, entered into an agreement with Comstock Exploration and Development LLC, to acquire 2 patented claims and 5 unpatented claims, internal to the property, for a sum of US$100,000 and a 2% net smelter returns royalty with certain buy down rights. Eclipse Engages Proconsul Capital Ltd. Eclipse has entered into an investment relations agreement (the "Agreement") with Proconsul Capital Ltd. ("Proconsul"). Pursuant to the Agreement Proconsul will provide investor outreach and road show coordination across Canada and will be paid $5,000 plus GST per month. The Agreement may be terminated by either party on one month's notice and remains subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance. About Eclipse Gold Mining Eclipse Gold Mining brings together a team with collective funding of over $2 billion in both strong and weak markets, and a track record of at least nine successful buyouts/exits. The Company is exploring the district-scale Hercules Gold project in Nevada's Walker Lane Trend and located only a one-hour drive from Reno. Historic drilling, and the Company sampling has confirmed the presence of a large-scale epithermal gold-silver system exposed at surface. The Company has consolidated an approximately 85 km2 land package and has initiated systematic exploration. Qualified Person Michael G. Allen, P.Geo., President, CEO and Director of Eclipse Gold Mining Corporation, and a qualified person ("QP") as defined by Canadian National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this release. Surface sampling on the project has been carried out by qualified geologists. Samples were transported in sealed bags by truck to the ALS Minerals sample preparation facility in Reno, Nevada. Final assaying was done in the ALS Minerals laboratory facility in North Vancouver, BC for analysis. ALS Minerals operate according to the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2005 and ISO 9001:2015. Gold was determined by fire-assay fusion of a 30 g sub-sample with atomic absorption spectroscopy (Method Au-AA23). Overlimit samples of Au were assayed by gravimetric means (Au-GRA21). Overlimit Ag were assayed four acid "ore grade" analysis (Ag-OG62). Multi-element data, including Hg was collected by ICP (ME-ICP61 and Hg-MS42). ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Michael G. Allen President, CEO and Director INQUIRIES: Dylan Berg, VP Investor Relations Company Website: www.eclipsegoldmining.com Main: +1 (778) 945-3950 Toll Free: +1 (844) 427-6453 Email: info@eclipsegoldmining.com TSXV: EGLD | ISIN: CA27888R1001 | WKN: A2PYV4 Forward-Looking and Other Cautionary Statements 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. This press release includes "forward-looking information" that is subject to a few assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future events and that actual events or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements represent management's best judgment based on information currently available. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include regulatory actions and general business conditions. Such forward-looking information reflects the Company's views with respect to future events and is subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those set out in the Company's final prospectus dated February 6th, 2020 and filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The Company does not undertake to update forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, except as required by law. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/53309 Health and school officials in Cheshire are bracing for the possible arrival of the coronavirus. Late Monday afternoon, Superintendent of Schools Jeff Solan announced an emergency early dismissal for schools on Thursday so staff can review the District's capacity to allow students and teachers to attend class through online learning programs. In the event that Connecticut allows us to meet school day requirements remotely in the case of a COVID-19 closing, preparing for the continuity of instruction is a responsibility we take very seriously. This would be an alternative to adding days at the end of the school year, Solan wrote an email. The message came hours after Cheshire Town Manager Sean Kimball emailed Town employees urging them to practice good hygiene and limit unnecessary physical contact including a moratorium on handshakes. As part of our continued efforts to reduce the potential spread of illness and for the benefit of both employees and members of the public, I am asking that you no longer shake hands when greeting people, Kimball wrote in an email that included a poster hung up at various town departments. The poster declares Cheshire Town Hall a handshake-free environment. Please consider yourself property greeted and respected, the poster reads. In fact, we respect you so much we want to do all we can to keep you healthy! Government meetings in Cheshire are scheduled to continue this week. Chesprocott Health officials will provide an update on COVID-19 during the Town Council's meeting tonight. Town Council Chairman Rob Oris Jr., walking into town hall Monday night, remarked on the Town's response to the virus. "We're working on it as best as we can," Oris said. "It's not easy though." The Spanish parliament today rejected for the second time in two years a request by several parties to open an investigation into the business activities of former King Juan Carlos. Unidas Podemos, which is part of the government coalition together with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's PSOE, had together with other smaller left-wing parties called for an inquiry into reports by Switzerland's La Tribune de Geneve. La Tribune wrote last week that Juan Carlos, who was king at the time, received $100 million dollar from Saudi Arabia's king 12 years ago, and later gave $65 million to Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, a businesswoman whose close relation with Juna Carlos led to his abdication in 2014. According to La Tribune de Geneve, which cited unnamed sources, a Swiss prosecutor's office is investigating the origin of the bank transfer to zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, which it said came via a foundation in Panama. The king's office, the Geneva prosecutor's office and representatives for zu Sayn Wittgenstein declined to comment on the matter. According to a statement sent to EFE news agency by zu Sayn Wittgenstein's lawyer Robin Rathmell, she 'received an unsolicited gift' from Juan Carlos for her and her son. "The donation was clearly documented as a gift, and professional services firms and banks performed the necessary compliance and due diligence on the funds," the lawyer was quoted as saying. The Socialists opposed the investigation on the grounds that the Spanish Constitution gives the king blanket immunity, describing him as 'inviolable'. "I am surprised that there are political parties that are again asking for a committee of inquiry when they know that there is no constitutional room for it", said Adriana Lastra, the Socialists' spokeswoman in parliament. Parliament's governing body rejected the proposal for an investigation with the votes against from PSOE, and parties on the right - People's Party and Vox - after the lawyers of the House advised against its legality. The parties who asked for the inquiry are allies of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, instrumental for him to stay in power and pass laws. "These are the differences that we are clear about between the two parties. They are spoken and agreed discrepancies, so they are not going to mean a break from the government," a Podemos spokesman said. GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- Shiawassee County officials are saying little about a Christmas Eve wedding presided over by Genesee County Clerk-Register John Gleason at an Owosso hospital, a ceremony that turned into a secret marriage" -- something thats legal but very rare in Michigan. Gleason has said he married an undocumented couple before an emergency delivery of their child -- without requiring a completed marriage license -- and the county Board of Commissioners last week announced an independent investigation of allegations against the clerk-register, including statements from employees who say Gleason pressured them to backdate documents. Gleason said last week that it took him more than a month before he was told a Shiawassee County probate judge approved a secret marriage for the couple after-the-fact. Although Gleason said hes allowed to marry undocumented people, he said he wasnt made aware of the couples citizenship status until after he performed the hospital ceremony. Records from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services show just eight such secret marriages were recorded in Michigan in 2018, the most recent year for which records are available. The numbers have averaged less than 13 in the last 10 calendar years. Secret marriages are called such because probate judges in the state are allowed to marry couples without making the record public if they provide the judge with what the judge considers good reason. Judges can authorize a retroactive date on such licenses. There can be a number of reasons that a couple wants a marriage to be secret, Bob Wheaton, a DHHS spokesman said in an email to MLive-The Flint Journal. Sometimes it can be because they are coworkers and there is some kind of policy against that, Sometimes it might be because one or both the people getting married are under age 18. Those between 16 and 18 in Michigan can receive a conventional marriage license with the written consent of a parent or legal guardian. Shiawassee Probate Court Administrator Sara Edwards would not comment on the secret marriage Gleason has referred to. Edwards said that while they are rare, there is no policy against issuing such license in Shiawassee and they remain sealed if they are granted. Gleason has said he turned to the secret marriage law after exploring any options for making the marriage official. He has denied claims by county employees who have filed written statements obtained by The Journal that employees were pressured to backdate a public wedding license. The same employee statements include allegations that the clerk-register made comments that were prejudiced against women, inappropriate and completely uncalled for" while talking to them about obtaining a secret marriage license in Genesee County. One statement said Gleason was told by Probate Court officials here that the county is no longer involved in issuing secret marriage licenses. Shiawasse County Clerk Caroline Wilson said Gleason did contact her and she gave him verbal permission to perform the Christmas Eve wedding in her county on the same day he called, which is allowed, but said there were a lot of details that were left out" at the time. Michigan State Law dictates that in order to get married, application must be made in advance, according the web site for Gleasons office. At the time of application, the applicant must provide certified birth certificates for both applicants, valid state-issued photo identification card or drivers license, and the Social Security number of both applicants. Pursuant to Michigan Law, there is a three-day waiting period from the date of application before a marriage license can be issued, the county web site says. Genesee County investigates allegations clerk pushed employees to backdate marriage license Clerk puts on Mickey Mouse costume, blasts county workers for trip to Disney Institute Israel will impose a two-week quarantine on all travellers entering the country, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday, toughening already significant travel restrictions. "After a day of difficult discussions, we have taken a decision: all those coming to Israel from abroad will be placed in isolation for 14 days," Netanyahu said in a video broadcast on his Twitter account. "This is a difficult decision but it is essential to maintaining public health, which takes precedence over everything," he added, according to a statement. He noted that the measure would be implemented for two weeks and promised steps to support the Israeli economy. Israel had already imposed major restrictions on travellers arriving from several countries. 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 On Wednesday, the Jewish state had barred entry to almost all non-residents arriving from France, Germany, Spain, Austria and Switzerland, declaring that arrivals from those nations could only enter if they could prove they had a place to stay in quarantine. Those measures had come on top of restrictions previously imposed on arrivals from mainland China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Macau, South Korea, Japan and Italy. But restrictions had not until now extended to travellers from the United States, which last year contributed nearly 890,000 tourist arrivals to Israel -- more than double that of France, in second place. Israel has so far recorded 50 cases of the illness. The Palestinian Authority, which on Thursday declared a 30-day state of emergency in parts of the West Bank it administers, has reported 25 cases. The latest measures come a month ahead of the Passover festival, which usually sees tens of thousands of Jews head to Israel to celebrate. Since the novel coronavirus first emerged in late December, 113,255 cases have been recorded in 101 countries and territories, killing 3,964 people, according to an AFP toll based on official sources on Monday around 1700 GMT. CLEVELAND, Ohio - Four local private schools - Hawken, Lawrence, Laurel and University schools - all had students on a bus to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference in Washington, D.C., with an adult confirmed as positive with the novel coronavirus. These include four Hawken students, five from Laurel and four from University School. Two Solon High School students were also on the bus. And two Shaker Heights students are self-quarantining themselves, according to that district. Gina Walter, spokesperson for Hawken, said none of the students are showing symptoms but are at home in quarantine, rather than at school. She said siblings of the students are staying at home too, though they are not required to. The students all shared the bus with an employee of the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland. The man was one of three Cuyahoga County patients informed Monday of a positive test for the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. One of the female students on the bus has developed symptoms but has tested positive for Influenza A, said Dr. Robert Salata, program director of the University Hospitals Roe Green Center for Travel Medicine & Global Health. Students from a number of other schools, including Fuchs Mizrachi and the Joseph and Florence Mandel Jewish Day School in Beachwood also attended the conference, which ran March 1-3. There are now four confirmed cases of COVID-19 among the 18,000 AIPAC attendees: one in Cuyahoga County, one in Los Angeles and two from New York. Last week, AIPAC attendees were told to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, which calls for those who are feeling sick to stay home and to notify a health care provider if theyre experiencing symptoms. 13 California students who attended AIPAC conference under self-quarantine COVID-19 is a respiratory illness with symptoms similar to those of the flu fever, cough and shortness of breath that has sickened thousands and killed 3,800 in China, according to the World Health Organization. There is not yet a vaccine for COVID-19, nor are there any medications approved to treat it, according to the CDC. Read more coronavirus coverage: Ohio coronavirus hotline offers information, advice Clinic cancels all international travel Cleaning products that kill the coronavirus Should I cancel my trip? Experts say it depends. Masks not necessary, hand washing is best Berea grad calls for empathy during coronavirus outbreak Story is being updated. A University of Texas at Arlington engineering professor has received the Howard University 2020 Alumni Award for Distinguished Postgraduate Achievement. Dereje Agonafer, Presidential Distinguished Professor and the Jenkins Garrett Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, earned his doctorate from Howard and was honored March 7 at Howard's Charter Day Dinner. "I am honored at being recognized by my alma mater," said Agonafer, who was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2019. "I received an excellent education at Howard and in particular, I want to acknowledge Professor Charles Watkins, my adviser, and Professor Joseph Cannon, my mentor. " Agonafer joined UTA in 1999 after a stellar 15-year career with IBM. At UTA, he has supervised 225 graduate students and is currently advising 15 doctoral students. His former students work in some of the world's leading global companies, including Facebook and Intel. Agonafer holds nine U.S. patents and six foreign patents. He has published more than 230 papers, four books and several book chapters. He has also given numerous keynote addresses, both international and domestic. His most recent research has been on data center cooling and 3D packaging/cooling, in partnership with some of the biggest names in industry, including Yahoo, Facebook, Microsoft and Cisco. He is UTA's site director for a National Science Foundation Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers in Energy-Efficient Systems that was formed in collaboration with SUNY Binghamton, Villanova University and Georgia Tech. He also heads a center in Electronic Packaging that addresses a range of issues from thermal to reliability of electronic systems and is forming a new Center for Reliability Assessment in Micro and Power Electronic Systems to tackle material characterization and thermo/mechanical challenges related to heterogeneous 3D integration. Agonafer has received numerous awards in his field. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Life Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers International and a Life Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. In 2019, he received the American Society of Mechanical Engineers' prestigious Heat Transfer Memorial Award. He has long been a mentor and advocate for minorities in engineering and is a strong supporter of UTA's National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). "Dr. Agonafer has been an extraordinary mentor, example and adviser to the UTA NSBE chapter. He has invested so much of his time and effort and helping this organization grow and succeed," said Ruth Abegaz, UTA NSBE vice president. "Not only does Dr. Agonafer connect us with various opportunities, but he continuously pushes the NSBE students to excel to new heights. Our chapter is so honored to have had his mentorship and support throughout the years." Agonafer and his wife, Carolyn, have two children: Damena Agonafer, who is a professor of mechanical engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, and Dr. Senayet Agonafer, a radiologist who works at Lenox Hill Radiology in New York City. "Dr. Agonafer has attained most every major award in his field," said Erian Armanios, chair of UTA's Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. "This award means something special to him since it's from his alma mater." ### B ritain's coronavirus crisis is set to escalate with many thousands of people due to be hit by the infection, a top health chief warned today. Deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries braced the nation for a sharp rise in the number of cases within a fortnight. In response, ministers are ready to unleash a new Cold War telling people to stay at home for seven days if they have cold or flu symptoms similar to coronavirus to try to minimise the looming epidemics peak and push it into the summer. Government scientists say they are seeking to reduce the number of cases at the peak by up to 50 per cent and the death rate in vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and people with underlying health conditions, by 20 to 30 per cent. But even if this is achieved it is expected that coronavirus will kill hundreds, if not thousands of people. Flu can kill 8,000 people a year. Deputy Chief Medical Officer Says There Will Be 'Thousands' Infected With Coronavirus In UK Dr Harries stressed the UK was still in the containment phase of fighting the virus, with relatively few cases, 319, with five deaths, before the latest figures were announced today. However, she told Sky News: Large numbers of the population will become infected because its a naive population, nobody has got antibodies to this virus currently. We will see many thousands of people infected by coronavirus, thats what were seeing in other countries and the important thing for us is to make sure that we manage those infections. Loading.... As Britain gets a very large number of cases, the assumption will be that people with Covid-like symptoms have the infection rather than being tested for it. She issued the grim warning as: A patient at the Royal London Hospital was diagnosed with coronavirus. A second patient on the same ward at the hospital in Whitechapel was awaiting confirmation of test results after displaying symptoms. Diplomats in Rome told tens of thousands of Britons that they could still leave Italy which has been put in nationwide lockdown as Covid-19 spirals out of control, with the number of cases set to break the 10,000 mark today. However, British Airways this morning cancelled all its flights to and from Italy. The UK Governments scientific advisory group for epidemics (SAGE) was meeting to discuss the next step in Britains response. The Governments steady and measured approach, with less aggressive measures so far compared with other countries, came under criticism, including from Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of The Lancet, who said: The UK Governments decision not to move to delay may be understandable, but its a mistake. Dr Harries rejected criticism of the Governments approach, stressing it was based on science and that triggering social distancing measures too early could weaken them as people may grow weary and stop following them at the crucial time. Outbreaks flared in France, where the death toll rose by five to 30, Spain and Germany, and fear grew in the United States, where more than 750 people are infected. Austria today announced it will deny entry to people arriving from Italy. The FTSE 100 staged a partial recovery, up 3.81 per cent mid-morning, after plunging nearly eight per cent yesterday over coronavirus fears and an oil bust-up between Russia and Saudi Arabia. Former chancellor Philip Hammond warned Britains economy could be hit by a significant dip and called for emergency help for businesses struggling with VAT and National Insurance payments in tomorrows Budget. TfL announced it was stepping up its cleaning regime across the Tube and bus network to reduce the risk of passengers spreading coronavirus. Virgin Atlantic admitted flying planes that are almost empty in order to keep take-off and landing slots despite demand plummeting. The chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, told yesterday how within the next 10 to 14 days, people with cold or flu-like symptoms, would be asked to self-isolate as part of a crucial social distancing move. His deputy Dr Harries said the start of the epidemic peak was expected within this period, with the number of cases rising sharply, though we are not really at the rocket phase yet. A man wearing protective face mask walks through Waterloo station / REUTERS She added: If you have a new disease, the normal thing is, it will take off gradually. It will rise very rapidly at one point and come back down again when it effectively runs out of people in the population to infect. China is at the end of its current epidemic peak, she added, but questioned whether the outbreak may erupt again once lockdowns and other stringent measures are relaxed. March 09, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Theyre the best of our boys. One is a musician from a good high school, another a boy scout who majored in theater. Theyre the snipers who have shot thousands of unarmed protesters along the Gaza border fence. In the Gaza Strip there are 8,000 permanently disabled young men as a result of the snipers actions. Some are leg amputees, and the shooters are very proud of that. None of the snipers interviewed for Hilo Glazers frightening story in Haaretz (March 6) has any regrets. If they are feeling at all apologetic its because they didnt spill more blood. One was mocked in his battalion with here comes the killer. They all act like murderers. If their actions dont show it more than 200 dead as a result of them then their statements prove that these young men have lost their moral compass. They are lost. They will go on to study, to have careers and to raise families and will never recover from their blindness. They disabled their victims physically, but their own disabilities are more severe. Their souls were completely twisted. They will never again be moral individuals. They are a danger to society. They lost their humanity, if they ever had it, on the shooting berms facing the Gaza Strip. They are the sons of our friends and the friends of our sons, the young people from the apartment across the hall. Look how they talk. The soldiers talk we once knew the collection of testimonies on the Six-Day War published in English as The Seventh Day turned into the talk of butchers. Perhaps thats for the best we have spared ourselves some hypocrisy but its hard not to be shocked at the depths to which we have sunk. They recalled the number of knees they shot. I brought in seven-eight knees in one day. Within a few hours, I almost broke his record. He got around 28 knees. They shot at unarmed young men and women who were trying in vain to struggle for their freedom, an issue that couldnt be more just. The regular scenario is supposed to be that you hit, break a bone in the best case, break the kneecap within a minute an ambulance comes to evacuate him, and after a week he gets a disability pension. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Not enough for you? The objective is to cause the inciter minimal damage, so he will stop doing what hes doing. So I, at least, would try to aim at a fattier place, in the muscle region. Still not enough? If you mistakenly hit the main artery of the thigh instead of the ankle, then either you intended to make a mistake or you shouldnt be a sniper. There are snipers, not many, who choose to make mistakes. They knew who they were facing. They dont even refer to their victims as terrorists, only inciters. One compared them to members of a youth movement. Even if you dont know their precise ranks, you can tell by the charisma who the group leader is. They chose their victims by their charisma, with a snipers precision. Their leadership aura has destined young men to a life of disability in the cage that is Gaza. But that was not enough. They become bloodthirsty as only young incited people can be. They wanted more blood, not just blood, a childs blood. Not just a childs blood, but in front of his family. Let me just once take down a kid of 16, even 14, but not with a bullet in the leg let me blow his head open in front of his whole family and his whole village. Let him spurt blood. And then maybe for a month I wont have to take off another 20 knees. They wanted blood from a boys head only to spare themselves the need to take down 20 more knees. They identified their victims age by their shirts: Dress shirts for the older ones, T-shirts for the youngest. None was court-martialed. Correction: One got seven days in military jail for shooting a sheep. Soldiers in the worlds most moral army dont shoot sheep. With 200 dead and 8,000 wounded, they think the restraints on us are shameful. That is their shame. They are our shame. They, and their commanders. They and the army that orders them to shoot at protesters as if they were ducks who chose to cross the line. People who shoot ducks arent snipers. Theyre hunters. " Source " Photo Illustration by Lyne Lucien/The Daily Beast/Getty Revelations that a man infected with the novel coronavirus hobnobbed with top Republicans at the annual Conservative Public Action Conference last month has prompted a wave of fright among Republican operatives who attended the conference and fear they may have been exposed, too. And as the fear has mounted so too have complaints that the conferences planners have been too secretive about the mans identity. If youre not rich and important, you dont get to know if you were exposed to someone with Coronavirus at CPAC, Breitbart reporter Brandon Darby tweeted Monday. The American Conservative Union, which organizes the annual event in National Harbor, Maryland, announced Saturday afternoon that a man who was infected with the coronavirus attended CPAC. Since then, four prominent RepublicansSen. Ted Cruz (TX), Rep. Paul Gosar (AZ), Rep. Doug Collins (GA), and Rep. Matt Gaetz (FL)have announced that theyre self-quarantining after interacting with the man. Gaetz has undergone a test for the virus. In contrast, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), who also had contact with the infected man, said he wont self-quarantine. CPAC chief Matt Schlapp was also quarantining himself after shaking the mans hand. Schlapp later shook hands with President Donald Trump at the event. Collins also shook hands with Trump at an event over the weekend and Gaetz rode with Trump on Air Force One on Monday, raising the prospect that the president may have had secondhand exposure to the potentially fatal virus thats spreading across the world and shaking the global economy. While top lawmakers apparently knew the mans identity, other CPAC attendees were frustrated with the lack of information about the person, whose name hasnt been released to protect his privacy. Former Breitbart reporter Lee Stranahan, who now co-hosts a radio show on Russian-owned broadcaster Sputnik, said hes been irritated by the lack of contact from CPAC officials about the potential coronavirus exposure. Story continues Trump Proposes Fighting Coronavirus With Tax Cuts In the place of more information from CPAC organizers, conservative Twitter accounts have started to speculate about who the man may be and who could have been exposed because of him. To me, its a weird guessing game at this point, Stranahan said. The fact that were hearing it through the rumor mill is bothersome. For full disclosure, this reporter also attended CPAC and wrote this piece while in quarantine at home. The potential for a coronavirus outbreak at the rights premier annual conference became a hot topic on conservative Twitter after CPACs announcement. Blaze host Jon Miller, who spoke on a CPAC panel, posted a picture of a thermometer reading as supposed proof that he didnt have the coronavirus. Conservative pundit Raheem Kassam complained on Twitter about experiencing flu-like symptoms since attending CPAC and chronicled his frustrated attempts to get tested. Using a CPAC schedule, Kassam openly speculated about which administration officials and conservative personalities could have interacted with the man who tested positive for coronavirus. So far, however, no second case of coronavirus at the conference has been reported. Several far-right personalities who have clashed with CPACdeeming it a bastion of the establishment Republican Partyslammed organizers for the coronavirus exposure. Columnist Michelle Malkin, a once-prominent figure at CPAC who gave a speech this year at a rival event hosted by a number of white nationalists, accused Schlapp of choosing donor protection over concern for health of conservative grassroots. CPACs position as one of the top conservative networking events in the country means that plenty of people, including prominent lawmakers and conservatives, were shaking hands and greeting one another. San Diego Young Republicans President Morgan Kimbarow, who attended CPAC, told The Daily Beast that hes been trying to reduce his in-person social contacts since hearing about the potential coronavirus incident. Obviously, those people were in touch with a lot of people, shaking hands, going through media row, Kimbarow said. So its certainly scary. Top Republicans have avoided criticizing CPACs organizers, with the lawmakers who attended only announcing their plans to self-quarantine. But if a Democratic convention had had a similar incident, Stranahan said, many of the conservatives who attended CPAC would be quick to mock their political rivals. Everybody would be like Look how irresponsible they are, he said. White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham Promises Healthy Trump Will Be Just Fine 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. [March 10, 2020] Interactions Named one of the World's Most Innovative Companies in 2020 FRANKLIN, Mass., March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Interactions, LLC , the worlds largest standalone artificial intelligence (AI) company, today announced it has been named to Fast Companys prestigious annual list of the Worlds Most Innovative Companies (MIC) for 2020. The list honors the businesses making the most profound impact on both industry and culture, showcasing a variety of ways to thrive in todays fast-changing world. This years MIC list features 434 businesses from 39 countries. Interactions was recognized in the Artificial Intelligence category alongside fellow industry leaders, including NVIDIA and Graphcore. For fifteen years, Interactions has been at the forefront of rethinking how enterprises communicate with their customers. With its proprietary conversational AI stack, the company powers natural, productive conversations for some of the most impactful brands in the world, including Citi, MetLife and Hyatt. In 2019, Interactions took aim at a new industry hungry for innovation: food services. This years MIC list recognizes the companys release of Interactions Guest Experience Platform (GXP) , a new AI solution specifically designed for the unique pain points of the quick service industry. Despite being a nearly $800 billion industry in the United States alone, food service was largely untouched by AIand restaurants werepaying the price. According to an Interactions analysis, ineffective customer service costs the average fast food restaurant approximately $45 million annually in lost revenue. Leveraging the companys powerful AI, Interactions GXP addresses rampant inaccuracies and inefficiencies in the industry to create more satisfying customer experiences and more productive businesses. Our core mission is to create amazing customer experiences by advancing AI technology that understands and engages on a human level, said Michael Iacobucci, CEO at Interactions. Whether its in financial services, retail or new opportunities like food services, our focus is on delivering solutions that harness the power of disruptive technologies to deliver extraordinary customer experiences. In food services, we recognized a tremendous opportunity to uplevel ordering operations, and were thrilled to be recognized by Fast Company for our ongoing commitment to reimagining the customer experience. Fast Companys editors and writers sought out the most groundbreaking businesses on the planet and across myriad industries. They also judged nominations received through their application process. The Worlds Most Innovative Companies is Fast Companys signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. It provides both a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors of the economy. At a time of increasing global volatility, this years list showcases the resilience and optimism of businesses across the world. These companies are applying creativity to solve challenges within their industries and far beyond, said Fast Company senior editor Amy Farley, who oversaw the issue with deputy editor David Lidsky. Fast Companys Most Innovative Companies issue (March/April 2020) is now available online at fastcompany.com/most-innovative-companies/2020, as well as in app form via iTunes and on newsstands beginning March 17, 2020. The hashtag is #FCMostInnovative. For more information on this achievement, see here . About Interactions Interactions provides Intelligent Virtual Assistants that seamlessly assimilate conversational AI and real-time human understanding to enable businesses to engage with their customers in highly productive and satisfying conversations. With flexible products and solutions designed to meet the growing demand for unified, omnichannel customer care, Interactions is delivering unprecedented improvements in the customer experience and significant cost savings for some of the largest brands in the world. Founded in 2004, Interactions is headquartered in Franklin, Massachusetts with additional offices worldwide. For more information, visit www.interactions.com. About Fast Company Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Since 2011, Fast Company has received some of the most prestigious editorial and design accolades, including the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) National Magazine Award for Magazine of the Year, Adweeks Hot List for Hottest Business Publication, and six gold medals and 10 silver medals from the Society of Publication Designers. The editor-in-chief is Stephanie Mehta and the publisher is Amanda Smith. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com. Lindsay Rand [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Kyiv's Pechersky District Court has selected a measure of restraint for Ukrainian MP Sofiya Fedyna in the form of personal recognizance. Judge Kristina Konstantinova read out the ruling at a court session on Tuesday, March 10, according to Ukrinform. "The investigating judge ruled to partially grant the petition. To apply to Sofiya Romanivna Fedyna, a people's deputy of Ukraine, a measure of restraint in the form of personal recognizance," Konstantinova said. The court also obliged Fedyna to appear at the request of the investigator, prosecutor, court; notify the investigator, prosecutor, court about the change of a place of residence, not to leave Kyiv city and Kyiv region without the permission of the investigator, prosecutor, court. At the same time, the court declined to oblige Fedyna to deposit her documents for traveling abroad, as it found justified the statement that this would limit her parliamentary powers. The ruling is valid until April 12. In late November 2019, investigators of the central unit of the State Bureau of Investigation sent to the Office of the Prosecutor General a draft notice of suspicion of "threatening to kill the President of Ukraine" to MP Fedyna and volunteer Marusia Zvirobiy. They are the defendants in criminal proceedings opened on the basis of their remarks addressed to President Zelensky on October 26, 2019. op Friday night's planned fundraising concert to benefit animal and human victims of the bushfires has been cancelled following American pop star Miley Cyrus's decision not to travel to Australia because of COVID-19. Cyrus was due to headline the Bushfire Relief Concert at Lakeside Stadium in Melbourne on Friday, with Grammy-winner Lil Nas X and local duo The Veronicas supporting. But just before 2pm on Tuesday she tweeted that in light of the global health crisis she would no longer be travelling. Miley Cyrus will no longer be coming to Australia for the Bushfire Relief charity concert. The event has now been cancelled. "Australia: Due to the recommendations of local, state, federal and international government authorities, including the Center for Disease Control, to reduce potential health risks in response to the current global health crisis, we are no longer traveling (sic) to Aus for the show," she tweeted. "I am so disappointed to not be there, but I have to do what is right to protect the health and safety of my band and crew. I will still be making a donation to help the victims of the Australian bush fire. Im sorry to miss everyone in Australia, but I will be back soon." SYRACUSE, NY A suspected coronavirus patient who came to Crouse Hospitals emergency room Sunday has tested negative for the virus. The patient was sent home Monday afternoon to self-quarantine, according to the hospital. Hospital officials said Monday the patient had not been exposed to any known coronavirus contacts and was at low-risk of being infected. The hospital took samples from the patient and sent them to the state Health Departments lab in Albany for testing. There are no confirmed coronavirus cases yet in Onondaga County. There have been 173 cases statewide, most of them in the New York metro area. James T. Mulder covers health news. Have a news tip? Contact him at (315) 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com 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. George Calombaris' food empire was unprofitable for more than three years, racking up losses of $20.7 million before its collapse last month. The full financial picture of the failed Made Establishment has been revealed in a report compiled by administrators KordaMentha, which was released on Tuesday. Radek Sali and George Calombaris. Credit:Paul Jeffers The report shows that Made Establishment was deep in the red since the 2017 financial year, with the Hellenic Republic restaurants and Jimmy Grants souvlaki chain the worst performing parts of the business. "The group has not been profitable in the past three years or for the year-to-date period to January 2020," the report says. "Cumulative losses before tax over this period total $20.7 million." Schools across the Bay Area and beyond began shutting in recent days as reports came in of contact by students or staff with confirmed cases of coronavirus. State and federal officials urged education officials to prepare for the spread of the new virus, encouraging districts to plan ahead for what increasingly appeared to be the inevitable disruption of learning in certain schools or entire districts. Yet across the region, school officials were still formulating those plans even while closing campuses. Among those with closures: Lowell, Immaculate Conception Academy, Riordan and Sacred Heart high schools in San Francisco; Serra High in San Mateo; Notre Dame in Belmont; Black Pine Circle in Berkeley; and Aspire Monarch Academy in Oakland. On Tuesday, the Archdiocese of San Francisco announced the closure of all its schools after a student tested positive for the coronavirus. The 90 schools in San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo counties will be shut down from March 12 through March 25. Instruction will continue through distance learning, said Pamela Lyons, superintendent of schools. While children appear to be at low risk of experiencing serious illness from the virus, they can still pass it along to parents, staff or others in school communities. Closures in California and the rest of the country, especially if long lasting, could upend the education system, leading to significant lost learning time, resulting in lower standardized test scores, failed AP tests and hours of instruction time gone for good. Yet its not clear whether state law will allow public school districts to compel online learning, and many students lack internet or computer access. Shutdowns also hit families hard, leaving parents scrambling for child care and those reliant on school meals struggling to replace those calories. Gov. Gavin Newsom reported Monday that the federal government authorized the state to continue providing school meals in the event of closures, but that it might require trucks or the Red Cross to the help distribute them to families who cant make it to school sites. Across the region, some parents have questioned whether closures are necessary, while others are clamoring for widespread shuttering of schools. Teachers, especially those who are older or have health issues and are therefore at greater risk of serious illness, typically cant stay home despite health edicts for them to avoid large crowds. So far, in most cases, officials have shut schools largely out of an overabundance of caution, based on secondary contact rather than a known case of a student or staff member, and without the support of local health officials. Now Playing: Here is what you need to know about the coronavirus. Video: Manjula Varghese In San Francisco, officials shut down Lowell High School midday Thursday after the parent of a student tested positive for COVID-19. The school remained closed Monday and was scheduled to reopen Tuesday. All instruction was put on hold, but staff was working on backup plans in case of long-term closure at Lowell or other schools, said district spokeswoman Laura Dudnick. Possibilities could include paper-based packets for learning and remote teaching and online options, she said. Staff are working to determine access needs, and reviewing our existing device inventory and availability to determine if devices could be taken home. We are also looking at what other school districts are doing. Its unclear whether districts like San Francisco will be able to recoup state funding for the days a school is closed, if the closure was considered a precaution rather than the result of a declared epidemic. In Lowells case, that would be a loss of nearly $200,000 each day the school was closed. A loss of funding would most likely be accompanied by a lack of official instruction. In public schools at least, it appears that continuing instruction online during a closure will be nearly impossible, if not a violation of law. According to state code, independent study must be voluntary, limiting the ability of students to use existing online coursework. In addition, not all students have access to the internet or have computers at home. Just 16% of schools statewide have at least one device per student, and nearly a million students had no internet at home, according to recent surveys. 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 biggest concern about online learning is access, said Kevine Boggess, political director of Coleman Advocates, a childrens advocacy organization. The thing is how do you keep people safe, and keep the commitment to learning intact? While figuring out the what-ifs of closure, in the Fremont Unified School District, officials are doing daily disinfecting using a range of methods, including electrostatic sprayers. Nothing set yet, said district spokesman Brian Killgore. All departments are working on contingency plans and were supposed to meet up again this week. The Elk Grove Unified School District in Sacramento County closed all schools after a family member tested positive. It was a drastic decision made in the middle of the night Saturday, which has had some pushback from parents and health officials. The district said the week would be considered a moved-up spring break with no instruction. Yet a lack of instruction during a closure doesnt have to be wasted time, said Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy, a free online learning platform. A good two hours of reading and math a day can keep kids on track, he said. Those are the two skills that you really cant afford to atrophy, he said. Khan Academy, available on a computer or a phone, offers a range of content including AP coursework, algebra, SAT prep and history ranging from pre-K through college. Students, for example, could learn about DNA, exponential spread, geography, economics all topics connected to the coronavirus. Theres nothing more interesting than whats going on around us, Khan said. Make use of the anxiety, so to speak. Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker Sevilla's match at home to Roma in the Europa League on Thursday has become the latest fixture to be put behind closed doors due to the coronavirus while La Liga is waiting for advice on whether to shut off domestic matches this weekend, AFP Sport understands. Sevilla and Roma will play in front of empty stands at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, just as Valencia's Champions League second leg at home to Atalanta on Tuesday will be also be played without fans. "The Sevilla FC-AS Roma match in the UEFA Europa League round of 16 will be played behind closed doors," read a Sevilla statement on Monday evening. "This is in order to preserve the safety of the public and to contain the contagion of COVID-19." La Liga is now waiting to take advice from the Spanish health authorities regarding the closure of league matches, with high-level government meetings on the issue scheduled for Tuesday. Real Madrid are due to play against Eibar at the Santiago Bernabeu on Friday night while Leganes also host Real Valladolid in Madrid on Saturday. A closure to fans could be applied just to games in Madrid, the worst-hit area for coronavirus cases in Spain, or consistently across the league. In European competition, the move to restrict Sevilla's game against Roma raises questions about Barcelona's Champions League second leg match at home to Napoli on March 18. As it stands, Atletico Madrid fans will be allowed to travel to Anfield to watch Atleti face Liverpool in the Champions League on Wednesday but it remains to be seen if Real Madrid's second leg against Manchester City in England on March 17 stays open. Sevilla's second leg against Roma in Italy had already been put behind closed doors, with Italy registering more than 7,000 cases of coronavirus on Monday. Spain has been less affected so far, with just under 1,000 confirmed cases on Monday and almost 500 of those in Madrid. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) March 9 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories from selected Canadian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. THE GLOBE AND MAIL ** Royal Bank of Canada is splitting operations for its global trading business Monday as it responds to the coronavirus outbreak, which has intensified quickly in North America and Europe in recent days. https://tgam.ca/3aHohU6 ** A battle for dominance in Canada's East Coast fisheries is playing out, as rival food companies weigh $450-million-plus bids for Clearwater Seafoods Inc, the country's largest owner of licences to harvest lobster and shellfish. https://tgam.ca/2VW3aJK ** White Claw, a trendy boozy seltzer, has been attracting attention with the recent launch of its brand in Canada. It's been a bit of a homecoming of sorts, given the product, which has legions of fans in the United States, was developed by Vancouver-based beverage brand Mark Anthony Group of Companies. https://tgam.ca/2PYIltc NATIONAL POST ** The federal government said Sunday it will again fly back Canadians stuck aboard a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship, a move that comes as the number of cases of COVID-19 across Canada has increased. http://bit.ly/2vIpEDw (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marchio Irfan Gorbiano and Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 Indonesia's state budget deficit may surpass the 3 percent ceiling this year as the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and a sharp drop in oil prices could further worsen Indonesias economic outlook, a senior economist is warning. The University of Indonesias senior economist, Faisal Basri, said the current virus crisis would have a deeper effect on the countrys economy than the financial crisis of 2008 and would further drag down the countrys economic growth. During the 2008 global financial crisis, the government took several economic decisions. This time, economic policy is blunt to address the virus crisis, Faisal told The Jakarta Post on Friday. He urged the government to issue a presidential regulation (Perpres) to allow a deficit of more than 3 percent. He feared the deficit would further widen from the governments projection of 1.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) to pass the ceiling if the situation gets worse. 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 Cesar Rodriguez said he just wanted to talk to Eric Garcia Mulero as he approached Garcia Muleros parked car. The car door opened and shots were fired, Rodriguez testified Tuesday during the second day of Garcia Muleros trial. Rodriguez was shot five times, according to the emergency room doctor who treated him. He was left paralyzed from the waist down, she said. He testified he remembers coughing up blood, then begging to be driven to the hospital because he might be dead if he waited for an ambulance. All I remember was, I told the doctor to tell my family I love them if I die, Rodriguez testified Tuesday in Northampton County. Garcia Mulero, 28, of Bethlehem, is charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault and related charges for the May 5, 2019, shooting. Rodriguez, of New York, survived the shooting but will be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, he said. The shooting was outside the home of Garcia Muleros ex-girlfriend, the mother of his child. She lives in the 800 block of Argus Court in Bethlehem. Police said the shooting happened during a custody exchange. Garcia Mulero told police he hadnt seen his child in two weeks and wanted to visit. He made the claim during a police interrogation captured on video and shown to jurors Tuesday in Northampton County Court. Garcia Mulero doesnt speak English, so his comments were translated by a Bethlehem police officer on the interrogation video. Rodriguez testified Garcia Mulero made threats at some point prior to the shooting. The defendant had made a lot of comments that he was going to kill my son that he was going to put a gun in my sons mouth and he was going to kill him, Rodriguez testified. Garcia Mulero acknowledged shooting Rodriguez with a bb gun about two weeks prior to the May 5 shooting but said he did it in self-defense. Rodriguez testified that he approached Garcia Mulero on the day of the shooting in order to clear the air about the threats. Garcia Mulero claimed in a written confession that Rodriguez started hitting him and forced him to shoot in self-defense. He opened the (car) door and he started hitting me. I took out the gun. I shot him. I shot him, Garcia Mulero said in the written translation as read by the Bethlehem police officer. Garcia Mulero claimed to have fired a warning shot. He kept hitting me so I kept shooting him, Garcia Mulero claimed, adding he kept shooting Rodriguez until he fell. Rodriguez testified the shooting was unprovoked. There was no evidence of injuries to Garcia Mulero, police said. Pennsylvania State police ballistics expert Jesse Oleksza testified one round was fired into Rodriguezs back from a foot to a foot and a half away. All the shots were fired from a distance of no more than four feet, Oleksza said. St. Lukes Hospital trauma surgeon Christine Lynn Ramirez said one bullet went through Rodriguezs lung, through his stomach and lodged in his spine. That bullet left him paralyzed. Another bullet went through his cheek through the roof of his mouth, she said. Surgeons had to repair Rodriguezs mouth and his internal organs. All five bullets remain in his body, Ramirez said. She said Rodriguez was in the hospital for a month. Rodriguez testified Tuesday from a wheelchair. Garcia Mulero wore a pair of headphones and had testimony translated into Spanish by an interpreter during the trial. Bethlehem police Investigator Blake Kuntz tried to calm Garcia Mulero during the interrogation. He thanked him for speaking with police and said he should have a clear conscience because he cooperated. Its OK, Kuntz said. Then Garcia Mulero made his only statement in English for the entire video: Its OK? Life in prison is OK? he asked. The trial will continue Wednesday. Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 15:24:26|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close ULAN BATOR, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga has resumed work after a 14-day quarantine was lifted by the State Emergency Commission on Tuesday, the presidential press office said. "President Battulga returned to his work because the National Security Council will hold an emergency meeting as the country registered on Tuesday the first novel coronavirus case," the press office said in a statement. Battulga was placed under a 14-day quarantine after a one-day visit to China on Feb. 27. He has not shown any symptoms related to the COVID-19. A granddad who was once tasked with assassinating Pablo Escobar is set to auction off his military awards - because he says they're too hard to dust. Former SAS trooper, Peter McAleese, 77, from Stechford, Birmingham, joined the army when he was 17 and had an eventful 60 year career serving with Britain's Paratroopers, the SAS, Rhodesia's SAS and the South African Defence Force. Peter battled drug barons in Columbia, trained bodyguards in Moscow, took on security work in Algeria and Iraq - and in the early 1980s he was instrumental in the creation of a new Pathfinder Reconnaissance unit and served in the South African Border War. But his most dangerous assignments was to assassinate the well-known drug-lord Pablo Escobar which resulted in a helicopter crash after months of training in the Columbian jungle. Peter McAleese (right), 77, joined the army when he was 17 and had an eventful 60 year career serving with Britain's Paratroopers, the SAS, Rhodesia's SAS and the South African Defence Force (left) McAleese is pictured preparing for the attack on Pablo Escobar's Villa in Colombia in 1989 He is now selling off his nine medals along with dozens of trinkets and trophies in a bid to declutter his one bedroom flat - which he says is too much effort to keep dusting. Peter said: 'I was a thrill seeker and decided to join the army in March 1960 after some relatives had done national service. 'I left the British army after nine years and became a "gun for hire" around six years later in 1975 after I was offered a job in Angola, the buzz came back almost immediately. Pictured: Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar 'Amongst some of the most dangerous moments that occurred during my time overseas, I was once involved in a helicopter crash while trying to assassinate Pablo Escobar. 'I was alone for three days as others tried to get help, the pilot was killed and his legs were chopped off, I tried to save his life but there was nothing we could do. 'The Pablo Escobar assassination was my second job in Columbia, I was back in England when I was asked if I would be part of a team to assassinate him. I said yes. 'I travelled to Colombia and went into the jungle to a training camp for 11 weeks, we needed Pablo to be at an exact location at a exact time, which was hard as he had so many informants and was always on the move. 'We had three helicopters on site that were ready to go once he was located but one day we got him in position and took off in two helicopters but unfortunately we crashed due to bad weather. 'After escaping from this near-death experience we tried to assassinate a second time but after the botched attempt Pablo was extra careful and we were never unable to locate him again.' Peter is now selling off his enormous collection of awards which he says are too busy sat around his house collecting dust to be appreciated. McAleese is pictured, front and left, while serving in what was then called Rhodesia In with his awards include United Nations Medal (UNICYP) Cyprus, Zimbabwe Independence medal, South Africa Pro Patria Medal, Southern Africa Medal, 1987. South African General Service Medal, Malaysian Service Medal 1968-69, Rhodesian Independence Medal and the Cyprus Bar. He said: 'I think now it's time to part ways with all the awards I have won, as much as I like to look at them and reminisce, they just sit in my house collecting dust. 'I'm keeping hold of my most prized awards but more or less everything is up for grabs. Usually with things like this, collectors like to know the story behind all of them, but it's usually classified. 'With my collections each story is told along with the award, so you can really get a feel for what happened for me to receive them.' Peter served in the army for over 50 years, and along with serving for the British SAS and Paratroopers, he also spent time overseas working in Angola, Columbia and Russia. He said: 'I made quite a name for myself overseas, it was an incredible time in my life because I was seeing and travelling the world. 'At that time, it wasn't as common to travel the world, so I was very grateful to be able to do it all.' The Peter McAleese collection goes under the hammer at Richard Winterton Auctioneers' Fine Arts & Specialist Sale at The Lichfield Auction Centre, Fradley Park, Staffordshire, starting at 10am on March 24. Democratic presidential hopeful former Vice President Joe Biden greets supporters after addressing a Super Tuesday event in Los Angeles on March 3, 2020. - Source: Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images 10.03.2020 LISTEN Africa's stake in the outcome of the 3 November 2020 US presidential election spiked with the unexpected revival of former Vice-President Joe Biden's campaign . Biden is now favoured to defeat Senator Bernie Sanders to become the Democratic nominee in July . He is also regarded as the Democrat with the best chance of beating the Republican incumbent, Donald J Trump . Biden won an overwhelming victory in the South Carolina primary thanks primarily to the fact that 60% of Democratic voters in the state are African-American. They turned out in record numbers . Black support has since been described as Biden's Rocket Fuel . White Democratic leaders quickly saw the imperative to join the black-led Biden bandwagon. Former Virginia governor and Democratic Party head, Terry McAuliffe, said bluntly that he'd decided to endorse Biden because he'd shown he could win black majorities . Five other major candidates withdrew from the Democratic race after Biden's sweep of 10 out of 14 state primaries three days after South Carolina. They all acknowledged that support from black voters was decisive . Should Biden go on to win the presidency, his political debt to African Americans will be enormous. It's a debt he will be pressed to honour . Governments, businesses and civil society throughout Africa should be putting their minds to how they could best put this to use. Relations between Africans and the African diaspora have a long history that is extensive and complex. In addition to the descendants of slavery, African Americans now include millions of first-generation African citizens empowered to vote . And a recent outpouring of investigations by African-American and African scholars into their historic and ongoing ties to Africa including Professor Nemata Blyden of George Washington University new book, African Americans and Africa adds fresh richness and political relevance to this process of convergence . Benefits for Africa? For the most part Trump has ignored Africa. The exceptions have been his publicised vulgar aspersion , and an occasional critical tweet . Nevertheless, there has been the continuity of US programmes that are largely the work of professional civil servants. These are led by Assistant Secretary of State, Tibor Nagy , a former career diplomat with African experience that began in 1978. Earlier this month Nagy delivered a public address on Africa policy. The lecture highlighted the continuation of practical programmes, welcomed in Africa, that were begun by previous administrations Republicans and Democrats. Included in the list were partnerships in public health (HIV/AIDS), trade preferences , security cooperation, energy, agriculture and education. Nagy even had positive words for Obama's ongoing initiative, Young African Leaders Initiative . US policy on Africa is one the few areas that continue to enjoy bi-partisan support by Democrats and Republicans. It remains a key asset for Africans. It would be a good area for Biden to show his commitment to working with leaders of both parties to restore a greater sense of national unity and purpose. For Africa, this would mean a common commitment to meeting global challenges that affect the continent. The list includes climate change, famine, forced migrations and regional peace and security. Should Biden take over the presidency he would adopt policies that would restore the cooperative links that prevailed under Obama. And he is much more likely to base his polices on scientific evidence, not political expediency. This has been dramatically shown by the contrast in Obama's response to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, and Trump's shambolic handling of the current coronavirus . There would also likely be a resumption of US support for multilateral initiatives such as the Green Climate Fund for African and other seriously affected developing countries. The lead funders of this important initiative for Africa were China and the US. This is an important reminder that these two major powers can cooperate in partnership with African governments in mutually beneficial ways. Trump reneged on this agreement . He has also given notice that the US will withdraw from the global Paris Climate Accord . We may expect that one of Biden's early acts would be to restore both commitments. Finally, African governments should press for a quick termination of the confrontational posture outlined in the Trump administration's National Security Policy toward Africa . Biden, unlike Trump, regards democratic inclusiveness at home and multilateral cooperation abroad as complementary cornerstones for more effective and productive domestic and foreign relations. His broad strategy would be in sync with the fact based politics that Obama called for in his 2018 tribute to Nelson Mandela . It would contrast starkly with Trump's dire inaugural address in 2017 . A Biden presidency should also reassure those in Africa and elsewhere who fear that democracy is in perilous decline . It is a good bet he will try and reverse the damage done by Trump. He might even seek to implement long overdue political and economic reforms at home that could render America a more capable and reliable partner abroad. African Americans are at the epicentre of this process and that could prove to be Africa's most important stake in the 2020 US election . John J Stremlau 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 John J Stremlau, Honorary Professor of International Relations, University of the Witwatersrand Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recorded a one-minute radio ad for former Vice President Joe Biden that will run across Michigan as voters head to the polls tomorrow, according to the campaign. Biden for President Regional Communications Director Julia Krieger said it was a five-figure, three-day buy. From saving the auto industry to ensuring health care coverage -- Joe Biden has always shown up for Michigan. Thats why he has the strong support of leaders like Governor Whitmer who is rolling up her sleeves to fight for Joe Biden and the stronger infrastructure, economy and health care system every Michigan family deserves," Krieger said. Biden and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders are the main contenders in Michigans Democratic presidential primary election, which takes place March 10. Long-shot candidate U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard also remains in the race. Whitmer threw her weight behind Biden last week, endorsing him and joining his national campaign as a co-chair. In the ad, Whitmer touts his track record in Michigan, including his role in passing the Affordable Care Act, nicknamed Obamacare. Joe Biden showed up for Michigan families when it mattered most. I know hell do the same as president, Whitmer says in the ad. She urges voters to join her in voting for Biden on Tuesday, saying he can beat President Donald Trump in Novembers general election. After endorsing Biden last week, Whitmer told MLive at the time she would put a Michigan voice at the table for important conversations about everything from convention strategy to vetting a vice-presidential candidate. The Associated Press reported last week Bidens presidential campaign was putting $12 million toward digital and radio ads in six states, including Michigan, in his biggest-yet buy of the campaign. Both Sanders and Biden have also come to Michigan in the lead-up to the presidential primary to personally appeal to voters ahead of the election. Sanders held rallies in Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor on Sunday. Biden made an appearance in Grand Rapids and is rallying in Detroit Monday. Voting runs from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10. Related stories: Bidens momentum in Michigan underscored by flow of endorsements The big question for Michigan Democrats: Is Biden or Sanders more likely to beat Trump? As Bernie Sanders makes a big push in Michigan, Joe Biden sends surrogates One day before Michigans Primary, 73% of requested absentee ballots have been cast 5 things to watch in Tuesdays Michigan primary results Michigan election is Tuesday, and its not just a presidential primary Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 15:56:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- China, the "World's Factory," is striking a balance between epidemic prevention and work resumption to maintain the stability of the global supply chain and minimize the impact of the epidemic on the global economy. China has all the industrial categories classified by the United Nations. It also ranks first in terms of output in nearly half of the over 500 major industrial products in the world. Though the novel coronavirus outbreak has slowed the humming of the factories for a while, production has been resuming across the country as the outbreak is leveling off to ensure the smooth operation of the global supply chain. A large diameter shield machine is being disassembled in a workshop of Changsha No. 1 industrial park of the China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Corporation. The 2,300-tonne shield machine, which will soon be exported to India to participate in the construction of a road tunnel in Mumbai, will be India's largest diameter shield machine. As China's leading roadheader manufacturer, China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Group's products have been used in more than 30 countries and regions. Last year, the amount of new overseas contracts it received rose three times from a year ago. "We have been gradually resuming work and production since Feb. 10 and give priority to overseas projects and emergency projects," said Sun Qiang, deputy general manager of the company's roadheader factory. On the first day of production this year, a Turkish order for a shield machine was packed and shipped. Sun said they have full orders for shield machines for the coming months. Production lines at the factories of the Shenghong Petrochemical Group in Jiangsu Province are also running at full tilt amid the epidemic. "We can guarantee the supply of nearly 2,000 domestic and foreign enterprises downstream," said Xiao Qipeng, a company engineer. The company manufactures products for enterprises in many industries such as automobiles, household appliances, textiles, photovoltaic, rubber, plates and medical treatment, among others. They are sold to countries and regions including the Republic of Korea, Europe and the United States. The Chinese government is strengthening guidance and supportive policies, giving priority to ensuring that leading and supporting enterprises that have an important influence in the global supply chain resume work and production. In Shanghai, China's financial center, the local government has increased support for key foreign-funded enterprises amid the epidemic. Almost all of the 840 key foreign-funded enterprises had resumed work as of late February. Meanwhile, southern China's manufacturing heartland Guangdong Province has seen 91.2 percent of firms resume operation as of March 3, and construction of major foreign-funded projects such as the BASF smart Verbund project -- the German chemical giant's largest-ever investment project in China -- has resumed. Data from China's Ministry of Commerce showed that in January, a total of 3,485 new foreign-invested enterprises were established nationwide, with foreign direct investment into the Chinese mainland seeing a steady growth of 4 percent year on year to 87.57 billion yuan (about 12.6 billion U.S. dollars). "The impact of the epidemic on enterprises is only temporary, and we are confident to make up for the delay in production," said Zheng Qi, vice-general manager of Airbus Tianjin Assembly Co., Ltd. The China-Europe trains and cargo flight routes are also gradually resuming operation to facilitate international trade and supply. Analysts pointed out that the resilience and indispensability of China's supply chain have been highlighted under the epidemic situation. China still maintains a top investment hotspot for multinational enterprises. A report on the impact of the novel coronavirus epidemic released by the American Chamber of Commerce in South China showed that 75 percent of enterprises are confident in China's economic prospects and will not change their reinvestment plans. At the Friday press conference, which was attended by a Beacon-News reporter, Thomas, who has served on a number of community boards and state and local councils, held up one of his mailers as an example of how he couldnt have manipulated the photo himself. And he blasted his opponents attempts to tie him to the GOP, noting that having Republican friends or using an Aurora company owned by a Republican to build his web page does not make him any less a Democrat. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Norman Harsono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 Indonesia aims to make the most out of falling global crude oil prices by fulfilling domestic oil demand without swelling the countrys gaping and growing trade deficit. The Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Ministry acting oil and gas director general Ego Syahrial said on Monday that the government expected Indonesias top oil company, state-owned Pertamina, to buy as much oil as it can, preferably under long-term purchasing contracts, while global prices are flat out at a four year low. Oil prices have plunged, we should enjoy it, he told reporters in Jakarta, We have many tanks to fill. 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 Australians should be stocking up on toilet paper and other essential supplies, as the coronavirus outbreak is slated to become a national 'disaster', a top doctor has warned. Dr Andrew Miller, the president of the Australian Medical Association in WA, says people should be taking precautions in the event the health crisis deepens and results in a nationwide lockdown as it has in China. His warning comes as more than 9,000 people in NSW - the country's worst-hit state - have been tested for COVID-19 since the outbreak began, with 55 people testing positive and 618 cases under investigation. There are 103 confirmed cases of the virus in the country as of Tuesday afternoon. 'This isn't business as usual, it's unprecedented,' Dr Miller told Seven's Flashpoint on Monday night. Scroll down for video Dr Andrew Miller (far left) the president of the Australian Medical Association in WA, urged people to stockpile on goods warning that the coronavirus outbreak in Australia is on track to becoming a disaster The looming pandemic has caused 'panic-buying' at supermarkets across the country. Video has emerged online showing customers stampeding into an Aldi store to get their hands on toilet paper An Aldi store completely cleaned out of toilet paper amid panic buying in Australia 'What causes panic is if you tell people: "look just carry on, it's going to be OK." It's not going to be OK,... this is going to be a disaster.' 'Of course you're going to stock up for a bit. There's 50million people in China who have been locked down for six weeks, are you saying that can't happen here? 'It's not a racist virus, it affects everybody.' Dr Miller's remarks come after health authorities urged people to refrain from stockpiling on goods after the panic-buying chaos set in across the country, resulting in food and toilet paper shortages. The AMA boss argued those shoppers were actually being 'sensible.' Premier Mark McGowan who was among Monday night's panelists, said the government is preparing for the worst and will consider shutting schools down if necessary. In NSW, state health officials said it is likely at least 100,000 people will contract the disease. NSW Health Network Director Dominic Dwyer told the Australian Financial Review the novelty of the virus has made it more difficult to treat than other diseases. 'My prediction would be that it will take off because we see this every year with other respiratory viruses and this one is perhaps more difficult because we aren't naturally immune to it,' he said on Tuesday. People are seen wearing face masks in Sydney, Monday, March 9, 2020 People line up outside the Royal Melbourne Hospital for coronavirus testing in Melbourne Globally, the infection has spread to more than 114,000 people across 112 countries, and killed at least 4,025. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Tuesday his government is putting the final touches on a stimulus package, expected to be worth as much as $10billion. The coronavirus is a 'new, complex, hydra-headed and rapidly evolving challenge', he told the AFR summit in Sydney. 'Whatever you thought 2020 was going to be about, think again,' Mr Morrison said. 'We now have one goal together this year: to protect the health, the wellbeing and livelihoods of Australians through this global crisis, and to ensure that when the recovery comes, and it will, we are well-positioned to bounce back strongly on the other side.' TORONTO - When users of the Chanmao Inc. food delivery service log into the company's app next week, they'll notice a new option: non-contact drop-offs. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 9/3/2020 (672 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A Foodora courier is pictured as they pick up an order for delivery from a restaurant in Toronto, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette TORONTO - When users of the Chanmao Inc. food delivery service log into the company's app next week, they'll notice a new option: non-contact drop-offs. The feature triggered by user demand and a desire to combat the recent outbreak of a novel form of coronavirus will allow customers to request orders be left at front desks, with building security or on a doorstep. "For the past couple of weeks, a lot of our customers have been writing in the notes saying, could you leave the order at the front of the door or could you leave it at the security or can I meet you outside instead?" said Ivy Chen, the co-founder of Richmond Hill, Ont.-based Chanmao, which services the Greater Toronto Area, Waterloo, Hamilton, Halifax, Edmonton and Winnipeg. The no-contact service is part of a slew of precautions food delivery companies operating in Canada have undertaken amid the outbreak, which has infected at least 60 Canadians and more than one hundred thousand more globally. With increasing numbers of Canadians working from home or self-quarantining after travelling to coronavirus hotspots abroad, delivery apps are bracing themselves for high volumes of orders, while facing pressure to up their safety protocols given that their couriers are handling food and coming into contact with customers. Chanmao decided to make health and safety materials available to all of its couriers in the wake of the new coronavirus known as COVID-19, Chen said. "We made sure all of our delivery drivers have hand sanitizers with them in the car, so that when they're getting the food from the restaurant or after they finished a delivery, they are keeping good hygiene," Chen said. Latex gloves are hand for couriers to pick up from the company too. At Uber Technologies Inc.'s Eats service, when couriers logged into their app to begin accepting orders in recent weeks, they were met with a message reminding them to wash their hands frequently, disinfect their vehicles often and if they feel sick, to stay home. The company is also encouraging employees to make use of its Law Enforcement Response Team, which runs a 24/7 portal that helps with safety and public health concerns encountered while using the platform. Uber has yet to detect any coronavirus cases spread through its users or couriers, but put restrictions on employee travel to China, northern Italy, Iran and South Korea. Meanwhile, competitor Foodora Inc. has set up a committee to streamline instructions and implement processes ensuring the health and safety of its couriers and customers. "Our teams have already issued a series of informed measures, including work-travel restrictions to affected regions and a work-from-home policy for those who've travelled recently to areas with outbreaks," spokesperson Sadie Weinstein wrote in an emailed statement to The Canadian Press. "We'll continue to monitor the development of COVID-19 and implement further measures, if deemed necessary." Food service numbers were down in China in January, when the virus hit the country hard, but its delivery data was up, said Vince Sgabellone, a food industry analyst at the NPD Group. It's hard to tell if that spike was caused by COVID-19 because delivery services in the country were seeing immense demand and growth before the virus. Whether the same trends will be replicated Canada is also unknown, Sgabellone said. "It is still very early going to suggest that anyone has or will make changes in the way they will frequent any retail outlets or food service," he said. "I have not heard anything. My customers are telling me it is business as usual and they are being careful and diligent as always." This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 9, 2020. COLUMBIA The longest-serving legislator in South Carolina's General Assembly will retire at the end of the 2020 session after deciding not to seek reelection for a ninth term in the state Senate. State Sen. John Matthews, D-Orangeburg, said he has decided that now is the time to open his seat to "a new generation of leadership" after spending 46 years in the Legislature, including 10 in the House and 36 in the Senate. In addition to his status as the longest-serving current legislator, Matthews is also the longest-serving African American lawmaker in state history. While we have made tremendous progress in South Carolina, there are many more layers of progress to lay," Matthews said. "I will continue to be a supporting resource for anyone who wishes to make meaningful change in South Carolina, and I am excited for what the future holds." Matthews, 79, represents South Carolina's 39th Senate district that includes portions of Berkeley, Calhoun, Colleton, Dorchester, and Orangeburg counties. He is the assistant minority leader in the Senate. A South Carolina State University graduate, Matthews worked as a public school principal and businessman. Sign up for updates! Get the latest political news from The Post and Courier in your inbox. Email Sign Up! Over the course of his lengthy legislative tenure, Matthews played a role in dozens of combative legislative fights and saw dramatic changes to the state, from the end of segregation to bringing down the Confederate flag from the Statehouse grounds. Senate Minority Leader Nikki Setzler, one of few lawmakers who has spent more time in the Senate than Matthews, praised him for "tirelessly advocating" for his constituents. "As our Assistant Minority Leader, he has shown tremendous guidance and wisdom in each challenge we face, and continues to be an invaluable resource to myself and other members of the Senate," said Setzler, D-Lexington. "His kindness and determination have made him one of the greatest legislators the state of South Carolina has ever seen," he added. All 170 seats in the Statehouse are up for election this year. At least 11 lawmakers have said they will not run again. Filing starts Monday for the June primary. michael barbaro From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. [music] Today: A suburb north of New York City has become one of the largest clusters of the coronavirus in the U.S. My colleague, Sarah Maslin Nir, went there. Its Thursday, March 19. michael barbaro Sarah, tell us about the past few weeks in this town of New Rochelle, New York. sarah maslin nir It began with a local man. His name is Larry Garbuz. Hes a lawyer. Hes about 50, lives in New Rochelle, which is this suburb about five or so miles north of New York Citys border. And he falls ill about February 27, and he starts to decline pretty rapidly. He asks a neighbor to drive him to the hospital and spends several days there really spiraling. Then on March 2, they find out what was wrong with Larry Garbuz, and it was coronavirus. [music] archived recording Cases of coronavirus are growing nationwide, and New York state is no exception. sarah maslin nir Hes the first person in this suburb that is diagnosed. archived recording Investigators scrambling to retrace the patients movements from the Bronxville hospital where he was first treated. sarah maslin nir And disease investigators then have to trace his movements. archived recording The week before he knew he was contagious, the married father of four traveled around the New York City area. He also attended temple services back in Westchester. sarah maslin nir And found out that he had attended religious services, just as anyone would a wedding, a bar mitzvah about a week before. archived recording Synagogue Young Israel of New Rochelle ordered to close, and hundreds of people who attended services there have been told to quarantine themselves at home. sarah maslin nir And the Westchester County Health Department ordered a hundred families, congregants at that synagogue, to self-quarantine. [music] So Im sitting in our offices at Times Square when we hear about this diagnosis, and I immediately get in my car and head up to New Rochelle. Because this is going to have huge ripple effects in his town. We know it. And when I arrived, people didnt even know it had happened. There was a man pushing at the door of Young Israel, Mr. Garbuzs synagogue, trying to get in for evening prayers, not understanding why it was locked. There were restaurants, where people should be turning up for evening hours, not understanding why their customers were calling in takeout instead. This was a town where the news that they were part of this global pandemic was just settling in. speaker But theres nothing we can do about it. I think its another flu thats going to go away, hopefully. sarah maslin nir Mm-hmm. sarah maslin nir People were barely understanding that this had happened to them. speaker And Im still going to go out. Im going to go to CVS, the post office, the bank, because Im going to wash my hands. Im going to try never to ever touch my face. Im going to live my life. michael barbaro So to the degree that something is happening here in New Rochelle, its dawning on people very slowly. sarah maslin nir I think its dawning on America very slowly, and New Rochelle was a reflection of the lack of seriousness with which the country was taking this threat. [music] But from that quiet first evening in New Rochelle, things rapidly began to change. archived recording (andrew cuomo) Good afternoon. New Rochelle is a particular problem. sarah maslin nir And on March 10, something unprecedented happens. archived recording (andrew cuomo) What we are going to do is focus on an area, a concentric circle around sarah maslin nir A one-mile radius containment zone is designated in New Rochelle, surrounding the neighborhood of this first patient. archived recording (andrew cuomo) Facilities within that area, schools within that area would be closed for two weeks. Well go in, well clean the schools and assess the situation. This cant be a political decision. This is a public health decision. sarah maslin nir That containment zone is the red hot center of New Yorks coronavirus outbreak. archived recording (andrew cuomo) Were also going to use the National Guard in the containment area. sarah maslin nir And then, in comes the National Guard. archived recording (andrew cuomo) It is a dramatic action, but it is the largest cluster in the country. And this is literally a matter of life and death. Thats not an overly rhetorical statement. [music] sarah maslin nir You have people holed up in their homes, people needing testing, needing health care, needing the basic necessities of life and affected by this virus that dramatically curtails their movements. I wanted to understand, how is the government keeping us safe? How are the health care workers carrying out testing? And how are the people of New Rochelle coping? sarah maslin nir Im standing on Lincoln Avenue, which is just outside the containment zone in New Rochelle, where a huge truck full of hundreds and thousands of pounds of food has just arrived. About six uniformed members of the National Guard are standing outside this truck as a pallet is unloaded full of michael barbaro So Sarah, why exactly is the National Guard there? What is their official mission? When I think the National Guard being dispatched, its usually after a natural disaster and they are literally there to pick up the pieces. sarah maslin nir Yeah. These men and women had been to floods. Theyd been to earthquakes. Theyd been to hurricane zones. This is the first-ever time they were called to an epidemic event. member of the national guard So were basically responding to all natural disasters in New York state sarah maslin nir And they were called here for two main purposes, which is to deliver meals to people bound in their homes by quarantine, and to clean. sarah maslin nir So Ive just walked into the Jewish Community Center on Wilmot Road in Scarsdale. Inside, 60 members of the National Guard are doing a deep clean. sarah maslin nir I watched them clean at a community center, and the meticulousness was really incredible. member of the national guard Im currently going to inform the process of sanitizing the equipment. First, you have to take the equipment and put it into the solution of water and bleach. sarah maslin nir I walk into a classroom for children, and there are these men and women squeezed in their military gear into teeny, tiny plastic seats for toddlers, poring over piles of building blocks and Legos and scrubbing each block by hand. michael barbaro The National Guard is scrubbing childrens toys? sarah maslin nir Yeah, it was an uncanny sight. They did this kind of thing throughout the containment zone cleaning synagogues, city facilities, community centers, scrubbing ceilings, floors, chairs, anything that a sick person may have touched. michael barbaro You know, Sarah, as youre describing this, the National Guard is on the ground. Local officials are still theoretically in charge. Right? Like the people who run the city, probably even the county. So is it clear to you who is in charge, and is this all coordinated? sarah maslin nir In the early moments of New Rochelle coming to terms with this new reality, it was a lot of moving pieces. It was a city in turmoil with no real leadership structure in place at that moment. But I get in my car, and I drive down to downtown New Rochelle to the headquarters of the Westchester County Health Department and discover that something had been building here all along. sarah maslin nir Im standing inside of the incident response center in New Rochelle, and theres a group of about 30 nurses on folding chairs getting a briefing about their deployment to test people who are quarantined at home. speaker Make sure go to the bathroom. Wash your hands properly before you do anything. Take breaks. You dont have to rush around. We want to make sure that you are taking care of each other and sarah maslin nir And there I come upon a huge, bustling incident command center. sarah maslin nir Theyre going out in groups of three, in protective gear with swab kits. sarah maslin nir The Department of Homeland Security is there. The room is filled with nurses. There is an assembly line of test gear, and test kits, and whats called P.P.E. personal protective equipment. People are filing around the room equipping themselves to get ready to deploy to the houses of sick people to test them for coronavirus. sarah maslin nir And theyre all asking lots of very understandable questions. nurse Is there going to be an influx of testing, or its just, like, were only doing New Rochelle? sarah maslin nir How do we make sure these people feel safe? How do we make sure that were safe as we go out onto the front lines? sarah maslin nir So at this point, in the United States only 25,000 people had been tested for coronavirus. And this command center is to send that number way up. So people will call into their doctors, tell their symptoms. Theyll get put on a list. And every so often, these groups of nurses were getting an address, information. Theyd put on head-to-toe protective gear and head out to sample and test those people. And there are big signs that say, Weve got this. michael barbaro The signs actually say, Weve got this? sarah maslin nir Handwritten signs all over the room. michael barbaro And what are you thinking when you see this? sarah maslin nir I think Ive finally found the coordinated response that this situation seems to call for. [music] This is a room full of all the layers of government, from the state, to different agencies, to health care workers in their scrubs, coordinating to take on this crisis head-on. And after nearly a week of frightened townspeople and scared kids, this is exactly what you wanted to see. It was a relief. michael barbaro Well be right back. [music] michael barbaro So Sarah, what happens next? archived recording What else can you tell us about this containment plan? archived recording (andrew cuomo) Think of it this way. We have 173 cases in the entire state. Right? We have 108 in New Rochelle. sarah maslin nir At this point, things are starting to get up and running in New Rochelle. Were about two weeks out from the first diagnosis, and the National Guard is here. There is the incident command center. And that command center is sending people out to do in-home testing. archived recording (andrew cuomo) do what we have to do. But you know, Jake, this is a microcosm of what were going to be looking at. The numbers are going to go up consistently, because our testing is way behind the reality of what the situation is. sarah maslin nir But still, its not enough. The numbers of people tested at this point are only in the hundreds. archived recording (andrew cuomo) China was doing 10,000 tests per day. This country, in total weve done about 5,000 tests. So we really have to get that testing capacity up if were going to make the difference. sarah maslin nir New York state recognizes even what theyre doing there in New Rochelle, its not enough. We have to ramp up testing. [music] michael barbaro And so how do they actually do that? sarah maslin nir Actually, they saw what was happening in South Korea, where theyve created these highly effective drive-through testing centers, managing to churn out 275,000 since diagnosis. And that happened, actually, around the same time that our country had its first case. So New York state decides we need these centers. And so I went to see this myself. sarah maslin nir So Im recording this now standing outside the mobile drive-through testing center in a public park called Glen Island in Rochester. sarah maslin nir When you get to this beautiful island park, theres seagulls wheeling overhead. Theres the Long Island Sound glinting. You arrive at what looks like three beautiful wedding tents. Theyre tents that could be for any garden party. And you only realize what this is because of the cop who stops you at the drawbridge to this island with his megaphone blaring. cop Are you here for testing? Yes? OK. Keep your windows rolled up at all times. Have your ID ready. Windows rolled up at all times, windows closed at all times. Have your ID ready. Youre going over the drawbridge, and stay to the right. sarah maslin nir Thank you for helping us. chuck hamilton Sure. sarah maslin nir My guide was a gentleman by the name of Chuck Hamilton. He was in charge of operations at that site. chuck hamilton There is three tents with six lanes. Were being directed by our National Guard personnel right now. sarah maslin nir And as we pulled up, you head down a meandering lane lined with orange cones and members of the National Guard and other police forces. chuck hamilton will advise us to keep our windows closed at this particular point. sarah maslin nir They demanded I put my ID on the windshield. chuck hamilton Windows closed up. sarah maslin nir Sir? government official Put your IDs up on the dash. chuck hamilton OK. All identification must now be put on the dash. sarah maslin nir They dont want you to open your window, hand them anything. So groups of people in Tyvek aprons, those respirator masks, lean over, peer through your windshield, tap your name and info into a tablet, and make sure youre confirmed for your appointment at the drive-through testing center. chuck hamilton stage two. sarah maslin nir And there are two silver chuck hamilton These people are in full Tyvek hooded suits. sarah maslin nir Next, youre waved from this first zone where they check you in, called a cold zone because there isnt a risk of contamination there, to the hot zone. sarah maslin nir full body suits? chuck hamilton Yes, these are all registered nurses, paramedics, or E.M.T.s. Shes indicating when youre you keep the window closed. sarah maslin nir In the hot zone, I was approached by two nurses in full, what looked to me like hazmat suits, eye shields, heads covered, every seal wrapped up tightly to make sure nothing could get through. I rolled down my window. nurse This is section two. So theres section one, intake sarah maslin nir And they told me what they would do if I were in fact sick, which was tip my head back, thread a swab into my nostril and then another into the back of my throat with a tongue depressor, put those swabs in vials, and send those off to the lab. nurse Id tell you to lean forward and tilt your head a little bit backwards, take a deep breath. Im going to put the swab in. And thats it. The other swab is the backup control. [music] sarah maslin nir I rolled up my window tightly and then moved on to the next station, where I was processed. And a woman held up a little handwritten sign that said, Feel better. I imagine that everybody else going through that line needed that sign real bad. sarah maslin nir So youre in total protective gear. Youre doing this work. Youre on the front of the front of the front line. How do you feel? sarah maslin nir I spoke to one nurse who was in that hazmat suit in the hot zone. And she appeared to me to be the age demographic that is at risk from coronavirus, which is 50-plus. And yet she felt this was the moment to step up. lisa I feel compelled to help, compelled to help. And you know, we have to be careful. One mistake could be a big problem, obviously. We can become contaminated. But this is the time this is why we became nurses. This is the time to help. If we dont do this, what do we do? sarah maslin nir Whats your name? lisa My name is Lisa sarah maslin nir If Im not here, what am I doing? sarah maslin nir Can you spell the last name? lisa B, A, E, Z. And then hyphen michael barbaro So has this testing site been effective? Is it making a difference in containing and combating the virus? sarah maslin nir It is making a difference in figuring out who has this illness and a tremendous difference. They have hustled, since it opened on Friday, 2,849 people through that drive-through as of our conversation, Michael. This is charging ahead and vastly increasing New Yorks capacity to test these people. This is how were going to get a handle on this disease. To understand how it spreads, whos affected by it, to model it forward, to know what were up against. michael barbaro Right. You really cant stop it until you can measure it. sarah maslin nir Exactly. And you cant protect people unless you know whos got it. michael barbaro So Sarah, at this point, the system that you have described to handle this acute crisis in New Rochelle is containment zone, the National Guard to keep it contained, but more importantly, keep people safe, clean, fed. And now theres this mobile testing center nearby trying to figure out just how widely the virus has spread. Overall, is this starting to feel like a model for other places? sarah maslin nir More than just feel like a model, it is the model for New York states response. In the coming week and weeks, more of exactly whats happening in New Rochelle is going to be set up all over the state. Nassau County, Jones Beach, which isnt too far, just got its first mobile testing center modeled off this. Its coming to Staten Island in New York City, to Rockland County, another place not far away. michael barbaro Hmm. sarah maslin nir I met a man while I was out there in New Rochelle. We were standing outside a classroom where National Guard were scrubbing Legos. And he said to me, you know, they talk about reinventing the wheel, but this is inventing the wheel. And when we look back at how to handle these things in the future, people are going to look back and say, how did they do it in New Rochelle? And he might be right. The whole country might end up looking at this as a model, because the whole country might be in New Rochelles position soon. And this may be just what they have to go on. michael barbaro And do you get the sense that whats happening in New Rochelle this invention of the wheel when it comes to how to deal with a pandemic in the United States do you get the sense that its working and that this is basically all on the right track? sarah maslin nir Its hard to know. Every day there are new cases. I dont think well know for a while whats working. But its deeply comforting when you look out across the nation and the world and see this patchwork of responses that barely hang together, to know that here in this state, in this city, in New Rochelle, a herculean effort is being made to get this thing right and keep people safe. sarah maslin nir I am walking down North Avenue in New Rochelle. Its the same block where the synagogue at the heart of this outbreak, Young Israel of New Rochelle sits closed at the other end of the street. And walking michael barbaro You know, Sarah, we have been talking about how this town has been totally transformed in whats really just a matter of days, a couple weeks. A lot of outsiders coming in National Guard, volunteers parachuting in to help. But what about the community itself? The people who are there in the city, in this containment zone, how are they handling this? sarah maslin nir Michael, this is a hard time to be anyone, in or out of the zone. And we are all looking for a dose of human goodness. sarah maslin nir And we were just talking outside. Its a little intimidating, huh? A little scary? speaker 1 Mm-hmm. sarah maslin nir How do you feel about it? speaker 1 Sad. sarah maslin nir Why? speaker 1 Because peoples dying. sarah maslin nir But I want you to know that thats just a very few older people. And I dont want you to feel scared. Do you speaker 1 Im not scared. sarah maslin nir Youre not? sarah maslin nir If you go to New Rochelle and you see people asked unimaginable things, asked to cut themselves off from everyone they love to protect everyone else, you see people willingly doing it. sarah maslin nir How are you holding up? speaker 2 Weve been doing a lot of deliveries. As you can see, theres no one in the restaurant right now except you and I and some staff. sarah maslin nir People, as much as theyve been put upon and wish it were otherwise, they are resolute and resilient. And theyre accepting this because they know its for a greater purpose. speaker 2 We just want to make sure that the stress level and the anguish that the public might be feeling, that they feel that everything that can be done is being done for their health. sarah maslin nir Are you helping out too? speaker 1 Yeah. sarah maslin nir Are you going to pack any bags or give any bags to any of the families? speaker 1 Mm-hmm. sarah maslin nir From the delivery people whove worked out systems to leave bags of food on a staircase and run away with a wave, to the sick people indoors waiting for that meal speaker 3 What weve been doing, as Ive coined the phrase, the drop and dash. So you literally pull up to the house, you drop the bag off, and you run like the wind. And thats it. sarah maslin nir Everybody gets it. Everybody just wants everyone else to get better. speaker 3 feel like someone cares about them. Yes, theyre quarantined. Its a terrible thing. And when I pick up the phone, and I see a name that I recognize, I speak to them. I say, how are you holding up? And they ask me the same thing. How are you holding up? And we both crack a joke and we laugh and thats it. You got to keep a sense of humor with this whole thing. And its terrible for everyone. It really my heart is aching for them, and they feel the same way about me. [music] speaker 3 This whole thing is just bringing everyone together, hopefully not literally because thats how corona spreads. sarah maslin nir You got to laugh, huh? speaker 3 Yeah. You got to laugh. sarah maslin nir Its the only way to get through it. speaker 3 100 percent. sarah maslin nir Are you going to go out on another delivery now? speaker 3 Um, I dont have anything at the moment. michael barbaro Well be right back. [music] michael barbaro Heres what else you need to know today. On Wednesday, the United States and Canada said they would close their shared border to all but essential travel, becoming the latest countries to restrict border crossings to slow the spread of the pandemic. archived recording (justin trudeau) In both our countries, were encouraging people to stay home. Were telling our citizens not to visit their neighbors if they dont absolutely have to. Well, this collaborative and reciprocal measure is an extension of that prudent approach. michael barbaro Meanwhile in Washington, the Senate approved a relief package already passed by the House, that provides sick leave, unemployment benefits, free coronavirus testing, and food and medical aid to Americans affected by the pandemic. President Trump quickly signed the legislation into law, the first of several congressional bills related to the coronavirus that he is expected to support. archived recording (mitch mcconnell) The Congress has an enormous role to play in responding to this challenge, and we are determined to do that duty. michael barbaro In a speech from the Senate floor, Republican majority leader Mitch McConnell called for a bipartisan approach to the crisis. archived recording (mitch mcconnell) This is not a challenge anyone wanted for our nation, but it is a challenge we will overcome. Someday, hopefully soon, our nation will have this virus on its heels. [music] michael barbaro Thats it for The Daily. Im Michael Barbaro. See you tomorrow. [music] Google loves celebrations. Be it anniversaries of popular films and television shows, catchphrases or pop culture references, the search engine giant keeps using neat little tricks from time to time and leave little easter eggs for fans. As people across India welcomed the colourful festival of Holi with colours and gujiya on Tuesday, Google decided to celebrate the yearly festivities in its very own andaaz. What do you have to do? 1) Go to Google search. 2) Type 'Holi' 3) Click on the specialised icon of colours just below the "more images" text on the right-hand corner of your screen. If you happen to be one of those who gave Holi celebrations a skip due to coronavirus scare (as did our PM Narendra Modi), you can still have fun from the comfort and safety of your homes. After you click on the colour icon, this happens. Now you can click anywhere on the screen to play virtual Holi without putting yourself into potential risk from Covid-19. PS: Google disables link clicks soon after you trigger the easter egg meaning you don't have to worry about accidental clicks on stray links while you are playing around with colours on your screen. Once you have played with Holi colours, what do you do? Clean up. Google has got you covered. With a click on "waterdrop" icon on the top centre of your screen, you can clean up your messy screen. Do it on repeat. This, however, isn't the first time Google has surprised its users with cool easter eggs. Recently, the search engine giant partied with the Friends cast, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the cult American sitcom. If you type the names of the main characters on Google, there will be a specialised icon just below their name on the right-hand corner of your screen. For instance, there's a sofa set for Ross, a bucket and mop for Monica, a wig for Rachel, pizza for Joey, a reclining sofa for Chandler and a guitar for Phoebe. Earlier, Google caught on the hype train around Avengers: Endgame and introduced an easter egg to the craze as millions witnessed the Marvel superhero's final chapter. Simply type "Thanos" in your Google search bar and wait for the search engine to decimate everything on the screen - just how Thanos likes it. Thanos, one of the most powerful villains in the Marvel Universe, who has clashed with the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men, will proceed to destroy the search results that show up after you Google Thanos. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 20:58:12|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close ANKARA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Turkish troops will inspect the north side of a security corridor being set up around key M4 highway in northwest Idlib province of Syria and Russians will patrol the southern side, the Turkish foreign minister said on Tuesday. Russia will control the area against the entry of Syrian government forces into the security control in the south, and Turkey will do the same against the rebels, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told semi-official Anadolu Agency. The minister noted that the Turkish and Russian military delegations will launch talks on Tuesday for details on security corridor around M4 highway. Ankara and Moscow will also pursue a permanent cease-fire in Idlib, the minister noted. Russia and Turkey agreed on March 5 on a cease-fire in the de-escalation zone in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, after talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A safety corridor will be established 6 km to the north and 6 km to the south from the strategic M4 highway, which connects Aleppo in northern Syria with Latakia in the northwest, according to the deal. Russia and Turkey will begin joint patrolling of the M4 highway on March 15. Elaborating on the refugee crisis on European borders after the escalation in Idlib, Cavusoglu said Brussels and Ankara will establish a technical committee on the issue. The committee will work to revise a previous migrant deal between Turkey and the EU to suit the current circumstances, he added. Russia's Prosecutor-General's Office says two members of a notorious gang have been convicted of highway killings and robberies in Russia and sentenced to 25 years in prison each in Tajikistan. In a March 10 statement, the office said that Tajikistan's Sughd regional court had sentenced Boir Gulomov and Murodjon Karimov, members of the "GTA gang," after finding them guilty of "being members of an organized criminal group, murders, robberies, and other crimes committed on the territory of the Russian Federation." According to the statement, Gulomov and Karimov managed to escape prosecution in Russia by fleeing to Tajikistan, and since Tajik laws do not allow for the extradition of its citizens to foreign countries, the two were tried in the northern region of Sughd. In August 2018, the Moscow regional court sentenced four members of the group to life in prison and a fifth man to 20 years in prison. The five were found guilty of 17 murders, two attempted murders, robbery, theft, banditry, and the illegal fabrication and possession of weapons. Media dubbed the group the "GTA gang" after the videogame series Grand Theft Auto. Residents of Moscow and districts around the Russian capital were on alert in 2014 after media reported on a gang that carried out a series of robberies on local highways in which its members robbed and killed drivers after using caltrops, a spiked metal device thrown on the ground to impede wheeled vehicles, to bring their cars to a halt. The leader of the group, Ubaidullo Subhanov, was killed during a police action that resulted in the arrest of the remaining gang members in 2014. In August 2017, the gang members made headlines after they tried to escape from the Moscow regional court building by overpowering the guards. Four members of the group were killed and one injured in the escape attempt. Calaveras Public Health View Photo Update at 7 p.m.: Now that there are two confirmed cases of coronavirus, as detailed below, Calaveras County Health officials are looking at other ways the virus could impact the county. While County Health Officer Dr. Dean divulged that the Murphys Irish Day event is being looked at for possible postponement below. He advises that currently were evaluating whether to recommend closure of mass gatherings of large public events in Calaveras County. Well be issuing more specific recommendations on that in the next 12 to 24 hours. Further details on the two confirmed cases in the county and the closure of the school can be viewed below. The most recent updates are here. Update at 5:35 p.m.: Regarding mass gatherings in the county, Calaveras County Health Officer Dr. Dean Kelaita says no recommendations are being made by his office, but it is a developing situation. He adds that there are discussions going on with organizers regarding events like the Murphys Irish Day, which includes the parade, and is less than two weeks away on Saturday, March 21st. He advises, Were in discussions about the recommendation for suspension of that for this season. We havent issued that yet. Were going to consult with the event coordinators and that recommendation will be coming in the next 24 hours as to what to do with that event. Update at 4:15 p.m.: Calaveras County Health Officer Dr. Dean Kelaita reports that Copperopolis Elementary School is being closed immediately through the rest of the week and weekend for deep cleaning and disinfecting. Those infected are two members of a family that lives in the Copperopolis area, according to Kelaita. He details that the fathers contact at work led to the exposure and his daughter was then infected. Kelaita discloses, The child did have exposure in the school setting to other children during the time where she was symptomatic. Due to that, Kelaita says the recommendation was made to close the school, which is expected to reopen on Monday, March 16th. He asserts, Assuming that there is no new case activity between now and then. If we get reports of additional cases in school settings, those recommendations may need to change or expand to other schools. Kelaita disclosed that the girl had very little contact with others during the time she was contagious. He pointed out that they have done a contact investigation for the child and the sources of any other potential exposures have been identified. He clarifies, Were not concerned about a large network of exposed persons to the child during the time that the child was ill before being diagnosed. Its the school environment and school setting thats the most concerning to us. Kelaita adds they are in contact with all county school administrations and they are preparing communication for parents and caregivers. No other schools in the county have been affected, so there are no recommendations for other schools to shut down at this time, states Kelaita. Also, there are discussions regarding the possible suspension of mass gatherings in the county, but no decision has been yet. Posted at 3:55 p.m.: San Andreas, CA Calaveras County Health Officials report that two residents have tested positive for the coronavirus and one is a child. Calaveras County Health Officer Dr. Dean Kelaita is declaring a public health emergency. Both individuals contracted the virus outside of the county, so this is not community spread. The child is a student at Copperopolis Elementary School, which health officials say they are coordinating with local schools on further actions. The family has remained isolated at home since this investigation began, according to Kelaita. Additionally, Kelaita relays the department is identifying persons who may have had close personal contact with these individuals, including friends or family members. Close personal contacts identified during this investigation will be quarantined. With the discovery of these new cases, we may see additional cases of COVID-19 in the community, said Dr. Dean Kelaita, Calaveras County Health Officer. As reported below, this morning Kelaita gave an update to the Board of Supervisors regarding COVID-19, relaying that they were still awaiting the test results for two healthcare workers who were exposed to the virus from a person in Northern California several counties away, as earlier reported here. Kelaita also at that time stressed that there were no positive cases in the county. Calaveras Public Health continues to recommend that the public do the following to protect themselves and others from respiratory illnesses: Stay home from work or school and limit contact with others if you are sick. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Clean surfaces that are touched often, like toys and doorknobs. We are urging older people and people with serious medical conditions like heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes to take extra steps to protect yourself from COVID-19, said Dr. Kelaita. These high-risk groups should: Stay at home and avoid crowds as much as possible. Get food brought to your house by friends, family, or neighbors. Have a plan if you get sick. o Stay in touch with family, friends, and neighbors. o Have a back-up person if your caregiver gets sick. Kelaita stresses that his department will continue to collaborate with State and Federal partners to monitor for new cases of COVID-19 and provide updates to the public regularly. He adds that testing will continue for those who meet the current testing guidelines. Information about COVID-19, including symptoms to be aware of, can be found on the Calaveras Public Health website at calaveraspublichealth.com or by calling Calaveras Public Health at (209) 754-6460. Tori James contributed to this article. News Director BJ Hansen contributed to the below article. Original post at 1 p.m.: San Andreas, CA Calaveras County Public Health Officer Dr. Dean Kelaita stressed that no Calaveras County residents have tested positive for COVID-19, but the county is taking many steps in preparation for the possibility of it happening. Dr. Kelaita and other emergency responders addressed the supervisors at todays board meeting. While most people have had relatively mild symptoms with COVID-19, he stated that the case fatality rate, or those who have died from COVID-19, is between one and two percent. That may not sound very highbut it is a big deal. Because if that level of severity continues it could really challenge the medical care system to take care of those people, because that it is considered a very high case mortality rate. He said the immediate risk to the public in Calaveras County is currently considered low because there have been no confirmed cases. Local health providers are taking additional steps to prepare for COVID-19, and scenarios are being developed in the event that the need arises to increase the space needed locally to treat patients. He said there were some Calaveras residents on the Grand Princess Cruise ship that was connected to COVID-19. All were home quarantined and the 14-day window has passed and they are no longer a threat to get COVID-19. Some of those who showed symptoms of coronavirus were tested and they all came back negative. There were also a few healthcare workers that live in the county who may have been exposed to COVID-19 out of the area. They have been tested, and the results should be known soon. They are currently under home quarantine. Additional Information Authored By the Calaveras County Public Health Department is Below: Early information from health experts shows that some people are at higher risk of getting very sick from COVID-19 Illness. This includes: Older Adults People who have serious chronic medical conditions like Heart disease, Diabetes, and Lung Disease. If COVID-19 happens in Calaveras communities, it could last for a long time. Depending on how severe it is, Calaveras Public Health recommends the community take action to reduce peoples risk of being exposed to COVID-19. These actions can slow the spread and reduce the impact of this disease in Calaveras communities. It is extra important for people at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19 to take action to reduce your risk of getting sick with the disease. Because COVID-19 is a new virus, there currently is no vaccine to prevent it. It spreads from person-to-person. If you have COVID-19 you may have fever, cough, or shortness of breath. Health experts are concerned because little is known about this virus and it can cause severe illness and pneumonia in some people. Dr. Kelaita urges people to follow the steps below to be prepared. Get ready now for COVID-19 -Have supplies on hand -Call your doctor to ask about extra medicine to have on hand if COVID-19 shows up in your community and you need to stay home. -Think about using mail-order for medicines.Have over-the-counter medicines to ease fever and other symptoms.Have enough items and food on hand to stay home for a period of time. -Protect yourself from COVID-19Wash hands often with soap and water. -Use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol if water is not available. -Avoid touching your face, nose, and eyes. -Use a tissue or sleeve to avoid touching public surfacesdoorknobs, handrails, etc. Take extra steps if COVID-19 is in your community. -Stay home as much as possible. -Get food brought to your house by friends, family or neighbors -Have a plan if you get sick. -Stay in touch with family, friends, and neighbors. -Have a back-up person if your caregiver gets sick. Calaveras Public Health will continue to collaborate and coordinate with State and Federal partners to monitor for potential new cases of COVID-19 and provide updates to the public regularly. Information about COVID-19 can be found on the Calaveras Public Health website at calaveraspublichealth.com or by calling CalaverasPublic Health at (209) 754-6460, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Newser) Russia is urging violence by white supremacist and black extremist groups with the goal to sow discord in the US, multiple intelligence officials tell the New York Times. The effort to inflame racial tensions is part of a larger bid to influence the presidential electionand, some say, to promote President Trump's reelection. These officials argue Trump could benefit if he's able to paint himself as the law-and-order candidate. One official says federal authorities are investigating the funding of a neo-Nazi group called the Base. Its American founder, identified by the Guardian as Rinaldo Nazzaro, reportedly lives in Russia and is married to a Russian national. Russia is also trying to stoke anger among black Americans with state-funded news organizations pushing stories about allegations of police abuse and racism in the military, per the Times. story continues below Race is also commonly mentioned on Russia-linked social media accounts, which have gotten better at avoiding detection, per Al Jazeera. Russia also tried to inflame racial tensions in the 2016 election, as did the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Having noted the hostilities that stemmed from the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., "Russia is willing to conduct more brazen and disruptive influence operations because of how it perceives its conflict with the West," David Porter of the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force said at an election security conference in Washington last month, per the Times. "To put it simply, in this space, Russia wants to watch us tear ourselves apart." Trump administration officials are to brief Congress on election threats from Russia behind closed doors on Tuesday. (Read more Russia stories.) Corey Feldman accuses Charlie Sheen of raping his childhood friend Corey Haim when he was 13 in his explosive documentary My Truth: The Rape of Two Coreys. The highly-anticipated film, which promised to expose Hollywood players who Feldman claims raped him and Haim when they were children, finally debuted on Monday at a theater in Los Angeles. It was set to be livestreamed online but was ultimately taken down after users who paid $20 for access reported that the site mytruthdoc.com wasn't loading. Feldman, 48, has long spoken about the alleged abuse he and Haim - who died aged 38 in 2010 - suffered as child actors. The film marked the first time Feldman publicly listed the names of the alleged perpetrators - including Sheen. In the documentary, he alleges that Haim - who died aged 38 in 2010 - told him that Sheen raped him when they were making the 1986 Steven Spielberg film Lucas. At the time, Haim was 13 years old and Sheen was 19. Feldman cried as he recounted what Haim had said. 'This wasn't like a one time thing he said in passing. It wasn't like "Oh, by the way, this happened." He went into great detail,' Feldman said. 'He told me: "Charlie bent me over in between two trailers and put Crisco oil on my butt and raped me in broad daylight. Anybody could have walked by, anybody could have seen it."' Corey Feldman (pictured) accuses Charlie Sheen of raping his childhood friend Corey Haim in his explosive documentary My Truth: The Rape of Two Coreys, which premiered Monday In the documentary, Feldman alleges that Haim - who died aged 38 in 2010 - told him that Sheen, then 19, raped him on the set of the 1986 Steven Spielberg film Lucas when he was 13. Sheen and Haim are pictured together years later in the 1990s Feldman's ex-wife Susannah Sprague, who split from the actor in 2009 after seven years together, also claimed that Haim told her he was raped. 'He shared with me that on the set of Lucas that he was raped as a little boy,' she said in the film. 'He told me that it was his co-star and he told me that it was Charlie Sheen that did it.' Jamison Newlander, an actor who became friends with Feldman and Haim after co-starring with them in the The Lost Boys (1987) also said that Haim had confided in him about Sheen. Both Sprague and Newlander suggested that the abuse was common knowledge among Hollywood circles but was ultimately ignored. Sheen (pictured in December) denied the allegations when they first surfaced in 2017 The allegations first surfaced in 2017 when former actor Dominick Brascia - who Feldman also accuses of sexually abusing Haim in the documentary - claimed that Sheen had sex with Haim while they were filming Lucas. Brascia, a one-time friend of Feldman and Haim who died in 2018, told the National Enquirer: 'Haim told me he had sex with Sheen when they filmed Lucas. He told me they smoked pot and had sex. He said they had anal sex. Haim said after it happened Sheen became very cold and rejected him. When Corey wanted to fool around again, Charlie was not interested.' Sheen fiercely denied Brascia's account at the time. 'In my nearly 35 years as a celebrated entertainer, I have been nothing shy of a forthright, noble and valiant courier of the truth,' he told TMZ. 'Consistently admitting and owning a laundry list of shortcomings, wrongdoings, and indiscretions this traveler hath traveled - however, every man has a breaking point. 'These radically groundless and unfounded allegations end now. I now take a passionate stand against those who wish to even entertain the sick and twisted lies against me. GAME OVER.' Feldman, 48, has long spoken about the abuse he claims he and Haim (pictured together in 2007) suffered as child actors, but the film marked the first time he publicly listed the names of the alleged perpetrators Sheen and Haim are pictured together in a scene from Lucas with co-star Kerri Green (right) DailyMail.com has reached out to Sheen for comment following Feldman's documentary The Monday night screening of My Truth: The Rape of Two Coreys was intended to be livestreamed online but was halted due to technical errors that Feldman said may have been caused by hackers. Critics didn't buy that excuse and said the entire film was a scam. Feldman defended himself in a tweet on Tuesday morning (pictured) The Two and a Half Men star subsequently filed a defamation suit against Brascia, the National Enquirer, its then-parent company American Media Inc, and its former editor Dylan Howard. The suit claimed Sheen had been the subject of a 'a particularly egregious, hurtful, and disgusting campaign of defamations falsely asserting that Mr. Sheen sodomized a thirteen year old celebrity actor Corey Haim'. Sheen voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit in 2018 as his lawyer said the parties were engaged in settlement talks. Haim's mother Judy Haim publicly supported Sheen's denial and instead pointed the finger at Brascia, claiming he was the one who sexually abused her son. Feldman and Haim starred in multiple movies together, including The Lost Boys (1987), License to Drive (1988), Dream a Little Dream (1989) and National Lampoon's Last Resort (1994) In the documentary Feldman accuses Jon Grissom (seen together in an undated photo) of sexually abusing him. Grissom has previously denied the allegations In the film Feldman also named three men who he has previously accused of abusing him: Jon Grissom, nightclub owner Alphy Hoffman and former talent manager Marty Weiss. Grissom, who had a small role in License to Drive and Dream a Little Dream starring Feldman and Haim, previously denied the allegations in a YouTube comment, according to Page Six. 'I said it's not me I'm sick and tired of saying that when no one listens. So goddamnit I'm not repeating it anymore,' he is quoted as writing. Weiss denied the claim against him on Twitter last month, writing: 'Corey Haim would never grandstand sex abuse for profit nor would he have thrown innocent names around due to personal vendettas. 'The fact that Feldman uses me to convince ppl that CH was a sex fiend is horrific and exposes both his jealousy of Haim & CF's friendship with me.' Hoffman has not publicly addressed the allegations since Feldman first named him on The Dr Oz Show in 2017. Feldman has been promoting his documentary for nearly three years and in recent weeks expressed fear for his safety due to the bombshell claims included in it Feldman has been promoting his documentary for nearly three years and in recent weeks expressed fear for his safety due to the bombshell claims included in it. He was flanked by four security guards when he arrived at the Director's Guild of America in Los Angeles for the premiere on Monday. Shortly before the film was set to start, Feldman took the stage and announced that they were experiencing technical issues. Meanwhile, viewers who had paid $20 to access a livestream of the screening began flooding Twitter with complaints that the website mytruthdoc.com wasn't loading. Feldman addressed the issues on Twitter, writing: 'THE FILM IS STARTING 15 MIN LATE DUE 2 THE WEBSITE CRASHING! WHICH IS ACTUALLY A GOOD THING!' Feldman tweeted this photo of himself in the packed theater as he informed the audience and online viewers that the site was experiencing technical issues People flooded social media with complaints that the mytruthdoc.com website wasn't loading But many critics on social media weren't buying Feldman's explanation that the site was hacked and said the premiere was a scam The site errors persisted to the point that Feldman chose to abandon the livestream and just show the film to those in the theater. 'Some vicious people have tried to turn the tables on me,' he told the crowd. 'But Rosanna Arquette said we should continue the film, so let's do it. Let's finish what we started.' About 20 minutes later he stopped the film and told attendees that the site was under attack from 'hackers' who wanted to prevent the world from seeing it. 'You're seeing it for yourself how people don't want this to happen,' Feldman said. After the film finished Feldman announced that the scheduled Q&A had been cancelled because the moderator pulled out last minute. He later told Fox News he would look into alternative methods to allow for those who paid for the livestream to see the film. 'I hope [the film] gives other victims the strength to come forward. Because there's gotta be a tidal wave right now. We need a tidal wave of justice. We need a tidal wave of truth. We need a tidal wave of courage,' he said. 'The truth must survive. Children must be saved.' But many critics on social media weren't buying Feldman's explanation that the site was hacked and said the premiere was a scam. 'People are actually believing this farce is real? There is no hacker. This was a performance,' one person wrote on Twitter. 'Alright #MYTRUTHDOC you win. I fell for the hype. If there were "hackers" why not live stream from the theater? Why hold everything up? Fake,' another wrote. Dozens of fans came to Feldman's defense, writing that he deserved to 'tell his truth' and suggesting that the people exposed in the film may have orchestrated the hacking. Feldman defended himself on Tuesday morning by tweeting a link to a story about the film and writing: 'SPOILER ALERT* 4 ALL OF U WHO COULDNT C THE FILM LAST NIGHT, IM SHATTERED BEYOND COMPARE! SINCE THEY R TRYING 2 PAINT THIS BLATANT ATTACK ON MY 1ST AMMENDMENT RIGHTS 2 SPEAK FREELY AS A HOAX, PPL R WRITING WE NEVER SAID THE NAMES, HERES PROOF IT HAPPENED!' by Fady Noun Christians and Muslims trust the saint to be spared from illnesses. Devotees have been taking the earth that covers his ancient sepulchre. A young woman claims that he appeared to her in a dream and entrusted her with a mission. Thanks to her, people hospitalised in Beirut will be able to receive an unusual remedy. Some will laugh at it; others will put God to the and say, let's see; and a few will finally receive it in faith and heal. They are the winners, priest says. Beirut (AsiaNews) Father Louis Matar, the bursar of the Monastery of Saint-Maron in Annaya, guardian of the tomb of Saint Charbel, did not know how right he was when he said that In a month, there will be no more earth left in the vault of Saint Charbel. Using knives and spoons, believers have been fervently digging and collecting, for a week, a few spoonsful of the earth that covers the primitive vault where the body of Saint Charbel was laid to rest at his death (1898), at the entrance of the monastery, in the hope that it will protect them against the coronavirus. Unexplained lights, considered supernatural by ordinary people, appeared four months after his death above what is today a mound covered with earth above which hangs a large portrait of Saint Charbel. This led to the reopening of the vault, from which the saint's body was removed, uncorrupted, to be placed in a coffin inside the monastery. The earth covering the vault is still infused with the light that appeared on the tomb," said Fr Louis Matar, who writes down the statements of people who tell him of their miraculous healing at the saints intercession. Speaking on the OTV channel, Fr Matar said a week ago that a young woman from Annaya reported that Saint Charbel, to whom she is greatly devoted, visited her in a dream and asked her to boil a little earth taken from the earthy crust of the vault before putting it through industrial filtering. The saint, still in the dream, is said to have told the young woman to go the Rafic Hariri hospital, claiming that the liquid thus obtained would cure patients suffering from coronavirus. We know that a whole wing of the Rafic Hariri University Hospital in Beirut has been set aside for quarantined coronavirus patients. One dedicated floor has about a hundred beds. Fr Matar's predictions are coming to pass. The monk said that he expects all the earth in the vault would be gone before the 22nd of the month, the day of a monthly procession conducted in honour of the saint and which draws several thousands of people. We will bring fresh earth and cover it with grass," he said when asked what the monastery plans to do. Meanwhile, the usually large crowd is getting bigger. It took 3 and a half hours for pilgrims from Jbeil to reach Annaya, said the clergyman. On Sunday, the monastery gate did not close before 1am. Following instructions Following the instructions received in her dream, the young woman, 25, who asked her name not be used, went to the government hospital a first time only to be turned away by the doctor in charge. The latter asked her to leave the bottle with the therapeutic liquid, but she refused, fearing it might end up thrown away. However, patients who had heard about it protested against the ban and asked that heaven be given a chance. Accompanied by an OTV cameraman and journalist, the young woman, whose face was blurred, presented herself yesterday to the director of the government hospital, Dr Firas el-Abiad, to whom she handed over the bottle, in the presence of Dr Mahmoud Hassoun, the doctor responsible for the hospitals coronavirus ward. The young woman recognised Dr Hassoun as the doctor to whom, in her dream, she had returned the boiled and filtered water. The latter in turn entrusted the bottle to Dr Pierre Abi Hanna. This unusual remedy will be offered today to patients who request it, knowing that eleven people diagnosed yesterday will be admitted today at the Rafic Hariri hospital, bringing to 41 the number of sick or quarantined people in the facility. Hard questions Her mission accomplished, the young woman went to Annaya yesterday to give thanks and see the renewed fervour that her action has sparked. "One doesnt need a baptismal certificate to go to Annaya," said Lazarist Fadi Bassil, a former parish priest in charge of the Bechouat shrine, re-assigned by his order to the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal, rue du Bac, in Paris. He welcomed the fact that "Saint Charbel brings Christians and Muslims together, who see him as a wali, a holy person endowed with wisdom and healing power. "Faith is something that God finds on the lips of the simple," he said. This "does not contradict science, but sometimes asks hard questions". For example, In the Bible, one can read the story of a great army general with leprosy, who went to the Prophet Elisha for healing. The latter recommended he =immerse himself seven times in the water of the Jordan River and then turned his back on him. Offended, the general was about to go home when one of his servants told him: If this prophet had asked you for something hard, would you not have done it? That is even truer if he asks you to wash yourself in water. The general obeyed and his skin became as clean as that of a child. Whether this young woman had a real revelation or not, it is ultimately faith that counts, faith in the power of God present in this sip of filtered water that we shall receive. Some will laugh at it; others will test God and say, let's see; a few will finally receive it in faith and heal. They are the winners. This article by Paul Szoldra originally appeared on Task & Purpose, a digital news and culture publication dedicated to military and veterans issues. An Army specialist will be court-martialed over allegations he accidentally killed a fellow soldier while deployed to Syria in 2019, Task & Purpose has learned. Spc. Jesse Spyker, 20, was referred to court-martial on Feb. 21 on charges of involuntary manslaughter, negligent homicide, reckless endangerment, and dereliction of duty, according to an Army spokesman. The charges stem from the death of Pfc. Michael Thomason, who died in Kobani, Syria on April 29, 2019 in a non-combat incident. Charges are also being considered against two additional soldiers, said Lt. Col. Charles Barrett, spokesman for the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). Spyker was arraigned on Feb. 28, although a trial date has not been set, said Barrett, who added that "the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty." Barrett declined to provide Task & Purpose a copy of the charge sheet, which gives more specifics on the alleged incident. Army Criminal Investigation Command previously denied a Task & Purpose Freedom of Information Act request for a copy of the completed investigation of Thomason's death, since legal proceedings remain ongoing. Spyker did not respond to a request for comment. Thomason, a 28-year-old infantryman from Lincoln Park, Michigan, enlisted in the Army on Dec. 2017. At the time of his death, he was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and on his first deployment. Thomason was promoted to private first class in Dec. 2018. His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal (with "C" device for combat service), Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal. "The entire Bastogne brigade is heartbroken over Michael's loss," Col. Derek Thomson, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) commander, said in April. "He lived a warrior's life, and he died in the service of his country. Michael's memory will live on as part of the legacy of the 101st Airborne Division, as will our commitment to his family and to our mission." More articles from Task & Purpose: Subscriber content preview ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) A federal commission has issued the final environmental impact statement for the $40 billion Alaska LNG Project. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission released the document Friday that largely affirmed the plan proposed by the state-owned Alaska Gasline Development Corp., The Alaska Journal of Commerce reported. . . . Jyotiraditya Scindia, the scion of the erstwhile Gwalior royal family, quitting the Congress and eyeing to join the BJP is like "homecoming", as his aunt puts it, following in the footsteps of his father and grandmother. The dramatic resignation of the 49-year-old Scindia lays bare the Congress's failure to get its own house in order amidst intense power struggles between elder and younger leaders. Scindia believes in the Congress he did not find the royal road to a position he deserves. So, "it is now time for me to move on", he wrote in his resignation ... New Delhi, March 10 : Amid political crisis in Madhya Pradesh, rebel Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence 7 Lok Kalyan Marg here on Tuesday. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also accompanied Scindia to the prime minister's residence. Sources say Scindia is likely to join the BJP after some of his MLAs flew to BJP-ruled Karnataka triggering a crisis in one and a half year old Kamal Nath government. According to sources, all the formalities for Scindia joining the BJP have been completed. Sources said, Scindia will formally join the BJP in presence of party president J.P. Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah at the party headqaurters on Tuesday evening. After the formal joining, a meeting of BJP election committee will be held in which Scindia will be declared BJP candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls from Madhya Pradesh, sources said. Scindia may also be made union minister in the Narendra Modi government while his loyalist MLAs will be made cabinet ministers in Madhya Pradesh, sources added. Sources said that resignation letters of about 20 Congress MLAs are ready and will be handed over to the Speaker. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Kamal Nath is in huddle with Digvijaya Singh and other senior Congress leaders in Bhopal to ward off the crisis. Paige Turley took her boyfriend Finley Tapp to Scotland to spend time with her nearest and dearest. The Love Island winners took to social media to share some snaps of the trip where Paige, 22, met up with a friend and cuddled with her baby. The pal shared the photo of the Scottish beauty looking broody as she held the tot, writing: 'Paige getting some practice in today with Asia.' Homeward bound: Paige Turley took her boyfriend Finley Tapp to Scotland to spend time with her nearest and dearest Paige, who let her platinum blonde locks all loose down her shoulders in the shot, posted her own comment, writing: 'Cute as a button'. Finley, 20, shared a loved up photo of the pair on their way back to London, wrapping an arm around his other half in the car ride to the airport. He wrote: 'Scotland was a pleasure, now back to London.' As the pair returned to London on Monday from West Lothian, Paige shared a quick video of the pair in the airport, writing: 'Fun weekend with the fam done'. Sweet: Finley shared a loved up photo of the pair on their way back to London, wrapping an arm around his other half in the car ride to the airport They later shared a video from their hotel room in London where they received a bag full of gifts. The pair have been travelling nonstop since they emerged as winners of the first winter series of Love Island late last month. Speaking to The Sun Online at The Global Awards with Very.co.uk, Paige said: 'We're living in hotels at the moment, just going from place to place. 'We've always talked about moving to Manchester, but Finn's trying to persuade me to move to Milton Keynes. He loves it there.' Busy: The pair have been travelling nonstop since they emerged as winners of the first winter series of Love Island late last month The proud Scott never thought she'd live elsewhere, but after finding love with Finley on the ITV2 show she realises someone will have to move. Now spending the majority of her time in England, she added: 'I'm finding it funny being in England and having to explain all these Scottish sayings to everyone all the time. 'I didn't even realise they were Scottish. Finn didn't know what a skelf was!' Travel: As the pair returned to London on Monday from West Lothian, Paige shared a quick video of the pair in the airport Speaking to OK! magazine, Finley recently told how the couple are still getting readjusted to life outside the villa again. He said: 'It's been a bit weird getting used to not being in the villa. We still whisper when we're in bed together because we're so used to sharing a room with 10 people. It's nice to get back to normality though. 'The other night, we went back to our hotel, got a Domino's and watched Saturday night TV. It was lovely.' Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Nothing listen to me nothing is more important in Texas right now than adequately responding to COVID-19. Not education finance, gun safety, climate change or immigration overhaul. In the post-2016 world we live in, and as a former candidate for our states top job, Im tempted to criticize the governor, but the truth is we cant play knee-jerk politics anymore. This virus doesnt care which political primary you voted in. Regardless of politics, we need to follow the sage advice to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Along those lines, here are some suggestions for Governor Abbott. The governor should declare a Handshake Holiday. I know it sounds simple, but people living in the Friendship state need an excuse to not be so nice. He can put a spin on it by making the Hand Shake Holiday a fun, elbow-tapping thing. But, we all need to stop shaking hands! Furthermore, any indoor convention or event that attracts large numbers of out of state, or out of country, guests should be canceled through the next few months. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is predominantly outdoors, and over in a little more than a week, so I dont think we help ourselves too much by canceling it. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- For more than five decades, Washington has been claiming to reform healthcare with its one-size-fits-all, top-down approach. The failing system we have now is the result of their multiple "fixes." According to Deane Waldman, M.D., M.B.A. professor emeritus of pediatrics, pathology, and decision science and former director of Center for Healthcare Policy at Texas Public Policy Foundation, "We need to remove the federal government from healthcare. Colorado appears to have taken a first step. But appearances can be deceiving." Deane Waldman Curing the Cancer in U.S. Healthcare: StatesCare and Market-Based Medicine You might think the author of Curing the Cancer in U.S. Healthcare: StatesCare and Market-Based Medicine would support Colorado's move last year to increase state control of healthcare by creating what he calls "Medicare-for-All Lite," replacing federal control with state mandates. Colorado bills place price controls on emergency room charges, insulin, and potentially other medications, authorize Colorado to undercut American drug manufacturers by purchasing pharmaceuticals from Canada, and reimburse insurance companies for very expensive claims. There is even a bill to consider the implementation of a public insurance option that Colorado claims will "compete in the market against private plans." Colorado's public option seems particularly shaky; Waldman writes that it will "produce an uneven playing field, pitting a public insurance company backed by taxpayer dollars with private companies that must balance their budgets from premiums paid by rate-payers." Yes, Colorado's taking healthcare from Washington is a good move, Waldman says. But, not the way they did it. A state taking over healthcare from the feds should first explain its plan to residents, starting with the effect on patient care, then savings to consumers, and finally net effect on taxpayers. If residents approve, only then should the plan become law. The way Colorado did it simply exchanges a federal tyranny for a state one. In an interview, Dr. Waldman can discuss: Why Colorado's plan takes away a patient's right to choose the same way the U.S. House of Representatives does in their Medicare-for-All bill. plan takes away a patient's right to choose the same way the U.S. House of Representatives does in their Medicare-for-All bill. Why it is highly unlikely that their plan will reduce overall state spending on healthcare the cost of bureaucracy. What we can learn from the former USSR's implementation of price controls. How consumers can get the care they need when they need it without going broke. Waldman is a proponent of StatesCare in which the people of each state, not government, decide what healthcare will work best for their specific needs and resources. With StatesCare, there is no role for Washington, thus restoring the intent of the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution. By removing Washington, more than a trillion healthcare dollars a year currently wasted on federal bureaucracy can be repurposed for patient care, he says. About Deane Waldman Dr. Deane studied and trained at Yale, Chicago Medical School, Mayo Clinic, Northwestern, and Harvard. He earned his MBA from Anderson Graduate Schools. Dr. Deane was chief of pediatric cardiology at Children's Hospital of San Diego, University of Chicago, and University of New Mexico. He was also director of the Center for Healthcare Policy at Texas Public Policy Foundation and a member of the Board of Directors of New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange. Dr. Deane is professor emeritus of pediatrics, pathology, and decision science. A sought-after media guest, he has written six print books and six e-books. His articles have been published by Fox News, CNS News, Huffington Post, The Hill, Real Clear Politics, Forbes, Real Clear Health, Federalist, Investor's Business Daily, USA Today and more. Contact: Deane Waldman, MD, MBA, (505) 255-2999; [email protected]; www.deanewaldman.com SOURCE Deane Waldman Related Links http://www.deanewaldman.com [March 10, 2020] FANUC America Partners With TITANS of CNC to Help Bridge the Skills Gap FANUC America, the leading supplier of robotics, CNCs, ROBOMACHINEs and Industrial IoT solutions today announced a new alliance with TITANS of CNC to help bridge the skills gap. The education platform offers students the support, education and training to help prepare them for careers in high-tech manufacturing. It also provides machinists, programmers and shop owners a better understanding of the advanced processes that will help them maximize productivity and remain competitive. In support of the TITANS of CNC Academy, FANUC will donate its latest automation products including the CR-15iA collaborative robot and a 5-axis ROBODRILL machine tool with an LR Mate 200iD robot. The Academy will include hands-on training reinforced by a series of online tutorials and educational videos to instruct people how to operate real-world automation. "We are excited to work with TITANS of CNC on this new automation academy," said Mike Cicco, president and CEO, FANUC America. "FANUC shares Titan's commitment to the future of manufacturing. That means we need to amplify workforce training to help improve the skill level of our manufacturing workforce and shape the future for the next generation." In addition to products, FANUC will provide other educational tools and technology to train academy members in the use of CNC's, robots and automation - the same equipment used by companies worldwide in every industry sector. "We started a workforce training program about ten years ago," Cicco added. "Today over a thousand schools train their students with FANUC's certified education programs." "Manufacturing is changing," said Titan Gilroy, CEO, TITANS of CNC. "As technology and automation take on new forms, it is imperative that we not only teach new talent coming into the trade, but that we also train and support our existing workforce throughout the industry. They need to better understand all of the variables in manufacturing and truly be able to utilize the tools to better compete in this global market." Gilroy continues, "FANUC is giving the Academy and our audiencethe tools to move this industry forward and we are proud to partner with them to make a true difference." About FANUC America Corporation FANUC America Corporation is a subsidiary of FANUC CORPORATION in Japan, and provides industry-leading robotics, CNC systems, and factory automation. FANUC's innovative technologies and proven expertise help manufacturers in the Americas maximize productivity, reliability and profitability. FANUC embraces a culture of "Service First" which means that customer service is our highest priority. We are committed to supplying our customers with parts and support for the life of their FANUC products. FANUC America is headquartered at 3900 W. Hamlin Road, Rochester Hills, MI 48309, and has facilities in: Auburn Hills, MI; Atlanta; Boston; Charlotte; Chicago; Cincinnati; Cleveland; Houston; Huntington Beach, CA (News - Alert); Los Angeles; Minneapolis; Montreal; Pine Brook, NJ; Pontiac, MI; Birmingham, AL; San Francisco; Seattle; Toronto; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Sao Paulo, and Manaus, Brazil; and Aguascalientes, Monterrey, and Queretaro, Mexico. For more information, please call: 888-FANUC-US (888-326-8287) or visit our website: www.fanucamerica.com . Also, connect with us on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. ABOUT TITANS OF CNC TITANS of CNC, Inc. has developed TITANS of CNC: Academy and is the world's leader in FREE manufacturing education, teaching the latest breakthroughs in CAD, CAM, CNC, and Metrology. Their online video-based curriculum is open to anyone regardless of age, technical savvy, or prior schooling. The educational platform now has over 80,000 students and is used in over 2,500 educational institutions. By focusing on the fundamentals of advanced manufacturing, students learn via the power of repetition, through a model that flips traditional manufacturing on its head and gets students hands-on with part design FIRST. As each part increases in difficulty new methods are added so the foundation continues to build on itself. TITANS of CNC Inc. is also in development on CNCExpert.com (Advanced manufacturing certifications) and the all-new Aerospace Academy, which will teach methods and give access to information at the highest levels of manufacturing previously only accessible behind the closed doors of the world's top aerospace companies. To learn more about TITANS of CNC visit titansofcnc.com or connect with them on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005080/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The BJP central election committee on Tuesday deliberated on the party's candidates for the March 26 Rajya Sabha elections in some states. The committee, which includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi, met under the chairmanship of BJP president J P Nadda. Sources said the party may announce the names of its candidates on Wednesday. Elections to 55 Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant in April will be held on March 26, the Election Commission has announced. March 13 is the last date for filing nominations. The meeting was held on a day Jyotiraditya Scindia resigned from the Congress after meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Modi. Scindia, along with his supporters, is expected to join the BJP and may get a Rajya Sabha ticket from Madhya Pradesh, where election will be held on three seats. Fifty-one of these 55 seats from 17 states are falling vacant on different dates in April due to retirement of sitting members, while the rest are already vacant due to resignation of members. The terms of the members who had resigned in the recent past were also ending in April. Counting will be held on the evening ofMarch 26, an hour after the conclusion of polls. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amaravati, March 10 : Health authorities in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday advised self-isolation for 75 persons who returned from Italy since February 29. As Italy has reported one of the highest number of coronavirus cases outside China, the health department of the Andhra Pradesh government has issued an advisory to the people who returned from Italy in four batches since February 29. The department said that such people should be in self-isolation at their respective homes for 14 days. The department released a list of do's and don'ts for these people and their family members to check possible spread of the virus. Officials said that if these individuals are found to have suspected symptoms of coronavirus, their families should inform the 24x7 control room on phone number 0866-2410978 or dial 104. Their families have also been advised that if they are required to be brought to hospitals, it should be done only through 108 ambulance. They said since 16 out of the 56 Covid-19 positive cases in India are Italians, they did not want to take any chances. Andhra Pradesh has not reported any positive Covid-19 case so far. According to a bulletin by the state control room, 465 passengers from Covid-19 affected countries have been identified and placed under surveillance. As many as 232 people are under home isolation and 226 people have completed the 28 days observation period. Seven persons are in the hospital and their condition is stable. The authorities have so far collected 35 samples, of which 33 returned negative while the remaining two are awaited. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Protestors have been blasted as 'thugs' in claims that they set off smoke grenades at the Grenfell Tower memorial in an angry protest over the Labour party's policy over transgender rights. Video shows clear puffs of smoke as the activists cover their faces with scarves and chant: 'Trans women are women'. They gathered in Kensington, West London, last night close to the site of the 2017 blaze, which killed 72 people. They were protesting against a group called Labour Women's Declaration who believe demands for rights from transgender pressure groups will infringe the rights of women as the Labour party is seized by infighting over the issue. Footage shows a puff of smoke (circled) coming from the trans activists as they turned out against the Labour Women's Declaration Pictured: Grenfell Tower in Kensington, West London, before the blaze killed 72 people A Twitter user named Aja shared footage of the protest online, adding: 'Labour women's declaration meeting protested by t****. They set off smoke grenades. 'The meeting was by Grenfell in a community still grieving that tragedy & these scum think smoke grenades are ok.' Pictured: Masked protestors stage a demonstration at the Labour Women's Declaration meeting in Kensington It comes amid a row in the Labour Party over trans rights which sparked the creation of the LWD. Among its 10 points are: 'Women have the right to maintain their sex-based protections, as set out in the Equality Act 2010. 'These include female-only spaces such as changing rooms, hospital wards, sanitary and sleeping accommodation, refuges, hostels and prisons.' The petition is in response to the grassroots Labour Campaign for Trans Rights, which leadership hopefuls Lisa Nandy and Rebecca Long-Bailey both signed up to. Trans activists allegedly set off smoke bombs in the shadow of Grenfell Tower in Kensington, West London The campaign's 12 demands include: 'Accept that trans women are women, trans men are men, and non-binary people are non-binary.' This sparked concerns that people who are born male would have access to women's only spaces. But the Labour Campaign for Trans Rights demands of the party: 'Accept that there is no material conflict between trans rights and women's rights, and that all trans women are subject to misogyny and patriarchal oppression.' It calls for the expulsion from the party of anybody who fits into their interpretation of a 'trans-exclusionist hate group'. These include Women's Place UK and the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Alliance. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dan Murtaugh and Elizabeth Low (Bloomberg) Singapore Tue, March 10, 2020 09:46 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206979f90 2 Business oil-price,West-Texas-Intermediate,Brent,Saudi-Arabia,Russia,OPEC Free Oil clawed back some losses after its biggest drop in three decades as investors grappled with simultaneous supply and demand shocks and the most volatile market on record. Futures in New York rose about 6 percent after losing a quarter of their value Monday in the biggest plunge since the 1991 Gulf War. A gauge of volatility in the contract jumped to the highest in data going back to 2007 after the collapse of the OPEC+ alliance set off what could be a long and bitter price war. Saudi Arabia slashed its official crude pricing over the weekend and is threatening to raise output to record levels, while Russias largest producer said it will ramp up production next month. The gush of new supply is happening as the coronavirus pummels global consumption, with the International Energy Agency warning crude demand will drop this year for the first time since the worldwide financial crisis. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak indicated Moscow was prepared for a war of attrition, saying his countrys oil industry had enough financial resilience to remain competitive at any forecast price level, and to keep its market share. IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol warned that playing Russian roulette in oil markets may well have grave consequences. The unprecedented supply-demand shock poses a serious threat to the US shale boom and oil-dependent economies in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere. It sent shock waves across global markets, with US stocks plunging, Treasury yields dropping to records and credit markets buckling. Exxon Mobil Corp. dropped the most in 11 years, while Occidental Petroleum Corp. and Chevron Corp. suffering double-digit losses. West Texas Intermediate crude for April delivery rose 5.2 percent to US$32.75 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange as of 10:05 a.m. in Singapore after climbing as much as 6.6 percent earlier. It crashed by more than $10 a barrel on Monday to end at $31.13, the lowest since early 2016. Brent for May settlement advanced 6.2 percent to $36.48 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange after plummeting 24 percent on Monday. The global crude benchmark traded at a $3.32 a barrel premium to WTI for the same month. The bounce in oil looks like nothing more than a slight correction after the huge sell-off yesterday, said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at OANDA. Nothing has changed with regards to the structural outlook for oil after the collapse of the OPEC+ grouping. Big banks including Citigroup Inc., Societe Generale SA and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. are warning oil prices could fall further. The IEA said Monday that oil demand is now expected to contract this year by 90,000 barrels a day and, in a rare move, included a more pessimistic scenario in which the demand loss would be many times more severe. In the US, the Energy Information Administration said it would delay the release of its monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook to allow time to incorporate recent global oil market events. The shocks in supply and demand have also reverberated across time-spreads and options. Brent for prompt delivery collapsed against later shipments. The structure, known as contango, is a sign of bearishness and oversupply and makes it profitable for physical traders to buy crude and put it into storage, either in onshore tank farms or at sea on tankers. By James M. Dorsey As the new coronavirus spreads, so does its likely political fallout. For authoritarians and autocrats, the fallout is likely to be a mixed bag. Some will benefit from invasive tracing and monitoring of those affected by the virus that is likely to boost the evolution toward a Big Brother and surveillance state as well as nationalist economic policies propagated by populists and nationalists like U.S. President Donald J. Trump. Others are seeing perceived government failures to confront the virus effectively early on further undermine public trust and fuel demands for greater transparency, accountability and freedom of expression. For religious ultra-conservatives, including Salafi minorities in non-Muslim nations who are in the firing line because of their refusal to adapt to Western habits like men shaking the hand of a woman, the virus is likely to reap benefits. The question is whether the threat of endemics and pandemics that are egalitarian in the extreme and recognize no physical or social borders will prompt the international community to take note of the risk of breakdowns in already weak public health systems in conflict situations such as Syria, Yemen and Libya. The risks are magnified by the deliberate targeting of hospitals and other medical facilities and the mass dislocation of millions who are forced into bare-knuckle, unhygienic refugee camps with hardly any services and rampant malnutrition. Protesters in countries like Iraq and Thailand, demanding an overhaul of the political system, and Hong Kong where reform is the driver, have dashed government hopes that fear of contagion would take the wind out of the demonstrators' sails. Protesters in Iraq, that has so far reported 60 cases and three deaths, refused to abandon mass public gatherings, calling instead for the virus to take its toll on the country's leadership. "Listen to us corona, come and visit the thieves who stole our wealth, come and take revenge from those who stole our dreams, we only loved our homeland, but they killed us," protesters chanted. "The government uses coronavirus as an excuse to end the protests. They tried everything, snipers, live bullets, tear gas, abduction and so on and on, but they failed. They are now finding another way to stop us, but they will fail again," said Yasamin Mustafa, a teenage protester from Basra, referring to government warnings about the virus. Similarly, students in Thailand have ignored calls by military-backed Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha for an end to protests because of the virus risk. The students are demanding Prayuth's resignation and political reforms after the Constitutional Court disbanded Future Forward, a popular pro-democracy party. In Hong Kong, with Chief Executive Carrie Lam's approval rating sinking to a record low of just 9.1 percent after her government faced criticism over its handling of the virus, protests have moved from the street to online public gatherings in support of long-standing demands for reform. At the same time, Ms. Lam's backers in Beijing are confronting demands for greater freedom of speech at a moment that the government of President Xi Jinping has imposed absolute media conformity. Xi's critics insist that greater transparency and freedom could have prevented the virus from turning China into the world's most affected country with yet-to-be-fully-appreciated severe economic consequences. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg's former China bureau chief Dexter Roberts warned that the long-term fallout of the virus could be fundamental with hundreds of millions of domestic migrant workers "still facing unprecedented virus-related disruptions in their lives and work" as incomes have dried up, aggravated by enforced quarantines and "a skewed health care system (that) relegates (them) to understaffed and underfunded clinics." The government, like in the wake of the SARS crisis in 2003, will likely benefit in the short-term from middle- and upper-class support for increased political and social controls enabled by its roll out of a 21st century Orwellian surveillance state, Roberts argued. "The coronavirus may eventually fade as a threat, but it has exposed the deep inequities that divide the Chinese into two classes That split remains the biggest obstacle to China's development" with the disadvantaged migrant workers posing "the biggest threat to its economic and political future," Roberts said. The virus crisis certainly was not the last nail in the Iranian government's coffin, but it has significantly widened an already yawning gap in public trust ripped open by widespread corruption, repressive policies, lack of transparency and the government's handling of the downing in January of a Ukrainian airliner. "The relationship between the government and the public is severely damaged. The government is suffering a massive loss of confidence. And this shows in critical situations like now. Due to this distrust, society ignores information given out by the government. In recent weeks, the government has too often had to correct its own statements." said sociologist Saeed Paivandi. Paivandi was referring to faltering efforts by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the government to persuade Iranians to observe disruptive health precautions at a time that the country is struggling to cope with the devastating economic impact of harsh U.S. sanctions that have complicated its access to medical products. Initial government failure to confront the crisis head on by, for example, quarantining the holy city of Qom, the Iranian hub of the virus, coupled with the sanctions that have turned Iran into a source of the virus elsewhere in the Middle East and beyond, threatens to put the Islamic republic in the same risk category as Syria, Yemen and Libya. The virus crisis is also grist for nationalists' mills, prompting Trump to pressure U.S. pharmaceutical companies that have moved overseas to shift their operations back to the United States. "The coronavirus shows the importance of bringing manufacturing back to America so that we are producing, at home, the medicines and equipment and everything else that we need to protect the public's health," Trump said. If Trump sees a silver lining in the virus crisis, so do religious ultra-conservatives and critics of European measures to impose Western behavior on segments of Muslim minority communities. With governments advising against customary physical greetings such as handshakes, kissing and hugs, ultra-conservatives like Salafis who refuse to shake a women's hand argue privately that that their attitude is going mainstream at a time that their practices are under fire in Europe. Dutch parliamentarians last month took Salafis to task for their refusal, arguing in a parliamentary inquiry into "unwanted influencing by unfree countries" that shaking a woman's hand was part of Dutch culture and refusal to do so impeded integration. The coronavirus has, at least for now, undermined that argument. Danish authorities have suspended citizenship naturalization ceremonies that require a handshake as part of the process in line with legislation adopted in 2018 to force the hand of ultra-conservatives that refuse to shake hands with the opposite sex. Critics of the law said the suspension highlighted the absurdity of forcing people to have physical contact. "It's absurd. The path to Danish citizenship should be about inclusion, not exclusion," said Peder Hvelplund, a green lawmaker. Dr. James M. Dorsey (jmd@jmdonline.org) is a senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, an adjunct senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore's Middle East Institute and co-director of the University of Wuerzburg's Institute of Fan Culture. The Bradley County Sheriffs Office arrested Matthew Bryan Garman on a charge of fighting or baiting of animals after he posted a video of two dogs fighting at his residence with He did good as the caption. One of the dogs involved in the fighting has since died. A team of veterinarians in Bradley County sought to save the life of "Manny," who was gravely injured in the illegal dog fight. However, he has since died. The owner of Manny said he had no idea where his dog had disappeared to. At approximately 4:24 p.m. on Friday, a video was posted on Garmans Facebook account showing two dogs fighting. In the video, one dog was on top of the other, pinning it down and biting it on the neck. The caption referred to the dog on top, which was later determined to belong to the family at the residence where the dog fight occurred. There were no attempts made by spectators to stop the dog fight during the recording of this video, the Sheriff's Office said. The video was messaged to the Bradley County Sheriffs Office Facebook page by a concerned citizen and from there was sent to the BCSO Criminal Investigations Division, at which time Sheriff Steve Lawson ordered an investigation. Detectives at the BCSO reviewed the case with the District Attorneys office and then arrested Garman, who is 21. He was taken to the Bradley County Jail. China on Tuesday congratulated Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on his re-election and called on all parties to accelerate the reconstruction and peace process in the war-torn country. President Ghani and his rival leader Abdullah Abdullah were each sworn in as president in separate ceremonies on Monday, throwing plans for peace negotiations with the Taliban into chaos and creating a piquant situation for the international community. Ghani was declared as the winner of the presidential election in September, but Abdullah rejected the vote and held a parallel swearing-in ceremony surrounded by hundreds of his supporters on Monday. The drama unfolded in Kabul as the US began withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan as part of the initial troop withdrawal required in the US-Taliban peace agreement signed between America and the Taliban in Doha on February 29. Asked about the separate swearing-in ceremonies of Ghani and Abdullah, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing here that China congratulated Ghani's re-election, in a clear backing of the incumbent president from Beijing. "China respects Afghan people's independent choice and decision on the future of their nation. We congratulate Ghani's election as President," Geng said. "We call on parties in Afghanistan to bear in mind the interest of their nation and people consolidate consensus and accelerate the process of reconstruction and peace. We are willing to work with the new administration and the people in all sectors to promote the friendly relations between our two countries for the benefit of our peoples," he said. "Now the situation in Afghanistan is at crucial stage. The Taliban and the US have signed an agreement, the inter-Afghanistan negotiation is hopeful to be held soon," he said. Geng said the people of Afghanistan were facing a "precious opportunity" to bring a four-decade-long conflict to an end, but asserted that there was also a "severe challenge" involved. "We hope the international community will respect the Afghan people's will and continue to support inter-Afghan peace and reconciliation. We also call on the foreign armies to withdraw in orderly and responsible manner ensure a transition to avoid terrorist organization's expansion," he said. The US, which invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban in 2001, signed an agreement aimed at "bringing peace" to Afghanistan with Taliban last month. Under the agreement, the US and NATO allies have agreed to withdraw all troops within 14 months if the Taliban uphold the deal. Under the deal, the militants also agreed not to allow al-Qaeda or any other extremist group to operate in the areas they control. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Nigerian Navy says it will commence the online registration for its 2020 Recruitment on Wednesday March 11 and closes on April 21. Navy Director of Information, Suleman Dahun, a commodore, who announced this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, said interested candidates were to apply online at www.joinnigeriannavy.com. He advised applicants to apply once as multiple application/registration would be disqualified. On submission, applicants are to print out copies of the completed application Forms together with Applicants Declaration and Certification by Parent/Guardian Form, local Government Area Certification form, Police Certification Form and Guarantor Form. Applicants are to come to the designated examination and recruitment centres with copies of their online completed Forms. Application is free of charge, he said. Mr Dahun said applicants must possess a minimum of 5 credits in not more than two sittings in WASCE/SSCE/GCE/NECO/NABTEB (English and Mathematics inclusive). He said applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 22 Years or 18 and 26 Years for those with ND, NCE, Nurses and Motor Transport Department (MTD) respectively. Applicants with qualifications higher than those specified in the guidelines should not apply. Applicants must be single and of Nigerian by birth, must not be less than 1.69m tall for males and 1.65m for females. Applicants must read the detailed instructions at www.navy.mil.ng. The recruitment exercise will commence with screening of applicants credentials and an aptitude test at designated centres nationwide on a date to be announced later. Applicants are advised in their own interest not to submit multiple online applications. Any applicant with multiple submissions will be disqualified, he said. Mr Dahun further advised applicants not to give any form of gratification or inducement to any person or group of persons to assist them on the recruitment exercise. Any applicant who falsifies or forges his/her documents and is discovered at any time will be handed over to the appropriate law enforcement agency for prosecution, he said. (NAN) Any serious conversation about the future of Americas energy production must include nuclear energy, which accounts for 20 percent of all American energy production and 55 percent of American carbon-free-energy production. Unlike wind and solar, nuclear energy can be reliably supplied on demand, not just when the wind is blowing or when the sun is shining. Nuclear-energy plants also have the advantage of using less land space than solar and wind farms. In the past year, there has been an increased focus by both parties on global carbon output and the future of our environment. Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) has claimed that climate change is a major national security threat and a global emergency. Yet, in his Green New Deal plan, Senator Sanders also calls nuclear energy a false solution to the problem. If climate change is the major national security threat and the global emergency that Sanders claims it is, why is he against our nations best chance at reducing carbon emissions? Not only does Sanders want to kill the largest source of carbon-free energy in the United States, he wants to kill the industry that harvests it an industry that employs 100,000 people across our nation. These are high-wage, high-skill American jobs, and they would vanish if he had his way. We are at a critical moment for the future of nuclear energy in the United States and worldwide. Russia and China have both surpassed the U.S. as the worlds leading producers of nuclear reactors. Within the next two years, China is expected to become the second-leading global producer of nuclear energy, and if we do not change course, it will overtake the United States for the top spot on the list by 2030. That would leave us in a weak position to influence the future of nuclear-energy development, and it would mean falling behind China at the moment when we can least afford it. Thankfully, President Trump, unlike Senator Sanders, has supported the development and deployment of nuclear power. Under Trumps leadership, the Department of Energy has begun to work with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to accelerate the deployment of advanced nuclear reactors, which will be safer and more versatile. In December of 2019 , the NRC approved an early site permit for the Tennessee Valley Authority to build a small modular reactor at the Clinch River Site, in my district in Tennessee. In 2018, Congress passed and the president signed the Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act, which eliminated financial and technological barriers that stood in the way of American nuclear innovation. Story continues Those steps are reflective of a bipartisan consensus growing in Congress, and of a White House willing to support it. The United States cannot afford to continue to backslide from its position as a world leader in nuclear-energy research and development, and Congress has begun to recognize as much. In the past few years, we have made progress on nuclear innovation, and it would be a disservice to all Americans if that bipartisan work were to stop. If Sanders and other progressives want to get serious about actively reducing global carbon emissions, Id encourage them to reconsider their opposition to the most reliable source of carbon-free energy in the United States. More from National Review On early Monday, North Korea shot two unidentified projectiles in the air, which the South Korean military took note of. These launches were not seen as positive by the US military. Several missiles were launched by North Korea last year, mentioning a new top-secret weapon that was not taken lightly by President Trump, and made relations between the two nations less than amicable. The failure of the U.S. and Korea did achieve success at their talks last year, it was a no go, after Washington did not agree to North Korea requests for concessions. President Donald Trump hoped that Kim Jong Un would consider nuclear disarmament for the North Korea, as their relationship improved. This is combined with sanctions imposed on the country he wanted agreed on but Kim did not budge. Several summits were participated by Trump and Kim in the border between South and North Korea. Yet, no deal was reached between the two, with both not agreeable to each other's demands. No rescinded sanctions, no nuke pullout doomed the summits to failure. Firing the projectiles and suffering from the coronavirus contagion, their neighbor South Korea is reeling from 50 dead, 7,300 positive cases that are mounting. Outbreaks in South Korea, with a U.S. service man infected by the coronavirus, calling off the military exercises to avoid exposure to the virus. U.S. army personnel were limited in their outings in South Korea, no Korean military was allowed in the exercises, reported Reuters. Also read: US and Korean Military Training Under Review Amidst Coronavirus North Korean military reports triple missile launch The relationship between the US and South Korea is close with the two countries holding joint military exercise each year, recently North Korea shot an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the territory of Japan as a protest against the war games. On Monday, North Korea fired a trio of unidentified projectiles again, both US and Korean officials informed of another launch done by Kim Jong Un, from two weeks ago. According to the South Korean Defense Ministry, there were three missiles short-range missiles launched from the Sondok area off the eastern coast of North Korea, middle of the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The projectile flew about 200 kilometers and as high as 50 kilometers, which the defense ministry added, South Korea's Defense Ministry reported on Monday it was keeping watch on another projectile with absolute preparation. The official spokesman added that the successive action by North Koreas, is a violation with agreements between Pyongyang in 2018, that was supposed to release tension between them on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea had shot four projectiles as revealed by an unidentified US official. The South Korean Defense Ministry commented that it can be joint strike drills that include multiple types of multiple rocket launchers which is part of the winter drills of Pyongyang. Reports by North Korean state media said that military exercises were done on February 28, in celebration of Kim's Summit with President Trump in Hanoi. On March 2, the North Koreans fired two more unidentified missiles, about 65 kilometers to the south of Sondok. Related article: Two North Korean Missiles Crash in the East Sea of Japan, as a Protest Against Washington @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. 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. Iran to produce test kits for COVID-19 soon IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, March 9, IRNA -- Iranian knowledge-based companies have made planning to produce coronavirus test kits which will go to market within a month, secretary of biotechnology development committee of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology said. Mostafa Ghanei said that diagnosis is the most important part of treating coronavirus. He added that coronavirus-affected people are now being tested by kits which have been bought by the World Health Organization, China and UNICEF. The biotechnology development committee of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology invited knowledge-based companies to start making test kits, he noted. From among 50 applicants, five firms have been selected and a contract has also been signed with them, Ghanei said. Head of Iran's Health Ministry Public Relations Office Kianoush Jahanpour said on Sunday that 2,134 people out of a total of 6566 infected by the coronavirus have survived the deadly disease while 194 have unfortunately succumbed to death. Jahanpour said that 734 new affected cases have been identified since yesterday. Some 49 deaths were happened over the past 24 hours, he added. 9376**1416 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address India is in discussions with the Commonwealth of Nations over the introduction of new targeted funds to promote and peace within the 54 member-countries. Commonwealth Secretary General Baroness Patricia Scotland, who was in India on an official visit recently, said that one of the funds could be named after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel - India's first Home Minister. "Many people outside India do not realise what Sardar Patel did for India as a great administrator and implementer of the vision of a united India," said Scotland, on the sidelines of a reception to mark Commonwealth Day in London on Monday evening. "One of the things we are exploring is an opportunity for a Sardar Patel Good Governance Fund, where India could share some of her wisdom and creativity with the rest of the Commonwealth," she said. Highlighting India's role during the World Wars as part of the estimated 1.5 million volunteers from the subcontinent, the Secretary General also referred to the possibility of a dedicated peace fund. "A Peace Fund because we have never needed peace more. We are now living in a very dangerous and volatile world and we need to honour that peace because the world's peace is very fragile right now," she said. Reflecting on her recent India visit, Scotland who heads the Commonwealth Secretariat based in London said she was inspired by the "new technically switched on" India, which as a fast developing country has rapidly invested in its human capital as well as technology and "What India has successfully demonstrated is jugaad or frugal innovation, which has been very exciting because many of the developing states look at that and see if something can be developed for a dollar-per-citizen in India, that is something which is within my reach as well. This willingness of India to share is incredible," she said. At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London in 2018, India had said it would double its contribution to the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC), from GBP 1 million to GBP 2 million. The CFTC, used for funding important development projects within Commonwealth member-countries, was in the recently when its other major contributors - the UK, Australia and New Zealand - decided to withhold their contributions for the 2019-20 financial year amid allegations of mismanagement. The Commonwealth Secretariat has denied any irregularities and stressed that it has implemented all the recommendations of an internal audit report. "The follow up audit, in April, will test and verify this position. We hope that the withheld discretionary funding, which is for the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation, will then be reinstated, allowing the Commonwealth to continue delivering vital work on behalf of member countries," the Secretariat had said last month. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang's Regular Press Conference on March 10, 2020 2020/03/10 Here's the latest update on COVID-19 in China's mainland. According to the National Health Commission, March 9 saw 1,297 patients cured and discharged from hospital, bringing the tally to 59,897. A video conference of medical experts from China and Pacific island countries is held today. As we speak, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Health Commission as well as Chinese medical experts are sharing experience and information in a video conference with government officials and medical specialists from 10 Pacific island countries, namely, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Micronesia, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu. Since the epidemic broke out, China has been active in international cooperation, sharing the latest information with countries and regions including Pacific island countries and responding to concerns in an open, transparent and highly responsible manner to safeguard regional and international public health security. Governments and people of Pacific island countries also expressed support for China's fight against COVID-19 and offered assistance, for which we are very grateful. With the epidemic breaking out in multiple places around the world and spreading to wider areas, it is all the more important to enhance international cooperation in prevention and control. China attaches high importance to the challenges faced by Pacific island countries in this area. We are ready to help them to the best of our capabilities to defeat the disease together and foster a community with a shared future for mankind. More details of the conference will be released in a timely manner. Q: On March 9 the European Union issued a comprehensive strategy with Africa focusing on security, economic growth, climate change, digital transformation and migration. According to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, the European Union does not plan to compete with China and will instead forge its own strategy to strengthen relations with the African continent. Do you have any comment on that? A: We noted the reports and remarks from the EU side. It is a common responsibility for the international community to support peace and development in Africa. China is always open to international cooperation with Africa. We are glad to see Africa developing diversified cooperative partnerships, and we welcome the international community, including the European Union, to help Africa achieve development and prosperity by attaching greater importance to and increasing input in the continent while respecting its own will. China and the EU are Africa's important partners for cooperation with distinctive edges and features. China and the EU have had 11 rounds of consultation on Africa to discuss bilateral and trilateral cooperation. We would like to work with the EU and the larger international community to enhance exchange and dialogue, seek more fruitful cooperation with Africa, advancing Africa-related cooperation, and help African countries strengthen capabilities to fight terrorism, deal with climate change and realize sustainable development. China-Africa friendly cooperation enjoys a sound momentum, which plays an important guiding role for international cooperation with Africa. Guided by the concept of upholding justice while pursuing shared interests and the principle of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith, China will continue to implement FOCAC Beijing Summit outcomes and leaders' consensus, carry on the tradition of mutual support, jointly fight the COVID-19 epidemic and advance our comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership. Q: On March 9, a meeting of SADC Ministers of Health held in Tanzania expressed appreciation and support for China's efforts against the epidemic and readiness to strengthen solidarity and coordination with China. What is your comment? A: Since the epidemic broke out, the Chinese government and people have been making all-out efforts to fight against it. We are seeing the positive effects of these measures. Throughout this fight, African countries have been standing alongside China, supporting us in various ways. Leaders of almost all the African countries that have diplomatic ties with China and Chairperson of the African Union Commission have all expressed sympathy and support by phone calls or letters. The AU Council of Ministers, the Peace and Security Council of the AU, the African Ministers of Health Conference, Meeting of the Ministers of Health of the Economic Community of West African States and yesterday's Extraordinary Meeting for SADC Ministers of Health have all spoken highly of China's epidemic response. We are touched in particular to see some African countries offering us funds or goods despite their own limited resources. This is the best embodiment of the brotherhood the two sides share through thick and thin and the joint efforts towards building a more closely-knit community with a shared future. African countries are now facing high risks of imported cases and some of them have seen confirmed cases. While shoring up our own line of defense, we stand ready to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with African countries, support and help them to the best of our capabilities, and jointly contribute to safeguarding regional and global public health security. Q: Does China have any plans to evacuate citizens from Italy? A: The Chinese government attaches high importance to the safety and health of Chinese nationals in Italy. Our embassy and consulates there have asked the Italian side to take concrete measures to address their concerns in this regard. We also call on Chinese citizens in Italy, including students and employees of Chinese enterprises, to rely on science, stay calm and rational, avoid panic, take protective measures, follow local prevention and control requirements, and prevent cross infection caused by disorderly movement. We will closely monitor the situation and take all necessary steps to safeguard overseas Chinese citizens' safety and legitimate rights and interests. Q: Afghan President Ghani was sworn in for a second term on March 9 in a ceremony at the presidential palace. On the same day, Afghanistan's former chief executive Abdullah Abdullah held a parallel inauguration ceremony of his own at a different venue. Could you comment on that and share your views on how things would develop going forward? A: China respects the Afghan people's independent decision on their country's future. We congratulate President Ghani on his assumption of office and call on all parties in Afghanistan to put the country and people first, consolidate consensus and accelerate the peace, reconstruction and reconciliation process. China stands ready to work with the Afghan government and people to enhance traditional friendship and deliver more benefits to the two peoples. As to the future developments of the situation, it is our view that things are in a critical stage right now. The US and the Taliban have signed a deal and intra-Afghan negotiations are likely to be held soon. The Afghan people are facing a precious opportunity to finally end the four-decade-long war. At the same time, the country is also facing severe challenges. We hope the international community will respect the will of the Afghan people, continue its support for intra-Afghan reconciliation and help Afghanistan realize peace at an early date. We also call on foreign troops stationed in the country to withdraw in an orderly and responsible manner to ensure a stable transition and prevent terrorist organizations from taking advantage of any potential chaos to fester. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 00:05:05|Editor: yan Video Player Close NAIROBI, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The only remaining female white giraffe in Kenya and its calf were found dead on Tuesday following an attack by poachers at a conservancy located in the northeastern county of Garissa that neighbors Somalia. Officials at the Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy said that skeletons of the giraffe whose white pigment was linked to a genetic disorder, were discovered after an extended search. "Its killing is a blow to tremendous steps taken by the community to conserve rare and unique species and a wakeup call for continued support to conservation efforts," Mohamed Ahmednoor, the manager of Ishaqbini Hirola Conservancy said in a statement. He said that armed poachers were behind the killing of the white giraffe and its calf that placed Kenya on the global map while boosting tourism revenue in the northern frontier districts. The female white giraffe was discovered in 2017 at the community conservancy in northern Kenya and scientists concluded it suffered from a genetic condition called leucism that inhibits skin cells from producing pigment. It gave birth to a male white calf in August 2019 thereby bringing to three the total number of known white giraffes in Kenya. "After this incident, only one lone bull remains. This is a long-term loss given that genetic studies and research which were a significant investment in the area have now gone down the drain," Ahmednoor said. "Also, the white giraffe was a big boost to tourism in the area," he added. Kenya's giraffe population is estimated at nearly 29,000 and is facing serious threats to their survival linked to diseases, poaching, habitat loss and climate change. The east African nation in 2018 launched a five-year master-plan to boost restoration of giraffe population through grassroots-led conservation, enhanced surveillance and protection of their habitats. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 06:20:41|Editor: yan Video Player Close TUNIS, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Tunisia said on Tuesday that 268 passengers who returned from Italy by ship were placed in quarantine. During a press briefing held in Tunis by the Ministry of Health, Nissaf Ben Alaya, director general of the National Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases, said an electronic application had been created to allow any arrival to monitor his state of health. The sanctions for those who do not comply with the instructions required by the Ministry of Health can go up to six-month imprisonment and a fine of 1,500 dinars (535 U.S. dollars), the official warned. The Tunisian Health Ministry earlier reported the sixth confirmed case of the novel coronavirus in the country. Celebrities have been spotted wearing latex gloves in recent days in a bid to protect themselves from the growing coronavirus threat - but experts have advised against following their lead. The World Health Organisation, Public Health England and the NHS have all urged members of the public to prioritise good personal, respiratory and hand hygiene over ineffective behaviour like wearing latex gloves and face masks. Dr Claudia Pastides, a London-based GP for healthcare app Babylon, told FEMAIL the droplets that transmit COVID-19 can be spread even on gloves, adding: 'Gloves provide a false sense of security and make people less likely to wash their hands with soap and water, which is the most important thing to do.' However that hasn't stopped high profile stars like Sylvester Stallone, Dame Joan Collins and reality star Joey Essex from wearing latex gloves in public. Gloves on: Sylvester Stallone, 73, went all out in his battle for hygiene as he put on latex gloves to bag his groceries at a Whole Foods in Beverly Hills on Monday Jet-set: Dame Joan Collins wore a mask and latex gloves as she arrived at LAX for her flight to London on Saturday. Dame Joan is one of a number of stars who've been spotted in gloves Cautious: Joey Essex, 29, appeared to be putting his health first as he stepped out for lunch with a friend wearing a face mask in London on Saturday Stallone was spotted protecting his hands while packing his bags at a Whole Foods in Beverly Hills yesterday, while Dame Joan, 86, sported a pair while arriving at LAX for her flight to London on Sunday. Joey Essex wore gloves and a hat for lunch with Friends in London over the weekend and Naomi Campbell proved she can model anything when she showed off a pair of pink latex gloves on Instagram last week. Meanwhile Queen, 93, made headlines last week when she wore gloves during an investiture ceremony for the first time, in a signal that even the royal family is wary of the health risks posed by the deadly illness. It comes as COVID-19 tightens its grip on Europe. The death toll in Italy increased by 133 to 366 yesterday while the number of cases skyrocketed from 1,492 to 7,375. The UK has confirmed 278 coronavirus cases and three deaths. Supermodel: Naomi Campbell, 49, appears to be taking the threat of the coronavirus seriously as she shared a snap of herself donning latex gloves last week Kim Kardashian revealed in an Instgram story that she's doubling up with a face mask and protective latex gloves Actor Steve Martin, pictured in Glasgow, reportedly asked fans not to touch him and was wearing gloves due to the outbreak of coronavirus Gossip Girl's Sebastian Stan might have had a little trouble enjoying his drink while wearing a face mask and gloves on board a Delta flight But health experts have warned members of the public against jumping in on the trend, saying they could simply give individuals a 'false sense of security'. A spokesperson for Public Health England has said previously: 'PHE is not recommending the use of gloves as a protective measure against COVID-19 for the general public. Should you wear a face mask and gloves? Health organisations including the WHO, NHS and Public Health England have not advised members of the public to wear surgical masks or latex gloves. A spokesperson for Public Health England has said previously: 'PHE is not recommending the use of gloves as a protective measure against COVID-19 for the general public. 'People concerned about the transmission of infectious diseases should prioritise good personal, respiratory and hand hygiene.' Similar advice was given regarding the wearing of face masks. Public Health England has warned that there is 'very little evidence' that masks are effective 'outside of clinical settings' such as hospitals. Meanwhile the World Health Organisation said masks had to be combined with good hand hygiene and other measures for them to have any positive effect. Advertisement 'People concerned about the transmission of infectious diseases should prioritise good personal, respiratory and hand hygiene.' The NHS added there is 'little evidence' that they are effective for members of the public. Dr Pastides agreed: 'COVID-19 spreads in 2 ways. Firstly, through inhaling virus-filled droplets that are released when infected people talk, cough and sneeze and secondly, when people touch a surface with virus-filled droplets on it and then put their hand into their mouth, eyes or nose. 'Wearing gloves will prevent the droplets getting on the skin of your hands, but they can still be carried on and spread by gloves. If you touch your nose/eyes or mouth with gloves on, you are still at risk of being infected. 'Gloves provide a false sense of security and make people less likely to wash their hands with soap and water, which is the most important thing to do.' Dr Claudia urged people not to wear latex gloves unless they are in a healthcare setting. 'It is not recommended and there is no evidence to suggest it will be at all helpful,' she said. Royal change in behaviour: The Queen, who has carried out investitures since 1952, wore gloves for the first time as she handed out honours at an investiture ceremony last week Similar advice has been handed out regarding face masks, which have become an increasingly common sighting in airports, on streets and on public transport around the world. However Public Health England has warned that there is 'very little evidence' that masks are effective 'outside of clinical settings' such as hospitals. The way you wear a mask is crucially importantly, academics say, because unless it is tight to the nose and mouth contaminated sneezes and coughs will get through - or linger on the surface. The World Health Organisation said masks had to be combined with good hand hygiene and other measures for them to have any positive effect. The Cabinet of Ministers has appointed Yuriy Polyukhovych as acting minister of education and science of Ukraine. A respective decision was made at a government meeting on Tuesday, March 10, according to the press service of the Ministry of Education and Science. "It is very important that the principle of continuity of power work. The Ministry of Education and Science cannot be left without a chairman because, in fact, this completely stops work. It is an honor for me to fulfill the minister's duties. I will do my best to ensure that the ministry works smoothly and properly performs its functions," Polyukhovych said. From 2014 to 2016, Polyukhovych served as an adviser to the education and science minister pro bono. Since 2017, he has headed NGO Ukrainian Research Foundation. On September 11, 2019, he was appointed the first deputy minister of education and science. On March 4, at a snap meeting, the Verkhovna Rada supported the resignation of Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk and appointed Denys Shmyhal as the new head of government. The parliament also approved the composition of the new government, but Education Minister Hanna Novosad did not retain her post. The post of the education minister remained vacant, as well as the posts of the heads of the Ministry of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture, and the Ministry of Culture. op Hindi News International Pakistani Leader Opened Government Poll, Said PoK Has Training Camp For Terrorists, Government Funding - , 2 (). , () , - () -- -- , , , , , , Geneva: The lack of action by the United Nations after the brutal slaying of the dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi raises questions about the organisation's credibility, his fiancee said. It was high time for the UN -- and individual countries -- to take action against those responsible, Hatice Cengiz added. A UN rights expert who wrote a damning report on the killing also regretted the "disappointing" response from UN chief Antonio Guterres. More than 17 months after his murder, Hatice Cengiz was at the UN in Geneva this week to press her case for justice for Khashoggi, a harsh critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and US resident, was killed on October 2, 2018, while at Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul to obtain paperwork ahead of his wedding to Cengiz. Turkish officials say a 15-man Saudi squad strangled him and cut his body into pieces. His remains were never found. Riyadh insists he was killed in a "rogue" operation. The killing brought international condemnation, but Cengiz on Monday said the lack of follow-up action was "causing me and others to question the validity of the UN". Speaking through a translator, the Turkish researcher said it was high time for the UN to "assert themselves as the body that has a right to bring sanctions... to punish those who are guilty". She urged world nations to launch a proper investigation and stop putting ties with Saudi Arabia before their values. Many European nations were "really uncomfortable" with the "hideous crime", said Cergiz. "I'm here especially to encourage the countries that (do not wish to) keep political and economic interests ahead of everything else," she said. "Although I personally was most affected by this, the whole world knew about it." Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, echoed her position on Monday. In June last year, she released a damning report that found "credible evidence" linking the Saudi crown prince to the killing. The independent rights expert, who does not speak for the UN but who reports her findings to it, urged the global body to initiate an international criminal probe. "What's happening right now is a major indictment of the capacity of the international community to hold governments to account," she said. Callamard said world nations "should not be held hostage of the Saudi unwillingness and inability to meet their obligations". She urged UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to be more bold, saying the institution was "weak" on dealing with targeted killings. "It is disappointing that the secretary-general has not done or said much about the killing," the expert said. "The UN... is far too politicised to conduct a proper inquiry into a targeted killing and it has no easily accessible mechanism to do so." Callamard called on Turkey to put the suspects on trial in absentia about the case and said countries attending the G20 in Riyadh in November would be "almost in acquiescence with the situation". Despite a torrent of international condemnation over the murder of Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler Prince Mohammed appears to have strengthened his position. Saudi authorities have detained three princes including King Salman's brother and nephew for allegedly plotting a coup, three sources told AFP on Saturday, signalling Prince Mohammed's tightening grip on power. The detentions cast aside the last vestiges of potential opposition to the crown prince. "What do you expect after someone has killed a person in a consulate?" said Cengiz. "We have sent them a message that they can get away with this." The presidency on Tuesday said governors in the country have the power to remove any traditional rulers in their states. This follows the removal of the the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje on Monday. The presidency, while reacting to the removal of Sanusi said there should not be hues and cries over his removal. Tolu Ogunlesi, Special Assistant to the President on New Media said a sitting Governor could dethrone anybody as they have the power to do so in line with the constitution. Thats the way the system is set up. Nobody is above being dethroned. Governors formally appoint them, present them staffs of office, fund their offices. Whether this should be so is another matter entirely. You people saw how Wike paraded Rivers Traditional Rulers recently and addressed them like a kindergarten class. Thats the power a Governor has over royal institutions. Every Governor. It actually didnt start today, has been so for a long long time, he said. On banishment, he said this is a different matter entirely. At least one Court has ruled that it does violate the Constitution in the case between HRH Mustapha Jokolo, (deposed and banished from Gwandu Emirate by the Gov of Kebbi in June 2005) and the Govt of Kebbi. Russia has been accused of hacking Australian files on the MH17 probe as prosecutors say Moscow's meddling has cast a 'dark shadow' over the trial of four suspects in the disaster. Moscow had tried to track down witnesses in the trial that started on Monday in the Netherlands, leaving some in fear for their lives in case they were identified, prosecutors said. Three Russians and a Ukranian are on trial over the 2014 crash of the Malaysia Airlines jet in rebel-held eastern Ukraine with the loss of all 298 people on board, 196 of them Dutch. The Malaysia Airlines jet was downed over rebel-held eastern Ukraine in 2014 with the loss of all 298 people on board Igor Girkin (left) and Sergey Dubinsky (right), both Russian ex-intelligence officers, were named by international investigators as two of the men responsible for shooting down MH17 'There are clear indications that Russian security services are actively attempting to disrupt efforts to establish the truth behind the shooting down of flight MH17,' prosecutor Thijs Berger told judges. Russian spies had also tried to hack Malaysian and Dutch authorities investigating the crash, he said. 'Seen as a whole, this information casts a dark shadow over these proceedings,' Berger said. Russian intelligence services likely hacked Australian police files on the MH17 investigation to spread disinformation about the probe, the court also heard. Oleg Pulatov, a Russian ex-army officer, and Leonid Kharchenko, the Ukrainian commander of separatist rebels in the country's east, have also been identified Dutch prosecutors say an Australian Federal Police report about the attack was 'leaked' in February on the Bonanza Leaks website, founded by Russian journalist Yana Yerlashova. Prosecutor Dedy Woei-A-Tsoi told the murder trial that the AFP report was about photos of the Buk-TELAR missile launcher used in the attack. In that report, Australian officers initially discussed whether the photos were manipulated given suspect metadata dates on the files, but later corroborated their authenticity with the help of video footage. Woei-A-Tsoi says the website in question selectively published only parts of the report in an bid to spread disinformation. The trial opened in the absence of the suspects - Russian nationals Igor Girkin, Sergei Dubinsky, Oleg Pulatov and Ukrainian citizen Leonid Kharchenko. Pulatov is the only one represented by a lawyer and he denies all involvement. The trial of four suspects - three Russians and a Ukrainian - opened in the Netherlands on Monday International investigators say the Boeing 777 was hit by a Russian-made BUK surface-to-air missile, fired from territory held by pro-Moscow rebels battling Kiev. Relatives of those who died have repeatedly called for the trial to examine the role of Russia in the crash. 'The court has made it crystal clear that the Russian government is staging a campaign of disinformation,' Anton Kotte, a board member of a foundation for MH17 victims, said Tuesday. 'And we will have to be prepared for much more distortion of the truth as the case proceeds.' Kotte lost his son, daughter-in-law and grandson. Anton Kotte, of the MH17 Aircraft Disaster Foundation, lost his son, his daughter-law and his grandson in the disaster Wilbert Paulissen, national Police chief of the Netherlands, announces the murder charges against three Russians and one Ukrainian over the shoot-down of MH17 last year Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement in the crash of MH17, or in eastern Ukraine generally. Pulatov's defence lawyer rejected the prosecutor's 'sharp' comments, saying the remarks on witness safety were 'not only premature, but highly public'. 'I wonder why the Dutch authorities at the same time when it suits them, ask for the cooperation of the Russian Federation,' lawyer Boudewijn van Eijck said. Prosecutors have said Russia was trying to trace potential witnesses in the trial, some of whom will testify anonymously. 'The use of Russian security services to discover the identify of witnesses in this investigation is a very real scenario,' Berger added. 'Several witnesses in this investigation say that they fear for their lives if their identities were to come to light. The prosecutors added that Russian security services were already 'accused of multiple murders that have been committed in various European countries'. The reconstructed wreckage of the MH17 airplane is seen after the presentation of the final report into the crash In the Australian report Australian officers initially discussed whether the photos were manipulated given suspect metadata dates on the files, but later corroborated their authenticity with the help of video footage. Woei-A-Tsoi says the website in question selectively published only parts of the report in an bid to spread disinformation. 'Parts of the report that confirm the authenticity of a video were not published,' she told the court in Schiphol, the Netherlands, on Tuesday. 'This website's goal is therefore not to share information in a responsible, journalistic manner, but rather to spread disinformation.' The prosecutor said none of the five Joint Investigation Team members - Australia, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Belgium and Ukraine - had found any leakers. She said the Russian military intelligence, the GRU, tried to hack the Malaysian police and attorney-general's office and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons' offices in the Netherlands to obtain information about the case. International investigators say the Boeing 777 was hit by a Russian-made BUK surface-to-air missile, fired from territory held by pro-Moscow rebels battling Kiev 'Given these circumstances, we must take into account the possibility that the published (AFP) documents were obtained following a successful GRU hacking operation in one of the four JIT countries mentioned above,' Woei-A-Tsoi said in her statement to the court. AFP Detective-Superintendent David Nelson confirmed the AFP and the wider JIT had stepped up IT security since the documents were released. 'We've all considered our own systems and taken the necessary steps,' he said. Det-Supt Nelson said the incident was the only known unauthorised release of documents about the investigation. 'I don't wish to comment too much further on what the (Dutch) Prosecution Service said other than to say that (the disinformation campaign) is not helpful for the next of kin, I don't think it assists their grieving and ability to follow the trial and know what the facts are,' he said. Special protection had been given to one witness, who was willing to be named later in the proceedings but was remaining anonymous for now given the security concerns, prosecutors said. All four men were fighting for Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine when MH17 was shot down, investigators say, despite Russia insisting the missile was fired by Ukrainian forces (pictured, a pro-Russia separatist near a part of the plane) Only referred to as M58 at this stage, the witness was a Russian volunteer attached to a separatist unit close to the BUK when it was launched on the day MH17 was shot down. The witness had testified that Russian military personnel - whom separatists said were from Russia's FSB security agency - were with the missile at the launch site, they added. 'Once it became clear in the following hours that it was not a military aircraft but civilian flight, MH17, the disinformation campaign started immediately,' prosecutor Dedy Woei-a-Tsoi said. Another witness identified only as S24 had 'expressed a fear of reprisals by the Russian Federation'. And a third, known as V9, had asked to remain anonymous because 'I might get picked up by Russian special services,' the prosecution added. The case was adjourned for two weeks and will resume on 23 March. President Trump promised Monday evening that his administration would quickly announce very major, very substantial and dramatic steps to boost the economy in the face of the coronavirus threat. That might not be so easy. When Trump made his announcement, the administration and Congress had not settled on any such steps, and reactions from Congress suggest that theres no quick consensus on a plan, though lawmakers prefer measures to help hourly workers and affected industries. Trump wants a payroll tax cut: The measures under consideration by the administration reportedly center on a temporary payroll tax cut as well as paid leave for hourly workers, targeted tax breaks for industries hit by the outbreak and loans for affected small businesses. Trump on Tuesday met with Republican senators at their weekly lunch and reportedly told them he wants a payroll tax holiday to run beyond the November election because he does not want the taxes to rise back to normal just before voters decide whether to give him another term. "I was just with the Republican senators and they were just about all there, mostly all there and there's a great feeling about doing a lot of the things," he told reporters afterward. The payroll tax funds Social Security and Medicare. Employees and employers each pay 6.2% on the first $137,700 of wage and salary income for Social Security and 1.45% of their income for Medicare, plus an additional 0.9% surtax for married filers earning over $250,000. The proposed tax cut could reportedly amount to $40 billion a month, though that could change depending on the size and duration of the cut. But Tuesdays Senate GOP meeting ended without any specific plan for an economic stimulus package or agreement on how to proceed. Democrats, meanwhile, are working on their own plan and reportedly could start rolling out elements of their package as soon as Wednesday. Adding to the uncertainty, lawmakers are scheduled to leave town Friday until March 23, making it unlikely that any plan gets enacted over the next two weeks. Story continues That timeline would require any legislative action be done with extraordinary speed, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi indicated Monday that it might not be possible, prompting an angry response from Trump on Twitter. But Pelosi met Tuesday with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to discuss a relief package. Hesitation on Capitol Hill: While Trump wants to go big on a fiscal stimulus package, lawmakers were questioning the wisdom of a payroll tax cut even before Tuesdays GOP Senate meeting with the president and his economic team. Reactions to the proposal on Capitol Hill suggest it could be difficult to reach a quick consensus about the next steps to take. Democrats have essentially dismissed the idea of a payroll tax cut and have outlined a different set of priorities for a stimulus package, including paid sick leave and extended unemployment insurance for people put out of work. The administration seems to believe that the answer to any problem is another tax cut, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said. Members of the presidents own party and some of his own aides are reportedly cool to the idea as well, though they generally agree that a stimulus is needed. At a meeting with Trump on Monday night, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow and Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russ Vought argued that it is too early to enact such a cut, according to Politico. Some Republicans on Capitol Hill have also expressed hesitation about a payroll tax cut. Well, I usually love tax cuts, but I think its a little premature, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas told Politico. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina questioned whether the cost of the cut would be more effective if applied to specific sectors of the economy. And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has reportedly made clear in private that he opposes the idea. McConnell has made clear he detests pursuing this particular policy, which would probably add to federal debt and deficits, and he has said many conservative GOP senators share his view, The Washington Post reported. Questioning the effectiveness of a payroll tax cut: Lawmakers and economists alike have expressed doubts about whether a payroll tax cut would do much to mitigate the economic fears and fallout stemming from the coronavirus outbreak. A payroll tax cut might be the correct response to an economic downturn, but it is far too broad to have a significant impact on the source of this potential crisis. It might help the stock market in the short run but it will be expensive, Paul Winfree, the former deputy director of the Domestic Policy Council in the Trump White House told Politico. Furthermore, it wont help people who either cant work because theyre home sick or are caring for someone who is sick. Nor will further incentives for people to work through supply-side policies to help contain the coronavirus epidemic. Some also worried that a payroll tax cut might incentivize virus-spreading behavior compared to other forms of stimulus. We dont want people having to choose between a paycheck and preventing the spread of the disease, said Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), vice chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, according to the Post. Other possibilities for a coronavirus relief plan: Trump also said Tuesday that his administration would provide help to airlines and cruise lines, though he provided no details. And GOP senators variously suggested infrastructure spending and federal bailouts for the shale drilling industry hit by the sudden oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia. The administration is reportedly also looking at ways to enact a guarantee of paid sick leave without going through Congress. Like what you're reading? Sign up for our free newsletter. Fort Worth, TX, March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Emerge Energy Services LP, along with its operating subsidiary Superior Silica Sands LLC (Superior Silica Sands or the Company), is pleased to announce the reinstatement of the Companys mining permit in Chippewa County and the restart of activities at the Companys Auburn mine. Following several months of close partnership and coordination efforts with Chippewa County, the Company is excited to announce the resolution of all outstanding items which included providing the financial assurance requested by the county, installing additional monitoring wells and implementing a plan for continued reclamation activities. Superior Silica Sands remains dedicated to controlling the mine and committed to its obligations as a member of the Chippewa County community. Superior Silica has had a company presence and solid relationship with Chippewa County since 2011 notes Rick Shearer, President & CEO. We will remain a leading Northern White sand supplier. Our commitment to be a responsible corporate citizen in northwestern Wisconsin has never wavered. Superior Silica Sands has demonstrated over the years that it remains committed to the environment. By way of example, Superior Silica Sands has collaborated with the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and Chippewa County in a long-term research study to evaluate the effects of mining and reclamation on the land. Also, the Company was an industry leader and active participant in a 5-year groundwater study conducted by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the Wisconsin Geologic and Natural History Survey (WGNHS) to evaluate the effects of mining and irrigation on water resources in Chippewa County. In addition to our commitment to the environment, Superior Silica Sands contributions to the area have included financial assistance for construction of the New Auburn Fire Hall and local food pantry, scholarships for local students, volunteers for local projects such as construction of a Learning Trail at New Auburn, working at local festivals, adopting highway sections for roadside cleanups, and numerous donations to local fundraisers and charitable organizations. The Auburn mine also has hired and purchased goods and services through the local community. These historical contributions in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), combined with the Companys go-forward partnership in the region reflect the Superior Silica Sands corporate values: Teamwork, Integrity and Commitment. About Emerge Energy Services LP Emerge Energy Services LP is a limited partnership engaged in the business of mining, producing, and distributing silica sand, a key input for the hydraulic fracturing of oil and natural gas wells, through its subsidiary Superior Silica Sands LLC. Forward-Looking Statements This release contains certain statements that are "forward-looking statements." These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology including "may," "believe," "will," "expect," "anticipate," or "estimate." These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from those expected by management of Emerge Energy Services LP. When considering these forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements in Emerge Energy's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC. The risk factors and other factors noted in the Annual Report could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Except as required by law, Emerge Energy Services LP does not undertake any obligation to update or revise such forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof. PRESS CONTACT Investor Relations (817) 618-4020 Mumbai and most parts of Maharashtra had a subdued Holi on Tuesday due to the coronavirus threat amid appeals to revellers from authorities to participate in the festival of colours after taking necessary precaution against the contagion. Officials and staff on frontline duty on the streets of the metropolis and other major cities said crowds were thinner than previous years. Most preferred to play with dry colours, called abeer and gulal in common parlance, to avoid water wastage, they said, adding that no untoward incident was reported till late afternoon. Police had set up check points on arterial roads to curb drunk driving and other traffic offences. Mumbai Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Madhukar Pandey said 1,261 people were caught for speed violation, 222 for riding triple-seat, 2,215 for riding without helmets, while 204 were nabbed for drunk driving. "Those who have been caught for drunk driving have had their licences seized. They will be produced in court on Wednesday for further action," JCP Pandey informed. One of the highlights was residents of Worli setting ablaze a symbolic 'coronasur' Holika, a thematic take off on the virus that started in December in Wuhan in China and has since spread to almost all parts of the world, killing over 3000 and shaving off several billion dollars from the world economy. It includes two positive cases detected in Pune on Monday. On the eve of Holi, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray extended Holi greetings to people and asked them to celebrate it with eco-friendly colours. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With Harvey Weinstein facing sentencing this week, his lawyers argued Monday that the disgraced movie mogul deserves mercy in his New York City rape case because he's already suffered a "historic" fall from grace and is dealing with serious health issues. Weinstein's defense team asked a judge in court papers to consider a sentence of only five years, far short of the potential 29-year maximum term allowed by law. The papers argue Weinstein should get credit for supporting various charitable causes during his rise to one of Hollywood's most powerful producers. Harvey Weinstein arrives to court on February 24. His lawyers argue that the convicted rapist should serve only five years in prison after his 'historic' fall from grace Weinstein is housed at the Rikers Island prison complex in New York Weinstein is seen at Bellevue Hospital Center, where he was taken directly from court after receiving his guilty plea On the health front, the 67-year-old Weinstein is dealing with heart problems, ramifications of unsuccessful back surgery stemming from a car crash last summer and a condition that requires shots in his eyes so he does not go blind, his lawyers have said. The filing came in advance of Weinsteins sentencing on Wednesday for his conviction last month on one count of criminal sex act for forcibly performing oral sex on a woman in 2006 and one count of third-degree rape for a 2013 attack on another woman. His lawyers had contended at trial that any sexual contact was consensual. On the criminal sex act count, Weinstein faces a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 25 years in prison, while the third-degree rape count carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison. The judge could have the sentences run concurrently. The disgraced film producer is caged in a dorm-style cell in New York's notorious Rikers Island prison with two other inmates, a source claimed Sunday. He's currently being treated for a concussion after falling and hitting his head in prison, it has been reported. His spokesperson Juda Engelmayer told Page Six: 'He's miserable but trying to be optimistic as best he can. He has had a lot of time to think about his life and be humbled, but he thinks it's going to be a long, uphill battle from here.' He added that adjusting to jail life has been especially difficult without the aid of his walker. On Saturday night, Weinstein fell over after trying to walk on his own. 'He fell on his head and thinks he has a concussion,' Engelmayer said. 'His head has been pounding since yesterday.' Details of his supposed prison set-up were disclosed following reports in the US that he was given his own wing at the prison, which is so grim it is being shut down by New York City in 2026. The disgraced movie mogul is housed in the North Infirmary Command with two 'older gentlemen,' his spokesperson added. An official at the city's Department of Corrections claimed that he was being kept isolated for fears other prisoners might attack him. The news website TMZ said he was given 24-hour security and medical care. A source close to the movie mogul said he had already had a fall that required medical attention. He had been accused of getting special treatment because after his conviction on February 24, instead of going straight to Rikers, he was taken to hospital, where he stayed for ten days. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital by ambulance immediately after being found guilty when he complained of chest pains. Weinstein had a four-hour operation to put a stent in his heart, but was deemed healthy enough to move last Friday. He was then taken from Bellevue in New York to Rikers Island. His legal team had hoped he would stay at the hospital until his sentencing. Camilla Luddington's Grey's Anatomy character, Dr. Jo Wilson, suffered a huge blow in her personal life when husband, Dr. Alex Karev, up and left her for ex Izzie Stevens. But it's a far different story for the 36-year-old actress in her real life. Luddington took to Instagram to announce she and hubby Matthew Alan are expecting their second child together with the help of a very famous princess named Cinderella this Monday. Pregnant! Camilla Luddington took to Instagram on Monday and announced she and husband Matthew Alan are expecting their second child together 'Me: 'I'm just gonna do a super casual pregnancy announcement. Also me: I NEED PRINCESSES!!!!!!,' she captioned a photo of herself alongside a woman dressed as Cinderella, who can be seen pointing to her baby bump. 'Okay so... Matt and I are so happy to fiiiiinally post after months of "hiding" that i am pregnant! We are beyond excited to add to our little family and give Hayden a sibling.' The British-born star added that she has been dealing with bouts of morning sickness. 'And yes, I've been away a lot from social media the past few months because OMGGGG the exhaustion and OMGGGGGG the morning (read: alllllll day) sickness.' Growing family: Luddington and husband Matthew Alan got married in August 2019; they already share two-year-old daughter Hayden She also answered the question of whether she's been filming new episodes of Grey's Anatomy since finding out she's expecting another bundle of joy. 'Yep! Oh the glamour of growing new humans. But in all seriousness, we feel so lucky and I can't wait to bring you guys along for the remaining months of this baby #2,' she humbly and proudly explained. Luddington, who's daughter Hayden is just over two-years-old, ended the post by thanking 'the one and only Cinderella' for helping with the photo. Adios: Justin Chambers, who played Dr. Alex Karev, recently left the show after 16 years; in the storyline Alex sent Jo (Luddington) divorce papers in the mail and revealed he went to re-connect with ex-wife Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) after learning she secretly had his twins Grey's fans will have to wait and see whether writers and producers will add her pregnancy into the storyline or if they opt to work around her growing baby bump. It has been a rocky road of late for her on-screen persona since the sudden departure of Justin Chambers' Dr. Alex Karev in last week's episode of Grey's Anatomy after 16 years on the hit show. Chambers did not appear in Thursday's episode but he did make a voice cameo to wrap up his character. Fans learned that Alex sent Jo divorce papers in the mail and that he went to re-connect with ex-wife, Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) after learning that she secretly had his twins. Grey's Anatomy airs Thursday's on ABC at 9 p.m. ET, or watch on Stan in Australia. Udemy announced yesterday the opening of an expanded office in Dublin with the creation of 100 jobs. The new office opening represents continued investment in the companys EMEA headquarters, follows a milestone growth year, and a recent commitment by long-time Japanese strategic partner Benesse Holdings to invest $50 million in the company. The largest global marketplace for learning and teaching online plans to double its employee presence in Dublin in the next year. In addition to growing the Dublin office, the company continues to expand and invest in its offices around the world, including its San Francisco headquarters as well as offices in Denver, Colorado; Gurgaon, India; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Ankara, Turkey. The new Udemy office in Dublin features designer space of nearly 2,000 square meters with an open-concept kitchen where its nearly 100 Dublin-based employees gather daily for catered lunch and snacks. Light-filled conference rooms are equipped with the latest video-conferencing technologies to ensure seamless communications across Udemy global offices. Speaking yesterday, Udemy CEO, Gregg Coccari said, "As a global business with a mission to improve lives through learning, Udemy is proud that we selected Dublin as our EMEA hub back in 2014. As we significantly expand our Dublin presence by building out our own space, we are reminded of what initially drew us to Ireland: world-class technical and business talent and an accessible base for the larger region." Source: www.businessworld.ie Boris Johnson narrowly saw off the first Tory backbench rebellion of his premiership today as a bid to defy him him over Huawei's involvement in the 5G network over spying fears failed. Thirty eight Tories including former party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and seven other former ministers were among those who backed an attempt to force the Government to curtail the Chinese telecoms giant's role in the massive infrastructure project. They voted for an amendment to the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill forcing ministers to remove Huawei from the 5G network in two years time if it is still deemed 'high risk' by British cybersecurity experts. But it was seen off as the Government won the vote by 306 votes to 282, a majority of 24, thanks to Mr Johnson's 80-strong parliamentary majority. Mr Johnson's January decision to allow the company to be involved in the next generation mobile technology roll-out has already provoked a furious rift with Donald Trump's US administration and Australia. And today Tory MPs including former party leader Sir Iain and former Cabinet minister Liam Fox led a Commons charge against a company believed to be involved in spying and data theft on behalf of the Chinese state. They tabled an amendment to the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill, which if it had been successful would have blocked 'high risk vendors' - as determined by the National Cyber Security Centre - from involvement in 5G from 2022. Their move reflected widespread misgivings across the party over the decision, with fears that it could give China a 'backdoor' to spy on the UK's telecoms network. The scale of the rebellion, just seven votes shy of winning, will alarm No 10 this early in the parliament. Earlier Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden had tried to smooth rebel fears, saying ministers were 'clear-eyed about the challenges posed by Huawei' and were working to reduce their involvement to zero eventually. MPs including former party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and ex-Brexit secretary David Davis will attempt to drastically limit the firm's involvement in 5G The Prime Minister has already sparked fury from the US by announcing that the company will be allowed a limited role in Britain's communications upgrade, despite allegations it is involved in espionage. Mr Dowden said it was 'not the right Bill' for the rebels to use in their protest against Huawei, as the legislation simply enables telecoms firms to install broadband services in blocks of flats where occupiers have asked for it and the landlord is not responding. The 38 Tory Huawei rebels in full: Craig Mackinlay, Bob Seely, Bob Blackman, Sir Graham Brady, Andrew Bridgen, Fiona Bruce, Sir Christopher Chope, Damian Collins, James Davies, David Davis, Richard Drax, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Liam Fox, Mark Francois, James Gray, Damian Green, Philip Hollobone, David Jones, Jack Lopresti, Tim Loughton, Anthony Mangnall, Stephen McPartland, Esther McVey, Anne Marie Morris, David Morris, Sheryll Murray, Bob Neill, Matthew Offord, Owen Paterson, Andrew Percy, John Redwood, Andrew Rosindell, Henry Smith, Sir Robert Syms, Tom Tugendhat, David Warburton Bill Wiggin, William Wragg. Advertisement 'Parliament will be able to express its views on the controls on high-risk vendors when the Government brings forward the legislation to introduce the new telecoms security regime,' he told them. 'The Telecommunications Security Bill will be brought forward by this summer.' After the vote former Brexitr secretary David Davis, one of the rebels, tweeted: 'Without any campaign on the issue, 38 Conservatives spontaneously rebelled on Huawei, including eight ex-Cabinet Ministers, including an ex-Defence Secretary, ex-NI Secretary and ex-Deputy PM, as well as the Chairman of the 1922 Cttee and the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. 'It is hard to see how the Government can fail to respond.' And fellow rebel Andrew Rosindell added: 'I dont want to risk the UKs communications and security. 'We should work with our friends and allies to develop alternatives for 5G. 'Rebelling against my own government that I support is not what I want to do, but this is one of those occasions when a point has to be made!' Sir Iain had earlier told the Commons that the MPs were 'genuinely concerned that this country has got itself far too bound into a process in which we are reliant on untrusted vendors and in this particular case, Huawei'. 'The reality is that when it comes to security versus cost, my view is security wins every single time because I worry when we start compromising security,' he said. 'We have no friends out there anymore on this issue, whether it's the Canadians, the Americans, the Australians, the New Zealanders, they all disagree with us.' Conservative former trade secretary Liam Fox urged the UK to 'avoid the risk' by not using Huawei rather than seeking to mitigate it. 'In order to achieve greater trade with China, we do not need to sacrifice our national security by including Huawei as part of that risk,' he added to the Commons. The pros and cons of Huawei involvement What are the risks of using Huawei? The US says Huawei could be used as a back door for spying by the Chinese state. Critics have also warned China could use its access to Britain's data network to shut down critical national infrastructure. There are fears the UK could lose its intelligence sharing relationship with countries such as the US and Australia, who have warned against allowing Huawei anywhere near their networks. Members of the US Congress have also threatened to block a post-Brexit trade deal if the UK pushed ahead with using Huawei. But the downside of banning the Chinese? It would reduce the number of companies supplying 5G, decreasing competition and leading to a rise in costs for consumers. Whitehall officials have also said it could cost the UK economy tens of billions of pounds in the coming years, from the lost opportunity of the productive gains of using 5G. There would also be a cost to companies who have started to roll it out across the country. Officials have warned such a move could slow down the rollout of 5G by up to three years. It would likely damage relations with China, where Britain is also seeking to strike a trade deal. Advertisement Critics of the Government's approach also include former Cabinet ministers Damian Green and David Davis, Commons Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Tom Tugendhat and Tory backbench 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady. Earlier, Mr Johnson was urged by a former CBI president to allow Huawei to work freely, saying blocking it would harm relations with China. In an open letter Sir Mike Rake, the former BT chairman, who is now an adviser to the Chinese firm, said: 'Any attempt to further restrict Huawei 5G equipment, or to remove existing 4G equipment will not only incur very significant costs, but prejudice trade relationships with China and will significantly set back the Government's broadband ambitions. 'This in turn will further damage our competitiveness as an economy, at what is a critical moment. 'We cannot afford to set back the important technological and communication progress we have made, with ill-informed assertions which are not supported by the facts and the experts. 'The government has taken an evidence-based decision and we should all support it.' Mr Johnson gave the go-ahead for the company to help build 5G in January, despite concerns by allies including the US. The Trump administration is furious that a company it believes is a security risk has been approved for a role in the advanced telecommunications network. It will be subject to tough restrictions, such as being barred from the 'core' network and a maximum 35 per cent market share. Sir Mike Rake, the former BT chairman who is now an adviser to the Chinese firm, said: 'Any attempt to further restrict Huawei 5G equipment, or to remove existing 4G equipment will not only incur very significant costs, but prejudice trade relationships with China and will significantly set back the Government's broadband ambitions' Despite a relatively muted response in public, Mr Trump was said to have been 'apoplectic' with anger in a phone call to Mr Johnson. But the PM and his ministers have claimed there is no viable alternatives to their technology on the market and developing a home-grown version would be expensive and delay the roll-out. Other MPs backing the amendment included former minister Owen Paterson, Damian Green, Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Tom Tugendhat, and hardline Brexiteers Mark Francois and David Jones. While there were 26 signatories, 45 rebels were required to approve the amendment. MPs were not sure they could get the number, but were content to hand the PM a minor bloody nose over the issue at this stage. The Prime Minister's official spokesman told a Westminster briefing: 'Market failure has left us in this position and we want to get to a position where we do not have to use a high-risk vendor in our telecoms network. 'We will keep the 35 per cent market cap under review. 'Our intention is for this share to reduce as market diversification takes place. 'We will work with the US and our partners to diversify the telecoms market and develop alternative suppliers.' Huawei vice president Victor Zhang said: 'The Government has examined the evidence and concluded that Huawei should not be banned on cyber security grounds and two parliamentary committees have done the same and agreed. 'An evidence-based approach is needed, so we were disappointed to hear some groundless accusations asserted. 'The industry and experts agree that banning Huawei equipment would leave Britain less secure, less productive and less innovative.' The lack of action by the United Nations after the brutal slaying of the dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi raises questions about the organisation's credibility, his fiancee said. It was high time for the UN -- and individual countries -- to take action against those responsible, Hatice Cengiz added. A UN rights expert who wrote a damning report on the killing also regretted the "disappointing" response from UN chief Antonio Guterres. More than 17 months after his murder, Hatice Cengiz was at the UN in Geneva this week to press her case for justice for Khashoggi, a harsh critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and US resident, was killed on October 2, 2018 while at Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul to obtain paperwork ahead of his wedding to Cengiz. Turkish officials say a 15-man Saudi squad strangled him and cut his body into pieces. His remains were never found. Riyadh insists he was killed in a "rogue" operation. The killing brought international condemnation, but Cengiz told reporters Monday that the lack of follow-up action was "causing me and others to question the validity of the UN". Speaking through a translator, the Turkish researcher said it was high time for the UN to "assert themselves as the body that has a right to bring sanctions... to punish those who are guilty". She urged world nations to launch a proper investigation and stop putting ties with Saudi Arabia before their values. Many European nations were "really uncomfortable" with the "hideous crime", said Cergiz. "I'm here especially to encourage the countries that (do not wish to) keep political and economic interests ahead of everything else," she said. "Although I personally was most affected by this, the whole world knew about it." - UN chief 'disappointing': rapporteur - Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, echoed her position Monday. In June last year, she released a damning report that found "credible evidence" linking the Saudi crown prince to the killing. The independent rights expert, who does not speak for the UN but who reports her findings to it, urged the global body to initiate an international criminal probe. "What's happening right now is a major indictment of the capacity of the international community to hold governments to account," she told AFP. Callamard said world nations "should not be held hostage of the Saudi unwillingness and inability to meet their obligations". She urged UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to be more bold, saying the institution was "weak" on dealing with targeted killings. "It is disappointing that the secretary-general has not done or said much about the killing," the expert said. "The UN... is far too politicised to conduct a proper inquiry into a targeted killing and it has no easily accessible mechanism to do so." Callamard called on Turkey to put the suspects on trial in absentia about the case and said countries attending the G20 in Riyadh in November would be "almost in acquiescence with the situation". - 'Coup' arrests - Despite a torrent of international condemnation over the murder of Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler Prince Mohammed appears to have strengthened his position. Saudi authorities have detained three princes including King Salman's brother and nephew for allegedly plotting a coup, three sources told AFP on Saturday, signalling Prince Mohammed's tightening grip on power. The detentions cast aside the last vestiges of potential opposition to the crown prince. "What do you expect after someone has killed a person in a consulate?" said Cengiz. "We have sent them a message that they can get away with this." Hatice Cengiz has been campaigning for a tougher response from the international community UN United Nations Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard wants Turkey to put the suspects on trial in absentia Harvard University has told all students to move out of their dorms by Sunday, is canceling classes on campus and moving all courses online to try to "de-densify" the campus and limit any spread of the new coronavirus. "The decision to move to virtual instruction was not made lightly," university President Lawrence S. Bacow said in a letter to students and staff that was posted online Tuesday. "The goal of these changes is to minimize the need to gather in large groups and spend prolonged time in close proximity with each other in spaces such as classrooms, dining halls, and residential buildings." The school is transitioning to online instruction for graduate and undergraduate students with plans to offer all classes online by March 23, he said. Harvard is also limiting nonessential meetings to no more than 25 people, he said. Harvard's spring break starts Saturday and ends March 22, and its spring term ends in late April. The university said students shouldn't return to campus after the break. A spokesperson for the university declined to comment beyond what was posted to the university's website. Students who can't afford transportation home are currently being referred to Harvard's financial aid office, according to its website. The university is also instructing students to speak with their dean if they have no place to go. On Monday, Princeton announced similar measures, telling students that classes would be taught online following spring break. As a precaution, Ohio State University President Michael Drake also told students on Monday that all instruction for its more than 68,000 students would take place online until the end of March, although none of the state's three confirmed cases are associated with the university. Syracuse University followed suit on Tuesday, telling students it was moving all classes online beginning at the end of the day Friday through at least March 30, "given the rapid spread of coronavirus across New York state." The University of Washington in Seattle told students last week it would temporarily move online and resume normal operations by the end of March, affecting nearly 50,000 students. As of Tuesday morning, Massachusetts, where Harvard is located, had one confirmed case of COVID-19 and 40 presumptive cases, according to the state's department of public health. There are currently 249 people undergoing monitoring or under quarantine in the state. The decision comes as COVID-19 has swept across the U.S., infecting at least 755 in the U.S. and killing at least 26 as of Tuesday morning, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Amanda Redman has complained that older couples are never shown being intimate on TV screens as she blames rife sexism and ageism in the industry. The actress, 62, accused British TV executives of shying away from showing sexual relationships between the over-50, adding that age representation was 'rare'. By contrast she said American producers were 'less frightened' of exploring intimacy amongst ageing characters. Speaking out: Amanda Redman has complained that older couples are never shown being intimate on TV screens as she blames rife sexism and ageism in the industry (pictured 2018) She told the Radio Times: 'I'm watching [CBS series] Madam Secretary, and the two leads are in their late 50s and have a really healthy sexual relationship,' 'And it's not repulsive. We in Britain tend to shy away from that. There's ageism involved there. And - I'm going to get on my soapbox here - I believe that exists in this industry in our country.' Madam Secretary is an American political TV series that follows a former university professor turned Secretary of State. Racy: The actress, 62, accused British TV executives of shying away from showing sexual relationships between the over-50, adding that age representation was 'rare' (pictured in 2008 comedy Honest) Tea Leoni, 54, stars as the protagonist Elizabeth McCord who is shown to have a fulfilling sex life with her husband Henry - portrayed by James Timothy Daly, 64. Amanda currently stars as Dr. Lydia Fonseca in the medical drama the Good Karma Hospital, who began a relationship at the end of series two with Neil Morrissey's character Greg McConnell. Amanda added that she was especially angry about the treatment of ageing actresses who she claimed frequently disappear from TV screens. On-screen: Amanda currently stars as Dr. Lydia Fonseca in the medical drama the Good Karma Hospital, who began a relationship at the end of series two with Neil Morrissey's character Greg McConnell (pictured right) 'There are lots of actresses in their 50s who are wonderful, and they are nomads,' she said. 'Seriously. The men have a much easier time of it. They just do. And that makes me cross.' She joins a long line of British actresses including Emma Thompson and Helen Mirren to call out ageism in the industry. And it appears the stars are with good cause as recent studies show viewers have a difficult time identifying older actresses. Difference of opinion: By contrast she said American producers were 'less frightened' of exploring intimacy amongst ageing characters (pictured in Good Karma Hospital in 2018) A 2019 survey by the campaign group Acting Your Age found that only 11 per cent of respondents could name 15 leading actresses over the age of 40. However more than 50 per cent of those surveyed could identify the same number of leading men in the same age bracket. The survey also found that 61 per cent of respondents felt romantic relationships on-screen should comprise of actors who are similar ages. The BAFTA-winning star, who is known for her roles in New Tricks and At Home With the Braithwaites, also revealed her experiences of sexual harassment at the start of her career. She told the Radio Times: 'I'm watching [CBS series] Madam Secretary, and the two leads are in their late 50s and have a really healthy sexual relationship' (pictured April 2018) She explained that she was once asked to take off her trousers during a BBC audition when she was just 22. 'I walked in and the guy said: 'Those purple velvet jeans look lovely on you but I think they'd look better on the floor, would you take them off please?',' she said. 'I didn't take them off, obviously. I burst into tears and I ran. Despite joking it was her own 'hashtag Me Too' moment, she brushed off the story claiming similar things 'happened every day' back then. She refused to identify the BBC executive though insisted she remembered who it was. Amanda was promoting the third series of her ITV medical drama The Good Karma Hospital which premieres this Sunday. Despite her comments, there has been a slight increase in the number of mature sex scenes played out on screens in recent years. Charlotte Rampling, 74, and Tom Courtenay, 83, both won awards for their performances as lovers in the 2015 film 45 years. And 84-year-old Anne Reid was another ageing female actress who dared to bare in a sex scene with Daniel Craig for 2003 film The Mother. She was 68 at the time while Daniel Craig was 35. Coronavirus: Malta halts connections with Italy Stop to planes, ships. Morocco suspends flights (ANSAmed) - VALLETTA, MARCH 10 - Malta has suspended all flights and naval connections to and from Italy. The decision, which was taken after Italy extended measures to contain the spread of coronavirus, were announced overnight by Prime Minister Robert Abela. Speaking at a press conference, the premier said a fourth person tested positive for the virus on the island, after an Italian family returned from the northern Trentino Alto Adige region. Over 9,000 Italians live on the island, in addition to at least 15,000 others who visit for tourism, study or work. The Maltese prime minister has specified that, since tonight, passengers cannot travel to and from any Italian region. Catamarans connecting the island to Pozzallo, in Sicily (one and a half hours of navigation) will only be used to ensure the regular arrival of medicines, food and goods. During the press conference last night, Abela added that the Maltese government will meet on Tuesday morning and will decide how to assist dozens of Maltese nationals who are currently stranded in Italy. Anyone accessing healthcare facilities and who has recently visited one of 22 countries listed by authorities, including Italy, needs to wear a mask and will be informed on the ''opportunity'' of being tested, ANSA learned yesterday. - Morocco has suspended flights to and from Italy. The government's decision has immediate effect and will last until new orders, according to a statement released this morning. For further information and emergencies, it is possible to call the health ministry 0801004747 and foreign ministry +212 537 663 300.(ANSAmed). A group in Delta State, South-South Nigeria, has asked herdsmen to immediately leave a community in the state because of deadly clashes with farmers. The group, Urhobo Progressive Union, said the recent killings in Uwheru, Ughelli North of Delta State, would no longer be tolerated. Fourteen people were feared killed in February when suspected armed herdsmen invaded Uwheru. The Punch newspaper reported that at least 86 farmers in Uwheru have been killed in herdsmen-related attacks in the past 12 years. The Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU) demands that these killer herdsmen immediately leave Uwheru Kingdom, and the entire Urhobo land, the president of the group, Moses Taiga, said during a condolence visit to Uwheru on March 5. Mr Taiga said no words could compensate the people of Uwheru for their losses. Words cannot fill the vacuum in your lives caused by the death of your loved ones that have turned you into widows, made you fatherless, orphans, and, possibly, left some without heirs, Mr Taiga said. It is so heart-rending that these senseless massacre of defenceless citizens of the Urhobo Nation by suspected Fulani herdsmen took place without provocation, and while our sons were legitimately engaged on their farmlands, for food and day-to-day living. This is highly condemnable. Our ancestral lands, farms, forests and agricultural resources must be free from these hostile and vicious herdsmen. The continued presence of these killer herdsmen greatly hampers the productivity and profitability of our people and farmlands. The consequences of these on the peace, social cohesion, market stability, local economic survival and food security of the Urhobo Nation are negative and beyond comprehension, he said. READ ALSO: The group called for a permanent military presence in Uwheru to prevent further killing and called for the Delta State Government and lawmakers to enact anti-grazing law in the state. The group urged President Muhammadu Buhari to rise up to the challenge and stop the killings in the state. The Federal Government, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, must muster the moral, political and constitutional will in stopping the heinous activities of killer herdsmen in Urhoboland. The menace is a huge obstacle to the peace, unity and sovereignty of the Nigerian Nation. The Urhobo People are law-abiding, but our patience is fast waning. It is the duty of the Federal Government of Nigeria to protect the lives and properties of every citizen of this great Nation. Mr President must act now, lest anarchy reigns, it said. The Uwheru Kingdom in reaction to the killings had placed a ban on the sale and consumption of beef to protest attacks on their people by herders. Most of the beef consumed in Nigeria are from nomadic Fulani herdsmen. The Uwheru Kingdom had also decided that the herdsmen should be expelled from the communities. Nigeria is plagued by incessant deadly clashes between herders and farmers, which has spread from the countrys middle-belt region down to the south. The 2019 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) report said herders killed more Nigerians in 2018, compared to the number of deaths caused by Boko Haram in the country. The GTI report ranked Nigeria, for the fifth consecutive time since 2015, as the third country with the worst impact from terrorism, globally. U PDATE: Country to Country has been postponed "due to the global pandemic of COVID-19". Ticket holders are being advised to keep their tickets, as "more information will be announced in the coming days on the rescheduled event." Head here for more info. Europe's biggest celebration of country music will arrive in the capital this weekend. Country to Country will bring some of the best-known names in the genre to the O2 for a three-day extravaganza, with a multi-stage festival hosted in and around the Greenwich venue. With other editions in Dublin, Glasgow, Amsterdam and Berlin, the 2020 edition of C2C promises to be the largest ever. If you're one of the tens-of-thousands of country fanatics heading down to the festival, this is what you need to know. The European music festivals worth travelling for this summer 1 /33 The European music festivals worth travelling for this summer Primavera Sound (June 3-7) Undoubtedly one of the finest festivals Europe has to offer, with incredible depth of quality on its line-up every year. Rap? Pop? Brazilian thrash metal? You can probably find it here. Getty Images Rock am Ring/Rock im Park (June 5-7) Feeling like something of a Reading and Leeds throwback before they booked rappers as headliners this huge German festival is spread across two separate sites on one weekend. DPA/AFP via Getty Images NOS Primavera (June 11-13) Across the border in Portugal, this is basically Primavera Sound's little sibling, sharing many of the same acts. Pavement lead the bill. Getty Images Sonar (June 18-20) Said by some to exist in Primaveras admittedly huge shadow, Sonar in fact carves itself a niche by focusing on bass-heavy sounds, from grime to techno. Getty Images Secret Solstice (June 26-28) Hosted during Iceland's Midnight Sun, a period of the year in which it never gets dark, this festival offers an experience pretty far removed from its European counterparts. Getty Images for Icelandic Glaci Roskilde (June 26-July 4) Reliably the best festival in Denmark, year after year, pulling in headliners to rival festivals anywhere else in Europe. AFP via Getty Images Opener (July 1-4) Polands biggest festival, with a line-up split broadly between the most popular acts in rock and rap. AFP via Getty Images Rock Werchter (July 2-5) As the name suggests, this one specialises on bands making loud music, but there are some pop and rap acts snuck in there too. AFP via Getty Images Mad Cool (July 8-11) Another Spanish behemoth which draws the biggest names from all the major genres of pop, rock and dance. Kings of Leon are among the major acts. Getty Images BBK Live (July 9-11) A festival that feels almost like a mini version of Primavera Sound, with the same variety and quality, just not on the same massive scale. Kendrick Lamar is one of the star attractions in 2020. Getty Images Pohoda (July 9-11) A veteran festival with more than two decades experience, offering a hugely friendly atmosphere and some pretty massive acts from the worlds of pop, rock and beyond. AFP via Getty Images Hospitality on the Beach (July 9-12) A drumnbass extravaganza run by the legendary London label, Hospital Records, bringing together some of the scenes biggest names. Lucas Blochberger Exit (July 9-12) Another intriguingly eclectic festival, this time in Serbia, promising everything from tech house to ska to hardcore punk in recent years. Getty Images Ultra Europe (July 10-12) The European edition of the hugely popular American festival, specialising in EDM. Getty Images for MTV Love International (July 15-21) A sun-drenched dance music festival on the Croatian coast, with plenty of boat parties and sunrise DJ sets. Jake Davis/Here and Now Super Bock Super Rock (July 16-18) Moving from the urban surroundings of Lisbon and onto a beach further south in Portugal, expect a spread of rap, rock and pop at this festival. Foals will make their way to the event this year. Getty Images FIB (July 16-19) A festival popular with both Spaniards and Brits, which has a focus on Latin artists as well as the more widely known international stars. AFP via Getty Images Melt (July 17-19) An open-air spectacular with a line-up rooted mostly in electronic music but with a few intriguing deviations. DDP/AFP via Getty Images Tomorrowland (July 17-19 and 24-26) Something of a Mecca for European fans of EDM, this festival promises the biggest names and some bombastic stage production across two weekends. AFP via Getty Images Off (August 2-4) The antidote to Openers pop, this Polish festival focuses on the more obscure, experimental side of things. Iggy Pop headlines AFP via Getty Images Sziget (August 7-13) A Budapest blowout that seems to book bigger names each year. Expect internationally famous acts across the broad spectrum of rock and beyond. AFP via Getty Images ya (August 11-15) A Norwegian festival which proves just how strong its native music scene is, with plenty of homegrown acts headlining alongside international favourites. AFP via Getty Images Dimensions (August 13-18) A collection of cutting-edge DJs and musicians, ranging from techno to jazz, which has now moved away from its home in a 19th century fort and into the ever-popular Tisno. Flow (August 14-16) A varied festival, booking everyone from legacy rockers to cult favourites, held within the industrial surroundings of a disused power station. Flow Festival Rock en Seine (August 28-29) Paris biggest festival, delivering a crowd-pleasing blend of rock and pop music that draws an increasingly international crowd each year. AFP via Getty Images When is Country to Country? The festival will run for three days, starting on Friday March 13 and ending on Sunday March 15. Are there any tickets left? Yes both invidivual day tickets and three-day weekend passes are still available, and can be bought here. Who is on the line-up? The best of the action will be going down on the main stage, inside the arena itself. Eric Church, best known for his hit song Springsteen, tops the bill on Friday, while Darius Rucker, of the multi-million selling band Hootie and the Blowfish, headlines on Saturday. Sunday's main attraction is American country chart-topping artist Luke Combs. The support acts are strong too, with the Cadillac Three, The Shires and Brett Young also set to play. The Spotlight Stage will showcase rising stars of country music, playing in between the main artists sets. Mitchell Tenpenny, Niko Moon and Willie Jones are among the acts worth seeking out there. Inside the Indigo a smaller venue within the O2 is the BBC Radio 3 Stage, which will host the likes of Caylee Hammack, A Thousand Horses and Gabby Barrett. Another intimate venue getting involved is O2 Blueroom, which will recall the spirit of Nashvilles famous Bluebird Cafe. Artists such as Tony Arata, Austin Jenckes and Kylie Morgan will talk about their relationship to the American venue, shed light on their own songwriting and more. These events are all ticketed separately. Elsewhere, there are afterparties, late-night stages and screenings check out the festival's official app for the full line-up. What are the stage times? Specific times are yet to be confirmed, but will be posted on the app. Download it here. How should I travel to the O2? The best way to get to the venue is on the Tube. North Greenwich on the Jubilee line is the designated station, just a couple of minutes walk from the area. Its well marshalled on big event days, meaning you should be able to get into and away from the gig with little problem. There are also a number of buses 108, 129, 132, 161, 188, 422, 472 and 486 which all stop at North Greenwich station. Anyone planning to drive to the concert can leave their vehicle in car park 1, which is only open to ticket-holders and must be pre-booked. There is also a free drop-off point in car park 1. Green beads fly into the outstretched hands of Logan Oglesbee, 15, visiting from Madison, Mississippi, as he watches floats roll by at Baton Rouge's 34th annual 'Wearin' of the Green' St. Patrick's Day parade on March 16, 2019. Others, from left, are his brothers Lawson Oglesbee, 9, and Landon Oglesbee, 11, their mom Aliscia Oglesbee, and his uncle Jeff Oglesbee, right, from Hammond. Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex surprised us all with some announcements before and now its being reported that they are going to share a few more with fans in the coming weeks. There is still a lot of uncertainty with what the pairs future will look like going forward so fans will be eager to hear any updates they might have. Heres more on what those announcements could be and when were most likely to hear them. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle | Chris Jackson/Getty Images The Sussexes will release statements in the coming weeks On March 9, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex appeared with the entire royal family at the Commonwealth Day ceremony at Westminster Abbey. Rebecca English, who is the royal correspondent for the Daily Mail and covered the event, took to social media and claimed that Meghan and Harry are going to share some news with everyone in a few weeks. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will carry out their last engagement today as senior working royals, appearing with the Royal Family at the Commonwealth Service. Im told they will make some announcements over the next few weeks, but they have no duties in their diaries, English tweeted. What these announcements could be Of course, the couples fans are expecting them to make some kind of major announcement when they are officially done with their royal duties. Meghan and Harry would like to have things in order regarding their website and many believe the announcement will have to do with their Sussex Royal brand name, which had to be modified. In February, the pair said they would no longer use the word royal after Queen Elizabeth II objected. While there is not any jurisdiction by The Monarchy or Cabinet Office over the use of the word Royal overseas, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use Sussex Royal or any iteration of the word Royal in any territory (either within the UK or otherwise) when the transition occurs Spring 2020, a statement on their website read. When Meghan and Harry will officially step down from royal life Although they announced back in January that they would be stepping down as senior royals, a lot needed to be worked out and all parties agreed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would officially be relieved for their duties on March 31. So its very likely that their announcement will come on April 1. It hasnt been revealed how much time the prince and former actress will be spending in the U.K. after that. Since their initial announcement, Harry and Meghan have been in Canada most of the time at a residence on Vancouver Island. As for what theyve been up to there, a source told People that they traded royal life for yoga and nature walks. They are enjoying living a quiet life, the insider said, adding, They go for long walks, they do yoga, and Meghan cooks. They are real homebodies who love to chill out with Archie and the dogs. They both love to be outside and have been loving it there. Read more: Did Prince Harry Really Want to Leave Royal Life or Was It All Meghan Markles Influence? Trump administration 'overruled health officials' who advised seniors against flying Iran Press TV Monday, 09 March 2020 9:24 AM The administration of US President Donald Trump has reportedly overruled US health officials who sought to warn elderly and physically fragile Americans not to fly on commercial airlines due to the spread of the coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) put forward the plan aimed at controlling the spread of the virus, before White House officials ordered the recommendation to be removed, a federal official with direct knowledge of the plan told the Associated Press. Trump administration officials have since recommended certain people ought to consider not traveling, but did not provide the stronger guidance sought by the CDC. The official, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity, was not able to say why the decision to remove the recommendation was made or who made the call. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the US vice president, Mike Pence, took to Twitter, denying the story. "This story is complete fiction. It was never a recommendation to the Task Force," Katie Miller, Pence's press secretary, said on Twitter. However, the CDC quietly updated its website on Friday, telling older adults and people with severe medical conditions such as heart, lung or kidney disease to "stay home as much as possible" and avoid crowds. It urged those people to "take actions to reduce your risk of exposure," but it did not specifically point to flying. Also, Pence gave a similar recommendation on Saturday, saying, "If you're a senior citizen with a serious underlying health condition, this would be a good time to practice common sense and to avoid activities including travelling on a cruise line." A February report by The Washington Post said US health officials were also overruled by the State Department when Americans who were diagnosed with the virus were allowed on a plane with healthy people. Trump has been criticized for his way of handling the crisis as he has repeatedly tried to downplay fears about coronavirus. "They care about one thing; the president's re-election. And they think that depends on the economy," Chris Hayes, a MSNBC host and political commentator, said in response to AP's report. "And so they want to pretend there's nothing going on so it doesn't hurt GDP. It's sociopathic and dangerous." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address KAMPALA The government has temporarily banned all international conferences slated to take place in Uganda till further notice due to the looming threat of COVID-19. Some of the cancelled international conferences include the Africa Climate week and G77+China summit that were due in Kampala next month. This was revealed Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng as she updated the public on Ugandas enhanced measures to prevent the importation of COVID19. As of Saturday, March 7, the Minister said Uganda does not have any confirmed or suspected case of COVID19. Uganda has no confirmed case of COVID-19 as of 7th March 2020. However, to date, a total of 1296 travelers, Chinese, Ugandans and other travelling back home have been identified as as high brisk and identified for purposes of follow up, she said, adding that a total of 765 traveler are under self quarantine, of which 456 completed the mandatory 14 days days of self isolation. She announced stringent measures put by government to contain coronavirus. Ms. Aceng said that people residing in the seven countries; Italy, Iran, South Korea, France, China, Germany, and Spain should consider postponing non-essential travel to Uganda. Any traveler from these countries, including Ugandan nationals will be subjected to self-quarantine for 14 days on arrival to Uganda even if they do not exhibit symptoms of COVID-19, Dr. Aceng said. She added that her Ministry will observe travelers from United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, India, and USA very closely and the evolution of the outbreak in these countries and advise on any restrictions in the coming weeks. The Minister said travellers from the rest of the countries will undergo the routine screening upon arrival and be advised accordingly on the measures to undertake while in country to prevent infection and where to report if not feeling well. Related This undated photo released by the Alabama Department of Corrections show convicted murderer Steve Ray Murphy, who did not escape from a maximum-security prison overnight, despite earlier reports claiming a prison break A convicted murderer serving a life sentence did not escape from a maximum-security Alabama prison despite the corrections system initially reporting that he did. The Alabama Department of Corrections said in a statement late Tuesday morning that Steve Ray Murphy, 64, never left the St Clair Correctional Facility in Springville. An escape notice was sent out as a precautionary matter when the inmate was not at his assigned location at the prison. The prison system said the bulletin went out while a facility sweep was simultaneously being conducted to locate Murphy. The ADOC statement said Murphy 'had no intention, nor took any action, to attempt an escape.' 'The facility remains secure and all inmate are accounted for,' the prison system said in the news release. The escape notice alleged that Murphy broke out of the prison shortly after midnight and recaptured and returned to the lockup less than eight hours later. The prison system did not say where Murphy had been during the overnight hours at the prison, which has been plagued by violence and security problems including broken locks. DailyMail.com this afternoon reached out to the ADOC by phone and email seeking comment. A spokesperson for the prison system responded saying she cannot provide specific details because the investigation into the incident is still ongoing. 'We can, however, confirm that he was located inside the facility,' the ADOC representative stated. Court records show Murphy was indicted on a charge of escaping from the same prison in 2001. He was convicted of escape later that year. Prison and court records show Murphy also has two other convictions for escape, including one that came after he fled the Colbert County Jail in 1983. One of Alabama's largest prison, St Clair in Springville (pictured) has been plagued by violence and security problems including broken locks for years The prison system says Murphy was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1984 for a murder conviction stemming from the shooting death of Gregory Ayers in Colbert County in April 1983. He also has convictions for robbery, theft and burglary. Murphy was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1984 for a murder conviction (pictured in a 2001 mugshot) One of Alabama's larger prisons, the lockup in St. Clair County has 1,075 beds. Inmate advocates have complained about problems at the prison including violence and security lapses. In January 2019, Corey Aris Davis, 30, serving a life sentence for human trafficking escaped from the Springville, Alabama, facility, by hiding inside a trailer used to haul furniture while assigned to a work detail at the prison furniture plant. He was recaptured in Kentucky four days later. In November 2015, and again in March 2016, corrections officers were stabbed at St. Clair Correctional. The Equal Justice Initiative filed a class-action lawsuit in 2014 against the state Department of Corrections in connection with homicides and assaults at the lockup. A federal regulator is inviting public comment on a $540-million flood-mitigation project in Manitoba. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 9/3/2020 (672 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A federal regulator is inviting public comment on a $540-million flood-mitigation project in Manitoba. The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada announced Monday it is conducting an environmental assessment of the proposed Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin outlet channels project. Written comments are being accepted until April 23. The province also announced it has released its Environmental Impact Statement on the project for public comment. Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler said Monday Manitoba is eager to begin the next phase of the environmental assessment process, which is the technical review. The province will also begin the formal consultation process with affected Indigenous groups. The massive project is being cost-shared by the federal and provincial governments. It's designed to reduce flooding around the two large lakes. Schuler said the province has already spent more than $50 million in consultation and preliminary engineering, design and preparatory work. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs issued a press release Monday reminding Canada of its duty to consult and accommodate First Nations. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "It is no longer acceptable for any government to conduct assessments and grant approval for construction of infrastructure without First Nations consultation and participation," AMC Grand Chief Arlen Dumas said. "First Nations need to be full participants as it relates to the discussion on the potential environmental effects of the project and any proposed measures to prevent or mitigate those effects," he said. Dumas said Ottawa cannot simply issue an open invitation to the general public and Indigenous groups to comment online up and until April 23. The duty to consult and accommodate, he said, requires "First Nation-based meetings and dialogue." The Lake St. Martin outlet channel is part of a massive $540-million flood-mitigation project announced last year designed to reduce flooding around that lake, as well as Lake Manitoba. The projects are still awaiting full environmental approval. larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca A doctor in Kerala on Tuesday alleged that she was sacked by the management of the private clinic she was working with for informing authorities about an NRI patient who reportedly declined to undergo the mandatory check for coronavirus. Dr Shinu Syamalan said the patient had come to the clinic recently with suspected symptoms of the virus. "When he was asked whether he had visited any foreign countries, he said he was coming from Qatar. But he had not reported to the Health department about his foreign trip," she said. When he was directed to inform about his foreign travel to the state Health Department, which has been monitoring people coming from abroad for the virus, he refused and said he was going back to Qatar, she told reporters. Concerned over the health of the person who had high fever, Syamalan informed health and police authorities. "Officials who let the patient go abroad do not have any problem, but I have become jobless," she posted on social media. She alleged she was sacked by the management of the clinic for reporting the matter to police and informing the public about the incident through social media and through television. "The argument of the management is that no one would turn up for treatment in the clinic if they come to know that it was visited by patients with suspected symptoms of Coronavirus," she said. There was no immediate reaction from the management of the private health clinic. Official sources said the District Medical Officer (DMO) at Thrissur has complained to the collector against Shinu Syamalan accusing her of defaming health officials. Sources said the DMO informed the collector that health officials had tried to prevent the patient from travelling abroad immediately after getting information from Syamalan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 20:27:05|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kongs Center for Health Protection (CHP) reported three more confirmed cases of the COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total to 118. The new patients were all related to outbound trips, according to head of the CHP's Communicable Disease Branch Chuang Shuk-kwan. Chuang said two of them are the daughter and the domestic worker of a diagnosed female patient, who joined a tour group to India in February, and returned to Hong Kong to live with her daughter for a while, before being diagnosed as being infected in Vancouver, Canada. Her domestic worker complained of being sick last week while her daughter only showed symptoms Monday, before both of them were confirmed of being infected. Multiple infections have been reported in the tour group to India. The other case involved a man who just came back to Hong Kong from a group tour in Egypt. His wife, also in the group, was sent to hospital after having a cough and his asymptomatic son will be quarantined. Chuang said the patient was likely infected in Egypt and the CHP is tracking other people in the tour group. Besides, six more confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients were discharged after recovery, leaving the number of patients still in the hospital to 51. Tolu Ogunlesi, Special Assistant on Digital/New Media to President Buhari, has expressed that a sitting governor has the power to dethrone any monarch in his state. Ogunlesi made this statement following the ongoing debate on social media whether the Kano state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, had the constitutional authority to dethrone former CBN governor, Sanusi Lamido as Emir of Kano. Also Read: Deposed Emir of Kano, Sanusi Arrives Abuja Before Moving To Nassarawa (Video) Ogunlesi added that Monarchs are appointed by the state governors and are also funded by state governors and so they are answerable to the governors. See his tweet below: Theres no better way to learn about history than from someone who has lived it, and the Grace A. Dow Memorial Librarys spring lecture series will give patrons the opportunity to do just that. First Person History will explore the Cold War and the Holocaust with two people who have lived through these experiences and are now sharing their stories with the world. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) does not conduct operations at healthcare facilities, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Heather Swift recently said on Twitter, criticizing dishonest fear-mongering by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which is made up of congressional Democrats of Hispanic and Portuguese descent. Dishonest fear-mongering is dangerous to the immigrant community. The disinformation campaign pushes a false narrative when people are looking to elected officials for info, Swift said on Twitter on Friday. ICE does not conduct operations at healthcare facilities. Anyone in need of medical care should seek care. Dishonest fear mongering is dangerous to the immigrant community. The disinformation campaign pushes a false narrative when people are looking to elected officials for info. ICE does not conduct operations at healthcare facilities. Anyone in need of medical care should seek care https://t.co/69NVxM5Cy4 Heather Swift, DHS spokesperson (@SpoxDHS) March 6, 2020 The response came after Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Joaquin Castro, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair Judy Chu, and Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass suggested on Thursday that ICE intends to catch illegal immigrants in sensitive areas like churches, schools, courthouses, and hospitals. Immigration status shouldnt prevent a person from seeking care. Not receiving care during this coronavirus crisis could endanger others, the TriCaucus chairs said in a letter (pdf) to DHS Acting Secretary Chad Wolf that was posted on the Hispanic Caucus Twitter page. Our highest priority right now should be the health of everyone in our country, regardless of immigration status. Today, @CAPAC, @HispanicCaucus, & @TheBlackCaucus sent a letter urging DHS to prioritize public health as we have in past crises. https://t.co/x1GwNphqSq CAPAC (@CAPAC) March 5, 2020 The TriCaucus chairs also expressed concerns over the enforcement of the recently implemented Public Charge rule, which makes it easier for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to deny potential immigrants citizenship based on whether they will become a public charge. A public charge refers to an individual who is likely to become primarily dependent on the government for subsistence, through assistance such as food stamps or Medicaid. The DHSs final rule on public charge ground of inadmissibility will consider a person a public charge if they receive at least one government benefit for more than 12 months in a three-year period. We are concerned that enforcement activities by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) could occur around sensitive areas and fear that the recently implemented Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds final rule will undermine public health efforts during this crisis and ultimately curtail efforts to effectively respond and prevent more COVID-19 outbreaks, the letter stated. On Feb. 24, The Trump administration started denying green cards to aliens who would be dependent on government welfare for extended periods, after the Supreme Court lifted a state injunction on its public charge rule in Illinois. She's credited sunscreen and moisturiser as the secrets behind her ever-youthful complexion. And Nicole Kidman, 52, proudly showed off her line-free visage as she attended a press conference in Beverly Hills for her new HBO thriller The Undoing on Tuesday. The Australian star looked stylish in a quirky, camel-coloured jacket by Gucci layered over a blue shirt and black tie. She drinks from the fountain of youth! Nicole Kidman, 52, (pictured) flaunted her age-defying complexion at a Beverly Hills press conference for her new thriller The Undoing on Tuesday On the bottom, Nicole wore a simple pair of black suit trousers. Her strawberry blonde mane fell loosely by her shoulders, while her striking facial features were accentuated with heavy makeup. She took an understated approach when it came to jewellery, wearing only her diamond engagement ring from husband Keith Urban. Suits her! The Australian star looked stylish in a quirky, camel-coloured jacket by Gucci layered over a blue shirt and black tie. Primped: Her strawberry blonde mane fell loosely by her shoulders, while her striking facial features were accentuated with heavy makeup What a rock! She took an understated approach when it came to jewellery, wearing only her diamond engagement ring from husband Keith Urban Thriller: Nicole plays the role of successful behavioral therapist, Grace Faser, who wakes up one morning to find out that a terrible murder has taken place in her home Suited and booted: Nicole was joined at the photocall by her co-star Hugh Grant, 59, who cut a suave figure The Undoing is a six-episode limited series based on Jean Hanff Korelitz's Novel You Should Have Known. Nicole plays the role of successful behavioral therapist, Grace Faser, who wakes up one morning to find out that a terrible murder has taken place in her home. The death leads to a chain of 'terrible revelations' as Grace becomes a suspect in the grisly death in a very public way. Friendly: The pair shared a laugh as they attended the event together, ahead of the series' release later this year Drama: In the series, Hugh plays Nicole's character Grace's husband Jonathan, who one day goes missing throwing her life into disarray Out soon: Grace finds herself having to dismantle the life she made with her husband and son (Noah Jupe) and try to build another for themselves Grace finds herself having to dismantle the life she made with her husband (Hugh Grant) and son (Noah Jupe) and try to build another for themselves. The series also reunites Nicole with her Big Little Lies creator/showrunner David E. Kelley, who serves as creator and showrunner of The Undoing. The Undoing is scheduled to hit screens in May. Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has survived an assassination attempt after a bomb blast occured near his convoy in the country's capital, Khartoum on Monday. According to reports emanating from Sudan, a bomb explosion hit Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdoks envoy as it was heading to his ofice but no one got hurt and the prime minister had been moved to a safe location. Video footage posted online showed that two white vehicles belonging to the Sudanese government were damaged with their widows broken. There was no immediate claim of responsibility by any group, agency or terrorist organization. Hamdok confirmed the incident on Twitter, he posted images of him sitting in his office smiling while a news network was reporting on the attempted assisnation. In the Tweet, he wrote that he was "safe and in good shape" "What happened will not stop the path of change, it will be nothing but an additional push in the strong waves of the revolution." Hamdok was appointed prime minister in August 2019 following months of negotiations, between the military and the pro-democracy groups after the military ousted former ruler Omar al-Bashir. 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 [March 10, 2020] Trianni, Inc. Announces License Agreement with Nkarta, Inc. for the Trianni Mouse SAN FRANCISCO, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Trianni, Inc. ("TRIANNI") announced today that it has entered into a license agreement with Nkarta, Inc. ("NKARTA") for the use of the Trianni Mouse, a transgenic mouse R&D platform for the discovery of fully-human monoclonal antibodies, to support NKARTA's antibody-based therapeutic discovery programs. "TRIANNI is pleased to add NKARTA as a new licensee of the Trianni Mouse," stated Matthias Wabl, Ph.D., TRIANNI's President & CEO. "We are confident that combining TRIANNI's powerful antibody discovery platform with NKARTA's unique proprietary technology will faciltate NKARTA's development of novel cell-based therapeutics." No financial details were disclosed. About Trianni, Inc. Trianni, Inc. is a privately held biotech company specializing in antibody discovery technology. TRIANNI's lead technology, the Trianni Mouse, is a powerful, next-generation platform enabling efficient generation of fully-human monoclonal antibodies. TRIANNI's transgenic platform leverages a novel approach to design made possible by advances in DNA synthesis and genomic modification technology. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. Additional information about TRIANNI is available through its corporate website, www.trianni.com. Contact: Trianni, Inc. Elizabeth Tran Marketing Manager (415) 231-0257 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/trianni-inc-announces-license-agreement-with-nkarta-inc-for-the-trianni-mouse-301017398.html SOURCE Trianni Inbox Health, a New Haven, CT-based patient engagement, communication, and payment platform built for medical billers , closed a $3.5m funding round. The funding was led by Healthy Ventures, joined by Collaborative Fund and Commerce Ventures, and existing investors Connecticut Innovations, I2BF Global Ventures, Startup Health, and others. The company intends to use the funds for expansion into thousands of new practices. Led by CEO and Co-Founder Blake Walker, Inbox Health provides a platform that analyzes millions of data points across its entire customer base, enabling billers to personalize each patients billing, payment, and the communication experience The platform automates the patient communication process using bi-directional correspondence, proprietary algorithms, machine learning and artificial intelligence so every patient understands their medical bills and has access to different payment mechanisms, and medical billers and providers achieve optimal patient receivables. FinSMEs 10/03/2020 Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 02:38:03|Editor: yan Video Player Close DUBLIN, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Ireland-based Ryanair announced on Tuesday that it will suspend all its flights to, from and within Italy in response to the Italian government's decision to lock down the entire country to contain the spread of COVID-19. All domestic flights operated by Ryanair within Italy will be suspended from midnight on March 11 (Irish time) until midnight on April 8, while all international flights operated by the company to and from Italy will be suspended from midnight on March 13 until midnight on April 8, the airline said in a statement. The statement said that passengers looking for repatriation due to the cancelation of their international flights to or from Italy can obtain a free move to an earlier Ryanair flight operating up until midnight on March 13. All affected passengers will be able to choose between a full refund or a travel credit that can be redeemed on Ryanair flights in the next 12 months. Prior to its Tuesday announcement, Ryanair had decided earlier this month to cancel up to 25 percent of its flights to and from Italy across Europe due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country. As of March 9, there were altogether 24 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ireland, many of which are associated with travel to affected areas in northern Italy, according to the Irish Department of Health. Ryanair is Europe's largest budget airline, which operates 2,400 daily flights connecting 40 countries and regions in Europe and North Africa. Bangladesh suspends coal discharge in fear of coronavirus 10 March 2020 Bangladesh has suspended offloading of imported coal from a foreign flag vessel due to suspicion of coronavirus in crew, at Mongla port in southern Bangladesh last week. According to theport authority the offloading of coal from bulk carrier Serenitas N was stopped on at berth number H- 3 of Mongla Port on 5 March as three sailors of the vessel were taken into an isolation ward for having a body temperature that exceeded the normal range. The vessel had sailed from the Lianyungang port in China to the Mongla port via Chattogram port, carrying 24,000t of coal on Wednesday. According to sources, a five-member medical team of the port entered the ship for medical check-ups of the 20 sailors and three Filipino crew were found with body temperature crossing the normal range. As a precaution, port authority also banned the other sailors from getting off the ship until doubt are cleared. The medical test report is still awaited. Published under Boris Johnson is facing fresh calls to step up the UK's anti-coronavirus measures after Austria imposed a ban on travellers from Italy and Spain blocked flights. The Prime Minister and the government's chief medical officer signalled last night that measures will be toughened soon, as the number of cases in the UK rises. Within days Britons with 'minor' cold, flu or fever symptoms are set to be asked to isolate themselves at home, and special advice will be issued to vulnerable elderly people. However, there is rising concern over the government's approach to people coming to Britain on flights from Italy - after the country was last night put into a state of full quarantine. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz today announced drastic restrictions designed to stop to spread of the killer disease on the continent. He has declared an 'entry ban' on travellers coming from neighbouring Italy, unless they have a doctor's certificate confirming they are not suffering coronavirus. Trains and flights to Italy are being halted, and Austrians will only be allowed to return if they agree to a two-week home quarantine. Meanwhile, Spain cancelled all direct flights to and from Italy for a fortnight, with effect from tomorrow. The Home Office confirmed there are currently no barriers to travellers coming to the UK from Italy, although they are being asked to self-isolate. Former Tory Cabinet minister Rory Stewart warned this morning that Mr Johnson's delay in imposing radical measures risked the action being 'too late'. He suggested large gatherings should be banned and schools closed with immediate effect. 'Clearly, gatherings are a place where this can spread more quickly so if you're trying to reduce the number of cases you have to reduce the number of gatherings,' he told GMB. The PM teed up a toughening of the response as he gave a press conference in Downing Street after chairing a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz today announced drastic restrictions designed to stop to spread of the killer disease on the continent Former Tory Cabinet minister Rory Stewart warned this morning that delay risked the action being 'too late' Almost 300 people in the UK have now been diagnosed with the coronavirus five weeks after the first two patients a mother and son in York were confirmed on January 31 'It must be done and that is the lesson we should take from places like China. China has got on top of this much more than many scientists predicted.' Speaking on BBC Breakfast, he added: 'If schools close that is a huge impact on people's live. Nobody should minimise that. That's of course on the parents, on the education of the children. 'Closing large gatherings is going to have a large impact on our economy. 'But my experience on these things is that it is better to make those decisions earlier rather than later, to take the economic hit. WHICH AREAS OF ENGLAND HAVE THE MOST CORONAVIRUS CASES? Devon (12) & Torbay (6) (18) Hertfordshire (13) Hampshire (8) Kensington & Chelsea (8) Brighton and Hove (7) Cumbria (5) Ealing (5) Essex (5) Manchester (5) Oxfordshire (5) Surrey (5) Accurate at 9am on Sunday, 8 March (Source: Public Health England) Advertisement 'Even to pursue things that the scientists may say are only going to make a small difference is worth doing, if you can buy yourself more time.' Mr Stewart has also lashed out at the government for failing to take a tougher approach to UK citizens returning from Italy. He said: 'All passengers coming from hotspots should be tested and quarantined. 'There is no justification for half-hearted measures.' The Government has tightened travel restrictions on coronavirus-stricken Italy following the announcement that quarantine measures will be applied to the whole country. The Foreign Office is warning against all but essential travel to the country while the number of dead in Italy rose overnight to 463. It came as British Airways cancelled all its flights to and from Italy while Wizz Air also suspended all flights to the country. Civil Service brings in No Deal Brexit planners to tackle coronanvirus Civil servants who helped wargame a No Deal Brexit before Boris Johnson's withdrawal deal are being drafted in to help prepare for a mass coronavirus outbreak. Sir Mark Sedwill said some former staff at the Department for Exiting the EU (DexEU) had been transferred to use their emergency planing skills for the expected epidemic in the UK. Appearing before the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee this morning he said: 'Some of the people who were in Dexeu we have been using on the coronavirus work because of course they did a great deal of contingency planning work over the past couple of years for No Deal, the various inflection points ... 'And that ability to look across is part of what we have been drawing on for coronavirus on top of the mechanisms we already have.' Advertisement Last night England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty pointed to tighter measures aimed at protecting the public, particularly the vulnerable and elderly, which could be implemented in the next 10 to 14 days. As of 9am yesterday, 321 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the UK, up from 273 at the same point on Sunday, and five people have died in British hospitals. The latest patient, who died at St Helier Hospital in Carshalton, south London, was in their seventies and was unwell with a number of significant and long-term health conditions. During a Downing Street press conference yesterday, Mr Johnson said the UK will almost certainly move to the delay phase of tackling coronavirus. Prof Whitty said the balance would tip so that more and more people would suffer coronavirus rather than regular seasonal flu or other respiratory infections. He added: 'We are expecting the numbers to increase initially quite slowly but really quite fast after a while and we have to catch it before the upswing begins. 'We are now very close to the time, probably within the next 10 to 14 days, when the modelling would imply we should move to a situation where everybody with even minor respiratory tract infections or a fever should be self-isolating for a period of seven days.' Mr Johnson said that although the UK currently remains in the contain phase of the response, 'extensive preparations' are being made for a move to the delay phase - which seeks to put off the peak of the outbreak until summer. The UK's coronavirus outbreak began on March 3, when 51 people were confirmed to have tested positive. Since last Tuesday, more than 10,000 people have been tested and another 200 have been diagnosed Meanwhile, official NHS guidance is to be displayed at the top of internet search results as part of measures to stop the spread of disinformation around the outbreak. As part of a new range of features for internet platforms, the health service said it had worked with Google, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram on ways to help promote 'good advice' when people were searching online for information. In developments on how the virus is behaving, experts have said people infected with Covid-19 could go five days without showing any symptoms. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health estimated the average incubation period of the virus to be 5.1 days. Another study found that being older, showing signs of sepsis and having blood clots were key factors associated with a higher risk of death. The research, published by The Lancet, examined 191 patients with confirmed Covid-19 at two hospitals in Wuhan - the epicentre of the outbreak. Elsewhere: - The FCO said US authorities are planning a flight on Tuesday to repatriate British nationals on the Grand Princess cruise ship at the Port of Oakland, California - The University of Oxford confirmed a second student had tested positive for Covid-19 - Updated guidance for pregnancy advised expectant mothers with suspected or confirmed coronavirus to attend an obstetric unit for birth - The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the hours which deliveries can be made to supermarkets and other food retailers will be extended to help the industry respond - Independent London mayoral candidate Rory Stewart criticised the Government's 'half-hearted measures' in response to the outbreak - Tedros Ghebreyesus, director of the World Health Organisation (WHO), told reporters the global spread of Covid-19 made a pandemic threat 'very real' - Aintree University Hospital said it remained open although a staff member tested positive for Covid-19 after returning from a holiday in Italy - The France vs Ireland Six Nations rugby match due to be held in Paris on Saturday was postponed on the advice of national authorities - All St Patrick's Day parades in the Republic of Ireland are to be cancelled in a bid to stop the spread of Covid-19. Veteran Traditional hip hop Musician, Zaaki Azzay (Zaky), is set for the release of a new song Notice. Zaky told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja that the song would be be released by weekend. The veteran entertainer added that the song would announce his return to active music recording, after a couple of years of concentrating on live performances and his television show. My absence from music has only been in the area or recording songs and releasing albums. I have been involved in live performances within and outside the country. The song, Notice is to send a message that I am back, and that I will not stay away for that long again. I have also been involved with a television show True Nigerians -Heroes of Our Time which syndicates in several television stations across the country. The idea is to expose and reward exceptionally patriotic Nigerians, while encouraging younger ones to embrace patriotism. The least we can do, if we cannot contribute to lifting the country, is stop complaining or discouraging other Nigerians who want to be patriotic. Some of us believe so much in Nigeria and are ready to make sacrifices to make Nigeria great; others should not frustrate our efforts by pulling the country down, he said. Zaky commended Nigerian musicians for their individual effort to excel and break into the global music scene; in spite of zero governmental support. He, however, advised musicians to compose lyrics that would outlive them and promote moral uprightness in the society. Our music can no longer be described as local; we have effortlessly gone international and now hobnob with the very best across the globe. In the past, our international music engagements were few and far between, but in recent times, I personally, have one foreign engagement or the other within a spate of two months. This applies to many other successful Nigerian artists. But I advise them to compose lyrics that will outlive them and add value to society. They should not promote immorality with their songs, he advised. READ ALSO: Zaky urged the government to support the music industry more actively, and shield it from shady characters who now dominate the industry. Government should support artists to thrive and make a livelihood from the industry. A more functional move against piracy is a sure way to start. Also, the most difficult aspect of music presently is promotion. It takes between N10 million and N20 million to promote one song, and most musicians cannot afford this. This has opened up the space for drug dealers and fraudsters who parade themselves as musicians. Governments functional intervention will go a long way to redress this anomaly, he said. NAN reports that Zaaki started his music career in 1993. (NAN) PARENTS should keep their children at home and restrict them from going to the mall or watching a movie while classes are suspended over the Covid-19 threat. Otherwise, the purpose of suspending classes to promote social distancing as a preemptive measure against the spread of Covid-19 would be defeated. Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Ano issued this advisory Tuesday, March 10, 2020, as he directed local government units (LGUs), barangay workers and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to remind the public to keep the students away from malls, movie houses, public markets and other crowded places to contain the spread of the virus. The President has directed all local officials in NCR from mayor down to punong barangays as well as all units of the Philippine National Police to ensure that no children are seen loitering around and, if they are seen, they are to be immediately sent home to do their homework, Ano said in a statement. In the Task Force Meeting last night in Malacanang, the DepEd (Department of Education) said that they will give home assignments or performance tasks to all students so that they will have something productive to do during this period, he added, referring to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases meeting. President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, March 9, ordered the suspension of classes in all levels in the National Capital Region (NCR) from March 10 until Saturday, March 14. He made the declaration after announcing that there were already 24 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the country. Ano also directed LGUs in the NCR to coordinate with religious groups in their areas for the cancelation of Masses and any religious activities as another pre-emptive social distancing measure. We have no choice but to undertake these measures because public health demands it. Together with sustained hygiene like regular handwashing, coughing etiquette, thermoscans and face masks, suspensions of classes and mass gathering will enable us to defeat this virus faster, he said. Story continues DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya, who also serves as department spokesperson, said the decision to suspend classes and mass gatherings this week was recommended by the Department of Health Expert Advisory Group as a preemptive social distancing measure to lower the number of people exposed to the virus, lower risk of transmission per contact and to lower the average viral load. Malaya said the situation, according to the DOH does not warrant yet the declaration of lockdown in Metro Manila. He reiterated, however, the need to enhance proper hygiene and social distancing to stop the spread of the virus. We are now under Public Health Emergency. All Filipino citizens, residents, tourists should comply with the lawful directives and advisories of the DOH and other government agencies to ensure the safety and well-being of all, he said. (SunStar Philippines) WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump traveled to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to discuss steps to protect Americans from the spreading coronavirus and press Senate Republicans to pass an economic relief plan to address its impact. Trump said he would pitch "very, very strong steps for people coming into our country," but provided no other details of his proposal while speaking to reporters during a White House meeting with health insurance industry executives. He said he is working with the travel sector, after his aides earlier suggested its industries may need tax relief. "We are working very, very closely with the cruise industry," Trump said, noting that the airline industry could also get some help from Washington. "We'll be helping them through this patch." In a press conference Monday, Trump said he would be discussing a possible payroll tax cut or another form of "very substantial relief." ADVERTISEMENT Republicans on Capitol Hill have so far been cool to the idea of an immediate economic stimulus package, saying that it is too soon to know exactly which policies are warranted or to what extent. "At this point I am not ruling anything out, but obviously whatever we do, there has to be a really good rationale for it," said Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., the Republican whip. Democrats have their own ideas, such as requiring employers to provide paid sick leave and additional unemployment insurance. In the House, Democrats have made preparations to enact legislation as soon as this week, although House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has not committed to a timetable. "I don't know that we can be ready this week, but we can introduce this week. We can introduce it and we may be ready this week," she said, citing the need to get the legislation written and analyzed for cost. So far, there is no sign of the parties working together on any kind of bipartisan measure, and for now, Congress is scheduled to be on recess next week. Republicans have said they would listen to the White House's pitch with open minds and have widely accepted that an economic stimulus will likely be needed eventually. "Everybody ought to understand this is going to cost us billions and billions of dollars," Sen. Richard M. Burr, R-N.C., said of the coronavirus. Trump will be joined in the Senate GOP closed-door lunch meeting by Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin and economic advisor Larry Kudlow. ADVERTISEMENT Trump on Monday promised there would also be help for hourly wage earners "so that they can be in a position where they're not going to ever miss a paycheck." Kudlow last week suggested that the administration supports tax deferments for the tourism sector, an idea that Democrats on Capitol Hill have protested. --- (c)2020 Los Angeles Times Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Two men have been arrested and charged for aggravated burglary after they were found downstairs in a home by the occupant of the house before fleeing from gardai. At around 1.30pm yesterday, they were found downstairs in the house in the Beech Park area of Portmarnock, Co Dublin. One of the men was yielding a hammer. The men, both in their 20s, drove from the scene before abandoning the vehicle and continuing to flee on foot. Local gardai later arrested the two men after a pursuit and they were charged in relation to the incident. The men are held at Coolock Garda Station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 and are due to appear before Swords District Court this morning. A young Brisbane woman working as an au pair in northern Italy is relieved she managed to flee the country before it became locked down as coronavirus turned her trip of a lifetime into a nightmare. Arielle Turnbull,18, has fled across the border to Switzerland after arriving in Italy on January 3 for an au pair adventure in the small town of Verano Brianza, about 45 minutes north of Milan. As Italy became the world's biggest coronavirus hub after China and the country ground to a halt, she had no option but to leave Verano Brianza. Arielle Turnbull (pictured) fled across the border to Switzerland after arriving in Italy on January 3 for an au pair adventure in the small town of Verano Brianza, about 45 minutes north of Milan due to coronavirus Having crossed over the Swiss-Italian border to the town of Chiasso two weeks ago, Ms Turnbull says she was lucky to get out before strict quarantine rules were imposed on the northern Italian region of Lombardy. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte put the entire country into lockdown on Monday, banning all but the most important cross-border travel. Lombardy is expected to remain under quarantine until at least April 3. 'I was lucky I left when I did but everyone is stressing, even my new host mum keeps saying "don't leave the house, don't go into Italy",' she told AAP on Tuesday. 'Everyone is very scared, especially for their older parents.' Ms Turnbull, who subsequently worked as an au pair in Switzerland, said many of her friends were stuck in Italy or had already left. Her host family became anxious after she returned from a trip to Venice on February 25 as coronavirus spread dramatically trough Italy. Italy became the world's biggest coronavirus hub after China and the country ground to a halt. Pictured: People wearing masks in Sydney 'The family was so scared they made me stay in my room. I couldn't even hug the kids goodbye when I left,' Ms Turnbull said. 'It all just hit me like a tonne of bricks, it was like the world is ending.' Ms Turnbull is due to arrive home in Brisbane on Wednesday night after booking flights on Sunday. 'I was so sad, I cried all day Sunday because I was so devastated,' she said. 'I couldn't sleep and I just kept punching my pillow but now that Italy has been closed I know I made the right decision.' When she arrives in Brisbane, she will begin a 14-day self-isolation period. Ms Turnbull fled from Verano Brizanza, in Italy, to Chiasso, in Switzerland, two weeks ago Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte put the entire country into lockdown on Monday, banning all but the most important cross-border travel. Lombardy is expected to remain under quarantine until at least April 3 Ms Turnbull said seeing her father would be a silver lining of her return to Brisbane but the pair will not be able to spend time together as her father's diabetes increases his risk of coronavirus. Currently unwell, she is unsure whether she may be a carrier but hopes things will be clearer once she arrive in Australia. 'I'm so sad I won't get to spend any time with my family, my dad is like my best friend and he was sad I had to cut my travels short,' Ms Turnbull said. More than 460 people have died in Italy from coronavirus from over 9000 cases. Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard got their week off to a stylishly casual start by hitting the red carpet at the Never Rarely Sometimes Always premiere. The 42-year-old actress and her 49-year-old actor husband walked the red carpet at the premiere, held at Metrograph in New York City. The premiere was also attended by Greta Gerwig, along with Never Rarely Sometimes Always director Eliza Hittman and stars Talia Ryder and Sidney Flanigan. Premiere: Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard got their week off to a stylishly casual start by hitting the red carpet at the Never Rarely Sometimes Always premiere Gyllenhaal stepped out with a black knit top under a light brown overcoat with black pants. She also had a green purse dangling over her shoulder, with black flat shoes and orange socks. She was arm in arm with Sarsgaard, who she has been married to since 2009 and have two children together. Stepping out: Gyllenhaal stepped out with a black knit top under a light brown overcoat with black pants Sarsgaard wore a black button-down shirt with printed horse designs under a black leather coat with a grey scarf around his neck. He also wore blue jeans with blue New Balance sneakers as he stepped out with his wife of 10 years. Never Rarely Sometimes Always follows a pair of teenage girls in rural Pennsylvania travel to New York City to seek out medical help after an unintended pregnancy. Peter's look: Sarsgaard wore a black button-down shirt with printed horse designs under a black leather coat with a grey scarf around his neck Gerwig was wearing a unique multi-colored dress as she posed with Never Rarely Sometimes Always director Eliza Hittman. Sidney Flanigan hit the red carpet with a black coat over a blue mini-dress, black pumps and a black clutch. Talia Ryder rocked a multi-colored top under a black skirt and black pants and black platform boots. Directors: Gerwig was wearing a unique multi-colored dress as she posed with Never Rarely Sometimes Always director Eliza Hittman Looks: Sidney Flanigan (left) hit the red carpet with a black coat over a blue mini-dress, black pumps and a black clutch Never Rarely Sometimes Always debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January and will hit theaters on March 13. Gyllenhaal recently signed on to play Gladys Presley, the mother of Elvis Presley, in director Baz Luhrmann's untitled Elvis biopic. Sarsgaard is currently filming The Batman, where he portrays District Attorney Gil Colson. Talia: Talia Ryder (right) rocked a multi-colored top under a black skirt and black pants and black platform boots Greta's look: Greta Gerwig steps out with a multi-colored dress and black shoes Australia should cut the existing blood-alcohol limit of 0.05 to zero for drivers and motorcyclists aged under 22 within five to 10 years, while increasing random breath-testing 50 per cent. If Australian governments were to deliver on the promise of zero fatalities by 2050, they needed to move to zero for all drivers by 2050, a new report by the peak transport and traffic agency Austroads says. It found 200 people died in alcohol-related crashes every year, accounting for 18 per cent of fatalities and resulting in thousands of serious injuries. Alcohol and speed are believed to be factors in a crash which left a Melbourne p-plater fighting for his life. Credit:ninevms The report doesn't cover alcohol-related deaths or injuries of pedestrians, including the four children who were killed at Oatlands by an alleged drunk driver who reportedly recorded a blood-alcohol reading of 0.15, three times the limit. Atlassian co-founder and CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes says the multibillion-dollar solar project has not been affected by the latest financial crunch. Credit:Janie Barrett The project would aim to supply competitively priced electricity to the Darwin region and to Singapore via a 4500-kilometre high-voltage cable. Sun Cable's project is a $22 billion plan to build the world's largest solar farm with a 10-gigawatt capacity covering 15,000 hectares near Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory, and a 22GW-hour storage plant. "Weve just raised a whole bunch of money and now we need to buy ships and scan the seafloor and work out long-term contracts for cable, and buy a few million solar panels," Mr Cannon-Brookes told The Australian Financial Review Business Summit on Tuesday. Billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes said growing financial turbulence triggered by coronavirus will not derail the ambitious multibillion-dollar project to build a huge solar farm in Australia to supply electricity to Singapore. Mr Cannon-Brookes and fellow billionaire Andrew Forrest were among investors who tipped tens of millions of dollars into the project last November. "Do the pieces of the project all stack up? Yes. It is at a ridiculously global scale, thats something that should excite us," Mr Cannon-Brookes said. He said if Australia can unlock its renewable resources and export it to the two to three billion people in Asia it would be a massive economic opportunity for the entire country. However, Mr Cannon-Brookes was at odds with another prominent businessman, BHP chairman Ken MacKenzie on the subject of nuclear energy. Mr MacKenzie told the summit that nuclear power was a proven technology that should be considered as part of Australia's path to decarbonisation. It is one of the proven technologies at scale that can produce power reliably, affordably and at low emissions. I think it needs to be in the mix, he said. Mr Cannon-Brookes argued that nuclear was expensive and slow in terms of deployment. "I dont really understand the local Australian argument for it, especially in a country that has so much wind and solar, and it's so cheap. This is what is so crazy, the cost argument does not make any sense, the time argument does not make any sense," he said. Disrupting the traditional artist-journalist relationship was, evidently, a start. (This article, I should add, began in a traditional way, with a publicist for Performance Space pitching it to me.) When the group told me now was my chance to state any questions, I read the ones I had prepared. For example: How did you all come to be here together? and What can the public expect to engage with here? They responded by scribbling illegibly, saying excellent questions and returning to their script. This made my job more difficult, but the underlying message resonated: the insistence on reallocating power. We dont need institutions (mainstream press included), the artists seemed to be saying; institutions need us. When they asked me, Do you feel welcome? I reflexively said yes, though I didnt, at least not in the way I usually do when institutions ask me to write about them. And that, I think, was the point: to destabilize who is customarily let in, welcomed, and how. Earlier that day in a one-on-one interview, equally unconventional, Ms. Michelson spoke about her frustrations with the world that treats artists as pets in every way. Known for challenging institutional norms in her own work of the past 30 years including the role of the press; she often asks not to be reviewed she invited me to sit by her side as she read from her laptop and occasionally bellowed Back up! (Every now and then I might yell, she had warned me.) This article was updated at 3:12 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11. NEWTON Abernethy Laurels retirement community will host their annual business expo on Wednesday, June 10, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Originally planned for March 18, the event was postponed due to guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The event will be held in the community center of Abernethy Laurels, located at 102 Leonard Ave. in Newton. Answers to questions that seniors and their caregivers are seeking as well as helpful tips to keep seniors active, healthy, and independent will be the focus of the event. Admission is free and guests are welcome to come for all or a portion of the four hour time span. Nearly 100 service providers will have informational booths that explain their services, such as medical and non-medical in-home care, independent and assisted-living, medical supplies and services, legal and financial resources, a variety of insurances, personal safety, end-of-life planning, educational opportunities, fitness, recreational programming and more! Boris Johnsons most senior aide is facing fresh allegations he flouted lockdown rules by taking a sightseeing trip on Easter Sunday. The prime minister is facing mounting calls to sack Dominic Cummings amid claims he made several trips to see his family in County Durham, while the country was being told to stay at home. Ministers vociferously defended Mr Cummings after it emerged he had made the 260-mile journey, insisting he had obeyed the rules by staying in one place while there. However, an eyewitness told The Observer and the Sunday Mirror he had seen Mr Cummings on 12 April, 30 miles from Durham in Barnard Castle. Another eyewitness said they saw the prime ministers most trusted aide in Durham on 19 April, days after he had been photographed returning to Downing Street. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures 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 UK news in pictures 20 November 2021 Police officers monitor as climate change activists sit down and block traffic during a protest action in solidarity with activists from the Insulate Britain group who received prison terms for blocking roads, on Lambeth Bridge in central London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 19 November 2021 A giant installation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson made from recycled clothing goes on display at Manchester Central, as part of Manchester Art Fair, in a 'wake-up call for the Prime Minister to tackle textile waste' PA UK news in pictures 18 November 2021 The scene at a recycling centre in Stert, near Devizes in Wiltshire after a large blaze was brought under control. The fire broke out on Wednesday night the fire service has said and local residents were advised to keep windows and doors shut due to large amounts of smoke PA UK news in pictures 17 November 2021 The sun rises over South Shields Lighthouse, on the North East coast of England PA UK news in pictures 16 November 2021 ancer Maithili Vijayakumar at the launch of 2021 Diwali celebrations at St Andrew Square in Edinburgh PA UK news in pictures 15 November 2021 Forensic officers work outside Liverpool Women's Hospital, following a car blast, in Liverpool Reuters UK news in pictures 14 November 2021 Wreaths by the Cenotaph after the Remembrance Sunday service in Whitehall, London PA UK news in pictures 13 November 2021 Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of detainee Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, is ending his hunger strike in central London after almost three weeks. Ratcliffe has spent 21 days camped outside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in London without food. He began his demonstration on 24 October after his wife lost her latest appeal in Iran, saying his family was caught in a dispute between two states PA Earlier, Downing Street had described the first trip as essential, saying Mr Cummings needed his familys help to care for his young son because his wife was sick with coronavirus and he feared he was next. Cabinet ministers lined up to defend Mr Cummings, saying he had put his family first and accused critics of trying to politicise the issue. Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, used the daily Downing Street press conference to suggest that Mr Cummings had not broken lockdown rules because he had stayed put upon arrival in Durham. But Robin Lees, 70, a retired chemistry teacher, told the papers he had seen Mr Cummings in Barnard Castle on Easter Sunday. Mr Lees compared him to Catherine Calderwood, Scotlands former chief medical officer, who stood down after visiting her second home twice during lockdown. Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the SNP have written to Sir Mark Sedwill, the cabinet secretary, calling for an inquiry into Mr Cummingss decision to travel from London to Durham. They want the probe to include when the prime minister was made aware Mr Cummings had left the capital. Senior Tories also expressed concern that Mr Cummings's behaviour could encourage others to flout the rules, jeopardising the governments plans to gradually lift the lockdown. The Independent can reveal that senior MPs are set to question Mr Johnson over Mr Cummings later this week, as pressure grows on the prime minister to explain what he knew about the trip under lockdown. Parliament is in recess until June, meaning Mr Johnson will not have to face MPs at Prime Ministers Questions. But members of the Commons Liaison Committee, which is made up of the chairs of other select committees, said they expected Mr Johnson to be questioned about Mr Cummings when he makes his first appearance before them later this week. Pete Wishart, an SNP MP who sits on the committee and is a member of the "quad" which organises its business, said: If nothing has changed and Dominic Cummings is still in post by Wednesday, it would be very surprising if this was an issue that was not raised. Another member of the committee said: Im sure one of my colleagues will crowbar the Cummings question in. In a statement defending Mr Cummings, Downing Street said his trip had been essential to ensure his young son was properly cared for. After an offer of help from his sister and nieces, he travelled to a house near to but separate from his extended family. A spokesperson for No 10, said: "Yesterday [Friday] the Mirror and Guardian wrote inaccurate stories about Mr Cummings. Today [Saturday] they are writing more inaccurate stories including claims that Mr Cummings returned to Durham after returning to work in Downing Street on 14 April. We will not waste our time answering a stream of false allegations about Mr Cummings from campaigning newspapers." There was confusion about the involvement of police, however. No 10 also said that at no stage was Mr Cummings or his family spoken to by the police. On Saturday night Durham Police took the unusual step of confirming they had spoken to Mr Cummingss father. Steve White, the police and crime commissioner for Durham Police, a former head of the Police Federation in England and Wales, said it was "most unwise" for Mr Cummings to have travelled when "known to be infected". The SNP accused No 10 of a "cover up" after reports some in Downing Street knew Mr Cummings had made the 260-mile journey during lockdown. Former Tory cabinet minister David Lidington, Theresa Mays de facto deputy prime minister, told Newsnight: "There's clearly serious questions that No 10 are going to have to address, not least because the readiness of members of the public to follow government guidance more generally is going to be affected by this sort of story." Professor Neil Ferguson, the epidemiologist whose modelling prompted the lockdown, quit as a government adviser for flouting the rules when he was visited at this home by his lover. At the time Mr Hancock, the health secretary, said he was "speechless" and that he backed any police action against Mr Ferguson. Sir Ed Davey, acting leader of the Liberal Democrats, called for Mr Cummings to quit over the allegations, while a spokesperson for Labour said: "The British people do not expect there to be one rule for them and another rule for Dominic Cummings." Asked by reporters on Saturday if he had considered his position, Mr Cummings said "obviously not". An outdated kitchen and a lack of curb appeal aren't the only things that can keep buyers from biting. When it seems like there's just no explanation for a perfectly good home sitting on the market, you might consider other possible causes. Certain items, colors, and symbols have been thought to attract malicious forces to an otherwise peaceful abode. And while some people scoff at such beliefs, others take them seriouslyand not just around Halloween. There are countless folkloric beliefs, and savvy homeowners are smart to acknowledge and respect such beliefs, whether they share them or not, says Benjamin Radford, deputy editor of Skeptical Inquirer science magazine and co-host of the "Squaring the Strange" podcast. Whether or not you believe in bad omens, you might still be interested in covering your bases. After all, there's no telling what prospective buyers of your home believe. To get you started, here are a few supposed bad omens related to houses that you might want to avoid. Because it's better to be safe than sorry, right? 1. Empty rocking chair Photo by Schumacher Homes Irish legend says an empty rocking chair brings dark spirits, and if the chair rocks, the evil spirit is already here. This could be of particular interest to sellers in the South, where rocking chairs are often placed on porches. One look at a chair that's rocking by itself could send a seller running. But that doesn't mean you have to remove it when you show the house. Radford suggests keeping the chair still by placing a stone or doorstop under the legs to brace it. It just takes a few seconds, and might help seal a sale, he says. 2. Green-painted walls Photo by Connor Mill-Built Homes Pantone may have chosen Greenery for its official Color of the Year in 2017, but some people believe that green on the walls can bring bad vibes. Back in the day, green paint was made using arsenic, and the presence of this toxic chemical is believed to have killed a number of people. While arsenic is no longer found in green paint, some still consider it bad luck to use it in the home. If you want luck on your side, consider using blue paint instead. In the Southern United States, it was traditional to paint porch ceilings blue to keep evil spirits away. In many places around the world the color blue is considered luckyoriginally associated with the sky and divinitywhich is why many window and door frames are painted blue, says Radford. Blue windows likely wont make or break a sale, but if you like the color and need to repaint anywaywhy not? 3. Red and white flowers in a vase Red and white roses Chalongrat Chuvaree/iStock Red roses mean love and white flowers designate purity and innocence. As innocuous as a flower arrangement like this may seem, according to Victorian superstition, combining the two in a vase means death will soon follow. But that doesn't mean you should nix all flowers during an open house. They're vital to elevating the appearance of your home. Instead, professional home stager Krisztina Bell of Atlanta suggests going green by using succulents and other types of greenery throughout the house. We're also partial to eucalyptus branches, monstera leaves, or a pothos plant. 4. Old calendar Make sure your calendar is up to date! A calendar showing the wrong month is believed to cut short a persons life. If you're still stuck on the beautiful art that accompanies the calendar, cut it out and frame it for decor. Just make sure your calendar is flipped to the current month. 5. Black cats Black cat at home michellegibson/iStock Your sweet black cat might be minding its own business, but to potential buyers who happen upon it, your cat could be a bad omen. Black cats have been associated with witchcraft since the Middle Ages; but in Britain, Japan, and Ireland, black cats are seen as bringing good luck. Some people love black cats, while others look at them with suspicion. If you have a black cat, crate him or her up while showing the house, says Radford. In fact, that goes for other types of pets, too. You want potential buyers focusing on your home, not your four-legged friend. The post 5 Bad Omens That Could Curse Your Homeand Jeopardize Your Sale appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. Toilet roll and hand gel have been placed in arcade grabber machines as prizes amid fears that hygiene products could run out in shops due to coronavirus-driven demand. Arcade owner Eddy Chapman decided to swap toys for toilet roll after seeing people stocking up on the items as they prepared for possible self-isolation. He said he noticed shoppers panic-buying the product and decided to have a bit of fun with it in his East Yorkshire arcade. Meanwhile in Devon, another man has made soap and hand gel the prizes in a grabber machine in his arcade. We evicted the character from Frozen and the Peter Rabbit teddy bears and replaced them with hand sanitiser and toilet rolls, Rob Braddick from Ho Barts Amusement Arcade said. Shelves across the country have been emptied of goods, including toilet paper, after Public Health England urged members of the public to plan ahead in case they have to stay at home for several weeks to limit the spread of the virus. On Tuesday, the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the UK jumped to 373 up by 57 compared to the day before and a sixth person who had contracted coronavirus died. Mr Chapman said that he has had fantastic feedback from visitors to his toilet roll-based arcade machine in Bridlington, East Yorkshire. Everybody that comes to it is laughing, the Chapmans Funland owner said. One man from Pontefract who managed to grab toilet roll from the machine said: I am chuffed to bits. It were worth driving 68 miles and spending 30 to win that. Some supermarkets have said they will ration certain essential items including hand gel and soap to prevent stockpiling amid a coronavirus outbreak. Tesco has limited the sale of goods such as pasta and long-life milk, while Waitrose has said it will temporarily cap certain items online, including hand sanitiser. Oliver Dowden, the British culture secretary, has said the government is in constant contact with major retailers to ensure supplies are available and that shelves are restocked as necessary. He told BBC Breakfast: There is absolutely no need for anybody to stockpile or anything like that. A hospital in Northampton has said that bottles of hand gel have gone missing from the end of patients beds and their welcome desks in an appeal asking people to stop taking them home amid the coronavirus outbreak. The government has advised people to self-isolate for 14 days if there is the risk they may have contracted Covid-19, a flu-like virus which can develop into pneumonia. More than 114,000 people have tested positive for coronavirus across the globe, with the number of deaths surpassing 4,000, according to a Reuters tally on Tuesday. Additional reporting by agencies Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Claire Lee (Agence France-Presse) Seoul, South Korea Tue, March 10, 2020 21:07 671 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2069b8c66 2 World South-Korea,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,outbreak,COVID-19,health,privacy,information Free Allegations of affairs, revelations of membership of religious sects: South Korea's openness about infected patients has been key in its fight against the coronavirus but raised uncomfortable questions over privacy and stigmatization. South Korea has confirmed more than 7,500 infections, one of the largest totals outside China, where the virus first emerged, although new case numbers have been declining for several days. Officials say that has been made possible by widespread testing of potential contacts -- the South has carried out more than 210,000. Across the country, local authorities have been issuing emergency alerts by mobile phone to those living or working in districts where new cases have been confirmed. The text message arrives with a shrieking warning, announcing nearby locations visited by patients before they were diagnosed with the virus and their links to other cases. More information is available on municipal websites, sometimes with breakdowns of individuals' daily schedules, even down to the minute, and details of their residence and employer -- often making them identifiable individually. In a country where virtually everyone owns a smartphone, doxxing -- maliciously spreading private information about individuals and businesses online -- has long been a problem. And the consequences have been sometimes been embarrassing, even brutal, with the National Human Rights Commission describing them as "human rights violations". "We can't help but worry about the situation where the confirmed patients become subject to secondary damages, such as being criticized, ridiculed and abhorred online," it said in a statement. Two confirmed patients have been accused of having an extra-marital affair, after their travel logs showed similarities. One Samsung Electronics employee who tested positive said she received hateful comments online after a city mayor revealed her boyfriend is a member of Shincheonji, the controversial religious sect linked to more than half the South's cases. "I am having a hard time mentally, more so than (physical) pain," she wrote on her Facebook account, which she has since turned private, asking other users not to share her personal information. "I'm so sorry to my family and friends," she added. Michael Hurt, a sociologist at Korea National University of Arts, said that while the alerts reassure the public that authorities are dealing with the epidemic, they can unintentionally lead to "the stigmatization of areas as infected or 'dangerous'." Companies identified as visited by infected people have been hit. "I'm having a very hard time, we are basically getting no customers after an emergency alert went out which included our address," a restaurant owner in Seoul told AFP. "I understand these alerts are necessary, but at the same time, my business has been virtually destroyed." 'Delicate balance' South Korea has an advanced medical system, a free press and a strong culture of public accountability, and Seoul's foreign minister says the government has stressed transparency when tackling the public health crisis. But even a health ministry civil servant could not avoid online bullying after contracting the virus. The municipal government of Sejong -- where the ministry is based -- revealed that she took gym classes taught by an infected instructor, as well as a detailed breakdown of her daily schedule. Most online comments slammed her as "irresponsible" for going to a gym during the outbreak, but others picked on items such as her lunch hours, saying they were too long for a civil servant and accused her of "slacking off". The government's Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters was forced to step in to defend her, saying her gym visits took place before authorities advised people to avoid public gatherings and adopt social distancing. "Excessive attacks and indiscriminate accusations against those infected will not only greatly hurt the individual, but will also impede prevention activities," it said. A Seoul National University study has since shown South Koreans were more afraid of being "criticized" should they get infected, than the virus itself. There was a "delicate balance" between risk, information and privacy, said Jason Farley, a nurse practitioner and professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Simpler releases listing an infected person's locations between certain dates would be sufficient, he told AFP, but the details being made public were leading to "significant stigma, discrimination and, in some cases, threats to individuals known to have COVID-19. "This behavior is unacceptable and should be discouraged." Bhopal, March 10 : Two simultaneous legislative party meetings of the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) presented a stark contrast here on Monday evening. The meeting of the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) held at Chief Minister Kamal Nath's residence was reported to have been attended by 93 members, including four Independents. Only 88 Congress MLAs were present, suggesting the absence of 26 MLAs. While 22 resignations from a total strength of 114 have been accounted for, mystery continued over the absence of four others. The mood was expectedly sombre. The one Samajwadi Party member and two BSP members did not attend the meeting possibly due to the technical reason of not belonging to the Congress. One key takeaway from the meeting was that the Congress was not willing to throw in the towel and would continue to fight to finish. The development came after Congress strongman from Madhya Pradesh Jyotiraditya Scindia severed his nearly two-decade long association with the party on Tuesday after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi here along with Home Minister Amit Shah, sinking the Kamal Nath-led 15-month-old MP government into a deep crisis. The Speaker's office said that it has received only 19 resignations so far and will decide on them in due time. The ruling party then decided to send former minister Sajjan Singh Verma to Bengaluru to see if all those kept there had resigned on their own volition or were coerced into quitting the party. It is another matter whether Verma would be allowed to meet them. The BJP legislative party met in a celebratory mood, but no decision was taken in the meeting. Earlier, reports had suggested that former MP Chief Minister Shivraj Siingh Chouhan would be handed the leadership of the party in place of Gopal Bhargava. The decision seems to have been deferred and Chouhan has been asked to be in Delhi at the earliest. He is likely to be in Delhi on Wednesday. The new state chief of the saffron party, V.D. Sharma, who seems to have started on an auspicious note, was very cheerful to be welcomed by Bhargava. He expressed assurance to see the party in power soon. Meanwhile, Congress leader Laxman Singh had said that the Kamal Nath-led government should be prepared to sit in the opposition as it will not survive in the state. But he changed his posture after the CLP meeting, saying that even with current numbers, the Congress could fight with BJP's numbers acquired through unfair means. Laxman Singh happens to be the younger brother of former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh. "I will meet Chief Minister Kamal Nath to discuss the future strategy," Laxman Singh said. The number game at 0 p.m. on Tuesday: Total strength of the Assembly: 230 (-2) = 228 Resignations so far: 22 Strength on possible acceptance of resignations: 206 Majority mark: 104 BJP: 107 Congress: 92 + BSP 2 + SP 1 + Independents 4 = 99 With the Congress's clout being substantially reduced, it is has very slim chance of pulling it off hereabouts. The Italian government has enforced unprecedented measures in a bid to control the spread of the deadly coronavirus. But for Real Housewives Of New Jersey star Joe Giudice, the order to stay home is simply 'ridiculous' and has claimed more people die from taking the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra. The 47-year-old shared footage of himself strolling the Italian streets on Tuesday, angrily complaining about the lockdown. Denial: Joe Giudice strolls the Italian streets as he rants about 'stupid coronavirus' on Tuesday... and insists Viagra is more deadly Deserted: The 47-year-old shared footage of himself strolling the Italian streets on Tuesday, angrily complaining about the lockdown; he lives in the small town of Sala Consilina 'I can't believe that there's literally nobody out on these streets,' he complained. 'Look at this, ghost town. Literally nobody out because of this stupid coronavirus. 'It's, like, ridiculous, people are so scared. Unbelievable. Grow a set of cojones.' He shared footage of the completely empty street of his new home in Sala Consilina, adding: 'Jesus, ridiculous. All right, I guess I'm going to be the only one working today.' His comments follow an unprecedented lockdown of Italy, trapping millions inside the nation. Universities and schools have been shut. Not staying home: He shared footage of the completely empty street, adding: 'Jesus, ridiculous. All right, I guess I'm going to be the only one working today.' Hundreds dead: Italy has become the country hardest hit by COVID-19 outside of China Italy has become the country hardest hit by COVID-19 outside of China with more than 10,000 cases and 631 deaths at the latest official count. All forms of public gatherings have been prohibited, with Italy's entire population of 60 million on virtual lockdown, public gatherings banned and sporting events suspended. Joe has been living in Italy - his birthplace - since last year, as he awaits a decision in his deportation case after never applying for U.S. citizenship. He moved in with his grandmother at her home in the small town of Sala Consilina in the province of Salerno, later telling Andy Cohen her house 'is small, but its fine.' Joe has been living in Italy - his birthplace - since last year, as he awaits a decision in his deportation case after never applying for U.S. citizenship Not scared: Joe complained: 'More people die from Viagra (heart attacks and drug overdose) everyday than this coronavirus' Joe complained: 'More people die from Viagra (heart attacks and drug overdose) everyday than this coronavirus. People here are frantic because government is ridiculous with lockdown!!!!' U.S. researchers found 2,200 deaths linked to erectile dysfunction drugs, based on reports to the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology from 2000 to 2010. More than 116,000 people have contracted the coronavirus worldwide with over 4,000 deaths since it surfaced in China late last year, according to the World Health Organization. It has spread to more than 100 nations. 'Lockdown not for me!' Joe said he had spent long enough stuck inside, having served a 41-month prison sentence Joe then made reference to the 41 months he spent on jail serving time for his conviction for mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud. 'Sorry lockdown not for me,' said Joe. 'Never again!!!!! Stay safe, eat healthy, exercise, and no shaking hands! #coronavirus #staysafeoutthere #lockdownnotcool #awarenessiskey #washhands.' Joe shares four daughters Gia, 19; Gabriella, 16; Milania, 15; Audriana, 11 with his estranged wife Teresa. The couple were married in October 1999 but have been separated since December. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 9) President Rodrigo Duterte dismissed Monday the Senates petition before the Supreme Court to require his administration to seek the chambers concurrence before it can end treaties. Duterte said he refuses to be compelled by the petition, theorizing that this may just be a political move by senators to win votes from Filipinos in America. He added that for him, the clock is just ticking for the end of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the US and the Philippines. We are beginning to count the 180 days for them to pack up and go. I am not reneging on the VFA and I am not going to America to discuss this with anybody, Duterte said. He added, however, that US President Donald Trump is going to give the Philippines the best deal and prodded Filipinos in America to vote for his re-election. Senators want the Supreme Court to finally define the limits of presidential powers when it comes to treaty terminations. The Constitution only says that the Senates nod is needed when the Philippines enters into a treaty, but does not say if this is also required when ending an agreement with another country. Senators insist that their concurrence is also needed in ending treaties, even inserting a provision in every international agreement they have ratified in the past two years that their nod is also required in case the government decides to terminate these. This is especially the case with the VFA a military pact on the treatment of US personnel in the Philippines which Senate President Vicente Tito Sotto III described as a sensitive deal. Ibang klaseng agreement ito eh, mahirap pinasukan nito eh. Masalimuot ang pagkakapasok dito. Naniniwala kami na hindi pupwedeng isang sulat lang eh balewala na, Sotto said. [Translation: This is a different kind of agreement, its difficult. This is a complicated situation. We believe that it cannot be terminated with just one signature.] Sotto added that the Senates petition is not exactly against Duterte, as they are simply asserting a power of the chamber that they believe it possesses. Duterte moved to end the VFA out of his anger due to the possible ban on the entry of Philippine officials involved in the detention of opposition Senator Leila de Lima to the US, moves in the US Senate to also freeze assets of Philippine officials involved in human rights violations, and the cancellation of Senator Ronald Bato dela Rosas US visa. The VFA is an agreement between Manila and Washington signed in February 1998 on the treatment of American military personnel when they are in the Philippines. It is seen as an agreement that compliments the Mutual Defense Treaty, another agreement between the Philippines and the US which guarantees that the two countries will provide military aid to each other in case their metropolitan areas or their territories in the Pacific are attacked by a foreign force. Beijing/London, March 10 : With the World Health Organisation (WHO) warning that threat of new coronavirus pandemic is "very real," Chinese President Xi Jingping visited the epicentre of COVID-19 for the first time on Tuesday. Xi's arrival in Wuhan comes at a time when the virus spread in mainland China has slowed down and attention has turned to global hot spots such as Iran, Italy and South Korea, reports Al Jazeera. Mainland China reported no new locally transmitted coronavirus cases outside Hubei province for the third straight day. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced late on Monday that he was extending restrictions on travel, that had been in place in the north till date, throughout the country. Italy has recorded more than 9,000 coronavirus infections and 463 deaths. Globally, nearly 4,000 people have died from the coronavirus and over 110,000 cases have been confirmed. The chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that as COVID-19 has got a foothold in so many countries, the threat of a pandemic has become "very real", but it would be the first pandemic in history that could be controlled. "It's certainly troubling that so many people and countries have been affected, so quickly," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text (Alliance News) - Negotiating teams from Fine Gael and Fianna Fail are to start "in-depth, detailed talks" as the Republic of Ireland's leaders face pressure to accelerate government formation discussions. The efforts to form a government take place as 24 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the Republic of Ireland. On Tuesday, the leaders of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael said they held constructive discussions over the past two days about policy issues and the current political situation. The two identical statements said that both Leo Varadkar and Micheal Martin are "acutely aware of the enormous challenges facing the country", with the onset of Covid-19. It said both parties will enter the talks as equal partners. The meeting indicates Varadkar's party, Fine Gael, and opposition party Fianna Fail, which have dominated government since the foundation of the state, may be heading for the country's first grand coalition. This would effectively exclude Sinn Fein, which received the biggest share of the vote in February's election from power. There have been calls for a national interim government of all parties to deal with Covid-19. On Monday, caretaker Irish Premier Varadkar rejected the idea, stating it would require two changes of government. "Having that disruption twice in the course of a few months would not be wise, quite frankly," he said. Sinn Fein met with the Green Party on Tuesday in a bid to form a government without Fianna Fail or Fine Gael but the arithmetic means such a government looks unlikely. Both Martin and Varadkar have consistently ruled out going into coalition with Sinn Fein, citing the party's left-wing economic policies and links to the IRA. Speaking on Tuesday, Sinn Fein TD Pearse Doherty said a grand coalition between the two parties would not be the "government for change" that Irish people voted for. "It is clear that Fine Gael and Fianna Fail want something different. They want to go back into power to stop that momentum for change. It is our job to continue to engage with other parties and independents to try and ensure that does not happen. That is the worst outcome that anyone could envisage from this election." source: PA Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. WASHINGTON, March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Liberty Institute filed a friend-of-the-court brief in Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania urging the Supreme Court of the United States to reverse a lower court ruling prohibiting the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from exempting certain religious objectors from the Affordable Care Acts Contraceptive Mandate. Without a religious exemption, the Mandate would require the Little Sisters of the Poora religious order of nunsto facilitate contraceptive insurance coverage even though their sincerely held religious beliefs forbid them from doing so. Its long past time for the Supreme Court of the United States to put an end to these efforts to force the Little Sisters of the Poor and other religious objectors to violate their faith, said Lea Patterson, Counsel for First Liberty Institute. We are hopeful the Court will uphold the Administrations respect for the religious liberty of all religious orders and non-profits and reverse the Third Circuits dangerous decision. In 2017, after multiple legal challenges to the Contraceptive Mandate, the Trump Administration adopted new regulations that expanded protections for religious objectors to the Mandate. But several states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, sued the Trump Administration, claiming that the federal government could not consider the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) in developing its regulations. The states complained that they did not want to pay for the contraception coverage at issue, even though they maintained that the contraception coverage is vitally important to the states interests. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled against religious objectors, concluding that the Administration cannot consider RFRA to develop a broad religious exemption from the Contraception Mandate, jeopardizing the hard-won exemptions granted to the nuns and others. According to First Libertys brief, the Third Circuit defied binding precedent and distorted RFRAs balancing framework by invalidating accommodations the court deemed to potentially pose an undue burden to third parties. However, the brief explains, This undue burden standard derives from cases challenging abortion regulations and is entirely foreign to RFRA analysis. By substituting this extraneous standard for RFRAs compelling interest test, the court turned RFRAs very broad protection for religious liberty, upside down. Dear Minister Harris, I have concerns regarding the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and our country's early response to it. South Korea has the second highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases after China (6,593 confirmed cases on 06/03/20). 80,000 people have been tested. Whenever a new case is identified an emergency text message is sent to everyone letting them know where. Next a timeline is given of the person's whereabouts over the previous 48-72 hours so that if someone has been to those areas, they can present for testing. Those places are immediately shut down and sterilised. (This could be an invasion of personal privacy, but it shows the lengths some countries are going to). All schools and many businesses have been shut the past week and will remain shut next week. In Daegu, 1900 Shincheoji Church members at the epicentre of the outbreak were tested. 1300 had symptoms, 600 did not. Among those 1300 with symptoms, 87.5% were confirmed coronavirus. Of the 600 WITHOUT symptoms, 70% were confirmed with coronavirus. Contrast this with Italy: testing is now only on individuals showing symptoms. Here in Ireland after the first confirmed case Dr. John Cuddihy, director of the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, said 'It is important to note that the risk of transmission through casual contact is low'. This is strictly probably true but very misleading as we know each person passes it to between 3 to 7 others and often do so before they realise they are a vector themselves. Approximately 80% suffer mild symptoms, 15% need hospitalisation and 5% require ICU. If 0.2% of Ireland's 5 million people contract this virus, that would mean 1,500 hospitalisations and 500 ICU admissions. Our secondary care system simply cannot manage it. We only have approximately 250 ICU beds in the whole country and they are at maximum capacity. Thankfully no deaths have been reported in those aged under 9 years. At this moment it only appears like cases in Europe are manageable. Ten days ago Italy was the only country in Europe with more than 100 cases. Today, 06/03/20, Italy has 3,858, France 577, Germany 578, Spain 386, Switzerland 214, UK 163, Netherlands 128, Belgium 109, Norway 108, Sweden 101). The first 2 cases were confirmed in Italy on January 31st. Now on March 6th, 35 days later there are 3,858 cases in Italy including a staggering 148 deaths and 351 in serious/critical condition. This equates to a doubling time of close to 3 days. In Ireland we are currently in the early phase of exponential growth. Exponential growth is a pattern of growth that shows greater increases with passing time. It is easier to understand when viewed on a graph (see below). The slope is gradual at first (allowing people to think that cases are under control). However, once a critical number is reached the graph bends steeply upwards as cases appear at quickening pace. I believe the critical number could be approximately 100 cases. In Ireland the testing criteria were changed yesterday morning after the confirmation last night of our first case of community transmission in Cork. The criteria now include those with fever of unknown cause plus other specific symptoms. This is to be welcomed. However, the testing criteria are still too strict. We will soon need to start testing anyone with any symptoms and even those without symptoms like is happening in South Korea or we will miss the potential for early identification of pockets of severe outbreaks. There are anecdotal reports of people returning from holidays in Italy over the past month with flu-like illness but not meeting the criteria for testing. This raises the possibility that coronavirus has been circulating undetected for the past 4-5 weeks. Around the world the strategy is containment but very soon will be mitigation. China (30% of the world's manufacturing) shut down almost all their industry in Hubei and the Greater Pearl River Delta. Japan has shut down schools. South Korea has closed schools and churches. Iran has mobilised 300,000 soldiers and volunteers. The US states of California, Maryland and Washington State have declared a state of emergency. Italy quarantined 11 towns in Lombardy and Veneto and is considering expanding the 'red zone'. France has banned gatherings larger than 5000 in a confined space. Sweden has banned gatherings larger than 1000. Schools have been closed in Italy and in Greece. Europe is moving towards mass quarantine and social distancing. The HSE is wisely promoting: - Wash your hands properly and often - Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve when you cough and sneeze - Put used tissues into a bin and wash your hands - Keep hands away from face (nose, mouth, eyes) - Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces - Try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell This advice is sensible and important. However, we must consider much more stringent measures. I believe these measures must be put into place in the next week or the virus may have spread too widely to contain. Consider that the doubling time of COVID-19 is approximately three days. We currently have 13 cases in Ireland, doubling every three days opens the possibility of 250-300 cases in 2 weeks time and greater than 1000 cases in 3 weeks time. Over the next few days people must be informed of the necessary social distancing measures so that they can prepare both psychologically and organisationally. We need to strongly consider the following: - Cancel all St. Patricks Day celebrations - Cancel all sporting events - Cancel large social events - Restrict all non-essential travel - Close all schools and universities and put in place home schooling measures - Early adoption of working from home where possible Once a total number of 100 cases has been reached in a country, it seems almost impossible to contain. Singapore and Hong Kong (which is a Special Administrative Region of China) are the only two to hold their cases at around 100 (even Singapore reported 13 cases today). These are both city states so may have an advantage over other countries. I realise these are highly unpalatable measures for anyone to implement. As a doctor I am only looking at what needs to be done to save lives. The government is faced with the uncomfortable responsibility of balancing three areas: stopping the virus, keeping the economy going and avoiding overloading the hospitals. Strong leadership is required. Draconian measures like shutting down whole cities was what was required in China's worst affected regions. We must act quickly and decisively in the hope that we delay the spread until summer when warmer weather and sunlight may arrest COVID-19's growth. Failure to put in place these measures now will leave our most vulnerable citizens: the elderly, the immunocompromised and those with chronic diseases, requiring ICU beds and mechanical ventilation machines that will be simply unavailable. Our already understaffed and under resourced health system will be unable to cope. We need to take early and decisive heed of the lessons from China and Italy. This is more contagious and causes more ICU admissions than viruses we have seen before. It can spread before someone shows symptoms. Other countries have reacted too late to the extreme, unpalatable measures that will be required to reduce the peak number and speed of spread of this infection. Yours sincerely, Dr. Domhnall Heron GP Registrar Author Monte Perepelkin explains how the Bible is Gods instruction manual to humankind, and how God has a message for everyone a message the author says most have overlooked in his new book YHWH AND THE SACRED SECRET (published by Archway Publishing). Perepelkin wrote this book by poking one keystroke at a time with a customized stick that fits his mouth. Using over 50 translations, the book takes an honest look at what the Bible really says on a variety of topics, such as: what happens after people die, who goes to heaven, who the creator is, what the creator expects of people, his plan for humanity and what the creator promises to those who respect his authority. Perepelkin hopes the analysis will compel readers to use common sense to reason logically that humankind had to have been created. I believe many people are searching, now more than ever, for real answers to some of lifes most important questions. This book will give them those answers from the most reliable source we have, Perepelkin explains, adding I want readers to take a hard and honest look at what they believe to be true and realize how their choices effect their future. YHWH AND THE SACRED SECRET is available for purchase on Archway Publishing at: https://www.archwaypublishing.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-001213595. YHWH AND THE SACRED SECRET By Monte Perepelkin Hardcover | 6 x 9 in | 152 pages | ISBN 9781480875753 Softcover | 6 x 9 in | 152 pages | ISBN 9781480875746 E-Book | 152 pages | ISBN 9781480875760 Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble About the Author By the age of 30, Monte Perepelkin was the owner and operator of a thriving finish carpentry business in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Then, shortly after turning 30, in February 1999, Perepelkin suffered a spinal cord injury at an arenacross event that left him paralyzed from the neck down. With his racing career over, his business dissolved, and his marriage falling apart, the father of two daughters struggled to come to terms with his confinement to a wheelchair as a full-fledged quadriplegic. Not quite ready to put the sport he loved behind him, Perepelkin accepted a contributor position with Motocross Performance Magazine. After seven years of writing for the magazine, he moved on to found a small not-for-profit company that specialized in designing wheelchair-friendly home environments for people who, like him, had become paralyzed. His other two books The Perfect Life and Truth and Reality: A Life Choice for All Mankind are available on his Amazon author page. Simon & Schuster, a company with nearly ninety years of publishing experience, has teamed up with Author Solutions, LLC, the worldwide leader in self-publishing, to create Archway Publishing. With unique resources to support books of all kind, Archway Publishing offers a specialized approach to help every author reach his or her desired audience. For more information, visit http://www.archwaypublishing.com or call 888-242-5904. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has agreed to temporarily suspend a visa-waiver program for citizens from eight European countries due to growing concerns over the spread of Covid-19. European visitors in Hoi An Town. Vietnam has suspended a visa-waiver program for citizens from eight European countries At a Cabinet meeting on March 9, the Government leader approved a proposal from the national steering committee for Covid-19 infection prevention and control to apply the suspension policy to citizens of Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Spain, the local media reported. The decision was made after Vietnam recorded an additional 14 cases last weekend, of whom 11 had entered the country from Europe. The steering committee had earlier proposed the Government suspend the unilateral visa waiver program for citizens from the European Union, the United Kingdom and countries that are not members of the European Union and have registered over 500 infection cases in total or over 50 new cases per day. The committee had also suggested the denial of visas for foreigners who showed Covid-19 symptoms. Vietnam suspended the visa waiver program for South Koreans from February 29 and for Italians from March 3 to contain the spread of the disease. The country has reported 31 Covid-19 cases so far, including 16 people who have fully recovered from the disease. All 15 active cases, with five Vietnamese and 10 foreigners, are being treated at local medical centers. Ministry orders tighter control of entry via border gates Foreigners fill in health declaration forms at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi The Ministry of Transport has ordered its affiliates to strengthen the control of entry into Vietnam via border gates in an attempt to contain the spread of the acute respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). Those agencies need to guide all people entering Vietnam to fill in the compulsory electronic health declaration. Airlines must inform all passengers, both Vietnamese and foreigners, on the requirement to make health declarations before entering Vietnam, starting from 6:00 am on March 7. Airports are also requested to work with health authorities to zone off areas for health declaration and examination, as well as notify foreign airlines operating flights from/to Vietnam. Transport firms and drivers must ask passengers to report their health conditions in the e-health declaration forms before departing for and entering Vietnam, as well as to closely follow regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control by Vietnamese authorities. According to the national steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control, 106,355 infection cases have been reported around the world, including 3,600 deaths, in 102 countries and territories. There are more than 1,000 new cases each day, and the number could rise slightly in the next few days. As of 8pm of March 8, Vietnam had confirmed 30 infection cases, including 16 already having recovered. The 14 latest cases, including five Vietnamese and nine foreigners, have been in quarantine. SGT/VNN/VNA Visa-free entry suspended for overseas Vietnamese from COVID-19-hit countries Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has agreed to suspend visa-free entry for overseas Vietnamese (OVs) from countries whose citizens have visa-free entry unilaterally halted, firstly the Republic of Korea and COVID-19-hit nations. A large majority of the countrys more than 7,500 coronavirus patients are Shincheonji members in Daegu, a city in the southeast, or people who had come into contact with them. An additional cluster of cases has emerged in Cheongdo, a county near Daegu that is Mr. Lees birthplace and a regular pilgrimage destination for his followers. The church has protested what it called scapegoating by South Koreans eager to discredit what had been the fastest-growing religious sect in the country, as other big churches worry about declining membership. The entire society has gone berserk against our church since the virus outbreak, said Lee Young-Soo, 54, a Shincheonji member whose sister, a fellow church member, died after having fallen from her seventh-floor apartment in the southern city of Ulsan last month. Ms. Lee said her sister had confided that her husbands long-running abuse over her church had intensified after the virus outbreak. Another Shincheonji member who church officials said had suffered spousal abuse, a 42-year-old mother of two, died after having fallen from her 11th floor apartment on Monday night. The police are investigating both cases. The society is so wrong, and I am so saddened, Ms. Lee said. Still, the church is inextricably linked to the spread of the affliction in South Korea, one of the largest outbreaks outside China. Despite official advice being to self-quarantine for 14 days if you have been exposed to the coronavirus, one Republican congressman has refused to do so and has been spotted giving a tour of the US Capitol to a group of students. Representative Louie Gohmert of Texas chose not to self-quarantine and follow the example of fellow lawmakers including Senator Ted Cruz, Matt Gaetz, and Doug Collins, and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. All were exposed to a New Jersey man who later tested positive for the virus, while they were at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Mr Gaetz and Mr Collins both interacted with President Donald Trump before being informed of their potential exposure. Mr Gohmert instead returned to work at the Capitol and released a statement explaining his decision, having spoken with a CDC physician: We discussed all the specific circumstances of which he was aware along with my circumstances, including that I was and am asymptomatic, he said that all things considered I was cleared to return to Washington. He said he would return if he were me and advised that my staff and I should just be careful to observe proper hygiene protocols. I took the advice of the expert and returned to work. No one is panicking and we are observing the recommended precautions, he added. While one might assume that recommended precautions might include not attending events with large groups of people, Mr Goehmert was spotted leading the tour group around the Capitol on Monday evening. He did explain to the group that he had no symptoms and would not be shaking hands. Despite his contact with Mr Gaetz and Mr Collins, the president has not been tested for coronavirus. White House spokesperson, Stephanie Grisham, said: The President has not received COVID-19 testing because he has neither had prolonged close contact with any known confirmed COVID-19 patients, nor does he have any symptoms. The midwestern and northeastern United States will see a shocking temperature swing this week before a several day stretch of chilly conditions settles in. Temperatures started out the week in the 60s and 70s F from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C., Boston and Burlington, Vermont, after ending this past weekend in a similar fashion across the Midwest. Following rain sweeping across the Northeast Tuesday, temperatures on Wednesday will be trimmed by 10-20 degrees from their early-week peak. Since the air behind the rain is of Pacific origin, highs are likely to remain a few degrees above average at midweek, generally in the 40s and 50s. Mild air will surge northward yet again into the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic late in the week ahead of an advancing storm system. Temperatures are likely to take a more significant hit behind this storm when compared to the plunge at midweek. Another round of rain will sweep through the Northeast on Friday along the leading edge of the cold push, and rain may change to snow across the far northern tier. Gusty, locally damaging winds are also likely to accompany the big swing in temperatures. CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP "A more substantial burst of cold air is likely to pivot across the Great Lakes, central Appalachians and New England with below-average temperatures by this weekend," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said. The cold will grip Minneapolis, Chicago and Detroit on Friday and Saturday with high temperatures ranging from the middle 30s to middle 40s, about 4-8 degrees below average for the middle of March. The air will moderate a bit as it travels eastward, with temperatures returning to within a few degrees of average, in the middle 40s to near 50, from Boston to New York City and Pittsburgh this weekend. "While the coastal areas the mid-Atlantic will also cool down this weekend, the effects may not be as intense," Sosnowski said. Story continues However, considering just how warm it was at the start of the week, Northeasterners may be pulling out more layers than they might require otherwise before heading outside this weekend. A gusty breeze will add to the shock value of the chill, dropping AccuWeather RealFeel Temperatures into the teens and 20s across the northern tier for at least the first half of Saturday. Northern New England will bear the brunt of the cold this weekend, with high temperatures forecast to be no better than the 20s on Sunday with lows dipping below zero. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios. Supplier News 10 March 2020 Spring is in the air and we can all use a little social media distraction from the news headlines! Over the last month, there have been an abundance of social media changes being announced and rolling out, and some of them will be particularly important to hotels and resorts soon. Let's take a look at all the new social changes that matter most to you. Facebook Adds "One-Time Notification" To Messenger Facebook has restrictions in place that restrict businesses from reaching out to customers and followers on their own; starting March 4th, 2020, they have 24 hours to respond to users after the user first interacted with them. There are exceptions, and the "one-time notification" option is one, allowing guests to opt-in to receive relevant follow-ups or messages that are important to them. This API is available for businesses and marketers to start using right away. What This Means for Hotels & Resorts This new feature doesn't mean that you can reach out to guests at any point, but you can set up Messenger so that guests can opt-in for special notifications. You could set up a feature, for example, where you remind guests about their reservation several days in advance, or where you can alert them if a previously-booked suite opens up. Facebook Audience Network Is Eliminating Mobile Placements Facebook has announced that on April 11th of this year, they'll no longer support mobile web and in-stream placements of ads through the audience network. There are a few months left, and Facebook has acknowledged that ad performance may fluctuate once the change goes into effect. What This Means for Hotels & Resorts This change won't hit hotels and resorts significantly and long-term, though you may see some ups or downs immediately following the changes in mid-April. Keep an eye on your campaigns, and remember that you can always stop optimizing for these placements early if you want to change up your campaigns now. The FTC Releases Statement Warning Influencers The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently released a statement saying that they were going to more clearly monitor influencer marketing, noting that "undisclosed" posts from influencer marketers could result in financial penalties. They flagged Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok as platforms where violations were more common. What This Means for Hotels & Resorts Make sure that any campaigns created with influencers are clearly disclosed as being sponsored. This will keep both your brand and your influencer partners in good standing. If platforms have native sponsored tags (like Instagram), make sure that you're using them. Massive Instagram Password Leak Risks Account Security Last month, social tech startup Social Captain experienced a massive data breach. A website bug allowed any user to access any Social Captain's user profile by entering in their account ID. Once in, they could view the individual's login credentials. Thousands of Instagram passwords were exposed. What This Means for Hotels & Resorts If you've ever used Social Captain to help you increase your Instagram followers or even think that you might have, remove access immediately. Though the bug was fixed, Instagram did state that the company was in violation of their guidelines. You'll also want to change your password and enable two-step verification. Twitter Allows You to Thread Days-Apart Tweets Twitter is rolling out a new feature designed to facilitate conversations, even multiple days apart. The idea is to add "a new thought to an old tweet," threading Tweets even if they're posted on separate days. When posting, look for the option that says "Continue thread," and select a previous tweet. The feature is slowly coming to iOS, and will likely start rolling out on Android soon. What This Means for Hotels & Resorts The goal here is to reduce broken threads, boost conversation, and keep good content relevant. Hotels and resorts can use this to elaborate more on past posts, update guests with new information as it becomes available, and potentially re-engage guests. TikTok Acquires Licensed Music TikTok is an increasingly popular platform, and they've now got a deal with global independent music licensing agency Merlin. Their music can now be used on TikTok, bringing legal music to the platform which users can soon add to their own videos. What This Means for Hotels & Resorts TikTok is a minor player compared to larger platforms like Facebook and Instagram, but you shouldn't count it out. It can be particularly valuable when targeting younger demographics of potential guests, as it's particularly popular with Gen Z users. Take a look at the platform, and even if it's not a great fit now, keep an eye on it long-term. Sombre mood prevailed on Holi in parts of Punjab and Haryana on Tuesday as people stayed away from big gatherings amid the coronavirus scare. However, a large number of people paid obeisance at Gurdwara Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib on the occasion of Holla Mohalla amid heightened vigil. A few days ago, the chief ministers of both states had urged people to avoid big gatherings due to coronavirus. On Saturday, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had suggested that the festival could be celebrated by paying obeisance in various gurdwaras in small numbers, instead of congregating in large numbers at one place. A family in Haryana's Ambala, who used to celebrate Holi each year in a large group, said this time they celebrated at home as they did not want to take chances in view of the COVID-19 scare. Chandigarh-based Aditya (16) said his patents had advised him not to join a large group while celebrating the festival. "I used to celebrate Holi with my friends until late afternoon, but this time the celebrations were over by noon. My parents told me to avoid joining any big group in view of the scare caused by coronavirus," he said. The health scare also took a toll on Holi business. Some traders in Punjab and Haryana, including Chandigarh, said the demand for Holi products was much less in comparison with last years. "There is a poor demand this year. There is scare caused by coronavirus due to which people are not buying colours, 'pitchkaris' and balloons. The fact that some of the products sold in markets are from China is also turning them away, said a trader in Punjab's Moga. Police in the two states and Chandigarh made elaborate arrangements to ensure a safe and joyous Holi. A warning was issued against hooliganism. Special teams of traffic police along with PCR vans and local police were deployed at many places to check incidents of hooliganism, speeding and reckless driving. Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh greeted people on the occasion. "Wishing Happy Holi to everyone. Holi is particularly celebrated for the triumph of good over evil. Lets celebrate this colourful festival in the spirit it deserves and responsibly," Singh tweeted. In another tweet, he also extended greetings to people for Holla Mohalla. "Warm wishes to everyone on the auspicious occasion of #Hola Mahalla. Our Guru, Sri Gobind Singh Ji envisioned Hola Mahalla to demonstrate martial skills of Sikhs. It's a proud celebration for all of us," he said in the tweet on Tuesday. Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar extended greetings to the people of the state. "We should celebrate such festivals with mutual joy, affection and brotherhood," he said in a message on the occasion. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The honeymoons of 34 South Korean newly-weds on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius turned into a holiday from hell after they were rounded up and held in isolation by authorities due to fears over the coronavirus, according to Seoul officials. And some 400 South Korean tourists were flown home from Israel on Tuesday on special chartered flights after more than two dozen Catholics on a trip to that country tested positive for the virus, prompting Israel to impose an entry ban. The actions took place after a sudden rise in the number of coronavirus cases in South Korea. One of the honeymooners on Mauritius, Park Min-kyu, wrote on social media: "They took our passports and put us on standby, and then said we should be isolated for 14 days without any explanation of the situation. After about eight hours, the couples were brought to a building labelled "SHELTER" with no air conditioning, wireless connections or power sources, he said. He posted several photos that showed tall wire fences surrounding the building and a dormitory-like bedroom and restroom. "It's like we're on a little safari, with rats, lizards and huge snails all over." South Korean diplomats were helping, he said, but he was worried about the lack of infrastructure and emotional distress. Seoul's foreign ministry said none of the visitors to Mauritius has shown symptoms of having contracted coronavirus. Mauritius has requested understanding for its decision to impose a "preventive" entry ban, citing the island nation's dependence on tourism, the ministry said in a statement. "Four of the 34, including pregnant mothers, have departed the country to come home, and we're closely working with Mauritius to secure an early return for the rest of them," it said. The ministry also lodged a complaint after South Koreans aboard a Korean Air flight were refused entry at Tel Aviv airport in Israel on Saturday without any prior notice. Israel's Channel 13 broadcaster shared a video of a bus driving around southern Israel with dozens of South Korean tourists who it said were not able to find a hotel to stay. Even once a hotel was found, some of the tourists complained they were forced to stay inside even though none of them had any symptoms. "I was trying to go out for exercise for about an hour but they told me to go back inside, saying they had called police," said tourist Yoo Hyun-sook, according to footage aired by South Korean broadcaster SBS. "All of them, even those who work at the hotel, would run away when they saw us." At least seven countries have banned arrivals from South Korea since last week and a dozen others stepped up travel advisories or restrictions as the number of virus infections spiked in South Korea. EAGLEVILLE Montgomery County Commissioners Chairwoman Valerie Arkoosh said Monday afternoon there were three additional presumptive positive cases of coronavirus COVID-19 in Montgomery County since Sunday mornings briefing. That made the total five presumptive positive cases in the county as of Monday afternoon. But by the time Arkoosh was finished speaking, the state Department of Health has announced two more cases in Montgomery County. This is a rapidly evolving situation, Arkoosh said during Mondays press conference at the Montgomery County Emergency Operations Center in Eagleville. Seven people tested presumptive positive for Montgomery County and 10 in Pennsylvania overall, the Pennsylvania Department of Public Health said late Monday. There was an additional presumptive positive case each in Delaware, Monroe and Wayne counties. Montgomery Countys coronavirus website was later updated to reflect the correct figures. Officials held a press conference on Sunday morning to provide an update about two people who tested presumptive positive for coronavirus: they were from a man from Worcester Township and a woman from Lower Gwynedd Township. Following Sundays press conference, information about two additional presumptive positive cases were made available. The cases involved a man and woman with mild symptoms living in a Lower Merion Township home, according to county reports. Both are in isolation at their home, according to Arkoosh, who added that there was travel outside of the united states to a country where the virus is active. The third presumptive positive case discussed during Mondays press conference was a cardiologist working for the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphias King of Prussia location. The patient is hospitalized at The Hospital of University of Pennsylvania, Arkoosh said. She said that 13 patients had been identified for exposure. Arkoosh said the county was implementing contact tracing of those patients and their families to identify any person or location that may have been exposed. Arkoosh said the doctor was the first case that required the countys emergency responders. Dr. Alvin Wang, county EMS medical director, said the first responders followed appropriate protocols and wore protective gear when attending to the patient. According to the Centers for Disease Control, symptoms for coronavirus include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Arkoosh recommended people practice smart health habits such as washing their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, using hand sanitizer, sneezing or coughing into their elbow or tissue, and staying home and calling a doctor if they are sick with possible symptoms. The goal here is not to spread any kind of respiratory droplets, Arkoosh said. That is how the disease spreads. Arkoosh added the commissioners and other health officials would continue daily briefings as situation warrants. For more information, visit montcopa.org and click on Coronavirus Update. Connecticut-based photographer Ute-Christin Cowan was determined to celebrate her studio's 10th anniversary in a major way, so when the ambitious idea of staging a Schitt's Creek-themed cake smash popped into her head, she ran with it. Eager to get the concept for her favorite comedy series just right, she put out a casting call to find her perfect David, Alexis, Moira, and Johnny. As soon as she found her sweet little actors, it was time to create an authentic setting, but Ute-Christin admits sticking with only one setup was difficult. "We couldn't decide if we should take on the motel backdrop or use Rose Apothecary," Ute-Christin told POPSUGAR. "So instead I said, 'Let's do both!' It was my most involved cake smash yet. I looked on Instagram for images of the hotel that we could potentially use for a backdrop and found a talented artist who drew me the hotel. I wanted to replicate the show's backyard picnics and bought some fake grill food and everything you need for a good BBQ." Of course, the "HAPPY DAY ALEX & DAVIS" cake was inspired by the iconic "Grad Night" episode in season three. Remember when Alexis graduated high school on David's birthday? We thought so! Given all the iconic scenes that take place in David and Patrick's store, Rose Apothecary, Ute-Christin knew she needed to get every last detail right. "I wanted the store's setup to have a chic, authentic style," she explained. "I ordered a backdrop and bought the ladders from my photographer friends. I also made the shelves, styled the set with items from Michaels and Hobby Lobby, and ordered some Rose Apothecary products from Beekman 1802 to complete the setup." Although Ute-Christin admits that the photo shoot required a ton of planning, her efforts totally paid off. "This shoot was so much fun, we all had a blast," she said. "We're all such big Schitt's Creek fans and we wanted to celebrate the show before it comes to an end after this season. We've already bought our tickets for their farewell tour in June, and cannot wait to celebrate them there as well. With this homage, we wanted to thank the actors for all the laughter and the warm fuzzy feelings!" Scroll ahead to get a peek at this truly one-of-a-kind Schitt's Creek cake smash! Related: 30 Oh-So-Relatable Schitt's Creek GIFs to Save For Later Use India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Tuesday met United Arab Emirates' Ambassador to India, Ahmed Al Banna in New Delhi. According to an official, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan and Ahmed Al Banna discussed the future steps on consolidating bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership in new fields between the two nations. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar also took to his official Twitter handle and informed about the meeting between the Foreign Secretary and the Ambassador. Foreign Secretary @HarshShringla met Ambassador @drahmedalbanna of #UAE. FS expressed happiness at the strong & growing bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership & discussed next steps to consolidate our ties & seek partnership in new areas. @harshvshringla @UAEembassyIndia pic.twitter.com/pmHfKsnlh4 Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) March 10, 2020 READ |UAE raises virus cases to 45, new cases from 9 nationalities Qatar bans entry of people arriving from 15 countries As a precautionary measure, Qatar has temporarily banned the entry of visitors arriving from 15 countries, including China, India, Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan. Qatar's government communications office also issued an advisory and denied entry to all the visitors arriving from these countries. READ | China Confirms 23 More Deaths, Lowest Recorded Since Coronavirus Outbreak Earlier on Friday, UAE's Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) informed that an Indian national is among 15 new cases of the deadly coronavirus in the Middle East country. They were diagnosed through early monitoring and reporting systems implemented in the country and are three Emiratis, two individuals from Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and Iran as well as a person each from Thailand, Morocco, China and India, the statement said. First detected in Wuhan in December 2019, COVID-19 has affected more than 80 countries in the world. As of now, there are more than one lakh confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus which has led to the death of more than 4,000 people. As there is no vaccine or specific antiviral medicine to treat COVID-19, countries have been grappling with all possible mechanisms to contain its scope. So far, China, South Korea, Italy, and Iran have witnessed the most number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus. According to the latest reports, a total of 110 countries have reported cases of the deadly Coronavirus. READ | Coronavirus dread: Qatar bans travellers from 14 countries including India READ | White House says Trump not tested for coronavirus due to lack of symptoms (With inputs from ANI) Bhopal: Having witnessed a mass exodus of lawmakers on Tuesday as well as losing senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, who is likely to join the BJP soon, Chief Minister Kamal Nath continued to put up a brave face and said his government still has the required numbers to prove its majority in the Assembly. Sources said that Public Works Department (PWD) minister Sajjan Singh Verma, a Nath confidant, and two other ministers will leave for Bengaluru to persuade some of the MLAs camped there to return. The party plans to bring them back to the state with lucrative offers. "Several of our MLAS and independents were present in the meeting. The MLAs taken away recently were misled and thought they were gathering to put pressure for Jyotiraditya Scindia's Rajya Sabha nomination and had no idea of him leaving the party," said Congress media cell in charge Shobha Oza after the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting in Bhopal on Tuesday evening. "They are in touch with Chief Minister Kamal Nath. Our government is absolutely stable and we will prove our numbers on the floor of the House." So far, 22 Congress MLAs have resigned from the Assembly. The party has 114 MLAs in the Assembly, whose effective strength currently is 228. Minister PC Sharma said that barring six ministers from the Scindia camp, they are in touch with the 13 MLAs who were taken away. Sharma said the resignations submitted on behalf of these MLAs are fake, adding that all of them would reach the Assembly for the floor test. BJP leaders had earlier in the evening submitted the resignation papers of 19 Congress MLAs to Speaker NP Prajapati. Sharma said the Congress would issue a whip to these MLAs, adding their resignations are not valid until they present themselves before the Speaker in person. However, none of these leaders specified the exact number of MLAs who attended the CLP meeting; a few MLAs claimed 94-98 lawmakers were present and had expressed faith in Nath's leadership. A state minister said two BSP and an SP MLA who support the government skipped the meeting. These three MLAs were holed up in a hotel in Haryana with some Congress MLAs last week when the party had alleged that the BJP was trying to lure away its legislators. After the meeting, Deputy Speaker Hina Kanwre said all the MLAs have been asked to remain in Bhopal until the floor test takes place. Leaders such as Arun Yadav and Priyavrat Singh had earlier affirmed that the Nath government remains safe and would prove its majority on March 16 when the Assembly's budget session gets underway. Sources claim that the Congress is hopeful of luring back some of the rebel MLAs even as Scindia deferred his plans to join the BJP on Tuesday and is expected to do so in Bhopal on March 12. He is likely to file nominations for the Rajya Sabha polls the next day. (With inputs from PTI) At least 14 people reportedly died from drownings and in road accidents and two others went missing in separate incidents in Odisha on Tuesday, officials said. Three men drowned in the eastern states Rayagada district while taking a bath after Holi celebrations in Kenduguda dam at Gunupur block. One of the victims died on the spot and two others were declared dead at a hospital. The dead have been identified as Suresh Chaudhary, Abhishek Kumar and K Barun Achary of Padampur in the district. Another man also drowned in the Mahendratanaya River in Rayagada. Two people were also reported missing in the same district. In Cuttack district, two teenaged boys drowned while taking bath in the Kuakhai River after Holi revelries. Subham Kumar Behera and Nishant Padhi, Class 9 students of Kendriya Vidyalaya, had gone to Ghatakula ghat along with friends to take a bath in the river when they slipped. The residents of Netaji Nagar area were rescued from the river and rushed to SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack but doctors declared them brought dead. Another man from Niala village in Kendrapara district also drowned while taking a bath. He was rescued in a critical condition and shifted to a hospital where he was pronounced dead by the doctors. A college student drowned while bathing in a river following Holi celebrations in Bhubaneswar and a woman was also killed in a similar way in the Puri Canal near Rangabazar in Balianta area on the outskirts of the capital city. Four men were killed in road accidents in Dhenkanal and Balasore districts. In Dhenkanal district, three men were killed after their motorcycle hit a tree while returning home following Holi celebrations. The Balasore man, who was out to buy Holi colours in his motorcycle, was thrown off after a bullock dashed against his two-wheeler. Narendra Jena of Mahumuhana village under Soro block was then run over by a speeding truck and died on the spot. Twelve people were also injured in a clash broke between two groups of villagers during Holi celebrations in Athagarh area in Cuttack. Police said the clash erupted between the residents of Panaspatna Sundhisahi and Bhiruda villages following an altercation over rash driving. Both the groups attacked each other with swords and other sharp weapons and several people sustained severe injuries on their head. The injured were rushed to the Primary Health Centre in Dhirapatna in the district. UW College of Business Creates Opportunity for Students to Study in Argentina Experiencing Argentina as part of a course offered through the UW College of Business were, from left to right: Andre Galtieri, from Las Vegas, Nev.; Dalton Blase, from Gillette; Annalee Sorensen, from Colorado Springs, Colo.; Bailey Deterding, of Denver, Colo.; UW economics Professor Charles Mason; Joseph Russo, coordinator of undergraduate international programs in the College of Business; Cynthia Brock, UW School of Teacher Education professor; and Tyler Shaw, from Cheyenne. (UW Photo) The University of Wyoming College of Business recently debuted a new study-abroad location for 2020, opening the door for travel to a new destination to broaden academic horizons. The destination -- an inaugural trip to Argentina -- allowed students to pursue Doing Business in Latin America, an immersive cultural and economic experience during the 2020 J-term semester, which occurs during the winter break. They are classes previously called winter break courses but have been rebranded as J-term to indicate that the bulk of the coursework is in January. Five UW students, all juniors, participated in this trip: Dalton Blase, from Gillette; Bailey Deterding, of Denver, Colo.; Andre Galtieri, from Las Vegas, Nev.; Tyler Shaw, of Cheyenne; and Annalee Sorensen, from Colorado Springs, Colo. The program gave the students the opportunity to travel internationally with two professors and receive up to three credits. They were exposed to a variety of guest speakers on topics including the economic history of Argentina and surrounding Latin American countries; the trials and travails of being an entrepreneur in Argentina; and the Buenos Aires stock exchange. Students also enjoyed cultural visits in and around Buenos Aires, including a trip to a gaucho ranch; a river cruise in the El Tigre River delta region north of the city; and the Recoleta Cemetery. The 11-day trip was open to students in all areas of study. Going to Argentina with the College of Business was exactly the study-abroad experience I was hoping to have, says Sorensen, an accounting major. The class itself was very educational, because I felt that I learned things I would not have otherwise learned had I not been able to be immersed in the country and see things for myself firsthand. Study-abroad programs, while different in their academic goals, ascribe to the same mission of providing students with immersive, enlightening cultural experiences that enrich their understanding of the world. Given the size and location of Laramie, it can be easy for students to lose perspective of the outside world, says Deterding, a finance major. By taking advantage of this wonderful opportunity provided by the UW College of Business, I was able to explore the Latin American culture; study the relationship between Argentine economics and politics; and engage with everyday citizens, business owners and laborers to understand the challenges and opportunities they face each day. The number of UW students studying abroad has increased significantly in the past two years, helping achieve UWs objective of giving students the international skills they need in an increasingly global world. In fact, more UW students are studying abroad than ever before, and more faculty are directing courses around the world. Any time students step out of their comfort zone, it often opens doors that they did not even realize existed, says Joseph Russo, temporary lecturer and coordinator of undergraduate international programs in the College of Business. My hope for students is that this experience will increase their confidence to grow in ways they maybe didnt see before. These are the kinds of experiences that broaden who you are. The program is beneficial because there are some things that cannot be taught that require experience outside a students normal surroundings, says Charles Mason, associate dean and the H.A. Dave True Jr. Professor of Petroleum and Natural Gas Economics in the College of Business. People think that it will not work for them, because they just assume it will be too expensive or that it would not work with their class schedule, Mason says. But, this study-abroad experience starts after the winter holidays and ends right as our spring session is beginning. So, you can have this unique experience and not miss any classes at UW. Study abroad is integral to students as they prepare to compete in an increasingly globalized workforce, says David Sprott, dean of the College of Business. Study abroad allows students to translate their classroom experience into the real world. The College of Business looks to expand these efforts as part of the colleges goal to expand global connections of Wyomings business school. Program fees range from $1,000 to $2,000 and cover the cost of home-stay accommodations, guided city tours, entrance fees and some meals, but do not include UW tuition or textbooks. UW degree-seeking students may be eligible to apply for grants and scholarships administered by the UW Education Abroad Office. For more information about the College of Business study-abroad opportunities, call Amanda Poppe at (307) 766-4108 or email apoppe1@uwyo.edu. A first of its kind offering for Medterra, the brand's Broad Spectrum Tinctures are the most potent broad spectrum offerings on the market, and incorporate other components of the hemp plant in addition to CBD, while still upholding Medterra's THC free guarantee. Offered in multiple varieties, Medterra's Broad Spectrum Tinctures will be available in 1,000mg ($59.99) and 2,000mg ($99.99) strengths with new flavors of Citrus and Strawberry Mint, as well as an Unflavored variation. "At Medterra, we strive to provide everyone with the highest-quality CBD products on the market and could not be more excited to introduce our line of Broad Spectrum Tinctures," says Medterra CEO Jay Hartenbach. "With growing consumer demand for different cannabinoids, we're excited to offer them exactly that, but without the effects of THC." Unlike Medterra's isolate offerings, its Broad Spectrum creation process utilizes an extraction method called chromatography that pulls additional cannabinoids including CBG, CBC, CBN, and CBDV, which all embody their own benefits and work collectively to enhance the desired effects of CBD. Each bottle contains 30 servings and can be taken day or night. 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For Medterra, follow @medterracbd on Instagram and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MedterraCBD. SOURCE Medterra CBD Related Links http://www.medterracbd.com WASHINGTON The two leading Democratic presidential candidates former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders both scrapped plans for election-night rallies in Ohio on Tuesday due to concerns about the coronavirus outbreak. Sanders was first to announce the decision on Tuesday afternoon in a statement from his communications director, Mike Casca. Out of concern for public health and safety, we are canceling tonights rally in Cleveland. We are heeding the public warnings from Ohio state officials, who have communicated concern about holding large, indoor events during the coronavirus outbreak, Casca said. Sen. Sanders would like to express his regret to the thousands of Ohioans who had planned to attend the event tonight. Casca said future Sanders campaign events will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Bidens deputy campaign manager and communications director, Kate Bedingfield, made a similar announcement shortly afterward. In accordance with guidance from public officials and out of an abundance of caution, our rally in Cleveland, Ohio, tonight is canceled. We will continue to consult with public health officials and public health guidance and make announcements about future events in the coming days, Bedingfield said, adding, Vice President Biden thanks all of his supporters who wanted to be with us in Cleveland this evening. Additional details on where the Vice President will address the press tonight are forthcoming. Voters are headed to the polls today in six states: Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota and Washington. After Bidens strong showing on Super Tuesday on March 3, the Democratic presidential primary has become essentially a race between him and Sanders. Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden. (Paul Sancya/AP, Paul Vernon/AP) Recent polls show Biden with a wide lead over Sanders in Michigan, which has emerged as a crucial battleground in the contest between the two men. Both Biden and Sanders made campaign stops in Michigan on Tuesday morning. Voters are due to head to the polls in Ohio on March 17. Story continues Sanders held a coronavirus roundtable in Detroit on Monday in which he appeared alongside local officials and said the outbreak shows the need for universal health care and the paid sick leave policies he has made a cornerstone of his campaign. The United States remains the only major country on earth not to guarantee paid sick leave and paid family leave. Now that is absurd in a general sense, but its particularly dangerous given the moment we are at right now, Sanders said at the event. On Tuesday afternoon, the Ohio Department of Health announced it was investigating 15 potential coronavirus cases in the state. According to Johns Hopkins University, there are currently 808 confirmed cases of the virus in the United States. Read more from Yahoo News: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Feb. 2 declaration that he had instructed the Israel Biological Institute to develop a vaccine against the novel coronavirus and to establish a production line in Israel does not appear to have made much of an impression on the virus. It continues to infect people around the globe with 50 cases diagnosed in Israel so far and no end in sight. The lead stories on the news focus on border closings and airline groundings. Along with worrying reports about the spread of the disease, however, there is some encouraging news. Talk of Israel annexing Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank has made way for discussion about the importance of Israel cooperating with its Palestinian neighbors. One miniscule virus has illustrated to Israelis the limits of their countrys power. The organism hops over walls and fences and mocks the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system. It threatens the Palestinians stopped at barriers as they try to enter Israel to work and scares the Israeli soldiers searching them for weapons. There are no borders here, Brig. Gen. Ghassan Alian, the militarys point man for civilian Palestinian affairs, told Kan Radio on March 8. There is no them and us. People in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank] live together. Alian's colleague Dalia Basa, the civil administrations health coordinator, was quoted as saying: Bacteria and viruses do not stop at the border, and the spread of the dangerous virus in Judea and Samaria can also jeopardize the health of the residents of Israel. Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories has been working over the past two weeks to assist the Palestinian Authority (PA) in preventing a coronavirus outbreak in the West Bank and Gaza. As part of the initiative, Israel gave the PA 250 coronavirus test kits. Joint training sessions for Israeli and Palestinian medical personnel were organized to educate them about the virus, protection for health care workers and testing of suspected carriers. On the other hand, Defense Minister Naftali Bennett remains unfamiliar with the language of cooperation with the Arabs. The head of the Yamina, an alliance of right-wing parties, preferred to claim his 15 minutes of virus fame on March 5 with a unilateral decision to impose a closure on the West Bank Palestinian town of Bethlehem, where several people had been diagnosed with the virus. The next day it was reported that he was considering closing the entire West Bank, which is in any case under lockdown this week due to the Jewish Purim holiday, as it is during all Jewish celebrations. Of note, only 465 kilometers (289 miles) of the planned 766-kilometer (475 miles) separation wall have been completed. Various assessments put the number of Palestinians who work illegally in Israel every day at 30,000 to 40,000. Most of them are barred from entering on security grounds, but fear of being arrested does not stop them from trying to eke out a living. The global coronavirus outbreak is also a stark reminder of the need to deepen regional cooperation on environmental issues, said Gidon Bromberg, Israeli director of EcoPeace Middle East. In an interview with Al-Monitor, Bromberg asserted, Building walls and barriers misleads the public into thinking that one side can successfully disengage from the other. The veteran activist added, The science of ecology and biology is there to remind us that we can never disengage from a shared environment. Bromberg told Al-Monitor that EcoPeace had to invoke the Freedom of Information Law to alert the public and politicians to the threat posed to Israels national security by the sewage crisis in Gaza. A March 2019 EcoPeace risk assessment report warned that the collapse of water, sewage and power infrastructure in Gaza posed an acute threat to Israels aquifers and seawater. With power shortages impairing sewage treatment, about 70% of all wastewater produced in Gaza flows untreated into the Mediterranean. In 2016, polluted wastewater resulted in the temporary shutdown of Israels water desalination plant in the southern coastal town of Ashkelon. The sewage flows can also result in increased bacterial concentrations further along the coast to the town of Ashdod. A 2017 State Comptroller report described the pollution of water reservoirs in Gaza and the West Bank as an ecological failure by Israeli government ministries. The government watchdog noted that wastewater in the Palestinian areas does not undergo proper treatment and flows into Israeli rivers and cesspools, polluting the aquifers. Like aquifers, the air we breathe also does not recognize the Green Line or care about the deal of the century. Dozens of charcoal plants in PA-controlled areas release pollution into nearby Israeli towns and villages. The Ministry of Environmental Protection has determined that prolonged exposure to wood burning can be a health hazard. The porousness of the West Bank-Israel border was also illustrated by the spread in Palestinian areas of hoof-and-mouth disease in 2001 during the second intifada. The closure Israel imposed on the West Bank made it difficult for veterinary teams to address the crisis and prevent the disease's spread into Israel. The outbreak of the coronavirus must be a wake-up call to the fact that promoting cooperation over our shared environment is needed not just in emergencies, but every day, said Bromberg. Years of cooperation with Palestinian and other Arab colleagues taught the EcoPeace leader that cross-border environmental cooperation promotes understanding that we are in the same boat, and that to advance our own security we must advance cooperation with our neighbors. David Lehrer, executive director of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, believes a partnership between Israelis, Palestinians, Jordanians and others from the region is not only possible but essential. In an interview with Al-Monitor, he noted that the coronavirus has not yet been linked to climate change but added, [It is a] frightening example of what a global threat looks like and highlights the need for cross-border cooperation. Lehrer expressed the hope that Israelis will no longer be indifferent to what is happening on the other side of their borders with Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt. Arava is an internationally recognized academic institution devoted to cross-border environmental leadership and is attended by Israeli, Jordanian, Palestinian and other students from around the world. In recent years, it has been leading a Track II environmental diplomacy forum that promotes regional environmental solutions and develops cooperation and joint projects to fight climate change. Arava's vision is to build a firm foundation of trust for a sustainable and peaceful two-state solution. Law Roach is regarded as the image architect for a reason his work with A-listers including Zendaya, Celine Dion and Ariana Grande is not defined simply by what they are wearing. I first knew I wanted to go even deeper with this titan of the fashion world after seeing actress Anya Taylor-Joy in vintage Bob Mackie at the February 18th premiere of her new film, Emma. I wanted to unpack the blueprints of how a fashion moment of this magnitude is finely crafted. "It's kind-of cosmic in a way," Roach tells me over the phone days later. As it turns out, the dress is his own, bought at auction from the Ebony Fashion Fair archives. It previously belonged to Ebony and Jet publisher Eunice Johnson. I'm rapt as he then launches into a brief history lesson."Her story is a bit unsung; she actually went to Paris and bought couture collections and collections from designers for about forty years. She was very influential in getting Yves Saint Laurent and Emanuel Ungaro and other designers back in the '60s to use black models in their shows. So it's a bit of history that I'm very proud of when I started working with Anya I brought it for her to look at and try on, and literally we tried on only that dress for the premiere of Emma." It's from that point that I'm clear-headed as to why so many of today's best dressed celebrities collaborate with Roach sifting through his wardrobe and simultaneously his mind, which bubbles with an unclouded love of fashion contagious to anyone in his aura. "You are an absolute visionary," Zendaya told Roach on stage at October's 2019 InStyle Awards as she presented him Stylist of the Year. "You have taught me so much about myself, to not give an F about what people think, to be proud of who I am and when I look in the mirror." Below, Roach chats about the landscape of stylists of color within the industry three years after becoming the first Black stylist to cover the annual Hollywood Reporter Stylists and Stars issue, the controversial new HBO Max series Legendary (Roach is set to serve on the show's judging panel) and working with stars like Zendaya and Celine Dion. You've always been a vintage lover, having previously owned your store Deliciously Vintage with locations in Harlem and Chicago. Where did that regard for vintage begin and what is it about vintage clothing that speaks to your sensibilities? My grandmother used to take me after church. She called it junking. We'd go to Salvation Armys and thrift stores. It was a ritual of hers every Sunday. She'd go to church, go junking for hours and then come home and cook dinner. I remember her buying everything from vintage clothes to vintage dishes. And I was a really young boy, but I remember when I was older and went back to the thrift store it just felt like home. I thought "Why haven't I done this in so many years?" The emotion of the way I felt when I was with her overtook me. You call yourself an image architect, which I love because it seems to acknowledge the job as more than just choosing clothes. How do you see your role when working with a client? Well first of all I own the trademark. I am the only one in the world. For me and not to toot my own horn No, please do. I think that every single one of my clients is different and they have their own point of view and I work really, really hard for that. I do a lot of research, and I dive into who the client is. The way I survey my client and the way that sometimes I get to choose the contractors, meaning the hair and make-up, it really reminded me when I started to look at what I was doing so much of what an architect does. I just wasn't doing it for a structure; I was doing it for a person and their image. You were the first Black stylist to cover the annual Hollywood Reporter Stylists and Stars issue in 2017. Of the cover, you said "It shouldn't just be one or two," referring to stylists of color. Three years later, how would you characterize the landscape of stylists of color within the industry? Well shit! To be honest with you, when you talk about Hollywood and celebrity, it's still this is the thing [laughs]... it's such a touchy subject. There isn't really that much growth. At a certain level there are still only four of us maybe; four or five who have made the list if we're using Hollywood Reporter as a gauge. And I think that it's because there is still a lack of opportunity. Because to get at a certain level in Hollywood there is a natural type of process. Usually how it happens is that you get an internship with a stylist that you love and after you intern and work hard for little or nothing you become an assistant. You work as an assistant and you might start as #3 and work your way to #1. You do that and then you branch out and start to have your own clients. Those opportunities aren't really given to people of color because unfortunately for the most part we come from a socio-economic situation that won't allow us to be able to intern and work for free. There's a lot of different situations that keep people who look like me from taking the traditional route to becoming a celebrity stylist. Regarding your work with Zendaya, you told Fashionista this in 2017: "I fought for her for years. I didn't come from anybody's lineage, I was never someone's intern, I wasn't in 'the system' so I didn't have any structure. I didn't know what was politically correct, what was right and wrong. I didn't know what you shouldn't say to offend someone. I just didn't understand what they didn't see, that this was one of the most beautiful girls in the world." Can you expand a bit on that? I always say when we started this fashion voyage designers didn't take "Disney girls" seriously. This was before Miley cut her hair and Selena dated Justin and there just wasn't any interest. And also, to be very honest, a lot of the houses weren't dressing Black girls. Because I really believed in her from the day she walked in. I thought she was a star and I wanted to throw everything that I had, anything that I could do, into her. I just felt like the world needed to know this girl so what it forced me to do was to start building relationships with emerging designers, which in essence was forcing me to be even more creative in a space that I already had no experience in. Back then, for instance, we started working with Miuniku who went on to compete for the LVMH prize. And most recently we've championed Peter Do and Christopher Esber. It's really become second nature and you feel connected to these designers. In my mind these people will become the next Marc Jacobs or Nicolas Ghesquiere. And when I see the press and the write-ups about it, it makes me feel good. So much of making a garment look good on a carpet is posing, something Zendaya is such a natural at. How much are you in conversation about how the look itself should be modeled? I'm thinking about the Berluti suit she wore at the Harper's Bazaar ICONS party and how there are those photos of her running her hand through her hair which feel so editorial. I have to give credit where credit is due. Zendaya learned all of that from America's Next Top Model. We have to give credit to Tyra. She watched and studied that as a young girl, which a lot of girls did. There is just this thing that she has, which I saw in her from the time that she was a young girl: She has this way of stepping onto the carpet and becoming whoever the clothes call her to be. I think that's a great example that you used but also you look at the Joan of Arc reference from the Met Gala in the Versace. She became this stoic warrior in every way. She can be nervous and as soon as she steps out on that carpet you see that shift happen. It's incredible to watch. What is it like for you to see Instagram accounts like @Zendayastylefiles entirely dedicated to chronicling your work? I'm always so impressed. The dedication to identifying every single look is just beyond. Related | The Hypocrisy of Red Carpets Under Climate Change And speaking of @Zendayastylefiles, when I was talking to the person behind the account about you, they told me that the number one thing that impresses them about you is how you've been able to turn nos into yeses; how you have a knack for making the impossible possible. That's a unique quality obviously, but what's one piece of advice you'd give to people trying to advocate for something or someone that's not the obvious choice? Part of my personal philosophy is that there is always a yes somewhere you just have to find it. It's a yes somewhere waiting for you. With the Dune press tour coming up, can you give us any kind of tease as to how you're thinking about things? Well to be real honest with you, I haven't started to prepare for it yet. What I will say is that we are very excited for it because she gets to do it with Timothee Chalamet who has the most incredible style. And though I haven't started it yet, we did have a chat about it and it is going to be a thing. People who follow fashion are really gonna be waiting for this one. The Armani Prive at the Spiderman premiere comes to mind as one of my favorite Zendaya carpet looks of all time. Do you have one that comes to mind for you? I think I'm proud of all of them but I really thought the Emmys/Vera Wang as a total look was incredible because Hollywood has this infatuation with redheaded women in green dresses and I think that that story has been told for decades but the narrative has only included a white woman with red hair and a green dress and I think that now, because of that look, she gets to be mentioned alongside some of the most beautiful and revered women in the world for that reason. But there's a lot of my babies that I love. So in the case of Zendaya, you're really helping usher her ascent into the spotlight, but in the case of Celine, you have an established veteran, one who's got some iconic red carpets in her rearview. How was your approach different given the public's regard for Celine and her own personal style that's been developed over decades in the spotlight? Well it begins again with research, and that research is often emotional. So when I got the Celine job, which was incredible because when they called me I just kept saying "Celine who?" I hadn't dreamt that dream yet. That was totally out of left field. For me I was like "It's Celine Dion, everyone's going to say yes," and actually everybody said no. Nobody wanted to lend her clothes for various reasons and I was shook. It took me back to when I was first requesting for Zendaya and people were saying no, in that I didn't understand why they didn't get it. But Celine and I I think we had a four-hour fitting and the things she gravitated toward were so counter to what I thought Celine Dion was. And I was like, "Why don't we know this about her? Why haven't we seen this or experienced this?" She was wanting to wear all of the things that I had brought just in case. So when I figured that out I knew immediately that we'd need a new fitting. Because she's been around for so long we all figured she was way older than she is. And the way she was dressing was what people expected, but it wasn't really her, in my opinion. So I wanted to show the world the Celine Dion that I had just met. I love how you speak about the process as emotional. Well it's very emotional for me. I have to get it right. I have to figure out who she is. And I have to represent her and show her to the world. What's the most meaningful feedback or praise one can give you when it comes to your job? I am really fed when people tell me that my work and my journey is influential to them. I was in New York and there was a young Black guy who approached me and said, "I know I can because you did." And that was incredible for me. How do you balance having so many clients, all of whom require your attention? I don't have a personal life and I am praying and asking the universe to give me balance because right now I don't have it because I literally wake up every day and I work as if it's my first week doing this. I just don't know how to work any other way. I am very hands on and try to do every single one of my fittings. I want to make sure that when my client steps out of the door or in front of the camera that they feel the most beautiful that they've ever felt before every single time. But again, hoping for more balance from the universe. Legendary, your new HBO Max show, has faced its fair share of controversy since the announcement of the show was made. I'm not interested in rehashing that, but rather want to give you the opportunity to shift the conversation. What are you most excited about this show and why do you think it's important that people give it a shot before prejudging? I think that Legendary is no different from America's Got Talent, from The Voice, from Idol it's the same type of show that we've been invested in for over a decade now. What is different is that it's giving an opportunity to a group of people that have never had this opportunity. I think that the ballroom scene has gotten a lot of attention over the last year or so because of incredible shows like Pose, but there's so much more to it. People are under the impression that ballroom is just voguing and it's not. And I just think that putting an underrepresented group of people in the limelight can only be amazing. Because those kids came to perform, baby. I think it's going to shine another light on ballroom culture that needs to be there. I'm going to ask you a question now that you can pass on if you'd like. You outfitted Zendaya in Dolce & Gabbana at the 2017 Met Gala, which was a year before their most public controversy ended up canceling their China show. Since then we haven't seen you really work with the brand until recently, when I saw Kerry Washington in D&G for an InStyle cover shoot you architected. What is your current stance on the brand? I would love to answer that question honestly because there was an article in an Asian newspaper that said that I had recently said that I would never use Dolce & Gabbana on my clients and I had them retract that because I never said that. I do not have the last say in what my clients wear and I never would ask for that. I have recently used Dolce for that editorial you mention. What I did do over the course of this thing is ask my clients how they felt about Dolce and wearing Dolce. I would never ever, ever not bring something based on my ideology or my opinion of a brand. Never. Because that is not my job. And I have a personal relationship with Domenico and Guilherme Siqueira, Domenico's partner. Now, did I disagree with what happened? Yes. Any time you offend an entire group of people there is a problem. But am I also a person who thinks that people deserve to see what they did wrong and to correct and to be forgiven for things? Yes, I do. So I never had a stance on Dolce and if my clients should wear it. I want to end by asking you to spotlight some young creatives who are on your mind, whether in or out of the fashion industry. What young folks are you excited about? I think that Christopher John Rogers is incredible. I think his potential as the next great American designer is very strong. Campbell Addy is another one. Like the world has been waiting for these people to show up, and now they're here. Welcome to "Wear Me Out," a column by pop culture fiend Evan Ross Katz that takes a look at the week in celebrity dressing. From award shows and movie premieres to grocery store runs, he'll keep you up to date on what your favorite celebs have recently worn to the biggest and most inconsequential events. US forces have reportedly blocked the path of a convoy of Russian vehicles who were travelling to Qamishli writes Al-Masdar. A US patrol blocked a Russian military convoy from accessing a roundabout in the Hassakeh countryside this week, the North Press Agency reported on Monday. According to the news page, a large Russian military convoy, trying to head towards Qamishli city, was attempting to transport equipment via the Tel Tamr Roundabout, when they were blocked by a US patrol. Neither the US nor the Russian military forces have commented on the alleged incident. The Russian and US forces have engaged in similar behavior before, with both parties blocking one another in the Hassakeh countryside on several occasions in the past three months. 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. A doctor at Cu Chi Field Hospital for novel coronavirus patients and suspects in Ho Chi Minh City, February 10, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran. A 24-year-old woman who'd met Hanoi's first Covid-19 infection in London is infected with the novel coronavirus, the Health Ministry confirmed Tuesday. The woman, who lives in London, flew to Saigon in a private jet Monday and has been placed under treatment at HCMC Hospital of Tropical Diseases. The unnamed woman, Vietnams 32nd Covid-19 infection, had met Nguyen Hong Nhung in London on February 27. Nhung is the 26-year-old Hanoian who became the capital citys first Covid-19 patient last Friday. On March 2, the unnamed woman developed a cough, but didnt have a fever. She was admitted to a hospital in London for treatment. On March 7, she started coughing a lot, but still had no fever. After hearing about Nhung being infected with the novel coronavirus, she returned to the hospital and informed doctors about her contact history. The London hospital required her to be isolated at home but no Covid-19 test was done. The womans family then rented a private plane to fly her from London to Vietnam. The plane landed at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport at 8:15 a.m. Monday. Health authorities in Ho Chi Minh City quarantined her at the Cu Chi field hospital and took her samples for testing. The tests came back positive the same day. She still has a high fever and a severe cough, but suffers no breathing difficulty. Vietnam now has 16 active Covid-19 infections, including the latest case. Nhung had flown to Hanoi from London on Vietnam Airlines flight VN54, in the business class, on March 2. There were 201 passengers on the flight, including 21 in the business class. Eleven people on the same flight, 10 of them foreigners, have tested Covid-19 positive. Nhung's personal chauffeur and an aunt have also been infected. The Covid-19 outbreak has thus far spread to 113 countries and territories around the world, killing over 4,000. By Express News Service ONGOLE: Two youngsters from Prakasam district studying in Bihar reportedly drowned in the Ganga. According to police, Bhuvanagiri Venkata Sai Kiran, 18, and Isukapalli Phani Teja, 18, were first-year students of Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT)-Bhagalpur, Bihar. The duo, along with their friends went to the river on Saturday, and their bodies were recovered the next day, said police. Sai Kiran accidentally fell in the river as he wanted to wash his hands after eating food. Phani Teja tried to rescue his friend but was drawn by strong current. Meanwhile, the college management informed about the incident to their family members. Due to strong river flow, the bodies could be recovered on Sunday after a day-long search operation.The bodies were brought back home and final rites were performed on Monday. By Express News Service Hollywood star Chris Hemsworth and his team, who were scheduled to visit Mumbai on March 16 to promote the upcoming action film Extraction, have had to cancel their trip due to the global coronavirus outbreak. Extraction, which was initially titled Dhaka, is directed by Sam Hargrave and also stars Indian actors Randeep Hooda and Pankaj Tripathi. The story centers a fearless, black market mercenary Tyler Rake (played by Hemsworth), who sets off on a risky mission to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord. Bahrain has announced plans to build a total of 1,705 residential units, including 1,402 flats, within the Salman City social housing project, reported BNA. This comes as part of the ministrys plans to implement His Majesty King Hamads order for the construction of 40,000 housing units in the kingdom under the Government Action Plan, stated the report citing the housing minister. "With the tender works already completed, preparations are under way to start the construction work," said Engineer Bassim bin Yaqoob Al Hamar, during an inspection visit to Salman City. Al Hamar pointed out that the ministry is currently reviewing implementation of the procedural schemes for general plans approved for the new cities. "New Bahrain Cities projects are being given great importance by the government, be it in terms of building the units or providing public services and infrastructure," he added. The minister also underlined the housing commitments included in the Government Action Plan, pointing out the continuous follow-up of HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, on this issue. As part of efforts to reform Nigerias broadcast industry, the federal government says it will enforce 70 per cent local content in radio and television programmes in the country. The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, announced this at a meeting with the Electronic Media Content Owners Association of Nigeria (ENCOAN) in Lagos on Monday. This is coming on the heels of contention against his ministrys intention to secure a $500 million loan for the upgrade of the nations broadcasting infrastructure and the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). Describing the move as revolutionary, Mr Mohammed said reforms in the broadcast industry are pertinent for new innovations and improvements in the sector. He said further that the new legislation on broadcasting in the country had shattered monopoly and had given room for competitiveness. Now if you take a copy of the new Broadcasting Code, you will see that we have done a lot of work. We have broken the monopoly in the industry and we are going to ensure that we enforce the 70 per cent local content in our broadcasting. The reforms that we have undertaken will promote local content and will give value to your creative work, he said. The minister urged members of EMCOAN to take advantage of the new policy and look at new frontiers in content production, especially for women and children programmes. I believe that we are entering a new dawn for local content producers like you. We are revamping the Broadcasting Code in a manner that will favour you. We are instituting the audience measurement system for your benefit and we are working also on getting a more virile APCON that will take care of the interest of all stakeholders, he said. Emphasising that the Central Bank of Nigeria is making funds available for the creative industry, the minister urged EMCOAN to work with the government by identifying the priority programmes that will enjoy funding, promotion or subsidy from the apex bank. He entreated EMCOAN to continue to produce the local content that reflects the nations diverse cultures in order to inculcate values and ethics in children. In her remarks, the President of EMCOAN, Jibe Ologeh, said the association is responsible for more than 85 per cent of the content in the nations broadcast industry. She said the association identified with the ministry on the reforms which give priority to local producers. Ms Ologeh said Nigeria is blessed with rich cultures and scenery that will positively project the image of the country, particularly when they dominate the content in radio and television. Russian President Vladimir Putin will receive Kazakhstan's first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th March, 2020) Russian President Vladimir Putin will receive Kazakhstan's first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "Today, the president will have various meetings and consultations; his meeting with Nizhny Novgorod Region Governor [Gleb] Nikitin will be made public. The president will also receive Kazakhstan's first president Nazarbayev in the evening," Peskov said at a press conference. Last March, Nazarbayev announced his resignation from the Kazakh presidency, which he had held since 1991. In 2010, parliament bestowed upon him the honorary title of leader of the nation, or Elbasy in Kazakh. After stepping down, Nazarbayev said he would retain his position as head of the country's Security Council and leader of the ruling Nur Otan party, and remain a member of the Constitutional Council. A 50-year-old man who yesterday lost a High Court appeal against a decision that his family home was acquired with the proceeds of crime has been a major target for gangland rivals and gardai for decades. Dean Russell's life was saved by armed gardai in May 2015, when major criminals Paul Zambra (43) and Anthony Callaghan (49) were busted on their way to kill him. The duo were nailed in Coolock, following a three-day surveillance operation by specialist gardai. It is believed the pair had been hired by a north inner city criminal gang to murder Dean Russell - the brother of Anthony Russell, who was shot dead in an Artane pub in 2008. Russell's slain brother was a close associate of paedophile gang boss Christy Griffin and was heavily involved in the deadly north inner city feud. Dean Russell denied that he was the target in a newspaper interview the day after heavily armed gardai arrested Zambra and Callaghan. "If they wanted to kill me, there are easier ways to do it," Russell said. "I'm adamant it was nothing to do with me, unless it's something I don't know about and I normally have a good idea." Revolver It was never stated in court who was the target of the gangsters but the duo pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Court to possession of a Ruger revolver and semi-automatic pistol with intent to endanger life. The men were stopped by gardai who mounted a surveillance operation in the Coolock area and a search of the BMW driven by Zambra yielded two firearms and a full petrol can. Dean's life was also saved by gardai in January 2009, when two suspects who later became involved in the Hutch/Kinahan feud were arrested lying in wait in a stolen car with a loaded revolver. It had been hidden under a seat as they waited for Russell to return to home. Russell denied claims by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) that he had "a prolonged and deep history" with criminality. He denied he was a "major criminal" and said he worked all his life, including at cleaning windows and a taxi business. There was no supporting documentation for Russell's accountant's reports about his income as they were based on what he [Russell] told his accountant. The High Court preferred the evidence of the CAB and declared his Clonshaugh family home to be the proceeds of crime, as well as an apartment in Santry and an apartment in Malaga, Spain. Six years ago, a senior CAB officer told the High Court that Russell had 12 previous convictions, including relating to a post office heist in 1991. He associated with known criminals and was involved in gangland feuds in Coolock and the north inner city, the CAB officer said. COLUMBUS, Ohio - People who rate themselves as highly knowledgeable about a new infectious disease threat could also be more likely to believe they don't know enough, a new study suggests. In the case of this study, the infectious disease threat was the Zika virus. But the authors of the new study, published recently in the journal Risk Analysis, say the results could apply to the recent novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. "The Zika virus and the coronavirus have important things in common," said Shelly Hovick, co-author of the study and assistant professor of communication at The Ohio State University. "In both cases, they are shrouded in uncertainty and have received a lot of media attention. Our research looks at how people seek and process information when there is so much uncertainty." One of the key findings of the new study: With limited information about Zika available, more knowledge was not that comforting. "We found that the more people thought they knew, the more they realized they didn't know enough," said Austin Hubner, lead author of the study and a doctoral student in communication at Ohio State. "With the Zika virus, even the experts themselves didn't know much at the time. That's the same thing we're seeing with the coronavirus, and that's scary for people who believe they are at risk." For the study, the researchers conducted an online survey of 494 people of childbearing age living in Florida in December 2016. Florida residents were recruited for the study because it had the highest number of locally transmitted cases of Zika in the United States at the time. Although most people infected with Zika don't have symptoms, pregnant women with the virus have a higher likelihood of their child being born with a specific birth defect. Zika is primarily spread by mosquitoes, but it can also be transmitted from men and women to their sexual partners and through blood transfusions. In the survey, respondents were asked a variety of questions about their knowledge and attitudes toward seeking information, how they processed what they learned about the Zika virus, and their plans for seeking more information. As expected, participants who were pregnant or wanted to get pregnant (and men whose wives were in those situations) felt more at risk from Zika and were more likely to say they felt scared of Zika. But they weren't the only ones who felt worried about Zika. "Novel risks like Zika or coronavirus may make some people react differently than well-known risks like cancer or the flu," Hovick said. "Even if the data suggest someone is at low risk, the lack of information may make some people feel they are at high risk." The findings showed that people who felt they didn't know enough about Zika didn't intend to spend more time than others seeking information. That was probably because they realized that there wasn't more information available, Hovick said. But they did spend more time processing the information they uncovered and were more likely to agree with statements like "After I encounter information about Zika, I am likely to stop and think about it." These findings suggest it is important for public health agencies to continuously update the public, Hovick said. Those who are worried or concerned about risks such as Zika are likely to process the information they encounter deeply, but they may not seek information on their own. Participants were also more likely to intend to seek information about Zika if they believed other people expected them to do so. They were more likely to want to search for information if they agreed with statements like "People in my life whose opinions I value seek information about Zika." "We should aim not just to provide information, but also shape messages that encourage people to stay on top of the situation, particularly in high-uncertainty environments," Hovick said. "You have to make it clear that seeking more knowledge is something that their friends and family expect of them." Hovick said they have considered trying to replicate the study with the current coronavirus outbreak, but that Zika virus was slower developing. "The coronavirus outbreak is moving so much more quickly. I'm not sure we could get the approvals and conduct the study in time," she said. ### Contact: Shelly Hovick, Hovick.1@osu.edu Austin Hubner, Hubner.9@osu.edu Written by Jeff Grabmeier, 614-292-8457; Grabmeier.1@osu.edu Tanker rates to ship oil in very large crude carriers (VLCCs) are surging as oil traders hunt for ships to store cheap oil in as they take advantage of a 25 percent plunge in prices on Monday amid a price war between top oil producers Saudi Arabia and Russia. Shipping rates from the Middle East to Asia, for instance, have risen by more than 25 percent since last Friday, while several traders are making enquiries to lease tankers to temporarily store oil offshore, traders and shipping sources told Reuters on Tuesday. The cost of renting a VLCC, which can carry 2 million barrels of crude and can be used for floating storage, was assessed Tuesday at around $38,700 per day, compared with around $30,700 per day on Friday and $14,800 a month ago, ship broker sources said. "Tanker offers are quite high today," said a Singapore-based crude oil trader. "Now the contango market structure supports (oil storage), but ship owners are raising prices." The rise in tanker chartering rates are a boon for shipowners who have seen demand walloped recently by the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak which choked commodity and semi-finished goods imports into top consumer China. "We are seeing several deals being negotiated for short-term (6-12 months) charters, with one already concluded. The fall in oil prices has made floating storage more attractive, although the margins are still relatively thin," energy ship broker and consultancy Poten & Partners said in a research note. A Pareto Securities shipping note to clients said "while actual fixing activity was rather limited yesterday, the 'floating storage' interest has boosted shipowners' sentiment and rate ideas have thus been increased substantially." Another shipbroker in Singapore said his firm had not secured any fixtures yet "but there a is huge expectation of firming of the spot market. It's the older tonnage that will be more likely to be engaged for floating storage." Crude oil prices suffered their biggest daily rout since the 1991 Gulf War on Monday as top producers Saudi Arabia and Russia began a price war that threatens to overwhelm global oil markets with supply. Several refiners are already looking to maximise imports of Middle Eastern purchase to take advantage of cheap crude after the Saudis slashed their official selling prices (OSPs) for April in an attempt to lure buyers. "The VLCC rates are climbing up but it's mainly sentiment driven right now ... it's mainly traders who are enquiring for storage," a Singapore-based ship broker told Reuters. The Worldscale index rate for shipping crude on a VLCC from the Middle East to North Asia rose to 54 points on Tuesday, from 49 points on Monday, according to trade and shipping sources. Timecharter equivalent rates for a 270,000 deadweight tonnes tanker on the Middle East to China route increased by 27 percent in one day on Monday, said Ralph Leszczynski, head of research at ship broker Banchero Costa in Singapore. The flip in the crude oil market's forward curve to a contango - where deferred prices are above spot prices - has been a key factor spurring demand for storage. In the Middle East benchmark Dubai crude oil market, the April/May Dubai inter-month spread widened to 77 cents a barrel as of noon on Tuesday, making oil storage profitable. Brent crude prices are in a similar structure. In addition to floating storage, countries like China and India could move to exploit the weak prices and increase imports for strategic reserves, boosting tanker demand, said Ralph Leszczynski, head of research at ship broker Banchero Costa in Singapore. "China in particular was the first to suffer from the coronavirus outbreak, but now also seems to be the first to put it behind them. The situation seems increasingly under control," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 04:17:41|Editor: yan Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Pakistan rose to 16 after nine new patients tested positive in the country's southern port city Karachi of Sindh province, the provincial health department said late Monday night. Health and Population Welfare Department of Sindh said in two consecutive statements that nine people had tested positive. According to the statements, six of the new patients reached Karachi from Syria via Doha while three others came from London via Dubai, increasing the tally to 13 in Karachi. One patient was earlier discharged from a hospital in Karachi after recovering and testing negative of the virus. Currently, at least three patients are being treated in isolation wards in the country's capital Islamabad. The department claimed that it is in the process of tracking all the people remained in the contact of the infected people and is putting them in isolation wards. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Zafar Mirza confirmed the new cases on Twitter, adding that "all these cases are contacts of an already confirmed case." Pakistan has been taking stringent measures to contain the spread of the disease in the country, including a strict screening system at airports and border crossings and the closing of schools for more than two weeks in Sindh and southwest Balochistan. (Photo : pixabay) Health is a mysterious abstract thing that we don't think about regularly. Instead, we focus on it only when certain problems arise. For young students, it's typical not to care about their health because it seems that it will be perfect forever. Nonetheless, various diseases are always around the corner, and it's impossible to predict them. From toothache to coronavirus, potential issues are nearly infinite. In this case, a health insurance plan isn't a luxury, it's a necessity. Insurance software trends show that businesses tend to invest more and more in digital solutions. The whole industry is on the rise. Considering the cost of medical care in the USA, health policies can save tons of money. Hence, we want to talk about insurance options available for students and ways to pick the best one for you. Health Insurance Coverage - Compare & Choose With the introduction of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) known as Obamacare, American citizens got more ways to protect their health. The statute is one of the most discussing regulative documents in the modern history of the USA. It has both supporters and opponents. One fact is true - it adds more health coverage options for students. Let's look at them to reveal which one is the most suitable! 1. Parent Plan For youngsters, staying on their parents' insurance plans is a viable and highly affordable option. Typically, parents keep kids on these plans until they turn 18. But it's do possible to prolong this insurance if the existing policies allow insuring dependents. Of course, if the main owner loses his/her insurance, children will lose it, too. How does the plan work? Students that are on such plans can remain on them up to reaching the age of 26. Other personal circumstances don't matter. Students that are on such plans can remain on them up to reaching the age of 26. Other personal circumstances don't matter. How to get it? If a student wants to join the parents' plan, it's possible to do during regular or special enrollment periods. If a student wants to join the parents' plan, it's possible to do during regular or special enrollment periods. Who is eligible? Actually, all citizens younger than 26. Other eligibility criteria are important for parents, not students. Actually, all citizens younger than 26. Other eligibility criteria are important for parents, not students. Are there any pitfalls?Yes. For example, if a student studies in another state without an affiliate insurance brand there, the policy would be inefficient. 2. Personal Plan from College If a student doesn't want to be included in the family plan or he/she isn't eligible, the best option is to get college insurance. A lot of schools have either affiliate offers from insurance teams or in-house packages. They guarantee privacy as all bills and benefits are sent to students directly. However, they also feature some limits. How does the plan work? Students should pay premiums together with other college-related expenses. Thus, student loans can cover these expenses. Students should pay premiums together with other college-related expenses. Thus, student loans can cover these expenses. How to get it? Often, insurance is provided automatically to all enrolled students. Otherwise, you should contact your school's health center. Often, insurance is provided automatically to all enrolled students. Otherwise, you should contact your school's health center. Who is eligible? Exact criteria depend on the college. Some institutions evaluate the students' study credits when making a decision. Exact criteria depend on the college. Some institutions evaluate the students' study credits when making a decision. Are there any pitfalls?Usually, these plans work only during the school year, not during breaks. Also, they may feature higher limits and lower overall coverage. 3. Plan from the Marketplace Thanks to the ACA, citizens now can purchase policies directly at state/federal marketplaces. There are a lot of options, coverage levels, and subsidies for eligible persons. Also, don't forget that there are exclusive offers for low-income students through Medicaid. The features are similar but the costs are way lower. How does the plan work? You can go to a state or federal online marketplace, filter the plans, choose the most appropriate one, and even apply for subsidies. You can go to a state or federal online marketplace, filter the plans, choose the most appropriate one, and even apply for subsidies. How to get it? Just visit HealthCare.gov and find the appropriate plans based on your age, income and state of residence. Open and special enrollment periods matter here. Just visit and find the appropriate plans based on your age, income and state of residence. Open and special enrollment periods matter here. Who is eligible? All American citizens except for imprisoned persons and students who already have a policy from Medicaid. All American citizens except for imprisoned persons and students who already have a policy from Medicaid. Are there any pitfalls?There are different plans like bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. Lower plans feature cheaper premiums but higher deductibles. 4. Personal Workplace Plan The main alternative to all the previous insurance offers is a workplace-based one. It's available to working students who want to get protection but can't get it from parents, college or marketplace. What's good, these policies include a lot of benefits. What's worse, they require to work a full day or a specific number of hours. How does the plan work? Terms and conditions depend on the employer. Often, co-pays, deductibles, and automatic deductions are available. Terms and conditions depend on the employer. Often, co-pays, deductibles, and automatic deductions are available. How to get it? Your HR manager should definitely know the procedure. Usually, it's enough to sign a few forms to get a package. Your HR manager should definitely know the procedure. Usually, it's enough to sign a few forms to get a package. Who is eligible? The majority of health insurance plans for workers are available to full-time employees only. The majority of health insurance plans for workers are available to full-time employees only. Are there any pitfalls?For students, it may be difficult to be eligible to get workplace insurance (i.e., to work full-time) and to study well. 5. Catastrophic Plan The last option isn't the most suitable for students but you should consider it, too. Catastrophic packages feature low premiums, limited benefits, and high deductibles. They allow getting medical help three times per year, not more. Often, experts suggest applying for subsidized marketplace plans instead of catastrophic ones. How does the plan work? These offers focus on major but rare accidents. Students are limited to three doctor visits per year, and coverage is pretty limited. These offers focus on major but rare accidents. Students are limited to three doctor visits per year, and coverage is pretty limited. How to get it? Catastrophic plans are also available at the marketplaces. Some insurance companies can deliver them independently. Catastrophic plans are also available at the marketplaces. Some insurance companies can deliver them independently. Who is eligible? All citizens 30 can get such a policy. As well, customers of any age can get this plan if they aren't eligible for workplace or marketplace offers. All citizens 30 can get such a policy. As well, customers of any age can get this plan if they aren't eligible for workplace or marketplace offers. Are there any pitfalls?Subsidies aren't available for these offers. Deductibles are relatively high and out-of-pocket expenses can be enormous. A Life Without Insurance Despite the notable improvements in the affordability of health policies, they still remain relatively expensive for students. A study by AgileHealthInsurance conducted in 2017, reports that a whopping 72% of college students and young graduates have problems with getting health coverage. Among them, 40% can't afford too high premiums, 20% emphasize high instant payments, and 12% face other challenges. Well, is it a good idea to refuse to obtain a policy at all? We'd say no. Although the individual mandate penalties for being uninsured were removed from the ACA in 2019, it's still a good idea to protect yourself. At the end of the day, each student should evaluate the risks and the benefits individually, by comparing the expected healthcare expenses with regular insurance premiums. A proposed Bell MTS cellphone tower near St. Andrews airport would be so intrusive there are fears it could lead to the closure of the busy regional airport. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 9/3/2020 (672 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A proposed Bell MTS cellphone tower near St. Andrews airport would be so intrusive there are fears it could lead to the closure of the busy regional airport. Craig Skonberg, the airport's general manager, said although the proposed cell tower is 5.6 nautical miles north of the airport and one nautical mile west of the centre line of the runway, it will become a real hazard for low-flying takeoffs and landings. "I've tried to tell them (Bell MTS and the company hired to build the tower) that it would be like putting a pole in the middle of a driveway and asking a person to look at the top of the trees as they drive out onto the road 150 times a day," Skonberg said. "Eventually you would drive into the pole." The application is to be heard by the Rural Municipality of St. Andrews at council meeting this evening at its offices in Clandeboye. Skonberg expects to have a good showing of support from his board and the 57 tenants of the airport. Judy Saxby, former head of the Manitoba Aviation Council, will be there supporting the airport. "Craig has made St. Andrews one of the very few small airports in the country that is successful," she said. "It seems absurd that such a development should be contemplated. I think this is something Bell MTS has to answer to." A spokesperson for Bell MTS said, "We received clearance from NAV Canada and Transport Canada for the site as part of the public consultation. Well have representatives at the RM of St. Andrews council meeting to answer any questions, and residents in the area can reach us at comments@evolveinc.ca. Were also happy to contact St. Andrews Airport to address any of their concerns about the site location or design." After injecting more that $2 million into expansion and renovation of the airport's infrastructure less than two years ago, the airport has become busier than it's ever been in its 50 year history. Since the expansion, it has gone from the 17th busiest to the 13th busiest airport in the country with more than 132,000 aircraft movements (takeoffs and landings) per year. It's now the home base for a couple of scheduled services that fly to remote communities in northern Manitoba and northwestern Ontario as well as an important hub for helicopters to avoid the large plane traffic at Winnipeg's Richardson International Airport. It is also an economic hub that generates about $32 million in economic activity. Although both Transport Canada and NAV Canada have officially not objected to the planned location of the tower, neither have officially approved it either. Skonberg has tried to show Bell MTS and the cellphone tower construction company, Evolve Surface Strategies, that if it were a couple of miles farther west and north it would not be a problem. Among other things, the concern is that the proposed height of the tower, about 350 feet, is higher than the approach many planes are flying in at, especially if there is poor visibility "Aircraft pilots are watching out for each other, they are not looking for a pole while taking off or landing," Skonberg said. "One nautical mile is about 27 seconds of flying time. If there is wind drift and taking into account other issue, its very easy to go that distance (off course)." Changes in legislation over the past few decades has left it up to the airport authorities to ensure that the airways are free of unnecessary obstructions. The Winnipeg Airports Authority is currently in a fight to prevent an apartment tower that could lead to objections to its operations. "Yes, maybe we could operate the airport," Skonberg said. "But we have to produce a safety management system. Anyone would say, 'My God. No. I can't do that.' I wouldn't ask anybody else to do that (have a cell tower so close to a flight path). It would just be stupid." Jerry Roehr, the chairman of the board at St. Andrews Airport, said Transport Canada approaches these things only from a technical perspective. "They just look at their charts," he said. "If it does not interfere with a particular chart... they don't don't say they are approving, They have no opinion. But for the airport operator it is a different story. We have to understand what our exposure would be if such a tower is approved." 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. Skonberg is worried that federal regulators are advocating for better broadband coverage across the country, especially in rural Canada, and that cell towers are being approved in all sorts of landscape scenarios. "Every time it has come up in the past, the cellphone tower people have won," he said. Roehr is also concerned if that type of development is approved, it might open up the possibility for more developments that would cause even more concerns in the future. "It is a creeping situation," Roehr said. "First it's one thing then another thing then later someone might say, 'well, the airport should not be there.'" And it's not as if the airport has anything against cellphone towers in general. There is already one on the airport property, albeit, it is considerably smaller in height. martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca But Allen is far from a pariah in France, where until recently, at least artists have usually been given carte blanche to live their lives however they please insofar as their work is judged to have value. Allens most recent film, A Rainy Day in New York, was not released in the United States, but it was released in France. BOISE, Idaho Susan Calvin was healthy. Her family was, too. But their health insurance premiums and deductibles were climbing. When she started shopping for an insurance plan for 2017 and lamented the cost, Calvin says, her insurance broker suggested trying another option. What she didnt fully realize at the time was that she wasnt buying health insurance. She was signing up for a health care sharing ministry, the Idaho Statesman reported. A few years after dropping her health insurance and joining a sharing ministry, she warns, My biggest thing with this is be very, very careful and cautious. Health care sharing ministries are basically faith-based clubs whose dues are pooled and distributed to help members pay their medical bills. The ministries require members to adhere to certain faith-based principles no illicit drugs, heavy drinking or extramarital sex, for example and to follow certain rules laid out in their contracts. The ministries gained popularity under the Affordable Care Act. The laws tax penalty for going uninsured rolled out in 2014, and it did not apply to people who joined health care sharing ministries. That exemption _ and the rising costs of not only having health insurance but using it, too made the ministries popular with people like Calvin, who dont have coverage through their jobs and dont qualify for income-based subsidies to buy their own insurance. The number of Idahoans in health care sharing ministries has grown significantly in recent years, according to Idaho Department of Insurance Director Dean Cameron. The department asked eight of the largest ministries to divulge how many Idahoans they cover. There were 15,874 Idahoans in those eight ministries in 2017. There were 24,282 in 2018. Cameron doesnt yet have the numbers for 2019, but he thinks it could be 35,000 or more I would not be surprised if it was that high, he said. Thats about one-third the number of Idahoans who bought health insurance plans through the state exchange that year. From a philosophical standpoint, I have absolutely no objection to religious institutions assisting individuals with their health care needs, whether theyre assisting them with paying their claims or assisting them with paying their premiums, Cameron said. What does give him heartburn, he said, are complaints from people like Calvin, whose claims werent covered as they would have been by health insurance and who were left with five- or six-figure medical bills. He says Idahoans need to take a buyer beware approach and understand the limits of their coverage in a health sharing ministry. Claims Denied By Health Care Sharing Ministry Susan Calvin, of Boise, looked over her contract when she joined Texas-based Altrua HealthShare, but she doesnt remember noticing some of the fine print about what it would and wouldnt cover. What she does remember noticing was the member dues less than half of what shed been paying for health insurance, she said, with a reasonable deductible. She signed up. That was December 2016. But in 2017, she got sick. Very sick. She went to the emergency room with what she thought was a sinus infection. She contacted Altrua the week after her ER visit, she said. She learned her first lesson: the ministry wouldnt pay, because she didnt submit the claim fast enough, she said. (Altrua documents from that year said members with ER visits must contact Altrua within 96 hours of discharge.) The illness didnt go away. As the months went on, her symptoms worsened. Her tongue went numb. Her foot went numb. Calvins doctor suggested surgery. The procedure was expected to cost $17,000 and Altrua told her it wouldnt cover the bill, she said. Faced with the massive expense, she almost backed out, but her husband insisted. So in December 2017, a year after joining the health sharing ministry, she had sinus surgery. The surgeon discovered the cause of Calvins problems wasnt a sinus infection, or a deviated septum, or anything else theyd speculated it could be. It was an extremely rare vascular condition that can be fatal without treatment. Essentially, my septum had disintegrated, she said. The surgeon told Calvin she either was a heavy drug user, which I am not, or I had Wegeners disease, where my white blood cells were attacking my body, she said. Wegeners disease, also known as granulomatosis with polyangiitis, is a condition that affects blood vessels and tissue in certain parts of the body, including the sinuses. It cut off all the blood circulation (in my sinus area) and it was getting into my lungs, and thats where its fatal, Calvin said. If I had waited two or three months, I would have died. She ended the year with $40,000 of medical bills, she said. Getting the condition under control would require infusion treatments. Drugs that cost $300,000 a year. Hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in medical costs, she estimates. Calvin dropped Altrua and signed up for a plan through Idaho-based Mountain Health CO-OP, which sells Affordable Care Act-compliant health insurance plans on Idahos exchange. The Affordable Care Act requires insurance plans sold on exchanges to cover preexisting conditions, and prohibits them from charging people more based on past health problems, so Calvins lack of insurance the prior year had no effect on her coverage. Health sharing ministries have no such requirements. Ill be forever indebted to them, Calvin said of Mountain Health CO-OP. Her monthly premium doubled to about $1,200 a month, she said. But considering how much the treatments were, I didnt blink an eye. I would have been bankrupt if Id stayed with the other company. Calls and emails by the Statesman to Altrua were not returned. The companys website provides Altruas membership guidelines that, for 2017, said cases of sinusitis were not covered. Thats consistent with what Calvin says Altrua told her. She says she tried to appeal but the company didnt respond. I turned in all my medical bills (to Altrua), I showed them it wasnt a sinus infection that caused it, it was Wegeners but Altrua declined payment, she said. So I sent all my (stuff) to the legal department, nothing. Altruas website includes a set of questions and answers that make it clear it is not health insurance. No, we are NOT an insurance company nor is the membership offered through an insurance company, and our organization is not subject to the regulatory requirements or consumer protections of any state insurance code, it says. The Idaho Supreme Court in a 2013 opinion found that it wasnt correct to say Altrua was offering health insurance. The Idaho Department of Insurance had alleged the ministry was operating as an insurer. One Supreme Court justice called the case a prime example of an administrative agency exceeding its statutory powers in an attempt to protect citizens from themselves. Another justice said Altrua had designed its program to look like insurance and act like insurance but to exclude it from being insurance by virtue of its numerous disclaimers. What Can Idaho Do About Health Sharing Ministries? Cameron, the top health insurance regulator for Idaho, told the Statesman that he has heard similar complaints from around the state. I heard one, the other day, from some people down in Burley, where they had been told to go ahead and pay their $200,000 claim, and that the (ministry) would reimburse them, he said. That was a year ago, and theyre still waiting for the money, he said. A woman in Soda Springs said her ministry denied coverage for her liver transplant because she had drank alcohol in her life, Cameron said. Another person told Cameron their claims were denied because the ministry decided the person was one religious belief that was slightly different from the one with which the ministry affiliated itself. Consumers need to be very wary, he said. They need to read the provisions very carefully. They need to document what the salesperson or the agent is telling them about the contract. And make sure they keep good notes and records. Cameron said consumers should ask: Under what conditions can they deny a claim? Can they deny a claim because of my religious affiliation? Whats the preexisting condition clause? Does the patient have to pay the claim up front, then get reimbursed? The faith-based status keeps the organizations from having to follow the same regulations as health insurers. The ministries dont have to cover medical care for certain things. They dont have to prove their financial strength or their ability to pay on claims. The Idaho Legislature in 2013 codified the criteria for a health care sharing ministry, such as including a disclaimer on their materials that tells customers theyre not buying insurance and have no guarantees that their bills will be paid. I also have a concern that, for some of these programs, that they can remain financial viable, Cameron said. And maybe the way they remain viable is simply by denying claims. So those are both strong concerns we have. Other states have begun to push back against, or warn people to stay away from, bad actors. Some have warned consumers to be careful or even gone so far as to sue health sharing ministries. Washington state last year banned Trinity Healthshare, one of the largest ministries in the U.S., from selling there and issued a $150,000 fine. The states insurance commissioner said Trinity sold collected $3.8 million in premiums from more than 3,000 Washington residents. Frankly, were trying to figure out how to handle it in Idaho, Cameron said. Were trying to follow the intent of the Legislature as well as what the code actually says. And so, were in the process of reviewing what to do He encourages anyone with a complaint to email him at dean.cameron(at)doi.idaho.gov with information about the company and their experience. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. In 1962, around 4,000 Canadians gathered in Saskatchewan to protest the newly enacted single-payer system. In 1962, around 4,000 Canadians gathered in Saskatchewan to protest the newly enacted single-payer system. Getty Images It is a common refrain from Bernie Sanders on the campaign trail: The United States is the only developed country that does not provide health coverage to all residents. Canada can provide universal health care to all their people at half the cost, he said at a recent Democratic debate. The U.K. can do it. France can do it. Germany can do it. All of Europe can do it. Mr. Sanders is right: All these countries provide universal coverage. But what he doesnt talk about is the excruciating battle they went through to get there. It took Canada more than a decade to move from a patchwork of insurance plans to a single-payer system. At one point, doctors were so incensed that they went on strike for 23 days. Doctors from the United States and Britain flew in to help keep the health system going. Single-payer systems take a long time to establish Note: The start dates are based on interviews with historians and a review of historical records. Today, most Britons revere their National Health Service: One lawmaker has called it the closest thing the English have to religion, and the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony honored it with a four-minute song-and-dance routine. But when it began in the mid-1940s, 89 percent of doctors were opposed. They raised 1.6 million (or 58 million today, equivalent to $76 million) for a fighting fund to protest the plan. Some patients showed interest in contributing, too. Look around the world and you start to see a common theme: Creating universal coverage is hard. The countries with the systems that Mr. Sanders admires went through years of failed legislation, doctor protests and uncertain futures. No country did this without a huge political conflict, said Jacob Hacker, a professor of political science at Yale who studies the formation of international health systems. But once they put in the strong, basic foundations, there was no going back. Most countries, like the United States, build their health systems incrementally. They start with smaller programs that cover a certain group of people (such as the poor) or a certain type of medical care (like hospital visits). In other countries, it was the leap that the United States hasnt made yet from a system that covers some people to one that covers everybody that in many cases was the hardest part. Abroad, the arguments made against universal coverage were similar to those we hear today: that it's just too expensive, or gives government too much control over the practice of medicine. Universal coverage may be considered a laudable goal, one Canadian trade group said in 1967, before arguing that it is not yet within the economic reach of our province or country. One British doctor told The New York Times in 1948 that, in fighting against the National Health Service, he and his colleagues were engaged in a life or death struggle for our freedom and independence. Mr. Hacker said: People look at the current levels of support that other systems have, and extrapolate backwards to think that universal coverage was always popular. But that isnt the case. Everywhere this happened, it was a very fierce fight. It took Canada 11 years to bring health care to everybody Tommy Douglas, widely credited for establishing single-payer health care in Canada, campaigning in front of a crowd of about 12,000. Getty Images In 1944, Saskatchewan elected a premier named Tommy Douglas, the first Democratic socialist to hold that position in North America. He got to work building the provinces health system, starting with hospital benefits in 1947. Mr. Douglas ran his 1959 re-election campaign on a health care agenda, promising a high standard of medical care to every citizen of Saskatchewan. He also offered a prediction: If his province stepped forward and created single-payer health care, before 1970, almost every other province in Canada will have followed the lead of Saskatchewan. He won re-election in 1960 and passed legislation to create the single-payer system hed promised voters. It did not get the positive reception that he might have hoped for: Doctors went on strike for more than three weeks when it began in July 1962. They took out newspaper ads warning that compulsory state medicine would be a tragic mistake for this province and it would undermine the high quality of medical care which you now enjoy. All the issues youre hearing about in the Democratic debate, those were voiced in Canada in the 1950s and 60s, said David Wright, a history professor at McGill University in Montreal with a coming book on the history of Canadas health system. You had an industry concerned about becoming redundant, and individuals who had insurance worried about their doctors. Eventually, the doctors began to lose support, as Saskatchewan residents became frustrated with their lack of access to medical care. An independent mediator from London then brokered a deal. The compromise, known as the Saskatoon Agreement for where it was settled, guaranteed doctors they would not become employees of the state but remain independent contractors within the public insurance plan. Despite the early hurdles, Mr. Douglass prediction was ultimately proved right. Saskatchewans system became quite popular, and other provinces began putting in their own. The federal government later began providing funding for these systems, and, by 1971, the entire country had transitioned to single-payer health care. British doctors raised millions to protest the National Health Service A dentist working in a health center that was part of the newly established National Health Service. Popperfoto/Getty Images In 1942, a dense government tome known as the Beveridge Report recommended that Britain vastly expand its welfare state. The 300-page policy paper by the economist William Beveridge became a surprise hit, selling more than half a million copies. Even so, the nation wasnt fully sold on the idea of overhauling its health system. One 1944 poll recently unearthed by the historian Nick Hayes found that just 44 percent favored a nationalized health system. A full third wanted to leave things as they were, a mix of public and private programs. Doctors made their views quite clear in a poll conducted by the British Medical Association: 89 percent opposed the new system. Facing ambivalence from the public and staunch opposition from physicians, the National Health Service didnt move forward until the Labour Party won control of Parliament with a landslide victory in 1945. From there, things moved quickly. As Mr. Hacker writes in his history of the system, it moved from a Cabinet proposal in December 1945 to a White Paper in March to a law in November. Doctors considered going on strike but ultimately decided against it after the government offered financial concessions. Doctors would be allowed to earn additional money seeing patients in private practice outside of the National Health Service (this is still done in Britain but is outlawed in Canada). Two years after the start of the National Health Service, the health minister Aneurin Bevan remarked that he had stuffed their mouths with gold to broker his deal with British doctors. Australia created universal coverage. Then repealed it. Then created it again. Australian workers protested outside Parliament in 1975. Australia adopted a single-payer system, repealed it and then re-adopted it years later. Kenneth Stevens/Fairfax Media, via Getty Images When Australia started working toward universal coverage in the 1960s, the landscape looked similar to that of the United States: 80 percent of residents had some form of private or government-subsidized coverage for hospital visits. The countrys Labor Party argued this wasnt good enough, and won the 1972 countrys national election campaigning on a health care platform. Things did not proceed smoothly from there. The journey has been quite tortuous, said Anne-Marie Boxall, an associate professor at the University of Sydney, who has written a book on Australias health system. No other developed country has managed to introduce universal health care and get rid of it. Legislation to create universal health care failed in 1973. It failed again in 1974 before passing by a mere three-vote margin. The new system would leave private insurance markets intact but create a parallel public program to cover all Australians. It was an epic legislative battle to get universal health care up and running, Ms. Boxall said. It was nothing short of extreme brinkmanship. She said the leader at the time, Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, had a motto: crash or crash through. The Labor Party did manage to create a universal coverage system called Medibank, but voters support for the idea had fallen during the bruising legislative battle. One poll showed that, by 1975, only 38 percent of Australians supported the idea of mandatory coverage for all. Voters made this point especially clear in the next election, when they booted the Labor Party out of power. A more conservative coalition government took control and, within years, rolled back the Medibank plan. This gives Australia the perhaps unenviable distinction of being the only developed country to repeal universal coverage. But the battle wasnt over. When Labor returned to power in 1983, the party immediately went back to health care. It changed the name of its health coverage plan to Medicare and passed it again in 1984. This one has survived, so far. Could it happen here? Demonstrators carried signs supporting the Medicare for All Act of 2019 at a news conference about the bill outside the House of Representatives in Washington. T.J. Kirkpatrick for The New York Times Australia, Canada and Britain all overcame enormous opposition to build health systems that their citizens now support. In each case, politicians stood firm, and eventually the outcry subsided. Could something similar happen in the United States? Those who study the history of other health systems say it is certainly possible but will probably be more difficult. The United States is different in that its medical industry is bigger and more powerful. Health care spending accounts for one-sixth of the American economy, and no industry spends more on lobbying Congress. Another obstacle comes from the structure of the U.S. government, in which dueling political parties often wield partial control over different branches of government. The American political system makes this harder, said Mr. Hacker, the Yale professor. The kind of determined, take-no-prisoners approach that happened in some provinces like Saskatchewan doesnt work as well here. That said, there is nothing so structurally different about the United States that leads historians to think of universal coverage as impossible. Of course the United States could do this, said Mr. Wright, the history professor at McGill. Theres no reason except for political will that it couldnt happen. Ms. Boxall, who studies the system in Australia, notes that 80 percent of people there had private health insurance when the Labor government began to pursue universal public coverage. That suggests to her that change can still happen, even in the face of an entrenched insurance industry. The private market hadnt achieved universal coverage here, and it became clear government was the only way to get from 80 percent up to 100 percent, she said. Still, widespread private insurance did mean party leaders had to compromise: To this day, Australia has a private health insurance system that runs in parallel to its universal coverage. Enrollment in the private plans typically rises when conservative parties are in power, and falls when liberals come into government. People had been paying into their private coverage for 25 years, and were nervous about what a government-run scheme would mean, Ms. Boxall said. After fighting the political battle left to get to universal coverage, they just didnt have the political capital left to do something sensible with the private insurance arrangements that sat alongside it. By Fredrick Nwabufo Northern Nigeria is prostrate. It is the axis of uglies banditry, insurgency, kidnapping, diseases, ignorance, and drug abuse. Alas! The regions elite are aware of the problems, but look away because the disequilibrious status quo sustains them. What is petrifying, however, is that they maul and clobber at anyone who spits the truth in their faces. I think, this is the mortal sin of Muhammad Sanusi II, emir of Kano beyond his politics with Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano. But wait! The World Bank says 87 percent of Nigerias poor are in the north. And that while poverty is plummeting in the south, it is rocketing in the upper region. READ: Dethroned Sanusi Will Be Under House Arrest Gandujes Aide Poverty in the northern regions of the country has been increasing especially in the north-west zone. Almost half of all poor lived in the north-west and the north accounts for 87 percent of all poor in the country in 2016, the Bretton Woods institution said in its report entitled Advancing social protection in a dynamic Nigeria in February 2020. In August, 2019, the federal government revealed that 1,460 people were killed by bandits in seven months. And that the north-west is the worst-hit by this bloody enterprise. The killings have steadied, expanding in proportion and execution in the region. In his accustomed manner, Sanusi recently vocalised these depressing figures of retrogression in the north as regards the World Bank report earning himself praise from progressive Nigerians and reprimand from the usual suspects those stuck in the cesspit of bigotry. Also, the gadfly emir of Kano, whom I regard as the John the Baptist of the north for his vociferous condemnation of this status quo, is alone in his advocacy against irresponsible polygamy, Al-majiri and child marriage practices the northern elite espouse. He is the face of a progressive north; the northerner of the new age. As a matter of fact, on different occasions he had complained about the northern elite whom he said wanted to silence him for speaking the truth about the region. Our colleagues and compatriots among the elite do not like statistics. Numbers are disturbing. I recently gave a speech in which I said the north-east and north-west of Nigeria are the poorest parts of the country. This simple statement of fact has generated so much heat; the noise has yet to die down. The response to this speech has been a barrage of personal attacks and insults aimed at silencing any voices that dare shine the light on the society to which we are saying Bring Back our Girls, he said at a lecture held to commemorate the Chibok girls abduction. READ: Sanusi Breaks Silence After Dethronement As Emir Of Kano (Video) And I guess they can only take the throne away from him but cannot take away his royalty in the community of decent humans. Really, I believe the emir would rather give up his throne than be gagged by the shareholders of iniquity. To say the least, Sanusis dethroning was not unexpected. Ganduje had always shown his hand in this plot. Really, the emir of Kano never hid his dislike for him. But what is there to like about a governor who was allegedly caught on camera stuffing wads of dollars into his babariga? In the build-up to the 2019 governorship election in the state, the emir was not shy in expressing his disapproval to Gandujes candidature. So, Ganduje, who considers Sanusi a loud mouth, plotted a bitter revenge after he was re-elected. He had moved to remove the emir in 2018 but for the intervention of some higher powers. However, he whittle-down the power of the emir by creating new emirates from his domain. He was not done though. He rustled-up allegations, set up probe panels all in the desperation to embarrass Sanusi. But Sanusi was still talking. Really, one of the most abrasive places to exist is in the circle of non-progressives. You talk different, think different or act different, they will feel threatened. Even when you try to clown around; the aboriginal clowns will still feel threatened because you do not look the part. I think, Emir Sanusi is light-years away from the people he is dealing with in Kano government. He is needed more at the top echelon of government where he can contribute more meaningfully to the development of Nigeria. Northern Nigeria is not ready for an emir like Sanusi. He is ahead of his time. Fredrick Nwabufo is a writer and journalist. AVALON A woman who had been told by the borough that vines growing on her house were unsafe had the final of multiple citations against her dismissed by a judge Monday afternoon. Elaine Scattergood, who lives on 30th Street, was cited multiple times over the two previous summers for the indigenous vine, Virginia creeper, growing on her home. She has contended that, while some may not appreciate them, the plants are good for the environment. The borough originally cited her with failure to remove overgrowth vegetation from her house, failure to maintain the exterior of the property and premises in a clean, safe and sanitary condition, and obnoxious growth of brush and weeds. At the start of a seven-hour hearing in January, Judge Andrew Cafiero dismissed all but one citation failure to maintain the exterior of the property and premises in a clean, safe and sanitary condition. Monday afternoons hearing was on that issue alone, and the judge dismissed that remaining charge. Cafiero said in the borough ordinance, the cited resident should be afforded time to repair, alter and correct the problem after being cited. That was not done, he said. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Emmy Award winner Chris Schueler is being honored for battling youth drug addiction head-on in Albuquerque and throughout New Mexico. He is this years recipient of the FBI Directors Community Leadership Award for his efforts to educate the community about the harm of vaping and opioid use, FBI Special Agent in Charge James Langenberg said during a ceremony Monday. You are the catalyst for change in your community, Langenberg said before presenting Schueler with a certificate at the FBI field office. Schueler is the founder of Christopher Productions and executive director of SafeTeen New Mexico, a nonprofit established in 2001 to help youths make healthy decisions. Schueler has partnered with the FBI to host youth events about opioid abuse, vaping and other important topics. Christopher Productions has also produced documentaries and videos on those issues that have been shown in health classes in school districts around New Mexico and throughout the country. Schueler who has received 27 Emmys has created more than 100 television programs that have been shown throughout the world. He is striving to make a healthier community, Langenberg said. And that starts with the youth. Schueler said the award is really about honoring the youth of New Mexico. They are the ones we partner with, he said. They are the ones we work with on all of these different topics and issues, including opioids, the dangers of vaping and health issues. And then they take them and transmit them to their peers. Thats what this is about. He said teens in the community have been involved with the production of documentaries. They are the ones who often come up with the topics and are also involved with the marketing of the films. Our goal is to educate the youth, their parents and their grandparents about these issues, Schueler said. Last October, Schueler partnered with the FBI Albuquerque Citizens Academy Alumni Association and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to host an Opioid Awareness Summit at Volcano Vista High School. He served as a speaker and provided a documentary on the use of e-cigarettes by the youth in the community. One of the things that stood out at the summit was the conversations that took place between the parents and the children who were in attendance, Langenberg said. Schueler has been invited to a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on May 1, where FBI Director Christopher Wray will present him and other recipients with crystal awards. Each of the agencys 56 field offices honors a member of the community. HALIFAX - An Immigration and Refugee Board member has ruled that an American fugitive wanted for murder in Texas will remain in detention for another 30 days in Halifax, while imposing a wide publication ban on further details of his case. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/3/2020 (671 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. HALIFAX - An Immigration and Refugee Board member has ruled that an American fugitive wanted for murder in Texas will remain in detention for another 30 days in Halifax, while imposing a wide publication ban on further details of his case. Derek Cameron Whisenand has been detained since his Dec. 30 arrest, which came after police responded to a call about the shoplifting of work boots at a Walmart in the Bayers Lake area of Halifax. The 28-year-old is a suspect in the June 2019 death of a 78-year-old man in Eastland County, Texas, about 170 kilometres southwest of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He is alleged to have crossed illegally into Manitoba sometime in late June 2019 from North Dakota, where authorities found his car. The fugitive hasn't explained how he got to Nova Scotia, but he was found living in a tent near the commercial area in Halifax where he was arrested. The CBSA said he has no family or friends in Canada. On Tuesday, Dianne Tordorf, a member of the Immigration and Refugee Board, ordered Whisenand to remain detained at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility on the basis he was a flight risk and a danger to the Canadian public. Tordorf allowed media to attend the detention review hearing but imposed a sweeping publication ban on may of the details of Whisenand's case, including his health and conditions at his detention, as well as most aspects of his hearings going forward. In her written ruling banning most reporting of what is said, Tordorf noted the constitutional protections of the freedom of the press, but added "the need to prevent disclosure outweighs the societal interest that certain information may be available to the public." Whisenand has told previous immigration hearings he fears for his safety if returned to the United States. He had refused to leave his cell during a previous board hearing in January, stating last month he didn't want to appear without a lawyer present and he had been having trouble finding one. However, Whisenand had a legal aid lawyer speaking on his behalf from Montreal on Tuesday, as he spoke from the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Halifax. Whisenand's legal aid lawyer told the board hearing she will attempt to have her client moved to Montreal, where he will have easier access to counsel. The next detention hearing and admissibility hearing is set for April 7. An admissibility hearing is a hearing to determine if a person is allowed to remain in Canada, and can include determining factors such as whether the person is a security threat or was involved in a crime. A detention review is a decision on whether the person must remain in detention, including in a jail, and looks at factors such as whether they may flee or if they're a danger to the public. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2020. I am not impressed with how journalism is responding to the coronavirus. This is not like reporting the advance of an asteroid, or an invading army heading for the capital. All we have is the numbers of the known infected and the dead. So, a major news programme reports that a man in his 80s, with an underlying health condition, has died after becoming infected. Given that 80-year-old men with underlying conditions are dying every day, this is not a headline that many professional journalists will have expected to write. And in three or four months from now, when the epidemic is working its way through the population with more vigour, there will be no time to report the deaths of individuals, unless they are famous individuals. Read More The daily count will not be rising by a dozen, or few, but by much larger figures - probably; that is what we are being warned to prepare for. Then, the idea that a news programme might lead with a single death will seem like a reminder of a time we might hanker for a return to. So, how is the story to be told? At the weekend we had both Boris Johnson and Ryan Tubridy on television demonstrating how we should wash our hands, as if we were being taught an obscure yoga exercise. Most of us, I take it, have washed our hands before. But for want of a way to respond to the mounting calamity we revert to discussing it as one might on Blue Peter. Last week I said that I would fill you in on whether the writers gathering for a party in London would be kissing off to the side, or making contact, perhaps adapting their technique to the new conditions. Worse, the party was actually cancelled. This is another news story type that the virus has brought us, a change to our way of life in which we will now avoid crowds. Social media and the internet were regarded as blights themselves until now, at least in the more superficial media. Now, they may be the saving of us as we are encouraged to stay at home. When I first started writing for newspapers I delivered my copy on typed sheets of paper and these were passed around from the news editor to the subs to the compositors, so that any microscopic spot of spit that I might inadvertently have spluttered onto it would have jeopardised at least three people. Now, the danger is to myself, that I might be morally waylaid into online pornography, or camera reviews, when I should be contemplating the coming pestilence and trying to find a new angle on the news that our culture and economy are readapting to a calamity that has not yet befallen us. Part of the problem is with journalism itself, which tends to ignore events and processes which are not communicable as stories. It doesn't easily grasp with changes that are not visible and tangible. Historians of the 21st century, if we survive long enough to produce any, are likely to reconsider processes, rather than events, which did not preoccupy us very much as they were happening. War in Syria is far more important than Boris Johnson's latest pregnancy or the death, however tragic, of a celebrity broadcaster. Medical advances against cancer and dementia make great stories at the speculation stage, but the real reduction in mortality hardly registers. That a woman survived breast cancer is never going to be as big a story as that she died of it, though it will be very exciting news for herself and her family. The coronavirus is changing the way we organise public events. It is making us wary - as it should - of accepting loose change into our hands. Who knew that paying for things by tapping your card would be such a lifesaver? Perhaps we should also change the way we do journalism. Grasping for a headline is not an impressive response to a calamity that is taking its time. The rate of progress is slow and insidious. It is not going to give us a story every day. A time will come when we will stop publishing the figures for the infected and the dead. Even by now we should have accepted that we don't really have them. The one thing we can be sure of about the figures that are topped up daily is that they are the vaguest estimation. Unless every person in the country is tested every day, then we have only notional estimates of how widespread the virus is. The person coughing on the bus behind you probably just has a cold, or has choked on something. You don't know. The virus reminds us that even now we are still vulnerable to nature. We will no doubt get control of this virus, but a lot of people have died and more will die first. It forces us to rethink public health. Successive Tory Governments have eroded the National Health Service. As in the US, the clever dicks who think that low taxation is the route to greater freedom for all imagined that health was a personal concern. The citizen was to take responsibility and pay insurance and a basic service would remain in place for those in desperation. Meanwhile, a private sector would take care of the hip jobs of those who really couldn't wait. The virus reminds us that health is communal. There is ultimately no substance in the fantasy that you can look after yourself and let the rest of the world do the same or go hang. That thought might prompt us to consider whether the same need to consider the whole of society applies when you are dealing with crime, or education, or public transport. Discard one section of society and you place a burden on all. We know we are in this together. Maybe we are in everything together. There are those who tell us that this story fails because thousands already die of flu every year. Well, maybe this will make us more aware of them, too, and remind us to take care how we sneeze for their sake. For now the news story about Covid-19 is that it has a tentative toehold in Britain and Ireland. As it progresses, news reportage of the advances, or the advances against it, will do little to inform us. There is even a danger that the banality of the coverage will numb us to the reality of what's coming. Indeed, perhaps there are some cynics who hope so. In the coming years, the value of a strong federal government and well-run provincial governments responsible for health care long scorned by the right will become more apparent to Canadians than ever. Premiers Doug Ford and Jason Kenney want health care to be cheap to provide. The rest of us want it to be reliable. I am watching big government at work in the Tuesday hearings of the House Committee on Public Safety studying a disastrous failure by the federal parole system. The January murder of Marylene Levesque, a young 22-year-old Quebec City sex worker so beautiful she looked like a fawn was horribly violent. Eustachio Gallese, 51, out on day parole and allowed to meet women for sexual purposes an extraordinary mistake was angered by her refusal to continue seeing him and allegedly slaughtered her. The parole system shouldnt have released him, knowing as it did that in 1994, Gallese had violently attacked Chantal Deschenes, his ex-wife. When she tried to leave him in 2004, he smashed her head with a hammer and stabbed her to death. I was pleased to see the committee meet relatively quickly on the matter, after considerable public protest about the parole systems carelessness with the lives of vulnerable women. The hearings are courteous, reveal important information, and appear to dig deeply into parole system failings. For this is big government. It will never be perfect but at least in this case, it is trying to learn how not to repeat disastrous errors of judgment. In another room, a federal committee is hearing Justice Minister David Lametti on a plan for judges to take lessons in sexual assault cases and how to avoid vicious myths about sluttish victims and men who couldnt resist raping them. And now, with coronavirus spreading panic around the world, Canadian government information is timely, steady, and reasonable. All politics are local, as they say, but no, coronavirus is global and we need big government for that. As health writer Andre Picard has written, B.C. Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry has become the official to trust: along with information and advice, she shows concern for elderly and ill people who are more vulnerable. Most of all she is calm. There is stockpiling but no hoarding that I can see. Chinese-Canadians have often worn masks, partly to avoid city pollution. Maybe we should have been wearing them much earlier in this car-loving city. Why should anyone take offence? We have installed cruise passengers, infected or otherwise, for quarantine in Canadian Forces Base Trenton, once run by Col. Russell Williams, serial killer and hyperactive collector of little girls undergarments. Its unnerving but once again, that case was dealt with briskly. We worry that there may not be enough equipment ready for an epidemic, not enough beds and ventilation equipment for very ill patients, not enough hazard suits, surgical face masks and N95 face masks for hospital staff. But with enough time, there will be, and we will know for next time. And then theres American big government: shaky, timid, understocked, and vastly short of tests and beds, with miscommunications among the Centres for Disease Control, states, cities, police and hospitals. The American response has been chaotic, with cities not being told that they were to house ill patients, not just those in quarantine. And where are the tests? Travellers from Italy report no questions or checks at American airports. The president does not understand the coronavirus or even the flu virus, repeatedly says incorrect or incoherent things, with scientists risking their jobs by offering correct information once Trump stumps out of the room to bail out the hotel industry. And the U.K. shrank its national health service just in time for the epidemic, with new rules against immigrant workers, including doctors and nurses. Britain didnt have the medical staff it needed before the epidemic. Now this? Blame Tory austerity and racism and leave it at that. Thanks to big government, I have reliable health advice statistics, am prepared to stay at home if that helps containment, and am happy to share what I have with elderly or ill neighbours in my neighbourhood. Big government works for me. Rats nest government works for American Republicans. To each their own. And while Dr Whitaker said the sperm extract would not have had the rape victims DNA in it, he considered it extremely unlikely it could have had an opportunity to be spilled in the lab and then been left undetected for 13 months before finding its way into the AJM42 container. Another difference that I would be alert to is that the extract is now a liquid which is kept frozen in the laboratory and so that needs to be out. It needs to have thawed, he said. DNA liquid form ... tends to degrade and dry out, so again it needs to have persisted in the environment. It needs to have evaded all our cleaning regimes and controls, etcetera. Considering that it dried and now becomes a flaky residue, that itself then has still got to get by some mechanism into these pots. Dr Whitaker said the source, mechanism and opportunity for the contamination to have occurred was very low. But I stress, we cant say never which is why I positioned it on my subjective scale right down at the bottom end, he said. Dr Whitaker said if any escaped DNA was present in the lab for 13 months, it didnt contaminate any other exhibits tested in the lab during that time. DNA expert says highly probable Ms Glennon scratched Mr Edwards Prosecutor Carmel Barbagallo said it was the states case Mr Edwards DNA was found underneath Ms Glennons fingernails because she had fought him in the moments before her murder. The accused man's DNA has gotten into the mixed DNA profile ... as a result of Ms Glennon scratching the accused man, or otherwise engaging with him in a violent and physical altercation at the time of, or close to her death, she said. Ciara Glennon Dr Whitaker agreed Ms Glennons torn left thumbnail on an otherwise well-manicured hand suggested she had inflicted the scratch on her attacker with significant force. The considerations under that scenario are that Mr Edwards is present at the scene together with Ms Glennon, scratching occurs and that involves force that will promote the transfer of DNA to the nails, that's a one-step transfer which we call primary transfer," he said. "So comparing and contrasting the pathways, we've got a one-step pathway under the first proposition, but a multiple step pathway under the alternative [contamination theory]. "On the probability of the evidence, if Ms Glennon had scratched Mr Edwards ... I would couch this on my subjective scale as moderately high to high." The proven contaminations with Pathwest lab During the trial, 10 recorded instances of contamination within the Pathwest lab have been recorded in relation to the 17,000-odd Macro Taskforce exhibits tested over two decades. Nine out of the ten contaminations were by Pathwest scientists either involved in, or regularly present in the lab, during examination and testing of the samples. Of the nine occasions, at least seven of them occurred prior to staff having to wear hair nets during DNA testing, and at least four before staff were required to wear face masks. The increases to personal protective wear required inside the DNA lab grew as DNA technologies advanced and became more sensitive over time. The one example of an unrelated exhibit contaminating a Macro-related item was in 2002, when a twig from Jane Rimmers crime scene recovered the DNA of the female victim of an unrelated crime whose intimate swabs were tested days earlier in the lab. An investigation concluded the contamination was likely linked to a tube batch which was used for both extractions. Mr Yovich also referred to a contamination event that occurred in a UK lab in 2007, when an ex-employees DNA was detected on a DNA test negative control blank 16 months after they had resigned. Justice Stephen Hall. An investigation into the event concluded while the staff member didnt have access to the DNA lab, she had had regular access to its freezer, as did scientists. Mr Yovich, during the two times he brought up the incident, failed to mention that it was not known when the contamination occurred, suggesting it had occurred 16 months after the employee had resigned. Having read the incident report, Justice Hall clarified with Mr Yovich during his cross-examination of Dr Whitaker that the contamination could have occurred while the employee was still in the lab, but was not detected until later. Dr Whitaker said he was not aware of any example of DNA lasting longer than a year in the lab environment before contaminating an exhibit. A situation of a staff member in a cold room who's been in there frequently so DNA might build up and be detected later is different to a single forensic item that has very little DNA on it appearing over a period of time, Dr Whitaker said. "We conceive they could happen, but we try to put it under a level of reasoning and rationalism as to whether or not it's probable." Mr Edwards DNA profile a match to DNA found under Ms Glennons fingernails Following Mr Edwards arrest in 2016, DNA testing carried out on his reference sample when compared to the male DNA profile found underneath Ms Glennons fingernails, matched at every loci. Institute of Environmental Science and Research forensic scientist Susan Vintiner said her analysis of the samples in 2017 found Mr Edwards was at least 80 million times more likely to be the contributor of the DNA profile compared to any other white Australian male not related to him. Mr Edwards has admitted the DNA recovered from Ms Glennons fingernails matched his profile, but claimed he did not know how it got there. Mr Yovich, during his opening statement at trial in November, accepted the chance of contamination was remote, but not impossible. We accept that a scratching event, a direct scratching event of the sort that the state will rely on in proving a connection between the DNA found on these samples and the death of Ciara Glennon is a more likely circumstance, maybe a much more likely circumstance than a chance social contact, he said. And again, we do not put forward a specific chance, innocent, social contact to explain the DNA. We accept as well that the chance of contamination in a lab is usually remote although secondary transfer is known and documented in the literature. But in circumstances where other incidents of contamination are known to have occurred we say, known to have been undetected for some time, your Honour will have to consider just how remote the chance was here and whether it can be safely ruled out even if it was remote. On the eve of his triple murder trial, Mr Edwards admitted to the 1995 abduction and rape of a 17-year-old girl from Claremont, and a 1988 Huntingdale sex attack carried out on an 18-year-old woman. He originally pleaded not guilty to the charges and allegedly repeatedly feigned disbelief at his DNA appearing on items relating to the attacks during his police interview, Ms Barbagallo said. Evidence since heard in his murder trial has revealed Pathwest testing had concluded it 100 billion times more likely the DNA found on the rape victim's pants, and a semen-stained kimono left at the scene of the sex attack, belonged to Mr Edwards than any other person not related to him. BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WTHI) - Indiana University in Bloomington will suspend all classroom teaching amid the COVID-19 outbreak. According to a post on IU's Facebook page, after spring break, students on all IU campuses will be taught remotely for two weeks. Spring break for the university is from March 15 through March 22. The statement also says all university-affiliated international and outside of Indiana travel is suspended through April 5. Last week Purdue suspended all international study abroad spring break programs. There are no confirmed cases of the coronavirus on the campus of Purdue University or Indiana State University at this time. Read the full post below: To ensure the safety of our community, IU has released the following update on the coronavirus (COVID-19): PAW PAW, MI -- Many parents, alumni and longtime members of the Paw Paw community spoke in defense of the schools longtime mascot Monday before the board voted to retire the Redskins name amid controversy and division in the community. Those coming forward to speak at a Paw Paw Public Schools meeting Monday, March 9 many sporting red shirts with the Redskins logo and name spoke of school pride and the generations of students whose jerseys have carried the name. My dad was a Redskin. I was a Redskin. My brother was a Redskin. My uncle was a Redskin, Pam Sikkema told the school board. Related: Michigan school scraps Redskins mascot, citing division Avery Miller, an 8th-grade student in Paw Paw, said she sees bullying connected to other topics that is not addressed by adults in the district, and asked the board consider whether the mascot is truly negatively affecting the majority of students. Id like to graduate as a Redskin just like my dad did, Miller said. Others in the crowd expressed support for the change in the mascot and thanked the board for revisiting the issue. The board ultimately voted 6-1 Monday to respectively retire the Redskins mascot at the end of the current school year. The name drew controversy and divided the community, according to district leaders. Superintendent Rick Reo asked for the change because of division caused by the name, he told local families in the most recent edition of district newsletter Pride and Progress. The mascot has been a longstanding controversy and debate in the community. In 2015, the imagery and name was removed from everywhere in the district except for the high school. In 2017, the board voted to reinstate the mascot name amid protests and community debate. Ted Major asked during the meeting Monday that the board once again vote to keep the mascot. Ive been a Redskin for about 80 years, Major said. Board member Thomas Baney was the lone vote against the resolution to retire the mascot. Baney said he accepted the vote to keep the mascot in 2017, later feeling unfairly characterized as one in a group of racists and bullies. My family is neither composed of bullies nor racists, Baney said. Baney said he has found flaws in the assumption that the term Redskin is toxic, and that changing it will automatically end discord in our school and our town." Monaca Barnhart said the board should not have the right to retire the mascot without the approval of the larger community. Lets talk about 96 years of tradition. You guys cant vote on 96 years of tradition, Barnhart said. This is something the community owns and should vote on. Alyson Higdon-Wiltang said she understands the feelings of people who are offended by the mascot, but said there are a lot of issues that could cause someone to be offended. Its just sad, Higdon-Wiltang said. I was raised here. I was a Redskin -- my whole family. I would hate to see it change." Randy Good said he grew up in Paw Paw and fought as a Redskin throughout his school career. Good said he is a Native American himself, and never feels discriminated against nor does he believe the town to be racist. "If you strip away the Redskins, dont ever say pride behind Paw Paw ever again, Good said. The school district is currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education because the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan complained of a racially hostile educational environment." The investigation remains open, according to the Office of Civil Rights website. The ACLU filed a complaint with the federal government asking for an investigation in January 2019 because of a pervasive racially hostile environment," the ACLU said. In the complaint, the ACLU detailed several examples of a hostile environment, citing records received through the Freedom of Information Act. A spokesperson with the Department of Education said at the time that the investigation began Thursday, Dec. 5, but said because it was an open investigation, the department could not offer further details. The investigation is looking into possible discrimination on the basis of race," the spokesperson confirmed. The district denied the allegations by the ACLU in January 2019 and said school administrators work to promote diversity and to encourage cultural sensitivity. At the time of the school boards 2017 vote to keep the mascot, Reo was not yet superintendent. He was hired by Paw Paw Public Schools in 2018 as a high school principal and later selected to lead the district as superintendent. In his letter appearing in the distincts spring newsletter, Reo wrote he believes the community originally chose the mascot name out of respect and with the intent to honor and celebrate the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans" and never intended to degrade, belittle or promote hatred against Native Americans. Reo wrote he believes that intent has not changed, but sees division the issue has created. Because of that division, and concerns for students facing cruel treatment as a result of the controversy, the superintendent said he recommended Paw Paw retire the Redskins mascot altogether. Also on MLive: Controversial Redskins mascot should be retired, says Paw Paw superintendent Federal authorities investigate complaint of racially hostile environment at Michigan school I-94 billboard protests schools Redskins mascot Vice President Mike Pence and members of the Coronavirus Task Force hold a press briefing at the White House on March 6, 2020. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) Health Insurers Agree to Waive Copays for Coronavirus Testing, Pence Says Several major U.S. health insurance companies have agreed to waive copayments on COVID-19 testing and will extend coverage on treatment, according to Vice President Mike Pence. Pence made the comments during a White House meeting with the chief executives of several insurance firms on Tuesday, and called on people to get tested, saying they shouldnt worry about the potential cost of medical treatment. Im pleased to report that as you requested, Mr. President, that all the insurance companies here, either today, or before today, have agreed to waive all copays on coronavirus testing, and extend coverage for coronavirus treatment in all of their benefit plans, Pence said, while sitting next to President Donald Trump and the CEOs. Medicare and Medicaid, Pence added, have made it clear to their beneficiaries that COVID-19 care would be covered. Amid the outbreak, health experts and lawmakers have expressed concerns that U.S. patients ability to afford doctors visits and testing might be an obstacle in preventing the coronavirus spread. Others have said that some patients, namely those who dont have insurance, wont be able to afford a vaccine for the virus if one gets developed. Medical staff, wearing protective gear, take samples from people at a building where 46 people were confirmed to have the novel coronavirus, at a temporary test facility in Seoul on March 10, 2020. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) The heads of major health insurers, including UnitedHealth Group, Anthem, Cigna, Humana, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Aetna were at the meeting, the White House said. Pence said insurers have agreed to cover telemedicine to allow people to talk to a doctor remotely about the virus, adding that they agreed to no surprise billing. We want people to get tested, the vice president said, adding that more than 1 million test kits have been sent to various labs across the country. Trump and Pence announced during a March 9 news conference that the White House is considering a number of economic stimulus options, including a payroll tax cut and small business relief. Trump said he would meet with National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin along with Senate Republicans on March 10 to discuss a possible bill proposal. It came after U.S. stock indexes suffered the biggest one-day selloff since 2008 on March 9. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio visits Union Square to distribute information about the coronavirus in New York City on March 9, 2020. (Jeenah Moon/Getty Images) Several lawmakers have self-quarantined at home after they were exposed to coronavirus cases, including Reps. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). Incoming acting Chief of Staff Mark Meadows also made a similar announcement he would self-quarantine. The members of Congress were told that they may have come into contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case at the Conservative Political Action Conference in late February. According to a map provided by Johns Hopkins University, more than 800 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in the United States. The majority of the deaths have occurred in Washington state. At least 36 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have reported infections. COVID-19 symptoms include a cough, fever, respiratory problems, and can lead to pneumonia. The virus is believed to have emerged in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, prompting what some have described as harsh controls by the ruling Chinese Communist Party in the region. Significant outbreaks have been reported in Iran, Italy, and South Korea. T ens of thousands of Britons were struggling to get home from locked-down Italy today as British Airways cancelled flights and airline ticket prices soared. Although diplomats in Rome said that UK citizens were free to leave the vast quarantine zone, BA halted flights in and out of the country today and said it would review the situation daily. Other airlines were reviewing their services. Ryanair was still offering 19.99 value fares leaving Italy tomorrow, but tickets for its only flight with seats this afternoon from Rome Ciampino to Stansted jumped in price to 187. Others were sold out. Many frustrated travellers took to social media. Samantha Thomas wrote on Twitter: We are now stranded in Italy since lockdown last night. BA not taking our calls now no online advice, no assistance. She claimed that she had been told it would cost 400 in fees to get a new flight. Skier Ms Thomas told the Standard: We are currently in Canazei ski resort, which until last night had no reported cases of the virus. Today the whole ski resort shut down without notice with restaurants and bars closing and food being rationed. We have a scheduled BA flight out on Saturday in Verona but we are unsure if our flights are cancelled as we have had no response from BA either on the website or by email. Verona flights are either all sold out or unavailable and we have to now sit tight to see if our flight will leave on Saturday as planned. We are just reading websites for updates but there is no news from the authorities. The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping mall in Milan was also deserted / AFP via Getty Images Oliver Golding tweeted: British_Airways what am I supposed to do regarding my return flight from Turin to LGW with BA on Thursday? Been on hold for over an hour now. Leaving 30k British citizens stranded in Italy is disgraceful. Another user, called Jes, added: British_Airways youve cancelled our flight from FCO-LHR today! No way to rebook. We are stranded in Italy and want to go home. We cant get through to your service line! Soldiers patrol past an empty restaurant in the Trastevere district of Rome / AFP via Getty Images BA passengers due to fly to or from the country up to April 4 were told they could rebook to a later date up until the end of May, move their destination to Geneva or Zurich or receive a full refund. A spokesman said: In light of the Italian governments announcement and the UK Governments official travel advice, we have contacted all customers who are due to travel today. We have updated our policy to give customers more options and flexibility. We recommend that any travellers continue to check their booking on ba.com for the latest information. Ryanair was flying a severely reduced service from Milans Bergamo and Malpensa airports as well as Venice, Parma, Rimini and Treviso with a maximum of one flight a day. EasyJet said it was continuing to fly on all Italian routes but had reduced frequencies. More cancellations were expected after March 13. Meanwhile Wizz Air cancelled all flights to Italy until April 3 with immediate effect. The airline flies to 13 destinations including Bari, Bologna, Milan, Naples, Venice and Rome. Diplomats advised that trains were still running out of Italy to the rest of the European Union and roads were open. The Foreign Office changed its travel advice last night to warning against all but essential trips to Italy. Around three million British nationals visit the country each year. The change followed the announcement by Italian premier Giuseppe Conte that just 24 hours after he put three regions containing 16 million people into quarantine, the restrictions were being expanded to cover the entire country. It means travel is curbed, museums shut and large gatherings banned. Listen to today's episode of The Leader podcast: Loading.... Payments on mortgages will be suspended to help families through the crisis, said deputy economy minister Laura Castelli. Pope Francis urged Catholic priests to have the courage to go out and help those stricken. Italian doctors celebrated one small victory after a 38-year-old man known as Patient No1 was moved out of intensive care. He tested positive on February 21 at the start of the crisis. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 17:00:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SHIJIAZHUANG, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The Xiongan New Area in north China's Hebei Province plans to plant about 6,670 hectares of trees this year. The afforestation is to be implemented in spring and autumn, respectively, with the engineering cost for the spring session at 708 million yuan (102 million U.S. dollars), according to China Xiongan Group. By the end of 2019, Xiongan had planted 14 million trees covering an area of 20,700 hectares, said the government-funded company. In 2017, China announced to establish the Xiongan New Area to move non-capital functions out of Beijing. Featuring high technology, smart urban planning and a sound ecological environment, the new area aims to become a significant part of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster and provide a Chinese solution to "big city malaise," including overcrowding, pollution and traffic congestion. Texas-based private passenger auto insurer Windhaven National Insurance Co. (WNIC), a subsidiary of Windhaven Insurance, has been ordered into liquidation at the request of the Texas Department of Insurance, which was appointed as liquidator. The order for liquidation was granted by the District Court of Travis County, Texas, 419th Judicial District on March 5. The court also granted TDIs request for a permanent injunction restraining WNIC officers and its agents from conducting business and restraining other parties from taking any actions against WNIC or its property, the order states. The court approved TDIs requests just a couple weeks after Insurance Journal first reported that Florida-based insurer Windhaven Insurance had alerted its agents and employees in Florida that it was winding down the insurance operations of its entities, including Windhaven National Insurance Co., software company ClutchAnalytics and managing general agent The Hearth Group. Having considered the plaintiffs verified petition, the evidence presented and the arguments of counsel, the court finds that the application be granted and enters this order, the court document states. The court cited several findings as cause for the liquidation order including: WNIC does not have admitted assets at least equal to all its liabilities together with the minimum surplus of $5 million required to be maintained; it does not have liquid assets to meet its next 90 days current obligations; and the continuation of WNICs business would not be in the best interest of its policyholders, creditors or to the public. As liquidator, the Texas Department of Insurance is entitled to take over all property of any kind, including physical and financial assets, the court order states. Insurance Journal reported last month that TDI had asked the court for Windhaven National Insurance Co. to be placed into receivership. A TDI spokesperson said then that the department was waiting on a hearing to be scheduled on the matter. Windhaven National Insurance Co. was licensed in Texas in 2012 to write aircraft physical damage, auto physical damage, automobile liability, inland marine and other coverages, according to the Texas Department of Insurance website. Information about how many policies are currently in force was unavailable at press time. Windhaven National also offers auto policies in Florida through its Florida Windward program and currently has 30,600 policies in the state, as of Dec. 31, 2019, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) told Insurance Journal. WNICs parent company announced it was ceasing all new and renewal business for its Windhaven companies in a message sent to agents on Feb. 26 that was obtained by Insurance Journal. The Windhaven companies include Windhaven Insurance Holdings Corp., Windhaven Underwriters, Windhaven Select, Windhaven Claims Management, Windhaven National Insurance Co. and The Hearth Insurance Group. The Hearth Insurance Group is a Florida-based MGA offering homeowners coverage on State National Insurance Co. paper. Windhavens software technology company, ClutchAnalytics, is domiciled in Texas and builds digital insurance distribution systems. Employees at the Windhaven Claims Managements facility in Miami were also told by the company they would be laid off Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. A message to employees said the company had been unsuccessful in its efforts to seek financing to enable the company to continue operation, and as a result its lender had started a process to sell certain assets of the company at a public auction on March 4, 2020. No further information on the auction or the handling of claims has been provided. Tampa, Fla.-based The Hearth Insurance Group has offered homeowners insurance through State National Insurance Co., which did not respond to a request for comment, in Florida since 1990 and also offers coverage in Texas. According to its website, The Hearth Group writes more than $500 million in premium in the state of Florida and has 700 employees. In a statement to Insurance Journal, State National Executive Vice President David Cleff said, We want to assure all policyholders and agents that their insurance coverage and policies written on State Nationals AM Best rated A insurance company via The Hearth, an independent Florida based managing agent, remain valid and that the strong security supporting their policies is unaffected. We are actively working on a solution to those services that had been provided by The Hearth Insurance Group via our network and affiliated partners to ensure that the obligations and servicing for all policyholders and agents continue to be fulfilled. Cleff further noted additional information would be provided soon. Florida officials placed Windhavens non-standard auto insurer, Windhaven Insurance Co. (WIC), into receivership and began to liquidate that company back in December of 2019. WIC, which launched in 2005, had about 73,000 active auto policies in Florida as of Nov. 30, 2019. In December, the Florida Department of Financial Services placed the non-standard auto insurer into rehabilitation. Shortly after that, DFS declared the former Florida auto insurer insolvent and the company was ordered into liquidation. Windhaven Insurance reported in a 2019 press release that, along with The Hearth, it had written close to $2 billion in home and auto insurance premiums since being established in Miami. It also said that Windhaven Insurance had provided coverage to more than 240,000 policyholders through more than 8,000 local independent agents. It had additional offices in Tampa, Fla., and Dallas. Related: Topics Carriers Agencies Texas Auto Florida On March 1, Turkey announced it would no longer enforce an agreement with the European Union to prevent migrants from entering the Continental bloc. Since then, tens of thousands of migrants have been trying to enter Greece from Turkey, fueling fears of another looming migration crisis in Europe. In response, the Greek government has increased security at its borders and announced that no asylum requests would be accepted for a month though it's far from certain whether Greece will be able to contain a continued flood of migrants at its doorstep. Unless Turkey changes its position in the coming weeks, there's a good chance Greece's sea and land borders will once again become the hottest access point for Europe-bound migrants. But unlike the crisis in 2015, Athens will find even fewer EU countries willing to help lift the load this time around. Turkey Lights the Fuse At the heart of the unfolding new migrant crisis is Turkey's willingness to gamble its landmark migrant agreement with the European Union. Turkey's struggling economy is having a direct political impact on the popularity of its government, and Ankara knows it might ultimately prove unable to ward off a Syrian and Russian incursion into Syria's Idlib province. The popularity of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) also risks waning amid increasingly angry and cash-strapped Turks, who see the country's large refugee population as partially to blame for their grievances. This was made clear by the country's 2019 local elections, in which the AKP suffered sizable losses among urban voters living in closest proximity to refugees. This, combined with the economic headwinds Turkey has experienced since 2015, has created an even more hostile environment in Turkey for refugees. And in 2019, Ankara imposed tighter residency restrictions on refugees. Against the backdrop of these mounting economic and political threats, an increasingly desperate Ankara has shown that it's willing to breach its migration agreement with the European Union to secure more support from the bloc. Specifically, Turkey wants more money to help provide for the refugees and migrants it is currently hosting, and more EU diplomatic support in its offensive against Syrian and Russian forces, including support for a no-fly zone and long-term refugee resettlement in northern Syria (which Germany has already given support for, but cannot provide alone). Ankara knows that threatening to scrap the existing migrant agreement can help force Brussels to fall in line. And should the March 5 cease-fire between Turkey and Russia fall through, Ankara will be even less likely to remove this lever of migrants as leverage in its EU negotiations. Similarities to the 2015 Crisis A new migration crisis would likely repeat some of the patterns of the previous crisis, including: Greece's lack of capacity. Greece has very limited room to deal with new migrants and is likely already nearing its capacity. Around 74,600 asylum seekers reached Greece last year, the highest number in the European Union. Some 42,000 of them are trapped in migrant camps in the islands, as Athens does not allow them to move to the mainland until their legal situation is cleared. Reports from the ground say that most migrants are crammed in facilities that are being used well beyond their capacity. In recent months, migrants have protested in some of the islands, particularly in Lesbos, which is home to some 25,000 asylum seekers. Closed borders along the Balkan migration route. In 2015, many migrants found that countries along the so-called Balkan migration route to Northern Europe, including Serbia and Hungary, had closed their borders. Should another crisis unfold in the coming months, countries like Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia (which are not in the European Union) are likely to again close their borders in an attempt to block the migration route. Hungary, which is an EU member, may also do the same if migratory pressure increases significantly. More money, less action out of Brussels. Under the European Union's current migration rules, migrants have to apply for asylum in the country where they first enter the bloc, which Greece has long argued unfairly places the burden on them. But a systematic, blocwide effort to distribute migrants across the European Union remains unlikely, as countries in Northern and Eastern Europe will reject any move to alter these rules. If the crisis worsens, and if the number of arrivals in Greece and other countries on the bloc's external border increases, we are instead more likely to see bilateral agreements, under which countries like Germany would accept small groups of migrants in an attempt to ease the pressure on Greece. Brussels, meanwhile, will likely continue to throw money at the problem as it has done in similar situations in the past. And indeed, we've already seen a bit of this, with the European Commission announcing it was sending Greece 700 million euros ($791 million) to help maintain the recent influx of migrants, as well as extra personnel from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (also known as Frontex) to help protect Greece's borders. Differences From the 2015 Crisis In addition to these similarities, there are also some important differences that will shape how a potential migration crisis would unfold in 2020 compared with the crisis in 2015: Stricter EU asylum policies. Some migrants will now have a harder time requesting asylum in 2020 than they did in 2015, especially those who have been in Turkey for years and cannot really claim to be running away from extreme hardship. While this could weigh negatively on some migrants' cost-benefit analysis of whether to attempt crossing into EU territory, the flow of attempted crossings in recent days shows that for thousands of migrants the risk is still worth taking. If there is an influx of "new" asylum seekers, that is, people who are currently in Syria and have been displaced because of recent events in Idlib, they may have a better chance of successfully obtaining the refugee status, but it will still be hard. In January, Greece introduced new asylum rules that make the application process faster, which also has the goal of making deportations faster though Athens will probably continue to struggle to enforce deportations, and many of the migrants whose asylum requests are rejected will probably remain in Greece and live in legal limbo. Germany's skepticism around asylum seekers. While Germany may accept a few migrants from Greece, it probably will not open its borders as it did five years ago. Germany reacted to the 2015 migration crisis by welcoming around a million asylum seekers into the country, which, in the long run, has weakened the popularity of Chancellor Angela Merkel and contributed to her decision not to seek reelection in 2021. Germany's open-door policy in 2015 also contributed to the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, which has become the main opposition party since the country's 2018 general election. Germany's reaction to a new immigration crisis would, therefore, probably be different this time around. In fact, the German government has been posting tweets in Arabic, Farsi, English and German saying that Berlin supports Athens' recent efforts to protect the bloc's external borders, which is basically meant to discourage migrants from trying to enter the European Union. Instead of taking in migrants, Germany is likely to support granting additional resources, money and assistance to Greece to help protect the border with Turkey. Berlin will also reach out to Ankara to try to keep the migration agreement in place, and even propose cooperation on issues such as establishing a no-fly zone in northwestern Syria. Finally, Germany will increase pressure on Russia to de-escalate the conflict in Syria. In this, the problem for Germany is that it has very limited influence on Moscow, a key actor in the war, and has little to offer to Turkey other than EU funds and diplomatic support. Impact on Italy At least during an early phase of a new migration crisis, Italy is unlikely to be significantly affected, as its weak economy will make it a less attractive final destination for migrants entering the European Union from Turkey compared with more financially secure countries such as Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. Instead, the main threat for Italy is events in Turkey encouraging migrants in other parts of the world to try to reach the European Union. If this happens, migration routes that have been relatively calm in recent years could be reactivated, such as the Libya-Italy route. In mid-2017, Italy reached a deal with the Libyan government to have the Libyan coast guard begin intercepting migrant boats in exchange for money, resources and training. But this deal is fragile for two key reasons: Human trafficking organizations who transport migrants from sub-Saharan Africa to Libya, and then to Italy, may decide that the conditions are ripe again to resume their operations, which could overwhelm Libya's weak and fragile government. The current Libyan government may also decide that a new migration crisis in Europe is a good opportunity to ask Italy for more money and resources in exchange for keeping their agreement in place. A significant surge in the arrival of migrants would happen at a very difficult time for Italy. The country is expected to have very low economic growth in 2020, and the impact of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak could put it in a recession. Authorities in Rome recently announced a stimulus package to deal with the economic impact of the outbreak, but an immigration crisis would create additional problems for Rome's already strained coffers. At the same time, the Italian coalition government is fragile, and the opposition League party, which has a strong anti-immigration stance, is polling strongly. An early election in Italy within the context of a recession and immigration crisis would certainly increase the chances of the League winning the vote and accessing power an outcome that would further spook financial markets and investors' already shaky confidence, given that some League members have pushed for Italy to leave the eurozone. [March 10, 2020] Etihad Airways Collaborates with Tencent to Enhance Customer Experience ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Etihad Airways and Tencent Holdings Limited (Tencent), a leading provider of Internet value added services in China, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a collaboration that will identify potential opportunities in promoting the growth and development of innovation and digitalisation for the tourism industry. Through the collaboration, Etihad Airways aims to enhance guest experience, broaden customer choice and elevate its engagement with Chinese visitors. Etihad Airways will leverage Tencent's cloud computing capabilities and social media platforms such as WeChat, the largest social media platform in China with over one billion monthly active users, to better support its customer engagement strategy in China and other potential regions globally via Tencent's network and ecosystem partners. As part of the collaboration, Etihad Airways has launched its own WeChat Mini Program, becoming one of the pilot international airlines to offer this service on the WeChat platform. Mini programs alow brands to interact with WeChat users via advanced features within the WeChat environment, without the need for separate App downloads or interfaces. Etihad Airways launched its WeChat public account in 2016, and the Mini Program is expected to boost its outreach to Chinese audiences. Robin Kamark, Chief Commercial Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, "The collaboration with Tencent presents a huge opportunity for Etihad, allowing us to engage with our guests on the biggest digital platform in China, speaking to them in their language and on their preferred platform. This is in line with our strategy of providing choice and customisation for our guests based on their preferences. Tencent's established technological capabilities will undoubtedly supercharge our innovation drive, and I am very excited about the unlocked possibilities." "As we are all aware, the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Forging a partnership with Tencent right now shows our strong support for China, which is a very important market for Etihad. The continuation of our daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Beijing at such a challenging time reinforces our commitment. We want to express our solidarity with the citizens and our staff in China and the UAE, who have come together during these trying times. Jiayou - stay strong," Mr. Kamark added. Poshu Yeung, Vice President, Tencent International Business Group said, "We are delighted to sign the MoU for the collaboration between Tencent and Etihad Airways, with a very pragmatic cooperation roadmap that rapidly formulates innovative strategies, supports the development of China's outbound tourism and further enhances our footprint in the Middle East market." Media Contact Tencent Irene Fung [email protected] SOURCE Tencent [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] This week in Christian history: Tennessee bans evolution, Iconoclasts defeated, UK Christian group formed Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Christianity is a faith with a long and detailed history, with numerous events of lasting significance occurring throughout the ages. Each week brings the anniversaries of great milestones, horrid tragedies, amazing triumphs, telling tribulations, inspirational progress, and everything in between. Here are just a few things that happened this week, March 8-14, in Church history. They include the founding of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, the restoration of icon veneration in Orthodox churches, and Tennessee banning the teaching of evolution. 1 2 3 4 Next Houston fans of the South African fusion restaurant Peli Peli can grab drinks for nearly half off thanks to a new month-long promotion. Peli Peli's Houston-area locations will offer half off all wine bottles and beer every day through the end of March, according to representatives with the restaurant. The offer extends to all types of wines and brands. The offer does not include wine glasses, cocktails or spirits. Cambodian Health Minister Mam Bunheng said Tuesday evening that a British tourist on a river cruise from Vietnam had tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19), only the third positive case to be reported in the country. Mam Bunheng said the British tourist was aboard a river cruise owned by Swiss cruise line operator Viking, which started in the riverine town of May Tho near Vietnams Ho Chi Minh City, passed by Phnom Penh and then docked at Kampong Cham province, along the Mekong River. The cruise had 30 passengers onboard and 34 crew members, who have now been quarantined on the ship, Mam Bunheng added. The Health Ministry made arrangements to transfer the British woman from the ship to a separate ward at Kampong Cham Provincial Hospital for treatment and medical observation, the minister said. This is just another case [from outside] as I can tell. There has been no case of domestic transmission so far, he added, urging the public to remain calm. The British woman, 65, was traveling with five other people and arrived at Hanois Noi Bai International Airport on March 2, aboard flight Vietnam Airline 54 from London. The Vietnamese authorities are also tracking others passengers aboard that flight. After being informed by Vietnamese government and tour agency, the Cambodian health officials asked the five British nationals be get for the virus, when the ship arrived in Phnom Penh on March 7. Initially, only three of the British nationals agreed to provide samples at Khmer Soviet Friendship Hospital and two refused, according to health officials at the press conference. However, health officials again approached the two British nationals, who had not been tested, as the cruise reached Kampong Cham town on Tuesday morning, this time the two people agreed to get tested. One of them then tested positive for COVID-19, read the Health Ministry statement. We need a patients consent before we can do the test, said Mam Bunheng. The ministry is currently in search for people who were in contact with the five British nationals, including a translator who accompanied them to Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital in Phnom Penh. The quarantining of passengers and crew on the Viking cruise is in stark contrast to Cambodias position last month, where it was initially ready to allow more than 2,000 passengers and crew aboard the MS Westerdam cruise ship to disembark in Preah Sihanouk provinces Sihanoukville. But, after a woman from the ship tested positive in Malaysia, the government had to test the remaining passengers and crew on the ship before allowing them to disembark. The government said no one else tested positive for the virus, even questioning Malaysias announcement of the one positive test from the Westerdam passenger. When asked if there was any plan to scrutinize the entry of the ships and cruises entering the country, Health Minister Mam Bunheng said there would be no restrictions as it is not the governments policies to do that. The announcement of the third confirmed case follows news of the first Cambodian to test positive last week for COVID-19. The Cambodian man worked with a Japanese national who also tested positive for the virus in Nagoya, Japan, hours after departing from Cambodia on March 3. Cambodias first case was reported in late January when a Chinese national from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the viral outbreak, tested positive while on holiday with his family. He was reportedly recovered and returned home in February. More than 110 countries have now reported positive COVID-19 cases, infecting more than 116,015 people and resulting in more than 4,089 deaths worldwide as of Tuesday. Apart from China, where around 80,000 people were infected by the coronavirus, South Korea, Iran and Italy have reported the most positive cases. Barth syndrome is a rare metabolic disease in boys caused by mutation of a gene called tafazzin or TAZ. It can cause life-threatening heart failure and also weakens the skeletal muscles, undercuts the immune response, and impairs overall growth. There is no cure or specific treatment, but new research at Boston Children's Hospital suggests that gene therapy could prevent or reverse cardiac dysfunction. The findings, involving new mouse models of Barth syndrome, were published today "Online First" by the journal Circulation Research. In 2014, to get a better understanding of Barth syndrome, William Pu, MD, and colleagues at Boston Children's Hospital collaborated with the Wyss Institute to create a beating "heart on a chip" model of Barth syndrome. The model used heart-muscle cells with the TAZ mutation, derived from patients' own skin cells. It showed that TAZ is truly at the heart of cardiac dysfunction: the heart muscle cells did not assemble normally, mitochondria inside the cells were disorganized, and heart tissue contracted weakly. Adding a healthy TAZ gene normalized these features. But to truly capture Barth syndrome and its whole-body effects, Pu and colleagues needed an animal model. "The animal model was a hurdle in the field for a long time," says Pu, director of Basic and Translational Cardiovascular Research at Boston Children's and a member of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. "Efforts to make a mouse model using traditional methods had been unsuccessful." Modeling Barth syndrome in mice Recently, however, the lab of Douglas Strathdee's group at the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research in the U.K. overcame the challenge and created animal models of Barth syndrome. In new work, Pu, research fellow Suya Wang, PhD, and colleagues characterized these "knockout" mice, which came in two types. In one, the TAZ gene was deleted in cells throughout the body; in the other, just in the heart. Most mice with the whole-body TAZ deletion died before birth, apparently because of skeletal muscle weakness. But some survived, and these mice developed progressive cardiomyopathy, in which the heart muscle enlarges and loses pumping capacity. Their hearts also showed scarring, and, similar to human patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, the heart's left ventricle was dilated and thin-walled. Mice lacking TAZ just in their cardiac tissue, which all survived to birth, showed the same features. Electron microscopy showed heart muscle tissue to be poorly organized, as were the mitochondria within the cells. Pu, Wang, and colleagues then used gene therapy to replace TAZ, injecting an engineered virus under the skin (in newborn mice) or intravenously (in older mice). Treated mice with whole-body TAZ deletions were able to survive to adulthood. TAZ gene therapy also prevented cardiac dysfunction and scarring when given to newborn mice, and reversed established cardiac dysfunction in older mice -- whether the mice had whole-body or heart-only TAZ deletions. Getting the gene in Further tests showed that TAZ gene therapy provided durable treatment of the animals' cardiomyocytes and skeletal muscle cells, but only when at least 70 percent of heart muscle cells had taken up the gene. That's where the challenge will lie in translating the results to humans. Simply scaling up the dose of gene therapy won't work: In large animals like us, large doses risk a dangerous inflammatory immune response. Giving multiple doses of gene therapy won't work either. "The problem is that neutralizing antibodies to the virus develop after the first dose," says Pu. "Getting enough of the muscle cells corrected in humans may be a challenge." Maintaining populations of gene-corrected cells is another challenge. While levels of the corrected TAZ gene remained fairly stable in the hearts of the treated mice, they gradually declined in skeletal muscles. "The biggest takeaway was that the gene therapy was highly effective," says Pu. "We have some things to think about to maximize the percentage of muscle cell transduction, and to make sure the gene therapy is durable, particularly in skeletal muscle." ### The paper's coauthors were Yifei Lei, Qing Ma, Zhiqiang Lin, and Vassilios Bezzerides, Boston Children's Hospital; Yang Xu and Michael Schlame, New York University School of Medicine; and Douglas Strathdee, Beatson Institute of Cancer Research. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (R01HL128694, R01 GM115593), the Barth Syndrome Foundation, the Edwin August Boger, Jr. Fund, and Boston Children's Department of Cardiology. Pu is a member of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board of the Barth Syndrome Foundation. About Boston Children's Hospital Boston Children's Hospital is ranked the #1 children's hospital in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and is the primary pediatric teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Home to the world's largest research enterprise based at a pediatric medical center, its discoveries have benefited both children and adults since 1869. Today, 3,000 researchers and scientific staff, including 8 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 21 members of the National Academy of Medicine and 12 Howard Hughes Medical Investigators comprise Boston Children's research community. Founded as a 20-bed hospital for children, Boston Children's is now a 415-bed comprehensive center for pediatric and adolescent health care. For more, visit our Discoveries blog and follow us on social media @BostonChildrens, @BCH_Innovation, Facebook and YouTube. Soave, Italy The battle to halt the coronavirus brought sweeping new restrictions Monday, with Italy expanding a travel ban to the entire country, Israel ordering all visitors quarantined just weeks before Passover and Easter, and Spain closing all schools in and around its capital. Even as workers in Beijing returned to their jobs and new infections in China continued to subside, Italians struggled to navigate the rapidly changing parameters of the nation's self-imposed lockdown. "Now that the virus has a foothold in so many countries, the threat of a pandemic has become very real," said World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "The great advantage we have is the decisions we all make as governments, businesses, communities, families and individuals can influence the trajectory of this epidemic." More than 113,000 people have tested positive for the disease and over 3,900 people with the virus have died, most of them in China. More than 62,000 people have already recovered. But Italy's intensifying struggle to halt the virus' spread emerged as a cautionary tale. "There won't be just a red zone," Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said, in announcing that a lockdown covering about 16 million people in the north would be expanded to the entire country starting Tuesday. Italian doctors celebrated one small victory after the first patient diagnosed with the illness, a 38-year-old Unilever worker, was moved out of intensive care and began breathing on his own. But the virus' rapid spread was forcing them to operate like wartime medics, triaging patients to decide who get access to scarce ICU beds. Travelers at Milan's main train station had to sign police forms self-certifying that they are traveling for "proven work needs," situations of necessity, health reasons or to return home. They also needed to provide identity documents, contact numbers and an exact reason for travel from the financial hub. Across Italy, museums and archaeological sites were closed, weddings were canceled and restaurants were told to keep patrons more than 3 feet apart. Officials ordered ski lifts across the country to close, even those outside the quarantine zone, after students whose classes were canceled began organizing trips to winter resorts. Italy reported a big jump in the number of people who have tested positive for the virus, bringing the total to 9,172 cases and 463 deaths, more than any other country except China. Inmates at more than two dozen Italian prisons rioted against restrictions on family visits and other measures, and six died after they broke into the infirmary and overdosed on methadone. Pope Francis celebrated Mass alone at the Vatican hotel where he lives, live-streaming the event, but he did resume some meetings. For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the WHO, people with mild illness get better in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered. But that came only after Chinese officials put massive quarantines in place. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government has decided to quarantine anyone arriving from overseas for 14 days. The decision comes barely a month before Easter and Passover, typically a busy travel period. In Ireland, officials canceled all St. Patrick's Day parades in a bid to slow the virus' spread, including the one on March 17 in Dublin that typically draws half a million to its streets. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Spain's health minister on Monday announced that all schools in and around Madrid, including kindergartens and universities, will close for two weeks after a sharp spike in new virus diagnoses. The rising caseloads "imply a change for the worse," the minister, Salvador Illa, said. Trying to send a message of confidence in the economy, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife walked on Paris' Champs-Elysees avenue but kept a one-meter security distance from passersby. "I'm shaking hands using my heart," he said as he waved to people from a distance. China's slow re-emergence from weeks of extreme travel restrictions offered a grim sense of the longer-term effects the virus can have on a country's economy. "Our business is one-fifth of what it was before," said Cheng Sheng, who helps run a stand in Beijing that sells sausages and noodles. "There's much less foot traffic. There are no people." Infections were reported in more than half the world's countries, and flashpoints were erupting around the globe. "We are working for valuable time, time in which scientists can research medicines and a vaccine" and in which governments can help stock up on protective equipment, said German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country has reported over 1,100 cases and, as of Monday, its first two deaths. In Iran, state television said the virus had killed another 43 people, pushing the official toll to 237, with 7,161 confirmed cases. But many fear the scope of illness is far wider there. In the United States, where more than 600 infections have been reported, the Grand Princess cruise ship docked in Oakland, Calif., after days idling at sea while dozens of those aboard were tested. Fleets of buses and planes were ready to whisk the more than 2,000 passengers to military bases or their home countries for a 14-day quarantine. At least 21 people aboard have been confirmed to have the infection. In Washington, the Capitol's attending physician's office said "several" members of Congress had contact with a person who attended a recent political conference and subsequently developed COVID-19. They "remain in good health," the office said. Two members of Congress, Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Paul Gosar, said they are isolating themselves after determining they had contact with the person. "There are strong indications that the Russian government is very keen to thwart this investigation, and that it is not averse to deploying the Russian security services to do so. Those same services are accused of multiple murders that have been committed in various European countries. "A number of witnesses in this investigation have said that they fear for their lives if their identities were to come to light. The use of Russian security services to discover the identity of witnesses in this investigation is a real scenario." Oleg Pulatov is the only one of four accused men to have engaged legal representation in the proceedings. Prosecutors will tender several phone conversations - intercepted in the same month MH17 was shot down - in which pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine discuss getting "the green light from Moscow to execute somebody" and an "order from Moscow to shoot someone". The court heard that someone who filmed the Buk-TELAR launcher being smuggled into Ukraine was later visited twice by armed people and "had subsequently fled". One of the men accused of procuring and deploying the deadly Buk missile launcher, Oleg Pulatov, has lodged an appeal against a preliminary decision to suppress the identity of at-risk witnesses. Pulatov, 53, is a former military officer of the Russian Spetznaz-GRU, a special unit of the Russian military intelligence service. He is the only one of four accused men to have engaged lawyers. The deadly 2014 disaster triggered a joint international investigation that has included more than 500 Australian Federal Police officers. Prosecutors claimed Russia's military intelligence unit, the GRU, may have hacked the governments of Australia, the Netherlands, Malaysia or Belgium to extract and then distribute misleading information about the joint investigation. The potential hack involved an AFP forensic analysis of images of the Buk missile launcher being transported in eastern Ukraine. AFP detective superintendent David Nelson said: "I dont wish to comment too much other than to say it [Russia's disinformation campaign] is not helpful for the next of kin. I dont think it assists their grieving and ability to follow the trial and know what the facts are." The prosecutors said there were indications that the GRU had attempted to hack the Malaysian police and attorney-general's office in a bid to steal information about MH17. Australia has long accused Russia of sharing responsibility in the MH17 disaster but Moscow has repeatedly denied involvement. Investigators concluded in 2018 that the Boeing 777-200 was shot down by a Russian-made missile launched from a Russian-owned launcher that had been smuggled into Ukraine from Russia and sent back over the border after MH17 was brought down. In court on Tuesday, prosecutors said witness M58 - the most at-risk of all protected witnesses - was a Russian volunteer in the battle to seize control over eastern Ukraine and was "in the vicinity of a Buk TELAR at the moment a missile was launched". Loading "M58 states that those present were initially pleased because they were told that a military transport plane had been shot down," said prosecutor Dedy Woe-A-Tsoi. "However, when the first people returned from the crash site they said that it was a civilian aircraft." Crucially, M58 later told investigators that some Russian military personnel, who fighters said belonged to Russia's security service - were with the Buk launcher at the launch site. This is believed to be the first public claim that serving Russian security officials were at the scene of the deadly strike. Australian Bryan Clancy, who lost his brother Michael and sister-in-law Carol on MH17, said families were stunned by new court claims about Russia's involvement. "They're murderers and they're trying to cover their tracks," he said outside the court. Vast Resources (AIM:VAST) said Tuesday that it expects to commence production at Baita Plai Polymetallic Mine in Romania within six months. "Despite shipping restrictions in China creating delays due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19), the company is pleased to announce that the initial shipments of equipment are currently being loaded on to a vessel, bound for Romania, scheduled to depart on 16 March 2020, with further containers booked for 20 March 2020," said the company in a news release. "These initial shipments will allow the company to commence production within the six month timeline on financing as indicated in our corporate presentations." Vast is restarting production at the Romania mine, which ceased operations in 2013. Vast estimates that there is a 1.8 million tonne copper-silver-zinc-lead-gold-tungsten-molybdenum ore body at 6% copper equivalent within its mining licence area. John Krasinski has written and directed a sequel to his 2018 horror hit A Quiet Place which once again has him working with his actress wife Emily Blunt. But making a second movie wasn't something either of them initially wanted to do, Krasinski said at the premiere of A Quiet Place Part II on Sunday night in New York. After a lot of pressure from the studio, he said he did come up with an idea he thought would work and Blunt decided to come on board after he pitched her the opening scene. Return: John Krasinski says it was his wife Emily Blunt who convinced him to do a sequel to 2018 horror hit A Quiet Place after he pitched her his idea for the opening to the movie 'I told the studio that I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to write and direct the next one because the first one was so incredibly personal,' he told E! News on the red carpet. But after coming up with a plot, the actor, who found fame on the NBC sitcom The Office, said it was Blunt who encouraged him to write a script. Krasinski, 40, explained that his wife told him: 'If I see that you're in love with it as much as you were with the first one, I'll do it.' So he wrote the script and she read it and then told him she'd star in it. Meanwhile, Blunt, 37, told Variety at the premiere: 'He pitched me the opening, and I was like, 'Oh my god.' [It was] undeniably great, and I realized I would have been an idiot not to want to be in that opening sequence. We had to surrender to the idea that we wanted to do it and lose our snobbery.' Collaboration: Blunt and Krasinski headlined the premiere for A Quiet Place Part II on Sunday night in NYC; Blunt stars in the film with Krasinski directing Plot: The idea Krasinski had was to make actress Millicent Simmonds, 17, the lead in the second movie. The 17-year-old, who is deaf, plays Regan Abbott, the daughter of Blunt's Evelyn Abbott The idea Krasinski had was to make teen actress Millicent Simmonds the lead in the second movie. The 17-year-old, who is deaf, plays Regan Abbott, the daughter of Blunt's Evelyn Abbott and Lee Abbot, played by Krasinski, who was killed in the original film. The sequel opens at the point where the first film ended with Evelyn Abbott forced to try and find another safe haven for her children in a world stalked by creatures that hunt by sound. But this time around, she discovers that there are even more threats out there as she ventures into the unknown with Regan, son Marcus (Noah Jupe) and her newborn baby. The trailers released for the film reveal that Krasinski also returns in front of the camera as Evelyn's husband Lee Abbott in newly filmed flashback scenes. On the run: The sequel opens at the point where the first film ended with Evelyn forced to try and find another safe haven for her children in a world stalked by creatures that hunt by sound Mom on a mission: But this time around, she discovers there are even more threats out there as she ventures into the unknown with Regan, son Marcus (Noah Jupe) and her newborn baby Krasinski told Variety: 'If the first movie is from the parents to the kids, this is the love letter from the kids to the parents.' 'Its a letter of dreams and hopes. I hope [my children are] this brave, and I hope theyre this courageous, and I hope theyre the ones that, when time gets dark, theyre cool enough to light the candle,' he said. Krasinski and Blunt married in 2010 and have two daughters - Hazel, six, and Violet, three. British prime minister Boris Johnson nearly faced an intra-party revolt over his decision to allow Chinese tech giant Huawei to help the U.K. build its 5G network, as 36 Tory Members of Parliament voted with the Labour Party on Tuesday in an attempt to ban the move. The amendment to ban the deal, which was proposed by former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, failed by a narrow vote of 306 votes to 282. Prominent votes against Huawei included several former cabinet members, along with the chairmen of the defense and foreign affairs select committees. Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs, also voted for the amendment. In January, Johnson announced that the U.K. would allow Huawei to assist in the construction of the countrys 5G network, despite U.S. concerns that Huawei served as a proxy for the Chinese government. A poll at the time of Britains Conservatives found 77 percent opposed giving Huawei access to Britains network. Johnsons government responded to the vote by promising to engage intensively with the dissenters, while the Tories in question called the vote a warning shot. Smith said in the wake of the vote that Tories are genuinely concerned that Johnsons government is being reliant on untrusted vendors like Huawei. The reality is that when it comes to security versus cost, my view is security wins every single time because I worry when we start compromising security, he said. We have no friends out there any more on this issue, whether its the Canadians, the Americans, the Australians, the New Zealanders, they all disagree with us. Liam Fox, Britains former trade secretary, added that the idea that Huawei is the only option for assisting in 5Gs infrastructure development is untrue. The Trump administration began work in February to help tech companies catch up with Huawei on 5G. The US is going to get 5G without Huawei because they will not bring that risk into their own national security, Fox stated. So what is wrong with the United Kingdom having to wait a little longer to get 5G? Story continues Last week, reports emerged that the U.S. was beginning a review of its military and intelligence assets in the U.K. to determine which needed to be removed in the case of the Huawei deal. More from National Review Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 12:41:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Forces Afghanistan has begun withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan, the coalition forces confirmed on Tuesday. "In accordance with the U.S.-Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Joint Declaration and the U.S.-Taliban Agreement, U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A) has begun its conditions-based reduction of forces to 8,600 over 135 days," USFOR-A said in a statement. On Feb. 29, the U.S.-Taliban deal was inked in Gulf state of Qatar while Kabul and Washington also issued a joint declaration on the same day in Kabul. Under the agreements, the United States would reduce its forces in Afghanistan to 8,600 within 135 days and all the U.S.-led coalition forces would return home within 14 months from Afghanistan depending on Taliban's meeting the conditions envisaged in the agreement, including severing ties with terrorist groups such as the Islamic State and al-Qaida network. "USFOR-A maintains all the military means and authorities to accomplish our objectives-including conducting counterterrorism operations against al-Qaeda and ISIS-K and providing support to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. USFOR-A is on track to meet directed force levels while retaining the necessary capabilities," the statement added. The first batch of U.S. forces has reportedly pulled out from a base in southern Helmand province. Since Jan. 1, 2015, Afghan security forces have assumed the full security charges from NATO and U.S. forces. Around 16,000 foreign troops, including about 13,000 U.S. forces, have remained in Afghanistan to train and assist local security forces in their fight against the insurgents. GENEVA - The United Nations human rights chief said Tuesday that apparently systematic human rights violations in North Korean detention centres, including sexual violence against women and girls, could amount to crimes against humanity. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said the alleged violations appeared to have taken place under the direct authority of two ministries and with the likely involvement of higher authorities in North Korea. She didnt name the ministries. Bachelet told the Human Rights Council during an update on North Korea that the allegations are based on her offices improved monitoring of the reclusive Communist country, a nation admittedly difficult to peer into to keep tabs on human rights conditions. They may amount to crimes against humanity, which could engage the individual criminal responsibility of DPRK officials, she told the 47-member council in Geneva, using the acronym for the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. Pyongyangs delegation stayed away during Bachelets brief speech. The U.N.high commissioner said her office was trying to identify the people most responsible for the crimes and was also looking into the abduction of foreigners. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 It started off as a regular Thursday afternoon for Neni, a 48-year-old resident of Central Jakarta, as she waited for customers to visit her warung (small food shop). The tranquil afternoon atmosphere, however, quickly turned fearful after a neighbor asked her for help to find her 5-year-old daughter. The mother said the girl had not arrived home from playing outside with other children in the neighborhood. Neni and some neighbors began to look for the daughter. 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 OTTAWA While Winnipeg was in the midst of its ongoing meth crisis in 2018, quantities of the drug were coming from an unexpected country, and through Canadians' most common mode of delivery. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 9/3/2020 (672 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA While Winnipeg was in the midst of its ongoing meth crisis in 2018, quantities of the drug were coming from an unexpected country, and through Canadians' most common mode of delivery. According to documents obtained by the Free Press, there was an increase in "inbound seizures destined to Winnipeg addresses," of postal mail containing meth in 2018 from a year prior. "However, such shipments are likely for personal consumption," as they were under 35 grams. And though Canadian officials have called out meth smugglers in China and Mexico, the mailed drugs came from Europe. "The Netherlands is the top transit country by number of seizures (of meth), while Mexico is the main transit country by quantity," reads an internal Canada Border Services Agency report from mid-2018. There were 179 postal seizures of meth in all of 2017, and 269 in the first six months of 2018, according to documents obtained through a freedom-of-information request. "Methamphetamine quantities seized will likely rise by year-end, based on consistent supply and demand. The highest number of seizures will likely continue to arrive from the Netherlands via the postal mode," reads the mid-2018 analysis. "The increased domestic availability of methamphetamine suggests that traffickers are smuggling the drug to Canada undetected, or that domestic production has increased." A late-2017 report noted that European officials believed there was small-scale production of meth in the Netherlands, but not as much as other drugs. "The average size of a meth import from the Netherlands is quite small (80g) likely indicating that it is for personal consumption," reads the report. Brandon mother Kim Longstreet was shocked Monday to hear about the Netherlands' involvement, after following Manitoba's meth crisis for four years. "If theres not transparency when it comes to where the drugs are maybe coming from, then its very hard for us, the advocates and the service providers," said Longstreet, whose son has circled in and out of various treatment programs for more than a decade. Longstreet said that knowledge of postal imports and source countries could have helped prevention efforts. "We need to know these things," she said. "If you just sweep it under the carpet, its allowed to mushroom." The documents also show a drop in the number and amount of meth seizures from 2016 to 2017, followed by a steep rise in the first six months of 2018. At that time, meth and its precursor components appeared to come from China to Holland, from which small quantities of the drug were sent abroad. There was also evidence of large-scale quantities of meth crossing from the United States at three crossings in British Columbia and Alberta, most likely brought through Mexico. A year ago, officials testified to the House health committee that ingredients for meth are entering Canada from Mexico and China, to be made into the drug, though they did not mention Holland. MPs heard from local groups, as well as Health Canada, the RCMP and Public Safety Canada, though the committee didnt invite the CBSA. Longstreet said regardless, information from one agency ought to have been shared across government, and with the public. "Its keeping the public informed. Im always disappointed when government doesnt do that. And its hurtful because as we sit here, my son is still struggling and hes struggling because were not being honest." "The average size of a meth import from the Netherlands is quite small (80g) likely indicating that it is for personal consumption." Canada Border Services Agency Drug Analysis Report from mid-2018 In December 2018, the Free Press revealed that federal officials believed Canadians were importing the components to make meth, and exporting the drug to New Zealand. An early-2018 report shows that meth was most likely made in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver before being mailed and sent in air cargo to that country, the United States, Europe and Australia. Its unclear whether Holland is still a source country for meth. The CBSA said Friday that it couldnt provide a response by Monday evening. The Dutch embassy similarly had no comment in that timeframe. Global Affairs Canada did not say whether it had raised the issue with Dutch officials. Public Safety Minister Bill Blairs office said an interview wasnt possible Monday, but wrote that Ottawa has invested in programs to treat meth use and is working with Winnipeg authorities to improve data collection. 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. "Our government is deeply concerned about the tragic effects that methamphetamine is having in communities across Manitoba, and were focused on getting individuals the help they need," wrote spokeswoman Mary-Liz Power. In early 2018, federal authorities were concerned about the rise in drugs classified as new psychoactive substances arriving through the mail in Canada. "The Netherlands is the top transit country by number of seizures," reads an internal report. Winnipeg Police have declared meth a crisis, which they say has fuelled thefts and violent crime in the city since 2018. The Pallister government announced Monday it was beefing up rewards for tipsters reporting meth-related activity to Crime Stoppers. In recent years, experts and police have said fentanyl arrives in Canada through the postal system. Until May 2017, federal laws generally prohibited the CBSA from inspecting letter-size mail items under 30 grams delivered by Canada Post, though they could inspect larger mail and private-courier envelopes. dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca Turkey hopes to reach a new agreement with Europe to deal with refugees in time for the next EU leaders' summit, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday. "If we reach an agreement by March 26 when there will be an EU leaders' summit, this issue will come on to the agenda of this meeting," Cavusoglu said. "We are ready for constructive work," he added. He spoke a day after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held tense discussions with EU presidents Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel in Brussels. Turkey's decision at the end of February to re-open its border for refugees seeking to reach Europe sparked a row with Brussels, as well as harsh exchanges with Greece. "If we are to come up with a roadmap with the EU, we expect them to be sincere," Cavusoglu said. "It is not only about keeping migrants in return for more money," he added. Turkey agreed in 2016 to prevent migrant departures in exchange for six billion euros and talks on building closer ties. It says it has not received all the money, and that other promises -- including improved visa and trade rules -- have not been met. Erdogan skipped the post-talks press conference in Brussels on Monday. "Clearly we do have our disagreements, but we have spoken plainly and we have spoken openly to each other," Von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, told reporters. Turkey hosts some four million refugees -- most of them from Syria -- and faces a fresh influx as the Syrian regime, backed by Russia and Iran, seeks to retake the last rebel stronghold of Idlib on the Turkish border. Europe has said it will consider taking 1,500 child refugees, but has focused on reinforcing Greece's borders. Although Turkey and Russia agreed a ceasefire for Idlib last week, previous peace deals have proved temporary and Ankara has called for greater assistance from its NATO allies. Cavusoglu confirmed Tuesday that Turkey had requested Patriot missile defences from NATO. The issue has been complicated by Turkey's controversial decision to buy Russian S-400 missile defences. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Colin Crooks, the British ambassador to North Korea, tweeted: "Sad to say farewell this morning to colleagues from German Embassy and French Office (in North Korea), which are closing temporarily." About 80 foreigners -- including diplomats from Russia, Germany, France, and Switzerland -- arrived Monday in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok, according to a Facebook post by the the Russian embassy in North Korea. A group of foreign diplomats has departed Pyongyang, with some temporarily closing their missions in the North Korean capital amid a coronavirus scare. North Korea has taken severe steps to prevent a coronavirus outbreak, including placing thousands under quarantine, suspending foreign tourism, and attempting to seal its border with China. Until last week, North Korea had also confined foreign diplomats to their quarters for over a month -- conditions the Russian ambassador to North Korea had described as "morally crushing." Reports suggested foreign embassies had been attempting to arrange an evacuation flight for diplomats, their families, and other international workers. The Russian embassy Facebook post said the Monday flight was operated by Air Koryo, North Korea's state-run airline. It is not clear how many embassies sent diplomats home or when they will return. North Korea last week released some foreigners from the quarantine -- a move that relieved diplomats and others in Pyongyang. "I have never been happier standing on Kim Il Sung Square," tweeted Joachim Bergstrom, the Swedish ambassador to North Korea, who posted a selfie from central Pyongyang. North Korea has reported no coronavirus infections, but Kim Jong Un has warned of "serious consequences" if the virus reaches his country. Experts say the highly infectious respiratory disease has likely already reached North Korea, given that it shares a long, porous border with China, where the outbreak began. North Korea also shares a border with South Korea, which has also reported an explosion of cases in recent weeks. But the virus is much less likely to spread through that route, since the two Koreas are separated by a heavily fortified border. NEW YORK, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Veteran ocean explorer and Tiburon Subsea CEO Tim Taylor and his "Lost 52 Project" team have added to their list of ocean discoveries with USS Stickleback (SS 415). USS Stickleback was lost 62 years ago in close to 11,000 feet of water and is one of four submarines that suffered this fate during the Cold War. Sonar Image of USS Stickleback's forward hull section USS Stickleback Collision with Destroyer EscortUSS Silverstein In nine years, Taylor and his Lost 52 Project Team have discovered six U.S. submarines utilizing pioneering robotics and methods at the forefront of today's underwater technology. By applying a combination of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV's), remotely operated vehicles (ROV's), and advanced photogrammetry imaging technology, Tim and his team have amassed the most comprehensive historical archaeological records to date. The WWII submarine Stickleback was commissioned on March 29, 1945. She was deployed to Guam and began her first war patrol on August 6th when she departed for the Sea of Japan. She arrived the following week and began her patrol. During this timeframe, the atomic bombs had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and it was believed the war would end shortly. Stickleback had only been in the patrol area for two days when the cease-fire order was passed. She remained in the area and, on August 21, she sighted two bamboo rafts containing 19 survivors of a freighter. They were taken on board for 18 hours, given food, water, medical treatment, and set afloat again a short distance from one of the Japanese islands. Stickleback returned to Guam on September 9, 1945. She departed for the United States the next day. She arrived in San Francisco and participated in the Third Fleet parade on September 28. After a short cruise to the Hawaiian Islands, Stickleback was decommissioned and placed in reserve on June 26, 1946. Stickleback was recommissioned on Sept. 6, 1951 and served at San Diego, California as a training ship. It was decommissioned a second time on November 14, 1952 and converted into a Guppy IIA type submarine. Recommissioned on June 26, 1953, Stickleback joined Submarine Squadron 7 at Pearl Harbor. Stickleback supported the United Nations forces in Korea from February to July 1954 when she returned to Pearl Harbor. From 1954 to 1957, she conducted intelligence gathering operations off of the Soviet Union. On May 28, 1958, Stickleback was participating in an antisubmarine warfare exercise with the destroyer escort USS Silverstein (DE 534) and a torpedo retriever in the Hawaiian area. In the course of these drills, the submarine had just completed a simulated torpedo run on Silverstein and was diving to a safe depth when she lost power and descended uncontrolled to close to 800 feet. Emergency buoyancy ballast was added, and the boat ascended rapidly only to breach approximately 200 yards (180 m) ahead of the destroyer escort. On the assent a flare could not be fired as crew had evacuated the aft torpedo room. The collision alarm sounded, and Silverstein backed full, put her rudder hard left but could not avoid a collision. The result of which was a hole to the submarine on her port side and loss of the submarine. Remarkably there were no fatalities. The Stickleback's crew was removed by the torpedo retriever and combined efforts were made by several vessels to save the submarine. The rescue ships attached lines around her, but all compartments flooded, and Stickleback sank in 1,800 fathoms (3,300 m) of water. Stickleback is the third submarine to be discovered of the four US Navy submarines lost since the end of World War II. USS Cochino (SS 345), USS Thresher (SSN 593), and USS Scorpion (SSN 589) were also lost during the Cold War. "The Lost 52 Project continues to expand our work to search for additional lost WWII ships. Having just made the historical discovery of the USS Grayback and the final resting place of her 80 valiant crew offshore Japan, I am proud of this recent Cold War discovery which honors the men, their memory and their mission." States Taylor "We're grateful for the respectful, non-intrusive work of the Lost 52 Project to locate and document the Navy's submarine wrecks," said Dr. Bob Neyland, Naval History and Heritage Command's Underwater Archeology Branch head. "Each discovery assists the Naval History and Heritage Command in its mission to preserve and protect the Navy's sunken military craft and provides an opportunity to remember and honor the service of our Sailors and Marines." The Discovery of the Stickleback is part of the ongoing "Lost 52 Project" supported in part by STEP Ventures and has been recognized by JAMSTEC (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology) as the first and most comprehensive offshore underwater archaeological expedition in Japanese waters. Additional Information Video: https://youtu.be/H36ysvYjPME Contact Chris Dennison [email protected] www.lost52project.org 212-744-6763 SOURCE Lost 52 Project Related Links http://www.lost52project.org Error. Page cannot be displayed. Please contact your service provider for more details. (18) A resolute Vikas Krishan (69kg) advanced to the final with a tactically impressive win but world number one Amit Panghal (52kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) signed off with bronze medals at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers here on Tuesday. All three boxers have already secured their tickets to the Olympic Games by making the semifinals but Krishan will come back with at least a silver after entering the final. He fought with a cut sustained just below his left eyebrow before claiming a split decision victory over second seed Ablaikhan Zhussupov of Kazakhstan, a two-time world bronze-medallist. The 28-year-old Indian will face feisty Jordanian Eishaih Hussein, who sent Asian gold-medallist and top seed Bobo-Usmon Baturov packing in a split decision. Krishan, a former world bronze-winner and a Commonwealth Games gold-medallist, was the busier of the two boxers despite the injury he picked in the second round and his right jabs were particularly effective through the bout. However, in a major disappointment for India, world silver-medallist and top seed Panghal went down to Jianguan Hu of China in a split 3-2 decision. It was revenge for Hu, an Olympic and world bronze-medallist who lost to Panghal in the Asian semifinals last year. Panghal had endured exhausting contests in the run-up to the semifinals and he could not outpace the determined Chinese in Tuesday's clash. Earlier, two-time world bronze-medallist and second seed Borgohain lost to third seed and 2018 world silver-medallist Hong Gu of China in a unanimous 5-0 verdict after struggling to find her range against the experienced 30-year-old. Gu will next be up against reigning world champion and top seed Chen Nien-Chin of Taiwan who outpunched Thailand's Baison Manikon in her semifinal bout. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A mask-wearing President Xi Jinping on Tuesday visited Wuhan, the city at the centre of the coronavirus epidemic, for the first time since the start of the outbreak as national health authorities continued to report a dramatic fall in new cases of covid-19 in China. Xis visit to Wuhan, a city under a lockdown since January 23, is a sign of the highest confidence within the Communist Party of China (CPC)-ruled government that the epidemic has turned a corner in China. Until this visit, Xis second-in-command, Premier Li Keqiang was the senior-most Chinese leader to have visited Wuhan in late January as the outbreak raged in the city and the province of Hubei. On Tuesday, Chinese state media reported on the President first visiting a hospital built in nine days to make space for an overwhelming number of patients, meeting frontline doctors and nurses, volunteers and residents in Wuhan. State media showed Xi speaking via video-link to frontline medics and patients at one of the field hospitals set up in the city, an agency report said. The Chinese Presidents visit is also a message to the world that the Chinese way of controlling the epidemic locking down hundreds of millions in their homes and putting in place severe restrictions on travel has worked despite criticisms and concerns. The state medias coverage of the Chinas epidemic control has glossed over ample evidence to show that neither local nor central authorities had acted despite their knowledge about the spreading coronavirus weeks before the lockdowns in the worst-hit Hubei province were put in place. Xis visit to Wuhan will also likely add layers to the Chinese states narrative obfuscating the delay and negligence; and aggressively promote instead the tale of how China is winning the peoples war against the virus, which, of course, will be no mean feat as the rest of world suddenly grapples with the pathogen. Xis Tuesday visit coincided with a new low in fresh coronavirus cases in China: In the last 24 hours, it was only 19, down from several hundred cases just weeks earlier. As of Tuesday, there have been 80,754 cases of the virus confirmed across China, 67,760 of which were in Hubei, the province of which Wuhan is the capital. Of the 3,136 deaths confirmed in China, all but 112 have been in Hubei. Official news agency, Xinhua, reported that Xi arrived in Wuhan on Tuesday for an inspection of the epidemic prevention and control work. Xi, according to Xinhua, will visit and express regards to medical workers, military officers and soldiers, community workers, police officers, officials and volunteers who have been fighting the epidemic on the front line, as well as patients and residents during the inspection. It was more than a month ago that the death of Li Wenliang, a doctor who died from the covid-19 illness in February, sparked a wave of grief and anger online. Li was among a group of people who had raised the alarm as early as late December but was harassed and detained by the Wuhan police for doing so. A visit by vice premier Sun Chunlan to a Wuhan residential community last week was met with angry public heckling, showing how easily state propaganda efforts could backfire, the news agency AFP reported. President Donald Trump on March 9 said he will be taking "major" steps to gird the economy against the impact of the spreading coronavirus outbreak and will discuss a payroll tax cut with congressional Republicans on Tuesday. "We'll be discussing a possible payroll tax cut or relief, substantial relief, very substantial relief, that's a big number," Trump told reporters. He did not provide details but said a news conference will be held on Tuesday. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the top two Democrats in Congress, told reporters that any payroll tax cut should be limited to those affected by the virus. They also said they are crafting new legislation, on the heels of $8.3 billion coronavirus funding enacted last week, that might be ready to be introduced this week. 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 Among proposals that could be included are ensuring water supplies are maintained for people even if they cannot pay their bills as a result of the crisis, expanded unemployment insurance, medical leave and providing food for children who rely on school nutrition programs if schools are shut. Vice President Mike Pence said the administration was consulting Congress on providing paid sick leave to workers, an idea that Democrats already have been trying to advance. The stepped-up response to the coronavirus came as the number of confirmed cases in the United States hit 605, according to Johns Hopkins University. Three additional deaths in Washington state, according to officials, brought the total nationwide to 25. Earlier Monday, Johns Hopkins said that worldwide, there are 113,584 cases, with 3,996 deaths, the majority in China. The Trump administration moves came as stock markets plunged and top health officials urged some people to avoid cruise ships, air travel and big public gatherings. The administration was planning to huddle in coming days with executives of the banking, hospital and health insurance industries. While an across-the-board payroll tax cut has been under discussion, top White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow and others have advocated specific tax credits, loans or direct subsidies to certain industries or hard-hit areas. A payroll tax cut could encourage consumer spending and help households that might otherwise struggle to make rent and mortgage payments on time or pay medical bills if family members' work hours are reduced during the coronavirus outbreak. 'BEYOND THE FACTS' In Florida, state health officials said everyone returning from China, Iran, South Korea and Italy must isolate for 14 days while travelers from other countries affected by the outbreak should monitor their health. Thirty-four U.S. states and the District of Columbia have reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) infections of the respiratory illness COVID-19 that can lead to pneumonia. Louisiana had its first presumed coronavirus case, Governor John Bel Edwards announced on Monday. As worries over the virus deepened, a wave of selling took over Wall Street. The Dow fell a record 2,000 points when trading opened and the S&P 500 posted its largest single-day percentage drop since December 2008, the depths of the financial crisis. A nearly 25% plunge in oil prices contributed to fears of a looming recession. Trump, who often points to the stock market as a gauge of his economic record, criticized news media organizations' coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and accused Democrats of hyping the situation "far beyond what the facts would warrant." The CDC advised colleges and universities to consider asking students studying abroad to return home and cancel or postpone upcoming travel. Several U.S. universities were either moving to virtual instruction or considering the step and limiting gatherings on their campuses. Anthony Fauci, head of infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health, and other health officials say older Americans, especially those with chronic medical concerns, should avoid big social gatherings, cruise ships and airline flights. As leaders in the U.S. Congress reviewed potential plans for operating amid coronavirus, four Republican lawmakers - Senator Ted Cruz and Representatives Paul Gosar, Doug Collins and Matt Gaetz --announced that they would self-quarantine after coming in contact at a conservative political conference with an attendee who later tested positive for the virus. Gaetz traveled with Trump aboard Air Force One on Monday. Republican Representative Mark Meadows, Trump's incoming chief of staff, will self-quarantine until Wednesday, a spokesman said. Trump and Pence, who is heading the administration's overall response to the crisis, also attended the conference. The White House said there was no indication either came into contact with the infected attendee. The White House late Monday said that Trump had not received the coronavirus test. Pence said he has not been tested. CRUISE SHIP The coronavirus outbreak, which originated in China late last year, has spread to at least 105 countries and territories. Italy, which has the second-highest death toll, said it was extending to the rest of the country restrictions on movement imposed on much of its wealthy industrial north in an effort to contain the virus. The hardest-hit place in the United States has been a nursing home in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, and Washington state is considering mandatory measures such as banning large gatherings but not necessarily imposing massive quarantines. The Life Care Center facility has accounted for most of the 18 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths in Washington state. The three new deaths reported on Monday were all former residents of the facility. In California, officials planned to offload 2,400 passengers on Monday and Tuesday from the Grand Princess cruise ship, which was barred from returning to San Francisco last week due to a coronavirus outbreak on board. Most of the passengers will go into quarantine at military bases in the United States, with those requiring immediate medical attention heading to hospitals. The crew of 1,100 will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship, unless they are in need of acute care off the vessel. California has more than 100 confirmed cases, while on the East Coast, cases in New York state rose to 142, up from 105 a day earlier, Governor Andrew Cuomo said. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio asked employers in the nation's most populous city to consider staggering workers' start times to ease crowding on public transport and to allow more telecommuting where possible. De Blasio said there were 20 confirmed cases in the city as of Monday afternoon. Two Iranian students who are being detained at South Pest Central Hospital suffering from the Covid-19 disease have tried to evade quarantine rules, the head of Hungarys operative board in charge of handling the new coronavirus outbreak said. Tibor Lakatos told a press conference that the students had shown unacceptable behaviour at night and during the day and tried to evade quarantine rules. Besides showing a lack of cooperation, they also threw chairs out of the ward, he added. Any foreign patients who refuse to cooperate with the authorities risk being expelled from the country, he said. In the presence of police officers at St Laszlo Hospital, staff are maintaining the secure isolation of the students, he added. The foreign ministry has decided that visas issued to Iranian citizens that have not yet been stamped may not enter Hungary. No action will be taken against any Iranians who have a valid visa and are already present in Hungary unless they break the law or refuse to abide by epidemic measures, he added. People who refuse to cooperate will be detained by the immigration police for six months, which can be extended for another six months, before being deported, an immigration official said. Iranian citizens have been informed about the rules, and the Iranian embassy, too, has been asked to pass on this information to its citizens. Further, Budapest and Debrecen airports are suspending flights from Northern Italy airports. So far 6,598 people have been screened at Hungarys airports and 427 at road border crossings. Also, two information hotlines in connection with the new virus have received 4,105 calls, he said, adding that calls continue to stream in. The purpose of the hotlines, he added, is not to manage patients. Any suspicion of illness should be reported by phone to the local GP, he said. Meanwhile, Hungarys protocol for the new coronavirus test is likely to be changed soon, following protocol changes made by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Janos Szlavik, head of infectology at South Pest Central Hospital, told the press conference. The changes are expected to reflect new clinical and geographic considerations, he said. Also, the test for new coronavirus may be conducted in the private sector in the future, though a confirmatory test that is regarded as official will be carried out by an accredited laboratory of the National Centre for Public Health, he added. Hungarys chief medical officer has ordered visiting restrictions to be put in place at all of the countrys hospitals and nursing homes as a precaution to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, the National Public Health Centre (NNK) said. The nationwide ban will remain in place until further notice. NNK quoted chief medical officer Cecilia Muller as saying that information about the new virus so far indicates that the Covid-19 disease primarily affects the elderly or those with illnesses. The virus can spread quickly in closed communities and potentially cause a high number of fatalities, NNK said, adding that the ban was introduced in the interest of protecting the lives and health of those in vulnerable groups and preventing their infection. Meanwhile, Pal Gyorfi, spokesman for Hungarys National Ambulance Service (OMSZ), told public news channel M1 that OMSZ would make additional ambulances available in every county and Budapest for transporting patients with suspected coronavirus symptoms. MTI Photo: Czegledi Zsolt The 24-hour news cycle often means that we're onto the next scandal before the first bad guy can even be fitted for his unflatteringly striped jumpsuit. Still, every now and then, real life manages a satisfying narrative arc. You'll probably remember these famous scandals, but you might have missed their crowd-pleasing twists deep in the middle of Act Three. 5 Michael Vick's Pit Bulls Were So Resilient, They Changed How Ex-Fighting Dogs Are Treated Back in 2007, NFL star Michael Vick was jailed for not nearly long enough for crimes against puppies. These days, he campaigns against animal cruelty. Maybe ghosts appeared on Christmas Eve to show a parade of pitbulls raising a leg to piss on his lonely grave, or maybe he's just trying to repair his image. Frankly, it doesn't matter: The really satisfying story is what happened to the 51 dogs rescued from his Virginia property at a time when such dogs were assumed too dangerous to be rehomed. Even the Humane Society thought fighting dogs should be euthanized, and in any other case, they probably would have been. The Vick bust was a huge story, though, and the public demanded to know what would happen to those dogs. A lie about a lovely farm upstate wouldn't have fooled them, so a judge invited the ASPCA to assess the dogs' temperaments. Thank your deity of choice that you will likely never have to prove you're nice enough to live. The experts feared they'd meet hell-beasts with thousand-yard-stares and a hankering for toddler flesh. If just a few could be saved, they'd call it a win, so they must have done a victory lap featuring a rousing rendition of "We Are The Champions" when it turned out that 47 would need nothing more than some gentle rehab to become productive members of society. Some even found jobs as therapy animals as well as badass names, like Jonny Justice here. He helped little kids learn to read. SAN BRUNO (BCN) A 17-year-old Antioch boy was arrested after he allegedly robbed a man of a cellphone at a Caltrain station in San Bruno on Friday, according to police. The robbery occurred at the San Bruno Caltrain station at 1151 Huntington Ave., police said. The suspect, who wasn't named, allegedly ripped the victim's cellphone out of his hand, pushed him down on the platform and ran. The victim provided a description of the suspect to police, who found the suspect a short distance away. The suspect was booked into San Mateo County Juvenile Hall. 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 22:09:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KAMPALA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office here said on Tuesday that it will support the voluntary repatriation of South Sudan refugees in Uganda once conditions are conducive following the formation of the transition unity government in their country. Duniya Aslam Khan, UNHCR spokesperson for Uganda, told Xinhua that the refugee agency will assist Uganda and South Sudan to repatriate over 800,000 refugees once conditions are conducive for the exercise. "At present, UNHCR is not promoting nor facilitating any organized returns to South Sudan," said Khan. "However we stand ready to support and assist the governments of Uganda and South Sudan when conditions are conductive for a voluntary, free and full informed repatriation," she said. The UN estimates that about four million South Sudanese have been displaced internally and externally as a result of the civil war that began in December 2013. Uganda hosts 867,000 over South Sudan refugees, according to UNHCR figures. The Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity was formed after President Salva Kiir swore in former opposition and rebel leader, Riek Machar as the country's First Vice President on Feb. 22. "UNHCR welcomes the formation of a long-awaited unity government in South Sudan, bringing political rivals together to work for lasting peace," said Khan. South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, has been suffering a civil war since late 2013 following Kiir's dismissal of Machar. A peace deal signed in August 2015 collapsed following renewed violence in the capital, Juba in July 2016. SPRINGFIELD The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, whose programs air on WWLP-TV 22 News, reacted with gratitude that the Chicopee-based station will return to Berkshire County after a three-year absence. It was announced last week that under an agreement facilitated U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, and U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren the station will provide its local newscasts and programming to Charter Communications cable customers there in about two months. Charter had dropped the station, an NBC affiliate, in 2017. The Berkshires are considered by the Federal Communications Commission to be part of the Albany media market. The recent news that an agreement has been reached which will bring local programming by WWLP back into the Berkshires is great news for our faith community as this will mean that both the Chalice of Salvation televised Mass and Real to Reel our Catholic newsmagazine program will return at their regularly scheduled times, said Mark Dupont, diocesan spokesman. Chalice has been airing over an Albany-based Fox station at 5:30 a.m. on Sundays. Berkshire viewers of WWLP will now be able to see it at 10 a.m. on Sundays, and Real at 7.p.m. Saturdays, Dupont said. Dupont has been producer of both programs for more than 3 decades in a diocese that covers all four counties in Western Massachusetts. Beyond our own programming, we will benefit from a return of Channel 22 news to the Berkshires as this will provide an important Western Massachusetts news outlet to keep our entire diocesan community, from Brimfield and Orange to Sheffield and Williamstown, well informed, he said. This in turn will help address the understandable isolation from the rest of Western Massachusetts felt by many in the Berkshires, Dupont said. He added, We are most grateful to the management at WWLP and their parent company Nexstar for vigorously pursuing this agreement as well as to Congressman Richard Neal and his staff for advocating a return of WWLP to the Berkshires. Chalice, the regions only one-hour weekly televised Mass and one that has aired for more than 60 years and is estimated to be viewed by 10,000 households, is hosted by Passionist Brother Terrence Scanlon from Holy Spirit Chapel at St. Michaels Cathedral. Related: 22News WWLP returns to the Berkshires Entercom sells WAAF, a Worcester and Boston rock radio station, to Educational Media Foundation for $10.7 million New England Public Radio, WGBY-TV in Springfield to merge; boosting local news coverage During the Wisconsin Agricultural Outlook Forum, University of Wisconsin-Madisons Director of Dairy Policy Analysis Mark Stephenson addressed what he considered to be the elephant in the room: the demand for dairy products. He explained that on a total sales basis, beverage milk sales were fairly consistent until 2010, when we started to see a rather substantial erosion of fluid milk sales that continues to this day. Weve seen casualties from this trend, he said, pointing to recent bankruptcies in the fluid milk sector that have made headlines. This looks like a segment of the industry that is not doing well, and indeed, it is having some problems, he said. One of the issues the beverage industry has, he noted, is that the margins are very thin, very thin. Theres just not a lot of profit, putting milk into a bottle, he explained. When you are in an industry with declining consumption, it makes it difficult to be showing profits. Of course, there are other factors at play when it comes to fluid milk sales. Weve seen declining sales due to plant-based beverages, but it is more than that, Stephenson said. Probably a more potent competitor to fluid milk is bottled water. Grocery and convenience stores have shelves filled with drink options. Competition in the beverage space has been fierce for fluid milk, Stephenson said. He also pointed to demographics as a reason for reduced milk sales. Our population is getting older. We are having fewer children, and children are major consumers of fluid milk, he explained. On the other hand, Stephenson pointed out that there are bright spots in dairy product consumption. The headlines we see in the fluid milk industry do not reflect the overall health of the dairy industry, Stephenson said. Its not all bad news. Cheese, yogurt, and butter have all been growth categories for the dairy industry, Stephenson explained. He added that last year, the U.S. had the largest per capita milk equivalent consumption since the 1960s. While consumer preferences are changing and fluid milk sales are struggling, Americans are still eating their dairy. In 1975, each citizen was consuming around 540 pounds of dairy per year. Today, annual per capita consumption is over 640 pounds. To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com. (c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2020 March 9, 2020 Scindia with 17 MLAs set to back BJP as Congress ups efforts to woo him back India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Mar 10: Jyotiraditya Scindia, who has shaken the Congress ship in Madhya Pradesh has met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The move comes in the wake of 17 MLAs of the Congress being carted away to Bengaluru, putting the Kamal Nath government at risk. There is also talk that Scindia along with the 17 MLAs may back the BJP in Madhya Pradesh. Meanwhile the 17 MLAs are expected to leave Bengaluru in short while from now. They are likely to reach New Delhi, sources have said. After securing 114 seats, the Congress came to power in 2018. The House has 230 members. Madhya Pradesh Crisis: Scindia, accompanied by Amit Shah, meets PM Modi However the current strength has been reduced to 228. The Congress had gone on to form the government with the support of 121 MLAs, which included four independents, 2 BSP and 1 SP MLA. Meanwhile the Congress continued to make efforts to woo Scindia back. However as of now, it appears as though Scindia has not relented. If the 17 MLAs stick to their decision then the strength of the Congress would come down to 104. In the 228 member House, a party needs 115 seats. The BJP on the other hand has 107 MLAs. It needs 8 more MLAs to hit the majority mark. If the rebels extend support to the BJP, then the party will have 124 MLAs. After the dramatic developments, MP Forest Minister Umang Singhar told PTI, "We have resigned. Now it is up to the chief minister to take a call." The minister said they have requested the chief minister to reconstitute the cabinet. Nath had cut short his Delhi visit and rushed to Bhopal where he had called the urgent cabinet meeting at around 10 pm after a faction led by senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia who, along with at least 17 legislators, went incommunicado, sparking intense speculation about the fate of his government. Madhya Pradesh govt crisis: Will Kamal Nath find ways to blame BJP or accepts party's failure Many of these legislators, including ministers, had flown to Bengaluru earlier in the day. Scindia, however, kept his cards close to his chest and there was no word from him on the developments. The BJP, meanwhile, called a meeting of its MLAs on Tuesday, where sources said Shivraj Singh Chouhan may be elected as the leader of the legislature party. Trouble has been brewing in the Congress ahead of Rajya Sabha polls as it had last week accused the BJP of trying to topple its government after 10 MLAs of the ruling party and those of its allies travelled to Haryana, though the BJP had denied the charge. Madhya Pradesh numbers: Here is how it is stacked up Of them, eight had come back and many of them wanted ministerial berths, according to sources. However, two Congress MLAs have not yet returned. Scindia and Nath have fallen out over the post of the state Congress president, which is currently held by the chief minister. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 10, 2020, 11:17 [IST] The United States began withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, the US military said Tuesday, taking a step forward on its peace deal with the Taliban while also praising Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's promise to start releasing Taliban prisoners after he had delayed for over a week. The US-Taliban deal signed on February 29 was touted as Washington's effort to end 18 years of war in Afghanistan. The next crucial step was to be intra-Afghan talks in which all factions including the Taliban would negotiate a road map for their country's future. But Ghani and his main political rival, Abdullah Abdullah, were each sworn in as president in separate ceremonies on Monday. Abdallah and the elections complaints commission had charged fraud in last year's vote. The duelling inaugurations have thrown plans for talks with the Taliban into chaos, although Ghani said Tuesday that he'd start putting together a negotiating team. The disarray on the Afghan government side is indicative of the uphill task facing Washington's peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad as he tries to get Afghanistan's bickering leadership to come together. In an early Tuesday tweet, Khalilzad said he hoped the two leaders can come to an agreement on an inclusive and broadly accepted government. We will continue to assist. US military spokesman in Afghanistan Sonny Leggett said in a statement Tuesday that the military had begun its conditions-based reduction of forces to 8,600 over 135 days. Currently, the US has about 13,000 soldiers in Afghanistan 8,000 of whom are involved in training and advising Afghanistan's National Security Forces, while about 5,000 are involved in anti-terror operations and militarily supporting the Afghan army when they are requested. Ghani had been dragging his feet on releasing some 5,000 Taliban prisoners, something agreed to in the US-Taliban deal. Ghani promised Monday to announce a decree to free the prisoners, after the US and a number of foreign dignitaries appeared to back his claim to the presidency by sending their representatives to his inauguration. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo released a statement Monday saying, We also welcome President Ghani's announcement that he will issue a decree March 10 on Taliban prisoner release. Taliban officials said late Monday that a flurry of biometric identifications were being conducted on Taliban prisoners, hinting at a mass release, according to prisoners currently in lockup. The Taliban officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorised to talk to the media. Pompeo also said he strongly opposed the establishment of a parallel government in Kabul, despite the early signs of one emerging. Abdullah had quickly sent his vice-presidents to occupy the official offices on Monday, ahead of Ghani's plan to send his vice presidents to their offices Tuesday. Pompeo warned against any use of force to resolve political differences. Both candidates but particularly Abdullah are backed by warlords with heavily armed militias, underscoring fears they could use force to back their candidate. The US has said its partial troop withdrawal over an 18-month period provided for in the deal will be linked to the Taliban keeping their promises to help fight terror in Afghanistan, but not to the success of talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government. On the weekend, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said the insurgent group was committed to their agreement with the United States and called on Washington to do its part to make sure their prisoners were freed. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for a rocket attack that took place during Ghani's inauguration ceremony. IS also claimed a brutal attack last week on a gathering of minority Shiites that killed 32 and injured scores more. The US in reaching its deal with the Taliban said they expected the Taliban, which has been battling Afghanistan's IS affiliate, to further aid in the effort to defeat IS. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kutna, a refugee from Syria, sits among family members in the room where they are living in an apartment block in Mount Lebanon, Lebanon. UNHCR/Hannah Maule-ffinch Geneva, 9 March As the Syrian crisis enters its tenth year, the Syrian people continue to experience acute tragedy. Every second Syrian man, woman and child has been forcibly displaced since the start of the conflict in March 2011 often, more than once. Today, Syrians are the largest refugee population in the world. Year after year, the Syrian people have also shown incredible resilience. While the majority of refugees in neighbouring countries live below the poverty line, they also strive to make a living and create a future for themselves and their families; looking to return home but contributing to the economies of the countries who generously host them, while they stay. In North-West Syria, fighting has tragically led to almost a million people displaced since December 2019, living in terrible conditions; at the same time, in other parts of the country, many families and communities are trying to rebuild their lives, and move on, despite widespread disruption of services, destruction of property and economic hardship. The last nine years have also been a story of remarkable solidarity. The governments and people of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, as well as some countries beyond the region, have provided Syrians protection and safety, opening up their schools, hospitals and their homes to Syrian refugees. The international aid response has expanded in scale and depth over the last nine years, thanks to generous contributions by government donors, the private sector and individuals. What started as a humanitarian response has been matched by the engagement of key development actors, such as the World Bank, providing structured support to host governments and institutions, bolstering the resilience of both host communities and refugees. Over US$14 billion has been channeled through the Regional Refugee Response and Resilience Plan (3RP) since 2012 and delivered by a coalition of over 200 partners, coordinated by UNHCR and UNDP. Much more has been provided through bilateral aid and other multilateral mechanisms. Im deeply humbled by the courage and resilience of Syrians. Day in, day out, they have faced suffering and deprivation, said Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. As this crisis moves into its tenth year, I urge the world not to forget those who remain displaced in Syria, and those who have been forced to flee abroad. We must recognize and support the generosity of the neighbouring countries one of the greatest acts of solidarity in decades. However, we must stay the course. More is needed. Indeed, nine years in, the challenge has been to maintain and expand support to the region, especially in a time where host communities, for instance in Lebanon, live through economic hardship. The Regional Refugee Response and Resilience Plan (3RP) for 2019 has received 58 per cent funding against a US$5.4 billion appeal. The gap between actual needs and available resources is widening by the day. Lack of aid, limited access to health services and education increase daily costs and risk pushing refugee families into an irreversible spiral of vulnerability. Out of desperation, some refugees are forced to take their children out of school to work and support their families. Others reduce their daily meals. Vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, some turn to the streets, early marriages, or child labour. Nine years of crisis have left a mark across the entire region. Host countries remain in need of predictable and timely financing to enable them to continue to support millions of Syrian refugees, to ensure national services are able to cope, and to expand opportunities for both refugees and host communities. Support is also needed for those who wish to exercise their right to return home. The Global Compact on Refugees, endorsed by the UN in December 2018, offers to governments and private sector a blueprint for the whole of society approach to refugee crises through a more predictable response and equitable responsibility-sharing. Syrian refugees and their hosts depend on it. For more information on this topic, please contact: 5.1k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Speaking on her program, Fox Business host Trish Regan claimed without evidence that the coronavirus outbreak, which has claimed at least 26 lives in the United States, is being politicized by Congressional Democrats whove unleashed a chorus of hate toward President Donald Trump and, she said, are looking for another reason to impeach him. Weve reached a tipping point. The hate is boiling. Many in the liberal media are using coronavirus in an attempt to demonize and destroy the president, despite the virus originating halfway around the world, Regan said. This is yet another attempt to impeach, and sadly, it seems the left cares little for any of the destruction they leave in their wake, including losses in the market. This, unfortunately, is all just part of political casualties for them. Regan further suggested that Democrats dont care who they hurt, whether it be their need to create mass hysteria to encourage a massive sell-off in an overly anxious stock market or, to create mass hysteria in order to stop our economy dead in its tracks. You can watch her remarks below. Fox Business Trish Regan says coronavirus is a scam to impeach the President pic.twitter.com/YhP4hASDVW Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 10, 2020 Regan was immediately criticized for her comments. Trish Reagan doing a good impression of the North Korea newsreader. But she forgot to say "Our Dear Leader" https://t.co/ay59sdv6KD Eric Sturrock (@EricSturrock) March 10, 2020 And, here, we have @trish_regan destroying every bit of credibility she once had. Im sorry, I really, really like Trish and think highly of her, but this is unacceptable. pic.twitter.com/qR0QdUX0EU Jonathan Franks (@jonfranks) March 10, 2020 Fox News viewers take the red pill. In the Republican matrix Corona is a Democratic hoax. Gaslighting as a weapon of mass disinformation #coronavirusimpeachmentscam https://t.co/5mODOMTPRv Duty To Warn (@duty2warn) March 10, 2020 Sounds like Trish Reagan is ready for her close-up, Mr DeMille. Using her best dramatic persona, she wails on about Dems' hoax / Dems blaming Trump for corvid19. Like most of FOX, Trump, Pence, Azar, GOP, she doesn't get how he's blundering this crisis n ppl will suffer bc of him https://t.co/AMJBcYtXMV Anne Mannone (@AnneMannone) March 10, 2020 Regans comments come as President Trump faces heated criticism from both sides of the political aisle for downplaying the threat of the coronavirus. The president, a notorious germaphobe, has not been tested for the virus despite an Air Force One trip with Representative Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who is currently in self-quarantine after being exposed. The President has not received COVID-19 testing because he has neither had prolonged close contact with any known confirmed COVID-19 patients, nor does he have any symptoms, Stephanie Grisham, the White House press secretary, said. President Trump remains in excellent health, and his physician will continue to closely monitor him. This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact the Parsons Sun office at (620) 421-2000 if you have any questions OTTAWAAlready facing the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak and weeks of rail blockades, the federal Liberals must now factor in a global oil price war as they prepare their maiden minority budget. Canadian markets were rocked Monday as oil prices collapsed, yanking the Toronto Stock Exchange and Alberta-based energy equities down with them. The precipitous drop triggered market-wide circuit breakers designed to impede panic on major North American exchanges and was caused, in part, by Saudi Arabia and Russia feuding over oil production levels. But while Canada didnt create the problem, the countrys dependence on natural resource industries means Ottawa will have to deal with it against wider market disquiet about the effects of the global coronavirus outbreak. It is clear were in a very volatile position, Finance Minister Bill Morneau said, speaking on Parliament Hill after the rough day on the stock market. He said Canada can handle the fallout, stressing the country has a strong banking system and world-class health care. The national debt, when compared to the size of the overall economy, also leaves room for spending measures to help workers, companies and troubled sectors like tourism and energy, Morneau said though he refused to specify what Ottawa will do. I want Canadians to know that we have capacity to deal with challenges exactly like this, he said. We will respond appropriately in the time of challenge. Mondays market rout saw the S&P/TSX composite index drop by more than 10 per cent to its lowest level in 14 months, the biggest single-day decline since 1987. The plunge was led by huge declines in energy stocks. Calgary-based Cenovus Energy was down 52 per cent on the day. Crescent Point Energy, which is also headquartered in Calgary, dropped by 43 per cent. While Morneau did not say how the crash will affect the Liberal governments upcoming 2020 budget, its spending plan last year projected West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the North American benchmark crude price, at $60 (U.S.) per barrel. That measure plummeted by 25 per cent Monday to close at $30.24 (U.S.). The parliamentary budget officer (PBO), Canadas independent fiscal watchdog, estimated in December 2018 that a $15 drop in the price per barrel of oil would lower Canadas nominal GDP by an average of $37 billion per year and add an average of $3.5 billion to the federal governments deficits between 2019 and 2023. We are extremely concerned, said Seamus ORegan, the federal natural resources minister, when asked about Mondays market drop. Canada is the fourth-largest oil exporter in the world. I dont need to tell you that. Days like today are not easy, he said. The oil collapse followed the breakdown on Friday of the so-called OPEC+ agreement, a three-year-old pact between Russia and members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Russia reportedly refused to join its OPEC partners by rolling back production to stabilize the price of oil. That prompted Saudi Arabia the largest oil exporter in the world to signal it would slash its own oil export prices in a bid to undercut Russias share of the global market, as headlines spread across the globe warning of an all-out price war. Speaking to reporters in Calgary on Monday, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said the feud which stands to increase oil production even as global demand wanes puts his province in uncharted territory that could be devastating for the national economy. Along with previous demands to support oil well reclamation projects and increase federal fiscal stabilization payments to Alberta, Kenney suggested this could include accelerated spending on infrastructure. Kenney said he will push the federal government to take action to protect the oil sector and Canadian economy when first ministers meet in Ottawa this week. The fiscal plan is obviously going to be affected by these massive developments, Kenney said of his recent budget, which based revenue projections on a price of oil that was almost double where it closed after Mondays collapse. We will see how the federal government responds to this very serious challenge, and at some point we will come back with an update, he said. Were not asking for any special favours. I assume that this federal government intends to act to protect the Canadian economy. Kevin Milligan, professor of economics at the University of British Columbia, said the impact of Mondays price collapse will be most felt in Alberta. Thats particularly the case after the United Conservative government in Edmonton tabled a budget on Feb. 27 that projected revenues from a $58-per-barrel price of oil, Milligan said. That was already ambitious at the time, and is now completely out of whack after Mondays oil price free fall, he said. They may have to redo it. I mean that seriously, Milligan said. A multibillion-dollar hole in the Alberta budget has just opened up. At the federal level, Milligan said the impact on revenue projections is smaller because Ottawa doesnt collect direct royalties from oil production like Alberta does. But there will be an effect nonetheless, which Morneau will need to consider as he prepares this years budget, Milligan said. Private sector forecasts for economic growth, which the federal budget projections are based on, will be vastly different than they were two weeks ago, Milligan said. Its going to be very difficult to be doing their planning, he said. In Ottawa, the federal Conservatives accused the government of spending too much while the economy was performing well. Pierre Poilievre, the partys finance critic, also blamed the Liberals for policies he argued have stifled Canadas oil and gas industry, including a tanker export ban on the north coast of British Columbia and last years revamp of federal rules to assess proposed projects. With a current budget deficit of $26.6 billion, Poilievre charged there is no room to spend money to help recover from an economic slump. These Liberals spent the cupboard bare, and all we have is a leaky roof as we enter this winter storm. We are weak and vulnerable as a result of Justin Trudeaus irresponsible decisions, Poilievre said on Parliament Hill. The PBO recently concluded Ottawa could permanently increase spending by $41 billion without increasing the debt-to-GDP ratio beyond the 2018 level of 28.5 per cent. With files from Star wire services Read more about: Saudi Arabia and Russia dug in for a long and destructive price war, as Moscow responded to Riyadh's opening salvo. If there was any doubt that the collapse of last week's OPEC+ talks had created a lasting rupture between the world's top crude exporters, Rosneft PJSC dispelled it on Monday. Russia's largest producer will pump significantly more oil next month, retaliating for Saudi Aramco's steep price cuts. Igor Sechin, chief executive officer of Rosneft PJSC, is a close ally of Vladimir Putin. Credit:AP The Kremlin didn't flinch in the face of the conflict's initial toll: the biggest price plunge since the end of the 1991 Gulf War; hundreds of billions wiped off oil-company valuations; soaring bond yields in resource-dependent nations. That's just day one. A prolonged struggle between the two powers - with each seeking to maximise the price pain for their foe by pumping as much as possible - could inflict lasting damage on the industry that produces the world's most important commodity. PARIS, March 2 (Reuters) - G7 finance ministers will discuss by phone this week how to best to limit the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on economic growth, French Finance Minister Le Maire said on Monday. "There will be a concerted action. Yesterday I spoke with the G7 president, the U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and this week we will have a meeting by phone of the finance G7 ministers to coordinate our responses," Le Maire told France 2 television. He also said that euro zone finance ministers would also be in touch with each other and that he would speak with ECB chief Christine Lagarde. "We must act so that this impact that we know will be important on growth, be as limited as possible," he added. (Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Leigh Thomas) Russia-backed forces have attacked the positions of Ukrainian defenders in Donetsk direction in the area of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) in Donbas on March 10, the Defense Ministry of Ukraine reported on its website. According to the report, the enemy was shelled the JFO's positions using weapons prohibited by the Minsk Agreements, in particular, 120mm mortars, as well as used grenade launchers of the various systems, large-caliber machine guns and small arms. "Now the battle is over. To suppress enemy fire, the JFO's units used the available weapons and gave the Russian invaders an adequate response," reads the report. A Tate Modern gallery assistant views Marilyn Monroes Lips 1962, which is being exhibited for the first time in the UK (Dominic Lipinski/PA) Marilyn Monroes lips and Andy Warhols wigs are some of the highlights of a new exhibition at Tate Modern. More than 100 works by the late pop art pioneer are on display. They include several from his series on Monroe, painted a few months after the actresss death following a drug overdose. In Marilyns Lips on display in the UK for the first time he focused solely on the Hollywood stars mouth. A Tate Modern gallery assistant interacts with the Silver Clouds installation (Dominic Lipinski/PA) Three of Warhols wigs are also on show in the UK for the first time. The US artist had amassed over 100 of the hairpieces by the time of his death in 1987. He began wearing them in the 1950s when he started losing his hair and the wigs featured in his self-portraits. Other highlights on show include the 10-metre wide canvas Sixty Last Suppers. A man takes a photo of Debbie Harry pop art (Dominic Lipinski/PA) Video of the Day Warhol died in his sleep, aged 58, while recovering from gallbladder surgery just a few months after completing the work. Years earlier, in 1968, Warhol was briefly pronounced dead in hospital after being shot by Valerie Solanas, who felt that the pop artist had too much control over (her) life. One room at the exhibition will be devoted to Ladies And Gentlemen, Warhols portraits of drag queens and trans women. The exhibition will look at Warhol through a new lens as a shy, gay man from a religious, migrant, low-income household, Tate Modern said. A gallery assistant views Silver Liz, 1963 (Dominic Lipinski/PA) His photobooth self-portrait and his images of pop stars Debbie Harry and Dolly Parton are also on display. Tate Modern director Frances Morris said Warhol is an artist who feels more relevant and influential today than ever. He is one of the most recognisable names in the late 20th century but, in todays climate, it feels important to take a more human and more personal look at somebody who is a very familiar artist, she said. Andy Warhol runs from March 12 to September 6 at Tate Modern, in partnership with Bank Of America. 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 [March 10, 2020] Wabtec Holds 2020 Investor Conference Wabtec Corporation (NYSE: WAB) will host its 2020 Investor Conference via webcast starting at 8:30 a.m., ET, today. The webcast of the event can be accessed on the investor relations section of the company's website: www.WabtecCorp.com. Rafael Santana, President and CEO, Pat Dugan, CFO, and other company leaders will highlight Wabtec's business strategy and long-term financial targets. During the conference, Wabtec management will discuss its previously issued guidance for 2020. This guidance has not been revised for any potential impact due to COVID-19, and more recently with volatility in the commodity and financial markets. To date, Wabtec has seen limited impact to its first quarter. However, we are continuing to monitor our customers and the end markets we serve, as those could have an impact on Wabtec's business, operations and financial performance. Investor Conference: How to Participate Wabtec will host its 2020 Investor Conference via webcast starting at 8:30 a.m., ET, today. To listen to the webcast and view the presentation materials, go to Wabtec's website atwww.WabtecCorp.com and click on "Events & Presentations" in the "Investor Relations" section. A replay of the webcast and presentation materials will also be available on Wabtec's website at www.WabtecCorp.com. About Wabtec Corporation Wabtec Corporation is a leading global provider of equipment, systems, digital solutions and value-added services for freight and transit rail. Drawing on nearly four centuries of collective experience across Wabtec, GE Transportation and Faiveley Transport, the company has unmatched digital expertise, technological innovation, and world-class manufacturing and services, enabling the digital-rail-and-transit ecosystems. Wabtec is focused on performance that drives progress, creating transportation solutions that move and improve the world. The freight portfolio features a comprehensive line of locomotives, software applications and a broad selection of mission-critical controls systems, including Positive Train Control (PTC). The transit portfolio provides highly engineered systems and services to virtually every major rail transit system around the world, supplying an integrated series of components for buses and all train-related market segments that deliver safety, efficiency and passenger comfort. Along with its industry-leading portfolio of products and solutions for the rail and transit industries, Wabtec is a leader in mining, marine, and industrial solutions. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Wabtec has approximately 27,000 employees in facilities throughout the world. Visit: www.WabtecCorp.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005293/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 10 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: Export of defense products from Turkey to Azerbaijan in January-February 2020 grew 1.4 times compared to the same period in 2019, amounting to $ 8.36 million, Trend reports referring to Turkish Ministry of Commerce on Monday. In February 2020, export of defense products from Turkey to Azerbaijan grew 1.6 times compared to February 2019, amounting to $ 8.30 million. In January February 2020, exports of Turkish defense industry products to world markets grew by five percent compared to the same period last year, amounting to $348.6 million. Turkish defense industry exports accounted for 1.2 percent of the country's total exports in January through February. In February 2020, Turkey exported $ 181.7 million to the global defense industry products, which is 15.3 percent more than in the same month of 2019. Turkish defense industry exports in February 2020 amounted to 1.2 percent of the country's total exports. Over the past 12 months (February 2019 - February 2020), Turkey exported defense products worth $ 2.7 billion. Russia Energy Minister Alexander Novak pictured at a joint press conference during the 173rd Ordinary Meeting of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Vienna, Austria on November 30, 2017. Russia has refused to rule out talks with OPEC to stabilize energy markets, according to reports, after oil prices registered their worst declines in almost 30 years on Monday. International benchmark Brent crude traded at $37.32 Tuesday afternoon, up over 8.5%, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) stood at $33.69, around 8.2% higher. It comes after Brent and WTI both dropped 24% on Monday, sinking to more than four-year lows. The moves follow a breakdown in talks between the kingpin of oil-producing group OPEC, Saudi Arabia, and non-OPEC member Russia late last week. Markets had been hoping for an agreement by both countries, and other oil producers, to curb oil output in an effort to bolster prices; their failure to agree led oil prices to crash on Monday. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said that Moscow had not ruled out measures with OPEC to stabilize oil markets, according to Interfax news agency. Russia's energy ministry has proposed to hold a meeting with Russian oil companies on Wednesday, Reuters reported, citing two unnamed sources. They are expected to discuss whether to prolong Russia's alliance with OPEC. The collapse of the OPEC and non-OPEC agreement "does not appear to have been part of any pre-meditated strategy or plan on Russia's part or done with the intention of undermining U.S. shale production," Daragh McDowell, head of Europe and principal Russia analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, told CNBC via email. "The arrangement was unpopular with key members of the Russian elite notably Rosneft's Igor Sechin and the economic damage caused by the COVID-19 outbreak provided a handy pretext for abandoning the deal." Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 23:02:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's inspection trip Tuesday in Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, indicated that rays of victory over the epidemic are emerging after weeks of all-out efforts by the entire country. When Xi, wearing his mask, talked with frontline medical staff, community workers, patients and residents, the strength and fortitude of the Chinese nation shone through. The Chinese people have, with their devotion and sacrifice, made it evident that coronavirus is a foe that can be defeated. The visit came on the same day when all the city's 16 makeshift hospitals were closed. China reported only 19 new cases Monday, marking the lowest total in China since late January. The Chinese mainland excluding Hubei Province has not seen any new indigenous COVID-19 cases for three consecutive days. Normality is steadily returning to the country. China is not politically weakened as a few Western observers predicted, but has stabilized the situation, contained most of the cases within its borders and earned valuable time -- at least three weeks -- for other countries to enhance their preparedness. Progress does not come without sacrifice. Wuhan, with a population of more than 10 million, has been on lockdown for nearly 50 days. Many other cities in Hubei Province have also taken similar measures to prohibit or restrict inter-city movements. The unprecedented move is not perfect -- bringing city life almost to a standstill and creating short-term economic repercussions. But the leadership has the political resolve to do so, because quarantine is the most effective way to keep COVID-19 isolated when the disease is not truly understood and there are no medicines or vaccines at hand. The city has seen heroic battles by people from across the country, some of them have sacrificed their lives. Now the efforts have paid off. The spread of COVID-19 has been basically curbed in Hubei and its capital Wuhan. The world would have seen many more cases outside China if it were not for China's actions. With the WHO's encouragement, some countries are turning to learn from China's strategies and have imposed their own strict measures and quarantines. In an interconnected world, China eyes securing a final victory for all. The country shared the virus's genetic sequence with the WHO, a significant move for the international society to work out solutions for treatment. China also updates the number of new infections, deaths and recoveries on a daily basis. Since the start of the outbreak, Xi has had telephone conversations with heads of state or government from more than a dozen countries, including U.S. President Donald Trump, boosting international confidence in the fight against the epidemic. Facing the growing global spread of the disease, China provides support to other countries despite its own difficulties. China has decided to donate 20 million U.S. dollars to the WHO to help give full play to its coordinating role in international action against the epidemic, especially helping small and medium-sized countries with weak public health systems shore up their lines of defense. China is ready to provide other countries with masks and other medical supplies. No restrictive trade measures have been placed by the Chinese government on the export of surgical masks and their manufacturing materials which are badly in need around the world. The war against the virus is a test of humanity. Unfortunately, it also mirrors some ugly faces. Since the outbreak, some Western media and politicians' smear campaign against China's response to the outbreak on ideological grounds has never stopped. Among these irresponsible and ill-advised comments was U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's rhetoric dubbing COVID-19 as "Wuhan coronavirus." Such racism and xenophobia are totally unbecoming of a national spokesperson. Turning a blind eye to science, such politicians have only left listeners in the rest of the world shaking their heads. Unfounded assertions about the origin of the virus can do nothing but create fear, rumors and prejudice that jeopardize global collaboration in the fight against the virus since the work on tracing the virus origin is unfinished and no conclusion has been reached. The self-centered, unprofessional and unethical remarks by a certain U.S. federal official on job opportunities were similarly ill-advised. Those comments exhibited a paucity of compassion and logic, as no country or economy can escape the repercussions of a global epidemic. But all this will fade away before the spectacle which is now unfolding. Humanity shines through the dark cloud of the epidemic. China will move forward, unflinching and unswerving, and continue to join hands with other countries until the whole task is complete and the whole world is safe. The measures China has taken offer lessons for improving the global response to the disease. They may not be simply copied as countries have different conditions and social systems. But solidarity, the courage to face challenges and the unconquerable human will to survive at all costs is what the entire international community needs. The fight is continuing, and China is writing an epic with the world. Through our devotion, sacrifice and perseverance, the glory of mankind will be born again. UPDATE March 12: United has amended (but not rescinded) the wretched policy described in this post, reducing its 25-hour rule to a 6-hour rule as described below: When schedule changes occur, more than 90 percent of our customers are being automatically re-booked on a flight that leaves within two hours of their originally scheduled flight. Any customer whose travel is disrupted by more than 6 hours because of our schedule changes will be eligible for a refund. The relatively small percentage of customers who are delayed by 2 to 6 hours are eligible to cancel and retain the value of their ticket for future use. In the case of special circumstances, customers can work with the United Contact Centers to find a resolution. Original post starts here: "This should be illegal. United is now saying if you buy a ticket but United changes it, as long as they can get you there within 25 hours of the original time it is no longer refundable. Thats disgraceful. Contract law should shoot that down," said frequent traveler S.H. in an email over the weekend. What's he talking about? Well, over the weekend, United quietly made a big change to its refund policy in light of the cuts it has been forced to make due to plummeting demand amid coronavirus fears. Previously, if United changed, canceled or rescheduled a flight and it was unable to move passengers to another flight to their final destination within two hours of the original flight, it would offer them a full refund. The new policy enacted over the weekend states that United will now only offer a credit for a future flight (no refund) if it can get passengers to their final destination within 2-25 hours of the originally scheduled arrival time. It will only offer a refund if it can't find another flight within the new 25 hour window. So what does that mean in real terms? Let's say you are holding a reservation to fly from San Francisco to New York-Newark departing at 8 a.m. next Wednesday. Then United makes a change to its schedule, eliminating that 8 a.m. flight. It switches you to an 11 p.m. redeye flight 15 hours later instead. If you choose not to take that flight, United will no longer give you your money back... it will only offer you a credit to use on a future flight within 15 months. A United spokesperson told SFGATE: "Weve made reductions to our international and domestic schedules and know many customers are impacted as a result. Our goal is to rebook as many people as possible without interruption and right now, more than 90 percent of impacted customers are being put on a flight that is within 2 hours of their original booking. For any rebooking that goes beyond two hours, those customers can change for free or cancel altogether, and use the value of that ticket toward future travel up to 15 months from their original ticket issue date." United put schedule changes into effect this weekend after announcing last week it would cut its flying by up to 20 percent internationally and 11 percent domestically. Many other non-U.S. carriers have made similar cuts, but so far United is the only U.S. carrier to announce broad flight reductions. Since it appears United imposed this onerous new refund rule as a result of coronavirus-related cuts, I asked if it would be rescinded when the crisis passes, but the spokesperson stated that she would not speculate on that. You can read United's refund policy here. News of United's new policy broke over the weekend, setting the travel blogosphere ablaze with comments about what appears to be an ill-timed move. Brian Sumers, a writer for travel industry news website Skift, who broke the news on Twitter wrote: "How much does United want to conserve cash? Before Saturday, after a schedule change of more than two hours, United happily would refund you. The new policy is 25 hours." Matthew Klint, who writes the popular Live and Let's Fly blog and tracks United closely was blunt: "That is just wrong. It is disgusting. We dont contract for a particular aircraft or a particular seat number, but we certainly contract to travel on a particular date and time. This schedule change gives United broad power to disrupt your travel plans without recourse. United plans to apply this policy retroactively to previously booked ticketsan even shadier move." Over at The Cranky Flier, editor Brett Snyder was a bit more conciliatory, stating, "United created a model and realized money was going to fly out the door with this schedule change. The airline then had to try to figure out how to prevent bloodshed in this very uncertain time. Is this solution as good for customers as the old policy? No, definitely not. But the reality is that it is a mostly fair solution considering the circumstances." How will this affect your intentions to book future trips in United? Share your thoughts in the comments. Read all recent TravelSkills posts here Chris McGinnis is SFGATE's senior travel correspondent. You can reach him via email or follow him on Twitter or Facebook. Don't miss a shred of important travel news by signing up for his FREE biweekly email updates! SFGATE participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Top Boy star Ashley Walters has said his fathers absence while he was growing up contributed to his criminal behaviour. The actor and rapper, from Peckham in south-east London, said that despite having a supportive mother, he was always looking for father figures and the safety they provided. Walters, 37, said his late father had been in prison 17 times, and had six children with six mothers. Ashley Walters meets Charles at a Princes Trust event (Chris Jackson/PA) He told Radio Times: I was constantly looking for a father figure in every man I met, and it meant that the majority of the time I was just eager to please or trying to get people to be proud of me. And that means sometimes if there was weed to sell, I would do it. If there was something bad to do, I would do it. It wasnt about I wanted to be bad or I was confused from my upbringing or I didnt have an education. It was actually that I wanted to fit in and I wanted to feel safe and I was looking for all of those things that I was missing, really, from not having a father. Ashley Walters with Kane Kano Robinson in Top Boy (Netflix/PA) Walters, who was part of UK garage collective So Solid Crew, mentors young people from difficult backgrounds, and co-manages Kingdom Drama School in London. He said money is needed to ensure men like him can help those in need. Video of the Day Addressing Dame Cressida Dick, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, he said: If you want people to do it (mentor) who are ex-offenders people who have been through the lifestyle, that kids are going to have a certain level of respect for, enough for them to listen then you need investment, because those people also need to be empowered and incentivised to take time out, because it is a job, at the end of the day. Read the full interview in Radio Times, out now. A NEW chapter for South Yorkshire Police will see the face of the force becoming younger as officer numbers are replenished. Recruitment will comprise 220 roles paid for by last years local precept rise plus an estimated 487 from the Governments 20,000-officer pledge. Deputy Chief Constable Mark Roberts admitted there may be tension from bringing the numbers back up within an infrastructure which has seen a third of resources cut during austerity. But he said: We have an opportunity to build up our strength towards what it was prior to the cuts. Its a problem, but its a problem that wed rather have. It does place a strain on us. But its also a good opportunity to bring people into a force which is winning. Its positive, and we are looking at broadening the ways in which people can join us as a detective. A key challenge would be retention of some older officers as new, younger recruits arrive, the forces deputy boss said. We have, over the past ten years, lost 30-plus per cent in terms of police funding, he added. When officers are reaching normal retirement age, we have measures to try and retain them, after a short break. This gives us more experienced people to support the younger officers, and helps with the uplift by not losing officers. South Yorkshire police commissioner Dr Alan Billings called for more detail from Government on the 20,000-officer recruitment drive, including whether funding provided would be for salaries only or also cover extras like training and uniform. He said: I cant remember a year in which there have been so many uncertainties, unknowns, about the future and financial position. We have had to make assumptions about finances going forward. Depending on which way that particular dice spins, we could be in a more favourable position in a year. We simply dont know. He added: Its an extraordinary record over a relatively short period of time, to have gone from 43rd out of 43 to joint fourth in the league table. Dr Billings was referring to the ranking of forces by Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services under the Peel criteria for effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy. And he added: South Yorkshire Police lost 36.4 per cent of its resources and its staggering, when you have lost more than a third over those nine years. Supt Steve Chapman said Direct Entry a national scheme recruiting at inspector and superintendent level was also giving new career opportunities. He added: Under these terms, you can jump up the rank structure through direct entry. People who want to come and work for us but dont want to be out there in uniform can look at starting as a detective. South Yorkshire Police is also investing in transferable skills. One example is an officer who worked here at Main Street as staff behind a desk went on to become an investigating officer and then four or five months from that moved across as a detective. Atlanta police have identified a man shot to death outside an upscale mall as a Tennessee man. Thuan Nguyen, 31, of Antioch, Tennessee, was killed after a fight over a parking spot, police said Tuesday. Two groups of people in separate vehicles at Lenox Square began arguing over the parking space Sunday, authorities said. The groups went inside the mall, but the argument escalated when both parties came back outside, police said. Nguyen was shot in the head during the fight that ensued. An officer was able to capture one suspect who attempted to flee the scene, but that person was later released after investigators determined he was not the shooter, the department said in a Facebook post Monday. Police are still searching for at least three other people of interest. This was the fourth shooting in four months at the mall, news outlets reported. In December, a mall employee was shot and robbed as she walked to her car in a parking garage. The following month, an officer shot a man who refused to put down his gun in a parking deck. The man may have been trying to stop a robbery. A man was shot in the stomach while meeting for a prearranged sale at the mall in February, according to news outlets. March 9, 2020 Release DOD Awards Contracts for Development of a Mobile Microreactor The Department of Defense has awarded three teams, BWX Technologies, Inc., Lynchburg, Virginia; Westinghouse Government Services, Washington, D.C.; and X-energy, LLC, Greenbelt, Maryland; contracts to each begin design work on a mobile nuclear reactor prototype under a Strategic Capabilities Office initiative called Project Pele. Project Pele involves the development of a safe, mobile and advanced nuclear microreactor to support a variety of Department of Defense missions, such as generating power for remote operating bases. After a two-year design-maturation period, one of the three companies may be selected to build and demonstrate a prototype. "The Pele Program's uniqueness lies in the reactor's mobility and safety," said Dr. Jeff Waksman, Project Pele program manager. "We will leverage our industry partners to develop a system that can be safely and rapidly moved by road, rail, sea or air and for quick set up and shut down, with a design which is inherently safe." In January 2019, SCO issued a request for information to industry for the development of Project Pele technology. Three companies were chosen from the ensuing competition to develop engineering designs. Critical to the Pele program is coordination with the Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the National Nuclear Security Administration and industry partners that allows the rapid development of workable prototype designs that support evaluation, safety analysis, and, ultimately, construction and testing. In order to technically assess the feasibility of a mobile reactor, it is necessary to complete a high-fidelity engineering design to confirm its safety, resiliency, and reliability, and to reduce technical, regulatory and manufacturing risks. SCO, in partnership with the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy, has reviewed modern design concepts and cutting-edge technology which it believes enable American industry to meet the challenges required. DOD uses approximately 30 terrawatt hours of electricity per year and more than 10 million gallons of fuel per daylevels that are expected to increase. A safe, small, mobile nuclear reactor would enable units to carry a nearly endless clean power supply, enabling expansion and sustainment of operations for extended periods of time anywhere on the planet. "The United States risks ceding nuclear energy technology leadership to Russia and China," said Mr. Jay Dryer, SCO director. "By retaking technological leadership, the United States will be able to supply the most innovative advanced nuclear energy technologies." Microreactors would significantly reduce the need for investments in costly power infrastructure. In civilian applications, they could be easily relocated to support disaster response work and provide temporary or long-term support to critical infrastructure like hospitals, as well as remote civilian locations where delivery of electricity and power is difficult. The engineering design phase of Project Pele will continue for up to two years, after which the DOD will make an assessment on whether a microreactor capable of meeting necessary safety requirements is feasible. The Department of Defense has also published a Notice of Intent to conduct an Environmental Impact Statement associated with Project Pele in the Federal Register as required under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. The NOI can be found by visiting https://www.federalregister.gov/. As part of the NEPA process, the public will have the opportunity to review and comment on proposed actions, alternatives and the environmental analysis. The public, as well as federal, state and local agencies, are invited to participate in the scoping process for the preparation of this EIS by attending a scoping meeting or submitting written comments. DOD will host a meeting as part of the public scoping process to identify and determine potential environmental impacts as well as to document key issues of concern to be analyzed in the EIS. All meeting details and submitted comments can be found in the NOI listed on the Federal Register website. BWX Technologies, Inc., was awarded $13,500,000, X-energy LLC $14,309,000 and Westinghouse Government Services was awarded funds in the amount of $11,953,036. https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2105863/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sean Kelly MEP has warned that the Coronavirus poses the biggest financial threat to Europe and globally, since the 2008 crash. The Ireland South MEP made the comments in Brussels today, Tuesday, as the European Parliament debated emergency measures to prevent and contain the spread of the virus at a specially curtailed plenary sitting in Brussels. "The European Investment Bank (EIB) can open the coffers to help and maybe we need to look at state aid rules if emergency measures are necessary, in order to support trade and businesses. "This is the biggest financial crisis since the crash in 2008 and it will take special measures to counteract that and make sure that we support businesses so that they can get through it and continue being valuable employers and service providers in their communities," said Mr Kelly. In a speech to the Parliament this morning, Mr Kelly said the EU could be criticised for being too slow to react to the virus, and called for a greater, more coordinated response from the EU to bring countries together, to act together. "All countries in Europe have now been affected, it brings to mind the need for a more coordinated response", he said, as a Member of the Parliament's Trade Committee. Mr Kelly also expressed empathy with those affected, directly or indirectly by coronavirus. "We stand in solidarity with our Italian friends", he added. It follows a call from Mr Kelly last week urging the EU to prioritise public health concerns first and foremost, but also to be mindful of the economic impact coronavirus may have on small to medium-sized businesses and farmers: "It is also inevitable that in certain local economies that are particularly affected, SMEs will inevitably lose business as people stay at home and are not spending, not dining out, as much as they normally would in addition to a decline in tourism. We hope that we can contain the spread of the virus as much as possible of course with sensible precautions, but it is always best to be prepared in any case." A video conference of EU leaders is scheduled for this afternoon to discuss the current situation while a meeting of EU Finance Ministers from Eurozone countries is planned for March 16. Coronavirus has been affecting people at a rapid rate on a daily basis. With almost 4,000 deaths around the world so far and close to a lakh people testing positive for the deadly Covid-19. Scientists have now expedited their process of finding a cure and vaccine but some of the researchers seem to be taking extreme measures towards it. Scientists in London are now paying volunteers around 3,500 to be infected in experiments to develop a vaccine for the deadly virus, a report in the Dailymail stated. London's Queen Mary BioEnterprises Innovation Centre is recruiting 24 persons for the proposed study. The volunteers will be injected with two weaker strains of the deadly virus giving them similar respiratory symptoms. The jab developed by the company Hvivo will then be tested and the patients will remain in quarantine for two weeks to see if it is successful. According to several media reports, around 35 other vaccines are in development and the British government has promised around 46million for researchers to find a cure for the deadly coronavirus. Despite all these measures, apprehensions continue to remain as experts feel a vaccine is unlikely to be approved in time to derail the present epidemic as it has already seen over a lakh people getting infected by the deadly illness. The number of people infected with coronavirus topped 111,000 across the world as the outbreak reached more countries and caused more economic damage. Italy, with 7,375 cases and 366 deaths, sealed off much of its industrial north, where six prisoners were killed in a riot over curbs on visits. The government also ordered cinemas, theatres and museums to close, cancelled sporting events and told shops and restaurants to ensure patrons remained at least a metre apart. In Spain, with 999 cases and more than 20 deaths, will close schools in the Basque capital, one of its worst-hit areas while Germany on Monday reported 210 new cases, taking its total to 1,112. Given the unabated rise in the cases, a cure at the earliest will definitely help in curbing this global epidemic. WASHINGTON - Joe Biden went into Tuesdays primaries riding a wave of voter confidence about his chances of victory in November and that propelled him to wins in Michigan, Missouri and Mississippi. Democratic primary voters in those states were more likely to think the former vice-president could defeat President Donald Trump in the general election, compared with Bidens top rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, according to AP VoteCast surveys of voters. The Associated Press also called Biden the winner in Idaho. Sanders won the caucuses in North Dakota. Washington remains too early to call. The surveys showed Biden built a coalition that crossed the spectrum of Democrats in Michigan, Missouri and Mississippi. African Americans and older voters continued to be a reliable foundation of support for Biden. He also drew support from blue-collar workers, rural voters, city dwellers, women, the highly educated, moderates, conservatives and even the somewhat liberal, according to AP VoteCast. Sanders, meanwhile, preserved his strength with voters younger than 30 and those who consider themselves very liberal. But he failed in his push to drive up turnout among those groups and couldnt overcome the concerns of moderate and conservative Democrats who are focused first and foremost on expelling Trump from the White House. AP VoteCast surveys are designed to capture voters views regardless of when or how they voted, accounting for the many voters in Michigan and other states who voted early. Heres a look at voters opinions as they cast their ballots in half of the six contests on Tuesday. ELECTABILITY Voters generally view Biden as the better match against Trump. About 80% in Michigan and Missouri believe Biden could beat the incumbent, while roughly 90% in Mississippi feel that way. Just about 60% of voters in Missouri and Mississippi, and 65% of voters in Michigan, think Sanders would be likely to defeat the incumbent president. Still, there is some notable indecision among primary voters about whom theyll cast a ballot for in November. Roughly 80% in each state say they will definitely vote for the Democratic candidate against Trump no matter who is nominated. But close to 20% say their decision depends on which candidate becomes the nominee. In Michigan, a state that flipped Republican in 2016, those undecided voters looked more like potential Trump voters than liberals unhappy with the prospect of a Biden nomination. Among voters saying their November decision depends on the nominee, 22% describe themselves as conservative and 51% say they are moderate. Thats largely true in Republican-leaning Missouri as well. WHO IS VOTING? In the Democratic presidential contests, its all about what women want. About 60% of Democratic primary voters in Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi were women. This fits a pattern in most states where a firm majority of voters are women. This has helped boost Biden, who has beaten Sanders among women voters. Other key Democratic demographics showed up for Biden on Tuesday. In Mississippi, about 70% of voters were African American, and Biden won 86% of their votes, compared with Sanders 11%. About 70% of Mississippi voters, and roughly 60% of Michigan and Missouri voters, described themselves as moderate or conservative, another base of Biden support. THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Sanders still gets love from voters under 30, but he has not delivered on his strategy of getting them to the polls. He won 72% of this group in Missouri and 69% in Michigan. But the under-30 crowd was just 14% of voters in both states about the same share as in previous primaries contests. In other bad news for Sanders, he showed no overwhelming strength with voters age 30 to 44, typically a larger share of the vote than the very young. In all three states, older voters dominated. About 60% of voters were 45 and older, a group Biden has won over handily. BLUE COLLAR LOYALTIES Both Biden and Sanders have claimed to be the working-class candidate. On Tuesday, Biden assembled a coalition that could back him up. About 60% of voters in Missouri and Michigan dont have a college degree, and Biden won 61% of their votes in Missouri and 54% in Michigan. At least 40% of voters earn less than $50,000; Biden won at least half of their votes. Bidens strength among voters without a college degree appeared to cross race and gender, suburbs and cities. Only young people defied the trend. Sanders beat Biden with voters under 45 who dont have a college degree. YOU SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION Voters in New Hampshire and Iowa wanted to change the U.S. political system. That turned out to be an outlier as the nomination battle spread to other states. In the opening two contests, about two-thirds of voters wanted a Democratic nominee who would transform the government, compared with roughly a third who would rather return to a time before Trump. But as Biden climbed to the pole position, the answers to this question have shifted. Voters on Tuesday were about evenly split on the question of change versus restoration, or even leaned more toward a restoration of the way things were, as in Mississippi. WHERE IS THE ENTHUSIASM? Even if Democratic primary voters like their odds in November, enthusiasm isnt overwhelming. Just about half of voters in Michigan and Missouri and roughly two-thirds in Mississippi say they are very enthusiastic about the candidate they are supporting in the primary. In all three states, roughly a third are somewhat enthusiastic. As many as 1 in 10 expressed little to no enthusiasm. In Missouri and Michigan, Sanders supporters are more enthusiastic than Bidens. At least 60% of Sanders voters said they were very enthusiastic about supporting their candidate, compared with no more than half of Bidens supporters saying the same. TOP ISSUES Despite fears that the coronavirus could stop the longest economic expansion in U.S. history, there does not yet appear to be a spike in voters concern about the economy. Just about 1 in 10 voters in Missouri said the economy was the most important. Only 17% in Michigan described the economy and jobs as most critical, roughly comparable to the share saying that of climate change. In Mississippi, where a majority of voters were African American, about a quarter viewed the economy as the top issue. Thats about the same share as in Alabama, which voted last week. Health care was the top issue for voters in all three states, as it has been in other Democratic presidential contests. Close to half of voters in Missouri, and about 40% of voters in Michigan and Mississippi, name health care the top priority. UNFAIR ECONOMY Still, economic inequality is a key concern for Democrats. Roughly three-quarters of voters in each state consider the economic system in this country to be unfair, similar to Democratic voters in contests earlier this year. Many a third or more call the system very unfair. About a quarter of voters said they were falling behind financially, while majorities felt they were holding steady. Roughly half of voters in Michigan, and about 60% of voters in Missouri and Mississippi, who are falling behind called the system highly unfair. ____ AP VoteCast is a survey of the American electorate conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for The Associated Press and Fox News. The surveys were conducted for seven days, concluding as polls closed. ___ Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game. In 1976, movie critic Laura Mulvey published the essay Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. In it, she proposed that movies are written, directed, and shot from the perspective of the patriarchy or, as she coined it, the male gaze. Female characters are eroticized to fulfill male voyeuristic behavior. Male characters are dominant; female characters are dominated. In essence, movies, Mulvey argued, reinforce the accepted gender stereotypes of our society. Forty-five years later, it would be nice to report that this has changed. But a quick trip to your local multiplex will affirm Mulveys thesis rather than challenge it. How many posters do we see with a team of dominant men and a single, shapely woman? The answer is: too many. At Womens Voices for Change, we go out of our way (quite literally sometimes twenty or thirty miles out of our way) to find films that tell stories through a feminist lens. Or, as award-winning director/screenwriter Celine Sciamma puts it, the female gaze. Sciamma has described her latest film, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, as a manifesto on the female gaze. The story centers around three women, with a fourth off-camera through much of it but driving the plot nonetheless. There are a handful of unnamed men at the movies start, and a few at its end (only one has any lines at all). And not only is the film which earned Best Screenplay at Cannes and was nominated for the Palme dOr very much a womens story, but the act of gazing, of women being allowed to look intently at each other and at life, becomes a symbol of rebellion and a source of power. Portrait of a Lady on Fire begins in an art studio. Instructor Marianne (Noemie Merlant) is modeling for a class of young painters, directing them to examine different aspects of her figure. Take time, she tells them as she poses. Look at my hands. She notices one of her own paintings that a student has found and pulled from storage. Its a surreal nightscape with a woman whose skirt is in flames. What is it called? the student asks. Portrait de la jeune fille en feu, Marianne responds. Portrait of a young girl on fire. The scene flashes back to a journey Marianne took years before. Rowed in an open boat on rough seas, shes brought to a remote island off the Brittany coast. She struggles up a cliff weighed down by a flat wooden crate (and a terribly wet dress) and at last arrives at a crumbling chateau. Sophie (Luana Bajrami), a maid, lets her in and shows her to a neglected parlor. Marianne unpacks her supplies the crate contains canvases and enjoys a pipe, sitting nude in front of the fire while her dress dries. This early sequence feels a bit like Jane Eyre arriving at Thornfield Hall, or Ada McGrath arriving in New Zealand in 1993s The Piano. But, despite the gothic setup, it is clear that Marianne is her own woman and utterly self-sufficient. The next day, Marianne meets the mistress of the house, a comtesse (Valeria Golino) who has engaged her to paint a portrait of her daughter Heloise (Adele Haenel). The painting will be delivered to a wealthy nobleman in Milan. If he likes what he sees, he will marry her and both she and her mother will go to Italy. There are challenges, however. The presumptive bridegroom was originally meant for Heloises sister. However, she fell (or jumped) from a cliff to her death. Heloise, who had been in a convent, was brought home to take her sisters place. She is resisting the plan, and Marianne is the second artist the comtesse has commissioned. The first left when Heloise refused to sit for him. To avoid another fruitless effort, the comtesse has told her daughter that Marianne is there as a companion for walks. She asks the painter to do the portrait in secret at night. We dont actually see Heloise until nearly a half hour has passed, and our first glimpse is shrouded and mysterious. She still wears the cape and hood she wore at the convent. As she and Marianne begin their daily walks, the artist scrutinizes her, knowing that shell have to paint from memory. Heloise, deeply resentful of her situation, regards Marianne with suspicion. What did you like about the convent? shes asked. She answers that there were books and music, and that Equality is a pleasant feeling. Syracuse, N.Y. More than 1,000 families, desperate for affordable housing, scrambled Monday for a rare shot at the golden ticket of public housing. For the first time in a decade, the Syracuse Housing Authority opened its waiting list for housing vouchers. By 5 p.m., more than 1,000 applications had been submitted, said LaShonda Hamilton, who oversees the Section 8 housing choice voucher program at the housing authority. People who want to get on the list have until 11 a.m. Sunday to sign up. The signup is online for the first time ever in Syracuse. (People who need help can get it at SUNY EOC at 100 New Street.)The number of applications likely will be two times the 3,500 spots available. Go here to fill out your application for Section 8 . Thats because the vouchers offer something rare: many more choices on where you want to live. They can be used at apartments or houses; in Syracuse, the suburbs, another community in New York, or even another state. The tenant has to pay a share of the rent (equal to 30 percent of their income). The voucher pays the rest directly to the landlord. In the past, some landlords refused to take the vouchers. But last year New York passed a law barring landlords from refusing to rent to voucher holders. The main criteria for getting on the list is poverty. Applicants must have incomes at or below 50 percent of the area median income ($39,750 for a family of four). Lasonya Frank was ready the minute the list opened: 7 a.m. Monday. She had been trying to get on it for years. The first time she asked, her three kids were small. Now, two are out of the house and the third is 16. Still, Frank could use the help with rent. It took Lasonya Frank two tries to get her application in for a sought-after rent voucher with the Syracuse Housing Authority. The wait list has been closed for more than 10 years. Lasonya has tried to get on the list several times. A voucher would pay a big chunk of it, which means Frank could afford a safer, quieter place for herself and her daughter, she said. For people at or below the poverty level in Syracuse, finding a place to live often amounts to picking the least worst option. A Section 8 voucher can open the door to better. Franks first attempt at the application on her phone glitched. She tried again later at the Peace Inc. family resource center on the South Side, where she works part-time. Quan Petteway, a caseworker there, led her through the application, which took less than 10 minutes. Petteway said shes telling any clients who qualify to fill out the application. Who knows when theyll get another opportunity. But getting an application in before the deadline is a guarantee of nothing. Frank still has to wait until everyone else gets an application in. Then theres a lottery to pick the 3,500 names that get on the list. If she clears that hurdle, the wait could still be four or five years, Hamilton said. The authority has 4,131 vouchers; all but 75 are being used. The vouchers are huge opportunities in a place like Syracuse, where eviction and poverty rates are high and rent at decent places can be out of reach. The people applying live everywhere from public housing to market-rate apartments. Some are homeless or couch-surfing. Nationwide, the need for vouchers far outstrips the demand, said Doug Rice. Only one out of every four people who qualifies for a housing voucher gets one, said Rice, a federal housing policy analyst at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, D.C. Rice also grew up in Syracuse and went to Dr. King Elementary School on the edge of the Syracuses public housing. Hamilton said the housing authority realized it needed a new list last year when it had some openings (there are about 150 vouchers that come open each year). The authority sent out letters to 2,000 people on the waiting list last year, trying to fill the open voucher spots. All but 200 came back, return to sender. The list was so old that most of the information was no longer valid. So they decided to scrap the whole thing and start over. For Frank, that meant opportunity. But for Yolanda Church, it means starting all over. Church applied for a housing voucher when her granddaughter was born. Now, that granddaughter is taller than she is. She put in her application in 2009. Church kept checking back, but had no luck. She had to go back to New York City to take care of her ailing mother, but she kept calling to ask if her number came up. Her mother has since passed away. Church has returned to Syracuse to be with her grandchildren. When she heard that the list was opening up again, she thought shed have a good spot. But she found she has no spot, at all. Her name, along with more than hundreds of others, was purged from the list. Right now, shes relying on the generosity of family and friends to have a place to sleep at night. At 68, its a struggle to have enough to pay the rent, Church said. A voucher could mean the difference between couch-surfing and having a bed of her own, she said: I just need a place to live. Marnie Eisenstadt is a reporter who writes about people and public affairs in Central New York. Have an idea or question? Contact her anytime: email | twitter| Facebook | 315-470-2246 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. California officials are serious about making sure that communication networks dont fail again during this years wildfire season if power is shut off. State utility regulators have proposed a 72-hour backup power requirement for all parts of the networks, including cell towers, with clean energy options instead of diesel generators whenever possible. In a filing Friday, the California Public Utilities Commission said service should be maintained enough so that all customers can reach 911, receive emergency notifications and browse the web to get emergency information. Meanwhile, a bill by two Bay Area lawmakers, state Sens. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, and Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, would require 72 hours of backup power in the two highest threat fire zones. What happened last fall is completely unacceptable and it put millions of lives at risk, McGuire said. His bill is about keeping the lifeline of millions of Californians up and running during sustained power outages, and thats their cell phone. PG&E shut off power during times of high fire risk to forestall the possibility of damaged equipment sparking more fires. McGuires bill moving through the Legislature would put regulatory power in the hands of the utilities commission by July 2021. The agency, which oversees electric and communication utilities, is looking to move faster and have broader requirements, by this summer. Both legislators said whichever works first is best. AT&T said Monday that the company is committed to working with state agencies to meet Californias challenges. Other companies said they would review the proposal. Its important to remember that one size does not fit all when it comes to network management during an emergency, AT&T spokesman Jim Kimberly said in an email. Adding 72 hours of backup power could mean adding large fuel tanks or multiple refrigerator-sized cabinets in the middle of communities, which in many areas is simply not feasible. A combination of fixed and mobile solutions is what is needed. In a letter to the commission on March 4, AT&T said it was investing $340 million in deploying 1,000 additional fixed generators and other alternative power resources at new and existing cell sites. Hundreds of generators were ordered for the coming months. The company is also working on sharing more information with the public and tightening contacts with first responders. The challenge is backing up every area covered by vast and complex networks. The California Cable and Telecommunications Association told the commission its almost impossible to back up as many as 50,000 smaller network sources that serve 300 households each and could require generators, which spew pollution. McGuire said he asked communication companies to narrow down which network components were critical to ensuring service; that meant a few thousand towers in the state. Providers could apply for a waiver on the backup requirement if its redundant or impossible, the commission said. Consumer advocate Regina Costa at The Utility Reform Network said local governments should have a chance to gut-check feasibility. The commission also said companies should use clean energy options, like hydrogen fuel cells or solar-powered batteries, instead of diesel generators, whenever possible. The California Air Resources Board already regulates what kind of generators can be used in the state to curb pollution, but introduced a temporary waiver system during the outages last year as many people turned to backup power sources. Around 1 in 8 households owns a generator, the air board said in a January report. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes During power shutoffs in October 2019, about 125,000 portable and almost 1,810 stationary generators were used. That generator usage produced as many emissions as almost 29,000 heavy duty trucks driving in California for a month. On top of environmental concerns, gas generators caused fires and carbon monoxide poisoning last year. Clean energy alternatives are more expensive upfront. Gas generators cost anywhere from $1,000 for the smallest battery to $50,000 for the largest generator, according to BroadbandUSA, a government group. Hydrogen fuel cells range from less than $10,000 for a box on a pole up to $50,000 for a cell phone tower. Solar-powered batteries can cost anywhere from $15,000 to $100,000, according to companies in both industries. To the extent that it can be clean, it should be clean, and if prohibitively expensive to put at a generator site, they do as much as they can do. Partnering is essential, Costa said. McGuires bill is neutral on the issue of technology. While we would prefer clean technology, time is of the essence and we have to get those backup power units up and running as soon as possible, he said. That may mean diesel generators for the time being, but it doesnt mean diesel generators are the ultimate fix. The commission wants communication providers to supply documentation about where their network components are and how many of them they have backup power for, a fight over which companies have claimed confidentiality in the past for competitive and safety reasons. They also want them to file a backup plan and preparations for this year. Company responses are due March 20. Mallory Moench is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@mallorymoench Married At First Sight's Ivan Sarakula left his job of two years as a Sydney real estate agent after taking part in Nine's social experiment. He parted ways with McGrath Estate Agents in mid-January after taking three months' leave of absence to film the reality show last year. Daily Mail Australia understands there were concerns at McGrath over how Ivan would be portrayed on screen and if this would reflect badly on the business. New direction: Married At First Sight's Ivan Sarakula left his job of two years as a Sydney real estate agent after taking part in Nine's social experiment During Tuesday's episode, Ivan was shown hosting an open inspection with his 'wife', Aleks Markovic, acting as his assistant. McGrath's logo was blurred in all signage. Ivan and McGrath came to the decision to part ways after he returned to work once production wrapped in December. He finished with the company the following month, almost two years after being hired as a sales agent in early 2018. Married At First Sight began airing on February 3. Resignation: Ivan parted ways with McGrath Estate Agents in mid-January after taking three months' leave of absence to film the reality show last year. Pictured on Tuesday's episode Reputation matters: Daily Mail Australia understands there were concerns at McGrath over how Ivan would be portrayed on screen and if this would reflect badly on the business Gary Vouris, head of sales for McGrath Sutherland Shire and Illawarra, told Daily Mail Australia the decision had been a mutual one. Mr Vouris said: 'It became apparent to both Ivan and us that he could no longer devote the necessary time to meet performance levels required by McGrath.' Ivan said in his own statement that he was excited to take his career in a new direction following his departure from McGrath. Professional mode: During Tuesday's episode, Ivan was shown hosting an open inspection with his 'wife', Aleks Markovic, acting as his assistant. McGrath's logo was blurred in all signage Quit: Ivan and McGrath came to the mutual decision to part ways after he returned to work once production wrapped in December. He finished with the company the following month 'The business model of the franchise I was working for no longer suited me and I decided to align myself elsewhere as a result,' he said. 'Real estate is more becoming about individually tailored campaigns, teamwork and flexibility, with the first and foremost priority always being the client's best interests.' He is now working as a property partner at another well-known estate agency. Ivan has an exceptional reputation in the industry, with dozens of online reviews praising his customer service skills and passion for his work. [March 10, 2020] Veeam North America Impact Partner Award Winners Announced Veeam Software, the leader in Backup solutions that enable Cloud Data Management, today announced the winners of the 2019 Veeam Impact Partner Awards for North America. These fifth annual awards recognize nine North American Veeam ProPartners and Veeam Cloud & Service Provider (VCSP) partners who have not only demonstrated success providing Veeam solutions to their customers, but who have also surpassed expectations in providing first-class support, expert knowledge, and continued product education. "With the recent release of the new Veeam Availability Suite v10, the biggest product release in our history, Veeam continues to solidify its run as the market leader in Cloud Data Management," said Kevin Rooney, vice president of Americas channel at Veeam. "We attribute much of our continued and profitable growth to the success of our partners, our 100 percent channel model, and our ability to collaborate for the greater good of our customers. As we continue to focus on data as the cornerstone of a business's success, we'll also continue to invest and support our ecosystem of partners who share in our vision. I congratulate the 2019 Veeam Impact Partner Award winners and am excited to have them join us for Act II of Veeam - our evolution into Hybrid Cloud." The following Veeam partners received honors for the 2019 Veeam Impact Awards: Veeam Growth Partner of the Year, North America: SoftChoice SoftChoice Veeam Rising Star Partner of the Year, North America: All Lines Technolog All Lines Technolog Veeam Impact Partner of the Year, North America: CDW CDW Veeam Distributor of the Year, North America: Tech Data (News - Alert) Tech Data (News - Alert) Veeam Impact Federal Partner of the Year: CDWG CDWG Veeam Canada Partner of the Year: Long View Systems Veeam Impact Cloud & Service Provider Partner of the Year, North America: iland (News - Alert) iland (News - Alert) Veeam Cloud & Service Provider Growth Partner of the Year, North America: OffsiteDataSync, a J2 Global Business OffsiteDataSync, a J2 Global Business Veeam Rising Star Cloud & Service Provider Partner of the Year, North America: Storagepipe "In this new Hybrid Cloud era, it's essential that partners are able to work with customers regardless of where their data resides," said Matt Kalmenson, vice president of Americas Cloud at Veeam. "Our VCSP program not only arms our partners with the most flexible, reliable and simple solutions to achieve this, but also the latest tools, first-class support, and the most valuable training and education to ensure their profitability and mutual success. We believe 2020 is one of the most exciting years in Veeam history, and together with our partners, it will also be one the of the most successful." "The widespread adoption of cloud demands a strong network of vendors that are capable to deliver efficient products, while providing customers with a seamless experience regardless of their infrastructure needs," said Chris Webber, Research Director for IDC (News - Alert) Strategic Alliance. "With the release of Veeam Availability Suite v10, Veeam continues to demonstrate its commitment to innovation and partnership support. I am excited to see Veeam continue to evolve as a leading Cloud Data Management vendor." Registration is now open for VeeamON 2020, the world's premier event for Cloud Data Management, taking place May 4 - 6, 2020, at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, NV. Nearly 10,000 customers, partners and influencers attended VeeamON 2019 in Miami, FL and the regional VeeamON Forum events held all around the world. About Veeam Software Veeam is the leader in Backup solutions that deliver Cloud Data Management. Veeam provides a single platform for modernizing backup, accelerating hybrid cloud and securing data. With 365,000+ customers worldwide, including 81% of the Fortune 500 and 66% of the Global 2,000, Veeam customer-satisfaction scores are the highest in the industry at 3.5x the average. Veeam's global ecosystem includes 70,000+ partners, including HPE, NetApp, Cisco and Lenovo (News - Alert) as exclusive resellers. Veeam has offices in more than 30 countries. To learn more, visit https://www.veeam.com or follow Veeam on Twitter (News - Alert) @veeam. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005654/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Passengers and flight attendants wear protective masks due to the coronavirus outbreak on a flight from Bangkok to Phuket, Thailand, March 9, 2020. Reuters All Thailand-bound air travelers from South Korea will be required to undergo fever checks at local airports, Seoul's transport ministry said Tuesday, in an effort to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. The mandatory move, which takes effect starting Wednesday, comes at the request of the Thai government to try to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The rule applies to passengers for all air carriers operating flights from South Korea to Thailand regardless of their nationality, the ministry added. South Korea's two full-service air carriers Korean Air Lines Co. and Asiana Airlines Inc. currently operate flights between Incheon and Bangkok. Thai Airways International Public Co. provides services on Incheon-Bangkok and Gimhae-Bangkok routes, while Thai AirAsia X Co. also offers flights between Incheon and Bangkok. 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. A regional prosecutor who illegally fixed traffic tickets to please her police officer boyfriend has been given a three-month conditional sentence for breach of trust and attempted obstruction of justice. The sentence requires Caterina Petrolo, who was fired from York Region, to serve the first two months under house arrest. I am satisfied that a conditional sentence of imprisonment would be consistent with the fundamental purpose and principles of sentencing, and that the appropriate length of this conditional sentence is three months, Ontario court Judge David Harris said. Serving her sentence in the community, subject to appropriate conditions, would not endanger the safety of the community. Among other restrictions, Petrolo cannot leave the province without permission and must live at a home in Toronto. The prosecution had sought a nine-month conditional sentence, while Petrolos lawyer called for a conditional discharge and probation. Harris had convicted Petrolo, 37, in January over two cases in which friends of York Region police Const. Richard Senior escaped stiffer punishment for their driving offences. Court documents show investigators came across Petrolos activities during a corruption investigation into Senior, with whom she had been in a romantic relationship. In one case, Harris found Petrolo, working out of Richmond Hill, Ont., intervened on behalf of a man whose father was a longtime friend of Seniors. The man had run up tickets for disobeying a street sign in nearby Markham and another in Toronto for failing to wear a seatbelt. Both charges were dropped. Harris also convicted Petrolo in a second case involving a friend of Seniors who was charged with careless driving but pleaded guilty to the far less serious offence of disobeying a lane light. The conviction, Harris said, was based on an intercepted conversation Petrolo had with Senior in which she told him she had worked some magic on the ticket. In imposing sentence on the first-time offender, the judge said a conditional discharge or suspended sentence would be insufficient or contrary to the public interest. Last month, a hearing tribunal of the Law Society of Ontario said it was looking to suspend or further restrict Petrolos paralegal licence in light of her convictions. She had been allowed since June to keep practising under supervision pending the outcome of her case. Her recent criminal convictions raise real concerns with respect to public confidence in the Law Society as an effective regulator and public confidence in the profession, the tribunal said. Senior was charged in 2018 with 30 criminal offences, including trafficking in cocaine, attempted armed robbery, obstructing justice and weapons charges. A Toronto officer and a second York Region officer were also charged in the probe. Atlas Renewable Energy's Atlas Casablanca Solar Plant will supply 613GWh from 2022, being the largest bilateral large-scale solar energy purchase and sale contract in Brazil to date. SAO PAULO, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Atlas Renewable Energy, a leading renewable energy company in Latin America along with British mining company Anglo American Plc, a leading global mining company, announced today the signing of the largest solar energy purchase and sale contract in Brazil with an investment of 881 Million Brazilian Reals. The clean energy supply will be through the Atlas Casablanca photovoltaic solar plant, located in the State of Minas Gerais, and is expected to supply about 9 TWh during the life of the contract with Anglo American for 15 years and will commence in 2022. The Atlas Casablanca solar plant has an installed capacity of 330MW with more than 800,000 modules. The plant will produce enough energy to supply a city of 1.4 million inhabitants, according to the average consumption of a Brazilian family. This contract is part of Anglo American's strategy to use 100% renewable energy for its operations in Brazil as of 2022 and is part of Anglo American Sustainable Mining Plan which has among its goals to reduce by 30% its CO 2 emissions by 2030. Atlas Renewable Energy will use bifacial modules in the Atlas Casablanca solar plant, a cutting-edge technology in the generation of solar energy. These novel solar panels are able to use the reflection of the sun's rays from their front and back sides, increasing the efficiency of the photoelectric conversion, and therefore increasing the energy generation and efficiency of the plant. As part of its commitment to the State of Minas Gerais, Atlas Renewable Energy will develop, in conjunction with local communities, plans that contribute to the improvement of their living conditions. During the construction and operation of the Atlas Casablanca project, different labor training programs, especially developed for the female work force will be implemented and the hiring of local labor will be prioritized. Wilfred Bruijn, CEO of Anglo American in Brazil, commented: "With this agreement and the contract for the construction of a wind power plant in Bahia signed in December, we will now be sourcing 90% of our energy from renewable sources, leading to a 40% reduction in CO 2 emissions associated with our activities." Carlos Barrera, Atlas Renewable Energy CEO mentioned: "Atlas is leading in the new trend of providing clean energy directly to large energy consumers. The forms of supply are being transformed, making clean sources available to large companies, thus reducing their carbon footprint and production costs. Atlas is proud of pioneering, once again, the bilateral solar PPA in a new Latin American country. Our team was the first to implement a solar Private PPA in Chile some 8 years ago, and now we do so in Brazil. We would like to acknowledge and congratulate Anglo-American's leadership for their commitment to become a more sustainable institution." Luis Pita, General Manager of Atlas Renewable Energy for Brazil, emphasized: "This contract represents a leadership position by Anglo American to demonstrate its commitment to the use of renewable energy in its operations, as well as Atlas's ability to develop bilateral contracts for clean energy supply with top-level companies that share our interest in protecting and preserving the environment. The Atlas Casablanca project will be an important step in the development of the solar power in a state as important as Minas Gerais." Luiz Ballester, Commercial Director for Atlas Renewable Energy in Brazil, also commented: "This project is an example of the added value that Atlas can offer thanks to our ability to create advantageous, low-cost and tailor-made solutions for industrial partners." Ballester, added: "The Brazilian industrial sector is not only conscious about maximizing its efficiency but also concerned about their carbon footprint, here is where a company like Atlas comes into play, we have the expertise and financial capabilities to provide a major differentiator for these companies by implementing clean energy solutions from development to the full operation." About Atlas Renewable Energy Atlas Renewable Energy is a renewable energy generation company that develops, builds, and operates renewable energy projects with long-term energy contracts across Latin America. The current company portfolio is 1.7GW of contracted projects in development, construction, or operational stages, and aims to expand by an additional 4GW in the next years. Launched in early 2017, Atlas Renewable Energy includes an experienced team with the longest track record in the solar energy industry in Latin America. The company is recognized for its high standards in the development, construction, and operation of large-scale projects. Atlas Renewable Energy is part of the Energy Fund IV, founded by Actis, a leading private equity investor in the energy sector of emerging markets. Actis has allocated some USD700m of equity in Atlas Renewable Energy to invest in long-term renewable energy contracted projects. Atlas Renewable Energy's growth is focused on the leading emerging markets and economies of Latin America, using its proven development, commercialization, and structuring know-how to bring clean energy to the region. By actively engaging with the community and stakeholders at the center of its project strategy, the company works every day to provide Latin America with a cleaner future. To know more about Atlas Renewable Energy, visit: http://www.atlasrenewableenergy.com/ About Anglo American Anglo American is a leading global mining company and our products are the essential ingredients in almost every aspect of modern life. Our portfolio of world-class competitive mining operations and undeveloped resources provides the metals and minerals that enable a cleaner, more electrified world and that meet the fast-growing consumer-driven demands of the world's developed and maturing economies. With our people at the heart of our business, we use innovative practices and the latest technologies to discover new resources and mine, process, move and market our products to our customers around the world safely, responsibly and sustainably. As a responsible miner of diamonds (through De Beers), copper, platinum group metals, iron ore, coal and nickel we are the custodians of what are precious natural resources. We work together with our business partners and diverse stakeholders to unlock the sustainable value that those resources represent for our shareholders, the communities and countries in which we operate, and for society as a whole. Anglo American is re-imagining mining to improve people's lives. Learn more here, www.angloamerican.com Media Contacts Diana Castellanos, Marketing and Communications Manager, Atlas Renewable Energy Email: [email protected] Andressa Quadros, BCW Email: [email protected] SOURCE Atlas Renewable Energy New Delhi, March 10 : The students of north-east Delhi who could not appear in the board examinations of Class 10 and 12, due to the violence around CAA, have been given another opportunity to sit for exams, officials said. Fresh exams will be held from March 21. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had postponed examinations in some parts of north-east and east Delhi between February 26 and March 7 in view of the safety of students after the violence spread rapidly in the area. Students could not reach the examination centres in many places. CBSE Controller of Examination Sanyam Bhardwaj, in an order stated: "All centres of north-east Delhi and the affected areas of east Delhi will have the English examination on March 21. The Class 10 board exam that took place on February 28, will now be on March 28. The examination for Hindi that was February 29 will be held again in north-east Delhi on March 30. The Music examination of Class 10 will now be held on March 26." The Class 10 Science examination -- theory and practical will take place on March 24. Business element paper will be on 23 March. Also, the Class 10 examination of Sanskrit will be held on March 27. According to the CBSE order, students of north-east Delhi who could not appear in the Class 12 Physics examination held on March 2, can re-appear on March 31. At the same time, students of violence affected areas who could not appear in the Class 12 English examination on February 27 can sit for the exams on April 1. The examination of the web application of Class 12 on February 26 will be held in north-east Delhi on April 3. The Class 12 Chemistry examination held on March 7 will now be held in north-east Delhi on April 4. The Class 12 Urdu, Sanskrit, NCC, Engineering Science examination held on February 28 will be held again on April 7. The Engineering Graphics examination held on February 29 will be re-conducted for the students on April 8. The History exam of Class 12 held across the country on March 3 will be held again on April 9. The Class 12 Accounts exam will be held in north-east Delhi on April 11. Besides, the Political Science examination of Class 12 will be held on April 13 and the Marketing exam on April 14. These centres for the exams were in schools in Jafarabad, Maujpur, Seelampur, Karawal Nagar, Dayalpur, Gandhi Nagar, Shahdara, MS Park, Seemapuri, Mandoli, Yamuna Nagar, Usmanpur, Shastri Park, Sonia Vihar, Brahmapuri. The Herald reports: Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says its disappointing that a laboratory workers union is using the coronavirus outbreak as leverage in planned strike action. But a senior Apex spokesman denies his union is using the outbreak as leverage and the timing was just a coincidence. Coincidence sure. If it was a coincidence theyd delay it. Apex, which represents DHB Medical Laboratory Workers and NZ Blood Service employees across New Zealand, announced plans to strike this Friday. The industrial action is in support of achieving a fair offer to settle their multi-employer collective agreement (MECA). Apex released a statement at 1pm this afternoon the same time as Bloomfields daily Covid-19 updates. Senior Apex spokesman David Munro said the industrial action was on top of ongoing partial strikes, which will be running until May. They really are scum, arent they. Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp More Pinterest Print Tumblr AUSTIN Eleven health insurers covering 4 million people in Texas have agreed to waive consumer costs associated with coronavirus, including testing and telemedicine visits, prompted by a request from Gov. Greg Abbott. "We must ensure no Texan is denied access to testing resources relating to coronavirus," Abbott said in a statement on Tuesday. The Texas Department of Insurance is asking insurers to waive co-payments, co-insurance and deductibles for testing, cover necessary medical equipment and services, waive claim denials for out-of-network services and requirements for pre-authorization and referrals. The agency also asked insurance providers to authorize payment to pharmacies for up to a 90-day supply of any prescription medicine, regardless of when the prescription was last filled. Health insurers and health organizations that have agreed to waive the costs include Aetna, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas and Cigna Health of Texas. More Information Insurers waiving coronavirus cost-sharing The following health insurers and health maintenance organizations have agreed to waive cost-sharing for medically-necessary testing of COVID-19, according to the governor's office. Aetna (CVS) Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas Cigna Health of Texas, Inc. Community Health Choice, Inc. Golden Rule Insurance (UHC) Humana Health Plan of Texas, Inc. Molina Healthcare Insurance Company of Texas Oscar Insurance Company Scott & White Health Plan Superior Health Plan (Centene) United Healthcare Insurance Company See More Collapse Related: CVS to deliver prescribed medications to customers for free due to coronavirus outbreak Supporting our members in sickness and in health is paramount, which is why we have joined stakeholders in the health care system do our part in contributing to this necessary and collective global effort to help contain and abate COVID-19, said Dr. Dan McCoy, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. Insurers are looking for ways to prepare for the spread of the disease, said Jamie Dudensing, CEO of the Texas Association of Health Plans. In addition to waiving co-pays and other costs, that includes encouraging patients to use telemedicine, which allows them to conference with a physician electronically instead of visiting a doctors office and potentially spreading the virus on the way. Texas Medicaid program will also cover tests for the new coronavirus, COVID-19, said Stephanie Muth, the states program director. Medicaid covers 3.8 million Texans, including children in low-income families, pregnant women and certain adults. As Abbott announced his plan for cutting costs to make testing and treatment more accessible, the commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, John Hellerstedt, told lawmakers that Texans are the states best weapon for slowing the spread of the coronavirus if they can expand their sanitation practices, stay home when sick and encourage the people around them to do the same. In a somber hearing at the states capitol, Hellerstedt said he has been assured the state will have enough test kits to identify people with COVID-19. But he could not provide a hard number of kits that will be made available. Hellerstedt said he did not know offhand how many Texans have been tested for the virus so far. For subscribers: How coronavirus could make spring the worst sports season ever COVID-19 is easily transmittable, so one person can infect three to five others and the bubble of infected people expands, Hellerstedt said, though 80 percent or more of cases will likely be mild, especially among children and healthy young people. Rep. Eddie Lucio, III, D-Brownsville, urged Hellerstedt to declare a state of disaster to further help Texas prepare and prevent the spread of the virus, saying he sees no downside. While Hellerstedt said the virus is spreading quickly, he said it is unnecessary for Texas to declare a state of disaster at this point. I would really want to preface everything by pointing out the truth: This is a very rapidly moving situation, he said. The things that we expect to happen are happening but theyre happening very, very quickly. When I say right now I dont see that need, I cant say tomorrow wont be a different circumstance. A disaster declaration would not trigger federal funds, Hellerstedt said. However, it would allow the governor to waive certain regulations to react to an outbreak. For example, Abbott waived rules regarding contracting and procurement following Hurricane Harvey to speed up emergency response operations. For subscribers: Latest coronavirus updates and coverage While the disease is limited now in Texas, officials expect COVID-19 will eventually spread because it is novel, meaning it is a new disease for which no one has built up immunity. There is no vaccine for it, thus treatment includes supportive measures to help infected people survive the flu-like symptoms. Local health officials say its important to ensure health care systems are armed with enough supplies to diagnose and support patients who have the virus. Its not if, or when. Its now, said Umair A. Shah, executive director of Harris County Public Health. Stocks of medical supplies such as N95 masks for health care providers are limited, health officials said. While they said they have enough now, they worry about access if the virus spreads. Other officials worried whether hospitals will have capacity to handle an influx of patients with severe symptoms. The state intends to leave it up to local school officials to decide when it is appropriate to temporarily close a school. In that case, a 14-day closure could affect hospital systems if it means health care personnel have to stay home with their children. For that same reason, officials said, its important to protect medical staff from contracting the disease. If our health care system goes down, we are going to be in an uphill battle because those are the people on the front line helping our communities, Shah said. Dozens of companies in the biotech industry are working to develop a vaccine, as are academic institutions. Galveston National Laboratory has three candidates for a possible vaccine, said James Le Duc, a professor at the laboratory. We would be very, very fortunate to have it in a year, probably closer to 18 months, he said. Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has been charged with driving while intoxicated in Texas, according to a report from local media. Infowars host Jones, who has promoted conspiracy theories that claimed mass shootings were "false flag" events, was booked into Travis County jail around midnight on Tuesday local time (Tuesday AEDT), according to the Statesman. Arrested for drinking and driving: controversial conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Credit:AP In January, a judge ordered Jones to pay $US100,000 ($154,000) in legal fees and refused to dismiss a lawsuit that targets the Infowars host for using his show to promote falsehoods that the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax. Jones was sued for defamation in Austin, Texas, by the parents of a 6-year-old who was among the 26 people killed in the Newtown, Connecticut, attack at an elementary school. Similar lawsuits against Jones have been filed by other Sandy Hook families in Connecticut courts. Tyson Ross said he felt like he was pitching with an arm that had fallen asleep during the tail end of his abbreviated 2019 season with the Detroit Tigers. Now the lanky right-hander is trying to get his career back on track after signing a minor-league deal with the San Francisco Giants, his hometown team. Ross recounted his perplexing injury in 2019 and the innovative treatment plan he underwent after leaving the Tigers in an interview this week with the Mercury News. Ross had battled injuries before joining the Tigers. He underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome after the 2016 season, and the remnants from that invasive surgery began to crop up in 2019. Ross said diseased tissue from the surgery was pinching his throwing shoulder. The treatment he found was surprisingly simple: No surgery, just injecting some fluid with a needle to break up the diseased tissue. Read about Ross treatment in more detail here. Ross, now 32, signed a one-year, $5.75 million deal with the Tigers last winter but ended up pitching in just seven games. He was one of a handful of free-agent busts for the Tigers last winter. The Tigers signed just one veteran pitcher this winter, Ivan Nova, who agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million deal. He has averaged about 175 innings in each of the last four seasons. FURTHER READING Will Tigers pick a hot bat to head north? These 2 outfielders are hoping for a shot. Tigers Rule 5 pick Rony Garcia in midst of most important tryout of his career Meet the homegrown Tigers who spend winters at Comerica Park The Miggy experience on Day 1: Everything gets louder Ranking all 69 Tigers in camp on their chance of making the team (hint: Miggy is No. 1) Cameron Maybin Q&A: Expect more dingers in Round 3 with Tigers Give Tigers GM Al Avila an 'A' for winter work, but bigger challenges loom Once the Tigers top prospect, Franklin Perez is only 22. Dont count him out yet. Justin Verlander signed a long-term deal 10 years ago. Should Matthew Boyd be next? PECOTA projections say Tigers might not be as bad as you think Can Tigers JaCoby Jones put it all together in 2020? Homecoming for newest Tiger, who grew up as loyal fan Justin Verlander was a vocal foe of sign-stealing. Then he became an Astro. Tigers Al Avila says its his job to listen, even to critics: Ive got to have a pulse Yves here. Oil prices have reversed some of their Monday rout. Investors are also trying to take comfort from that, Xi visiting Wuhan, and Trumps plan to cut payroll taxes. For instance, from the Financial Times: The fading sense of panic on Tuesday prompted investors to sell havens, which have rallied furiously in recent weeks. The 10-year US Treasury yield jumped 15 basis points (0.15 percentage points) to 0.6475 per cent, after having dived below the 0.5 per cent threshold for the first time on Monday. The 30-year Treasury yield rose 13 bps to back above 1 per cent. Bond prices fall as yields rise. Those moves followed a promise by President Donald Trump of a major economic relief package to reduce the negative impact from the Covid-19 outbreak, including a possible payroll tax cut. Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, rebounded 5 per cent to $36 a barrel on Tuesday, while the US marker West Texas Intermediate rose to $33. In Mondays rout, oil plunged by a quarter in its sharpest one-day drop since the 1991 Gulf war. In China, the CSI 300 stock index closed 2.1 per cent higher after President Xi Jinping made his first visit to Wuhan, the city at the centre of the countrys outbreak, in a signal that the Communist party believed it had brought the epidemic under control. In the mean time, Kyle Bass thinks thing will get cheaperbut hes been wrong on Japan, so take him with a fistful of salt. But his commentary on oil is consistent with the post below. However, and hes not the first Ive heard say this, but Bass takes this oddly cheery outlook for the US (and by implication the rest of the world) that the coronavirus outbreak wont produce as bad outcomes as 2008 because the banking sector isnt implicated. He then proceeds to describe how exposed the European, Chinese, and Hong Kong banking systems are. He seems to see the US strictly in terms of the impact on exposed sectors, and isnt considering that a return of the virus in the fall-winter, and the resulting loss of income to hourly workers as a result of lockdowns and widespread self-quarantines, would produce a tremendous downdraft that will pull all sorts of other activities down (home sales and repair, visits to doctors and dentists, reduced use of professional services.). By Nick Cunningham, an independent journalist, covering oil and gas, energy and environmental policy, and international politics based in Portland, Oregon. Originally published at OilPrice Its one for the history books. Oil opened on Monday down roughly 25 percent, the sharpest decline in decades, and broader financial markets fell so precipitously that the circuit breakers put in place during times of volatility tripped, temporarily halting trading. The list of adjectives available to describe what is happening to the oil market is not adequate. There are now multiple crises unfolding at the same time. First, there is obviously a health crisis the coronavirus continues to spread. Large swathes of northern Italy are now on lockdown. The number of cases in the U.S. has surged, and could explode in the coming days. Mandatory lockdowns may not be far off. The Trump administration is asleep at the wheel, actively trying to play down the extent of the crisis. Second, there is a brewing economic crisis. China shut down parts of its economy in January and February. Parts of Europe followed. The U.S. is next. The Dow Jones has fallen by more than 16 percent in the past week, and markets have quickly shifted from concern to full blown panic. Third, if all of that is not enough, OPEC and Russia just added on an oil supply crisis. The collapse of talks last week and the ensuing price war has WTI down to $33 per barrel as of midday on Monday, down from $45 last Thursday on the eve of the OPEC+ talks. OPEC and Russia have said that all restraints on production expire at the end of the month, and everyone can produce at will. Oil could easily be in the $20s at any moment (and might be by the time this piece is published). For the U.S. oil industry, this is a historic crisis. It has the ingredients to be far worse than the 2008 financial meltdown. At that time, a sharp contraction in the global economy blew a hole in the market. But OPEC responded by cutting production. This time, that same potential for an economic calamity is present, but there is an oil price war occurring simultaneously. With a combination of a massive supply overhang and a significant demand shock at the same time, the situation we are witnessing today seems to have no equal in oil market history.#THREAD Fatih Birol (@IEABirol) March 9, 2020 A decade ago, the shale industry barely existed, and falling oil prices cushioned the blow to the U.S. economy by making energy cheaper. Today, an oil market bust could pretty quickly plunge Texas, North Dakota and Appalachia, among other places, into a recession. Analysts are now predicting that the Eurozone, at a minimum, is heading for an economic recession. Frances finance minister Bruno Le Maire said that Europe needs a call to arms to defend the economy. The pain for U.S. drillers was immediately visible when markets opened on Monday. Deep losses hit everyone. We have taken the unprecedented steps of bringing our full coverage group to Hold or Sell, Neal Dingmann of SunTrust said, according to Bloomberg. He called it energy Armageddon. Not one company in our coverage can keep production flat for more than a few months while spending within cash flow at $35 WTI, Charles Meade of Johnson Rice & Co. said, according to Bloomberg. The U.S. shale sector is getting completely killed. A complete bloodbath. Billions of dollars in equity wiped out. The U.S. is going to be the collateral damage here. The producers here are going to be suffering so much, Amrita Sen, chief oil analyst at Energy Aspects, told Bloomberg from Houston. They were already suffering and theres no lending. Theres no money right now for them. This is really going to crush them. On Monday, Diamondback Energy said that it would immediately slash capex and cut back on completion crews and rigs. Shale drillers were already facing substantial hurdles with cash flow problems and maturing debt. We are preparing for two years of low prices and will make the necessary adjustments to maintain our great balance sheet, Pioneer Natural Resources CEO Scott Sheffield told the Washington Post. Pioneers share price cratered by 32 percent on Monday. There will be many bankruptcies in our industries and tens of thousands of layoffs over the next 12 months, Sheffield added. Shale stocks tanked on Monday, with big names in shale such as EOG Resources, Whiting, Continental Resources and Apache all down over 30%. But one of the biggest losers was Occidental Petroleum, which has seen its market capitalization shrink to $15 billion. It paid $38 billion for Anadarko, and shares are off roughly 73% since that deal. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 10 Trend: The first plenary meeting of Azerbaijan's Parliament of the 6th convocation was held on March 10, Trend reports. The chairperson, vice-chairmen of the Parliament, as well as chairpersons and deputy chairpersons of parliamentary committees were elected at the meeting. As a result of the voting, Sahiba Gafarova was elected Speaker of the Parliament. Born in 1955, Gafarova graduated from the Azerbaijani Pedagogical Institute of Russian Language and Literature named after M.F.Akhundov and Azerbaijan University of Languages (in English philology) with honors. Since 1981 to the present, she has been working at Baku Slavic University. In 2000-2004 she was dean of the faculty of Western European languages and head of the department of English philology at Western University, vice-rector for international relations of Baku Slavic University. Gafarova is a specialist in the theory of literature, modern Russian and American literature, the author of more than 70 scientific and educational works, programs, and study guides. She is engaged in research on gender issues in philology. Sahiba Gafarova is Doctor of Philology, professor. Helen Ross McNabb Center will host a free community event on Thursday, April 2, from 3-4:30 p.m. at the Coolidge Park Stage to bring awareness to Child Abuse Prevention Month. A community information fair will begin at 3 p.m. and will provide child abuse prevention information and resources. Attendees are encouraged to wear royal blue, the designated color of child abuse prevention, and will be given pinwheels, which are considered the symbol of hope for children impacted by abuse. The event is intended to unite people in support of child abuse prevention and to demonstrate the communitys commitment to protecting children in East Tennessee. There is no registration required for this free event, and everyone is invited to attend. A short program will kick off the prevention walk at 3:30 p.m., where there will be a story about overcoming child abuse. The walk will begin following the program. Helen Ross McNabb Center is working every day to prevent child abuse and strengthen families through early intervention and prevention programs, said Gayle Lodato, senior director of Greater Chattanooga Area services for Helen Ross McNabb Center. By uniting the community to walk against child abuse we hope to raise awareness of this issue in our community. A child is abused or neglected every 47 seconds in the United States. According to Tennessee Childrens Advocacy Centers in 2014, there were 66,481 cases of abuse and neglect investigated by child protective services in the state of Tennessee alone. The Helen Ross McNabb Center works to lower these statistics by ensuring that parents have the knowledge, skills and resources they need to care for their children. The Center provides multiple programs that promote children's social and emotional well-being and prevent child maltreatment within families and communities. For more information about this event visit www.mcnabbcenter.org or contact Jessica Hill at jessica.hill@mcnabb.org or (865) 599-5836. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Asvi Warman Adam (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 We welcome the king and queen of the Netherlands who are visiting Indonesia from Monday to Friday. Their entourage includes four Cabinet ministers and 130 businesspeople. Clearly, the state visit also aims to promote business relationships between the two countries. There are, however, individuals in Indonesia who oppose the state visit, demanding that the Netherlands should first recognize Aug. 17, 1945, as the date Indonesia proclaimed its independence from its colonial rule. The Dutch believe that transfer of sovereignty took place on Dec. 27, 1949. Given the proclamation of independence, Indonesians view the Dutch military assault on a number of regions in Java in 1947 and 1948 as military aggression, while the Dutch consider them police actions on their own territory. As things stand it would be impossible to make the Netherlands acknowledge that Indonesia became independent on Aug. 17, 1945, as urged by Indonesians and Dutch writers including the historian Marjolein van Pagee, who wrote in this newspaper on March 9 (Beware of Dutch king: Colonial wolf in sheeps clothing). Acknowledging Indonesias independence in 1945 means the Netherlands would agree that the actions by its military forces in Indonesia in 1945-1949 were war crimes. 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. As Pune confirms two positive coronavirus cases, Maharashtra cabinet minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik on Tuesday appealed to the people of Maharashtra to not to panic and to take appropriate preventive measures. "Two people have been tested positive for coronavirus in Pune and Maharashtra Government is taking appropriate steps. People have to take some kind of preventive measures but they do not need to panic, I appeal to them. They need to stay alert," Malik told ANI. "All the arrangements have been made. Isolation wards have also been set up at different places and a lot of information is being given to the general public as well," he added. NCP leader continued saying that Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope is taking cognisance of all the situations and the government is trying to alert the public. Speaking about the Allahabad High Court's order to remove the hoardings put up by the Uttar Pradesh government, with names, addresses, and photographs of those who were accused of violence during protests against the CAA, said that now Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will not play this kind of now. "Allahabad High Court has taken the matter seriously. The way posters were put up across the city has in a way put individuals' lives in danger. From today, at least Mr. Yogi will take such things seriously and will not play this kind of politics," said Malik. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Because people from Asia, especially China, were living in the West during the time of the Little House books, Park wanted readers to know about their experiences, too. As the daughter of Korean immigrants and the author of many historical novels including A Single Shard, winner of a Newbery Medal Park likes thinking deeply about who tells the story. What other people and groups may have been present at that time besides the larger group, the group whose story is usually told? What were their challenges and joys? The agreement will keep Jack Dorsey atop Twitter at least for now at a crucial time for the social network. It also avoids a potentially costly fight with Elliott, the $40-billion hedge fund that has successfully shaken up many corporate boardrooms San Francisco: Twitter said on Monday that it reached a deal with Elliott Management, the activist investor that had called for ousting the social media companys chief executive, Jack Dorsey. The agreement will keep Dorsey atop Twitter at least for now at a crucial time for the social network. It also avoids a potentially costly fight with Elliott, the $40-billion hedge fund that has successfully shaken up many corporate boardrooms. It also brings on board Silver Lake, one of Silicon Valleys biggest investors in technology companies. Silver Lake agreed to invest $1 billion in Twitter, money that would help finance the buyback of $2 billion worth of stock. As part of the agreement, both Egon Durban, Silver Lakes co-chief executive, and Jesse Cohn, the Elliott executive who oversaw the Twitter campaign, will take seats on Twitters board. The board will search for a third independent director, with an emphasis on finding an expert in artificial intelligence and other technologies. The announcement on Monday caps what briefly looked like a potential battle for the leadership of Twitter. Elliott had quietly amassed what is now a four percent stake in Twitter in recent weeks, becoming one of the companys biggest investors. Top among its complaints was Dorseys unusual role as the chief executive of two publicly traded companies: Twitter and Square, the financial services company he also co-founded. That split attention, the hedge fund argued, contributed to Twitter falling behind rivals in increasing its stock price and adding innovative new products. As part of its pressure campaign, Elliott nominated four candidates for Twitters board on 21 February. It met later with the Twitter chairman, Omid Kordestani, and the companys lead independent director, Patrick Pichette, to argue its case. Kordestani and Pichette advocated a gentler approach, arguing that losing Dorsey would destabilise the company and that Twitter was finally improving its momentum on product development and revenue. Shortly after Elliott emerged as an activist, Twitter was approached by Silver Lake about a potential investment. The three worked in recent weeks to reach a compromise that allows Dorsey to remain in place as chief executive. We are excited to partner with Twitter as an investor and a member of the board. Jack is a visionary leader and a critical force behind Twitters ongoing evolution and growth, Durban said in a statement. But the settlement also lays the groundwork for eventually replacing Dorsey. Twitter agreed to create a new committee of five directors, including Durban and Cohn, that would study the companys succession planning and leadership structure and recommend any changes by the end of the year. Companies that Elliott has set its sights on have ended up replacing their chief executives after the hedge fund gained a board seat. EBays previous chief executive, Devin Wenig, resigned months after Cohn became a director of the e-commerce company, for example. We invested in Twitter because we see a significant opportunity for value creation at the company, Cohn said in the statement announcing the settlement. I am looking forward to working with Jack and the board to help contribute to realising Twitters full potential. Elliotts campaign was not the first leadership challenge that Dorsey had faced in his tenure at Twitter. In 2008, he was fired from the social media company he co-founded, then was brought back in 2015. A year later, Dorsey withstood an acquisition effort by Salesforce. Twitters share price has not increased significantly since Dorseys return in 2015, when it was $36. At the close of trading on Monday, shares were $32.46, down three percent for the day. Analysts said investors would welcome the news, although it was overshadowed by plunging markets driven by fears of the coronavirus spread. The most important thing from an investor standpoint: Silver Lake is making a billion-dollar investment in Twitter at a time when the market is in complete panic mode, said Richard Greenfield, a partner at LightShed, a technology and media research firm. Dorsey spoke about the companys slow growth during a Morgan Stanley conference Friday. Five years ago, we had to do a really hard reset of this company, and that takes some time to actually build from, he said. The company has also seen frequent executive turnover. In 2018, Twitters chief operating officer, Anthony Noto, resigned to become the chief executive of SoFi, a finance startup. Since then, Twitter has been without a chief operating officer. Dorsey has focused primarily on engineering and product development, preferring to leave operations to his deputies. Twitter seems remarkably similar as it did in 2015, said Scott Galloway, a professor of marketing at the New York University Stern School of Business and a Twitter investor who called for Dorsey to step down last year. The question is: Does this company, at this moment, warrant a full-time CEO who has an office out of headquarters? The answer, I think, is yes. Some investors see Dorsey as an absentee executive who looks after Twitter as a hobby. Dorsey exacerbated their worries when he announced last year that he would move to Africa for three to six months in 2020. Some Twitter employees, who declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak publicly, defended Dorsey, saying he is engaged and meets three times per week with Twitters executive team. On Friday, Dorsey backpedaled on his travel plans during the Morgan Stanley conference, saying he may put off the trip because of the spread of the coronavirus. Everything happening in the world, particularly with coronavirus, I have to reconsider whats going on and what that means for me and for our company, Dorsey said. Dorsey defended his decision to lead two companies at once. I have enough flexibility in my schedule to focus on the most important things, and I have a good sense of what is critical in both companies, he said. I have amazing teams working. For the first time in our history at Twitter, it feels like we have so much focus that we can ignore a bunch of the noise. Kate Conger and Michael J de la Merced c.2020 The New York Times Company An Apple employee in the company's Cork, Ireland, office has tested positive for coronavirus, Apple said Tuesday. It's the first known infection of one of Apple's employees. "One of our employees in Cork has been confirmed to have Covid-19," Apple told CNBC. "We are closely coordinating with the local health authorities who feel the risk to others is low, and the individual remains in self-isolation. As a precaution, we have asked some of our team members to stay at home while we work with the Health and Safety Executive to assess the situation. We are continuing to regularly deep clean all our offices and stores and will take all necessary precautions in accordance with guidance from health authorities." In the U.S., Apple has asked all of its employees at its Cupertino, California, headquarters to work from home if possible. Google confirmed on Feb. 28 that one of its employees in a Zurich office contracted coronavirus. Amazon and Microsoft employees in Washington state have also tested positive and the companies have instructed employees to work from home. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Madeline Chambers (Reuters) Berlin, Germany Tue, March 10, 2020 20:11 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2069b70c2 2 World Berlin,refugee-children,refugee-crisis,refugees-camp,Greek,Germany Free Berlin will take in 80 to 100 children from Greek refugee camps, an official in the German capital said on Tuesday, as concern mounts about migrants amassing on the Turkish-Greek border. European politicians are struggling to agree what to do about the tens of thousands of migrants who have been trying to enter Greece, a member of the European Union, since Ankara said last month it would no longer keep them on Turkish soil. Germany's coalition parties said on Monday they were ready to take in several hundred children from Greek refugee camps together with other EU countries, with the focus on children who are sick or younger than 14 and unaccompanied. Asked when children might arrive in Berlin, the capital's senator for interior affairs, Andreas Geisel told broadcaster RTL: "It now depends on how quickly the German government implements this decision. I think it's more like today than tomorrow." Greece has a large number of people waiting in refugee camps and hoping enter the EU, many of them fleeing war, persecution and poverty in the Middle East and Africa. It is refusing to open its borders to the refugees now trying to enter from Turkey, which hosts about 3.6 million refugees from Syria. Greece and the EU accuse Turkey of deliberately goading the migrants to cross the border as a way of pressuring Brussels into offering more money to host the refugees or supporting Ankara's geopolitical aims in the Syrian conflict. UNICEF concerned More than 3,000 children in Greece need to be found homes, the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) said. While welcoming a move by Finland to take in 150 unaccompanied children, Afshan Khan, UNICEF Director, Special Coordinator, Refugee and Migrant response in Europe, said far more was needed. "We need Europe to stand alongside both Greece and Turkey and the other frontline Mediterranean states to be able to help shelter and house many of the unaccompanied children," she told Reuters on Monday after a visit to the Turkey-Greece border. France, Portugal, Finland and Luxembourg have also offered to take in some children. Khan described large numbers of women and children near the border who dream of crossing into Europe, but camp in cold and wet open fields in tents or under plastic sheeting. The EU wants to avoid a repeat of 2015 when more than a million people, mostly from the Middle East, reached its shores via Turkey and Greece. Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door migrant policy, under which Germany took in nearly 1 million people in 2015 alone, led to a surge in support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A Syracuse man is in critical condition Monday night after an apartment fire on the citys East Side, an Upstate University Hospital spokesperson said. Darrell Mobley, 48, was standing on the balcony of his girlfriends second-floor apartment, at 171 Croly St., when the fire started shortly after 4:30 p.m., witnesses said. Gladys Coleman lives in an apartment directly across from where her daughter, Renesha Cage, and Mobley live with Cages three young sons. I looked out the window -- just like I do every day, being nosy -- and (Mobley) was on the porch, Coleman said. Mobley was smoking a cigarette dipped in embalming fluid and acting like a gorilla, as music played from his boom box, Coleman said. Suddenly, Coleman and other neighbors said they heard a smoke detector alarm and saw fire. Coleman, whose apartment is across a small parking lot and one level down from her daughters, said she could see the flames rising in the apartment behind Mobley. She and other neighbors yelled repeatedly to warn him of the fire, but Coleman said Mobley wasnt taking them seriously. Neighbors called 911 at 4:36 p.m. and continued to shout at Mobley, whom they call D-Mo, to get out of the burning apartment, Coleman said. Everybody was like, 'Get out. D-Mo, for real, your (apartment) is on fire, Coleman said. Aint nothin on fire. You all playin', she remembers Mobley telling them. It wasnt until the flames intensified and windows broke that Mobley grabbed his boom box and a small book bag, and climbed down a pole attached to the balcony and ran across Croly Street, Coleman said. When Syracuse police and firefighters arrived, they found heavy fire on the second-floor balcony and in the apartment, on the north side of the building at 171 Croly St., Syracuse Deputy Fire Chief Bob Cussen said. Police and firefighters arrived within minutes and went inside the apartment building to check for anyone still inside, Cussen said. They found several people still inside, including many on their balconies on the opposite side of the apartment building. They all got out safely and were not injured, Cussen said. Roseanne Scott, 59, who lives on the south side of the apartment building, said she had no idea there was a fire until an officer knocked on her door. When she walked outside with her 3-year-old grandson, Scott said she saw a man, who she only knew as D-Mo, eating what appeared to be dirt. First responders also said they saw the man -- later identified as Mobley -- eating grass while the fire was blazing. American Medical Response (AMR) crews were called closer to the scene to help Mobley, who was later seen in an ambulance at the corner of Croly and East Fayette streets. The ambulance took Mobley to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, where he was in critical condition Monday night, a nursing supervisor said. Syracuse city firefighters did not name Mobley, but said he was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation. Fire investigators determined the fire started in the kitchen, and the cause was unattended cooking, Syracuse Fire Capt. David Ellis said, speaking for the department. Witnesses at the scene also said they thought Mobley had been cooking, but not paying attention to the stove as he was on the balcony. Mobleys girlfriend, Renesha Cage, said she was at work and her children were at day care when the fire started. She returned home to find her apartment on fire and her boyfriend in an ambulance. Cage cried as she watched firefighters extinguish the fire. She just went grocery shopping, got baby clothes, diapers and cleaning supplies, her mother, Gladys Coleman said. All thats gone. Whatever they have on their back is all they have left. A neighbor, Ayo Ford, gave Cage a hug as they stood on the sidewalk as firefighters continued to work. Ford reminded Cage that all those things can be replaced, and to be grateful no one else was home when the fire started. She also complimented Cage for having a job and taking care of her three sons, 1-year-old KamRon Mobley, 2-year-old Messiah Simpson and 4-year-old Jamari Simpson. The American Red Cross is helping Cage, her sons and several other residents displaced by the fire. Firefighters said 23 people lived in eight apartments at 171 Croly St. Everyone in the building was evacuated after the fire, however residents in four of the apartments were able to return home Monday night. The Red Cross is helping those who live in the four apartments that could not be reoccupied immediately, firefighters said. Cages mother, Coleman, said anyone who wants to drop off donations can bring them to her at 159 Croly St., Apt. 7 in Syracuse. Cage, who works at Burger King, said she needs size 5 Pampers diapers for her youngest son, as well as 18 month, 4T and 5T clothing; toddler shoes 5, 9 and 12; womens medium shirts, 8 petite pants and size 7 youth shoes for her. Check back for updates. Firefighters at the scene of a fire on Croly Street in Syracuse on Monday, March 9, 2020.Catie O'Toole | cotoole@syracuse Firefighters at the scene of a fire on Croly Street in Syracuse on Monday, March 9, 2020.Catie O'Toole | cotoole@syracuse.com 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 An accidental Houstonian, Eric Taylor arrived in the city in 1970 with no money and no prospects and no plans to stay, only to become a treasured and crucial part of Houstons storied folk music scene. Taylor was a writer of great depth and intensity who left no space for unneeded words. Tall and glowering, he cut an intimidating figure and was difficult to impress, but he could also be a nurturing mentor. Lyle Lovett who covered several Taylor songs and also co-wrote with him once described him as a real teacher for me. Nanci Griffith who sang Taylors songs and was married to him for several years in the late 70s and early 80s once called him the William Faulkner of songwriting in our current time. Taylor who bridged a songwriting scene from old masters like Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark to younger writers like Lovett and Steve Earle died Monday after months of poor health. He was 70. His wife, Susan Lindfors Taylor, announced two weeks ago that Taylors health was continuing to deteriorate after a hospitalization late last year. A Georgia native, Taylor traveled to Houston from North Carolina. His plan was to take a train to California, but Houston is where he ran out of money. He tried crashing in Hermann Park and was rousted. For $8 a week he found a place on Bagby that he called a hippie flophouse, and from there took a low-paying collection job before upgrading to a job washing dishes. As a dishwasher at the Family Hand, he saw musicians who changed the course of his life: from the blues great Lightnin Hopkins to Van Zandt, one of Hopkins greatest students. Taylor found a club scene that emphasized new original songs because club owners didnt want to pay ASCAP fees. These places were about the writer, he said of Houstons scene. Houston was the writers place. He was a regular at the storied songwriters clubs in the city, which with the exception of Anderson Fair have all closed, relics from a rich time in the citys music history. Taylors recorded output over half a century wasnt deep, but each song exhibited deep thematic contemplation and great economy of words and detail. Hed take inspiration where he could find it, often from books, films and other sources of lore. Hollywood Pocketknife was inspired by a photograph of Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe. Their chauffeur stood on the periphery cleaning his fingernails with a pocket knife. Taylor had been studying, writing, editing and rewriting for a decade before he released Shameless Love. His debut album was a perfect thing: nine tightly wound stories with an emphasis on characters caught in various states of struggle. Only Lovers finds him deftly expressing a slow arc toward solitude: Now the highway feels like just another road, he sings. Later: Now the music feels like just another song. Familiarity didnt breed contempt. It created solitude. The dark corners of Taylors songs werent written speculatively. Even when writing about other characters, their struggles were something he knew well. Taylor wouldnt make another album for 14 years after Shameless Love, as alcoholism caused personal and professional problems. His voice lost a little lift when he reemerged with Eric Taylor in 1995, but his writing exhibited further hard-won wisdom. A meditation on the elusive things in life inspired Whooping Crane, which Lovett would cover. Taylors great gift was characters who hed enliven with enough mythology to where the real and the fictional could be indistinguishable. The reality of a given name didnt matter: the themes of searching and endurance mattered. Scuffletown, released in 2001, was another standout. He was unafraid to sing in a conversational manner. Even his whispered lyrics carried weight: Id rather have the audience lean in than be pushed back, he said. I mean, how loud does it need to be? For the seriousness he projected in song, Taylor also possessed a very dry wit. He had an affinity for clowns and clown figurines. He also co-wrote Fat Babies with Lovett, a song that reveled in the absurdity of its singalong chorus: Fat babies have no pride. He didnt suffer any bull, but he was a guy with a big old heart, too, said Rock Romano, who produced a couple of Taylors albums. It took me some time to really listen to his songs. But once I started listening, (expletive), they make me shiver. Taylor wrote and lived quietly in a little house in Weimar. He remained an active touring act until his final years. He was a little slower to record, making his last record, Studio 10 in 2013. It was the fifth Taylor had made on his own Blue Ruby label that he ran with his wife. While a big mainstream hit eluded him, Taylors broader renown gradually began to grow closer to his reputation as a songwriters songwriter. Lovett covered his Memphis Midnight/Memphis Morning for Step Inside This House in 1998. The Lovett album was designed to draw attention to some of his influences. Some were quite well-known, like Michael Martin Murphy, and others had attained elder statesman status like Guy Clark. But the song clearly connected the successful student to his mentor. I learned so much from the way he structured a song, Lovett told me years ago. What to put in, what to leave out. I always admired the economy of a line from Taylors song Bill, about the late, great songwriter Bill Morrissey: Ive been through this town before/Its got a four-way stop and a liquor store. That song referred to Morrisseys struggles with addiction as a hobo fight. It was something Taylor knew, and also emerged from after a twisted path. A hobo fight, to me, is having a fight with yourself, he said. Theres pretty much no way out of that one. You cant call anybody to help you. I think my favorite piece of Taylor lore is a little reference in the liner notes to Lovetts I Love Everybody album. Lovett attributed the guitar solo on the song Ive Got the Blues as such: Based on a Lightnin Hopkins guitar lick as played by Townes Van Zandt, as shown to Lyle Lovett by Eric Taylor in the back room of Anderson Fair Retail Restaurant, Houston, Texas, October 1979. Lovetts take creates a river-like flow of music, an old-school master and apprentice series of relationships where the old teach the young, who grow older and then pass along the lesson once again. andrew.dansby@chron.com Karnataka, Kerala, and Pune confirmed fresh cases on Tuesday, taking the total number of infections in India above 50 amid a subdued Holi celebration across India. Even as China's Hubei province witnessed a fall in new cases on Tuesday with Chinese president Xi Jinping visiting the central city of Wuhan his first since the start of the outbreak Italy awakened on Tuesday to deserted streets while Iran witnessed its deadliest 24 hours with 51 deaths as per latest reports. In India, Karnataka, Kerala, and Pune confirmed fresh cases, taking the total number of infections in the country to 50 (above 50, according to some reports) amid a subdued Holi celebration across India. The rise in cases in India saw several state government imposing restrictions on public gatherings. In Kerala, the state government announced restrictions on all public events till 31 March, including shutting schools up to Class 7 and closure of cinema houses. Global concerns China reported just 19 new infections Tuesday, down from thousands each day last month. Yet in Italy, the situation was anything but normal. Travel restrictions previously limited to the countrys north were extended everywhere, with soldiers and police enforcing bans, reported The Associated Press. Neighbouring countries like Malta and Austria slammed their borders with Italy shut, while major carriers like British Airways cancelled all flights to and from the country. Some 9,172 people were infected in Italy and 463 have died and many fear the numbers will only worsen. Outbreaks flared in France, Spain and Germany, and fear grew in the United States, where more than 750 people are infected and several senior politicians were quarantined. Panama and Mongolia, which borders China, were the newest countries to announce infections. Amidst this, Reuters cited reports of South Korean media, claiming that hundreds of soldiers in North Korea have died from the coronavirus outbreak. In related news, Harvard University asked its students on Tuesday not to return to campus after Spring Break and said it would begin moving to virtual instruction for graduate and undergraduate classes amid the coronavirus outbreak. Maharashtra confirms first two infections, Karnataka sees four The total number of confirmed cases in India rose to 50 on Tuesday amid fresh confirmations of infections in Maharashtra and Karnataka. "The total number of positive cases is now 50. Of these, 34 are Indian nationals and 16 are citizens of Italy. There has been no death in the country due to coronavirus so far," Sanjeeva Kumar, Special Secretary (Health), Union Health Ministry told ANI. Sanjeeva Kumar, Special Secretary (Health), Union Health Ministry: The total number of positive cases are now 50. Of these 34 are Indian nationals and 16 are citizens of Italy. There has been no death in the country due to #Coronavirus so far. pic.twitter.com/S0LaNwkCRC ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2020 However, based on reports, the actual number of confirmed cases in India could be above 50. The Karnataka state government confirmed three fresh cases of coronavirus infections taking total confirmed cases to four. Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu said that the family members of the infected inviduuals have been isolated separately and are being monitored. "I urge citizens to take precautionary measures and cooperate in preventing the spread of infection," he added. On Tuesday, ANI reported three new confirmations of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra's Pune. The new cases include a driver, a co-passenger and a child of the couple, which had tested positive for the virus on Monday, the news agency said. The couple, who had returned from Dubai recently were the first cases from the state to test positive for the novel coronavirus infection. "Two people have been tested positive for coronavirus in Pune and Maharashtra Government is taking appropriate steps. People have to take some kind of preventive measures but they do not need to panic, I appeal to them. They need to stay alert," Maharashtra cabinet minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik had told ANI. "All the arrangements have been made. Isolation wards have also been set up at different places and a lot of information is being given to the general public as well," he added. Malik continued saying that Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope is taking cognisance of all the situations and the government is trying to alert the public. Six more cases confirmed in Kerala; Cinema halls to shut till 31 March Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters on Tuesday that six new cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in the state, taking the total number of infections in the state to 12. These numbers include the three patients, which had tested positive and were cured of the virus. Keeping in mind the fresh rise in cases, Vijayan announced severe restrictions, including the closure of educational institutions and cinema houses till the month-end, in a bid to halt its further spread. Vijayan said at least 1,116 people are under observation 149 in isolation wards of various hospitals and 967 under home quarantine. The fresh cases are friends and relatives of Italy-returned couple and their son who had on Saturday tested positive for the deadly virus along with two other kin staying with them at their home in Rane in Pathanamthitta district, Health Minister KK Shailaja, who was also present, said. The aged parents of the couple are among the six latest positive cases, she said. Besides these 11, a three-year child who returned along with his parents from Italy tested positive in Kochi on Monday. Kerala has been hit by the second round of coronavirus cases after the country's first three positive cases in the state were successfully cured and discharged from hospitals last month. Vijayan said schools and colleges and cinemas would remain closed in the state till 31 March. Classes from 1 to 7 standards of all schools state, CBSE and ICSE boards will remain shut and examinations which have begun for them will be put on hold. Examinations for Class 10, Plus Two and vocational higher secondary will however, continue. Final examinations of Class 8 and 9 also will proceed as usual. Students under observation would be permitted to write examinations in a special room, the chief minister said. "This is a time when a large number of festivals are held in Kerala in which scores of people participate. At this juncture, it will be harmful if such gatherings are held as it could help in spread of the virus," Vijayan said. As the hill temple Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala will re-open on 13 March, monthly poojas can be held, but at this juncture, devotees should avoid darshan, Vijayan said. The Travancore Devaswom Board, which manges the Sabarimala Temple, too appealed to devotees not to come to the shrine. "The pilgrims will not be prevented from coming. But it is our appeal to them to desist from visiting the shrine due to the present circumstances", said TDB resident N Vasu, adding the rituals can be held inside the shrine. Meanwhile, students wearing masks appeared for SSLC examination in Pathnamthitta district. Sanitisers were also provided to them. Two students, under observation for the virus, appeared for the examination in a separate room at their school. In Pathanamthitta, a man under observation for suspected coronavirus infection at the isolation ward of the district hospital fled, but was tracked and brought back within hours. Subdued Holi across India India witnessed a subdued celebration of the festival of colours on Tuesday due to the threat of coronavirus, while in parts of riot-affected northeast Delhi most people played Holi inside their houses amid heavy presence of security forces on the streets. While many chose to skip the celebrations altogether, some preferred small gatherings of friends and relatives but without colours. Some however, played Holi only with 'gulal'. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal stayed away from Holi celebrations this year. He had earlier said that he would not play Holi this year due to the coronavirus threat and last month's riots in northeast Delhi that claimed 53 lives. "Happy Holi. Please take care of yourself while playing Holi. Please protect yourself from coronavirus," the chief minister said in a tweet in Hindi. The national capital has reported four coronavirus cases so far. Health experts and government have advised people to stay away from large gatherings. The United Residents Joint Action, the apex body of Resident Welfare Associations (RWA) of the city, had also issued an advisory against holding public engagements or 'Holi milans'. Riot-affected Maujpur and Yamuna Vihar saw people playing Holi inside their residence rather on roads and streets. There was heavy deployment of security forces across riot-hit areas of northeast Delhi. There were no reports of any untoward incident. Tuesday also saw the arrival of the first batch of Indian pilgrims stranded in virus-hit Iran with a military carrier of the Indian Air Force bringing home 58 Indians. The plane also brought home samples of 589 Indians. COVD-19 could cost global economy $2 trillion The coronavirus outbreak could cost the global economy up to $2 trillion this year, the UN's trade and development agency said, warning that shock from the epidemic will cause a recession in some countries and depress global annual growth to below 2.5 percent. "We envisage a slowdown in the global economy to under two percent for this year, and that will probably cost in the order of $1 trillion, compared with what people were forecasting back in September, director, Division on Globalization and Development Strategies at United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Richard Kozul-Wright said. The UN agency said that apart from the tragic human consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic, the economic uncertainty it has sparked will likely cost the global economy $1 trillion in 2020. Last week, UNCTAD had said that the trade impact of the coronavirus epidemic for India is estimated to be about $348 million and the country figures among the top 15 economies most affected as the slowdown of manufacturing in China disrupts world trade. With inputs from agencies Labour MP Barry Sheerman said parents should have to produce a certificate for their children. (PA) Parents who refuse to have their children vaccinated against measles should be banned from sending them to nursery, a Labour MP has said. Barry Sheerman, the MP for Huddersfield, believes parents should have to produce a certificate showing their child has received the MMR jab. It comes after the UK lost its measles-free status last August amid a rising number of cases at home. The total number of laboratory-confirmed measles cases in England in 2018 was 971, more than three times the 259 cases in 2017. The UK lost its measles-free status last August. (Getty) During health questions, Mr Sheerman asked Tory health minister Jo Churchill to make the jabs mandatory. Of course, all of our thoughts are on the Covid-19 outbreak at the moment but is she aware that last year 140,000 people, mainly children and young people, died from measles (worldwide)? Mr Sheerman asked. Read more: Half A Million UK Children Are Not Vaccinated Against Measles And the measles epidemic is going to come here as the rate of protection for getting MMR vaccine decreases. This is a real issue. Could she join my campaign to make sure every child who goes into early pre-school and early schools has a certificate that says they have had the MMR? In response, Ms Churchill said: I would love to meet with the gentleman and talk about his campaign because actually the Government is looking at any way that we can improve vaccination rates. Vaccinations work by protecting the herd and actually losing the WHO (World Health Organisation) status on measles last year was very sad. And it is something that we should all be mindful of and make sure we all look to helping people access MMR vaccines for their children. Health secretary Matt Hancock could be seen giving Mr Sheerman a thumbs up after he finished his remarks in the Commons. "Pi is a number that represents a constant, just like Round Table's constant commitment to gold-standard ingredients and time-honored recipes," said Annica Conrad, Executive Vice President, Brand Marketing for Global Franchise Group, the parent company of Round Table Pizza. "Enjoy a little pizza Pi and celebrate with us." Round Table Pizza has more than 440 restaurants across the United States. Learn more and order online at Round Table Pizza . * Cannot be combined with any other offers. Delivery prices may vary. Valid at participating locations for dine-in, carry-out and delivery March 13, 2020 through March 16, 2020. About Round Table Pizza Inspired by the honor, valor and revelry of the Knights of the Round Table, Round Table Pizza's superior pizza and commitment to quality and authenticity have earned the reputation of "Pizza Royalty" for 60 years. With more than 440 restaurants across the United States, Round Table celebrates community, family and making merry. For the latest news from Round Table, follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram . For franchising information, please visit Round Table Pizza Franchise . SOURCE Round Table Pizza I had a son who, when he came home from Iraq not Iraq, when he came from Kosovo, Biden said midway through the answer. He was over there and he came home. It turns out he was exposed to significant bacteria. And it turns out he had a, he had a marker for ankylosing spondylitis. Ankylosing spondylitis is, you know, bamboo spine, you know what that is, okay. And you see, people are like this; the reason they cant straighten up is if they do the vertebrae will crack, it fuses together. And there was an experimental drug, it was on the market, that he got into a study on, but he had to take a shot once a week for $5,000 a shot. He was an attorney general of a state making $102,000 a year a lot of money. But he was, thats what he had to pay $5,000 a week until it got approved, and then it went on the market, and it was able to go on the market at a reasonable price. Qantas has slashed almost a quarter of its international capacity due to weaker travel demand from the coronavirus outbreak, while chief executive Alan Joyce has predicted other airlines will collapse due to the crisis. Australia's largest airline has been heavily affected by the drop in demand for global and domestic travel and the latest capacity cut represents a 23 per cent drop in international seats compared to this time last year. The cuts have left all but two of its A380 aircraft grounded and will remain in place until mid-September. Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce says the coronavirus outbreak will be a fatal blow for some airlines. Credit:Renee Nowytarger The airline also announced it would delay an order for Airbus A350 planes and it was cancelling plans for a $150 million off-market share buyback to preserve cash. Instead of cutting entire routes, Qantas is using smaller aircraft where possible and also reducing the number of flights across its network. The reductions are equivalent to grounding 38 planes. Madhya Pradesh leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday announced his exit from the Congress after meeting Union home minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his 7, Lok Kalyan Marg residence. Scindias exit came against the backdrop of turmoil in the Madhya Pradesh Congress where at least 15 legislators have gone underground amidst buzz that the Kamal Nath government could fall. Scindias letter, in which he spoke about a fresh start to realise the aspiration of the people and his supporters, was dated a day earlier (9 March). It is not clear if he had submitted the letter before his meetings with Amit Shah or PM Modi. But moments after Scindia announced his decision to move out of the party, the Congress announced that party chief Sonia Gandhi had approved his expulsion from the party for anti-party activities. Watch | Jyotiraditya Scindia resigns from Congress, likely to join the BJP Jyotiraditya Scindias decision caps weeks and months of speculation about his plans. In his letter to Sonia Gandhi, Scindia alluded to developments in Madhya Pradesh Congress over the past year that he indicated, had led him to take the decision to walk out of the party. I am tendering my resignation from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress and as you well know, this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year, Scindia, one of the most prominent faces of the Congress, said in his letter. He referred to his 18-year-long association with the Congress but underscored that it is now time for me to move on. While my aim and purpose remain the same as it has always been from the very beginning, to serve the people of my state and country, I believe I am unable to do this anymore within this party. To reflect and realise the aspirations of my people and my workers I believe it is best that I now look ahead at a fresh start, he wrote. The 49-year-old politicians move is expected to plunge the Kamal Nath government into crisis. At least 15 MLAs including some ministers have remained incommunicado for the last 24 hours, leading to a series of meetings between Kamal Nath and senior leaders in Bhopal. At a meeting of state ministers convened by chief minister Kamal Nath late on Monday evening, he had prepped for changes in the government and got his loyalists in the cabinet to hand over their resignation from the MP cabinet. It was an effort to reach out to Scindia. Mondays meeting between PM Modi and Scindia was also attended by Shah who accompanied the popular Congress leader to the PMs residence. BJP leaders are hopeful that Scindia will join the saffron outfit very soon. Congress leaders considered close to Scindia maintain that some senior leaders in the state were trying to sideline him ever since the government was formed last year. The Congress was able to form a government in Madhya Pradesh in December 2018 after a gap of 15 years. While Scindia was credited for sweeping seats in Gwalior-Bhind region, top state leaders treated him with disrespect and he had little say in the party-led government, said a party strategist. Former chief minister and senior Congress leader Digvivaya Singh had tried to persuade Scindia to stay back in the Congress, declaring that anyone who is a true Congressman will not leave the party. Singh also slammed the BJP for orchestrating the trouble for the Kamal Nath government. He claimed that the three chartered flights which allegedly took 15-20 Congress MLAs to Bangalore was arranged by the BJP. The BJP is trying to topple the government as Kamal Nath government has given momentum to the Vyapam scam, Singh said. Scindias exit from the party may also alter the numbers for the three Rajya Sabha seats. just days ahead of the last day of filing of nominations for Rajya Sabha elections as three seats from Madhya Pradesh are going to polls. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Russia can raise its oil production by 200,000 bpd to 300,000 bpd in the short term, with a potential for up to a total increase of 500,000 bpd, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak told news channel Rossiya 24 on Tuesday. The Russian companies will be reassessing their investment and production plans after they are no longer obliged to stick to the OPEC+ deal, Novak said. Just before the OPEC+ meeting last weekwhich turned into a fiasco for OPECs leader Saudi Arabia after Russia refused to back additional massive production cutsRussias average oil production had increased to 11.29 million bpd in February, up by 3.2 percent on the year and slightly up from 11.28 million bpd in January. Russias oil production figures, however, include gas condensate, which, as of this year, is not included in the Russian production and quota as part of the OPEC+ production cut agreement. The end of the OPEC+ deal will now allow Russian oil companies, which had not been happy with production restrictions, to boost output as soon as the current deal expires on April 1. The largest Russian oil producer and most vocal critic of the OPEC+ agreement, Rosneft, already plans to increase its oil production, a source close to the company told Bloomberg on Monday. According to the source, Rosneft could be able to increase its production by 300,000 bpd within two weeks. After the OPEC+ break-up and after the price war that Saudi Arabia and Russia started, Rosneft slammed the deal in comments to Russian media, saying that it was only giving U.S. shale a bigger slice of the market. The OPEC+ agreement was meaningless from Russias point of view, Rosnefts spokesman Mikhail Leontyev told Russian outlet RBC on Sunday. By ceding ground in our markets, we removed cheaper Arab and Russian oil from the market only to clear the field for more expensive U.S. shale production and to help its production efficiency, Leontyev said. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Two teenage boys on Tuesday drowned while bathing in a river, on the outskirts of Cuttack city, following Holi celebrations, a police officer said. The two boys -- Subham Kumar Behera and Nishant Padhi -- had gone to Ghatakula ghat, along with friends, to take a bath in the Kuakhai river, he said. Behera and Padhi, both 14 years of age, lost balance and slipped into deep water, the officer said. Locals raised an alarm, following which a team of fire brigade personnel carried out a rescue operation and pulled them from the river, he said. The boys were rushed to SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack, where the doctors declared them 'brought dead', the officer added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has stated that it has set aside the sum of N3m for the legal team of the dethroned Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido if he decides to seek redress in the law court. Speaking to newsmen on Tuesday, the spokesman of the group, Ikenga Ugochinyere further described the removal as barbaric and unconstitutional. The Nigerian opposition coalition received with shock, the news of the illegal and arbitrary dethronement and purported banishment of the Emir of Kano Muhammad Sanusi II by the APC led Government of Umar Abdullahi Ganduje. We wish to state that the dethronement and banishment which had the tacit support of the APC-led Federal Government was barbaric, illegal, unconstitutional and a grave assault against our constitutional democracy and the fundamental rights guaranteed under sections 34,35, 36, 38, 39, 40,41, and 43 of the I999 Constitution as amended and a bold move to desecrate an ancient revered traditional institution, it said in a prepared text read to newsmen. The text read further: The Emir was not given right to be heard which renders the action of the Kano State Executive Council illegal, arbitrary, unconstitutional and null and void. READ ALSO: Emir Sanusi II accepts fate, calls on supporters to pay allegiance to new Emir The banishment is a barbaric and mundane assault on Emir Sanusis human right as a Nigerian citizen provided under Sections 34, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41, and 43 of the I999 Constitution as amended. His right to dignity of the human person,right to personal liberty, right to fair hearing, right to freedom of thought and conscience, right to freedom of expression, right to peaceful assembly and association,right to freedom of movement and right to own immovable property anywhere in Nigeria were all flagrantly violated by the Kano State Government and cannot be condoned in a democracy. Such nonsensical act of banishment is autocratic, dictatorial and in direct conflict with the constitution and must be resisted Laura Whitmore and Iain Stirling didn't see each other while working on 'Love Island'. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images) Laura Whitmore was no stranger to the Love Island family when she began hosting it this year: her boyfriend Iain Stirling has provided the shows witty commentary since it began. But working on the same project didn't mean they got to spend more time together or any, in fact. The presenter made her debut on the dating programme's first winter series in South Africa back in January, but she says she'll be seeing more of Stirling now that it's come to an end. Speaking on White Wine Question Time with Kate Thornton, the 34-year-old disclosed: We dont see each other [on Love Island] never see each other. Read more: Love Island couples think theyll make more if they stay together says ex contestant "We never did anything together because he's in the [voice-over] booth in production and I go in and out of the villa or I'd be hosting the live show, Aftersun, in London. Id see him more when neither of us were working. Whitmore also sung the praises of her boyfriend of three years. But one of her favourite attributes about him may not be to everyone's tastes. Laura Whitmore and Iain Stirling attend the 20th anniversary celebration of tailor and fashion designer Gresham Blake at the Hard Rock Hotel London on November 28, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Hard Rock Hotel London) She shared: Hes such a kind man and hes smart... and hairy. Elaborating on her love of more hirsute gentlemen, Whitmore continued: "I got so excited this year on Love Island because Finn [Tapp], who won, has a hairy chest. They always wax their chest but thats not really me. But Finn walked in and I was like: Oh my God. And Iain was like, Why are you so obsessed?. And I was like: I just love a hairy chest." Whitmore admits she did have concerns when it came to cohabiting with Stirling, 32. Although they managed to make it work with a few home adjustments. Im very independent; I couldn't be with someone all the time. [When we moved in together] I was worried," she divulged. "Like: 'Oh god, I live with someone and Im going to have to see them all the time'. When we moved in together we kind of decreased the value of the house. Made a four-bedroom house into a two-bedroom house. Hes got his room, and Ive got my room. So I've got my office space and hes got his. Sometimes I'm like: Go to your room! Story continues They did get some quality time together after the ITV2 fixture came to an end as they both headed off on a South African safari trip for a much-needed break. During winter Love Islands live final, Whitmore confirmed the programme would be back on screens in the summer as usual as it returns to Mallorca once more. Hear Laura Whitmore talk about her emotional tribute to Caroline, why shes scared to go out in London and just what its like to work with her boyfriend. Listen now on iTunes and Spotify. 1.3k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard MSNBC host Chris Hayes said on Monday night that Donald Trump is completely incapable of confronting the coronavirus outbreak sweeping the country. Time and again, Hayes noted, Trump has shown that he cannot view the crisis outside of himself, which means other leaders particularly those at the state and local level must take charge to adequately deal with the pandemic. The president of the United States, the leadership at the top of our government, is sending the message that is literally the opposite of what we should be doing, Hayes said. Right now, a lot of these important decisions are going to have to be made by local leaders, not the president. The MSNBC host cited Trumps recent remarks in which he said he was opposed to allowing quarantined passengers off a cruise ship because it would drive the number of U.S. cases up and make him look bad. Id rather have the people stay, the president said. I like the numbers being where they are. I dont need to have the numbers double because of one ship that wasnt our fault. Trump added, I like the numbers. I would rather have the numbers stay where they are. Video: Chris Hayes says Trump has repeatedly done exactly the opposite of what needs to be done to confront a global pandemic. #ctl #p2 pic.twitter.com/zXU0E0pICT PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) March 10, 2020 Trump only cares about himself Donald Trump has long demonstrated that his sole purpose in life is to enrich himself at the expense of others, whether its stiffing workers in the business world or using his charity as a personal slush fund. This behavior hasnt changed throughout his presidency. Heck, its the reason why he was impeached because he put his own political interests ahead of the countrys interests. With the coronavirus outbreak sweeping the country and the American people looking for leadership, its increasingly clear that Donald Trump is too obsessed with his own own political survival to be able to responsibly manage a global pandemic. Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter The owners of Davids Brisket House in Brooklyn were probably wise to choose a different name for the new deli they opened in East Williamsburg late last year, even though the new place, Pastrami Masters, adopted its core menu from Davids. When New Yorkers hear the word brisket these days, they tend to think of brick pits, stacks of cordwood, neon Shiner Beers signs, and Willie and Waylon singing in the background. Those associations are relatively recent ones locally, dating to the renaissance of the smoked-meat sciences in Texas and the national fame of pit masters like Aaron Franklin in Austin. Before brisket was synonymous with barbecue, its meaning in the five boroughs was the one that you now encounter mainly around the Jewish holidays: a flat slab of beef breast cooked in a closed, humid environment for hours, at which point it not only falls apart unprovoked but also makes its own gravy. That dish has long been one of the chief attractions at Davids Brisket House. Although Davids has had many owners and probably other names as well, it is thought that the deli was founded by two Jewish men around the middle of the last century, before most of the remaining Jews in Bedford-Stuyvesant left for the suburbs, back when a Brooklyn deli could announce itself as a brisket residence and everybody would know just what that meant. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 02:19:18|Editor: yan Video Player Close BERLIN, March 10 (Xinhua) -- In every fifth city and municipality in Germany, local politicians or their employees have become victims of physical violence, according to a survey published on Tuesday by the German magazine KOMMUNAL with the support of opinion research institute Forsa. The survey found that "the number of violent attacks has more than doubled within a year." In a similar survey last year, only nine percent of Germany's municipalities stated that mayors and municipal employees had been attacked, whereas now the figure was 20 percent. According to the survey, 64 percent of mayors in Germany had been insulted, abused, threatened or physically attacked at least once. Half of those even stated that they had been insulted, abused, threatened or physically attacked multiple times. The survey for which almost 2,500 mayors in Germany had been interviewed was the largest survey on violence against local politicians ever conducted in Germany, according to KOMMUNAL. The share of physical violence against local politicians was lower in the German countryside as nine percent reported to have been physically attacked, spat on or beaten at least once. In German cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, the share was 32 percent. In February, the German government passed a legislative package against right-wing extremism and hate crime. Within the framework of this law, local politicians in Germany were granted special protection against slander, just like members of the Bundestag. During a discussion round on the current situation of local politicians on Tuesday, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier stressed that "we must defend civility, regain decency and reason." The Fremantle Dockers are breathing a sigh of relief after forward Sam Switkowski was cleared of having the coronavirus. Switkowski was tested on Monday after suffering from flu-like symptoms. That came after he had contact with a friend who had been in China earlier this year. According to Switkowski, the friend underwent a 14-day isolation period after returning to Australia, during which he suffered no flu-like symptoms. The friend then travelled to Perth to visit Switkowski. Fremantle received good news on Tuesday when the test result showed negative for the coronavirus. Given the clubs position in the community, we made a decision on Monday afternoon to take a very conservative approach even though the player did not fit all the WA Health Department criteria for COVID-19 testing, Fremantle chief executive Simon Garlick said. We understand the high level of interest surrounding one of our players being sent for precautionary testing for COVID-19. The facts are that the player presented with flu-like symptoms after being in contact with a friend who had visited China, even though that person had self-isolated for 14 days following his return to the country and hadnt displayed any symptoms of the virus. It was another two weeks after the isolation period that the friend visited the player late last month. We felt it was important to be proactive and diligent to ensure the safety of our players, staff and broader community. Dockers captain Nat Fyfe said he expected the scare to be the start of something much bigger in 2020. At the moment it (the virus) is in its infancy and its just starting to affect people, he said. Were remaining calm, stepping through the protocol and the doctors have told us not to stress too much. By Justin Chadwick and David Smith The Chief Executive of the Lambeth Conference Company, Phil George, provides an update on plans for this significant gathering in the life of the Anglican Communion, which takes place in Canterbury in July and August. Planning for the Lambeth Conference continues with pace, as we prepare for this once-a-decade meeting of bishops from across the Anglican Communion. Now with over almost 1,200 people so far registered to attend (673 bishops and 521 spouses), the lead up to conference will provide some important opportunities for people to prepare and tune in to the themes of the conference. With the conference theme of being Gods Church for Gods World, the biblical focus is the book of 1 Peter. We are delighted that a new Bible commentary has recently been published with SCM to mark the conference. The commentary really is a wonderful piece of work that has been created by the St Augustine Seminar an international team of Bible scholars from around the Anglican Communion. The diversity of this group has enriched the resource, bringing a wide range of perspectives, cultures and Christian traditions. We hope that as many people will access and benefit from the resource as possible. The Lambeth Conference Company are making the first chapter accessible for free on the Lambeth Conference web site, along with a set of videos which explore the themes of each chapter. The films include the Archbishop of Canterbury sharing his excitement about the book of 1 Peter and why its so relevant to the conference theme. Professor Jenn Strawbridge and other Bible scholars from the St Augustine Seminar also feature. Find out more here. One historic feature of the Lambeth Conferences is for the bishops of the Anglican Communion to confer on matters of shared concern, bringing a diverse range of cultural and ministry perspectives. For this reason, a dynamic engagement and communication process is being developed for the Lambeth Conference in 2020, so that bishops can engage with conference topics before and during the event. It is being described as an invitation process. At the conclusion of the Lambeth Conference, the aspiration is for the bishops shared engagement to culminate in a series of calls to action to the wider Anglican Communion a set of invitations to the wider church, championing what it might mean to be Gods Church for Gods World in the decade ahead. The invitation process is being shaped by members of the Lambeth Conference Design group in consultation with the Archbishop of Canterbury. You can find out more about that here. We are really looking forward to welcoming our event guests to Canterbury in the summer. For those wishing to pray for the important opportunity of the conference and exploring what it means to be Gods Church for Gods World, we invite you to join our prayer journey. Important notice on the Lambeth Conference and the coronavirus The conference organising team are working hard to monitor the constantly changing picture of the impact of the coronavirus. For the latest information and advice on the Lambeth Conference and coronavirus, visit the conference web site. PALO ALTO, Calif., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Varian (NYSE: VAR) today announced Medisch Spectrum Twente Hospital in The Netherlands, and Icon Cancer Centre Wahroonga and Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH) in Australia treated their first patients with Ethos therapy. This artificial intelligence (AI)-driven holistic adaptive therapy solution is designed to deliver an entire adapted treatment in a typical 15-minute timeslot. Adaptive therapy provides the ability to personalize the patient's treatment based on their anatomy and position at the time of treatment. The goal is to better target the tumor, reduce dose to healthy tissue, and potentially improve overall outcomes. At Medisch Spectrum Twente Hospital, the first two patients treated were for prostate cancer, at RNSH the first treatment was for head and neck cancer and at Icon Cancer Centre Wahroonga, the first treatment was for prostate cancer. Additionally, since delivering the first Ethos therapy in the world in September 2019, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital in Denmark has already delivered 100 adaptive fractions for bladder cancer patients. "Since the launch of Ethos therapy, the response from clinicians globally has been very strong," said Chris Toth, president Varian Oncology Systems. "Ethos therapy was designed to launch a new era of personalized adaptive radiation therapy and we are very pleased to see patients in Australia and The Netherlands now have access to these adaptive treatments. With Ethos therapy recently receiving 510(k) clearance, the first installation in the US is in process and will be treating patients soon." Clinician Experience "The future is adaptive," said Erik Van Dieren, head of Medical Physics, Medisch Spectrum Twente Hospital. "With Ethos we know adaptive radiotherapy on a daily basis is achievable for a large number of patients due to high accuracy and excellent sparing of the healthy tissue in about 15 minutes treatment time." "Early Ethos therapy experience from Icon is showing promising results," said Amy Teh, MD, radiation oncologist at Icon Cancer Centre, Wahroonga. "In a prostate patient, where the target volume is highly dependent on bladder and rectal positioning, we have used the AI-driven online adaptive workflow on the Ethos platform to effectively and efficiently adapt to the new position of the bladder and rectum each day. This has allowed superior coverage of the true target. This technology marks another step forward in the advancement of radiation therapy taking personalized medicine to another level allowing us to ensure more dose to the tumor target, and less dose to surrounding healthy organs." "RNSH is very pleased to enter the world of Ethos therapy after recently treating our first patient," said Jeremy Booth, head of Medical Physics, Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, RNSH. "The patient treatment for head and neck cancer was an exceptional experience, uniting our expert team of radiation therapists, medical physicists and radiation oncologists at the console to ensure we safely delivered the best treatment." "We've found that, with bladder cancer patients, we are seeing the most impact using online adaptation," said Poul Geertsen, MD, PhD, head of Radiotherapy, Department of Oncology at Herlev and Gentofte Hospital. "With Ethos therapy, we are seeing treatment margin reductions of up to 50 percent, which is impressive." The streamlined workflow of Ethos therapy is enabled by its AI-driven planning and contouring capabilities. Physicians define their clinical intent from pre-defined templates and the initial treatment plan is generated based on the physician's pre-defined clinical objectives. The treatment is adapted in response to changes in the patient's anatomy and the tumor's shape and position, at the time of treatment. The ability of Ethos to enable on-couch adaptive treatment puts the patient at the center of care. Ethos therapy offers the use of multimodality images (MR, PET, CT) registered with daily iterative CBCT images at the console. By providing an up-to-date view of the patient's anatomy in multiple imaging modality views, Ethos therapy provides clinicians the confidence to make more informed adaptive treatment decisions. The solution is built on Varian's latest treatment delivery technology and provides fast imaging and treatment delivery without compromising quality. For more information on Ethos, visit www.varian.com/ethos. About Varian At Varian, we envision a world without fear of cancer. For more than 70 years, we have developed, built and delivered innovative cancer care technologies and solutions for our clinical partners around the globe to help them treat millions of patients each year. With an Intelligent Cancer Care approach, we are harnessing advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics to enhance cancer treatment and expand access to care. Our 10,000 employees across 70 locations keep the patient and our clinical partners at the center of our thinking as we power new victories in cancer care. Because, for cancer patients everywhere, their fight is our fight. For more information, visit http://www.varian.com and follow @VarianMedSys on Twitter. Customers were not paid for their testimonials. Individual results may vary Press Contact Mark Plungy Director, Global Public Relations +1 (650) 424-5630 [email protected] Investor Relations Contact Anshul Maheshwari Vice President, Investor Relations +1 (650) 424-5631 [email protected] SOURCE Varian Related Links https://www.varian.com/ The American Academy of Arts and Letters, founded in 1898, is one of the most respected honor societies in the United States. With only 250 members, the society is made up of leading architects, artists, composers, and writers who administer 70 awards and prizes to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in the countrys literature, music, and art. Recently, an accomplished Cambodian-American composer was brought into the fold. VOAs Chetra Chap reports. Regulatory News: Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies (ISIN: FR0013451044, Ticker: ALHGR) ("Hoffmann Green" or the "Company") (Paris:ALHGR), a pioneer in low-carbon cement, announces the publication of its Life Cycle Inventories (LCI) in the INIES database, the reference national database on environmental and health characteristics for the construction sector. The LCI published by Hoffmann Green summarize all incoming and outgoing flows of raw materials and energy resources used to manufacture its H-UKR and H-EVA cements to allow an assessment of the environmental impacts. They will serve as input data for the software that carries out the life cycle analysis1 of a construction product, often comprising several materials. As a reminder, H-UKR is a cement based on alkali-activated blast furnace slag, which addresses the precast concrete, ready-mix concrete and cement bag markets. H-EVA cement is formulated thanks to ettringite technology in alkaline environment, which addresses the mortar, coatings and road binders and ready-mixed concrete markets. Julien Blanchard and David Hoffmann, co-founders of Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies, state: "The publication of the LCI of our cements in the reference national environmental and health database is a first in France and is part of our determined ambition to decarbonize the construction sector and be fully transparent vis-a-vis all our stakeholders. It also illustrates our commitment in the face of the climate change emergency and the need to reconcile cement and the environment. To see the LCI of Hoffmann cements, click here: https://www.base-inies.fr/iniesV4/dist/consultation.html Upcoming investor event: 7th Portzamparc Mid Small Cap annual Conference: April 1st, 2020 in Paris Upcoming financial press release: 2019 revenue and results, on April 27, 2020 (after market) About Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies Founded in 2014, Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies designs, produces and distributes innovative low-carbon cements with a substantially lower carbon footprint than traditional cement. Fully aware of the environmental emergency and the need to reconcile the construction sector, cement manufacturing and the environment, the Group believes it is at the heart of a genuine technological breakthrough based on altering cement's composition and the creation of a heating-free and clean manufacturing process, without clinker. Hoffmann Green's cements, currently manufactured on a first 4.0 industrial site with no kiln nor chimney in western France, address all construction sector markets and present, at equivalent dosage and with no alteration in the concrete manufacturing process, higher performances than traditional cement. For further information, please go to www.ciments-hoffmann.com 1 The life cycle analysis is an environmental assessment method that makes it possible to quantify the impacts of a product throughout its life cycle, from extracting raw materials to end life processing, manufacture, distribution and use. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005666/en/ Contacts: Hoffmann Green Jerome Caron Chief Financial Officer finances@ciments-hoffmann.fr +33 (0)2 51 46 06 00 NewCap Sandrine Boussard-Gallien Theodora Xu Investor Relations ciments-hoffmann@newcap.eu +33 (0)1 44 71 94 94 NewCap Nicolas Merigeau Media Relations ciments-hoffmann@newcap.eu +33 (0)1 44 71 94 98 Michigans presidential primary elections will be held on Tuesday, March 10. Though there will be nearly 20 names on the ballot for voters to choose between, only three candidates have a serious shot at winning their partys nomination for president. President Donald Trump is all but assured to run for re-election as the Republican nominee, while Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden duke it out for the Democratic nomination. There are six states holding Democratic primaries on March 10, but Michigan is the biggest prize of the night. Michigans 125 delegates make it an important battleground for Biden and Sanders, who are neck and neck in the delegate count after Super Tuesday. Trump faces little opposition in Michigan. Hes easily won all of the Republican primary contests thus far. Voters can only participate in one of the primary elections. Michiganders must choose whether to cast a vote in the Republican or Democratic primary. A candidate who isnt in the race can still earn votes on election day even win delegates, but its unlikely. The Michigan Democratic Partys delegate selection plan requires candidates to receive 15% of the vote in each congressional district to receive any delegates. The Michigan Republican Party requires candidates to receive at least 20% of the primary vote in order to receive any delegates. Heres a look at who will be on Michigans presidential primary ballot, and who is no longer running. Democratic Party Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign rally Monday, March 2, 2020, at Texas Southern University in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)AP Former Vice President Joe Biden Biden, 77, has framed the election as a battle for the soul of America. The former vice president argues four more years of Trump in the White House would fundamentally alter the character of the United States and has blamed Trump for a rise in racism and xenophobia. Democrats agree on the need to usurp Trump, but Biden says hes the only candidate who can win back working-class voters in Midwest swing states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. His campaign is also boosted by strong support among African Americans. Biden clashed with progressive rivals over health care and the legacy of the Affordable Care Act, passed while he was working under President Barack Obama. Biden has proposed building on the ACAs foundation by giving people a choice to opt into Medicare. Biden previously represented Delaware in the U.S. Senate from 1973 to 2009. Biden ran for president twice, in 1987 and 2007, but has never secured the Democratic Partys nomination. Visit his campaign website here. About 1,200 people filled Ballenger Field House to hear Sen. Bernie Sanders speak on Saturday, March 7, 2020 during a town hall meeting about racial and environmental justice at Mott Community College in Flint. Sanders, D-Vermont, is one of the final Democratic presidential candidates prior Tuesday's primary. (Jake May | MLive.com)The Flint Journal, MLive.com U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Sanders, 78, is building on the progressive movement started by his 2016 campaign and has been a front-runner throughout his second attempt at the presidency. The Vermont senator pulled off a stunning victory in Michigan after trailing in polls before the 2016 primary, but ultimately did not secure the nomination. One of the biggest questions of the 2020 primary is whether voters who supported Sanders last time will find more to like about opponents who have taken up some of his policy proposals. He and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., are campaigning on similar promises to fight economic inequality, and many of the policies he campaigned on three years ago have since become mainstream. Sanders says he is the best champion for proposals like Medicare for All, eliminating student debt and the Green New Deal" and points to a lifetime of political activism. Sanders argues his campaign --- based on economic, racial, social and environmental justice for all -- can unite a coalition of working people that will reject Trump. Sanders is serving his third term in the U.S. Senate. He previously served in the House from 1991 to 2007. As a senator, Sanders is officially an independent but caucuses with the Democratic Party. He is a self-described democratic socialist. Visit Sanders campaign website here. Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii speaks to Democrats gathered at the Spratt Issues Conference in Greenville, S.C., Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)AP U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii Gabbard, 37, became the first Hindu elected to Congress in 2012. The four-term U.S. representative from Hawaii was the former vice chair of the Democratic National Committee. Before being elected to serve in the House, Gabbard was the youngest person to serve in the Hawaii House of Representatives. Gabbard joined the Hawaii Army National Guard after the September 11 terrorist attacks and was deployed on two tours of duty in the Middle East. Gabbard has generally advocated for a non-interventionist stance toward foreign affairs, calling for an end to regime change wars in the Middle East. Hillary Clinton infamously referred to Gabbard as a Russian asset last year, leading Gabbard to hit the 2016 Democratic nominee with a $50 million defamation lawsuit. Gabbard was the only House Democrat running for president who did not vote to charge Trump with two articles of impeachment. Gabbard instead voted present" and slammed the impeachment process as politically motivated and "fueled by tribal animosities that have so gravely divided our country. Gabbards mother was born in Indiana and grew up in Michigan, according to her campaign website. Republican Party President Donald Trump with Vice President Mike Pence, speaks during a coronavirus briefing with Airline CEOs in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Wednesday, March 4, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)AP President Donald Trump Trump, 73, officially filed his campaign for re-election on the same day of his inauguration in 2017. Trump also confirmed that Vice President Mike Pence will remain his running mate in 2020. The 45th president is running on a promise to Keep America Great after his 2016 campaign to Make America Great Again. Trumps campaign website contains a large list of accomplishments while in office, including improvements in the economy, enforcing immigration laws and promoting fair trade. Michigan is an important state for the president. His ability to flip Michigan and other Midwest states that were part of Democrats blue wall was a key reason he was elected in 2016. Trump managed to become the first Republican to win Michigan since 1988, but only secured his victory by a 11,000-vote margin. The close race means Democrats are hoping they can take Michigan back in 2020. Trump became the third president impeached by the U.S. House and is the first impeached president to seek re-election. Visit Trumps campaign website here. Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld speaks during the Climate Forum at Georgetown University, Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)AP Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld Weld, 74, was the Libertarian Partys nominee for vice president in the 2016 election, sharing the ticket with Gary Johnson. Weld focused his campaign on criticisms of Trumps personality and experience. However, he only has one delegate to his name as of March 9. A Harvard and Oxford graduate, Weld began his career as legal counsel to the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary before becoming the U.S. attorney for Massachusetts and assistant U.S. attorney general at the Department of Justice's criminal division. Weld served as the Republican governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997. Visit Welds campaign website here. The dropouts There are many more candidates who remain on Michigans primary ballot despite their campaigns ending before the election. This includes the following: Democratic Party Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg Businessman Tom Steyer U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo. U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. Former U.S. Housing Secretary Julian Castro Former U.S. Rep. John Delaney, D-Md. Former U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Penn. Author Marianne Williamson Businessman Andrew Yang Republican Party Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford Former U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh, R-Ill. Read more on MLive: A complete guide: How to see Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders campaign events in Michigan this weekend and Monday Biden and Sanders compete for black votes ahead of Michigan Democratic presidential primary The big question for Michigan Democrats: Is Biden or Sanders more likely to beat Trump? Michigan election is Tuesday, and its not just a presidential primary Bernie Sanders urges college supporters to vote at Ann Arbor rally before Michigan primary 5 things to watch in Tuesdays Michigan primary results Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 19:04:24|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close HONG KONG, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Japan approved the coronavirus bill on Tuesday as Asia-Pacific countries reported more COVID-19 cases, with the number of infections hitting 100 in Australia. JAPAN The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a special bill to enable better provisions to be made to combat the COVID-19 outbreak and empowering Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to declare a state of emergency if necessary as the infections continue to rise. The bill, which will be effective for a period of up to two years, is a revision of an existing law on novel influenza and has been made applicable to COVID-19. It will be valid until February 2022 as COVID-19 was officially classified as a designated infectious disease in Japan in February. The bill is likely to clear the lower house of parliament on Thursday and the upper house a day later as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition holds a majority in both chambers. Under the new amended law, the government would have extended powers once a state of emergency has been declared for particular parts of the country. "Given that individual rights would be suppressed after an emergency declaration, I would thoroughly examine its potential impacts when making a decision," Abe told a budget committee session on Monday. Japan's health ministry and local governments said that the number of COVID-19 infections increased by nine on Tuesday to stand at a total of 519 infected people in Japan as of 5:00 p.m. local time. The health ministry said there are currently 33 patients considered severely ill and are on ventilators to receive respiratory assistance or have been admitted to intensive care units for medical treatment. The death toll in Japan from the virus currently stands at 27, according to the health ministry, with the figure including those from the Diamond Princess. AUSTRALIA The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Australia has reached 100, Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt announced on Tuesday. "Within Australia we now have 100 officially confirmed cases and sadly there have been three lives lost," Hunt said. The figure includes a number of patients who have subsequently recovered from the disease and does not include hundreds of people currently awaiting test results. Following a ramping up of containment measures in Italy, Hunt said that Australian authorities would consider introducing more rigid restrictions on arrivals from the country. SOUTH KOREA South Korea confirmed 131 more cases of the COVID-19 on Tuesday, raising the total number of infections to 7,513. As of midnight local time, the number of infected patients totaled 7,513, up 131 from 24 hours ago. Three more deaths were reported, lifting the death toll to 54. The total fatality rate stood at 0.7 percent, but the figure among those in their 80s or higher gained to 6.8 percent. Eighty-one more patients were discharged from quarantine after making full recovery, raising the combined number to 247. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) decided to update the data once a day at 10:00 a.m. local time beginning Tuesday, after having announced it twice a day. The PHILIPPINES The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) said on Tuesday that nine more people in the Philippines have tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country to 33. The country's Health Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire clarified that the 11 new cases announced earlier by the DOH "are in fact new positive samples and not cases." "Upon verification, DOH reported that two of the new positive samples are repeat tests on samples," she told a news conference, adding that the DOH's earlier report that the total cases have reached 35 was a "mistake." Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte signed on Sunday the proclamation and declared a public health emergency as anxiety mounts over the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country. Duterte ordered on Monday night the suspension of classes in the National Capital Region from March 10 to 14 as part of efforts to prevent the transmission of the COVID-19 in Metro Manila after the number of cases more than doubled on Monday. INDIA India's federal health ministry on Tuesday said the total number of the COVID-19 cases in the country had risen to 47. "The total number of Confirmed COVID-19 cases across India is 47," officials from the health ministry said. "Of these cases, 31 are Indians and 16 foreign nationals." According to officials, 941,717 international passengers from 8,827 flights have been screened at airports until now with 54 passengers being referred to IDSP and hospitals. "To meet the increasing demand and convenient screening of passengers, manpower deployed at airports has been substantially increased," the ministry said. "There are now 286 doctors, 160 nurses and 295 paramedics stationed at airports across the country." The local governments in various states have ordered the closure of primary schools until March 31 as a precautionary measure in wake of the spike in COVID-19 cases. India's western state of Maharashtra has reported first time two cases of COVID-19 after a couple from Pune, 150 km from Mumbai testing positive on Monday evening. The two patients, husband and wife aged 53 years and 45 years, respectively, returned to India from Dubai on March 1 and reported to the hospital on Monday after developing mild symptoms, state health officials said. "Their samples were immediately sent for testing and both were positive for COVID-19," said Dr. Archana Patil of Directorate of Health Services (DHS), Maharashtra. VIETNAM Vietnam confirmed two new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, bringing the total infected cases to 33, according to the country's Ministry of Health. The first one is a 24-year-old Vietnamese girl returning to the country from Britain on Monday. She was reportedly in contact with a 26-year-old Vietnamese girl confirmed to be the 17th case to contract the virus on Friday. The second one is a 58-year-old British tourist, who was on a same flight from London to Hanoi with a Vietnamese female who as confirmed to be infected with the virus on March 6 and known as the 17th case in the country. So far Vietnam has confirmed 33 infection cases with 16 discharged from hospital. The country has reported 17 new infections since March 6, among which 11 are foreign tourists. The country has 210 suspected cases with more than 20,000 being put under quarantine as of Tuesday, according to its health ministry. Vietnam announced on Monday the temporary suspense of visa waiver program for nationals of Britain and seven European Union countries of Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Spain and Switzerland. The country has earlier suspended the visa waiver program for South Korean and Italian citizens. Vietnam's national air carrier Vietnam Airlines will disinfect all inbound international flights after the country confirmed over 10 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infections on a flight run by the carrier from London to the Vietnamese capital city of Hanoi. The air carrier will disinfect interior plane parts including passenger cabin and crew cabin, especially frequently touched surfaces like overhead locker and handles, right after plane landing. AFGHANISTAN The Afghan Public Health Ministry on Tuesday confirmed a new case of the COVID-19 in the country. The new case was detected in northern Samangan province, bringing the total number of infections in the country to five, the ministry's spokesman Dr. Wahid Mayar said. It was an imported case as the patient returned from Iran a couple of days ago, and had been isolated, he added. Four cases were reported in western Herat province bordering Iran. More than 120 suspected cases were tested negative and 10 suspected cases are still under investigation since the outbreak of the disease on Feb. 24, according to health officials. MALDIVES The Maldives Health Protection Agency said on Tuesday that two new cases of the COVID-19 were detected at the Kuredu Island resort, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the island country to six. Local media quoted government spokesperson Mabrook Abdul Azeez as reporting that all the six positive cases were foreign nationals and strict quarantine measures were in place to prevent the virus from spreading further. Both the Kuredu Island and the Sandies Bathala Resort Island have been placed on lockdown. Entry to and exit from the islands have been indefinitely restricted, Mabrook said. The Maldives Health Protection Agency said the situation of Kuredu Island Resort and Sandies Bathalaa Resort was being closely monitored. Health officials have shared that individuals from our school community who visited the facility days after the Feb. 28 event are not at risk of contracting the virus, the letters said. While there is no specific concern for these students, all of our families should remain vigilant with their health and follow the CDC guidelines and best practices. [March 10, 2020] American Gene Technologies to Present at 2020 Inborn Errors of Metabolism Drug Development Summit in Boston ROCKVILLE, Md., March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Gene Technologies (AGT), a leading gene and cell therapy company in Rockville, Maryland, is pleased to announce its Chief Science Officer C. David Pauza, Ph.D will present at the Inborn Errors of Metabolism Drug Development Summit in Boston, MA on March 11, 2020. Dr. Pauza will present how AGT used its proprietary, lentiviral vector based technology to develop a treatment for phenylketonuria (PKU), a debilitating inherited disease affecting 1 in 13,500 children born in the U.S. AGT's lentiviral vector approach is intended to provide a permanent cure with the goal of improving quality of life for more than 16,000 people living with PKU in the U.S. alone. This treatment is currently in pre-clinical development and has received orphan-drug designation #DRU-2018-6572 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ( press release ). More specifically, Dr. Pauzas presentation, Treating PKU by Lentiviral Vector Gene Delivery to Liver, will cover AGTs PKU asset. Key topic areas will include: Exploiting natural tropism of lentivirus vectors Permanent genetic modification suitable for infants New strategies to improve hepatocyte transduction Details of his conference presentation: Event: Speaker: Date: Time: Location: 2020 Inborn Errors of Metabolism Drug Development Summit C. David Pauza, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer at AGT Wednesday, March 11, 2020 12:30 a.m. EDT Courtyard Boston Downtown/North Station, 107 Beverly St., Boston, MA Dr. Pauza will be joined at the conference by two other members of the American Gene Technologies team: Irene Tennant , M.Sc., VP of Clinical Product Development and Regulatory Affairs and Kelly Huang, Ph.D ., Director of Preclinical Product Development. Dr. Kelly Huang will present a poster on American Gene Technologies Phenylketonuria (PKU) asset <>AGT324 during the poster session of the conference. A poster is available for download. About Speaker C. David Pauza, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer, AGT: C. David Pauza, PhD is Chief Science Officer for American Gene Technologies and Adjunct Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland Medical School in Baltimore. Prior to joining AGT, Dr. Pauza was Associate Director for the universitys prestigious Institute of Human Virology and Co-Leader of the Greenebaum Cancer Center Program in Viral Oncology. He is an internationally recognized expert in human virology and viral diseases including HIV, arenaviruses, poxviruses and herpesviruses. He has published more than 150 scientific papers and holds twelve U.S. patents. About Kelly Huang, Ph.D ., Preclinical Product Development, AGT: Kelly Huang, PhD is Director of Preclinical Product Development for American Gene Technologies. Dr. Huang is a scientist with extensive experience developing cell-based and molecular-based assays, as well as, building ground-up research programs for both virology and human immunology. Kelly has led preclinical and translational research efforts to enable clinical stage drug development. Prior to joining AGT, Dr. Huang was the Scientific Director at Precision for Medicine where she built a team of scientists that developed a variety of drugs in oncology, autoimmunity and infectious disease. About Irene Tennant, M.Sc. , Clinical Product Development and Regulatory Affairs, AGT: Irene Tennant is the VP of Clinical Product Development and Regulatory Affairs. She has more than 20 years of experience in clinical research & development and operations management for leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including Pfizer and Novartis. She has successfully built and led clinical teams supporting the development of first in class treatments in gene medicine, oncology, and infectious diseases. Since 2005, Irene has supported the development of cell and gene therapy treatments to address solid tumor cancers and degenerative eye diseases using an adenovirus vector-based therapy. Her experience in gene therapy also includes other vector platforms such as plasmid and lentiviral vectors. Irene expects to take AGTs lead candidate for an HIV cure into the clinic this year. About American Gene Technologies (AGT) American Gene Technologies (AGT) is a gene and cell therapy company with a proprietary gene-delivery platform for rapid development of cell and gene therapies to cure infectious diseases, cancers, and inherited disorders. The Company's mission is to transform people's lives through genetic medicines that rid the body of disease. The Company expects to take its patented lead candidate for an HIV cure to the clinic in 2020. AGT has an extensive patent and intellectual property portfolio that includes infectious disease, monogenic disorders, and cancer, including seven patents for its unique immuno-oncology approach to stimulate gamma-delta (?d) T cells to destroy a variety of solid tumors. The Company has developed a synthetic gene for treating Phenylketonuria (PKU), a debilitating inherited disease. AGT's treatment for PKU has been granted Orphan Drug Designation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and it is expected to reach the clinic in 2020. To learn more about AGTs PKU treatment and/or partnership opportunities, contact Chief Financial Officer Neil Lyons, CPA at [email protected] . About the Inborn Errors of Metabolism Drug Development Summit: Inborn Errors of Metabolism Drug Development Summit is a three-day conference that brings together over 80 inherited metabolic disease drug developers and key opinion leaders from the likes of Takeda, Sanofi, BioMarin and Regeneron. The Summit is the first and only meeting dedicated exclusively to solving companies translational drug development challenges. This end-to-end conference will provide the platform, resources, and support for companies to overcome their drug development hurdles by furthering their understanding of disease progression and therapeutic outcomes, developing more robust and effective therapeutic delivery systems, and improving their knowledge of the payer and reimbursement landscape. The conference features 24 expert speakers, workshops and a poster session. Please visit https://inborn-errors.com/ for information about the conference. For a full agenda, click here . For questions about the event, contact Stephanie Affleck, Event Coordinator [email protected] , or Fergus Cunningham, Program Director [email protected] . American Gene Technologies Contacts: C. Neil Lyons, Chief Financial Officer Phone: (301) 337-2269 Email: [email protected] Sasha Whitaker, Digital Marketing and Communications Phone: (301) 337-2100 Email: [email protected] A poster accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6811c5c0-350f-48d5-882e-bfead54eb366 WASHINGTON, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Airlines for America (A4A) provided clarity for travelers regarding air travel, correcting the false media narratives that have led to confusion and uncertainty across the country. Has the U.S. government issued guidance? The safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew is the top priority of U.S. carriers. They will not fly anywhere deemed unsafe, and right now domestic routes remain open for business. In fact, numerous government and health officials agree it is safe to fly and America remains open for business. There are no restrictions on domestic travel. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued guidance encouraging elderly travelers and those with underlying medical conditions to "avoid situations that put them at increased risk for more severe disease. This entails avoiding crowded places, avoiding non-essential travel such as long plane trips, and especially avoiding embarking on cruise ships." For updates on government guidance and details about what carriers are doing, please visit www.AirlinesTakeAction.com. Should I avoid air travel? Numerous health officials have affirmed that the risk remains low for travelers who follow CDC guidelines. CDC Director Robert Redfield reiterated last week, "I just want to echo again that the risk is low the risk is low. I encourage Americans to go about their life. That includes travel to California, Oregon, and the state of Washington." Read more about what medical experts, business leaders and elected officials are saying here. The U.S. Surgeon General, Jerome Adams, explained this weekend that, although individuals who are older or who have existing medical conditions may want to take steps back to protect themselves, the threat remains low for the vast majority of Americans. The World Health Organization has advised against the application of travel or trade restrictions, which are "not effective" in preventing the spread of COVID-19. What are carriers doing to ensure the wellbeing of travelers? U.S. airlines are working around the clock enhancing disinfection and cleaning protocols, especially in the areas of the cabins touched most frequently such as arm rests and tray tables. Carriers also are collaborating with airports, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to ensure appropriate cleaning in public spaces of the airport. What can I do to protect myself when traveling? The World Health Organization suggests taking these precautionary measures: Staying home if you are sick Washing your hands frequently Avoid touching your eyes, hands and mouth Covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze It is important to heed this guidance from medical experts. Airlines encourage all travelers to visit the CDC's website and to utilize these common sense, preventative measures. We must all be prudent and prepared but avoid panic. Should I reconsider my Spring break travel plans? Once again, it is important to listen to the medical experts. Just a few days ago, Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said that it is safe to fly in the U.S. Medical experts constantly are reviewing data and have concluded that there is no reason for most Americans to avoid boarding a plane and going on their Spring Break trips. What if I need to cancel my flight? Carriers have announced travel policies to accommodate customers who are feeling unwell, fall within high-risk categories or otherwise need to reschedule their travel, including waiving change and cancellation fees. Additional information can be found on individual carriers websites and at www.AirlinesTakeAction.com. ABOUT A4A Annually, commercial aviation helps drive $1.7 trillion in U.S. economic activity and more than 10 million U.S. jobs. U.S. airlines fly 2.4 million passengers and more than 58,000 tons of cargo each day. Airlines for America (A4A) advocates on behalf of the American airline industry as a model of safety, customer service and environmental responsibility and as the indispensable network that drives our nation's economy and global competitiveness. A4A works collaboratively with the airlines, labor, Congress, the Administration and other groups to improve aviation for the traveling and shipping public. For more information about the airline industry, visit our website airlines.org and our blog, A Better Flight Plan, at airlines.org/blog. Follow us on Twitter: @airlinesdotorg. Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/AirlinesforAmerica. Join us on Instagram: instagram.com/AirlinesforAmerica. SOURCE Airlines for America Related Links http://www.airlines.org The Malaysian Air Force is converting two of its CN-235 twin-turboprop transports into maritime patrol aircraft. This involves equipping the transports with the Merlin maritime surveillance system provided by an American firm. This system is similar to the one being used in U.S. Coast Guard CN-235 transports. That one uses military-grade naval search radars. The Merlin system is already operating on three CN-235s used by the Indonesian military so the Malaysians had an opportunity to see how that worked for their neighbor and know what they are getting. The U.S. Coast Guard has 18 HC-144 ("Ocean Sentry") MPA (Maritime Patrol Aircraft) that are basically CN-235s converted to maritime patrol aircraft. The coast guard wanted 36 of these aircraft but budget problems halted acquisition at 18. The first one entered service in 2006 and carried out its first search and rescue mission in 2008. By 2011 HC-144s had flown 10,250 hours on patrol missions. Some were over land when there was a natural disaster that needed air recon quickly. The Ocean Sentry is actually a militarized CN-235, which is a cheaper ($19 million each) alternative to the larger, four-engine P-3 and P-8 aircraft the U.S. Navy uses for high seas recon. The CN-235 suits the coastal patrol needs of the coast guard in just about any nation. The CN-235 is a civilian twin-engine, 15-ton aircraft with a max payload of six tons. With about three tons of sensors and other equipment, a typical load for an MPA, the CN-235 can stay in the air for up to eleven hours per sortie. Most missions are about ten hours. Cruising speed is about 435 kilometers an hour. The CN-235 is equipped with a thermal imager and electronic monitoring equipment, in addition to the sea search radar. Malaysia and Indonesia will use their CN-235 MPA to keep watch for smugglers, Islamic terrorists and foreign fishing boats illegally fishing. The Chinese are the most brazen poachers and Indonesia is one of their favorite poaching grounds. Recently several dozen Chinese fishing boats, accompanied by armed Chinese coast guard ships arrived off Indonesia to steal a lot of fish. The Chinese have done this before and will only heave if a more heavily armed Indonesian ship shows up and fires a few warning shots. Malaysia and Indonesia both have problems with China claiming some of their offshore water rights. This is part of the Chinese effort to take control of most of the South China Sea, including all the economic treasures found there (fish, natural gas, oil and so on.) Several nations have adapted twin-engine business jets as maritime patrol aircraft. This is a more expensive option but provides a faster aircraft that can patrol offshore areas faster or simply get to a patrol area faster. PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-10 10:11:03 Press release Paris, March 10, 2020 Ingenico chalks up a record number of micro-donations on its payment terminals in 2019 Committed for many years to a more responsible form of development, Ingenico Group (Euronext: FR0000125346 ING), the world leader in integrated payment solutions, looks back on the total number of micro-donations1 made in 2019 in Europe. The Group, a Tech for Good advocate, was the first supplier of payment solutions to incorporate donations into payment terminals in the United Kingdom, in 2011, and in France, in 2015. In close cooperation with its partners, the Group has pursued this process for several years. Ingenico: a Tech for Good advocate Convinced that the payment process, which is rooted in the day-to-day life of consumers, has to be responsible, Ingenico set itself the task of giving it a new role: a process that has a positive impact on society as a whole. The Group therefore introduced - first in the United Kingdom in 2011 - the option of making a micro-donation through the payment terminal while making a purchase. This initiative was extended to France in 2015 and then to Spain in 2018. The micro-donation initiative forms part of the actions taken since 2015 by the Group2 to respond to the major challenges identified by Ingenico in the payment sector, whether social, economic or environmental in nature. For Nicolas Huss, CEO of Ingenico Group: After recording in 2019 almost 17 million micro-donations on our payment terminals - amounting to 4 million - thanks to our partnerships with microDON, Pennies and Worldcoo , we intend to go further and extend this process to more retailers and countries. Our aim is to encourage donations on all of our solutions and to offer a maximum of our clients the chance to support every day, if they so wish, a useful project for the common good. Record number of micro-donations in 2019 In 2019, there was a record number of micro-donations made on Ingenico solutions. This act of solidarity was very popular with consumers and gave a new breath of life to the non-profits in question, which were short of new sources of funding. In 2019: The number of micro-donations in France doubled last year in comparison with 2018, rising to 11,415,309 micro-donations, amounting to 2,691,036; doubled last year in comparison with 2018, rising to 11,415,309 micro-donations, amounting to 2,691,036; In the United Kingdom , the number of micro-donations in 2019 rose to 1,114,401, amounting to 505,787; , the number of micro-donations in 2019 rose to 1,114,401, amounting to 505,787; In Spain, Ingenico recorded 4,416,906 micro-donations, amounting to 817,627. In Europe, Ingenico and its three partners - microDON (France), Pennies (United Kingdom) and Worldcoo (Spain) - were therefore responsible last year for 16,946,616 micro-donations, representing a total of 4,014,450. Olivier Cueille, CEO of microDON, notes: 2019 was the best year for micro-donations: a year in which numbers rocketed. We have to capitalise on this very positive dynamic by increasing the level of social responsibility in companies and by stepping up the implementation of our solutions with Ingenico to ensure that charity rounding has a bigger impact. 2020 promises to be a stimulating year! Alison Hutchinson, CEO of Pennies: Thanks to our partnership with technology companies like Ingenico - who led the way in the UK - we are able to unlock more of the potential offered by micro-donations, and harness a community of giving amongst businesses and consumers in the UK, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. We estimate there is a huge 1bn opportunity if every UK card holder gave just 30p every week. Ingenico, and others, are supporting the early growth in this movement. Pennies are on track to hit 100 million donations this year, a real milestone in micro-giving. For Borja Goizueta, Partner at Worldcoo: 2019 was Worldcoos best year. After developing micro-donations on payment terminals with Ingenico, we increased the total value of donations by a factor of ten on the previous year. The success of micro-donations paints a picture of solidarity for the future The concept behind making a micro-donation on a payment terminal is simple. When paying a purchase with a bank card in a participating store, the consumer is invited to add a few cents (or pence) or to round up his or her purchase to the nearest euro (or pound) for the benefit of a charity and the projects that it supports. Based on simple donation methods, the micro-donation process triggers the feeling of civic engagement within many consumers. In fact, it has been reported that two thirds of French people would be willing to make donations in this way - as confirmed by the high participation rate in stores3. Ingenico intends to carry on supporting the vital work of hundreds of voluntary organisations in France and Europe, and aims to boost the impact of payment-terminal micro-donations on the premises of tens of retailers over the coming years. 1 A micro-donation is an embedded generosity solution that enables a consumer to add a donation of a few cents (or pence) to his or her purchase in a store by selecting the option directly on the payment terminal. 2 To find out more about Ingenicos SHARE programme, read the interview of Marine Le Picard, Ingenicos CSR Director, here . 3 According to the 2018 study conducted by France Generosites and published in April 2019. --- About Ingenico Group Ingenico Group (Euronext: FR0000125346 ING) is the global leader in seamless payments, providing smart, trusted and secure solutions to empower commerce across all channels, in-store, online and mobile. With the worlds largest payment acceptance network, we deliver secure payment solutions with a local, national and international scope. We are the trusted world-class partner for financial institutions and retailers, from small merchants to several of the worlds best-known global brands. Our solutions enable merchants to simplify payment and deliver their brand promise. www.ingenico.com About microDON Founded in 2009 by Pierre-Emmanuel Grange and Olivier Cueille, microDON is an ESUS (Solidarity Company of Social Utility) social company approved and certified B-Corp, which offers innovative solutions to facilitate solidarity commitment. These community mobilization and crowd-sponsoring tools are intended to offer everyone the opportunity to be an active part of change in a simple, painless and on their own scale. www.microdon.org About Pennies Pennies is an award-winning fintech charity (registered no. 1122489) launched in November 2010. Their digital charity box is the digital upgrade of the traditional collection tin, designed to fit with our increasingly cashless lifestyles. Anyone can feel-good give with participating Pennies retailers by donating a few pence to charity when paying by card or mobile wallet. Its as simple as a single press of a button or click of a mouse. Pennies has enabled an incredible 89 million small change digital donations to date through its digital charity box, raising 22 million in extra income for more than 550 charities, and growing. Pennies is live across a breadth of 60+ retail, hospitality and service sector leaders, including Dominos, Boots Opticians, Screwfix, Medivet, Hobbycraft, Topps Tiles, Virgin Holidays, Zizzi, The Entertainer, Greene King, Signet-owned jewellers H Samuel and Ernest Jones, and Rontec and MFG roadside retail outlets. It is also registered in the Republic of Ireland, Jersey and the Isle of Man. www.pennies.org.uk About Worldcoo Worldcoo is B Corp company that develops technologies to help NGOs to raise funds in an efficient way. The company is committed to innovation, solidarity and total transparency in every campaign it is involved in. Created in 2012, it has funded more than 375 projects from 35 different countries and 125 NGOs. www.worldcoo.com Contacts / Ingenico Group Medias Helene Carlander helene.carlander@ingenico.com +33 (0)7 72 25 96 04 Investors Laurent Marie laurent.marie@ingenico.com +33 (0)1 58 01 92 98 Attachment KALAMAZOO, MI -- The Paw Paw Redskins will be no more after district leaders voted to scrap the controversial mascot, citing division in the community. The Paw Paw Public Schools Board of Education voted 6-1 to respectively retire the long-standing mascot Redskins at the end of the school year. The name drew controversy and divided the community, the board said. Superintendent Rick Reo asked for the change in the mascot at a meeting Monday, March 9, because of division caused by the name, he said in the most recent edition of district newsletter Pride and Progress. Board member Thomas Baney was the lone person to vote against the resolution to retire the mascot. Related: Supporters mourn loss of Redskins tradition as district retires mascot The approval of the mascot change was met with cheers and applause from about half of the over 100 people who attended the meeting Monday. While some voiced support for generations of students representing the Redskins mascot, others thanked the board for reconsidering the issue and asked that the mascot be retired. The Redskin name has been a great source of school pride for many, many Paw Paw students and fans over the years, Reo said during the meeting. But the reality we face and we cant ignore is that our school community is divided with respect to the appropriateness of the Redskins as a school nickname. "More importantly, we need to acknowledge and address the impact of this division is having on our school climate and learning environment. Board President Brent McNitt, who voted in favor of keeping the mascot in 2017, said he supported Reos proposal because rather than deciding whether the name is right or wrong, the board decided Monday that the mascot is distracting from students education and causing division in the school community. This lays on top of our town like a fog, McNitt said. The only way we can move forward is to lift it. The board president said a mascot is a set of ideals and values that a community cares about. We need to place less emphasis on whats on kids jerseys and more emphasis on whats inside them, McNitt said. In 2017, the board voted to keep the mascot name in place amid protests. At the time, Reo was not yet named superintendent. He was hired by Paw Paw Public Schools in 2018 as a high school principal and later selected to lead the district as superintendent. In his letter appearing in the spring newsletter, Reo wrote he believes the district originally chose the mascot name out of respect and with the intent to honor and celebrate the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans" and never intended to degrade, belittle or promote hatred against Native Americans. Reo believes that intent has not changed, but sees division the issue has created in the school community, he said. Baney said he accepted the vote to keep the mascot in 2017 and was then put in the category of racists and bullies. My family is neither composed of bullies nor racists, Baney said. Baney said he has found flaws in the assumption that the term Redskin is toxic and that changing it will automatically end discord in our school and our town." Sporting red shirts with both the mascot imagery and name, parents and community members spoke of the school pride surrounding the mascot and the generations of students who have worn the name on their jerseys. Randy Good, said he grew up in Paw Paw and fought as a Redskin all throughout his school career. Good said he was an Native American himself and that he never feels discriminated against and doesnt believe the town to be racist. The community takes pride in its name and history, Good said. "If you strip away the Redskins, dont ever say pride behind Paw Paw ever again, Good said. Robin Berner said she was tired of people being offended and said society is teaching young people the wrong message about whats appropriate. Im tired of our history being erased," Berner said. Others in the crowd thanked the board for bringing the issue back to a vote and asked for the community to once again be united. Mike Pioch said there are other ways to have school pride without keeping the mascot. Something has to change to bring this community together, he said. Phil Columbo, a Paw Paw resident and graduate of the school district, said as a Native American, he experienced discrimination and bullying because of the clothes he wore. Racism in this country is institutional, he said. Lets have some healing. Put the past in the past. The district is currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education because the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan complained of a racially hostile educational environment." The investigation remains open as of Jan. 31, according to the Office of Civil Rights website. The ACLU filed a complaint with the federal government asking for an investigation in January 2019 because of a pervasive racially hostile environment," the ACLU said. In the complaint, the ACLU detailed several examples of a hostile environment, citing records received through the Freedom of Information Act. A spokesperson with the Department of Education said at the time that the investigation began Thursday, Dec. 5, but said because it was an open investigation, the department could not offer further details. The investigation is looking into possible discrimination on the basis of race," the spokesperson confirmed. The district denied the allegations by the ACLU in January 2019 and said school administrators work to promote diversity and to encourage cultural sensitivity. Also on MLive: Controversial Redskins mascot should be retired, says Paw Paw superintendent Federal authorities investigate complaint of racially hostile environment at Michigan school I-94 billboard protests schools Redskins mascot European airlines have been running near-empty flights in order to retain valuable airport slots, drawing sharp criticism from climate activists as the coronavirus outbreak dramatically reduces passenger demand. A so-called "use-it-or-lose-it" rule, enshrined under EU law, states airlines must fly 80% of their flights on a slot in order to safeguard their presence at major hubs for the next season. It has led to a situation whereby many airlines are thought to be operating so-called "ghost planes" with almost no passengers onboard. "Passenger demand for air travel has dramatically fallen due to COVID-19 and in some instances we are being forced to fly almost empty planes or lose our valuable slots," Shai Weiss, CEO of Virgin Atlantic, told CNBC via email on Tuesday. "In the aftermath of 9/11 and following the outbreak of SARS, slot rules were quickly relaxed. Yet today, where the demand impact is greater, we only see short-term alleviation on slots used to fly to China and Hong Kong." "Given the almost unprecedented impact on global passenger demand, the U.K. slot co-ordinator and the European Commission need to now urgently relax the rules for the whole Summer. Common sense must prevail." American Airlines employs 8,500 at PHL, the fourth-largest hub in its network. Read more News about the coronavirus is changing quickly. Go to inquirer.com/coronavirus for the latest information. American Airlines, responsible for about 70% of the traffic at Philadelphia International Airport, is slashing both international and domestic flights as coronavirus spreads, CNBC reported. The airline, which serves 600,000 passengers a day worldwide, will cut 10% off its summer international flying including a 55% cut to trans-Pacific flights, according to CNBC. Per its website, American Airlines is also suspending flights from Philadelphia to Rome, effective immediately through the end of April. United Airlines will cut domestic flights by 10% and international flights by 20% next month, and executives are planning similar reductions in May, the airline said Wednesday, underscoring the drop in demand for air travel given the worldwide spread of coronavirus. READ MORE: American Airlines president talks coronavirus, and making things run smoother at PHL Many major U.S. firms have paused non-essential travel, scientific conferences have been canceled, and some would-be passengers have balked at flying during a time of high uncertainty. "We sincerely hope that these latest measures are enough, but the dynamic nature of this outbreak requires us to be nimble and flexible moving forward in how we respond," United chief executive Oscar Munoz and President Scott Kirby said in a statement. The airline is seeking volunteers at the company to take unpaid leaves of absence, and is instituting a hiring freeze "except for roles that are critical to our operation," the executives said, noting that management and administrative salary increases are also being delayed. United said "given the high level of uncertainly regarding travel," no change fees will be charged for any domestic or international tickets purchased between March 3 and March 31. United pointed to sharp cutbacks in flights by other airlines, saying that Cathay Pacific "had canceled more than three-quarters of its weekly flights in March," and British Airways is making deep cuts later this month given the "large decline" in ticket purchases. Delta, the worlds biggest airline by revenue, said it will cut international flights by 20% to 25% and reduce U.S. flying by 10% to 15%, roughly matching cuts previously announced by United Airlines. CEO Ed Bastian said the airline is prepared to do more if the outbreak grows. If you are scared of flying, you are probably scared at any price, said Delta President Glen Hauenstein. The airline is cutting spending, including putting a freeze on hiring, delaying voluntary pension contributions and suspending share buybacks. American Airlines announced it will cut international flying by 10% this summer and reduce U.S. flying by 7.5% in April. It has delayed training of new pilots and flight attendants. United said it has arranged $2 billion in additional bank borrowing to preserve financial flexibility raising liquidity from $6 billion to $8 billion. The airlines are also evaluating their assets planes, engines, spare parts and other items to determine what could be used as collateral for more borrowing, if that is needed. "Airlines are experiencing double-digit declines in demand, and on many routes traffic has collapsed," Alexandre de Juniac, director general of the International Air Transport Association, said in a statement. The group noted that China's Ministry of Transport "reported an 80% annual fall in volumes in late January and early February." Globally, travel demand still rose 2.4% in January, compared with the same period the year before, the group said. Those figures only partially reflected the impact of travel restrictions, some of which did not begin until late January, the group said. Still, it marked the lowest increase in demand for travel since April 2010, during "the volcanic ash cloud crisis in Europe that led to massive airspace closures and flight cancellations." Travel in December, by contrast, was up 4.6% from the same month the previous year. The signs of slowdown reflect the "tip of the iceberg in terms of the traffic impacts," de Juniac said. The U.S. Travel Association reiterated that the outbreak is "expected to disrupt inbound travel, particularly from fast- growing Asian markets, over the coming months." United is cutting back flights to Asia and suspending its trips to Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu, in Sichuan province. United said its "aggressive" actions are designed to minimize impacts as much as possible, for example by cutting the weekly frequencies of certain flights, targeting routes that have alternatives "via other United hubs," and delaying the start of seasonal travel. The airline said it would not completely cut off flights to any of its domestic destinations. United said the specific schedule changes would be made public Saturday. David Keonig of the Associated Press, and Michael Laris of the Washington Post contributed to this report. Srinagar: External affairs minister, S. Jaishankar, on Monday arrived in Srinagar on a surprise visit to Kashmir Valley. The officials, however, said that the visit was primarily aimed at interacting with the families of Kashmiri students and pilgrims stranded in Iran. Srinagars DC Shahid Iqbal Choudhary told this newspaper that the J&K government prepared a list of more than 400 local students currently studying in various universities and colleges in Iran where the Coronavirus cases have increased over the past couple of weeks, giving sleepless nights to their families back home. This list was shared with the Government of India with a request that necessary arrangements may be made for the return of these students and pilgrims stuck in Iran, he said. He added that Mr. Jaishankar chose to visit Srinagar himself to interact with the families of these students and pilgrims to assure them that efforts are underway for their return from Iran. The official sources here said that External Affairs Minister flew into J&Ks summer capital almost quietly. He then held interaction with the families of the students and other locals stuck in Iran at Kashmir Convention Centre on the banks of Dal Lake. Though reporters were denied entry into the venue, the official sources later said that Mr. Jaishakanker told a group of 25 families whose wards are in Iran that the priority of the Government of India is to fly home the pilgrims who are changing their residences in Iran and lack adequate facilities. As far the students, he said that to bring them back was the governments second priority for they are, unlike pilgrims, better placed in their respective campuses. The sources said that the relatives of those stranded in Iran including students and Shia pilgrims from the Valley presently in holy city of Qom, about 140 km to the south of Tehran, demanded that the Centre airlifts them from Iran immediately. Mr. Jaishankar later tweeted Met in #Srinagar the families of Indian students in #Iran. Assured them that our Embassy @India_in_Iran is monitoring their welfare. We are committed to facilitating their early return to India. During his brief stay in Srinagar, the Union minister also met the representatives of local hoteliers, tour and travel operators and houseboat owners. While talking about this meeting he wrote on micro-blogging site Heard a clear message from them that they were ready for the forthcoming tourist season. Promised them that government would strongly support tourism promotion efforts, domestically and internationally. Later, he visited the passport office along City Boulevard and appreciated the good work and enthusiastic approach of its personnel. He also went to north-western town of Baramulla where besides interacting with local people, he e-inaugurated several projects. He tweeted, Heard from a broad cross-section about their strong expectations of change and development progress...confident that their faith in a better future will be realised. Meanwhile, the authorities here said the about 250 people from the Valley have returned home from Iran and China but none of them has reported with any visible signs of COVID-19 infection. The Deputy Commissioner of central district of Budgam Tariq Hussain Ganai said that 41 local residents who arrived from Iran and China recently will be quarantined at 76-bed facilities established at nine isolation locations in the district. He, however, also said that most of the suspects, who were admitted in quarantine isolation wards earlier, have tested negative with no symptoms of the infection on completing 28 days. The officials said that five groups comprising 160 pilgrims from Budgam, expected to return home from various countries including Iran, will also be quarantined whereas students who are returning from that country and China will be taken to isolation wards for a proper check-up. His counterpart in Srinagar, Mr. Choudhary in a message said, People who returned to Srinagar from Iran, Italy or Republic of Korea, since February 21, please contact our helpline No. 9419028251 for your own safety and that of others around you. The J&Ks health department tweeted Any passengers with travel history to COVID-19 affected countries be reported to health authorities. Help us to help you. The authorities said that, so far, three confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported from Ladakh and Jammu whereas they are awaiting the test results of the fourth probable patient whose samples have been sent for re-test. A woman resident whose test results have confirmed to be carrying the infection is admitted in Jammus government-run Medical College Hospital. A resident of Kargil, she lives in Jammu and had recently went to Iran along with her husband on pilgrimage, the officials said adding that a second patients sample is being sent for re-test. The J&K government in a statement late Monday evening said that till date 669 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been put under surveillance in the Union Territory- 460 of them in home quarantine including 20 at Jammu's Yatri Bhawan, 8 in hospital quarantine and 55 in home surveillance. It said that 146 people have completed their 28 days surveillance period whereas the samples of 55 others were sent for testing. "Of these, 26 have tested negative and one positive while 28 reports are awaited," it said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 18:47:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The central government's poverty alleviation funds reported an annual growth rate of 21 percent in China from 2013 to 2019, an official said. The central government will continue to increase poverty alleviation funds in 2020 and has allocated 113.6 billion yuan (about 16.39 billion U.S. dollars) to fight poverty this year, said Huang Yan, an official with the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, at a press conference Tuesday. The country's provincial-level regions, cities and counties have injected more than 200 billion yuan in poverty alleviation this year, and the figure is higher than the same period last year, she said. Due to the epidemic, nearly half of the migrant workers have not returned to their jobs in cities, said Wei Baigang, an official with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, at the press conference. The agricultural and rural departments need to boost services to help them return to cities for work, he said. For those who are engaged in farm work in villages, more should be done to help them prepare for spring plowing and provide them with sufficient agricultural materials and technological services, he said. The novel coronavirus is continuing to spread worldwide, with more than 113,000 cases and now more than 4,000 deaths. In the United States, health officials urge residents not to panic due to the viral infections low mortality rate. Still, they advise that older people are at the highest risk of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). People who are over 60 years old, as well as those with underlying health conditions such as lung disease, heart disease, and diabetes, are most vulnerable to getting sick or even dying from COVID-19. They should take extra precautions in protecting themselves, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns. Take extra precautions The CDC advises older adults, and those who are immunocompromised should stock up on supplies to reduce going out, take everyday precautions to keep space from other people. When going out in public, they should stay away from people who are sick and limit close contact. Further, regular handwashing and avoiding crowds as much as possible are crucial to prevent contracting the disease. In the case of a community outbreak, stay at home and reduce the risk of being exposed. Stock up on supplies The CDC also encourages older adults to prevent going out in public. In this regard, they should buy food and other essentials so they can stay at home for an extended period. Those who are at high risk should have enough groceries and household items, focusing on canned goods, such as fruits, beans, and vegetables, and also, pantry staples, including nuts, nut butter, shelf-stable milk, seeds, baby food, applesauce, quinoa, and frozen goods, among others. Aside from food and household items, it is imperative to stock on medicines and other essentials, such as hand sanitizer and soap. Image credit: Marina Lohrbachv / Shutterstock Avoid close contact with others One of the most straightforward recommendations from the CDC is for those who are at high risk to steer clear from people with obvious symptoms, such as cough. The CDC also advises Americans to avoid crowded places, including malls, concert halls, and other public places. High-risk individuals should also avoid plane travel if it is unnecessary. If a COVID-19 outbreak happens in your community, it could last for a long time. (An outbreak is when a large number of people suddenly get sick.) Depending on how severe the outbreak is, public health officials may recommend community actions to reduce peoples risk of being exposed to COVID-19. These actions can slow the spread and reduce the impact of the disease, the CDC said. If you are at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19 because of your age or because you have a serious long-term health problem, it is extra important for you to take action to reduce your risk of getting sick with the disease, it added. For those who contracted the infection, the CDC encourages them to stay home and call their doctor. They should inform their healthcare provider about their symptoms and ask for getting a test. For those who are not sick enough to be admitted to the hospital, they can stay at home, but they should know when to get emergency help. The most common signs and symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, which is usually dry, and shortness of breath. Virus entering a new phase, more test kits available The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19, is now entering a new phase, health experts say. The coronavirus has spread to 34 states in the United States and Washington, D.C. Health officials warned that more cases are likely to come, and many people will get infected eventually. The new phase is now happening as local transmissions, as the newly reported cases were people who had no travel history to high-risk countries or regions. Community transmission is more likely happening now. The government has announced that additional testing kits, which are now available across all 50 states in 78 state and local laboratories. The CDC said it has 75,000 laboratory kits for public labs to test for coronavirus disease. Aside from the test kits from the government, many testing kits will come from the private sector. Some laboratories have developed their tests, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it would allow, granting the CDC verified these. Bay of Plenty Regional Council regulatory services general Manager Sarah Omundsen says that exceptionally dry weather conditions are starting to put the regions waterways under unusual pressure. We already have rules and consent conditions in place to protect the base flows that keep local waterways healthy. But soil moisture levels are getting very low and some of the regions rivers and streams, especially in the western Bay of Plenty, have come close to record low flows in recent weeks. We havent reached the threshold for extra water restrictions yet, but were getting close and making preparations to act if its needed. Weve had small amounts of rain recently but need significantly more to really make a difference, she says. At an extraordinary Regional Council meeting today, Sarah told Councillors that staff have increased their water and compliance monitoring efforts in response to the prolonged dry spell. Staff have also been meeting weekly with the Bay of Plenty Primary Sector Co-ordination Group, which includes agencies such as Ministry for Primary Industries, Rural Support Trust, Fonterra, and NZ Kiwifruit Growers, to ensure a coordinated response to the effects of the current prolonged period of low rainfall for the region. MPI and industry groups are offering support to farmers and growers through their networks and the Rural Support Trust 0800 number (0800 787 524). Weve also been in close contact with our local district and city councils to monitor how their municipal supply systems are holding up, Sarah says. All of the municipal water suppliers have been encouraging people to conserve water as much as possible. Only Tauranga City and Western Bay of Plenty District Councils have needed to put formal restrictions in place so far; in the form of a sprinkler ban for Tauranga, and a sprinkler and hose ban for Te Puke. As part of Regional Councils preparations, Councillors approved a process for issuing Water Shortage Directions under the Resource Management Act (s.329), at their extraordinary meeting today. Weve never had to use a Water Shortage Direction before and we hope we wont have to yet. Todays decision means staff can be responsive, flexible and act quickly as needed based on changing weather conditions and the particular water demands, environmental and cultural values in each waterway and catchment. If water flows in a particular river or stream get too low, Regional Council can use a WSD to temporarily manage that. Direction details will be determined on a case-by-case basis, but could include actions such as staggering the timing of water takes or reducing the amount or the purposes for which people may take water from a river, stream or aquifer. If we do have to put a Water Shortage Direction in place, well inform consent holders and water users in the affected catchments about the direction details at that time. It would be a temporary measure until we get enough rain to restore and sustain minimum base flows. In the meantime, everyone can help avoid the need for new restrictions by checking for leaks, reducing water use wherever they can, and making sure theyre not taking water illegally. People should call us on our 0800 884 883 Pollution Hotline if theyre concerned about low flows or potentially illegal water takes, Sarah says. Information about water take consents and permitted activated levels is available at www.boprc.govt.nz/wateruse. Etihad Airways and Tencent Holdings Limited (Tencent), a leading provider of Internet value added services in China, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a collaboration that will identify potential opportunities to promote the growth and development of innovation and digitalisation for the tourism industry. Through the collaboration, Etihad Airways aims to enhance guest experience and broaden customer choice, as well as elevate its engagement with Chinese visitors. Etihad Airways will leverage Tencents cloud computing capabilities and social media platforms such as WeChat, the largest social media platform in China with over one billion monthly active users, to better support its customer engagement strategy in China, and other potential regions across global network via accessing Tencents network and ecosystem partners. As part of the collaboration, Etihad Airways has launched its own mini programme on WeChat, becoming one of the pilot international airlines to offer this service on the WeChat platform. Mini programs allow brands to interact with WeChat users through provision of advanced features within the WeChat environment, without requiring the need for separate app downloads or interfaces. Etihad Airways launched its WeChat public account in 2016, and the mini program is expected to boost its outreach to Chinese audiences. Robin Kamark, chief commercial officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said: The collaboration with Tencent presents a huge opportunity for Etihad, allowing us to engage with our guests on the biggest digital platform in China, speaking to them in their language and on their preferred platform. This is in line with our strategy of providing choice and customisation for our guests based on their preferences. Tencents established technological capabilities will undoubtedly supercharge our innovation drive, and I am very excited about the possibilities this will unlock for us. As we are all aware, the world continues to grapple with the novel coronavirus outbreak in China. Forging a partnership with Chinas Tencent right now shows our strong support for China, which is a very important market for Etihad. The continuation of our daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Beijing at such a challenging time reinforces our commitment. We want to express our solidarity with the citizens and our staff in China and the UAE, who have come together during this testing time. Jiayou stay strong, Kamark added. Poshu Yeung, vice president, International Business Group, Tencent, said: We are delighted to sign the MoU for the collaboration between Tencent and Etihad Airways, with a very pragmatic cooperation roadmap which rapidly formulates innovative strategies that will support the development of Chinas outbound tourism and further enhance our footprint in the Middle East market. - TradeArabia News Service Brits are facing holiday uncertainty as Spanish coronavirus cases surge ahead of the country's fast approaching tourism season. Spain has the world's fifth highest total of cases - with more than 1,622 infections and 35 deaths. The capital Madrid is taking drastic measures to prevent it from spreading by closing all schools and universities and disinfecting public transport every day. Even though the tourist season is fast approaching the government of Catalonia - which includes the popular destination of Barcelona - has said they will bring in similar measures if necessary. The capital Madrid is taking drastic measures to prevent it from spreading by closing all schools and universities and disinfecting public transport every day. Pictured are shoppers stocking up on supplies in a supermarket in Madrid today Spain has the world's fifth highest total of cases - with more than 1,622 infections and 35 deaths. Pictured: empty shelves in a Spanish supermarket today Jorge Marichal, president of the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Apartments, told The Local that the tourism industry has already suffered 'significant cancellations'. Reservations have fallen by 20 to 30 per cent, he added. Barcelona's Champions League last-16 second leg match with Napoli scheduled for March 18 will take place without spectators due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus, a club spokesman said on Tuesday. The match will take place at Camp Nou after a 1-1 draw in Napoli, but no supporters will be allowed to enter the stadium. The Spanish Health Ministry had said sport fixtures expected to draw crowds from zones designated as high-risk for coronavirus, such as northern Italy, would be played with nobody watching. A pedestrian walks along an empty street in the old village of Haro, northern Spain today Almost empty shelves are seen inside a supermarket in central Madrid, Spain today Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (centre) sitting next to Health Minister Salvador Illa (left) and the Director of Spain's Center for Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies (CCAES), Fernando Simon (right), during an inter-ministerial committee briefing on the COVID-19 disease today Spanish parliament's lower house suspended all activities for at least a week after lawmaker Javier Ortega Smith's party Vox revealed he had been diagnosed with coronavirus, El Pais reported. It comes after the last Brits who were quarantined at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace Hotel in Tenerife were finally allowed to leave today after Italian tourists tested positive for the virus there. A British dad tested positive in Majorca last month. The 46-year-old patient caught the killer bug in France but only developed symptoms on return to his Palma home on the Spanish island. Some of the last guests leave the locked down H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel after getting the all clear in La Caleta on the Canary island of Tenerife The final Brits who were quarantined at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace Hotel in Tenerife were finally allowed to leave today after Italian tourists tested positive for the virus there A woman does the shopping at a supermarket with empty shelves in Madrid today. Cases in the capital have surged in recent days Spain has seen a rapid increase in infections, with cases jumping from 589 on Sunday to 1,204 on Monday. Currently the case total stands at 1,622 - five times as many as Britain. Spain's government has expressed concern for the tourism industry however the Foreign Office has not yet warned against travel there. It is feared things will deteriorate like they have done in Italy - where all non-essential travel has been advised against. Several major airlines have stopped all flights to the country until April. Holidaymakers in Spain have been told to follow the advice of local authorities and comply with screening measures. So far the movement of tourists has not been restricted apart from the quarantine at the hotel in Tenerife and the cancellation of flights to and from Italy for two weeks. The worst affected areas are the Costa Brava, Costa Blanca, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands and Madrid. Members of the Red Cross show basic hygiene measures to help people protect themselves from coronavirus epidemic in Guadarrama, Madrid, Spain Coronavirus stockpiling has led to supermarkets in some parts of Madrid being stripped by panic buyers (pictured) Easter and summer bookings in Costa Blanca hotels are reportedly down by about 10 per cent on this time last year. Coronavirus stockpiling has led to supermarkets in some parts of Madrid being stripped by panic buyers. The Spanish government is expected to announce more measures aimed at containing the spread of the virus. A crowd of more than 60,000 attended day one of the Cheltenham Festival, after officials at the track backed measures in place on course to combat the coronavirus outbreak. A total of 60,664 was around 7,000 fewer than the record number present for the opening day of the famous meeting 12 months ago. Ian Renton, regional head of racing south-west for Jockey Club Racecourses, was anticipating a drop on last year's opening-day attendance - when a record 67,934 packed into Prestbury Park - because advance sales across the four-day meeting have not been as buoyant over the last two weeks. "We are very happy with the crowd of 60,664 considering the uncertainty of the last fortnight." Tom Deane, from Dublin, said: "It definitely seems a bit quieter. We've just been for a drink in the Centaur (bar), and usually you can't move an inch, but today it was quite comfortable. Big-race jockeys were briefed by Cheltenham staff at the course yesterday on best practice to limit covid-19 - and recognising any potential symptoms. Harry Cobden, who will ride Clan Des Obeaux in the Gold Cup on Friday, said: "The doctors, as you would expect, are taking it all very seriously and if anyone does have any symptoms we are to report them straight away. "We have been told to wash our hands more regularly, like what has been advised, for at least 20 seconds. Robbie Power said: "There are extra hand sanitisers in there and signs about. Everyone will just be giving thumbs up instead of shaking hands. "It would have been a terrible shame if the Festival was off, but the health of everyone is the thing that is first and foremost on everyone's mind. Nico de Boinville, who won the Supreme Novices on Shishkin, added: "We are not at the same stage as Italy and all we can do is listen to what the Government have told us. "I suppose we should be thinking about social distancing as well to help stop any spreading. "We don't know how long this will be around for and it could be around for a long time, but at this stage we are still lucky to go ahead with the Festival, so we just have to kick on." Richard Johnson will need to pass the doctor on Wednesday if he is to take his rides on day two of the Cheltenham Festival. The multiple champion jockey was partnering the Olly Murphy-trained Brewin'upastorm in Tuesday's Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy when he was unseated at the 10th fence. BHA spokesman Robin Mounsey said: "Richard Johnson was stood down for the day by the doctor. He will need to pass a medical examination in the morning to be able to take his rides." He has three booked rides on Wednesday and three more on Thursday, including Apple's Jade in the Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle. In other jockey news, Paddy Brennan, who was riding Jarveys Plate when the horse fell at the third fence in the Northern Trust Company Novices' Handicap Chase, was taken to hospital for X-rays. Media rights holders remain hopeful of agreeing a new deal with ITV for racing coverage from 2021 onwards. Reports suggest the channel could be in danger of losing the live rights to televise racing in Britain because it could not guarantee the biggest events, including Cheltenham, will be shown on its main channel from next year. There are nine months remaining on the existing four-year deal, with talks ongoing between ITV and the Racecourse Media Group (RMG), who deal with media rights sales on behalf of the courses. A spokesperson said: "Discussions continue, and we're pushing towards a win-win outcome for both parties." RMG is similarly optimistic, with a spokesperson adding: "Commercial discussions are at an advanced stage, and we are very hopeful of a positive outcome in the near future." ORONO, Maine - Maines public university system is prohibiting university-sponsored, non-essential air travel and encouraging students to stay on campus in response to the growing outbreak of COVID-19. The University of Maine System announced on Tuesday that its also strongly encouraging students, faculty members and staff to avoid personal travel to areas with known cases of COVID-19. The system is asking students to remain on campus over spring break, and it will open residence and dining halls without additional room and board charges, the system said in a statement. Spring break is scheduled for March 16 to 22. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. There have been no confirmed cases in Maine. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered. System Chancellor Dannel Malloy said the goal of the measures is to help students, faculty, and staff to stay here in Maine to limit their potential exposure to coronavirus and to do our part to help halt the spread of this terrible disease. He said the system does not currently have plans to close campuses. ___ The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. DAKOTA CITY -- Antonia Lopez De Ramirez was walking home from church when she was struck and killed by a passing car. Instead of having animosity toward the driver, her daughter said, her mother, a godly woman, would be full of forgiveness. "I know if she was present in this very moment, she would forgive Maria Gonzalez-Diego," Natali Markworth said. Markworth said she and her family believe in forgiveness, too. But they also believe Gonzalez-Diego must pay the consequences for her acts on the evening of June 24, when, under the influence of drugs and alcohol, she hit Lopez De Ramirez in the intersection of East 15th and B streets in South Sioux City and then drove away. Lopez De Ramirez, 62, died later at a hospital. "You reap what you sow," Markworth said Tuesday before Gonzalez-Diego, 20, of Sioux City, was sentenced in Dakota County District Court to 15-30 years in prison on one count of motor vehicle homicide. She must serve at least 7.5 years before she's eligible for parole. Markworth said she has undergone trauma therapy, meets with grief support groups and must take medication to control her emotions since her mother died. She described an emptiness in the home her parents had just moved into before Lopez De Ramirez was killed. "There are no happy memories in that house," Markworth said. "Her presence is greatly missed at every dinner table. Food doesn't taste as good when it isn't cooked by your mother." Speaking before District Judge Bryan Meismer sentenced her, Gonzalez-Diego asked Lopez De Ramirez's family for forgiveness and apologized. "If I could go back and change everything, in a heartbeat I would," a tearful Gonzalez-Diego read from a written statement. "I do feel for your family, and I regret what I've done. I pray every day for you guys. I apologize for everything I've put your family through." Gonzalez-Diego had faced up to 50 years in prison, and Lopez De Ramirez's family and Assistant Dakota County Attorney Melinda Wicks had asked for Meismer to give her the maximum sentence. Defense attorney Brian Buckmeier requested a four-year prison sentence, telling Meismer that his client was only 19 years old at the time of the crash, has attended Alcoholics Anonymous classes while in jail and wants to rebuild her life. "I'm not asking you to sympathize with her. She's going to be dealing with this for the rest of her life," Buckmeier said. "She is incredibly young and made stupid decisions that cost a life here." Meismer said he believed Gonzalez-Diego when she said she wanted to get help, but punishment was needed in addition to rehabilitation. "I believe you when you say you're sorry and wish you weren't here, but we're here. Someone died," Meismer said before announcing his sentence. The day after the hit and run, Gonzalez-Diego told police that she was on her phone while driving and had already hit Lopez De Ramirez by the time she looked up. Gonzalez-Diego told police she became scared and took off. Sioux City police stopped her about 10 minutes later on suspicion of drunken driving after receiving a report of a white car swerving and nearly hitting other vehicles in the 1300 block of Summit Street. A preliminary breath test showed her blood alcohol content at .292 percent, more than three times above the legal limit of 0.08 percent, and she was charged with second-offense operating while intoxicated. Police in South Sioux City later used debris at the scene of the hit and run to link Gonzalez-Diego's car to the incident. It was her third OWI arrest in less than a year. Gonzalez-Diego was sentenced in Woodbury County to two days in jail in February 2019 for OWI and marijuana possession. At the time of her June 24 arrest, Gonzalez-Diego was out on bond in Woodbury County after being arrested in Sioux City a week earlier for second-offense OWI. She has pleaded guilty to both OWI charges, and her Iowa prison sentences will be served at the same time she serves her vehicular homicide sentence in Nebraska. A second person charged in connection with the hit and run told police he and Gonzalez-Diego spent three hours drinking tequila and smoking THC wax at his home prior to the crash. Joel Perea Duenas, 19, of South Sioux City, has pleaded guilty to procuring alcohol for a minor and is scheduled to be sentenced April 14. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 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. Palmer, who the lawsuit said was having difficulty breathing and looked sick or under the influence of alcohol or drugs when police first encountered him, fell to the ground near the wheel of a parked car. Producers and Editors: Dr. Jennifer Vines, lead health officer for the tri-county region, will be available for interviews today (March 10) from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Multnomah County Health Department, 619 NW 6th Ave., in Portland. Call Kate Willson to schedule. March 10, 2020 The Oregon Health Authority today announced Multnomah Countys first presumptive positive case of COVID-19. The new case brings Oregons total to 15 cases in seven counties. OHA and Multnomah County are working to identify and isolate any individuals who may have been in close contact with the person in the last 14 days. This case is being treated at Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The individual had no known contact with a confirmed case, and had not traveled from a country where the virus is circulating, so the case is being investigated as a community-acquired case. I can only imagine the concern among the family and friends of this person, said Jennifer Vines, M.D., lead health officer for the tri-county region. Im asking you, as my neighbors and as my community, to keep this individual and their loved ones in your thoughts. And let us all do what we can to minimize the number of other people who must go through this. Health officials continue to urge all Oregonians to take steps to protect those who are most vulnerable to complications from COVID-19. Those considered high risk include adults 60 and older, or anyone with a serious health condition, including lung or heart problems, kidney disease, or diabetes, or anyone who has a suppressed immune system. People vulnerable to complications should follow federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations to stay home as much as possible and avoid gatherings. Every resident should take these basic steps to protect those most at risk: Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands. Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. Stay home if you feel ill. The COVID-19 virus spreads like the flu, when someone who is sick coughs or sneezes close to another person (close means about six feet). After someone contracts COVID-19, illness usually develops within 14 days. Symptoms mirror those of the flu, including fever, cough, runny nose, headache, sore throat and general feelings of illness. That has made it more difficult for health officials to identify sick individuals and stop the virus from spreading. As testing capacity increases with Labcorp and Quest Diagnostics online, and clinical laboratories at some Oregon hospitals expected to begin testing by next week officials expect the number of people who test positive with COVID-19 to rise. Also on Tuesday the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory received eight additional testing kits from the CDC, which allows for testing of up to 4,800 people. We are not going to isolate and quarantine our way out of this pandemic, Dr. Vines said. We are working with our partners on mass gathering guidance, at schools, places where people gather and mix, to spread people out. We are not talking anymore about stopping the spread of this virus, she said. Without a vaccine and without medicine, our best bet as a community is to slow the spread so those who do get seriously ill can get the care they need from our health system. Stay informed Senior Congress leader on Monday thanked Prime Minister for extending birthday wishes to him in Malayalam. "Thank you, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for this elaborate birthday greeting in shudh sahitya Malayalam! Am touched by your thoughtfulness," Tharoor tweeted with a picture of the letter from Modi. In another tweet, the Congress MP also posted its translation, that reads, "Translation: My heartfelt wishes on your birthday. I wish for your coming days to be filled with happiness and prosperity. Wish u peace, comfort and luck on your birthday. I sincerely wish you continue to commit the many years of your experience in public life and your scholarship for nation-building." Tharoor, who is an MP from Thiruvananthapuram, turned 64 on March 9. Marine experts have been left baffled after more than 80 dolphins were found dead on a remote beach. The 86 stranded dusky dolphins were discovered by a commercial lobster fishermen at Hottentot Bay, about 40 kilometres north of the southwestern coastal town of Luderitz, in Namibia, over the weekend. Two calves just days old were among the group, which may have been beached after coming to the rescue of a compromised animal according to marine biologist Kolette Grobler. We suspect that one of them was injured or got sick and called on the others for help, and this might have caused them to accidentally beach themselves, Ms Grobler said. A small team was sent out to gather information about the dolphins. Source: Facebook/Luderitz Marine Research She said the animals were thought to have been dead for about a week before being found, which sadly meant their bodies were too decomposed to be tested for their cause of death. But we took water samples to determine if the dolphins ate toxic plankton, she said. Luderitz Marine Researcht shared a report from the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, detailing the sad news and the beyond sad scene that greeted them on Saturday, local time. Among the 86 dusky dolphins there were two newborns and several immature individuals, all of which were in an advanced state of decay, the report said. One got itself into trouble They might have become disorientated for some reason and accidentally beached themselves, or they may have rallied around a member of their group that got itself in trouble, the ministry said. There was a grim scene when a Luderitz Marine Research team arrived. Source: Facebook/Luderitz Marine Research Dusky dolphins are relatively small and known for their impressive aerial acrobatics. Theyre usually found in parts of South America, southern Africa, Australia, New Zealand and at several subantarctic islands. In southern Africa they are found from central Angola to about Cape Town in South Africa, and from fairly shallow coastal to deep continental shelf waters. Story continues Unfortunately the true cause of the large number of deaths will never be known, and the heartbreaking images will be hard to forget, the post read. They also shared several images of the devastating scene, which revealed a large line of dead bodies surrounded by ocean birdlife. Experts suspected one of the animals was sick or injured and called for help. Source: Facebook/Luderitz Marine Research As well as the dusky dolphin, Namibian waters are also home to the bottlenose dolphin and the Heavisides dolphin. The Namibian Dolphin Project also expressed its sadness at what had occurred in a post to Facebook. We have had two previous mass strandings of this species that I can recall. One in Walvis (about 750km further up the coast) and one in Luderitz, the group said. They later added in a comment that there was no foul play suspected nor were there any reports of entanglement in the area. with Reuters 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. It's simply dubbed the Carry Luxury and it's been launched in Indonesia. No, it doesn't transform the utilitarian into a leather-lined cruiser, but Suzuki added some cosmetic bits to the exterior to make it look less like a workhorse. The world 'luxury' isn't exactly the first word that springs to mind when somebody mentions the Suzuki Carry. The small pick-up is all about utility and it only really has one purpose in mind: to haul either people or cargo. So it's a bit of a surprise that Suzuki launched a more 'luxurious' version of the mini-truck. So, what's been changed? For starters, the grill has been tweaked to look like the Vitara's. Also, the front bumpers are now painted, whereas the standard model's aren't. To further spruce up the exterior, there are decals on the bed of the small truck, and the word 'Suzuki' stamped on the tailgate is finished in black to let the name pop out a bit more. Aside from those mentioned, Suzuki gave the Carry Luxury more chrome bits. The grill, is finished in chrome, and so are the door handles and side mirror caps. Even the wheel covers of the steel rims have been given the same treatment. As for the equipment list, it is identical to the 'non-luxury' Carry. That means it comes with air-conditioning, adjustable seats, a 1-DIN radio, power steering, and loads of storage bins. There are, however, more optional accessories available in the Carry Luxury. These include an additional 12v socket, door visors, rubber matting, spare tire carrier retainer, and a cover for the radio and upper tray. The Carry Luxury has two bed configurations available, namely Wide Deck (dropside) or Flat Deck (standard). Power, on the other hand, comes courtesy of a 1.5-liter engine, just like the ones we have here. It's good for 95 PS and 135 Nm of torque which then shifts through a five-speed manual transmission. Despite its size, Suzuki says the Carry Luxury can still haul up to one ton worth of payload at the back. It does appear that the Carry Luxury is more of a special variant made for Indonesia. However, given that all Carry trucks are assembled in Bekasi, West Java, there might be a slim possibility otherwise that it may be offered here as well. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 23:58:06|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close HANOI, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Economic ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Tuesday approved 12 initiatives regarding boosting regional economic cooperation in 2020 at a meeting held in Vietnam's central city of Da Nang. The initiatives approved at the 26th Meeting of ASEAN Economic Minister Retreat focus on such fields as e-commerce, commodity trade, energy, information technology, agriculture, sustainable development and finance. Raised by the ASEAN's 2020 rotating chair Vietnam, the initiatives are based on the orientations of improving linkages and connectivity within the ASEAN, promoting partnerships for peace and sustainable development, and enhancing the adaptability and operation efficiency of the organization. The adoption of the initiatives is an important step to reiterate the ASEAN's role in cementing regional solidarity, enhance the bloc's internal strength and uphold the role of the ASEAN economic community, Vietnam News Agency cited Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh as saying. The meeting adopted six recommendations push forward at the 37th Meeting of the High-level Task Force on ASEAN Economic Integration held on Feb. 12 and Feb. 13 in Hanoi, including making the adoption of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in 2020 a top priority in the relations between the ASEAN and its partners. The ministers also agreed on priorities regarding the economic field for 2020, covering issues including trade in goods and services, investment environment, facilitation of skilled laborer and businesspeople exchanges, intellectual property cooperation and e-commerce, and discussed issues concerning cooperation with ASEAN's external partners. Vietnam News Agency cited Anh as saying that Vietnam also proposed a joint statement on maintaining the ASEAN supply chains and facilitating businesses' access to input materials, especially for small and medium-sized ones, against the backdrop of the novel coronavirus outbreak's effects on people's life. Chilean authorities are searching for a gang of thieves who broke into Santiago International Airport on Monday afternoon and stole $14 million and 1 million euros that had been shipped there by Bank of America. Chile's investigative police said the armed robbers entered the airport terminal's warehouse in a vehicle that bore the DHL logo and completed the heist in just two minutes. A bystander who stood several yards away from the warehouse's entrance recorded the moment a male suspect shouted at workers to get 'on the ground, on the ground.' Several suspects later appeared to walk out of the warehouse before they boarded the fake DHL vehicle and a black pickup truck. A suspect stands next to a fake DHL van that was used by a gang of thieves in Chile on Monday afternoon to steal $14 million and 1 million euros from a terminal warehouse at Santiago International Airport A Chilean police investigator searches for clues after a fake DHL van was abandoned moments after at least ten armed robbers stole $14 million and 1 million euros from an airport terminal on Monday. The money was shipped to Chile by Bank of America and was scheduled to be transferred to three different banks An airport surveillance camera registered a male suspect sitting in the back of the van brandishing a military rifle as the gang escaped. The van was abandoned in the nearby community of Cerro Navia. The suspect burned the seats to destroy fingerprint traces. 'The security of this entrance point was violated,' said Oscar Figueroa, of Chile's investigative police. Police said at least ten suspects participated in the brazen daytime robbery. No shots were fired, but two guards suffered minor injuries. A source close to the investigation told Chilean newspaper Emol that Bank of America had planned to have the money delivered to three local banks after the funds had been unloaded from a plane early Monday morning. An armed suspect sits on the back of a pickup truck as thieves escape Chile's Santiago International Airport, where they stole $14 million and 1 million euros that allegedly belonged to Bank of America and were scheduled to be deposited into three banks Airport surveillance cameras show the moment one of the attackers is carrying a military rifle before he and his accomplices fled the airport The names of the financial institutions are unknown. A spokesperson for Bank of American refused to comment to DailyMail.com when reached Tuesday. Witnesses interviewed by law enforcement investigators said that all of the men except for the driver covered their faces with masks. The suspects entered two separate airport entrances. Authorities reported that fake identification cards were used to breach the airport's strict security system. The terminal's warehouse is the same where a $10 million heist was carried out in August 2014. Those thieves were captured and convicted but only a small part of the stolen money was recovered. Over the last 24 years, Liam Casey, the Cork native and electronics manufacturing guru, has guided numerous brands through the intricacies of the Chinese supply chain. Today, he argues nobody could have prepared for the events of the past two months. As the coronavirus inflicts incalculable damage to public health and economic growth around the world, every instinct of global business is being urgently questioned. Casey is the perfect guy to answer the alarm. As the founder and chief executive officer of PCH International, the company with core operations in San Francisco and Shenzhen, andas Fortune magazine once described himthe one you call for a factory connection, the guy you hire for your packaging design and the one you ask about FedEx negotiations. The Atlantic magazine dubbed him Mr China. A triple whammy of cybersecurity threats, a trade war and the new viral outbreak are exacerbating a backlash to globalization and generating fresh questions about whether the tech industry relies too much on China. Its perhaps not a surprise that Mr China made the case that companies really dont have any other choice. Over the last 20 years, a huge amount of the component assembly and manufacturing has been concentrated in China, Casey told me on a video call from his office in San Francisco, about three miles from the Bloomberg newsroom. (I dared not leave the safety of my desk and its ample supply of Purell.) You can move your final assembly today, he explained, but if you want a purely independent supply chain, that is a massive investment. I cant see any one company that wants to make it. The Cork native is one of the most prominent Silicon Valley evangelists for, and beneficiaries of, a globalized supply chain, where products are developed and assembled in Chinese factories and shipped across the ocean, affixed with recognizable American brand names like Apple, Amazon and Dell. Like everyone else, PCH was impacted when the virus started to spread on the mainland over the Chinese New Year. Its Shenzhen factory remained closed after the holiday and reopened only after passing local inspections, two weeks behind schedule. More than 100,000 people have been infected with the virus worldwide. No known cases of infection were found among the 500 employees of PCH in China or the 60 in the US, Casey said. Today we are back up at 100% capacity, which has been a challenge, he said. Other manufacturing operations are still flagging. Foxconns Hon Hai Precision Industry, Apples most important manufacturing partner, is hoping to return to normal operation in China by the end of the month. Casey travels frequently to Shenzhen but is now grounded amid the outbreak. PCH has stopped all nonessential employee travel, and the company is using the video conferencing feature in Microsoft Teams to stay in touch. Casey has had to field panicked calls from nervous CEOs, who would normally be travelling to China this time of year to oversee prototypes of products for the next holiday season. Casey recalled one customer telling him last week: If I dont get that product to market, all my colleagues, everyone on my team, will be out of work. Like the SARS outbreak of 2003, the coronavirus proves there are some events you simply cant plan for, Casey said. You can strategize against trade wars, but when it comes to something like a global epidemic, you just cant, he said. I was in China during SARS. You had a period where everything stops. This time, Chinese authorities moved relatively swiftly to contain the coronavirus, Casey said. But now it has spread far beyond Chinas borders, and he worries about the response from other countries: No one knows whether the worst is over or not. - Bloomberg Today Tuesday March 10 the first Irish Library of Sanctuary title will be awarded to Portlaoise library. The award recognises the staff's work to make it a welcoming place for new cultures to the town. A big launch event will kick off at 12 noon. Bernie Foran is the county librarian. Places of Sanctuary is a movement that seeks to promote a culture of welcome in every sphere of society, a network of places of sanctuary where refugees and migrants are welcomed and included. We know that newcomers have a lot to offer, and we believe that as barriers come down and connections are made, the whole of society benefits, she said. Karen McHugh is joint chair of volunteer group Laois Integration Network. It's great, very positive. Portlaoise library has a welcome for everybody, with a particular interest in ensuring that migrants, refugees and asylum seekers are welcome to use it. Portlaoise is so diverse and so inclusive, it is a really positive place, she said. Laois in general has been very welcoming. Events were held to welcome people to direct provision instead of holding protests like other places, Ms McHugh said. Laois County Council Cathaoirleach Willie Aird invites all to the launch on March 10 at 12 noon in the library. Email laoislibrary@ laoiscoco to attend. Last year Portlaoise Parish Centre officially became a Place of Sanctuary, with a plaque erected in a welcome to all, presented by Place of Sanctuary Ireland network. Governor Bala Mohammed Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state has ordered the immediate arrest and prosecution of his predecessors, former governors Isa Yuguda and MA Abubakar, for allegedly looting state properties and assets worth over N1 trillion during their separate tenures. The governor gave the indication when he received a comprehensive report of the states asset recovery committee constituted on 12 July, 2019 and mandated to investigate assets allegedly diverted between 2007 and 2019 at the council Chamber, Government House Bauchi. Governor Bala who insists that government officials must remain accountable, vowed to recover and ensure prosecution of the ex-governors and their officials that were indicted by the committee. He said the states attorney general and some members of the committee will partner and study the recommendations of the asset recovery committee for full prosecution of those indicted. While submitting the recommendations of the recovery committee, the chairman, Retired General Markus Koko Yake, claimed the committee discovered various scandals and diversion of government properties from 19 Ministries, Department and Agencies between 2007 and 2019 when Yuguda and Mr Abubaka served as governors of the state. According to Yake, one of the former governors, Abubakar sold a property adjacent Wikki Hotel Bauchi to himself without following due process. General Yake added that the asset committee discovered 16 plots of land in Kaduna which amounts to N1.5 billion naira allegedly diverted by the past administrations. As regards contracts awarded within the period under review, 19 MDAs submitted of 12, 249 contract and services with a total contract sum of N97, 190,881.30 to the committee. 78 contract numbers and services from 6 MDAs with a total contract sum of N63, 840, 92,807.15 representing over 65 percent of the total sum by the 19 MDAs were verified and analyzed he said. The committee chairman said properties and funds diverted were mostly from the Paris and London clubs funds, ecological funds, Universal Basic Education commission funds for state Universal Basic Education Commission Board, internally generated funds, various loans taken by past administrations among others. In 1925, Mahatma Gandhi remarked that As long as women do not come to public life and purify it, we are not likely to attain ... swaraj. Even if we did, we would have no use for that kind of swaraj to which women have not made their full contribution. A few years later, he remarked that the role women played in the freedom struggle should be written in letters of gold. To say that the women of the freedom movement lived up to the Mahatmas standards would be a gross understatement. Going beyond the actual freedom movement itself, women parliamentarians played a critical role in guiding the Constituent Assembly, thereby, playing a significant role in determining the form and the future of the Indian Constitution. Indian history, however, has not been kind to the women stalwarts as the Mahatma would have wanted, and far from being remembered in letters of gold, most women of the Constituent Assembly have gradually faded from the public conscience. In the 71st year of the Republic, one must recollect the contributions of these women to its creation. From Dakshayani Velayudhans transcendence of her status as a Pulaya woman to Rajkumari Amrit Kaurs founding of the first All India Institute of Medical Sciences as Indias health minister, the womens movement today owes a debt of gratitude to the stalwarts of the past. The Constituent Assembly debates were, in many ways, shaped by the contributions of Begum Aizaz Rasul, Durgabhai Deshmukh, Renuka Ray, Purnima Banerjee and several others. To this day, defenders of the Indian Constitution rely on their contributions. However, for all the exceptional contributions of the women of the Constituent Assembly, we have struggled to actualise and institutionalise the role of women in the politics of the present day. From a representation of 5% in the first Lok Sabha election, the percentage of women representatives in the house has gone up to a mere 14%. Since 1962, of the 543 constituencies in India, nearly half (48.4%) have not voted in a single woman MP, which is one of the gravest representative injustices in the countrys history. In the past, the indicators measuring the empowerment of women in India has improved steadily. In the health sector, the country has seen rapid improvement in maternal mortality rates. The education sector has seen a jump in school enrolment rates. While women in India continue to improve their capability and enhance their economic contributions to society, the Indian electorate still deems them unfit for representative duty. The 2019 election, however, shows that change is at hand. Apart from sending the highest number of women to the Parliament, the present government has tasked women to lead critical ministries. From the deft handling of the external affairs ministry by the late Sushma Swaraj in the last term to Nirmala Sitharamans remarkable resolve in her term as the defence minister and now finance minister, women in India have shown that they are more than capable of leading when given the opportunity. Beyond ministerial allocations, however, the numerical representation in the Cabinet remains woefully low, and from the high of six women cabinet ministers in 2014, we have fallen to three. Even more worrying is the decline of womens representation in the higher levels of governance. The Economic Survey of 2017-18 observed that women constituted 44.2% of elected representatives in panchayati raj institutions. At the state-level, however, especially in the Hindi heartland, womens representation effectively collapses. The current Uttar Pradesh cabinet features only one woman; Madhya Pradesh has two; Bihar has only one; and Rajasthan has none. The message sent to the young women of India is not particularly subtle. While women continue to cast their votes in greater numbers, the real chances of senior leadership at the state and national levels are few and far between. Resolving this divide is key to living up to the hopes and dreams embodied by the women who shaped our Constitution. Let us learn from our greats, and try to achieve a representation level which is both substantive and inclusive. Let us strive towards the intersectional emancipation of women from all backgrounds, regardless of religion, caste, or creed. In her 1949 speech to the Constituent Assembly, Ammu Swaminathan responded to claims of historical gender injustice by saying that the Indian people themselves framed their Constitution and have given rights to women equal with every other citizen of the country. In 2020, it is high time we transcend a de jure understanding of these rights, and move towards their substantive actualisation. Reshma Arif is a lawyer and executive member of the Guild for Service, New Delhi The views expressed are personal Its nearly time to don your green, grab your ginger wigs and head into Greerton to celebrate the best of Ireland for St Patricks Day. The Greerton St Paddys Fun Day will be held on March 14 from 10am-1pm in the village square in front of the library and there will be plenty to do for the whole family. Alongside a variety of prizes and spot prizes on the day including best dressed awards, there will be the sham-rock scavenger hunt where rocks will be hidden around Greerton, which all culminate in the grand prize of a childrens bike. Any kids who turn up can participate and enter to win the bike. The Whittakers Irish Group will be playing their music in the village square from 10.30am-12.30pm. This is a treat as Greerton Mainstreets Sally Benning says The Whittakers are popular and can be hard to book. We havent had them here for a few years because theyre always so busy around St Patricks Day. Bring a cushion or a seat and enjoy the sounds of Ireland in the village square. There will also be face painting, a circus entertainer and more. Its all about getting people out and enjoying a fun morning in Greerton, says Sally. And the people of Greerton love celebrating almost as much as they enjoy banding together and supporting one another. #greertonsgotheart as their new tagline emphasises really comes into its own and two Greerton business owners have got together and set up a Givealittlepage to support those who were targeted in the recent arson attacks. Owner of lucky Lotto Store, Belinda Sands and Crockford Real Estates Karen Taylor have jumped on board as a result of the community asking? how can we help? The money raised will be donated to the families who were affected by the arsons earlier in January. People are really feeling for these businesses, says Sally. Theyre both family businesses and its devastating for them. Both of those businesses are closed and that puts financial strain on those families. We think Greerton people are really great people and they do have heart, says Sally. For more information and to donate, visit: www.facebook.com/greertonvillage or: www.givealittle.co.nz/cause/please-support-these-greerton-family-businesses Kathmandu, March 10 In another effort to control the spread of novel coronavirus in the country, the government of Nepal has made it mandatory that mountaineers who apply for a permit to climb peaks including Mount Everest this spring season have to submit their travel history for the past 14 days prior to arriving in Nepal. Mira Acharya, a director at the Department of Tourism, says the aspiring climbers also need to submit their medical reports via respective travel agencies for the permit. After approving the reports, the department will summon the applicants to be present in person for the permit. The department plans to reject the permit application if the applicant is found to have visited any country where the virus has already been confirmed in the past two weeks as the World Health Organisation says the virus takes up to 14 days to mature. Nepal is expecting fewer mountaineers this time owing to the global epidemic. Controversial conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was arrested on a charge of driving while intoxicated in the Austin area early Tuesday, according to the Travis County Sheriff's Office. According to the booking information, Jones was charged with DWI at 12:37 a.m. in Travis County. Details were not available about the circumstances. The charge is a Class B misdemeanor. Bond was set at $3,000. Jones was released on a personal recognizance bond shortly after 4 a.m. "A BUNCH OF COWARDS": Alex Jones filmed loudly berating patrons at Austin restaurant According to an article on his InfoWars website, Jones was pulled over Monday night in Travis County for going 45 mph in a 40-mph zone. The article states that Jones admitted to drinking a small amount of sake at a Japanese restaurant, and that a the breathalyzer test showed "a tiny amount of alcohol." The Info Wars article also claims that Travis County has been criticized for its low number of DWI arrests, which has triggered a countywide dragnet. It was quite the experience to see what was going on in this country and to experience it myself, Jones said on his radio show Tuesday. As the head of InfoWars, Jones is facing multiple lawsuits from families who lost children in the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting after claiming the mass shooting was a hoax, according to the Daily Beast. Danny Hermosillo is the Sr. Digital News Editor for Chron.com | Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @Dannyherm1| Email him at Danny.Hermosillo@chron.com As birthday presents go, they dont come more perfect than winning your ninth Champion Hurdle Trophy on the first day of Cheltenham. Limerick horse-racing magnate JP McManus was all smiles in the winners' enclosure as he celebrated turning 69 by claiming victory in the feature race with his 2/1 favourite Epatante. Superbly piloted to victory by Barry Geraghty, a huge roar erupted from the crowd as they watched the champion jockey clock up his fourth win in the prestigious race, much to the delight of British trainer Nicky Henderson. Heavily backed by the Irish contingent in attendance, a chorus of happy birthday rang out from the parade ring as McManus described it as "very special." "The way Barry did it, he gave her a peach of a ride. Nicky had her in mint condition," he said. "Full marks to the team. What can I say about Nicky? He has the numbers to prove it. "Youd never get tired of this. Its a great feeling. I was delighted that Barry rode her with such confidence, he bided his time." Geraghtys wife Paula, who looked stylish in her navy ensemble and Edel Ramberg headpiece and had travelled over with her sister Liz and a group of pals, said she was "thrilled." "If theres nothing else for the week, thats brilliant to win and great on JPs birthday, it makes it extra special," she told Independent.ie "He made that look easy. I enjoyed that one, I have to say. He was as cool as a breeze. Were just thrilled; well celebrate that one." Read More Festival fever dominated any fears over the Coronavirus outbreak on the opening day of the annual meeting. Any concerns over ploughing ahead with the large-scale event were put to rest - for now at least - by the determined army of die-hard racing fans who poured through the turnstiles from early on. In fact, a total of 60,634 people were attendance at the track on day one, a drop of a mere 9pc from last years figure. Trilby hats and green country tweed was all the rage among attendees who were in high spirits for the start of what is widely described as an endurance test for racing fans. Plenty of Irish had also made the trip over including Wexford couple Katie McGivern and Tom Hore. They had left their two children under two with their granny as they relived some happy memories, having last come over together six years ago. "We booked it ages ago so we made sure we did it. There is a bit of concern but we had it all booked and planned so were coming regardless. The airport was empty but the flight was packed this morning. Were just here for one night," Katie explained. Getting into practice ahead of todays Ladies Day event was an uber-glam Gillian Gilbourne from Co Cork. She looked chic in a cream coat and matching head-piece by Marc Millinery. "I just love it. I was a bit concerned about the weather but its after drying up. Were over for the whole week and the same people are over this year again. Were coming about six years now," she said. She was there with her equally-stylish friend Rachel Oates from Kerry, who had designed her own hat to match her powder-blue ensemble. "Im here for two days and then Ill decide what or not to stay on," she said. She believed that racecourse chiefs had properly prepared for the large-scale event, noting the hand sanitizers dotted around the course. Large stands bearing the cleansers and the motto 'Dont Pass it On' were in evidence all around the track. "I think as long as people are being sensible and washing their hands; its just basic hygiene which everyone should have anyway," Rachel added. There were also some blue-bloods in attendance, to the delight of royal fans, with Zara Tindell enjoying the day out with her former rugby star husband Mike, who competed on last years Im a Celebrity... On the track, the Irish raiders got off to a strong start on day one. They clocked up three victories courtesy of Tipperary jockey Rachel Blackmore aboard Honeysuckle in addition to Put The Kettle On, both of whom were trained by Henry de Bromhead. The curtain came down on day one with another Irish win in the last race of the day with the 7/1 entry Ravenhill, trained by Gordon Elliott, first past the post. This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Mark Puttick, Research Fellow, Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath One June day 66 million years ago, a massive asteroid crashed into the coast of Mexico. The asteroid crash caused what we call the Cretaceous-Palaeogene or K-Pg mass extinction. This killed species around the world. Three-quarters of the animals in the ocean and all of the dinosaurs apart from birds died in this mass extinction. (Image credit: The Conversation) Curious Kids is a series by The Conversation, which gives children the chance to have their questions about the world answered by experts. If you have a question youd like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskids@theconversation.com. We wont be able to answer every question, but well do our very best. Plants and trees survived the mass extinction, one of the largest in the Earths history. So, we know the effects on plants were less than those on dinosaurs. Still, plants were not left unscathed by the event. Scientists study fossils to learn about the effects of the K-Pg mass extinction. Fossils from North America tell the story of plant life before, during and after the asteroid impact. These fossils show that the immediate effects of the asteroid were catastrophic. The shockwaves, earthquakes and tsunamis would have killed many plants. Forest fires may have burnt large areas. The asteroid hits the earth. (Image credit: NASA) Around half of all plant species went extinct after the asteroid hit Earth. While the immediate effects like tsunamis and shock waves killed some of these species, a great many more would have died as a result of the environmental effects of the asteroid impact. No sunshine By smashing into the Earth, the asteroid impact released huge amounts of dust into the atmosphere. This dust blocked the suns rays from reaching the surface of the Earth and this is bad news for plants. We know the mass extinction occurred in June because flowers in a North American fossilized lily pond were in summer bloom when the asteroid hit. Because sunlight could not reach the Earth, what should have been summer in the northern hemisphere would have been more like a harsh winter. Freezing temperatures can kill plants, particularly those plants that live in water. As well as freezing temperatures, the lack of sunlight had other effects on plants. With the sunlight blocked, plants would have no means for photosynthesis. This is the process plants use to convert the suns rays into energy and it is vital for life. With no photosynthesis, many plants species went extinct. Ferns such as this wood fern (Dryopteris) flourished after the mass extinction. (Image credit: Mark Puttick) When trees and flowering plants were struggling, fern plants dominated the landscape. Ferns prosper in disturbed environments and only need the wind to colonize new areas. Plants with fast life cycles that grow and develop quickly also did well in these difficult times. These plants had the tools to cope with fast changes to their environments, unlike plants such as trees that need stable habitats. Plants survived better than animals Compared to animals, plants have an advantage in surviving mass extinctions. Plant seeds can remain dormant for many years in the soil. After the K-Pg mass extinction conditions were not right for plant growth, but plants could wait as seeds in a dormant state until things improve. This probably explains why plants did not suffer as much as animal groups in the extinction. Forests and other plants can regrow from their seeds after resting for decades. Animals cant generally survive in dormant states for decades. Most animal groups took millions of years to recover from the mass extinction. Plants recovered fast. All major groups of plants and flowers survived the mass extinction. (Image credit: Mark Puttick) The K-Pg 66 million years ago changed the course of the evolution of animals. As many species died, there were fewer animals competing against each other for food and other resources. Mammals could now freely use these resources and evolve into many different forms, including humans. The K-Pg mass extinction did not change the course of plant evolution. Flowers and all groups of plants lived through the extinction. The mass extinction was traumatic for plants but they survived the hard times. Fortunately for the Earth and for us they did not go the same way as the non-bird dinosaurs. Curious Kids is a series by The Conversation, which gives children the chance to have their questions about the world answered by experts. When sending in questions, make sure you include the askers first name, age and town or city. You can: email curiouskids@theconversation.com tweet us @ConversationUK with #curiouskids DM us on Instagram @theconversationdotcom This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates and become part of the discussion on Facebook and Twitter. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. The Crimean Tatars, who are being kept in Russian prisons, may refuse from the participation in the prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia if they find out that they would be exchanged for "bandits," the leader of the Crimean Tatar people and a member of the European Solidarity faction in the Ukrainian parliament, Mustafa Dzhemilev, said on air of the Hromadske Radio. "The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has passed us the list [of prisoners to be exchanged] for approval. They are planning to exchange people soon at whatever cost. However, we have determined our priorities: those who have the longest terms in prison, for example 17-18 years, and those who have poor health," Dzhemilev said. Despite the fact that the lists have been formed, the Russian side is currently not holding any talks regarding possible exchange, he said. "I should say that Russia categorically opposes the release of Crimean Tatars. Secondly, we have rather idea-driven people there. If they find out that they would be exchanged for bandits, they may even refuse," Dzhemilev said. As reported, in February 2020, the then Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Vadym Prystaiko, said that preparations were underway for the next exchange of detainees. "We are now preparing the next exchange. We still believe in the possibility of completing the "all for all" exchange in the near future. And this will be a very large and massive exchange, in which, we hope, there will be a place for Crimean Tatars in the overwhelming majority, whom we managed to swap in small amounts latterly," the minister said. NEW YORK, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Hypercar Market 2020-2024 The analyst has been monitoring the global hypercar market and it is poised to grow by USD 2,690 units during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of 38% during the forecast period. Our reports on global hypercar market provides a holistic analysis, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis covering around 25 vendors. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p04941119/?utm_source=PRN The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current global market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The market is driven by increase in racing event.In addition, use of ai for the development of autonomous hypercars is anticipated to boost the growth of the global hypercar market as well. Market Segmentation The global hypercar market is segmented as below: Powertrain Type : Gasoline Hybrid/electric Geographic Segmentation: The Americas APAC EMEA Key Trends for global hypercar market growth This study identifies use of ai for the development of autonomous hypercars as the prime reasons driving the global hypercar market growth during the next few years. Prominent vendors in global hypercar market We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the global hypercar market , including some of the vendors such as Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc, Daimler AG, Ferrari NV, Koenigsegg Automotive AB, McLaren Group Ltd., Pagani Automobili Spa, Rimac Automobili, Toyota Motor Corp., Volkswagen AG and Zenvo Automotive AS. . The study was conducted using an objective combination of primary and secondary information including inputs from key participants in the industry. The report contains a comprehensive market and vendor landscape in addition to an analysis of the key vendors. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p04941119/?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 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links www.reportlinker.com The nation is expected to represent a safe choice for foreign investors in their capital shifting plans in the context of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic which is currently spreading globally. Vietnam is trying to attract FDI despite of the coronavirus epidemic The COVID-19 epidemic is already causing the flow of foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country to slowdown. Indeed, statistics from the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) indicate that as of February 20, total foreign investment capital nationwide had suffered an annual slump of 23.6% to nearly US$6.5 billion. Singapore represented the largest foreign investor, funneling over US$4.2 billion in FDI, followed by China, Hong Kong (China), the Republic of Korea, and Japan. Capital shifting In a report recently submitted to the government, the MPI claims that many potential investors have been forced to cancel fact-finding trips to the country as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Demands for public consumption, particularly for inessential products, have fallen dramatically, leading to a period of stagnation regarding production and full inventory. Despite this, Nguyen Bich Lam, Head of the General Statistics Office (GSO), believes that the nation still has prospects of attracting further FDI, citing the fact that financiers are still keen to shift their investment into country due to the ongoing tensions from the trade war between the United States and China. Moreover, Vietnam has also signed a number of new-generation free trade agreements, including one with the European Union. A recent survey conducted by the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) indicates that the COVID-19 epidemic could offer the nation a chance of receiving new FDI projects. BIDV experts believe that the epidemic could prompt investors to change their minds regarding shifting any projects from China and related territories, including Hong Kong and Macao. Two FDI attraction scenarios In the light of the ongoing global epidemic, the GSO have developed two scenarios which are suitable for FDI attraction in the year ahead. The first scenario outlines if the epidemic is contained during the first quarter, with FDI for the entire year being at an estimated US$38.6 billion, an annual increase of 7.3% but down 2.7% against the initial plan. The other scenario profiles if the epidemic is brought under control during the second quarter of the year, FDI capital would therefore be forecast to rise by 6.2% compared to last year, yet still representing a slump of 3.8% against the initial plan. As things stand, many investors cancelled fact-finding trips to the country when the epidemic broke out, whilst experts fear the situation will continue to affect the nations overall attractiveness to FDI over the coming months. In addition, the spread of the epidemic has served to badly affect the operation of foreign-invested firms, especially Chinese companies and those dependent on material imports from the northern neighbour. However, the Nikkei Asian Review recently brought good news in light of the epidemic, with global digital giants Google and Microsoft expressing a desire to shift their electronic production bases from China to Southeast Asia, in which Vietnam has been made a priority. Elsewhere, the New York Times also forecasts that future FDI will shift from China to Vietnam in a bid to avoid US tax imposition. Indeed, this will be hastened due to the coronavirus epidemic. VOV Vietnam urged to look beyond Asian markets for FDI amid Covid-19 Vietnam should take advantage of being the second country in Southeast Asia to sign a free trade agreement with the EU to attract FDI from Europe. (Natural News) Public health officials in King County, Wash., where Seattle is located, have recommended to their 2.2 million residents that they ought to work from home to avoid spreading the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), after nine deaths thus far. In all, according to Fox News, there have been 31 cases of the virus in the county and nine deaths. Health officials are also advising all residents over the age of 60 to remain indoors because they are more vulnerable to succumbing to the disease if they contract it because of their age. While not an order, King County health officials recommended to employers that they allow their employees to work from home if possible to reduce face-to-face contact and hopefully curb the spread of the virus during this critical period. We are encouraging employers to maximize telecommuting and to make it possible for employees who can work from home to do so, King County Executive Dow Constantine said Wednesday. Community groups should avoid creating large gatherings. In addition to people over 60, health officials also recommended that anyone with an underlying health condition and/or weakened immune system, as well as women who are pregnant, stay at home and avoid large gatherings as much as possible. Already, the regions technology giants have adopted measures to protect employees after two workers, one each from Amazon and Facebook, tested positive for coronavirus. An employee who works in Amazons Brazil office left work Feb. 24 with symptoms; the employee later tested positive for COVID-19, according to an internal email advising employees. Facebook has also alerted its workers about an infected employee, last in their Stadium East office on Feb. 21. That office closed and will remain shuttered until March 9. Employees were urged to work from home until the end of the month, Fox News added. Another big tech firm, Microsoft, is also taking measures aimed at protecting its roughly 50,000 workers in the Seattle area. Company officials have asked employees to work from home until March 25 to comply with guidance from King County health officials. You know whats worse than the virus? The anxiety County health officials have not yet recommended school closures, but nevertheless one district, Northshore, announced last week its campuses would be shuttered for up to two weeks. The decision came after a parent or volunteer at Woodmoor Elementary School tested presumptively positive for the virus, according to a letter the district sent to parents. Meanwhile, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a statewide coronavirus emergency, according to The New York Times website, as the number of cases in the state rose to 89. The infected include a Queens Uber driver and a pair of unexplained tests of patients 200 miles to the north of the Big Apple. (Related: Birthplace of Jesus now closed due to coronavirus.) The Times added: The governors announcement came as concerns about the outbreak grew in New York City, which has 12 confirmed cases, up from six that were disclosed as of Friday. The epicenter in New York State continues to be just north of the city, in Westchester County, where there are 70 cases in total. You know whats worse than the virus the anxiety, said Cuomo, who added that most patients would suffer either mild symptoms or none at all. And The Hill reported that public health experts are warning that Americans should prepare for major disruptions and an infection rate of as many as 100,000. Public health entities have not been in the situation to make large-scale population-level decisions for about 100 years. The last time a health department was asked, Should we quarantine your entire city or not, was 1918, Rebecca Katz, director of the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University, told The Hill, in reference to the Spanish Flu outbreak that killed tens of millions around the world. Keep up with all the latest developments on the outbreak at Outbreak.new and Pandemic.news. Sources include: FoxNews.com TheHill.com NYTimes.com NaturalNews.com Dyson has launched its third haircare product as it continues its commitment to disrupting the women's beauty industry. The 'Corrale' hair straightener is an ergonomically designed cord-free styling device, seven years in the making. Dyson's foray into the haircare market began in 2016 when it launched the Supersonic hair dryer, a now-cult product with stylists and consumers, a move they made after identifying the opportunity for growth and duality of technological capabilities already present in their hoover range. "We had a lot of knowledge on motors at Dyson, we had air flow technology understanding from our vacuums and environmental control. All of this together fit so well in an area that hasnt had much innovation," Sandra Lup, advanced designer engineer at Dyson told the Irish Independent. Following on from the Supersonic's success, they leaned into their popularity with the Airwrap (which had 100,000 people on its waiting list as recently as December 2019) and have expressed their commitment as major players in the haircare game with the launch of the Corrale. Each launch attracts a frenzy of attention, not only because of the novelty excitement synonymous with a Dyson launch, but its price tag. The Corrale is priced at 499, a mid-priced product in their personal care range, but still a few steps above the average price of a hair straightener on the wider market. Production of the Corrale cost 25m in total, accounting for research, development and testing, but is still a drop in the bucket of the 100m they are investing in their personal care laboratories around the world. Ms Lup said it's their mission to "solve the problems that others ignore", namely minimising heat damage that comes with traditional haircare devices, as the brand intends on overtaking the haircare market in the same way they transformed the hoover industry for decades. "We were working on the straightener in parallel with the Airwrap. Its all about looking at what are the current solutions for styling hair and understanding the frustration consumers have. Our goal is to protect the natural health of hair, other devices that create style, straighteners were the obvious choice and create damage to hair because conventional straighteners use extreme heat to style hair and that was an area where we figured we could use new technology to solve the problem." James Dyson, founder and chief engineer, said they have spent the last number of years exploring "the science of style, seeking to understand what makes hair smooth, shiny and glossy, and what makes it dull, damaged and lifeless. We have been worried about the style results and heat damage from flat plate straighteners." The Corrale's unique selling point is its plate-flexing technology, allowing the same effect at a lower temperature (165 degrees in comparison to the average 185 degrees), and they claim it reduces damage by 50%. Its cordless design was ergonomically tested to reflect the main behaviours of users in different markets around the world and it charges in 70 minutes for 30 minutes of styling on-the-go. Video of the Day During its seven-year analysis, they developed a manganese copper alloy plate using six metals "to provide the optimum flexibility, strength and thermal conduction." "We look at the hair science: how do you use heat and other aspects to create the style? The different types of damage, analyse our competitors and implement changes," Ms Lup explained. "We started fundamental testing at what do the current products do. You have three elements that are providing style: the heat and when applied to hair, the hydrogen bond breaks; then you have tension, when you apply tension into hair that is hot, you are able to compress it and re-shape it; then the third aspect which the competitor products dont do so much is control. If youre able to apply control, youre able to apply heat and tension in a uniform way." 'Robust testing' includes sending all Dyson engineers on a hairstyling course to ascertain a nuanced understanding of the subject, and other unconventional methods like asking male engineers to grow their own hair for testing, or straightening their beards. The Corrale is currently using technology exclusively through 12 patents, with an additional 23 patents pending and "robustness testing" which involves putting new products through the proverbial - and literal - ringer before launch means Dyson employees were given home trials of the products to test it in its intended environment. It is available to buy in the following Dyson Mall Demo Zones: Dundrum Town Centre, Swords Pavilions, Liffey Valley shopping centre and Stephen's Green Shopping centre. As Pans remark suggests, a disease does not have to be the worst ever seen to produce a scenario that is the worst ever seen. It only needs to pose additional burdens on health-care resources beyond the capacity of those resources. Suppose a citys hospitals have a total of 10 ventilators and suppose seven of them are in use, keeping victims of familiar flu and pneumonia alive. The eruption of a new disease that causes a mere four people to need a ventilator poses a crisis for that city. And the crisis becomes unsustainable if similar outbreaks are happening in surrounding cities as well. President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday appealed to workers in the health sector to bear with the administration in their demands as it braces up for the challenges posed by coronavirus to the economy. The President, who made the appeal when workers in the health sector the under the auspices of Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and Assembly Healthcare Professionals Associations (AHPA) paid him a courtesy call at the State House, Abuja, assured that government was looking into their issues with a view to resolving them. Your case is certainly receiving attention, but you must bear in mind the condition that the country is in now. Coronavirus is not improving matters. It is affecting what we very much depend on, the petroleum industry and therefore revenue, he said. President Buhari also called on the visitors to appeal to the patriotic sentiments of their members in these trying times and continue to work for further development of the country. So please try and help us with your people. Let us be patriotic, let us look at the ways and means of the government and appeal for restraintWe have to emphasize that it is very important we maintain cohesion together, because if we allow sentiments or popularity to overwhelm our reasoning faculties, we will be in trouble and it will be too late for us to adjust, so please bear with us, said the President. The Nigerian leader used the opportunity to stress that his administrations successful drive for food sufficiency in the last four years will definitely come in handy now with the drop in government revenue. We thank God. God is very sympathetic to us. The three previous rainy seasons were good. We had good foresight in getting fertiliser, making it available and we virtually achieved food security. We made good decisions, and we saved hundreds of millions of dollars on importation of food. If not, we would have been in real trouble, he added. JOHESU, an amalgam of five registered trade unions and AHPA, under the leadership of Comrade Biobelemoye Joy Josiah, had come to intimate the President with some of the contentious issues in the sector and to thank him for some of the positive developments. Notably, they appreciated President Buharis prompt release of funds for tackling Coronavirus; thanked him for assenting to the National Health Act which provides for a one percent consolidated fund for the health sector; and for rejecting the advice of stakeholders who clamoured for the privatization of the health sector which would have deprived the masses access to affordable healthcare. They also requested the Presidents intervention in adjustment of Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS); withheld April and May 2018 salaries of members; gazetting of scheme of service for nurses; and restoration of teaching allowances among others. Also in attendance were Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha; the Minister and the Minister of State in the Health ministry, Dr.Osagie Ehanire and Dr. Olorunnimbe Mamora respectively; Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige. Garba Shehu Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity) March 10, 2020 The federal proceedings against Joshua Schulte, a former employee of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) who was accused by the American government of providing WikiLeaks with a trove of documents exposing illegal spying operations, have ended in a mistrial. After a week of deliberations, the jury returned on Monday to state that it could not reach an agreement on the most serious charges facing Schulte. The divided opinion centred on eight counts under the Espionage Act, including illegally gathering and transmitting national defence information. The jury had only agreed to convict Schulte on the lesser counts of contempt of court and making false statements to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Schulte will remain imprisoned and likely faces a retrial. The failure of the prosecution to convict Schulte of the charges relating to WikiLeaks 2017 Vault 7 publication, which consisted of leaked documents from within the CIA, is significant. It may mark a hurdle in the campaign of the US government against WikiLeaks and its publisher Julian Assange, who faces extradition from Britain to the US and prosecution under Espionage Act charges over separate 2010 and 2011 releases. It is clear that if he is extradited, Assange could face additional US charges, possibly related to Vault 7. Three days after closing arguments in the Schulte trial, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials confirmed that it was possible that Assange would face additional counts carrying the death penalty if he was dispatched to the US. The timing of their statements, which contradict the previous claims of US allies, could indicate that there is much at stake for Assange in the attempted US prosecution of Schulte. The failure of the jury to convict, after a national security trial in which all advantages were slated to the prosecutors, underscores the criminal character of the media blackout of the proceedings, which began in late January. For over a month, the most prominent corporate media outlets have remained silent on court hearings which revealed aspects of the politically-motivated witch-hunt of WikiLeaks and its alleged sources. The publication of Vault 7 in early 2017 was the trigger for a major escalation in the US government vendetta against Assange, culminating in his illegal expulsion from Ecuadors London embassy last year, his arrest by the British police and imprisonment in a maximum-security prison. Schultes trial, moreover, coincided with the first week of the British extradition hearing against Assange, which underscored the similarities in the lawless treatment of the WikiLeaks publisher and his alleged CIA source. Prosecutors have described the Vault 7 leak, which they accuse Schulte of being responsible for, as the largest in the entire history of the CIA. The disclosure has been compared to the releases of National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden, who in 2013 exposed mass US government surveillance of the American and world population. Vault 7 revealed that the CIA was conducting illegal spying operations, including through phones and household appliances such as smart televisions. It exposed the US government as one of the biggest purveyors of malicious computer viruses in the world. Vault 7 documented the CIAs ability to hack into computer systems and leave telltale signs attributing the attacks to the adversaries of American imperialism, such as Russia and Iran. It revealed sinister programs aimed at enabling the CIA to take control of the computer systems that operate many modern carsraising the prospect of political assassinations. Despite this, the vast majority of the American and world population has been deprived of any knowledge of the proceedings. The effective D-notice has been enforced across the spectrum of corporate publications, ranging from the New York Times to the Washington Post. The hearing has been held under draconian conditions. Last year, Schultes attorney Sabrina Shroff revealed that Schultes legal correspondence was being monitored by federal authorities. She stated that defence lawyers had effectively been threatened by the CIA with possible prosecution if they received any material that was classified. National security was used to stymie the defences conduct of the case. Prosecutors successfully barred the defence from researching any of the CIA witnesses, imposing a ban even on Google searches of their names with any phrases that could identify them as spies, such as CIA, WikiLeaks or Vault 7. The CIA personnel testified under false names, with the media barred from even describing their appearance. Reporters from independent publications covering the trial complained that the prosecution sought to delay their access to court transcripts and exhibits. The Orwellian character of the hearing was summed up by the first expert witness for the prosecution. A government official, he revealed under cross-examination that he had not looked at any of the primary Vault 7 material, despite it being on the public record, because he did not have the appropriate security clearance. The proceedings largely avoided any examination of the character and legality of the CIA activities exposed by WikiLeaks. In one rare exception, a current CIA employee acknowledged that the hacking he was involved in was directed against foreign states and non-state actors. In other words, extrajudicial operations targeting civilians and political opponents of the US government. Another witness stated that it was rare for the agencys hacking division to target friendly nations, effectively confirming that the CIA does, at least occasionally, target governments formally allied to the US. The court shielded the government. Last month it blocked defence subpoenas seeking the testimony of current Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. As then director of the CIA, Pompeo directly oversaw the agencys response to Vault 7 in early 2017. As the defence noted in a February 17 filing, Pompeo was immediately debriefed about the WikiLeaks disclosure and he was specifically informed that Mr. Schulte was an early suspect. Pompeo then approved the substance of the first search warrant application targeting Schulte, authorizing the FBI to make various statements therein, some of which later proved untrue. Publicly, Pompeo responded to Vault 7 by branding WikiLeaks as a non-state hostile intelligence service and its publisher Julian Assange as a demon. Behind the scenes, he worked to ensure Assanges arrest by the British police and the opening up of US extradition proceedings against him. As Shroff explained in her closing argument, the prosecutions legal case was in reality a CIA-government mission to assign blame for the most damaging leak in the agencys history. Despite weeks of testimony, the prosecution had been unable to definitively establish that Schulte was responsible for the leak. There was no forensic evidence that he had taken possession of the Vault 7 documents or provided them to WikiLeaks. DEVLAN, the CIA server on which the documents were stored, moreover, had been described by government witnesses as a dirty network and the wild west. They repeatedly acknowledged lax security procedures, including shared and easy-to-crack passwords, and an absence of any monitoring of staff activities. The prosecution had spent an inordinate amount of time establishing that Schulte, who left the CIA in November 2016, had been embroiled in rancorous disputes with many of his colleagues and superiors. They also pointed to earlier instances in which Schulte had allegedly responded to the revocation of his administrative access on separate projects by creating backdoors to enter systems without authorization. A government image of Schulte allegedly using a contraband phone in the Metropolitan Correctional Center The prosecution case also focused heavily on Schultes alleged activities in the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in New York, after he had been detained following the FBI investigation into Vault 7. Schulte had conducted a campaign to draw attention to his plight, including through the use of contraband phones, pseudonymous social media pages and by contacting the media. These breaches of prison rules, which are the focus of some of the charges Schulte faces, were used by the prosecution to try and establish his broader guilt. Shroff argued that Schultes actions were those of a desperate but innocent man. He had contacted media outlets to publicise what he considered to be the unlawful and false basis of the repeated FBI raids of his apartment. Schulte had also documented the shocking conditions he confronted, including being bolt-chained to the ground during interrogation, dealing with flooding in the MCC with limited prison assistance and being sensorily-deprived at the facility. Several incidents in the latter stages of the hearing indicated that the prosecution case was on the verge of collapse. On February 28, during an emergency session of court, the prosecution dropped the second count of its indictment, which alleged that Schulte illegally transmitted CIA material to which he had lawful access. This appeared to be an attempt to stave-off any suggestion that Schulte had lawful access to some or all of the Vault 7 material. And on March 5, days after closing arguments, a juror was dismissed after it was revealed that she had looked up one of the lawyers involved in the case online. She promptly went to the tabloid press and stated that while Schulte had been a naughty boy, she did not believe the most serious charges against him. Most damningly, it was revealed late last month that the prosecution had withheld potentially exculpatory evidence. After he had already testified, it emerged that Michael, a government witness, had been placed on administrative leave after being non-cooperative with the FBI investigation into the Vault 7 leak. Michael, a close colleague of Schulte, claimed to have seen the irregular transmission of the Vault 7 material on his computer screen in real time. He had even taken a screenshot of the apparent theft. But when questioned by the FBI, he had refused to answer a number of questions and had been assigned to indefinite leave after it was decided that he could not be trusted to work on classified projects. The defence unsuccessfully sought a mistrial in response to the revelation. The strange case of Michael, however, indicated that the defence was correct when it stated that the government and the CIA still do not know who was responsible for leaking Vault 7. Michaels circumstances indicate that behind the scenes, the CIA is proceeding with a frenzied investigation aimed at identifying the leaker, even while it is seeking to prosecute Schulte. This supports the defence claim that Schulte is a scapegoat, targeted because of his repeated conflicts with colleagues and the circumstances of his departure from the CIA. The former CIA employee also faces separate child pornography charges, after the FBI claimed to find incriminating evidence during its Vault 7-related raids of his apartment. To those familiar with the sordid record of the US intelligence agencies, this only heightens the likelihood that Schulte is the victim of a state frame-up. It must be noted, moreover, that whoever leaked the Vault 7 material did a service to the American and world population, exposing illegal government activities potentially impacting on millions of people. Czech Republic's Prime Minister Andrej Babis arrives for the second day of the European Union leaders summit, held to discuss the EU's long-term budget for 2021-2027, in Brussels, Belgium, Feb. 21, 2020. (Ludovic Marin/Pool via Reuters) Czech Prime Minister Says Chinas Ambassador Should Be Replaced China should replace its ambassador in the Czech Republic after the Chinese embassy sent a threatening letter to Czech authorities, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said, a position that may further strain relations between the two countries. In January, Chinas embassy in Prague said in a letter sent to the Czech presidents office that Beijing would retaliate against Czech companies operating in China if a senior Czech lawmaker went ahead with a planned visit to Taiwan. The Jan. 10 letter suggested that Czech companies operating in mainland China, such as the Volkswagen subsidiary Skoda Auto and lender Home Credit Group, would suffer if then- Senate speaker Jaroslav Kubera visited the island. Kubera died before he could make the trip. His successor, Milos Vystrcil, is likely to push for China to replace the ambassador, and Babis would support such a demand, Czech Television reported. This man is quite distinctive, and what he has written, that is absolutely unacceptable, we must reject that, Czech Television quoted Babis as saying. Four top Czech officials, including President Milos Zeman, who has pushed for closer ties with China in recent years, will meet on Wednesday for a regular debate on foreign policy, where they are expected to address the matter. Diplomatic ties between the two countries cooled last year when city authorities in Prague showed support for Tibet and demanded changes to an intercity partnership agreement with Beijing over a reference to Chinas policy on Taiwan. China quit the agreement and Prague instead entered a partnership with Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has pushed for a one country, two systems model, which Taiwan rejects. Babiss government has repeatedly said it adheres to the one-China policy. In a statement on Tuesday, Taiwans foreign ministry said that despite Chinas threats it would continue to deepen exchanges and cooperation with the Czech Republic. An earlier dent in bilateral relations came in December 2018 when the Czech cyber-security watchdog warned about the risks of using network technology provided by Chinese telecoms equipment makers Huawei and ZTE. By Robert Muller (Newser) Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Republican lawmaker who tweeted a photo of himself wearing a gas mask on the House floor last week, is now in self-quarantine after possible exposure to the coronavirus. Gaetz didn't wear the mask late last month when he was at the Conservative Political Action Conference late last month, where he met an attendee who was later diagnosed with the virus. "Under doctor's usual precautionary recommendations, he'll remain self-quarantined until the 14-day period expires this week," the Florida lawmaker's office says. The office of Rep. Mark Meadows, President Trump's new chief of staff, says he is also under self-quarantine after meeting the person at CPAC, NBC reports. Meadows' office says he has already tested negative for the virus. story continues below Sen. Ted Cruz and Reps. Paul Gosar and Doug Collins are also in self-quarantine after meeting the infected person at the Feb. 26-29 conference. When he wore the mask on the House floor ahead of a vote on a coronavirus appropriations bill, critics accused Gaetz of making fun of the crisis. He was ordered to remove the mask by the House sergeant-at-arms. His office now says he was wearing it to "demonstrate his concern," the Hill reports. Gaetzwho was at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate over the weekend and traveled on Air Force One on Mondayis not showing any symptoms, his office says. The name of the infected CPAC attendee is being withheld, but sources tell Politico that the man attended the conservative conference on a gold-level VIP ticket. (Read more coronavirus stories.) [March 10, 2020] Qualia Awarded as One of Forbes' Best Startup Employers 2020 SAN FRANCISCO, March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Qualia , the leading cloud-based real estate closing company, has been recognized as part of Forbes inaugural list of Americas Best Startup Employers for 2020 . This prestigious award is presented by Forbes and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The awards list was announced on March 10, 2020 and can currently be viewed on the Forbes website . Forbes and Statista analyzed more than million data points to identify the top Startup employers. In particular, three aspects of each company were assessed during the evaluation: employer reputation, employee satisfaction, and company growth. Qualia is ecstatic to be recognized as one of Forbes 2020 list of Americas Best Startup Employers. "We believe that culture is the foundation of a successful business, said Nate Baker, co-founder and CEO of Qualia. We are proud to be named one of Forbes Best Startup Employers and look forward to continuing to invest in our employees and creating an engaging environment where talented people can thrive and grow. Founded in 2015, Qualia is a fast-growing real estate technology company that makes home closings more transparent, efficient and affordable. The company is transforming what was once a paper-intensive, time-consuming and arduous task riddled with inefficiencies into a simple, streamlined and secure cloud-based experience. With more than 250 employees across its two offices in the U.S., more than 15% of all home closings in the U.S. happen on Qualia today. About Qualia Qualia is a cloud-based real estate closing technology company that provides the infrastructure to streamline the home closing experience. The company offers a suite of products that brings together homebuyers and sellers, lenders, title & escrow agents and real estate agents onto one secure shared platform. Qualia was founded in 2015 by Forbes 30 Under 30 Award recipients Nate Baker, Joel Gottsegen and Lucas Hansen. Since launching, the company has been named an ALTA Elite Provider, grown to over 250 employees, and recognized with the Great Place to Work Certification. The company is a leader in industry security and was the first technology company to join the Coalition to Stop Real Estate Wire Fraud. Qualia is headquartered in San Francisco, CA and has offices in Austin, TX. For more information on Qualia, visit www.qualia.com . Press Contact Erica Perng Qualia [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] INDIANAPOLIS - It is common for critically ill patients on life support to develop delirium, a form of acute brain failure for which no effective treatment is known. A study from Indiana University School of Medicine and Regenstrief Institute researchers reports that music appears to decrease delirium in patients on mechanical ventilators in the intensive care unit (ICU). In the study, critically ill individuals who listened to slow-tempo, relaxing music (60 to 80 beats per minute) had decreased need for sedatives, fewer days of delirium and were more awake -- enabling them to receive physical therapy earlier. These results are encouraging and a larger clinical trial is currently underway. Mechanically ventilated patients -- more than a million adults annually in the United States -- are at increased risk for delirium, which is associated with prolonged ICU stays, higher healthcare costs and increased mortality. The intubated patient experiences pain, anxiety and physiologic stress for which they usually are treated with drugs, which can contribute to delirium. This perpetuates a cycle of pain, anxiety, sedation and delirium. "Like kidney or heart failure, individuals can develop brain failure, but there is no treatment equivalent to dialysis or the ventilator for brain failure, a condition which can adversely affect an individual's personality and quality of life for years," said Sikandar Khan, D.O., M.S., IU School of Medicine assistant professor of medicine and Regenstrief Institute research scientist, who led the new study. "Recent studies by our group and others have shown that drugs, including commonly prescribed antipsychotics, do not treat delirium or reduce its severity, so we desperately need a non-pharmacologic treatment. Our pilot study shows that music may hold promise to help save patients' brains and allow them to experience less stress while critically ill." Existence of delirium and delirium severity were assessed twice daily in an Eskenazi Health medical-surgical ICU using the CAM-ICU-7, short for Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit 7, a tool developed by Regenstrief Institute and IU School of Medicine clinician-researchers. Additionally, the new study is the first to determine the acceptability of music by patients on mechanical ventilators and the feasibility of administering music by non-specialists. Patients who listened to the slower-tempo, relaxing music two hours per day needed less sedation and had more delirium free days. ICU nurses could easily place noise-cancelling headphones and audio players with patients. The researchers divided ICU patients on mechanical ventilators into three groups. Patients were randomized to (1) slow tempo playlists consisting of piano, guitar, Native American flute sounds and classical music; (2) patient preference for the selection of music (as conveyed by surrogates) or (3) an audio book. Patients in the audiobook arm of the study were further randomized to hear a reading of "Treasure Island," the Harry Potter series, or Dr. Seuss' "Oh the Places You'll Go!" All three audiobooks were chosen for readability, broad appeal, quality of narration and high ratings on commercial websites. Eighty percent of the patients in the study rated the music enjoyable, duration appropriate and indicated that they liked receiving sessions twice a day. Patients noted music had made them feel more normal and calm as well as giving them a sense of control. Slow-tempo music, which had a significantly greater effect than music selected by patient preference, was also more highly favored by study participants. By contrast, no matter which of the three books they heard while on the ventilator, patients rated audiobooks poorly, with lower acceptance than music of any type. "Our work is novel in that we explored the effect of music on critically ill, mechanically ventilated adults age 18 and older, a very different group for whom music and delirium has not been previously studied," added Dr. Sikandar Khan. "It's the first study of its type based on science -- in previous work on biomarkers we had shown that slow-tempo music yielded less stress hormones in blood -- and science won." "Decreasing Delirium through Music (DDM): A Randomized Pilot Trial," is published in the American Journal of Critical Care. Authors in addition to Dr. Sikandar Khan are Chenjia Xu, PhD; Russell Purpura, M.D.; Sana Durrani, MBBS; Heidi Lindroth, PhD, R.N.; Sophia Wang, M.D.; Sujuan Gao, PhD; Annie Heiderscheit, PhD; Linda Chlan, PhD, R.N.; and Regenstrief Institute Research Scientists Malaz Boustani, M.D., MPH and Babar A. Khan, M.D., M.S. The work was supported by a Regenstrief Innovations award. Dr. Babar Khan and Dr. Chlan are the primary investigators (PIs) and Dr. Sikandar Khan is an investigator of an ongoing randomized controlled clinical trial that is evaluating the effectiveness of exposure to slow-tempo classical music versus simple noise cancellation in decreasing delirium in older adults. The five-year project is supported by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Aging and National Eye Institute. World Delirium Awareness Day is March 11, 2020. ### About IU School of Medicine IU School of Medicine is the largest medical school in the U.S. and is annually ranked among the top medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The school offers high-quality medical education, access to leading medical research and rich campus life in nine Indiana cities, including rural and urban locations consistently recognized for livability. About Regenstrief Institute Founded in 1969 in Indianapolis, the Regenstrief Institute is a local, national and global leader dedicated to a world where better information empowers people to end disease and realize true health. A key research partner to Indiana University, Regenstrief and its researchers are responsible for a growing number of major healthcare innovations and studies. Examples range from the development of global health information technology standards that enable the use and interoperability of electronic health records to improving patient-physician communications, to creating models of care that inform practice and improve the lives of patients around the globe. Regenstrief Institute is celebrating 50 years of healthcare innovation. Sam Regenstrief, a successful entrepreneur from Connersville, Indiana, founded the institute with the goal of making healthcare more efficient and accessible for everyone. His vision continues to guide the institute's research mission. About Sikandar Khan, D.O., M.S. Sikandar Khan is a Regenstrief Institute research scientist and an assistant professor of medicine, IU School of Medicine who focuses on delirium in the Intensive Care Unit and non-pharmacological approaches to the prevention and treatment of this devastating brain failure. He earned a D.O. degree from Des Moines University; M.S. from Indiana University; and B.A. and B.S. from Loyola University. A 100-year old man from China has been discharged from hospital after recovering from coronavirus, Chinese state-run media has reported. The man was admitted to a hospital in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the outbreak began, on February 24, according to Xinhua news agency. He was discharged from Hubei Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital on Saturday, March 7, making him the oldest known patient to successfully recover from Covid-19, Xinhua reported. The man, who has not been named, is said to have suffered from multiple pre-existing conditions, including heart failure, hypertension and Alzheimers disease. Coronavirus - In pictures 1 /106 Coronavirus - In pictures A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" is seen on an underground station platform Getty Images Customers wearing face masks shop at the pork counter of a supermarket following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province Reuters Westminster Bridge is deserted in London the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown PA Canadian passengers Chris & Anna Joiner ask for help onboard the MS Zaandam, Holland America Line cruise ship, during the coronavirus outbreak, off the shores of Panama City via Reuters A man crosses a nearly empty 5th Avenue in midtown Manhattan during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York City Reuters The London Eye is pictured lit blue in support of the NHS, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Commuters cope with Coronavirus Jeremy Selwyn Milan's Piazza del Duomo empty AFP via Getty Images People in protective clothing walk past rows of beds at a temporary 2,000-bed hospital for COVID-19 coronavirus patients set up by the Iranian army at the international exhibition center in northern Tehran, Iran AP Martina Papponetti, 25, an ICU nurse at the Humanitas Gavazzeni Hospital in Bergamo, Italy poses for a portrait at the end of her shift AP Pope Francis celebrating a daily mass alone in the Santa Marta chapel at the Vatican, as part of precautionary measures against the spread of the new coronavirus COVID-19 AFP via Getty Imag Vysheyshaya Liga - FC Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino v FC Belshina Bobruisk - Torpedo Stadium, Zhodino, Belarus, March 27, 2020 Players in action during the match despite most sport being cancelled around the world as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Hanks and Wilson both have coronavirus Tom Hanks General view of an emergency makeshift field hospital as it is set up at Pacaembu Stadium for coronavirus (COVID-19) patients with a capacity of 200 beds in Sao Paulo, Brazil Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling on people to stay away from pubs, clubs and theatres, work from home if possible and avoid all non-essential contacts and travel in order to reduce the impact of the coronavirus pandemic PA Naomi Campbell catches a flight in a hazmat suit with goggles, a surgical mask and rubber gloves @naomi Sophie and Emily Ward pose for a photograph with their hand-drawn picture of rainbows and a message on their window in St Helens, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Corona virus outbreak. PA Shoppers queue outside a branch of Costco, in Croydon, south London, on the weekend after Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered pubs and restaurants across the country to close PA Charing Cross Tube Bakerloo Line very quiet at 8.15am Jeremy Selwyn A woman with a plastic box over her head on the London Underground. PA A Racegoer attend Cheltenham Festival on Ladies Day wearing a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits a laboratory at the Public Health England National Infection Service in Colindale PA A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A couple kiss in Milano Centrale railway station in Milan on March 8, 2020 AFP via Getty Images A combination picture shows visitors wearing protective face masks following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) looking at blooming cherry blossom nd a pigeon walking at an closed cherry blossom viewing spot during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (not pictured) urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors, in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from spreading Reuters This combination photo created on March 5, 2020 shows tourists visiting Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap province on March 16, 2019 (top) and on March 5, 2020 AFP via Getty Images Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump looks at the $2.2 trillion coronavirus aid package bill as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Vice President Mike Pence stand by during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House Reuters A satellite image shows an empty South Beach during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Miami, via Reuters General view inside the empty stadium as the two teams line up prior to the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg match between Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund at Parc des Princes UEFA via Getty Images A Sainsbury's supermarket in Cambridge is among those to sell out of antibacterial hand sanitizer PA Tents and ambulances are set up next to the Princess Cruises Grand Princess cruise as it sits docked in the Port of Oakland on March 09, 2020 in Oakland, California. The Princess Cruises Grand Princess has been held from docking until today as at least 21 people on board have tested positive for COVID-19 also known as the Coronavirus Getty Images Medical staff produce traditional Chinese medicine to treat patients infected by the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images Army soldiers wearing protective suits spray disinfectant as a precaution against the new coronavirus at a shopping street in Seoul, South Korea AP Russian President Vladimir Putin wearing protective gear walks at a hospital for patients infected with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Moscow via Reuters 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 Passengers on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship are seen as the ship arrives at Daikoku Pier where it is being resupplied and newly diagnosed coronavirus cases taken for treatment as it remains in quarantine after a number of the 3,700 people on board were diagnosed with coronavirus Getty Images Dave Abel pictured in hospital in Japan Manchester United fans in the stands during the Premier League match at Old Trafford PA Police officers wearing masks stand in front of the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in La Caleta, in the Canary Island of Tenerife AP Carnival revellers wear protective face masks at Venice Carnival Reuters A general view is pictured of Burbage Primary School in Buxton, Derbyshire after the closure of the school as a pupil's parent has tested positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19 AFP via Getty Images People wearing face masks walk past the Olympic rings in front of the new National Stadium, the main stadium for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Game Getty Images People leave Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre in Milton Keynes where Coronavirus evacuees are due to be released from quarantine today and allowed to go home PA Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA A woman wears a mask while crossing London Bridg Getty Images A general view of Worthing Hospital in West Sussex PA Passengers relax on board the Holland America-operated Westerdam cruise ship, which has been denied permission to dock in Thailand over coronavirus fears via Reuters A child waves as she sits in a vehicle carrying residents evacuated from a public housing building, following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, outside Hong Mei House, at Cheung Hong Estate in Hong Kong Reuters A woman wearing a Minnie Mouse face mask looks at her mobile phone in Beijing on February 11, 2020 AFP via Getty Images The Costa Smeralda cruise ship of Costa Crociere, carrying around 6,000 passengers, is docked at the Italian port of Civitavecchia after a health alert due to a Chinese couple and a possible link to coronavirus on board, in Civitavecchia, Italy Reuters A patient covered with a bed sheet at an exhibition centre converted into a hospital as it starts to accept patients displaying mild symptoms of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images A medical official takes the body temperature of a man at the departure hall of the airport in Changsha, Hunan Province, as the country is hit by an outbreak of a new coronavirus, China Reuters The view of the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center Getty Images A plane carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, arrives at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire A police vehicle enters the gates of the Royal Air Force station RAF Brize Norton in Carterton AFP via Getty Images Passengers wear face masks as the push their luggage after arriving from a flight at Terminal 5 of London Heathrow Airport AFP via Getty Images French citizens arrive and settle aboard of an evacuation plane with destination southeastern France, before departure from Wuhan Airport (WUH), China AFP via Getty Images Police stand at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge that crosses from Hubei province in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, China Reuters A member of staff at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside prepares for a bus carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China PA Doctor Paul McKay, who is working on an vaccine for the 2019-nCoV strain of the novel coronavirus, poses for a photograph with bacteria containing fragments of coronavirus DNA, at Imperial College School of Medicine (ICSM) in Londo AFP via Getty Images Workers produce masks at the Thai Hospital Product Company Ltd. factory in Bangkok AFP via Getty Images Passengers wearing face masks are seen on a bus after disembarking from the Costa Smeralda cruise ship, after tests on a woman from Macau with suspected coronavirus came back negative, in Civitavecchia, Italy Reuters People hoard bottles of alcohol after the Philippine government confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in the country, in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines Reuters Taking precautions: with fears growing that the coronavirus will spread from China, a health official checks a womans temperature on the underground in Beijing Getty Images An empty road is seen in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020, amid a deadly virus outbreak which began in the city AFP via Getty Images Students wearing masks meditate prior to a lesson at a high school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia AP Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital wear protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus AFP via Getty Images Staff move bio-waste containers past the entrance of the Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, where some infected with a new virus are being treated, in Wuhan, China AP Workers driving excavators at the construction site of a field hospital In Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The builders will complete the 1,000-bed hospital by February 3 to cope with the surge of 2019-nCoV patients in the city Getty Images Buddhist monks wear masks as they walk near Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodi AP A woman and a child wearing protective masks walk toward check-in counters at Daxing international airport in Beijing AFP via Getty Images An employee sprays disinfectant on a train as a precaution against a new coronavirus at Suseo Station in Seoul, South Korea AP A policeman wearing a mask walks past a quarantine notice about the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China at an arrival hall of Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan Reuters Paramilitary police wear face masks as they stand guard at Tiananmen Gate adjacent to Tiananmen Square in Beijing AP The resident wear masks to buy vegetables in the market in Wuhan Getty Images Staff sell masks at a Yifeng Pharmacy in Wuhan AP Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV AP The hospital reportedly had to call in medical professionals from the military, who offered him a range of treatments because of the complexity of his case. Doctors have warned that older people and those with underlying health conditions are most likely to fall seriously ill from coronavirus. However, Englands chief medical officer said last week that the great majority of older patients would survive infection. Coronavirus cases: The spread outside China Professor Chris Whitty said: Even in the most vulnerable, oldest groups, in a very stressed health service which Hubei was at the point when most of the data came out the great majority of people who caught this virus and not everybody will survived it. The great majority, over 90 per cent. I think its easy to get a perception that if you are older and you get this virus then youre a goner absolutely not, the great majority of people will recover from this virus, even if they are in their 80s. First, there were conspiratorial whispers on social media that the coronavirus had been cooked up in a secret government lab in China. Then there were bogus medicines: gels, liquids and powders that immunized against the virus. And then there were the false claims about governments and celebrities and racial unrest. Taiwan was covering up virus deaths, and the illness was spiraling out of control. Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder who now runs a philanthropic organization, was behind the spread of the virus. Italians were marching in the streets, accusing Chinese people of bringing ... Boris Johnson is under huge pressure to 'come clean' following the emergence of the message from his principal private secretary Martin Reynolds urging aides to 'make the most of the lovely weather' on May 20, 2020. The email apparently cause shock among some of the recipients, who reportedly exchanged comments including 'Why is Martin encouraging a mass gathering in the garden?' and 'Is this for real?' At the time, only two people were allowed to socialise outside while at least two metres apart under national Covid curbs. On a visit to his constituency yesterday, Mr Johnson ducked questions about whether he attended the gathering along with wife Carrie and 30-40 staff - as has been claimed. Instead he merely insisted it was a matter for Sue Gray, the senior official leading an investigation into allegations of lockdown-busting parties across Whitehall. Lawyers have suggested the premier being there might not have broken the law at the time, as it was technically his garden. But there are growing signs of disquiet among senior Tories at the hypocrisy and evasive responses from the government. [March 10, 2020] Executive Mosaic Names Kevin Plexico to the 2020 Wash100 Awards List HERNDON, Va., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Deltek, the leading global provider of software and solutions for project-based businesses, recently announced that Kevin Plexico, Senior VP of Information Solutions at Deltek, was named to the Wash100 list by Executive Mosaic a leading executive media and events company in the government contracting industry. The firm announced the 2020 winners of the prestigious Wash100 Awards in February, after months of consideration and research. The leadership committee at Executive Mosaic awarded 100 of the most influential local government leaders that demonstrate skills in leadership, innovation, reliability, achievement and vision. "We are pleased to welcome Kevin Plexico a name that is synonymous with 'government contracting'in the D.C. area as a recipient of the 2020 Wash100 Award. This is our seventh consecutive year recognizing executives most likely to make contributions of significance to the GovCon sector," said Jim Garrettson, Executive Mosaic's founder and CEO. "The annual Wash100 Award showcases GovCon executives of consequence and the esteem these respected individuals enjoy from their industry colleagues," Garrettson continued. "I'm honored to be recognized alongside such a distinguished group of professionals! During my career, I've had the privilege to work with some amazing and talented people in the government market. Thank you for this award," said Plexico. This is not the first time Deltek has been honored with the Wash100 award. In 2015 and 2019, Deltek's President & CEO Mike Corkery was named a recipient of the Wash100. See the full list of winners here. About Executive Mosaic Jim Garrettson founded Executive Mosaic in 2002 to provide a cross-media platform and exclusive forum for top-tier executives in the Washington, D.C., region. Executive Mosaic offers highly coveted executive events, breaking business news on the GovCon industry, and robust and reliable content through influential websites and three consequential E-newswires. Headquarters are located in Tysons Corner, Va. Visit www.executivemosaic.com. About Deltek Better software means better projects. Deltek is the leading global provider of enterprise software and information solutions for project-based businesses. More than 30,000 organizations and millions of users in over 80 countries around the world rely on Deltek for superior levels of project intelligence, management, and collaboration. Our industry-focused expertise powers project success by helping firms achieve performance that maximizes productivity and revenue. Learn more at www.deltek.com. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/executive-mosaic-names-kevin-plexico-to-the-2020-wash100-awards-list-301020634.html SOURCE Deltek [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Today's "Super Tuesday 2.0" primaries in six states are a real-time test of how the coronavirus could alter presidential voting especially in Washington, the state with the largest number of U.S. deaths to date. The state of play: Washington is a vote-by-mail state, which presents unique concerns and benefits in the face of a health crisis. Why it matters: "Its a model for other states about how to handle this," Washington Democratic Party chair Tina Podlodowski told Axios. Coronavirus presents "a cautionary tale for other states if they dont have a robust mail-in ballot system for what that may mean for people turning up to vote." State Democratic Party chairs and executive directors "have had a robust conversation" with each other and the Democratic National Committee about how to deal with coronavirus and its potential effects on early voting contests. Kim Wyman, Washington's secretary of state, told Axios: Coronavirus really doesnt affect us in the same way as states that have to open polling places. She said that the officials handling the ballots have been instructed to wear gloves while doing so, to change those gloves frequently and to wash their hands frequently throughout the process. Voters have been advised to use water not their own saliva to seal their ballot envelope to minimize any potential spreading of the coronavirus microbes. Driving the news: Michigan and Washington the two states with the largest number of delegates in today's contests represent two important tests of whether Bernie Sanders can regain momentum with Democrats as Joe Biden leads the race toward the nomination. Tulsi Gabbard also remains in the contest. Missouri, Mississippi, Idaho and North Dakota are the other states voting today. As the virus spreads, many states and U.S. territories have yet to hold Democratic primaries, with contests running through June. The general election is set for November. A little over a year ago, Washington state's Democratic Party shifted from its decades-long practice of caucusing to appoint delegates. That change now looks prescient, though disease containment was not the guiding mission at the time. Voters won't be forced to stand in line for hours to cast their ballot, and they won't be cramming into a high school gymnasium to participate in a caucus. Washington state has already received five times as many ballots in the 2020 primary than people who caucused in 2016. Podlodowski told Axios that 1.3 million people had turned in a primary ballot as of last Friday. The ultimate turnout is expected to exceed 1.7 million. In 2016, she said, 230,000 people caucused in Washington state. Washington voters must either place ballots in an official drop box or mail them in, postmarked by 8 pm local time. place ballots in an official drop box or mail them in, postmarked by 8 pm local time. Wyman said that while shes happy to share best practices with other secretaries of state, its not really an option for states having primaries in the next three to four months to switch to a mail-in system because of the legal steps it requires. The big picture: During last week's Super Tuesday contests, the biggest states, California and Texas, got a glimpse of the coronavirus' potential impact on elections. But concerns about the virus have exploded domestically over the past week. Various precinct openings in Austin were delayed after some officials skipped work over coronavirus fears. Officials in Solano County, California, added an additional precaution after two health care workers tested positive for the coronavirus: a curbside location where voters could hand over their ballot through the window without ever getting out of their cars. Oregon has declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus, but similar to Washington, it's a vote-by-mail state. Its primary is May 19. The bottom line: Washington state is one of only five states with mail-in voting for all elections and after today, three of them will have already had their contests so if concerns about public health persist into general election season, most states will have to seriously scramble to try to adapt their systems. Every city has indicators that say, Yes, I identify with where I live, even if Im originally from the middle of nowhere in another state. With San Franciscos tech industry creating a 21st century Gold Rush, people flock to the Bay Area to prove their worth and show they have what it takes to make it.That assimilation process mirrors middle school in a lot of ways: The popular kids have a status symbol, so I want it, too. In freezing cold New York, its a goose-filled down coat that touches the ground and can only be identified by a small patch on the arm. Here in San Francisco, not everyone can afford a new Tesla or a multi-million-dollar homebut rest assured, you can spot the tech worker three blocks away based on these telltale indicators. Allbirds "Comfort first, sustainability second, functionality third and fashion maybe later," would be a good way to describe SF fashion on the whole. These knit sneakers made from natural merino wool and recycled polyester feel like socks and can be thrown in the washing machine for easy cleaning. Rothy's For ladies who want all the benefits of Allbirds, but something a little fancier for interviews or date night, Rothys makes flats with the same comfortable, easy-to-clean, sustainable focus and count Meghan Markle as a fan. Zappos If the Bay Areas most popular shoes were the Holy trinity, Birkenstocks would be the son, because they were the first to spread the gospel of the comfort-first style that has shaped the modern-day aesthetic of SF. Also theyre colloquially called Jesus sandals, and that has to be enough of a reason if the above analogy isnt kosher. Warby Parker Even if you have 20/20 vision, you likely sit in front of a computer all day and need a pair to filter out that nasty blue light. You are also probably on a personal mission to support any and every one-for-one company out there, so this brand is in line with your values. Also, all your friends wear them and doing what they do helps you prevent decision fatigue. Timbuk2 If you dont have one of these backpacks shoved in your face, are you even commuting? Whether you received it as a new hire gift on your first day, customized with your startups logo, or you bought it yourself to show that you shop local, these backpacks say youve been here for a minute. Alternative Apparel Yes, these had their moment across the nation in the early 2000s thanks to American Apparel, but theyre still alive and well in the Bay Area thanks to tech companies giving them away for free to new hires every day. Comfy! Effortless! Casual! With your employers logo, name-dropping! Does it get more SF? Apple How can you say you work in tech without having the most recent sparkly walky-talky text machine? Sure, the only difference between that and the prior model is the camera BUT STILL. You actually donated your wallet to Out of the Closet because all of your credit cards, tickets and customer rewards cards are in the Wallet app and you dont have physical keys because you can open and close your door with Kevo. It also goes without saying that you have Airpods. bkr If youre in the Bay Area you probably love to talk about wellness and sustainability, and nothing demonstrates both of those interests better than bringing a reusable water bottle EVERYWHERE. Its actually more important to have on hand than your wallet because weve already established that you probably use ApplePay. Your reusable water bottle is also one of the only acceptable ways to display your sticker collection as an adult. If you love to hydrate and youre smart about real estate, your stickers can effectively communicate your taste in music, hobbies, favorite coffee shops and political stance. This is ideal if you identify as an introvert because it means you can say so much about yourself nonverbally and interested people can engage you OR if you are the introvert and see someone else with stickers that pique YOUR interests, you have a very easy and obvious conversation topic to inject. Jenny Lemons As a person deeply entrenched in living a sustainable life, you would rather comically slip down a hill because you dropped the bunch of bananas you were carrying by hand than be caught paying 10 cents for a grocery bag because you forgot your auxiliary canvas tote bag. You should have at least five random free ones from networking events and three that feel more personal because someone saw it and thought you couldnt live without it and she was right because you live with the bag tax and care about the environment. You may even have an elevated canvas tote with reinforced straps to carry your auxiliary canvas totes, and that wouldnt be weird at all because Im speaking from experience. Backcountry How do you dress weather-appropriately for a city with various microclimates? Smart layering, of course! A lightweight puffer vest retains the heat in your torso, but leaves your arms free to the wind so youre not too hot, not too cold, and can demonstrate that youll be a hot dad when the time comes to settle down and dress like a father figure. Away If you have unlimited vacation days or travel for work, you need the right equipment, and, despite problematic leaked Slack messages about a toxic work environment, the status quo at SFO says this bag is it. You can charge your phone on it so you never have to be untethered from your device until the flight attendant tells you there is no more overhead bag space and all wheeled luggage will be checked. If you want to be different and get a soft bag to drag around the airport that they wont take away from you, this bag could be the next big thing. How many do you have? And more importantly, will you collect them all? Hearst Newspapers participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Gabi Meyers is an SF transplant by way of Philly. She is currently under the impression that the West Coast is the best coast in all respects except bagels and pizza. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @gabi_meyers. A rare albino deer trotted across a lawn in a Mount Pleasant neighbourhood in South Carolina on March 4. Paulann Perry filmed a video which shows the white doe running across a road in a residential area before it stops to look at her camera, on a rainy day. She seemed instinctively very nervous, Perry told Storyful. This was the first time we have seen the albino doe venture forth with the herd (of deers). Perry told Storyful that she had seen approximately 15 deer walking through her yard each day. Her husband Daniel Christopher Drummond told Storyful that he and his wife threw corn, carrots and sliced apples across their yard for the deer to consume. Drummond said, The albino does not come out when its sunny outside. She hides in the woods behind our house. Wildlife experts said the albino deer was rare and only one in 30,000 deer are this shade of white, according to a local TV website article. Credit: Paulann Perry via Storyful By Choi Sung-jin "Guys, this resembles the Asian Games medal standings. China, by far, is topping the list and Korea, a distant runner-up, trailed by Japan," wrote one of my close friends in a group chat room about a month ago. That was when the new coronavirus outbreak was still mainly concentrated in China. Now that COVID-19 has all but turned into a pandemic, with the virus spreading across 110 countries and territories, the numbers increasingly look like those of the Olympic Games. All countries will, of course, aim to go south in this list of rankings. Fifty days have passed since Korea saw its first confirmed case of the coronavirus, a 35-year-old Chinese woman, on Jan. 20. She later returned to her homeland fully recovered and heaping words of thanks on healthcare providers here for treating her illness. However, the nation still had the most confirmed cases outside China, with over 7,500 patients Tuesday. That may change in the months to come, according to local experts. "The total numbers of confirmed cases in the United States and Japan, which stand at about 500 and 1,200, respectively, may prove to be the tip of the iceberg if the two countries conduct virus tests in earnest from now on," said Lee Wang-jun, who heads the emergency working group to cope with new coronavirus at the Korean Hospital Association. Appearing in a YouTube video recently, Lee, chairman of Myongji Hospital in Goyang, a bedroom town just north of Seoul, predicted the ongoing fight might turn into a year-long battle all over the world. "Then, the Korean model could emerge as a research subject in good ways and bad, but mostly in good ones," he said. This seems to be a far cry from the allegations of conservative political parties and media outlets here. They accuse the Moon Jae-in administration of completely failing to prevent the spread because it did not blockade travelers from China at an early stage, unlike the U.S. and some other countries. As it turned out later, however, mass infections in the southeastern city of Daegu and surrounding North Gyeongsang Province account for 90 percent of all confirmed cases in this country. Sixthy percent of patients are related to the Daegu and North Gyeongsang chapters of a secretive Christian sect named the Shincheonji Church of Jesus. Only a few cases can be traced to Chinese people who have entered into Korea. In some cities south of Seoul, where many Chinese and Korean-Chinese live and work, the infection rates are the lowest in Korea. Border closures have little effects or meaning in this era of super-connectivity when even perils go global. Yes, President Moon and his government should take responsibility for failing to prevent the mass infection. Moon cannot avoid criticism for his show of complacency. The government's failure to provide a sufficient number of face masks was also attributable to the same shortsightedness and/or the instinct of the party in power to play down an approaching peril. Otherwise, Korea deserves a high praise in dealing with the virus. Since its first outbreak, the nation has been transparent, aggressive and systematic in fighting the virus head-on, unlike China bent on hiding facts at the early phase, unlike Japan striving to keep a cruise vessel off the coastline and turning it into a petri dish later, and unlike the U.S. whose leader paid little attention to it at first. Some critics in the U.S. and Japan took issue with their countries' test capacity of a few hundred or thousand a day, compared with more than 10,000 here. A U.S. official recently asked about Korea's "drive-through" testing method. None of these, however, keep the nation's conservative critics from attacking the progressive government. These politicians and newspapers criticize Moon, accusing him of bungling the handling of the virus as he focused only on currying favor with China, and call for him to benchmark the U.S. What should Korea learn from America where only wealthy people can afford to receive the test as it costs about 4 million won ($3,300) per person? Compare this with Korea, where some Shincheonji followers refuse to take tests even when they are free of charge. Looking back, a major epidemic has occurred once every five or six years in recent decades. In the 2002-03 SARS outbreak, only three cases occurred with no deaths under the progressive Roh Moo-hyun administration. In 2009 when the country was hit with swine flu, the conservative Lee Myung-bak administration saw more than 700,000 patients and almost 300 deaths. During the spread of MERS in 2015, 186 caught the disease, and 39 died when conservative President Park Geun-hye was in Cheong Wa Dae. But then its global spread was relatively small at 1,367 cases. In the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, Korea's mortality rate remains at 0.7 percent compared with the worldwide average of 3.5 percent. What all this shows is the importance of a transparent, humble and democratic approach to dealing with a pandemic or climate disaster. The Moon government's mistakes also came when it turned defiant if temporarily amid a self-defensive mentality. Global perils, be they new viruses or wildfires or floods, will come more frequently and on a larger scale, given humankind's destruction of the ecosystem and unhindered globalization. The attitudes in fighting worldwide catastrophe seem to have become more evident; science instead of fear-mongering, altruism in place of hatred, and solidarity rather than xenophobia. So far, at least, Korea has been moving in more desirable ways than not. Choi Sung-jin (choisj1955@naver.com) is a Korea Times columnist. By Rania El Gamal and Olesya Astakhova DUBAI/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia will raise its crude supply to a record high in April, the kingdom announced on Tuesday, as it ratcheted up a standoff with Moscow over market share and appeared to reject Russian overtures for new talks. The clash of oil titans Saudi Arabia and Russia sparked a 25% slump in crude prices on Monday, triggering panic selling and heavy losses on Wall Street's main stock indexes, already hit badly by the coronavirus outbreak. U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a call on Monday to discuss global energy markets, the White House said on Tuesday. Amin Nasser, CEO of Saudi Aramco said the oil giant would increase supply to 12.3 million barrels per day (bpd) in April for customers inside the kingdom and abroad. That's 300,000 bpd above its maximum production capacity, indicating Aramco may also free up crude from storage. Saudi Arabia has also agreed with Kuwait to resume output from jointly operated oilfields in the so-called Neutral Zone, production which is not accounted for under Aramco's output capacity of 12 million bpd. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told Russia's ambassador to the United States on Monday that energy markets needed to stay "orderly" amid rising concerns that extra supply from Saudi Arabia and Russia could trigger bankruptcies among higher-cost U.S. shale oil producers. Saudi Arabia has been pumping around 9.7 million bpd in the past few months. The kingdom holds hundreds of millions of barrels of oil in storage so its can supply oil above its production capacity. Brent oil prices jumped 10% on Tuesday above $37 per barrel after Russian energy minister Alexander Novak said Moscow was ready to discuss new measures with OPEC, effectively offering an olive branch to Riyadh. But Saudi Arabias energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman appeared to rebuffed the idea. Story continues "I fail to see the wisdom for holding meetings in May-June that would only demonstrate our failure in attending to what we should have done in a crisis like this and taking the necessary measures, Prince Abdulaziz told Reuters. Riyadh's unprecedented hike in crude supply follows the collapse of talks between OPEC and other producers led by Russia - a grouping known as OPEC+ - which had sought to extend their joint efforts to curb supply beyond the end of March. Three years of cooperation among OPEC+ producers ended in acrimony on Friday after Moscow refused to support deeper production cuts to support prices hit by the coronavirus outbreak. OPEC responded by removing all limits on its own output. Oil prices plunged as the development revived fears of a repeat of the 2014 price crash, when Saudi Arabia and Russia fought for market share with U.S. shale oil producers, which have never participated in agreed output curbs. MEETING IN MOSCOW Russia's energy ministry has called a meeting with oil companies on Wednesday to discuss future cooperation with OPEC, two sources told Reuters. Novak said Russian oil companies may boost output by up to 300,000 bpd, and that the country's producers have the potential to increase output by 500,000 bpd. OPEC+ has been effectively cutting production by 2.1 million bpd led by Saudi Arabia, which has been reducing its output by more than agreed. Russia and Saudi Arabia have both accumulated vast financial cushions that will help them weather a lengthy price war. But the sharp drop in oil prices, if sustained, is likely to hit the sovereign ratings of exporting countries with weaker finances, especially those with pegged exchange rates, rating agency Fitch said. Saudi Arabia's financial reserves and its sovereign wealth fund provided a buffer but that there was not "infinite leeway" in the country's A (stable) rating, Fitch analyst Jan Friederich told Reuters. Aramco shares were up 9.9% at 31.15 riyals at 1353 GMT, below their December IPO price of 32 riyals. (Reporting by Rania El Gamal; editing by Maha El Dahan and Jason Neely) The coronavirus has set off two parallel "doom loops". An oil price crash is colliding with an unstable edifice of corporate debt. At the same time the closure of Italy's economic heartland is triggering a surge in Italian risk spreads and an intertwined collapse in European bank shares. The twin shocks come just as markets wake up to the grim reality that the US and Europe have missed their chance to control the pandemic. A global recession of some form is no longer a tail risk. It is imminent and inescapable. That is the screaming verdict of safe-haven bond markets. The collapse in yields on 30-year US Treasuries to historic lows of 0.51 per cent is a red warning of deflation. In Europe the trap has closed already. Bund yields fell to minus 0.87 per cent on Monday. The Stoxx Euro 600 banks index slid 11 per cent and is now below the depths of the Lehman crisis. European banks are shot below the waterline, too damaged to carry a recovery once COVID-19 is over. The coronavirus is hitting world markets. Credit:AP The oil price war between Russia's Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia's Mohammad bin Salman - well-matched scorpions in a bottle - is a direct consequence of COVID-19 but it is nonetheless a black swan twist for markets at a dangerous juncture. Defence counsel for a man caught shoplifting approximately $450 worth of groceries said he did it because he didnt have his bank card on him at the time. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/3/2020 (672 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us Defence counsel for a man caught shoplifting approximately $450 worth of groceries said he did it because he didnt have his bank card on him at the time. Steven Callum, 50, pleaded guilty in Brandon provincial court on Monday to theft under $5,000. On July 27, Brandon police received a call from an employee at the Real Canadian Superstore reporting a man had just stolen approximately $450 worth of meat and other items, Crown attorney Yaso Mathu told the court. Officers viewed video surveillance and saw a man, later identified as Callum, walk into the store with an empty cart and head straight to the meat section, Mathu said. Callum loaded up the cart with seven packages of meat, two packages of sausages, two packages of pork and one box of coleslaw before heading to the personal care section, Mathu said, where he added two large packages of tissue paper and a couple of bottles of shampoo and conditioner. Callum then exited the store, bypassing all the cashiers and self-checkout stands and making no attempt to pay. Police later went Callums residence and found him wearing the same clothing he was wearing in the surveillance footage, Mathu said. "Mr. Callum is no stranger from the court, and businesses need to be protected from people like Mr. Callum," Mathu said. "The costs of these thefts only get passed down to the customers." Defence counsel Anthony Dawson told the court Callum didnt have his bank card on him at the time he went to the store and made the decision to take the items and pay the next time he was in. "Obviously, that is not a justification for what he has done," Dawson said. Judge John Combs handed Callum a $300 fine in addition to one year of unsupervised probation. Callum was also ordered to stay out of Superstore in Brandon, as well as repay $450 in restitution. "There are means of getting assistance in the community if youre short of funds to feed yourself, Mr. Callum," Combs said. "Stealing is not an option." edebooy@brandonsun.com Twitter: @erindebooy New Delhi, March 10 : Amid the political crisis in Madhya Pradesh, 'sulking' Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, sources in the BJP said here on Tuesday. The sources also said that Scindia is likely to attend the BJP legislature party meet to be held in Bhopal on Tuesday evening. The BJP believes that the Kamal Nath government will be in a minority in a few days as MLAs close to Scindia will leave the Congress party. The rebel Congress leaders, who are now in bengaluru, are also likely to send their resignations to the Speaker. A source claimed that many as 20 of them close to Scindia are likely to extend support to the BJP. The sources suggested that Scindia could either join the BJP or extend support to a BJP-led government in the state. The sources also said that former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan may stake claim to form the government if the Kamal Nath government loses majority. Scindia is most likely to be sent to the Rajya Sabha and his loyalist MLAs may be accommodated into the cabinet, the sources said. A high level meeting was also held at the residence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday night in which role of Scindia in Madhya Pradesh politics was also discussed. Scindia, on the other hand, is likely to meet the BJP leaders either in Delhi or in Bhopal. Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said, "We tried to contact Scindia ji, but has been told that he is suffering from Swine Flu. So, haven't been able to contact him." Meanwhile, the BJP has called a meeting of the legislature party in Bhopal on Tuesday evening to choose its leader. Shivraj Singh Chouhan is likely to be elected as the leader of the BJP legislature party in the meeting. The Congress legislature party will also hold a meeting on Tuesday. A 23-year-old woman and her 54- year-old mother were admitted in an isolation ward in the district civil hospital in Nashik in Maharashtra on Tuesday for suspected exposure to novel coronavirus, health officials said. The woman had gone to Dubai on February 27 and returned to Nashik on March 3 and was quarantined after she complained of throat pain, cold and cough, while her mother was admitted as the two were together at home over the past one week, a doctor said. Their samples have been sent for testing to National Institute of Virology in Pune and reports are expected by Wednesday, he added. Meanwhile, in a move to tackle the virus threat, the Nashik district administration directed the International Vipassana Academy to stop meditation sessions at its facility in Igatpuri. The facility at Igatpuri, some 45 kilometres from here and 136 kilometres from Mumbai, gets several foreign visitors everyday, an official said. In another development, a 69-year-old man, quarantined as a precautionary measure on March 8, was discharged on Monday after his sample tested negative. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States has begun withdrawing troops from two Afghan bases despite the Taliban conducting dozens of low-level attacks against Afghan forces. The US military spokesman in Afghanistan Sonny Leggett said in a statement Tuesday that the military had begun its 'conditions-based reduction of forces to 8,600 over 135 days.' Currently, the US has about 13,000 soldiers in Afghanistan - 8,000 of whom are involved in training and advising Afghanistan's National Security Forces, while about 5,000 are involved in anti-terror operations and militarily supporting the Afghan army when they are requested. The US military spokesman in Afghanistan Sonny Leggett said in a statement Tuesday that the military had begun its 'conditions-based reduction of forces to 8,600 over 135 days.' Pictured: US soldiers in Gardez province, Afghanistan in 2006 The US will close five of its 20 bases across the country. Troops have started leaving one base in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province in the south, and another base in Herat in the east, a US official told AFP on the condition of anonymity. America also praised Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's promise to start releasing Taliban prisoners after he had delayed for over a week. The US-Taliban deal signed on February 29 was touted as Washington's effort to end 18 years of war in Afghanistan. The next crucial step was to be intra-Afghan talks in which all factions including the Taliban would negotiate a road map for their country's future. But Ghani and his main political rival, Abdullah Abdullah, were each sworn in as president in separate ceremonies on Monday. Abdallah and the elections complaints commission had charged fraud in last year's vote. The dueling inaugurations have thrown plans for talks with the Taliban into chaos, although Ghani said Tuesday that he'd start putting together a negotiating team. The US-Taliban deal signed on February 29 was touted as Washington's effort to end 18 years of war in Afghanistan. Pictured: US soldiers in Helmand province, Afghanistan in 2010 The disarray on the Afghan government side is indicative of the uphill task facing Washington's peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad as he tries to get Afghanistan's bickering leadership to come together. In a tweet on Tuesday, Khalilzad said he hoped the two leaders can 'come to an agreement on an inclusive and broadly accepted government. We will continue to assist.' Ghani had been dragging his feet on releasing some 5,000 Taliban prisoners, something agreed to in the US-Taliban deal. Ghani promised Monday to announce a decree to free the prisoners, after the US and a number of foreign dignitaries appeared to back his claim to the presidency by sending their representatives to his inauguration. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo released a statement Monday saying, 'We also welcome President Ghani's announcement that he will issue a decree March 10 on Taliban prisoner release.' America also praised Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's (pictured) promise to start releasing Taliban prisoners after he had delayed for over a week Taliban officials said late Monday that a flurry of biometric identifications were being conducted on Taliban prisoners, hinting at a mass release, according to prisoners currently in lockup. The Taliban officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk to the media. Pompeo also said he 'strongly opposed' the establishment of a parallel government in Kabul, despite the early signs of one emerging. Abdullah had quickly sent his vice-presidents to occupy the official offices on Monday, ahead of Ghani's plan to send his vice presidents to their offices Tuesday. Currently, the US has about 13,000 soldiers in Afghanistan - 8,000 of whom are involved in training and advising Afghanistan's National Security Forces. Pictured: US soldiers in southern Afghanistan in 2011 The US has said its partial troop withdrawal over an 18-month period provided for in the deal will be linked to the Taliban keeping their promises to help fight terror in Afghanistan Pompeo warned against 'any use of force to resolve political differences.' Both candidates - but particularly Abdullah - are backed by warlords with heavily armed militias, underscoring fears they could use force to back their candidate. The US has said its partial troop withdrawal over an 18-month period provided for in the deal will be linked to the Taliban keeping their promises to help fight terror in Afghanistan, but not to the success of talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government. On the weekend, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said the insurgent group was committed to their agreement with the United States and called on Washington to do its part to make sure their prisoners were freed. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for a rocket attack that took place during Ghani's inauguration ceremony. IS also claimed a brutal attack last week on a gathering of minority Shiites that killed 32 and injured scores more. The US in reaching its deal with the Taliban said they expected the Taliban, which has been battling Afghanistan's IS affiliate, to further aid in the effort to defeat IS. Kerala on Tuesday confirmed six more cases of novel coronavirus, taking the total number of people affected by COVID-19 in the state to 12, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Announcing a high alert across the state, including a ban on all official public functions, Pinarayi after a special meeting of the state cabinet, told media persons that appeal will be put out to people to avoid all public gatherings. The chief minister instructed that classes and examinations for students till Class 7 in schools in the state to be cancelled and also shut till March 31 all vacation classes, tuition classes, anganwadis and madrasas. "Exams for classes 8th,9th and 10th standard will, however, continue as per schedule. Legal steps will be initiated against those hiding their travel history. All people returning from COVID 16 countries should report to health authorities. Screening facilities at airports will be strengthened", said Vijayan adding that surveillance system will be strengthened across the state. Chief Minister said that the number of sample testing labs will also be increased. "Strict action will be taken against those spreading rumours and fake news. For those flying in and out of the airports in Kerala, passenger manifest to be collected from airlines. Availability of Sanitisers and masks will be ensured, " he said. The chief minister also urged people to avoid crowded places like visiting cinema theatres, temples, mosques, churches and to avoid all festivals of public gathering. He also urged people to stay away from visiting the Sabarimala Temple but normal rituals will take place in the temple. Till Monday according to official estimates 45 people had tested positive for the deadly coronavirus infection across India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Seminars on the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat Advice for farmers on the opportunities presented by the newly launched Government funding through the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat (SSRH) is being presented at two Teagasc / SEAI seminars. The first is taking place today, Tuesday, 10 March at Teagasc Ballyhaise with the second one taking place tomorrow, Wednesday, 11 March at Teagasc Moorepark. The Support Scheme for Renewable Heat (SSRH) is a government scheme that provides financial support to convert to renewable heat for a 15-year period. The scheme will be administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and technologies covered in the non-domestic sector include heat pumps, solid biomass, including combined heat and power. For biomass it provides a continuous income stream for 15 years in a bid to ensure renewable heat is commercially attractive when compared to fossil fuels. A once off grant tariff of 30% of the cost of air, ground and water-source heat pumps is also available. The SSRH is now open for applications and applicants must be a commercial, industrial, agricultural, district heating operator, or other non-domestic heat users at sites not covered by the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). This includes farmers, small businesses, hospitals, schools and district heating schemes (one boiler serving multiple properties). The government suggests this area will provide the vast majority of the renewable heat to meet targets. Farmers can potentially benefit from the SSRH, depending on circumstances. Farmers and growers are expected to benefit from supplying fuel to biomass boilers. There could be scope for individuals, or groups of farmers, to supply heat to local communities through district heating networks. The technologies supported such as biomass boilers are very relevant to the pig, poultry and horticulture sectors in Ireland. The SSRH event is addressing the interpretation of eligibility rules for biomass boilers. This will include biomass resources and scheme sustainability criteria. The area of biomass system quality and performance including consideration of payback on the investment will be discussed during the two hour information seminar. Speaking at todays event, Barry Caslin, Teagasc Energy and Rural Development Specialist said: At the present time, with uncertainties in world affairs, we need to improve our energy security by reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. Woodchip from forest pulpwood, straw and coppiced energy crops could be key renewable fuel sources in the future. I welcome the SSRH scheme as biomass boiler technologies and heat pumps have a natural fit with farm businesses. For example many farmers may have a ready supply of wood coppice, or straw which can be used in biomass boilers. Ray Langton, SEAI Project Manager for the SSRH said: At an individual farm level an investment in renewable energy will reduce the high cost of energy inputs and reduce the carbon footprint of the farm business. It will also improve the sustainability of our production that is of increasing importance in the market place. The government remains committed to renewable heating as part of its ongoing carbon reduction targets. Red Bank Regional High School in Little Silver and all Berkeley Heights Public Schools will be closed Tuesday after relatives of two students tested positive for coronavirus, the districts announced. The entire family of the Berkeley Heights student has been quarantined, but the student has not show any symptoms, according to a letter from Berkeley Heights School District Superintendent Melissa Varley. Out of an abundance of caution, for the safety and well-being of our community, and in consultation with the Union County Department of Health, we have decided to close all schools for one day while we perform a thorough, deep cleaning of the entire school district, Varley wrote. The Berkeley Heights School District cancelled all after-school activities on Monday, but the school and those activities were expected to reopen on Wednesday, Varley said. Earlier today, Gov. Phil Murphys Office announced a Berkeley Heights resident was one of five more people who tested positive for coronavirus was exposed to coronavirus after having contact with friends who traveled from Milan, Italy. Red Bank Regional Superintendent Louis Moore said the resident has a sibling who attends the high school, but at the present time no one else in the family has been tested for the virus. "As a precautionary measure, RBR will be closed tomorrow, so the custodial staff can perform additional deep cleaning of the building, Moore said in a message posted to the districts web site. "This will also give health officials time to evaluate the situation and provide us with further direction. The governor announced a state of emergency in New Jersey amid growing concerns about coronavirus. The total number of cases in New Jersey was at 11 as of 7:30 p.m. on Monday and 24 pending test cases at the state lab, New Jersey Department of Health officials said. Also on Monday, Roselle Public Schools announced that all its schools will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday after district officials learned that a staff member made contact with someone who was recently diagnosed with coronavirus. Several other New Jersey schools and universities also announced closures and delayed openings due to concerns about the disease or for planning purposes. Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon 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 In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects a military drill at an undisclosed location in North Korea on Monday, March 9, 2020. AP This photo provided by the North Korean government shows a military drill at an undisclosed location in North Korea on Monday, March 9, 2020. AP London, March 10 : Chinese smartphone manufacturing giant Xiaomi has closed its first and only Mi Store in the UK. This is not a temporary shutdown in response to the coronavirus outbreak but due to a change in strategy by the company. The store was located in the Westfield shopping centre in Sheperd's Bush, London, opened in November 2018 officially closed on March 5, 2020, Android Authority reported recently. The associated Twitter account has also been shut down, and the Westfield London website has been updated with a disclaimer that the UK Mi Store is no longer open for trading. "This adjustment to our local retail strategy is a reaction to our fast growing business in Western Europe. Since our official arrival in the UK over one year ago, we have loved building relationships with our users, Mi Fans and partners and thank them all for their support," the company said in a statement on the closure of its sole UK store "UK users and Mi Fans can continue to purchase Xiaomi products through our official website mi.com/uk and other official channels that will be announced along with our product launches in the future," the company added. Xiaomi phones including the recently released Mi Note 10 and other devices can also be bought online in the UK through Amazon UK as well Mi UK website. European shares on Tuesday recouped some of the brutal losses in the previous session, as higher oil prices and expectations of more stimulus measures eased anxiety around the economic hit from the coronavirus outbreak. The pan-European STOXX 600 gained 1.6pc by 08:08 GMT, but was far from making up for the 7pc slump on Monday that pushed the index into bear market territory - seen as a 20pc drop from recent all-time highs. Europe's oil subesctor led the gains with a 3.6pc rise as crude bounced 5pc from the biggest one-day rout in nearly 30 years. Corporate newsflow helped, with German chipmaker Infineon Technologies rising 3.3pc after US officials found no national security concerns with its proposed $10bn takeover of US firm Cypress Semiconductor. Could Cranswick plc (LON:CWK) be an attractive dividend share to own for the long haul? Investors are often drawn to strong companies with the idea of reinvesting the dividends. Yet sometimes, investors buy a popular dividend stock because of its yield, and then lose money if the company's dividend doesn't live up to expectations. While Cranswick's 1.7% dividend yield is not the highest, we think its lengthy payment history is quite interesting. Some simple research can reduce the risk of buying Cranswick for its dividend - read on to learn more. Explore this interactive chart for our latest analysis on Cranswick! LSE:CWK Historical Dividend Yield, March 10th 2020 Payout ratios Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. 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, Cranswick paid out 40% of its profit as dividends. This is a medium payout level that leaves enough capital in the business to fund opportunities that might arise, while also rewarding shareholders. Plus, there is room to increase the payout ratio over time. Another important check we do is to see if the free cash flow generated is sufficient to pay the dividend. Last year, Cranswick paid a dividend while reporting negative free cash flow. While there may be an explanation, we think this behaviour is generally not sustainable. Consider getting our latest analysis on Cranswick's financial position here. Dividend Volatility One of the major risks of relying on dividend income, is the potential for a company to struggle financially and cut its dividend. Not only is your income cut, but the value of your investment declines as well - nasty. Cranswick has been paying dividends for a long time, but for the purpose of this analysis, we only examine the past 10 years of payments. The dividend has been stable over the past 10 years, which is great. We think this could suggest some resilience to the business and its dividends. During the past ten-year period, the first annual payment was UK0.22 in 2010, compared to UK0.56 last year. Dividends per share have grown at approximately 9.9% per year over this time. Story continues Companies like this, growing their dividend at a decent rate, can be very valuable over the long term, if the rate of growth can be maintained. 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. Cranswick has grown its earnings per share at 9.9% per annum over the past five years. It's good to see decent earnings growth and a low payout ratio. Companies with these characteristics often display the fastest dividend growth over the long term - assuming earnings can be maintained, of course. 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. First, we like Cranswick's low dividend payout ratio, although we're a bit concerned that it paid out a substantially higher percentage of its free cash flow. That said, we were glad to see it growing earnings and paying a fairly consistent dividend. Overall we think Cranswick is an interesting dividend stock, although it could be better. Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is to one to which is more unpredictable. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. Given that earnings are not growing, the dividend does not look nearly so attractive. Very few businesses see earnings consistently shrink year after year in perpetuity though, and so it might be worth seeing what the 10 analysts we track are forecasting for the future. Earnings growth generally bodes well for the future value of company dividend payments. See if the 10 Cranswick analysts we track are forecasting continued growth with our free report on analyst estimates for the company. 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. The cancellation was a difficult but necessary decision taken amidst health and safety concerns stemming from the COVID-19 virus, said Gary Acosta, NAHREP Co-Founder & CEO. The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) today announced the cancellation of its National Convention and Housing Policy Summit, previously scheduled for March 16-18, 2020 at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, D.C. In consideration of the most recent information coming from international, national and local health officials, we are cancelling our national convention. The cancellation was a difficult but necessary decision taken amidst health and safety concerns stemming from the COVID-19 virus, said Gary Acosta, NAHREP Co-Founder & CEO. He added, This is the first time in 20 years that the event will not take place. Our sympathies at this time are with those affected all around the world. For additional information, please visit nahrep.org/convention. About NAHREP: The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP), a nonprofit 501(c)6 trade association, is dedicated to advancing sustainable homeownership for the Hispanic community in America. NAHREP has over 40,000 real estate professional members and 100 local chapters nationwide. Press Contact: Katherine Wood NAHREP (619) 719-4814 press@nahrep.org Mike Murray Strategic Vantage Marketing & Public Relations (240) 498-0863 MikeMurray@StrategicVantage.com Chris Young performs at the Rodeo Houston at NRG Stadium on Monday, March 9, 2020, in Houston. Photo: Marie D. De Jesus/Staff photographer The last several days have pushed against the grain at RodeoHouston. Theres been reggaeton from Becky G, hip-hop from Chance the Rapper, pop shimmer from Maren Morris and Ramon Ayalas legendary norteno. 25 YEARS LATER: Selena's family and friends honor her RodeoHouston legacy Chris Young brought things back around to country music Monday night inside NRG Stadium. Young, who drew a crowd of 58,410 for his sixth performance, is the epitome of mainstream. But much of his material gets a lift from his voice. He was the 2006 winner of Nashville Star, a long-gone, country version of American Idol. The shows roster also includes Miranda Lambert and Kacey Musgraves. He reached high on opener Hangin On, pushing near the top of his range. He settled back into that gorgeous baritone for Gettin You Home (The Black Dress Song), his first No. 1 single from 2009. Lonely Eyes was anchored by a wailing guitar. Aw Naw played like early Tim McGraw. I Can Take it from There rode a rollicking groove. Young dubbed recent single Raised on Country, the title track from a forthcoming album, country as hell. He moved from that into the sweet, simple strains of standout Text Me Texas. Voices, a single that was released in 2008 and 2010, is among the best of Youngs radio singles. Its easy to listen to, singalong to and makes the most of his formidable range. Young introduced current single Drowning as a song he cowrote about a friends death. The mournful lyrics Still got your number in my phone/And even though you don't know I listen/I still call and wait 'til the tone/Just to hear you saying, Leave a message quieted the crowd. It was clear by the way he spoke about it and his delicate delivery that it means a lot to him. That emotional energy reverberated through the stadium. Young lifted the mood by segueing into Charlie Daniels tune Drinkin My Baby Goodbye. Get you a guy who can do both. 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. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ryan Arcadio (Inquirer.net/Asia News Network) Tue, March 10, 2020 15:18 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20699b6e1 2 Lifestyle dog,Marnie,obituary Free A Shih Tzu named Marnie, who became popular on social media for her tilted head and dangling tongue, died last Thursday, March 5. She was 18 years old. Her owner, Shirley Braha, marked her passing with a photo of the quirky-looking dog on her Instagram yesterday, March 8. Her comfort had been notably declining over the past few days with little hope for improvement and she let me know she had had enough, Braha said. She enjoyed her chicken until the very end. Braha then thanked Marnies over 1.8 million followers for joining her on an unexpected journey with the ultimate love of [her] life. Despite the loss, she also expressed her gratefulness for the human and dog friends she and Marnie had made. Most of all, Im amazed that the sweet little hot mess of a pup that I picked up from a shelter at age 11, who at first didnt seem like she would be around very long at all, has managed to inspire others to adopt senior dogs, Braha explained. Braha adopted Marnie at 11 years old from a shelter in Connecticut, United States, the dogs Facebook page stated. As for her quirky look, Marnies tongue tends to stick out due to it being naturally long, while her tilting head is likely the residual effect of a brief illness she experienced called Vestibular Syndrome. When I hear from people that Marnie has made them adopt their senior dogs its truly the most beautiful legacy she and I could hope to leave in this world, Braha added in the Instagram post. Read also: What makes dogs so special? Science says love On the night of her passing, Braha recalled that she had a dream of Marnie descending a staircase. Maybe this was a message from her from heaven, but at minimum I can take solace knowing that for a long stretch of time, prior to her aging body taking its toll, heaven for her was right here on Earth. Marnie will be buried at a pet cemetery in Los Angeles. Braha did not mention a specific date but hopes to have a public memorial gathering whenever safe. Topics : dog Marnie obituary Topics : This article appeared on the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post [March 10, 2020] U.S. Regional Biocontainment Lab to Begin Testing of Brilacidin Against Coronavirus (COVID-19) Next Week WAKEFIELD, Mass., March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Innovation Pharmaceuticals (OTCQB:IPIX) (the Company), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, is pleased to inform shareholders that management has been advised testing of Brilacidin, the Companys flagship defensin mimetic drug candidate, as a novel experimental treatment against the latest coronavirus is scheduled to commence at one of the 12 U.S. Regional Biocontainment Labs (RBLs) during the week of March 16, 2020. Scientists at the RBL will be evaluating Brilacidin against SARS-CoV-2, the specific coronavirus responsible for COVID-19, the name given to the respiratory disease that has spread to 111 countries after being discovered in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China in December 2019. More than 114,000 cases of COVID-19 have since been diagnosed, with over 4,000 deaths attributed to the virus. There are currently no countermeasures approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treating COVID-19. On Friday, March 6, President Donald Trump signed an emergency bill allocating $8.3 billion in funds to combat COVID-19. Brilacidin is a compelling investigational drug for COVID-19 due to its unique qualities to mimic the human innate immune system and Mechanism of Action that includes disruption of the membrane of pathogens, leading to cell death. Throughout laboratory and clinical studies, Brilacidin has demonstrated potent activity against Gram-positive bacteria, including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and coverage against Gram-negative bacteria. Research supports the ability of Brilacidin to swiftly penetrate a peptidoglycan layer in these difficult bacteria, which is key to rapid pathogen destruction and decreases the likelihood of drug resistance emerging. The ability to penetrate cell walls engenders confidence in this opportunity to meet an urgent medical need in treating coronaviruses like COVID-19. COVID-19 is an enveloped virus, meaning it has a glycoprotein envelope surrounding its nucleocapsid. More succinctly, it has a lipid envelope derived from the host cell membranes studded with crown-like projections from which it is named. The Company hopes to disclose the RBLs research agenda for Brilacidin in the coming days. The upcoming research is being funded by third parties independent of Innovation Pharmaceuticals. The Companys responsibility was only providing the Brilacidin and any requested data. The RBL now has the Brilacidin on site, as disclosed on Monday, March 9, 2020. Penetrating the COVID-19 envelope could prove beneficial in designing a new drug or vaccine against the virus, although this would have to be confirmed through extensive laboratory and clinical research. No assurances are made or implied that testing will be successfully completed by the RBL or any other party. released , linked below (a downloadable pdf) is an overview document summarizing the scientific rationale for developing Brilacidin as a potential novel COVID-19 treatment, both as an intravenous medicine and as a vaccine. Background and Scientific Rationale for Brilacidin as a Potential Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Treatment (March 1, 2020) http://www.ipharminc.com/s/IPIX-Brilacidin-Defensin-Mimetics-COVID-19-Overview-March-1-2020-update.pdf Alerts Sign-up for Innovation Pharmaceuticals email alerts is available at: http://www.ipharminc.com/email-alerts/ Brilacidin and COVID-19 The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak poses a significant life-threatening and economic risk throughout the world. There are no effective approved therapies to treat COVID-19. Brilacidin is one of the few drugs targeting COVID-19 that has been tested in human trials for other clinical indications, providing an established safety and efficacy profile, thereby potentially enabling it to rapidly help address the emerging worldwide coronavirus crisis, developed both as an intravenous medicine and as a vaccine. There is no assurance made or implied that testing Brilacidin for antiviral activity against any coronavirus will be successful. About Innovation Pharmaceuticals Innovation Pharmaceuticals Inc. (IPIX) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing a world-class portfolio of innovative therapies addressing multiple areas of unmet medical need, including inflammatory diseases, cancer, infectious disease, and dermatologic diseases. Brilacidin, a versatile compound with broad therapeutic potential, is in a new chemical class called defensin-mimetics. A Phase 2 trial of Brilacidin as an oral rinse for the prevention of Severe Oral Mucositis (SOM) in patients with Head and Neck Cancer, met its primary and secondary endpoints, including reducing the incidence of SOM. The Company plans to advance Brilacidin oral rinse into Phase 3 development, subject to available financial resources. Positive results were also observed in a Phase 2 Proof-of-Concept trial treating patients locally with Brilacidin for Ulcerative Proctitis/Ulcerative Proctosigmoiditis (UP/UPS). Brilacidin for UP/UPS was licensed to Alfasigma S.p.A. in July 2019. A Phase 2b trial of Brilacidin showed a single intravenous dose of the drug delivered comparable outcomes to a seven-day dosing regimen of the FDA-approved blockbuster daptomycin in treating Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infection. Kevetrin is a novel anti-cancer drug shown to modulate p53, often referred to as the Guardian Angel Gene due to its crucial role in controlling cell mutations and has successfully completed a Phase 2 trial in Ovarian Cancer. More information is available on the Company website at www.IPharmInc.com . Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 including statements concerning the future execution of a definitive agreement with a global pharmaceutical company and the anticipated terms thereof, our future drug development plans, other statements regarding future product developments, and markets, including with respect to specific indications, and any other statements which are other than statements of historical fact. These statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause the Companys actual results and experience to differ materially from anticipated results and expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements. The Company has in some cases identified forward-looking statements by using words such as anticipates, believes, hopes, estimates, looks, expects, plans, intends, goal, potential, may, suggest, and similar expressions. Among other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements are the Companys need for, and the availability of, substantial capital in the future to fund its operations and research and development; including the amount and timing of the sale of shares of common stock under securities purchase agreements; the fact that the Companys licensee(s) may not successfully complete pre-clinical or clinical testing and the Company will not receive milestone payments, or the fact that the Companys compounds may not successfully complete pre-clinical or clinical testing, or be granted regulatory approval to be sold and marketed in the United States or elsewhere. A more complete description of these risk factors is included in the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly the results of any revisions to any such forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by applicable law or regulation. INVESTOR AND MEDIA CONTACT Innovation Pharmaceuticals Inc. Leo Ehrlich [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A coronavirus-hit cruise ship has docked at California's port of Oakland, where infected passengers will be the first of thousands to disembark in what officials called an "unprecedented and difficult" operation. The Grand Princess docked on Monday shortly after noon (1900 GMT) in the San Francisco Bay after days stranded at sea. Those needing medical attention will leave the ship first, followed by the rest of the 2,421 passengers on board. "None of the passengers who disembark will be released into the general public," said a statement from Governor Gavin Newsom's office. Fences have been put up at the port, and buses and flights were lined up to transport passengers. They will go into treatment, be placed in quarantine, or returned to their home countries in the case of non-US residents. The ship, which has 21 confirmed novel coronavirus infections among its 3,500 passengers and crew, had been idling off the San Francisco coast since Wednesday. "Passengers with balconies are whooping and waving at dock workers onshore," said Carolyn Wright, 63, of New Mexico, from on board as the ship drew close to port. Tents and a line of portable toilets were set up on the Oakland quayside as officials prepared for the operation. The US Coast Guard sent teams "to assist with medical triage, screening and interviews, and prioritizing those who require the most acute care," Princess cruises said in a statement. Passengers will be tested at their onward destination to avoid delays, it added. Those who don't require acute care will be quarantined for 14 days at US military bases in California, Texas and Georgia. Crew will remain onboard and the ship will leave San Francisco Bay, the company said. Canada on Monday became the latest country to call on its citizens to avoid cruises due to coronavirus, as Ottawa prepared to repatriate nearly 240 Canadians aboard the Grand Princess. Wright earlier Monday said the mood had been lifted on board by the prospect of finally reaching land, and guests were briefly allowed to leave their cabins. Some couples danced on deck as others walked laps around the huge ship. "It really feels wonderful to have gotten out and stretched our legs," Wright told AFP. "I feel kind of energized and happy. It just makes you feel like OK, things are happening and things are now moving." She added: "Hopefully things will be smooth from here on." Newsom said Sunday the operation to bring passengers ashore would be a "two-three day process." "We are still working out the enormity of complexity of making sure we prepare the site and... prepare for a quick turnaround," he said. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would prefer to keep the passengers confined on the ship because letting them off would increase the number of infections in the United States. "I like the numbers being where they are. I don't need to have the numbers double because of one ship that wasn't our fault," Trump said, but added he would leave the decision to Vice President Mike Pence, whom he has appointed to head the coronavirus taskforce. The United States has recorded at least 22 deaths from the coronavirus and 607 confirmed cases, according to a Johns Hopkins tally. (AFP) AD 10.03.2020 LISTEN In present-day Ghana and Africa, you cant make a list of top five best Dancehall music performers without inking the name of Livingston Setakla Este. Around the world, he is known of his vocal and lyrical prowess. Arguably, he is the only artiste in Ghana with an elite fan base and debatably, the only dancehall act with a huge annual outdoor free concert. Born a twin but destined to walk alone in fame, Livingston Etse Setakle best recognised as Stonebwoy is a Ghanaian Dancehall music performer and an entrepreneur. From the bellies of the Greater Accra region in Ghana, Ashaiman, the place of birth, this personality has lived a remarkable life and being celebrated by millions of Ghanaians and among dignitaries across borders. Being under the umbrella of legendary reggae musician Samini, Stonebwoy sparked the love of reggae dancehall music in Ghana even though there had been some past performers. Stonebwoy after graduating from the Second education cycle joined Samini then Batman to pursue his music career, even though the duo were good friends, Samini became the master head since he had already garnered some attention in the industry and will have to groom young Stonebwoy under his clout. Stonebwoy thereafter longed on to establish a fanbase and a record label for himself, BHIM Nation and Burniton Music Group respectively, as a professional musician. After his 2012 Grade 1 album which was released under Samini Music, Stonebwoy had his name appearing at the music scene with great recognition with some wonderful singles such as Climax and Ghetto Love. In 2014, Stonebwoy gave the Ghanaian a better reason to enjoy African music where he produced a twenty nine track album Necessary Evil with a nationwide single Baafira. The acronym Stonebwoy then became a household name and there he started to be considered a celebrity where both albums credited him numerous award nominations including the prestigious Ghana Music Awards even though he was a starter. Thereafter comes the evergreen Epistle Of Mama 24 track album which features international artistes such as , Sean Paul, Burna Boy and King Promise. Few months after its release, the album clocked number 13 on billboard chart top 200 world best albums. In 2018 Epistles Of Mama (EOM) was rated the second-best album in the world according to reggaeville. The Album was honoured by YouTube for hitting over 10 million views. Stonebwoy aside music is a philanthropist. He is the CEO of Livingstone Foundation. He has been listed as part of the 2019 50 (fifty) young CEOs, by YCEO and Avance media this year. The list which was launched earlier in 2018, was set out to honour distinguished young individuals pursuing the course of providing solutions to some of Ghanas pertinent problems. Stonebwoy has become the lead of African Dancehall after he emerge the first African Dancehall act to claim a BET plaque. In 2015, after winning Best Artiste Of The Year Award at the VGMAs, he went ahead to claim a BET plaque where he was announced as The best International Act of the year. Adding up to his credence, Stonebwoy has rise among peers to become the first Ghanaian Musician to be honoured a Billboard Plaque. The honour was given to the Kpo Keke hitmaker for his contribution to the album Im Yours released in 2017 by Jamaican Reggae artiste Sizzla Kalonji. The album after being on the Billboard chart for 15 weeks peaked at number 2 on the Reggae Albums Chart. This achievement called for the honour of the artiste and the featured artistes. Stonebwoy refused to be appraised with a local champion attribute and for that matter, he has worked around the globe to book his name in the list of international Showbiz pundits. Stonebwoy has traveled around the globe with his talent and has received great endorsement worldwide. As early as 2014, The BHIM boss kick start his world tour in the Euro-zone in August 2014. He performed in Germany, Italy, Spain and Austria. His 2016 Canada-America tour saw him perform in New York City, Ohio, Philadelphia and Ontario. In the same year, he rocked Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sidney all in Australia. His second Euro tour saw him travel to the Nordic to thrill fans in Denmark, Finland and Sweden in last quarter of 2017. Stonebwoy performed at Reggae Sumfest, Afro nation festival in Portugal, Rotterdam reggae festival, Uppsala Reggae Festival. Rototom Sunsplash in August 2019. These and many more can we say about a character who is living to become the lord of music. A huge brand, A respectable personality, The Pride Of Ghana and African Music hero, Stonebwoy will forever has his name registered on the chest of the world for his great talent display UPDATE (3 p.m.): The Philadelphia Health Department has announced the citys first confirmed case of coronavirus, bringing the Pennsylvania total to 12. The story, headline and map have been changed to reflect this new information. A coronavirus patient in the Poconos has been released from the hospital and is in isolation at home, Pennsylvania state health officials announced Tuesday. The lone case in Monroe County is among 12 people who now have tested positive for the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and one of the closest to the Lehigh Valley. Tuesdays total coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania increased by one from Monday. One of the latest positive tests came from Montgomery County, where seven patients were previously identified. The newest patient had been in contact with another person who had also tested positive, Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Rachel Levine said in Tuesdays daily media briefing live-streamed from Harrisburg. A few hours later, officials in Philadelphia confirmed that citys first coronavirus case. "It is so important that everyone in Pennsylvania knows we are taking every precaution to keep their communities safe, Levine said in the earlier briefing. What is most important is that everyone in Pennsylvania stay calm. While in isolation, the Monroe County patient is still allowed to go outside but is instructed to avoid other people, health officials said. That is different from a quarantine, where people who may have been exposed to the disease are monitored to see if they are infected. Pennsylvania has now identified eight patients in Montgomery County and one each in Monroe, Delaware and Wayne counties. Some tests must still be confirmed by the federal Centers for Disease Control. Neighboring New Jersey reported its first coronavirus death on Tuesday a Bergen County man in his 60s and four new positive tests, bringing the states total cases to 15. Worldwide, the Associated Press reports that the number of coronavirus cases has surpassed 110,000 and 4,000 people have died as more than half the worlds countries now report infections. More information on the coronavirus can be found at health.pa.gov and the CDC website. Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Follow him on Twitter @SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. [March 10, 2020] Adam Kokesh, Libertarian 2020 Presidential Candidate, names Alastair Caithness to serve as Chief Blockchain Policy Advisor Caithness to lead team of Blockchain Researchers and University Scholars to develop AmeriCoin, a US Government Issued Cryptocurrency SAN DIEGO, March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leading Libertarian 2020 Presidential candidate, Adam Kokesh, has announced the appointment of Alastair Caithness as Chief Blockchain Policy Advisor to lead the development of the AmeriCoin cryptocurrency, a cornerstone of Kokeshs American Localization platform. Kokesh is seeking to return power to the American people by significantly reducing the intrusion of the US Federal government into all aspects of American life. A key element of Kokeshs American Localization plan is to eliminate unsound fiat currency and the need for the Federal Reserve Bank by creating a new decentralized monetary system utilizing a newly developed AmeriCoin cryptocurrency. AmeriCoin will function in a similar manner to Bitcoin but will be fully backed by all the assets of the Federal government, including its substantial land, energy, gold, timber and mineral reserves. Kokesh intends to distribute an equal number of AmeriCoins to all US citizens on his first day in office. The issuance of AmeriCoin to all US citizens represents the return of wealth possessed by the Federal government to its citizens and will serve as a form of universal basic income and reparations for all citizens who have been unable to achieve the American Dream due to unfair governmental tax and policing poicies. Alastair Caithness, 45, of San Diego is a recognized leader in the development of asset-backed, blockchain tokens. Originally from Scotland, Caithness is CEO of Ziyen Energy, a technology-driven company focused on the tokenization of energy infrastructure assets. Under Caithness leadership, in 2019 Ziyen Energy launched ZiyenCoin, an energy infrastructure token utilizing blockchain technology as a catalyst to facilitate the transition in energy from carbon-based fuels to renewable energy. Caithness, stated, Its an honor to work with Adam Kokesh as he seeks to transform American society. The burden of federal tax is one of the main reasons young people are having such a difficult time developing a sound financial start to life. I am confident that Adams initial idea to create an American cryptocurrency can be combined with the rapid advances in the architecture of asset-backed tokenization to develop AmeriCoin as a force for financial freedom. AmeriCoin has the potential to restore liberty to all people in the United States, and we are building a dream team of blockchain experts to join me in developing this important project. Adam Kokesh, noted I am delighted to have a leader of Alastairs talents, knowledge and ingenuity direct the AmeriCoin project. There is no better way to return power to the American people than by democratizing ownership of the Federal governments assets through tokenization. Forward Looking Statements: Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements related to anticipated commencement of commercial production, targeted pricing, performance goals, and statements that otherwise relate to future periods are forward-looking statements. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, which are described in more detail in the Companys periodic reports filed with the SEC- specifically the most recent reports which identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made and based on information available to the company on the date of this press release. Ziyen Inc. assumes no obligation to update the information in this press release. Contact: Alastair Caithness Media Relations [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A trio of councils including Sydney and Melbourne have lost a legal battle to stop Telstra rolling out new payphones with digital advertising billboards, after the Federal Court found the booths were "low-impact" facilities that do not require council approval. But the telco cannot run advertisements from third parties without a planning permit, meaning the new-generation payphone billboards can be installed without approval but for now can only promote Telstra's "standard telephone service". The City of Sydney council pushed back against plans by Telstra to install billboards such as these in Melbourne's CBD. Melbourne-based Federal Court Justice David O'Callaghan ruled on Tuesday that Telstra's new payphone cabinets with 75-inch billboards were "low-impact facilities" when the digital screens were used only to promote the standard telephone service. It meant Telstra did not need planning approval to roll out the new payphone billboards across Australia. On Romania's soil there are 52 persons in institutionalized quarantine, for which checks are conducted to see if they contracted the COVID-19 virus (coronavirus), another 11,235 persons being in self isolation and under medical monitoring, the Strategic Communication Group informs. Until now, at the national level 17 cases of citizens infected with the COVID-19 virus (coronavirus) have been confirmed on Romanian soil.Of these, 5 recovered and were discharged."All the patients admitted have a good general status, and the elderly persons that have chronic diseases are monitored carefully. They are admitted to hospitals in Bucharest, Iasi, Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara and Craiova," the quoted source mentions.According to the Strategic Communication Group, on Monday 280 calls were recorded to the single number for emergencies 112 and 2,376 to the special information line (0800.800.358) opened for informing citizens.Romanian citizens abroad can request information about virus prevention and combating at the phone number dedicated for them - +4021.320.20.20.AGERPRES (Newser) "I was planning on Igor-ing BM." So said Robert Durst in a jailhouse phone call in 2001, a recording played during his murder trial Monday. Deputy District Attorney John Lewin explained to jurors that "BM" referred to his brother, Douglas, and "Igor-ing" was his code for killing, reports the Daily News. "Mr. Durst is discussing the fact that he had screwed up his plan to kill Douglas," Lewin told jurors. Buzzfeed explains the "Igor" background here. In 2015, Douglas Durst told the New York Times that his brother once acquired seven Alaskan Malamutes. All were named Igor and all "died mysteriously ... within six months of his owning them," he said, adding that he believed Durst used the dogs in "practicing killing and disposing his wife." That would be Kathleen Durst, who disappeared in 1982. story continues below Prosecutors maintain that Robert Durst wanted to kill his brother because he was angry that Douglas was chosen as CEO of the Durst Organization over him in the early 1990s, per the Daily Beast. For those unfamiliar with Durst's convoluted tale, made popular in the documentary The Jinx, he is implicated in the disappearances of three people: Kathleen Durst, friend Susan Berman, and a neighbor named Morris Black, though he was acquitted of murder charges in the Black case. The current murder trial is for Berman's murder in 2000. Prosecutors believe Durst killed Berman to keep her from telling investigators what she knew about Kathleen's disappearance. His defense attorney said Tuesday Durst did not kill Berman, but the lawyer acknowledged for the first time that Durst did find her body shortly after she was shot. Durst has admitted writing a famous tip-off note to police about Berman, and his attorney says he did so out of panic. The lawyer also revealed Durst will testify during the trial, which is expected to last five months. (Read more Robert Durst stories.) By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 09, 2020 | 10:25 PM | MCCRACKEN COUNTY Epidemiologist Lindsey Cunningham with the Purchase Health Department provided the update. According to Cunningham, twenty one have been tested in the Commonwealth, with four of those testing positive. The four that tested positive are from either Harrison, Feyette, or Jefferson counties. She says with the virus being new, we can expect it to spread quickly, with the expectation that there could already be others that are infected, and that it will be weeks or possibly up to a month before McCracken County has the capability to test patients for COVID-19. Cunningham says the risk of becoming infected in Kentucky is still low, although she suggests that the elderly might not want to take the chance of getting sick. The average healthy person, however, may only suffer mild fever, dry cough, and a runny nose. "Right now our elderly population, those that have other comorbidities are those that need to monitor and stay home." Cunningham continued, "They don't need to chance getting ill if it's going to cause acute respiratory failure." During her presentation, she provided the following guidelines from the Kentucky COVID-19 website. 1. If you are 60 years or older, and/or have diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, kidney failure, or other chronic major medical conditions, it is recommended to avoid densely populated community events. 2. They advise nursing homes and other long-term care facilities to restrict visitors to the facilities. 3. They recommend people actively plan for telework options appropriate for their situation and support all workers/students to stay home if they are ill. 4. Only go to the emergency room for an illness that would have taken you to the hospital before the COVID-19 outbreak. If you have a runny nose, cough, fever, or other common respiratory infection symptoms, they suggest you take Tylenol, or Motrin-like products and stay home from work or school until you are fever-free. If you believe you need medical care, contact your healthcare provider for their instruction, or visit an emergency department if you believe it is an emergency. She went on to say everyone should take the following steps to stay healthy, including getting your flu shot, washing your hands often with warm water and soap for twenty seconds, use an alcohol based hand sanitizer if soap and water are unavailable, avoid touching your face, avoid close contact with anyone that is sick, if you are sick stay home, cough or sneeze into your elbow or a tissue, avoid shaking hands if possible, keep things clean and disinfect frequently. For more information on COVID-19 in Kentucky, click the link below. At Monday's McCracken County Fiscal Court meeting, commissioners received an update on the novel coronavirus in Kentucky. On the Net: One of the contributing factors to the colleges success in graduating minorities like Joseph is initiatives like the New Horizon Graduate Scholars Program, developed in partnership with the National GEM Consortium, a network of leading corporations, government laboratories, top universities, and top research institutions that enables qualified students from underrepresented communities to pursue graduate education in applied science and engineering. The colleges efforts to expand support for underrepresented graduate students is being recognized in the February issue of Diverse: Issues In Higher Education that lists Top 100 Degree Producers. Virginia Techs College of Engineering is the No. 1 producer of African American doctorate degree holders in the nation. We are pleased to be recognized among our peers for our efforts to help our students achieve success. The College of Engineerings New Horizon Graduate Scholars program was conceived and developed eight years ago in partnership with the GEM Consortium and to provide a foundation for increasing diversity among the engineering graduate student population, said Jack Lesko, associate dean for research and graduate studies. The program provides multiyear funding to attract students to Virginia Tech along with intentional community building and professional development programming in place that helps to ensure persistence. Lesko, along with Renee Cloyd and Tremayne Waller, lead the colleges New Horizon Graduate Scholars program, which currently supports 123 graduate students. Individual students are nominated by their departments to participate in social activities, workshops, writing and reading groups, and connect with industry leaders that work to strengthen their academic experience. Students admitted into the program receive a multiyear offer that includes a stipend and tuition provided by the College of Engineerings Deans Office, the Graduate School, and engineering departments. Over the past eight years, the New Horizon Graduate Scholars Program has: Supported 240 graduate students. Conferred approximately 90 graduate degrees, the majority of which are doctorates. Retained 90 percent of its students. "We are not surprised by Virginia Tech's ranking as they have consistently been a significant supporter and strategic partner of GEM and share our vision of scientific impact, said Brennon Marcano, chief executive officer of The National GEM Consortium. From day one, they understood that building communities is a long-term strategy, and we are happy to see the result of their efforts." In addition, incoming first-year graduate students are assisted with their graduate college transition by the New Horizon Graduate Scholars Peer Mentoring Program. Peer mentors provide positive academic, professional, and social environments outside of the classroom. Mentors are trained to offer guidance to incoming students, including advising students to seek academic advice from their faculty research advisor and/or department graduate coordinator. They also provide firsthand insight into their own student perspective on the College of Engineering experience. According to Julia M. Ross, the Paul and Dorothea Torgersen Dean of Engineering, bringing new people with different backgrounds to the table, both for building a better college and for solving 21st-century problems, is critical. Ross unveiled the colleges strategic plan in fall 2019, which seeks to increase representational diversity in the college. Ross also named nationally renowned pioneer in engineering education Bev Watford the colleges first associate dean of equity and engagement. In her role, Watford serves as the chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer, focused on helping the college achieve and advance inclusive excellence at all levels, including pre-college, undergraduate, graduate, staff, and faculty. In 2019, the College of Engineering was among the first in the country to earn a bronze award and only one of 29 institutions that received exemplar status from the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) in its inaugural year of their Diversity Recognition Program. The program was created to recognize engineering and engineering technology colleges that make significant, measurable progress in increasing diversity, inclusion, and degree attainment outcomes of their programs, according to the ASEE website. The bronze level must first be earned before an institution can be considered for silver or gold recognition. Diverse: Issues In Higher Educations data reflect the top 100 producers of associates, bachelors, and graduate degrees awarded to underrepresented students, originating from completion surveys of the Integrated Postsecondary Data System collected by the U.S. Department of Educations National Center for Education Statistics. Published bi-weekly, Diverse remains the only national newsweekly today focusing on matters of access and opportunity for all in higher education. The Anambra State Government has expressed gratitude to Pope Francis for the creation of a new Catholic Diocese in the state which brings the number in the state to four. In a statement today in Awka, the state capital, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr C. Don Adinuba, said with the creation of the Ekwulobia Diocese last week, Pope Francis has enabled Anambra to have the highest number of Catholic dioceses of all states in Nigeria. This is another first for our state which has in the past five years become synonymous with excellence. It is, indeed, a fitting tribute to the state from which the Catholic faith, just like the Anglican faith, spread to all parts of Igboland and beyond. Commissioner Adinuba also noted that with nine dioceses, Anambra State has the largest number of Anglican dioceses in the country and the second highest in the country. The people and Government of Anambra State are very proud of their Christian heritage, the statement added. Our enthusiastic embrace of Christianity has been a great blessing, as it enabled the fast spread of education and modern medical care in our society. Adinuba disclosed that Governor Obiano has congratulated Bishop Peter Ebele Okpalaeke on his appointment as the premier shepherd of the new diocese. The Vatican could not have made a better choice. Most Reverend Dr Okpalaeke is prepared by experience, education, exposure and excellent human relations for the new task. He studied in Nigeria and Europe and has served meritoriously in every position he has been given the opportunity to serve God and man. Governor Obiano also lauded Bishop Paulinus Ezeokafor of the Awka Diocese, from which the Ekwulobia Diocese was carved out, for his great role in the creation of the new diocese. Whereas in other climes leaders work against so-called reduction of their territories, it is heartwarming that it was the local ordinary in Awka who championed the campaign for the emergence of the new diocese from his area of jurisdiction. It shows the kind of person our bishop is: a man totally devoted to the service of God and absolutely committed to the public good. Governor Obiano asked Nigerian politicians and other leaders to learn from Bishop Ezeokafors selflessness and always work for the common good. BUCKS COUNTY >> Police in Northampton, Lower Southampton and Upper Makefield townships report the following incidents and arrests: Lower Southampton THEFT >> In the early morning hours on Monday, Jan. 10 two individuals made off with the entire change machine from the Feasterville Laundromat along Bustleton Pike. The male appears to be "cracking himself up" while he hatches his scheme... TWIN FALLS The Twin Falls School District is considering changing elementary school attendance zones, potentially shifting which schools many students attend. The Twin Falls School Board reviewed the proposal at its meeting Monday. The district will not move forward with the plan until it gathers public comment later this month, which could influence the redrawn boundaries. The goal by the committee that designed the plan was to keep enrollment equal throughout all schools and try to pinpoint where the most growth will happen in coming years. Two community groups studied data about different areas of Twin Falls to make those determinations. Rock Creek and Pillar Falls elementary schools have nearly reached capacity and filled up faster than anticipated while other schools remained far under capacity, Twin Falls School District Superintendent Brady Dickinson said. If we allow that to continue and allow all the homes that are being built right now to be built and for people to move into those homes, we would have had a situation where both Rock Creek and Pillar Falls would be extremely overcrowded while some of our other schools had room, Dickinson said. And so the decision was made to try to get ahead of this. Some of the biggest changes would come to Lincoln, which would absorb some of Rock Creeks students, and Perrine, which would also absorb part of Rock Creeks area. The move would relieve the overcrowding at Rock Creek and allow for more room to accommodate for the growth in the northwest part of town. In addition, part of Pillar Falls zone would be absorbed by Morningside and part of Oregon Trail would be absorbed by Bickel. A small part of Perrine along Washington Avenue would be absorbed by Harrison, a move also intended to relieve Rock Creek. Proposed new zones The Twin Falls School Board reviewed plans to redraw elementary school attendance zones. Shifts primarily relieve the overcrowded Rock Creek a The idea there was to create some room at Perrine so we could pull more in from the north because we needed to create a little bit of capacity so that we balance the numbers, Dickinson said. An area the district needs to keep an eye on is within the Lincoln zone that borders Oregon Trail. A development with more than 400 homes is being built in that area, which would overwhelm any of the schools in the surrounding area. The district wants to find a way to make a three-way split between Lincoln, Bickel and Oregon Trail. We do own land in the south where potentially a new school can be built at some point, Dickinson said. But again, were trying to be responsible and fill up the schools we have before we start going out and asking our community to fund a new school. Public comment meetings will take place at March 17 at Perrine Elementary, March 19 at Bickel Elementary and March 30 at Morningside Elementary. All meetings will take place at 7 p.m. Dickinson said that the board is scheduled to move forward with finalized plans at its April 13 meeting to give parents in affected areas time to adjust before fall. Were hoping that parents will come and ask questions, Dickinson said, ... and then if theres something that comes out that is a logical kind of situation in terms of why a line is a bad decision then those kinds of things will be looked into. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 It's easy to match the overall market return by buying an index fund. But if you buy individual stocks, you can do both better or worse than that. Investors in Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated (NYSE:RGA) have tasted that bitter downside in the last year, as the share price dropped 30%. That falls noticeably short of the market return of around -1.1%. However, the longer term returns haven't been so bad, with the stock down 22% in the last three years. It's down 39% in about a quarter. This could be related to the recent financial results - you can catch up on the most recent data by reading our company report. Check out our latest analysis for Reinsurance Group of America While the efficient markets hypothesis continues to be taught by some, it has been proven that markets are over-reactive dynamic systems, and investors are not always rational. One 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. Even though the Reinsurance Group of America share price is down over the year, its EPS actually improved. Of course, the situation might betray previous over-optimism about growth. It's surprising to see the share price fall so much, despite the improved EPS. So it's well worth checking out some other metrics, too. Reinsurance Group of America's revenue is actually up 11% over the last year. Since the fundamental metrics don't readily explain the share price drop, there might be an opportunity if the market has overreacted. The graphic below depicts how earnings and revenue have changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image). NYSE:RGA Income Statement, March 10th 2020 It's probably worth noting we've seen significant insider buying in the last quarter, which we consider a positive. On the other hand, we think the revenue and earnings trends are much more meaningful measures of the business. This free report showing analyst forecasts should help you form a view on Reinsurance Group of America Story continues What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)? We'd be remiss not to mention the difference between Reinsurance Group of America's total shareholder return (TSR) and its share price return. Arguably the TSR is a more complete return calculation because it accounts for the value of dividends (as if they were reinvested), along with the hypothetical value of any discounted capital that have been offered to shareholders. Its history of dividend payouts mean that Reinsurance Group of America's TSR, which was a 29% drop over the last year, was not as bad as the share price return. A Different Perspective We regret to report that Reinsurance Group of America shareholders are down 29% for the year (even including dividends) . Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 1.1%. Having said that, it's inevitable that some stocks will be oversold in a falling market. The key is to keep your eyes on the fundamental developments. On the bright side, long term shareholders have made money, with a gain of 3.1% per year over half a decade. It could be that the recent sell-off is an opportunity, so it may be worth checking the fundamental data for signs of a long term growth trend. 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. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Reinsurance Group of America that you should be aware of. There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on 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. GODFREY Area colleges are taking precautions as they address coronavirus concerns. Lewis and Clark Community College Interim President Lori Artis said the school has sent the Center for Disease Controls COVID-19 guidelines to all employees and students, encouraging them to wash their hands, practice social distancing, stay home when they are sick and avoid hand-to-face contact whenever possible. We are meeting regularly with our emergency operations team on campus to discuss our plans and current best practices in terms of cleaning campus, and planning communications for employees and students, Artis said. Artis said all campus events are expected to go on as planned. So far it has not impacted any of our events on campus or our plans for our 50th anniversary, she said. Similarly, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is not canceling any events while cautioning students and staff to be virus conscious. The universitys position has been to be informative, but not alarmist, said Executive Director of University Marketing & Communications Doug McIlhagga. This week is spring break week for SIUE students. With that, the school sent out an email to students and parents reminding them of CDC guidelines. Officials also said the school is prepared to diagnose and treat any potential patient. An update will be sent when the students return from spring break, McIlhagga said. Principia College Interim President John Williams also remains adamant about the need for student and staff safety at the Elsah school. Twice a week, we send updates to students regarding CDC heath recomendations, he said. On campus, most events are small. So its not much of an issue. Williams also said Principia is not sponsoring or providing travel for students to countries that rank high on the CDCs Travelers Health Notice. He said the school is monitoring a list of students and faculty traveling during the schools spring break next week. Overall, more than 25 universities in the United States, Mideast, Asia and Italy have announced moves to online learning. Other campuses are stepping up restrictions on travel, large gatherings, study-abroad programs and campus events and tours. Eight more cases were reported in Illinois on Tuesday, including a Kane County woman in her 60s and a teen in McHenry County. Neither had a history of travel to an affected area and no connection to a known case of COVID-19. As of Tuesday, 19 people in Illinois have tested positive for COVID-19, all but 17 in Cook County. Public health officials are still investigating the travel history of the individuals and any potential contact with a known COVID-19 case. These most recent cases are in isolation and are doing well, according to Illinois Department of Public Health officials. Manipur has shut its border with Myanmar indefinitely amid the novel coronavirus scare, officials said on Tuesday. Neighbouring Mizoram had on Monday also sealed its borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, and banned the entry of foreigners to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus. An official order, issued by Special Secretary (Home) H Gyan Prakash on Monday, said the Indo-Myanmar border in the Manipur sector would remain shut until further orders. "In view of possible threat of transmission of Coronavirus/COVID-19, Government of Manipur hereby prohibits movement of people across the international border and accordingly orders closure of Gate No 1, No 2, Moreh and other crossing points along Manipur sector of Indo-Myanmar border until further orders," it said. The state government directed the district magistrates, police and other officials to immediately take necessary action, including keeping the gates concerned closed. The move comes days after Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh announced similar curbs on visit of foreigners. Bhutan has also shut its borders to foreign visitors for two weeks in an effort to limit the impact of the disease. The virus, which first emerged in China's Hubei province last December, has spread to more than 100 countries, with over 4,000 deaths worldwide and more than 1,10,000 confirmed cases. According to the Union Health Ministry, the number of positive cases in the country stood at 44. However, the Indian Council of Medical Research has also counted three persons from Karnataka and two from Pune as positive. Six more cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) PIGGS PEAK It seems teaching is becoming a dangerous profession for teachers at Ndzingeni High School. This follows an incident in which a teacher as well as the deputy head teacher were threatened by a pupil, who was accompanied by others, after the learners cellphone was confiscated. The incident is said to have happened last Tuesday. However, the teachers are said to have only reacted to the incident by downing tools from Thursday last week until yesterday. Protesting They were allegedly protesting over concerns that they were no longer feeling safe at the school as anyone could enter and attack them, even the pupils. It is alleged that the pupil, whose cellphone was confiscated, arrived carrying the gadget much against the schools rules. According to the schools rules, pupils are not allowed to bring cellphones to the school. The teacher is then said to have confiscated the cellphone but this allegedly angered the pupil. The said learner allegedly left to fetch others believed to be cousins or brothers. When they returned, a scuffle allegedly ensued with the teacher. The pupil is accused of also leaving with keys belonging to the teachers house and car. Companions The pupil, as well as his companions, ended up not getting the cellphone from the teachers but they allegedly left with the keys. After this, the pupil is said to have informed his father about what had happened. The pupils father was reached for comment on the matter and was asked if he was aware that his son was accused of having threatened the teacher as well as the deputy. *Muzi, the pupils father, confirmed the incident and said it started when a teacher took a cellphone from his son. However, Muzi downplayed the protest by the teachers and claimed that they were merely using this incident to avoid being in class. Did they have to down tools over this? he asked. Muzi asked to narrate his version of what happened at the school according to his son. Muzi said his son was not happy that the cellphone had been confiscated because it was being used to save money adding that it had E500 in his Mobile Money account. He claimed that his son kept on informing his teacher that the cellphone did not belong to him but he continued to hold on to it. Muzi also alleged that it was not his son who took the keys but it was another former pupil who had accompanied him. He also said after the teacher confiscated the cellphone, he went to fetch his son from the school but that they decided to look for the teacher so that he could return the car keys and at the same time collect the cellphone. I took him and then went with him to see the teacher, said Muzi. He said when they reached the school, they asked to see the teacher but he did not show up. Instead of the teacher showing up, Muzi said three police officers from Piggs Peak Police station arrived at the school Someone had called the police on us, he said. Shocked He said he was shocked to see the teacher ignoring them and went straight to the police officers and narrated the incident. One of the police officers is then said to have asked Muzi about the keys, to which he responded that his son had them. Muzis son then gave the keys to the police officer, who in turn handed them over to the teacher. He then said later in the week, the head teacher called him regarding the incident and they planned to meet at around 9am. Muzi said when he went to the school, he found that the head teacher was busy with another meeting and decided to leave. He said he had to attend to other matters as well. Attempts were made to reach the head teacher as well as the deputy but their phones rang unanswered. The Regional Education Officer for the Hhohho Region, Thuli Langwenya, when reached for comment, said she was not aware of the protest by the teachers. She was also asked if she was aware that this was not the first incident but she said she was not. Responded Chief Superintendent Phindile Vilakati when reached for comment if the incident had been reported to the police had not yet responded by the time of compiling this report. Vilakati said she was still checking with the officers for the information. Since 2016, this publication has reported about incident in which teachers at the school complained about lack of safety. Just like they did since Thursday last week, in the past, teachers also boycotted classes, demanding that there should be security guards at the school. They alleged that pupils were stealing from the teachers houses. *Not real name to protect minor The trial began Tuesday morning for a Rochester man charged in the death of his newborn child, who was born at 26 weeks following an alleged assault. After a full day of jury selection, eight women and six men were seated in Olmsted County District Court to hear the case of Chaz Moore. Moore, 22, pleaded not guilty in April 2018 to first-degree manslaughter, first-degree assault of an unborn child, first-degree assault, second-degree assault of an unborn child and third-degree assault all felonies. Moore also pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor charges of domestic assault. Opening statements began Tuesday morning in Olmsted County District Court. "One shove," Assistant Olmsted County Attorney Arianna Whitney said repeatedly. That was all it took for a woman to go from standing to lying flat, from a healthy 26-week pregnancy to an emergency cesarean section and for a baby being born to dying. ADVERTISEMENT Whitney told the jury they would learn that on the morning of Sept. 21, 2017, the woman was wakened by noises in her residence and learned that it was her ex-boyfriend Moore yelling and looking at her phone. Moore allegedly smashed her phone, grabbed her upper arms, causing bruising, shoved her onto the bed and tipped over her nightstand and couch before leaving. The woman drove herself to the hospital after the alleged incident and ended up having an emergency cesarean. Her baby was born at 2 lbs, 3 ounces and was taken to the neonatal intensive care unit, Whitney told the jury. Whitney told the jury that the defense would present its own medical expert, who ruled it was coincidental that the woman needed an emergency cesarean shortly after the alleged assault. But she said that two doctors working in the medical examiners office would testify that the woman suffered a placental abruption hours before the emergency c-section. The babys death was ruled a homicide by a medical examiner at Mayo Clinic. The medical examiner "opined that the babys premature birth was caused by (Moores) assault and the babys medical complications were a result of her premature birth," the criminal complaint states. Whitney told the jury that the evidence will leave no doubt that Moore assaulted the woman, causing her to go into labor and for the baby to die. Whitney said the woman had a healthy pregnancy until she was "assaulted in a fit of rage." "Grief does not equal guilt," defense attorney A.L. Brown told the jury. ADVERTISEMENT The loss of a baby naturally tugs at ones heartstrings, and it is a difficult task to put such a loss aside, he said. "But that is exactly what the jury will have to do in this case, Brown said. "Their verdict will not be based on emotion, but on science. "If the science cant get you through to beyond a reasonable doubt, you have to acquit," Brown said. The science, Brown told the jury, will show that it is not medically possible to determine the exact time of the placental abruption and that sometimes placental abruptions occur spontaneously and for unknown reasons. "This is not a case about jealousy, this is a case about science," Brown said. "Its science or bust. Nothing else will do. No emotion, whether it be grief, anger or jealousy its science." Brown told the jury they will learn that neither doctor who made the autopsy ruling had all of the information to make the determination. Brown said the doctors didnt know the build of the woman or Moore or that the bed was "mere inches" from her body. He said the doctors didnt know the level of force used or that the bed was a pillow top. Both Brown and Whitney mentioned Snapchat conversations and Google searches the woman did days before the assault that may have indicated she experienced pain. The lawyer told the jury that the doctors didnt know that after the alleged assault, the woman was able to get up, walk around and escort Moore out of her home. ADVERTISEMENT "You may not leave this courtroom liking Chaz Moore," Brown said. "Chaz Moore is not the issue Follow the science and we can grieve later." Employers have a duty of care towards their employees and must take reasonable steps to protect the health and safety of their workforce. Here are some of the main issues that will affect employers regarding the recent virus outbreak and how to deal with them. Wellbeing Its important to remember that your employees will be worried about the virus. In addition to having a duty of care to protect health and safety, you also need to consider their wellbeing. Consider any wellbeing initiatives you have and remind employees of them, for example, an Employee Assistance Programme. Give employees the facts The risk of anyone who has not recently been to an affected area picking up the infection is very low, unless someone they are close to has the virus. Risk of becoming infected will differ depending on personal circumstances, but it is important to convey to employees the reality of the situation to keep concerns proportionate to the risk. Business travel The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is regularly updating its travel advice for all affected areas. The advice from the DFA is to avoid all non-essential travel to and within China. Consider alternatives to any planned travel to China or other affected areas, e.g. postponing a trip, or carrying out meetings via Skype. Read also | 'Health is the crown of the well that only the sick can see': Threat of Coronavirus a concern to Ballymahon's Laura Noonan If travel is deemed necessary, then you should effectively, but proportionately, manage the risk. Always know where your employees are and where they are going. Ensure they are given clear instructions on hygiene. If employees report symptoms of the virus while they are travelling, you will have to support them. You should also consider making plans to enable any of your employees who are based in China to return to Ireland. Employees returning from affected areas Employees returning from China or other affected areas should contact their local Department of Public Health for advice on measures that may need to be taken for 14 days following their return to Ireland. If employees have any symptoms of novel coronavirus, including cough, fever, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, on arrival or at any time in the 14 days following their return they should self-isolate straight away and phone their GP or emergency department rather than turning up in person. Employees who have recently returned from an affected area will be prioritised by their local Department of Public Health. Existing health conditions When determining your response to the virus, pay particular attention to the needs of certain employees who may be vulnerable, e.g. those with existing respiratory conditions such as chronic lung disease, diabetes, cancer as well as those who are pregnant or are older. Suspending employees who may have been exposed to the virus Where you have concerns about a non-symptomatic employee (particularly if it is known or suspected that the employee has had contact with someone known to have the virus) then the best advice might be to play it safe with a brief period of suspension on precautionary grounds. Where you choose to suspend returning employees just as a precaution, it will have to be on full pay unless the contract gives you a right to suspend without pay for this reason (which is unlikely). WATCH | HSE Coronavirus hand washing tips Employees who have been advised to self-isolate If an employee is instructed to stay away from work for 14 days, there is no legal requirement to pay employees who are under these instructions unless they report to you as sick during that time in which case normal sickness absence and pay procedures should apply. However, you may choose to continue to pay employees, particularly if they were in an affected area on business. If employees who fall into this category attempt to come to work, you should remind them of the medical instructions and tell them to go home for the stated period. Again, there would be no legal requirement to pay the employee because it is not the employer advising the employee to stay off work, it is necessary under official government advice. A second option is to offer the employee the option of taking paid annual leave because this helps reduce the risk that the employee feels compelled to attend work which would put other employees at risk of catching the virus. If organisations choose not to pay employees who have been advised to self-isolate, they must ensure that the approach is consistent and adheres to custom and practice. An inconsistent approach may lead to claims if one employee receives less favourable treatment than another. Employees who refuse to come into work due to concerns If an employee has returned from an affected area or is worried about catching the virus and so refuses to attend work, organisations should listen to the employees concerns and offer reassurance. An employer's response to this will depend on the actual risk of catching the virus and will depend on the specific circumstances including whether anyone in the workforce has already been diagnosed or there is another real risk of exposure. Employers may decide to offer a period of paid annual leave or unpaid leave, or allow the employee to work from home where this is feasible. Responses should be proportionate to the specific situation. Discrimination, bullying and harassment Coronavirus is not a reason to treat employees differently because of their nationality. You should be alert to banter, and other instances of harassment, between employees about the virus which relates to someones nationality or ethnicity and ensure that your zero-tolerance stance to harassment is maintained. Hygiene measures The World Health Organisations standard infection control measures are: frequently cleaning hands by using alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water when coughing and sneezing cover mouth and nose with flexed elbow or tissue throw tissue away immediately and wash your hands. avoid close contact with anyone who has a fever and cough if you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, phone your GP (do not visit the GP surgery) and tell your GP if you have been in an affected area in the last 14 days OPEN LETTER: GP registrar concerned over the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and Ireland's early response to it Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal has approved a new enhanced plan for preventive measures to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, according to the Government portal. A meeting of the operational headquarters on preventing the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Ukraine was held. Following the meeting, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal approved a new enhanced plan for anti-crisis preventive measures to fight the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus and instructed ministers and heads of central executive agencies to take a number of measures, reads the statement. According the approved plan, heads of the relevant agencies have to review the reserves of the state reserve for the provision of means of individual protection in view of a three-month need, and by March 11 to determine the amount of funds needed to replenish the state reserve. Also, the prime minister instructed to provide information about domestic producers of personnel protective equipment (PPE) and to find out whether they can meet the demand of the population and medical institutions for PPE. The chairman of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine was instructed to ensure implementation of the law on economic competition and protect the rights of patients during retail trade in PPE. It notes that the Health Ministry and the Finance Ministry by March 11 have to submit proposals on increasing the funding for the purchase by the Health Ministrys laboratory centers of medical supplies, personal protective equipment and diagnostic materials, as well as coronavirus test systems. The prime minister also ordered checks of all travelers arriving to Ukraine and people arriving through checkpoints of entry and exit from the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and Crimea, as well as presence of intensive care ambulances and medical vehicle at the checkpoints. As Ukrinform reported, Ukraine confirmed the first Covid-2019 case on March 3. The infection was found in a man from Chernivtsi who returned from Italy with his wife. The man was hospitalized in an infectious ward. iy Islamabad, March 10 : Pakistan has said that the number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (Covid-19) infections across the country have risen to 16, after nine more cases emerged in Karachi on Monday. "Nine new cases of coronavirus have tested positive in Karachi. Of these, six patients came from Syria via Doha whereas the other three patients came from London via Dubai in the past week. The Health Department is in the process of tracking all the contacts down for further testing" "This brings the total number of cases to 13 in Sindh out of which one was cured and discharged," Health Department spokesperson Meeran Yousuf said on late Monday night. Karachi has been the worst affected city so far, with 13 of the total confirmed cases. The remaining 2 are in Gilgit-Baltistan and 1 has been reported from Islamabad, according to the News International. Six of the newly diagnosed patients had returned to Pakistan from Syria via Doha, while the other 3 arrived from London via Dubai. The first 7 diagnosed cases had traveled to Pakistan from Iran. Strict measures have been taken by the government, including extending border closure with Afghanistan for seven more days and installing screening machines at all major airports in the country, the health officials said. Globally, the virus has killed more than 4,000 people and infected over 1,10,000. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Photo: Rahma Ehn The hardest thing for me was they said it was going to be forever. A Surrey woman seeking the community's help to get a surgery to help with her Multiple Sclerosis has set up a GoFundMe page. Rahma Ehn says she struggled for months to find out what was wrong with her, then the prognosis came in, she was diagnosed with MS at the age of 24. I went [to the hospital] three times in January and they kept giving me tests and saying oh, it looks fine the CT scans they did one of my brain and then one of my spine and both separate visits they said it was fine." Thats when a doctor scheduled an MRI, but she was told the neurologist appointment would take three months. Ehn couldnt wait that long so she decided to go to another hospital where the MRI scan showed lesions on her brain leading to an MS diagnosis. MS is a potentially disabling autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the central nervous system. The protective coverings of nerve cells are damaged, which leads to diminished function in the brain and spinal cord. The thing that got to me the most was that they said there was no cure. Ehn says she didnt know much about the disease before being diagnosed. When I asked the neurologist what were my options, he basically said you go to the MS clinic and you get treatments and then I asked how long will I have to do that for? He basically explained to me that its going to be forever. Thats what really resonated with Ehn, the fact that there is no cure and that all she would be doing is prolonging the inevitable loss of muscle function. Being only 24, she wasnt ready to think about being in a wheelchair 20 years from now. MS affects everyone differently and over time, but can lead to permanent damage including loss of mobility and permanent vision loss. The cause is still unknown and there is no cure. I didnt want to deal with these symptoms on-and-off forever and I didnt want it to get worse because I knew that after my research that it gradually worsens over time and the medication doesnt stop it from getting worse, it just slows it down. Thats when I started really researching to see what really helps people and cures - thats when I came across a comment on Facebook of somebody responding to somebody who had a similar question. The comment pointed her in the direction of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The treatment involves a stem cell transplant, chemotherapy, and a month-long stay in the clinic to reset and rebuild the immune system, in a bid to prevent it from further damaging the brain and spinal cord. HSCT is performed internationally and it has been investigated in clinical trials in Canada for approximately 15 years. "Ive decided to do my stem cell transplantation in a highly-regarded clinic in Puebla, Mexico (Clinica Ruiz), where hundreds of HSCT procedures have been performed by award-winning doctors since the 1990s." Ehn says when she first saw the procedure cost $75,000 she thought it would never be attainable but her sister and the Facebook support groups she was a part of showed her that it was possible. Most of the people that I saw that got it done fundraised whether it was for six months, a year, two years but eventually they would be able to go get it. What do I have to lose?" she asked. Ehns appointment is booked in Mexico for August. The GoFundMe page was set up in late February and as of Monday evening, she has raised just under $4,000 of her $80,000 goal. P oliticians, arts figures and unions have voiced concerns over continuing uncertainty over job losses at the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) during its controversial three-year closure for refurbishment, which starts this summer. The NPG announced last year that it would close at the end of June for a 35.5 million redevelopment. The NPG has said that there will inevitably be job losses, but that it is too early to say how many, leading to staff fears. Shadow culture secretary Tracy Brabin told The Londoner: The National Portrait Gallery is one of our most cherished national institutions and it simply couldnt exist without its hard-working staff. Its deeply concerning to hear reports that that job losses havent been communicated with the workforce in the appropriate manner. Ill be pressing DCMS and the gallerys management for answers on this. Comedian Shazia Mirza, whose portrait hangs in the gallery next to Nelson Mandela, told The Londoner this morning that she was against the closure. Its part of our culture. Its really sad that its going to be closed for three years, she said. Young people need to see these icons of people that came before, and they need to see them all the time. A spokesman for the Public and Commercial Services Union told The Londoner that it had agreed a redundancy avoidance package and negotiations are on-going between the union and the gallery. The NPG has 270 staff, and 174 permanent employees. It told The Londoner that it was looking for secondments for staff. The refurbishment encompasses a new wing, and a complete rehang of 1,000 exhibits with a rewrite of every single label. Gallery director Nicholas Cullinan said in an interview last week he didnt want to close, but had to in order to protect the collection during museum updates. The NPG, sited off Trafalgar Square, is home to famous portraits of William Shakespeare, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, as well as modern figures including Stormzy. During the update, its portraits will be housed in venues around the country. Doctor on the house English Heritage has disappointed feminists by blocking a plaque celebrating pioneering female doctor Sophia Jex-Blake on the walls of her Harley Street school. Girls school Queens College had wanted to celebrate one of its most famous students, who fought for women to be able to go to university. The conservation body says that it doesnt put plaques on schools although it has made exceptions in the past. Sam Smethers of the Fawcett Society said: The fact that there is no blue plaque to a female doctor on Harley Street clearly needs addressing. * English Heritage have since got in touch to explain: "We don't commemorate people on educational buildings because of the multiplicity of figures associated with such buildings" adding that a historian working for them "ascertained that there is a surviving residential building for Dr Sophie Jex-Blake and we informed the proposer that we would welcome this address as a formal suggestion." --- Signage on the entry doors to the Perth Concert Hall (Paul Kane/Getty Images) / Getty Images Russell Brand pulled a sold-out Australian tour show yesterday because a woman who has tested positive for coronavirus had visited the venue. Brand was due to play at the Perth Concert Hall but cancelled as he is not happy with the risk for me or for any of you. The English comic intends to continue his tour Down Under. -- Meg Ryan thinks the self-awareness requirement thats part and parcel of modern rom-coms makes them look tired. They twist and turn a little bit on their laurels, the When Harry Met Sally star tells Vanity Fair, adding, its a slightly more cynical time and we need a little more irony in our comedy... But I think something new has to happen. Plaudits all round at Arts Club tea Dame Kelly Holmes (Dave Benett/Getty Images) / Dave Benett/Getty Images for All A host of glamorous figures descended on the Arts Club yesterday for an International Womens Day tea hosted by breast cancer charity Future Dreams. Victoria Derbyshire posed alongside chef Prue Leith and actors Amanda Mealing and Fay Ripley, who Derbyshire later singled out as a fantastic woman. Derbyshire, who herself had cancer, added on her Instagram that Ripleys portrayal of Jenny in Cold Feet going through breast cancer was so touching, so realistic, so raw. Ripley replied, the pleasure was all mine. Earlier in the day the Allbright club had hosted its inaugural BrightList Awards, which were held to honour outstanding, visionary women who inspire true sisterhood through their actions and achievements. Love Islands Laura Whitmore, food writer Jasmine Hemsley, actor Ella Purnell, and athlete Kelly Holmes made the bash. Whitmore told the the audience she was a huggy person, which, combined with an accidental cough, left some people she recently met worrying. She added, though, Im okay, its just a tickle in my throat. Phew. SW1A Gillian Keegan was delighted to be named one of Westminsters 100 most influential women and to have been made minister for skills. You get your new red handbag your box and this thing is not allowed to go on the Tube. Its more important than you! She told us she injured her husband with the box by accident as he was taking it out of the boot of the car. He joked: My wife was present but not involved. -- Why does new Tory MP Nickie Aiken call Labours Kevin Brennan Sir? Because he used to teach her at Radyr comprehensive in Cardiff. He tells us: I was a useless teacher as she ended up as a Tory MP so its now pointless telling her off. -- Tory MP Tracey Crouch is very keen that Parliament isnt closed due to coronavirus. Anyone who thinks its fun staying at home with a four-year-old doing self-isolation clearly doesnt have a four-year-old." Gangham Ed finally starts winning votes Ed Balls (Photo by Ian Lawrence/GC Images) / GC Images Ed Balls may have been out of politics for more than five years but hes the most popular Labour politician in the country, according to a recent YouGov survey. The former Strictly Come Dancing star, who was unseated in the 2015 general election, was beaten only by Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson in the most popular politician in the country poll. A friend of Eds told The Londoner: Hell think its funny that its taken him years of not being a politician to scale these heights. The Londoner wonders if Jeremy Corbyn will work on his Gangnam Style to rehabilitate his reputation? Quote of the day 'The two leads are in their late 50s and have a really healthy sexual relationship. And its not repulsive A nine-year-old boy bullied because of his dwarfism has thanked people for their support after a heartbreaking video of his experience went around the world. Quaden Bayles, who was born with achondroplasia, was filmed by his mother saying "I just want to die" in a video which went viral and was viewed millions of times. The footage led to an outpouring of celebrities, including Hugh Jackman and comedian Brad Williams, who set up a fundraising page for the young boy to go to Disneyland. The Indigenous All Stars rugby league team also invited Quaden to walk them onto the pitch. Appearing today on Good Morning Britain, Quaden, from Queensland, Australia, told Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid that he felt "good" following the response to the video. He said: Its nice when they say all the comments about me and supporting me. Thank you very much for giving me lots of love and support. Queensland boy and dwarfism champion Quaden Bayles distraught after being bullied The boy's mother Yarrika Bayles, who also appeared on the show, revealed that Quaden has not yet returned to school. Describing the video as a plea for help, she said: We havent been back to school yet. "We are still figuring out a care plan to get back into school with the right support in place, so that will take some time, "But we are all working together to make sure he will re-enter the school in a much more safer environment for all students and staff. Quaden joined rugby union players onto the pitch after the video gained attention / Getty Images Yarraka added: No one could have predicted, just by posting a video asking for help on how to deal with this, I could not have ever imagined that it would reach worldwide audiences. "For someone to start a GoFundme, it was a humbling experience. Im definitely not used to anyone helping, Im an independent single mum I thought it was a great idea at first the reason we declined that trip is because taking my son on a trip to Disneyland, you know, is like instant gratification, we would still have to come home and deal with it. Hugh Jackman Speaks Out In Support Of Quaden Bayles And I dont feel comfortable, our family does not feel comfortable, with just myself and my son removing ourselves from the situation, heading over for a little holiday, pretending to be happy when we have the highest suicide rates in the world." She added: It sounded amazing at first and we thought that would be wonderful for Quaden, there is always a positive out of a negative, but weve agreed and thought it will be much more beneficial and have much more of an impact on communities and families who have also been dealing with this situation. So we have kindly declined that offer and we would much rather see funds go where its really needed. The video, which was shared on Facebook, showed Quaden in floods of tears while sat in a car talking about being bullied. The boy can be heard saying give me a knife, Im going to kill myself and I want to die after being picked up from his Brisbane school. His mother said she started to film her sons anguish in the hope parents would take action against the nonstop bullying. A view of the Securities and Exchange Commission headquarters in Washington, D.C. on May 3, 2013. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images) SEC Becomes First Federal Agency to Ask Staff to Work From Home Amid Epidemic The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Monday became the first federal agency to direct employees at one of its offices to work from home over concerns of coronavirus infection, according to reports. Citing a statement from an SEC spokesman, The Washington Post reported that an unidentified employee at the agencys headquarters in Washington, D.C., was referred for treatment after showing respiratory symptoms. That employee has not tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, and has not been in the office since March 5. The SECs request that employees at its headquarters shift to a teleworking arrangement is precautionary. Late this afternoon, the SEC was informed that a Washington, D.C. headquarters employee was treated for respiratory symptoms today (Monday), the spokesperson said in the statement. The employee was informed by a physician that the employee may have the coronavirus and was referred for testing. The spokesperson added, Amongst other precautions, the SEC is encouraging headquarters employees to telework until further guidance. SEC officials added that the employee did not exhibit any symptoms while working in the agencys office. To the best of our knowledge, the employee remained asymptomatic during the employees time in the building, the SEC said. According to NBC, the headquarters of the SEC would be subjected to a deep clean following the incident. Ten cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in the Washington, D.C. area while the number of cases across the United States stands at 755, according to a Johns Hopkins tally. Other U.S. employers have requested employees work offsite due to coronavirus concerns. Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft have all advised their employees in the Seattle area to work from home. The state of Washington has been the hardest hit by the virus, with 22 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins. Banks including Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase & Co, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs Group Inc, and Citigroup Inc have triggered contingency plans, sending staff home, splitting up trading teams and activating backup offices in a bid to contain the spread of the virus in one of the worlds largest financial hubs. A U.S. regulatory body on Monday said it would temporarily waive some of its rules in order to allow thousands of traders to operate from home as the coronavirus spreads in New York. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the self-regulatory body which oversees brokers, said traders could work remotely and recognized that firms may need to implement alternative supervisory systems to make that possible. In such cases, FINRA would expect a member firm to establish and maintain a supervisory system that is reasonably designed to supervise the activities of each associated person while working from an alternative or remote location during the pandemic, it said in a notice cited by Reuters. FINRA oversees thousands of brokerages, dealing mainly in securities and corporate bonds. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised employers to prepare infectious disease outbreak response plans to protect staff. Explore whether you can establish policies and practices, such as flexible worksites (e.g. telecommuting) and flexible work hours (e.g. staggered shifts), to increase the physical distance among employees and between employees and others if state and local health authorities recommend the use of social distancing strategies, the CDC said in an advisory. Other suggestions include enhancements to IT infrastructure to allow employees to work from home, and transferring business knowledge to key employees ahead of time to minimize the risk of disruption. The global coronavirus case total has climbed past 113,000 in over 100 countries, with thousands of deaths. Now that the virus has a foothold in so many countries, the threat of a pandemic has become very real, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference. It would be the first pandemic that could be controlled, Tedros added. The bottom line is we are not at the mercy of the virus. Reuters contributed to this report. MEXICO CITY, March 9 (Reuters) - Mexico's currency commission has increased the size of its program of foreign exchange auctions from $20 billion to $30 billion, the central bank said on Monday, as policymakers take steps to support the battered peso currency. The commission would continue to monitor conditions in the foreign exchange market and will take additional measures if necessary, the central bank said in a statement. (Reporting by Miguel Angel Gutierrez and Diego Ore) Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 20:26:45|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close LONDON, March 10 (Xinhua) -- To simplify and further de-risk operation, British supermarket giant Tesco has agreed to sell its businesses in Thailand and Malaysia in a deal with value of 10.6 billion U.S. dollars on a cash and debt free basis, the company has announced. The deal between Tesco and a combination of Thailand's Charoen Pokphand Group entities is expected to be completed during the second half of 2020, and has been "unanimously agreed by Tesco Board to be in the best interests of all stakeholders," said Tesco, Britain's largest retailer. It will "further de-risk" Tesco's business by reducing indebtedness and eliminating the current funding deficit, an attempt to avoid making "further pension deficit contributions in the future," said Tesco. Dave Lewis, chief executive of Tesco, said: "This sale releases material value and allows us to further simplify and focus the business, as well as to return significant value to shareholders." In February 2020, the group agreed to sell its 20 percent share in Gain Land in China to a subsidiary of its joint venture partner, China Resources Holdings. Before that, the British retailer had exited the United States, Japan and South Korea. Tesco employs more than 300,000 people in Britain and has over 3,400 stores across the country. New issue of SAMUDRA Report, ICSF's fisheries journal, published March 10,2020 | Source: ICSF | Alert Type(s): Samudra Exclusive The International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) has released the latest edition of its popular fisheries publication SAMUDRA Report, its triannual journal on fisheries, communities and livelihoods. SAMUDRA Report No. 82, dated February 2020, features articles on fisheries from around the world, notably Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Seychelles, Brazil, Chile and France. The current issue has extensive analysis and commentary on the Blue Economy and Blue Growth against the backdrop of the FAO Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines). The article from Seychelles analyzes the several contradictions in the conservation initiative of the countrys Blue Bond scheme, while the one from Sri Lanka points out that the National Fisheries Policy needs to be remodelled to incorporate the SSF Guidelines. Yet another says that women in fisheries can utilize the SSF Guidelines to advance their interests and build a common vision. The biggest-ever oil spill disaster in Brazil's history points to the need for State-sponsored disaster management, says another report. From neighbouring Chile comes a piece that argues for a new type of autonomous social movement to create a democratic and representative Constitution. India's draft National Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy (NIFAP) is analyzed in one article, while another explains how artisanal fishers experiential knowledge can help address many problems, including climate change. SAMUDRA Report No. 82 also carries an obituary tribute to Sidney Holt, a towering intellect and a committed conservationist, who died late last year. SAMUDRA Report No. 82 can be accessed at https://www.icsf.net/images/samudra/pdf/english/issue_82/276_ICSF_Samudra%2082_February_2020.pdf ICSF 2020 Theme(s): Others. Tribal leader Bisahulal Singh, one of the 19 MLAs of the Congress who have sent their resignations to Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon, on Tuesday said he was feeling neglected in the ruling party. Speaking to reporters, the senior-most legislator in the party said he was not under any pressure to quit. "I have resigned from the Congress party because despite being senior-most MLA, I was feeling neglected. I have not resigned from the party under any pressure," he told reporters flanked by senior BJP leaders Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Yashodhara Raje Scindia, aunt of Jyotiraditya Scindia. Notably, Bisahulal Singh had remained 'untraceable' for at least five days among other legislators of the Congress. He returned to Bhopal on Sunday from Bengaluru and met Chief Minister Kamal Nath. The 15-month-old Kamal Nath government is virtually tottering on the brink of collapse with 19 MLAs, most of them loyal to expelled party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, sending their resignation letters to Raj Bhavan in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday morning. In Delhi, Scindia resigned from the Congress amid speculations that he might join hands with the BJP to toppled the Kamal Nath government. Scindia was subsequently expelled from the Congress by party president Sonia Gandhi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senator Bernie Sanders and vice president Joe Biden cancelled rallies in Cleveland, Ohio tonight due to health concerns related to the coronavirus. Mr Sanders comms director, Mike Casca, issued a statement today. Out of concern for public health and safety, we are cancelling tonights rally in Cleveland. We are heeding the public warnings from Ohio state officials, who have communicated concern about holding large, indoor events during the coronavirus outbreak, the statement said. Sen. Sanders would like to express his regret to the thousands of Ohioans who had planned to attend the event tonight. All future Bernie 2020 events will be evaluated on a case by case basis. Kate Bedingfield, Mr Bidens deputy campaign manager and communications director, issued a statement just before 5 p.m. on Tuesday. In accordance with guidance from public officials and out of an abundance of caution, our rally in Cleveland, Ohio tonight is cancelled. We will continue to consult with public health officials and public health guidance and make announcements about future events in the coming days, she wrote. Vice President Biden thanks all of his supporters who wanted to be with us in Cleveland. Governor of Ohio Mike DeWine declared a state of emergency on Monday after three individuals in Cuyahoga County were infected. Cleveland is the county seat of Cuyahoga County. The candidates cancelling their rallies was in league with larger initiatives by the states governor to limit large-crowd events where possible. Through the limiting of large events, our goal is to dramatically slow down the spread of #COVID19 and save lives. Now is the time to take action, Mr DeWine tweeted. He also stressed the danger of the virus using language with more urgency than President Donald Trump or Vice President Mike Pence have employed. The truth is that #COVID19 is dangerous. We cant ignore it. We cant wish it away. We have to call it as it is, he wrote. Tuesday, Kent State University in Ohio suspended its in person classes effective immediately due to concerns over the coronavirus. Athletics events taking place indoors have been advised by the state government to limit spectators to players, coaches, and immediate family members. Australia's struggling retail sector has been dealt yet another blow from the coronavirus outbreak, with essential fixtures and fittings for stores delayed for weeks as Chinese shipments stall. Retailers both big and small have been hurt by the delay, which in some situations has prevented the opening of new stores at a time when retail trade is already significantly dented. Forget toilet paper, some retailers are struggling to even find racks to store it on. Credit:Steven Siewert Already reeling from the devastating summer bushfire crisis, the country's retail sector has been plunged into a new coronavirus malaise, with tourism, consumer confidence and supply chains all impacted. Major retailers warned at their half-year results that supply for key products could see delays due to some manufacturing in China coming to a halt. However, it appears store fittings, such as display cabinets, lights and product racks, have become an unexpected victim. New Delhi, March 10 : Amid high political drama in Madhya Pradesh which has pushed the Kamal Nath-led Congress government into a crisis, the party is making all efforts to make peace with the sulking Jyotiraditya Scindia as the number of supporters of the ex-royal scion of Gwalior rose to 21. The truce is being brokered by Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and Karan Singh, the former Scion of Kashmir. Sachin pilot tweeted: "I am hopeful that the current crisis in MP ends soon and that leaders are able to resolve differences. The state needs a stable government in order to fulfil the promises made to the electorate." But not only Scindia many young leaders feel they are crushed and sidelined as the veterans rule the party with Sonia at the helm. IANS spoke to many young leaders but no one wanted to come on record as in private they accept that young leaders are overlooked in the party. Citing example of Ashok Tanwar who left the party because his supporters were denied tickets in which 3 to 4 are MLAs from the JJP. Ashok Tanwar said, "the young leaders are killed in womb and seniors are trying to crush us." The party leaders feel alienated as Scindia was overlooked for his claim as PCC president and Pilot, though is deputy Chief Minister, is being pushed by the chief minister to give up state president post, claimed a source. Jitin Prasada is said to be unhappy as he has been denied top party post for many years despite commitment from the top leadership. He was also upset during the Lok Sabha polls but was pacified by Rahul and Priyanka, a source claimed that he was promised a Rajya Sabha seat. The former Union Minister has been special invitee to the working committee but his close aide said that bis heart lies in UP but the party made Ajay Lallu as PCC President. When contacted Jitin Prasada said, "I am with the party" and disconnected the phone. The Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit is also upset with the party after being kept out of Delhi Assembly polls. Speaking to IANS on Monday he said, "Extraordinary situation demands extraordinary actions," adding that uncertainty is costing dear to the party and seniors should take the responsibility to elect a new president. Milind Deora has also felt sidlined and has resigned from Mumbai PCC president. In Karnataka too, the government fell because of engineering by the BJP but it was internal rift in the party said a leader. Many blamed former Chief Minister Siddaramiah for the collapse. A leader said that delay in decision making has also made leaders restless as the party has not appointed a PCC president from more than a year in MP, the President's post is vacant in Karnataka, Mumbai regional Congress doesn't have full time president, Maharastra needs replacement after Balasaheb Vijay Thorat became minister. Revolt is simmering in Uttrakhand against Pritam Singh, the PCC president but the inaction has led to party's failure in many states, admits a party leader. Many in the party feel that Rahul Gandhi did not intervene when they required him most and in case of Ashok Tanwar, same thing happened, said a leader. About 250 people from the Valley have returned home from Iran and China but none of them has reported with any visible signs of COVID-19 Srinagar: External affairs minister, S. Jaishankar, on Monday arrived in Srinagar on a surprise visit to Kashmir Valley. The officials, however, said that the visit was primarily aimed at interacting with the families of Kashmiri students and pilgrims stranded in Iran. Srinagars DC Shahid Iqbal Choudhary told this newspaper that the J&K government prepared a list of more than 400 local students currently studying in various universities and colleges in Iran where the Coronavirus cases have increased over the past couple of weeks, giving sleepless nights to their families back home. This list was shared with the Government of India with a request that necessary arrangements may be made for the return of these students and pilgrims stuck in Iran, he said. He added that Mr. Jaishankar chose to visit Srinagar himself to interact with the families of these students and pilgrims to assure them that efforts are underway for their return from Iran. The official sources here said that External Affairs Minister flew into J&Ks summer capital almost quietly. He then held interaction with the families of the students and other locals stuck in Iran at Kashmir Convention Centre on the banks of Dal Lake. Though reporters were denied entry into the venue, the official sources later said that Mr. Jaishakanker told a group of 25 families whose wards are in Iran that the priority of the Government of India is to fly home the pilgrims who are changing their residences in Iran and lack adequate facilities. As far the students, he said that to bring them back was the governments second priority for they are, unlike pilgrims, better placed in their respective campuses. The sources said that the relatives of those stranded in Iran including students and Shia pilgrims from the Valley presently in holy city of Qom, about 140 km to the south of Tehran, demanded that the Centre airlifts them from Iran immediately. Mr. Jaishankar later tweeted Met in #Srinagar the families of Indian students in #Iran. Assured them that our Embassy @India_in_Iran is monitoring their welfare. We are committed to facilitating their early return to India. During his brief stay in Srinagar, the Union minister also met the representatives of local hoteliers, tour and travel operators and houseboat owners. While talking about this meeting he wrote on micro-blogging site Heard a clear message from them that they were ready for the forthcoming tourist season. Promised them that government would strongly support tourism promotion efforts, domestically and internationally. Later, he visited the passport office along City Boulevard and appreciated the good work and enthusiastic approach of its personnel. He also went to north-western town of Baramulla where besides interacting with local people, he e-inaugurated several projects. He tweeted, Heard from a broad cross-section about their strong expectations of change and development progress...confident that their faith in a better future will be realised. Meanwhile, the authorities here said the about 250 people from the Valley have returned home from Iran and China but none of them has reported with any visible signs of COVID-19 infection. The Deputy Commissioner of central district of Budgam Tariq Hussain Ganai said that 41 local residents who arrived from Iran and China recently will be quarantined at 76-bed facilities established at nine isolation locations in the district. He, however, also said that most of the suspects, who were admitted in quarantine isolation wards earlier, have tested negative with no symptoms of the infection on completing 28 days. The officials said that five groups comprising 160 pilgrims from Budgam, expected to return home from various countries including Iran, will also be quarantined whereas students who are returning from that country and China will be taken to isolation wards for a proper check-up. His counterpart in Srinagar, Mr. Choudhary in a message said, People who returned to Srinagar from Iran, Italy or Republic of Korea, since February 21, please contact our helpline No. 9419028251 for your own safety and that of others around you. The J&Ks health department tweeted Any passengers with travel history to COVID-19 affected countries be reported to health authorities. Help us to help you. The authorities said that, so far, three confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported from Ladakh and Jammu whereas they are awaiting the test results of the fourth probable patient whose samples have been sent for re-test. A woman resident whose test results have confirmed to be carrying the infection is admitted in Jammus government-run Medical College Hospital. A resident of Kargil, she lives in Jammu and had recently went to Iran along with her husband on pilgrimage, the officials said adding that a second patients sample is being sent for re-test. The J&K government in a statement late Monday evening said that till date 669 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been put under surveillance in the Union Territory- 460 of them in home quarantine including 20 at Jammu's Yatri Bhawan, 8 in hospital quarantine and 55 in home surveillance. It said that 146 people have completed their 28 days surveillance period whereas the samples of 55 others were sent for testing. "Of these, 26 have tested negative and one positive while 28 reports are awaited," it said. Tens of thousands of women vanished from streets, offices and classrooms across Mexico on Monday as part of a nationwide strike to protest the violence they suffer and to demand government action against it. The womens absence from public spaces was intended to be a reminder that every day, 10 women in Mexico are killed - and so disappear forever, organisers said. It is no longer possible to continue living in a country where a woman can be murdered in a brutal way, without any consequence, and in a culture that allows for it to happen, said Lorena Wolffer, an artist and feminist activist. The strike, following a march that drew tens of thousands of women to the streets on Sunday, was a watershed moment for Mexico, a nation that has long failed to grapple with exaggerated masculinity and gender-based violence. The unprecedented collective action also tested the leadership of president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. As smaller protests shook Mexico City in preceding weeks, he appeared unable to recognise the magnitude of the mounting frustration, blaming the killings of women on past neoliberal policies, and responding to protesters demands in ways critics described as tone-deaf, insensitive or condescending. Femicide protesters march on president's palace in Mexico Show all 10 1 /10 Femicide protesters march on president's palace in Mexico Femicide protesters march on president's palace in Mexico Journalists record as police spray fire extinguishers during a protest against rising femicide in Mexico on 14 February 2020 AP Femicide protesters march on president's palace in Mexico Protesters face off against a line of riot police during a march against femicide in Mexico City on 14 February AFP/Getty Femicide protesters march on president's palace in Mexico A masked protester stands in front of the president's palace in Mexico City during a protest against rising femicide rates acros the country on 14 February AP Femicide protesters march on president's palace in Mexico People march in the streets at a protest against femicide in Mexico City on 14 February Reuters Femicide protesters march on president's palace in Mexico A protester wields a street sign during a march against femicide in Mexico City on 14 February AP Femicide protesters march on president's palace in Mexico A protester holds up a copy of 'La Prensa', a newspaper which is subject to demonstrations after publishing grpahic photos of murdered woman Ingrid Escamilla EPA Femicide protesters march on president's palace in Mexico Protesters destroy a van belonging to newspaper 'La Prensa' during a protest against femicide in Mexico City on 14 February EPA Femicide protesters march on president's palace in Mexico People march in the streets at a protest against femicide in Mexico City on 14 February Reuters Femicide protesters march on president's palace in Mexico A protester spray paints the shields of riot police officers during a protest against femicide in Mexico City on 14 February EPA Femicide protesters march on president's palace in Mexico Protesters batter a van belonging to newspaper 'La Prensa' during a protest against femicide in Mexico City on 14 February EPA On Monday morning, Mr Lopez Obrador said the feminist movement was fighting for a legitimate cause, but argued, as he had in the past, that political opponents who want to see his government fail were helping instigate the march and the strike. I maintain that the main thing is to guarantee the well-being of the people, he said when asked how his administration would respond to the protesters demands. Going back to his campaign promises, he added that he would fight social and economic inequality, combat poverty and the disintegration of families. As violence in the country escalates, the number of femicides, or the killing of women and girls killed because of their gender has also increased. In 2019, Mexican authorities registered 1,006 such killings, a 10 per cent jump over the year before. Recommended Global crackdown on IWD protesters as women attacked by men The broad support for both the march and strike was also inspired by the global #MeToo movement and by outrage over the recent killings of Ingrid Escamilla, 25, who was killed, skinned and disembowelled, and of seven-year-old Fatima Cecilia Aldrighett whose body was found wrapped in a plastic bag. The violence spurred a national debate over gender-based violence and Mexicos entrenched culture of machismo that transcended the usual divisions of Mexicos deeply stratified society age, class, race and politics. Many workplaces across the country were devoid of women Monday, and some schools shut down. Photographs of newsrooms, government offices and schools emptied of women and girls circulated on social media. Even Mr Lopez Obradors daily morning briefing with the press had rows of empty chairs because most female journalists boycotted it. Isaura Miranda, a biologist, said she had put a lot of thought into her decision to join the strike because of her responsibilities at the research centre where she works. I just realised I had to do something, said Ms Miranda, shedding tears. I cant carry on with this feeling of rage and impotence over so many deaths that are cruel, without dignity. Some workplaces were left near empty in the absence of women (Reuters) Also, I dont want my daughter to go out one day and never come back again, she added. Some of the countrys biggest companies, including Walmart and Bimbo, assured women they would not face repercussions for staying home from work. Many public officials, celebrities and church leaders, as well as local, state and federal government agencies, backed the action, which was promoted under the hashtag #UnDiaSinNosotras, or #ADayWithoutUs. Early on Monday, many subway ticket booths, which are mostly operated by women, were closed. Authorities struggled to estimate how many women had participated. If all women participated, the action could cost the economy up to $1.37bn (1.05bn), according to Concanaco Servytur, one of Mexicos largest business groups. Some womens rights groups and feminist collectives have urged the government to create a special prosecutors office for femicides and cases of disappearance. Others had broader demands, from reproductive rights to equal pay. The feminist movement in Mexico has gained traction in the past year and become violent at times, with some protesters attacking police stations or spray-painting slogans on government buildings. On Sunday, a protester threw a molotov cocktail, injuring members of the press and police officers, including women. Last August, the rowdy protests caught officials off guard. Claudia Sheinbaum, the mayor of Mexico City, at first condemned the demonstrators for defacing historical monuments. Later, facing a backlash, she met with womens groups, created a registry of sex offenders and pushed for the passage of an ordinance that punishes the unauthorised sharing of sexual content with a six-year prison sentence. Ahead of the strike, Ms Sheinbaum said she that the approximately 150,000 women who work for the city would not be penalised for not coming to the office Monday. While some women celebrated the march and the strike, others remained circumspect about the real impact. Yes, we have conquered great victories recently, said Ms Wolffer, the artist. On the other hand, never have so many of us been murdered. More has to come out of this. And for many other women, protests remained beyond their reach. Juanita Hernandez, a street food vendor who supports her four children by working six days a week, said her husband, now deceased, used to be physically abusive. One day, he hit her so hard he broke several of her teeth, she recalled. When my husband died I could finally rest from the abuse, but now I cant afford to take a day to protest that same violence, she said. The New York Times Doaa El-Bey looks at efforts made by Egyptian diplomacy to assert Egypts water rights during the building of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in accordance with international law Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri this week embarked on a regional tour to clarify Egypts position on negotiations regarding the building of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Ethiopia. The tour was prompted by the failure of Ethiopia to show up for the last round of negotiations on the GERD in Washington last month. Egypt has embarked on a tiring negotiating process with Sudan and Ethiopia since 2014. Its negotiating position has always been based on the good intention to reach a fair and comprehensive agreement that meets the joint interests of the three states concerned and realises the ambitions of Addis Ababa for development without harming the water interests of Egypt or Sudan, Shoukri said in an address to an Arab League meeting in Cairo last week. Shoukris tour had two main aims. The first is related to diplomatic initiatives, Rakha Hassan, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, told Al-Ahram Weekly. Shoukri expressed Egypts appreciation for the support of the states concerned during last weeks Arab League ministerial meeting. He is carrying a message from President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi to the heads of these states to brief them on the latest developments related to the dam, Hassan said. The second aim of the tour was to make use of the good relations between Ethiopia and these states, especially the Gulf states, to persuade the former to sign the agreement reached last month in Washington. This does not encroach on Addis Ababas rights to build the dam or to generate electricity, Hassan added. Shoukris tour, which began on Sunday, took him to Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE and Bahrain. After the support that most of the states showed to Egypt in last weeks Arab League meeting, Ali Al-Hefni, former deputy to Egypts foreign minister, said it was useful to hold further consultations and exchanges of views with the Arab states. A network of joint interests links the Gulf states and the African countries in general and Ethiopia in particular. That network can help in resolving the present situation regarding the dam and concluding the agreement that was drafted by the technical committees of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan, he said, adding that the visits to Jordan and Iraq would serve to coordinate further in the framework of trilateral cooperation. The heads of government of Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq held two trilateral summits last year in which they affirmed their commitment to maintaining strategic cooperation and coordination among the Arab countries to ensure regional stability and reach solutions to various crises. Shoukris tour this week also gave room to discuss other important regional issues, namely the Palestinian cause, the situation in Iraq, the crises in Libya and Yemen, the Turkish interference in Libya, and the Iranian role in the region, Al-Hefni said. In the Arab League meeting last week, Arab foreign ministers expressed their rejection of any attempts to harm Egypts historical rights to Nile River water by the construction of the GERD. The water security of Egypt is an integral part of Arab national security, read the draft resolution issued at the end of the meeting. It came in response to Shoukris request for the Arab states to support Egypt in its fair demands in his address to the Arab League meeting. Both Ethiopia and Sudan reacted angrily to the resolution, however. In a statement issued by the Sudanese foreign ministry on Sunday, Sudan voiced reservations regarding the draft resolution. Expressing its disappointment at the Sudanese stand, Egypt explained that it had been keen to inform the Sudanese representative at the Arab League about the draft resolution since 1 March. Nevertheless, it [Sudan] did not send any comments to the Egyptian authorities. Besides, at Sudans request, the Egyptian delegation removed Sudans name from the draft resolution, Spokesperson for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry Ahmed Hafez said. Amendments suggested later by Khartoum sought to weaken the draft resolution, he added. Hassan also noted the disparity in Sudans stand. Chief of Sudans ruling military council Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan called President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi this week to discuss bilateral relations and issues of mutual concern, but at the same time Sudan refrained from signing the final agreement and criticised Egypt for trying to assert its historic water rights. That could be ascribed to the fact that Sudan wants to appear as if it is taking an independent decision regarding the dam or that the US did not exert enough pressure on Khartoum to sign the agreement, he said. The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry criticised the Arab Leagues stance on the dam. In a statement issued last Friday, Ethiopia rejected the resolution in its entirety as giving blind support to a member state without taking into consideration key facts at the centre of the GERD talks, the statement said. However, Egypt categorically rejected the statement as inappropriate, undiplomatic, and constituting an unacceptable affront to the Arab League and its member states. This resolution adopted by the Arab League reflects dismay at Ethiopias track record throughout the endless rounds of negotiations on the GERD, particularly since the conclusion of the 2015 Agreement on Declaration of Principles [DoP], read the statement. It described Ethiopias position during the negotiations as revealing its intent to exercise hydro-hegemony and to anoint itself as the unchallenged and sole beneficiary of the Nile. It also criticised Addis Ababas insistence on filling the GERD unilaterally in July 2020 without reaching an agreement as a material breach of the DoP. In another development Shoukri met African ambassadors to Egypt last week to inform them of achievements made during Egypts presidency of the African Union (AU) in 2019 in addition to the latest developments on the dam and Egypts efforts to reach a fair and balanced agreement for the three parties concerned. *A version of this article appears in print in the 12 March, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: MSNBC and math haven't had a good week. A few days ago, talking heads made a third-grade mistake when hypothetically divvying up Bloomberg's advertising budget among Americans. And on Monday, a guest virologist announced that 20% of Americans are going to die from the coronavirus, which is an embarrassing miscalculation. It was just a few days ago that Brian Williams and Mara Gay mindlessly repeated a meme saying that, instead of spending $500 million on advertising, Bloomberg should just have given all 327 million Americans a million dollars each. The correct answer is that Bloomberg spent $1.52 per American. On Monday, a guest again went stupid about math, this time while trying to explain how many Americans will die from coronavirus. According to Dr. Joseph Fair, only 80% of the population will survive: "We're honestly behind the curve," Fair claimed, adding that "getting testing up and running is the most essential step." "Getting testing up and running in every place we can, in every city, in every public health laboratory around the country is key for us to understand how widespread this epidemic is. This is not to fear monger. It would be irresponsible for us to create panic when it's undue," Fair said. "That being said, we know 80 percent of the population is going to survive and a typically 15 to 20 percent rate of mortality for those individuals that are both elderly or have underlying conditions." Mediaite, from which the above quotation comes, doesn't question Fair's math. Instead, it takes the numbers at face value and then attacks Trump: The number is much higher than the World Health Organization's reported 3.4 percent mortality rate this month, which in turn was higher than previous mortality rate estimates around 2 percent. Last week, President Donald Trump disputed the reported 3.4 percent mortality rate, telling Fox News' Sean Hannity, "I think the 3.4 percent is really a false number Personally, I would say the number is way under 1 percent." Even a mildly savvy innumerate should be able to spot the problem with Fair's math. The way you determine a disease's mortality is by looking at its effect on the entire population. In this case, the higher mortality prediction from WHO, based on looking only at people who get really sick, is 3.4 percent, while the lower mortality prediction, which includes everyone who gets the flu, no matter how mild the case, is 1 percent or less. In other words, even under the worst-case scenario, 96.6 percent of the population will still survive. Fair's confusion arose because he forgot that it's only the very old (over 80 years) or very sick who will have a 15- to 20-percent mortality rate. The very aged, however, do not come close to making up 20 percent of the population. The 75- to 84-year-old cohort is only 4.4 percent of the population (and presumably that number is weighted toward those under 80), while the cohort over 85 is only 1.5% of the population. Even if God forbid every person over 80 in America were suddenly to die, a most unlikely event, 95% of Americans would still be alive. Adding in the chronically ill is unlikely to change that number much. Fair made a foolish mistake (presumably he knows better), but both MSNBC and Mediaite ran with the error to undermine Trump's presidency. These people are both evil and stupid. (Dr. Drew agrees about the evil they're causing.) Here's the deal with the media: they don't know what they're talking about, so analyze everything they say before you start to worry. If you'd like a more clear-eyed, less hysterical analysis of the real risks of the coronavirus, you might want to read one or both of the following articles: Alan Reynolds's COVID-19 Deaths and Incredible WHO Estimates. Michael Fumento's Coronavirus going to hit its peak and start falling sooner than you think. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 10 By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend: All issues on the legislative agenda of the Azerbaijani parliament will be regularly submitted for discussion, Safa Mirzayev, head of the office of the Azerbaijani parliament, said in an interview to Azerbaijan state television AzTV, Trend reports on March 10. Mirzayev listed several important issues that will be discussed at next parliamentary meetings. "As is known, the law on the full insurance of deposits expired in early March, head of the office said. A bill was received from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on March 9 in connection with the extension of the term of aforementioned law. This issue will be submitted for discussion and will be adopted soon. On the other hand, we are preparing large-scale bills, Mirzayev said. For example, a new version of the law 'On Political Parties' is being developed. During today's meeting, the president also emphasized that all positively-minded political parties must be involved in the ongoing developments in the country. Everyone saw that there are deputy chairpersons of parliamentary committees who were elected from the opposition parties." Thus, MPs representing the opposition parties were elected to the leadership of the Azerbaijani parliament, head of the office said. All this shows that it is necessary to amend the law 'On Political Parties' to enable them to play a more active role in the society. And as social media companies more vigilantly monitor for foreign activity than they did in 2016, Russia has also adjusted its methods to evade detection. Rather than disseminate messages as widely as possible, as in 2016, Russian operatives are using private Facebook groups, posts on the online message board 4chan and closed chat rooms that are more difficult to monitor, according to intelligence officials. Russias primary goal, according to several officials briefed on the intelligence who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information, is to foster a sense of chaos in the United States, though its motivations are under debate and difficult to decipher in the absence of high-level intelligence sources inside Moscow. The direct effect of its interference on presidential politics is less clear, though some American officials said that Russia believed that acts of violence could bolster President Trumps re-election bid if he could argue that a response to such an episode demanded continuity and that he represented a law-and-order approach. The F.B.I. and other intelligence agencies declined to comment on specific Russian activities. We see Russia is willing to conduct more brazen and disruptive influence operations because of how it perceives its conflict with the West, David Porter, a top agent on the F.B.I.s Foreign Influence Task Force, said last month at an election security conference in Washington. He added, To put it simply, in this space, Russia wants to watch us tear ourselves apart. Because Russia is trying to amplify the messaging of existing groups, its interference is difficult for American officials to combat given First Amendment protections for speech. The government does have the legal authority to stop hate speech that explicitly advocates violence, and social media companies continue to take down accounts linked to Russian intelligence or disinformation groups. German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Parliament on Tuesday that 60% to 70% of the German population could contract the coronavirus. Merkel's dropping the figure at the outset of a parliamentary meeting left the room silent, according to a report from Bild, a German newspaper. Germany already has more than 1,400 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease resulting from the virus. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave a grave prognosis to Parliament on Tuesday, telling members that 60% to 70% of the German population could contract the coronavirus at some point, according to Bild. The German newspaper reported that when Merkel dropped the statistic in the parliamentary meeting, the room fell silent. German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Associated Press Germany has more than 1,400 cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, with two confirmed deaths. Merkel went on to tell lawmakers that more events and large gatherings could be canceled, depending on the severity of the outbreak. Postponing parliamentary proceedings is also a possibility, Merkel said. According to Bild, Merkel came short of calling for any swift and severe measures and was not more specific but laid out the possibilities facing the nation amid the outbreak. The coronavirus has rapidly spread throughout Europe. Italy, the worst-hit country outside China, instituted a nationwide lockdown this week, as more than 9,100 people have been infected and at least 463 people have died from the virus. Business Insider A British bloke has just taken the 'Best International Mullet' title, and we gotta say, that's one hell of a mullet. 31 year old graphic designer Rob Ayton first got a mullet as a joke three years ago while in Aussie, and he didn't really like it at first. But as the back of his mullet grew, so did his love for it. Rob then returned to Aussie, and didn't even mean to time it with the annual Mulletfest. Speaking to LADbible, he said he was there for a skateboarding competition, but "it just happened to time with me being out here for that so I could go out to Kurri Kurri and see the mullet fest itself." He was pretty stoked when he won the 'Best International Mullet' title: It genuinely feels like it's been a religious ceremony for me, Australia - you've been amazing. But having such a glorious mullet comes with its struggles. Rob said he's copped his fair shair of shit for his hair choice, saying: "You couldn't print a lot of the comments I get. The most PC one is 'you look like an 80s pornstar. Generally, feedback in the UK isn't great for mullets, however more recently I've had better comments about being an individual, whatever that means." Take a look at the below video by SWNS for a good look at the legend's business in the front and party in the back. A Glen Mills man is facing life behind bars after he was convicted in Lancaster County Court of charges that include second-degree murder. According to the Lancaster County District Attorneys Office, after a six-day trial, 34-year-old Christopher J. Lyles was convicted of charges connected to a home-invasion robbery in Salisbury Township. Through the course of trial, Assistant District Attorney Mark Fetterman argued Lyles and three others targeted the home of Dennis Pitch for a robbery on Dec. 2, 2016. During the robbery, investigators say Pitch was fatally shot in the head and torso. According to the DAs office, evidence included cellphone locations that tracked the group and placed them around Pitchs home at the time of the killing, testimony from a prison inmate with whom Lyles discussed the incident and surveillance footage of one of their vehicles near Pitchs home. The group believed Pitch recently made a large cash withdrawal from his bank, and they intended to take that money, according to investigators. Lyles was convicted of second-degree murder, which carries a mandatory life-without-parole sentence. He was also convicted of two counts each of robbery, burglary and conspiracy. Co-defendants Brandon Bills, Kristopher Smith and Michael Baker have pending cases on the same charges. 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. Stepaside Garda Station has reopened after eight years of lying empty due to recession cutbacks. The historic building in the expanding south Dublin village has been substantially modernised and revamped inside to make way for 25 gardai who will now police the area. The first visitor yesterday morning when the station opened was acting Transport, Tourism and Sport Minister Shane Ross, who campaigned vigorously for the station to be brought back into operation. Despite his efforts, however, he lost his seat in the constituency in last month's election. Sergeant Shane Curtis and Garda Marvin Ireland were on patrol from early morning, introducing themselves to locals and business owners, while Garda Helen Gillen held the fort. Population "It's a great day for the community of Stepaside. It will be a busy station acting not only as a community hub but a base for road policing also," Sgt Curtis told the Herald. "It's a good news story, and will see us policing everywhere from Sandyford Industrial Estate to Johnnie Fox's pub and out as far as Kilternan. "Three-quarters of it is country at the moment but there will probably be a lot of future development. "The area has grown a lot over the years and the population is going up, so reopening the station is a bit of future-proofing for the area too." Gda Gillen remembers the station before it was closed, and said the work done on it to bring it up to a modern standard was excellent. "They have taken an old station and transformed it. The internal layout is similar to what it was but the use of the rooms is different," she said. "The old kitchen is now the toilets, and the whole building was insulated. It's cleaner, brighter and fresher than it used to be." Locals said they were delighted to see the station open again. "I feel safer now, in the street and in my home," said Tara Friel who was out shopping with her eight-week-old son Oscar. "There have been break-ins and burglaries, and if the gardai can get to know who the troublemakers are it will be very reassuring, especially after a young person was stabbed at a Luas stop at Glencairn last week. "We are thankful to Shane Ross and everyone that kept the campaign going." Aistis Slajus also said he was happy to see the station open again. As Sgt Curtis and Gda Ireland carried out an early patrol on the street, he said there had been two recent burglary attempts in the estate where he lives. "Even their presence on the street is a great sign. We feel safer now that we know gardai are nearby," he said. Business owners also said they were delighted the station was back open. There have been several break-ins in shops and businesses in the town since the station's doors were shut. In one robbery spree in November 2018, three premises within sight of the station were broken into and robbed within minutes of each other. "The whole area is elated to be honest," said Des Kennedy, owner of the local Centra store. "The station has been a long time closed and we have had to keep the pressure on to have it reopened. We have been broken into twice while the station was empty and closed. "We can thank local councillor Lettie McCarthy and Minister Ross for keeping the campaign going." Karol Tallon, from Mulvey's pharmacy, said: "The station should never have closed at all. It is great to see it open again after so many break-ins and the assaults at Luas stops. "Any garda presence is good, and when they are so near it means response times will be quicker than if they have to come from Dundrum. Safety "The distance they had to travel from Dundrum, and the traffic on the way, meant that criminals could be already on the M50 by the time the gardai arrived here. "I grew up here, and I worry about the safety of teenagers after the recent attack at the Luas stop, so I am glad to see gardai in Stepaside again." Although Mr Ross lost his seat last month, he will always be remembered for his campaign to reopen the station. "I was at the station at 7am to welcome the gardai. I have always stressed the need for community gardai here and I praise the community for keeping the faith that the station would reopen," he said. Stepaside Garda Station was one of 139 stations around the country closed due to cutbacks between 2012 and 2013. It is now open to the public between 7am and 9pm. The number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection has hit triple digits in Australia. The Australian Department of Health revealed that as of March 10 morning, there have been 100 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus. Australia witnessed a jump of 20 cases in one day, as till Monday the authorities had reported 80 cases. According to Xinhua, 22 patients out of the total 100 have recovered post treatment. New South Wales (NSW) has been the worst hit with 54 cases, four times more than any other state. Health Minister Greg Hunt on Tuesday lauded the community efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus at a press conference. Australian authorities are currently not planning a dramatic lockdown like Italy as the cases of transmission between the communities is low. "If we had more sustained community transmission, then we wouldn't hesitate to make recommendations about public gatherings, schools and the like," Xinhua quoted Brendan Murphy, chief medical officer, as saying. As per the Health Organisation (WHO), the novel coronavirus belongs to the family of zoonotic viruses that spread from animals to humans. The symptoms of Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus include running nose, sneezes, and coughs while in severe cases respiratory problems, shortness of breath, kidney failure or even death. The deadly virus which originated in Wuhan, China, has affected more than 105 countries and has infected 110,137 people globally with nearly 4,000 deaths. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Government intends to expedite the passing of laws that deal with people who peddle false news on social media in light of the increase in fake posts concerning the country by some unruly elements, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary Mr Nick Mangwana has said. SYRACUSE, N.Y. Syracuse University has suspended its study abroad program in Madrid, Spain because of the coronavirus outbreak. SU decided to halt the program after Spains national government announced it will close all schools and universities in Madrid for two weeks beginning Wednesday to prevent further spread of coronavirus. Madrid has seen a sharp increase in cases. We are disappointed for our Madrid students, whose once-in-a-lifetime educational opportunity is being cut short, Steve Bennett, an SU senior vice president, said in an email sent Monday night to students and faculty. SU is working with affected students on their plans to return to the U.S. and how they can maintain their academic continuity through remote coursework. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not currently consider Spain a country at high risk of coronavirus transmission. Bennett said while the students in the Madrid program pose no risk to the SU community, they will not return to campus until after spring break which begins next week. SU closed its study abroad program in Florence, Italy last month. Bennett said SU will continue monitoring conditions in other areas where our students are currently studying abroad, including London; Strasbourg, France; and Santiago, Chile. James T. Mulder covers health news. Have a news tip? Contact him at (315) 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com 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. State Forest Rangers responded recently to a serious snowmobile accident, along with being involved in two wilderness rescues involving injured and lost hikers. The following incidents took place between March 2 and 7. All specifics below were supplied by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Town of Indian Lake, Hamilton County Wilderness Rescue: On March 2 at 10:10 a.m., Forest Ranger Jenifer Temple responded to a snowmobile accident on Uncas Road in Raquette Lake. Forest Ranger Temple arrived with Raquette Lake Ambulance to find a 54-year-old woman from Manlius had suffered multiple serious injuries to her extremities and torso. Ranger Temple assisted with packaging the woman for transport by Raquette Lake Ambulance to an area hospital in Utica for further treatment. Town of Colonie, Albany County Prescribed Fire: On March 5, Forest Rangers Jason Seeley, Tyler Mitchell, and Steve Jackson joined Albany Pine Bush Preserve staff and additional volunteers to conduct a 15.2-acre burn near the intersection of Kings and Morris roads, the preserves first prescribed burn of the year. This treatment will increase openings for warm season grasses, forbes, and wild blue lupine, and reduce fuel loads for potential fire events. This management technique will also improve the habitat for the endangered Karner Blue butterfly. Town of North Elba, Essex County Wilderness Rescue: On March 7 at 3 p.m., two hikers coming off Algonquin Mountain in the High Peaks Wilderness Area called DECs Ray Brook Dispatch for help. A 45-year-old woman from Montreal took a wrong step while descending the mountain and sustained an ankle injury. Six Forest Rangers responded to assist the hiker off the mountain, arriving at 5:26 p.m. The Rangers stabilized the injury and carried the injured hiker out to a waiting snowmobile. At 8:20 p.m., the hikers and Rangers were back to the trailhead at the Adirondak Loj. The hiker sought further medical attention on her own. Town of Shandaken,Ulster County Wilderness Rescue: On March 7 at 9:35 p.m., DECs Central Dispatch received a call regarding two overdue hikers. The last contact the caller had with the hikers was at 5:15 p.m. Forest Rangers Russell Martin and Mark Brand responded to the scene. Ulster County Sheriffs Deputies located the hikers vehicle at the Oliverea Road South (Slide Mountain Trailhead) Parking Area and a Deputy stayed at the location in case the hikers came out before Rangers arrived. On March 8 at 3:38 a.m., Forest Ranger Martin located both hikers and helped the pair out to the trailhead. At 5:51 a.m., Forest Rangers and hikers were out of the woods. Be sure to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. Visit DECs Hike Smart NY and Adirondack Backcountry Information webpage for more information. MORE: Oneida angler, 67, dies after falling through ice on Erie Canal Driver alert: Amphibians on the move across roads to breeding grounds Dicks to stop selling guns at over half its stores Have a question or suggested story concerning the Upstate NY outdoors scene? Outdoors writer David Figura can be reached by email at dfigura@NYup.com, on Facebook or by calling 315-470-6066. The announcement of senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindias resignation from Congress has once again shone a spotlight on the challenges facing the party, which has been struggling to recoup from indecisive leadership since the 2019 general elections, despite subsequent electoral wins at the state level. Soon after Congress was decimated in the Lok Sabha elections, the grand old party was plunged into a leadership crisis when Rahul Gandhi resigned from the post of party president on May 25, during a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC). For 77 days, the top post remained vacant. CWC members exhorted Gandhi to take back his resignation, but he refused to do so. On August 10, 2019, CWC finally nominated Sonia Gandhi to take over the position and pull the party out of this particular crisis. Indecision has been a serious and recurring problem for Congress. In his resignation letter, Scindia wrote that the path to his exit had been laid more than a year ago, which is likely to be a reference to not just the partys decision to appoint Kamal Nath chief minister of Madhya Pradesh (MP), but also to Congress failing to appoint a new state president. Nath currently holds both posts because the party has not been able to select a name to replace Nath as its state unit chief. In Karnataka, Dinesh Gundu Rao has submitted his resignation from the post of state unit president to the Congress high command, taking moral responsibility for the partys poor show in the by-elections held in December 2019. Former chief minister Siddaramaiah also stepped down as leader of Congress Legislature Party (CLP). After a series of discussions, Congresss central leadership had almost finalised former minister and key troubleshooter DK Shivakumar as the new Karnataka unit chief, but the decision has been put on hold as Siddaramaiah has pitched Lingayat leader MB Patil for the post. Similarly, the state chiefs of Telangana (Uttam Kumar Reddy) and Odisha (Niranjan Patnaik) resigned from their posts soon after the Lok Sabha elections, but the party leadership is still struggling to find their replacements. In Punjab, the central leadership has failed to resolve differences between chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh and his former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, who resigned in July 2019. Where decisions have been taken, they seem to have cost Congress dearly. For example, in Haryana, Ashok Tanwar was removed as state unit chief weeks before the Assembly elections after six years as president of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee. Senior leader Kumari Selja replaced him and election management was handed over to former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda who brought the party within striking distance of ousting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from power. In Maharashtra, Congresss leadership was in disarray with many senior leaders, including Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil and Harshwardhan Patil, defecting to the BJP and others, such as Sanjay Nirupam, refusing to campaign for the party. When Assembly election results were announced, Congress had dropped to fourth position and it was forced to cede its big brother role to Sharad Pawars Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which formed a three-party alliance between NCP, Shiv Sena and Congress. Congresss performance in Delhi was worse in Delhi, where the rudderless party failed to open its account in last months Assembly elections. The two states where infighting doesnt appear to have affected Congress are Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. All eyes will now be on the stability of these 2 state governments. Aurangzeb Naqshbandi Charlie Wayne Whitlow Jr. says he was threatened, assaulted and held against his will by the woman he loved, an adult son of the woman and an 11-year-old son they share. The woman says something different, and its Whitlow who will be in court today, charged with multiple felonies. He is charged with entering a bedroom window of a house in Bassett where the woman lived with the intent to commit murder. He also is charged with rape, robbery and arson and committing object sexual penetration. A jury in Henry County Circuit Court was scheduled to hear the case at 2 p.m. today and to try to unravel the truth, but Whitlow will have to wait a while longer for his day in court. His attorney asked that the trial be rescheduled. Ive had a severe cold, Whitlows attorney Roscoe Reynolds said. This is a complicated case, and there are a bunch of witnesses. Reynolds said he is on the mend, but he said the cold has left him without the stamina to represent his client at a full-blown jury trial. A judges notes on the case have been restricted from public view, but Henry County Sheriffs Sgt. Brian K. Lawsons report is on file with the Henry County Circuit Court Clerks Office and provides some of the details of a complex case. The 44 year-old woman, whose name is not being published because she is alleged to be the victim of sexual assault, told police that on Dec. 2, 2018, she called Whitlow, 47, of 1686 Sunset Dr., in Bassett, and asked him to take her to the hospital in Rocky Mount because she was suffering from kidney stones. She did so even though she had a restraining order in place against Whitlow. The reasons for that restraining order were not explained in the case file. Lawsons report states that Whitlow took the woman to the hospital, where she was treated with toradol, morphine and zofran by IV and then sent home with prescriptions for phenergan and lortab. Whitlow told police that he drove the woman to the house in Bassett, where she lived with her two sons. He said she invited him in through a window in her bedroom as her two children were sleeping and she did not want the children to know that Whitlow was in her bedroom. The report states that one of the children was a teenager, later listed as 11, and the other child was an 18-year-old adult. The woman is the mother of both boys, and Whitlow is the father of the younger one. The womans account of Whitlows entrance to the home differs from that of Whitlow. She told police Whitlow broke in through the window and sexually assaulted her. Whitlow says that, after he entered the bedroom, the two began arguing about something published on Facebook. The 18-year-old then entered the bedroom and got a .28-caliber [gun] and pointed and put it in his [Whitlows] mouth. Whitlow says he tried to call 911 on his cell phone before it was taken from him. Records show the 911 Communications Center received a hang-up that was traced to Whitlows cellphone at 3:44 that morning. Whitlow told police he was held for several hours and then released with his cellphone. Whitlow was arrested later that same day. Lawsons report also indicated that even though the woman had a restraining order against Whitlow, she had been to visit Whitlow several times before the night he entered her bedroom. She said she only went to the farm [Whitlows residence] so her teenage son could see Whitlow, but Whitlow said the woman came to his residence on numerous occasions without the child and that they engaged in consensual sex. In Virginia, the charge against Whitlow for entering the house is a Class 3 felony and is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and has a minimum prison sentence of 5 years, with a fine of up to $100,000. Object sexual penetration is a felony punishable by confinement in the state correctional facility for life or for any term not less than 5 years. Asked if a plea arrangement could be in the works, Reynolds said: We are always hopeful that some reasonable settlement could be reached, but I dont think so. Bill Wyatt is a reporter for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at 276-638-8801, Ext. 236. Follow him @billdwyatt Bill Wyatt is a reporter for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at 276-638-8801, Ext. 236. Follow him @billdwyatt 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. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Mar. 10 By Ilkin Seyfaddini - Trend: Uzbekistan has sent to Pakistan a pilot shipment of 300 tons of coal mined at Shargunkumir and Boysunkumir coal deposits, Trend reports via Uzbek media. The first cargo was shipped from the Darband railway station in Surkhandarya region. Shargun is the richest coal deposit in Uzbekistan. Its reserves are estimated to exceed 33 million tons. Recently, representatives of Uzbekistan Railways announced that they intend to bring the production of coal at Shargunkumir to one million tons per year (150,000 tons in 2017). A consortium of Chinese companies within China Railway Tunnel Group and China Coal Technology & Engineering Group Corp was engaged in working on the field, which started in September 2017. The companies were to carry out the tasks of cleaning the piled up old ten mines with a total length of 1,500 meters and to drill 2,227 meters of the tunnel to extract additional volumes of coal. The total cost of the project exceeds $105.5 million. --- Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini The installation will see the 24i Smart Operator solution used with the T-Mobile TV GO , Magio GO and Digi GO customers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and the technology has now gone live on iOS, Android, Android TV, web and smart TVs from Samsung, as well as Linux and Android IPTV set-top-boxes (STBs).In the deployment, 24i provided a single code base approach across all three of the T-Mobile Czech Republic and Slovak Telekom services and includes data-driven content optimisation, discovery and engagement tools including recommendations, analytics, targeted content and audience measurement. It also provided a customisable UX as well as a time shift TV Player, cloud and STB PVR functionality, view showtimes and an electronic programme guide (EPG) including channel filtering. 24i Smart Operator provides us with a productised solution that provides a next-generation, personalised video experience for each subscriber, observed Marcel Satanek, head of PM connected home and terminal management, Slovak Telekom.A key motivation for choosing the solution is it's unique ability to enable a develop once, deploy everywhere' content workflow, effortlessly handle device proliferation, legacy and third-party integrations, while providing instant access to new technologies and platform capabilities. Furthermore, Smart Operator has the ability to manage the linear and on-demand content services for all three brands via a single centralised back-end system. Vulnerable, Invisible and Undervalued: Aktea calls for a fair treatment and a voice for women in fisheries and aquaculture: Press Release March 10,2020 | Source: AKTEA European Network of Women in Fisheries and Aquaculture Over 40 fisherwomen from 9 Member States gathered for three days to raise awareness about their work, on the need for gender equality and for their important contribution to European fisheries to be recognized, respected and rewarded. Brussels, Belgium, 26h February 2019 40 women professionals from the small-scale fisheries sector, from the Netherlands, Ireland, Spain, Malta, Cyprus, Italy, Croatia, France and the Azores gathered in Brussels over 3 days from the 24 to 26 February, to revive, renew and relaunch the AKTEA European Network of Women in Fisheries and Aquaculture. Strengthening the organizations of men and women professionals and their participation in governance is a key part the project Mainstreaming small-scale low impact fisheries in the Mediterranean, which is implemented by the Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) with the support of the MAVA Foundation (https://lifeplatform.eu/eu-projects-2/). The pan European meeting was co-organised by AKTEA and LIFE, in partnership with the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), thanks to this project. In his video address to the meeting, European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Mr Virginijus Sinkevi?ius, acknowledged that there is still a long way to go in order to give women the place they deserve. He observed that many family enterprises in the small-scale fisheries sector rely on women for shore based administrative and manual tasks, which are not remunerated, rewarded or recognized. This puts women in a very precarious situation, he said. He further stated that it is unacceptable in the 21st century for women to be so strongly underrepresented in formal governance and in the decision-making bodies of professional organizations. He highlighted the potential of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) to address deficits in gender equality, and underscored his commitment to promoting the social dimension fisheries including gender equality and the role of women in fisheries in the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy, which will be reviewed by December 31 2022. On day 1, participants shellfish and seaweed gathers, vessel skippers, gear riggers, entrepreneurs engaged in fish processing, marketing and pesca-tourismo, and fishing family members supporting family enterprises - met informally, got to know about each others situations, and began to formulate plans for the future. Day 2, hosted by the EESC, was devoted to a capacity building workshop, where participants learned about how European fisheries and social policies, if properly implemented, could make all the difference to their livelihoods. Sr Gabriel Sarro Iparraguirre, EESC Rapporteur on the social dimension of fisheries, welcomed the participants. Drawing on his own experience working at sea in the fisheries sector over many years, he explained that it is the womenfolk wives, mothers and daughters who give value to European fisheries. They are the driving force and constant source of support to the work done by men he said. Brian ORiordan, Executive Secretary of LIFE, highlighted how Europes fishing policies have become victims of their own success; promoting increased productivity and technological progress, industrial fishing had depleted European seas and marginalised traditional small-scale family based livelihoods, which could make all the difference if given the chance. Katia Frangoudes, one of the founders of AKTEA in 2006, highlighted how gender equality is a fundamental principle of the European Union, with equal pay for work of equal value included in the 1957 Treaty of Rome. Despite significant progress at European level in recent years on equal treatment policies and legislation, gender mainstreaming, and despite the reaffirmation of gender equality in the Union in the 2007 Lisbon Treaty, gender equality is still a much-neglected area in the fisheries sector at member state level. Marja Bekendam, the outgoing Chair of Aktea, highlighted the advances made by womens organizations over the 10-year period that she has been presiding over Aktea. She emphasised that despite this progress, there is still a long way to go, notably for women to engage more meaningfully in the Advisory Councils, and to become more integrated into other decision-making bodies. Participants spoke with passion on the need for inclusive fisheries policies based on socio-economic rights, implemented through EU regulations and schemes tailored to allow fair and safe working conditions. As highlighted by Farnets representative, recent studies show that women are key drivers of change and diversification of activities (such as in tourism, restaurants or direct marketing), providing an important share of income for their families, but that very often men remain the owner of the business. The vital importance of women in the traditions and cultural fabric was illustrated in the presentations made by the participants, as well as the significant socio-economic and environmental benefits they generate. Their empowerment and inclusion are prerequisite for the sustainable management of fisheries activities and the conservation of the marine environment. Calls were made for EMFF funding to be channelled into training and capacity building dedicated for women in such areas as IT, accounting, business management and communication. They also saw the need for creating formal associations and organisations to make their voices heard, to take part in decision-making processes, and the need for measures to prevent the disappearance of their profession which is put at risk by the lack of generational renewal. Women participants spent their final day discussing how to formalise cooperation through AKTEA, and agreeing on priority actions in the short to medium term. Working groups were constituted to develop proposals. The outgoing Chair of Aktea, Marja Bekendam, shared how much Aktea and the solidarity and support she had received over the years had helped her and her family enterprise through difficult times. A request has been made for a formal meeting with Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevi?ius in the near future to discuss how the implementation of the CFP can be made more inclusive. A US court has convicted a 39-year-old Columbian national of running an armed robbery crew, which targeted Indian-Americans in Georgia, New York, Michigan and Texas. The federal grand jury in Detroit on Monday found Juan Olaya, who travelled across the country committing armed home invasions with his gang, guilty of all charges in a nine-count indictment. Evidence at the trial established that the gang exclusively targeted families of Indian and Asian descent, the Department of Justice said in a statement. The sentencing is scheduled for July 23. According to evidence presented at trial, Olaya ran the enterprise from 2011 through 2014. Chaka Castro, a co-conspirator, generated lists of robbery targets in various states around the country, specifically families of Asian and Indian ancestry, and assigned crews to carry out the armed robberies. Olaya was the road boss of one such crew, who recruited other members and assigned them roles. Olaya and crew members travelled to certain locations, conducted surveillance and executed the robberies, federal prosecutors said. Noting the crew utilized a particular modus operandi in each of the robberies, federal prosecutors said that members disguised their appearance with clothing and bandanas so that victims would have difficulty identifying them. They openly carried and brandished firearms to gain control of the victims. At least one crew member then restrained the victims using duct tape and threats of violence, as another ransacked the home in search of cash, jewellery and electronics to steal. The crew organized their trips to involve multiple home invasion robberies over a series of days, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pearl Jensan, the first runner-up in the Miss World competition of 1970, has revealed that the contest did not change her life because of Apartheid. Speaking on Lorraine, the 68-year-old, who competed as 'Miss Africa South' when she was 18, told Lorraine that the contest was meant to be a step up in life for young women, but that it didn't change hers. Pearl, was first runner-up in the contest, which was embroiled in controversy, due to the fact South Africa was allowed to present two contestants: Miss South Africa, who was white, and Jensen competing as Miss Africa South. The event, which was protested by the Women's Liberation movement, is the subject of the new movie Misbehaviour, starring Keira Knightley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Hosten and Loreece Harrison as Jensen, who was also invited to the set of Lorraine. Reminiscing about her experience of the contest with Lorraine, Jensen said she'd hoped the contest would be an opportunity, but was disappointed to see it did not change her situation in South Africa, which was divided by Apartheid. Scroll down for video Pearl Jensan, 68, (pictured) was the first runner-up in the Miss World competition of 1970, and told Lorraine the contest did not change her life because of Apartheid 'Where I'm concerned, it was of no help at all,' she said. 'My life didn't change at all, not at all,' she added. 'Because I'm from the Apartheid era, you must understand, so there was absolutely no opportunity for us.' 'So when I came back to South Africa, it just died, it was jut dormant.' Apartheid, which was in place in South Africa, from 1948 to the early 1990s, was a system of institutionalised racial segregation against non-white citizens. Pearl said she didn't mind being 'Miss Africa South' has opposed to 'Miss South Africa', a title held by a white woman For that reason, the country presented two contestants at the contest, with Jillian Jessup, who was white, holding the title of Miss Africa. However, Jensen said she did not mind being called Miss Africa South, as opposed to being the only representative for South Africa, because she welcomed the opportunity at the time. Pearl was accompanied by actress Loreece Harrison, who plays her in the Misbehaviour movie (pictured) The Miss World Contest of 1970, which was famously interrupted by Women's Liberation activists, is the subject of the new movie starring Keira Knightley, Misbehaviour pictured) She added that now that times had changed, South African women wishing to kick-start a career in showbiz should consider competing in the contest. Speaking of the movie, she welcomed the fact it gave her the chance to reunited with the winner, Grenada's Jennifer Hosten, who is now in her seventies and a grandmother. The Miss World Contest 1970 was at the centre of a controversy when activists of the Women's Liberation movement interrupted the event with flour bombs, and heckled the host, Bob Hope. Pearl and Loreece attended the premiere of Misbehaviour together in London last night (pictured) Pearl (pictured at 18) said she had hoped the contest would be a stepping stone, but revealed it did not change her life at all The fact Hosten won the title from Miss Sweden was also subject to controversy, with many thinking the competition was rigged. The protest and the contest are the subject of the new movie Misbehaviour, starring Keira Knightley. Pearl and Loreece attended the premiere of Misbehaviour together in London last night. This piece is an adapted excerpt from the book The Hot Hand: The Mystery and Science of Streaks by Ben Cohen. Copyright 2020 by Ben Cohen. From Custom House, a line of books from William Morrow/HarperCollins Publishers. Reprinted by permission. One summer day in 1564, a weavers apprentice died in a small village in the English countryside, a local tragedy that was immortalized in the margins of the towns records. Next to the name of the weavers apprentice were three ominous words: Hic incipit pestis. Advertisement Here begins the plague. The plague wiped out a sizable portion of this particular town. Who lived and who died was seemingly a matter of chance. The plague could decimate one family and spare the family next door. In one house on a road called Henley Street, for example, was a young couple who had already lost two children to previous waves of the plague, and their newborn son was 3 months old when they locked their doors and sealed their windows to keep the plague from invading their home again. They knew from their unfortunate experience that infants were especially vulnerable to this morbid disease. They understood better than perhaps anyone on Henley Street that it would be a miracle if he survived. It was as if every family was flipping a coin unfairly weighted toward heads and betting a childs life on tails. But when the plague was done with this small village in the English countryside, a little town called Stratford-upon-Avon, the couple breathed a sigh of relief that their young boy was still alive. His name was William Shakespeare. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres a possibility that Shakespeare developed immunity to the plague because of his exposure when he was an infant, but that speculation began only centuries later and only because the plague was a constant nuisance to Shakespeare. Plague was the single most powerful force shaping his life and those of his contemporaries, wrote Jonathan Bate, one of his many biographers. The plague was naturally a taboo subject for much of Shakespeares writing career. Even when it was the only thing on anybodys mind, nobody could bring himself to speak about it. Londoners went to the citys playhouses so they could temporarily escape their dread of the plague. A play about the plague had the appeal of watching a movie about a plane crash while 35,000 feet in the air. Advertisement But the plague was also Shakespeares secret weapon. He didnt ignore it. He took advantage of it. One example of this curious phenomenon is Romeo and Juliet. Its basically impossible to appreciate the truly bonkers nature of this play when you read it for the first time. So lets do it now. You probably remember the basics of the plot: Romeo and Juliet are born into rival families; Romeo and Juliet fall in love; Romeo and Juliet die. But do you remember how any of that happens? Maybe not. And did you know the plague is what ultimately drives Romeo and Juliet apart? I bet you didnt. Maybe you vaguely recall the only explicit mention of plague in the entire play: A plague o both your houses! Mercutio says on his deathbed. But the plague is actually everywhere in Romeo and Juliet. Advertisement Advertisement The plague is the plot twist that turns the most famous love story ever told into a tragedy. Theres another death in Act 3 of Romeo and Juliet: a murder! Romeo has killed Tybalt, the cousin of Juliet, whos supposed to marry Paris, except shes really in love with Romeo. This is a problem, because Romeos family is the sworn enemy of Juliets. Its also a problem because Romeo is now banished after killing Tybalt. Juliet doesnt know what to do. When she turns to Friar Laurence, he decides there is one way to end the blood feud: He will marry Romeo and Juliet. He hatches a plan that requires Juliet to drink a potion that will put her to sleep for so long that her family will think shes dead. At the same time, Friar Laurence will have written a letter explaining the harebrained scheme, and Friar John will have delivered that letter to Romeo in the town of Mantua. Romeo will sneak back and steal Juliet away so they can be married and live happily ever after. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was a pretty terrible plan that worked out pretty terriblybut not for the reasons you might expect. Juliet drinks the potion. Her family thinks shes dead. Romeo sneaks back to see her. So far, so good. But the whole thing unravels because of what should have been the most reliable part of this ridiculous plan: Friar John never makes it to Mantua, and Friar Laurences letter never makes it to Romeo. What happens next is a series of highly unfortunate events. Romeo thinks Juliet is dead. He kills himself. Juliet wakes up from her fake death and learns that Romeo is dead for real. She kills herself. For never was a story of more woe / Than this of Juliet and her Romeo. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lets rewind a few scenes and read how Friar John explains to Friar Laurence why he never reached Mantua. Their conversation reveals how the whole foolish scheme fell apart. FRIAR LAURENCE Welcome from Mantua. What says Romeo? Or, if his mind be writ, give me his letter. FRIAR JOHN Going to find a barefoot brother out, One of our order, to associate me, Here in this city visiting the sick, And finding him, the searchers of the town, Suspecting that we both were in a house Where the infectious pestilence did reign, Sealed up the doors and would not let us forth. So that my speed to Mantua there was stayed. FRIAR LAURENCE Who bare my letter, then, to Romeo? FRIAR JOHN I could not send ithere it is again Nor get a messenger to bring it thee, So fearful were they of infection. FRIAR LAURENCE Unhappy fortune! Advertisement Where the infectious pestilence did reign, / Sealed up the doors / So fearful were they of infection. Why didnt Friar John deliver Friar Laurences letter to Romeo? Because hes stuck in quarantine. Romeo and Juliet are star-crossed once theyre indirectly plague-stricken. The plague is the plot twist that turns the most famous love story ever told into a tragedy. Advertisement Advertisement This exchange is over before most kids reading in high school realize what happened. And yet the whole play turns on this one scene. You might be wondering how the plague could be pulling the strings of Romeo and Juliet, and you might not have known until this very moment. As it turns out, that was the point. Shakespeare was being purposefully obtuse. He wrote in veiled language because the subtext would have been obvious back then. He didnt have to belabor the point. Mentioning the plague was the Shakespearean equivalent of ending a tweet with Sad! There was no need for any sort of further explanation. It was omnipresent, says Columbia University professor James Shapiro. Everybody at the time would have known exactly what those one or two lines meant. Advertisement But this subtle reference in Romeo and Juliet was nothing compared to how Shakespeare would use the plague later in his life. From the beginning of 1605 to the end of 1606, scholars believe, Shakespeare wrote King Lear, Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra. The scholar J. Leeds Barroll once called it a concentrated efflorescence of creative power as strong or stronger than any other in Shakespeares career. Advertisement Advertisement The rule of thumb until not too long ago was that Shakespeare wrote two plays every year, but that was because literary scholars are not exactly statisticians. They came to that number simply by dividing the number of plays he wrote by the number of years in which he wrote them. According to their calculations, if Shakespeare wrote 10 plays in five years, he wrote two plays a year. But there was a rub. And the rub is that it wasnt remotely true. Advertisement It turns out Shakespeare always tended to write in inspired bunches, Shapiro says. Its something that took me a while to wrap my head around simply because I always kind of believed the unsubstantiated claims that he was churning out two plays a year. But thats never what he did. Shakespeare ran hot and cold. His plays were not spread over the course of his career. They were clustered. Once you start seeing those plays are really bunched, you start asking: Well, what accounts for a lot of plays in a very short period of time? Shapiro says. Advertisement Advertisement It was the oddest bit of circumstance in this case: a plague year. The plague closed Londons playhouses and forced Shakespeares acting company, the Kings Men, to get creative about performances. As they traveled the English countryside, stopping in rural towns that had not been stricken by the plague, Shakespeare felt that writing was a better use of his time. This meant that his days were free, for the first time since the early 1590s, to collaborate with other playwrights, Shapiro wrote in his book The Year of Lear: Shakespeare in 1606, the best account of this strange time in his life. Advertisement Advertisement Shakespeare also benefited from the plague because the plague killed off his competition. The Kings Men would eventually take back their indoor theater spaces because of this disease that preyed on the young. The plague created the circumstance that enhanced Shakespeares talent. It was right around this time when he caught fire, and King Lear, Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra rushed out of him. Three really extraordinary tragedies, Shapiro says. Im always interested in how and why this mysterious thing happens of understanding fully the world that you are in and being able to speak to it and for it. Its often tempting for the scholars to scrutinize certain moments of Shakespeares career through the lens of his personal life. The issue with that line of research is that they still dont know all that much about it. We have no idea what he was feeling, Shapiro wrote in his book. We know a great deal more about how a rodent-borne visitation in 1606 altered the contours of Shakespeares professional life, transformed and reinvigorated his playing company, hurt the competition, changed the composition of the audiences for whom he would write (and in turn the kinds of plays he could write), and enabled him to collaborate with talented musicians and playwrights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shakespeare was not a metronomic writer. He was streaky. He wrote in runs. And this run was dependent on forces beyond his control. It was because of the plague that he was able to turn a period of great societal upheaval into something else altogether: a resplendent, historic stretch of unexpected literary success. Listen to author Ben Cohen talk about his book on the episode of Slates podcast Hang Up and Listen below, or subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Police are asking via social media for the publics help to solve a burglary where three bikes were taken from a shed in Eltingville. Police responded to a 911 call of a burglary in the vicinity of Smyrna Avenue and Drumgoole Road West. The incident happened at about 4:20 a.m. on Feb. 23. Upon arrival, officers were informed by a 39-year-old woman that individuals entered her property, forced their way into a shed in the rear and removed three bicycles worth about $1,600. The individuals fled to parts unknown, according to a police sources. The individuals are described by police as males. The 123rd Precinct posted grainy images of the persons sought for questioning in the incident Two people are seen riding bicycles in the photos. By Express News Service COIMBATORE/MADURAI: A 35-year-old man from Malaysia was quarantined at the ESI Hospital in Coimbatore on Monday after he reportedly showed symptoms of COVID-19 infection. Sources in the Health department said they collected throat swabs from the patient who is a native of Thrissur district in Kerala. He had come from Malaysia via Tiruchy and reached Coimbatore a couple of days ago. As the man was suffering from high fever, he got in touch with the Health Department. This is the third such case reported in Coimbatore, while the two other persons quarantined earlier had tested negative. The sample has been sent to King Institute in Guindy for test. The man will be discharged in two days if the test yields a negative result, said a senior Health Department official. Deputy Director of Health Services G Ramesh Kumar told Express that they were screening all passengers at Coimbatore International Airport. Refuting the rumours that the Health Department was facing a shortage of surgical masks, he said they have enough stock. According to the Health Department, as many as 161 people, including 35 foreigners, are home quarantined in Coimbatore district. In Madurai A 34-year-old man, who works as a civil servant in Madurai, was admitted to the coronavirus isolation ward at Government Rajaji Hospital after he approached the hospital on Monday with a mild sore throat. According to sources, the man, who is a native of Punalur in Kerala, had gone on an official tour of Switzerland and Italy. He reached the New Delhi airport in the early hours on February 29. The same day, he reached Madurai Airport via Chennai and proceeded to his hometown. During screening at all the three airports, he did not show any signs of sickness. He came to the city on March 2 and reported to work. Meanwhile, he developed a sore throat and went to a private hospital in the city on Sunday morning. From there, he was directed to the GRH, where he was admitted to the coronavirus isolation ward on Monday. Hospital Dean Dr J Sangumani said, He is neither symptomatic nor suspected to have the COVID-19 infection as he does not have a fever or respiratory difficulties but only mild sore throat. However, given his travel history to Italy, where more than 7,000 people have been infected, we are not taking any chance. Michael Friedman, the prolific theater composer who died in 2017 of complications from HIV/AIDS just nine weeks after his diagnosis, created a remarkable body of work in his 41 too-brief years, from the Broadway sensation Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson to a musical version of the 2004 indie film Saved to an acclaimed musical update of Shakespeares Loves Labours Lost. He also left behind a trunkful of unfinished projects, one of which opened Monday at Off Broadways Playwrights Horizons: a heartfelt and original chamber musical called Unknown Soldier. The book, by Daniel Goldstein (who also contributed lyrics), charts a meandering path between 2003, when Manhattan OB-GYN Ellen Rabinowitz (Margo Seibert) begins sorting through the belongings of the cranky grandmother who raised her, and the 1970s, when a younger Ellen (Zoe Glick, a standout) bristles at her chilly upbringing at the hands of her late mothers mother, Lucy (Estelle Parsons). Finding an old photograph of a much younger Lucy (Kerstin Anderson) with a World War I soldier (Perry Sherman, a bit of a cipher), the thirtysomething Ellen begins an investigation into the past and eventually uncovers clues about her grandmother and the tragic circumstances that shaped her familys history. Alas, not all of the stories carry equal dramatic weight. The strongest thread is the Martin Guerre-like story that emerges from the past, in which Lucy seeks out a shell-shocked World War I veteran who has no memory of his name or background, convinced that he must be the soldier she met and impulsively married just before he shipped off overseas to the battlefield. But is he? Does wishing make it so? Its a compelling story, amplified by some of Friedmans most soaringly romantic melodies which are well sung and occasionally supplemented by catchier music-hall-style tunes, like a comic detour into various types of amnesia that serves as a break from the more serious tone that otherwise dominates the 90-minute, intermissionless production. Story continues Also Read: 'Girl From the North Country' Broadway Review: Bob Dylan's Songs Get Tangled Up in Melodrama But Unknown Soldier also meanders with more a contemporary plot thread, involving Lucys now-grown, emotionally raw granddaughter trying to piece together this archival tale with the help of an actual Cornell archivist (Erik Lochtefeld), a kindred spirit whos also stuck in a dead-end marriage and who shares her curiosity in the subject. They too are given some lovely songs to sing, including one about Ellens hometown of Troy, N.Y., as The Worst Town in New York. But despite their best efforts, including Seiberts delightfully grounded matter-of-factness, these more contemporary characters never emerge as fully flesh-and-blood. Parsons fares better as the older Lucy, whose resentment of her granddaughter becomes clearer as the story develops. And at 92, the Oscar winner remains a scene-stealer even when, as here, she is given too little to do. Director Trip Cullman, a longtime friend and collaborator of Friedmans, supplements the story with a scenic design (by Mark Wendland) that is both understated and fussy archival boxes are opened and shuffled about, projections (by Lucy Mackinnon) suggest new locations in the broadest of strokes. Its as if they are trying to underscore visually just how fuzzy, how nonspecific memory can be. There is a lot to admire in Unknown Soldier. But in a story about regrets, the biggest one here may how this show might have evolved had Friedman lived to bring it to the stage. Read original story Unknown Soldier Theater Review: Michael Friedmans Musical Explores the Fuzziness of Memory At TheWrap By Liz Lee KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 (Reuters) - Malaysia's top lender Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) is offering its Iranian customers debit cards to use locally for ringgit transactions, a relief for them after other banks threatened to close their accounts. Last year, Malaysia's CIMB Group Holdings and RHB Bank sent closure notices to many Iranian clients, a sign that U.S. sanctions were having far-reaching effects on citizens of the Islamic republic. Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, after a Reuters story on the closures, said his government was forced to "make it difficult" for Iranians living in the Southeast Asian country. Maybank has since January offered Iranians local debit cards that do not carry the usual Visa or MasterCard logos, meaning they are not meant for international transactions, many of those receiving the cards have told Reuters. "It is issued to enable this group of customers to carry out banking and everyday transactions conveniently, and not be confined solely to branch services," a Maybank spokesman said. The spokesman did not explain the restrictions on usage of the cards. Previously, several Iranians have said that they were told by Maybank that they would not be able to replace or renew debit or credit cards if those went missing or expired. CIMB told its Iranian customers last August it was going to shut their banking accounts, without giving any reason. However, some Iranians are still able to access their accounts online, checks by Reuters found. Network engineer, Amir Nazari Mehrabi, for instance, said he could still access his CIMB account but was not confident of using it. He recently started banking with Maybank and said the special card has been helpful. "Imagine, every time I had to go to the bank with my passbook and passport. It's silly. I would prefer CIMB but I am really afraid to keep a lot of money there," he said. CIMB told Reuters its operations of its customers' banking accounts, foreign and local, were in compliance with local and international regulatory requirements. RHB declined to comment. (Reporting by Liz Lee; Editing by Tom Hogue) Barclays has become the latest bank to revise its oil price outlook for this year. The UK bank cut its forecast for Brent crude to $43 a barrel from $59, and for West Texas Intermediate to $40 from $54 previously, Reuters reported. Oil markets face a moment of truth as disagreement between key OPEC+ members means unhinged supplies will likely overwhelm near-term market balances amid large-scale demand destruction due to virus containment measures, the bank said in a note. Last week, Morgan Stanley also cut its outlook for Brent crude but not as much as Barclays because Saudi Arabia had not yet announced its price cuts and production growth plans. Morgan Stanley said it expected Brent crude to average $55 a barrel in the second quarter, down from $57.50 earlier, and WTI to trade at around $50 a barrel, down from $52.50. Standard Chartered also cut its forecast on Brent and WTI this week. The UK bank now expects Brent crude to average $35 a barrel this year, down from $64 a barrel earlier. WTI is seen at $32 a barrel, down from $59 a barrel earlier. These revisions will no doubt be followed by more as analysts rush to update their expectations in light of the latest developments in OPEC+, which amount to nothing less than an all-out price war. With oil demand already severely hurt by the coronavirus outbreak that started in China but has now spread across the globe and the mild winter in the northern hemisphere that pressured demand for heating fuel, a price war could be the last straw for oil. Unless, as one strategist from JP Morgan told MarketWatch, the coronavirus returns for an encore performance in China. This is one of the hypothetical events John Normand, head of cross-asset fundamental strategy at JP Morgan, said could complicate the situation. The other hypothetical event is a large-scale lockdown in the United States. The third one, an oil price war, is no longer hypothetical. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: On January 22, UNIST signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Korea East West Power Co., Ltd. (EWP) to accelerate their efforts to foster professional experts in the field of new and renewable energy. In the memorandum of understanding, the two organizations promised to form a strategic partnerships to nurture talented specialists who will create the future for renewable energy. The agreement includes effective talent support systems for those major in 'New and Renewable Energy Technology and Innovation Management' within the Graduate School of Technology and Innovation Management at UNIST. This also entails the curriculum advisory services for the courses in 'New and renewable energy' and 'Fourth indutstrial revolution,' as well as their mutual support on appropriate cooperative action regarding these matters. The New and Renewable Energy Technology and Innovation Management program is a newly established two-year master's program within the Graduate School of Technology and Innovation Management at UNIST, which has been designed to extend technology management education relating to local industries. The program aims to cultivate convergence human resources who will lead new and renewable energy industry through convergence education focused on 'New and renewable energy' and 'Innovation technology management.' This provides the education and training of specialised personnel in the renewable energy field, such as wind, solar, hydrogen, and fuel cells, as well as other education, combining energy commercialization, strategic technology management, and global management. "We expect to contribute to the growth of local industries through the cultivation of professional personnel in the field of new and renewable energy," says Youngrok Choi, Dean of UNIST Graduate School of Technology and Innovation Management. Through the selection procedure set by the institution, employees of EWP will be eligible to apply for UNIST's innovative talent cultivation course for the renewable energy industry and receive professional training. The two organizations plan to expand cooperation in various fields, such as curriculum development and field trips to foster excellent manpower in the renewable energy field. The ceremony has been attended by President Yong Hoon Lee of UNIST, Dean Youngrok Choi of UNIST Graduate School of Technology and Innovation Management, President Il-joon Park of Korea East West Power Co., Ltd., Dean SeokYeol Nam of EWP Human Resources & Administration Division, and other key officials from both organizations. ### For the third time in little more than a month, San Antonio, usually an ideal vacation spot, is the unexpected and unwanted destination of tourists. Also, for the third time in little more than a month, San Antonians and elected officials, always the most enthusiastically welcoming of hosts, are greeting these visitors with caution and concern. Over the weekend, San Antonio officials were notified that about 100 passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship would arrive as early as Monday night at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland for quarantine because of COVID-19. At least 21 other passengers from that cruise have been infected with the coronavirus, but they arent among those coming to town. As it was when the first 235 evacuees arrived in February, the lodging capacity and medical infrastructure at Lackland makes it, among all the nations military bases, one of the best places to quarantine people. Out of moral obligation, national interest and the responsibilities with which San Antonio has long been entrusted as Military City, USA, we embrace the opportunity to host and care for the evacuees. But the federal government also has a responsibility to allay the fears and minimize the risks of exposure in our community. Thats why we agree with the proposals offered by Mayor Ron Nirenberg and other elected officials that patients with mild symptoms be treated at Lackland and not taken to any local hospital. This isnt a hysterical or coldhearted demand but a reasonable request. Nor is it new. Local officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is overseeing the quarantines, have been sparring about this and other federal procedures since the beginning of the crisis. It escalated when an evacuee who had twice tested negative for the virus was released before the results came back on a third test, which registered weakly positive. By the time CDC realized its mistake and returned the woman to the Texas Center for Infectious Disease, shed eaten at North Star Malls food court and interacted with at least 21 people. Mistakes happen in any human endeavor, but releasing a patient into the general population before she was cleared by all test results spread unnecessary fear. Fortunately, CDC has taken steps so this error wont be repeated. Gov. Greg Abbott, who talked with Vice President Mike Pence about the new arrivals, issued this statement through a spokesman: All of the repatriated citizens will remain at Lackland under quarantine until they clear the revised and heightened testing protocol to ensure they are not affected by the COVID-19 virus. Once cleared, Texans will be released to return home while non-Texans will be safely transported to their home state using the same public safety protocol used for Diamond Princess passengers who were previously quarantined at Lackland. Texas and San Antonios abilities to prepare for and control infections will be enhanced by the $35 million it will receive from the $8.3 billion package that Congress passed in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The world is in the early days of a virus whose reach and durability remains a mystery. Precautions are the responsibility of all. That includes the responsibility of those at San Antonios great military bases to do all they can for the care of the evacuees and the CDC to assure San Antonians that caring doesnt put them at risk. Salvatore Laporta/KONTROLAB/LightRocket via Getty ROMEAs least six inmates have died, and at least 50 others have escaped from an Italian prison in the southern region of Puglia on Monday amid extensive rioting in 27 prisons across the country after visitation rights were curtailed due to the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus. Italy Locks Down 16 Million People To Contain Coronavirus Riots broke out Sunday afternoon in half a dozen prisons after the Italian government enacted a draconian decree that has locked down 16 million people and curtailed movement across the entire country to try to contain the spread of COVID-19. By Monday, the riots had spread to nearly 30 detention facilities. The number of coronavirus cases in Italy reached 9,172 on Monday, the highest number outside of China. At least 463 people have died in Italy with the virus, the second highest number of fatalities after China. In Modena, now part of the extended outbreak red zone designated by the government, prisoners were able to take two guards hostage Sunday and steal keys before climbing a barrier fence to try to escape. They were eventually pushed back by riot police, but the prison had been so damaged that all inmates had to be moved to temporary facilities. In a prison in Pavia, inmates lit mattresses on fire, causing a wing of the facility to be evacuated Sunday. Flames coming from the prison could be seen more than a half-mile away. On Monday, prisoners were seen on top of the San Vittore Prison in Milan, at the heart of the outbreak. There, fires were burning in some areas after all visitation rights were banned after the city was put on lockdown Sunday. During morning recreational time, inmates charged guards and gained access to the roof. In Rome, where nearly 90 people have tested positive for the disease across the province, prisoners have been prohibited from congregating in open areas for recreation. In the Regina Coeli prison in central Rome, inmates could be heard yelling and banging objects in their cells on Monday. Prisoners in the citys Rebibbia prison also set that facility on fire on Monday afternoon, after which around 30 prisoners escaped. Helicopters were flying low over the city center, and sirens wailed for most of the afternoon as the inmates were apprehended. Story continues Most criminal trials that have not been suspended across the country will be held in closed courtrooms without prisoners presentout of fear of them contracting the virus in court and spreading it to other inmates. The murder trial involving American teens Finnegan Elder and Gabe Natale for the stabbing death of an Italian police officer last July was in session behind closed doors Monday, but the suspects were not allowed to leave the prison to attend the hearing. Italian prisons are severely overcrowded, with 61,230 inmates in detention centers meant to hold a capacity of no more than 50,950. Inmate-rights groups have complained that testing is not being conducted inside prisons across the country and that a lack of confirmed cases among the incarcerated is not reflective of the current situation. 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. By Express News Service CHENNAI: A 45-year-old man from Kancheepuram, who had tested positive for COVID-19 on March 7, has tested negative in a second test on Tuesday. A senior official from the Directorate of Public Health said, "A third test will be done tomorrow (on Wednesday). If that comes negative, he will be discharged from Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and quarantined at home. The 28-day quarantine period will be calculated from the date of his arrival from Oman." The 45-year-old man had reached Chennai from Oman on February 28. ALSO READ: Samples of eight contacts of Tamil Nadu coronavirus patient sent for testing Meanwhile, Health Minister C Vijayabaskar tweeted, "Eight samples that were in process for #COVID-19 is negative. This includes 7 samples of close contacts of the pt @ RGGH. This confirms there are no new cases in TN." Meanwhile, five persons, who recently returned from the US and Italy, have been kept in home quarantine in Kanniyakumari district. Six persons who returned from abroad are under house quarantine in different parts of Theni district. Two persons who travelled to Malaysia and Singapore have been admitted to the isolation ward in Thanjavur Medical College Hospital with fever. Iran said Tuesday that the new coronavirus killed 54 more people, raising the death toll to 291 amid 8,042 cases in the Islamic Republic. Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour made the announcement in a televised conference. It represented an 18 per cent increase in deaths from the day before and 12 per cent more confirmed cases. Iran is the hardest-hit country in the Mideast by the new coronavirus, which sickens but largely doesn't kill those afflicted. Across the region, there are over 8,600 confirmed cases of the virus. Worldwide, there are over 110,000 confirmed cases of the new virus, with more than 3,800 deaths attributed to it. The number of people who have recovered is about 62,000. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organisation, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Albany will limit parking near a local homeless shelter in an attempt to limit calls into law enforcement from local businesses. Albany Code Enforcement Officer Kris Schendel went before the City Council on Monday to request that the city issue parking permits, essentially restricting parking in the area around Signs of Victory. Parking would be limited in the area including on Montgomery Street from 11th to 13th Avenue, on 13th Avenue from Jackson Street to Industrial Way and on Industrial Way from 13th Avenue to Queen Avenue. The issue first came before the council last year when local businesses in the area complained of multiple calls to the police over lewd behavior in the area that included people running naked up and down the street. Customers, they said, had found needles in the street and there were routinely fist fights that required police intervention. "Are we kicking the can down the road?" Councilor Rich Kellum asked, suggesting that unhoused people reportedly causing the issue would simply move onto adjacent yards and neighborhoods. According to Schendel, the population would disperse rather than congregate in neighborhoods because services did not exist in neighborhoods the way they do in the area surrounding Signs of Victory. Mayor Sharon Konopa said she had personally seen motorhomes parked in the area that were serving as housing for individuals. "I think we need to be sending a message that you're not going to be sleeping in our public streets," she said. She went on to note that the individuals actually utilizing the shelter rather than loitering in the area were not necessarily the problem. Councilor Bessie Johnson asked if the city wouldn't rather people sleep in cars and motor homes than on the streets. Schendel clarified that it was not where the individuals slept but rather the issues caused by their presence that was the issue, citing multiple disturbances to local businesses in the area. Councilor Bill Coburn agreed that people may move into nearby neighborhoods but contended an earlier suggestion to sunset the permit area was possible. If the council chose to sunset the rule, it could be re-evaluated after a certain time period and re-authorized. Schendel requested one year; the council suggested three to six months. "I don't have a solution and neither does anyone else or Portland or Seattle, so it's worth a try," Coburn said. Under the proposed parking ban, businesses would receive one permit per employee and additional permits for visitors. The issue will come back before the board on Wednesday for approval. The Council is expected to hear the issue again at its Wednesday meeting. Love 1 Funny 1 Wow 5 Sad 1 Angry 3 Canada reported its first COVID-19 death on Monday after a man died at a long-term care home in North Vancouver as the federal government asked provincial and territorial leaders to share their state of readiness to deal with the new coronavirus. Dr. Bonnie Henry, British Columbias provincial health officer, and Health Minister Adrian Dix announced news of the death at the Lynn Valley Care Centre on Sunday night. The mans symptoms were detected some time between Thursday and early Friday. He was a man in his 80s and he had a number of underlying health conditions, unfortunately, so (he was) in that risk group for people who are more likely to have severe disease with this, Henry told a news conference in Victoria. Another resident in her 70s who tested positive at the same facility also had pre-existing conditions but is in stable condition, Henry said, adding the outbreak is especially concerning because it involves transmission in the community, not through travel. A second health-care worker from the same facility has also been tested positive for COVID-19 and is in isolation at home. The initial worker is believed to have worked at two other care homes. There is investigation, obviously, ongoing in those facilities to determine exactly who had contact with whom and whether she worked when she was ill, Henry said. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his condolences go out to the family of the man who died in B.C. We are co-ordinating with provincial authorities, we are working together, we are ensuring Canadas actions are consistent with what the World Health Organization and global experts are saying, he said. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland wrote the provinces and territories asking them to inform the federal government of their state of readiness and any shortages theyre facing ahead of Fridays first ministers meeting in Ottawa. The meeting will include discussions on the potential impact of the spreading virus on the countrys health-care system and its economy. In her letter, she noted the federal government is already leading a bulk procurement of personal protective equipment. Finance Minister Bill Morneau said the Canadian economy is strong enough to weather the economic impacts of the novel coronavirus. The federal government has enough wiggle room in its finances to help individuals and businesses deal with the fallout, Morneau said, without providing details of any plans or when the federal budget will be released. He also would not reveal whether he expects the deficit to be bigger than previously projected, given the sharp decline in oil prices and the hit to the markets on Monday, saying only that Ottawa is in a position to respond to challenges like COVID-19, and the budget is only part of the response. The government is being urged to ease access to federal sick leave benefits, along with tax credits and other breaks, to help workers who cant afford to stay home when sick, as well as to help small businesses that might not have the cash flow to manage the effects of the outbreak. In British Columbia, neighbouring Washington state reported 22 deaths on Monday, with some of the cases linked to a care home in Kirkland, about a 20-minute drive north of Seattle. At least 169 cases infections from the virus have also been reported, raising concerns about transmission of more cases to B.C. One person visiting from Seattle was tested positive for the virus in British Columbia last week but Henry said she is not concerned about spread of COVID-19 from Washington, where the infection is believed to have occurred. But it is clear that their strategy has been a challenging one in the U.S., and theres no way we could stop people going back and forth, Henry said. There are many Canadians who live in Washington state. Canada now has at least 78 cases of the respiratory illness: 32 in British Columbia, 35 in Ontario, seven in Alberta and four in Quebec. Earlier Monday, the countrys top doctor urged Canadians to avoid travelling on all cruise ships to protect against the spread of the novel coronavirus. Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam had previously advised Canadians to think twice about cruises, but she toughened her warning due to what she described as a changing global situation. Cruise ships have passengers from around the world who may be arriving from areas with known or unknown spread of the novel coronavirus, she told a news conference. The update came as Canada prepared to repatriate 237 Canadians aboard a cruise ship that docked in California on Monday afternoon. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne confirmed the government has chartered a plane to fly the Canadians aboard the Grand Princess to the air force base in Trenton, Ont. There are 21 people diagnosed with COVID-19 aboard the Grand Princess, which is carrying more than 3,500 people from 54 countries. Theres no word on the nationalities of the patients. Tam said passengers will be screened for symptoms before they board the plane, and those who exhibit them will stay in the U.S. for further assessment. Passengers without any symptoms will be quarantined for 14 days upon their arrival in Canada. However, Champagne warned Canadian travellers there is no guarantee more government flights will come to the rescue in the future. People will be on notice, obviously, of the danger associated with getting into a cruise line at this stage, and therefore we will look at cases on a case-by-case basis, he said. He said the circumstances involved in the repatriation of citizens from the Grand Princess are exceptional, in part because the American government asked for Canadas help and the cruise line will be paying the cost. As of Monday, there were six cases of COVID-19 in Canada believed to be linked to the previous voyage of the Grand Princess cruise ship. That included a man in his 40s from the Edmonton area who was confirmed as a patient on Sunday. He had recently travelled to the United States, but health officials believe the source of the infection is more likely to have been a travel companion who had sailed on the Grand Princess. A presumptive case reported in Quebec on Sunday was also likely linked to cruise travel, although officials did not specify which ship. Anxiety over the virus contributed to new plunges in volatile North American stock markets, which nosedived as the price of oil collapsed. The loonie also plunged against the U.S. dollar. The rout at the start of trading triggered circuit breakers on the stock markets in Canada and the United States, which temporarily put a halt to trading. There are now more than 110,000 cases worldwide, with the largest group still in China. But massive outbreaks have developed outside the viruss epicentre, including in South Korea, Iran and Italy. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 9, 2020. With files from Camille Bains, Laura Osman, Morgan Lowrie, Teresa Wright, Joanna Smith and The Associated Press. Khartoum Sudans post-uprising Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok survived unharmed after a bomb and gun attack targeted his convoy Monday on the way to work in the capital Khartoum, officials and state media said. The attack on Hamdok, a seasoned economist named premier last August, was staged in the Kober district of northeast Khartoum, in an apparent sign of the shakiness of Sudans transition to civilian rule. An explosion hit as Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdoks car was driving by but thank God no one was hurt, Ali Bakhit, his office director, said in a Facebook post. Sudans official news agency SUNA said that Hamdok, who later chaired an extraordinary cabinet meeting, was in good health and a safe place. The unidentified attackers struck at around 9 am at the entrance to Kober bridge... at the time when Hamdok usually heads to his office in the city centre, SUNA said. The cabinet said an explosion and multiple gunshots targeted the convoy. Images on state television showed at least two damaged vehicles at the blast site, which was quickly cordoned off by police. Hamdok, 64, wrote on his official Twitter account that he was unharmed and released two photos of himself beaming while seated at his desk. I would like to assure the people of Sudan that I am safe and in good shape, he said. He appeared on television exchanging hugs with public figures who congratulated him for surviving the attempt on his life. US Assistant Secretary of State Tibor Nagy said Washington strongly supports Sudans transitional government and was monitoring the situation closely. UNAMID, the United Nations-African Union mission in Sudan, for its part, said the perpetrators of such a heinous act aim at derailing the transitional period. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 19:27 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2069b3f91 1 City Tegal,warung-Tegal,color-scheme Free Johari, 58, decided in 2000 to change the color of his warteg (a type of food stall) to pink from green and yellow. His warteg, called Warteg Pink and located on Jl. Palbatu I in Tebet district in South Jakarta, had been green and yellow since it was established in 1993. In the 2000s, some warteg in Jakarta started to use pink. "The idea is just to be different from the other warteg," Johari, who came from Tegal, Central Java, said on Sunday. "As many people recognize us by this color, our warteg has become a sort of landmark in the neighborhood." A warteg refers to a traditional food stall, the name is derived from warung Tegal, or Tegal food stall. Tegal is on the northern coast of Java. A warteg is traditionally furnished with wooden benches and the food is kept on glass shelves to store the food. They are often brightly colored in greens and yellows, but there is no obligation for anyone to paint their food stalls in such colors, said Johari. The colors are not representative of Tegal, which is commonly associated with its seaside location. Johari's Warteg Pink, which operates from 6:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. every day, has many things in common with other warteg, except for the paintjob. The warteg offers affordable homemade dishes, including various types of fish, chicken, beef, egg, sauteed vegetables, fried tempeh and tofu. Its best-selling dishes are omelet, orek (stir fried tempeh) and soto -- a broth of meat and vegetables. Many Jakarta residents frequent warteg, which are commonly found in cities across Java, both for lunch and dinner mainly because of their low prices, a meal usually costing less than Rp 20,000 (US$1.40). A yellow and brown 'warteg', called Warteg Selera, on Jl. Palmerah Barat in Palmerah district in West Jakarta is seen on Sunday. (JP/Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman) Warseto, a 35-year-old laborer at a small kiosk in Palmerah district in West Jakarta, had his dinner with a colleague on Sunday evening at a warteg called Warteg Selera. "I always go to a warteg, because its fast, cozy for a little hang-out and the food is more affordable than other restaurants," Warseto, who had just started his current job two days previously, said on Sunday. "This feels like home." During Warseto's 17-year time living in Bandung, West Java, he also went to warteg both for lunch and dinner. His preference for warteg is partly due to his Javanese cultural background. "The warteg's owner was like a brother to me. It was easy to talk with someone with the same cultural background," said Warseto, who was born and raised in Purwokerto in Banyumas regency, which is south of Tegal regency. Warteg Selera, which is located on Jl. Palmerah Barat, is another warteg with a different color scheme: yellow and brown. The colors follow those of a coffee company that has sponsored Warteg Selera since 2016, according to Ardhi Ghizali, a 20-year-old who manages the warteg, which his parents started in 1997. "I did not want to paint it green and yellow, so it stands out among the warteg in the neighborhood," Ardhi, who started helping his parents managing the warteg after he finished high school in 2015, said on Sunday. "But I also want to have my own color and not the sponsor's." Previously, Warteg Selera was painted red and black, also based on the color of another coffee company sponsoring its operations. Many food and beverage brands partner with warteg to promote their products. A yellow and green 'warteg', called Warteg Mandiri Jaya, on Jl. Rawamangun Selatan in Pulo Gadung district in East Jakarta is seen on Sunday. (JP/Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman) Still, warteg in Jakarta are mostly green and yellow. Warteg Mandiri Jaya, located on Jl. Rawamangun Selatan in Pulo Gadung district in East Jakarta, is painted green and yellow with a few pink additions although there is no obligation to do so, according to Laila, the 23-year-old owner. The warteg, which books a daily revenue of between Rp 700,000 and Rp 800,000, was only established in September. "I want the colors to be bright, so it looks good, clean and comfortable when people see the warteg," Laila, who came from Brebes regency in Central Java in 2018, said on Sunday. (dfr) Oil barrel The failure of the Opec+ coalition, which includes Russia, to reach an agreement on production cuts on March 6 has sent oil prices into a tailspin, with WTI dropping into the $20s in early trading (and still on course to land in the low $30s). That's the biggest single-day loss in almost 20 years, essentially wiping out all gains since the 2016 low after the shale-driven downturn. Last week, the prevailing view was that the cartel and its partners, including Russia, would continue to support oil prices as the outlook for demand growth continues to deteriorate due to the worldwide coronavirus outbreak, and its economic ramifications. Investors were anticipating, at minimum, that Opec+ would agree to extend the current cuts through 2020, instead of letting them expire at the end of March. And the cartel agreed to do so on March 5, while increasing the volumes being withheld from 500 thousand barrels per day to 1.5 million barrels per day (mmbpd). But the proposal was not binding without co-operation from Opec partners, and on March 6, Russia refused to participate in further cuts. That theoretically frees cartel members from production ceilings, leaving them free to ramp production to capacity and worsen the current supply-demand imbalance. The situation was further exacerbated when Saudi Arabia started selling crude at heavy discounts, essentially igniting a price war and sparking pandemonium in oil markets. Supply Shock Meets Demand Shock The resulting supply shock essentially coincides with a demand shock related to the coronavirus, resulting in particularly steep price declines. And we would not rule out further weakening after the dust settles at the end of March 9. So the near-term outlook for energy companies is bleak, and it is likely that many of our fair value estimates will be revised lower as a result. However, these issues only affect cash flows in the next one-to-two years. Russia and Opec lack the capacity to displace US shale producers in the global supply stack, which means the marginal supply cost is still $55 per barrel WTI. Story continues On February 26, we argued that while the market was failing to incorporate the full impact of the coronavirus outbreak, the demand dip in 2020 would be offset by weaker-than-expected shale growth as well as prolonged Opec cuts. But the situation has clearly evolved since then. Opec producers are now free to unleash their full capacity there is no incentive for any individual producer to comply with prior ceilings. However, that does not necessarily mean a supply onslaught is coming. For some cartel members, recent production declines were involuntary and no ceilings were in place anyway. For instance, US sanctions have hampered Iranian exports, Venezuela is suffering from chronic mismanagement of its oil industry amid economic turmoil, and Libya has no central government, leaving warring factions to jostle for control of its production. Similarly, some producers have not invested enough in maintaining production, or are struggling with dwindling reserves. But there are those, like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, that do maintain excess capacity and are likely to ramp volumes this year. These producers demonstrated that capacity by boosting volumes temporarily in the back half of 2018, giving us confidence that they really can increase production. On balance, we now expect an incremental 1 mmbpd of supply from Opec through the end of the year. Will Glut Turn to Shortage? Likewise, Russia is not likely to deliver a huge surge in output. It most likely refused to make further cuts last week to avoid indirectly benefiting US shale producers while sacrificing volumes itself (perhaps in retaliation for US sanctions blocking the completion of its Nord Stream 2 Siberia-Germany natural gas pipeline). We expect it to restore the 300 mbpd it gave up upon joining Opec+ at the end of 2016 in relatively short order. However, further growth potential is probably limited. If Russia could systematically undercut US shale producers with meaningful volumes above its current output it would probably have done that already instead of partnering with Opec. Thus, in total we see an additional 1.5 mmbpd of supply finding its way to the market by the end of year from Opec and Russia. That's significant but does not threaten the existence of the 10+ mmbpd US shale industry. Besides, the near-term collapse in oil prices that we are now witnessing will certainly erode US growth this year, offsetting any excess from Opec+. We now expect under 1 mmbpd growth from the US in 2020, which is half of what it delivered in the prior year. That's not hugely different from our previous forecast, because there are long lags between changes in crude price, rig count, and production levels. However, we are now expecting only 500 mbpd growth from the US in 2021. So, even if the coronavirus keeps demand flat this year instead of growing by 1.2-1.3 mmbpd as it was previously expected to, we do not see any glut going past 2021. Demand growth tends to be highly elastic with respect to prices, so next year's growth could surpass the recent trend. So it's not unreasonable to assume 1.5 mmbpd cumulative growth in the next two years, even if 2020 growth is extremely weak. And that offsets what we estimated earlier from OPEC+. That still leaves a small surplus for the US growth we currently model, but at only about 500 mbpd this could be soaked up in a number of ways. Beyond 2021, we would still expect robust demand growth as disruptive factors like electric vehicles will take much longer to meaningfully reduce global crude consumption. Yet US shale would be the cheapest source of incremental supply, and it has a marginal cost of $55/bbl for WTI. Prices must therefore recover to incentivise this expansion, or the glut will flip into a painful shortage. Queen Elizabeth promoted a united message during her Commonwealth Day speech. Amid Prince Harry and Meghan Markles exit from the royal family, Her Majesty discussed the importance of the Commonwealth and urged everyone to be inspired by all that we share. Her message of unity comes as Prince William and Prince Harry have a frosty reunion weeks ahead of Harrys official exit. Queen Elizabeth II attends the Commonwealth Day Service | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images) Prince Harry and Meghan Markle return home Harry and Meghan announced their departure from the monarchy at the beginning of the year. But their exit will not become official until March 31, according to their agreement with Queen Elizabeth. The couple has remained in Canada for the past few months and recently returned to the UK for a final round of public engagements. There has been a plethora of excitement and buzz around the Sussexs return, yet there has also been a bit of unrest among citizens of the United Kingdom. Prince Harry and Meghan were reportedly greeted by cheers and a few boos at the Endeavor Fund concert but seemed to brush it off completely. Among their many appearances, the Sussexes were also spotted heading to church with Queen Elizabeth, in a gesture that royal sources are calling kind by Her Majesty. Harry and Meghan have completed a handful of engagements over the past week, and their final public appearance was at the Commonwealth Day service. Queen Elizabeth preaches unity in Commonwealth Day Speech In her annual speech at the Commonwealth Day service, Queen Elizabeth preached unity through diversity. Her majesty highlighted how the Commonwealth nations include a wide range of cultures and noted that their shared diversity only makes everyone stronger. Queen Elizabeth gave the speech inside Westminster Abbey. Other senior members of the royal family were in attendance at the event, which also featured 2,000 people in the audience. Her Majesty The Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, has arrived at Westminster Abbey for the #CommonwealthDay Service. pic.twitter.com/fS1r0jiiNO Royal Central (@RoyalCentral) March 9, 2020 According to Daily Mail, unity was Queen Elizabeths main emphasis in her speech. The head of state commented on how she is often inspired by what she sees in the Commonwealth nations, which includes Harry and Meghans current residence in Canada. On Commonwealth occasions, it is always inspiring to be reminded of the diversity of the people and countries that make up our worldwide family, she stated. We are made aware of the many associations and influences that combine through Commonwealth connection, helping us to imagine and deliver a common future. She added that the blend of tradition amongst the countries offers the right ingredients for social, political, and economic resilience. She did not, however, mention anything about Harry and Meghan, who will cease to be acting members of the royal family come March 31. Queen Elizabeth highlights environmental issues Apart from the unity angle, Queen Elizabeth used the speech as an opportunity to raise awareness about environmental issues. Her Majesty urged the audience to use greater care when it comes to natural resources. She also asked the leaders of the 53 nations that make up the Commonwealth to better understand how their actions impact the environment. Looking to the future, this connectivity means we are also aware, perhaps as never before, that wherever we live, our choices and actions affect the well-being of people and communities living far away, and in very different circumstances, she stated. Other members of the royal family that were present for the event include the likes of Prince Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles, Prince William, and Kate Middleton. None of the royals commented on Harry and Meghans presence at the event. Prince Harry and Prince Williams frosty reunion Their appearance at the Commonwealth Day service is likely one of the last times we will see Harry and Meghan alongside other members of the royal family in an official capacity. The couple is expected to return to Canada in the coming days to reunite with their son, Archie Harrison, who was left in the care of a nanny. Moving forward, they will no longer use their royal titles and will seek financial independence from the crown. Prince Harry and Meghan entered Westminster Abbey ahead of Prince William and Kate Middleton and were seated just seats away. As William and Kate entered, Meghan smiled and said, Hi, which both the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge seemed to ignore. The Duchess of Sussex waves to the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge as they arrive at the #CommonwealthDay Service pic.twitter.com/G5S4382d0w Royal Central (@RoyalCentral) March 9, 2020 To make matters even more awkward, Harry seemed delighted while interacting with his uncle Prince Edward. With William and Kate seated directly in front of Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Sussex, they kept completely to themselves. With Prince Harry and Meghan Markle having one foot out the door, Queen Elizabeths Commonwealth speech was a clear effort to put on a united front in the public. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 20:26:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Huge herds of desert locust have arrived in southern region of Iran, Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday. It is estimated that the number of migrant locusts to Iran will triple the number of the groups which entered the country before, according to the report. The first generation of desert locusts attacked Iran in April 2019. During the attack, Plant Protection Organization of Iran battled the pest across 750,000 hectares. At that time, Iran's provinces of Hormozgan, Sistan and Baluchestan, Khuzestan, Bushehr, Fars, Kohgilouyeh-Boyerahmad, South Khorasan and Ilam were swarmed by the pests. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has predicted that swarms could also invade Iran's central Kerman Province and Jazmourian Lake region, an inland basin in southeast Iran in their new wave of migration. A D.C. priest who distributed communion and shook hands more than 500 worshippers has become the first confirmed Covid-19 case in Washington, DC. Reverend Timothy Cole of Christ Church, Georgetown identified himself as a confirmed novel coronavirus patient in a letter to congregants this week. He reportedly received the diagnosis about a week after he participated in Sunday services attended by around 550 people on March 1, including one service in which he helped distribute Holy Communion. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Mayor Muriel Bowser said Rev. Timothy Cole is hospitalized, referring to the man as "patient one." He also asked members of the church who visited Church either on February 24 or between February 28 and March 3, to self-quarantine themselves. "As of late last night, DC Health is recommending that anyone who visited Christ Church, Georgetown, either on February 24 or between February 28 and March 3, self-quarantine themselves at home for 14 days since the last time they visited the church," Bowser said. Rev.Cole also released a statement on Monday to address the situation. As we said before, we did not make the decision to close our doors lightly, but out of an abundance of caution for the most vulnerable among us, Cole said. There is no need to panic. Following sensible precautions provided by the CDC will go a long way towards ensuring the good health of our community. I can now confirm that I am the individual who tested positive for the coronavirus, he said. He added that he will be okay and is receiving excellent care." The church announced on Monday that all services and activities have been suspended until further notice. 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 BEND, Ore., Mar. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Oregrown will open its newest store in the heart of Cannon Beach, Oregon, at 10am on March 13th, 2020. An official ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 5:30pm led by Cannon Beach Mayor Sam Steidel. Located at 215 NW Hemlock Street, the Cannon Beach Flagship is Oregrown's third store to open statewide since first launching its award-winning dispensary and lifestyle brand in Bend, Oregon, in 2015, and new Portland Flagship this January. The Cannon Beach community will now enjoy Oregrown's award-winning retail experience and a dedicated space for discovering best-in-class cannabis products. "With the new Cannon Beach retail experience, our customers and patients come first everything we do, we do for them," said Aviv Hadar, Oregrown's Chief Executive Officer. After ten months of planning and development, the store opens to customers and patients across the area while also attracting visitors traveling the Pacific Coast along Oregon's coastal 101 highway. The opening also demonstrates Oregrown's direct engagement and continuing involvement with local community efforts. "We recognize that through our ongoing community engagement, we are able to generate a new level of interest in the geographical areas where we open new Oregrown Flagship locations," said Hadar. "Our brand brings new customers to town and our exclusive products generate waves of interest. When we open our doors to serve our beloved customers and patients, neighboring businesses thrive and local commerce increases. We are extremely eager to open our doors in the crown jewel of the Oregon Coast." Founded in Bend, Oregon, one of the few towns nationwide where surf culture is as popular as snow culture, Oregrown's roots are deeply intertwined with life on the Oregon coast. Oregrown's Cannon Beach Flagship Store merges the company's profound appreciation for the great outdoors with Cannon Beach's world-class coastal lifestyle and ocean landscape. "We look forward to welcoming Oregrown to Cannon Beach at their March 13th Grand Opening ribbon-cutting celebration," said Buddie Anderson, Member Coordinator at the Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce. "We are happy to have Oregrown as a new member of our Chamber family." Located on the main drag of Cannon Beach's central hub, Oregrown's Cannon Beach Flagship takes much of its inspiration from the laid back towns that sprinkle Oregon's coast. The design is approachable, appealing to the sensibilities of locals and visitors its modern yet down-to-earth surf-shop-style storefront sitting genuinely at home among the many mom-and-pop boutiques lining bustling Hemlock Street. Fittingly, Oregrown is one of the few statewide cannabis groups that remains wholly owned by family and friends. The store features local art and local staff with a unique Cannon Beach charm that makes the new Oregrown flagship a standout along the Pacific Coast. With flooring specially designed to withstand the inevitable tracking-in of sand from the beach just a block away, the space welcomes beachgoers fresh off the dunes or surf to stop in and unwind. The Cannon Beach Flagship features Oregrown's coveted, organic flower, extracts, and concentrates, plus a wide variety of expertly curated cannabis products highlighting Oregon's finest producers. The store also offers a curated selection of soft goods and accessories from Oregrown's lifestyle branded clothing line geared towards those who appreciate a daring, adventurous lifestyle and visitors looking for a keepsake from their time well spent enjoying the Oregon Coast. The store's March 13th opening will unveil several new product offerings including exclusive items only available at Oregrown's Cannon Beach location. "We are humbled to bring a little taste of our brand to the most beautiful town on the coast," says Hadar. We designed this with a lot of love, to highlight the essence of Cannon Beach, in awe and appreciation for the wonders of our incredible Oregon coastline. Our teams can not wait to begin welcoming customers." The Cannon Beach Oregrown Flagship Store opens at 9am on March 13th. Following a Ribbon Cutting with the Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce and Cannon Beach Mayor, Sam Steidel, at 5:30pm, the celebration moves up the street where Oregrown is hosting an open-to-the-public reception at Public Coast Brewery from 7pm-9pm. Hours of operation will be from 10am to 9pm, Monday through Sunday, with call-in pickup orders available daily, and delivery available between 12pm and 6pm. Oregrown's Bend dispensary has been awarded Best Budtender (2019), Best Place to Work (2017), Bend's Best Place to Visit for First Dispensary Experience (2016), and Bend's Best Dispensary five years in a row (2015-2019). Join the conversation: @OregrownInc Oregrown media contact: Zoe Wilder [email protected] About Oregrown Oregrown is a standout among brands. As Oregon's premier farm-to-table cannabis company, the Oregrown team cultivates using organic methods and processes world-class products in the pursuit of unparalleled craftsmanship in every facet of their supply chain. As the first, exclusive Oregon producer for PAX Era, Oregrown's cultivation and extraction professionals craft several of the state's premier dispensary products including their own lines of Oregrown flower, extracts, and concentrates. Oregrown's award-winning dispensary located in downtown Bend, Oregon, an outdoor recreation destination and tourism capital of the Pacific Northwest, has been named Best Budtender (2019), Best Place to Work (2017), Bend's Best Place to Visit for First Dispensary Experience (2016), and Bend's Best Dispensary five years in a row (2015-2019). In Q1 2020, Oregrown expanded its retail footprint across Oregon with the opening of two new flagship stores, in Portland and Cannon Beach. Oregrown's fourth flagship is slated to open this summer in Eugene, Oregon. https://oregrown.com SOURCE Oregrown Industries Related Links http://oregrown.com CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court officials expect to conduct some future court hearings by telephone after three county residents were diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. Administrative Judge Brendan Sheehan in a Tuesday memo said the court was making plans to conduct as much business by telephone as possible to reduce visits to downtowns Justice Center, and encouraged the courts 33 other judges to do the same. The plans were not in effect as of Tuesday afternoon as officials were still trying to iron out some logistics. Anyone with business before the court in the coming days and weeks should not change their plans unless notified by a court official or their attorney, court spokesman Darren Toms said. Sheehan said in the memo that his request to the judges was not mandatory, and that some hearings must be done in person. However, reducing traffic in the Justice Center, where possible, for the next few weeks could make a difference in personal and community health," Sheehan wrote. The court could consider other ways to reduce person-to-person contact at the Justice Center while still conducting business, Toms said. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Monday declared a state of emergency on Monday to free up government resources to help contain the virus after three Cuyahoga County residents -- two men and a woman who are in their mid-50s -- tested positive for COVID-19. He also suggested Tuesday that Ohio residents avoid large gatherings, especially those who fall in high-risk categories. Solon High School, Fuchs Mizrachi, Hawken, Laurel and University schools announced Monday that several students are self-quarantining after the trip to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Policy Conference in early March. Cuyahoga County opened the Cuyahoga County Emergency Operations Center and Joint Information Center in response to the three cases of the novel coronavirus. Officials, including Sheehan, urged people to regularly wash or sanitize their hands, limit personal contact through handshakes and stay home from work if they feel sick. More coronavirus coverage Kent State University cancels face-to-face classes for coronavirus safety, will use remote instruction until April 13 Number of Ohioans being tested for coronavirus has jumped to 15: ODH update Cuyahoga County opens Cuyahoga County Emergency Operations Center to handle coronavirus Lawmakers race to respond to coronavirus outbreak; Trump to go to Hill Hawken, Lawrence, Laurel and University schools students on AIPAC bus with person with coronavirus Heres the latest list of coronavirus closings, for Tuesday, March 10 Italians poured out of their homes in the country's north this afternoon after an earthquake shook Tuscany amid the nation's growing coronavirus outbreak. The 2.6-magnitude quake, which struck around a mile north of Camaiore, was recorded by the Italian Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology at 2.17pm local time. It had an epicenter in the Lucca province in Tuscany and a depth of around five miles, ANSA reported. There were initially no reports of damage as a result of the tremor, though people in Camaiore and nearby Viareggio noted feeling 'vibrations from the ground'. The 2.6-magnitude quake, which struck around a mile north of Camaiore in Versilia, was recorded by the Italian Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology at 2.17pm this afternoon It was also reported people across Versilia had 'poured out of their houses' when the quake struck the area this afternoon. The earthquake comes as the coronavirus death toll reached 463 in Italy, with more than 9,000 virus cases confirmed across the stricken nation. Prime minister Giuseppe Conte declared last night that 'everyone must give up something to protect the health of citizens'. Anyone with a fever has been ordered to stay indoors with travel banned except in emergencies and public gatherings including weddings, funerals and sports fixtures shut down. The virus is spreading so quickly that doctors are now having to make life-or-death decisions about who gets access to intensive care. Italian health officials had warned on Saturday that the northern Lombardy region was starting to run out of hospital beds for its intensive care patients. Women leave a supermarket as others queue to stock up on food after the Italian government placed the country on lockdown as coronavirus cases surge in Turin, Italy The government also began to recall retired doctors as part of an effort to quickly bolster the health service with 20,000 staff. Ethics rules call on doctors to consider a patient's age and their chance of survival when allocating hospital beds. The Italian society of anesthesiology and intensive care has published 15 ethical recommendations to consider for doctors when deciding on admissions. The criteria include the patient's age and the likelihood of survival, and not just 'first come first served.' 'It's a reasoning that our colleagues make,' Dr. Guido Giustetto, head of the association of doctors in northern Piedmont, said yesterday. 'It becomes dramatic if, rather than doing it under normal situations, they do it because the beds are so scarce that someone might not have access to medical care.' The earthquake comes as the coronavirus death toll reached 463 in Italy, with more than 9,000 virus cases confirmed across the stricken nation Prime minister Giuseppe Conte (pictured) declared last night that 'everyone must give up something to protect the health of citizens' Italy expanded its quarantine measures to all 60million people in the country last night after a lockdown in the hardest-hit north, including Milan and Venice, had failed to slow the outbreak. 'Our habits must be changed, changed now. We all have to give up something for the good of Italy,' prime minister Conte said. 'When I speak of Italy, I speak of our dear ones, of our grandparents and of our parents,' he said. 'We will succeed only if we all collaborate and we adapt right away to these more stringent norms.' Conte also raged at young people who had continued to gather socially as the virus spread, saying 'this night life ... we can't allow this any more.' The nationwide restrictions mean that all schools and universities will remain closed until April 3, with cafes, pubs and eateries ordered to close until dusk. Italians have been ordered not to move around the country except for work and emergencies, with public gatherings and football matches cancelled. ISBE on Monday tweeted its latest guidance, and encourages every school district to develop an approved e-learning plan in preparation for a potential school closure. Each districts elearning program must include programming for English learners and for students with disabilities, and must accommodate students who dont have home access to technology. CPS e-learning plan is not ready to publish, but will include additional support for students with special needs along with paper-based options for students with limited access to technology, Jackson said. ALBANY A Rensselaer businessman pleaded guilty Tuesday to wire fraud for importing Chinese products into the country and the selling them at his business as American-made. Daren Arakelian, 52, bilked the United States by telling officials that his products were made in America when they were actually made in China, U.S. Attorney Grant Jaquith said in a news release announcing the plea. Arekalian, who owned a business called Great 4 Image based in Rensselaer and Latham, held contracts with federal agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense and General Services Administration to make backpacks, duffel bags, T-shirts, cinch bags, hydration packs and individual suspension trainers, federal prosecutors said. They said the contracts required the business to comply with the Buy American Act or the Trade Agreements Act, both federal laws to protect U.S. trade interests. Arekalian admitted in his plea that during his illegal scheme, which was between March 2014 and December 2016, he emailed his suppliers in China and asked them not to include any markings to indicate where the products were from. In December 2016, he told a federal official his products were made in California, North Carolina and New York, compliant with federal law, court papers said. In carrying out this scheme, Arakelian made various verbal and written statements to federal officials falsely claiming to have domestically manufactured the goods that he knowingly imported from China, prosecutors said. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Arakalian will be sentenced July 14 by Chief U.S. District Judge Glenn Suddaby, who accepted his plea. As a result of his conviction, Arakelian faces up to 20 years in prison, and a term of post-release supervision of up to three years, officials said. The investigation included the General Services Administrations Office of Inspector General; Defense Criminal Investigative Service; Department of Homeland Security; U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Command and U.S. Department of the Treasurys office. After years of dealing with the often-frustrating bureaucracy of the health care system, Chenny Xia and Carol MacDonald had a simple thought: There has to be a better way to do this. In their case, this was finding a way to connect physiotherapists, occupational therapists and other personal service workers with the people who needed them. In June 2018, Xia, a user experience consultant, and MacDonald, an occupational therapist, put their heads together to launch Gotcare, a database of licensed personal service workers across the province. On Monday, Gotcare received a big vote of confidence, becoming one of 10 companies to get funding from SheEO, a crowdsourced venture capital funding group, at the organizations first annual global summit, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looking on. The Toronto-based startups roster already includes 13,000 Personal Support Workers (PSWs) across the province, including in smaller communities which often have fewer PSWs than larger urban centres. When a referral comes in typically from a health insurance or government-funded program case manager Gotcare works with the patients case worker to find the best fit. The closer to the patient, the better. In some regions, only 36 per cent of people whove been approved for care can actually get it. We are trying to help solve that problem, said Xia. Gotcare is based online, runs a lean operation and typically has less overhead than some of the larger service providing companies. This means it can afford to pay workers 15 to 20 per cent more than theyd typically receive. Personal service workers are leaving the industry because of the working conditions and the pay, said Xia. Giving workers that extra pay also means smaller profits said Xia. So the companys business model raised eyebrows at the traditional sources of venture capital (VC). When wed approach VCs, it would be well, will you be 10x (ten times our initial investment)? Whats wrong with 3x or 4x, when youre solving the problem? SheEO which awarded Gotcare a six-figure cheque at the summit on Monday is the brainchild of veteran investor Vicky Saunders. It takes in donations from activators, who help choose which women-led companies get the money. Gotcare was one of 10 companies selected by SheEO for funding in 2020. Leaders of those 10 companies got a rousing round of applause from an audience including Trudeau. RELATED STORIES Business https://www.thestar.com/business/2018/10/11/shes-helping-women-change-the-world-one-entrepreneur-at-a-time.html Women entrepreneurs who I speak to are all working to solve a problem, Trudeau said during a roundtable discussion. Offered the chance to have the final word during the discussion, Trudeau declined, saying Im here to listen. Among other Canadian firms to secure funding was Helgawear, a B.C.-based firm that designs and makes safety gear for women in skilled trades. The 10 companies have five years to pay back the investment. Saunders said in the five years SheEO has been investing, not a single company has missed a payment. Read more about: KPRC meteorologist Eric Braate is under self-quarantine for possible exposure to the coronavirus after returning from a trip to Asia, according to a report on KPRC2. The report states that KPRC's owner, Graham Media, asked Braate to self-quarantine following his trip to South Korea and Japan. In a Skype interview with the station, Braate said that he has not exhibited any symptoms of being infected, and he is under self-quarantine out of an abundance of caution. [March 09, 2020] Huntkey Releases Its 30W USB-C Charger SHENZHEN, China, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Huntkey, a global leading provider of power solutions, has recently released its 30W USB-C fast charger featuring a USB-C port to support fast charging for cellphones, tablets or notebooks. The Huntkey 30W USB-C Charger: https://en.huntkey.com/product/30w-usb-c/ https://en.huntkey.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/30W-USB-C-1.jpg The charger is equipped with a EU plug and in compliance with PD3.0 and QC4.0 charging protocols which support fast charging speeds. Connected with different devices, it can offer 5V3A, 9V3A, 12V2.5A or 15V2A power outputs accordingly and automatically to achieve fast charging. It is durable, portable and paired with a 100cm charging cable. To ensure high quality and safety standards, it is CCC, CE, CB, UL, FCC certified as well as qualified with VI energy efficiency level. What's more, it is designed with multiple protections to ensure safety. Product Specifications Rated Power Input Output Charging Protocols Cable Safety Standards Efficiency Level Protections MTBF Dimensions(mm) 30W 100-240V/1.0A/50-60Hz 5V3A/9V3A/12V2.5A/15V2A BC1.2, QC2.0/3.0/4.0/4+, PD2.0/3.0(PPS) USB-C to C, 100cm(3.3Ft) CCC, CE, CB, UL, FCC VI OCP, OVP, SCP 50000 Hrs L82*W45*H28 For more information about the product, please visit Huntkey website: https://en.huntkey.com/ About Huntkey Huntkey Enterprise Group, founded in 1995 and headquartered in Shenzhen, is a member of The International Power Supply Manufacturer's Association (PSMA) and a member of The China Power Supply Society (CPSS). With branch companies in the USA, Japan and other areas, and cooperating factories in Brazil, Argentina, India and other countries, Huntkey has specialized in the development, design, and manufacturing of PC power supplies, industrial power supplies, surge protectors, adapters and chargers for many years. With its own technologies and manufacturing strength, Huntkey has served Lenovo, Huawei, Haier, DELL, ZTE, Bestbuy and many other large enterprises for years, and has received unanimous recognition and trust from most of the customers. https://en.huntkey.com/ View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/huntkey-releases-its-30w-usb-c-charger-301020238.html SOURCE Huntkey An 89-year-old woman died Tuesday in Casablanca from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the ministry of Health has announced. The patient was suffering from chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. The intervention of doctors specialized in epidemiologic diseases, virology and resuscitation could no save the woman, who was diagnosed positive last week. The woman who came to Morocco from Bologna in northern Italy on Feb.28 was in a critical condition, the health ministry had said. The two other cases confirmed in Morocco, a young man, 39, who arrived recently from Italy and a French tourist who arrived in Marrakech on Saturday, are in a satisfactory condition, the health ministry said. The two cases are in a rather satisfactory condition and do not suffer from any complication, director of epidemiology and disease control at the ministry of health, Mohamed El Youbi, told the media. The young man, the first confirmed case in Morocco, no longer has coronavirus symptoms but should not leave the hospital before the completion of all the necessary tests and examinations, said El Youbi. The health ministry official stressed the need not to confuse the virus incubation period with the period of treatment or hospitalization, which varies according to the case and can last up to one month or more. As to the French tourist, he is currently hospitalized in Marrakech and his condition is not worrying, the ministry said. According to the ministry of health, the Kingdom is still in the first phase of infection with the novel coronavirus as all the confirmed cases came from abroad. While the uptick in gold has benefited most of the producers, juniors still haven't seen their share of the gains, but Stephen Stewart, CEO and director of Orefinders, believes deal-making is inevitable. Kitco spoke to Stewart in Toronto at PDAC earlier this month. "The producers started seeing the cash flow to their bottom lines in Q3, and they've been performing well ever since. I think there will be incredible pressure to deploy that capital carefully," said Stewart. "The current narrative coming from the funds is to do dividends or re-invest the capital in their own projects." Stewart lauds the miners for listening to their investors, but he said that there is a systematic issue that people aren't realizing: miners have been depleting their resources for five to six years. "My thesis is that M&A is inevitable, whether it is today or tomorrow. I don't know when. It is just inevitable." Listen to our podcast with Steve Stewart. Zara Tindall looked in typically high spirits as she arrived for the first day of the Cheltenham Festival today. The Queen's granddaughter, 38, posed for photos with close friend Dolly Maude as she made her way inside Cheltenham Racecourse for the start of the four-day meet. Her husband Mike Tindall, 41, was also in attendance and cut a dapper figure in a tweed three-piece suit. High spirits! Zara Tindall, 38, posed for photos with close friend Dolly Maude, pictured, as she made her way inside Cheltenham Racecourse for the start of the four-day meet Smart: Zara struck the right balance between stylish and practical in a navy coat by Guinea, left. Her husband Mike Tindall, 41, was also in attendance and cut a dapper figure in a tweed three-piece suit, right However it appeared to be a girls' day out for Zara and Maude, who was bridesmaid at the royal's 2011 wedding, and their pair looked to be enjoying themselves as they joked around in front of the cameras. Zara struck the right balance between stylish and practical in a navy coat by Guinea and a matching feathered fascinator by Juliette Botterill Millinery. Underneath the equestrian wore a dress by Rebecca Taylor from Trilogy, although she kept her coat buttoned up to keep out the cold. Princess Anne's daughter sported a stylish double-breasted navy coat and a polka dot print dress underneath BFFs: It appeared to be a girls' day out for Zara and Maude, who was bridesmaid at the royal's 2011 wedding, and their pair looked to be enjoying themselves as they arrived, pictured Delicate accessories: Zara added the smallest touch of sparkle to the look with a pair of hoop earrings by Calleija, pictured. Her printed dress underneath is by Rebecca Taylor Bright and beautiful! Zara's friend Dolly, left, brought a splash of colour to proceedings in a seafoam green tweed jacket with velvet detailing on the pockets and collar Zara well and truly got into the action at Cheltenham this afternoon, cheering on her bets in the crowd Zara donned a chic feathered fascinator by Juliette Botterill Millinery which colour-matched her outfit perfectly As the sunshine broke through in the afternoon, Zara popped on a trendy pair of tortoiseshell sunglasses Mother-of-two Zara was seen chatting with her mum Princess Anne, while the pair traded notes on their horses Andrew Parker Bowles (left) with Zara Tindall (centre) and The Princess Royal (right) on day one of the Cheltenham Festival The mother-of-two finished the outfit with trusty black boots by LK Bennett and a classic saddle bag by Aspinal. She added the smallest touch of sparkle to the look with a pair of hoop earrings by Calleija. Meanwhile Dolly brought a splash of colour to proceedings in a seafoam green tweed jacket with velvet detailing on the pockets and collar. Proving she's not afraid to take a style risk, Dolly eschewed a matching hat in favour of one in a fresh shade of pink. Dolly finished the look with pretty pink heels. Still civil: Estranged royal couple Peter and Autumn Phillips put on a united front as they arrived together for day one of the Cheltenham Festival Public front: The couple, who announced their separation last month, proved they remain on good terms as they strode into Cheltenham Racecourse side by side Elsewhere Zara's brother Peter Phillips arrived with his estranged wife Autumn. The couple, who announced their separation last month, proved they remain on good terms despite their split as they strode side-by-side into Cheltenham Racecourse. It is the first time Canadian-born Autumn, 41, has been seen in public since they announced their split in a public statement last month. Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi says it's unlikely the so-called "Astana format" peace talks on Syria in the Kazakh capital will happen this month as planned. Tileuberdi told journalists on March 10 that it was not clear when exactly the next round of talks will be held. A suggestion to hold the talks in March "was made in December, but now the situation has changed.... It is very likely that the talks will not be held" in March, Tileuberdi said, without giving any other details. Last month, the Turkish president's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, said that the next round of talks in the Astana format will be held in March. In early March, Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Shakhrat Nuryshev said that the Central Asian country had introduced limitations for entrance to the country for representatives of countries facing the spread of the deadly coronavirus. The Astana format talks have been held in the Kazakh capital since 2015 in parallel with UN-sponsored negotiations aimed at ending the Syrian conflict, now in its ninth year. Moscow, Tehran, and Ankara back different sides in the conflict, but have said they want a political solution that brings an end to the war, which has killed more than 370,000 people, displaced millions, and devastated historic sites across the country. Russia and Iran have given Syrian President Bashar al-Assad crucial military backing throughout the war, which began with a government crackdown on protesters in March 2011. Turkey and the United States support different rebel groups. Based on reporting by RIA Novosti and Interfax ABC?Lou Rocco Star Wars star John Boyega is focused on promoting more African content through his new development deal with Netflix. Last month, following the debut of its first African film Queen Sono, Netflix signed with Boyega's U.K.-based UpperRoom Productions to produce more African-focused films. According to The Hollywood Reporter, UpperRoom Productions focuses on non-English-language films from West Africa, which reflects Boyega's Nigerian heritage, and East Africa, reflecting the Sudanese heritage of UpperRoom VP Yara Shaikh. "I am thrilled to partner with Netflix to develop a slate of non-English-language feature films focused on African stories and my team and I are excited to develop original material," Boyega said in a statement, according to the Hollywood Reporter. "We are proud to grow this arm of our business with a company that shares our vision." Boyega founded the production company in 2016 to help with his role as a producer on 2018's Pacific: Uprising, which he also starred in. Since then, UpperRoom has had a number of projects in development, including some unscripted content. Netflixs VP of international film David Kosse said in a statement, "Africa has a rich history in storytelling and for Netflix, this partnership with John and UpperRoom presents an opportunity to further our investment in the continent while bringing unique African stories to our members both in Africa and around the world." Netflix is scheduled to premiere an original scripted series from Nigeria later this year. Deregulation has been one of the great Trump-administration success stories. So why does the Securities and Exchange Commission want more cumbersome rules that will restrict investor choices? A new 456-page SEC rule restricts the availability of a subset of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), specifically those that offer returns that are the inverse or a multiple double or triple of a reference index. Inverse funds go up when the market goes down which has been handy lately. Leveraged funds track their indexes with a multiple of two or three. These ETFs are popular because they are low-cost, transparent, and well-regulated funds that can be used to reduce risk in a portfolio or to gain exposure to an index with less cash. They are generally straightforward in their names and descriptions, and hardly mislead investors. Yet Trump-appointed SEC chairman Jay Clayton along with the two commissioners who are Democrats has proposed requiring brokers and advisers to exercise due diligence before allowing a customer to buy one of these ETFs. At a minimum, the SEC would require the broker or adviser to determine the customers investment objectives, time horizon, employment status, estimated income, estimated total net worth, estimated liquid net worth, percent of liquid net worth intended to be invested, and investment experience and knowledge which the SEC suggests would include years, size, frequency, and types of transactions involving stocks, bonds, commodities, options, and other financial instruments. But somehow, that exhaustive amount of required information is not necessarily enough. The SEC would not create any bright-line test for brokers and advisers to prove they have complied with the new rule. Instead, they would be required to use a facts-and-circumstances test to show that they have a reasonable basis for believing an investor can understand a leveraged or inverse ETF. The two other Republican SEC commissioners have expressed major concerns about the rule, calling it an overly paternalistic approach. Story continues Markets always go up and down. Putting a new legal risk on these kinds of investments will only raise their cost which surely doesnt benefit investors or simply price smaller investors out of the market altogether. The SEC would allow investors who currently own these products to sell them without these new hurdles. But otherwise, the rule would prohibit even existing accounts from buying or selling the supposedly dangerous products until they meet the extensive new requirements. Some brokers would likely drop these funds entirely rather than set up the complicated compliance process. This will reduce investors choices and could reduce their returns or amplify their risk. Even worse, the SEC is engaging in this regulatory adventurism with very little evidence that these ETFs present a problem to be solved. There is a theory that some inexperienced investors may misunderstand that daily performance of an index means its performance daily, creating unexpected results or large losses over a longer holding period. Yet the SEC itself acknowledges research showing that the ETFs have an average implied holding period ranging from 1.18 days to 4.03 days. Moreover, its not at all clear that its irrational for an investor to consider holding these funds for the long term. In fact, it might surprise the SEC commissioners to learn that leveraged ETFs were among the top-performing funds for the entire decade that just concluded. Like all investments, these funds need to be monitored for changing market conditions. But certainly theres no evidence that government should declare any such strategy presumptively ignorant and use it as the basis for regulation. Worst of all, though, is the potential for this rule to become a new precedent. If it does, it could open up a Pandoras Box of new regulatory barriers against the small investor. These ETFs are securities traded on public stock markets, which have never before been subject to investor certification requirements. If a Republican-chaired SEC determines that this narrow class of securities should be available only to investors who can exhaustively document their investment fitness, it is easy to imagine the SEC in future administrations extending these requirements to other asset classes and, perhaps, ultimately to securities markets as a whole. The SEC should look for ways that to provide small, non-institutional investors a full range of investment products from which to choose. This new regulatory approach would invite further impediments to small investors getting the best products they can. Instead, the SEC should make sure that everyone, not just the big boys on Wall Street, can invest and trade as they wish. Stephen Moore is the chairman and Phil Kerpen is the president of the Committee to Unleash Prosperity. More from National Review In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, is briefed about the Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. AP Chinese President Xi Jinping visited China's virus epicenter Tuesday for the first time since cases of a then-unidentified respiratory illness emerged in the city of Wuhan in December. The disease's spread in China cast scrutiny on Xi's leadership, as he was conspicuously absent from the public eye during the early days of the crisis. Initial failures to react quickly were pegged on municipal and provincial-level officials who have since been replaced. State media reported Xi arrived in the morning in Wuhan, which has been under lockdown along with several nearby cities since late January in a disease-containment measure. The city has the bulk of the country's more than 80,000 confirmed cases, and authorities sent thousands of medical workers and built several prefabricated isolation wards to deal with its mass of COVID-19 patients. Xi will inspect the epidemic prevention and control work and visit medical workers, community volunteers, patients and others on the front lines, state media said. Amid questions about Xi's involvement, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang had visited Wuhan in late January. While China still has the majority of the world's cases, its proportion is shrinking as the epidemic expands, especially in Europe and the Middle East. The battle to halt the coronavirus has brought sweeping new restrictions, with Italy expanding a travel ban to the entire country, Israel ordering all visitors quarantined just weeks before Passover and Easter, and Spain closing all schools in and around its capital. ''Now that the virus has a foothold in so many countries, the threat of a pandemic has become very real,'' said World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. ''The great advantage we have is the decisions we all make as governments, businesses, communities, families and individuals can influence the trajectory of this epidemic.'' More than 113,000 people have been infected with the virus, and more than 4,000 have died of the COVID-19 illness it causes. More than 63,000 people have already recovered. But Italy's intensifying struggle to halt the virus' spread emerged as a cautionary tale. ''There won't be just a red zone,'' Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said, in announcing that a lockdown covering about 16 million people in the north would be expanded to the entire country starting Tuesday. Travelers at Milan's main train station had to show they were traveling for ''proven work needs,'' situations of necessity, health reasons or to return home. Ski lifts were closed after students whose classes were canceled planned trips there. Italy's 9,172 cases and 463 deaths are the second-most in the world. Iran has reported 237 deaths among 7,161 cases, but many experts fear the scope of the illness there is far wider than reported. South Korea reported 35 more cases Tuesday, bringing its total to 7,513 with 53 deaths. For most people, the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, but it can progress to serious illness including pneumonia, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems. WHO says mild cases last about two weeks while patients with serious illness recover in about three to six weeks. The number of new COVID-19 cases reported daily in mainland China has dwindled after consistently reaching the thousands just one month earlier. On Tuesday, the country recorded just 19 new cases over the previous 24 hours, its lowest total since it began reporting national figures on Jan. 20. China has registered 80,754 cases in total and 3,136 deaths. Xi's visit may indicate that the ruling Communist Party is feeling confident about the results of its anti-virus campaign, which shut down much of the world's second-largest economy starting in late January. The apparent subsiding of China's outbreak came only after authorities there imposed massive quarantines, which are still largely in place. Other virus-hit countries are embracing less strict, but still aggressive measures. Israel will quarantine anyone arriving from overseas for 14 days, a decision coming barely a month before Easter and Passover. All St. Patrick's Day parades were canceled in Ireland, including one in Dublin that typically draws half a million to its streets. All schools in and around Madrid will close for two weeks. The rising number of cases around Spain's capital ''imply a change for the worse,'' the country's Health Minister Salvador Illa said. Trying to send a message of confidence in the economy, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife walked on Paris' Champs-Elysees avenue. ''I'm shaking hands using my heart,'' he said as he waved to people while keeping a 1-meter distance from passersby. In the United States, where more than 600 infections and 26 deaths have been reported, the Grand Princess cruise ship docked in Oakland, California, for its passengers to head for a 14-day quarantine in the U.S. or their home countries. At least 21 people aboard are infected. (AP) A day after a couple tested positive for novel coronavirus infection in Pune, city Mayor Murlidhar Mohol on Tuesday appealed to people not to panic and said the civic body is all prepared to handle the situation. Mohol asked people not to celebrate Holi at the places where a large gathering is expected. "We all should take utmost care and avoid going to the crowded places," he said. The couple, who had returned from Dubai, became first the first case of COVID-19 from Maharashtra. The couple is currently admitted at the civic-run Naidu Hospital here and authorities are trying to locate the people who came into contact with them since they returned from Dubai on March 1. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) According to Niles police, Sweeney, of the 7000 block of Touhy Avenue in Niles, was accused of striking a a female neighbor in the face with a purse inside a parking garage at the Renaissance condominium complex, causing the neighbor, who is 87 years old, to fall and suffer facial lacerations and bruises. After Jyotiraditya Scindia along with 19 Congress MLAs resigned from the party, party leader Laxman Singh said that the Kamal Nath-led government will not survive in Madhya Pradesh and the party should be prepared to sit in the opposition. "The Congress government will not survive and we will sit in the opposition and run the party's programs strongly. Whoever is gone has gone. We cannot do much about it. Now, it is time for us to sit in the opposition and work as a strong entity. We will ask the people to give us one more opportunity in the next election," Singh told reporters here. "I will meet Chief Minister Kamal Nath to discuss the future strategy," Laxman, brother of former chief minister Digvijaya Singh said. Earlier today Scindia had resigned from Congress, stating that "it is time to move on". Apart from this, 19 Congress MLAs, including six state ministers from Madhya Pradesh, who are in Bengaluru tendered their resignation from the state assembly today. In a late-night Cabinet meeting, around 20 Cabinet ministers in Madhya Pradesh tendered their resignation to Chief Minister Kamal Nath who accepted their resignations and is likely to reconstitute the cabinet. Earlier, several Congress leaders, including Digvijaya Singh, had accused the BJP of horse-trading and conspiring to bring down the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh. Congress has been witnessing an internal turf war in Madhya Pradesh since the party formed a government in the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) EU chiefs meet Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday to warn him not to trigger a renewed migrant crisis on their southeastern border, as member states offered to take in some child refugees. The Turkish leader was due in the EU capital for talks with EU presidents Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen, and also NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg. European leaders are considering taking in 1,500 child refugees to ease pressure on overwhelmed camps on Greek islands facing a new wave of arrivals from Turkey. But von der Leyen, head of the European Commission, said there was no immediate concrete offer of new funding to revive a deal with Turkey to keep refugees from Syria and beyond. "We will restart the dialogue," she said, ahead of her meeting with Erdogan, adding that there would be "considerable discussions in the next few days and weeks." Pressed on whether more money was on the table to appease Ankara's concerns, she said: "I was already very clear that we are at the beginning, and no numbers are being discussed at the very start." Tens of thousands of asylum-seekers have been trying to break through the land border from Turkey for a week after Ankara announced it would no longer prevent people from trying to cross into the European Union. Turkey, which hosts around four million mostly Syrian refugees, has repeatedly railed against what it describes as unfair burden-sharing. Erdogan called on Greece to "open the gates" to the migrants after Greek police used tear gas and water cannon in skirmishes with crowds at the border. "I hope I will return from Belgium with different outcomes," he said at a speech in Istanbul on Sunday as he announced the meeting. "Hey Greece! I appeal to you... open the gates as well and be free of this burden," he said, adding: "Let them go to other European countries." And on Monday, Erdogan's communications director Fahrettin Altun repeated allegations -- denied by Greece -- that border authorities have used excessive force against migrants. - 'Fulfilling promises' - "The refugee crisis isn't going away," he tweeted. "The European Union cannot just throw money at this problem or solve it with excessive and lethal force... It's time take meaningful steps together." Early on Monday, Germany said the EU was considering taking in up to 1,500 migrant children who are currently housed in Greek camps. Von der Leyen said France, Portugal, Luxembourg and Finland had also offered to take in some. In Berlin, Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman said Turkey "bears a clear responsibility" for sending the refugees to the border and that it was trying to put its own problems "onto the backs on these people." On Friday, Erdogan ordered the Turkish coastguard to prevent risky Aegean sea crossings after more than 1,700 migrants landed on Lesbos and four other Aegean islands. But Turkey's policy of allowing migrants and refugees to leave by land remains in place, and the instruction only affects sea crossings. In 2016, Turkey and the EU agreed a deal whereby Brussels would provide billions of euros in aid in exchange for Turkish authorities curbing the flow of migrants. But Ankara has repeatedly accused the bloc of not fulfilling promises that were made while Europe suffered its worst refugee crisis since the Second World War. Over a million people fled to the continent in 2015. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Michel met Erdogan in Ankara on Wednesday as Turkey demanded greater support over the conflict and migrants. After the talks, Borrell promised an additional 170 million euros ($192 million) in aid for vulnerable groups in Syria. Erdogan has felt extra pressure as nearly a million people in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib fled towards the Turkish border during the recent Syrian regime assault backed by Russia and Iran. But the president and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed a ceasefire on Thursday after Turkey launched an offensive against Damascus following the deaths of 59 Turkish security personnel in attacks blamed on the regime. burs-kaf-dc/pdw/ach NEW YORK, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- TechSee has been named to Fast Company's prestigious annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies for 2020. The list honors the businesses making the most profound impact on both industry and culture, showcasing a variety of ways to thrive in today's fast-changing world. This year's MIC list features 434 businesses from 39 countries. "I'm delighted that TechSee has been recognized in the Augmented Reality category by this hugely influential publication for our work at the leading edge of AR-powered customer enagement," said Eitan Cohen, CEO, TechSee. "In the increasingly crowded remote visual assistance space, our innovation focus has been on combining AR with advanced Computer Vision AI, a unique approach that is enhancing efficiency and redefining customer experience for organizations in multiple industries." Over the past twelve months, TechSee has launched a number of transformative solutions. Its "Smart Assist" technology provides real-time decision support to contact center agents. During each visual interaction with a customer, it identifies and classifies the issue and cross-references the visible symptoms of the issue with a vast image knowledge base in order to provide a next-best action recommendation in the form of AR-annotated images. This visual automation technology enhances agent engagement and boosts contact center productivity. TechSee also successfully implemented its self-service solution with tier 1 telcos in North America and Europe, automating the entire resolution process. This fully conversational visual assistant provides customers with interactive AR guidance through their smart phone screens, offering ongoing feedback and escalating only rare cases to human agents via warm transfer. Through instant device and issue recognition, it drives call deflection to reduce contact center call volume. Fast Company's editors and writers sought out the most groundbreaking businesses on the planet and across myriad industries. They also judged nominations received through their application process. The World's Most Innovative Companies is Fast Company's signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. It provides both a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors of the economy. "At a time of increasing global volatility, this year's list showcases the resilience and optimism of businesses across the world. These companies are applying creativity to solve challenges within their industries and far beyond," said Fast Company senior editor Amy Farley, who oversaw the issue with deputy editor David Lidsky. Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies issue (March/April 2020) is now available online at fastcompany.com/most-innovative-companies/2020, as well as in app form via iTunes and on newsstands beginning March 17, 2020. The hashtag is #FCMostInnovative. ABOUT FAST COMPANY Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Since 2011, Fast Company has received some of the most prestigious editorial and design accolades, including the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) National Magazine Award for "Magazine of the Year", Adweek's Hot List for "Hottest Business Publication", and six gold medals and 10 silver medals from the Society of Publication Designers. The editor-in-chief is Stephanie Mehta and the publisher is Amanda Smith. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com. ABOUT TECHSEE TechSee revolutionizes the customer experience domain with the first visual engagement solution powered by Computer Vision AI and Augmented Reality. It enables enterprises around the world to deliver better customer assistance, enhance service quality and reduce costs. TechSee is led by industry veterans with years of experience in mobile technologies, artificial intelligence and big data. The company is headquartered in Tel Aviv with offices in New York, London and Madrid. For more information, visit www.techsee.me or contact Andrew Mort, Content Manager, by email: [email protected] or on +972 52 770 0155. SOURCE TechSee Related Links https://techsee.me/ Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Yulia Savitri (The Jakarta Post) Palembang Tue, March 10, 2020 16:05 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2069a2fab 1 National South-Sumatra,South-Sumatran-farmers,social-forest,social-forestry-program,social-forestry,capital,post-harvest-management,farming Free Edi Susanto of Muara Medak, South Sumatra, can now cultivate a plot of land in the village forest without being afraid of being chased by officers. Every day he works there where he plants areca nut, jelutung (Dyera costulata), pineapple and crops. He is part of a farmers group comprising 879 families. The group was handed a social forestry license from President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in November 2018. With the license, it has the authority to cultivate a forest area in Dusun IV in Muara Medak village, Musi Banyuasin regency. Yet, Edi said that owning the license did not mean the farmers were free from challenges in cultivating the fields, as many of them lacked knowledge, mainly in terms of financial capital and handling post-harvest issues. We have never harvested before. Thus far, we can only cultivate with whatever knowledge we have, Edi said recently. South Sumatra Forestry Agency head Panji Tjahjanto said the government-run social forestry program the group was a part of was aimed at improving peoples economic independence by giving them the authority to manage forests while at the same time involving them in forest preservation and protection. The program is also expected to help them control land conflicts. Panji said that raising capital had been a challenge for social forestry farmers in the province. Although funds were accessible through the micro credit program (KUR) at banks, most farmers did not have knowledge on the requirements needed to access the KUR, such as a business plan, he said. Assistance in accessing the KUR can be obtained through the Association of Social Forestry People (HMPS). Established on Feb. 13, it is said to be the first association of its kind in the country. The HMPS can act as a partner for farmers and at the same time function as a forum to monitor the forest management activities, said Panji, adding that the agency had limited resources for monitoring considering the vast forest area of the province. The provinces social forestry acceleration working group chairman, Rujito Agus Suwignyo, said that, as of February, 135 social forestry licenses had been issued in South Sumatra. He said of the 361,890 hectares of forest to be managed under the social forestry program, only 103,692.8 ha were managed, with 15,834 families as beneficiaries. Considering the huge number of beneficiaries involved, the association has thus far proven critical in helping members group together in a forum that allows them to learn from one another. We initiated the HMPS, said Rujito, who is also a professor in agriculture cultivation at Sriwijaya University, adding that HMPS was worth copying in other regions. Loading Loading The Federal Government is set to enforce the provision for 70% local content in all radio and television programmes in the country. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who announced this at a meeting with the Electronic Media Content Owners Association of Nigeria (ENCOAN) in Lagos on Monday, said the measure was part of the reforms being implemented in the broadcast industry. Now if you take a copy of the new Broadcasting Code, you will see that we have done a lot of work. We have broken the monopoly in the industry and we are going to ensure that we enforce the 70% local content in our broadcasting. The reforms that we have undertaken will promote local content and will give value to your creative work, he said. Alhaji Mohammed, who described the reform as a revolution in the countrys broadcast industry, urged members of EMCOAN to take advantage of the new policy and look at new frontiers in content production, especially for women and children programmes I believe that we are entering a new dawn for local content producers like you. We are revamping the Broadcasting Code in a manner that will favour you. We are instituting the audience measurement system for your benefit and we are working also on getting a more virile APCON that will take care of the interest of all stakeholders, he said. The Minister said the Central Bank of Nigeria is making funds available for the creative industry and urged EMCOAN to work with the government with a view to identifying the priority programmes that will enjoy funding, promotion or subsidy from the apex bank. He commended the tenacity of purpose of members of the association and encouraged them to continue to produce the local content that reflects the nations diverse cultures in order to inculcate values and ethics in children. In her remarks, the President of EMCOAN, Mrs. Jibe Ologeh, said the association, which is responsible for more than 85% of the content in the nations broadcast industry, is excited by the reforms, which give priority to local producers. She said Nigeria is blessed with rich cultures and scenery which will positively project the image of the country, particularly when they dominate the content in radio and television. The Association presented its four-point agenda to the minister and sought his support to actualise them. The Acting Director General of the National Broadcast Commission, Prof. Armstrong Idachaba, accompanied the Minister to the meeting. Underlying earnings at Swiss-Irish food group Aryzta fell 6.3pc on a like-for-like basis to 170m in the six months to January. The company, which makes the burger buns for McDonalds, saw its total revenue decline 3.2pc to 1.65bn during the period, according to interim results from the group. Aryzta has refocused its portfolio into a frozen business-to-business bakery company. Meanwhile, its net debt is at its lowest level since 2013. In Europe, underlying ebitda was 100.7m, up 2.8pc on a like-for-like basis. However, in the North American market, underlying ebitda fell by 23pc to 46.5m, while the rest of the world reported a 3.5pc decline in ebidta to 22.7m. In the near-to-medium term, the North America underlying ebidta margin expectation has been revised to high-single digits. Aryzta CEO, Kevin Toland, said factors impacting North America profitability are being addressed and the company expects an improved performance in the second half of the year. Elsewhere, the company said its cost savings initiative - Project Renew is gathering momentum, with cumulative savings of 57.4m since its launch. Hundreds of flights between the UK and Italy have been cancelled due to the coronavirus, leaving some passengers stranded. British Airways suspended all flights to and from Italy on Tuesday, while Ryanair said no flights will serve the country from Saturday. EasyJet has cancelled dozens of its Italian flights. British Airways refused refund requests to passengers booked on flights to Italian airports outside the north of the country until the Foreign and Commonwealth Office updated its travel advice on Monday night. That means some passengers may have reluctantly travelled to Italy to avoid losing money and now face a struggle to get home. One British passenger told the PA news agency she felt dumped by the airline after her flight from Rome to London was cancelled. The woman, who asked not to be named, said she was seeking an acknowledgement that they just stranded loads of passengers when they said they would get us home. The passenger went on: Their website was down, their call centres are overloaded and we got an email after midnight saying our flight was cancelled. Its putting more passengers in danger. She said she had to fight to secure a place on a Vueling flight. Ryanair said passengers who need to fly home can switch to one of its flights which are operating up to and including Friday. An airline spokesman said: The situation is changing on a daily basis, and all passengers on flights affected by travel bans or cancellations are receiving emails and are being offered flight transfers, full refunds or travel credits. Ryanair apologises sincerely to all customers for these schedule disruptions, which are caused by national government restrictions and the latest decision of the Italian government to lock down the entire country to combat the Covid-19 virus. Ryanair reduced its passenger target for the 12 months to the end of March by three million to 154 million, but it does not expect this to have a material impact on profits. ACI Europe, which represents European airports, said its initial assessment was that passenger numbers between January and March will drop 14% due to the coronavirus. Director general Olivier Jankovec said: The Covid-19 epidemic is turning into a shock of unprecedented proportions for our industry. Low cost carrier Norwegian has cancelled around 3,000 flights between mid-March and mid-June across all its routes, due to a drop in demand because of the coronavirus. This represents approximately 15% of its capacity for this period. The company has also put several other measures in place, including temporary layoffs of a significant share of its workforce. Chief executive Jacob Schram said: We encourage the authorities to immediately implement measures to imminently reduce the financial burden on the airlines in order to protect crucial infrastructure and jobs. Virgin Atlantic has admitted flying planes that are almost empty in order to keep take-off and landing slots despite demand plummeting due to the coronavirus. Chief executive Shai Weiss said the airline is being forced to continue with flights because rules about slot allocation have not been relaxed. Slots at capacity-constrained airports such as Heathrow can be worth millions of pounds. The European Union operates a so-called use it or lose it rule which means airlines must use 80% of their slots or risk them being taken away in the following year. The regulation has been removed for routes serving mainland China and Hong Kong due to the outbreak of Covid-19, but remains for other destinations. Airlines claim it is inappropriate to apply the rule amid a huge reduction in passenger numbers. The Gridiron dinner goes back to 1885 and has been canceled only twice before: Once during World War I and once during World War II, according to Gilbert. (Although he doesnt know the exact years.) The idea was for newspapermen and it was all men for many years to invite their political sources for an off-the-record evening of food, drink and humor. Political sketches were performed by the journalists with various degrees of talent wearing ridiculous costumes. Each political party got a ribbing, although the jokes have traditionally been more corny than cutting. NEW YORK, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- McCann Worldgroup has been named to Fast Company's prestigious annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies for 2020. The list honors the businesses making the most profound impact on both industry and culture, showcasing a variety of ways for businesses to thrive in today's fast-changing world. "We are honored to be included on Fast Company's list of the World's Most Innovative Companies," said Harris Diamond, CEO of McCann Worldgroup. "Our success is truly a team effort, both between our clients and us, and between all of our people and agencies working together to deliver meaningful creative work with measurable business results." The Fast Company honor follows an unprecedented year of recognition in both creativity and effectiveness awards. McCann Worldgroup was named Network of the Year at the 2019 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and ranked #1 on the 2019 Global Effie Effectiveness Index. The network was also recognized by Adweek as Global Agency of the Year, and was named Network of the Year by Campaign Magazine U.S. The awards shows lauded the McCann Worldgroup network for partnering with clients to give purpose to their brands and praised the agency for its creative bravery. McCann Worldgroup produces high-profile work for clients around the world, including GM/Chevrolet, L'Oreal, Mastercard, Microsoft, RB, Coca-Cola and Verizon. Other milestones included McCann Worldgroup's establishment of its Innovation Council in partnership with clients that include Coca-Cola, Entel, GM, L'Oreal, Mastercard, Nestle, Novartis, and RB. The group connects clients and the technology community at large to discuss and explore leading-edge innovative ideas and practices, and to offer actionable insights to marketers about how to apply emerging technologies to their brands. In addition, McCann Worldgroup worked with Wired magazine to create a two-part documentary series examining how AI is changing everyday life and presenting new marketing opportunities. Unveiled at the 2019 Cannes International Festival of Creativity, the documentary represented a first-of-its-kind approach to how marketing companies can position themselves as true thought leaders for clients. Fast Company's editors and writers sought out the most groundbreaking businesses on the planet, across myriad industries, to compile The World's Most Innovative Companies list. https://www.fastcompany.com/90457729/advertising-most-innovative-companies-2020 About McCann Worldgroup McCann Worldgroup, part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG), is a leading global marketing solutions network with over 20,000 employees united across 100+ countries by a single vision: To help brands play a meaningful role in people's lives. In 2019, McCann Worldgroup was selected as Adweek magazine's "Global Agency Of The Year," was recognized as Network of the Year by the Cannes Lions, and was named by the Effies as the world's most creatively-effective marketing services company for the second year in a row. The network comprises McCann (advertising), MRM (science/technology/relationship marketing), Momentum Worldwide (total brand experience), McCann Health (professional/dtc communications), CRAFT (production), Weber Shandwick (public relations) and FutureBrand (consulting/design). About Fast Company Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Since 2011, Fast Company has received some of the most prestigious editorial and design accolades, including the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) National Magazine Award for "Magazine of the Year," Adweek's Hot List for "Hottest Business Publication," and six gold medals and 10 silver medals from the Society of Publication Designers. The editor-in-chief is Stephanie Mehta and the publisher is Amanda Smith. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com. SOURCE McCann Worldgroup Related Links http://www.mccannworldgroup.com With the coronavirus hitting economic sectors hard across the world, tourism workers are anticipating the effects of the virus on Egypts tourism industry Egypts tourism sector, particularly workers working in Nile tourism, are anticipating the effects of the announcement that 45 cases of infection with the coronavirus were recorded on board a Nile cruiser going from Aswan to Luxor last week after being in contact with a Taiwanese-American tourist aboard the ship who tested positive after returning home in late February. The sector is highly vigilant, and it is monitoring the spread of the new coronavirus, called Covid-19, across countries that export tourism to Egypt in an attempt to estimate its effects on the countrys tourism business. Until Monday night, infected cases had reached 59. It is not possible to assess the amount of travel cancellations for the time being, said Ihab Abdel-Aal, a member of the board of the Chamber of Tourism Companies. The Escapade tour agency, which had registrations of 120 hotel rooms per week, reported that all its reservations until May had been cancelled, according to Chairman Mounir Wissa, a member of the board of the Chamber of Hotels. The winter season from October to April is a high period for Egypts Nile tourism. After the 45 cases were reported on the Nile cruiser, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities distributed information on precautionary and preventive measures as per the guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO). During a meeting between the managers of hotels and floating boats and the ministers of tourism, health, and civil aviation in Luxor on Sunday, Maged Fawzi, head of the Chamber of Hotel Establishments, announced that it had been agreed to purchase 1,000 infrared thermometers to be distributed in land and floating hotels to detect any cases of high temperatures among guests or employees. An international company specialising in food safety has been contracted to inspect Luxor hotels and will proceed with its measures starting next week. Mohamed Osman, head of the Committee for the Promotion of Cultural Tourism in Luxor, was not optimistic about future cancellations of trips to Egypt. However, what is reassuring is that tourists currently in Luxor and Aswan have not requested the cancellation of their trips, he said. The tourism crisis resulting from coronavirus fears comes a few weeks after the UK allowed the resumption of flights to Sharm El-Sheikh after a four-year hiatus following the downing of a Russian airliner after take-off from the Red Sea resort killing all people on board. A wave of optimism had hit Egypts tourism sector when the UK resumed its flights to Sharm El-Sheikh, and the sector was even more optimistic after it was announced that new flights would be operated between Luxor and Sharm El-Sheikh starting on 20 February. In the fiscal year 2018-19, tourism revenues in Egypt recorded $12.57 billion, up from $9.804 billion a year earlier. Investment banks expected the tourism sector to record $15 billion in earnings by the end of this fiscal year. A Colliers International report had earlier predicted that hotel room revenues in Cairo, Sharm El-Sheikh, Hurghada, and Alexandria would increase in 2020 on an annual basis, expecting a two per cent increase in revenues in hotels in Cairo, 13 per cent in Sharm El-Sheikh, 10 per cent in Hurghada, and nine per cent in Alexandria. Chairman of the Egyptian Federation of Tourism Chambers Ahmed Al-Wassif told Al-Ahram Weekly that it was too early to estimate the number of cancellations owing to fears about the spread of the coronavirus as travellers who had booked trips could not receive refunds since there was no international travel ban. What could be calculated, however, were no-shows of tourists from China and Italy, where some cities have been locked down and travel bans have been in force, Al-Wassif said. The following months would show the repercussions of the crisis on world tourism, he said. New reservations for trips to Egypt have fallen by 70 to 80 per cent compared to last year, the media reported Hossam Al-Shaer, chairman of the Chamber of Tourism Companies, as saying. Tourism had also slowed down across the world, he added. By Sunday night, more countries had put restrictions on travel to and from Egypt, including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar. While Oman suspended travel to and from Egypt for a month starting on Sunday, Saudi Arabia suspended travel to and from Egypt and eight other countries and banned travellers who had been in these countries 14 days or less before their arrival in Saudi Arabia. The health ministries of Bahrain and Oman tweeted that people arriving from Egypt should isolate themselves in their homes for two weeks. Meanwhile, Ahmed Youssef, head of the Tourism Development Authority, told the media that the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities would be contracting an international firm next week to design a new promotional campaign for Egypt. The campaign will target up to 12 markets, particularly those that export tourism to Egypt, such as the UK, Germany, Italy, and the US. *A version of this article appears in print in the 12 March, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: By PTI LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday said it was yet to decide whether to approach the Supreme Court against the Allahabad High Court's order to immediately remove the posters of those accused of vandalism during protests against the amended citizenship law. The posters, bearing photographs, names and addresses of those accused of vandalism during protests against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act in December, had come up at major road crossings in Lucknow last Thursday. ALSO READ: Activists on Yogi government's 'name and shame' posters welcome Allahabad HC order The Allahabad High Court had on Monday ordered the Lucknow administration to remove these posters. "Nothing has been decided on this yet. We will decide what we have to do," Awanish Awasthi, additional chief secretary, home, told PTI when asked about media reports that the state government would challenge the decision in the apex court. Asked about any meeting of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath with senior officers, Awasthi said: "No such meeting was held". A bench of Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Ramesh Sinha also directed the district magistrate and the Lucknow police commissioner to submit a report in this regard by next Monday. The court had on Sunday termed the move "highly unjust", saying it was an "absolute encroachment on personal liberty of individuals". It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So we'll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Coastal Greenland Limited (HKG:1124). Do Insider Transactions Matter? 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, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information. We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. 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'. See our latest analysis for Coastal Greenland Coastal Greenland Insider Transactions Over The Last Year While no particular insider transaction stood out, we can still look at the overall trading. Xianglong Xia purchased 2.50m shares over the year. The average price per share was HK$0.25. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! SEHK:1124 Recent Insider Trading, March 10th 2020 Coastal Greenland is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying. Does Coastal Greenland Boast High Insider Ownership? Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Our data isn't picking up on much insider ownership at Coastal Greenland, though insiders do hold about HK$899k worth of shares. We do note, however, it is possible insiders have an indirect interest through a private company or other corporate structure. It's always possible we are missing something but from our data, it looks like insider ownership is minimal. Story continues So What Do The Coastal Greenland Insider Transactions Indicate? The fact that there have been no Coastal Greenland insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. We'd like to see bigger individual holdings. However, we don't see anything to make us think Coastal Greenland insiders are doubting the company. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. Be aware that Coastal Greenland is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those makes us a bit uncomfortable... But note: Coastal Greenland may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE 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. The organisers of a women's march in Pakistan called Tuesday for an independent investigation into a "coordinated attack" on their rally over the weekend. Days of mounting tensions boiled over on Sunday when a group of Islamist counter-protesters in the capital hurled stones, bricks and sticks at a march marking International Women?s Day. "It was a coordinated attack from the patriarchal and right-wing forces on the women?s movement," said Ismat Shahjahan, one of the organisers of the event. "We demand an independent judicial inquiry," she added. The capital?s police registered a case against 35 people late Sunday, including organisers of the anti-feminist Islamist rally for "provoking the religious sentiments" of their followers against the Women's Day marchers. The march's organisers, however, have argued that police downplayed the severity of the attack and should have issued more serious charges against suspected assailants. The incident follows last year's second annual "Aurat (Women's) march", which sparked a backlash against participants -- including rape and death threats. In the days leading up to this year?s Islamabad rally at least two petitions were filed to the country?s higher courts asking for authorities to ban marches across the country, while Islamist political parties vowed to stop the demonstrations. In a society where women have been shot, stabbed, stoned, set alight and strangled for damaging a family's "honour", marchers have been accused of promoting Western, liberal values and disrespecting religious and cultural sensitivities. Much of Pakistani society operates under a strict code of "honour", systemising the oppression of women in matters such as the right to choose whom to marry, reproductive rights and even the right to an education. According to estimates, at least 1,000 women fall victim to honour killings in Pakistan each year. Rights activists have long fought against the patriarchal notion of "honour". Supporters of Pakistani Islamist political parties were accused of attacking an International Women's Day march By Hamid Shalizi KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is set to release 1,500 Taliban prisoners in coming days to pave the way for direct talks with the insurgent group aimed at ending the 18-year-long war in Afghanistan, according to a copy of the decree seen by Reuters. The two-page decree - which was signed by Ghani and will be made public later by his office - said that all released Taliban prisoners will have to provide "a written guarantee to not return to the battlefield." The decree lays out details about how the prisoners will be released in a systematic manner, a process that it says will begin in four days. "The process of releasing 1,500 Taliban prisoners will be completed within 15 days, with 100 prisoners walking out of Afghan jails every day," according to the decree. Talks between the Taliban and Afghan government to end the war will run parallel with the release, the decree said. If the talks make progress, the government said it will release a further 500 Taliban prisoners every two weeks until a total of 5,000 Taliban prisoners have been freed. The decree said that the Taliban will have to stick to its commitment to a reduction in violence during this period and beyond. The release of the prisoners is part of a confidence-building measure to pave the way for the opening of direct talks between the government and the insurgents, after talks with both sides and the United States individually. The issue has become one of the biggest sticking points in any progress towards peace, complicated by differing wording of documents between the United States and the Taliban, and the United States and the Afghan government. "I urge the two sides to sit down immediately for talks on this issue in Doha, Qatar to work out the details," Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. special envoy who was the key negotiator in the talks, said in a tweet. "The Afghan government has agreed to do so. When implemented, this will be a significant step in the peace process," he said. Story continues Commanders of the hardline Islamist group have sent vehicles to be ready to collect the fighters in a prisoner exchange and said they will honor the deal by handing over 1,000 government troops. It was unclear whether prisoners would be released from other prisons aside from Bagram, a detention facility next to a U.S. military base. (Writing by Rupam Jain; Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk in Washington; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and Stephen Coates) Over 4k Chinese students sent to quarantine 11 Jan 2022 | 4:30 PM Beijing, Jan 11 (UNI) More than 4,000 students in China's Anyang city have been sent to quarantine after several cases were detected in their school. see more.. Russia confirms 17,525 new cases of Covid in past 24 hours: Federal response center 11 Jan 2022 | 4:26 PM Moscow, Jan 11 (UNI/Sputnik) Russia has confirmed 17,525 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, which brings the cumulative total to 10,684,204, the federal response center said on Tuesday. see more.. Japan extends entry ban amid Omicron concerns 11 Jan 2022 | 4:13 PM Tokyo, Jan 11 (UNI/Xinhua) Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday announced ban on entry of non-resident foreigners till the end of February. see more.. '80pc Afghan journalists lost jobs' 11 Jan 2022 | 4:02 PM Kabul, Jan 11 (UNI) Nearly 80 per cent of journalists in Afghanistan have lost their jobs and had to resort to other professions for survival and money, media reported on Tuesday. see more.. By Online Desk THRISSUR: A social media post about a person who flew out of the country with high-temperature costs this doctor from Kerala her job. Dr Shinu Syamalan alleges that she lost her job at a private clinic in Thalikkulam in Thrissur district for reporting a suspected coronavirus case to the Health Department and police before writing about the same on social media. Dr Shinu, who has a huge number of followers on social media, said she never revealed either the name of the patient or the clinic in her Facebook post. ALSO READ | Kerala cancels annual exams for students upto Class VII amid coronavirus cases She had posted that a person who returned from Qatar with high temperature roamed around his home town and later took a flight to Agra. She alleged that the person came to her with high temperature but hid his travel history. The doctor grew suspicious of the man's behaviour after his wife gave an answer contradicting her husband when asked about his date of arrival from the Gulf country. The man is now reportedly back at Qatar and it is unknown if he has COVID-19 or not. She added that when asked when did the person left the country, a relative replied February 28, before correcting it as January 28. Shinu had traced him back and talked to the person's brother in law, who said that the man was under observation in Qatar. "I shared the post just because I don't want anyone to repeat such foolishness. Before sharing about the incident, I had reported it to the health authorities in the district, but nothing could be done as he already left," she said. ALSO READ | 18 admitted to isolation wards in Pathanamthitta Dr Shinu added that the clinic terminated her saying that people would not visit the place since she opened up about the incident. "This is not a matter to be hushed and concealed like my former boss wanted me to do. It is selfish to think that people will stop coming to the clinic if that man really had coronavirus. I was just doing my duty. There was nothing wrong in what I said and will do the same again," Shinu wrote on Facebook on Tuesday. Shinu said that she would not go back to the clinic again and would decide on the future after consulting her family. Her husband works in a government hospital in Thrissur. (With ENS inputs) WASHINGTON The Justice Department must give Congress secret grand jury testimony from special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday, giving the House a significant win in a separation-of-powers clash with the Trump administration. The three-judge panel said in a 2-1 opinion that the House Judiciary Committees need for the material in its investigations of President Trump outweighed the Justice Departments interests in keeping the testimony secret. The opinion authorizes access to information that Democrats have sought since the conclusion of Muellers investigation, giving lawmakers previously undisclosed details from the two-year Russia probe. Writing for the majority, Judge Judith Rogers said that because Mueller himself stopped short of reaching conclusions about Trumps conduct to avoid stepping on the Houses impeachment power, the committee had established that it could not make a final determination about Trumps conduct without access to the underlying grand jury material. The Committees request for the grand jury materials in the Mueller Report is directly linked to its need to evaluate the conclusions reached and not reached by the Special Counsel, wrote Rogers, a Clinton appointee. Judge Thomas Griffith issued a separate concurring opinion. Judge Neomi Rao, a Trump appointee, dissented, suggesting that the need for the testimony could have waned after Trumps acquittal at a Senate impeachment trial last month. After all, the Committee sought these materials preliminary to an impeachment proceeding and the Senate impeachment trial has concluded. Why is this controversy not moot? Rao wrote. It is unclear when the materials might actually be turned over. The Trump administration can ask the full appeals court to rehear the case, and can appeal to the Supreme Court. The ruling softens the blow of a loss the House endured two weeks ago when judges on the same court said they would not force former White House counsel Don McGahn to testify before Congress. The split decisions leave neither the administration nor Congress with a clear upper hand in an ongoing inter-branch dispute. Mueller issued a 448-page report last April that detailed multiple interactions between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia and that examined several episodes involving the president for potential obstruction of justice. Portions of the report were blacked out, including grand jury testimony and material that Mueller said could harm ongoing investigations or infringe on the privacy of third parties. Eric Tucker is an Associated Press writer. During his official visit to Serbia from March 9 to 11, today, the delegation led by Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a meeting with Prime Minister of Serbia Ana Brnabic, as reported the news service of the National Assembly. Greeting the delegation led by Armenias parliamentary speaker, Brnabic expressed gratitude to her counterparts for the friendship and Armenias support and stated that cancelation of the visa regime and the upcoming official opening of the Embassy of Serbia in Armenia were important in the context of the development of bilateral ties. Expressing gratitude for the cordial reception, Mirzoyan emphasized that, in addition to cancelation of the visa regime, Serbia and Armenia need to take steps to establish direct air communication. Touching upon Armenias position on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Mirzoyan emphasized that Armenias position is first and foremost about ensuring the physical security of the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh. The parties also touched upon possible cooperation in the sector of military production. Later, Mirzoyan had a meeting with Patriarch Irinej of the Serbian Orthodox Church. London: Boris Johnson has narrowly survived his first serious rebellion by Tory MPs in the Commons over his controversial decision to allow Chinese company Huawei to build part of Britain's 5G networks. Loading The January decision angered the United States and caused serious tensions amongst the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing club comprising Australia, the UK, US, New Zealand and Canada. A total 36 Tory MPs combined with non-government parties to vote against the government on an amendment to an unrelated telecommunications bill put forward by the leader of the rebels, former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith. Sixty Tory MPs did not vote for the government meaning the rebels need just 13 more votes in any future divisions. During the project, one lane of the open tolling portion of the spur will be closed until the bridge is finished, the release said. When the entire project is done, asphalt on the spur will be removed and replaced. The bridge over Waukegan Road also will be repaired. A ghostly ring of dark matter floating in the galaxy cluster ZwCl0024+1652, one of the strongest pieces of evidence to date for the existence of dark matter. Astronomers think the dark-matter ring was produced from a collision between two gigantic clusters. Researchers think that a newly identified subatomic particle may have formed the universe's dark matter right after the Big Bang, approximately 13.8 billion years ago. While scientists have determined that up to 27% of the matter in the universe could be dark matter, our understanding of what the mysterious substance might be is still lacking, as no one has ever directly observed it. Now, in a new study, nuclear physicists have suggested that dark matter could be made from a newly identified particle: the d-star hexaquark. Related: The 11 Biggest unanswered questions about dark matter What's a hexaquark? Matter can be broken down into molecules, which can be broken down further into atoms and even further into the subatomic particles protons and neutrons. Then, when you break those down, you get quarks. So, everything we've ever seen, touched or tasted has ultimately been made up of quarks. While neutrons and protons are each made up of three quarks, hexaquarks are made up of six. Their existence was predicted for decades, and in 2014, researchers were able to confirm the existence of hexaquarks . Though these exotic particles are made up of more quarks than protons are, hexaquarks are actually much smaller than the more familiar particles. Hexaquarks also decay much faster than other subatomic particles. Hexaquarks are also a type of boson particle, meaning that multiple d-star hexaquarks can combine in ways different from how protons and neutrons combine. So, how can these teeny, tiny hexaquarks be the key to understanding dark matter? As Mikhail, Bashkanov, a researcher from the department of physics at the University of York in the United Kingdom, told Space.com, hexaquarks could have condensed into dark matter in the strange conditions directly after the Big Bang. Hexaquarks, condensed Immediately following that event, the universe was a cooling sea of subatomic particles, "a big pot of soup with quarks," Bashkanov said. Bashkanov and co-author, University of York professor Daniel Watts, said in this new study that, during this super early period of the universe, d-star hexaquarks could have cooled and expanded into what is known as a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). A BEC is an exotic, fifth state of matter that forms when a cloud of atoms or subatomic particles cools to temperatures approaching absolute zero, or 0 Kelvin (minus 459.67 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 273.15 degrees Celsius). At these extreme temperatures, the particles (or atoms) clump together into a single entity that can be described by a wave function. In other words, the particles coalesce and behave like a single particle (or atom). While hexaquarks decay quickly in a lab, Bashkanov explained that they are much more stable and long-lasting within a neutron star and, the researchers think, possibly also in a BEC. So, as Bashkanov explained, the scientists think that, shortly after the universe began with the Big Bang, hexaquarks could have condensed into a BEC and that unique BEC could be dark matter. "Our first calculations indicate that condensates of d-stars are a feasible new candidate for dark matter, and this new possibility seems worthy of further, more detailed investigation," Watts said in a statement. "The result is particularly exciting since it doesn't require any concepts that are new to physics." This early work hasn't solved the dark matter question for good. But Watts and Bashkanov plan to continue studying hexaquarks to better understand the strange particles and further explore whether they really could be good candidates for dark matter. As Bashkanov explained, the researchers going forward will perform experiments to study the properties of hexaquarks, like their size and how they interact with both other hexaquarks and normal, or nuclear matter (protons and neutrons inside a nucleus). While the researchers said (as they explored in this paper) that hexaquarks could condense into a BEC, they hope to show that this is true through further study and experimentation. This work was published Feb. 12 in the Journal of Physics G Letters. Editor's Note: A correction was made to show that the universe is likely made up of 27 percent dark matter and that hexaquarks are bosons. Follow Chelsea Gohd on Twitter @chelsea_gohd . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook . The number of coronavirus cases in Massachusetts jumped Tuesday, more than doubling from Mondays figures, with diagnoses expected to continue to rise. The number of presumptive cases spiked to 91, with one confirmed. Of the total number 70 are related to Biogens conference in Boston, four are connected to travel and the cause of exposure remains under investigation for 18. On Monday, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported 41 cases in Massachusetts. Specimens of the newest presumptive cases will be sent to the Centers for Disease Control for confirmation. Testing by the state public health is considered presumptive until confirmed by the CDC. State officials said roughly 400 have been tested as of Tuesday afternoon. The state is receiving an additional 2,000 kits, expanding access to testing within Massachusetts. Seeking to keep the virus from continuing to spread, Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, joining neighboring states Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island in doing so. Baker warned Tuesday that more cases will be reported in the near future as more testing is done," due to the increase in availability of testing. Middlesex County - Massachusetts most populated county - has the highest number of cases as of Tuesday, with 41. Norfolk has the second highest number - 22 cases - followed closely by Suffolk County with 20. Berkshire is the only county in Western Massachusetts reporting coronavirus cases so far. The Berkshires has seven cases as of Tuesday. Worcester and Essex Counties each have one case. Of the confirmed and presumptive cases, six patients have been hospitalized. 62 have not. 24 remain under investigation. For the vast majority of people, the virus is not deadly. Older adults and people with underlying health concerns are the most at risk. Related Content: YPSILANTI, MI - Themes from research captured in his latest book examining the low-income African-American community in Ypsilanti are being presented by Alford A. Young during an upcoming discussion at the University of Michigan. Young, UMs Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Sociology, Afroamerican and African Studies, will speak about his latest book, From the Edge of the Ghetto: African Americans and the World of Work during a 6 p.m. panel discussion Thursday, March 12, at Forum Hall in Palmer Commons, 100 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor. You can RSVP for the event online. The panel discussion, CITY ON THE EDGE: Ypsilanti, African Americans and the World of Work, will focus on: What the future of work and the African American experience looks like outside of large cities How minorities and those in poverty perceive their employment opportunities How Michigan communities are preparing for a shifting economy The gender divide in the working class: whos better prepared to cope in the short term How to think beyond the work ethic as solely personal responsibility and dedication In From the Edge of the Ghetto: African Americans and the World of Work," Young provides extensive interviews with members of the low-income African American community in Ypsilanti to bring new insights about perceptions of and preparation for the future of work outside of the major cities and middle to upper-class society. Moderated by United Way for Southeastern Michigan CEO Darienne Driver Hudson, the event includes a brief interview with Young, followed by a panel discussion with H. Luke Shaefer, professor of Public Policy and Social Work and director of UMs Poverty Solutions, and Washtenaw County Administrator Gregory Dill. But as common as these new ideas about work may seem, there are many large, important groups with limited access to this new economy who are left struggling to understand how their job options can grow with these technological advances. How realistic is this vision of new economic opportunities if you dont live in a major city, are a member of a marginalized ethnic minority, and are part of an impoverished community? Young serves as associate director of UMs Center for Social Solutions and faculty director for scholar engagement and leadership at Michigans National Center for Institutional Diversity. He currently serves on the Ann Arbor YMCA board of directors. Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia is likely to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) triggering a crisis situation for the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh (MP). Scindia who is reportedly leading a group of 17 rebel Congress MLAs could join the rival party in the state. Sources told India Today TV that Scindia met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday night and the BJP is working on ensuring his entry into the BJP fold. 17 Congress MLAs who are believed to be the supporter of Scindia apparently went missing from MP on Tuesday. However, they were traced to Bengaluru in Karnataka. After the developments of Tuesday, MP Chief Minister Kamal Nath huddled into action and called a late-night meeting of his cabinet where around 20 out of 28 ministers resigned reposing faith in his leadership, PTI reported. Nath alleged that the BJP was adopting immoral ways to "destabilise my government" and vowed not to let it happen. After the dramatic developments, MP Forest Minister Umang Singhar told PTI, "We have resigned. Now it is up to the chief minister to take a call." Out of the 28 ministers, 20 were present at the cabinet meeting, besides the chief minister. Also Read: 'Utter rubbish': Jyotiraditya Scindia dismisses claims of MLAs gone missing The minister said they have requested the chief minister to reconstitute the cabinet, in an apparent move to quell dissent in the party by accommodating some of the rebel MLAs in the council of ministers. Nath, who had met party president Sonia Gandhi earlier in the day, had cut short his Delhi visit and rushed to Bhopal where he called the urgent cabinet meeting at around 10 pm after a faction led by senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia who, along with at least 17 legislators, went incommunicado, sparking intense speculation about the fate of his government. Many of these legislators, including ministers, had flown to Bengaluru Monday morning. Scindia, however, kept his cards close to his chest and there was no word from him on the developments. The BJP, meanwhile, called a meeting of its MLAs on Tuesday, where sources said Shivraj Singh Chouhan may be elected as the leader of the legislature party. Also Read: 'Never felt so scared': AAP, Congress, DMK, CPI(M) leaders express concern over Delhi violence Trouble has been brewing in the Congress ahead of Rajya Sabha polls as it had last week accused the BJP of trying to topple its government after 10 MLAs of the ruling party and those of its allies travelled to Haryana, though the BJP had denied the charge. Of them, eight had come back and many of them wanted ministerial berths, according to sources. However, two Congress MLAs have not yet returned. Scindia and Nath have fallen out over the post of the state Congress president, which is currently held by the chief minister. While calls made to Scindia by PTI remained unanswered on Monday, mobile phones of at least six ministers who are supporters of the Guna royal are switched off. The ministers whose mobile phones were switched off were health minister Tulsi Silavat, labour minister Mahendra Singh Sisodia, transport minister Govind Singh Rajput, women and child development minister Imarti Devi, food and civil supplies minister Pradyumna Singh Tomar and school education minister Dr Prabhura Choudhary. Sources said several legislators, including a few ministers, arrived in Bengaluru by chartered flights and were staying at an undisclosed location. "It is a fight for survival of Scindia now. It is a do or die battle for Scindia and his group which is being sidelined," a source close to the scion of erstwhile Gwalior kingdom said. Earlier in the day, a section of Congress leaders, mostly of Kamal Nath camp, demanded that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra be nominated from the state for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls, seen by many as an attempt to thwart Scindia's chance to reach the Upper House. Nath, who left for Delhi on Sunday night, was supposed to come back to Bhopal on March 12 after celebrating Holi, but returned after meeting Sonia Gandhi in the national capital, and went into a huddle with Digvijay Singh and other senior leaders at his residence, before calling the cabinet meeting. After the meeting with Gandhi, Nath said any decision on the party's nominees for Rajya Sabha polls would be taken unanimously. "All issues were discussed with the Congress president and everything will be resolved unanimously," he told reporters in Delhi. The Madhya Pradesh chief minister, however, skirted the issue of whether Scindia can be nominated for the Rajya Sabha seat from the state. Even as the government appeared to be on a sticky wicket, Public Relations Minister PC Sharma claimed, "It will last its full five-year term and there was no political crisis." "Just now we have handed over our resignations to the chief minister at the cabinet meeting, another minister Sajjan Singh Verma told reporters, adding that it was to express their solidarity with Nath. Earlier Nath told the cabinet meeting, "I will not allow (anyone) to destabilise my government with the help of mafia." "I have dedicated all my life to serving the people, but the BJP has indulged in immoral ways to destabilise my government. My biggest strength is people's faith and their love showered on me. I will not allow anyone to destabilise the government elected by the people," he said. While factionalism has reared its head again in the Congress, the BJP too was having some anxious moments due to a couple of MLAs. The Rajya Sabha terms of Congress veteran Digvijay Singh, and BJP leaders Prabhat Jha and Satyanarayan Jatiya will end on April 9. While the Congress, which was voted to power in MP after 15 years in 2018, has 114 MLAs, the opposition BJP has 107 legislators. Four Independent MLAs, two lawmakers of the Bahujan Samaj Party and one legislator of the Samajwadi Party are supporting the Congress-led state government. As per the arithmetic in the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly, the two parties are sure to win one Rajya Sabha seat each, but a tussle is likely for the third seat. Two assembly seats are vacant following the demise of a Congress and a BJP legislator. BJP MLA Narayan Tripathi had frequented Nath's residence last week and had, along with another legislator Sharad Kol, missed the saffron party's meet on March 3. Tripathi and Kol had gone against the party and voted in favour of a Congress-sponsored bill in the state Assembly in July last year. The BJP has called a meeting of its 107 MLAs on Tuesday ahead of the March 16 budget session of the state Assembly and the Rajya Sabha polls for three seats scheduled on March 26. Sources in Delhi said former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan may be elected as the leader of the BJP legislature party in the meeting on Tuesday. Chouhan, they added, has briefed the top party brass, including its president J P Nadda, about the developments in the state. The party had sent a list of 20 to 22 names, including that of national general secretaries Ram Madhav and Kailash Vijayvargiya, to its central poll panel to pick two candidates for the RS polls. Members of a state's Legislative Assembly vote in the Rajya Sabha elections. (With PTI inputs.) Pune: Several schools in the city have taken precautionary measures following the confirmation of positive coronavirus cases reported in the city. While some have declared leave for the next few days, others have issued precautions to be taken at school. Schools have sent notices to parents appealing that if their child is having any health issues then do not send them to school and their exams will be taken care of. The state education department has sent a proposal to the state education ministry about taking a decision on whether to give statewide holiday to school or only in Pune and Mumbai districts. In a circular issued by the state education commissioner Vishal Solanki, he has appealed to schools to take precautionary measures. We are in continuous dialogue with the state education department and I have forwarded a proposal to give leave to all schools in the state or may be in some districts. The decision will be taken by the education minister after discussing with the health ministry. said Solanki. The notice to parents sent by Vidya Pratishtan Nanded City Public School states As a precautionary measure, the school would remain closed from Wednesday (March 11) to Saturday (March 14). Further notification would be sent on Saturday (March 14). DSK Public School has also declared leave till March 14. A Pawar Public School notice to parents says, Dear Parents. Please do not send your child to school if he/she is suffering from any sickness like cough, cold, stomachache, loose motions, fever, acidity, headache, etc. Do not worry if he/she misses exams. The notice sent to parents by The Bishops School, Kalyaninagar reads, If your child is running a temperature, or has even a slight cold or cough, please keep him / her at home for a couple of days. So that the child gets the rest required to recover, while simultaneously ensuring that any possible infection remains contained and is not spread to a larger community. Kuwaiti officials have given the go-ahead for the construction of a new airport in the northern part of the country, said a media report. The establishment of the new airport comes in line with the proposals of the country's fourth structural plan. (Newser) An influential progressive group has urged its supporters to vote for Bernie Sanders now that Elizabeth Warren is out of the race. The Working Families Partywhich endorsed Sanders in 2016 but surprised some supporters this time around by backing Warrenthrew its support behind Sanders on Monday, saying Biden's past positions on issues including the invasion of Iraq and the 1994 crime bill are "at direct odds" with its values, Politico reports. WFP national director Maurice Mitchell says the group's leadership is "disappointed" that Warren left the race, but "Sanders' campaign is a natural home for Warren forces that are looking to get the job done," reports CNN. story continues below Sanders "will fight for a Green New Deal, universal health care, and a living wage for every worker. Organized capital won't rest and neither will we," Mitchell said in a statement. "We said from the very beginning that there were two progressive champions in this race, and that our North Star was to elect one of them as president. Now, the Working Families Party will marshal its grassroots supporters and staff to help Sen. Sanders win the nomination and defeat Donald Trump." Warren, who dropped out after disappointing results on Super Tuesday, has not endorsed another candidate ahead of this Tuesday's round of primaries. In a Saturday Night Live appearance, she joked that she might "pull a New York Times and endorse them both." (Read more Bernie Sanders 2020 stories.) Chicagoans are once again thrilling to one of the regions most dramatic signs of spring: the return of flocks of crimson-capped, 5-foot tall, loudly bugling sandhill cranes from as far away as Georgia and Florida. Neighbors have been alerting neighbors, Facebook birding pages have lit up with sightings, and text alerts have ricocheted back and forth among cellphones: The sandhills are coming! The sandhills are coming! HARTFORD About 50 people gathered on the steps of the state Supreme Court building Monday afternoon to protest a growing pattern of undercover raids and arrests by agents of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in state courthouses. In response, Chief Court Administrator Patrick L. Carroll III said he is also disturbed by the seizure of foreign-born people here without legal permission, but there is little he can do because courthouses are public buildings. Alok Bhatt of New Haven, community defense coordinator for the Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance (CIRA), said the point of the demonstration was to underscore a series of warrant-less arrests. We feel this is a problem for several reasons, on top of just excessive policing particularly of communities of color, it also disrupts the everyday operation of the courthouses themselves, he said. Oftentimes these arrests happen in very violent and abrasive fashion and this becomes a very disruption public scene. Bhatt said that in many cases judicial marshals who should keep a hands-off attitude toward ICE targets, have been helping the federal agents. Other jurisdictions around the country have at least taken some steps to prohibit ICE from entering unless they have a judicial warrant, which seems reasonable, Bhatt said, adding that the activists have heard before that state officials do not believe they can hinder ICE. The federal agents have been active in several courthouses, including Derby, Norwalk, Meriden and New Haven. In 2013, the state passed the so-called TRUST Act, which was updated last year, to limit cooperation between state marshals and ICE. Camila Bortolleto, a Danbury based activist and co-founder of CT Students for a Dream, said ICE has also been at the Danbury court house. Its not an everyday occurrence. ICE does wait for people to come out from their court appointment or before they go in. If they have a warrant or theyre looking for somebody theyll wait for them at the courthouse. Carroll, in a statement Monday noted that Chief Justice Richard Robinson and his predecessor Chase Rogers, formally asked Attorneys General William Barr and Jeff Sessions to stop ICE enforcement activities in Connecticut courts. The facts are clear: the Judicial Branch has sought the exact same thing that CIRA is seeking no ICE enforcement activity in the courts,Carroll said. As regards the request that we ban ICE from even entering our courts, we are being asked us to do something that we simply cannot do under the law. Pursuant to the Constitution, our courts are open and the Judicial Branch cannot ban anyone from our courts. We have trained and will continue to train our Judicial Marshals on the comprehensive requirements of Connecticuts Trust Act and also continue to assure compliance with the provisions of that law. The protesters also want ICE subpoenas to be rejected by the state Judicial Branch, the resignation of judicial marshals who assist ICE, and reparations for victims and families affected by ICE courthouse arrests. The demonstration was co-sponsored by the CT Bail Fund, Make the Road CT, the Hartford Deportation Defense, Planned Parenthood Votes! CT, and the CT Working Families Party. Justin Verlander has been down this road before, and isnt optimistic. The Houston Astros starter made it through just two of his scheduled four innings Sunday, and was pulled after feeling some soreness in his right arm. An MRI later revealed that it was mild lat strain, a similar injury that Verlander battled through in 2015 with the Detroit Tigers. So Verlander has been shut down, and the prospect of last years AL Cy Young award winner being ready for Houstons March 26 season opener looks pretty bleak. Verlander said this is not the worst-case scenario but also said later in his interview session It would probably take a miracle to be back before Opening Day. But I dont want to take miracles off the table. JV has a mild lat strain, similar to injury he had in 2015. pic.twitter.com/8RE2hXeGzm Alyson Footer (@alysonfooter) March 9, 2020 I would say it would probably take a miracle for me to be back by Opening Day, the 37-year-old Verlander told reporters. But I dont want to take miracles off the table. Talking with doctors and looking at the scans, its definitely not worst-case scenario. Best-case scenario would be nothing. Its just probably somewhere in the middle of that. When Verlander had a similar injury in 2015 with Detroit, he didnt make his season debut until June. That year, he had a 3.38 ERA in 133.1 innings for Detroit. Verlander had a 2.58 ERA in 233 innings with Houston in 2019. National stationery retailer Kikki.K has been placed into receivership as the country's brutal retail sector, coupled with "unprecedented" external factors, continues to claim victims. The company's founders expressed "profound regret and sadness" after announcing the closure late on Tuesday afternoon, blaming a "perfect storm" of conditions for the shutdown. This included Brexit in the United Kingdom, civil unrest in Hong Kong, and a "profound structural change" of shoppers buying more online. Kikki K was founded by Swedish entrepreneur Kristina Karlsson in 2001. Credit:Josh Robenstone Chief executive Paul Lacy also flagged a poor Christmas trading period and an "unprecedented line up of external factors" such as the coronavirus as reasons for the business' collapse. "Weve had the triple-whammy of soft consumer demand, the business impact of bushfires and more recently the unprecedented and profound impact of coronavirus which is hitting so many businesses and countries so hard," he said. "This unprecedented line-up of external factors, particularly in recent weeks, has really taken its toll. As we looked ahead we just didnt have the certainty we could keep going so have had to take this decision." Charlottetown's planning staff presented a detailed report of how short-term rentals have been hitting the city's housing market, and how regulations could change that. Robert Zilke, a community planner with the city, put forward five scenarios for short-term rental regulation. Zilke said planning staff did extensive research to come up with the report. The planning department looked at existing STR regulations in municipalities across Canada and consulted with David Wachsmuth, a professor with the School of Urban Planning at McGill University, who studies the short-term rental industry. "We did our homework and hopefully we move forward," Zilke said. Rapid growth The study looked at the where STRs are in the city, whether they operated year-round or seasonally, their impact on the housing market and the division between commercial operations and casual home sharers. The study found that STR listings were growing rapidly in Charlottetown, with a 7.9 per cent increase from 2018 to 2019. On Sept. 1, 2019 it found 635 active STR units in the city, but it judged only 193 of those, about 30 per cent, were units that would otherwise be part of the long-term housing market. That is still a significant number. CMHC counted 5,952 total rental units in Charlottetown in October 2019. The 1.2 per cent vacancy rate would represent about 71 units. The city estimates the vacancy rate in 2019 without dedicated STRs would have been 2.9 per cent. City of Charlottetown In addition to the impact on housing availability, the planning department looked at the impact on cost. It estimated STRs have contributed to a 37.7 per cent increase in rental costs since 2017. The study found only about 40 per cent of listings were registered with Tourism PEI, as they are required to be. Five scenarios for regulations The report laid out five scenarios for regulations, with decreasing degrees of restrictions. The scenarios divide STRs into three categories: principal residences that are apartments, principal residences that aren't apartments and commercial operations. Story continues Permit STRs in any principal residence except apartments, with no allowance for commercial STRs. Permit STRs in any principal residence including apartments, with no allowance for commercial STRs. Permit STRs in any principal residence except apartments, with allowance for commercial STRs in zones that would permit a hotel. Permit STRs in any principal residence including apartments, with allowance for commercial STRs in zones that would permit a hotel. Permit STRs in any principal residence including apartments, with allowance for commercial STRs in zones that would permit a hotel and in parts of the downtown. Zilke described scenario four as the most balanced. The report included projected impacts on housing and tourism for all five scenarios. Zilke emphasized the report presents draft options, and they are subject to change after public consultation. It depends on the robust enforcement strategy you have in place to make sure that the regulations are followed and adhered to. Robert Zilke, community planner The STR presentation was originally going to be held in a closed-session meeting, but Coun. Greg Rivard said the city's CAO Peter Kelly found out earlier that day through the city's legal team that these meetings were to be public, open-sessions. "So instead of taking it off the agenda, we just dealt with it tonight," Rivard said. According to Section 119 of the Municipal Government Act, council can close a meeting to the public for reasons such as human resource matters, personal information or commercial information that, if disclosed, would likely be prejudicial to the municipality or parties involved. Rivard said the city had three or four meetings about short-term rentals prior to Monday night's presentation. Public meeting scheduled Zilke said any of the five scenarios would help to increase Charlottetown's vacancy rate, which currently sits at 1.2 per cent. "Any regulatory framework will boost the vacancy rates because as it stands now, it's unregulated," he said. He said once the city adopts a regulatory bylaw, enforcement will be important. Isabella Zavarise/CBC "It depends on the robust enforcement strategy you have in place to make sure that the regulations are followed and adhered to," he said. Zilke said the draft recommendations will be presented to the planning board on March 13. If the draft bylaws are approved, they will then go to council who will vote on whether the bylaws should proceed to public consultation. Zilke said he encourages the public to look at all five of the draft scenarios and present any concerns they may have. "That's the whole purpose of public consultation is to receive that feedback and so that we can tailor those regulations to the community needs," he said. The tentative date for the public meeting is March 31. More from CBC P.E.I. With the 2020 election season well underway, NAFCU remains committed to supporting credit union champions running across the country. For credit unions looking to join NAFCUs advocacy, the association has a new resource page available and its Grassroots Advocacy Center to ensure candidates understand the issues facing the industry and our priorities. While presidential caucuses and primaries have been occurring across the country for more than a month, Super Tuesday last week was the kick off to congressional primary season. NAFCU monitored several races and the night saw wins for credit union champions. Tomorrow, six more states will hold presidential primaries and caucuses, and Mississippi will also hold its congressional primary. NAFCU will continue to engage in key races and back candidates who have track records of supporting credit unions to ensure a regulatory environment in which the industry can grow and thrive. The European Parliament has instructed vulnerable staff with a pre-existing health condition to work from home on account of increased personal risk related to the outbreak of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, according to sources and an email reviewed by TechCrunch. The European Commission confirmed its first cases of coronavirus last week, after a staffer at the European Defence Agency and another at the Council of the European Union tested positive. The former had recently returned from Northern Italy, while the latter is reported to have picked up the virus via local transmission in Belgium. In the email sent to European Parliament staff yesterday its administrative body gives authorization for all staff with "known pre-existing illnesses to stay home and apply for teleworking". Parliament staff who have traveled to a high risk zone for the spread of the infection -- listed in the email as: China, Hong Kong, Macau, South-Korea, Singapore, Iran, Japan and regions of Northern Italy -- had previously been instructed to self isolate for 14 days after returning from a trip. The email includes some smaller "local clusters" -- namely, in France: the Departments of Oise, Haute-Savoie, Morbihan and Haut-Rhin; and in Germany: Landkreis Heinsberg in North Rhine-Westphalia -- as active enough to also merit self isolation. "If during the last 14 days you have been in one of the areas or clusters that have been added, you must stay at home for 14 days following your return," is the latest instruction to parliament staff. "That also applies if you might already have been back in the office after your return." Those staff who have been teleworking for 14 days already after a trip are told they can return to the office -- "provided that you have absolutely no symptoms and none of your family members has been infected". The email also reiterates guidance that staff who feel ill or unwell should self isolate at home -- urging those who may have some flu-like symptoms but do not feel too unwell to work to "ask for teleworking". Story continues Activities not linked to core functions of the parliament were also cancelled for three weeks as of March 3, with visitor access from affected regions also locked down. In a separate coronavirus-related email sent to staff of the European Commission yesterday, commissioner Johannes Hahn reiterates the importance of employees taking precautionary measures -- such as high standards of hand hygiene, replacing missions with video-conference and "no more handshaking or kissing". "I encourage you to follow these measures as they help to protect all of us," he writes. "I wish to recall our basic principle that staff who have symptoms should stay at home." Per this email, Commission staff in Italy are continuing to be offered teleworking options with what Hahn describes as "the needed flexibility in those exceptional circumstances in line with the host countries measures". While staff returning from trips to affected regions of Northern Italy are "invited to telework for 14 days on their return". Although the email notes that this decree does not apply retroactively -- and staff who returned to work last week from one of the affected regions are specifically told they can come to work. "You are invited to monitor your health status until 14 days after you returned. If you develop any symptoms, you should stay at home," is the alternative suggestion. The memo to Commission staff also makes reference to a Commission staffer who tested positive last week. "Let me underline that necessary precautionary measures were already taken last week to protect the colleague and others - and I can reassure you that we will continue doing so. As we are all taking part in public life, nobody can exclude that more colleagues might be affected in the future. Therefore, I invite you all to deal with these situations with care and comprehension," Hahn writes. The email also highlights a two-day school closure at an unnamed European school which was waiting for test results of one child. In that case the test was negative, and the school will reopen this week, but Hahn adds: "Naturally, flexible working arrangements will be facilitated in such cases." We've reached out to the European Commission with additional questions on its approach to tackling COVID-19 -- including asking whether it has any contingency plans to expand teleworking to additional staff. Contributed Photo / contributed DANBURY A nursing professor at Western Connecticut State University will be inducted as a fellow in the American College of Nurse-Midwives this spring. Mary Ellen Doherty, a Ridgefield resident, has taught at the university since 2008 and has years of clinical experience as a certified nurse-midwife, maternal-child clinical nurse specialist, family nurse practitioner, childbirth educator and expert witness for the legal system. She has published two research books about nurses in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sixty is the new 45, 80 is the new 60, and 100 is well, really dang old. But even centenarians know that once you stop learning, you star... The Duchess of Sussex looked luminous as she attended the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey on Monday, wearing a green ensemble that closely resembled an outfit worn by Princess Diana in 1982. Meghan Markle, 38, cut a stylish figure as she attended her last official engagement in London before stepping down from royal duties alongside Prince Harry, 35, and returning to Canada. The mother-of-one opted for a caped emerald green dress by Emilia Wickstead and matching hat with a netted fascinator by William Chambers for the much-anticipated event yesterday. And, perhaps in a nod to her late mother-in-law, the look closely resembled that worn by Diana when she was pregnant with Prince William in 1982, aged 22, wearing a green coat dress and similarly netted fascinator. The Duchess of Sussex looked luminous as she attended the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey on Monday, wearing a green ensemble that closely resembled an outfit worn by Princess Diana in 1982. The mother-of-one opted for a caped emerald green dress by Emilia Wickstead and matching hat with a netted fascinator for the much-anticipated event yesterday In a nod to her late mother-in-law, the look closely resembled that worn by Diana when she was pregnant with Prince William in 1982, aged 22, wearing a green coat dress and similarly netted fascinator In the picture Diana can be seen attending Trooping the Colour on Buckingham Palace's balcony alongside Prince Charles, the Queen and Prince Philip, just 11 days before she was to give birth to eldest son Prince William on June 21 1982. The comparison between the two looks was quickly picked up by fan account 'Princess Diana Iconic', who shared a side-by-side of the two women. Captioning the snaps, 'New tribute in Meghan's look to Diana', they quickly racked up almost 4,000 likes. One fan wrote: 'I love both of them. They done lots of good thing for the world. One of them still survived in life, strongly supported by her significant others, and could make the other person really proud for having daughter in law like her.' Captioning the snaps, 'New tribute in Meghan's look to Diana', the fan account quickly racked up almost 4,000 likes. One fan wrote: 'I love both of them. They done lots of good thing for the world.' A third said: 'Ohhh right homage to Di!', while another added: 'Love Diana and Meghan. Beautiful women!'. Another added: 'Megan was rocking her outfit! She is beautiful!'. And a third said: 'Ohhh right homage to Di!', while another added: 'Love Diana and Meghan. Beautiful women!'. Meghan's elegant, long-sleeved dress is thought to be a bespoke creation by Wickstead, a favourite of both Meghan and the Duchess of Cambridge, 38. The fitted long-sleeved dress falls a few inches below the knee and features cleverly-placed darts on the torso and waistline that serve to flatter the Duchess's svelte frame. She introduced a contrasting texture with a 1,695 'Demi' satin green bag by socialite designer Gabriel Hearst, worn on previous occasions, and finished the look with a pair of nude heels by favourite footwear designer Aquazzura. When it came to jewellery, Meghan chose her beautiful diamond trio engagement ring and her trusty pair of 6,950 Stowstorm earrings by Canadian designer Birks. In the picture Diana can be seen attending Trooping the Colour on Buckingham Palace's balcony alongside Prince Charles, the Queen and Prince Philip, just 11 days before she was to give birth to eldest son Prince William on June 21 1982 Meghan wore an exquisite caped dress by Emilia Wickstead with a matching hat by William Chambers as she joined husband Prince Harry, 35 Prince Harry was particularly close to his mother, and in recent years has spoken about how her death affected him. Last May, Harry and Meghan included a touching tribute to the late Princess Diana in their announcement confirming they welcomed baby Archie to the world. A statement released by the Palace revealed that, in line with royal protocol, the Queen was among the first to be informed of the news. However - along with the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - Diana's siblings Lady Jane Fellowes, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Earl Spencer were also notified of the news. This differs from the birth of Prince Louis in April 2018, when Prince William and Kate informed The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry, along with 'members of both families'. PROVIDENCE, R.I. When the new coronavirus surfaced at Saint Raphael Academy after a school group returned from a trip to Italy, officials decided to close the Rhode Island Catholic high school for two weeks. Instead of cancelling classes, the school in Pawtucket instituted "virtual days" where students are expected to work from home, check for assignments through an online portal and occasionally chat with teachers. A few miles away, a public charter school also closed after a teacher who attended the same Italy trip awaited test results. But at Achievement First, the two days off were treated like snow days no special assignments and no expectation that kids keep up their schoolwork. As more schools across the United States close their doors because of the coronavirus, they are confronted with a dilemma in weighing whether to shut down and move classes online, which could leave behind the many students who don't have computers, home internet access or parents with flexible work schedules. As the closures accelerate, children at some schools, like Saint Raphael, will be able to continue some form of learning, while children at schools with fewer technological or other resources, may simply miss out. The deep technological and wealth gap that exists nationwide between poor and affluent students has made the coronavirus outbreak even more challenging for school officials, who are wrestling with not only health and safety decisions but also questions about the ethics of school closures. These deliberations have been playing out in schools all around the country during the outbreak, from urban districts in New York, Seattle and Los Angeles to rural ones in Nebraska and Pennsylvania. "If we shut down for a week or two weeks, and some of the kids can do it but some can't, what do you do?" said Edward Albert, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools. "There are some places that don't even have phone service." Although widespread closures are a new development in the United States, they are already a reality in nations that have been hit harder by the virus. The United Nations' education agency, UNESCO, says nearly 300 million children in 22 countries on three continents were being affected by school closures last week. In response, it has begun supporting online learning programs. In hard-hit Washington, education officials recommended against schools moving instruction online unless they can ensure equal access for all students, including those with disabilities or without internet access. The state's education agency advised schools that it would make more sense to cancel school and make up classes at the end of the year. "We want to discourage practices that disproportionately impact certain populations, especially those that are more at risk," said Rhett Nelson, director of alternative learning at the state's education department. Schools also have to consider whether closures are actually beneficial to public health. Very few cases have been found in children and teenagers, and experts caution schools to consider factors such as harm to a children's education and absenteeism among health care workers whose kids have to stay home. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. In Los Angeles, teachers are raising concerns about an emergency plan to move classes online. So far, it's unclear how the district would reach students whose families can't afford laptops or internet service, said Alex Orozco, of the district's teachers union. New York City officials have said closures would be a last resort, citing concerns that it would disrupt daily life for thousands of families. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday announced a new statewide policy: Any school where a student tests positive for coronavirus will be closed for at least 24 hours for officials to assess whether more steps are needed. A district in Oregon decided to stay open despite a student testing positive and being at his middle school last week. "Our schools are not only places where learning can continue, but where our students can be supported, supervised, and fed, which is a necessity for many families," Hillsboro School District said. Some districts plan to distribute Wi-Fi hotspots to students without internet access, and others say they will provide computers to every student. Public schools in Miami say they're readying more than 200,000 laptops ready to go home in case classes move online. In the Northshore School District near Seattle, which shifted its classes online as of Monday, officials are loaning computers and hotspots to students who need them. They're also providing to-go meals to address concerns about children who get free lunch going hungry. Dozens of U.S. schools have announced closures of one or two days to disinfect schools, and some are shutting down for longer. Public schools in Scarsdale, New York, are canceling classes through March 18 with no plans to move online after a school worker tested positive. The 64,000-student Elk Grove Unified School District near Sacramento, California, closed through Friday after a district family was placed on quarantine. Colleges were also moving classes online, including the University of Washington, Stanford University, Princeton University and Columbia. The closures have proved to be a boon for some online schools and tech companies that help schools teach online. Many say they're seeing increased demand for services, while some are offering to help schools for free. Among them is Google, which is giving schools free access to larger video conferences. The Leyden High School District near Chicago has been offering "E-Learning Days" for four years when bad weather arrives. All students are given tablets, and they can get free Wi-Fi hotspots if needed. But the practice is normally used only a day at a time, and Superintendent Nick Polyak questions whether it could be sustained for longer stretches. "We could do something really high-quality for a week. If it's a month, I don't know that we could," Polyak said. "Not every student can just log on to a computer and participate." Similar concerns have led some schools to plan for outright closures rather than virtual classes. An hour outside Lincoln, Nebraska, officials at Johnson-Brock Public School say they aren't considering online options because internet accessibility is too spotty in their rural community. Instead, the district of 250 students would plan to close and make up days later. Some other schools are planning for low-tech options, like packets of work that could be sent home every week. Even schools equipped with technology are considering that option for younger students who don't use online learning software. At the charter school in Providence, Achievement First closed for cleaning while it awaited a teacher's coronavirus test results. She ended up testing negative and the school reopened after just two days. Soraida Morales' three children attend the school. She still had to go to work at her pharmacy job, but was able to depend on her parents for childcare while she worked. They are also fortunate to have a laptop at home, a luxury that many families in the district don't have. The school serves a large number of English language learners, and the vast majority are considered economically disadvantaged. Holly Taylor Coolman has two sophomores at the Pawtucket Catholic school shut down for two weeks. She and her husband are both college professors and have the flexibility to stay home with them and their 4th grader, a decision they made so they would not put anyone else at risk. She jokes that her family is in "quaranteen" as she keeps her kids on a strict schedule to keep up with coursework online. She also recognizes that her family is fortunate to have the flexibility they do, and she wonders about what other families will do who don't have the same kind of privilege. "There's this much bigger question about how are kids faring right now, who don't have two parents at home or don't have any parent at home," she said. ___ Michelle R. Smith and Collin Binkley of The Associated Press wrote this story. AP writers Jennifer Peltz in New York and Carla Johnson in Seattle contributed to this report. Binkley reported from Boston. ___ The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. India Celebrates Holi amid Coronavirus Scare New Delhi, Tue, 10 Mar 2020 Sangita Roy The people of India are celebrating Holi, the festival of colors amid Coronavirus scare, people seen playing Holi wearing face masks. In many places people are scared and dont play with colors due to fear of the spread of dangerous Coronavirus. Coronavirus, which killed more than 4,000 globally is now creating a scare in India. As of today 46 confirmed cases of Coronavirus is found in India, globally more than 1,00,000 people confirmed with the Coronavirus infection. Many people came out on the street to play Holi with their friends, relatives and neighbors. In India, Holi is one of the most famous festivals, which is a festival of colors and people play with colors. This year due to Coronavirus fear many people skipped the Holi celebration with colors or they just played a little bit. We found many people playing Holi safely wearing face mask. This year Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided not to skip the Holi celebration gathering. PM Modi decided not to participate in the Holi Milan events amid Coronavirus scare in India. Many government and public events are already cancelled due to scare of Coronavirus spread. PM Modi Twitter post said Experts across the world have advised to reduce mass gatherings to avoid the spread of COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus. Hence, this year I have decided not to participate in any Holi Milan programme. , - pic.twitter.com/xfrfdNaduX Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 10, 2020 PM Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind extended their greetings on the occasion of Holi to the people of India wishing peaceful and joyful Holi. "Wishing everyone a Happy Holi! The festival of colours, Holi is a celebration of spring and fraternity in our society. May it bring peace, joy and prosperity to everyone`s life," the President tweeted. Wishing everyone a #HappyHoli! The festival of colours, Holi is a celebration of spring and fraternity in our society. May it bring peace, joy and prosperity to everyones life. President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) March 10, 2020 Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu also extends his wish of joyful Holi for the people, Vice President posted warm greetings and good wishes to the people". PM Modi previously twitted that that the government reviewed the preparedness of government in the wake of Coronavirus spread. As of today 46 confirmed cases of Coronavirus are reported in India, government and other health institutes of the country are working to stop the spread of Coronavirus in India. The global death due to Coronavirus infection reached over 4,000 globally and the scare has continued as the virus is spreading fast in the USA, India, Iran, Italy and other parts of the world. Globally, more than 1,10,000 confirmed cases of Coronavirus infection are reported worldwide. Holi is one of the most famous festivals of India, which is celebrated with colors through the country, but due to Coronavirus fear many people skipped the celebration of the festival. (Natural News) As probiotic products often contain live microorganisms such as bacteria or yeast, its important that people know exactly what theyre getting when they buy probiotic supplements. However, a study has found that most probiotic product labels are sorely lacking in the information that consumers need in order to make informed decisions about them. The study, conducted by researchers at the Georgetown University Medical Center, found out that only 35 percent of the probiotic products they sampled had labels that linked to the products medical efficacy. In addition, the study stated that while the remaining 65 percent of products might be supported by clinical studies, the researchers werent able to track down the evidence due to insufficient labeling. Digging deep into the labeling of probiotics To conduct their research, the team led by Dan Merenstein, director of research programs for the Department of Family Medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine, purchased 93 different bottles of probiotics from four large national probiotic retailers in the Washington, D.C. area. Using the labeling in the bottles, the team tried to see if they could track down the medical efficacy of the product from the labeling alone. To this end, the researchers considered a product to be supported by evidence if the label disclosed the strain of bacteria or yeast used and if the strain was stated to be present at a beneficial dose. In addition to this, the team also looked to see if at least on controlled human study supporting the use of the probiotic was listed on PubMed, a web-based search engine for biomedicine and health studies. Of the 93 bottles of probiotic supplements that they purchased, the researchers found that only 33 fit within their criteria. Merenstein also noted that just because a bottle had a higher number of strains, a higher dose or greater cost did not mean that it was associated with any medical evidence. It may be counter-intuitive to consumers, but we found that products with fewer strains and lower cost were more likely to be supported by evidence we could trace, sated Dr. Merenstein. An even greater cause for concern was the fact that none of the 33 bottles that fit within the teams criteria had labels that directly linked to evidence that the probiotics inside were clinically beneficial. This means that consumers would still have to do some legwork to get the information they need. Despite insufficient labeling however, probiotics do work. In 2014, a group of experts, including two who were involved in the Georgetown study, affirmed the definition of probiotics. They stated that probiotics are live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host. As the use of probiotics increases, more studies have come out that several strains work as intended. However, some studies have also shown that other strains dont work any better than a placebo. Manufacturers, on the other hand, are required to demonstrate that the probiotics they sell are labeled in a manner thats truthful and not misleading to the consumer. Of the 93 products, the researchers judged 67 to be unique based on their strain composition. This however included some that did not disclose strains on their label as their precise compositions could not be determined. Other products listed strains that were known to be beneficial, however, the dosages of these strains were not listed. As such, the researchers could not determine if these strains were present in an effective dose. (Related: Researchers look at the benefits of probiotic supplementation in elderly.) Getting the right probiotics With the issues regarding the labeling on probiotic products, choosing the right ones can be difficult. Fortunately, the study does give some hints as to how to get this information, such as by reading the label on the bottle and looking at resources online to know whats exactly inside the product. Another way to get your fill of probiotics, however, is through food. A number of foods come with probiotics, the most common of which are fermented dairy products like yogurt. Going for foods like these could be a better alternative to supplements. Sources include: GUMC.Georgetown.edu IntegrativePractitioner.com . ICON to Launch Campaign to End 'Silent Slaughter' in Nigeria Tony Perkins and Rev. Johnnie Moore to Speak About the Christian Humanitarian Crisis NEWS PROVIDED BY International Committee on Nigeria (ICON) March 9, 2020 WASHINGTON, March 9, 2020 / Christian Newswire / -- Nigerian Christians continue to be the target of attacks and victims of religious and systematic persecution -- with attacks becoming even more aggressive and daring under the current administration. Since 2015, more than 6,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria and more than 1,000 churches torched. Experts have warned the country may be nearing a tipping point and if the violence continues -- or gets worse -- the result could be economic, military and cultural upheaval around the world. The "Silent Slaughter" campaign is a global effort to stop the violence in Nigeria and bring awareness to the murder of Christians. ICON will launch the campaign in the U.S on March 11. Speakers at the conference will detail their first-hand experience in Nigeria and conversations they've had with victims and families impacted by the violence. Details for the news conference are as followed: WHAT: News conference to launch "Silent Slaughter" in the United States, ICON's global campaign to stop the ongoing assault on Christians in Nigeria. WHO: --Stephen Enada, Executive President and co-founder of International Committee on Nigeria (ICON) --Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council (FRC) and Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) --Reverend Johnnie Moore, founder and CEO of the KAIROS Company and President of The Congress of Christian Leaders, and Commissioner of USCIRF WHEN: Tuesday, March 11, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time WHERE: National Press Club, First Amendment Room, 529 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20045 Please RSVP to Elizabeth Heaton to receive security code required to attend: elizabeth@eahstrategiesllc.com About International Committee on Nigeria (ICON) International Committee on Nigeria is a consortium of Nigerians and other nationalities who have combined efforts to help Nigeria. Our mission is to create a community where rule of law guides every facet of societal interactions in Nigeria. ICON promotes human dignity, the right to live, religious freedom, and the protection of the vulnerable against all forms of persecution. SOURCE International Committee on Nigeria (ICON) This story was originally published by Undark and has been republished here with permission. For Kim West, dressing for work doesnt end at home. After arriving at her office at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, West will often layer a second outfit over her shirt and slacks: a full-body gown, topped with booties, sleeve protectors, two pairs of gloves, a hairnet, and an N95 respirator. Donning this extravagant getupdesigned to guard against the dangerous and often airborne pathogens she studieshas become second nature for West, who long ago lost track of the sheer amount of protective gear she cycles through each year. Advertisement She is now counting down the days until that pattern will break. As the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus continues to spread across the globe, research laboratories have found their supplies of personal protective equipment rapidly dwindling. In particular, a shortage of N95srecently the target of panic purchasing by customers hoping to stave off infectionthreatens to hamstring scientists like West, who make their living investigating the very microbes that put the public at greatest risk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement West runs UMass Medicals Biosafety Level 3 facilityso designated because it deals in potentially deadly and inhalable microbeswhere she and her colleagues grow the bacteria that cause tuberculosis, the worlds top infectious killer. Its crazy, she said. We have so many people who use N95s on a daily basis. If all of a sudden we cant get in there to do our work, we will lose the ability to do research. Advertisement Advertisement Named for their ability to filter out 95 percent of airborne particles, N95s do protect against illnesses, including Covid-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. But experts have repeatedly implored the public to stop buying the respirators, which are both easy to misuse and unlikely to keep most healthy people from falling ill. All the same, N95s have flown off pharmacy shelves and vanished from online retail sites, with some fetching prices as high as $195. Hospitals and clinics remain a priority for manufacturers of the masks, which protect medical professionals as they treat sick patients. But if shortages persist, infectious disease research may soon become another casualty of the outbreak, as scientists are forced to hit the pause button on high-risk projects. Advertisement We can be creative, said Joan Nichols, associate director of the Galveston National Laboratory in Texas, home to another BSL3 facility thats also grappling with equipment shortages. But at the end of the day, we cannot do this work unless were protected properly. And thats going to be an issue. Unlike loose-fitting surgical masks, N95s are built to seal tightly around the nose and mouth, warding off the vast majority of microbes and small particles that could infect or irritate the airways. Cheap and easy to manufacture in large quantities, the respirators have found markets in fields ranging from construction work to animal husbandry and clinical research, typically selling for less than a dollar apiece. Advertisement Advertisement Since the start of 2020, however, prices have skyrocketed in lockstep with the global spread of Covid-19 cases, which now number well above 110,000. Health workers have burned through supplies of the respirators, which are often mandated as single-use in high-risk and heavily contaminated settings. Compounding the severity of the masks shortage is their source: Many N95s, including ones supplied to the United States, are manufactured in Chinas Hubei province, where the outbreak first began in December. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The truth is, it is very difficult to get N95s right now, said Sara Cherry, a virologist at the University of Pennsylvanias Perelman School of Medicine. If you were only going to be dependent on N95s, you would probably be concerned right now. While N95 manufacturers have committed to ramping up production, the backlog has already become severe. Every major manufacturer that typically stocks UMass Medicals BSL3 has the respirators on back order until at least June, said West, who has turned to cobbling together what she can from lesser-known boutique sellers (which she is careful not to name, to guard her own supply). In Galveston, meanwhile, Were not given a date that says we may get the respirators, Nichols said. It just says the order cant be filled. Their lab is still waiting on a shipment that was scheduled to arrive in January. I dont see a chance of us getting that filled anytime soon, she said. Advertisement Thats an especially big problem, she adds, considering that Galvestons BSL3 is one of many nationwide now studying SARS-CoV-2. If this gets worse and we run out of these materials, research is going to have to slow down, she said. You need to develop new kits, new diagnosticsyou need to look at whats happening with the natural biology of this new virus thats emerged. There are so many things you need to do now because it will help with how were managing as this moves ahead. Advertisement Advertisement N95s already in stock at some laboratories have also begun to disappear. Since Covid-19 was first reported within U.S. borders, UMass employees have been taking handfuls out and just walking out the door, she said. (Most researchers have since begun stashing their equipment in more covert spots.) West has even received requests from acquaintances hoping to swipe a mask for personal outings, including someones recent trip to Myrtle Beach. Obviously, she said, the answer is always no. Advertisement In a Biosafety Level 3 facility, where the simple act of dropping a tube can prompt evacuation and hours of rigorous decontamination, N95s dont get reused. With about three dozen researchers passing in and out of the facility on a regular basis, UMass BSL3 goes through a couple hundred of the respirators a month. By Wests latest counts, only about six weeks worth of N95s remain in her inventory. Some behavioral changeslike being more prudent about entering and exiting the facility, which always requires a mask changemight help delay the inevitable. But running out, West said, is no longer a question of if, but when. To prepare, other BSL3 facilities, like the one Cherry uses at Penn, have decided to switch mostly to powered air-purifying respirators, or PAPRs (pronounced pappers). These are reusable, battery-driven machines that pump filtered air into a hood that entirely shrouds the users head. But the devices are far more expensive than their disposable counterparts, and lab managers must regularly replace the hoods, which corrode after repeated sterilizations with harsh microbe-killing chemicals. Not all labs have the resources to purchase and maintain PAPRs for constant use, and as with N95s, the current outbreak has vendors struggling to keep them in stock. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cherry, who began rallying resources in January after noticing the plunge in N95 availability, thinks Penns BSL3 will have enough PAPRs to weather at least the next couple of months. I dont think this is going to have long-term repercussions, she said. But I guess time will tell. Advertisement Advertisement All the experts Undark spoke with stressed that the protective equipment needs of health workers, currently battling the pandemic around the world, take precedence. I would give everything I have over to the hospital if we needed to, Nichols said. Yet as the outbreak continues to evolve, the research world will need to keep pace. There is a national imperative to deal with coronavirus, said Bryan Bryson, who runs a tuberculosis-focused lab at the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Harvard University. In this BSL3, there are no N95s to be seen: All personnel wear PAPRs, and the well-funded institution retains a hefty cache of these and other protective equipment. If we experience a shortage for our lab research that we can theoretically put on hold for a little while, Bryson said, then we just put it on hold. Advertisement The current situation, he added, is a reminder of the agility required for scientific research. Advertisement Hiccups and hurdles, after all, are a normal part of the scientific process. And equipment deficits certainly arent new: Nichols recalls a similar run on masks in the wake of the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus pandemic, which infected about 1 billion people worldwide. Since then, shes been diligent about stockpiling protective equipment. But any facilities that face a potential shutdown could take months to recover. Wests projects, especially those that involve animal infections, typically take many months to complete. In addition, grant money is doled out in annual cycles, so there may be a lag before facilities are able to recoup financial support for paused experiments. If you cant do this initial work to get preliminary data, youre not going to be able to put a grant in, Nichols said. If researchers have grants in process or have a contract with the National Institutes of Health, she added, they may not be eligible for payments. Advertisement Advertisement West has resolved to keep more N95s on hand when supplies bounce back. I will squirrel away a case or two of each of my N95 masks in a secret hiding hole that would come out in times like this, she said. But that strategy isnt foolproof: Respirators expire, and funds are limited. Working for a small facility, she said, I have a very finite budget. I dont have the ability to say, I need $10,000 to buy all these masks. Advertisement Advertisement Nichols said its especially frustrating to see respirators being bought up, price-gouged, and misused. Earlier this month, she encountered a man in a Walmart parking lot who had obliviously strapped on an N95 upside down, with the nosepiece hovering over his chin. Advertisement Research personnel undergo intensive training to learn how to properly use the masks, which must first be individually fit-tested to ensure a tight, protective seal. Even removing the respirators isnt trivial, Cherry said. People who fiddle with an N95s exterior before touching their face can end up moving microbes from mask to skin, obviating the point of wearing the respirator at alland potentially increasing risk of infection. As for the public, the only protective equipment that healthy people should don is called common sense, Bryson said. The best thing for people, he added, is being aware of what their health situation is, and knowing whether or not theyre sick. And knowing whether self-isolation is necessary. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. Australia's hospitals will be swamped by thousands of coronavirus patients within a month and push an already strained health system beyond its limits, experts say. The alarming prediction came as Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday night announced a $2.4billion medical response package, which includes pop-up testing clinics and bulk-billing of phone consultations with GPs. It comes as Southern Cross university said it would close campuses in NSW and Queensland after a staff member tested positive for coronavirus. Cases of COVID-19 are doubling every six days around the world - and a similar rate is predicted in Australia. Experts have said the cash boost may do little to prevent local hospitals becoming packed to the brim in the coming weeks. Professor Raina MacIntyre, the head of Biosecurity at the University of New South Wales's Kirby Institute, said Australia's rate of infection could soon be on par with the rest of the world. Experts say Australia's hospitals will be swamped by thousands of coronavirus patients within a month. South Australia Hospital staff are seen simulating a drive through coronavirus testing at the Repatriation Hospital in Adelaide on Tuesday Australia's hospitals will be swamped with thousands of coronavirus patients in the coming weeks - experts have warned. Pictured: People line up outside the Royal Melbourne Hosital for coronavirus testing on Tuesday A massive queue formed outside the Royal Melbourne Hospital as people wearing face masks wait to get their symptoms tested 'Basically the doubling time of the epidemic is six days. So it's going to get worse very, very quickly,' Professor MacIntyre told The Australian. 'If it becomes widespread, there is the potential for the health system to be overwhelmed.' With 116 confirmed cases in Australia as of Wednesday morning, the number could climb to more than 3,200 patients within four weeks. Emeritus professor John Dwyer, an immunologist with UNSW, said the government is making a major effort to stop in the spread of coronavirus infection, but more testing is needed to minimise fatalities. 'The vast majority of cases will not face serious consequences, their symptoms could be minor, but they can infect vulnerable people who will die. So we need a lot more testing,' he said. Meanwhile, free phone consultations with GPs and pop-up clinics to help hospitals handle demand will form part of the government's $2.4 billion coronavirus response. The government released its health package on Tuesday night, on top of its $10billion stimulus package, promising further measures were on the way. Mystery surrounds three new COVID-19 cases as authorities scramble to find the sources Three new cases of coronavirus have left authorities baffled as they scramble to find the source of their infection. A woman in her 30s, a woman in her 40s and a man in his 70s are among the latest cases of COVID-19 in New South Wales, where the total now stands at 61. NSW Health is yet to tell the public where the patients are from or what places they may have visited. Urgent contact tracing for the trio was underway on Tuesday night, as the national figure for confirmed cases climbed to 116. Advertisement It will establish 100 pop-up clinics across Australia to divert people who may be infected away from hospitals. From Friday, Australians will be able to completely bulk-bill phone hook-ups with GPs to diagnose coronavirus symptoms. It comes as Health Minister Greg Hunt says more than half of Australia's cases had recovered and it was unlikely people could be infected twice. 'I think that's a very important message to Australians,' Mr Hunt said. 'So now is the moment of pressure ... this is a once-in-50-year challenge that we face. Mr Hunt said it won't be necessary to introduce a country-wide travel ban like in Italy, although Qantas has slashed flights by nearly one quarter and more temporary schools closures are likely. There are an estimated 114,000 cases in 107 countries across the world, with more than 4,000 recorded deaths. Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government announced on Tuesday a $2.4 billion coronavirus response package which includes pop-clinics and bulk-billing of phone consultations with GPs Images have shown hundreds of people line street corners waiting to be screened outside coronavirus testing centres across Australia. The queue outside a test centre at Royal Melbourne Hospital ran for half a block on Tuesday evening, with scores of possible patients wearing face masks as they waited for a doctor's examination. Officials have confirmed more than 9,000 people have been tested in New South Wales alone, the country's worst affected state. Amid the chaos, the Federal Government's Healthdirect hotline - which lets people with symptoms speak to registered nurses - repeatedly hung up on callers on Tuesday. 'We are currently experiencing technical difficulties and are unable to answer your call at this time,' callers were told from mid-morning until early in the afternoon. Some calls got through, others did not. Some patients said they are so frustrated with the testing process that they have given up and thrown themselves in self-quarantine. Federal health plan to tackle coronavirus OVERALL * $2.4 billion to deal with health impacts. * Medicare item so health services can be delivered by audio or video to people with symptoms at home * Respiratory clinics * National communications campaign. FEVER CLINICS * Up to 100 'pop-up respiratory clinics' set up across Australia at a cost of $205 million to test those concerned they may be sick * Will divert people with mild or moderate symptoms away from emergency departments and GPs. * Clinics staffed by doctors and nurses will be able to see up to 75 patients a day over six months. MEDICARE ITEM * A new item will be created at a cost of $100 million, so people at home in self-isolation and quarantine can access health services and reduce the risk of exposure to others. Will start Friday and be fully bulk-billed * If someone has a chronic disease, like a lung condition, and is at risk if they contracted the virus, they could consult their GP via Skype or FaceTime COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGN * $30 million campaign to start this week, using television, radio, print, digital, social media, public transport, shopping centres and doctors' waiting rooms. Advertisement The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has followed US authorities in advising citizens, especially those with underlying health concerns, to reconsider taking an overseas cruise as the outbreak continues to spread. Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said there had been some confusion about who needed to be tested, saying it was only returned travellers from overseas with symptoms like a cough or sore throat. Three schools in NSW and Victoria shut on Tuesday after three students tested positive to COVID-19, with similar temporary closures likely. 'School closures, I think, will become the norm as we go ahead but we are doing everything we can to keep our children safe,' Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan told Nine's Today program. The minister was asked why schools were being closed for a day or two, while people with or suspected of having the virus are being told to self-isolate for two weeks. 'The schools have been closed for a day so they can be thoroughly cleaned,' he replied. Health Minister Greg Hunt (pictured) says more than half Australia's cases had recovered and it was unlikely people could be infected twice Three people have died from coronavirus in Australia and Sydney is the worst hit city, recording the most cases in the country. On Tuesday, six more people were diagnosed with COVID-19 in NSW, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 61. NSW Health said one of the new patients, a woman in her 30s, is a relative of a Sydney aged care facility resident who died from coronavirus. The department has also contacted students and teachers from a Sydney TAFE class after it was discovered an infected person attended for two days while potentially infectious. Health security expert from the University of Sydney Adam Kamradt-Scott told the Sydney Morning Herald while the coronavirus could 'disseminate widely', Sydney has experienced a cluster of cases. 'The outbreak in Australia is unfolding just like we'd expect, we've seen imported cases initially and where imported cases slipped through the net of our surveillance system, we've then seen small clusters of cases emerge,' he said. Inside Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, patients waiting to see a doctor were seated more than a metre apart to prevent the spread of the virus People waiting to be tested at Royal Prince Alfred were separated from one another and told to keep their masks on In late January, the first cases of coronavirus in New South Wales were people who had contracted the virus in China. But over the last week, the state has seen an increased amount of patients contracting COVID-19 without international travel. Meanwhile, Qantas has slashed the capacity of its international flights by almost one quarter for the next six months due to the virus' impact, a decision that will ground 38 planes. On Tuesday, three more cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Queensland, including a man and woman who had travelled to Europe. The 22-year-old man visited Spain, Italy and France while the 46-year-old woman was in Austria and France, Queensland Health said in a statement. The third new case involves a 42-year-old woman from the Sunshine Coast who is in a stable condition in Sunshine Coast University Hospital. People wear face masks in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Monday, March 9 She is the partner of a 38-year-old woman who on Sunday tested positive to COVID-19 after having recently travelled from London through Dubai. 'Contact tracing is underway for these three new cases, in addition to the previously confirmed cases,' Queensland Health said. A total of 18 people in Queensland have been confirmed with COVID-19, of which eight patients have been clinically cleared and discharged from hospital. Victorians have been told all their schools may be closed and entire sectors forced to work from home when the coronavirus reaches a pandemic phase. Premier Daniel Andrews has warned the measures are laid out in the state's COVID-19 pandemic plan, released on Tuesday. Another three cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the state on Tuesday, including the first locally transmitted. In South Australia, a formal drive-through coronavirus testing station has been set up at an Adelaide hospital to ease pressure on GPs They bring the total number of coronavirus cases in Victoria to 18. Mr Andrews says it is not a matter of if but when Victoria will move into a pandemic phase with rapid transmission of the virus. 'We will need to ask Victorians to do things we have never asked them,' he told reporters. The plan includes the 'inevitability' all schools will close for some time and entire sectors or workforces will have to work from home, he said. Big events will also have to be called off. 'Now's not the time for those things but that time will come and it's appropriate, just like fire - to be frank with people.' In South Australia, a formal drive-through coronavirus testing station has been set up at an Adelaide hospital to ease pressure on GPs. Patients will drive through the site at the Repatriation Hospital, wind down their windows and be tested directly out of the car window by SA Pathology nurses. Those tested will have a swab taken from the back of their throat and nose from the comfort of their driver's seat. The service is only offered for people referred by their general practitioner. Coronavirus test clinics overrun with people, patients waiting three hours to be seen and a help hotline that's CRASHED: Inside Australia's 'shambolic' response to those with virus symptoms Images show stunning scenes outside coronavirus testing centres as hundreds of people line street corners waiting to be screened. The queue outside a test centre at Royal Melbourne Hospital ran for half a block on Tuesday evening, with scores of possible patients wearing face masks as they waited for a doctor's examination. Officials have confirmed more than 9,000 people have been tested in New South Wales alone, the country's worst affected state. There are 103 confirmed cases nationwide, 55 in NSW. The line outside the Royal Melbourne Hospital ran for half a block - as the total number of cases nationwide topped 103 The view from Sydney: A queue outside the Concord Hospital COVID-19 clinic. Clinics across the state now have special signs At Concord Hospital, in Sydney's west, prospective patients sat on plastic chairs and leaned against the fence outside a hastily set-up clinic. Inside the city's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, people waiting to see a doctor were seated metres apart from one another to minimise the chance of the virus spreading. Several patients who have sought tests have complained of contradictory advice from health workers. 'If this is our world class response, its a bloody shambles,' said traveller Adam Dennis, who tried and failed to get tested after suffering possible symptoms upon returning from Italy. Take a seat: Prospective patients at Concord Hospital were seated on plastic chairs outside a hastily set up clinic Inside Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, patients waiting to see a doctor were seated more than a metre apart to prevent the spread of the virus People suffering possible coronavirus symptoms flocked to Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (left and right). The clinic is isolated from the hospital's main emergency ward Fear of a possible pandemic in Australia has mounted as Italy introduced drastic quarantine measures to prevent the spread of the virus in Europe. Some schools and workplaces have closed their doors amid coronavirus scares while supermarkets have struggled to restock toilet paper following bizarre stockpiling. Amid the chaos, the Federal Government's Healthdirect hotline - which lets people with symptoms speak to registered nurses - repeatedly hung up on callers on Tuesday. 'We are currently experiencing technical difficulties and are unable to answer your call at this time,' callers were told from mid-morning until early in the afternoon. Some calls got through, others did not. Likewise, Victoria's own dedicated COVID-19 phone line and the Nurse-On-Call Hotline crumbled under the pressure 'experiencing system issues due to extraordinary call volumes'. 'We thank the community for their patience as we work to increase the capacity of the hotlines - including putting on additional staff,' Ambulance Victoria said in a statement. The state's Premier Daniel Andrews has warned of 'extreme measures' to prevent the spread of the disease in the future. 'It's not an if or if not, it's simply a matter of when,' Mr Andrews warned. Enterprising doctors in both Victoria and South Australia have begun 'drive-through' swab tests in their car parks to minimise contact with patients. GP Mukesh Haikerwal told Radio 3AW: 'They park outside the building and we go out one entrance that is okay to go out of to do the swabs, collect the swabs and they can go off and self-isolate until their result comes back.' One doctor's unique method: Dr Mukesh Haikerwal - a GP from Altona North in Melbourne's south-west and former president of the Australian Medical Association - has resorted to swabbing patients from their cars outside his clinic Dr Haikerwal gets get gowned up with an apron, mask, shoe covers and an incineration bag before venturing to the car park to test patients A South Australian clinic has taken a page from Dr Haikerwal's book and is likewise performing drive-thru tests Some patients said they are so frustrated with the testing process that they have given up and thrown themselves in self-quarantine. Adam Dennis returned to Sydney from coronavirus ravaged northern Italy on March 1. Mr Dennis called doctors with the intention of getting medically clearance before returning to work. But he said the 'world class response' he expected from the Australian government was instead 'a bloody shambles'. In a Twitter thread, he detailed just how difficult it was for him to get tested for the disease. Mr Dennis said he had a cough, but as a smoker who has a 'voice like blending gravel' regardless of illness, he wasn't sure if he should be concerned. He showed no other symptoms but hoped to get medical clearance to give those around him peace of mind. But found there were so many roadblocks to getting tested that he never actually followed through with it. First, Mr Dennis called the government's Healthdirect coronavirus hotline on 1800 022 222. He was placed on hold for more than 30 minutes due to a large volume of calls. The hotline has been criticised since it was first introduced, with some people claiming it seems to cut off at about 8pm AEST every night, despite advertising as a 24/7 service. (Authorities say the public information line did not start as a 24/7 service but has been running at all hours 'for a little while now'). When Mr Dennis finally spoke with an operator last week, he was told to book a test with his local GP. 'I said, ''but aren't GPs refusing to test'',' he said. 'But I was told that while some were, I should try anyway.' Mr Dennis had some doubts, but tried his luck with his local GP regardless. The 'helpful receptionist' booked him in for a test over the phone and said to let them know when he arrived so they could provide him with a mask. But within 30 minutes, he received another phone call from the practice manager, who told him he was not allowed in the centre. He was told: 'No way. Do not come here in case you are infected.' Perth medical staff speak to patients in a testing queue outside Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital Instead, he was directed to the coronavirus clinic at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, and was assured he wouldn't need to prebook an appointment. But he changed his mind after hearing rumours of a '300 person queue' at the clinic. 'There were reports of a 300 person queue ... Surely the best way to catch the virus is to stand for hours in line with 300 potential carriers.' A spokeswoman for Royal Prince Alfred Hospital said: 'Yesterday, a maximum of about 25 to 30 patients were waiting at any one time. 'Most patients were through the clinic within about two to three hours. 'Our staff are working very hard to see people quickly and we thank everyone for their understanding.' People wear face masks in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Monday, March 9 But for Mr Dennis, it was too late. He opted against visiting the clinic and instead called around to other testing facilities he knew of in Sydney. None could offer him a safe way to find out if he was carrying the disease 'In essence, I couldn't get safely tested,' he said. 'What a joke. If this is our world class response, its a bloody shambles'. Mr Dennis decided to self quarantine and work from home just in case more symptoms presented. He said he has now been at home for 10 days, and will likely stay indoors for at least the next four days. He has since been told that people are reporting easier access to testing, especially for high risk people like himself who returned from coronavirus impacted areas. But others claim the system hasn't improved at all. Tara Pokarier presented at hospital, concerned she might be infected. She said she was there on the advice of her local GP after suffering from coronavirus symptoms for seven days. But she claimed she was 'turned away for testing because they're inundated,' she said. 'What's more, is they ran out of masks.' Ms Pokarier said she was told to seek work clearance from her GP, but when she called to let her doctor know, she was informed they were not able to provide 'clearance'. Across the globe, medics are taking no chances when testing potential carriers. This nurse in southwestern France wore a mask and full suit before testing patients People have complained on Twitter about the treatment they've received in attempting to be tested Not everyone's experiences have been bad. Another Twitter user, who had recently returned from Thailand, rang the coronavirus hotline yesterday after waking up with a cough, fever and runny nose. '(They) told me to go straight to ED and tell them I had been cleared for testing. (I) walked in and had test straight away.' Both the user and her friend were told to wear face masks to Canterbury hospital and it was all over quickly. 'All in all 60 mins on phone and about 45 (in) hospital ... They weren't that busy and definitely no waiting.' The latest figures from NSW Health say more than 9,000 have been tested for coronavirus in New South Wales alone. 613 cases are currently under investigation. 103 people have been diagnosed with the deadly disease across the nation and three have died. Globally, the infection has spread to more than 114,000 people across 112 countries, and killed at least 4025. - With the Australian Associated Press (AAP) People waiting to be tested at Royal Prince Alfred were separated from one another and told to keep their masks on Liam Gallaghers son and Ringo Starrs grandson have been handed a 2021 court date after allegedly sparking a late-night fight in a branch of Tesco Express in Hampstead, north London. Gene Gallagher, Sonny Starkey and their model friend Noah Ponte pleaded not guilty to charges of affray and using or threatening unlawful violence. Mr Ponte was also charged with racially aggravated common assault. The trio appeared at Wood Green Crown Court on 9 March, when they were told their trial was to begin on 18 January, 2021. Prosecutor Alexander Agbamu said: Were looking at a trial of between seven and eight days, all defendants being on bail. Highbury Corner Magistrates Court heard last November that when a shopkeeper tried to stop them leaving the store, both Mr Gallagher and Mr Starkey were described as windmilling down the aisle. Mr Ponte is also alleged to have racially abused Tesco worker Shium Patel. You bloody Indians. Go back to where you came from. Youre not wanted here, he allegedly told the employee. The altercation was said to have begun after Mr Ponte was prevented from buying a can of beer after the stores 11pm cut-off for alcohol purchasing. Additional reporting by Press Association Iran says the novel coronavirus has killed 54 more people in the country, raising the death toll to 291. The number of officially recorded cases in the country rose to 8,042, more than 881 over the previous day, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told a televised news conference on March 10. Jahanpur said that 2,731 patients have been sent home from the hospital after making a recovery. Iran is the hardest-hit country in the Middle East by the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected more than 110,000 people globally and killed over 4,000. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced that medical staff who die after contracting the virus will be considered martyrs. The families of those designated martyrs, typically from the security forces, receive financial aid and other benefits from the state. Khamenei also canceled his annual speech in the city of Mashhad next month to mark the Persian New Year due to concerns about the virus. Meanwhile, the country's official government news agency IRNA reported that 36 Iranians died of alcohol poisoning after consuming tampered alcohol in the southwestern city of Ahvaz. The report said that "consuming fake alcohol has occurred due to the spread of rumors that drinking alcohol would prevent the coronavirus infection." Ali Ehsanpour, spokesman of Ahvaz Jondi Shapur University of Medical Sciences, was quoted as saying that a total of 270 people were admitted to hospitals for treatment. The deputy public prosecutor of Khuzestan Province, Ali Biranvand, said seven individuals were arrested for selling fake alcoholic drinks. Most of the coronavirus infections in Iran have been recorded in the capital, Tehran, and the central province of Qom. The authorities have closed schools and universities, suspended major cultural and sporting events, and reduced working hours across the country to slow the contagion. In Pakistan, meanwhile, nine more people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, increasing the nationwide count to 16, officials say. In a tweet late on March 9, top health official Zafar Mirza said that all nine were from the southern city of Karachi, the capital of Sindh Province, which has reported a total of 14 cases. "All these cases are contacts of an already confirmed case. Further contacts are being traced and tested," Mirza wrote. Five of the nine were said to have recently traveled from Syria via Doha, Qatar. The four others reportedly traveled from London to Karachi via Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Officials in the southwestern province of Balochistan told RFE/RL that all Pakistanis crossing the border with Iran were being screened. Those with symptoms of coronavirus are being quarantined at four centers established at the border, provincial government spokesman Liaquat Shahwani said. "Every day between 350 and 500 people come from Iran across the border," Shahwani said. "We have quarantined 4,000 people for now." Pakistan has closed its border with Iran as a precautionary measure against the spread of the virus but allows Pakistanis to return home. Pakistani authorities have closed the country's border with Afghanistan for another seven days, Shahwani said. Both Qatar and Saudi Arabia have banned flights to and from Pakistan. Serbia Closes Border Also on March 10, Serbia closed its borders for travelers from countries most affected by the coronavirus outbreak in a bid to prevent the spread of the disease. The temporary ban applies to people arriving from Italy, certain provinces in China, South Korea, Iran, and Switzerland, the government said. Medical workers are also banned from traveling to affected areas, according to a statement. It did not say how long the measures would last. Four people, including a Chinese national, have tested positive for the coronavirus in Serbia. A total of 108 people had been tested for coronavirus by March 10, according to the Health Ministry. With reporting by RFE/RL's Balkan Service, AFP, Radio Farda, Radio Mashaal, the BBC, AP, dpa, and Dawn Opinion Article 10 March 2020 Uncertain times are a catalyst for change, especially within the hospitality industry. Hospitality, after all, has always held a somewhat notorious reputation for being reluctant to change. While other sectors are, by nature, more malleable to new-edge advancements and best practices, our industry often takes its time, testing the waters long before making the commitment to dive in. That is until a global event inspires disruption that simply can't be ignored. A worldwide crisis, natural disasters, weather changes, the implementation of new laws, and, of course, economic and political instability all have a measurable, undeniable impact on how hotels and travel brands do business. But these variables do more than affect the financial success of these companies, and they often lead companies to look beyond their current way of doing business and look to alternatives methods. Key Disruptors Over the Last Twenty Years In 2001, we collectively grieved over the September 11th terrorist attacks. In 2003, the world was faced with the SARS epidemic, and, later in 2008, we experienced a significant recession. Of course, these are only some of the events over the last two decades, which were felt around the world. Still, their impact also represented a critical turning point for countless industries, - especially hospitality. Understandably, the September 11th terrorist attacks shook the global tourism industry almost immediately. International air travel experienced a sharp decline, while international tourism suffered its first year of negative growth since 1982. Following the attacks, America's national RevPAR experienced a monthly drop by 20 to 25% compared to the previous year, with an even more marked decrease in the indicator in New York and Washington. According to figures from the World Tourism Organization, a real growth recovery for international arrivals worldwide didn't occur until 2004. Economically, the attacks resulted in approximately $40 billion in insurance losses, making it one of the largest insured events ever. That being said, the hospitality industry has since been able to rebound from terrorism-related declines in a much quicker fashion, mainly with the help of proactive security and response measures that were implemented following the September 11th attacks. Since 2001, we've witnessed notable enhancements to security protocols including: Increased global surveillance systems Higher safety regulations during air travel Stricter visa regulations We're also witnessing enhanced global integration with credit to rising international travel. This influx can be accredited to work and study abroad programs, as well as companies that send educators, volunteers, and workers abroad, and well-informed millennials who are eager to travel. Recovering from the SARS Outbreak In the case of the SARS epidemic, the total number of tourists from all countries to Malaysia fell by a fifth (20.5%) in 2003. Meanwhile, visitor arrivals in Hong Kong dropped by 57.9% between April and June 2003, while top-tier hotels suffered an 82% drop on average in occupancy compared to the same months in 2002. And after being indicated by the World Health Organization as having an outbreak, Toronto's hotel demand experienced a significant drop of about 30% a month for approximately six months. However, in the wake of the epidemic, hotels made monumental changes to their health and safety practices. Following the outbreak, properties began initiating thorough cleaning of guest rooms, public areas, and back-of-house areas. During low-occupancy months, hotels closed off some guest-room floors for intensive cleaning. Moreover, preventive measures were also implemented in food and beverage outlets of hotels, with restaurant and kitchen staff were required to wear face masks and gloves while they were serving customers and preparing food. Today, many hotel properties now rely on cutting-edge management technology to empower and optimize their housekeeping departments while maintaining strict brand standards and practices. From a revenue and marketing perspective, hoteliers also became more creative in their plight to increase occupancy, leveraging a number of revenue-boosting strategies such as: Offering discounted cleaning services to corporate clients Turning guest rooms into temporary offices available for rent Offering promotional packages to non-traditional markets Working with local tour operators to offer accommodation or meals to some of the local tours Offering lower rates for high-yield corporate clients for a short period to encourage travel The 2008 Financial Crisis: A Lesson in Revenue Management If the 2008 recession instilled anything in hoteliers, it was the importance of conducting commerce in a more cost-efficient manner, while finding ways to boost the bottom line continuously. As the hospitality industry grappled with the reality of diminished travel budgets, hoteliers had to pivot and control their expenditures. Suddenly, overstaffing and needlessly overpaying for third-party service was no longer an option. Instead, hoteliers had to learn how to do more with less. This translated to more intelligent staffing, optimized processes, greater attention to staff productivity and related technology, the creation of 'opt-in' services for guests, and a continued commitment to a sustainable development strategy. Hoteliers were able to effectively shift their operational structure through the process of informed elimination (where necessary) and automation while remaining focused on the guest experience and maximizing resources both internally and externally. Looking Ahead: COVID-19 Since its first detection in December, more than 73,000 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed. Understandably, this latest outbreak has drawn parallels to the SARS epidemic, which comparatively saw about 8,100 people infected and 774 deaths. As it stands, the media coverage is unrelenting, with The New York Times recently publishing an article aptly titled, "What Happens in Vegas, If No One Stays in Vegas?" . Large-scale conferences and events around the world are facing cancellation along with a growing list of international flights, as authorities look to enforce preventative measures. Already, Hilton has closed about 150 hotels totaling 33,000 rooms in China, anticipating a "$25 million to $50 million impact to full-year 2020 adjusted EBITDA", and brands like Radisson Hospitality, Hyatt, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts are following suit. Subsequently, civilian concerns are growing at a rapid pace, and industry leaders once again find themselves wondering what will this mean for hospitality if the virus isn't contained? Given the rapidly evolving nature of this crisis, industry leaders are hesitant to make any definitive assertions. However, in the wake of the potential pandemic, we can predict that hoteliers will ramp up tourism offerings, adopt a pro-active stance in reinforcing their health and safety recommendations for guests and staff, and adjust rates according to changing demand. Cancellation policies will have to be amended or waived as to not deter now cautious travelers, while travel restrictions are put in place to prevent continued transmission of the virus. In the meantime, hoteliers should ready their properties for change, as virtual elements may become prevalent with respect to travel, events, and meetings. During this time, hotels will be encouraged to leverage the digital aspects of the offering, catering to a frictionless hotel experience that prioritizes automation in favor of traditional, hands-on service. Hotels will also presumably shift their marketing approach to cater to essential travel rather than leisure travel until the outbreak is contained. Furthermore, those properties still hosting events and conferences will be expected to enforce new standards of attendee care, implementing protocols such as: Checking attendees temperatures via passive scanning Reminding attendees to wash their hands before each session Distributing buttons or advisories that say no handshakes On the other hand, however, there is also some talk of a luxury travel influx involving the likes of concierge doctors, yachts, chartered planes, and germ-free hideaways. Ultimately, the outcome is still unknown. While hoteliers can apply those lessons learned from previous global events and wide-spread scares, it is still too soon to accurately predict the depth of impact COVID-19 will have on our industry. However, as policies adapt, and the public continues to react to media coverage, hoteliers must remain calm and ensure they are there for those people who do want to travel. After all, if the past has taught us anything, it's that the hospitality industry always finds a way to bounce back and, better yet, implement meaningful, proactive solutions that can help our industry battle against uncertainty. This latest event is already paving the way to enhanced operational efficiencies and the adoption of new technologies that will ensure an even stronger future for all of us. VALPARAISO A judge set a higher bond Tuesday morning for a Valparaiso man accused of rape after determining the defendant posed a risk to himself and the community. Porter Circuit Court Judge Mary DeBoer set a $5,000 cash bond for the accused, David Petersen, 36, and ordered pretrial supervision. The bond was in line with the amount sought by prosecutors, but more than the $1,000 requested by the defense. Petersen is charged with felony counts of rape and sexual battery based on allegations he forced himself sexually on a woman he knew as she slept March 25, 2019, at her South Haven home, according to court documents. The woman went to the hospital a couple days after the alleged attack to be treated for injuries, police said. While records show she reported the sexual attack, she declined a forensic sexual assault exam at the time and declined to pursue charges with police. She showed up June 8 at the Porter County Sheriff's Department and reported the alleged incident, police said. DeBoer also issued an order Tuesday prohibiting Petersen from having any contact with the alleged victim while the case proceeds. Security Engineers Name Cybersecurity the 'Most Daunting' Challenge Worldwide health concerns aside, cybersecurity is the "most daunting challenge," according to a survey of the world's engineers. One in five (19 percent) recently chose securing cyberspace as the biggest challenge that engineers will face over the next 25 years. That was followed by development of "economical clean energy, mentioned by 18 percent; sustaining land and oceans, chosen by 16 percent; and creating "sustainable and resilient infrastructure" (11 percent). The survey, which included 10,077 respondents from 119 countries, was undertaken by DiscoverE, an organization that works to draw young people into the engineering field. What could hold them back from addressing these challenges? A shortage of engineers now (mentioned by 52 percent) and in the future (54 percent), and a lack of government support. "Solving the world's problems is an enormous collaborative undertaking involving both the public and private sectors and extending across disciplines, borders and demographics," said Kathy Renzetti, executive director of DiscoverE, in a statement. "Engineers are the world's problem solvers, yet engineering is often overlooked or under-appreciated as providing the solution to major challenges such as climate change, digitalization and food security," added Gong Ke, president of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO). At the behest of the WFEO, the UNESCO General Conference named March 4 as "World Engineering Day," in recognition of engineers and their role in solving big problems and to encourage students to study in the field. Their take on the top three innovations that could turn science fiction into reality: transportation, artificial intelligence and space travel. (CNN) Just a few months ago, this virus didn't exist in humans. By Monday morning, it has killed more than 3,800 people and infected more than 108,000 others worldwide. Every day, CNN readers ask sharp questions about the mysterious novel coronavirus. And each weekday, we'll select some of the top questions and get you the answers. Here are some of the questions submitted over the weekend: Q. Why waste a test kit on a person without symptoms? Some people with coronavirus have mild or no symptoms. And in some cases, symptoms don't appear until up to 14 days after infection. During that incubation period, it's possible to get coronavirus from someone with no symptoms. It's also possible you may have coronavirus without feeling sick and are accidentally infecting others. So anyone who has had close contact with someone known to have coronavirus should ask a health care provider about getting tested, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Anyone who recently traveled to a part of the world where coronavirus is widespread should do the same. Q. How can someone pass along coronavirus when asymptomatic? If not sneezing or coughing, how can they infect others? It's easy for asymptomatic people with coronavirus to spread the illness, said Dr. Anne Rimoin, an epidemiology professor at UCLA's School of Public Health. "Certainly, when you speak, sometimes you'll spit a little bit," Rimoin said. "You'll rub your nose. You'll touch your mouth. You'll rub your eyes. And then you'll touch other surfaces, and then you will be spreading virus if you are infected and shedding asymptomatically." Doctors stress that the best way to prevent getting coronavirus is not by wearing face masks, since they often cause more harm than good. Instead, people should wash their hands with soap and water frequently for at least 20 seconds and stop touching their faces -- which is harder than it sounds. Q. Can coronavirus go through skin and into the body? "It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads," the CDC says. More often than not, people get coronavirus through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. "These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs," the CDC says. The World Health Organization recommends staying at least 3 feet (1 meter) away from anyone who may be infected. Q. If a coronavirus patient does progress to pneumonia, what antibiotics if any have proven to be effective? No antibiotics are effective against coronavirus because the disease is a viral infection, not a bacterial infection. "However, if you are hospitalized for the [coronavirus], you may receive antibiotics because bacterial co-infection is possible," the World Health Organization says. There is no known cure for the coronavirus. Researchers are studying whether the antiviral drug remdesivir might work, but testing of that drug just started. For now, coronavirus patients get "supportive" treatment, "which means giving fluids, medicine to reduce fever, and, in severe cases, supplemental oxygen," the Harvard Medical School says. Scientists are working on developing a vaccine. But it will take months before clinical trials start, and more than a year before a vaccine could become available. Q. If infected with coronavirus, can you survive it and recover? Absolutely. The vast majority of people with coronavirus survive. Last week, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases estimated the death rate is "about 2%." But the true death rate might be much lower, since some coronavirus survivors might not have been tested and might not have had their cases reported. Q. After recovering from coronavirus, does the recovered patient have immunity to the virus? It's too early to know for sure. But other coronaviruses, like ones that cause the common cold, might give us clues. With "common cold coronaviruses, you don't actually have immunity that lasts for very long, and so we don't know the answer with this specific coronavirus," said Dr. Celine Gounder, a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at the New York University School of Medicine. "If you recover, are you immune? And if you are immune, how long does that last? And that's actually going to be one of the challenges with designing a vaccine is how do you actually cause the immunity to last long enough to protect you." This story was first published on CNN.com Americans could still joke about the novel coronavirus outbreak last week, and some of the gags were pretty good. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert reworked the iconic 1970s TV theme song for The Love Boat as a virus-impacted cruise ship sat off the California coast, not allowed to dock. You can sing along with the new lyrics: The Bug Boat Promises illness for everyone. The Bug Boat Testing kits, well, there are none. The Bug Boat has now docked at the port of Oakland, though most passengers remain on board. Everyone on the ship faces a 14-day quarantine. Few people in Italy are still joking about the pandemic. With more than 400 dead there from COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, the Italian government has now announced that the entire country is in lockdown. Were only at the beginning, Milan infectious-diseases specialist Dr. Massimo Galli told the press. A Twitter user with the handle Zibora has suddenly become a star on the social-media platform by providing regular updates, commentary and video about the situation in Italy. Zibora is begging the U.S. and the rest of the world to avoid the missteps that has led to Italys crisis: Please, please guys, pleaded a tweet on Monday. Here in northern Italy we made one big mistake. Everybody kept saying Its just flu and now our intensive care units are collapsing. Everybody kept going outside like nothing happened and now our grandparents and parents are dying. Another tweet insisted its not just older people who are at risk, that 22 percent of coronavirus cases in Italy are people between 19 and 50. This morning, Zibora provided an update: Italy is under lockdown. We cant go outside without printing and signing a perm. This permissions are for urgent health reasons or work reasons only. Otherwise they can arrest you. No crowds allowed, no handshakes, no kisses. A friend sent me this video earlier. That's police telling people to stay at home as much as they can due to #Coronavirus emergency. Right now #Italy is under #lockdown pic.twitter.com/Ao5efKvyQu Zibora (@labisbeticah) March 10, 2020 The outbreak is indeed bad in Italy, but some people outside the country appear to be suspicious of Zibora, pointing out that the Twitter account was only created last month. Ziboras response: Btw, Im flattered that some of you think Im a Russian spy sent by government to spread panic. Thats the most thrilling thing that anybody has ever thought about me. -- Douglas Perry @douglasmperry Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. RALEIGH, N.C. and NEW YORK, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Vertical IQ, a Raleigh-based industry intelligence firm that helps thousands of professionals who advise small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), and RelPro, a New York-based relationship intelligence solution for business development professionals, have announced a collaborative partnership to deliver next-level insights and time-savings to their mutual customers within the banking, accounting, financial advisory and professional services sectors. "This alliance provides our shared customers the ability to combine RelPro's company- and contact-specific information with Vertical IQ's industry intelligence to achieve sales success and deepen customer relationships," explains Bobby Martin, co-founder and CEO of Vertical IQ. For joint Vertical IQ and RelPro customers, here's how the integration works: When users are in the RelPro platform and find a target company, they can get Vertical IQ industry content directly within the RelPro application. Specifically, they can surface content from Vertical IQ's Industry Overview, Trends & Industry News, Competition and Call Preparation. They also can dive deeper, through a link to the comprehensive Industry Profile in Vertical IQ. Similarly, if a user is using Vertical IQ, there will be a link within each Industry Profile's "Dashboard" that takes the user directly into RelPro to identify and research the companies/contacts within that specific industry. "This is a partnership both companies' customers have been clamoring for," says Martin Wise, CEO of RelPro, "so we listened to what the market was telling us and worked to bring the concept to fruition. It was a natural fit." The Vertical IQ-RelPro integration provides business development and relationship management (RM) professionals time-savings along with a huge competitive advantage during their pre-call research and planning. "There is a strong logic to this partnership," says Michael Levy, principal at GZ Consulting, a market research and competitive intelligence consultancy which focuses on the information services industry. "RelPro and Vertical IQ allow Relationship Managers to rapidly context switch, perform client due diligence, ask intelligent questions, and conduct business development," he says. "The combined services deliver customer and industry insights within the RM's workflow, helping them better serve customers and their banking objectives." To learn more about Vertical IQ or to request a demo, visit www.verticaliq.com . For more information on RelPro or for a demo, visit www.relpro.com . About RelPro RelPro's Relationship Intelligence platform was built with the experience that there is no one nirvana source of B2B company and decision-maker data so why rely on one source of data? RelPro integrates data from best-in-class partners and the web to deliver a unique global database of over 7 million companies and 150 million business decision-makers, allowing B2B business development, relationship management & marketing professionals to quickly identify new prospects and close deals faster. RelPro includes automated Prospect Research to quickly inform your outreach, and powerful Alerts that provide a call-to-action prompting timely interactions with prospects and clients. About Vertical IQ Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, Vertical IQ is an innovative industry intelligence solution that helps prepare bankers, accountants and other advisors of all types who advise small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). With actionable content covering more than 500 unique industries, as well as 325 economic/industry reports for cities across the U.S., Vertical IQ quickly turns its users into industry experts, helping them land new business and retain existing customers. Vertical IQ's Industry Intelligence has been incorporated into the successful relationship management processes of organizations of all sizes. SOURCE Vertical IQ Related Links http://verticaliq.com The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) has attributed Mondays power cuts in the Volta and Oti Regions to a fault developed on one of its transmission lines. In a statement, the company said the defect has been worked on and power has been restored to the affected areas after the total blackout in the Oti Region and parts of the Volta Region. Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) wishes to inform the general public that at 08:00 AM on Monday, March 09, 2020, one of our transmission lines from Akosombo to Asiekpe developed a fault. This led to interruptions in power supply to the Volta and Oti regions. Our Maintenance team went to work immediately to replace the defective terminal equipment and power supply has since been fully restored to the affected areas at approximately 1:00 PM on Tuesday, March 10, 2020. Engineers at the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) attributed the power cuts to interrupted supply from the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) at Akosombo. While apologising to the residents for the inconvenience caused, GRIDCo said it still remains resolute to provide reliable electricity supply. GRIDCo apologises for any inconvenience caused and remains committed to its mandate of delivering reliable power supply, the statement added. Recent power outages not due to financial challenges ECG Boss Ghanaians in the past weeks had complained about the frequent power outages and demanded a load shedding timetable from the ECG. But the Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana, Kwame Agyemang Badu at the time said the gas pipeline from Tema to Takoradi was undergoing maintenance hence the erratic power supply. Role of GRIDCo in power supply GRIDCo is a leading power transmission company in West Africa. It operates the Ghana Wholesale Electricity Market and provides electricity transmission services in Ghana and West Africa. Since its inception, GRIDCo has continuously ensured a reliable supply of affordable electricity to households by continuously upgrading and extending the grid and the introduction of modern systems in compliance with IEC 61850. As a result, access to electricity in Ghana has increased from 66.7% (2009) to 82.5% (2016). The increase in electricity access has resulted in increased income, improved trade balance and the provision of local solutions. It has also contributed to industrial development and new job opportunities in the sub-region. In West Africa, GRIDCo has established inter and intra connections with countries to the North, East and West of its boundaries, as part of the West African Power Pool System and has positioned Ghana as a Net-Exporter within the Sub-region. ---citinewsroom EDWARDSVILLE A ceremony honoring the one-year anniversary of Fitz, an emotional support dog at the Madison County Courthouse, is planned for 2 p.m. Friday, March 27. The male labrador retriever, which joined the courthouse almost a year ago, provides emotional support to children and adults within the court system. Ulster Bank and Bank of Ireland said they will offer mortgage repayment holidays of up to three months to its customers impacted by Covid-19. The decision follows similar moves by banks in Italy and the UK to support personal and business customers. Both banks said homeowners mortgage and loan repayment deferral for up to three months. Business customers can also avail of loan repayment flexibility as they report falling demand, increasing costs and supply chain disruption. Both Ulster and Bank of Ireland said they will work with customers to offer loan-repayment flexibility. Ulster Bank said they will also offer short term overdrafts or an increase or extension of existing overdraft facilities. Gavin Kelly, CEO Retail Ireland, Bank of Ireland said: We are committed to providing support to customers across the island of Ireland. We will be making extra resources available during this period of uncertainty, and I would encourage any customers with concerns to contact us. Jane Howard, Chief Executive Officer, Ulster Bank said: "We are already meeting with and listening to our customers to ensure we are best placed to provide the real, tangible support when they need us most. If any customer is concerned about their finances as a result of the coronavirus, please get in touch. The move gave the Ukrainian military time to mobilize, equip its Army, and prepare forces and means to repel the Russian attack. Former Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Oleksandr Turchynov, who served as Ukrainian president in 2014, has told how he tried to get in touch with the Russian president as Russia was unfolding the annexation of Crimea, and how he bluffed a senior Russian official. In an interview with Crimea.Realities, Turchynov mentioned the phone call from Speaker of Russia's State Duma Sergei Naryshkin, whom he tried to bluff. "There came threats that if Russian-speakers, Russians, get killed, they will be put us on an international wanted list as war criminals. I told him [Naryshkin] 'You know, you already are a war criminal. You've unleashed an undeclared war against a state that has signed a peace agreement with you. You are already a war criminal. And you have no grounds to be in the territory ...' And then he told me that 'there will be grounds'," Turchynov said. During his second conversation with Naryshkin, the Ukrainian official tried to buy some time. Read alsoRussia "fully destroyed" political rights in Crimea Freedom House "The Russian General Staff declared an ultimatum to our [military] units in Crimea who hadn't betrayed allegiance that they must lay down their arms before midnight. I had to buy time by any means. Therefore, I tried to call Putin via a special communications line with the Kremlin ... They [Turchynov says about Naryshkin] tell me that he won't talk to you [Turchynov], as you're illegitimate. Two hours left until the ultimatum deadline. I then warned him that they [the Ukrainian military in Crimea] received an order to shoot to kill. I said I would inform all embassies that Russia was plotting an assault on Ukrainian military units. So, all responsibility for all bloodshed in that assault will rest with you. As a result, they [Russian military] didn't storm," he added. According to Turchynov, such a bluff gave the Ukrainian military time to mobilize, equip the army, and prepare forces and means to repel the Russian attack, which was already expected from the north and east. As UNIAN reported earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, February 26, signed a decree establishing this date as Day of Resistance to the Occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol. Read alsoRussia coming up with new ways to try to legitimize Crimea annexation media On February 26, 2014, a large-scale rally of supporters and opponents of the territorial integrity of Ukraine took place outside the Crimean parliament. Among the first were Crimean Tatar and pro-Ukrainian activists, opposed by pro-Russian activists organized by the leaders of Russian Unity, headed by Sergei Aksenov, who now heads the Russian occupation government of Crimea. In January 2015, the Crimean department of the Russian Investigative Committee opened a criminal case into the "riots" at a rally on February 26. GETTY The new rules mandating a 25 per cent reduction in mid-range cell phone plans will not affect carriers Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) as more customers will move to pricier unlimited data plans, analysts say. Innovation, Science and Industry Minister Navdeep Bains said in an interview on March 5 that Bell, Telus, and Rogers have to cut prices of plans that offer 2GB to 6GB of data over the next two years. The brands that offer plans in this range are the carriers flanker brands that include Bells Virgin Mobile, Rogers Fido, and Telus Koodo. He noted that his ministry reviewed total subscribers of all the carriers and saw that 40 per cent of Canadians are on these plans. Bains also announced rules for the 3,500MHz spectrum auction, a much-anticipated band that will be used to deploy 5G networks across the country. The auction will take place in December 2020, which means full 5G availability wont arrive until 2021. Raymond James analyst Dave Heger said the 5G rollout would prompt Canadians to use more data, and switch over to unlimited data plans. Thats the ultimate goal and in the back of the carriers mind, Heger said. You know the carriers will say well start reducing these prices over time in order to throw the government a bone but well be pushing people to upgrade to higher-priced plans, he said. Which is positive for ARPU [growth]. Duncan Stewart, director of technology, media and telecommunications research at Deloitte Canada, said in countries where 5G is available, consumers are tripling their data consumption. Data published in November of last year said that 5G subscribers [in South Korea] were using almost 26GB of data per month in September 2019, while LTE subscribers only used 8.3GB, suggesting a more than tripling of data use for those on 5G compared to 4G, he said. RBC analyst Drew McReynolds also said in a note that the impact of the governments announcement could be absorbed since there is a natural shrinking of the subscriber base on data plans in the 2GB to 6GB range even at lower price points. Story continues There will be more pressure now for regional carriers to reduce prices to compete with the Big Three, McReynolds wrote. Telus, which claims already to have reduced prices by 25%, noted in an emailed statement it was extremely disappointed in the announcement and said it was another punitive action taken by this government against the companies that [have to] build Canadas global-leading wireless networks. As evidenced by the Ministers announcement today, this dynamic is in stark contrast to the deep, punitive bent towards our industry in Canada. This contrast is giving us reason to think very carefully about where our next investment dollars should go, Telus said. Bell, in an emailed statement, also indicated the new direction was discouraging to investments. Well study the governments direction, Bell said. Its the worst time to jeopardize our countrys wireless success as carriers look to ramp up investment for the global move to 5G wireless. Rogers, in an emailed statement, said the market is highly competitive and will keep evolving its services to meet the needs of Canadians. The government doesnt plan to introduce legislation, Bains confirmed, adding that there will be an accountability measure put in place with the release of quarterly reports that show whether or not prices have come down. Heger said by not legislating the rule it sends a message that we will not force you to reduce prices. Scotiabank analyst Jeff Fan said in a note that prices are naturally reducing over time and the industry now has an understanding of the governments target. Allowing pricing to evolve towards the target instead of a forced immediate change will allow carriers to manage the repricing risk, he wrote. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android and sign up for the Yahoo Finance Canada Weekly Brief. A #KeepCalmTravelOn campaign promoted by travel agents amid the coronavirus outbreak has been met with furious backlash. As flight and package holiday sales plummet, the travel industry launched the hashtag to 'spread advice and travel deals' to encourage people to keep going on holiday despite the epidemic. But the move has been branded 'irresponsible' and 'dangerous' due to the escalating global coronavirus crisis. New countries are reporting their first cases every day, with 115 territories having at least one person ill with COVID-19 so far. Thousands of Britons have found themselves stranded in hotels abroad and even on disease-ridden cruise ships during the ongoing outbreak after fellow travellers test positive. And an unprecedented surge in UK cases have been largely linked to half term trips to Italy, where a serious coronavirus epidemic is raging on. Following the collapse of regional airline Flybe, the travel industry's campaign has been viewed as an attempt to push sales rather than protect people's health. England's chief doctor Professor Chris Whitty has told Brits to 'think' about whether it was wise for them to travel abroad especially to countries with health services weaker than the NHS. Social media users have hit back at the controversial travel campaign. Andy Boxall wrote: '#KeepCalmTravelOn is at best misjudged' Following the collapse of regional airline Flybe, the travel industry's campaign has been viewed as an attempt to push sales (pictured) One user said the campaign took advantage of 'iffy' government travel advice - The Foreign Office says only to avoid certain spots in China and South Korea, while limiting travel to Italy to only essential. A blanket ban on travel is not regarded as necessary in the UK at this time, but has been implemented elsewhere including New York City. HOLIDAYMAKERS LEFT STRANDED IN ITALY Hundreds of flights between the UK and Italy have been cancelled due to the coronavirus, leaving some passengers stranded. British Airways suspended all flights to and from Italy on Tuesday, while Ryanair said no flights will serve the country from Saturday. EasyJet has cancelled dozens of its Italian flights. British Airways refused refund requests to passengers booked on flights to Italian airports outside the north of the country until the Foreign and Commonwealth Office updated its travel advice on Monday night. That means some passengers may have reluctantly travelled to Italy to avoid losing money and now face a struggle to get home. One passenger said today she felt 'dumped' by BA after it notified her by email that her flight from Rome to London would be cancelled. The passenger said: 'Their website was down, their call centres are overloaded and we got an email after midnight saying our flight was cancelled. It's putting more passengers in danger.' Uber driver Francesco Stabile told MailOnline at Stansted today that he had 'no idea' of the latest travel restrictions after visiting his girlfriend in Italy including a Government diktat to self isolate immediately. Mr Stabile 38, who has lived in Letchwort, Herts, for the past 16 years, said he was keen to get back to work, adding: 'I am an Uber driver. I go to Italy every two weeks to visit my girlfriend. I have received information from the Foreign Office but I don't know anything about self-isolating.' Advertisement The #KeepCalmTravelOn campaign is being spearheaded by a consortia of travel agents - Advantage Travel Partnership, Global Travel Group and Travel Gossip. Various independent travel operators have shown their support by tweeting the hashtag and memes adorning glorious pictures of sandy beaches. A press release for the campaign said the move was to 'encourage leisure and business travellers to continue exploring our amazing world during this unprecedented time where COVID-19 is present.' An Instagram account, called KeepTheWorldTravelling, will post advice and travel deals 'to demonstrate that the public can still travel to the majority of destinations by following FCO advice'. But social media users have hit back at the controversial move. Andy Boxall wrote: '#KeepCalmTravelOn is at best misjudged, or at worst irresponsible corporate marketing that champions iffy Foreign advice...' Gissue Simonarson said: 'This hashtag not only a craven ploy by the travel industry, it's also seriously dangerous advise in the mids of a global pandemic that we still don't understand and is shutting down countries. Sure don't panic, but don't be giving dangerous advise either [sic].' Another user questioned: 'Anyone else findings this a ridiculous marketing/PR ploy by the industry to keep bookings? Most likely at the loss of travellers when restrictions increase later this year.' Widespread travel bans are yet to be implemented by the British Government, a move which has been supported by independent experts. But when countries see clusters of cases suddenly erupt into epidemics involving hundreds of people within a matter of days, travellers on their holidays have become trapped and even put in lockdown in hotels. Tenerife saw hundreds of tourists quarantined at a hotel for two weeks after a visiting Italian doctor and his wife tested positive for coronavirus. The 700 or so holiday makers, including 50 British citizens, were not allowed to leave the H10 Costa Adeje Palace Hotel to limit spread to locals. Jet2holidays and Tui confirmed that dozens of their customers were staying at the hotel before they were finally allowed to start leaving on Friday. A British woman and six Italians ended up coming down with coronavirus after going to the sunny resort fora break. The travel industry launched the campaign to 'spread advice and travel deals' on social media and encourage people to keep going on holiday (pictured, a campaign picture posted by a travel agent) An Instagram account, called KeepTheWorldTravelling, will post advice and travel deals 'to demonstrate the public can still travel to the majority of destinations by following FCO advice' Various independent travel operators have shown their support by tweeting the hashtag and memes adorning glorious pictures of sandy beaches and city lights (pictured) Lucy Clarke, who claims to have 21 years of expertise in the travel industry, said: 'Our wonderful Travel industry has had it hard over the last 6 months #keepcalmtravelon' These are the arrivals boards at Heathrow today and show that flights to Milan and Venice this afternoon will no longer happen, causing chaos for thousands of people Currently Britons and thousands of other internationals are stuck on the Grand Princess, docked in Oakland, after 21 people tested positive for COVID-19 last week. Some 140 British passengers are being repatriated tonight Passengers wear face masks at Gatwick Airport today as British Airways axed its flights to Italy until the Easter break due to a large outbreak in the country BRITONS TRAPPED ON DIAMOND PRINCESS FOR 20 DAYS BEFORE GOVERNMENT FINALLY RESCUED THEM The Diamond Princess, a British-registered cruise ship owned and operated by Princess Cruises, became a coronavirus hotbed in February, linked to 696 cases and six deaths. British nationals, of which there were 74 on board, were among the last to leave disease-ridden ship. The UK Government was blasted for its dire handling of the evacuation after the US, Australia, Canada, South Korea, Hong Kong and Israel all airlifted more than 840 cruise passengers between them earlier in the week. Furious Brits trapped on the Diamond Princess, which leading scientists have warned was an ideal breeding ground for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, accused ministers of 'forgetting' about them. More than 2,000 internationals left the ship before UK passengers, who were at last rescued on February 22 after almost 20 days on the vessel. Only 32 of the 78 British nationals who were trapped on the ship got on the plane, as officials admitted some refused to be with loved ones in hospital. The evacuation flight was delayed by a day because it was 'logistically complicated', according to the British Embassy. A honeymooner who was the first Briton to catch the killer coronavirus on the doomed Diamond Princess cruise attacked the Government for 'forgetting' about the Britons stuck on the ship and four who caught the virus on board. Alan Steele, from Wolverhampton, blasted the Foreign Office for abandoning Britons on the virus-ridden ship after half a dozen countries rescued their citizens before the UK. Mr Steele, 58, was forced to leave his new wife Wendy behind on the vessel when he tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on February 7 and was whisked into isolation in a Japanese hospital. He said Wendy was 'struggling' on her own on the Diamond Princess, docked off the coast of Japan, and likened his experience in a foreign infectious diseases ward to 'solitary confinement in prison'. In a scathing attack on the UK Government's dire handling of a planned evacuation mission, lorry driver Mr Steele accused ministers of 'treating us badly' and added: '78 Brits, what the hell do they matter?' Mr Steele also accused Diamond Princess staff of exacerbating the spread of the virus by ignoring quarantine measures. Advertisement Authorities on the popular European island have already admitted they would not repeat the lockdown if the situation was to arise again. Elsewhere, cruise liners holding thousands of passengers have been left in limbo in recent weeks and forced to stay in their cabins for days after coronavirus has been confirmed on board. The Diamond Princess was quarantined off Japan in February. It was linked to almost 700 cases and six deaths, one of whom was a British man. Currently Britons and thousands of other internationals are stuck on the Grand Princess, docked in Oakland, after 21 people tested positive for COVID-19 last week. In both cases, the Government have been forced to rescue UK citizens with 'frustratingly slow' responses. Some 140 British Grand Princess passengers are being repatriated tonight. Anyone currently in Italy - the hardest-hit COVID-19 country apart from China - may be dealt the blow that their flight home has been cancelled as the country went into lockdown as of today. Ryanair, British Airways and Jet2 have today cancelled hundreds of flights to and from Italy until April at the earliest and easyJet has also grounded most of its services leaving thousands of customers stranded in the coronavirus-hit country. BA has axed its 60 flights a day to cities including Milan, Venice and Rome while Jet2 has gone even further and cancelled all its Italian trips for almost seven weeks until April 26 with Easter holiday plans for thousands likely to be in ruins. Leah Washington, the young woman who lost her leg in the Alton Towers Smiler rollercoaster disaster of 2015, is among those left stranded in Italy. One passenger said today she felt 'dumped' by BA after it notified her by email that her flight from Rome to London would be cancelled. Although a number of airlines have cancelled some or all of their flights to and from Italy, Britons in the country can still fly home directly with relative ease. In the last week BA, Virgin Atlantic, Ryanair and easyJet have all cancelled more than 1,000 flights across Europe, the US and Asia due to a drop in demand and a sharp rise in passenger no-shows. Flybe blamed their collapse on coronavirus last week saying it a lack of bookings hastened their demise. The collapse left thousands of people across the UK and Europe worried about their journey home when the airline made its announcement overnight. It is not yet clear whether the Government will order a widespread repatriation of stranded passengers. Travel disruptions has caused chaos for people worldwide, but travel agents' have appealed for people to keep booking their holidays. Linda Hall, director of LAH Travel wrote on Twitter: 'Hoping common sense will prevail soon #KeepCalmTravelOn our poor industry is suffering so badly.... calling me stupid and selfish ! Tell that to my staff when they have no jobs ! [sic]' Lucy Clarke, who claims to have 21 years of expertise in the travel industry, said: 'Our wonderful Travel industry has had it hard over the last 6 months #keepcalmtravelon.' A spokesperson for the FCO said it would not comment on the campaign, but that 'travel advice remains under constant review'. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau plans to announce federal funding to help provincial health-care systems cope with the increasing numbers of Canadians infected with the new coronavirus and to help workers who are forced to isolate themselves. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/3/2020 (672 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Chrystia Freeland responds to a question during Question Period in the House of Commons Monday March 9, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld Prime Minister Justin Trudeau plans to announce federal funding to help provincial health-care systems cope with the increasing numbers of Canadians infected with the new coronavirus and to help workers who are forced to isolate themselves. Government sources, not authorized to discuss the plans publicly, said Trudeau will announce the new measures Wednesday. The immediate objective is to try to contain the spread of the virus as much as possible, while also helping individuals hurt financially by COVID-19, such as by being forced to take time off work while under mandatory quarantine or self-imposed isolation. Business and labour groups alike have called specifically for the federal government to loosen restrictions on employment insurance payments for people who are off work due to illness. This would also make it easier for people with more precarious jobs to stay home and avoid infecting others. Finance Minister Bill Morneau said Monday that the government was "looking at taking some initiatives this week" to help workers, employers and provincial health systems. There are few confirmed instances of community transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19 in Canada, but the number of cases continued to grow Tuesday. The illness has afflicted more than 100,000 people in 100 countries around the world. Seven new people in British Columbia tested positive for COVID-19 Tuesday, bringing the provincial total to 39. The number includes a second and third community case, meaning the person has had no known contact with any other cases and has not travelled recently. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said two of the new cases are health-care workers at the same long-term care facility where a small outbreak has already been identified. A total of eight cases are now linked to the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver, including two family members or close contacts of a health-care worker. Henry said the initial health-care worker who tested positive at the seniors facility has been admitted to hospital for monitoring, adding that no more residents of the facility tested positive on Tuesday. A man demonstrates how to put on a face mask and other protective clothing during a tour of a COVID-19 evaluation clinic in Montreal, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes In Alberta, the number of cases doubled to 14. Alberta's chief medical officer, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, said the new cases involve four people from the Calgary region and three from the Edmonton area. All the cases are travel-related. She said the patients visited a number of countries, including France, the Netherlands, Germany, the Philippines and the United States. Two patients were also on the MS Braemar of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines in the Caribbean. In Atlantic Canada, New Brunswick's education minister ordered all preschoolers and students returning from travel abroad to stay out of school for two weeks. School trips are also cancelled for the rest of the year. Dominic Cardy sent a letter to parents Monday that said the precautionary measure among the most aggressive taken by any province also applies to school and early learning centre staff, volunteers and students' family members. In Montreal, Sainte-Justine hospital asked its staff to avoid all personal travel unless absolutely necessary a move the Quebec government is considering extending to the entire heath network. Quebec's Health Minister Danielle McCann said that in addition to limiting the spread of the virus, hospitals need to minimize the number of workers in isolation or off sick during a possible outbreak. "We have to preserve our workforce because we'll need it more and more," she said. The hospital also asked staff to stay home from work for two weeks if they've visited certain regions, including China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Iran, India, Egypt, Japan and parts of Italy and France as well as the Seattle area. Canadians from the Grand Princess cruise ship docked off the coast of northern California were taken by government plane to the Trenton base early Tuesday, although not all of the 237 Canadians from the ship were on board. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said a "handful" of crew members tested positive for the virus that causes the illness COVID-19, although he declined to give specific numbers. "We have ... a very limited number of crew members, which tested positive which are Canadian on the ship, and they will remain on the ship," Champagne said in Ottawa outside a cabinet meeting. Some other Canadians remained in California for health reasons unrelated to the virus, he said. U.S. President Donald Trump described the effort of returning people home as "very dignified." "We appreciate all the help we've had in that, and that's working out very well." Trudeau took to Twitter to thank the Canadian consular staff and American officials who helped the travellers to return to Canada. There were 3,500 passengers and crew aboard the Grand Princess. It docked Monday at the Port of Oakland after days of forced idleness off the coast amid evidence it was the breeding ground for more than 20 COVID-19 cases. Canada's top doctor has urged Canadians to avoid all cruise travel, because confined quarters and frequent interactions can foster the spread of the illness. Air Canada announced it was suspending flights to and from Italy as a result of Italian regulations and "ongoing health and safety concerns" related to the outbreak. The airline's last flight to Rome was to take off from Toronto on Tuesday, with the final return flight departing Rome for Montreal on Wednesday. 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. Air Canada said affected customers would be notified and offered full refunds. It hopes to restart service May 1. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has written the provinces and territories asking them to inform the federal government of their state of readiness and any shortages they're facing. The first ministers meeting of Trudeau and provincial and territorial leaders on Friday is to include discussions on the potential impact of the spreading virus on the country's health-care system and its economy. Canada had at least 94 cases of the respiratory illness as of Tuesday afternoon: 39 in British Columbia, 37 in Ontario, 14 in Alberta and four in Quebec. Canada reported its first death from COVID-19 on Monday. A man in his 80s died at the North Vancouver long-term care centre. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2020 Thank you for reading! To read this article and more, subscribe now for as little as $1.99. Health minister Nadine Dorries has revealed she is self-isolating after being diagnosed with coronavirus, just days after she attended a reception at No 10 with Boris Johnson. The Under-Secretary of State for Health, who has met hundreds of people in Parliament over the past week and held a surgery on Saturday for 50 of her constituents, fell ill last Friday. Tests confirmed last night that the 62-year-old had the virus and she is now in isolation and said to be recovering. But the MP has now voiced fears for her 84-year-old mother, who is living at her home and 'began coughing' yesterday. Officials are tracing everyone she has been in contact with since contracting the virus, including MPs. As a former nurse, Mrs Dorries has played a key role in drawing up plans to tackle the virus. She met hundreds of people last week, including a large number of MPs, and attended a conference outside Westminster. On Thursday she attended a Downing Street event hosted by Mr Johnson to mark International Women's Day. March 4: Nadine was last on the floor of the Commons last Wednesday and is likely to have been carrying coronavirus then and didn't know it Nadine Dorries was with Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel at Downing Street on January 8 The MP is pictured here with her 84-year-old mother, in 2018, who she admitted she was worried about after she came down with a cough She started feeling ill on Friday as she was signing a statutory instrument that declared coronavirus to be a 'notifiable disease', enabling companies to obtain insurance cover. The health minister held the surgery in her Mid Bedfordshire constituency on Saturday. Over the weekend she experienced the 'classic symptoms' of the disease a dry cough, high temperature and 'vice-like' pain in her chest. NHS could test 10,000 people a DAY The NHS is preparing to carry out 10,000 coronavirus tests a day in anticipation of a massive increase in demand. The health service is currently performing 1,500 tests daily but this number will be increased by almost seven-fold. Officials are rolling out a more sensitive method that produces results within 24 hours the current turnaround is around 48 hours. The tests will also be carried out by NHS hospitals instead of one of 12 labs in the UK. The NHS will also routinely test patients in hospital including those undergoing surgery. The development comes as a top doctor warned yesterday that the NHS does not have enough intensive care beds to cope with a coronavirus epidemic. Dr Ron Daniels, from University Hospitals Birmingham, said an extra 136,000 patients would need intensive care over the coming weeks. The NHS currently has about 4,050 intensive care beds although Health Secretary Matt Hancock has promised to provide an additional 5,000 beds in time for the outbreak. But Dr Daniels said that number would still be a long way off, stressing: 'We cannot escalate our capacity readily enough.' Advertisement Her shock diagnosis came as: The deputy chief medical officer warned the start of the peak of the epidemic could be within a fortnight; Heath officials announced 61 more patients in Britain have caught the killer infection, taking the total number of cases to 382 and fatalities to six Italy's death toll rose by 168 to 631 and its 60million citizens went into lockdown; Thousands of Britons were effectively stranded in Italy after BA cancelled all flights and other airlines followed suit; A row erupted over the screening of passengers arriving on the few remaining flights from Italy as some countries closed their borders to Italian arrivals; Tonight's Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal was postponed after the owner of Olympiacos whose side played at Arsenal on February 27 got the virus; A big increase in online outpatient appointments for the elderly is being planned to save on trips to hospital; The NHS is scaling up virus testing capacity to 10,000 a day; Harvard said it would begin moving to online classes, with British universities under pressure to follow suit; A top surgeon was struck down after returning from a skiing trip to Italy but had treated patients in the meantime. Mrs Dorries, who is a mother of three, said: 'I can confirm I have tested positive for coronavirus. As soon as I was informed I took all the advised precautions and have been self-isolating at home. 'Public Health England has started detailed contact tracing and the department and my parliamentary office are closely following their advice. 'I would like to thank PHE and the wonderful NHS staff who have provided me with advice and support.' She added on social media: 'It's been pretty rubbish but I hope I'm over the worst of it now. More worried about my 84-year-old mum who is staying with me and began with the cough today. She is being tested tomorrow. Keep safe and keep washing those hands, everyone.' Health minister Nadine Dorries fell ill on Friday and was diagnosed with coronavirus on Tuesday evening Prime Minister Boris Johnson with Nadine Dorries bricklaying in Bedford last November Dorries shared this picture of her mother on her 84th birthday at the end of February In a tweet Nadine Dorries said she was 'over the worst of it' following her coronavirus diagnosis Matt Hancock wished his colleague Mrs Dorries well as she battles to recover from the virus WHAT HAPPENS TO PARLIAMENT FOLLOWING NADINE DORRIES' COVID-19 DIAGNOSIS? - What happens now to Parliament? Following Ms Dorries' diagnosis, a Parliament spokesman said there were still 'no plans to suspend Parliament', following guidance from Public Health England. What extra measures are being taken? A Parliament spokesman said the extra measures implemented by the Palace of Westminster are in line with recommendations for the general public and include 'placing information posters across the parliamentary estate encouraging thorough handwashing'. Further measures that could be taken range from a total ban on palace visitors to shutting down Parliament for three months. - Who will be tested? All health ministers, including Health Secretary Matt Hancock, could now be tested for the virus, as well as any other officials who have recently come into contact with Ms Dorries. Number 10 has not commented on whether the Prime Minister has yet or will now be tested. - What precautions have other politicians taken to protect themselves and others? Prior to Ms Dorries' diagnosis, a number of other British MPs have made the decision to self-isolate as a precautionary measure. Labour MP Lilian Greenwood cancelled all engagements and quarantined herself last month after attending a bus conference where an attendee later tested positive for Covid-19. Fellow Labour member Alex Sobel also chose to self-isolate after attending the same conference in February. Neither exhibited any symptoms and returned to Parliament once their 14-day isolation period was over. Advertisement Matt Hancock, who as Health Secretary is her boss, was last night understood to be fit and well and not showing any symptoms. He tweeted last night: 'Really sorry to hear Nadine has tested positive for coronavirus. 'She has done the right thing by self isolating at home, and both NHS and PHE staff have been brilliant. 'We all wish her well as she recovers. 'I understand why people are worried about this disease. 'We will do all we can to keep people safe, based on the best possible science.' Mr Hancock's sentiments were echoed by the shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth, who tweeted: 'I send my very, very best wishes to @NadineDorries and absolutely endorse (what) @MattHancock is saying. 'I know this is an extremely worrying time for our constituents. 'Our NHS & PHE staff are doing us all proud in very challenging circumstances.' The news will raise fears that Parliament may have to be closed or that restrictions will have to be placed on visitors. A government source said: 'As with everything, we are being guided by the science on this. 'This will be treated like any other standard case.' MPs lined up to offer their support last night after the news broke. Mrs Dorries had been part of a team that drew up legislation to tackle coronavirus before she fell ill. Officials are in the process of identifying all people she has been in contact with since contracting the virus, including MPs. Any who have displayed similar symptoms will be tested. Nadine Dorries getting a flu jab last November as part of a campaign to encourage people to remember to get vaccinated Labour MP Angela Rayner said: 'Whilst l almost never agree with Nadine Dorries on anything politically, I do wish her a speedy recovery against this wretched coronavirus.' It was reported last week that plans were being considered to suspend Parliament for five months. One source said there were potentially '650 superspreaders' in the House of Commons because its MPs divide their time between Westminster and their seats. Pakistan was yet again called out for its zealous support for cross border terrorism as a foreign policy tactic in neighbouring India and Afganistan. Political experts and human rights activists denounced Islamabad for using terrorism as a tool for influence during an event held in Geneva on Monday. The event titled 'International Seminar on Cross-Border Terrorism and Human Security' was organised by International Center Against Terrorism in collaboration with RADDHO and other NGOs, and was focused on ways to prevent trans-border and transnational terrorism. ICCT is a Netherlands-based independent think and do tank providing multidisciplinary policy advice and practical, solution-oriented implementation support on prevention and the rule of law for effective counter-terrorism. READ | Five Rockets Fired Near Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani's Oath Ceremony Venue In Kabul Tool of foreign policy Speaking at the event, Arif Aajakia, a human rights activist from Pakistan exposed how his country shelters various terrorist groups for its proxy war against India and Afghanistan. He held that cross-border terrorism is a cornerstone of Islamabad's foreign policy and has been involved actively in such acts for decades in India and Afghanistan. "On the eastern side of Pakistan, in India, they don't promote but create terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Laskar-e-Jhangvi and Jaish-e-Mohammed, who commit terrorism in India. The same way, they created the Taliban, their proxy to wage a war in Afghanistan. So, you can have peace neither in Afghanistan nor in India, until you contain Pakistan and stop their cross-border terrorism activities," Aajakia said. READ | Abdullah Declares Himself Afghanistan President As Ghani Swears-in For Second Term Military backing to terror He went on to highlight that the powerful Pakistan Army and its notorious spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), is systematically involved in these cross-border terrorism activities. Arif Aajakia also held that Pakistan's civilian establishment, led by "puppet" PM Imran Khan, has regularly defended and gave cover to such terror groups. The activist is currently based in London. READ | ISIS Terror Suspects Nabbed In New Delhi's Okhla; Wanted To Exploit Anti-CAA Protests Religious extremism The speakers also laid emphasis on how Islamic fundamentalists in Pakistan are brainwashing civilians and instigating them to be part of "jihad" or holy war. Another human rights activist and Pakistan affairs expert Charles Graves gave the example of Balochistan, where he said religious extremism is being promoted by non-Balochis which is denying their local population their ethnic rights. "We have to watch, what is going to happen in Pakistan now that there is a very close alliance with China which is bringing quite a bit of financial aid to Pakistan," Graves noted. New Delhi and Kabul have accused Pakistan on several occasions for promoting terrorism from its soil to disturb the peace. Pakistan is already on the 'grey list' of a Financial Action Task Force, for financing terror outfits based in its territory. (With ANI inputs) (ANI photo) READ | Shopian Encounter: Security Forces Neutralize Two Terrorists, Joint Operation Underway A Connecticut man has been accused of producing child pornography that included images of girls changing in a locker room. Kyle Fasold, 49, of Plainville, was arrested on Friday and charged with child pornography offenses. Fasold a vice president of the Blue Dolphins Swim Team Parents Association, WFSB reported.The club is for children ages 5 to 15. U.S. Attorney John Durham said the investigation is in its early stages and investigators are working to identify and notify victims. After his arrest, Fasold appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish in Hartford and was ordered detained. Farrish scheduled a detention hearing for Tuesday morning. As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, on March 6, 2020, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations special agents, with the assistance of the Plainville Police Department and Connecticut State Police, executed a court-authorized search of Fasolds residence and seized numerous electronic items, including an Apple iPhone X. Preliminary forensic analysis of the iPhone revealed multiple video files and an image file of girls changing in a locker room. It is alleged that Fasold produced the videos and image himself. The complaint charges Fasold with production and attempted production of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. Production of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years, and possession of child pornography carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. Plainville superintendent Steve LePage sent a letter to the community on the arrest, WFSB reported. Chief Matthew Catania, Town Manager Robert Lee and I have been working closely together to address this horrific situation and to ensure that those involved are informed as soon as possible, while also being careful not to create undo concern or anxiety in those who were not directly involved, the letter read. At tonight's (Monday) Board of Education meeting, we had a very large crowd of parents who showed up to express their concerns. Since at this time allegations involved the Plainville Parks and Recreation Blue Dolphins program, Robert Lee and Chief Catania attended the BOE meeting to provide a separate forum for any concerned parents who learned of the current allegations. We understand that this is very upsetting and unsettling information for many parents, students and staff. Going forward, we will need to support any students and families who are immediately impacted, directly or indirectly by these disturbing allegations. I am meeting with the administrative team Tuesday morning to plan for potential counseling and support needs of students impacted by these incidents. In cooperation with the town officials, we will continue to disseminate information as we learn more. We also plan to coordinate a forum with assistance of trained counselors to provide additional support to families. In the meantime, if you or your student have a need for support, please reach out to your child's building principal for guidance. This case being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Plainville Police Department and Connecticut State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nancy V. Gifford and Sarala V. Nagala. This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justices Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. No Time To Die (Credit: MGM/Universal) There's no doubt that the production of the 25th Bond movie, No Time To Die, was a bit on the turbulent side. But you'll get short shrift from Daniel Craig if you start talking about the 'Bond Curse'. The 007 actor, who will be making his last appearance as Bond in No Time To Die, told GQ magazine that 'It pisses me off'. Read more: Why has No Time To Die been delayed? Because I'm just like, 'Don't curse our movie'. And also, we're doing our best here, he added. The tumult was real, however. First, Danny Boyle, the movie's original director, parted ways with the production, citing creative differences with Eon's Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson (Boyle later hinted that it was loyalty to his writing partner John Hodge, whose idea for the movie caused friction). Daniel Craig in No Time To Die (Credit: MGM/Universal) The movie was then delayed, while they secured new helmsman Cary Fukunaga for the role. Then Craig broke his ankle while filming in Jamaica and had to be flown back to the US for treatment, resulting in another delay the production. There was also an on-set explosion at Pinewood Studios last summer, which injured a crew-member and caused external damage to the 007 sound stage. Craig also broached those suicidal remarks he made in the wake of finishing Spectre, remarks which were beamed around the world with little regard for context. Read more: No Time To Die will connect to Casino Royale The now-52-year-old actor was asked in the days following an international, multi-location shoot whether he'd be up for doing it all over again, to which he replied he'd rather 'slash his wrists'. I was never going to do one again, he went on. I was like, Is this work really genuinely worth this, to go through this, this whole thing? And I didnt feel I felt physically really low. So the prospect of doing another movie was just like, it was off the cards. And thats why it has been five years. Due to the worldwide outbreak of novel coronavirus, No Time To Die has suffered another setback too, with the release date now delayed from 2 April to 12 November. TORONTO and WASHINGTON, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Sara Charney, Chair of the Lionel Gelber Prize Board, has announced that the winner of the 2020 Lionel Gelber Prize is The Light that Failed: A Reckoning by Ivan Krastev and Stephen Holmes. Here is what the international jury, chaired by Janice Gross Stein, had to say about the winning book: "This book, full of sparkling insight and subtle analysis, explains why liberal democracy failed to become a universal ideology despite its victory over communism. The authors show how Western triumphalism of the 1990s failed to take into account the distinctive history and culture of states that were seeking to imitate and embed democracy. Although the peoples of former communist countries joined the EU and NATO and signed up to liberal values and the rule of law, they became alienated by the corruption and inequality that followed. The analysis of politics and culture in the former Eastern Europe is original and riveting. Krastev and Holmes show how Russia and China learned from a West that betrayed its own values and broke its own rules. This account of how liberalism lost it way is candid and incisive but it is not pessimistic. There is no reason why illiberalism and nativism should continue if 'chastised' liberals learn from their mistakes and The Light that Failed will surely help them do so. An original and important book for our times." Ivan Krastev is a permanent fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna and the chairman of the Centre for Liberal Strategies in Sofia. A contributing opinion writer for the International New York Times, he is a founding board member of the European Council on Foreign Relations and author of the widely acclaimed After Europe. Stephen Holmes is Professor of Law at NYU School of Law and the author of many books on liberalism, including The Anatomy of Antiliberalism. His work focuses on the history of liberalism, the disappointments of democratization after communism, and the challenge of managing globalized threats within the framework of liberal constitutionalism. The 2020 Lionel Gelber Prize jurors are Janice Gross Stein (Jury Chair, Toronto, Canada) Cameron Abadi (Berlin, Germany), Sir Lawrence Freedman (London, England), Margaret MacMillan (Toronto, Canada and Oxford, England), Kishore Mahbubani (Singapore), and Jeffrey Simpson (Ottawa, Canada). The winning book was selected from a shortlist which also included The Narrow Corridor: States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson; Power to the People: How Open Technological Innovation is Arming Tomorrow's Terrorists by Audrey Kurth Cronin; The Unsettling of Europe: How Migration Reshaped a Continent by Peter Gatrell; and Roller-Coaster: Europe 1950 2017 by Sir Ian Kershaw. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Lionel Gelber Prize, a literary award for the world's best non-fiction book in English on foreign affairs that seeks to deepen public debate on significant international issues. The Lionel Gelber Prize was founded in 1989 by Canadian diplomat Lionel Gelber. A cash prize of $15,000 is awarded to the winner. The award is presented annually by The Lionel Gelber Foundation, in partnership with Foreign Policy magazine and the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. Lionel Gelber Prize website: https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/gelber/ | Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @gelberprize SOURCE Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy At least two top European military commanders tested positive for the new coronavirus after a conference on an American military base in Germany, and the commander of U.S. Army Europe has isolated himself in case he also was exposed, officials said on March 10. Lt. Gen. Christopher Cavoli and several staff members from the U.S. garrison in the German city of Wiesbaden went into self-isolation out of an abundance of caution and following recommended protocols, U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said Monday. The possible exposure occurred at a meeting Friday at a land forces commanders conference that U.S. Army Europe hosted in Wiesbaden, spokesman John Tomassi confirmed Tuesday. Tomassi would not say who was thought to have been carrying the virus at the time of the conference, but two participants have since said they tested positive for it. The commander of Polands armed forces, Gen. Jaroslaw Mika, was found infected once he returned home, the Polish Defense Ministry said. The ministry said Mika, 57, feels well and that everyone with him on the trip to Wiesbaden has been quarantined. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, though, for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild COVID-19 disease recover in about two weeks and those with more severe illnesses may take three to six weeks to recover, but the vast majority of patients will recover. Italys RAI television quoted Italian army Chief of Staff General Salvatore Farina saying he also was fine after testing positive for the virus upon his return from the conference. I am in isolation in my apartment, in compliance with the directives issued by the government authorities and with the health protocols, Farina said. He said authorities were looking to identify people with whom he had contact in the past few days. The coronavirus outbreak was not an agenda item of the annual gathering in Germany, but it came up in the context of how to protect the thousands of Americans and other troops gathering in Europe for the Defender Europe 20 exercise, Tomassi said. Right now, theres no impact to Defender 20 that we have determined, he said. But that could change any day, and were monitoring and continuing to evaluate the situation. The U.S. Army Europe-hosted conference in Wiesbaden brought together 24 senior military representatives from NATO, the European Union, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Georgia, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Romania, and the United States. By David Rising NORWALK A Bridgeport man accused of accepting money to set fire to a city barbershop in the weeks before its grand opening had his case continued on Wednesday. Roselio Morales, 42, was arrested on Jan. 20 after he confessed to starting a fire on the interior of a newly renovated barbershop at 108 Connecticut Ave., in exchange for $2,000, according to his arrest warrant. Morales has since pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree arson and conspiracy to commit first-degree arson. Morales told police he had been drinking outside his Bridgeport home last month when he was approached by someone he only vaguely knew regarding an insurance scheme, the arrest warrant said. He told me some guy wanted to pay money to burn a business down, to get an insurance claim, Morales told police, according to the warrant. I dont know who wanted the fire set, but the guy offered me $2,000 and said that if anyone asks, say El Faru told me to do it. Morales said the mystery man took him to stake out the business one night, then dropped him off the next night to do the deed, the warrant said. Morales said the man gave him a gallon of gasoline, a Phillips head screwdriver and specific instructions. He told me the door was unlocked already. He said to make it look like someone pried the door open. He told me when I light the fire, to drill holes in the wall, Morales told police, according to the warrant. Before leaving, the man gave Morales the $2,000 and a message: Youve never seen me and you dont know anything about me, the warrant said. Manish Patel, who owns the building, has not responded to multiple requests for comment. Patel said last month that everything was in order and his new tenant was expected to soon open the business. Victor Santiago, who was expected to open the barbershop, also could not be reached for comment. According to his arrest warrant, Morales was initially linked to the crime by a cellphone he left at the fire. The building is owned by a limited liability company controlled by the Patel family. They bought the building in 2005 for $420,000 and ran Norwalk Wine & Spirits there before moving the package store a short distance up Connecticut Avenue, where it remains in business. The barbershop building was last appraised for about $500,000 and was listed in July for sale for $750,000. Morales has been held in custody in lieu of $200,000 bond since his arrest in January. Subscriber content preview SEATTLE An office building at 502 S. Lucile St. sold for a little over$4.9 million, according to King County records. The seller was MJW King LLC, which acquired the property in 1998 for $1.9 million. . . . Motorbike thief arrested PHUKET: Police arrested a 25-year-old man yesterday (Mar 9) for stealing two motorbikes, one in Rassada and one in Chalong, late last month. crimepolice By Eakkapop Thongtub Tuesday 10 March 2020, 05:46PM Natthakit Ta Kuekul was charged with two counts of theft. Photo: Phuket Provincial Police Natthakit Ta Kuekul was charged with two counts of theft. Photo: Phuket Provincial Police Natthakit Ta Kuekul was charged with two counts of theft. Photo: Phuket Provincial Police Natthakit Ta Kuekul was charged with two counts of theft. Photo: Phuket Provincial Police Col Bandit Khaosutham, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Police Investigation Division, named the man arrested as Natthakit Ta Kuekul. The arrest followed a complaint filed on Feb 22 reporting a grey Honda Click stolen in Soi Patchanee, Moo 3, Rassada, Col Bandit said. Police checked CCTV footage and eventually tracked down and arrested Natthakit while riding a green Honda Click motorbike at the parking lot of an apartment building in Moo 2, Rassada, Col Bandit said. Police searched Natthakits accommodation and found other items of evidence which he used for committing the thefts, including a tool set and what Col Bandit described as a fake motorbike key. Natthakit was taken to Phuket City Police Station, where he confessed to stealing the grey Honda Click in Rassada, Col Bandit said. The green Honda Click he was riding when he was arrested was stolen from a house in Chalongsuk Village housing estate on Chao Fa West Rd in Chalong on Feb 27, Col Bandit added. Natthakit also confessed to stealing a licence plate from another motorbike that was parked at Laem Hin Pier in Koh Kaew so he could use it on one of the two motorbikes he had stolen, Col Bandit said. Col Bandit confirmed that Natthakit had been charged with two counts of theft. Advertisement Jewish people in London and around the world have been celebrating the festival of Purim today. Dating back 2,500 years, the ancient festival is a celebration of the time a plot to massacre all the Jews in Persia was overthrown. The celebration commemorates the day Esther, Queen of Persia, saved the Jewish people from execution by Haman, the advisor to the Persian king There have been large, carnival-like parades in Stamford Hill, London and other Jewish communities celebrating Purim, which usually falls each March. Children have taken to the street, showing off the costumes they've made for the holiday. The procession then ended at a synagogue, where families gathered to hear a Rabbi re-tell the ancient story. The streets of Stamford Hill in north London were filled with the sound of celebration as young Jewish boys and girls celebrated the annual festival of Purim. Bright colours are very much typical of a Purim carnival as children don costumes and head to their local synagogue. Once there families will hear the ancient story of Purim, as it appears in the book of Esther This young man's costume in Stamford Hill couldn't help but poke a little fun during the festivities. Members of the Jewish community celebrating Purim are encouraged to get creative with their costumes and show off what they have made There's no dress code or instructions for youngster's costumes. As this picture outside a home in north London shows today, they can dress as characters like Willy Wonka, as police officers, or something completely different Penguins and pirates filled Stamford Hill's streets today alongside their more traditionally-dressed parents as they head to the synagogue. It's all to celebrate the foiling of a plot to massacre Jews in Persia 2,500 years ago Food is an important part of Purim. Jewish people often eat prune hamantaschen or 'Haman's ears' - named after the Persian vizier that plotted to massacre them in the 5th century BC. Youngsters can be seen carrying their own food in Stamford Hill today These three were looking sweet as they headed to their synagogue in Stamford Hill. The fanta-stically costumed trio certainly didn't fall flat as they joined their neighbours today Once again bright colours help show off the celebratory atmosphere found on any street during Purim, here two boys donned kimonos and cowboy hats in Stamford Hill These three were definitely feeling the fun side of Purim on the streets of Stamford Hill today. Around the world thousands of Jewish people will take to the streets in costumes of their own Whether they're dressed in matching costumes like these boys and girls, or something unique to themselves, the Purim carnival brings local Jewish communities together in religious celebration, as can be seen here in Stamford Hill This bus top parade in London helped move the Purim procession to the synagogue while boys on board waved to passers-by This Jewish family dressed their little girls as medieval princesses as they walk to the synagogue in London Jewish men and boys sang and danced during the Purim celebrations in London today The Purim celebration doesn't only take place outdoors. Here Jewish men and boys from London eat, drink and dance to celebrate the foiling of a plot to kill all the Jews in Persia 2,500 years ago Jewish children dance inside a house as they celebrate the annual holiday of Purim in Stamford Hill in London Jewish children dance on the top of a red London bus as they celebrate the annual holiday of Purim Jewish children look out from a bus as they celebrate the annual holiday of Purim in Stamford Hill on Tuesday Jewish children dance on a bus as they celebrate the annual holiday of Purim in Stamford Hill in London Jewish children dance in the street behind a decorated bus as they celebrate Purim Jewish children dance on a bus as they celebrate the annual holiday of Purim in Stamford Hill in London Jewish children dressed in brightly-coloured outfits walk down the street during the annual Jewish holiday of Purim A Jewish family walks down the street during the annual Jewish holiday of Purim on March 10 Minnesota legislative leaders are doing their own workplace planning for a potential coronavirus outbreak in the state. House Speaker Melissa Hortman said Monday that internal conversations are well underway to look at many possible scenarios. Beyond the usual reminders about hand-washing, staying home when sick and keeping work areas clean, Hortman said the discussions have also ventured into the potential for a legislative hiatus. "We hope that we wont need to suspend any legislative activity," Hortman said. "But if that comes to pass, well be prepared to do that." With such a hiatus in mind, Hortman said the House and Senate are preparing a joint resolution that would allow the Legislature to recess for longer than three days if needed. ADVERTISEMENT There is also concern about the public rallies that can bring large crowds to the Capitol to advocate for issues. Hortman said she has asked the Minnesota Department of Health for guidance on whether to limit those gatherings. "Any time that they recommend that we dial back the level of people that are in the building, we would go ahead to take action to do that," she said. The Legislature is already poised to send Gov. Tim Walz a bill that would free up about $25 million for the Minnesota Department of Health to use to fight the spread of the new coronavirus. It can use the money to pay staff, buy lab equipment, acquire protective gear and take other steps to head off a more serious spread of the virus. This story originally appeared at: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/03/09/legislative-hiatus-it-could-happen-because-of-coronavirus of story Questions or requests? Contact MPR News editor Meg Martin at newspartners@mpr.org 2019 Minnesota Public Radio. All rights reserved. A Trenton man was charged with driving while intoxicated twice this weekend, crashing into a police car the second time, authorities said. The driver, a 48-year-old, faces several other motor vehicle offenses after the separate incidents, on Friday and Sunday, that involved cops from both Bordentown Township and Bordentown City. Around 10:13 p.m. Friday, a township patrolman pulled the man over after he disregarded a traffic signal at Route 206 and Stanton Avenue, township Police Chief Brian Pesce and city Chief Fred Miller said in a statement. The officer observed an open container in the drivers 2004 Cadillac Escalade and arrested him on DWI and six other charges. The SUV was impounded for 12 hours in accordance with Johns Law. After 1 a.m. Sunday, the driver was on Route 206 behind the township police headquarters when he crashed into a city officers vehicle on the shoulder, where he had made an unrelated traffic stop. After the collision, the mans Escalade crashed into a fencepost behind the station before coming to a stop. He was charged with several more offenses after that. The driver and city officer whose vehicle was struck were unhurt, but the Escalade had serious front end damage and the cop car had some moderate damage. Pesce and Miller used the incident to remind drivers to slow down and move over for stopped emergency vehicles. Intoxicated and impaired drivers are not only a danger to the public but also jeopardize the safety of law enforcement patrolling our roadways, they wrote in the statement. We are thankful that the officer was not injured in this incident. Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. 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. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SHARC International Systems Inc. (CSE:SHRC) (FSE:IWIA) (OTCQB:INTWF) (the Company or SHARC) announces that, further to the press release dated March 4, 2020, the Company has received notification from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) that the Electrification 2020 International Conference and Exposition, originally set for April 6 9 in Charlotte, North Carolina, is postponed until early 2021 due to the latest information on coronavirus (COVID-19) and at the recommendation of EPRIs Board of Directors and Executive Committee. However, the Company is pleased that the Incubatenergy Labs Challenge is not cancelled. The Pitch Day scheduled for April 7, 2020, will be conducted virtually, via Webinar, and EPRI will work with all finalists and utilities to assign and schedule timeslots for finalists to pitch to the group. The pitches, question and answer and deliberation sessions will be completed over April 7th and 8th. We are ecstatic that the Incubatenergy Labs Challenge will continue as planned says Lynn Mueller, CEO of SHARC International. The coronavirus is creating global uncertainty around many facets of business and we are thankful that EPRI has created a solution to allow for the program to continue as scheduled. This is a significant opportunity for SHARC and the other finalists and it would have been unfortunate if the program was postponed. About EPRI The Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. ( www.epri.com ) conducts research and development relating to the generation, delivery and use of electricity for the benefit of the public. An independent, non-profit organization, EPRI brings together its scientists and engineers as well as experts from academia and industry to help address challenges in electricity, including reliability, efficiency, affordability, health, safety and the environment. EPRI members represent 90% of the electricity generated and delivered in the United States with international participation extending to 40 countries. EPRIs principal offices and laboratories are located in Palo Alto, Calif.; Charlotte, N.C.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Dallas, Texas; Lenox, Mass.; and Washington, D.C. About SHARC International Systems Inc. SHARC International Systems Inc. is a world leader in waste water heat recovery. For commercial, residential and industrial buildings, SHARC products recycle thermal energy, generating one of the most efficient and economical methods for heating, cooling & preheating water. SHARC is publicly traded in Canada (CSE: SHRC), the United States (OTCQB: INTWF) and Germany (Frankfurt: IWIA). Further information about the Company is available on our website at www.sharcenergy.com or under our profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. We are truly grateful for the patience and support of SHARC shareholders! Please join the conversation on our SHARC supporters telegram group at https://t.me/SHARCenergy . The company diligently posts important information and updates through weekly videos from the official company youtube channel ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyDZ8Sz5h_s6Y4-tiiJJLlg/videos). '' ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Lynn Mueller Chairman and Chief Executive Officer For further information, please contact: Investor Relations Phoenix Group Jason Shepherd SHARC International Systems Inc. Telephone: (250) 212-2122 Email: ir@sharcenergy.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "should", and similar expressions. Forward-looking information involves 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 information. SHARC's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information as a result of regulatory decisions, competitive factors in the industries in which the Company operates, prevailing economic conditions, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. SHARC believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the Company's expectations as of the date hereof, and is subject to change after such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities legislation. United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney speaks to supporters after being sworn in as MLA for Calgary-Lougheed, in Edmonton, Alta., on Jan. 29, 2018. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press) Kenney Prepared to Do Whatever It Takes to Counter Oil Price Crash for Alberta Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says his government will do whatever it takes to rescue the province from an oil price collapse and he wants the federal government to step up as well. This is not just about Alberta. As Alberta goes, so goes the national economy, Kenney said in Calgary on March 9, after markets closed with cratering oil prices threatening to drain billions of dollars from the provinces bottom line. Albertans, even in our times of economic trial, have been contributing $20 billion net to the rest of the federation through our federal taxes. Our ability to continue doing so is now at risk, he said. Albertans have been good to the rest of Canada. Its time to see the rest of Canada return the favour. Kenney is to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on March 13 at the first ministers meeting in Ottawa. He said hell be asking for a range of relief measures, including financial incentives to help create jobs in reclaiming orphan wells, changes to payroll taxes, and removal of a cap on fiscal stabilization transfers that would return about $2.6 billion to Alberta. Kenney said his own United Conservative government will look at a range of choices that include borrowing money for more capital spending to boost jobs, a return to tax incentives to lure hightech startups, and directly subsidizing a barrel of oil. The premier is also striking an emergency panel to be headed up by economist Jack Mintz with the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary. All options will be on the table. I repeat: all options will be on the table to do everything that we can within our capacity to help protect jobs and Albertans, said Kenney. Gut Punch Albertas energy industry, already suffering from reduced demand due to the novel coronavirus, is taking a gut punch due to an all-out price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia. The price for West Texas Intermediate crude fell to US$30 a barrel on March 9. Alberta has budgeted its oil revenue based on US$58 a barrel. Each $1 drop in price represents a cut of about $200 million from Albertas bottom line. Kenney, saying now is not the time for partisan politics, said hell be reaching out to rival politicians, including Opposition NDP Leader Rachel Notley, for advice. Notley, speaking at a news conference in Edmonton, said Kenney needs to withdraw his recently tabled budget and submit a new one that recognizes how free-falling oil prices are decimating revenues. Notley said the low prices will conservatively send the projected deficit for 202021 to almost $11 billion from $6.8 billion. She said Kenney has left Alberta vulnerable by slashing corporate income taxes last year and using wildly optimistic oil revenue projections in the budget. She also said Kenney was wrong when his government dismantled tax incentives last fall designed to lure more diversified businesses, including hightech companies, to Alberta. Premier Kenneys belief in his corporate [tax] handout has always been magical thinking, but today it has been exposed as pure fantasy, said Notley. It would be profoundly irresponsible for the premier to press forward with this budget when the assumptions it is built on have been proven to be false. Kenney said he will not be withdrawing his budget. He noted its three weeks until the end of the fiscal year and the province needs a budget in place. He said the government will revisit projections in the summer when the fiscal situation becomes clearer. Kenney also resisted Notleys call to revisit an almost 3 percent cut to operational spending. He said it remains a realistic goal given that Alberta spends more per capita than comparable jurisdictions. Albertans pay the lowest overall taxes in Canada and there is no provincial sales tax. Both Kenney and Notley, saying it would be catastrophic to an already hurting economy, dismissed any increases. Kenneys UCP won last Aprils election on a promise to focus on revitalizing oil and gas while eradicating a string of multibilliondollar deficits and getting the rising debt under control. At the time, Kenney criticized the NDP for what he characterized as mismanaging the economy by borrowing billions of dollars, thereby running up debt interest payments that would cripple future generations. Kenney said last week that his governments goal of balancing the books by 2023 might not happen. Tucked away in one of the most bucolic corners of San Francisco, near the forests of the Presidio, lies a crescent of magnificent homes that for much of its history refused entry to people of color. The advertisement for Presidio Terrace, a newly established circle of mansions, printed by The Baldwin & Howell Real Estate Company of Fillmore Street in 1906, boasted: "There is only one spot in San Francisco where only Caucasians are permitted to buy or lease real estate or where they may reside. That place is Presidio Terrace," it concluded, "There you will obtain protection from the many nuisances that are now making life in many portions of San Francisco unbearable" The ad's horrifying headline warned, "The Japs Have Invaded The Western Addition," Historically, San Francisco has had its share of persecution based on race, such as the forced internment of Japanese Americans in 1942, or a school segregation order in 1906 that was defended by the San Francisco school board "to save white children from being affected by association with pupils of the Mongolian race." The developer's ban on the sale or lease of any homes in Presidio Terrace to non-whites was never as newsworthy as those heinous, historic events, but it speaks to a dark undertone of segregation in real estate and urban development that continued into the 1990s. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Diane Feinstein and former San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto all used to live among the 36 multi-million dollar homes that make up the ritzy enclave. Perhaps on no street in San Francisco do homes change hands less often, although one is on the market right now for $10 million the buyer will be only the third owner of the century-old property. Presidio Terrace is San Francisco's most prestigious private street (one of 264 in the city). Visitors are met by a security gate upon entering the cul-de-sac from Arguello Boulevard. The gate is normally open, but there is a security guard to stop the public from getting in. Google Street View took down images of the street in 2007. Members of the small neighborhood have often pushed back against change in the '90s the homeowners protested a new resident's attempts to modernize the architecture on one home. This led to the publication of a coffee table book paid for by the residents in a attempt to educate newer neighbors as to how the crescent's homes "should" look. ALSO: Unearthed footage of San Francisco's Market Street in the '60s looks like a different city The street's designation as "whites-only" came to an end in 1948 when the Supreme Court made such segregation in real estate illegal in Shelley v. Kraemer, but racist practices in housing continued for decades in San Francisco. Until as recently as 1998, an unenforced homeowners association rule in the Lakeside neighborhood near Lake Merced stated: "No person other than one of the White Caucasian Race shall rent, lease, use or occupy any building on any lot in said tract." That year the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development looked into the restriction and announced that it had reached an agreement with the HOA to remove the racial covenant that had been in its bylaws since 1939. At the time, HUD secretary Andrew Cuomo told the San Francisco Examiner "these kinds of covenants are a sad legacy of the past, when outrageous and ugly racial discrimination was common and accepted." In a bizarre turn of events, Presidio Terrace came under scrutiny again in 2015 when San Francisco Supervisors overturned the sale of the street itself to an Asian-American couple. The street, including sidewalks and common areas, was sold at auction after the Presidio Terrace HOA failed to pay $994 in back taxes. The $14-a-year tax bill was apparently being mailed to an accountant who hadn't worked for the association since the '80s. Two San Jose residents, Michael Cheng and his wife, Tina Lam, became aware of the unique sale and bought the street, sidewalks and green spaces for $90,000 at auction. When Cheng revealed he was considering charging residents of the street to park, or worse let the public park on the crescent, residents protested, resolving in the Board of Supervisors voting 7-4 to take the formerly whites-only street away from the Asian-American couple. At the time Lam told SFGATE she wasn't rich enough to buy a home on the street. Buying the street itself fulfilled her simple dream of owning a piece of San Francisco. Supervisor Mark Farrell, who voted to overturn the sale, said, "I believe the vote today to rescind this sale was the best possible outcome. The speculators get their money back no harm, no foul." Former Supervisor Jeff Sheehy, who also voted to rescind the sale, took to reddit to defend his decision and was largely mocked, with one redditor, nnniccc replying, "It's a classic example of SF xenophobia, including a nasty streak against East Asians, (Chinese nationals!), push button sloganeering totally divorced from reality (real estate speculators!) and the way that being a current resident of SF that's 'got yours' trumps everything else, particularly if you connected and affluent." The most recent census revealed that Presidio Terrace is now 74% white, 15% Asian, 7% Hispanic and 0% African-American. Take a look at the slide show above to see the infamous racist advertisement and the street today. Andrew Chamings is a digital editor at SFGATE. Email: Andrew.Chamings@sfgate.com | Twitter: @AndrewChamings The Senate on Tuesday, constituted a joint committee to engage relevant federal ministries on the recent oil price crash. The decision followed a point of order raised by the Senate leader, Abdullahi Yahaya. The brent crude oil crashed by about 30 per cent, hours after the worlds top oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, began a global oil fight. This has sent Nigeria into a revenue crisis As at Monday, the price of Brent crude reduced to about $34 a barrel while Nigerias 2020 budget was done based on a crude benchmark price of $56 per barrel. In December 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari signed a N10.50 trillion 2020 national budget. In the budget, Nigeria pegged oil production at 2.18 million barrels per day, with a price benchmark of $57 per barrel. Giving the oil crisis, the government may not be able to finance the budget having only about half of what it projected in revenue for 2020. In the case of Nigeria that makes most of its foreign earnings from oil and produced its oil at about $30 per barrel, the price crash portends a recession for the economy, according to experts. President Muhammadu Buhari has since set up a committee to find ways to escape the looming recession. Mr Yahaya on Tuesday commended the executive for setting up the committee to look into the issue. He emphasised the need for the Senate to do the same. We need to engage a lot of our committees so that they will be ready at any point in time to engage the committees that are set up on the executive side. We hope this crisis will not last for long but if it does, we have to prepare for it. Im just raising this for us to formally prepare for eventualities and uneventualities. While he was happy that the Senate has worked hard to pass the budget in good time, he worried that it is being threatened. We have to come up with strategies on our own side so that by the time the people of the executive come up with their own proposals, our own committee will have told us the direction we will go so as to advise accordingly. In his remark, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, recalled that the Senate passed the MTEF, FSP and budget on the oil benchmark price of $57 per barrel which, he said, has crashed today. As a parliament, we need to be proactive and continue to be up to date with the situation so that we are also able to take a decision when it will matter for us to take a decision, he said. He thereafter, suggested that a joint committee be set up to protect whatever will be the situation for Nigeria to implement the budget in the way and manner that will impact the lives of Nigerians. This committee will continue to engage with people in government as well as people outside of government where we can be abreast with all the necessary information. So, the committees on Finance, National Planning and Appropriation will now form the joint committee and the finance committee will be the lead committee. You will engage with those in government the ministry of finance, ministry of national planning and any other ministry that you feel you need to have engagement with for necessary information. But you will also venture outside of government. You should talk to people who have the economics, knowledge of people who have the expertise in the field of finance and economy so that we are properly informed, he directed. He also mandated the joint committee to report to the Senate on weekly basis and where there is a need for emergency information, the committee will inform the Senate on the current situation as well as ways forward. Our purpose will be the same with the executive that we are able to control the situation because if crude price is $31, that is almost $26 off the shelf from what we budgeted and that is so significant and can affect the implementation of the budget, he added. Pearl Jam was expected to embark on the tour for their first album in seven years on March 18. But due to growing fears around the Coronavirus and recommendations to avoid large crowd gatherings, the band announced in a tweet thread on Monday, the North American leg would be postponed. In a 10-tweet thread Pearl Jam explained the decision to postpone and expressed their disappointment with the decision but found there was no other option. No tour soon: Due to growing fears around the Coronavirus and recommendations to avoid large crowd gatherings, Pearl Jam announced in a tweet thread on Monday, the North American leg of their Gigaton tour would be postponed Thread: In a 10-tweet thread Pearl Jam explained the decision to postpone and expressed their disappointment with the decision but found there was no other option The tweeted statement began 'As residents of the city of Seattle, weve been hit hard and have witnessed firsthand how quickly these disastrous situations can escalate. Our kids schools have closed along with universities and businesses. 'Its been brutal and its gonna get worse before it gets better. So we are being told that being part of large gatherings is high on the list of things to avoid as this global health crisis is now beginning to affect all of our lives.' Washington State has the highest number of confirmed Coronavirus cases in the United State's with 180 and the highest number of deaths with 22, as of Monday. 'Here in Seattle what we are witnessing we would not wish for anyone,' the band wrote. 'What we do wish for the rest of the country is that they can avoid the harsh negative effects of this and retain their sense of community and take care of one another. ' Bad shape: The tweeted statement began 'As residents of the city of Seattle, weve been hit hard and have witnessed firsthand how quickly these disastrous situations can escalate. Our kids schools have closed along with universities and businesses.' Washington state has the most confirmed cases of Coronavirus in the U.S. with 180 and highest numbe2 of deaths with 22 Keeping fans safe: The band, consisting of Eddie Vedder, Mike McCready, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament and Matt Cameron, added that they placed the safety of their fans as a top priority The band, consisting of Eddie Vedder, Mike McCready, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament and Matt Cameron, added that they placed the safety of their fans as a top priority. 'Unfortunately, communing in large groups is a huge part of what we do as a band and the tour weve been busy planning for months is now in jeopardy,' they added. 'So it is with deep frustration and regret that we are forced to make this most unfortunate of announcements.' At the moment, only the first leg of their Gigaton tour that saw them playing in Canada and the United States has been postponed and rescheduled, though no specific dates were given. They expressed that they tried to work with managers to find solutions other than postponing and cancelling shows, 'but the levels of risk to our audience and their communities is simply too high for our comfort level. ' Bad info: The statement also seemed to take aim at the government for unclear messages regarding the outbreak and spreading pandemic. 'It certainly hasnt helped that theres been no clear messages from our government regarding peoples safety and our ability to go to work' Saying: 'In this case, travel is something to avoid.' The statement also seemed to take aim at the government for unclear messages regarding the outbreak and spreading pandemic. 'It certainly hasnt helped that theres been no clear messages from our government regarding peoples safety and our ability to go to work,' the statement read. 'Having no examples of our national health departments ability to get ahead of this, we have no reason to believe that it will be under control in the coming weeks ahead.' Continuing: 'We are so sorryAnd deeply upset...If anyone out there feels the same based on this news, we share that emotion with you.' The band has been together and performing since 1990. Iconic: Pearl Jam were one of the bands to hit big out of the grunge movement in Seattle; they are pictured in 1992, one year after the release of their smash debut album The novel Coronavirus started in China in late December but has since spread to nearly every region of the world, estimated to being affecting nearly 100,000 people resulting in over 3,000 deaths. The disease is a respiratory illness that according to the Center for Disease Control can spread from person to person through contact with droplets from sneezing and coughing from an infected person. Mild symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breathe. Though severe symptoms can evolve to pneumonia in both longs, multi-organ failure and possibly death. While there is no specific anti-viral treatment or vaccine for the disease, the CDC suggested preventative measures including avoid touching your face with unwashed hands, washing hands often for 20 seconds with warm water and soap and avoiding contact with those who are sick. Ricky Gervais and Jane Fallon have announced the death of their social media star cat Ollie. The couple shared the news on Twitter along with pictures of their pet, who died on Tuesday at the age of 16. Gervais wrote: Just had to say goodbye to the sweetest little soul Ive ever known. RIP Ollie Just had to say goodbye to the sweetest little soul Ive ever known. RIP Ollie July 9th 2003 - March 10th 2020 pic.twitter.com/CwqIuWKRww Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) March 10, 2020 July 9th 2003 March 10th 2020. Author Fallon posted: I have awful news. My smart, funny, feisty, beautiful sidekick of the last 16 & a half years @myleftfang has passed away after a sudden down turn in her health at the weekend. My heart is broken in two. I have no idea what Im going to do without her by my side. #Ollie. The couple were given Ollie by Jonathan Ross on his Friday night chat show in 2003 and the cat was popular in her own right, with a Twitter account that had more than 60,000 followers. I have awful news. My smart, funny, feisty, beautiful sidekick of the last 16 & a half years @myleftfang has passed away after a sudden down turn in her health at the weekend. My heart is broken in two. I have no idea what Im going to do without her by my side. #Ollie pic.twitter.com/UOF1Phm5sq Jane Fallon (@JaneFallon) March 10, 2020 The biography on Ollies Twitter account, run by the couple, said that she was 3/8 BURMESE, 1/8 SIAMESE, 1/4 CORNISH REX, 1/4 DEVON REX, 1/2 ENGLISH, 1/4 FRENCH CANADIAN,1/4 IRISH & 100% CAT! Video of the Day The social media page was full of pictures of her along with humorous captions written in the style of a cat. Shortly after her death was announced, RIP Ollie trended on Twitter. In 2017, Fallon told ITVs Lorraine that she was hoping Ollie, who was 13 at the time, had another 20 years in her. She added: I love her Home isnt home without an animal, theres something about having animals around the place that, I dont know, makes it feel like a much nicer place. Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together. When I first met Nancy Wexler, more than 30 years ago, the walls outside her office were papered with a seemingly endless family tree that traced the path of a hereditary brain disorder, Huntingtons disease, through thousands of people 10 generations in a family in Venezuela with the worlds highest rates of the disease. Dr. Wexler welcomed me like I was an old friend, and she and her colleagues gave me hours of their time to explain their work, for an article I was writing for Discover magazine. She is one of those rare people who make you feel like youre the smartest, most interesting person in the room. The gene for Huntingtons had not yet been found, but colleagues on her project in Venezuela had identified a stretch of DNA near it, a marker, which made it possible for some people to find out whether they had inherited the deadly gene. Every child of a parent with Huntingtons has a 50 percent chance of inheriting the gene, and the disease. A soldier films North Korean soldiers, officers, and high ranking officials attending a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of the country's founding father Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang, North Korea, on April 15, 2017. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters) Coronavirus Kills 180 North Korean Soldiers, Thousands More Quarantined: Report Almost 200 North Korean soldiers have reportedly died from COVID-19, the deadly disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and thousands of others are being quarantined. According to the Daily NK, a South Korean news outlet, 180 North Korean soldiers were killed by the virus in the months of January and February, and another 3,700 have been quarantined. The Daily NK quoted a source, allegedly from North Koreas military, who on March 6 cited figures from a report that detailed the impact of the virus on North Koreas soldiers. The Epoch Times has not been able to independently verify the reports. The North Korean soldiers who reportedly died were stationed predominantly on or around the Sino-North Korean border in North Pyongan, Chagang, Ryanggang, and North Hamgyong provinces, according to the news outlet. The report was sent to the regimes military leaders, and the source claimed there are just too many bodies that the North Korean military is struggling to cremate the soldiers killed by the disease. I havent heard of corpses being cremated in military hospitals, the source allegedly said. The military leadership likely believes that suddenly asking the hospitals to cremate all the bodies would create a big headache for medical staff. North Korea has not confirmed any cases of COVID-19. However, experts have become increasingly concerned that Pyongyang is covering-up cases and deaths. Workers of the Songyo Knitwear Factory produce masks for protection against the new coronavirus in Pyongyang on Feb. 6, 2020. (Kim Won-Jin/AFP via Getty Images) According to reports, North Korea last week placed at least 7,000 people under quarantine in an attempt to prevent coronavirus spread in the country. It has also put in place high-intensity measures that the countrys state media says are to prevent coronavirus infections. These measures include a ban on foreign tourists, reinforced border checks, and the suspension of most air and rail travel within and out of the country. State media outlet KCNA also said that a month-long quarantine period had been imposed on people showing symptoms of the virus. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week sent South Korean President Moon Jae-in a personal letter expressing his condolences over the coronavirus outbreak, marking Kims first public exchange with his counterpart in more than four months. It wasnt immediately clear if Kim sent the letter to improve strained ties with South Korea amid a deadlock in broader nuclear diplomacy with the United States. Kim in his letter expressed concern over Moons health and extended a message of comfort to the South Korean people amid the escalating novel coronavirus outbreak in South Korea. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 35 new coronavirus cases in South Korea on Tuesday, down from a peak of 909 on Feb. 29. The new figures brought the national tally to 7,513, while the death toll rose by three to 54. Reuters contributed to this report. Story Highlights 52% approve of the Affordable Care Act; 47% disapprove 94% of Democrats, 11% of Republicans and 53% of independents approve 78% haven't had to change doctors nor give up their medical plan WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On the eve of its 10-year anniversary, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) -- signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010 -- is supported by the slight majority of Americans, 52%. This has occurred only twice previously in Gallup polling on the ACA since 2012, both times in the early days of Donald Trump's presidency. Since Trump has been in office, the public has either tilted in favor of the ACA or been closely split. By contrast, from 2012 to 2016, attitudes more often tilted against the law. The low points in public support for the ACA, also known as "Obamacare," were seen from late 2013 through late 2014, as the healthcare exchanges were being rolled out and opponents were calling for its repeal. The latest reading is from a Gallup poll conducted Feb. 17-28 and is just shy of the record-high 55% approval in 2017. Views of ACA Diverge Along Partisan Lines Americans' views of the ACA remain starkly divided by party. In fact, a record-high percentage of Democrats (94%) now approve of the Affordable Care Act, while Republicans' approval (11%) remains low and mostly unchanged over the past several years. After initially approving of the ACA in 2012, independents soured on the legislation within its first year, and their support remained low through 2016, including during the ACA's least popular days. Since last year, support among this group has been back to 50% or better and is holding steady. The Pros and Cons of the ACA Americans have mixed views of the specific impact the ACA has had on a variety of aspects of their own healthcare plans over the past decade. On the positive side: 78% of Americans say they did not have to change their primary doctor. The same percentage (78%) report that they did not have to give up a medical plan they liked because of its noncompliance with the ACA. 28% say the ACA allowed them to obtain health insurance after not having it previously. 22% were able to keep or add an adult child on their plan, a key benefit mandated by the ACA that took effect in 2010. 20% say they have gotten coverage for a preexisting medical condition that wasn't covered before the law was passed. At the same time, some of the perceived challenges or negative impacts of the ACA include: 61% do not think they have access to more services in their plan since the law's enactment. 53% of Americans report that their premiums have increased since the law was passed. Since the Affordable Care Act went into effect about 10 years ago, which, if any, of the following has happened to you or your household as a direct result of that law? Yes No No opinion % % % You had more medical services covered in your plan than in the past 36 61 2 You obtained health insurance coverage when you didn't have it before 28 70 1 You kept or added an adult child up to age 26 on your health plan 22 78 -- You obtained coverage for a preexisting medical condition when you didn't have it before 20 79 1 Your health insurance premiums went down 17 80 3 Your health insurance premiums went up 53 44 3 You had to change to a different primary doctor 21 78 1 You had to give up a medical plan you liked because it didn't comply with the law's requirements 21 78 1 Gallup, Feb. 17-28, 2020 Bottom Line While a slight majority of Americans approve of the Affordable Care Act, scarcely improved over the mostly divided support seen since Trump took office, Democrats are more likely than ever to approve of the healthcare law. Thus, despite some Democratic presidential candidates' focus on "Medicare for all," these results indicate Democrats are in no hurry to abandon the ACA. While approval ratings and overall perceptions of the law's impact are important to track, another key metric often used to assess the success of "Obamacare" is the overall rate of Americans who are uninsured. View complete question responses and trends. Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works. A former Scottish Government official who has accused Alex Salmond of sexual assault said she was 'too scared' to call for help at his Bute House residence. The former first minister of Scotland is on trial at the High Court in Edinburgh over accusations of sexual assault. The woman, who is the first to give evidence, has spoken about two alleged incidents, including one charge that the 65-year-old tried to rape her in June 2014. Shelagh McCall QC, representing Salmond, asked on Tuesday why the woman had not called for a security guard to help that night. The prosecution witness, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: 'I really wish that I had. I was scared, I was embarrassed and humiliated. 'Looking back I wish I had screamed, I wish I had physically reacted but I just turned to stone.' The witness earlier told the court she began to suffer flashbacks to the alleged incident after the Harvey Weinstein scandal emerged in 2017. Ms McCall QC asked whether the woman had been encouraged by others to speak to Police Scotland after reports emerged in August 2018 that Salmond was being investigated. The 65-year-old (pictured arriving at court today) faces 14 charges of alleged offences against 10 women, all of which he denies The court heard the woman had been in contact with a number of people before talking to police. She said: 'There's no one cheerleading me to do this. This isn't fun, I would rather not be here. 'I don't feel like I have been encouraged, I feel I have made this decision on my own.' It was also heard the witness had been in contact with someone in 2015 about a personal political project in which she said she would work with Salmond again, around a year after the alleged sexual assaults were said to take place. The court heard the witness, known as Woman H, had been in contact with another complainer in the case, known as Woman J. Former First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond has arrived at court this morning for the second day of his trial for allegations of sexual assault Text messages apparently sent between the two were shown in court. The messages were said to have been exchanged after the allegations about Salmond surfaced in newspapers and discussed the 'AS stuff'. An apparent text from Woman H to Woman J shown in court said: 'I have a plan. And means we can be anonymous but see strong repercussions.' Woman H said the repercussions were to do with the party and police taking action. The witness earlier told the court she began to suffer flashbacks after the Harvey Weinstein scandal emerged. She said: 'I had started to learn about (the MeToo movement), yes. It was just around that time. The former first minister of Scotland (pictured leaving court today) is on trial at the High Court in Edinburgh over accusations of sexual assault 'It was on the back of the Harvey Weinstein case. 'These issues started to be discussed and I started to have what I could describe as flashbacks.' The woman previously told the court on Monday that she felt 'hunted' by Salmond moments before an alleged attempted rape in Bute House. It is alleged the incident took place after a dinner at the first minister's official residence. She told the court on Monday that Salmond had been touching her legs and her shirt and trying to kiss her, then blocked her path when she tried to leave. The court heard she agreed but on the condition they stayed in separate rooms, which she described as being 'a bit of an escape plan'. When she entered her room it was heard Salmond followed her in with a bottle of red wine, then 'pounced' on her, stripped himself naked, took her clothes off and pushed her on to the bed. She added: 'I felt like I was hunted. I remember feeling him on top of me. He was aroused, his private parts on top of me.' The court was then told the complainer waited for Salmond to fall asleep before she went to the bathroom. She told the court she did not give him any indication that she would welcome such contact. The woman added: 'Why would I want to go out with him? He's a much older man who didn't look after himself.' Evidence was also given about an alleged sexual assault in Bute House beforehand in May 2014. It was heard the same complainer had stayed behind to do work with Salmond when they began doing shots of a Chinese white spirit, which she described as an unusual incident. The complainer described Salmond as being 'half-cut' and that he was in a 'good mood'. The court heard he sat on the floor and asked her to sit next to him. She said: 'He was putting his hand down my top and kissing my face and neck and touching my legs. He was laughing.' It was heard she then managed to make her excuses and leave. His lawyer Gordon Jackson QC lodged a special defence of alibi for the alleged incident in May 2014. Consent was also given as a defence for three alleged sexual assaults and an alleged indecent assault against three women. Judge Lady Dorrian earlier told the jury of nine women and six men they must be 'impartial' during the trial. Salmond faces 14 charges of alleged offences against 10 women, all of which he has pleaded not guilty to. The charges span a period between June 29 2008 and November 11 2014, with one sexual assault said to have taken place in the month of the Scottish independence referendum in September 2014. Salmond - who was Scotland's first minister from 2007 to 2014 - faces a number of other sexual assault charges, as well as two indecent assault charges. The trial, which is expected to last for four weeks, continues. The median home price in the United States currently sits at around $300,000. But what does that very round number truly mean when it comes to places currently on the market? For home buyers with a $300,000 budget, of course, what you get all depends on where you're looking. To give you a hint of what the median price looks like, we rounded up 10 homes across the country priced at precisely $300,000. What we found was a cool collection of homes ready to make even the pickiest homeowner's dreams come true. No matter the style, it turns out three hundred large can still buy quite a bit, even in 2020's already warm-to-hot real estate market. Ranging from as low as $93 per square foot in Louisville, KY, and up to $173 per square foot in St. Charles, IL, here are 10 homes on sale right now, perfectly positioned at the median price point. Come with us as we survey the middle ground. Square footage: 2,490 Price per square foot: $120 Alabama revival: This three-bedroom home is stately and looks almost brand-new. We're in love with the arched entryways in the living spaces and the subdued color palette. It features newly refinished hardwood floors, new paint on the interior and exterior, and an all-new back deck to soak in the views. Hoover, AL realtor.com Square footage: 1,704 Price per square foot: $176 St. Charles classic: This all-brick classic from 1962 offers plenty of space to spread out. The basement has been fully updated and offers the possibility of adding another bedroom to the home's existing three bedrooms. There's a screened porch to enjoy during the warmer months and nearly an acre of land filled with mature trees. St Charles, IL realtor.com Square footage: 2,129 Price per square foot: $141 Lovely in Lebanon: Oak hardwood floors, skylights, and white cabinetry and woodwork help make this three-bedroom home feel airy. Built in 2006, the home is filled with upgrades, including an open sunroom with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, a family room fireplace, a full-daylight basement, and a master suite with walk-in closet and extra storage. Lebanon, PA realtor.com Square footage: 2,200 Price per square foot: $136 Blond brick beauty: Sitting in a cul-de-sac, this Colonial was built in 1970 and has been updated throughout its four bedrooms. Recent upgrades include granite kitchen floors, a custom double-entry door, a new bathroom in the master suite, plus new windows, paint, and carpet. It's move-in ready! Farmington Hills, MI realtor.com Square footage: 2,340 Price per square foot: $128 Mighty in Manchester: Classic from every angle, this two-story brick home was built in 1986. It appears fresh inside, thanks to updated hardwood floors and newer carpets throughout. The large family room, formal living room, and rec room give this four-bedroom home the space for gatherings both intimate and grand. Manchester, MO realtor.com Square footage: 1,983 Price per square foot: $151 Pool party central: Hardwood floors, a brick fireplace, and chunky wood-beamed ceilings give this tidy four-bedroom home a warm, rustic feel. The four-season room is a highlight, and the fenced yard with in-ground pool begs to be the backdrop for summer block parties. Mullica Hill, NJ realtor.com Square footage: 3,239 Price per square foot: $93 Red-door residence: A bright-red front door is the cherry on top of this tasty four-bedroom home built in 1999. The brick house is located in what the listing says is a desirable neighborhood. A lower-level in-home office with built-in shelves makes this an attractive choice for anyone who works from home, while the bonus room with access to a back deck and yard is the ideal spot to hang out. Louisville, KY realtor.com Square footage: 2,334 Price per square foot: $129 Trendy in Tallahassee: This charming Craftsman sits on a half-acre lot that offers an in-ground pool, patio, and two-car garage. Inside, the four-bedroom house is cheery and spacious and features a brand-new bathroom in the master suite. Tallahassee, FL realtor.com Square footage: approximately 2,500 Price per square foot: $120 Bartlett beauty: Crown molding, hardwood floors, and an elegant fireplace give this four-bedroom home a sophisticated flair. With three bedrooms located on the first floor, it's an ideal split-level solution for a family. Built in 2001, it's on a corner half-acre lot. Bartlett, TN realtor.com Square footage: 2,017 Price per square foot: $149 Lawn mowing in Mooresville: This large lot in a cul-de-sac provides plenty of room for a rolling lawn. According to the listing, the four-bedroom brick home is located in a convenient spot near shopping and dining. Ten-foot ceilings, hardwood floors, and a wood-burning fireplace are just a few highlights of this single-story home, located in a community with views of Lake Norman. Mooresville, NC realtor.com The post 10 Homes Sitting Pretty, Right at the U.S. Median Price of $300K appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. In this book Thomas S. Helling, a surgeon at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and veteran of the Army Medical Corps, looks at the hell of war through a specialand very specificlens: the medical care provided to Americas soldiers and marines on the battlefields of Bataan (19411942), Anzio (1944), Bastogne (1944), Chosin (1950), and Khe Sanh (1968). Each of these battles presented different challenges to American forces, and each left those forces dealing with the shock of large numbers of combat injuries and deaths. In his skilled telling of manifold stories of resilience and valor, Helling observes that the roles of medical care providers in these armed conflicts often changed to that of warriors fighting for the lives of their soldiers. Medics, nurses, and doctors reached beyond their own safety, he writes, to uncover a courage few were aware they possessed. All too often, however, the casualties came with such frightful regularity that medical staffs were unable to keep pace with the incoming wounded. Helling notes that doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel worked under harrowing combat conditions to stop bleeding, repair injuries, and save liveseven operating on patients while under enemy attackand to keep rampant disease in check. Some of them, of course, suffered the same fate as did their fighting soldiers. But most gave all they had against hopelessness in saving others from probable death, performing their duties with insignificant regard for themselves, often under the most horrific circumstances imaginable. The Agony of Heroes is an inspiration to all combat medical personnel who will serve on the battlefields of the future. They are, to borrow Hellings characterization, mercy workers whose intent is to save and not destroy, and all of us have a lot to learn from them. George A. Alexander, M.D., is a former deputy surgeon general in the Army Medical Corps. He has been a professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and an editorial board member of Military Medicine. This article appears in the Spring 2020 issue (Vol. 32, No. 3) of MHQThe Quarterly Journal of Military History with the headline: Review | Lessons and Legacies Want to have the lavishly illustrated, premium-quality print edition of MHQ delivered directly to you four times a year? Subscribe now at special savings! Thiruvananthapuram, March 10 : Kerala health authorities are waiting with bated breath as numerous tests results for COVID-19 are expected to come on Wednesday. The worst affected districts include Pathanamthitta and Ernakulam, where there are six positive coronavirus cases patients quarantined. Five positive patients are at the Pathanamthitta district hospital and a three year old child is at Kochi. 20 patients are in isolation at Pathanamthitta, including a two year old child, while about a dozen are at Kochi, besides eight at Kollam and a few others at Kottayam and the tests results of these people are expected tomorrow evening. On Monday night, a person in isolation ran away in Pathanamthitta, however, authorities traced him and brought him back to the district hospital. Now a police guard has been posted there. If the tests results which are expected tomorrow turn negative, then the health authorities can breathe easy and can safely assume that things are well under control. Pathanamthitta District Collector P.B. Nooh said that from now on people who do not follow the guidelines of the state government, they will be proceeded under the Public Health Act and action would be taken. "We have so far identified 733 people who have had primary and secondary contacts with the five patients who are positive. And today my job is to locate the people who came under contact of the person, who jumped out from the hospital. Such irresponsible behaviour won't be tolerated anymore," said a peeved Nooh, who has been working day in and out for the past three days. At Pathanamthitta, especially in places, like Ranni, the streets wore a deserted look and at the main bus station of the 75 private buses , only 45 have operated, Tuesday morning. "There are hardly anyone coming to shops and we opened today because there is no point sitting at home," said a shopkeeper at Pathanamthitta. All educational institutions in the district have been shut for three days. It has also been advised that marriages be postponed as part of avoiding gatherings. The Pathanamthitta district court has been closed for regular cases. Only urgent cases are being taken up for the week. Meanwhile on Tuesday around 13 lakhs students studying in Class X,XI and XII across the state have their board examinations and at Pathanamthitta, two students who had direct contact with one of the positive patients have been given a separate classroom to write their board examination. State Police chief Loknath Behra has directed crack down on misuse of social media in connection with coronavirus. Even those who would forward false messages be dealt with and based on this directive, four cases have been registered for playing foul in the social media. The Pinarayi Vijayan government is holding a special cabinet meeting, Tuesday to take stock of things and with the final examinations to be held later this month. They are contemplating whether to give an all pass result to all students in Class 1 to 10 and this could happen, depending on the results of patients which will be coming tomorrow. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text The 15-month-old Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh was pushed to the brink on Tuesday with 14 MLAs loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia camping in Bengaluru sending their resignations to Raj Bhavan, sources said. A short while ago Scindia resigned from the Congress in Delhi saying it was now time for him to move on. He was promptly expelled from the Congress by party president Sonia Gandhi. "We have received resignations of 14 MLAs through two e-mails with attachments," a Raj Bhavan official told PTI. State Governor Lalji Tandon who is in Lucknow for celebrating Holi is likely to rush back to Bhopal by cutting short his visit, sources said. However, it could not be confirmed whether the governor will be returning by this evening, when the Congress and the BJP will be holding their respective legislature party meetings. According to sources in the Scindia camp, six more MLAs, including some ministers, might also resign from the Assembly. In case the six MLAs decide to follow the suit of Scindia, the number of the Congress legislators in the 230-member House will come down by 20 (including the 14 MLAs who have sent their resignation letters to Raj Bhavan) to 94 from the current 114. The current effective strength of the House is 228 with two seats vacant. However, in case of resignation by the 20 MLAs, the strength of the Assembly will be 208 and the magic number required to prove majority will be 105. The BJP has 107 MLAs. The Kamal Nath government is supported by two legislators of the BSP, one of the SP one and four Independents. Assuming that these legislators continue to support the Kamal Nath government in the changing political scenario, the tally of the Congress and its allies will be maximum 101 MLAs, still four short of the halfway mark. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Piers Morgan today launched a scathing criticism of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in the wake of their last appearance as senior royals. The Good Morning Britain host hit out at the pair for 'being very divisive' and failing to 'earn respect' from the British public. He argued people should be 'asking if the Queen is okay', rather than Meghan, who he claimed, 'looks like a Cheshire cat.' His comments came as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex prepare to bow out of royal duties and embrace their new life in North America. Piers was discussing Meghan and Harry taking part in a Commonwealth Service in Westminster Abbey, their final appearance as senior members of the royal family. But he noted there was a 'glacial' tension between brothers William and Harry which was palpable at the service, adding, 'What would Diana think? Her boys are barely able to speak to one another.' He said Kate could 'barely look at Meghan' during yesterday's service, adding, 'Prince Edward was Kofi Annan in all this.' He then argued people should be asking if the Queen is 'okay', rather than the Sussexes. Piers said: 'A lot of the tension surely is that they [Harry and Meghan] have been holding the royal family, the Queen to ransom. 'These two have been laying the law down to the Queen. 'This obsession we have with, are Meghan and Harry ok theyre fine- theyre going off to Hollywood to become superstars. 'I bet the Queens not been ok. Her grandsons are at war. 'People ask, "is poor Meghan ok?" but she looks fine to me. Shes spent the last few days looking like a Cheshire cat. Shes got everything she wanted. 'My sole thought is, is the Queen ok? I think shes had a horrible year and its been helped in my view by this quite selfish conduct.' Piers argued people should be asking if the Queen is 'okay', rather than the Sussexes Prince Harry and Meghan leave after attending the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey yesterday (From left) The Queen; Prince Harry; Prince William; Meghan, Duchess of Sussex; Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall; Prince Edward; Prince William; Sophie, Countess of Wessex; and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge at Westminster Abbey yesterday He then asked why the couple did not bring their son Archie to the UK with them to see his grandmother and said Harry and Meghan 'did not like the criticism.' Piers added: 'Youve got to earn support, youve got to earn respect but I think theyre very divisive. 'They didnt like all the criticism. I thought it was perfectly justified. The papers were positive before they only got criticising when stuff was worth criticising. 'Wherever Meghan goes, people get split. Shes split from her family, split from her dad, split Harry from William, split from her friends. 'Shes like the old Henry the 8th era 'off with their heads'.' From March 31, the monarch's grandson and American former actress Meghan will no longer use their HRH styles as they pursue a new life of personal and financial freedom, mostly in North America. First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Joseph Osei Owusu on has urged citizens of Ghana to be up to their responsibilities of nation-building as they demand Government to fulfil its obligations to them. When we discuss government responsibility, we hardly discuss citizens responsibility, he said, with a reminder that development comes at a cost, which people must be willing to bear. Mr Osei Owusu, gave the reminder in Accra, when the Parliament of Ghana in collaboration with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy observed this years Commonwealth Day celebration, where he spoke as Special Guest of Honour. Ghana joined the rest of former British colonized nations to celebrate Commonwealth Day 2020 on Monday, 09 March. Activities for the celebration worldwide included; debates, school assemblies, flag raising ceremonies, street parties, cultural events and a multicultural, multi-faith service at Westminster Abbey in London. The celebration, which was held at the National Theatre in Accra, was on the theme: Delivering a Common Future; Connecting, Innovating and Transforming, The event saw six universities, which reached the finals from among 20 tertiary institutions from a debate by the organisers on whether Ghana Beyond Aid, a flagship programme of the Government of Ghana was not a mere political sloganeering. Mr Osei Owusu stressed that development and other social services had their prices, for which someone must eventually pay for, demanding that every citizen lived up to the desired civic responsibilities. The First Deputy Speaker, who is also the MP for Bekwai observed that there was evolution of political and governance systems in Ghana - from chieftaincy, colonial rule, one party state, military rule, but the practice of democracy had come to stay for almost three decades now because of the openness the Constitution allowed. He said under democratic governance, there was diversity of opinions no matter how outrageous they might be, and allowed everyone to take part in the decision making governance process either directly or their representatives. Democracy also allows a group of people to form a political party, sell their ideas and those elected to implement their ideas. He called on the youth to get involved in national discussions, and bring on board their inputs even though the aged population would be cumbersome or tardy. And at exactly 12 noon, the Special Guest of Honour read a message from Queen Elizabeth II, Head of the Commonwealth to mark the 2020 Commonwealth Day. The Queen urged people and countries of the Commonwealth to be inspired by what was common among them, what they shared and move forward with a fresh resolve to enhance the influence of the Commonwealth for the good of mankind. As members of this very special community, on this Commonwealth Day, I hope that the people and countries of the Commonwealth will be inspired by all that we share, and move forward with fresh resolve to enhance the Commonwealths influence for good in our world, the Queen said. She said on Commonwealth occasions, It is always inspiring to be reminded of the diversity of the people and countries that make up the worldwide Commonwealth Family, with lessons on of the many associations and influences that combine through Commonwealth connection, helping the nations to imagine and deliver a common future. Queen Elizabeth II described as particularly striking when we see people from nations, large and small, gathering for the Commonwealth Games, for meetings of Commonwealth governments, and on Commonwealth Day. Such a blend of traditions serves to make us stronger, individually and collectively, by providing the ingredients needed for social, political and economic resilience. She said throughout her life, she had had the opportunity to see and hear how membership of the Commonwealth family meant so much to those living in all parts of the world, often in places that were quite remote. Advances in technology and modern media enabled many more people to witness and enjoy - with remarkable immediacy - this experience of Commonwealth connection, in areas such as education, medicine and conservation. And looking to the future, this connectivity means we are also aware, perhaps as never before, that wherever we live, our choices and actions affect the well-being of people and communities living far away, and in very different circumstances. She added that the awareness created awakened a desire to employ planets natural resources with greater care, and it is encouraging to see how the countries of the Commonwealth continue to devise new ways of working together to achieve prosperity, whilst protecting our planet. And on the results of the debate, Central University, which spoke for the motion emerged winners for 2020 with 346.5, with the University of Ghana placing second with 345.5 points. The winning institution was given a gold trophy with undisclosed amount; the second, a silver trophy. Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology came third with 336.5; University of Cape Coast fourth with 292 points; Presbyterian University College, Agogo Campus fifth with 284 points and Presbyterian University College, Abetifi Campus sixth with 264 points. 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 Sandra Bullock is set to play a recent parolee navigating intense scrutiny, after serving time in prison for an unredeemable violent crime. And the Oscar winning actress was hard at work on the yet-to-be-titled Netflix thriller in Vancouver. There, Sandra had company, seen cradling her beloved poodle next to co-star Jon Bernthal, 43, on Monday. The 55-year-old Bird Box star, who is practically inseparable from her pooch, flaunted her furry friend to cast and crew members, between scenes, while wearing a light blue windbreaker and tousled tresses. Puppy love: As she appeared on set to shoot an untitled Netflix thriller in Vancouver, Sandra Bullock could be seen cradling her beloved poodle next to co-star Jon Bernthal, 43, on Monday While the Miss Congeniality actress is usually the one turning heads, all eyes were on her rescue pet, who she adopted one year after her dogs Poppy and Ruby passed away within days of each other. On set, the Ocean's Eleven bombshell has appeared makeup-free to better embody the fractured life of her character. 'Her only hope for redemption is finding the estranged younger sister she was forced to leave behind,' the logline reads, according to Variety. Bare-faced beauty: For shooting, the Ocean's Eleven bombshell has mostly appeared makeup-free to better embody the fractured life of her character Behind bars: The Oscar winner will play a recent parolee navigating intense scrutiny, after serving time in prison for an unredeemable violent crime Bullock stars as Ruth Slater and is a producer on the crime flick, directed by award-winning German filmmaker Nora Fingscheidt. Production is expected to run through April 9 on the drama, which Academy Award-winning writer Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects) is adapting from ITV's 2009 miniseries Unforgiven. Oscar winner Viola Davis, Emmy nominee Vincent D'Onofrio, and Ford v Ferrari star Jon Bernthal are also slated to appear in the movie. Woman's best friend: While the Miss Congeniality actress is usually the one turning heads, all eyes were on her rescue pet, who she adopted one year after her dogs Poppy and Ruby passed away within days of each other Thriller: Bullock produces and stars as Ruth Slater in the crime flick directed by Silver Berlin Bear-winning German filmmaker Nora Fingscheidt (System Crasher). This marks the Golden Globe winner's second film with the streaming giant after their 2018 horror flick Bird Box, which was streamed by over 80 million households. The Ocean's Eight actress' sighting comes a month after she opened up about raising her 10-year-old son Louis Bardo and eight-year-old daughter Laila, whom she adopted in 2010 and 2015. 'I look at everyone who is trying to raise kids, and I go, "How are we supposed to raise children outside of a bubble? And show them the difference between right and wrong, and what kindness looks like, when it's really hard to find it with all the noise on a screen?"' Sandra told Interview on February 11. Partners: The Ocean's Eight actress' sighting comes a month after she opened up about raising her 10-year-old son Louis Bardo and eight-year-old daughter Laila, whom she adopted in 2010 and 2015, with her longtime love 'I gave [my kids] the places where they can go to college because that's where mommy feels comfortable living. I said, "You can go to these three colleges because I'm going to buy an apartment down the street." It's scary entering the world, but when we do, we feel good and we're glad we did it, but the dread of being around people, I need to get better with that.' Bullock gets help from a nanny and her photographer beau Bryan Randall, whom she met in 2015 after hiring him to shoot her son's 5th birthday bash. Her longtime beau reportedly has a 27-year-old daughter Skylar Staten with his ex-fiancee Janine Staten, who died from a drug overdose in 2007. In early 2019, Virgil Abloh was asked if fashion had reached peak collab. I dont understand how a peak could be reached, he said. And who would know better? After all, Abloh created streetwear phenomenon Off-White, which has collaborated on product releases with companies from Nike to Evian, and is the mens artistic director at Louis Vuitton. That said, Abloh only recently got into the vintage auto game, and probably isnt paying as much attention to another mens trend thats been steadily gaining ground in the zeitguyst, that of the vintage SUV. But one year later, the worlds of menswear collaboration and 44 nostalgia have joined forces, leaving us to ask the question: Do we find ourselves in a new era of automotive excellence or, like crossing the streams in Ghostbusters, will this intersection mark the end of both? The trend first came on our radar when Todd Snyder released a custom Toyota FJ43 Land Cruiser last summer with The FJ Company, whose restorations weve ogled many times before. But since then, more and more releases have taken up our daydreams and Instagram feeds, from the 95 Range Rover Classic Barbour and Orvis gave away to the one-offs Iron & Resin dreamt up with New Legend to, more recently, Ball and Bucks Jeep CJ-8 Scrambler, which started taking orders in February. Barbour/Orvis Ball and Buck These are unimpeachably beautiful vehicles. Full stop. Theyre also somewhat impractical, presenting an idealized version of the past, where vehicles you coveted as a child or young man are restored and modernized to the stuff of dreams (Im thinking of Marty McFlys Toyota Hilux here), but priced as you can imagine quite steeply. For context, Hagerty puts the average value of a 1983 Jeep CJ-8 Scrambler at $14,500. Ball and Bucks custom version costs anywhere between $65K and $105K, depending on your personal configuration. As for a 1978 Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser, Hagerty sets the average value at $24K. After Todd Snyder puts his stamp on one, youre looking at $195K and up. To be fair, putting those prices next to each other is a little misleading, as the tailored menswear models are not only restored to pristine condition, but pimped Xzibit-style with features and amenities you wont find anywhere else. So to get a better feel for them, we dialed up Mark Bollman, founder and CEO of Ball and Buck, who explained that his Scrambler is a natural progression for the brand. We started with the New Balance shoe, then we went to Danner boots, then we went to the Allen Edmonds loafer, then we did a shotgun with Ruger, then we did some skis, so weve done a bunch of collaboration projects, Bollman said. What I really like about them is it gives us the ability to tell our brand story but do it with a partner that ideally is a leader and the most iconic version of that category. Ball and Buck has built its reputation on clothes for the sartorially inclined sportsman, so the Scrambler was the ideal base model; as Bollman told InsideHook, it has a history with quail hunting, and theyre continuing that tradition by partnering with Georgia outfit Bird Buggy to make the vehicles. But theres a personal element to it, too hes been driving one of the original Jeep pickups for five years. If youve seen the King Ranch trucks and the Eddie Bauer edition Subarus and Jeeps, its that kind of build quality. Its not a kit kind of feel. Its very intentional. Mark Bollman, founder and CEO of Ball and Buck Passion is also what drove Todd Snyder, though he hasnt been putting around in a Land Cruiser for years. Ive always loved the FJ Land Cruiser and Ive dreamed about owning one for years, but I wanted something different and my own, Snyder told InsideHook. When I came across The FJ Company, I realized I could make my dream truck and customize it from the Red Wing leather interior to installing air conditioning and really make my dream truck from the ground up. That combination of ultra-luxe touches the average driver wouldnt think possible and a respect for the rugged beginnings of the vehicles is a hallmark of all of these collaborations. Theyre designed as much with off-road performance in mind (from new engines to suspension) as making sure youll truly stand out at your next cars-and-coffee meetup (Snyders four signature color options are all taken from his menswear collections, and Ball and Bucks are all vintage Porsche 911 colors). Todd Snyder Ball and Buck Whether or not youre convinced to buy one yourself, you may be wondering if thats even the point. At these prices, are these 4x4s more of a marketing stunt than an actual product? The Barbour and Orvis Range Rover most certainly is, since its a giveaway. But one particular test case proves that there really are men out there looking to take their brand loyalty to a new level the Chevrolet Silverado Carhartt Special Edition. The two companies released a concept vehicle in 2016, but interest was so great that its getting a real release for 2021. But theres proof of interest in the even more niche offerings, too. Todd Snyder has sold two Land Cruisers so far, with a mix of people interested in purchasing. Ball and Buck has three Scramblers in the works, according to Bollman. Theyre not merely brand superfans, either, but people looking for what everyone looks for in a new car: the perfect feeling. One of the guys, a real-estate guy, does a lot of land sales. So hes taking customers to properties, and thinking about the ethos and the vibe of, Hey, youre living the city life. Get this piece of property. Let me take you back to a simpler time of the good old days. So he wants that Jeep to drive his customers out and get them into the vibe that way, Bollman said. Will we ever be able to buy ourselves back to the good old days, whether thats through a rundown farmstead or a vintage 44? Of course not, because those good old days never really existed. But as these designers have shown, if they can make you feel like your ideal self in their clothes, maybe they can do that with your vehicle, too. The post Why So Many Menswear Designers Want to Sell You a Vintage 44 appeared first on InsideHook. As Canadian stocks plummeted on a brutal trading session that saw the biggest one-day drop on the Toronto Stock Exchange since 1987, one company managed to end the day in positive territory. (Getty Images) As Canadian stocks plummeted on a brutal trading session that saw the biggest one-day drop on the Toronto Stock Exchange since 1987, one company managed to end the day in positive territory. Dollarama (DOL.TO) was the sole company that ended Mondays historic trading day in in the green, up 1.7 per cent, but it still faces potential headwinds of supply chain disruptions caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The S&P/TSX Composite Index fell 1,660.78 points to 14,514.24 when markets closed on Monday, a drop of 10.3 per cent. Stocks fell so quickly within minutes of the market opening that Level 1 circuit breakers designed to slow trading were triggered, forcing a 15-minute pause on trading. The TSX jumped 3 per cent when markets opened Tuesday, but the rally appeared to be short-lived as the day passed, briefly dipping into negative territory. Dollarama was up nearly 3 per cent around 12:40 p.m. ET on Tuesday, trading at $41.82. Its basically a flight to value. Whenever you hear the R word recession you see stocks like Dollarama, Dollar Tree do well, Bruce Winder, a partner at the Retail Advisors Network, said in an interview. If theres a recession coming and people are tightening their belts because they lost money in the stock market or their savings and pension are down, theyre going to start down-shopping to channels that stretch your dollar. But while Dollarama has remained relatively resilient over the last two days, the stock is down 11 per cent since Jan. 23, the day the World Health Organization (WHO) convened an emergency committee meeting over the coronavirus outbreak. According to the WHO, more than 109,500 people have been infected with coronavirus known as COVID-19 as of March 9. Nearly 81,000 of those cases are in China. A total of 3,809 people have died of the virus globally. If this outbreak continues, there are going to be supply chain disruptions for Dollarama, Winder said. A Wells Fargo report from last month looking at potential risks to retail supply chains because of COVID-19 listed Dollarama as one of five discount retailers that is particularly exposed to issues in China. According to the report, about 30 per cent of Dollarama merchandise is sourced from China. Story continues Our industry contacts indicate that these companies likely have 60+ days of replenishment inventory at the moment, the report said. If disruptions continue beyond the next few weeks, with more significant inventory issues in seasonal products possible by mid-summer if disruptions stretch longer. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android and sign up for the Yahoo Finance Canada Weekly Brief. Q. My niece sold her home last year. She had some outstanding debt which was discovered during the title search, so at closing money was held in escrow to pay the debt. All was paid except for one, from a 2005 judgment lien through Ocean County Court. The attorney who was in charge is out of business. How can we track this down? The money is still being held in escrow, so my niece has not had her debt cleared and the buyers still do not have clear title. Helpful aunt A. Old debts can come back to haunt you. Were glad your niece is trying to make this right. A judgment lien can be attached to a persons real estate, such as a house, condo, land or similar kind of property interest, said Karra Kingston, a bankruptcy attorney in Union City. Want more personal finance news? Enter your email address to be the first to know: She said there are two courts in New Jersey where claims can be brought. In New Jersey's Law Division, a judgment lien is created automatically on a persons property located in the state, she said. If your claim is for $15,000 or less, it needs to be brought in New Jersey's Special Civil Part, and the creditor must have the judgment docketed in the Law Division first, she said. If you cant locate the attorneys, perhaps you can locate the original creditor who put the lien on the property. Your attorney should be able to tell you who to contact, Kingston said. If you still cant find out any information about the creditor or the company that put the lien on the property, then you may need to get in touch with the court, she said. Good luck. 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. PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-10 10:13:01 Beyontec to launch Digital Transformation Summit for Ethiopian Insurance Industry Anandh Kumar media@beyontec.com Beyontec, a leading global technology solutions provider for the insurance industry, in association with its implementation partner in Ethiopia, Moti Engineering, will launch a first of its kind CxO focused conference for insurance companies in Ethiopia. Scheduled for the 11th of March 2020, the conference will be held at the Intercontinental Addis Hotel in Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia. This exclusive conference will provide the Ethiopian insurance industry leaders an opportunity to immerse themselves in the emerging trends shaping IT and insurance business. The conference will showcase industry experts and Beyontec solution experts, who will uncover new ways to approach evolving market challenges, make technology decisions with confidence and become more customer-oriented companies in Ethiopia. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Vivek Sethia, director and co-founder, Beyontec DMCC said, CEOs and CIOs of Ethiopian insurance companies have a tremendous opportunity to reinvent their role and transform their companies to meet the global standards of customer service and operational excellence. Beyontec with over a decade in the global insurance industry, delivering best-in-class technology solutions, is ready to provide Ethiopian insurers the insights, technology and services they need to digitally transform their business. Mr. Sethia concluded by saying To enable technology transition from legacy to digital, we have strategically partnered with Moti Engineering to ensure effective implementation of our technology and tools. Moti Engineering brings with them the industry credibility and local experience that compliments our products and solutions. We hope the insurance companies in Ethiopia will utilize this opportunity at the summit to discover the ideal digital transformation strategies, and how they can align their company to meet them. About Beyontec Beyontec brings more than twelve years of global insurance technology and global best practices to insurers across the MENA regions. Beyontec has been providing the technology edge needed to make insurance business more competitive. Beyontec Suite the core solution, accelerators, automation solutions, the platform solutions, and the Enterprise Cloud ecosystem model are helping global insurance companies bridge technology gaps, shift the value pools, and reinvent risk management in the digital economy. About Moti Engineering Moti Engineering Plc, headquartered in Addis Ababa with more than 450 employees across 11 district offices, 43 regional branch offices and 60 Point of Presence, serves its clients across the country. The company offers Information Technology (IT) products, solutions, and IT-enabled services including enterprise software solutions and services, infrastructure products and services, and ATM products to Banking & Financial Services, Insurance, Government, Manufacturing, Telecom, Utilities, Corporate and Education segments. Moti Engineering is a strategic business and implementation partner for Beyontec in Ethiopia. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005 Carrying multiple people who have tested positive for COVID-19, the Grand Princess maintains a holding pattern about 30 miles off the coast of San Francisco. AP photo OAKLAND :Thousands of passengers aboard a cruise ship struck by the novel coronavirus waited anxiously Tuesday for their chance to leave the vessel, even if it meant being shipped to military bases for weeks of quarantine. After days of being forced to idle off the Northern California coast, the Grand Princess docked Monday at the Port of Oakland with some 3,500 passengers and crew on board. Everyone was hollering and clapping as the giant vessel sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge and entered the harbor, passenger Karen Schwartz Dever said. About two dozen people who need acute medical care were taken off the ship, although it wasnt clear how many had tested positive for the new virus, said Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the California Office of Emergency Services. Many of the nearly 240 Canadians on board left the ship after the critically ill and stood outside two tents displaying Canadian flags. Canada and the UK were among the countries sending chartered flights to retrieve their citizens. But some 2,000 passengers, including hundreds of Californians, were still aboard by the time disembarkation ended Monday night. It was to resume Tuesday morning, the captain told passengers. The Grand Princess had been held off the coast since Wednesday because of evidence that it was the breeding ground for more than 20 infections tied to a previous voyage. About 1,100 crew members, 19 of whom have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship, which will dock elsewhere after passengers are unloaded, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said. Around the world, nations have limited the movements of millions of people in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. Italy was to impose travel restrictions and other strict public health measures nationwide starting Tuesday. The virus has shaken global markets, with stocks taking their worst one-day beating on Wall Street since 2008 and oil prices suffering their most brutal losses since the start of the 1991 Gulf War. Even with Asian markets posting modest gains Tuesday, fear was rampant that economies stood at the brink of recession. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered Several universities have begun online-only courses, including the University of Washington, Stanford University and Columbia University. National Guard to help clean surfaces, deliver food in heart of what appears to be the epicentre of states outbreak. Schools, houses of worship and large gathering places will be shuttered for two weeks in a containment area centred in New York suburb of New Rochelle, the heart of what appears to be the nations biggest cluster of cases of the coronavirus, the states Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday. The state will send National Guard troops to help clean surfaces and deliver food in the area, a one-mile-radius (1.6km) around a point near a synagogue connected to some existing cases, Cuomo said. New Rochelle is a small city, located just north of New York City. The state and a private health system are setting up a testing facility in the area, schools within it will close for two weeks starting Friday and state and local officials are working to determine large congregate facilities or gathering places that also will shut down. It is a dramatic action, but it is the largest cluster of cases in the country, he said at a news conference. The numbers are going up unabated, and we do need a special public health strategy for New Rochelle. New Rochelle is at the centre of an outbreak of 108 cases in Westchester County, out of 173 statewide as of Tuesday. New York City has 36 cases, while its population is more than 100 times that of New Rochelle. UPDATE: There are an additional 31 confirmed cases of #Coronavirus in NYS, bringing total to 173. Westchester: 108 NYC: 36 Nassau: 19 Rockland: 6 Saratoga: 2 Suffolk: 1 Ulster: 1 We continue to expect more positive cases as we test. Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 10, 2020 Around the state, patients are spread from Long Island to the Capital Region. The new coronavirus that has sickened thousands across the globe causes only mild or moderate symptoms such as fever and cough for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and can sometimes be fatal. Officials announced Monday that New Yorks newly diagnosed coronavirus patients included the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the agency that runs the regions major airports. Burma Environmental Activist Faces Arrest in Myanmar's Karen State, Rights Groups Object Saw Tha Phoe, a Karen environmentalist. / Save the Salween Network / Facebook Right groups have asked the Karen State government to drop charges against a Karen environmental activist over his role in a traditional prayer ceremony, saying he was acting to protect local water resources against pollution from a coal-powered cement factory. Police attempted to arrest Saw Tha Phoe, a Karen environmentalist from the Karen Rivers Watch Network, at his home in Hpa-an Township on Saturday but he was not at home. The police attempted the arrest after the Hpa-an General Administration Department filed a complaint against Saw Tha Phoe under Section 505 (b) of the Penal Code, which prohibits making or circulating statements that may cause public fear or alarm and incite the public to commit an offense against the state or public tranquility. The government filed the complaint in connection with a traditional Karen prayer ceremony on Jan. 17, in which local residents and village monks from Hpa-ans Myaingkalay District came together to pray for protection from pollution caused by the Myaingkalay cement factory. Several civil society groups issued statements Monday condemning the attempted arrest of Saw Tha Phoe and the governments actions, saying they violated the rights of citizens, human rights and democratic standards. Sai Khur Hseng, spokesperson for the Save the Salween Network, told The Irrawaddy Tuesday that the Karen State government should drop the charges as Saw Tha Poe was acting peacefully and did not break the law. It was an environmental issue and he was working for everyone to be able to enjoy a clean environment. He was just trying to protect against the actions of the company, which will damage the local communitys environment, Sai Khur Seng said. We strongly condemn the actions of the township General Administration Department and the Karen State Government, which severely hinders Myanmars peace process and steps toward federalism, read a statement by the Save the Salween Network and Burma Rivers Network. Ko Ye Lin Myint from the Myanmar Alliance for Transparency and Accountability (MATA) told The Irrawaddy that it was meaningless for the Karen State government to take action against Saw Tha Phoe. He was just praying for the environment and he did not commit any act of defamation against the government, he said. Karen communities in the area have called for the Karen State government to stop the Myaingkalay cement factory from using coal power as it has polluted water sources around Myaingkalays Nat Kone Village, in Bat Village-tract. Right groups also questioned what type of democratic government would order the arrest of Saw Tha Phoe. Sai Khur Hseng pointed out that the actions of the Karen State government represent the opposite of the principles of democracy, peaceful community and environmental values often discussed by State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Tin Tun Aung, a Hpa-an police officer, told Radio Free Asia that he and other police went to arrest Saw Tha Phoe at his house but he was not at home. The officer said that police will continue to search for the activist. You may also like these stories: Major Powers Beat a Path to Prominent Kachin Partys Door in Northern Myanmar Detained Myanmar Journalists Physically Abused by Karen Border Guard Force Myanmar Journalists Detained by Karen Border Guard to Be Released Last week, Castaneda Lossio was ordered to pay a bond of S/100,000 (about US$29,197) within 72 hours. Likewise, the respondent must refrain from communicating with the other citizens under investigation, witnesses, or judicial experts. He is also banned from giving statements to any media outlet on this case. Preventive detention On February 14, Judge Maria Alvarez Camacho ordered 24-month preventive detention of Castaneda Lossio, within the framework of investigations over the alleged commission of felonies linked to money laundering, illicit association to commit a crime, and aggravated collusion. That evening, he was transferred to Miguel Castro Castro Prison located in Lima's peripheral San Juan de Lurigancho district. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia Tue, March 10, 2020 10:00 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20697ab0f 2 World Mongolia,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,outbreak,COVID-19,lockdown Free Mongolia on Tuesday barred anyone from entering or leaving its cities for six days after the country reported its first coronavirus case -- a French energy company employee who flew in from Moscow. Mongolia had already sealed its border with neighboring China and banned flights from South Korea in an effort to keep the deadly virus out of the landlocked country of three million people. "The capital Ulaanbaatar and all province centers are quarantined until March 16 to curb the outbreak," Deputy Prime Minister Enkhtuvshin Ulziisaikhan said at a press conference. The move means people are not allowed to enter or leave the capital or rural cities for almost a week, he said. Mongolia is the latest country to enact tough measures to contain the epidemic. China has locked down some 56 million people at the epicenter of the crisis in Hubei province and told millions more to stay home across the country. Italy has imposed restrictions on the entire country. More than 4,000 people have died and over 110,000 have been infected worldwide, with China accounting for most cases, though infections are now growing at a faster pace abroad. In Mongolia's first case, the French national arrived on March 2 on a flight from Moscow, said Health Minister Davaajantsangiin Sarangerel. The man, who works for a subsidiary of French nuclear firm Orano, was supposed to have remained in quarantine in his hotel for 14 days but ignored the rule, the minister said. He also visited a uranium mining project in Dornogobi province. Orano has a subsidiary in Mongolia called Badrakh Energy, which mines for uranium in the vast country. The pain continued for many POWs even after they came home. In February and March 1973, dozens of flights on U.S. Air Force C-141A Starlifters began the journey home for 591 prisoners of war in Southeast Asia. The Paris Peace Accords, signed on Jan. 27, 1973, ended the U.S. militarys involvement in Vietnam and provided for the release of the POWs. Most had been held in North Vietnamese prisons and were freed in Hanoi. Others were freed near Saigon (the release site for Viet Cong captives held in South Vietnam) and Hong Kong (three prisoners who had been held in China). To ease the POWs reentry into American life, the Defense Department created Operation Homecoming, a five-year multifaceted program that included not only the flight home but also procedures to evaluate the physical and mental condition of repatriated prisoners of war, collect data from those RPOWs for use in future wars, and help the men return as much as possible to their former life or move forward in a different direction, with a particular emphasis on reintegration into their family after a long separation. I participated in that process as a senior Army psychologist working with Army returnees. I had served two tours in Vietnam as a combat infantry adviser (1966-67 and 1968-69). I received seven valor wards, a Purple Heart and an Air Medal. While earning a doctorate in counseling psychology, I wrote my dissertation on the adjustment of Vietnam veterans. Afterward, I continued my research on Vietnam vets. The first stop on the Operation Homecoming journey was Clark Air Base in the Philippines. Onboard the aircraft were flight surgeons (because most RPOWs were pilots, the planners thought they would prefer flight surgeons to regular physicians), nurses and aeromedical technicians. Over several weeks, 54 flights transported 325 Air Force, 138 Navy, 77 Army and 26 Marine returnees, along with 25 civilians including two German nurses captured outside of Da Nang. One was the only woman POW. POWs freed in North Vietnam walk from the bus that transported them to Hanois Gia Lam Airport, where they boarded a C-141 Starlifter for a flight to Clark Air Base in the Philippines. (U.S. Air Force) At Clark, the RPOWs called home and visited the base exchange for personal supplies. They also were evaluated medically and psychologically and debriefed. The debriefings were important in getting information on the fate of Americans missing in action and POWs who might have died or perhaps were still alive in Southeast Asia. Each RPOW talked with a debriefer and an escort, matched as closely as possible to the former prisoner in age, education, background, career experience, interests and family life. The escort was trained to serve as a shock absorber, a buffer to help the man adapt to his sudden shift into a vastly changed world. The length of the RPOWs stay at Clark depended on their health and intelligence debriefings. The goal was to move the men quicklywithin days or a weekto military facilities near their homes. They were flown from Clark to California via Hawaii and then transferred to a military hospital or wherever they wanted to go. While most Americans greeted the returning men openly and warmly, some viewed them not as heroes but rather as war criminals. That antipathy was mostly directed toward crew members on bombers. In general, the RPOWs had to deal with four major issues: 1) physical damage from torture, improperly healed combat wounds and injuries, malnourishment and the effects of various diseases; 2) the reunion with a family that had changed significantly during the absence of the husband/father; 3) the considerable career gap between them and peers who had not lost the prime years of their work life to captivity; 4) their introduction into a society that did not exist prior to captivity. All of the Army RPOWsunlike Navy and Air Force flight crews captured after being shot down over North Vietnamhad been taken prisoner in South Vietnam, and their horrendous treatment at the hands of the Viet Cong resulted in great suffering, including shelters with little protection from extreme climatic conditions, poor nutrition, infections and diseases, beatings and untreated wounds. They were often chained or imprisoned in small cages. Some of the younger RPOWs showed maturation deficiencies due to the malnutrition, disease and infections. For many POWs returning to their families, the enduring physical problems were not their only concern. The family separations required on some tours and during combat assignments were an accepted part of the job, but the prolonged absence due to captivity added an unknown dimension to family dynamics. Some RPOWs had left toddlers and returned to preteens. Additionally, the role of women in society was undergoing considerable change, exemplified by the womens liberation movement. The extended separation put the woman in charge of the family, minus her mate. Some women were able to keep the family together, and some sought relief by bonding with other men. Many saw themselves as captives in their own right because they did not know if they were wives or widows. They were locked in their own prison of loneliness, fear, anxiety, apprehension and dread, facing a future with too many unknowns. A two-parent family became a single-parent household with the mother now totally responsible for the family, maybe forever. Upon the reunion of RPOWs and their families, spousal views on the roles of husband-wife/mother-father frequently diverged. Often the military husband had made major financial decisions, determined where the family lived, disciplined the children and set the tone family for life. In normal deployments, all of this fell onto the wife temporarily, until the husband returned 12 or 13 months later. But when the man came home after a long captivity, the family had survived and functioned without him for years. Some children had spent most of their young lives without their father. However, the RPOW was still, psychologically, living in a different time. For many repatriated POWs, the changes during the separation would be so great that the family could never again be a cohesive unit. The reunited members might have totally different perspectives on what the future should be like. Often the bewildered father was no longer needed to head the family. Its easy to image how strong clashes would occur. Army POWs held by the Viet Cong were driven by truck to the South Vietnamese town of Loc Ninh, near the Cambodian border, where they were released and are now being briefed by a U.S. Army officer. A helicopter took them to Saigons Tan Son Nhut Air Base. A C-9 Nightingale medical transport plane flew them to Clark Air Base. (U.S. Air Force) Special Forces Capt. Floyd Jim Thompson was captured on March 26, 1964, and repatriated on March 16, 1973, a period of nine years, making him the longest-held POW of the Vietnam War. When Thompson was assigned to Vietnam, his wife, Alyce, and family moved into housing at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. At first, Thompsons status was unknown, possibly killed in action. Ultimately, his family was told to vacate their quarters at the fort. Alyce Thompson, confused, afraid, lonely, with a family to care for, eventually moved in with another man, and they lived as husband and wife, as recounted by journalist Tom Philpott in his 2001 book Glory Denied. Thompson was reunited with his wife at Valley Forge General Hospital, an Army hospital near Philadelphia. In Philpotts book, Alyce Thompson described her 39-year-old husband as emaciated and added, He had gotten so old. White hair. He looked at least sixty. She said to him, There is something I have to tell you. He replied, I knew something was wrong. They divorced in 1975. Many returning POWs had spent their career-building years in the military trying to survive in enemy prisons. Leadership assignments, professional military education and other important aspects of military life escaped them. In the competition for plum positions, they had fallen behind. During Thompsons almost nine years in captivity, I advanced from second lieutenant to major. I had served as a platoon leader, executive officer, company commander and battalion staff officer. I graduated from the Army Special Warfare School, the Defense Language Institute and the Officers Career Course. I also had earned a masters degree and was five months away from my Ph.D. Quite a difference. From the moment of captivity, the POWs known world ceased to exist. He had not been part of an evolving society in the United States, nor a participant in events there as they were occurring. As new captives were imprisoned, they shared what was happening back in the world. Many POWs were unable to emotionally, psychologically or intellectually accept what they were told. On their return to the United States, they still could not believe what had taken place in America while they were in communist prisons, shut off from the free world. In the late 1960s the hippie movement began (anti-war, free love, open use of drugs, communal living), and by the time the repatriated POWs got home the hippie lifestyle had moved into mainstream American society. The POWs reentered an America that was a much different place. Their world had changed so much that in many cases it no longer existed. Operation Homecomings medical, psychological and social experts were aware that the RPOWs would need help reestablishing family relationships, facing vocational challenges and functioning in an environment foreign to them. In 1969, the Defense Department had already begun to create plans to assist the POWs once they were released. Because no Americans troops had been imprisoned as long as those in Vietnam, the planners had no comparable data to use. The Navy established the Center for POW Studies, or CPOWS, at the Navy Health Research Center in San Diego in 1971 to conduct research with the families of returning POWs. The Defense Department also funded a five-year program, running from 1973 through the end of 1978, to evaluate the effects of long-term captivity. Defense Secretary Melvin Laird stated, I cannot emphasize too strongly the necessity to make every possible effort within our capability to help these men readjust to healthy, normal, productive lives when they return. In a memo, Laird said military medical facilities would be established to diagnose, treat, alleviate and hopefully cure the physical and mental diseases that afflict the returnee and to assist in the counseling that would aid the returnee in adjusting to his position in military or civilian life. In 1972 all branches of the military met at CPOWS to develop a standard method for evaluating and treating the returnees and collecting data. Air Force RPOWs went to Brooks Air Force Base in San Antonio, and Army RPOWs went to Brooke Army Medical Center, also in San Antonio. Navy and Marine RPOWs went to the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute in Pensacola, Florida. Once a year, for five years, the RPOWs would report to their military hospitals for physical and mental evaluations. After the first two years, several Army RPOWs stopped reporting to the Brooke medical center but were evaluated at Army hospitals in areas where they were stationed. Others sought private care. Not all Army RPOWs completed the five-year program. Some dropped out over time. In December 1978, CPOWS closed, and Operation Homecoming was terminated in January 1979. Air Force Capt. Michael S. Kerr, captured in 1967, has an emotional homecoming with wife Jerri on March 7, 1973, at Travis Air Force Base in California. The Kerrs later divorced. (Bettmann/Getty Images) Some of CPOWS behavioral scientists believed the closing was premature because the collected data warranted much more analysis, including conclusions and recommendations for the future. As a participant in this program, I can say that as time passed, collection, analysis and documentation of the evaluations gave way to the needs of expediency and efficiency. Generally, the experiences of Army captives were different from those of most POWs, who were pilots and therefore commissioned officers. Army POWs typically were enlisted men, noncommissioned officers. Not all Army RPOWs were part of Operation Homecoming. Some had been freed earlier by the North Vietnamese government for propaganda reasons, and others had escaped. They were on their own evaluation schedule after returning to Army control. One Army escapee, Special Forces Maj. James Nick Rowe, who was captured in 1963 and broke free in 1968, described his reintroduction to the outside world in a 1971 book, Five Years to Freedom. While he was a patient being evaluated at an Army hospital in Vietnam, a nurse handed him a copy of Playboy magazine, saying, This is the beginning of your therapy. Rowe thought, After a five-year drought, this was too much to take all in one visual gulp. (While serving as U.S. Army adviser to the Philippines government, Rowe, then a colonel, was assassinated by communist guerrilla insurgents in April 1989.) During the Vietnam War, 179 Army members were captured and imprisoned between Jan. 1, 1961, and Dec. 31, 1976, in all areas of Southeast Asia, according to the Defense Department document Number of Casualties Incurred by US Military Personnel in Connection with the Conflict in Vietnam (Jan. 20, 1977). The 179 included the 77 returned via Operation Homecoming, as well as 57 who were released earlier or escaped and 34 who died in captivity. The remaining 11 were still classified as POWs as of December 1976, based on the debriefings of returning POWs, who may have seen someone at a POW camp, but that persons whereabouts was unknown in 1976. Today there are no known POWs in Vietnamese hands. The 77 Army men released in 1973 consisted of 28 officers and 49 enlisted. The average age when captured was almost 28 for officers and 23 for enlisted. There were 25 aviators or air crew members, 16 infantrymen, 18 Special Forces or combat advisers, seven in transportation and 11 from other Army occupations. By the time of their release, most had been moved into North Vietnamese prisons, but 18 were still in Viet Cong camps in South Vietnam. The Operation Homecoming evaluations found that many younger RPOWs were not physically, mentally and psychologically equipped for their time as a prisoner. James Daley, age 22, described their plight in his book A Heros Welcome, published in 1975. He recalled hearing a prison propaganda recording that ended with the question, Why die for Old Glory? It made Daley think of several fellow POWs who died in captivity. I considered the endless war, he wrote. And I couldnt help but ask myself the very same question. The actions of some younger POWs were viewed by senior POWs as collaborating with the enemy to obtain extra benefits, a breach of the militarys Code of Conduct. After the war, some senior RPOWs brought misconduct charges against enlisted men and officers for their behavior. A Marine sergeant facing charges, one of eight accused enlisted RPOWs in the Marines and Army, committed suicide. At this point the Defense Department stepped in. Investigators found insufficient evidence for the allegations, so all charges were dropped for the remaining two Marines and five soldiers. All branches created committees to evaluate the behavior of the RPOWs. Some were found unqualified for continued service and released from active duty. Older officers and NCOs, as career soldiers, understood that the danger of being captured was an accepted risk of their chosen vocation and placed value in the Code of Conduct. They also were mostly married. Those strong family ties, combined with military experience and a staunch belief in the Code, strengthened their ability to resist and endure. The younger POWs were less educated and experienced, not interested in a military career and didnt have wives or children to return to. They had a harder time resisting the pressure their captors applied. They did what they could to survive. The differences in age and rank also came into play when the POWs got home and tried to return to a normal life. The senior, career-oriented officers and NCOs fared best. A former POW gets an exam in 1973 at Travis Air Force Base. Annual evaluations showed most returnees adjusted to changes they faced. (U.S. Air Force) The initial psychological evaluation of the RPOWs consisted of various personality inventories and tests. If the psychologist decided more information was needed, additional testing was done. Based on the clinical evaluation of their post-captivity lives and careers, whether in the military or civilian life, the RPOWs were placed in one of three groups. The first group, the successful adjustment group, consisted of men who were successfully coping with the changing demands of their lives. They did not exhibit any psychiatric disorders. Their social, vocational and family lives were satisfactory and productive. In the evaluations borderline adjustment group were men experiencing minor or mild difficulty dealing with career, family or social issues. Some also had mild personality disorders or neuroses. They were functioning and moving along in their lives, but it was hard for them. The unsuccessful adjustment group comprised the RPOWs with severe adjustment difficulties, according to the clinical evaluation. They were diagnosed as having a psychotic disorder or a severe nonpsychotic mental disorder. In 1973 all 77 Army RPOWs received psychological evaluations during the first three to six months after release. The evaluations indicated that 51 soldiers (66 percent) were successfully adjusting, 15 (20 percent) were experiencing some difficulty adjusting and 11 (14 percent) were encountering severe adjustment problems. The successful group consisted of 22 officers and 29 enlisted, based on their rank upon repatriation. Because of their length of captivity, many RPOWs were automatically promoted, which meant their repatriation rank was considerably higher than their rank when captured. The borderline group contained five officers and 10 enlisted. In the unsuccessful group were one officer and 10 enlisted. As time passed, fewer men were evaluated at Brooke medical center. The second evaluation consisted of 74 men. By the time of the final evaluation in 1978, there were just 43 men in the program, including RPOWS who had become civilians (released from active duty), medically retired from the Army or retired normally. In that evaluation, 30 (70 percent) were classified as successful, nine (21 percent) as borderline and four (9 percent) as RPOWs with severe adjustment problems. Before Operation Homecoming concluded, 25 Army RPOWS chose to not go through the full five years of evaluations. At their last evaluation before dropping out, 14 men (56 percent) were in the successful adjustment group, five (20 percent) were facing some adjustment problems, and six (24 percent) had received a diagnosis of psychiatric problems. During the five-year evaluations the first two years after repatriation were the hardest for the RPOWs in terms of readjustment to their careers and normal behavioral patterns. The most successful returnees were older when captured and spent less time as POWs than either the borderline or unsuccessful RPOWs. It is generally accepted that being in combat in Vietnam and becoming a POW was one of the most traumatic experiences a soldier could ever experience. Yet, as the final evaluation in 1978 shows, only 9 percent of Army RPOWs were dealing with severe adjustment problems in their post-captivity lives, while 70 percent were able to reenter society and adjust normally. They were successfully coping with the demands of life, raising families, pursuing careers and enjoying their post-captivity years. Bob Worthington is a retired Army lieutenant colonel with a doctorate in counseling psychology. He served his last decade in the Army as a senior clinical psychologist, leading the Army RPOW psychological evaluations from 1976 until the final reports in 1979. He is a writer (www.BobWorthingtonWriter.com) with over 2,500 publications. His latest book is Under Fire with ARVN Infantry (McFarland, 2018). This feature originally appeared in the April 2020 issue of Vietnam magazine. To subscribe, click here. As many as five cars have been charred in a fire that broke out in a garage near Maurya Lok complex in Patna on Tuesday, police said. The fire has been brought under control. Kotwali Police and fire tenders rushed to the spot soon after getting the information, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Chandrashekhar Prasad Vidhyarthi said. "No injuries has been reported yet. The fire has been brought under control and we are trying to ascertain the reason behind the fire," he told ANI. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A child holds a sign during a rally in New York. Momentarily put aside your positions on immigration policy, if you will, and consider this case of alleged algorithmic rigging. Whatever your feelings on people seeking legal status in the US, you may find cause for concern about humanitys growing reliance on machines to determine liberty. Last week, the Bronx Defenders and New York Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint in New York federal district court against local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities. They allege that the agency adjusted the algorithm it uses to decide when someone should be released on bond. Now, detainees being held on civil immigration offenses overwhelmingly remain in custody even when they pose no flight or public safety risk and regardless of medical conditions. The advocates explain in a statement: Federal law requires ICE officers to make individualized custody determinations based on whether the person poses a flight risk or threat to public safety. Since 2013, the agency has used a risk assessment tool that considers factors like a persons family ties, connections to community, time in the country and community, and criminal history. However, the data shows that this tool, which ICE offices use nationwide, was manipulated, most recently in mid-2017, to remove its ability to recommend anyone be released. The tool can now only make one substantive recommendation: detention without bond. Prior to this adjustment, about 47% of detainees were released on bond while their immigration cases unfolded. Between June 2017 and September 2019, however, only 3% were let out, according to the complaint. The adjusted tool recommends detention almost invariably even as immigration-related arrests are on the rise, which means that more and more New Yorkers are being held in custody for civil offenses without a proper risk assessment and nowhere to turn for help. Although the algorithm can refer a detainees case to the New York Field Office for review, the complaint alleges that local ICE officials effectively treat the algorithmic recommendation as binding and have departed from the machines determination in less than 1% of cases. So people are being held in custody for weeks or months before they see an immigration judge and can make their case to a person rather than a rigged machine. Story continues The humans, it turns out, are a little more nuanced in their decision-making. About 40% of those who were held without bond by ICE do end up released by a judge, the complaint says. This is one indication that the algorithm isnt doing the job it was designed for. Theoretically, the machines results shouldnt be so extreme or they wouldnt vary from the magistrates assessments. Realistically, however, the New York ICE offices algorithm seems to have been adjusted to advance a no-release policy that the complainants say violates federal immigration law and the US Constitutions Due Process Clause. The advocates seek declaratory and injunctive relief on behalf of a class of detainees being held without bond on the basis of these contrived mechanical assessments. The limits of machine learning? Their case highlights a growing debate in the US and beyond about reliance on algorithms in justice systems, whether to do the delicate and awkward work of assessing human risk or pretty much anything else important. On the same day that immigration advocates filed this complaint, the Washington Post ran a piece by Stanford University computational policy researchers on the superiority of machines in making bond determinations in the criminal justice context. Notably, their work shows humans tend to significantly overestimate risk and cant assimilate new information as quickly as machines with brains. In other words, a machine assessment could be better than human insofar as it accurately predicts riskbut of course, the tool would have to be used by people operating in good faith and not to advance a deliberately restrictive no-release policy in order for that to be true. The Stanford researchers concede that algorithms do have limitations though, as they can advance the biases of those who designed the programs. And they dont suggest people submit all decisions to machines, concluding, When, whether and how to consider algorithms, however accurate, remain larger issues of policy and ethicsand those decisions are firmly in human hands. France, for example, last year banned machine learning for judicial analytics, barring use of statistics to predict and study judges behavior. But it seems highly unlikely that a similar resistance to algorithms will prevail in the US, which is why cases like the one brought against ICE in New York are so important. As people learn more about how machine learning worksfor better and worseactivists and advocates now have to monitor the bots that are making critical decisions about the freedom of human beings. Sign up for the Quartz Daily Brief, our free daily newsletter with the worlds most important and interesting news. More stories from Quartz: Caroline Flack's boyfriend Lewis Burton has paid tribute to the late Love Island presenter with an Instagram post saying: 'My little angel I will love you forever.' Mr Burton made the post as Stacey Solomon and Amanda Holden today led celebrity tributes on social media to Miss Flack on the day of her private funeral. Friends and relatives gathered today to remember the 40-year-old TV star after she was found hanged on February 15 at her home in Stoke Newington, East London . Mr Burton's message, accompanied by a picture of him kissing Miss Flack, was reposted by her friend Sam Campbell today, who said: 'Love you, Lew'. Others - including Ms Holden and Strictly Come Dancing's Janette Manrara - shared photographs of a T-shirt featuring a sketch of Miss Flack and the words 'Be Kind'. Caroline Flack's friend Mollie Grosberg, who is looking after the late presenter's French Bulldog Ruby, today posted a touching video to her Instagram page of the star with her dog. Alongside the video, she wrote: 'Lucky us. Most loving human ever. Love you my baby girl carrie.' Caroline Flack's boyfriend Lewis Burton has paid tribute to the late Love Island presenter with an Instagram post saying: 'My little angel I will love you forever' Caroline Flack's friend Mollie Grosberg posted an image of the late presenter's French Bulldog Ruby, which she is looking after in the wake of the star's tragic death X Factor and I'm A Celebrity star Solomon shared a photograph on Instagram this morning of her holding her boyfriend Joe Swash's hand. She wrote: 'Today it doesn't feel right to be on social media. So from me and the boys, we hope you have a good day. 'Hold your loved ones close, give them all of the cuddles you have in you and let them know how much you need them in your life. 'You never know when they really might need to know. Love you all. If you're struggling with today, yesterday, the thought of tomorrow, please let someone know. Anyone.' She also then shared the details of various mental health and support charities including the Samaritans, Mind and Heads Together. Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden posted a photograph of her at the Heart Radio studios this morning wearing a T-shirt with a sketch of Caroline Flack, saying: 'Be kind' Strictly Come Dancing dancer Janette Manrara posted an Instagram message, saying: 'Be kind' Meanwhile Britain's Got Talent judge Holden posted a photograph of her at the Heart Radio studios this morning wearing a T-shirt with a sketch of Flack, saying: 'Be kind.' Strictly Come Dancing dancer Janette Manrara posted an Instagram message with the same message as was on Holden's T-shirt, saying: 'Be kind'. The T-shirt was created by Keith Lemon - real name Leigh Francis, who starred alongside Flack in Bo' Selecta! where she was given her big break in TV in 2002. It features Caroline's face and the message 'Be Kind' - a sentiment Flack had previously shared and has since gone viral as a hashtag across social media. X Factor and I'm A Celebrity star Stacey Solomon shared a photograph on Instagram this morning of her holding her boyfriend Joe Swash's hand The inspiration behind Keith's design comes from photographer Rachell Smith, who took the stunning portrait of the presenter. All profits are going to the Samaritans. Love Island contestant Maura Higgins was due to be launching a swimwear range at an Ann Summers store at The Brunswick shopping centre in London. But the firm said this has now been postponed until 5pm tomorrow because it clashes with the funeral, in a message reposted by Higgins. Flack killed herself one day after she learnt prosecutors were still pursuing allegations that she attacked her sleeping boyfriend Mr Burton with a lamp. Love Island contestant Maura Higgins was due to be launching a swimwear range at an Ann Summers store at The Brunswick shopping centre in London. But the firm said this has now been postponed until 5pm tomorrow because it clashes with the funeral Speaking about Flack's passing last week, ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall said: 'So many people at ITV knew Caroline, including me, and it was unbelievably tragic. Caroline Flack presented Love Island on ITV, and is pictured in the series four final in 2018 'I think that we can never know what is behind suicide. It is not in any way simple. It is a very, very complex thing. 'We take advice from (mental health charities) Samaritans and Mind and we will continue to do that.' The popular TV host's family also shared an Instagram post advisers had told her not to share online. Part of it read: 'I'm so sorry to my family for what I have brought upon them and for what my friends have had to go through. 'I'm not thinking about 'how I'm going to get my career back'. I'm thinking about how I'm going to get mine and my family's life back.' For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123, visit a local branch or go to www.samaritans.org President Trump is facing criticism from within his own administration over his handling of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. White House officials have privately expressed their position that some of Trumps remarks since the outbreak hit the U.S. have exacerbated panic in the country, the Washington Post reported Monday. Those remarks include Trumps comments about the Grand Princess cruise ship, recently docked in Oakland, Calif., aboard which 19 crew members and two passengers tested positive for the coronavirus. Do I want to bring all those people off? People would like me to do it, Trump said at a press conference on Friday. I would rather have them stay on, personally . . . I dont need to have the numbers double because of one ship that wasnt our fault. Maryland governor Larry Hogan, a Republican, criticized the administration over contradictory messages on the response to the outbreak. Trumps statements sometimes conflict with the information were getting from the rest of the administration, Hogan told the Post. He at times just says whatever comes to mind or tweets, then someone on TV is saying the opposite, the governor added. Its critically important that the message is straightforward and fact-based for the public. Other officials have expressed frustration with Trumps unwillingness to listen to those in his administration who bring bad news. Its a clearly difficult situation when the top wants to hear certain answers, one former official told Politico. That can make it difficult for folks to express their true assessment even the most experienced and independent minds. Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson on Monday also delivered his own criticism of Republicans who he said were downplaying the threat from coronavirus. People you trust, people you probably voted for, have spent weeks minimizing what is clearly a very serious problem, Carlson said. Its just partisan politics, they say. Calm down. In the end this was just like the flu and people die from that every year. Coronavirus will pass.' Story continues We get it. But theyre wrong, Carlson added. Its definitely not just the flu. More from National Review Even if you are not quarantined by health officials, some companies are requiring employees who have been traveling to work remotely, he added. And things are changing rapidly. Those answers may vary depending on ongoing public health changes, Dr. Weisenberg said. Once we have widespread testing available, then it will be easier for travelers to have a better idea of what the risk is in different areas. I booked an Airbnb. If I cancel, can I get my money back? Airbnb recently updated its extenuating circumstances policy, making it easier to get a refund in some countries. If you have a reservation in the United States, mainland China, South Korea or Italy, and you wish to cancel it, you can do so free of charge for bookings generally through the beginning of April. In the United States, if you have a reservation and you choose to cancel it, the company will fully refund you (including any fees) if you booked on or before March 13, with a check-in date of April 1, or earlier. (Check Airbnbs website for the policy for mainland China, South Korea and Italy.) You will also get a full refund if you are traveling from the United States and have a reservation in Europes Schengen Area. (The policy applies to reservations that have been made on or before March 11, for travel between March 13 and April 13.) If you are a guest in any other country and you cancel, the company will fully refund your booking if you meet the following criteria: If you cannot complete your trip because of official travel restrictions, medical or disease control duties related to the coronavirus; if your flight or ground transportation is canceled by your carrier because of Covid-19 or a suspected or confirmed cases of Covid-19; or if you are complying with disease control restrictions implemented by relevant governmental or health authorities. T he Government has advised against all but essential foreign travel for 30 days amid the coronavirus crisis. Travel bans and restrictions have been imposed by countries across the world with hundreds of thousands of coronavirus cases being confirmed since the outbreak started in December. The UK Foreign Office has now advised any global travel deemed not absolutely necessary in a bid to stem the escalating Covid-19 pandemic. Coronavirus - In pictures 1 /106 Coronavirus - In pictures A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" is seen on an underground station platform Getty Images Customers wearing face masks shop at the pork counter of a supermarket following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province Reuters Westminster Bridge is deserted in London the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown PA Canadian passengers Chris & Anna Joiner ask for help onboard the MS Zaandam, Holland America Line cruise ship, during the coronavirus outbreak, off the shores of Panama City via Reuters A man crosses a nearly empty 5th Avenue in midtown Manhattan during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York City Reuters The London Eye is pictured lit blue in support of the NHS, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Commuters cope with Coronavirus Jeremy Selwyn Milan's Piazza del Duomo empty AFP via Getty Images People in protective clothing walk past rows of beds at a temporary 2,000-bed hospital for COVID-19 coronavirus patients set up by the Iranian army at the international exhibition center in northern Tehran, Iran AP Martina Papponetti, 25, an ICU nurse at the Humanitas Gavazzeni Hospital in Bergamo, Italy poses for a portrait at the end of her shift AP Pope Francis celebrating a daily mass alone in the Santa Marta chapel at the Vatican, as part of precautionary measures against the spread of the new coronavirus COVID-19 AFP via Getty Imag Vysheyshaya Liga - FC Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino v FC Belshina Bobruisk - Torpedo Stadium, Zhodino, Belarus, March 27, 2020 Players in action during the match despite most sport being cancelled around the world as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Hanks and Wilson both have coronavirus Tom Hanks General view of an emergency makeshift field hospital as it is set up at Pacaembu Stadium for coronavirus (COVID-19) patients with a capacity of 200 beds in Sao Paulo, Brazil Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling on people to stay away from pubs, clubs and theatres, work from home if possible and avoid all non-essential contacts and travel in order to reduce the impact of the coronavirus pandemic PA Naomi Campbell catches a flight in a hazmat suit with goggles, a surgical mask and rubber gloves @naomi Sophie and Emily Ward pose for a photograph with their hand-drawn picture of rainbows and a message on their window in St Helens, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Corona virus outbreak. PA Shoppers queue outside a branch of Costco, in Croydon, south London, on the weekend after Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered pubs and restaurants across the country to close PA Charing Cross Tube Bakerloo Line very quiet at 8.15am Jeremy Selwyn A woman with a plastic box over her head on the London Underground. PA A Racegoer attend Cheltenham Festival on Ladies Day wearing a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits a laboratory at the Public Health England National Infection Service in Colindale PA A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A couple kiss in Milano Centrale railway station in Milan on March 8, 2020 AFP via Getty Images A combination picture shows visitors wearing protective face masks following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) looking at blooming cherry blossom nd a pigeon walking at an closed cherry blossom viewing spot during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (not pictured) urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors, in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from spreading Reuters This combination photo created on March 5, 2020 shows tourists visiting Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap province on March 16, 2019 (top) and on March 5, 2020 AFP via Getty Images Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump looks at the $2.2 trillion coronavirus aid package bill as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Vice President Mike Pence stand by during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House Reuters A satellite image shows an empty South Beach during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Miami, via Reuters General view inside the empty stadium as the two teams line up prior to the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg match between Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund at Parc des Princes UEFA via Getty Images A Sainsbury's supermarket in Cambridge is among those to sell out of antibacterial hand sanitizer PA Tents and ambulances are set up next to the Princess Cruises Grand Princess cruise as it sits docked in the Port of Oakland on March 09, 2020 in Oakland, California. The Princess Cruises Grand Princess has been held from docking until today as at least 21 people on board have tested positive for COVID-19 also known as the Coronavirus Getty Images Medical staff produce traditional Chinese medicine to treat patients infected by the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images Army soldiers wearing protective suits spray disinfectant as a precaution against the new coronavirus at a shopping street in Seoul, South Korea AP Russian President Vladimir Putin wearing protective gear walks at a hospital for patients infected with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Moscow via Reuters 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 Passengers on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship are seen as the ship arrives at Daikoku Pier where it is being resupplied and newly diagnosed coronavirus cases taken for treatment as it remains in quarantine after a number of the 3,700 people on board were diagnosed with coronavirus Getty Images Dave Abel pictured in hospital in Japan Manchester United fans in the stands during the Premier League match at Old Trafford PA Police officers wearing masks stand in front of the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in La Caleta, in the Canary Island of Tenerife AP Carnival revellers wear protective face masks at Venice Carnival Reuters A general view is pictured of Burbage Primary School in Buxton, Derbyshire after the closure of the school as a pupil's parent has tested positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19 AFP via Getty Images People wearing face masks walk past the Olympic rings in front of the new National Stadium, the main stadium for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Game Getty Images People leave Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre in Milton Keynes where Coronavirus evacuees are due to be released from quarantine today and allowed to go home PA Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA A woman wears a mask while crossing London Bridg Getty Images A general view of Worthing Hospital in West Sussex PA Passengers relax on board the Holland America-operated Westerdam cruise ship, which has been denied permission to dock in Thailand over coronavirus fears via Reuters A child waves as she sits in a vehicle carrying residents evacuated from a public housing building, following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, outside Hong Mei House, at Cheung Hong Estate in Hong Kong Reuters A woman wearing a Minnie Mouse face mask looks at her mobile phone in Beijing on February 11, 2020 AFP via Getty Images The Costa Smeralda cruise ship of Costa Crociere, carrying around 6,000 passengers, is docked at the Italian port of Civitavecchia after a health alert due to a Chinese couple and a possible link to coronavirus on board, in Civitavecchia, Italy Reuters A patient covered with a bed sheet at an exhibition centre converted into a hospital as it starts to accept patients displaying mild symptoms of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images A medical official takes the body temperature of a man at the departure hall of the airport in Changsha, Hunan Province, as the country is hit by an outbreak of a new coronavirus, China Reuters The view of the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center Getty Images A plane carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, arrives at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire A police vehicle enters the gates of the Royal Air Force station RAF Brize Norton in Carterton AFP via Getty Images Passengers wear face masks as the push their luggage after arriving from a flight at Terminal 5 of London Heathrow Airport AFP via Getty Images French citizens arrive and settle aboard of an evacuation plane with destination southeastern France, before departure from Wuhan Airport (WUH), China AFP via Getty Images Police stand at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge that crosses from Hubei province in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, China Reuters A member of staff at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside prepares for a bus carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China PA Doctor Paul McKay, who is working on an vaccine for the 2019-nCoV strain of the novel coronavirus, poses for a photograph with bacteria containing fragments of coronavirus DNA, at Imperial College School of Medicine (ICSM) in Londo AFP via Getty Images Workers produce masks at the Thai Hospital Product Company Ltd. factory in Bangkok AFP via Getty Images Passengers wearing face masks are seen on a bus after disembarking from the Costa Smeralda cruise ship, after tests on a woman from Macau with suspected coronavirus came back negative, in Civitavecchia, Italy Reuters People hoard bottles of alcohol after the Philippine government confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in the country, in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines Reuters Taking precautions: with fears growing that the coronavirus will spread from China, a health official checks a womans temperature on the underground in Beijing Getty Images An empty road is seen in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020, amid a deadly virus outbreak which began in the city AFP via Getty Images Students wearing masks meditate prior to a lesson at a high school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia AP Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital wear protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus AFP via Getty Images Staff move bio-waste containers past the entrance of the Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, where some infected with a new virus are being treated, in Wuhan, China AP Workers driving excavators at the construction site of a field hospital In Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The builders will complete the 1,000-bed hospital by February 3 to cope with the surge of 2019-nCoV patients in the city Getty Images Buddhist monks wear masks as they walk near Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodi AP A woman and a child wearing protective masks walk toward check-in counters at Daxing international airport in Beijing AFP via Getty Images An employee sprays disinfectant on a train as a precaution against a new coronavirus at Suseo Station in Seoul, South Korea AP A policeman wearing a mask walks past a quarantine notice about the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China at an arrival hall of Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan Reuters Paramilitary police wear face masks as they stand guard at Tiananmen Gate adjacent to Tiananmen Square in Beijing AP The resident wear masks to buy vegetables in the market in Wuhan Getty Images Staff sell masks at a Yifeng Pharmacy in Wuhan AP Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV AP But what other travel restrictions are in place around the world? Which countries have travel bans in place? Mr Trump slapped a travel ban from European countries to the States. On March 14, the US government extended an existing European travel ban to the UK and Ireland, with the exception of returning US citizens and legal residents. Now, the EU has announced plans to enforce non-essential travel for 30 days to the EU in a bid to fight the outbreak. Danish authorities announced they would be closing the borders for a month in response to the pandemic. Non-Polish nationals will only be able to enter the country if they are a spouse or child of a Polish national, hold a Pole's Card, or otherwise have the right to stay or work in the country. South African authorities said travellers from high-risk countries, including the UK and US, would not be permitted to enter the country from March 18. REUTERS Vietnam has suspended visa-free travel for British people, as well as people from seven other European countries. China has imposed 14-day quarantines on passengers arriving in Beijing, Guanghzhou and Shanghai from Iran, Italy, Japan and South Korea. Australia's federal health minister Greg Hunt and prime minister Scott Morrison have also met with the national security committee and have decided to refer the question of travel from Europe. Singapore is not letting people who have been on the Diamond Princess enter the country, while in South Korea this rule only applies to Japanese nationals. The Pacific island country of Kiribati is not permitting people who have been to the UK to enter the country. The Solomon Islands, also in the Pacific, is putting people who have visited the UK through a 14-day quarantine. What is the latest travel safety advice? The British Foreign Office (FCO) on Tuesday advised against all non-essential travel to every country across the world. Previously the travel advice ranged from advising against all travel to a whole country to recommending travellers seek advice before travelling to a particular area, based on how safe it is to visit, but this marks a drastic ramping up of measures. Police officers and soldiers check passengers leaving from Milan main train station / AP The guidance on Monday morning advised against all but essential travel to more than 35 countries. These include China, Italy, Denmark, Spain, Norway, Indonesia, Poland, Kenya, Cyprus, South Africa, Argentina, Albania, Burma, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Kosovo, Latvia, Liberia, Lithuania, Malawi, Malta, Morocco, Mongolia, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, San Marino, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. The FCO advises against all travel to Hubei province where the outbreak originated in China. It subsequently update this advice to all but essential travel to the whole country. If you are in China and able to leave, the FCO says you should do so. Brits also are advised against all but essential travel to all of Italy, including Sicily and Sardinia. Authorities in Italy have advised against travel for tourism purposes and said tourists already on holiday in Italy should limit their movements to those necessary to return to the place where they live. The FCO updated its advice on Spain in the early hours of March 15, advising against all but essential travel to the whole country. The department advises against all but essential travel to Norway, after the Norwegian authorities said that all non-resident visitors arriving from countries other than Finland and Sweden would be asked to leave Norway on arrival. British nationals legally resident in Norway will be allowed to enter the country but must enter self-quarantine for 14 days. How does coronavirus affect your travel insurance? The department advises against all but essential travel to Indonesia due to a 14-day quarantine requirement. The FCO advises against all but essential travel to Poland, owing to restrictions being put in place following the outbreak, which has seen borders closed and border controls introduced. British nationals aged 70 and over and those with pre-existing health conditions are advised against cruise ship travel. The FCO advises against all but essential travel to Kenya after authorities there announced measures restricting travel. The FCO has advised against all but essential travel to Cyprus, urging people to follow the advice of the Cypriot authorities, including leaving their tourist accommodation by March 21. All hotels and tourist accommodation have been instructed to close by Saturday until April 30. A state of emergency was declared in the country on Sunday. The department cites partial or complete border closures due to Covid-19 as the reason for the warnings for Albania, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, San Marino, Slovakia, and Sri Lanka. Potential issues with flights due to restrictions and cancellations are referenced in the advice for Argentina, Morocco, Mongolia, Paraguay, Peru and Philippines.with The risk of being placed into a quarantine is given as the reason for the advice for Burma, Estonia, Indonesia, Liberia, Malawi, Malta, Sierra Leone and Vietnam. Travellers are advised against all but essential travel to parts of Portugal and South Korea. The FCO advises against all but essential travel to the Portuguese archipelagos of Madeira and the Azores and the South Korean cities of Daegu, Cheongdo and Gyeongsan which have been designated "special care zones" by authorities due to outbreaks. The FCO has not currently advised British nationals not to travel to France, which has reported more than 4,000 cases to the WHO. But restaurants, schools, universities, cafes, theatres and non-essential shops, have been closed, gatherings of more than 100 people have been banned and tourist attractions have been shut. In New Zealand, arrivals from countries other than China and Iran will have to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival, the department said. Foreign nationals arriving from China or Iran will not be allowed to enter the country. What should you do if you're already in a coronavirus-stricken country? The UK has a fast-growing number of confirmed coronavirus cases, but at the moment other countries like China, Italy, Iran and South Korea have many more. So what should you do if you're in one of these places? According to the FCO, travellers can still fly home from Italy as airports remain open. But its website warns that there may be significant delays to flights and some may be cancelled. It advises travellers to speak to their airline for further details. Coronavirus: All you need to know about self-isolation Travel sites are also still listing flights to London from China, Iran and South Korea. But the Government warns that if you've returned from Iran, Hubei province in China or Daegu, Cheongdo or Gyeongsan in South Korea in the last 14 days, you should self-isolate even if you don't have any symptoms. You should follow the same steps if you've come back from Italy since March 9, according to the Government. And if you've returned from anywhere in China except Hubei, anywhere in Korea outside of Daegu, Cheongdo or Gyeongsan, or any of the following countries, you should self-isolate if you have a cough, high temperature or shortness of breath, even if your symptoms are mild: Japan has imposed stricter travel restrictions for visitors from South Korea and China, which will last through the end of March, as part of enhanced efforts by the government to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Starting from Monday, travelers arriving from the two countries, including Japanese nationals, will be asked to stay at quarantine facilities here of their own volition for 14 days. The designated quarantine facilities include hotels and the visitors will be asked to foot the bill under the Japanese government's plan, while Japanese nationals will be asked to self-quarantine at their own homes and avoid using cars or public transport. The quarantine requirements are also applicable to those who enter Japan from either country by way of connecting flights from another country, the government said. Around 3 million visas that have already been issued to South Korean and Chinese nationals have been invalidated under the new restrictions. Those from the two countries who are already in Japan, however, will not have their visas nullified, the government said. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday told a parliamentary session that Japan is also considering whether to slap similar travel restrictions on visitors from Italy as the country has seen a sharp spike in Covid-19 caseload. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Armenian citizens who are currently in Italy have been urged to urgently suspend their trips and return to Armenia because of the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) in this part of Europe. In a statement issued on Tuesday Armenias Ministry of Foreign Affairs also urged Armenian citizens to strictly refrain from visiting Italy given the measures being taken by the Italian authorities aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19. Authorities in Yerevan also called upon citizens who are currently in Italy to remain in constant contact with Armenias embassy in Rome. Later on Tuesday the Irish budget airline Ryanair, which entered Armenias civil aviation market earlier this year, announced suspension of all flights from Yerevan to Italy and back until April 8. Italy appears to have become the hotbed in Europe for COVID-19, a new coronavirus infection that broke out in China late last year, affecting more than 100,000 people and killing over 4,000 people globally since then. The whole of Italy, a country of some 60 million people, has been placed under quarantine, as the Italian authorities have stepped up efforts to tackle the coronavirus outbreak that has affected more than 9,000 people and left 463 dead in the country. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced late on Monday that he was extending restrictions on travel, which had been in place in the north, throughout the country. Earlier, authorities in Armenia also urged citizens to temporarily avoid visiting Iran, China, South Korea, Japan and EU countries (particularly Italy, Germany, France and Spain) over coronavirus risks, except in urgent cases. Armenia reported its first and yet only coronavirus case on March 1. A 29-year-old citizen of Armenia who had been evacuated from coronavirus-hit Iran along with scores of others had tested positive and was hospitalized. Thirty-one other citizens who may have had close contact with the infected person had also been placed under a two-week quarantine in a disused hotel in Armenias resort town of Tsaghkadzor. No new coronavirus cases have been reported in Armenia since then as the country tightened control at its border with Iran and re-introduced entry visas for Iranian citizens. Armenias universities and schools resume classes on March 9 one week after being closed by the government following the confirmation of the first coronavirus case. Harvey Weinstein said Jennifer Aniston 'should be killed' after he learned that the National Enquirer was planning to run a story accusing him of groping her, court documents have revealed. A trove of emails and other communications between Weinstein and his team offer a disturbing look at his reaction to the avalanche of sexual misconduct allegations that sparked his downfall in the fall of 2017. The correspondence is detailed in documents unsealed by the Manhattan Supreme Court ahead of Weinstein's sentencing on Wednesday, where he faces up to 29 years in prison after being convicted of rape and sexual assault late last month. In one email thread, a spokeswoman for the movie mogul forwarded a note from the Enquirer about a report that Weinstein had groped Aniston at a premiere event for their movie Derailed in 2005. Weinstein responded to the note by writing: 'Jen Aniston should be killed.' Other emails feature the desperate pleas Weinstein sent to some two dozen influential people, including billionaires Jeff Bezos and Michael Bloomberg, asking for them to help 'resurrect' his crumbling career and reputation. The documents also include scathing messages from Weinstein's brother and former business partner Bob Weinstein, who branded him an 'inhuman pathological liar' and said he deserved to go to hell. Harvey Weinstein said Jennifer Aniston 'should be killed' after he learned that the National Enquirer was planning to run a story accusing him of groping her, court documents have revealed. Weinstein and Aniston are pictured together at the premiere for Full Frontal in 2002 A trove of emails exchanged between Weinstein and his team is detailed in court documents, showing his response to the flood of sexual abuse allegations that sparked his downfall in October 2017. The documents were unsealed ahead of Weinstein's sentencing on Wednesday, where he faces up to 29 years in prison. He is pictured arriving in court on February 24, hours before a jury convicted him of rape and sexual assault The Aniston emails are dated October 31, 2017, less than a month after the New York Times and New Yorker published exposes about Weinstein's alleged abuse, opening the floodgates for dozens of other victims The Aniston emails are dated October 31, 2017, less than a month after the New York Times and New Yorker published exposes about Weinstein's alleged abuse, opening the floodgates for dozens of other victims. 'Not sure if you saw this one. Jennifer Aniston,' Sallie Hofmeister, a senior executive at Sitrick public relations firm, wrote with the forwarded Enquirer email. The email said: 'Jennifer confided to a friend that during the production of the 2005 movie 'Derailed' Weinstein sexually assaulted her by pressing up against her back in [sic] grabbing her buttocks.' 'Through the years he would frequently stare at her cleavage/breast and move his mouth around making Jennifer uncomfortable. 'We also quote a source close to Jennifer who tells the Enquirer: 'Harvey was infatuated with Jennifer Aniston He had a massive crush on her and constantly talked about how hot she was.'' Weinstein responded to Hofmeister's email from his iPhone about 45 minutes after receiving it, expressing his death wish. The Enquirer never ended up running the allegations about Aniston, which turned out to be untrue. 'He never got close enough to her to touch her,' her publicist Stephen Huvane told the New York Times this week. 'She has never been alone with him. We have no idea about the email, since it wasn't sent to us, nor do we have any comment to make on it.' But Aniston did later accuse Weinstein of 'piggish behavior' during a premiere event for Derailed. 'I remember I was sitting at the dinner table with Clive [Owen], and our producers and a friend of mine was sitting with me,' the 51-year-old actress told Variety last year. 'And he literally came to the table and said to my friend: 'Get up!' And I was like, 'Oh my gosh.' And so my friend got up and moved and Harvey sat down. 'It was just such a level of gross entitlement and piggish behavior.' Aniston also claimed that Weinstein had tried to bully her into wearing a dress designed by his then-wife Georgina Chapman to the movie's premiere, but she refused. The Enquirer never ended up running the allegations about Aniston, which turned out to be untrue. But Aniston did later accuse Weinstein of 'piggish behavior' during a premiere event for Derailed, claiming that he tried to bully her into wearing a dress designed by his then-wife Georgina Chapman (right with Weinstein and Aniston at the premiere) The unsealed court documents revealed that board members of the now-shuttered Weinstein Company were looking to fire its founder within days of the initial news reports about his misconduct. In a last-ditch effort to save his job, Weinstein emailed a group of his wealthy friends asking for their help. Recipients included Amazon boss Bezos, former New York City mayor Bloomberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Netflix's chief content officer Theodore A Sarandos Jr, and NBC vice chairman Ronald Meyer. 'My board is thinking of firing me,' Weinstein wrote. 'All I'm asking for is, let me take a leave of absence and get into heavy therapy and counseling whether it be in a facility or somewhere else, and allow me to resurrect myself with a second chance.' Other emails in the court documents feature the desperate pleas Weinstein sent to some two dozen influential people, including billionaire Michael Bloomberg (pictured together in 2014), asking for them to help 'resurrect' his crumbling career and reputation Weinstein sent an email to Bloomberg asking him to vouch for him as he faced being fired from his own company Weinstein also asked Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos for help, the documents show. The pair are pictured together at a media and technology conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, in 2011 Weinstein also reached out to Jeff Bezos, asking for written support The documents also include scathing messages from Weinstein's brother and former business partner Bob Weinstein (pictured together in 2009) Excerpts from emails sent by Weinstein's brother, Bob, show the full extent of the rage he felt towards the movie mogul In an excoriating email exchange dated 1 November 2017 Weinstein's brother Bob unloaded his vitriol and loathing for Harvey and his crimes. He wrote, 'You deserve a lifetime achievement award for the sheer savagery and immorality and inhumanness, for the acts u have perpetrated. Oh I forgot. They were all consensual. Then what are you in rehab for? Sex addiction. Don't think so.' He continued, 'U must be being treated for something. I guess sexual predator comes to mind.' According to his own brother, Weinstein had been 'a sexual predator and abusive person for over forty years.' 'I pray there is a real hell,' he wrote. 'That's where u belong.' Weinstein was convicted of third degree rape and criminal sexual assault on February 24 He was found guilty of sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi (left) in 2006 and raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann (right) in 2013 Weinstein was convicted of third degree rape and criminal sexual assault on February 24 for raping actress Jessica Mann in 2013 and forcibly performing oral sex on production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006. He was acquitted of rape in the first degree and of two counts of predatory sexual assault which related to the two incidents. He faces a minimum of four years in prison, but may be put behind bars for up to 29. Weinstein - who is still awaiting a case in Los Angeles - has always denied sexual misconduct and has vowed to appeal his conviction. On Monday, his lawyers filed court papers asking a judge to consider a sentence of only five years. They argued that the disgraced producer deserves mercy because he's already suffered a 'historic' fall from grace and is dealing with serious health issues. The 67-year-old used a walker to aid his movement in and out of the courthouse throughout his New York trial after his lawyers said he underwent an unsuccessful back surgery in December following a car crash three months earlier. He was originally supposed to go straight to Rikers Island immediately after his February 24 conviction, but was instead diverted to Bellevue Hospital after complaining of high blood pressure and heart palpitations. He was transported to Rikers on March 5, and is currently being treated for a concussion after he fell and hit his head at the jail on Saturday night. (Natural News) Remember when the federal government wanted us all to believe that the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) here in America wasnt ever going to happen? Well, not only has this novel disease arrived, proving the White House wrong, but it has arrived with a vengeance, having fully broken containment meaning theres really no stopping whatever it chooses to do, at this point. According to former U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) head Scott Gottlieb, were past the point of containment as a nation. The only thing left to do, in his view, is to implement broad mitigation strategies, including no more large gatherings, no more going to school, and possibly no more unnecessary travel. The next two weeks are really going to change the complexion in this country, Gottlieb warned in an eerily foreboding public statement. Well get through this, but its going to be a hard period. Were looking at two months, probably, of difficulty. U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams seems to agree, adding in his own statement that individual communities need to be coming up with their own unique mitigation plans before panic fully sets in and things really start to unravel on a societal scale. And thats going to be different in Seattle than what its going to be in Jackson, Mississippi, Adams told CNNs State of the Union about how its all going to look. But communities need to have that conversation and prepare for more cases so we can prevent more deaths. At the time these statements were both made, a cruise ship with nearly 3,000 stranded passengers was floating off the coast of Northern California, preparing to dock on Monday. And in Washington, the states 19th death from the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) was also reported, this one in central Washington the first known death from the novel disease in Washington outside the Seattle area. Listen below as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, addresses how the governments systematic bungling of the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) crisis is like some kind of hospital scene out of the movie Idiocracy: Central Washington coronavirus death occurred in elderly person who DIDNT travel outside America recently With the word endemic now being thrown around as a descriptor for the current situation in Washington state and eventually the entire country, its important to point out many are starting to wonder whats going to happen next. The latest death in Washington, which occurred in the middle part of the state, reportedly occurred in an elderly individual who had not traveled anywhere outside of the country anytime recently. What this suggests is that the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) is now being spread within communities, and is no longer something you can only catch by coming into contact with someone who recently traveled to China. with an incubation period of up to 27 days, coronavirus Marys are already on the loose, spreading the disease to others proving the very real possibility of the virus being passed on to others by people who dont even know they have been exposed to it, warns All News Pipelines Stefan Stanford. we see every reason to continue to prepare for the spread of this in America as if therell be no coming back to what we now understand as normal.' Its important to keep in mind that the number of Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) cases in Washington state doubled in a single day recently, suggesting that its really starting to pick up steam and take hold here in the U.S. one study is predicting that in a very best-case scenario, more than 15 million people globally will be killed by this outbreak with a 2.4 trillion dollar hit to the global economy, Stanford adds. More related news about the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) is available at Pandemic.news. Sources for this article include: LATimes.com AllNewsPipeline.com NaturalNews.com (Newser) Maya Moore has always been known for hitting the big shot on the grandest stage. She just got the biggest assist of her career. A judge on Monday overturned the 1997 burglary and assault convictions of Jonathon Irons, a Missouri man whose case has been championed by the WNBA star to the point she stepped away from her career to help the family friend. Cole County Judge Dan Green found the defense for Irons provided enough evidence to prove he was wrongfully convicted, the AP reports. He has been serving a 50-year prison sentence stemming the non-fatal shooting of a homeowner in the St. Louis area when Irons was 16. Moore called Irons from Jefferson City after Monday's court hearing. When he answered the phone, Moore and supporters cheered. "You're coming home," she told him. Irons thanked his supporters and even broke into song at one point. story continues below Irons could be freed within 30 days, unless the St. Charles County prosecutor's office decides to retry him. The judge also stayed his order pending a review by the Missouri attorney general's office, which could decide to appeal. "It's a surreal feeling, it hasnt sunk in yet," said Moore, who was born in Jefferson City. "It will when he walks out those doors. It's like we got to the Final Four, but still have some work left to do. I have mixed emotions as Im elated it happened but the decision could have been made so much faster." The Minnesota Lynx star put her career on hold last season to help Irons. The four-time WNBA champion has said she plans to sit out a second season and miss the Tokyo Olympics this summer. "My decision to take another year was bigger than this case," she said Monday. (Read more wrongful conviction stories.) Sometimes it takes a crisis to reveal the cracks in an economy. While sharemarkets in freefall are the most vivid sign of the effect the coronavirus outbreak is having on economies around the globe, there would be immediate implications for many workers in Australia if the virus were to spread more widely. Casual workers have been part of Australia's workforce for decades, but the number of people employed in on-demand-type work, often called the gig economy, has grown enormously in recent years as technology has provided the platform for many companies to harness a workforce prepared to carry out tasks at any given time. Those working in the gig economy could be hard hit by the coronavirus. Credit:Bloomberg Those in the gig economy are mostly employed on contracts that allow companies to offer little to no financial benefit beyond payment for specific tasks. Sick leave is non-existent, let alone being paid while on holiday, a right most Australian workers take for granted. In a world where being ordered to quarantine yourself at home for weeks at a time may well become common practice, many gig workers, who often live financially week to week, could quickly find themselves in a dire situation. Even workers with full entitlements are vulnerable to a financial hit if they are not entitled to enough sick leave to stay home for an extended time. 3 ways to see Louisiana Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Louisiana is one of those states that doesnt quite fit the mold. Yes, its a Southern state. Unquestionably so. However, Louisianas culture and history are much richer than most states, as it dates to when the French established a colony here in the late 17th century. Hence the name of Louisiana, which comes from King Louis XIV, perhaps better known as the Sun King. Control of the colony ebbed and flowed between the great European powers Britain won part of Louisiana after the Seven Years War, which also resulted in Spanish colonial authorities replacing the French in New Orleans until the eponymous Louisiana Purchase, when America under President Thomas Jefferson purchased a vast swath of the territory from Napoleon Bonaparte in 1803. This gives the Pelican State a history contemporary with the original 13 colonies. The legacy of colonialism can still be seen today. French place names are everywhere. There is the Cajun culture, which derives from the Acadians expelled by the British from present-day Canada. Louisiana French as a language was common well into last century. Last but certainly not least is the iconic architecture of New Orleans. All of this culture and history can be discovered on a road trip to the following three destinations over an extended weekend. Baton Rouge The capital city of Louisiana since 1846, Baton Rouge is a pleasant surprise. Downtown, which has experienced redevelopment in recent years, is very walkable, thanks to a growing number of hotels and restaurants. I stayed at the Watermark, part of Marriotts Autograph Collection brand. The boutique hotel opened a couple of years ago in a converted downtown skyscraper that used to house a bank and assorted other offices. The capitol building, an art deco skyscraper commissioned by infamous Gov. Huey Long, literally and figuratively towers over Baton Rouge. Other sights include the aptly named mid-19th century Old Louisiana State Capitol, which was inspired by a Gothic castle even if architecturally it resembles Strawberry Hill more than authentic Gothic Revival. A better example of Gothic Revival is St. James Episcopal Church with its perfectly elegant brick tower and interior Tiffany stained-glass windows. About halfway between Baton Rouge and New Orleans is Laura Plantation, part of New Orleans Plantation Country. The restored home, which dates to the early 1800s, is a remarkable example of the homes and working estates owned by well-to-do Creole or French-speaking, Roman Catholic families that once dotted the banks of the Mississippi River. Bayou Country I based myself in Houma, located about two hours by car from Baton Rouge and the all-but-official capital of Bayou Country. This is where you will discover Cajun folklife. My visit included a Friday in Lent, which meant the local seafood eateries were a happening place for those following traditional rules of fasting and meat abstinence. One such eatery is Cajun Critters, which serves what its name suggests. Alligators, gumbo, oysters and the freshest of seafood, thanks to Houmas proximity to the Gulf of Mexico. Speaking of seafood, I experienced firsthand Louisianas dynamic shrimp industry with Down the Bayou Shrimp Tours. Dont skip the farm-to-table or, rather, boat-to-table lunch at the onsite Kims Shuga Shack. New Orleans No visit to Louisiana is complete without a stop in the Big Easy, as New Orleans is called. Everyone goes to St. Louis Cathedral, seat of the Roman Catholic archbishop and dedicated to St. Louis IX, king of France from 1214-1270. The landmark the present cathedral was rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1788 and subsequently renovated in the 1850s faces Jackson Square. As you might guess the square is named after Major Gen. Andrew Jackson, the countrys seventh president and hero of Battle of New Orleans in 1815. Immediately next to the cathedral on the southwest side is the Cabildo. The baroque-style building, once a city hall and courthouse, today houses part of the Louisiana State Museum. Then there is the famed French Quarter. For the best glimpse into this past visit some of the residential and commercial buildings preserved by the Historic New Orleans Collection. If you go The major airlines fly to both Baton Rouge and New Orleans, though New Orleans has more flight frequencies. All of the car rental agencies are also present at both airports. Spires and Crosses is a weekly travel column. Follow @dennislennox on Twitter and Instagram. A prominent face of Congress and a promising young leader of the party, has left the Congress at a critical juncture when the party was seeking to build momentum against the BJP-led government on a range of issues including unemployment, economic slowdown and Delhi violence. A four-time Lok Sabha MP, Scindia served as a minister in both UPA governments and had a profile as a young and emerging politician. Considered a confidant of party leader Rahul Gandhi, Scindia was handpicked for party's revival in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh and was given the responsibility of Western Uttar Pradesh while Priyanka Gandhi was given charge of Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Articulate and charismatic, Scindia was Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology in the first UPA government. He was Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry in the second UPA government between 2009 and 2012. Scindia was Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Power between 2012 and 2014. He was a strong critic of the Narendra Modi government in its first term and articulated his concerns in the Lok Sabha. Belonging to a political family, Scindia was first elected to Lok Sabha from Guna in 2002 after his father Madhavrao Scindia, who was a prominent Congress leader, died in an air accident. Scindia was chairman of the campaign committee in the last Madhya Pradesh assembly polls and the party was able to dislodge the BJP from power after 15 years. Though Scindia's loyalists wanted him to be chief minister, the Congress decided to give the post to Scindia took it in the stride though another young leader Sachin Pilot was made Deputy Chief Minister in Rajasthan. Scindia was apparently keen to become Madhya Pradesh Congress chief but he was not given the post. He had begun signalling his dissatisfaction for the past few months. He is now likely to join the BJP. Born in the family of erstwhile Royals of Gwalior, Scindia did his schooling from Doon School, Dehradun. He then completed his BA in Economics from Harvard University in 1993 and pursued MBA from Stanford University in 2001. His first brush with public life came as early as at the age of 13 in 1984 when he campaigned for his father Madhavrao Scindia. Madhavrao Scindia was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1971 at the age of 26 and went on to win nine consecutive elections from the Gwalior and Guna constituencies. Jyotirdaditya Scindia suffered a shock defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Scindia's resignation from the Congress on Tuesday has thrown the party's government in Madhya Pradesh in a turmoil with 22 of his loyalist MLAs tendering their resignation. The resignation has come at a time the Congress does not have a full-time president with Sonia Gandhi still the interim chief of the party. Rahul Gandhi had resigned after party's debacle in the last Lok Sabha polls. Ahead of government formation in Madhya Pradesh in 2018, Rahul had tweeted a picture of him, Scindia and standing together and had written Leo Tolstoy's quote, "The two most powerful warriors are patience and time." Scindia on Tuesday appeared to have run out of patience. In his letter to Sonia Gandhi, Scindia said it was time to move on and look ahead at a fresh start. "Having been a primary member of the Congress party for the last 18 years, it is now time for me to move on. I am tendering my resignation from the primary membership of the Indian Congress and as you well know this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year," the letter said. "While my aim and purpose remain the same as it has always been from the very beginning, to serve the people of my state and country. I believe I am unable to do this anymore within this party. To reflect and realise the aspirations of my people and my workers, I believe it is best that now look ahead at a fresh start. I would like to thank you and through you all my party colleagues for providing me with a platform to have served the nation," the letter added. While Scindia resigned, the party expelled him for "anti-party activities. The Ethiopian investigators issued a report of last year's Ethiopian Airlines crash and found that Boeing did not provide sufficient pilot training for the 737 MAX. According to the recent interim report, Boeing's crucial flight software was also flawed and the design of the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) 'made it vulnerable to undesirable activation'. The 2019 crash killed all 157 people on board and further triggered the global grounding of the MAX in the worst crisis in Boeing's history. The Nairobi-bound Boeing 737 MAX reportedly crashed six minutes after takeoff on March 10, 2019. It also followed the October 2018 crash of a 737 MAX operated by Lion Air in Indonesia, which killed 189 people. According to the reports, both accidents saw uncontrolled drops in the aircraft's nose in the moments before the plane crashed and the investigators have blamed the crash on the model's MCAS. READ: US Regulators Want Boeing To Rewire All 737 MAX Aircraft Before Clearing Them Furthermore, the report also points out to the fact that the MCAS could be activated by a single angle-of-attack sensor reading, which measures the plane's angle vis-a-vis oncoming air to warn of impending stalls. The report also suggests that training provided by Boeing on the 737 MAX 'was found to be inadequate'. It also recommends that training simulators need to be capable of simulating scenarios in which the sensor fails. READ: Report From Ethiopia Expected This Week In Boeing Max Crash 'Fundamentally flawed' Earlier this week, US aviation regulators had also asked Boeing to rewire all their 737 MAX aircraft before allowing the troubled aircraft to fly again. According to reports, regulators have concluded that the wiring layout of their 737 MAX aircraft violates safety standards. The order to modify the wiring on planes would apply to almost 800 737 MAX aircraft that have already been produced and even those that have been handed over to airlines. As per reports, the aircraft manufacturer Boeing claimed that they were discussing the wiring issue with regulators and that they expected the planes to return to service by mid-2020. In February, a US congressional report accused Boeing of brushing off the concerns of engineers and released a 'fundamentally flawed' aircraft. The reports also claimes that the Federal Aviation Authority had failed in its duty to exercise oversight of the company and that it ignored warnings about the safety standards of the aircraft from its own experts. READ: Ethiopian Investigators Conclude Design Of Boeing 737 MAX Caused Crash: Reports READ: FAA Seeks $19.7 Million Penalty Against Boeing Over Sensors Hours after the Congress-led government in Madhya Pradesh plunged into a crisis on Monday late night, senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said his party was not interested in toppling the government and termed the developments as the "internal matter" of the ruling party. However, former minister and BJP leader Narottam Mishra said it seems the Kamal Nath government is falling. As former chief minister Chouhan arrived this morning in Bhopal for the BJP legislature meeting, which will be held in evening, he was welcomed by upbeat leaders and workers of the saffron party. "Wishing Happy Holi to the people of Madhya Pradesh," Chouhan said. When asked about the ongoing political developments in the state, Chouhan said it is an internal matter of the Congress party. Earlier in a tweet, Chouhan said, "This is the Congress' internal mater and I would not like to comment on it. We had said on the first day that we are not interested in bringing down the government". However, former minister and senior BJP leader Narottam Mishra, who was accompanying Chouhan, said the resignation of 20 ministers is an indication that something is wrong in the Congress. "I don't think this government is going to survive. It seems the Nath government is falling," he said. The state government was pushed to the brink on Monday as a sulking Jyotiraditya Scindia, along with 17 MLAs, virtually revolted prompting Chief Minister Kamal Nath to call a late-night cabinet meeting where around 20 ministers resigned reposing faith in his leadership. Nath had alleged that the BJP was adopting immoral ways to "destabilise" his government and vowed not to let it happen. Meanwhile, Chouhan paid tributes to former Union minister and Congress leader late Madhavrao Scindia on his birth anniversary. Madhavrao was father of Jyotiraditya Scindia, who is said to be at the centre at the current political drama in Madhya Pradesh. Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh also paid tributes to Madhavrao Scindia through his tweet. While the BJP has called its legislature party meeting at 7 pm, the Congress will hold a similar meeting at 5 pm at the residence of the chief minister. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Liszt Ferenc International Airport will not accept flights from the northern Italian cities of Milan, Bergamo and Treviso affected by the coronavirus after Italian authorities imposed a quarantine in the region, airport operator Budapest Airport announced on Sunday night. The restriction took effect from midnight and means the cancellation of 27 flights each week. Wizz Air announced that it will suspend flights to the three Italian cities until April 3. Ryanair has been operating 16 weekly flights to Northern Italy. Budapest Airport will continue to measure the body temperature of passengers arriving by direct flights from China and Iran. Since the imposition of the measures, 5,919 passengers and 416 staff on 77 flights have undergone thermometric screening. The airport operator said it has several hundred million dollars worth of equipment and supplies, including protective equipment and disinfectant materials. MTI Photo: Kovacs Tamas Owner of UkrLandFarming and Avangard Group of Companies, Oleg Bakhmatyuk, in his statement harshly responded to a recent speech in Ukraine's Parliament by Director of the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) Artem Sytnyk, told about the grounds for his future sacking, and called on the President to dismiss the corrupt official, Ukrainian News wrote on Tuesday. Oleg Bakhmatyuk's response to Sytnyk's March 4 address to the Verkhovna Rada was published on UkrLandFarming's website on March 10. Bakhmatyuk described Sytnyk's address where he branded mass protests against him as NABU director a "paid act" as a clumsy attempt to justify his actions. "Mr Sytnyk in his address to Verkhovna Rada deputies, in that ridiculous attempt of excuses, which should have been the report by the head of the law enforcement agency, named among the reasons for his early dismissal without any evidence, without a court decision the case with which he has been unreasonably pursuing our company for more than four years. However, Sytnyk forgot to say one thing: the case was illegally instituted, in collusion with him, by former Deputy Prosecutor General [Vitaliy] Kasko contrary to the norms of the law, which he himself must defend. I'm sure he will be held accountable for this, like Sytnyk, too," he said. According to Bakhmatyuk, the situation is unique in its absurdity. "We are willing to constructively resolve the issue of paying the debt to the state, we offer to pay off UAH 8 billion [US$321 million] via restructuring tools. In response, we are seeing resistance in this. We are offering money to the budget, but instead, they are trying to destroy and sell what's left of the company for a penny, as the Deposit Guarantee Fund has been doing for years. Hiding behind state interests, NABU, which is one of the largest recipients of budget funds among law enforcement agencies, is destroying one of the largest taxpayers under the guise of fabricated cases. Sytnyk and his henchmen are major saboteurs of state level. At the same time, the country is spending huge amounts of money on them," Bakhmatyuk said He was outraged that Sytnyk called people protesting against the NABU director's arbitrariness outside the Verkhovna Rada "paid" activists. "They are employees of our agricultural holding who take to the streets for the third time already. They are working people who, in difficult economic conditions, came out, demanding that they keep their jobs with the company, which over the past three years has paid UAH 7.7 billion [US$309 million] in taxes to the national budget," he said. "All these gentlemen, namely Sytnyk, [former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan] Riaboshapka, Kasko, are budget consumers who create nothing in return. They bring no benefit to the state. And such a saboteur publicly insults people who honestly do their job and openly assert their rights." Bakhmatyuk directly appealed to Sytnyk with a demand to publicly apologize to 27,000 employees of the company and their families for public humiliation and insults in the latter's address delivered in the Verkhovna Rada. "Repent and stop destroying the company over personal revenge, stop appointing guilty ones without trial. Now 40 NABU detectives have to deal with your revenge, that is one third of all of the Bureau's detectives! Do you blame me for your resignation? I will be proud to be relate to the resignation of someone who's been harming the state. Although only you will be to blame for your resignation: because of greed, corruption, and harm that you bring to Ukraine." On behalf of himself and the company's employees, Bakhmatyuk also called on the President to dismiss Sytnyk, who was recognized by court as a corrupt official and as a person who is destroying a large-scale enterprise that's very important for the Ukrainian economy. "Fire the corrupt official who is destroying such a large enterprise that's very important for Ukraine's economy. Dismiss Sytnyk, who makes it impossible for the state to reliably get UAH 8 billion. It will be the worst if you are convinced of the insolvency and harmfulness of such people for the country only after our company lies in 'ruins'. Those people have brought nothing good to Ukraine. But we want to bring UAH 8 billion to the state, continue paying the state multi-billion taxes, as well as save jobs and create new ones. We ask you to hear us, and we are always ready for a constructive dialogue in the state interests," he added. Oleg Bakhmatyuk is a shareholder of one of the largest agricultural holdings in Ukraine, UkrLandFarming, and Avangard Group of Companies, which are the country's major agricultural producers and taxpayers. In the autumn of 2019, NABU opened the so-called Pysaruk-Bakhmatyuk case, which is related to receiving refinancing of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) by VAB Bank during the 2014 crisis in Ukraine. The official findings of the assessments of collateral, the conclusions of the Deposit Guarantee Fund of Ukraine, and statements by the NBU refute NABU's allegations against Bakhmatyuk. Sytnyk is accused of personal revenge on Bakhmatyuk over the corruption-related case, as the main witness in the trial of the NABU director was the adviser to Bakhmatyuk's sister. As someone who was never attached to the animated version--recently rewatched it and still felt pretty meh about it--I'm even MORE excited to watch this now. I wasn't interested when I heard it was coming out, but that trailer had me all HYPE!!! These reviews have me swooning!! I CANNOT WAIT! Reply Thread Link I know this has been messy in many aspects so far but I'm still rooting for it <3 My sis and I have been looking forward to it since the first trailer came out lol Reply Thread Link I'm glad to hear it. Though this part "Oh, and the romantic chemistry gets STEAMY. Like chanting kiss in a silent theater steamy" diminishes my excitement greatly. :/ Reply Thread Link from what I read, the Chinese test audiences didn't care for the love interest angle, so they removed it from the film. so it might be steamy and "kisss kissssss kisssssss" but it ain't happening lol Reply Parent Thread Link my heterophobic ass is here for this Reply Parent Thread Link I was on RT to check its aggregate score and saw theres a Legally Blonde 3 coming out in May?? Good that its good. Reply Thread Link When did they film Legally Blonde 3? Out of everything in that universe, I like the musical more. Reply Parent Thread Link looking forward to the big fight scene people are talking about yaaaasssss Reply Thread Link 'Mature Disney'? Shirley you are joking. Reply Thread Link They are not. And their name isn't Shirley. Reply Parent Thread Link That first picture, what a picture *chief's kiss* Reply Thread Link My friend saw it last night and said it was great so Im looking forward to it again Reply Thread Link Pumped for this, i want to go to the movies to see it. Disney should have released in february Reply Thread Link I cant wait Reply Thread Link won't be watching this since the lead supports police brutality Reply Thread Link I wonder how this will do considering everything going on from Corona to it being delayed in China to the boycott. Reply Thread Link Yeah, I have to wonder how many people like me are going to play it safe and stay home instead of going to the movies. I wish they would release it on demand because Id definitely buy it Reply Parent Thread Link Critics are never harsh about Disney/Marvel movies and most of them are terrible or mediocre at best. Reply Thread Link TBH Reply Parent Thread Link Yep. I hope Im wrong, but I tend to believe the one review calling mediocre here has it right. Also, Best Disney Live Action since Cinderella is seriously damning it with faint praise Reply Parent Thread Link Cinderella was boring af. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I didnt like Cinderella at all, but thats bc ever after will always be superior. Reply Parent Thread Link Omg THANK YOU. Yes Reply Parent Thread Link this Reply Parent Thread Link you didn't lie Reply Parent Thread Link yup Reply Parent Thread Link Right? AS IF a critic would dare not praise disney. Which is unfortunate cause we need more honesty, especially in the arts Reply Parent Thread Link Right? I never trust critics when it comes to Disney, especially early reactions. Often it just seems like they're trying to be on the mouse's good side and keep getting invited to press events/early screenings. Reply Parent Thread Link what???? the last three remakes have been given mediocre at best ratings by critics. lion king and aladdin are both in 50 percentile on RT from critics and dumbo is at 47% Reply Parent Thread Expand Link read more reviews because this is patently untrue lion king was savaged and captain marvel's critical reaction was underwhelmingly positive at best Edited at 2020-03-10 07:57 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link Are you forreal? Both Aladdin and The Lion King live-action are rotten on RT. Reply Parent Thread Link I'm down to see this, I'm going to try to not make comparisons though and accept it as its own film; sort of inspired by rather than a remake/reboot. I watched the animated version the other day and I still love it lol and idc what anyone says, Eddie Murphy as Mushu was a great choice and provided a lot of comic relief. But that's why I won't be looking for that (comic relief or the lighter nature of a cartoon) jn this version, as it clearly sounds like they were going for something else. The fight scenes sound awesome. Edited at 2020-03-10 02:13 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link Its not hard to be the best live action Disney flick. Reply Thread Link Lmao for real. Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah do they know thats not an achievement? Reply Parent Thread Link Mte Reply Parent Thread Link test kit MANILA, Philippines The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday approved the use of test kits, which were developed by local scientists, to confirm cases of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country. In a statement, the FDA said it has issued a certificate of exemption for the SARS-CoV2 PCR test kits developed by the University of the Philippines-National Institute of Health (UPNIH), which was funded by the Department of Science and Technology. The SARS-CoV 2 is the official name of the rapidly spreading novel coronavirus strain. This supports the CODE RED status raised by the Department of Health (DOH) and the recent declaration of President Rodrigo Duterte of a state of Public Health Emergency, the FDA said. Duterte earlier declared a public health emergency amid the rising cases of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines. The DOH also raised Code Red Sublevel 1 after confirming the countrys first case of coronavirus local transmission. FDA Director General Rolando Enrique Domingo said the test kits will help accommodate the growing number of people suspected to have contracted the virus. The increasing number of reported COVID 19 cases will require immediate diagnosis and monitoring. This will provide our laboratories with technological reinforcement to accommodate the growing number of patients to be tested and aid in early screening of positive cases. Furthermore, this will provide greater access to a less costly diagnostic procedure, he said. As of Monday, March 9, the Philippines has recorded 24 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infections. The post FDA allows use of COVID-19 test kits developed by local scientists appeared first on UNTV News. LATEST: Coronavirus update: N.J. confirms 1st death, total cases in state rises to 15 The German agribusiness giant Bayer AG has temporarily closed two locations in Missouri and two in New Jersey due to concerns that an employee may have contracted the new coronavirus. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Bayer learned on Sunday that an employee in Creve Coeur, Missouri, was considered a person under investigation for coronavirus infection, and sent an email to employees that night. The case remains unconfirmed. Cleaning is underway at the Creve Coeur campus, which is Bayer's North American headquarters for its Crop Science Division, as well as at the nearby downtown St. Louis office of its tech-focused subsidiary, The Climate Corporation. In New Jersey, the closures are affecting Bayer's campuses in Whippany, which is the companys U.S. headquarters for all of its divisions, and in Morristown. Bayer said Monday that its Creve Coeur site will remain closed until further notice, and provided no information on how long any of the other campuses will be shuttered. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered. Bayer described the closures as a proactive measure, out of an abundance of caution. The company didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment from The Associated Press. So far, Missouri has one confirmed case. A woman in her 20s who had been studying in Italy tested positive for the coronavirus after returning home to the area, St. Louis County officials announced Saturday. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. (edited) Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 23:54:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A Palestinian worker wearing a protective mask works inside a bakery in Gaza City, on March 10, 2020. Palestine on Tuesday reported three new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infected to 29. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) RAMALLAH, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Palestine on Tuesday reported three new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infected to 29. Ibrahim Milhem, spokesman of the Palestinian government, told reporters that all the three new cases were confirmed in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. The total number of the infected cases in Bethlehem is 28, and another one was reported in the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem. Palestine declared a state of emergency after the outbreak of the virus. Palestinian authorities have shut down the entire district of Bethlehem and prepared a specialized hospital to deal with the virus. More than 2,000 Palestinians are currently placed in quarantine in the cities of Bethlehem and Jericho. In February, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Ishtaye lauded the strict measures China had taken to fight COVID-19. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) San Francisco city leaders on Monday announced $5 million in new investments to protect vulnerable populations from the coronavirus. The new funding aims to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 for people living in shelters, single-room occupancy hotels, and permanent supportive housing. The funding will go toward expanded cleaning in shelters, resource centers, and SROs; increased meal programs, expanded shelter hours to encourage homeless people to stay inside; and enhanced meal delivery programs for people in SROs. In addition to the funding, city leaders also called for a Public Health Order for all city-funded SROs, shelters and Navigation Centers to establish required cleaning and contagion mitigation protocols in SROs and other shared settings. Protocols include the cleaning of high-touch surfaces and bathrooms, and making hand washing supplies and sanitizers available, among other measures. "We know that many of our most vulnerable residents--those who could get very sick or die if they contract COVID-19--are living in congregate and semi-congregate settings like shelters and single-room occupancy hotels," Mayor London Breed said in a statement. "We have to do more to keep these places clean and work to keep people healthy as this disease spreads within our community. This emergency fund and this Public Health Order are part of our work to respond aggressively to the challenges presented by COVID-19 each and every day. "Everyone should continue to follow the best health practices, and we will continue to do the work to deliver more protections for those in need," she said. Dr. Grant Colfax, San Francisco's director of health, said, "Our chief concern is for vulnerable populations who are most at risk of getting very sick, or dying, if they get COVID-19. "That is why we are recommending that people over 60, or with certain underlying health conditions, stay home as much as possible. For vulnerable people in SROs or shelters, this investment will help them limit their outings, by assuring that food and shelter is available, and that congregate settings are clean environments," he said. In addition to the Public Health Order and the $5 million investment, the city will also provide financial support for the cleaning of privately-owned SROs. As for people who are homeless and unsheltered, the city and its nonprofit partners are providing outreach, including education on hand washing. The city's renewed pledge to protect vulnerable populations comes just as 13 cases have now been confirmed in the city. Also on Monday, San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin issued a consumer alert on price gouging as the city is in a state of emergency over the virus. According to Boudin's office, when a state of emergency is declared, vendors are prohibited from raising the price of consumer goods or services by more than 10 percent. Goods include things like food, emergency supplies, medical supplies, building materials and gas. It also includes services like repairs or construction, cleanup, transportation, storage and lodging services. Anyone found to be in violation of the laws against price gouging could be subject to criminal prosecution. "The last thing anyone should have to worry about in a crisis is being cheated," Boudin said. "People who try to profiteer from a public health emergency will be held accountable." Anyone who is a victim of price gouging or who has information about price gouging in the city is asked to contact the district attorney's consumer protection hotline at (415) 551-9595. 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. Jenna Dewan has welcomed her second child into the world. The 39-year-old beauty, who is engaged to actor Steve Kazee, shared the news on Tuesday with her Instagram followers as she posted a first look at her bundle of joy from her hospital bed. 'And just like that, our hearts exploded into all of eternity and beyond Welcome to the world you little angel! Callum Michael Rebel Kazee 3/6/20,' the beauty said in her caption. He is here: Jenna Dewan has welcomed her second child into the world. The beauty, who is engaged to Steve Kazee, shared the news on Tuesday with her Instagram followers as she posted a first look at her bundle of joy from her hospital bed From daddy: Soon after Steve took to social media to share a sweet post that was very similar to Jenna's only he just showed the baby's hand. 'In an instant our universe burst wide open and nothing would ever be the same. Welcome to earth star child. Callum Michael Rebel Kazee 3/6/20' In the black and white image the star is perfectly made up with arched brows as she shows off a fresh manicure. Jenna is holding the baby to her chest as he has a blanket on his bare back and a beanie cap. This is the first time she has shared her happy baby news. Soon after 44-year-old Steve took to social media to share a sweet post that was very similar to Jenna's only he just showed the baby's hand. 'In an instant our universe burst wide open and nothing would ever be the same. Welcome to earth star child. Callum Michael Rebel Kazee 3/6/20.' 'So happy': Jenna later shared a photo of herself breastfeeding baby Callum Her lucky man: With fiance Kazee in October 2019 in Los Angeles, California Jenna has bot been seen in public since late February. The brunette beauty, best known for her movie Step Up and co-starring with Jennifer Lopez on World Of Dance, proved to be the embodiment of spring in floral and denim while out in Los Angeles. The Flirty Dancing hostess showed off her burgeoning baby bump in a floral print Elliatt chiffon dress that featured feminine layered ruffling. Last photo: Jenna has bot been seen in public since late February. The brunette beauty, best known for her movie Step Up and co-starring with Jennifer Lopez on World Of Dance, proved to be the embodiment of spring in floral and denim while out in Los Angeles The sundress featured stretchy ruching around the chest and stomach, giving the expectant mother some added comfort. Jenna looked to be in an extra jovial mood as she smiled in the direction of nearby shutterbugs who greeted her outside her vehicle. She accessorized her ensemble with a brown suede cross-body bag and a gold chain choker featuring a crescent moon pendant. Newly engaged, Dewan flashed her diamond engagement ring in the direction of nearby photographers before heading towards her destination on foot. I do! Kazee proposed to Dewan during her lavish crystal-laden baby shower held last Tuesday; Jenna shared this photo of herself, Kazee, and her engagement ring on Instagram on the day of the proposal Uniquely hers: Kazee had the engagement ring specially crafted for the actress by Twilight alum Nikki Reed's sustainable jewelry company, BaYou with Love Kazee proposed to Dewan during her lavish, crystal-laden baby shower in February. Jenna's custom oval diamond engagement ring contains 2.5-3 carats and costs between $50,000-$100,000 according to estimates. It was specially crafted for the actress by Twilight alum Nikki Reed's sustainable jewelry company, BaYou with Love. Jenna announced in September that she was expecting a child with her 44-year-old fiance. This will be baby number one for Kazee, but second child to Dewan, who shares six-year-old daughter Everly with her ex-husband Channing Tatum. Dewan's ex husband of nine years is reportedly 'very happy' for his former wife and her new man. 'Jenna has a special place in his heart since she is the mother of their [six-year-old daughter Everly],' an insider told E! News. Dewan first met Kazee in 2012 while backstage at Manhattan's Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre where the Tony-winning thespian was performing his hit Broadway musical, Once. Past life: Jenna was married to actor Channing Tatum for nine-years, before divorcing in 2018; Jenna pictured with Tatum and their daughter Everly back in 2016 during a trip to Atlanta, GA But didn't begin dating until March 2018 - seven months before the former back-up dancer filed for divorce from her ex-husband Channing Tatum, which was finalized November 20. Tatum has moved on from Dewan with pop-star Jessie J. The 39-year-old actor and the Price Tag songstress ended their 13-month relationship back in December, but in late January their relationship was back in action. The complications will only deepen when the presidential contest enters the summer months. Right now, the CDC has advised people at higher risk of infection to avoid crowds. If that advice were to become broader, or if the government were to impose the type of travel restrictions introduced in other counties, it could impede the parties abilities to hold their nominating conventions this summer. President Donald Trump said Tuesday the nation would be aiding the battered airlines and cruise ship industry in response to the coronavirus, as he huddled with Republicans who have been skeptical of his initial tax cut proposals. 'We are working closely with the cruise line industry, very very closely,' Trump told reporters during a meeting with a variety of corporate CEOs as his administration struggles to assemble an economic response to the outbreak amid new fears of a recession. 'Theyre taking strong steps in terms of people going on and going off. But they are spending a lot of money and they're working hard,' Trump said of cruise ship businesses. 'Were going to be helping that industry.' President Donald Trump said the administration would be 'helping' the airline and cruise ship industries, which have each been hammered by the coronavirus outbreak 'Likewise with the airline industry, they are taking strong steps toward people coming into our country, even getting off the planes,' Trump added. 'So we are working closely with them. Were helping them. Two great industries and we will be helping them through the patch,' he added. Both industries have been roiled by the crisis. U.S. airlines have been taking planes out of circulations and slashing fares as fearful Americans cancel or hold off making travel plans. Organizers have canceled major gatherings including South by Southwest, further suppressing demand. Trump made his remarks at a White House meeting with health insurers. The State Department has urged Americans to avoid taking cruises, and health officials have stopped some cruises from leaving port amid the outbreak. Parent companies have been hammered in the stock market as traders try to anticipate the future impacts of the spreading outbreak. Trump praised the process of taking passengers off the Diamond Princess, where 19 of 21 crew tested positive for the coronavirus before the ship was finally docked in Oakland to remove passengers from the U.S. and other nations. American Airlines announced Tuesday it will cut domestic flights by 7.5% for April and international flights by 10% for the summer peak travel season Tents and ambulances are set up next to the Princess Cruises Grand Princess cruise as it sits docked in the Port of Oakland on March 09, 2020 in Oakland, California. The Princess Cruises Grand Princess has been held from docking until today as at least 21 people on board have tested positive for COVID-19 also known as the Coronavirus A bus carrying passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship, which was barred from returning to San Francisco last week due to a coronavirus outbreak on board, leaves Trenton Air Force base in Ontario, Canada, March 10, 2020. Trump said the movement to Canada has been 'dignified' The Princess Cruises Grand Princess cruise ship travels in the San Francisco Bay on its way to a port in Oakland, CA on March 09, 2020 as seen from the Treasure Island in San Francisco, California 'So far it has been going very well. We know about the big ship that came in yesterday,' said Trump. 'That is going along incredibly well. Working with California very successfully. Very successfully. Also with Canada and with UK. UK is taking their people, their citizens back, Canada has about 600 people, theyre coming back they are being met being brought in a very very dignified fashion,' he said Trump on Monday said he would meet with Republicans on a possible payroll tax cut or other relief for hourly workers so they won't be penalized for being off work. He also wants to extend crisis loans for small business. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer on Tuesday told colleagues the administration shouldn't try to solve the problem of the outbreak and its economic impacts through tax cuts. 'I would remind the White House: by far the best way to ensure economic security for the American people is to deal directly with the coronavirus itself. Again, getting a handle on the crisis and addressing the virus itself is by far the best way to respond to any negative effects on our economy,' Schumer said. 'The administration seems to believe that the answer to any problem is another tax cut, and no matter what they say about it, when they put it together it always seems to benefit the wealthy and the big and powerful corporations. But this is a health care crisis. It demands a health care solution,' said Schumer Airlines across the US are continuing to feel the squeeze of the coronavirusoutbreak, with firms slashing yet more flights and bosses taking pay cuts in efforts to keep the companies' heads above water. American Airlines and Delta Airlines both announced plans to cut more flights Tuesday, while Southwest Airlines CEO told employees he will take a 10% pay cut as the firm grapples with sagging passenger demand for flights. American Airlines said it will cut domestic flights by 7.5% for April and international flights by 10% for the summer peak travel season, including temporarily suspending service to several European cities, including Rome, Milan, Barcelona, Venice, Paris and Madrid. A Hindu devotee watches the religious festival of Lathmar Holi, where women beat the men with sticks, in the town of Barsana in the Uttar Pradesh region of India. (Image: Reuters) CHICAGO, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Physical Identity and Access Management Market by Component, Service, Organization Size, Vertical (BFSI, IT and ITeS, Telecom, Energy and Utilities, Transportation, Healthcare, Government and Defense, and Education), and Region - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Physical Identity and Access Management Market size is projected to grow from USD 789 million in 2020 to USD 1,535 million by 2025, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 14.2% during the forecast period. The major growth drivers for the market include the rising need for future-proofing security operations, increasing instances of insider threats, and stringent security compliances and government regulations. Browse in-depth TOC on "Physical Identity and Access Management Market" 114 - Tables 32 - Figures 159 - Pages Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=235309861 Based on organization size, the large enterprises segment to lead the market in 2020 Small businesses are expected to witness a higher growth in the adoption of physical identity and access management software and services. However, the large enterprises segment is expected to lead the Physical Identity and Access Management Market due to the early adoption of the software. Physical identity and access management vendors help both Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and large enterprises to address the security needs of business-critical applications to protect them from sophisticated cyberattacks. The adoption rate for physical identity and access management software and services is high in large enterprises and is expected to dominate the Physical Identity and Access Management Market in terms of market size, during the forecast period. Based on vertical, the government and defense sector to grow at the fastest rate during the forecasted period. The government and defense vertical requires physical identity and access management solutions at a large-scale due to the voluminous information produced across these organizations. Physical identity and access management software helps the government and defense vertical secure their infrastructure and users from identity risks with reduced costs. The increasing complexities in networks and increasing instances of insider threats and cyberattacks are fueling the adoption of physical identity and access management solutions among governments across the globe. Speak to Our Expert Analyst: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=235309861 North America to hold the largest market share during the forecast period. North America has the presence of several prominent market players delivering advanced solutions to all the end users in the regions. Owing to their strong economies, the US and Canada are expected to be major contributors to the growth of the Physical Identity and Access Management Market. Apart from this factor, the geographical presence, strategic investments, partnerships, and significant Research and Development (R&D) activities are contributing to the hefty deployments of physical identity and access management solutions. Key pure play vendors, such as AWS, IBM, HID Global, and Alert Enterprise offer enhanced physical identity and access management software and services to cater to the needs of customers. Such factors are expected to fuel the growth of the global Physical Identity and Access Management Market in North America. Market Players The major vendors covered in the Physical Identity and Access Management Market include HID Global (US), AlertEnterprise (US), IDCUBE (India), Micro Focus (UK), Okta (US), Access Security Corporation (US), Gemalto (Netherlands), IBM (US), Oracle (US), AWS (US), Avatier (US), Wallix Group (France), Atos (France), Identiv (US), Nexus Group (Sweden), Alfrednet (Bucharest), Wipro (India), One Identity (US), Sequr (US), E&M Technologies (US), and WSO2 (US). Browse Adjacent Markets: Information Security Market Research Reports & Consulting Related report: Physical Security Market by Component (Systems (PACS, PSIM, PIAM, Video Surveillance, Fire and Life Safety) and Services (ACAAS, VSAAS, Remote Monitoring, Security Systems Integration)), Organization Size, Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2023 https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/physical-security-market-1014.html About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Sanjay Gupta MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com Research Insights: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/physical-iam-market.asp Content Source:https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/physical-iam.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg Ukraine is ready for comprehensive cooperation with Switzerland to develop bilateral relations. I am very pleased that our delegation is the first foreign deputation to the Federal Assembly of the new convocation. I wish you success in your further work and assure that Ukraine and the Verkhovna Rada are ready to cooperate with Switzerland far and wide for the development of bilateral relations, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Dmytro Razumkov told President of the National Council of the Swiss Federal Assembly Isabelle Moret and Second Vice President Irene Kalin, the press service of the Verkhovna Rada reports. Dmytro Razumkov informed that a group on inter-parliamentary relations with Switzerland had already been formed in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. It is important that active cooperation has now begun at the level of embassies and at the level of parliamentary friendship groups. We have many promising areas for working together, in particular in the area of reform implementation, Razumkov said. The Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada also expressed his gratitude to Switzerland for the effective economic cooperation that currently exists between the states. You are the driving force of attracting investments into Ukraine. We are glad that Switzerland is among five largest country investors, and we hope that friendly parliamentary ties will strengthen economic relations and, as a result, increase the volume of investments, he emphasized. The parties also discussed enforcement of human rights in the occupied territories, available tools to resolve the armed conflict in Donbas and return the annexed Crimea, Switzerland's support for Ukraine at international platforms, and the possibility of sharing the Swiss experience of direct democracy. In addition, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada thanked Mrs Moret and Mrs Kalin for their willingness to continue and expand inter-parliamentary relations and invited a deputation of Swiss parliamentarians to visit Ukraine. The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada also attended sittings of the National Council and the Council of States of the Federal Assembly of the Swiss Confederation. Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Dmytro Razumkov will make an official visit to Switzerland on March 9-10. ol The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the industry's main trade group, said Tuesday it has closed its headquarters in Washington D.C. after a visitor tested positive for COVID-19. PhRMA learned Monday night that the individual, who is not an employee and last visited the office on March 5, was diagnosed with the coronavirus, according to spokesperson Holly Campbell. "Our priority is the health and safety of PhRMA, member company employees and others we work with," she said. "Based on initial conversations with public health offices and out of an abundance of caution, PhRMA has closed our Washington, D.C., headquarters for the remainder of the week and will conduct a deep cleaning of all our facilities." "We have also asked those individuals who were in the meeting with the diagnosed person to self-quarantine and not return to our offices until March 20," she said. The news was first reported by STAT News. On Friday, Biogen, a member of the trade group, said three employees tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a meeting in Boston last week. As of Tuesday afternoon, there are at least 808 U.S. cases of the virus and at least 28 deaths, according to data compiled by John Hopkins. There are no proven therapies for the virus, which emerged from China a little over two months ago. The pharmaceutical industry, in collaboration with U.S. health officials, are fast-tracking work on a coronavirus vaccine, hoping to start an early-stage trial as early as next month. PhRMA said Tuesday it "remains committed to combating the epidemic, and our companies are continuing to actively research and develop potential treatments and vaccines." Few tourist attractions are as impressive to visit as castles. These awe-inspiring structures are characterized by their strong, fortified walls, often made of stone that is strong enough to remain standing for hundreds or even thousands of years. Check out a few of the oldest castles in the world that can still be visited today. 10. Alcazar of Segovia Alcazar of Segovia. Image credit: Alcazar of Segovia/Wikimedia.org Its hard to know exactly how old the Alcazar of Segovia in Spain is, but the first written record of its existence is from 1120 AD. The fortress originally contained a small city that centered around an ancient church called the Cathedral of Santa Maria, but was later used as a royal residence. 9. Rochester Castle Rochester Castle. Image credit: David Kerr/Wikimedia.org Located in England, Rochester Castle was built in 1088 AD. Its stone structure replaced a former castle made of timber that had been destroyed during the Norman Conquest of 1066. It was initially occupied by archbishops of Canterbury before being turned over to the royal family. Over the years, the castle has been destroyed and rebuilt many times. 8. Hohenwerfen Fortress Hohenwerfen Fortress. Image credit: Memorator/Wikimedia.org Hohenwerfen Fortress is a castle in Salzburg, Germany that dates back to 1077 AD. It was commissioned by an archbishop and originally built from wood before being reinforced by the stone that stands today. 7. Windsor Castle William the Conquerer built Windsor Castle in 1070 AD as a residence for the royals. It has remained occupied by a succession of kings and queens who have renovated and added onto the structure to suit their needs. Today, Windsor Castle the oldest occupied castle in the world. 6. Warwick Castle Warwick Castle - Engine House, Waterwheel, Weir, and Old Castle Bridge. Image credit: DeFacto/Wikimedia.org In addition to building Windsor Castle, William the Conqueror also built Warwick Castle in 1068 AD. The castle housed the Earl of Warwick for many centuries until 1978, when it was sold to be turned into a tourist attraction. 5. Krak Des Chevaliers Krak Des Chevaliers. Image credit: Ed Brambley/Flickr.com This castle in Syria was built for the Emir of Aleppo in 1031 AD. It was used by the Knights Hospitaller throughout the medieval period and at one point housed up to 2,000 military men. The castle was eventually neglected, but managed to escape heavy damage during the Syrian civil war in the early 21st century. 4. Reichsburg Cochem Reichsburg Cochem, Germany. Image credit: Heribert Pohl/Wikimedia.org Reichsburg Cochem is a castle in Germany that is estimated to have been built around the year 1000 AD. It was used as a military stronghold until the 19th century, when it was converted into a summer residence for nobility. Its now owned by the town of Cochem and functions as a tourist attraction. 3. Alhambra de Granada The impressive architecture of the Alhambra de Granada. Image credit: JaritahLu/Wikimedia.org The Alhambra de Granadas origins are unknown, but any existing structure at the site in Spain was destroyed and replaced by todays stone fortress in the year 889 AD. Its strategic location on a hilltop made it perfect for military defense. It was abandoned during the 18th century but later restored and preserved. 2. Prague Castle Prague Castle. Image credit: Nitin Vyas/Flickr.com Built in 880 AD, Prague Castle is located in the Czech Republic and holds the Guinness World Records title for largest castle at 70,000 square meters. Its age means that many different building styles have been used throughout the years, including Romanesque and Gothic architecture. 1. Citadel of Aleppo Citadel of Aleppo. Image credit: Nitin Vyas/Flickr.com Located in Syria, the Citadel of Aleppo is often touted as the oldest castle in the world. The earliest structures date back to 3000 BC. It has been destroyed and rebuilt many times over the millennia, most recently during the Syrian civil war. The castle is a UNESCO World Heritage site. CHINA is the greatest trading partner for most SADC countries and thus most citizens of the region travel to the Asian country for business, while the region also receives a lot of guests from China. Since the outbreak of coronavirus in China, the region has been on high alert. The world is shrinking, and the proximity of the SADC region is brought about by trade relations that have developed and deepened over the years. The region is, therefore, vulnerable to the spread of coronavirus owing to the volume of trade and travel between Asia and the region. The virus has made global headlines in recent weeks and in Africa. Ivory Coast became the first country on the continent to test a suspected coronavirus case when a female student arrived at an airport in the capital Abidjan with suspicious symptoms. In SADC, the first suspected case of coronavirus was recorded in Botswana on January 30, 2020, although there were earlier reports that in Zambia there was a recorded case. Refuted This, however, was refuted by Zambian Health Minister Chitalu Chilufya, and this calls for more vigilance on the part of SADC member States.According to reports from Botswana, the suspected case was registered at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport upon the suspected infected persons arrival aboard an Ethiopian Airways plane from China. Now that the suspected cases are on SADC shores, the need for member States to be vigilant cannot be over emphasised. Due to regional integration and globalisation, the world is fast shrinking. This has its pros and cons, and one of those cons is the fast spreading of diseases across borders as exhibited by the spread of coronavirus from its epicentre in China to other parts of the world. This means the virus can easily spread across the borders to other member states. Challenge The challenge of the SADC region is its porous borders and cases can spread undetected. Screening is done at the points of entry for early diagnosis and treatment. This raises the point of capacity. Do SADC member States have the capacity to screen for the virus? One also needs to look at the issue of porous borders. Besides the borders, officially SADC citizens travel across the region, and the risk of the disease spreading across is high. The region needs to be adequately prepared for active surveillance, early detection, isolation and case management, contact tracing and prevention of onward spread of coronavirus infections, and to share full data with the World Health Organisation (WHO). As in the case of Botswana, the suspected case has been placed in isolation and investigations are ongoing. The SADC Secretariat must be commended for issuing an advisory on the virus. This will enable the SADC Secretariat staff and the public in SADC member states to understand the basic tenets of how to identify the symptoms of the disease, the mode of contamination and the precautionary measures to apply. The advisory has called upon the member states to be proactive and identify, isolate and care for patients early, including providing optimised care for infected patients. This includes mandatory fever screening at point of entry and isolation. This is very critical in order to curb this novel virus. Member states need to take this advisory message seriously and take all measures necessary to prevent the spread of the virus across borders. In the event of an emergency, the sharing of information across member states is of paramount importance, and as such member states are encouraged to communicate critical risk and event information to all communities and counter misinformation; minimise social and economic impact through multi-sectoral partnership. This will enable the public to stay informed and for authorities to take appropriate measures to combat the virus. Research into the epidemiology and natural history of the virus is ongoing. Although the origin of the disease in Wuhan City, China, is suspected to be zoonotic (of animal origin), evidence suggests that current spread is from human to human. The majority of the coronavirus cases were linked to a seafood, poultry and live wildlife market in UPDATE: Cai told the New York Post he is recovering thanks to advice from Chinese doctors. The Fort Lee man who contracted the coronavirus is urging people to take COVID-19 seriously, telling television stations that his symptoms keep getting worse despite the fact that he is a pretty healthy person. They are surprised it can be so bad and Im so young," James Cai, 32, a physicians assistant, told ABC7. He told the station that he believes he contracted the virus at a medical meeting at the Westin Hotel in Times Square. When he felt sick a few days later he went to urgent care and then to the emergency room, where medical staff found a small lesion on his lung and tested him for coronavirus, he told ABC7. Health officials have said that older individuals and those with chronic medical conditions like heart disease and diabetes are at highest risk of getting seriously ill from COVID-19. But Cai told CBS he doesnt have any risk factors and his symptoms, including fever, shortness of breath and diarrhea are getting worse and Hackensack University Medical Center has a bed in the ICU ready in case he needs it. He said hospital staff told him he should be OK, ABC reported. The first person to die from coronavirus in New Jersey was a 69-year-old man from Bergen County whom officials said had pre-existing health conditions. The total number of positive cases in the state increased to 15 Tuesday, and there were 20 pending tests at the state lab with another 31 people considered under investigation, New Jersey Department of Health officials said. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Iowa begrudgingly endures some of the nations highest personal and corporate income taxes. Those high taxes hamper economic growth and make our state less affordable for families and less competitive for businesses. Even after recent improvements, tax reform remains a high priority for the Hawkeye State. So we applaud Governor Kim Reynolds for proposing the Invest in Iowa Act and pursuing the sorts of meaningful, cost-effective solutions that we proposed in our economic study "A Better Path Forward for Iowa Tax Reform." If adopted, the governors proposals would provide much-needed taxpayer relief and spur economic growth across the state. Invest in Iowa calls for a 10 percent income tax reduction in 2021, followed by more across-the-board income tax cuts that will lower the top income tax rate to 5.5 percent in 2023. To pay for the income tax cuts, the Act would increase the state sales tax by one cent a sensible tax reform combination that yields stronger economic activity and growth. Our research shows, for example, that even with a one cent sales tax increase, reducing income taxes to a top rate of 5.59 percent would produce $250 million in additional economic activity and save the average taxpayer at least $132 annually. The additional growth would boost household consumption and business investment by $60 million and $160 million, respectively; and Des Moines would receive approximately $50 million more revenue during the first year. Governor Reynolds is wise to pursue this strategic, pro-growth combination. Understandably, some may worry that raising the sales tax will disproportionately harm lower income households, but the sales tax increase will be offset by income tax rate reductions. And to further reduce any lingering regressive effects, we would suggest broadening the sales tax base by removing tax exemptions from specialty services such as accounting and marina boat-docking more commonly bought by upper income households. Tax reform requires patience and prudence. As one North Carolina legislator once quipped, tax reform is an evolution, not a revolution. And part of that evolutionary process requires disciplined government spending. Reducing tax rates and spurring economic growth and activity must coincide with smart, priority-driven spending to avoid undermining the states economy with budget deficits and debt loads. North Carolina is considered the gold standard for state tax reform because it has proven that spending restraint along with tax rate reductions work to create a stronger economy. The Invest in Iowa Act takes a solid stride on a better path forward, but it is not the final word on tax reform. Much work remains to be done. Even lower income tax rates and fewer special interest carve-outs and credits, for example, would help Iowa get off the least tax-friendly states in the nation list. But with a strong national economy and a healthy state budget, Governor Reynolds proposal offers a good start for making Iowa more competitive and more affordable. John Hendrickson is policy director for Iowas Tax Education Foundation. Andrew J. Kidd is an economist with The Buckeye Institutes Economic Research Institute based in Columbus, Ohio. Editor's note: Tuesday Topic is a weekly Opinion page feature. Each Tuesday in this space, local, regional and state writers will discuss issues in the news. If you have an idea for a Tuesday Topic, please contact Editorial Page Editor Michael Gors at 712-293-4223 or mike.gors@lee.net. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Nearly 1,000 people in 36 states and Washington, D.C., have tested positive for the coronavirus, with the number of known cases growing rapidly. Tuesday was the eighth consecutive day with more confirmed diagnoses than the previous day. The outbreak has most severely affected nursing home patients and older Americans, but college campuses and high schools have announced some cases, and the rapid spread of infections has encouraged schools of all kinds to take extraordinary measures. The Fulton County school system, which covers the suburbs of Atlanta, did not hold school on Tuesday, becoming the largest U.S. school district to do so, after an employee tested positive. In the Seattle area, which is experiencing a severe outbreak, a suburban K-12 school district was the first in the area to move all of its classes online. The setup meant that students as young as second grade were working on card tables in their bedrooms, and parents were folding laundry while keeping one eye on virtual classes. Sonora, CA Tuolumne County Public Health officials say they have no known COVID-19 cases yet to report. Speaking with Clarke Broadcasting about the notification process, spokesperson Michelle Jachetta notes, Health care providers need to coordinate with Public Health to initiate testing for COVID-19. It is a reportable disease like some other infectious diseases, so, if a test goes out and the results come back positive we would be notified. Asked about community rumors of locals who may have been exposed while traveling, Jachetta acknowledges that while there were a handful of Tuolumne County residents on the Feb. 21st Grand Princess cruise ship that docked off the San Francisco coast from which there was one COVID-19-related fatality. But as they did not have the virus, and remained non-symptomatic, officials determined a public information release was not necessary. The travelers additionally self-isolated out of an abundance of caution and cleared the 14-day period. As for the cruise ship now docked outside of Oakland that California passengers are being transferred from to Travis Air Force Base for the purposes of undergoing a quarantine, she confides, We do not know if there is anybody from Tuolumne County on that ship at this point because they are not returning travelers to Tuolumne County. They are going to do their quarantine their monitoring period on base. Moving forward, Jachetta says while at this time it is not known for how long COVID-19 will be a concern, local health officials are deeply involved in related activities and folks need to do their part to prevent spreading their germs. It is always a good idea to take standard precautions and practice every-day-preventative-actions, which are to wash your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, practice social distancing put about six feet between you and the next person and avoid people who are sick. She adds, Clean frequently touched surfaces like countertops, doorknobs, phones, and handlesand just stay informedbecause the situation is changing almost on a daily basis. Her office shares the following links. The first is for folks who may be at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19 and steps that they can take to prepare. The other is to helpful resources for various groups such as event planners and businesses. Ratings Agency Fitch warned on Tuesday that a new wave of sovereign rating downgrades could be in the works if the oil slump continues, according to Reuters. In additional, multi-notch rating cuts may be expected for junk-rated oil and gas firms. The ratings of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, Nigeria, and Angola, which rely heavily on the price of crude oil and have a fixed exchange rate are of course particularly vulnerable, Jan Friederich, Fitchs top Middle East and Africa sovereign analyst told Reuters. Even Saudi Arabia, with its sizable sovereign wealth fund, does not offer infinite immunity to the shock of low oil prices. Oman, too, struggling under a mountain of debtand a $6.5 billion fiscal deficitis already holding its hand out for more debt to the tune of $2 billion. Moodys already cut Omans rating a notch last week to Ba2, prior to the oil price war madness. Near the end of February, Omans Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said said that the government would try to reduce public debt. But days later, Oman was looking to add to it instead. Nigeria, another oil-dependent economy, could find itself the subject of downgrade. According to Fitch, Angola, Iraq, Suriname, and Gabon are most heavily dependent on commodities. The oil price war have sent oil prices falling 25% on Monday, and while prices have rebounded somewhat, Russia and Saudi Arabia have both said they will boost crude oil production, and Saudi Arabia has lowered its official selling price for crude by between $6 and $8 per barrel. Russian oil companies are meeting with the Russian Energy Ministry on Wednesday, however, to discuss the possibility of returning to the OPEC fold. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: FELTON, California, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With reference to the statement issued by the experts, in 2018, the scope of the global Cosmetic Packaging Market was appreciated at US$ 25.9 billion and is estimated to touch US$ 35.9 billion by the completion of the year 2025. It is estimated to increase by a 4.8% CAGR during the period of forecast. Packing for beauty and cosmetic products is particularly for placing of brand, customer functionality, and protection to the product. The progression of innovative and wide-ranging wrapping styles and modernization in packing performs an important part in motivating the development. Furthermore, because of increasing alertness about personal care, developments in per capita earnings, altering criteria of living and inventive designs, for example sticks and sprays, developing economies are proposing an enormous openings for the development for the cosmetic products. Drivers: Growing demand for cosmetics owing to increasing population of youngsters, ever-changing style of packing and advanced designs of package are expected to motivate the cosmetic packaging industry during the period of forecast. The larger number of products and trademarks are arriving for the beauty products. Novelty, effectiveness of packing and demand for product variation are some of the aspects important for the development of the market. Additionally, because of fluctuating tendencies of preparing between both genders categories the demand for cosmetic products is growing. This is expected to motivate the market during the period of forecast. The manufacturers depend on wide-ranging advertisement over diverse mass media for marketing cosmetic items. Novelty in packing is the important reason for enticing customers. As a consequence impacting the general development of the cosmetic packaging business during the upcoming years. Get Sample PDF and read more details about the "Cosmetics Packaging Market" Report 2025. Classification: The global cosmetics packaging market can be classified by Type of Cosmetic, Type of Material Type of Product and Region. By Type of Cosmetic, it can be classified as: Make up, Skin Care, Nail care, Hair Care. By Type of Material, it can be classified as: Paper, Plastic, Glass, Metal and Others. By Type of Product, it can be classified as: Sachets, Caps, Dispensers, Tubes, Bottles, Closures, Containers, Pumps, and Pen Varieties. Regional Lookout: By Region the global cosmetic packaging industry can be classified as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Central & South America, and Middle East & Africa. Owing to the greater infiltration of cosmetic products over the common people, the global market for cosmetics packaging is ruled by Europe and North America. Because of the greater capability to expenditure of the common people, North America has controlled the global market. With the aim of increase aesthetics, the consumption of cosmetics has boosted up in industrialized economies. Owing to the greater significance of individual appearance between the common people, the North America is tracked by Europe. By means of an existence of enormous number of domestic companies, the Asia Pacific is the maximum profitable market. Owing to altering financial circumstances, it is estimated to observe technical progressions. Asia Pacific commanded in 2018, by way of grabbing the 40% share and is expected to record a substantial CAGR during the nearby prospect. Japan, in Asia Pacific, funds to the main stream of share and is estimated to record a 5.4% CAGR during the period of forecast. The presentation of diverse assortments of the product and increasing acceptance by the customers owing to growing cognizance regarding diverse benefits for example the solution for anti-tanning have motivated the cosmetic packaging market within the state. Middle East & Africa (MEA) is estimated to record a 5.2% CAGR during the period of forecast. The nations for example the UAE and Saudi Arabia are estimated to motivate the demand for cosmetic products during the nearby prospect. Growing demand for halal cosmetic products has motivated the market within the state. Therefore, growing demand for the cosmetic manufacturing tips to an upsurge in demand for the manufacturing of cosmetic packaging. Lain America along with Asia Pacific are estimated to observe the maximum percentage of development in the global cosmetics packaging industry. Companies: The foremost objective of these manufacturing companies are to upsurge the optical impression of the product accordingly the escalation in sales of the articles. The objective for these manufacturing companies are the bulk markets for example Japan, China, India and South Korea. Modernization in the methods of packaging is one of the important reasons to increase the reasonable benefit. The manufacturing companies have presented environmentally friendly resolutions of packaging and are also consuming reprocessed plastics for the similar purpose. Some of the important companies for cosmetic packaging market are: AREMIX Packaging, Libo Cosmetics, DS Smith, Silgan Holdings, HCP Packaging, AptarGroup Inc., Graham Packaging Company, Bemis Company Inc., RPC Group Plc and Albea. Browse 80 page research report with TOC on "Global Cosmetic Packaging Market" at: https://www.millioninsights.com/industry-reports/cosmetic-packaging-market Market Segment: Cosmetic Packaging Material Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025) Plastic Metal Glass Paper Others Cosmetic Packaging Cosmetic Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025) Hair Care Skin Care Nail Care Make-up Cosmetic Packaging Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025) North Americ U.S. Europe German U.K. Asia Pacific Chin Japan Middle East & Afric & Afric Saudi Arabia Central & South America Brazil Browse reports of similar category available with Million Insights: About Million Insights: Million Insights, is a distributor of market research reports, published by premium publishers only. We have a comprehensive market place, that will enable you to compare data points, before you make a purchase. Enabling informed buying, is our motto and we strive hard to ensure that our clients get to browse through multiple samples, prior to an investment. Service flexibility & the fastest response time are two pillars, on which our business model is founded. Our market research report store, includes in-depth reports, from across various industry verticals, such as healthcare, technology, chemicals, food & beverages, consumer goods, material science & automotive. Contact: Ryan Manuel Research Support Specialist, USA Million Insights Phone: +1-408-610-2300 Toll Free: 1-866-831-4085 Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.millioninsights.com/ Blog: https://millioninsights.blogspot.com/ SOURCE Million Insights The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed worry, following the dethronement of Sanusi Lamido as Emir of Kano. Speaking in a statement on its official Twitter handle, the party further stated that the deposition of the Kano Emir at this time is worsening. The party wrote: Deposition of Kano Emir: PDP Expresses Worry, Calls For Calm The @OfficialPDPNig notes that the deposition of Emir Muhammad Sanusi II by the Kano state government, at the time that the nation is battling worsening Read Also: Stop Sending Me Condolences, We Didnt Die Sanusis Daughter insecurity challenges, shows the insensitivity and poor appraisal of core national stability issues by the @OfficialAPCNg administration. Without prejudice to the issues, the @OfficialPDPNig described the timing of the action of the Kano state government, particularly as it relates to a very sensitive traditional institution like the Emir of Kano stool, is a big political blunder coming at a time our society is wobbling under the siege of insecurity, especially in a state such as Kano. The @OfficialPDPNig however calls for calm and circumspection from all quarters, especially, given the security and political stability concerns in our nation. Deposition of Kano Emir: PDP Expresses Worry, Calls For Calm The @OfficialPDPNig notes that the deposition of Emir Muhammad Sanusi II by the Kano state government, at the time that the nation is battling worsening pic.twitter.com/FFTf3Zf4YM Official PDP Nigeria (@OfficialPDPNig) March 9, 2020 insecurity challenges, shows the insensitivity and poor appraisal of core national stability issues by the @OfficialAPCNg administration. Official PDP Nigeria (@OfficialPDPNig) March 9, 2020 is a big political blunder coming at a time our society is wobbling under the siege of insecurity, especially in a state such as Kano. Official PDP Nigeria (@OfficialPDPNig) March 9, 2020 Before joining ARAG, Haynes was the founding president and CEO of DAS Legal Protection Insurance Company Canada. At that firm, she helped set up the Canadian legal expenses insurance business and led the company for nine years. Haynes has nearly 40 years of industry experience, having served as a senior executive on both the insurer and broker sides of the business. She most recently served as an independent director. Haynes was originally brought in last year to serve as a senior advisor with ARAG. Barbara has already made a great impression and I am excited to have her lead our Canadian team, said ARAG Services chairman of the board of directors Renko Dirksen. Dirksen also said that ARAG Services wishes former CEO MacDonald all the best in her future endeavours. ARAG Services Corporation was incorporated in 2015. The company officially launched in Canada in 2016 as an insurance intermediary. In declaring a state of emergency on Monday, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker also announced strict restrictions on travel and group meetings for about 42,000 state employees, while also recommending they work from home when possible to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. The restrictions apply to the majority of state employees - including the department of transportation, health and human services and housing. They dont extend directly to offices not under the governors office such as the court system, legislative branch, and state university system - or the private sector. However, Baker suggested all businesses - public or private - follow suit. Everyone has a role to play to stay healthy, Baker said. Thats why I urge employers and other large organizations to follow our example when possible. Baker announced the measures on Tuesday during a press conference where he declared a state of emergency to help combat the spread of coronavirus in the state. The Department of Public Health announced 92 cases of COVID-19 in Massachusetts. All but one were labeled as presumptive positive tests. The number is more than double the amount DPH announced in the state on Monday. As the number of cases in the state increase and confirmed cases exist in Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont, Baker restricted non-essential domestic and international travel. Baker also restricted employees to meet with outside group for large meetings. We all must consider how our actions and choices can help mitigate the spread of this virus," Baker said. Conferences or seminars can still be held, but Baker said they must be conducted digitally. The highest risk population includes older adults and individuals with serious chronic medical conditions. Employees in this risk group are encouraged to talk with their supervisors to review possible alternative work assignments, Baker said. The recommendations again only pertain to executive branch workers, however, Baker hoped his actions would lead to businesses around the state to follow suit. The commonwealth is one of the largest employers and so we have a significant role to play in mitigating the spread of this virus, he said. Related Content: Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 06:11:00|Editor: yan Video Player Close SARAJEVO, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) police announced on Tuesday that it has arrested six suspected members of an organized crime group involved in marijuana smuggling. The crime group is suspected of smuggling seven tons of marijuana from Albania to the European Union (EU) via Montenegro, BiH and Croatia, the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) said in a press release. The arrest is part of ongoing police operation called "SKY". Search warrants are being executed in four locations across BiH. The arrested individuals will soon be handed over to the Prosecutors Office of BiH. The Brandon School Divisions board of trustees voted to cancel both spring break trips for students going abroad at Mondays meeting due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/3/2020 (671 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us The Brandon School Divisions board of trustees voted to cancel both spring break trips for students going abroad at Mondays meeting due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. Supt. Marc Casavant and Assistant Supt. Elaine McFazden presented the facts before trustees debated the issue. Marc Casavant Two schools, Vincent Massey High School and Ecole Neelin secondaire High School, were going to be sending students on Europe trips during spring break. Vincent Masseys travel plans included going to Italy, which is currently undergoing a nationwide lockdown because of a coronavirus outbreak. Neelins trip involved starting in Germany and travelling through several Eastern European countries like Hungary and the Czech Republic. Both trips would have involved going through major international airports. McFazden said that meetings were held with parents from both schools and support was given to the idea of cancelling plans. Trustees Kim Fallis, Sherilyn Bambridge and Peter Bartlette expressed that they regretted having to cancel the trip, but it was the safest decision for students involved. "There are risks of contracting the virus," chairperson Linda Ross sad. "There are risks of being quarantined." The board also passed a motion cancelling all international travel for students going forward due to the outbreak. A decision regarding international for staff and faculty was delayed so that unions representing staff could be consulted first. Ross asked senior administration to consult with CUPE and the Brandon Teachers Association and come back to the board before the end of the week. Casavant mentioned during the discussion that he has heard of a lot of professional development events for local staff being cancelled, so a decision sooner rather than later is warranted. After the meeting, Ross said it was a difficult choice to cancel trips that students have been looking forward to for a long time. Casavant added that parents paying for trips would be refunded all but approximately $400 of the total $4,000 cost. On the subject of preparing for a potential outbreak hitting Manitoba, Casavant said that documentation on how to prevent the spread of the coronavirus has been shared with faculty. "In terms of anything else outside of that, we would take our direction from the Chief Medical Officer and comply with whatever they put in place," Casavant said. The Brandon Sun While the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh plunges into a crisis, party leader Tariq Anwar on Tuesday said that should now become the President of Congress party as leadership emerges at the time of crisis. "Karnataka party chief has rightly said that now should lead the party," said Anwar. "Taking responsibility for the party's defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, resigned from his post as party president but once again the time has come that he should take responsibility," he added. Meanwhile, Jyotiraditya Scindia, who resigned from the Congress earlier today, is likely to join the BJP on Wednesday. According to sources, Scindia and other Congress MLAs, who tendered their resignation, are likely to join the BJP tomorrow. Scindia's decision to leave Congress was followed by the resignation from 22 party MLAs loyal to him. Before tendering his resignation, Scindia met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah. The party expelled Scindia for anti-party activities. The young leader in his resignation letter said that it was time "to move on. Tornadolike headwind The fast-spreading coronavirus and a plunge in oil prices set off a chain reaction in financial markets on Monday, a self-perpetuating downward cycle that could inflict serious harm on the global economy. What started last month as unease about a potential economic slowdown in China has evolved into a borderline panic, with the S&P 500 on Monday crashing nearly 8 percent. The mayhem is threatening to roil the underlying global financial system and the abilities of companies large and small to survive a potential economic monsoon a downward spiral that is fed and intensified by these destructive forces. The S&P 500 has tumbled 19 percent over the past few weeks, and Monday was its worst one-day decline in over a decade. The free fall has vaporized more than $5 trillion in stock market wealth. (New York Times) Featured stories A pedestrian wears a face mask Monday in the World Financial Center complex in New York. New York continued grappling Monday with the new coronavirus as case numbers, school closings and other consequences grew. (John Minchillo, Associated Press)AP A dozen years after the 2008 recession, a different kind of debt threatens the world economy (NBC News) Incoming White House chief of staff Mark Meadows among lawmakers sidelined by coronavirus concerns (Washington Post) Trump administration clashes with airline officials over coronavirus (CNN) We analyzed more than 150 coronavirus deaths. Heres what we found (NBC News) Coronavirus cannot be cured by drinking bleach or snorting cocaine, despite social media rumors (CBS News) Missouri man breaks coronavirus self-quarantine to attend father-daughter dance. Now, the school is canceling classes (USA Today) National news Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders spar over long records on trade, entitlements, guns and Iraq as primaries push on (USA Today) CNN poll: Biden has double-digit lead over Sanders for Democratic nomination (CNN) Why some conservatives are voting in Michigans Democratic primary (NBC News) 22-year-old Guatemalan asylum-seeker dies in ICE custody; 8th death since October (CBS News) Shocking and horrifying; 5 children shot, one dead, outside dance party in suburban Baltimore (ABC News) Confederate memorials can be removed by local governments, Va. lawmakers say (USA Today) State lawmakers across the U.S. wage war on science instruction (CBS News) Driver with plates that expired in 1997 to Louisiana police: Sorry ... Ive been busy (NBC News) World news People walk in an almost empty St. Mark's Square on Monday in Venice, Italy. (Anteo Marinoni, LaPresse via AP) Coronavirus: Death toll jumps again in Italys darkest hour (BBC) Almost 200 North Korean soldiers have reportedly died from the coronavirus (Business Insider) Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Wuhan for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak (CNBC) 2 American troops killed in Iraq during anti-ISIS mission (ABC News) Ethiopian investigators blame 737 Max crash mostly on Boeing software (Associated Press) Netanyahu rivals to cooperate on forming new government (Associated Press) Prince Andrew wont voluntarily cooperate in Epstein inquiry, prosecutor says (The Guardian) Harry and Meghan bow out at final working royals engagement (BBC) Burma Myanmar Employee of US Citizens Cannabis Farm Gets 20 Years in Prison The Myingyan District Court sentenced Ko Shein Latt, 37, who installed the irrigation system for the alleged marijuana plantation, to 20 years in prison under the Anti-Narcotics Law on March 10. / D Hlaing Win / The Irrawaddy MANDALAYThe Myingyan District Court in Mandalay Region sentenced a local employee of an American-run cannabis plantation to 20 years in prison on Tuesday. Ko Shein Latt, 37, who worked as a technician on the plantations irrigation system, was found guilty under the Anti-Narcotics Law for his involvement in the operation. He was on trial for nearly a year over a lawsuit for alleged cultivation of marijuana and possession of restricted chemicals and other materials to grow the drug. I have no responsibilities for this plantation and I will send an appeal to the higher court, he said, before he was sent to Myingyan Prison on Tuesday. He was arrested on April 24, 2019 along with US citizen John Fredric Todoroki and Ma Shunlei Myat Noe, an intern and interpreter, for allegedly cultivating marijuana. The authorities were tipped off by a Facebook post about the alleged marijuana plantation at Myotha Industrial Park in Myingyan Township, operated by III M Global Nutraceutical Company. Todoroki said he was raising a cannabis crop consisting of hemp plantsnot the intoxicating drug marijuanaand that Mandalay Region Chief Minister U Zaw Myint Maung granted permission for the plantation. Hemp and marijuana are two different species of cannabis. During the court session Tuesday, Ko Shein Latt explained that he was just a technician who installed the irrigation system for the plants and not a manager of the plantation, so he had no responsibilities for the alleged crimes. Ma Shunlei Myat Noe was released in February after the court found she bore no responsibility for the alleged marijuana plantation. The court issued an arrest warrant for Todoroki, who has since fled to the US, after he stopped attending court while he was released on medical bail. Mandalay Myotha Industrial Development Public Co. Ltd (MMID) leased about 60 acres of land to III M Global to develop the plantation. The Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC) determined that the three arrested last April, as well as five US citizens still at large, were responsible for cultivating a 20-acre marijuana plantation on the land. The CCDAC also claimed that authorities seized over 300,000 marijuana plants, 380 kg of marijuana seeds, 270 kg of dried marijuana and related chemicals and materials. On the other hand, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced on the same day that its team found plants that appeared to be hemp, and that the plantation is believed to have been cultivated for medical purposes, including cancer treatment. You may also like these stories: Mandalay Court Collects US$227,000 for Americans Bail in Cannabis Plantation Case US Man Charged in Cannabis Case Fled Myanmar for US on New Passport The 'resort politics' of huddling legislators in a far away location, which ususally precedes a political storm, has made a comeback with the arrival of rebel Congress MLAs here from Madhya Pradesh and it heralded the impending political crisis there. As 21 legislators belonging to the Jyotiraditya Scindia camp resigned on Tuesday putting the Chief Minister Kamal Nath-led government in a spot, the arrival of eight legislators here on March 4 was the first sign that all was not well. Amid allegations of poaching by BJP, they had landed in the city on Wednesday last and were put up in an undisclosed location. According to sources, eight legislators including one independent were camping in the city for a week now. Out of them two- one Congress and an independent- had gone back. "Later, the lawmakers here were joined by 13 legislators, who landed in the city by a chartered flight yesterday. So 19 are here," the sources said. All MLAs are said to be loyal to expelled party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia. These MLAs on Tuesday sent their resignation letters via e-mail to Raj Bhavan in Bhopal from Bengaluru. All legislators are biding their time in the lush green environs of a sprawling resort here to make their next move. Soothed by salubrious climate, the resort near the airport appears to be a perfect setting for the lesgislators to draw their next course of action. The MLAs are out of bounds for the media. Herding legislators to a resort is nevertheless a new phenomenon as such episodes had played out in the past as well in Karnataka and elsewhere. Fearing possible poaching of MLAs by BJP, the Congress state unit here had moved its legislators to a resort in January 2019 which eventually set the stage for a rebellion last year. In July 2019, the Congress and JD(S) MLAs from Karnataka were huddled in resorts at Mumbai and Goa that came to be known as 'Operation Lotus' which saw the coalition government led by former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy being ousted. Shaken with the coup of sorts, the Congress and the JD(S) went on the back foot and camped their remaining MLAs in a city based resort. Prior to it, the Gujarat Congress had huddled its MLAs in a resort at Bidadi in Ramanagar district ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) The United States began withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, the U.S. military said Tuesday, taking a step forward on its peace deal with the Taliban while also praising Afghan President Ashraf Ghanis promise to start releasing Taliban prisoners after he had delayed for over a week. The U.S.-Taliban deal signed Feb. 29 was touted as Washingtons effort to end 18 years of war in Afghanistan. The next crucial step was to be intra-Afghan talks in which all factions including the Taliban would negotiate a road map for their countrys future. But Ghani and his main political rival, Abdullah Abdullah, were each sworn in as president in separate ceremonies Monday. Abdallah and the elections complaints commission had charged fraud in last year's vote. The dueling inaugurations have thrown plans for talks with the Taliban into chaos, although Ghani said Tuesday that he'd start putting together a negotiating team. FILE - In this March, 1, 2020, file photo, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani speaks during a news conference in presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File)AP The disarray on the Afghan government side is indicative of the uphill task facing Washington's peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad as he tries to get Afghanistan's bickering leadership to come together. In an early Tuesday tweet, Khalilzad said he hoped the two leaders can "come to an agreement on an inclusive and broadly accepted government. We will continue to assist." U.S. military spokesman in Afghanistan Sonny Leggett said in a statement Tuesday the military had begun its "conditions-based reduction of forces to 8,600 over 135 days." Currently the U.S. has about 13,000 soldiers in Afghanistan 8,000 of whom are involved in training and advising Afghanistan's National Security Forces, while about 5,000 are involved in anti-terror operations and militarily supporting the Afghan army when they are requested. Ghani had been dragging his feet on releasing some 5,000 Taliban prisoners, something agreed to in the U.S.-Taliban deal. Ghani promised Monday to announce a decree to free the prisoners after the U.S. and a number of foreign dignitaries appeared to back his claim to the presidency by sending their representatives to his inauguration. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo released a statement Monday saying, "We also welcome President Ghani's announcement that he will issue a decree March 10 on Taliban prisoner release." Taliban officials said late Monday that a flurry of biometric identifications were being conducted on Taliban prisoners, hinting at a mass release, according to prisoners currently in lockup. The Taliban officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk to the media. The U.S. has said its partial troop withdrawal over an 18-month period provided for in the deal will be linked to the Taliban keeping their promises to help fight terror in Afghanistan, but not to the success of talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government. Over the weekend, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said the insurgent group was committed to its agreement with the U.S. and called on Washington to do its part to make sure its prisoners were freed. By KATHY GANNON and RAHIM FAIEZ, The Associated Press Coronavirus exposes inequality most starkly in the US where expensive healthcare offers terrible outcomes for the poor. People might think that pandemics are great levellers: in a crisis, no matter how rich you are, you are as likely to die from a contagious disease as anyone else. But this is far from true, and while deadly diseases are of course a major worry for us all, the impact on those who are poorer is much heavier. They are more at risk; disease will take a bigger toll on their lives and if they do succumb, they are less likely to recover. Spiralling inequality has become a scar on our world, and is at the root of so many of the problems humanity faces. The current coronavirus epidemic is exposing that inequality afresh. Furthermore, that inequality will be driven to new heights by some of the proposals that have been put forward to solve the crisis, including the promotion of financial markets, big healthcare and pharmaceutical corporations. In China, where the latest variant of coronavirus, COVID-19, was first reported, the impact of food price rises and economic slowdown have already been felt most acutely by the poorest. While the elite and middle classes are more likely to be able to work from home, to afford a period without earning and to rely on other (often poorer) people to deliver everything they need to their doors, these options are not available to those already struggling to make ends meet. In rural areas, some farmers are facing devastation and the Chinese leadership has been warned that the virus will prevent its anti-poverty goal being reached this year. The whole purpose of state provision of healthcare is to remove the demands of the market from our ability to enjoy a healthy and dignified life. But years of austerity, even in rich countries, have eroded public services and the welfare safety net. This means that even developed health systems in Europe will struggle with the virus, and an individuals wealth will dictate how well insulated they are from contagion. But in countries without proper state provisions, the situation is far worse. Insecurity of employment and a lack of social safety nets, mean many workers in the United States, where healthcare is insurance-based, are simply unable to follow safety advice like staying away from work or talking to their doctor. The US suffers from the most inefficient health system in the developed world, according to a 2014 report from The Commonwealth Fund, an independent research organisation focusing on healthcare. Despite being the most expensive, the US healthcare system delivers the worst health outcomes of any industrialised country. Recently, people worried about coronavirus have been charged thousands of dollars for basic tests to rule out infection, a situation that contrasts sharply with many European countries where testing is free at the point of use, and universal. When we add into the equation the likelihood of retail and catering jobs being among the most insecure, where people are least likely to be able to take time off or admit to feeling ill, and also where many of these roles are public-facing, we find exactly the conditions that will promote the rapid spread of the disease. And while even public healthcare systems can struggle with preventive medicine, there is a built-in disincentive to prevent illness in a system where illness equals profit. The most immediate hope lies in the production of a vaccine for the virus and public money is being pumped into research around the world by national research institutes and nonprofit bodies. But there is a problem the way the global pharmaceutical industry works means it is disinterested in finding vaccines for epidemics. Big pharmaceutical corporations make their profits largely from developing drugs for chronic conditions which have a vast, long-term market among people (or institutions) able to pay for them. Companies then sit on decades-long patents, infamously spending more on marketing their current drugs than researching new ones. An epidemic is far too uncertain to justify Big Pharmas time, as we can see from the way SARS (another form of coronavirus) research was dropped as the epidemic waned, a tragedy because it could have helped enormously with locating treatments for COVID-19. This is especially disgraceful when so much medical research is already effectively funded by the state: between one-third and two-thirds of research funding globally comes from the public purse. The scandal is that so much of this research is then handed over to Big Pharma, which finalises, manufactures and markets the drugs. Again, the public bears the cost while big corporations sit on the profits. According to Public Citizen, a non-profit consumer advocacy group based in the US, the US National Institutes of Health has already spent $700 million on research into the disease, yet sadly no conditions have been imposed to ensure that everyone can get access to the treatments produced. In turn, vast swaths of the worlds population are effectively priced out of being able to access new drugs when they are produced. Even for those of us lucky enough to enjoy a public health system, the cost of new drugs to that system can be eye-watering. In developing countries, the situation may become dire. Fortunately, the spread of the virus throughout Africa has been slow to date. This is good because nowhere will the inequalities of the pandemic be seen more starkly. If public healthcare, decent jobs and welfare are key to reducing the impact of the disease, many African countries will struggle. Former World Bank employees have made clear that the answer to mitigating pandemics is better public healthcare facilities within countries. This allows better prevention and the ability to act quickly when crisis strikes. Yet, despite awful recent epidemics like Ebola, market solutions are still being pushed by donors onto poorer parts of the world. One innovative approach the World Bank has established to deal with pandemics like coronavirus is the issue of pandemic bonds. These bonds are bought by hedge funds and pension funds initially from the World Bank, but then on secondary markets, and pay out a high rate of return to investors until a pandemic strikes. At that point, the bond investment is used to support low-income countries to tackle the outbreak. But, in order to sell such pandemic bonds, the World Bank has had to make the terms so favourable that to date they have never been triggered, even during the Ebola crisis. Although they might be triggered this time around, the amount released is likely to fall well short of the funds needed. As the crisis heightens, the value of the bonds is plummeting, but rich investors have been handsomely paid out in interest and premiums in the meantime, at the expense of public purses which were supposed to be used to fight poverty. This is a wonderful example of how development professionals can tie themselves in knots to achieve the impossible: persuading financial markets to solve the problems of the world. Financial markets have little interest in supporting the development of public healthcare capacity, because it only profits them indirectly, if at all. Over at the International Monetary Fund, more substantial help is on offer: loans to help countries cope with the pandemic. But these loans will need to be repaid, and they do not help build sustainable health systems. The IMFs policy diktats are a key reason why countries have not developed better public health systems. Their pro-market, pro-austerity structural adjustment demands from the African debt crisis in the 1980s onwards have drained many African countries of their ability to build more equal societies. It is very positive that collaborative research into contagious diseases such as coronavirus is underway, but finding a solution will take time, and we need to be looking at long-term research capable of helping with the next epidemic. Even if coronavirus is less serious than feared, our society is vulnerable to future pandemics, unless we resolve some of the fundamental problems preventing us from tackling inequality and ensuring universal healthcare. Left to its own devices, the market is not capable of solving some of the most serious crises humanity faces. If the coronavirus has any positive impact, let it prompt us to learn the limitations of the market and the urgent need for regulation, taxation and public services. Trusting speculators to help solve a global crisis will surely only fuel the footloose markets that are already driving up inequality. The World Bank should be helping countries to tax big business to pay for solutions and services instead. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. The top Communist Party official in Wuhan suggested Saturday that the government conduct gratitude education to teach citizens how to properly thank the party and general secretary Xi Jinping for the governments response to the coronavirus outbreak. The people of Wuhan are heroic people who understand gratitude, Wuhan party secretary Wang Zhonglin said in comments published by Changjiang Daily. [We] must through various channels carry out gratitude education among the citizens of the whole city as well as cadres so that they thank the general secretary [Xi Jinping], thank the communist party, listen to the partys words, follow the partys way, and create strong positive energy. The comments were first reported on in English by the China Media Project, and were subsequently seen by The Guardian. China Media Project reported that the remarks drew strong backlash on social media and from Chinese journalists, and Changjiang Daily apparently removed the article from its website. Chinese authorities have faced unprecedented criticism from the countrys citizens over its response to the coronavirus outbreak. On Thursday, quarantined Wuhan residents angrily shouted from their windows as Vice-premier Sun Chunlan, one of the highest-ranking officials in the government, visited a residential complex. Its fake, its fake, everything is fake! residents shouted. Video of the incident went viral, and was even shared by China state newspaper The Global Times. "It's fake! It's fake!" shout residents of a community in #COVID19 epicenter Wuhan in a viral video on Chinas social media. They have accused property management of cheating them by only appearing to provide promised necessities. Investigation is underway https://t.co/kzq4gbB4RM pic.twitter.com/0ujObfedR8 Global Times (@globaltimesnews) March 6, 2020 Wuhan residents have been quarantined at home for weeks now, relying on local government workers to provide basic necessities. Story continues China has confirmed over 80,000 cases of the coronavirus and reported 3,119 deaths from the illness. More from National Review [March 09, 2020] Moody's Offering Coronavirus Credit and Economic Research Free to the Public Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO) is now offering its research and views on the credit and economic impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) via a dedicated website, available to the public at moodys.com/coronavirus. Updated on an ongoing basis, the site brings together insights from across the company, providing a resource for market participants to better understand the financial implications of the outbreak. The full content on the site, including access to Moody's webinars relating to COVID-19, is available to the public free of charge. "We recognize that during times of intense market volatility and uncertainty, comprehensive and timely information is imperative," says Rob Fauber, Chief Operating Officer of Moody's Corporation. "Moody's mission is to provide trusted insights and standards that help decision makers act with confidence. To that end, we are providing access to Moody's economic and credit resources to help our stakeholders around the world address the uncertain situation related to COVID-19." Moody's has published over 100 reports and other content on the impact of COVID-19, on issuers and market sectors and geographies, including analysis from both Moody's Investors Service and Moody's Analytics. The following are among themany publications available on the website: COVID-19 Pandemic Scenario: Known Unknowns - Moody's Analytics Economic Research - Moody's Analytics Economic Research Accounting Spotlight: Financial Reporting and the Coronavirus - Moody's Investors Service - Moody's Investors Service Aircraft Lessors: Outlook Revised to Stable from Positive on Coronavirus-driven Business Disruption - Moody's Investors Service - Moody's Investors Service Peak Uncertainty: The Possible Effect of COVID-19 on US Multifamily and Commercial Real Estate - Moody's Analytics REIS ABOUT MOODY'S CORPORATION Moody's (NYSE:MCO) is a global integrated risk assessment firm that empowers organizations to make better decisions. Our data, analytical solutions and insights help decision-makers identify opportunities and manage the risks of doing business with others. We believe that greater transparency, more informed decisions, and fair access to information open the door to shared progress. With over 11,000 employees in more than 40 countries, Moody's combines international presence with local expertise and over a century of experience in financial markets. Learn more at moodys.com/about. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200309005855/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] (Alliance News) - Iodine maker Iofina PLC on Tuesday slammed an attempt by shareholder Arron Banks to remove its non-executive chair. Banks was one of the founder of the Leave.EU campaign in the UK and poured significant funding into the UK Independence Party. Rene Nominees IOM Ltd A/C POOLED, on behalf of South Rock Insurance Co Ltd and ICS Risk Solutions Ltd, on Monday called for a meeting of shareholders to vote to remove Non-Executive Chair Lance Baller and appoint Banks, who owns 14% of Iofina, to the board. A week ago, Iofina said no such meeting had been requisitioned. Baller is a co-founder of Iofina and was chief executive between 2010 and 2013, stepping down for health reasons. London-headquartered Iofina said it is "surprised" by the requisition of the meeting, given Banks has been a "long-standing supporter" of the company. It feels his statements, including several Twitter posts, are flawed and are a reaction to Iofina's decision to not invest into a hemp project in Belize with which he is associated. It is currently seeking advice over the validity of the requisition, with no date for any general meeting set. The company said performance under the current board, including Baller, has been "excellent". Operations have expanded while costs have reduced. Between 2013 and 2019, crystalline iodine production more than quadrupled. In its most recent results, published in September for the first half of 2019, Iofina's pretax loss more than halved with revenue rising 28%. Production of crystalline iodine rose 8.6%. Banks has accused the firm of "badly executed" expansions of iodine plants with high costs, which Iofina said is incorrect. Iofina also said some of his accusations refer to actions under previous leadership, which have been rectified by the current board. Banks also criticised Iofina's debt reduction plans. Iofina said it is talks with several possible debt providers to restructure its debt and with earnings growing "significantly" the company believes it is in its strongest-ever position to renegotiate debt. Another criticism levelled by Banks refers to Iofina's investment into Colorado-based hemp seed producer Organic Vines, as part of a plan to move into the hemp products market. Iofina noted the investment could well deliver the maximum return achievable, and also said Banks was publicly supportive of the investment at the time. Iofina believes Banks's behaviour is due to the fact it decided not to invest into a hemp project in Belize, "which he was associated with". Iofina between July last year and February this year looked into expanding its hemp business into Belize. However, it said Belize's hemp regulations remain opaque and not the same as those in the US. The firm was given "differing and often conflicting" information in Belize, and Iofina eventually decided not to begin any business in the country. "The events following the board's decision not to proceed with any operations in Belize are instructive. Almost immediately following the communication on February 21, 2020, of that decision to Banks, members of the board began to receive messages from him threatening to requisition a meeting calling for their removal," said Iofina. "In summary, the board is disappointed by Banks' behaviour and considers his actions to be both disruptive and damaging to the company, its shareholders and its stakeholders." "Moreover, the board is of the view that the statement made by Banks and the proposed resolutions serve to promote his interests and those of his business associates, not necessarily to the benefit of the company and its other shareholders," it added. Iofina shares were 0.8% lower on Tuesday morning in London at a price of 18.95 pence each. They have risen 41% over the past 12 months. By George Collard; georgecollard@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Armadale Capital (LON:ACP), an investment group focused on natural resource projects in Africa, released Tuesday a mine plan for its Mahenge Liandu graphite project in south-east Tanzania. The plan foresees a ramp up to 500,000 tonnes of processed ore per annum after two years and to 1 million tonnes ore after four years. "The Improved Mine Plan brings production forward via a staged ramp-up that will initially focus on producing ore at a grade of 12-14% Total Graphitic Carbon (TGC) for the first four years before averaging a grade of 9.5% TGC with a very low strip ratio as the plant ramps up to 1 million tpa. The mine plan utilises less than 25% of the Resource and includes only Measured and Indicated Resources leaving potential to expand production further. The results of a final round of metallurgical test-work are being completed at Bureau Veritas in Perth, Australia on high-grade composites of the diamond core with average grades of 14.9% and 15.6% TGC expected to be received later this month," writes the company. US President Donald Trump discussed "global energy markets" with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, the White House said Tuesday, after a deep plunge in oil prices shook markets worldwide. The White House statement said Trump spoke with the crown prince on Monday but gave few details on the substance of their discussions, "The president and the crown prince discussed global energy markets and other critical regional and bilateral issues," it said. On Monday, oil prices plummeted by more than 30 percent in international markets as a price war broke out between Saudi Arabia and Russia, triggering a massive sell-off in global stock markets. By Tuesday, oil prices had bounced back 10 percent and stock markets also rebounded. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Deposed Emir Muhamamdu Sanusi 11 Legal Team on Tuesday cried out over the safety and freedom of their client. Leader of the Team, Mr. Abubakar Balarebe Mahmoud, a former President of Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) threatened to take legal action within 24 hours if their client is not released and reunite with his family. According to him, deposed Emir Sanusi, is kept in unlawful custody, urging security agencies to without delay ensure his immediate release and reunion with his family or be ready to meet them in court. According to him, we call on the authorities, in particular, the Inspector General of Police, the Director General of Department State Services and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to ensure the immediate release of HH Muhammadu Sanusi 11 so that he can be reunited with his family. We are concerned about the personal safety and security of HH Muhammadu Sanusi 11 and wish to call on all well meaning Nigerians and the International Community to bring their influence to bear to ensure that HH Muhammadu Sanusi regains his liberty immediately and to guarantee his safety and security. Mahmoud further stated that, I thank you for coming to our offices this afternoon for the purpose of this press briefing on behalf of our client Muhammadu Sanusi II who was yesterday morning, the 9th day of March 2020 deposed as Emir of Kano by the Governor of Kano State Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje who claimed to have acted on a resolution of the Kano State Executive Council. This action is our view is illegal and unconstitutional. The Kano State Emirate Council Law which was recently enacted by the Government of Kano State does not give the State Executive Council or the Governor of Kano State the powers to unilaterally remove the emir. The reason given in the letter of deposition of the Emir dated 9th March, 2020, was alleged disrespect to lawful instructions from the authorities. The Emir was also alleged to have refused to attend official programmes and meetings organized by the Government, As far as we are aware, there has not been any notice of such disrespect ever given to the Emir or querry issued to him for refusal to attend official functions. He was never given any opportunity to defend himself against those charges. Section 13 of the Kano Emirates Council Law 2019 cited in the letter of deposition empowers the Governor to depose an Emir only after due inquiry and in consultation with State Council of Chiefs. We are not aware of such due inquiry nor are we aware that the Kano State Council of Chiefs was at any time summoned to any meeting much less discuss the removal of the Emir or give any advise to the Governor on the deposition. Muhammadu Sanusi II was the Chairman of the Council and if such meeting was summoned, he would have been aware. He would have informed us. In our view the action was patently illegal and unconstitutional and a clear abuse of power. Be that as it may, the decision to challenge the removal is solely that of Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II. At this moment no such instruction has been given to us. He added that, we have not spoken to the Emir since yesterday but we understand they are at their destination somewhere in a remote part of Nassarawa State after driving for nearly seven hours in the night and arrived at about 2.00 am this morning. We understand the choice of location to detain HH Muhammadu Sanusi II was intended to cause maximum trauma and distress. This again is illegal and unconstitutional. According to instructions we received from the Emir through his Chief of Staff, we are directed to take legal action to challenge the legality of the Emirs detention and banishment. We are of the firm view that this action is illegal and unconstitutional. Section 35 of our constitution guarantees every citizen the right to personal liberty. The basis of the denial of personal liberty are set out clearly in this Section of the Constitution. None applies to the case of the Emir. The archaic practice of banishment of deposed Emirs, a colonial practice has no basis under Nigerian law or the Constitution. We are totally perplexed at the resort to this practice in present day Nigeria by its political leaders. The illegality of this practice was pronounced by the Nigerian Court of Appeal in Attorney General Kebbi State v. HRH Alhaji Al Mustapha Jakolo and ors 2013 LPELR 22349/CA where the Court pronounced it as illegal and unconstitutional and gross violation of the rights of the Emir. This is what the court said in that case: The banishment and deportation from Kebbi State by the Governor of Kebbi State.of the first respondent to Lafia in Nassarawa State and later to Obi also in Nassarawa State is most unconstitutional and illegal. According to him, the legal team of HH are working both in Kano and Abuja and unless he is released immediately, we will be taking appropriate legal action. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Norman Harsono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 Oslo-based multinational Scatec Solar plans to build a 70 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in Labuan Bajo, a famous tourist destination in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). The $70 million plants are five times bigger than Indonesia's current largest solar PV plant, the 15MW Likupang solar farm in North Sulawesi. A developer plans to begin developing the 100 hectare Labuan Bajo farm later this year and starts its operation by 2022, a year before the province is slated to host a G20 summit. "In Asia, our biggest operating country is Malaysia. Next in development is Vietnam and Indonesia," Scatecs Southeast Asia representative Jeevaneswaran Jeevan Ramoo told The Jakarta Post on Monday (9/3). 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 Metro Manila (CNN Phillippines, March 10) Four personnel of the National Capital Region Police Office are currently under self-quarantine after exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. NCRPO director PMGen. Debold Sinas said Tuesday that they are monitoring a police officer who was assigned at the Greenhills commercial complex, after receiving reports he frequented the prayer hall also regularly visited by the sixth victim of COVID-19. "Mayroon po kaming personnel doon na assigned, mino-monitor directly ng regional health service ang status niya," Sinas told reporters. [Translation: We have a personnel who was assigned there, his status is being monitored directly by the regional health service infirmary.] Meanwhile, his two other personnel who just traveled to Japan last March 4 are now undergoing similar quarantine procedures after arriving in the Philippines last Monday. They are also observing the health condition of a police lieutenant colonel whose wife returned from a trip to Japan on March 5. The officer currently has fever and sore throat, he said. All travels abroad of NCRPO personnel are now prohibited, following the threat of the disease, Sinas added. COVID-19 cases in the Philippines more than doubled to 24 overnight on Monday. President Rodrigo Duterte has already declared a state of public health emergency in the country, which allows the government to impose mandatory quarantine on any individual to prevent the spread of the virus. Demi Lovato reveals new spider tattoo on the side of their head Demi Lovato has taken to Instagram to show off their latest tattoo. A great deal of attention is being paid to the future of work and its impact on Canadians. Often missing from the discussion is the extent to which different workers will be included or excluded from the changing labour market. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/3/2020 (672 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion A great deal of attention is being paid to the future of work and its impact on Canadians. Often missing from the discussion is the extent to which different workers will be included or excluded from the changing labour market. The future of work is characterized by a number of rapid and large-scale changes that will affect all industries. Labour-market experts point to the growing integration of digital technologies in the workplace, including the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning, automation of job tasks and the robotization of employment. These technological drivers of change may be coupled with ecological and demographic stresses such as the climate crisis and the aging workforce that are expected to substantially change the type and availability of jobs, working conditions and the ways work is performed. But as we look into the Canadian labour market landscape, certain groups of workers face more challenges than the rest of the population. People living with disabilities, youth, LGBTTQ+ people, Indigenous people, certain racialized minorities, immigrants and those with low socioeconomic status often face complex barriers to entering the workforce. Fewer opportunities When employed, they are more likely than population averages to earn lower incomes, experience hazardous working conditions, work precariously, have limited access to employment legislation or statutory benefits and have fewer opportunities for career advancement. Not all workers experience the benefits of technological growth. For example, the integration of personal computers in the 1980s contributed to economic expansion and increased demand for workers with technological job skills. But it also spurred a displacement of workers in low-skilled manual and clerical jobs. As the pace of change in the labour market quickens in the years ahead, the sustainable employment of vulnerable groups could be in greater jeopardy and inequity could widen. Research seeking to understand the future of work is in its early stages and mainly focuses on technological trends, such as automation. A 2016 analysis of occupational data estimates 42 per cent of Canadians work in jobs with a high risk of being affected by automation. The same analysis found entry-level and low-skilled jobs those more commonly held by vulnerable workers are three times more likely to be affected by automation than professional and management jobs. Racial disparity A more recent study conducted by the U.S.-based consulting firm McKinsey & Company highlighted a potential racialized disparity that could worsen with increasing automation. The study found Arican Americans and Hispanic and Latino workers are over-represented in occupations that are expected to be displaced by automation. The study also showed the intersection between race, age and education: young African-American men with less education are at the highest risk of displacement by automation. This is just one of a potentially growing number of examples of the impact the future of work may have on vulnerable workers. To prepare for this expected impact, work has begun on understanding the jobs skills required in the future labour market. Critical thinking skills A report by the World Economic Forum indicates that by 2022, the job skills most required by employers will include not only proficiency with new technologies, but also creativity, emotional intelligence and critical thinking skills. The report also found that more than half of all existing workers will require significant reskilling and upskilling to meet the demands of the changing labour market. However, obtaining these needed job skills may also pose a challenge for certain workers. Data indicate some groups of workers who are considered vulnerable are more likely to enter the workforce with lower levels of education another position of disadvantage. They may also be working in jobs where training and job skills development are scarce. Its unclear how differences in access to educational opportunities could perpetuate the challenges faced by vulnerable workers in the future of work. 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. To further our understanding of the future of work, scientists at the Institute for Work & Health, a Toronto-based not-for-profit, are leading research to examine how the changing nature of work may be experienced differently across the labour market. In particular, research is currently being conducted to anticipate how the different trends will affect vulnerable workers, including young adults and people living with disabilities. Minimizing shocks and stresses The ultimate goal of the research is to build on our current understanding of the future of work and uncover potential challenges that could emerge for different groups. Importantly, the research will inform tailored policies and programs to minimize the shocks and stresses. Increasing numbers of policy- and industry-level initiatives are being undertaken to understand the implications of the future of work and design innovative responses to navigate the changing nature of work. An example is the pan-Canadian Future Skills Centre. As these initiatives evolve and programs are designed, it will be important to determine how Canadians who have been considered vulnerable members of the workforce are meaningfully included. Arif Jetha is a scientist at the Institute of Work and Health, University of Toronto. This article was first published at The Conversation Canada: theconversation.com/ca. El Secretario General de las @ONU_es , @antonioguterres , visito la sede de esta Representacion Permanente a fin de transmitir sus condolencias, en el libro abierto por esta Mision, por el fallecimiento del Ex Secretario General, Embajador Javier Perez de Cuellar. pic.twitter.com/aP9SZmQqr1 Two people walk in Rome's Piazza Navona, deserted, on March 10, 2020. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) Read more American Airlines last flight from Rome to Philadelphia for now touched down at PHL on Tuesday afternoon. Philadelphias dominant air carrier announced a fresh round of schedule reductions earlier on Tuesday, as the global spread of the coronavirus continued to disrupt travel plans and force airline executives to address the financial fallout. American said it will reduce domestic capacity in April by 7.5%, compared with its current schedule, and it will cut back international service by 10% during the peak summer season. The airline also said it was suspending service from Philadelphia to Rome effective immediately through the end of April," citing customer demand. The announcement came the day after Italy asked all of its citizens to limit public activities and travel. While the United States put in place broad airport screening measures for passengers from China and Iran, the federal government has not taken such steps with arrivals from Italy and South Korea. Instead, the Trump administration made agreements for travelers to undergo pre-departure screenings in those countries, the Washington Post has reported. For those coming from Romes FCO airport, all customers and crew went through a mandatory screening process at FCO before being allowed to board," American Airlines spokesman Andrew Trull said. "Screenings have been ongoing at FCO for departing customers and crew members for the last week. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends on its website that anyone who has returned from a country designated as a Level 3 travel health risk China, Iran, South Korea, and Italy should stay home from work or school for 14 days and limit public activities, or seek medical care if they show symptoms such as a fever, cough, or difficulty breathing. But it was not entirely clear whether that guidance was being communicated to passengers arriving in Philadelphia from Italy. An airport spokesperson said she could not speak to materials coming from the CDC, and the CDC did not immediately respond to an inquiry on Tuesday. As for airport guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the department is not recommending social distancing and is urging people to be aware, but to go about their daily routine, spokesperson Nate Wardle said in an email. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is on the lookout for passengers with symptoms. If CBP observes individuals with symptoms of COVID-19 who have traveled to a Level 3 country such as Italy, we will continue to work with the CDC to determine if the traveler is a possible public health risk by referring them for enhanced health screening, an agency spokesperson said. As of March 4, 2020, CBP had referred more than 63,000 travelers at U.S. air, land and sea ports of entry to CDC for enhanced health screening. During a Tuesday afternoon news conference, Pennsylvanias state epidemiologist said anyone who recently returned from Iran or China should reach out to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The official also urged travelers who had returned from Italy, and other affected parts of the U.S., to reach out to the department if they have symptoms. Staff writers Anna Orso and Oona Goodin-Smith contributed to this article. gettyimagesbank Substandard exchanges to get kicked out By Park Jae-hyuk The government will speed up its efforts to tax cryptocurrencies after the National Assembly passed a revision to the Reporting and Using Specified Financial Transaction Information Act, industry officials said Monday. The main purpose of the revision is to put the cryptocurrency industry under government regulation. According to the Financial Services Commission (FSC), the revision will obligate crypto exchanges to take anti-money laundering measures and conduct their businesses based on real-name accounts as provided by banks. The financial authorities will not allow the registration of exchanges failing to follow these requirements. If they conduct business without registration, the owners can be sentenced to up to five years in jail or fined up to 50 million won ($42,000). The revised law will lay the groundwork for the government to establish the legal grounds to tax virtual assets, because cryptocurrency exchanges will be required to identify their users and transaction histories providing a basis for the government to tax them. Since the National Tax Service sparked controversy in December 2019 by slapping an 80 billion won tax on Bithumb over cryptocurrency trading by foreigners, the government has sought to tax digital currencies. Although Bithumb claimed digital currencies were not taxable as there were no legal grounds, the passage of the revision will seem to invalidate that claim. The Ministry of Economy and Finance will announce the details about the taxation in July. The private sector has also discussed the issue. The Korea Blockchain Association said it would survey market participants and deliver their opinions about the tax to the authorities. "Holding a series of debates on cryptocurrency taxation lately, we have sought opinions from scholars, not just our members, so as to conduct a better research on taxation," a Korea Blockchain Association official said. The revised law is also expected to force substandard crypto exchanges to leave Korea. Although real-name accounts have become necessary for registration, only four exchanges Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone and Korbit satisfy the requirement. They have affiliated with certain commercial banks and have allowed transactions only to users who have accounts with the affiliated banks. Smaller exchanges have conducted business with their own corporate accounts, as banks would not affiliate with them. Industry officials expect the market will be reorganized in favor of major players. "I hope the new law guarantees transparency and safety of virtual assets trading in Korea, so as to distinguish good companies from bad ones," said Rep. Kim Byung-wook of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, who proposed the revision. The FSC said the revision will help the Korean cryptocurrency industry meet global standards. Azamgarh, March 10 : The car carrying Hindu Yuva Vahini's state president Rakesh Rai, was attacked and stoned in Mehnagar area in Azamgarh, late on Sunday night. Rakesh Rai had a narrow escape in the attack but the vehicle has been damaged and its windows have been broken in by the stone pelters. The police were informed soon after the incident. It is believed that the criminals had prior information of the Hindu Yuva Vahini leader travelling through Mehnagar. They were allegedly waited for the car to pass through a particular area and had then attacked it with stones. Rakesh Rai is the state president of Hindu Yuva Vahini. The Hindu Yuva Vahini was founded by Yogi Adityanath. Rai was on his way to attend an event in the Senpur village in Jaunpur's Kekrat area. The police are now investigating the incident. Superintendent of Police, Azamgarh, Triveni Singh has said that they have found stones and some footwear at a place near the canal where the police believe the miscreants had waited for Rai. For many women, getting married and raising the perfect nuclear family is the path they expect to follow. But that's not always how the story pans out. With International Womens Day this month, we chat to property investor Helen Collier-Kogtevs about her unexpected journey towards claiming her own financial independence. Back in my childhood, we only rented as we couldnt afford to buy. Being raised by a single mother meant that life had its struggles, so the idea of ever owning a home was a pipe dream, she shares. Managing money was never something taught to us as kids nor was money ever discussed. Coming from a migrant background, discussing the subject of money was taboo in our household. And as we struggled to make ends meet, put food on the table and pay our electricity bill, our family motto was that we borrowed from St Paul to pay St Peter and then we borrowed from St Peter to pay back St Paul. These very struggles went on to shape Helens aspirations and future career. Initially she went down the same path as most built her career, worked hard, and rewarded herself with lots of things, which she wracked up as debts on her credit card. Eventually, she realised she was getting nowhere financially, and thats when she developed a deep love of property. She made plenty of mistakes along the way, but also had plenty of successes and ultimately went on to build a profitable portfolio. Without property, Im very clear that I would be stuck in the corporate rat race, working long hours, putting up with office politics and looking forward to annual leave as a way of getting a reprieve. I would have returned to work months after having a baby and holidays would be camping or short interstate trips, she reflects. Im a big believer in a man is not a retirement plan and so I hope that I have inspired other women to have a go, to not rely on a husband/partner to create the wealth and provide an opportunity for women to learn about property investing so that they can do it too for themselves. Helen has worn many hats since then shes an investor and business owner in the property industry who recently went back to school to get her Diploma in Finance and Mortgage Brokering. In addition to being a proud mother to her pre-teen, investment-savvy daughter, she is also a philanthropist and a founding member of the SHaRM Foundation. Property has allowed me to pay it forward. Being a founding member of SHaRM Foundation allows me to be part of something bigger, and I love working with a group of passionate expats who are committed to making a difference to the kids and community in Vanuatu, she says. Whether its building a new toilet block for 600 school kids, a new classroom, installing a water pump or donating bras to the women in villages, being part of SHaRM keeps me grounded, humbled and grateful for the life I now have. Helen credits property investment for enabling her to live life on her terms. Property has given me a new life, a different perspective and the luxury of time to be, do and have on my terms. With a portfolio, life now affords more choices, more options and more new experiences! Three more people have tested positive for coronavirus in Karnataka, the states health minister B Sriramulu tweeted Tuesday. The total number of people in Karnataka who have tested positive has now risen to four. State health department officials did not say whether these three additional cases were contacts of the techie who tested positive after returning from the US or fresh cases. Wait for the official bulletin on the same which will be released later in the day, a senior Karnataka health department official who did not want to be identified told HT when asked for details on these three new cases. ALSO WATCH | Coronavirus: What we know and what we dont Sources, however, said the three new cases are believed to be those of the colleague, wife and child of the US-returned techie whose tests have come in positive. The techie, his family and a colleague as well as a driver who drove him have all been quarantined at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases in Bangaluru. Meanwhile, police have finally tracked down a man who had come from Dubai to Mangaluru and escaped from the isolation ward of Wenlock hospital where he was taken after he recorded elevated temperature at the airport screening. Mangaluru district administration officials said he has now been quarantined and his blood samples have been sent for testing to labs in Bangalore. Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday chaired an emergency meeting with health department officials to contain the spread of the virus. Medical Education minister of Karnataka Dr K Sudhakar said that the state would write to the Centre requesting that the Indian Premier League (IPL) be postponed given the current threat of coronavirus. Bengaluru is the home of the Royal Challengers Bangalore and M Chinnaswamy Stadium in the city is one of the major IPL venues. A major action has been taken against a mainly Romanian criminal network, which has been stealing high-grade goods such as laptops, televisions and mobile phones from driving lorries on motorways. Charges have been pressed against 71 suspects, under the direction of the Romanian authorities, with the support of their counterparts in Spain, France, Finland, Sweden and The Netherlands. Furthermore, 73 houses have been searched, with profits of the thefts amounting to approximately EUR 1.6 million. Eurojust actively supported the judicial cooperation and coordination in this case. Europol provided analytical support. In 2016 and 2017, the organised criminal group (OCG) stole goods from at least nine driving trucks, with one failed attempt. The OCG moved in several vehicles and had one car driving in front of the targeted truck, keeping it at regular speed on a calm part of a motorway. Two cars drove next to the target, to prevent any other car from passing. Members of the criminal group from a fourth vehicle or van behind the truck jumped from the driving car onto the targeted lorry, using ropes or straps. They then opened the tarpaulin of the truck and loaded stolen goods into their own driving vehicle. The drivers from the targeted trucks were not aware of the theft going on. The criminal network ensured no other persons could see the thefts, which took place in Romania, Spain and The Netherlands. In one case electronic equipment and state-of-the-art mobile phones were heisted from a truck during a ferry journey between Sweden and Finland, with the driver not on board of his cabin. In most cases the acquired goods were sold in Romania, although part of the equipment has been recovered. Eurojust provided support to the setting up and functioning of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT), in which Romania, France, Finland, Sweden and The Netherlands participated and awarded financial funds. The Agency held two coordination meetings to prepare for the action, which has led to the arrests and searches. In Romania, the action was conducted under the direction of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism Central Structure, with the support of the Romanian Police Service for Criminal Investigations (DGPMB). Further support was provided by the Central Unit of the Dutch National Police and other national authorities involved. Photo Shutterstock By Azernews By Ofeliya Afandiyeva Azerbaijan demonstrates successful model of tolerance amid growing religious and ethnic intolerance and violence in different parts of the world, Azerbaijani Consul General in the US state of Los-Angeles Nasimi Aghayev said during the meeting with Governor of USs Idaho state Brad Little on March 5. During the meeting, the sides discussed opportunities for cooperation between Azerbaijan and the state of Idaho in various fields, especially in agriculture, tourism, information technology, transportation, science, education and culture. Consul General of Azerbaijan informed about Azerbaijans development after the restoration of independence and added that there is great potential for boost relations between Azerbaijan and Idaho. The diplomat also spoke about Azerbaijan's ancient traditions of tolerance and multiculturalism, noting that representatives of different religions and nations live in peace and tranquility in the country today. The Consul General stressed that Azerbaijan has shown a successful model of tolerance against the growing religious and ethnic intolerance and violence in different parts of the world and this model has been widely welcomed by the international community. In turn, Governor Brad Little expressed his satisfaction with the meeting and expressed interest in developing cooperation with Azerbaijan. The meeting was also attended by the Senator of Idaho State Senate Brent Hill, the House Majority Leader of the Idaho House of Representatives Mike Moyle and his deputy Jason Monks, Director of the Idaho State Department of Agriculture Celia Gould and the Director of the Idaho State Department of Commerce Tom Kealey and other officials. At the meeting, the Consul General also met with Lauren McLean, the mayor of Boise, the capital of Idaho and with senators from various states and other officials. Note that Consulate General in Los Angeles covers California as well as 12 other Western U.S. states. Founded in 2006, the Consulate General is Azerbaijan's first and only diplomatic mission on the West coast. On April 10, 2012, President Ilham Aliyev appointed Nasimi Aghayev as Consul General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles. Aghayev is the senior representative of Azerbaijan in California and in 12 other Western U.S. states. A strong partnership with the United States plays a major role in Azerbaijan's foreign policy. This has held true ever since the U.S. recognized Azerbaijan's independence on December 25, 1991 and moved swiftly to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries two months later. U.S. opened an Embassy in Baku in March, 1992. Azerbaijan's Embassy in Washington, DC was opened in April, 1993. Burma Myanmar Army Sues Reuters, MP for Defamation Over Report on Fatal Shelling A woman who was injured when an artillery shell fell on Kin Taung Village in Rakhine States Buthidaung Township on Jan. 24, 2020. / Buthidaung News Agency / Facebook Myanmar police said the army has filed a lawsuit against Reuters news agency and a local lawmaker for criminal defamation, weeks after the military objected to a news story published about the death of two Rohingya Muslim women as a result of shelling in Rakhine State. After publication, the army said its artillery fire had not killed the women or caused other civilian injuries and blamed insurgents of the Arakan Army (AA), who are fighting for greater autonomy in Rakhine State. The AA denied responsibility and accused the army. Reporters are banned from the area where the incident happened. Police Lieutenant Kyaw Thu, the acting station head in Buthidaung Township, in the north of Rakhine State, told Reuters both the news agency and the lawmaker were being sued under Article 66(d) of the Telecommunications Act. The article, which has been used to jail government critics in the Southeast Asian country, outlaws online defamation and carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison. Police Lt. Kyaw Thu said police had not yet contacted Reuters about the case and would seek to do so. We are trying to make an approach in so far as we can, to find out where Reuters news agency is, what kind of organization it is and the reporter and the editor, he told a Reuters reporter on Sunday before putting down the phone. He said that police had requested permission from the speaker of Myanmars Union Parliament with regards to proceeding with the case against lawmaker U Maung Kyaw Zan, who represents Buthidaung. The case follows an army complaint about a story published by Reuters on Jan. 25 in which the lawmaker was quoted as saying that the armys artillery fire had caused the deaths of the two Rohingya women. The army held a news conference on Feb. 4 to complain about the story, after which Reuters updated the story to reflect the armys position. The army subsequently filed a complaint objecting to the Reuters story to the Myanmar Press Council (MPC), which adjudicates disputes between authorities and news media. Reuters stands by the reporting that is of concern to the military and is the subject of an ongoing discussion with Myanmars Press Council, a Reuters spokesperson said. We do not believe there is any basis for a criminal action against Reuters or our journalists under Myanmar law. We have not seen any criminal complaint against Reuters, and so cannot comment further at this time. The member of Parliament said that it was unfair to bring a lawsuit against him. As a representative of the people, I listened to what the people told me and I spoke about it, he told Reuters by phone. I will just have to face the lawsuit and receive the judgment from the court. Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun, a spokesman for the military, confirmed the complaint against the lawmaker but said he did not know about the lawsuit against Reuters. Rakhine State is the western region from which more than 750,000 Rohingya fled in 2017 following a military crackdown. Myanmar is facing charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice in The Hague over the crackdown. The army denies genocide, saying it was fighting a legitimate battle against Rohingya militants who attacked police stations. Two Reuters reporters were released from a Myanmar jail last May after spending more than 18 months behind bars, accused of breaking the official secrets act in a case that sparked an outcry from diplomats and human rights advocates. Before their arrest in December 2017, they had been working on an investigation into the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslim men and boys by security forces and Buddhist civilians in Rakhine State. You may also like these stories: Detained Myanmar Journalists Physically Abused by Karen Border Guard Force Lawsuit Against Yangon Water Bus to Move Ahead, Fuel Bills Still Unpaid Myanmars Army Refuses Shan IDPs Access to Village Amid Ongoing Clashes WABASHA Mike Smith, the editor of the Wabasha County Herald and a longtime member of the Wabasha community, is being honored as the grand marshal of the Wabasha St. Patricks Parade on Saturday. We asked Smith a few questions about what it means to be selected as the grand marshal and what his favorite things are about Wabasha. The last name "Smith" doesnt sound very Irish. Do you have some Irish bonafides in you? Its not. Ive always claimed to be just a smidgen Irish. My grandmother claimed to be a little Irish. They just wanted to honor me because Ive supported (the festival) through the years taking pictures for the newspaper. But Im just a little bit of Irish on my mothers mothers side. How long have you lived in Wabasha, and what made you decide to stay? ADVERTISEMENT I have lived in Wabasha since the eighth grade, which was more than 50 years ago. Ive been here since 1968 and at the newspaper since 1976. I stayed because its Wabasha, and Wabasha is a great town where everybody just gets along. Ive enjoyed my time at the (Wabasha County) Herald. You know, I moved around a lot growing up, and I just wanted to stay in one place as long as I could. Whats your favorite thing about Wabasha? My favorite thing is everybodys a family down here. Were close-knit. You make a friend, you make a friend for life, and everyone just gets along. The Irish pick on the Germans. The Germans pick on the Irish. But Wabashas always been a town of characters. As a journalist, youve seen a lot of Wabashas history. Whats the best story youve covered about Wabasha? The best story is the fact we have the National Eagle Center. Seeing the Eagle Center open up, and seeing that develop and grow. That said, theres lots of fun stories Ive done over the years, and its hard to pick just one. Another is I was here when President Carter was here, and covered that. That was something special to me. It could rain or snow on Saturday. Whats your best Irish tip for keeping warm on a chilly day? Spend a little time at the VFW or The Olde Triangle Pub getting warm. Theyve got the Irish stew. Then go back out and take what nature gives us. Put a little extra clothing layer on and head back out. We cant spend the whole time indoors. ADVERTISEMENT Youve been an active member of the Wabasha community in many ways. What does it mean to be selected grand marshal of the Wabasha St. Patricks Parade? Its an honor just to be asked to do that when youre not 100% Irish. I said I didnt deserve to do it because Im not 100% Irish, and they didnt care. It means a lot to be asked. And like I tell people, you cant say no to (parade organizer) Carla Schuth. The Wabasha St. Patrick's Parade starts at noon Saturday at the park under the Minnesota Highway 60 bridge before walking up Main Street, turning right on Pembroke Avenue and finishing near the VFW. For more information about the parade or other Irish events that will keep your eyes smiling, visit the Wabasha-Kellogg Chamber of Commerce at www.wabashamn.org . By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin LONDON (Reuters) - At least a quarter of Iran's oil rigs are out of action as U.S. sanctions strangle the Islamic Republic's vital oil industry, according to a Reuters review of financial documents and industry sources, dealing a potentially long-term blow to its oil industry. The lack of rig activity could damage the OPEC members capacity to produce oil from older fields, which require continuous pumping to maintain pressure and output. That would make it difficult for Iran to raise production back to pre-sanction levels if tensions ease with the United States. The U.S. sanctions aim to curtail Tehran's nuclear ambitions and regional influence. They have forced Iran to slash its oil output by half since early 2018 to less than 2 million barrels per day (bpd) because refineries worldwide have stopped buying its oil. Plummeting production and exports have deepened a recession in the country and choked the government of its main source of income. Reduced activity has forced mass layoffs in Iran's oil sector. The sharp fall in oil prices so far in 2020 - due to the impact of the coronavirus epidemic on global demand - will exacerbate the pain for Iran's economy, which is also dealing with one of the biggest outbreaks of the disease outside China. Some of Iran's oil rigs are out of action because they can't be repaired. Sanctions have also made it more difficult and expensive for Iran to buy and import spare parts. Iran relies entirely on imported parts for its rigs, said Mohsen Mihandoust, a director at Iran's Society of Petroleum Engineers. In a decade of work in oil and gas drilling in Iran, Mihandoust has never seen a spare part that was not imported, he said, and most came from the United States or Europe. "We are still dependent on other countries," Mihandoust said in an interview. "It is like learning to work with a TV remote control, but still having no clue how a television is made." Story continues Sanctions had driven up the costs of spare parts as much as five-fold, making it not feasible to repair the rigs, he added. Iran bought dozens of new and second-hand Chinese rigs in the last decade, but the core parts of those were still American, two industry sources said. Chinese oil rigs suited Iranian needs for the years it was under sanctions, but they "lacked the long-lasting quality of U.S. and European rigs," said Reza Banimahd, a businessman in Tehran who works on energy projects. A spokesperson for the office of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani declined to comment on how U.S. sanctions have impacted the nations oil industry. The White House declined to comment and referred questions to the U.S. State Department, which did not respond to a request. SHUTTING OFF THE TAP At least 40 of about 160 oil rigs in Iran remain idle or under repair, according to a Reuters review of information from two industry sources, drilling companies' websites and quarterly financial results. Just under half of Iranian rigs are operated by the National Iranian Drilling Company, a subsidiary of state energy giant the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). NIDC has 73 onshore and offshore oil rigs - but 17 of them generate "zero income" and six rigs are only partially active, a source familiar with the companys operations said. That compared to five inactive rigs in 2017, and four in 2016. Neither NIDC nor NIOC replied to Reuters' requests for comment. The second-largest Iranian driller, private firm North Drilling Company (NDC), owns 12 rigs. Three of them are inactive. NDC did not respond to a request for comment. The remaining 75 rigs are owned by small drilling operations firms. Reuters was unable to verify the status of all the privately-owned rigs, but two industry sources said that 20 of those rigs had been idled. Iran has more rigs than regional rival Saudi Arabia, which has 125, according to OPEC data. But about 85 percent of the rigs in Iran's fleet need maintenance and repair, an oil official said on state news agency IRNA in 2019. That suggests the number of out-of-service rigs is likely to continue to rise. "With this course of events, in the next five years or so, all Iranian oil rigs will be very old and inefficient," said Reza Mostafavi Tabatabaei, an energy analyst based in London whose three family-owned oil rigs are inactive following a dispute with Iran's Revolutionary Guards over his political activities. LAYOFFS Iranian drilling companies have also embarked on massive layoffs. The number of employees at NDC has dropped to 2,800 in 2019 from 9,300 in 2017, according to the company's quarterly report. That is a big turnaround from the boom in the industry after Iran's government came to an agreement with the administration of former President Barack Obama that ended oil and financial sanctions in 2016. The number of rigs increased to 157 from 130 following the deal. U.S. President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions in 2018 to force Iran to accept stricter limits on its nuclear activity, curb its ballistic missile program and end its support for proxy forces in the Middle East. (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Editing by Simon Webb and Brian Thevenot) Eminent lawyer and former mayor of Kolkata, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, was formally nominated on Tuesday evening as the consensus candidate of the Left and Congress for the Rajya Sabha seat from West Bengal. The announcement was made by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury in Delhi as Bhattacharya is a member of the party. He will be contesting the fifth Rajya Sabha seat from the state that will fall vacant. The election will be held on March 26. Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee had earlier announced the names of four party leaders for the rest of the seats. Since the TMC is not contesting the fifth seat, Bhattacharyas victory is certain as Left parties and Congress have the required strength in the assembly, opposition leaders in the state said. The Congress central leadership gave consent to Bhattacharyas candidature on Monday, said Bengal Congress president Somen Mitra. Left parties from Bengal have no presence in either House of Parliament right now. Bhattacharya had earlier served as the advocate general of Tripura. He was mayor of Kolkata from 2005 to 2010. He is currently representing some people who have filed petitions challenging the Citizenship (Amendment) Act before the Supreme Court. He is also representing a number of petitioners in cases related to chit fund scams in the state. Bhattacharya had contested the Jadavpur Lok Sabha seat in south Kolkata last year but lost to the TMCs Mimi Chakraborty. Ever since discussions over fielding candidates for the Rajya Sabha began in the state, the CPI(M) wanted a legal expert as its candidate in the Upper House in view of citizenship screening exercises in the country, party leaders said. The CPI(M) also thought of nominating a retired Supreme Court judge and discussions were carried out but the former judge did not want to enter the fray, saying he would feel uncomfortable among politicians. I will try to do my best as a Rajya Sabha member, Bhattacharya said while speaking to HT. "Thanks to our collaboration with CollegeSource and with our auto-award project, we increased our Spring 2019 Associate Degree completions by 52 percent and all awards by 40 percent" - Saddleback College Registrar James Feigert CollegeSource, the higher education industrys most trusted SaaS provider of transfer and degree achievement solutions, today officially launched its latest version of uAchieve Degree Audit including its newest addition - Degree Discovery. Designed as an add-on service, Degree Discovery gives higher education administrative staff the ability to uncover and award new completed degrees or certificates by rapidly performing millions of audits against their catalogs and students course credits earned. Saddleback College, a public community college in Mission Viejo, Calif., and part of the California Community College system, is an early adopter of Degree Discovery. The institution began using CollegeSources cloud-based uAchieve Degree Audit solution in 2018, which ensures that students receive accurate, complete, and personalized information regarding course requirements for achieving their educational goals. Through Degree Discovery, Saddleback College successfully awarded more than 1700 new degrees and certificates in the Spring of 2019 based on 228 institution-wide programs. In addition, since the new Student-Centered Funding Formula (SCFF) for the California Community Colleges includes a significant portion for degree and award completion, this had helped boost Saddlebacks budgetary prospects as well. Thanks to our collaboration with CollegeSource and with our auto-award project, we increased our Spring 2019 Associate Degree completions by 52 percent and all awards by 40 percent, said James Feigert, registrar, Saddleback College. This has allowed a significant number of students to actually leave our college with a degree who otherwise would not have earned one. This capability is invaluable in terms of time and resources for our institution. In addition to Degree Discovery, also new to uAchieve is Transcript Importer, an add-on module that automates the process of entering transcript course data into uAchieve. Staff previously charged with manually adding transfer courses to individual student records can now expedite the process, reduce risk of human error, and deliver timely transfer evaluations to prospective students. The reality today is that the majority of colleges and universities have a plurality of students walking around with degrees outside their department or major that neither they nor the institution have recognized, said Troy Holaday, president, CollegeSource. With the latest version of uAchieve and Degree Discovery, we can remove roadblocks and empower institutions as well as students through accurate, complete and personalized information to help accelerate their paths to graduation. uAchieve is an online degree audit system that allows students and advisors to track progress toward degree completion while highlighting the remaining courses and requirements needed to graduate. A cloud-based solution, uAchieve ensures both students and the institution have accurate, complete, and personalized information for achieving their educational goals in a more stable, secure and cost-friendly environment. Today more than 100 colleges and universities utilize uAchieve Degree Audit to help support their students goals. About CollegeSource CollegeSource is the higher education industrys trusted SaaS provider of transfer and degree achievement solutions. For nearly 50 years, CollegeSource has led market-changing transformation by re-investing in its solutions to aid university and college registrar, advising, and admissions staff as well as students in their quest to plan and complete their academic careers. As the archiver of the nations extensive higher education course catalogs, CollegeSources degree audit, academic planning, and transfer credit evaluation and articulation solutions are depended on by more than 2,000 institutions globally and millions of individuals worldwide. Founded and led by higher education and technology veterans, CollegeSource is a privately-held company based in San Diego with offices in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more information, please visit https://www.collegesource.com/. SPRINGFIELD The City Council on Monday approved $1.7 million to purchase body cameras for all Springfield police officers, along with related equipment and infrastructure upgrades. Councilor Orlando Ramos, chairman of the Public Safety Committee and a longtime advocate for the police cameras, said it is a lot of money but worth the expense. Its been a long road, a long journey, but were finally here, Ramos said. Im thankful to everyone involved for working together to make this happen for the residents of Springfield and the Police Department. The Police Department plans to implement the camera program in phases, beginning with 10 officers by late April, officials said. As proposed, the first officers trained will help with the training of other officers throughout the year. The department hopes to have all officers ready for cameras by the end of 2020. In 2015, the council voted unanimously in favor of a resolution calling for police officers to wear body cameras, with Ramos as lead sponsor. The proposal followed national protests over police shootings of civilians. The $1.7 million approved by unanimous vote on Monday covers the cost of purchasing cameras for approximately 500 officers, information technology upgrades at the Police Department, renovations at the station to accommodate the program, and scanning of police records so they can be accessed digitally, officials said. The program includes creating a reports room at the police station where officers will upload their videos after a shift. Ramos said body cameras help protect the public from police misconduct and protect officers from false allegations. In addition, they protect taxpayers from costly lawsuits related to allegations of police brutality, he said. Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and city councilors pushed for the body camera program, saying it will foster transparency and accountability, protecting officers and the public. The cameras can also provide additional evidence in police cases and footage can be used in training, officials said. The investment in technology will improve residents safety, and highlight Springfield as a city on the cutting edge of law enforcement strategies, said Timothy J. Plante, the citys chief administrative and financial officer. The Springfield patrol officers and supervisors unions both approved the body cameras in 2018 and 2019 as part of newly negotiated contracts. In January, the city hired Getac Video Solutions of Bloomington, Minnesota, as the preferred vendor for the body camera program. The company was selected from among 10 firms that submitted competitive bids. Jennifer Leydon, director of business and technology for the Police Department, said the total cost of the camera program is approximately $5.6 million over a five-year period when considering equipment and staffing. The cost is highest the first year, due to the up-front investment in cameras and equipment, officials said. The U.S. Department of Justice awarded a $1.1 million grant to the city to assist with the cost of equipping officers with cameras. The cost of the camera program includes active storage and long-term storage, Leydon said. The storage fee is estimated at $270,000 annually. The cameras will trigger automatically, via Bluetooth technology, when an officer activates a cruisers emergency lights. Officers can also turn on the cameras manually, police said. The Police Department is proposing to hire three analysts, one administrator and one lieutenant to operate and manage the camera program, which is part of a projected five-year budget. The vote was 11-0 in favor of the $1.7 million bond proposal. Councilors Kateri Walsh and Marcus Williams were absent. The average price of gasoline is set to fall by HUF 7 per liter on Wednesday, while that of diesel will fall by HUF 6 per liter, after an oil price crash last weekend according to holtankoljak.hu. The average per liter price of gasoline will be HUF 358, while diesel will cost HUF 370. Last weekend, the price of Brent Crude fell by proportions not seen since 2008, the website notes, as a result of OPEC failing to reach an agreement regarding cutting oil production. Furthermore, the forint is becoming stronger against the dollar, which may also be a driving factor behind the fuel price decrease. The NSW epidemiologist whose work inspired the Trump administration's coronavirus response has backed calls for more Australians to work from home, as part of "low-cost social distancing" measures aimed at slowing the pandemic to prevent a surge in hospital visits. Craig Dalton, a public health physician and clinical epidemiologist at the University of Newcastle, was stunned to learn on Tuesday that a paper he co-authored, published last week, had been cited by US health authorities as the basis of its new public information campaign. "You don't want to wait until people are forced to work at home," he told the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. People lining up to be tested for coronavirus at the Royal Melbourne Hospital's special clinic on Tuesday. Credit:Luis Ascui The comments follow a plea by Ryde Hospital emergency physician Cathie Hull for widespread self-isolation, after a colleague with flu symptoms tested negative twice for the coronavirus before a chest scan revealed he had an advanced illness. The St Louis Red Cross Motor Corps on duty with mask-wearing women holding stretchers at the backs of ambulances during the global flu epidemic, St Louis, Missouri, October 1918. - Source: Photo by Underwood Archives/Getty Images 10.03.2020 LISTEN As the issue of repatriation of foreign nationals from China grabs the headlines in South Africa and elsewhere on the continent in the wake of the spread of COVID-19 , there are some important lessons that can still be drawn from events 102 years ago in 1918 when an earlier epidemic, of so-called Spanish flu , arrived in the country. This was the most devastating pandemic of modern times , killing more than 50 million people around the world (or 3%-4% of the globe's population) in just over a year. South Africa was one of the five worst-hit parts of the world. About 300,000 South Africans died within six weeks. That represented 6% of the entire population. After it had finally ebbed, a doctor reflected in the South African Medical Record in January 1919: It has truly been an irreparable calamity which has fallen on South Africa. Certainly the world is a very different place in 2020, not least in the speed of international travel compared to that in the steamship-era of 1918. Yet, the ways in which viruses behave and humans respond have not changed so much. That's why there are still important lessons to be learnt from the catastrophe of 1918. This is particularly true when it comes to quarantining people infected with the virus, and their contacts. The Spanish flu episode highlights some elementary mistakes made back then which must be avoided at all costs today to prevent another public health disaster. Cartoon by D.C. Boonzaier from De Burger of 16 October 1918. Author supplied Elementary mistakes Towards the end of World War I, in September 1918, two troopships arrived in Cape Town from England carrying over 2,000 black South African Labour Corps soldiers. They were being repatriated after spending over a year behind the lines on the battlefields of France and Belgium where, as non-combatants (the South African government of the day did not allow black people to bear arms), they had provided ancillary support for the white soldiers in the frontline. Their voyage included a coaling stopover in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where Spanish flu was already raging. Within days of their departure from there, cases of influenza began to appear aboard both ships. When the first of them docked in Table Bay, 13 of the soldiers were still laid up. The corps' medical officer insisted that the influenza on board was similar to ordinary influenza. Nevertheless, as a precautionary measure, the state's local medical officer had the sick troops placed in isolation at 7 Military Hospital in Woodstock. The rest of the men were put under quarantine at a military camp at Rosebank. There they where all medically examined thrice in 72 hours for signs of influenza before they could be demobilised. But these examinations were rather cursory. And three days later all were allowed to board trains for their homes across the country. It is clear that the enforcement of the quarantine at the camp was cursory too. A local journalist wrote in the Cape Argus , the Cape Town newspaper, on 9 October 1918 about how some of the impatient soldiers were seen on the prowl in shoals about the Peninsula, notably in District Six. Within a day of the soldiers having left the camp on trains for home, influenza cases began to appear in a host of sites. These ranged from the staff at the camp and 7 Military Hospital and members of the transport unit which had ferried the returned soldiers from the harbour to fishermen and stevedores working in the docks. But by then the trains were well on their way, carrying the newly-discharged soldiers all over South Africa. Even before they disembarked, some had begun to show symptoms of influenza. From as remote a district as Tsolo in the deep rural Transkei, the local magistrate was soon reporting that , since the arrival of a batch of soldiers sickness has become rife in village and country and people are being brought in to local doctor by wagon and sledge loads. (Phillips, 'Plague, Pox and Pandemics', p. 79) Spanish flu had arrived, becoming more lethal by the day. Inexorably infecting the entire country, railway station by railway station, it engulfed the whole of South Africa within weeks, during what contemporaries called 'Black October'. It had been allowed to run everywhere at once, like spilt quicksilver fulminated one magazine. Lessons One hundred and two years later South Africa's departments of defence and health should heed the lesson of 1918 about the need to ensure that precautionary measures are rigorously implemented to the letter. If not, by the end of this year the Cape Times may be echoing what it wrote in the midst of 'Black October' on 15 October 1918, that the Department of Public Health had lamentably failed in rising promptly and effectively to the emergency Instead of showing itself the provident and well-prepared authority that we have a right to expect it showed a lack of imagination and initiative that were wholly deplorable. Howard Phillips received funding from the Human Sciences Research Council. By Howard Phillips, Emeritus Professor of History, University of Cape Town This is the shocking moment five young lions play with a live baby giraffe before killing it. The pride of lions were caught on film by amateur photographer and doctor Desmond Chu, 47, on the Madikwe Game Reserve, in South Africa. Footage shows the cubs brushing and stroking the giraffe's back and neck before one of them bites at its neck and pulls it fully to the grassy ground. This is the shocking moment five young lions on the Madikwe Game Reserve, in South Africaplay with a live baby giraffe before killing it The footage then jumps to where the giraffe, now dead, is being devoured by the young lions. Dr Chu, from Sydney, Australia, said he was only 16 feet away from the lions as they caught and killed their prey. His heartbreaking photos capture scenes from the giraffe's death in stark detail. One image shows a young lion with its face covered in blood as it briefly looks back at Dr Chu. 'On the emotional side, I was conflicted. A young life was being killed, and it was distressingly graphic in sight, sound and smell,' said Dr Chu. 'And yet there was a sense of majesty to see the lions the king of the beasts doing what we know they can do. 'It was more shocking than I expected because of the age of the cubs. They were inexperienced hunters, and so struggled to kill the giraffe quickly. Footage shows the lions the cubs brushing and stroking the giraffe's back and neck before one of them bites at its neck and pulls it fully to the grassy ground Dr Chu, from Sydney, Australia, said he was only 16 feet away from the lions as they caught and killed their prey One image shows a young lion with its face covered in blood as it briefly looks back at Dr Chu 'The ordeal took almost ten minutes.' While the morality rate for adult giraffes is very low, babies aged under six months in the wild have an infant mortality rate of almost 50 per cent. Dr Chu estimates the cubs were four to six months old, while the giraffe was a few months younger. 'The photo of the mother giraffe was taken before we witnessed the kill. She looked like no other giraffe we had seen uneasy, and tense on her feet,' he said. 'On the emotional side, I was conflicted. A young life was being killed, and it was distressingly graphic in sight, sound and smell,' said Dr Chu Dr Chu estimates the cubs were four to six months old, while the giraffe was a few months younger 'Clearly her eyes were fixed on something afar.' 'It was only when we investigated the sound of her calf that we realised the anguish she was experiencing. 'At the time, it was just a picture of an animal with an unusual expression. But when the context was clear, it was indeed heart-breaking. We were brought to tears. 'Those in our jeep were initially excited with anticipation, coming across what was expected to be a thrilling kill. 'But then there was horror realising that the life of a cute young giraffe was about to be literally torn to shreds before our eyes. 'To some, it was dreadful. Another nearby jeep turned away, as its guests could not bear to witness this gruesome sight. 'To others, it was a fascinating process of nature taking place. 'Regardless, it was a captivating moment that aroused diverse emotions in all. 'The photo of the mother giraffe was taken before we witnessed the kill. She looked like no other giraffe we had seen uneasy, and tense on her feet,'Dr Chu said One image shows a lion licking the baby giraffe's face as it dies on the ground 'What made it difficult for us humans to watch was that the giraffe was cute. There was a droning low-pitched moan by a young giraffe about to be devoured that I will never forget. 'But yet on the other hand, there was a loving lioness that would be proud of her four cubs, learning to feed themselves through this kill. 'The lions struggled to work out how to kill this young giraffe by biting the neck, and once finally achieved, feasted on their meal. 'This process took an agonising nine minutes. Agonising, yet it is the intricate balance of the circle of life.' You can follow the part-time photographer on Instagram @drdeschu. Sisvel Announces AV1 Patent Pool Sisvel International has announced an expansion of members to its Video Coding Licensing Platform, which offers licensing programs for intellectual property related to the OTT video formats VP9 and AV1. The platform launched a year ago in defiance of the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia), a coalition of top tech leaders including Google, Microsoft, and Netflix, which promised to offer the codecs royalty-free. Having set up the original pool with JVC Kenwood, NTT, Orange, Philips, and Toshiba, all of which were licensing patents to MPEG-LA for either the AVC, DASH, or the HEVC patent pools, Sisvel was approached by other companies and set about investigating their related IP claims. The result is the addition of nine new members: Dolby, Ericsson, GE, SK Telecom, South Korean state-funded research house ETRI, InterDigital (which acquired legacy patents from Technicolor), IP Bridge (Japanese patent administrator which claims to be the largest licensor to the MPEG-LA AVC/H.264 patent pool), NTT Docomo (the mobile arm of Japanese telco NTT), and Xylene (holder of patents previously held by Mitsubishi Electric). According to the Luxembourg-headquartered Sisvel, hundreds of further patents are in the process of being evaluated. The group expects to reach a total portfolio offered for license of around 1,000 patents for VP9 and nearly 2,000 for AV1. Details of some of these are now published on Sisvel's, website with more updated regularly. "The AOMedia has been pursuing something that is quite honestly difficult to achieve," Sisvel CEO Mattia Fogliacco in relation to AOMedia's royalty-free goal. "Every video coding technology of note in the last 30 years has been the result of collaboration between companies and investment by those companies. "It's hard to believe that one group, even the size of AOMedia, could develop all the technology that goes into a video codec." AOMedia is supported by companies either controlling huge ecosystems or developing chips that are used by hundreds of millions of customers worldwide. They include Amazon, Cisco, Intel, Mozilla, Samsung, Apple, Facebook, IBM, ARM, Nvidia, Tencent, Bitmovin, ATEME, Broadcom, Alibaba, Vimeo, Adobe, CableLabs, and Hulu. "AOMedia member companies have a good reason to offer their technology in AV1 for free," Fogliacco argues. "They sell chips, video cards, or devices so they make money to finance their R&D techniques in other ways. "The people we represent don't have that outlet for their contribution to video coding technology and are seeking to obtain [recompense] in the form of a licence and royalty. "It boils down to the fact that many patent holders for VP9 and AV1 are not members of AOMedia and so did not make any pledge to make this technology royalty free." He believes the Alliance's members will no longer dismiss Sisvel's claims out of hand. "When AOMedia looks at the list of the members we represent, they will realise that the reality is quite a bit different compared to what they imagine it to be. They will realize that the pricing is fair and that we did a thorough job of internal screening with accredited third parties and by our own technical domain experts in establishing a technical foothold for the patents." The royalty rates, which were set last year, have not changed. They requires that implementors pay 0.32 for consumer display devices (including smartphones, TVs, VR devices, video cameras, and computers) and 0.11 for non-display devices (including set-top boxes, games consoles, streaming media players and graphics cards) using AV1. For a licensee that is in full compliance with its obligations, there's the incentive of a lower rate of 0.24 and 0.08 for display and non-display AV1 devices. "The pool is the least expensive and most efficient option to clear" the licensing option, Sisvel states. Companies already implementing the VP9 technology have been informed of the technology's cost, Sisvel says, while those considering adopting AV1 would know that royalties will apply. Fogliacco explains that Sisvel has deliberately taken the year since announcing the founding of the patent pool to investigate other patent claims for AV1 and VP9. "We did not immediately initiate any licensing activities. We knew it is critical to create a one stop shop to review and validate, or dismiss, the patents of every other company who contacted us. We are now able to ensure that the patent pool is as inclusive as possible for licensable IP." Sisvel will not seek royalties for encoded content and currently only hardware implementations are being licenced - but this could change. "We are leaving the door open to see how the market develops," Fogliacco says. "It could be that devices are sold with AV1 decoding capability which only have that capability because of firmware downloads or software updates down the line so we're keeping our options open." Under the AOMedia scheme, patent-holding companies that implement AV1 rescind their right to licensable (fee-charging) IP. Sony, maker of smartphones running Android 10, is cited by Sisvel as an example. Excluding those companies, Sisvel says it has aggregated the vast majority of other companies with licensable AV1 and VP9 IP. "We believe pools create efficiency by enabling potential implementors to sign one agreement licensing multiple patent portfolios in one transaction at a reasonable and transparent cost," he says. AOMedia criticised the launch of the AV1 patent pool as contrary to its objectives. Without explicitly naming Sisvel, it said the announcement last March "endorses an environment of high patent royalty requirements and licensing uncertainty" which like the MPEG LA-administered MPEG-2 and H.264 pools "would limit the potential of free and open online video technology." By contrast AOMedia intends to settle patent licensing terms with the royalty-free AOMedia Patent License 1.0. AOMedia must own the IP rights for all foundational techniques in AV1/VP9 "to avoid infringing upon third-party IP," Sisvel states. AV1 does share the same hybrid codec architecture as H.264 and HEVC. These building blocks include transform/scaling/quantization, intra- and inter-prediction, loop filtering, in-the-loop decoder (including inverse quantization and transform), and entropy coding. In 2018, Netflix and Intel set out to develop a production-grade AV1 encoder that offers performance and scalability. Netflix believes that SVT-AV1 can be used as a platform for R&D of a future AV2 codec. Sisvel declined to comment whether members of its patent pool would claim IP on this development. Sisvel, which describes its role as a "market transactions facilitator," was incorporated in 1982 as a joint venture among the principal Italian manufacturers of television sets. Sisvel was the administrator of Digital Terrestrial TV (DVB-T) and its evolutions (DVB-T2 and DVB-S2X). It currently operates patent pools and joint licensing programs in the fields of mobile communication, wireless local area networking 802.11, video coding, digital video and display technologies, recommendation engines and broadband access to data networks. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Related Articles Companies and Suppliers Mentioned "The measures taken need everyone's support and commitment. I am sure we are going to succeed in dealing with this problem, as we have with previous ones, and we are going to do this together: the Government, its authorities, hand-in-hand with the population," he emphasized. Presidente @MartinVizcarraC: Para enfrentar juntos el #coronavirus, hemos dispuesto que todos los ministros viajen a una region del pais para que conversen con las autoridades, medicos y la sociedad civil. Haremos una evaluacion y tomaremos nuevas medidas. pic.twitter.com/aIKBQimP27 Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10) The Supreme Court has deferred action on Solicitor General Jose Calida's complaint against ABS-CBN anew, saying that the issue may be tackled by April the earliest. SC Spokesperson Brian Keith Hosaka said the high court did not act on the quo warranto petition against the TV network on Tuesday, the second en banc session that tackled the case. Instead, it will be discussed during the court's April 14 meeting to be held in Baguio City, the first summer session of the court. "The justices need more time to further study the case," Hosaka told reporters. It's been a month since Calida asked the SC to nullify the network's existing franchise, citing grave violations of the terms set by Congress back in 1995. The matter was on the magistrates' agenda this week, but they did not issue any order or decision regarding the case. TIMELINE: ABS-CBN franchise Calida followed up with a request for a gag order on his office as well as on ABS-CBN and its executives, actors, and employees, claiming that they engaged in propaganda favoring the network through news items aired after the filing of the case. He said the network's statements and reportage sought to influence the decision of the justices and sway public opinion. ABS-CBN's existing franchise expires on May 4, 2020. Pending bills in Congress seek to grant another 25-year franchise to the Lopez-owned network. Media outlets, as well as electricity companies and cable TV providers, are required to secure legislative franchises. Such bills must first be approved by the House of Representatives before the Senate. Last week, the Senate adopted a resolution backing the issuance of a provisional authority to the media giant, which will allow the network to continue to operate beyond the expiry of its franchise. The provisional authority will come from the National Telecommunications Commission, which earlier told the chamber that this measure will serve as the legal basis for ABS-CBN to remain on air beyond May. House Committee on Legislative Franchises chair Franz Alvarez already sent the NTC a letter on February 26, asking the regulator to allow ABS-CBN to continue broadcasting until such time Congress decides on petitions for franchise renewal. Other lawmakers have also filed resolutions extending ABS-CBN's franchise as late as June 2022 to give more time for Congress to discuss. READ: NTC to issue provisional authority to ABS-CBN pending franchise renewal bid President Rodrigo Duterte has been publicly ranting against ABS-CBN since assuming office, saying that the network refused to carry his campaign commercials even if they have been already paid for. In 2018, he said he will block the renewal of the network's franchise. Last year, Duterte told the Lopez family to just sell the company to a new owner to boost its chances of staying in business. However, the President accepted the apology offered by ABS-CBN President Carlo Katigbak during a Senate hearing last month for airing an anti-Duterte ad during the 2016 campaign which was paid for by the opposition. Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said Duterte does not have anything to do with ABS-CBN's franchise. CNN Philippines Correspondent Anjo Alimario contributed to this report. Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden arent heeding calls to cancel rallies and other large events because of coronavirus fears, even when the request comes from a Democrat California Rep. Jackie Speier, who urged them to lead by example! to try to limit the virus spread. President Trump isnt slowing his pace, either, even though he like Sanders and Biden is in his 70s, a high-risk group for getting very sick from this illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are 605 confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. and 22 deaths, with many of the dead in the same age range as the three finalists in the presidential campaign. Speier tweeted Monday, Until we know the extent of the community spread of the coronavirus, I call on ALL candidates for President to stop holding public rallies & large scale events. The CDC has been absolutely clear, people should not congregate in large groups, tweeted the San Mateo Democrat, who has not endorsed in the race. The candidates must lead by example! The candidates campaigns would look radically different if they followed the CDCs advice, because their daily routine is filled with activities people should avoid in order to limit coronavirus spread. According to the the health agency, your risk of exposure to respiratory viruses like COVID-19 may increase in crowded, closed-in settings with little air circulation if there are people in the crowd who are sick which describes the setting of many political rallies. The CDC guidelines also suggest that seniors and those with underlying health conditions avoid nonessential travel such as long plane trips. Those trips are essential to a presidential hopeful. Biden, 77, held a rally Monday at a Detroit high school with former rivals and new endorsers Sens. Kamala Harris and Cory Booker. On Tuesday, he is scheduled to make Ohio campaign stops in Cleveland and Columbus, in advance of that states March 17 primary. The campaign has made one concession to coronavirus: People entering Bidens Detroit event were given a squirt of hand sanitizer. Sanders, 78, headlined a rally Monday in front of nearly 3,000 people at a St. Louis theater. We are continuing to consult with state health agencies before every rally, campaign spokeswoman Anna Bahr told The Chronicle by email Monday night. Trump, 73, does not have any rallies scheduled, but he shook hands and mingled with donors at two fundraisers last weekend in Florida. He also held a rally in North Carolina on Feb. 28, two days after confirmation of the first coronavirus case in the U.S. contracted by community exposure. Trumps campaign manager, Tim Murtaugh, said Sunday, What were doing at the campaign is proceeding as normal. Bidens campaign declined to comment on Speiers request to stop holding rallies. But one top medical professional thinks he and the other candidates would show leadership by changing their plans. Yes, its prime rally season, but if you want to show you can be a good leader, you should be concerned about the well-being of the citizenry, said Louise Aronson, a UCSF professor of medicine and author of Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life. If you want to show a responsible leader and not engage in dangerous behaviors, cancel your rallies, Aronson said. Each of the three candidates is at higher risk of becoming seriously ill because of their age, said Aronson, who is a geriatrician. Nearly 15% of the people over 80 who contracted the virus in China have died, compared with 1% of those between ages 50 and 59, according to Chinese health officials. The immune system, like other parts of our body, works less well when we get older, Aronson said. However, she said, Biden, Sanders and Trump appear to be exceptional for their age, given the hectic schedules they maintain and the demands placed on them. Sanders, however, carries extra risk because he suffered a heart attack in October, Aronson said. He had stents inserted following a partial artery blockage. Coronavirus is affecting other politicians who arent holding mass rallies. Six members of Congress have self-quarantined after learning they came into contact with people who had the virus. Democratic Rep. Julia Brownley of Westlake Village (Los Angeles County) said she met last week with someone in Washington who later tested positive. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Doug Collins of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona said they were exposed to a person at last months Conservative Political Action Conference who later tested positive. So did Trumps incoming chief of staff, North Carolina GOP Rep. Mark Meadows. Collins accompanied Trump on a visit to the CDC in Georgia last week, and Gaetz flew on Air Force One with the president on Monday. Vice President Mike Pence said Monday that he hasnt been tested and didnt know if Trump has been. Gaetz made light of coronavirus last week, wearing a large gas mask on the House floor during a vote on an emergency federal funding package to respond to the virus. Now he is self-quarantining for 14 days and has closed his congressional office, and one of his constituents has died of the disease. Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli Press Release March 10, 2020 Sotto commits Senate independence as legacy SENATE President Vicente Sotto III has vowed to always protect the independence of the Senate even at the risk of losing political alliances and support. A day after leading his colleagues in challenging the unilateral abrogation of the RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), Sotto reiterated his commitment to always put a premium on public welfare and the interests of the Senate over his personal concerns. The Senate on Monday formally asked the Supreme Court to draw the constitutional boundaries on the roles of the Senate and the executive branch in the cancellation of international agreements and treaties, taking off from the recent termination of the VFA which Malacanang did without getting the approval of the Senate. Sotto said the legal move was meant to "assert the sense of the power of the Senate that we know and we think that we have." He insisted that senators must be consulted on vital matters like the termination of international agreements and treaties just as it's concurrence is required before the same are ratified. "This role is particularly important to ensure that the power to forge partnerships with our neighbors and allies remains impartial. The Senate must do its part in protecting the checks and balances in our government," Sotto said. The Senate President set aside concerns that he could lose his alliance with Malacanang because of the Senate action. "Personal interests should never outweigh public welfare. I will always choose to fight for the independence of the Senate. That is the legacy that I would like to leave this institution when my term comes to an end," Sotto said. Google Maps A San Antonio man was killed in a hit-and-run collision on Interstate 35 overnight, according to the San Antonio Police Department. Onezimo Romo, 44, was found lying in a drainage culvert along the access road on the northbound side of I-35, between Binz Engelman Rd. and George Beach Ave. New Delhi: The committee of creditors (CoC) of grounded Jet Airways will meet on March 12, according to a regulatory filing. The meeting has been scheduled as the revised deadline for submission of bids for the airline, which is undergoing an insolvency process, ended on Tuesday. It could not be immediately ascertained whether any bids have been received. The ninth meeting of the CoC is scheduled to be held on March 12, the regulatory filing on Tuesday said. Last month, the deadline for submission of bids was extended to March 10. Jet Airways stopped flying in April 2019 after it ran out of cash. It owes more than Rs 8,000 crore to banks. YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS. A Ryanair flight from Milan will be the first flight to arrive from Italy to Armenia after the Italian authorities declared a nationwide lockdown in the COVID19 outbreak. Two planes are expected to arrive to Yerevan from Italy one from Milan (Ryanair) at 13:10 and one from Rome (Ryanair) at 21:25, according to the Zvartnots airports schedule. The Healthcare and Labor Inspection Agency, the government body tasked with screening and taking countermeasures against the coronavirus, told ARMENPRESS that special precautionary measures will be taken at the airport. Arrivals will be maximally kept away from other passengers at the airport and everyone will be screened. The agency said they will give additional information about countermeasures soon. Earlier today the Armenian Foreign Ministry issued its highest travel warning against Italy. Ninety-seven people have died of the novel coronavirus since Sunday in Italy, bringing its total number of deaths to 463. Italy has 9,172 cases so far. Moreover, Armenias healthcare minister said nationals arriving from COVID19 hotspots, including Italy, must self-quarantine for 14 days. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan Amid an escalating Covid-19 health crisis in Australia, and a bloodbath on share markets, Prime Minister Scott Morrison this morning delivered a fraught and lying speech to a big business forum, anxiously seeking, above all else, to stem the financial meltdown. Morrison claimed that his primary goal was to protect the health, wellbeing and livelihoods of Australians through this global crisis, but it was obvious that his main concern was to protect corporate profits and prop up his discredited and despised government. While saying nothing about the growing chaos and confusion throughout the ill-prepared health system, Morrison foreshadowed a multi-billion stimulus package intended to pour more tax handouts into the pockets of companies and the wealthy elite. The prime minister spoke before the opening of the local share marketin the hope of slowing the crash that saw share prices plunge by more than 7 percent or $140 billion on Monday. He told an Australian Financial Review Business Summit in Sydney that his main focus was ensuring we are well positioned to bounce back strongly on the other side of the economic crisis. In other words, the preoccupation in ruling circles is how to exploit the crisis, like the global financial breakdown of 2008-09, to impose the next wave of structural reform to slash working class jobs, wages and conditions for the benefit of the financial aristocracy. Up until now, the governments response has echoed that of US President Donald Trump, who is still comparing the prevalence of the virus to the common flu. Trump tweeted last night: Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on. This morning, Morrison abandoned his dangerously misleading message, repeated for weeks, that everyone should remain calm and confident. He said Covid-19 is clearly a global health crisis, with economic impacts potentially greater than the Global Financial Crisis for Australia. Yet Morrison still falsely claimed that his government was ahead of the curve. He said: We confront today a new, complex, hydra-headed and rapidly evolving challengethe coronavirus, Covid-19. While not immune, so far we have been able to get ahead of this. This was said as reports flooded in that the health system is unable to cope with the disaster. A national hotline has been overwhelmed by callers seeking advice. Doctors and patients are being given conflicting information, and people urgently seeking medical tests face lengthy delays, with doctors clinics and pathology labs unable to cope. Governments, federal and state, have told the public that the health system is among the best-placed in the world to handle an epidemic. Yet, potentially contagious patients are being shunted from one pathology clinic to another, often travelling on public transport. Some have been told they need to wait four days to be tested. Australian Medical Association president Tony Bartone said: Right now, frontline doctors feel utterly exposed. Many doctors had found it difficult to obtain accurate clinical guidance or access to personal protection equipment, he said. Mask makers warn that only properly-certified N95 respirator masks are effective at stopping contagion. Health experts say that because of Australias relatively older population, its death rate could be higher than in China. Deaths are occurring in aged care facilities, and schools are shutting down after reporting cases of infection. So-called panic buying is continuing in supermarkets. That is because people have no confidence in what the government is saying, especially after its indifferent and contemptuous response to the summers bushfire calamity. Morrison appealed to his corporate audience to play a huge part in producing an eventual economic recovery by paying their bills faster and not rushing to lay off workers. But he did so only for reasons of corporate self-interest. Hold onto your people, you will need them on the other side, he said. Wherever possible, support themwhether full-time, part-time, or casualincluding with paid leave if they need to take time off due to the virus. That was because the damage to the economy would be greater if coronavirus were to have a significant impact on the health of our workforce. As Morrison knows, business chiefs will ruthlessly slash jobs and wages to shore up their profits and returns to investors. Already, thousands of workers, especially those in the insecure gig economy created since the 2008-09 crash, are being laid off, or having their hours slashed. Corporate giants are leading the way. Even as Morrison spoke, Qantas announced another dramatic cut to its flights and CEO Alan Joyce said he would forgo three months of his enormous pay packet. This phoney gesture is designed to insist that workers must also sacrifice, supposedly to hold onto their jobs. Significantly, Morrison defined companies role as one of patriotism, with the country facing a national interest moment. Around the world, capitalist ruling classes and governments are likewise acting in the interests of their own rival nation-states, preventing a globally-coordinated response to the pandemic. In the same vein, Morrison pledged that despite his Liberal-National Coalition governments promised budget surplus being swept aside, military spending would still rise to 2 percent of gross domestic product this yearthat is, about $40 billionmeeting a commitment made to the Trump administration. Aware of rising social and political discontent, the prime minister vowed not to cut spending on schools, hospitals or the National Disability Insurance Scheme, all severely under-funded. But with Australian capitalism heading into its first official recession for three decades, reflecting its acute vulnerability to the Chinese and global slump, these promises are meaningless. Having rejected calls for stimulus measures for months, even after the bushfire catastrophe, the government will release an economic package this week. It will consist primarily of company tax concessions, investment incentives and other business subsidies. To placate popular anger, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said that some one-off cash payments via the welfare system may also be considered, but most likely not until the federal budget, due on May 12. Any such payments would be designed to boost business by giving money to people who are so impoverished they are guaranteed to spend it immediately. It would provide a cynical veneer of fairness so that the Labor Party and the trade unions can justify backing the governments handouts to the rich. In line with its own pro-corporate character, Labor has offered its constructive bipartisan support up-front. Its only concern is whether the package is big enough and fast enough to make a genuine difference in a floundering economy, Labors shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers said. The union leaders are today meeting behind closed doors with Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter and employer representatives, mainly to discuss how to prevent strikes, walkouts and other opposition by workers. In his speech, Morrison said the governments package would be based on seven principles. The most revealing is number seven: To favour measures that will lift productivity and enable the economy to grow more strongly on the other side of the crisis. The Australian Financial Reviews editorial today welcomed Morrisons message, saying it underlined the need for structural reform to boost business confidence and drive investment. It demanded sharpening incentives through tax, workplace, energy market and red-tape reform. These are euphemisms for even greater tax handouts to the rich, the further breaking down of working conditions and gutting of safety and environmental regulation. The editorial concluded by expressing the hope that the coronavirus could be the wake-up call or even a burning platform for such measures. That is the authentic voice of the capitalist classexploit the disaster to accelerate the decades-long offensive against the jobs and conditions of the working class. Update: 10-03-2020 | 10:25:32 Vietnam has sufficient capability, resources and experience to control the COVID-19 outbreak, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc stressed at a meeting held on March 9 in response to complex developments of the disease in the country. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (standing) speaks at the meeting in Hanoi on March 9 (Photo: VNA) Vietnam has sufficient capability, resources and experience to control the COVID-19 outbreak, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc stressed at a meeting held on March 9 in response to complex developments of the disease in the country. According to the national steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control, 106,355 infection cases have been reported around the world, including 3,600 deaths, in 102 countries and territories. There are more than 1,000 new cases each day, and the number could rise slightly in the next few days. In Vietnam, after no new cases were recorded in 22 days, the 17th case of SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed in Hanoi on March 6. After that, some persons having close contact with this case were tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19. Also on March 6, another case was reported at a concentrated quarantine centre in Ninh Binh province. As of 8pm of March 8, Vietnam had confirmed 30 infection cases, including 16 already recovering. The 14 latest cases, including five Vietnamese and nine foreigners, have been put in quarantine. Of the five Vietnamese patients, two boarded flight VN0054, which landed at Noi Bai International Airport at 4:30am of March 2; two contracted the virus from the 17th case, who was also on that flight; and one returned from the Republic of Korea. Among the 201 passengers on flight VN0054, relevant agencies have got information about the places of residence and travel history of 156 people. Information related to the rest is being updated, the national steering committee said. The committee has asked authorities of provinces and cities to quarantine the passengers on flight VN0054, it said, adding that it has made a list of people having close contact with the two infected Vietnamese on that flight. At the meeting between the Cabinets permanent members and the committee, PM Phuc repeated the viewpoint of fighting the disease is like fighting an enemy, noting the Government always has a good grasp of the situation and prepare detailed plans of action to protect peoples health even at the expense of economic benefits. The Government is not passive in the battle to protect peoples health, he affirmed, calling on the public to improve their medical knowledge to protect themselves. He requested personnel and infrastructure conditions be geared up in a timely manner, the capacity of healthcare establishments from the central to grassroots levels be enhanced, and the spread of the disease be minimised. Praising efforts by ministries, sectors, localities and medical workers in swiftly dealing with the 17th infection case, the PM said it is necessary to understand right, act right, stay calm but not be negligent or subjective so as to prevent the disease from spreading. He also asked customs, border guard and border gate security forces, as well as airports, to control entry into the country more carefully and ensure safety for tourism activities. Notably, the Government leader ordered strict handling of persons lying in or dodging health declaration. He also stressed the need to publicise information about the COVID-19 outbreak in a timely manner and ensure the supply of food and essential products for people. Additionally, the PM shared the view that meetings and gatherings should be limited while information technology should be applied more strongly to the organisation of meetings, studying and health declaration. He also agreed with the national steering committee that ministries, sectors and localities should suspend foreign trips, except for special cases allowed by the PM./. VNA The back story to Mr. Putins move is a stagnation in global consumption that has turned into an outright downturn due to the novel coronavirus. As de facto chief of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Saudi Arabia tried to persuade Mr. Putin to cut its production in tandem with the cartel, so as to prop up prices for them all. When he refused, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman countered by declaring his country would run its industry at maximum output for the foreseeable future. So far, Russia has not bowed to the pressure, partly because Moscow can balance its budget at a much lower price of oil than Saudi Arabia can, and partly because Mr. Putin smells an opportunity to get even with the United States. Russias oil-exporting partners Venezuela and Iran, already reeling from political unrest and the coronavirus, respectively, are likely to take politically destabilizing hits as a consequence, but apparently those are lower priorities for Moscow. PONTIAC, MI -- A 16-year-old Pontiac girl was shot in the clavicle by a police officer during a traffic stop early Monday morning following a short chase with police. The girl, however, was not driving the car and was sitting in the passenger seat, according to the Oakland County Sheriffs Office. The incident unfolded around 2:07 a.m. Monday in the area of Bagley and Arthur Avenue. While deputies were assisting with a separate drug-related stop, deputies pulled over a vehicle for a traffic offense. After initially slowing down, the driver of that car fled the scene on foot, leaving three passengers in the car. A deputy nearby pulled his police car in front of the vehicle after the driver fled. As the deputy approached the vehicle, it continued moving toward him. At that point the officer fired into the vehicle, striking the girl. The deputy then began administering first aid to the girl. Police have not said if they believe the car was deliberately driven toward the deputy. The driver, identified as a 15-year-old Pontiac boy, is unlicensed and took the vehicle without the owners permission, according to police. The girl was transported to a local hospital via ambulance. She was listed in stable condition. The incident remains under investigation and police say they will release more information when it is complete. A study of the second HIV patient to undergo successful stem cell transplantation from donors with a HIV-resistant gene, finds that there was no active viral infection in the patient's blood 30 months after they stopped anti-retroviral therapy, according to a case report published in The Lancet HIV journal and presented at CROI (Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections). Although there was no active viral infection in the patient's body, remnants of integrated HIV-1 DNA remained in tissue samples, which were also found in the first patient to be cured of HIV. The authors suggest that these can be regarded as so-called 'fossils', as they are unlikely to be capable of reproducing the virus. Lead author on the study, Professor Ravindra Kumar Gupta, University of Cambridge, UK, says: We propose that these results represent the second ever case of a patient to be cured of HIV. Our findings show that the success of stem cell transplantation as a cure for HIV, first reported nine years ago in the Berlin patient, can be replicated." He cautions: "It is important to note that this curative treatment is high-risk, and only used as a last resort for patients with HIV who also have life-threatening hematological malignancies. Therefore, this is not a treatment that would be offered widely to patients with HIV who are on successful antiretroviral treatment. While most HIV patients can manage the virus with current treatment options and have the possibility of living a long and healthy life, experimental research of this kind following patients who have undergone high-risk, last-resort curative treatments, can provide insight into how a more widely applicable cure might be developed in the future. In 2011, another patient based in Berlin (the 'Berlin patient') was the first HIV patient to be reported cured of the virus three and half years after undergoing similar treatment. Their treatment included total body irradiation, two rounds of stem cell transplant from a donor who carried a gene (CCR532/32) that is resistant to HIV, and a chemotherapy drug regimen. The transplant aims to make the virus unable to replicate in the patient's body by replacing the patient's immune cells with those of the donors, whilst the body irradiation and chemotherapy targets any residual HIV virus. The patient reported in this study (the 'London patient'), underwent one stem-cell transplantation, a reduced-intensity chemotherapy drug regimen, without whole body irradiation. In 2019, it was reported that their HIV was in remission, and this study provides follow-up viral load blood test results at 30-months and a modeling analysis to predict the chances of viral re-emergence. Ultrasensitive viral load sampling from the London patient's cerebrospinal fluid, intestinal tissue, or lymphoid tissue was taken at 29 months after interruption of ART and viral load sampling of their blood at 30 months. At 29 months, CD4 cell count (indicators of immune system health and stem cell transplantation success) was measured, and the extent to which the patient's immune cells have been replaced by those derived from the transplant. Results showed no active viral infection was detected in samples of the patient's blood at 30 months, or in their cerebrospinal fluid, semen, intestinal tissue, and lymphoid tissue 29 months after stopping ART. The patient had a healthy CD4 cell count, suggesting they have recovered well from the transplant, with their CD4 cells replaced by cells derived from the HIV-resistant transplanted stem cells. Furthermore, 99% of the patient's immune cells were derived from the donor's stem cells, indicating the stem-cell transplant had been successful. Since it was not possible to measure proportion of cells derived from the donor's stem cells in all parts of the patient's body (i.e. measurement was not possible in some tissue cells like lymph nodes), the authors used a modelling analysis to predict the probability of cure based on two possible scenarios. If 80% of patient's cells are derived from the transplant, the probability of cure is predicted at 98%; whereas if they have 90% donor derived cells, they predict a 99% probability of cure. Comparing to the treatment used on the Berlin patient, the authors highlight that their case study of the London patient represents a step towards a less intensive treatment approach, showing that the long-term remission of HIV can be achieved using reduced intensity drug regimens, with one stem cell transplant (rather than two) and without total body irradiation. However, being only the second reported patient to undergo this experimental treatment successfully, the authors note that that the London patient will need continued, but much less frequent, monitoring for re-emergence of the virus. Speculating on what their results might mean for future developments of HIV cures that utilize the CCR5 (HIV resistant) gene, co-author on the study, Dr Dimitra Peppa, University of Oxford, UK, says: "Gene editing using the CCR5 has received a lot of attention recently. The London and Berlin patient are examples of using the CCR5 gene in curative therapies outside of gene editing. There are still many ethical and technical barriers - e.g. gene editing, efficiency and robust safety data - to overcome before any approach using CCR5 gene editing can be considered as a scalable cure strategy for HIV." [2] Writing in a linked Comment, lead author Professor Sharon R Lewin, University of Melbourne, Australia, (who was not involved in the study), says: The finding of no intact virus can be reassuring for a patient who might face significant anxiety and uncertainty about whether and when viral rebound off ART might occur, which in other settings has been completely unpredictable. Given the large number of cells sampled here and the absence of any intact virus, is the London patient truly cured? The additional data provided in this follow up case report is certainly encouraging but unfortunately in the end, only time will tell." Tents stand on a wharf near the Grand Princess at the Port of Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on March 9, 2020. (Noah Berger/AP Photo) Couple on Grand Princess Cruise Ship Sue for $1 Million Over Handling of Coronavirus Outbreak A Florida couple aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship where 21 people have tested positive for coronavirus have sued the ships operator for $1 million, claiming that the company acted negligently by failing to protect passengers from the virus. Ronald and Eva Weissberger, residents of Broward County, filed a lawsuit against Princess Cruise Lines on Monday, alleging that the companys lack of screening procedures for coronavirus, or COVID-19, and failing to adequately warn passengers about potential exposure to the virus, had exposed the couple to actual risk of immediate physical injury. The Grand Princess, carrying about 3,500 people, was anchored off the coast of San Francisco from March 4 after health authorities learned that some passengers had developed flu-like symptoms and that guests of an earlier cruise aboard the same ship had tested positive for coronavirus. At least 21 people19 crew members and two passengershave been diagnosed with the virus. The ship has begun disembarking passengers for transport to quarantine stations or hospitals after it arrived at Port of Oakland on Monday. In their complaint (pdf) filed in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, the couple alleged that the cruise company was aware at least two of its passengers who disembarked from a previous trip on Feb. 21 in San Francisco had symptoms of coronavirus, but still made the decision to continue sailing the next trip. They said passengers from the previous trip were made aware of the potential exposure to the virus from an email sent to them by the company on Feb. 25. The couple also alleged that the ship did not have a proper screening protocol in place to minimize the risk of exposure to the disease. The couple said prior to boarding the Grand Princess on Feb. 21, passengers were simply asked to fill out a piece of paper confirming they were not sick. The couple alleged that the ships negligence has caused them emotional distress and trauma from the fear of developing symptoms of the virus, which has claimed the lives of thousands worldwide. Defendant Princess chose to place profits over the safety of its passengers, crew, and the general public in continuing to operate business as usual, despite their knowledge of the actual risk of injury to plaintiffs, who are elderly with underlying medical conditions, the complaint stated. Princess Cruises said in a statement to The Epoch Times: Princess has been sensitive to the difficulties the COVID-19 outbreak has caused to our guests and crew. Our response throughout this process has focused on well-being our guests and crew within the parameters mandated on us by the government agencies involved and the evolving medical understanding of this new illness. We [have] not been served with any lawsuit relating to this matter, and we will not comment on any pending litigation, the statement added. There are currently 27 deaths in the United States from coronavirus and 763 confirmed cases as of March 10, according to data by Johns Hopkins University. The Department of State has warned travelers, particularly those with underlying health conditions, not to travel by cruise ship. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has noted that there is an increased risk of infection of coronavirus on cruise ships. CDC notes that older adults and travelers with underlying health issues should avoid situations that put them at increased risk for more severe disease. This entails avoiding crowded places, avoiding non-essential travel such as long plane trips, and especially avoiding embarking on cruise ships, the department stated. President Trumps decision to redirect $3.6 billion in military funds for border wall construction in California and three other states was an act of expansive discretionary authority that courts cannot override, a Trump administration lawyer told a federal appeals court Tuesday. Although Congress budgeted the money for different military construction projects, federal law gives the president broad power to redirect spending in the case of an emergency like the one Trump declared in February 2019, Justice Department attorney Thomas Byron told the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The determination by Trump and Defense Secretary Mark Esper that it was a national emergency requiring use of the armed forces was beyond judicial review, Byron said. But environmental and border-community advocates, supported by California and other states in their lawsuit, argue that Trump is unconstitutionally defying congressional authority over government spending. Members of the three-judge panel gave no clear indication of their views during the one-hour hearing, although one judge, Kim Wardlaw, asked Byron if he was seeking boundless spending authority. The $3.6 billion would pay for 175 miles of wall segments in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam of Oakland ruled in December that Congress had refused to approve the funds, but he put his ruling on hold because of the prospect that it would be suspended and possibly overturned by the Supreme Court. In July, the high court voted 5-4 to suspend rulings by Gilliam and other judges and allow Trump to start spending a separate trove of $2.5 billion in federal counter-drug funds on wall-building in California, Arizona and New Mexico. The same $3.6 billion contested in Tuesdays hearing had also been blocked by another federal judge in El Paso, Texas, but a federal appeals court in New Orleans put that ruling on hold in January. Trump declared an emergency over illegal immigration after shutting down many federal government functions for a record 35 days because of Congress refusal to pay more than $1.375 billion for border barriers. In redirecting additional funds that Congress had previously approved for the military, the administration invoked a law that allows the Defense Department, in times of war or national emergency, to shift spending to other projects that require the nations armed forces. That standard was met here, Byron told the court, because of the crossing of illegal narcotics, other smuggling and illegal crossings that was overwhelming the resources of the DHS, the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration agencies. Trump has sent troops to the U.S.-Mexico border and decided further wall construction was needed to support them, he said. Opponents said the argument was concocted. The Trump administration is advocating for an unlimited principle in which the Department of Defense ... is free to fund whatever projects Congress rejects, said American Civil Liberties Union attorney Dror Ladin, representing the Sierra Club and the Southern Border Communities Coalition. Heather Leslie, a California deputy attorney general representing eight states that backed the suit, told the court that any funding for the wall must be affirmatively approved by Congress, which did not authorize the $3.6 billion. But one panel member, Judge Daniel Collins, indicated that he read the presidents authority more broadly under the law authorizing redirection of military funds in emergencies. Whichever side loses the upcoming appeals court ruling is virtually certain to appeal to the Supreme Court. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko NHS coronavirus guidance is being pushed to the top of internet search results amid government efforts to tackle disinformation. The government said it has worked with Google, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram so that official advice appears first when people hunt online. The health service is also working with social media companies to verify more than 800 accounts belonging to NHS organisations, including hospital trusts and other local groups. The range of new online tools will also include Knowledge Panels - prominent pop-out boxes of information - in Google search results on mobile devices. The boxes are part of a new partnership between the NHS and Google, and will offer easy access to official information about more than 250 conditions, including Covid-19. The government said it has worked with Google, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram so that official coronavirus advice (NHS site pictured) appears top when people hunt online The Government has previously announced a new specialist unit that is working with social media firms to monitor platforms for misinformation and remove such content. Senior sources played down the idea that particular media outlets would be promoted over others, insisting the focus was on getting NHS content to the top of the pile. The health service has highlighted a fake account it had suspended from Twitter after it posed as a hospital and posted inaccurate information about coronavirus cases. The account, claiming to be a hospital in Andover, Hampshire, falsely posted that it had received a number of patients with coronavirus-like symptoms before it was suspended by Twitter. Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust declined to comment on the account but the NHS said it was continuing to work with Twitter to remove false accounts and other misleading information. Sir Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive, said: 'Ensuring the public has easy access to accurate NHS advice, however they search for it, not only will support people to take the right action but will also help the country's response to coronavirus. 'The NHS has already been battling coronavirus fake news, from working to take down false Twitter accounts to speaking out against misleading treatments being promoted by homeopaths online. 'It's right that social media platforms and search engines take any action so they can help ensure the public are directed to NHS advice first. 'I would also like to personally thank all those NHS staff who are doing an incredible job caring for patients, testing thousands of worried people and taking calls from thousands more.' Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'Today's actions are another important step so members of the public can access reliable, accurate health information, which is more crucial than ever as we continue our response to coronavirus. 'These changes will ensure the latest trusted NHS guidance sits at the very top of Google search lists, so people can be reassured they are reading official, up-to-date Government advice. Health Secretary Matt Hancock and NHS England chief Sir Simon Stevens insisted they wanted to ensure the public sees official guidance first 'Public safety is our top priority and we are harnessing digital tools to reach millions of people on more than 250 conditions they are searching for - including coronavirus - helping tackle misinformation and ensuring the public is well informed to take control of their health.' Professor Jonathan Benger, chief medical officer at NHS Digital, which runs the NHS website, said the spread of accurate information was vital to minimise the risk to the public. 'Getting the right health information to the public is essential, particularly during outbreaks of disease,' he said. 'Syndication from the NHS website means that people can be confident that the information they see meets the highest clinical standards. 'The more we can share accurate information, the less likelihood there is of inaccuracy and rumour, which could put people at risk.' Italy reported four more deaths Tuesday from prison riots linked to the new coronavirus that have now officially claimed 11 lives over three days. The justice ministry has blamed all the deaths on drug overdoses that occurred after prisoners broke into medical storage rooms. The claim was impossible to immediately verify through independent sources. Jails have been ordered to stop visits and limit day releases as part of a broader government response to a disease that has killed 463 people in Italy in just over two weeks. Some prisoners have been asking to be granted amnesty over a health crisis that had infected more than 9,000 people across the Mediterranean country. The justice ministry said the situation in most of the 23 jails hit by rioting since Sunday has been brought back under control. "The unrest that affected more than 20 prisons (Monday) has ended almost everywhere," the justice ministry said in a statement. "In many of them, the protests and occupation... by prisoners have ended and the inmates have returned to their sleeping quarters." The ministry said three of Tuesday's deaths occurred in the Rieti prison some 70 kilometres (around 40 miles) northeast of Rome. "Initial findings suggest that the deaths may have been caused by the reckless taking of drugs," the justice ministry said. Another convict also died in the Modena prison near the northern city of Bologna. The ministry said eight people have died there in all. The last Modena death "also presumably resulted from a drug overdose," said the ministry. "The unrest (in Modena) has ended," the ministry added. It said four security personnel and a health official who had been taken hostage by rioters in Melfi in the south of Italy had all been released. But it said 22 convicts who escaped the Foggia prison near Italy's southeastern coast were still on the run. Italy's prisoner rights ombudsman Mauro Delma blamed the riots on prison overcrowding and fears about the rapidly spreading disease. "It seems that containment measures recommended for all citizens are not acceptable to prisoners who are already facing prison overcrowding," Delma told the RAI 24 channel. "This scenario makes for a combustible situation," the ombudsman said. AFP reporters saw around a dozen prisoners at the San Vittore prison in Milan climb onto the roof of one of the wings and shout slogans Monday as police and prison guards below looked on. There were similar scenes at several other prisons as rioters wearing scarves and bandanas over their faces climbed roofs and shouted slogans to television crews hovering in helicopters overhead. Relatives rallied outside many of the concerned jails in protest over the measures. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Yes Bank scam: ED zeroes in on Rana Kapoors foreign assets India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Mar 10: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is looking into more multi-crore rupees loans issued by Yes Bank to corporate houses that turned non-performing assets as part of its money laundering investigation against its arrested promoter Rana Kapoor, officials said. They said the agency has widened its probe in the case beyond the loan to DHFL (Dewan Housing Finance Limited) and is now looking at its books to find out evidence if alleged kickbacks were received by the Kapoor family and others from business houses in lieu of non-initiation of loan recovery processes. The central agency is probing the scam-hit DHFL giving a loan of Rs 600 crore to a firm "controlled" by Kapoor's family, that includes his wife and three daughters, in lieu of not recovering over Rs 4,000 crore of loan issued by Yes Bank to the former. Sources said Yes Bank CEO Ravneet Gill was questioned by the ED at its office in Mumbai on Monday. Rana Kapoor misused position in Yes Bank in several other cases too say ED sources They added that the investigators have also zeroed in on Kapoor's purported foreign assets in UK, France and the US to see if the proceeds of crime of money laundering were used to purchase these assets by the banker and his family. A dozen alleged shell firms, Kapoor family investments of Rs 2,000 crore and over Rs 4,500 crore worth of transactions are under the scanner of the agency at present. The agency has also found that 44 costly paintings were in the alleged possession of Kapoor, one of which was purchased by him from Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. While the Congress party has said that the deal was transparent as payment of Rs 2 crore was received by Vadra from Kapoor through cheque and was reflected in income tax returns, the ED is probing if the painting was owned by her or the All India Congress Committee (AICC). It is also investigating if the provenance certificate (signed by an artist to state his genuine work) was signed by Vadra and under what circumstances. YES Bank founder Rana Kapoor sent to ED custody till March 11 The painting, a portrait of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, was done by celebrated artist M F Hussain and was gifted to Gandhi during the AICC centenary celebrations in 1985. The Congress has rejected the charge as fake, saying there was no illegality in the transaction as the party general secretary had received the money (Rs 2 crore) in cheque and mentioned it in her income tax filings in 2010. The Enforcement Directorate has said that this case against Rana involves proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 4,300 crore. The 62-year-old former CEO and managing directorate of the bank was arrested on Sunday and is in ED custody till March 11. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 10, 2020, 7:33 [IST] Afghan presidential rivals hold parallel inauguration ceremonies Iran Press TV Monday, 09 March 2020 7:33 AM Afghan President-elect Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah have held rival swearing-in ceremonies, suggesting that their US-brokered talks over a disputed presidential race have yielded no result. Television footage showed Ghani taking an oath at the presidential palace in Kabul at a ceremony attended by a number of foreign diplomats, including US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad. Meanwhile, there were reports that the inauguration ceremony was temporarily disrupted by the sound of a rocket explosion in Kabul, but that President Ghani was unharmed and continued to address the event. Presidential candidate and rival in the September 2019 disputed election Abdullah Abdullah held his own ceremony at a similar time. The two rivals had earlier postponed their plans to hold parallel inauguration ceremonies to allow for more time to resolve their differences over the 2019 vote. Abdullah, who serves as the chief executive officer of the outgoing administration, has rejected a decision by Afghanistan's Election Commission last month to announce Ghani as the winner of the presidential election, proclaiming himself to be the president-elect. An official who declined to be named said Ghani, Abdullah and Khalilzad held meetings on Monday morning as they worked towards a deal to prevent two parallel inauguration ceremonies. Abdullah's office confirmed that Khalilzad on Monday had held three meetings with the chief executive to "find a solution" for the matter, but had not succeeded. Afghan politicians had earlier voiced concerns about the future of an attempt to hold two inauguration ceremonies in a single day, believing it will push the country into a new political crisis. The country's previous presidential election was also marred by a similar dispute involving Ghani and Abdullah, which was resolved by a US-brokered power-sharing agreement. The new row comes just days after the US and the Afghan Taliban militant group reached a tentative deal on the withdrawal of foreign forces from the country following months-long talks, which excluded the Kabul government. The Afghan government should now be preparing for talks with the militant group following the US-Taliban deal. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Kremlin categorically opposes the release of Crimean Tatars, the official says. Leader of the Crimean Tatar people, MP Mustafa Dzhemilev says not all Crimean Tatars illegally imprisoned in Russia may agree to be included in the next prisoner swap list. "The SBU [Security Service of Ukraine] has handed over a list for our approval. They are planning to exchange people at any cost soon. But we've set priorities before ourselves: fist, we have to exchange those who have the longest terms [of imprisonment], for example, 17-18 years, as well due to health reasons. The lists have been prepared, but right now Russia is simply not discussing this," he told Hromadske Radio on March 9. Dzhemilev also noted that he spoke with Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's Parliament) for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova on the inclusion of the Crimean Tatars in the exchange lists. "She said, 'Of course, we'll put them in.' But I must say that the Russians [the Kremlin] categorically oppose the release of Crimean Tatars," he stressed. At the same time, Dzhemilev added that some Crimean Tatar political prisoners might not agree to be swapped if they find out that they will be exchanged for criminals. Read alsoZelensky expects next prisoner swap with Russia in March "Secondly, we have quite ideological people there. If they find out that they are to be exchanged for bandits, they may refuse it. We managed to have Akhtem Chiygoz and Ilmi Umerov released with the help of [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, who told us that he asked Putin to liberate them. Then it turned out that in exchange, Turkey was forced to extradite two terrorists who killed Chechen dissidents in Turkey. They are professional hitmen, [Russia's] GRU [military intelligence agency] employees. Now, Umerov and Chiygoz say: 'Had we known at what price you ensured our liberation, we wouldn't have agreed to be released.' Therefore, such unpleasant issues may arise for the Ukrainian authorities when [held persons] may ask: 'Why did you have us released?" he said. As UNIAN reported earlier, on February 24, President's deputy envoys for Crimea Tamila Tasheva and Darya Svyrydova said that the swap lists included all Ukrainians illegally held in Russia and the temporarily occupied Crimea, including Crimean Tatars. According to human rights activists, some 88 Ukrainian citizens have been illegally deprived of their liberty in Russia and the occupied peninsula for the time being. On March 5, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the Ukrainian side in Minsk talks presented a list, which included more than 200 persons for another stage of exchange. MANHATTAN -- City Council Speaker Corey Johnson has decided to cancel his March 12 State of the City speech out of an abundance of caution, the speaker announced Tuesday as the coronavirus continues to infect more and more New Yorkers. Johnsons decision to cancel his annual speech, which draws several hundreds of people, comes as Mayor Bill de Blasio has yet to call off Manhattans St. Patricks Parade, the largest and oldest parade of its kind in the world attended by some 2.1 million people. Out of an abundance of caution, we are postponing my State of the City speech, Johnson said in a statement, without mentioning the word 'coronavirus.' We felt this was the right decision to ensure that Council employees and the hundreds of guests we invited remain safe and healthy. But Johnson said that despite his decision, the citys Health Department is not calling for a ban on public gatherings on public events at this time. Johnson told reporters at a press conference at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan Tuesday that any decision to cancel the St. Patricks Parade would be made by Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo. He avoided weighing in on whether he personally thinks the parade should be canceled. At the moment, officials are urging the elderly, those who are sick and those with chronic lung disease, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or a weakened immune system to avoid unnecessary events and gatherings, Johnson said. The NYC Health Department is monitoring the situation, and will adjust as needed. Early Tuesday, Cuomo said the state was considering canceling the annual parade in New York City after Bostons decision to cancel its parade. But so far, the mayor has said the city has no plans whatsoever to cancel the March 17 parade or other events. Instead, he said organizers and businesses putting together large scale events can cancel them if they wish to do so. Theres no indecision, were not canceling events, thats today at this hour, the mayor told reporters at the press conference with Johnson in Manhattan. At any point, we decide to cancel some events, well tell you and well tell you why but based on the information we have, we are not canceling events. Johnson said that though he was looking forward to the speech, at a time when the city is urging New Yorkers to consider measures like telecommuting and staggered work hours, it seemed like an unnecessary risk, to hold it. At the press conference, Johnson said his State of the City speech was not a necessary event and that a number of attendees had underlying health issues that put them at greater risk of the coronavirus. I didnt want to cut those people out of the event and I didnt want to in any way endanger them by having them come to the event, Johnson told reporters. Just last week Johnson and other council members had urged New Yorkers to continue to go out in public. As New York City pushes forward with its St. Patricks Parade, Dublin, San Francisco, and Boston have all decided to cancel their parades in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Manhattan St. Patricks Parade organizers did not return emailed requests for comment on whether they are considering cancelling the March 17 parade and declined to comment when reached by phone. As of Tuesday morning, there are 36 confirmed coronavirus cases in New York City, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Tuesday. In New York State there are 173 positives, 31 more than Monday, Cuomo said. The mayor and Health Department officials also said Tuesday that the citys coronavirus testing capacity was coming online more and more and that private labs were ramping up and getting test results more quickly. The mayor said there were currently 30 people in the city in mandatory quarantine and 1,180 people in voluntary quarantine. FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER. Representatives of city governments, county governments, and school boards spoke in opposition today to a bill that would rewrite the Alabama law allowing citizens to inspect and obtain copies of public records. The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee held a public hearing on the bill by Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, who said it would strengthen a public records law that he says is now toothless because it does not require agencies to respond within any certain time period when citizens or media organizations request records. The committee took no vote on the bill after hearing from five opponents and five proponents. Sen. Jimmy Holley, R-Elba, the chairman, urged Ward to lead negotiations over the next couple of weeks. Ward agreed to do that and said he would press for a vote on the bill later this session. Ward proposed a similar bill last year, and it died without a vote after a public hearing with many of the same speakers as today. Scott Duff, news director of WSFA, spoke in favor of the bill today. Duff said he had worked 32 years in television news in Ohio, Kansas, and Missouri, and that Alabamas public records law was weaker than those in the other states. For example, Duff said the station was asked to pay a $50 an hour research fee to find out how much the state paid in legal expenses for former Gov. Robert Bentley. Duff and other proponents of the bill said today that civil lawsuits are essentially the only option now if an agency stalls or declines to provide a public record. The current law might as well be called the Alabama closed records law," Duff said. Wards bill would set a 14-day deadline for agencies to respond to records requests. They could get a seven-day extension. The bill would create the position of public access counselor to review disputes between people who request records and the agencies holding the records. Lori Lein, general counsel for the Alabama League of Municipalities, said many towns have small staffs that could be overwhelmed by requests for public records. Lein said those requests can come from businesses outside the state that are gathering information for their own purposes and might make requests to municipalities all across the state. Ward said he understood there were valid concerns. He said he wants those with concerns about the bill to bring him proposed solutions to make the bill better. He said Alabama needs to move its public records law into the 20th century. For example, his bill would set limits on how much agencies can charge for copies of documents and would not allow them to charge people who want to take photos of documents with their phones. I do feel passionate about this, Ward said. Im going to keep coming back. For generations of black Chicagoans, the suburb of Matteson was a beacon. Moving there meant you had made it. It was a place where black wealth was not only accepted, but celebrated. The pride of the village since its opening in 1973 was the Lincoln Mall on U.S 30 and Cicero Avenue. Anchored by stores like Carson Pirie Scott and Montgomery Ward, it was the place to see and be seen. Thats the Matteson Patricia Hill grew up admiring. She was raised in Chicagos Hyde Park neighborhood. And when she and her husband were raising their two daughters, they chose Matteson, buying a two-story home in a quiet residential neighborhood for $315,000 in 2003. But things are different now. Visions of the communitys future no longer bring comfort. Instead, they inspire crippling fear. This is supposed to be the American Dream for me and my family Im holding on to everything I can, but Im losing because of this house, Patricia said. Its a nightmare. She believes her home is now worth $215,000. Her property tax bill is more than $10,000 a year. And she has twice been on the cusp of foreclosure. Everyone is in shock when I tell them the property taxes. They say it must be an error, she said. Its not. [This house] is all I have. Its my net worth. Its who I am. The stress, the sleepless nights. It never goes away. I just turned 66 yesterday and I cant even think about retiring. A new survey by WalletHub ranked Illinois property taxes as the second highest in the nation for the third year running. And data released in February from the Federal Housing Finance Agency show the average annual housing appreciation rate in Illinois since the end of 2007 has been a microscopic 0.2%, besting only New Jersey and Connecticut. Illinoisans have seen their home values sputter or decline. But property tax bills have only been going up fast. Rev. Anton Seals is another South Side Chicago native who moved his family to Matteson to settle down. His home value has been virtually flat since he bought it 10 years ago for $280,000. The raw property tax bill on that home is $15,000, but a disability and senior exemption drops it to around $10,500 a year. Suppose your vision was to get out of the city, where there was a lot of gunshots and violence, Anton said. We move to this quiet neighborhood where everything seemed to be going well. But over 10 years weve lost so much. Youve worked this hard for this long, your taxes are going up and your property is being devalued. Patricia and Anton talked about the psychological distress of never feeling like their home is truly theirs. Compounding that uneasiness is an exodus of businesses from the area in recent years. Lincoln Mall is now an empty lot. The village just competed the demolition of its last vestige. Meanwhile, new businesses require large tax breaks and subsidies to open their doors. The same story is unfolding in communities across the state. Illinoisans know theres a problem. So state lawmakers in the spring created the 88-member Illinois Property Tax Relief Task Force. It was charged with finding solutions by the end of 2019. But no official report has been released to the public yet. Seals, a community organizer by trade, has taken matters into his own hands. Three years ago, he started putting out word to start a citizens group on the neighborhood messaging app Nextdoor. The Concerned Neighbors of Matteson, or CNOM, now meets every month at the Matteson Public Library. The nonpartisan group has three main goals: Tax relief, economic development and voter participation. This is a ministry mission for me, Seals said. I was critically ill and CNOM is what kept me going. It gave me something to fight for. Some claim a lack of school funding from the state is the cause of Illinois high property taxes. But that argument can sometimes ignore where leaders are wasting billions of existing education dollars. Chicagos south suburbs point to the two real drivers of property tax hikes statewide: pensions and school district bureaucracy. Illinois was the only state to spend over $1 billion on school district administration in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And it spends more on pensions as a share of state and local government spending than any other state, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. One infamous example played out in south suburban Calumet City, where superintendent Troy Paraday was making $430,000 a year to oversee 1,200 students. After being fired for financial misconduct, the 57-year-old Paraday collected nearly $220,000 in pension benefits in his first six months of retirement in 2019, according to the Daily Southtown. Thankfully, there are solutions on the table in Springfield. House Bill 4005 is a bipartisan proposal that would let local voters decide on school district consolidation (not school consolidation) after a statewide review process. HJRCA 38 is a constitutional amendment that would allow for modest pension reform, such as later retirement ages and smaller cost-of-living adjustments. For communities like Matteson, time is of the essence. Patricias neighbors are simply walking away from their homes. That depreciates her home value while upping her tax bill. Walking away is quitting, she said. I will not give up. We want to make a change. We have invested too much to leave this all behind. Austin Berg is a Chicago-based writer with the Illinois Policy Institute who wrote this column for The Center Square. He can be reached at aberg@illinoispolicy.org. Washington has plans to issue warnings to oil shippers, insurers, and port authorities that storing Iranian crude oil will bring the wrath of US sanctions, a US State Department official said on Monday, according to Reuters. The US will target those who store Iranian oil or oil products in violation of current sanctions, no matter where they are David Peyman, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Counter Threat Finance and Sanctions, said in a statement. The US is also looking to ship captains to obtain and submit to US authorities photo evidence of anyone engaged in the practice of ship-to-ship transfers of Iranian oil, The United States is still working to get Irans oil exports to zero, but China, for one, continues to import the sanctioned oil. The warning from the United States are likely not empty threats. Last year, Chinese shipper COSCO had several units sanctioned after transporting Iranian crude in violation of the sanctions, resulting in a significant increase in shipping costs for the crude trade. And just two weeks ago, five US citizens were charged with violating Iranian sanctions by buying Iranian oil and selling it on to China. The accused, if convicted, face up to 25-year prison sentences and fines of up to $1.25 million each. The increased campaign on Iranian sanctions highlight the United States dedication to bring about change after the US pulled out of the nuclear deal. While exports havent fallen to zero, exports from Iran have fallen sharply, even after Irans efforts to circumvent US sanctions by conducting ship to ship transfers and turning off transponders to avoid detection. Iran has admitted that the US sanctions have stymied its oil industry, but vowed to continue to resist the effects of the sanctions by increasing subversive activities in the way it ships its crude oil. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Read this article on OilPrice.com Although the Napa Valley Cooking School for professional students is on hiatus while the program is redesigned, the popular community classes continue at the upper valley campus of Napa Valley College, in St. Helena. Chef Roline Casper, an alumna of the school and owner of Rolines Uniquely Filipino restaurant in Vacaville, recently returned to teach a class in February, previewing recipes from her new cookbook, The Easy Filipino Cookbook, 100 Classics Made Simple ($15.99 on Amazon, available March 24). Of course everyone thinks of lumpia, said Casper, who had titled her class Divine Lumpia. The deep-fried spring roll that is a standard of Filipino cuisine originated in China, Casper said, and today it is also popular in Indonesia. Lumpia wrappers, made of rice flour and water, are thinner than typical spring roll wrappers. They can be found in Asian markets or in the Asian aisle of some grocery stores. Over the course of the three-hour class, Caspers students prepared all kinds of lumpia: vegetable stir fry lumpia, shrimp lumpia, cheese stick lumpia, Lumpian Shanghai stuffed with ground pork, and a dessert lumpia, which is stuffed with bananas and jackfruit. Casper, meanwhile, stirred up the two other dishes that she said make up the holy trinity of Filipino cuisine, pansit, thin rice noodles with vegetables, and adobo, chicken marinated in vinegar, soy sauce and spices. And then the class feasted. Casper, who was raised by a single working mother, learned how to cook in her grandmothers kitchen in the Philippines. Enrolling in the Napa Valley Cooking School, she was her class valedictorian. She staged at the Michelin-starred Healdsburg restaurant, SingleThread, and worked as an extern at Morimoto in Napa. In addition to running her Vacaville restaurant and writing a cookbook, she is teaching classes as her alma mater. A Greek-Inspired Brunch Coming up next, chef Elena Sirignano will lead the preparation of a Greek-inspired brunch on Saturday, March 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. On the menu are variations on classics like Greek Lamb Sausage, Spanakopita and Gravlax retooled for a relaxing, late-morning meal. The cost is $85 and pre-registration is required. Visit napavalley.edu to register for class #75987. The upper valley campus is 1088 College Ave., St. Helena. The office is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 707-302-2452. The Alabama Department of Corrections issued an alert for an escaped inmate early Tuesday morning, but later admitted the convicted murderer was actually in the prison the entire time. Officials from the ADOC issued the notice about convicted murderer Steve Ray Murphy around 4:09 a.m., according to a press release, saying he escaped from the St. Clair Correctional Facility just after midnight. They said the 64-year-old was recaptured at approximately 7:53 a.m. Later Tuesday morning, though, officials said Murphy never left the prison. "In the early morning hours of March 10, 2020, staff at St. Clair Correctional Facility conducted a bed count and discovered inmate Steve Ray Murphy was not in his assigned location. Correctional staff immediately alerted the warden who subsequently notified the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) Law Enforcement Services Division (LESD) of a possible escape, according to ADOC spokesperson Samantha Rose. Following protocol and out of an abundance of caution to ensure public safety, the decision was made to issue an escape notice while a facility sweep was simultaneously conducted to locate Murphy. Rose confirmed Murphy was not trying to escape, either. The ADOC can confirm that inmate Murphy had no intention, nor took any action, to attempt an escape from St. Clair Correctional Facility. The facility remains secure and all inmates are accounted for, she said in a statement. The department did not say where Murphy was instead of his assigned location during headcount, or where in the facility he was located. Murphy was convicted of murder in Colbert County in February 1984 and sentenced to life in prison. Marines and sailors bow during the invocation for their graduation from Corporal's Course Professional Military Education on dock landing ship USS Germantown. US Marine Corps The US Navy will prohibit all guests, including family members, from attending the graduation ceremony of new recruits in Great Lakes, Illinois, due to concerns over the coronavirus. Guests will be able to view the graduation on a Facebook livestream instead of attending the ceremony in person. The Navy said there were no confirmed cases of the coronavirus among its recruits. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The US Navy will prohibit all guests, including family members, from attending the graduation ceremony for recruits in Great Lakes, Illinois, due to concerns over the coronavirus. The Navy will "suspend guest attendance at graduation ceremonies to prevent any potential spread of COVID 19 to either Sailors of Navy families," Navy Recruit Training Command (RTC) said in a statement, using the abbreviation for coronavirus disease 19. The new directive is scheduled to begin on March 13. Guests will be able to view the graduation on a livestream on the command's Facebook page instead of attending the ceremony in person. The Navy said it will continue to monitor to situation to determine when to lift the ban. The Navy added that there were no confirmed cases of the coronavirus among its recruits and that incoming recruits will be screened on arrival. The US Army implemented similar measures to screen its recruits. Army recruits will have their temperatures taken and will be asked if they are experiencing other flu-like symptoms, including coughing, sore throat, and fatigue. "This action is being taken out of an abundance of caution, to both ensure the welfare of Sailors and that RTC can continue its essential mission of producing basically trained Sailors," RTC said in its statement. "Recruits impacted by this change are being authorized to call home to directly inform their loved ones." Off-base outings, which are granted for the new recruits who spent eight weeks in training, will also be cancelled. The recruits will instead "report directly to their follow-on assignments," which will likely entail training for their individual occupational specialties. The Navy has implemented other measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The US Navy's 6th and 7th fleets, responsible for European and Asia-Pacific waters, respectively, imposed a 14-day quarantine on ships between port calls in their regions. Read the original article on Business Insider 3 1 of 3 Courtesy photos/Plainview High School Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Courtesy photos/Plainview High School Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Two Plainview High School students are going to the National Business Professionals of America National Leadership Conference after qualifying last week at the state competition. Brandon Fenelon swept the competition with a first place win in Fundamental Spreadsheet Applications and Isaiah D. Rodriguez placed second in Fundamentals of Web Design during the contest in Dallas. Since Wednesday, a dozen Houston-area residents have tested positive for the new coronavirus after traveling on a ship later quarantined in Egypt and now there are reports that fellow tourists from other states also contracted COVID-19 in Egypt. Infected residents from Maryland, Florida and California have been linked to travel in Egypt or to the cruise on the MS ASara, which took passengers along the Nile River from Aswan, Egypt. The Houston-area passengers traveled on two different cruises on the same vessel. Three residents in Maryland contracted the illness on that ship, and six more aboard at a different time were under quarantine, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Monday. Of those six, two were experiencing symptoms, Hogan said. All were being tested. Two people in Florida were linked to an unspecified Egyptian river cruise, and a husband and wife from California tested positive after officials said they traveled in Egypt. The New York Times reported the California couple was on the MS ASara boat. No other Nile River ships have been reported with coronavirus cases. The ship is now in quarantine off the coast of Luxor, with at least 45 people testing positive for the coronavirus. The vessel is one of five owned and operated by the Cairo-based Extension Group. It measures 72 meters long and is described on the company website as one of the largest and most beautiful vessels on the River Nile between Luxor and Aswan. A Taiwanese-American tourist who had previously been on the same ship tested positive when she returned to Taiwan, the World Health Organization informed Egyptian authorities, who then tested everyone on the ship. The U.S. Embassy in Cairo said 12 crew members tested positive on the ship. Those people did not show symptoms, according to the Egyptian Health Ministry and WHO. Embassy officials were working to contact the American passengers to assist them, said Sam Werberg, an embassy spokesperson, in a statement Tuesday. He said they could not say how those passengers were doing because of privacy concerns. Seventeen travelers returned Feb. 20 to the Houston area. The dates for the second trip are not clear. Fort Bend County, Harris County and city of Houston officials have asked residents to self-quarantine for two weeks if they traveled on the ship between Feb. 12 and March 5. Pennsylvania-based company Gate1 Travel previously advertised three- and seven-night Nile river cruises aboard the MS A'Sara for later this year, both part of 14-day travel packages. The company has canceled all Nile River cruises through May 31, according to its website. The recently renovated ship was built in 2001 and designed to hold 132 passengers. Company representatives could not be reached Monday. The World Health Organization tally of coronavirus cases in Egypt jumped from three cases on March 7 to 48 cases on March 8, with those from the ship added in. Alexandra Varona said her 65-year-old mother, from Miami, is among the passengers quarantined on board. They boarded the vessel on March 4, Varona said. That was a day after first responders picked up the first Houston-area coronavirus patient March 3 in Fort Bend County a man who had traveled on the boat. But, Varona said, her mom did not know previous passengers were infected when she boarded with her two cousins. She knew nothing, Varona said. This report contains material from the Associated Press. emily.foxhall@chron.com nicole.hensley@chron.com The samples of 51 people tested for novel coronavirus in Gujarat have returned negative, while the report of one person was awaited, a senior health official said on Tuesday. No person in Gujarat has so far tested positive for the novel coronavirus, which broke out in Wuhan in China in December and has since spread worldwide. "The samples of 51 of 52 people tested for coronavirus have returned negative. One person's report is awaited. So far, we have screened 2,231 travellers who arrived at the airports in Ahmedabad and Surat. Another 1,024 people are under observation in their homes," said Commissioner of Health Jai Prakash Shivahare. He said samples were currently being tested in two laboratories in BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad and MP Shah Medical College in Surat. "We have planned to start such testing labs at Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot once we get approval from the Centre. Till now, we have trained over 2,400 medical officers and 14,000 para medical staff on steps to be taken in case of an outbreak," Shivahare said. The state has kept 572 beds and 204 ventilators to tackle any emergency situation, the health commissioner added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A boy racer who caused the death of a police officer's wife when he was racing another driver yesterday failed in his bid to have his driving ban reduced. Lodging an application to restore a driving licence for Damon Mosgrove, defence solicitor Gabriel Ingram said the 26-year-old "entirely accepts that he was responsible" for the death of Moira Rankin and continues to be remorseful for that "to this day". He added, however, that since being freed from prison in May 2016, having recently bought a house and hoping to take over the running of his father's tyre business, "the person he was then and the person he is now are completely different". "While he still lives with the appreciation of all this, he wants to put it behind him and is trying to get on with his life in a significant way and contribute to society," said the lawyer. In February 2013 Mosgrove, from the Millisle Road in Donaghadee, was handed a six-and-a-half-year sentence after he pleaded guilty to causing the death of 59-year-old Mrs Rankin by dangerous driving. Mosgrove, who was 18 at the time, and another young driver were racing each other along the dual carriageway between Ards and Bangor in December 2011 when the other driver ploughed into Mrs Rankin, who was out walking her dog. In court yesterday counsel for the Chief Constable said he was objecting to the application on the grounds that while legislation allowed a banned driver to apply for their licence to be restored once half of the disqualification had been served, Mosgrove had not served that time yet. He submitted the court should consider that the ban only began once Mosgrove, who was in custody for three years and three months, was freed from custody. Refusing the application to restore the licence, Judge Miller told Mr Ingram "I'm afraid that's the view I take". The judge also told the lawyer that while "I commend your client for the maturity which he is now showing, I would not consider this application until May 2021", by which time Mosgrove will have been off the roads for five years. Judge Miller added however that if Mosgrove's "circumstances have not altered and remain as positive as they are now... the court would be minded to grant the application at that stage, but not before". If youre a Democrat, you believe President Donald Trump is doing a terrible job responding to the coronavirus. If youre a Republican, you think hes doing a great job. In a Quinnipiac University poll released Monday, U.S. voters disapproved of the way Trump was handling the response to the virus, 49% to 43%. But the difference of opinion was sharply divided along partisan lines. Republicans supported the president, 87% to 7%. Democrats were almost a mirror image, with 83% disapproving of Trumps performance and 10% in approval. Independents disapproved, 50% to 37%. Trump on Monday praised his administrations handing of the crisis. We have been handling it really well," he told reporters at the White House. "We made the decision early when we shut down our borders. We were the first ones ever to do that. Weve never done that in our country before. This blindsided the world, and I think weve handled it very, very well. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York saw it differently. One of the best ways to ensure economic security for the American people is for President Trump to demonstrate real leadership and take immediate actions to actually combat the coronavirus itself, such as by ensuring tests and treatment are both available and affordable to all who need it and paid sick leave for all Americans workers, among other people-focused initiatives, he said. Even so, Trumps overall job approval remained in negative territory, with 54% disapproving and 41% approving. New Jersey officials, in declaring a state of emergency, reported 11 confirmed cases of covid-19, with the state Health Department looking at 24 additional people who possibly have the virus. The partisan divide surfaced in other questions about the coronavirus as well. Voters by 54% to 45% said they were concerned that they or someone they knew would be infected. That includes Democrats by 68% to 31% and independents by 57% to 43%. But Republicans wee unconcerned by 63% to 35%. And while 58% of voters said they were concerned that the coronavirus would disrupt their lives, compared with 42% who said they werent, 61% of Republican voters said they werent concerned, with 38% saying they were. By contrast, Democrats said they were concerned by 74% to 26% and independents by 60% to 40%. The poll of 1,261 registered voters was conducted March 5-8 with a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points. 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. (TNS) Nearly all Wisconsin households will begin receiving invitations this week to participate in the 2020 Census, even as the federal government strains to hire enough census workers and warns of online tampering.This is the first time in its 230-year history that the constitutionally mandated count used to divvy up everything from seats in the House to billions in federal funding will be conducted primarily over the Internet, a move the Census Bureau says will save taxpayer money.The effort is expected to cost more than $15 billion, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).Last week the bureau released sample copies of the invitations being mailed to 95% of all U.S. households in order to give people an idea what to expect and to help them avoid scams.With the exception of one Madison neighborhood, all Dane County households will be asked to use the Internet, although the invitation includes a phone number for those who need help.Letters will invite the head of each household to visit the website my2020census.gov, where they will be asked some basic questions about the size and type of their residence along with the name, age, gender and ethnicity of everyone living in the home as of April 1.Each letter will include a unique 12-digit number used to access the online questionnaire.Those in the area bordered by South Gammon Road, Whitney Way, Mineral Point Road and Schroeder Road are among the roughly 22% of all households that will also receive a paper questionnaire, which is being sent to areas the Census Bureau considers less likely to respond online.Bilingual invitations will be sent to neighborhoods where at least one-fifth of residents speak Spanish.Mailed invitations are expected to arrive between Thursday and March 20. All households will receive a reminder letter between March 16 and March 24.Those who do not respond will receive additional reminders, paper forms, phone calls and if necessary an in-person visit from a census taker.Census workers will hand-deliver invitations in some remote areas and transitory communities, while the bureau works with local administrators to gather information on people living in dormitories, nursing homes, prisons and other "group quarters."The GAO in 2017 put the 2020 Census on its list of highest-risk government projects, citing concerns about staffing levels and cybersecurity in light of the bureau's new reliance on the Internet.In a report released last month, the GAO said the bureau had made progress but had more work to do. In particular, the GAO cited missed milestones for recruiting workers and community partners as well as testing its online collection systems.The GAO found that in addition to hacking threats, the operation is vulnerable to online disinformation campaigns that could undermine public trust in the security of respondents' personal information. Those findings generated concern among members of a House oversight committee, according to The Washington Post.The Census Bureau says it will use encryption to protect data as it's submitted and immediately wipe data from mobile devices used by census takers in the field. Federal law bars the census from sharing personal information, even with other government agencies.The agency also said it will never send unsolicited email messages or request Social Security, credit card or bank account numbers.Despite offering wages of up to $24 an hour in parts of Wisconsin, the Census Bureau was struggling this winter to meet its recruitment goals amid historically low jobless rates.The problem was especially acute in high-employment areas such as Dane County.An interactive website showing county-level recruiting progress was replaced last week with one listing estimates of how many people were needed in each of four regions of the state.That was disappointing for members of Madison's Complete Count Committee, which had made a concerted effort to highlight local job opportunities, said committee adviser Ben Zellers.Census spokesman Robert Giblin said the bureau had received about 88.5% of its target applications as of Monday, but still needed 6,773 statewide."We still have a couple of areas that are hurting, and one of them is Dane County," he said. EDITORS NOTE: On March 10, NJ Cannabis Insider hosts its first semi-annual, daylong industry conference, featuring leaders in the medical marijuana, hemp and legal cannabis industries. Tickets are now on sale. New Jerseys top court ruled Tuesday that workers cant be fired for failing a drug test because of medical marijuana. As long as employees are not under the influence of the drug at work, the state Supreme Court said medical marijuana patients remain protected by the Law Against Discrimination, echoing an earlier appellate court decision. While Tuesdays case involved one former funeral home director who lost his job, the implications are broad. "This protects hundreds, if not thousands of employees whove faced the stigma of marijuana, said Jamison Mark, a lawyer for the former director. The ruling ensured that discrimination law and the states Compassionate Use Act were not at odds, he said. The drug should now be treated like any prescription opiate, said Maxine Mickey Neuhauser, an employment expert with the Newark office of the Epstein Becker and Green national law firm. You still need a prescription, she said, and you cant come to work high. More than 70,000 residents are enrolled in New Jerseys medical marijuana program, according to the states department of health. The ruling also means Justin Wild may continue his lawsuit against Carriage Funeral Holdings, Inc. and the Feeney Funeral Home in Ridgewood. Wild was diagnosed with cancer in 2015, according to court records, and his doctor prescribed marijuana. He told his bosses a year later, when he got into a car accident. The crash was not his fault, the lawsuit said, and one doctor said Wild was not under the influence. But the funeral home demanded a drug test, and fired him when it came back positive. Wild sued, arguing that he had been discriminated against. A Superior Court judge initially dismissed his case, but an appellate court sided with Wild. It would be ironic indeed if the Compassionate Use Act limited the Law Against Discrimination to permit an employers termination of a cancer patients employment by discriminating without compassion, that court wrote a year ago. The case now heads to Bergen County Superior Court. Wild is still looking for a job within the industry, his lawyer said, and dealing with the fallout of the car accident. Lawyers for the funeral home had argued that the Compassionate Use Act did not include job protections, according to court records. Messages left with Steven Luckner and Michael Riccobono were not immediately returned. Three new dispensaries were recently given permission to grow medical weed, and state lawmakers are weighing bills that would make the product easier to access and covered by workers compensation. In January, a state appeals court ruled that a construction company needed to cover a former employees medical marijuana. 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. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Mar. 10 By Nargiz Ismayilova Trend: The OPEC + format has not exhausted itself, despite allegations of inability to reach consensus at the last meeting, Ibrahim Ahmadov, deputy head of the public relations and events department at the Azerbaijani State Oil Company SOCAR, told Trend. "The experts agree that the common goals of the format participants are still relevant - which is the desire to jointly regulate oil markets and avoid a long-term drop in its prices. At the same time, some participants may be favoring a short-term decrease in oil prices," he noted. "Just like in 2014, today an argument is again being put forward here to put pressure on the market positions of unconventional oil, in particular, shale oil producers since for them the break-even point is higher than for conventional oil producers. If we take this justification as a basis, then most likely we can talk about a temporary price reduction," he noted. Ahmadov said that SOCAR has not invested in the production of unconventional oil in recent years, and its investments were mainly aimed at the development of oil refining and petrochemical complexes in Azerbaijan and beyond it. "This helped us balance our business portfolio. Thus, even if there are losses from the crude sale due to lower prices, the margin in oil refining and petrochemicals still is likely to increase, for which we partly buy oil from other companies at a market price," Ibrahimov added. Thus, over the past decade, SOCAR has done significant work to achieve the stability of operations and reduce the dependence of total profit on one type of product. In general, I believe that the OPEC+ format will remain relevant in the future. The issue of joint quotas for restricting oil production in accordance with market demand may be raised again, he concluded. OPEC countries recommended an additional reduction in oil production by 1.5 million barrels per day until the end of 2020. However, at the March 6 meeting, the OPEC+ countries failed to agree on either an additional reduction or extension of transactions under current conditions. As a result, on April 1, 2020, the restrictions will expire. At the VII meeting of the OPEC and OPEC+ ministers (oil exporting countries that are not members of the OPEC organization), on December 6, 2019, a decision was made to reduce OPEC+ oil production by 500,000 barrels per day. In accordance with the new "declaration of cooperation", Azerbaijans obligations were increased by 7,000 barrels and determined at the level of 27,000 barrels. Until the end of the first quarter of 2020, Azerbaijan should maintain daily oil production in the amount of 769,000 barrels. The hotel at Joint-Base San Antonio-Lackland that has hosted more than 200 evacuees from coronavirus hot spots is now empty, but a new group of evacuees from the Grand Princess cruise ship should arrive there for quarantine this week. A handful of people whod been held for extended quarantine at Lackland had all been released by late Monday morning, said Carol Williams, spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additionally, one person with the coronavirus was discharged from the hospital Friday, leaving 10 people hospitalized with the virus in San Antonio. The Grand Princess cruise ship, where at least 21 people have contracted the new coronavirus, docked in the Oakland, Calif. port on Monday afternoon. Although San Antonio officials were told over the weekend that more than 100 symptom-free evacuees from the ship could arrive as early as Monday night, the ship was turned away from San Francisco Bay, delaying the evacuation. Health officials in California have also said it could take several days to disembark the more than 3,500 people aboard. On ExpressNews.com: 'There is something wrong': Inside the release of the Diamond Princess evacuees San Antonio officials were informed late Saturday of the federal governments plans to send evacuees from the ship to Lackland, including around 90 Texans and a number of residents from surrounding states. Last Tuesday, 127 people from the Diamond Princess, which is operated by the same company as the Grand Princess, were declared healthy by the CDC and released from Lackland, a day after their quarantine officially lifted. San Antonio officials had unsuccessfully attempted to extend their quarantine and have them retested for coronavirus, after another evacuee from China was released from the hospital with low levels of the virus still in her system. A small number of evacuees from the Diamond Princess had remained behind at Lackland last week. Those people required further isolation after coming in contact with one of the dozen people in the group who were ultimately diagnosed with the virus. San Antonio officials and members of the citys federal delegation say they want the incoming evacuees from the Grand Princess to be treated differently than the two previous groups that have been quarantined at Lackland. Theyve made requests to contain the new evacuees on the base as much as possible, including for testing and the administration of medical care when possible. Mayor Ron Nirenberg has said he wants to minimize the risk of exposure to the public and keep area hospitals free to treat coronavirus cases in the community, should they begin to appear in the coming weeks. On ExpressNews.com: Victims of circumstance: Cruise ship passengers quarantined at Lackland faced chaotic trip home To that end, Gov. Greg Abbott has decided that the Texas Center for Infectious Disease a state-run tuberculosis hospital in San Antonio that has been used to treat coronavirus patients from the evacuated groups will only provide medical care for Texans moving forward. John Wittman, spokesman for the governor, said its not yet clear how many of the Grand Princess evacuees coming to Lackland, most of whom are Texans, have the virus. But Abbott wants to make sure hospital isolation beds are available for them, and for others in the state who may fall ill. The Texas Center for Infectious Disease will prioritize Texans, Wittman said. The federal government is fully capable of taking care of non-Texans. The patients who have already been admitted to the hospital will not be moved to another facility, he added. Its not clear where infected evacuees from other states would receive medical care. Wittman said thats a question for the federal government. One evacuee from Wuhan, China who tested positive for the virus was initially treated at Methodist Hospital | Texsan but was later transferred to TCID. Williams, the CDC spokeswoman, declined to comment. U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Democrat from San Antonio, and other federal officials have inquired about the potential use of military hospitals like Brooke Army Medical Center to treat coronavirus patients. So far, the Defense Department has not agreed to an arrangement. It begs the question, why the CDC decided to bring 150 people from the cruise ship to San Antonio if they only know where they can send the Texans if they get sick, Castro said. This is only two days away. What happens to the other people? After a call Monday afternoon with the Health and Human Services Department, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, another San Antonio Democrat, criticized the administrations plans for the evacuees and its failure to make arrangements to send additional protective gear for health care workers. An ill-prepared Trump Administration is apparently flying many untested cruise ship evacuees to San Antonio without an adequate plan on where to place those who test positive, Doggett said in a statement. On ExpressNews.com: Calm the panic: With impending release of cruise ship evacuees, San Antonio health officials begin pivot to community coronavirus plan Federal, state and local health officials are already contending with a growing number of coronavirus cases and localized outbreaks across the country. As of Monday, the virus had infected hundreds of people in 34 states, killing at least 26 so far. Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, said Monday that the U.S. health system could be dealing with widespread impact from the virus into 2021. Its fair to say that as the trajectory of the outbreak continues, many people in the United States will at some point in time, either this year or next, be exposed to this virus, Messonnier said in a call with reporters. And theres a good chance many will become sick. However, based on whats known now, Messonnier said federal health officials do not expect the majority of people to become severely ill from the virus. She referenced studies of about 70,000 coronavirus cases in China, which found that about 80 percent of those infected with the virus only experienced mild symptoms, while 15 to 20 percent had serious complications. The risk of dying from COVID-19, the pneumonia-like illness caused by the virus, rises with age, and with the addition of underlying medical conditions like heart and lung disease and diabetes, Messonnier said. The CDC is now recommending that individuals who are at a higher risk of becoming seriously ill from the virus make preparations for staying close to home, including stocking up on vital medications and having a supply of groceries and other necessities on hand. They should also avoid nonessential travel and crowded indoor areas, and wash their hands often, according to the guidelines. Messonnier said she has relayed the same recommendations to her own parents, who are in their 80s. 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 Though Hudson County currently only has one confirmed coronavirus patient, institutions county-wide are taking new measures daily to protect residents. This week, Hoboken has canceled events for seniors, the jail has suspended face-to-face visits and schools have planned early dismissals. See below for details and updates. Hoboken, Jersey City curtail senior activities Hoboken-sponsored senior trips and senior activities at the multi-service center are suspended beginning Wednesday, Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla announced Tuesday. The mayor is also urging residents to alert city officials if they find stores are trying to gouge consumers on coronavirus-related products such as hand sanitizer. By state law, businesses cannot raise prices of items by more than 10%. Hoboken is doing everything possible to protect the safety and well-being of our residents, and to that effect we are following the guidelines provided to us from the state of New Jersey and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Bhalla said. The city will make a determination on scheduled public meetings later this week, the mayor said. The next city council meeting is currently scheduled for March 18. Bhalla has formed a coronavirus task force with members spanning from the fire department to the school district. City departments have begun preparing for if someone in the city contracts the disease, the mayor said Sunday. Meanwhile, Jersey City has cancelled larger group events for the senior community until further notice and has 12,000 Meals Ready-to-Eat for seniors in the event of increased cases. Hudson County jail suspends contact visits Face-to-face visits at Hudson County jail have been replaced with extended non-contact and digital visits, said Ron Edwards, the director of the countys Department of Corrections. All visits are now either through a window or on video calls, he said. The temporary measures apply to both attorney and family or friend visits. The jail is additionally holding new detainees older than 60 in its medical unit, and it has designated a housing unit to serve as an isolation space if needed, Edwards said. The jail will not accept any ICE detainees that have been in China, Italy or Iran within the last 30 days, he said. The jail is storing 14 days worth of pre-packaged foods for the jails population in case of an outbreak, Edwards added. Schools plan early dismissals Jersey City public schools and the Hudson County Schools of Technology will each dismiss early one day this week to allow time for the districts to develop preparations for addressing the coronavirus outbreak. Jersey Citys school day will end early Wednesday, and the county schools will dismiss early Thursday. Our operational staff has been working around the clock to keep our facilities and buses clean and surfaces are thoroughly disinfected at all times, Hudson County Schools of Technology Superintendent Amy Lin-Rodriguez wrote in a letter to parents Tuesday. Over the coming days, HCST Emergency Management Team members of the administration will continue to meet with our state, county and local partners to ensure there will be no interruption to our academic curriculum and educational programming. Battling Coronavirus, Iran's Health Workers Complain Of Severe Shortages 03/10/20 By Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE/RL Iran's health workers are on the front lines of the country's battle with the coronavirus, which according to official figures has claimed the lives of 291 Iranians and infected more than 8,000. But many of them lack protective wear to keep them safe while treating infected patients. Medical staff at coronavirus ward, Massih Daneshvari hospital in Tehran (see more photos by Mehr News Agency) The situation is said to be particularly dire for health-care workers in the northern province of Gilan, one of Iran's coronavirus epicenters, where at least five doctors and three nurses have died recently of the COVID-19 disease. Its victims include Vahid Monsef, a doctor who specialized in emergency medicine and an associate professor at Gilan's University of Medical Sciences, who died on March 9, according to Iran's semiofficial ISNA news agency. He had been helping treat COVID-19 patients at the time. Medical staff at a hospital in Gilan, Iran Narjes Khanalizadeh, one of the first nurses in Iran to fall victim to the outbreak, was also from Gilan. The 25-year-old Khanalizadeh died in February after contracting the coronavirus from patients she had been treating in a hospital in the city of Lahijan. "We are in desperate need of N95 masks right now, and we ran out of them yesterday," the head of the Gilan Nursing Organization, Mohammad Delsuz, told the reformist Shargh daily on March 9. "[Nurses] are now using masks that have been made at home and are not safe," Delsuz said, adding that masks and latex gloves were among the most pressing needs of nurses and other medical workers in Gilan. A nurse wears protective gear in a ward dedicated to coronavirus infections at a hospital in Tehran on March 8. On March 8, nurses at a hospital in the city of Langaroud, in Gilan, took to Instagram to warn that the shortage of protective wear was putting them at risk of contamination. There are also reports of health workers testing positive for coronavirus in other Iranian provinces, including in Qom, where the first two cases of coronavirus were reported on February 19. The head of Kerman's local Mining and Industry Organization, Mehdi Hosseininejad, said over the weekend that 41 percent of those infected with coronavirus in the province were health workers, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reported. He said a shortage of face masks, disinfectant alcohol, and gloves was behind the spread of coronavirus among health workers. Speaking on March 9, the head of the national Nursing Organization, Mohammad Mirza Beigi, warned that health workers -- particularly nurses, who play a critical role in caring for coronavirus patients -- were among the most at risk of becoming infected. "If a nurse who is working to treat patients and who does not have a mask, gloves, and protective wear becomes ill or dies, who is left to help the patients and serve the people?" he asked, adding that some health centers in the country lacked surgical masks, disposable gloves, protective gowns, and face shields. "The nurses and health-care staff at medical centers take care of patients amid many difficulties," Mirza Beigi told the official government news agency IRNA. He added that the shortages for nurses in the country's northern provinces were "very worrying." Sanctions Add To Strain The coronavirus outbreak in Iran comes amid crippling U.S. economic and trade sanctions that, according to Human Rights Watch, "have drastically constrained the ability of Iranian entities to finance humanitarian imports, including vital medicines and medical equipment." Much of the protective wear, including masks, and many of the disinfectants are produced inside Iran. But many shortages have been reported since the coronavirus outbreak spread to all of the country's 31 provinces and stretched the hospitals and medical staffs to their limits. Mirza Beigi suggested that hoarding had contributed to the severe strains on protective equipment. "It is very worrying that in these harsh conditions, some are putting people's lives at risk with the hoarding of these goods," he said, adding a call for tough judiciary action against the culprits. He also called on Iranians to allow protective wear, including masks, to first be provided to health-care professionals who are endangering their own lives to save others. Iranian medical personnel wearing protective gear work at the quarantine ward of a hospital in Tehran on March 1. Relief International, one of the few international charities that has an OFAC license to operate in Iran, said in late February that the country was facing a shortage of protective items for medical staff and kits to help diagnose the virus. "There is an extreme shortage of these supplies in-country, where stock is often low due to the steep price of medicines and medical equipment -- a consequence of U.S. sanctions," Relief International said on February 29. The organization said on March 2 that it had received the first shipment of protective medical gear for health workers battling the coronavirus in Iran. "This shipment includes 5,000 goggles and 24,000 masks -- enough to protect 2,000 health workers for the next two weeks," the international aid organization said via Twitter. A nurse at Shahid Saddoughi hospotal in Yazd, Iran The World Health Organization (WHO) has also sent aid to assist Iran in its fight against the coronavirus. WHO's Iran representative, Christoph Hamelman, said on March 2 that a cargo plane had landed in Iran with protective equipment for 15,000 health workers to strengthen Iran's response. The United States has offered to help Iranian officials' response to the outbreak. But that offer has been dismissed by Iranian officials, including President Hassan Rohani, who suggested last week that the U.S. offer was disingenuous. Italy and Iran have the highest death tolls from coronavirus outside China, where the virus emerged late last year. A number of Iranian officials, including a vice president and a deputy health minister, have contracted the virus. Several other officials, including an adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have died of COVID-19. About the author: Golnaz Esfandiari is a senior correspondent with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. She can be reached at esfandiarig@rferl.org Coworking arrangement is gaining traction in recent days, especially in the startup ecosystem. This system permits different companies to share their workspace with ease. At present, India has the second-largest startup ecosystem in the world, and coworking being startup-friendly has gained popularity among small businesses. The workspace-sharing would help the organizations in cost-saving by enabling them to utilize common infrastructures like utilities, reception area, machinery, custodial services and more. Apart from reducing cost and offering convenience, coworking brings in various new opportunities to the business. According to CBRE, with the raising office rents in India, the coworking operators in tier I and II cities are expected to reach ten million square feet by 2020. Here are a few ways how coworking would aid organizations to excel in the business world. Builds Network Networking is very crucial for businesses, as this brings in the opportunity to escalate the organization to the next level. Coworking space provides the advantage of forming new networks and aid in connecting with new people. New networking events would also help in finding new collaborators which in turn would assist in augmenting the business. Increases Productivity In coworking, organizations get the opportunity to see other business working procedure and other methodologies, which would help the organization improvise and implement new ideas. Thus, coworking spaces are optimized for productivity. Unlike regular stuffiness of corporate office, coworking provides a fresh space with minimal formality and distractions which would help the employees focus on their work which would increase the business productivity. Furthermore, working around the hard-working and dedicated people would motivate the employees to enhance their efforts. Reduces Cost Usually, small businesses have quite a few overhead costs to take care of. Hence, they could opt for coworking space to cut down certain expenses such as excess utility bills, service providers and more. The coworking space would provide every basic essential needed for the organization which would aid the company to save the unnecessary expenditure and utilize it for other business purposes. Enhances Flexibility Coworking gives the privilege to work according to the business requirements. Many small businesses may not be able to afford huge deposits or lease. However, coworking provides numerous membership facility, thus, the businesses could choose monthly or even daily schedule according to their requirement. Alongside, the businesses would opt for the time they prefer to work, as coworking space eliminates the restriction of working at a specific time. Striking teachers rally Tuesday (Source: St. Paul Federation of Educators FB page) After voting overwhelmingly to strike, 3,500 teachers in St. Paul, Minnesota walked out on Tuesday in the latest fight by educators in the United States and internationally against austerity and the destruction of public education. Teachers are fighting for improved wages and expanded services for 37,000 St. Paul Public Schools (SPPS) students who have suffered years of budget cuts imposed by the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, the Minnesota affiliate of the national Democratic Party. On the picket lines Tuesday morning, Micah, a school counselor, told the WSWS, I have to look after 400 students. At some of the schools, the ratio of students to support staff is 1,500 to one, or one counselor for the whole school. Similarly, there are no nurses at some schools. I put students first, and its harder for me to help students under these conditions. Two years ago, a big part of the contract included a dispute over contributions to SPPS from Ecolab (a St. Paul-based chemical and water company). The amount of money it would take to hire this support staff is not even a fraction of that money. Its harder to teach when students come to my classes with problems from outside school. Teachers should be paid more, especially after not having increases for the previous years. I think we could win these demands if we united with other teachers. St. Paul teachers picket at Central High School Another teacher criticized efforts to scapegoat teachers for educational problems associated with poverty and underfunded schools, saying, For some students, the only warmth and food they get in the day is at school. How do they expect us teachers to solve these problems? The strike, the first in St. Paul since 1946, enjoys widespread support from students, parents and other workers. The St. Paul Federation of Educators (SPFE), however, is proposing a miserly wage increase of only 3.4 percent in the first year and 2 percent in the second year, after years in which educators have suffered a freeze in real wages. In the last SPFE contract, the union agreed to 1 percent pay raises over the two-year contract, and increased class sizes. The union said this was necessary to fund a small increase in staff for English language learners and special education. Allied with the Democratic Party, the SPFE is once again limiting pay demands to ensure they will not exceed the budget the district set prior to negotiations. At the same time, union officials have made proposals for staffing increases, particularly in mental health services. But the union has signaled its willingness to accept an agreement that meets the districts fiscal targets as long as it is combined with some face-saving gesture, including promises of joint efforts to increase staffing or find new revenue sources, a euphemism for increasing regressive taxes. Education Minnesota president Denise Specht with AFT President Randi Weingarten, left, and NEA President Lily Eskelsen-Garcia, right. (Source: SPFE FB page) St. Paul teachers should take a special warning from the joint statement issued by American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten and SPFE President Nick Faber this morning, which said, Strikes like the ones in Chicago, Los Angeles and other places across the nation have shown us what we can accomplish for our students and communities when we work together. Now its SPFEs turn. In fact, the deals signed by the unions in Los Angeles, Chicago and other cities completely betrayed the aspirations of teachers and did nothing to reverse decades of declining school funding and teacher pay and eroding classroom conditions. On the contrary, the strikes were shut down on the basis of meaningless promises to address class sizes, funding and the expansion of charter schools sometime in the future. The Chicago Teachers Union shut down the 11-day strike last October before giving teachers the right to vote and agreed to a deal, which includes wholly inadequate increases in the number of social workers and nurses over a five-year period, little or no increases in prep time, and worthless aspirations to reduce class sizes through a joint labor-management review committee. The deal also paves the way for more school closings in the city. This only underscores the needs for teachers to take the conduct of the struggle out of the hands of the SPFE and build rank-and-file strike committees to unite educators with students, parents and broader sections of the working class. These committees must reject what the political and corporate establishment says is affordable and fight for what teachers and students need. Such a struggle should be connected with reviving the powerful traditions of socialism in the Twin Cities and mobilizing the working class against both corporate-controlled parties. Teachers are demanding raises, increased staff and better classroom conditions Last month, St. Pauls Democratic mayor Melvin Carterwho was endorsed by the SPFE and has joined the negotiationsdeclared that we are not facing a situation of opposing or conflicting visions for our community, but really the constraints of limited resources. But the fact is there are two directly conflicting interests at hand. The teachers have one visionliving wages, expanding services and fully funded schools. The Democrats, the school board and the unions insist that there are not enough resources to meet the teachers legitimate demands. In their joint statement this morning, Weingarten and Faber write that the strike is about a commitment for the union and the school district to work together to address the root causes of St. Pauls education funding issues. But the root causes of declining school funding in St. Paul, like everywhere else, is capitalism, a system that subordinates every aspect of social life, including the education of the next generation, to the relentless drive for profit by giant corporations and banks. Attaining the resources needed to fully fund education requires a radical redistribution of wealth, something the Democrats and Republicansand millionaire union officials like Weingarten (annual salary of more than $500,000)completely oppose. The problem is not limited resources but the monopolization of societys resources by the super-rich. The top 10 largest corporations in Minnesota alone made $40.64 billion in profits in 2019, with many of them paying less in taxes than the previous year. A list of Minnesota billionaires includes: Whitney MacMillan (Cargill), $6 billion; Glen Taylor (Taylor Corp., Minnesota Timberwolves, Minnesota Lynx, United FC), $2.6 billion; Stanley Hubbard (Hubbard Broadcasting), $2.2 billion; William F. Austin (Starkey Hearing Technologies), $1.6 billion; Martha MacMillan and John MacMillantwo other heirs to Cargill, the world's biggest agriculture business and the largest private company in the USwith $1.3 billion each. A wealth tax on the private fortunes of these oligarchs would provide more than enough resources to fully fund a living wage and a vast expansion of services not only in St. Paul but throughout the state. The issue is not increased wages vs. expanding critical support staff, but a fight for both. The issues in St. Paul are the same teachers confront throughout the US and internationally. Over the last two years, over 700,000 teachers and other educators in the US have conducted the largest wave of teacher strikes in decades, from West Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizona to Los Angeles, Oakland and Chicago. This is part of an international upsurge of educators. Last month, 200,000 teachers in Ontario, Canada struck and even as St. Paul teachers walk the picket lines, hundreds of teachers in Puebla, Mexico are protesting to demand increased funding. The AFT and the National Education Association have done everything to block the separate strikes from coalescing into a national strike, while promoting the lie that teachers can attain their demands through the Democratic Party. But Democrats like Obama and Biden, no less than Trump and the Republicans, have spent decades cutting school funding and pushing for-profit charter schools while squandering trillions on bank bailouts, wars and corporate subsidies. Conditions are emerging to unite teachers with ever broader sections of the workers, including janitors and health care workers who are also biting at the bit to fight against poverty level wages and overwork. As of this month, one-third of teachers in Minnesota have not settled contracts. To unite workers in a common struggle, St. Paul teachers should organize rank-and-file committees, which act independently of the AFT-SPFE, and fight to expand the struggle to teachers and broader sections of the working class throughout the state and beyond. (CNN) -- Disney is reopening some areas of its mega resort in Shanghai more than a month after it was forced to close because of the coronavirus outbreak. The company said Monday that certain shopping and dining attractions would operate at a limited capacity, while the Shanghai Disneyland theme park itself would remain closed. Disney closed its parks in Shanghai and Hong Kong in January, and later warned that profits from its facilities in China could drop by $280 million in the current quarter. The company has also temporarily shuttered its parks in Japan. The move this week marks "the first step of a phased reopening" in China, according to Disney. The reopening covers some attractions at the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and Disneytown, which includes the famous "downtown Disney" area and sits just outside the park. Masks and health records Visitors will be greeted by a very different atmosphere than before the coronavirus outbreak, however. From now on, guests entering the facilities will have to undergo temperature screenings, and be required to wear a mask throughout the entire visit, the company said. Anyone entering one of the dining areas will also have to present a QR code that pulls up their health records. They are also being asked to "maintain respectful social distances" while using the premises, which will operate on a reduced schedule. The move comes as the novel coronavirus outbreak continues to slow down within China, and surge dramatically elsewhere. Companies in mainland China and Hong Kong are trying to get back to business, albeit in stages, while millions of people continue to work from home. Last month, Wynn and Sands China began restoring some operations at their casinos in Macao after closing for two weeks on government orders. Both companies also said that they were taking a phased approach in line with official guidelines. Over the past week, the coronavirus outbreak in China has become a global pandemic, with cases surging in the United States, South Korea and Europe. The global nature of the threat has prompted questions about whether Disney will be forced to temporarily shut some of its theme parks in other regions as well. The stakes are high. In an earnings call last month, Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy said that "the precise magnitude of the financial impact is highly dependent on the duration of the closures." This story was first published on CNN.com. "Disney reopens shops and restaurants in Shanghai but the park stays shut." A grieving mother who sat through three trials over the murder of her daughter, has said she is relieved that her daughters domineering killer has had his latest legal challenge thrown out. Darren Murphy (42), of Dan Desmond Villas, Passage West, Co Cork had admitted killing Olivia Dunlea (36) at her home in Pembroke Crescent, Passage West, on February 17, 2013, but denied it was murder. Murphy also admitted setting fire to Ms Dunlea's home because, he claimed, he didn't want the kids to find her. The separated mother-of-three had been seeing Murphy for about two months. He was found guilty of murder by a Central Criminal Court jury in 2014, but his conviction was subsequently quashed over the then trial judges instructions to the jury on the defence of provocation. A retrial in 2017 resulted in a hung jury before Murphy was convicted again following a third trial in the summer of 2018. This conviction was upheld by the Court of Appeal today. Ms Dunleas mother, Anne Dunlea, and other family members were present throughout the three trials and two appeals, which took place over the course of six years, and concluded today. Speaking outside court after Murphys conviction was upheld, Anne Dunlea said she was relieved with the Court of Appeals decision. After seven years now. We have that behind us and we can start grieving properly. Our hearts are broken over him, dragging us through all this. Three trials and two appeals will kill you. I dont know how were sane, its a disgrace. This was hanging over us all the time. Olivia Dunlea Ms Dunlea said she couldnt believe the amount of opportunities Murphy got in the courts. Terrible, I couldnt believe it, that he could actually do that. If he was paying for all those (cases) he wouldnt be doing it Id say. She said the experience was traumatising, having to hear Murphy drag Ms Dunleas name through the dirt, and added that she hoped it was the last time she would have to lay eyes on him. The Central Criminal Court heard that Olivia and Murphy were having a good time in the nearby Rochestown Inn on the Saturday night before her death. A taxi driver, who brought them home around midnight, gave evidence that Ms Dunlea seemed to be in good spirits, but Murphy was grumpy, kind of frosty, and there was tension in the air. The body of Ms Dunlea was found with multiple stab wounds in a badly burned bedroom in her home in Passage West. Gardai recovered a knife from a sink and a phone from a toilet bowl after the fire. She was still alive when Murphy set the fires but was unable to raise the alarm due to the extent of her injuries. In his closing speech to the jury, prosecuting counsel Thomas Creed SC, said Murphy could have called emergency services to try and save her. But that's not what he did. He set fire to the house and left her in a situation where she could have been saved, Mr Creed told the jury. Murphy then watched from Church Hill above like Nero as the house burned with Olivia in it. Having received the inevitable phone call, Murphy then came back to the scene all full of crocodile tears knowing full well what had happened. It was one big concocted lie to try and confound the people around him, and was all about protecting Darren Murphy, said Mr Creed. Not only was he killing the children's mother but he was killing their pets, counsel said. All their little budgies and lizards upstairs in the room died. Their dog would have died also if it wasn't for the bravery of a neighbour, counsel said. Mr Creed finished his speech by describing the incident as a a sustained, calculated and callous attack over a period of a number of minutes whereby he firstly tried to smother Olivia Dunlea and when he didn't succeed he stabbed her." In the first trial, Ms Dunlea's sister, Ann Power, told Mr Creed that Murphy wanted to be with alone Olivia 24 hours a day and was suffocating of her. 'Massive row' Murphy told gardai that he had a massive row with Olivia on the night in question, that he snapped and that the knife was no sooner in my hands than it was in her neck. He claimed she provoked him, by insinuating that an ex-lover was calling over. Dismissing Murphys latest case on Tuesday, President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice George Birmingham said the defence had cross examined a marginal prosecution witness to ensure the jury were told that Murphy was a gentle giant and a good neighbour. The defence also wished the jury to hear how Murphy had coped with the break-up of a previous relationship. Far from being a gentle giant, the prosecution wished to adduce evidence that Murphy was controlling and domineering. Mr Justice Birmingham said the defence had made a decision, to paint a particular picture for the jury. But if they felt it was only a partial picture, the prosecution were entitled to adduce evidence to paint the complete picture, so the jury could properly decide for themselves. Furthermore, Mr Justice Birmingham said the trial judges instructions to the jury on the defence of provocation in this trial were clear, and indeed emphatic. Mr Justice Birmingham, who sat with Mr Justice John Edwards and Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly, said the court had not been persuaded to uphold either ground of appeal, and the case was therefore dismissed. Olivias mother, Anne Dunlea, looked visibly relieved at the decision. Fourteen MLAs of the Congress in Madhya Pradesh who are loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia have sent their resignations to state Governor on Tuesday, Raj Bhawan sources said. "We have received resignations of 14 MLAs through two e-mails with attachments," a Raj Bhawan official told PTI. Further details are awaited. A short while ago, Scindia tendered his resignation to party president Sonia Gandhi in Delhi, moments after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least 27 people have died in Iran from methanol poisoning after rumours that drinking alcohol can help cure the coronavirus infection, reported IRNA on Monday (March 9). The outbreak of the coronavirus in Iran is one of the deadliest outside of China. According to IRNA, 22 people have died in Khuzestan, while seven lost their lives in the northern region of Alborz after drinking bootleg alcohol. Notably, alcohol consumption is banned across Iran for everyone except some non-Muslim religious minorities. Talking to IRNA, a spokesman for Jundishapur medical university in Khuzestan, said 218 people had been admitted to hospital after consuming bootleg liquor. The poisonings were caused by "rumours that drinking alcohol can be effective in treating coronavirus," Ali Ehsanpour added. The deputy prosecutor of Alborz, Mohammad Aghayari, told IRNA the people who lost their lives had consumed methanol after being "misled by content online, thinking they were fighting coronavirus and curing it." Methanol can cause blindness, liver damage and death if consumed in large quantities, It is to be noted that coronavirus outbreak has spread in all 31 provinces of Iran, killing 237 people and infecting 7,161. IRNA reported that 16 people have died of coronavirus infection in Khuzestan so far. Russian lawmaker proposes to hold early State Duma election RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 12:42 10/03/2020 MOSCOW, March 10 (RAPSI) A lawmaker representing the United Russia political party Alexander Karelin during a plenary meeting on Tuesday proposed to hold early State Duma election. The Constitution, amendments give MPs sweeping powers; the President suggests increasing the role of political parties, Karelin said. He believes it would be fair to hold new election staying in tune with their new possibilities. The State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin in turn offered Karelin to submit relevant amendments prior to the second reading of a Constitution changes bill. New Delhi: Shahrukh Khan who pointed a gun at a police constable during riots in Northeast Delhi last week, being brought at the Delhi Police Headquarters after he was nabbed from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh; on March 3, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS New Delhi, March 10 : A court here on Tuesday sent Shahrukh Khan, who brandished gun at a police head constable during the violence in Delhi's northeast area, to 14 day judicial custodys. He was presented the Karkardooma court at the end of his three-day remand period amidst high security. The police has yet not been able to establish his association with any gang. A video of Shahrukh Khan pointing gun at Delhi Police Head Constable Deepak Dahia had gone viral during the communal riots in northeast Delhi last month. He went at large after the incident and was arrested from Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly on March 3. Following his apprehension, the court sent him to police remand twice. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Delhi Police's Crime Nranch recovered an illegal country-made pistol used by him on Friday. The hunt for the man who supplied him the gun is underway. Police has registered a case against the accused under Section 186 and 383 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Arms Act. KYODO NEWS - Mar 10, 2020 - 11:47 | All, Japan, Coronavirus, World (An officer calls on passersby to donate blood at a donor center in Nagasaki) TOKYO - Fewer people are donating blood in Japan amid the outbreak of the new coronavirus, leading the Japanese Red Cross Society to voice concern over potential supply shortages. On average, Japan needs about 13,000 blood donors a day to secure a stable supply of blood products for transfusions at nationwide medical institutions, according to the organization. But the amount of blood donated has fallen since the government's Feb. 25 decision to request people to refrain from going outside as part of measures to contain the spread of the pneumonia-causing virus. The volume until the end of February following the decision stood at 88 percent of the planned level, the organization said. Related coverage: Taiwan beating the odds on COVID-19 Mask resellers could face 1 year in prison, hefty fine under new ban Cabinet OKs bill to enable Abe to declare emergency amid virus spread About 920 blood donation events were canceled or postponed between Feb. 19 and Thursday, and the number of people coming into donor centers has remained limited ever since as they have avoided going outside unless absolutely necessary, it said. Fearing the current situation may hinder supplies, the Red Cross is calling on people to donate blood, saying they can lower the risk of becoming infected with the virus and avoid crowds by reserving times to visit donor centers by 5 p.m. on the previous day. Japanese swimming star Rikako Ikee, 19, who shocked fans February last year after revealing her leukemia diagnosis, also made a Twitter post on Thursday calling on more people to donate blood. "Because of the sharp drop in blood donations, there are people who are spending their days worried," she said in her tweet. T he Dutch Prime Minister today called on his citizens to "stop shaking hands" to slow down the spread of coronavirus, before seconds later shaking hands with an expert he was introduced to. PM Mark Rutte said during a press conference in the Netherlands: "From this moment on, we stop shaking hands. "You can do a foot kiss, bump elbows, whatever you want. "I see all kinds of great variations on shaking hands emerging at schools, but from today we stop shaking hands. Coronavirus - In pictures 1 /106 Coronavirus - In pictures A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" is seen on an underground station platform Getty Images Customers wearing face masks shop at the pork counter of a supermarket following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province Reuters Westminster Bridge is deserted in London the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown PA Canadian passengers Chris & Anna Joiner ask for help onboard the MS Zaandam, Holland America Line cruise ship, during the coronavirus outbreak, off the shores of Panama City via Reuters A man crosses a nearly empty 5th Avenue in midtown Manhattan during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York City Reuters The London Eye is pictured lit blue in support of the NHS, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Commuters cope with Coronavirus Jeremy Selwyn Milan's Piazza del Duomo empty AFP via Getty Images People in protective clothing walk past rows of beds at a temporary 2,000-bed hospital for COVID-19 coronavirus patients set up by the Iranian army at the international exhibition center in northern Tehran, Iran AP Martina Papponetti, 25, an ICU nurse at the Humanitas Gavazzeni Hospital in Bergamo, Italy poses for a portrait at the end of her shift AP Pope Francis celebrating a daily mass alone in the Santa Marta chapel at the Vatican, as part of precautionary measures against the spread of the new coronavirus COVID-19 AFP via Getty Imag Vysheyshaya Liga - FC Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino v FC Belshina Bobruisk - Torpedo Stadium, Zhodino, Belarus, March 27, 2020 Players in action during the match despite most sport being cancelled around the world as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Hanks and Wilson both have coronavirus Tom Hanks General view of an emergency makeshift field hospital as it is set up at Pacaembu Stadium for coronavirus (COVID-19) patients with a capacity of 200 beds in Sao Paulo, Brazil Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling on people to stay away from pubs, clubs and theatres, work from home if possible and avoid all non-essential contacts and travel in order to reduce the impact of the coronavirus pandemic PA Naomi Campbell catches a flight in a hazmat suit with goggles, a surgical mask and rubber gloves @naomi Sophie and Emily Ward pose for a photograph with their hand-drawn picture of rainbows and a message on their window in St Helens, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Corona virus outbreak. PA Shoppers queue outside a branch of Costco, in Croydon, south London, on the weekend after Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered pubs and restaurants across the country to close PA Charing Cross Tube Bakerloo Line very quiet at 8.15am Jeremy Selwyn A woman with a plastic box over her head on the London Underground. PA A Racegoer attend Cheltenham Festival on Ladies Day wearing a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits a laboratory at the Public Health England National Infection Service in Colindale PA A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A couple kiss in Milano Centrale railway station in Milan on March 8, 2020 AFP via Getty Images A combination picture shows visitors wearing protective face masks following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) looking at blooming cherry blossom nd a pigeon walking at an closed cherry blossom viewing spot during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (not pictured) urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors, in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from spreading Reuters This combination photo created on March 5, 2020 shows tourists visiting Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap province on March 16, 2019 (top) and on March 5, 2020 AFP via Getty Images Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump looks at the $2.2 trillion coronavirus aid package bill as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Vice President Mike Pence stand by during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House Reuters A satellite image shows an empty South Beach during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Miami, via Reuters General view inside the empty stadium as the two teams line up prior to the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg match between Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund at Parc des Princes UEFA via Getty Images A Sainsbury's supermarket in Cambridge is among those to sell out of antibacterial hand sanitizer PA Tents and ambulances are set up next to the Princess Cruises Grand Princess cruise as it sits docked in the Port of Oakland on March 09, 2020 in Oakland, California. The Princess Cruises Grand Princess has been held from docking until today as at least 21 people on board have tested positive for COVID-19 also known as the Coronavirus Getty Images Medical staff produce traditional Chinese medicine to treat patients infected by the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images Army soldiers wearing protective suits spray disinfectant as a precaution against the new coronavirus at a shopping street in Seoul, South Korea AP Russian President Vladimir Putin wearing protective gear walks at a hospital for patients infected with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Moscow via Reuters 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 Passengers on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship are seen as the ship arrives at Daikoku Pier where it is being resupplied and newly diagnosed coronavirus cases taken for treatment as it remains in quarantine after a number of the 3,700 people on board were diagnosed with coronavirus Getty Images Dave Abel pictured in hospital in Japan Manchester United fans in the stands during the Premier League match at Old Trafford PA Police officers wearing masks stand in front of the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in La Caleta, in the Canary Island of Tenerife AP Carnival revellers wear protective face masks at Venice Carnival Reuters A general view is pictured of Burbage Primary School in Buxton, Derbyshire after the closure of the school as a pupil's parent has tested positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19 AFP via Getty Images People wearing face masks walk past the Olympic rings in front of the new National Stadium, the main stadium for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Game Getty Images People leave Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre in Milton Keynes where Coronavirus evacuees are due to be released from quarantine today and allowed to go home PA Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA A woman wears a mask while crossing London Bridg Getty Images A general view of Worthing Hospital in West Sussex PA Passengers relax on board the Holland America-operated Westerdam cruise ship, which has been denied permission to dock in Thailand over coronavirus fears via Reuters A child waves as she sits in a vehicle carrying residents evacuated from a public housing building, following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, outside Hong Mei House, at Cheung Hong Estate in Hong Kong Reuters A woman wearing a Minnie Mouse face mask looks at her mobile phone in Beijing on February 11, 2020 AFP via Getty Images The Costa Smeralda cruise ship of Costa Crociere, carrying around 6,000 passengers, is docked at the Italian port of Civitavecchia after a health alert due to a Chinese couple and a possible link to coronavirus on board, in Civitavecchia, Italy Reuters A patient covered with a bed sheet at an exhibition centre converted into a hospital as it starts to accept patients displaying mild symptoms of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images A medical official takes the body temperature of a man at the departure hall of the airport in Changsha, Hunan Province, as the country is hit by an outbreak of a new coronavirus, China Reuters The view of the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center Getty Images A plane carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, arrives at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire A police vehicle enters the gates of the Royal Air Force station RAF Brize Norton in Carterton AFP via Getty Images Passengers wear face masks as the push their luggage after arriving from a flight at Terminal 5 of London Heathrow Airport AFP via Getty Images French citizens arrive and settle aboard of an evacuation plane with destination southeastern France, before departure from Wuhan Airport (WUH), China AFP via Getty Images Police stand at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge that crosses from Hubei province in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, China Reuters A member of staff at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside prepares for a bus carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China PA Doctor Paul McKay, who is working on an vaccine for the 2019-nCoV strain of the novel coronavirus, poses for a photograph with bacteria containing fragments of coronavirus DNA, at Imperial College School of Medicine (ICSM) in Londo AFP via Getty Images Workers produce masks at the Thai Hospital Product Company Ltd. factory in Bangkok AFP via Getty Images Passengers wearing face masks are seen on a bus after disembarking from the Costa Smeralda cruise ship, after tests on a woman from Macau with suspected coronavirus came back negative, in Civitavecchia, Italy Reuters People hoard bottles of alcohol after the Philippine government confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in the country, in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines Reuters Taking precautions: with fears growing that the coronavirus will spread from China, a health official checks a womans temperature on the underground in Beijing Getty Images An empty road is seen in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020, amid a deadly virus outbreak which began in the city AFP via Getty Images Students wearing masks meditate prior to a lesson at a high school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia AP Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital wear protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus AFP via Getty Images Staff move bio-waste containers past the entrance of the Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, where some infected with a new virus are being treated, in Wuhan, China AP Workers driving excavators at the construction site of a field hospital In Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The builders will complete the 1,000-bed hospital by February 3 to cope with the surge of 2019-nCoV patients in the city Getty Images Buddhist monks wear masks as they walk near Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodi AP A woman and a child wearing protective masks walk toward check-in counters at Daxing international airport in Beijing AFP via Getty Images An employee sprays disinfectant on a train as a precaution against a new coronavirus at Suseo Station in Seoul, South Korea AP A policeman wearing a mask walks past a quarantine notice about the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China at an arrival hall of Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan Reuters Paramilitary police wear face masks as they stand guard at Tiananmen Gate adjacent to Tiananmen Square in Beijing AP The resident wear masks to buy vegetables in the market in Wuhan Getty Images Staff sell masks at a Yifeng Pharmacy in Wuhan AP Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV AP However as he wrapped up, he somewhat undermined his message by shaking hands with the head of the infectious diseases department of the national public health institute Jaap van Dissel. Mr van Dissel of the public health institute quickly pointed out the Prime Ministers error. Former lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani has taken to social media to express that a lot of legislators in the country lack courage to fight for the people they represent. The former lawmaker from Kaduna expressed that when controversial issues come up in the National Assembly, a lot of seats remains vacant in the legislative chambers. Also Read: MI Abaga, Banky W, Others Move Against Social Media Bill The former lawmaker went further to state that on the day the controversial social media and hate speech bill will be passed into law, many legislators would be absent. See his tweets below: WHEN controversial matters are to be debated or approved in the parliament on the orders of the executive,its usual on that day to find most of the seats in the Chamber unoccupied.Legislators who lacks the Courage to support or oppose it will enter,sign attendance & disappear. Senator Shehu Sani (@ShehuSani) March 10, 2020 The quarantined Grand Princess cruise ship arrived at the Port of Oakland midday Monday in order to offload passengers and crew members who have tested positive for or may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus. Passenger evacuations are expected to take two to three days after the ship docks, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Sunday at a news conference with local and state officials. The ship's docking process at the 10-acre port site is expected to be complex due to the ship's size and various factors like tide conditions. Health officials have screened at least 46 people aboard the ship for the virus and 21 have tested positive, 19 of whom are crewmembers. The ship had been stationed off of the San Francisco coast as federal, state and local health officials seek a solution to evacuate its passengers and take them to local hospitals to be quarantined. Once passengers are removed from the ship, it is expected to leave the Bay Area to continue the crew's quarantine. More details about the process of taking passengers off the ship have not been released by authorities Monday afternoon. The first coronavirus-related death in Santa Clara County was confirmed Monday, county public health officials said. The victim, a woman in her 60s with chronic health conditions, had been hospitalized for several weeks and died at El Camino Hospital. The county's Public Health Department confirmed the woman's contraction of the virus Feb. 28. She was the county's third confirmed case overall and the first without a known history of international travel or contact with an infected person. Public health officials have now confirmed 37 cases of coronavirus in Santa Clara County as of March 8, many of whom are now hospitalized or in self-quarantine. The county's first confirmed case, a man who traveled to Shanghai and Wuhan, China, in January, fully recovered and was released from home isolation Feb. 20. The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management confirmed five new cases of novel coronavirus Monday, bringing the city's total to 13 confirmed cases. The five patients are currently in home quarantine and are in good condition, according to the department. All five are known to have come into contact with another person who is confirmed to have the virus. Further information about the patients is being kept confidential to protect their anonymity. Over the weekend, the city issued orders barring large and non-essential gatherings at city-owned properties and visitors at Laguna Honda Hospital. The city's social distancing recommendations also remain in place. Most public schools in the city have remained open and have not reported any potential exposure to the virus. However, the San Francisco Unified School District closed Lowell High School on Thursday after officials learned a student's relative was being treated for the virus. The school remained closed Monday. The Immaculate Conception Academy Cristo Rey and Archbishop Riordan High School also announced closures after people related to each school tested positive for the virus. In an attempt to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, University of California at Berkeley officials announced Monday that most in-person classes will be suspended through spring break. UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ in a message to students and staff said the changes will start Tuesday and last through the end of spring break on March 29. Plans after that will be dependent on the latest coronavirus information at that time, Christ wrote. Along with suspending most in-person classes, the school is offering all lecture courses through remote programs like Zoom or Course Capture. The in-person classes that will continue as scheduled include all laboratory, performing arts and physical education courses, which will be encouraged to have minimal in-person meetings as appropriate, according to the school. The East Bay city of Dublin said Monday that it will cancel its annual St. Patrick's Day festivities amid fears of the novel coronavirus' spread. Dublin made the decision to cancel the annual two-day holiday festival, 5K Shamrock Fun Run and Walk, parade and pancake breakfast after consulting with Alameda County public health and emergency services officials. The festivities were originally scheduled for this upcoming Saturday and Sunday. The two-day event draws roughly 80,000 people each year, according to city officials. To date, two Alameda County residents have tested positive for coronavirus, also known by the medical designation COVID-19. Both cases were confirmed in the last 10 days, according to county health officials. The city of Monterey announced Monday that it has asked cruise ship companies to cancel planned stops in Monterey Bay for the foreseeable future due to fears of the novel coronavirus spreading. Princess Cruises' Royal Princess ship has canceled planned stops in the bay March 31, April 14 and April 28, according to city officials. Holland America's Maasdam cruise ship also canceled its planned April 29 stop. The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety announced Monday that officers arrested a San Jose man suspected of shooting two people, killing one of them, after a minor vehicle collision Saturday afternoon. Officers arrested Jason Tahara, 23, for allegedly shooting a man and woman in their vehicle when the pair pulled over around 4:30 p.m. Saturday to exchange information after colliding with Tahara's vehicle near the intersection of Homestead Road and Linnet Lane. Public safety officials said Tahara allegedly fired multiple rounds into the vehicle, killing the man and injuring the woman, who was transported to a hospital and is expected to survive. The man's name is not yet being released. The San Jose Police Department located and arrested Tahara just before 7 p.m. that day. After obtaining a search warrant, officers found two tactical-style rifles, high-capacity rifle magazines, an external body armor vest, two handguns with high-capacity magazines and more than 200 rounds each of handgun and rifle ammunition in Tahara's vehicle. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office has identified a man who suffered a medical emergency and died while he was being booked into Sonoma County Jail late Friday night as Douglas Thoreson, 59, Rohnert Park. The Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety arrested Thoreson on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance and a violation of probation, Santa Rosa police Lt. Dan Marincik said. During a pre-medical screening in the booking area at 11:53 p.m. Friday, Thoreson suffered a medical emergency. Corrections officers performed life-saving measures but could not revived him and he was pronounced dead at about 12:30 a.m. Saturday, Marincik said. Santa Rosa police are investigating the case and the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office is conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death, Marincik said. A 20-year-old Rohnert Park man will appear in Sonoma County juvenile court in Santa Rosa on Wednesday morning for the murder of a Cotati teen in 2016. A landscaper found Kirk Kimberly's body covered with dirt and debris in a secluded area 200 yards west of a parking lot on the Sonoma State University campus in Rohnert Park on Nov. 2, 2016, 16 days after he was reported missing to Cotati police. Sonoma County sheriff's detectives conducted interviews and reviewed physical and forensic evidence for three years, and on Feb. 28 Daniel Carrillo was arrested and charged with Kimberly's murder. A forensic pathologist determined Kimberly was stabbed multiple times, sheriff's Sgt. Juan Valencia said. A Fairfield man who was involved in a collision on westbound Interstate Highway 80 died Saturday when he got out of his vehicle and was struck by several vehicles, the California Highway Patrol said. Luis Perez Vazquez, 34, of Fairfield, was driving erratically on I-80 east of Travis Boulevard in Fairfield around 8:50 p.m. when he collided with a vehicle and struck the center median wall, according to the CHP. Vazquez then got out of his vehicle and was struck by another vehicle, throwing him into the eastbound lanes of Highway 80 where several other vehicles struck him. Only two drivers were contacted and are cooperating with the collision investigation, the CHP said. Vazquez was pronounced dead at 9:04 p.m. and it appears alcohol may be a factor in the initial collision, according to the CHP. The Led Zeppelin rock band won a copyright dispute over its iconic "Stairway to Heaven" song in a federal appeals court in San Francisco Monday. An 11-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled by a 9-2 vote that a short opening passage in the British band's 1971 song did not violate the copyright of an earlier song written by the late guitarist Randy Wolfe for his band Spirit in 1967. The panel upheld the conclusion of a federal jury in Los Angeles in 2016 that disputed passages in the two songs were not substantially similar. Among other conclusions, the appeals court said the trial judge was correct in not allowing the jury to hear a sound recording of the earlier song, "Taurus," as played by Wolfe's band. At the time Wolfe copyrighted the sheet music of "Taurus" in 1967, copyright law covered only written sheet music and not music recordings. Instead of hearing the full band's recording of the earlier song, the jurors listened to a guitarist's partial reconstruction based on the sheet music. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today: 1. XI VISITS VIRUS EPICENTER AS RECESSION FEARS GRIP WORLD Chinas president visits Wuhan, the center of the global virus outbreak, as Italy begins a nationwide travel ban and people worldwide brace for the possibility of recession. 2. EVERYONE WAS HOLLERING AND CLAPPING Thousands of passengers aboard the virus-stricken Grand Princess cruise ship wait for their chance to leave the vessel in California, even if it meant being quarantined at military bases. 3. VIRUS PUSHES ITALY TO BRINK Italian doctors celebrate one small victory against the virus after Patient No. 1 was moved out of intensive care. But in the rest of hard-hit Lombardy, physicians are choosing who gets the limited number of ICU beds. 4. GLOBAL STOCKS STEADY AFTER HISTORIC PLUNGE World markets rebound from record-setting declines after Trump says he would ask Congress for a tax cut and other measures to counter the spreading coronavirus outbreak. 5. MICHIGAN THE BIG PRIZE IN LATEST PRIMARY The state could either revive Bernie Sanders presidential campaign or relegate him to the role of protest candidate to front-runner Joe Biden. 6. US TAKES STEP FORWARD IN TALIBAN PEACE DEAL The U.S. military begins withdrawing troops from Afghanistan while the countrys president also promises to start releasing Taliban prisoners after a delay. 7. WHAT WEINSTEINS LAWYERS WANT Attorneys for the former Hollywood mogul say he only deserves five years in prison for his rape conviction after already suffering a historic fall from grace and serious health issues. 8. FIFTH-THIRD ACCUSED OF FRAUD A federal regulator alleges that the Cincinnati-based bank opened fake accounts like Wells Fargo to meet aggressive sales targets. 9. PEARL JAM POSTPONES FIRST LEG OF TOUR The Seattle-based band puts off the North American dates of its Gigaton world tour this spring because of concerns over the new coronavirus. 10. WHO STANDS TO LOSE MOST OVER OLYMPICS CANCELLATION The most affected would be the athletes, broadcasters, sponsors and a Japanese government that has spent billions to organize the Tokyo Games. Chandigarh: Senior Haryana Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi on Tuesday described Jyotiraditya Scindia's exit from the party a big blow and said there are many devoted leaders across the country who feel "alienated, wasted and discontented". Stressing that Scindia was a central pillar of the party, Bishnoi, who is younger son of the former Haryana chief minister Bhajan Lal, felt that the Congress leadership should have done more to convince him to stay. He also said the party needs to empower young leaders who have the capacity to work hard and resonate with the masses. "Scindia's departure is a big blow to the Congress. He was a central pillar in the party and the leadership should've done more to convince him to stay," the 51-year-old Adampur MLA said in a tweet. "Like him, there are many other devoted INC leaders across the country who feel alienated, wasted & discontented," Bishnoi added. Bishnoi, who in the past was a known detractor of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, in another tweet said, "India's oldest party needs to empower young leaders who have the capacity to work hard and resonate with the masses." Bishnoi, who is a four-time legislator and has remained the Lok Sabha MP twice, had floated his own outfit the Haryana Janhit Congress over 10 years ago when the Congress high command picked Hooda over Bhajan Lal for the chief minister's post in 2005. At that time, Hooda was an MP from Rohtak. Bishnoi and his father had severed ties with the Congress and floated their own outfit. His party had also entered into an alliance with the BJP but the arrangement did not work and their pact broke weeks before the 2104 assembly polls. In 2016, Bishnoi returned to the Congress. He merged his party with the Congress. At present, Hooda is the Leader of Opposition in the Haryana assembly. Last year, Bishnoi had termed the scrapping of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 a good decision. Earlier on Tuesday, in a massive setback for the Congress, its prominent youth leader Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the party and appeared to join the BJP amid a rebellion in Madhya Pradesh by his supporters, pushing the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government to the brink of collapse. A shell-shocked Congress, in a largely symbolic move of no consequence, expelled Scindia, the party general secretary and scion of the erstwhile Gwalior royal family, on charges of anti-party activities. CLEVELAND, Ohio No new novel coronavirus cases were reported Tuesday in Ohio, but the number of people being tested in the state has tripled. The Ohio Department of Healths website listed 15 Ohioans currently being tested for COVID-19. This is the highest number of people in the state being tested for the respiratory illness since its outbreak nearly a month ago. The Ohio Department of Health began testing for COVID-19 on Saturday and has the capacity to test about 300-400 people. Other private companies, including LabCorp and Quest also will be offering tests. Before that, only a handful of people had been tested. Of Mondays confirmed cases, all three are in Cuyahoga County but none are in the city of Cleveland, health officials said. Two people were on a cruise in Egypt, and the other was at an American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington, D.C. All are aged 54-56. Two cases involve men, and the other case involves a woman. All three people with COVID-19 are in isolation at their homes and under remote supervision by their health care providers, Cuyahoga County Health Commissioner Terry Allan said. One of the three people who tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Ohio is a male employee of the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland, located in Cleveland Heights. Four Hawken School students who traveled last week to a conference in Washington, D.C., with a man who has tested positive for coronavirus are self-quarantined, according to the school. The students, who attend Hawkens Upper School campus in Gates Mills, traveled to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference on the same bus with an employee of the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland. The number of Ohioans under public health supervision remains at 255. This number is updated only on Wednesdays. This figure reflects travelers referred to ODH for monitoring; the number includes travelers who have finished their self-monitoring home quarantine, health officials said. The number of Ohioans who have tested negative for COVID-19 is 14, according to Tuesdays update. ODH releases new numbers pertaining to COVID-19 at 2 p.m. daily. A state call center to answer questions regarding COVID-19 is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634). Summit County Public Health also has set up a call center to answer questions about the illness 8a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 330-926-5795. COVID-19 is a respiratory illness with symptoms similar to those of the flu fever, cough and shortness of breath that has sickened thousands and killed more than 3,100 in China, according to the World Health Organization. There is not yet a vaccine for COVID-19, nor are there any medications approved to treat it, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Ohio State University is immediately suspending all face-to-face instruction until March 30 on its campuses in reaction to the first cases of coronavirus in Ohio. Here are the latest numbers from across the United States and the world, as of 2 p.m. Tuesday. Statistics about COVID-19 worldwide are from the World Health Organization as of Monday; U.S. numbers are from the CDC as of Tuesday: Countries, territories and areas with confirmed cases: 105 U.S. jurisdictions reporting cases: 36 (includes the District of Columbia) Total cases in U.S.: 647 Total deaths in U.S.: 25 Read more coronavirus coverage: Jewish Education Center employee tests positive 4 Hawken students quarantined after exposure on bus trip Hawken, Laurence, Laurel, University students on bus Ohio coronavirus hotline offers information, advice Cleaning products that kill the coronavirus Should I cancel my trip? Experts say it depends. Masks not necessary, hand washing is best The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Sweden reached 326 after authorities in the Stockholm region reported 60 new cases on Tuesday STOCKHOLM (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th March, 2020) The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Sweden reached 326 after authorities in the Stockholm region reported 60 new cases on Tuesday. "In the Stockholm region, 60 new cases of coronavirus were registered. Most of the patients were infected during a trip to Italy or were in direct contact with those who recently returned from that region," the Stockholm region administration said. The Public Health Agency of Sweden said that the risk of the virus spread within the country has been raised from "medium" to "very high." The decision was made after the doctors were unable to establish how two of the patients became infected. According to statistics compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the disease has spread to more than 115,000 people throughout the world, of whom 4,000 have died and nearly 64,000 have recovered. Referring to his country as Italy, protected zone, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said classifications between levels of threat in different regions and provinces would be replaced by a blanket restriction on nonessential movement across the country of 60 million people. The latest: The Italian authorities said that 1,598 more people had contracted the virus, and that there were 97 more deaths since Sunday. Italy now has 9,172 confirmed cases, making it the site of the largest outbreak outside China. We have live updates and a map of where the virus has spread. Xi Jinping: Chinas leader visited Wuhan this morning for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak erupted there. His visit to the city, which was closed off in late January, sends a powerful signal that the Chinese government believes the worst of its national emergency is over. Opinion: An author in Milan observes that a sense of indignation over travel restrictions has morphed into a dawning sense of community awareness. Perhaps we will even have to get to know each other, albeit without shaking hands, he writes. Five vehicles stopping for traffic on Route 22 were involved in a chain-reaction crash when the one in the rear was hit by a pickup truck, which was then hit from the rear by an SUV, according to police. Both the pickup and SUV drivers face citations in the crash, which sent two of 12 motorists involved to area hospitals with suspected minor injuries, Pennsylvania State Police at Bethlehem said in a news release Tuesday. The crash occurred about 3 p.m. Saturday on Route 22 East between the Seventh Street/MacArthur Road and Fullerton Avenue interchanges in Whitehall Township. It slowed traffic in both directions before being cleared. Just before the crash, a 2018 Kia Niro with one driver and one passenger was stopped behind a 2014 Toyota Camry occupied by four people and a 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe with just the driver that were both stopped for traffic ahead. A 2014 Dodge Avenger was slowing behind those three vehicles, followed by a 2012 Hyundai Tucson that was also slowing. Each was occupied solely by the driver. That's when a 2005 Ford F-150 XLT driven by a 30-year-old man from Orefield failed to stop and struck the rear bumper of the Tucson, which was pushed into the Avenger, which was pushed into the Niro, which was pushed into the Camry, which was pushed into the Santa Fe, according to police. A 32-year-old man with a passenger in a 2017 Ford Escape then crashed into the rear of the F-150, police said. All the vehicles came to rest at their points of impact, except the Santa Fe, which continued east before coming to rest on the southern shoulder of the highway. The motorists taken by Cetronia Ambulance Corps for treatment were the driver of the Tucson, a 23-year-old woman from Milford, Pennsylvania, who was taken to St. Luke's University Hospital in Fountain Hill, and the passenger of the Escape, a 30-year-old woman from Quakertown who was taken to St. Luke's Hospital in Allentown, according to police. Police said they cited the drivers of the F-150 and the Escape, both for failing to drive at safe speed. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Afghan President on Tuesday signed a much-awaited decree that would facilitate the release of the prisoners. The release of prisoners was a part of a peace deal signed by the United States and the last month. Making the announcement about the decree, Ghani's spokesperson Sediq Sediqqi on Tuesday said that details will be shared on Wednesday. "President Ghani has signed the decree that would facilitate the release of the prisoners in accordance with an accepted framework for the start of negotiation between the Taliban and the Afghan government. Details of the decree will be shared tomorrow," tweeted Sediqqi. This comes a day after Ghani took oath as the president of The president had previously rejected the Taliban demand for its fighters to be released. The announcement will give an impetus to save the deal which witnessed the shakedown as the Taliban have launched several attacks on the Afghan forces. On February 29, the United States and the Taliban had signed a long-awaited peace deal in Qatar that sets the beginning of talks for March 10, provided that up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners are released from jail by that time. Pakistan witnessed a sudden increase in coronavirus cases as the number of patients rose to 18, officials said on Tuesday. All the new cases were reported from Sindh province -- 10 in provincial capital Karachi and one in Hyderabad, officials said. Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza, in a morning update, said nine new cases were identified in Karachi, capital of Sindh province. "I can confirm 9 new cases of #COVID19 in Karachi This makes a total of 16 cases in Pakistan," Mirza said. He said that "all these cases are contacts of an already confirmed case" and authorities were testing more people who were in contact with the infected people. In the evening, media coordinator to the Sindh Health Minister Meeran Yousuf updated the total number of cases by two more. "The first case is from Hyderabad and the patient arrived from Syria via Doha. The second case is from Karachi and the patient arrived from Iran via Dubai," she tweeted. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah asked all hospitals to share the record of patients with the symptoms of pneumonia to further investigate them. The Sindh Health Department on Monday night said one new case surfaced in Karachi but Mirza announced after midnight that nine cases were identified. According to officials, five of the new patients came to Karachi from Syria via Doha while three persons came from London via Dubai during the past week. Meeran Yousuf said authorities were trying to track down all their contacts for further testing in order to contain spread of the virus. The Pakistan government has decided to extend the partial closure of the border with Afghanistan by another seven days. So far, no coronavirus related death has been reported in Pakistan. One of the COVID-19 patients in Karachi has recovered and was allowed to go home on Saturday last week. The virus that first originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year has claimed over 4,000 lives and infected more than 110,000 across 100 nations and territories. The World Health Organisation last week raised the global virus risk to maximum level after the outbreak spread to sub-Saharan Africa and stock markets around the world plummeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two Nigerian men, Kito and Chidi have been taken into police custody after they murdered a homosexual man out of greediness. According to LIB, one of the men identified as Kito, alias Utali Ekwensu (the devils cane), and his accomplice named Chidi confessed to the murder of a man they met via Facebook and also gave details on how it happened. According to Kito, the deceased, who is from Benue state but lives in Owerri, contacted him on Facebook and propositioned him for sex which he also accepted and they agreed to meet around the formers location. The man also promised to give Kito the sum of 20,000 Naira after their sexual appointment. However, Kito had evil intentions as he planned with his friends to steal the money from the deceased when he arrives, without rendering the sexual service agreed upon. When the deceased arrived as planned, Kito asked him for the money but the man said he will only pay after their tryst. Kito then signalled his accomplice and he came out and forcefully tried to collect the money from the deceased. The men said that it led to a fight and Kito hit the man with the weapon in his hand which resulted in his death. Kito initially made it sound like he has multiple accomplices but when asked who else was involved in the murder, he said it was only him and Chidi. Reports claim Kito specializes in luring gay men, raping them, collecting their money, before killing them. A witness claims his friend fortunately escaped from Kitos snare. Read Also: Married Woman Caught Pants Down With Another Man In Her Matrimonial Home (Video) Watch the video of Kito and his accomplice confessing to killing a man below: The Vilcek Foundation has allocated $150,000 to make three awards in 2021 to foreign-born researchers in biomedical science now living and working in the United States. These funds will support the award of the 2021 Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science. The Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science honor emerging foreign-born professionals who have demonstrated significant accomplishments early in their careers. "Immigrant scientists have long contributed to the United States' position as a world leader in scientific research and discovery," said Jan Vilcek, chairman and CEO of the Vilcek Foundation. "The funding that recipients of the Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science receive is unrestricted; this is intended to support foreign-born researchers at a critical point as they transition beyond their early-career work to further endeavors." Since 2009 the Vilcek Foundation has awarded 29 Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science, totaling over $1.2 million. These prizes highlight the contributions that foreign-born researchers make to scientific research and discovery in the United States. The program seeks to encourage the diversity and innovation in thought, and in research approaches, that immigrant scientists bring to their respective disciplines. In February 2020, the Vilcek Foundation announced the 2020 recipients of the Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science: Kivanc Birsoy of The Rockefeller University, Viviana Gradinaru of Caltech, and Martin Jonikas of Princeton University. Each recipient is being awarded $50,000. Areas of research explored by these and by past recipients of Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science include genetics, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, virology, cancer cell metabolism, the ubiquitin system, and optogenetics, among others. ### The Vilcek Foundation The Vilcek Foundation raises awareness of immigrant contributions in the United States and fosters appreciation of the arts and sciences. The foundation was established in 2000 by Jan and Marica Vilcek, immigrants from the former Czechoslovakia. The mission of the foundation--to honor immigrant contributions to the United States, and more broadly, to foster appreciation of the arts and sciences--was inspired by the couple's respective careers in biomedical science and art history. Since 2000, the foundation has awarded over $5.1 million in prizes to foreign-born individuals and supported organizations with over $5 million in grants. The Vilcek Foundation is a private operating foundation, a federally tax-exempt nonprofit organization under IRS Section 501(c)(3). To learn more, please visit vilcek.org. A call for applications for the 2021 Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science was announced by the Vilcek Foundation on March 2, 2020. The application deadline is June 10, 2020. For further information, visit http://www.vilcek.co/2021-cpp-science-about. 09.03.2020 LISTEN The Ghana Armed Forces has arrested and detained some military who provided security at the traditional wedding ceremony of Fella Makafui and Samuel Adu Frimpong aka Medikal over the weekend. Some men clad in army uniforms with their faces veiled were seen in footage from the event on Saturday, March 7 at Adjringanor near East Legon in Accra. The Director of Public Affairs, Colonel Aggrey Quarshie, in a radio interview on Citi FM said the military personnel are currently in Guard Room assisting in investigations. He added that, any officer found guilty would be dealt with to maintain sanctity in the service. The army has expressed concern with is officers in uniform making appearances at private events without approval. ---Credit: Citinewsroom.com A man under observation for suspected coronavirus infection at the isolation ward of the district hospital here fled, but was tracked and brought back within hours. The man was among those who had interacted with the three-member family who returned from Italy and have tested positive for the virus. Pathnamthitta district collector P B Nooh said one person, who was under observation at the general hospital here had escaped but was later tracked and brought back. "If even a single person under observation goes out, it is a threat. This is a public hazard". The one excercise which the health authorities have to undertake on Tuesday is to see how many people had come in contact with this person after he left the hospital. There is need to isolate those people with whom he may have come into contact, the collector said "This is the time to behave in a very socially responsible manner". With six positive cases being reported, the state government has already warned that stringent action would be taken against those flouting the directions of the health department. Health Minister K K Shailaja has warned that those coming from COVID19 affected nations, should report to authorities on arrival in the state, failing which a case would be registered against them under the Public Health Act. A 3-member family, which had come from Italy recently and had tested positive along with two of their relatives had not reported their arrival to the authorities, health officials said. At least 733 people who had come in contact with them have been tracked, the collector said and have been placed under observation. While 18 have been admitted to isolation wards in hospital the remaining are under home surveillance. A two-year-old child is among those under obsevation at the isolation ward, health department sources said. The tracking excercise would continue on Wednesday also. Meanwhile, an awareness class was held for migrant workers at Pathnamthitta district this morning. However, no directions have been issued to workers from other states to leave the state. "We are planning to give extra care to migrant workers with labour officer visiting their colonies and as part of the awareness drive and speaking to them in a language they understand," he said. A three-year-old boy, who arrived with his parents in Kochi from Italy, tested positive on Monday, a day after three people, also with travel history from the European nation, were declared positive for the virus along with two of their relatives. The Health Minister has said surveillance system would be stregthened with the support of ASHA workers, civic authorities and ward members and resident associations. Presently, 1,116 people are under surveillance in the state for the corona virus, 967 in home quarantine and 149 in isolation wards of hospitals. Two 90-year-old relatives of the Pathnamthitta family, who tested positive, have been admitted to Kottayam medical college hospital and their samples have been sent for testing, she said. "If they test positive for the virus, it would be highly risky", she had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Free phone consultations with GPs and pop-up clinics to help hospitals handle demand will form part of the government's $2.4billion coronavirus response. It comes as Health Minister Greg Hunt says more than half Australia's 100 cases had recovered and it was unlikely people could be infected twice. The government released its response package on Tuesday night, on top of its $10 billion stimulus package, promising further measures were on the way. It will establish 100 pop-up clinics across Australia as a one-stop shop in areas of need for those who are concerned they may have the virus. The Australian government has announced a $2.4billion package to help deal with coronavirus outbreak. Pictured: People wait in line out the front of the Royal Melbourne Hospital The aim of the clinics is to divert mild or moderate cases of COVID-19 away from hospitals and prevent spread. Each clinic is expected to see 75 patients a day for six months. As part of the government's health package, Australians will be able to bulk-bill phone hook-ups with GPs to diagnose coronavirus symptoms from Friday. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt announced the plan on Tuesday The Medicare item will be created at a cost of $100 million, so people at home in self-isolation and quarantine can access health services and reduce the risk of exposure to others. Those who are self-isolating, are over 70, are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged over 50, are pregnant, have new babies, or have compromised immune systems, will have access to nurses and mental health staff. Access will be provided via video conference applications such as FaceTime, Skype and WhatsApp. Some will have access to their local general practitioners, if they are eligible. This service, also designed to limit people in hospitals and doctor surgeries, would initially run for six months before being reviewed. WHAT IS IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S $2.4B PACKAGE? OVERALL * $2.4 billion to deal with health impacts. * Medicare item so health services can be delivered by audio or video to people with symptoms at home * Respiratory clinics * National communications campaign. FEVER CLINICS * Up to 100 'pop-up respiratory clinics' set up across Australia at a cost of $205 million to test those concerned they may be sick * Will divert people with mild or moderate symptoms away from emergency departments and GPs. * Clinics staffed by doctors and nurses will be able to see up to 75 patients a day over six months. MEDICARE ITEM * A new item will be created at a cost of $100 million, so people at home in self-isolation and quarantine can access health services and reduce the risk of exposure to others. Will start Friday and be fully bulk-billed * If someone has a chronic disease, like a lung condition, and is at risk if they contracted the virus, they could consult their GP via Skype or FaceTime COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGN * $30 million campaign to start this week, using television, radio, print, digital, social media, public transport, shopping centres and doctors' waiting rooms. Advertisement The Federal Government will also launch a communications campaign aimed at releasing factual and consistent information about the illness. This will be issued through radio, print, social media, public transport, television and doctors. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the package was 'ensuring our health system is well-prepared and has the resources it needs for our fight against coronavirus'. 'Australia isn't immune but with this $2.4 billion boost we're as well prepared as any country in the world,' Mr Morrison said. 'This package is about preventing and treating coronavirus in the coming weeks.' Meanwhile a drive-thru clinic have been set up in South Australia at the Repatriation Health Precinct, in Adelaide's south, to help address the demand for testing He said medical experts have been preparing for a flu-like outbreak in Australia for years. 'Our government alongside the country's leading medical experts is working around the clock to ensure we have the right tools, information and resources to keep Australians safe,' he said. Mr Hunt said it won't be necessary to introduce a country-wide travel ban like in Italy, although Qantas has slashed flights by nearly one quarter and more temporary schools closures are likely. The government would also be reviewing its travel advice to Italy where more than 9,000 people have contracted COVID-19 and 460 have died, Mr Hunt said on Tuesday. There are an estimated 114,000 cases in 107 countries across the world. Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said it was highly unlikely people could catch the virus more than once. 'I think that's a very important message to Australians,' Mr Hunt added. 'So now is the moment of pressure ... this is a once-in-50-year challenge that we face.' The government released its response package on Tuesday night, promising further measures were on the way. It will establish 100 pop-up clinics across Australia as a one-stop shop in areas of need for those who are concerned they may have the virus CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement Three Australians have died from coronavirus, with states and territories setting up specialist clinics as the government looks to combine information into a smartphone app. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has followed US authorities in advising citizens, especially those with underlying health concerns, to reconsider taking an overseas cruise as the outbreak continues to spread. Prof Murphy said there had been confusion about who needed to be tested, saying it was only returned travellers from overseas with symptoms like a cough or sore throat. Three schools in NSW and Victoria shut on Tuesday after three students tested positive to COVID-19, with similar temporary closures likely. 'School closures, I think, will become the norm as we go ahead but we are doing everything we can to keep our children safe,' federal Education Minister Dan Tehan told Nine's Today program. The minister was asked why schools were being closed for a day or two, while people with or suspected of having the virus are being told to self-isolate for two weeks. 'The schools have been closed for a day so they can be thoroughly cleaned,' he replied. Sydney is the worst-hit city. Qantas has slashed the capacity of its international flights by almost one quarter for the next six months due to the virus' impact, a decision that will ground 38 planes. The government in coming days is expected to announce private sector involvement in providing pathology services and new advice on the testing of healthcare workers. By Joel Slattery and Eoin English Ryanair and Aer Lingus are suspending all Italian flights because of the coronavirus outbreak. Aer Lingus will stop flying to and from Italy tomorrow, while Ryanair will continue to operate flights until midnight on Friday. Both airlines say they have contacted affected passengers. Ryanair has assured that it will offer refunds and free flight changes for those wishing to leave or return to Italy before Friday. It comes as a worker at Apple Computer's European headquarters in Cork has tested positive for coronavirus. The worker was tested for the virus after leaving the office as soon as they felt unwell last week. "Out of an abundance of caution, we wanted you to know that we've asked those employees who were in the immediate working environment with the individual to self-isolate and not come into the office for an initial 48-hour period," staff were told in an email. Elsewhere, four new cases of Covid-19 have been detected Read More: A sixth person confirmed to have the virus has died in the UK today. Trinity to deliver lecturers online for rest of semester By Kevin O'Neill Trinity College Dublin (TCD) is to conduct all lectures online for the rest of the semester in an effort to slow the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Trinity College Dublin, file photo. Further measures may be necessary in the future, the university said in a statement. From tomorrow morning, all lectures will be delivered online instead of in a lecture hall but tutorials, seminars and laboratory practicals will continue to be given in their current format. "This will allow Trinity to maintain continuity of teaching and learning while minimizing the need to bring together students in large groups," TCD said in a statement. In addition, access to the Book of Kells exhibition and the Old Library, the Science Gallery and the Douglas Hyde Gallery has been stopped as of this afternoon. Both of these measures are being taken in the interests of your health and well-being and to decrease any potential impacts on the larger community. "The decisions are based on the concept of social distancing which has been recommended by many experts. Our goal is to decrease the number of instances that lead to students, staff, and visitors coming together in large groups in close proximity with each other." Ryanair suspends all Italian flights until April By Greg Murphy Ryanair has announced that they will suspend all flights to, from and within Italy. The move comes as the Italian government put the entire country on lock down in an effort to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus. From Wednesday, March 11, Ryanair will suspend all domestic Italian flights and from Friday, March 13, all international flights will also be suspended. The freeze will be in place until Wednesday, April 8 for both. In a statement, the airline said that all affected passengers will receive an email informing them of the details of the cancellations. Passengers affected by the suspension will be able to "choose between a full refund or a travel credit that can be redeemed on Ryanair flights in the next 12 months." By Greg Murphy Norwegian to cancel 3,000 flights and introduce 'significant' temporary layoffs amid coronavirus spread Norwegian are preparing to cancel 3,000 flights (15%) between mid-March and mid-June in response to the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. The company has also introduced temporary layoffs for a "significant share" of its workforce. The measures are being put in place to do a reduced demand on future bookings with the airline. Jacob Schram, CEO of Norwegian, said that this is a "critical time for the aviation industry." He said: Unfortunately, cancellations will affect a significant share of our colleagues at Norwegian. HARTFORD School districts are being told to reconsider any large events where there could be 100 or more people in attendance to combat the coronavirus. Sporting events, school plays, spring concerts and field trips fall into that category, according to new guidelines issued late Monday by Commissioner of Education Miguel Cardona. The two-page directive continues to leave school closures of up to two weeks in local hands. Closures that may extend past two weeks will be addressed on a case-by-case basis, Cardona wrote. On Tuesday in Stratford, school officials announced that Wilcoxson School would close through Friday because a person connected to the district may have been exposed to COVID-19. The commissioner also sent school districts guidance related to school closures and an application for a waiver of the 180-day requirement should it be necessary. If Connecticut experiences widespread sustained community transmission, public safety considerations including extended school closures as a public health prevention measure will be made at the direction of the Office of the Governor with input from other agencies, Cardona wrote. The directives include a flow chart for when distance learning opportunities are appropriate. Any distance learning has to be equitable, Acting Bridgeport Schools Superintendent Michael Testani said. In Bridgeport, he said equitable learning cannot be guaranteed because some students live in homes without internet access or equipment. Testani said he does not consider sending students home with homework packets an equitable educational opportunity. Any days missed, Testani said, would be made up at the end of the school year. Local school officials said they have other worries about the impact of closed schools. A lot of our students depend on our schools for food, Board Member Joe Sokolovic said. Two meals a day. Kids wont eat if they stay home ... Consider all the ramifications. Cardona was on a conference call with Gov. Ned Lamont and about 500 state and municipal officials on Monday evening to talk about the developing coronavirus situation. Testani called the guidance helpful. We need to keep things in proper perspective, Testani said. Folks are scared. The directive was shared with the board as members voted to suspend out-of-state field trips. Jury selection began Tuesday for a former South Whitehall Township police officer charged with voluntary manslaughter in the killing of a man near Dorney Park. Jonathan Roselle responded July 28, 2018, to what he thought was a carjacking on Hamilton Boulevard (Route 222) in the township. The call ended with Joseph Santos, 44, shot five times by Roselle on the side of the four-lane road, prosecutors said. Roselle, of Parryville, Carbon County, now faces trial on a single charge of voluntary manslaughter in Lehigh County Court. The 34-year-old Roselle has been free on $75,000 unsecured bail since he was charged in August 2018. The following month, he was no longer employed by the South Whitehall Township Police Department. Jury selection is expected to last two days, with opening remarks slated for Thursday. Judge Kelly Banach said the trial is expected to last for seven business days; prosecutors have a list of 27 potential witnesses and many are law enforcement. Preparations were made Monday in the courthouse, with temporary screens being placed in the hallway outside the courtroom to shield potential jurors as they make their way into the courtroom. A decorum order entered last week by Banach set a dress code banning clothes that demonstrate support for either side of the case; spectators will be searched before entering the courtroom; and minors are not allowed in the courtroom. Media will not be allowed to interview trial participants on the fourth floor of the courthouse, where the trial is being held. The first jury panel of 25 people were brought in at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Roselle, wearing a dark suit, blue dress shirt and red tie, was joined by family and supporters in the coourtroom, including the founder of a Facebook page called Support Officer Jonathan Roselle. Bottles of hand sanitizer and boxes of tissues were around the courtroom, and the judge said jurors were being spread out in the audience amid corona virus concerns. Out of the 25 jurors, 17 said they had heard or read about the case. Six said it would be a hardship to serve on the jury. Santos fiancee previously told nj.com they were at Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom that day when Santos left to buy cigarettes. Witnesses reported an erratic man in traffic near the amusement park. A toxicology report showed Santos had methadone, codeine, morphine, hydromorphine and a metabolite of heroin in his system when he was shot. The day of the shooting, Roselle was monitoring traffic a few blocks away at Lincoln Avenue and Hamilton Boulevard, when a frantic driver pulled up and reported a man tried to get into her vehicle while she was driving on Hamilton Boulevard. Facebook videos from witnesses both before and during the shooting have been widely circulated. Prosecutors also obtained audio and video from the dashboard camera and a body camera Roselle was wearing, and video was played during Roselles preliminary hearing. Roselle drove over and found a bleeding man, later identified as Santos, by the Comfort Suites and across the street from Dorney Park. Santos banged on Roselles drivers side window, and jumped on the hood of the police SUV and banged on the windshield, Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin previously said. Santos, who was unarmed, allegedly ignored Roselles orders to get on the ground and was walking toward Roselle when Roselle opened fire. Santos cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds and his death was ruled a homicide. For voluntary manslaughter, prosecutors must prove Roselle had the intent to kill, and a key issue of the trial will be use of force by law enforcement. Roselle believed he was in some imminent danger, but after analyzing the incident, the belief to use lethal force was unreasonable and not justified, Martin previously said. This was the act of a relatively inexperienced officer, who held a subjective fear for his own safety, but made a decision which objectively was unreasonable in light of the facts as they existed and appeared at the time he discharged his weapon and killed Mr. Santos, Martin said when he announced the criminal charge. Roselle, an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, graduated from the Allentown Police Academy in December 2017, and had 13 weeks of training after that, but had been on patrol by himself for less than five months, Martin said. Roselles attorneys have said their client believed at the time there was a genuine threat of harm from Santos. Santos was seen on Roselles body camera pointing to his own eyes, then pointing to the officer, what defense attorney Gavin Holihan has said Roselle interpreted as a threatening gesture. Roselles inaction may have allowed Santos to get control of the police SUV and its potentially dangerous contents, Holihan has argued. Without action, Santos would have continued to put the lives of bystanders in jeopardy. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email her. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. The National Marine Fisheries Service is nearing the end of a four-year project to roll about 20 websites onto a single cloud-based content management system. The initiatives objective is to improve user experience for the public and employees of the agency, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Spurred by 2015 American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ASCI) ratings of some sites scoring less than 50 and low mobile traffic only about a quarter of all traffic was mobile -- agency officials decided to act. Like most government agencies, our web presence grew organically based on program needs, and before you knew it, we had 20-some websites sitting in multiple data centers, multiple technical architectures managed by folks with different levels of competencies and capabilities, said NOAA Fisheries CIO Roy Varghese. We didnt have a consistent user experience for the various stakeholders that engage with us. The agency wanted to speak with one voice and ensure that the science and the decisions that are derived out of science are communicated effectively, he said. With three more websites to bring onto the platform in the next few months, NOAA Fisheries overall ASCI rating is 75 and it has increased overall traffic by about 145% and mobile traffic to 50%. Whats more, 85% of visitors say they would recommend the NOAA Fisheries website, 90% return and 94% say information is easy to find. The first step in the overhaul was taking inventory of the websites content and using analytics to determine how much it was used, how usable it was and where it fell within federal requirements on how long data needs to be made available before it is archived. Creating that migration strategy for what to rewrite, archive and transfer as-is took the longest, Varghese said. We started at the program headquarters properties first, and then we looked at the overall workload, resource availability and the like while planning out the rest of the phases, he said. The other aspect of this was some of the websites were on platforms that were nearing end-of-life. That also came into consideration in terms of who got prioritized. The agency did extensive research into content management systems, consulting with research firms such as Gartner and Forrester Research and sorting through about 90 responses to a request for information before issuing a request for proposals and going through a competitive procurement. NOAA Fisheries selected Acquias Drupal 8 in 2016. A cloud-based platform was a priority to meet the agencys cloud requirements, and the Acquia platform is certified by the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program. Another feature that stood out, Varghese said, is its ability to let NOAA Fisheries 200 content contributors create content once and publish to multiple sites. He attributes the 13% bump in user engagement in part to the agencys website and social media presence and also to navigation changes that made information easier for visitors to find. The rest of the credit goes to changes that made the content accessible and understandable by all stakeholders not only those in the science field, but also commercial and recreational fishermen, fishing councils and the public. Content editors worked with Mobomo, an IT service management firm, on six rounds of user testing with four of NOAA Fisheries target audiences, and a major finding was that must of the content was too technical for audiences to understand. The Office of Communications was enlisted to ensure the content was clear for all visitors. Remember, were a science agency, and we have stakeholders who are scientists, but we also [serve] citizens, so we need to be able to communicate to both types of stakeholders, Varghese said. A major lesson learned from the project, which won a 2019 Webby Award, is that its important to start with clear goals, he said. For instance, NOAA Fisheries wanted to improve its ASCI customer satisfaction rating to 72 within a set number of months and for all sites to be on the public cloud platform. This gave our pretty large project team true north in terms of which way to focus, which direction to go and what results would be viewed as success, Varghese said. Thats served us well so far. Whether or not Congress can agree on a coronavirus economic stimulus package will come down to two Washington players who know one another well. Donald Trump told Republican senators he has put Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in charge of negotiating such a package with lawmakers, a role he carried out successfully last year when he worked out a bipartisan spending deal with House Democrats. Following the luncheon meeting with Mr Trump, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters the Treasury secretary will be negotiating directly with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat across the Capitol with whom he worked closely on that spending pact. "I think that Secretary Mnuchin will have ball control for the administration," Mr McConnell said. "And I expect that will speak for us, as well." "We're hoping he and the speaker can pull this together so that we end up not playing partisan games," he said. "That's what I'm hoping to see, and hoping to see pretty soon." A White House official said there is no date by which Mr Trump wants Congress to strike a deal and send him a package. But the official said the working relationship between the Treasury boss and speaker is there from their negotiations last year so they should trust one another as talks begin. The White House is pushing a multi-faceted package that would include a payroll tax cut, assistance for hourly workers who might be stripped of pay if they get sick, federal loans for small business, and tax relief for affected industries like tourism, airlines and cruise lines. As those talks commence, Mr Trump and Mr McConnell have some work to do. With their fellow Republicans. "I don't know how I feel it," Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said Tuesday of the payroll tax cut idea. "I'll think about it. I'll be open-minded to it." And Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana has said he is not interested in approving a series of "bailouts" for companies and individuals. Democrats do not sound hopeful that Mr Trump can help bring about a deal -- or that he wants to. "We are very worried about the president's incompetence and lack of focus on fighting the spread of this virus," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said. "We believe that his lack of focus is hamstringing efforts to fight this virus." Mr Schumer touted a Democratic-crafted stimulus proposal that has been widely rejected by Republicans over cost and other concerns. One of several areas on which the two sides appear to agree is helping small businesses avoid "while they're drawn down [financially], they go bankrupt," the New York Democrat said."The needless chaos within the Trump administration is unhelpful," he said The North American steel production plants of global company EVRAZ have been hit by the infamous Ryuk ransomware, sources say. A source told ZDNet that the malware primarily affected EVRAZs plants in Canada and the US. Manufacturing has stopped at most plants in the region, and the companys IT staff is working to prevent the ransomware from spreading. He can once again run for president. Russian State Duma on Tuesday, March 10, lifted restrictions on the number of presidential terms. A total of 380 MPs voted for the corresponding amendment to the Constitution of Russia, 43 voted against, and one abstained. "In principle, the option would be possible. But on one condition, namely: if the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation gives an official conclusion that such an amendment [on lifting restrictions on the number of presidential terms] will not contradict the principles and basic provisions of the Basic Law," Putin said. As UNIAN reported, today, March 10, State Duma member Valentina Tereshkova proposed removing restrictions on the number of presidential terms and allowing Putin to be re-elected. Read alsoPutin seeks to consolidate in Russian constitution "historical truth" about WW2, "protection of Russian speakers" Earlier, State Duma deputy with the United Russia party of power, Alexander Karelin, said he would introduce an amendment on early parliamentary elections by the second reading of the bill on changing the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Volodin said the amendment will be considered on March 10. In addition, LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky proposed holding early elections to the State Duma on September 20, as well as giving the State Council the power to elect president of the Russian Federation from several proposed candidates and apply this procedure in the next presidential election in 2024. By Ko Shu-ling, KYODO NEWS - Mar 10, 2020 - 17:55 | World, All, Coronavirus (Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen signs into law a special bill allocating NT$60 billion (US$2 billion) to fund containment and control efforts of the new coronavirus on Feb. 25, 2020)[(Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office] TAIPEI - In the months since reports began to emerge about a new coronavirus outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan, over 100,000 cases have been confirmed worldwide, a figure many agree is far below the actual number. More than 4,000 people have died, the majority in China, and while infections there are beginning to subside, dozens of new hotspots have appeared in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia. Surprisingly, one of these hotspots is not Taiwan, which ranked 30th on the list of infected areas including the Diamond Princess cruise ship, with 45 cases, 29 still active and one death, as of Monday. By comparison, South Korea has over 7,000 confirmed cases, with hundreds of new ones reported daily, while Japan has had nearly 1,200 people infected, with about 700 of them from a cruise ship. This is not what was predicted by early risk assessments that identified Taiwan among the most likely to see a rapid spread of the virus due to its proximity to China, where hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese work, and considering the extensive travel across the Taiwan Strait. To make matters worse, the virus appeared just before the Lunar New Year, when thousands of Taiwanese were heading home from China to spend the holiday with family. Several reasons have been cited for Taiwan's success in limiting the coronavirus' impact despite obvious disadvantages. Perhaps foremost among them is preparation. Following the 2003 epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome, which killed 73 in Taiwan, the highest number outside China and Hong Kong, the government passed legislation to facilitate a more effective response to future outbreaks. Notably, the National Health Command Center was established to coordinate efforts in a variety of rapid onset scenarios like the one that now threatens. In a recent interview, Taiwan's Vice President Chen Chien-jen, an epidemiologist by training and health minister during the SARS crisis, identified key elements of the program to include transparency, information sharing, staffing agencies with relevant experts, interagency cooperation and coordinating the efforts of government labs with hospitals and other medical facilities across the island. Infrastructure developed by the NHCC enabled a remarkably quick response to initial reports from Wuhan, with Taiwanese health officials boarding flights from the region as early as Dec. 31 to check passengers for symptoms. On Jan. 20, President Tsai Ing-wen announced that current Health Minister Chen Shih-chung would personally supervise operations and host daily press conferences to keep the public informed. And as the seriousness of the outbreak became clear, the legislature passed a special bill allocating NT$60 billion (US$2 billion) to fund containment and control efforts, including border control, paid leave for caregivers and the sick, the manufacture of essential equipment like face masks, forming protocols for tracing sources of infection and reducing the risk of transmission in settings such as schools, hospitals and transportation systems. One innovation proving especially useful as COVID-19 spreads has been the integration of data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Administration and the National Immigration Agency, so that hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies island-wide have access to patients' travel histories in order to identify individuals for testing who have traveled to high risk locations. Seeking to fill gaps in the safety net, officials have also reached out to supply foreign envoys, their staff, families and visitors with face masks and other services that otherwise require a resident identification to obtain. The chief representative in Taipei of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, Hiroyasu Izumi, said Japan has much to learn from Taiwan's example in fighting infectious disease. In addition to planning, the quality of Taiwan's health care system has been given credit for its success in tackling COVID-19. A compulsory single-payer system established in 1995 that provides comprehensive medical services to all legal residents, the NHIA is currently ranked the world's best health care provider by the Numbeo Health Care Index, followed by South Korea and Japan. To date, 15 people who contracted the virus have recovered, while one patient died of the illness, an elderly man with multiple pre-existing conditions. In addition to a high recovery rate, hospitals have managed to reduce internal transmissions between patients and medical staff, a primary cause of infection from SARS in 2003. Oddly enough, China's longtime insistence that Taiwan be excluded from the World Health Organization may also have aided its disease prevention efforts. As with other outbreaks like swine flu in 2009 and MERS in 2013, allies Japan and the United States have helped by relaying up-to-date WHO information and disease prevention knowhow. However, being outside the official loop has required that island authorities be extra vigilant, with self-sufficiency a necessary objective. Related coverage: Mask resellers could face 1 year in prison, hefty fine under new ban Cruise ship off California docks in port to unload passengers Containing the coronavirus may be impossible at this point: expert Polls suggest the public has been happy with the government's handling of the crisis. Yet success bears its own risks. Speaking in Taiwan's legislature last week, Chen, the health minister, warned that people must not grow complacent, saying "Local transmission is inevitable. We must make preparations as though we are facing a more serious situation." Other weaknesses are systemic, like potential carriers who don't appear on official checklists. During SARS, foreign workers often fell through the cracks, either because information was circulated only in Chinese, which many didn't understand, or because working conditions isolated them from testing and other services. Particularly vulnerable were domestic workers who cared for the sick and elderly. Many of these problems have been resolved. But two weeks ago, a caregiver working without documentation disappeared after the man she cared for was hospitalized. When authorities finally located her, she too tested positive, having contracted the virus from her employer. Apart from the safety of migrants themselves, with an estimated 52,000 working illegally on the island, all trying to remain off the grid, the potential for transmitting the virus is significant. A similar problem arises with legal workers, foreign and native-born, as the risk of community transmission increases. Officials have warned of the negative effects of COVID-19 on the economy, with tourism and retail sales already taking a hit as consumers stay home, while manufacturing is slowing due to disruptions to international supply chains. Yet if the workplace becomes a locus of infection, workers and employers will face difficult choices. Happily, these have been made less painful by promised government compensation for furloughed workers and tax breaks for companies affected. HARTFORD Acting on a Hearst CT Insider report on racial discrimination that still exists in many property records throughout the state, Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz has asked leading lawmakers to make it easier to expunge the references. While whites only deed restrictions were overruled by a landmark 1948 case in the U.S. Supreme Court, racially offensive language still exists in many town clerk offices. Aresimowicz has asked the legislative Judiciary Committee to look at the issue, and even though the deadline for drafting bills has passed, the speaker would like to be able to vote on legislation this year. For me, I was quite honestly never aware of this, Aresimowicz said in an interview. This is something that we need to act on. I know the raised bill deadline is passed, but to me this is a very important issue. I would anticipate well probably see it in amendment form. This is not something we should have on land records anywhere in the state of Connecticut. We need to wipe this from all the deeds. We need to take action now and not wait. Aresimowicz said that one way to expunge the records is during refinance processes or changes of title. Once youre pulling up title and deed, it needs to be taken care of, he said. The labor involved is being done anyway. Rep. Steve Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said Monday that he has begun reading up on the issue. After reading the Hearst story I started doing a little bit of research on this and have asked out staff to gather material from other states on this issue, he said in an afternoon phone interview. He noted that although the deadline for drafting bills has passed, he understands Aresimowiczs urgency. I would love to see the legislature take this up as soon as possible, Stafstrom said. Its just a matter of how quickly we can get a bill together given where we are in the legislaive calendar. He expects to discuss the issue soon with bipartisan leadership on the committee. Jack Dougherty. a Trinity College professor who co-authored a study of historic discrimination in West Hartford, said there are ways to save the historic record while letting property owners note their opposition to the outdated language. Washington State responded with a 2018 law to make it easier for property owners to strike out racially restrictive covenants in property deeds without physically erasing them from the historic record, Dougherty said Monday. Julie Davis of Southington, who nearly walked away from a deal to buy a lakeside cottage in East Haddam when she saw an outdated racially restrictive covenant on her deed, said she was glad and she and her husband Peter were able to draw attention to the issue. If the towns and others are so intent on having the history, they should scan the documents for some record, but the phsyical text they have at Town Hall should be devoid of any mention ever again, she said. kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT This article is part of our latest special report on Museums, which focuses on the intersection of art and politics. During the civil rights movement in the mid-1950s, Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) one of the leading black artists of his day painted a series of 30 panels re-examining early American history. The series, Struggle: From the History of the American People, presented a radically integrated view of the nations founding, including unheralded contributions of African-Americans in the fight to build a new democracy. But at that tumultuous time in race relations, the work was received with some ambivalence by the art world. The collection was eventually purchased by a private collector who later resold each panel separately. The majority of these little-seen paintings have been reunited for the first time in roughly 60 years in Jacob Lawrence: The American Struggle, on view at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass., through April 26. (The show will then travel to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Birmingham Museum of Art in Alabama, the Seattle Art Museum and the Phillips Collection in Washington.) New Delhi, March 10 : The resignation of the Gwalior royal Jyotiraditya Scindia from the Congress on Monday has brought to the fore the fight between the old and the young guard looking for survival in the party and also a "battle of identity". Scindia resigned from the Congress after 18 years on Monday after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the 75th birth anniversary of his father and veteran Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia. In his resignation, he complained about being sidelined in the party for the last one year. "...as you well know, this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year," he wrote, adding that he is "unable" to "serve" people having been a part of the Congress and his decision to quit he party is to respect the "aspirations of my people and my workers". Earlier in the day, Scindia met Amit Shah and they then went to the Prime Minister's residence where an hour long meeting with Narendra Modi took place. Following that meeting which sealed the next move of Scindia, he released the letter to Congress' interim President Sonia Gandhi ahead of likely induction into the the BJP on Tuesday itself. A senior Congress leader wishing not to be named told IANS: "The fight between the young and the old guard was quiet clear in the Congress for long." He said that with Sonia Gandhi's return to the helm of the party helped the old guard to attain more power and sideline the young leaders. Citing the examples of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, where the party sidelined the young leaders and went ahead with the veterans, he said: "When the Congress narrowly won in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, both Scindia and Sachin Pilot were hopeful of getting the top berth in the state with Rahul Gandhi being the party chief." "With the selection of Kamal Nath in Madhya Pradesh and Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan, the young leaders felt sidelined," he said. Another senior party functionary said that Scindia switiching sides clearly shows the "battle of identity" in the party. He said after the debacle in Lok Sabha elections, the old guards always neglected the young leaders. "After Rahul Gandhi's resignation, most of the young leaders were either sidelined or neglected. And month after month it became tough for Scindia to face the neglect in the party," he said. He claimed that Scindia's praise for revoking Articles 370 and 35A from Jammu and Kashmir, and supporting the government was precursor to what was going n his mind. And even Scindia's warning of hitting the streets if the state government failed to implement the manifesto promises and reply from the Chief Minister put the final nail in the coffin." Meanwhile, a senior BJP functionary related to the development revealed that the plan to bring Scindia in the BJP fold was going on for last three months. The BJP leader said, "The way in which he was sidelined in the party in the state, made us clear that Scindia was looking to search for his lost identity." He said after he lost Lok Sabha polls from his home turf, Scindia did not stay away from the people and always kept visiting his parliamentary constituency. "And the reply by Kamal Nath to Scindia over implementing the manifesto promises, irked him the most," he said. The BJP leader said that Scindia has been offered a Rajya Sabha berth and also a Ministerial berth in the Central government. (Anand Singh can be contacted at Anand.s@ians.in) Italy has imposed sweeping nationwide restrictions on travel and public life, a desperate attempt to contain the coronavirus outbreak that looks set to plunge the world's eighth largest economy into a steep recession. The measures announced late Monday include travel restrictions on 60 million residents, a ban on public events, the closure of schools, movie theaters, museums and gyms, and limits on opening hours for restaurants, bars and shops. The government took action as the number of deaths caused by coronavirus reached 463 and infections topped 9,000, more than double the number reported in China as a share of the population. The restrictions are in place until at least April 3. Taken together, the unprecedented measures are likely to push an economy that contracted in the final three months of 2019 into a sharper downturn that will put Italian hotels, travel companies and restaurants under intense pressure. Jack Allen-Reynolds, senior Europe economist at Capital Economics, said Italy's economy will contract sharply in the first half of the year even if the restrictions are lifted at the end of April, with GDP declining about 2% for all of 2020. The hit to GDP will be "much bigger" if the restrictions are extended until the end of June, he added. "This does not take account of the impact on the banking sector ... the spillovers from the impact of the virus on other parts of the eurozone, or the potential supply-chain disruption if the virus really takes off in Germany and other key trade partners," he added. Economists at Goldman Sachs expect the restrictions to shave 1.5 percentage points off Italian economic growth in both the first and second quarters of the year, followed by a pickup during the second half. "Although fiscal policy will limit some of this drag, the virus outbreak is very likely to push Italy into recession," they said in a research note on Monday. The sectors most affected by the lockdown - including transport, art and entertainment, retail, and hotels and restaurants account for around 23% of Italian GDP, according to Goldman Sachs. On Wednesday, the Italian government said it was allocating 25 billion euros ($28 billion) to fight the coronavirus crisis. Businesses respond Major Italian companies are working to comply with the new limits. Fiat Chrysler on Wednesday announced that it is cutting production rates and temporarily closing four plants in Italy to minimize the risk of the virus spreading among employees. A spokesperson said the plants are expected to reopen on March 16. To limit contact between staffers, the company also said it will increase space between employees at their workstations. Lamborghini, which is owned by Volkswagen Group, said Tuesday that its factory near Bologna was operational. But the carmaker warned that it's "still too early to give a detailed forecast of impact on business." Supermarket chain Esselunga said it is implementing social distancing in stores, in accordance with government rules requiring that shoppers and restaurant patrons remain at least three feet apart. Containment efforts are likely to plunge the restaurant and tourism sectors into crisis, said Stefano Manzocchi, chief economist at Italian trade association Confindustria. The manufacturing sector could also be harmed because foreign tourists drive demand for "Made in Italy" goods, he added. "Limitations in movements and the [fear] about what is going to happen are likely to bring about a contraction in consumption, which is probably already strongly underway," said Manzocchi. Italy's tourism sector, which accounts for 6% of GDP, will be particularly hard hit, as popular destinations in Venice and Rome are deserted. On Tuesday, the Vatican closed Saint Peter's Square and Saint Peter's Basilica to tourists. Government intervention Italy's government is expected to unveil a range of emergency measures to offset some of the economic shock caused by the lockdown. The country's economic ministry said Tuesday that mortgage payments would be suspended, for example. The measure is being implemented in collaboration with banks, said a spokesperson for the ministry. Italy's central bank said it is working closely with the government "to define appropriate measures aimed at supporting firms hit by the economic fallout of the outbreak." Manzocchi expects to see wider suspensions in debt repayments, liquidity support for Italian companies, subsidies for temporarily unemployed workers and, eventually, a public infrastructure investment plan. "Given the scale of the disruption that all of this will cause, we suspect that the government will eventually provide fiscal support worth several percent of GDP," Allen-Reynolds of Capital Economics said. "This wouldn't do much to raise aggregate demand while the quarantine is in place, but it would help to maintain spending on essential items, prevent borrowers from defaulting on their loans, and provide a grace period for some tax payments," he added. But these measures will only partially offset the hit to the economy and will not be enough to counter the blow to tourism, much of which is not recoverable as carnivals, trade fairs and events are canceled, said Paolo Pizzoli, senior economist at Dutch bank, ING. Italy's stock market reflected the pessimism, plunging further into a bear market on Tuesday. The benchmark FTSE MIB index has now fallen by nearly 30% since February 19. Europe to suffer, too The country's containment measures are expected to ripple throughout Europe, as the movement of Italian travelers is curbed and manufacturing potentially disrupted. The region was already smarting from China's coronavirus shutdown, which hit demand for European goods and disrupted manufacturing supply chains. Measures taken by other European governments to contain the spread of the virus, such as cancellations of public gatherings and sporting events, are expected to dent growth further. Researchers at Barclays expect the euro area to experience a "short-lived but relatively deep recession" in the first half of this year. They expect growth for the full year to come in at 0.3%, versus the 1% rate expected before the start of the outbreak in China. The northern part of Italy, where the coronavirus outbreak is worst, accounts for roughly 75% of the country's trade with other EU countries, according to Goldman Sachs. The supply chains of Italian and German automakers are especially well integrated. "This is going to be a European problem," Manzocchi said. Eoin McSweeney, Valentina Di Donato and Emma Reynolds contributed reporting. NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. The wife of a 50-year-old attorney at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in Westchester County that has been linked to two Connecticut hospital employees with the illness says her husband remains in critical condition. In a statement posted on Facebook, Adina Garbuz said her husband, Lawrence, remains at the Columbia University Medical Center. She said the rest of her family has not been sick aside from a slight cough. We all together pray and hope for the safety and good health of everyone, Adina Garbuz wrote in the Facebook post. My family has continued to provide all information requested to best assist in curtailing this epidemic. Garbuz said she recognized there was going to be pandemonium all around us when she heard her husband tested positive. We shuttered the windows, turned off the internet and together stayed strong and in good spirits, she said of her familys reaction. I am incredibly blessed that my children while still relatively young have the wisdom to know to keep their heads clear and focus only on the important, the health of their dad and those around us. Adina Garbuz, who is a partner with her husband at Lewis and Garbuz, said all employees of the Manhattan law firm have been quarantined and are working remotely. She remains hopeful her husband will make a full recovery. He is a tenacious person in all aspects of his life and I know he will come out of this strong, Adina Garbuz said. He is a very caring, hard-working person who constantly cares for his clients and those around him over himself. Garbuz said her husbands work ethic could have made him vulnerable for the illness. I think it is from this that he was run down and susceptible to the illness he acquired, she continued. So, I ask all of us who are running on the hamster wheel of life, particularly us New Yorkers, to learn from this and take a moment to take care of yourself. We should use this an opportunity to recalibrate and destress. Garbuz thanked those on Facebook for the outpouring of support her family has received from around the world, and in particular, the people in her community who are also quarantined. I believe it is what will get us all through this trying time, she said. I beg you all to stay calm and keep out of the hoopla. Be smart with good hygiene and know this too will pass. jo.kroeker@hearstmediact.com After three years of disruption from the construction of Sydney's new light rail line, Effie Santini was counting on a rebound in trade at her family's Kensington lighting shop. But a supply shock from the coronavirus outbreak shuttering factories in China, followed by signs consumers are becoming more reluctant to spend, is being felt by retailers like Ms Santini's Cosmo Lighting on Anzac Parade. "Not even the phones are ringing. It's like a ghost town," Ms Santini said. Cosmo Lighting manager Effie Santini says she has never seen conditions 'this bad'. Credit:Rhett Wyman The lighting shop had about five sales on Friday less than a fifth of its usual trade. New Delhi, March 10 : After the resignation of once Rahul Gandhi's confidante Jyotiraditya Scindia, the congress government is on a risk to fall as Scindia supporting MLAs have started giving resignations. But what triggered the resignation, the answer lies in the Rajya Sabha elections in which Scindia was the strong contender but with pressure tactics from Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath, the party was not able to decide on candidates, said a source. But Scindia wanted the first seat so he can get into the Rajya Sabha comfortably as the second seat was tough for the Congress. The party's dilly delaying tactics irked Scindia and he then looked to the other side. The BJP, on the other hand, eyeing a major catch to dislodge the government in Madhya Pradesh, ceased the opportunity and now the Congress leader has parted ways. Scindia wrote in his resignation, "...as you well know, this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year," adding that he is "unable" to "serve" people having been a part of the Congress. He added that to respect the "aspirations of my people and my workers", he has taken this decision. Scindia, having been overlooked for the Chief Minister post, claimed the Pradesh Congress Committee post, but that too was denied to him as he faced stiff resistant from the Digvijaya-Kamal Nath camp. During the Lok Sabha elections, he was appointed General Secretary Incharge of UP west and after scoring a duck and losing his seat, he resigned from the post and started touring the state to give message to the party and recently he said if the manifesto is not implemented he will hit the streets, with Kamal Nath giving no response and bluntly saying let him do that. Ahead of this, Scindia removed the party name from his Twitter bio and after it made headlines, Scindia rejected the claims that he is parting ways with the party. A Congress leader said, "We did not expect that Scindia will leave the party," but now after trying to cajole him, the Congress finally expelled him from the party. Once close to Gandhis, Scindia has fallen in the lines of Natwar Singh and other family loyalists who also met the same fate. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Lei Xiaolu (The Jakarta Post) Wuhan, China Wed, March 11 2020 Recently, it seems that Indonesian scholars have been paying much more attention to the fishing activities of Chinese vessels in the waters southwest of Nansha Qundao (Nansha Islands), describing it as a new action by China. Actually, Chinas fishing vessels have been fishing there for a long time and it is nothing new. The southwest fishing ground is the unique name of that area given by Chinese fishermen since long ago. As correctly analyzed in an article published by Global Times on Jan. 6, there is no territorial sovereignty dispute between the two countries. According to the Foreign Ministry spokespersons statements from both sides, the dispute between China and Indonesia is about overlapping maritime claims and relevant maritime interests. In the current situation, the dispute is mainly about fishing rights in the context of the maritime dispute. 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 " " An encryption machine based on quantum computing would use photons to transmit information. Alfred Pasieka/Science Photo Library/Getty Images During World War II, the German military used a ciphering tool called the Enigma Machine to send secret messages. The device, which looked like an oversized typewriter, ran messages back and forth through a series of rotors with thousands of different combinations. It created a sort of gibberish that, when transmitted over telegraph or radio lines, could only be deciphered by an Enigma receiver that had the same settings on the other side. Or, at least, that's the way it worked, until an intrepid team of British codebreakers led by mathematician Alan Turing and colleague Gordon Welchman invented a machine called the Bombe, which could read Enigma messages. That's been the problem with encryption technologies no matter how secure they seem to be, sooner or later, someone always seems to come up with a way to crack them. Indeed, secrets seem more vulnerable than ever, now that government security agencies (and presumably codebreakers from other countries) have supercomputers at their disposal. Advertisement But what if there was a way to send a code that couldn't be deciphered, no matter how much computing power and ingenuity was directed against it? Back in 1949, American mathematician Claude Shannon wrote a paper entitled "Communication Theory of Secrecy Systems," which argued that it would be possible to send a totally secure coded message, provided that used a one-time, randomly-generated encryption key that bore no relation to the text. Even if someone used brute computing force to break the encryption, they'd only end up with a lot of different possible messages, with no idea as to which was the one you had sent. The one big flaw of Shannon's technique was that the encryption key had to be at least as long as the message itself, which would be kind of, well, unwieldy. A few years ago, though, Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Seth Lloyd came up with a particularly ingenious brainstorm. What if, instead of electricity and rotors that change positions, an enigma machine utilized photons, the elementary particle of light and other forms of electromagnetic energy? According to quantum physics, photons have the ability to follow two paths at once. As this 2013 New Scientist article explains, that would change Shannon's equation, and make it so that increasing the information wouldn't weaken the encryption i.e., it would be possible to send messages that were longer than the encryption key. Now, researchers have taken Lloyd's idea a bit further. In not just one, but two separate papers accepted for publication on the same day in the journal Physical Review A, the scientists have provided proof of concept that is, experimental evidence that a quantum enigma machine would work. "We experimentally demonstrated quantum data locking, an effect that has no classical analogue with a device we believe can be made information theoretically secure in the form of a quantum enigma machine," says Daniel Lum, a graduate research assistant at the University of Rochester and lead author on one of the papers. But that doesn't mean spy agencies are going to rush out and start building quantum enigma machines right away. There's a lot of work that would need to be done to turn the lab experiment into a practical quantum enigma machine, Lum says. For example, he and his colleagues used an experimental setup that transmitted photons through the air, which wouldn't work so well in the outside world. "Any atmospheric loss or turbulence is a nightmare to account for and correct," he says. That means that quantum enigma machines would need to use optical fiber for transmission, a method that Lum and his colleagues detail in their paper. "However, getting the losses with an optical fiber low enough for practical communication is another problem in itself," he says. "Transmitting classical information encoded directly onto quantum states is a very difficult problem that many people feel is not practical." If we can eventually overcome the problems of setting up such a quantum communication channel, though, says Lum, "it would mean there exists the ability of transmitting completely secure data information theoretically secure with much greater efficiency that what is currently defined by classical information theory." And if that does happen, scientists may have to find a way to clone Alan Turing to crack it this new code. Now That's Cool Turing and his colleagues essentially cracked Enigma by adding information to the Germans' messages, through educated guesses about their content. That enabled them to reduce the strength of the encryption key. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A man was repeatedly shot late Monday night while sitting in a car on Syracuses South Side. The shooting happened just before 11:30 p.m. Two men -- ages 22 and 24 -- were sitting in a car near Croton Terrace when gunshots were fired at the vehicle, said Sgt. Matthew Malinowski, Syracuse Police Department spokesman. The 22-year-old man was repeatedly shot, he said. The 24-year-old man was not hit. Both men fled to 1400 block of South State Street and called police, Malinowski said. The wounded man was transported to Upstate University Hospital with non life-threatening injuries, Malinowski said. Police have asked anyone with information about the shooting to call (315) 442-5222. Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Have a tip, a story idea or a comment? You can reach me at shouse@syracuse.com | text/call (315) 466-4160 | Twitter | Facebook A man wearing a face mask has his photograph taken in front of the Olympic Rings in Odaiba on March 5, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. Japan unveiled on Tuesday a second package of measures worth about $4 billion in spending to cope with the fallout of the coronavirus outbreak, focusing on support to small and mid-sized firms, as concerns mount about risks to the fragile economy. The package, totaling 430.8 billion yen ($4.1 billion) in spending, shows how much pressure policymakers are under to bolster fragile growth and stem the risk of corporate bankruptcies, as event cancellations and a slump in tourism threaten to hit the broader economy hard. To help fund the package, the government will tap the rest of this fiscal year's budget reserve of about 270 billion yen, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. The move is likely to affect what the Bank of Japan decides at its March 18-19 policy review. The central bank will aim to ensure that companies hit by the virus outbreak do not face a financial squeeze before the end of the current fiscal year in March, Reuters has reported. Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Tuesday there was no need yet for a bigger extra budget, adding that the fallout from the outbreak so far had not reached the scale of the 2009 financial crisis. "We need to ascertain the current situation," Aso told reporters after a cabinet meeting, adding "There's no saying" whether the government needs an extra budget. Two Azerbaijani citizens who arrived in the country from Iran have been infected with the coronavirus COVID-19, the Operational Headquarters under Azerbaijan's Cabinet of Ministers said. The patients, born in 1966 and 1978, who are admitted to special treatment hospitals and are being monitored feel normal. Their health is stable. The state of health of an Azerbaijani citizen born in 1938, who was admitted to special treatment hospital after he was previously diagnosed with coronavirus infection, is stable - moderately severe. He is currently under surveillance, necessary measures are being taken to improve his health. The condition of other patients admitted to specialized hospitals is stable. The number of coronavirus cases in Azerbaijan reached 11. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Turning to U.S.-based companies after shortages in a overseas supply chain due to COVID-19 coronavirus is not as easy as placing a new order. China, the epicenter of the coronavirus, plays a major role in international trade. Apple told its investors that profits will be down because of supply issues and overseas stores closures, and other tech companies are delaying orders or the launch of new products. Even a Cavs bobblehead has been delayed. CNBC reports that about 90 percent of all businesses in China are in areas hit by the coronavirus, which affects at least 56,000 companies around the world. That could lead to manufacturers searching for a new supplies of raw materials. With the first Ohio coronavirus cases confirmed Monday in Cuyahoga County, officials dont know how the disease will affect local manufacturing. Beyond that, finding replacement supplies isnt as easy as it sounds. Suppose youre making parts for a motor and youre doing them abroad. Now you have to take your drawings and all your specifications and give it to a local supplier, said Mahesh Srinivasan, the director of the University of Akrons Institute for Global Business. They make a prototype, you test it right, you see what fits in and then you scale up. This takes, if not a few months, a few weeks. Companies often stockpile to get through the Chinese New Year, a 15-day holiday where supplies dwindle. Recent businesses recently said the coronavirus has not greatly disrupted their supply chains or their ability to do business. Some stockpiles may be even bigger because of a trade war with China that heightened as President Donald Trumps administration incorporated aggressive tariffs, Srinivasan said. Companies bought to get ahead of any fallout. Manufacturing Works President and Executive Director Ken Patsey said officials are working on a questionnaire to send out to members, asking if local companies are feeling a stress on their supply chains from shortages and whether these businesses are getting more inquiries since the coronavirus epidemic started. The manufacturing association represents about 200 members and another 1,100 through projects with Cleveland. If there are opportunities for companies to consider turning to U.S. suppliers, theyll become clearer down the line, said Jacob Duritsky, a vice president at Team NEO. The organization advocates for economic development in Northeast Ohio. A common selling point for the region is its supply chain. (If) a common theme comes up again and again from companies which is I couldnt supply X component or my business was really hurt because Y isnt here,' I think then for us as a region, it becomes, okay, well, is that a resource or asset here? Duritsky said. And if not, you know, is that a potential attraction opportunity to bring a new company into Northeast Ohio? We just dont know where we are, how serious this is going to be, said Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), who said he appreciates daily updates sent to his office from Vice President Pence, who is coordinating the response. Theres a group of senators who say we ought to shut down, for our employees standpoint. ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mendix, a Siemens business and the global leader in enterprise low-code, today announced that the Municipality of Rotterdam has built the first native mobile app to enable its residents to easily register the license plates of the cars of people who come to visit. Altogether, 80,000 residents of Rotterdam have a license for visitor parking, and register 2.5 million cars per year. The interactive, native mobile app made with Mendix will make a huge difference in their user experience, as it provides great ease of use with biometric authentication, fast response without latency and offline functionality. Residents of Rotterdam who live in an area with paid parking can benefit from a reduced fee for their visitors. Because Rotterdam uses scan cars for parking enforcement, the residents need to register the license plates of their visitors. Before turning to Mendix, the municipality cooperated with Parkmobile, a Benelux provider of a parking app where residents could register visitors through an app, email and phone. However, since Parkmobile discontinued the service the Municipality of Rotterdam needed a new solution. App needs to provide user-friendly authentication "We started mapping out our wants and needs for a mobile application where residents can register their visitors," says Rob Poll, product manager at the Municipality of Rotterdam. "The app needed to offer user-friendly authentication and be downloadable from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. With our former solution, we saw that some people still used text messages or made a phone call to register their visitors. This doesn't live up to the technical and end-user standards anymore. Our new solution should be attractive to use for this crowd as well. Also, the app should be rock solid and offer continuous high performance. Every outage will harm the user experience and lead to questions for our customer support team, two elements we want to prevent. Furthermore, it was essential that the app could communicate with the system that contains all 80,000 parking contracts of our residents. Everyone with this contract has the right to 500 hours of reduced fee parking for visitors. We wanted the new app to provide its users real-time insight into how many credits they have left." As the city already had extensive experience with the Mendix low-code platform, Poll's colleagues from the Rapid Application Development (RAD) team stepped up to create the app. Together with the help of Mendix partner Mansystems, they developed Rotterdam Bezoekersparkeren (RBP). The RAD team worked in sprints, which made it an easy and flexible process. Poll explains, "As a product owner, I was able to prioritize easily and saw that the feedback we provided was implemented very fast. I experienced that working with an internal team on the development of the application is far more efficient than trying to fine-tune an existing solution from a supplier to the needs of the organization." The RBP app was launched in June and Poll saw that already 97 percent of the users installed the app within a month. And when Mendix was the first to add native mobile development to its platform, Poll and his colleagues didn't hesitate and decided to take it one step further and make RBP native-mobile. Hybrid app converted to native mobile in six weeks Rotterdam collaborated with JAM-IT, a Ridderkerk-based Mendix partner, to rebuild the visitor parking app as native-mobile. "By using an agile way of working, we could move very fast," says Armando Jacobus, Mendix developer at JAM-IT. "The team was able to convert the hybrid RBP app to native mobile within six weeks. It was the first time anyone created a true native-mobile app with Mendix, and we're impressed by the result. The interaction is very fast. There's no latency. And a big advantage for the users is that the app works offline as well. If there's no mobile reception, the resident can still register their visitor's car. When the connection is restored, the app automatically connects with the server and the information is updated." Mendix 8 is the first low-code platform to introduce comprehensive support for building true native mobile apps. Utilizing the industry-leading React Native framework, Mendix streamlines the development process of creating mobile apps by enabling collaboration between citizen developers and IT professionals via low-code's drag-and-drop functionality and a full set of widgets and actions. Native mobile by Mendix makes RBP solid, fast and smooth "With native mobile, Mendix and JAM-IT have provided us with an app that is more solid, faster, and smoother than ever," Poll says. "Because the app doesn't render inside a web view and communicates directly with the database, our users can benefit from excellent performance, smooth animations and natural interaction. Also, residents can store their favorite license plates in the app, so the app doesn't have to go to the backend every time a visitor is registered. We also love the fact we can offer biometric authentication. With the full native mobile version of RBP that will be launched in the third quarter of this year, we can provide a richer user experience for our residents. For the future, I also expect us to better meet the needs of our residents as the app stores make it easy to provide feedback about the app. Mendix enables us to do what we're here for: to listen to our residents and make their parking experience better." "We are constantly seeking ways to accelerate innovation," Jacobus states. "Normally, one does not expect municipalities to be precursors or early adopters. But Rotterdam is very energetic. Working with them is like getting on a fast train. We see processes that take months or years being transformed within weeks and days. They always want to push the boundaries of what's possible. This has made them leaders in leveraging the capabilities of the Mendix low-code platform to make a difference in the daily lives of their inhabitants." For more information about how Mendix can help transform your business, please visit www.mendix.com . Connect with Mendix Follow @Mendix on Twitter Connect with Mendix on LinkedIn About Mendix Mendix, a Siemens business and the global leader in enterprise low-code, is fundamentally reinventing the way applications are built in the digital enterprise. With the Mendix platform, enterprises can 'Make with More,' by broadening an enterprise's development capability to conquer the software development bottleneck; 'Make it Smart,' by making apps with rich native experiences that are intelligent, proactive, and contextual; and 'Make at Scale,' to modernize core systems and build large app portfolios to keep pace with business growth. The Mendix platform is built to promote intense collaboration between business and IT teams and dramatically accelerate application development cycles, while maintaining the highest standards of security, quality, and governance in short, to help enterprises confidently leap into their digital futures. Mendix's 'Go Make It' platform has been adopted by more than 4,000 leading companies around the world. Press Inquiries Katherine Schroeter Account Manager, SHIFT Communications [email protected] (617) 779-1868 Dan Berkowitz Senior Director, Global Communications [email protected] (415) 518-7870 SOURCE Mendix Related Links http://www.mendix.com A councillor in Perth's southern suburbs wants the council to investigate sterilising and banning pet cats within the city's limits. Phoebe Corke, a councillor in the City of Cockburn's West Ward, has put forward a motion for the local government to look at "options for the control of roaming cats in the municipality". A councillor at the City of Cockburn wants to ban cats across the local government area. Credit: Ms Corke, who is also a member of the Save Beeliar Wetlands group and a self-confessed nature lover, said the move aimed to protect the area's native wildlife from domestic and feral cats. The motion will be brought up at the next council meeting on Thursday and calls for the City to investigate the mandatory sterilisation of all cats and a total cat ban. The ban would initially apply to greenfield developments before being rolled out across all of the City of Cockburn. Accenture (NYSE: ACN) is to acquire ESR Labs, a Munich, Germany-based company that develops embedded software for German car brands and suppliers. The completion of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions. The amount of the deal was not disclosed. The acquisition will expand Accentures capabilities for automotive clients to drive value from software. ESR Labs will join Accenture Industry X.0, the part of Accenture that uses digital technologies to improve how companies design, engineer and manufacture products and services, and operate industrial facilities. The more than 130 software engineers and software architects from ESR Labs led by Wolfgang Kocher, CEO will bring their experience and skills in embedded software for the electronic units that control a vehicles functions to Accenture. ESR Labs also offers solutions to update the code remotely, helps clients develop connected car and mobility services, such as car-sharing, and conducts research into autonomous driving technology. FinSMEs 10/03/2020 MUSKEGON TWP. A Missouri-based marijuana growing company has been approved to build cannabis cultivation facilities in Muskegon Township. The 11,000-square-foot industrial marijuana growing facility will be located at 3129 E. Laketon Ave. It will be owned and operated by Root Weaver, LLC, a Missouri company run by Linda Weaver. Weaver did not respond to a request from MLive, sent through her companys registered agent, for comment. The facility is approved for Class C cultivation of up to 1,500 medical marijuana plants and up to 2,000 recreational use plants. It will be the townships first marijuana growing facility inside the growing and processing overlay district that was approved last October, said Brian Werschem, the townships planning and zoning administrator. But it probably wont be the last, he said. We allow unlimited facilities, he said. We certainly didnt intend on creating an overlay district of 115 acres with the plan of just bringing one in. We just opened it upfor those that wish to look at that possibility. The township board approved the application after the township planning commission approved the plans at its regular meeting on Feb. 10, according to public documents. These maps show where Muskegon Township will allow recreational marijuana businesses within township limits. Areas marked in purple are where dispensaries can be located. The 130-acre area marked in green is a special overlay district where growers, processors and other non-commercial marijuana businesses can set up shop.Courtesy of Google.com The company will still have to receive state permits before it begins building its facility, said township Supervisor Jennifer Hodges. Root Weaver has been approved for at least three other grow facilities in Missouri, according to public documents. It is also the plaintiff in a lawsuit against Bay Countys Hampton Township, where it had been issued a license to operate before the township rescinded its own marijuana growing ordinances. Muskegon Township has already approved five applications for recreational and medical dispensaries, and has two more licenses to give out in the next two months, said Werschem. Five applicants are competing for those final two licenses, he added. The five that have already been approved are at different stages of development, said Werschem. Two have major renovations in store, two have to be built from scratch, and one is expected to open in the next 8-10 weeks, Werschem said. Last October, the Muskegon Township Board of Trustees approved ordinances to allow marijuana businesses to open within township limits. The ordinance allows for dispensaries to open along designated portions of East Laketon Avenue, East Apple Avenue, Whitehall Road, and Holton Road. Growers and processors can operate within the overlay district established on both sides of Laketon Avenue west of South Walker Road. According to the ordinance, all marijuana operations can operate only between the hours of 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. Read more on MLive: Three more marijuana dispensaries get OK in Muskegon Township Pot entrepreneurs line up for Muskegon Township recreational marijuana licenses 2 recreational pot shops approved in Muskegon Township Pot dispensary sues township after waiting in line 9 days for a marijuana license YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS. Ryanair announced on March 10 about the suspension of its full flight schedule to/from and within Italy, following the decision of the Italian Government to lock down the entire country to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus. These additional cuts will be implemented as follows: From 24:00hrs Weds 11 Mar until 24:00hrs Wed 8 Apr, Ryanair will suspend all Italian domestic flights. From 24:00hrs Fri 13 Mar until 24:00hrs Wed 8 Apr, Ryanair will suspend all Italian international flights. All affected passengers have received email notices today informing them of these flight cancellations, ARMENPRESS reports Ryanair informed. Passengers looking for repatriation can obtain a free move to an earlier Ryanair flight operating up until midnight Fri 13 Mar. Affected passengers will be able to choose between a full refund or a travel credit that can be redeemed on Ryanair flights in the next 12 months. Ryanair continues to comply fully with WHO and national Government guidance and travel bans. The situation is changing on a daily basis, and all passengers on flights affected by travel bans or cancellations, are receiving emails and are being offered flight transfers, full refunds or travel credits. Ryanair apologises sincerely to all customers for these schedule disruptions, which are caused by national Government restrictions and the latest decision of the Italian Government to lock down the entire country to combat the Covid-19 virus. Nestle has switched to paper straws for its Milo Breakfast drink Starting from this month, consumers and shoppers will find that their favourite Nestle Milo Breakfast drink now comes with a paper straw. The switch to paper straws demonstrates Nestle Milos commitment to supporting Vietnam in achieving its green goals for the future; the Vietnamese government currently targets a 75 per cent reduction of plastic waste in beaches and oceans by 2030. It is also in line with Nestles own global commitments to reduce its own plastic use, aiming to make 100 per cent of its packaging recyclable and reusable by 2025. While Nestle Milo Breakfast drinks now come with paper straws, the delicious chocolate and malt flavour that Vietnamese children love and enjoy will remain unchanged. The paper straws in Nestle Milo Breakfast drinks were produced and tested using European standards, ensuring that they can be safely used without changing the taste and aroma of the drinks. Also, Nestle Milo Breakfasts paper straws are also easily bendable, so kids can have fun while enjoying their favourite flavorful drinks. Ali Abbas, head of Nestle Vietnams Dairy Business, shared that launching paper straws for Milo Breakfast products is one of our real actions to bring real impact to the environment. This is a long journey, and we are constantly striving to come up with and execute new initiatives. With this pilot initiative, we hope to inspire positive change among our consumers and enjoin them to do their part to help the environment. Every small action we do today can have a big, positive impact tomorrow if we all work together, he added. Nestle MILO Breakfast products with paper straws are available nationwide in all Co.opmart and Co.opXtra stores, which is also one of the first supermarket chains in Vietnam encouraging consumers to pursue a green lifestyle. The distribution of these products will be extended to various retail channels within the year. A friend of mine who stutters recently shared a long social media thread on stuttering, written by a guy named Charles Repine, who says he has stuttered for 35 years. Repine writes eloquently about the various avoidance behaviors he and other people who stutter often adopt to keep from stuttering in public. (Substituting a feared word for a word thats easier to say. Sentence abandonment: Recognizing that youre about to stutter and just giving up entirely. Putting off saying a feared word or sound until it comes out fluently.) Many investors are still learning about the various metrics that can be useful when analysing a stock. This article is for those who would like to learn about Return On Equity (ROE). To keep the lesson grounded in practicality, we'll use ROE to better understand Oxford Metrics plc (LON:OMG). Over the last twelve months Oxford Metrics has recorded a ROE of 13%. Another way to think of that is that for every 1 worth of equity in the company, it was able to earn 0.13. See our latest analysis for Oxford Metrics How Do I Calculate Return On Equity? The formula for ROE is: Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) Shareholders' Equity Or for Oxford Metrics: 13% = UK4.2m UK31m (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2019.) Most readers would understand what net profit is, but its worth explaining the concept of shareholders equity. It is all earnings retained by the company, plus any capital paid in by shareholders. Shareholders' equity can be calculated by subtracting the total liabilities of the company from the total assets of the company. What Does Return On Equity Mean? ROE looks at the amount a company earns relative to the money it has kept within the business. The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. That means that the higher the ROE, the more profitable the company is. So, all else equal, investors should like a high ROE. Clearly, then, one can use ROE to compare different companies. Does Oxford Metrics Have A Good Return On Equity? One simple way to determine if a company has a good return on equity is to compare it to the average for its industry. However, this method is only useful as a rough check, because companies do differ quite a bit within the same industry classification. Pleasingly, Oxford Metrics has a superior ROE than the average (9.6%) company in the Software industry. AIM:OMG Past Revenue and Net Income, March 10th 2020 That's clearly a positive. In my book, a high ROE almost always warrants a closer look. For example you might check if insiders are buying shares. Story continues The Importance Of Debt To Return On Equity Most companies need money -- from somewhere -- to grow their profits. The cash for investment can come from prior year profits (retained earnings), issuing new shares, or borrowing. In the first two cases, the ROE will capture this use of capital to grow. In the latter case, the debt used for growth will improve returns, but won't affect the total equity. That will make the ROE look better than if no debt was used. Combining Oxford Metrics's Debt And Its 13% Return On Equity Oxford Metrics is free of net debt, which is a positive for shareholders. Its solid ROE indicates a good business, especially when you consider it is not using leverage. After all, when a company has a strong balance sheet, it can often find ways to invest in growth, even if it takes some time. The Key Takeaway Return on equity is a useful indicator of the ability of a business to generate profits and return them to shareholders. Companies that can achieve high returns on equity without too much debt are generally of good quality. All else being equal, a higher ROE is better. Having said that, while ROE is a useful indicator of business quality, you'll have to look at a whole range of factors to determine the right price to buy a stock. Profit growth rates, versus the expectations reflected in the price of the stock, are a particularly important to consider. So you might want to take a peek at this data-rich interactive graph of forecasts for the company. But note: Oxford Metrics may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free 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. When will it be safe to resume normal activities? People worldwide are isolating themselves to slow the coronavirus spread sometimes voluntarily, sometimes under orders from government or public health officials. With travel restricted, many schools closed, group events canceled and workers telecommuting, many people are wondering how long these containment measures will last. The answer is depressing: Theres no clear end point. As the crisis nears pandemic status there were nearly 114,000 COVID-19 cases worldwide as of Monday, including 130 in California amid ominous signs that community spread is growing, theres no looming breakthrough that could end the isolation tactics other than the development of a vaccine, which could take 12 months or longer. In fact, the restrictions could get more draconian, with authorities imposing mandatory home quarantines, or isolating entire cities and regions, as China did for many cities. Italy on Monday announced a near-lockdown of the entire country. The U.S. isnt there, as of yet. I dont think you want to have folks shutting down cities like in northern Italy, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview with the New York Times. We are not at that level. That is a hot spot. Social distancing like in Seattle is the way to go. Im not talking about locking down anything. Health officials havent developed protocols for when even the current steps should end and thats a problem, said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. If we pull the trigger to put them in place, then how do we unpull the trigger to take them off? he asked. We have got to figure out the long-term game plan before we embark. The federal government needs to address that soon, Osterholm said. Telling a 65-year-old with underlying health problems to avoid large crowds and public events is very different from large-scale closures. Thats not putting entire industries at risk. Hes also worried about collateral damage to the health care system. For instance, more than a third of hospital nurses have school-age children, Osterholm said. If schools close for prolonged periods, many of those nurses would have to stay home from work. The level of containment will depend on how malignant the virus is in its spread and fatality rate, said Dr. John Swartzberg, clinical professor emeritus of infectious diseases and vaccinology at UC Berkeley. Those statistics are still evolving, he said. One upbeat marker: Chinas aggressive restrictions appear to have been effective. Theyre slowly allowing people to go back to work, children to school, he said. Its been encouraging, suggesting the epidemic reached a peak in a month or five weeks, then started to level off. Its still unknown whether this particular virus will wane in the spring and summer. Of the seven coronaviruses that cause human disease, four are seasonal, Dr. Swartzberg said. Ending quarantine measures typically involves waiting some period of time to make sure there are no new cases, said Dr. George Rutherford, professor of epidemiology at UCSF. But deciding how long to wait is tricky. The most conservative approach would be waiting two 14-day incubation periods with no new cases, but that is probably way too conservative for the amount of disruption, the isolation measures cause, he said. Another way to do it is to (test) a lot of people to try to understand how much asymptomatic infection exists. Dr. Dan Diekema, director of infectious disease at the University of Iowa Medical Center, said the current measures wont reduce the ultimate total volume of infections, but should keep new cases at a manageable pace. The isolation measures are designed primarily to space them out so that the numbers dont overwhelm healthcare system capacity, (especially) the ability to care for the fraction of infected people who will require acute/ICU care, he said in an email. 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. Some hospitals have discussed the potential for dire scenarios where theyd be forced to ration access to beds and ventilators if they see a surge in COVID-19 cases. Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, thinks the containment measures dont make sense because of the virus characteristics. Instead of diverting resources to containment, public health agencies should have focused on preparing hospitals for cases and scaling up diagnostic testing, he said. A respiratory virus like this cant be contained, especially when it has that much of a head start, Adalja said. Its been spreading in China since at least November. It is spread efficiently from human to human. By the time it was even noticed in late December, whos to say it hadnt already spread all over the world and was mixed in with cold/flu season? In California, the decision to close, cancel or suspend public events, schools and universities has largely been left up to individual institutions, event planners and county health officials. As a result, counties are implementing a patchwork of closures and suspensions that vary greatly depending on what local health officials have decided is most appropriate, given the number of cases and evidence of community spread in their county. San Francisco has banned nonessential gatherings of 50 people or more in city-owned buildings, including City Hall and the public library, until March 20. Santa Clara County on Monday announced a ban on events with more than 1,000 people until the end of March. The ban will take effect Wednesday and include events at stadiums, theaters, arenas and large conference rooms where people are within arms length of each other in a confined space but will not include airports, malls, public transit or offices. The California Department of Public Health has issued guidance to event planners and school administrators on steps to take if COVID-19 has been reported in their communities, but has not made any closures or cancellations mandatory. The agency, for instance, does not recommend that large public events be canceled in communities where COVID-19 cases have not been reported. In cases where students and staff at schools and universities have tested positive for the virus, the state says school administrators should consult with local public health officials to determine how long a school or campus should close. The agency did not answer a question about if there are any circumstances under which the state would make school closures or event cancellations mandatory. This is an evolving situation, and state and county public health officials will alert the community as things change, a department spokesperson said in an email. Carolyn Said and Catherine Ho are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com, cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid, @cat_ho Governor Signs Proclamation for SBDC Day in Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon signed a proclamation last week designating Wednesday, March 18, as Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Day in Wyoming. SBDC Day recognizes the work of the nearly 1,000 accredited SBDC programs in the country, and Wyoming entrepreneurs will join thousands across the United States in celebrating their local SBDC. Our team is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs in any industry, any business stage and anywhere in Wyoming, says Jill Kline, state director of the Wyoming SBDC Network. We love hearing about the achievements of our clients, and SBDC Day is a chance for them to share their stories. Small businesses make up 95.6 percent of all Wyoming companies, and our clients average a sales growth rate that is six times higher than the state average and a job growth rate that is 23 times higher. For 25 years, the Wyoming SBDC Network has helped entrepreneurs start or grow their businesses through nine regional offices across the state. Since 1994, the Wyoming SBDC Network assisted 47,580 entrepreneurs, resulting in more than 1,200 new businesses; 23,973 jobs created or saved; and a capital impact of $285.2 million for the states economy. The Wyoming SBDC Network, hosted by the University of Wyoming with state funds from the Wyoming Business Council, also is funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. On SBDC Day, entrepreneurs are encouraged to share their stories with the Wyoming SBDC Network on Facebook. To learn more about your local SBDC, visit www.wyomingsbdc.org. CAMBRIDGE, MA -- For plants, sunlight can be a double-edged sword. They need it to drive photosynthesis, the process that allows them to store solar energy as sugar molecules, but too much sun can dehydrate and damage their leaves. A primary strategy that plants use to protect themselves from this kind of photodamage is to dissipate the extra light as heat. However, there has been much debate over the past several decades over how plants actually achieve this. "During photosynthesis, light-harvesting complexes play two seemingly contradictory roles. They absorb energy to drive water-splitting and photosynthesis, but at the same time, when there's too much energy, they have to also be able to get rid of it," says Gabriela Schlau-Cohen, the Thomas D. and Virginia W. Cabot Career Development Assistant Professor of Chemistry at MIT. In a new study, Schlau-Cohen and colleagues at MIT, the University of Pavia, and the University of Verona directly observed, for the first time, one of the possible mechanisms that have been proposed for how plants dissipate energy. The researchers used a highly sensitive type of spectroscopy to determine that excess energy is transferred from chlorophyll, the pigment that gives leaves their green color, to other pigments called carotenoids, which can then release the energy as heat. "This is the first direct observation of chlorophyll-to-carotenoid energy transfer in the light-harvesting complex of green plants," says Schlau-Cohen, who is the senior author of the study. "That's the simplest proposal, but no one's been able to find this photophysical pathway until now." MIT graduate student Minjung Son is the lead author of the study, which appears today in Nature Communications. Other authors are Samuel Gordon '18, Alberta Pinnola of the University of Pavia, in Italy, and Roberto Bassi of the University of Verona. Excess energy When sunlight strikes a plant, specialized proteins known as light-harvesting complexes absorb light energy in the form of photons, with the help of pigments such as chlorophyll. These photons drive the production of sugar molecules, which store the energy for later use. Much previous research has shown that plants are able to quickly adapt to changes in sunlight intensity. In very sunny conditions, they convert only about 30 percent of the available sunlight into sugar, while the rest is released as heat. If this excess energy is allowed to remain in the plant cells, it creates harmful molecules called free radicals that can damage proteins and other important cellular molecules. "Plants can respond to fast changes in solar intensity by getting rid of extra energy, but what that photophysical pathway is has been debated for decades," Schlau-Cohen says. The simplest hypothesis for how plants get rid of these extra photons is that once the light-harvesting complex absorbs them, chlorophylls pass them to nearby molecules called carotenoids. Carotenoids, which include lycopene and beta-carotene, are very good at getting rid of excess energy through rapid vibration. They are also skillful scavengers of free radicals, which helps to prevent damage to cells. A similar type of energy transfer has been observed in bacterial proteins that are related to chlorophyll, but until now, it had not been seen in plants. One reason why it has been hard to observe this phenomenon is that it occurs on a very fast time scale (femtoseconds, or quadrillionths of a second). Another obstacle is that the energy transfer spans a broad range of energy levels. Until recently, existing methods for observing this process could only measure a small swath of the spectrum of visible light. In 2017, Schlau-Cohen's lab developed a modification to a femtosecond spectroscopic technique that allows them to look at a broader range of energy levels, spanning red to blue light. This meant that they could monitor energy transfer between chlorophylls, which absorb red light, and carotenoids, which absorb blue and green light. In this study, the researchers used this technique to show that photons move from an excited state, which is spread over multiple chlorophyll molecules within a light-harvesting complex, to nearby carotenoid molecules within the complex. "By broadening the spectral bandwidth, we could look at the connection between the blue and the red ranges, allowing us to map out the changes in energy level. You can see energy moving from one excited state to another," Schlau-Cohen says. Once the carotenoids accept the excess energy, they release most of it as heat, preventing light-induced damage to the cells. Boosting crop yields The researchers performed their experiments in two different environments -- one in which the proteins were in a detergent solution, and one in which they were embedded in a special type of self-assembling membrane called a nanodisc. They found that the energy transfer occurred more rapidly in the nanodisc, suggesting that environmental conditions affect the rate of energy dissipation. It remains a mystery exactly how excess sunlight triggers this mechanism within plant cells. Schlau-Cohen's lab is now exploring whether the organization of chlorophylls and carotenoids within the chloroplast membrane play a role in activating the photoprotection system. A better understanding of plants' natural photoprotection system could help scientists develop new ways to improve crop yields, Schlau-Cohen says. A 2016 paper from University of Illinois researchers showed that by overproducing all of the proteins involved in photoprotection, crop yields could be boosted by 15 to 20 percent. That paper also suggested that production could be further increased to a theoretical maximum of about 30 percent. "If we understand the mechanism, instead of just upregulating everything and getting 15 to 20 percent, we could really optimize the system and get to that theoretical maximum of 30 percent," Schlau-Cohen says. ### The research was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. She takes on the role of Sandra Wolsfeld, Miss USA, in new film Misbehaviour. And Suki Waterhouse looked every inch the beauty queen as she arrived at the premiere for the flick at The Ham Yard Hotel in Soho, London, on Monday. The actress, 28, looked sensational in a semi-sheer beaded dress with dramatic feathered detailing around the hemline and sleeves. Stunning: Suki Waterhouse looked every inch the beauty queen as she arrived at the premiere for the flick at The Ham Yard Hotel in Soho, London, on Monday The eye-catching number also featured a tulle skirt, which she teamed with a pair of stylish nude satin stilettos, boosting her statuesque frame. Suki kept the chill off during the evening by wearing a cappuccino overcoat slung over her shoulders, while adding glitz with a beaded evening bag. The model added further sparkle to her look with a pair of delicate drop earrings as well as sporting a full face-up make-up including expertly-applied winged liner. Leggy! The actress, 28, looked sensational in a semi-sheer beaded dress with dramatic feathered detailing around the hemline and sleeves Pretty: The eye-catching number also featured a tulle skirt, which she teamed with a pair of stylish nude satin stilettos, boosting her statuesque frame Suki attended the event alongside lead actress and pal Keira Knightley, as well as other big names including Keeley Hawes and Emma Corrin. Also in attendance was the inspiration behind the film, Jennifer Hosten, who was the 1970 Miss World winner representing Grenada. She became the first woman from her country to win the title. The film follow a group of female activists who hatch a plan to disrupt the 1970 Miss World beauty competition in London. Their outrage stems from the racism that surrounds the competition. Chic: Suki kept the chill off during the evening by wearing a cappuccino overcoat slung over her shoulders, while adding glitz with a beaded evening bag Dazzling: The model added further sparkle to her look with a pair of delicate drop earrings as well as sporting a full face-up make-up including expertly-applied winged liner Teasing the drama for Gugu Mbatha-Raw's Jennifer the trailer sees her try and navigate her place in the pageant world as one of the few black women to compete. 'If I win there would be little girls who might start to believe they have a place in the world,' she says of her hopes for the future. Facing racism in the industry, Jennifer laments the lack of attention she gets because of her skin colour as she tells a fellow contestant that there were 'not so many flashbulbs for me' when people came to take their pictures. (Bloomberg) -- Infineon Technologies AGs $8.7 billion acquisition of Cypress Semiconductor Corp. was approved by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a small step forward for deals in an industry where regulatory and security concerns have stalled consolidation. Shares of both companies surged.CFIUS has completed its review of Cypresss previously announced merger transaction with Infineon Technologies AG and determined that there are no unresolved national security concerns, Cypress said in a statement Monday. Infineon, based in Munich, also confirmed the approval. The combination still needs sign-off from Chinas State Administration for Market Regulation, the companies said. The most critical hurdle to overcome was CFIUS, said Holger Schmidt, an analyst at Metzler. While China pretty much killed the Qualcomm/NXP deal it is important to remember that was in the midst of the trade war between the US and China. Schmidt added hes cautiously optimistic that the Infineon deal will be approved. Shares of San Jose, California-based Cypress surged more than 40% in extended trading following the announcement. Infineon rose 2.4% to 16.19 euros at 9:09 a.m. in Frankfurt on Tuesday after earlier gaining as much as 6.2%. Semiconductor deals have slowed in recent years because of a U.S.-China trade war and concern among some American policy makers that China is pursuing illicit means to acquire key technology. The attempt to buy Cypress by a German company is seen as a important test of how far the Trump administration is willing to go to curb Chinas ambitions. Bloomberg News reported last week that some U.S. national security officials had recommended that President Donald Trump block the transaction. Still, Trump has made some conciliatory statements recently. In a string of tweets last month, the President said that he wants to make it easy for other countries, including China, to do business with the U.S. and keep the lines of trade open. Story continues Other industry deals are still in limbo. Santa Clara, California-based Nvidia Corp. is waiting for Chinese approval of its acquisition of Israels Mellanox Technologies Ltd. Nvidia executives have said that they expect the transaction to close in the first half of this year. But investors are still concerned that geopolitics may stifle such consolidation. Qualcomm Inc. decided to scrap its $44 billion bid for rival chipmaker NXP Semiconductors NV in 2018 after an almost two-year wait for approval. To contact the reporters on this story: Ian King in San Francisco at ianking@bloomberg.net;Sarah Syed in London at ssyed35@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alistair Barr at abarr18@bloomberg.net, ;Giles Turner at gturner35@bloomberg.net, Amy Thomson 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 02:33:47|Editor: yan Video Player Close COPENHAGEN, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Danish business and employees will be offered 125 billion DKK (19 billion U.S. dollars) as part of three-pronged economic initiatives to strengthen the economy from the impact of COVID-19, said Finance Minister Nicolai Wammen at a press conference on Tuesday. There have been 262 confirmed infections of COVID-19 across the country, according to the website of the Danish Patient Safety Authority. "The day has come to use one of the great tools we have. What we present today is the first wave. There is more to come," said Wammen. The first of the three government initiatives will be to postpone the deadline for the payment of value-added tax (VAT). Secondly, the government will provide compensation for lost revenue and additional expenses to organizers of major events affected by government recommendations based on COVID-19. In addition, the government and businesses will jointly establish a special unit discussing "targeted and concrete proposals for interim measures" to address current challenges. "The COVID-19 is going to have financial consequences because companies are being forced down for a period of time. But with the initiatives we have put in place, we can avoid the risk that it will go deeper than necessary," said Wammen. The Delhi High Court has upheld a trial court order awarding a man rigorous imprisonment for the remainder of his life for killing his step-daughter. A Division Bench of Justices Manmohan and Sangeet Dhingra Sehgal held Ramjani guilty of murdering his five-year-old step-daughter. "...This court is of the opinion that the chain of events is complete and the circumstances conclusively prove the guilt of the appellant-convict. Consequently, the prosecution has successfully proved beyond reasonable doubt that the appellant-convict (Ramjani) had murdered his stepdaughter Khushbul." According to prosecution, Ramjani lodged a false missing complaint regarding his stepdaughter on November 13, 2016. Thereafter, the convict had withdrawn the said complaint on the very next day on the ground that his stepdaughter had been found by his nephew and the convict had sent his daughter with his wife to the native village in Bihar. The prosecution told the court that while withdrawing the missing compliant, the convict had neither examined nor produced his wife Sahana or his nephew. Later, her daughter's body was recovered on November 17, 2016, from Bhalaswa lake in the capital. As per the post-mortem examination report of the deceased, the cause of the death was opined to be "asphyxia secondary to ante mortem drowning". When the police went to the convict's native village in Bihar, neither his wife nor his daughter was found. The court said that "the prosecution has successfully proved that Khushbul was last seen alive with the appellant-convict on November 13, 2016. At that time, Khushbul was wearing a "red frock and green colour pyjami" and the same clothes were found on the deceased, which conclusively proves that the deceased was Khushbul. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Alongside our extensive prevention efforts that are already being carried out, it is now necessary to take further urgent, proactive steps to help keep the IU community safe, IU President Michael McRobbie said in a letter addressed to the university community. Collaboration unifies image analysis and image management in a single solution for realizing the full promise of computational pathology data Visiopharm, the leader in precision pathology software, and Proscia, a leader in digital pathology image and workflow management, have entered into a multi-year, strategic partnership to deliver deeply integrated AI-enabled solutions that drive breakthroughs in translational research and advance precision medicine. In addition to joint product integration, Visiopharm and Proscia have established a global reseller and support agreement to accelerate the delivery of these combined offerings to the market. The shift towards precision medicine has led to the rapid adoption of digital pathology across translational research, as new computational applications have the potential to unlock hidden insights that drive discoveries into breakthrough therapies. Despite this digitization, research organizations are struggling to incorporate computational data into the modern digital workflow due to the siloed deployment of isolated applications across image analysis and image management. Visiopharm and Proscia have joined forces to deliver a best-in-class unified solution that enables research organizations to better leverage computational image data. Available today, the integrated solution connects Visiopharm's VIS AI-image analysis suite with Proscia's Concentriq image management platform, enabling high-throughput research organizations to realize the full potential of their digital pathology data. This integration allows scientists and pathologists to automatically stream images from Concentriq into the VIS suite for analysis and push results back into Concentriq, where they can be visualized and incorporated into ongoing studies. "We are impressed with the innovation, drive, and depth of understanding Proscia brings to the field of image, data, and workflow management," said Visiopharm CEO Michael Grunkin. "This collaboration will allow each of our companies to focus on our respective core competences. Essentially, that means we can use our resources to keep innovating and pushing the 'boundaries of possible' in our respective fields and continue to deliver relevant and future-proof solutions that span the entire scope of precision pathology collaborative workflows." "Our strategic partnership with Visiopharm brings together industry-leading technology capabilities and a strong track record of customer success," said David West, CEO of Proscia. "Through our joint solution, we're helping our customers adopt an increasingly complex and data-driven approach to pathology that will drive research breakthroughs and lead to improved patient outcomes." To learn more about how Visiopharm and Proscia are enabling research organizations to realize the full promise of their digital pathology data, explore the partnership overview and join our webinar, "Integrated Image Analysis At Scale: Visiopharm and Proscia's Unified Solution," on April 14, 2020 at 1PM CET and 12PM ET. About Visiopharm A/S Visiopharm is a world leader in AI-driven digital precision pathology software. Visiopharm's pioneering image analysis tools support thousands of scientists, pathologists, and image analysis experts in both academic institutions and the biopharmaceutical industry. AI-based image analysis and tissue mining tools support research and drug development research worldwide, while their CE-IVD APPs support primary diagnostics. With the most advanced and sophisticated artificial intelligence and deep learning, they deliver tissue data mining tools, precision results, and workflows. Visiopharm was founded in 2001 and is privately owned. The company operates internationally with over 900 licenses in more than 38 countries. Company headquarters are in Denmark's Medicon Valley, with further offices in London, England, Munich, Germany, and Westminster, Colorado. Follow Visiopharm on LinkedIn and Twitter. About Proscia Proscia is an AI software company that is changing the way the world practices pathology to transform cancer research and diagnosis. With the company's Concentriq digital pathology platform and pipeline of AI algorithms, laboratories are leveraging new kinds of data to improve patient outcomes and accelerate discoveries. Proscia's team of technologists, scientists, and pathologists is bringing a fresh approach to an outdated industry, helping the world to keep pace with the increasing demand for pathology services and fulfill the promise of precision care. For more information, visit proscia.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005299/en/ Contacts: Ryan McKenna rmckenna@matternow.com On the Dol Purnima day in the early morning, the students dress up in saffron-coloured clothes and wear garlands of fragrant flowers. They sing and dance to the accompaniment of musical instruments like ektara, dubri, veena, etc. Holi is known by the name of 'Dol Jatra', 'Dol Purnima' or the 'Swing Festival'. The festival is celebrated in a dignified manner by placing the idols of Krishna and Radha on a picturesquely decorated palanquin which is then taken around the main streets of the city or the village. (Image: PTI) SAN FRANCISCO, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 80% of workers say they would not report harassment if they saw it, and 41% say even if they did report harassment, their managers wouldn't take them seriously. That's according to the 2020 Workplace Culture Report released today by workplace culture platform Emtrain. Emtrain Workplace Culture Report 2020 Emtrain analyzed over 2.5 million data points collected from 40,000 employees at 125 companies in 2019 to reveal the behaviors that contribute to healthy -- and unhealthy -- workplaces. A team of employment lawyers and former government regulators, as well as talent, leadership, learning, and organizational development experts assembled by Emtrain tested the hypothesis that bad outcomes are actually the result of one or more core situational dynamics that -- at elevated levels -- lead to toxic behaviors like harassment, bias, exclusion, and ethical violations. The report identified six specific indicators such as unconscious bias and power dynamics -- Emtrain's Workplace Culture Diagnostic -- that lead to bad outcomes when at unhealthy levels. This first of its kind harassment/bias/respect benchmarking will help inform culture keepers and business leaders on where and how they invest their time and resources to improve organizational health and decrease their risk of bad outcomes. Key takeaways from the Emtrain 2020 Workplace Culture Report include: 83% of employees would not report harassment if they saw it. 41% of employees are not confident that if they made a complaint, their management would take it seriously. Almost 1 in 3 (29%) employees have left a job because of workplace conflict. Only 25% of employees think that their co-workers do a good job of "reading the room" when it comes to interacting with others. Only 32% of employees feel like they can be their authentic self at work. Only 20% of employees think managers are aware of the impact of their power on workplace interactions. The biggest cause of workplace culture issues is In-Group/ Out-Group dynamics -- e.g., employees who report experiencing being a member of the "out-group" actually receive less empathy and respect from their co-workers. "The good news is that this report provides benchmarks that companies can use to see how they are performing in the key indicators for company culture health," said Emtrain CEO and founder Janine Yancey. "The bad news is that our research shows many businesses have a long way to go. Businesses spend about $5 billion a year on harassment training and we don't seem to be solving this issue." The full report, available for download here , provides data on issues like employees' comfort and willingness to speak up, employee confidence in management, how disparity in backgrounds and experience affects employee interactions, the degree to which management gets away with disrespectful behavior due to authority, the varied levels of awareness managers have of the impact of their authority, and the unintended consequences of managers avoiding conflict. "Providing this information to companies can help them better identify and address problems before they lead to harassment, bias, and ethical mishaps," Yancey said. "These issues require strong interpersonal skills because many situations are less obvious than everyone thinks. Developing the tools and benchmarks company leaders need is a solid first step." About Emtrain Emtrain's workplace culture platform reinvents compliance training with provocative content that sparks dialogue and unique culture analytics that drive individual and organizational behavior change. Emtrain.ai allows you to benchmark your culture against our global community to identify issues before they become toxic problems that become compliance issues and destroy culture. Emtrain partners with industry experts and uses current events to teach on topics such as sexual harassment, unconscious bias, and ethics. Emtrain's innovative platform is used by more than 800 culture-focused companies, such as Netflix, Dolby, LiveNation, and others. Emtrain is a woman-owned and women-led company. Media Contact: Ryan Gerding [email protected] M: (816) 665-1001 SOURCE Emtrain Harvey Weinstein arrives at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on Feb. 24, 2020. (Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images) Weinstein Lawyers Seek Five Years in Jail for Sex Crime Conviction Lawyers for former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, who was convicted last month of rape and sexual assault, have asked a New York court to take into consideration his health and age and sentence him to prison for five years. Weinstein, 67, faces up to 29 years in prison after being found guilty of sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and raping former aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013. Please accept this letter as our request that the court sentence Mr. Weinstein to a period of incarceration of five years, three of Weinsteins lawyers said in a letter addressed to Justice James Burke of state Supreme Court in Manhattan. Film producer Harvey Weinsteins defense attorneys Donna Rotunno and Damon Cheronis talk to the media at the New York Criminal Court following Weinsteins guilty verdict in his sexual assault trial in New York on Feb. 24, 2020. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters File) Reuters saw a copy of the letter, which was signed by lawyers Damon Cheronis, Donna Rotunno and Arthur Aidala and dated Monday. Sentencing is due on Wednesday. Last week, Weinstein was transferred to New Yorks Rikers Island jail complex from Bellevue Hospital after undergoing a procedure to clear a heart blockage. In their letter, Weinsteins lawyers mentioned his poor health and age, as well as his accomplishments and charitable endeavors. His life story, his accomplishments, and struggles are simply remarkable and should not be disregarded in total because of the jurys verdict, they said. Jurors acquitted Weinstein on the two most serious charges against him, predatory sexual assault, which carried a maximum life sentence. New York prosecutors said last week Weinstein should get a prison sentence that reflects not only his conviction for sexually assaulting two women but a lifetime of abuse towards others. Throughout his adult life, Weinstein has shown a staggering lack of empathy, treating others with disdain and inhumanity, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vances office said in a letter to Burke. Weinstein, who reshaped the independent film industry with critically acclaimed pictures such as The English Patient and Shakespeare in Love, fell from grace after more than 70 women, most of them young actresses and others in the movie business, accused him of rape and sexual misconduct dating back decades. He denied the accusations. In addition to his convictions in New York, Weinstein faces several felony charges in Los Angeles in connection with alleged sexual assaults against two women in 2013. 5 things to know about Bernie Sanders Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has made a name for himself as one of the most successful Independent and most left-leaning politicians in recent history. His presidential campaign in 2016 gained the support of many Americans especially younger voters who favor his progressive calls for a $15 minimum wage and free college education. Some believe Sanders 2016 campaign was undermined by the Democratic National Committee in the nomination process. Although the 78-year-olds first presidential campaign did not go as well as he and those who feel the Bern might have hoped, Sanders is giving former Vice President Joe Biden a run for his money in 2020. Sanders is one of just three candidates left vying for the Democratic nomination after five candidates dropped out of the race last week. Billionaire hedge fund investor Tom Steyer exited the race after South Carolina's primary, followed by former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., both of whom publicly backed Biden during a campaign rally in Dallas, Texas, last week. The next to bow out was former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg who also threw his support behind Biden. Lastly, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who did not throw her support behind either Biden or Sanders, dropped out after Super Tuesday when she failed to even win her home state. The following pages list five interesting facts about Sanders' background and political views. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next On Wednesday night, 20-year-old Fitzroy Gayle, hands held up in the air and calling for help, was thrown to the ground by half-dozen police in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn. The unarmed man was beaten and handcuffed. Video of the brutal assault was shared on Twitter and has sparked outrage around the globe with more than 13 million views. Gayle was on his way home from his second job when he got a call from his mother to pick up a few items from the store. He then met with another man and they went to 100% Playground, a nearby city park, to smoke marijuana. The video shows Gayle being detained by a man in a dark jacket, tan pants and a ballcap. Gayle can be heard asking why he is being stopped and saying that he is innocent. At no point does the man identify himself as a police officer or tell Gayle why he has been detained. The man, who was, in fact, a New York Police Department (NYPD) plainclothes cop, reaches into his pocket to pull out a communications device. As Gayle tries to move away, the man pulls out a yellow Taser and threatens him with it. New York City police officers gang up on Fitzroy Gayle The undercover cop called for backup. The scene that followed resembled a gang assault, as several officers piled on the defenseless young man. Gayle was then detained by the cops and released a day later. Under the law, Gayle, at most, should have been ticketed for a misdemeanor and fined $50. In July 2014, the Brooklyn district attorney announced that individuals would not get prosecuted for some marijuana charges. The policy expanded in 2018 so that possession of marijuana under two ounces was no longer criminalized. Anyone who has seen the video of the police murder of Staten Island resident Eric Garner in 2014or has witnessed one of the frequent police assaults in New York Cityknows that any of the behaviors of the police in this casefrom the threats of the undercover cop to the beatdown by his fellow officers a few minutes latermay have deadly results. Garners murder has been lodged in the consciousness of millions of New Yorkers, including Daphne Gayle, Fitzroy Gayles mother, who after viewing the video of her sons beating told ABC13, My heart was racing. I couldnt even speak. I thought they were going to tell me he was dead. ... I kept looking at it and was saying to myself is this going to end like another Eric Garner situation. As is evident, however, with the numerous cases of police violence in New York City, and around the United States as a whole, police are not concerned with the enforcement of the law but with the active suppression of the democratic rights of the workers and young people. Only few days ago, an unarmed man in Chicago was beaten and shot by police in a subway station. The officers are currently under investigation but, as in most cases of police brutality, it is unlikely that they will face charges. An investigation is also currently under way into the beating of Gayle, but New York Police Commissioner Dermot Shea is already defending the assaulters, saying, When you have two people who take off runningIve been in that situation myselfand you dont know what you have ... we will have to take a look at the entirety of it. Despite clear video evidence of brutality committed against a working-class youth, the commissioner refuses to condemn his staff. The video on Twitter has gotten more than 285,000 likes and 135,000 retweets. Most of the commenters express solidarity with Gayle and outrage at the officers. Gayle himself later told the New York Daily News: Im just glad to be alive. It couldve been worse. Ive never been arrested. I try to stay away from police. I was surprised at the time. Im really not surprised now. Its expected. They think we dont know our rights. They try to take advantage of that. Some of the comments on Twitter give a sense of how aware people are that basic democratic rights are routinely violated by the cops: @vexjojo, for example, tweeted, This cant keep happening this is a clear abuse of power! what happened to innocent until proven guilty they didnt even ask any questions, didnt give him his rights, didnt tell him anything and used excessive force to a man that just wanted to understand In some cases, the anger is taking an overtly political form. @thatchick0882 called the Democratic presidential front-runners to action: @BernieSanders what we doing about this stuff???? @JoeBiden Yall want OUR votes??? Do something about this shit. We are TIRED. But the Democratic Party is not only incapable of ending police violence but seeks to expand it. The New York City mayor, Democrat Bill de Blasio, hired over 1,300 additional cops, 300 of whom are part of a heavily armed counter-terrorism team. Recently, more than 500 police officers have been hired to patrol the citys subway stations. A few months ago, news broke that under de Blasio the police were collecting DNA from unsuspecting workers and youth, a clear violation of the Fourth Amendments ban on unreasonable searches and seizures. A few days before the shooting in Chicago, Democratic Party Mayor Lori Lightfoot unveiled plans to hire additional police officers to monitor train stations, where the unarmed man was shot. The beating of Fitzroy Gayle is standard operating procedure in the United States, a country where six-year-olds are arrested by cops for throwing temper tantrums and Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) agents shoot people in the face for protecting their loved ones, while the officers responsible for these injustices are allowed to walk free. TIPPECANOE CO, Ind. (WLFI)- The American Red Cross is urging healthy people to donate blood as the coronavirus continues to spread across the state. Right now the Red Cross says they are experiencing an urgent need which is normal due to cold and flu season. However, the need could grow as restrictions on who can and can't donate change. Individuals are asked to postpone their donation for 28 days if they have recently traveled to China, Iran, Italy or South Korea. Also if someone has come in contact with a person who has COVID-19 they are asked to postpone their donation as well. Brittany Sutton the Executive Director of the Red Cross of Indiana says their needs will grow if more people become Ill. "Whenever people are experiencing sickness we have less blood because people are less likely to give blood, said Brittany Sutton with the Red Cross. One of the most important things I can convey today is of the people who are able only 3 percent give blood." As the situation concerning coronavirus evolves the Red Cross says they will evaluate all new risk factors in collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and industry partners to determine if additional intervention strategies are needed. If you are interested in donating blood you can do so at the following blood drives in Tippecanoe County. Lafayette 3/25/2020: 4 p.m. - 8 p.m., Faith Church, 5572 Mercy Way West Lafayette 3/11/2020: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Purdue University - Schleman Hall, 475 Stadium Mall Drive 3/23/2020: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Purdue University - Forney Hall of Chemical Engineering, 480 Stadium Mall Drive A man who federal authorities allege is an associate of the DeCavalcante crime family pleaded guilty Monday in Trenton federal court to drug distribution and gun charges less than two years after he was released from prison for helping sell more than 500 grams of cocaine for the organized crime family, the U.S. Attorneys Office announced. Mario Galli III, 28, pleaded guilty to charges of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon during a drug trafficking crime. At the time Galli was charged, he was on federal supervised release from a previous conviction. The charge of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. In addition, the gun charge carries a penalty of five years in prison and must be served consecutively to the sentence imposed for the drug crime. The Toms River man is scheduled to be sentenced July 7. According to the charging documents, in September 2019, the Ocean County Prosecutors Office executed search warrants at Gallis residence and the home of a conspirator. Authorities said during the searches they recovered around 500 grams of cocaine, and a loaded 9mm firearm in Gallis home. They seized also seized nearly $2,300 in cash, authorities said. The U.S. Attorneys Office took over the case in December, according to court documents. Jason Vella, of Berkeley Township, is also facing federal charges for allegedly distributing cocaine. Gallis attorney, James Butler, declined to comment on the guilty plea. When Galli was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison in 2016 for his earlier drug conviction, Butler said his client was for lack of a better word... a punk... He has come a long way. Authorities said Galli, who was 23 at the time, accompanied alleged DeCalvacante family associates during several cocaine sales to an undercover informant in 2014 and 2015. Galli apologized to the court at the time, and told the judge, I didnt think things through. Now I think things through. He was released from custody in June 2018. As part of his release, he was forbidden to associate with members of gangs or organized crime. Joe Atmonavage may be reached at jatmonavage@njadvancemedia.com. Follow on Twitter @monavage. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Monty Python's famous 'Silly Walk' created by John Cleese is 'exactly 6.7 times' more silly than a normal walk and it's down to the way he flexes his knees, a study finds. The walk was examined by biologists from Dartmouth College, New Hampshire who study the origin and evolution of bipedal walking. The team, led by Nathaniel Dominy said it is a good example of the extreme variation in walking styles possible in two-legged species. They found the silliness came from the knee flexing - particularly the angle which is bent through 110 degrees compared to the normal 20 degrees. Scroll down for video The walk was examined by biologists from Dartmouth College, New Hampshire who study the origin and evolution of bipedal walking The video of the Ministry of Silly Walks sketch by Monty Python is 'usually played in class for laughs', according to Dominy, but he wanted to see how silly it really was. He worked with classmate Erin Butler to quantify the exact silliness of the walk. They decided to focus on the way his knees move, as that is likely the biggest change and found it was a mixture of angle and timing that made it funny. 'John Cleese is flexing and extending his knees at all the wrong times,' which adds to the humour when combined with the angle, Dominy told New Scientist. The silly walk pioneered by Cleese came back into fashion in 2014, around the time of the Monty Python reunion tour, thanks to the release of a mobile game where you control Cleese character while he does a 'silly walk'. They quantified the variation in timing and angle to calculate that the walking style in the original Ministry of Silly Walks sketch was 6.7 times sillier than normal. The sketch was first broadcast on the BBC show Monty Python's Flying Circus in September 1970. It was also performed in a shorter format in the USA when the Python's performed Live at the Hollywood Bowl. Cleese lost some of his silly muster over time though, they watched video of him performing the walk in Hollywood and found it was just 4.7 times more silly. The sketch is a satire on bureaucratic inefficiency and involves Cleese dressed as a bowler-hatted civil servant developing silly walks for the government. This step by step guide to the walk - created by Cleese - was developed to help people replicate his movements. In the sketch the Ministry awarded government grants to people creating new walks The researchers said it was very difficult to properly study the walk due to the grainy and low resolution nature of the old 1970s TV clips. In the sketch Cleese is seen walking through the streets of London towards the Whitehall offices of the Ministry of Silly Walks - passing other people performing silly walks in the corridors towards his office. When he reaches the office he meets Mr Putney, played by Michael Pailen who does his own 'Silly Walk' he wants to develop with government grant money. Cleese says 'The right leg isn't silly at all, and the left leg merely does a forward aerial half-turn every alternate step.' saying it isn't silly enough and funding is short. Dominy says Cleese made the right decision in not giving Putney the money. He said their study of his walk was 'not particularly silly' and calculated his silliness at about 3.3 times more variable than normal walking. Cleese eventually had to stop performing the silly walk at live shows due to age and during the 2014 reunion tour it was replaced by a performance by younger dancers mimicking the original walk while wearing bowler hats and carrying briefcases. The man suspected of killing J.B Danquah-Adu, the former Member of Parliament for Abuakwa-North, says the ghost of the former MP is tormenting him in prison. Daniel Asiedu told the Accra High Court on Tuesday [March 10, 2020] that he cannot sleep because the ghost of the MP has been tormenting him, Graphic Online's Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson, who was in court reported. I cant sleep so I want to speak the truth so that this case will be over," he told the court, presided over by Justice Lydia Osei Marfo. According to him, some people contracted him to kill the MP and paid him Gh20,000 and promised to get him out of prison after one year. He said the people failed to go by the agreement and that they had decided to let him down He also claimed the second accused person, Vincent Bosso, is not part of the alleged plot to kill the MP. He is innocent and he should not be here, he said. 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 AVON, Ind. (WTHI) - A school corporation in an Indianapolis suburb will close its schools for two weeks after a second student tested positive for COVID-19. On Monday, Avon Community School Corporation Superintendent Margaret Hoernemann announced they would be closing schools in their district until March 20. This comes after school leaders learned a second student at Hickory Elementary was infected with the coronavirus. A statement on the school's website says staff learned about the infected student on Sunday. They plan to use e-learning days while schools are closed. During a press conference, Hoernemann said officials were working to track who the students had direct contact with. They will use the next few weeks to clean the buildings and busses. The Department of Defense today identified two US Marines killed in Iraq on Sunday as members of a special forces unit based in North Carolina. A new release from the Pentagon issued Tuesday said the Marines, Gunnery Sgt. Diego Pongo and Capt. Moises Navas, both aged 34, died while assisting Iraqi security forces in the north-central part of Iraq. Earlier in the week, a military news release said two service members were killed by enemy forces Sunday during a mission to eliminate an ISIS stronghold in a mountainous area of Iraq. It's been reported Pongo and Navas were shot at close range by ISIS fighters as they approached the target. The Pentagon on Tuesday identified two US Marines killed during an operation in Iraq on Sunday as Gunnery Sgt. Diego Pongo (left) and Capt. Moises Navas (right) Col. Myles Caggins, chief coalition spokesman, told CNN Sunday's firefight was one of the most intense clashes with ISIS in several months. It then took a special-forces team six hours to recover the bodies of the slain Americans. Both Pongo, of Simi Valley, California, and Navas, of Germantown, Maryland, were assigned to the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Col. John Lynch, Marine Raider Regiment Commanding Officer, expressed condolences to the families of the fallen servicemen. Both men epitomize what it means to be a Marine Raider, he said in a statement. They were intelligent, courageous, and loyal. They were dedicated leaders, true professionals in their craft, and willing to go above and beyond for the mission and their team. According to the news release from the Defense Department, Pongo enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2004 and spent his initial years as a rifleman, deploying once with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit before completing the Scout Sniper Basic Course in 2008. He then deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, as a sniper team leader. Pongo, who was fluent in multiple languages, was then selected to attend the grueling nine-month Individual Training Course to become a critical skills operator and earned the coveted Marine Special Operator Insignia in 2011. During his eight years as a Marine Raider, Pongo was deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan, earning a Bronze Star for heroic actions in 2013. US and Iraqi special forces are pictured above on a mission to clear out remaining ISIS strongholds in the northern Iraqi region of Makhmur on Monday. Pongo and Navas died as they accompanied and advised Iraqi security forces on a raid of an ISIS stronghold Soldiers fighting ISIS are seen in an image posted on social media by national security correspondent for Voice of America Jeff Seldin His personal decorations also include a Purple Heart, two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, and 15 other commendations. Col Lynch wrote that Pongo balanced his humility and quiet professionalism with his 'larger-than-life' personality, which was put on full display when he invited his mother to last year's Marine Corp celebration and together with her 'out-danced' the rest of the guests. The commanding officer also revealed that Pongo loved hiking and camping with his young daughter, and enjoyed woodworking in his free time. Navas, who was known to friends as 'Mo,' was born in Panama but grew up in Maryland. Like Pongo, he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2004 and achieved the rank of sergeant before receiving his commission in July 2010. He later became infantry officer and completed two deployments to Japan. Following additional traininig, Navas in 2016 became a special operations officer in 2016. He spent the past four years assigned to 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, where he served as a team commander and company executive officer, deploying in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Inherent Resolve before this current deployment to Iraq. Over the course of his career, Navas earned a Purple Heart and more than a dozen other decorations for his service. He was recently selected for promotion to the rank of major. Col Lynch in his statement described Navas, who was a married father-of-four, as a family man who cherished his time watching his daughter and three sons play sports. 'The hearts of the entire Marine Raider community are with the Pongo and Navas families as we mourn this tremendous loss,' Lynch's statement continued. 'We will do everything we can to lift up and support our grieving families in order to honor the incredible lives and the ultimate sacrifices of Gunnery Sgt. Pongo and Capt. Navas.' EnergyBot, a Dallas, TX-based online energy broker, raised a new round of series B funding of undisclosed amount. The round was led by a group of strategic investors in the energy industry. The company intends to use the funds to expand into new markets and grow the product offering. Specifically, the areas that the company will focus on are: Expansion into the Texas energy market New data sources and algorithms for better end-user pricing Add new marketing channels. Led by Fred Purches, Chief Product Officer, and Dan Schilens, Chief Operations Officer, EnergyBot is an online energy broker that leverages modern A.I. technologies and industry-specific data to offer each business a completely transparent experience and reduce annual energy costs. FinSMEs 10/03/2020 Calverton, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2020) - JZZ Technologies Inc. (OTC Pink: JZZI) today confirmed that it has signed a Letter of Intent with PAI-TECH Artificial Intelligence, Inc. a Nevada Corporation to acquire all rights, title, license, patents and intellectual property for the MARK Intelligent Marketing BOT based on PAI's Bot Operating System Standard (PAI-BOSS). PAI-TECH's vision is to be the leading bot operating system and to pave the way for future technologies to advance by leveraging PAI-TECH's platform and through the implementation of distributed intelligent bots. Charles Cardona, JZZ Tech Chief Executive Officer, commented: "We are excited about this MARK BOT acquisition with PAI-TECH. Recently, marketing bots have become a popular form of automation. A bot is basically software that you can program to carry out a certain set of actions all on its own. It's like a wind-up toy. You build it to do what you want it to, then you wind it up and let it perform the actions all by itself. PAI-TECH'S technology is a true quantum leap forward for businesses to operate far more efficiently and securely than ever before." Tamir Fridman, PAI-TECH's Chief Executive Officer, commented: "The US is a market of mammoth proportions and there is no question that PAI-TECH's MARK BOT can produce huge gains for major enterprises, as well as governments worldwide. This is why we are so confident that our partnership with JZZ Tech will generate amazing results." About PAI-TECH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE LTD.: PAI-TECH makes computers smarter through the power of intelligent bots and is revolutionizing computer software with the development of the world's first Bot Operating System Standard (B.O.S.S.). PAI-BOSS provides a distributed operating system powered by PAI-BOTS that run advanced AI algorithms and offer real-time, autonomous and distributed solutions. The company has developed a portfolio of Intellectual Property and has filed several patents to the USPTO. For more information, please visit: https://www.pai-tech.org About JZZ Tech, Inc: JZZ Technology is building a valuable audience, content and news desk capability by rolling up and consolidation struggling traditional media properties and incorporating coordinated digital pathways to increased revenues as well as leveraging the hyper local targeting abilities they possess. Combining this strategy with the technological implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Blockchain technology and Intelligent Bots, we will assemble through strategic acquisitions a highly profitable business which will attract small to medium sized M&A suitors. For more information, please visit: POWERING THE FUTURE of commerce Forward-Looking Statements This release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements, without limitation, may contain the words believes, expects, anticipates, estimates, potential, intends, plans, hopes, or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management 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 projected in the forward-looking statements. Source: JZZ Technologies, Inc. Visit our website for updates on projects at: https://jzztech.com Contacts: Media Relations Phone :(631) 721-5334 Web: www.jzztech.com Email: ir@jzztech.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/53306 County Kildares Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Celina Barrett featured among female trailblazers in a Tesco Ireland campaign for International Womens Day. Tesco Ireland partnered with the Womens Museum of Ireland to curate an exhibition celebrating successful Irish women. The retailer is currently hosting a virtual museum across its store network throughout the country that promotes the formal recognition of the role of women in Irish history. Pioneers The installation is showcasing five pioneering Irish women including CFO Barrett, professional motor racing driver Rosemary Smith and the mother of Irish cookery Myrtle Allen. The women were lauded for their pioneering contributions to society and work in their respective fields. Tesco Ireland CEO Kari Daniels said: Were surrounded by inspirational women across the country every day who work and shop in our stores, so this year we wanted to take the opportunity to shine a light on a mix of modern-day and historical trailblazers across a range of different professions. We hope that by telling the stories of these Career Pioneers we can provide some inspiration of our own to our colleagues and customers right across the country. Jeanne Sutton, co-founder and volunteer of the Womens Museum of Ireland (WMI) said that the partnership with Tesco helps the museum to reach a whole new audience. She said: The WMI continues to live online so to have physical space in which to shine a spotlight on some of Irelands most impressive female pioneers means a lot to us. The first batch of 58 pilgrims who had been stuck in Iran, one of the worst coronavirus-affected nation, arrived at the Hindon Air Force Station in Ghaziabad on Tuesday morning. "First batch of 58 Indian pilgrims being brought back from #Iran. IAF C-17 taken off from Tehran and expected to land soon in Hindon," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar informed a little while ago. The Minister lauded the efforts of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian mebassy in Tehran as well as those of Iranian authorities in evacuating the Indian pilgrims. "Thanks to the efforts of our Embassy @India_in_Iran and Indian medical team there, operating under challenging conditions. Thank you @IAF_MCC. Appreciate cooperation of Iranian authorities," Jaishankar added. IAF's C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft had departed for Iran on Monday from Hindon Air Force Station here to bring back Indian nationals stuck in Iran. Iran is among the countries most affected by the novel coronavirus. The country has reported 7,161 cases of the disease so far while 237 people have died of the infection -- the highest outside of China. The IAF aircraft had earlier been sent to the coronavirus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan with about 15 tonnes of medical equipment and had brought back 76 Indians and 36 foreign nationals. The External Affairs Minister had informed on Monday that the screening process of Indian nationals stranded in Iran has started and follow up arrangements were being discussed with Iranian authorities to bring them back. "We are working on the return of other Indians stranded there," the dignitary also said in his twitter thread today. Earlier in the day today, Jaishankar met families of Indian students stranded in Iran and assured them that the Centre has been facilitating their early return to India. Around 40 Indian citizens are stranded at Qom city in Iran. New Delhi has sent a team of doctors to Iran for screening and has established a clinic at Qom. Iranian Embassy here has also assured that the Indian citizens with no symptoms of the virus will be transferred to India and those whose medical test results are positive will be hospitalised in one of the advanced special medical centres designated by Iran's Ministry of Health. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 5.8k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Trump is going to use the coronavirus outbreak to push for federal assistance for oil and natural gas companies to boost the stock market. Via The Washington Post: The White House is strongly considering pushing federal assistance for oil and natural gas producers hit by plummeting oil prices amid the coronavirus outbreak, as industry officials close to the administration clamor for help, according to four people familiar with internal deliberations. President Trump has touted the growth of oil and natural gas production under his administration, celebrating their rise in politically crucial swing states such as Pennsylvania. But many oil and gas firms were hammered Monday by the price war that broke out between Saudi Arabia and Russia, driving oil prices down in their steepest one-day drop in almost 30 years. A president who cant get an adequate number of test kits out to healthcare providers as America faces a pandemic is rushing to give his pals in the oil and natural gas industry a federal bailout because he is worried about the stock market and how their downturn will impact his reelection chances. The worst possible step that Trump could take would be to bail out the oil and gas industry while Americans are dying due to a bungled coronavirus response. If Trump was looking for a single decision that would confirm to voters that he doesnt care about them, bailing out oil and natural gas instead of providing paid leave to those who are sick or quarantined due to the coronavirus is the way to go. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook Canada has the best approach to digital space Silicon-Valley companies base their interest on the internet. When the country has the best appraoch to digital space in general, they get attention from billion-dollar tech-giants. Canada has one of the best internet laws in the world. Apart from that, Canadas government is known for liberal decisions regarding tech companies. Country authorities are the biggest preachers of internalization and making their economy digitally responsible. Liberal appraoch to online companies happened with the gaming sector. Canada is very popular because of video and online gaming. The country has leading companies not only in video gaming space but also in digital gambling. Casinos have been allowed in the country from the 20th century. Its been a decade since local casinos got the right to adapt to the internet. Liberal decisions of government gave the green light to casinos to offer online games including slots, roulette, etc. Since 2017, the online gaming industry implemented a new type of payment crypto. Bitcoin has changed the gaming sector entirely as they have been many gamers interested in Canadian casinos. Unlike other countries where governments have rejected crypto rise, Canada was following the trend. Along with the crypto trend, Canadian casinos offered bitcoin games. Games based on Bitcoin was the new wave for online casinos in Canada. As interest grew in Bitcoin, online casinos rating went above accordingly. Liberal decisions like this can make a big impact in the long-run. Liberal approaches of government are an important signal for silico-valley companies. Why Silicon Valley-based startups move to Canada For the past few years, the Canadian government has poured money and resources into the underdeveloped tech industries in the hopes of one day moving their overseas corporations to return. To fall behind the U.S. or Europe was not an option. Because of the Super Custers Initiative and three years of patience, Toronto, Edmonton, and Vancouver have a boom in AI technology. The rise of this specialized industry has led to the best universities in the country, creating more classes and programs that now center around AI. This means that well-educated Canadian University graduates dont have to look to the U.S. for tech jobs. With the addition of foreign workers who specialized in STEM-related fields, thanks to the revamped VISA program, the A.I. boom is rising with no end in sight. Biggest startup deal in Canadas history: $250 million as an investment for Clio In the years before, Clio has ten years and $26 million behind it in its investing rounds. Today Clio, a cloud software technology leader based in Canada, has rocked the legal industry with a $250 million funding boost. Clio is dedicated to fixing problems in the U.S. legal industry, as many legal cases dont receive the proper resources they need. This is because the current system is outdated and cannot keep up with demand because of its obsolete processes. Clios cloud-based technology will change everything. With their new investors, TVC and JMI, Clio will bring innovation for current and legal services. Customers of Clio will soon see an improvement in both services and in the way their clients can promote and grow their practices. Canadas startup eco-system success comes from little cases like Shopify The 4th quarter of the business year has ended well for Shopify, thanks to the addition of over 1 million clients. The online company has improved services and made its website more user-friendly and intuitive. It has also increased its international services, and because of it, Shopify now has 150,000 customers in over 175 countries. Now, the company offers services in more than a dozen languages and can use several countries currencies instead of relying on the U.S. dollar. The current financial situation of Shopify is a healthy one, as clients are happy, and investors develop trust in the company. Their improved services included Shopify email, for the creation of marketing campaigns, and Shopify Fulfillment, which is a software system for warehouses and their clients to communicate with one another Shopifys headquarters is based in Ottawa, Canada. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 Civil society groups assisting HIV patients in the country have reported a shortage of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs in dozens of cities and regencies as the government restocks the imported medicine. Bandung-based Rumah Cemara advocacy group director Aditia Taslim said he had received calls from people seeking the treatment from at least 14 cities and regencies, from Deli Serdang in North Sumatra to Sorong in West Papua, saying that their stock might run out soon. This [shortage] could be even bigger than that, Aditia told The Jakarta Post 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 Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/10/2020 -- The global autonomous ship market is set to exhibit a remarkable growth owing to the rising demand for artificial intelligence. This information is published in an upcoming report by Fortune Business Insights, titled, "Autonomous Ships Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Autonomy (Fully Autonomous, Remote Operations, Partial Automation), By Ship Type (Commercial, Defense), By End-Use (Line fit, Retrofit), By Solution (Systems, Software, Structures) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026." As per the report, maritime tourism is increasing nowadays. It is coupled with the rising maritime safety norms and up surging seaborne trade. These factors are projected to propel the autonomous ships market growth in the coming years. Request A Sample Copy - Autonomous Ships Market Report Click here https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/autonomous-ship-market-101797 List of prominent companies that are operating in the autonomous ships market are: Wartsila ABB Ulstein Group ASA Honeywell International Hyundai Heavy Industries Rolls-Royce Valmet Marine Technologies LLC Kongsberg Marlink GE Siemens AG Rh Marine Other key market players Rising Implementation of Advanced Technologies to Propel Growth Recently, there has been a rise in the investment by the shipping companies in research and development activities. They are striving persistently to implement innovative technologies, namely, e-navigation, maritime remote control system, and automation software in the vessels. Automated ships consist of on-boarded novel decision support systems. They help in carrying out operational decisions independently without human intervention. Avail customized purchase options to meet your exact research needs: Buy the required sections of this report Buy country level reports Request for historical data of research Request discounts available for Start-ups & Global Universities Research Methodology To Gain More Insights into the Market with Detailed Table of Content and Figures, Click Here: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/autonomous-ship-market-101797 High Demand for Autonomous & Cruise Ships to Favor Growth in Europe The market is geographically fragmented into Europe, North America, the Middle East and Africa, Latin America, and Asia Pacific. Out of these, Europe is considered to be the fastest-growing region in terms of autonomous ship market share. This growth is attributable to the rising demand for cruise ships and autonomous ships in this region. Also, the presence of industry giants, such as Rh Marine, Wartsila, Kongsberg, and Rolls-Royce, would drive the market here. Asia Pacific, on the other hand, is anticipated to showcase significant growth during the forthcoming years on account of the rising naval expenditure in the developing countries, namely South Korea, India, and China, to boost their naval systems. China is planning to build the world's largest and Asia's first test field for autonomous ships in Guangdong. Additionally, South Korea is a world leader in large container ships and advanced ships equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure. It would help in up surging the market growth in this region. Key Companies Aim to Launch New Products Through Strategic Collaborations Prominent companies present in the market are joining hands with other reputed organizations to develop technologically advanced products and generating significant autonomous ship market revenue. Below are some of the most recent key industry developments: April 2019: China announced that it has tested the world's first amphibious drone boat. It is capable of forming a combat triad with aerial drones and other drone ships. The Chinese military analysts mentioned that it could be used in land assault operations. Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group under China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), built the boat and it is called the Marine Lizard. It passed all the delivery checks. It can be remotely controlled via satellites and has a maximum operation range of 1,200 kilometers. July 2019: Orolia, a provider of virtually failsafe GPS/GNSS and PNT solutions, headquartered in the U.S.A., declared that it has partnered up with Radio Holland. It will help the companies in developing a Voyage Data Recorder (VDR), specially designed for inland shipping. The solution will boost ship performance and safe navigation. It will also offer tools for evaluating the cause of incidents. Radio Holland will install Netwave VDR NW6000 series, Orolia's VDR solution for new and retrofit build projects. Orolia will adopt Radio Holland's well-established global network to serve as its service partner. December 2018: Rolls Royce and Finferries, a ferry operator, announced the development of the world's first fully autonomous ferry. It also completed trials in Turku archipelago, Finland. It was developed as part of a project called Safer Vessel with Autonomous Navigation (SVAN). Both companies are working persistently to make ferries safer and more efficient through autonomous technologies. It would aid in revolutionizing shipping. Ask for Customization: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/customization/autonomous-ship-market-101797 What Does the Report Contain? An analytical depiction of the autonomous ships market trends, growth drivers, hindrances, opportunities, and challenges. Quantitative analysis of the present market size to benchmark the financial competency. Elaborate information about the competitive landscape consisting of new agreements, contracts, innovative product launches, joint ventures, and acquisitions. About Fortune Business Insights Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. We tailor innovative solutions for our clients, assisting them to address challenges distinct to their businesses. Our goal is to empower our clients with holistic market intelligence, giving a granular overview of the market they are operating in. Our reports contain a unique mix of tangible insights and qualitative analysis to help companies achieve sustainable growth. Our team of experienced analysts and consultants use industry-leading research tools and techniques to compile comprehensive market studies, interspersed with relevant data. At Fortune Business Insights, we aim at highlighting the most lucrative growth opportunities for our clients. We, therefore, offer recommendations, making it easier for them to navigate through technological and market-related changes. Our consulting services are designed to help organizations identify hidden opportunities and understand prevailing competitive challenges. Contact Us: Fortune Business Insights Pvt. 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 An Australian woman who turned to communism as a child and spied for the feared East German Stasi has taken to the stage to tell her story. At age 87, Salomea Genin - originally from Melbourne - now looks back on her time in East Germany's secret police with regret. As a young woman she had been a believer in communism and was desperate to move to communist East Germany. The Stasi, whose extensive network controlled life in the former Eastern Bloc country, gave Salomea a flat around 1962, and she built a career as a translator and interpreter. Every time she saw shortages in the shops she would make excuses for the regime, and every time she heard about people whose lives were ruined by the hideous state apparatus she would find a reason to explain it away. 'I didn't want to know because this ideology and this great idea of socialism, it was my life,' she told ABC Radio National. 'It was the basis of everything I had lived for.' Salomea Genin (pictured left) spied for the Stasi so she could move to East Germany at the height of communism. Decades later she realised she was wrong and now stars in a play about how the totalitarian East German regime affected people's lives East German police and workers seal up the Berlin Wall in 1961. Overnight the barrier went up dividing Berlin and preventing millions of people from fleeing to the West. A year after this picture was taken, Salomea Genin got her wish - to live inside repressive East Germany Jubilant crowds dance on the Berlin Wall on November 11, 1989 as they tear it down. Salomea Genin realised seven years before that she had been wrong - but it was too late Delegates march at the 1951 World Festival of Youth and Students in East Berlin. ASIO sent a spy along with Salomea and Australia's Communist Party contingent. Salomea was later shocked to find ASIO described her as 'bad', 'bitter' and 'unscrupulous' The penny finally dropped one night in 1982 as she watched a newsreader on television announce a retrospective on Hitler's rise to power. She realised that by refusing to see the awful things that East Germany's communists were doing, she was just as bad as the Germans who refused to see what the Nazis were doing all those years before. 'I realised I was living in a police state, and what's more I had helped make it so, because I had cooperated with the Stasi,' she said. The realisation was a particularly poignant one for Salomea. She herself was a Polish Jew whose family had lived in Berlin before World War II but had fled the rise of Germany's National Socialists, the Nazi Party. In 1939, when Salomea was just seven years old, they set sail for Australia and came to live in Melbourne. At the tender age of 12, Salomea joined the youth wing of the Communist Party of Australia just as it was achieving its greatest political strength in the 1940s. The move had a profound impact on the neglected and fatherless girl as the Communist Party became her surrogate family. She threw herself into the ideology just as the Cold War began. Soldiers building the Berlin Wall in 1961. After the barrier went up those who wanted to escape from communism had to take daring and dangerous escapes which included hiding inside false bottoms in car boots, or making their own home-made hot air balloons Germany, conquered in World War II, was quickly divided into east and west by the allied powers. Communist Russia took control of East Germany while America and its capitalist, democratic allies began rebuilding West Germany. Berlin was a city divided in two. Australia viewed East Germany as an enemy in the unfolding tensions between communist east and capitalist west - but Salomea saw it as a communist utopia. Naturally, it wasn't long before the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) began spying on her. West Berliners wave across the wall to those trapped in the East in October 1961. East Germany became a totalitarian police state where the Stasi spied on every aspect of citizens' lives Salomea was only 19 when she went to East Berlin in 1951 for the Soviet-backed World Festival of Youth and Students. After the festival she tried many times to move to East Germany which she was convinced was a utopia that had overcome anti-semitism. All her applications were rejected so she did the next best thing - in 1954 she moved to West Berlin so she could be as close to her dream as possible. After she spent years crossing over to East Germany as often as she could, she realised that working for the Stasi would be her way in. In 1962 they finally let her in and she began working for the Stasi as an informant. It was her dream come true. Salomea described herself as a 'fanatical' communist for whom the only thing in the world was acting for socialism. The Stasi was a repressive and vast intelligence agency that funneled information to the communists, allowing them to imprison, torture, occasionally kill and frequently ruin the lives of dissidents - or anyone who stood up to them. Informants would spy on their colleagues, friends and family. Nobody knew who to trust. Someone was always watching. An page from communist Fred Rose's ASIO file. ASIO spied on both Salomea Genin and Fred Rose, an anthropologist originally from Britain who became embroiled in the Petrov Affair. ASIO was especially worried about communists in the 1950s Her move was astonishing as between 1945 and 1988 about 4 million East Germans fled communism in the other direction, desperately seeking freedom in the West. Just over 3.4 million left by walking over the border to West Berlin before the Berlin Wall sprouting up overnight, blocking them on August 13, 1961. After that, the escapes became increasingly desperate and dangerous, including a daring escape in a home-made hot-air balloon in September 1979 when two families made it to safety, which inspired the 1982 film Night Crossing. It wasn't until that same year, 1982, that Salomea admitted to herself how wrong she had been about the communists. She couldn't undo her past but she helped her 17-year-old son Andy to avoid being conscripted into the East German army. The communists let them out of the country to go to a family gathering in Melbourne. When they returned, Andy stayed behind in West Berlin. It was still seven years before the Berlin wall was to come down in 1989 unifying Germany - but at the time this was unthinkable, and nobody imagined anything would change. But although Salomea could have escaped into the West also, she took her younger son back to East Germany. She said at age 50 without western money or a job she didn't want to start life over again - but she said she did decide to give up working as a Stasi informant. Years later, Salomea applied to ASIO to see her file. It is extensive, fascinating, detailed and contains references to a number of Australians who lived in East Germany including Stasi collaborators Edith and Fred Rose. Fred Rose studied anthropology at Cambridge before conducting field studies with the Anindilyakwa people of the Northern Territory on Groote Eylandt, now the site of one of Australia's biggest manganese mines. Disgusted by the poverty of Indigenous communities, Rose became a communist in 1942 before moving to Canberra as a public servant. Famously, he was tarnished by the Petrov Affair in 1954 after Soviet diplomat Vladimir Petrov defected to Australia and offered evidence of Russian spy rings in Australia. Rose was accused of passing secrets to the Soviet embassy and was a witness in the royal commission. Salomea's ASIO file revealed a secret agent had gone along with her Communist Party contingent to the 1951 East Berlin world youth festival. Her file describes her unflatteringly as 'very bitter', 'bad' and 'unscrupulous' and said she blamed all the evils of the world on capitalism. While Salomea told the ABC it was true that she had blamed capitalism, but she was not bad or unscrupulous. Salomea now regrets her years as a communist but has done her best to make amends. She still lives in the same East German apartment she was in when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and gives public talks about what it was like to be in the Stasi. She also takes to the stage in Berlin every month to tell her life story on stage in an ensemble theatre production called Atlas of Communism. The play reveals the fragments of people's lives under communism together with her own story - and she is the oldest member of the cast. Salomea told the ABC that she had learnt a painful lesson but no longer suffers from the guilt. Follow along for live updates from primaries across the country. Bernie Sanders says he's staying in the race Bernie Sanders is vowing to soldier on despite a disappointing Tuesday that saw his path to the Democratic presidential nomination narrow considerably. Sanders said he will be on the debate stage Sunday night in Arizona, the first time since former vice president Joe Biden scored big wins on Super Tuesday and March 10. It will be the first time Biden and Sanders are set to appear on stage without any other candidates. After Tuesday night's primaries, Biden leads Sanders by nearly 200 pledged national delegates. Sanders did not speak Tuesday after a disappointing night that saw him lose Democratic primaries in Idaho, Missouri, Mississippi and the nights largest prize Michigan, which he won four years ago when he ran for the nomination against Hillary Clinton. Biden saw his led in delegates grow thanks to those victories, giving him a sold lead heading into a slate of states next week that are expected to favor the former vice president. Ledyard King Sanders wins North Dakota Bernie Sanders won the North Dakota caucuses Tuesday, capturing a state that has 14 delegates. The Vermont senator won the state four years ago, beating Hillary Clinton by nearly 40 percentage points. The Associated Press reported that after votes in Fargo were tallied, Sanders had 53% of the vote compared to 40% by former Vice President Joe Biden. It was a lone bright spot on a night when former Vice President Joe Biden was racking up big victories in other states holding elections Tuesday, including Mississippi and Missouri. Joe Biden projected winner of Democratic primary in Idaho Former Vice President Joe Biden is projected to win the Idaho primary, according to Associated Press voter surveys, where 20 pledged delegates are at stake. This is Bidens fourth win of the night, after winning Mississippi, Missouri and Michigan. Sanders won Idaho in 2016 against Hillary Clinton when the state still had caucuses. Democrats in Idaho held a primary this year for the first time. Story continues This is the second state Sanders has lost Tuesday evening that he won four years ago. He won Michigan in 2016. Currently, Washington is too close to call. That was another state that Sanders won overwhelmingly when he went up against Clinton. In the general election, President Donald Trump is projected by the Associated Press to win Idaho. He handily won the state in 2016 with more than half the state voting him into office. - Rebecca Morin Washington state proves a close contest The Washington state contest between former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders remained too close to call Tuesday night. The candidates each had about 33% of the vote, with about 1 million votes counted and about 290,000 votes on hand to be processed, according to the Washington Secretary of State. The vote was conducted entirely by mail and more ballots could arrive. Washington, which has 89 delegates, proved the most hotly contested of six states Tuesday. Michigan, Missouri and Mississippi each handed big wins to Biden. But with two-thirds of Washingtons votes counted, Sanders and Biden were neck and neck. An average of polls in Washington had suggested Biden and Sanders were in a dead heat, with about 35% support each, according to a summary by FiveThirtyEight.com. - Bart Jansen Former Vice President Joe Biden conciliatory in victory Former Vice President Joe Biden struck a conciliatory tone Tuesday in declaring victories in primaries against Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in Michigan, Missouri and Mississippi, according to an Associated Press analysis of voter surveys. Although there is a way to go, it looks like were going to have another good night, a subdued Biden said in Philadelphia, after canceling a rally in Cleveland because of concerns about the coronavirus. Biden thanked Sanders and his supporters for their tireless efforts to defeat President Donald Trump, as he sought to unite the party. Biden said the campaign was taking off and he expected to do well from now on. We share a common goal and together well defeat Donald Trump, Biden said. Well defeat him together. Three other states were also voting Tuesday: Washington state and Idaho were also holding primaries, and North Dakota held caucuses. The victories Tuesday built on Bidens earlier wins in Texas and across southern states, where he capitalized on strong support among African American voters. His win Feb. 29 in South Carolina turned around his campaign. His Super Tuesday wins on March 3 included Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee. To all those who have been knocked down, to all those who have been counted out, left behind, this is your campaign, Biden said. Its a comeback for the soul of this nation. - Bart Jansen Sanders losing the states he won four years ago Bernie Sanders has a big problem thats making the presidential nomination a fading hope: hes losing a number of states he won four years ago. Maine, Minnesota and Oklahoma all went for the Vermont senator in 2016 when he ran against Hillary Clinton. But he lost those three on Super Tuesday last week to Joe Biden. Then on Tuesday, Sanders suffered perhaps the biggest blow: Michigan is projected to go big for Biden four years after the Wolverine State gave Sanders arguably his most prized victory in 2016. Sanders, who is reportedly in Vermont, is not expected to speak Tuesday, according to the campaign. It hasnt been all bad for Sanders, who won Nevada and California this cycle after losing them to Clinton in 2016. Barring a big surprise, or a dramatic development at their first one-on-one debate Sunday, it appears increasingly unlikely that Sanders will have a path to the nomination. Clinton beat Sanders in the four large states - Florida, Illinois and Ohio, Arizona - which vote March 17th, and Georgia on March 24th. Clinton won all five against Sanders in 2016. - Ledyard King Yang endorses Biden Andrew Yang endorsed Joe Biden on CNN Tuesday night. "The math says Joe is our prohibitive nominee. We need to bring the party together. We need to start working on defeating Donald Trump in the fall," Yang says. Biden projected to win Michigan for biggest prize Tuesday Former Vice President Joe Biden is projected to beat Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in Michigan on Tuesday, according to Associated Press voter surveys. The projected win, coming as polls closed in Michigan, solidifies his lead in the Democratic primaries after turning around his campaign in South Carolina and a majority of Super Tuesday states. Calling races with no results: How does AP declare winners with 0% reporting? Michigans 125 pledged delegates gave Biden the biggest prize among six state contests Tuesday. His victory was expected, after a Monday poll by EPIC-MRA for the Detroit Free Press showed a healthy lead 51% to 27% against Sanders. The win extended Bidens lead against Sanders for the Democratic nomination to challenge President Donald Trump. Both candidates looked to Michigan to signal how they would perform across the industrial Midwest, before Ohio and Illinois vote March 17, Wisconsin on April 7 and Pennsylvania on April 28. Sanders, who narrowly won Michigan against eventual nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016, argued that union workers would support him because of Bidens support for disastrous trade deals. Sanders blamed the loss of millions of good-paying jobs on the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, and on normalizing trade with China, under what was called Permanent Normal Trade Relations. But Biden promoted the auto industry bailout that began under President George W. Bush and expanded at the start of President Barack Obamas administration. The auto bailout helped General Motors and Chrysler weather the Great Recession and the companies repaid the federal government for the help. By the end of 2018, $63 billion was repaid, the government received $8.4 billion in income and about $16.6 billion was written off as a loss, according to a Congressional Research Service report. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and former Gov. Jennifer Granholm each endorsed Biden, saying he was the official who championed the auto industry and the millions of Midwest jobs that depend on it. Michigan is not going to forget, Granholm told CNN. We were on our knees and Joe Biden picked us up and carried us on his shoulders. Bart Jansen Trump campaign manager: opponent irrelevant Trumps campaign manager, Brad Parscale, said the president is on an unstoppable drive toward re-election, no matter who is the Democratic nominee. It has never mattered who the Democrat nominee turns out to be, and now that there are only two options left, it is clear that they are two sides of the same coin, Parscale said. The Democrat candidate for president will be running on a big government socialist agenda regardless of the name on the ballot. - Bart Jansen American's oldest gun violence prevention group endorses Biden Declaring that the 2020 Democratic primary had "all but come to an end," the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, the nation's oldest gun violence prevention group, threw its weight behind former Vice President Joe Biden. "Based on his record, his character, and his dedication to gun violence prevention, CSGV is proud to endorse Joe Biden. He is the only candidate in this race who has the ability to heal this nation and build a safer America for future generations," the group said in a statement. The group, which was founded in 1974, was critical of Sen. Bernie Sanders' past positions on gun control but was appreciative of his "embrace" of gun control measures. After tonight's early results, though, with Biden projected to win Missouri, Mississippi, and Michigan, the group said Sanders' "path to the nomination is no longer viable." -Nicholas Wu Large Democratic Super PAC endorses Biden The chairman of Priorities USA, a large Democratic super PAC with the goal of defeating President Donald Trump, said Tuesday night that they believe the former Vice President will be the nominee, and they are backing him. The comments came as Biden was being declared the winner of Tuesday night primaries. The math is now clear. Joe Biden is going to be the Democratic nominee for President and Priority USA is going to do everything we can to help him defeat Donald Trump in November, Guy Cecil tweeted Tuesday. I hope others will join us in the fight. Cecil had said earlier that the PAC would "remain neutral" but shifted after it became "clear" that Biden was on his way to being the nominee, according to Politico. The super PAC which was founded in 2011 and supported former President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign and Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign had already previously pledged to spend $150 million against Trump. --Savannah Behrmann Large Democratic Super PACs endorses Biden Priority USA and American Bridge, two large outside Democratic super PACs with the goal of defeating President Donald Trump, said Tuesday, after Joe Bidens wins in key primary states, they will back the former Vice President The math is now clear. Joe Biden is going to be the Democratic nominee for President and Priority USA is going to do everything we can to help him defeat Donald Trump in November, The chairman of Priorities USA Guy Cecil tweeted Tuesday. I hope others will join us in the fight. Bradley Beychok, President and Cofounder of American Bridge, said that the PAC has been ready to support the eventual Democratic nominee for the last 2 years, while touting their spending on television ads in key states. That work expands bigly tomorrow as we will be ALL IN to elect Joe Biden as our next President, the tweet continued. Priorities USA which was founded in 2011 and supported former President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign and Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign had already previously pledged to spend $150 million against Trump. - Savannah Behrmann Biden remains favorite among African American voters Former Vice President Joe Bidens projected early wins Tuesday in Mississippi and Missouri continued his strong showing against Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders among African American voters. Biden outpolled Sanders on Tuesday with black voters by 87% to 11% in Mississippi, 70% to 22% in Missouri and 66% to 28% in Michigan, according to exit polling data. Biden, who served eight years with the first black president, Barack Obama, has said he owes his comeback to black voters. After losing the first contests in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, Biden pinned his hopes on South Carolina, where Biden won big with the Democratic primary electorate 60% black voters. On Super Tuesday on March 3, Biden swept southern states. He beat Sanders among black voters by 71% to 16% in Virginia, 62% to 17% in North Carolina, 72% to 9% in Alabama and 53% to 20% in Tennessee, according to exit polls. Age also played a role. Sanders, a Democratic socialist, built his revolutionary campaign on younger voters. The candidates divided voters who are 18 to 29 years old in Mississippi, with Biden supported by 48% and Sanders by 44%. But Sanders beat Biden among younger voters in Missouri by 76% to 19%. But older voters sided with Biden. Biden also beat Sanders among voters at least 65 years old, by 89% to 9% in Mississippi and by 77% to 17% in Missouri. - Bart Jansen Joe Biden is projected to win Mississippi and Missouri Former Vice President Joe Biden is the projected winner of the Mississippi and Missouri primaries, based on AP's analysis of voter surveys. Biden and Sanders each campaigned in Missouri, which has 68 pledged delegates. Biden held rallies Saturday in St. Louis, where he said that were going to unite this party and unite this country, and Kansas City. Sanders rallied supporters in St. Louis on Monday, telling them they provided the enthusiasm to defeat President Donald Trump. But Bidens win in Missouri was expected because an average of polls through Monday showed him ahead with nearly 52% support, compared to 31% for Sanders, according to a summary by FiveThirtyEight.com. Biden was looking to extend his winning streak among states with large African American populations, promoting his endorsements Monday from former primary rivals: Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey. Biden found the strongest support in the St. Louis area and in mid-Missouri, while Sanders found backing in the northern and southern parts of the state. Among the Democrats on the states congressional delegation, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver endorsed Biden and Rep. Lacy Clay endorsed Harris before she dropped out and hadnt announced a new selection by Monday. Bidens win in Mississippi was expected because he led an average of polls through Monday with nearly 67% support, compared to 22% for Sanders, according to a summary by FiveThirtyEight.com. Sanders was scheduled to visit Jackson on Friday, but decided instead to focus on Michigan. Biden spoke at a Jackson church on Sunday and then hosted a rally at Tougaloo College with actress Vivica A. Fox and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. Bart Jansen First polls have closed in three states Voting has ended in the first three of the six Junior Tuesday contests that could go far in determining whether Bernie Sanders can blunt the momentum Joe Biden rode during the Super Tuesday primaries a week ago. Voters participating in primaries in Mississippi and Missouri and caucuses in North Dakota had until 8 p.m. ET to cast ballots. Most polls in Michigan close at 8 p.m. ET, except four counties that close at 9 ET, followed by Idaho and Washington, both at 11 p.m. ET. Biden is leading with 670 delegates to 574 for Sanders. To win the nomination, a candidate must amass 1,991 delegates. Michigan is the biggest prize with 125 delegates, followed by Washington (89), Missouri (68), Mississippi (36), North Dakota (14), and Idaho (13). Another 13 delegates are available Tuesday from ballots cast by Democrats living abroad. Ledyard King DNC and CNN announce no live audience for Sundays debate amid coronavirus fears The Democratic National Committee announced Tuesday night that there will be no live audience at Sundays debate taking place in Arizona. At the request of both campaigns and out of an abundance of caution amid coronavirus fears. CNN, the network co-hosting the debate between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, said their top priority is the safety of our employees and community members. This extends to guests planning to attend or cover our debate on March 15. The network also said that there will not be a press filing center or spin room for reporters covering the campaigns. More: Coronavirus updates: Suburban New York community to enact 'containment' area As of Monday afternoon, Arizona's count of new-coronavirus cases was presumed to be six, but more tests were pending, according to the Arizona Republic. To date, 56 Arizonans have been tested for infection and 44 have had negative results. Six cases of the disease, also known as COVID-19, were either confirmed or presumed positive, and six were pending, meaning there could be more cases announced soon. Sundays debate will be the first time Biden and Sanders are set to appear on stage after Bidens strong Super Tuesday showing in which Biden took a double-digit delegate lead over Sanders for the party's presidential nomination. Worldwide, the novel coronavirus has infected more than 113,000 people and left 4,000 dead. In the United States, nearly 1,000 people have tested positive, and around 30 people have died. Savannah Behrmann Coronavirus prompts new polling places to protect elderly Voting-rights officials said the coronavirus outbreak has had a cascading effect on the primary season, with election officials in states such as Ohio and Illinois that vote March 17 beginning to shift polling places away from senior-citizen homes. Ohio officials at 88 boards of elections worked to relocate polling sites at residential senior facilities, according to Kristen Clarke, president of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. For example, Franklin County will have 16 different polling places, she said. Those 11th-hour polling changes impact over 21,000 voters, Clarke said on a call organized by Election Protection, a coalition of voting-rights groups that monitor election problems. Those are all voters who need to be fully notified about the polling site changes to assure that their right to vote is not compromised next Tuesday. The changes raise concerns about potentially discouraging senior citizens from voting if they have trouble finding or traveling to new polling places. These 11th-hour polling site changes are also happening in Illinois, where they are moving out of senior citizen centers and finding new locations, Clarke said. Health officials have warned that the elderly are more at risk of complications from coronavirus. The leading Democratic candidates former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders each canceled campaign rallies in Cleveland because of concerns about coronavirus. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose issued call for more poll workers. And in Florida, election officials in Palm Beach County reported an uptick in mail-in ballots and a dip in poll workers. Officials are working to stock polling places with cleaning supplies, she said. All of these changes illustrate the impact that the coronavirus is having on this election season and underscores the need for states to strengthen their level of preparedness, Clarke said. Between last week and todays primary election, weve observed a cascading effect that the coronavirus has had on this electoral season. --Bart Jansen Pro-business group tries to stoke resentment among Sanders supporters The Club for Growth is a pro-business lobby dedicated to defeating big-government politicians and replacing them with pro-growth, limited government conservatives. And yet the groups political arm announced Tuesday it was releasing a digital ad sympathetic to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-described socialist Democrat whose advocacy for Medicare-for-all, the Green New Deal and a steep wealth tax has put him at odds with corporate America. The ad, titled Remember, lays out what it calls the Democratic Establishments war on the presidential campaign of Senator Bernie Sanders. The 30-second spot paints Sanders as the victim of a campaign by Democratic Party leaders who will do anything to stop Bernie, a refrain many of the senators supporters often repeat. Now the billionaires are propping up Joe Biden because they own him, the ad goes on to say. Dont let them steal it. And if they do remember in November. The ad will be seen on digital platforms in four key states holding primaries March 17: Arizona, Florida, Illinois, and Ohio. The ad comes as Biden is leading Sanders in what has become a two-person contest for the Democratic presidential nomination. Most analysts say and polls generally confirm that Biden has a better chance than Sanders of defeating President Donald Trump. - Ledyard King Long lines in Michigan Voting-rights advocates reported few systemic problems Tuesday, but long lines were seen at college campuses in Michigan where same-day registration is available. Michigan has some extremely long and frankly completely unacceptable lines including on two of our major flagship universities, said Sharon Dolente, voting rights strategist for the American Civil Liberties Union in Michigan. Lines of one to two hours were reported at the University of Michigan, Michigan State and at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, she said. The state changed its rules to make it easier to vote, including allowing registration until polls close at 8 p.m. Dolente said election officials failed to anticipate how many students would turn up and the capacity wasnt available to process them quickly. Thats unacceptable, in my opinion, Dolente said during a call organized by Election Protection, a coalition of voting-rights groups that monitors problems on election day. Her group is attempting to deputize poll workers, to get voters processed. She worried at 6:30 p.m. Eastern that lines might grow longer before the polls close. I assume that that line is going to keep growing because right up until 8 p.m. voters are showing up at polling locations, Dolente said. --Bart Jansen Voters in Missouri, Michigan, and Mississippi see Biden as more electable, AP VoteCast polling says As voters head to the polls for today's primaries, voters in Michigan, Missouri, and Mississippi saw former Vice President Joe Biden as more electable than Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, according to VoteCast polling by the Associated Press. About 80% of Democratic primary voters in Michigan and Missouri thought Biden could beat Trump, and about 90% in Mississippi thought he could win, whereas about two-thirds of voters in all three states saw Sanders as able to beat Trump. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won Mississippi and Missouri in 2016, though Sanders won Michigan then. It also appeared that fewer progressive Democrats turned out in all three states. Majorities of voters in all three states described themselves as "moderate" or "conservative." Seventy-two percent of Mississippi Democratic voters described themselves that way, 61% of Missouri Democratic voters described themselves the same way, as did 62% of Michigan Democratic voters. Voters in Michigan and Missouri also expressed hesitancy about fundamental political change. A majority, or 53% of Democratic voters, in Missouri said they wanted the political system to be restored to how it was before Trump, as opposed to wanting to "fundamentally change" the system. Close to half, or 49% of Michigan Democratic voters, wanted a restoration to a pre-Trump system, and 49% wanted a fundamental change. In Missouri, 45% wanted a restoration of how the system was before Trump, and 52% wanted a fundamental change. AP's VoteCast polling is conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for seven days leading up to the primary, including as polls closed. - Nicholas Wu Biden, Sanders both cancel events due to coronavirus concerns Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders both have canceled campaign rallies in Cleveland, Ohio, Tuesday night, citing public health and safety concerns. Three cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Ohio in Cuyahoga County, where Cleveland is located. As of March 10, there are 15 people being tested for possible exposure of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. We are heeding the public warnings from Ohio state officials, who have communicated concern about holding large, indoor events during the coronavirus outbreak, the Sanders campaign said in a statement. Sen. Sanders would like to express his regret to the thousands of Ohioans who had planned to attend the event tonight. Sanders event was going to be at Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland. The campaign also said all future events will be evaluated on a case by case basis. Biden campaign manager Kate Bedingfield tweeted a statement around the same time as Sanders' statement. "In accordance with guidance from public officials and out of an abundance of caution, our rally in Cleveland, Ohio tonight is cancelled. We will continue to consult with public health officials and public health guidance and make announcements about future events," the tweet read. -- Rebecca Morin All eyes are on Michigan as six states head to the polls WASHINGTON Welcome to Super Tuesday, Part 2. Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders are separated by fewer than 100 delegates as six states Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota and Washington head out to vote Tuesday. Biden currently leads with 664 delegates while Sanders is in striking distance at 573. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii also remains in the Democratic primary, but has only amassed two delegates in the first 19 contests. On the heels of last week's Super Tuesday, where Biden surpassed Sanders in the delegate race, both candidates have their eyes on Michigan. Live results: Follow live results from the March 10 primaries Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks to a crowd during a Get Out the Vote event at Renaissance High School in Detroit on Monday, March 9, 2020. More: How coronavirus could affect the six states slated to hold Democratic elections Tuesday Michigan has 125 delegates up for grabs the most of the day. And in 2016, Sanders had a surprising victory in the state over Hillary Clinton, who had been leading in polling. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a campaign rally in Dearborn, Saturday, March 7, 2020. But Biden got good news Monday with a Detroit Free Press poll showing him in the lead at 51% support and Sanders at 27%. Washington, which has the second most delegates (89) being awarded Tuesday, could also be close, with Biden and Sanders neck and neck in recent polling. Sanders overwhelmingly won Washington in 2016, and he has won all of the Western states that have held contests so far this year. Polls show good news for Biden in every state voting Tuesday Polls released this week are good news for Former Vice President Joe Biden, who aims to expand his delegate lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday, when six states hold Democratic primaries. Out of 18 polls on those six races that have been released since Sunday, none found Sanders ahead in any of the contests (though some found him within the margin of error). Michigan, Idaho, Missouri, Mississippi, Washington and North Dakota are voting Tuesday. But the big prize is Michigan, which has the most delegates of all the states holding primaries Tuesday with 125. Sanders won the Michigan primary in the 2016 presidential race. But since Sunday, Biden has led Sanders in all of the eight Michigan polls released. Rebecca Morin KC mayor says he was turned away from voting location Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said he was unable to vote because he wasn't "in the system" at his voting station. "I made a video this morning about the importance of voting and then got turned away because I wasnt in the system even though Ive voted there for 11 years, including for myself four times!" tweeted Lucas. "Go figure, but thats okay. Well be back later today!" The post featured a video of the mayor encouraging the state's residents to get out and vote on a ballot that includes the Democratic presidential primary. Several people told the mayor, who is African-American, that he should not be OK with being turned away. "It's not okay, Mr. Mayor. A lot of people wouldn't be able to come back later. It's systemic and it's intentional," wrote one Twitter user in response to Lucas' tweet. I made a video this morning about the importance of voting and then got turned away because I wasnt in the system even though Ive voted there for 11 years, including for myself four times! Go figure, but thats okay. Well be back later today! #Vote #KCMO pic.twitter.com/3mYNrO6jmC Mayor Q (@QuintonLucasKC) March 10, 2020 Lucas addressed their concerns in a later tweet, explaining he was "being Midwestern and passive." "Its really not okay," tweeted Lucas, who said he would further investigate what happened. "If the mayor can get turned away, think about everyone else.," he said. "We gotta do better." Lucas tried to vote at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, where he told The Kansas City Star he has cast his ballots since 2009. According to the Star, a poll worker searched Lucas name using a utility bill but he didn't come up in the system. Lauri Ealom, the Democratic director of the Kansas City Board of Elections, told the Star that the election worker had put the mayor's first and last name in the wrong fields. Ealom said things were otherwise running smoothly at that voting location and that the mayor had so far been the only voter to be turned away. William Cummings This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Primary election: Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders fight for Michigan Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 18:48:50|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close CANBERRA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Following sluggish world economic growth last year, the Australian economy could be hit harder in 2020 due to COVID-19, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned Tuesday morning. "Whatever you thought 2020 was going to be about, think again," Morrison said during his keynote speech at the Australian Financial Review Business Summit. Morrison, together with Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, has repeatedly promised to deliver Australia's first budget surplus in 2020 after the global economic slowdown last year. According to a United Nations report in January, the global economy suffered its lowest growth in a decade, slipping to 2.3 percent in 2019, due to prolonged trade disputes. However, in the wake of the bushfire crisis and the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country, Morrison said Tuesday that the surplus was dead. "We now have one goal, together, this year -- to protect the health, the wellbeing and livelihoods of Australians through this global crisis, and to ensure that when the recovery comes, and it will, we are well positioned to bounce back strongly on the other side. All Australians have a role to play in Australia successfully moving through this crisis," he said. Morrison said business leaders attending the summit would have a "huge" role to play in protecting and supporting workers, while urging them to "go back to the office today and pay your supplier invoices." "That is what sticking together looks like," he said. "How you support your customers, your suppliers, your employees during the next six months and potentially beyond, will say more about your company, your corporate values and the integrity of your brand, than anything else you've likely done as an organization," he said. "We also need your investment, looking ahead to the opportunities that are on the other side. Take the opportunity to invest in the skills of your workforce or in the capital projects that will provide the pathway for a new season of growth that will be there," he said. "While we all know we're not immune, so far, as a nation, we have been able to get ahead of this. But to stay ahead, we must work together and continue to take decisive and timely action," he added. As of 11 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) Tuesday, the country has confirmed 100 cases of COVID-19 with three deaths. The government issued a formal warning urging Australians to reconsider overseas cruise ship travels. It is also expected to announce a coronavirus stimulus package worth up to 10 billion Australian dollars (6.6 billion U.S. dollars) within days. On Tuesday, Attorney-General and Minister for Industrial Relations Christian Porter hosted a roundtable of unions and employee groups to address their concerns about casual workers without paid sick leave. On Wednesday, Industry Minister Karen Andrews will hold a similar meeting to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on supply chains. Signalling that Ontario is bracing for the full economic impact of COVID-19, Finance Minister Rod Phillips said his upcoming budget will ensure the necessary resources are in place to protect the health of people. This includes measures to ensure the provinces readiness to contain and respond to a range of scenarios, he told an Empire Club luncheon at the Sheraton Centre on Tuesday. Thats a stark contrast to last Aprils budget, tabled by then-treasurer Vic Fedeli, which cut transfer payments for municipal public health programs. The global panic over the virus is looming large over the March 25 provincial budget. It is clear that COVID-19 is having an economic impact. How severe that impact will be depends on how serious the situation becomes and how long it lasts, said Phillips. Since early this year, I have been in frequent contact with senior business leaders, including at our financial institutions, along with economists, health experts, mayors and my fellow finance ministers across the country, he said. What I can tell you from those conversations is that leaders in business, health care, and every level of government are working diligently to manage the risks associated with COVID-19. They are prepared and they will be prudent. Phillips said he is working closely with Health Minister Christine Elliott and her officials and noted our health-care professionals are responding effectively to protect the public. This includes measures to ensure the provinces readiness to contain and respond to a range of scenarios, the finance minister said. Minister Elliott announced that Ontario has implemented an enhanced response structure that formally brings together a wide range of partners to review, strengthen and implement provincial and regional plans and ensure their responsiveness to the specifics of COVID-19, he said. This enhanced structure connects and expands the network of clinical expertise and resources across the health sector to ensure the necessary plans are in place to quickly and effectively respond to the full range of possible scenarios. Underscoring that the government is committed to ensuring our health-care professionals have the resources they need to address the challenges of COVID-19, Phillips appeared to indicate that reducing the deficit, which is currently $9 billion, will be on the back burner during the crisis. The world is becoming more uncertain. There are a number of geopolitical risks, instability facing commodity prices and markets, he said, referring to the plunging price of oil, which will have an impact on the nations energy sector. Yesterdays dramatic drop in oil prices and the effect that had on markets around the world, including here in Canada is the latest reminder that we live in an interconnected global economy, the treasurer said. As we consider the macroeconomic impact or the effect on corporate earnings of these events, we can never forget that its workers and families who feel the consequences the most. The missed mortgage payment. The delayed retirement. The struggle to pay tuition. To that end, Phillips said Queens Park must provide reassurance to Ontarians. And we can help to mitigate uncertainty as weve done by committing to provide any necessary resources to protect the publics health in light of COVID-19, he said. We can also work together. Thats exactly what were doing here in Canada, as we co-ordinate our response with all levels of government. I commend my counterpart, federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau, for bringing together provincial finance ministers last week to ensure were working in a co-ordinated way to protect the Canadian economy. Phillips will be with Elliott, Morneau, Premier Doug Ford, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Fridays first ministers meeting in Ottawa. I know that Premier Ford will be calling for further federal action and national coordination to address COVID-19. Robert Benzie is the Stars Queens Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie Read more about: SPRINGFIELD An Illinois man who spent 20 years in solitary confinement after being convicted of a minor theft and, later, driving without a license is now helping lead a push for legislation to limit the use of isolation in state prisons. Anthony Gay, who served 24 years in prison after being convicted as a young man, wept during a news conference in Chicago on Tuesday as he explained his experience. When the conditions of confinement were psychologically eating me inside out, instead of being removed from solitary confinement and offered adequate psychological counseling, I was prosecuted, given 100 years and buried deeper in solitary confinement for symptoms of mental illness that solitary confinement created, he said. With Gay at the news conference was Rep. La Shawn K. Ford, a Chicago Democrat and lead sponsor of House Bill 182. Ford said the bill will be known as the Anthony Gay Isolated Confinement Restriction Act. It would put strict limits on the use of solitary confinement for disciplinary purposes. Among other things, it would limit such confinements to no more than 10 consecutive days, 10 days in a 180-day period and require that when inmates are out of their cells, they have access to activities, group therapy, medical treatment, meals, classes, job assignments, visits and exercise. Ford, who introduced the bill just before the start of the 2019 legislative session, called the use of extended solitary confinement devastating and unconstitutional. But so far, the bill has not had a hearing in the House committee that deals with criminal judicial matters. Ford, however, said he hopes to get the bill through the House before the end of March and send it to the Senate. We have a strong, compelling argument with Mr. Gay, and I think we have a very liberal governor that believes in change like this, Ford said. Tuesdays news conference was held in the law offices of Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, one of the firms that represents Gay in a civil rights lawsuit against the Illinois Department of Corrections and Wexford Health Services Inc., a company that contracts with the department to provide inmate health services. Gay, who has filed previous unsuccessful suits over the same issues, alleges his treatment amounted to torture, in violation of his constitutional rights as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act. The case is pending in the Central District of Illinois. According to that lawsuit, Gay was first arrested as a teenager after getting into a fight with another teen who told police that Gay had stolen his hat and a $1. He pleaded guilty to robbery and was placed on probation. He later violated his probation by driving a car without a license. In 1994, at age 20, he was sentenced to prison. His lawyers argue in the complaint that with good behavior, he could have been out in three and a half years. However, they argue, Gays borderline personality disorder began to manifest itself. He started acting out in ways that extended his prison sentence. In 1998, he was placed in solitary confinement and, according to the lawsuit, remained there for 20 years. During that time, the lawsuit alleges, he was kept isolated in a small cell for 23 hours a day and did not have access to mental health care. He engaged in several acts of self-mutilation, according to the filing. In response to the lawsuit, IDOC and the other defendants denied they violated Gays constitutional rights and assert that Gay himself is responsible for the actions that led to his injuries. A spokesperson for IDOC did not respond to a request for comment about the bill. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2 Two of Australia's top universities have renegotiated their contracts to host China-funded culture and language centres in an effort to safeguard their teaching autonomy and ward off the Morrison government's foreign influence crackdown. The University of Melbourne and University of Queensland have rewritten their agreements amid heightened government scrutiny of the Confucius Institute soft-power facilities and concerns about undue foreign influence on Australian campuses. Two of Australia's top universities have revised their Confucius Institute agreements to protect their autonomy. Credit:Simon Schluter Melbourne's revised agreement seen by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald includes fresh language clarifying the primacy of the university's autonomy and "academic and intellectual freedom, including in respect of its research, teaching and operations". Under the new terms, the Confucius Institute headquarters in Beijing acknowledges Melbourne's "right to determine the content of the curriculum and the manner of instruction for all programs administered by the institute". While the original agreement stated "the institute must take into consideration any assessment by the headquarters on the teaching quality at the institute", the revised version does not contain this clause. Asda has cut the price of petrol and diesel by 2p per litre. (Nick Ansell/PA Images via Getty Images) Asda has cut the price of petrol and diesel by 2p per litre (ppl) amid an oil war between Saudi Arabia and Russia which led to stock markets and oil prices tumbling across the globe. Prices at Asda filling stations will fall to a maximum of 114.7ppl for petrol and 116.7ppl for diesel, its lowest prices since November 2017, according to the retailer. The supermarket giant has dropped fuel prices by up to 11ppl since January this year. Asda senior fuel buyer Dave Tyrer said: Once again were pleased to be passing on wholesale cost reductions to customers. It will be a welcomed boost, especially to diesel drivers who are seeing some of the lowest fuel prices since 2017. Read more: BP, Shell and Saudi Aramco among oil stocks smoked by falling prices AA fuel price spokesman Luke Bosdet said: For the past two years, UK drivers have had to endure petrol averaging 125p a litre 15p a litre higher than during the lows of 2015 and 2016. Now, at last, some real financial relief will flow from the pumps. However, there is currently a 6p, soon to be an 8p, gap between the UK average price of petrol and what competitive supermarkets like Asda charge for it. Thats a more than 4-a-tank difference between forecourts that have their customers interests at heart and those that dont. With investors already dealing with a decline in demand due to coronavirus, crude oil prices fell by as much as 30% on Monday after Saudi Arabia slashed its export oil prices and moved towards a price war with Russia after the two sides failed to agree to supply targets wiping billions off oil companies share prices. The move sent the price of a barrel of Brent Crude down 30% initially on Monday, before settling at around 20% down on a day earlier, to just 36.1 dollars a barrel. Read more: Oil dives 30% as Saudi Arabia starts price war The spat between oil producers echoes the oil price crash in 2015, when 1-a-litre fuel returned to UK petrol stations, said Bosdet. Story continues There is still a long way to go and the chances of another major collapse in forecourt prices will depend on how long the oil price plunge continues and how quickly UK retailers take to pass on savings. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Finance UK Here are your Connecticut coronavirus basics this Tuesday morning. Worldwide, coronavirus cases have topped 114,000, with more than 4,000 deaths. Here are three things you need to know about coronavirus in Connecticut right now. 1. Connecticut has its second case A second Connecticut resident was announced Monday as testing positive for coronavirus, hours after Gov. Ned Lamont ordered sweeping restrictions on travel and official gatherings. The patient was in Bridgeport Hospital on Monday, according to Scott Appleby, director of emergency management for the city of Bridgeport. Appleby also said the patient is not a Bridgeport resident. Further details about the case were not immediately released. The State Laboratory has completed tests of 56 people and two have tested positive. A Wilton man in his 40s was diagnosed over the weekend. He is being treated at Danbury Hospital and his condition is unknown. In addition, two Westchester County residents who work at Connecticut hospitals were confirmed as COVID-19 coronavirus cases. The case is not connected to the two hospital employees one in Norwalk and Danbury, the other in Bridgeport who contracted the disease. They are both New York State residents. Earlier Monday, at a briefing at Bristol Hospital, Lamont said the state has received a second testing kit for the COVID-19 coronavirus. That means the state can process an additional 500 to 600 tests, in addition to the previous kit with 500-600 tests. The lab can complete between 15 and 20 tests per day. The COVID-19 testing capabilities at LabCorp, a private clinical laboratory, have become fully operational, and Quest Diagnostics, which was scheduled to begin commercial testing in Connecticut, said in an email obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media that it would not have testing in East Coast states until sometime next week. All people being tested by these facilities must be referred by a physician. Nobody should arrive at any of these facilities requesting to be tested, state officials said. Any positive test results that are conducted by each of these providers will be reported to the Department of Public Health to be calculated and reported in the states testing data. 2. Two Connecticut universities cancel classes Sacred Heart University and the University of New Haven announced Monday they were canceling in-person classes for most of March. SHU will have classes all online starting Wednesday. The university is also canceling all major events on campus through March 29. The letter to staff, faculty and students announcing the changes comes just as the campus community returned Monday from spring break. While there are no known or suspected cases of coronavirus on campus, we are taking the following steps out of an abundance of caution in response to the rapidly changing global health situation, the Coronavirus Planning Team at the university stated in a notice. The decision to move online was made today as a precaution because of the state of emergency in New York and seeing what is happening at other colleges in New York, said Deborah Noack, a university spokeswoman. Officials at the University of New Haven in West Haven announced Monday it would be canceling all in-person classes and exams through the remainder of the week, leading to the start of spring break on March 14. In-person classes at UNH have also been canceled on March 23 and 24 and students have been asked to leave the dorms by Wednesday. While there currently are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on our campus, these decisions were made after learning that individuals on our campus may have been exposed to a confirmed case of the virus after attending an out-of-state conference, said Doug Whiting, a university spokesman. The Connecticut colleges decision came just days after it was revealed that two employees at Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y., were under self-quarantine but had not tested positive for the virus. The university closed classes on campus as well. 3. New Haven postpones St. Patricks Day parade On Monday afternoon, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker announced his city was postponing its parade, scheduled for Sunday, as well as all gatherings of more than 100 people. Elicker said the decision in New Haven was made with guidance from the governors office and consultation with his new health director, Maritza Bond, who until recently held that same position in Bridgeport. Given the thousands of out-of-town visitors for the parade and the number of first responders that are required to staff (it), we have assessed that the risks of potential community spread and significant impacts that would have on the region and our first responders merit the decision to postpone, Elicker said. We realize this is a significant impact on the many groups that participate in organizing and marching in the parade and on local businesses. We regret the inconvenience but want to emphasize the need to keep our city safe for residents and visitors. Meanwhile, organizers of Bridgeports annual St. Patricks Day parade and celebration will meet Tuesday night to decide whether to move ahead as scheduled, or cancel over coronavirus fears. We want to do whats in the best interests of the citizens of greater Bridgeport, said John Brannelly, chairperson of the 38th annual event, scheduled to take over downtown on March 17. But we also dont want to over-react. Brannelly said part of the challenge is exactly what Elicker cited all of the work and people that would be affected by a cancellation. We have over 12 marching bands, seven floats lined up and hundreds of school children, Brannelly said. And it is an all day celebration, beginning with a pre-parade Mass, a flag raising and a breakfast. A corned beef luncheon is held after the parade. New Milford High School and Litchfield Hills Transition Center will hold a transition resource fair March 18 from 6 to 8 p.m. A snow date of March 19 is planned for the event scheduled to be held at Sarah Noble Intermediate School on Sunny Valley Road in New Milford. Several presentations for families will be given by the Department of Developmental Services, the Bureau of Rehabilitative Services, Social Security Disability Income, Friends of New Milford, Marrakech and the Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center and about guardianship/conservatorship, special needs trusts and Ability Beyonds ATLAS Program. The event is for families with young adults ages 14 to 21 who have disabilities. Refreshments will be served. The urgent need to address gaps in maritime and air security, and the threat posed by cyber attacks, feature prominently in submissions made to the country's first national security strategy. A total of 60 submissions have been made in a public consultation launched by the newly-established National Security Analysis Centre. The NSAC, based within the Department of the Taoiseach, is drawing up the State's first-ever National Security Strategy. While the submissions have not yet been published by the department a number are available on the websites of bodies that have made them In its detailed submission, the Association of Retired Commissioned Officers (ARCO) said the threats to Ireland's national security range from energy security, espionage and extremism to hybrid warfare, major pandemics, nuclear contamination and terrorism. The submission, authored by Brigadier-General Paul Pakenham (Retd), said that ISIS is likely to reemerge in the short to medium term. It said the concept of military neutrality was flawed and outdated and that cyber-enabled attacks and hybrid warfare do not respect Ireland's military neutrality posture". ARCO said a substantial increase in investment in defence capabilities is required, pointing out that Ireland has the lowest defence spend in the EU, at 0.3% of GDP (average 1.3%). It said the trans American-European sea and air lanes are in close proximity to Ireland and that Ireland's significant reliance on sea lanes presents a potential risk. The Irish Maritime Forum, an independent professional body, also looked at on sea lanes of communication. It wants an increased focus, by boosting the Naval Service, to protect Ireland's maritime domain, which is the largest in northwest Europe, with 92% of Ireland's area being underwater. We are a small trading nation living on an island and 99% (by volume) of everything we import or export is transported by sea," it said. The sea and air traffic between northern Europe and the USA passes close to our shores and through or above waters over which we have jurisdiction or for which we have responsibility. It said that any interruption to sea borne trade would cause an immediate crisis and that while there may be limited threat it could happen further afield. It urged the planned introduction of counter-mine and counter-IED capabilities, which it said is paused. The Marine Renewables Industry Association said offshore renewables are critical for Ireland's future energy supplies and that their security should be considered of paramount importance. In addition, the body said security regulations should be introduced regarding the undersea cables running near or through Irish waters. It said the Naval Service should have lead responsibility with the NSAC playing an intelligence role. It said threats are posed by drones and mines and called for the promised mine counter-measures. The Reserve Defence Forces Representative Association said key sectors such as power generation, telecommunications and the financial-tech industries are woefully exposed because of a lack of an overarching defensive framework. It said the crisis that was underinvestment in the Naval Service needs to be addressed as a matter of priority. It said there had been an overreliance on An Garda Siochana for state security with some of the threats were outside their competences. It said the Communication and Information Services (CIS) Corps of the Defence Forces should be used to develop cyber defence capabilities. It called for investment in the defence of maritime borders and undersea cables. It said the Air Corps needed, at a minimum, first step an active radar system that can detect military aircraft operating without transponders. It said there was a grotesque imbalance between civil servants and senior military leaders, resulting in a near toxic working relationship. The Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) said it is "likely" that the future 5G networks will be a target of a "State actor-sponsored attacks". The threat is all the greater as 5G networks are set to become the "backbone for essential services" such as energy, transport, banking, health and other utilities. It calls for a formal mechanism to enable controlled access to, and sharing of, national security intelligence among State agencies and public providers of services. It said the NSAC needs to be properly resourced, in order to attract and retain the necessary expertise, to perform its functions and fund its activities. The Department of the Taoiseach said the 60 submissions came from a variety of individuals and organisations in the public, private and academic sectors. Work is on-going with regard to analysing the range of views expressed in submissions as well as the responses to the four specific questions posed in the consultation," it said. "There is also "continuing direct engagement with a range of relevant stakeholders and on developing possible themes for the strategy. The benefits of providing regional transit authority services without charging a fare are clear but hard to quantify, Senate President Emerita Harriette Chandler said in a recent letter to the Worcester City Council. The letter late last month to the council's Public Service and Transportation Committee signaled Chandler's support for an idea that's been gaining support locally but also stands as a preview to a debate that could crop up in coming months as the Senate takes up its budget and a transportation financing bill. "As Worcester continues to undergo a renaissance, there has never been a better time to undertake a zero-fare approach to the [Worcester Regional Transit Authority]. It has been shown to dramatically increase ridership across demographic groups and destigmatize the use of public transit, bringing with it numerous benefits," Chandler, a Worcester Democrat, wrote. "Increased ridership offers potential for increased pedestrian traffic in our downtown and commercial districts, generating more lively, walkable areas and increased foot traffic for our businesses." The Massachusetts House has already endorsed a plan to raise taxes by as much as $612 million annually to infuse the state's public transportation systems with new funding in hopes of easing the ubiquitous congestion that threatens economic growth and spews greenhouse gases into the environment. But proposals to offer fare-free regional transit authority services as part of that bill were largely withdrawn without discussion. The Senate plans to take up its own version of that House bill by May, and Ways and Means Chairman Michael Rodrigues said to expect it is "probably going to be more policy-focused than tax- or revenue-focused." In her letter, Chandler pointed to fare-free programs in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Dunkirk, France, as examples where eliminating fares has led to greater use of public transportation, which advocates say will result in corresponding reductions in congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. The idea of incentivizing public transit use by eliminating fares has percolated for months on Beacon Hill, and former Lt. Gov. Tim Murray -- also a former Worcester mayor and now the head of the region's chamber of commerce -- said recently that he'd like to see the state let Worcester test the idea before rolling it out more broadly. He said it was one idea that came out of the chamber's recent participation in the Massachusetts Business Coalition on Transportation. "What better place to pilot it, to learn the pros and cons, than Worcester? We think it could be done with a timeframe and really study it, and that's the proposal that we put forth," Murray said on Talk of the Commonwealth with Hank Stolz last month. "I think that's the best way. Generally, you run a pilot or a trial and I'd like to see Worcester and the WRTA service region be that." Officials at the WRTA have been studying the idea and conducting a fare analysis, but have said that there will be no fare-free WRTA this fiscal year, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported. Last year, the Worcester Regional Research Bureau called the WRTA "a perfect candidate" for a fare-free system. Chandler wrote in her letter that eliminating fares at the WRTA would actually have a "relatively manageable" impact on the authority's finances. In 2018, fare revenue was 14 percent of the WRTA's operating expenses, which Chandler said was the lowest mark in a decade. The lost revenue, she said, would be "partially offset by operating efficiencies." "The increased ridership and benefit to the city from reduced congestion and greenhouse gas emissions is hard to quantify but a clear benefit to the city," Chandler wrote. Last week, Worcester City Manager Ed Augustus, who served in the Massachusetts Senate alongside Chandler, said the WRTA is also looking into the possibility of partnering with a company that could optimize city bus routes and incorporate an on-demand aspect to WRTA service. There are entities out there that have, in other cities, brought technologies that kind of take your fixed route system, like we have at the WRTA, and combine them with the technology of Uber and Lyft, the on-demand kind of component to make bus service more efficient and responsive, he said on Talk of the Commonwealth. And I think that really is probably the future. (Sharecast News) - London stocks finished flat on Tuesday, with the bounce from the heavy losses sustained during the previous session petering out as reports indicated that measures to help the US economy might take some time to make their way through Congress. The FTSE 100 was 0.01% lower at 5,960.23, having fallen into bear market territory on Monday and suffering its worst day since the financial crisis of 2008 amid a collapse in oil prices and worries about the coronavirus. Oil prices did claw back some of the losses incurred at the start of the week, with Brent crude up 7.4% at $37.11 a barrel. For context, Brent was near $70 a barrel earlier in January. The recovery came even as Saudi Arabia pledged to flood the market with crude, as its oil price war with former ally Russia escalated. The state-controlled Saudi Aramco oil company said it would supply the market with 12.3m barrels of oil per day in April, a 25% hike on March's production figure. It is more than Saudi Aramco is able to produce sustainably, prompting speculation Saudi Arabia would dip into its inventories to meet the planned increase. In February, Saudi Arabia produced around 9.7m bpd. "The bounce off the lows last night was being viewed with a healthy dose of scepticism, which has been proved right. Markets, particularly in Europe, have been unable to hold on to gains, with wild intraday swings continuing to dominate the trading day," said IG's Chris Beauchamp. "Unsurprisingly, markets have not been too impressed with the US administration's response to the virus, with today's press conference likely to lead to a crushing sense of disappointment that could prompt a fresh move to the downside. Ultimately, governments and central banks still look like they are playing catch-up to a fast-moving situation, and there is a weary sense that Thursday's ECB meeting could go the same way." Sentiment was also boosted by news that Barclays, Lloyds and RBS have offered support to firms affected by the coronavirus. In equity markets, oil giants Shell and BP were among the top performers after Monday's bloodbath, while budget airline easyJet flew higher after an upgrade to 'outperform' at Bernstein. Informa advanced as the global exhibitions group said it had cancelled or delayed 128 events with an estimated revenue of ?425m due to the coronavirus outbreak but reported a 13% rise in full-year pre-tax profit. Asset manager Standard Life Aberdeen was in the green even as it reported a fall in adjusted full-year profits as revenues declined due to lower fee income. Elsewhere, Ultra Electronics rallied after reporting a rise in full-year profit and revenue as it secured a number of new contract wins. Market Movers FTSE 100 (UKX) 5,960.23 -0.09% FTSE 250 (MCX) 17,547.05 0.00% techMARK (TASX) 3,531.61 -0.09% FTSE 100 - Risers Informa (INF) 600.00p 6.38% Evraz (EVR) 246.80p 6.24% Melrose Industries (MRO) 176.75p 5.95% Aveva Group (AVV) 3,704.00p 4.87% Hargreaves Lansdown (HL.) 1,336.00p 4.70% Kingfisher (KGF) 169.65p 4.34% Antofagasta (ANTO) 718.00p 3.86% Standard Chartered (STAN) 475.10p 3.70% Royal Dutch Shell 'A' (RDSA) 1,366.40p 3.69% Rio Tinto (RIO) 3,377.00p 3.39% FTSE 100 - Fallers SSE (SSE) 1,422.00p -4.81% National Grid (NG.) 933.20p -4.51% Meggitt (MGGT) 463.50p -4.20% Centrica (CNA) 55.22p -4.03% Imperial Brands (IMB) 1,496.20p -3.87% Sainsbury (J) (SBRY) 198.65p -3.47% Bunzl (BNZL) 1,790.50p -3.34% Berkeley Group Holdings (The) (BKG) 4,236.00p -3.02% British American Tobacco (BATS) 2,897.50p -3.00% DCC (DCC) 4,920.00p -3.00% FTSE 250 - Risers Pershing Square Holdings Ltd NPV (PSH) 1,368.00p 11.17% Ultra Electronics Holdings (ULE) 2,066.00p 8.50% Domino's Pizza Group (DOM) 308.50p 8.36% Network International Holdings (NETW) 509.00p 7.61% PureTech Health (PRTC) 274.00p 7.45% FirstGroup (FGP) 101.30p 7.20% Future (FUTR) 1,050.00p 7.14% Ferrexpo (FXPO) 119.65p 6.83% TBC Bank Group (TBCG) 1,200.00p 5.45% Fisher (James) & Sons (FSJ) 1,736.00p 5.00% FTSE 250 - Fallers Finablr (FIN) 31.52p -25.91% Cairn Energy (CNE) 71.75p -15.93% Premier Oil (PMO) 23.00p -12.25% Energean Oil & Gas (ENOG) 406.00p -7.83% Cineworld Group (CINE) 96.02p -7.67% Capita (CPI) 51.98p -6.68% Intermediate Capital Group (ICP) 1,268.00p -6.43% Avon Rubber (AVON) 2,265.00p -6.21% Fresnillo (FRES) 617.60p -6.11% Watches of Switzerland Group (WOSG) 312.00p -5.65% OFX Daily Market News Posted by OFX AUD Australian Dollar The Australian dollar has enjoyed a roller coaster 24 hours plunging lower through domestic trade on Monday before recouping losses overnight as panicked and befuddled investors attempt to respond to the uncertainties thrust upon the global economy by the spreading COVID 19 virus. Having closed Friday buying near 0.6650 US cents the AUD lost 50 points throughout early morning trade before tumbling to intraday lows at 0.6313 as Asian markets opened and widespread panic prompted a flash crash. Panic enveloped currency markets as retail investors triggered a run on liquidity prompting wild price swings and increased volatility as appetite for risk all but evaporated. Having bottomed out the AUD then began a steady rebound as rattled investors corrected the panicked move. The Australian dollar recouped all losses and touched intraday highs at 0.6681 before edging lower into the daily close and currently buys 0.6659 US cents. Attentions remain squarely affixed to broader risk trends with increased volatility expected across currency markets through the days and weeks ahead. Watch commentary from Prime Minister Scott Morrison today as he outlines the Governments multi-billion-dollar fiscal stimulus plan, it hopes will stave off recession amid concerns the impacts of the coronavirus could be worse than those of the GFC. Key Movers The Yen and Swiss Franc surged higher through trade on Monday, advancing against major counterparts as investors rushed to safe haven assets. Risk appetite all but evaporated, oil prices plunged lower, equities tumbled and bond yields tracked downward as panicked investors price in a heightened probability of a global recession. Having enjoyed a sustained and prolonged period of stability since the GFC, volatility across currency markets has returned with a vengeance throughout the last 72 hours as the uncertainties and vagaries of COVID19 continue to send shockwaves through financial systems. EUR/USD implied volatility shot to a 3-year high allowing the Euro to push back through 1.14 and mark its highest level since January 2019, while USD/JPY slumped to is lowest level since 2016 as one-month volatility touched 11 year highs. Story continues With attentions remain squarely affixed to broader health narrative, risk appetite will continue to govern market direction and haven assets are likely to enjoy a sustained period of support through the weeks ahead. Expected Ranges AUD/USD: 0.6460 0.6680 AUD/EUR: 0.5640 0.5820 GBP/AUD: 1.9450 2.0150 AUD/NZD: 1.0320 1.0530 AUD/CAD: 0.8850 0.9120 Posted by OFX The post Volatility is back; Australian dollar enjoys tumultuous 24 hours appeared first on . Manchester United's Luke Shaw is impressed with Bruno Fernandes' recent performances and said that the latter has been a 'brilliant signing'. "At times we know he's going to lose possession, but we need them sort of risk passes that are going to unlock defences," Goal.com quoted Shaw as saying. "He's been a brilliant signing so far and he's already come in with a few assists and a few important goals. We will keep pushing the standards and we'll keep pushing him because there's so much more from him to come," he added. Since joining the club in January, the Portugal international, Fernandes, has scored two goals and provided three assists in his five Premier League games. Manchester United have been in sublime form as they have not faced a defeat in their last 10 matches in all competitions. The club will now take on Tottenham in the Premier League on March 15. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) IAEA says Iran's cooperation with agency, JCPOA compliance not changed Iran Press TV Monday, 09 March 2020 2:41 PM The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has once again confirmed Iran's compliance with its commitments as per the 2015 nuclear deal with the world powers, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), adding that the country continues to cooperate with the agency. "To date, the agency has not observed any changes to Iran's implementation of its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA in connection with this announcement, or in the level of cooperation by Iran in relation to agency verification and monitoring activities under the JCPOA," Rafael Mariano Grossi said while addressing in the IAEA's Board of Governors on Monday. The IAEA head, however, repeated his past claim that Iran has been barring the agency's access to two out of three locations about which "the agency has identified a number of questions related to possible undeclared nuclear material and nuclear-related activities." "The agency sought access to two of the locations. Iran has not provided access to these locations and has not engaged in substantive discussions to clarify the Agency's questions," he added. US President Donald Trump unilaterally abandoned the JCPOA, signed between Iran, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, in May 2018 and reinstated the anti-Iran sanctions, which had been lifted by the accord. Under Washington's pressure, the three European signatories to the JCPOA have so far failed to fulfill their contractual obligation to protect Tehran's business interests against the sanctions. In response, Iran began last May to gradually reduce its commitments as part of its legal rights under the JCPOA to both retaliate for Washington's departure and prompt the European trio to respect their obligations towards Tehran. The country has so far taken five steps away from the deal under the IAEA's supervision, but says its counter-measures are reversible if the other parties begin to fulfill their side of the agreement. Elsewhere in his remarks, Grossi alleged that lack of access to those sites "is adversely affecting the agency's ability to clarify and resolve these questions and to provide credible assurance of the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran." The IAEA chief concluded his remarks on Iran by saying, "The agency continues to verify the non-diversion of nuclear material declared by Iran under its Safeguards Agreement. Evaluations regarding the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran continue." Iran argues that the IAEA's concerns about those sites, which have nothing to do with Iran's nuclear program, emanate from false reports provided to the nuclear agency by Israeli spy agencies, as a result of which the country is under no obligation to address those concerns. Last Thursday, Iran said it will not allow Israeli allegations, which Tel Aviv claims are rooted in findings of a so-called secret operation, to form the basis of the Islamic Republic's cooperation with the United Nations nuclear agency. Iran's mission to the IAEA made the remarks in a statement after the watchdog demanded "complementary" access to two sites that are alleged by the Israeli regime to host diversionary nuclear activities. "The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that merely forwarding some papers based on the Intelligence Services' fabricated information is not consistent with the Agency's Statute, Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, and the Additional Protocol," the mission said. "The Islamic Republic of Iran does not want to set a bad precedence by giving legitimacy to such alleged information and even considers it counterproductive for the credibility of the Agency, to the detriment of its relations with the Member States," the statement noted. It came after Iran's permanent representative to Vienna-based international organizations, Kazem Gharibabadi, said on Tuesday that a new IAEA report shows the UN nuclear watchdog has kept up its monitoring and verification process inside the country concerning the nuclear deal. "This report emphasizes that Iran still continues to voluntarily and temporarily implement the Additional Protocol and verification of non-diversion of the declared material and activities in Iran will continue," the Iranian envoy added. The IAEA is tasked with monitoring the technical implementation of the nuclear deal. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on Tuesday said Austria was restricting travel from Italy, which has been hard hit by the coronavirus. He told reporters Vienna was putting in place "an entry ban for people from Italy to Austria, unless they have a doctor's certificate". Austrians in neighbouring Italy will be allowed to return as long as they agree to a two-week home quarantine, he added. Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said trains and flights from Italy to Austria would be stopped. Border controls will be put in place, he added, only allowing those who have a doctor's certificate to enter. An exception is cargo transport, which can continue, but health checks will be put in place, he said. Austria is also banning outdoor events with more than 500 people and indoor events with more than 100 people, he said. Universities and other higher education institutions will halt classes from Monday. So far the Alpine EU member of more than eight million people has had 157 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and no deaths. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) DES MOINES, Iowa - Twenty-two Iowans are among the thousands of passengers and crew who were quarantined on a cruise ship docked in Northern California, and most of them are preparing to return home, state officials said Tuesday. At least 21 of the roughly 3,500 passengers and crew on board the Grand Princess have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, officials said. The Princess Cruises ship docked in Oakland on Monday and began letting passengers disembark into quarantine. Four of the Iowa residents wont immediately return home, but the other 18 will be flown back on a government-chartered flight, Gov. Kim Reynolds said. None of them currently have symptoms of the disease, but they will be screened for it before they board the plane and again when they arrive. They live in various communities in Iowa and will be quarantined at home, Reynolds said. The virus has infected more than 700 people in the U.S. and killed at least 27, with one state after another recording its first infections in quick succession. For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild cases recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe ones may take three to six weeks to get better. Health officials announced Tuesday evening that 13 people from Iowa have tested positive for COVID-19. Twelve were among a group of 21 Iowans who were on a recent Egyptian cruise, and all are recovering at home in isolation. The other 14 also were also quarantined at their homes, and health officials said Tuesday they had tested negative for the illness. State health investigators have determined the Egyptian cruise passengers have had limited interaction in their communities since returning home and havent attended any large public events, meaning their potential risk to others is considered low. The 13th Iowa patient is from Pottawattamie County, in the west of the state. That person recently came in contact with a sick person while visiting California and is recovering at home in isolation. Reynolds said the number of tests and positive cases will likely continue to rise, so the state is moving from prevention to mitigation of the disease. While this news is concerning its not cause for alarm, she said. I want to assure Iowans that we are prepared, and we are taking additional steps to ensure access to resources to effectively manage the situation. ___ The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. What happened Shares of XPO Logistics (NYSE:XPO) were up about 7% around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, after the shipping and transport specialist announced plans to buy a logistics operation in the United Kingdom. The company's dealmaking efforts are under scrutiny right now, and investors appear to be pleased to see XPO looking to expand in a key area. So what Swiss transport company Kuehne & Nagel International on Tuesday morning agreed to sell its U.K. contract logistics operations, which is focused on beverage, food service, tech, and e-commerce, to XPO for an undisclosed price. The unit to be sold generated about GBP 500 million ($645 million) in revenue in 2019, operating out of about 75 facilities. XPO grew from a second-tier logistics company to one of the top names in global shipping in part due to these sorts of bolt-on deals, but the company of late has been more in the news for what it might sell. The company in January said it was exploring the sale of one or more of its businesses, complaining the market wasn't fully valuing the sum of its many parts. The Kuehne & Nagel unit will be folded into XPO's European logistics business, one of the units that is on the block. Now what XPO shares have been beaten down in recent weeks as part of a broader market sell-off, and industry-specific fears that the COVID-19 coronavirus would depress economic activity and lead to a slowdown in global cargo volumes. XPO appeared oversold, giving back all of the gains since its potential breakup announcement, and was due for an upswing even without a deal. The announcement also likely helped reassure investors that it is business as usual at XPO despite the coronavirus threat. It is too soon to say how much the economy will slow, or whether a slowing economy will impact XPO's divestiture effort. But the deal, if nothing else, provides some reassurance that XPO execs aren't seeing any reason to hunker down. A political flap has developed over credit for the city of Conroes plan to purchase and remodel the old Sam Houston School into a performing arts venue. Councilman Jody Czajkoski recently announced the citys plan for the arts venue, claiming he was the driving force behind the project. While the Conroe City Council approved an agreement Feb. 27 to purchase the former school located at 601 West Lewis Street and the almost 12 acres it sits on from the Conroe Independent School District following an executive session, Czajkoski released information about the project without knowledge of city staff, including City Administrator Paul Virgadamo. On Tuesday, Czajkoski, who is challenging Conroe Mayor Toby Powell in the May 2 election for mayor, maintained the project was his vision. Powell said Czajkoski was not the originator of the citys desire to purchase the building for future use, specifically a performing arts venue. Powell is seeking his second term as mayor in the May election after taking office in June 2016. Czajkoski is stepping away from City Council Place 5, which he has held since May 2018, in his bid for the citys top post. For many growing up in the 1930s and 40s, formal schooling began at the original Sam Houston Elementary School at Frazier and Lewis streets in Conroe. Powell attended the school, along with Virgadamo, which was built on 8.8 acres of land previously owned by Conroe pharmacist and civic leader Sam Hailey, who sold the land on Aug. 31, 1936. Sam Houston Elementary was soon built on the site. The political sparring began Monday after Czajkoski, who called Powells involvement in the project lies, was quoted in a story saying he and fellow Councilman Raymond McDonald came up with the idea for the project that would include a partnership with several local entities, including popular music venue Dosey Doe. I said why dont we see if the school district would sell us the Sam Houston building, Czajkoski said. Its an old art deco building and fits into our downtown perfectly. Im not and I guy, but it was my original idea. In fact, Czajkoski said he and McDonald began talking to local groups about additional involvement. Steve Said, the owner of Dosey Doe, said that while he did visit with the men, he has had no formal discussions with Virgadamo or City Attorney Marc Winberry regarding any partnerships or the leasing of space. McDonald backed Czajkoski and said he was in meetings at City Hall with Czajkoski, Virgadamo and other community members regarding the project. All the groundwork was Jody, McDonald said adding it was Czajkoski that urged Virgadamo to contact CISD following a tour of the building. I was with him. I can say (Powell) was favorable to it. However, Virgadamo said that is not how the city handles negotiations and it wasnt until the Feb. 27 meeting that the staff began negotiations at the direction of the entire council. No individual councilman can tell (city staff) what to do nor should they be out negotiating deals, Virgadamo said, noting the purpose of executive session is to get the direction from the council on any negotiations, including land purchases. Staff will bring that back to council. Powell called the move by Czajkoski grandstanding and said the city has eyed the building for many years. Virgadamo echoed Powell and said the city has always desired to be the first buyer when the district decided to sell the land and building. He added the city is currently in its due diligence phase of the potential purchase. I understand we are in a political race right now and I understand what Jody is trying to pull, Powell said, noting that as a former student of the old school he has always had a desire to preserve the structure. As mayor, I have always been truthful and will continue to be with our citizens. Mayor Pro Tem Duke Coon also reiterated Powell and Virgadamos involvement. It was definitely Mayor Powells vision, Coon said. He and Paul (Virgadamo) worked hand in hand with CISD to make this a reality. We are looking forward to closing the deal. What the pair do agree on is that the project would be a benefit to the city and the community. It is an incredible opportunity for the city, Powell said, adding when the deal is complete, it would at least three years before the city would be able to begin any renovations since CISD staff would continue to occupy the school until a new building was constructed. It looks like we have a light at the end of the tunnel for our arts alliance. For Czajkoski, who said the city has been looking at a potential option for a performing art venue, the school fits downtown perfectly and offers room for expansion. cdominguez@hcnonline.com [March 10, 2020] TWG Expands Greer Offering to Include Real-time Object Monitoring DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- TWG, part of Dover (NYSE: DOV), today announced that its Greer line is launching Greer Intelligence, a patent-pending, real-time object monitoring solution. "We are excited to announce our newest Greer solution, Greer Intelligence, for the industrial construction, utility, forestry and marine markets," said Arjun Mirdha, TWG President. "As safety is becoming a more important focus and the new ANSI standards are being introduced, TWG is making a significant investment in expanding our Greer offering to help our customers maintain their competitive edge by reducing their total cost of ownership, increasing sales and creating greater operator awareness at job site environments." Founded in 1973, Greer, a manufacturer of industry-leading load moment technology solutions offers a complete line of loa monitoring, video and real-time object monitoring solutions for construction, utility, forestry and marine markets. About TWG: TWG is a leading manufacturer of winches, hoists, slewing ring bearings, gear drives, hydraulic pump drives, electronic monitoring systems and more. We offer a vast range of products across seven model lines: dp Winch, Gear Products, Greer Company, LANTEC, Pullmaster, Tulsa Winch and RUFNEK-with over one million units installed. To learn more about TWG, visit dovertwg.com. About Dover: Dover is a diversified global manufacturer with annual revenue of over $7 billion. We deliver innovative equipment and components, specialty systems, consumable supplies, software and digital solutions, and support services through five operating segments: Engineered Products, Fueling Solutions, Imaging & Identification, Pumps & Process Solutions and Refrigeration & Food Equipment. Dover combines global scale with operational agility to lead the markets we serve. Recognized for our entrepreneurial approach for over 60 years, our team of approximately 24,000 employees takes an ownership mindset, collaborating with customers to redefine what's possible. Headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois, Dover trades on the New York Stock Exchange under "DOV." Additional information is available at dovercorporation.com . TWG Contact: Kirsten Oelrich (918) 232-8497 [email protected] Dover?Media?Contact: Adrian?Sakowicz, VP, Communications???? (630) 743-5039???? [email protected] ???? Dover Investor Contact: Andrey?Galiuk, VP, Corporate Development and Investor Relations??? (630) 743-5131??? [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/twg-expands-greer-offering-to-include-real-time-object-monitoring-301020847.html SOURCE Dover [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] TUNIS In a first for Tunisia and the Arab world, Shams, an association founded in early 2015 to defend LGBTQ rights, was granted legal protection in a ruling handed down Feb. 21 by Tunisia's Court of Cassation following the state's attempts to shut down the organization. In December 2015, Kamel Hedhili, head of state litigation, had filed a complaint against the organization, resulting in the Court of First Instance suspending the association's activities for 30 days beginning Jan. 4, 2016. Hedhilis charged that the association had violated the Decree of Associations and had failed to complete the legal registration procedures, ostensibly because its registration was rejected for publication in the Official Gazette, a decision made by the government and over which Shams had no control. In addition, he asserted that the organization violates the Arab-Islamic norms of Tunisian society because it advocates and defends sodomy, which is a criminal act under Chapter 230 of the Penal Code. The Decree of Associations (2011) stipulates that associations in their statute, activity, and financing, shall respect the principles of the rule of law, democracy, pluralism, transparency, equality and human rights. It also prohibits them from advocating or involvement in violence, hatred, intolerance and discrimination on religious, sexual or regional grounds. According to Hedhili, Sham's violated the decree because its defense of the rights of homosexuals represents sexuality-based discrimination. On Feb. 23, 2016, the Court of First Instance ruled that Shams does not violate the law and allowed it to resume its activities. After addition judicial procedures and postponements, Hedhili challenged that ruling on Feb. 20, 2019, on the grounds that the association's bylaws state that its goal is to defend sexual minorities, which, he said, is inconsistent with the Islamic values of Tunisian society, which rejects homosexuality and prohibits such inappropriate behavior, on the basis of Chapter 230 of the penal code. Three days later, Amna Guellali, Tunisia director at Human Rights Watch, called on the government to stop its legal battle against Shams, especially after the ruling clearing the association of breaking any law and allowing it to continue functioning. On May 20, 2019, the Court of Appeals rejected the appeal lodged by Hedhili, ruling in favor of Shams resuming its activities, and then last month, the Court of Cassation, the final arbiter in Tunisia's legal system, issued its opinion on Sham's legality. Speaking to Al-Monitor, Shams executive director Bouhdid Belhedi called the ruling in favor of the association a victory for the individual rights and freedoms and the civil character of the state established in the country's constitution. He lamented the long, drawn out attempt by the government maliciously trying to stop Sham's activities, noting that the association's objective is to support sexual minorities providing financial, emotional and psychological assistance and securing them a safe environment, regardless of their sexual orientation. Belhedi stressed that the association will work to abolish Chapter 230 of the Penal Code, which calls for three years in prison for people convicted of sodomy. He also said that Shams, in coordination with human rights organizations, seeks to abolish the practice of authorities ordering anal examinations for men arrested on suspicion of having had same-sex sexual relations. In October 2018, a number of MPs had spoken about coordinating with civil associations in drafting a law decriminalizing homosexuality and prohibiting anal examinations, but no such law has been presented for consideration. According to Bochra Belhaj Hmida, a former parliamentarian and chairperson of the Individual Freedoms and Equality Committee created in August 2017 by President Beji Caid Essebsi to report on proposed legislative reforms on private and public rights and freedoms the judiciarys decision in favor of Shams is a legal and judicial revolution in post-revolution Tunisia. Hmida told Al-Monitor how proud she was, as a human rights activist, that the judiciary had shown itself to be independent, free of political pressure, in handing an association defending gay rights a victory by legalizing its presence. Hmida stressed that the decision is a positive first step in that efforts at decriminalizing homosexuality and abolishing anal examinations can now be pursued within the framework of the jurisprudence of that case. With this legal victory, Shams joins other LGBTQ associations in Muslim-majority countries in the region that have defied prevailing social attitudes in pursuit of human rights. In another example, in Turkey, 17 Mayis (17 May) was established at the end of February to defend the rights of the country's LGBTQ community. Its name refers to May 17, 1990, when the World Health Organization declassified homosexuality as a mental illness. Airbnb renters are advertising "coronavirus-free" stays. Airbnb Airbnb hosts are advertising "coronavirus-free" stays in an effort to attract anxious travelers as the coronavirus outbreak grows in the US. Listings everywhere from Colorado to Ohio are boasting COVID-19-free getaways, with some noting that they are stocked with essentials like toilet paper, food, and water. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. As fear mounts over spread of the coronavirus wreaking havoc on the stock market and looming over the international tourism industry savvy Airbnb hosts are looking to lure travelers with "COVID-19 free" stays. Though concern surrounding global travel remains rampant, on Airbnb there has been a rise of listings everywhere from New York City to Cincinnati advertising rentals as a respite from the global epidemic. "Escape coronavirus! We have toilet paper!" reads a rental posting in Meeker, Colorado. "Coronavirus-free retreat" states another for a luxury stay in Woodstock, New York. The listings come on the heels of Airbnb adding an "extenuating circumstances policy" regarding cancellations in the face of the coronavirus. The updated policy grants full refunds to guests with bookings in regions severely impacted by the outbreak, including mainland China, Italy, and South Korea. "If your trip is covered by the policy, you will have the option to cancel your homes reservation or Airbnb Experience without charge," the policy states. "If you're traveling from or hosting in a severely impacted area and we can recognize your location and reservation details as outlined below, you may be notified that your reservation automatically qualifies on the reservation details page." Airbnb declined Business Insider's request to comment on hosts using "coronavirus-free" as a ploy to advertise stays. A company spokesperson also said the company did not have anything to share when asked whether it is seeing an uptick in rentals in more remote locations in the US. Story continues The concern isn't stopping some travelers from booking trips, nor hosts from using the panic to profit. Here were some of the notable Airbnb postings we found: With 13 cases of coronavirus confirmed in New York City, this rental at the very least offers some stellar views in the case of a quarantine. Screen Shot 2020 03 09 at 10.35.43 AM Airbnb Source: New York Daily News Meanwhile, the state of New York now has more than 100 cases, but that isn't preventing this host from offering up a coronavirus-free trip to the countryside. Screen Shot 2020 03 09 at 10.39.43 AM Airbnb Walk around a populous city like Denver at your own discretion, but this apartment is allegedly free of COVID-19. Screen Shot 2020 03 09 at 10.37.31 AM Airbnb When it comes to toilet paper, this Meeker, Colorado, rental has you covered. Screen Shot 2020 03 09 at 10.38.35 AM Airbnb Though Ohio is one of just a few remaining states without a confirmed COVID-19 case as of Monday, this house has all the food, water, and breakfast you need. Screen Shot 2020 03 09 at 10.44.09 AM Airbnb However, not all of the rentals hawking coronavirus-free stays are in the US. Here's one we found in Israel ... Screen Shot 2020 03 09 at 10.45.12 AM Airbnb ... and another in Prague. ($37 a night!) Screen Shot 2020 03 09 at 10.40.57 AM Airbnb Others, like this host in Vietnam, are offerings discounts because of the coronavirus. Screen Shot 2020 03 09 at 12.11.05 PM Airbnb Read the original article on Business Insider This years Festival of Ballooning is already promising to be The Best of Times. Styx will perform Sunday, July 26, at 3 p.m. at the Solberg Airport in Readington Township, the first headliner to be announced at this summers New Jersey Lottery Festival of Ballooning, according to a press release circulated by the festivals organizers on Tuesday morning. The festival is a three-day event set to kick off on Friday, July 24. Performers for the Friday and Saturday night concerts, as well as for the kids concert, have yet to be announced. Styx, the first group to produce four consecutive triple-platinum selling albums, is currently comprised of James JY Young, Tommy Shaw, Chuck Panozzo, Todd Sucherman, Lawrence Gowan and Ricky Phillips. In addition to The Best of Times, other well-known hits of the rock band include Come Sail Away, Renegade and Too Much Time on My Hands. While tickets for the concert will go on sale to the public on Thursday at 10 a.m., those who subscribe to receive email alerts through the festivals website were able to purchase them as early as 10 a.m. on Tuesday. As of 11 a.m. Tuesday, pre-sale numbers were pacing ahead" of those of The Beach Boys, which as last years headliner drew record crowds to the festival, according to Howard Freeman, executive producer of the festival. I have been a Styx fan for a long time," Freeman said. I am a classic rock guy, as are many of our audience, so personally Im pretty excited. Tuesdays announcement came shortly over a week after the New Jersey Lottery was named the new title sponsor for an event billed as the largest summertime hot air balloon and music festival in North America. Last years balloon festival was attended by approximately 169,500 people and contributed roughly $52.4 million to the states economy, according to festival organizers. In addition to The Beach Boys, Abba The Concert and The Band Perry performed at last years balloon festival. Dan Zanes and Claudia Eliaza headlined Fridays Kids Concert. Caroline Fassett can be reached at cfassett@njadvancemedia.com. Have a tip? Tell us.nj.com/tips Shoppers wear face masks on the streets of Rome as Italy comes under a nationwide lockdown (LaPresse/Sipa USA) An NHS advice website is running outdated coronavirus information that goes against new government guidance. NHS 111, which is designed to help patients by allowing them to check on their symptoms and get advice, runs a questionnaire that asks users if they have been to certain parts of the world affected by coronavirus. Previous government advice recommended self-isolation for visitors to northern Italian towns that were first put under lockdown. But with the entire country now under restrictions, that advice has been updated to say that any traveller who has been to anywhere in Italy since Monday should isolate even without symptoms. However, the NHS 111 questionnaire still tells users they dont need to self-isolate, even if the user ticks yes when asked if they have travelled from Italy in the last two weeks. The questionnaire asks if the user has visited coronavirus-hit Italy in the last two weeks. The advice given on NHS 111 is at odds with new government advice on travellers to Italy You dont need to speak to anybody right now as you have not been to a place that means you need to self-isolate, have not been in contact with a confirmed case, are not showing any symptoms, the NHS 111 service states when the questionnaire is completed. However, the latest advice on the governments website says that returning travellers from Italy since Monday should stay indoors and avoid contact with other people... even if you do not have symptoms. Tourists to Italy before 9 March have been told to stay indoors and avoid contact with people if they have symptoms like a cough, high temperature or shortness of breath. The government advice, which runs counter to NHS 111 Visitors to Iran, Hubei province in China, and certain zones in South Korea in the last 14 days have been told to self-isolate even without symptoms. The news comes as the UK announced a further 54 cases on Tuesday, up to 373, with six deaths of people who contracted the virus. The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: They are aware of the problem and that information is being urgently updated. Obviously we have been setting out very clearly in public what the travel advice is in relation to Italy, both travelling to the country and returning from Italy. Im aware of the issue and it is being urgently resolved. President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, and 11 others as members of the the Presidential Task Force for the Control of Coronavirus (COVID-19). Nigeria is one of the countries which have reported at least a case of the Covid-19 since it was detected in Wuhan, China in December. As at the time of this report, Nigeria now has two confirmed cases of the disease. The first was reported on February 28 in an Italian businessman who had flown into the country on business. The second case was reported on March 8, in one of the people who had contact with the Italian. READ ALSO: Control team According to a statement signed by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, the panel was established owing to the current global outbreak and its potential of causing significant disruption to health services in the country as well as impacting negatively on the economy This action is in preparation for the unlikely but probable major outbreak of the disease in the country which will require a multi-sectoral inter-governmental approach as advised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) similar to that adopted for the HIV epidemic in the last two decades, he added. He said the group would be expected to deliver within a maximum period of six months. The federal government on Monday equally set up a team to assess the impact of the outbreak on its 2020 budget and economy in the light of crashing global prices of crude oil. Below is the list of the Presidential Task Force (control) members a. Boss Mustapha (SGF) Chair b. Dr. Sani Aliyu National Coordinator c. Osagie Emmanuel Ehanire (Hon. Minister of Health) d. Rauf Aregbesola (Hon. Minister of Interior) e. Hadi Sirika (Hon. Minister of Aviation) f. Sadiya Umar Farouk (Hon. Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Services) g. Adamu Adamu (Hon. Minister of Education) h. Lai Mohammed (Hon. Minister of Information and Culture) i. Suleiman Hassan Hon. Minister of Environment j. Yusuf Magaji Bichi Director-General, State Services k. Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu (Director-General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control) l. Dr Wondimagegnehu Alemu (WHO Country Representative) The Kaduna State Government has announced the appointment of Muhammadu Sanusi II, who was deposed as emir of Kano on Monday, into the board of KADIPA, its investment promotion agency. A statement from Sir Kashim Ibrahim House said Governor Nasir El-Rufai approved the reconstitution of the board of KADIPA. Malam Nasir El-Rufai has appointed His Highness, Muhammad Sanusi II into the board of KADIPA. The appointment is part of the reconstitution of the board of KADIPA, which is statutorily chaired by the Deputy Governor, and has as internal members senior officials of the Kaduna State Government, Muyiwa Adekeye, special adviser to the governor on media and publicity, said in a statement Tuesday. Governor El-Rufai said that Kaduna State hopes to benefit from the profile, experience, intellect and networks of His Highness, Muhammad Sanusi, who before becoming Emir, had built a solid reputation in global financial circles. Malam Nasir El-Rufai said that Kaduna State is honoured to be able to call on the services of a man of such calibre to drive its development Bexar County deputies are searching for someone who may have shot a teenager on the North Side Tuesday morning. Deputies responded to the 28800 block of Chaffin Light around 1:30 a.m. after a teenager was found with a gunshot wound to the upper torso, officials said. It is believed that the teenager was shot somewhere else, but they don't know where. The legal fight over the $800m estate of TV mogul Reg Grundy has been settled. Grundys widow Carolyn Joy Chambers-Grundy and estranged daughter Viola La Valette reached a confidential settlement, bringing an end to the three-year long battle at the New South Wales Supreme Court, according to the Daily Telegraph. Ms La Valette began the court battle in 2017 disputing her fathers will, which made Ms Chambers-Grundy the main beneficiary of his massive estate. The saga was worthy of a soapie plot itself, including a claim by former Bayside mayor Simon Russell who claimed be the lost son of the late media mogul. DNA tests proved he was not. Reports of the arrest and detention of two police officers of the Sogakope Divisional command has been confirmed in a press release from the Volta Regional Police command which was sighted by this portal. However, the reason for the officers' arrest has nothing to do with the death of the Sogakope South Assemblyman but rather a missing rifle that was fully loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition. Fortunately, this portal has brought to you a detailed account of how the service rifle got missing from the police station as narrated by a police source. Below is the full detailed account of what happened. On march 7, 2020 at about 4:30am, the station officer C/Inspr. Frank Tsigbey visited the charge office and he was informed by the station orderly no.54958 G/Const. Charles Yeboah that at about 3:30am he could not set eyes on s/v rifle no. ghgp/vr/sk/az 5426-12 which was loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition with extra 9 rounds kept in a container locked at the counter. The station officer examined the drawer and found it to be intact without any damage to the counter drawer. The station officer and C/Inspr. David Fiamor interrogated remand prisoners, Charles Awuye and Ransford Gbeve who slept in the cells corridor. The remand prisoners gave description of no. 52041 G/L/Cpl. Osei Sarfo as the officers they saw behind the counter in uniform at about 1:00am midnight and he picked an old calendar on a chair while the orderly rested his head on the counter. The divisional commander C/Supt. Mr. Dennis K. Fiakpui was informed and he instructed that search should be conducted on him [G/L/Cpl. Osei Sarfo]. A team led by the acting Sogakope district commander, C/Supt. Joseph Atsu Dzineku went to the residence of the lance corporal. All the places he used to stay including his barracks at Agave Asidowui were searched but nothing evidential was discovered. However, an identification parade, conducted in the station officer's office led to the arrest of 52041 G/L/Cpl. Osei Sarfo and one other, G/Const. Yeboah Charles after they were identified by the two inmates who slept on the corridor as the one they saw at the counter. On the instruction of the Divisional Commander, G/L/Cpl. Osei Sarfo and G/Const. Yeboah Charles were arrested and detained to assist investigation. Meanwhile, a query was drawn on the station officer C/Inspr. Frank Tsigbey to explain why disciplinary action should not be taken against him for detailing a constable for last out duty. YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS. The Spanish parliaments lower house on Tuesday suspended all activities for at least a week after lawmaker Javier Ortega Smiths party Vox disclosed he was diagnosed with coronavirus, Reuters reports citing El Pais newspaper. Ortega Smith, who is also the far right partys number two, participated in a large scale political rally last weekend with the presence of many of the partys other legislators. Officials in parliament could not immediately confirm the shutdown. Thousands of women and men endured sexual violence during the 1998-99 war in Kosovo, but the subject remains taboo even today. Vasfije KrasniqiGoodman, a survivor and activist, spoke to the parliament of Kosovo on March 9, calling for the stigma to be erased and for criminals to be brought to justice. A federal appellate court threw out most of the claims by automotive body shops in Indiana, Utah and Mississippi that alleged that major insurers violated anti-trust laws and engaged in anticompetitive practices by steering policyholders to approved shops. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals found Friday that claims filed by body shops in Indiana and Utah must be dismissed for procedural reasons. The appellate panel also upheld the dismissal of most of the claims filed by the Mississippi body shops, but it revived specific tortious interference claims by two of the Mississippi body shops against Progressive Insurance. The case is Automotive Alignment & Body Service and Alexander Body Shop LLC v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. The panel decision, which was made by three appellate judges, follows last years en banc ruling by all seven 11th Circuit judges that dismissed separate lawsuits that alleged antitrust violations by insurance carriers. That case was Quality Auto Painting Center of Roselle v. State Farm. Defense attorneys worried that a ruling in favor of the body shops in Quality Auto would have allowed plaintiffs to merely cite parallel conduct by competitors as sufficient basis for pleading an antitrust violation. The decision released Friday stems from multi-district litigation that had been referred to the federal court for the Middle District of Florida. The body shops claimed that State Farm group was the leader of a conspiracy involving several insurance carriers to conduct market rate surveys that actually were shams intended to reduce the cost of auto-body work. The body shops alleged that the carriers refused to pay for necessary repairs and procedures, and required body shops to use subpar aftermarket parts instead of new parts. They also steer their insureds away from noncompliant body shops and toward body shops that comply with their pricing demands and other requirements, the lawsuits alleged. The 11th Circuit said the complaint was very similar to the price-fixing allegations made in the Quality Auto case and must be dismissed for the same reasons. The court found that that the body shops in Quality Auto did not prove that the carriers had colluded on price simply because they used similar practices and each had set the same top rates. The 11th Circuit didnt address the merit of the complaints filed by the Utah and Indiana body shops arguments in the Automotive Alignment case decided Friday. The panel found instead that the plaintiffs had not met the deadline to file amended complaints after those suits were dismissed by the district court. The Mississippi plaintiffs did amend their complaints on time, but the 11th Circuit dismissed most of the complaints for the same reasoning stated in Quality Auto. We have already held that this allegation of price leadership'[f]ollowing the example set by a competitor, without agreeing to do so in advanceis insufficient to establish the existence of an agreement,' the court said. On the other hand, the panel said that Autoworks Collision Specialist and Walkers Collision Center had adequately played their claims against Progressive Insurance. Each body shop claimed it had lost one customer because Progressive misled customers by telling that it would guarantee the repair work if they used Progressives preferred shops, leading those customers to presume that their shops would not guarantee their work. The court said the body shops stated a plausible allegation that Progressive had conspired to harm them with malicious intent and without justifiable cause.The 11th Circuit vacated the district courts decision to vacate those specific complaints and remanded the case for further proceedings. South Africa: President Ramaphosa to attend Contact Group meeting on Libya President Cyril Ramaphosa will head to Congo on Wednesday to attend a meeting by the Contact Group on Libya that seeks to find a solution to the Libyan crisis. The Inaugural Meeting of the Contact Group on Libya is scheduled to take place from 11 to 12 March 2020 in Oyo, Republic of Congo. President of Congo Denis Sassou N'Guesso invited President Ramaphosa to attend the meeting as the African Union Chair. The 33rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union, which took place in February 2020, where President Ramaphosa assumed AU Chairship for 2020, expressed concern over the situation in Libya. In his capacity as the African Union Chairperson for the High-Level Committee (HLC) on Libya, President N'Guesso briefed the African Union regarding the military confrontations between Libyan parties and continuous external political and military interference, which created a dangerous situation not only for Libya but the region and the continent at large. The Assembly decided to establish a Contact Group, chaired by the Republic of Congo and include members of the AU HLC to provide political leadership and promote coordination of international efforts in the search for a solution to the Libyan crisis. The African Union stressed the need for an inclusive process of dialogue amongst all Libyan parties to the conflict. Other Heads of State and Government expected to attend the meeting are Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune; Chad President Idriss Deby Itno and President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General (DSRGS) of the United Nations, Stephanie Williams will also be in attendance. International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor, Defence and Military Veterans Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and State Security Minister Ayanda Dlodlo will form part of the President's delegation to the meeting. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-03-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. 11 Voters wait in long line at Kalamazoo City Hall KALAMAZOO, MI A line of people, many of them young voters and college students, extended through the lobby and out the back door of Kalamazoo City Hall on the afternoon of March 10, ready to cast their ballots. Chase Knapp, 21, walked out of the building before 4 p.m. after casting a ballot for Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential primary. I feel like the younger voter turnout Im seeing is really good and Bernie is a part of that, Knapp said. He waited in line for about 45 minutes to vote, and said the line was much longer when he left the building." People can make an impact, he said, and that is something Sanders said during his campaign. Voter participation is important regardless of who wins, he said. A lot of people are stepping up to have a voice now, Knapp said. Chase Knapp stands outside Kalamazoo City Hall after casting his ballot on March 10. Related: See everything on Kalamazoo-area ballots for March 10 election Liz Capula, 18, declined to say who she voted for in the presidential primary. Its the first time I voted, Capula said, and it took longer than she expected. I see a lot of people coming to vote and thats important regardless who they vote for," she said. Waiting was a little nerve-racking, she said, but participation is our duty" as voters. Eligible voters in Michigan now can register to vote up to and including Election Day. You must go to your city or township election office before 8 p.m. Tuesday to register, and you can vote at the same time. The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Visit the Michigan Voter Information Center online to see your own sample ballot and find your polling place. Democrats have 15 names on the primary ballot in Michigan, although 12 of those candidates have dropped out of the race. The remaining active candidates in the partys primary are former Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii. Read more: Kalamazoo-area election results from March 10 election Kalamazoo clerk explains why some polling locations are locked Kalamazoo proposal to target racism in housing draws mixed opinions Michigans primary Election Day: Polls open at 7, and 9 other things voters need to know (Newser) We're still expected to be more than a year away from a COVID-19 vaccine, but the first clinical trial is getting underway. The Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle is recruiting 45 volunteers, reports KOMO. Participants will be given different doses of the first vaccine ready for testing, which marks a "faster-than-expected start" for the process, per the Wall Street Journal. The vaccine, developed by Moderna, is not made from the new coronavirus, and researchers emphasize that participants will not be exposed to the actual virus during the 14-month trial. story continues below Though the trial is seen as a relatively fast development, Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has said it could take up 18 months to make sure any vaccine is safe for widespread use in the nation. In the Seattle trial, researchers want participants between 18 and 55 who will agree to two different vaccinations and a series of follow-ups in person and by phone, notes Business Insider. Those who complete the full program will get $1,100. More details on the trial are in this release. (An entire country is now on lockdown.) Wine folks love to travel to Houston because they grasp how vibrant our market is, and they want a piece of our pie. But it presents a problem for me if sipping and conversing with fascinating people on what has seemed like a daily basis of late can be described as a problem. How do I give every one of these vintners a fair shake? Here, Ill tip my cap to a number of wines that left me craving more. Some will be easily found around town, other less so. They all offer significant value, although a few do cost a pretty penny. Some 60 winemakers representing Oregons Willamette Valley now home to almost 600 wineries arrived en masse for Pinot in the City, a tasting staged inside Minute Maid Park, and I sat for lunches with a half dozen of them, including two card-carrying legends, David Adelsheim and Dick Ponzi. Ponzi and his daughters, current winemaker Luisa and her business-wide counterpart, Anna Maria, were celebrating Ponzi Vineyards 50th anniversary. His became Oregons third winery when it opened in 1970 with 20 acres of newly planted Pommard Clone pinot noir grapes. Ponzis first four barrels of for-real wine made up the inaugural 1974 vintage. More Information Wines worth seeking out Lodi White: 2018 Acquiesce Winery & Vineyards Picpoul Blanc ($28), 2018 Oak Farms Vineyards Albarino ($24), 2019 Bokisch Vineyards Vista Luna Vineyard Garnacha Blanca ($20), 2018 Markus Wine Co. Nativo ($22). Red: 2017 Michael David Winery Bechthold Vineyard Ancient Vine Cinsault ($25), 2016 McCay Cellars Abba Vineyard Grenache ($35), 2017 Precedent Mule Plane Vineyard Carignan ($24), 2017 Mountain Tides Wine Co. Clements Hills Petite Sirah ($25). Santa Cruz Mountains White: 2016 Thomas Fogarty Gewurztraminer ($24), 2015/16 Thomas Fogarty Estate Chardonnay ($38) Red: 2014/16 Thomas Fogarty Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir ($38) Willamette Valley Sparkling: 2017 Grochau Cellars Joyride Sparkling Rose of Pinot Noir ($20) White: 2016 Brittan Vineyards McMinnville Chardonnay ($30), 2018 Trisaetum Ribbon Ridge Riesling ($21), 2015 Ponzi Reserve Chardonnay ($40), 2016 Adelsheim Ribbon Springs Vineyard Chardonnay ($50), 2016 Saffron Fields Estate Chardonnay ($40), 2016 Matzinger Davies Wine Co. Chehalem Mountains Chardonnay ($33) Rose: 2018 Brooks Rose of Pinot Noir ($17) Red: 2018 Brooks Runaway Red Pinot Noir ($17), 2015 Brittan Vineyards Basalt Block Pinot Noir ($38), 2018 Grochau Cellars Commuter Cuvee Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($15.50), Trisaetum Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($21), 2016 Ponzi Reserve Pinot Noir ($55), 2013 Roco Private Stash Pinot Noir ($53), 2018 Division Winemaking Co. "Deux" Eola Springs Pinot Noir ($25), 2016 Saffron Fields Heritage Clones Pinot Noir ($50), 2015 Matzinger Davies Wine Co. Eola-Amity Hills Pinot Noir ($42) See More Collapse To put that wine in perspective, the Willamette Valley AVA didnt even come into existence until 1983. Today, there are seven sub-AVAs in this gorgeous 100-mile-long, 60-mile-wide region south of Portland, with 756 vineyards totaling 25,000 acres and, yes, pinot noir still reigns supreme. But a number of those visiting Houston came on a mission to prove their chardonnays belong in the same conversation as Burgundys. And the Division Winemaking Co.s Kate Norris is making magic with gamay. In Californias Lodi area, there are 750-plus grape growers whose vines cover more than 100,000 acres 2,000 of them are pre-Prohibition and nongrafted in seven distinct sub-AVAs lying west of the Sierra foothills. Zinfandels dominance notwithstanding, 75 different red and white grapes are in commercial production. In fact, the Markus Wine Co. in the Mokelumne River AVA surrounding the town of Lodi boasts the largest mix of German varietals grown in North America. Another Left Coast wine region represented in Houston was the Santa Cruz Mountains, first accorded AVA status in 1981, the year Thomas Fogarty released his first vintage from his new winery on Skyline Ridge above Palo Alto. Like Willamette Valley, the under-vine terroir between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean is best known these days for excellent pinot noirs and chardonnays, varietals that are at the forefront of the Fogarty lineup. However, lest anyone forget, the Ridge Montebello Cabernet Sauvignon was among the upstart California wines that starred in the Judgment of Paris competition of 1976, a seminal event in the history of the states then fledgling wine industry. Fogarty, a cardiovascular surgeon at the Stanford Medical School in his first career, made his fortune inventing a number of widely used devices. Serious wine drinkers ever since have been grateful that he also became a wine maven. Son Tommy, now the traveling face of the business, tasted me through several of his current releases. One proved most surprising: the 2016 Gewurztraminer. I liked this California take on the Alsatian staple so much that Id decided to serve it as the aperitif wine for an event I was hosting. Sadly, when I followed up with the distributor, I learned I was out of luck. With Fogarty doing some hand-selling the next day, Houston restaurants had purchased practically every bottle allocated to the state of Texas. (Its available at shop.fogartywinery.com.) Speaking of allocated wine, Noe Tesseron showcased the first release of the Tesseron Estate Pym-Rae Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, which earned a 97-point score from Robert Parkers Wine Advocate. If the Tesseron name sounds familiar, its probably because youve had the familys highly regarded cognac, and the Tesserons own Chateau Pontet-Canet, the famous Fifth-Growth Bordeaux winery in Pauillac. After several years of searching for the perfect Napa Valley terroir to expand their business, they discovered the actor Robin Williams Villa Sorriso property, which had been gone on the market following his suicide. Of the 600 magnificent acres, only 18.5 were under vine on the slopes of Mount Veeder, having been planted in 1990 at an elevation of about 1,800 feet. The Tesserons closed on the purchase in 2016, keeping Pym-Rae as the vineyard name Pym and Rae are the middle names of Williams two eldest children but going full-on certified biodynamic with the farming methods. Thomas Comme, the son of the Pontet-Canets director, Jean-Michel Comme, was given control of the winemaking. Clearly, Comme fils knocked the ball out of the park on his first at-bat. But 2016 production was tiny, so youre unlikely to find any bottles in retail locally, and the wholesale price is $245. sportywineguy@outlook.com twitter.com/sportywineguy A court in Chennai on Tuesday dismissed a petition filed against actor Rajinikanth over his remarks on rationalist leader E V Ramasamy "Periyar." Second Metropolitan Magistrate Roslyn Durai, however, granted liberty to the petitioner to file a private complaint for defamation, damages and compensation. The Magistrate rejected the petition by the Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam, a fringe outfit, seeking direction to the police to file a case against the actor. "The speech of actor Rajinikanth is at best defamatory. The offence under section 499 r/w 500 of Indian Penal Code alone appears to be made out. The offence is non-cognisable and maintainable as a private complaint," the magistrate said. On hearing a recording of Rajinikanth's speech during the golden jubilee celebrations of Thuglak magazine on January 14, 2020, the Magistrate said "He (Rajinikanth) has stated what he thought was a fact about a rally held in Salem in 1971 by Thanthai Periyar, and which according to him was also published in the Thuglak weekly magazine of that period." The petitioner R Umapathy, who is DVK's Chennai district secretary, alleged that Rajinikanth had made false and fraudulent statements insulting the Dravidian stalwart and followers of Periyar while speaking at the golden jubilee celebrations of Tamil magazine 'Thuglak' here recently. He contended that "Rajinikanth made false and fraudulent statements insulting Dravidian ideologists and the followers of Thanthai Periyar with an intention to provoke breach of public peace by promoting enmity and hatred among the people of Tamil Nadu in the name of religion." Counsel for the petitioner said they will file an appeal. "According to the order, we can file a defamation suit against Rajinikanth under section 499 punishable under section 500 of IPC," the petitioner said. Magistrate Rosyln Durai also returned an intervening petition as not maintainable. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Throughout my career in addiction medicine, I have encountered a lot of skeptics when it comes to medication-assisted treatment, or MAT. In fact, I was one of them. The thinking was: Are we truly helping people recover from their substance use disorder, or SUD, by prescribing them another medication? Arent we simply replacing one drug with another? But Ive seen firsthand how addiction medications, such as buprenorphine, can save and transform lives. Unfortunately, continued denial that substance use disorder is a disease, continued stigma about MAT and buprenorphine, and the limits placed on those who can prescribe these medications prevent many from receiving lifesaving care. Buprenorphine is one of our best tools for the treatment of opioid addiction, and one that we now embrace at Mountainside treatment center. In conjunction with cognitive behavioral therapy, other forms of clinical treatment, and self-help support groups, medication-assisted treatment has proven to be effective in combating the current opioid crisis and keeping our clients alive. Throughout most of my 30-plus-year career, I have advocated for an abstinence-based model of treatment. But we must realize that every clients recovery journey varies. According to the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, treatment involving buprenorphine can decrease a persons relapse risk by 50 percent. For many, receiving buprenorphine or other forms of medication-assisted treatment literally is the difference between life and death. A partial opiate agonist, buprenorphine binds to a persons opiate receptors, releases the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine, and then blocks the symptoms of opioid withdrawal. Therefore, a person undergoing MAT with buprenorphine will not suffer from cravings and uncomfortable side effects after discontinuing their opioid use to the extent that others in withdrawal might. This then enables them to focus on addiction treatment and to learn critical coping skills, such as stress management, goal-setting and self-care techniques. Thanks to MAT, more people are able to lead healthy, productive and fulfilling lives a welcome outcome in light of the opioid crisis, which continues to devastate the nation. Buprenorphine is an evidence-based treatment that can be prescribed in a doctors office to treat those suffering from opioid use disorder. The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has required doctors to apply for a waiver to be able to prescribe buprenorphine to their patients. Currently, only about 7 percent of health care providers hold a buprenorphine waiver, which means just a tiny fraction of patients have access to this efficacious addiction medication. Within the last decade, the federal government has lessened some of the restrictions surrounding buprenorphine waivers. One initiative that aims to improve public accessibility to MAT providers is the Comprehensive Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act of 2016, which enables nurse practitioners and physician assistants in addition to doctors to apply for buprenorphine waivers. A recently published study by the Annals of Internal Medicine found that the number of buprenorphine-waivered prescribers increased 300 percent in the last decade, from 17,000 in 2009 to 68,000 in 2019. For proponents of MAT, this may sound like a cause for celebration. While this is a step in the right direction, certain factors continue to obstruct health care providers in maximizing the use of buprenorphine to aid their addicted patients. For example, approximately 70 percent of physicians who held a waiver for buprenorphine were limited to treating a mere 30 patients in 2017. What other disease treatment is limited in such a way? Can you imagine a cardiologist being limited to treating 30 patients per year for hypertension? Or endocrinologists only being permitted to prescribe insulin to 30 of their patients? In 2017, about 46,000 people died of an opioid overdose. The need for effective treatment is stronger than ever with the rise of even more potent opioids such as fentanyl. Access to ethical and qualified buprenorphine prescribers should be expanded, not limited. Currently, there are no buprenorphine providers in 56 percent of counties that see the highest number of opioid overdoses in the nation. Further complicating the issue of accessibility to MAT is a lack of knowledge among primary care physicians when it comes to treating those struggling with SUDs. Even some medical professionals who hold a waiver may feel they do not have sufficient addiction training to properly and successfully treat patients with SUDs, according to the International Journal of Drug Policy. It is well established that clients who stay in treatment longer have better outcomes. Based on our own data, weve found that clients enrolled in our MAT program for opioid use disorders have a greater length of stay in residential treatment, with a 96 percent residential treatment completion rate 16 percent higher than those not enrolled in MAT. For years, Mountainside has offered a form of sublingual buprenorphine (Suboxone) as well as the injectable opiate-antagonist naltrexone Vivitrol, which each help decrease cravings and block opiate receptors for clients with opiate use disorder. In 2018, Mountainside became one of the first treatment centers in Connecticut to champion the use of the long-acting monthly injectable form of buprenorphine, Sublocade, a partial agonist that blocks opiate receptors, manages cravings and reduces the risk of diversion and misuse often associated with sublingual buprenorphine. To ensure that MAT can be used to help more people in need, we urge lawmakers to: remove waivers for buprenorphine prescribing to permit more medical professionals to assist patients with SUDs; implement mental health parity laws to reduce financial barriers to MAT; and support and encourage efforts to improve curriculum for addiction education and buprenorphine training in our medical schools and other programs that train new providers. An estimated 130 people die from opioids every day nationwide. This doesnt have to be the case. Aside from legislative action, a grassroots movement that embraces people struggling with opioid addiction is needed if we are to solve the issue at hand. By pledging to destigmatize MAT and addiction as a whole, community members can be instrumental in helping their neighbors get the treatment they need and deserve. Lets work together to prevent unnecessary loss of life and ensure that no more families are torn apart by this disease. Dr. Randall Dwenger is chief medical officer of Mountainside treatment center in Canaan. MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexicos finance minister said on Tuesday a $1.4 billion hedge program completely covered 2020 national oil income following a steep drop in crude prices, meaning there will not be a direct impact on the governments budget. The oil hedging program, the worlds largest financial oil deal, is designed to protect Latin Americas second-largest economy against oil price crashes. The hedge is usually not cheap, it is expensive, but it is for occasions just like this. Then the income part is covered, we will not have a direct impact on the budget, Finance Minister Arturo Herrera said in a interview with broadcaster Televisa. But it is still a worrying situation, he added. International crude prices plunged by nearly 25% on Monday in their worst daily rout since the 1991 Gulf War. Top producers Saudi Arabia and Russia began a price war that threatens to inundate global oil markets with supply. In January, the government said the finance ministrys hedge had a total cost of $1.37 billion. It has not disclosed how many barrels the hedge covers, but said it had secured the price of $49 a barrel set in the 2020 budget. Mexico produces some 1.73 million barrels of crude per day. The protection is largely provided by put options, a financial instrument, but most years also includes backing from a budget stabilization fund to guarantee government revenue. The crash in crude prices has intensified pressure on the finances of Mexican state oil firm Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex), which is facing the threat of a ratings downgrade after posting one of its worst-ever losses last year. Armenian speaker Ararat Mirzoyan has met with his Serbian counterpart Maja Gojkovic within the official visit to Serbia on March 9-11. Gojkovic mentioned the assistance shown to Armenia by the Serbian people after the 1988 Spitak earthquake, and during its transportation, the Serbian pilots fell victims of a plane crash. She added that Armenia was one of the countries that showed humanitarian aid to those who suffered from the disastrous flood occurred in Serbia several years ago. In his turn, Mirzoyan has reaffirmed the friendly ties existing between the two peoples, where the Armenian community in Serbia that gets support from official Belgrade, also plays its role. The parties discussed the perspectives of deepening the relations between the two countries, the possible economic cooperation, the more intensive cooperation of the two parliaments at a bilateral level between the Friendship Groups and Standing Committees, as well as on multilateral platforms. While touching upon Kosovo and Karabakh's conflicts, the two have agreed that despite the differences existing between them, the peace negotiations have no alternative and have reached an agreement at least not to harm each others interests on the international platforms. Ararat Mirzoyan and Maja Gojkovic signed a Memorandum of Cooperation between the two countries parliaments and made statements for the press. Before the launch of the official meeting, the heads of the two parliaments laid flowers in memory of the pilots who fell victims during the plane crash in 1988. MINNEAPOLIS and TORONTO, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sezzle Inc. (ASX: SZL), the highest consumer-rated buy now, pay later solution, has been recognized by Forbes on its first-ever list of America's Best Startup Employers in 2020 with an initial ranking as the 29th best start-up employer in the U.S. The rankings were announced this morning in New York City. "We work hard to create a mission-driven culture that is fun, inclusive, and fosters innovation. At Sezzle, we often talk about our corporate culture as our 'secret weapon' -- it's what enables us to recruit and retain top talent, which is the basis of all the explosive growth and success that we have seen over the past year," said Sezzle co-founder and CEO Charlie Youakim. "On behalf of all of our employees, investors, and board members, we would like to thank Forbes for this important recognition." Forbes partnered with market research company Statista , the world's leading provider of rankings and large-scale polling, to measure up the leading start-up employers around the country, analyzing more than seven million data points to arrive at their final rankings. The three main aspects of each company that were assessed during the evaluation include employer reputation, employee satisfaction, and company growth. After evaluating an initial pool of more than 10,000 qualified start-ups in the United States, Forbes winnowed the list down to a ranking of 500 U.S.-based start-ups. Sezzle was ranked as the #29 best start-up employer in the U.S. "This is an important external recognition for our company. It sends a strong message to all of our stakeholders that we take human capital and corporate culture very seriously, but especially to current and prospective retail partners who want to ensure they're selecting the right solution provider," observed Sezzle co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer Paul Paradis. "Being recognized as a Top-30 start-up employer in the U.S. is valuable third-party validation that confirms what we have known internally for quite some time -- that we are building something special here at Sezzle." The hallmarks of Sezzle's approach to human capital are rooted in the company's core values of financial empowerment, inclusion, and transparency. Sezzle has gained previous recognition by Forbes in 2018 as one of the Top 8 Midwestern Tech companies , alongside additional distinctions such as the 2019 fastest growing company in both Minneapolis and in Minnesota. Sezzle also recently celebrated being the only Twin Cities startup chosen to participate in the 2019 Target Retailer Accelerator Program. About Sezzle Inc. Sezzle is the highest consumer-rated buy now, pay later solution, enabling over one million active users in the United States and Canada to take control of their spending, be more responsible, and gain access to financial freedom. With over 10,000 retail partners on its platform, Sezzle's core product allows consumers to split their purchases into four interest-free payments over six weeks, which increases their purchasing power and offers them a built-in way to budget their purchases. Approval is instant and consumers' credit scores are never negatively impacted. Sezzle was founded with the mission to financially empower the next generation through building the most transparent, inclusive, and seamless payments option for online purchases. Sezzle is publicly listed on the Australian Securities Exchange ("ASX") under the ticker SZL. As a public company, Sezzle has raised over US$ 147 million in debt and equity capital to date. For more information visit www.sezzle.com SOURCE Sezzle Related Links http://www.sezzle.com Learning English Internationalliving.com The United Nations recently reported that more than 290 million students in 13 countries have had their regular in-class studies disrupted due to the coronavirus. Almost all of these students are now taking classes online." Retirees (and others) looking for ways to generate funds from home would be wise to consider teaching English online, where the primary qualification is simply having native English skills. Its a skill that can help fund a comfortable lifestyleand it can pay from anywhere theres an internet connection. Qualified people need not have a teaching degree or any specialized qualifications beyond their native English skills. There has never been a better time to turn your English skills into an online income, says Kary Vannice, creator of Speak English and Get Paid, a course that explores the many earning paths open to English speakers, and host of a new Earn-with-English Online Masterclass. The United Nations recently reported that more than 290 million students in 13 countries have had their regular in-class studies disrupted due to the coronavirus. Almost all of these students are now taking classes online. Major online English teaching companies are on a hiring spree to fill the demand. But it's not just the coronavirus that makes now a great time to teach English online, says Vannice. Even before this outbreak, there werent enough English teachers to satisfy demand around the world. English is the language of the Internetand the reach of the internet keeps expanding. A growing middle class worldwide is driving greater urbanization which, in turn, creates more demand for English skills as well. And the ability to speak English has been equated to higher pay. So the demand is significant. And nowmore than everits being met by native English speakers online. The e-learning sector is one of the worlds fastest growing industries, slated to become a $65 billion-dollar industry by 2023, says Vannice. You have a virtual perfect storm of opportunity just waiting to be cashed in on. With a laptop, a speedy internet connection, and a little know-how, you can be set up in a matter of weeks to be earning online from the comfort of your own home. Many of these opportunities allow you to determine your own work hours, what type of students you work with, and how much or how little you work every week, Vannice explains. Some employers even prefer to hire teachers with no prior teaching experience, so they can train them how to teach their way, using their learning materials. With so much opportunity, there really is something for everyone. The editors at International Living argue that with many Americans already concerned their next egg might not hold out through retirementeven before the recent market crashit makes good sense to have an income plan in place. Ideally, its one that allows a person to earn from anywhere, in the hours they prefer, from right there at home, and without a long ramp-up time or lots of specialized qualifications. Teaching English online checks all those boxes. While the income from teaching English isnt enough to get rich, its certainly adequate to sustain a life abroad, says Dan Carpenter, who lives with his family today in Panama. We quickly found ourselves embracing the slower pace of life, the Spanish language, and the interesting people that we met from all over the world. Because our English students are on the other side of the world, we teach very early in the morning (usually 4:30 a.m.). By 8 a.m., we are done teaching for the day, and ready to have fun with our kids. That flexibility is attractiveand it comes built in, no matter if a persons home base is Hays, Kansas or Barcelona, Spain. Ive created my own schedule, teaching from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m., Monday to Friday, says Tess Bercan, based in Costa Rica. I earn about $1,000 a month doing this. However, you can earn up to $2,000 or more if you open up your availability. For me, this schedule is ideal. By 8 a.m., Im done with my day, and I spend the rest of my time at the beach and meeting friends. Imagine opening a program similar to Skype on your laptop, Bercan says. On it, you meet your students through video conference and teach them simple English for about 25 minutes. This is exactly what teaching online looks like. More information, Your Guide to Teaching English Overseas for Fun and Profit can be found here: What Do You Need to Teach English Online? Editor's Note: Members of the media have permission to republish the article linked above once credit is given to Internationalliving.com Further information, as well as interviews with expert authors for radio, TV or print, is available on request. Photos are also available. For information about InternationalLiving.com content republishing, source material or to book an interview with one of our experts, contact PR Managing Editor, Marita Kelly, +001 667 312 3532, mkelly@internationalliving.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/internationalliving/ Twitter: @inliving https://twitter.com/inliving?lang=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/International.Living/ About International Living Since 1979, InternationalLiving.com has been the leading authority for anyone looking for global retirement or relocation opportunities. Through its monthly magazine and related e-letters, extensive website, podcasts, online bookstore, and events held around the world, InternationalLiving.com provides information and services to help its readers live better, travel farther, have more fun, save more money, and find better business opportunities when they expand their world beyond their own shores. InternationalLiving.com has contributors traveling the globe, investigating the best opportunities for travel, retirement, real estate, and investment. Congress MLA Bisahulal Sahu, who resigned from the Assembly and joined the BJP on Tuesday, said that many more Congress MLAs would leave the party as they are unhappy with party leadership. After joining the BJP in the presence of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Bhopal, Sahu said, "I have resigned from the Congress as well as from the membership of state Assembly. I have joined BJP. Most of the Congress MLAs will resign from the party in the coming days as they are unhappy with the functioning of the Kamal Nath government," he said while speaking to media. Besides Sahu, 19 Madhya Pradesh Congress MLAs, including six state ministers, too tendered their resignation from the Assembly on Tuesday. The move by the legislators came soon after Jyotiraditya Scindia's resignation from the Congress. Congress has been witnessing an internal turf war in Madhya Pradesh since the party formed a government in the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Join Certified Yoga Instructor Heather Emmons, of Sunflower Healing Studios, for a series of introductory yoga sessions at the Grace A. Dow Memorial Library. Attend one, two, or all three sessions to improve flexibility, find your inner peace, or just to enjoy an evening of fitness with friends. Sessions will be held on Tuesday, March 24, April 28 and May 26. All sessions will be held in the community room and will begin at 7 p.m. with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Comfortable clothing is recommended. Yoga mats will be provided, but patrons are encouraged to bring their own as supplies are limited. Yoga at the Library is a free event for ages 18 and older. Registration is required and opens at the beginning of each month for that months session. Please call the library's reference desk at 989-837-3449 to register. The Grace A. Dow Memorial Library, located at 1710 W. St. Andrews Road, is a service of the City of Midland. For more information, visit www.gadml.org. [March 10, 2020] Best's Special Report: AM Best Innovation Criteria Assessment Results Show Room for Growth Among Majority of Rated Insurers Less than 11% of AM Best's rated universe of insurers has scored in the top two tiers of its new innovation assessment, according to an initial analytical review undertaken by the leading provider of insurance credit ratings. On March 5, 2020, AM Best formally adopted its new criteria procedure, "Scoring and Assessing Innovation," for use. This new criteria procedure, along with the update to Best's Credit Rating Methodology, outlines how AM Best explicitly will consider an insurance company's innovation efforts into its rating process. In concert with the release of the new criteria procedure, a new Best's Special Report, "AM Best Incorporates Innovation into Its Rating Process," reviews innovation scoring and benchmarking trends as it pertains to currently rated insurers. As part of the new criteria, insurers are placed into an innovation assessment category: leader, prominent, significant, moderate or minimal. According to the report, half of AM Best's rating units were scored as moderate, versus 23% for significant, 9% for prominent and 1% for leader based on initial results from the preliminary testing of AM Best's Innovation Score. The remaining 17% were assessed as minimal. Companies assessed as being more innovative (i.e., leader and prominent) differentiate themselves by credibly quantifying the results of their innovation efforts. Leaders further distinguish themselves by pushing the innovation ceiling of the industry and responding to market pressures by offering new products to solve emerging needs. Those companies assessed as significant recognize the need to innovate, but may not have yet developed deep connections between their investments, resources and behaviors that are necessary to drive results and tangible outputs. Innovation may not be a priority for insurers deemed as moderate companies, owing to limited resources. "Moderate companies are not necessariy behind the curve. For these companies, there may be early signs of innovation outputs, but a longer track record is needed to determine their commitment to innovation," said Edin Imsirovic, associate director, AM Best Rating Services. The least innovative insurers, or those assessed at minimal, frequently operate in heavily regulated lines of business or have fewer competitive pressures, leaving little incentive to innovate, as well as face resource constraints. Other highlights of the special report include: Innovation Spurring Insurance Industry Transformation: AM Best expects innovation to take a greater hold on the insurance industry in the coming years, though complex legacy systems and issues with data, governance and culture could make execution of strategies a significant challenge. AM Best expects innovation to take a greater hold on the insurance industry in the coming years, though complex legacy systems and issues with data, governance and culture could make execution of strategies a significant challenge. Innovation by Line of Business: Based on those companies assessed as innovation leaders, the global reinsurance industry and the health and automobile insurance segments are the sectors that have experienced the highest levels of transformation through innovation. Based on those companies assessed as innovation leaders, the global reinsurance industry and the health and automobile insurance segments are the sectors that have experienced the highest levels of transformation through innovation. Innovation - Benchmarking: While an innovation score does not translate into a positive or negative Credit Rating, insurers that embrace innovation will find it easier to grow market share and improve efficiency, providing them the opportunity to enhance their financial strength. While an innovation score does not translate into a positive or negative Credit Rating, insurers that embrace innovation will find it easier to grow market share and improve efficiency, providing them the opportunity to enhance their financial strength. Understanding AM Best's Innovation Scoring: Initial results from the preliminary testing of AM Best's Innovation Score show that most companies lag in output scoring when compared with input scoring, which relates to each companies' innovation results and level of transformation. To access the full copy of this special report, please visit http://www3.ambest.com/bestweek/purchase.asp?record_code=295274. To view AM Best's new criteria procedure, "Scoring and Assessing Innovation," please visit http://www3.ambest.com/ambv/ratingmethodology/OpenPDF.aspx?rc=295114 . For a video presentation on this Best's Special Report with AM Best Rating Services Associate Director Edin Imsirovic, please visit http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=innovationcriteria320 . 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/20200310005663/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A coroner has criticised the operator of a south-east Queensland skydiving business whose plane crashed at Caboolture Airfield, killing the pilot, two skydive instructors and two customers. The coronial inquest findings also highlighted concerns regarding the plane's sliding pilot seat, which might have moved during take-off and contributed to the crash. A mechanism stopping the pilot's seat sliding backwards was missing, an ATSB investigator told the crash inquest. Credit:Nine News Queensland State Coroner Terry Ryan delivered his recommendations on Tuesday in response to the tragedy, when the Cessna U206G aircraft, registered VH-FRT, crashed on the morning of March 22, 2014. The victims were engaged Beenleigh couple Joseph King and Rahi Hohua, experienced instructors Glenn Norman and Juraj Glesk and young pilot Andrew Aitken. (ASX:LPI) Hello. I'm Rachael Jones for the Finance News Network. Joining me today from Lithium Power Internationalis MD and CEO Cristobal Garcia-Huidobro, on Skype over in Chile. And in our Sydney studio we have CFO Andy Phillips. Welcome.Hi Rachael.Thanks Rachael.So Cristobal, firstly to you, congratulations on your environmental approval. What does this mean for the project?Thank you, Rachael. This is basically the final milestone on advancing our Maricunga project, and it really reinforces our continued strong relationship with the Chilean government. I'm pretty sure the subsequent commencement of the construction here in Chile of the project will generate very positive effects, both for the local communities and for the country.And would you remind us what the environmental impact assessment involved and what impact Maricunga will have on the environment?Well, an environmental impact assessment, it's a quite big report. It comprises more than 11,000 pages, and it took us almost three years to be prepared. Maricunga, in general terms, is a very -- how can I say it? -- environmentally friendly project. Probably, as in any project, the construction phase will be the more complicated one. But, however, once the operation starts, the project has very few impacts.And part of that submission included the impact on indigenous people. What does it mean for their access to the salt flat or the salar?Well, Rachael, that's a very important question as indigenous communities have been central for development since the beginning of this company. So, specifically regarding your question, the answer is at this point they will have free access, and probably the access is going to be improved from what it is now. You have to remember that the salar is at almost 4,000m in height. The nearest indigenous community lives at around 60km from there. So our main impact on those communities, it's going to be because of increasing all the traffic, because of the trucks, especially during the construction period.Thanks, Cristobal. Now moving over to you, Andy, now that you have approval for the project, what's next?We are working towards the funding of the project. We're working with a number of offtake partners or potential partners internationally. And we've had discussions with them for the last 6 to 12 months. We've also been talking to some debt funders, so we're looking at a debt equity kind of mix for the overall project development. And now that we've got the EIA out of the way, it's going to be moving quite quickly ahead.And Andy, what are the economics of the project and what's the capex?The DFS or definitive feasibility study was released about a year ago. It's a very, very robust project. We have got a 20-year mine life at 20,000 tons of lithium carbonate equivalent per annum. The NPV at the time we did the DFS was US$1.3 billion and the capex is around US$560 million to build the project.Thanks, Andy. Now back to you, Cristobal, to the last question, is there anything else you'd like to add?Yes, Rachael, and I think it's something that a lot of people are questioning. It's basically what's going on with the agreement with Codelco. So, to be very clear, we're in the middle of the due diligence with that, and everything's moving forward as expected. And we are again expecting to have that finalised, or to have that definitive agreement ready, by the beginning of the second half of this year.And just to add to Cristobal's comment, LPI is not only the Maricunga. Of course, Maricunga is our flagship. We've also been working in the Greenbushes area in Western Australia. End of last year, we got approval to explore, and we've done some field work in the last two months of last year, showing some pretty interesting prospects. And we are looking at putting together a work program for the first half of this year to pursue that further.Andy Phillips, thanks for the update.Thanks for having me.And Cristobal over in Chile, congratulations once again, and also thanks for the update.Thanks Rachael. Around 1:30 p.m., the pair walked into the bank. One approached a teller and demanded she stay quiet and fill up a green zip-closure plastic bag with money in her drawer, according to Northlake police reports. As the first male was speaking with the teller, the second approached another teller and demanded any other cash be placed in a brown paper bag. The men threatened that they had weapons, according to an FBI news release. We can readily understand why investors are attracted to unprofitable companies. For example, biotech and mining exploration companies often lose money for years before finding success with a new treatment or mineral discovery. But while the successes are well known, investors should not ignore the very many unprofitable companies that simply burn through all their cash and collapse. Given this risk, we thought we'd take a look at whether Beowulf Mining (LON:BEM) shareholders should be worried about its cash burn. For the purposes of this article, cash burn is the annual rate at which an unprofitable company spends cash to fund its growth; its negative free cash flow. First, we'll determine its cash runway by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves. See our latest analysis for Beowulf Mining Does Beowulf Mining Have A Long Cash Runway? A cash runway is defined as the length of time it would take a company to run out of money if it kept spending at its current rate of cash burn. When Beowulf Mining last reported its balance sheet in December 2019, it had zero debt and cash worth UK1.1m. Looking at the last year, the company burnt through UK2.4m. So it had a cash runway of approximately 6 months from December 2019. That's a very short cash runway which indicates an imminent need to douse the cash burn or find more funding. The image below shows how its cash balance has been changing over the last few years. AIM:BEM Historical Debt, March 10th 2020 How Is Beowulf Mining's Cash Burn Changing Over Time? Beowulf Mining didn't record any revenue over the last year, indicating that it's an early stage company still developing its business. So while we can't look to sales to understand growth, we can look at how the cash burn is changing to understand how expenditure is trending over time. During the last twelve months, its cash burn actually ramped up 64%. While this spending increase is no doubt intended to drive growth, if the trend continues the company's cash runway will shrink very quickly. Admittedly, we're a bit cautious of Beowulf Mining due to its lack of significant operating revenues. We prefer most of the stocks on this list of stocks that analysts expect to grow. Story continues Can Beowulf Mining Raise More Cash Easily? Given its cash burn trajectory, Beowulf Mining shareholders should already be thinking about how easy it might be for it to raise further cash in the future. Companies can raise capital through either debt or equity. Commonly, a business will sell new shares in itself to raise cash to drive growth. By comparing a company's annual cash burn to its total market capitalisation, we can estimate roughly how many shares it would have to issue in order to run the company for another year (at the same burn rate). Beowulf Mining's cash burn of UK2.4m is about 8.6% of its UK27m market capitalisation. That's a low proportion, so we figure the company would be able to raise more cash to fund growth, with a little dilution, or even to simply borrow some money. Is Beowulf Mining's Cash Burn A Worry? Even though its cash runway makes us a little nervous, we are compelled to mention that we thought Beowulf Mining's cash burn relative to its market cap was relatively promising. Summing up, we think the Beowulf Mining's cash burn is a risk, based on the factors we mentioned in this article. Separately, we looked at different risks affecting the company and spotted 5 warning signs for Beowulf Mining (of which 1 doesn't sit too well with us!) you should know about. Of course Beowulf Mining may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of companies boasting high return on equity, or this list of stocks that insiders are buying. 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. In the wake of the novel Coronavirus outbreak worldwide, the international border with Myanmar has been closed as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the virus. Taking to Twitter, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh posted a picture of the order which says "the international border with Myanmar has been closed, including gate number 1 and gate number 2 until further order." The Manipur government has also prohibited movement of people across the border. As a precautionary measures of transmission of Coronavirus /COVID-19, the international border with Myanmar has be closed including gate no 1 and 2 in Moreh until further orders. pic.twitter.com/2T3BPrM3TW N.Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) March 10, 2020 Coronavirus outbreak According to the latest reports, has claimed around than 4,027 lives across the globe and has infected around 114,422 people around the world since it first broke out in December 2019. While most of the cases are from Hubei province of China and the city of Wuhan (the epicentre of the outbreak), other countries including Iran, Italy, Japan and the Philippines have also reported deaths related to novel Coronavirus. Read: Latest coronavirus patient in Delhi has no travel history, came in contact with a positive patient: Officials In China, 17 more deaths have been reported on Monday taking the death toll by the deadly infection to 3,136 in the country. The number of cases of infection exceeded 80,750 and over 59, 000 people have recovered from the disease. Further, the World Health Organization (WHO) has registered over 3,940 new cases of infection with the novel Coronavirus. First detected in the city of Wuhan, in Hubei Province of China, the virus outbreak has now spread across 20 countries since December 2019. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has dubbed the virus as COVID-19. Read: 'Threat of pandemic real', says WHO chief as Coronavirus continues to spread worldwide India's Coronavirus count rises On Monday, the government revealed that positive cases of the novel Coronavirus in India had soared up to 47 after two new cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed in Pune. Apart from this, 15 people are under observation for the virus in Maharashtra, however, no positive cases have been detected yet. Out of these, 44 are active cases, the initial three which were reported from Kerala have been treated and discharged. The health ministry has advised people against mass gatherings to avoid the spread of Coronavirus in the country. Read: 76 people who came in contact with fourth coronavirus patient in Delhi advised home quarantine Read: Researchers offering people 3500 to be infected with Coronavirus to help develop vaccine Social media companies have made the decision to partner with health authorities (government officials like those who work for the CDC) to combat misinformation about the coronavirus. We all know what this means. Under the mainstream medias seemingly innocent words lies a rash of new censorship coming down the pipes. Only the official narrative from those in the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will soon be allowed on social media. Last week, the social media app TikTok, popular with youths and young adults, announced it would be partnering with the WHO in an effort to spread veritable information on the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, in addition to best public health practices. weve teamed up with @WHO to get you the trusted health info you need pic.twitter.com/If0aqoj9VH TikTok (@tiktok_us) February 29, 2020 COVID-19 outbreak has seen a massive infodemic - an over-abundance of information - some accurate and some not - that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it, the WHO told ABC News. Therefore, WHO is working with various social media platforms, including TikTok, to help us reach the right audience (the right community, the right age group, etc.), as well as to detect the spread of misinformation on the new coronavirus. We understand that different platforms might have their specific audience, hence important to make trustworthy information available where people are looking for it. So in other words, WHO is asking TikTok to make sure their narrative infects the minds of the young adult and youth audience they are said to attract. Only the information from the WHO will be deemed relevant to this outbreak. The censorship surrounding this virus is ongoing, but its becoming obvious authorities are continuing to have problems completing the totalitarian squashing free speech. The Chinese have taken to using force to prevent information from getting out. Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg are supporting the authority on health to and ramming the official narrative down peoples throats. Were focused on making sure everyone can access credible and accurate information, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement this week. If you search for coronavirus on Facebook, youll see a pop-up that directs you to the World Health Organization or your local health authority for the latest information. We all know this is elitist speak for youll read and hear what we want you to read and hear. Excelsior House Hotel In Texas, people and properties alike often compete for which is the first, oldest and most Texan. Texas Monthly solves at least one of these quandaries in its most recent The Texanist column, in which it discusses which is the oldest hotel in this state: Excelsior House Hotel in Jefferson and the Menger Hotel in San Antonio. Foreign tourists celebrated Holi in Goa's Panaji, playing with colours, exchanging sweets and dancing to peppy, Bollywood numbers. "Holi Mubarak! I see such joy in the day today. One can see how much celebration of freedom, equality and beauty that everyone individually is. It is very lovely to be here," said a tourist from Europe. Holi is a Hindu festival but is celebrated by people of all faiths and caste. Marking the onset of spring season, the occasion is symbolic of joy and victory of good over evil. People smear colours on each other, blurring divides and highlighting unity in diversity. The Holi event in Panaji was organised by a local committee at the famous Azad Maidan and saw the participation of people from all walks of life. "We have been organising the Holi event in our committee for 15 years.. It's the festival of colours, an occasion when everyone comes together to celebrate it," the organiser of the event told ANI. Goa, a resort state near Mumbai, is famous for its beaches, Portuguese culture and churches. It remains a hotspot for both domestic and foreign tourists. "We haven't got any problem with religion. I am Catholic and my friends are Hindus. There have never been any differences. In Goa, our culture doesn't have differences," said BJP legislator Atanasio Monserrate. People across the country are celebrating Holi with enthusiasm. The festival is celebrated as a day of spreading joy and love. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 11:00:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, March 9 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "strongly condemned" Monday's attack in Khartoum on the convoy of Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, said the UN chief's spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Monday. The secretary-general reiterated that "such attacks are unacceptable" and called for "the perpetrators to be held accountable," said Dujarric in a statement, adding that the UN chief reaffirmed "the solidarity and unwavering support of the United Nations to Sudan." Hamdok on Monday survived an assassination attempt when his motorcade came under a car bomb attack at the entry of the Sudanese army bridge in the capital Khartoum. A traffic policeman, who was on his motorcycle at the front of the motorcade, was injured. Press release Brussels, 9th March 2020 UNDER EMBARGO until 9/03/2020 11:00 Orange Belgium launches new mobile portfolio: GO, introducing the first mobile family offer in Belgium Orange Belgium confirms once again its bold challenger positioning by increasing mobile data and introducing unseen family discounts in Belgium Today Orange Belgium announces a new mobile data increase in its mobile offers to further support the evolution of consumer usages. The result is a completely revamped mobile portfolio, named GO. This simplified GO portfolio consists of no more than 4 mobile subscriptions at a competitive price point and offering even more abundant mobile data. Orange GO is extra interesting for families, with unseen family discounts, without having to share a collective data bundle. Focus on data, data, data Since the beginning of 2018, the usage of mobile data by Orange Belgium customers have been multiplied by 2,5 to reach 4,5GB/month at the end of 2019 thanks to the launch of Oranges unlimited offers and growing digital usage such as video streaming, gaming, and social networks. And this growth is not meant to stop in the near future. Therefore Orange Belgium increased the mobile data volumes of its new mobile portfolio GO. It is designed to let the customer shape the offer around its individual or family needs. Orange customers are on the driving seat with the right amount of choice: From the old animal subscriptions to the new GO subscriptions, some examples: Orange customers with a Koala subscription now receive 4GB for 20/month. Opting for the new GO Plus subscription means 1GB extra => 5GB of mobile data for the same price of 20/month. Orange customers with an Eagle subscription now receive an unlimited amount of mobile data, with 20GB at full speed for 40/month. With the new GO Unlimited subscription they continue to benefit from unlimited data, but with 30GB at full speed, for the same price of 40/month. Story continues These upgrades complement the very recent data increase of the Cheetah subscription from 8GB to 15GB for the same price of 30/month. This unchanged offer now becomes GO Intense. These evolutions are fully consistent with Orange Belgium promise to increase data, not prices. Focus on data, data, data for every family member With GO, Orange Belgium proudly introduces the first mobile family offer in Belgium, with attractive family discounts as of GO Intense. In addition, each member of the family shapes its personal bundle around its individual data needs: no one-size-fits-all solution and no shared data package. Family discounts, some examples: A family with 2 Koala subscriptions today benefits from 4GB of mobile data each (+ unlimited calls & SMS) for 2x 20/month. For the same price, they can now get 2 GO Plus with 5GB each. Thanks to the GO family discount, they can even get 2 GO Intense with 15GB each for only 1 extra per subscription! A family with 2 Cheetah subscriptions today benefits from 15GB of mobile data each (+ unlimited calls & SMS) for 2x 30/month. Thanks to the GO family discount, they can save immediately 18/month for the same data bundles (2 GO Intense with 15 GB each for 2x21/month). Alternatively, they can upgrade to unlimited for only 1 extra per subscription (2 GO Unlimited for 2x31/month) A family with 2 Eagle subscriptions today benefits from unlimited data each for 2x40/month. Thanks to the GO family discount, they can save immediately 18/month for the same data bundles (2 GO Unlimited for 2x31/month)! Focus on data, data, data for Love GO in combination with Love also gives extra advantages, for example: A GO Intense mobile subscription (30/month) in combination with Love Duo (34/month) gives the customer fully unlimited fixed internet, 15GB of mobile data + unlimited calls & SMS for only 55/month instead of 64/month. Breaking telco conventions since 2017 In 2017, Orange Belgium launched its broadband internet and TV offer Love, which price never increased, and quickly became the best value for money convergent offer (broadband, TV, mobile) that challenged the expensive bundles from the duopoly on the fixed market. In 2018 Orange Belgium launched the first Belgian unlimited mobile data subscription, setting a new market standard. In 2019 Orange Belgium launched Love Duo: the long awaited mobile + fixed internet offer, without television allowing customers to pay only for what they need. With the launch of GO, Orange Belgium breaks another telco convention with the first mobile family offer and increased data bundles for all. How to get the GO offers Orange customers as well as new customers willing to benefit from these upgraded offers can easily do so on www.orange.be , by calling 0800 177 35, by visiting an Orange shop (as of the 10th of March), or simply on their MyOrange app (available in the coming days). Orange customers can keep their existing animal offers, however, those animal offers will not be commercialized anymore. Michael Trabbia, CEO of Orange Belgium, comments: At Orange Belgium, breaking telco conventions is in our DNA. We said no to price increases, we set new market standards in Belgium with our unlimited offers, and with Love Duo we allowed our customers to pay only for the services they need. With our new GO portfolio, we now proudly introduce the first mobile family offer in Belgium, together with increased data bundles and improved Love offers. Christophe Dujardin, Chief Consumer Officer of Orange Belgium, adds: Orange customers are used to choose and pay for exactly what they need. And this doesnt change with GO. On the contrary, the generous volumes of mobile data meet the increasing need for unlimited connectivity for everyone, with additional benefits for families as everybody enjoys its own data volume, no need to share, just enjoy. Thanks to our GO family discounts, each member of the family can either do big savings or get much more data for only 1 extra. Moreover, our prices dont increase after 3 or 6 months; we keep it attractive and simple, as from the beginning. More info on www.orange.be About Orange Belgium Orange Belgium is a leading telecommunications operator on the Belgian market with over 3 million customers; Orange is also active in Luxembourg through its subsidiary Orange Communications Luxembourg. As a convergent actor, we provide mobile telecommunications services, internet and TV to private clients as well as innovative mobile and fixed-line services to businesses. Our high-performance mobile network supports 2G, 3G, 4G and 4G+ technology and is the subject of ongoing investment. Orange Belgium is a subsidiary of the Orange Group, one of the leading European and African operators for mobile telephony and internet access, as well as one of the world leaders in telecommunications services for enterprises. Orange Belgium is listed on the Brussels Stock Exchange (OBEL). More information on: corporate.orange.be, www.orange.be or follow us on Twitter: @pressOrangeBe. Press contact Younes Al Bouchouari younes.albouchouari@orange.com - +32 477 69 87 73 Annelore Marynissen Annelore.marynissen@orange.com - +32 479 016 058 press@orange.be Attachment The Ministry of Defense sent six Royal Air Force fighter-interceptor jets into the path of Russian aircraft, as they were near British territory. Large Russian bombers were detected on radar while heading to north-west off the Scottish coast on Saturday. Typhoons and air-to-air refuelling aircraft flew to the unknown Russia aircraft. These interceptors are part of the Quick Reaction Alert programme that were sent to sortie in pairs. Two pairs of Typhoon interceptors came from the RAF airbase at Lossiemouth, Moray at north-east Scotland. Another third was dispatched from the RAF airbase in RAF Coningsby at Lincolnshire, It is normal for the Royal Air Force regularly send sorties to prevent intrusion by other countries air forces. Identification of the aircraft which caused the commotion is a Tupolev Bear that used to be a strategic bomber and long-range patrol plane. The exact number of actual bandits were not revealed by the Quick Reaction Alert Programme of RAF. This bomber was made for long-range flying in its heyday. In formation, two pairs of Typhoons went close to the large Tu-142 bear that dwarfed the smaller fighters. After going near, the 1st and second pair just broke off and flew away, next to the third pair aggressively forced the Tu-142 to give up, trying to enter. All RAF Lossiemouth crews are constantly on standby for quick alert incidents. According to the RAF official, it was a normal response to other than British aircraft. Russian aircraft are disallowed to cross unless there is permission given, British and NATO allies work together in these instances. Also read: Indian Navy MiG-29K Fighter Plane Crashes Again, Prompts Investigative Inquiry RAF Lossiemouth added that the Russian bombers were not able to get in UK airspace. RAF said The Russian bombers were followed by Typhoon jets (RAF) and Quick Reaction Alert aircraft from NATO allies (France and Norway). Keeping track of the bombers in the near airspace. The RAF confirmed that is ready to deal with unknown aircraft and other airborne dangers. It was not the first time that Lossiemouth sent interceptors after sighting of planes headlong into UK space. Russian Tu-142 were seen off Shetland by radar arrays, as they passed near UK airspace. Sorties of RAF Typhoons were sent out about 10 instances since last year with a higher frequency of Russian plane getting close to UK airspace. These Tu-95 are not a threat to military fighters but to the civilian aircraft, this can be dangerous. RAF Lossiemouth made it clear why they shoo away unknown aircraft. Here is why it is done. These planes were Tupolev Tu-142 that are variants of the Tu-142 Bear-F and a Tu-142 Bear-J. Bear F is used for anti-sub operations, and the Bear-J is used for communications, and as a relay platform. Both large planes pose dangers that will be explained. Most of the time, these planes operate and does not transmit an IFF signal (Identification Friend or Foe) that can be seen by other craft. Whenever a plane with IFF is found and nothing is known about is purpose. Air controllers will steer civilian air traffic away from the anomaly. Behind the Bear-J, it has a very long trailing wire antenna five miles that can be dangerous to civilian airlines, getting tangled. British Typhoon jets keep the Russian planes under watch and sortieing, also keep civilian planes free from a mishap. Related article: Chinese Warship Shot a U.S. Navy P-8 Aircraft With a High-Grade Laser in an Aggressive Conduct @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. After Pope Francis expressed that he felt 'caged' because of continued threat of the novel coronavirus in the city-state of Vatican in his address to the faithful which was aired via live stream, he was visited by 30 French Bishops who kept a healthy distance from the pontiff, Monday. The Vatican released photos of the bishops in armchairs about a meter apart following government regulations and efforts in combating the illness that has killed at least 366 people in Italy in a span of two weeks. The 83-year-old Vatican City-state sovereign was kept in a good distance from his visitors whom he addressed using a microphone. His visitors include the 30 French Bishops, two foreign ambassadors to the Holy See, and a prelate from Peru. However, a participant said that everyone still shook hands during the said visit. Francois Jacolin, bishop of Lucon took it to Twitter to assure the catholic community that the pope is in great shape after talking to him. Pope Francis has been suffering from a cold for almost more than a week and has canceled public engagement and appearances. The Argentine-born Pope has enjoyed a healthy life and relatively good health aside from respiratory discomfort caused by the removal of a part of his lungs during his youth and his difficulty in walking caused by sciatica. Hence, his unusual absence amid the coronavirus outbreak has prompted speculations that the pope has caught the dreaded disease. Last week, a newspaper reported that the pope had been tested negative from the virus. However, the said report was not validated by the Vatican, but they said that the pope was not diagnosed with any other pathologies except a common cold. Read also: Italy Imposes Lockdown on 16 Million People as Coronavirus Cases Surge The pontiff was also able to deliver his traditional Angelus Prayer and message to the 1.3 billion Catholics around the world last Sunday. It was however delivered through live stream instead of giving it from his window facing Saint Peter's Square in order to keep the crowds low and decrease the risk of contagion. After his message, the pope still took time to peek out the window and waved which draw cheers from the few devout Catholics who still went to see the pope's appearance on the giant screen. The pope noted that it was strange to deliver the Angelus caged from a library, but assured the faithful that he was close to them as he can still see them. However, some pilgrims were disappointed after coming a long way expecting to receive the blessing directly but had to watch from a giant screen instead. Pamela Kennedy from Yukon, Oklahoma told Reuters that she was bitterly disappointed since she and her husband has planned this trip from a couple of years ago to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary which is also her 20th anniversary as a catholic. The Italian government has also imposed other restrictions throughout Italy including the closure of museums. Vatican Museums which usually welcome six million visitors a year have also been closed since Monday. COVID-19 death toll has surpassed 4,000 world wide and the number of infections has already reached113,000 all around the globe. Related article: Vatican Confirms First Coronavirus Case, Pope Francis Health a Primary Concern @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The coronavirus affords a perfect opportunity to get students excited about science, said Christine Royce, former president of the National Science Teaching Association. Educators can use the outbreak to introduce topics such as how viruses spread in the human body and why antibiotics are useless against them, she said though its important to tailor classes to different age levels. The top US commander for the Middle East painted a grim picture on Tuesday of the peace process with the Taliban in Afghanistan, saying the current level of attacks is higher than allowed in the plan and he has no confidence the group will honour its commitments. Marine Gen Frank McKenzie told the House Armed Services Committee that he has plans to cut the number of troops to 8,600 by the summer, but so far the US has not developed military plans for the full withdrawal in 14 months that is called for in the peace plan signed 29 February. To date, Taliban attacks are higher than we believe are consistent with an idea to actually carry out this plan, Gen McKenzie said. If they're unable to draw down the current level of attacks, then the political leadership will be able to make decisions based on that. He added that his optimism or pessimism about the future doesn't matter because any decisions will be based on facts and what happens on the ground. Both Gen McKenzie and Kathryn Wheelbarger, a top Pentagon policy adviser on international affairs, said America's complete troop withdrawal is contingent on whether the level of violence is reduced and the Taliban adheres to its commitments. Gen McKenzie said he would recommend against that full pullout if attacks continue and the Afghan forces can't protect their own country without direct US support. Ms Wheelbarger called the full pullout aspirational and said Defense Secretary Mark Esper would reassess the matter if the Taliban doesn't abide by the agreement. The United States has begun withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, taking a step forward on its peace deal with the Taliban. And Afghan President Ashraf Ghani promised on Monday to start releasing Taliban prisoners, but by Tuesday he had not issued a decree to free them. The US-Taliban deal was touted as Washington's effort to end 18 years of war in Afghanistan. The next crucial step was to be intra-Afghan talks in which all factions including the Taliban would negotiate a road map for their country's future. That plan has been thrown into chaos because both Mr Ghani and his main political rival, Abdullah Abdullah were each sworn in as president in separate ceremonies Monday. Mr Abdallah and the elections complaints commission had charged fraud in last year's vote. Mr Ghani, however, said Tuesday that he'd start putting together a negotiating team, and he said he would announce a decree to free the prisoners. His comments on the prisoner release came after the US and a number of foreign dignitaries appeared to back his claim to the presidency by sending their representatives to his inauguration. Mr Esper last week said the entire process will be conditions-based, and we will retain in Afghanistan the necessary capabilities to protect our service members and allies and support the Afghan security forces. A key challenge will be whether al-Qaida is able to resurge in Afghanistan and present a threat once again to the US Gen McKenzie was asked what evidence the US has that the Taliban have cut ties with al-Qaida. He said it's pretty clear the Taliban are actively fighting the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan, but added that he is less optimistic about al-Qaida. That's something they (the Taliban) are going to have to demonstrate that has not yet been demonstrated, he added, referring to the Taliban showing that it has severed ties to the extremist group that planned the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks from Afghanistan. He said the US will have ample time to see if they actually do that before the US completes a troop withdrawal. He said the key threats to the US continue to be the ability of al-Qaida and the Islamic State to generate attacks against the US. The best intelligence estimates tell us that if we do not maintain pressure on those two entities, that in a period of time and you can say a year, you can say two years, you can say somewhere in between they're going generate the ability to do external attacks again, and that will manifest itself here in the United States, Gen McKenzie said. Saudi Aramco's Abqaiq oil processing plant. (Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images) Oil prices rose on Tuesday on government stimulus hopes, a day after the biggest collapse in prices in a single day since the Gulf War. But continued tensions between Saudi Arabia and Russia threatened to derail the fragile recovery. Saudi Arabia and Russias decision to launch a price war over the weekend had sent oil prices tumbling, with crude oil plummeting 30% at the open in Asia on Monday. Crude (CL=F) and brent (BZ=F) prices both then leapt on Tuesday morning in London. Analysts at Deutsche Bank said it was not entirely clear what was driving the rebound, but pointed to an announcement of stimulus measures by Donald Trump. Read more: Oil price crashes 30% as Saudi Arabia launches price war Other world leaders have also announced new policies to protect and stimulate their economies amid the coronavirus outbreak, which are expected to boost demand for oil. But Saudi Aramcos announcement it will hike production to 12.3 million barrels a day on Tuesday dented the recovery. Crude, which had leapt 7.1%, slipped back to 5.1% higher at around 9.20am in London. Brent also slipped, and was trading 4.7% higher. The Saudi state oil giants move is reported to put production levels above capacity, suggesting it could be releasing from its inventories. Bloomberg reports Russias energy minister responded within minutes, saying his country was able to boost production by 500,000 barrels a day. The recovery came after Trump told journalists he planned major steps to safeguard the US economy late on Monday. He floated the idea of cutting or offering very substantial relief on payroll taxes, as well as assistance for insecure workers. The Japanese government will also hike its finance support for small- and medium-sized firms to 1.6 trillion yen (11.9bn, $15.6bn), according to Reuters. Read more: Calls for 'shock and awe' spending to avert global recession Meanwhile Australian prime minister Scott Morrison said his plans to keep businesses in business would be unveiled on Tuesday, reported to be worth A$10 billion (5.1bn, $6.6bn). Story continues In Europe, both France and Italy urged governments across the eurozone to coordinate stimulus measures on Monday. Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte promised massive shock therapy as the government announced the drastic measure of putting the whole of Italy on lockdown. Early hopes of a settlement over the oil dispute may have also boosted prices. Read more: Stocks rebound as whole of Italy put on lockdown The fact is that investors arent thinking logically because there is no way that the oil war is in anyones favour. It isnt going to take place now, said Naeem Aslam, chief market analyst at Ava Trade, before Saudi Aramcos production announcement. Aslam said it was only a matter of time before members of the OPEC+ cartel reach an agreement on prices, as a sustained price war would damage all producers. Adan Flores, 22, from Phoenix, has been charged with six child abuse counts for allegedly bending his baby daughter backwards until he heard a pop An Arizona father has been arrested on child abuse charges after allegedly bending his newborn daughter backwards until he heard a 'pop' in a bid to stop her from crying. Adan Flores, 22, was taken into custody on Friday after police were called to Phoenix Children's Hospital for a report of a one-month-old patient who was bleeding from her mouth. When interviewed by detectives, Flores initially claimed that he and another family member accidentally sat on the infant. Court documents cited by AZFamily.com state that the victim was bleeding from her eyes, had a damaged liver, broken legs, healing fractured ribs and blood in her mouth. During an audio-recorded interview with the police, Flores allegedly admitted to placing his baby daughter on the bed, putting her on her knees and bending her backwards until he heard a popping noise. When baby was brought to Phoenix Children's Hospital on Friday, she was bleeding from her eyes, had a damaged liver, fractured legs and healing broken ribs Flores (pictured as a teen) is said to have told police he jammed a thermometer into the baby's mouth and twisted her legs while her mother was taking a shower The 22-year-old also is said to have confessed to doing the same thing to his child the day before in an effort to get her to be quiet. Under questioning, Flores allegedly admitted to twisting the newborn's legs until her bones popped, and aggressively shoving a thermometer into her mouth. Flores expressed regret for his actions and said he felt guilty for hurting his daughter, according to a police report. According to the documents, at least one of the instances of abuse took place while the baby's mother was in the shower. Flores told police he was afraid to take his daughter right away to the hospital because he did not want the girl's mother to find out about this, and he did not want to get the Department of Child Safety involved. Flores has been charged with six counts of child abuse. He is being held on $100,000 bail. WUHAN, China, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report by Cao Desheng in Wuhan and An Baijie in Beijing from chinadaily.com.cn: President Xi Jinping visited Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, on Tuesday morning after his arrival in the hardest-hit city. During his inspection of the hospital, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, learned of the hospital's construction and operation, admission and treatment of infected patients, medics' protection and protective supplies, and scientific research on the virus. He also visited the patients and conveyed his greetings to the medical workers on the front line of the fight against the epidemic, encouraging them to have strong confidence in winning the battle against the epidemic. After leaving Huoshenshan Hospital on Tuesday at noon, Xi visited a residential community in Wuhan. At the Donghu Xincheng (East Lake New City) residential community, Xi visited local people who were quarantining themselves at home and learned about the situation of disease prevention and control. Xi expressed gratitude to local residents and frontline workers who were playing key roles in the prevention and control of the disease. Xi arrived in Wuhan on Tuesday morning to inspect work on the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus. During the tour, Xi will also pay visits to police officers, government officials and volunteers. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1122068/China_Daily.jpg Park Ridge Police Department Executive Officer Tom Gadomski said the two 16-year-old boys were attending an event at the Park Ridge school on Saturday, Feb. 29 when they left and headed to the locked cafeteria. It was unclear how the teens entered the cafeteria, Gadomski said, but once inside, they allegedly damaged ceiling tiles by throwing objects at them and broke light bulbs and a phone. The number of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections in Vietnam has doubled in less than a week as a Vietnamese woman, who returned to the country from a trip to the U.S. that included transit time in South Korea and Qatar, tested positive for the virus. Vietnams Ministry of Health on Tuesday afternoon confirmed the 34th COVID-19 patient, who is a 51-year-old Vietnamese woman. She left for the U.S. on February 22 and came back to Vietnam on March 2. She transited Incheon International Airport near Seoul, South Korea, and Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar during her respective departure and return flight trips. Her return flight landed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on the morning of March 2. The woman was admitted to the General Hospital of the south-central province of Binh Thuan on Tuesday morning and tested positive for the novel coronavirus there. She is currently quarantined and treated at the Binh Thuan hospital. This is the 34th COVID-19 patient in Vietnam, and the 18th infection confirmed in the country in the past five days. The novel coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected over 114,100 people and killed more than 4,000 globally, according to Ministry of Health statistics. There have been 27 deaths over 702 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S., while 54 people have died and 7,513 sickened by the viral disease in South Korea. Meanwhile, Qatar has only had 12 infections of the disease, according to the same source. Vietnam has so far confirmed 34 infections, including 20 Vietnamese, two Chinese nationals, one Vietnamese American, nine British citizens, one Mexican, and one Irish national. Sixteen of the patients have recovered and been discharged from the hospital by February 26, while 18 others are being treated. Patient No. 17, a resident in Hanoi, was confirmed on Friday last week after Vietnam had reported no new infection since February 13. At least 15 other infections can be traced back to the Hanoi woman, with over 100 people in Vietnam being placed in quarantine for interacting with N. or with those who had close contact with her. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! BERLIN - At least two top European military commanders tested positive for the new coronavirus after a conference on an American military base in Germany, and the commander of U.S. Army Europe has isolated himself in case he also was exposed, officials said Tuesday. Lt. Gen. Christopher Cavoli and several staff members from the U.S. garrison in the German city of Wiesbaden went into self-isolation out of an abundance of caution and following recommended protocols, U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said Monday. The possible exposure occurred at a meeting Friday at a land forces commanders conference that U.S. Army Europe hosted in Wiesbaden, spokesman John Tomassi confirmed Tuesday. Tomassi would not say who was thought to have been carrying the virus at the time of the conference, but two participants have since said they tested positive for it. The infection was commander of Polands armed forces, Gen. Jaroslaw Mika, was found infected once he returned home, the Polish Defence Ministry said. The ministry said Mika, 57, feels well and that everyone with him on the trip to Wiesbaden has been quarantined. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, though for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild COVID-19 disease recover in about two weeks and those with more severe illnesses may take three to six weeks to recover, but the vast majority of patients will recover. Italys RAI television quoted Italian army Chief of Staff General Salvatore Farina saying he also was fine after testing positive for the virus upon his return from the conference. I am in isolation in my apartment, in compliance with the directives issued by the government authorities and with the health protocols, Farina said. He said authorities were looking to identify people with whom he had contact in the past few days. The coronavirus outbreak was not an agenda item of the annual gathering in Germany, but it came up in the context of how to protect the thousands of Americans and other troops gathering in Europe for the Defender Europe 20 exercise, Tomassi said. Right now, theres no impact to Defender 20 that we have determined, he said. But that could change any day, and were monitoring and continuing to evaluate the situation. The U.S. Army Europe-hosted conference in Wiesbaden brought together 24 senior military representatives from NATO, the European Union, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Georgia, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Romania and the United States. _____ Monika Scislowska in Poland, Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, and Robert Burns in Washington contributed to this story. Putin backs out of early State Duma election Moskva city news agency, Andrey Nikerichev 17:53 10/03/2020 MOSCOW, March 10 (RAPSI) Russian President Vladimir Putin sees no reason to hold early State Duma election if lower house lawmakers cannot reach a consensus in this matter. The Head of State said so Tuesday addressing to the lower house of parliament. Earlier, a lawmaker representing the United Russia political party Alexander Karelin proposed to hold early State Duma election. Later, he laid the initiative on the table. On Tuesday, the State Duma passed a bill on amendments to the Constitution in the second reading. The final third reading is scheduled for March 11. State officials announced the first residents outside of Cook County to test positive for coronavirus disease, or COVID-19. The cases include a Kane County woman in her 60s and a McHenry County teen, neither of whom had a history of travel to an affected area and no connection to a known case of COVID-19, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Officials are identifying and contacting all close contacts. Nineteen people in Illinois have tested positive for the disease. As we anticipated, the number of cases in Illinois is increasing and now includes the first cases outside of Chicago and Cook County, said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the state department of public health, in a statement. The State of Illinois continues to take action to reduce spread of COVID-19 in Illinois and we again want to encourage people to start thinking and preparing now in the event they are not able to go to work, if schools are closed, if public transportation is not available, and how else their lives will be disrupted by this outbreak. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered. In addition to the cases in Kane and McHenry counties, new Illinois cases include two Chicago men in their 40s and four other cases in Cook County: a man in his 40s, a man in his 70s, a woman in her 40s and a woman in her 60s. To prevent the spread of the disease, officials encourage frequent handwashing with soap and water or an alcohol-based sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Residents are urged to stay home when sick and to cover their mouths when coughing and sneezing. The Associated Press contributed. Contact Allison Petty at (217) 421-6986. Follow her on Twitter: @allison0512 Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 2 Sad 5 Angry 3 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. A ten-year-old girl was crushed to death by a 440lb wooden sculpture after she climbed on it at an amusement park in Ukraine. Anna Zhdan was left with a broken skull and died in hospital the morning after the chainsaw-carved statue of a bear and a child toppled onto her. The youngster was visiting Dubovy Gai park with her parents to celebrate International Women's Day on Sunday. Ten-year-old Anna Zhdan was rushed to hospital on a stretcher (right) when a 440 pound wooden sculpture fell on her at an amusement park in Ukraine. She tragically died the next day Anna was playing in a children's park while her parents were in an outdoor cafe 300 yards away. She climbed onto the 441lb wooden bear - which was not firmly fixed to the ground - and it fell on top of her. A video filmed by a witness shows Anna lying motionless on the ground minutes after the crash while her father calls her name. Anna climbed onto the 441 pound wooden bear (pictured) - which was not firmly fixed to the ground - and it fell on top of her A video filmed by a witness shows Anna lying motionless on the ground minutes after the crash while her father calls her name Anna was playing in a children's park when the tragedy occurred. Her parents were just 300 yards away in an outdoor cafe Police launched a criminal case for negligence of duty which caused the death of a minor after the bear - which was not firmly fastened to the floor - fell on Anna A crew of paramedics can be seen putting the unconscious girl, bleeding from her head, on a stretcher as the distraught father is begging them to save her life. Anna was rushed to the intensive care unit of Zaporizhia Regional Children's Hospital in critical condition. She had an open head injury, internal bleeding and multiple bone fractures to her legs, arms and ribs. A spokesperson for the hospital said to local media: 'The girl's condition was extremely grave. She died without regaining consciousness the following morning after the incident.' A crew of paramedics can be seen putting the unconscious girl, bleeding from her head, on a stretcher as the distraught father is begging them to save her life Police launched a criminal case for negligence of duty which caused the death of a minor. There have been no arrests so far. The facility administration was aware of the sculpture danger a long time ago but did nothing to remove it from the park, local media reports. Oleg Komarenko, the director of the park said: 'There were warning signs banning children from climbing the sculpture.' The amusement park's administration was aware of the sculpture danger a long time ago but did nothing to remove it from the park, local media reports. Pictured: The entrance to the park Residents said the wooden bear was installed in 2013 and has fallen several times since then. Nadiya, who often visits the popular amusement park, said: 'The bear fell not for the first time. 'Children toppled it over several times during the last few years and it was a miracle that nobody was killed back then. 'After each collapse, the park workers just put the sculpture back in its place without even fixing to the ground.' The park workers have removed all wooden sculptures from the scene after the tragedy, reports said. The University of New South Wales has recorded by far the lowest satisfaction rating in the country, blaming the transition to a three-term academic year for a damning report card from students. Just 63 per cent of students rated their experience at the university as positive in the 2019 Student Experience Survey, released on Wednesday, compared with 74 per cent for the second-lowest institution, the University of Sydney. Students at UNSW protest the new trimester system on 26 June, 2019. Credit:Brook Mitchell The Commonwealth government-commissioned Student Experience Survey measures students' views about five elements of their tertiary education, ranging from skills development and learner engagement to teaching quality. Last year, UNSW's overall satisfaction rate was more than 10 per cent higher, at 74 per cent. This year, its learner engagement score was particularly low, with just 56 per cent saying they had a positive experience. This is the moment a lorry driver was rescued from his cab when his lorry got stuck on a flooded road today. The bakery van was stranded after the River Ely broke its banks at St Fagans, in Cardiff, south-east Wales. A three-man rescue team waded out to the Brakes food wholesaler lorry with a raft attached to a rope. They got the driver out of his cab through the window and brought him back to safety. This is the moment a lorry driver was rescued from his cab when his lorry got stuck on a flooded road today The bakery van was stranded after the River Ely broke its banks at St Fagans, in Cardiff, south-east Wales A three-man rescue team waded out to the Brakes food wholesaler lorry with a raft attached to a rope. They got the driver out of his cab through the window and brought him back to safety It is the third time in three weeks that the river flowing to the west of the city has flooded. The railway line has also been closed and trains diverted because of flooding. There are 11 flood warnings and 27 flood alerts across Wales following a night and morning of heavy rain. Meanwhile, amber and yellow warnings for rain were in place across large parts of the country after more than 50mm fell in parts. The Environment Agency has issued more than 30 flood warnings and 150 flood alerts with heavy rain predicted to affect areas of the country badly hit by last month's storms. Meanwhile, in Peterston-super-Ely, the Sportsmans Rest pub flooded for the third time in less than a month Flood barriers are being deployed to protect Hereford, three weeks after a record high on the River Wye of 6.11 metres - more than two metres above the level which leads to minor flooding in the city. The Environment Agency said the River Wye was expected to peak in Hereford tonight at around five metres, while the Met Office has warned of heavy rain in parts of Wales and northern England. Meanwhile, the River Severn in Shrewsbury is predicted to rise to levels which may cause flooding in the town on Wednesday. Amit Sinha | Getty Images CARLINVILLE Carlinville Primary School is among Illinois schools that have received grants for field trips through the Illinois Biodiversity Field Trip Grant Program. More than 7,000 students statewide will visit parks, natural areas, museums and other sites through $96,000 in donations. Coronavirus will peak in Australia some time between May and July unless it can be rapidly contained and the challenge for authorities is how to avoid being caught in a pinch. The worst-case scenario for the health system is for a surge of patients to require hospitalisation over a short period of time. In this "pinch" situation, there would not be enough respirators for the patients who needed them and usually treatable conditions would become life-threatening. Medical staff move a patient infected with the coronavirus from an ambulance to a hospital in Seoul on Monday. Credit:Getty Images ANU epidemiologist Meru Sheel said the purpose of the containment strategy, which involved following up with anyone who had been in contact with an infected patient, was to slow the spread of the virus. "What we don't want is the whole population to be infected in one go because the health system won't be able to support it," Dr Sheel said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nina A. Loasana and Asip Hasani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Pasuruan, East Java Tue, March 10, 2020 17:09 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2069aade7 1 National car-accident,workers,worker-rally,death,Pasuruan,East-Java,Flow-mineral-water,KASBI Free Four striking workers at PT Sumber Bening Lestari, the producer of Flow mineral water, have died after a car crashed into a tent in which they were sleeping in front of the company's gates in Pasuruan, East Java, in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Pasuruan Police traffic law enforcement head Adj. Com. Dwi Nugroho said the accident happened when the driver, identified as Sopyan Wahyu Pujoningrat, 32, lost control of his vehicle while traveling at high speed in front of the company. Sopyan crashed into six motorcycles parked on the sidewalk before hitting one of two tents in which workers striking for a minimum wage were sleeping. "The accident appears to have happened because the driver was drowsy," Dwi said on Tuesday as reported by kompas.com. Two other workers who were also in the tent were injured. Dwi said the Pasuruan Police were currently investigating the accident. "We've arrested the driver for questioning," he said. The Congress Alliance of Indonesian Labor Unions (KASBI) said in a written statement that it condemned the incident, alleging it was "murder" and "cruel". "The incident was barbaric and cruel. We condemn the murder of the workers. We ask police officers to investigate and arrest the perpetrators and mastermind of the murders and bring them to justice," the statement read. Akhmad Soim, the East Java coordinator of KASBI said the workers went on strike demanding the company increase their wages in accordance with the Pasuruan monthly minimum wage. "They also demanded the company provide health insurance. They already filed a lawsuit against the company," Akhmad told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. He said that there were indications that the accident was planned because it took place around the same time as the announcement of the first hearing for the company in the labor dispute. "[It's odd] because the accident happened around the same time as the court announced the schedule of the first hearing of the wage dispute, which would take place on March 19. The company received the announcement letter [from the court] yesterday," he said. He claimed that two years ago workers also went on strike and the company hired thugs to harass them. East Java Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Trunoyudho Wisnu Andiko said the police regarded the incident as a traffic accident. "But if the traffic police directorate find any indication of any intentional factor behind the incident then the investigation of the case will be taken over by the criminal directorate," Trunoyudho told the Post. The Alexandria school system sent an email to families Tuesday to say a small number of students and staff fewer than a dozen were self-quarantining because they had come into contact with people who have contracted the coronavirus or had visited foreign countries or traveled on cruise ships that were a concern. The individuals are affiliated with at least three school campuses in the city, a spokesman said. Those campuses were scheduled for deep-cleaning overnight. Last fall, Pences office scheduled his first visit to the headquarters, to get a firsthand look. But when the day came, Parscale canceled, even though the visit was already on the vice presidents official schedule. Parscale, who spends much of his time working from his Florida home though he recently said he would relocate to Washington told Pences office that the campaigns landlord had vetoed the idea, fearing a vice-presidential visit would disrupt other tenants. Pence was puzzled not to learn sooner, and the visit has not been rescheduled, two officials with knowledge of the episode said. What is now effectively a two-man race for the Democratic presidential nomination gets under way on Tuesday a week after Joe Biden benefited from a rapid consolidation of moderate and establishment voters, while Bernie Sanders outlasted Elizabeth Warren as the progressive lefts last hope. Here are the big questions heading into six primaries that put a combined 352 delegates at stake between Mr Biden and Mr Sanders: (PA Graphics) Can Mr Sanders actually catch Mr Biden? Fresh off Mr Bidens Super Tuesday surge, when he won 10 out of 14 state contests, the former vice president has 670 delegates to Mr Sanders 574, with some still to be allocated. Mr Sanders deficit is not insurmountable, considering 1,991 delegates are needed for the nomination. Making health care a right. Universal child care. Guaranteed paid leave. A livable planet. A homes guarantee. These are ideas that Joe Biden tells us are "pie in the sky." I don't think it's radical to say that in the richest country on Earth, our people should live in dignity. Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) March 10, 2020 But the Vermont senators hill is steeper than it might look given Democrats use a proportional system to award delegates, not a winner-take-all model like Republicans. Michigan and Washington, the states with the two largest delegate counts on Tuesday, are critical. Mr Sanders beat Hillary Clinton in both states four years ago, with his Michigan primary win giving him the momentum to carry on through the end of the nominating calendar in June. Even then, he never could catch Mrs Clinton. If there is no real path will a Sanders protest campaign remain? Top Sanders aides look back at 2016 and admit that the democratic socialist was running to make a point and did not expect his bid to blossom the way it did. This time, everyone in Mr Sanders circle said he is running to win. What does that mean if any reasonable path is closed? If Mr Sanders remains, and his passionate base along with him, will they act more as advocates for his progressive preferences as an aggressive insurgency bent on attacking Biden? Mr Sanders and Mr Biden have stuck mostly to differences on policy and vision. I put my faith in Michigan in the depths of the Great Recession and if you believe, as I do, that our greatest days still lie ahead, I hope that youll put your faith in Team Joe tomorrow. https://t.co/OvL5KU2Vap Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) March 9, 2020 But Mr Biden has made clear he is aware of Mr Sanders more outspoken supporters on social media. I know Im going to get a lot of suggestions on how to respond to what I suspect will be an increasingly negative campaign that the Bernie Brothers will run, Mr Biden told a group of donors over the weekend. But we cant tear this party apart and reelect Trump. We have to keep our eyes on the ball. Where do Elizabeth Warrens backers go? Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren ran as a progressive in Mr Sanders ideological lane, for months even avoiding her own single-payer health insurance proposal with a simple line: Im with Bernie. But Mr Sanders and Mr Bidens aides have always quietly argued that Ms Warren had more overlap at the ballot box with candidates like Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and Kamala Harris, each more moderate and establishment than Mr Sanders. Elizabeth Warrens supporters are now up for grabs (Steven Senne/AP) Super Tuesday trends suggest Ms Warrens backers do not migrate cleanly to Mr Sanders. In fact, there was evidence that some of her supporters chose Mr Biden even before Ms Warren dropped out, since Mr Biden won her home state of Massachusetts. Turnout: Will a November anti-Trump coalition continue to take shape? More surprising than Mr Bidens win total on Super Tuesday was the coalition behind it. In Virginia, about 500,000 more voters cast ballots in 2020 than in the 2016 primary, and it did not help Mr Sanders, who watched his vote share drop from 35% in 2016 to under 25% this year. Mr Biden, alternately, drew about 200,000 more votes than Mrs Clinton did four years ago, fuelled by his expected base of African Americans but also by white voters in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington DC. President Donald Trump will be the opponent of the Democratic nominee in November (Carolyn Kaster/AP) In North Carolina, Democratic turnout increased by 180,000 votes, with similar tendencies among urban and suburban voters. Those trends in two November battleground states suggest an expanding Democratic electorate deeply dissatisfied with President Donald Trump. The diversity in Michigan with heavily African American Detroit, the racially and ethnically mixed Detroit suburbs and wide swathes of working-class voters will offer another general election battleground measure for that coalitions enthusiasm. Will non-southern black voters deviate from southern trends? African Americans showed up for Mr Biden in a huge way on Super Tuesday, helping him win a competitive Texas primary and by wide margins in Alabama, North Carolina and Virginia. Whether that translates beyond the South could determine the outcome in Michigan and Missouri. In Detroit, Michigans largest city, more than 78% of residents are African American. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign rally at Renaissance High School in Detroit (Paul Sancya/AP) Black voters are key in St Louis and Kansas City, as well. Mr Sanders likely will be hoping for a younger black electorate: AP VoteCast data from Super Tuesday showed the senator about even with Mr Biden among black voters younger than 45. But older African Americans usually vote in higher proportions. Mr Biden expects a big victory in Mississippi, where a solid majority of Democratic ballots will be cast by African Americans. In neighbouring Alabama last week, more than seven out of 10 black voters chose Mr Biden. Who consolidates the unions rank and file? Michigan has more than enough union members to sway a presidential primary (about 600,000, according to federal statistics). Mr Biden and Mr Sanders both make a claim on being labours candidate, Mr Biden more through relationships with union leaders and Mr Sanders with direct appeals to the rank and file. Bernie Sanders campaigns in St Louis (Jeff Roberson/AP) Mr Sanders got the better of that mix in Nevada. The Culinary Union there nodded to Mr Biden by criticising Mr Sanders single-payer Medicare for All health insurance idea, but the union did not endorse, and caucus sites up and down the Las Vegas Strip showed Mr Sanders got rank-and-file support. Mr Sanders will likely need a repeat in Michigan, where the most high-profile labour group, the United Auto Workers, has not taken a side. Not only but by ourselves can we free our mind! Robert Nesta Marley It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the 2003 Award Dinner of the Nigerian Lawyers Association. Tonight is truly a very special night; an evening of celebration for our Association, our members, friends and supporters. On behalf of our Association, I want to thank each and every one of you for coming out here to celebrate with us. Tonight, we celebrate our rich heritage and honorable profession. We are lawyers, proud lawyers, from various parts of Nigeria, Africa and indeed, the World. We also celebrate our duty of good and useful citizenship and the enduring obligation to steadfastly give back to our respective communities. Our Association is dedicated to professional excellence and public service. Given our brief history, we have successfully organized seminars on a variety of topics ranging from Tax and Immigration to Real Estate, at little or no cost to the public. We have offered some of these seminars, free of charge and as CLE-eligible sessions to members of the Bar. A few months ago, we successfully organized a seminar at the New York Harvard Club on the privatization efforts in Nigeria and the attendant investment opportunities. We have also repeatedly heeded the calls for help from our fallen brethren and participated in various relief efforts, including after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the recent explosions at the Ikeja cantonment in Lagos, Nigeria. The recipient of our Merit Award this year, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, personifies the ideals of our Association. Her professional excellence is amply demonstrated by the numerous academic honors and acclamations that have been bestowed upon her. Likewise, her position as the first female Vice President & Corporate Secretary of the World Bank Group speaks loudly about her professional competence. But, perhaps, equally or even more importantly, is her ability to touch so many other lives and to reach back into her community, well exceeding her call of duty. In fact, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala took an extended leave of absence from the World Bank to serve as an Economic Adviser to the President of Nigeria. And, if I may add, she has accomplished all these while simultaneously balancing her role as a wife and mother. Tonights keynote speaker, Honorable Gregory W. Meeks, is also a superb embodiment of professional excellence and dedication to public service. He is a first-rate lawyer, from this Great State of New York, who has successfully parlayed his legal skills towards the highest echelons of public service. The breadth of the various top positions Congressman Meeks has held over his very successful career is a vivid testimony to his dedication to public service. Moreover, his leadership roles in the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Subcommittee on Africa are further evidence of his unwavering dedication to giving back to our communities. As an Association of Officers of the Court, we recognize the time-proven adage that a society is ultimately judged by how it treats its least powerful citizens. To this end, we have remained very outspoken and steadfast in our strident protests against the administration of Sharia Laws in Nigeria, especially its disparate effects on female members of the community. Ladies & Gentlemen, we promise to remain firmly against the laws of any organized government that would stone a woman to death for engaging in consensual sex, especially when the apparent male partner is regularly set free under a pretextual legal technicality. Finally, a national election was held in Nigeria last month. The controversy that subsequently ensued, not unlike what took place here in the US in 2000, even after more than 200 years of practice, proves that allegations of voting irregularities is not that uncommon. To tackle this issue, the Nigerian government, especially given its status as a fledgling democratic government, must understand and confront the urgent and formidable challenge of establishing an independent judiciary. To this end, we intend to intensify our efforts to assist the government and the Nigerian citizenry in their efforts to properly accord the judiciary the recognition necessary for it to carry out its pivotal role in the current democratic experiment. Before I conclude, I must once again thank everyone who has contributed to making this years dinner such a fabulous success. Special thanks goes to Ms.Beatrice A. Hamza, our immediate past president and chair of the organizing committee for her committees wonderful efforts in ensuring the success of tonights event. I must also acknowledge our corporate sponsors, including, Hughes, Hubbard & Reed LLP; Mr. Arthur Jackson and the Thomson Group; John Edozie of Madu, Edozie & Madu; Choice Abstract Corp.; The Thorgood Law Firm; Maduegbuna Cooper, LLP; Mr. Eric Aghadiuno and Devace, Inc.; Placid & Emmanuel; Domenic Mizio; Venable, Baetjer & Howard, LLP; and the Law Office of Austin Idehen. Thank you and may God be with you! Sincerely, Shamsey Oloko President Marvell Foods, Food Brokers, Food Liquidators, Distress Food Buyers Ready to help cruise lines stranded with close-coded food products, to mitigate losses, reduce costs by providing salvage services A way to mitigate costs associated with storing or warehousing fresh or frozen food products is to sell them, says Raybin, President, Marvell Foods, a company that specializes in food liquidation, food trading, surplus foods and opportunity buys with a national and international network of buyers. The economic impacts from the Corona Virus on the global economy are already being felt. The cruise line industry is being hit early, fast and hard. A further crushing blow to the cruise industry took the form of a headline in the Los Angeles Times on March 9th: U.S. has a Corona Virus Warning for its Citizens: Dont Travel on Cruise Ships. Cruise Lines Food Supply Chains Hit Hard As consumers cancel their cruises, and as various states require suspension of cruises, cruise lines may find themselves with an unmanageable and costly abundance of a huge range of refrigerated and frozen food products, and food-related supplies. Marvell Foods, a buyer and broker of surplus and salvage food products is prepared to assist by mitigating losses to help cruise lines, and their various food vendors - such as manufacturers, co-packers, and distributors, sell excess food products they may find themselves unfortunately stuck with. Marvell Foods Can Salvage Close-Coded Food Theres a good chance this food will go to waste, says Marilyn Raybin, President of Marvell Foods, one of the nations leading food trading companies. There is probably going to be an extremely serious down-line economic impact to all these various food chain suppliers, says Raybin. Raybin points out that the cost to manufacturers simply for storage of these backlogged, and warehoused products that the cruise lines might not even want will likely end up sitting in storage. Storage takes up space and is costly, says Raybin. No one likes paying storage costs on product that has nowhere to go, adds Raybin. Cruise Lines Can Reduce Food Cost Losses Through Marvell Foods A way to mitigate some of these expenses is to sell these products, and recoup some of the costs, by moving them into other outlets, says Raybin, a third-generation player in the food industry, this is what we specialize in, whether for retail or food service, we have an enormous network of buyers both nationally and internationally. If you are a food manufacturer, supplier, co-packer or a distributor who is impacted in some way by these events, we will do our best to be of service to you. About Marvell Foods As a third-generation, family-run company, Marvell Foods has built unparalleled relationships and networks across a wide range of product categories with companies and suppliers from around the United States. During more than three decades in the food industry, Marvell Foods had earned an international brand name as a leading Secondary and Surplus Foods buyer and close coded excess inventory food seller that provides a host of specialized services in the food industry. The food services industry is huge; Marvell Foods caters to a wide array of unique and specific niches for food manufacturers, suppliers, co-packers, producers, wholesalers and retailers, particularly deep discount retail stores, the prison system and other institutional entities and organizations, including food banks. A leader among overstock food brokers, Marvell Foods is the top choice for grocery liquidators and a leader in the food services industry providing surplus, overage, and distress or food salvage solutions. For Interviews with Marilyn Raybin, contact: Media Contact: Jeff Mustard http://www.TheBambooAgency.com jeff@thebambooagency.com | direct: 954-801-8263 Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard is betting that big spending increases in the budget he tabled Tuesday will stimulate the provincial economy enough to ward off any economic damage resulting from the novel coronavirus. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/3/2020 (671 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard, centre, is applauded by Quebec Premier Francois Legault, right, and members of the government as he stands to present his budget speech, Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at the Quebec legislature. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard is betting that big spending increases in the budget he tabled Tuesday will stimulate the provincial economy enough to ward off any economic damage resulting from the novel coronavirus. The Coalition Avenir Quebec government's second budget projects a $2.7-billion surplus, increases program spending by 5.1 per cent over the previous fiscal year and includes billions more in borrowed funds to finance big-ticket infrastructure projects such as new public transit. Girard told reporters government "has a role to play to stimulate the economy" amid disruptions in global supply chains and weakening private demand for products and services due to the global spread of COVID-19. "It's possible the virus has an impact on consumer and business confidence," he said. But, he added, the spending increases are "coming at the right time." Girard acknowledged that the effects of the virus on the global economy are evolving quickly. As of Saturday, he said, his department estimated the virus could cause global economic growth to fall by half a percentage point this year. "When we look at the sensitivity of the Quebec economy to the world economy, it could correspond to about half, so 0.25 per cent," he said. "All this is manageable." Moreover, the 2020-21 budget provides a surplus of $2.7 billion that could be used to cushion any unforeseen blows from the virus, Girard said. Liberal finance critic Carlos Leitao called the lack of specific funding to address the effects of the coronavirus "hazardous." He said it's been clear since the beginning of the year that the global, Canadian and Quebec economies are slowing. On Monday, he had called for a contingency fund of roughly $1 billion to deal with economic shocks caused by the virus. "There is zero," Leitao said. "Absolutely nothing, no provision for eventualities. I think it's extremely hazardous to make a budget like that in this economic climate." Girard, however, said, "We are ready." Health and education program spending will grow significantly in 2020-21, by 5.3 per cent and 4.5 per cent respectively. Girard said if the Health Department needs more money for coronavirus-related spending, "we have the capacity to deliver." The budget also includes an increase of $15.1 billion in infrastructure spending over the next 10 years, bringing the total to $130.5 billion. That money, which will be borrowed primarily through the sale of government bonds, is earmarked to fund new schools, senior centres and major public transit projects. The budget projects the province borrowing about $14 billion for capital spending in 2020-21 and about $27 billion a year after that, until 2024-25. Girard said another factor giving him confidence Quebec can weather the expected storm is the fact the province's economic fundamentals are so strong. "It's important to understand where we are starting from," he said before tabling his budget in the legislature. "The foundations of the Quebec economy are extremely solid and the performance of the Quebec economy is really in a good position." GDP grew by 2.8 per cent in 2019, up a full percentage point from what Girard had forecast this time last year. He estimates GDP growth in 2020 will be 2.0 per cent. Quebec projects its revenues will grow 2.8 per cent in fiscal 2020-21, to roughly $121.3 billion, and its expenditures will be $118.6 billion during the same period, leaving a $2.7 billion surplus that will be deposited into a special fund created to pay down debt. And while the province says its gross GDP-to-debt ratio has declined to 43 per cent, the government is still significantly in debt, by close to $197.7 billion. The province's projected debt servicing costs for 2020-21 are $8.3 billion. Despite higher revenues and stronger GDP, the government budgeted only modest tax cuts in the form of school tax reductions. The measure amounts to roughly $180 million in 2020-21. With a stylized tree on the cover of the budget's printed version, the government framed it as focused on the environment, and it budgeted $6.2 billion over six years to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Most of that money is projected to come from revenues collected by businesses from the carbon market in which it participates with California. The new government money equals $2.1 billion over the same period. Just like their government, Quebecers are making more money and spending more, the budget shows. Girard projects the province will collect 5.8 per cent more in income taxes this fiscal year and 3.8 per cent more in consumption taxes. The budget says 77,700 jobs were created in 2019, and the unemployment rate was 5.1 per cent. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2020. A Lehigh Valley infectious disease expert said it looks like its only a matter of time before the area see its first case of the coronavirus. Thats partly because the Lehigh Valley is a densely populated area with a lot of travel into and out of the region, says Dr. Jeffrey Jahre, senior vice president of medical and academic affairs and the section chief of infectious diseases at St. Lukes University Health Network. Then there are the cases already confirmed in counties contiguous to Lehigh and Northampton counties, including Bucks, Monroe and Montgomery counties. "I think most people feel that it will be inevitable that it will be everywhere at some point," Jahre said Tuesday. "I think it's inevitable that there will be a case in our region probably sooner than later." How dense the caseload ends up being remains to be seen, he said in an interview with lehighvalleylive.com, and he pointed out some things for local residents to keep in mind. Certainly people should be concerned but that has to be tempered with the facts so you can put it in perspective and not be overly alarmed about it, Jahre said. 1. Coronavirus illness appears to have an acceleration phase If it seems like coronavirus cases are growing exponentially, they are. COVID-19, the name of the illness caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), seems to have what Jahre called an acceleration phase. This can be demonstrated by the situation in Italy, which went from nine cases two and a half weeks ago to 9,172 cases as of Tuesday, according to the World Health Organization. Thats the most in any country outside China, where the outbreak began in December. Globally, the WHO reports 113,702 confirmed cases as of Tuesday, with 80,924 in China. There have been 4,012 deaths. Pennsylvania's cases have been linked to other cases, rather than what's known as community spread, Jahre noted. Again, is that likely to happen? he asked of community spread. I think most people would feel that it is certainly likely to happen, but its important to know that it is not happening. 2. Elderly are being hit hardest "When it comes to talking to people about this disease it's well to know that more than 80% of people that have this disease have either mild or insignificant illness," Jahre said. It's primarily hitting hardest people in certain risk groups, generally defined as the elderly over 80 years old and those with significant underlying health issues like heart or lung disease or diabetes, according to Jahre. It appears to pose an insignificant threat against children under age 12, with people under age 19 comprising only 2% of cases worldwide, Jahre said: "Not everybody who gets this is going to have a serious illness by any stretch of the imagination." Those who are at risk of serious illness from the coronavirus are advised to avoid discretionary travel -- anything not absolutely necessary, Jahre said. Those taking a cruise, for example, might find themselves quarantined if an outbreak occurs, or if youre in a foreign country and you become infected, youd be forced to rely on that countrys standard of care, he noted. To protect at-risk groups, recommendations that skilled nursing facilities limit visitors were issued this week by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living. Many nursing homes were already limiting visitation due to the ongoing outbreak of influenza that can cause serious, sometimes fatal complications in the elderly, Jahre noted. 3. Have a plan Jahre advises stocking up on enough food and medications for two weeks, the length of time of coronavirus-related quarantine. People at risk of complications should also arrange to have reliable caregivers to help them as needed. We always tell people you dont have to be excessive about food, Jahre said, but he noted a week or two worth of staples is always good to have on hand -- irrespective of this current outbreak. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises people who rely on medications to ask their health-care provider about obtaining an extra supply, or consider a mail-order supplier. Be sure you have over-the-counter medicines and medical supplies (tissues, etc.) to treat fever and other symptoms. Most people will be able to recover from COVID-19 at home, the CDC advises. Have enough household items and groceries on hand so that you will be prepared to stay at home for a period of time. 4. Stay current on developments with a trustworthy source "This is a fast-moving situation and so whatever we're saying today may well change by this afternoon or by tomorrow morning," Jahre said Tuesday. He recommends following trustworthy sources, like the CDCs coronavirus webpage. The Pennsylvania Department of Health also maintains a webpage dedicated to coronavirus, including newly diagnosed case counts. Here is the link to the New Jersey Department of Healths coronavirus page. St. Lukes has a frequently asked questions page dedicated to the coronavirus at slhn.org. 5. Dont fixate on getting tested "I want to make sure people understand: Not everyone who just wants a test should have it," Jahre said. According to the CDC: If you are a close contact of someone with COVID-19 and develop symptoms of COVID-19, call your health care provider and tell them about your symptoms and your exposure. They will decide whether you need to be tested, but keep in mind that there is no treatment for COVID-19 and people who are mildly ill are able to isolate at home. Fever is the No. 1 symptom of COVID-19, along with cough and shortness of breath. But a fever of around 99.5 may just be the common cold, while a fever of 101-102 might be the flu -- depending on your contacts and recent travel history. "If you have a runny nose, that's not it," Jahre said. We dont want to be doing testing on people who truly dont need it, he continued, noting that if community outbreaks grow with a lot of person-to-person transmission, recommendations may change: Thats why you have to be able to keep cognizant of current events. 6. Maintain good personal hygiene Jahre echoed the CDCs recommendations on avoiding the coronavirus and other illnesses: Frequently wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or use the inside of your elbow. Clean frequently touched objects and surfaces. Stay home when sick. Editors note: This article has been updated to correct that two people in Hunterdon County were under investigation for the coronavirus, but they have not tested positive for the illness. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. US President Donald Trump has admitted publicly that the Taliban could well take over power in Afghanistan, arguing that the United States cannot be there for another 20 years. The US can only hold someones hand for so long, Trump said adding that eventually the Afghan people will have to protect themselves. This stark disavowal of any responsibility for Afghanistans future exposes the cosmetic nature of the agreement with the Taliban. Strife on ground This brutal acknowledgement of the unfolding reality in Afghanistan comes after the Taliban, on the heels of its agreement with the US, attacked 43 checkposts of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) in the Helmand area on March 3 that killed 25 Afghan soldiers. Retaliatory US airstrikes took place on March 4 that were preceded by a bizarre telephone call between Trump and Mullah Baradar (who leads a terrorist group and is not head of state or government). On March 6, a murderous terrorist attack claimed by the Islamic State in Kabul killed 27 people and wounded another 81. Soldiers at a checkpost in Kunduz, Afghanistan. (Photo: Reuters) By this agreement, Trump has made it plain that he does not intend to uphold any of the declared tenets of US foreign policy, be it the combat against religious extremism and terrorism, defence of human rights, promotion of democracy, commitment to gender equality, and so on. In these negotiations, Americas hand has been weak, having already acknowledged that a military solution to the Afghanistan conflict was not possible, and pressure on Trump, before the presidential election in November, to deliver on his campaign promise to bring the US troops back home. The US is not going to recommit itself to Afghanistan no matter what happens ahead, and Trump has affirmed this rather casually. The clause in the February 29 US-Afghan government Joint Declaration that the US will seek funds annually to support the training, equipping, advising and sustaining of Afghan security forces seems to be a paper exercise because once the US withdraws, Afghanistan will lose strategic value and the commitment to maintain financial support for an Afghan government with the Taliban in it would make little sense. The stark disavowal of any responsibility for Afghanistans future by the US President Donald Trump exposes the cosmetic nature of the agreement with the Taliban. (Photo: Reuters) The US has effectively capitulated to the Taliban. It has bypassed the legitimate government in Kabul. Worse, it has signed an agreement with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA); the caveat in it that the US does not recognise the IEA is just a verbal coverup. Under the agreement, after a timebound initial reduction, all US and allied troops will be out in 14 months, including non-diplomatic civilian personnel, private security contractors, trainers, advisors, and supporting services personnel. This implies no retention of bases or residual forces to prevent a full Taliban takeover. No mention of terror The Taliban, according to the agreement, will not allow its members, other individuals or groups, including Al Qaeda, to use the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States and its allies. The Islamic State is omitted, though it is mentioned in the US-Afghan Joint Declaration. Groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaishe-Mohammed which are UN-designated terrorist organisations are also left out, which leaves India exposed. India-US strengthened counter-terrorism cooperation has meaning essentially in the Pakistan-Afghanistan context, which is why omitting any reference to Talibans regional responsibility to not permit violence emanating from its soil is a serious lacuna. The uncertain future of Afghanistan is a problem for India. Pakistan, which has assisted in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table, has obtained a political role in Afghanistan through the Taliban which it will use to control developments there, including with regard to Indias presence and future role. India has been right in not engaging with the Taliban. It was and is under compulsion to legitimise the takeover of Afghanistan by a radical Islamic force and indirectly promote Pakistans geopolitical ambitions. Chabahar slowdown The Taliban have to make the first move openly to reach out to India, as that would indicate how much they are thinking nationally and want to resist Pakistans hold over them. It was the right move to send our Foreign Secretary to Kabul as the US-Taliban agreement was signed to mark our support for an independent, sovereign, democratic, pluralistic, and inclusive Afghanistan, and for an enduring and inclusive peace and reconciliation that is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled. He also rightly referred to an end to externally sponsored terrorism. Prospect of a civil conflict if the Taliban seeks a complete takeover as can be expected, the groups expected reticence towards India and leaning towards Pakistan, not the least because of religious affinity, and Irans ambiguity are bound to cast a shadow on the Chabahar projects salience This project had strategic meaning in the context of an independent Afghanistan seeking a strong relationship with India and a loosening of Pakistans geographical grip over it. A Taliban-dominated Afghanistan would have reduced stakes in this project. Iranian Supreme leader Khameneis highly offensive religious outburst against India over the Delhi riots calls into question the quality of India-Iran ties and the robustness of Chabahar project looking ahead. (Courtesy of Mail Today) Also read: How America is hastily exiting Afghanistan, leaving it to the the Taliban, China and Pakistan The Kano State government has spoken on why it used security operatives to force Muhammed Sanusi out of his palace Monday after his dethronement as Emir of Kano. The Special Adviser to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje on Media, Salihu Yakasai, on Channels Television Sunrise Daily programme on Tuesday, said Mr Sanusis refusal to leave honourably caused his forceful eviction. Mr Yakasai said if the dethroned emir had humbled himself and left the palace immediately he was briefed, there would not have been any drama. They (government) wanted it to be a quiet thing. That is the standard, the law. A deposed emir has to leave the state as it was done in the past but I dont know what happened in the palace that caused the delay. At the initial stage, the emir wasnt willing to leave the palace and that was why you saw what we saw with the security forces and what have you. If he had left willingly, I dont think you would have seen such a reaction from the security apparatus, he said. He said though the situation was tense, normalcy has been restored in the state. Speaking on why Mr Sanusis removal became necessary, Mr Yakasai said no government in power would condone his criticism. The emir had access to the governor and could have advised him if he wanted to, but unfortunately, he only finds podiums and stages as the only means to advise the government, which is not right. READ ALSO: So, you can portray it as political or whatever, but the fact remains that no one would allow such disrespect and open criticism when you have access to him, he said. PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Sanusi was dethroned and sent on exile on Monday. On Tuesday, the former Central Bank of Nigeria governor arrived in Nasarawa state. In his reaction, Mr Sanusi said his dethronement was the will of God. The parents of two teenagers killed in a car crash are suing the Florida Highway Patrol and others, claiming the bodies of their daughters were misidentified and switched. The lawsuits follow a July 29 crash in the Pensacola area involving four friends. Two of them were killed: Deleigha Leigha Gibson, 18, and Samara Cooks, 15. Despite their age difference and different physical characteristics, according the lawsuits their identities were switched. One was also an organ donor and the other was not, leading to a mix-up in harvesting organs, according to the lawsuits. Deleighas father, Demetrius Gibson, said its been hard for the family to deal with not only the car crash but also the problem in identifying the bodies. Basically, we were heartbroken about that. We are just trying to get everything right and give her a proper burial, he said in an interview Friday. The lawsuits seek unspecified damages from the FHP, several Escambia County officials and two funeral homes. FHP did not immediately return a request for comment Friday. The funeral homes declined comment. There were four teenagers in the car that night. The parents said they were known as the Four Amigos and spent many hours together. Their car veered out of control about 1:30 a.m. on July 29, hit a utility pole and then skidded into trees. Two of them died. The mother of Samara Cooks, Renada Cooks, said she traveled from her Atlanta home to verify her daughters remains. What she found shocked her as well as Gibsons mother, Tammy. I walked in to see my daughter, and I saw Tammys daughter. Precious moments were taken away from us that we deserved to have, she said. According to the lawsuits, the local medical examiner released the wrong bodies to the wrong funeral homes, which embalmed the wrong bodies without authorization. One of the teenagers, Gibson, had signed up to be an organ donor in the case of her death. Instead, authorities apparently harvested organs from Cooks, who had not given consent. The lawsuit also said that when Cooks mother brought clothes to one of the funeral homes, the funeral home staff told her that she needed even larger clothes because they would not fit Samara Cooks. That was because the body in the funeral home was that of Deleigha Gibson. The lawsuits were filed by the Gibson and Cooks families in Escambia County Circuit Court. Both demand a jury trial. No trial date has been scheduled. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Auto Florida Personal Auto An Indian-origin man has been sentenced to seven years in prison in the US after he was found guilty of rape. Ashok Singh, 59, of Pennsylvania was convicted at trial of forcible rape, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said on Monday. He has been sentenced to seven years in prison. Singh was accused of forcibly raping a woman after he had helped her find a place to live and aided her in moving in a basement apartment in Queens in December of 2015. "The victim met the defendant in a Queens temple and trusted him when he offered to assist her in finding a place to live. This defendant, however, was a predator who waited for an opportunity to victimize this woman. "In the victim's new home, the defendant forced himself on her and then later apologised for the attack telling her he would 'never do it again without permission,'" Katz said. In November 2019, Singh was found guilty of rape in the first and third degree and unlawful imprisonment in the second degree. Queens Supreme Court Justice Gia Morris sentenced Singh to seven year in prison, which will be followed by five years' post release supervision. He is also required to register as a sex offender. Katz said that, according to trial testimony, the victim, a 40-year-old woman, visited a temple to look for rental postings on the bulletin board. At this place of worship, she met Singh, who offered to help her find a place to live. They exchanged phone numbers and four days later, Singh called her with that he'd found her an apartment and that she needed to move in right away. Singh helped the woman move into the unit and afterwards, he went grocery shopping for food and wine and returned to the apartment. According to trial testimony, the victim turned down the offer of wine, at which Singh became enraged. Singh threw her on the bed and forcibly raped her. When he fell asleep, the victim ran out of the apartment, contacted a friend for help and the police were called. Later, at an area hospital where the victim was being treated, Singh called her and left a voicemail message on her cell phone. He said that he was sorry and that he would never do it again without her permission. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Indian fishermen stranded in Iran after the country declared health emergency due to coronavirus outbreak last week are hopeful of being airlifted and brought home soon. Their hopes were raised after India on Monday decided to send its largest transport flight to airlift stranded Indians. Apart from fishermen, several students and pilgrims on Qom visit are also stranded in Iran, which is one of worst COVID 19-affected countries We are yet to get any assurance from the embassy. But we are hopeful of going home soon, said Jagajeevan Netto, one of the fishermen from Thiruvananthapuram, in a voice message to his father James Netto. Jagajeevan is among the 60 fishermen from Kerala stranded in various coastal areas of Iran. There are hundreds of others from Tamil Nadu and Gujarat as well. They went to Iran on fishermen visa four months ago. The fishermen had complained that the Indian embassy in Bandar Abbas did not enquire about their well being. We are running short of food. We do not know how we are going to survive, said Jagajeevan. According to James, the fishermen made an attempt to go out, but the police arrested their captain. They were threatened that their phones would be confiscated if they go out, said James. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted the embassy continued to maintain close contact with fishermen. No case of corona reported among them. Will continue to monitor their welfare, tweeted the minister. DHARMSALA, India - Tibetan President-in-exile Lobsang Sangay urged the United Nations human rights chief on Tuesday to visit Tibet to examine rights violations and press for unrestricted access to the China-controlled region. Sangya made the statement as the Central Tibetan Administration, the exile government, commemorated the 61st Tibetan Uprising Day on Tuesday. On March 10, 1959, Chinese soldiers crushed a Tibetan uprising in Lhasa, forcing the spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and over 80,000 Tibetans into exile in India and other countries. China announced last month that the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet, will visit China this year. Bachelet, a former president of Chile, has been pushing China to allow U.N. officials to investigate reports of disappearances and arbitrary detentions, particularly of Muslims in the Xinjiang region. Sangya wants Bachelet to add Tibet to her itinerary. We strongly urge her to visit Tibet and press China for unfettered access in order to monitor the deteriorating human rights conditions in Tibet, he said. If the Chinese government harbours any hope that the Tibet issue will gradually lose its momentum, we would like to send a clear message that we will persist. The indomitable courage of Tibetans inside Tibet will continue to inspire those of us in exile to strengthen our commitment, he said. He said Tibetans still want genuine autonomy, and for that, the Chinese government must resume dialogue with the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Meanwhile, members of the Tibetan Students Association of Madras organized a march in Chennai as part of the commemorations of Uprising Day, the Press Trust of India news agency said. The protesters carried banners reading Lets talk China and China, wake up, no more killings. China does not recognize the Tibetan government-in-exile and accuses the Dalai Lama of seeking to separate Tibet from China. The Dalai Lama denies being a separatist and says he merely advocates substantial autonomy and protection of the regions Buddhist culture. Around 140,000 Tibetans now live in exile, mostly in India. Over 6 million Tibetans live in the Tibet region. The U.N. and rights activists say at least 1 million ethnic Uighur and other Muslims are held in detention centres in Xinjiang. China rejects charges that they are detention centres, and describes the centres as training facilities to help stamp out terrorism and extremism. The number of deaths due to coronavirus continues to increase as Iran reported 54 new death cases on Tuesday (March 10, 2020) which is the highest single-day toll since the outbreak of the virus in the country. The total deaths reported in Iran has reached up to 291 making it one of the most affected countries after China and Italy. Iran's Health Minister Kianoush Jahanpour informed that a total of 881 new cases had been confirmed, bringing the total infection tally to 8,042. Iran has also released about 70,000 prisoners because of coronavirus said Iranian judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi. Earlier on Tuesday, India evacuated the first batch of 58 Indian pilgrims from coronavirus-hit Iran in an Air Force (IAF) military aircraft - C-17 Globemaster. The aircraft landed at Ghaziabad's Hindon Air Force station. The plane with 14 Air Force officials and 4 medical staff was being led by Wing Commander Karan Kapoor and it landed in Tehran at 2 am IST. This is the second time C17 is being sent to evacuate Indians this year. In February, India had sent C17 to evacuate Indians from Wuhan, China. The global death toll due to coronavirus had gone up to 4016 and the total positive cases reported worldwide is as high as 113,710. Outside of China, Italy has reported the highest number of deaths with the number up to 463. Meanwhile, the whole of Italy has been placed under lockdown until next month said Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Monday. In mainland China, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have recovered so far. Coronavirus first originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan and has killed more than 3,100 people in that country alone. The virus is now spread into more than 90 countries and has affected the global economy at large. An Idaho man accused in the September killing of a man has been charged with the additional crime of cannibalism and authorities in court documents said the suspect believed he could "cure his brain" by eating some of the victim. Parents of children stuck in Iran met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at the Kashmir International Conference Centre here on Monday. In the about an hour long meeting, the parents made a joint request to the Minister to bring back their children to India at the earliest. Since the outbreak of coronavirus, the parents are worried about the safety of their children as Iran has recorded the highest number of deaths due to coronavirus after China and Italy. Jaishankar also tweeted about the meeting. He wrote: "Met in #Srinagar the families of Indian students in #Iran. Assured them that our Embassy @India_in_Iran is monitoring their welfare. We are committed to facilitating their early return to India." Syed Mehdi Hussain Rizwi, whose daughter Massoma Rizwi is doing MBBS in Iran, told IANS: "Her college has closed for last 15 days, we talk every day over the phone, the only thing she asks when she can return to Kashmir." "The Minister told us that a team from India has been sent to Iran, but we are told it is there for the pilgrims and not for students," Rizwi said. Another parent Bashir Ahmad is worried about his son, Faizan, doing MBBS from Shiraz University in Iran. He says the low speed Internet in Kashmir is making it difficult for him to freely interact with his son. But in whatever interactions he has had so far, his son has been telling him that the situation is becoming unbearable and he wants to be home at the earliest. "My son is very worried, we don't know how to deal with the situation, he is not able to sleep in Iran and here in Kashmir his parents are not able to sleep, we want him back soonest," Ahmad said. "There was no clear assurance, we were told that the government is working on a plan to bring back our children, but I think that it is merely a dilly dallying tactic," Ahmad said. "We want our children to be brought back to Kashmir so they are spared their mental agony; we are frustrated as the disease is spreading fast." The parents have made repeated requests to the government to bring their children back to Kashmir from Iran. Last week they staged a protest in Srinagar urging the government to evacuate their children stuck in Iran after the outbreak of coronavirus. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10) Students should think twice before using the five-day class suspension in Metro Manila over the coronavirus outbreak for leisure and recreation. Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano said students caught hanging out in malls, cinemas, and other public spaces without a parent or guardian will be told to go home. "Sisitahin ang mga bata na hindi accompanied ng kanilang mga magulang... The purpose of the suspension of classes is to make sure our children stay at home," Ano told reporters on Tuesday, adding they should be doing their homework. [Translation: We will flag children seen in public who are not accompanied by their parents.] The Department of the Interior and Local Government said it has instructed mayors, barangay officials, and policemen to keep children and teenagers away from crowded places, assigning them as "truant officers". "Ia-advise silang umuwi. Kung kinakailangang ihatid sila ng pulis, ihahatid sila ng pulis," Ano added. [Translation: They will be told to go home. If the police need to accompany them, they will.] The Cabinet official said while the youth can be resistant to COVID-19 with strong immunity, they could be carriers of the virus and infect their relatives especially their grandparents upon arriving home if they came in contact with in infected person. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra told reporters there's "nothing wrong" with the DILG plan to require students to go home or be ushered by the police away from malls or big crowds. "In this state of public health emergency, certain personal or individual freedoms, like the freedom to travel or just even move around, may have to give way to societal interest or the common good," Guevarra said. "Students found in malls will not be arrested, they will simply be asked to go home and stay put to avoid possible infection and transmission of the virus." Assignments required Teachers in Metro Manila schools have been told to give take-home assignments to keep students busy amid class suspensions meant to contain the novel coronavirus, the Department of Education said. "Required sila (teachers) na magbigay ng mga assignment sa mga estudyante to allow the process of learning to proceed at home," Education Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan told CNN Philippines' Newsroom Ngayon on Tuesday. [Translation: They (teachers) are required to give assignments to students. ] "This is really a challenging circumstance, but we understand the public health situation that we are trying to address at this point," he added. President Rodrigo Duterte announced Monday night that classes in Metro Manila will be suspended until Saturday, March 14 to help contain the spread of the COVID-19 disease, with local transmissions reported in the region. As of now, 21 of the 24 confirmed cases are in the country, with a number of them gettting infected with the disease in the Philippines. RELATED: Arrest allowed for refusal to follow measures vs. COVID-19 DOH Malaluan noted that giving take-home tasks is also a way to keep kids away from public places. "Itong intervention na ito [This intervention] of suspension of classes can only be effective if the students will remain at home and will not go to places that exposes them to big crowds," he said. Apart from frequent and thorough handwashing, experts said "social distancing" or maintaining a one-meter distance from other people is a way to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. DepEd's executive committee will be meeting on Tuesday to assess if schools will need additional class days to catch up with face-to-face lectures. The school year is set to end Friday, April 3, but the rules require 203 school days, Malaluan said. Classes have also been suspended for several days in January due to Taal volcano's eruption. READ: How to protect yourself from coronavirus He added that there could be changes to graduation ceremonies, as this event also attracts large crowds and involves repeated handshaking when a school official gives out diplomas and medals. The Royal Caribbean cruise ship Anthem of the Seas is docked after passengers were removed with possible coronavirus symptoms at the port of Bayonne, New Jersey (Reuters) - Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd on Tuesday withdrew its first-quarter and full-year forecast, and increased its credit capacity by $550 million to boost liquidity amid concerns around the rapid spreading of coronavirus. Cruise operators are among the worst hit by the epidemic, which originated in mainland China and has killed more than 3,800 people, as travel restrictions and fears of the virus spreading have led to cancellations of trips. Royal Caribbean said it would cut spending, operating expenses and take other actions to improve liquidity by at least another $1.7 billion in 2020. "These are extraordinary times and we are taking these steps to manage the company prudently and conservatively," Chief Executive Officer Richard Fain said. Shares of the company, which have lost nearly 64% of the their value so this year, were up about 6% before the bell. Grand Princess, the ocean liner owned by rival Carnival Corp , was docked off its destination on Monday and its passengers are quarantined for two weeks after 21 people aboard it were tested positive for coronavirus, which causes the respiratory disease known as COVID-19. More than 113,000 infections in over 100 countries have been reported, with vast majority in mainland China. A U.S. health official asked Americans earlier this week to avoid cruises altogether during the crisis. Earlier in the day, leading U.S. airlines American and Delta suspended 2020 financial guidance and took drastic further measures to combat the impact of the epidemic. (Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli) 1980 was the first year the Government issued a decision to recognize professors and associate professors for scientific research and university lecturing. Ninety-one individuals have been recognized as professors in mathematics so far, including four professors recognized exceptionally. The latter are Ta Quang Buu and Le Van Thiem (prior to 1980), Ngo Bao Chau (2005) and Vu Ha Van (2009). Prof Vu Ha Van Buu and Thiem are the founders of Vietnamese science. The years of granting professorship title is unclear. Meanwhile, Chau and Van are excellent mathematicians living and working overseas. Of the other 87 professors, there are only two female professors Hoang Xuan Sinh, who gmreceived the title at the age of 47, in 1980, and Le Thi Thanh Nhan, 45, in 2015. 1980 was the first year the Government issued a decision to recognize professors and associate professors for scientific research and university lecturing. According to Tia Sang, a prestigious Vietnamese science journal, the number of recognized professors in mathematics is on the decrease. After 1986, because of changes in Vietnam and the world, Vietnam for a long time witnessed a serious lack of lecturers and researchers in mathematics. The situation has improved recently thanks to the establishment and support of NAFOSTED, a fund supporting scientific research, and the 2010-2020 national mathematics development program, under the Vietnam Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics (VIASM). The average age of the professors when they got the title was 51.7. The youngest professor, Pham Hoang Hiep, was granted the title in 2017, when he was 35. The other young professors include Nguyen Quang Dieu (37, 2011), Ngo Viet Trung (38, 1991) and Si Duc Quang (38, 2019). The oldest professor is Do Van Luu, who became a professor at the age of 75 (in 2019). The average age of professors in mathematics is relatively high, though it is lower than that of professors in other fields. Of 89 professors working in Vietnam, 13 have passed away. Forty one professors are over 70 years old, or over 60 and they have retired. There are only 35 professors below 70 years old and they are still working. The average age of the professors is 61, and there are only 11 professors aged below 60. The figure is still too low for tertiary education and basic mathematics in the 4.0 era. The number of scientific articles by professors partially reflects their working capability. According to MathSciNet, the professor with highest number of articles has 142 articles so far, while the lowest number is 25. On average, each professor has published 63.6 articles. The majority of articles were published internationally and more than 2/3 of the articles were published on ISI journals. The good news is that all the 35 professors in mathematics are still carrying out scientific research. Mai Lan Young associate professor invents unmanned aerial vehicle Born in 1983, Vu Ngoc Anh, a lecturer and researcher, is one of a few young individuals granted the title of associate professor in 2019. The Philippine Navys first Missile-capable frigate, BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150), is a few steps away from delivery next month. Rear Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo, Navy chief, told reporters on March 10, that they were waiting for a certification on the combat management system,. The Philippine Navys first Missile-capable frigate, BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150), is a few steps away from delivery next month. Rear Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo, Navy chief, told reporters on March 10, that they were waiting for a certification on the combat management system,. BRP Jose Rizal FF-150 multi-role frigate of the Philippine Navy during sea trials (Picture source: Philippine Navy) The Philippine Navys first Missile-capable frigate, BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150), is a few steps away from delivery next month. Rear Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo, Navy chief, told reporters on March 10, that they were waiting for a certification on the combat management system,. The contract has been signed between the Philippine's Department of National Defense and Philippine Navy high command officials, Hyundai Heavy Industries executives, and the South Korean ambassador to the Philippines on October 24, 2016, at the Headquarters, Philippine Navy in Roxas Boulevard, Manila. The Jose Rizal-class frigate is a class of two multi-role semi-stealth frigates built for the Philippine Navy, the ships are the derivatives of HDF-3000 frigate design (officially known as HDF-2600 Frigate Design) from Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) with design specifically accommodated to fit the requirements of the Philippine Navy. The second vessel, the BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151), is expected to be delivered by September or October this year. The corpses of hundreds of stray dogs have been found piled on top of each other in a container - some decapitated - in what activists say is an example of illegal slaughter. Animal rights campaigners allege cruelty by a company employed to round up strays in Yakutsk. The heads of larger dogs were severed, say reports. 'All the animals have been murdered,' said the activists in a complaint to the General Prosecutor of Russia. By law strays should be caught, sterilised and released - not slaughtered, they said. One container revealed by animal activists was filled with the corpses of 153 dogs and 48 cats. City officials say some animals were slaughtered amid fears of the spread of rabies, a claim that activists say is untrue. Some of the animals, pictured here in an undated photograph, were beheaded. Officials said the macabre procedure took place to test them for rabies, fearing the spread of the disease A container has been found with the corpses of 153 dogs and 48 cats in the Siberian city of Yakutsk. Pictured: The dead animals in an undated photograph The face of one of the slaughtered dogs is pictured in the container in Yakutsk in an undated photograph A second container had an unspecified number of destroyed dogs and cats. One account estimated that there were 260 dead animals in total. Amid a mounting scandal, the mayor of Yakutsk, Sardana Avksentyeva, one of Russia's most prominent female local politicians, denied giving orders to kill the animals. Aysen Nikolaev, head of the government in Yakutia, the country's largest region, ordered an immediate investigation as state prosecutors also set about probing the the scandal. Activists allege that the rabies 'excuse' was used to clear space at a temporary shelter for other strays the dog-catching company were impounding. Pictured: Undated photograph of empty cages at a dog shelter in Yakutsk Yakutsk Mayor, Sardana Avksentyeva (pictured in an undated photograph), denied giving the order to kill the creatures Pictured: The container where the corpses of an estimated 260 dogs and cats were found in Yakutsk, Siberia, Russia in an undated photograph Later the regional veterinary service said 72 animals that had come into contact with a rabid dog had been put down. Official Pavel Pavlov said some heads were severed before being tested for rabies. But the activists dispute that there were any cases of rabies, and it is unclear why there is a discrepancy in numbers. The rabies claim was used as an 'excuse' to slaughter the animals and 'free space' at a temporary shelter for other strays the dog-catching company were impounding, they alleged. 'I was told there was a container full of corpses - and no living animals at the temporary shelter facility,' said activist Zlata Sycheva. Pictured: Empty cat cages at the Yakutsk impounding facility in an undated photograph 'I was told there was a container full of corpses - and no living animals at the temporary shelter facility,' said Yakutsk activist Zlata Sycheva (pictured in an undated photograph) 'In the morning we were not allowed there allegedly because of quarantine due to rabies.' But there was no evidence of rabies among the slaughtered animals, and a second container was found, said the campaigners. 'The dogs could not have killed themselves,' said Sycheva. Company MUP Zhilkomservice - employed to care for stray dogs - has not responded to local journalists. The state prosecutors' office in Yakutsk confirmed it had begun legal checks into the grisly case. Saudi Arabia will raise its crude supply to a record high in April, the kingdom announced on Tuesday, as it ratcheted up a standoff with Moscow over market share and appeared to reject Russian overtures for new talks. The clash of oil titans Saudi Arabia and Russia sparked a 25 per cent slump in crude prices on Monday, triggering panic selling and heavy losses on Wall Streets main stock indexes, already hit badly by the coronavirus outbreak. US President Donald Trump spoke with Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a call on Monday to discuss global energy ... Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe says the government will do whatever is needed to cope with the impact of coronavirus. Clarity and honesty are important, he stressed. We have to do all we can to prepare. At this stage, we need to do all we can to minimise the spread of the virus. Everyone has to be responsible for our private health." Mr Donohoe, who was speaking on RTE radio said the scale of what the Government needs to do is unprecedented. Every day will make a difference but the challenge of making extraordinary decisions is being able to sustain it for as long as possible. Decisions have already been made that in normal times would look extraordinary but they have been made because we are in extraordinary times. Mr Donoghue said he has the utmost trust in the work being done by the HSE and in the expertise of the chief medical officer at the Department of Health, Dr Tony Holohan and his team. Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, said they were trying to provide proportionate responses. The response needs to be health-driven, not from politicians doing solo runs, he said. We need to move based on good public health advice and not political decisions," he said. Mr Coveney said the Government is not ruling out any course of action. The challenge is to slow down infection, to give health authorities time to cope. However, any measures are only going to work if the public cooperates. Together, we can save lives, he said. Mr Coveney said that even if only a small percentage of those infected suffer a significant health impact, the fatal percentage could mean thousands of deaths. Meanwhile, the Irish Pharmacy Union said patients with Covid-19 symptoms should not go to a pharmacy. The IPU said pharmacy staff must be protected from unnecessary exposure to coronavirus so they can continue to provide services as the illness spread. It also warned against stockpiling medication that could create unintended shortages and put other patients health at risk. The Irish College of General Practitioners has asked patients not to attend their GP practice or out-of-hours service without an appointment. Chloe Coleman and Dave Bautista team up in "My Spy". 10 Mar A couple of days ago, it was revealed that the Dave Bautista-starring "My Spy" has delayed its release in cinemas worldwide. In Malaysia, the action comedy has yet to receive a new release date. Local distributor TGV Pictures stated that due to unforeseen circumstances, the release of the movie has been postponed until further notice. Meanwhile, over on the other side of the world, the movie has been pushed back a month. Previously slated for this 13 March, now it will only open in North American cinemas on 17 April. Variety reported that the move was made to take advantage of the slot left vacant by animated film "Trolls World Tour", which was moved up a week to 10 April, taking over the original release date for "No Time to Die" after the Bond movie was delayed to November. "My Spy" has so far made USD3.1 million on a USD18 million budget, following its release in Australia and New Zealand earlier this year. American distributor STXfilms stated that "the shift gives it an opportunity to expand awareness with an insignificant impact on its media spend." Bautista stars in the movie as a spy who goes undercover to surveil a family. When the daughter discovers his hidden cameras, he begrudgingly agrees to teach her to be a spy in exchange for not blowing his cover. By Ofeliya Afandiyeva The Azerbaijani Energy Ministry is still following the current situation in the oil market and no decision has been made so far to increase oil production in the country, the Spokesperson of the Azerbaijani Energy Ministry and Advisor to Azerbaijani Energy Minister Zamina Aliyeva told, local media reported. At present, we are not taking any steps individually. After the expiry of the OPEC + Countries Oil-Cuts Agreement, the issue of increasing oil production in the country remains open. We are following how events will develop until April 1, Aliyeva mentioned. As reported, no agreement was reached on the results of the OPEC + meeting of the member states on March 6. Moreover, as a result of March 5 meeting, OPEC recommended increasing oil production cuts by 1.5 million barrels per day only for the second quarter and extending current restrictions by 1.7 million barrels. In addition, Saudi Arabia has doubled rates by agreeing with OPEC countries to reduce its oil production by 1.5 million barrels for all 2020, as a consequence of not reaching consensus with Russia - its main partner in the OPEC + deal, which involves a joint reduction in the oil production. Note that, the 178th (Extraordinary) Meeting of the Conference of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the 8th ministerial meeting of OPEC and non-OPEC countries took place in Vienna on March 5-6. It noted the positive ramifications of the decision to further voluntarily adjust production at the 177th Meeting of the Conference (05.12.2019) and subsequently the 7th OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting (06.12.2019), with market sentiment improving in the weeks thereafter. However, the COVID-19 outbreak has had a major adverse impact on global economic and oil demand forecasts in 2020, particularly for the first and second quarters. Global oil demand growth in 2020 is now forecast to be 0.48 million barrels per day, down from 1.1 million barrels per day in December 2019. Moreover, the unprecedented situation, and the ever-shifting market dynamics, means risks are skewed to the downside. The Conference noted that the further impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on oil market fundamentals necessitates further continuous monitoring. The Conference commended all OPEC Member Countries, as well as non-OPEC countries participating in the Declaration of Cooperation, for their continued commitment to achieving and sustaining balance and stability in the market. Member Countries reaffirmed their continued focus on fundamentals for a stable and balanced oil market, in the interests of producers, consumers, and the global economy. The Conference emphasized the ongoing dialogue with consuming countries, and the consultations undertaken in a collegial spirit before reaching decisions. Member Countries are resolute and committed to being dependable and reliable suppliers of crude and products to global markets. The Conference confirmed that its next Ordinary Meeting will convene in Vienna, Austria, on 9 June 2020, and noted that September 2020 will mark the 60 Year Anniversary since the founding of OPEC in Baghdad in 1960. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Unfortunately for some shareholders, the Berkshire Hills Bancorp (NYSE:BHLB) share price has dived 32% in the last thirty days. Indeed the recent decline has arguably caused some bitterness for shareholders who have held through the 35% drop over twelve months. Assuming nothing else has changed, a lower share price makes a stock more attractive to potential buyers. In the long term, share prices tend to follow earnings per share, but in the short term prices bounce around in response to short term factors (which are not always obvious). The implication here is that long term investors have an opportunity when expectations of a company are too low. Perhaps the simplest way to get a read on investors' expectations of a business is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). Investors have optimistic expectations of companies with higher P/E ratios, compared to companies with lower P/E ratios. Check out our latest analysis for Berkshire Hills Bancorp How Does Berkshire Hills Bancorp's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers? We can tell from its P/E ratio of 9.67 that sentiment around Berkshire Hills Bancorp isn't particularly high. The image below shows that Berkshire Hills Bancorp has a lower P/E than the average (10.5) P/E for companies in the banks industry. NYSE:BHLB Price Estimation Relative to Market, March 10th 2020 This suggests that market participants think Berkshire Hills Bancorp will underperform other companies in its industry. While current expectations are low, the stock could be undervalued if the situation is better than the market assumes. It is arguably worth checking if insiders are buying shares, because that might imply they believe the stock is undervalued. How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios Generally speaking the rate of earnings growth has a profound impact on a company's P/E multiple. 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. Story continues Berkshire Hills Bancorp's earnings per share fell by 13% in the last twelve months. But it has grown its earnings per share by 8.4% per year over the last five years. Remember: P/E Ratios Don't Consider The Balance Sheet The 'Price' in P/E reflects the market capitalization of the company. So it won't reflect the advantage of cash, or disadvantage of debt. In theory, a company can lower its future P/E ratio by using cash or debt to invest in growth. Such expenditure might be good or bad, in the long term, but the point here is that the balance sheet is not reflected by this ratio. Is Debt Impacting Berkshire Hills Bancorp's P/E? Net debt is 36% of Berkshire Hills Bancorp's market cap. While it's worth keeping this in mind, it isn't a worry. The Verdict On Berkshire Hills Bancorp's P/E Ratio Berkshire Hills Bancorp has a P/E of 9.7. That's below the average in the US market, which is 15.1. The debt levels are not a major concern, but the lack of EPS growth is likely weighing on sentiment. Given Berkshire Hills Bancorp's P/E ratio has declined from 14.2 to 9.7 in the last month, we know for sure that the market is more worried about the business today, than it was back then. For those who prefer invest in growth, this stock apparently offers limited promise, but the deep value investors may find the pessimism around this stock enticing. Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. If the reality for a company is not as bad as the P/E ratio indicates, then the share price should increase as the market realizes this. So this free visualization of the analyst consensus on future earnings could help you make the right decision about whether to buy, sell, or hold. But note: Berkshire Hills Bancorp may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a P/E ratio 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. The International Criminal Court (ICC) authorized last Thursday an investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Afghanistan by US armed forces, the CIA, the Taliban and Afghan security forces. The ruling, which was rejected by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as reckless, marked the first time the courts prosecutor has been cleared to investigate US forces. ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda sought authorization in November 2017 to open an investigation into crimes connected to the conflict in Afghanistan. According to Associated Press, Bensouda asked judges in November 2017 to authorize a far-reaching investigation after a preliminary probe in Afghanistan that lasted more than a decade. She said there is information that members of the US military and intelligence agencies committed acts of torture, cruel treatment, outrages upon personal dignity, rape and sexual violence against conflict-related detainees in Afghanistan and other locations, principally in the 2003-2004 period. On Thursday, the ICC Appeals Chamber ruled unanimously in favor of allowing the investigation. Bensouda's initial request for authorization to open the investigation was denied in April 2019. At that time, the three-judge panel "concluded that an investigation into the situation in Afghanistan at this stage would not serve the interests of justice." 157,000 precious lives were reportedly lost in Afghanistan, of whom 43,000 were civilians. But the actual number of casualities is much higher than this. The use of the most lethal weapons, advanced tactics, and especially airstrikes has caused a great deal of damage. The amount of explosives used in Afghanistan is much greater than the total used in World War I and World War II combined. The whole country has been turned into a barren land. The environment has been damaged, agriculture has been damaged, infrastructure has been damaged, and life has been made more difficult. Due to heavy bombing and shelling, life has been halted. There are no economic activities, no agriculture, no education, no health care facilities, indirectly causing the country irreversible losses due to the direct consequences of violence and the breakdown of public health, security, and infrastructure brought about by war. Civilians have been killed by crossfire, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), assassinations, bombings, and night raids into houses of suspected insurgents. Even in the absence of fighting, unexploded ordnance from previous wars and US cluster bombs continue to kill. In this prolonged war, children born under war clouds have grown up and had their own children. This is now the 3rd or 4th generation facing war. The International Court of Justice (ICC) definitely has the right to bring to justice anyone who was involved in war crimes in Afghanistan. No one nation, no matter how strong it may be, is above the law. The UN Charter protects the rights of weaker nations, and if anyone is unable to protect their rights, the ICC should come forward to set an example, and establish deterrence for the future. It is hoped that the ICC will move forward and go ahead with its mandate, and bring to justice all those involved in war crimes in Afghanistan. This will open the way for the trial of war crimes committed in Iraq, Libya, Syria and so on. I believe it is time for the US not to condemn the ICC, but revise its policies and keep its own house in order. The opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to People's Daily Online. Zamir Ahmed Awan is a senior fellow with the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) and a sinologist at the National University of Sciences and Technology in Pakistan. One Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel was injured after terrorists hurled a grenade at a police station in Kakapora in Pulwama district on Tuesday. The grenade exploded outside the walls of the police station. Police fired a few aerial shots. "Troops of 41 battalion CRPF is deployed in the premises of Police Station Kakapora in Pulwama. One security personal got injured when a grenade was lobbed into the compound. He sustained splinter injuries and has been taken to hospital. His condition is stable," CRPF said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / Photos Getty/Reuters The cruise ship industry is reeling. The outbreak of the new coronavirus has made the basic fundamentals of the business medically inadvisable to the point that the State Department has issued a warning to U.S. travelerschief among them the elderlyto stop taking cruise ships until the threat has passed. And yet, even as thousands of people have found themselves stuck on ocean liners, in close confines with others suffering from a deadly virus, not everyone is ready to bag their cruise ship getaway. Indeed, while some shudder at the prospect of enduring severe flu-like symptoms and a 14-day quarantine, others see the vacation deal of a lifetime materializing before their eyes. Kenny Human, a 33-year-old lawyer from Kentucky, is one of those deal seekers. Five days ago, in the height of the coronavirus scare, he decided to purchase a Carnival Cruise trip leaving New Orleans in May for a venture through the western Caribbean. He doesnt believe the coronavirus is a hoax. He doesnt think fears of it are overhyped. And his girlfriend tried to convince him it was a bad idea. But, in the end, the priceabout $400 per ticket when counting taxes and cancellation insurancewas just too damn good. I just have this natural inclination to buy low on things, Human told The Daily Beast. My girlfriend does think Im crazy, but she is reluctantly on board, no pun intended. I have to admit, he added with a touch of sobriety, your interest in wanting to speak with me does give me some doubts. Coronavirus Cruise Finally EndsWith Relief & Recrimination Human is far from the only soon-to-be cruise ship voyager who has reassured himself that the disease wont affect those who are young, healthy, and willing to take steps to avoid infection. Its a touch of youthful hubris with a dash of a gamblers high, all dropped into the milieu of a global medical crisis. Take Ben Stults, a sophomore at Florida State University who is set to go on a cruise to Mexico this week with four of his college friends. His ticket was $500 and rather than eat the fee, hes hoping toin his wordshit the sweet spot. The sweet spot, in this case, is traveling to a region not yet hit hard by the coronavirus and getting the hell out before it becomes a problem. Just in case he misses that window, however, Stults brought a P100 respirator face mask, along with a deck of cards and Cards Against Humanity, in order to pass the time if hes quarantined. He would have stocked up on hand sanitizer, he said, but the local Target was sold out. Story continues Asked if he thought it was a good plan, he said, Honestly, no. Its not just the young, however, who are staring down the possibility of getting stranded on a coronavirus-infected cruise ship and asking themselves, Why not? Both Brett Cimiotti, 58, of Connecticut, and his husband have degrees in microbiology and decided to book a cruise three weeks agoa five-stop trip through Scandinavia that he fully admits he may end up having to cancel. Ive never been on one, never wanted to go on one, finally, I book one, and BOOM! Corona! Retired French professor David Lee, 78, is planning to fly to Peru in early April before boarding a boat down the Amazon River. His daughter, Katia, said of her parents, Theyre smart, but in this case seem to be really cavalier. Her dad said it would be cavalier not to go. We are a little nervous, he conceded. We are not planning on changing our plans unless there are cases down there. Paige Bade-Ankudovych, of Amityville, New York, is a 45-year-old teacher who rationalizes her decision to still consider cruising by noting that her profession already gives her a fair amount of exposure to viruses. She hasnt yet pulled the trigger on the voyage she was planning to take with her husband and two kids to Bermuda. But she hasnt ruled it out either. The gears in her head are practically audible as she debates the dos and donts. Do I want to be stuck with my two kids and my husband as we are up each others throats because of the quarantine? she asks. Would it be better to be in the middle of the Atlantic with free room service? At least I wouldnt have to cook. The aoronavirus has forced the cruise-ship curious to tackle these types of introspective questions. Already, several vessels have been held at sea after passengers on board became sick withor died fromthe disease or because there were passengers from countries with high infection rates. The Diamond Princess was held off the coast of Japan for 28 days last month as the coronavirus stalked its corridors, eventually sickening more than 600 and killing several. More recently, the Grand Princess liner heading through the Pacific saw 21 individuals on board test positive for coronavirus, after which the remaining 3,400 or so were told to stay in their rooms, instantaneously transforming the ship into a relatively plush floating prison. Passengers were left to plow through intense bouts of claustrophobia via a mix of menial tasks, momentary distractions, television binge watching andon occasiona healthy dose of booze. But that was merely the first phase of their ordeal. Medical experts have been conducting health assessments and, once disembarked from the ocean liner, passengers will still have a two-week isolation period in a military facility. Coronavirus Cruise Ship Fiasco Points to Possible Super-Spreader The cruise industry has been hit hard as a result, with executives meeting with top Trump administration officials to talk about what steps could be taken to steady their bottom lines. Theyve also sought to allay concerns by stressing the steps theyre taking to avoid becoming veritable petri dishes. Matt Zettel, who booked a Disney Cruise this month, passed along the note he got from the organizers that said, among other things, that they were closely monitoring global developments; prohibiting people from boarding if they'd been to China, South Korea, Italy, Iran, or Japan in the past 14 days; and screening guests and crew for gastrointestinal or flu-like symptoms. But medical experts warn that if the coronavirus manages to find its way on board, the ship is not exactly the place you want to be. Theyre not designed as quarantine facilities, to put it mildly, Don Milton, an epidemiologist with the University of Maryland, told The Associated Press. So why risk it? For some, its simply a matter of dollars and cents. Christine Luland, 49, of Toms River, New Jersey, is currently on a 14-night cruise through the Panama Canal. She boarded last week after it became apparent that there was no way to get back the $5,500 shed invested; her only solace was that she was able to upgrade to the last available veranda so that she could get fresh air if a quarantine was imposed. Of course the afternoon we boarded they suddenly announced that through the end of May you could cancel and rebook in the next 12 months with no penalty, she said. If theyd announced it a week earlier, I probably would have taken them up on it. From Lobsters and Steak to Coronavirus: One Couples Surreal Cruise Nightmare Patrice ORourke, 58, of Middlesex County, New Jersey, paid full amount for a cruise she was set to take this May down to the Caribbean. What she did not get was travel insurance. So instead of losing the $5,000, shes planning on going. We are not handling it well, she concedes of the anxiety. Im just popping Xanax every hour. I havent begun snorting them yet. Once I start snorting it, then you know I'm nervous. But for others, the cruise ship vacation they had planned is simply too big a deal to give up because of some pandemic threat. Briana McDougall, 33, of Seattle, has a cruise ship bachelorette party planned for April that has 30-plus people ready to go. I wasnt going to bring my work laptop, but if I go, I probably will now, she said. James and Kim Simon allowed their daughter to embark on a Royal Caribbean cruise this week because shed planned the trip with 12 college friends for spring break. When she booked the trip, when we planned it, this wasnt a factor, said Kim. So I was with her last weekend as the statistics were getting a little bit higher. And I asked her if she was at all worried. She thought if she just kept enough alcohol in her system it would ward off any germs. So I got her some Lysol wipes and the all you can drink package. And then there is Shannon Mulholland, whose story has no bits of gallows humor to make it easier to digest. She had planned a trip with her daughter for years as a college graduation present. And as a single mother who has dealt with medical issues for years, she doesnt have the means to change it (indeed, she banked her vacation last year just to be able to take the time away). So instead of walking away, she bought super deluxe N99 masks and was prepared to head off on March 31. A practicing Catholic, she was especially excited about the stops scheduled for Rome. But as she spoke to The Daily Beast, news broke that Italy was closing its borders to deal with the outbreak in its country. It was her graduation present from college and it is on my bucket list to go to the Vatican, Mulholland said. I want to cry with frustration. 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. Christie Elan-Cane wants passports to have a gender-neutral 'X' category but has lost the case at the Court of Appeal Campaigner Christie Elan-Cane has lost a Court of Appeal challenge against the Government over gender-neutral passports. Elan-Cane believes the UK's passport application process, which requires individuals to indicate whether they are male or female, is 'inherently discriminatory'. But today leading judges ruled against the activist's bid for passports reading 'X' for unspecified gender. Lady Justice King, Lord Justice Irwin and Lord Justice Henderson are considering the case after a judicial review action was dismissed by the High Court last year. Elan-Cane, who has fought for more than 25 years to achieve legal and social recognition for non-gendered identity, sees the issue of 'X' (for unspecified) passports as a key focal point of the non-gendered campaign. The Court of Appeal challenge, which was contested by the Home Secretary, centred on the lawfulness of the current policy administered by Her Majesty's Passport Office (HMP0), which is part of the Home Office. It was argued that the policy breaches the right to respect for private life, and the right not to be discriminated against on the basis of gender or sex, under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Read out by Lady Justice Eleanor King, the Court of Appeal ruled: 'There can be little more central to a citizen's private life than gender. 'In this case, however, the passport issue cannot reasonably be considered in isolation, given that the driver for change is the notion of respect for gender identity across the board. The campaigner believes that the UK passport application process is inherently discriminatory (file image) 'The court finds that there was no positive obligation on the state to provide an 'X' marker in order to ensure the right of the Appellant to respect for private life. 'Therefore, the current policy of HMPO does not amount to an unlawful breach of the Appellant's Article 8 private life rights. 'The court accepts that the issue goes to gender identity and is an issue central to a person's Article 8 private life. 'The Judge, however, was right in deciding that the state had a 'relatively wide' margin of appreciation when striking the balance between private and public interests, or Convention rights, notwithstanding that an issue of an individual's identity is at stake. 'The court finds that the 'X' marker is just one part of a bigger picture that requires a coherent structured approach across all the areas where the issue of non-binary gender arises, particularly given the discussions as to whether there should be any gender boxes on passports (or indeed other official documents) at all. 'There is not yet any consensus across Council of Europe states in relation to either the broad issue of the recognition of non-binary people, or the narrow issue of the use of X markers on passports, although there is momentum within Europe in relation to how the status of non-binary people is to be recognised and the time may come when the fair balance has shifted. 'In relation to the alleged discrimination under Articles 8 and 14, the court found that the question of whether the difference in treatment was objectively justified would result in the same answer as that in relation to Article 8 private life, and that the current policy in relation to the issuing of X marked passports does not, therefore, amount to unlawful discrimination under Article 14. ' The UN says up to 1.7 per cent of the world's population are born with intersex traits - about the same number of people with red hair. In 2019, Canada introduced gender-neutral passports with an X category. Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Malta, New Zealand, Pakistan, India and Nepal already have a third category. The International Civil Aviation Organisation - the UN agency in charge of air travel - also recognises the 'X' option. Elan-Cane believes the UK passport application process is 'inherently discriminatory'. Lawyers representing the Home Secretary are contesting the case at the Court of Appeal The decision to disallow an X on passports for the gender-fluid will be appealed to the Supreme Court, Elan-Crane said. They said they were 'devastated' by the Court of Appeal's decision to not force the government to allow an 'X' marker on passports instead of male or female. Court of Appeal's ruling on X passport in full: 'There can be little more central to a citizen's private life than gender. 'In this case, however, the passport issue cannot reasonably be considered in isolation, given that the driver for change is the notion of respect for gender identity across the board. 'The court finds that there was no positive obligation on the state to provide an "X" marker in order to ensure the right of the Appellant to respect for private life. 'Therefore, the current policy of HMPO does not amount to an unlawful breach of the Appellant's Article 8 private life rights. 'The court accepts that the issue goes to gender identity and is an issue central to a person's Article 8 private life. 'The Judge, however, was right in deciding that the state had a "relatively wide" margin of appreciation when striking the balance between private and public interests, or Convention rights, notwithstanding that an issue of an individual's identity is at stake. 'The court finds that the "X" marker is just one part of a bigger picture that requires a coherent structured approach across all the areas where the issue of non-binary gender arises, particularly given the discussions as to whether there should be any gender boxes on passports (or indeed other official documents) at all. 'There is not yet any consensus across Council of Europe states in relation to either the broad issue of the recognition of non-binary people, or the narrow issue of the use of X markers on passports, although there is momentum within Europe in relation to how the status of non-binary people is to be recognised and the time may come when the fair balance has shifted. 'In relation to the alleged discrimination under Articles 8 and 14, the court found that the question of whether the difference in treatment was objectively justified would result in the same answer as that in relation to Article 8 private life, and that the current policy in relation to the issuing of X marked passports does not, therefore, amount to unlawful discrimination under Article 14.' Advertisement The 62-year-old 'non-gendered' advocate argued the policy of only allowing male or female on passports breached the right to respect for private life and discrimination rights under the European Convention on Human Rights. They said: 'I'm pretty devastated. I'm devastated for everybody that needs an X passport. 'But this is not the end. My legal team will on my behalf will be taking it to the Supreme Court. We'll be seeking permission to take the case to the Supreme Court despite being rejected this morning. Mx Elan-Cane said even though the courts were 'deferential' to the government, they believe there is a silver lining. They said: 'I got the feeling that reading between the lines of the judgment they want to bounce the case to the Supreme Court. 'The problem is we have got a very right-wing backward government that are opposed to the issues. 'They're generally quite transphobic as well. They've got it in for non-gendered people.' They said with their legal team they will be making an application to the Supreme Court and, if denied, it will be taken to the European Court of Human Rights. Mx Elan-Cane added: 'Hopefully it will not take years. It took two years to get from the High Court to the Court of Appeal. 'If we get a no at the Supreme Court, and I can't get justice in this country, I'll take it to the European Court of Human Rights. 'I'm not going to be around forever. This country needs to get its act together before justice delayed is justice denied.' Mx Elan-Crane was born female but did not identify with the sex. The campaigner underwent a mastectomy and hysterectomy to become non-gendered as they didn't identify as male either. Ruling on the case in June last year, a High Court judge said that although he was not at that time satisfied that the policy was unlawful, part of the reasoning for the decision was that a comprehensive review had not been completed. During the April 2018 proceedings, Elan-Cane's lawyers challenged the lawfulness of the policy administered by Her Majesty's Passport Office (HMP0), which is part of the Home Office, arguing that it breaches human rights laws. He was asked to quash the policy and order that it be 'reconsidered according to the law'. Speaking on the case in 2018 on behalf of the Home Secretary, James Eadie QC submitted that the policy does not interfere with rights under the ECHR. He argued that if the policy constituted an interference with Article 8 - the right to respect for private life - it was justified by the need to maintain an administratively coherent system for the recognition of gender, to maintain security and to combat identity theft and fraud, and to ensure security at national borders. Syracuse businessman Adam Weitsman on Tuesday gave $10,000 to Peter Colemans campaign to raise money to fight childhood cancer. Coleman, 82, announced last week that he would shave his signature white hair in the March 29 St. Baldricks fundraiser at Kitty Hoynes Irish Pub in downtown Syracuse. On Friday, Coleman called Weitsman and asked him to attend the event and possibly made a donation. Coleman, the owner of Colemans Authentic Irish Pub on Tipperary Hill, has never met Weitsman. He got his phone number from a friend in Skaneateles. So I call him and say, Hey Adam? This is Peter Coleman. Im getting my head shaved and I could use your help, he said this afternoon. He called me a legend, but I said Youre the legend. I mean, he has he helped so many people, and hes donated to this before. He was so gracious when I called. He just wanted to help the kids. Weitsman was scheduled to fly to Boston on March 29 for a two-day work meeting. He told Coleman hed get back to him with an answer this week. I thought to myself, There will always be another work meeting. So I dumped the meeting, Weitsman said. I called him back this morning and said Id be there for him. Im guessing Ill end up getting my head shaved too. In the first four days of his campaign, Coleman had raised about $4,000 of his $25,000 goal. At 6:30 a.m. today, Weitsman went to Colemans St. Baldricks page online and added $10,000 to the tally. Coleman will be one of 550 people going bald on that Sunday. In the 15 years of this fundraiser, participants have raised $5.5 million to fight pediatric cancers. Coleman will go onstage at Kitty Hoynes for his haircut at about 2:30 p.m. Hes going to crush it, Weitsman said. The thing is, hell probably look good bald. Me? Not so much. READ MORE Peter Coleman bald? Its all coming off to fight childhood cancers Theyve shaved lots of heads. Now theyre Colemans Green Beer Day marshals Charlie Miller finds the best in food, drink and fun across Central New York. Contact him at (315) 382-1984, or by email at cmiller@syracuse.com. 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. MICHIGAN CITY One mother is dead and her son is in custody following a shooting at an apartment complex. Sonja Bell was discovered early Tuesday morning at the Canterbury House Apartments on the south side of Michigan City, according to Michigan City police. Three officers were dispatched to the 100 block of Herring Gull Lane, after a 911 caller said a woman had been shot and wasn't breathing. When Michigan City police arrived on scene, they discovered Whaiun Juan Patterson, 36, in the parking lot in front of the apartment. Patterson was taken into custody after officers found his 53-year-old mother, Bell, dead with gunshot wounds. An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday morning at Franciscan Health hospital in Michigan City. "The Michigan City Police Department would like to extend their condolences to Sonja Bell and her family during this tragic incident," the department said in a news release. Police said this was an isolated incident and there is no threat to the safety of Michigan City residents. On Saturday, February 29th, Longford Libraries took part in the first ever National Library Open Day showcasing all that our public libraries have to offer. Despite the bad weather there was a very large attendance at all of the library events which included coding, art, storytime, mindfulness and much more. Of course it was a particularly special day for the community in Ballymahon as their library was open for business for the first time since the fire which had happened a week ago. Many customers young and not so young came to express their relief and delight that the library had reopened and to express their appreciation for the great service they receive. The helpful library staff were available with a warm welcome and refreshments to demonstrate all the benefits that library membership brings. County Librarian Mary Carleton Reynolds said: All of our libraries are welcoming, open community spaces with lots to interest everyone. "We are delighted that more and more people are coming to the library to participate in the many programmes and regular events that take place in the library including book clubs, creative writing groups, language classes, art classes, health and wellbeing talks, music appreciation, exhibitions, coding classes for children, one to one computer classes for adults and knit and stitch groups. Remember the library is open to everyone and everything is free so please call in anytime or check out www.longfordlibrary.ie or Facebook and twitter for more information. On 5 March, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said that Egypt would exert every effort to back Abdel-Hamid Mamdouh for the position of director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). He praised the Egyptian candidates 27-year experience in working for the WTO after a meeting with Mamdouh who praised the prime minister for his campaign to secure the position. Mamdouh aims to get the support of regional and African nations for his nomination as director-general of the WTO, a global organisation with 164 member countries that regulates the rules of trade between nations. It was born out of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) established in 1947. Speaking to Egypts Al-Youm Al-Sabea news website, Mamdouh said that WTO member-states had agreed to choose a candidate from Africa, as this was the only continent that had not produced a director-general for the organisation. The African Union (AU) will decide on its candidate for the WTO leadership position during its meetings in Addis Ababa this month, choosing between three candidates supported by Egypt, Nigeria, and Benin. Mamdouh is aiming to ensure the support of African states that are members of the WTO by visits to them. He also plans visits to a number of Arab and foreign states. Concerning his vision of international trade, the veteran Egyptian diplomat told the newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm that he believed that facilitating trade flow among states was key to increasing international growth rates and investments, along with creating job opportunities and better welfare states. Inter-state negotiations were very important to meet these objectives, he said, which would require new rules for trade through the WTO framework. The director-general of the WTO is appointed for a four-year term, then being eligible for reappointment. The appointment process starts nine months ahead of the expiry of the current director-generals term. Member states of the organisation have one month after the start of the appointment process to nominate candidates. The candidates have three months to make themselves known to member states and to engage in discussions on issues facing the WTO. They are invited to make brief presentations, including their vision for the WTO, followed by a question-and-answer period. The WTOs General Council needs to arrive at a consensus before a candidate can be appointed. Mamdouh graduated from Cairo University in 1974 with a Bachelors degree in law. He started his professional career as third secretary in Egypts embassies in Ethiopia and Australia during the late 1970s and early 1980s. He then served as assistant to the under-secretary for commercial representation at the ministry of the economy and foreign trade, working on bilateral trade relations. For two two-year periods from 1985 to 1989, he was first commercial secretary at the permanent mission of Egypt to the GATT in Geneva. He was part of the Egyptian delegation in the preparation of the Uruguay Round on trade negotiations, the largest negotiation of its kind in history covering all aspects of international trade. Mamdouh was also involved in issues of trade in services, investment and trade-related aspects of intellectual property protection (TRIPS), in addition to joining negotiating groups dealing with institutional and legal issues related to the overall functioning of the multilateral trading system. He also worked as a legal advisor on dispute settlement for the GATT secretariat from 1990 to 1991, being assigned to work on the design and content of a future services agreement that eventually became the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) that entered into force in 1995. Mamdouh was appointed assistant to the deputy director-general of the GATT in May 1991, providing guidance and support for the Uruguay Round negotiations with a particular focus on the services agreement and negotiating and drafting the GATS. From 1993 to 2001, he was responsible for finalising the drafting of the GATS as a senior counsellor in the services division at the WTOs Council for Trade in Services. Mamdouh served as director of the WTOs Trade in Services and Investment Division from 2001 until 2007. During this period, he oversaw the implementation of the GATS, negotiations on the liberalisation of trade in services, and the creation of new trade rules and legal, policy and technical support to member states. He joined the University of Londons Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS) as a visiting professor in 2018. One year earlier, he started advising private-sector clients and governments on legal, policy, and negotiating trade issues, especially those related to electronic commerce and investment, at the US law firm King & Spalding LLP. He also offered assistance on technical and capacity-building issues concerning trade in services for state officials, negotiators, and international organisations. *A version of this article appears in print in the 12 March, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: In 2015, two undercover police officers in Jacksonville, Fla., bought $50 worth of crack cocaine from a man on the street. One of the cops surreptitiously snapped a cellphone photo of the man and sent it to a crime analyst, who ran the photo through facial recognition software. The facial recognition algorithm produced several matches, and the analyst chose the first one: a mug shot of a man named Willie Allen Lynch. Lynch was convicted of selling drugs and sentenced to eight years in prison. Civil liberties lawyers jumped on the case, flagging a litany of concerns to fight the conviction. Matches of other possible perpetrators generated by the tool were never disclosed to Lynch, hampering his ability to argue for his innocence. The use of the technology statewide had been poorly regulated and shrouded in secrecy. But also, Willie Allen Lynch is a Black man. Multiple studies have shown facial recognition technology makes more errors on Black faces. For mug shots in particular, researchers have found that algorithms generate the highest rates of false matches for African American, Asian and Indigenous people. After more than two dozen police services, government agencies and private businesses across Canada recently admitted to testing the divisive facial recognition app Clearview AI, experts and advocates say its vital that lawmakers and politicians understand how the emerging technology could impact racialized citizens. Technologies have their bias as well, said Nasma Ahmed, director of Toronto-based non-profit Digital Justice Lab, who is advocating for a pause on the use of facial recognition technology until proper oversight is established. If they dont wake up, theyre just going to be on the wrong side of trying to fight this battle because they didnt realize how significant the threat or the danger of this technology is, says Toronto-born Toni Morgan, managing director of the Center for Law, Innovation and Creativity at Northeastern University School of Law in Boston. It feels like Toronto is a little bit behind the curve in understanding the implications of what it means for law enforcement to access this technology. Last month, the Star revealed that officers at more than 20 police forces across Canada have used Clearview AI, a facial recognition tool that has been described as dystopian and reckless for its broad search powers. It relies on what the U.S. company has said is a database of three billion photos scraped from the web, including social media. Almost all police forces that confirmed use of the tool said officers had accessed a free trial version without the knowledge or authorization of police leadership and have been told to stop; the RCMP is the only police service that has paid to access the technology. Multiple forces say the tool was used by investigators within child exploitation units, but it was also used to probe lesser crimes, including in an auto theft investigation and by a Rexall employee seeking to stop shoplifters. While a handful of American cities and states have moved to limit or outright ban police use of facial recognition technology, the response from Canadian lawmakers has been muted. According to client data obtained by BuzzFeed News and shared exclusively with the Star, the Toronto Police Service was the most prolific user of Clearview AI in Canada. (Clearview AI has not responded to multiple requests for comment from the Star but told BuzzFeed there are numerous inaccuracies in the client data information, which they allege was illegally obtained.) Toronto police ran more than 3,400 searches since October, according to the BuzzFeed data. A Toronto police spokesperson has said officers were informally testing the technology, but said the force could not verify the Stars data about officers use or comment on it with any certainty. Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders directed officers to stop using the tool after he became aware they were using it, and a review is underway. But Toronto police are still using a different facial recognition tool, one made by NEC Corp. of America and purchased in 2018. The NEC facial recognition tool searches the Toronto police database of approximately 1.5 million mug shot photos. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce, has been testing the accuracy of facial recognition technology since 2002. Companies that sell the tools voluntarily submit their algorithms to be tested to NIST; government agencies sponsor the research to help inform policy. In a report released in December that tested 189 algorithms from 99 developers, NIST found dramatic variations in accuracy across different demographic groups. For one type of matching, the team discovered the systems had error rates between 10 and 100 times higher for African American and Asian faces compared to images of white faces. For the type of facial recognition matching most likely to be used by law enforcement, African American women had higher error rates. Law enforcement, they probably have one of the most difficult cases. Because if they miss someone and that person commits a crime, theyre going to look bad. If they finger the wrong person, theyre going to look bad, said Craig Watson, manager of the group that runs NISTs testing program. Clearview AI has not been tested by NIST. The company has claimed its tool is 100% accurate in a report written by an independent review panel. The panel said it relied on the same methodology the American Civil Liberties Union used to assess a facial recognition algorithm sold by Amazon. The American Civil Liberties Union slammed the report, calling the claim misleading and the tool dystopian. Clearview AI did not respond to a request for comment about its accuracy claims. Before purchasing the NEC facial recognition technology, Toronto police conducted a privacy impact assessment. Asked if this examined potential racial bias within the NECs algorithms, spokesperson Meaghan Gray said in an email the contents of the report are not public. But she said TPS has not experienced racial or gender bias when utilizing the NEC Facial Recognition System. While not a means of undisputable positive identification like fingerprint identification, this technology provides potential candidates as investigative leads, she said. Consequently, one race or gender has not been disproportionally identified nor has the TPS made any false identifications. The revelations about Toronto polices use of Clearview AI have coincided with the planned installation of additional CCTV cameras in communities across the city, including in the Jane Street and Finch Avenue West area. The provincially funded additional cameras come after the Toronto police board approved increasing the number placed around the city. The combination of facial recognition technology and additional CCTV cameras in a neighbourhood home to many racialized Torontonians is a recipe for disaster, said Sam Tecle, a community worker with Jane and Finchs Success Beyond Limits youth support program. One technology feeds the other, Tecle said. Together, I dont know how that doesnt result in surveillance more intensified surveillance of Black and racialized folks. Tecle said the plan to install more cameras was asking for a lot of trust from a community that already has a fraught relationship with the police. Thats in large part due to the legacy of carding, he said when police stop, question and document people not suspected of a crime, a practice that disproportionately impacts Black and brown men. This is just a digital form of doing the same thing, Tecle told the Star. If were misrecognized and misidentified through these facial recognition algorithms, then Im very apprehensive about them using any kind of facial recognition software. Others pointed out that false positives incorrect matches could have particularly grave consequences in the context of police use of force: Black people are grossly over-represented in cases where Toronto police used force, according to a 2018 report by the Ontario Human Rights Commission. Saunders has said residents in high-crime areas have repeatedly asked for more CCTV cameras in public spaces. At last months Toronto police board meeting, Mayor John Tory passed a motion requiring that police engage in a public community consultation process before installing more cameras. Gray said many residents and business owners want increased safety measures, and this feedback alongside an analysis of crime trends led the force to identify selected areas that are most susceptible to firearm-related offences. The cameras are not used for surveillance. The cameras will be used for investigation purposes, post-reported offences or incidents, to help identify potential suspects, and if needed during major events to aid in public safety, Gray said. Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, an assistant professor of criminology at the University of Toronto, said when cameras are placed in neighbourhoods with high proportions of racialized people, then used in tandem with facial recognition technology, it could be problematic, because of false positives and false negatives. What this gets at is the need for continued discussion, debate, and certainly oversight, Owusu-Bempah said. Wendy Gillis is a Toronto-based reporter covering crime and policing. Reach her by email at wgillis@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @wendygillis Read more about: : Welfare Minister of Puducherry M Kandasamy on Tuesday announced a "big agitation in ahimsa (non-violent) manner" against Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi if she did not respond to his plea for sanction of schemes in the next three months. Kandasamy presented a memorandum to Bedi on her arrival for the celebration of the International Women's Day, announcing the stir and listing the grievances of employees and also the difficulties in implementing schemes following her 'negative' stand on approving decisions of the territorial government. Accusing the former IPS officer of causing hardship to the poorer sections in getting the benefits of the free rice scheme, the Minister said she favoured only cash disbursal instead of distribution of rice through ration shops. As a result, cardholders have not got either rice or cash for the last 22 months, he said. "This has only exposed the Lieutenant Governor's attitude towards the people living in poor conditions," he said. The Madras High Court recently ruled in favour of the Lieutenant Governor over the issue on the free rice scheme. Workers attached to the ration shops, SPINCO, CONFED, PAPSCO and cooperative sugar mills have not been paid their wages for several months, the Minister said. Employees of the anganwadi centres have also not been paid salaries on time following delay in according sanction of funds by Bedi, he said. The Lieutenant Governor has no valid reason to delay the release of funds, he said. Charging Bedi with trying to wind up the anganwadi centres as she had not let the government fill vacancies in the centres meant for the uplift of women and children, the Minister. He also accused her of blocking implementation of essential services by the Department of Adi Dravidar and Scheduled Tribes Welfare and even educational schemes of the department have not seen the light of the day because of her alleged intervention. Kandasamy said Bedi had ordered the closure of the century-old AFT Mill, Swadeshi and Bharathi Textile Mills owned by the territorial government thereby affecting the livelihood of their workers. He said, "If there is no improvement in the situation in three months' time, I would be forced to join with the people and launch a massive agitation on 'ahimsa mode' for the people's welfare. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) People sit outside their houses on Truc Bach Street which was put under lockdown on March 6, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy. Its 8 p.m. Friday, March 6. Street-side diners are tucking into a gourmet meal of snails and steamed rice paper rolls pho cuon a conjured-up Hanoi specialty. The food stalls at the intersection of Truc Bach - Ngu Xa Street in Ba Dinh District are sparkling with bright lights. Truc Bach Street, named after the nearby lake, along with Ngu Xa, Chau Long and a few small streets surrounding the lake, form a particularly urban landscape in the capital city. History buffs will remember the lake as the one over which U.S. Senator John McCain was shot down and taken prisoner during the Vietnam War. The area, with its charming old-style houses in small alleys, is also home to many cafes and eateries favored by young and old alike. It is still a "hideout" Hanoians escape to when they want to get away from the bustle and relax. On Friday night, the people are relaxed, no coronavirus fears in evidence. All 16 infected people have been discharged and the nation has gone 22 days without a new infection. In fact just a few days earlier, on Wednesday night, the lockdown on Son Loi Commune in Vinh Phuc Province was lifted after it went through 20 days of no infection cases starting February 13. The pho (rice noodle soup) stall run by Hung and his wife Thuy at No. 85 Truc Bach Street opens from 7 p.m. to midnight every day. On Friday night, Hung looks forward to selling more than a hundred bowls of the soup to the weekend crowd. Then, without any warning, the "earthquake" strikes. Screeching police cars and ambulances halt before the building at No.125. In scenes reminiscent of Hollywood blockbusters, medical personnel in head-to-toe protective gear hurry into the building. Customers let go of their chopsticks and crane their necks to see what is happening. Hung does not have a good feeling about this. Something tells him something bads about to happen. In quick order, barriers are erected at both ends of the street. Hungs wife puts out the charcoal stove while he tidies and collects the tables and chairs. They know they are done for the night. Less than a dozen bowls have been sold. Along with millions of Hanoians, Hungs family and all other Truc Bach residents had a white night, courtesy of Nguyen Hong Nhung, a 26-year-old woman whod tested positive for the Covid-19 causing novel coronavirus that Friday. Nhung, whod returned from Europe, was confirmed as Hanois first Covid-19 patient and the countrys 17th. Capital city authorities were swift in taking action to lock down the entire area. The lockdown started from the Truc Bach-Ngu Xa intersection and stretched until Chau Long Street an area with 22 families and 176 residents. "Our pho stall has been definitely closed, but living in a lockdown like this, how do we eat and live? Thuy is unable to sleep. Outside, many families in the neighborhood keep turning on the light, and medical staff and police are busy through the night," Hung said. The first morning The next morning, those in the neighborhood that were able to sleep woke to a loudspeaker blaring warnings about the Covid-19 epidemic. Residents on Truc Bach Street began to understand what it was like to live under a kind of siege. Boxes of noodles, rice bags, eggs and sacks of vegetable as well as other necessities for daily life were passed through the barrier rods. For a housewife like Thuy, who went to the wet market every morning and too care of buying things needed to feed her husband, children and grandchildren, this was a hugely unsettling experience. Fortunately, her worries proved short-lived. The office of Truc Bach Ward People's Committee is located at the beginning of the intersection, and it became busy with cars carrying supplies to residents inside the quarantine area. "Each person gets three eggs, 200 grams of meat or fish, two kinds of vegetables per day, and rice with a bottle of cooking oil," said Hung as he received the free rations. He also found some humor in the situation. "This menu is beyond nutrition. My wife doesn't let me eat well like this every day." All residents also have their health checked twice a day, starting at 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Hand sanitizers are distributed daily, as also garbage bags. Garbage is collected at 6 p.m. daily by special forces. Local police officers check people entering Truc Bach Street. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy. "Please wear gloves and masks when you take out the trash. Please disinfect hand and feet with sanitizer after going out to throw out the trash and remove the gloves and masks immediately," healthcare staff keep reminding everyone. Thuys two grandsons stay indoors and review their lessons. Her son is a freelance businessman, and has to stay home during the quarantine period. Hung is angry with Nhung, his neighbor who returned to Vietnam after traveling to epidemic-hit countries in Europe, but failed to make health declarations to local authorities. "She is to blame," he said, and declined to comment further. Hung does not know Nhung and has never met her. After two days passed and he found that his neighbors were fine, Hung felt easier about the quarantined existence. "Living in the heart of the epidemic we should be more comfortable, so that people outside feel secure to fight it." No escape Pham Hoang Long, manager of a wine restaurant, said he saws the isolation as "carrying out a responsibility to the community." His family lives in Saigon. Only two brothers live on No.119 Truc Bach Street, right behind "the patient 17" house. Families living near No.125 Truc Bach, Nhungs residence, were placed under quarantine at Campus No.2 of the Central Tropical Hospital 2 in Dong Anh District. Long lives in a 40 square-meter room with his younger brother and two neighbors. The room is equipped with an air-conditioner that cannot be used now. They are required to turn on the fan and keep windows open for ventilation. Inside the room, everyone wears a face mask and limits talking to each other. Sometimes, he goes into the corridor to stretch his limbs. On Friday night, as Long worked in his office on Trang Thi Street, his cell phone rang many times. His friends told to him that Truc Bach Street was locked down and advised him to escape instead of going home. He called his younger brother and asked him to collect clothes and necessary furniture to leave home. But later, he thought that if he escaped, everything could get worse. Thirty minutes later, Long received a call from a medical staff in Ba Dinh District, asking where he was and inviting him to return home to be quarantined. He asked for a few hours time to hand over work to his employees before going to the quarantine area. As he returnd home towards midnight, Long noticed the usually-crowded Truc Bach Street had turned very quiet. There was no smoke coming out of streetside eateries, no groups of stylishly dressed youngsters going in and coming out of bars. The police and soldiers on duty opened the barriers to let him enter. Long lives in an ancient mansion that houses many families. The lights in the common staircase were turned off. He shuddered in the cold as he entered his room. He turned on all the lights in his room and took a shower, putting his clothes into his backpack. At 2 a.m., he had packed a bag and a guitar. He was ready. He called the medical team. Ten minutes later the car arrived, taking him and a few people into the quarantine area. The first meal he had was a stir-fry dish, two main courses with soup and rice that was wrapped in foil to keep the heat, making him surprised. Working as a manager for a restaurant with unstable hours, it had been a long time since hed had as delicious a meal as this. For two days in quarantine, apart from getting up to have his body temperature checked and samples taken for testing, Long has slept until noon and sat up late until 4 a.m. the next day to answer messages from friends. Running his restaurant mainly on the phone has been a new experience. Many customers have texted and asked him: "What's wrong with you?" Long has told them the truth, although it can scare some of them. He also tells them that he is okay. He guesses his chances of catching an infection is miniscule, but because isolation is mandatory, he will take it seriously. Long had never met Nhung. Hed just noticed that "it was a newly built house, the biggest in the street, and people in the house were very tight-lipped." Fresh perspectives Medical staff check a woman's health on Truc Bach Street, Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy. On Sunday night, Long sat in meditation. He could not sleep because of his habit of staying up late. "I could feel every single blood vessel flowing in my body and I thought about the word quarantine." He had always associated the word with something really bad, something to do with a serious illness, social persecution, alienation and so on. This is a reason that people try to avoid it, he realized. But now that he has thought about it "from the inside," he has had a new thought: People who are secluded are safer than people who mingle with society every day. He gets food served in his room every day. His body gets regularly disinfected and he doesnt need to gather in crowded places to buy food and worry about getting sick when going out. If he is accidentally infected, he will be detected and treated first. "I just hope that everyone will see the isolation as a positive thing. Faith and positive attitude are the most important factors at the moment for overcoming the disease," he said. When life slows down A girl rides a bicycle around Truc Bach Street, one of her few options to kill time, March 7, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy. Truc Bach Streets isolation has slowed down the pace of life in the vicinity to a crawl, although Hanoi is enjoying the beautiful sunny days of late spring. At the Ngu Xa pho cuon restaurant there is no staff or customer sitting down to surf smartphones or invite each other to play shuttlecock. A few dozen meters from the barrier, the coffee shop at No.39 Chau Long Street is closed on Sunday morning. The rows of old dormitories in the area are no longer noisy. The doors are closed. Occasionally, someone wearing a mask pokes his or her head out to watch the empty street. In the afternoon, loudspeakers broadcast news about Covid-19. Truc Bachs residents feel free to wear face masks and walk around, exercise and receive free supplies. The women in Hung's family have enjoyed the "most special" Women's International Day with a meal of bacon, fried eggs and fried vegetables and garlic. "I could only wash the dishes to make up for her," says Hung. He said he has promised that when the epidemic is over, he will take his wife to a buffet and listen to music, as they would do every March 8. Paris, France (PANA) - Amnesty International (AI) on Monday launched a new campaign to break the silence surrounding the enforced disappearance of more than 130 men and boys who were arrested in their villages more than five years ago and have not been heard from since Chicago officials said Monday they have no plans to call off the two parades downtown and on the South Side. On Tuesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said hes been in close communication with the mayor about St. Patricks Day and the celebrations that are planned for the weekend. Bahrain The agriculture sector is receiving great attention from the government to enhance its contributions to achieving self-sufficiency, Minister of Works, Municipality Affairs and Urban Planning Esam bin Abdullah Khalaf has said. Food security in the Kingdom is an important base for generations, which has led the ministry to take the lead in the advancement of the agricultural sector through projects based on directives of HM the King, the minister added as he received MP Ahmed Al Demistani and the board members of Bahrain Agricultural Cooperative Society. The meeting discussed proposals to assist farmers as well as a range of initiatives that support the strategy to upgrade the agricultural sector. Chile has reported three new cases of COVID-19, taking the confirmed cases to 13.All three cases can be traced back to another infected person or travel history to Europe, where the cases have been growing rapidly, Xinhua reported.Chilean Defence Minister Alberto Espina has assured the Health Ministry support of armed forces to contain the virus.Espina has said the country could move from isolated cases with travel history to community transmission and warned that armed forces are most vulnerable due to their community living conditions.In Peru, two more people tested positive for the new coronavirus, taking the total to nine.Both two new cases have been related to the country's first positive case, a 25-year-old, who had a travel history to the Czech Republic, Spain, and France.In Argentina, 17 cases have now been reported with one death. Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio Rodriguez Larreta has asked the people travelling from virus-hit areas to stay in self-imposed quarantine."Especially the people returning from trips to one of the countries where the virus is going around such as China, South Korea, Japan, Iran, Italy, Spain, France or Germany, in these cases we ask them to cooperate by staying at home," Xinhua quoted Rodriguez.The self-quarantine period is 15 days as the virus can take two weeks to surface.Colombia's Health Ministry also reported two new cases, taking the total to three. Both the new patients arrived from Spain.Colombian President Ivan Duque was recently tested for COVID-19 after he attended an event in the US where one person was tested positive. Duque's results came back negative.Ecuador has so far registered 15 cases, with the latest reported on Sunday. The new patient was in contact with the country's first case.The government of Costa Rica has reported nine cases including three Americans and six Costa Ricans. Costa Rica also announced it was suspending all mass gatherings, such as concerts and festivals.As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), the novel coronavirus belongs to the family of zoonotic viruses that spread from animals to humans.The symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus include running cold, sneezes, and coughs while in severe cases respiratory problems, shortness of breath, kidney failure or even death.The deadly virus which originated in Wuhan, China has affected more than 105 counties and has infected 110,137 people globally with nearly 4,000 deaths. (ANI) Huawei has just confirmed that it will announce its new P40 flagships on March 26. The company has confirmed as much via its official website. Huawei is using a VisionaryPhotography hashtag for this launch event, it seems. That hashtag obviously hints that the camera will be the main focus of this smartphone. That is nothing new for Huawei, as the P30 series was focused on the camera as well. The Huawei P30 Pro is still considered to be one of the best camera smartphones around. Now, we already knew that the Huawei P40 will launch on March 26, as Huaweis CEO confirmed it recently. This time its officially official, as Huawei confirmed it directly. Advertisement The Huawei P40 series will launch on March 26 during an online-only event Do note that this event will not take place in Paris, though, as expected. Huawei has switched things around, and made this into an online-only event. The reason for it is probably coronavirus, but the company did not elaborate on that. As part of this event, Huawei is expected to announce the Huawei P40 and P40 Pro. On top of that, the company may introduce the rumored P40 Pro Premium Edition (PE) smartphone as well. That will essentially be the P40 Pro with a ceramic back. Both the Huawei P40 and P40 Pro are expected to be made out of metal and glass. The two phones will look quite similar, though the P40 Pro will have a larger camera module on the back. Advertisement Both devices are expected to sport a pill-shaped display camera hole. That hole will be placed in the top-left corner of the display. You can also expect to see really thin bezels on both smartphones. The Huawei P40 Pro is also expected to include a periscope camera setup on the back. This is not exactly surprising, as the P30 Pro offered such a setup as well. The Galaxy S20 Ultra followed in its footsteps recently, and the OPPO Find X2 Pro also includes such a camera. The Kirin 990 will fuel both devices, while Google services will not be included Both smartphones will be fueled by the Kirin 990 64-bit octa-core processor. That is the most powerful chip that Huawei has to offer at the moment. Advertisement Android 10 will come pre-installed on both phones, along with EMUI 10 skin. Do note that Google services will not be a part of the package, though, due to the US ban. Both devices will come with HMS instead, so you wont have access to Googles apps, including the Play Store. You can expect both devices to offer plenty of RAM. Huawei will almost certainly include LPDDR5 RAM in both phones, and the same goes for UFS 3.0 or UFS 3.1 flash storage. Both devices are expected to support 5G, and included OLED display. The P40 Pro will sport a curved display, while the regular model is rumored to arrive with a flat display. Britains broadband infrastructure will not be able to cope as millions of people work from home during the coronavirus crisis, experts have warned. Many companies have implemented a mandatory work from home policy as a precaution against coronavirus but widespread adoption could lead to internet connectivity issues, experts warn. The added strain of remote access, video conferencing and the use of VPNs may cause some difficulties for the country's broadband infrastructure. The government has predicted that up to a fifth of the UKs workforce could be sick at one point during the coronavirus peak. A similar number of people are also expected to stay at home even if they are not infected to avoid catching the disease. Home broadband, much of which is still reliant on an antiquated copper-wire network, is not set up to cope with the demands of mass internet trading and video conference calls, according to experts. Technology firms that have high data demands, such as Twitter, Google, Facebook and Microsoft, are also among the companies banning staff from its offices. Scroll down for video The added strain of remote access, video conferencing and the use of VPNs could cause some difficulties for the internet's infrastructure. Domestic broadband for customers served by the antiquated copper-wire network would be first affected and could see a data bottleneck (Stock) Professor Izzat Darwazeh, Chair of Communications Engineering at University College London, told the Daily Telegraph: I doubt that the core network can cope if even tens of thousands of people who work in the City of London are forced to work from home and need access to video conferencing and trading systems. He said there could be internet blackouts in rural areas because of under-investment in the ageing broadband networks. In the UK, only three million homes and businesses - around 10 percent- have access to the latest full-fibre broadband, according to an Ofcom study released last year. Lisa Pierce, a network expert with Gartner in the US, told Bloomberg Quint: 'The weak link in the chain, where the system could get overloaded, is going to be the home broadband network. 'People will hit congestion, just like a highway, where the speed goes from 60 miles an hour to 20.' But the fears of Ms Pierce are not shared by Openreach, the UK's biggest provider of broadband to homes. The BT-owned telecoms company told MailOnline it is built to support a so-called 'evening peak' network capacity, which it defines as ten times the typical daytime (working hours) demand. This spike in internet usage comes from the data-intensive video streaming of films, TV programmes and sports. The company is confident it could handle home-working on a mass scale, as could happen should the COVID-19 virus worsen. Customers with slow internet, served by the antiquated copper-wire network would be first affected. The likelihood of the internet being completely overwhelmed is slim but some disruption is possible. Jeff McElfresh, chief executive officer of AT&T Communications, said: 'Video is already 70 per cent of all network traffic. 'The moment you add in videoconferencing to all the shows the kids are watching because schools are closed, it could be a problem if everyone is trying to get on at the same time.' Working from home on a mass-scale is fraught with hazards as recent comments from Dr Asma Adnane from Loughborough University reveal it increases the likelihood of being hacked. Being outside the office and without access to a secure local network means devices are provided with weak security settings. Professor Alan Woodward, a cybersecurity specialist from the University of Surrey said that systems used by banks and other businesses could be at risk. Using personal computers to access work networks could also raise cybersecurity issues for businesses if the devices arent kept up to date, he said. Dr Adnane advises using a Virtual Private Network (VPN), which encrypts data travelling between a user's computer and the work network. What is the coronavirus? A coronavirus is a type of virus which can cause illness in animals and people. Viruses break into cells inside their host and use them to reproduce itself and disrupt the body's normal functions. Coronaviruses are named after the Latin word 'corona', which means crown, because they are encased by a spiked shell which resembles a royal crown. The coronavirus from Wuhan is one which has never been seen before this outbreak. It has been named SARS-CoV-2 by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. The name stands for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2. Experts say the bug, which has killed around one in 50 patients since the outbreak began in December, is a 'sister' of the SARS illness which hit China in 2002, so has been named after it. The disease that the virus causes has been named COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease 2019. Dr Helena Maier, from the Pirbright Institute, said: 'Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that infect a wide range of different species including humans, cattle, pigs, chickens, dogs, cats and wild animals. 'Until this new coronavirus was identified, there were only six different coronaviruses known to infect humans. Four of these cause a mild common cold-type illness, but since 2002 there has been the emergence of two new coronaviruses that can infect humans and result in more severe disease (Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronaviruses). 'Coronaviruses are known to be able to occasionally jump from one species to another and that is what happened in the case of SARS, MERS and the new coronavirus. The animal origin of the new coronavirus is not yet known.' The first human cases were publicly reported from the Chinese city of Wuhan, where approximately 11million people live, after medics first started publicly reporting infections on December 31. By January 8, 59 suspected cases had been reported and seven people were in critical condition. Tests were developed for the new virus and recorded cases started to surge. The first person died that week and, by January 16, two were dead and 41 cases were confirmed. The next day, scientists predicted that 1,700 people had become infected, possibly up to 7,000. Where does the virus come from? According to scientists, the virus almost certainly came from bats. Coronaviruses in general tend to originate in animals the similar SARS and MERS viruses are believed to have originated in civet cats and camels, respectively. The first cases of COVID-19 came from people visiting or working in a live animal market in Wuhan, which has since been closed down for investigation. Although the market is officially a seafood market, other dead and living animals were being sold there, including wolf cubs, salamanders, snakes, peacocks, porcupines and camel meat. A study by the Wuhan Institute of Virology, published in February 2020 in the scientific journal Nature, found that the genetic make-up virus samples found in patients in China is 96 per cent identical to a coronavirus they found in bats. However, there were not many bats at the market so scientists say it was likely there was an animal which acted as a middle-man, contracting it from a bat before then transmitting it to a human. It has not yet been confirmed what type of animal this was. Dr Michael Skinner, a virologist at Imperial College London, was not involved with the research but said: 'The discovery definitely places the origin of nCoV in bats in China. 'We still do not know whether another species served as an intermediate host to amplify the virus, and possibly even to bring it to the market, nor what species that host might have been.' So far the fatalities are quite low. Why are health experts so worried about it? Experts say the international community is concerned about the virus because so little is known about it and it appears to be spreading quickly. It is similar to SARS, which infected 8,000 people and killed nearly 800 in an outbreak in Asia in 2003, in that it is a type of coronavirus which infects humans' lungs. It is less deadly than SARS, however, which killed around one in 10 people, compared to approximately one in 50 for COVID-19. Another reason for concern is that nobody has any immunity to the virus because they've never encountered it before. This means it may be able to cause more damage than viruses we come across often, like the flu or common cold. Speaking at a briefing in January, Oxford University professor, Dr Peter Horby, said: 'Novel viruses can spread much faster through the population than viruses which circulate all the time because we have no immunity to them. 'Most seasonal flu viruses have a case fatality rate of less than one in 1,000 people. Here we're talking about a virus where we don't understand fully the severity spectrum but it's possible the case fatality rate could be as high as two per cent.' If the death rate is truly two per cent, that means two out of every 100 patients who get it will die. 'My feeling is it's lower,' Dr Horby added. 'We're probably missing this iceberg of milder cases. But that's the current circumstance we're in. 'Two per cent case fatality rate is comparable to the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918 so it is a significant concern globally.' How does the virus spread? The illness can spread between people just through coughs and sneezes, making it an extremely contagious infection. And it may also spread even before someone has symptoms. It is believed to travel in the saliva and even through water in the eyes, therefore close contact, kissing, and sharing cutlery or utensils are all risky. It can also live on surfaces, such as plastic and steel, for up to 72 hours, meaning people can catch it by touching contaminated surfaces. Originally, people were thought to be catching it from a live animal market in Wuhan city. But cases soon began to emerge in people who had never been there, which forced medics to realise it was spreading from person to person. What does the virus do to you? What are the symptoms? Once someone has caught the COVID-19 virus it may take between two and 14 days, or even longer, for them to show any symptoms but they may still be contagious during this time. If and when they do become ill, typical signs include a runny nose, a cough, sore throat and a fever (high temperature). The vast majority of patients will recover from these without any issues, and many will need no medical help at all. In a small group of patients, who seem mainly to be the elderly or those with long-term illnesses, it can lead to pneumonia. Pneumonia is an infection in which the insides of the lungs swell up and fill with fluid. It makes it increasingly difficult to breathe and, if left untreated, can be fatal and suffocate people. Figures are showing that young children do not seem to be particularly badly affected by the virus, which they say is peculiar considering their susceptibility to flu, but it is not clear why. What have genetic tests revealed about the virus? Scientists in China have recorded the genetic sequences of around 19 strains of the virus and released them to experts working around the world. This allows others to study them, develop tests and potentially look into treating the illness they cause. Examinations have revealed the coronavirus did not change much changing is known as mutating much during the early stages of its spread. However, the director-general of China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Gao Fu, said the virus was mutating and adapting as it spread through people. This means efforts to study the virus and to potentially control it may be made extra difficult because the virus might look different every time scientists analyse it. More study may be able to reveal whether the virus first infected a small number of people then change and spread from them, or whether there were various versions of the virus coming from animals which have developed separately. How dangerous is the virus? The virus has a death rate of around two per cent. This is a similar death rate to the Spanish Flu outbreak which, in 1918, went on to kill around 50million people. Experts have been conflicted since the beginning of the outbreak about whether the true number of people who are infected is significantly higher than the official numbers of recorded cases. Some people are expected to have such mild symptoms that they never even realise they are ill unless they're tested, so only the more serious cases get discovered, making the death toll seem higher than it really is. However, an investigation into government surveillance in China said it had found no reason to believe this was true. Dr Bruce Aylward, a World Health Organization official who went on a mission to China, said there was no evidence that figures were only showing the tip of the iceberg, and said recording appeared to be accurate, Stat News reported. Can the virus be cured? The COVID-19 virus cannot be cured and it is proving difficult to contain. Antibiotics do not work against viruses, so they are out of the question. Antiviral drugs can work, but the process of understanding a virus then developing and producing drugs to treat it would take years and huge amounts of money. No vaccine exists for the coronavirus yet and it's not likely one will be developed in time to be of any use in this outbreak, for similar reasons to the above. The National Institutes of Health in the US, and Baylor University in Waco, Texas, say they are working on a vaccine based on what they know about coronaviruses in general, using information from the SARS outbreak. But this may take a year or more to develop, according to Pharmaceutical Technology. Currently, governments and health authorities are working to contain the virus and to care for patients who are sick and stop them infecting other people. People who catch the illness are being quarantined in hospitals, where their symptoms can be treated and they will be away from the uninfected public. And airports around the world are putting in place screening measures such as having doctors on-site, taking people's temperatures to check for fevers and using thermal screening to spot those who might be ill (infection causes a raised temperature). However, it can take weeks for symptoms to appear, so there is only a small likelihood that patients will be spotted up in an airport. Is this outbreak an epidemic or a pandemic? The outbreak was declared a pandemic on March 11. A pandemic is defined by the World Health Organization as the 'worldwide spread of a new disease'. Previously, the UN agency said most cases outside of Hubei had been 'spillover' from the epicentre, so the disease wasn't actually spreading actively around the world. By Trend Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 30 times using large-caliber machine guns, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. 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. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz DUBLIN, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Commercial and Military Satellite Communications (SatCom) - Market and Technology Forecast to 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The commercial and military satellite market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 76.6% during this period, with a cumulative $195.11 billion over the period 2020-2028. Satellite communications play a vital role in the global telecommunications system. Approximately 2,000 artificial satellites orbiting Earth relay analog and digital signals carrying voice, video, and data to and from one or many locations worldwide. Satellite communication has two main components: the ground segment, which consists of fixed or mobile transmission, reception, and ancillary equipment, and the space segment, which primarily is the satellite itself. Both the commercial and military satellite communication industry is evolving, as evidenced by numerous trends that one can expect to see on the horizon over the coming 18 months and beyond. The increase in small satellites, the use of low-Earth orbit (LEO), launches on reusable rocket launch vehicles and new use cases for 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT) are some of the most important developments to watch. Global Commercial & Military Satellite Communications Market & Technology Forecast to 2028 examines, analyzes, and predicts the evolution of satellite systems, technologies, markets, and outlays (expenditures) over the next 8 years; 2020-2028 in the Global Commercial & Military Satellite Communication industry. It also examines commercial and military satellite markets geographically, focusing on the top 95% of global markets, in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Throughout the report, we show how satellite communication is used today to add real value. To provide the most thorough and realistic forecast, this report provides a twin-scenario analysis, including steady state, the emergence of new satellite communication technology. The report sheds light on major technologies and services in this domain. These include: Laser SatCom Communication Terrestrial Based Fibre Optics Nano Satellites C Band Ka Band Ku Band In particular, it provides an in-depth analysis of the following: Overview: Snapshot of the various satellite communication tech in the aerospace market during 2020-2028, including highlights of the demand drivers, trends and challenges. It also provides a snapshot of the spending with respect to regions as well as segments. It also sheds light on the emergence of new technologies Market Dynamics: Insights into the technological developments in this market and a detailed analysis of the changing preferences of governments around the world. It also analyzes changing industry structure trends and the challenges faced by the industry participants. Segment Analysis: Insights into the various Systems market from a segmental perspective and a detailed analysis of factors influencing the market for each segment. Regional Review: Insights into modernization patterns and budgetary allocation for top countries within a region. Regional Analysis: Insights into the Systems market from a regional perspective and a detailed analysis of factors influencing the market for each region. Trend Analysis: Key satellite communication markets: Analysis of the key markets in each region, providing an analysis of the various Systems segments expected to be in demand in each region. Key Program Analysis: Details of the top programs in each segment expected to be executed during the forecast period. Competitive landscape Analysis: Analysis of the competitive landscape of this industry. It provides an overview of key companies, together with insights such as key alliances, strategic initiatives, and a brief financial analysis. Key Topics Covered 1 Introduction 2 Executive Summary 2.1 SATCOM - A Reality Check 2.1.1 Insatiable Demand for Internet Bandwidth 2.1.2 Space-based Communication Advantages 2.1.3 Space-based Communication Disadvantages 2.2 Major Findings 2.3 Major Conclusions 2.4 Data Transmission Demand 2.5 Important Tables and Graphs 2.5.1 Scenario I Satellite Communication Consolidated Market Forecast by Region 2.5.2 Scenario II Satellite Communication Consolidated Market Forecast by Region 2.5.3 Scenario I vs. II Satellite Communication Market Forecast Comparison 2.6 Brief Review of Long-Range Communication 2.6.1 Line-of-Sight Communications Geometry 2.6.2 Technologies Summary 3 Current and Near Future Technologies 3.1 Satellite Communications 3.1.1 Atmospheric Absorption 3.1.2 Basic Radio Communications 3.1.3 Example of implementation 3.1.4 Drivers 3.1.5 Inhibitors 3.2 Laser SatCom Communications 3.2.1 State of Technology 3.2.2 Example of implementation 3.2.3 Drivers 3.2.4 Inhibitors 3.3 Terrestrial-Based Fiber Optics 3.3.1 Terrestrial Fiber Optic Context 3.3.2 State of Fiber Optic Technology 3.3.3 American Fiber Optic Network Example 3.3.4 Primary Fiber Optic Cable Uses 3.3.5 Drivers 3.3.6 Inhibitors 3.4 Nanosatellites 3.4.1 Overview 3.4.2 Established Nanosatellite Technologies 3.4.3 Near Future Nanosatellite Technologies 3.4.4 Long Term Nanosatellite Technologies 3.4.5 Low Cost, Light Weight Rockets 3.4.6 Advanced Materials 3.4.7 Thin Film Photovoltaics 3.4.8 Batteries 3.4.9 Ion Propulsion 3.4.10 RF and Laser Communications 3.4.11 Advanced Computational Micro-Electronics 3.4.12 Orbital Mesh Networks 3.4.13 Drivers 3.4.14 Inhibitors 4 Satellite Services/Technologies 4.1 Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) 4.2 Mobile Satellite Services 4.3 Competitive Vendor Landscape 4.4 Very Small Aperture Antenna Terminal - Sea 4.5 Very Small Aperture Antenna Terminal - Terrestrial 4.6 C-Band 4.7 Ka Band 4.8 Ku Band 5 Satellite Communication Market Forecasts by Technology 5.1 Future Technology 5.2 Future Market Drivers 5.3 Future Market Inhibitors 5.4 Satellite Communication Consolidated Market Forecasts 5.5 Mobile Video Market Forecast 5.6 Mobile Data Market Forecast (non-video) 5.7 Laser Fiber Optic Communications Market Forecast 5.8 Fixed Video Services Market Forecast 5.9 Microsats/Nanosatellites Market Forecast 5.10 Tracking and Monitoring (MSS) Market Forecast 6 Satellite Communication Market Forecasts by Region 6.1 Global Market 6.2 Africa and Middle East 6.3 Asia/Pacific 6.4 Europe 6.5 North America 6.6 South America 6.7 Regions Forecast - Country Wise Breakdown 7 Business Opportunities 7.1 Developing World Mobile Services 7.2 Improving Mobile Broadband Speeds 7.3 Laser Communications 8 Leading Companies In The Commercial & Military Satellite Communication Market 8.1 Airbus Defence & Space 8.1.1 Company Profile 8.1.2 Satellites - Products & Services 8.1.3 Financial Information 8.1.4 Contact 8.2 BAE Systems 8.3 Boeing Co. 8.4 Elbit Systems 8.5 Inmarsat 8.6 Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) 8.7 Leonardo 8.8 Lockheed Martin 8.9 Northrop Grumman Corp. 8.10 Saab 8.11 Other Companies of Interest 8.11.1 Adcole Maryland Aerospace 8.11.2 Advanced Space 8.11.3 Addvalue Tech 8.11.4 AST & Science LLC 8.11.5 Astro Digital 8.11.6 Audacy 8.11.7 Black Sky 8.11.8 Bradford 8.11.9 Bridgesat 8.11.10 China Academy of Space Technology 8.11.11 Chang Guang Satellite Technology 8.11.12 Clyde Space 8.11.13 Ducommun Inc. 8.11.14 Effective Space Solutions Ltd. 8.11.15 ExPace 8.11.16 FOMS Inc. 8.11.17 GAUSS S.r.l. 8.11.18 Gom Space 8.11.19 Goonhilly Earth Station 8.11.20 HawkEye 360 Inc. 8.11.21 Innovative Solutions in Space 8.11.22 ISS Reshetnev 8.11.23 Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) 8.11.24 Kongsberg Satellite Services 8.11.25 Luxspace 8.11.26 Made in Space 8.11.27 NASA - Swarm Technology 8.11.28 Open Source 8.11.29 OneWeb Satellites 8.11.30 Phase Four 8.11.31 Planet Inc. 8.11.32 Pumpkin Space Systems 8.11.33 QinetiQ Space 8.11.34 RBC Signals 8.11.35 Relativity Space 8.11.36 Rocket Lab 8.11.37 SSL (formerly Space Systems/Loral, LLC) 8.11.38 ThrustMe 8.11.39 Tyvak Nano Satellite Systems Inc. 8.11.40 ViaSat For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/lkm1fp 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 NEW BEDFORD, Mass. - A Rhode Island woman arrested at a protest over the conditions at a Massachusetts jail has been sentenced to 30 days in jail. Immigration activist Sherrie Andre was convicted Monday in New Bedford District Court of trespassing and disturbing the peace. She received the maximum possible sentence for the charges, according to the FANG Collective, a Rhode Island-based group that Andre co-founded. The organization said it was surprised by the harsh despite dozens of letters of support submitted on her behalf by community leaders. Andre was among several protesters arrested for blocking the entrance to the Bristol County House of Corrections in Dartmouth in August 2018. The demonstration was meant to show support for a hunger strike inside the jail by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees. They also opposed Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgsons support of the Trump administrations immigration policies. The Republican sheriff has offered to send detainees to help build President Donald Trumps border wall with Mexico. His jail is one of the few in New England that houses ICE detainees. Two others arrested at the protest were sentenced to 10 days in prison as part of a plea deal. Another paid a $3,000 fine. Andre will serve her sentence at the Bristol County jail. Amicus Therapeutics has moved its R&D center and nearly 100 scientists and support workers to 3675 Chestnut Street, University City. Read more Amicus Therapeutics, a publicly traded biopharmaceutical firm focused on rare diseases, has moved nearly 100 R&D professionals over the last year into 3675 Market St., in Philadelphias University City, and plans to add another 100. Here in Philadelphia is where we are going to do all our science, says John Crowley, chief executive of Amicus, which is based in Cranbury Township, near Princeton and calls its new West Philly labs the Global Research & Gene Therapy Center of Excellence. Crowley also calls Philadelphia the Cradle of Cures, a label that might possibly stick better than Cellicon Valley and the other titles that the citys bio boosters have pushed in recent years. Amicus abstract logo, Crowley says, recalls both the Liberty Bell, and a DNA double helix. Weve been hiring pretty aggressively, he added. He held open house last week after pasting his sign atop whats now the Amicus building. Philadelphia is a magnet for gene technology and gene therapy, Crowley told me afterward. You have great, great talent. The gene therapy center at Penn, with Dr. Jim Wilson, is the worlds leading research center. They are our partners," and are just a few blocks apart across the Penn campus. Crowley, a Georgetown-Harvard Business-Notre Dame Law grad and retired Navy officer, got into biotech the hard way: Two of his kids were born with Pompes disease, leading to muscular dystrophy and threatening early death. In 1998, he joined Bristol-Meyers to work on cures, moved on with William Canfield to found Novazyme to bring his Pompes treatment to market, and sold the business for $138 million to Genzyme (which enrolled his son and daughter for the treatment) in 2001. The actor Harrison Ford turned Crowleys family saga into a movie Extraordinary Measures based on Geeta Anands book The Cure, with Ford playing a Canfield-like composite doctor and Crowley played by the actor Brendan Fraser. New Jersey Republicans considered running him for the U.S. Senate. His current company Amicus it employs 600, in all has taken the top three floors at 3675 because the future of research and development, in rare diseases and beyond, is Philadelphia, Crowley told me Thursday. Most of our team relocated to the area. We have relocated people from California and Boston to work here at Amicus. They have moved to the Main Line, to South Jersey, and a lot of our younger employees are living in the city. Its neat how its grown. Amicus, founded in 2007, is worth $3 billion on the stock market. Its lead product is Galafold, used every other day by 1,200 U.S. and European patients with Fabry disease, a rare, genetic, painful condition whose patients lack a key enzyme. That treatment costs insurers $200,000 a year; Crowley says there are payment plans for those who need help. Company sales total about $250 million a year; expenses are more than $400 million, leaving Amicus to rely, for now, on investors and research grants to fund its losses. We have $450 million in cash, so we are well-funded for a number of years while other projects move to market, Crowley concluded. The Philly biotech scene, Crowley says, "reminds me of Kendall Square in Boston 15 years ago. So much was happening then. Now its so built up you cant find space up there. " He noted that Rhode Island Gov. Gina Marie Raimondo visited Philadelphia last summer, stopping by Amicus location as developer Wexford Science + Technology was fitting out the new space, to see whether she could get ideas for developing Providence (home to Brown Universitys medical school, among other programs) as a med-tech center to pick up Bostons overflow. Newly released internal city emails show Miami City Attorney Victoria Mendez invested time and staff in researching laws governing the recall process around the same time an effort began to remove Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo from office. The emails suggest that public servants paid by taxpayers sought to interpret state laws in a way that would favor Carollo, according to the recall campaign that is suing the city. Attorneys representing the political committee behind the recall, Take Back Our City, suggested Mendez and her staff took legal positions that favored Carollo and ignored relevant case law, leading the city to reject more than 1,900 recall petitions submitted on March 2. The citys refusal to forward the signatures to the Miami-Dade County elections department, which must verify them, prompted the lawsuit. The attorneys representing the recall committee, J.C. Planas and David Winker, argue that Mendez and her staffs research represent an improper expenditure of public resources to defend Carollo against a recall and ignore the will of those who signed the petitions. The City Attorneys efforts are not only an attempt to silence the voices of the voters that signed the recall petitions but a betrayal of the very people she swore to represent, the residents of the City of Miami, Planas and Winker wrote in a filing submitted Monday evening, in preparation for a court hearing on Tuesday. I was shocked and appalled by what I read, Planas told the Miami Herald Editorial Board Monday afternoon. It showed a pattern of abuse of her position. The city attorneys office has become Joe Carollos law firm. Asked to respond Monday evening, Mendez said only: We look forward to addressing the [case] in court. Planas and Winker represent the group, which has received financial backing from businessman and former Miami city manager Joe Arriola. The lawyers are accusing Mendez and her staff of coordinating an effort to protect Carollo from a recall, which they argue amounts to illegal interference with a recall election. Story continues The Citys very response to this legal action, as well as their entire handling of this matter, is unlawful and likely criminal and should be subject to a law enforcement investigation, reads the legal filing. Planas and Winker filed suit against the city March 2 after the city refused to accept more than 1,900 signatures collected in February during an initial round of petitions. The committee needed 1,577 of those signatures to be certified by the Miami-Dade County elections department as currently registered voters in Carollos district in order for the group to continue with a second round of petitions that would include a statement of defense from Carollo. The recall group submitted the petitions electronically Saturday night, Feb. 29, and turned in the actual petitions on Monday, March 2. The city attorney argued that the deadline was Feb. 29, and that the city had no authority to accept digital petitions or to extend the deadline to the first business day after the weekend. An attempt to recall Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo, District 3, is the subject of a lawsuit to be heard Tuesday. The emails, attached to the court filing submitted Monday and first reported by blogger Elaine de Valle, show that in the earliest days of the campaign to gather signatures for the recall of Carollo, Mendez and a group of city attorneys developed what they called a cheat sheet to address a number of legal questions related to the recall campaign, including the deadline for submitting the petitions. The records show an internal disagreement between two municipal attorneys, Kerri McNulty and George Wysong, over the deadline for submitting the recall petitions. On the evening of Jan. 29, the night before the recall committee even registered with the city, McNulty offered an analysis that found if the deadline were to fall on a weekend or legal holiday, the deadline must be extended to the end of the next business day. This analysis largely matches the recall committees position. Later that evening, Mendez responded that she wanted to talk about the time frame for the petition. Could we discuss computation of time tomorrow. Thx, Mendez wrote to McNulty. The next day, Wysong provided a different interpretation, saying a strict reading of the state statute was in order. On the basis that the first signature was collected on Jan. 30 an assertion that the recall committee disputes Wysong wrote the committee would have had to submit its signatures on Friday, Feb. 28, because the true deadline was a Saturday, and the city clerks office is not typically open on Saturday. Miami City Attorney Victoria Mendez Mendez later wrote that she agreed with Wysong. Four days later, McNulty wrote in a separate email that she agreed, and amended the cheat sheet with Wysongs reading of the law. Ironically, McNulty is the lead attorney representing the city in the lawsuit, meaning she is expected to argue against a legal interpretation that she privately wrote on a city document a little more than a month ago. On Feb. 6, deputy city attorney John Greco shared research related to a case in Miami Beach in which a resident sued the city to compel officials to turn over petitions to the county elections department, mirroring the current situation in which the recall committee is suing to force Miami city officials to submit the signatures to the county. Planas and Winker wrote that members of the citys legal staff should have known a recall is an electoral matter, and therefore, they should have stayed out of issues related to the recall. They ignored the law and did it anyway, the attorneys wrote. They knew they were improperly computing the time for the filing of the petitions and even researched what the remedy would be if they failed to properly turn in the petitions to the Supervisor of Elections. In response to the recall committees lawsuit, the citys attorneys argued in a filing that the committees submission of the petitions was untimely because in the citys view, the petitions were turned in late. This is so because the recall petition is facially untimely, reads the citys response. There is simply nothing in the plain language of the statute or under the existing case law that would dictate that the Recall Committee has a right to have a facially untimely recall petition forwarded to the county for verification of signatures. In two documents filed in court Monday by Carollos personal attorney, Benedict Kuehne states Carollo is an interested party/defendant and intervenor in the case, and he echoed the citys arguments regarding the deadline for submitting the petitions. He added that the committee violated state law in scanning the petitions to submit them electronically on Feb. 29, and because Planas filed the petitions instead of the chair of the recall committee, resident Robert Piper. The recall committee engaged in clear and obvious violations of the municipal recall statute, Kuehne wrote. These violations are readily apparent and preclude the City Clerk from furnishing the legally deficient petitions to the Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections as a matter of law. New York, March 10 : Medical research foundations Wellcome and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation joined forces with payments major Mastercard on Tuesday to set up $125 million in seed funding to speed-up the response to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) epidemic by identifying, assessing, developing and scaling-up treatments. The Covid-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, as the three partners call it, aims to play a catalytic role by accelerating and evaluating new and repurposed drugs and biologics to treat patients with coronavirus in the immediate term, and other viral pathogens in the longer term. Image Source: IANS News Currently there are no broad-spectrum antivirals or immunotherapies available for the fight against emerging pathogens, and none approved for use on Covid-19. The Gates Foundation and Wellcome said they are each contributing up to $50 million, and the Mastercard Impact Fund has committed up to $25 million to catalyse the initial work of the accelerator. The Gates Foundation's funding is part of its up to $100 million commitment to the Covid-19 response announced last month. "Viruses like Covid-19 spread rapidly, but the development of vaccines and treatments to stop them move slowly," Mark Suzman, Chief Executive Officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said in a statement. "If we want to make the world safe from outbreaks like Covid-19, particularly for those most vulnerable, then we need to find a way to make research and development move faster. That requires governments, private enterprise, and philanthropic organisations to act quickly to fund R&D," Suzman said. The Covid-19 Therapeutics Accelerator will work with the World Health Organization, government and private sector funders and organisations, as well as the global regulatory and policy-setting institutions. The Accelerator will have an end-to-end focus, from drug pipeline development through manufacturing and scale-up. By sharing research, coordinating investments and pooling resources, these efforts can help accelerate research. "This virus is an unprecedented global threat, and one for which we must propel international partnerships to develop treatments, rapid diagnostics and vaccines. Science is moving at a phenomenal pace against Covid-19, but to get ahead of this epidemic, we need greater investment and ensure research co-ordination," said Jeremy Farrar, Director at Wellcome. The novel coronavirus has so far spread to over 100 countries and territories, infecting more than 100,000 people. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- Syndicated from IANS Help India! Arrest of a Kashmiri couple in Okhla Vihar surfaces Police took landlord and broker into custody for further questioning Neither rent agreement nor police verification found The couple had been living for 6 months, but no one knew them The couple was arrested on Saturday night from the lane outside their residence Zia Ur Rahman, Yusuf Ansari, twocircles.net A Kashmiri couple has been arrested from Jamia Nagars Okhla Vihar on charges of having connections with ISIS. Jamia Nagar Police, on Monday, has also taken into custody the landlord and broker for further questioning. Fear has gripped the residents after the arrest as several hours after a search operation, no one in the locality seemed to have known the Kashmiri couple. Support TwoCircles For TwoCircles.net, Zia Ur Rahman spent hours trying to collect more details but the only information he could gather was that the couple had been living there for 6 months. Landlord Saeed Abbasi was unavailable as police had already taken him for questioning early morning. His son, though, was willing to share that the local broker, Shuja, had helped the couple buy this flat on rent months back. Since no Rent Agreement had been made between the parties, police verification was still pending. Giraftaari ya toh hamari dukaan band hone ke baad hui hogi ya phir hamari dukaan khulne se pehle (The arrest must have taken place either after my shop had closed or before my shop had opened), said the owner of a departmental store, just few metres away from the couples residence. Locals, on asking, said that the couple must have been arrested late in the night on Saturday or in the wee hours of Sunday from a lane outside their house. Time of arrest was carefully chosen, as opined by the residents because no one got the slightest clue when and how the couple was taken into police custody. The couple, Jahanzeb Sami and Hina Bashir Baig had rented flat C-4 since October last year. Their neighbors had no clue whether they had more relatives around or not. In fact, they did not even know the Kashmiri couple had been living there for months. When TwoCircles.net reporter talked to others in the vicinity about the couple, they were completely unaware of the arrest. The immediate neighbor of the couple was also clueless that they were arrested on charges of having links with the terror group ISIS. Some shopkeepers in the area knew about the arrest but they were reluctant to share any information. Our reporter scanned the other shops in the area but found no one who knew about the couple. While talking to other Kashmiris in the area, it was found that none of them knew either Jahanzeb or his wife, Hina. Wo bahut acchhe insaan hain (He, Saeed, is a very good person), said one of the shop owners, who has been there for more than three years. He said despite the fact that landlord Saeed Abbasi is quite well known among the locals, he had rarely ever seen the Kashmiri couple in the flat. Delhi Police has sent the couple Jahanzeb Sami and Hina Bashir Baig into a 14 days custody after which they would be produced for a special hearing at Patiala Court. After rounds of investigation, Police claims, several shocking revelations have been made. Police says the couple has links with the Khorasan Module of ISIS and were planning Fidayeen-style suicide bomb blasts across Delhi. The couple, as Police says, was planning serial blasts similar to the one that rocked Colombo in Sri Lanka last year. Police alleged that the couple possesses similar chemicals as were found in Colombos serial blast. A Special Cell in Delhi Police has reported having intercepted a conversation between two blast suspects from ISIS Khorasan Module. The suspects had mentioned Triacetone Tripperoxide (TATP) explosive, which is alternately known as Mother of Satan. Police had received leads of the Kashmiri couple at Okhla Vihar from this intercept. Intelligence Bureau (IB) had initially intercepted web chats of Jahanzeb Sami after receiving leads from the Special Cell of Delhi Police. Sami has confirmed to have visited Dubai but denies visiting Neelam Valley in Pakistan. The Special Cell also suspects him of visiting Syria in relation to the Khorasan Module of ISIS. According to police, the couple has been suspects under security agencies for a long time. They had come to Delhi from Kashmir in August last year. Sami had been working with a private company. Police, accompanied by a team from Special Cell, have recovered ample Jihadi material along with many electronic gadgets from the couples rented flat. Samis chat history also reveals him having close contact with Khorasan Modules Wing Commander, Huzaifa. Huzaifa, a Pakistani national was previously with Lashkar e Taiba before news of his death surfaced in July last year. According to police, Sami has confessed to having worked with Al Qaeda before. He accepted to have shifted base from Kashmir to Delhi during the longest internet blockade extending six months in the Valley in the wake of abrogation of Article 370. Sami had been recruiting youngsters for Jihad through social media, with his account name as Dawood Al Hindi. He has confessed to having brainwashed youths into joining ISIS. First, his wife Hina used to communicate with these youngsters, pulling them into working for ISIS and once they committed, he would take over. All the above claims by the police are still under inquiry as police have refrained from answering several important questions. One of these questions is, police have accused a couple of recruiting youngsters for ISIS through social media but have not named the platform they were using. Hina is accused of writing for ISIS magazines. The couple is accused of inciting Muslim youths against the Citizenship Amendment Act, but all of these accusations still lack solid proof. Police accused the couple of owning inflammatory articles and literature but none of these have been provided as proofs as of yet. It is noteworthy that all the information that is coming to media about the Kashmiri couple having links with ISIS is from police sources. There have been no press conferences, no official statements, and no charge sheet as a source of further clarification. Both of them have never participated in any protest even back in Kashmir then why would they incite others to join protests in Delhi, says Samis mother. She is sure that her son and daughter-in-law are both innocent. Both Sami and Hinas parents have arrived in Delhi to take legal aid for the duo. Delhi Police, however, maintains that the couple has been working so viciously that no one around them can ever garner doubts about their alleged involvement in terror activities. With such grave accusations, it is now the onus on Delhi Police to prove them guilty of crimes they were arrested for. American forces have started pulling out of two bases in Afghanistan, a US official said Tuesday, the day peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban were due to start despite widespread violence and a political crisis. The United States is keen to end its longest-ever conflict, and under the terms of a deal signed in Doha last month has said all foreign forces will quit Afghanistan within 14 months -- provided the Taliban stick to their security commitments. Under the accord, the US is initially supposed to cut its troop presence from about 12,000 currently to 8,600 by mid-July, and close five of its roughly 20 bases across the country. Troops have started leaving one base in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province in the south, and another base in Herat in the west, a US official told AFP on the condition of anonymity. Even with the drawdown, US forces retain "all the military means and authorities to accomplish our objectives", Colonel Sonny Leggett, spokesman for US Forces-Afghanistan, said Monday, referring to American counterterrorism operations and support for Afghan forces. Helmand, which along with neighbouring Kandahar province is considered a Taliban stronghold, is where US and British forces fought some of the bloodiest campaigns of the 18-year war. Omar Zwak, spokesman for Helmand's governor, told AFP that "20 to 30" foreigners had left Lashkar Gah since the weekend. The initial drawdown comes as the Taliban, which see themselves as having achieved "victory" over America, test the Pentagon's resolve to protect local partners by conducting dozens of low-level attacks against Afghan forces. The US has only responded to a few of these attacks. Under the terms of the withdrawal deal, the Taliban are supposed to tackle jihadists such as the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda, as well as hold talks with the Afghan government that were due to start Tuesday. But Kabul is in disarray and appears unable to present a unified front to negotiate with the Taliban. On Monday, President Ashraf Ghani was inaugurated for a second term following an election that was marred by fraud allegations while his rival, former chief executive Abdullah Abdullah, also declared himself winner and swore himself in as premier in a parallel ceremony. Washington has denounced Abdullah's self-inauguration, urging unity in Kabul ahead of negotiations with the Taliban. "Prioritising an inclusive government and unified Afghanistan is paramount for the future of the country and particularly for the cause of peace," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday. Peace talks were supposed to start Tuesday but have been thrown into limbo by a dispute over the release of Taliban prisoners -- something the insurgents have demanded as a prerequisite ahead of negotiations, but which Ghani has so far refused to do. Ghani was expected later Tuesday to announce a decree on the issue and reveal details of the negotiating team. A member of the Taliban's leadership council -- the Quetta Shura -- told AFP the insurgents had delivered a list of the 5,000 captives they wanted freed to the Afghan government. But he accused Kabul of acting in bad faith, alleging that "the government (planned) to release only those prisoners who are elderly, very ill, or those whose sentences have expired". The Taliban's political spokesman Suhail Shaheen tweeted Tuesday that any prisoners "handed over to us ... will be accepted (only) after verification by our delegation". "They should be the people whose names are in the list," Shaheen wrote. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Singapore welcomes home ship barred by Malaysia and Thailand WORLD: Singapore will allow a cruise ship carrying about 2,000 people to dock after it was barred by Malaysia and Thailand over coronavirus fears, officials said yesterday (Mar 9). CoronavirusCOVID-19healthmarineSafetytourism By AFP Tuesday 10 March 2020, 09:57AM The Costa Fortuna has been granted permission to dock in Singapore after being refused by Malaysia and Thailand. Photo: Costa Cruises PR The Costa Fortuna was turned away from the Thai holiday island of Phuket and the Malaysian state of Penang in recent days, despite having no suspected virus cases among its passengers and crew. But the ship - carrying dozens of people from Italy, which has been hard hit by the virus - will be allowed to dock at its home port of Singapore today (Mar 10) as scheduled. A doctor on board will check passengers and crew before they disembark, and everyone will undergo temperature screenings before entering Singapore, the city-states port authority and tourism board said. The vessel, which set sail from Singapore on Mar 3, said no passengers were feverish or had other symptoms, they added. Thailand refused to let the ship dock due to restrictions on people with recent travel history to Italy, while Malaysia has barred all cruise ships from the countrys ports because of coronavirus fears. Italy has been hard hit by the virus with 463 fatalities - the most deaths from the disease of any country outside China, where the outbreak began in December. Singapore last week banned visitors with recent travel history to northern Italy. Officials said all passengers on the Costa Fortuna had completed necessary checks related to the virus before the start of the cruise. The case has similarities with that of the Westerdam, a cruise ship that was at sea for two weeks and was rejected by five countries over fears its passengers could have the virus. Cambodia finally allowed it to dock on the countrys southern coast on Feb 13. Worldwide, the total number of people with COVID-19 has passed 114,000, while more than 4,020 have died. Fragile EU amid COVID-19 crisis Global Times By Chen Qingqing and Yang Sheng Source:Global Times Published: 2020/3/9 21:18:26 Caught between protecting public health, dealing with economic woes Europe, after seeing a rapid rise in COVID-19 cases, faces a dilemma of containing the virus spread with strict measures while preventing an economic crisis as the region is on the edge of recession. The reluctance and hesitation of some European officials make a definitive and aggressive approach against the disease "hard to apply in the bloc," analysts said. Underestimating such a global crisis, in addition to the governments' struggles in coordinating actions across the continent, would eventually backfire on the future growth and social stability of the region, involving into more social and economic woes, they said. Such struggles also show that Western countries "are getting lost" in balancing between preventing an economic collapse and protecting public health. They need to immediately shift to prioritizing epidemic control work, as a delayed response and insufficient effort would lead to a disastrous outcome, turning the public health crisis into a political and social one, analysts warned. Global markets stumbled on Monday as the number of COVID-19 infections rises in the US, while the outbreak continues to worsen in Europe after Italy implemented unprecedented city lockdown measures in the northern part of the country. France and Germany saw confirmed cases in their countries surpass 1,000 just a few days after local officials in Germany ruled out EU-wide travel restrictions, while European countries have not reached a collective and unified effort in fighting the disease. EU struggles Such divergence in handling the crisis, amplified by far-right populism in the bloc, has weighed heavily on the effectiveness of the fight against the COVID-19. The disease has led to 11,998 infection cases in Europe, accounting for 11 percent of total infections worldwide. Outside China, the total number of confirmed cases reached more than 28,000, with 109,695 reported as of Monday globally. The most-stricken European country, Italy, which is also one of the most fragile economies in the EU, has imposed a lockdown across a large part of the northern areas, putting about 16 million people in quarantine, according to media reports. Another 133 deaths were reported on Sunday, bringing the total to 366, while more than 7,000 infection cases were confirmed in the country, which now has the highest number of fatalities outside China. Following an emergency meeting led by French President Emmanuel Macron, French Health Minister Olivier Veran announced a ban on public gatherings of more than 1,000 people while protests, exams and public transportation could be exempt from this ban, France24 reported on Sunday. Officials in Germany have called for the cancelation of large events while preparing measures to boost the economy. The coronavirus has spread more rapidly in many European countries than at China's peak, John Ross, a senior fellow at Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies of Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Monday. Comparisons in absolute numbers conceal the situation because China's population is huge. Proportionally, the virus spread more rapidly in European countries than during China's peak, Ross said. While China has placed the situation gradually under control following huge sacrifices made by Chinese people ranging from local residents in epicenter Wuhan and Central China's Hubei Province to medical and military staff, as well as a massive scale of social mobilization, the daily number of new infections has been declining. The epidemic in Europe and the US is spreading rapidly, prompting some observers and analysts to question those who had harshly criticized China for its missteps at the early stages of the outbreak whether Europe or America could address this issue differently. Wang Yiwei, director of the Center for European Union studies at the Renmin University of China in Beijing, told the Global Times on Monday that it would be very difficult for EU members to conduct strict epidemic controls and preventive measures like those that China has been taking. "The EU members face the same threat but they don't share sovereignty in every aspect and don't feel the same pain as Italy. So it is very difficult to make every member share the same idea, not only on fighting COVID-19, but also on the immigrant issue and the eurozone debt crisis in the past," Wang said. In the face of a huge public crisis, market-driven rules would be distorted and reshape perspectives on different ideologies, especially between the West and East, when the crisis puts individualism and freedom of movement into question, as the free movement of people and goods with weak border controls increases the risks, which is becoming a daunting challenge to EU, as the economy had grown only marginally before the outbreak. European countries are not united as EU members like Germany and non-EU members like Switzerland have disputed sharing medical materials, and people in countries like Italy are not likely to obey instructions from their own government, and are even reluctant to wear facial masks and stay at home. Some of them even use their political values to criticize China's effective measures. Due to these political reasons, adding the new impact of the immigrants or refugees from Turkey, the EU members and even the entire Europe are vulnerable in front of COVID-19, and it doesn't mean they don't want to strictly control the outbreak, they are just unable to do so, Wang noted. Dangerous outcome If the EU fails to slow down or effectively contain the virus spread, the region will be on the verge of encountering a massive outbreak, which would affect millions and lead to serious consequences, analysts said. "Europe is not like the US, as the region also faces a significantly aging population who are more vulnerable to the disease," Song Luzheng, a research fellow at the China Institute of Fudan University in Shanghai, told the Global Times on Monday. Also, the US could act more rapidly in responding to the epidemic, he noted. The continent is home to the oldest populations in the world where one out of four Europeans is 60 years or over, CNN reported in June 2019, citing a report from the United Nations. European officials had also been calling for stimulus plans to boost their economies as fears over a looming recession grow. In 2019, the eruzone economy grew at an annualized rate of 1.2 percent, and "at such a low level, it doesn't take much pressure for economic growth to go flat or negative," Robert Lind, Capital Group economist in London, said in a research note published on Wednesday. Despite economic pressure, European countries should understand that the longer it takes them to curb the epidemic spread, the longer it will also take to bring their economic growth back on track, Song noted. "Containing the outbreak should be the top priority for European countries," he said. Analysts also warned that if Europe fails to adopt strict and decisive measures to curb the epidemic, it would be the biggest loser in global economic rivalry to the US and China. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address File Photo A Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin, Tuesday, ordered the temporary forfeiture of a four-bedroom bungalow situated at Oke Foma, Ilorin West Local Government, owned by a 36-year-old herbalist, Jamiu Isiaka. The Ilorin zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, had on June 10, 2019, arraigned the troubled herbalist for allegedly defrauding a Korean national, Keun Sig Kim and impersonating some top government officials including the then managing director of NNPC, Dr Makanti Baru, Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adeshina, and the National Commissioner of INEC, Mrs Aminat Zakari among others. Moving the application seeking the interim forfeiture, Counsel to the applicant, Andrew Akoja said, My Lord, our motion is brought pursuant to Section 6, 7, and 29 of the EFCC Act of 2004, Section 335 of the Kwara state Administration of Criminal Justice law of 2018 and Section 46 of the constitution of the Federal republic of Nigeria, 1999. An order of this honorable court granting an interim forfeiture of the assets and properties set out in the schedule attached. An order stopping any disposal, conveyance, mortgage,lease,sale or alienation or otherwise tempering with the properties/assets described in the schedule. The EFCC lawyer also asked the court presided over by Justice Mahmood Abdulgafar to authorize the commission to appoint a competent person or firm to manage the property. The affidavit deposed to by one Musa Sanni, an operative of the anti-graft agency, said, the respondent Jamiu Isiaka told his victim that certain certificates would be presented to him from NNPC. Justice Abdulgafar, after listening to the prosecution granted the application and ordered the interim forfeiture of the property. While adjourning the case till March 19, 2020, he ordered that the interim order should be published in a national daily newspaper. Britain's biggest retailer Tesco said Monday that it has agreed to sell its businesses in Thailand and Malaysia to Thai conglomerate CP Group for 8.0 billion ($10.4 billion, 9.2 billion euros). "Following inbound interest and a detailed strategic review of all options, we are announcing today the proposed sale of Tesco Thailand and Tesco Malaysia," said outgoing Chief Executive Dave Lewis in a statement, adding the supermarket chain would return 5.0 billion of the proceeds to investors. "This sale releases material value and allows us to further simplify and focus the business, as well as to return significant value to shareholders." Tesco added that the divestment will also slash debt and streamline the group, enabling a "stronger focus" on UK, Irish and central European activities. "The disposal will further de-risk the Tesco business by reducing indebtedness through a 2.5-billion pension contribution that, along with other measures, is expected to eliminate the current funding deficit and significantly reduce the prospect of having to make further pension deficit contributions in the future," the retailer said. The move was unanimously agreed by the Tesco board, but remains conditional on shareholder and regulatory approvals. The deal is set to complete in the second half of this year. The announcement comes as Dave Lewis prepares to step down in 2020, having overseen a major overhaul at Tesco during his five years at the helm, axing thousands of jobs as part of a massive cost-cutting programme. Lewis is leaving for personal reasons and will be replaced by Walgreens Boots Alliance executive Ken Murphy. rfj/rl TESCO 03/09/2020 Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu and Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu This is a notice of upcoming events, photo opportunities and story ideas at UMass Lowell. In case of inclement weather, call UMass Lowells weather hotline at 978-934-2121; if the university is closed, on-campus events are canceled. For more, visit www.uml.edu/pressroom Sources of the week: UMass Lowell faculty experts are available to discuss: Walmarts entry into the health-care market, as the retail giant opens clinics next to stores in Georgia; Whats next in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination and the effect of political endorsements. Contact UMass Lowell media relations if you need an expert source on any subject. Upcoming events: NOTE: All events scheduled after March 10 have been canceled. Community Co-Working Day Welcomes Regions Entrepreneurs When and where: Wednesday, March 11, 9 a.m. UMass Lowell Innovation Hub, Harbor Place, 2 Merrimack St., Haverhill What: Entrepreneurs and small business professionals will gather at the UMass Lowell Innovation Hub for a networking session and to gain access to the startup incubators fabrication lab, conference rooms and other resources. The free co-working event will include a lunchtime talk by author Michelle Wax, host of the podcast The American Happiness Project. Members of the public who would like more information should email Entrepreneurs and small business professionals will gather at the UMass Lowell Innovation Hub for a networking session and to gain access to the startup incubators fabrication lab, conference rooms and other resources. The free co-working event will include a lunchtime talk by author Michelle Wax, host of the podcast The American Happiness Project. Members of the public who would like more information should email Stephanie_Guyotte@uml.edu UMass Lowell Experts Share Views on U.S., International Politics When and where: Tuesday, March 17, 3:30 p.m. OLeary Library Learning Commons Mezzanine, South Campus, 61 Wilder St., Lowell What: UMass Lowell experts in American and international politics will discuss their latest work at a free public forum open to the campus and community. Panelists are scheduled to include Associate Prof. Joshua Dyck, director of the UMass Lowell Center for Public Opinion, who will talk about ballot initiatives effect on democracy; Associate Prof. Morgan Marietta, who will share his research on the factors behind the growing divisiveness in U.S. politics and Prof. Ardeth Thawnghmung, who will speak about the economic and political climate in Myanmar. The event will be moderated by Associate Prof. Angelica Duran-Martinez, an authority on Latin American politics. Free parking is available in the Wilder Lot near the venue. Members of the public who would like more information should email UMass Lowell experts in American and international politics will discuss their latest work at a free public forum open to the campus and community. Panelists are scheduled to include Associate Prof. Joshua Dyck, director of the UMass Lowell Center for Public Opinion, who will talk about ballot initiatives effect on democracy; Associate Prof. Morgan Marietta, who will share his research on the factors behind the growing divisiveness in U.S. politics and Prof. Ardeth Thawnghmung, who will speak about the economic and political climate in Myanmar. The event will be moderated by Associate Prof. Angelica Duran-Martinez, an authority on Latin American politics. Free parking is available in the Wilder Lot near the venue. Members of the public who would like more information should email Angelica_DuranMartinez@uml.edu Curtain Rises on Free Wind Ensemble Concert When and where: Thursday, March 19, 8 p.m. Durgin Hall, South Campus, 35 Wilder St., Lowell What: The talented student-musicians in the universitys Wind Ensemble will perform a free concert for the campus and community, featuring works by composers Camille Saint-Saens, Warren Benson and Alfred Reed. The group is conducted by Daniel Lutz, director of university bands. No tickets are required for admission and free parking will be available in the Wilder Lot near the venue. Members of the public who would like more information should email The talented student-musicians in the universitys Wind Ensemble will perform a free concert for the campus and community, featuring works by composers Camille Saint-Saens, Warren Benson and Alfred Reed. The group is conducted by Daniel Lutz, director of university bands. No tickets are required for admission and free parking will be available in the Wilder Lot near the venue. Members of the public who would like more information should email music_dept@uml.edu History of Lowells Greek Community on Exhibit When and where: Opening reception, Saturday, March 21, 2 p.m. Boott Cotton Mills Museum Counting House, 115 John St., Lowell. The exhibit will be on display through Tuesday, March 31. From left are President Moon Jae-in, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and Health Minister Park Neung-hoo By Kang Seung-woo The government's hasty self-praise for its fight against the coronavirus outbreak is drawing criticism. Critics say that it is too early for the administration to bask in optimism given that the nation still reports more than 100 cases daily despite the pace slowing. The number of infections in the country stood at 7,513 as of Tuesday, making it the third-largest outbreak behind China and Italy. On Monday, President Moon Jae-in said in a meeting with his senior secretaries that, if successful in slowing down the virus spread, Korea could be seen as a model case for other countries in COVID-19 containment. However, he also said the government needs to avoid too much optimism about the situation as small-scale cluster infections have been reported across the nation. The Moon remark is a throwback to that of Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo, who also said, Sunday, the nation's quarantine systems are working effectively to contain the spread of the new coronavirus. "Korea is making a new model beyond the previous quarantine system," Park said, adding Korea is conducting the largest number of virus tests a day in the world and the results come out the fastest. However, medical experts said the country is once again "popping the cork on the champagne" too soon, as the number of infections and deaths continue to rise. BRUSSELS -- The European Union plans to better tie financial assistance to the six nations of its Eastern Partnership program to improvements in their rule of law and may increase funding for alternative energy to wean them off Russian fossil fuels. In a leaked draft of its joint communication about the future of the Eastern Partnership seen by RFE/RL, Brussels also said it wants to step up the fight against economic crime in the six countries, including the recovery of stolen assets. Created in 2009, the EUs Eastern Partnership aims to bring the former Soviet states of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine closer to the bloc through help with reforms, without offering those nations guarantees that they could one day join. It is important for the Eastern partners to put in place robust asset recovery frameworks, including by setting up functioning asset recovery offices that are in a position to trace and identify criminal wealth, the draft said. Furthermore, it said the EU will support a legal framework in the six nations with a focus on high-level corruption, and will pay particular attention to the area of public procurement. Graft has historically been a major problem in the Eastern Partnership member states due to weak public institutions, including a truly independent judiciary, free press, and civil society. Many of the nations rank low in Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index. The 18-page paper, which is likely to be presented by the European Commission next week, is titled Reinforcing Resilience An Eastern Partnership That Delivers For All and follows months of consultations among EU member states and the six nations about the future of the Eastern Partnership. The paper will form the basis of discussion when EU and the Eastern Partnership leaders meet for their next summit in Brussels, tentatively scheduled for June 18. The leaders will discuss launching new visa liberalization talks with Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Belarus, whose citizens still require visas to travel to the EU. The Eastern Partnership has faced questions about its purpose as countries such as Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine, which are seeking to join the EU, question the relevance of being lumped with Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Belarus, which have not directly expressed that interest. The paper states there is no intent to break up the partnership group. A big emphasis at the summit will also be put on environmental issues. Paris has suggested that 50 percent of all funding to the nations be spent on green issues. The paper also pledges to help the six countries to increase energy efficiency as well as energy security by diversifying away from fossil fuels. Russia is the dominant supplier of oil and gas to most of the six nations. I received yet another letter from Health Share of Oregon about my personal data being breached by an Oregon Health Plan contractor. This is the second letter about data security being breached by Health Share of Oregon I have received. The first one, last year, involved an email phishing attack. The breaches have collected hundreds of thousands of Oregonians personal information, including Social Security numbers, addresses and phone numbers. We all get robo callers because of these security breaches by contractors who fail to secure our personal information. The state has put up stone walls to protect its liability for such inconveniences, making it all but impossible to seek redress of our grievances under the First Amendment, but these contractors are not as well protected as the state is. I'm going to sue for lifetime ID theft protection because of these two contractors, and I'll get it, too, and for damages for the inconvenience and attorney costs and the stress of having to file a claim in the first place. A jury will not be so forgiving today because of such breaches. Others should as well. At the heart of this is poor oversight of these and other state licensed contractors, who have a poor record of securing our personal information. The state has failed to make these contractors hold to a standard that bankers are required to follow when handling citizens confidential information. Eric Rhodes, Newberg London, United Kingdom, March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As 2019 drew to a close, the Republic of Armenia's Ministry of Health signed on as a Member of the SNOMED International community. The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia elaborates and implements the policies of the Republic in the healthcare sector. The Republic holds authority for the implementation of Armenia's e-Health system, a single information platform supporting stakeholders of the country's medical institutions, citizens, and the state healthcare providers. The goal of the system is the usage of modern information and communication technologies, providing high-quality, safe, accessible and cost-effective medical services to the public; Tenets of which SNOMED CT supports in full. With a roadmap introduced by the Minister of Health at the end of 2017, SNOMED CT is well positioned to support the implementation of Armenia's unified electronic information system approach through the provision of clinical terminology. Through the contribution of a structured clinical terminology, Armenia can leverage SNOMED CT to support delivery of projected system outcomes including the accuracy and relevancy of clinical information, a reduction in clinical miscommunication, and the ability to effectively use data to drive system-wide care decisions. SNOMED CT is the world's most comprehensive health terminology. Founded in 2007 by nine charter nations, SNOMED International is a not-for-profit, member-owned and driven international organization. The addition of Armenia as a Member has grown the organization's membership reaching further into Eurasia, now representing nine countries in the Asia Pacific region. "We are exceedingly pleased to be able to play a role in the Republic of Armenia's national electronic information system implementation", offers SNOMED International CEO, Don Sweete. "Through Protocol Decision no 43 and a definitive roadmap, Armenia sets its sights to improve the effectiveness, transparency and accuracy of health care interactions for their citizens, something that SNOMED International is proud to take part in progressing." Since 2017, the Government of Armenia has dynamically installed e-health system in all hospitals throughout the country. In this ongoing process to achieve great results, the Ministry of Health of Armenia adopted a policy of integration of the data to be accurate, reliable and complete. For this reason, Armenia joined SNOMED International as a member country in 2019 to promote health information coding, health research and health records. Future integration and sharing of data will enhance and support clinical decisions and planning health policy. The Government of Armenia strongly has a belief that integration of SNOMED CT will not only support more accurate clinical decisions, but will also enhance productivity and patient safety. This is one step forward to unifying different local health systems. Armenia's membership heightens the capability for clinical interoperability within the Asia Pacific region as well as leverages knowledge sharing among regional and international counterparts. SNOMED CT is part of the national infrastructure to ensure the exchange of accurate, relevant and timely information across all the information systems to support direct care, self-care and secondary uses of health information. To learn more about SNOMED International, SNOMED CT and new Member Armenia, visit www.snomed.org. About SNOMED International: SNOMED International is a not-for-profit organization that owns and develops SNOMED CT, the world's most comprehensive healthcare terminology product. We play an essential role in improving the health of humankind by determining standards for a codified language that represents groups of clinical terms. This enables healthcare information to be exchanged globally for the benefit of patients and other stakeholders. We are committed to the rigorous evolution of our products and services, to deliver continuous innovation for the global healthcare community. SNOMED International is the trading name of the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation. Attachment SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Allegiant Air, which flies to several destinations from Syracuse, says it is closely monitoring the current situation with the coronavirus but is not changing its flight schedule. The influx of new, daily developments in the news has brought many concerns and an environment of uncertainty, Allegiant Chairman and CEO Maury Gallagher said in an email to customers. But I want you to understand that here at Allegiant, the health and safety of you and our team members remains the top priority in everything we do. During this period of uncertainty, be assured you can fly with confidence. He said the airline is in continuous contact with the US Centers for Disease Control, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Transportation and other agencies and experts, "closely monitoring the situation and current guidance regarding travel. Gallagher noted that Allegiant operates only nonstop, domestic flights and is not subject to any of the restrictions placed on international carriers as the novel coronavirus, first detected in China, has spread to more than 100 countries, including the United States. To this point, we have not made any changes to our schedule, he said. As always, we will let you know immediately should there be any changes to a flight you are booked on. Customers who request a change in travel plans may do so without incurring a change fee, he said. Allegiant operates flights, some seasonally, from Syracuse to Nashville, Tennessee; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and the Florida cities of Fort Lauderdale, Punta Gorda, St. Petersburg, Sanford and Sarasota. The coronavirus can cause a respiratory illness, COVID-19, that is mild in most patients but can be serious and cause death in older adults and people with serious chronic medical conditions. Coronavirus update: Wegmans limits purchase of toilet paper after panic buying 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. A Point Breeze man who fatally punched another man in January 2019 while both were walking their dogs in a Southwark dog park pleaded guilty Monday to involuntary manslaughter. The guilty plea by Matthew Oropeza before Common Pleas Court Judge Glenn Bronson was non-negotiated, meaning the judge will determine the punishment during a May 28 sentencing hearing. During Mondays brief hearing, the District Attorneys Office dropped charges of making terroristic threats, simple assault, and reckless endangerment. Involuntary manslaughter is a first-degree misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of five years in state prison. Oropeza, 25, of the 1600 block of South 16th Street, has remained free on $75,000 bail since his arrest Jan. 10, 2019. He told a judge at a previous hearing that he lives with his girlfriend and their young son. His deadly clash with fellow dog walker Drew Justice happened Jan. 5, 2019, in Gold Star Park. Authorities said Oropeza punched Justice after Justice complained that Oropezas two dogs were unleashed. The punch caused Justice to fall backward, hit the ground, and die shortly afterward. Days before the fatal punch, Oropeza had a verbal spat with another man at the same park, also about his dogs not being leashed, Assistant District Attorney Danielle Burkavage said during Oropezas preliminary hearing in January 2019. The defendant aggressively came toward that witness, who was with his wife and small child, and said something along the lines of, Say it to my face, say it to my face, Burkavage said. Burkavage also cited a 2016 incident in Delaware County in which Oropeza was charged with disorderly conduct after he shoved a man outside a bar on MacDade Boulevard. Burkavage said the man suffered facial injuries. Oropeza also was arrested on drug charges after police found six small baggies of a white powdery substance suspected to be cocaine, Burkavage said. Oropeza completed a diversionary program as a result of the charges. These incidents show what the defendant is made of, Burkavage said. And by that I mean he shows volatility and aggression. It is never acceptable to inflict violence, much less violence against a neighbor in a neighborly setting, District Attorney Larry Krasner said after Mondays hearing. May the loved ones of the deceased continue to find healing and support from loving neighbors, and may this defendant find rehabilitation and repair while serving his sentence. Oropezas lawyer, Fortunato Fred Perri Jr., did not return a call seeking comment. Chinese leader Xi Jinping outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on Aug. 31, 2017. (Jason Lee/Reuters) Chinese Leader Xi Jinping Makes First Visit to Wuhan Since Virus Outbreak BEIJINGChinese leader Xi Jinping visited Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, on March 10, marking the first time he has done so since the epidemic began late last year. During his trip to Wuhan, he will visit and express regards to medical workers, military officers and soldiers, community workers, police officers, officials, and volunteers who have been fighting the epidemic on the front line, as well as patients and residents during the inspection, state news agency Xinhua said. His arrival in the city at the epicenter of the outbreak came as a surprise to many as there had been no previous announcement. State-media Hubei Daily reported on Tuesday that Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, is studying plans to allow people in areas at a medium or low risk of contracting the coronavirus to start traveling, citing a meeting chaired by the provinces party chief, Ying Yong. The meeting said people may be permitted to start traveling but will be monitored using mobile-based tracking technology that was rolled out by many local authorities in China in recent weeks. Visitors are filmed by artificial intelligence security cameras using facial recognition technology at an international security expo at the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing on Oct. 24, 2018. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images) Meanwhile, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has directed officials across the country to ramp up propaganda efforts portraying the authorities efforts to contain the virus in a positive light, The Epoch Times has learned from an internal government document. The central government recently declared 113 medical teams and 506 medical staffers as model citizens for their participation in the outbreak response. At the same time, internet censors continue to aggressively monitor and delete social media posts critical of the regime. With state-owned media hyping up news that it is outperforming other countries in containing the virus, and that the spread of the virus in China has greatly slowed in the past weekincluding the claim that over the last three days, there have been no new locally transmitted coronavirus cases outside of Hubeithe regime has managed to convince some Chinese citizens to return from other virus-hit countries like South Korea. At the same time, the state-owned media has had dedicated news coverage highlighting the fact that these infected travelers returning from overseas hot spots, such as Iran, Italy, and South Korea now present a risk to China because theyre importing the virus. Meanwhile, non-official channels, like social media posts that have yet to be censored, show a growing number of netizens from different Chinese provinces claiming that their cities have begun a second round of quarantine measures, with stricter rules. Rescue workers are seen on the site where a hotel being used for the novel coronavirus quarantine collapsed in the southeast Chinese port city of Quanzhou, Fujian province, China on March 7, 2020. (CNS Photo via Reuters) On Saturday, a small hotel used to quarantine people under observation in southern Fujian province collapsed, killing at least 20, while 10 are still missing. Of the 71 people inside the hotel in Quanzhou city at the time of the collapse, 58 were in under quarantine, the Quanzhou city government said. By Sara R. Collins and David Blumenthal The incipient spread of the coronavirus in the United States has laid bare the precarious nature of a health system in which millions of people lack health insurance. The way to avoid rapid spread of the virus is to make sure that people who need access to care get it as soon as possible. But in this country, 30 million people are uninsured and 44 million more are underinsured because they can barely afford to pay the high deductibles and out-of-pocket costs in their plans. With millions of Americans unable to afford to see a doctor if they become ill with COVID-19, what should we do? As a first step, public health officials should get out the message that anyone who needs care should seek it. We cant run the risk of having individuals who might be infected go untested and untreated. People should be assured that when they feel ill they can turn to the health care system and be confident that they wont be saddled with a ruinous bill. Yet in an ominous moment, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said recently that he couldnt promise that a coronavirus vaccine would be affordable to all when it becomes available. He later said the government would try to make vaccines affordable. Whats needed is for federal, state and local public officials to offer strong assurances to the public that vaccines would be offered free of charge or nearly so. The Senate on Friday passed a $8.3-billion emergency spending bill approved by the House on Wednesday that includes about $300 million aimed at making the vaccines more affordable, but more funding may be needed to ensure broad access. We should also move quickly to make Medicaid coverage available to more people. The Trump administration has sought to limit coverage and federal support for Medicaid. Now in the face of this potential epidemic, it needs to reverse that approach. While the administration is considering using a national disaster program to pay hospitals that treat uninsured patients infected with coronavirus, it also needs to make sure people have access to screening for the virus and primary care before their conditions become acute. Medicaid is built to deal with broad-scale public health crises. For example, when lead-contaminated water threatened the health of the residents of Flint, Mich., in 2016, the federal government provided funding to the state to expand Medicaid for pregnant women and children. In New York City, after the 9/11 attacks, local, state and federal officials developed the Disaster Relief Medicaid plan that suspended federal Medicaid enrollment requirements to enable low-income New Yorkers to enroll quickly. After Hurricane Katrina, the federal government allowed states to temporarily cover evacuees from states hit hard by Katrina in their Medicaid programs, with the federal government picking up the tab. The Trump administration could demonstrate similar leadership on coronavirus. It could allow states to greatly simplify Medicaid enrollment by creating a one-page application form and keeping people continuously enrolled without the need for constant recertification. The administration could also allow states to temporarily increase Medicaid eligibility higher up the income scale in all states beyond their current income limits. Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia have expanded their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act to cover people with incomes of up to 138% of the poverty level. But 14 states have not, leaving more than 2 million people uninsured. Another option is for Congress to pass legislation to fully fund expanded Medicaid coverage for these states at least temporarily to encourage their participation. The United States has long struggled with the notion of shared risk when it comes to health coverage. But insurance markets and health systems work best when everyone is included. That is why all industrialized countries have universal coverage and why most of them consistently outperform the U.S. on most measures of health care access, affordability, health outcomes and overall costs. The particulars of a viral epidemic a risk shared by us all shows we have a shared responsibility to confront it together to protect ourselves, our neighbors and strangers with whom we share the world. In dealing with a public health crisis, we cant separate individual interests from those of the community. Likewise, health insurance coverage has to cover everyone if we want a system that works effectively and efficiently. The coronavirus, whether it becomes a full-blown epidemic or not, demonstrates that the health system cannot leave anyone out. Sara R. Collins is vice president for health care coverage and access at the Commonwealth Fund. David Blumenthal is president of the Commonwealth Fund. 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. LONDON, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - ADVANZ PHARMA Corp. Limited ("ADVANZ PHARMA" or "the Company") (TSX: ADVZ), a global pharmaceutical company focused on serving the needs of patients and healthcare providers around the world with enhanced access to high quality, niche-established medicines, today announced that its board of directors has authorized the Company to apply to voluntarily delist its limited voting shares from the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX"). The Company has decided to pursue a voluntary delisting from the TSX after concluding that the disadvantages of maintaining its listing on the TSX outweigh the benefits to the Company and its shareholders. Among the factors considered were the ongoing costs and expenses, both direct and indirect, associated with having the Company's limited voting shares listed on a stock exchange and the additional time required of management to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements of the TSX. The Company believes that the delisting will provide greater operational efficiency and lower costs for the Company. The Company also considered the volatile share price of its limited voting shares on the TSX, which tends to be uncorrelated with the Company's underlying economic fundamentals as set out in its public disclosure. In addition, considering the Company's limited trading volumes and the very small percentage (approximately 4%) of limited voting shares held by investors who are not parties to the Company's investor rights agreement dated September 6, 2018, the Company believes that the lack of trading liquidity will continue and that the trading prices on the TSX will not reflect the value of the Company's shares. The TSX allowed the Company to provide written evidence that holders of more than 50% of its limited voting shares (excluding the limited voting shares held by the three shareholders with more than 10% of the limited voting shares, namely GSO Capital Partners, LP, for and on behalf of certain funds for which it or its affiliates act as investment manager, advisor or sub-advisor, Solus Alternative Asset Management LP, for and on behalf of certain managed funds and/or accounts, and Bybrook Capital LLP, as investment manager of certain Bybrook funds (collectively, the "Majority Shareholders")) were familiar with the reasons for and implications of the delisting and were in favour of the delisting, in lieu of calling a meeting of shareholders to approve the delisting. Further, in accordance with the Company's investor rights agreement, the Company was required to obtain written consent of at least 60% of the holders of the limited voting shares in connection with the voluntary delisting. The requisite shareholder approval was received for the voluntary delisting, with holders of approximately 80.5% of the limited voting shares, excluding the Majority Shareholders, consenting to the voluntary delisting. In addition, the Majority Shareholders, who hold approximately 72.4% of the limited voting shares have also consented to the voluntary delisting. Overall, the holders of approximately 94.6% of the limited voting shares have consented in writing to and support the voluntary delisting. The Company has filed a voluntary delisting application with the TSX and expects to delist its limited voting shares from the TSX on or about March 27, 2020, at which point there will be no public market to trade the limited voting shares of the Company. The Company will, however, remain a "reporting issuer" under applicable Canadian securities laws, shares that are currently freely tradeable in Ontario will continue to be freely tradeable in Ontario, and the Company will continue to disseminate its continuous disclosure documents as required by such laws until such time as it is no longer required to do so. About ADVANZ PHARMA ADVANZ PHARMA operates an international specialty pharmaceutical business with a diversified portfolio of more than 200 branded and unbranded products, and sales in more than 90 countries, and going forward, is focused on becoming the leading platform for niche-established medicines, with advanced commercial capabilities throughout Western Europe. ADVANZ PHARMA's registered office is in Jersey, Channel Islands. The Company operates globally through its subsidiaries in Sydney, Australia; London, England; Mumbai, India; Dublin, Ireland; St. Helier, Jersey; and in Helsingborg, Sweden. Notice Regarding Forward-looking Statements and Information: This news release includes forwardlooking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and forwardlooking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws, regarding ADVANZ PHARMA and its business, which may include the proposed delisting of its limited voting shares from the TSX. Often, but not always, forwardlooking statements and forwardlooking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "is expected", "expects", "scheduled", "intends", "contemplates", "anticipates", "believes", "proposes" or variations (including negative and grammatical variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Such statements are based on the current expectations of ADVANZ PHARMA's management, and are based on assumptions and subject to risks and uncertainties. Although ADVANZ PHARMA's management believes that the assumptions underlying these statements are reasonable, they may prove to be incorrect. The forwardlooking events and circumstances discussed in this news release may not occur by certain dates or at all and could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting ADVANZ PHARMA, including risks associated with ADVANZ PHARMA's securities, increased indebtedness and leverage, ADVANZ PHARMA's growth, risks associated with the use of ADVANZ PHARMA's products, the inability to generate cash flows, revenues and/or stable margins, the inability to repay debt and/or satisfy future obligations, risks associated with a delay in releasing ADVANZ PHARMA's financial statements (which could result in a default under ADVANZ PHARMA's debt agreements and a violation of applicable laws), ADVANZ PHARMA's outstanding debt, risks associated with the geographic markets in which ADVANZ PHARMA operates and/or distributes its products, risks associated with distribution agreements, the pharmaceutical industry and the regulation thereof, regulatory investigations, the failure to comply with applicable laws, economic factors, market conditions, risks associated with growth and competition, the failure to obtain regulatory approvals, the equity and debt markets generally, general economic and stock market conditions, risks associated with fluctuations in exchange rates (including, without limitation, fluctuations in currencies), political risks (including changes to political conditions), risks associated with the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union (including, without limitation, risks associated with regulatory changes in the pharmaceutical industry, changes in crossborder tariff and cost structures and the loss of access to the European Union global trade markets), risks related to patent infringement actions, the loss of intellectual property rights, risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in ADVANZ PHARMA's filings with the Canadian Securities Administrators, and many other factors beyond the control of ADVANZ PHARMA. Although ADVANZ PHARMA has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forwardlooking statements and information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. No forwardlooking statement or information can be guaranteed. Except as required by applicable securities laws, forwardlooking statements and information speak only as of the date on which they are made and ADVANZ PHARMA undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forwardlooking statement or information, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. SOURCE ADVANZ PHARMA Corp. Related Links https://www.advanzpharma.com/ Iran says the novel coronavirus has killed 54 more people in the country, raising the death toll to 291. The number of officially recorded cases in the country rose to 8,042, more than 881 over the previous day, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told a televised news conference on March 10. Jahanpur said that 2,731 patients have been sent home from the hospital after making a recovery. Iran is the hardest-hit country in the Middle East by the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected more than 110,000 people globally and killed over 4,000. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced that medical staff who die after contracting the virus will be considered martyrs. The families of those designated martyrs, typically from the security forces, receive financial aid and other benefits from the state. Khamenei also canceled his annual speech in the city of Mashhad next month to mark the Persian New Year due to concerns about the virus. Meanwhile, the country's official government news agency IRNA reported that 36 Iranians died of alcohol poisoning after consuming tampered alcohol in the southwestern city of Ahvaz. The report said that "consuming fake alcohol has occurred due to the spread of rumors that drinking alcohol would prevent the coronavirus infection." Ali Ehsanpour, spokesman of Ahvaz Jondi Shapur University of Medical Sciences, was quoted as saying that a total of 270 people were admitted to hospitals for treatment. The deputy public prosecutor of Khuzestan Province, Ali Biranvand, said seven individuals were arrested for selling fake alcoholic drinks. Most of the coronavirus infections in Iran have been recorded in the capital, Tehran, and the central province of Qom. The authorities have closed schools and universities, suspended major cultural and sporting events, and reduced working hours across the country to slow the contagion. Pakistan In Pakistan, meanwhile, nine more people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, increasing the nationwide count to 16, officials say. In a tweet late on March 9, top health official Zafar Mirza said that all nine were from the southern city of Karachi, the capital of Sindh Province, which has reported a total of 14 cases. "All these cases are contacts of an already confirmed case. Further contacts are being traced and tested," Mirza wrote. Five of the nine were said to have recently traveled from Syria via Doha, Qatar. The four others reportedly traveled from London to Karachi via Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Officials in the southwestern province of Balochistan told RFE/RL that all Pakistanis crossing the border with Iran were being screened. Those with symptoms of coronavirus are being quarantined at four centers established at the border, provincial government spokesman Liaquat Shahwani said. "Every day between 350 and 500 people come from Iran across the border," Shahwani said. "We have quarantined 4,000 people for now." Pakistan has closed its border with Iran as a precautionary measure against the spread of the virus but allows Pakistanis to return home. Pakistani authorities have closed the country's border with Afghanistan for another seven days, Shahwani said. Both Qatar and Saudi Arabia have banned flights to and from Pakistan. Serbia Closes Border Also on March 10, Serbia closed its borders for travelers from countries most affected by the coronavirus outbreak in a bid to prevent the spread of the disease. The temporary ban applies to people arriving from Italy, certain provinces in China, South Korea, Iran, and Switzerland, the government said. Medical workers are also banned from traveling to affected areas, according to a statement. It did not say how long the measures would last. Four people, including a Chinese national, have tested positive for the coronavirus in Serbia. A total of 108 people had been tested for coronavirus by March 10, according to the Health Ministry. Russia Moscow authorities have banned all mass public events of more than 5,000 people for a month to fight the coronavirus. The announcement comes just hours after Russia's lower chamber of parliament, the State Duma, approved a constitutional amendment that would allow President Vladimir Putin to run for new term in 2024, a move that could spark the opposition to rally. Moscow said it will ban all such large-scale events until April 10. Russians need permission from Moscow authorities to hold rallies in the capital. Bosnia-Herzegovina Bosnia-Herzegovina has barred entry to travelers arriving from countries impacted by the coronarius after three more people were diagnosed with the illness in the Balkan nation. Fahrudin Radoncic, Bosnias security minister, said on his Facebook page on March 10 that he had ordered the state border service to ban the entry of people coming "from the most risky countries. Bosnia now has seven cases, with most of those people catching the virus during trips to Italy, the worst-hit nation in Europe by number of cases and fatalities. Bosnias capital, Sarajevo, banned public gatherings with more than 300 people, while its Serb region, Republika Srpska, closed all schools and universities and banned all public events through the end of March. With reporting by RFE/RL's Balkan Service, Reuters, AFP, Radio Farda, Radio Mashaal, the BBC, AP, dpa, and Dawn TORONTO - Canadas biggest financial institutions are making sweeping changes to their trading operations to protect against a novel form of coronavirus, which one bank confirmed it has already faced in its workforce. Bank of Montreal, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Royal Bank of Canada, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, National Bank of Canada and Laurentian Bank spokespeople told The Canadian Press on Monday they were taking action, including splitting up their trading operations across the globe, as a precautionary measure. The changes were prompted by the virus known as COVID-19, which has so far killed one Canadian, infected 60 people in the country and spread to hundreds of thousands more globally. Separately, RBC said it learned on Friday of a possible case of COVID-19 impacting one floor of its Meadowvale office complex in Mississauga, Ont. The case has since been confirmed by public health officials and RBC spokesperson Gillian McArdle said the infected individual has been at home in self-isolation. As a precautionary measure, we immediately advised employees who work on the same floor to self-quarantine until further notice, and we immediately undertook a disinfection of the impacted floor and in all common areas, including elevators, cafeteria and washrooms, McArdle said in an email to The Canadian Press. Also last week, the bank decided to split its global trading business connected to its Toronto, New York and London locations. This is a precautionary measure to ensure we are able to smoothly and seamlessly continue serving our clients, McArdle said. We recently tested these processes globally and the tests were successful. BMO spokesperson Julie Smithers said her bank was following suit with its operations in Canada, the U.S., London and Asia. The move was part of the banks business continuity plan, which it is testing on an ongoing basis, Smithers added. There is no impact to trading operations and we continue to serve our clients as we always do, she added. TD Bank Groups Lynsey Wynberg also said in an email that TD Securities has moved to a split-site model for its traders out of an abundance of caution. Meanwhile, CIBC is still in the process of moving some of its trading floor staff on Monday. The banks spokesperson Jessica Steinberg said in an email that staff members in Toronto and New York will move this week to backup work locations. Claude Breton of the National Bank of Canada also said that his company was readying for COVID-19 across its trading operations in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary. We have a full set of measures, depending on the location, be it splitting our teams, moving to back-up sites or working remotely for some functions, he said, in an email. There is strong redundancy between the Canadian trading floors, a long-dating practice at National Bank. Laurentian said it is actively implementing measures from its contingency plans, including separating business units across multiple locations. The bank has also introduced restrictions on business travel, said assistant vice-president for communications Helene Soulard in an email. As the situation evolves, the organization will continue to deploy appropriate tactics, she said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 9, 2020. Companies in this story: (TSX:BNS, TSX:BMO, TSX:TD, TSX:NA, TSX:LB) Sensational actress, Foluke Daramola has debunked her death rumours been circulated on social media.The actress rained curses on people s... Sensational actress, Foluke Daramola has debunked her death rumours been circulated on social media.The actress rained curses on people spreading negative rumours about her life.Foluke added that those making up such stories are the ones who will die in her place.She said:I dont know where people are getting the impression that I died. It is my enemies that will die. Anybody that wishes me dead will die.I Foluke Daramola, I am not dead. I am living to the glory of God.Recall that earlier in the year, the actress husband debunked claims that their marriage has hit the rocks.I am going to take legal action against the writer of the story, Oluwatosin Simeon. He is going to be arrested. I am already in talks with my lawyers on what to do. The guy is not even remorseful; he called me a fool. Because of that story, Foluke developed high blood pressure and lost her eight-week pregnancy. Two more people tested positive for coronavirus in Kerala on Tuesday, taking the total infected cases in the state to 14, Health Minister Health minister K K Shailaja said. They are the parents of the a 3-year old child who tested positive in Kochi on Monday on return of the family from Italy she told reporters here. Their condition was stable, she added. Earlier, six fresh coronavirus cases were confirmed in the state on Tuesday. They are friends and relatives of Italy-returned couple and their son who had on Saturday tested positive for the virus along with two other kin staying with them at their home in Pathanamthitta district. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nearly 100 cruise ship passengers arrived Tuesday night for quarantine at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, and a second planeload was expected, possibly bringing the total to as many as 380 evacuees. That number is far larger than state and local officials initially expected. Besides the influx of the latest wave of evacuees, Lackland is about to undergo another jolt: The Air Force is suspending family gatherings at its weekly basic military graduation exercises until further notice to lower the risk of coronavirus transmission. The Air Education and Training Command also announced Tuesday it would discontinue all guest attendance for mass gatherings not deemed mission-essential at the base, a sprawling hub for basic and technical instruction. Air Force officials said the decision to bar families from the graduation exercises would affect thousands of people who typically attend. Each year, about 40,000 airmen march across the parade field, said Maj. Gen. Andrea Tullos, commander of the 2nd Air Force. Some weeks, as many as 7,000 family members have attended the ceremonies. Gatherings of this size increases the possibility that the virus could be transmitted to our training population, Tullos said. We realize families want to show support to their loved one and they will be disappointed they cant participate in the graduation events, but we have a responsibility to protect not only our airmen but those citizens they will come into contact with as they travel to their follow-on training locations. AETC said the change takes effect Thursday, when 600 to 900 newly minted airmen will receive their graduation coins, followed by a second gathering Friday morning when they will march on the parade field. Now, families who would have come to the graduation can watch it via the 37th Training Wings Facebook page, starting at 9 a.m. Friday. Mayor Ron Nirenberg said Tuesday there are no confirmed cases of community spread in the city, but warned that health experts have said we have to prepare ourselves for when. Thats just a fact of life for infectious disease. We have to push that inevitability of community spread as far out as possible by taking precautions. We want to delay transmission for as long as possible, if not forever, as our community ramps up our ability to contain. As of Tuesday, four more conventions in San Antonio have been canceled because of coronavirus concerns. More Information Local hotline Call the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District for information about the coronavirus: 210-207-5779 (Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., English and Spanish) See More Collapse AETCs decision to bar families from the Air Force ceremonies continued a growing trend of limiting public gatherings as the virus spreads in the U.S., so far killing 29 people and infecting at least 950 others. The training command said the last time a disease altered Air Force operations in Texas was a meningitis outbreak in 1966 that forced the relocation of basic training to Amarillo. On Tuesday night, 98 people from the Grand Princess cruise ship all but seven of them Texans flew out of Oakland, Calif., aboard a Boeing 737 and arrived at Lackland. A second plane that some officials believed was carrying from 100 to 120 passengers was expected later, but neither Nirenberg nor Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff knew exactly how many. Joe Smith, a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that as many as 380 people could come to Lackland, but doubted the figure would be that high. Thats the max, the upward limit, he said, adding that Lacklands base lodging was capable of handling that many people. The matter was a point of confusion well into the evening. Nirenberg told the San Antonio Express-News an agreement between federal, state and local authorities was supposed to have been put in writing before the first flight left Oakland. That was not the case. We are asking them to provide a definitive plan for handling passengers to ensure that our resources are adequate for this phase of the COVID-19 preparations, Nirenberg said. Officials are seeing community spread in cities all around the country and that remains our critical charge to ensure this quarantine mission is conducted properly and that we isolate so that we prevent any exposure to the public, he said. Gov. Greg Abbotts office said federal officials assured him that evacuees who are not Texans wouldnt be released to a local or state health care facility in order to preserve resources needed to treat those with coronavirus or other health issues. Abbotts communications director, John Wittman, said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also assured the governor that they are actively working to send non-Texans to their home states as quickly as possible so they can receive care there. It is not clear if HHS will move non-Texans out of Lackland before their 14-day quarantine ends, he said, adding: I do not know what HHS will do. Thats a question for HHS or CDC. Asked whether it was possible that sick out-of-state evacuees might initially stay in San Antonio hospitals, Wittman replied: That is not what they told us. The governors office made clear as the week began that Texas evacuees would get priority as they arrived in the Alamo City to begin their quarantine. Smith said all 98 on the first plane and those coming on the second aircraft were expected to remain at Lackland. Anyone getting sick while here, he added, would be cared for in a local hospital. Asked about the contradiction with what Abbotts office said, Smith noted that he was not privy to any agreements between the governors office and HHS, and that the governors office may have better intel than I do. Wolff, earlier in the day, said federal officials had been forthcoming with us this time. But late Tuesday, he said: I dont know whats going on, to tell you the truth. Its very confusing. I thought this was going to be clean and easy to do, but now I dont know whats going on. Nirenberg, who has harshly criticized the Trump administration and federal officials over their handling of the first two groups of evacuees from Wuhan, China, and from another cruise ship, the Diamond Princess described the latest experience, where some of these changes being made seem to be done on the fly, as deeply disturbing. Its sobering because were going to have to watch this thing from start to finish to make sure its done properly, he said, vowing to maintain vigilance. Eric Epley, executive director of the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council for Trauma in San Antonio, whose membership includes 55 hospitals in 22 counties, said many hospitals are near capacity because its flu season. But he said a mass quarantine, if needed, is not as scary as it sounds. If we start seeing people throughout the city, they most likely would quarantine at home, he said. Dr. Junda Woo, medical director for the Metropolitan Health District, said her agency had a limited number of coronavirus test kits from CDC but has asked for more. Woo said Metro Health isnt making recommendations for canceling events and said event planners who are thinking about it should call us for guidance. Because a lot of times we can talk people off the ledge. The coronavirus situation is changing day to day, so stay tuned, she added. In practical terms that means people who are planning large events should have a plan B. Woo said most people who think theyre showing symptoms of the coronavirus likely have the cold or the flu. But, she added, people need to be careful to use normally accepted daily health practices to avoid the spread of the illness. Bexar County leaders urged the public to remain calm but vigilant and to use common sense.. We just have to act like reasonable people, Wolff said, echoing advice from health officials to wash hands frequently and stay 6 feet away from others in most daily settings. MOSCOW -- Russia's lower chamber of parliament, the State Duma, has approved a constitutional amendment that would allow President Vladimir Putin to run for a new term in 2024. Currently, the constitution allows for a president to serve for two consecutive six-year terms. Putin, 67, is set to step down in 2024 when his second sequential presidential term ends. On March 10, 380 lawmakers voted for the amendment, 43 voted against it, and one lawmaker abstained. Just ahead of the vote to approve the measure, Putin said he agreed with it, but only if it is approved by the Constitutional Court. "In principle, this option would be possible, but on one condition -- if the Constitutional Court gives an official ruling that such an amendment would not contradict the principles and main provisions of the constitution," Putin said in an address to the State Duma. Putin talked to the parliament less than an hour after lawmaker Valentina Tereshkova, who came the world's first woman in space in 1963, proposed to allow Putin to run again in 2024. Tereshkova said "it's necessary either to lift the restriction on the number of presidential terms or, in case the situation requires it or people demand it, to allow the incumbent president to run for reelection after the amended constitution takes force," adding that Putin's previous presidential terms will be set back to zero. According to the approved amendments, Putin may stay in power until 2036 if he wins in 2024 and then is reelected six years later. Putin said that he was against removal of the presidential terms limit, but added that he agrees with the second part of Tereshkovas proposal with the caveat that the Constitutional Court approves of it. In January, Putin called for a series of amendments that amounted to a major restructuring of legal powers between the presidency and the parliament. Putin's critics said then that the Russian leader, who has ruled the country as a president or prime minister for more than 20 years, may be laying the groundwork to hold on to power after his current term expires in 2024. Putin has rejected such suggestions, saying he does not plan to cling to power via changing the constitution. Brussels: The European Union and Turkey agreed to review a four-year-old deal on managing migrants and refugees in an effort to settle a dispute that sent thousands of people to the Turkey-Greece border in hopes of reaching Europe, top EU officials said. Under the 2016 agreement, the EU offered Turkey up to 6 billion ($10 billion) in aid for the Syrian refugees it hosts, fast-tracked EU membership and other incentives to stop Europe-bound migrants. The number arriving in Greece from Turkey dropped dramatically after the deal took effect. Refugees and migrants walk with their belongings to Turkey's Pazarkule border crossing on Saturday. Credit:Getty Images After talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Brussels on Monday, European Council President Charles Michel said teams headed by the EU foreign policy chief and Turkey's foreign minister would work "in the next days to clarify the implementation of the deal between Turkey and the EU to be certain that we are on the same page." European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that during the talks with Erdogan "there was a clear focus on, 'Let's discuss what is fact. Let's sort out how both sides see the past and how we evaluate the EU-Turkey statement'." Democratic presidential hopeful former Vice President Joe Biden flanked by his wife Jill (L) and sister Valerie Biden Owens (R) speak during a Super Tuesday event in Los Angeles, California, on March 3, 2020. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images) Republican Mayor in Michigan Endorses Joe Biden A Republican mayor in Michigan who voted for President Donald Trump in 2016 said hes endorsing former Vice President Joe Biden for president. Michael Taylor is the mayor of Sterling Heights, a suburb of Detroit with around 132,000 residents. Taylor said he voted for Trump in 2016 but would vote in the Democratic primary on Tuesday, the first time hes done so. I think Joe Biden is the candidate who can unify all of the Democrats, and hes the candidate who can appeal to moderates and Republicans like me who dont want to see four more years of President Trump, Taylor told the Chicago Tribune. In a tweet, Taylor said that he couldnt tell people hes proud to support Trump. Voters in the area will support the candidate they think will make their life better, the mayor said. With that big, independent population we have here, you can win Macomb County, you can win Michigan, you can win the White House, Taylor told CBS. Biden has a much better chance of unifying Democrats than Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and will also attract moderates, Taylor alleged. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks to reporters at his campaign office in Burlington, Vermont on March 4, 2020. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Taylor made the endorsement one day before voters in Michigan and five other states were scheduled to vote in primaries or caucuses. The other states are Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, and Washington. Biden, 77, currently has 670 delegates. Sanders, 78, has 574 delegates. The only other candidate still in the race is Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), 38, who has just two delegates. Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, 38, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), 59, recently dropped out of the race before endorsing Biden. The former vice president also won endorsements from other former rivals, including ex-Rep. Beto ORourke (D-Texas) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.). Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), 70, dropped out last week but has not made an endorsement. Rantoul, IL (61866) Today Sunny with gusty winds developing this afternoon. High near 35F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 28F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible. More Vancouver-area test results for the COVID-19 virus were received Sunday, and none were positive for the virus. According to Clark County Public Healths web page, four people have now tested negative, one has tested positive, and four are still awaiting test results. An additional five people are under supervision by health authorities because they recently traveled to areas with outbreaks of coronavirus. Results of the one positive local test thus far were received Friday night. That patient, a man in his 70s, had called 911 on March 1 to report difficulty breathing. He was attended to by paramedics for Clark County Fire District 6, which serves the Hazel Dell/Felida/Salmon Creek area, and was taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, where he was receiving treatment using isolation protocols. His medical condition has not been released. The two paramedics who treated him are in voluntary isolation at home and are not sick, fire district officials said Saturday. In an update posted Sunday afternoon, the state Department of Health reported 136 cases of the virus have been confirmed in Washington, with 18 deaths. Most of those who died were residents of a nursing home in King County. No one in Clark County has died, according to the states website. CORONAVIRUS IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST: THE LATEST NEWS Public health officials are encouraging people to wash their hands frequently to guard against getting the virus, which is transmitted by droplets, such as from an infected persons sneeze or cough. It is less contagious than the measles. However, unlike that disease, there is no vaccine to prevent COVID-19. -- The Columbian SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- The Oregon Legislature's emergency board met on Monday, approving millions of dollars for coronavirus response efforts and climate action. The decision by the 20-member joint emergency board came on the heels of the most acrimonious legislative sessions in recent Oregon history, one that came to an abrupt end Friday amid a GOP walkout over climate change legislation with only three bills passed and more than 100 dying, the climate one among them. In bipartisan votes, the board allocated $5 million to the Oregon Health Authority to support its response to the coronavirus outbreak, which currently amounts to 13 presumptive cases and one confirmed case in the state. RELATED: OFFICIALS IDENTIFY CORONAVIRUS CASE IN DOUGLAS COUNTY And as Democratic Gov. Kate Brown finalizes an executive order to cut Oregons greenhouse gas emissions, the panel also allocated $5 million to back the effort, though Republicans opposed it and predicted a court fight. Browns office had no comment on the upcoming executive orders. House Speaker Tina Kotek said she does not know what authority Brown has under existing law but that the governor is making sure that its a defensible set of actions. I do know that the executive orders will be more of a blunt instrument because, absent our ability to do it legislatively, we have to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, Kotek told Oregon Public Broadcasting. The meeting of the emergency board was the first time since the walkout began two weeks ago that Oregon Democrats and Republicans voted together. The divisions remained, with no healing in sight. All the Republicans on the board voted against the $5 million allocation. Sen. Herman Baertschiger, Jr., leader of the minority Republicans in the state Senate and a member of the emergency board, said Browns executive action would wind up in court. I think all this is going to do is initiate a whole bunch of lawsuits, he told fellow board members. MORE: OREGON LEGISLATIVE SESSION CUT SHORT OVER GOP WALKOUT The $5 million the board allocated goes to the state Department of Environmental Quality to be used for rule-making and other actions with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Before the vote, Baertschiger told Richard Whitman, director of the environment department, that the appropriation was for an emergency that hasnt been declared and for a program that hasnt been approved by the legislature. The governors executive order will give us, I believe, very specific direction on what needs to be done, Whitman responded. The emergency board also authorized the establishment of 10 permanent positions for the department to potentially implement these activities. Also, the board allocated funds for development of new affordable housing units, rental assistance and other support for victims of recent flooding in northeast Oregon, and funds to the state military department for emergency preparedness. The recent GOP walkout, a repeat of two that happened in the 2019 legislative session, was over a bill that aims to help Oregon achieve its goals of cutting greenhouse gas emissions to at least 80% below 1990 levels by 2050, by forcing big emitters to obtain credits for each ton of gas they discharge. The two GOP walkouts last year were over a similar climate bill and one for a tax to support education. Bangladesh has reported its first three cases, involving people returning from Italy. India has 43 confirmed cases with 400 people in quarantine. A US tourist is positive in Bhutan. Tourism collapses in Sri Lanka. In Indonesia, dioceses are set to enforce hygiene standards. Dhaka (AsiaNews) The number of countries in the world infected with the coronavirus has risen to 107. Bangladesh is the latest after it reported its first three cases, In Asia, health authorities have confirmed new cases in India and Indonesia. In Sri Lanka, only one case has been reported so far but attempts are underway to save the countrys tourist industry from collapse. Yesterday, the Dhaka-based Institute of Epidemiology, Diseases Control and Research (IEDCR) reported the first three cases of infection in Bangladesh: two men and a woman aged 20 to 35. The three, who recently came back from Italy, are stable and are being treated in a hospital in isolation, said IEDCR director Dr Meerjady Sabrina Flora. Warning against any panic, she added that There is no need to close educational institutions yet. In Indonesia, six people have tested positive to the virus, two yesterday. According to Dr Achmad Yurianto, government spokesperson on coronavirus-related matters, one of the new patients is a 36-year-old man who was on the Diamond Princess, the cruise ship moored for almost a month off the Japanese port city of Yokohama. The other one is a 55-year-old man who contracted the virus in Jakarta. Neither has any fever, nor are they in need of breathing machinery. Meanwhile, several dioceses in the country have taken steps to stem the contagion: no handshake as a sign of peace during Mass, but regular hand-washing. Holy water fonts have been emptied to prevent the spread of the disease. Sri Lanka has only one case, but the countrys tourism sector is in full crisis. In February, the number of Chinese tourists fell by 92.5 per cent. According to the countrys main tour operators, travel and cruise cancellations could reach 30,000 over the next two months. The quarantine imposed on travellers from Italy, South Korea and Iran could sink a sector already reeling from last Easters terror attacks. In India the number of cases now stands at 43, with new cases confirmed in Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Kerala. We request all international passengers to share their details and travel history at the airport. We cannot contain this virus without your help and support," a Health Ministry advisory said. In Assam, 400 people are in quarantine since they came into contact with a 76-year-old American tourist who tested positive for the Covid-19 test in Bhutan. Worldwide, the total number of Covid-19 cases topped 109,000, with more than 80,000 in China alone. About 3,816 people have died. After China, the highest numbers of infection are South Korea (7,478) and Italy (7,375). (Sumon Corraya, Mathias Hariyadi, Melani Manel Perera contributed to this article) [March 10, 2020] ANINE BING Deploys NewStore Omnichannel Platform Across Ecommerce and Retail Stores BOSTON and LOS ANGELES, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NewStore , the first to provide Omnichannel-as-a-Service, today announced ANINE BING has launched the NewStore Omnichannel Platform , putting iPhone apps in the hands of associates worldwide. Mobile point of service unlocks in-store revenue drivers like mobile checkout, clienteling and endless aisle. Inventory is managed efficiently and accurately to support weekly product drops, and omni order management smartly routes fulfillment requests to distribution centers and stores. The brand's eponymous founder Anine Bing was one of the first influencers to turn her social media presence into a business. The brand was born organically out of demand from her audience and the brand still relies heavily on Instagram as a grounds for product R&D, announcements and selling. It sells products in more than 350 boutiques and 15 corporate-owned stores worldwide. As a retailer, the company needed a partner that could bring the brand's effortless style into the store experience. It partnered with NewStore for its cloud-based omni order management system and mobile point of service solutions. "Our designs are classic yet edgy, suited for the modern woman on the go. It's very important to me that our store experience reflects the same luxury and effortless style of our products," said Anine Bing, Founder and Chief Creative Officer, ANINE BING. "NewStore makes it possible for us to provide an amazing customer experience while making things easier for our store associates. We are able to do everything from product receiving and inventory cyce counts to clienteling and mobile checkout for endless aisle orders all on an iPhone," said Erin McArthur, Retail Director, ANINE BING. Omni order management is live globally and NewStore apps are currently deployed in all of the brand's 15 stores. NewStore gives ANINE BING store employees access to customer, order and inventory information all in a single view. The data is unified into one source and accessible via mobile, making global omnichannel operations like store fulfillment possible. On the front-end, mobile point of sale (mPOS) enables store associates to process in-store and endless aisle transactions anywhere on the store floor. They can also see clienteling data including a customer's past purchase history across channels and countries, enabling store employees to better guide their customers and making returns seamless. Associates are also able to fulfill endless aisle and buy online pick up in store (BOPIS) orders using only an iPhone. "It's important to view the investment in physical retail as an investment in the brand overall. All too often brands work in silos, operating online and offline separately. But the reality is that the opening of a physical store will increase online sales in that same region," said Stephan Schambach, Founder and CEO, NewStore. "ANINE BING is a great example of a brand that has built its retail footprint to meet customers where they are. The NewStore Omnichannel Platform makes it easy for them to expand and ensure customers around the world have an effortless store experience to match the brand's array of effortless fashion." About NewStore NewStore operates a platform that allows retailers to run their stores on iPhone. The company delivers Omnichannel-as-a-Service with the first cloud platform to connect order management with mobile point of service. NewStore transforms the store into an ecommerce-like experience, equipping store associates with iPhones for mobile checkout, endless aisle, store fulfillment and inventory. Customers include ANINE BING, Burton Snowboards, Decathlon, Diane von Furstenberg, GANNI, Outdoor Voices and UNTUCKit. The company was founded by Stephan Schambach, who pioneered ecommerce at Demandware (now Salesforce Commerce Cloud), and has offices in Berlin, Boston and New York. Learn more at www.newstore.com . About ANINE BING ANINE BING, started in 2012, was originally funded by husband and wife duo: Anine Bing, Founder and Chief Creative Officer, and Nicolai Bing, Founder and Chief Executive Officer. Inspired by the Scandinavian simplicity and American energy, Bing began building a brand with the initial focus of creating wardrobe essentials and statement pieces for the modern woman seeking a timeless yet rebellious approach to style. With the power of a loyal social media following, a modern approach to immediate fulfilment of merchandise, and with the objective to create an exceptional customer experience, the brand has become a multi-million dollar business. To date, ANINE BING is sold in more than 350 boutiques worldwide and now has 15 flagship brick and mortar stores that can be found in major global cities including Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Miami, Paris, London, Barcelona, Madrid, Sydney, Hamburg and Berlin, with more on the horizon. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/anine-bing-deploys-newstore-omnichannel-platform-across-ecommerce-and-retail-stores-301020548.html SOURCE NewStore [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A man's body was recovered from River Bann near Huntly Road in Banbridge. Credit: Google Maps The body of a man has been recovered from the River Bann. The PSNI said the body was recovered near Huntly Road in Banbridge, Co Down, on Tuesday afternoon. Police do not believe the death was suspicious but enquiries are continuing. DUP councillor Mark Baxter, posting on social media, said: "Sad to learn that a body has been recovered from the River Bann near Lenaderg, has been identified and police are contacting family members. "Thoughts and prayers with the family." A source told AsiaNews that an "apparent calm" prevails in Idlib, where life seems to have stopped. Caution informs the military situation as belligerents wait for developments. Refugees are no longer able to enter Turkish territory. Civilians are concerned about food and fuel shortages. Idlib (AsiaNews) In Idlib, an apparent calm prevails following a truce agreed by the presidents of Russia and Turkey in Moscow last week. For now, it is holding and life in the city seems to have stopped, in a state of suspension, said a government source speaking to AsiaNews, under anonymity for security reasons. Pressure on the last rebel stronghold in Syria has diminished, and it is hardly in the news. The Turkish army is still present in the area" and, in spite of threats of counterattacks should the ceasefire be violated, calm seems to prevail". The agreement signed on 5 March by Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan is holding up; Turkish and Syrian forces remain in their positions. However, Erdogan continues to threaten his NATO allies (read the US) in Syria and Europe with millions of refugees to get more concessions. In the end, the conflict is being fought on the backs of civilians and could lead to another humanitarian crisis, as the Syrian Church has warned, and as Pope Francis noted in his latest prayers. The Turks are apparently no longer allowing the refugees near the border to enter the country, the source told AsiaNews. Yesterday, some reports suggested "a certain movement in the streets of Idlib" of people and vehicles. Someone from the front "has started to go home". However, the situation still remains "uncertain". Civilians, locals and refugees, are not only concerned by the Turks and Syrians still shelling each other with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad still seeking to re-establish control over all of his countrys territory after nine years of war, but after a cold winter and exhausted by hunger and fighting, they are having to contend, in places like Aleppo and Idlib, with food and fuel shortages. For many, a ceasefire would prevent a further escalation. The deal agreed by Moscow and Ankara did indeed curb the violence, but people are still waiting to see Russian and Turkish forces start their joint patrols in the area on 15 March. Meanwhile, Erdogan continues to up the ante with Europe, threatening that the number of refugees going to Europe will increase even more and that The negative effects of this pressure on (Turkey) will be an issue felt by all European countries, especially Greece. By Laman Ismayilova Memory of jazz legend Vagif Mustafazade has been honored in Baden, Austria. Co-organized by the Azerbaijan Cultural Center and the Baden City Municipality, the event was timed to the 80th anniversary of the outstanding jazz pianist musician, Azertag reported. Prior to the concert, member of the Baden City Municipality Ernst Shebesta highlighted the cultural cooperation with the Azerbaijani Cultural Center. Many events have been already held as part of the cooperation. The event was followed by a spectacular concert. Famous Isfar Sarabski Quartet performed music pieces by Vagif Mustafazade, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Johann Bach and other composers in a unique jazz style. Isfar Sarabski's works "Planet", " Horses of Karabakh", ethno-jazz composition as well as popurri of Vagif Mustafazade left no one indifferent. Vagif Mustafazade enriched the world music with new jazz style. Founder of Azerbaijani jazz mugham, wrote numerous jazz compositions, including fugues, preludes, ballads and scherzos, many of them written in the 1970s. He released a total of eight albums, all with different line-ups, mood and style. By the beginning of 1960s, Vagif was gaining recognition far beyond Azerbaijan. Winner of numerous jazz festivals such as "Tallinn-66", "Tallinn-67", Baku festival "Jazz 69", Donetsk 1977 festival, and "Tbilisi-78", Vagif Mustafazade always fascinated listeners with his originality and virtuosity. Musician's death was a shock to many people. He was only 39 years old when he died on stage while performing in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) in 1979. Jazz schools around the world have recognized Vagif Mustafazade as a phenomenal musician. His works represent a unique combination of eastern and western schools, of tradition and innovation. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Hungary will continue to block NATO-Ukraine Council meetings until minority rights are restored in Ukraine, Peter Szijjarto, the foreign minister, Hungary Today ezine said. "He (Szijjarto) said that in terms of Hungary's bilateral ties with neighboring countries, its relations with Ukraine were the most challenging. Whereas Hungary supports Ukraine on matters of territorial integrity and sovereignty, it must keep in mind the many violations in legislation of Hungarian national minority rights. The violations not only concern the Hungarian communitys rights but minority rights more broadly," an article posted on Hungary Today website on Tuesday says. In addition, Szijjarto said that "from afar it was perhaps understandable that the lives of 150,000 ethnic Hungarians were less important than geopolitical considerations." "But for us, this community is more important than any geopolitical matter," he said. Szijjarto said that Hungary's stance had been portrayed on the global stage as a Russia-friendly policy. This, he said, was "absurd." The minister noted that on March 26, his Ukrainian counterpart, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, "who has been asked by his president to work towards restoring bilateral relations," will visit Budapest. "We're ready and we'll also make sensible suggestions," he added. As reported, at the end of February, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Kuleba said that he would pay a working visit to Budapest (Hungary) on March 26. Being asked by Interfax-Ukraine on Twitter if Ukraine will consider the new conditions of Hungary concerning a language issue of the national minorities, Kuleba wrote: "We are now looking for a solution that will meet the interests of both countries. I will be in Budapest on March 26. We will continue the conversation there. We need to find a solution to unblock NATO, launch joint investment and infrastructure projects in Zakarpattia region with Hungary." As reported, the first for seven years meeting of the intergovernmental Ukrainian-Hungarian Cooperation Commission will be held in Budapest in March. A 27-year-old chess grandmaster from Ukraine, who once ranked eight in the world, and his 19-year-old girlfriend, who was also a professional chess player, were found dead due to inhaling nitrous oxide or more popularly known as laughing gas. According to investigation, the couple were choked to death after inhaling the gas. Stanislav Bogdanovich and his teenage girlfriend Alexandra Vernigora both hailed from Ukraine's Odessa region. They were both found dead by Vernigora's father in their adopted home in Moscow. Before his death, Bogdanovich was ranked 31st in Ukraine's chess ranks and was once known as the world's number eight in fast-paced Blitz chess. The couple, who have been dating for a year, was initially reported to have been found beside balloons which were used to inhale the gas. Laughing gas is legally available in Moscow. However, there were also reports saying that the investigators found the bodies with bags over their heads. Nitrous oxide or laughing gas is often used as a surgical anesthetic. But when misused, the compressed liquefied gas can cause asphyxiation, hallucinations or in this case, death. In 2016, the supply of laughing gas was made illegal for recreational purposes in the United Kingdom despite the relatively low death rate associated with using the gas. Twenty-five people have been confirmed to have died due to inhalation of nitrous oxide in Britain between 2010 and 2016. Investigators have said that there were no evidence of foul play in the scene where the couple was found dead. Read also: Vanessa Bryant Calls For "Harshest Possible Discipline" to Deputies Who Leaked Photos of Kobe's Crash The death of Bogdanovich, follows after he faced criticisms since he decided to play for Russia against Ukraine in an online chess event. Bogdanovich who was born as Ukrainian earned the ire of his countrymen due to this decision. Bogdanovich defended his decision saying he was only doing what was best for business. Furthermore, he added that since he was already living in Russia, it would be disrespectful as a guest to speak out or play against those who provided him a warm welcome. He also added that playing for Russia was a tribute to the country he was currently living in. Moreover, he stated that he believed that after making the choice to play for Russia he was contributing to the peace between the two nations. He also added that it is time for both countries to end the long-standing feud saying that perhaps each of the Ukrainians played for Russia one at a time, then it may be the reason that any conflict that existed will be forgotten. However, his explanation earned him even more criticism to add to the previous he received after his decision to play for the other country. Ukraine's former defence minister Anatoliy Hrytsenko, even said that Bogdanovich's actions has been callous, just five days before his death. The 27-year-old chess grandmaster graduated from the National University Odesa Law Academy and was the previous victor of the 2013 Ukrainian blitz tourney and Ukraine's Under-18 competition. He was even recognized by another Ukrainian chess grandmaster Mikhail Golubev as possibly the most talented player in Odesa's history. Related article: Ryan Newman 'Great to be Alive' After Daytona 500 Crash @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Student group Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle (APSC) of the University of Madras has called for a protest against the appointment of the JNU VC Jagadesh Kumar Mamidala on the search committee to select the varsity's new VC. The search committee is constituted to decide the next VC for the University and the students fear that the presence of Mamidala would result in the appointment of an "RSS-affiliated' VC. The APSC released a statement describing Jagadesh Kumar as a person who denied basic rights of students to protest and "targetted leftist students like Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and portrayed them as anti-nationals". "Immediately after his appointment, the ABVP violently beat up Najeeb Ahmed and he disappeared that day. He also sent a proposal to Modi government to install an army tank on campus and increased the academic and hostel fees threefold," the Circle explained. They also accuse the VC in their statement of not following reservations in the admission process and in the appointment of professors, "The VC directly appointed professors with RSS connections." The APSC is demanding that the search committee member be appointed from Tamil Nadu, "Tamil Nadu shines as a state with the most number of people with higher education qualifications in India, it is filled with exceptional educationists and retired VCs. The governor's appointment of Jagadesh Kumar is a great insult and injustice to progressive Tamil Nadu. Hence, he must be removed and an eligible educationist from Tamil Nadu should be appointed," the students aver. "If we don't stop this appointment, democratic rights will be snatched and the University will become a saffron camp. Let us protest this appointment," the statement reads. Recalling the events of January 5, when a mob ran amok on campus and beat up many protesting students in JNU the APSC said, "When students protested against the fee hike, masked goons entered the campus and launched a terrorist attack on students and professors using iron rods and other weapons. Mamidala was the mastermind behind this attack. He never visited any of the injured students and even the JNU Teachers' Association wrote to the MHRD to remove him," they said in their statement. "For the first time in the history of Tamil Nadu's Higher Education Department, a sitting VC of a Central University has been appointed as the Head of a search panel of a selection for a state university VC," they alleged. They also accused the ruling party of privatising education, "There are plans to give 48 educational institutions including MU the Institute of Eminence status but this is a part of a long term plan to privatise higher education. Because of these actions, 69 percent reservation and social justice will not be followed henceforth denying education to lakhs of poor BC/MBC/SC/ST students. After Anna University, Madras University will also be saffronised," they argue. Neither Jagadesh Kumar nor officials from the Madras University Syndicate could be reached for comment. Even before President Trump's new public charge rule took effect, his State Department was denying visas on related grounds 19 times more than at the end of the Obama administration, a new analysis finds. Why it matters: Trump's new policies could supercharge efforts to keep out immigrants whom the government predicts might one day use certain tax-funded social safety nets. Family-based visas and family applicants from Mexico, Dominican Republic, China and Haiti may especially be hit, according to the analysis by the nonpartisan National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP). The administration changed guidance for consular officials in 2018, which led to a spike in public charge denials for foreigners applying to permanently live in the U.S., Stuart Anderson, executive director for NFAP, told Axios. "The impact was pretty significant," Anderson said. The much broader, more restrictive public charge rules, which are in effect at the Department of Homeland Security as well, could have an even greater impact on immigrants' chances of getting a green card. The other side: Public charge denials can be overcome if applicants can provide State officials with enough additional information to prove they are not likely to rely on public benefit programs. That's happening more, but overcome cases are not keeping pace with denials. Between the lines: Approvals of permanent visas for immediate family members of those already in the U.S. have seen some of the largest declines, per NFAP. Families from Mexico, Dominican Republic, China and Haiti received 48% to 71% fewer immigrant visas in the most recent fiscal year compared to the last fiscal year under President Obama. The big picture: A lot of attention has been paid to unauthorized immigration and border crossings. But Trump administration's "extreme vetting" policies are having a dramatic impact on legal immigration flows to the U.S. The State Department approved 25% fewer total permanent immigrant visas last fiscal year compared to the fiscal year before Trump took office. The number fell from 618,000 in FY 2016 to 462,000 in FY 2019. By 2021, Trump policies are projected to reduce the yearly number of new, legal, permanent immigrants including refugees, employer-sponsored immigrants, diversity visa holders and others by 350,000, NFAP projects. Go deeper: The real impact of Trump's "public charge" immigration rule In his 2020 New Year address, President Xi Jinping reiterated that China must walk the path of peaceful development, maintain world peace, and promote common development. The Fourth Plenum of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) also concluded that it was vital that the country safeguard its national sovereignty, security and development interests; maintain world peace; and promote common development. Against the wider backdrop of unprecedented global change, these are China's promises to the international community, providing the world with an important angle in which to understand its foreign policies, and following which it can establish a new type of international relations: major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era. To walk the path of a peaceful development is a strategic decision born out of China's historical culture and experience. It also marks the inheritance and development of Chinese cultural traditions. Over the previous 5,000 years of continuous civilization, the Chinese people have long advocated that "the strong should not bully the weak, the rich should not insult the poor." It is their dream to achieve inclusive development and to realize universal peace in the world. To walk the path of peaceful development is a tenet the Chinese people have learned after experiencing tremendous hardships in recent history. Rising from humiliation, poverty, and realizing a great leap forward to become rich and prosperous, the Chinese people understand that today's peace was hard earned. Chinese people are determined to realize national development and rejuvenation through peaceful means. International stability is important to China. A generally peaceful and stable external environment has enabled China to quickly integrate into the process of economic globalization. It allowed the country to unify its domestic development while opening-up to the outside world. Therefore, to maintain world peace, and promote common development, reflects not only the original intentions and missions of the CPC, but also the fundamental requirements of walking the path of peaceful development. President Xi Jinping has emphasized repeatedly: "If the world is good, then China is good; if China is good, then the world is good." However, the international system is going through profound changes. Interconnection and mutual reliance between countries continues to deepen, while global instabilities and uncertainty grows more prominent, and the common challenges humanity face become more pressing. Faced with such circumstances, conflict and confrontation cannot be the right solution, while self-enclosure is not an adequate tactic for self-protection. Peace and common development can be the only way forward. As such, China insists on shouldering more international responsibilities under a multilateral framework. This is evidenced by China's call for building a community with a shared future for mankind, and the joint construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. These projects will allow Chinas domestic development to benefit the world and inject new impetus into international economic development. The rationality China has demonstrated in managing its divergences with the United States, and the sincerity it has shown to promote cooperation from the onset of Sino-US trade frictions to the signing of a phase one deal between them, have fully demonstrated its commitment to maintaining world peace and promoting common development. China's pursuit of peace and development is by no means for the sake of peace and development only, and it has its own principles and baseline. The CPC and the Chinese people have been tested by blood and fire, and know that peace can only be strived for through fight, not compromise. Thus, nobody should count on China yielding to external pressures, or making concessions on core interest issues, compromising its sovereignty, security and development interests. China firmly opposes any words and deeds that aim to split China, weaken the CPC's ruling status, or change its socialism with Chinese characteristics. Currently, some external powers are colluding with secessionists in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang in an attempt to block the great national rejuvenation of China. The CPC and the Chinese people will inevitably fight against these forces so as to effectively defend the country's core interests. To safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, which concerns a country's life or death, is not only an inviolable primary right of a country, but also the last guarantee to maintain world peace and development. Only through mutual respect of each other's interests, seeking cooperation and win-win results can the efforts to safeguard world peace, and promote common development become mainstream endeavors in the world. China will adhere to this concept, unswervingly walk the path of peaceful development, and encourage more countries to take this path. In conclusion, China's unswerving adherence to the path of peaceful development, to world peace, and to common development are core tenets of the concept of the community with a shared future for mankind that it has proposed. This reflects China's resolve to work together with other countries to establish a new type of international relations, and is key to gaining a deep understanding of Xi Jinping Thought on Foreign Affairs. Ji Si is a researcher with the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn. With the recent violence involving the Cayuga Nation Police Department at a nation property in Seneca Falls, Union Springs officials are asking a federal judge to rule soon in a lawsuit involving nation land in the Cayuga County village. An attorney representing the village in a 2014 lawsuit filed by the Cayuga Nation submitted a letter to U.S. District Court Judge David N. Hurd on March 2 expressing concern that violence could erupt in Union Springs, where federal representative Clint Halftown's group operates a convenience store and gambling facility. The faction led by Halftown filed the lawsuit against Union Springs. At issue in that case is the Cayuga Nation's claim that the village cannot enforce its decades-old ordinance that prohibits gaming. The village has argued it can enforce its law, based on Supreme Court rulings involving Indian nation-owned land that's not held in trust by the federal government. Both the Union Springs and Seneca Falls properties are fee-owned by the nation after they were purchased from private landowners many years ago. Hurd has been reviewing briefs from both sides in the Union Springs case since last fall, but has not issued a ruling on motions for summary judgement from both sides. In the meantime, the Cayuga Nation council led by Halftown ordered its newly created police department to raid a Seneca Falls property that had been controlled by another Cayuga Nation faction that opposes Halftown. The overnight raid on Feb. 22 included partial demolitions of several buildings on the site, and the nation police force took eight people into temporary custody, charging one with violating tribal law. A week later, a protest of that action held by the Cayuga Nation chiefs of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy escalated into violent clashes in Seneca Falls between supporters of the chiefs and the Halftown-run police force. Those events prompted attorney David Tennant, who represents Union Springs in its lawsuit, to write to the judge in that case. "The lawless behavior is an affront to the rule of law and instills widespread concern about violence begetting violence," he wrote. Tennant concluded by asking Hurd to make a clear ruling on the matter in Union Springs "before the situation deteriorates further." One of the attorneys representing the Cayuga Nation, David DeBruin, responded to that letter by accusing the village of smearing the nation in a response that was sent to the judge. "The (village) letters evident purpose is to disparage the Nation before this Court with assertions that the Nation has 'resort(ed) to violent self-help.' Tellingly, the Village does not even pretend that this smear has any relevance to the legal issues raised by this case," DeBruin wrote on March 3. Tennant responded with a second letter that argued the unrest in Seneca Falls was directly relevant to the key issues in the Union Springs matter. "We do not intend to 'smear' the Nation," he wrote in a March 6 letter to the judge. "Rather we wish to express the deep concern within the Village about internal tribal violence spilling out again into our community and our need for a judicial ruling to provide jurisdictional clarity over the fee lands in question. The Cayugas continue to claim sovereign control over their fee lands in derogation of state and local government as evidenced by their actions in Seneca Falls. No other fee owner is allowed to demolish buildings without first obtaining a demolition permit that sets the time and conditions for conducting the demolition work so as to mitigate health and safety hazards. ... No other landowner would be allowed to undertake such hazardous work without a demolition permit, much less at night and at gunpoint." DeBruin fired back the same day and claimed that Tennant was making false statements. "Mr. Tennant makes the irresponsible claim that the Nation recovered its stolen properties 'at gunpoint'; at no point did any Cayuga Nation police officer have any need or occasion to use, threaten to use, or demonstrate possession of a firearm," he wrote. "Demolition of buildings is occurring pursuant to permits issued by the Town of Seneca Falls, New York." Seneca Falls has issued demolition permits for the sites, but they were obtained after the Feb. 22 raid in which several structures had already been partially or fully razed. In addition, the faction that controlled the Seneca Falls store prior to the raid has circulated video footage from a Ring security camera inside the Seneca Falls store that appears to show Cayuga Nation officers displaying firearms when they entered the building, and people who were detained by the officers have said they were being held at gunpoint. Executive Editor Jeremy Boyer can be reached at (315) 282-2231 or jeremy.boyer@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @CitizenBoyer. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 2 Angry 3 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. Tom Murphy's food truck won't be in Holyoke serving St. Patrick's revelers and Amherst College students probably aren't going to be in his two Amherst bars: McMurphy's Uptown Tavern and Stacker's Pub. All because of COVID-19, the new coronavirus, and public officials increasingly urgent efforts to halt its spread by eliminating as many large public gatherings as possible. If the University of Massachusetts Amherst, with its 22,000 undergrads, decides to cancel or curtail activities on its campus, Murphy said hell probably close those two bars altogether. "All the cancellations in general are starting to accumulate," Murphy said Tuesday when reached at his Murphy's bar in Agawam." We are going to see a real impact." Amherst College, with 1,850 students, announced Monday that it was cancelling classes. Smith College in nearby Northampton, which has 2,500 students, made its announcement Tuesday. UMass Amherst has not made an announcement. And on Tuesday, officials canceled the Holyoke St. Patricks Parade and Road Race events that were expected to bring 400,000 spectators to the Holyoke on Saturday and Sunday, March 21 and 22. A 2012 study by the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute estimated the economic impact of the parade and road race at $20.5 million, a figure that incuded $12 million in spending by individual parade goers. Those figures are the most recent ones available. With the Parade Road Race cancelled, David Capriati, The Beer Guy, of South Hadley figures hes out $7,000 in profit. And he was planning to have his truck on scene selling beer only during the race on Saturday. "It's one of our large events that we handle," Capriati said. "Because it's the first event of the year , financially a lot of us count on it to get ourselves going for the year." He's just glad that the city made the decision to cancel now, before he purchased thousands in beer as inventory. Tony Witman, owner of the Unicorn Inn, estimated his loss as being in the "five-figures" . "It's really discouraging. It's a big weekend that we really look forward to," Witman said. "A lot of people look forward to working that weekend. And a lot of people look forward to coming to party." It's the equivalent of a month's worth of business in one weekend, Witman said. "We are trying to think of possible ideas," "We think we're going to have a strong regular crowd in spite of it." John Grossman, owner Holyoke Hummus Cafe, said the real disappointment is in the loss of a community event. It certainly makes for a pretty big sales day, Grossman said. We are sad about a community event like this being cancelled. We get the best Holyoke feelings on that day. But Grossman said cancelling is the right call. "It's going to sting but its the right thing to be doing," he said. Manager Tom Red Butler at The Clover in Holyoke said the bar does about two weeks of business in that one weekend each year. "Everybody counts on it," Butler said. "But it's nothing that is going to put us out of business." He to said cancelling is the right call. Especially, he said, because the Road Race Route passes the Soldier's Home and elders in nursing homes are especially vulnerable. If it saves one life, its worth it, he said. Related content: WATERLOO Black Hawk County residents think theyre overweight, drink too much and lack access to mental health care. But those takeaways just skim the surface of a new community health needs assessment conducted by the county health department and local care providers looking for ways to improve the health of Cedar Valley residents. Overall we captured what we already sensed, said public health director Nafissa Cisse Egbuonye, who released the results Monday. The county Board of Health, Peoples Community Health Clinic, Cedar Valley United Way, MercyOne and UnityPoint Health worked together on the assessment over the past year. They mined data sets to compare Black Hawk County with other areas of Iowa and the U.S. and surveyed more than 1,600 local residents on their habits and perceptions of the community related to health. The stakeholders identified poverty, education, health behaviors and mental health and trauma as local priorities based on the assessment. But they are seeking more community input before using the information to develop a plan to address the shortfalls over the next three years. Its just looking at what interventions we may need to put in place, Cisse Egbuonye said. It might be health promotion campaigns. It might be policies we need to implement. She said the board and care providers are working together on both the assessment and improvement plan. We realized that if we dont (work in unison) it could have a more negative impact in terms of how we serve our community, Cisse Egbuonye said. We have to look at data together. There are strategies and interventions we could do collaboratively. The group also kept in mind a 2018 article by 24/7 Wall St., an online publication, which said Waterloo-Cedar Falls was the worst place in America to be black. That dubious distinction was based on socio-economic disparities between African Americans and whites, including access to health care. Weve been very intentional during this process about getting data from marginalized groups, Cisse Egbuonye said. Surveys were sought through local churches with African-American congregations. The group worked with Ethnic Minorities of Burma Advocacy and Resource Center (EMBARC), to get responses from Burmese, Congolese and Liberian immigrants. The department is now looking for more community input on the assessment, which can be viewed on the departments website at www.co.black-hawk.ia.us/258/Health-Department. A short survey can be found at www.surveymonkey.com/r/t3hzdn2. The Board of Health also will hold a public hearing on the assessment during its board meeting at 7:30 a.m. March 25 in room 420 of the Pinecrest Building, 1407 Independence Ave., Waterloo. The following were among some of the assessments findings: The community felt alcohol and drug use were the top risky behaviors for adults, followed by physical inactivity and using a cell phone while driving. The community thought obesity and mental health were top local health problems, followed by diabetes and aging. Some 6.6 percent of respondents reported struggling with mental health issues without receiving help. African Americans represented three out of every four respondents lacking health insurance. Black Hawk County had one of the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections of any county in the nation. The violent crime rate is higher in Black Hawk County than the state average. Preliminary results of the 2020 Health Needs Assessment: Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Current Price: 1.1462 Russia and Saudi Arabia set off a price war, and financial markets collapse. EUR/USD posts highest close in a year, likely to face resistance at 1.1500/15. The EUR/USD pair posted substantial gains on the day crude oil prices collapse triggering chaos across financial markets. The German government said it will announce measures to bring liquidity to companies. After Mondays events now some action from the European Central Bank on Thursday is expected. ECB could announce some kind of QE and even more. The rise in Italian government bond yields and the negative economic outlook could weigh on growth expectation at the EZ. On Tuesday, EZ Q4 GDP data is due. It is all pre-coronavirus, so those numbers are old and not relevant. Attention will continue to focus on markets and potential announcements from government and central bank officials. The usual measures to guarantee liquidity could prove to be not enough. Mora rate cuts at the Federal Reserve are priced in and some analysts expect it to drop all the way to 0%. Short-Term Technical Outlook The upside bias and Momentum remain healthy for the euro. Technical indicators in the daily and four hours chart show overbought extreme readings, but still not turning south. The rally of EUR/USD was capped by 1.1500 that is a significant barrier, likely to be rechallenged in the short-term. A consolidation above 1.1515 would point to further gains; the next resistance stands at 1.1570 (January 2019 high). If the euro fails at 1.1500 or breaks higher and then reverses, a correction will likely follow. The 1.1400 area has become the immediate support. The decline from current levels could extend to 1.1285/1.1300; as long as it remains above the upside bias will hold. Image Sourced from Pixabay See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Despite the break-up of the OPEC+ production cut agreement, the doors arent closed to future cooperation between Russia and OPEC, Russias Energy Minister Alexander Novak told local news channel Rossiya 24 on Tuesday. The fact that the agreement was not extended beyond April 1 doesnt mean that we cannot cooperate with OPEC and non-OPEC producers in the future. We signed a charter last year and we will continue cooperation as part of it, Novak told the news channel. We have various instruments, including production cuts and production increases, should they be necessary, Novak said, adding that new agreements could be reached. Novaks comments came a few days after Russia called it quits with the current production deal as OPEC and its leader Saudi Arabia insisted on a massive additional 1.5 million bpd production reduction until the end of 2020 in response to the depressed oil demand amid the coronavirus outbreak. Russia, for its part, was proposing to extend the cuts as-is into Q2 and see where oil demand and the oil market would be in June before making new decisions about production restrictions. Russian firms have long balked at the OPEC+ deal which, they said, was only hampering their production expansion plans while helping U.S. shale to boost production to record highs. After the OPEC+ break-up last Friday, Saudi Arabia launched an all-out oil price war at Russia and its markets, by significantly cutting its official selling prices (OSPs) to all markets and announcing it would boost production as of April. Following the Saudi-Russia standoff, oil prices plunged on Monday in the worst one-day slump since 1991, before recovering some losses rising by 6 percent on Tuesday as markets began to recover from the rout and oil market participants looked to potential economic stimulus in various countries to counter the economic slowdown amid the coronavirus outbreak. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: 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. (Newser) An Illinois sheriff's office investigating the vaccination practices of a deceased Chicago-area pediatrician announced Monday that tests have revealed several of the doctor's former patients lack immunity to diseases against which they or their parents believed they had been vaccinated, the AP reports. The Cook County Sheriff's office news release comes just weeks after the office announced an investigation into the medical records of Dr. Van Koinis, an Evergreen Park pediatrician who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound last September. Authorities said Koinis left a suicide note that suggested he had been "averse" to vaccinations. At the time, Sheriff Tom Dart told reporters that Koinis was widely known as a doctor who would provide treatment for people opposed to vaccinations. In Monday's release, Dart's office said two former patients who are now adults and seven parents whose children were treated by Koinis learned they lack immunity to diseases they believed they had received vaccinations against. story continues below Investigators are trying to determine if Koinis forged records so parents who didn't want their children to be vaccinated could get them into schools that require shots. But that would not explain why the results of testing varied even between siblings. One child who was treated by Koinis is vaccinated while a sibling is under-vaccinated or shows no evidence of vaccination, the release said. Adding to the mystery is that some parents told investigators they witnessed the doctor administering the shots. It's unclear why the results of the tests are what they are, why some of them are immune to some (diseases) and not to others and some aren't immune at all, said department spokeswoman Sophia Ansari. The doctor acknowledged in his suicide note that his records after 2010 were not reliable, and he indicated he "regretted his conduct with immunizations" and also regretted the "disarray" of his records, authorities have said. Authorities are still working to untangle the case and former patients of Koinis are urged to contact their doctors. (Read more vaccine stories.) Amid the coronavirus outbreak, Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan on Monday said that all concerned departments of Central and State governments have to work together to fight the threat being posed by COVID-19. The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday has declared COVID-19 a 'pandemic' as the virus continues to spread worldwide. The virus, which has reportedly originated from Wuhan, China, has so far claimed 3,893 lives with 111,862 cases detected worldwide. So far, a minimum of 43 people have been tested positive in India as per the latest release. However, no deaths have been reported in India yet. Speaking to ANI, Dr Harsh Vardhan asserted well-coordinated actions between concerned departments to be essential in order to fight the threat. "Well-coordinated actions between concerned Departments, States and Central ministries, corporation and agencies, etc., for contact tracing, community surveillance, hospital management, developing and managing isolation wards, awareness campaign are the key focus areas, which need attention at this hour. We have to work together to fight the threat posed by COVID-19," said the Union Minister. Dr. Harsh Vardhan on Monday had chaired a review and coordination meeting with all the senior officials from Delhi government in the presence of Anil Baijal, Lieutenant Governor, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and Dr Satyendra Jain, Health Minister of Delhi. READ: Coronavirus: Health Min Harsh Vardhan assures coordinated action with states as cases rise Preparedness for COVID-19 Preeti Sudan, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, apprised the meeting regarding the current escalating scenario globally and nationally. She informed that the situation is under control "but we are on alert and adequate arrangements have been made for the management of COVID-19." She added that regular meeting has been held with various States/UTs regularly on the action taken and preparedness for COVID-19. Dr. Harsh Vardhan in the meeting said that the need of the hour is to adopt a more strategic approach like cluster containment strategy, making the District Collectors more accountable, contact tracing and strengthening State and District surveillance teams to avoid widespread community transmission. He also urged that States/UTs adhere to core capacities for disease preparedness and response like surveillance, laboratory diagnosis, hospital preparedness, logistic management, capacity building, and risk communication. The minister said the hospitals need to make proper arrangements for the segregation of the symptomatic patients and regular patients while visiting the health facility. The Minister further advised the Delhi government to enhance community awareness by utilising print, electronic and social media in local languages including utilising local cable TV channels, audio announcements, and FM radio, etc. READ: Coronavirus: Kejriwal to meet Health Min Harsh Vardhan as cases in India soar above 40 Current situation of Coronavirus in India Earlier on Monday, the government revealed that positive cases of the novel Coronavirus in India had soared to 43 after new cases were reported from across India including a three-year-old child. Four new cases emerged from Kerala, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Jammu, which reported one positive case each raising the number to 43. However, on Tuesday, the count has gone up to 45, after two new cases were detected in Maharashtra's Pune. Out of the total that have been tested for the novel Coronavirus have been found positive from the 3,003 samples that were tested in the country. Out of these, 40 are active cases, the initial three which were reported from Kerala have been treated and discharged. The health ministry has advised people against mass gatherings to avoid the spread of Coronavirus in the country. READ: Coronavirus outbreak: US confirms 554 cases, Trump defends administration READ: Coronavirus: PM Modi to meet Harsh Vardhan after 31 people test positive IoT for everything from smart homes, medical devices and machine to machine (M2M) operation to smart cities/power grids and autonomous vehicles are threat targets There is a big difference between the promise of 5G low latency, higher bandwidth, and speed for businesses versus the security of 5G. While many are excited about Gartners prediction of $4.2 billion being invested in global 5G wireless network infrastructure in 2020, few discuss the business costs of its unheralded security holes.(1) Thats an ongoing conversation that 5G and IoT solutions experts like Choice IOTs CEO Darren Sadana are having with enterprises with 5G plans on the drawing board. Businesses will need a strategy for overcoming 5Gs inherited security flaws from 4G or face major losses and privacy catastrophes. 5G is poised to drive IoT, industrial IoT (IIoT), cloud services, network virtualization, and edge computing, which multiplies the endpoint security complications. Although the manufacturing sector cites IIoT security as the top priority, the combination of 5G security vulnerabilities may come back to haunt them.(2) Pinpointing 5G Security Flaws According to an Accenture study of more than 2,600 business and technology decision makers across 12 industry sectors in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific, 62% fear 5G will make them more vulnerable to cyberattacks.(3) At the root of the problem is the reality that many of the security problems stem from the software-defined, virtualized nature of 5G versus the hardware foundations of earlier LTE mobile communication standards. Its central role in IoT is a strength and a weakness where endpoints are highly localized and beyond the network edge. The 5G network promises of device authentication, device encryption, device ID, and credentialing are positives, but the flip side is that many of those pluses also carry security dangers. The nature of how signals and data are routed in 5G/IoT networks can lead to Mobile Network mapping (MNmap), where attackers can create maps of devices connected to a network, identify each device and link it to a specific person. Then there are Man-in-the-middle (MiTM) attacks that enable attackers to hijack the device information before security is applied.(4) There are also supply chain security challenges with platform components bought from overseas that harbor inherent security flaws. This can be seen in the backdoor vulnerabilities alleged to be purpose built into mobile carrier networks supplied with equipment from Chinese equipment giant Huawei. The back doors would allow malicious actors to get target location, eavesdrop on calls, and enable the potential for ransomware injection into a 5G network targeting a mobile carrier.(5) These and other 5G security vulnerabilities were cited in a CISA report focused on 5G risks.(6) Other vulnerabilities covered across the wireless and IoT sectors include SIM Jacking, Authenticated Key Exchange protocols (AKA) and a host of base station backdoor vulnerabilities.(7)(8) IoT for everything from smart homes, medical devices and machine to machine (M2M) operation to smart cities/power grids and autonomous vehicles are threat targets. They all give attackers multiple ways to manipulate interconnected IoT devices communicating data via 5G networks. DDoS attacks, the ability to take control of video surveillance systems and medical devices, and more are all possible due to this broader attack surface and inherent 5G vulnerabilities. Plugging 5G Security Holes The picture doesnt have to be a bleak one for businesses and enterprises that want to maximize the benefits of 5G while eliminating its vulnerabilities across sectors like healthcare, utilities, finance, automotive, communication and many others. A U.S. Senator, recently called on the FCC to require wireless carriers rolling out 5G networks to develop cybersecurity standards. (9) Sadana and other experts make it clear that assessment, discovery, and planning are key. They form the foundation for 5G/IoT platform buildout vulnerability identification and system modifications that encompass IT/OT and wireless connectivity. He points to the NIST National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE), which is developing a NIST Cybersecurity Practice Guide. This will demonstrate how the components of 5G architectures can be used securely to mitigate risks and meet industry sectors compliance requirements across use case scenarios.(10) While this goes a long way to providing a standardized practices roadmap for companies in creating 5G platforms that are secure, its only a start, explained Sadana. 5G is still the wild west with things changing every day, so businesses need IoT/IT security expert partners that can help them plan from the ground up. About Choice IoT Choice IoT Inc. provides a wireless connectivity and management platform for IoT-based solutions providers in the consumer-facing, public, industrial, and infrastructural sectors. They were awarded Top 50 Smartest Companies of 2018 by the Silicon Review and Channel Visions Visionary Spotlight Awards for Top Innovation, Service Provider Enablement, and Enterprise Technology in 2019. With a business model based on ease of use and transparency, Choice IoT is dedicated to helping its customers deploy their solutions with maximum control and the lowest possible connectivity cost. For more information, please see http://www.choiceiot.com. 1. Gartner Forecasts Worldwide 5G Network Infrastructure Revenue to Reach $4.2 Billion in 2020, Gartner, August 22, 2019, gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2019-08-22-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-5g-network-infrastructure 2. Columbus, Louis. Seven Things You Need To Know About IIoT In Manufacturing. Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 3 June 2019, forbes.com/sites/louiscolumbus/2019/06/02/seven-things-you-need-to-know-about-iiot-in-manufacturing_updated/#d0dbb6c5f561. 3. Accelerating the 5G future of business, Accenture, February 25, 2020 accenture.com/us-en/insights/communications-media/accelerating-5g-future-business 4. Karen Epper Hoffman. 5G Inherits Some 4G Vulnerabilities. Security Today, securitytoday.com/articles/2019/12/09/5g-inherits-some-4g-vulnerabilities.aspx. 5. Seals, Tara. Huawei Controversy Highlights 5G Security Implications. Threatpost English Global Threatpostcom, February 4, 2020 threatpost.com/huawei-5g-security-implications/152926/. 6. Overview of Risks Introduced by 5G Adoption in the United States, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), July 31, 2019, cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/19_0731_cisa_5th-generation-mobile-networks-overview_0.pdf 7. From SIMjacking to Bad Decisions: 5G Security Threats to Non-Public Networks TrendMicro, November 15, 2019, trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/news/internet-of-things/from-esim-jacking-to-fake-news-threats-to-5g-and-security-recommendations 8. Cynthia Brumfield. 5G Security is a Mess. Could Digital Certificates Help? February 2020 reseller.co.nz/article/671251/5g-security-mess-could-digital-certificates-help/ 9. Alfred Ng. 5G brings up questions of cybersecurity vulnerabilities, CNET, November 6, 2019 cnet.com/news/5g-security-means-fcc-getting-tough-on-wireless-carriers-senator-says/ 10. Michael Bartock, Jeffrey Cichonski, Murugiah Souppaya. 5G Cybersecurity: Preparing a Secure Evolution to 5G, NIST NCCoE February 2020, nccoe.nist.gov/sites/default/files/library/project-descriptions/5G-pse-project-description-draft.pdf Seattle, WA -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/10/2020 -- Stratagem Market Insights proclaims the obtainability of new statistical data to its repository titled as, Artificial Intelligence As A Service market. It covers the wide-ranging aspects of the businesses such as pillars, features, sales strategies, planning models to get better insights for the businesses. Furthermore, it throws light on recent developments and technological platforms, several tools, and methodologies that help to boost the performance of industries. The Artificial Intelligence As A Service Market report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and competitive assessment industry analysts, inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The research report market provides an in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators, and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments, trending Key Factors and geographies. Download and Get a Free sample of Artificial Intelligence As A Service Market Report: https://www.stratagemmarketinsights.com/sample/18458 Key Players Analyzed in this report are: (IBM, Google, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Salesforce, FICO, SAS Institute, Intel, SAP, IRIS AI, Bigml, H2o.AI) (*others players can be added on demand) Artificial Intelligence As A Service Market report delivers critical predictions. Our research analysts curated the Table of Contents as per the latest trends and requirements, and the report provides the precise calculation of the Artificial Intelligence As A Service Market regarding the advanced development which depends on the historical data and current condition of industry status. It renders the required secondary data that represents the Artificial Intelligence As A Service Market, figures, pie charts, diagrams, etc. Geographically, this report is segmented into several key regions, with sales, revenue, market share, and growth rate of Artificial Intelligence As A Service in these regions, from 2020 to 2027, covering - North America (United States, Canada and Mexico) - Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia and Turkey etc.) - Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam) - South America (Brazil etc.) - Middle East and Africa (Egypt and GCC Countries) Ask for Exclusive Discount: https://www.stratagemmarketinsights.com/discount/18458 Different sales strategies have been elaborated to get a clear idea for getting global clients rapidly. It helps various industry experts, policymakers, business owners as well as various c level people to make informed decisions in the businesses. It includes the massive data relating to the technological advancements, trending products or services observed in the market. The major key pillars of businesses such as global Artificial Intelligence As A Service market are explained in a concise manner and effectively for fueling the progress of the market. Our Study Report Offers: Market share analysis for the regional and country-level segments. Artificial Intelligence As A Service Market share analysis of the best business players. Strategic proposal for the new entrants. Market forecasts for the next five years of all the mentioned segments, sub-segments and conjointly the regional markets. Market Opportunities, Trends, Constraints, Threats, Challenges, Drivers, Investment and suggestions. Strategic steerage in key business segments supported the market estimations. Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends. Company identification with careful methods, financials, and up so far developments. provide chain trends mapping the foremost recent technological advancements. The report's conclusion reveals the overall scope of the Global Artificial Intelligence As A Service Market in terms of feasibility of investments in the various segments of the market, along with a descriptive passage that outlines the feasibility of new projects that might succeed in the market in the near future. If you have any special requirement please let us know we will offer you a report as you want. Talk to Our Specialist Before Purchasing This Research Report @ https://www.stratagemmarketinsights.com/speakanalyst/18458 CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blackbird Holdings Corp . (Blackbird), a TILT Holdings Inc. (TILT or the Company) (CSE: TILT) (OTCQB: TLLTF) subsidiary, has partnered with Cova Software to offer cannabis stores and dispensaries a retail solution for online ordering, point-of-sale (POS), home delivery and customer retention. TILT is a foundational technology cannabis platform comprised of assets to support brands worldwide. Blackbird has integrated its all-in-one retail platform for cannabis e-commerce and distribution with Covas industry leading cannabis retail point-of-sale (POS) system. Retailers no longer need to use multiple systems or complete double entries for online and in-store sales and will gain new ways to attract and retain customers. Blackbird has had a close business relationship with Cova since its inception thanks to the natural synergies between our two companies, said Mark Scatterday, CEO of TILT Holdings. We are excited to extend that relationship and provide our customers optionality, by integrating our technologies to give cannabis stores and dispensaries what they need most a simple, seamless retail solution for managing sales and customers end to end. Retailers using Cova POS can now add dynamic online menu capabilities with Blackbird. When customers open an account and place an order online, the customer record is automatically created in Cova and the order is pushed into Covas retail system. Orders are processed faster, and store inventory is automatically kept up to date in real-time on Blackbird menus, with all the essential pricing, availability and product information. At Cova, we constantly look for ways to improve the customer shopping experience, said Gary Cohen, CEO of Cova. Collaborating with Blackbird not only helps retailers create a more seamless and rewarding experience across all customer touchpoints, it helps make the complex operations of running a store or dispensary much simpler and efficient. The partnership also gives Cova users robust customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities. Integration of Blackbirds loyalty and rewards capabilities lets Cova users create enticing loyalty programs to offer points-per-dollar or visit-based rewards, setup point magnifiers to provide happy hour specials, and loyalty tiers to reward their biggest spenders. Blackbird/Cova integration also offers retailers a variety of marketing tools to engage more customers, including the ability to create text messaging campaigns. Retailers can target the right customers with greater precision and segmentation, improving customer retention while reducing the cost of messaging campaigns. Furthermore, in regions where Blackbird offers home delivery services, the partnership can help keep retailers commerce moving with customer deliveries in under two hours. About TILT TILT Holdings serves cannabis brands worldwide through a strong network of portfolio companies committed to technological innovations that support long-term success. TILT services more than 2,000 brands and cannabis retailers across 33 states in the U.S., as well as in Canada, Israel, Mexico, South America and the European Union. As a market leader in cannabis technology and related products and services, the Companys core assets include wholly-owned subsidiaries Jupiter Research, LLC, a company that focuses on the vast potential of inhalation through innovative design, development and manufacturing, and Blackbird, a company that provides operations and software solutions for wholesale and retail distribution. The Company also owns cannabis operations in states including Massachusetts, led by Commonwealth Alternative Care, Inc.; and in Pennsylvania, led by Standard Farms, LLC. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with offices throughout the U.S., and London, TILT has over 350 employees and has sales in the U.S., Canada and Europe. For more information, visit www.tiltholdings.com. About Blackbird Blackbird is a software and operations company that moves cannabis product through the supply chain. The Reno, Nevada-based company has cannabis distribution licenses in California and Nevada, transporting $1 million worth of product every day from brands to retailers to consumers. Blackbird's software is used by manufacturers, cultivators, and retailers to manage and transfer inventory, create compliant delivery documentation, and track delivery orders. Blackbird also offers a robust e-commerce tool called BlackbirdGo that lets cannabis retailers generate delivery and pick-up orders from end users. By providing these operational and technological solutions to all types of cannabis license holders, Blackbird helps businesses focus on the creation and sale of cannabis products instead of building out a complex and costly supply chain infrastructure. About Cova Cova is an award-winning, seed-to-sale compliant POS and Inventory Management platform designed to streamline cannabis retail. A compliance-first company, Cova not only meets all system requirements in every market served, but constantly adapts to changing rules and regulations to make compliance simple for owners and employees, reducing the risk of infractions and fines. In addition to automated compliance features, Cova offers an intuitive, user-friendly design and lightning-fast transaction time. Its technology platform currently powers more than 800 cannabis stores of all sizes with virtually no downtime, even on 4/20, making it the most robust and reliable cannabis POS system available. Headquartered in Denver, CO, and Vancouver, BC, Cova's team spans North America. Learn more at www.covasoftware.com. Contact Information: Joel Milton SVP of Business Development Phone: (303) 872-7255 Media Contact: Brian Price CMW Media Phone: 858-264-6600 tiltholdings@cmwmedia.com Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking information based on current expectations. Forward-looking information is provided for the purpose of presenting information about managements current expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward looking information may include, without limitation, the potential impacts and effects of the Cova POS system on sales growth and customer retention, the expected successes of the enhanced features of the Cova POS system, the opinions or beliefs of management, prospects, opportunities, priorities, targets, goals, ongoing objectives, milestones, strategies and outlook of TILT, and includes statements about, among other things, future developments, the future operations, strengths and strategy of TILT. Generally, forward looking information can be identified by the use of forward looking terminology such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. These statements are based upon certain material factors, assumptions and analyses that were applied in drawing a conclusion or making a forecast or projection, including TILTs experience and perceptions of historical trends, the use of proceeds of the Financing, the ability of TILT to maximize shareholder value, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that are believed to be reasonable in the circumstances. Although such statements are based on managements reasonable assumptions at the date such statements are made, there can be no assurance that they it be completed on the terms described above and that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking information. TILT assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by applicable law. By its nature, forward-looking information is subject to risks and uncertainties, and there are a variety of material factors, many of which are beyond the control of TILT, and that may cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. The coronavirus is accelerating economic warfare between Saudi Arabia, Russia and the US, while exacerbating the social, economic and political tensions within Saudi Arabia. In turn, Riyadh is weaponizing the Covid-19 pandemic in its ongoing war of words, blaming Iran and Qatarand by implication the Shiafor deliberately spreading the virus to the Sunni Arab world. The coronavirus has swept across the Middle East and North Africa, as nearly every country in the region has confirmed cases of the new virus. Iran is by far the worst affected, with 7,161 confirmed cases and 237 deaths reported by Sunday as its beleaguered health care system struggles to cope with the criminal US-imposed sanctions that have starved it of pharmaceutical and medical supplies. Last week, Riyadh called on OPEC countries to cut production by 1.5 million barrels a day (bpd) to curb the fall in oil prices and counter plunging demand as the coronavirus curtails international trade and travel. Russia, the worlds second largest producer, refused, saying that any reduction in oil supplies would be replaced on the world market with American shale oil. Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud (Credit: en.kremlin.ru) Saudi Arabia retaliated by slashing its prices and vowing to step up production by as much as 2 million bpd in an over-supplied oil market where prices have already fallen by one third since the beginning of the year. Its aim is to hold onto its market share and push out its competitors in Russia and the US. The Saudi announcement led to a sharp fall in the share prices of its national oil company Saudi Aramco and Russias Rosneft. In the US, energy shares have plummeted by 2050 percent this year, amid soaring debt levels and falling demand as institutional investors move away from fossil fuels. The Saudis international bonds as well as those of Saudi Aramco plunged in early trade Monday, with the Saudi riyal falling sharply against the US dollar in the forwards market. The countrys economy is heavily dependent on oil and gas, which make up 87 percent of budget revenues, 42 percent of GDP and 90 percent of exports. While Saudi oil production is profitable at $30 or lower a barrel, the ruling family needs at least $80 a barrel, double that of Russia, to maintain the fiscal revenues on which its social contract with the Saudi people depend. Oil prices in the low $30s would almost double the budget deficitpreviously estimated as 6.4 percentas a percentage of GDP this year. The fall in oil prices follows Riyadhs temporary suspension of the Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, and a ban on entry to the kingdom for pilgrims, to sterilize the religious sites to halt the spread of the new coronavirus. The pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime for the worlds 1.8 billion Muslims is one of the five pillars of their faith, with the Umrahwhich can be performed at any time of the year and is much cheaper than the Hajjattracting 8 million visitors. For Saudis corporate elite, the pilgrimage guarantees a steady flow of income, lucrative construction contracts and the growth of luxury hotel chains around the holy mosque. A 10-day Hajj package trip, from specially licensed agencies with close connections to the ruling family, can cost around $7,000 not including the presents that the pilgrims are expected to buy for their families. The Umrah and the Hajj, this year scheduled to take place between July 28 and August 2, bring an estimated $12 billion a year to Saudi's GDP, equal to 20 percent of its non-oil GDP and 7 percent of total GDP. According to the Mecca Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 25 to 30 percent of the private sectors income in the region around Mecca and Medina depends on pilgrimage. The suspension has repercussions far beyond the country as pilgrims are required to buy specially licensed travel packages in their home countries, whose travel agencies will have to bear the cost of cancellations, unused visas, flights and accommodation. This and the ban on pilgrims have raised questions about whether the Hajj will go ahead, as the Saudi Arabia and the Gulf monarchs cancel mass gatherings, including sporting events, trade fairs and concerts. While Saudi Arabias huge oil wealth is owned by a royal family that lives in fabulous luxury sustained by systematic repression and mass public executions, at least 20 percent of Saudis suffer crippling or severe poverty, and between 2 million and 4 million people live in poverty in Riyadh alone. Many are women or members of female-headed households. Migrant workers, mainly from the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, some 12 million of the countrys 34 million inhabitants, fare worse still. These terrible social conditions are set to worsen under bin Salmans Vision 2030, designed by management consultants to wean the Saudi economy off dependency on oil with a raft of vanity projects that will enrich the corporations. Crucially, it includes the partial privatisation of Aramco, the Saudi state oil company, the sell-off of hospitals and schools, the gutting of public sector employmentfrom 67 percent to 20 percentpay cuts for public sector employees, the slashing of subsidies for fuel, natural gas, electricity and water and the introduction of a 5 percent value-added tax on most goods and services. Political tensions mounted during the weekend following the announcement of the arrest on Friday of Prince Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz, King Salmans only remaining full brother, and Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, Salmans nephew who was heir to the throne until his ouster in 2017 by the then 31-year-old Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Accused of attempting to organize a coup against bin Salman, the countrys de facto ruler, they face treason charges. The next day, the arrests were extended to dozens of interior ministry officials, senior army officers and others including Prince Nayef bin Ahmed, a former army head of intelligence. Interior Minister Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef and his father Prince Saud bin Nayef were later released after being questioned by the coterie around bin Salman. Bin Salman has faced criticism inside the venal House of Saud following the international uproar over the assassination in 2018 of former insider-turned-dissident Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents on his orders, his conduct of the five-year-long war in Yemen that has failed to restore Riyadhs puppet Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi to power, as well as a major attack on the kingdom's oil infrastructure last year that was claimed by Yemen's Houthi rebels. The purge is widely seen as an attempt by bin Salman to consolidate his power against two of the most likely contenders for the throne before his ailing 84-year-old father dies. The government has sought to divert the mounting social arrest by weaponising the coronavirus to deflect tensions outwards against Iran, which it has blamed for the spread of the virus. According to the authorities, all those infected15 thus farhave either been to Iran or in contact with people who had visited Iran, which is home to important Shia holy sites. Last Thursday, Riyadh denounced Tehran for allowing Saudi citizens to enter Iran. Saudi Arabia has banned all travel to Iran. The regime has imposed a lockdown on the eastern Qatif province, home to the countrys Shia population, to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The Interior Ministry said that the 11 Saudi nationals diagnosed with Covid-19 are from Qatif, long a flashpoint between the ruling Sunni regime and the Shia, who have faced decades of discrimination, marginalization and poverty. State television announced the suspension of all schools, universities and Quranic activities at mosques nationwide. Roadblocks have been set up to stop movement in and out of Qatif province. The authorities are actively encouraging racist and sectarian strife, with tweets by prominent journalists and public figures linking the rapid spread of the virus in Iran to Shia backwardness and comparing Sunni Saudi Arabias response to the outbreak as civilised and rational, compared with Shia Irans ignorance and superstition. Noura al-Moteari, a Saudi-based journalist, tweeted on March 1 that Qatar was manufacturing the coronavirus and funding its spread in order to undermine bin Salams Vision 2030 and the United Arab Emirates upcoming Expo 2020. One of the most prestigious grant programs in the nation is helping Kalie Weninger 15 learn new ways to combat homelessness. Shes earning a master of science this year in governance and public policy at the University of Manchester in England through a UK Fulbright grant, one of the most competitive offered by the international education program. She was among 1,038 total applicants vying for 41 spots in the UK. Weningers dissertation has current relevance. The city of Manchester has vowed to end homelessness by 2020, and shes examining the effort by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), a collective of local councils, to craft policy that addresses homelessness at a time when state and local authorities are trying to pull more power away from Parliament. Weninger, who was a sociology and women's and gender studies double major, chose Manchester because she knew it had innovative policies and a history of cross-sector collaboration, she said. But it also allowed her to continue an interest she picked up at Willamette. In 2014, she volunteered with Family Promise of the Mid-Willamette Valley, which serves families experiencing homelessness. After she graduated, she worked there full-time and even traveled to Washington, D.C. to advocate for a bill on behalf of the organization. Homeslessness and housing policy was not a big interest of mine as an undergraduate, she said. But I volunteered at Family Promise to experience the world in a way I could not on campus, and my interest in the topic really developed. At Manchester, shes been juggling her full-time degree program with grant recipient responsibilities, which include attending conferences, preparing occasional presentations and serving as an ambassador on behalf of the Fulbright Commission and the nation. Many of the university events shes participated in have been strongly community-based. At one event run by London newspaper The Times, she helped coordinate 100 voters from across Britain and Wales who discussed their opinions on labor rights, crime and other issues in the run up to the 2019 election. She drafted policies with the university's politics department reducing homelessness, supporting the citys push to be carbon neutral by 2038 and encouraging equitable growth in the citys burroughs and pitched the proposals to local policymakers. Soon shell be interning with the GMCA for the summer to join their policy strategy team. After shes completed her masters degree, she hopes to work for a policy think tank or as a consultant in the U.S. or United Kingdom, she said. Weninger is one of three Willamette grads last year to be awarded a Fulbright. The experience has been extremely valuable to her in so many ways, she said shes been able to further her formal and informal education within the university and beyond. Ive met and collaborated with students from all around the world, which has broadened my perspective immensely and provided insight I never would have had in the United States, she said. Its also challenged me to try new things and be open to new experiences. Its encouraged me to say yes to every opportunity I can. The official announcement by Giuseppe Conte, the Italian prime minister, sent shock waves across Europe last night: All of Italy was going to be put under lockdown. From my isolation in the UK, I felt like the situation had reached a completely new level of surreality. I started producing video packages for ITN on the new virus out of China in December, when most people would have been oblivious to the story and the idea of the epidemic spreading to Europe was still very remote. I clearly remember that the last thing I did before jumping on a plane back home to Italy at the end of February was talking to one of my sources in Wuhan, an Irish citizen living in the quarantined Chinese city. When I landed in Turin everything looked normal, until I stopped at an unusual queue before the airport border control. Then I saw them: three people in bright orange hazmat suits were screening passengers. All of those hours of footage I had seen from China suddenly flashed through my mind. I was caught by surprise, and so were the British family just ahead of me in the queue: Whats that all about? The first two airport operators took my temperature, then a third one snapped a picture of me with a tablet used as a termoscanner. Thats not too bad, I thought. Little did I know of what was lying ahead. The news had just broken that 11 towns across the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto had been placed under quarantine, with travel restrictions modelled on those adopted in Wuhan. Limitations to public life were also imposed in neighbouring regions like Piedmont, where I was. Major events such as carnival parades were cancelled, and it wasnt too long before schools, universities and museums were also shut down. In just under two days from my return to my hometown of Mondovi, I unexpectedly found myself on the coronavirus frontline, at about two hours drive from the epicentre of the outbreak in Codogno. I thought I had no choice but to try and do my best to report on the story, as people were already panicking and misinformation was spreading on social media much faster than the virus itself. Through a friend at the hospital, I got myself a decent protective mask, then drove to see the emergency tents erected overnight outside A&Es across northern Italy. Similar to those deployed by the Italian Civil Protection to fight Ebola in Africa, they are specifically designed to contain the contagion. I was allowed inside one of them: I was shown a single hospital bed, a vital signs monitor and other essential medical equipment. Was it going to be enough? Coronavirus: Emergency tents erected overnight outside A&Es in Mondovi north west Italy to help deal with outbreak L-R: Emergency tent in northern Italy, Gianluca Avagnina wearing a protective mask (Gianluca Avagnina) I subsequently took several trips to a handful of supermarkets and probably every pharmacy in town: all of them had run out of masks, Amuchina (a popular hand sanitiser) and even some essential products like pasta, as people started stockpiling in fear. Another sad effect of the virus was that some individuals started using it to justify racist comments and xenophobic behaviour. Anyone even remotely Asian-looking was now treated with suspicion, something that I experienced quite directly, coming from a mixed ethnic background. And Ill have to confess that I was really worrying about my mother, a Filipino-naturalised-Italian citizen who has been living in the country for over 30 years. I was also very concerned about my Italian grandmother, who was turning 87 that week. My uncle (a retired military police officer) decided not to attend her birthday celebrations after he developed flu symptoms. I remember feeling helpless after saying goodbye to her a few hours before my flight back to London. Now, no matter what happens, I wont be able to visit my family until at least 3 April, as Italy enters a month of complete lockdown and flights to and from the country have been cancelled. Gianluca Avagnina's grandmother celebrating her birthday in Italy (Gianluca Avagnina) The plane back was unsurprisingly half empty. Everything went really smoothly, and after touch down I was in and out of Gatwick airport in less than 20 minutes. No health checks at the border, no questions asked. Since then, working from home to avoid contact with my colleagues has been a very lonely experience. Although there is no official isolation required in my case and in the absence of symptoms, I understand and respect these precautionary measures. Meanwhile, Ive been dealing with a bit of stigma, as some people seem to be avoiding me because he must have got it. But other than that, its been ok. I go and say hi to the goats in Clissold Park every day. In the absence of humans, theyve become my best lunchtime friends. Gianluca Avagnina is a news producer for ITN As shocking as the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal seemed to everyday Americans, with its accusations of bribes, faked athletic credentials and falsified test scores, it came as even more of a surprise to college presidents. Beyond the sheer scale of the fraud millions of dollars allegedly funneled to athletics staffers, coaches and test proctors was what it said about their institutions. Colleges, especially elite ones, have long viewed themselves as places open to anyone, where promising students from any background can find support to learn, grow and prepare for successful careers. What if none of that was true? If it was mainly the rich and famous gaining access to America's top schools, how open were they, really? Many Americans, it became clear, were convinced the college admissions process was rigged, and the only way to get a leg up was to cheat. A year later, six leaders of some of the country's most selective colleges say they, too, have been questioning the fairness of college admissions. They take responsibility for some of the public's mistrust of higher education. But they also say Americans' obsession with being the best in all avenues of life is partially to blame. USA TODAY interviewed six presidents of selective colleges to see what has changed in higher education since the admissions scandal and what hasn't. Excerpts have been lightly edited and presented together, although each interview was conducted separately. Bucknell University Location: Lewisburg, Pennsylvania Private or Public: Private Undergraduate population as of fall 2018: 3,597 Number of student applicants: 10,144 Percent of students admitted: 29% Four-year graduation rate: 85% Beginning undergraduates on Pell Grants: 12% A year out from the bombshell of Varsity Blues, what have you learned? And just how did we get here in the first place? John Bravman, president of Bucknell University, a private college in Pennsylvania: Some of the interviews I saw absolutely solidified in my mind that neither child nor parents understood what college was about. Colleges of this caliber, frankly, are not finishing schools. I think they were being approached as finishing schools, or schools where you can meet your future partner. Or where you're going to get hooked up with the right alum. Does that happen sometimes? Sure. That's not the purpose of higher education. Story continues Davidson College President Carol Quillen Carol Quillen, president of Davidson College, a liberal arts college in North Carolina: The big takeaway for me was there is no public confidence in the integrity of higher education admission. And how do we rebuild trust with the public and live up to our obligation to make education a public good, and to serve the societies and communities that support us? How do we make the case that the public should and can trust higher education? Joanne Berger-Sweeney, president of Trinity College, a liberal arts college in Connecticut: The positive thing about Varsity Blues was it allowed people to recognize that there may be flaws when you're just trying to assess a candidate on SAT scores. Maybe I keep hounding on that issue because, you know, Trinity, we became a test-optional institution. (In 2015, Trinity gave prospective students the option to include their ACT and SAT scores as part of their application, rather than requiring test scores for all applicants.) We recognized SATs can be flawed instruments. They can be viewed in a total package, but it's as though people have started to believe that SATs were correlated with how smart their kids were and how well they were going to do. And there was a lot of counterevidence to that. University of Washington Location: Seattle, Washington Private or Public: Public Undergraduate population as of fall 2018: 32,099 Number of student applicants: 45,907 Percent of students admitted: 49% Four-year graduation rate: 67% Beginning undergraduates on Pell Grants: 22% Some parents think some schools, say Harvard or Stanford, are the only colleges their kids can attend to be successful. That philosophy played into the decision to try and game the system through the admissions scandal. Where did that notion come from? Ana Mari Cauce, president of the University of Washington, a public institution: I think that the data does suggest it's very much a myth, but that is very much present for some parents, more than others, and that's the 'getting into the right school or not getting into the right school will determine everyone's path in life.' Part of what has kept that myth and has perhaps grown that myth is the side effect of the middle class being hollowed out. There's a broader discussion to be had about: What are our priorities? I think for a large public like the UW, it has to be in part: How do we rebuild the middle class? Carol Christ, chancellor of University of California, Berkeley. Carol Christ, chancellor of the University of California at Berkeley, a public university: So I fault, in part, the college rankings that create what I think is a false sense that there's an ordinal ranking of quality of institutions, which anybody who knows higher education knows isn't true. So people kind of have a false sense: 'If I go to number two, it's going to be better than number three, which is better than number four.' The truth is there are many excellent choices for every student. And students are so anxious about getting into the right college that they apply to many more than used to be the case. I realize this is ancient history, but when I was applying to college, you applied to three colleges. Now students routinely apply to 12 to 15 colleges, which makes on the other side of the desk, the admissions business, very difficult. You have no idea what students are going to accept your offer. Davidson College President Carol Quillen Quillen (Davidson): It seems to me that the post-secondary education sector is being asked to educate many, many more people much more quickly at a much lower cost for an uncertain economic future. And so how do we participate in doing that? It's our job to make sure that it's available to everyone. Not everybody is going to want the same kind of education. So differentiation is good. We should support each other as we differentiate and offer different things to different groups of learners. Trinity College President Joanne Berger-Sweeny. Berger-Sweeney (Trinity): We're putting too much pressure on these kids now about college admissions. Any narrative about finding the perfect college probably disservices the students and their family. There are lots of great institutions. There are great students, and it's about finding (a) good fit. And the likelihood is that there is more than one college or two colleges out there that are good fits. And any idea that you have to go to a specific college or a specific place, it's putting too much pressure on our system. We're in a country that believes in prestige and particular institutions come with a prestige factor. We try to get away from calling ourselves elite, but I recognize being at Trinity College, we do have a particular and strong brand. Cashing in on U.S. college admissions: This Harvard grad has made millions on international students Cornell University Location: Ithaca, New York Private or Public: Private Undergraduate population as of fall 2018: 15,182 Number of student applicants: 51,324 Percent of students admitted: 11% Four-year graduation rate: 88% Beginning undergraduates on Pell Grants: 16% Varsity Blues shook the public's trust in the fairness of college admissions and the value of a university education. But even before the scandal, about 4 in 10 Americans said colleges were having a negative effect on the country. How are you addressing that? Bucknell University President John Bravman Bravman (Bucknell): I'm 62 years old. It seems my whole life has just seen a slow decline in the overall view of institutions of all types. And why would colleges be immune from that? Everything is under scrutiny like never before. So something like Varsity Blues ignites a passion in people, understandably. We know were an expensive option. So that just throws in there another piece about wealth and fame and fortune and therefore of access. I try to explain who we are, who we're not, why it costs so much to go to college there are good answers there for what people expect today and I just find there's no solution as a silver bullet. You communicate, you communicate, you communicate. You explain who you are, what you do, how you do it, and you hope to make headway. Martha Pollack, president of Cornell University, a private university: That skepticism really bothers me. It bothers me because I think a lot of the people who are making those claims are still sending their kids to college. I worry the students who could benefit the most financially might get that message and not come. I firmly believe, and theres evidence to show this, that people are healthier, theyre more involved in their community, there's all kinds of nonfinancial benefits that accrue from a university education. Often when people ask whats my greatest challenge, they think I am going to say long-term financial stability, and that is a challenge. But what I say is I dont think a lot of the public does realize what we do in universities. Trinity College President Joanne Berger-Sweeny. Berger-Sweeney (Trinity): (About six years ago, when she became president, she was tasked with making the student body more talented.) In order to get better students, I needed more financial aid. Because we were excluding a number of really talented, smart students, not because of their ability, but because of their ability to pay. And so, when I was able to convince the trustees that we needed more money for financial aid, we went out and started to recruit from a broader pool than we had before. What I love to tell people is talent exists across every zip code and every geographic region of the country. Opportunity doesn't always exist across those. So when I had more money that I could put into financial aid, I was able to recruit better, more talented students on every scale and metric that I had. It so happened that it was a more diverse student body. Sproul Hall on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley is a symbol of the Free Speech Movement of the 1960s. University of California at Berkeley Location: Berkeley, California Private or Public: Public Undergraduate population as of fall 2018: 30,853 Number of student applicants: 89,607 Percent of students admitted: 15% Four-year graduation rate: 74% Beginning undergraduates on Pell Grants: 19% Colleges often face limitations in their class size because of both money and sometimes physical space. How do you explain that you must turn some people away? Carol Christ, chancellor of University of California, Berkeley. Christ (Berkeley): When you think about the kind of volume of applications that a place like Berkeley gets, you're comparing applicants that have had every opportunity with people whose opportunities have been very limited. (For the fall 2019 class, Berkeley turned away about 35,600 applicants for its freshman class with weighted GPAs of 4.0 or higher.) And how do you make choices if you're a state institution serving the state of California? What responsibility do you have to choose a student body that's in some way representative of the state, or that gives economic opportunities through really excellent higher education to populations in the state that have had less of a chance at those advantages? So it's an enormously fraught subject. President, Ana Mari Cauce, University of Washington. Cauce (Washington): Yes, were a selective university, but we're not as highly selective as some, particularly in terms of our in-state applications. There are still students that we turn down that I know could have done well here and that I take zero pride in the fact that we are not able to take them. As proud as I am about the fabulous students that we admit, I always also have to say that I am sorry that there are some excellent students that we were simply not able to make room for. The bottom line is what we want for our state of Washington is to have a very high-functioning set of public universities so that students who don't get in here have other good options. Davidson College Location: Davidson, North Carolina Private or Public: Private Undergraduate population as of fall 2018: 1,843 Number of student applicants: 5,724 Percent of students admitted: 19 Four-year graduation rate: 90% Beginning undergraduates on Pell Grants: 17% People say part of what limits access to college is the cost. So what about the movement to make college free? President, Ana Mari Cauce, University of Washington. Cauce (Washington): It's the question of who pays for it. That's part of why it's so important to have strong public trust, for people to understand that public universities, and in particular, higher education more broadly, is not just a benefit to the individual student, but it's a benefit to society at large. For example, one-third of our students aim to be the first in their family to graduate from college a full third of our students. When that happens, not only are you changing the trajectory of their lives, but usually of their younger brothers and sisters, their children, et cetera. Theyre more apt to be employed. Theyre more apt to vote. Theres a whole host of positive consequences. Cornell University President Martha Pollack. Pollack (Cornell): We have to truly address the affordability issue. That means being much clearer about what the actual costs are. We've got this very complicated system with sticker prices, and then Pell Grants (federal scholarships for low-income students), and then other kinds of grants and work-study. I think we have to work to drive down costs for those in the middle class who are being squeezed even once they understand the actual cost. Then I think we somehow have to figure out how to tell a better story about what college is doing for our young alumni. And maybe we should be relying on their own voices, because I go around the country, meeting with Cornell alumni, young, middle-aged, old, and they tell an extraordinary story about the impact that their education has had on them. Trinity College Location: Hartford, Connecticut Private or Public: Private Undergraduate population as of fall 2018: 2,182 Number of student applicants: 6,096 Percent of students admitted: 34% Four-year graduation rate: 78% Beginning undergraduates on Pell Grants: 16% Will colleges have to change the way they approach the admissions process to be more inclusive? Have they done enough already? Trinity College President Joanne Berger-Sweeny. Berger-Sweeney (Trinity): The largest democratization of higher education with the GI Bill (a massive program that made it possible for veterans to attend college paid by the government). Where before, when college education was pretty much more or less for the wealthy or more elite, I'm sorry to say a number of college and university presidents were not supportive of the GI Bill. They did not know how they were going to handle a more diverse population. It's a little bit of a reminder and maybe a small bit of history repeating itself. This isn't a new thing for higher education. We have been having arguments about diversity in higher education for quite a while in the U.S. For the most part, we have come out on the right side of history. Bucknell University President John Bravman Bravman (Bucknell): Students today are very different than they were 44 years ago. They're different than they were 10 years ago. So we see a continuing evolution in the student mindset. And we don't have the luxury, and the wealthiest schools in the country don't have the luxury, of just assuming: 'Hey, this is who we are. Take it or leave it.' Carol Christ, chancellor of University of California, Berkeley. Christ (Berkeley): I think the great challenge at the University of California, certainly where I sit at Berkeley, is not that we want to admit students who wouldn't be able to do the work. It's that there are so many students who are applying who would do the work brilliantly, but we don't have space for, so that's the real challenge we have to solve. President, Ana Mari Cauce, University of Washington. Cauce (Washington): I certainly hope more and more of us are saying: We want to be judged by the quality of education and the experience we give to students that come here, not by the number of students we turn down, which just stokes the anxiety of students and creates the conditions that led to Varsity Blues. I hope that we continue to look at how can institutions of higher education continue to play this role they have played historically of building, and in this case it would be rebuilding, the middle class and being a pathway to social mobility. I think there are some aspects of reproducing privilege that we need to look at very carefully. Cornell University President Martha Pollack. Pollack (Cornell): We're still going to want to be doing a better job of explaining what it actually costs to go to college. I think we're still going to be driving towards ways to, and this is an important point, not to just bring in more middle- and low-income students, but support them once they're there. So when people talk about diversity and inclusion, the inclusion part is important. Davidson College President Carol Quillen Quillen (Davidson): People seem to be interacting with other people who are just like them and living in this sort of echo-chamber world where something like getting into school can become a thing for which you're willing to break the law. Part of it is: How do we address the conditions that are now dividing us? How do we think about unequal access to all kinds of resources, not just education, but other things? How do we address growing disparities in wealth? How do we think about building a society where democratic public life is possible and we're all effective citizens and care about the well being of each other? How do we build that world, and what is higher ed's role in building that world? Only in a very rarefied environment can getting your kid into a particular institution become the obsession of your life. Admissions isn't the only obsession: Divorce? Marry off your kid? As financial aid confusion grows, parents get drastic Editor's note: Data in fact boxes comes from the federal government's College Navigator. The four-year graduation rate refers to students who started in fall 2012. Pell Grants refer to a federal grant given to students from low-income families. Education coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Gates Foundation does not provide editorial input. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A year after Lori Loughlin's arrest, has college admissions changed? Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 10:23:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KAMPALA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Uganda's environment watchdog on Monday announced the approval of an Environment and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) submitted by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) as one of the steps to pave the way for the commercial production of oil in the east African country. The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) said in a joint statement with the CNOOC that after scrutinizing the ESIA, including asking CNOOC to make some changes, the Chinese oil firm has been given a certificate as one of the major stages for it to proceed in the development of the Kingfisher project. "We are pleased to issue this certificate in line with the principle of sustainable development. NEMA shall continue to maintain an efficient mechanism for sustainable environment and natural resource management," said Tom Okurut, executive director of NEMA. Zhao Shunqiang, the chief of the CNOOC Uganda, described the acquisition of the certificate as a milestone. The ESIA studies were carried out to establish the potential positive and negative social and environmental impacts of the proposed projects. Oil companies are required under Ugandan law to undertake ESIA studies and submit to the NEMA for approval before execution of a project. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Mar.10 By Nargiz Sadikhova Trend: Kazakhstan will expand the list of the countries from which entrance into Kazakhstan is prohibited by adding France, Spain and Germany, Kazakhstans Chief Sanitary Doctor Zhandarbek Bekshin said, Trend reports. He said that the prohibition will enter into force starting from March 12, 2020. He added that the list of countries from which entrance to Kazakhstan is currently prohibited already includes China, Iran, South Korea and Italy. Earlier this month Bekshin said that the prohibition does not apply to Kazakh citizens who are returning from these countries. 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 4,000. Over 114,000 people have been confirmed as infected. Meanwhile, over 64,000 people have reportedly recovered. 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. In mild cases, according to the Chinese authorities, treatment takes about a week, in severe cases - two or more. 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 other countries. Several countries are developing a vaccine against the new virus. Holi was celebrated in several states across the country on Tuesday amid the coronavirus scare as people exercised caution and avoided mass gatherings. An 'effigy' of coronavirus was burnt during the festivities in Mumbai on Monday night. The national capital witnessed subdued celebrations due to the coronavirus threat, while in parts of riot-affected northeast Delhi, most people played Holi inside their houses amid heavy presence of security forces on the streets. While many chose to skip the celebrations altogether, some preferred small gatherings but without colours. Some played Holi only with 'gulal'. President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted people on the occasion. Sombre mood prevailed in parts of Punjab and Haryana as people stayed away from big gatherings. However, a large number of people paid obeisance at Gurdwara Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib on the occasion of Hola Mohalla, a Sikh festival, amid heightened vigil. Chandigarh-based Aditya (16) said his parents had advised him not to join a large group while celebrating the festival. "I used to celebrate Holi with my friends until late afternoon, but this time the celebrations were over by noon," he added. With an Italian couple testing positive for coronavirus in Rajasthan last week, people were alert and preferred to stay safe. The coronavirus scare played spoilsport in Jaipur, with people mostly restricting themselves to small groups. Even as the political crisis has gripped the Kamal Nath-led government in Madhya Pradesh, workers of the opposition BJP broke into the celebrations at the party office in Bhopal. Scores of BJP workers, including women, danced and smeared each other with colours. A woman activist, however, said they are elated because of Holi and in view of the early onset of "Diwali", hinting at uncertainty prevailing over survival of the Kamal Nath government. Mumbai and most parts of Maharashtra had a subdued Holi due to the coronavirus threat amid appeals to revellers from authorities to participate in the festival after taking necessary precautions. Residents of Worli in south Mumbai on Monday night burnt an 'effigy' of coronavirus, dubbing it "Corona-sur'" (corona-demon). In Bihar's capital Patna, residents were reminded of the boisterous Holi celebrations organised by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, as his elder son Tej Pratap Yadav pedalled down the streets with hordes of supporters who broke into 'Phagwa' songs and smeared each other with 'gulal'. Yadav, seemed intent on stepping into the shoes of his father when he sat with a 'dholak' (drum) in his lap at his Strand Road residence and bellowed traditional Holi songs amid cheers from loyalists. The Holi celebrations in Gujarat too had the shadow of the coronavirus threat with revellers enjoying the festival enthusiastically but ensuring adequate precautions by keeping off 'rain dances', a staple of previous years. One of the organisers even deployed hand-held thermal detectors to scan the guests for potential fevers. In Goa, the main celebrations organised by the Panaji Shigmotsav Samiti took place at the historic Azaad Maidan, which was attended by hundreds of people. Due to the coronavirus threat, the celebrations were held in an open ground and not inside a pandal (tent) as was the case in previous years, one of the organisers said. Two people were killed and seven injured in a clash over Holi rituals on Monday night between two families at Bawani Khera in Haryana's Bhiwani district, police said. The incident took place when the two families were performing 'Holika Dahan'. One person was killed and 11 injured in a clash over a trivial issue during the Holi celebrations in Kadipur village under the Kaptanganj police station area on Tuesday, police said. Four children drowned in a pond in Nadia district while taking a bath after celebrating 'Dol Jatra', the festival of colours in West Bengal. A 32-year-old construction worker from Kalyan in Maharashtra's Thane district drowned in a creek while celebrating Holi. Two boys drowned while bathing in a river, on the outskirts of Odisha's Cuttack city, following Holi celebrations. President Kovind, Vice President Naidu, PM Modi and several other leaders greeted people on the occasion of Holi. "Wishing everyone a #HappyHoli! The festival of colours, Holi is a celebration of spring and fraternity in our society. May it bring peace, joy and prosperity to everyone's life," the President tweeted. "This Holi, let us strive to strengthen the bonds of friendship and amity that hold our society together," Naidu tweeted. Greeting people, Modi hoped that it brings happiness in the lives of all people of the country. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal stayed away from the celebrations this year. He had earlier said that he would not play Holi due to the coronavirus threat and last month's riots in northeast Delhi that claimed 53 lives. "Happy Holi. Please take care of yourself while playing Holi. Please protect yourself from coronavirus," he said in a tweet. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant did not play Holi, and those close to him claimed he was busy in his constituency Sanquelim, campaigning for the March 22 zila parishad polls. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh, Haryana CM M L Khattar and Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani also greeted people on the occasion. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said that the ongoing political crisis in Madhya Pradesh is the internal matter of the Congress party and BJP is not at all interested in toppling the government. When asked about the political crisis in the state, Chouhan said, "We have nothing to do with this. This is Congress' internal matter and I would not like to comment on it. We had said on the first day that we are not interested in bringing down the government." Around 20 Cabinet ministers in Madhya Pradesh tendered their resignation to Chief Minister Kamal Nath late night on Monday. The Chief Minister has accepted their resignations and is likely to reconstitute the cabinet. Earlier, several Congress leaders, including Digvijaya Singh, had accused the BJP of horse-trading and conspiring to bring down the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was eviscerated for referring to COVID-19 as the 'Chinese coronavirus.' Many accused McCarthy of 'racist dogwhistling' after he tweeted a link from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that offered tips and advice for dealing with the virus. 'Everything you need to know about the Chinese coronavirus can be found on one, regularly-updated website,' the California representative said in his Monday night tweet. Many accused McCarthy of racist dogwhistling after he tweeted a link from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 'Everything you need to know about the Chinese coronavirus can be found on one, regularly-updated website,' the California representative said in his Monday night tweet There are currently 765 cases of the virus in the US and 26 people have died from it. The only people who are physically being banned from entering the US as a result of the virus are foreign nationals arriving to the US on flights from China or Iran. On Tuesday, President Xi Jinping, told reporters that the disease had been 'basically curbed' in Hubei province and Wuhan. China has 80,754 confirmed infections and a death tally of 3,136. McCarthy's incendiary tweet was met with fierce backlash as some even quoted CDC Director Robert R. Redfield for saying it was inappropriate to call the disease the 'Chinese coronavirus.' McCarthy's incendiary tweet was met with fierce backlash as some even quoted CDC Director Robert R. Redfield for saying it was inappropriate to call the disease the 'Chinese coronavirus' 'Our government is super racist: also they really suck at keeping US safe and prosperous,' shared David Rothschild. Dave Hogg added: 'It has a proper name, but you know "Chinese coronavirus" will appeal to the racist segment of your following, so you run with it. Classy.' 'Scientists call it the coronavirus, but your racism is impressive,' asserted Soledad O'Brien. 'Our government is super racist: also they really suck at keeping US safe and prosperous,' shared David Rothschild Dave Hogg added: 'It has a proper name, but you know "Chinese coronavirus" will appeal to the racist segment of your following, so you run with it. Classy' 'Scientists call it the coronavirus, but your racism is impressive,' asserted Soledad O'Brien Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) stated: 'Your words are so hurtful. We may be of different parties but people depend on all of us to be compassionate & effective leaders. Asian Americans - from kids to seniors are getting attacked bc of this exact type of rhetoric. Do better - please - i implore you. Lives are at stake.' The sentiment was shared by Shanlon Wu, who said: 'Kevin McCarthy calling corona virus Chinese is a racist ploy to make a public health issue something that can be blamed on "others" - API kids in schools already being taunted about having the virus - this kind of "leadership" by Republicans is a real danger to all of us.' Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) stated: 'Your words are so hurtful. We may be of different parties but people depend on all of us to be compassionate & effective leaders' The sentiment was shared by Shanlon Wu, who said: 'Kevin McCarthy calling corona virus Chinese is a racist ploy to make a public health issue something that can be blamed on "others" - API kids in schools already being taunted about having the virus - this kind of "leadership" by Republicans is a real danger to all of us' Several users noted that the CDC website did not use the language when talking about the virus. The Ellen Show's Andy Lassner told McCarthy to self quarantine himself. Actor Devon Sawa instructed people who call the virus the 'Chinese Coronavirus' to unfollow him. Others were quick to refer to the virus as the 'CPAC Virus' making mention of the attendee of the conservative conference who later tested positive for the virus. McCarthy is not the only conservative who has referred to the virus as the 'Chinese coronavirus.' Users called out Tucker Carlson for using the language as well. Several users noted that the CDC website did not use the language when talking about the virus The Ellen Show's Andy Lassner told McCarthy to self quarantine himself Actor Devon Sawa instructed people who call the virus the 'Chinese Coronavirus' to unfollow him Others were quick to refer to the virus as the 'CPAC Virus' making mention of the attendee of the conservative conference who later tested positive for the virus A resolute Vikas Krishan (69kg) and Simranjit Kaur (60kg) advanced to the final with impressive victories but the legendary M C (51kg) and world number one Amit Panghal (52kg) signed off with bronze medals at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers here on Tuesday. Also ending with a bronze was Lovlina Borgohain (69kg). All the five boxers have already secured their tickets to the Olympic Games by making the semifinals but Krishan and Kaur will come back with at least silver medals after entering the finals. Krishan fought with a cut sustained just below his left eyebrow before claiming a split decision victory over second seed Ablaikhan Zhussupov of Kazakhstan, a two-time world bronze-medallist. The 28-year-old Krishan will face feisty Jordanian Eishaih Hussein, who sent Asian gold-medallist and top seed Bobo-Usmon Baturov packing in a split decision. Krishan, a former world bronze-winner and a Commonwealth Games gold-medallist, was the busier of the two boxers despite the injury he picked up in the second round and his right jabs were particularly effective through the bout. Kaur, on the other hand, upstaged third seed Shih-Yi Wu of Taiwan in a terrific come-from-behind win. The Indian trailed in the opening round, roared back in the second with her precisely-placed combination punches before fending off a strong attack from Wu in the final three minutes. She will take on Korea's Oh Yeonji in the final on Wednesday. In another good result, first-timer Sachin Kumar (81kg) remained in the hunt for an Olympic berth by defeating Manh Cuong Nguyen of Vietnam 4-1 in the first box-off. He will have to get the better of Shabbos Negmatulloev of Tajikistan in the last box-off on Wednesday to book a ticket to Tokyo as only the top five qualify in his weight category. However, in a major disappointment for India, six-time world champion lost to China's Chang Yuan, a former Youth Olympics champion, in a split 1-4 verdict. Also bowing out with a bronze was world silver-medallist and top seed Panghal, who went down to Jianguan Hu of China in a split 3-2 decision. It was revenge for Hu, an Olympic and world bronze-medallist who lost to Panghal in the Asian semifinals last year. Panghal had endured exhausting contests in the run-up to the semifinals and he could not outpace the determined Chinese in Tuesday's clash. Earlier, two-time world bronze-medallist and second seed Borgohain lost to third seed and 2018 world silver-medallist Hong Gu of China in a unanimous 5-0 verdict after struggling to find her range against the experienced 30-year-old. Eight Indian boxers -- Ashish Kumar (75kg), Satish Kumar (+91kg), Pooja Rani (75kg) aside from the four losing semifinalists -- have qualified for the Tokyo Games at the ongoing event so far. The California Public Banking Act signed in October makes it explicity legal for municipalities in California to create their own public banks, an idea some politicians and researchers want to bring to Philly too. Read more The proposal to create a public bank owned by the city of Philadelphia is a bold and far-reaching policy initiative. City Councilmember Derek S. Green has made this a priority for the current Council session, a study on the banks feasibility is underway, and critics have spoken up about the liabilities of such a bank. It is important to get it right. More than two dozen localities are now embracing one public bank model: the over 100-year-old public Bank of North Dakota (BND). Its success provides a blueprint that can be adapted to Philadelphia. The BND is not a commercial bank and does not compete with community banks and credit unions. It partners with them in lending to lower the cost of credit to their customers small and large businesses, home buyers, and students among them and by providing those partner banks with cost-saving services. By lowering the cost of credit and monthly payments, more borrowers can qualify. This means jobs. Studies, such as one done by nearby Stockton University in New Jersey, project that every $1 million loan can create both directly and indirectly by prompting more growth at least six new jobs. The conservative loan-to-deposit ratio of U.S. banks is 8 to 10: $8 loaned for every $10 on deposit. In its first year, a Philadelphia public bank holding only $200 million of the citys far larger deposits could be expected to loan $160 million and create 960 new jobs. Under the partnership model, community banks and credit unions are better able to grow and compete with the big, mega-banks. North Dakota has one of the strongest community bank systems in the nation. In interviews conducted by the Public Banking Institute, numerous North Dakota bankers praised the public bank as an ally and partner central to their success. A public bank would also have a positive impact on city finances. Because it is not a retail bank, it has no branches, tellers, ATMs, advertising, and the attendant costs. These savings fall to the bottom line as profit the public bank can share with the city as nontax revenue, helping to balance budgets and avoid tax hikes. The bank could additionally eliminate the need for the large, unproductive city rainy day funds. Further, the public bank can make low-interest loans to the city for infrastructure needs, in place of more expensive bond issues. This reduces the debt service in annual budgets passed on to taxpayers. In 2015, the BND began loaning to school districts for new construction and renovation at 1.75%. The principal and interest paid are retained and reinvested locally, rather than exported to out-of-state banks and bondholders. There are challenges. As with commercial banks, a public bank needs a charter from the commonwealth, sufficient deposits to operate, capital to cover any losses, and a business plan to avoid failure. Ample deposits are available: Consider some or all of the citys hundreds of millions of daily deposits now held by one or more of the Wall Street mega-banks. A public system keeps those deposits safe from the too big to fail banks that failed in 2009, and from the risk that in another crisis mega-banks will seize deposits, as post-Dodd-Frank regulations allow. Capital is available. The most recent commercial bank to receive a charter in Pennsylvania after 2010s Dodd-Frank consumer protection reforms were approved had start-up capital of only $17 million. A review of the last Consolidated Annual Financial Report of the city lists hundreds of millions of liquid or quickly liquid assets, some portion of which can be invested in the public bank. A Philadelphia public bank can start small, with a limited mission, and grow. The big challenge is to ensure the bank is both accountable to elected officials for its performance, but also free of political involvement in its daily management, hiring, and credit decisions. Numerous models, including that of the BND, demonstrate how these twin requirements can be met. Properly organized and managed, a Philadelphia public bank will be a legacy institution providing ever greater benefits for generations of Philadelphians. Mike Krauss was a founding director of the Public Banking Institute and is chair of the Pennsylvania Public Bank Project, which launched a public bank campaign in Philadelphia. www.publicbankinginstitute.org. mikepublicbanking@gmail.com The novel coronavirus that originated from Wuhan, China, and the disease it causes, COVID-19, has spread to more than 100 countries and territories around the world, killing thousands. Below are March 10 updates. To view March 11 updates, click here. Italy Reports 168 Deaths Within 24 Hours Italys death toll from the new coronavirus has risen 168 in just 24 hours, authorities said on March 10. There have been 631 deaths from COVID-19. Italian authorities also said the number of confirmed cases rose to 10,149. Italy has the highest number of cases and deaths in the world outside China, where the virus started late last year. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Monday that the whole country would be placed under mandatory quarantine. Teams of police patrolled cafes to make sure owners kept customers 1 meter (3 feet) apart during daylight hours and then enforced a strict 6 p.m. closure order. The streets of Rome were as quiet as they are during the capitals annual mid-August vacation shutdown. Its bad. People are terrorized, said Massimo Leonardo, who runs a market stall. Ive never seen anything like it. For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illnesses, including pneumonia. More than 116,000 people have been infected worldwide and over 4,000 have died. New York Announces Containment Zone New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that schools, houses of worship, and businesses in New Rochelle, a town just outside New York City, will be shut down for two weeks in an effort to stem the spread of the new coronavirus. One of the largest clusters of cases in the nation centers around the Westchester County locale. After a lawyer who lives in New Rochelle and works in the borough of Manhattan in New York City tested positive for COVID-19, the disease the virus causes, his family and a neighbor who drove him to a hospital tested positive. Officials have since located more than 100 cases in the immediate area, prompting them to implement what theyre calling a containment area. New Rochelle is a particular problem. It is what they call a cluster. The numbers have been going up. The numbers continue to go up. The numbers are going up unabated. And we do need a special public health strategy for New Rochelle. What we are going to do is focus on an area concentric circle around the site of the majority of the cases in New Rochelle, Cuomo told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday. Starting Thursday, all facilities in the area, which measures one mile in diameter, will be closed. Schools will get a thorough cleaning. A testing station will be set up by the state and a private healthcare system. Cruise Ship Passengers Sue Princess Cruises A Florida couple aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship where 21 people have tested positive for coronavirus have sued the ships operator for $1 million, claiming that the company acted negligently by failing to protect passengers from the virus. Ronald and Eva Weissberger, residents of Broward County, filed a lawsuit against Princess Cruise Lines on Monday, alleging that the companys lack of screening procedures for coronavirus, or COVID-19, and failing to adequately warn passengers about potential exposure to the virus, had exposed the couple to actual risk of immediate physical injury. The Grand Princess, carrying about 3,500 people, was anchored off the coast of San Francisco from March 4 after health authorities learned that some passengers had developed flu-like symptoms and that guests of an earlier cruise aboard the same ship had tested positive for coronavirus. At least 21 people19 crew members and two passengershave been diagnosed with the virus. The ship has begun disembarking passengers for transport to quarantine stations or hospitals after it arrived at Port of Oakland on Monday. Read more here. New Jersey Reports First Death New Jersey, which is next to New York state, announced its first death from the new virus on Tuesday. The male patient was in his 60s, Gov. Phil Murphy said. The man lived in Bergen County. The man had a history diabetes, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, GI (gastrointestinal) bleeding, and emphysema. No history of travel outside of the United States, state Commissioner of Health Judith Persichilli said at a press conference. The man had a history of traveling back and forth to New York, which has one of the highest case counts in the United States. More Countries Restrict Travel To and From Italy Additional countries announced travel restrictions as the coronavirus epidemic in Italy forced the entire country into quarantine. Malta and Spain announced a ban on air traffic from Italy. Malta turned away another cruise ship and British Airways canceled flights to the whole country. Austria barred travelers from crossing the border without a medical certificate. Britain, Ireland, Hong Kong and Germany strengthened travel advisories or flat-out urged their citizens to leave. Even the Vatican erected a new barricade at the edge of St. Peters Square. Italy now has more coronavirus cases than anywhere but China, registering 10,149 infections with 631 deaths. And officials say they expect many, many more. Get out of northern Italy if youre there. We dont know how long the Italian authorities will keep the window open, said Erik Broegger Rasmussen, head of counsular services for Denmarks foreign ministry. US Evacuee Describes Coronavirus Symptoms Coronavirus patient Carl Goldman, among the American evacuees who were on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, described what the virus is like in an interview from his hospital bed. Goldman, while speaking from a quarantined area in the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, told Fox News on Tuesday that he suffers from an underlying health problem and was taken to a special unit. I had a precondition called Guillain-Barre syndrome and I think thats why they put me in the biocontainment to make sure that I was stable and that the virus did not go into my lungs and chest, which seems to be the killer in this, Goldman told Fox, adding that the majority of people who contract COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, have fairly mild cases, just like I am. According to the Mayo Clinic, Guillain-Barre syndrome is a rare disorder where the bodys immune system attacks the nerves and can lead to partial or full paralysis. The website notes that most people who suffer from the disorder have to be hospitalized to get treatment. Read more here. South Korea Sees New Cluster of Infections In South Korea, the capital of Seoul has just recorded at least 60 new cases of the novel coronavirus in a major cluster outbreak outside of Daegu and the broader North Gyeongsang province. The infection cluster happened at a call center in the neighborhood of Sindorim in Seoul, local outlet Yonhap News Agency reported on March 10. The municipal government of Seoul stated that at least 64 people in connection with the call center were infected with the virus as of 1 p.m. local time on Tuesday. Among those, 40 employees of the call center and their family members live in Seoul. Additionally, 13 employees live in Incheon and 11 employees live in Gyeonggi province. The call center is located on the 11th floor of a high-rise building, which is 19 floors above the ground and 6 floors underground. There are 207 other employees of the call center waiting to be tested for the virus. Read more here. UK Revises Case Definition The United Kingdom revised its definition of cases meeting the criteria for testing for the new virus. Patients who meet the following criteria should be tested, regardless of epidemiological links, the government said, requiring admission to a hospital: having either clinical or radiological evidence of pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or influenza-like illness. Jake Dunning, an infectious diseases consultant and researcher, called the revision an important update. In essence, if the patient has an acute respiratory illness (more detail is provided in the guidance) that is bad enough to require admission to hospital, a travel-related exposure or contact with a confirmed case is no longer needed to implement required IPC & test for COVID-19, he said on Twitter. Austria Shuts Border With Italy In a dramatic move to keep the coronavirus from shifting north, Austrias chancellor says the country is barring travelers from Italy from entering. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Tuesday that exceptions will be made for those with medical notes and authorities will help repatriate Austrians from Italy. Malta has suspended all flights into and out of Italy. Austria, Britain, and Ireland have issued travel advisories for the whole country as Italys extraordinary anti-coronavirus lockdown looked set to isolate the country inside and out. Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela announced that until further notice, flights to and from Italy would be suspended and ships from Italy would only be allowed to dock if they were carrying cargo, food, or medicine. Abela said the cruise ship MSC Grandiosa, which was to dock in Malta on Tuesday would not be allowed in since it just came from Palermo in Italy. Austria issued a full travel warning for Italy to urgently recommend that Austrian travelers return home. Britain and Ireland advised against all nonessential travel. Germanys national disease control institute is describing all of Italy as a risk area. Boston, Ireland Cancel St. Patricks Day Parades Ireland and the U.S. city of Boston canceled St. Patricks Day parades over coronavirus fears. Irelands National Public Health Emergency Team made the recommendation to cancel the festival in Dublin. Other events linked to the holiday in Ireland were also canceled, including the parade and concert in Belfast City. The decisions being made out of an abundance of caution to ensure that we are doing what is needed to keep the residents of Boston safe and healthy, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said of the cancellation in Massachusetts. Walsh said people should take preventative measures including washing hands and staying home if theyre feeling sick. Nine Boston residents have tested positive for the new virus. Boeing Employee Tests Positive A Boeing employee at the companys jet plant in the U.S. state of Washington tested positive for the new coronavirus, the company said. The employee is in quarantine and receiving care. As a precaution, weve asked all coworkers of the employee who were in close contact to remain home to self-quarantine and self-monitor, and weve conducted a thorough cleaning of the work areas and common spaces, Boeing said in a statement. The company previously asked all employees in the Puget Sound region who are able to perform work remotely to work from home. Australia Opens First Drive-Through Virus Testing Station In an Australian first, a formal drive-through coronavirus testing station has been set up at an Adelaide hospital, a move aimed to ease pressure and risk for GPs. It is one of two formal clinics of its kind that exists globally, although a Melbourne doctor runs a solo operation with a similar structure in the car park outside his practice. The other clinic was first seen in South Korea. Read more here. Italys Patient No. 1 is Out of ICU Italian doctors celebrated one small victory in their battle against the coronavirus after a 38-year-old man was moved out of intensive care for the first time since he tested positive Feb. 21 and opened Italys health care crisis as Patient No. 1. The 38-year-old Unilever worker named Mattia was the first person to test positive in the north who hadnt been to China. At the San Matteo hospital in Pavia, there was a sigh of relief after Mattia began breathing on his own Monday with just a small amount of oxygen assistance, said Dr. Francesco Mojoli, head of intensive care. He was moved out of the ICU to a sub-ICU unit and was speaking with doctors. This disease has a long life, Mojoli told RAI state television. Now we hope that the fact that he was young and in good shape will help him get back to his normal life. Across the region, the viruss spread has grown exponentially, and the Lombardy government has been scrambling to increase its ICU capacity, converting operating and recovery rooms into isolated wards to treat the 440 critical virus patients currently in need. It has cobbled together 150 more beds in the last two weeks and expects another 150 in the coming week. On Monday, the government took broad new measures to restrict Italians movements nationwide and prevent social gatherings, realizing that limited restrictions werent containing the spread. For example, the region surrounding the capital RomeLaziosaw its cases jump from 87 to 102 in a day, a sign that the virus was propagating far from the northern concentrations. Also alarming was Italys high fatality rate: With 463 dead and 9,172 infected, Italys fatality rate is running at 5 percent nationwide and 6 percent in Lombardy, far higher than the 3-4 percent estimates elsewhere. Dr. Giovanni Rezza, head of infectious disease at the National Institutes of Health, attributed the high rate to the fact that Italy has the worlds oldest population after Japan, and the median age of its virus-related dead is 80. But there are young people who are infected too. Some have been in intensive care, like Patient No. 1. Singapore Charges Visitors for Virus Treatment Singapore has started charging visitors for coronavirus treatment, the city-state said as it reported new imported infections involving people who had traveled from neighboring Indonesia. Indonesia, the worlds fourth-most populous country, reported its first virus case earlier this month and officially has just 19 infections compared to 160 in Singapore. Disease experts have questioned how many cases could be going undiagnosed in Indonesia. Singapores new measures announced late Monday came into effect on March 7, when authorities said two symptomatic Indonesian travelers arrived in Singapore. Both had reported coronavirus symptoms in Indonesia before arriving in Singapore. One had previously sought treatment at a hospital in Indonesias capital Jakarta. Another case involved a Singaporean who had visited her sister in Indonesia who had pneumonia. The health ministry did not say whether its new stance on payment for treatment related to specific cases. In view of the rising number of COVID-19 infections globally, and the expected rise in the number of confirmed cases in Singapore, we will need to prioritize the resources at our public hospitals, the health ministry said in a statement. Foreigners who are short-term visit pass holders who seek treatment for COVID-19 in Singapore need to pay but testing for the virus remains free. Treatment of severe respiratory infections in Singapore public hospitals typically costs between S$6,000 to S$8,000 ($4,300-5,800), according to the Ministry of Healths website. Of 33 imported cases reported by Singapore to date, 24 involve travel to Chinawhere the virus first surfaced late last yearthree to Indonesia and the others to Italy, Britain, France, and Germany. Singapore has also determined that some of its local cases had travel history to Indonesia. Researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the United States said in a study last month Indonesias lack of confirmed cases at that time may suggest the potential for undetected cases, urging authorities there to strengthen outbreak surveillance and control. Meanwhile, The Epoch Times reported that Chinese authorities have been quarantining Chinese nationals returning from South Korea and charging them a fee, while visitors who are quarantined have not had to pay anything. Chinese Leader Xi Jinping Visits Wuhan Chinas state-run media Peoples Net reported on Tuesday that Chinese leader Xi Jinping has arrived at Wuhan by plane. Xi will inspect the virus prevention and management actions being taken in Wuhan as well as Hubei province. Read more here. South Korean with USFK Tests Positive A Korean national employed by the United States Forces Korea (USFK) has tested positive for COVID-19, marking the ninth USFK-related case of the virus in South Korea. The employee, who has been isolated at her residence off-base, was working at Camp Walker in Daegu. Koreas CDC and USFK health professionals are actively conducting contact tracing to determine whether anyone else may have been exposed, the force said in a statement. So far, only one U.S. service member has tested positive. Mongolia Confirms First Case in French Worker Mongolia said on Tuesday that a French national working in the country has been confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus that has spread throughout the globe, marking the countrys first case. The National Emergency Commission said in a statement the patient, a 57-year-old man, traveled to Mongolia from France and transited through Moscow. The government has identified 42 people the patient has met with and another 120 individuals who had close contact with the patient, who works for Badrakh Energy in southern Dornogovi province and is in stable condition. Mongolia has suspended all local travel in Dornogovi province, the commission said. The infection comes despite stringent border and travel controls imposed by Ulaanbaatar to keep out the virus, which emerged first in China and has now infected more than 100,000 people globally. Mongolia has halted border crossings from China, imposed travel bans on people from Japan and South Korea until March 11 and suspended schools through end-March. Mongolian President Battulga Khaltmaa and other government officials submitted to a 14-day quarantine in late February after returning home from their visit to China as a precautionary measure. Oil Prices Jump 6 Percent After Biggest One-Day Fall Since 1991 Oil prices jumped more than 6 percent on Tuesday, clawing back some ground on hopes that a price war will not be sustained by top producers Saudi Arabia and Russia that sparked the biggest daily rout since the 1991 Gulf War. U.S. shale producers also moved to deepen spending cuts, which could reduce future production after OPECs decision to pump full bore into a global market hit by shrinking demand due to the coronavirus outbreak. Brent crude futures rose $2.31, or 6.7 percent, to $36.67 a barrel by 0115 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained $1.79, or 5.8 percent, to $32.92 a barrel following declines of nearly 25 percent on Monday. Both benchmarks dropped to their lowest since February 2016 in the previous session and recorded their biggest one-day percentage declines since Jan. 17, 1991, when oil prices fell at the outset of the U.S. Gulf War. Panama Confirms First Case Panama has confirmed its first coronavirus case. The patient is a Panamanian woman who had returned Sunday from Madrid. Panamas Health Minister Rosario Turner said Monday the 40-year-old womans positive test was confirmed at the Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas. The woman is isolated at home and will receive daily visits from health workers. Barcelona to Host Napoli in Empty Stadium Barcelonas Champions League match against Napoli will be played in an empty stadium because of the coronavirus outbreak, the club said Tuesday. The Spanish club said no fans will be allowed in to watch the match at Camp Nou on March 18. The teams drew 1-1 in the first leg in Italy. Tuesdays Champions League game between Valencia and Atalanta in Spain will also be played in an empty stadium. Two Europa League matches in the country also have been affectedSevilla vs. Roma on Thursday and Getafe vs. Inter Milan on March 19. Frank Fang, Melanie Sun, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report. For updates from March 9, click here. From The Epoch Times By Online Desk BHOPAL: Holi 2020 has seen a high-voltage political drama unfold in the national capital on Tuesday after Jyotiraditya Scindia tendered his resignation from the Congress after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Following Scindia, 22 Madhya Pradesh MLAs have quit the party and the BJP claims more MLAs are likely to follow suit. Major Updates in the Madhya Pradesh political crisis Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia tenders resignation from Congress after meeting with PM and Home Minister. Reports indicate the Scindia scion will join BJP at 6 pm today and is likely to get a Rajya Sabha berth and a Central ministry. 19 MLAs of Scindia camp including six ministers send their resignations from Bengaluru CM Kamal Nath writes to state Governor Tandon seeking immediate removal of these six ministers. Digvijaya Singh loyalist MLA Bisahu Lal Singh also quits. In total, 20 MLAs have quit the Congress. Two of the seven allied party MLAs supporting Kamal Nath meet with ex-CM Shivraj Chouhan. Another Scindia loyalist Congress MLA of Hatpipliya, Manoj Chaudhary resigns. Total number of resignations now stands at 22. BJP delegation meets Assembly Speaker NP Prajapati with original resignation copies of 19 Congress MLAs. BJP leader Bhupendra Singh claims the number of resignations might rise to 30 on Wednesday. Assembly Speaker says he would decide on the resignations as per established law. ALSO READ | MP political crisis: CM Kamal Nath writes to Governor for removal of six ministers from cabinet "Having been a primary member of the Congress party for the last 18 years. It's time for me to move on," Scindia wrote in his resignation letter addressed to Congress president Sonia Gandhi. "I believe it's best I now look ahead at a fresh start. I believe I'm unable to serve people of my state, country anymore within the Congress," the letter further stated. The former Guna MP also thanked Gandhi and his other former Congress colleagues for "providing him with a platform to have served the nation". Jyotiraditya Scindia's resignation letter addressed to interim president of Congress Sonia Gandhi. Sonia immediately expelled him from the Congress for anti-party activities, as the crisis looming over the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh deepened. "Congress president Sonia Gandhi approves expulsion of Jyotiraditya Scindia with immediate effect for anti-party activities," said senior party leader KC Venugopal. ALSO READ | Here's the full list of Congress MLAs who deserted Kamal Nath The buzz in political circles is that after joining the BJP, Scindia will go to Bhopal on Wednesday and file his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha election as a candidate of the saffron party. The last date for filing nomination papers is March 13. I am proud of my father for taking a stand for himself. It takes courage to to resign from a legacy. History can speak for itself when I say my family has never been power hungry. As promised we will make an impactful change in India and Madhya Pradesh wherever our future lies. M. Scindia (@AScindia) March 10, 2020 As per sources and reports, Scindia's supporters have started quitting the state unit in various districts of Gwalior-Chambal, Sagar, Ujjain, Indore and Mandsaur. Among the ones who quit the Congress is the state unit spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi. "We have received resignations of 14 MLAs through two e-mails with attachments," a Raj Bhavan official told PTI. In addition to the 19 MLAs of the Scindia camp, Digvijaya Singh loyalist MLA and ex-minister Bisahu Lal Singh has also resigned, taking the total number of Congres MLAs who've resigned from Vidhan Sabha to 20. Singh has joined the BJP. Two of the seven allied MLAs supporting Kamal Nath government, BSP's Sanjiv Kushwah and SP's Rajesh Shukla, are at ex-CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan's residence in Bhopal. Chouhan has claimed that another Digvijaya Singh loyalist and ex-Minister Aidal Singh Kansana too will join BJP. Around 26 out of the total 114 Cong MLAs could be with Scindia now, sources said. On Tuesday morning, Scindia met PM Modi at his residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. Union Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah was also present in the meeting, sources said. There was no official word on what transpired, but BJP sources asserted that the decision of the party's top two leaders to hold long deliberations with Scindia, scion of the erstwhile Gwalior royal family with considerable influence in the region, underlined the importance they attach to him. Scindia's meeting with the Prime Minister is seen in political circles as the final act in the ongoing political saga in Madhya Pradesh. The development also came hours before the BJP central election committee meeting in the evening to finalize candidates for the biennial Rajya Sabha elections. Chouhan, meanwhile, is back in Bhopal, and the BJP now with Scindia's support will seek to oust the incumbent Chief Minister Kamal Nath from power. The party is learnt to have finalised an induction package for Scindia in the BJP, which may include his Rajya Sabha nomination and even a place in the Union Cabinet. If the Assembly Speaker accepts the MLAs' resignations, the Kamal Nath government will become a minority in the House. While Sonia Gandhi called for an emergency meeting in the national capital, CM Kamal Nath is in a huddle with senior state leaders in Bhopal. "BJP is worried as the scams of their 15-year-old rule are being unearthed. Also, Kamal Nath government's crackdown against organised mafia is worrying BJP," said senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, while attacking the saffron party. "All their (BJP) deeds will be exposed. BJP leaders involved in honey trap racket case will also be exposed," he further said. Singh further asked why were two BJP leaders, including MLA Arvind Bhadauria and organisation leader Ashutosh Tiwari, boarding the same chartered flight on which four Congress MLAs were taken to Bengaluru from Delhi on March 4. "I've information about not one but three chartered planes having been arranged by BJP leaders for sending our MLAs to Bengaluru on Monday. Why all MLAs are being taken to Bengaluru only and being kept in the security provided by BJP government in Bengaluru," he said. ALSO READ | BJP to focus on fresh faces for Rajya Sabha elections, looking to cash on Congress' infighting Senior BJP MLA Narottam Mishra said on Tuesday morning, "Scindiaji is a big leader, he will be welcomed, if he decides to come with us," said Mishra. Mishra and ex-CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan reached Bhopal from Delhi early on Tuesday. They will attend the all-important BJP legislature party meeting in the evening, where the BJP will ensure to keep its flock of 107 MLAs intact. ALSO READ | Madhya Pradesh crisis: Cabinet ministers resign as Scindia loyalists skip Congress meet in Bhopal While the Congress, which was voted to power in the state after 15 years in 2018, has 114 MLAs, the BJP has 107 legislators in the 230-member assembly. (With Inputs from ENS and Agencies) - Momo Bertrand was rejected 500 times in his quest to work for the United Nations (UN) - Bertrand was finally been offered a job by an agency of the UN - The young man said he did not listen to his classmates who made discouraging comments when he told them about applying for jobs at the UN A man identified as Momo Bertrand said he has finally been hired by the United Nations (UN) after being rejected 500 times. Bertrand took to LinkedIn to make the disclosure, saying he started applying for jobs at the UN after completing his master's degree programme. READ ALSO: Gengetone artistes to share stage in mega concert in bid to change Kenyans' perception Momo Bertrand applied for the job 500 times with no successPhoto credit: Momo Betrand Source: UGC READ ALSO: Zari Hassan flaunts pricey rides with customised plates bearing late hubby Ivan, her names TUKO.co.ke has gathered that Bertrand told his classmate about applying for UN jobs, but he was laughed at and advised to apply to be a kindergarten teacher. Bertrand, who was born in Douala, Cameroon, said he did not listen to his classmates who made discouraging comments after telling them of his desire to work with the UN. ''I told a classmate and he laughed at me, Momo, the UN wont hire you because you know no one there. Instead, apply to be a kindergarten teacher here in San Diego. he said. READ ALSO: Pay attention, even salt looks like sugar: Tanasha warns ladies salivating for Diamond READ ALSO: Mkutano wa BBI Nakuru wahairishwa kufuatia mgawanyiko baina ya wafuasi wa DP Ruto na Raila "I didnt listen. After 500 failed job applications, I was hired as a Digital Media Officer at ITCILO.org, a United Nations agency." he added. His post encouraged many people who lauded him for his resilience. Others even said they were encouraged to push and follow their dreams despite obstacles that may come before them. 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. Maid from hell : 'A crime of passion' | Tuko TV | Tuko Investigates Source: TUKO.co.ke Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle 2019 Five pillars of San Franciscos gig economy Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart and Postmates say they will offer financial support, ranging from covering lost wages to paying for doctors visits for independent contractor drivers and couriers who are directly affected by the coronavirus, and issued various health and safety guidelines. The five companies are the same ones mounting a $110 million ballot campaign to be exempted from AB5, Californias new gig-work law, which could turn their freelance workers into employees. (Photo : Screenshot from Twitter of @theofficenbc) Aha! Finally, a work that requires a very special breed of human, binge-watching heroes. A company called Dish is willing to pay 1000 US dollars for a lucky someone to binge-watch the entire The Office series that lasts about 15-hours. Pretty easy as challenges go really. Apply here now! Read More: Apple Is NOT Having A Good Time With So Many Delays In Their Production; New Gimmick to Convince People to Switch to Apple But May Lead To Exposing People With Coronavirus; And More! Why Do This In The First Place, Dish? Dish Network is celebrating the 15-years of The Office this March 24. Given that The Office is the number one most-watched show on Netflix, it is pretty easy to fill the role of someone who would be lucky enough to be chosen to binge and get paid, to be honest. What Is The Time Frame For The Challenge? The lowdown: the person who gets the opportunity for this very prestigious role should be able to finish the whole 15-hours of the series. They will give you about nine days to complete the task. So for roughly 45 episodes and by doing the math for you: it will take 5 episodes per day if you wanna squeeze out the whole duration. Goodluck really to the person who can do JUST five episodes, though. Read More: Guide to Unlock the Evolution of Your Pokemon! Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX Are You Getting Just $1000 Or... Yes, there are more prizes at stake! You will receive a "Winner's Kit" with some cool The Office freebies like "World Best Boss" mug, Jell-O, and a stapler. You read that right. Freebies on top of a thousand buckaroos? I don't see why not! You will also receive a Netflix gift card to boot! Sweet nectar of the gods! How To Improve Your Chances Listen, it is completely fine to want to join this prestigious line of work and no judgment whatsoever. Support is on the way, and here are some top tips for you to get in and make it so you are the lucky one who would reap all the rewards by doing something you don't need to stress about! Add a video submission to your post to boost the possibility of getting the gig. Be as fan-boy or fan-girl about the series as to show the people in charge that you, my friend, are as serious as a tiger ready to pounce on its first meal of the day. Just don't be pretentious, though, since they will spot that in a second. Important Things To Note If you are interested in applying for the job, don't forget to submit your application before Monday, March 16, at 5 PM MST. Which will give you enough time to produce that video submission of your to land that job(highly recommend you do this, not joking because they wouldn't put it in their application form if they were). So if you want to relive the moments that you love and hate in The Office but still get paid for your time. Say no more, and apply! You've been watching it anyway for sure. Read More: Science Versus Virus: Google Fights Coronavirus with DeepMind's Artificial Intelligence 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The world of web series has seen many stories that were inspired by either real-life events or from famous books. From The Handmaids Tale to Big Little Lies, Hollywood has pretty much conquered the genre but now even Indian platforms are getting into the trend. MX Players Marathi web series Samantar is one such show that is bringing a famous book to life. An adaptation of the book Samantar written by Suhas Shirvalkar, this intriguing and gripping story revolves around the protagonist Kumar played by veteran actor Swwapnil Joshi. The show is directed by Satish Rajwade and also stars Tejaswini Pandit in the lead as Kumar's wife. Samantar traces the journey of Kumar Mahajan, whose life changes after an unplanned visit to an astrologer when he hears that a man called Sudarshan Chakrapanis past will be his future. The astrologer tells the protagonist that the life he is living is the life that Chakrapani has already lived. Now, whether Kumar is able to control his present or change his future after meeting Chakrapani is the story of Samantar. It takes us through a rollercoaster ride with uncertainty at every point. Swwapnil Joshis character is driven to change his present and future as he and his family struggle to make ends meet. The trailer was launched today and it showed us a glimpse of a show that is not just intriguing but leaves you on a cliffhanger as well. The trailer ends with Sudarshan Chakrapani showing up at Kumars door. What happens after that and before that can only be found out when we watch the show. With an aim to cater to a wider audience set across India, the platform will be dubbing the Marathi web series in 3 other languages - Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. All languages will be going live simultaneously on Friday, the 13th of March exclusively on MX Player. At a time when people are advised to take all precautionary measures to keep coronavirus infection at bay, a priest of a temple here has put face masks on deities and appealed the devotees to not touch the idols. "Coronavirus has spread across the country. We have put a mask on Lord Vishwanath to raise awareness about coronavirus. Just like we put clothes on the idols when it is cold and put ACs or fans when it's hot, we have put masks on the deities," temple priest Krishna Anand Pandey said on Monday. The priest also urged people "not to touch the idols to prevent the spread of coronavirus". "We are urging the people not to touch the idols to prevent the spread of the virus. If people touch the idol, the virus will spread and more people will get infected," he added. The priest and devotees at the temple were seen offering prayers wearing face masks. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Land Administration Specialist, Georgetown, Guyana Organization: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Country: Guyana City: Georgetown, Guyana Office: FAO Representation in Guyana Closing date: Tuesday, 17 March 2020 CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST - VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT : 2000643 Land Administration Specialist Job Posting: 03/Mar/2020 Closure Date: 17/Mar/2020, 10:59:00 PM Organizational Unit : FLGUY Job Type: Non-staff opportunities Type of Requisition : Consultant / PSA (Personal Services Agreement) Grade Level : N/A Primary Location: Guyana-Georgetown Duration : 150 working days Post Number : N/A IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender and nationality People with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization Organizational Setting The Guyana Land and Survey Commission (GLSC) and FAO are implementing the project Mainstreaming Sustainable Land Development and Management In the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. The project aims at establishing an enabling environment for promoting sustainable and climate-resilient land development, management and reclamation in support of Guyana s Green State Development Strategy through activities working at (i) streamlining policy, regulation and governance; (ii) developing institutional and human capacities; and (iii) strengthening local governance in the 3 regions where project is implemented. Implemented at three levels - national, regional and local- the Sustainable Land Development and Management (SLDM) is designed to create an enabling legal and policy framework informed by policy feedback loops nurtured with ground reality and inclusive participation Reporting Lines The Land Administration specialist will work under the direct supervision of the FAO Representative in Guyana and the SLDM project Chief Technical Advisor. He/ She will work in collaboration with the Commissioner of GLSC and other team members, and under the overall technical guidance of the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) and the concerned task force members. Technical Focus He / She will also work closely with the Land Resources Planning and Management specialist, Land tenure and governance specialist, Land Policy specialist, Legal specialist, GIS /Web Mapping/remote sensing specialist, Cadastral surveyormapping specialist, ICT/Network specialist (Data ManagementaAASystems), Institutional reform/financeaAAbusiness planning specialist, Land Valuation specialist, Soil and Water Resources/Land rehabilitation/reclamation specialist, Gender/Social development specialist, Monitoring and Evaluation specialist, National Land and Legal Consultant as well as the PMU staff and GLSC Divisions. Tasks and responsibilities He / She will be based in the PMU office in GLSC premises during his/her work in the SLDM project in Guyana and will be supported by the FAO country office as required. He/ She will undertake the following tasks: Support the development of Capacity needs assessment review on the legal and regulatory dimension, land tenure including land administration system and access/user rights, spatial data management. Work in collaboration with the GLSC and stakeholders to design and establish an adequate and robust capacity to capture information and manage, update and digitise data registers on land allocation (leases, deeds, titles, grants, etc.), land revenue, land valuation lists, and others as appropriate, and in parallel, cadastral mapping in the targeted Regions. Carry out critical technical review of the relevant baseline studies, regulations, guidelines and business processes on land administration in Guyana. Undertake field visits to target regions to explore current use of public land practices in order to advise on land administration reform issues related to land ownership and user rights and obligations, monitoring and enforcement regimes. Review the land administration standard operating procedures (SOP), including the SOP and quality control for a land parcel information system with work processes and procedures and revise with updated workflows and conduct training of same. Support pilot demonstration projects in unregulated areas. Analyse the lease management system and provide recommendations for upgrading. Review the file tracking system for land administration data and provide recommendations for improvement. In close collaboration with the Land Valuation specialist, the Land Tenure and Governance specialist and the Land Resources Planning and Management specialist, execute an integrated study containing: (i) land disputes, litigation and conflicts, (ii) land markets dynamics, (iii) drivers of land degradation, (iv) identification of sustainable land management incentives; and (v) identify partners and (vi) prepare terms of reference for alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. Collaborate in the identification by a local multi-stakeholders platform (to be established by the SLDM project) of the: (i) land markets dynamics and (ii) land disputes, litigation and conflict dynamics, as well as (iii) current, traditional and most efficient resolution mechanisms, in close co-operation with the Land Tenure and Governance specialist and the Land Resources Planning and Management specialist. The methodology to be used for this study should be shared and amended by relevant Task Force Members. Produce lessons learnt, priorities and recommendations note on the findings for external distribution. Draft and supervise the implementation of possible follow up letters of agreement with eligible external partners for the conducting of study/ training/ other activities under his/ her areas of expertise as required. Support the implementation of the capacity development plan to be prepared by the Business development strategy experts, by providing content under his / her area of specialisation for activities at national, regional and local levels. Tags alternative dispute resolution business development capacity development continuous improvement data management dispute resolution knowledge sharing land administration land degradation land management land market land tenure litigation local governance monitoring and evaluation needs assessment participatory quality control spatial data sustainable land management transparency water resources Produce technical reports / notes / peer reviews under his/ her areas of expertise as required. CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING Minimum Requirements Advanced university degree in (for Consultants) / University degree (only for PSA Advanced university degree in a discipline relevant to land administration, land management, Agronomy, Geography. At least 5 years of relevant experience in land administration. Working knowledge of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other two or Arabic, Chinese, Russian FAO Core Competencies Results Focus Teamwork Communication Building Effective Relationships Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement Selection Criteria Extent and relevance of experience in land administration and crosscutting issues affecting sustainable land management with particular emphasis on developing countries and knowledge of the Caribbean context and particularly of Guyana. Extent and relevance of experience of technical assistance provision to field projects on land administration, including negotiated participatory approaches. Extent and relevance of experience in the use of appropriate technologies and data management in fit-for-purpose land administration and sustainable land management. Extent and relevance in navigating and facilitating politically sensitive and potentially controversial issues related to land administration. Proven ability to redact clear and concise technical reports and policy notes. Extent and relevance of designing and implementing multi-level participatory approaches and to provide assistance in the organization of opinion surveys, focus group discussions, workshops, consultations, awareness, technical meetings and learning events. Proven ability to work in multidisciplinary teams and including multiple partners. Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing) Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications Candidates should upload language certificate/s when submitting their application. For more information, visit the FAO employment website HOW TO APPLY To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Only applications received through the recruitment portal will be considered. We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline If you need help please contact: Careers@fao.org Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton attended Commonwealth Day 2020 at London's Westminster Abbey alongside Prince William, Prince Harry, Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, and fellow royals. The Duchess of Cambridge wore a head-to-toe tonal red look in warming shades of scarlet, rich ruby, deep burgundy, and subtle purple details. Catherine's tonal outfit gave an interesting take on contrasting textures by pairing the velvet details of her Catherine Walker coat to her burgundy suede pointed-toe heels. She paired her coat and suede shoes with a ruby-colored hat that featured three scarlet roses and burgundy-colored velvet leaves. Catherine finished her head-to-toe red look with burgundy velvet gloves and ruby drop earrings. The rose is an extremely significant fashion choice. It's the national flower of England and is formally referred to as the Tudor Rose, which signifies peace and a long reign. Catherine's choice of wearing red roses on her fascinator suggests good fortune for her and her family as the future faces of the United Kingdom. Ahead, see every angle of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge's head-to-toe red look. Related: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Show Solidarity in Matching Spring-Green Outfits Actor Aamir Khan has wished his fans and followers Holi Mubarak. Aamir took to social media on Tuesday to share pictures of wife Kiran Rao and their son, Azad, as they celebrated the festival of colours. He captioned the post, Holi Mubarak guys, and added his signature sendoff, Love, A. In the pictures, both Kiran and Azad can be seen wearing Holi clothes, and are coated in colours. Azad is even pointing a pichkari towards the camera in the first picture, and beaming with joy in the second image. Aamirs fans took to the comments section to wish him and his family the very best. Happy Holi! wrote one person. Love you from Israel wrote another. Aamir is currently filming Laal Singh Chaddha, his follow-up to the critical and commercial flop, Thugs of Hindostan. Laal Singh Chaddha is the official remake of Hollywood classic Forrest Gump, starring Tom Hanks. Speaking about how he, at the age of 50, could replicate running scenes filmed when Hanks was 30, Aamir told Hindustan Times, Not really. [In Forrest Gump] if you see each running shot, its not more than 30 seconds. Woh cut karke sequence mein lagta hai ki woh char saal bhaga (Its edited to seem like he ran for four years). So, thats not a worry. The challenge is actually getting the sur of the character right. Aamir reportedly lost 20 kilos to play the younger version of his role in the film. Directed by Advait Chandan of Secret Superstar fame, and written by Atul Kulkarni, Laal Singh Chaddha will release on Christmas 2020. The film also stars Kareena Kapoor Khan. Aamir is co-producing the Hindi adaptation along with Viacom18 Studios. Follow @htshowbiz for more Da Nang Party chief Truong Quang Nghia is under home quarantine after being on the same flight as two British nationals who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), despite his own test results coming out negative. Nghia boarded a flight operated by national carrier Vietnam Airlines that departed from Hanoi at 9:00 am on March 2 and landed in Da Nang at 10:20 am the same morning. On the same plane were two British nationals who were confirmed as being infected with COVID-19 on Sunday afternoon. The Britons had earlier been on flight VN0054 from London to Hanoi with Vietnams patient No. 17, a 26-year-old Vietnamese woman who had attended crowded fashion events in Milan and Paris prior to returning home. About a dozen new COVID-19 infections in Vietnam since March 6 have been traced back to patient No. 17. The British nationals have been placed in quarantine while everyone who has been in close contact with them since their arrival in Vietnam is also isolated and sampled, including the Da Nang Party chief. Nghias test results have come out negative for the novel coronavirus, the municipal Center for Disease Control (CDC) said on Monday. Nevertheless, he is required to be quarantined at home for 14 days -- the confirmed incubation period of the virus -- from the date of close contact with the Britons as per regulations. The Da Nang leader currently displays no symptoms of illness and is in stable health. On March 6, Nghia chaired a working session with Party officials in Da Nangs Thanh Khe District. The meeting was attended by many key Da Nang leaders. The Ministry of Health on Monday afternoon also confirmed that all members of a delegation of Ministry of Planning and Investment officials who were on the same flight as patient No. 17, with the exception of one man who is Vietnams patient No. 21, have tested negative for COVID-19. All of the officials are now under quarantine with stable health and no symptoms of illness. It was reported on Saturday that Planning and Investment Minister Nguyen Chi Dung was among the officials on that flight and were seated four rows from patient No. 17 in the same business class. Three tests had been conducted on his samples as of Sunday, all returning negative, according to the Ministry of Health. Vietnamese Planning and Investment Minister Nguyen Chi Dung. Photo: Tuoi Tre Vietnam has so far confirmed 32 infections, including 19 Vietnamese, two Chinese nationals, one Vietnamese American, eight British citizens, one Mexican, and one Irish national. Sixteen of the patients had recovered and been discharged from the hospital by February 26. Patient No. 17, N.H.N., was confirmed on March 6 after Vietnam had reported no new infection since February 13. She had traveled to London, Milan, and Paris before returning to Hanoi. Her older sister, who lives in the UK and attended fashion events in Milan and Paris with N., tested positive for the virus before she did. A number of Vietnamese celebrities who may have had contact with the two at the events are now in quarantine. Over 100 people in Vietnam have been placed in quarantine for interacting with N. or with those who had close contact with her. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The deposed Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi ll, was banished to Loko Local Government Area of Nasarawa State in line with tradition and for peace to reign in Kano. The managing director of Kano Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA), Bappa Danagundi, said this to PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday morning. Mr Danagundi is the state government representative who accompanied the police to evict Mr Sanusi from the emirs palace on Monday and moved him to Nasarawa State. His presence at the palace on Monday drew a protest from some members of the royal family loyal to the deposed monarch. According to Mr Danagundi, Mr Sanusis uncle and chief of staff, Munir Sanusi, and one domestic staff are staying with him on exile, while his family members have been taken to Lagos. As you know in our culture, whenever an emir was deposed, he is banished to another town. I look at it as a tradition or security reason. He is staying with his chief of staff, Munir Sanusi (Dan Buran of Kano) and a domestic staff, while his family moved to Lagos while we were leaving Kano (Airport on Monday). We are just leaving the town (loko), Mr Danagundi said. Mr Sanusis grand father, Muhammad Sanusi l, was also deposed in 1963 and banished to Azare town, now in Bauchi State. He was accused of misappropriation of Kano Native Authoritys funds. But former governor of Kano State, Late Abubakar Rimi, brought him back to Wudil town where he died in the early 1990s. However, a legal practitioner, Abubakar Yekini, has condemned the state governments decision of banishing Mr Sanusi, describing it as unconstitutional. He cited the case between Kebbi State government and the deposed Emir of Gwandu, Mustapha Jokolo, in which the court ruled against the government. The court ruled that the Governor of Kebbi State has no right to act outside the clear and unambiguous provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (applicable to this case). Section 35 (1) of the said Constitution provides that every citizen of Nigeria is entitled to his personal liberty and no person shall be deprived of such liberty except in the circumstances set out in subsections (a) to (f) thereof. Section 40 of the same Constitution provides that every person is entitled to assemble freely and associate with other persons. On the issue at hand, Section 41(1) of the Constitution is germane and it provides thus: 41 (1) Every citizen of Nigeria is entitled to move freely throughout Nigeria and to reside in any part thereof, and no citizen of Nigeria shall be expelled from Nigeria or refused entry thereto or exit therefrom. Mr Yekini said the court declared that The banishment and deportation from Kebbi State by the Governor of Kebbi State, on or about the 3rd of June, 2005 of the 1st respondent (Emir of Gwandu) to Lafia in Nasarawa State and later to Obi, also in Nasarawa State, is most unconstitutional, and illegal. By the said banishment and deportation, the 1st respondent has been, unduly and wrongfully denied his constitutional rights to respect for the dignity of his person; to assemble freely and associate other persons including the people of Gwandu Emirate of Kebbi State; and to move freely throughout Nigeria and to reside in any part thereof as respectively provided in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999. Per ADUMEIN, J.C.A. (Pp. 72-73, paras. E-D). WILTON The first Connecticut resident who tested positive for the coronavirus is in a coma at Danbury Hospital, while his wife and twin infant sons are quarantined at home. The man, who has only been identified by state officials as being in his 40s, began showing symptoms shortly after he returned from a work conference in California on Feb. 28, his wife said in an interview Tuesday with Hearst Connecticut Media, which has agreed to withhold the familys name. Over (that) weekend, he was really tired, she said. The woman said her husband had a fever by March 2. At first, we thought he had the flu, she said. But her husband tested negative for that illness, and eventually tested positive for COVID-19. SIGN UP: Get the latest Connecticut coronavirus news delivered directly to your inbox The man developed pneumonia and is now at Danbury Hospital in a medically induced coma, his wife said. Were just waiting to see how his body fights this illness, she said. In the meantime, the woman and her sons have been quarantined in their home for two weeks. The woman said she and the babies havent shown any signs of the illness. Her husband, she said, was so ill when he returned from the conference that he came into contact with few people. She said state authorities retraced his steps and said they could count on one hand how many people interacted with him. READ MORE: Emergency declaration gives Lamont broad powers Danbury Hospital spokeswoman Amy Forni has withheld the patients condition, citing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The patients wife said in a Facebook post earlier this week that her husbands prognosis is guarded. Keep him in your prayers, she wrote in the post. Obviously, both he and I are not accepting visitors and he obviously will not be responding for at least a week while his body rests and heals. The man is one of two people in Connecticut so far to test positive for COVID-19. On Tuesday, Gov. Ned Lamont said the second patient is a female in her 60s who is a health care worker at Bridgeport Hospital and a resident of Bethlehem. She recently returned from a trip to Nevada, where it is believed she contracted COVID-19. She is being treated at Bridgeport Hospital. Bridgeport Hospital spokesman John Cappiello said Tuesday the patients condition was good, but could give no other details. Health experts have said that COVID-19 is particularly dangerous to the elderly and those with certain medical conditions. The Wilton patient has been described as between 40 and 50 years old. His wife said he had an enlarged heart, which did make him more vulnerable to pneumonia. Otherwise, she said, he was in good health. The woman said she implores people to take precautions to protect themselves and those they come into contact with from the illness. I know some people are saying this is hysteria, but I think its really important for people to take this seriously, she said. My husband got really sick, really fast. Former model Alison Brahe and her husband Cameron Daddo are regarded as one of Australia's golden couples after 28-years of marriage. And on Saturday, Alison, 50, shared a sweet birthday tribute to her actor beau as he celebrated turning 55. Calling Cameron her 'silver fox', she shared a photograph of the long-running television presenter smiling ear-to-ear to mark the occasion. Scroll down for video Happy in love: Model Alison Brahe shared a sweet tribute to her 'silver fox husband' Cameron Daddo (pictured) as he celebrated his 55th birthday on Saturday 'Happy Birthday Sweetheart. May today and everyday bring you so much joy. Love you,' she wrote alongside the post. She cheekily concluded the post by saying: 'And yes... you are the definition of "Silver fox".' In the Instagram gallery, his doting wife also shared a family portrait of Cameron with their three children: daughters Bodhi, 14, and Lotus, 23, and son River, 20. He appeared to have just opened a selection of birthday gifts, including swimming goggles, a book and clothing. Family man: Cameron was pictured opening his presents with their three children - daughters Bodhi, 14, and Lotus, 23, and son River, 20 Alison and Cameron recently revealed the surprising secret behind their 28-year marriage. Appearing on Channel Seven's The Morning Show in January, the couple said that having separate bathrooms had helped their marriage immensely over the years. 'We've had a couple of houses with separate bathrooms and it worked really well!' Cameron told hosts Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies. It takes work! Australia's 'Golden couple' recently revealed that sharing separate bathrooms was one of the surprising secrets behind their 28-year marriage (Pictured on The Morning Show in January) 'But the home we're in now doesn't have one and we're like, "Damn, we need separate bathrooms!"' he added. Earlier in the interview, Alison said that going to therapy had been the best thing for their relationship, after Cameron had cheated on her in the '90s. '[The infidelity] happened very early in our marriage, we were both very young,' she said of her husband's betrayal. Battle: Alison said the couple had to go through a 'hell of a lot of work' before they could finally reach a happy place. Pictured on their wedding day in 1991 Alison admitted that their marriage was hardly 'couple goals', but they worked on it and are better off today. 'You don't get to 28 years of marriage without a hell of a lot of work and struggles and a fair chunk of pain and tears,' she said. The couple, who wed in 1991, opened up about their past troubles during an interview on Studio 10 last year. Georgia has confirmed eight new cases of coronavirus infection bringing the total number in the country to 23, the information has been published on the governments webpage stopcov.ge, Trend reports citing Georgian Journal. Reportedly, there are 126 people under quarantine and 46 - under surveillance in hospitals. Due to spread of the virus, the President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, in coordination with other branches of government, canceled her planned visits to Bulgaria, Ukraine and Belgium, the Administration of the President of Georgia said in a statement issued on Tuesday. "Before making it public, our partners had been informed about this decision of the President," it said. New York: Wall Street endured another day of dizzying trading on Tuesday, whipping up and down with hopes that the US and other governments will cushion the economy from the pain of the coronavirus. The S&P 500 surged as much as 3.7 per cent in the morning and recouped nearly half its historic drop from the prior day, but all of those gains evaporated by midday. The index then bounced up and down before turning decisively higher after President Donald Trump pitched his ideas for a break on payroll taxes and other economic relief to Senate Republicans. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1,167.14 points, or 4.9 per cent, to 25,018.16, the S&P 500 gained 135.67 points, or 4.9 per cent, to 2,882.23 and the Nasdaq Composite added 393.58 points, or 5 per cent, to 8,344.25. Wall Street surged higher in another wild session. Credit:AP The Australian sharemarket is poised for a bright open, with futures at 7.30am AEDT pointing to a gain of 34 points, or 0.6 per cent at the open. On Tuesday, the ASX soared more than 3 per cent. Social media giant Twitter will appoint three new directors to its board and create a committee to review its leadership and governance, as part of an agreement with activist investor Elliott Management and private equity firm Silver Lake. The pact leaves CEO Jack Dorsey in place. Silver Lake will also make a $1bn (875m) investment in the company, which Twitter plans to use to fund part of its first-ever share buyback, set at $2bn. Elliott's head of US activism, Jesse Cohn, will join Twitter's board immediately, alongside Egon Durban, co-CEO of Silver Lake, the firms said in a joint statement. A third independent director will be appointed at a later date. The board will also form a committee, including Mr Cohn and Mr Durban, that will evaluate a succession plan with Mr Dorsey, and make recommendations on the company's corporate governance, including the potential elimination of its staggered board. The committee plans to share the results of its review by year-end. Amid a broad market rout, Twitter fell as much as 8.5pc on the news, its biggest intraday loss since October, giving the company a market value of about $25.6bn. The settlement comes a little over a week after Bloomberg News first reported that Elliott took a sizeable stake in Twitter to push for changes, including potentially replacing Mr Dorsey. The New York-based firm nominated four directors to Twitter's board, people familiar with the matter said at the time. Elliott took issue with Mr Dorsey dividing his time between running Twitter and his role as CEO of Square Inc, a payments company, the people said. Mr Dorsey had also said he planned to spend up to six months of the year working in Africa - a plan he now says he will re-evaluate. "As a board, we regularly review and evaluate how Twitter is run, and while our CEO structure is unique, so is Jack and so is this company," said Patrick Pichette, lead independent director of San Francisco-based Twitter. A lot of Twitter employees think Mr Dorsey is doing a good job and his departure as CEO would be disruptive, according to Kevin Rippey, an analyst with Evercore ISI. "The issues with Twitter aren't related to management, they're largely grounded in challenges around technical infrastructure," Mr Rippey said in an interview. Silver Lake's investment will be made through Twitter's 0.375pc convertible bonds due 2025. Bloomberg Working from home creates new security concerns "Working from home, your biggest vulnerability is likely your email" During SARS, in 2003, I was working in Hong Kong and we were sent home with our enormous desktop computers. We were completely unprepared to be working from home for months, says Rachel Plecas of MailRoute Email Security Solutions, leaders in email security and continuity. Businesses and the bad actors who threaten them with spam and viruses are far more sophisticated in 2020. All companies must be proactive and mitigate risk to business disruption right now, and your biggest vulnerability is probably your email. Security, speed, backup and streamlined workflow must all be considered. Securing a home network to your office-networks I.T. standards is hard when working via your residential ISP. More companies are choosing to send workers home during the Coronavirus infection, as governments and public-health officials rush to determine best practices for the health of all citizens, which means increased traffic across home networks. Greg Caplain of alt-work facilitator RemoteYear.com shared that 51% of people report working at least part time remotely and as many as 31% of people are working at least 80% of the time remotely, before the virus outbreak. Chances are some people in your office already work remotely some or all of the time, so these tips apply to all employees. TIP #1 Confirm Your Connection Confirm that youre using an IMAP or SMTP connection. MailRoute founder and CEO Thomas Johnson explains: For email, make sure that you have enabled TLS/SSL for your IMAP, POP, and SMTP connections in your email client. Keep your communications private." TIP #2 Separate Your Work Email from Personal Email Consider using a different computer, or at the very least, a different login and user account for your work and personal uses. It's not uncommon for malware to come in from a personal email, and then infect a corporate network. TIP #3 Dont Trust Open Networks Avoid public WiFi. Consider using your phone as a personal hotspot instead. Here are more tips from the experts on remote or distributed work environments: Culture is so much more than what goes on in an office. Its really the sum of what everyone does all the time all those little decisions, the way people communicate, the way people text, expectations for how you reply to things, how meetings happen. -- Matt Mullenweg, founder of Word Press on "Distributed" podcast The truth is, just because somebody's at their desk in front of a computer typing away or whatever they're doing, it doesn't mean they're working. The only way to tell if somebody is doing their work is to look at the work itself: It's words, it's graphic design, it's programming, it's customer service. It's things that you can evaluate from far away. Youve got to look at the work at the end of the day. Jason Fried, cofounder and CEO of Basecamp The office during the day has become the last place people want to be when they really want to get work done. In fact, offices have become interruption factories. A busy office is like a food processor it chops your day into tiny bits. Fifteen minutes here, ten minutes there, twenty here, five there. Each segment is filled with a conference call, a meeting, another meeting, or some other institutionalized unnecessary interruption. Cole Stryker, Distributed Heading over to the computer first thing after you wake up or worse, pulling it into bed with you is a mistake. I know: You just want to fire off one quick thing. But I promise, youll get sucked in. And getting sucked in at 6 or 7 AM means youll have put in a 10-hour day by 4 or 5 PM. Do that all week, and youre bound to burn out, declares Liz Presson, remote-working expert and founder of WorkingRemote.ly About MailRoute: MailRoute was founded in 2003 by the team that created the first email-filtering service (sold to Microsoft as their first cloud offering). The company is privately held and owner-operated by the leading team of innovators in this industry. Responding to the rising COVID-19 threat in Kentucky, businesses imposed new restrictions on employees and raced to take more measures to head off the risks. As the new coronavirus spreads across the U.S., into Kentucky and neighboring states, companies have scrambled to protect employees by canceling travel to conferences and other work sites. In hundreds of workplaces, some employees were ordered to work from home. UPS and Kentucky's largest automotive manufacturers, Ford and Toyota, said Monday they are asking workers who must be at work to heed precautions by using hand sanitizers and washing hands frequently. The virus has slammed world economies, with U.S. markets plummeting again Monday after a brutal last week, when four days of losses rivaled the 2008 financial crisis. "It just feels like 9/11 right now," said Dan Hartlage, principal at Guthrie/Mayes Public Relations in Louisville. Hartlage was set to travel to Boulder, Colorado, this week to lead a media training session with the leaders of a company due to debut a film at South by Southwest, the massive tech and music festival in Austin, Texas. But that festival was canceled on Friday when major sponsors bailed because of the virus risks. A trader passes a hand sanitizing station on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, March 3, 2020. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell noted that the coronavirus "poses evolving risks to economic activity." (AP Photo/Richard Drew) The Colorado client's cancellation was followed by another in Los Angeles 18 hours later. The California company had lined up Hartlage to provide training in dealing with the media for March 16. But it was nixed because employees were ordered to work remotely for now. The company didn't want to risk infecting employees who would have to return to the office for something non-essential, Hartlage said. "It's hard to argue with either decision," he said. "It's the right thing to do." While Guthrie/Mayes didn't provide the training, Hartlage said he hopes his firm gets the opportunity in another month or two if the virus is no longer a threat. "The business is not going away. It's being delayed," he said. Story continues Still, multiply those cancellations by thousands around the country, Hartlage said, and the hit is massive to the hotel, airline and overall business travel industry. Precautions around pizza deliveries At Papa John's, the international pizza chain based in Louisville, a spike in demand for deliveries in South Korea amid virus fears may predict what's ahead for the U.S. The company saw a big increase in delivery over the past several weeks as people choose to stay at home, spokeswoman Madeline Chadwick said in an email. Meanwhile, the company has begun an additional precaution by requiring all drivers at its restaurants to wash their hands before and after deliveries. It's also asking third-party or "aggregator" drivers to use hand sanitizer before they pick up an order. Another precaution may be added, if needed: Touchless delivery, in which a driver brings the order to a location and waits several feet away while the customer retrieves the pizza box. Papa John's competitor Pizza Hut implemented "contactless delivery" in China to reduce the risk of person-to-person transmission, according to Business Insider. Travel cancellations, video calls At Ford's two auto plants in Louisville and at Toyota's plant in Georgetown, Kentucky, ordering workers to stay at home isn't an option. Both companies reported they are trying to keep the assembly lines moving as normal and urging employees to heed the advice to wash hands frequently. "It's a very fluid situation. We're looking closely at contingency plans," Toyota spokesman Rick Hesterberg said Monday. The good news for the factory with 8,000 full-time employees is that supply chains so for far have held steady thanks to having 60% to 70% of parts and component suppliers located in North America. Parts also are still flowing from Japan, Hesterberg said. The company has trimmed travel that's not essential and asked employees to hold meetings and training sessions over Skype to keep risks in check, he said. At UPS, the company is trying to keep operations on track and following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. Even with extra hand-washing and the use of sanitizers in all locations, "you can't sort packages remotely," spokesman Jim Mayer said. Humana, the Louisville based health insurance giant, altered its travel policy, halting all international business travel and asking employees to cancel non-essential travel in the U.S., including to conferences and trade shows, spokeswoman Kate Marx said in an email. "We will reassess this policy every 30 days. In addition, we are discouraging personal travel outside the U.S.," she said. Being in the health care business carries an added obligation to promote and enhance the well-being of employees and the people Humana serves. The company will "do whatever we can," Marx wrote, "to minimize disruption to our ability to care for our health plan members and patients." Follow Courier-Journal reporter Grace Schneider on Twitter: @gesinfk. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Coronavirus in Kentucky: Businesses brace for economic impact The charge against an Alabama city councilman accused in his wifes death has now been upgraded. Carbon Hill City Councilman Robert Perry Warren, 51, was initially charged with manslaughter in the slaying of 51-year-old Lisa Warren. Lisa Warren had been reported missing before her remains were found in Greene County over the weekend. Court records show prosecutors dismissed the manslaughter charge on Monday and on Tuesday filed a murder charge, with new information about what they say actually led to Lisa Warrens death. Warren had said the couple got into an argument at their 10 Street N.E. home on Tuesday, Feb. 25. During that domestic dispute, Robert Warren lost his temper and pushed (his wife) backwards causing (her) to fall and strike her head, which resulted in her death. The new charge document states he intentionally caused his wifes death by striking her in the head with an object more than once. Lisa Warren was last seen alive on Feb. 24, and her husband reported her missing on the 25th. Her body was found over the weekend in a creek off Greene County Road 220. The couple had been married for roughly 20 years and have twin 16-year-old daughters. Robert Warren was appointed to the Carbon Hill City Council last year. Bond for Robert Warren on Monday was set at $250,000. It wasnt immediately clear whether that bond amount would change. Walker County District Judge Henry P. Allred on Monday also ordered the suspect to wear an ankle monitor if released. The bond order deemed Robert Warren a danger to the community and to himself. Family members of both the husband and wife were in court Monday, including at least one of the couples teen daughters. The volume of goods smuggled into Ukraine is tentatively estimated to be worth UAH 50-60 billion, Head of Ukraine's State Customs Service Maksym Nefyodov has said on Radio NV. "We tentatively estimate the volumes of smuggled goods at UAH 50 billion to UAH 60 billion. These are losses for the state budget," Nefyodov said. On March 4, while delivering a speech in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the government led by Oleksiy Honcharuk for the ineffective fight against smuggling. "Over the first two months of the new year, the state budget received almost UAH 16 billion less than planned. We have to tell the truth that UAH 13 billion of those funds are a failure of customs revenues. The business signals hopelessly that smuggling has not completely disappeared, but we were told of a decisive and uncompromising fight against smuggling. Now it looks like smuggling knocked out customs in this fight," Zelensky said. op A lot of jokes have been circulating around about coronavirus and Corona beer, but now there really is a beverage made for COVID-19. Avery Soda in New Britain, Conn. launched their new flavor, "Coronavirus Cocktail" this past weekend. This may seem unconventional, but General Manager Robert Metz said this is something they often do with topical news events. In years past they have put out: "Swine Flu Tonic," "So Long Osama," "Deflated Ball Brew" and last week, they created a soda for each presidential candidate. Avery Soda But he did have some reservations about making Coronavirus Cocktail after a customer suggested it. "We said this one might be a little edgy even for us. We talked it over and decided to do it kind of low key and put it out there," he said. But when two healthcare professionals came in and found the soda amusing, the company decided to post it on Facebook, and it has been a success. The post has 858 shares and over 200 comments mostly positive. Metz said when brainstorming the flavor, they decided to start with a lime base as an ode to Corona beer; they settled on lime, orange as the final flavor. As of now, the soda is only available at the shop in New Britain and is limited to one six pack per customer because they are currently printing the label in-house. But Metz said they have ordered labels and hope to expand availability to local shops next week. While Coronavirus Cocktail may sound unappetizing, Avery Soda is not afraid of grossing people out. In fact, their "Totally Gross Soda" line, which feature flavors like "Bug Barf," "Dog Drool" and "Monster Mucus," accounts for about 90 percent of their sales, said Metz. This line of sodas is inspired by the company's "make your own soda" program in which kids can come in and experiment with soda flavors. Some of the kids, said Metz, like to mix a bunch of different ones together and create a "totally gross" flavor. But Metz said despite sounding gross, Coronavirus Cocktail won't be part of this line because it's a temporary flavor. "We hope it doesn't stick around too long." Metz recognizes that the coronavirus soda may be "a little insensitive on some levels," but the goal is to provide a little comic relief. "We live in a really stressful world these days, and if you cant have a laugh every once in a while, you're just going to go crazy. We think you just need a little levity," he said. "It's definitely a serious topic and we dont discount that, but I think everyone just needs a little break form all the seriousness." Warren Buffett famously said, 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' 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. Importantly, Mineral Resources Limited (ASX:MIN) does carry debt. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt? Why Does Debt Bring Risk? 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. However, a more usual (but still expensive) situation is where a company must dilute shareholders at a cheap share price simply to get debt under control. Having said that, the most common situation is where a company manages its debt reasonably well - and to its own advantage. When we think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together. View our latest analysis for Mineral Resources How Much Debt Does Mineral Resources Carry? The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that at December 2019 Mineral Resources had debt of AU$992.8m, up from AU$615.0m in one year. However, its balance sheet shows it holds AU$1.31b in cash, so it actually has AU$314.1m net cash. ASX:MIN Historical Debt, March 10th 2020 A Look At Mineral Resources's Liabilities According to the last reported balance sheet, Mineral Resources had liabilities of AU$748.2m due within 12 months, and liabilities of AU$1.35b due beyond 12 months. On the other hand, it had cash of AU$1.31b and AU$156.4m worth of receivables due within a year. So it has liabilities totalling AU$635.8m more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined. While this might seem like a lot, it is not so bad since Mineral Resources has a market capitalization of AU$2.94b, and so it could probably strengthen its balance sheet by raising capital if it needed to. But we definitely want to keep our eyes open to indications that its debt is bringing too much risk. While it does have liabilities worth noting, Mineral Resources also has more cash than debt, so we're pretty confident it can manage its debt safely. Story continues In addition to that, we're happy to report that Mineral Resources has boosted its EBIT by 69%, thus reducing the spectre of future debt repayments. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine Mineral Resources's ability to maintain a healthy balance sheet going forward. So if you're focused on the future you can check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts. Finally, while the tax-man may adore accounting profits, lenders only accept cold hard cash. While Mineral Resources has net cash on its balance sheet, it's still worth taking a look at its ability to convert earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, to help us understand how quickly it is building (or eroding) that cash balance. Over the last three years, Mineral Resources saw substantial negative free cash flow, in total. While that may be a result of expenditure for growth, it does make the debt far more risky. Summing up While Mineral Resources does have more liabilities than liquid assets, it also has net cash of AU$314.1m. And it impressed us with its EBIT growth of 69% over the last year. So we don't have any problem with Mineral Resources's use of debt. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. Case in point: We've spotted 5 warning signs for Mineral Resources you should be aware of, and 2 of them are a bit concerning. If you're interested in investing in businesses that can grow profits without the burden of debt, then check out this free list of growing businesses that have net cash on the balance sheet. 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 traditional festivities related to Novruz holiday in Baku and Azerbaijan's regions in March have been canceled, Trend reports referring to the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers. Due to the expansion of the geography of coronavirus spread across the world, Azerbaijan has also strengthened the relevant preventive measures, said the Operational Headquarters. Guided by the consultations with specialists and recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Operational Headquarters calls on structures not to hold any mass events in the near future and postpone the planned events. Due to the fact that in crowded places the risk of infection is higher, it is recommended to cancel weddings and similar celebrations in the coming months, as well as not to hold mass memorial ceremonies. Azerbaijan remains one of the countries, least affected by the rapidly spreading coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The country's official structures are applying necessary measures to prevent any possible exposure of coronavirus. Azerbaijan has also imported necessary medical equipment to carry out coronavirus tests. Member of the Operational Headquarters created under the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers in connection with coronavirus Yagut Garayeva said on March 5 that at least 500 people have been quarantined in the country. Until now, no deaths from the disease have been recorded in the country. Azerbaijan's official structures have also set up quarantine centers in the country's districts, which would allow to react faster to the possible outbreak due to joint borders. Azerbaijan shares border with Iran, where coronavirus is currently spreading rapidly. As a contribution to international efforts to prevent the risk of the spread of coronavirus infection, Azerbaijan's government provided voluntary financial assistance worth $5 million to the COVID-19 Fund as part of the WHO Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP). On March 7 World Health Organization officially thanked Azerbaijan for its [March 09, 2020] SHAREHOLDER ALERT: CLAIMSFILER REMINDS OPRA, WBK, SPR, SSL INVESTORS of Lead Plaintiff Deadline in Class Action Lawsuits NEW ORLEANS, March 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors of pending deadlines in the following securities class action lawsuits: Opera Limited (OPRA) Class Period: 7/27/2018 - 1/15/2020, or American Depository Shares issued either in or after the July 2018 Initial Public Offering. Lead Plaintiff Motion Deadline: March 24, 2020 SECURITIES FRAUD, MISLEADING PROSPECTUS To learn more, visit https://www.claimsfiler.com/cases/view-opera-limited-securities-litigation Westpac Banking Corporation (WBK) Class Period: 11/11/2015 - 11/19/2019 Lead Plaintiff Motion Deadline: March 30, 2020 SECURITIES FRAUD To learn more, visit https://www.claimsfiler.com/cases/view-westpac-banking-corporation-american-depositary-shares-securities-litigation Sasol Limited (SSL) Class Period: 3/10/2015 - 1/13/2020 Lead Plaintiff Motion Deadline: April 6, 2020 SECURITIES FRAUD To learn more, visit https://www.claimsfiler.com/cases/view-sasol-limited-american-depositary-shares-securities-litigation Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. (SPR) Class Period: 10/31/2019 - 1/29/2020 Lead Plaintiff Motion Deadline: April 10, 2020 SECURITIES FRAUD To learn more, visit https://www.claimsfiler.com/cases/view-spirit-aerosystems-holdings-inc-securities-litigation-1 If you purchased shares of the above companies and would like to discuss your legal rights and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact us toll-free (844) 367-9658 or visit the case links above. If you wish to serve as a Lead Plaintiff in the class action, you must petition the Court on or before the Lead Plaintiff Motion deadline. About ClaimsFiler ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations. To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Good Morning, welcome to Information Nigerias Newspaper headlines for today, 10th March 2020. Here are the major headlines. ASUU Embarks On A Two-Week Warning Strike The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has embarked on a two-week warning strike. Biodun Ogunyemi, national president of the union, announced this at the end of the national executive council meeting at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT). Kano Government Dethrones Emir Sanusi Emir of Kano, Malam Muhammadu Sanusi ll has been dethroned over disrespect to the office of the governor and other government agencies. The Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Usman Alhaji, said the removal was with immediate effect. Nigeria Records Second Case Of Coronavirus A Nigerian man who had contact with Nigerias index case, the Italian has tested positive for coronavirus. Osagie Ehanire, minister of health, made this known at a press briefing in Edo state on Monday, as he urged Nigerians not to panic. Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero Becomes New Emir Of Kano The Kano State Government has announced the appointment of Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero as the new emir of Kano. Bayero, who is the son of late Emir Ado Bayero, replaces Muhammad Sanusi 11, who was dethroned and banished to Nasarawa on Monday. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control Nigerian(NCDC) says the Nigerian who tested positive for Covid-19 in the U.S. likely contacted the disease outside Nigeria. The NCDC disclosed this in a tweet on its Twitter handle on Sunday. Sanusi Lamido Should Run For Presidency Deji Adeyanju Popular human rights activist, Deji Adeyanju has reacted to the removal of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as the Emir of Kano by the State Government. According to the State Government, the former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor was dethroned due to his total disrespect to lawful instructions from the office of the governor and other lawful authorities. Eedris Abdulkareem Mocks Emir Sanusi Over His Dethronement Veteran rapper Eedris Abdulkareem has mocked Muhammadu Sanusi II after he was dethroned as the Emir of Kano. The former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor was dethroned by the Governor Abdullahi Ganduje-led administration on Monday morning. Buharis Govt Is The Worst, Most Wicked In Nigerias History Oyedepo The general overseer of the Living Faith Church also known as Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo has described the current Buhari led administration as the worst thing that has ever happened to Nigeria. You Need To Examine Your Head APC Blasts Oyedepo The ruling All Progressive Congress(APC) has asked bishop David Oyedepo, the general overseer of the living faith church to examine his head following his recent attack on President Muhammadu Buhari led administration. Bayelsa state governor, Douye Diri has told the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) to get set to receive defectors who left the party in their thousands during the build-up to the November 16, 2019 governorship poll. Business as usual is anything but. As coronavirus cases grow around the world, companies are scrambling to put plans of action in place to contain the spread and to reassure their employees and customers. Across the United States especially in areas that have had several cases of coronavirus, including the Washington D.C. area, California and Washington state companies are implementing official policies to address employee concerns about exposure and offer contingencies in case the crisis worsens. The number of cases in the U.S. topped 700 this week. This is probably ... proving to be the biggest experiment in work from home in history, said Ronni Zehavi, the founder and CEO of HR technology platform Hibob. San Francisco-based cryptocurrency startup Coinbase, for example, released a comprehensive response plan to its blog on Medium. The plan urged all employees to work from home (though it remains optional) and restricted all non-essential business travel. The company also banned travel to China, Hong Kong, Japan, Italy and South Korea, and encouraged employees to limit other in-person visits and interviews. Our philosophy is that crises do not need to be emergencies, a Coinbase spokesperson said via email. Stress and overreactions can be avoided if we take a calm and rational approach and plan ahead. Employees have been very receptive to our communications and planning, and they appreciate this level of detail so they can better plan for themselves and their families. IBM also has made changes to its business practices by limiting business travel and urging virtual meetings and conferences. This included moving its Think 2020 developer conference to a digital-first model although some in-person components will still take place in early May. IBM has a management structure and emergency planning process to deal with events that potentially impact our business or our clients, and we closely monitor the evolving global status of COVID-19 with the World Health Organization and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, said Edward Barbini, an IBM spokesman. Barbini added that the company would re-evaluate its policy at the end of March. The coronavirus cases come on top of an intense flu season, in which the CDC estimates that 20,000 to 52,000 have died in the U.S., and are testing companies ability to maintain existing marketing and customer practices. Starbucks last week announced it was ceasing the use of customers reusable and for-here cups due to the outbreak, although the coffee franchise says it will still honour the discounts associated with bringing those cups in. According to a Starbucks spokesperson, The policy applies to U.S. and Canada stores, and we will continue to stay close to our partners and local health officials and are optimistic this will be a temporary situation. Southwest Airlines sent an email to customers letting them know that its aircraft-cleaning procedures are being enhanced with hospital-grade disinfectant throughout its planes and that customers always can change or cancel flights without incurring a fee. Airfare can be used for future travel if the reservation is cancelled at least 10 minutes before the scheduled departure. Nordstrom also sent an email to customers that outlined its procedures for thoroughly cleaning its 380 stores each night and said it is providing hand sanitizer throughout its stores. Costco, which has seen hordes of shoppers stocking up on supplies amid coronavirus fears, has halted food samples at its location in China and many locations in the U.S. due to health concerns, Business Insider reports. Zehavi said companies across the board should use this time, while the infection numbers are still relatively low, to test out their emergency practices for working from home, social events and office visits, as well as international travel and meetings. They need to be very clear on those policies and make sure that when they get the policy it is well-communicated to the employees in different sites, not only in their headquarters, he said. For companies that implement a work-from-home policy, Zehavi said C-suite leaders and HR teams need to be certain that the equipment, communication and accountability measures are in place to ensure that employees remain productive, even when they arent in-office. Everything is doable. Its just a matter of paying attention and being ready. ... We strongly recommend (that) companies do kind of a dry run, make a day ... (and) say, People, this day, everybodys working from home, and just try and make sure that you iron out any problems that occur in this dry run, he said. Zehavi also said that during this time in which securing the health and safety of all employees is a priority, companies should be more generous with policies around paid time off vs. sick time. Its a force majeure and you cannot throw it on the backs of the employees, he said. Beyond company policies making it easier for employees to take care of their health, workers should also make sure theyre doing all they can to avoid illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website notes that people should avoid close contact with those who are ill and exercise common sense hygiene practices, including hand washing with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds, wiping down frequently used surfaces, covering coughs and sneezes and staying home if theyre sick. The CDC also says that face masks are only necessary for people who are ill or those who work in proximity with sick individuals. Another way to help stave off illness and possibly bounce back faster? Hydration. You can drink just about anything except alcohol and its going to hydrate you, said Jennifer Williams, a research scientist at Abbott Nutrition in Chicago. Williams said that in addition to flushing out your system, proper hydration helps your body regulate functions like temperature, blood flow and even the ability of immune cells to fight disease in the body. If you dont rehydrate, youre going to feel worse; youre not going to feel better as quickly as you want, and nobody wants to be laid up sick, Williams said. As companies test their ability to remain productive while acknowledging and managing employee anxieties around illness, another question remains. What happens once the coronavirus threat ends and companies return to normal? If I was (away from the office) for three weeks ... or two months ... who will give me the green light to get back to the office? Do I need to get a health certificate that I have no viruses? All of those unclear situations have to be addressed by companies, specifically by HR leaders, Zehavi said. Were only seeing the first chapter. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden address the crowd gathered for a campaign rally at Renaissance High School on March 09, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan. Former Vice President Joe Biden suggested that he would veto the universal health-care legislation known as "Medicare for All" championed by his Democratic presidential primary rival Sen. Bernie Sanders, citing costs. "Nancy Pelosi gets a version of it through the House of Representatives. It comes to your desk. Do you veto it?" MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell asked Biden during an interview Monday night. "I would veto anything that delays providing the security and the certainty of health care being available now," Biden responded. "If they got that through in by some miracle or there's an epiphany that occurred and some miracle occurred that said, 'OK, it's passed,' then you got to look at the cost." Biden added: "I want to know, how did they find $35 trillion? What is that doing? Is it going to significantly raise taxes on the middle class, which it will? What's going to happen?" The remarks threatened to deepen fissures between the Democratic Party's center, represented by Biden, and its left flank, embodied by Sanders, even as Biden looks likely to collect enough delegates to obtain an insurmountable lead in the Democratic primary. Six states hold primaries on Tuesday. The veto threat came amid increased attention on health care, as the nation wrestles to contain the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus, which has killed at least 22 in the U.S. Sanders has said that Medicare for All would cost between $30 trillion and $40 trillion over a 10-year period, though he contends that it would also reduce overall health expenditures through increased efficiencies. A recent peer-reviewed study by researchers at Yale found that single-payer health care would save $450 billion annually. In a statement, campaign spokesperson Andrew Bates said that Biden "is committed to delivering more U.S. Senate and House victories for Democrats -- but even with those victories, the chance of Medicare for All passing through both chambers any time soon is close to 0." "Our opponents do not speak for us and should never be allowed by the press to put words in the Vice President's mouth. He did not say 'veto,'" Bates said. "He made clear that his urgent priority is getting to universal coverage as quickly as possible and he explained why he firmly believes our approach should be to build on the profound benefits of the Affordable Care Act with a Medicare-like public option." A Sanders spokesperson did not return a request for comment, but the campaign's national policy director, Josh Orton, responded to Bates's statement in a post on Twitter. "So would he veto or not?" Orton wrote. Orton tweet The debate over Medicare for All has raged over the Democratic primary contest, casting a shadow over the entire race. The debate has heated up alongside the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, with Sanders contending that his plan for universal health care would help combat the contagion and attacking Biden for his opposition to the legislation. Biden has critiqued President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus threat but argued that it is not "a debate about Medicare for All or a Biden plan building on Obamacare." "It's much beyond that right now. It's about reinstilling some confidence and be prepared," he told O'Donnell on Monday. The Senate Medicare for All bill sponsored by Sanders is co-sponsored by four former primary contenders, including Sens. Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, who have since dropped out and endorsed Biden. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Elizabeth Warren are also co-sponsors of the bill, though Warren has said she'd get to single-payer health care via multiple pieces of legislation. In a statement last month taking Trump to task for his handling of the outbreak, Sanders wrote that his administration would pass Medicare for All "so everyone can see a doctor or get a vaccine for free" as well as boost funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health. In a post Monday on Twitter, Sanders wrote that "we have already seen people hit with massive medical bills, simply for doing the right thing by getting tested. "Others may face massive bills for hospitalization, treatment and quarantine if they need it," he wrote. "This must end. We need Medicare for All." Biden, on the other hand, has consistently argued against Medicare for All, contending that it costs too much. Biden has advocated for building on the health-care legislation passed under former President Barack Obama, known as Obamacare. His insurance plan, which includes a public option, stops short of 100% coverage, though it will cover more than an estimated 97% of Americans, according to his website. During the interview on Monday, Biden said that he didn't believe people would be any less concerned by the coronavirus if Medicare for All was the law of the land. "The question is how are you going to get your service, period? Forget the health-care plan for a second. What services do you get?" Biden said. "There's none being provided right now. There's not enough testing kits. There's not enough information as to who should be tested and how it's going to be tested. There's not enough information as to what hospitals you go to. There's not enough beds available." It was largely speculated that the novel coronavirus could be contained once the mercury rises. However, if experts are to be believed, there is no corelation found between temperature variations and spread of coronavirus, dampening the hopes of researchers worldwide trying to contain the virus. The mercury has been decreasing over the past few days and fear of coronavirus is looming large. India has so far reported 43 confirmed cases of the virus with four in the national capital. Indian Council of Medical Research director general Balram Bhargava said the change in weather will not have any impact on the spread of novel coronavirus. Refuting claims that the virus spreads in low temperature, Bhargava told PTI that no such finding has been proven till now. There is no relation between decline in temperature and the spread of the virus, he said, adding that the virus does not spread through air but human contact. The experts said COVID-19 spreads through human contact. Mass gathering has to be avoided and people need to take precautions like washing hands, they added. India has so far reported 43 coronavirus cases. According to reports, the number of cases of novel coronavirus worldwide has crossed 110,000 people in 100 countries and territories with more than 3,800 dead. AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria said research states that humidity in the air generally helps the virus to grow. "But rise in the temperature does not necessarily mean this will help kill the virus," he said, noting that tropical countries like Singapore, which has hot and humid climate, also face the threat of coronavirus. The minimum temperature in the national capital, which has witnessed a sudden dip in mercury, has been hovering around 11 to 12 degrees Celsius for the last 3-4 days. AFP Nutan Mundeja, who is holding the additional charge of Director General of Health Services of the Delhi government, told PTI the relation between the rise or fall in the temperature and spread of coronavirus is yet to be proved. Experts said the particular strain of virus which is causing COVID-19 is a new virus and the scientific community does not know much about it. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Western Australia is really good at digging minerals out of the ground and hawking them around the globe for buckets of money. But despite rhetoric about the need to diversify the economy the states addiction to digging and drilling has largely blinded it to the ways smart people are coming up with world-changing ideas that eventually arrive on our shores in the form of highly disruptive and low tax-paying multinationals. Perth entrepreneur Amir Farhand said all of his next funding options require him to move the company HQ to the US. These tech companies have made our lives easier and work more efficient but that is where the economic benefits have stopped. There are some gutsy WA investors willing to part with some serious money if it means getting a slice of a potentially girthy ore body, but when it comes to a 20-something with a big idea and a few lines of code, wallets remain tightly shut. Of the estimated $6.5 billion investment raised by WA businesses in 2019, startup data compiler Techboard estimated just 0.6 per cent, or $41 million, went into early-stage tech companies. Now, the states startup scene is calling for investors to step out of their mining, construction or property comfort zones and turn their gaze toward new ideas to ensure WA truly diversifies and future-proofs job opportunities for the next generation. Advertisement The ones that got away Startup has loosely become the recognised term for an early-stage venture, generally in the technology space. Google, Facebook and Uber were all considered startups. Advocacy group StartupWA estimated in its 2019 ecosystem report there were more than 500 established startups operating in WA and over the years a few of those have made it big. Perhaps the most famous example is Canva, an online graphic design tool founded as Fusion Books in Perth in the late 2000s that eventually moved to Sydney. On its latest valuation, the company is worth $4.7 billion, which would put it firmly in the top 100 ASX companies. The same thing is happening right now with other promising companies. Amir Farhand mortgaged his Perth house to create Takor, a mapping technology company. Advertisement The company has expanded to about 15 staff, most working at its Belmont headquarters. But with growing interest from Silicon Valley the pressure to move overseas is growing, despite Mr Farhand being a proud and parochial West Australian. Mr Farhand said the company was reviewing terms for its next $10 million-plus round of funding, and all require the company to relocate to the US. It doesnt mean were going to upend all the staff in Perth but most of the hires from that point onwards wont be here, they will be over there, he said. Takor has garnered funding from high net worth individuals in WA, many of whom made their money in mining, but Mr Farhand said most of the interest came from Asia and North America. Notable WA startups that have left the state Canva: Started by Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht as Fusion Books but was relaunched as Canva in Sydney in 2013. Now worth $4.7 billion. Kanopy: Founded by Perth woman Olivia Humphrey in 2008 as a DVD distribution company. Morphed into a streaming service for universities and public libraries. Moved to California and now streams 26,000 titles to more than 3000 campuses globally. Humm: Developing a wearable patch that improves memory and brain function. Moved from Perth to Berkley, California in 2018. He lamented the necessity for people to mortgage their homes just to pay for a proof of concept and said investors in WA needed to change their attitude toward risk. When it comes to capital people have to take risks. They have to lose like the guys in Venture Capital funds do in California, Mr Farhand said. Advertisement Software vs ore Innovation does happen here; mining companies invest heavily in automation and safety technology but most people WAtoday interviewed agreed much of it gets locked up within those businesses, leaving little benefit for local startups. Matt Macfarlane is one of the most recognisable faces in the Perth startup scene, having founded one of WAs most famous venture capital funds, Yuuwa. He still has his finger on the pulse as chief executive of iCetana, an ASX-listed WA company that uses artificial intelligence to identify security anomalies in CCTV footage. Mr Macfarlane said it was common to see a company hit a roof in Perth and look elsewhere to scale up. Canva couldnt possibly have gotten to the scale they got to without being based in a place like Sydney, he said. You do have this talent drain and company drain happening. Advertisement Mr Macfarlane said tech and software were lucrative ventures and gave the comparison that $100 of iron ore revenue brought in 15 per cent profit depending on the market, while $100 of software could bring in anywhere from 60 to 80 per cent profit. The best thing you can sell is brainpower. Human capital is extraordinarily valuable, he said. Good ideas going unfunded Peter van Bruchem has lived and breathed the Perth startup scene for more than 15 years, even founding his business Techboard around unearthing investment data about the industry. His stats show a concerning decline in funding for WA startups both privately and publicly, from $353.3 million in 2018 to $255.1 million last year. Both figures were dwarfed by New South Wales, which recorded $914 million in the December quarter alone. Advertisement A young Brisbane woman working as an au pair in northern Italy is relieved she managed to flee the country before it became locked down as coronavirus turned her trip of a lifetime into a nightmare. Arielle Turnbull,18, has fled across the border to Switzerland after arriving in Italy on January 3 for an au pair adventure in the small town of Verano Brianza, about 45 minutes north of Milan. Arielle Turnbull, 18, has been caught up in the commotion of Italy's 'red zone', amidst coronavirus fears. As Italy became the world's biggest coronavirus hub after China and the country ground to a halt, she had no option but to leave Verano Brianza. Having crossed over the Swiss-Italian border to the town of Chiasso two weeks ago, Ms Turnbull says she was lucky to get out before strict quarantine rules were imposed on the northern Italian region of Lombardy. The Tennessee Attorney Generals Office Division of Consumer Affairs announced the top 10 complaint categories for 2019. DCA received a total of 4,250 complaints in 2019 and recovered both services and funds for Tennessee by working with consumers and businesses. Overall, the number of consumer complaints increased in 2019 compared to 2018 when 3,750 complaint were reviewed by Consumer Affairs. The Divisions staff works to quickly route complaints so that appropriate action can be taken in cases where deceptive business practices, frauds or scams are found to be at play, said officials. 2019 Top 10 Complaint Categories: Internet Sales: 960 complaints This category involves consumer dissatisfaction with items or services purchased via the Internet. Common complaints include issues with refunds and returns, as well as the business not providing the product or service that was advertised or paid for. In many of these cases the product or service was solicited via email or social media advertisements. The Division of Consumer Affairs often works to mediate these complaints. Home Improvements, Home Repair, Home Warranties: 491 complaints This category includes home warranties, as well as hiring a contractor for services to repair or improve the quality of your home. The most common complaints involve quality of work, incomplete work after receiving payment, and structural damage caused by employed individuals or businesses. Many of these complaints are referred to the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors. Products & Sales: 443 complaints This category includes disputes regarding the purchase/sale of products, including items purchased in a store or via the telephone. Common complaints include issues with refunds and returns, as well as the business not providing the product as advertised. The Division of Consumer Affairs often works to mediate these complaints. Timeshare/Vacation Clubs: 260 complaints This category relates to consumers purchasing property under a timesharing agreement and the sale of these agreements. The most common complaints reported high-pressure sales tactics, misrepresentation of the contract, and resale scams. The Division will often refer these complaints to the TN Real Estate Commission and the TN Board of Professional Responsibility. Motor Vehicle- Used Sales & Advertising: 229 complaints This category often includes consumer dissatisfaction with the sale of the used vehicle they purchased. Disputes over the vehicles condition and deception regarding the sale, advertising, and titling were the most common complaints. Consumer Affairs often works closely with the TN Motor Vehicle Commission when handling these types of complaints. In addition, these complaints may be referred to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the TN Department of Revenue. Personal/Professional Services: 391 complaints This category relates to services offered by professionals working in the State of Tennessee, including hair stylists, massage therapists, locksmiths, exterminators, photographers, surveyors, and others. Common complaints include the quality of service, charges for service not received, and problems redeeming gift certificates for services offered. Some agencies these complaints could be referred to include the TN Department of Commerce & Insurances Division of Regulatory Boards and the TN Board of Professional Responsibility. Heath Services & Products: 222 complaints Consumers most common complaints include being misquoted for services and inaccurate billing. The Division may mediate complaints or refer appropriate complaints to the TN Department of Health. Landlord/Tenant: 195 complaints This category relates to consumers leasing rental property in the State of Tennessee. The most common complaints relate to security deposits and the conditions of the rental property. These complaints are commonly referred to city and county building codes enforcement and the State Fire Marshals Office. Debtor/Creditor: 163 complaints This category includes matters related to debt collection companies, payday loans, credit repair companies, and check-cashing services. Consumer complaints often related to harassing phone calls or billing issues. These complaints are often referred to the TN Department of Financial Institutions and the TN Department of Commerce & Insurances Regulatory Boards Division. Insurance: 177 complaints This category relates to insurance issues such as those involving consumer health insurance, pet insurance, and unlicensed insurance companies. Most consumers complained about policy coverage and claims. These complaints are often referred to the TN Department of Commerce & Insurances Insurance Division. On Sept. 30, 2019, the Tennessee Division of Consumer Affairs transferred from the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance to the Office of the Attorney General. The move streamlined efforts to educate and protect consumers and created a direct link between the Consumer Specialists working directly with consumers and the attorneys who investigate and work to resolve cases. For more consumer resources, or to file a complaint, visit the DCA website at tn.gov/consumer or contact 800-342-8385 or consumer.affairs@ag.tn.gov The easiest way for the novel coronavirus to spread is by airborne droplet from an infected person's coughs or sneezes. But you can also get the virus if you touch a surface or object that has microbes on it and then touch your nose, mouth or eyes. According to a study published last week in the Journal of Hospital Infection, university students touched their face 23 times per hour, with 56% of the contact with skin, 36% with the mouth, 31% nose and 31% eyes. As data is still being collected on SARS-CoV-2 (the novel coronavirus), the study examined the lifespan of the similar SARS coronavirus on various inanimate surfaces. At a temperature of 68 degrees, SARS lasted: Less than 8 hours on latex 2 to 8 hours on aluminum 2 days on steel 4 days on wood 4 days on glass 5 days on metal 5 days on ceramics 5 days on plastics (but one strain survived up to 9 days on plastic) Those findings likely also apply to SARS-CoV-2, Rachel Graham, an epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina, told Business Insider. In general, nonporous surfaces like doorknobs, desktops and airplane seat trays tend to transmit viruses better than porous surfaces such as paper money, human hair, rug pile and fabrics. The microscopic holes or spaces in porous surfaces can trap the microbes, preventing them from being transferred. One surface touched by people all the time is a great place for germs to hang out their cellphone. The glass and metal surface of a cellphone often harbors contagions, especially on phones that are carried into the bathroom. University of Arizona researchers found cell phones carry 10 times more bacteria than most toilet seats. ALSO: Photos show empty streets, attractions and stadiums around the world The Journal of Hospital Infection study found that temperature changes have a major effect on the lifespan of viruses. SARS, for example, does not like heat at 86 degrees its survival on steel surfaces was cut by at least 50 percent. But it does thrive in high humidity, moderate temperatures and low-wind environments. The easiest way to kill coronaviruses like SARS-CoV-2, according to the study, is the most obvious with a disinfectant. Solutions containing 62% to 71% ethanol alcohol, 0.5% hydrogen peroxide or 0.1% sodium hypochlorite will do the trick within a minute. Wiping down a desk with hand sanitizer won't kill the virus because the alcohol content is not high enough. For more coverage, visit our complete coronavirus section here. --- Mike Moffitt is an SFGATE Digital Reporter. Email: moffitt@sfgate.com. Twitter: @Mike_at_SFGate Last week a pair of US senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), introduced a flashpoint piece of legislation called The Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act (EARN IT). The law, ostensibly designed to dampen the rampant child exploitation activities online, has drawn criticism from civil rights groups, free speech advocates, and cybersecurity professionals during draft discussions. Most observers said it is a sneak attack on end-to-end encryption. The release of the formal version of the bill only solidified this fear. Whats in the EARN-IT bill? The 65-page piece of legislation promises to eliminate so-called Section 230 legal liability protection tech and internet companies that don't meet recommendations about how to eradicate child exploitation material. Those recommendations would be made by a 19-member National Commission on Online Child Sexual Exploitation Prevention. Companies can "earn" their liability exemptions granted under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, essential protection that enabled the growth of online platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Google, if they meet the commission's recommendations on how to combat child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The bill says that the commission should include the attorney general, the heads of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), two members with "current experience in matters related to constitutional law, consumer protection, or privacy," and two members with expertise in "computer science or software engineering related to matters of cryptography, data security, or artificial intelligence in a nongovernmental capacity." The bill says the commission should also include four members who have "experience in providing victims services for victims of child exploitation" or who are survivors of online child sexual exploitation." The commission will be charged with developing practices on how to combat child sexual exploitation online, with only 14 votes needed to adopt a best practice. The attorney general, along with the heads of DHS and FTC, will approve each best practice. The practices can consist of such things as scanning media content for abusive images or monitoring communications between suspected child abusers and potential victims. EARN-IT doesn't specifically bar encryption, a goal unsuccessfully pursued by US law enforcement since the Clinton Administration and now sought in earnest by US Attorney General William Barr. Yet, many public interest organizations and security experts have come out and condemned the bill because it's a hidden means to ban end-to-end encryption. In a statement, the ACLU's Senior Legislative Counsel Kate Ruane said, "The EARN It Act threatens the safety of activists, domestic violence victims, and millions of others who rely on strong encryption every day. Because of the safety and security encryption provides, Congress has repeatedly rejected legislation that would create an encryption backdoor." "The bill, which purports to fight the spread of child sexual abuse material online, undermines not only encryption and the security of internet communications, but also future law enforcement investigations against predators of children," the Center for Democracy and Technology said in its response to the bill's introduction. Matthew Green, a cryptographer, and professor at Johns Hopkins University, called the bill "a direct attack on end-to-end encryption and wrote in his blog that it "represents a sophisticated and direct governmental attack on the right of Americans to communicate privately. I can't stress how dangerous this bill is, though others have tried." Despite the bill mentioning cryptography only once (in terms of the kinds of computer science experts named to the commission), the consensus among experts is that Attorney General Barr is pushing the bill on the heels of his failed effort to gain traction on what he calls "lawful access" to encrypted communications, but what most experts call encryption backdoors. Encryption backdoors would break the security chain for not only law enforcement in their hunt for criminals but would also allow criminals and spies into what are now private and protected communications. EARN IT incentivizes companies to give up end-to-end encryption Therefore, encryption backdoor components have wrapped themselves in the worthy cause of combatting child exploitation and are pushing the financial incentive of Section 230 exemptions to force tech companies to give up end-to-end encryption voluntarily. The thinking goes that tech and internet companies won't be able to meet the commission's recommendations without abandoning encryption because they won't be able to identify much of the CSAM flowing across their services. Therefore, they will be financially induced to give up end-to-end encryption to earn their legal immunity. "It's clear that the bill drafters know they have a huge Fourth Amendment problem if they directly mandate the measures they want tech companies to take, and so they're trying to dance around that by making this byzantine structure that creates a fiction that the "best practices" are just voluntary measures that companies could freely choose to do or not to do," Riana Pfefferkorn, associate director of surveillance and cybersecurity at the Center for Internet and Society, tells CSO. "This bill is a backdoor way to allow the government to ban encryption on commercial services," Professor Green wrote. "And even more beautifully, it doesn't come out and actually ban the use of encryption; it just makes encryption commercially infeasible for major providers to deploy, ensuring that they'll go bankrupt if they try to disobey this committee's recommendations." "While we support the bill's purported end goal of combating child exploitation online, the bill would not be effective in achieving that purpose, and instead appears to be an attempt to ban end-to-end encryption without actually banning it outright," Lauren Sarkesian, senior policy counsel, New America's Open Technology Institute, tells CSO. "Without once using the word 'encryption,' the bill sets the stage for 'best practices' that would require companies to abandon strong encryption services or face liability." The bill's proponents deny the legislation is an attempt to ban encryption. In a four-page response to critics of the law, the sponsors said, "EARN IT Act is not an encryption bill and does not ban encryption or otherwise impose obligations related to lawful access to data." The response also argues that "best practices will require real buy-in from tech experts and companies." "I think that's a fairly unconvincing response to that criticism," Hannah Quay-de la Vallee, senior technologist for the Center for Democracy and Technology, tells CSO. "The makeup of the committee means that you still only need 14 out of 19 members. You can totally block out the computer science members of the committee. If they really wanted to say this isn't about encryption, they could have done that, and they didn't." The surreptitious insertion of requirements that will likely lead to companies abandoning encryption to earn liability protection seems a crooked path to achieve a straightforward goal. "The convoluted structure of the bill is clearly intentional, in my mind," Stanford's Pfefferkorn says. "The drafters of the bill know it would violate the Constitution to directly require tech companies to search for CSAM on their services." Absent a bill like this that follows a convoluted route to reach encryption backdoors, are there any hopes that Barr, the FBI and the rest of law enforcement, could reach a deal that satisfies all parties? If so, what would that look like? Alternatives to EARN-IT Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) is expected this week to introduce legislation that counters the EARN IT act by proposing more fundamental solutions to the online child exploitation problem, such as boosting funding to law enforcement to go after these kinds of crimes. "That obviously doesn't get at the fact that DOJ has reasons for wanting the backdoor that go beyond child exploitation," Quay-de la Vallee says. But there is "absolutely room to do things" to help law enforcement conduct their investigations in the digital age, such as increasing the usability of the data that companies hand back to law enforcement. "Increased funding for law enforcement should be uncontroversial, and it should have happened years ago, and the EARN IT act doesn't do anything about that," Berin Szoka, president of the libertarian-leaning policy group TechFreedom, tells CSO. Szoka advocates for Congress to explore more closely what kind of changes in tech industry practices Congress could foster that wouldn't run afoul of mandating unconstitutional requirements, particularly where the Fourth Amendment is concerned. "There should be a hearing that asks what can be mandated." "One 'middle ground' proposal I've heard come up several times is client-side pre-upload scanning," Pfefferkorn says. "The idea is that before a piece of content can be transmitted through an end-to-end encrypted app, the content must be scanned to see if it has any match in a hashed database of CSAM. There are technical impediments to implementing that on-device, plus it undermines the security and privacy guarantees that the user expects from using an end-to-end encrypted app." Yet, even this kind of compromise could end up gutting the privacy protection encryption offers. "The whole point of end-to-end encryption is that nobody but you and the person you're talking to knows what content is being exchanged," Pfefferkorn says. "Vetting every piece of content I want to send someone against a black-box database whose contents I can't see is not my idea of privacy." THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), through the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong, confirmed Tuesday, March 10, that another Filipino was tested positive for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in Hong Kong. This is the fourth confirmed case involving a Filipino in Hong Kong. The DFA said the patient is asymptomatic. The first Filipino national who tested positive for the disease was discharged from the hospital last March 6, 2020. The second and third cases are still confined in the hospital. The Philippines Consulate General in Hong Kong continues to closely monitor the condition of all Filipino nationals in the country and render assistance as needed, added the DFA in a statement. (PR) [March 10, 2020] Ms.Medicine Closes Multi-Million Dollar Series A Investment Round Ms.Medicine, a national healthcare organization whose mission is to improve the quality of healthcare for women, announced today that it has closed a multi-million dollar Series A investment round from Assure Health, a Cincinnati-based healthcare firm. Founded in 2018 by internal medicine physician Lisa Larkin, MD, Ms.Medicine offers concierge primary care designed specifically to address the complex health needs of women. Its providers have received advanced training in women's health and adhere to evidence-based treatment guidelines. The organization's flagship location, Lisa Larkin, MD, and Associates, is located in Mariemont on Cincinnati's eastside. In November 2019, it opened a second location, Eileen West, MD and Associates, in the Northern Virginia/Washington DC area. It is slated to open a third location in Holland, Michigan this spring, followed by additional locations in Ohio and Florida by the end of the year. Ms.Medicine practices offer a full spectrum of care, including evidence-based, long-term care and urgent internal medicine, as well as specialty women's health care, such as perimenopause and menopause management, contraception, gynecology, breast health, breast cancer risk assessment and breast cancer prevention, cardiovascular risk assessment and prevention, bone health, sexual health and others. Its concierge primary care model allows patients more time with their provider and offers them unlimited appointments and the ability to reach their provider 24/7 via email and personal cell phone. "Women today are not getting the healthcare they deserve in the traditional primary care setting," said Dr. Larkin, Founder and CEO of Ms.Medicine. "Women have complex health needs that most providers simply don't have the time or the training to address. By working with providers who have advanced training in women's health in a concierge model, patients have the access, time, and expertise they need to get high quality, evidence-based care." In addition to its concierge primary care model, Ms.Medicine launched its education arm, Ms.MedEd, earlier tis year. Ms.MedEd furthers the organization's mission by providing evidence-based health information to women and clinicians through educational events and content. "We are thrilled to invest in Ms.Medicine as part of our portfolio," said Yousuf Ahmad, Managing Director of Assure Health. "Ms.Medicine's concierge model offers patients and providers more time together, allowing for greater focus on prevention and overall wellness-something that is lacking in today's traditional primary care setting. Its practices offer state-of-the-art tools, risk assessments for many diseases, and help patients reduce their risk through personalized wellness plans. We believe it is one of the most comprehensive care models for women, and Ms.Medicine is poised to lead the women's primary healthcare market because of its commitment to high quality, evidence-based practices." "Investment news such as this, spotlights precisely how important and critical the sacred patient-physician relationship is in our lives, families and communities," says Michael Tetreault, Editor-in-Chief of Concierge Medicine Today, the industry trade publication for the space. "The concierge medicine model is setting new standards for innovation in healthcare delivery, and it is creating a massively loyal and engaged patient and physician community. We are excited for the future of this industry and for Ms.Medicine, and we look forward to watching them advance healthcare for women." "At a time when so many companies are entering this space, Ms.Medicine is emerging as a trusted, proven organization committed to ending gender disparity and pseudoscience in women's healthcare," said Anu Vora, Director, Assure Health. "We are looking forward to lending our support and expertise to help Ms.Medicine expand its model of concierge practices, enhance its leading-edge technology, and further develop its education platform to improve the quality of care for women," she added. ABOUT MS.MEDICINE Ms.Medicine is a national healthcare organization offering a concierge medicine model developed to address the comprehensive primary health care needs of women. Practices offer a full spectrum of care, including evidence-based, long-term care and urgent internal medicine, as well as specialty women's health care. In addition, the organization is dedicated to improving training and education for primary care providers in the area of women's health-an area with often complex needs that tend to not be addressed in typical primary care settings due to lack of time and training. Through its education arm, Ms.MedEd , the organization offers educational content and events for both consumers and healthcare clinicians. Founded in 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio, the company is expanding nationally, and currently includes offices in Cincinnati, Ohio, Northern Virginia/Washington, DC area, with offices in Michigan, Ohio and Florida to open in 2020. Learn more at www.msmedicine.com. ABOUT ASSURE HEALTH Assure Health is a Cincinnati-based healthcare firm focused on investing in emerging, evidence-based companies changing the face of traditional healthcare. Assure Health, led by Dr. Ahmad, is comprised of a unique group of angels including nationally renowned healthcare leaders, millennial tech entrepreneurs and seasoned corporate executives. Assure Health aims to invest in early stage healthcare innovations ranging across technology, drug, device and the practice of medicine. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005810/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Local response to Mondays 25 percent tumble in crude prices was swift. Shortly after markets opened, operators such as Diamondback Energy and Parsley Energy announced plans to curtail activity for the year. Diamondback announced it was immediately reducing its completion crew count from nine to six and will lay down two drilling rigs in April and a third rig later in the quarter. The company had already dropped one completion crew as part of its original 2020 plan. In addition, Diamondback plans to reduce its capital budget. Drill, complete and equip spending is expected to decline as a result of both a lower completed well count and lower expected well costs. Corresponding infrastructure and midstream capital budgets are also expected to decline. Saudi Arabia and Russia have decided to essentially make all prior OPEC agreements on production cuts null and void and, in the process, are effectively calling for an all-out price war, Travis Stice, Diamondbacks chief executive officer, told the Reporter-Telegram by email. REACTION: President again shows appreciation for lower oil prices That, combined with the increasing alarm about the global spread of the coronavirus, has put the world, and the stock market, into a panic, What this means to us is that the shale industry will have to re-define itself and how it creates value for its shareholders, he said. Today, Diamondback released the first step to reposition our development strategy by reducing activity -- just like we have done many times in the past. Diamondback is built for these types of conditions -- while not ideal, we are prepared. Diamondback will respond in a way that allows us to emerge on the other side of this crisis as a survivor and well prepared for what I believe will be a price rally as the world again calls for Permian oil, Stice said. Parsley Energy had operated 15 rigs and five frac spreads in January and February, but on March 6 dropped to three frac spreads and plans to drop to 12 rigs as soon as possible. The company plans to further reduce activity in the near future. Parsley has also revised its baseline capital budget assumption from $50 West Texas Intermediate to $30 to $35 WTI for the remainder of the year. Rather than generating free cash flow of at least $200 million based on a $50 WTI oil price, Parsley now targets at least $85 million of free cash flow in the context of $30 to $35 WTI oil prices. The combination of a strong balance sheet and corporate agility is critical in these challenging and volatile times, said Matt Gallagher, Parsley's president and chief executive officer, in a statement. Odessan Paul Kenworthy, president of Kenworthy Oil, cited two basic oilfield economics rules in discussing Mondays price decline. Its Oilfield Economics 101: Cut off capital, cut off production, he said in a phone interview. Then theres Oilfield Economics 102, he said, listing the three sources of capital to drill and complete new wells. They are: borrowing the money, issuing debt by issuing stock, or through revenues generated by existing production. If theres no borrowing, and you cant raise new debt, what does a drop in oil price do to cash flow? he said. RELATED: Shale drillers are staring down the barrel of worst oil bust yet Kenworthy said the industrys economic cycles remain in place, but what is different this time is that the cause is not from the supply side too much or too little supply. Instead, he said, its coming from the demand side. The novel coronavirus is having a very real effect on oil demand, he said. He said that while there will be financial pain, a bright spot is that just as the Permian Basin shale operators were able to quickly open the oil spigot and increase production to more than 3 million barrels a day, they can almost as quickly cut back on drilling activity. That, combined with a shale wells 65 to 85 percent decline rate in its first year means crude oil will be removed from the market, giving support to prices, he said. Short-term, it will be painful but when markets see reports from the Energy Information Administration and International Energy Agency that production specifically U.S. production is falling, it will have a psychological impact, Kenworthy said. Todd Staples, president of the Texas Oil & Gas Association, told the Reporter-Telegram via email, While the current circumstances are very difficult and impactful to operations and employees, Texas oil and natural gas companies have proven themselves nimble and innovative in challenging times. Historically, when oil prices have been down, free market principles, science-based regulations and ingenuity helped Texas operators weather downturns, he said. Recent developments remind us that benefits associated with a thriving energy sector are not guaranteed. As oil and natural gas companies navigate the challenges of the marketplace, we need to be doing all that we can to maintain the stabilizing force that Texas has become for our state and the world. We can do that by holding fast to a science-based approach to regulation and policies that encourage responsible energy production, fostering growth and tax revenue by expanding pipeline infrastructure and encouraging continued investment in innovations that have made the United States the world leader in energy production and environmental progress. Ann Bradbury, chief executive officer of the American Exploration and Production Council released a statement saying, The long-term demand outlook remains strong and American oil and gas companies produce based on demand, while planning for short term disruptions in the market. We plan and structure our operations to be nimble, as we continue to operate safely and efficiently to provide the world with American energy. American oil and gas provides our allies with safe and clean energy, while protecting our national security interests. Sound regulations and policies that enable U.S. independent producers to continue leading the world in energy development are needed to ensure that our allies do not need to rely on Russian-produced energy and that our country retains the energy independence we sought for decades, she said. The United States (US) on Tuesday praised the Indian Air Force (IAF) for bringing back home 58 Indian citizens from coronavirus-hit Iran. The US Department of State's Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, in a tweet, said, "The safety & security of citizens is of the utmost importance, especially in challenging times. Pleased to see @IAF_MCC deploying @Boeing C-17s to evacuate Indian citizens back home. This unique aircraft has greatly enhanced #India's disaster response capabilities." The safety & security of citizens is of the utmost importance, especially in challenging times. Pleased to see @IAF_MCC deploying @Boeing C-17s to evacuate Indian citizens back home. This unique aircraft has greatly enhanced #India's disaster response capabilities. AGW https://t.co/V4qsVjZuSG - State_SCA (@State_SCA) March 10, 2020 IAF brought back 58 Indians from Iran in a Boeing's C-17 Globemaster aircraft on Tuesday, March 10. The IAF aircraft was sent to Tehran on March 9. IAF spokesperson Group Captain Anupam Banerjee said the C-17 Globemaster aircraft evacuated 25 men, 31 women and two children. It also brought samples of 529 Indians to carry out laboratory tests and check whether they have coronavirus infection. All those who returned have been placed at a quarantine medical facility in Hindon, Uttar Pradesh. About 2,000 Indians are living in Iran, a country that has witnessed increasing numbers of coronavirus cases in the last few days. India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in a tweet, said, "The IAF aircraft has landed. Mission completed. On to the next". Earlier, Jaishankar had tweeted, "First batch of 58 Indian pilgrims being brought back from Iran. IAF C-17 taken off from Tehran and expected to land soon in Hindon." "Thanks to the efforts of our Embassy @India_in_Iran and Indian medical team there, operating under challenging conditions. Thank you @IAF_MCC. Appreciate cooperation of Iranian authorities. We are working on the return of other Indians stranded there," he added. As per the latest reports, around 237 people have died of coronavirus in Iran and the total number of positive cases stands around 7,000. This was IAF's second evacuation in the past two weeks. On February 27, the IAF evacuated 76 Indian nationals and 36 foreigners in its C-17 Globemaster's aircraft from China's Wuhan, where the outbreak began in the first place. The Boeing C-17 Globemaster is IAF's largest military aircraft and can carry large equipment, humanitarian aid and troops across long distances. (With agency inputs) (Edited by Vivek Dubey) Also Read: MP political crisis: Jyotiraditya Scindia quits Congress; posts resignation letter on Twitter Also Read: Holi celebration: India's festival of colours muted amid coronavirus fears Also Read: Yes Bank crisis: NEFT enabled for payment of credit card dues, loan EMIs WASHINGTON -- A member of the Senate Armed Services Committee has called on Kosovo to annul tariffs on Serbian goods and services or face a withdrawal of U.S. troops. Senator David Perdue (Republican-Georgia) said on March 10 that U.S. forces have helped maintain peace between Kosovo and Serbia and that Pristina now must do its part to maintain stability by removing the tariffs, he said, reiterating the Trump administration's policy. If Kosovo is not fully committed to peace, then the U.S. should reconsider its presence there, Perdue, who is also a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a tweet. Donald Trump Jr., the U.S. presidents son, retweeted Perdues statement, adding there are 650 troops in Kosovo and that it's time to bring them home. The United States is one of the biggest backers of Kosovo's independence from Serbia, which Pristina declared in 2008. Serbia continues to consider its former province part of its territory. Pristina imposed 100 percent tariffs on Serbian goods and services in November 2018 in response to Belgrade's continued lobbying for countries to reverse their recognition of Kosovo. Sierra Leone recently became the 18th country to withdraw its recognition of Kosovo as an independent nation. The Kosovar government on February 27 announced it would temporarily and partly lift the tariff -- a move described by the special envoy for Serbia and Kosovo, Richard Grenell, who has recently been appointed as Trump's intelligence chief, as a half measure. Grenell earlier this month brought Kosovar President Hashim Thaci and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic together at the While House to discuss ways to reach a final agreement between the two Balkan countries. With reporting by RFE/RL's Balkan Service Some 4.9 million people have left Venezuela, wracked by years of economic and political crisis, the UN rights chief said Tuesday, decrying ongoing attacks on opposition politicians, protesters and journalists. Providing an update on the human rights situation in Venezuela to the UN Human Rights Council, Michelle Bachelet warned that "political tensions and acts of violence by security forces and government supporters against opposition parliamentarians have continued" since her last report in September. She lamented that opposition parliamentarian Gilber Caro and his assistant Victor Ugas remained detained in an unknown location since their arrest late last year, while congressman Ismael Leon remained under house arrest. "My office has also documented attacks on political opponents, demonstrators and journalists, without follow-up action by the security forces," Bachelet said. She also pointed out that security forces had since the beginning of the year been blocking opposition politicians from accessing the parliament. "In addition, my Office continues to receive allegations of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment at the headquarters of the General Directorate of Military Counter Intelligence in Caracas," she said. The UN rights chief warned that unions were also under attack, with union leaders facing evictions and arbitrary detentions. These abuses come as Venezuelans face a towering political crisis, with opposition leader Juan Guaido recognised as interim president by more than 50 countries, including the United States. They are also suffering the worst economic and social crisis in recent history, with medicine and food shortages common. Bachelet pointed to UN statistics showing a full "4.9 million people have left the country." She voiced concern over punishing sanctions slapped on the country by the administration of US President Donald Trump, including an oil embargo. This, she warned, had severely hit the government's "resources for social spending" at a time when 2.3 million people in the country are "severely food insecure", and another seven million are considered "moderately food insecure." "Despite exceptions to allow imports of medicines, food and humanitarian supplies, public services and the general population continue to suffer from the impact of strict financial sector scrutiny," Bachelet said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The cops hunch was confirmed when the man emerged from underneath the SUV with a small electric saw in hand. The officer announced who he was and the other man, John Jimmy Fleming, 27, raised a silver handgun and fired at the officer, authorities said during a bail hearing Tuesday at the Leighton Criminal Court Building. A 65-year-old German tourist has tested positive for COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, the first known case in northern Cyprus, authorities said on Tuesday. The Mediterranean island is divided between areas under the de facto control of EU member state the Republic of Cyprus and the northern third controlled by the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognised only by Ankara. Turkish Cypriot Health Minister Ali Pilli told media that the German woman was among a 30-member tourist group who arrived in northern Cyprus from Balingen in Germany on Sunday. The woman was taken to a hospital in Nicosia after complaining of high fever, was put under quarantine and tested positive on Tuesday morning, the minister said. The hotel where the German group was staying in the coastal city of Famagusta was also on lockdown, he added. On Monday the Republic of Cyprus reported its first two confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, meaning that all 27 European Union member states have now reported infections. Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said the two cases were both Cypriot men who had recently travelled home from overseas, and had been among dozens of people tested. Greek Cypriot authorities on 29 February closed four of the eight checkpoints on the line dividing the island "for more effective control over the entry points", sparking angry protests. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) POTTSTOWN Borough council unanimously approved site plans Monday night for a proposed $208 million sustainable energy facility on Keystone Boulevard that is expected to generate more than 100 jobs. Now called the Pottstown Sustainable Energy Park, or PSEP, the project is being proposed for 11 acres at 405 Keystone Blvd. The company uses a new process called "gasification" to... MISSOULA Grand presumption (not permission) supports the family of Richard Geary in composing for public consumption the following notes on his life. Born April 2, 1947, to William Geary and Lois Evans Geary, R.N., Dick grew up on the family ranch in Helmville. There, through seventh grade, he attended a one-room, coal-heated school with his siblings and cousins. Living the academic year in Deer Lodge, he graduated high school in 1965. Much later in life he would graduate from the University of Montana with a degree in speech, language and audiology. Dicks informal education, however, informed the man far more than his academic. He served in the Montana National Guard and wrote of that time and ranching in his newspaper columns. Five years as an agricultural outreach and loan agent with the Peace Corps in rural Brazil affected him most significantly. Fluent in Portuguese, he fell in love with the country, its people, the very flora and fauna. He would tell of a trip to Argentina and the moment when his heart seemed to drop, and time stop; he knew in that instant the precocious parrot with whom he shared his days had died back home in Barra de Burges. He returned to live in Brazil in 2017, informing his column readers he would miss only seven people here. (He would later reduce the number to five.) None of his eight siblings foster any illusion they were among that number. A health crisis in Brazil would cheat him of his life-end plan to simply walk into the Amazon. In a 48-hour round trip, his sister Joyce brought him home (willingly). (Heartfelt appreciation to his readers, friends and family who helped fund the trips). He began life anew in his sister Elaines home near the Missouri River where he continued to produce 800 column words a week, (Dick column was printed by the Missoulian, Silver State Post, Philipsburg Mail and Blackfoot Valley Dispatch). Provocative, nostalgic: readers never knew what to expect and Dick liked it that way. He suffered neither fools nor their false gods silently. Writer, ranch life, acerbic iconoclast, he enjoyed opera for its angst, mocking country for the rhyming lines. As ranch manager he once stopped work to lay a cottonwood branch over a Grant Creek rivulet, allowing a troop of traumatized ants to continue their march home. He raised finches, cared for feral cats and ensured neighborhood skunks were cared for, even inviting them into share his dogs food, which backfired on occasion. A photographer with a keen eye, Dick said he would sooner throw his camera in a ditch than take a photo of person or a mountain. For weeks he monitored the light through a barn door, capturing the iron-age shadow cast by an antique anvil. His dogs and his horse were christened with the names of men he admired. Chris (McLaughlin), Paul (Jacobson) were without question this mans best friends. They and his horse Kenny (Esterby) precede him in death. Richard is survived by his siblings: Joyce, Bob, Elaine, Joan, Daniel, Jacob, Joe, Katie, 12 nieces and nephews and many cousins here and in Ireland. Jeanette Barnes, Michelle Holt, Tom Gilbert, Dan Coughlin, Annette Mannix Gardner and Aidan Beatty warrant special notice. Additionally, heartfelt thank-you's to his many column readers, many of whom reached out through e-mail and phone to encourage and challenge him in his writing, and offer condolences at his passing. Family and Friends hope to publish his writings and photography, including the book he had dreamed of publishing. If you would wish to honor Richard, we recommend: Free a dog from a life on leash. Support non-traditional journalism. Honor your horse as the real ranch hand. Read James Joyces "Ulysses," Faulkners "As I Lay Dying & Mark Twains War Prayer. Build an insect bridge on the bosss time. Live (as Albert Camus enjoined) to the point of tears . If it is indeed unto dust we return, may Richards drift into a pole corral where a good horse, days work done, rolls four times, increasing its worth by one hundred dollars with each robust turn. A private gathering followed by a celebration of Richard's oft-eccentric life will be held in Helmville at a later date. WARREN, N.J., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Control Point Associates, Inc., a professional land surveying, geospatial, and consulting firm, today announced that the company has relocated its corporate headquarters to a new office in Warren, New Jersey. Control Point Associates, Inc.'s new headquarters is located at 30 Independence Boulevard. "Due to the continuous growth we have experienced over the last eight years, this expansion will allow us to better serve the needs of our staff and ever-growing client base," said Richard A. Butkus, Jr., President/Managing Partner of Control Point Associates, Inc. "It will also allow for anticipated future growth in the coming years." Control Point Associates, Inc. has operated continuously in Warren for over 27 years. The company is expanding its office to accommodate the rising headcount needed to support record sales and revenue. The new space provides a world-class workspace with numerous collaboration and wellness features and supports the company's multi-year strategic growth initiative. "We are at an exciting point in the company's evolution. The new base of operations is a natural step towards our global expansion, a hub that will be at the center of a strategic vision for our sustained growth long into the future," Richard A. Butkus, Jr., President/Managing Partner, said. "The new building provides our staff with an elevated work experience that will make our current employees more productive and attract the highest level talent in what is a very competitive market place." The new location is more convenient and centrally located, with easy access to I-78, I-287, and I-95. About Control Point Associates, Inc. Established in 1992, Control Point Associates, Inc. has provided a variety of professional land surveying, construction stakeout, 3D laser scanning and modeling, mobile LiDAR, GIS, subsurface utility locating, aerial photogrammetry, UAV, and hydrographic services to meet the demands of their expanding client base. Our mission is to provide high-quality, cost-effective services while delivering exceptional customer service to our clients. Media Contact: Caitlin Kane (908) 668-0099 [email protected] SOURCE Control Point Associates, Inc. ALBANY Gov. Andrew Cuomo revealed on Monday a hand sanitizer the state is prodoucing to help combat the coronavirus outbreak. But as the governor announced New York's inmates are making the hand sanitizer, critics raised concerns about what's being done to protect the state's prison and jail populations from the spread of the respiratory illness particularly because the product is considered contraband. Because hand sanitizer contains alcohol, it is strictly forbidden in jails. Coronavirus has not created an exception to the rule, according to the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Agency officials, however, said inmates have access to soap and water regularly in detention facilities. Elected officials and a collection of advocacy groups, including Citizen Action of New York and VOCAL-NY, were quick to point out the irony that inmates are producing up to 100,000 gallons a week of hand sanitizer they're not allowed to use themselves. "The sacrifices made by people in prison to manufacture this product at wages below $1 per hour will be a significant factor in slowing down the spread of the outbreak," they said in a statement. "We are disgusted at Governor Cuomos decision to exploit prison labor to push back the imminent public health crisis presented by COVID-19 while doing absolutely nothing for incarcerated people across the state." Cuomo orders 'containment area' in New Rochelle; National Guard to assist Skidmore students studying abroad impacted by coronavirus concerns Warren County calls 400 in relation to CVS pharmacist infected with coronavirus RPI will fight for playoffs at home but in front of no fans Complete Times Union coverage In the face of backlash, Cuomo's office stood firm in their decision to have inmates produce the hand sanitizer. "A central part of prison rehabilitation is job training and skill development, and this is part of that existing program that's been in place for years," Rich Azzopardi, Cuomo's senior adviser, said in a statement. Regardless, advocates and elected officials are concerned about COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, spreading to and within detention facilities, and whether facility rules will limit the ability to contain and treat the illness. Khalil Cumberbatch, chief strategist for New Yorkers United for Justice, said incarcerated individuals are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 because of close quarters and "subpar conditions" in jails and prisons. "An outbreak would exacerbate an already stretched prison health system," he said in a statement. He urged detention facilities to establish protocol to prevent the outbreak from hitting and spreading among incarcerated people. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Rensselaer, Saratoga and Albany county sheriffs did not respond to requests for comment. To date, no one incarcerated in state prisons has exhibited symptoms of COVID-19, according to DOCCS. Detention facilities each have emergency control plans in case of an illness outbreak, and DOCCS is in the process of reevaluating protocol and taking inventory on emergency supplies as COVID-19 continues to spread, reaching 173 statewide cases as of Tuesday. However, inmates are still not allowed to have hand sanitizer or purchase it at the commissary, nor are they allowed to use face masks. The department did not explain how an incarcerated individual will be treated or quarantined if they test positive for COVID-19. No correction officers have exhibited symptoms or tested positive for COVID-19 yet, either. As of now, there has not been a shortage of staffing at detention facilities, according to DOCCS. Correction officers will only be permitted to use face masks if needed for specific work tasks. The department announced in a news release a new screening protocol for visitors that took place this week to prevent the entrance of coronavirus into its facilities, warning it could result in longer wait times and denied entry into facilities. Beginning Monday, visitors and volunteers will be asked questions about illness or symptoms, international travel they or family members have done in the past month and whether they've had direct exposure to people diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past month. "The health of staff, incarcerated individuals, visitors and volunteers is of utmost importance, and this procedure is being proactively implemented in order to avoid the introduction of COVID-19 into the Departments facilities," the news release said. Indian markets just wiped out about Rs 7 lakh cr in terms of market capitalisation on the BSE just a day ahead of Holi. The S&P BSE Sensex and Nifty50 witnessed their worst day in history in absolute terms. The only color which D-Street is playing with is deep red, thanks to a fall in crude oil prices, rising cases of Coronavirus which is creating threatening to impact global growth, and a fall in US Treasury Yields. The recent fall seen in equity markets has turned sentiment weak but at the same time, it has also made valuations slightly more attractive for long term investors. Hence, investors should ignore the noise and focus on picking quality stocks on declines. D-Street is clearly playing red Holi this year, youve likely heard that investing in stocks and bonds is a good way to diversify your portfolio. The most important point is tune out of market noises and dont let your own fears or the fears of others cause you to act irrationally, Dyaneshwar Padwal AVP- Technical Analyst at KIFS Trade Capital, told Moneycontrol. Investors should gradually accumulate good stocks which are having a strong financial position, a strong balance sheet and a strong free cash flow generation as these stocks are generally not impacted too much and are consistent performers, suggest experts. Although it may be difficult to predict the bottom, any dips towards 10,000 will be an attractive level to buy into your stocks. Long term shouldnt be viewed as one year but at least for a good 10 years. While domestic retail investors dont have that kind of patience and miss out accumulating an enormous amount of wealth, Paras Bothra, President of Equity Research, Ashika Stock Broking, told Moneycontrol. Nevertheless, companies like Asian Paints, HDFC bank, Britannia, Nestle & Tata Consumers could be excellent compounders over long term, provided the panic in the markets give some good bargain buying opportunity in these names, he said. The recent fall in Indian markets is largely on account of external factors. Hence, once there is stability on the global front, Indian markets should be able to bottom out. In order to safeguard the portfolio, one must opt for diversification. The current fall in Crude prices is going to benefit petroleum and paint companies in the country. So, these should be included in the portfolio along with Gold, suggest experts. Gold futures can also be included in the portfolio as there exists an inverse relation between equity and gold. Midcap pharma stocks should also be acquired and this will optimally diversify the portfolio and help to cruise through the turbulent waters of Nifty, Gaurav Garg, Head of Research at CapitalVia Global Research Limited- Investment Advisor, told Moneycontrol. Victoria Hewson is a solicitor and co-founder of Radical, a campaign for truth and freedom in the gender recognition debate. She and Rebecca Lowe, her co-founder, alternate authorship of this column on trans, sex and gender issues. The culture wars over sex and gender are increasingly being played out in the courts. The judge in Maya Forstaters recent employment tribunal found her belief that sex is immutable to be unworthy of protection in a democratic society. Harry Miller won a judicial review against the College of Policing over action taken against him for sharing gender critical material on social media. Kate Scottow was found guilty of an offence for caus[ing] annoyance, inconvenience and anxiety during a sustained Twitter squabble with a serial litigant transwoman. And another judicial review has just begun, into the treatment of children by the NHS Gender Identity Development Service (GIDs) brought by a nurse, a parent, and a former patient. This growing legal focus stems from developments in UK legislation and case law, alongside the impact of activist judgments by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The 2004 Gender Recognition Act (GRA) allows trans people (on having proven they have gender dysphoria, and having lived as their acquired sex for two years) to obtain certificates entitling them to be treated as belonging to that sex for (almost) all legal purposes. This Act was passed after the ECHR found in the 2002 case of Goodwin v UK (Goodwin) that the UK was violating the rights of transsexuals (the then-standard term for trans people) to a private life, under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. This violation was manifested by the UKs failure to afford full legal recognition of these peoples new gender (or sex, or even sexual identity as the judgment uses all three terms, pretty much interchangeably). The ECHR acknowledged that its decision went against its own recent case law, but decided it should proceed with a dynamic and evolutive approach. In the 1996 case, P v S and Cornwall County Council (Cornwall), the ECJ decided that discrimination against a person on the grounds of gender reassignment was already prohibited, thanks to a directive covering discrimination on the grounds of sex. The UK government was therefore required to introduce a regulation providing protection along these lines despite the fact that the relevant directive actually referred to sex, rather than gender reassignment or gender identity. (Indeed, it was then considered necessary to update the directive itself!). In his influential advice to the court, the Advocate General acknowledged the potential controversy ahead: I am well aware that I am asking the Court to make a `courageous decision [but] what is at stake is a universal fundamental value, indelibly etched in modern legal traditions and in the constitutions of the more advanced countries: the irrelevance of a persons sex with regard to the rules regulating relations in society. * The consequences of both these cases have been far-reaching. The law is now confused and confusing and the interaction between the GRA and the Equality Act (2010) is particularly complicated. Try working out this explanation from the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC): Under the [Equality ] Act, the protection from gender reassignment discrimination applies to all trans people who are proposing to go, are undergoing or have undergone (part of) a process of gender reassignment. At the same time, a trans person is protected from sex discrimination on the basis of their legal sex. This means that a trans woman who does not hold a GRC and is therefore legally male would be treated as male for the purposes of the sex discrimination provisions, and a trans woman with a GRC would be treated as female. The sex discrimination exceptions in the Equality Act therefore apply differently to a trans person with a GRC or without a GRC. Moreover, there are circumstances in which its permitted to discriminate between (natal) women and transwomen (including those holding GRCs) when deemed necessary and proportionate to achieving a legitimate aim (regarding safety or welfare, for instance). Confusion over this has been exploited by activists, who sometimes misstate the law to suggest that excluding trans people from single-sex spaces is already illegal. In Goodwin, the ECHR uncritically used expressions like brain sex, which would surely provoke derision not least from feminists and medical professionals today. And, surely, the drafters of the legal instruments the judges interpreted in these cases could not have expected the outcomes that arose. We can certainly see that the judges themselves didnt and werent really in a position to undertake analyses of their decisions policy implications. But such is the elevated and entrenched position of both human rights and EU law that Parliament could do little but introduce, and maintain, legislation bringing the UK into compliance with the findings of the European courts. Now, amidst widespread confusion, and following variation across recent judgments in the UK courts, its time our Government stepped up. Trans rights activists had a head start with judgments like Goodwin and Cornwall; conservatives, feminists, and society at large have much ground to make up. The GRAs obscure wording, and the complex and all-encompassing provisions of the Equality Act, together with public authorities uncritical acceptance of trans activists claims, have led to worrying developments. These include current English and Scottish proposals to remove the need for medical diagnosis and proof of living in ones acquired gender when obtaining legal recognition of having changed sex. This would result in so-called self-ID, and the effective loss of single-sex spaces, amongst other consequences. We have also seen startling increases in life-changing medical interventions on young people. But recent case law has shown that this movement is now starting to collapse under its own contradictions. Perhaps the UK government was right in 2002, when it disputed that scientific research and societal change had led to wide acceptance and consensus on transsexual issues. And perhaps the judges were wrong when they pronounced that there were no significant factors of public interest to weigh against the interests of [Christine Goodwin] in obtaining legal recognition of her gender reassignment. In light of large sections of the Labour Party demanding that anyone denying that TWAW (transwomen are women) must be censured, it should also be remembered that it was the perceived movement of other countries that gave the ECHR the grounds to override the UKs margin of appreciation to determine the matter ourselves. We must not be swept along again without open debate and widespread understanding of the possible implications of further legal changes. All of this also demonstrates the need to consider carefully both the role of judges, and the boundaries of human rights laws. In the cases outlined here, activist judges were able to make laws that have had serious societal consequences. In seeking to protect the rights of trans people, judges have set in train a series of legal and cultural developments that threaten the privacy and the safety of women and children. As the current government looks into taking back control from judges, these cases provide a stark illustration of what can happen when judges decisions have profound political impact on highly contestable issues. *This irrelevance may come as news to ConservativeHome readers. Lagos State Government today announced the launch of Eko cab Lagos Lagos State ride-hailing platform for yellow taxis in partnership with EkoCab Nigeria. The new e-hailing platform launched in partnership with Ekocab Nigeria is looking to onboard thousands of yellow taxis and private cars to the platform to ease transportation challenges in Lagos State, Nigeria. DONT MISS: Lagos Residents Reacts As Government Launches New Buses With Free Wi-Fi, USB Port, Others [Photos] Ekocab was launched in 2017 and signed a partnership agreement with the Lagos State Taxi and Cab Operators Association in 2019 to work with Lagos State yellow taxi drivers. Just like with Uber and Taxify, Ekocab mobile app will connect a driver-partner and a rider who requests a ride, before the driver arrives to pick up the rider. READ: Lagos State Government Bans Okadas, Tricyles, Including Opay, Gokada The cost of an Ekocab ride is calculated based on the distance of the trip, total travel time, and the base fare, which users can pay for using their smartphones. The platform will be leveraging on a negotiable pricing model with thresholds, and will charge a 15% commission on rides from both yellow taxis and private cars via the app. Uber and Bolt fell out with Lagos State government over fees and licensing. Though they are still negotiating new terms for their business module, its believed the situation will be resolved very soon. ALSO READ: New Mini Buses Spotted In Lagos As Replacement For Banned Okada And Keke Napep [Photos] YOU MIGHT LIKE: Taxify Driver Throws Female Passenger Out Of His Speeding Car For Not Paying Him In Cash After an incident in which a students disappearance went unreported for hours, the Toronto District School Board has told staff that parents and guardians must be notified no later than 75 minutes after the start of school if a child is absent. As we have witnessed in the events that unfolded last week, delays in taking and reporting attendance can have serious consequences for student safety, director of education John Malloy wrote Monday in an emailed message to families of secondary school students. In the weeks ahead, we will be reviewing the TDSBs student attendance and safe arrival procedures to determine how the procedures can be further strengthened and will be working with schools to better understand current practices as part of this process, wrote Malloy. The email follows an incident in which a 14-year-old Grade 9 male student failed to arrive at Newtonbrook Secondary School last Wednesday after he was seen being forced into an SUV near his home. The school did not issue a morning absence alert and only informed the boys parents after 6 p.m. that he had not shown up that day. An Amber Alert was issued around midnight, and the teen was discovered dishevelled but safe on Thursday night. Police have yet to make arrests, but said the boys stepbrother owed a large debt in relation to a cocaine ring. In his email to parents, Molloy said principals, teachers and office staff have all been reminded of the importance of the procedures and that he expects parents and guardians to be alerted as soon as possible if your child has not arrived at school in the morning. Four school staff members, including more than one teacher, remain on home assignment pending the results of an internal investigation, TDSB spokesperson Ryan Bird said in a phone interview Monday evening. Bird said an internal review of procedures is underway and almost complete. We determined that a number of schools have different times when those first (absence) calls go out to report students absent, said Bird. Bottom line, we have always had procedures that require teachers to submit attendance and for the calls to go to notify parents. But what we realized after last week was that there are varying times of when those calls go out. So when we learned that, thats when we began, we've, as weve laid out to parents, and weve laid out to staff, that its our expectation that those first calls should go out no later than 75 minutes after the start of school. The protocols are in place for all schools, said Bird, but there seemed to be some room for interpretation, thus the new 75 minute limit. Bird said a number of our schools are using different times and thats why we set up the expectations. He said the board hopes to wrap up its internal investigation in the very near future. Daniel Stanton speaking at South Dakota Mines in 2019. Any time that there are shortages of legitimate products in the marketplace, it creates an opportunity for counterfeiters. The run on toilet paper, hand sanitizer and face masks at retail outlets around the nation is one example of the kind of supply chain disruption businesses need to prepare for as the coronavirus outbreak evolves. The public fear around the coronavirus is coupled with the closing of factories and ports at major manufacturing centers around the world. The resulting supply chain disruptions have sent a shock wave through markets. All of this is leading to significant uncertainty for investors, managers and owners. Daniel Stanton, author of the book Supply Chain Management For Dummies, is an entrepreneur in residence at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. He says its never too late to start managing risks. Right now, every manufacturer, distributor, retailer and logistics company should have a rapid response team in place that is monitoring the news and keeping track of their supply chain. These folks need to connect the dots quickly to identify how the coronavirus is evolving and respond in ways that minimize the impact to your supply chain, he says. Stanton says business owners and managers should strive to get one step ahead of the evolving situation. I think too many leaders are taking a wait and see approach, instead of responding proactively. Yes, there are a lot of unanswered questions. But there are also a lot of things that were pretty sure about, such as how the disease is being spread. We also know it is going to get worse before it gets better, says Stanton. The good news is that most companies have a lot more inventory in their supply chains than they realize, and this acts as a shock absorber when theres a short disruption. But the longer that the coronavirus outbreak goes, the more likely we are to start seeing shortages of all kinds of products. Small companies in particular are going to run into financial difficulties if their cashflow is disrupted for a long time." Stanton is the company president and cofounder of SecureMarking, Inc. His business provides a powerful new tool for manufacturers, distributors and their customers to combat the growing threat of counterfeit, black market and grey market products in global supply chains. The technology behind SecureMarking Inc. was developed at South Dakota Mines. Stanton says the supply chain disruption opens the door for more counterfeit goods. This doesnt just mean brand name items. It could also threaten important safety components inside the electronic goods we use every day. Any time that there are shortages of legitimate products in the marketplace, it creates an opportunity for counterfeiters, says Stanton. Companies become desperate to fill orders and may relax their procurement rules and quality standards. That creates the risk of contaminating the entire supply chain with fake and low-quality materials, which can do even more damage than the original disruption. For average consumers, this also means uncertainty. Stanton says the public often takes supply chains for granted. People dont realize where the things we buy come from, and how many people are involved in the process, says Stanton. When theres a disruption that prevents people from coming to work, sooner or later that gets felt by their customers the folks downstream in the supply chain. But it also gets felt by their suppliers the folks upstream in the supply chain. Because if your customer isnt making and selling their own products, then they arent going to buy materials from you, either. Stanton, PMP, CSCP, SCPro, MCSE, MCP, MBA, M Eng, is a global executive with expertise in supply chain management and project leadership. He has worked with Caterpillar, the U.S. Navy, APICS (now ASCM), MHI and several smaller firms. He is an alumnus of South Dakota Mines and has also been a professor at Bradley University, Jack Welch Management Institute and National American University. Stanton is recognized as a LinkedIn Learning Insider, a "Pro to Know" for Supply & Demand Chain Executive Magazine and a Supply Chain Futurist for IBM Sterling Supply Chain. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2020) - Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd. (TSXV: SCZ) (the "Company" or "Santacruz") announces that, following a review of its Veta Grande Mine operations in Zacatecas, Mexico the Company has decided to suspend the operation of the processing facility for approximately six months to facilitate plant and new tailings storage facility ("TSF") upgrades. "While we are continuing with the geotechnical evaluations and assessments of the remaining capacity at the existing TSF, we have made the decision to suspend processing at Veta Grande", stated Carlos Silva, COO of Santacruz. "This will provide the opportunity to safely engage in improvements at the processing plant concurrent with the construction of the new TSF while continuing with mine and resource development." Mr. Silva continued, "The project includes upgrades to the crushing plant, flotation circuits and ball mills, some of which are already in progress. The mill and TSF improvements are expected to increase the tonnage milling capacity, improve the recovery efficiencies and reusage of wastewater from the TSF at Veta Grande making it a more efficient plant." As the Company keeps increasing its mill throughputs at Zimapan and Rosario mines, we expect to offset by 70% the Veta Grande production by the end of May 2020. About Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd. Santacruz is a Mexican focused silver company with two producing silver projects, Veta Grande (with production temporarily suspended) and Rosario, and two exploration properties, the Minillas property and Zacatecas properties. The Company also owns 100% of Carrizal Mining S.A. de C.V. Carrizal Mining is a private Mexican mining company, the principal asset of which is a 20% working interest in the Company's Veta Grande Project. Carrizal Mining also has the right to operate the Zimapan Mine until December 31, 2020 under a mining lease agreement. The Company is managed by a technical team of professionals with proven track records in developing, operating and discovering silver mines in Mexico. Our corporate objective is to become a mid-tier silver producer. 'signed' Arturo Prestamo Elizondo, President, Chief Executive Officer and Director For further information please contact: Arturo Prestamo Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd. Email: info@santacruzsilver.com Telephone: (604) 569-1609 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. Forward looking information Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements relating to the TSF improvements project at Veta Grande and plans to increase throughputs at the Zimapan and Rosario mines. Forward-looking information is based on plans, expectations and estimates of management at the date the information is provided and is subject to certain factors and assumptions. In making the forward-looking statements included in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including that the Company's financial condition and development plans do not change as a result of unforeseen events, and that future metal prices and the demand and market outlook for metals will remain stable or improve. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause the forward-looking information in this news release to change or to be inaccurate include, but are not limited to, the risk that any of the assumptions referred to above prove not to be valid or reliable; risks associated with potential delays in the funding and timing of the TSF improvements including the risk that the project will not achieve all of its intended objectives; risks associated with increasing the throughput of the Zimapan and Rosario mines; delays and/or cessation in planned work; changes in the Company's financial condition and development plans; risks associated with the interpretation of data (including in respect of the third party mineralized material) regarding the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; the uncertainty of the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits and the risk of unexpected variations in mineral resources, grade and/or recovery rates; market conditions and volatility and global economic conditions; risks related to gold, silver, base metal and other commodity price fluctuations; risks relating to environmental regulation and liability; the possibility that results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, as well as the other risks and uncertainties applicable to mineral exploration and development activities and to the Company as set forth in the Company's continuous disclosure filings filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information or statements, other than as required by applicable law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/53329 India has temporarily suspended all the visas and e-visas granted on or before March 11 to nationals of three more coronavirus-affected countries -- France, Germany and Spain -- effective immediately, as part of the measure to contain the spread of the deadly virus. Earlier, the government had suspended visas and e-visas for nationals of Italy, Iran, South Korea, Japan and China. The decision was taken during a high-level review meeting chaired by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba with secretaries of the concerned ministries or departments to review the status, actions, preparedness and management of COVID-19 cases in the country. "With respect to restrictions on visa, besides the already issued instructions, all regular visas (including e-visas) which have been granted to nationals of France, Germany and Spain on or before March 11, 2020, and where these foreigners have not yet entered India stands suspended," an official release said. Visas and e-visas granted to all foreign nationals who have travel history to aforementioned countries on or after February 1 and who have not yet entered India also stand suspended. "Visas of all foreigners already in India remain valid and they may contact the nearest FRRO/FRO through e-FRRO (Foreigners' Regional Registration Office) module for extension or conversion of their visa or grant of any consular service, if they choose to do so. A notification to this effect is being issued by the Bureau of Immigration (BOI)," the statement said. In addition, the government also issued an advisory, calling on passengers with travel history to China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Italy, Thailand, Singapore, Iran, Malaysia, France, Spain and Germany to undergo self-imposed quarantine for a period of 14 days from the date of their arrival, and their employers to facilitate work-from-home for such employees during this period. Further, in continuation of already issued advisories on travel, the government has advised its citizens to refrain from travelling to France, Spain and Germany. A total of 50 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the country, till now. After the 44 positive cases declared yesterday, three positive cases were reported from Bengaluru (with travel history from the US via Dubai), one more from Bengaluru with travel history from the US via Heathrow, and two positive cases from Pune (travel history from Dubai). Three of the total cases (earlier cases from Kerala) have been discharged now. Of these 50 cases, 34 are Indian nationals and 16 are Italians. In addition, the two deaths reported from Murshidabad and Ladakh yesterday were both found to be negative for COVID-19, the statement said. More than 1,400 contacts have been put under surveillance for these positive cases, till date. Also, a total of 404 Indian contacts of the US citizen tested positive for COVID-19 in Bhutan have been identified and put under surveillance in Assam. Additionally, the first batch of 58 evacuees from Iran arrived today with 25 men, 31 women and two children on board. "The IAF C-17 flight arrived at 9.27 am today. All the evacuees are monitored and clinically stable presently," the statement 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 Matthias Inverardi and Michael Nienaber (Reuters) Berlin, Germany Tue, March 10, 2020 06:32 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20696bacd 2 World Germany,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,outbreak,COVID-19,health,Europe,death-toll Free Germany confirmed its first two deaths from the coronavirus on Monday as its overall number of new infections rose by 20% to 1,139, the latest signs that the epidemic is spreading rapidly in Europe's largest economy. Germany's tally, far short of Italy's 7,300, included a cluster of 322 in one municipality. Officials in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia said an 89-year-old woman had died in the town of Essen and that a 78-year-old man with pre-existing health conditions had died in the badly affected region of Heinsberg. The patient in Essen had tested positive with coronavirus on March 3 after being taken to hospital in already critical condition, local authorities said. The patient in the Heinsberg district, in Germany's rural far west had been admitted on Friday with pre-existing heart problems and diabetes, said Stephan Pusch, administrative head of the district. "This shows again that older people and people with pre-existing health problems are particularly at risk," he said. No large events To limit the spread of the virus, the regional government in the also badly affected southern state of Bavaria decided to ban all events with more than 1,000 participants, the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper reported. The decision followed a plea by German Health Minister Jens Spahn to call such large events off nationwide, along with a promise to discuss mitigating the economic consequences of that decision. Chancellor Angela Merkel's governing coalition agreed to make it easier for companies to claim subsidies to support workers on reduced working hours until the end of the year. That would make it possible for firms to cut the hours and wages they offered their workers, with the government making up nearly two-thirds of the shortfall, preventing layoffs that might otherwise become necessary. Several German companies have been badly hit, including the carmaker Daimler and the airline group Lufthansa, which has cancelled half its flights over the coming months. Merkel said on Monday she expected Finance Minister Olaf Scholz and Economy Minister Peter Altmaier to present further measures this week to help companies bridge liquidity problems due to the coronavirus. Scholz told the RND media group on Monday that, if the epidemic pushed the economy into a severe crisis, the government would do "everything necessary" to stabilize it. Officials estimate that Berlin could put together a stimulus package worth up to 50 billion euros (US$57.30 billion), without ditching the government's policy of not increasing debt. Board changes and development partnership with DavosPharma also announced; DavosPharma will oversee the preparation of clinical supplies and regulatory clearances to advance PCLX-001 through development for Phase I clinical trials. EDMONTON, ALBERTA / ACCESSWIRE / March 4, 2020 / PACYLEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC. (Pacylex), a pre-clinical pharmaceutical company, announces it raised over US$3.9M in a 2020 convertible note financing led by a group of Canadian angel investors from Edmonton. These funds will support advancing the Company's first product, PCLX-001, to clinical trials anticipated to start later this year. PCLX-001 targets hematologic cancers and is a new, first-in-class therapeutic. Pacylex previously raised approximately US $2 million in convertible note financings in 2018 and 2019 from a mix of US and Canadian angel investors. To view the full interactive multimedia news release, click here. Key Takeaways $3.9 M US to advance the Company's first product, PCLX-001, to clinical trials Rapid, now funded development - on path for IND filing within 6-9 months. DavosPharma to oversee the preparation of clinical supplies and regulatory clearances to advance PCLX-001 through development for Phase I clinical trials. About Pacylex Pacylex is a pre-clinical pharmaceutical company targeting hematologic cancers with a new first-in-class therapeutic, and is headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta. Pacylex's technology combines new insights from Dr. Luc Berthiaume of the University of Alberta, connecting myristoylation to cancer, with a family of high-quality myristoylation inhibitors developed for African sleeping sickness by the University of Dundee Drug Discovery Unit in a program funded by Wellcome Trust. Pacylex licensed the molecules from the University of Dundee in 2015 to develop in oncology. PCLX-001 is the lead drug in a new class of NMT inhibitors, exploiting this new clinical target for cancer treatment. Pacylex plans to begin clinical studies of PCLX-001 in 2020 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and solid tumors. Pacylex is part of the Merck Invention Accelerator at TEC Edmonton and part of the current Creative Destruction Labs HealthWest 2019-2020 cohort. About Davos DavosPharma is a contract management organization engaged in pharmaceutical development for over 48 years. Through its established portfolio of strategic partners and internal expertise, DavosPharma has developed a broad scope of capabilities ranging from early discovery (medicinal chemistry, genomics, target validation, and assay development), through development operations (toxicology, pharmacology, formulation and API manufacturing) of small molecules and biologics. DavosPharma believes it is uniquely positioned to provide IND / NDA development support through its fully integrated translational turn-key approach that has enabled its pharmaceutical clients to achieve filings on a strict timeline. With biologists and chemists on staff, DavosPharma provides guidance and manufacturing capabilities for both small molecule (including cytotoxic and high potency) and biologics (antibodies, ADC's, protein and peptide therapeutics). Formulation experience includes IV, Oral, Sub Q, IP, Ocular, Dermal, Intranasal and Inhalation routes of administration. DavosPharma offers CMC, toxicology and clinical regulatory support for writing and execution of IND's and updates through NDA with the FDA. DavosPharma is responsible for the launch of over 20 commercial drugs. For more information: Michael J. Weickert CEO Michael.weickert@pacylex.com 650-218-1840 Follow Pacylex on Twitter and LinkedIn Click https://pacylex.com/ for more information about Pacylex SOURCE: Pacylex View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/578994/UPDATE-Pacylex-Raises-US-39-Million-To-Advance-New-Cancer-Therapy-PCLX-001-Towards-Clinical-Trials covid-19 MANILA, Philippines Confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country rose to 24 as announced by President Rodrigo Duterte in a press briefing in Malacanang on Monday evening (March 9). The President identified cases 21 to 24 as residents of West Crame in San Juan City; Sta. Maria in Bulacan and Project 6 in Quezon City. Twenty-four as of last count, but the infection, the transmission, is going on, the President announced. Earlier on Monday, the number of confirmed cases doubled from 10 to 20 following the Department of Healths (DOH) receipt of the test results for COVID-19. Health Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told reporters, however, that the Department is still gathering information on the places of residence and contact history and whereabouts of cases 11 to 20. The official said they are still gathering information as to how the new cases were epidemiologically linked to the previous cases. Vergeire said they have already launched contact tracing on the new cases. The official clarified that the newly confirmed cases had been identified through the agencys stringent surveillance measures. She warned the public, however, that since local transmission has been declared for COVID-19, that means novel coronavirus is obviously spreading among Filipinos. With that, the DOH expects the number of confirmed cases to rise further in the coming days. Ang biglang pagdami ng kaso ay dahil sa maigting na surveillance na ginagawa natin ngayon (The sudden rise in the number of cases is due to the stringent surveillance that we are doing), she said. Nakakakita na tayo ng mga tao na nagpopositibo dito sa ating bansa (We can now identify the positive cases in our country), she added. On Monday afternoon, the DOH Epidemiology Bureau reported tracing 468 persons who had close contact with cases 4 to 10 and have been subjected to the Departments health protocols. MNP (with inputs from Aiko Miguel) The post Philippines reports rise in coronavirus cases to 24 appeared first on UNTV News. Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury on Tuesday said ideology did not matter to Jyotiraditya Scindia, and claimed that "political convenience" and "personal ambition" played a major part his decision to quit the party. Chowdhury alleged that some sort of "allurement and enticement" offered by the Bharatiya Janata Party had convinced Scindia for switching over from the Congress. "It is sad for the Congress party because Jyotiraditya Scindia had been nurtured by the party over the years," Chowdhury told PTI. "He had been entrusted with important jobs by the party. But now the situation had come to such a pass that he found it more convenient to switch over to the other party," Chowdhury said. In a massive setback for the Congress, Scindia quit the party, pushing the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh into virtual collapse and signalling that he is likely to join hands with the BJP. The Congress expelled the party general secretary and scion of the erstwhile Gwalior royal family on charges of anti-party activities. Earlier the morning, Scindia met BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, following which he called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence in Delhi. "Some sort of allurement, enticement offered by the BJP had convinced him for switching over," Chowdhury said. "Now he has become the asset of the BJP party." The leader of Congress in Lok Sabha claimed that ideology had no meaning for Scindia because if it had mattered, he would not have left the Congress. "It is simply political convenience and personal ambition, which have played a major part in his decision," Chowdhury added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tribes in Oklahoma continue to share Class III gaming revenues with the state even though the Republican governor claims their agreements expired on January 1. Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) even suggested putting the revenues into a special escrow fund while the dispute he initiated is worked out in federal court. But his proposal violates state law, Attorney General Mike Hunter (R) said in a legal opinion on Monday. We are not aware of any authority by which the state can deposit these monies in any fund other than those already mentioned, Hunter wrote in the four-page opinion , which was requested by a Republican lawmaker in hopes of clearing up uncertainties about the revenues. Since 2004, when voters approved Class III gaming through State Question 712, tribes have paid $1.28 billion to the state, according to the Oklahoma Gaming Compliance Unit's most recent report . The money is derived from a percentage of revenue from electronic devices such as slot machines, as well as revenue from table games like blackjack and ball and dice games. The funds are directed to a variety of programs, with most of it going to public education. The Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association said tribes continue to honor their commitments to the state. We are pleased todays AG opinion makes it clear money from our exclusivity fees will continue to flow smoothly to public school districts across our state as outlined in the renewed compact," OIGA Chairman Matthew Morgan said in a statement on Monday. "The tribes will continue fulfilling our responsibilities as described in the renewed compact." "We are also united in our support for Oklahomas public education system and pleased the vast majority of the exclusivity fees go toward helping public school districts across our state," Morgan said. "Public school districts depend on the money from our exclusivity fees, particularly rural schools. The tribes will continue to remit exclusivity fees, and we are pleased public school districts will continue to receive their payments from the state in a timely fashion." Read More on the Story Join the Conversation Related Stories Half of Australias Virus Patients Have Recovered With more than half Australias 100 coronavirus patients already recovered, federal Health Minister Greg Hunt says its unlikely anyone would be infected a second time. Hunt says neither will it be necessary to introduce a country-wide travel ban, a measure which has affected 60 million Italians, although Qantas has slashed flights by a nearly quarter and the temporary closure of schools is likely to become more widespread. The government would also be reviewing its travel advice to Italy where more than 9,000 people have contracted COVID-19 and 460 have died, Hunt said on Tuesday. Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said it was highly unlikely people could catch the virus more than once. I think thats a very important message to Australians, Hunt added. So now is the moment of pressure this is a once in 50 year challenge that we face. Three Australians have died from coronavirus, with states and territories setting up specialist clinics as the government looks to combine information into a smartphone app. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has followed US authorities in advising citizens, especially those with underlying health concerns, to reconsider taking an overseas cruise as the outbreak continues to spread. Professor Murphy said there had been some confusion about who needed to be tested, saying it was only returned travellers from overseas with symptoms like a cough or sore throat. Three schools in NSW and Victoria shut on Tuesday after three students tested positive to COVID-19, with similar temporary closures likely to become more widespread. School closures, I think, will become the norm as we go ahead but we are doing everything we can to keep our children safe, federal Education Minister Dan Tehan told Nines Today program. The minister was asked why schools were being closed for a day or two, while people with or suspected of having the virus are being told to self-isolate for two weeks. The schools have been closed for a day so they can be thoroughly cleaned, he replied. Sydney is considered the worst-hit city. Qantas has slashed the capacity of its international flights by almost a quarter for the next six months due to the virus impact. The decision means 38 planes will be grounded. In coming days the government is expected to announce private sector involvement in providing pathology services and new advice on the testing of healthcare workers. New international and eco buyers are combining to create a dynamic Scottish rural estates market post-general election, with demand exceeding supply. This is according to property firm Savills, who say there has been an uplift in demand in a market that has been characterised by limited supply for the last 12 months. This has been further boosted by the general election result and Brexit certainty, which have provided stability to the UK property sector, attracting new eco and international buyers. Savills Edinburgh-based Evelyn Channing said the Scottish market is operating in a 'strange reality'. "The perception among sellers that politics would stall the market has resulted in a shortage of properties being offered for sale," she explained. "Yet the negotiations around trade deals are not dissuading buyers from investing in Scottish estates, and as a result there is a demand and supply imbalance: potential purchasers currently have very little to choose from." A total of 137 active buyers are registered with Savills to buy a Scottish estate, with a combined 1.1bn to invest, and the average budget has risen from 6.7m in 2018 to 8.2m. Two key elements are driving demand: a rise in the number of international buyers and the growing number of corporate investors who are looking to buy rural land for its natural capital potential. The number of website searches for rural land in Scotland being sold by Savills over the past four months, including farms and estates, has risen by 95% compared to the same period last year. Just over 51% of interest is coming from the UK and the remainder from international locations with the US market leading the way, followed by France, Australia and Canada. Over the last 20 years interest in Scottish estates came principally from private individuals, but this has now expanded to include institutions and companies. They are looking to offset their pollution elsewhere by undertaking environmental projects, Ms Channing explains. Whilst financial return has previously been the key driver for investment, having a balanced property portfolio which can potentially deliver environmental benefits is now also a consideration, and in some cases a requirement. "Taking proactive steps to mitigate climate change is now on many peoples agenda as the movement gathers momentum, and the rural property market in Scotland looks as if it may have a significant part to play," Ms Channing says. Russia deploys such assets to attack Putin critics, "enhance Russian propaganda and disinformation" and to "facilitate and conceal massive money-laundering operations", he said. Russia has been accused of hiring a network of British politicians and consultants to help advance its criminal interests and to "go after" Vladimir Putin's enemies in London, MPs who drew up the Russia report suppressed by Boris Johnson were told. In secret evidence submitted to parliament's intelligence and security committee (ISC), the campaigner and financier Bill Browder claimed Moscow had been able to "infiltrate" UK society by using well-paid British intermediaries, The Guardian reports. Some had "reason to know exactly what they are doing and for whom", Browder told the committee. Others "work unwittingly for Russian state interests", he said. The alleged intermediaries include politicians from both Labour and the Conservative parties, former intelligence officers and diplomats, and leading public relations firms. Collectively, they form what Browder calls a "western buffer network". Read alsoMH17 trial: Russia's GRU tried to hinder, influence probe on multiple fronts, Dutch report says The regime in Moscow uses these professionals to mask its "entangled" state and criminal interests, he alleged. It deploys them to attack Putin critics, "enhance Russian propaganda and disinformation" and to "facilitate and conceal massive money-laundering operations", he said. With his permission, the Guardian published Browder's previously confidential evidence to the ISC. The committee carried out a two-year investigation behind closed doors into how the Kremlin is seeking to influence and subvert UK politics and society. Its 50-page report was ready for release last November, before the election. The prime minister was accused of refusing to publish it. Speaking to the Guardian, Browder said: "Yes, there are members of the Russian security services working out of the Russian embassy under diplomatic cover. What the government seems to be missing is the fact that there are all sorts of informal espionage networks. "There are Russian oligarchs who have a much greater impact on the security of this country. What's most shocking is that the Russian government is indirectly hiring British nationals to assist them in its intelligence operations." Browder argues that the Russian state and organized crime have in effect merged. Money stolen from the budget and private companies is used to enrich senior officials including Putin and to finance "black ops and special projects". COVID-19 mortality risk highest amongst elderly: experts ROC Central News Agency 03/09/2020 06:08 PM Taipei, March 9 (CNA) Elderly people who have underlying medical conditions are at higher risk of death from the COVID-19 coronavirus than people in other demographics, Taiwan public health experts said Monday. The latest global data shows that 85 percent of patients who have died of the disease in Italy were 65 years old and over, and in other parts of the world the mortality rate is 75 percent, Chen Hsiu-hsi (), vice dean of National Taiwan University's (NTU) College of Public Health, said at a press conference in Taipei. However, people over the age of 49 account for only 15 percent-20 percent of the COVID-19 infections worldwide, he said. "While the rate of transmission has been very fast, the deaths have been mostly among older people," he noted. There is also a higher risk of elderly people being infected than younger people, Chen said. "Data collected from around the world shows that 16.7 percent of patients over the age of 65 were infected by people below that age, while only 2.9 percent of younger people were infected by those over 65," he said. Chen Ya-mei (), an associate professor at NTU's Institute of Health Policy and Management, said one of the risk factors for elderly people is that many of them have pre-existing medical conditions, which leads to comorbidity and weakens their immune systems. Citing a case study of a long-term care center in Washington State in the United States identified as the Life Care Center of Kirkland, a total of 13 of their patients who died between Feb. 19 and March 7 tested positive for COVID-19, she said. A similar community outbreak also occurred at Sydney's BaptistCare Dorothy Henderson Lodge aged care facility, she said, adding that up until Saturday, two of three elderly residents infected with the coronavirus have died. Chen Ya-mei also warned that similar outbreaks may happen to long-term care centers in Taiwan because these institutions mostly house elderly people, many of whom have underlying medical conditions. The public should not visit the elderly in long-term care centers if they are feeling unwell, she said. "You can use the phone to give your loved ones a call. You can use social media such as Skype or Line to interact with the elderly," she added. She also reminded the public that if they must visit to also maintain a distance of between 1.8 meters to 2 meters between people. Taiwan, officially dubbed as an "aged" society, currently has some 3.78 million, or 16.03 percent, out of its nearly 24 million population over the age of 65, according to National Development Council statistics. As of Monday, Taiwan had confirmed 45 COVID-19 infections, with 15 people having been discharged after being hospitalized for treatment, with just one death. (By William Yen) Enditem/J NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address WUXI, China, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, Suntech was awarded the certificate of "Top Brand PV" seal by EuPD Research, an authoritative research institute recognized worldwide, marking that Suntech has been honored as a leading solar brand in Europe for five consecutive years. The "Top Brand PV" award is rated by EuPD Research in accordance with the Global PV Installer Monitor survey that covers over 100 global installers, and eventually goes to the most excellent among all upstream and downstream players of the photovoltaic industry, after a rigorous and just assessment focusing on product performance and services. This competition is beneficial for the entire industry to constantly deliver better products and services and enhance the quality of photovoltaic energy, thus pushing enterprises forward for higher effectiveness. Furthermore, Suntech has also been rated as a "Top Brand PV" seal in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands in 2020. Outside Europe, on account of its brand strength and long-lasting attractiveness, Suntech has the endorsement of EuPD Research in the Australian market for three consecutive years, along with the "Top Brand PV Australia" seal by EuPD Research. Relying on its brand influence built on years of consistent efforts in the European market, where a robust pre-sales and after-sales service system has been created, Suntech has successfully brought in numbers of new customers while maintaining a stable cooperative relationship with established ones. In recent years, the scale of Suntech's business has steadily increased, and module shipments have increased by more than 20% for three consecutive years. As of the end of 2019, Suntech has supplied over 21GW photovoltaic modules to more than 90 countries. According to updated customs data, Suntech ranks 6th in the European market in terms of shipment volume, performs spectacularly well in Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, etc. "Suntech was one of the first PV brands to enter the European market. We have been adhering to Suntech's quality for 20 years. Suntech has been honored a leading solar brand in Europe for five consecutive years, and most of the respondents in the EuPD Research were installers from mature distributed markets. They have cooperated with a large number of PV brands, but still choose Suntech. This is the best proof of Suntech's product quality," said Mr. Vincent Cao, Vice President of Suntech. SOURCE Suntech A survey of CalPERS investment professionals reveals that CalPERS is one big unhappy family. Not only that, it shows that theyve become less happy in the last year, since Ben Meng became Chief Investment Officer. Weve embedded the summary page of the survey, but this section shows that less than 1/4 of CalPERS investment professional would recommend working there to a friend. Bear in mind that 91% of the 329 members of the Investment Office participated, so the results cant be blamed on sample bias. Mind you, this level of disillusionment with CalPERS is despite it being a prestigious, yet not terribly demanding hours-wise employer, offering high pay levels by Sacramento norms, and providing generous benefits, from its pension and health plan to its lovely building and upscale cafeteria. These falling and poor results are particularly troubling since the fetish of large organizations for decades has been to attract and retain talent. The talent at CalPERS is its investment team. These poor scores are damning. They confirm that the key employees recognize that CalPERS is running on brand fumes. However, these results reflect far more on CEO Marcie Frost than they do (at this point) on Ben Meng. It is possible that disappointment or dissatisfaction with Meng is part of these results, but Meng has not been there long enough to have much impact on CalPERS culture. Recall that one of the justifications for hiring Frost was that she was supposedly a better manager of personnel than her predecessor, Ann Stausboll. That has proven to be as false as Frosts inflated resume claims. We have gotten vastly more complaints and leaks from insiders under Frosts tenure than we did under Stausbolls. We also received detailed accounts from Frosts former subordinates at the Washington Retirement System of her self-serving, scapegoating behavior, her consistent tendency to take credit for success and blame staffers for failures (note that this is the opposite of the conduct of high performing leaders, as described at length in Jim Collins classic Good to Great). Former Washington Retirement System employees described how the managers in that small system (roughly 250 employees versus over 2700 for CalPERS) were fearful and demoralized. CalPERS investment staff has enough independent expertise and scope for action so as to not be be in Frosts direct firing line, but the spectacle of her misrule has to be weighing on them. Most if not all had to meet specific educational requirements and often professional certifications as well. Falsifying them would be ground for firing. Yet Frost fabricated her educational and career attainments, both before and even after joining CalPERS, and is still in place. Frosts stooges then orchestrated the junior-high-school level stunt of wearing burgundy ribbons and clothing at board meetings to show support. If you look at the list of promoters and enthusiasts in the e-mails we obtained via the Public Records Act, youll see no one in the Investment Office was a follower. That suggests those employees regarded that exercise with disdain and were secure enough in their positions so as not to feel compelled to kowtow. Popularity is not the basis for keeping a CEO in place, particularly when weighed against clear evidence of a calculated fabrication that in a well-run organization would be an unquestioned basis for termination. Frost has also likely not endeared herself to member of the investment office by her repeated nonsensical attempts to discuss CalPERS investment strategy. Shes a textbook case of Dunning Kruger effect. It may have worked with Washington Governor Jay Inslee to parrot lean bafflegab while actually increasing staffing levels at Washington Retirement System. But the fact that the unsophisticated and largely captured financial press is too polite to call Frost out on her foot-in-mouth moments does not mean they go unnoticed, particularly among actual investment professionals at CalPERS. And Meng was clearly forced by Marcie Frost to take actions that were at her instigation but put Meng in the unfortunate position of being her bag man, like the still-unexplained ouster of a star hire, Elisabeth Bourqui, or Meng trying to justify and advance Frosts embarrassingly incoherent and worse, beneficiary-value-destoying private equity new business model. Careful readers of the survey results below might argue that the organization as a whole is more satisfied than the investment team. While true, that is less significant. CalPERS has been described by organizational professionals of having two cultures, of the highly paid, credentialed eagles of the investment office (and a handful of other senior executives) and the squirrels who handle numerous day to day tasks, like running and manning the call center, handling beneficiary payments and dealing with any disputes, processing payments, preparing financial accounting, running the IT systems, and preparing and mailing beneficiary communications. These two cultures have never sat well together. Frost, who herself is a squirrel who made good, prefers to be, as one beneficiary put it, the CEO of the clerk-typists. Her efforts to win over the Investment Office appears limited to raising the pay and eliminating the investment performance requirements of some top officers. That hasnt impressed the rank and file; if anything, they may hold their bosses in some contempt for being able to get what were once performance bonuses without exceeding performance benchmarks. And it likely has not gone unnoticed that Frost has engineered a massive pay increase for herself when nothing at CalPERS is better, and the troops can see that, particularly in areas that unlike investments, ought to be in Frosts wheelhouse. This example comes from a 2018 post: Weve received an unprecedented number of e-mails from insiders praising our work on Frost and expressing concerns about her leadership. Note that only after Frost became CEO did we get intel from current employees, and the level has escalated dramatically since we exposed her resume misrepresentations. This employee e-mail is one of several examples that recited serious internal management failings: Marcie is over her head. Nice lady but more focused on the politics and giving the appearance that the work is getting done. She relies on and trusts her executive leadership team and they tell her what she wants to hear. Her lack of focus on internal operations and reliance on execs, particularly Doug Hoffner is a mistake. Doug has been there a number of years and has yet to develop any sort of operational plan/priorities for improvement with his chiefs to try and improve their organizations and as youve pointed out. (Ive yet to see or hear a vision from the guy but its probably because he doesnt have an Ops background). Operations, Human Resources and IT are sub-par, lack internal controls, systems integration, workforce planning or future state operating model and all of these programs are under Dougs watch. Youve picked up on the HR hiring issues and the Board elections (under operations) but contracts and IT are bad as well. Operations doesnt have DGS authority to administer contracts. Theres an old board ordained resolution from the 1990s they rely on using prop 162 as the basis of their authority. They have broadened the contracting type beyond what Dept of General Services allows other agencies (spring fed pool contracts are outside state guidelines. Im not aware of any other state agency that uses this approach). It seems like DGS, CalHR and CDT should periodically audit CalPERS systems and processes to make sure they are sufficient dont think thats happening. The place is being run like high school and not like a business. As Warren Buffett likes to say, when the tide goes out, you can see who has been swimming naked. Perhaps the market downdraft, and the severity of its impact on CalPERS funded status, will finally lead to pressure for CalPERS to get a CEO who is up to the task. It was supposed to be a fun trip to paradise, but it turned into a hellish ordeal. Robert and Marlene Archer, who live in San Franciscos Excelsior district, have taken a cruise with five other friends every year for six years running. Mexico, the Panama Canal, the Caribbean. Always on Princess Cruises. This years 15-day cruise to Kauai, Oahu, Maui and Hawaii aboard the Grand Princess left San Francisco Feb. 21 and was wonderful for the first 13 days. Then the Archers dream vacation turned into an internationally notorious disaster with 21 diagnosed cases of the coronavirus on board and the ship forbidden to come home. Monday was the Archers fifth day of mandatory confinement in their little stateroom days during which, as the ship looped endlessly near the Farallon Islands, they could sometimes see the Golden Gate Bridge, but not pass under it. In light of being pariahs on a floating plague ship, not wanted by our own home state, its affecting a lot of people, Robert Archer, 65, said over his cell phone from his stateroom Sunday night. Its kind of a surreal situation. ... Our nerves are starting to get frazzled. Theyve mostly kept their spirits up, but theyre understandably angry, too. They learned that 21 people on the ship including two passengers and 19 crew members had tested positive for the virus from watching TV news (with only a small number of passengers and crew members tested). Even the captain reported to the passengers that he hadnt been given a heads-up before seeing Vice President Mike Pences announcement at a news conference. Weve basically been in the dark, Robert Archer said Friday. We havent been told anything. ... Weve learned more from the television than any other source. Finally, the Archers ship sailed into the bay late Monday morning and docked at the Port of Oakland around noon. But the couple had received no disembarkation papers or luggage tags, signaling that their lack of symptoms would mean at least another day or two on the ship as sick passengers were assisted off first. They expect to be taken to Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield for a mandatory 14-day quarantine, meaning their longed-for arrival back in San Francisco is still far off. Were just taking it one day at a time, said Archer, who owned a computer company before he retired. The Archers saga began March 4 when public health officials learned that a 71-year-old Placer County resident who was the states first coronavirus fatality had been on the Grand Princess previous trip to Mexico. By that point, the ship was in the midst of its Hawaiian excursion with about 2,500 new passengers on board. The Archers learned something was amiss at lunch in the dining room March 5. The captains voice came over the ships public address system, informing passengers that ill people were on board and everyone needed to return to their staterooms to await further information. We stretched lunch out as much as possible, Robert Archer said. For an hour, added Marlene Archer, 58, who works as a controller at a local business. But the ships shops and restaurants started closing, and the Archers knew theyd better follow the captains orders. Now Playing: The Grand Princess, a cruise ship carrying more than 3,500 people, including at least 21 with coronavirus, makes its way past San Francisco to Berth 22 at the Ports America docks at the Port of Oakland on Monday, March 9, 2020. Video: Carlos Avila Gonzalez They havent left their room since. The crew doesnt clean the rooms like they normally would on a cruise. They do show up sporadically in masks and gloves with food trays of uneven quality. Sundays dinner was just a roll and three pieces of ravioli each. Its obvious theyre almost out of food, Robert Archer said. The fresh fruit and vegetables are long since gone. Were sick of the food, Marlene Archer said. Were eating it because we have to. The good news is they havent gotten sick of each other, since theyve been together for 38 years already. Theyre passing time by playing cards, doing word searches, watching TV news and movies, and washing their hands incessantly. Their group has four rooms and balconies in a row so they can talk to each other outside. Passengers on other decks try to pass the time by chatting with each other and the guy two floors down is a real comedian who shouts jokes to the group. On Saturday, the ship began sailing south, and Archer said the rumor among passengers was that it would dock in San Diego. But later that day, the captain announced it would dock in Oakland, and state officials confirmed that would happen Monday. 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 the meantime, the ship kept circling. And circling. And circling. Two guys with cameras came by on a speedboat Sunday taking pictures, and some passengers said theyd pay them good money to whisk them away. But the cameramen didnt take them up on the offer. The Archers wish they could be tested for the coronavirus on the ship so people who test positive could disembark separately from those who test negative. After all, avoiding each other has been the whole point of holing up in their rooms for so long. If there was any way we could go home, we would definitely volunteer to wear ankle bracelets and self-quarantine in our house, but that doesnt seem like its going to be available as an option, Robert Archer said. The day before their trip went south, they booked a cruise to Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania on Princess Cruises in February 2021. But will they ever board another cruise ship after this debacle? Ive got a whole year to wash the taste out of my mouth from this one, Robert Archer said. Global pandemics aside, hopefully thats the plan. Marlene Archer isnt so sure. I dont think were going, she said. After all, they still havent gotten off this cruise. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight appears Sundays and Tuesdays. Email: hknight@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hknightsf Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly suggested a bridge could be built between Scotland and Northern Ireland but economics experts were dismissive of the idea (Peter Summers/PA) A bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland is not the route to take to either boost the economy or improve connectivity, experts have warned the Prime Minister. While Boris Johnson has repeatedly suggested a crossing over the Irish Sea, the Fraser of Allander Institute said the idea would not even feature in the top 10 infrastructure priorities. The economic think tank, based at the University of Strathclyde, was dismissive of the proposal in a scathing blog post. Whens a bridge not a bridge? When its a tunnel, apparently https://t.co/GBTmBTrzck Fraser of Allander Institute (@Strath_FAI) March 9, 2020 It comes just over a month after Downing Street confirmed a range of officials were looking at the idea although Scottish Secretary Alister Jack suggested recently a tunnel could be a better option. The think tank said: Firstly, those hoping that building a bridge (tunnel or giant catapult even) will automatically be a catalyst for faster economic growth in both Scotland and Northern Ireland will be sorely disappointed. The economics experts said there was little international evidence to back up the idea of a causal positive link between infrastructure and growth, adding: Build it and they will come is sadly not the case. While they said well-designed and targeted investment that helps to unblock barriers to connectivity can have an impact on growth, the post went on to add: On a list of top 10 infrastructure priorities in Scotland (and the UK), this wont be one of them. Much higher priorities concern improving how people move around our cities. (PA Graphics) The post went on to note the proposed bridge or tunnel wont actually link up centres of economic activity saying travellers from Northern Ireland would arrive in rural Dumfries and Galloway or Argyll, with a 90+ mile drive to the central belt (at least a further two and a half hours). The think tank concluded: So in short, it wont deliver the economic boost some claim, it isnt a priority, it would go to the wrong location, it wouldnt be consistent with climate change objectives and the money could be better spent on other things. Apart from that, its a cracking idea. Mr Johnson has repeatedly spoken about the prospect of a bridge, even though experts have warned the depth of the Irish Sea and the presence of dumped munitions would cause problems for any project. The project could cost a reported 20 billion, although Mr Johnson has previously said it would only cost about 15 billion. The Scottish Government said better uses could be found for the funds with Transport Secretary Michael Matheson making this point in a recent letter to his UK counterpart Grant Shapps. This analysis shows how utterly ridiculous Boris Johnsons proposed bridge really isGreens MSP John Finnie SNP MSP Tom Arthur said: If Boris Johnson has 20 billion to spend on infrastructure then were happy to send him some suggestions. But, as the Fraser of Allander Institute rightly point out, a road bridge or a tunnel across the Irish Sea is hardly a priority. Mr Arthur added: Everyone knows the Tories have no intention of delivering this as always, this is just a way for Boris Johnson to distract from the failures of a decade of Tory austerity. If the Tories cant explain why the Fraser of Allander Institute are wrong then they should be laughed out of every room where they mention this daft plan. Scottish Green transport spokesman John Finnie said: This analysis shows how utterly ridiculous Boris Johnsons proposed bridge really is. A UK Government spokesman said: The UK Government is committed to ambitious infrastructure improvements and to strengthening the union. We are looking at a wide range of schemes to improve connectivity within the UK and drive economic growth for all parts of our country. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Gisela Swaragita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 07:42 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20696e960 1 National Muhadjir-Effendy,Holiday,public-holidays,2020,Tourism-and-Creative-Economy-Ministry,Religious-Affairs-Ministry,Manpower-Ministry Free Indonesia has decided to add four more days to the list of 2020 public holidays. In total, the country now has 24 days of national holiday or collective leave in the year. Previously, the government had set a total of 20 days of public holiday in 2020. Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy said the decision to add more days was to boost the Indonesian domestic economy, especially in tourism. Read also: Tanah Lot Festival seeks to revive tourism in Bali The additional collective leave days are: May 28 and 29 (Thursday and Friday), for the celebration of Idul Fitri, which falls on May 24 and 25 (Sunday and Monday). The new arrangement will add to the three existing collective leave days of May 22, 26 and 27 (Friday, Tuesday and Wednesday). Aug. 21 (Friday), for the celebration of the Islamic New Year, year 1442 by the Hijri calendar, which falls on Aug. 20 (Thursday). Oct. 30 (Friday), for the celebration of the Prophet Muhammads Birthday, which falls on Oct. 29 (Thursday). More days off can also encourage the public to get to know Indonesia better [by taking a holiday]. Everyone can make the best of this opportunity, Muhadjir told the press at the Coordinating Human Development and Culture Ministers office in Jakarta on Monday, adding that the new arrangements for the 2020 holidays and collective leave days were in accordance with President Joko Jokowi Widodos wish to evaluate the previous decision. Read also: Indonesia can afford the coronavirus battle, but The decision was released in tandem by the Religious Affairs Ministry, the Manpower Ministry and the Coordinating Human Development and Culture Ministry. In response, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Wishnutama Kusubandio said he was confident that the new arrangement for the 2020 public holidays would have a positive impact on domestic tourism. The [tourism] industry will have enough room to create more attractive holiday packages, especially for domestic tourists, said Wishnutama in a statement on Monday. (gis) The new Indian High Commissioner to Ghana, His Excellency Mr. Sugandh Rajaram on Monday, March 9, 2020, paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Hon. Cecilian Abena Dapaah to discuss issues that will strengthen ties between the two countries. Expected to spend 3 years in the West African country that will make up his tenure, the Indian High Commissioner has set his sight on collaborating with the Ministry to undertake numerous projects to help in the work of her sector. Interacting with the Minister at her office yesterday, H.E Mr. Sugandh Rajaram shed light on the Yendi water project which will be funded by the Exim Bank of India. According to him, the $30 million needed for the project is ready as they wait on the Ministry to decide on the contractor to undertake the project in the next couple of months. So this, we are already at one stage. In fact, in a few months, the Ministry of Sanitation and Water are going to finalize the agency which will deliver this project and then after few months the whole project will be working on the grounds. We have a number of projects going on in Ghana and we will be very happy to explore for new area during my tenure for the next 3 years as the India High Commissioner. In addition to the big Yendi water project, H.E Mr. Sugandh Rajaram observed that his office is ready to collaborate with the Ministry of Sanitation on more projects. A delighted Honourable Cecilia Dapaah after receiving the new India High Commissioner gave him a warm welcome while appreciating his offices readiness to offer a helping hand. She said, We look forward to working with you and other areas of cooperation. The Exim Bank is providing this $30 million for the Yendi water project and we are working very closely with the Exim Bank of India to make sure we provide the good people of Yendi with good potable water. The Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources also indicated that the process to choose a contractor for the Yendi water project is at an advanced stage and one will be chosen very soon to pave way for the start sod-cutting ceremony as well as the subsequent start of the project. In the spirit of collaboration, His Excellency Mr. Sugandh Rajaram and Honourable Cecilia Abena Dapaah have agreed to work together by sharing ideas on how to improve sanitation and clean water bodies. Representatives of the Polish region Podkarpackie and Centru Region of Romania have initiated a joint call in Brasov, on Tuesday, addressed to the governments of the two countries and the EU governing bodies regarding the necessity of establishing some funding tools under the current European budget to develop the Carpathian region. Organised by the Regional Development Agency - Centru (ADR Centru) in Brasov, for two days, Monday and Tuesday, the event gathered representatives of the Podkarpackie Region of Poland and the Centru Region in Romania, alongside representatives of Romania's and Poland's Governments, discussing the Carpathian Strategy, an additional document to the Danube Strategy, which is to be promoted at European level.At the event called "International working meeting on preparing projects for the development of the mountain area in the Centru Region," organised by the Regional Development Agency - Centru, they also tackled "the possibilities to boost actions at national and regional level in all the Carpathian states, in view of creating and supporting some adequate tools for the sustainable development of the Carpathian Region," while also analysing "the issues facing the communities in the area of the Carpathian Mountains, the necessary investments, the opportunities and challenges of sustainable development of the mountain area, the necessity to quickly recover the development gaps between this and the other European regions."The working meetings were led by Marshal of the Podkarpackie Region Wladyslaw Ortyl, who is also the head of the Inter-regional Working Group for the Carpathians within the European Committee of the Regions, alongside the leadership of the Brasov County Council and members of the Council for the Regional Development Centru, alongside the director general of the ADR Centru, who moderated this international meeting.The signatories of the Joint Call believe that "the Carpathian regions in Europe will become a strong and well-articulated voice within the decision-making bodies at European level, and they want for "the European Union to define and adopt a development strategy, close, in terms of concept, to the four programmatic documents at macro-regional level, as a tool to strengthen territorial cohesion." MANILA, Philippines A lawmaker has urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to postpone the scheduled graduation rites this March as a precaution against the spread of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country. In a statement issued Tuesday, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian proposed the suspension of graduation ceremonies, including daycare, high school and moving-up rites, nationwide following the governments declaration of a state of public health emergency over the coronavirus disease. He said postponing these events may help prevent the further spread of the virus. Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), who usually are parents or relatives of the graduates, tend to show up in graduation rites and this might compromise the safety of students, teachers, and all school personnel present in the occasion, he said. DepEd earlier stated that graduation rites for this year should be held not earlier than March 30, but not later than April 3. Gatchalian also suggested the cancellation of other activities such as field trips, film showing, and other events imposed by some schools as a requirement for graduation or completion. As of this writing, the Philippines has 33 confirmed coronavirus infections. On Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte declared a state of public health emergency following the hoisting of Code Red Sublevel 1 by the Department of Health after it confirmed the countrys first case of local transmission. The post DepEd urged to suspend graduation rites amid COVID-19 threat appeared first on UNTV News. Russia's Pacific Fleet Forms Two New Anti-Submarine Strike Groups Sputnik News 09:48 GMT 09.03.2020 Consisting of five destroyers, two corvettes and a Slava-class cruiser, the Pacific Fleet is also home to eight ballistic and cruise missile submarines, nearly a dozen attack subs, and dozens of smaller ships, as well as aircraft and Naval Infantry units. The Russian Pacific Fleet has formed two new anti-submarine warfare strike groups, with the vessels to be tasked with searching for potential enemy submarines, the Defence Ministry's press service has reported. According to the military, the groups were formed "following the successful completion of combat missions at sea with practice firing of all types of ship weapons," and will operate in the country's northeast. The groups, whose exact makeup remains unknown, are expected to help protect the Russian Far East region's maritime communications, patrol the areas assigned to them, and take part in missions abroad. The Russian Pacific Fleet is known to include four Udaloy-class anti-submarine guided missile destroyers, as well as eight smaller Grisha-class anti-submarine corvettes, with the missile destroyers ordinarily based in Vladivostok as part of the 44th Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Brigade. The Pacific Fleet is also equipped with separate ASW aircraft units, including specially-equipped Tu-142M bombers and ASW helicopters. In recent years, the Pacific Fleet has seen an effort to modernize its capabilities, commissioning new Kalibr-cruise missile- and strategic nuclear missile-equipped submarines, and taking delivery of other equipment for its surface, aerial and Naval Infantry components. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address By Hyunjoo Jin, Jamie Freed and Tracy Rucinski SEOUL/SYDNEY (Reuters) - Airlines around the world sank deeper into crisis on Tuesday as the worsening coronavirus epidemic and Italy's lockdown hammered passenger numbers, forced the cancellation of thousands of flights and led to the delaying of plane orders. Some carriers face calamity, with Korean Air Lines <003490.KS> warning the virus outbreak could threaten its survival after it scrapped more than 80% of its international capacity, grounding 100 of its 145 passenger aircraft. "The situation can get worse at any time and we cannot even predict how long it will last," Woo Kee-hong, the president of South Korea's biggest airline, said in a memo to staff that summed up the turmoil facing the industry. "But if the situation continues for a longer period, we may reach the threshold where we cannot guarantee the company's survival." Leading U.S. airlines Delta and American ditched 2020 forecasts and unveiled more sweeping capacity cuts and cost-saving measures, while United announced a $2 billion capital raising and warned of a deep hit to the sector. "Let me blunt. Speaking for United, hope is not a strategy," United President Scott Kirby said at an investor conference. He said it could take 18 months before demand recovers, with public concern about the virus potentially worsening before improving. United also slashed its 2020 capital expenditure in a move that will defer aircraft deliveries, a potential issue for planemakers Boeing Co and Airbus SE . Australia's Qantas Airways delayed an order for A350 planes, suspended forecasts and slashed capacity due to a plunge in demand that industry chiefs estimate could hit airlines' revenue by up to $113 billion (87.39 billion pounds) this year. Its CEO and chairman will take no salary, managers will receive no bonuses and all staff are being encouraged to take paid or unpaid leave. United has announced similar steps.[nL4N2B251L] Story continues Delta, which is also freezing hiring and offering voluntary unpaid leaves, said it had seen net bookings fall by as much as 25% to 30% and expected the situation to deteriorate further. United said its dire scenario planning sees revenues falling 70% in April and May. "This clearly is not an economic event," Delta CEO Ed Bastian said on Tuesday. "This is a fear event, probably more akin to what we saw at 9/11." ITALIAN LOCKDOWN The unprecedented lockdown of the whole of Italy, which is convulsed by Europe's worst coronavirus outbreak, has heaped fresh disaster on global airlines. Easyjet , Norwegian Air , IAG-owned British Airways, easyJet , Wizz Air and El Al Israel Airlines were among carriers to axe flights to and from the country, where there have been more than 9,000 virus infections and over 460 deaths. Ryanair said on Tuesday it was cutting its passenger forecast for the year ending March by three million as a direct result of suspending almost all flights to and from its most important market for the next month. Aviation analyst Mark Simpson, at Goodbody, said another major concern for the travel industry was whether the coronavirus epidemic would worsen markedly in European holiday hub Spain, which has reported more than 1,200 cases. "A similar outbreak in Spain would pull IAG into the fold, the holiday groups like TUI and DART (Jet2)," he said. "IAG would be much more exposed due to its ownership of Vueling, Iberia and the soon to be completed Air Europa." Air France said it expected to make a total of 3,600 flight cancellations in March, including cutting 25% of its European capacity. GHOST FLIGHTS The global airline industry has been among the sectors hardest hit by the coronavirus outbreak. It has lost almost a third of its value - $70 billion - this year, according to Reuters calculations based on the 20 top listed global carriers. The Italian cancellations added to an already difficult financial situation at Norwegian Air, which has lost 70% of its market value this year and scrapped its 2020 outlook. It said on Tuesday it would cut around 3,000 flights between mid-March and mid-June and temporarily lay off a "significant share" of its workforce. In an effort to give the industry some breathing space, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc would suspend a rule requiring airlines to run most of their scheduled services or else forfeit valuable airport landing slots. This will do away with "ghost flights" where airlines fly almost empty planes simply to keep slots, she added. Should Korean Air fall, it would not be the first airline engulfed by the fallout of the outbreak; Britain's Flybe collapsed last week as bookings faltered, and a further sector shakeout is expected, industry experts have warned. Conglomerate HNA Group, which owns or holds stakes in a number of Chinese carriers, including Hainan Airlines <600221.SS>, said it was in a "state of war" in its efforts to tackle the financial fallout of the outbreak. Airlines in China, where the new coronavirus originated, have cancelled tens of thousands of flights since the start of the outbreak, though they have started to resume them. (GRAPHIC: Global airlines by market cap - https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/13/3164/3129/airlines.png) (Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin in Seoul and Jamie Freed in Sydney and Tracy Rucinski in Chicago; Additional reporting by Terje Solsvik in Oslo, Laurence Frost in Paris, Rachit Vats in Bengaluru, Stella Qiu and Brenda Goh in Beijing, Angel Krasimirov, Tova Cohen in Tel Aviv, Sarah Young, Kate Holton and Josephine Mason in London, anmd Christian Kraemer in Berlin; Writing by Pravin Char; Editing by Mark Potter and Nick Zieminski) [March 10, 2020] Dataiku Named as One of Forbes's Best Startup Employers of 2020 Dataiku, one of the world's leading Enterprise AI and machine learning platforms, announced today that it has been recognized as part of Forbes's inaugural list of America's Best Startup Employers for 2020. This prestigious award is presented by Forbes and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The awards list was announced on March 10, 2020 and can currently be viewed on the Forbes website. Forbes and Statista analyzed more than 7 million data points to identify the top Startup Employers. In particular, three aspects of each company were assessed during the evaluation: employer reputation, employee satisfaction, and company growth. "The employees at Dataiku are tremendously passionate aboutthe work they perform on a daily basis and that is reflected both externally to customers and internally through the vibrant company culture," said Dataiku's Chief People Officer Joy Sybesma. "We foster an inclusive environment that values transparency, communication, and teamwork." Since Dataiku was founded in 2013, it has focused not only on creating a best-in-class data science and machine learning platform for democratizing AI via collaboration, but also on creating a world-class team that builds, supports, and promotes Dataiku and its customers. Its roots are in France, its headquarters is in New York, and its culture is a dynamic melting pot of all of its international influences. For an insider look at Dataiku's award-winning culture, check out this blog post. About Dataiku Dataiku is the centralized data platform that democratizes the use of data science, machine learning, and AI in the enterprise. With Dataiku, businesses are uniquely empowered to move along their data journey from data preparation to analytics at scale to Enterprise AI. By providing a common ground for data experts and explorers, a repository of best practices, shortcuts to machine learning and AI deployment/management, and a centralized, controlled environment, Dataiku is the catalyst for data-powered companies. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005198/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The cables on the Luas line are visible over the timber fencing at the back of the Goldenbridge Industrial Estate in Inchicore. The canal runs behind the 10-foot-high fence. But there are bridges within a few minutes' walk to get across to the Blackhorse Luas stop. The No 13 and 69 bus routes runs along Tyrconnell Road at the front of the industrial park. It's a relatively busy estate with a micro-brewery, a house of worship, warehousing, food suppliers, training centres, light industry, garages, factory shops and a childcare centre. Except it's not quite being used to its full potential, with some empty land that could be used for housing. Local objections were lodged against the principle of rezoning land, stressing the need for a masterplan for the area, the services, facilities and social infrastructure. Weighing it all up, the Dublin City Manager is recommending the rezoning go ahead. Dublin City Council's planning department had a look across the city at about 82 small, medium and large-sized commercial parks and industrial estates. From there, the council officials came up with 20 locations where it was felt the land was underutilised for jobs and employment. The council proposes to change the land use of these sites, known as brownfield lands, to allow some residential development. It would put the land to more intensive and efficient use, in accordance with planning guidelines, to get the best use out of under-utilised lands given the population growth expected in Dublin. The big advantage is they are all well serviced with transport links, roads, water and drainage and are in already built-up areas. Expand Close Greenmount Industrial Estate, Harolds Cross, Dublin 6W / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Greenmount Industrial Estate, Harolds Cross, Dublin 6W The 20 sites making up 55 hectares would be rezoned for home-building. Assuming you get 100 units per hectare, and half the land would be used for residential and the other half for commercial, the sites have the potential to provide 3,000 to 3,500 additional homes in the city. Not bad, certainly not a panacea to all the housing problems of the city, but still well worth pursuing. Many of those industrial sites have businesses operating on them at present, and there is no suggestion of any sort that they will not continue to operate. Some might have to be relocated down the line, but these not-so-minor details all have to be worked out. "The identified 20 sites also have the potential to be redeveloped in the short to medium term," the Dublin City Manager Owen Keegan's report concludes. Mr Keegan subsequently withdrew one of the sites, as it is on the route of the long-proposed Eastern bypass road, which has been in the pipeline for 40-odd years at this stage. The 19 remaining sites are scattered across the northside and southside, from Harmonstown to Harold's Cross. Expand Close Goldenbridge Industrial Estate, Tyrconnell Rd, Dublin 8 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Goldenbridge Industrial Estate, Tyrconnell Rd, Dublin 8 The plan went to councillors in Dublin City Council, all of whom admit there is a housing problem in the city. And that's where the trouble started as the aspirations of the council officials met with the political realities. The concerns about the Goldenbridge proposal are mild compared with the lorry load of objections to other sites across the capital city. As with any issue to do with building, there were objections, some from the Nimby (Not In My Back Yard) brigade. What's surprising is the proliferation in City Hall of Dimbys: Dublin politicians who support objection to building In My Back Yard. Last Monday night, was the first proper meeting of the largest council in the country since a seismic election dominated by the housing crisis. New councillors who replaced newly elected TDs from the Green Party, Social Democrats and Fianna Fail had been installed a week earlier. An official photographer was present to capture the moment. Despite the impact of the election being felt in the council chamber, there was certainly no sense or urgency about the housing crisis. Expand Close Ballyfermot Road Lwr, Dublin 10. PHOTOS: GERRY MOONEY AND FRANK McGRATH / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ballyfermot Road Lwr, Dublin 10. PHOTOS: GERRY MOONEY AND FRANK McGRATH Lord Mayor Tom Brabazon told councillors of the importance of saying whether or not they needed their tickets to the St Patrick's Day parade so they could be allocated elsewhere. There was a short briefing on coronavirus and a helpline for staff. Keegan announced he was staying on as City Manager until 2023. However, the main item on the agenda was the rezoning of the 20 sites. Roisin Shortall, the co-leader of the Social Democrats "strongly" objects to the three proposed rezonings in her constituency in Santry, Whitehall and Finglas. "While local residents would welcome high quality housing, there is no guarantee of this on the proposed rezoned site. In fact, if you look at other developments in the area, the only guarantee seems to be that any development on this site would be high rise with little regard for neighbouring dwellings, infrastructure and amenities," she wrote. Shortall was the only TD to make a submission on the rezonings. The site at the Santry Hall Industrial Estate has generated the largest number of objections. Some 367 submissions have come in from local residents concerned about traffic congestion, loss of local jobs and high-rise development with issues such as overlooking, loss of privacy and impacts on existing property values, with the preference being made for housing instead of apartments. Expand Close Esmond Avenue, Fairview Strand, Dublin 3 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Esmond Avenue, Fairview Strand, Dublin 3 "Housing [is] needed not apartments, high-rise units, it will look like Ballymun," a local resident writes in a submission. Before the meeting, the Social Democrats, which campaigned heavily on housing in the election, doubled down with a nationally released press statement saying their councillors "refuse to support poor planning decisions" and would vote against the rezonings. The City Manager's report though says the Santry site, up the road from the Omni Shopping Centre, is well served by Dublin Bus, has access to two roads and is close to a local park. "There are large areas of surface car parking and some lands are unused at present." A number of high rise apartment blocks are being built on land adjacent to the industrial estate, with the cranes visible on the skyline. And the Department of Education says it is one of the sites where, if it is was fully developed with housing, the school places would have to be assessed. The Social Democrats are not the only objectors. Sinn Fein, the Green Party, Labour, Fine Gael and Independents all weigh in. Over the course of an hour, nobody backs the rezonings, yet all say they are in favour of more housing. Expand Close 13. 109-114 Cork Street, Dublin 8 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp 13. 109-114 Cork Street, Dublin 8 The main concern from councillors is the lack of a guarantee being provided around the type, height or density of any future residential accommodation. Once they give the green light to rezoning, the planning applications will go direct to An Bord Pleanala as strategic housing developments. The lack of trust between City Hall and the Custom House is striking. Councillors don't hold Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy and his Department of Housing in high regard. Labour's Mary Freehill pointed to a "lack of confidence" in the national planning system. Fianna Fail's Deirdre Heney said she didn't have a problem per se with rezonings, but she didn't trust the national height and density guidelines. Sinn Fein councillor Larry O'Toole cited the Chivers site in Coolock as an example of more apartments in height and density being built than was envisaged in consultations with local residents. "You can't trust the developers," he says. The rezonings will go before a special meeting of Dublin City Council in City Hall this evening. The question before councillors tonight will determine if the objections of local residents overrule the necessity to rezone underused land for housing within the city. Solutions to the housing crisis are never easy. [March 10, 2020] Alipay Announces Three-Year Plan to Support the Digital Transformation of 40 Million Service Providers in China Alipay, the world's leading mobile payment platform operated by Ant Financial Services Group, today announced a three-year plan to further open up its platform to support the digital transformation of 40 million service providers across China. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200309005906/en/ Simon Hu, CEO of Ant Financial, unveils the three-year plan at the Alipay Partner Conference in Hangzhou, China (Photo: Business Wire) The plan marks a major milestone as Alipay continues to strengthen its positioning in China, evolving from a platform that provides inclusive financial services to an open, vibrant digital ecosystem that offers users a gateway into a comprehensive digital lifestyle, right in the palms of their hands. "The service sector in China is still in the nascent stages of digital transformation, and that means it has huge untapped potential," said Ant Financial Chief Executive Officer Simon Hu. "Amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, we have also seen how digital technology can be used to help service providers become more agile and respond effectively to the fast-changing market environment." "Building a one-stop digital lifestyle platform not only creates immense value for our users - it will also play an essential role in accelerating the digital transformation of the service industry and unlocking more growth opportunities," Simon said. Amid the Covid-19 outbreak, Alipay introduced an incentive program that encourages developers to create mini programs that can help users cope with the impact, including by fulfilling various lifestyle needs of those who are living and working from home, while minimizing the need for physical contact with service providers. Within a week, more than 1,200 developers responded, creating 181 mini programs on the Alipay app that enabled "contactless" services across China, including grocery deliveries, legal and medical advice, logistics, and public services. For example, a mini program proviing free medical consultation offered by AliHealth received 700,000 daily visits on average. Beijing-based grocery startup Meicai, which connects farmers with consumers and restaurants, also launched a mini program to make its delivery services available to Alipay users amid the Covid-19 outbreak. In one week, it attracted more than 800,000 new users and orders poured in from across 80 cities in China. According to the China Internet Network Information Center, 99.1% of Chinese internet users went online via mobile devices in 20191, compared with just 24% in 2007.2 This increased penetration of mobile phone use in China has paved the way for the domestic service sector to begin adopting digital technologies. China's service industry contributed to 59.4 percent of GDP growth in 2019, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Despite their importance to the economy, Chinese service providers still rely heavily on traditional brick-and-mortar business models, and have yet to fully embrace digital technology to boost efficiency and improve the customer experience. Meanwhile, consumer demand for digitalized services has been expanding rapidly. In 2019 alone, the number of searches for lifestyle services within the Alipay app has increased 300% compared with 2018. "Since the very beginning, Alipay's success has always depended on the success of our partners, and that is why we believe the only way to best serve consumers is to open up our platform further, so service providers can better tap into consumer demands," Simon said. As part of the opening up, Alipay will be updated so that service providers can tap into traffic within the app, while AI-driven incentive programs will encourage service providers to consistently improve the customer experience. Users will also be able to access personalized recommendations from newly added service sections. With these initiatives in place, service providers will be able to enhance their distribution efficiency in Alipay. Under the three-year plan, Alipay will also work with 50,000 Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) to help 40 million service providers digitalize their operations, increase efficiency and reach more customers by 2030, up from more than one million currently on the platform. ISVs are companies that package Alipay's technologies into solutions to meet the needs of specific industries and use cases, ranging from consumer retail, food-and-beverage, hotels-and-accommodations, transportation to medical services. Alipay supports a full-service delivery cycle, including payment, anti-fraud, fund management, smart marketing, customer insight, acquisition, retention and engagement. These technology products and services were developed and refined in inclusive finance use cases and come with financial grade safety, reliability and performance. In addition, service providers can leverage Alipay mini programs, which can run on all major platforms within the Alibaba ecosystem such as Tmall and AutoNavi, to reach a much broader user base. These factors make Alipay's open platform not just a one-stop choice for consumers, but also for service providers. About Alipay Operated by Ant Financial Services Group, Alipay is the world's leading payment and lifestyle platform. According to App Annie's The State of Mobile 2019 report, Alipay is the world's most-used app outside of those used for social networking. Launched in 2004, Alipay serves over 900 million users in China as of June 2019. Over the years, Alipay has evolved from a digital wallet to a lifestyle enabler. Users can hail a taxi, book a hotel, buy movie tickets, pay utility bills, make appointments with doctors, or purchase wealth management products directly from within the app. A In addition to online payments, Alipay is expanding to in-store offline payments both inside and outside of China. Alipay's in-store payment service covers over 50 markets across the world, and tax reimbursement via Alipay is supported in 35 markets. Alipay currently supports 27 currencies, and works with over 250 overseas financial institutions and payment solution providers to enable cross-border payments for Chinese travelling overseas, and overseas customers who purchase products from Chinese e-commerce sites. 1http://www.cnnic.net.cn/hlwfzyj/hlwxzbg/hlwtjbg/201908/P020190830356787490958.pdf 2 http://www.cnnic.net.cn/hlwfzyj/hlwxzbg/200906/P020120709345342042236.rar View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200309005906/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Iran furloughs 70,000 prisoners as it battles virus Iran Press TV Monday, 09 March 2020 11:02 AM Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raeisi says Iran has temporarily released around 70,000 prisoners in order to prevent a further spread of the new coronavirus. "Prisoners will continue to be furloughed as long as [this measure] does not interfere with the society's security," Raeisi told judicial authorities on Monday. "The priority lies with those who have underlying health conditions," he added. The chief justice said Iran's judicial apparatus has also prioritized processing the cases of individuals charged with hoarding hygiene products and other medical requirements amid the country's efforts to curb the outbreak. "The hoarders will be tried earlier than they are due in open courts, and the hoarded items will soon be distributed throughout the nation," he said. The novel coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, has killed more than 3,800 people and infected over 108,000 others in at least 95 countries. Iran has been the worst-hit country in the Middle East, with a total of 237 deaths and 7,161 infection cases. Presenting the latest figures on the epidemic on Monday, head of the Health Ministry's Public Relations and Information Center Kianoush Jahanpour said 595 new infections had been diagnosed since Sunday. Medical authorities, however, are upbeat about the country's ability to subdue the outbreak, citing the rate at which patients have been recovering from the disease. Jahanpour said at least 2,394 people have been released from hospitals after regaining their health. Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) described Iran's capability and performance in controlling the virus as exemplary. Iran to release indigenous testing kits Separately, an Iranian official said the country's science-based organizations have managed to produce indigenous diagnostic kits, which will be supplied to the market as of March 20. Mostafa Qane'i, secretary of the Biotechnological Development Center of the Science and Technology Department of the Iranian President's Office, said diagnosis is the most important first step in treating the disease. The devices are being produced to meet domestic demand because the kits that have been supplied by China, WHO, and UNICEF - the United Nations' children fund - and those which the country has imported would last out only two months, he said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Bengaluru: In a major embarrassment to software giant Infosys, the Electronic City police of Bengaluru arrested three of the companys employees on March 3 on charges of accepting bribes from tax-payers for speedy processing of their refunds. The software giant announced their termination on Monday. They were attached to the Income Tax Department's Centralised Processing Centre (CPC). "Infosys is aware of the allegations against certain employees who have been found violating the companys policies. The employees have been terminated after a thorough internal investigation. Infosys takes any breach of its policies and code of conduct seriously and we are fully cooperating with the authorities, said an official communique from Infosys. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Electronic City police on Sunday said the key accused among the three was attached to the CPC's data division, and had demanded and collected bribes through his friends from some major taxpayers with whom he had established contact over the phone for processing their I-T refund claims at the earliest. The arrested men have been identified as Kalyan, Prakash and Devishwar Reddy, all hailing from Hyderabad and residing in Bengaluru. They were arrested on the basis of a complaint by Income Tax officials, the police said. During interrogation, the three men admitted they charged 4 per cent of the refund money as commission. Rs. 2.37 lakh has been recovered from the accused, police said. Recently, one of the taxpayers refused to pay the money and shared an audio recording of his conversation with the accused with Income Tax officials who held an internal enquiry and then approached the police. The Electronics City police have registered a case of cheating and criminal breach of trust against them. The police suspected the trio might have made about Rs 15 lakh so far as commission from taxpayers. Airbus SEs target for record jetliner deliveries this year may be at risk as virus-shocked customers postpone taking new planes, according to people familiar with the matter. Some Chinese airlines have deferred deliveries through April, the people said, asking not to be named discussing private information, while Malaysias AirAsia X has already said it will pare handovers. Qantas Airways Ltd. said Tuesday it has asked Airbus for more time to confirm an order for as many as 12 A350-1000 jets for ultra-long-haul services. Airbus is tracking carriers willingness to take jets and may decide whether to lower the 2020 target from about 880 deliveries as soon as next month, one of the people said. A spokesman declined to comment on individual customers but said Airbus is closely monitoring the situation and its impact on clients and the supply chain. A cut in annual targets at Airbus or U.S. rival Boeing Co. would represent the next level of pain for the aviation industry, which has been walloped by a rapid slowdown in air travel. Airbus is considering paring back output of its A330neo wide-body, Bloomberg News reported this month. Airline shares have plunged as carriers including Deutsche Lufthansa AG cut capacity on falling demand. The travel slump together with restrictions on movements aimed at limiting the spread of the virus have led customers to defer taking possession of jets, the people said. Airbus saw no orders in February, though handed over 55 planes; its March figures could show a more significant impact, one of the people said. Chinese airlines have postponed deliveries from Airbus factories in Germany and France, the people said, citing a travel ban and complicated quarantine procedures. UBS analysts slashed their full-year delivery forecasts for both Airbus and Boeing on Monday, given the prolonged and global context of Covid-19." Airbuss 2020 production will stay flat at 860 units, from a prior estimate of 906, analysts including Celine Fornaro wrote in the note. The wide-body market was already showing signs of strain prior to the worsening spread of the novel coronavirus. Boeing confirmed at the end of January that it would cut production of its marquee 787 Dreamliner to 10 a month from 2021, after Bloomberg earlier reported it was considering another output cut in response to sluggish demand for the model. The decision by AirAsia X, the biggest customer for the A330neo, to defer deliveries in February led Toulouse, France-based Airbus to weigh a cutback in the output rate for the wide-body, people familiar with the matter have said. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics With the new series "Star Trek: Picard," a fan-favorite character is back. For many, Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (played by Patrick Stewart), who led us through triumph and turmoil in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (TNG), has been the embodiment of standing by your principles and acting on your values in the Trek universe. And though his circumstances may have changed drastically in the new show, the man remains the same committed to doing what he believes is right. That's a defining trait for Capt. Picard, and the theme appears throughout TNG. That's why we've compiled this list of Picard's 10 greatest moments over the course of TNG. While some of his most popular moments are on this list, you will also find some quieter, more thoughtful examples from the show that reveal the many facets of this great and complicated man. Related: What 'Star Trek' to watch before 'Star Trek: Picard' Episode: "Yesterday's Enterprise" "History will never forget the name Enterprise." In a classic "What If?" episode, Picard faces alternate histories and the USS Enterprise B in this iconic episode. (Image credit: Paramount) One of Capt. Picard's most notable and respected traits is that he implicitly trusts the judgment of his crew, which is very much on display in this episode. In it, the Enterprise-C travels back in time and changes history for the worse; the Federation is in a war with the Klingons, and it is losing badly. Though Picard has no knowledge of the alterations to the timeline, he listens to both Guinan and Tasha Yar, who advise him to send the Enterprise-C back through time again, even though it will mean Yar's destruction. It's an incredibly risky move, but it pays off and eventually restores the timeline and the original order. Episode: "The Best of Both Worlds, Part 2""Sleep, Data." "Sleep, Data." PIcard faces his toughest challenge in "The Best of Both Worlds" arc, when he is transformed into the Borg Locutus. The impacts of that experience carry over into "Star Trek: Picard." (Image credit: Paramount) One of the most devastating moments from TNG came when the Borg assimilated Capt. Picard and used his knowledge to decimate a Federation war fleet at Wolf 359. It's heartbreaking, to say the least, and it might be one of Picard's lowest moments on the show. But it leads to one of his greatest moments when he finally breaks through the Borg implants and collective consciousness of the aliens to tell Data how to shut down the Borg cube. It shows incredible resolve and strength of character that Picard can push through and help his crew to defeat the terrible threat. Video: Patrick Stewart and Isa Briones Talk Trek with Space.com Episode: "Chain of Command, Part 2" "There are four lights!" Cardassian torture and mind games push Picard to the edge in this emotional episode. (Image credit: Paramount) Many claim that TNG never went into dark territory, but that's not the case at all. Some of the show's most notable moments explored darker themes, which is clear in "Chain of Command," a two-part episode that's difficult to watch but incredible nonetheless. When Picard is kidnapped by Cardassians and tortured, they try to break him by insisting that there are five lights in front of him when there are, in fact, four. It's a brutal process that really shows the viewer the degradation and mental stress of torture, at least in Trek form. In the end, Picard doesn't break, though he later admits he was very close to doing so under the strain. Episode: "The Measure of a Man" "Starfleet was founded to seek out new life. Well, there it sits!" Picard comes to Data's defense for the android's autonomy and free will in this critical episode, which forms part of the backstory for "Star Trek: Picard." (Image credit: Paramount) One of the most thoughtful and poignant episodes of TNG comes when Data is put on trial to determine whether he's the property of Starfleet or a form of intelligent life allowed to make his own decisions. In the episode, the outcome of the trial will determine the fundamental nature of what Data is and what rights he has, and Picard takes his duty to defend Data and his rights incredibly seriously. This is one of those episodes that shows the series at its absolute best, and Picard's impassioned speech in defense of Data is surely one for the books. Related: The 10 best 'Star Trek' episodes ever Episode: "The Drumhead" "With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored. The first thought forbidden. The first freedom denied chains us all irrevocably." Picard's facepalm may be a meme, but the Enterprise captain faced serious challenges in this episode. (Image credit: Paramount) When Starfleet Adm. Norah Satie arrives aboard the Enterprise in hunt of a spy who's been leaking information to the Romulans, it seems like a necessary endeavor. Except, even after the saboteur is caught, Satie continues her investigation aboard the Enterprise, certain that the conspiracy is wider-ranging than it appears. She goes after Simon Tarses, a young officer, before turning her eyes on Picard himself. The captain becomes convinced that Satie's investigation has become a xenophobic witch hunt that completely disregards the truth. Episode: "Family" "I wasn't strong enough! I wasn't good enough! I should have been able to stop them!" Picard visits his family vineyard and comes face to face with his brother - and what the Borg did to him in "Best of Both Worlds" - in this pivotal, reflective episode. (Image credit: Paramount) Taken hand in hand with "Best of Both Worlds," "Family" is the oft-missed conclusion of a three-episode arc in which Picard returns home to France and grapples with the implications of what happened to him at the hands of the Borg. Too often, in episodic television of TNG"s era, traumatic things happened and characters would be "fine" the next week because of show creators' resistance to serialized storytelling. This episode, however, allowed Picard to process his trauma and grief, and it's one of his best moments, not in spite of his naked vulnerability, but because of it. Related: 'Star Trek: Picard' Couture: Jean-Luc's 15 Best TNG Outfits Episode: "Tapestry" "I would rather die as the man I was than live the life I just saw." A visit from Q takes Picard down memory lane to see a life that could have been. (Image credit: Paramount) In this memorable episode, Q, an omnipotent being, offers Picard the chance to live a different life. After the captain dies on the operating table following a heart attack, Q allows the man to go back in time and choose not to provoke the Nausicaans who stabbed him through the heart as a young Starfleet officer, which is what led to this moment. However, it turns out that incident was a defining moment in Picard's life, and in the end, he chooses to return to his old life. He realizes he'd rather risk death than live a safe, boring life. Episode: "Encounter at Farpoint" (series premiere) "If we're going to be damned, let's be damned for what we really are." Picard makes his first appearance, and battles Q for the first time, in this "Star Trek: The Next Generation" premiere! (Image credit: Paramount) TNG's pilot episode isn't exactly considered the best of the series. In fact, as far as first episodes across the franchise go, it isn't exactly beloved. But in this episode, Stewart establishes the character of Picard and viewers get to see what the man is made of. Not to mention, the pilot introduces Q to the "Star Trek" universe. Q was a gift, especially in his interactions with the honorable captain; from the powerful being's pettiness to his ability to needle Picard in the best way, he's a vital part of the "Star Trek" universe. "The line must be drawn here. This far and no further!" The Borg are BACK in this second TNG cast Trek film. But Picard will not stand for it. (Image credit: Paramount) This might be cheating a little bit, because "First Contact" is a movie and not a TNG episode. But it's hard to argue that this impassioned speech isn't one of Picard's most memorable. The greatest moment of the film, however, isn't the speech itself; it's what comes after. Picard accepts that his vendetta against the Borg is, in fact, personal, and acknowledges that he needs to move beyond that fixation to save his crew. It's never easy to accept when we're wrong, and it's all the more moving to see such an icon admit that he's been shortsighted. Episode: "The First Duty" "The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth, whether it's scientific truth or historical truth or personal truth! It is the guiding principle on which Starfleet is based, and if you can't find it within yourself to stand up and tell the truth about what happened, you don't deserve to wear that uniform." Oh, Wesley. (Image credit: Paramount) One of Stewart's most amazing talents is his ability to moralize and deliver lessons about values without sounding preachy or off-putting. That's one of the reasons why Picard has endured over the years, because he was a beacon of accessible hope for many viewers. Delivered to Wesley Crusher, this speech from "The First Duty" reminds us how important our values are and that the most important thing any of us can do is adhere to the truth. Given the premise of the new show, "Star Trek: Picard," this speech is extra-fitting, because it reminds us what Starfleet has always stood for and how it may or may not be failing the galaxy decades later. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. Company Added to Prestigious List for Their Supplier Collaboration Platform, CONNEX, Enabling Digital Transformation in the Heavy Construction Industry BIRMINGHAM, Ala., March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Command Alkon , the leading Supplier Collaboration Platform for Constructions Heavy Work, has been named one of the Worlds Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company. Appearing in the Logistics category, Command Alkon earned a Top 10 finish in 2020 for its CONNEX Platform. The platform facilitates supply chain collaboration and project certainty. The results are significantly improving how contractors, jobsite inspectors, project owners, state departments of transportation (DOTs), concrete producers, bulk material suppliers, logistics providers, and more interact. The team here is extremely honored by Fast Companys recognition of our results to positively impact productivity, safety, and sustainability across heavy construction, said Phil Ramsey, CEO of Command Alkon. CONNEX is unlike any other technology in our industry; automating and digitizing key supply chain processes for heavy materials. The technology is definitely a game changer, and I am thrilled about our selection for this notable award. Fast Companys Most Innovative Company list honors the businesses making the most profound impact on both industry and culture, showcasing a variety of ways to thrive in todays fast-changing world. This years list features businesses from 39 countries. Command Alkon is leading the heavy construction industry into a new era of project certainty, helping interdependent stakeholders achieve better outcomes together than they would on their own. The implementation of digital collaboration solutions like CONNEX frees limited resources in order to build more community-enriching infrastructure like schools, hospitals, libraries, and roadways as a result of the meaningful productivity gains unlocked via technology. Fast Companys editors and writers sought out the most groundbreaking businesses on the planet and across a myriad of industries. They also judged nominations received through their application process. The Worlds Most Innovative Companies is Fast Companys signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. It provides both a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors of the economy. Story continues At a time of increasing global volatility, this years list showcases the resilience and optimism of businesses across the world. These companies are applying creativity to solve challenges within their industries and far beyond, said Fast Company senior editor Amy Farley, who oversaw the issue with deputy editor David Lidsky. Fast Companys Most Innovative Companies issue (March/April 2020) is now available online at fastcompany.com/most-innovative-companies/2020 , as well as in app form via iTunes and on newsstands beginning March 17, 2020. The hashtag is #FCMostInnovative. ABOUT COMMAND ALKON At Command Alkon, we believe in building an amazing world. As the Supplier Collaboration Platform for Constructions Heavy Work, were dramatically improving how contractors, bulk material suppliers, logistics providers, jobsite inspectors, project owners, and more interact. Our See Together, Work Together, and Grow Together capabilities deliver increased productivity, real-time visibility, keen business insights, and certainty of outcomes when building the things that matter. For over 40 years, our people, software and technology have empowered customers to achieve greater levels of quality and profitability across their projects and operations. Command Alkon is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama and has offices in locations around the globe. For more information, visit commandalkon.com . ABOUT FAST COMPANY Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Since 2011, Fast Company has received some of the most prestigious editorial and design accolades, including the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) National Magazine Award for Magazine of the Year, Adweeks Hot List for Hottest Business Publication, and six gold medals and 10 silver medals from the Society of Publication Designers. The editor-in-chief is Stephanie Mehta and the publisher is Amanda Smith. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com . For More Information, Contact: Becky Boyd MediaFirst PR (770) 642-2080 x 214 becky@mediafirst.com Karli Langner Command Alkon (205) 879-3282 x 3968 klangner@commandalkon.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6c94fccd-9b66-4e08-ae23-d9cee6ee71ce Spring doesnt start officially for another 10 days, but Albuquerque has already had its share of warm and sunny weather. Now, a storm system will bring welcome rain to the Albuquerque area and snow to higher elevations in northern New Mexico later this week. Rain will start in western New Mexico on Tuesday and move east across the state for the next three days, said Daniel Porter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Services Albuquerque office. The southwestern corner of the state could receive an inch of rain from Tuesdays storm system. Any snowfall will be relegated to the highest elevations, which will limit our travel impacts, Porter said. Rain and thunderstorms will linger over central New Mexico on Wednesday. By Thursday night, a warm storm system will ramp up throughout the state. Albuquerque has a 55% chance of rain Thursday night and Friday morning. Most of central and northern New Mexico has at least a 50% chance of rain Friday. That big slug of moisture above New Mexico means there are high chances for precipitation on Thursday night and Friday, no matter where you live in the state, Porter said. Its a good sign to see these storms bringing precipitation to New Mexico when we really need it. Temperatures will drop slightly on Friday in Albuquerque, where a high of 57 degrees is forecast. Temperatures in Raton and Las Vegas could drop as much as 20 degrees because the storm but will rebound to the mid-50s by the weekend. The move by rebel ruling Congress MLAs in Madhya Pradesh to trigger the crisis for the party government appears to have been in the making at least close to a month as Karnataka BJP leaders were sounded about hosting them here in advance, according to sources. They also indicated the 19 rebel MLAs would stay here for at least two weeks till an alternative government took charge in Madhya Pradesh. A senior Karnataka BJP leader taking care of the Madhya Pradesh legislators stay here had got a communication from the party central leaders about the move nearly 15-20 days ago, the sources involved in the development said on condition of anonymity on Tuesday. The leader had even gone to New Delhi in the third week of February to meet party central leaders in this regard, they said. In a massive setback for the Congress, its prominent youth leader Jyotiradtya Scindia quit the party and in a coordinated rebellion on Tuesday 22 MLAs loyal to him resigned in Madhya Pradesh, pushing the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government to the brink of collapse. As many as 19 Madhya Pradesh MLAs, including six Ministers, said to be loyalists of Scindia who appeared set to join BJP, are camping at a resort here. Two of them were women, the sources said. The MLAs on Tuesday sent their resignation letters via e-mail to Raj Bhavan in Bhopal from Bengaluru. According to the sources, eight legislators including, an independent, have been staying in the city for about a week now. Of them two - one Congress and the independent - had gone back. The six were joined by 13 legislators, who landed in the city by a chartered flight yesterday and all of them are put up in a villa accommodation. The senior Karnataka BJP leader, also an MLA, is looking after their stay and related arrangements here on the directions of the party high command, the sources said. Their stay here may be long, say couple of weeks. There will be no-confidence motion, and then there will be trust vote of the new alternative government that will be formed. so they may have to stay here for some time. They may be moved out of their current location," they said. The Madhya Pradesh legislature session is expected to begin on March 16. The sources also said the six legislators staying here since last week were shifted a couple of times within the city. Congress in Madhya Pradesh, under the leadership of Kamal Nath, had come to power in December 2018 by ousting the BJP by a narrow margin. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kakapora: A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel got injured after terrorists hurled a grenade at Kakapora police station located in Pulwama district on Tuesday (March 10, 2020). The grenade exploded near the wall of the police station, said police. The police retaliated to the attack by firing a few aerial shots. The injured army personnel is admitted to hospital and he is presently stable. ''One security personal got injured when a grenade was lobbed into the compound. He sustained splinter injuries and has been taken to hospital. His condition is stable," said CRPF. Meanwhile, troops of 41 Bn CRPF is deployed in the premises of the attacked police station to ensure security. The nudge doesnt focus on changing minds. It focuses on the system. Iris Bohnet, a behavioral economist and professor at the Harvard Kennedy School [In Her Words is available as a newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.] In 2014, engineers at Amazon began work on an artificially intelligent hiring tool they hoped would change hiring for good and for the better. The tool would bypass the messy biases and errors of human hiring managers by reviewing resume data, ranking applicants and identifying top talent. Instead, the machine simply learned to make the kind of mistakes its creators wanted to avoid. The tools algorithm was trained on data from Amazons hires over the prior decade and since most of the hires had been men, the machine learned that men were preferable. It prioritized aggressive language like execute, which men use in their CVs more often than women, and downgraded the names of all-womens colleges. (The specific schools have never been made public.) It didnt choose better candidates; it just detected and absorbed human biases in hiring decisions with alarming speed. Amazon quietly scrapped the project. Amazons hiring tool is a good example of how artificial intelligence in the workplace or anywhere else is only as smart as the input it gets. If sexism or other biases are present in the data, machines will learn and replicate them on a faster, bigger scale than humans could do alone. The number of detections of web threats in Vietnam fell by more than 30 per cent last year compared to 2018, with 75 million different Internet-borne cyberthreats, according to Kaspersky Security Network (KSN) 2019. Ranking of Southeast Asia countries in local cyber-threats in 2018 and 2019 (Source: Kaspersky) With 40 percent of users almost infected by web-borne threats last year, Vietnam ranked 17th worldwide in the dangers associated with surfing. Singapore has the lowest number of web threats with nearly 4.7 million which is in 156th place globally, it said. Kasperskys latest data shows that the number of local threats in Vietnam for 2019 has dropped 10 percent compared to 2018, which puts it in sixth place worldwide, a significant drop from its second place in 2018. According to the cyber-security company Kaspersky, the top five attack vectors of web threats in Southeast Asia are malware in web traffic, which is found during browsing scenarios when user visits infect sites or online-advertisement performs unfair actions; unintentional downloads of certain programmes (or files) from the Internet; downloading of malicious attachments from online e-mail services; browser extensions activity; and downloads of malicious components or communications with control and command, performed by other malware. Data from KSN also indicated that threat sources in Vietnam went down to 2.68 million incidents last year from 5.3 million incidents in 2018. This ranks Vietnam in 30th place worldwide compared to Indonesia (32nd), the Philippines (37th), Thailand (38th), Malaysia (40th), and Singapore (10th). Yeo Siang Tiong, general manager for Southeast Asia at Kaspersky, said: Last year Vietnam saw significant improvements in its cybersecurity landscape. We have to commend the active efforts exerted by the Government, which definitely increased awareness of the public and required businesses to beef up their defences. While it is undoubtedly a success for everyone in Vietnam, we should still keep our guard up as cybercriminals will surely try to earn and infect as much as they can. He said with the process of digitisation taking place in many businesses, the awareness of the importance of cybersecurity in 2020 is going to increase, both for individuals and organisations. Alongside the technological advancements such as the implementation of 5G and Industry 4.0, attacks will be more complex and damaging. Enterprises and organisations in Vietnam should pay more attention to the importance of threat intelligence for all industries, which can help further boost their defences against sophisticated cyber-attacks, he added./. Domestic cybersecurity products on the rise The number of locally-made cybersecurity products increased last year, said the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) on January 3. The Embassy of Armenia in France has issued a statement regarding the coronavirus for citizens of Armenia temporarily residing in France on its Facebook page. The statement particularly reads as follows: Dear compatriots, Due to the crisis resulting from the rapid spread of the new coronavirus in France, the Embassy of Armenia in France urges all citizens of Armenia temporarily residing in France to contact the Embassy and provide information about their health condition and location (name, last name, place of residence, phone number). Citizens can provide the information by sending an e-mail to [email protected], or by calling (+33) 753380239, or visiting the Embassys Facebook page. The Embassy of Armenia in France would also like to inform citizens of Armenia that provision of their information doesnt entail any liability. The owner of a Spring Branch bar and restaurant plans to close every Monday in March to have dinner with his regulars in Chinatown, a show of solidarity for Asian businesses in the Alief area, where concerns over the coronavirus have kept diners away. Each Monday, Kyle Pierson, owner of The Branch on Long Point, will visit a different restaurant and bring along special dinner guests in hopes of attracting other Houstonians to join them. After looking at New Jersey Resources Corporation's (NYSE:NJR) latest earnings announcement (31 December 2019), I found it useful to revisit the company's performance in the past couple of years and assess this against the most recent figures. As a long-term investor I tend to focus on earnings trend, rather than a single number at one point in time. Also, comparing it against an industry benchmark to understand whether it outperformed, or is simply riding an industry wave, is a crucial aspect. Below is a brief commentary on my key takeaways. See our latest analysis for New Jersey Resources How Well Did NJR Perform? NJR's trailing twelve-month earnings (from 31 December 2019) of US$173m has declined by -12% compared to the previous year. Furthermore, this one-year growth rate has been lower than its average earnings growth rate over the past 5 years of 2.8%, indicating the rate at which NJR is growing has slowed down. Why could this be happening? Well, let's look at what's occurring with margins and whether the rest of the industry is feeling the heat. NYSE:NJR Income Statement, March 10th 2020 In terms of returns from investment, New Jersey Resources has fallen short of achieving a 20% return on equity (ROE), recording 9.4% instead. Furthermore, its return on assets (ROA) of 4.3% is below the US Gas Utilities industry of 4.4%, indicating New Jersey Resources's are utilized less efficiently. And finally, its return on capital (ROC), which also accounts for New Jersey Resourcess debt level, has declined over the past 3 years from 4.8% to 3.7%. This correlates with an increase in debt holding, with debt-to-equity ratio rising from 85% to 105% over the past 5 years. What does this mean? Though New Jersey Resources's past data is helpful, it is only one aspect of my investment thesis. Companies that are profitable, but have unpredictable earnings, can have many factors influencing its business. You should continue to research New Jersey Resources to get a more holistic view of the stock by looking at: Story continues Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for NJRs future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for NJRs outlook. Financial Health: Are NJRs 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. FAIRFIELD Sacred Heart University is suspending classes for a day and preparing to move them all online starting Wednesday. The university is also canceling all major events on campus through March 29. The letter to staff, faculty and students announcing the changes comes just as the campus community returned Monday from spring break. While there are no known or suspected cases of coronavirus on campus, we are taking the following steps out of an abundance of caution in response to the rapidly changing global health situation, the Coronavirus Planning Team at the university stated in a notice. The decision to move online was made today as a precaution because of the state of emergency in New York and seeing what is happening at other colleges in New York, said Deborah Noack, a university spokeswoman. Officials at the University of New Haven in West Haven announced Monday it would be canceling all in-person classes and exams through the remainder of the week, leading to the start of spring break on March 14. In-person classes at UNH have also been canceled on March 23 and 24 and students have been asked to leave the dorms by Wednesday. While there currently are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on our campus, these decisions were made after learning that individuals on our campus may have been exposed to a confirmed case of the virus after attending an out-of-state conference, said Doug Whiting, a university spokesman. The Connecticut colleges decision came just days after it was revealed that two employees at Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y., were under self-quarantine but had not tested positive for the virus. The university closed classes on campus as well. Noack said SHUs Coronavirus Planning team has been meeting for two weeks. The universitys new online learning protocol will remain in effect through March 29. SHU students are not being told to leave campus residence halls and can still use dining and recreation areas, they have been told. University offices will also remain open. Sacred Heart has more than 3,000 students who live on campus and nearly 9,000 overall. All major events on campus have been canceled except sporting events. The situation remains fluid and we will continue to evaluate the situation and update the community, SHU officials said. The university has also canceled international business travel and nonessential business travel. lclambeck@ctpost.com; twitter/lclambeck 3 Butte County residents being tested for novel coronavirus Health representatives say three people in Butte County are now being tested for the novel coronavirus. There is still one confirmed case in Shasta County. We do want to stress in Butte County, these are not confirmed cases. Action News Now is working to confirm when results could come back. Butte County health officials have activated a department operations center from there they will monitor, plan and prepare for the potential coronavirus threat. Chico Police arrest third person in connection to Motel 6 murder A third person is now in custody in an ongoing murder investigation at a local Motel 6. Chico Police Officers say they have arrested Eric Allen. He's charged with murder and being a felon in possession of a gun. Police say they served a search warrant at a home on Columbus Avenue and say new information tied Allen to the Jan. 23 murder of victim John Noonan. Firefighters knock down shed fire in Willows Quick work by fire crews to tackle a Monday night structure fire. It happened in willows Monday night around 8 p.m. Fire crews arrived to find an abandoned shed on fire. No one was hurt and no other structures damaged. Chico State speaks out about plans for coronavirus Chico State university reps say at this time the campus has no plans to cancel classes. The university has created a web page dedicated to coronavirus information and updates, regarding student health, travel and campus preparedness. To view the new webpage, Click Here. Trump pushes payroll tax cut and assistance for hourly workers in coronavirus economic response President Trump will meet with republicans Tuesday. In an effort aimed at cutting payroll taxes to help workers who will struggle financially due to the coronavirus. On Wall Street the Dow plunged 2,000 points Monday, prompting a 15-minute halt in trading. President Trump says he's considering loans and help for the travel industry. Cruise ship struck by coronavirus pulls into California port Thousands of passengers onboard the Grand Princess Cruise Ship, now docked in Oakland may see their chance today to finally leave the ship. 21 people aboard have tested positive for coronavirus. So even once allowed off the ship, many may be shipped to military bases for several weeks of quarantine. It could take several days to complete the process. What to watch as Biden and Sanders face off in six states on Tuesday It's another big decision day in the democratic race for president. Six states are voting for their choice for the nominee Tuesday -- including delegate Rich Michigan. Former rivals, senators Kamala Harris and Corey Booker --encouraged the crowd to vote for the Biden. Senator Bernie Sanders is hoping to repeat his success in 2016, where he defeated Hillary Clinton in the Michigan primary. All in all, there are 352 delegates up for grabs. Even as Delhi fights against coronavirus, cases of swine flu have been reported from Ghaziabad. Health officials said that three cases were reported in Indirapuram, and all the affected ones are women, who are currently stable. The patients' families have been told to take precautions. Reuters Recently, the health department had received information about six persons suffering from swine flu, after which their samples were taken for tests. Later, reports of three women were found to be positive, while the remaining three did not have swine flu. At the time of sample collection, they were all down with fever. Health officials said the three have been asked to stay at home and seek medical assistance. Last year, 337 cases of swine flu were reported from the district. One person from Niwadi had lost his life. There was no case in 2018. PTI Meanwhile, on Sunday, swab samples of two Ghaziabad residents one from Sanjay Nagar and another from Indirapuram were collected for coronavirus testing. Chief medical officer NK Gupta said: The two residents dont have travel history. They called and informed us that they had come in contact with a person who had the virus and insisted that we collect his samples. We have collected 27 samples so far and 14 have been found to be negative and one was tested positive. Reports of the remaining 12 are awaited." IANS According to Gupta, the wife of a 57-year-old businessman from Rajnagar Extension, who was found to be suffering from coronavirus, has tested negative. Meanwhile, the condition of the businessman admitted to RML hospital, is improving. Leaving Facebook just got a little easier (Photo by Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP) For many of us, sharing photos was one of the first reasons to use Facebook and now the social network has made it easier to salvage those precious photos and, in turn, leave the site. Facebook now allows users to transfer media directly to rival service Google Photos, meaning that users can close their account without losing data, according to Engineering and Technology. The service was previously available in the US, but has now launched in Europe and other territories. Read more: How to use Facebooks new privacy settings Previously, users had to download a bundle of data from Facebook, rather than being able to simply move their photos into another service. Its part of a move to improve data portability within the site. Facebooks Steve Satterfield, who runs the firms Privacy and Public Policy team, said, At Facebook, we believe that if you share data with one service, you should be able to move it to another. Read more: Australia sues Facebook over data breach Thats the principle of data portability, which gives people control and choice while also encouraging innovation. Weve kept privacy and security as top priorities, so all data transferred will be encrypted and people will be asked to enter their password before a transfer is initiated. Users can salvage their photos by clicking on Settings and selecting Your Facebook Information then Transfer a copy of your photos or videos. Google Photos is one of these options. Read more: Facebook Stories tests cross-posting to Instagram Earlier this year, after years mired in privacy scandals, Facebook has suggested that it wants to work with governments on new rules for the internet. The social media giant which has been under fire over fake news and hate speech online published a set of recommendations for online content regulation. Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg called for good regulation on social media companies. The social giant firm published recommendations for future regulation, which suggest placing more accountability on companies to do content moderation. The United States has called for a Tuesday vote at the UN Security Council to endorse Washington's deal with the Taliban that was meant to pave the way to peace in Afghanistan, diplomats said. The US military has begun withdrawing troops as part of the pullout agreed in the February 29 agreement with the Taliban. The request for a UN vote came after negotiations on a draft resolution, diplomats said Monday. The coronavirus-stricken Grand Princess cruise ship docked at the port of Oakland, California, to unload passengers on Monday. The cruise ship Grand Princess, held at sea as tests for coronavirus were conducted and arrangements made to offload passengers at the Port of Oakland, passes the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco, California, March 9, 2020. Stephen Lam/Reuters The Grand Princess cruise ship, on which 21 passengers and crew have tested positive for the new coronavirus, docked at the port of Oakland, California, around noon on Monday. The San Francisco-based ship had been sitting in limbo off the coast since Thursday, after three passengers from its last voyage tested positive for the new coronavirus. One of those patients died in Placer County, the state confirmed, becoming California's first reported coronavirus death. "I have received some very strong assurances that this operation will employ the best isolation practices known, that the operation will be conducted in a manner that minimizes the time for the Grand Princess to be at Oakland," Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said in a press briefing on Sunday. "No one will be quarantined in Oakland or released to our community." Photos showed the ship passing under the Golden Gate Bridge as it approached the port of Oakland around noon on Monday. The ship docked with 2,422 passengers and 1,111 crew members onboard, according to the cruise line, Princess Cruises. Only 46 people on board have been tested for the coronavirus. The Grand Princess cruise ship passes the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco, March 9, 2020. Kate Munsch/Reuters "To avoid delays, testing will be conducted when guests arrive at their onward destination," Princess Cruises said in a statement on Sunday. In a briefing, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the people who require medical care will leave the ship first and go to hospitals "across the region." The process of unloading everybody else could take two to three days, he added. Story continues Newsom said the 962 California residents onboard would be prioritized, with some going to Travis Air Force Base and others to the Marine Corps Air Station for a 14-day quarantine. He added that California would provide charter flights for people who are not US residents, though he did not specify how many flights that would entail or where they would go. Residents of other US states will go to the Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Georgia. Newsom said crew members will remain quarantined on the ship, which is expected to leave the San Francisco Bay with them still onboard. Do you work for Princess Cruises? Are you on the Grand Princess? Contact this reporter at mmcfalljohnsen@businessinsider.com. You can also reach out securely on Signal at 646-768-4730. Business Insider As the ongoing novel Coronavirus outbreak sends everyone scrambling to stay clean and safe, please know that all of it's useless if you don't take the effort to clean your phone -- which is a breeding ground for all kinds of germs, bacteria and virus. Taking note, Apple has released a statement on its website to reassure iPhone, iPad and Mac owners that it's okay to clean their devices with disinfectant wipes. Reuters According to Seattle Times journalist Bobby Caina Calvan, your phone is one of the dirtiest objects you touch every day, covered in 25,127 bacteria per square inch -- worse than an average toilet seat or kitchen sink -- which is shocking. And the World Health Organization says that the Coronavirus can linger on surfaces (apart from spreading through the air and touch), and you can't underscore the importance of self-hygiene enough -- washing your hands with soap is the first line of defense, on tips to stay safe from Coronavirus COVID-19. Governments and private companies are taking unprecedented steps to keep people safe and isolated on a scale we haven't witnessed till date. The chorus of responsible action is rising, and Apple is also adding its own advisory to keep its customers safe. On a recent post titled How to clean your Apple products, the iPhone maker gives step-by-step instructions on the dos and don'ts of cleaning iPhones, iPads and Macs. The company advises on using a lint-free cloth to cleanly wipe its device's surface, and doesn't recommend using abrasive materials like towel, tissue, or other cleaning materials as it may scratch or damage the device's surface. Aerosol sprays, bleaches aren't supposed to be used on Apple's devices, but a disinfectant wipe that meets the following criteria is fine: Using a 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe or Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, you may gently wipe the hard, nonporous surfaces of your Apple product, such as the display, keyboard, or other exterior surfaces. While you're at it, Apple warns you against "getting moisture in any opening (of your device), and don't submerge your Apple product in any cleaning agents. Don't use on fabric or leather surfaces." [March 10, 2020] INVESTIGATION ALERT: The Schall Law Firm Announces it is Investigating Claims Against Novartis AG and Encourages Investors with Losses in Excess of $100,000 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 Novartis AG ("Novartis" or "the Company") (NYSE: NVS) for violations of 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The investigation focuses on whether the Company issued false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose information pertinent to investors. Novartis was the subject of an FDA statement issued on August 6, 2019. According to the FDA, the Company had submitted maniplated data for its biologics license application ("BLA") for its gene therapy drug, Zolgensma. The FDA also stated that Novartis "became aware of the issue of the data manipulation that created inaccuracies in their BLA before the FDA approved the product, yet did not inform the FDA until after the product was approved." Based on this news, shares of Novartis fell almost 3% on the same day. 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 424-303-1964, 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/20200310005805/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] She surprised him with a confetti cannon when he returned home on Monday. And Stacey Solomon paid a sweet tribute to her boyfriend Joe Swash with a family snap, after he was crowned Dancing On Ice champion. Taking to Instagram the presenter, 30, gushed that she couldn't be prouder of her beau following his stellar victory over the weekend, and despite his lengthy absence from home due to training it was 'all worth it.' Cute: Stacey Solomon paid a sweet tribute to her boyfriend Joe Swash with a family snap of his son Harry, 12, her boys, Zachary, 11, and Leighton, seven, and their baby Rex, nine months In the selfie, Stacey couldn't hide her delight to finally have Joe home with their family, including his son Harry, 12, her boys Zachary, 11, and Leighton, seven, and their baby Rex, nine months. She captioned the post: 'Bunnndddllleeee.... We finally have him back. We've missed you sooooo much but it was ALL worth it... 'Me and all of our boys are so proud of you and so lucky to have a role model in our lives to show us that if you give something you care about absolutely EVERYTHING you've got and work as hard as you can you can achieve the impossible... it certainly felt impossible when you starte... 'I can't wait to actually wake up with you every morning... We love you to the moon and back Thank you all he couldn't have done it without you, love you.' Touching: The presenter gushed that she couldn't be prouder of her boyfriend, after he was crowned Dancing On Ice champion on Sunday On Tuesday morning, Stacey also announced that she would be taking a break from social media as it 'didn't feel right' posting, the same day that Caroline Flack's funeral would be taking place. She wrote: 'Today it doesn't feel right to be on social media... So from me and the boys, we hope you have a good day. 'Hold your loved ones close, give them all of the cuddles you have in you, and let them know how much you need them in your life... 'You never know when they really might need to know. x Love you all x 'If you're struggling with today, yesterday, the thought of tomorrow, please let someone know. ANYONE.' Difficult: On Tuesday Stacey also took to Instagram on Tuesday to reveal she would be taking a break from social media, as it 'didn't feel right' posting on the day of Caroline Flack's funeral Stacey then tagged the social media accounts for several mental health charities as she vowed that no one should suffer in silence. On Monday the star was clearly thrilled to have Joe home after he was crowned the winner of Dancing On Ice, and earlier in the day had surprised him with confetti cannons. The star filmed herself hiding behind the door as she lay in wait for Joe to walk through the door of their family home. Welcome home! On Monday Stacey surprised Joe as he finally returned home following his DOI victory, by launching a confetti cannon Joe looked delighted and surprised as Stacey set off a confetti cannon in front of him, before giving him a big kiss to welcome him home. She later prepared a 'special dinner' for him in celebration, but playfully mocked him for accompanying his lamb roast dinner with a dollop of mayonnaise. Later in the evening the family, including Stacey's children Zachary, 11, and Leighton, seven cosied up for a sweet selfie on the sofa following their reunion. Yum! She later prepared a 'special dinner' of roast lamb for him in celebration What! Stacey playfully mocked him for accompanying his lamb roast dinner with a dollop of mayonnaise Throughout the day Stacey updated her followers with Joe's movements, as she expressed her excitement that he was returning to their family unit. The family's excitement built to the point where they wanted to continue celebrating Joe's win and later refilled the confetti cannon to let it off again. Stacey hid behind the bathroom boys while presumably one of the boys opened the door ahead of the release, while an unnamed Joe sat brushing his teeth. Stacey captioned the clip: 'The boys wanted to do the confetti cannon again. So we filled it back up and as you can see Hoe LOVED it. [crying laughing face emoji]' Can't wait! Throughout the day Stacey updated her followers with Joe's movements, as she expressed her excitement that he was returning to their family unit Jokers: Stacey hid behind the bathroom boys while presumably one of the boys opened the door ahead of the release, while an unnamed Joe sat brushing his teeth Stacey couldn't contain her as joy she celebrated her partner Joe's surprise Dancing On Ice victory on Sunday night. She was giddy with excitement as she filmed the aftermath of the skating competition's grand final, which saw Joe, 38, and his dance partner Alex Murphy narrowly beat bookies' favourites Perri Kiely and Vanessa Bauer. But Stacey wasn't feeling quite so jubilant the next day, joking she was in a 'Monday mood' when she woke up bright and early with baby Rex, 21 months. Thrilled: Stacey couldn't contain her as joy she celebrated her partner Joe's surprise Dancing On Ice victory on Sunday night She posted a snap of herself in bed with baby Rex and her son Zachary, 11. It wasn't long before Leighton, seven, joined them, prompting doting mother Stacey to film her boys showering the youngest member of the family with kisses. The night before, Stacey was brimming with joy as she thanked their fans for their unwavering support. Joking she'd 'had to have a little lay down (sic)' to get over the shock, Stacey shared a sweet snap of herself celebrating with Joe and baby Rex, lying on the floor together on Sunday night. She wrote: 'Honestly can't believe it... Hoe [her joke pet name for Joe] did it! How did this happen? Seriously though... to anyone who voted, thank you. 'Monday mood': But Stacey wasn't feeling quite so jubilant the next day when she woke up bright and early with baby Rex, 21 months Family time: Stacey filmed baby Rex in bed with her sons Zachary, 11, and Leighton, seven 'Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. He put his heart and soul into Dancing On Ice and has worked so hard. 'It meant the world to him and to us. We are so proud of you Joe. We love you.' Stacey went on to film her excited reaction to the news, giggling with delight as she discussed how much it means to them as a family. 'We are home... We left Hoe at the wrap party so he can have some fun! I really want to say thank you by the way', the Loose Women star enthused. Cute as can be: Doting mother Stacey filmed her boys showering the youngest member of the family with kisses Delighted: Rex was happy as ever as his brothers lavished him with kisses 'Not even just to people who voted. Just thank you to anyone who's ever been nice, kind, supported someone, built them up. 'You make people feel like they can achieve their dreams. You've got no idea how much difference that makes to somebody, it's the nicest thing in the world. 'Honestly, I still can't believe it! Bless him, he worked so hard. He put everything into it, his heart and soul. 'He absolutely loved every second, so we're so happy for him.' Joyous: Stacey went on to film her excited reaction to the news, giggling with delight as she discussed how much it means to them as a family The Loose Women star enthused: 'Honestly, I still can't believe it! Bless him He worked so hard, he put everything into it, his heart and soul' Joe and pro figure skater Alex were announced as the series champions on Sunday night. This year's Dancing on Ice ended up being one of the most expensive shows for UK bookies as they failed to react in time. A Mybettingsites.co.uk spokesperson said: 'Having been the frontrunner for quite some time, Perri was the bookies favourites up until just an hour before the live final but as the support for Joe kept on pouring in, bookmakers decided to slash his odds, making Joe the new favourite. 'However, it was too late in the day to allow bookmakers to mitigate their losses.' 'It's safe to say that it was the bookies that ended up being the biggest losers during this year's Dancing on Ice.' Champs! The presenter and pro figure skater Alex Murphy were announced as the series champions The star battled through a head injury, for which he had to wear a bandage over his ears during the week's rehearsals, to perfect his routines. Joe and Alex finished off their performances with the Bolero - the routine that won Dancing On Ice head judges Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean gold at the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics. This followed Paralympian Libby Clegg and her pro partner Mark Hanretty's axing from the show earlier in the evening, coming in third place overall. Verkhovna Rada Speaker Dmytro Razumkov met with President of the Swiss Confederation Simonetta Sommaruga and expressed his hope for further strengthening of cooperation between the states. The meeting took place as part of Razumkov's official visit to Switzerland, the press service of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine informs. The interaction between the Government of Switzerland and the Parliament of Ukraine is an important component of the effectiveness of bilateral relations. We are grateful for the support of the Ukrainian reforms and look forward to further strengthening of cooperation between our countries, Razumkov said. In particular, the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada called the reform of decentralization and the norms of direct democracy among the areas in which Ukraine can adopt the Swiss experience. Switzerland has a successful practice of recognizing people as the subject of a legislative initiative. Ukraine is also taking the first steps. Bills have already been developed which should expand the forms of direct democracy by enshrining the mechanisms of national and local referendums, the people's veto, the withdrawal of an MP. I hope we will be able to consider these bills in the near future, Razumkov said. He also stressed that the reforms being implemented in Ukraine were aimed at creating favorable framework conditions for investors. "We are glad that Switzerland is one of the largest foreign countries investing in Ukraine, and we hope that this trend will continue in the future," he said. In addition, Razumkov thanked the President of Switzerland for the technical and humanitarian support the country provides to Ukraine. We hope that this assistance will be expanded in the future. This is one of the key issues, because Switzerland is the only country that provides assistance both to citizens living on the contact line and to those who are forced to stay on the other side, stressed the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada. Razumkov also congratulated Sommaruga on the election as the President of the Swiss Confederation. Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Dmytro Razumkov will make an official visit to Switzerland on March 9-10. ol Monnit Corporation (monnit.com) today announced the release of SensorPrints, the only end-to-end Internet of Things data authentication platform for low-power wireless sensors. An industry-first, SensorPrints provides data authentication in the form of a unique fingerprint for each device within the IoT, addressing a pressing need for greater security. "Over the last decade, Monnit has emerged as a prominent Internet of Things leader by monitoring the evolving needs of the marketplace," said Brad Walters, CEO, Monnit. "Many believed that legacy IT security would suffice as the IoT matured, and this has often proven catastrophic. With SensorPrints, Monnit is providing superior authenticated data encryption at the point of generation all the way to consumption for analytics and action. This is the feature needed by enterprise CTOs and business owners who have been waiting for full-coverage security before deploying new IoT technologies." SENSORPRINTS FEATURES Unprecedented data security via 256-bit SHA3 authentication Source generated data verification at the application layer Native iMonnit integration for the rapid deployment of a trust-based solution Open sensor data via the Monnit MINE platform supports aggregators (Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, etc.) or a user's proprietary IoT platform platform supports aggregators (Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, etc.) or a user's proprietary IoT platform Reseller ready through Monnit IoTvantage partner platform SensorPrints is now included in Monnit's industry-leading portfolio of sensing solutions, which include 80+ wireless sensor types, wireless controllers and reliable wireless gateways. These devices are available in commercial and industrial variants to suit a range of enterprise business monitoring applications. SensorPrints data authentication is an option for anyone using Monnit Wireless Sensors. ABOUT MONNIT CORPORATION Monnit is the Check Engine Light for Business. If something needs attention, Monnit's self-installed, cost-effective wireless sensors let business owners know. Enterprise and SMB customers use Monnit's 80+ sensor types to remotely monitor variables (including temperature, motion, humidity and vibration) and receive alerts based on user-defined conditions. Monnit products are also available for private label or resale and are fully tested for use anywhere in the world with FCC, CE and IC certifications. Find your Monnit monitoring solution at monnit.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005864/en/ Contacts: Press Contact: Paul Garcia (801) 561-5555 press@monnit.com DNA is one of the principal organic molecules for life. The information that is encoded within its structure controls the development of an organism from its genesis to its death. Image Credits: nobeastsofierce / Shutterstock.com Many technologies have been developed since the determination of the double-helical structure of DNA in the 1950s, which has benefitted our society. One of the more recent technologies to emerge within the field is DNA phenotyping, which is proving to be a revolutionary, albeit controversial, technique and subject. Principles behind the technology DNA phenotyping is the science of predicting an organisms observable physical or biochemical characteristics (phenotype) by using only genetic information from DNA sequencing or genotyping. Another commonly used term for DNA phenotyping is molecular photofitting. The technique is primarily used to predict a persons physical appearance and/or ancestry for forensic purposes. Using a genome-wide association study (GWAS) approach, genetic variants associated with the target trait are discovered. This involves testing many (in the region of hundreds of thousands/millions) of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are associated with the trait of interest. Then, using predictive modeling, trait predictions about new subjects are made. There are two methods to predict Human phenotypes from DNA direct and indirect. Direct methods involve using statistical methodologies to infer trait value and mechanistically linking genetic variants with the relevant phenotypes variable expression. In indirect methods, trait value is inferred by using variants that are associated with genetic component(s) of ancestry (for example, Ancestry Informative Markers, which are SNPs that vary in frequency across major Human populations) and combining these with appropriate statistical methodologies. Direct methods are preferable. However, depending on the phenotypes genetic architecture, this is not always possible. One of the key GWAS quality control steps is that of biogeographic ancestry determination. In this methodology, new subjects are compared to individuals with known ancestry by using techniques such as genome-wide human genetic clustering (such as the 1000 Genomes project.) In this way, the appearance of a certain individual can then be predicted. There have been several recent developments in the field of DNA phenotyping. Some loci which are useful for DNA phenotyping and have been found include 15 that are responsible for facial features, identified in 2018. A recently developed online tool, which is available to both the public and law enforcement, is the HIrisPlex-S System, which can be used to predict hair, eye, and skin color in humans using pigmentation information. DNA phenotyping differs from DNA profiling. However, DNA profiling can be used in tandem with the technology once a suspected individual is identified. Uses of DNA phenotyping DNA phenotyping is primarily used in the field of forensic science. It is used to narrow the pool of potential suspects or identify remains by learning about the ancestry and appearance of a person. There have been many cases in recent years wherein DNA phenotyping has helped investigators to identify suspects or human remains. One of the most famous cases was the murder of Candra Alston and her daughter Malaysia Boykin in Columbia, South Carolina. In 2015, the use of a composite image by police, the first to be produced entirely from a DNA sample, led to the charging of Kenneth Canzater Jr. with the crime in 2017. The image was produced by Parabon NanoLabs and consisted of a digital mesh of predicted facial morphology, which was then overlaid with textures of predicted eye, hair, and skin color. Another field finding applications for DNA phenotyping is archaeology. Researchers in this field can utilize the technique to help understand what our ancestors looked like. Chinese use of DNA phenotyping raises ethical concerns However, DNA phenotyping has potentially darker applications due to its potential to accurately predict an individuals appearance and ancestral lineage. One such application that is raising ethical concerns within the legal and scientific communities is the recent use of DNA phenotyping by Chinese researchers and the government. In recent years, reports have surfaced that by using blood samples from Uighurs and other predominantly Muslim minority groups, researchers have been attempting to innovate the technology. The main concern raised is that by attempting to improve facial recognition on a mass scale by government agencies, this technology could be misused to provide improved mass surveillance programs and could be applied to racial profiling. China is not the first government to attempt to improve this developing technology. Ethicists have raised concerns over recent years about DNA phenotypings use by governmental agencies and law enforcement, which have led to a slew of legislation and best practice in the field. Some concerns raised internationally about Chinas use of the technology pertaining to doubts about consent, as well as the Chinese governments crackdown on ethnic minorities such as the Uighur community. DNA phenotyping: A potentially revolutionary technology with potential ethical ramifications. DNA phenotyping represents one of the most interesting areas of ongoing genetic research, which is applicable to many other fields. However, it has the potential for more ethically questionable applications. Clearly, as this technology develops in the future, stringent ethical guidelines and practices will have to be implemented on an international scale to prevent potential misuse of this exciting and cutting-edge technique by governments and law enforcement agencies. Sources Sturm, R.A & Frudakis T.N. (2004) Eye colour: portals into pigmentation genes and ancestry Translational Genetics Vol. 20 Issue 8, Pgs. 327-332 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tig.2004.06.010 Claes, P et al. (2018) Genome-wide mapping of global-to-local genetic effects on human facial shape Nature Genetics 50, 413-423 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-018-0057-4 Shriver, M.D et al. (1997) Ethnic-affiliation estimation by use of population-specific DNA markers Am J Hum Genet. Vol. 60, Issue 4, Pgs. 957-964 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1712479 China is using DNA samples to try to re-create the faces of Uighurs, MIT Technology Review Dec 3, 2019 www.technologyreview.com/.../ Further Reading SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) Lowell High School in San Francisco will reopen on Wednesday following a closure due to novel coronavirus concerns, school district officials said. San Francisco Unified School District officials decided to close the school last Thursday out of caution after the parent of a student at Lowell tested positive for the virus, also known as COVID-19. The student has since tested negative for the virus, district officials said. Since the closure, the school has gone through enhanced cleaning, Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews said. "The decision to dismiss Lowell early on Thursday, March 5 and remain closed through Tuesday, March 10 was made in an abundance of caution while we continued to gather information. We know this was a conservative decision and we appreciate the patience and understanding of the Lowell community through this disruption," Matthews said in a statement. With the situation changing daily, and with the number of citywide cases reported on Tuesday as 14, Matthews said the district is continuing to take preventative measures. "We know COVID-19 is in our community and with increased testing there will likely be more cases identified daily. We plan to announce more details about the district's plans before the end of the week," he said. While the school is set to reopen, the district is canceling all non-essential events at all SFUSD schools through March 22, in hopes to limit person-to-person contact. As the district braces for a potential school closure, the district is reminding parents it's excusing absences for children who stay home from school due to health concerns at this time. Two other San Francisco school on Monday announced closures after people related to each school tested positive for the virus. The Immaculate Conception Academy Cristo Rey will be closed until March 20 after a staff member tested positive for coronavirus, school officials said. Archbishop Riordan High School will be closed through March 22 after a parent of a student tested positive for the virus, according to school 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. West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh on Tuesday appeared to downplay the global coronavirus scare, asserting that thousands of people at temples across India drink water with their hands and also consume 'prasad', but "nothing happens" as they have the blessings of god. Ghosh said the humankind, which have conquered the world and reached the moon, are now scared of coming out of their homes. "Mothers and sisters travelled a long distance after fasting to offer puja. This is our culture and we see it everywhere in India. This is the identity of our country and we are progressing like this," he said, after taking part in a puja at Egra in Purba Medinipur district. "The entire world is scared of the coronavirus and millions are staying at home. Those who have conquered the whole world, reached the moon... they are scared of coming out of their homes," Ghosh added. The BJP leader's comments come at a time when the virus, which first emerged in China last December, has spread to more than 100 countries, with over 4,000 deaths worldwide and over 1,10,000 confirmed cases. "And look what is happening here... Thousands of people have come out to offer puja. They are drinking water and using the same hands to have the prasad... Nothing will happen, they have the blessings of the almighty," Ghosh said. Ghosh said that in India, more people die due to vector-borne diseases. "...a few people have been infected (by novel coronavirus), but there are more number of deaths in the country because of malaria and dengue... We are not scared," the BJP MP from Midnapore said. According to the Union Health Ministry, a total of 50 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the country till now. Reports from states, however, put the figure at 59. Reacting to Ghosh's comments, TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee said he should realise the importance of holding the post of state president of a party like the BJP. "Everyday, Dilip babu is becoming a laughing stock. He must realise that he is the state president and MP of a political party," Chatterjee said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 17:19:26|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close CHINGOLA, Zambia, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Zambians have commended Chinese doctors for their commitment to being part of the coronavirus sensitization program in Zambia. This came after the Chinese doctors announced last Saturday that they are ready to assist in the sensitization program on coronavirus. "We are happy that our Chinese colleagues have expressed interest in being part of the sensitization program on coronavirus in Zambia, this is a positive development," Mwangala Mubiana, a health practitioner of Chingola said. Mubiana said Chinese nationals were committed to duty and their joining the sensitization team in Zambia is a welcome development. Mubiana called on health personnel to learn from the Chinese while they are in the country. "As health practitioners, we are looking forward to learning from the Chinese doctors who are currently in the country," she said. Mubiana said Zambian government's plan to hold a stakeholders meeting on coronavirus is a step in the right direction. Morgan Mulenga, a Chingola-based resident also commended the Chinese health personnel that their participation in the sensitization on coronavirus is a welcome move. Mulenga called on other stakeholders to come on board and assist the Zambian government in sensitizing the public on COVID-19. Marc-Michaels has brought its international reputation for high style to Lakewood and now our residents can enjoy the healing benefits of interior design, said Ron Ginsburg, Board Member of the Ginsburg Family Foundation. The Ginsburg Family Foundation is generously funding the renovation of the Lakewood Residential Treatment Center with the talented help of Marc-Michaels Interior Design. Renovations will include residential housing as well as other areas on the campus. We are honored to donate our time and services to this joint-venture. It is important to support our local communities who are providing long-term care for adults ages 21-60 who are in need of mental health treatment. As these patients go through various treatment programs it is important to have a peaceful, well-designed space to recover in, said Mark Tremblay, President of Marc-Michaels Interior Design. Lakewood Center focuses to provide quality long-term care for adults with chronic mental illness. They provide a supportive, therapeutic community for adults in need of long-term mental health care. It is located on a beautiful 15-acre campus in Fern Park, Florida. Marc-Michaels has brought its international reputation for high style to Lakewood and now our residents can enjoy the healing benefits of interior design, said Ron Ginsburg, Board Member of the Ginsburg Family Foundation. Lakewoods new look is both comforting and stylish. The Marc-Michaels team commitment to creating a healing and caring environment through design improves our residents lives inside and out, said Jake Talley, Lakewood Director. The Ginsburg Family Foundation has joined with Marc-Michaels to support this new approach to resident life at Lakewood. We all have a need to be cared for and design is an important element in our daily lives, said Alan H. Ginsburg Chairman of the Ginsburg Family Foundation. Marc-Michaels is in a class by themselves when it comes to their work and they have created something everyone can be proud of; living at Lakewood is greatly improving thanks to their generous support, added Ginsburg. SALES Keysborough A private investor has paid $3.55 million for an industrial warehouse at 20-26 Fiveways Boulevard. The property has four fully-leased buildings with a total area of 1237 sq m. Knight Franks Stuart Gill and Steven Salopek handled the sale. Mr Gill said the property was sold on a yield of just 5.95 per cent. Richmond Managed services and IT support business This Solution has offloaded a 338 sq m, architecturally designed, two-storey office building at 25 Hoddle Street for $1.7 million prior to auction. The building, with dual street frontage, 260 sq m of floor area and 8 car spaces, was snapped up by a printing company in a deal negotiated by Cushman & Wakefields Steve Makris. Boutique Hoi An Resort in the ancient town Hoi An, where a British patient of Covid-19 stayed between March 6 and 10, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Dac Thanh. A 58-year-old British man on the same flight as Hanois first Covid-19 patient has tested positive for novel coronavirus. He flew from Hanoi to Da Nang Airport on Friday night and came to stay at Boutique Hoi An Resort in the ancient town Hoi An. He tested positive on Tuesday and has been quarantined for treatment at Hue Central Hospital, around three hours away. His wife who traveled with him tested negative for the coronavirus. Authorities in Quang Nam Province, home to Hoi An, have isolated eight people who had close contact with him. In Hanoi, the man visited several top tourist sites including the Opera House, the One-Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature. He spent the night of March 5 on a cruise ship in Ha Long Bay. He has become the nation's 33rd infection, joining 12 other people on the same March 2 flight from London to Hanoi as Nguyen Hong Nhung, the 26-year-old woman who was confirmed as Hanois first and the nations 17th Covid-19 patient on Friday. Of the 12 co-passengers who have contracted the virus so far, 10 are Brits, one Irish and the other a Hanoi man. Nhung had flown to Hanoi from London on Vietnam Airlines flight VN54, in the business class. There were 201 passengers on the flight, including 21 in the business class. The foreign tourists on the flight had traveled to many destinations in the country, including Lao Cai and Quang Ninh in northern Vietnam; and Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An in central Vietnam. The country had just confirmed its 32nd Covid-19 patient Tuesday afternoon, a 24-year-old woman who'd met Nhung at a party in London, and was flown in a private jet to Vietnam by her family. Nhung's personal chauffeur and an aunt have also been infected. Nhungs case has set off a spate of infections after Vietnam had discharged all previous Covid-19 patients and had recorded 22 days without a new infection. The Covid-19 outbreak has thus far spread to 115 countries and territories, killing over 4,000. About 1 in 40 postmenopausal women diagnosed with breast cancer before age 65 have cancer-associated mutations in their BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, according to a Stanford-led study of more than 4,500 participants in the long-running Women's Health Initiative. The prevalence of the mutations in this group is similar to that of Ashkenazi Jewish women, whom the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force suggests should discuss their cancer risk with their physicians to determine if genetic testing is warranted. Currently, most guidelines don't address testing postmenopausal women with breast cancer in the absence of other risk factors. The finding is the first to suggest that postmenopausal women who have been newly diagnosed with breast cancer but who don't have any hereditary risk factors, such as close family members diagnosed with breast cancer before age 50, may still benefit from genetic testing for inherited cancer-associated mutations. Identifying women with inherited cancer-associated mutations, particularly in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, is important because some of the mutations also substantially increase the risk of other cancers, including ovarian cancer. Because these mutations are passed through families, knowing that a woman carries one of these mutations may encourage her healthy relatives to discuss their own risk factors with their doctors. "There's been a lot of controversy in the field as to whether every woman with breast cancer should receive genetic testing," said Allison Kurian, MD, MSc, associate professor of medicine and of epidemiology and population health at Stanford, "in part because we didn't know how prevalent cancer-associated mutations are in this largest subgroup of newly diagnosed people -- that is, women who develop breast cancer after menopause without the presence of any known hereditary risk factors." Kurian is the lead author of the study, which will be published March 10 in JAMA. Marcia Stefanick, PhD, professor of medicine and of obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford, is the senior author of the study. Cancer-associated variants Unlike mutations that accumulate over time, specifically in cancer cells, germline mutations are inherited and are found in every cell of the body. Physicians primarily consider a woman's age at diagnosis and her family's cancer history when determining whether to recommend genetic testing. A woman diagnosed with breast cancer before age 50, for example, or a healthy woman with several close family members who have had breast or ovarian cancer, is more likely to be referred for genetic testing than a postmenopausal woman with breast cancer and no other risk factors. For the study, Kurian and Stefanick and their colleagues set out to compare the prevalence of cancer-associated mutations in 10 breast-cancer risk genes, including BRCA1 and BRCA2. They compared 2,195 women who were diagnosed with breast cancer at an average age of 73 with 2,322 women without breast cancer. The data for the study came from the Women's Health Initiative, which enrolled more than 160,000 women ages 50 to 79 throughout the United States between 1993 to 1998 to conduct the largest study of postmenopausal health in the country. Stefanick served as chair of the initiative's steering committee for most of the project. The researchers found that about 3.5% of the women with breast cancer had a cancer-associated mutation in at least one of the 10 genes, compared with about 1.3% of women without cancer. When they narrowed their focus to just the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in women diagnosed before age 65, they found that about 2.2% of women with breast cancers had cancer-associated mutations, versus about 1.1% of those without breast cancer. Only about 31% of those women with cancer and 20% of those without cancer, both with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations, were likely to have been recommended for testing under the current guidelines of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. "Now we know that the prevalence of cancer-associated BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in women diagnosed with breast cancer after menopause rivals that in women of Ashkenazi Jewish descent -- a population that is currently encouraged to discuss genetic testing with their doctors," Kurian said. "We finally have a read on the likely benefit of testing this most common subgroup of breast cancer patients." ### Researchers from Myriad Genetics Inc., the University of California-San Diego [ME1]and the State University of New York contributed to the study. The research was supported by Myriad Genetics, the Suzanne Pride Bryan Fund for Breast Cancer Research, the Jan Weimer Faculty Chair in Breast Oncology and the BRCA Foundation. The Stanford University School of Medicine consistently ranks among the nation's top medical schools, integrating research, medical education, patient care and community service. For more news about the school, please visit http://med.stanford.edu/school.html. The medical school is part of Stanford Medicine, which includes Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children's Health. For information about all three, please visit http://med.stanford.edu. Print media contact: Krista Conger at (650) 725-5371 (kristac@stanford.edu) Broadcast media contact: Margarita Gallardo at (650) 723-7897 (mjgallardo@stanford.edu) Forecast5 Analytics, Inc., a Naperville, IL-based provider of a suite of decision support software for the public sector, acquired GuideK12, a Minnesota-based firm that provides geovisual analytics tools to school districts across the country. The amount of the deal was not disclosed. The acquisition of GuideK12 enables the company to optimize its geovisual offerings. The full GuideK12 staff will join the Forecast5 Analytics organization. Led by Chuck Amos, who served as CEO since 2012, GuideK12 is a geovisual analytics software company that enables education decision makers to instantly explore and analyze school district data by adding a geographic and visual dimension to their student and community information. Based in MN, GuideK12 serves large metro, suburban and rural school districts throughout the United States. Led by Michael English, founder and CEO/President, Forecast5 Analytics provides a suite of decision support software to more than 2,000 public sector clients in 34 states. In May 2019, the company acquired Ohio-based Public Finance Resources in a deal that added 300 Ohio public school districts to the list of Forecast5 clients, and in August 2019, Forecast5 acquired SchoolFinances.com, a provider of decision support tools for Minnesota K-12 school districts. These acquisitions follow the companys growth equity partnership with Riverwood Capital, a private equity firm focused on high-growth technology companies, in 2018. FinSMEs 10/03/2020 Monday mornings are usually busy times for airports, but the crowds at San Antonio International on Monday were sparse and may get even slimmer as passenger demand continues to fall and airlines cut service because of coronavirus concerns. Carriers have scaled back their international flights as the virus has spread globally. Now theyre reducing domestic service. United Airlines, the second largest carrier at San Antonio International, with 21 daily flights, is cutting 10 percent of its U.S. flight schedule. The airlines new schedule, posted on its website Saturday, shows that United is cutting the number of trips on certain days from San Antonio to Denver from four to three from April through June. Itll trim service to Los Angeles from twice a day to once, also on certain days. United has said it will restore the flights in July and August, but company officials also have said they may announce more flight cuts in May. Coronavirus is bad for airlines, said Brian Sumers, senior aviation editor at travel industry website Skift. They are facing their biggest crisis since 9/11. They will need to make more cuts unless something changes fast. Not everyones dropping their travel plans, however. Allyson and Lavell Christensen, a retired couple from St. George, Utah, visited relatives in San Antonio for several days and were about to start their trip home Monday. Because there were no reported cases of the coronavirus spreading in San Antonio, they said they felt that the city was safe to visit. Were careful, Lavell Christensen said. And if we knew there was a lot of coronavirus cases and that San Antonio was a hot space, we might be hesitant. Allyson Christensen said theyd planned to tour Italy and Greece in late April but that their travel agency canceled the excursions. They considered a visit to San Francisco instead until they heard about the number of coronavirus cases in that city and the surrounding area. Rome got canceled, so I thought California I dont think we are going to go to California, she said. Other departing travelers Monday had come for military graduations and weddings. In interviews, they said they, too, felt safe in San Antonio. Still, far fewer business travelers were on the scene than youd normally find at San Antonio International on a Monday morning. Many companies have strictly limited international travel for their employees. Some have also stopped domestic travel and restricted attendance at conferences and events. Volunteer greeters at two information booths at the airport said the number of passengers seemed to be down by about half from a typical Monday before the coronavirus outbreak. Tonya Hope, a spokeswoman for San Antonio International, said the airport didnt have passengers numbers for February or early March. The airport had seen a record number of passengers in 2019 close to 10.4 million and 320,000 more than the previous year. So far, other major airlines at the airport havent announced flight reductions because of falling demand. However, the San Antonio International flight guide for March shows that the number of departures this month is down 5.1 percent when compared with the same month last year. The grounding of the Boeing 737 Max jet has caused both Southwest Airlines and American Airlines to cut flight frequency and/or suspend some routes at the airport. American has suspended daily flights to Philadelphia, and Southwest has curtailed daily service to Oakland, Calif., because of the jet. Also, Sun Country Airlines, which began flights to Las Vegas and Minneapolis last spring, suspended service in January. Airport officials say the service to Minneapolis is scheduled to resume May 22 and to Las Vegas on Aug. 27. The airline announced new cancellations Saturday at other airports. In a statement, Sun Country officials attributed the flight cancellations generally to reductions in passenger demand because of the coronavirus. They did not address the San Antonio flight suspensions. I wouldnt be surprised if these Sun Country flights dont come back as planned, Sumers said. If the flights werent profitable to operate in the spring, during boom times, they may not be good enough to fly in the summer, amid this coronavirus panic. Randy Diamond covers aviation, energy and manufacturing in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read his stories and more local coverage on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | randy.diamond@express-news.net New Delhi [India], Mar 10 (ANI): The Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting held on Tuesday at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg here was special as it was the first time that party chief JP Nadda was in the forecourt of the building to receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As per the protocol, it is the duty of the party president to receive the prime minister whenever he arrives at the party headquarters. As the prime minister arrived at the headquarters, Nadda presented him with a patka and a rose. Holi as it was, Shah and Nadda sat for a long sharing dinner after Modi left the building. For the past several years, the job was being done by former party chief and home minister Amit Shah. The last CEC that took place in the party headquarters was for Delhi elections and Amit Shah was then the party president. It was after three days of CEC that Nadda was announced the party's chief on January 20. "This is JP Nadda's first CEC as president. Receiving the prime minister as party chief must have been one of the kind experience for him as well. It was indeed special," said a senior BJP leader who was part of the meeting. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Meritage Homes will offer homes targeting first-time buyers in the new Cherry Pines community in Tomball. The Scotsdale, Ariz.-based builder plans to open the 300-lot community off Cherry Street and Holderrieth Road in May. Prices will start in the mid-$200,000s, and the homes will be built on 50-by-120 foot lots. Located a couple of miles from the recently widened Texas 249 and the Grand Parkway, Cherry Pines is within the Tomball Independent School District. Planned neighborhood amenities include a recreation center, swimming pool, splash pad and park area. RELATED: Lennar targets first-time buyers in NuHome community in Porter We are excited to expand our presence in Tomball with our brand of highly energy-efficient and technology-enhanced homes, Kyle Davison, division president for Meritage Homes in Houston, said in an announcement. Cherry Pines will be a vibrant new community of single-family homes at a great price point in a high-demand area. There are no Municipal Utility District taxes in the community, which has a 2.45 percent tax rate, according to Meritage. Meritage builds homes in Arizona, California, Colorado, Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. WASHINGTON President Trump said Monday his administration will ask Congress to pass payroll tax relief and other quick measures as a public health and economic maelstrom brought on by the coronavirus drew closer to him personally. Intending to calm the fears of financial markets over the impact of the epidemic, Trump told reporters he is seeking very substantial relief to the payroll tax. Trump also said he was seeking help for hourly wage workers to ensure theyre not going to miss a paycheck and dont get penalized for something thats not their fault. He stepped forward with the contours of an initiative after markets dropped sharply and as the outbreak spread. Several Trump confidants in Congress disclosed they were isolating themselves after potential exposure to the virus; one traveled with the president from Florida on Air Force One on Monday; another was his just-tapped new chief of staff. Trump said he would hold a press conference Tuesday to outline the proposals, saying his administration and Congress would be discussing a possible payroll tax cut or relief, substantial relief, very substantial relief, thats big, thats a big number. Were also going to be talking about hourly wage earners getting help so that they can be in a position where theyre not going to ever miss a paycheck. As Trump grappled with an epidemic whose consequences he has repeatedly played down, the White House asserted it was conducting business as usual. But the days business was anything but normal. Lawmakers pressed for details on how the Capitol could be made secure, handshakes on the Hill were discouraged and a Pentagon meeting was broken into sub-groups to minimize the number of people in the same room. The president himself dove into handshakes with supporters earlier in the day, when arriving to headline a fundraiser in Longwood, Florida, that raised approximately $4 million for his reelection campaign and the Republican Party. On his flight back to Washington he was accompanied by Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who later went into a voluntary quarantine. He was one of several GOP lawmakers who were exposed to a person at last months Conservative Political Action Conference who tested positive for the virus. His office said he was mid-flight on Air Force One when CPAC informed his staff that he had been in contact with the attendee who had the virus. Once the plane landed, Gaetz was immediately tested. Vice President Mike Pence, who also spoke at CPAC, said he has not been tested for the virus. White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said Trump has not been tested because he has not had prolonged close contacts with any patients and does not have any symptoms. On Capitol Hill, where many lawmakers are older and have frequent contact with the public, leaders were fielding questions from members and staff about how the complex will be secured. Leaders have so far shown little willingness to close the Capitol, but meetings were scheduled throughout the day to discuss preparations. On Monday, Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., and Gaetz put themselves in voluntary quarantine because of their contacts with someone at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Collins had met with Trump last Tuesday night at the White House and shook hands with him Friday when the president visited the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Atlanta headquarters. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., whom Trump named Friday as his incoming chief of staff, also went into self-quarantine. A precautionary test came back negative & he feels great, his spokesman tweeted late Monday. Meadows has not yet resigned his congressional seat and has not yet assumed his new role at the White House, but he is a frequent visitor. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., also placed themselves in quarantine after coming in contact with the same person at the conservative conference. Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Calif., said she met last week with a person who has since been diagnosed with the virus. She closed her office and said she and her staff are self-monitoring and maintaining social distancing practices. Zeke Miller is an Associated Press writer. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 12:46:20|Editor: Liu Video Player Close Photo taken on March 9, 2020 shows the Thai Airways aircraft (R) colliding with a private jet at Wattay International Airport in Vientiane, Laos. An Airbus A330 belonging to Thai Airways collided with a parked Gulfstream 450 private jet when taxiing to take off in Lao capital Vientiane's Wattay International Airport, according to Lao News Agency on Tuesday. (Photo by Phouthaphone Sirivong/Xinhua) VIENTIANE, March 10 (Xinhua) -- An Airbus A330 belonging to Thai Airways collided with a parked Gulfstream privet jet on Monday when taxiing to take off in Lao capital Vientiane's Wattay International Airport, according to Lao News Agency on Tuesday. When the Thai Airways aircraft, scheduled to take off at 20:30 local time (GMT 1330) bound for Thai capital Bangkok on Monday, was taking off in Wattay International Airport, its wing accidently hooked with the tail of Gulfstream (GLF4) privet jet parked in the airport. The tail of the Gulfstream is damaged, according to local transportation media Aero Laos report in social media, and nobody got hurt from the accident on Monday night. Thai Airways issued a statement on Tuesday, saying that all passengers and crew are safe and had been brought to a Vientiane hotel. Thai Airways is arranging the flight for the passengers to return to Bangkok on Tuesday, Thai Airways statement quoted Pathana pathanasiri, director of Safety, Security and Aviation Standards of Thai Airways as saying on Tuesday morning. The TG575 flight operated by an Airbus A330-300 aircraft carried 79 passengers and 13 crew members on Monday night, according to the statement. The airbus and the Gulfstream jet are still seen stranded in the airport till Tuesday noon. A subterranean line of suspense runs through First Cow, since the characters, who share a shack in the woods in a non-sexual arrangement, wonder aloud about how long theyll be able to purloin the milk without paying for it with their lives. King-Lu watches everything, every second. He sees the way the citizens and transients of the region size him up. Hes the conspicuous Other, barely worth acknowledging, compared to Cookies easy assimilation into this new world of hot, tasty profit. Still, as King-Lu says: History hasnt gotten here yet. Maybe this place can be a home for a while. Hyderabad, March 10 : US Ambassador to India Kenneth I. Juster on Tuesday attended the 'topping out' ceremony of the new US Consulate Compound in Hyderabad. He celebrated the completion of all major structural components at the new US Consulate Compound, which is being built at a cost of $350 million. Coming up on 12 acres of land in Financial District at Nanakramguda, the multi-building complex is scheduled to be completed next year. "I'm pleased to see progress at the new U.S. Consulate Compound in Hyderabad, he said. The facility will feature 54 consular interview windows as well as artfully preserved Deccan rock formations, the consulate said. "The new facility serves as a pillar of the deepening relationship between the United States and this region of India, where Consulate General Hyderabad officially engages communities, companies, and institutions across the States of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha," the consulate said in a statement. Through the duration of the project an estimated $33 million is being invested in the local economy. An estimated workforce of over 1,000 American, Indian and third-country workers are involved in the construction. "The overall design is influenced by the topography of the site, characterized with its marked rocky formations on a steep slope. The buildings are positioned to allow for integration and protection of the naturally occurring boulders on the site. The design focuses on native boulder formations, as well as an adjoining open space. Consular service and areas dedicated to public diplomatic functions are designed around the visitor experience." Ambassador Juster also visited the Tata-Lockheed Martin Aerostructures facility. His visit to the impressive 4,700 square-meter Tata-Lockheed Martin facility marks the 10-year anniversary of this partnership and highlights the importance of the growing defense ties between the United States and India. The jointly-owned facility in Adibatla manufactures airframe components, including centre-wing boxes and tail sections for the C-130J military transport aircraft. Tata-Lockheed plans to expand their partnership to produce further aircraft in India, which would advance the capabilities of the Indian Air Force and accelerate US-India cooperation in sensitive high-end technologies. The US envoy also announced completion of a U.S.-funded restoration project at the 17th century Qutb Shahi Tombs through the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP). In February 2019, he had announced a $103,000 grant through AFCP, partnering with the Aga Khan Foundation to restore and conserve the centuries-old tombs of Taramati and Premamati within the greater Qutb Shahi Tombs complex. This is the second grant awarded by the US Government for conservation work at the Qutb Shahi Tombs. An earlier AFCP grant of $101,000, awarded in 2014, contributed to mapping and documenting structures throughout the site and helped transform archeologists' understanding of the monument's earliest architecture. "From the success of the US-India defence partnership, as exemplified by a decade of cooperation between Lockheed Martin and Tata, to the restoration of the historic tombs of Taramati and Premamati, US-India ties are clearly thriving in Hyderabad," Juster said. Newly released texts reveal the horrifying treatment a 12-year-old Montana boy received from relatives before he was beaten to death on the living room floor last month. James 'Alex' Hurley, died February 3 and his grandparents, 47-year-old James Sasser Jr. and 48-year-old Patricia Batts, as well as his 14-year-old uncle James Sasser III are charged with deliberate homicide. Hurley's 18-year-old aunt, Madison Sasser, texted her boyfriend that the child should 'go die in the woods' and described him as 'a piece of (crap) off of my f**king shoe', the Billings Gazette reports. Sasser and Hurley's six-year-old uncle lived with the relatives who allegedly physically abused and starved the child. James Hurley was made to sit half-naked in front of fans and was sprayed with water His grandmother 48-year-old Patricia Batts (right) is said to have commented, 'thats what they do with cats, right?'. Hurley's 18-year-old aunt, Madison Sasser (left), texted her boyfriend that the child should 'go die in the woods' and described him as 'a piece of (crap) off of my f**king shoe' According to documents, Hurley was made to sit half-naked in front of fans and was sprayed with water. Batts is said to have commented, 'thats what they do with cats, right?' The grandmother told detectives Hurley 'drove her nuts' and had become 'increasingly problematic' since his father died about two years ago following an ATV accident that left him paralyzed. Batts said he was stealing from stores, his own family and was drinking alcohol. The accused people claim he was self-harming and described his behavior as 'erratic'. The child's mother told detectives she had tried to get in contact with him but the family stopped her. Batts claimed she pulled him out of school because he got in trouble for groping a girl. She admitted she made the child do jumping jacks and 'wall sits' if he didn't do his schoolwork. West Yellowstone school superintendent Kevin Flanagan told a detective that he was not aware of any groping incident. Gage Roush, 18, (pictured) was also charged with felony assault on a minor in relation to Hurley's death Grandparents Patricia Batts (left) and James Sasser Jr. (right) were also arrested in Hurley's death in West Yellowstone, Montana Batts (left), who appeared in Gallatin County District Court, said she doesn't know how Hurley died and doesn't feel responsible The grandmother was also questioned about where the child's 14-year-old uncle - who is accused of homicide - learned to discipline. Batts replied: 'I guess me.' Batts said she knew he had 'popped' Hurley with a paddle. They said that the uncle had made a paddle out of wood and he and Batts would use it to punish the young boy, according to court documents. Batts allegedly admitted to allowing Sasser III to punish Hurley when she wasn't home. She told authorities she doesn't know how her grandson died and doesn't feel responsible for his death. Footage reportedly showed the grandparents and Sasser III 'hitting him with a wooden paddle, strangling him and locking up food.' In some of the footage, Batts is seen strangling and hitting the boy, prosecutors said. James Sasser III reportedly admitted to kicking Hurley's head several times in the 24 to 36 hours before his death. Hurley died from head trauma after Sasser III, who is six-feet-tall and weighs 300 pounds, allegedly got into a 'bad fight' with the boy. The suspect reportedly claims he found Hurley standing over his grandmother with a knife. Batts reportedly said Hurley slept on the floor in the living room on February 2 and was mumbling and moaning throughout the night before she found him dead the next morning. Nobody sought medical help for the victim. The autopsy found the Hurley had bruising all over his body and died from trauma to the head. Sasser III appeared via video Thursday in Gallatin County District Court and pleaded not guilty to beating his 12-year-old nephew to death. James 'Alex' Hurley (pictured) died of head trauma on February 3 after reportedly getting into a 'bad fight' with his 14-year-old uncle, James Sasser III The grandparents said they documented the boy's actions on video in order to prove he needed help to behavioral specialists. Batts was specifically charged with criminal child endangerment, aggravated kidnapping and strangulation of a partner or family member. She could get the death penalty if convicted. They both appeared in court last month where bail was set at $500,000 for Sasser Jr. and $750,000 for Batts. Family acquaintance Gage Roush, 18, was also arrested last month and charged with felony assault on a minor in relation to Hurley's death. The family have reportedly admitted to physically abusing the boy, but claim the boy was problematic and violent. The videos were reportedly evidence for when they took him to 'get help' from mental health officials. The accused told detectives that Hurley had tried to hurt himself and others on several occasions and he had complained of hearing voices telling him to kill people. Additionally, a neighbor said Batts, Sasser III and an unnamed 18-year-old aunt beat Hurley after he tried to run away in December, documents said. The victim and his uncle allegedly fought often but a fight on January 27 was 'worse'. Detectives said Batts described the fight after Sasser III allegedly saw Hurley with a knife as a 'blood bath'. Sasser Jr. told investigators that he considered Batts' punishments for Hurley egregious and he planned on divorcing his wife to raise the family's children alone. Batts, Sasser Jr. and Roush have not entered pleas yet. "Campylobacter is the most common cause of notifiable foodborne illness in New Zealand. Symptoms can include stomach cramps, nausea, fever and diarrhoea, lasting for about a week. "Contributing factors are Kiwis' ever-increasing level of consumption of fresh chicken meat and the way we handle, prepare and cook poultry meat in New Zealand. "Working with the poultry industry, New Zealand Food Safety's risk management strategy has achieved more than a 50% reduction in foodborne cases since 2006. This is a substantial reduction and one that we could not have achieved without partnership and support from industry. But, the rate of gastrointestinal illness caused by this bug remains high," says Bryan. "New Zealand Food Safety and industry continue to work collaboratively to reduce Campylobacter rates in the country with an updated strategy and action plan that includes enhanced consumer education, better hygiene through the poultry processing and food distribution chain, and improved measures at the poultry farm level," says Bryan. New Zealand Food Safety commissioned the study to add a high level of scientific rigour to efforts to reduce foodborne illnesses, and the findings of the study Source assigned campylobacteriosis in New Zealand were also released today. The results from the study found more than 80% of human foodborne cases are likely due to the consumption of poultry meat. "The intensive 12-month study included interviews with 666 individuals who'd been infected with the bug. "As well as identifying the sources of Campylobacter illnesses in humans, the study identified several factors that may increase the likelihood of an individual contracting the disease. "We'll continue our work with industry to drive down the level of Campylobacter in poultry by understanding where the bacteria enter the food chain and where cross-contamination is likely happening. "It's important consumers know how to prevent Campylobacter in the home by continuing to follow the advice on the New Zealand Food Safety web page Clean, Cook, Chill. "Cooking chicken properly until the juices run clear and having good hygiene practises at home to prevent cross-contamination will minimise your risk to Campylobacter and other foodborne illnesses," says Bryan. The tried and true formula appears to remain effective at promulgating the party's version of events, though the rise of social media is an ever-present challenge. A growing minority has long questioned the party line, but even many of them accept it out of habit or a lack of alternatives. Most passively embrace a narrative that is repeated over and over, said Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies. Li Desheng, a 22-year-old student who said news webcasts are his main source of information, commended the response of the party and the government, saying they had proven effective at stopping the spread of the virus. "There is a Chinese idiom that says, 'Point to a deer, call it a horse,"' the philosophy major said in an interview conducted via instant message. "If you say a deer is a horse, then that is a distortion of fact. When watching a news webcast ... at least at present, I think a deer is still called a deer, and a horse is called a horse, so I believe the report." It's not just a matter of what's shown, though - it's also what's omitted. State media trumpeted the throwing up of new medical facilities in a fortnight without reporting on the woes of people unable to find a hospital bed that necessitated the Herculean effort. It touted crackdowns on wild animal markets and plans to shut them down, without questioning why they hadn't been sufficiently regulated since SARS, a similar virus outbreak in 2002-03. June Teufel Dreyer, a China expert at the University of Miami, said the party may have lost credibility with what she called "engaged public opinion," but that it's difficult to know what portion of China's 1.4 billion people that represents. Zhou Songyi, another 22-year-old student, said she doesn't find any useful information on the epidemic from the official People's Daily newspaper or state broadcaster CCTV, citing stories that, even if true, have a PR agenda rather than seeking to inform the public. Social media has given her digital-savvy generation almost instant feedback on some state-media reports, though critical comments are often removed by the country's internet censorship. "The battle for truth-telling on the internet is another sign that people do not simply trust in the government," said Elizabeth Economy, director of Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. Loading She added, though, that the propaganda works on those who believe in the party and want to be comforted and persuaded. The core of the approach is to stifle any criticism while providing positive role models and showing the party as China's only real hope. China has barred citizen journalists from popular social media platforms after they reported on overcrowded hospitals and other problems. Non-state media outlets such as the magazine Caixin have done some independent reporting but stopped short of criticising the leadership. "The medics are portrayed as heroes not because of their dedication as health professionals, but because they are party members," said Anthony Saich, a China expert at Harvard University. He believes the crisis has damaged confidence in Xi's leadership to a degree but won't have a lasting impact. The health workers form the basis of the people's war, a term adopted early on by Xi. A recent CCTV evening news broadcast showed him visiting military health units. Everyone maintained a safe distance from each other, following the government-ordered protocol, their mouths and noses covered by protective masks. "Wars invite people to cast aside their squabbles and dissent and to come together," said David Bandurski of the China Media Project at the University of Hong Kong. "Wars make heroes - and heroes are the stuff propaganda thrives upon." Nationalist campaigns have worked before, channelling anger away from the party in the SARS outbreak, territorial disputes with Japan, last year's Hong Kong protests and the ongoing trade war with the US. NEW YORK, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kasisto, creators of KAI - the financial services industry's leading digital experience platform has been named as one of Fast Company Most Innovative Companies (MIC) in the Artificial Intelligence Category. Fast Company, an award-winning magazine with over 10.6 million monthly visitors and 525k subscribers honors businesses that are having the most profound impact on both industry and culture, showcasing a variety of ways to thrive in today's fast-changing world. This year's MIC list features 434 businesses from 39 countries. Kasisto ranked in the top 10 of 50 vendors listed in the Artificial Intelligence category, and was recognized for its leading conversational AI technology and ability to provide financial institutions with the power to deliver unique and compelling digital experiences to their customers. "We are honored to receive this recognition from Fast Company and would like to take this opportunity to thank our customers from around the world and across the financial services industry. This award would not be possible without our customers support and commitment to work alongside us as we've delivered the industry's most powerful conversational AI technology, but more importantly, also delivered on our promise to make their customers digital experiences truly humanizing," says Zor Gorelov, CEO & Co-Founder of Kasisto. "Our platform, KAI is built specifically for the financial services industry, and powers human-like conversations across consumer banking, business banking, and investment management. KAI is deployed in 18 countries and is engaging with millions of consumers around the world, every day, across multiple channels, in different languages, and is optimized for performance, scalability, security, and compliance." The World's Most Innovative Companies is Fast Company's signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. It provides both a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors of the economy. "At a time of increasing global volatility, this year's list showcases the resilience and optimism of businesses across the world. These companies are applying creativity to solve challenges within their industries and far beyond," said Fast Company senior editor Amy Farley, who oversaw the issue with deputy editor David Lidsky. Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies issue (March/April 2020) is now available online at fastcompany.com/most-innovative-companies/2020, as well as in app form via iTunes and on newsstands beginning March 17, 2020. The hashtag is #FCMostInnovative. About Kasisto KAI is the leading digital experience platform for the financial services industry. Kasisto's customers include DBS Bank, J.P. Morgan, Emirates NBD, Standard Chartered, TD Bank, and Manulife Bank among others. They chose KAI for its proven track record to drive business results while improving customer experiences. The platform is engaging with millions of consumers around the world, all the time, across multiple channels, in different languages, and is optimized for performance, scalability, security, and compliance. KAI is built with the deepest Conversational AI portfolio in the industry. Kasisto is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Silicon Valley and Singapore. Kasisto Singapore Pte Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kasisto. For more information visit kasisto.com. Follow Kasisto on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. About Fast Company Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Since 2011, Fast Company has received some of the most prestigious editorial and design accolades, including the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) National Magazine Award for "Magazine of the Year," Adweek's Hot List for "Hottest Business Publication," and six gold medals and 10 silver medals from the Society of Publication Designers. The editor-in-chief is Stephanie Mehta and the publisher is Amanda Smith. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com. Contact: [email protected] SOURCE Kasisto, Inc. Related Links http://www.kasisto.com The number of case in China has dropped from 2000 to several tens a day, and the country is recovering, so the rest of the world try to learn from the Chinese model how the coronavirus outbreak could be stopped. Even critics of China are wondering how Beijing managed to cope with the coronavirus epidemic; when compared with the situation in Italy it seems that the authorities have lost control. And the news about China's success comes from everywhere. Over 70% of people infected with the new coronavirus in China have been cured, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced yesterday, saying the Asian giant "is about to control the epidemic". Moreover, "out of the 80,000 cases reported in China, over 70% were cured," WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told in Geneva at a press conference. So, as coronavirus infections are spreading around the world, the number of new cases registered in China has dropped dramatically, prompting some observers to try to learn from Beijing, writes The Guardian. Yesterday, the National Health Commission of China reported 40 new cases, the lowest daily level since the start of epidemic monitoring, in January. According to official figures, almost no new infections have been recorded in the rest of China, outside Hubei province, which is the most severely affected. China's response to the virus has included strict measures of social distancing, the enforcement of quarantine for more than a month in entire cities in Wuhan province and annexed areas, which remain closed, extensive public oversight of citizens, and encouraging compliance. WHO appreciates China's efforts China's efforts were praised by the World Health Organization (WHO), which concludes in a report last month that the country's "bold approach" has changed the course of an rapidly escalating epidemic. The report adds: "Faced with a hitherto unknown virus, China has made perhaps the most ambitious, agile and aggressive disease-limiting effort in history." Experts say the largest contributing factor to stop the spread of the virus in China was the aggressive use of quarantine. In Wuhan, authorities turned stadiums and other such buildings into quarantine centers and built more than two dozen temporary hospitals for patients with less severe symptoms. WHO also says that China's most effective measures have been "extremely proactive surveillance" for case detection, extended testing and immediate isolation of patients, rigorous follow-up and isolation of close patient contacts, and "an exceptional degree of understanding and acceptance from the population for such measures. The partial reopening of the Disneyland and Ikea stores, as well as the closure of temporary hospitals, are signs that indicate China's gradual return to normal after a month and a half of restrictions due to the coronavirus epidemic, notes the prestigious international agency AFP. Thus, the epidemic in China has been showing signs of receding for more than a few weeks, while the virus continues to spread to the rest of the world. Even in Wuhan (the center of the country), the city with 11 million inhabitants, considered the center of the epidemic, several signs indicate a gradual end to the quarantine measures imposed on January 23. The sign of the recurrence of the epidemic in this city, where by far the most cases of contamination in the country were registered, 14 of the 16 campaign hospitals opened for the contaminated patients have already been closed. Two hospitals, one set up in a factory, the other on a stadium, closed doors on Sunday after discharging 61 healed patients. "China has fought this virus at a very high price" In an interview with the French publication Le Point, Lawrence Lau, professor of economics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, points out that "the epidemic outside Hubei province is now completely controlled." He said that quarantine was necessary: "The Hubei blockade was good for China and good for the world ... When you have unidentified infected people traveling through a city of 11 million inhabitants, this is a hopeless case and much more bad. Look at the rest of the world. To me, what happened on the cruise ship "Diamond Princess" is a shame. How could I let such a thing happen? About 4,000 passengers and crew members, and now 700 are infected. And some are still stuck on board! The outbreak is out of control in South Korea. I don't know if Italy will be able to control it. If it explodes in Paris, you have to tell people to stay home and be careful, "Lawrence Lau compared the way China controlled the epidemic to how other states did. The professor noted that "China has taken good care of this, because it has the administrative power and social discipline to do so. Can another developed country cope with it? We all know that a developing country cannot. Iran is in a very bad position. We are about to witness a humanitarian disaster there. And it will spill over into the rest of the Middle East. The death rate in Iran is exceptionally high. This is due to the lack of medical staff, infrastructure and medicines. We can't let that happen. Furthermore, Lawrence Lau notes that, as China is doing very well to control this epidemic, Chinese authorities may soon expel or quarantine people from other countries. Because China has fought this virus at a very high price, and once it is controlled, it will not risk the epidemic starting again. India has confirmed nearly 40 cases of the novel coronavirus till now. Whats fuelling a wave of fear across the country, though, is the usual avalanche of fake news on WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter. So much so that prime minister Narendra Modi had to publicly appeal last weekend to stay away from rumours and follow doctors advice. Quartz looked at some of the most widespread claims shared on social media and spoke to experts to verify them. 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 diarrhoea, explained Dr Basavaraj Kuntoji of Manipal Hospitals in Bengaluru. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people become infected but dont develop any of these symptoms. Now, lets talk about the rumours that are going viral. Garlic/hot water are effective protectors: No. While garlic possesses antimicrobial properties, there isnt any scientific evidence to show that it prevents coronavirus. Same with hot water. Our normal body temperature remains around 36.5C to 37C, regardless of the temperature of the hot water intake, bath or shower, Dr Kuntoji said. Pneumonia vaccines/antibiotics help: No. Vaccines against pneumonia, such as pneumococcal vaccine and Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib) vaccine do not provide protection against the coronavirus, said Dr Anup Dhir, senior consultant at Delhi-based Apollo Hospital. Besides, antibiotics only work against bacterial infections. Affects only older people, kids are immune: No. Novel coronavirus can infect everyone, but the sick and elderly are more prone to developing complications due to their weaker immune systems. Masks help: They are effective only when combined with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water, doctors say. It must be noted that disposable face masks are not reusable. Story continues Heat kills the virus: Nobody is sure of that. Coronavirus outbreak is largely reported from countries where the temperature is lower, but countries like India and Pakistan have also detected the Covid-19 cases, said Dr Kuntoji. Hence it is difficult to predict how this new virus is going to behave in the upcoming summer season in India. Can it be cured? Most people (about 80%) recover or get cured without special treatment. Around one out of every six who contract Covid-19 become seriously ill and develop difficulty breathing, Dr Kuntoji said. Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes are more likely to develop serious illnesses. People with fever, cough, and difficulty in breathing should seek medical attention immediately. Sign up for the Quartz Daily Brief, our free daily newsletter with the worlds most important and interesting news. More stories from Quartz: The Canadian resource sector has been hit with a slew of negative news recently and it can still get worse, according to one mining sector executive. First, Teck Resources pulled the plug on its $20 billion Frontier oil sands project; A few days later, Canadian-think tank the Fraser Institute said that for the first time in a decade no Canadian province made the top ten best jurisdictions in the world, according to its annual mining survey. And just last week, Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway decided against investing roughly $3 billion in a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal near Quebec. Felix Lee, president of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, said in an interview with Kitco News on the sidelines of the PDAC 2020 mining conference, that the Canadian mining sector remains at a critical crossroads. He added that he is hoping government support for new infrastructure will help to breathe new life in the sector. Although he hasnt read the last report from the Fraser Institute, Lee said that he is not surprised Canadian miners have struggled in the face of rising costs. For some companies, exploration and development costs are two to three times higher compared to other countries, he said. There are 200 know mineral deposits in Canadas Northern Territories that are stranded because there is no way to access them properly. Lee added that if Canada can resolve its infrastructure, then it might be easier for Canadian exploration companies to attract much-needed capital. Looking at the health of mining finance, even with higher gold prices, Lee said that the sector continues to struggle. 2018 saw a drastic decrease in financial activity within the mining sector. By all indications, 2019 is also going to be worse, he said. Lee added that the sectors commitment to developing Environmental Social Governance (ESG) policies and work with First Nations is also expected to help improve sentiment and attract new interest. As for investment opportunities, Lee said that he expects capital to flow back into the sector as merger and acquisition activity continues to grow. M&A is here to stay in the mining sector for a while, he said. There are a lot of good deals in the marketplace and this action will bring investors back. When asked what kept him up at night, Ben Wikler, who is responsible for delivering a must-win state in November as chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, used to answer, "unknown unknowns." He no longer has to wonder what such a risk might look like. Presidential campaigns, parties and state election officials are scrambling to heed health warnings while safeguarding the democratic process against a growing coronavirus epidemic whose scope is difficult to predict. Their planning has included advising voters not to lick their mail-in ballots, relocating polling places away from senior living communities, and weighing whether to move forward with plans to bring tens of thousands of visitors from around the world to Milwaukee and Charlotte, North Carolina, for the planned Democratic and Republican summer conventions, respectively. Former vice president Joe Biden's digital staff was envisioning options for virtual campaigning if sweeping changes were necessary. Sen. Bernie Sanders' campaign already has an elaborate streaming operation, which it said it could tap in the event that campaigning is curtailed. Both campaigns have been providing hand sanitizer at events. Over the weekend, the AFL-CIO, the nation's largest federation of unions, canceled a presidential forum scheduled for Thursday in Orlando, where Biden and Sanders, I-Vt., the leading contenders for the Democratic nomination, had been scheduled to appear. It was the first such cancellation to have been attributed to the coronavirus's spread. Asked about the wisdom of holding campaign events, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said it "really depends." "If you want to talk about large gatherings in a place where you have community spread, I think that's a judgment call, and if someone decides they want to cancel it I wouldn't publicly criticize them," he said during a White House briefing Monday. None of the presidential campaigns has made significant changes, even as all emphasize they will follow the recommendations of health experts. President Donald Trump's reelection campaign said it was "proceeding as normal," denying that a "Women for Trump" bus tour had been postponed because of the coronavirus, pointing instead to a "scheduling conflict." Still, the virus, which caused stocks to dive Monday, suddenly brought every assumption about the unfolding of the 2020 race into question - even the viability of activities as core to campaigning as knocking on doors. It also intensified fears about election interference and disinformation after social media became host to false claims about last-minute voting changes on Super Tuesday. "It's an item on the agenda of every meeting," Wikler said. "Everyone involved in politics is deep in scenario planning." Most immediately, that meant protecting voters participating in contests Tuesday in six states, including Washington, the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States. The state votes by mail, lessening concerns about transmission of the virus, apart from the potential issue of saliva on ballots or envelopes. Election officials, pressing voters to use a wet sponge or a cloth as part of the sealing process, launched a public education campaign on social media with the slogan "Whether healthy or sick, please don't lick!" State officials were also advising that voters deliver their ballots to election drop boxes in an effort to spare postal workers the health risk. Speaking on a panel at the state Capitol last month, the director of elections for Washington's most populous county named the coronavirus as one of the obstacles that keeps her "up at night." "I think things like that - those things that we maybe don't have in the contingency plans, like a virus," King County Elections Director Julie Wise said at the event, which was hosted in part by the secretary of state's office. Wise called 2020 a "doozy of a year" for election administrators. "We often don't - or ever - cancel or delay an election, so we're still conducting an election regardless of if there is flooding, regardless of if there is a pandemic, regardless of if there is an earthquake," she said. At least 45 states have laws that anticipate Election Day emergencies such as natural disasters, but these laws vary widely, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In eight states, including Florida, Texas and Virginia, the governor has the statutory power to delay or reschedule an election. But in most states, officials closest to the ground have little guidance beyond what has been publicly released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meanwhile, messaging from the Trump administration has veered between caution and the president's early assertions that fears of the virus have been overblown. In Michigan, which has been a hub of recent campaigning before Tuesday's vote, a spokesman for the Wayne County Health Department pointed to CDC recommendations in explaining how the county, which includes Detroit, was encouraging voters to protect themselves ahead of Tuesday's primary. Campaigns, meanwhile, said they were relying on local health departments, while also following state and federal guidance. "We're a campaign that believes in science, and we will go with what the science tells us," said Ari Rabin-Havt, a deputy campaign manager for Sanders. "If we can't campaign one way, we'll campaign another way." Biden, who has been holding shorter events and spending less time greeting supporters on the rope line, was committed to "complying with reasonable risk mitigations," his campaign said in a statement. "At the same time, we will continue to run an aggressive, national campaign to win the Democratic nomination and defeat Donald Trump." While the Trump reelection campaign uncharacteristically has not advertised a public rally for this week or beyond, Trump has not appeared to alter his schedule of fundraising meet-and-greet events or his practice of greeting supporters who are invited to be on hand when he lands at airports. Trump attended events with donors Monday in Florida and greeted a line of supporters on the tarmac in Orlando. "Reports that the White House has issued formal guidelines to staff instructing them to limit in-person interactions and meetings are completely false," White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement. After this week's voting, the Democratic contest turns to several states that will vote March 17, including Florida, whose voting population includes a substantial portion of retirees and senior citizens. Steps were being taken to protect them during voting. Numerous senior living centers that ordinarily serve as precinct locations had moved to relocate voting off their campuses, while others were still examining their options, according to Steve Bahmer, the president and chief executive of LeadingAge Florida, an association representing senior-living facilities. "Seniors tend to vote, and obviously there's a lot of interest in the 2020 election," Bahmer said. "Voter disenfranchisement is a key concern, and steps are being taken in advance to make sure that doesn't happen." The complications will deepen when the presidential contest enters the summer months. The CDC has advised people at higher risk of infection to avoid crowds. If that advice were to become broader, or if the government were to impose the type of travel restrictions introduced in other counties, it could impede the parties' abilities to hold their nominating conventions this summer. Committees overseeing the party conventions said they were pressing ahead with their plans while monitoring developments. "We prioritize the health and safety of attendees and have the utmost confidence in the administration's work and preparations," said Blair Ellis, a spokeswoman for the Republican convention, scheduled for August in Charlotte. Joe Solmonese, the chief executive of the Democratic convention, set for July in Milwaukee, said in a statement that every convention requires "developing a number of contingency plans to provide for a variety of scenarios. "As we prepare to welcome Americans to Milwaukee this summer, the convention team will remain in constant communication with the local, state, and federal authorities responsible for protecting public health and security," he said. Alex Halderman, a computer scientist at the University of Michigan, said it would be difficult to replicate the social experience of the convention. The balloting process involved in selecting a nominee, however, could probably be transferred to an online system, he said, citing Google software as a possible alternative. As for voting itself, Halderman said mail-in ballots offer an efficient alternative to in-person participation. But there are barriers, he cautioned, including states that don't offer no-excuse absentee voting. He also mentioned concerns about coercion that arise when large numbers of people are mailing in ballots rather than completing them in the privacy of a voting booth. Four states hold all elections entirely by mail, and at least 21 states allow certain elections to be conducted by mail, depending on the circumstances, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. There is little precedent for the waging of a presidential race against the backdrop of an epidemic on this scale. The Spanish flu of 1918 was active during that year's midterm campaign and election season. Local news reports from the weeks before and after that election suggested that the virus did affect planning, with some officials ordering voters to wear masks or advising against congregating publicly to hear election results. "The election of 1918 is the only truly momentous American election ever to take place in the midst of a major pandemic," Alfred Crosby wrote in "America's Forgotten Pandemic: The Influenza of 1918," published by Cambridge University Press. "Spanish influenza certainly affected campaigning: it canceled political meetings; doused that American political perennial, the torchlight parade; and obliged politicians to abandon their plans for last-minute whirlwind speaking tours." Crosby cast doubt on whether the flu had depressed voter turnout, noting that while there was a "sharp drop" in votes compared with 1916, 1918 was a midterm election, when voter interest is typically lower. China's foreign ministry on Monday objected to the expression "Wuhan coronavirus" saying the name will "stigmatize" the country following remarks from U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The objection marks the latest from Beijing leaders and the country's state-controlled media, which have gone as far as to claim that the coronavirus outbreak, which was first reported in the central province of Hubei, may not have started in China at all. The new coronavirus was first reported to the World Health Organization in December last year, after emerging in the central city of Wuhan. Since then, COVID-19 has spread to more than 100 countries, infected over 100,000 people and killed at least 3,800 globally. Most of those infected and killed so far were in China. Asked about Pompeo's use of the term at a scheduled press briefing on Monday, the Chinese foreign ministry said it was a "despicable practice" to call the virus the "Wuhan coronavirus." "Despite the fact that the WHO has officially named this novel type of coronavirus, (a) certain American politician, disrespecting science and the WHO decision, jumped at the first chance to stigmatize China and Wuhan with it. We condemn this despicable practice," said Geng Shuang, a ministry spokesperson. He was commenting on Pompeo's use of the term "Wuhan coronavirus." No less (an) authority than the Chinese Communist Party said it came from Wuhan. So don't take Mike Pompeo's word for it. We have pretty high confidence that we know where this began. Mike Pompeo U.S. Secretary of State There were similar comments last week. "It is highly irresponsible for some media to dub it 'China virus,'" said Zhao Lijian, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson last Wednesday. "We firmly oppose that." However, respected AIDS researcher David Ho said the coronavirus very likely originated from China. He told the Voice of America (VOA) last week that given what researchers know about SARS, COVID-19 and coronaviruses found in other animal species, "I have very little doubt that the origin is China." Ho said there were opportunities to improve the research on the SARS virus, which caused an outbreak 17 years ago, and that would have better prepared the world for the current outbreak. However, political will and commitment to funding "simply disappeared" after the outbreak, he added. Last week, Pompeo hit back against suggestions from China that the global outbreak of the coronavirus could have originated outside that country. "No less (an) authority than the Chinese Communist Party said it came from Wuhan," Pompeo told CNBC last Friday. "So don't take Mike Pompeo's word for it. We have pretty high confidence that we know where this began." But according to the Chinese foreign ministry's transcript, Zhao said there was "no conclusion" to the origins of the virus yet and emphasized the comments of famed SARS researcher, Zhong Nanshan, who said that even though the epidemic was first reported in China, it didn't necessarily originate in the country. Government workers walk out of Jianghan Fangcang temporary hospital for COVID-19 patients, which is being shut down, in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province Monday, March 09, 2020. As the number of patients drops, the city has begun closing the temporary hospitals built to treat patients with the coronavirus. Feature China | Barcroft Media | Getty Images "We should all say no to 'information virus' and 'political virus.' By calling it 'China virus' and thus suggesting its origin without any supporting facts or evidence, some media clearly want China to take the blame and their ulterior motives are laid bare," said Zhao. An official account for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a tweet on Mar. 4 that China was "still tracing the origin" of the coronavirus. "Its origin is not necessarily in China," the tweet said. MFA Tweet: Confirmed cases of #COVID19 were first found in China, but its origin is not necessarily in China. We are still tracing the origin. Chinese Communist Party-linked newspaper Global Times also attacked Pompeo's use of the term "Wuhan virus." "Pompeo's move not only exposes malicious US intentions toward China without regard to common sense, but also hits a new low in his personal conduct," said the newspaper's opinion piece published on Sunday. "Instead of devoting energy to strengthening their country's defenses against the virus, some US politicians are keen to blame China and pass the buck to Beijing." China's message switches gear As the growth in the number of infected cases appears to slow in China, Beijing is emphasizing its efforts to distribute aid such as test kits to affected countries such as Japan, Iran and Pakistan. That may win some hearts and shift the perception that China did not contain the virus effectively in its early days, said one analyst. China is portraying itself to have done a very good job in those early days even though we know that perhaps it was more mixed as a response. Natasha Kassam research fellow, Lowy Institute "Perhaps other countries are not dealing with the outbreak as competently as might have been expected. And so, by contrast, China is portraying itself to have done a very good job in those early days even though we know that perhaps it was more mixed as a response," said Natasha Kassam, a research fellow at the Lowy Institute in Australia. There's "a switch in gear for the propaganda machine in China where they are talking about sending masks overseas, sending assistance to other countries that need it, talking about these kind of laudable medical achievements that they've made and how they can share the information," said Kassam in a Friday podcast. "They started dispelling or trying to dispel the idea that the virus came from Wuhan and so, with that shift, I think you have a lot of countries that need help that don't have the health-care systems to deal with this and suddenly, maybe China is a helpful ally to them again," Kassam added. China's State Council Information Office, which oversees publicity for the Chinese government overall, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Kassam's analysis. 'Science, reason and cooperation' All four of the defendants have been summoned on the suspicion of first: to cause flight MH17 to crash resulting in the deaths of all occupants () and second the murder of 298 occupants of MH17, prosecutor Dedy Woei-a-Tsoi told the court at the opening of the trial, on March 9. In the opinion of the public prosecutor (the suspects) organized that around 17 July 2014 a deadly weapon a Buk Telar was transported to east Ukraine (and) brought to a location from where a missile was launched and that missile hit flight MH17, she said. The Dutch trial against the four men started in their absence. The accused are three Russians Sergey Dubinskiy, Oleg Pulatov and Igor Girkin and one Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko , who had senior positions in the pro-Russian militias in Eastern Ukraine in 2014 [read our box]. They are charged as co-perpetrators for providing an anti-aircraft missile system to the militia who allegedly fired at the civilian aircraft. Avoid unnecessary debates Over five years after the crash, prosecutors thus revealed a part of their strategy by making it clear they were primarily charging the suspects with murder and intentionally shooting down an aircraft, both punishable by a maximum of life in prison under the Dutch law. One of the key questions about the prosecutions strategy being whether the suspects would also be charged with war crime. By charging premeditated murder they seem to be saying this is not a case of international humanitarian law, assistant professor of international criminal law at Amsterdams Free University Marieke de Hoon told journalists after. This would avoid, she added, the whole trial focusing on combatants immunities and whether the direct perpetrators who allegedly shot down the plane had taken sufficient measures to identify whether they had a military or civilian target. However, on Monday prosecutor Ward Ferdinandusse wanted to stress that prosecutors rejected the idea that any combatant immunity would apply in this case, stressing it only applies to regular military personnel under the supervision of a state in a group that respects international humanitarian law and rules of warfare. War is not a license for violence by all, against everybody, he said. Our provisional conclusion is that the suspects in July 2014 were not entitled to claim combatant immunity and had no right or excuse to resort to violence in eastern Ukraine, Ferdinandusse added. In 2018, the international Joint Investigation Team which has looked into the crash said their probe showed MH17 was taken down by a Buk missile that came from the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the Russian Federation. The missile was brought from the brigades Kursk headquarters to a field in Ukraine where militias fired it on MH17, investigators said. According to de Hoon, the prosecution will likely make the argument that if you know you are bringing such a murderous weapon to a zone where there is no combatant privilege, you have taken that role in close conscious cooperation to bring down that flight, making the Russian and Ukrainian suspects co-perpetrators. Recommended reading Putting an end to ICC inertia on Ukraine Finding the truth None of the suspects appeared in court, but Pulatov sent lawyers to defend him. Pulatov was one of Dubinkskiys deputies in the self-styled Donetsk intelligence services. Under the Dutch system if you send a lawyer to represent you it is no longer an in absentia trial. For the other three accused, who did not appear or send representation, the court ruled the case could continue in their absence. The court will allow due process to prevail and in the case of Girkin, Dubinskiy and Kharchenko they will be tried in absentia, presiding judge Hendrik Steenhuis said. While in absentia trials are unusual in international justice, with the exception of the Lebanon tribunal, such proceedings are not uncommon in The Netherlands. Under the Dutch inquisitorial system, the standard is that both the prosecution and the judges are magistrates that work towards finding the truth about what happened and who can be held criminally responsible. As such the prosecutions job is not considered to be getting the highest possible conviction but ensuring a fair trial, including taking into account potentially exculpatory evidence for suspects. Six years of waiting for victims families Dutch Prime Minister dismissed potential concerns about an in absentia trial, saying the Dutch legal system has an A1 reputation. De Hoon points out that the Dutch rules for in absentia trials have also withstood the tests of the European Court of Human Rights. This weeks procedure was described by the court beforehand as a stock taking exercise, to see where the prosecution is with its case, to check if defendants or their lawyers turn up, and to assess if additional investigations are needed. Opening statements and hearings on the substance on the case are likely months away. The people stuck on virus-infected cruise ships are a special case because they are bottled up together, the sick and the healthy alike, and they are at the mercy of others who decide when and where they may go ashore. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 9/3/2020 (672 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The people stuck on virus-infected cruise ships are a special case because they are bottled up together, the sick and the healthy alike, and they are at the mercy of others who decide when and where they may go ashore. The Diamond Princess, where 700 healthy passengers and crew caught COVID-19 infection during the ships enforced 14-day quarantine in Yokohama harbour, is the most prominent example. On the basis of that disaster and other cruise-ship viral emergencies, Dr. Theresa Tam, Canadas chief public health officer, on Monday advised Canadians not to go cruising while the coronavirus threat continues. The U.S. government gave its people the same advice. Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam advised Canadians to stay off cruise ships. (Adrian Wyld / The Canadian Press) In a larger sense, however, we are all in the same boat. Most of the 100,000 people around the world infected by COVID-19 were not cruise passengers. The virus is in circulation in Vancouver and in northwest Washington state. It is probably going to turn up in Winnipeg eventually. Staying off cruise ships is a prudent precaution, but it is no guarantee against infection. One result of globalization the increased international distribution of capital and labour is that overseas travel and transport have massively increased in recent decades. A trade route, however, is also a route for the spread of disease, and faster transport means faster contagion. A hundred years ago, the Spanish flu, recognized in a military hospital in France in late 1917, first appeared in Canada in the spring of 1918. In the current case, the coronavirus recognized in Wuhan, China in December 2019, was first confirmed in Canada on Jan. 27 in a traveller returning home from Wuhan. The collapse of stock prices around the world on Monday also dramatized the interdependence of nations. Because Russia refused the oil-production cuts proposed by Saudi Arabia, the Saudis stepped up their production and cut their prices to compel Russian compliance. All world crude oil prices promptly fell, and stock markets around the world dropped so fast that trading was halted temporarily in Toronto and New York. In this globalized world, Chinas virus is everyones virus, and Saudi Arabias cheap oil is everyones cheap oil. Want more great journalism? Get our best news and features delivered in your inbox every weekday evening. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Interdependence is dramatized every day by the steady increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide and the likelihood that planet Earth will consequently become more and more difficult for human habitation. National governments blame each other for causing the problem and make only token gestures to rectify it. Americas air pollution is everyones air pollution and so is Chinas, and so is Canadas. More than 700 passengers and crew caught COVID-19 during the Diamond Princess's 14-day quarantine. (Carl Court / Getty Images files) Increased interdependence must dictate greater international collaboration. America and Britain have been trying to save themselves from interdependence by turning inward the U.K. is in the midst of pulling out of the European Union, while the Trump administration in Washington pursues a policy of "America First." But more than 400 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in 19 U.S. states and, as of Monday, 19 American patients have died. The U.S. financial economy is being pummelled. Isolationism doesnt help. A better solution must be found. America, China and everyone else would benefit from a strengthened World Health Organization able to monitor health conditions around the world. The International Energy Agency, or something like it, should be empowered to discipline oil producing countries so as to avoid the kind of market manipulation that Saudi Arabia is now practising. Improved international co-operation is essential. Foreigners in Beijing are included in the city's community health management system as part of its efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus, local authorities said Monday. Grassroots community workers have provided foreigners in Beijing with necessary support and assistance while fully considering their concerns and respecting their religious beliefs and customs, Li Hui, deputy director of Beijing's foreign affairs office, told a press conference Monday. Currently, the municipal government's hotline 12345, emergency hotline 120 and the hotline for the capital airport are all available in eight languages, Li said. The official website of Beijing's foreign affairs office has opened a column in eight languages for daily updates on the COVID-19 cases in the capital. "Beijing Waishi," its official account on China's social media platform WeChat, also provides the latest policies and information about the respiratory virus, Li added. Beijing reported no new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection on Sunday. Two new confirmed cases were reported on Saturday, both of which were imported cases, from Italy and Spain, respectively. The two confirmed cases have been transferred to designated medical institutions for treatment in Beijing, said the municipal health commission. As of Sunday, a total of 428 infections had been reported in Beijing, including 13 imported cases from overseas. In a massive setback for the Congress, its prominent youth leader Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the party and in a coordinated rebellion on Tuesday 22 MLAs loyal to him resigned in Madhya Pradesh, pushing the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government to the brink of collapse. Scindia, 49, appeared set to join the BJP, a party which had his late grandmother Vijaya Raje Scindia as one of the leading lights amid speculation he will get a Rajya Sabha ticket and be made a union minister. A shell-shocked Congress, in a largely symbolic move of no consequence, expelled Scindia, the party general secretary and scion of the erstwhile Gwalior royal family, on charges of anti-party activities. On Tuesday morning, as much of India was celebrating Holi, Scindia, once considered a rising star of the Congress, met senior BJP leader and Home Minister Amit Shah, following which he called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his 7, Lok Kalyan Marg residence. There was no official word on what transpired at the meetings. However, BJP sources asserted that the decision of the party's top two leaders to hold long deliberations with Scindia underlined the importance they attach to him. In the resignation letter dated March 9 to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Scindia said "it is now time for me to move on" as he was unable to serve the people of the country while remaining in the party. The Congress party said his letter was received at Sonia Gandhi's residence only at 12.20 pm on Tuesday, a day which was also Scindia's father and Congress stalwart Madhavrao Scindia's 75th birth anniversary. With Scindia quitting the party, the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh appeared headed for a collapse. Sources said 22 Congress MLAs from Scindia's camp have quit the party--19 of them sent in their resignations to Governor Lal Ji Tandon while three despatched it to the Speaker directly. Six of the MLAs are ministers. After their resignation, Kamal Nath wrote to the Governor seeking their immediate removal. The Congress, whose tally before the rebellion is 114, has a wafer-thin majority in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly whose current effective strength is 228. The Congress has the support of four Independents, two BSP and one SP MLA. Even with their support, Congress will fall sort of a majority, and it is anyway unclear if they will continue to support the Congress or go with BJP If the resignations of the 22 MLAs are accepted, the strength of the Assembly will fall to 206. The magic number for retaining the majority then will be 104. The Congress, however, will be left with 92 seats while the BJP has 107 seats. Noting that the events of the day had been drawing themselves out for a year, Scindia, in his letter to Gandhi, said it was now best for him to look at a fresh start. "Having been a primary member of the Congress party for the last 18 years. It is now time for me to move on. I am tendering my resignation from the primary membership of the Congress and as you well know this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year," Scindia wrote in the letter. "While my aim and purpose remains the same as it has always been from the very beginning, to serve the people of my state and my country, I believe I am unable to do this anymore within this party," Scindia said in his resignation letter posted on Twitter. "To reflect and realise the aspirations of my people and workers I believe it is best that I now look ahead at a fresh start," he said. The former Guna MP also thanked Gandhi and his other former Congress colleagues for "providing him with a platform to have served the nation". Soon thereafter, a statement from AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said the Congress president has "approved the expulsion of Jyotiraditya Scindia from the Indian National Congress with immediate effect for anti-party activities." Scindia has long been at loggerheads with Kamal Nath who belongs to the old guard. After narrowly winning the state Assembly elections in December 2018, Kamal Nath took over as chief minister. But trouble started brewing recently when Scindia's supporters in the government were side-lined, and it appeared that his ambitions to be the state Congress president were also thwarted. It was also clear that the central leadership was not ready to listen to his grievances. This weekend, Scindia and six ministers in the Kamal Nath Cabinet went to Bengaluru and became incommunicado. It then became clear that a rebellion was brewing in the party and Kamal Nath would lose the support of the six ministers as well as other MLAs loyal to Scindia. The outcome of the political drama being played out on Holi day goes beyond Madhya Pradesh, which itself is important for both the BJP and the Congress. MP was one of the three major states where the Congress evicted BJP in the series of Assembly elections before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. With the imminent loss of Madhya Pradesh, it will become clear that the Congress leadership has failed to keep a cohesive united front and has been unable to control the conflicting ambitions of its many regional leaders. Continued infighting is likely to further debilitate the party, which is already a pale shadow of its former greatness at the national level. Regaining Madhya Pradesh will greatly enhance BJP's strength in the Hindi belt, and Congress will have only Rajasthan, where again it is beset with factional feuds, Punjab and Chattisgarh as the major states under its control. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Construction activity can jar pipelines and cause lead to leach into a homes water supply, which is why water service lines should be replaced. Homeowners or property owners who opted not to have the service line replaced must use bottled water for about two years, the length of time required for the lead to settle so it no longer poses a threat. Supreme Court to Consider Life Without Parole for Juveniles WASHINGTONThe Supreme Court has agreed to review the life sentence without parole of Brett Jones, a Mississippi man convicted of committing murder when he was 15. The legal issue is whether the 8th Amendment, which bars cruel and unusual punishment, requires the sentencing authority to make a finding that a juvenile is permanently incorrigible before imposing a sentence of life without parole. The petition for certiorari in Jones v. Mississippi was granted March 9, just weeks after the Beltway Sniper co-defendant Lee Boyd Malvo, now 35, dropped his appeal to the high court seeking reconsideration of life sentences without parole for murders committed when he was 17. Malvo, who was given four life sentences without parole by a Virginia court in 2004, dropped his appeal on Feb. 24 as Virginia enacted legislation that will give juvenile offenders the right to parole eligibility after serving at least 20 years of their sentence. Even if he succeeds in Virginia, he still faces six life sentences without parole in Maryland. Malvo is currently seeking resentencing for his Maryland convictions in a U.S. district court. In August 2004, then 15-year-old Brett Jones, who is now 30, killed his paternal grandfather, Bertis Jones, 68, during an altercation about the teenagers girlfriend at the time, according to Joness petition to the Supreme Court. He had come to stay with his grandparents in Mississippi about two months before, to get away from his mother and stepfathers troubled household in Florida. Brett Jones (Mississippi Department of Corrections) Brett and Bertis had argued after Bretts girlfriend was found in his bedroom. Later that day as he was making a sandwich in the kitchen, Brett sassed Bertis, and the confrontation became physical. Brett stabbed Bertis eight times with a kitchen knife and testified he did so because he was afraid and he didnt know anything else to do because [Bertis] was so huge. A jury in the Circuit Court of Lee County, Mississippi, rejected Bretts self-defense claim, and found him guilty. He was given life imprisonment without parole, as required by state law. In 2015, a state court resentenced Jones to life in prison, local media reported, which means he has to remain in secure custody until he is 60 before he can be considered for conditional release. The ruling was prompted by a Supreme Court decision. Jones asked for mercy. Im not the same person I was when I was 15, he said. I have become a pretty decent person. I have taken every opportunity to rehabilitate myself. I have completed anger management courses. I completed my GED. I have learned a trade. The court wasnt moved. The killing of Bertis Jones was particularly brutal, Circuit Court Judge Thomas Gardner said at the hearing. He was stabbed eight times, and Brett Jones had to resort to a second knife when the first knife broke. Since Jones committed his crime, the case law on juveniles receiving life sentences without parole has evolved. In 2005, the Supreme Court ruled in Roper v. Simmons that executing individuals who were under 18 when they committed their crimes violated the Eighth Amendments ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Two subsequent Supreme Court precedents, Miller v. Alabama (2012) and Montgomery v. Louisiana (2016), fleshed out jurisprudence on the issue. In Miller v. Alabama, the court held that mandatory life without parole for those under the age of 18 at the time of their crimes violates the Eighth Amendments prohibition on cruel and unusual punishments. In Montgomery v. Louisiana, the court held that the Miller ruling announced a substantive rule of constitutional law that must be given retroactive effect. Scott Stuart, special assistant attorney general of Mississippi and counsel of record in the appeal, didnt immediately respond to requests for comment from The Epoch Times. A number of staff and student at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) have voiced concerns over the level of precautionary measures being taken at the Institute against the coronavirus, Covid-19. With no decision taken yet at a governmental level on what actions schools and third level institutions should take to combat the virus, current precautions and communications at DkIT are mainly those decided upon by the institute itself. With around 5,000 students at DkIT, coming from the whole north east region and further afield, a number of staff members at DkIT told the Dundalk Democrat that they are worried that the institute is not doing enough to stop the potential spread of the virus. The main image above is of outside the restaurant at DkIT and was taken this morning. The restaurant can cater for several hundred people a day but the only precautionary measure at the facility is a bottle of sanitiser on a shelf outside the restaurant. There are no posters advising people to use it or highlighting any precautions they should take. One person told the Democrat that they are very concerned about rooms in the PJ Carrolls building, for reasons including a lack of ventilation in the rooms in the building. Over 1,000 are believed to use the building but the only indication that was visible when was a bottle of sanitiser inside the front door of the building(see below image). The individual who wished to remain anonymous, suggested that moving the Easter holidays forward might be the best solution to help combat the virus. The Democrat has contacted DkIT to find out what other measures it has in place, as well as if it plans on bringing forward the Easter holidays, and if management at the institute is meeting to put any further plans in place. The institute has yet to respond. As can be seen in the images below, there are varying levels of precautions in each of the buildings, from a single bottle of hand sanitiser sitting on a shelf outside the restaurant, to a workstation with with hand sanitiser, instructions and aprons inside the main door at reception. ABOVE: The bottle of hand sanitiser on the table in the image above is the only precautionary measure at one of the main doors at DkIT. There is no indication otherwise advising students on handwashing, sanitising, etc. ABOVE: The workstation above containing hand sanitiser, instructions and aprons is inside the front door of the main building at reception. ABOVE: The nursing building has a number of posters advising people to wash their hands. It also has a workstation with hand sanitisers, instructions and aprons (BELOW) McCarthys office responded to a request for comment with a link to a January Washington Post story that used Chinese coronavirus in the headline, but not in the body of the story. As it spread to other countries, public health experts have warned against labeling it as one ethnicity. The Canadian miner announced on February 26, 2019 that it would not fund its 12% stake in the Ambatovy JV, with Japans Sumitomo Corp and South Koreas Korea Resources Corp (Kores), to protect Sherritts balance sheet after Ambatovy made a cash call to boost its short-term liquidity. Sherritt subsequently announced that it had become a defaulting shareholder on March 6, 2019. First refusal to fund Sherritts 12% share in Ambatovy will now pass to Sumitomo and Kores, while Sherritt itself will lose voting rights and influence on operations at a local level as per the terms of a default under the shareholders agreement. The Ambatovy mine, which produced 33,733 tonnes of refined nickel and 2,900 tonnes of refined cobalt in 2019, will reportedly continue to produce after Sherritts proposed exit, details of which will be firmly announced on April 30. Nickel and cobalt production at Ambatovy will not be [affected] by the transaction or pending timelines, director of investor relations and communications, Joe Racanelli, told Fastmarkets on March 10. Although Sherritt has increased its nickel and cobalt production guidance for 2020 via its 50:50 Moa JV in Cuba (with Cuba's General Nickel Co), no production guidance was released for Ambatovy, which increased its nickel output by 2% year on year in 2019. The Moa JV is expected to produce between 32,000-34,000 tonnes of refined nickel and 3,300-3,600 tonnes of refined cobalt in 2020 - having produced 33,108 tonnes of nickel and 3,376 tonnes of cobalt in 2019. Depressed nickel prices have undoubtedly exacerbated the issue, shaping the companys belief that selling its 12% share in the Ambatovy JV would be the best way to protect its liquidity. The London Metal Exchange three-month nickel price continues to languish below $13,000 per tonne on March 10, despite hitting a three-week intra-day high of $12,995 per tonne. Refined nickel production from lateritic ore requires a significantly higher LME three-month price when compared to the capex cost of production, with multiple miners citing an LME three-month nickel price of $20,000 per tonne as an equitable level for lateritic production. The transaction involves a number of components, including the exchange of $588 million of existing bonds for a new secured second lien note and the exchange of $145 million of CFA loans owed to our Ambatovy joint venture partners for our 12% equity interest, or a new amended loan. The transaction, pending approvals from all stakeholders, is slated to close by April 30, and will reduce Sherritts debt by approximately $415 million, Racanelli said. Sherritt is confident the 12% stake will be financed by existing shareholders Sumitomo and Kores, and declined to comment on whether or not other parties were involved in any discussions. Were confident that the transaction will be approved by all stakeholders, Racanelli added. A South Carolina man flew into Charlotte Douglas International Airport and later showed symptoms of the novel coronavirus, authorities said Monday. The Spartanburg County resident, who had been to Italy, had no symptoms until a day after traveling back to the U.S., said Laura Renwick, a spokeswoman for the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. Officials did not immediately say when the man was in the airport or when he traveled overseas. He is not hospitalized and is currently isolated at home, Rewnick said in a statement to The Charlotte Observer. He had not traveled to any other U.S. airport. Therefore, we dont have reason to believe there was any risk to airport patrons. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not recommend following up with passengers on the persons flight through Charlotte, Mecklenburg County Public Health Director Gibbie Harris said Monday at a news conference. The person did not show symptoms until after arriving back in South Carolina, she said. Harris asked the public to stay calm. For its part, the airport said in a press release Monday afternoon that the situation is fluid regarding the South Carolina passenger. We continue to work closely with our local partner Mecklenburg County Public Health, the airport stated, which is in constant contact with state and federal partners to implement additional measures if needed. This article is published through the N.C. News Collaborative, a partnership of BH Media, Gannett and McClatchy newspapers in North Carolina that aims to better inform readers throughout the state. Initial recruitment for these highly skilled roles commenced in 2019 with talent from Nigeria and across the African continent taking the front seat. Each pilot went through a psychometric evaluation administered through the European Pilot Selection and Training (EPST) program and selected pilots were evaluated for non-technical and technical skills in a full-flight simulator. The qualified engineers are all B1 and B2 rated with clear understanding of avionics, electronic systems, engines and airframes as mandated by the NCAA. The cabin crew are all experienced with strong cognitive attitude and lateral thinking capabilities to deliver the unique customer experience Green Africa is aiming for. Neil Mills, President & Chief Operating Officer of Green Africa, said "On behalf of the Founding gTeam, Babawande and I are thrilled to welcome our first group of pilots, engineers and cabin crew. They join an esteemed founding team anchored on a culture of excellence and ownership, every day. The skill assessment processes were rigorous and based on global benchmarks." He continued, "We are proud to say that the incoming pilots, engineers and cabin crew are some of the best talent and, more importantly, represent the future of commercial aviation in Nigeria and across the African continent. The gTeam is a group of dedicated individuals committed to driving the unbeatable standard of excellence Green Africa will be known for." The new gTalent will continue to go through the required specialized training which will be delivered by some of the leading industry trainers and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Green Africa is building a culture of excellence and ownership, every day and the gTeam will be a key part of its vision to provide safe, reliable and affordable air travel to a broader group of customers. About Green Africa: Green Africa (greenafrica.com) is a value airline based in Lagos, Nigeria. The new airline will offer safe, reliable and affordable air travel to a much broader group of customers and be a significant contributor to the economic development of Nigeria and the African continent. Founded and led by Babawande Afolabi, Green Africa has received its Air Transport License from the Nigerian Government, raised Series A round of funding and recently placed an order for 50 Airbus A220-300s. Green Africa is anchored by a group of senior industry leaders led by Tom Horton, former Chairman & CEO of American Airlines, Wale Adeosun, Founder & CEO of Kuramo Capital, William Shaw, CEO of InterJet, Virasb Vahidi, former CCO of American Airlines and Gbenga Oyebode, Founder & Chairman of Aluko & Oyebode. Media Room Green Africa Airways Ltd White Pillar House, Plot 3, Methodist Church Street Off Salvation Road Opebi, Ikeja Lagos, Nigeria +234 (0)908-502-2393 [email protected] SOURCE Green Africa Airways Related Links https://www.greenafrica.com/ There is no one-size-fits-all solution with energy transition, but we also don't need to reinvent the wheel every time, says Dr Angela Wilkinson, the World Energy Council (WEC) secretary general and CEO. Dr Angela Wilkinson, secretary general of the World Energy Council Modern jazz A market-led, digitally disrupted world with faster-paced and more uneven economic growth. Recent signals suggest that this entrepreneurial future might accelerate clean energy access on both global and local scales, whilst presenting new systems integration, cyber security and data privacy challenges. Unfinished symphony A strong, coordinated, policy-led world, with long-term planning and united global action to address connected challenges, including inequitable access and affordable decarbonisation. Recent signals suggest increased activism and commitment to addressing climate change at the sub-national level, and an expansion of the focus from climate change mitigation to a broader, socially inclusive and economically affordable sustainable development agenda. Hard rock A fragmented world with inward-looking policies, lower growth and less global cooperation. Recent signals, such as the rise of populist leaders and uncertainty about the outlook for international cooperation, imply that this scenario is also evolving into a story of regionally firmer security foundations rather than total fragmentation and harder rocks. Africas population is expected to soar in the next few decades, so getting more energy to the continents inhabitants is imperative. The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts that for sub-Saharan Africa to achieve universal energy access by 2030, it would have to invest more than $100bn a year in the energy sector, which is five times the current level.In addition, there are places with abundant energy, but we are not connecting it to the people who need it, she says. Making the market work for more people for many decades is going to be a challenge.Theres plenty of scope for renewables, gas, responsible oil and hydrogen fuels. We require responsible gas, but not just any form of gas development, said Wilkinson.Gas remains a cleaner bridge, but in the long term it needs to improve its performance. This is an opportunity for all of us to move forward faster and further together.She went on to say that the WEC has developed the Energy Trilemma Index which tracks the energy transition progress of 128 countries based on three criteria energy security, energy equity and environmental sustainability. South Africa ranks a dismal 92nd and while its tiny neighbour, eSwatini, was ranked 101 in the latest index, it is one of the biggest movers in energy transition".Meanwhile, the WEC proposes three plausible pathways to 2040 , namely:None of these scenarios will, however meet the 2 Paris Accord commitment, Wilkinson says. UN Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths made a one-day special visit to Marib 7 March, during which he met with a number of military officials from the coalition to restore legitimacy, Yemeni army commanders, local authorities and tribal leaders. He also met with some of the victims of the ongoing warfare in Yemen. At the end of the visit, Griffiths reiterated his call for a freeze on military activities. The military adventurism and quest for territorial gains that we have seen since mid-January in northern Yemen are leading us away from peace. Marib must be insulated from conflict, remain a haven for Yemenis and continue its path to development and prosperity, he said, adding an appeal to the warring parties to return to the negotiation process. The UN envoy was particularly alarmed about the impact of the recent military escalation on civilian populations. The press release released by his office 7 March noted that last week more than a thousand families arrived here fleeing the conflict in the neighbouring governorate of Al-Jawf. Coalition sources accuse the Houthi rebel forces of forcefully displacing local populations. He seemed to suggest that the warring parties have unofficially indicated a willingness to respond to his call, although he seemed less optimistic than before on their will to follow through and help steer Yemen away from the brink of a backslide into large-scale conflict. His lowered expectations have been reflected in his choice of words. Whereas in Marib he called for an immediate and unconditional freeze on military activities, in remarks to the official Saudi press agency following a meeting in Riyadh with officials of the internationally recognised Yemeni government, Griffiths used the term of de-escalation. Yemeni observers maintain that Griffiths Marib visit failed to accomplish its objectives. They cite remarks by Yemeni officials and others following the envoys meetings in Marib. For example, the governor of Marib, General Sultan Al-Arada said: We are for real and honourable peace. It would neither do us nor the UN envoy any honour if we supported false peace. There can be no stability or development without peace. But peace under the continued existence of that militia is not peace. Baligh Al-Mikhlafi, spokesman for the Yemeni government negotiating delegation in Stockholm agreed that the Marib visit was a failure. Most of the agenda of that visit had nothing to do with Griffiths mission, he said. According to General Peoples Congress leader Kamel Al-Khoudani, the Griffiths initiative in Marib boiled down to three points. First, Yemeni army forces should cease attempts to recover Al-Jawf or any other area that fell under Houthi control. Second, the Houthis, in return, would cease their advance on Marib, leaving it as a haven for displaced persons. Third, the governorates revenues, wealth and oil should be shared with the Houthis. The Houthis, or the Ansarullah Movement, does not seem likely to respond to Griffiths call for an unconditional cessation of all military activity, as is evident from their reactions to his Marib visit. The solution is to halt the aggression and dismantle the blockade, tweeted Houthi Spokesman Mohamed Abdel-Salam at the time Griffiths was in Marib. Hussein Al-Azzi, Houthi deputy foreign minister, was more explicit: A real restoration of calm is the kind that builds trust, that enables people to feel its effects tangibly and that leads to a climate conducive to a comprehensive solution. That type of calm requires the reopening of the airport, the lifting of the blockade on the port and Al-Darihmi, the release of civil service salaries and empowering the people over their oil and gas resources which belong to all the Yemeni people and not just to members of the Muslim Brotherhood. The latter was a reference to the Yemeni government which has close ties with the Yemeni Congregation for Reform, or Islah Party, the political facade of the Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood. Such statements are signs that the Houthis have not altered their stance since last September when president of the Houthi Supreme Political Council Mahdi Al-Mashat proposed a peace initiative to Riyadh stipulating the conditions mentioned by Al-Azzi. Many observers believe that Griffiths wants to repeat the Hodeida scenario: a halt to the anti-Houthi resistance that allows the Houthis to hold on to their territorial advances. Commenting on the UN envoys visit to Marib, the former Yemeni diplomat Abdel-Wahab Tawaf said: The point of that visit was to lay the groundwork for an international resolution that would stop any attempt to regain Al-Jawf and Nahm, just as occurred with Hodeida. Regardless of whether such a resolution is likely, the parallels between Marib and Hodeida have led pro-government sources to oppose the Marib initiative. They say that after more than a year since it was formed, the UN-sponsored security committee created in the framework of the Stockholm agreement has not only been unable to restrain the Houthis on the Hodeida front, their escalation has increased in tandem with a rise in the Houthis demographic engineering. The observers warn against repeating the mistakes of the past in Marib. It appears that the UNs peace-making efforts are encountering obstacles at other levels. An informal political consultation meeting of Yemeni political forces that the UN sponsored in Amman last week also failed to produce results. According to sources who took part in that meeting, the participants could not even produce a concluding statement. Mohamed Abdel-Hadi of the Revolutionary Council of the Southern Movement described the UN envoy as bankrupt of ideas for a new proposal that would set the warring parties on the path to a comprehensive settlement in Geneva. He suggested that Griffiths Marib visit was an attempt to circumvent failure on the political track. According to some Yemeni sources, the Ansarullah deliberately sabotaged the Amman meeting. They pointed to how the head of the Houthi delegation, Mohamed Abdel-Salam, bowed out at the last minute on the grounds of a more urgent matter and to the fact that the Houthi representative, Seif Al-Washli, who arrived in Amman from Germany, made it clear that his presence there was in a purely personal capacity. In sum, it seems that a breakthrough is still out of reach on both the political and military tracks. *A version of this article appears in print in the 12 March, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: Rome: Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has imposed travel restrictions and other strict public health measures nationwide to try to stop the spread of the new coronavirus. A deserted street in Venice, Italy. Credit:Getty Images Conte said on Monday night that a new government decree would require people throughout the country of 60 million people to demonstrate a need to work, health conditions or other limited reasons to travel outside the areas where they live. The restrictions take effect on Tuesday and, like those already in place in northern Italy, will last until April 3, he said. "There won't be just a red zone," Conte told reporters referring to the quarantine order he signed for a vast swath of northern Italy over the weekend. Milan-based designer Giorgio Armani has donated $1.4 million to help tackle Italy's coronavirus outbreak. It comes as the health system in the Lombardy region of northern Italy is said to be 'a step away from collapse' as intensive care facilities come under enormous pressure and the death toll from COVID-19 continues to rise. Armani donated the money to three Milan-based hospitals as well as Rome's Spallanzani hospital and the Civil Protection Agency, a company spokeswoman said on Monday. Georgio Armani, who held his Milan fashion show behind closed doors last month, is donating $1.4 million to hospitals in Milan and Rome as Italy placed in lockdown over coronavirus As of Monday night, 460 people in Italy have died and more than 9,000 have been infected. The country, the hardest hit in Europe, has been placed in lockdown with Italian premier Giuseppe Conte issuing a government decree requiring the public to show a genuine need to travel outside the areas where they live. Schools, universities, theaters, cinemas, and nightclubs are closed with religious and sporting events suspended or postponed. Restaurants and bars may remain open but only between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. The majority of Armani's employees in Milan are working from home and its production sites are operating with as few people as possible. As of Monday night, 460 people in Italy have died and more than 9,000 have been infected as the Lombardy region healthy system comes close to collapse and people are told to stay home Schools, universities, theaters, cinemas, and nightclubs are closed with religious and sporting events suspended. Restaurants and bars remain open but only between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Last week, Armani announced it was putting off its Cruise collection fashion show which had been due to take place in Dubai in mid-April. The designer had held his Milan fashion show behind closed doors last month. Versace and Gucci have also cancelled plans to host Cruise 2021 fashion shows in the United States. Prada and Chanel decided last month to postponed shows due to take place in Asia in May. Last week, Armani announced it was putting off its Cruise collection fashion show which had been due to take place in Dubai in mid-April A number of other luxury companies have made donations to fight the COVID-19 crisis both in Italy and in China, according to WWD. Last month, Bulgari made a donation to the research department of the Istituto Lazzaro Spallanzani in Rome, one of the first medical teams to isolate the DNA of the deadly disease. Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana decided to support research at the Humanitas University and the San Raffaele University based in the Milan area. Versace donated $143,400, to the Chinese Red Cross Foundation to alleviate the shortage of medical supplies in the country. LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton pledged $2.3 million to the Chinese Red Cross Foundation. Other businesses donating for the cause include LOreal, Estee Lauder, Shiseido and Swarovski. The first Budget of a Parliament sometimes seeks to align the economic and politic cycles by raising taxes and cutting spending (strictly speaking, the rate of spending). Nasty stuff first; nice stuff later when theres a general election around the corner. The hard choices that the new Government makes help to demonstrate its priorities. Rishi Sunaks package tomorrow was never going to be like that and will be even less like it now. For four main reasons. First, because Boris Johnsons natural inclination is for Bridges and Circuses or boosterism, as he has called it and this preference was duly reflected in the recent Conservative Manifestos headline pledges. Second, because the exigencies of Brexit require a neutral Budget at least, if not an expansionary one. Third, because of the Coronavirus. And finally because of the pervasive fear of a credit crunch, which was out and about in any event, but which the spread of the virus has accentuated. As it happens, the current spending picture, though not capital spending, has looked fairly constrained. Hence the Prime Ministers call in Cabinet last month for departmental spending restraint even if it means slaughtering sacred cows. Planned increases were due to be concentrated on those headline pledges: 50,000 more nurses; 20,000 more police; millions more invested each week on science, schools, apprenticeships and infrastructure; a new immigration system. Johnson and Sajid Javid were at odds over the implementation of the fiscal rules. The Coronavirus has decisively swung the argument the Prime Ministers way, at least for the time being. (Thats rotten timing for Javid, whos clearly seeking to take a stand as the rules guardian.) Rishi Sunak is committed both to help businesses survive its impact and people to work from home. Neither he, this site nor anyone else knows how much assistance firms will require, nor how many workers will self-isolate or for how long. Fiscal rules are not designed for circumstances like these and must effectively be waived for as long as the crisis lasts. Delaying the payment of VAT, payroll taxes and corporate tax; using the Employment Allowance for a National Insurance holiday; compensating firms with high statutory sick pay bills all this and more is on the cards for firms, and will cost. Extending sick pay, paying it earlier, easing the conditions under which Universal Credit is receieved these schemes and others will be available to those who must work from home. Were sceptical about whether a VAT cut would have much impact on consumer spending in the circumstances that are set to come. And of course NHS spending in particular will be under no restraint. Anything the service asks for it will get. On that point about a credit crunch, expect to see the Government underwriting Funding-for-Lending type schemes, as in the aftermath of the financial crisis. To put it very crudely, Johnson and Sunak will printing more money lots of it. It may be that Dominic Cummings is searching, as we write, to link the freedoms of Brexit to tackling the virus, by scrutinising the EU rules and restrictions that govern scientific research, and looking for room for manoeuvre. More broadly, its clear that the Budget will contain a symbolic tax cut. The tampon tax will first have VAT removed from it and then be abolished altogether. If Sunak is looking for other measures, he could do worse than take tips from his new colleague, Anthony Browne. The latter has punted cutting VAT on domestic electricity on this site. The Chancellor could take the idea up now. Browne also floated restoring duty free. That one will doubtless have to wait. Elsewhere, those tough choices that help to demonstrate what a new Government is all about may have to wait for another day. A mansion tax, reductions in tax relief on pension contributions for higher earners, VAT on fuel: all have been mooted; all are unlikely, though Sunak may go for a consultation on pensions and signal a VAT fuel rise in due course. Instead, expect to hear plenty about levelling-up and improving productivity outside the Greater South East. There is a lively debate on the centre-right about whether that implies moving people to jobs (broadly speaking, in cities) or seeking to move jobs to people (in towns). Whichever view you take, the Government should aim to improve transport links (which it will: see its manifesto commitments on roads and reversing some of the Beeching rail closures) and ease planning restraints (which it may or may not do: there has been briefing to that effect, but backbench resistance would be considerable). Sam Bowman and Stian Westlake have been at the forefront of this productivity debate, and the Chancellor could do a lot worse than take up the latters call on this site for making the Annual Investment Allowance unlimited. See also our columnist Neil OBriens recent research into the balance of spending between London and elsewhere. The Government has signalled support for that, too. Many will yearn for a Budget that is altogether different. Some would like a radical tax-cutting package, which slashes income tax rates, corporation tax, inheritance tax and capital gains tax. Others, like us, believe that any such plan would have to march in step with spending restraint. Which would mean reducing, inter alia, the third or so that goes on healthcare, pensions, and social care. Lawsonian tax cuts go hand-in-hand with Thatcherite public reform. Others still puzzle about what plans Johnson has, if any, to level up people as well as places. That means not only the just about managing, but also those who arent managing at all: rough sleeps, the severely indebted, the substance-and-alcohol dependent, those struggling with mental health. This is a subject to which we will return. But for the moment, much of all this will have to wait. The inference of yesterdays Prime Ministerial press conference was that an Italy-style shutdown is on its way here in Britain. Other countries are likely to follow. The interplay between the coronavirus, the recent oil price fall, the banks, corporate debt and Americas response to the illness bode badly. The Coronavirus has the capacity to be an economic 9/11. So Sunak has his hands full and more than. He must square up tomorrow to biggest challenge that a Chancellor has faced since the financial crash. For him, it is the worst of times: he must help to provide reassurance, action and leadership. Strangely, it is therefore also the best of times. He is elevated from the grubby plane of normal partisan politics to the dizzying heights of negotiating a national social emergency. That has an upside as well as a downside. HALIFAXPolls opened in two Nova Scotia byelections Tuesday that will see the governing Liberals try to make headway in ridings that have been opposition strongholds over the last decade. The Liberals are attempting to build on their slim majority in the 51-seat legislature, although Premier Stephen McNeil conceded it wont be easy given the recent electoral history of the two ridings Truro-Bible Hill-Millbrook-Salmon River and Cape Breton Centre. They are seats where its been a long time for the party, said McNeil. But we have two good candidates who have deep roots ... so we are looking forward to the results. Heading into the byelections the Liberals hold 26 seats in the House of Assembly, the Progressive Conservatives 17, the NDP 4, and there are two Independents. The Liberals lost a seat last month with the abrupt resignation from caucus by Hugh MacKay following an impaired driving charge. The NDP is trying to retain the Cape Breton seat formerly held by Tammy Martin, who recently resigned for health reasons. Cape Breton Centre has been held by the New Democrats for most of the past 20 years and party Leader Gary Burrill was in the riding doing last-minute door knocking on Tuesday. Claudia Chender, the NDP house leader, said its key for her party to do well in both contests. Funding is tied to the seats we have here (the legislature) we have more staff we have more resources so wed love to have more colleagues join us, she said. The race in Cape Breton Centre could be close with the Liberals running Dave Wilton, who held the seat for two years before losing to Martin by a margin of 796 votes in the 2017 provincial election. Kendra Coombes, a Cape Breton Regional Municipality councillor, will try to retain the seat for the New Democrats. The Tories are running Louie Piovesan, a municipal public works employee. Adrianna MacKinnon is the Green Party candidate. Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston said his party is also hoping to make progress in ridings its been shut out of in recent history. We feel good about the effort and the quality of the candidates, and the people will decide, said Houston. The Truro-area seat has been open for six months after former NDP member Lenore Zann, who had held the riding since 2009, left it to run successfully for the federal Liberals. Zann won Truro-Bible Hill-Millbrook-Salmon River for the NDP in 2017 by a margin of 943 votes over the Progressive Conservative candidate. The New Democrats are trying to retake the seat with Kathleen Kevany, a professor in the Faculty of Agriculture at Dalhousie Universitys Truro campus, while local Credit Union director Dave Ritcey is carrying the Tory banner in a riding that had been a P.C. stronghold prior to Zann. Retired school teacher and principal Allan Kennedy is the Liberal candidate, while St. Francis Xavier University psychologist Ivan Drouin is running for the Green Party and contractor Matthew Rushton is the Atlantica Party candidate. Polls are open Tuesday between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Read more about: The government are advising people to avoid travelling to Italy, as the southern Europe country goes into lockdown to try and contain the spread of Covid-19. Making the announcement this morning Tanaiste Simon Coveney said that people should avoid all travel to Italy - not just the northern provinces as previously stated. However, Coveney said that while the government can advise Irish citizens not to travel to Italy we cannot control a country in lockdown and stop Italian citizens from travelling to Ireland. "In light of internal developments in Italy my department is upgrading travel advice to Irish citizens, recommending against travel to whole of Italy," Mr Coveny wrote on Twitter this morning. "The Taoiseach will today raise the issue of flights (and) further EU-wide responses at a meeting of the European Council," he added. There are no experts on the virus as it was unknown prior to nine weeks ago, he pointed out on Morning Ireland. We are trying to understand more each day. We are trying to provide responses that are proportionate. We are trying to follow public health advice. We need to listen to the experts and the advice they give, he said. We need to move on the basis of good public health advice and not political decisions. "The challenge is to slow down infection, to give health authorities time to cope. Mr Coveney pointed out that even if only a small percentage of those infected suffer a significant health impact, the fatal percentage could mean thousands of deaths. This is a challenge that is unprecedented. A lot is happening, advice will be upgraded on a daily basis. Any decisions on public gatherings need to be made on the basis of sound evidence, he said. His own schedule for a trip to New York for St Patricks Day is being reviewed on a daily basis, he said. While Ireland remains in the containment phase, it was inevitable that the country would move into the delay phase, he said. It comes after Italian premier Giuseppe Conte extended restrictions on travel from the north to the entire country to try to stop the spread of coronavirus. Sixty million people in Italy have told they should only travel for essential work or emergencies as more than 9,000 people are infected with Covid 19. Mr Conte said a new government decree will require all people in Italy to demonstrate a need to work, health conditions or other limited reasons to travel outside the areas where they live. Previously, the government had advised that last week's scheduled Six Naitons rugby match between Italy and Ireland be postponed - but no restriction was put on flights from the country into Ireland. - Additional reporting by Vivienne Clarke and Press Association PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has directed all local officials in Metro Manila and the Philippine National Police to ensure that students are not seen around in movie centers, malls, public markets, and other crowded places. We would like to emphasize, however, that the students are not the only one vulnerable to the disease. The government must respond as well on the concerns raised by other sectors including our workers. Let us be vigilant as well that this response from the government will not be used to repress the legitimate demands of the people (e.g. gatherings and assemblies) especially that there is no specific period of implementation for this order. We must demand immediate actions from the government that directly address this public health issuesuch as providing free test kits for the people and making health accessible to everyone. We support efforts that aim to prevent further spread of COVID-19 among the Filipino. We call on all student councils in the country to assist in information dissemination and preventive measures in our schools, barangays, provinces and cities. (By National Union of Students of the Philippines ) Fire crews were able to locate the source of the fire inside the structure and made an interior attack on the fire, saving the structure any major damage, according to the release. The building was unoccupied at the time and no injuries were reported at the scene. Ryanair will fully suspend its flight schedule to/from and within Italy, following the Italian Government's decision to lock the country down in an effort to contain the spread of Covid-19, it says. Cuts will kick in from midnight on Wednesday, March 11 for domestic flights, and from midnight Friday, March 13 for international flights to/from Italy. All affected passengers have received emails informing them of flight cancellations, Ryanair says. British Airways has reportedly also cancelled flights between Italy and the UK. Aer Lingus, which has slashed its Italy routes, is expected to shortly follow suit. If an airline cancels a flight for any reason, it must offer passengers a re-routing, credit or full refund (see here for a full list of passenger rights). The drastic cuts come as Italy takes unprecedented steps to contain the spread of coronavirus not just in the north of the country, but throughout its regions. On March 9, its government declared that the whole country is now in isolation, and Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) today upgraded its travel advice to the highest warning level - red. "Until further notice, and while the isolation measures are in effect, we are advising that citizens do not travel to Italy," it says. "Irish citizens in Italy who are obliged to move around, are advised to carry a self-declaration form, available on the website of the Ministry of the Interior, that indicates their motive for doing so. "This form may be requested by police. Everyone in Italy is required to have this form if requested," it adds. At present, Italian airports are open, the DFA says, and tourists returning home are permitted to travel to airports and to leave the country. Tourists should also complete this self-declaration form before travelling to the airport. Ryanair is the largest airline operating in the Italian market. Passengers looking for repatriation can obtain a free move to an earlier Ryanair flight operating up until midnight on Friday, March 13, the airline said in a statement. "Ryanair continues to comply fully with WHO and national Government guidance and travel bans," it added. A man is accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend in the tiny northeast Alabama town of Hollywood. Anna Grogan Brown, a 45-year-old from Scottsboro, was declared dead at the scene on Jackson County Road 36 on Monday afternoon. Her boyfriend, 37-year-old Eric Maurice Scott, refused to come out of the home when law enforcement arrived, said Rocky Harnen, the Jackson County sheriffs chief deputy. Deputies sent tear gas into the home, Harnen said, and Scott still refused to come outside. Eric Maurice Scott was booked into the Jackson County, Ala. jail on Monday, March 9, 2020. Based on the belief that someone was shot inside the residence, Deputies and Officers made entry into the residence and took (Scott) into custody, says a press release from the sheriffs office. Scott is held in the Jackson County jail without bail set on a murder charge. Its unclear whether Scott has an attorney to speak on his behalf. Scott was also charged with violating the requirements of community corrections. He was accepted into a pretrial diversion program last year after being charged with possession of a controlled substance. An attorney who represented Scott in that case declined to comment. As part of the diversion program, Scott was ordered to complete drug treatment and other requirements, including random drug tests. He tested positive for methamphetamines and amphetamines this past Monday (March 2), according to court records filed last week. Jackson County Circuit Judge John issued a warrant for Scotts arrest on the community corrections violation on the afternoon of Monday, March 9 while sheriffs deputies remained at the scene of the deadly shooting. The sheriffs office investigated the homicide with help from the Jackson County Coroner and police and firefighters in Hollywood, a tiny town about 40 miles east of Huntsville. The case is the second homicide in Jackson County this year. More Alabama crime news Although Qatar announced a temporary suspension of entry into Qatar for travellers from 14 countries, including India, the order will not affect flights transiting through the Hamad International Airport (HIA) to other onward destinations. Till late Monday night, Qatar Airways maintained that flights from India were not suspended. Passengers with onward connections will, however, not be permitted to leave the airport. Stopover bookings that allowed passengers to leave the airport and enter the country would be cancelled. In a press statement, the airways had announced that the temporary suspension of entry into the country was applied to travellers from Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria and Thailand. This decision, the release said, comes as a preventive measure due to the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19) worldwide. It affects all individuals intending to enter from these countries, including visas upon arrival, those with a residence or work permit and temporary visitors. The airways assured a full refund to all those who had booked for a stopover. The airline also offered to make alternative travel plans for such passengers. Subscriber content preview KENNEWICK (AP) A city council in Washington state adopted a temporary measure to require a permit for construction projects requiring explosives. The measure by the Kennewick City Council was in response to complaints about blasting at a project adjacent to a residential neighborhood, The Tri-City Herald reported Sunday. . . . Suspended Gloucester Township Police Officer John Flinn (right) stands with his defense attorney, Louis Barbone, during his trial in Camden County Superior Court on Tuesday. Flinn is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and official misconduct. Read more Was a South Jersey police officer justified in slapping a 13-year-old girl in the face while she was lying on the ground and forcibly pushing her head down as he tried to handcuff her? A Camden County jury will decide. Gloucester Township Police Officer John Flinn, 29, who remains suspended after the March 8, 2018, incident at the Twin Oaks group home for juveniles with emotional issues, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and two counts of official misconduct. He is not in custody. In his closing argument Tuesday in Camden County Superior Court, defense attorney Louis Barbone contended that Flinn had to use force, and was justified in doing so, to arrest the girl, who Barbone said was resisting Flinn and another officer. This was a guy who was doing nothing more than trying to do his job, Barbone told jurors. After the girl was cuffed, Flinn helped her and asked if she was injured, he said. He never intended to harm, cause pain to her, the attorney said. But Assistant Prosecutor Angela Seixas told jurors in her closing argument that the case was about excessive force. Police are allowed to use force, but it has to be reasonable and immediately necessary. That was not the case here, she said. They do not have the ability, the right, to strike, to slap, to kick any subject they encounter, she said. During the trial, which began with opening statements a week ago, jurors saw video footage from a body camera worn by another police officer, Paul Bertini, who with Flinn was trying to subdue the girl in an office of the group home after she had been fighting with and resisting two staff workers. The officers responded to the home about 6:30 that night for a report of juveniles fighting and using objects as weapons, Barbone said, recalling the 911 call to police. The video showed Bertini approaching the girl and repeatedly telling her to Calm down! The girl was punching and kicking the staff workers and telling them she wanted to get out, Barbone said. The staff was trying to restrain her, Barbone said. They failed. Bertini had to force her onto the ground in a takedown, the attorney said. With the girl facedown as she lay on top of a sleeping bag and other items, Flinn cuffed her left wrist behind her back. Bertini was trying to control her right arm, also behind her back. Thats when Flinn was seen and heard in the video slapping the girl twice on the right side of her face. She was heard moaning and crying in the video. As Flinn tried to cuff her right wrist, he told the girl: Stop playing these ... games, then twice pushed down the left side of her face. Flinn then finished cuffing her, and Bertini left to check on another problem in the home. Flinn has been with the Gloucester Township Police Department since 2015. Jurors deliberated for about four hours Tuesday afternoon, then told Superior Court Judge Edward McBride Jr. they had reached a verdict on the official misconduct counts but were deadlocked on the endangering charge. The judge ordered them to return at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday to continue deliberating. An 85-year-old Jaipur native, who who returned from Dubai on February 28, has been found "presumptive positive" for coronavirus in the first test here, an official said on Tuesday. His first test is positive. But his subsequent confirmatory test has remained inconclusive, so we are repeating the confirmatory test with a fresh sample here, said Additional Chief Secretary (Medical & Health) Rohit Kumar Singh. He has been kept in isolation at the SMS Hospital here. The man came to the hospital on Monday with symptoms of the virus. After the first test, his wife and son too have been kept in isolation at the hospital.The two, however do not have coronavirus affliction symptoms, he said. Singh said 235 persons, who came in contact with octogenarian and his family, too have been traced and are being watched. An Italian couple, who was found corona-positive last week, are also admitted in the hospital but their condition is improving, he said. While the Italian man is still positive, his wife was tested negative on Monday, he said. A repeat test, however, was done on Tuesday on the Italian woman for confirmation and the report is awaited, said the official. If both tests are negative, she would be declared negative for coronavirus, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 23:52:19|Editor: yan Video Player Close NAIROBI, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Tuesday handed over ten vehicles to Kenya to boost the spraying of desert locusts. Peter Munya, cabinet secretary in the ministry of agriculture, said that the vehicles will be deployed in areas largely affected by the desert locusts which are ravaging some parts of the east African nation. "We are looking forward for other swarms coming from other countries and the ones maturing in two weeks. That is the reason we will be deploying the vehicles to enable us to manage the menace," Munya told journalists in Nairobi. He added that there is a looming food insecurity threat in the breadbasket counties largely affected by the swarms of locust. He said that a rapid assessment team is in place to see the extent of the damage so that the affected families can be supported in terms of regaining their livelihood. "The rapid assessment team will be able to give us a quick assessment of the actual affected area so that the situation is settled," added Munya. He noted that the weather conditions are also hindering aerial spraying of the locusts. "The rains are also hindering us from aerial spraying," he said. The official said that 26 counties have already been affected. According to Munya, the most affected counties include Marsabit, Isiolo, Samburu, Turkana, Garissa, and Kitui. He noted that the egg-laying swarms are preoccupied with finding the perfect spot to lay eggs and are inactive in terms of feeding compared to big ones. "Some of these swarms are in that stage of laying eggs and are very inactive in terms of feeding, therefore not destructive like the younger ones," said Munya, who projected the eradication of the swarms by June. He said there are six planes deployed for aerial spraying while three others are for monitoring the movement of the swarms. However, Munya said, the ministry is avoiding aerial spraying in densely populated areas so as to avoid spraying people and livestock. "In highly populated areas we cannot do aerial spraying, we have people trained on the ground for hand spraying," he added. (CNN) While there's no doubt that having your vacation interrupted by a fast-spreading virus that's infected more than 108,000 globally and killed more than 3,800 is a major inconvenience, there are surely worse places to be confined than a luxury Maldives resort. Over the weekend, the Indian Ocean island nation was added to the ever-growing list of countries with confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus after two staff members at the Kuredu Island Resort & Spa, located on the northern reef of Lhaviyani Atoll, tested positive for the virus. As a precaution, the entire resort has been placed under quarantine, with all guests and staff restricted from leaving until further notice. "The temporary restrictive measures will continue until such time that the authorities release the island from its quarantine period," reads a statement on the website for Kuredu Island Resort & Spa, where accommodation options include private pool villas, beach bungalows and hot tub beach villas. "At this time there will be no flight in or out of the island. The island is well stocked with the essentials and we are confident in the care that will be provided to all." Lavish confinement The decision was made after two staff members tested positive for the virus shortly after coming into contact with an Italian tourist who had tested positive for the virus after returning home. According to Ali Waheed, tourism minister for the Maldives, all of those who had contact with the two infected patients during their stay are now in "self isolation" and will be monitored for the next two weeks. However, authorities have opted to lock down the entire resort as an extra provision, ensuring that all guests and employees "remain on the island and follow advice and guidance of the Maldives Health Protection Agency and the Ministry of Tourism." Those who aren't under self isolation will hopefully have plenty to keep them busy as the resort, a 35-minute seaplane ride from capital Male, offers activities such as scuba diving, windsurfing and kiteboarding, as well as a highly rated spa -- although it's not clear whether these will still be on offer. Since news broke of the confirmed cases at Kuredu Island Resort & Spa, there have been two cases at the Sandies Bathala Resort in A.A Atoll, which has also been placed under lock down, bringing the number of cases in the Maldives up to four. Authorities have also banned any passengers "originating from and transiting through Italy" from entering the Maldives, as well as any travelers who have visited the European country within the last two weeks. A separate Maldives resort, Summer Island was also placed under "temporary restrictive measures" after two individuals developed coronavirus symptoms while holidaying there. However, the restrictions were lifted once the tourists in question tested negative for coronavirus. The coronavirus outbreak has brought about misery for travelers across the world, leaving thousands stranded on cruise ships or placed in designated quarantine facilities, as governments and local authorities desperately attempt to control the spread of the virus. While the virus was first detected in Wuhan, China, there have been confirmed cases in over 80 countries outside mainland China in recent weeks. We can readily understand why investors are attracted to unprofitable companies. For example, although software-as-a-service business Salesforce.com lost money for years while it grew recurring revenue, if you held shares since 2005, you'd have done very well indeed. Having said that, unprofitable companies are risky because they could potentially burn through all their cash and become distressed. So, the natural question for Rosetta Stone (NYSE:RST) shareholders is whether they should be concerned by its rate of cash burn. In this article, we define cash burn as its annual (negative) free cash flow, which is the amount of money a company spends each year to fund its growth. We'll start by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves in order to calculate its cash runway. View our latest analysis for Rosetta Stone How Long Is Rosetta Stone's Cash Runway? A company's cash runway is the amount of time it would take to burn through its cash reserves at its current cash burn rate. As at September 2019, Rosetta Stone had cash of US$36m and no debt. Looking at the last year, the company burnt through US$545k. So it had a very long cash runway of many years from September 2019. Even though this is but one measure of the company's cash burn, the thought of such a long cash runway warms our bellies in a comforting way. The image below shows how its cash balance has been changing over the last few years. NYSE:RST Historical Debt, March 10th 2020 How Well Is Rosetta Stone Growing? Rosetta Stone managed to reduce its cash burn by 94% over the last twelve months, which is extremely promising, when it comes to considering its need for cash. And it could also show revenue growth of 3.9% in the same period. We think it is growing rather well, upon reflection. While the past is always worth studying, it is the future that matters most of all. So you might want to take a peek at how much the company is expected to grow in the next few years. How Easily Can Rosetta Stone Raise Cash? Story continues We are certainly impressed with the progress Rosetta Stone has made over the last year, but it is also worth considering how costly it would be if it wanted to raise more cash to fund faster growth. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. Commonly, a business will sell new shares in itself to raise cash to drive growth. We can compare a company's cash burn to its market capitalisation to get a sense for how many new shares a company would have to issue to fund one year's operations. Since it has a market capitalisation of US$371m, Rosetta Stone's US$545k in cash burn equates to about 0.1% of its market value. So it could almost certainly just borrow a little to fund another year's growth, or else easily raise the cash by issuing a few shares. So, Should We Worry About Rosetta Stone's Cash Burn? As you can probably tell by now, we're not too worried about Rosetta Stone's cash burn. In particular, we think its cash burn reduction stands out as evidence that the company is well on top of its spending. Its weak point is its revenue growth, but even that wasn't too bad! After considering a range of factors in this article, we're pretty relaxed about its cash burn, since the company seems to be in a good position to continue to fund its growth. On another note, Rosetta Stone has 4 warning signs (and 1 which is significant) we think you should know about. If you would prefer to check out another company with better fundamentals, then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt or this list of stocks which are all forecast to grow. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 20:36:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Beijing called on citizens to donate blood to meet clinical needs, according to local authorities. The Red Cross Society of China Beijing Branch and the city's blood donation office jointly issued a proposal on March 7, calling on citizens to actively participate in voluntary blood donations. A total of 368 citizens have made appointments to donate blood after the proposal was issued, said Gao Xiaojun, spokesperson for the Beijing Municipal Health Commission. HUDSON, Ohio A boarding school in Summit County has announced it plans to go to online classes only for its students in response to three cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus being confirmed in Cuyahoga County. The 400 students at Western Reserve Academy currently are on spring break and were not scheduled to return until March 31. Students are being told to stay at home after the break and instead resume courses through online instruction. In a news release Monday, school officials say no one at the school has tested positive for the coronavirus. They say the decision is being made with student health and safety of paramount concern" and in response to Gov. Mike DeWine declaring a state of emergency in Ohio after the cases of coronavirus were confirmed Monday. At Western Reserve Academy, we have had a proactive plan in place for mitigating risk related to the Coronavirus and for ensuring safety, calm and clarity," Head of School Suzanne Walker Buck said in a prepared statement. We move forward with our plan in order to mitigate risk and the consequences of inaction. As a boarding school, our sense of togetherness defines us, Buck said. "We look forward to returning to the normalcy of togetherness in the coming weeks. WRA teaches grades nine through 12 and has students from 25 countries and 26 states. Two-thirds of its students and 80 percent of faculty members live on campus. More related content on cleveland.com: Bay Village Schools updates disinfecting treatments since high illness rates in January West Side mayors, schools superintendents update coronavirus plans Lorain County mayors, school superintendents update plans for coronavirus Ohio is under a state of emergency because of the coronavirus. What does that mean? Despite confirmed coronavirus cases, Mayor Frank Jackson says no events are canceled, but leaves options open 2020 MAC Basketball Tournament to go on as scheduled despite coronavirus concerns Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders move forward with Tuesday Cleveland rallies despite confirmed coronavirus in Cuyahoga County Summit County judge to return to courthouse on March 16 after self-quarantine due to coronavirus concerns The Northern Irishman who has been seen by millions of TV and YouTube viewers turning the tables on fraudsters at scam call centres in India has revealed that his only motivation is to protect vulnerable people who in the past have been driven to suicide by the callous conmen. "I want to expose the scams so that people can see how they work and they can then guard against them," says scam-buster Jim Browning - that's not his real name - who is appalled that the fraudsters are fleecing millions from susceptible people right across the world, with their prime target market in the UK where it's estimated there are 21 million calls every month. That's one every eight seconds. Jim was featured recently on the BBC's Panorama programme which showed his ingeniously-obtained footage of gangsters tricking people into thinking that their computers were infected with pornography before charging them small fortunes to 'repair' them. Jim, who has his own YouTube channel devoted to highlighting the scams, has received scores of letters and emails from people who've told him how they've fallen foul of the fraudsters. "Some victims have lost hundreds of thousands of pounds and there's very little gets done about it," says Jim. "I don't like people scamming others and thinking that they are completely immune. "After the Panorama programme the police in India made arrests but I have my doubts about whether or not they would have happened if it hadn't been for the documentary." Jim, who hates the 'vigilante' and 'hacker' labels that some sections of the media have used to describe him, isn't comfortable talking about himself. He says that he lives 'somewhere' in the UK but it's not Belfast and that his scam-baiting is a hobby that runs parallel to his 9 to 5 job, which he again prefers to keep secret, though he does concede that he has a background in IT. Given the nature of the multi-million pound scamming industry and its criminal connections who would dearly love to silence him, it's no surprise that family man Jim goes to great lengths to shield his identity to keep himself safe. Jim says he decided to strike back at the scammers after he, like virtually every other computer user in the UK, was receiving a barrage of cold calls, particularly from India. "One day I resolved to find out more about the people who were ringing me," he explains. "With phone calls alone it's difficult to get any more information because it's so easy to 'spoof' numbers. But if you know what you are doing with computers and can protect yourself you can establish the source." Jim set up his home computer to allow the scammers access to it and it was configured in such a way that let him trace the connection back to the conmen's PCs so that he could see what the fraudsters were up to and who they were. "I went to the internet service providers and asked them to take action against people whom I'd identified as using their service to scam people. But nothing ever happened. Jim, who started posting videos of the scams online, says it's all too easy for the tricksters to catch people off their guard. Some victims have even taken their own lives after realising that they have been scammed One favourite ploy is for the gangs to place a fake pop-up message on victims' computers to warn them they have been infected by pornographic software. They're then told to ring Microsoft for crucial technical support unaware that all they have to do to get rid of the message is to switch off their computers. But if they do ring the number provided they'll be connected on the other end of the line to smooth-talking fraudsters who have nothing to do with Microsoft but who are ready to rip off the victims. Jim says: "They run a very set script on the phone and if you allow them access to your computer they will go through something that sounds very convincing. They will persuade people to part with money and many of the victims won't even know they've been conned. "They think they've paid someone to help them fix a problem by providing them with extra security that they are supposed to need. "There are other more blatant scams when money is simply stolen from people's bank accounts." Last year a fake HMRC call centre was exposed in India where conmen were targeting 10,000 Britons a day and threatening them with prison unless they paid false tax bills - to the scammers of course. Expand Close The fraudsters at work / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The fraudsters at work It's been suggested that some of Jim's own tactics are illegal but he insists he never employs any of his technological know-how on anyone but the scammers. Last year Jim was able to break into the computers of one Indian scam centre's CCTV in Delhi and by taking control of the cameras he could see the rows and rows of fraudsters who were calling him and other more unsuspecting victims. And it was that shocking footage which appeared on the Panorama documentary. One gang leader, Amit Chauhan, was filmed laughing as he told his staff: "We don't give a **** about the customers." Other call centre staff were seen smirking as one victim cried and told him he feared the expensive 'repairs' would give him a heart attack. At one point during the documentary Jim asked a trickster who was claiming to be ringing from San Jose in America to authenticate his call by giving him the name of a restaurant in the city. And the man who was in India could be seen frantically googling for an answer. "That was a one-off," says Jim. "All I did was to use their own connection to see what they were doing. They were viewing their own CCTV footage on their computers and I could see it as well." Jim, who also obtained recordings of a staggering 70,000 phone calls from the Delhi centre, says that he receives regular emails from people who thank him for his warnings but he finds it distressing to hear from duped victims of the scammers who are looking for his help in retrieving their money. "But I am helpless," he says. "If the scammers don't access my computer I am no better than anyone else. However some of the stories that I hear from victims are very sad. "I receive regular messages from grandchildren telling me how their grandparents have been left unable to keep their own homes because they've been conned. Some victims have even taken their own lives after realising that they have been scammed." Jim says the fraud gangs tend to target older people and they're not averse to exploiting dementia sufferers. "The cold calls to more elderly folk tend to come during UK daytime," he adds. "That's when the scammers know they are more likely to be at home." But where do the criminals receive their information? Jim says: "It's very difficult to track down the sources. There are plenty of legitimate call centres in India run by big businesses all around the world. Expand Close The fraudsters at work / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The fraudsters at work "I guess there may be some unscrupulous people working in them who might take the data and sell it. "But equally some of the calls that you and I receive are random ones made by people who simply go through the phone book and ring the numbers listed there. "That information is then passed on. I have used fake names when I have answered my phone and that false identity will be echoed back to me weeks and months later by some other scammer." It's self-evident that Jim would love nothing more with his scam-baiting 'crusade' than to do himself out of a 'job' but he knows only too well that the scammers will always find people whose weak spots they can abuse. "I'm not naive enough to think that I am having a huge impact on the problem which won't go away overnight," says Jim. "There are literally hundreds of scam call centres operating at the moment. But if my videos make someone think twice that would be great. And I will keep chipping away and maybe someday the calls will reduce." Jim says the police in India need to do a lot more to tackle the scammers. He adds: "At the moment the media interest has meant that they have been pro-active in recent weeks but that could all change before very long. "I think that the police must show that they want to halt the scammers. There's nothing to stop them doing exactly what I do. They could have more of a concerted effort. All they have to do is browse the internet to find some of these pop-ups from the fraudsters. "There's also a very good site called www.scammer.info which has a lot of the phone numbers that the gangs use and the police could ring them. "I don't know why they aren't more willing to crack down on the scams. Maybe they have more high profile crimes to deal with or maybe it has something to do with the fact that people in India aren't affected as much as victims overseas. "If they even wanted to come to me to inquire how I do what I do I would happily sit down with them and tell them. It's really not that difficult but I don't think the will is there." The scam call centre in Delhi that featured in Jim's footage was raided after the Panorama programme and Amit Chauhan and an accountant, Sumit Kumar, were arrested. Jim reckons that the operators of some of the scam call centres are making upwards of $3m a year, but paying their staff a fraction of that. He says that people here have a number of options open to them to deal with the scammers though he adds that the UK Telephone Preference Service, which is designed to stop unwanted calls, doesn't stop fraudsters ringing from India. He recommends that people who don't recognise telephone numbers coming up on their phones shouldn't answer them or hang up immediately if they do take the call and find out that it's from someone they're not expecting to be in touch. Jim says, however, the advice from within the scam-baiting community is the exact opposite. "If you know what you're doing and you have the time to keep these people occupied it's a good idea to answer the call and keep them talking as long as possible because when they're not scamming you they're scamming someone else like your grandparents. "You can wind them up for hours that way." STRATFORD A student at Wilcoxson Elementary School is being tested for coronavirus after possible contact with someone who tested positive for the virus, prompting the closure of the school for the remainder of the week. During a press conference at Town Hall late Tuesday afternoon, town officials said the test results have not yet come back for the student, but that crews will clean the school Wednesday through Friday as a precaution. The student is under the care of a health care provider, officials said. The district also sent a letter home to parents and guardians letting them know about the closure. This person is connected to the Wilcoxson district only, Stratford Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson wrote. No other schools are impacted, at this point in time. In the event other measures become necessary, we will communicate appropriately at that time. Robinson said the schools are working closely with the towns health department to stay updated on the situation. Officials were alerted to the possibility of a student having been exposed to the coronavirus by the state Department of Public Health, Robinson said. Andrea Boissevain, the towns health director, stressed that the student was suspected of having COVID-19. It has not been confirmed yet. Officials declined to give identifying details about the student, like the age or gender. The school has 389 students from kindergarten to sixth grade, according to the school district. Boissevain said the district had been planning for this kind of situation. It wasnt really a matter of if COVID-19 was arriving in Stratford, it was a matter of when, she said. We are working to address this issue. Robinson said Wilcoxson will be cleaned this week and added that no other schools in town had been impacted as of Tuesday. We are bringing in folks ... for extensive cleaning and sanitation of that building, Robinson said. The town sent out some initial information during Gov. Ned Lamonts press conference where he announced he would sign declarations enacting civil preparedness and public health emergencies to address the coronavirus outbreak. If the Stratford student tests positive for coronavirus, he or she would become the third state resident to test positive and the first child. A Wilton man and Bethlehem woman, being treated at Danbury and Bridgeport hospitals, respectively, have tested positive. Two New York State residents, who work in Connecticut hospitals, have also tested positive for the virus. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 21:53:05|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close NICOSIA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades has canceled a state visit to Austria due to the spread of the COVID-19 to the eastern Mediterranean island, Cyprus News Agency (CNA) reported on Tuesday. Anastasiades had planned to leave in the afternoon for Vienna and have talks on Wednesday with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. "The cancellation of the trip is related to developments in the spread of the coronavirus," the report said. State radio has earlier reported that Anastasiades would discuss with the Austrian officials the situation at the Greek-Turkish border along the Evros river and the increased influx of migrants into Cyprus. Cyprus on Monday confirmed its first two cases of the novel coronavirus, according to the Health Ministry. Meanwhile, a 65-year-old woman from Germany tested positive on Monday night in the Turkish-controlled area of Cyprus, the medical authorities said on Tuesday. She arrived with a group of 30 tourists and stayed in a hotel near the eastern city of Famagusta. The hotel was under quarantine with all guests and staff staying inside. The authorities said the woman was isolated in a hospital and responding well to treatment. Cypriot Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said the Nicosia General Hospital, one of the medical facilities reserved for the treatment of positive cases, suspended most services on Tuesday, after a medical doctor in charge of the heart surgical ward tested positive for coronavirus. The doctor had returned from Britain on March 3 and informed authorities of developing COVID-19 symptoms on Sunday. The Health Ministry announced that all admissions, outpatient clinics, surgeries and visits at Nicosia General Hospital were suspended for 48 hours since early Tuesday, when the situation would be reviewed. The areas where the doctor operated and worked in are all sanitized, and anyone in close contact with him has been called for test. Operation of the cardio surgery ward had also been suspended and patients would be gradually discharged or sent to private clinics, depending on their general health condition, the ministry said. Ioannou said the other case concerned a 25-year-old man who traveled to Milan. He returned on Feb. 26 and had been quarantined since then after being screened upon arrival at Larnaca airport. The Health Ministry issued new travel regulations stating that those who arrive from countries and regions hardest hit by the virus must stay under medical observation for 14 days in a government-assigned medical area. Education Minister Prodromos Prodromou said on Tuesday there were no plans to close schools after the coronavirus cases were confirmed, but adding that his ministry is following closely the advice from the Health Ministry. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has postponed her two-day official visit to Japan over the global outbreak of the deadly novel coronavirus, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said on Tuesday. The prime minister was scheduled to travel to Japan on March 30. But the visit has been postponed as the novel coronavirus cases have spread there too, Momen was quoted as saying by Bdnews24.com. Hasina was scheduled to leave for Japan on March 30 on a two-day official visit. We will visit Japan later and they (Japan) have agreed to the deferred plan, Momen added. Earlier this week, Bangladesh postponed the March 17 grand inaugural ceremony of the birth centenary celebrations of its founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman after three coronavirus cases were detected in the country. Two persons brought the disease from Italy, infecting the third one on their return home, officials said. The infections, the first reported cases in the country, came four days after Dhaka restricted entry of the people from major coronavirus-prone countries without a virus-free medical certificate. The virus that first originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year has claimed over 4,000 lives and infected more than 110,000 across 100 nations and territories. The World Health Organisation last week raised the global virus risk to maximum level after the outbreak spread to sub-Saharan Africa and stock markets around the world plummeted. Just a few days ago, Jill Farber-Bramson was all in for U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Farber-Branson, a longtime Democratic activist and community organizer, and her husband had been hanging on to their absentee ballots for quite a while, and remained hopeful theyd be able to cast their ballots for Warren until she suspended her campaign last week. They respected her record as both as a senator and as a citizen, especially her role in creating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. After Warren dropped out, Farber-Branson backed former Vice President Joe Biden. She likes his record, too, and believes Democrats need to unite to vote President Donald Trump out of office. But shes sorry a primary that once featured several women and minority candidates has essentially become a two-man race. What really hurts is the fact that here we are, and were women, and were still waiting in line for it to be our turn, she said. When is it going to be our turn? At one point, six women were in the running for the Democratic presidential nomination. As Michigan voters head to the polls Tuesday, only one, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, is still in the race - but with only two delegates collected so far, her candidacy is a long shot. The competition has whittled down to Biden and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. After dropping out last week, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar endorsed Biden, and U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris did so as well shortly after Warren exited the race. Neither Warren nor U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has endorsed a candidate since they ended their own campaigns, and Marianne Williamson recently endorsed Sanders. Speaking to reporters in Michigan Friday during a Fems for Dems event, Klobuchar acknowledged that it was ultimately voters who decided Biden and Sanders were the top options: They made that decision, and thats just how politics is. But she said glass ceilings continue to get shattered as more women are inspired to run for office. I think that having so many women up there on that (debate) stage, it was groundbreaking on its own, she said. Literally the first night of the debate, in the primary, we doubled the number of women that had ever run for president. In 2018, women candidates saw successes up and down the ballot all over the country. Michigan was emblematic of the trend - Democrats put up an all-female statewide ticket and won. Gretchen Whitmer, Jocelyn Benson and Dana Nessel were elected as governor, secretary of state and attorney general, respectively. The number of women representing Michigan in the U.S. House rose from two to five, and the number of women serving in the state legislature grew for both political parties. Women didnt show up in full force in the 2016 election when many voters who might have voted for Hillary Clinton assumed she was going to win, said Carol Prince Hundley, 11th District chair of the Michigan Democratic Party. The heartbreak over that election has carried over into subsequent cycles, she said. I know that women want a woman," she said. "I remember people were crying over Hillary...this is 2020. If we have a woman there, we have to support her. Murphy Ackerman, of Grand Rapids, was at a rally for Bernie Sanders over the weekend, but still sported an Elizabeth Warren pin. Shes supporting Sanders now, but she said its hard for her knowing shes not going to get to vote for a woman this cycle. When Warren dropped out, she said, I cried a lot. Im really sad to have to wait another four or eight years. I was really bummed. For many Michigan women, the lack of diverse candidates for the nations top office is underscored by an overall concern that candidates are taking their votes for granted. A recent survey of 525 likely and eligible black women voters in Michigan conducted by Mothering Justice and the National Womens Law Center found 78 percent of respondents felt politicians are ignoring their concerns. Another 74 percent felt political candidates are not working to address issues most important to them, like ensuring families can meet their basic economic needs and access affordable childcare and maternal healthcare. Black women are just increasingly feeling like its truly just transactional, if theyre even reached out to at all, Mothering Justice Michigan Executive Director Eboni Taylor said. It just feels like theres a reliance on our vote without having to put anything into it. Now that the Democratic field has narrowed to two main candidates, Taylor said its crucial both Biden and Sanders intentionally meet with diverse groups, familiarize themselves with the issues they care about and keep amplifying them in their policy plans and public events. And conversations are about future elections are already beginning, Taylor said: How do we look forward for the next presidential election, and get someone in that represents us? Live: Elizabeth Warren Rally in Detroit Elizabeth Warren rallies supporters in Detroit on Super Tuesday eve Posted by MLive.com on Tuesday, March 3, 2020 Inayah Amir Bey, an Eastern Michigan University student who attended a recent Sanders rally in Ann Arbor, said shed like to see a female president because it hasnt happened yet, although she noted she personally wasnt a fan of the female candidates who ran this cycle. Id rather go with a white male who has strong views and thoughts than a woman just to vote for a woman, she said. But Kalamazoo resident Erika Perry, a former Warren volunteer who said shell likely support Sanders on Tuesday, expressed frustration that were still doing this with a bunch of old white men. I miss Kamala Harris, she said. MLive reporters Malachi Barrett and Emily Lawler contributed to this report. Related coverage: Women win big in Michigan, reflecting nationwide trend Elizabeth Warren tells Michigan shes the woman to beat Donald Trump at Super Tuesday campaign rally 5 things to watch in Tuesdays Michigan primary results Who is on the Michigan presidential primary ballot? Democrats and Republicans clash on March 10 A complete guide: How to see Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders campaign events in Michigan this weekend and Monday Biden and Sanders compete for black votes ahead of Michigan Democratic presidential primary The big question for Michigan Democrats: Is Biden or Sanders more likely to beat Trump? Michigan election is Tuesday, and its not just a presidential primary Bernie Sanders urges college supporters to vote at Ann Arbor rally before Michigan primary 5 things to watch in Tuesdays Michigan primary results Some Foreign Diplomats Depart North Korea Amid Virus Scare By William Gallo March 09, 2020 A group of foreign diplomats has departed Pyongyang, with some temporarily closing their missions in the North Korean capital amid a coronavirus scare. About 80 foreigners - including diplomats from Russia, Germany, France, and Switzerland - arrived Monday in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok, according to a Facebook post by the the Russian embassy in North Korea. Colin Crooks, the British ambassador to North Korea, tweeted: "Sad to say farewell this morning to colleagues from German Embassy and French Office (in North Korea), which are closing temporarily." The British embassy will remain open, he said. North Korea has taken severe steps to prevent a coronavirus outbreak, including placing thousands under quarantine, suspending foreign tourism, and attempting to seal its border with China. Until last week, North Korea had also confined foreign diplomats to their quarters for over a month -- conditions the Russian ambassador to North Korea had described as "morally crushing." Reports suggested foreign embassies had been attempting to arrange an evacuation flight for diplomats, their families, and other international workers. The Russian embassy Facebook post said the Monday flight was operated by Air Koryo, North Korea's state-run airline. It is not clear how many embassies sent diplomats home or when they will return. North Korea last week released some foreigners from the quarantine - a move that relieved diplomats and others in Pyongyang. "I have never been happier standing on Kim Il Sung Square," tweeted Joachim Bergstrom, the Swedish ambassador to North Korea, who posted a selfie from central Pyongyang. North Korea has reported no coronavirus infections, but Kim Jong Un has warned of "serious consequences" if the virus reaches his country. Experts say the highly infectious respiratory disease has likely already reached North Korea, given that it shares a long, porous border with China, where the outbreak began. North Korea also shares a border with South Korea, which has also reported an explosion of cases in recent weeks. But the virus is much less likely to spread through that route, since the two Koreas are separated by a heavily fortified border. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Members of the exiled Tibetan community held a protest march in Himachal Pradesh's capital Shimla on Tuesday on the occasion of the 61st anniversary of their Uprising Day against China back in 1959. Under the banner of Regional chapter of the Tibetan Youth Congress in Shimla, scores of Tibetans, including students, Buddhist monks, and women participated in the protest march, urging the international community to support Tibetan issue and put pressure on China. The nearly seven kilometre long protest march started from Panthaghati and ended in the main town. The demonstrators raised the slogan against the Chinese government and demanded freedom for Tibet, and held placards and banners displaying the same. "We are protesting against the illegal occupation of Tibet by China. This is the least we can do and we will continue to raise our voice for as long as we have to," said a protester. On March 10 in 1959, thousands of Tibetans gathered in Lhasa to protect their leader Dalai Lama from perceived threats of the Chinese Army. The protest was brutally suppressed, causing the death of thousands of people. Following this, the then 23-year-old Dalai Lama along with thousands of Tibetans secretly fled into exile in India. The demonstration was later named as the Tibetan Uprising. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a bid to fill cabins amid the coronavirus outbreak AirAsia is offering jaw-dropping discounts - including zero-fare seats. The Malaysia-based low-cost airline is offering six million heavily discounted seats in total for a promotion called the 'Big Sale'. It runs until Sunday (March 15), with the deals available for travel through to July 1, 2021, to destinations including Australia, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore. AirAsia is offering six million heavily discounted seats in total for a promotion called the 'Big Sale' The zero-fare deal includes seats on domestic flights from Kuala Lumpur to other destinations in Malaysia such as Johor Bahru, Penang, Langkawi, Alor Setar and Kota Bharu. All the passengers have to pay are taxes and a passenger service charge of 12 Malaysian Ringgit (2.17/$2.83). The Big Sale free-seat offer also includes one-way short-haul international flights from the Malaysian capital to the likes of Singapore, Phnom Penh, Jakarta and Phuket for just 44 Malaysian Ringgit (7.95/$10.38). Meanwhile, pocket-money free-seat fares are available for long-haul flights from Kuala Lumpur to destinations such as Seoul, the Gold Coast, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Taipei from just 71 Malaysian Ringgit (12.83/$16.76). For those wanting to travel in more comfort, Big Sale seats are also available in AirAsia's premium flatbed cabins from Kuala Lumpur to the likes of Bali, Okinawa and Ahmedabad from just 599 Malaysian Ringgit (108/$141) one-way. There is also a deal on checked baggage, which can be pre-booked for 10 per cent less than normal. AirAsia Indonesia president director, Veranita Yosephine, told the Jakarta Post that the airline was looking at ways it could help stimulate tourism and maintain Indonesia's economic growth, 'especially in this challenging period'. The zero-fare deal includes seats on domestic flights from Kuala Lumpur to other destinations in Malaysia such as Johor Bahru, Penang, Langkawi, Alor Setar and Kota Bharu. All the passengers have to pay are taxes and a passenger service charge of 12 Malaysian Ringgit (2.17/$2.83) Meanwhile, Airasia.com CEO, Karen Chan, said: 'Our first Big Sale for 2020 is here. AirAsia understands the current sentiments of our customers, that's why we're providing ample opportunity to book in advance for an affordable getaway as travel period is up to July 2021. 'The best way to snap the lowest fares and best-value travel deals is to plan ahead and book early - as with this latest Big Sale. 'We are on track in transforming into a household travel and lifestyle brand across Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) with all you need to complete your holiday planning including flights, accommodation, activities and more, all available now on airasia.com.' Airport passenger traffic in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to take a 24 per cent hit in the first quarter of the year from coronavirus, according to Airports Council International (ACI) Asia-Pacific. It said that this would lead to a $3billion decline in airport revenue and would place pressure on any growth projects. However, it is not enough just to manage an orderly transition and to rebate carbon-fee revenue to consumers, as is commonly proposed. It is also important to honor the workers who mined the coal and operated and maintained the power plants that built the America we have today. For much of the past century, coal generated more than half of the electricity that powered our modern lives. We Americans have all enjoyed the economic wealth and power built by these women and men. Harriet Tubman, the famous abolitionist, Civil War spy and suffragette, died in Auburn on March 10, 1913. After her escape from slavery in 1849, she had made 13 missions to the South and managed to free 70 enslaved people. For this, she was nicknamed the Moses of her people. After the Civil War, she had settled in Auburn, where she continued the fight for equality. Tubmans obituary in the Post-Standard said she had opened her home to the colored poor and destitute of the city. Her acts of charity were numerous. The newspaper reported that Tubman had been unable to leave her bed for much of the previous year, except for a few minutes. Harriet Tubman's obituary as it appeared on the front page of the Post-Standard on March 11, 1913. The paper said she was 98 years old, but she might have really been anywhere between 88 and 98. New York State Digital LibraryNew York State Digital Library She contracted pneumonia recently and it rushed her death. Hope for her recovery was abandoned this afternoon. Her emotional funeral took place at A.M.E. Zion Church on Parker Street in Auburn on March 13. It was attended an assemblage of the oldest residents of the city and most of the leading African American figures in New York State. More than 1,000 people sought to get into the church, but half had to be satisfied with only a viewing of the former abolitionist as the church could only accommodate 500. Several eulogies were read. Rev. C.A. Smith, chaplain at the Harriet Tubman Home and who had spent decades with her, was most overcome with grief: I dont care to remain as chaplain of the Harriet Tubman any longer. My mother is gone. I learned to call her mother on the battlefields in Maryland and Virginia. I will feel eternally lonesome. She used to call my wife, the matron of the home, her Good Samaritan. My wife feels the loss more than she can explain. Bishop George Lincoln Blackwell, of Philadelphia, had dropped everything to come to speak in Auburn, including the opportunity to introduce Theodore Roosevelt to the largest congregation of black people in the citys history. If we could grow a race of Harriet Tubmans, Blackwell said, the future of our people would be secure. The battle she fought for freedom will continue. She sought freedom, physical, intellectual and moral. Rev. Brooks of the Auburn A.M.E. Zion Church told the audience that Tubmans last words were, Give my love to all the churches, and said she had told him of her experiences with Abraham Lincoln, who sought her counsel of various occasions. John Joeckel, president of the Auburn Common Council, who said he had known Tubman since he was a little boy, called her a supernatural being, empowered to achieve miracles. The briefest eulogy belonged to Bishop J.C. Roberts of Binghamton who said simply that the world was to be thankful that God had spared Tubman to the world for as long as he had. READ MORE Studio portrait of Harriet Tubman, taken in Auburn, to be auctioned in Chicago Why isnt CNY civil rights hero Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill yet? Does new bank card show Harriet Tubman doing the Wakanda Forever salute? This feature is a part of CNY Nostalgia, a section on syracuse.com. Send your ideas and curiosities to Johnathan Croyle at jcroyle@syracuse.com or call 315-427-3958. Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Swedish mountaineering brand chooses Centric Software to support business growth CAMPBELL, Calif., March 10, 2020 Leading Swedish alpine mountaineering brand Klattermusen, has selected Centric Softwares Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution for emerging brands, Centric SMB. Centric Software provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to fashion, retail, footwear, outdoor, luxury and consumer goods companies to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals. Klattermusen has been making the worlds most refined mountaineering equipment for outdoor enthusiasts since 1975. Founded by a tightly knit band of local mountaineers in the north of Sweden, the company prides itself on producing the most durable and long-lived equipment on the market, alongside a global commitment to sustainability. Klattermusens hands-on approach has resulted in the development of proprietary materials and techniques to create sustainable high-performance fabrics. Sara Hult, Global Production Manager at Klattermusen, explains the companys drive for a software solution to gain a competitive advantage by improving products and streamlining processes. Klattermusen decided to implement Centric SMB, a cloud-based PLM solution tailored for small to medium businesses, Were entering new markets, widening our product assortment and increasing the number of suppliers, so we really need scalability. With Centric SMBs out-of-the-box solution, we can add users, modules and processes as our business changes and grows. Available on a subscription basis (SaaS), Centric SMB is designed to speed product development, optimize product costs and increase brand responsiveness. With access to the same proven technologies and industry know-how as big players, emerging brands set the foundation for future growth. With a growing base of information centralized across the company, the Klattermusen team benefits from a market-leading collaboration platform. Our team liked the fact that Centric SMB is user-friendly but highly configurable for our most specific needs. In addition, the installation process did not require extensive training and consulting services, adds Sara. Centrics local support team in Sweden, as well as the desire to make a long-term commitment, were central to Klattermusens final decision. Centric came out as an ideal partner as it already provides solutions to other market-leading outdoor brands that face similar challenges, says Sara. With this partnership, we can focus on value creation for our customers by reducing the time spent on data management. We are thrilled to be partnering with Klattermusen, a company that has both a wonderful history and an innovation-driven future, says Chris Groves, President and CEO of Centric Software. With Centric SMB, Klattermusen can move swiftly toward its ambitious future plans for growth and explore new territories while continuing to drive high quality innovation for outdoor enthusiasts. Request a Demo Learn more about Centric Outdoor PLM Klattermusen (www.klattermusen.com) Klattermusen is a maker of refined mountaineering equipment. Established in 1975 to combine utility and extreme durability in environmentally considerate designs and materials, Klattermusen supports outdoor enthusiasts through unforgiving weather and unpredictable situations. Initiated as a small DIY workshop for assembling parts and constructing tailored technical solutions to challenges encountered on the hill, Klattermusen grew into a business supplying outdoor enthusiasts with high-performance equipment in the 1980s. The pioneering spirit that originally spurred Klattermusen into existence remains at the heart of the company. From frozen Arctic mountains to deep primeval forests, Klattermusens pioneering innovations are providing climbers, hikers, and mountaineers all over the world with maximum safety and comfort. Our products help you go further, push harder and keep exploring. Rigorously tested in real-world conditions and constructed to last, Klattermusens products embody a commitment to creating the best and most sustainable equipment possible. Centric Software (www.centricsoftware.com) From its headquarters in Silicon Valley, Centric Software provides a Digital Transformation Platform for the most prestigious names in fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor, consumer goods and home decor. Centrics flagship Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) platform, Centric 8, delivers enterprise-class merchandise planning, product development, sourcing, quality and collection management functionality tailored for fast-moving consumer industries. Centric SMB provides innovative PLM technology and key industry learnings for emerging brands. Centric Visual Innovation Platform (VIP) offers a new fully visual and digital experience for collaboration and decision-making and includes the Centric Buying Board to transform internal buying sessions and maximize retail value and the Centric Concept Board for driving creativity and evolving product concepts. All Centric innovations shorten time to market, boost product innovation and reduce costs. Centric Software is majority-owned by Dassault Systemes (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), the world leader in 3D design software, 3D Digital Mock Up and PLM solutions. Centric Software has received multiple industry awards and recognition, including being named by Red Herring to its Top 100 Global list in 2013, 2015 and 2016. Centric also received various excellence awards from Frost & Sullivan in 2012, 2016 and 2018. Centric Software is a registered trademark of Centric Software Inc.. All other brands and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Watertown, NY (13601) Today Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 8F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 4F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible. Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has reacted to the attack on the Governor of Imo State. Kanu, in... Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has reacted to the attack on the Governor of Imo State. Kanu, in a Facebook post, warned that This is the beginning as we foretold a few days ago. Uzodinma was attacked Sunday afternoon at Ohaji Egbema Local Government Area. Youths of Mmahu community repeatedly shouted Onye Oshi Vote, Onye Oshi Vote, at the Governor upon his arrival at the area, throwing bottles and sticks at the convoy. Kanu, described Uzodinma as a Fulani stooge, adding that There will be no rest for any Fulani stooge in Biafraland. Hope Uzodinma will be made an example of that others may learn that Fulani Caliphate or their Supreme Court of Corruption cannot impose leaders on us. Kanu further recalled as he mocked the Governor, The Supreme Court Governor Of Imo State escaped death moments ago at Ohaji Egbema. The youths of Mmahu community who upon sighting the Governors convoy started shouting Onye Oshi Vote, Onye Oshi Vote started throwing bottles and weapons on the Bulletproof SUV of the Governor. Uzodinma was, however, not allowed to come down from the car as security operatives whisked him away immediately, Kanu said. Prior to the Supreme Courts final ruling on the Imo governorship tussle, Kanu had told the Supreme Court to nullify the election of Uzodinma as Imo Governor and order a fresh governorship election in the State. Troubled lender YES Bank enabled its inward IMPS/NEFT services. Customers can now make payments towards YES Bank credit card dues and loan obligations on other accounts. Earlier, the new YES Bank administrator Prashant Kumar said that the moratorium imposed by the Reserve Bank of India could be lifted before the end of this week. The bank, which had over Rs 2.09 trillion in deposits, was put under moratorium last Thursday due to an inability to raise capital. Its board was superseded and Kumar was placed as the administrator. Inward IMPS/NEFT services have now been enabled. You can ... BRITISH CYBER TECH ENTREPRENEUR STEPS DOWN FROM AMBASSADOR ROLE WITH ZIMBABWEAN GOVERNMENT LOUIS-JAMES DAVIS TO RELINQUISH SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY AMBASSADORSHIP TO FOCUS ON UNITED NATIONS PROJECTS MANCHESTER, ENGLAND / ACCESSWIRE / March 9, 2020 / Louis-James Davis the 31 year old British tech entrepreneur who founded cyber security tech company VST Enterprises Ltd (VSTE) - has today confirmed that he has stepped down from his role as the Science & Technology Ambassador to the Zimbabwean Government with effect from today, Monday 9th March 2020. The Manchester based philanthropist and cyber tech entrepreneur informed the President Of Zimbabwe, His Excellency Emmerson Mnangagwa of his official resignation this moring. (Monday 9th March) This will allow Louis-James to concentrate on a much wider collaborative approach to a number of projects he is currently working on with the United Nations. Louis-James Davis was appointed as an honorary Ambassador Science & Technology by the President Of Zimbabwe; His Excellency Emmerson Mnangagwa at the Davos economic summit in 2018. In a statement VST Enterprises CEO Louis-James Davis said; "It is with sadness that I have informed the President Of Zimbabwe and his Government of my decision to step down from the role of Honorary Science & Technology Ambassador as of today. It has always been my goal from an early age to do something positive for humanity and to help those less fortunate. I am passionate about making a positive impact on the world using technology to fix global issues while empowering the underserved and underprivileged. In taking this decision it will allow me to dedicate more time focussing on developing a number of disruptive cyber technology projects and initiatives that will be used for the greater good of all United Nations Member States as part of the UN SDG Collaboratory project." The move will allow Louis-James Davis and his company VST Enterprises Ltd to focus on a much wider range of collaborative cyber technology projects across all 193 member states of the United Nations as part of their SDG Collaboratory initiative. Story continues VST Enterprises is supporting the United Nations SDG Collaboratory - the Sustainable Development Goals - otherwise known as the Global Goals which are part of a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. The project was orchestrated by the United Nations and Global leaders at the United Nations Conference for Sustainable Development in Rio De Janeiro in 2012. The 17 SDG's build on the success of the Millennium Development Goals; while including new areas such as climate change, economic equality, innovation, sustainable consumption, peace and justice among other priorities. The VCode and VPlatform technology developed by VST Enterprises will be used to tackle issues such as illegal mining, counterfeiting and use technology to provide life changing benefits. It will provide unique disruptive technologies for democratic purposes in voting, helping the underprivileged and the underbanked, providing access to banking facilities and micro payment systems for benefit and state aid. The VCode and VPlatform technology will also be used to give citizens access permissions and authentication to health records, medications and prescriptions. It will also be integral to the communications sectors in developing countries where it will assist with universal access to the internet in remote country locations with long range WIFI and telecommunications providing permission and authentication based access. At the same time its technology will be used and deployed to help fight benefit fraud which is costing UN Member States in excess of $150 billion dollars in lost revenues. The cyber tech entrepreneur and philanthropist who invented the VCode and VPlatform coding technology is widely seen as one of the UK's leading technology disruptors and philanthropists. Louis-James Davis is passionate about making a positive impact on the world using disruptive cyber technologies to fix global issues. Further announcements on the United Nations projects are expected in due course. For further information on VST Enterprises & Louis-James Davis Gerard Franklin Head Of Communications & External Relations M: 07885 388398 e: gerard@vstenterprises.com VST Enterprises Ltd The Lexicon | Mount Street | Manchester | M2 5NT SOURCE: VST Enterprises Ltd View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/579700/Cyber-Tech-Inventor-Steps-Down-from-Ambassador-Role New Delhi: Indian Youth Congress (IYC) chief Srinivas BV on Tuesday slammed Jyotiraditya Scindia, who has announced his resignation from the primary membership of the Congress, and thanked party chief Sonia Gandhi for expelling the former Guna MP "who was promoting anti-party activities and factionalism". Soon after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Tuesday, disgruntled Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia tendered his resignation to party president Sonia Gandhi, saying it was now time for him to move on. Gandhi, however, immediately expelled him from the Congress for "anti-party activities", as the crisis looming over the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh deepened. "The history of 1857 and 1967 was once again repeated," Srinivas B V said, referring to the 1857 Revolt against East India Company and the role of the Scindia royals back then as well as Vijayaraje Scindia's switch from the Congress to the Jana Sangh in 1967. "I would like to thank Congress president Sonia Gandhiji for taking the strong steps to expel the leader who was promoting anti-party activities and factionalism," the IYC chief said. "No person is, nor will be greater than the party," he added. Bill and Melinda Gates to the rescue? The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is funding a project stemming from the Seattle Flu Study which aims to provide people who believe they may have contracted the novel coronavirus with home testing kits, The Seattle Times reports. Upon request, the kits would be delivered within a matter of hours, and the swabs would then be sent in for analysis with results expected back in one or two days. Per the Times, it could be off the ground in the coming weeks. The Seattle area, where the project is based, is the most affected area in the United States so far, but people have been frustrated by limiting testing, and there are estimates the number of cases is actually much higher than the confirmed number. So home-testing could go a long way toward slowing transmissions and eventually curb the virus' spread. "Although there's a lot to be worked out, this has enormous potential to turn the tide of the epidemic," said Scott Dowell, the Gates Foundation's coronavirus response leader said. Read more at The Seattle Times. More stories from theweek.com Trump retweets White House photo of him fiddling, says he doesn't know 'what this means' Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders face off in make-or-break Michigan, 5 other states Trump's campaign is reportedly paying Eric Trump's wife and Don Jr.'s girlfriend 'out of public view' New Delhi, March 10 : The Union Cabinet Secretary on Tuesday held a high-level meeting with the Secretaries of the concerned ministries and departments to review the status, preparedness and management of coronavirus (Covid-19) cases in the country. The government has issued an advisory for all incoming international passengers returning to India to self-monitor their health. "The passengers with travel history to China, Hong Kong, Republic of Korea, Japan, Italy, Thailand, Singapore, Iran, Malaysia, France, Spain and Germany to undergo self-imposed quarantine for a period of 14 days from the date of their arrival, and their employers should facilitate work-from-home for such employees during this period," said the advisory. Since more than 100 countries across the world now have reported positive Covid-19 cases, travellers to these countries might possibly have come in contact with people infected by Covid-19 during their stay there, or even while in transit at airports, the government advisory said. The government has also suspended visa given to foreigners from certain nations. "All regular visas (including e-visas) which have been granted to nationals of France, Germany and Spain on or before 11.03.2020 and where these foreigners have not yet entered India stands suspended," the statement said. "Regular visas (including e-visas) granted to all foreign nationals who have travel history to these countries on or after 1.2.2020 and who have not yet entered India also stands suspended. "Visas of all foreigners already in India remain valid and they may contact the nearest FRRO/FRO through e-FRRO module for extension/conversion etc of their visa or grant of any consular service, if they choose to do so. A notification to this effect is being issued by the Bureau of Immigration (BOI)," the statement said. The government has advised Indian citizens to refrain from travelling to France, Spain and Germany. Over 50 cases of Covid-19 have been reported in the country till now. On Tuesday, 8 positive cases were reproted from Kerala, 5 from Pune and one from Bengaluru. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) The UNHR investigator said North Koreans are malnourished, have stunted growth, and more vulnerable to COVID-19. A U.N. human rights investigator urged reclusive North Korea on Monday to allow full access for medical and humanitarian experts amid concern the coronavirus could hit malnourished people hard. The World Health Organization (WHO) says North Korea has not reported any cases, despite bordering China where the epidemic started and South Korea which is suffering a major outbreak. Tomas Ojea Quintana, U.N. special rapporteur for rights in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK), reiterated concerns on Monday about political prison camps and pervasive surveillance. But he acknowledged extensive efforts by Pyongyangs government to prevent a COVID-19 outbreak. As the Supreme Leader of the country recently recognised, a widespread infection in the DPRK would entail serious consequences for the people, he told the U.N. Human Rights Council, referring to Kim Jong-un. The reality is that many North Koreans are malnourished, suffering from stunted growth, and thus more vulnerable if infected. North Korea has limited medical capabilities, he added. Hospitals and other medical facilities lack adequate electricity, medicine, sanitation, and water, he said, noting that foreign aid groups provide the most critical healthcare needs. The Government of the DPRK should allow full and unimpeded access to medical experts and humanitarian actors, and relax restrictions on access to information, Ojea said, urging the government to adhere to rights standards during lockdowns, quarantines and treatment of potential patients. Further isolation of the country is not the answer, he said, noting North Koreas economic suffering and the detrimental impact of sanctions over its nuclear and missile program. North Koreas delegation, which does not recognise his mandate, did not attend the annual debate. Germany, France, and Switzerland closed their diplomatic missions in North Korea and withdrew staff on Monday amid concern over the coronavirus, the Russian embassy said. The human rights situation in DPRK continues to be shocking, Walter Stevens, the European Union (EU) ambassador in Geneva, told the rights forum. The isolation of the country, reinforced by the setback in political negotiations and the coronavirus threat, is making the situation even worse, he said. The WHO has said it is already providing supplies and is ready to send personnel should North Korea report a case. The north-central province of Quang Tri has managed to quarantine a local businessman who sent one of his employees to a quarantine camp in his place after he had traveled on the same flight as a passenger infected with the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19). L.T.H., chairman of a wind power company in Huong Hoa District, Quang Tri, was brought to Dong Ha City for quarantine on Monday, said provincial deputy chairman Hoang Nam on the same day. H. boarded flight VN1547 from Hanoi to the central city of Hue, about 85 kilometers south of Quang Tri, on March 6. One out of 154 passengers on the flight tested positive for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 on Sunday. Authorities in Quang Tri later determined that H. and three other company employees traveled on that flight and ran a high risk of being infected. They were all required to be quarantined. As provincial forces came to Huong Hoa District to take the four people to a quarantine camp on Sunday night, H. asked one of his employees to stand in for him. It was not until Monday morning that the authorities found out about the imposter and returned to Huong Hoa District to force H. into quarantine. Both H. and his substitute are now under quarantine. The novel coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected over 114,100 people and killed more than 4,000 globally, according to Ministry of Health statistics. Vietnam has so far confirmed 34 infections, including 20 Vietnamese, two Chinese nationals, one Vietnamese American, nine British citizens, one Mexican, and one Irish national. Sixteen of the patients had recovered and been discharged from the hospital by February 26. Vietnam confirmed its 17th patient on Friday last week after the country had reported no new infection since February 13. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! 03/09/2020 By David Perry In 2013, Jacquie Moloney asked Nina Coppens if there was anything she could do for her. Coppens battle with brain cancer was near its end. Coppens, 62, said one thing to her longtime friend and colleague. Paint, Jacquie. Paint. The chancellor recalled the moment with emotion at the dedication of a painting of Coppens on a wall of the OLeary Library mezzanine. It is a large work, 16 feet wide by 6 feet tall, made by a trio of art students too young to have known Coppens. But they got to know her during the painting process. You got her, said Moloney to the young women, as more than 50 friends, university officials, faculty and family looked on. You absolutely captured her. Its been decades since she first visited the library, but Coppens daughter Lindsay recalls the OLeary mezzanine well. Oh, this was like home to us, Lindsay said at the dedication, talking about her and her sister Katie. I played on these stairs all the time. Dad ran the media center in the library, and his office was right upstairs, so on snow days, wed come in with him. The building is different, but it still feels familiar. Now, a portrait of her mom hangs on the wall. They showed it to us a couple months ago, says Lindsay. It was weird. I didnt know what to expect. But both my sister and I were struck by how beautiful this is, what a representation of our mom it is. They caught her, and she would have loved this. Most people didnt know Coppens for her love of art. She was the dean of College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Before that, she chaired and taught in the Psychology Department, and taught nursing before that. A native of Sheldon, Ill., Coppens (then Nina Reifel) grew up on a 500-acre farm, amid soy, corn and cattle. There were 25 in her high school graduation class, and she ranked second. An academic scholarship carried her to Northern Illinois University and bachelors and masters degrees in nursing. She met her husband Paul there as a freshman; they married three years later. Both accepted jobs at what was then called Lowell State College. (Nina later earned a Ph.D. in psychology at the University of New Hampshire.) Richard Serna, associate dean of the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, says Coppens forever championed the college students opportunity for experiential learning. The work was commissioned by Coppens family, as a nod to the painting the dean did in her spare time. She got paid $50 the first time she sold one, and she was proud, says Lindsay. Not of the money, but that someone put value to her art. After some time passed, we thought of how we wanted to remember her here, she says, adding that although there was already a scholarship in her mothers name, the family also thought it would be a really cool thing to support artists here, at her school. She was a big believer that artists should be compensated for their art, so we thought it would be a nice way for art students to be compensated. This is an amazing painting, and it represents something about her that she valued. Adel diPersio 19, Julie Howard 18 and Yahira Torres 19 collaborated on the painting. They had worked together before, especially on the mural that now adorns Decatur Way near University Crossing. For Coppens portrait, diPersio built the canvas. She and Howard did the painting, and Torres, a mother of two who excels at organization, oversaw the effort. To get to know their subject, they spoke to Paul Coppens Ninas husband of 41 years who told them all about her and gave them pictures. They began in June and finished in November. The painting portrays Coppens looking off the canvas, with four layers of landscapes behind her, each meant to show a place dear to her, from rows of crops on the farm of her youth to the familiar buildings of UMLs South Campus. During the dedication, her image seemed to peer down at the podium, and at each speaker. This is nice, Paul Coppens told the crowd. Really nice. The special thing about Nina was, she was so easy to like. He paused. Or love. She loved UML, he said. She once spoke of her office in Durgin Hall, near the music department. I cant believe they pay me for this job, she told him. I get to sit in an office in the afternoon and listen to the most beautiful music. She was always proud to tell people at conferences she was from Lowell, he said, adding: And Im the luckiest guy in the world. I was married to her. The chancellor says she spent a long time thinking about why she was commanded to paint. She began one day, holding a brush, thinking of Coppens, her hand, she says, literally shaking. She put brush to canvas. It was difficult. Moloney says she realized that it takes time to stare at the rose, to try to capture it in a painting. And this is what artists do every day for us, said the chancellor. And for that, I am grateful every day to Nina. As the dedication wrapped up, Moloney addressed the trio of students who had created the portrait: You did catch her, her eyes, her smile. We say things like, Nina Coppens looks down on all of us. I looked up there and thought, she truly is now. Donald Trump has reportedly been melting down over coronavirus and fears journalists might try to deliberately get the disease in order to pass it on to him. The president has repeatedly tried to downplay concerns about Covid-19 in recent weeks as his administration has struggled to manage the US outbreak and its effect on global stock markets. In public, his administration has insisted the virus is under control, with the president comparing it to seasonal flu outbreaks and dismissing alarming media reports. However, Mr Trump is said to be privately terrified about getting the virus himself, according to sources who spoke to Vanity Fair. One source told the magazine Mr Trumps fears about the virus have led him to tell aides he is afraid journalists might try to contract coronavirus so they can infect him on Air Force One. Hes definitely melting down over this, the source, who is said to be close to the administration, said. Mr Trump, who is a self-described germaphobe, has also reportedly asked for anyone with a cough to be barred from White House grounds. The White House has been approached for comment on the claims but has not yet responded. On Friday, the president gave a typically optimistic assessment of the outbreak during a tour of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta and boasted about his supposed natural ability for science. People are really surprised I understand this stuff, he said. Every one of these doctors said: How do you know so much about this? Maybe I have a natural ability. Streets of Italy empty in coronavirus lockdown Show all 12 1 /12 Streets of Italy empty in coronavirus lockdown Streets of Italy empty in coronavirus lockdown The Via Partenope in Naples is empty after Italy was put on lockdown on 10 March Reuters Streets of Italy empty in coronavirus lockdown A waiter stands by empty tables outside a restaurant in St Mark's Square in Venice on 9 March Reuters Streets of Italy empty in coronavirus lockdown Empty stands during a football match between Sassuolo and Brescia at the Mapei stadium in Reggio Emilia, northern Italy on 9 March AP Streets of Italy empty in coronavirus lockdown Shops are shuttered on an empty street in Venice on 9 March Reuters Streets of Italy empty in coronavirus lockdown People keep a safe distance while lining up to enter a post office in Rome on 10 March AFP/Getty Streets of Italy empty in coronavirus lockdown A canal and the roads next to it are completely empty on 9 March Getty Streets of Italy empty in coronavirus lockdown A completely empty bridge in Venice on 9 March Getty Streets of Italy empty in coronavirus lockdown A canal pathway in Venice is empty after Italy was put on lockdown Getty Streets of Italy empty in coronavirus lockdown An empty square in Venice on 9 March Getty Streets of Italy empty in coronavirus lockdown A nearly empty tram drives through Milan on 10 March AFP/Getty Streets of Italy empty in coronavirus lockdown An empty bakery in Milan on 10 March AFP/Getty Streets of Italy empty in coronavirus lockdown An empty street in Milan on 10 March AFP/Getty Mr Trump also compared the virus to flu on Monday in a tweet which appeared to criticise quarantine measures that have been taken in other countries to prevent further spreading of the disease. So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on, he wrote on Twitter. At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that! However, a source who said they spoke to the president over the weekend has argued that the scale of the challenge has now become clear to him. Hes just now waking up to the fact that this is bad, and he doesnt know how to respond, the source told Vanity Fair. Late on Monday, the White Houses press secretary said Mr Trump had not yet been tested for coronavirus, despite the president having been in contact with a number of senior Republicans who have self-quarantined over the virus. The President has not received Covid-19 testing because he has neither had prolonged close contact with any known confirmed Covid-19 patients, nor does he have any symptoms, Stephanie Grisham said. President Trump remains in excellent health, and his physician will continue to closely monitor him. Mr Trump shook hands with one congressman, Doug Collins, who has self-isolated over contact with a confirmed case, and rode on Air Force One with another, Matt Gaetz, on Monday. The US has already reported more than 700 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with at least 26 deaths from the outbreak, as of Tuesday morning. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 20:36:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MANILA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- China was the Philippines' biggest supplier of imported goods in January 2020 with 25.5 percent share to the total imports in January 2020, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Tuesday. According to PSA data, import payments from China amounted to 2.37 billion U.S. dollars, from 2.04 billion U.S. dollars in January 2019. China also was the Philippines' fourth-largest export trade partner in January 2020 with 685.58 million U.S. dollars export value. The total external trade in goods of the Philippines in January 2020 amounted to 15.08 billion U.S. dollars, which represents an increment of 4.1 percent from the 14.48 billion U.S. dollars external trade in the same month of the previous year. Data from the PSA showed the country's trade deficit stood at 3.50 billion U.S. dollars, 10.7 percent lower than the 3.92 billion U.S. dollars deficit in January 2019. Iran extends Christian convert's sentence 2 years for 'evangelical Zionist Christianity' 9 converts lose appeals of 5-year prison sentences for 'actions against national security' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A 65-year-old Iranian Christian convert who was sentenced to three years in prison for insulting Islamic sacred beliefs in January has been sentenced to two more years in prison while nine other converts lost appeals of their five-year sentences. Article 18, a nonprofit Christian persecution watchdog group, reports that convert Ismaeil Maghrebinejad was sentenced to the additional years on Feb. 27 for allegedly being a member of a group hostile to the regime. Maghrebinejad, whose daughter and son-in-law live in the United States, was arrested in his home in January 2019 after he was accused of apostasy and propaganda against the Islamic Republic. He was accused of being a part of a group that espoused evangelical Zionist Christianity. Under Article 499 of the Islamic Penal Code, being a member of a group that stands against the regime is punishable by three months to five years in prison. According to Article 18 Advocacy Director Mansour Borji, Maghrebinejad is a member of an Anglican church. Borji said that the governments labeling of Maghrebinejad as an evangelical shows that blanket labeling is inaccurately applied to any Christian arrested for their religious activities. The director also pointed out that the judge in Maghrebinejads case based his ruling off of a military intelligence report, noting that it is odd and somewhat rare for the military to be involved in a civilian case. [T]he revolutionary courts try to justify their violations of religious freedom, Borji said in a statement. Maghrebinejad has just shy of three weeks to appeal the ruling. Article 18 additionally reported that nine Christian converts sentenced to five years in prison last October for committing actions against national security lost their appeals on Feb. 25 even though none of the nine accused or their lawyers were permitted to attend the hearing. The nine accused are Abdolreza Ali Haghnejad, Shahrooz Eslamdoost, Behnam Akhlaghi, Babak Hosseinzadeh, Mehdi Khatibi, Khalil Dehghanpour, Hossein Kadivar, Kamal Naamanian and Mohammed Vafada. They were all arrested in a month between January and February 2019. According to Article 18, five of the nine accused have been in Evin Prison since last July, while the other four have been out on bail since March 2019. But they are expected to be summoned soon to serve their sentences. The five who have been in Evin Prison since July Abdolreza, Shahrooz, Behnam, Babak and Mehdi had their bail amounts increased tenfold by Judge Mohammed Moghisheh for insisting they be represented by their own lawyers, not court-appointed lawyers. Last October, Maghrebinejad had his bail increased tenfold after he denied insulting Islam when asked whether he did so by a judge. When asked if he was an apostate, Maghrebinejad reportedly denied being an apostate on grounds that ayatollahs have different opinions on the apostasy issue. Iran ranks as the ninth worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution on Open Doors USAs 2020 World Watch List. According to the Christian persecution watchdog organization present in over 60 countries, Christians in Iran are banned from sharing their faith with non-Christians and from holding church services in Farsi. One Iranian Christian recently said in a Family Research Council panel discussion that her familys church was shut down in 2009 because her father refused to only preach to Assyrian-speaking members. Today, her brother, father and mother are all serving jail sentences in Iran. In 2019, at least five, six times [my parents] were told to go to the court for their court hearing only to go there and to hear that their case has been canceled or postponed for various reasons, said Assyrian Christian Dabrina Bet Tamraz. The latest [excuse] was the court was too crowded. Its been two-and-a-half years that my parents have been dealing with court cases and trials and hearings. Open Doors reported that at least 169 Christians in Iran were arrested during its 2020 World Watch List reporting period. Julie Anne Longano rushed to Epworth Freemasons Hospital near Melbourne CBD A woman has given birth to a boy outside the lifts in the foyer of a hospital as others watched on. Julie Anne Longano and her husband Trent rushed to Epworth Freemasons Hospital near Melbourne CBD when she started having contractions. The couple tried to enter the lift at the hospital but her labour had progressed so rapidly the recruitment officer couldn't make it up to a bed. 'A minute apart - contractions a minute apart. You know from the movies you should be in a hospital by then,' she told 7 News. The mum had struggled to get to the car at first and resorted to crawling on her hands and knees. 'My eyes were bulging out of my head and I remember thinking, I've stuffed this up,' she said. She also said a window washer approached her while they were on route to the hospital and asked if he could clean the car windows for $2. 'I'm like, "get this guy away from me!" Give us your bucket and give us your sponge,' she laughed. Pictured: Ms Longano giving birth to baby Anderson outside the lifts in the foyer of a hospital in Melbourne The midwives were waiting when the couple arrived at the busy hospital. Ms Longano said people using the lifts were shocked when the doors opened and they realised they were looking at a woman giving birth. Obstetrician Grant Saffer got there as the baby's head was 'emerging'. Ms Longano feeds her new son Anderson as she relives the experience of giving birth to him in front of onlookers Julie Longano is pictured with her husband Trent. They are the proud parents of a baby boy 'There's nothing you can do. You've just got to have the baby then and there,' he said. Midwife Jesenia Bisis described the scene as 'crazy'. To Ms Longano's delight, Anderson's birth was captured on CCTV. 'That's very special to have that moment captured,' she said. The Grand Princess cruise ship, which finally docked in California and allowed just over 400 people to disembark Monday, had disembarked a total of 1,406 passengers as of 7 p.m. Tuesday. When it set sail, the ship was carrying 2,421 passengers and 1,113 crew members. The 407 who disembarked Monday include two travelers who tested positive for coronavirus on Friday. They were taken to hospitals along with their travel companions while 19 crew members who have tested positive "have been deemed asymptomatic" and remain on the ship in isolated cabins, the company stated in a press release Tuesday. Princess Cruises said Health and Human Services teams have been on board the Grand Princess to assist with medical screenings and interviews and have prioritized those who require the most medical attention and care. Earlier Tuesday, some guests said they felt uneasy about the disembarkation process. North Carolina resident Donna LaGesse has no idea when she will get off. Her traveling companion, sister-in-law Jackie Eilers from Colorado, knows only slightly more. She received a luggage tag Tuesday afternoon, signaling that she will be getting off the ship soon. She's waiting for her group to be called to disembark, but she doesn't know when that will be. "We havent received any information. ... We have not received anything in writing or anything like that to say where were going or if were even leaving today," LaGesse told USA TODAY on Tuesday. While LaGesse isn't thrilled with the idea of entering into quarantine back on land, she understands the need to do so. The bigger problem is the uncertainty. LaGesse is worried that she and Eilers will be separated and sent to different quarantine facilities once they leave the ship, a notion bolstered by the fact that she did not receive a luggage tag when Eilers did. That is a possibility. According Princess Cruises' Tuesday press release, "once they disembark, American guests will be transferred to either Travis Air Force Base in Solano County, California; Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego; Lackland Air Force Base in Bexar County, Texas; or Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Georgia." Story continues Other passengers on board are frustrated and worried, too. "Were trying to stay calm and we're trying to stay positive but its getting harder and harder. They cant make up their minds how to keep us safe, Beryl Ward, 77, of Santa Fe, told the Associated Press. Princess said in its Tuesday release, "Once disembarkation of the guests is completed, remaining crew members will remain onboard and Grand Princess will depart from San Francisco Bay. Plans for a crew quarantine are still being determined." More than 200 Canadian passengers disembarked Monday and were flown to a military base in Ontario. British passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship are returning to the U.K. on a U.S. flight. Late Tuesday, 135 British passengers boarded a flight from the Oakland Airport at 11:15 p.m. PT and are expected to arrive at Birmingham Airport, the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth office announced Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, Carolyn Wright, 63, said on Monday that she observed that passengers, who had been ordered to isolate in their rooms and stay at least 6 feet apart when on deck, were being herded closely together as they lined up to be processed by people in protective clothing. They were queuing up the passengers like cattle, Wright, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, said. Everybody was bunched up. They were physically touching each other and they were backed up along the gangplank. Then, she said, they were taken away in chartered buses. Im just totally freaked out by that, said Wright. Its outrageous. If thats safe, then why were we stuck in our rooms? Its been stressed for the past five days that were not to have any contact with any other passengers. They were queuing up the passengers like cattle, Carolyn Wright said as she watched from her cabin window Monday as the first passengers disembarked. If thats safe, then why were we stuck in our rooms?" The remaining passengers and crew were treated to breakfast and lunch from Chef Jose Andres' nonprofit World Central Kitchen, which provided the same services to people quarantined on Diamond Princess in Japan last month. Some passengers head to the Travis Air Force Base in Northern California Beginning Monday, bus loads of Grand Princess passengers were taken to the Travis Air Force Base, located near Fairfield, California. "Yesterday we brought in 170 passengers from the ship," James Mason, public affairs officer for the U.S. Public Health Service Incident Management Team, told USA TODAY by email late Tuesday. "Our goal for today was to bring an additional 810 passengers today (Tuesday)." Mason estimated that 10 bus loads had arrived thus far with 40 passengers on each bus, totaling roughly 400 arrivals to the base Tuesday. Transport of cruise passengers to the base, though, were to continue into the night, he said. A group of passengers with mild symptoms are taken to Asilomar Up to 24 individuals who disembarked the cruise ship are being relocated to a cluster of buildings on the Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, according to an update from the California Health and Human Services Office of Public Information late Tuesday. The Grand Princess passengers will be temporarily housed in buildings that are removed from visitors and the public, and will not interact with other Asilomar guests, employees or the general public. None of those individuals are known to have contracted the coronavirus, but "because they have mild symptoms that do not require hospitalization, they cannot be quarantined at Travis Air Force Base," according to the state agency. "These residents have endured a lot of stress in the last few days, and our top priority is to protect their health - and the public health of California - until they can return to their homes," said California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly. "We understand people across California are concerned about novel coronavirus, and that's why we're collaborating with our federal partners to ensure that the community surrounding Asilomar is not impacted." Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio readies for quarantine, again Lackland Air Force Base, in San Antonio, Texas, is preparing to host its third cohort of quarantined visitors. In early February, the base took in about 91 citizens repatriated from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the virus. About two weeks later, city officials estimate Lackland received approximately 140 American passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which had been quarantined off the coast of Japan. Now, a week after that group finished quarantine and headed home, more than 300 passengers from Grand Princess are on their way. Joe Smith, public information officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, got to San Antonio Monday night to prepare for their arrival. But as of Tuesday afternoon, he didn't know when the passengers would show up. "We're getting in about 380 passengers," Smith told USA TODAY. "We keep getting differing times. We know they havent left California right now." Smith, whose CDC team is acting in an advisory capacity with personnel from the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) from the Department of Health and Human Services, said it will take at least two aircraft to bring the passengers to Lackland. The quarantine clock hasn't started ticking for them yet, though they will have been screened twice by the time they enter the facility: once after leaving the ship and again upon arrival in Texas. "The passengers who are well will stay on this base for a 14-day quarantine starting from when they receive a quarantine order," he explained. "That quarantine order takes place within 24 to 48 hours of arrival." And despite the fact that they are now on their third group of quarantine subjects, he and his CDC colleagues aren't feeling overwhelmed, either. "Our teams are trained for this type of situation and find tremendous satisfaction in helping Americans this way," said Smith. "They join HHS to make a difference and helping repatriate citizens is a very tangible way to see public health put into action." Passengers file $1M lawsuit against Princess Meanwhile, two passengers have already filed a lawsuit against Princess. Ronald and Eva Weissberger, current Grand Princess cruise passengers and Broward County, Florida, residents, are suing for negligence and seeking more than $1 million in damages. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in the Central District of California, Los Angeles, blames Princess Cruises for not taking "all necessary precautions to keep its passengers and crew" safe following the spread of the coronavirus on the company's Diamond Princess cruise ship last month. The plaintiffs allege they wouldn't have gone on the ship if they were aware of the "actual risk exposure." "Princess has been sensitive to the difficulties the COVID-19 outbreak has caused to our guests and crew. Our response throughout this process has focused on well-being our guests and crew within the parameters mandated on us by the government agencies involved and the evolving medical understanding of this new illness," according to a statement provided by Negin Kamali, a spokesperson for Princess Cruises. "We (have) not been served with any lawsuit relating to this matter, and we will not comment on any pending litigation." Caribbean Princess resumes sailing after workers test negative Amid all the troubles, Princess Cruises did get some good news later Tuesday when two crew members on board the Caribbean Princess tested negative for coronavirus. The cruise line also said three guests were medically evacuated from the ship on Monday for reasons unrelated to coronavirus. The CDC gave permission for the ship to resume sailing. It should arrive Port Everglades on Wednesday. Royal Princess tests also negative, ship will sail this weekend Princess Cruises also confirmed late Tuesday that the coronavirus results for one Royal Princess crew member and two disembarked guests were negative.Princess Cruises said the CDC has rescinded all restrictions on the vessel and can resume sailing. The ship currently remains docked at the Port of Los Angeles and will set sail for its next voyage on March 14. Contributing: Jorge L. Ortiz, Hannah Yasharoff, Jayme Deerwester, Andrea Mandell, USA TODAY; The Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus: Grand Princess disembarks 1,406; lawsuit filed Washington, March 10 : The United States has rejected the formation of an Afghan government led by opposition leader Abdullah Abdullah parallel to that of President Ashraf Ghani. Both Ghani and Abdullah held parallel swearing-in ceremonies in Kabul on Monday throwing the country into a major political crisis amid the ongoing peace process, Efe news reported. "We strongly oppose any action to establish a parallel government, and any use of force to resolve political differences," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement. US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad was present at Ghani's oath-taking ceremony, while Abdullah's swearing-in took place in the presence of local leaders. This political crisis has been brewing since September, when the holding of the elections was marked by low participation amid threats from the Taliban and subsequent allegations of massive fraud by Ghani's rivals. Despite rejecting the parallel swearings-in, Pompeo appreciated "Dr. Abdullah's statement March 9 underscoring similar commitments to peace and inclusivity" in line with Ghani's statement that "discussions and negotiations will continue for the next two weeks to come to an agreement on an inclusive government which unifies the country and prioritizes peace." The US official also praised Ghani's announcement that he will "issue a decree March 10 on Taliban prisoner release and the formation of a national team for intra-Afghan negotiations" with the insurgents with whom the US has already reached an agreement on the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan. Although Ghani has so far opposed the agreement between the Taliban and Washington for the release of 5,000 insurgents, he seemed willing to yield in exchange for a reduction in violence. In a speech after his ceremony, Ghani said a mechanism for talks with the Taliban and the release of thousands of insurgents from Afghan jails "as required under the deal " had been finalized and a presidential order in this regard would be issued on Tuesday. "(The) decree... will include further details of this process. Fortunately, we have reached a framework," said Ghani, with his wife, First Lady Rula Ghani, accompanying him to the ceremony. He added that there would be a "significant reduction in violence" for people to see in return for the release of Taliban prisoners "linked to the peace and security of the Afghans." The authorities in Gabon have temporarily closed a part of the countrys borders with neighboring Cameroon. Gabon restricted movement especially at its northern borders with Cameroon following the announcement of first coronavirus cases in the country. Cameroon has two confirmed cases of the disease, so far the only Central African country affected. According to the Gabonese Ministry of the Interior, the public health measure was temporary. In west Africa, the government of Benin has earmarked nearly 7 billion FCFA ($12 million) as part of measures of preparedness to combat the virus. The country has no case but took measures following a case in neighboring Togo. A government statement said a task force has been put in place to ensure the proper and rational management of the available resources and the expenses that will be incurred. On Monday, neigboring Burkina Faso has confirmed two coronavirus cases. The patients are Burkinabe and had returned from France in February. The man is 73-years-old and the woman is 57. They tested positive for the virus on Monday and have been placed in isolation, authorities say. A third person who was reportedly in close contact with the couple has been placed under observation. West Africa is the second most impacted region with single-digit cases reported in Nigeria, Senegal and Togo. Cameroon is the only country in Central Africa with two cases whiles in southern Africa only South Africa has seven cases. North Africa is the most impacted region with only Libya having escaped infection so far. Egypt has 55 cases whiles Algeria has 20, and Tunisia recorded 5 cases. In Morocco, 3 patients tested positive, one of whom died this Tuesday. When most Americans think about or speak of peace, we have in mind the relationship between America and Canada. For Europeans, it may be like the relationship between Belgium and France. But in the Middle East, at best it seems to be an absence of war and among the Arabs, it can be just a hudna, or a break in between wars -- or an even more dangerous notion of peace when it comes to their Jewish neighbors. Some Arab leaders, including even Palestinian Authority president-for-life Mahmoud Abbas, have said that they support peace with Israel. United Nations officials and many other world leaders have also spoken out in support of peace in the Middle East and some have even been intimately involved in the peace process -- especially American leaders. And of course Jews and Israelis have prayed for peace for millennia. But are all of these people referring to the same thing? It doesnt seem to be the case. We can tell when they get into the details about peace what they really mean, and it becomes even more revealing when one of them asserts what is supposedly preventing peace from breaking out. I have lost count of how many times an official of a government somewhere, or a United Nations official or a leader at a related agency, or an NGO head, or some media pundit claimed that a Jewish community somewhere prevents peace between Arabs and Israelis. How can that possibly be? How can homes that Jews live in hamper peace? Dont Jews have rights, including the right to live where they choose? Isnt opposing that right or treating Jews differently discrimination? Nickolay Mladenov, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, is just the latest to condemn plans for Jewish homes. By now a dozen others could have made the same condemnation. Mladenov issued an outrageous and ridiculous statement after Israel, which faces housing shortages and skyrocketing home prices, announced preliminary plans to permit the construction of a few thousand living quarters. I am very concerned about Israels recent announcements regarding the advancement of settlement construction in Givat Hamatos and Har Homa [in East Jerusalem], as well as the worrying plans for 3,500 units in the controversial E1 area of the occupied West Bank, Mladenov said in a statement, according to a Times of Israel report. Mladenov continued: All settlements are illegal under international law and remain a substantial obstacle to peace. If the E1 plan were to be implemented, it would sever the connection between northern and southern West Bank, significantly undermining the chances for establishing a viable and contiguous Palestinian state as part of a negotiated two-state solution I urge the Israeli authorities to refrain from such unilateral actions that fuel instability and further erode the prospects for resuming Palestinian-Israeli negotiations on the basis of relevant UN resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements. A Jewish home in Judea or Samaria or a suburb of Jerusalem is an "obstacle to peace." Here is a news flash for Mladenov and like-minded others: Before there were once again Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, there was no peace. In fact, in 1948 and 1967 the Arabs used those areas to invade Israel. That does not sound very peaceful. Even earlier there were small Jewish communities in Hebron and elsewhere. In 1929 scores of Jews were slaughtered there. That does not seem very peaceful for Jews either. After Jordan attacked Israel in June 1967 and Israel gained control over Judea and Samaria and permitted Jewish communities to once again be established in areas that the League of Nations set aside for a Jewish homeland in what was then the region of Palestine -- in fact, encouraging close settlement by Jews on the land as per the Mandate for Palestine -- Arabs again began to attack those communities and murder and maim Jews. Such attacks continue to this day. Due to Israeli security and vigilance, including an effective security barrier, many of these attacks are thwarted. Yet the Arabs keep trying. Mladenovs condemnation is quite an extreme case of blaming the victims. It also perverts international law. Article 80 of the United Nations Charter perpetuates the rights of Jews to live in these areas that were granted by the League of Nations. Has Mladenov of the U.N. neglected to read his organizations founding document? Mladenov and most of the world calls these Jewish communities settlements rather than communities, villages, or towns. Arabs who live in areas immediately adjacent to these settlements are said to live in communities, villages, and towns. The news media repeats this prejudice. In fact a large segment of the world considers all of Israel, including within "the Green Line," to be a "settlement" and illegitimate. The Palestinian Authority most certainly does, and reminds its people of this stance always. The Arab world and the Muslim world refuse to recognize the right of Jews to live in Judea or Samaria or even parts of Jerusalem. The UN, EU, and others routinely condemn even the thought of a Jewish home there. Many American administrations have as well although not the current one. Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas -- who also heads the terrorist groups Fatah and the Palestine Liberation Organization has vowed repeatedly that no Jews will be allowed to live in Palestine if and when it becomes a nation. This does not sound very harmonious. Apparently this is not an obstacle to peace as per Mladenov and countless other peacemakers. The bottom line: The next time someone speaks about peace with reference to the Middle East, be sure to ask them to explain exactly what they mean. The peace of a Jewish graveyard or the peace of a Jew-free zone is not acceptable. Steve Feldman is executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the Zionist Organization of America. When he visited people stuck in their apartments in Wuhan, local authorities took steps to make sure there would be no repeat of the heckling that Sun received last week. Xi has also come in for heavy criticism, with Chinas Internet lighting up with public criticism and calls for more freedom unseen in Xis seven years in power, although these posts were swiftly deleted by censors. The total number of coronavirus positive cases has gone up to 50, said Sanjeeva Kumar, Special Secretary (Health), on Tuesday (March 10, 2020). Out of the 50 affected, 34 are Indian citizens while 16 are citizens of Italy. The places which reported coronavirus positive cases in India include - Kerala, Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Noida, Jammu, Pune, Punjab, Karnataka and Telangana. Kerala reported two new cases on Tuesday, informed Health Minister KK Shailaja in a press conference. The two cases are of the parents of a 3-year-old child who was tested positive in Kerala on Monday (March 9, 2020). Earlier today, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan informed about six new cases taking the total number of positive cases in the state at 10. In Delhi, 3,534 passengers were screened for coronavirus on Tuesday, said the Delhi govt. According to Delhi govt health bulletin, a person from southeast Delhi was detected positive. Tamil Nadu, State Health Minister C Vijayabhaskar said that no fresh coronavirus cases have been reported in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. Till date, 1,31,791 people were screened and 1,137 people who had come to Tamil Nadu from virus-hit countries were under home surveillance, the minister said. In Jammu and Kashmir, 705 people are registered for observation and 491 put in house quarantine whereas 9 are in hospital quarantine and 53 are in Home Surveillance. 56 samples were sent for testing on Tuesday in which 26 reported as negative while one came as positive. In order to prevent the spread of the deadly virus, various states including Delhi, Kerala and Jammu have shut their schools. Kerala CM Vijayan said that classes up to the seventh standard in the state will remain suspended till March 31. He, however, added that exams of Class 8, 9 & 10 will be conducted as per schedule. On Monday (March 9), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had confirmed that one person in Punjab and Karnataka each, while two people from Pune in Maharashtra had tested positive for the coronavirus. A Bengaluru based software engineer, who returned home from the US recently, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, becoming the first COVID-19 patient in Karnataka, said the state Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar. In a related development, an Indian Air Force (IAF) military aircraft - C-17 Globemaster - carrying the first batch of 58 Indian pilgrims being brought back from coronavirus-hit Iran landed at Ghaziabad's Hindon Air Force station on Tuesday. The plane with 14 Air Force officials and 4 medical staff was being led by Wing Commander Karan Kapoor and it landed in Tehran at 2 am IST. This is the second time C17 is being sent to evacuate Indians this year. In February, India had sent C17 to evacuate Indians from Wuhan, China. [March 10, 2020] Interventional Systems Launches Its New Robotic Platform: Micromate KITZBUHEL, Austria, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Interventional Systems (iSYS Medizintechnik GmbH, Austria) releases its new robotic platform, Micromate for use in Europe. The first six installations will occur in the beginning of the second quarter of this year, at the same time a 510(k) submission is planned. The product can also be observed and tested first-hand at the upcoming 2020 editions of the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) and of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE). Interventional Systems' CEO, Michael Vogele, says, "Micromate has a small footprint and is simple, cost-effective and scalable. By combining the benefits of live imaging and the mechanical stability and precision of robotics, we want to make targeting easier, faster, more repeatable and more accurate." These capabilities differentiates the system from other robotic solutions currently on the market. "We are strong believers in live imaging", Michael Vogele continues, "and Micromate is the only available robotic platform that can be used inside the gantry, while addressing constraints related to practicality and cost. Its seamless integration into the clinical workflow allows the surgeon to execute and control the clinical tasks while being certain that a safe and reliable trajectory is maintained by the platform." Striving for excellence in the regulatory and operational aspect, Micromate has been developed in compliance with the new European Medical Device Regulaion and production has been scaled-up to 100 units per year. "This is the only way to fulfil our mission of making robotics the standard, not the exception." Micromate is indicated for any image-guided procedure that involves placing or manipulating instruments, based on acquired radiology or real time images with, or without, optical navigation. The alignment can be performed manually, using a joystick, or automatically to a pre-defined surgical plan. With a truly universal end-effector and needle and tool-guide, the core platform can be used in multiple clinical disciplines, for guiding instruments with different geometries without the need for customization or restriction of the surgeon's practice. The system's modularity will enable further technological extensions, for usage of robotics with other imaging modalities, such as ultrasound and MRI, and disruptive surgical applications, both of which are in the company's immediate-term product pipeline. Link for video: Interventional Systems: Micromate - Smart Robotic Solutions New Standards in Patient Stabilization Precise robotic interventions require an optimal stabilization of the patient during the procedure. The Interventional Systems' iFIX product line ensures that sub-millimetric accuracies are achieved, while maintaining setup flexibility and patient comfort. Looking forward towards interventional and surgical applications, the iFIX Spider Fleece will be launched together with the Micromate robotic platform. It enables differential stabilization of different body parts and access to the sterile area without constraints on and compromises to the positioning. iFIX is currently available for patient stabilization during diagnostic imaging procedures, in order to reduce blurry images caused by motion artifacts. The disposable fleece products and cleanable anchor products allow a high hygienic standard for head to toe immobilization. See https://www.interventional-systems.com/global/products/ifix/ for more detailed information on how iFIX is applied in clinical routine. About Interventional Systems iSYS Medizintechnik GmbH (www.interventional-systems.com), headquartered in Kitzbuhel, Austria, aims at democratizing robotics by improving the outcome of medical treatments and life quality by making image-guided robotic interventions the standard of care, and not the exception. The company strives to deliver cost-effective, compact, affordable, scalable and multimodal robotic platforms to execute image-guided surgical procedures, without compromises on patient safety and procedural accuracy. Contact Information [email protected] Related Links www.interventional-systems.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/interventional-systems-launches-its-new-robotic-platform-micromate-301020450.html SOURCE Interventional Systems [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The widow of a war veteran who took his own life due to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) broke down on This Morning as she recalled how much her husband loved their children. Mother-of-two Alicia Davis, from Christchurch, Hampshire struggled to fight back tears as she recalled how her husband Jamie, 30, suffered from PTSD which grew progressively worse over the years, leading him to take his own life in early January. Jamie served in the 4 Rifles Battalion in Afghanistan from the age of 19, and experienced crippling PTSD after three majors incidents left him a changed man. Speaking to Phillip Schofield and Holly WIlloughby on This Morning, Alicia fought back tears as she remembered her husband as a 'teddy bear' and doting father, and called for greater support for veterans. Mother-of-two Alicia Davis, from Hampshire struggled to fight back tears as she recalled how her husband Jamie, PTSD grew from bad to worse and let him to take his own life in early January, after fighting it for years Jamie was found dead in early January 2020 and was believed to have taken his own life after suffering from PTSD for years (pictured with Alicia) The mother-of-two cried as she explained that she never thought Jamie would leave her, because their children 'were his everything.' 'If you'd speak to people, if you'd met him for five minutes, his boys everything to him and he always said he could never do that to them because it would...,' The mother paused, fighting back tears. Phillip Schofield leaned in to hold her hand, in a show of sympathy. 'He just said it was selfish because then he'd leave a world of hurt. So for him to do that meant he must have been hurting so much,' she said. Jamie served in the 4 Rifles battalion during the war in Afghanistan, and witnessed his friends being shot and killed, which left him a changed man 'He wasn't that sort of man. 400 people turned up at his wake. They all said he was the last person ever they would have thought would do that,' she added. She went on to compare Jamie to the actor Robin Williams, who took his own life in 2014, saying Jamie 'always put his pain to the back, it would always be everybody first'. Alicia explained Jamie was a Valley man, meaning he would be the first in line of fire, scanning the ground for explosive devices. She explained three incidents during his service worsened his PTSD, which she had come to understand by listening to his screams as he experienced nightmares. Alicia fought back tears as she said she never thought Jamie would take his own life, and that it showed how desperate he must have felt Jamie had been present when one of his close friends had been blown up by a blast, and had found him without either of his legs. In 2010, the veteran was deeply impacted by the death of a fellow army man who had been shot and killed while replacing him during one of his authorised breaks from duty. Once back on the force, Jamie was later shot at and hit in the knee and the buttocks by shrapnel from the bullet. Speaking on This Morning, Alicia said her husband came back from the war a changed man, and struggled to find the help he needed. Holding Phillip Schofield's hand, the mother-of-two chocked as she said her husband lived for their children Alicia is calling for more support for veterans suffering from PTSD, as she said not enough was being done to help them cope She revealed that after denying he was having issues for some time, Jamie reached out by calling a helpline, but was told to look for other solutions on Google. Suffering from dyslexia and struggling to find the information he needed, Jamie felt disheartened. 'He thought: "What's the point? I need help and nobody's there to help me",' Alicia said. Jamie's PTSD worsened over the years because he was not getting the counselling he needed. 'He would really be very nervous, would keep his back to walls if we went anywhere,' Alicia said. She added Jamie was 'an absolute mess' whenever he would hear firecrackers, and that his PTSD would be set off by fire and car alarms. She admitted that for a number of years, Jamie was reluctant to say he suffered from PTSD because it would have kept him from moving forward in his career, but did not receive the help he deserved when he was finally ready to reach out. For this reason, Alicia hopes to raise awareness to bring help for the men and women suffering from PTSD right now. For confidential support in the UK, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see https://www.samaritans.org for details. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 15:02:14|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close CANBERRA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The head of Australian National University (ANU) has declared that the institution can withstand international student losses from coronavirus. Brian Schmidt, the vice-chancellor of ANU, rejected criticism that the university has become too reliant on Chinese students, according to the Canberra Times on Tuesday. Approximately 80 percent of the 5,000 Chinese students enrolled at ANU for 2020 have not been able to enter Australia for the start of the tertiary academic year because of the government's coronavirus travel ban. "I think if people have not been thinking about what it means to have a very large reliance on a single market, they're going to find out very quickly now because, of course, they're being tested," Schmidt said. "(The claims of over-reliance don't) prove anything because universities are still standing. "It does mean probably less money going forward. That's ok. We're trying to be the best university we can, not the university with the most amount of money." International students paid 320 million Australian dollars (211.5 million U.S. dollars) in ANU fees in 2018, an increase from 248 million Australian dollars (163.9 million U.S. dollars) in the previous year. According to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2020, ANU is the second-best university in Australia and 50th-best in the world. The university earlier in March announced a 20 million Australian dollars (13.2 million U.S. dollars) reimbursement package for students stuck in China. Under the package, each of the 4,000 students will be eligible to receive up to 5,000 Australian dollars (3,305 U.S. dollars) to cover rent and living expenses. "We're trying to keep everyone in the field of play and we're trying to make it so that they're not disadvantaged," Schmidt said. "We're trying to be student-centered and make sure everything we do is to keep those students engaged and able to, as quickly as possible, get back into the swing of things." "(International students) are part of our community, and a very important part of our community." President Donald Trump said Monday his administration will ask Congress to pass payroll tax relief and other quick measures as a public health and economic maelstrom brought on by the coronavirus drew closer to him personally. Intending to calm the fears of financial markets over the impact of the epidemic, Trump told reporters he is seeking "very substantial relief" to the payroll tax. Trump also said he was seeking help for hourly-wage workers to ensure they're "not going to miss a paycheck" and "don't get penalized for something that's not their fault." He stepped forward with the contours of an initiative after markets dropped sharply and as the outbreak spread. Several Trump confidants in Congress disclosed they were isolating themselves after potential exposure to the virus; one traveled with the president from Florida on Air Force One on Monday. Trump said he would hold a press conference Tuesday to outline the proposals, saying his administration and Congress would be "discussing a possible payroll tax cut or relief, substantial relief, very substantial relief, that's big, that's a big number. We're also going to be talking about hourly wage earners getting help so that they can be in a position where they're not going to ever miss a paycheck." As Trump grappled with an epidemic whose consequences he has repeatedly played down, the White House asserted it was conducting "business as usual." But the day's business was anything but normal. Lawmakers pressed for details on how the Capitol could be made secure, handshakes on the Hill were discouraged and a Pentagon meeting was broken into sub-groups to minimize the number of people in the same room. The president himself dove into handshakes with supporters earlier in the day, when arriving to headline a fundraiser in Longwood, Florida, that raised approximately $4 million for his reelection campaign and the Republican Party. On his flight back to Washington he was accompanied by Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who later went into a voluntary quarantine. He was one of several GOP lawmakers who were exposed to a person at last month's Conservative Political Action Conference who tested positive for the virus. His office said he was "mid-flight" on Air Force One when CPAC informed his staff that he had been in contact with the attendee who had the virus. Once the plane landed, Gaetz was immediately tested. Vice President Mike Pence, who also spoke at CPAC, said he has not been tested for the virus. He said he did not know whether Trump had been tested. In Monday morning tweets, Trump vented about the market drop and news that large public gatherings were being called off because of the virus. "At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths," Trump tweeted, comparing it to seasonal influenza and the thousands of deaths that causes. "Think about that!" Scientists at this stage don't know what the death rate of the new coronavirus actually is and whether it will wind up being about the same as flu or worse. At the same time, administration officials were insistent that they weren't trying to dismiss public concerns. "This is a very serious health problem," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told Fox News. At the Pentagon, officials have begun "social distancing" measures. On Monday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper's regular meeting with senior staff, which normally would be held face-to-face in a single room with 40 to 50 participants, was broken up into three rooms, with video-teleconferencing among the rooms, according to the Pentagon's chief spokesman, Jonathan Hoffman. He said Esper and the 15 to 20 people in his room, including Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, sat at least six feet apart, in line with health guidance. Trump was delegating much of the virus response to Pence, who convened a video teleconference to give an update on the federal government's virus response Monday afternoon with the nation's governors. Trump met his top economic advisers before emerging to disclose he'll seek the payroll tax break. The White House has been convening meetings with an array of travel and healthcare industry representatives, and was set to host Wall Street executives at the White House on Wednesday to discuss the economic fallout of the epidemic. On Capitol Hill, where many lawmakers are older and have frequent contact with the public, leaders were fielding questions from members and staff about how the complex will be secured. Leaders have so far shown little willingness to close the Capitol, but meetings were scheduled throughout the day to discuss preparations. On Monday, Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., and Gaetz put themselves in voluntary quarantine because of their contacts with someone at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Both said they did not have any symptoms but would wait out the remainder of the 14 days since the contact at home. Gaetz last week wore a gas mask to the House vote on the emergency funding bill for the virus response and said he wanted to highlight how Congress could become "petri dish" for the virus. Collins met Trump on Tuesday night at the White House and shook hands with him Friday when the president visited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Atlanta headquarters. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., also placed themselves in quarantine after coming in contact with the same person at the conservative conference. As well, Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Calif., said she met last week with a person who has since been diagnosed with the virus. She closed her office and said she and her staff are "self-monitoring and maintaining social distancing practices." Vast numbers of visitors come to the Hill, especially at this time of year when advocacy groups arrange "fly-in" trips to lobby and speak to lawmakers, and school groups descend for tours. In one manifestation of lawmaking in the age of the coronavirus, Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., approached a Republican colleague on the House floor Monday for a routine congratulatory handshake after the chamber approved a bill expanding a visa program. "Shake or bump?" Neal asked Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D. The two men bumped elbows. Offices on Capitol Hill also advertised they were holding "no contact meetings" and asked guests to refrain from shaking hands. The chairman of the Democratic caucus, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, said the House's chief administrative officer and the sergeant at arms are expected to brief Democrats at their regular caucus meeting Tuesday. The discussion was expected to address whether the Capitol will be restricted to visitors, he said. It was not immediately clear how Trump was aiming to provide assistance to employees weighing whether to stay home because of illness a crucial aim of public health officials seeking to curtail the spread of the virus. One mechanism, backed by the Trump-allied National Association of Manufacturers, involves a proposed tax credit for employers who pay employees who are quarantined. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Larry Kudlow, the director of the national economic council, were expected to bring the White House proposal to Senate Republicans on Tuesday afternoon, at which point officials planned to release more publicly. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill had barely started to contemplate the economic implications of the spread of the virus and what might be needed to stimulate the economy as people cancel vacations and business trips and stay away from stores. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley told reporters that "everything's on the table." But members of the Senate Republican leadership, including Texas Sen. John Cornyn played down the need for an economic stimulus package of any kind, be it tax cuts or aid for workers. "It's premature to be talking about that," Cornyn told reporters. "I usually love tax cuts but I think it's a little premature." Democrats panned for now Trump's proposed payroll tax cut. "What was glaringly missing from President Trump's press conference was how he is actually going to combat the spread of the coronavirus and keep the American people safe," said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. He said Trump should ensure affordable tests and treatment "and paid sick leave for all Americans workers, among other people-focused initiatives." House Democrats are preparing an economic package of aid to working families with a possible vote as soon as this week, Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey said after a meeting with Speaker Nancy Pelosi. A day after saying it was "proceeding as normal," Trump's campaign canceled a three-day Women for Trump bus tour across Michigan that included Mercedes Schlapp, the former White House aide who is married to the American Conservative Union chairman, Matt Schlapp. Schlapp is under self-quarantine after after he, too, was exposed to the infected person at CPAC. He introduced Trump and greeted him with a handshake on stage before the president's spoke on Feb. 29. By Associated Press writer Zeke Miller with contributions from Lauran Neergaard, Andy Taylor, Kevin Freking, Jill Colvin, Bob Burns, Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report. ___ The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. At the end of consultations at the Government House on Tuesday with interim Prime Minister Ludovic Orban and Prime Minister-designate Florin Citu, June 28 was established as a date for the local elections agreed upon by the majority of the participants in the consultations. People's Movement Party (PMP) national leader Eugen Tomac said the discussion with the acting and designate prime ministers was "very useful," as a broad consensus ensued on June 28 being the date for the local elections.Save Romania Union (USR) national leader Dan Barna said on Tuesday, after the consolations between Orban and leaders of the parliamentary parties that June 28 is a realistic date for organising local elections.According to Barna, USR could also support the prospect of delaying local elections if the crisis generated by the coronavirus significantly affects the Romanian society.Pro Romania national chairman Victor Ponta said on Tuesday, after meeting Orban, that he would agree on the local elections being held on June 28, provided that 60 days prior, on April 28, the coronavirus epidemic no longer existed.Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) MP Varujan Vosganian said in his turn that at the meeting with Orban an agreement was reached to make the final decision in two weeks' time.Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) national leader Kelemen Hunor said after the consultations that number one priority at governmental and parliamentary level should be the health of the citizens, adding that, as far as the local elections are concerned, UDMR suggested June 14 as the earliest date for local elections. N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper ordered all United States and North Carolina flags at state facilities to be lowered to half-staff beginning Tuesday, March 10, in honor of Gunnery Sgt. Diego D. Pongo and Marine Corps Capt. Moises A. Navas. Sgt. Pongo and Capt. Navas died while accompanying Iraqi Security Forces in north central Iraq on Sunday. They were both assigned to the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, Marine Forces Special Operations Command at Camp Lejeune. In tribute, flags are to remain at halfstaff through sunset Sunday, March 15. We are deeply saddened by the news that two Camp Lejeune marines lost their lives in service to our country on Sunday. I am grateful for Capt. Moises A. Navas and Gunnery Sgt. Diego D. Pongos courage, and our thoughts are with their loved ones, Cooper said. As a show of respect, individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties and other government subdivisions are encouraged to fly the flag at half-staff for the duration of time indicated. The Department of Defense said the two Marines were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. They died Sunday, March 8, while supporting Iraqi Security Forces in north central Iraq. The incident is under investigation. INDIVIDUALS, who tested positive for the coronavirus, were in attendance at a performance of the Blindboy Podcast in Clare last month. The individuals attended the Podcast at the glor theatre in Ennis, on the night of February 29. The HSE have subsequently been in touch with those audience members whom they have deemed may be impacted, and have advised on precautionary measures. In a statement from glor, a spokesperson said: glor can confirm that there were individuals who subsequently tested positive for Covid 19 in attendance at a performance of the Blindboy Podcast which took place in the venue on Saturday 29 February at 8pm. In line with HSE protocol, glor made immediate contact with health authorities once we were made aware of the situation and shared all relevant information with them. The HSE have subsequently been in touch with those audience members whom they have deemed may be impacted, and have advised on precautionary measures. The spokesperson stated that no action is required from those who have not already been contacted by the HSE. Operations at glor continue as normal after management sought advice from the HSE, additional hygiene measures and handwashing advice are in place at the arts centre, and we ask all our staff and customers to follow HSE guidelines on handwashing and respiratory etiquette. Further information is available on the HSE website. Blindboy confirmed to the Limerick Leader that he was not one of those told to isolate. "I wasn't considered close contact by any measure. I've to carry on as normal." Donald Rockwell elected fellow of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Donald O. Rockwell, the Paul B. Reinhold Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics in Lehigh University's P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, has been elected as a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). AIAA recently announced its Class of 2020 Fellows, which includes 14 faculty members at universities in Australia, England, France, and the United States. According to its website, the society "confers the distinction of Fellow upon individuals in recognition of their notable and valuable contributions to the arts, sciences or technology of aeronautics and astronautics." AIAA has nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries and 95 corporate members. It is the world's largest technical society dedicated to the global aerospace profession. Rockwell was recognized for his "breakthrough insight into unsteady aerodynamic flows and structural interactions using novel experimental approaches and advanced image processing" as well as his "technical leadership and educational achievements." From 1994 to 2009, Rockwell was the editor-in-chief of Experiments in Fluids, the leading international journal for advances in experimental techniques related to fluid mechanics and aerodynamics. "Professor Rockwell has been an excellent mentor for many young professionals, especially at Lehigh, by helping them launch their careers," says D. Gary Harlow, professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics. "For many years he has been a key leader for graduate education in mechanical engineering, and he continues to be a critical member of the Lehigh community." Rockwell is also a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, the American Physical Society, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He received the 2013 AIAA Fluid Dynamics Award for outstanding contributions to the understanding of the behavior of liquids and gases in motion as related to needs in aeronautics and astronautics. AIAA president John Langford congratulated the newest Fellows in a press release, calling them the "best minds in the industry." They have "earned the respect and gratitude of the aerospace community for their dedication, creativity and contribution to better understanding our world in terms of its limits and how we can push past those boundaries." The Fellows will be inducted during a May 19 ceremony and will also be recognized on May 20 at the AIAA Aerospace Spotlight Awards Gala at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. A major focus of Rockwell's research has been the laser-based imaging of unsteady development of vortex flows that are present for a wide range of aerodynamic configurations, extending from insect flight to large-scale maneuverable aircraft. He has led the formulation of new directions of research on unsteady aerodynamic flows through three international workshops held at Lehigh and in the Washington, D.C., area, in response to invitations from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (ASOFR) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR). Over more than 40 years at Lehigh, Rockwell has earned international renown for illuminating the complex physics of fluid flows--from the breaking of ocean waves to the flow of blood past a catheter. His research interests and approaches extend to other areas of applied science and engineering including vortex-induced enhancement of contaminant transport in shallow river and coastal flows, flow-induced vibration of structures in the ocean environment and components of power plant systems, and noise due to vortex- interactions in nuclear submarine systems. He has advised about 40 PhD students, half of whom are now faculty members at universities in 10 different countries. His research within Lehigh's Fluids Research Laboratory has been funded for decades by the National Science Foundation, ASOFR, and ONR. Rockwell has collaborated with visiting faculty and scientists from a number of countries, including Japan, China, Australia, Germany and Turkey, who have performed research in Lehigh's fluid mechanics labs. His research has also been funded by NASA, the Volkswagen Foundation, Lockheed-Martin, Arrow International, and Combustion Research and Flow Technology. ### Related Links: This story has been published on: 2020-03-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. (Bloomberg) -- Two cybersecurity company employees who attended an annual industry conference last month in San Francisco have tested positive for the coronavirus. At least one is seriously ill with respiratory issues. One of the workers at Exabeam Inc. is a 45-year-old engineer who began experiencing symptoms when he returned home to Connecticut from California on Feb. 28 after attending the RSA cybersecurity conference, his wife said in an email. His condition deteriorated the following week and he was hospitalized in respiratory distress on March 6, she said. The man was placed into a medically induced coma and is now on a ventilator in guarded condition. The individual is predisposed for pneumonia due to an underlying heart condition, his wife said. Bloomberg is withholding the mans name to protect his privacy. The second person, who is unidentified, also worked at Exabeam and attended RSA, the Foster City, California-based company said Tuesday in a statement. While we cannot confirm whether they contracted COVID-19 prior to, at or after the conference, if you came into contact with our staff, please be vigilant in monitoring yourself for symptoms, Exabeam said. The company said it instituted a work-at-home policy for its offices in Foster City and Atlanta. The annual RSA Conference in San Francisco is among the leading cybersecurity events in North America, rivaled only by BlackHat in Las Vegas. The event was held Feb. 24 to Feb. 28 and conference organizers said it drew more than 36,000 participants, including dozens of keynote presentations in auditoriums packed with company executives, government officials and journalists. Concerns about the novel coronavirus were heightened ahead of this years conference. Hand-sanitizer dispensers were placed prominently throughout RSA venues and many exhibitors opted to bump elbows instead of shake hands. Many privately expressed surprise the event wasnt canceled. The conference said 14 sponsors and exhibitors withdrew in advance and several companies also pulled out of the gathering, including AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications Inc. and International Business Machines Corp. Story continues Included in RSAs daily emails to attendees during the conference were reminders that organizers were closely monitoring the virus situation. RSA also advised conference goers to follow World Health Organization guidelines to protect themselves from infection. RSA issued a statement confirming the news that two conference attendees had been diagnosed with the virus, but didnt immediately explain if it would be investigating their interactions. Currently, there is not a known direct link or official governing body communicating back to RSA Conference that these individuals had symptoms at Conference or attended during the incubation period, RSA organizers said in the statement. A representative of the San Francisco Department of Public Health said she had no information about the cases. More than 117,000 cases of the illness have been reported worldwide since its origin in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of December. The viral disease has spread to 104 countries and regions and thus far caused 3,978 deaths, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. California, Washington and New York have more than 100 confirmed cases of the disease, the most in the U.S, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Adds San Francisco health department comment in 11th paragraph.) To contact the reporters on this story: Jeran Wittenstein in San Francisco at jwittenstei1@bloomberg.net;Kartikay Mehrotra in San Francisco at kmehrotra2@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Catherine Larkin at clarkin4@bloomberg.net, ;Jillian Ward at jward56@bloomberg.net, Andrew Pollack, Robin Ajello 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 Ontario governments proposed changes to the legal aid system will have profoundly negative impacts on the people served by the provinces community legal clinics, according to a report endorsed by more than 30 law professors from across the province. The report released Tuesday urges the legislature to reject the governments proposed legislation. Instead, the authors call for public, meaningful, and open consultation with low-income and marginalized communities and their clinics about needed reforms to the legal aid system in Ontario. The system took a hit last spring when the government slashed $133 million in funding to Legal Aid Ontario, the independent agency that manages the legal aid plan. LAO also funds Ontarios 73 community legal clinics, some of which provide general legal services to low-income people on matters such as housing and income security in specific catchment areas, while others have provincial mandates in certain issues including HIV/AIDS, children and youth, and the elderly. Then, at the end of the year, the government announced it was revamping legal aid in Ontario, as part of an omnibus justice bill titled the Smarter and Stronger Justice Act, which received second reading in the legislature last week and has been referred to the standing committee on justice policy for further study. A number of concerns dealing with the proposed acts impact on community legal clinics are outlined in Tuesdays report, titled Neither Smarter nor Stronger, prepared by five law professors from three Ontario universities York, Ottawa and Windsor and a law student. Among other issues, the report points out that the proposed act removes the explicit purpose found in the current act, which is to promote access to justice throughout Ontario for low-income individuals, including by identifying the legal needs of low-income individuals and of disadvantaged communities. The new purpose would be to facilitate the establishment of a flexible and sustainable legal aid system that provides effective and high-quality legal aid services throughout Ontario in a client-focused and accountable manner while ensuring value for money. As critics have previously pointed out, the term low-income also does not appear in the proposed act. The government has said it still expects Legal Aid Ontario to serve low-income individuals, but that the change in the proposed legislation is to reflect that some legal aid services may also benefit middle-income people. They removed the language of disadvantaged communities, said Osgoode Hall law professor Janet Mosher, one of the reports authors, whose areas of research include legal aid and access to justice for marginalized communities. And I think thats especially worrying in the context of what we know is significant growth in income inequality and really fundamental gaps in access to justice. The report says placing the focus of a legal aid system on value for money rather than access to justice suggests funding legal aid is a short-term investment. We take issue with any suggestion that our legal aid system should be defined primarily in terms of dollars-and-cents, the report says. According to research, the authors say, savings ranging from $9 to $16 on social services spending can be achieved for every dollar spent on legal aid. Furthermore, there are enormous economic and social benefits to ensuring that individuals have access to stable housing, income security, health care and other social services, the report states. These long-term benefits have not been accounted for in the governments approach. A spokesperson for Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey told the Star that community legal clinics are and will continue to be a vital part of this system. We consulted with a broad range of justice sector partners, including legal clinics, and greatly value the perspectives of those on the front-lines serving Ontarios most vulnerable, said Jenessa Crognali. Our proposed changes continue to recognize the foundational role community clinics play in the legal aid system. The proposed act also removes the ability of clinics to request a reconsideration of an unfavourable funding decision by Legal Aid Ontario, the report states, and removes protections to ensure that the clinics can independently determine the legal needs of their communities. The executive director of the Association of Community Legal Clinics of Ontario told the Star he agreed that the bill as its currently drafted causes problems for the delivery of clinic law services, but also pointed out the government said it was open to discussion on changes when the bill was tabled. It is our hope and our belief that the government will stand by that position and will make changes to ensure that clinic law services remain strong and able to meet the needs of their communities, said Lenny Abramowicz. The language used in legislation is crucial, Mosher said, as it dictates what a government or institution can and cant do. As an example, the report points out that the current act says Legal Aid Ontario shall provide services in criminal, family, clinic and mental health law, while the proposed act says the agency may provide services in those areas. LAO has previously said it fully intends to continue providing services in those areas. But, Mosher said: If a statute says something shall happen, thats always interpreted as mandatory, and if the statutory language is may, that is always understood to be permissive, so it gives the government tremendous flexibility about what they decide to do at any given time, or discretion to Legal Aid to decide what to do at any given time. The report states that because of the use of may instead of shall, theres technically no longer a requirement to fund community clinics at all. Finally, the report also highlights that under the proposed act, there would no longer be a requirement that the Legal Aid Ontario board have members with knowledge, skills, and experience with the operation of clinics and the legal needs of disadvantaged communities. This short-sighted approach threatens the basis of our legal aid system and will lead to more Ontarians losing access to basic rights in a context of growing income inequality, the report concludes. Read more about: Traces of the ancient Mars-sized wandering planet Theia that nearly destroyed Earth and formed the Moon 4.5 billion years ago have been found in lunar rocks. This goes some way to proving a long-held theory that the Moon was formed out of material expelled after Theia collided with the Earth billions of years ago. Researchers from the University of New Mexico examined the oxygen isotopes in Moon rocks brought back to Earth by Apollo astronauts. They discovered the oxygen isotopes - an indicator of the origin of the material - were slightly different to those found in Earth rocks, suggesting they came from Theia. Scroll down for video This artist's concept shows a celestial body about the size of our moon slamming into a body the size of Mercury in a scenario that could be similar to Theia colliding with Earth The team haven't predicted exactly how the Moon formed or how the impact happened but say their findings can help others create a more detailed theory. WHAT IS THEIA? About 4.5 billion years ago in the first 150 years of the Solar System the Earth was hit by a Mars-size planet. Leading theories suggest this led to the creation of the Moon and Theia may have merged with the Earth. Theia is named after the mythical Greek Titan who was the mother of Selene, the goddess of the Moon. The protoplanet may have come from the outer solar system before colliding with the very young Earth. Advertisement Previous studies of the lunar rocks returned to Earth by Apollo astronauts found they were almost completely identical to those on Earth - but the New Mexico team found that wasn't the case. They examined samples of rocks gathered from a number of different lunar sites and with both high and low titanium basalts. They modified a standard isotope analysis technique in order to get a higher-than-usual precision measurement of the oxygen isotope. Previous studies averaged together the measurements of all the samples but the New Mexico team took a different approach and got surprising results. 'While the Earth rocks occupy a very narrow range of oxygen isotope compositions, the lunar samples demonstrated nearly three times that variability,' Erick Cano from the University of New Mexico told the New Scientist. 'Typically, all the lunar samples are lumped together as a whole and the average value of all the lunar samples measured in the study is taken as the value for the moon,' he said. 'We show that the method of averaging together lunar isotope data while ignoring lithological differences does not give an accurate picture of the differences between the Earth and Moon,' they wrote in their paper. The team found that the deeper into the Moon the samples were taken, the greater the difference between them and oxygen isotopes on Earth. They discovered that the distinct oxygen isotope composition on Theia was not completely lost through the impact with Earth, and lives on in the Moon. Lead author Erick Cano said: 'The research is important because it eliminates the need for giant-impact models that include a complete oxygen isotope homogenization between the Earth and the Moon. 'It provides a foundation for future modelling of the impact and lunar formation.' They say it could also suggest that Theia formed further out in the Solar System and then moved in before colliding with the Earth - rather than forming near the Earth. This NASA photo taken by Apollo 8 astronauts shows the earth as pictured from orbit around the Moon. Humans are expected to return to our natural satellite in 2024 The giant impact theory is the most pervasive idea for explaining both the formation of the Earth and our relatively large moon compared to other rocky planets. The theory goes that about 4.45 billion years ago, 150 million years after the solar system formed, Earth was hit by a Mars-size object called Theia. Exactly how this happened is hotly debated, in part because of the previous studies suggested the oxygen isotopes on Earth and the Moon were nearly identical. The new research shows the two celestial bodies are not similar at all and become less similar the deeper into the Moon you go and the study authors say large parts of Theia could still be inside the core of the Moon. 'Since the giant impact hypothesis was formulated there have been various challenges doubting it,' Simon Kelley at the University of Edinburgh said. He told New Scientist: 'These findings are different because they appear to support and validate it.' The research has been published in the journal Nature Geoscience. PORTLAND, Ore., March 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Gregory A. Poland, M.D., the director of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, will impart unrivaled expertise as the featured guest of " Coronavirus: Exposing Myths From Facts ," a webinar on Friday, March 13 at 10 a.m. PDT. This first installment of a free three-part webinar series for charter school leaders and their community supporters is hosted by Charter School Capital , the largest national services provider exclusively focused on charter schools and the students they serve. As the Distinguished Investigator of the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Poland holds the academic rank of professor of medicine and infectious diseases and molecular pharmacology and experimental therapeutics. He is also Editor-in-Chief for the journal, Vaccine, and has received international recognition and awards for his contributions to epidemiology. "Charter School Capital is fortunate to have a national platform to help the charter school community prepare for a proper response to coronavirus, and we are honored to host someone with Dr. Poland's medical stature in support of charter schools," said Stuart Ellis, president and CEO of Charter School Capital. "It's a rare opportunity to give charter school leaders the space and time to ask questions of Dr. Poland about the medical implications of COVID-19." In this session, participants will learn: How to move beyond the headlines and better understand what's real and what's hype? How to ensure a safe environment for students, staff and your families When is the right time to take what kind of action? And when is "wash your hands" enough? Participants of the "Coronavirus: Exposing Myths from Facts" webinar will be able to ask questions in advance of and live during the session. Charter School Capital will host two additional webinars regarding COVID-19 in the coming weeks focusing on communication and contingency planning, and preparing for attendance and staffing issues. Registration for "Coronavirus: Exposing Myths from Facts" is available at this link . About Charter School Capital: Launched in 2006, Charter School Capital helps charter schools access, leverage and sustain the resources they need to thrive, allowing them to focus on what matters most - educating their students. Charter School Capital has provided more than $2 billion in funding to 700 charter schools, providing high-quality education to more than 1.25 million students across the United States. For more information, visit charterschoolcapital.org or email [email protected] . SOURCE Charter School Capital Related Links http://charterschoolcapital.org The U.S. military services are erring on the side of caution, with some attempting to limit human contact as much as possible, while others are canceling events and overseas travel as the novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19, continues to spread. The U.S. Marine Corps is stressing the use of virtual conferences instead of in-person meetings; conferences and other gatherings of personnel from disparate locations need the approval of a three-star general: either a deputy commandant, a Marine force commander, or a commanding general of a Marine Expeditionary Force according to a March 7 administrative message to the force. The service shall "plan and implement telework options to minimize workforce footprint and exposure as required," according to the MarAdmin released by Lt. Gen. George Smith, deputy commandant for plans, policies and operations. Additionally, all liberty travel must be reviewed prior to departure to ensure that "personnel are not traveling to locations that have declared a public health emergency," according to the message. Related: Coronavirus/COVID-19 coverage Any Marines returning or redeploying from countries under a Centers for Disease Control travel advisory -- or who may have had contact with an infected person -- must be identified, screened and monitored for symptoms of the virus. "Be prepared to place service members under a 14-day restriction of movement," the memo states. The U.S. Navy said it has created a "COVID-19 virus cell" within the office of the Chief of Naval Operations to consolidate information between the component commands and any commands that report directly to the CNO. The information will then be dispersed to relevant parties, according to the update guidance signed by CNO Adm. Mike Gilday. Over the weekend, the Air Force canceled two events -- Spark Collider and Pitch Bowl -- which had been scheduled for March 10-12 in Austin, Texas. That move followed the cancellation of the South by Southwest (SXSW) film and tech festival, also in Austin. "Although we are saddened to cancel an event with so many incredible companies, airmen, and joint service members who were planning to attend, we ultimately made this decision for the health and safety of our staff, our guests, and the community," said Lt. Col. Matthew Scott, AFWERX Austin director. AFWERX is an Air Force innovation program that partners with small business and academia. The Air Force Academy has canceled any official travel and temporary-duty assignments for cadets and cadet candidates that would take them outside the U.S. for the rest of March, the school announced March 6. Leisure travel to countries currently reporting at the CDC Level II alert -- to practice enhanced precaution -- has also been banned for the rest of the month, the memo states. With a growing number of coronavirus cases in South Korea and Italy, the Army on Sunday said it has suspended travel for soldiers and their families to and from either country. "Out of an abundance of caution, Headquarters, Department of the Army has made the decision to stop movement and delay travel of Soldiers stationed in Italy and Korea, which have been identified by the Centers for Disease Control as alert level three for COVID-19," according to the order, first reported by CNN. Last week, the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard confirmed that all recruits are now being screened for the coronavirus before starting initial-entry training. The updated procedures follow newly reported cases within the U.S. military. A sailor based in Italy tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Friday; Pentagon officials announced that a Marine from Fort Belvoir, Virginia, had tested positive for the disease Saturday. A soldier in South Korea was diagnosed with COVID-19 late last month, along with his wife, which marked the first confirmed case of the disease in a U.S. service member. As of Monday, the virus has infected more than 110,000 people across 97 countries, according to the World Health Organization, as reported by The New York Times. -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. Read more: Troops Wounded in Pensacola Shooting to Be Awarded Heroism Medals, Purple Hearts Security Operatives has arrested dethroned Emir of Kano Muhammad Sanusi II and taken him out of the ancient city of Kano amidst tight security. The security operatives are taking the former emir to Nassarawa state where Sanusi will spend the rest of his life in exile. ALSO READ: Emir Of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi Dethroned For Disrespecting Governor Ganduje Lamido Sanusi was earlier put under house arrest by Governor Ganduje using heavy security personnel of which included the DSS, Police and Army who sealed off the Palace. Governor Ganduje who has the constitutional powers to appoint an Emir has just announced Aminu Ado Bayero as the new emir of Kano. This is a developing story, more details shortly Top national disease expert Anthony Fauci is urging the nation to take an 'all hands on deck' approach to the coronavirus and urging officials to plan for immediate measures even in states that haven't had cases show up yet. 'It doesn't matter if you're in a state that has no cases or one case,' Fauci said at a press briefing with Vice President Mike Pence Tuesday. 'You have to start taking seriously what you can do now that if and when the infections will come and they will come sorry to say, sad to say, they will,' he told reporters. 'Everybody should say all hands on deck, this is what we need to do,' said Fauci, a top expert on infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health who has served in the government for decades. Fauci said coronavirus cases continue to add up globally, and said the administration was paying 'paying particular attention to the cases in Europe, Italy and France.' Italy is currently in a nation-wide lockdown for the disease, which first emerged in China. 'Everybody should say all hands on deck, this is what we need to do,' said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, at a press briefing Tuesday CDC: HOW TO SLOW THE CORONAVIRUS SPREAD Advertisement 'This is not a surprise to anybody,' he said, and pointed to tips and warnings on the new coronavirus.gov website. Fauci wouldn't now be appropriate for such measures as immediately closing U.S. schools as a way to try to contain the outbreak, even as individual schools in areas with outbreaks were closed for deep cleaning. But he warned: 'Everything is on the table for consideration.' 'So the idea that we're not closing all I mean i think for the country right now to say we're going to close all the schools in the country, I don't think would be appropriate. Would school closures be appropriate depending upon not whether you have already, the horse is out of the barn, but when you start to see we're getting danger here so let's do it?' 'I couldnt be more proud of the efforts of the men and women standing behind me,' Vice President Mike Pence said at the briefing Tuesday 'But I do think it would be appropriate to carefully try and do things like closing but there's other things besides closing to do real mitigation, sometime before you think you really need it,' he advised. 'What we need to do is have less people infected and ultimately have less deaths. You do that by trying to interfere with the natural flow of the outbreak.' He noted that there is now what disease experts call 'community spread' in parts of the nation. Pence, who heads a coronavirus task force, continued to pound home the message that the team is working together and the chance of infection is low. 'I couldnt be more proud of the efforts of the men and women standing behind me,' Pence said. 'The risk to the average American of contracting the coronavirus remains low,' he repeated. Hours earlier, President Donald Trump advised Americans to just 'stay calm' and the coronavirus will 'go away' as he attempted to calm the nation amid growing fears about the outbreak. 'It will go away. Just stay calm, it will go away,' he said during a press conference on Capitol Hill after he met with Republican senators about a package to combat the economic fallout from the disease. Trump did not attend the afternoon press briefing, although he told reporters 24 hours earlier he would hold a press conference to discuss economic measures. 'We're prepared and doing a great job with it,' the president noted in the Senate, instructing people to stay calm about the spread and economic impact. 'It's really working out,' he added. His remarks came as New York Governor Andrew Cuomo sent the National Guard to New Rochelle to enforce a mile-radius coronavirus 'containment area' in the Westchester County community with a large cluster of cases. Meanwhile there are 240 more infections Tuesday in the United States, and the death toll rose to 28, while globally it topped 1,000 outside China. In other developments Trump came under pressure to cancel his rallies as Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders both canceled events in Cleveland, Ohio, Tuesday The head of the CDC said there were not enough staff for tests, as the number of Americans tested stood at 8,554 The terms of Trump's projected bailout started to emerge with Republicans offering no public backing for them The Seattle-area nursing home liked to 19 deaths said it had no test kits for staff Wall Street's wild ride continued as the Dow swung 1,100 points in a day, recouping some of its losses from Monday's record crash In Europe, the German chancellor warned she expected 65% of all Germans will be infected, Spain saw infections triple A computer scientist projected that the U.S. will be as bad as Italy in two weeks. On Capitol Hill, however, Trump radiated optimism - and said he had not been tested despite his own chief of staff, Mark Meadows, being in quarantine over potential exposure. President Donald Trump, accompanied by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Sen. Roy Blunt, Vice President Mike Pence and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin arrives at the U.S. Capitol for a meeting with Republican senators on the coronavirus President Donald Trump talks to reporters about coronavirus after meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced he was sending the National Guard to New Rochelle to enforce a mile-radius coronavirus 'containment area' People fearful of the coronavirus walk around Terminal 1 at JFK Airport I FEEL VERY GOOD - BUT I WASN'T TESTED SAYS TRUMP (AND GAS MASK REP. IS CLEAR) Trump said Tuesday he didn't see any reason to be tested for the coronavirus after three people he had contact with went into self-quarantine after being exposed to an individual with the disease. 'I don't think it is a big deal. I don't feel any reason, I feel extremely good. I feel very good,' he told reporters on Capitol Hill after he met with Senate Republicans to discuss a package to combat the economic effects of the disease. 'But I guess it's not a big deal to get tested. It is something I would do, but again, I spoke to the White House doctor, terrific guy, talented guy. He said there is no reason to do with it. There is no symptoms, no anything. If there were, you people would be the first to know it. You would may be even tell me about it,' the president added. Rep. Matt Gaetz, who traveled on Air Force One with President Trump on Monday and self-quarantined after exposure to the virus, announced Tuesday he tested negative for it Trump has been in contact with a slew of politicians who have gone under self-quarantine. One of them, Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz, who traveled with President Trump on Air Force One on Monday and spent the weekend at Mar-a-Lago with several members of the Trump family, announced he tested negative for the disease. On Monday, Gaetz was informed - while he was traveling on Air Force One - that he had come into contact with an infected individual. The Florida Republican, who was pictured wearing a gas mask on Capitol Hill during a vote on funding to combat the disease, said he would self-quarantine out of precaution. 'I've just been informed that my COVID-19 lab result was negative. In an abundance of caution, I will remain under self-quarantine at the advice of medical professionals through Thursday at 2pm. I continue to feel fine and show no symptoms,' Gaetz wrote on Twitter Tuesday afternoon. He wore a gas mask to Congress to mock the virus previously. At a press conference in the White House briefing room on Monday, the president refused to answer repeated questions on whether he had been tested. His press secretary later said he had not been tested. Advertisement Trump pointed to diminishing number of cases in other countries to argue the virus is successfully being fought. China has reported decreasing numbers of those with the disease. 'We are look at solving this problem. Some very good numbers coming out of some countries where it started earlier,' Trump said. He also argued more people die from the flu instead of Coronavirus, pointing out the United States has only had 26 deaths. 'But right now, 26 deaths and if you look at the flu for this year, we are at 8,000 deaths. And you know, hundreds of thousands of cases, 8,000 versus 26 deaths at this time,' the president said. Trump attended Senate Republicans weekly luncheon on Tuesday to talk about an economic package to respond to the virus. The administration and House Democrats are looking at competing plans to fight the economic fallout. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters at the Capitol Monday that the Democrats' plan, outlined by herself and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, could be proposed and voted on as soon as this week. This plan would include paid sick leave for those impacted by coronavirus, widespread and free coronavirus testing access, expanding programs like food stamps and reimbursing patients for costs related to the fast-spreading respiratory virus not covered by insurance. Pelosi added that Democratic leadership could condense the congressional recess 'if there's a necessity if we think we're going to get some action in the Senate to do it.' The Democrat leaders' proposal comes as President Trump is proposing his own economic bailout plan in response to coronavirus concerns. In remarks following the meeting with the president Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell demanded that the stimulus package be bipartisan in nature. He told reporters gathered at the Capitol that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Pelosi are meeting today to come up with a bipartisan plan claiming the two 'worked well together' in developing an economic package in the past. 'We're hoping that he and the speaker can pull this together so that we end up not playing partisan games at a time, which seems to me, to cry out for bipartisan, bicameral agreement. That's what I'm hoping to see,' McConnell said. McConnell said there was still a lot of negotiating to do with Democrats over the terms of the relief package. On the other hand, the president charged that Democrats are doing nothing. 'Nancy Pelosi just said, 'I don't know if we can be ready this week.' In other words, it's off to vacation for the Do Nothing Democrats. That's been the story with them for 1 1/2 years!,' he tweeted on Tuesday morning before he headed to Capitol Hill. Trump slammed Pelosi's relief package as a proposal to try and pass other stipulations that he says are unrelated to coronavirus concerns. 'They came in really chopped up,' Trump said Tuesday of the package proposed by Pelosi and Schumer. 'A lot of them are thing she wanted to get for other things,' he continued. 'We're looking at the people. We're looking at solving this problem.' He also touted his administration's work in responding to the coronavirus. The White House has been criticized for its response, particularly on the lack of kits to test for the disease. 'Our CoronaVirus Team has been doing a great job. Even Democrat governors have been VERY complimentary!,' Trump wrote. He reiterated this point during his press conference Tuesday afternoon. But top Democrats are criticizing the administration's plan for focusing too much on the economy rather than helping those directly impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. NATIONAL GUARD CONTAIN AMERICA'S LARGEST CLUSTER Schools, houses of worship and large gathering places in the New York suburb that has the 'largest cluster' of coronavirus cases in the country will be shut down as the National Guard is being brought in to help stop the spread of the disease. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday that a one-mile containment area will be set up in New Rochelle in Westchester County where the main cluster of coronavirus have been reported. The area is the epicenter of of the state's coronavirus outbreak and accounts for more than 100 of New York's 173 confirmed cases. The radius centers around the Temple Young Israel of New Rochelle synagogue that was attended by the Manhattan attorney who has been linked to the outbreak in the area. The shutdown, which will begin on Thursday and last for two weeks, will effect all 'major gathering places' including schools and places of worship, Cuomo said. 'It is a dramatic action, but it is the largest cluster in the country. And this is literally a matter of life and death,' Cuomo said. The announcement about the containment area came as New Jersey reported its first coronavirus death. It is the first fatality in the tri-state area. NEW YORK CASES OF CORONAVIRUS Westchester (including New Rochelle): 108 New York City: 36 Nassau: 19 Rockland: 6 Saratoga: 2 Suffolk: 1 Ulster: 1 Advertisement Cuomo said he was calling in the National Guard to the containment area to assist with cleaning public spaces and to deliver food to homes where people are currently self-quarantined. Health officials said they are still trying to determine a full list of places that will be forced to close within the containment area. The schools that will close include New Rochelle High School, Albert Leonard Middle School and William B. Ward Elementary. The closures will not effect smaller businesses and grocery stores, officials said. Cuomo said people will not be contained and residents are free to come and go with the one-mile radius. The state and a private health system, Northwell Health, are also setting up a testing facility in the area. New Rochelle is at the center of an outbreak of 108 cases in Westchester County, out of 173 statewide as of Tuesday. New York City has 36 cases, while its population is more than 100 times that of New Rochelle. 'New Rochelle at this point is probably the largest cluster in the U.S. of these cases and it is a significant issue for us,' Cuomo said. 'The numbers have been going up. The numbers continue to go up. The numbers are going up unabated. And we do need a special public health strategy for New Rochelle.' New York Health Commissioner Dr Howard Zucker said officials were moving from a containment strategy to a mitigation strategy. 'When you're dealing with mitigation, you have to deal with the issues of social distancing and how people gather together and to try to minimize that.' Cuomo said the decision was one made by Dr Zucker and other public health officials. 'It's not a decision that I'm making. I'm accepting the recommendation of Dr. Zucker. In a situation like this, whether you're president, mayor, governor, let the experts decide and let the science decide the situation,' he said. Advertisement Markets suffered their biggest-ever one-day loss on Monday and saw a decline not experienced since the 2008 financial crisis. The Dow dropped nearly 8 per cent on Monday, which concerned Trump, who often touts economic wins and market gains under his administration. Democrats are critical that Trump's proposal focuses too much on the economy and not enough on those affected by the coronavirus Markets saw a slight rebound as they opened Tuesday morning as the Dow raised about 700. The president told reporters gathered in the briefing room at the White House Monday evening that he would be talking with Senate Republicans Tuesday on implementing a payroll tax cut, helping hourly workers not be penalized for taking off work and crisis loans for small business. He also said he is looking at helping cruise, airline and hotel industries as they suffer blows with escalating fears of the virus spread across the country. Trump promised his relief plan 'will be major' as Pelosi says the Democratic proposal would depend on the Congressional Budget Office and how quickly costs could be assessed. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF CORONAVIRUS? Like other coronaviruses, including those that cause the common cold and that triggered SARS, COVID-19 is a respiratory illness. The most common symptoms are: Fever Dry cough Shortness of breath Difficulty breathing Fatigue Although having a runny nose doesn't rule out coronavirus, it doesn't thus far appear to be a primary symptom. Most people only become mildly ill, but the infection can turn serious and even deadly, especially for those who are older or have underlying health conditions. In these cases, patients develop pneumonia, which can cause: Potentially with yellow, green or bloody mucus Fever, sweating and shaking chills Shortness of breath Rapid or shallow breathing Pain when breathing, especially when breathing deeply or coughing Low appetite, energy and fatigue Nausea and vomiting (more common in children) Confusion (more common in elderly people) Some patients have also reported diarrhea and kidney failure has occasionally been a complication. Avoid people with these symptoms. If you develop them, call your health care provider before going to the hospital or doctor, so they and you can prepare to minimize possible exposure if they suspect you have coronavirus. Advertisement 'We are going to take care of, and have been taking care of, the American people and the American economy,' Trump said from the briefing room podium Monday and left without taking questions. He did not expand on plans to address these issues when talking to reporters after his meeting with Republican lawmakers Tuesday. Trump has continuously downplayed the threats of coronavirus, claiming the situation is 'inflamed' by the media and Democrats even as the death toll in the U.S. hit 26 this week and there are more than 750 confirmed cases. The threat hit close to home as U.S. and global markets plummeted Monday and one of his own Air Force One passengers, Florida Representative Matt Gaetz, self-quarantined after learning he came in contact with someone who tested positive for the virus. While the president said he would be meeting with House Republicans and Senate leadership on Tuesday, he did not say if he would be speaking with Democrats, who control the House and whose approval is required for a tax relief plan to become law. Pelosi's office said that there is currently no plan for Trump to meet with Democrats. Vice President Mike Pence who heads the coronavirus task force and was left to answer reporters' questions after the president left the room Monday night, said he had not yet been tested for the virus. He also said he has no idea if the president has been tested, even though he attended the Conservative Political Action Conference and has come in close contact with individuals who have had contact with a person who tested positive. At 73, the president is at a higher risk of contracting and falling ill to coronavirus. White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement late Monday night the president hasn't been tested. 'The President has not received COVID-19 testing because he has neither had prolonged close contact with any known confirmed COVID-19 patients, nor does he have any symptoms. President Trump remains in excellent health, and his physician will continue to closely monitor him,' she said. Doctors and immunologist experts have recommended that those above 60 take extra precautions to avoid contracting the virus. In his remarks Tuesday, the president said he has no problem getting tested but doesn't think it's a 'big deal' because he isn't showing any symptoms. He also said the White House doctor informed him that he didn't need to get tested for the virus despite coming in second-hand contact with those who interacted with individuals who tested positive for coronavirus. Trump said that the world had been 'blindsided' by coronavirus, and claimed shutting down travel from China had been decisive in ensuring the crisis was not worse. 'We're also going to be talking about hourly wage earners getting help so that they can be in a position where they're not going to ever miss a paycheck,' he said of his upcoming talk with lawmakers. The president's Treasury secretary mentioned a menu of actions the president can undertake on his own. Trump vowed to work with companies of all sizes 'so that they don't get penalized for something that's not their fault. It's not their fault, it's not our country's fault. This was something that we were thrown into and we're going to handle it and we have been handling it very well,' Trump said. Europe engulfed by coronavirus: Angela Merkel warns up to 58 MILLION Germans - 60-70% of the population - will be infected, as Spain sees infections triple in two days and Italy records 168 fatalities in ONE DAY As many as '60 to 70 per cent' of Germans will be infected with the deadly coronavirus, Chancellor Angela Merkel warned today, as the contagion threatened to rip through Europe. The infection is now transmitting between humans in nearly 30 countries across Europe, the World Health Organization has warned today. Fears of the life-threatening infection have now engulfed the continent, which has recorded more than 17,000 cases and over 700 deaths in Europe alone. Europe's crisis centred in northern Italy but now rapidly spreading began with a handful of imported cases from China, but has now seen tourist attractions and transport hubs deserted. Italy went into a nationwide lockdown on Monday night and today recorded its highest single-day toll to date with 168 fatalities. This pushed the number of deaths outside China to more than 1,000. WHO chiefs have now confirmed local transmission when an infection spreads within a country in 27 European nations. It came as the number of virus cases in Spain surged to 1,622 infections and 35 deaths as universities and schools in the capital Madrid were closed. Overall in Italy, 631 people have died from the COVID-19 disease caused by the virus and 10,149 have been infected in just over two weeks. The UK recorded its sixth death from the virus today as infections in the county rose by 52 to 373. Globally, more than 114,000 people have been infected and over 4,000 have died from the illness since the outbreak began in China in December. Spain's virus cases surged to 1,622 infections and 35 deaths today and Italy recorded 168 fatalities as German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned up to 70 per cent of her citizens could be infected Health officials at border controls trying to find people potentially infected with coronavirus in Frankfurt, Germany, today Chemists preparing hydroalcoholic gel at a makeshift production line in Paris today. Due to the current shortage of manufactured hand sanitizer, the health ministry gave the green light to produce hydro-alcoholic gels themselves to fight against the outbreak Commuters, some wearing respiratory masks, travelling in the underground metro in downtown Milan while sat the recommended 3ft distance from each other Police officers in protective suits checking the temperature of bus driver at the Rozvadov border crossing from the Germany side near the Czech city today A soldier and a police officer wearing protective face masks checking a man filling an access form as part of control measures against the spread of COVID-19 at the Termini railway station in Rome today after the country went into nationwide lockdown People queuing at a pharmacy to buy face masks in Rome today. The Italian government imposed unprecedented national restrictions on its 60 million people to control the spread of the coronavirus Customers forming long queues at the check out of a supermarket as people begin to stock up on provisions in Madrid today France recorded a 70 per cent rise in cases over Monday night, with more than 1,200 patients now known to have caught the deadly infection. The country's health ministry gave chemists the green light to produce their own hydro-alcoholic hand sanitizer gels following a shortage. Germany and Spain also saw huge spikes in the number of infected patients, while the UK's toll has risen eight-fold in the space of a week. Albania today became the latest nation to be struck down, meaning only a handful of countries across the continent have yet to record a case. Europe's escalating coronavirus crisis comes just weeks before thousands of British families will travel to the continent for Easter. In other developments, a maintenance worker at Disneyland Paris tested positive for coronavirus, the theme park announced today. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen today pledged to mobilise 'all the tools' available to the bloc to lessen the economic impact of the coronavirus epidemic, which has roiled markets across the globe. After EU leaders held crisis talks by video conference to try to coordinate their response to the epidemic, Von der Leyen sought to reassure businesses and governments spooked by the spread of the disease. Among the measures is a coronavirus response investment fund backed by 7.5 billion euros ($8.5 billion) in EU funding - subject to approval by member states and the European Parliament. Italy's prime minister Giuseppe Conte announced a new government decree on Monday night, banning public gatherings, restricting all but essential travel between cities and imposing a three-foot rule to keep people in public spaces apart. Just 8,554 tested - and CDC boss tells Congress he doesn't have the staff to keep up with demand The CDC revealed on Tuesday that 8,554 Americans have been tested for coronavirus, but the agency's director says state and local health labs are understaffed and ill-equipped to keep up with crisis. According to figures published on the CDC's website on Tuesday, 3,698 tests had been done in its lab, and another 4,856 had been done in public health labs. So far, 795 cases of the virus have been confirmed in the US and 28 people have died. It is unclear how many of the 8,554 tests that have been carried out have been completed to the point that there is a result, or if patients are still waiting for a result. On Tuesday, the agency's director, Robert R. Redfield testified before a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention budget on Capitol Hill. 'The truth is we've not invested, we've under-invested in the public health labs. CDC Director Robert R. Redfield testified on Tuesday that state labs were understaffed and ill-equipped to handle the outbreak 'There's not enough equipment, there's not enough people, there's not enough internal capacity, there's no surge capacity. He said, when asked how many Americans had been tested, that 4,856 had been tested by public health labs but that the number did not include 'clinical' or 'private' labs. Lab Corp and Quest Diagnostics both announced last week that they had developed a COVID-19 test that doctors can order. America will be in lockdown like Italy in less than two weeks, computer scientist claims: Worrying graph shows how coronavirus cases in the US are growing On Monday night, computer scientist Mark Handley, Professor of Networked Systems and part-time Roboticist at UCL in London, tweeted a graph showing how growth figures in other infected countries compare to Italy's. 'Everyone else will be Italy in 9-14 days time,' Handley tweeted along with the data. Dr. John Crane, an infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo, agreed. He told DailyMail.com in an interview that the world had never seen anything like the outbreak and that the US seemed to be watching how Italy responded before making any drastic decisions of its own. 'It looks like theyre on the exact same trajectory. Italy had an 11.5 day head start,' he said, referring to the data. Mark Handley tweeted this graph charting the growth of cases in the US (pink) compared to that of Italy, purple Handley said 'everyone else will be Italy'in 9-14 days time if the growth rates keep up 'When you have straight line on a long scale that signifies exponential growth. WHAT ARE THE TERMS OF ITALY'S LOCKDOWN Schools and universities are closed until April 3 All sporting events postponed indefinitely Museums, theaters, cinemas, night clubs, cafes and restaurants are closed Religious ceremonies including funerals and weddings are postponed Airports remain open but people traveling have to fill out a document explaining why and face a fine or jail if they're caught lying Stores remain open but only if they can ensure people stay 3ft apart Public transport remains open but only for people with a valid work or family reason that cannot be postponed will be allowed to travel Advertisement 'Its not unusual at the beginning for an epidemic like thiswhen no human being on earth has previous exposure to it and no one has immunity to it. 'This doesn't change the fatality rate just the growth rate- we've learned this virus is pretty contagious. 'This graph doesnt say anything about the case fatality rate that might be around two percent but thats still ten times higher than influenza and we have things we can do bout influenza, we dont have a vaccine for this.' The situation in Italy is so bad, some doctors have reported becoming 'overwhelmed' and crying because they cannot stop people from dying and are being forced to choose 'who to save'. Dr. Crane said it was impossible to know if or when the US would reach a similar situation or how long a potential lock-down would last. 'We're waiting to see what happens in Italy and other countries. We're waiting to see - they were under extreme, extreme conditions [in China] where people were not allowed to come out of their house. 'We have no experience of that. Most of the country is much less densely populated so we would not have to implement it everywhere in the rural places in our country, rather tell them to just to maintain social distancing, not to go to bars and night clubs etc. 'We're trying to learn from everyone else whos just a little bit ahead of us. 'If Italys pace of infection, strict isolation policy we'd predict that it would level off but we just dont know how long that will take. 'Were learning as we go,' he said. SAN FRANCISCO, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Postmates announced today that it will be offering additional resources for its fleet and merchants to address the impact the COVID-19, novel coronavirus has had in these communities. For its delivery fleet, Postmates has created a fund that will credit Postmates for the costs of doctors appointments and medical expenses related to COVID-19's impact in over 22 states. For merchants, Postmates will waive restaurant commission fees for new merchants in impacted markets, giving small business owners access to on-demand delivery at no additional cost. Both programs will launch this week. With over half of Americans unable to afford a $400 unexpected expense, the Postmates Fleet Relief Fund will enable couriers to take proactive and preventive personal health care steps by covering costs for medical check-ups, regardless of whether the courier has been diagnosed or quarantined. The fund builds on steps taken by the company over the past several weeks such as issuing CDC guidance to the fleet, and the creation of a new feature that enables non-contact dropoff , inside the app. Members of the Postmates fleet who have made at least one delivery in: Wash., Ore., Calif., Nev., Utah , Colo., Ariz., Texas , Neb., Wis., Ill., Ind., Fla., Ga., Tenn., N.C., D.C., Penn., N.Y., Maine , Mass., and N.J. in the last two weeks will be eligible for a credit from the emergency relief fund, which can be deposited towards the Postmates health savings vehicle (powered by Starship). , Colo., Ariz., , Neb., Wis., Ill., Ind., Fla., Ga., Tenn., N.C., D.C., Penn., N.Y., , Mass., and N.J. in the last two weeks will be eligible for a credit from the emergency relief fund, which can be deposited towards the Postmates health savings vehicle (powered by Starship). Any Postmate not registered with this health account, but interested in the emergency relief credit, may sign up for the Postmates health savings vehicle and be eligible for the stipend to cover needed expenses, irrespective of a diagnosis or quarantine. Individuals can enroll in health savings vehicles (powered by Starship) which can be found under the health section of the Postmates Fleet Flexible Toolkit https://fleet.postmates.com/flexible-toolkit/. Postmates is also unveiling a pilot program for small businesses that want to use the platform during a time where most brick and mortar business owners are seeing a decline in sales and customer foot traffic. The pilot program will temporarily waive commission fees for businesses operating in San Francisco that sign-on with the Postmates platform. This Small Business Relief Pilot will waive all commission fees for businesses that are not currently delivering on the platform and operate in the City of San Francisco , but want to expand into on-demand delivery to help drive revenue as on-premise dining is impacted. , but want to expand into on-demand delivery to help drive revenue as on-premise dining is impacted. Any interested merchants can visit https://postmates.com/partner to establish an account, and start delivering without any additional cost during this pilot. And as always the Postmates platform enables business owners to set their own menu prices. to establish an account, and start delivering without any additional cost during this pilot. And as always the Postmates platform enables business owners to set their own menu prices. We will monitor other cities carefully to potentially evolve the scope of this pilot beyond San Francisco . "Nationally, one in four private sector employees lack access to any sick leave at all. While our ongoing campaigns in California, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois seek to modernize 20th century laws to fit 21st century work for independent workers, now is the time to put aside the politics of the gig economy and work with all stakeholders to develop creative and meaningful emergency support for frontline workers who may be exposed -- it's the right thing to do," said Vikrum Aiyer, Vice President of Public Policy for Postmates. "We know that two thirds of the individuals that carry out deliveries through the Postmates app have health care, but we want to make sure anyone can afford preventative expenses." "Operating a storefront in a major city like San Francisco isn't cheap. And if customers are staying home because they're afraid of getting sick, or because their workplaces are asking them to, then brick-and-mortar businesses are really going to suffer," said Laurie Thomas, Acting Executive Director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association. "News of Postmates lifting its delivery fees for the time being is a compelling example of how delivery platforms can engage with their merchant partners to respond in real-time to market changes, and ultimately support the local smaller restaurants who need it." As part of our ongoing response to COVID-19, Postmates continues to work with all jurisdictions of government, industry representatives, and other stakeholders to form a holistic approach to our response. We will continue to monitor all guidance from the Center for Disease Control and other government experts to continue to form a response in line with the needs of the communities in which we operate. ABOUT POSTMATES Postmates is a leader in on-demand food delivery. The platform gives customers access to the most selection of merchants in the US with more than 600,000 restaurants and retailers available for delivery and pickup, many of which are exclusive to Postmates. The market leader in Los Angeles and markets across the southwest, Postmates covers 80% of US households, across all 50 states. Customers can get free delivery on all merchants by joining Postmates Unlimited, the industry's first subscription service. Learn more or start a delivery by downloading the app or visiting www.postmates.com . SOURCE Postmates Related Links https://www.postmates.com BRUNSWICK, Ohio -- The Brunswick City School District is taking its second stab at a 5.5-mill, 10-year operating levy March 17. An operating levy was defeated at the ballot box in the last general election on Nov. 5. This is basically the same levy, Schools Treasurer Mark Pepera said of Issue 4 following the Brunswick Board of Educations Dec. 16 vote to put the levy before voters a second time. It is expected to generate $6 million, though (the failure Nov. 5) means we lost one full year of revenues, Pepera said. At a March 3 community meeting, Pepera said the district has tried to be as efficient as possible with taxpayer dollars, noting the outsourcing of substitute teachers, application for federal and state grants, and partnership with the Medina County Career Center. Pepera and other administration officials also addressed a number of issues surrounding the levy -- most notably rumors that the district is currently planning to build new high school and the Ohio Department of Educations use of state report card numbers to determine failing schools and allow the use of Ohio EdChoice scholarships. According to the ODE website, EdChoice is a program that provides students from designated public schools the opportunity to attend participating private schools. The problem I have with EdChoice is that these are failing schools, said Patrick Geschke, director of educational programs and innovation for the Brunswick Schools. Huntington (Elementary) got a B on the state report card (this year) and is an EdChoice building. Solon has a school on EdChoice and they are one of the top districts in the state; Dublin has an EdChoice school. Its fundamentally flawed, (because) its based on the report card system. Superintendent Michael Mayell addressed the question of whether the district would come back again for more money to fund a new high school project, even if Issue 4 passes. Mayell said that while the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission has indicated that it would partially fund a high school construction project in the future, that timeline would be determined by the state. The state will come to us and say, well fund half of the project -- which would be $45 (million) to $50 million, he said. But that could be one year, two years, three years. Mayell said that while the district would not turn down $50 million, it would be the communitys decision. The state gives 13 months for a district to pass a bond issue and if they dont, they go to the bottom of the list, he said. I hope you understand, though, that it is a community decision. It would be irresponsible of us not to (put the issue before voters). Medina County commissioners Republican State Rep. and former Medina County commissioner Steve Hambley will face longtime Medina County Commissioner Patricia Giessman in the March 17 primary. Geissman, 79, has served on the commission since 1992. Hambley, 64, has called his decision a return home, pointing out the travel miles to Columbus and a desire to return to teaching at Lorain Community College as reasons for his choice. The winner will face Democrat Michael Conway in November. Conway is an attorney in Brunswick who previously ran for Medina County Common Pleas Court judge in 2016 against Judge Christopher Collier. Medina County voters will see another familiar name, this one on the Democratic county commissioner primary ballot. Michael Kovack, 23, the son of Medina County Auditor Mike Kovack and Medina County Domestic Relations Court Judge Mary Kovack, is facing challenger Carol Brenstuhl March 17. The winner of the Democratic primary will face incumbent Republican Commissioner Bill Hutson in November. For more on the candidates for commissioner and other county offices, click here. Read more news from the Brunswick Sun. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Rizki Fachriansyah and Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, March 11, 2020 06:06 671 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2069bd3d0 1 National COVID-19,COVID-19-Indonesian-patients,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,coronavirus,outbreak,outbreak-in-Indonesia Free Lawmakers have urged the government to bolster interinstitutional coordination to improve the detection of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases across the country, given that a number of patients seem to have slipped under its radar only to be identified later beyond the countrys borders. A 65-year-old Indonesian man referred to as Case 152 in Singapore arrived in the city state on Saturday after having reported symptoms the week before and sought treatment at a hospital in Jakarta on March 2. He visited Singapore General Hospital on Friday and tested positive on Saturday. Meanwhile, a 64-year-old Indonesian man referred to as Case 147 arrived in Singapore on Saturday and tested positive for the virus on Sunday. Singapores Ministry of Health identified both cases as imported cases, meaning they likely contracted the virus before arriving in Singapore. Read also: Indonesia confirms first possible COVID-19 community transmission as cases rise to 27 A 50-year-old Indonesian woman also recently tested positive in Australia after arriving there from Jakarta, but the Indonesian Health Ministry has said it believes she had not contracted the virus in Indonesia. National Mandate Party (PAN) politician Saleh Daulay called on the government to ensure that every ministry, local administration, agency and health center maintain a constant line of communication with one another to improve the identification of COVID-19 cases as the country was still in the early stage of a health emergency. We urge the government to come up with new ideas so that suspected and confirmed cases may be swiftly treated. This may be done by bolstering coordination between ministries, agencies and hospitals. Such an effort would be beneficial for the contact-tracing process, he told The Jakarta Post over the phone on Tuesday, adding that interagency coordination remained lackluster even amid coronavirus concerns. He went on to say that the government had to ensure that all 132 hospitals designated as referral centers for COVID-19 cases across the country were properly equipped to treat patients. Read also: Jakarta designates five more hospitals as COVID-19 referral centers Not only do we need to ensure the treatment of patients but we must also consider the safety of health workers. This is why we need to make sure that every referral center is equipped with an adequate supply of protective gear, Saleh said. Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician Netty Prasetiyani shared Salehs concerns, saying it was imperative that the government improve vertical and horizontal communication channels in its battle against the virus. The recent detection of COVID-19 patients in Singapore may well serve as a reminder for the government to heighten its alertness at home, she told the Post. Make sure that every hospital and health center as well as related agencies and departments are well-coordinated to immediately report suspected coronavirus cases. The Indonesian Embassy in Singapore has again recently urged Indonesian citizens who are in Singapore or planning to visit to be vigilant and to follow the rules and instructions from the city-state authorities, who recently announced that all visitors seeking treatment for COVID-19 would need to pay for their treatment. "The Indonesian Embassy in Singapore would like to again remind all Indonesian citizens in Singapore and Indonesian citizens planning to visit Singapore that the [Disease Outbreak Response System Condition] Orange status still applies in Singapore to overcome COVID-19, so high vigilance is still needed, the embassy said in a statement. Read also: COVID-19: Referral hospitals in West Java lack protective gear, medical equipment Treatment of severe respiratory infections at public hospitals in Singapore typically costs between S$6,000 and $8,000 (US$4,300-5,800), according to the Ministry of Health's website. We expect that all Indonesian citizens follow the [rules of] Singapore authorities on handling the spread of COVID-19, such as maintaining personal health and hygiene, periodically washing hands after activities in public spaces, avoiding crowded places and events when not urgent and immediately seeing a doctor if you experience symptoms, the embassy said in a statement. The Indonesian Health Ministrys disease control and prevention director general, Achmad Yurianto, was not immediately available for comment when contacted by the Post. Korean Air - illustration photo Korean Air, one of the worlds top 20 airlines and carrying more than 26 million passengers in 2018, announced on March 5 that it would conduct passenger temperature checks for all flights departing from Incheon from this date to cope with spreading concerns. The company will be using a total of eight thermal imaging cameras to check the temperatures of all passengers departing from the airport. The move follows an incident of a cabin crew member who had tested positive for coronavirus last month, prompting the airline to shut down its office near Incheon International Airport, where the crew briefing room is located. Many other international airlines are making similar moves. For instance, Japan Airlines said it is disinfecting aircraft travelling to several locations in China. At present, international aviation giants are yet to announce any official financial losses in the Vietnamese market due to the COVID-19, although some have suspended several flights into the country. Responding to VIRs queries about the possible effects on Korean Airs Vietnam operations, Mohd Zakwan Bin Zainal Rashid from the airlines passenger marketing division said that there was no impact on the routes, even though the airline announced on its website last week that several routes between Incheon and destinations in Vietnam had been suspended, with some being postponed until the end of April. However, the South Korean air carrier has suffered initial impacts. According to data from the Centre for Aviation based in Australia and global travel data provider OAG, the number of international seats for Korean Air fell by 32.6 per cent for the week of March 2, compared to the week of January 27. Korean Air commonly operates 21 flights a week from Incheon to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, and flights to the central cities of Danang and Nha Trang 14 and seven times a week, respectively. Meanwhile, Japan Airlines has reduced or cancelled flights to China, South Korea, and Taiwan. Japan Airlines operates a number of flights between Japanese and Vietnamese cities. The airline recently signed a co-operation agreement with Vietjet to further expand the network between the two countries. Vietnams aviation sector, which has boasted a two-digit growth rate since 2008, is an attractive destination to international airlines thanks to growing travel demands. The country is currently pushing efforts to control the COVID-19, continuing to help ensure airlines of its safety. At present, around 60 international airlines carry out flights to Vietnam. Internationally, airlines are set to suffer from a lack of customers. According to the International Civil Aviation Organization, 70 air carriers cancelled all flights to China, while 50 others cut their frequency and could see a loss of $5 billion in the first quarter of 2020. Singapore Airlines also announced almost 700 flight cancellations across its network on account of weakened demand due to the COVID-19 outbreak. In Europe, the continents largest regional airline FlyBe collapsed last Thursday with the loss of more than 2,000 jobs, with the impact from the epidemic pushing it into administration. Globally, the COVID-19 has spread to over 95 countries and territories, killing 3,500 people and infecting over 102,000 as of last Saturday afternoon. As the situation drags on, international air carriers will be forced to endure further losses. Almost everyone I know complains that they dont have enough space in their homes. If theyre not renovating, they are wishing they could. Or planning to move further out of the city so they can afford a bigger house, partly to fit all their stuff. The ones who cant or arent prepared to move have spent a small fortune at Ikea on so-called storage solutions. Some have even called in decluttering experts to help with their problem with stuff. Not enough space? Or too much stuff? Credit:iStock Interior design expert Kathryn Cullen says its not uncommon for clients to claim they need more space, setting up fancy shelving, cupboards and innovative storage solutions. In many cases, however, it doesnt solve the problem. When I go back to these homes a couple of months later there is just as much stuff everywhere as there was before, says Cullen. [March 10, 2020] OneDash Launches Innovative Personal Shopping Messenger App OneDash takes aim at tackling e-commerce cart abandonment by delivering personalized shopping experiences TORONTO, March 10, 2020 /CNW/ -- OneDash, an e-commerce marketing technology startup today announced that it has launched a groundbreaking chat-to-checkout service. OneDash's new messaging platform allows online shoppers to perform direct, in-app, add-to-cart functions, with the option to check out in the very same chat. This new capability eliminates the need to exit a chat session in order to complete a purchase. The announcement took place today at DX3 Canada 2020 in Toronto. OneDash is a bronze sponsor of the event, located at booth 226. Cart abandonment is a major issue facing online retail. A Baymard 2019 Study showed that one out of four shoppers abandons a cart due to inefficient or time-intensive checkout processes. OneDash is addressing this pain point by optimizing the online shopping experience, providing a real-time service for customers to see their purchases from start to finish. "I was looking for a new way to talk about my creative world and showcase my jewellery. OneDash's interactive application allows me to guide the customers into a completely new journey. I tell my story through a video and the spectators can interact at the same moment," said Vanessa Martinelli, CEO of Vanessa Martinelli Fine ewellery. "In just one click they receive all the information on a specific featured product and they can purchase it right at that moment, without breaking the momentum. It's a fantastic new experience." OneDash's app enables interactive video allowing customers to connect with retail outlets, in real time, bringing the online shopping experience to a new level with personal interaction for enhanced customer engagement to boost brand loyalty. "With the global growth of video content, and the promotion of short videos by platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, we realized that the hidden costs are enormous," said Oleksandr Matviishyn CTO of OneDash. "We were driven by the idea of making video more affordable and providing the ability for every business to create, distribute, and monetize their video content, while at the same time, improving the production speed of interactive video content. During the implementation phase, we came up with a few additional ideas like advertising, Messenger commerce, and live streaming to make the platform even more robust." OneDash was ranked in the top five at Google's ICCV 2019 Deepfashion2 Challenge for Artificial Intelligence in 2019. OneDash is supported by a team of well-known advisors from the industry such as Aarif Nakhooda, former CFO for Amazon Singapore. Rayhan Perera, CEO of OneDash, founded the company in 2017 with a vision of creating a more immersive shopping platform, allowing consumers to better engage with brands online. The idea was inspired by his wife describing the challenges she faced while buying cosmetics online."OneDash was born out of the consumer need for a seamless online shopping experience. Chatbots or live chat services are no longer enough. The deal is closed only when the payment button is clicked. Our goal is to create the simplest, most pain-free experience for customers who wish to chat with a brand or salesperson and complete a purchase without ever having to leave a chat," explained Rayhan. OneDash is available on Apple's iTunes Store and will be available on the Android play store in July 2020. Users can also download for free through the OneDash platform or any official OneDash merchant. About OneDash OneDash is a Singapore-based technology company providing digital solutions using Artificial Intelligence to help brands interact better with their customers. OneDash's video e-commerce solution utilizes multi-faceted tools that allow brands to provide a unique, real time shopping experience to their audiences. OneDash currently has offices in Dubai and Singapore and is trusted by brands all over the world. Visit us at: https://onedash.com/ For Media Inquiries: Joanne Hogue Smart Connections PR for OneDash (410) 658-8246 [email protected] PRecious Communications for OneDash Email: [email protected] Tel: +65 6303 0567 For DX3 Toronto [email protected] SOURCE OneDash [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Brampton, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2020) - Star Navigation Systems Group Ltd. (CSE: SNA) (CSE: SNA.CN) ("Star" or the "Company") announces that on March 6, 2020, the Ontario Securities Commission ("OSC") partially revoked the cease trade order issued against the Company on November 1, 2019 (the "CTO") for failing to file certain outstanding continuous disclosure documents in a timely manner. The Company applied for the partial revocation order ("Partial Revocation Order") to: Complete an exempt non-brokered private placement ("Private Placement") of up to 80,000,000 units (the "Private Placement Units") at a purchase price of $0.025 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $2,000,000. Each Private Placement Unit will consist of 1 common share and 1 warrant to purchase 1 common share, exercisable at a price of $0.05 for 12 months from the date of issuance; and Convert $1,353,243 of debt (the "Debt Conversion") held by certain shareholders into 67,662,150 units (the "Debt Conversion Units"). Each Debt Conversion Unit will be issued at a deemed price of $0.05 per Debt Conversion Unit and consist of 1 common share and 1 warrant to purchase 1 common share, exercisable at a price of $0.05 for 12 months from the date of issuance. (The Private Placement and the Debt Conversion are collectively referred to herein as the "Financing.") The proceeds of the Private Placement will be used to pay outstanding fees owed to the Company's auditors as well as for other general working capital purposes. Completion of the Private Placement will allow the Company to prepare and file all outstanding continuous disclosure documents with the applicable regulatory authorities. Once those filings have been completed, the Company will apply for a full revocation of the CTO. Prior to completion of the Financing, each potential investor will receive a copy of the CTO and the Partial Revocation Order, and will be required to provide an acknowledgement to the Company that all of the Company's securities, including the shares and warrants issued in connection with the Financing, will remain subject to the CTO until such order is fully revoked, and that the granting of the Partial Revocation Order by the OSC does not guarantee the issuance of a full revocation order in the future. In addition, in accordance with applicable securities legislation, all common shares and warrants issued pursuant to the Financing will be subject to a hold period of four months and a day from the closing date of the Financing. The Partial Revocation Order will terminate on the earlier of: (i) the completion of the Financing, and (ii) May 5, 2020, being 60 days from the date on which the Partial Revocation Order was issued. About Star Navigation: Star Navigation Systems Group Ltd. owns the exclusive worldwide license to its proprietary, patented In-flight Safety Monitoring System, STAR-ISMS , the heart of the STAR-A.D.S. and of the STAR-ISAMM / STAR-LSAMM Systems. Its real-time capability of tracking performance trends and predicting incident-occurrence enhances aviation safety and improves fleet management while reducing costs for the operator. Star's M.M.I. Division designs and manufactures high performance, mission critical, flight deck flat panel displays for defence and commercial aviation industries worldwide. These displays are found on aircraft and simulators, from C-130 aircraft, to Sikorsky and Agusta Westland helicopters, as examples. Stars' subsidiary, Star-Isoneo Inc., is a specialised software firm, developing complex solutions in engineering, simulation and development for Canadian customers. Star-Isoneo works closely with Star in the development of the Company's MEDEVAC (STAR-ISAMM and STAR-LSAMM ) applications of the patented STAR-A.D.S. technology, and on its current R&D program with Bombardier. Certain statements contained in this Release constitute forward-looking statements. When used in this document, the words "may", "would", "could", "will", "expected", "intend" and similar expressions, as they relate to Star or its management or board are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect Star's current views with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many other factors could cause Star's actual performance or achievements to vary from those described herein. Should one or more of these factors or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Star does not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this release. Please visit www.star-navigation.com or contact Mr. Peter Clausi, Interim CEO at 1 416 890 1232 or peter.clausi@star-navigation.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/53310 United Airlines on Tuesday reported a 70% drop in domestic demand in the last few days and said it will make more deep cuts to flights in the coming months as the coronavirus keeps travelers at home. United's net bookings, which include new reservations minus cancellations, have collapsed in Asia and Europe, said Scott Kirby, the airline's president who is scheduled to take over as CEO from Oscar Munoz in May. While domestic net bookings are down 70%, gross bookings are down 25%, which Kirby said are a better measure of current demand. "While those numbers are encouraging compared to international, we're planning for the public concern about the virus to get worse before it gets better," he said at the J.P. Morgan Industrials Conference, which was webcast due to the coronavirus. Kirby's assessment was one of the grimmest yet on the virus's impact on carriers. The airline and its competitors are now racing to cut costs and preserve liquidity, warning trends could worsen. Still, Kirby and other executives speaking at the conference said that U.S. airlines have stronger balance sheets and more revenue streams, such as those from co-branded credit cards, that would help them weather the impact. United shares were up 12% to $52.35 on Tuesday afternoon. United is expecting to cut May flights by 20% from its original plan, and it foresees cuts "each month after that to be at least as large or larger until we see concrete signs of returning demand," Kirby said. The airline last week said it would cut domestic flights by 10% and international seat capacity by 20%. Kody Brown and his fourth wife, Robyn Brown, have always seemed to get along. But on the Mar. 8 episode of TLCs Sister Wives, A Breaking Point, fans saw Kody and Robyn have their biggest onscreen fight ever. When Robyns rental home in Flagstaff, the Brown familys new hometown after moving from Las Vegas, was sold by the owner, the mom of five hoped to find another rental. But Kody insisted they buy a home instead, thus potentially delaying the familys move out to Coyote Pass, the familys sprawling Arizona property. Robyn and Kody fought over renting or buying in front of their five children (three adopted by Kody from Robyns first marriage, and two biological) on the latest episode. Aurora Brown, Robyn and Kodys 17-year-old daughter, became so stressed during the argument that she had a panic attack. After Sister Wives fans criticized the family for allowing Auroras panic attack to be filmed, Robyn took to Twitter to defend their decision. Robyn, Aurora, Janelle, Meri, Mariah, Gwendlyn, Aspyn, Christine, and Mykelti Brown | Gabe Ginsberg/FilmMagic Aurora described her panic attacks after watching her parents argue As Kody and Robyn began to bicker in front of their kids, Aurora started to twitchan obvious tell for the start of one of her panic attacks, which she described as happening four to five times a week in recent months. Auroras panic attacks are sometimes triggered by stress, Robyn explained. If she has a high stress situation, she will have a panic attack, Kody agreed. And, according to Kody, Auroras anxiety was particularly linked to his relationship with Robyn. Because he and Robyn were Auroras safe place, the Sister Wives star said, It stresses Aurora out when Mom and I are not totally in love and harmonious. He explained that, during her panic attacks, Aurora felt unable to walk or even speak. The teens voice began to quiver as she asked her parents to calm down. Can you stop the word battle, or power? she asked nervously. Kody finally carried Aurora out of the living room and up to her bedroom as she struggled to regain control of her breathing. We just need to get her out of this room, we just need to get her up to her bedroom, Robyn declared. Aurora herself opened up about how it felt to have panic attacks, and even the guilt she sometimes felt about them. I still struggle to convince myself that Im not the one causing it, the Sister Wives star admitted. Like Im not the one instigating it. And knowing that its not my fault is not a bad thing, its just hard. As for what it felt like to have panic attacks, Aurora explained that it was pure overwhelm. My mind starts going a million miles an hour and nowhere at all, she told Sister Wives producers. Some Sister Wives fans thought the discussion should have been kept private While some Sister Wives fans expressed empathy for Auroras panic attacks and shared stories about their own mental health symptoms, others thought the Brown family shouldnt have allowed their minor daughters panic attack to be filmed. I bet you people are really proud of yourselves, one critic wrote on Twitter after the episode. Exploiting a kid having a panic attack to keep the money rolling is just gross. Is there anything you wont do to keep Kody flush with cash? Another Sister Wives viewer agreed that it was an inappropriate moment to film, writing, So lets have our daughters panic attack be televisedthatll help things along. Yet another fan wrote on Twitter, Cant believe you would allow your child to be filmed during her panic attack. Meanwhile, other Sister Wives fans thought Auroras panic attack was clearly triggered by Robyn and Kodys argument. Several wondered why her parents would choose to fight in front of her in the first place, given that they knew about her mental health symptoms. Maybe try to keep some of the stress off your daughter by NOT involving the kids in adult discussions? one viewer wrote. Did you cause last nights attack? Well, you certainly contributed to it, based on what we saw. Another fan argued that Kody and Robyn werent helping Aurora with her mental health symptoms by involving her in adult issues like real estate and the buying vs. renting debate. No wonder I connect with the girl I now know is Aurora- I can feel her panic, the Twitter user wrote. Sorry Kody is an a** and is contributing to your panic attacks by not handling adult problems as an adult with adults away from children. Robyn took to Twitter to defend her choice to allow Aurora to film But Robyn took to Twitter during the Sister Wives episode to explain and defend the Browns choice to allow Auroras panic attacks to be televised. Aurora started having real panic attacks when things got super stressful when were told we had to move, Robyn began. It was hard for her to think about moving again and she had a lot going on since it was her junior year. It was super hard to see her struggle. The 41-year-old continued by describing the mental health treatment and support her teen daughter was receiving to help with her panic attacks. She has seen doctors to help her and we did a lot to support her through everything she was going through, Robyn wrote. She is so accomplished and still is doing very well in school. She is my ove achiever and expects a lot of herself. It was a very stressful hard time for her. Most importantly, the Sister Wives star explained, Aurora gave full consent to discuss her mental health on camera. Robyn emphasized that it was fully Auroras choice to do so, and that none of the adults in her life would have pushed her to talk about it. Aurora was given the choice whether to let her panic attack be included on the show, Robyn wrote. She just wanted to be able to talk about what it is like to have a panic attack too. She wants to bring awareness so people are more sensitive and supportive to those who have them. Sexual harassment has long been considered as a taboo in Lebanon. But for some time now, tongues started to loosen. Women are daring to talk about sexual harassment, sometimes loudly and bluntly, denouncing it and making accusations. Feminists are pressing for the criminalization of this abusive misconduct by men and their power over women, whether at home, at work or in public. This is a reality that translates into insistent looks, hissing, inappropriate compliments, remarks of a sexual nature, sexual innuendos, and clear sexual prompts (with or without groping), in addition to promises of career promotions and veiled threats reaching the point of aggression and even rape. Sexual harassment has perpetuated in Lebanon for generations, with total impunity. It is one of the major reasons why the work rate of Lebanese women remains very low, as women constitute only 20% of the workforce, according to "Towards a safer workplace study carried out in 2018 by the Arab Foundation for Freedom and Equality (AFE). Only 15% of companies recognize this reality as being a problem that needs to be resolved through concrete measures, the study finds out. The popular uprising (Thawra) that broke out in October 2019 highlighted the magnitude of the challenge within a patriarchal and machismo society, which continues to discriminate against its women in its legislation and practices. The Lebanese women joined the protests where they expressed their frustrations, with slogans, demands, songs and dances. But such a movement has started long before, when in 2016 the digital platform "HarassTracker" was launched to inform women on how to protect themselves and warn off their harassers. But can we say that fear has dissipated and women are talking freely about this problem? What is the role of the Thawra in this development? And will the feminist demands be heard by an establishment which, for years, has promised in vain to make this cause its priority? The story of a tarnished reputation Randa has suffered from harassment for seven years at her workplace. She was 25 years old when she was raped by her employer, and forced into having regular sexual relations with him. He continuously threatened to fire her when she refuses to meet him in his office. The young woman finally filed a complaint after suffering from deep depression and unfair dismissal. "I have endured all these years because I needed to work. But I ended up resorting to justice with the support of my family, to flee this hell, she revealed, hoping that summoning her former tormentor to the Hobeish police station in Beirut will pay off. When her boss denied all wrongdoing, and tried to tarnish her reputation, she emphasized: "I'm not the only woman facing such a situation. She explained that she filed a complaint so that all female employees do not end up being victims like me; so that they do not allow their bosses to destroy their lives, the way my boss destroyed mine." Nayla * has not filed a complaint yet. She chose to keep as evidence the sexual messages sent to her by the campaign director of the political party to which she is affiliated. She promises to use them as soon as a law against sexual harassment is adopted. "I was considering to stand for election. He persistently requested sexual favors from me, knowing fully well that I was married and that I was not interested", she said. So when she told her supervisor that she refuses to have sex with him, he hurriedly informed the party leader that she was "useless and inefficient." "Of course, my chances have evaporated", she said regretfully, stating that now she fully understands why women do not reach leadership positions. But it was nothing compared to what she felt. "I felt guilty while I did nothing wrong. I still feel I want to throw up." Unfortunate experiences such as those of Randa and Nayla are numerous in Lebanon. And if the vast majority of women are reluctant to openly denounce sexual harassment of which they are victims, it is because "the society generally blames them" for what it considers as an attack on their honor, said activist Ghida Anani, co-founder of the feminist NGO Abaad. "Not to mention the consequences, including the willingness to tarnish their reputation", said Nay Rai, founder of HarassTracker. Thus, it is not surprising that no law has seen the light to put an end to these violations of womens rights. A new generation with an avant-garde discourse At the heart of the rallies organized during the popular uprising, the new generation, not only the activists, seems to be advancing a new civic reflection that is quickly gaining ground. "Not only have young women made their mark in the public arena, but they have successfully articulated their rights, needs and demands with precision, including the demand for protection from all forms of harassment", said Anani, welcoming "a very advanced discourse: the result of obvious awareness". This discourse was accompanied on social networks, by a campaign which turned into a manhunt against individuals accused of sexual harassment, including the infamous Marwan H. "It is obvious that since October 17, freedom of speech has been unleashed, said Nay Ra'i. On social media and in the streets, women are sharing their bad experiences, divulging names, and denouncing the power of thugs, because they now feel more protected. This is probably thanks to the emerging solidarity towards them, which is also being expressed by men, and which is a first step towards justice. As for the younger ones, who are attentive to the claims of their elders, they now want to understand. "Teenage girls are challenging me on the issue and are demanding to be informed during discussion groups about their freedom of decision", said Zahraa Dirany, a young leader from the "She Decides" pro-feminist campaign. Others, including attorney Karim Nammur and the feminist association Nasawiya, consider that liberalization of speech was initiated by the #MeToo movement, which has encouraged women to speak out on rape and sexual assault. Nammur, a member of Legal Agenda, is behind a 2012 law proposal against sexual bullying and harassment. "Anyway, it shows that the debate has become public, and is showing the extent of harassment against women in Lebanon", he noted. Media support of women Even the media has been affected by this wave of free speech and is speaking out more openly against sexual harassment. "This is to the point that kissing female TV reporters, once considered a cute thing, is no longer tolerated, said Myra Abdullah, program director for Women in News. "In fact, this wave started well before the October uprising, and stems from demands for social justice", she said. It has "grown with the Thawra, given the significant role of women in public debates, pushing the society to have a different look at women in particular". The media has also played an important role in supporting women, according to Manar Zeaiter, a lawyer and womens rights specialist at ESCWA. Zeaiter salutes "the press permanent engagement towards women victims of abuse and violence". During a period of four months, the popular uprising has broken both feminine and political taboos. "But this is still not enough. What matters now is that women are not alone in this fight. The perceived change is not limited to speaking about sexual harassment, but also includes now "the entire social debate." AFE Research Center director Noor Nasr also stressed the need to look at the issue in relation to the "womans consent". Referring to the accusations against Marwan H., Nasr noted that "the mobilization of women made it possible, for the first time in Lebanon, to bring a case of sexual harassment to justice". On March 3, a few days before International Women's Day, the Lebanese National Commission for Women (CNFL), chaired by Claudine Aoun Roukoz, presented a bill criminalizing sexual harassment in an apparent response to the street demands. The move, put forward through George Adwan, an MP affiliated to the Lebanese Forces, aspires to be "avant-garde", and intends to "combine previous proposals and projects," by proposing amendments to the penal code and the labor code. "We have gone very far, said Roukoz to L' Orient-Le Jour. But at the same time, we have chosen a definition of harassment that will not be contested in Parliament. Without a law to criminalize sexual harassment, Lebanese women cannot hope for any real breakthrough regarding this issue. * First names have been changed (This article has originally been published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour on the 7th of March) 95, formally of Niantic, CT passed away peacefully on March 7, 2020 at Brookdale, Santa Catalina, Tucson, Arizona where she resided for the past four years. She was born on February 21, 1925 in Somerville, MA, the only child of the late Alton L. and Hazel (Libby) Thompson. She was predeceased by her loving husband of 59 years, Richard L. Lougee, in 2004. Raised and educated in New London, CT, she was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Connecticut College (formerly Connecticut College for Women). Upon Richard's return from Europe where he flew 24 missions over Germany as a B24 navigator for which he received the Distinguished Flying Cross, he and Barbara married in 1945. She and Richard moved to Niantic, CT where they lived for 37 years. She was elected East Lyme's Probate Judge in 1962, holding the office for 24 years. During her judgeship she served as a faculty member of the National College of Probate Judges at three of its annual conferences. She was the first women chosen as president of the Connecticut Probate Assembly overseeing the 131-seat assembly of probate judges. The American Association of University Women (AAUW) - Midland Branch will hold its annual meeting at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, March 19, at the Grace A. Dow Library Community Room. The meeting will include the election of branch officers and delegates to the state convention. The parallel inaugurations by Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah pose a challenge to intra-Afghan talks, analysts say. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was finally inaugurated for a second term on Monday in the capital Kabul nearly six months after the elections that were marred by vote-rigging and record low turnout. But his main political rival Abdullah Abdullah, who has also declared himself winner citing fraud in September election, organised a parallel swearing-in ceremony throwing the country into a fresh crisis. The development comes more than a week after the United States signed an agreement with the Taliban armed group, aimed at ending the longest US war. As part of the pact signed in the Qatari capital Doha on February 29, all Afghan factions, including the Taliban, are expected to sit at the negotiating table to arrive at a peace deal. Other terms of the deal include the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan within 14 months in exchange for Taliban security commitments. The US has already begun the withdrawal of its troops. Analysts say the political standoff will weaken Kabuls position during the talks with the Taliban. Here is what you need to know: What are Ghanis next steps? Ghani seems to have got an upper hand over Abdullah after he was backed by foreign diplomats including US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and NATO forces commander Scott Miller. One of his first announcements was the formation of a negotiating team for the intra-Afghan talks which have now been delayed due to the crisis. They were originally expected to be held on Tuesday at an undisclosed location. In a rebuke to Abdullah, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a statement saying that Washington strongly opposes the creation of a parallel government and any use of force to resolve political differences. The reaction came after Khalilzad failed to convince the two leaders to reach a compromise. Ghani, who previously refused to honour prisoner swap deal between the US and the Taliban, has now said he was not averse to releasing Taliban prisoners to move the peace process forward. In his speech on Monday, Ghani promised to announce a decree to free the prisoners. What are Abdullahs options? This was the third presidential election that Abdullah unsuccessfully contested which was marred by fraud allegations. Abdullah negotiated himself the position of chief executive as part of a power-sharing agreement brokered by the US following the 2014 election. But he hardly got along with Ghani. He has emerged as one of the most prominent Afghan leaders with a political base sourced from the countrys diverse ethnic groups. During his inauguration speech, Abdullah also announced his commitment to the peace process. The first priority of our government is creating political stability and forming a negotiating team. We are committed to sacrificing to achieve peace and we will not spare self-sacrifice in this case, Abdullah said. Analysts say the political bickering will prove to be the main challenge to form an all-inclusive team for intra-Afghan talks. Abdullah has the support of key political leaders who can oppose any agenda Ghani is holding in his mind, Faiz Muhammad Zaland, a political analyst based in Kabul, told Al Jazeera. Therefore it will be very difficult for Ghani to go alone with intra-Afghan talks. Secondly, Taliban will not talk to any such team opposed by the rest of political leaders. Another analyst said Abdullahs sidelining does not bode well for the peace process. I think the US did not hear Abdullahs concerns about the elections. The absence of the US diplomats in his inauguration ceremony is a sign that he has been abandoned by the US. Which means he [Abdullah] may challenge the US and Taliban deal, Mohammad Shafiq Hamdam, former deputy senior adviser to President Ghani and senior adviser to NATO in Afghanistan, told Al Jazeera. Lets not forget that he leads the majority of the leaders and Mujahideen commanders who fought against the Taliban, so his support for the intra-Afghan negotiation is critical. Where does the US stand? The US, on the other hand, announced it was moving ahead with troops pullout even as President Donald Trump earlier said Taliban could possibly seize power in the country. In a statement released on Monday, US Forces-Afghanistan (USFOR-A) spokesman Colonel Sonny Leggett said the reduction of troops is in line with the US-Afghanistan joint declaration and the US-Taliban deal. Leggett also said the military has begun its reduction of forces to 8,600 within 135 days and complete withdrawal within 14 months in line with the agreement. Currently, the US has about 13,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, out of which 8,000 are involved in training and advising Afghan National Security Forces. US support for peace in Afghanistan is unwavering, but the Afghan government is divided, weaker and fragile than ever before, Hamdam, the former Ghani adviser, said. I have the feeling that the Afghan government is on the verge of collapse, and the two presidents at the same time can take Afghanistan to a bloody civil war. SASKATOON, Saskatchewan, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Grow Solutions Holdings, Inc. (OTCPink: GRSO) recently engaged CONCEPT PLUS Architecture and Engineering Inc. ("CONCEPT PLUS"; "CPAE") to be the trusted advisor on structural, architectural and material choices for the first Pure Roots Urban Farm with Foundation Farms Corp. in Surrey, B.C. In the 20 years the founding members of CONCEPT PLUS have been working together, they have developed a wealth of experience on projects with unique technical requirements such as laboratories, food processing facilities, modular buildings, and fast-track construction. This experience has developed a strong working knowledge of regulatory standards for food products, and the scientific rigour and discipline necessary to develop indoor food production facilities to meet our vision at Grow Solutions. As Grow Solutions continues the course to manufacture the first Pure Roots Urban Farm this year the team has reached out to multiple disciplines to assist with different aspects of the project. Our team has been consulting with Engcomp and CONCEPT PLUS to go over each intricacy of the AeroPod and accompanying processing facility. Working with CONCEPT PLUS will ensure that the permitting process for the Urban Farm is completed and filed with minimal revisions needed. Registered with the Architectural Institute of British Columbia and the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia, CONCEPT PLUS has the necessary working knowledge to ensure the structural requirements and building materials are fulfilling the standards and building codes of Surrey, B.C. "There are many considerations when building in different locations and each consideration must be reviewed from a technical and process perspective," stated Dustin Maki, VP of Procurement and Technical Integration at AeroGrow Manufacturing. He continues, "Our goal is to ensure compliance while making no sacrifice to the growing process that has been developed by the Grow Solutions team." Thomas Nahachewsky, Director of CONCEPT PLUS, states "Contributing to the technological advancement of this concept has far reaching potential at many levels, and the application of a developed process can readily be imagined in environmentally challenging areas throughout the world. We are very excited! How often can one be involved in an innovative project with global potential that integrates so many of our interests and so much of our experience?" As Grow Solutions gears up to deliver multiple urban farms throughout North America, CONCEPT PLUS has stepped up to the plate to fill some of the technical gaps needed for these projects. Chad Fischl, CEO of Grow Solutions, states "working with CONCEPT PLUS has given us more experience with our extended team as we continue to vet potential opportunities for different geographic locations. The depth and strength of their team helps us deliver on our aggressive growth strategy across North America." Read more about Grow Solutions Holdings, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary Pure Roots Holding, Ltd., on our official website, as well as further information about the Company and its latest news releases at http://www.aerogrowmanufacturing.com , www.purerootsfarms.com , www.grsoinvest.com . Chad Fischl Chief Executive Officer and Director PO Box 2869 Jackson, WY 83001 (360) 612-0180 Source: Grow Solutions Holdings, Inc. (GRSO) OTCPink: GRSO Released March 10, 2020 This press release may include certain statements that are forward-looking in nature and that involve a number of uncertainties and risks. Such forward-looking statements are within the meaning of that term in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on Grow Solutions Holdings, Inc., current expectations and projections regarding future events, which are based on currently available information. The forward-looking statements in this press release may also include statements relating to Grow Solutions Holdings, Inc.'s anticipated new developments, business prospects, financial performance, strategies and similar matters. Grow Solutions Holdings, Inc. disclaims any obligation to update any of its forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law. SOURCE Grow Solutions Holdings, Inc. (GRSO) Related Links https://www.grsoinvest.com A student was collected by a relative covered head to toe in trash bags Monday after a worker at his Tennessee school was quarantined over coronavirus fears. Footage taken by Fox13 shows another youngster was sprayed with disinfectant as he left Treadwell Middle School. One mother used wipes to clean down her son, telling the network: 'Nobody wants their child to be sick and nobody wants their child to take that virus to their house.' Annie Jones wore a face mask, plastic bags on her head, feet and under her clothes to pick up her nephew Monday. She said: 'They aint giving us no up to date about whats going on. We dont know.' The drastic measures taken by parents at Treadwell Middle School came after officials there confirmed an employee had been quarantined. That worker is said to have come into contact with the first confirmed coronavirus case in the county, the Shelby County Health Department confirmed Monday. Scroll down for video Annie Jones wore a face mask, plastic bags on her head, feet and under her clothes to pick up her nephew Monday. She said: 'They aint giving us no up to date about whats going on' Footage shows another youngster was sprayed with disinfectant as he left school on Monday Video courtesy of Fox13 Officials there insist the threat to the general public and school-age children remains low. They said in a statement: 'Please note that quarantine helps keep the spread of any illness to a minimum and is not an immediate cause for alarm. 'SCS supports this very cautious approach, there is no expected risk to school-age children at this time.' A number of parents are said to have removed their children from the school. Grandparent Willie Wilson told Fox 13: 'It's overseas, now it's on the homefront. It's a war here within.' Parent Latrice Colbert said: 'I know this is very serious so Im just going to make him a doctor's appointment and get him checked out. 'Im trying to be cautious with my children, myself and my husband washing our hands frequently. Every ten to fifteen minutes.' Annie Jones, pictured, wore a face mask, plastic bags on her head, feet and under her clothes The drastic measures taken by parents at Treadwell Middle School, pictured, came after officials there confirmed an employee had been quarantined There are currently 795 cases of the virus in the US and 28 people have died from it. And fears over the rapidly growing number of coronavirus cases in the US has led to questions over whether America will be forced to go into lockdown like parts of Italy and China, the countries which have been so far the worst-hit by the epidemic. President Trump adamantly stated on Monday during the day that nothing in the country was shutting down or failing due to the virus, despite financial chaos that brought Wall Street its worst day since 2008, a mass of school closures and growing number of diagnoses across the country. On Monday night, he conceded that the stock exchange chaos had 'blindsided' him but still urged people not to panic. Trump later announced an economic bailout plan which would help alleviate the immediate damage of the crisis. The SEC became the first federal agency to tell people to work from home on Tuesday. New York City mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday morning that the city would not be shutting down due to 'undue fear' but that he could not rule out a lockdown in the future. As voters head to the polls in five states across the country for "Big Tuesday", the latest predictions show Joe Biden sweeping each state in what would be a devastating blow to Bernie Sanders and what appears to be his increasingly long odds of becoming the Democratic nominee. While close, the primaries across the country could serve as a clarifying moment in the campaign, especially if Mr Biden pulls off decisive wins that cement his status as frontrunner. The projected wins, as compiled by the website FiveThirtyEight, would include states that Mr Sanders won just four years ago against Hillary Clinton, who eventually became the nominee after a long nominating season that saw both candidates slogging it out until the end. But Mr Biden may open up a wider lead on Tuesday, when Michigan, Washington, Missouri, Mississippi, Idaho and North Dakota head to the polls. In Michigan, which has been seen as a crucial state for Mr Sanders after he won there in 2016 with 29.8 per cent of the vote, Mr Biden has pulled ahead over the past week or so, and is being given 99 per cent chance of winning the most votes in the state. In Washington, which Mr Sanders won in 2016 with 72 per cent of the vote, Mr Biden has also pulled ahead in recent polls. The former vice president has been given a 60 per cent chance of winning the most votes there. Missouri appears to be another strong state for Mr Biden, after sweeping through the South on Super Tuesday, relying on strong support from African American voters there. He has been given a 99 per cent chance of winning that contest. Mr Sanders lost in 2016 to Ms Clinton, who got 49.6 per cent support compared to Mr Sanders 49.4 per cent. Mississippi, meanwhile, is another projected blowout for Mr Biden, with a projected 99 per cent chance of him winning the most votes there. Ms Clinton received 82.6 per cent of the states vote in 2016, compared to Mr Sanders 16.5 per cent. Idaho so far appears to have a closer race for Mr Biden, though he still has an 81 per cent chance of winning, compared to Mr Sanders 19 per cent chance. Mr Sanders received 78 per cent of the vote in 2016, compared to Ms Clintons 21.2 per cent. North Dakota is also projected heavily in Mr Bidens favour, with him having a 93 per cent chance of winning there. Mr Sanders won the state with 64.2 per cent of the vote, compared to Ms Clintons 25.6 per cent. One final election result can be expected on Tuesday night from Democrats abroad, who have been voting in recent days. Mr Biden has been given a 65 per cent chance of winning the most votes among those Democrats. Beyond those projections, Mr Sanders and political observers will be watching to see how much of a margin Mr Biden might run up. Since the states are not winner-take-all, Mr Sanders could still amass a notable number of delegates on Tuesday, and potentially stay competitive in the days head. And, with relatively limited post-Super Tuesday polling to rely upon, voters may yet provide some surprises. With the outbreak of the coronavirus, volatility has become a seemingly ever-present facet of the stock market. Since the end of February, the major U.S. indexes have experienced violent swings in either direction, with these movements culminating in a circuit breaker being triggered on March 9 after the S&P 500 slipped by over 7%. While the current economic landscape has spurred fear among investors, others view market volatility as a possible avenue to huge rewards. Pointing to the healthcare sector specifically, those ready to take on some risk cite the potential returns that can be delivered should a name inhabiting this space release positive data or receive FDA approval. As healthcare companies generally rely on these few key indicators, the results can either send shares skyrocketing or down the drain. Bearing this in mind, we used TipRanks Stock Screener to identify three beaten-down biotech stocks that have significant catalysts coming up. The tool not only revealed that each of these Buy-rated tickers has attracted significant praise from analysts, all three also boast lofty upside potential. Heres the scoop. MyoKardia Inc. (MYOK) This biotech name specializes in developing cutting-edge therapies for orphan cardiovascular diseases like hypertrophic obstructive and non-obstructive cardiomyopathy as well as dilated cardiomyopathy. Despite the year-to-date hit shares have taken, analysts are betting on MyoKardia ahead of an important data readout. During the second quarter of 2020, the company is expected to release data from the Phase 3 EXPLORER trial, which is evaluating its mavacamten therapy in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (oHCM). Management stated in its Q4 earnings call that 50% of oHCM patients are treated by 2,800 cardiologists, and the company is planning on targeting this physician group. Additionally, the HCM awareness campaign, which began in November, also stands to benefit MYOK by increasing awareness of the disease, with a new online resource being added for doctors this spring. Story continues For BMO Capitals George Farmer, the previous mavacamten data is what has him excited about MYOKs prospects. We believe the primary endpoint will be met in EXPLORER for the following reasons: (1) the unprecedented efficacy profile with improved pVO2 and NYHA achieved with mavacamten in PIONEER sustained over 48 weeks; (2) the attractive mavacamten safety profile that emerged from the placebo-controlled nHCM MAVERICK trial (note here); and (3) the apparent utility of monitoring LVOT gradient in order to achieve optimal dosing in the oHCM treatment setting, the analyst explained. While Farmer added that the impact of mavacamten on left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) has been a cause for concern, he argues that the trials design to include careful dose-titration could reduce some of the risk. To this end, the five-star analyst stays with the bulls, reiterating his Outperform rating. Along with the call, the assigned $90 price target implies that shares could climb 57% higher in the next year. (To watch Farmers track record, click here) What does the rest of the Street have to say? It turns out all 7 analysts that have published a recent review see the stock as a Buy, making the consensus rating a Strong Buy. At $85.83, the average price target implies 50% upside potential. (See MyoKardia stock analysis on TipRanks) Cara Therapeutics (CARA) By developing a class of peripherally acting kappa opioid agonist therapies, Cara Therapeutics is hoping to provide a more effective treatment option for chronic pruritis (itchy skin). While Cara shares tumbled nearly 17% year-to-date, some biotech pros see the upcoming top-line KALM-2 efficacy data release as being a major turning point. Back in October, the healthcare company increased the patient enrollment for the study by 20% to 430 patients at the request of an Independent Data Monitoring Committee (IDMC). KALM-2 is the second of two trials looking at the intravenous (IV) form of its CR845 drug in hemodialysis patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD)-associated pruritis, the results of which are slated for a Q2 2020 announcement. Weighing in on CARA for Piper Sandler, analyst David Amsellem explains that the increase in the number of patients was likely due to the fact that the KALM-2 study has more patient variability because its sites are located in multiple countries, while KALM-1 was only in the U.S. Given that CR845 was highly statistically superior to placebo in the KALM-1 study (to the tune of a very strong p-value of .000019) and that KALM-2 has essentially the same design as KALM-1 (refer to our note on 10/14/19 for more details), we would be surprised to see results from KALM-2 diverge dramatically from KALM-1, the analyst commented. On top of this, Amsellem also highlights the oral form of the candidate as setting the company up for serious growth. While oral CR845 failed to impress in its Phase 2 study as it missed on a responder analysis at week 12, a large and well-powered pivotal study could go a long way for CARA. With this in mind, Amsellem stated, We continue to believe that both the IV and oral forms of CR845 will reach the market, driving a potentially $1 billion-plus franchise and hence transformative value creation. In line with his optimistic approach, Amsellem left his Overweight call and $39 price target intact. Should this target be met, a twelve-month gain of 187% could be in the cards. (To watch Amsellems track record, click here) Judging by the consensus breakdown, the analyst communitity is on the same page. Given that 4 Buys have been issued in the last three months compared to no Holds or Sells, the message is clear: CARA is a Strong Buy. While less aggressive than Amsellems forecast, the $33.50 average price target still suggests 148% upside potential. (See Cara stock analysis on TipRanks) Eloxx Pharmaceuticals (ELOX) With the goal of treating rare and ultra-rare premature stop codon diseases, Eloxx has become one of the leaders in the eukaryotic ribosomal selective glycosides (ERSG) space. Even though shares suffered a beating after cystinosis data for its already approved Procysbi product was released last month, Janney analyst Yun Zhong sees a key upcoming catalyst related to its investigational candidate, ELX-02, as capable of driving a turnaround. Zhong points out that each of the three patients in the low-dose cohort from Procysbi's clinical study had gone through renal transplantation, with the result indicating that data interpretation from transplant patients could be difficult. In his opinion, this makes the recent sell-off of ELOX overdone. The analyst added, We believe Eloxx will modify the protocol after the ongoing data review with cystinosis experts and we believe a higher dose and a younger patient population could lead to improved efficacy. Additionally, Zhong thinks the top-line data readout for the Phase 2 study of ELX-02 in cystic fibrosis (CF) in first half of 2020 represents a significant catalyst, stating that he doesnt believe there will be a readthrough from the Procysbi results. It should be noted that the CF program features two Phase 2 open-label studies located in the U.S. and Israel. With patient enrollment expected to wrap up in the first quarter of 2020, Zhong believes a positive outcome is likely. Based on data from the Phase II study of Kalydeco in CF patients with the G551D mutation, we believe a reasonable expectation would be to see a meaningful change from baseline in sweat chloride, which will serve as the primary biomarker for ELX-02 dose selection for pivotal studies, he commented. This reduction in sweat chloride is essential as it could allow the candidate to progress to a pivotal Phase. Taking all of this into consideration, Zhong recommends snapping up shares on recent weakness. Along with a Buy rating, he puts a $14 price target on the stock. This conveys his confidence in ELOXs ability to soar 344% in the next twelve months. (To watch Zhongs track record, click here) Turning now to the analyst community, a Moderate Buy consensus rating breaks down into 2 Buys and a single Hold. Given its $10.33 average price target, the upside potential comes in at 232%. (See Eloxx stock analysis on TipRanks) Investors with holdings in oil and gas companies should offload their positions on any sign of a breakthrough in discussions between OPEC and its allies, CNBC's Jim Cramer said Monday. "If there's any kind of rumor that the Saudis and the Russians have a new deal to save OPEC and reinstate the old order, I think you use that as a chance to sell," the "Mad Money" host said. "If you need the money, by all means sell [Tuesday] if it's an oil company with a terrible balance sheet like Occidental." Cramer, who has emerged as a critic of oil and gas stock ownership, made the recommendation after crude prices experienced their steepest one-day decline in nearly three decades. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude dropped 25% to less than $31 and international benchmark Brent crude plunged 26% to fall under $34, suffering their worst day since 1991. The sell-off in crude, which began last week after OPEC members failed to agree on oil production cuts with its allies, brought oil prices to their lowest levels since Feb. 2016. Wall Street participants worry that the failed talks could lead to an oil price war. Those anxieties, coupled with ongoing concerns about the fast-spreading coronavirus, led to a severe dip in the major stock averages. Cramer thinks oil and gas stocks are no longer investible largely in part due to eco-friendly investing trends among younger generations. "The issue is that when lots of money managers refuse to own your stocks, those stocks go lower," Cramer said. "Now, though, we've got a much more serious, draconian reason to sell them: the sudden collapse in crude as Saudi Arabia and Russia engage in this vicious price war." OPEC and its allies are referred to as a collective as OPEC+. OPEC is made up of 14 nations and led by Saudi Arabia. The non-OPEC group of allies is led by Russia, who on Friday rejected a proposal by the 14-member cartel on Friday to cut crude production by 1.5 million barrels per day beginning in April. Saudi Arabia responded on Saturday by saying it would reduce its oil prices next months, alongside reports that the oil-dependent country may boost production from 9.7 million barrels per day to 10 million. Occidental, who dished out $38 billion plus taking on billions more in debt in a takeover of Anadarko Petroleum last year, lost half its value during the session. The stock dropped to $12.51 per share during the market-wide sell-off. Cramer singled the company out for the 25% dividend it yields, declaring it unsafe. "There's a reason the stock lost more than half of its value today. I begged this company's CEO begged not to buy Anadarko, but she did it anyway," the host said. "Now, I'm begging you not to buy Occidental." [March 10, 2020] Visitors arriving in Vietnam to make medical declaration online using Viettel-built system Passengers into Vietnam can declare their health status using system developed by Viettel Group can declare their health status using system developed by Viettel Group In 48 hours, specialists from Viettel Business Solutions, a member of Viettel Group, have finished building the Medical declaration Management System following request from the authorities on March 4 th After one day of operation, the system served about 10,000 applications HANOI, Vietnam, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Visitors arriving in Vietnam can file medical declaration using the online form accessible on suckhoetoandan.vn/khaiyte or tokhaiyte.vn or by scanning the QR code provided at the point of entry with their phone. The Health Declaration Management System used in the progress was developed by Viettel Business Solutions, a member of Viettel Group, in 48 hours following request from the Vietnamese government and the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 prevention and control. Additionally, from 3:00 a.m. on March 7, Viettel Business Solutions' personnel has been aiding local authorities and at Tan Son Nhat airport specifically to help passengers and officers completing the medical declaration. After one day of operation, the system received 10,000 declarations. On March 4th, the Government of Vietnam and the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 requested Viettel to collaborate with the Ministry of Public Health to build a medical declaration management system. The request specifies the system must be developed in 48 hours maximum and be ready to serve all passengers entering Vietnam from 6:00 a.m. on March 7. Following the request, Viettel has finished developing and, from 0:00 a.m. on March 7th, has deployed the system at Tan Son Nhat airport. The system provides 2 electronical forms: one for visitors and another for the general public to submit medical information at all border gates and airports. The information provided will be sent back to Vietnamese disease control centers and authorities in order to prevent and control the coronavirus disease. The system also provides management, reporting services to the authorities and gives updated statistics and health advices to the public. Director of Viettel Business Solutions, Nguyen Manh Ho, said: "We are concentrating efforts in order to build other I.T. solutions to assist the Ministry of Public Health to prevent and control COVID-19 infection in the most effective manner." Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200310/2745520-1 SOURCE Viettel Group [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday said Wuhan city had turned the tide against the deadly coronavirus, as he made his first visit to the virus' epicentre in a message that Beijing has the situation under control and vowed to resolutely fight for a victory against the novel COVID-19 outbreak. Wearing a protective mask and accompanied by a retinue of military and health officials, Xi - who initially came under criticism for not acting in time to stem the virus when it first showed up in December last year, but later won praise for a decisive follow-up action - visited a makeshift hospital and community residents and frontline workers in Wuhan. Xi, 66, vowed to resolutely fight for a victory in the war against the coronavirus during his inspection tour of Wuhan, state-run Xinhua agency reported. During his visit, Xi said the spread of coronavirus had been basically curbed in Hubei Province and its capital Wuhan where over 50 million people lived in total isolation since January 23 following a complete lockdown of the areas. The initial success has been made in stabilising the situation and turning the tide in Hubei and Wuhan, Xi said. Ahead of the President's visit on Tuesday, China's National Health Commission (NHC) announced a dramatic drop in number of COVID-19 cases both of which fell below 20 mark for the first time since the NHC began daily reporting of cases in later part of January. The NHC reported 19 new confirmed cases of infection and 17 fatalities on Monday. All the 17 new deaths were in Hubei province and in Wuhan, while Beijing and other cities geared up for "imported cases" with the return of large number of Chinese and foreigners to re-join work. The overall confirmed cases in the Chinese mainland have reached 80,754 by the end of Monday. This included 3,136 people who died of the disease. 17,721 patients are still undergoing treatment while 59,897 patients have been discharged after recovery, the NHC said. While the virus has abated in China, it has spread to over 100 countries. The death toll has reached 4,011 globally with more than 110,000 cases of infection. This is the second visit to Wuhan by a top Chinese leader. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited Wuhan on January 26 when the COVID-19 virus spread at an alarming pace, prompting a lockdown of the city and the Central Hubei province with 50 million people. Xi, also general secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) and head of the military, called for firm, solid and meticulous prevention and control efforts to defend Hubei and Wuhan. The coronavirus has become a major challenge to Xi's leadership who is often referred to as China's most powerful leader after the CPC founder Mao Zedong, with the prospect of life-long tenure in power. After over three-month long battle against the virus, China has come to a grinding halt with estimated losses of over USD 103 billion. The virus has also caused acute distress among people as China locked down the Hubei province while implemented stringent measures all over the country including closure of factories and offices to contain the virus. Xi said after hard work, the situation in Hubei and Wuhan had shown positive changes with important progress, but the prevention and control task remain arduous. He praised the sacrifices of people of Wuhan and Hubei province. The positive trend in preventing and controlling the virus could not have been achieved without the sacrifice, devotion, perseverance and hard efforts of the people of Wuhan, Xi said. With their concrete actions, Wuhan people have demonstrated the strength and spirit of China, as well as the Chinese people's love for the family and the nation, which enables them to stick together through thick and thin, he said. After his arrival in Wuhan, Xi went straight to Huoshenshan Hospital, the 1000-bed makeshift hospital built in record time of less than 10 days to inspect thousands of cases. China also built another 1300-bed hospital equally in record time, rushed over 30,000 medical staff from the military as well as from all over to treat the spiralling number of cases. The official media reported with the cases falling in big numbers, all the makeshift hospitals numbering over 14 are now being dismantled in Wuhan. At the hospital, Xi greeted medical staff through television monitor and learned about community-based efforts for epidemic prevention and control, Xinhua reported. He also visited residents of a community in Wuhan who are subject to self-quarantine, looking into the community-level prevention and control work as well as daily necessity supply. Xi's visit sent a strong signal to the entire country and the world that China is ascending out of the darkest moment amid the outbreak, and the battle against the epidemic has now entered the next stage, state-run Global Times quoted analysts as saying. Xi's Wuhan visit at this moment shows the turning point of China's domestic fight against the epidemic has arrived and now the fight is shifting its focus to prevent imported cases of infection and gradually resume economic activities and production, analysts said. Lu Keli, an associate professor at the school of Marxism studies in the Renmin University of China in Beijing told the Global Times that Xi's visit showed that China had achieved a phased victory at the current juncture that can help effectively stabilise and control the epidemic situation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Government has expanded on its rescue plans and 400m in financial aid for businesses impacted by the spread of coronavirus including the release of loans of up to 1.5m at reduced rates. Rescue packages will also be made available while micro-finance loans will be increased. Credit schemes with banks will also be opened up for businesses hit by the virus and its spread. Business Minister Heather Humphreys said: I am hearing from many businesses that they are very concerned about their cashflow in the coming weeks. I want to reassure them that there are a number of schemes that can help them meet their short-term working capital and liquidity needs. This situation is changing from day to day, and I will continue to work across Government, with the representative bodies, and with the banking system to respond to ongoing developments in order to protect and support Irish businesses. Ms Humphreys has also cancelled her St Patrick's Day trip to the US over coronavirus. The Business Minister was due to travel to San Francisco and Sacramento for a series of engagements. However, she has now cancelled, saying businesses here are facing an unprecedented situation, and she wants to be in Ireland to support them. Earlier, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe also said he is aware of calls from hoteliers, restaurant owners and others to reduce the tourism rate of VAT back down to 9%. He said he will be considering problems with the sector amid fears of a huge fall in tourism numbers coming here. By Bahk Eun-ji Calls are growing for TBS Radio to dismiss Kim Eo-jun, a liberal-minded political commentator who hosts a controversial radio show, for his disparaging remarks about Daegu, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, and its citizens, according to his critics Tuesday. A petition to remove Kim from the show on a Cheong Wa Dae website has been posted, while a conservative civic group has filed a complaint against him with the National Human Rights Commission, accusing him of violating the human rights of Daegu residents. Kim Eo-jun /Korea Times file CLEVELAND, March 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- XaTek Inc. today announced that the company has received Breakthrough Device designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its in-development ClotChip, marking a significant and distinguishing step in advancing the company's life-changing portable blood-clotting sensor toward commercialization. The FDA Breakthrough Devices Program was created in 2018 to expedite the development, assessment and review of technologies that "provide for more effective treatment or diagnosis of life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating human disease or conditions" over existing approved products. ClotChip measures a patient's bleeding risk profile at bedside from a single drop of blood obtained from a fingerstick, much like a glucometer measures a patient's blood-glucose level. Such immediate notice can be a critical step in saving the life of someone who may otherwise die from excessive bleeding or clotting. "I'm tremendously proud of the entire XaTek team and their remarkable efforts, which lead the FDA to believe ClotChip indeed satisfies all of the criteria for Breakthrough Devices Designation for the proposed indication for use," said John Zak, XaTek's co-founder and CEO. "Once commercially available, this device will fulfill a critical and unmet clinical need for the newer generation of drug therapies known as 'direct oral anti-coagulants' for which there is no point-of-care test available today." XaTek intends to pursue additional indications for use in the near future, potentially including patients on other anti-coagulant therapies, those with hemophilia and other rare bleeding conditions and those with trauma-related indications. About ClotChip ClotChip is a handheld fully portable device enabled for WiFi and Bluetooth. The device utilizes technology conceived nearly 10 years ago by electrical engineers at Case Western Reserve University. In 2016, the university's technology transfer office granted an exclusive license to XaTek to develop the technology for commercial use. www.clotchip.com About XaTek Inc. XaTek Inc. is a privately held, clinical-stage diagnostic device company based in Cleveland. The company was founded on the mission of pursuing disruptive innovation that fulfills urgent and emergent healthcare needs. www.clotchip.com www.clotchip.com SOURCE XaTek Related Links http://www.clotchip.com The Caterpillar plant at one point was among the biggest employers in northern Illinois, he said. "They had 6,000 to 7,000 employees. The Boulder Hill subdivision was built for employees who came to work there. Its been part of the fiber of our community. We have retired Caterpillar workers proud of their service there and we are proud of having them work there. While it was significant to have lost those manufacturing jobs, we are optimistic that the high-tech engineering jobs will be here. Using the most recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data published Jan. 22, 2020, Stacker set out to identify the jobs with the highest gender pay gaps. Read on to find out exactly what jobs have the highest wage discrepancy between the sexes. This article was first published on theStacker.com System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28: 29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. 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Vietnam's aviation market has been strongly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak Double-digit declines The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) reported that airports in the country served nearly 8.1 million passengers in February, down 11.6 percent from the same period last year. They included 2.4 million foreigners and 5.7 million domestic passengers, down 29.8 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively Also last month, Vietnamese airlines transported 3.7 million passengers, falling 13.7 percent year on year. The number of foreign and domestic passengers respectively decreased 39.5 percent and 0.7 percent. The CAAV attributed the double-digit fall in the Vietnamese aviation market after many years of strong growth to the direct impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. Vietnam Airlines said for every week of the epidemic, the national flag carrier is losing 200 250 billion VND (8.7 10.8 million USD). Its revenue from both passenger and cargo transportation dropped 20 25 percent in the first half of February. According to the CAAV, China, which has recorded the biggest number of COVID-19 cases, accounts for 26.1 percent of the passenger and cargo volume that domestic carriers transport to and from international destinations. Before the acute respiratory disease broke out, 14 airlines were operating 72 routes between Vietnam and China. The suspension of flights to China has caused Vietnamese airlines to lose 400,000 passengers per month. They have also had to pay more for ticket exchanges, cancellations, and sterilisation, the authority said. In a report assessing the outbreaks impact on the economy, Dr Can Van Luc and analysts from the BIDV Training and Research Institute said air transport will be hit the hardest since foreign passengers using Vietnams air transport services account for more than 79 percent of total international arrivals in the country. In particular, Chinese visitors arriving by air make up 70 percent of all Chinese visitors to Vietnam. The research division at SSI Securities JSC also rated the aviation sectors short-term outlook as negative, noting that all airlines could be influenced by the epidemic due to lower travel demand, especially from China. In 2019, Chinese tourists accounted for 32.2 percent of the 18 million foreign travellers to Vietnam. Seeking solutions Since late February, carriers like Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Jetstar Pacific and Bamboo Airways have been offering discounts on domestic and international routes. Notably, people now can easily buy tickets for Hanoi Ho Chi Minh City flights for only one-third of train tickets. They can also buy cheaper tickets on international routes. Economic experts said the airlines made the move with a view to attracting passengers, stimulating travel demand and maintaining their operations. Lai Xuan Thanh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), said the ACV will need to adjust its business plan and work with airlines to seek ways to stimulate demand. After the SARS outbreak in 2003, the aviation sector learned that overdependence on a single market had a considerable influence on airlines if that market encountered problems. Therefore, the sector has worked to restructure its markets. Facing the COVID-19 outbreak, the ACV is also coordinating with relevant parties to carry out restructuring, Thanh added. Vietnam Airlines has announced that it is offering its narrow-body aircraft (A321) and wide-body ones (A350-900 and B787-9/10) for lease. Meanwhile, Vietjet Air is launching five direct routes from Da Nang, Hanoi and HCM City to India. Airlines are working to open new domestic routes, sell tickets at lower prices to attract passengers, while ensuring their planes do not stand idle to reduce expenses, the CAAV said. It has recommended carriers negotiate with aircraft renters to return some planes and with manufacturers to extend deadlines for receiving new planes. Airlines have also submitted reports to the CAAV, the Ministry of Transport and the Government so that detailed plans can be made to help revive the market in late 2020 and the next two years after the outbreak is contained. Vietnam Airlines hardest hit by Covid-19 among major state firms Most major state-firms are facing a gloomy outlook as Covid-19 is wreaking havoc on the economy. Flag carrier Vietnam Airlines is forecast to suffer a decline of VND12.5 trillion (US$542.51 million) in revenue and a loss of VND4.3 trillion (US$186.62 million) in profit in 2020, due to a plunge in the number of air passengers on fears of the Covid-19 epidemic, according to the Commission for Management of State Capital at Enterprises (CMSC). This means the airline would be unable to fulfil the business plan set by CMSC, dubbed as super committee, for this year, CafeF reported, citing the committees brief report on the impacts of Covid-19 on the operations of 19 major state-owned enterprises (SOEs) under its administration. Meanwhile, Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) expected the number of passengers to decrease by over 12 million, a 10% lower than the target set for 2020. ACVs revenue in 2020 is estimated to reach 87% of the estimate or a decline of VND2.8 trillion (US$121.41 million), make a pre-tax profit meeting 76% of the estimate, down VND2.6 trillion (US$112.74 million). Vietnam Railway (VNR) stopped operation of a number of railway routes due to the lack of passengers. The suspension of Vietnam Nanning route on February 4 has significantly impacted VNRs business performance. VNRs revenue in 2020 is estimated to decline by VND54.8 billion (US$2.37 million), down 13.3% year-on-year, while revenue from cargo transportation is forecast to be shaved by VND9.9 billion (US$429,377).. According to Vietnam National Shipping Lines (Vinalines), most shipping fleets are struggling to maintain daily operation, mainly due to the disruption of logistics services for Chinese customers via maritime transportation. In case the epidemic persists until the end of March or the second quarter, Vinalines expected its consolidated revenue to decline VND1.62 trillion (US$70.23 million) and its profit to fall short of VND534 billion (US$23.15 million) compared to the respective targets. Petrolimex, Vietnams largest petroleum distributor, reported domestic sales of petroleum products in January down 4% month-on-month, while sales in February fell 20%. Launched nearly two years ago, the CSCM is tasked with managing state capital at 19 leading state-run groups and corporations with combined capital of VND1,000 trillion (US$43.02 billion), or two-third of total state capital, and assets of over VND2,300 trillion (US$98.96 billion). VNA/Hanoitimes Vietnams aviation sector loses $435 million amid Covid-19 epidemic The initial loss caused by the suspension of flights to and from China for Vietnams airlines could be up to VND10 trillion. (Newser) They feared contracting the novel coronavirus; they died from a supposed remedy instead. Local news agencies in Iran say at least 27 people died of alcohol poisoning in the Khuzestan and Alborz provinces after swallowing booze they thought would fend off COVID-19, reports ABC News. Bloomberg notes that similar deaths were reported in the province of Tehran. The fatalities came about after rumors on social media circulated that the coronavirus outbreak could be kept at bay by drinking alcohol. But alcohol is banned in Iran, save for certain non-Muslim religious minorities, per the Sun, so people resorted to consuming industrial-strength ethanol and methanol, used for sanitation, instead. story continues below "Some of the citizens ... used it as a preventive measure," a spokesman for a medical school in Khuzestan told the Mehr News Agency, via ABC. More than 200 people in total have been hospitalized after drinking the harmful alcohol, with several people in critical condition and one patient going blind, the spokesman says. Iran has been the nation in the Middle East most affected by the coronavirus, which has infected more than 7,000 people there as of Monday, killing at least 237, per a health ministry rep. Bloomberg notes that the country's health care system has been hindered by a faltering economy and US sanctions. (Read more coronavirus stories.) Fatima Ajimobi, daughter to governor of Kano state, Abdullahi Ganduje who is married to son of former governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi has warned internet users to stay off her page following the news that her father dethroned Sanusi Lamido as the emir of Kano state. Since the dethronement, Nigerians have besieged her Instagram page, calling her father unprintable names. Read Also: Ganduje Suspends Order Banning Opposite Sex From Entering Same Tricycle This has made her issue stern warning to Instagram users to stay off her page. She wrote: Some of the comments on her page below: Haiti - Security : The bandits will be chased until the gates dixit Lucmane Delile Monday at a press conference, 4 days after its installation Lucmane Delile, the new Minister of Justice and Public Security https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30196-haiti-politic-the-new-minister-of-justice-determined-to-fight-crime.html in the presence of Rameau Normil, the Director General ai of the National Police of Haiti (PNH), reiterated his determination to fight against the phenomenon of insecurity. Planted with one voice around the resolution of the problems related to crime and banditry in the Capital, the two men have assured that bandits and armed gangs will be prosecuted until their last entrenchments, ensuring that strategic and operational provisions were taken to thwart the actions of these criminals. "Those who mourn in our families will be hunted down with the utmost rigor" said Minister Delile calling for everyone's collaboration to put an end to the barbarity of armed bandits "Bandits have the choice between collaborating with the CNDDR [National Commission for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration] by handing over their arms or being tracked down by the police [...] They are hardened criminals, without faith or law, wild beasts and they will be chased until the gates of hell..." In addition, in the company of the highest authorities of the Superior Council of the National Police (CSPN) Rameau Normil made a surprise tour in the streets of Port-au-Prince in order to assess the security plan put in place and above all send a signal strong to the population in terms of the will and commitment of the police to restore a climate of peace in the country. "I used to track down criminals when I was at the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police. As Director General of the PNH, I will do everything to put an end to acts of banditry and crime throughout the country [...] Yesterday was a question of time, today is a matter of hour," discouraging armed gangs against confronting the police force... TB/ HaitiLibre An occupational therapist slapped a four-year-old boy with learning difficulties up to 20 times in the face when he refused to put his shoes and socks on, a court heard. German born Ramon Priess, 33, allegedly assaulted the child as the session at the Maximum Potential clinic in Devonshire Place, central London came to an end. Priess claims he used 'deep pressure' techniques on the boy and the mother consented to the controversial treatment. He denies assault by beating and appeared at Hendon Magistrates' Court on Tuesday wearing a red shirt and earrings. Dami Eniola, prosecuting, said: 'This dates back to the 3rd of April 2019. It was 12:12 in the afternoon. Ramon Priess at Hendon Magistrates Court. He denies assault by beating and claims he used 'deep pressure' techniques on the boy 'At the end of the session the boy was asked to put on his socks and shoes, he plays dead and does not respond. 'Then it is alleged that Mr Priess slapped him, all in all, ten to twenty times. 'It is alleged that he was crying at the time. 'The mother was present and witnessed the incident.' Giving evidence behind a screen the boy's mother told the court: 'It was just a typical session whereby my son did obstacle courses, handwriting, and did some activities which help his motor skills. 'He sat on a swing, he got pushed around on the swing. There are obstacle courses where he has to jump down - soft play sort of equipment. 'I sit down, observe, always. 'The session always ends with the therapist encouraging my son to put his socks and shoes on. 'Not only because it is the end of the session, but it helps his motor skills, because this is something he struggles with. 'He didn't want to put his shoes and socks on.' The woman said her son was sat on the therapist's lap with his back to Priess' chest and was 'deflecting' the instruction. 'He was pretending to sleep or to be dead.' She said Priess repeated the instruction but the boy continued to play dead. 'Initially, he said, 'put your socks and shoes on.' Hendon Magistrates Court where Ramon Priess appeared on Tuesday. The trial continues 'He proceeded to say 'come on wake up it's time to go', then proceeded to slap my son repeatedly across the face. 'He cried hysterically. 'The therapist's slaps got harder. 'I'm sat on a chair, I'm facing them. 'I didn't sit there and count but it felt like it went on forever. I would say, minimum ten times, maximum twenty times. But it was between those two figures. 'Those slaps were so hard they made my son cry. He was in a distressed state. 'I was in a state of shock, the words were at the tip of my tongue 'you are hitting my son too hard' but I was shell shocked.' Asked if she mistaked the slaps for a 'pat', the witness said: 'Absolutely one hundred percent they were slaps. He had marks on his cheeks, he cried all the way to his next therapy session, I could not console him.' Kyah Mufti, defending Priess, said he did not slap the child but had used an uncontroversial 'deep pressure' technique as part of the child's 'sensory integration' therapy. 'The primary issue in this case is that the mother says he slapped the child and Mr Priess disputes that. 'And in any event, what he was employing was a technique. 'Had Mr Priess actually slapped this child with force, it would not be appropriate. 'Deep pressure was applied on the cheek as part of the treatment.' Addressing the mother Ms Mufti said: 'The therapy session would inevitably require physical contact in order to aid (the boy) so he could enhance his skills. The mother said the 'deep pressure' techniques she had discussed with Priess involved squeezing the child around the arms and legs. 'They were never to do with the face. 'You can't do 'deep pressure' on the head,' she added. Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram told Ms Mufti: 'If I find there is a slap, then your client has a problem. If I were to find it was a 'deep pressure'.... or whatever term you have used, I don't know whether that would be appropriate. 'What we have here is touching with some force, it becomes unlawful when it is assault.' Priess, of Bow, denies assault by beating. The trial continues. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dwinanda Ardhi Swasono (The Jakarta Post) Sanford, North Carolina Tue, March 10, 2020 16:35 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2069a3e41 3 Opinion human-development,opinions,middle-class,World-Bank Free The World Bank recently released a report titled Aspiring Indonesia: Expanding the Middle Class. The report focuses on how the middle class has been growing significantly in Indonesia for the last few decades. It says one in every five Indonesians now belongs to the middle class comprising at least 52 million people earning between Rp 1.2 million and Rp 6 million per person per month (US$7.75-38 per person per day). The income level looks low, however the aspiring middle class identified as those earning a little over Rp 500,000 to Rp 1.2 million monthly and even poorer groups are of course more prone to economic shocks. As the fastest growing segment of the population, the middle class is the countrys supporting pillar and the future of our nation. If Indonesia is to realize its ambitions of spurring growth and someday becoming a high-income country, according to the report, it will need more support and participation in the development from the middle class. A larger middle-class population and market in Indonesia has significant economic, political, environmental and social implications. The emerging middle class in Indonesia can boost consumer spending and economic growth and broaden prosperity. A strong middle class can also be an effective pressure group, a powerful voice for better governance. The government has always been influenced by Indonesias elite and has given a lot of attention to the poor. Now it must systematically and strategically engage with the middle class. Engaging the middle class might well be the best way to increase the effectiveness of development policies. The effectiveness of public policy is influenced by an accurate and comprehensive public communication strategy. An important part of that strategy will be to improve transparency and accountability in budgeting processes. Discussions on state and local budgeting have come to be perceived as a very technical process and sometimes proceed behind committee doors or through closed budget hearings among ministries and line departments. This creates resistance among the publicincluding the middle classto pay attention to the development issues. There is also a problem with insufficient human resource capacity within ministries to handle public communication. Moreover, some high-level officials tend to use technical jargon that is hard to understand by the middle class and the general public. Not to mention that sometimes they also publicly express disagreement with government policies. In this digital era, fake news, hoaxes and politicization of public policy are some other challenges. The capacity of officials to respond to wrong and misleading information needs to be improved. The middle classwhich enjoys increasing access to education and informationis becoming increasingly critical. What might the repercussions be if the problems mentioned above are not solved? First, the highest level of productivity of middle-class workers might not be achieved, because they dont have much trust in the government. Second, the middle class could possibly become more apathetic. Third, the economic growth potential might not be realized because middle-class workers productivity is lower than it could be. Also, public trust, participatory budgeting and the tax ratio could remain low. In 2017, based on the Open Budget Index, Indonesia scored 64 for budget transparency, 22 for public participation and 83 for budget oversight. The country seems to have a serious problem with public participation, but there is still room for improvement of budget transparency and budget oversight. A strong commitment and statement of willingness from the leaders will be important to create an effective engagement strategy that focuses on the middle class. The following are some policies it could pursue. First, it is important to develop a listening culture, especially in government institutions. To make a budget fit people's needs, the public must participate actively in its formulation and implementation. A listening culture can be created by involving the middle class in the budgeting process. The groups participation in the budgeting process can also facilitate participatory democracy at the grassroots and foster social harmony. With broad autonomy in Indonesia today, local governments play a significant role in efforts to improve public participation in the budgeting process. Second, the government needs to use more narratives when explaining its policy to the public. Data is always important, but the government cant just talk about numbers and graphs with technical language. It is crucial for the government to use data to create engaging, informative and compelling policy narratives. Leveraging the power of policy narratives will also help the government encounter misleading information and deliver messages that resonate with the public. The third approach is to build two-way communication through social media. Some local leaders, such as West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil, and Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo have been using social media effectively to report on the progress of local government activities and to get feedback from citizens. However, we need more leaders to follow this practice. Another strategy for the government is to strengthen the role of NGOs, which keep an eye on the government and legislature. The government can work together with the NGOs to encourage the middle class to share its aspirations and actively participate in the countrys development. Finally, President Joko Jokowi Widodo needs to set up a team of capable economic spokespeople to describe all the government's economic and investment policies coherently, clearly and comprehensively. They should also have the capability to mingle and communicate with the middle class, as that group is now one of the key players in the nations economy. *** MA in international development policy from Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. In a talk with Saigon Investment, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Cung, former Director of the Central Institute for Economic Management, explained that in order to tackle these difficulties, we must simplify regulations within the Committee. JOURNALIST: - Sir, how do you assess the functions separating state ownership from ministries by the Committee? Mr. NGUYEN DINH CUNG: - Ownership and management functions must be separated because they are indispensable when reforming and transforming businesses. This also creates a more equal business environment across economic sectors. In the function of ownership, the first right must be the function of business investment and development. Business investment must lead and develop at the same time. Appointing a representative for the capital in an enterprise is not to benefit but to let that person solve the business problems with a certain level of power. These are issues for development orientation, business, investment, development goals, as well as full supervision, appointment, evaluation and replacement of managers. The ownership function is not a state management function. Besides, the functions of the owner must be separated from those of business investors. For example, the decision of an investment project is the business right of the enterprise, especially enterprises that still exercise the rights of both owners and business investors at the same time. Business right calls for right of business autonomy and not imposed administration. If the owner appraises the project to see its competency, it is to decide thousands of subordinate projects. That is the job of the CEO. - Sir, returning to the Committee, the operations of General Corporations and Groups have encountered difficulties due to mechanism problems. Please can you comment on this. - Projects and business plans of General Corporations and Groups must be submitted to the Committee for approval, but the Committee also seems to consult with state management ministries. Separate the ministries and branches so that the Committee can decide at its full discretion. While state management is environmental management and concerns with food safety and hygiene, it cannot make decisions or comment on an investment project. As owner representative it is necessary to understand the Committee in the direction that they are equity owners. The power of the Committee only comes through shares, while assets like factories A and B are owned by the company. Why do we keep assimilating the possession of the State? It is wrong in such basic concepts. Because it is indistinguishable, it is considered as State property, but it is not. It is legally owned by the company, and is the property of the company and of the owners. For example, if ACV invests in Tan Son Nhat airport, they own this airport. If the airport expansion does not need to bid because it is their asset why go for bidding? This is extremely dangerous because it seems to be public investment but actually it is not. - As one of the members of the drafting committee of the project under Decree 131, how do you see the Committee operating, as well as resolving problems? - This is a business investment organization, even though it is mandatory to be established in the form of a state agency. From the beginning, when preparing the Committee proposal, we referred to the models of Singapore, China, Malaysia, and Sweden and came to the conclusion that Vietnam was different. For SOEs, the core issue is business autonomy, the very right to decide investment projects, how much and how to invest in the business. The owner only monitors the target and results. For example, in any area of business, the owner just needs to have a company, a competitive factory, and products to export. It is necessary to separate the function of the owner from the function of investment, revise decrees on State activities and issue a decree on the operation of SOEs to replace the current decrees, in order to ensure business autonomy for SOEs. Regarding the removal of obstacles, it is necessary to separate the function of the owner from the function of investment, revise decrees on State activities and issue a decree on the operation of SOEs to replace the current decrees, in order to ensure business autonomy for SOEs. This is the first basic step. At this time, the Commission knows what to do and will do it well. The second step requires a separate financial mechanism for the Committee which operates as an agency, not a state management agency. The recruiting staff is not a civil servant, but is recruited full-time and is a professional with knowledge equivalent to that of a CEO of a big corporation. There is no shortage of people who can work in Vietnam, just a lack of mechanisms and institutions to utilize and to use. - Sir, can you please share your concerns about the current divestment? - The first thing to think about from an investment perspective is what do we divest for? I think that we only divest when doing something better than we have. Currently, we are lacking a mindset on what do we divest for? I strongly disagree with the divestment and supplement to the budget revenue and integrate into budget spending management. The capital should only be divested when money is needed to concentrate investment in important infrastructures and core projects of the economy. Equitization and divestment should be considered as a change in investment structure, to have better asset structure and more quality. The Committee must have orientation towards development, and an orientation for SOEs. It has a factory, sells products or its shares decrease, it changes the ownership of shares into cash ownership that still belongs to the enterprise or the investor, not the budget. Putting into the budget means it takes, reduces assets on the side of the enterprise, affects the rights of third parties, creditors and affects the development capacity of enterprises. Translated by Hoa Nam Ha Linh The Minister of Agriculture, Vincent Ssempijja has revealed a swarm of desert locusts continue invading Uganda from neighboring Kenya through Karita and Loroo sub-counties in Amudat District in Karamoja sub- region, after having ravaged several parts of Kenya, causing food shortages. The desert locusts have since been sighted in 24 districts in Teso, Lango, Acholi, Sebei and Bugisu sub- regions of Uganda. The affected districts as of March 6, 2020 include: Amudat, Nakapiripirit, Nabilatuk, Moroto, Kotido, Kaabong, Karenga, Abim, Otuke, Napak, Katakwi, Amuria, Soroti, Ngora, Kumi, Bukwo, Kween, Agago, Kitgum, Lamwo, Pader, Bulambuli, Bukedea and Sironko. Since the outbreak, government through its agencies has step up control measures which include rapid spraying in all affected areas with both manual and motorized pumps and sensitization of people. Pesticides in use include Fenitrothion 96 per cent low volume formulation, Malathion which is an organophosphate insecticide commonly used to control mosquitoes and a variety of insects that attack fruits, vegetables, landscaping plants, and Parathyroid insecticides. Stories Continues after ad The existing swarms have not caused significant damage to the vegetation cover, however, there is an eminent threat to food security when the eggs hatch into hoppers in the next few weeks as has been the case with our neighbour, Kenya. He said He said the swarms however continue to spread to other districts and possibly laying of eggs is expected to continue while our efforts to control the adult locusts continue. On March 3, 2020, a new invasion of desert locust (four square kilometre) arrived in Bukwo district covering three villages of Ariyowet, Kapambar and Kaptobole in Kapswamatule sub- county. The swarm was a mixture of immature and mature adults. He said. Since then, the ministry has received support from the United Nations (UN) Agencies during implementation of desert locust control interventions. The Desert Locust Control Organization (DLCO) and FAO continue to provide experts who have been helpful in the desert locust control activities. Final touches on the Opera House station of HCMCs first metro line project are being made and the station is scheduled for public visits on April 30, marking welcome progress on the countrys key national projects. A section of the Metro Line No.1 project in HCMC. The Opera House metro station will be opened to the public on April 30 The citys residents will be allowed to visit parts of the station under the guidance of the stations staff, according to a representative of the municipal Urban Railway Management Board. As one of the two underground sections in the projects contract package 1B, the municipal Opera House metro station under Le Loi Street is 190 meters long and 26 meters wide. As designed, the Opera House station will have four basements, with the first one housing a waiting lounge, ticket machines, automated fee collection gates and toilets. The second and fourth basement will function as platforms where passengers can get on or off the train. The third basement will accommodate equipment for the stations staff and other auxiliary facilities. Earlier, the relevant units had removed construction barriers set up in front of the municipal Opera House after nearly six years of building the station. They will hand over the cleared site to the HCMC Transport Department for further work. The Metro Line No.1 project is some 71% complete and is set to be put into operation by 2021. SGT HCMC: First metro line will have trial run in third quarter HCM City plans to launch a trial run of the first metro line section between Binh Thai intersection and Long Binh Depot in District 9 in the third quarter. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 10 Trend: The Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers discussed the situation in the oil market, its impact on Azerbaijan and proactive measures to be taken, Trend reports on March 10 referring to the Cabinet of Ministers. The situation in the global oil market and its impact on the economy were discussed at the meeting in the Cabinet of Ministers, chaired by Prime Minister Ali Asadov on March 10. Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, Head of the Department of Economic Issues and Innovative Development Policy of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Shahmar Movsumov, Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov, Minister of Finance Samir Sharifov, Chairman of the Central Bank Elman Rustamov, Executive Director of the Azerbaijani State Oil Fund (SOFAZ) Israfil Mammadov and Assistant to the Prime Minister Fakhri Ismayilov attended the meeting. Letter to the Editor: The Affordable Care Act was always meant to be a first step in making sure all Americans were able to access coverage for healthcare. It was always anticipated that it would be strengthened and necessary changes implemented, hopefully in a bipartisan way. One of the greatest tenets of ACA was that health insurance companies could no longer deny coverage to anyone based upon pre-existing conditions. Most people dont know just how a pre-existing condition can be defined by an insurance company. As business owners, my husband and I have been purchasing health insurance on the open market for over 25 years. I can tell you firsthand that high blood pressure, even if controlled by medication, is a pre-existing condition. I can tell you that a simple breast cyst is a pre-existing condition. Both of these common medical conditions were reasons for some health insurance companies to deny coverage to us. Rodney Davis has voted repeatedly to repeal the ACA and he voted in 2017 for the Republican Health Care Repeal Bill, which would have destroyed protections for pre-existing conditions. The American people do not want this! If Rodney Davis ever dared to meet with the voters in his district, he would know this! But he wont. Hes always hiding from voters. Rodney sides consistently with the large corporate interests that contribute to his campaign, and we should all be upset by that. Please vote for Betsy Dirksen Londrigan, Congressional candidate for the 13th District to protect our healthcare. Ive had the opportunity to meet Betsy several times and hear her views on healthcare, because she does meet with the voters of District 13, and she listens to our concerns. Rodney Davis needs to go. Roxanne Gregory Staunton South Korean soldiers wear protective gear as they spray antiseptic solution to guard against the CCP virus along a street in Gangnam district in Seoul, South Korea, on March 9, 2020. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) Coronavirus Outbreak Highlights Beijings Global Economic Coercion, Expert Says The coronavirus outbreak has raised concerns about the negative effects of the Chinese regimes economic and political influence worldwide, an expert said. Since the emergence of the outbreak in Wuhan, China, last December, the coronavirus has spread to 115 countries and regions, with a total infection count of around 118,000 cases, of which around 32 percent are outside of China. For some affected countries that are economically dependent on China, their ability to respond effectively to the outbreak has been impaired by concerns over not wanting to antagonize the Chinese regime, Daniel Kliman, senior fellow and director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program at Washington-based think tank Center for a New American Security, said. Chinas economic statecraft promotes putting some countries on the horns of a dilemma in terms of how they deal with this virus, Kliman said at a panel discussion at the National Press Club in Washington on March 9. South Koreas handling of the outbreak exemplified this dilemma, Kliman noted. China is the countrys largest trading partner. The South Korean government has really struggled to both address coronavirus domestically while not trying to antagonize China out of fear of economic retribution, Kliman said. And this has caused political blowback against the current administration in South Korea. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has been harshly criticized by opposition politicians and health experts in South Korea over what they say is his mishandling of the crisis by not closing its border with China during the golden time window to limit the spread in the country. Moon has declined to issue a full travel ban on travelers from China, and instead issued a limited travel ban on visitors from Hubei Province, the region which houses the coronavirus epicenter, on Feb. 4five days after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a global health emergency. The country now has more than 7,500 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease the virus causes, with the largest outbreak clusters coming from members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a Christian religious sect based in the city of Daegu. Undermining Governance Kliman also said the regimes infrastructure investment project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), has played a role in undermining governance in partner countries, especially in developing countries, which may then make it harder for those countries to contain the coronavirus in the future. The BRI, which seeks to link the continents of Asia, Europe, and Africa through a network of railways, ports, and roads, has been used by the regime to further its geopolitical influence. The policy has been criticized for facilitating corruption in developing countries, as well as putting developing countries into a debt trap, as they struggle to pay back hefty Chinese loans. Chinese practices [in relation to BRI] sometimes weaken governance, especially in the developing world, where you see potential for corruption, co-optation of local elites, a loss of kind of transparency, Kliman said. Better governance, more transparency tends to help countries and governments combat epidemics, and so to the extent that you see a weakening of governance where China is operating in developing countries this may make it harder not only to detect but also to combat coronavirus going forward. Co-opting International Organizations The outbreak, Kliman said, has also cast a spotlight on the regimes influence at the WHO, which has been criticized for its initial handling of the crisis. Kliman said the global response to the outbreak highlighted the real-world impact of Chinas co-optation of international organizations, that the World Health Organization, which China today heavily influences, was fairly slow to address coronavirus. Initially, I would say, it played down the scope and need for a forceful response. The WHO has stopped short of declaring coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic, although many observers have disagreed with this assessment, saying the global transmission of the disease fits this classification. My own take would be that there is some kind of political calculation in it, that the WHO has been slow to kind of label at a pandemicand part out of concerns [that the] Chinese Communist Party in Beijing would see this as detrimental to Chinas image, Kliman said. Six Indonesians have been arrested for allegedly spreading misinformation online about the deadly coronavirus, police said Tuesday, as the Southeast Asian nation's confirmed infection cases jumped. A woman in Indonesia's second-biggest city Surabaya was arrested Monday for spreading inaccurate claims on Facebook a patient was being treated for the virus in the city, police said. Five others were also detained for spreading false information on social media, including claims a Muslim woman flying to Saudi Arabia for a religious pilgrimage had died suddenly from the virus at Jakarta's international airport. All six suspects are accused of violating laws banning the spread of misinformation, which carries as much as six years in prison. "It should serve as a lesson for other people not to spread hoaxes about coronavirus in Indonesia," senior communications ministry official Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan said. Last month, two Indonesian women were arrested for allegedly posting virus-linked misinformation in a country with some 130 million people online -- among the globe's biggest internet audiences. On Monday, the country reported its confirmed cases had jumped to 19 from six. Scientists have questioned the relatively low number of cases in the world's fourth most populous country, and suggested there could be many more people with the illness. COVID-19 has killed more than 4,000 people and infected over 110,000 globally since it emerged last year. Police seized some 1.9 million facemasks from a warehouse outside Surabaya on Monday, after coronavirus sparked panic buying and sent prices for prevention products skyrocketing. Nigerians on social media have been reacting to the dethronement of Muhammadu Sanusi II as the Emir of Kano. The Kano State government on Monday removed Mr Sanusi on sundry charges, including insubordination to constituted authorities. The former monarch is a reformist and advocate of girl-child education, family planning, reform of the Almajiri system, and has strongly canvassed against polygamy among people who cannot cope with its financial demands. But Mr Sanusi had been accused several times of playing partisan politics in the 2019 election against Governor Abdullahi Ganduje. PREMIUM TIMES reported how the state government immediately announced the appointment of Aminu Bayero as the new Emir of Kano after deposing Mr Sanusi. Mr Bayero became the 15th Emir of Kano. Until his appointment yesterday, he was the Emir of Bichi, one of the four emirates created by Governor Ganduje in a step believed to have been taken to curb the influence of Mr Sanusi. The events in Kano have sparked continuing reactions on Nigerias social media since Monday. Some Nigerians have Mr Sanusis removal while others have applauded the state government. Below are some reactions by Nigerians on Twitter to Mr Sanusi sack. Nigerians react I hope now that GOVERNOR GANDUJE and his co-conspirators have taken their pound of flesh by dethroning the Emir of Kano, their eyes will clear and see later that their own power too is transient! No matter the sins of Emir Sanusi, he is one of the finest citizens of Nigeria. Dele Momodu Ovation (@DeleMomodu) March 9, 2020 Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, one of the few Northerners who speak up against child marriage, poverty, out of school children & drug addiction has been removed. After they tried to suppress his voice for many months. You wonder what manner of politics this is & to what end. Dr. Dipo Awojide (@OgbeniDipo) March 9, 2020 https://twitter.com/MatthewOttah/status/1236982531737686016 The news of the dethronement of Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is sad. It is unfortunate that those who should have intervened in the crises did not do enough to contain it. I hope that it does not lead the escalation of civil disorder in Kano. Bello Shagari (@Belshagy) March 9, 2020 https://twitter.com/DrJoeAbah/status/1237290058639695873 "There is no way you can advice the poor not to engage in polygamy when as a young man, you had four wives. He was riding a rolls royce on the poverty ravaged streets of Kano. Clearly, he ran into contradictions" Femi Falana on the deposition of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. #GoFigure Yetunde Folarin (@xxyettymamaxx) March 10, 2020 https://twitter.com/Angel1399204340/status/1237346784541900801 Anyone who knows Sanusi will know he is always open and candid when it comes irregular practices amongst the top officials,why should we always be scared of saying the truth without being crucified for it?we definitely have a very long route of liberation to thread. Ayeni odunayo (@omosewa_xtie) March 10, 2020 The throne didn't allow the power of your intelligence to shine as it should. I never really liked the crown on you anyway. Time to dust your resume and sit on the REAL throne. They say, "Cracks allow light to come in". It is time! #SanusiLamido#Ganduje pic.twitter.com/GuToIAUKF3 Aunty Mama (@MammanYara) March 9, 2020 Certainly we must seek the interpretation of the law on the legality of banishing or exileing a Nigerian in Nigeria. If anything the fundamental human rights of 'freedom of movement and association' cannot be denied #EmirofKano #SanusiLamido pic.twitter.com/AkBuQVoECw Telema Westwood (@TelemaWestwood) March 10, 2020 Zaven Grigoryan, the accused in the criminal case into the beating of Lieutenant Colonel Ara Mkhitaryan in Yeghegnadzor, Armenia, will meet with Mkhitaryan's relatives only when they know the truth about the case. Grigoryan said this at a meeting with reporters. "These people are being deceived," he added. "They don't know the reality." He said he had a lot to tell, but could not speak due to the confidentiality of the investigation. "When the incident happened, after that people testified against my brother; I was in freedom for 15 days," Zaven Grigoryan said. "It never occurred to me that someone could testify against me because I have nothing to do whatsoever with that incident." Asked about his connection with former governor of Vayots Dzor Province Trdat Sargsyan, Zaven Grigoryan said they are related but they have no contact. On March 6, the Criminal Court of Appeal granted the motion to release Zaven Grigoryan, a defendant in the criminal case into the beating of Aram Mkhitaryan. Grigoryan was released on 1,500,000-dram bail. Mkhitaryan has been in a coma for about six months. The Investigative Committee of Armenia had stated that then governor of Vayots Dzor Province Trdat Sargsyan was not an eyewitness to the dispute that took place on September 17 of last year. However, the four military officers who witnessed the incident said that Sargsyan was at the scene and he followed the incident, not preventing it. Harutyun Grigoryan, an assistant to the now former governor of Vayots Dzor, has been charged along the lines of the aforesaid case. Grigoryan's brother Zaven Grigoryan is also a defendant. One week after the incident, Trdat Sargsyan resigned as Vayots Dzor governor. Update: 10-03-2020 | 10:25:32 Indonesian authorities on March 9 confirmed that the country reports 13 new cases of the acute respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), bringing the total number in the country to 19. A passenger walks near the flight information board at the departure gate of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Indonesia (Photo: Antara) Indonesian authorities on March 9 confirmed that the country reports 13 new cases of the acute respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), bringing the total number in the country to 19. Achmad Yurianto, an official of the Indonesian Ministry of Health, said the patients are aged 16-59, including 11 Indonesians and two foreigners. Some of them had close contact with two infection cases reported last week. Meanwhile, more than 12,700 flights supposed to carry 1.67 million passengers were cancelled across 15 airports of the country in the first two months of the year due to the COVID-19 outbreak, according to Indonesian airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I. Of the flights, 11,680 are domestic and 1,023 international, said PT Angkasa Pura I President Director Faik Fahmi. The cancellations have led to a financial loss of up to 207 billion rupiah (14.32 million USD) in January-Febuary, excluding losses from the non-aero business such as commercial businesses in the airports in the forms of restaurants and retail spaces. The COVID-19 spread has forced the Indonesian government to slap travel bans on the hardest-hit countries, namely China, Iran, Italy and the Republic of Korea. Fear of the illness has also discouraged people from travelling within the country. Ngurah Rai on Bali resort island is the most affected airport as it lost a huge number of flights every day, Faik said, adding that the airport lost 35 flights connecting Denpasar city with 22 Chinese localities daily./. VNA LEELANAU COUNTY, MI A total of three people, including two young girls, were seriously injured in two separate Leelanau County snowmobile crashes. The first occurred in Kasson Township around 3 p.m. on March 7 when Leelanau County deputies and Cedar Area Fire and Rescue responded to reports of a crash involving a 12-year-old girl and a 13-year-old girl, both from Macomb County. An investigation determined that the 12-year-old was operating the snowmobile with the 13-year-old as a passenger when the snowmobile veered out of control, striking a tree. Both were transported to Munson Hospital, after which the 13-year-old was airlifted to Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital in Grand Rapids for further treatment. The second crash occurred around 5:10 p.m. on March 7 when deputies and Leland Fire and Rescue responded to a snowmobile crash on Lake Leelanau in Leland Township. Upon arrival, emergency personnel located an injured 34-year-old Lake Ann man. He was transported to Munson Hospital with serious injuries. The investigation has determined that snowmobile was traveling southeast when it struck an uneven section of ice at a high rate of speed. The snowmobile went airborne and the operator was ejected from the sled. Both crashes are still under investigation. [March 10, 2020] Utz Quality Foods Shares Success With Associates! Utz Quality Foods, LLC. is pleased to announce an approximately $5 million-dollar Profit-Sharing contribution to the Utz 401 (k) profit sharing plan for Utz Associates. Having begun over 40 plus years ago, the Utz Profit Sharing Plan continues in its commitment to support Utz associates and their families based on the company meeting a range of corporate and operational goals. Over the past twenty years, the Utz Profit-Sharing Plan has contributed over $70 million dollars to Utz Associates and their families. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005075/en/ Utz Quality Foods' family of brands (Source (News - Alert): Utz Quality Foods, LLC.) The Utz Profit-Sharing Plan contribution is the realization of continued retail successes. In addition to strong execution with the Utz, Zapp's and Good Health brands among others, Utz has also expanded its retail presence and capabilities in the Southeast. This coupled with the addition of new brands such as Snyder of Berlin, Tim's Cascade, Hawaiian Brand and Kitchen Cooked has generated another successful year for Utz. Utz full-time and part-time Associates re eligible for the Profit-Sharing Plan based on their tenure, some rules are applicable. "Our organization prides itself on teamwork, innovation, and a can-do spirit to ensure we delight our fans and ensure they can find Utz brands anytime, anywhere," said Dylan Lissette, Chief Executive Officer, Utz Quality Foods, LLC. "We are pleased that we can continue the tradition of sharing the company's success with our associates and team members that make it all happen." Utz brands can be found in leading retailers across the U.S. or available online at: Utz Snacks. And, join the conversation about Utz on Facebook (News - Alert) at Facebook/Utz Snacks. About Utz Quality Foods, LLC. Founded in 1921, Utz Quality Foods, LLC. is the largest family-managed, privately held, salty snack company in the United States, producing a full line of snack foods including potato chips, pretzels, cheese snacks, corn chips, tortillas, veggie stix/straws, popcorn, onion rings, pork skins and more. Its brands, which include Utz, Golden Flake, Zapp's, Dirty Potato Chips, Good Health, Bachman, Jax, Wachusett, Snikiddy, Boulder Canyon, Kitchen Cooked, Snyder of Berlin, Tim's Cascade, Hawaiian Brand , among others, are distributed nationally and internationally through grocery, mass merchant, club stores, convenience stores, drug stores and other channels. Based in Hanover, Pennsylvania, Utz operates fourteen manufacturing facilities located in Pennsylvania, Alabama, Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Washington, and Massachusetts and distributes its products through 1,645 Direct Store Delivery Routes (DSD) and direct to customers. For information about Utz or its products, please visit www.utzsnacks.com or call 1-800-FOR-SNAX. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005075/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Indian doctors recently reported the curious case of a young woman who underwent a double hand transplant almost three years ago and whose hands have changed color to match her skin tone. 21-year-old Shreya Siddanagowder lost both her hands in a freak road accident in 2016, when travelling from her hometown in Pune to her college in Karnataka. Doctors had no choice but to amputate both her hand and forearms, and she needed about a year to recover. As soon as she did, she visited the Amrita Institute to register for a double hand transplant, and doctors there miraculously managed to find a donor for her on that same day, August 9, 2017. There were almost 200 other people on the waiting list, some from foreign countries like Afghanistan or Bangladesh, but she was lucky enough to be compatible with the donor. Doctors called her at the hotel after her visit, and the transplant was carried out that same day. Photos: Arul Horizon/Indian Express Shreyas operation lasted 13 hours and involved 20 surgeons and an anesthesia team of 16. They first attached the bones, then the arteries, veins and muscle tendons, before finally stitching the skin on the donors hands to that of Shreyas arms. The procedure was a success, but it was only the beginning of the young womans journey to a normal life. She spent half a year in Kochi undergoing intensive physiotherapy and getting her body acquainted with the new limbs. The hand felt heavy, it was bulky initially, the 21-year-old woman recently told the Indian Express newspaper. Peripheral nerves took time to develop, and sensation in her new hands grew by 1-2 millimeters every day. But it didnt take doctors and Shreyas family members long to notice some interesting changes in the girls new hands. Shreyas hands came from a male college student known only as Sachin, who had been declared brain dead following a motorcycle accident. Hand transplants are rare in India, because many families are reluctant to donate limbs, fearing disfigurement of their loved ones bodies, even though they are fitted with prosthesis. However, Sachins parents agreed to help others live and enjoy better lives by donating both his hands and other organs. One of the first noticeable changes to the larger male hands that Shreya received was a reduction in weight as the extra fat slowly melted away to match her lean arms. In the last four months, the womans mother also noticed that her fingers had become longer and leaner. I see her hand every day. The fingers have become like a womans, the wrist is smaller. These are remarkable changes, Shreyas mother said. But the most remarkable change was that of hand coloration. Photos taken after the transplant show hands of a much darker tone than Shreyas, but as time passed they became lighter to match her own skin tone. And all doctors can do is speculate about the reason. A hand transplant is rare, and such color transformation is rarer. We cannot comment until proper research is conducted, Dr Uday Khopkar, head of dermatology in KEM Hospital, Mumbai, said. This is our first case of male-to-female hand transplant. We can only guess that female hormones have led to the change but assessing the exact cause is difficult, Dr Subramania Iyer, head of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Amrita Institute, told Indian Express. But what really matters is that Shreya Siddanagowder is getting more comfortable with the transplanted hands every day. Although one of the three nerves and her finger muscles are yet to function perfectly, she has made huge progress. Apart from simply having two hands, which makes her feel socially normal, Shreya is able to once again do everyday things like she did before her accident. For example, last semester she was able to write her exams at Fergusson College, in Pune by hand. South Africa: Ergonomics Regulations launched Employers have a duty and responsibility to prevent occupational diseases and injuries relating to exposure to ergonomic hazards in their workplaces. This is according to the Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi at the launch of the Ergonomics Regulations at Destiny Hotel and Conference Centre, in Kempton Park, on Tuesday. Ergonomics - is the scientific discipline concerned with the fundamental understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, data and methods to design in order to optimise human well-being and overall system performance. The regulations focus on the processes and activities in any given company, including employers addresses aspects of ergonomics in relation to what is happening in the company. The regulations require the employer to implement a programme to control the exposure of employees and other people affected by their actions, to ergonomic hazards. The ergonomics programme is not a stand-alone programme, but rather another aspect to be incorporated into the employers already existing health and safety programmes. The Regulations also place duties on designers, manufacturers, importers and suppliers. This aims to eliminate, or reduce, ergonomic hazards in the early stages of designing systems and equipment, rather than trying to find a solution once there is a final product, the Minister said. Department Chief Inspector Tibor Szana said most of the accidents in workplaces were caused by failure to adhere to ergonomics. The regulations, which were promulgated in December 2019, are intended to act as a guide to all employers, employees and the public concerned with the control and prevention of exposure to ergonomic risks in the workplace. The regulations will apply to any employer or self-employed person who carries out work at a workplace, which may expose any person to ergonomic risks in that workplace; and a designer, manufacturer, importer or supplier of machinery, plant or work systems for use at a workplace. Nxesi said South Africa was one of the first countries in the world to introduce this kind of regulation and to champion the thinking that lies behind it. The South African Ergonomics Regulations have been developed in line with the Constitution of South Africa of 1996 and the Occupational Health and Safety Act, said the Department. These were signed after consultation with the Advisory Council for Occupational Health and Safety, business and labour. With the development and promulgation of the new Regulations, South Africa has become one of the leading countries to regulate ergonomics and reduce ergonomic hazards in the workplace. We can be proud of this. These regulations are in everyones interests improving working conditions as well as performance, said Nxesi. Department Labour Director-General Thobile Lamati said for any law to be effective it has to be enforced. Lamati said the department would be conducting advocacy sessions on the regulations with its stakeholders. "The regulations became necessary because of challenges brought about by global changes. Regulations are designed to optimise systems in order to promote decent work agenda," he said. Lamati further said that the regulations were an instrument to ensure that micro and macro structural conditions do not become obstacles to the positive growth of work. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-03-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Barabanki, March 10 : This is a Holi that is different to the only being celebrated in the rest of the country. Dewa Sharif Dargah, the shrine of the Sufi saint Haji Waris Ali Shah, is the only dargah in the country where Holi is celebrated with gaiety and fervour. The saint was born here in 1817 AD and belonged to the Qadiriyya and Chishtiyya schools of Sufism. He was initiated in the traditional Chishtiyya Sufi order, but he adopted more liberal view and permitted his followers to remain in their own religion. As a small boy, Waris Ali attached himself to Haji Khadim Ali Shah, a Sufi dervish of Golaganj, Lucknow, in the state of Uttar Pradesh remained with him until his death in 1832-33 when Waris Ali was 16 years old. As he grew up, Wais Ali Shah travelled to several countries and won disciples as well as acclaim for his philosophy. After he died in 1905, his disciples built the 'dargah' that is one of the best-known shrines in Uttar Pradesh today. The shrine denotes the oneness between Muslims and Hindus, both of whom regularly visit the shrine. Holi is played at the 'dargah' usually in shades of yellow which is the revered colour at the shrine and more than Hindus, it is Muslims who participate in the festivals. Haji Waris Ali Shah's disciples usually wear yellow. Followers and devotees of the shrine come from distant locations to participate in this unique Holi that rises above the realms of religion and caste. "In these times, when communities clash even without any apparent provocation, the Dewa Sharif is a lesson in communal harmony. Thousands of people who believe in the philosophy of oneness come here every day and the entire township has grown over the years around the shrine. For Hindus, Haji Waris Ali Shah is Lord Krishna , for Christians he is Jesus and Muslims see him as the Prophet's essence. He is one of those rare saints who has found acceptance and recognition in every religion," said Karim Khan who owns a tiny flower shop outside the 'dargah'. The shrine also runs a home for the destitute, it provides free food and shelter to the people in the vicinity. The daily 'langar' (community feast) comprises roti and 'dal' for devotees but during festivals, the dargah community also prepares lavish food like biryani, qorma, sheermal and kheer. During Ramzaan, Hindus share the Iftari and serve sherbat to the Muslims who fast during this period and during Janmashtami, the the tableau of Lord Krishna is taken around the campus of the shrine and people worship it with the deepest reverence. Latest updates on Holi Festival 2020 -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Analysts believe that an agreement between Viettel, a mobile network operator, and Vsmart, a mobile phone manufacturer, could drive Chinese smartphones into a corner. While the majority of Vietnamese businesses have suffered losses in the Covid-19 epidemic, Vsmart is flourishing. Joy 3 - a product of Vsmart The Gioi Di Dong and CellphoneS, the leading mobile phone distribution chains, both reported that Vsmart is slightly outperforming Chinese rivals. Of 10 best sellers among low-cost models, priced at below VND5 million, at The Gioi Di Dong, three belonged to Vsmart in the first two months of the year. At CellphoneS, Vsmart was also the No 1 in the low-cost market segment with 30 percent of market share. Following the unexpected success with Vsmart Live late last year, the mobile phone brand of Vingroup has been pursuing a 'strong configuration' strategy. For the same price levels, Vsmart products have a much stronger configuration than Chinese products. Following the unexpected success with Vsmart Live late last year, the mobile phone brand of Vingroup has been pursuing a strong configuration strategy. For the same price levels, Vsmart products have a much stronger configuration than Chinese products. Vsmarts Joy 3, for example, is equipped with Snapdragon 632 chip, while the models of Xiaomi, Realme and Oppo all use Snapdragon 4xx or Helio. The strong configuration + reasonable price strategy once helped Chinese smartphones succeed in Vietnam. However, the weapon is now in the hands of the Vietnamese brand. Vsmart is likely to take a stronger move in the low-cost market segment. And the move is said to have a connection with Viettel, the No 1 mobile network operator in Vietnam. Viettel recently announced that it will sell smartphones at below VND1.5 million and feature phones at below VND400,000 in order to universalize 4G in Vietnam. There are two goals in Viettels strategy obtaining 10 million more 4G users and increasing the profit from telecom services by 4.3 percent. Viettel only says it will join forces with Vietnamese suppliers, while it doesnt mention any specific brand. Analysts believe that Vsmart is the most suitable Vietnamese supplier for Viettel. After Mobiistar disappeared, Vietnam only has two local brands BPhone and Vsmart. Meanwhile, BPhone focuses on the mid- and high-end market segments and is believed not to have resources to compete with rivals in the market segment of products priced at below VND1.5 million. In fact, Viettel and Vingroup have been close friends. In May 2019, the two groups announced close cooperation to build product ecosystems for the two parties. The announcement was made six months before Vingroup announced the transfer of its VinSmart (retail brand) and the dissolution of VinPro (home appliance distribution chain). In the history of the telecom industry, the cooperation between mobile network operators and mobile phone manufacturers is commonly seen. When developing the first iPhone, one of the first things Steve Jobs had to do was seeking a mobile network operator. And it was Cingular, now belonging to AT&T. Le Ha VinSmart creates VOS operating system for Vietnamese smartphone market From the original Android, VinSmart has created a new operating system VOS - specifically tailored for the Vietnamese market. Grant Shannon believed if he treated people well, he could trust that they would treat him the same. His family never expected that his childhood friend Wayne Kevin Beattie would kill him in an act of senseless violence after an argument. Beattie, 50, fatally stabbed Mr Shannon in the Melbourne home they shared in February 2018. He has pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Mr Shannon lived with Mr Beattie and his partner on and off since 2013. He had a reputation as a hardworking baker but a rock climbing accident that resulted in his ankles being fused meant he had to give away his career. Melbourne man Wayne Kevin Beattie (pictured) has pleaded guilty to manslaughter after fatally stabbing his childhood friend Grant Shannon in their home So he got by living with his friend for $200 a fortnight, contributing as well to groceries for his friends. But on February 27, 2018 the long-running arrangement came to an end when Beattie gave Mr Shannon two weeks' notice to move out. He'd complained to other friends earlier about 'others not paying their rent'. Mr Shannon was upset, on the verge of tears, at that news, Victoria's Supreme Court heard on Tuesday. Neighbours heard the two men yelling and arguing later that night, before a loud thud. Beattie told police he'd woken to Mr Shannon 'carrying on' about why he had to leave, and called out for him to stop. He said Mr Shannon began banging on his bedroom door and he tried to use his shoulder to hold the door shut. 'I don't think he had anything in his hand,' Beattie told police, but admitted he armed himself with a knife he kept in his bedroom to protect himself against intruders. He stabbed once at Mr Shannon's hand, and aimed again toward his chest or stomach. The knife struck Mr Shannon in the groin, causing fatal injuries. Mr Shannon's devastated family revealed the 'unrelenting pain' of knowing a man their son trusted and who had celebrated birthdays with their family, had shattered their lives. 'Grant always gave without question and that's what made him so loveable,' his sister Kylie McColl said. '(He was) betrayed so completely by a friend.' Paul Harding stared at Beattie and shook his head, struggling to comprehend how a once-good mate had killed another. 'You, Aussie, took the life of a great mate in the apparent safety of his own home, for that you must pay a price,' he said. Beatties' lawyer told the court he hated himself for what he had done. A letter from Beattie to his friend's family was given to sentencing judge Lex Lasry. The hearing continues. SPRINGFIELD Four county sheriffs have sued the state of Illinois in federal court seeking to strike down a state law they said puts communities in danger. The Illinois TRUST Act, enacted in 2017, was the reason given by the Illinois Department of Corrections when the Illinois Sheriffs Association and several county sheriffs from around the state revealed the states prisons were no longer notifying local sheriffs about the release of felons who were not U.S. citizens upon completion of their sentence. Last month, Kankakee County Sheriff Mike Downey said law enforcement officials were notified Jan. 30 by IDOC they had canceled pickups of non-citizens upon release from prisons. Downey said Kankakee contracted with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2018 to facilitate the transfer of convicted felon non-citizens being released from Illinois prisons to ICE custody. In just 2019, the Kankakee County Sheriffs office assisted in 223 safe and secure transfers of felons who had been convicted of committing the following crimes in an Illinois community, and these were not mild transgressions, he said last month. But thats not happening anymore. Under the Illinois Trust Act, the Illinois Department of Corrections is prohibited from detaining an individual solely on the basis of an immigration detainer or non-judicial immigration warrant, IDOC spokesperson Lindsey Hess said last month. All incarcerated individuals are released at the expiration of their sentence. We continue to work with the Governors Office to review our policies and procedures to ensure the safety of Illinois residents and compliance with state law. On Monday in federal court, the sheriffs of McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson and Kankakee counties filed suit to strike down the law. The Trust Act has both the purpose and effect of obstructing federal immigration enforcement in Illinois, the lawsuit claims. [T]he Sheriffs respectfully request that the Court enter a declaratory judgment determining that the Trust Act is preempted by federal law. The lawsuit said sheriffs run jails and [f]rom time-to-time, these jails house individuals who are undocumented aliens. However, the Trust Act bars any law enforcement agency or official from detaining any individual solely on the basis of any immigration detainer., the sheriffs say. According to the suit, the net result is the Trust Act is in direct conflict with federal laws requiring cooperation and communication between federal and state law enforcement officials. All despite the fact that as the Arizona case decision declares: Consultation between federal and state officials is an important feature of the immigration system. The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois put out a joint statement with the National Immigrant Justice Center that criticized the lawsuit. Todays lawsuit filed by four county sheriffs seeking to strike down the Illinois Trust Act is a thinly-veiled attempt to justify ongoing violations of the law, the statement said. Courts across the United States, including the Seventh Circuit and local federal district court, have held that ICE detainers are voluntary, such that laws like the TRUST Act create no conflict with federal law. Law enforcement in Illinois cannot pick and choose which laws they follow and which they do not, the ACLU statement said. We encourage the Illinois Attorney General to vigorously oppose this lawsuit. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raouls office said the TRUST Act does not violate the constitution. The TRUST Act reflects the values of Illinois residents and serves to build relationships between law enforcement agencies and immigrant communities instead of spreading fear based on immigration status, spokesperson Annie Thompson said. The Attorney Generals office maintains that the TRUST Act is constitutional. The sheriffs said they face irreparable harm in the face of ongoing litigation and threats of enforcement of the Trust Act and that enforcement of an unconstitutional law creates per se irreparable harm. Winston Churchill cried at the thought of meeting the Queen and branded her a 'child' - despite the fact she was 25 and a mother-of-two, a royal historian claims in a new documentary. Professor Kate Williams, who wrote Young Elizabeth: The Making of Our Queen, a biography of the formative years of Elizabeth II, said the monarch was underestimated by the establishment in the early days of her reign. Elizabeth I & Elizabeth II: Britain's Golden Queens, which begins on Channel 5 at 9pm tonight, looks at the similarities between the two monarchs, who both ascended the throne as relative 'unknowns' and struggled to be respected. In the first installment of the two-part documentary, Williams observed: 'You see these two women coming to a throne, and it's a fight, it's a huge fight. Professor Kate Williams, who wrote Young Elizabeth: The Making of Our Queen, a biography of the formative years of Elizabeth II, explains the royal was underestimated by the establishment in the early days of her reign, and had the Prime Minister despair at her young age. Pictured in 1953 'Winston Churchill thinking about dealing with Elizabeth II, he cried, he said "she's just a child." 'I mean, she was 25 with two small children, but to him, she was a baby, and that's because she was a woman.' Elizabeth II became queen on June 2, 1953, when she was 25, after her father King George VI, with whom Churchill worked during the Second World War and after, died of lung cancer aged 50. Fellow historian Tracy Borman agreed with Williams, adding that officials suspected the Queen was 'naive' and 'didn't know anything about running a country'. Winston Churchill saw the 25-year-old Queen as a child and didn't take her seriously as a monarch at first (pictured together in 1951) Meanwhile Elizabeth I, who ascended the throne unexpectedly on January 15, 1559, after being discarded by her father Henry VIII, faced the same sort of issue. And it appears the two Queens used a similar technique to win their subjects over: speaking to them directly and organising 'walkabouts'. Royal historian Kate Williams (pictured) said Churchill saw the Queen as a baby because she was a woman Tonight's documentary takes a look at the Queen's first unrehearsed walkabout during her tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1954. Speaking in the Channel 5 documentary, historian and author Robert Lacey said: 'It is now stamped indelibly on the identity of the Royal Family, that's what royal folk do, they go out and mingle. 'And there's a real message there: "I care about you, you matter to me." 'We can now see that, consciously or not, she was reviving a technique of Elizabeth I.' The programme explains how Elizabeth 1 was the first monarch to approach ordinary people and talk to them directly. Williams added: 'Elizabeth I is actually unprecedented in the way that she goes out there and she does greet her people.' 'I have to say that it gives the security men around her utter kittens - they are panicking that the Catholics are going to blow her up. But Elizabeth I is so great, she's saying, "They're not going to blow me up, the people love me".' Professor Nandini Das, who teaches early modern literature and culture in the English Faculty at the University of Oxford, added: 'It's an investment, an investment into the hearts and the minds of the people.' The documentary explains that Elizabeth II was the first monarch to really bring back the walkabout tradition into royal duty. The programme explains how Elizabeth 1 (pictured) was the first monarch to approach ordinary people and talk to them directly Historian Anna Whitelock said: 'Both Queens were aware of the need to "press the flesh", to be seen, to be believed, to be out there engaging with people, sprinkling a bit of magic and stardust on them.' The experts draw on how well the Queen used television in order to conquer her subjects' hearts. They reference how Elizabeth II invited TV cameras to Balmoral in order to invite her people into her life. 'Even the pet Corgis in the background: this an image that in the twentieth century would have been relevant and appealing to her subjects,' remarked historian Dr Ben Wild. Eventually the Queen earned the trust of her prime minister, Mr Churchill. Pictured greeting one another in March 1950 'It shows a monarchy that recognises it has to move with the times, and what better way of harnessing the power of technology and television to achieve this in a single sweep?' While Elizabeth II relied on cameras, Elizabeth I used a technique known as 'under-drawing' in order to convey an air of strength in all her portraits. Under-drawing was used by monarchs and their government to give artists an approved canvas to work on, so as to broadcast the image that pleased the monarch in the kingdom. Elizabeth I & Elizabeth II: Britain's Golden Queens airs tonight at 9pm on Channel 5. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 21:38:12|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close NEW DELHI, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Indian authorities Tuesday brought back 58 of its citizens from Iran who were stuck there because of the COVID-19 outbreak. The 58 Indians were brought in an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft that was sent to Tehran on Monday evening. "The IAF aircraft has landed. Mission completed. On to the next," Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar wrote on twitter. The minister appreciated the role of Indian officials in Iran and cooperation of Iranian authorities in ensuring the return of Indians from Iran. The number of COVID-19 cases in India have risen to 47. Local governments in various states have ordered the closure of primary schools until March 31 as a precautionary measure. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10) Senator Joel Villanuevas mother, Dory Villanueva died Tuesday. She was 73. In an Instagram post, the senator posted a photo of him holding his mothers hand. Paalam sa pinakamamahal ko sa lahat ng mahal, the post said. the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. Job 1:21, it added. Dory, who was the wife of evangelist and pastor Eddie Villanueva, was honored in the Facebook page of the Jesus Is Lord movement. At 5:50pm today, we have lost a spiritual mother, a competent teacher, a prayer warrior, and a model of faith. After going through fatal arrhythmia secondary to septic shock, Ate Dory is now resting in the arms of her Maker and Savior. She is now face to face with the God she served all these years, true to the words of St. Paul, For to me to live is Christ, to die is gain (Philippians 1:21), it said. The latest entry in the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions advice column is that people over 60 should stock up, in case theyre forced to stay home for a long period, and to avoid crowds. But stocking up means what, exactly? And how much is enough? Naturally, Ive made my list. For some reason, I thought ramen noodles should be on it, though Ive never bought them before. Other items not usually in my cart a gallon jug of Clorox, popsicles and saltines. One might think I was planning to get sick. NurseGrid Mobile, a Portland healthcare staffing startup, said Monday it has sold the business to a Nashville company for $25 million in cash. NurseGrid enables nurses at a health care provider to manage and share schedules to swap shifts and coordinate other work. The Portland company had raised about $12.5 million in funding, had 260,000 monthly users and has 20 employees, down from 34 two years ago. The buyer is a publicly traded Tennessee company called HealthStream, which offers workforce management and development tools. HealthStream said it expects NurseGrid will add less than $500,000 to its total revenues; it says the Portland company was not yet profitable. Tuesdays deal appears to be the first sale of a Portland startup in 2020. -- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699 Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. 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. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi erred recently in granting permission for the prosecution of former JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar and nine others for sedition under Section 124A of the IPC and has set a bad precedent with it. Kanhaiya and others were charged with shouting or supporting slogans against the unity and integrity of the country on the campus on February 9, 2016. The Delhi police filed the chargesheet only last year and the Arvind Kejriwal government has since been criticised by the BJP for delaying the sanction for prosecution. This criticism was part of the political attack of the BJP on its opponents, calling them the tukde tukde gang. It used the Delhi police as a tool in this case. The AAP government succumbed to the pressure and has played into the hands of the BJP. The AAP government has said that it granted permission as a matter of policy' of non-interference in judicial matters and as a matter of principle. This is wrong defence, and appears to be so especially in light of a lower court judgement in Karnataka last week in the case of the Bidar school sedition case, in which the court granted bail to the accused, ruling that Ingredients of Section 124A of IPC (sedition) are not prima facie made out... The fact that the AAP government had the discretionary power to grant or not grant permission for prosecution required it, too, to apply its mind and find out if the ingredients of Section 124A of IPC had been present in Kanhaiya Kumars slogan shouting. The Delhi government failed to do so. And the fault is even more grievous because the government actually received legal opinion from its own counsel that the police case against Kanhaiya and others was flimsy, riddled with gaps and did not amount to sedition against the State. There has been credible evidence to show that the videos on which the charges were based were doctored. The AAP governments decision thus begs the question: Why? Some recent decisions and actions or inaction on the part of the Kejriwal government have created doubts whether the Aam Aadmi Party and its government are softening their positions on policies of the BJP government at the Centre. This may be part of a political plan not to cede ground to the BJP on some issues like nationalism. Whether a party will gain or lose from a policy of accepting and adopting elements from its rivals ideology is debatable. But there is certainly a credibility issue involved in the Delhi governments decision on Kanhaiya Kumar and others. Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - 'Deepening regional integration and security through effective border management systems' is the theme of the fifth annual meeting of heads of immigration from member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to be held from March 12-13, 2020 in Accra, Ghana, it was officially announced on Tuesday Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has survived an assassination attempt targeting his convoy as he headed to work on Monday, local media reported. Abdalla Hamdok, in a brief statement on Twitter, said, Rest assured that what happened today will not stand in the way of our transition, instead it is an additional push to the wheel of change in Sudan. The Premier also tweeted a photo of himself smiling and seated at a large desk, while a TV behind him showed news coverage reporting he had survived. Footage posted online showed two white, Japanese-made SUVs vehicles typically used by Sudans top officials parked on a street, damaged with its widows broken. Another vehicle was badly damaged in the blast. Several dozen people were seen at the site of the attack, chanting: With our blood and soul, we redeem you, Hamdok. Hamdok is leading a transitional government following the overthrow last year of long-time President Omar al-Bashir. The transitional government is struggling to manage a severe economic crisis that triggered months of protests against Bashir and continued after his downfall in April. Sudans transitional authorities announced in February that they agreed to hand over al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court along with other former officials wanted by the ICC. If you own shares in Alliance Data Systems Corporation (NYSE:ADS) 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. First, we have company specific volatility, which is the price gyrations of an individual stock. Holding at least 8 stocks can reduce this kind of risk across a portfolio. The second sort is caused by the natural volatility of markets, overall. For example, certain macroeconomic events will impact (virtually) all stocks on the 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. A stock with a beta greater than one is more sensitive to broader market movements than a stock with a beta of less than one. Check out our latest analysis for Alliance Data Systems What ADS's beta value tells investors Zooming in on Alliance Data Systems, we see it has a five year beta of 1.82. This is above 1, so historically its share price has been influenced by the broader volatility of the stock market. If this beta value holds true in the future, Alliance Data Systems shares are likely to rise more than the market when the market is going up, but fall faster when the market is going down. Many would argue that beta is useful in position sizing, but fundamental metrics such as revenue and earnings are more important overall. You can see Alliance Data Systems's revenue and earnings in the image below. Story continues NYSE:ADS Income Statement, March 10th 2020 Does ADS's size influence the expected beta? Alliance Data Systems is a fairly large company. It has a market capitalisation of US$3.0b, which means it is probably on the radar of most investors. It has a relatively high beta, suggesting it may be somehow leveraged to macroeconomic conditions. For example, it might be a high growth stock with lots of investors trading the shares. It's notable when large companies to have high beta values, because it usually takes substantial capital flows to move their share prices. What this means for you: Beta only tells us that the Alliance Data Systems share price is sensitive to broader market movements. This could indicate that it is a high growth company, or is heavily influenced by sentiment because it is speculative. Alternatively, it could have operating leverage in its business model. Ultimately, beta is an interesting metric, but there's plenty more to learn. This article aims to educate investors about beta values, but it's well worth looking at important company-specific fundamentals such as Alliance Data Systemss 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 ADSs future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for ADSs outlook. Past Track Record: Has ADS 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 ADS's historicals for more clarity. Other Interesting Stocks: It's worth checking to see how ADS 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. BOGOR, Indonesia - King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands apologized Tuesday for his countrys aggression during its colonial rule of Indonesia and formally recognized the Southeast Asian countrys independence date, in his first state visit to the former Dutch colony. The kings apology was conveyed after he and Queen Maxima were hosted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his wife, Iriana, at an official ceremony in the ornate colonial-style presidential palace in Bogor, just outside the capital, Jakarta. The Netherlands did not initially apologize for its 350 years of colonial rule and aggression until 2013, when the Dutch ambassador expressed remorse for a series of massacres carried out by the Dutch military to crush resistance against colonial rule in Java and Sulawesi islands after Indonesias 1945 declaration of independence. That apology came only after the victims widows took the Dutch government to court. In line with the previous statement by my government, I would like to express my regret and apologize here for the excessive violence on the part of the Dutch in those years, the king said Tuesday at a joint news conference with Widodo. I do so with full awareness that the pain and sorrow of the affected families will be felt for generations. Indonesia declared its independence from Dutch colonial rule on Aug. 17, 1945, but the Netherlands refused to acknowledge it and fought unsuccessfully to maintain control of the lucrative Asian outpost. It finally recognized the country as an independent nation in December 1949. Indonesian authorities claim some 40,000 people were killed during the fighting, while most Dutch historians estimate the dead at about 1,500. A 1968 Dutch report acknowledged violent excesses in Indonesia but argued that Dutch troops were conducting a police action often incited by guerrilla warfare and terror attacks. The Dutch government has never prosecuted any soldiers for the killings despite a U.N. report condemning the attacks as deliberate and ruthless as early as 1948. The 2013 apology by the Dutch ambassador cleared the way for the biggest-ever Dutch trade mission to Indonesia in November 2013, led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Subsequent apologies were made by Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders in 2016 and Rutte late last year during visits in Indonesia. But unresolved demands from those affected by past war crimes still loom large over the monarchs current visit. On Aug. 17, it will be 75 years since Indonesia declared its proclamation, claiming its place among free and independent countries, the king said Tuesday. Today, the Dutch government explicitly acknowledged it both politically and morally. The four-day state visit by the royal couple, who arrived in Jakarta on Monday, aims to deepen economic ties with Indonesia. Its the first trip to Indonesia for the king since he ascended the throne in 2013, and the fourth for the queen, whose previous trips were part of her role as U.N. Secretary-Generals Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development. The king and queen started their busy day Tuesday by laying a wreath at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery to honour Indonesias war dead, especially those who fell during the War of Independence. In the afternoon, the royal couple laid a wreath at Menteng Pulo Cemetery, the resting place of almost 4,300 Dutch soldiers who died during World War II and the independence war. The king and Widodo witnessed the signing of agreements for economic partnership in the areas of agriculture, health care, coastal protection and the maritime industry. Under the Widodo administration, ties between the two countries have strengthened significantly. We certainly cannot erase our history, but we can learn from the past, Widodo said. We try to learn from history to strengthen our commitment to build an equal relationship that respects and benefits each other. Widodos visit to the Netherlands in 2016 was the first by an Indonesian leader since Abdurraham Wahid in 2000. In 2010, then-President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono cancelled a visit at the last minute amid moves by a separatist group to have him arrested for alleged human rights violations. The Dutch royal couple is scheduled to meet the Sultan of Yogyakarta on Wednesday. On Thursday, the king and queen will visit Lake Toba in North Sumatra province, one of Indonesias 10 new Balis, an ambitious plan to boost tourism and diversify Southeast Asias largest economy. They will also visit Sebangau National Park on Borneo island on Thursday. ___ Karmini reported from Jakarta, Indonesia Brian Ortega reportedly waited for UFC's Chan Sung Jung to go the bathroom before allegedly slapping his friend. (Photo by Woohae Cho/Zuffa LLC) Jay Park, a Korean rapper and occasional translator for UFC featherweight Chan Sung Jung, filed a police report in Las Vegas alleging that Brian Ortega slapped him during UFC 248 on Saturday, according to ESPNs Marc Raimondi. Park is reportedly undecided on whether to press charges against Ortega, who was previously scheduled to fight Jung popularly known as The Korean Zombie in Busan, South Korea, last December before pulling out with a torn ACL. A Las Vegas police public information officer told ESPN Park has up to one year to make a decision. Ortega has since apologized to Park and said he is willing to fight Jung when ready. I want to officially apologize to JPark for Saturday night, when Zombie is ready we can fight. Brian Ortega (@BrianTcity) March 11, 2020 TMZ posted video of the aftermath of the incident, in which Ortega can be seen restrained and saying I told you Id slap you like a b----. If charges are pressed, police would investigate the incident as a misdemeanor battery case. From ESPN: "I don't want to take this dude's money," Park said. "I don't want him to go to jail or anything like that. I don't wish anything bad about him. It was just really weird. I don't know what other way to put it. I don't know what he was thinking. He needs to get his act together. Real talk." UFCs Korean Zombie livid with Ortega, pledges to knock him out While Park said he doesnt want anything bad to happen to Ortega, Jung seems to have other ideas in mind judging from a scorching and profane Instagram post. In a lengthy caption, Jung accused Ortega of waiting until he went to the bathroom at T-Mobile Arena before approaching Park and attacking him. He called Ortega a coward and said he would fight him, pledging to knock him out and leaving him with a bloody face. Warning, the following post contains profanity. Why did Brian Ortega slap Korean Zombies friend and translator? Story continues According to ESPN, Park said he believes Ortega was unhappy with a translation Park gave for Jung during an interview on Feb. 10. In one translation, Park reportedly said Ortega was scared to fight Jung, which prompted a threat from Ortega on social media after the interview. Park backed up Jungs account of the incident, saying Ortega was seated near the two in the crowd at UFC 248. Once Jung left for the bathroom, Ortega allegedly approached Park and slapped him in the face. From ESPN: "He's like, 'Hey dog, are you Jay Park?'" Park said. "It kind of caught me by surprise. As I stood up, he like smacked me. ... It was very narrow. There were chairs behind me, so I kind of fell back, and then I got up and I kind of pushed him." Ortega was reportedly escorted out of the arena after the incident, while Park said he experienced jaw stiffness from the alleged slap. Park also said he did not mistranslate Jungs statement from February and that Ortega effectively slapped the messenger: "For me, to be honest, I don't feel like I did anything wrong," Park said. "I just translated. I never put words in Zombie's mouth. I've never put up a [social media] caption for him. I never told him to trash-talk. I have a lot of respect for fighters. They put everything on the line -- they train hard, they fight for their family." So in summary, we reportedly have Ortega waiting for a fighter to go to the bathroom before attacking a friend of that fighter for accurately translating that fighter saying Ortega is afraid of him. That is quite a look, especially if it ends with him getting knocked out by that same fighter. More from Yahoo Sports: By Trend In accordance with the mandate of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, the OSCE mission will hold a monitoring on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops in Aghdam district on March 11, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. On the Azerbaijani side, the monitoring will be held by field assistants of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ghennadie Petrica and Martin Schuster. On the Azerbaijani territories occupied and controlled by Armenian armed forces, the monitoring will be conducted by field assistants of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Mihail Olaru and Ognjen Jovic. 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. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz People wait at the New Rochelle train station on March 10, 2020 in New Rochelle, New York. New Rochelle, a city just north of New York City, has become the state's largest source of COVID-19 infections, prompting Governor Andrew Cuomo to announce Tuesday that officials will be implementing a one mile radius containment area there to try to halt the spread of Coronavirus. Spencer Platt | Getty Images New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has deployed the National Guard to New Rochelle, a coronavirus hot spot just north of New York City. "This is unique in the United States of America, we haven't seen this anywhere else. Think about it, New Rochelle has double the cases of New York City, it's true, it's a phenomenon," Cuomo told reporters Tuesday in announcing the deployment. Westchester County, where New Rochelle is located, had 108 COVID-19 cases out of the 173 confirmed infections across the state, according to state health department data Tuesday. Cuomo compared the number of cases in New York to Washington state, where officials said an outbreak has spread to at least 162 people, killing 22 mostly elderly residents. Across the U.S., at least 25 people have died, but none in New York so far. A man in his 60s died from COVID-19 in Bergen County, New Jersey, state officials confirmed Monday. Fourteen New Yorkers are hospitalized with COVID-19, Cuomo said, adding "most of the 14 are members of that vulnerable community." A South Melbourne brothel owner is taking legal action to force Google to reveal who wrote its bad online reviews, some of which direct customers to a nearby competitor. The Boardroom of Melbourne, which bills itself as one of the citys top brothels, wants the Federal Court to force Google to hand over the IP addresses linked with the negative reviews after the search engine giant refused to reveal the identities behind them and take them down. The Boardroom of Melbourne. Credit:Justin McManus Owner Milan Stamenkovic said there has been a pattern of one-star reviews over several months containing false information, driving down the business 3.2 star rating on its Google Business page. The place is cheap and dirty ... after meeting 3 ladies only I asked is there any more? one review reads. [March 10, 2020] Bithumb Enlists Chainalysis Following South Korean Regulation Crackdown NEW YORK and SEOUL, South Korea, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Chainalysis, the blockchain analysis company, today announced the successful deployment of its investigations solution, Chainalysis Reactor, with Bithumb, a leading South Korean cryptocurrency exchange. Bithumb will use Chainalysis Reactor to investigate suspicious activity and establish a more secure, robust platform for its users following the South Korean National Assembly's vote last week in favor of amending the Special Financial Transactions Information Act, effectively creating a framework for the country's cryptocurrency industry. "Chainalysis is committed to helping our customers investigate all kinds of illicit activity, including hacks and scams, and establish long-term regulatory compliance," said Jason Bonds, Chief Revenue Officer, Chainalysis. "As cryptocurrency use in South Korea continues to grow, new regulations such as this will make blockchain analysis solutions like Chainalysis vital for compliance. We have had a presence in the South Korean market for over three years and are continuing to invest to ensure we provide top-notch, on-the-ground support for our customers." "By partnering with Chainalysis, we felt confident that we were choosing the industry-leading investigation software and professional guidance," said SungMi Lee, Head of Compliance, Bithumb. "We anticipate further updates following last week's vote making it even more important for us to have support available in our local language." Last August under the Financial Services Commission (FSC), the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) in the Republic of South Korea disclosed a plan to directly regulate cryptocurrency exchanges. Now that this has been passed by the National Assembly, the government will enhance cryptocurrency transaction transparency through a "cryptocurrency exchange licensing system," as recommended by FATF. Given the increasing number of hacks that cryptocurrency exchanges suffered in the past year, The Republic of South Korea is particularly inclined to pass measures that improve transparency. As a result, exchanges such as Bithumb are strengthening their anti-money laundering (AML) and combatting the financing of terrorism (CFT) practices ahead of these new regulations. Chainalysis Reactor is the investigation software that connects cryptocurrency transactions to real-world entities, enabling cryptocurrency businesses and law enforcement to combat criminal activity such as fraud, extortion, and money laundering on the blockchain. ABOUT CHAINALYSIS Chainalysis is the blockchain analysis company providing data and analysis to government agencies, exchanges, and financial institutions across 40 countries. Our investigation and compliance tools, education, and support create transparency across blockchains so our customers can engage confidently with cryptocurrency. Backed by Accel, Benchmark, and other leading names in venture capital, Chainalysis builds trust in blockchains. For more information, visit www.chainalysis.com . ABOUT BITHUMB Since its launch in 2014, Bithumb has developed into a leading cryptocurrency exchange not only in Korea but in the global market. For the past 5 years, Bithumb has established a world-class competitive edge and expertise in establishing and operating cryptocurrency trading platforms, and blockchain technology. Today, Bithumb is evolving into a comprehensive blockchain based financial corporation. For more information, visit www.bithumb.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bithumb-enlists-chainalysis-following-south-korean-regulation-crackdown-301020873.html SOURCE Chainalysis [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A deal to move Edith Cowan University's Mount Lawley campus, including the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, into Perth's CBD is at risk because of massive costs and the unforeseen impact of coronavirus on state and federal budgets. The cost of shifting the campus could be between $600-$750 million, but a source familiar with the federal government's budget situation said there might be as little as $200 million available for the Perth City Deal. Satellite image of ECU Mount Lawley, which, under a proposal before the state government, would be sold and moved into the CBD. Credit:Google images On Monday the federal government was preparing to abandon its budget surplus and pump a multi-billion dollar stimulus into the economy. But the changing budget position could come at a cost for city deals not yet inked, including one soon to be announced for Perth. She's known for her glamorous sense of style. And Love Island star Laura Anderson proudly displayed her bronzed pins in a stylish mint green coat dress as she arrived for the first day of the Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday. The reality star, 30, oozed sophistication in the look as she reunited with her former co-star Kendall Rae Knight for a fun-filled day at the races. Dressed to impress: Love Island's Laura Anderson, 30, displayed her bronzed pins in a mint green dress as she joined Kendall Rae Knight (right) at the Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday Laura showed off every inch of her incredible legs in the thigh-skimming coat dress, in a gorgeous mint green that perfectly accentuated her golden tan. The former air hostess teamed the look with a matching fascinator covered with white pearls, and white square-toe strapped heels. Laura carried her essentials in a taupe Balenciaga-branded handbag and kept her blonde tresses styled in loose waves as she joined several stars in attendance for a day at the races. Races ready: The reality star looked sensational in the sophisticated look which she teamed with a matching pearl-studded fascinator and nude Balenciaga handbag Leggy: Laura added some extra height to her races look with white square-toe heels, and kept her blonde tresses styled into loose waves Here she is! Ahead of her races appearance, Laura took to Instagram Stories to share a closer look at her stylish mint green dress Elsewhere Kendall ensured that she got her moment in the spotlight as she opted for a white frilled mini dress to post in front of a gorgeous flower wall. The Blackpool beauty pulled her dark tresses into a sleek ponytail as she joined Laura at the races. Inside the festival, Laura and Kendall were joined by fellow Love Island beauties Kady McDermott and Ellie Brown as they soaked up the free drinks and treats on offer with TOWIE star Vas J Morgan. Best pals: During her day at the races Laura was joined by her former Love Island co-star Kendall who wrapped up in a white overcoat Giddy: Laura oozed sophistication in her beautiful look, which included a matching fascinator covered with pearls In the romance department, Laura recently sent tongues wagging at the Ex On The Beach afterparty as she put on a very cosy display with Big Brother star Lotan Carter in the entrance of the club in January. Lotan's representative quashed hopes of a budding romance, telling MailOnline: 'Laura and Lotan are long term friends, enjoying a fun night out celebrating.' Meanwhile, the blonde split from her on-off boyfriend Max Morley last July after an on-off year-long relationship. Jaw-dropping: Kendall proudly showed off her tanned figure in a fun white ruffled mini dress as she posed in front of a pretty flower wall Girls day out: As they arrived at the races they were joined by Ellie Brown (left) who took to Instagram Stories to document the day with fellow Love Island star Stephanie Lam (right) Hilarious: Kendall also posed for a fun snap with Love Island 2016 star Kady McDermott and TOWIE star Vas J Morgan Fun: Laura showed off her inner supermodel in a video with Vas and fellow TOWIE veteran Chloe Sims An insider told The Sun at the time: 'It's really sad but it's over again between them. Things had got really serious - his dad was even building them a house up north to live in - but it's not worked out. The Cheltenham Festival had been thrown in doubt several days earlier amid the ongoing spread of the coronavirus. On Monday some horses had already arrived at the course by the time news of the latest case of coronavirus was made official, leading some racing fans to worry about the possibility of a last-minute change to the schedule. But the same day Cheltenham Racecourse spokesman confirmed there were no plans to postpone the event, saying: 'British Racing has been in close communication with the Government. 'We welcome the guidance that the business of the country should continue as usual at this time, while ensuring we adhere to the latest public health advice in full.' A copyright lawsuit battle against Led Zeppelin's signature song 'Stairway to Heaven' has been going on since 2014, and once again, Led Zeppelin has won. In 2014, Michael Skidmore, a trustee for the estate of Spirit guitarist Randy Wolfe, filed a copyright infringment against Led Zeppelin's guitarist Jimmy Page. He claimed that Page stole the opening guitar riff for 'Stairway to Heaven' from Spirit's 1968 song 'Taurus'. Led Zeppelin won the case back in 2016, but in 2018 a new trial was opened by the US appeals court because the felt the jury was innacurate. Speaking to Rolling Stone, Skidmore's lawyer said that he appreciates Led Zep as a band, but "theyre the greatest art thieves of all time and they got away with it again today.... They absolutely stole that piece of work. In 2019, artists like Tool and Korn showed their support for Led Zeppelin. And finally, now the 9th US Circuit Court Of Appeals in San Francisco has ruled in favour again that Led Zepellin were not at fault and they did not infiringe the copyright of 'Taurus'. On Youtube, the most watched video of Spirit's 'Taurus' is full of comments of people debating if Led Zeppelin did copy it, with most in favor of Led Zep. With some comments saying: "There's a lawyer who's sure all that glitters is gold.." - allanfmarsden "Looks like a drunk person trying to play Stairway to heaven" - Andrea Alonso "The only thing similar is the 5 note walk down, you dont own a series of notes. The legal case is bs." - seaaechyewseekay BYUCopyright on Youtube created a side by side comparison video of the two songs, which you can watch below. Five people died and 35 were injured as a bus coming from Uttarakhand fell into a gorge in Himachal Pradesh's Chamba district on Tuesday morning, police said. The accident took place at Chehli village in the Chamba Sadar area around 6.45 am. The Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus was on its way to Chamba from Dehradun, Chamba SP Monika Bhatungru said. The injured, including several women and children, have been sent to the Chamba medical college for treatment. They were rescued with the help of the fire brigade personnel and locals, police said. The deceased have been identified as Yogesh Kumar (47), Pooja Kumari (28), Rajiv Kumar (37), Mani Ram (33) and Dawat Ali (30), police added. Prima facie, it has been found that the accident took place due to negligent and rash driving, police said, adding that a case was registered against bus driver Naresh Kumar of Kangra's Jawali under Sections 279, 337 and 304-A of IPC. Most of the deceased and the injured belong to Chamba district. Meanwhile, talking to the media in state capital Shimla, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur expressed grief over the accident. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The graduations will still happen but instead be livestreamed on official Facebook pages and other online platforms, according to a post from the U.S. Navy Recruit Training Command, which is based at the naval station. A few questions for Imani Ghana as it continues to berate the Electoral Commission (EC) for its processes regarding the procurement of Biometric registration kits. 1. Is the Civil Society Coalition that protested the ECs plan to conduct a fresh registration of eligible voters still united with Imani in this matter? 2. When was the last time the Coalition spoke on this matter? 3. Why isnt the Coalition speaking? 4. On Tuesday 10th March 2020 when it holds another press conference will Imani be speaking for itself or for the Coalition? Ghanaians need to know. 5. Is Imani a Think Tank or a pressure or lobby group? Is it behaving as a think tank or lobbying for a particular company which lost the tender? 6. Imani has clearly stated its preference for Smartmatic as its preferred winner of the bid. Why? 6. Imani has held three (3) press conferences in relation to this matter. Tomorrow 10/3/2020 it will hold a fourth. Who is funding these press conferences? Imani or its sponsors? 7. How has Imani handled other pressing matters that affect the national interest that come to its attention? Does it publish repeated, repetitive, angry press statements and hold multiple press conferences? Or does it state its case and leave it in the public domain? Is its current method consistent with how it has handled other pressing matters? Why is it behaving differently? 8. Why have all the top personnel of Imani, Franklin Cudjoe, Bright Simmons and Kofi Bentil been hopping angrily from one radio and TV station to another on this matter in the past three months? 10. Why was Bright Simmons a normally gentle, balanced, factual advocate so angry and emotional on the JoyTV Newsfile programme some months ago? That was so unlike him. Does he have a personal interest in this matter? 11. Why doesnt Imani go to court to seek redress for these so called procurement breaches? IMANI is not acting independently. It has been compromised and is receiving huge financial payments from a losing party in the biometric equipment supply tender to do its bidding. That is why it is carrying out a relentless and unjustified attack on the Electoral Commssion. It is not doing any patriotic service to Ghana. Ignore Franklin Cudjoe and his paid, traitorous cohorts. I shall return.. Source: G.K. Sarpong/Darkuman,Accra 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 Police officers at Ballyhalbert Caravan Park in Co Down where Lisa Dorrian was last seen in February 2005 UVF bosses have ordered a Co Antrim commander to stop protecting Lisa Dorrian's murderer. The matter was discussed during a meeting of the leadership of the terror gang last Monday, just 48 hours after the 15th anniversary of the Bangor woman's murder and secret burial. Loyalist sources said the summit was prompted by Sunday Life's revelations last weekend about how the UVF has been protecting the killer. For the past three years we have reported that he is being sheltered because he is the son of a Red Hand Commando (RHC) member who had a child with the sister of a UVF boss. Despite the group knowing what he did to Lisa, he was given a job at a UVF taxi firm, which involved him taking vulnerable women home at night. Embarrassed by this newspaper's revelations, the UVF leadership issued strict instructions to the commander to stop protecting this individual. Expand Close Police officers at Ballyhalbert Caravan Park in Co Down where Lisa Dorrian was last seen in February 2005 PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police officers at Ballyhalbert Caravan Park in Co Down where Lisa Dorrian was last seen in February 2005 "It was the main topic of conversation at a UVF meeting last week," explained a loyalist source. "It was made clear to the commander that Lisa Dorrian's killer should have absolutely no protection. The same message was also relayed to the Red Hand Commando. "Bunter (UVF chief-of-staff John Graham) is furious that the UVF is being constantly linked to the case." Expand Close UVF boss Bunter Graham / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp UVF boss Bunter Graham Graham was named in graffiti sprayed around Belfast last year urging him to force Lisa's killer to give up the location of her body. For years he was kept in the dark about how the UVF commander and his RHC pal combined to stymie the police investigation. This is because of their family links to the murderer, the identity of whom is widely known. Graham is also worried that the UVF's involvement will affect government funding going to projects it supports, including Alternatives NI, which raked in more than 1m last year. The UVF source added: "Bunter is concerned that public money will be cut if the organisation doesn't distance itself from Lisa Dorrian's killer." Expand Close Lisa Dorrian's sister Joanne (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Lisa Dorrian's sister Joanne (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Lisa's campaigning sister Joanne Dorrian is calling for the murderer, if convicted, to spend the rest of his life behind bars if he does not reveal the location of her body. She appeared on BBC's Nolan Live last Wednesday to repeat the demand first made in Sunday Life last weekend. Joining brave Joanne in the studio was Denise Murray, the twin sister of Charlotte Murray, who was murdered and then secretly buried by her ex-fiance Johnny Miller. Last month he started a minimum 16-year jail sentence and has so far refused to tell Charlotte's grief-stricken relatives where he hid her body. Both Joanne and Denise are campaigning for a 'Charlotte's law' that would see killers kept behind bars until their victim's remains were recovered. "This law would mean life for any murderer who has hidden a body unless they disclose its location," said Joanne who, along with Denise Murray, is to meet Justice Minister Naomi Long to build her support for the proposal. "This is an important move in our campaign because up until now we have focused on finding Lisa and treated justice as a secondary issue." Lisa went missing after a drugs party in a Ballywalter caravan on the north Down coast in February 2005. Detectives believe she may have been murdered between 10.30pm and 1.15am - a belief that is at odds with statements from Mark Lovett, the last man to see her alive. Expand Close Mark Lovett / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mark Lovett He said they fled the caravan into the night at 4.45am after hearing noises and seeing flashing lights outside. More than 400 land, air and sea searches have taken place since the murder, with the PSNI pursuing more than 3,500 lines of inquiry. Detective Superintendent Jason Murphy, the cop leading the investigation, said: "There is nothing that suggests to me that Lisa was attacked by a stranger, that there were strangers on the site, or that she was taken off-site by anybody that didn't know her. That leads me to the conclusion that she was killed in the caravan." Cybersecurity is a very serious issue for 2020 and the risks stretch far beyond the alarming spike in ransomware. In addition to the daily concerns of malware, stolen data and the cost of recoveringfrom a business network intrusion, there is the very real danger of nefarious actors using cyberattacks to influence or directly impact the outcome of the 2020 U.S. general election. Today, every company that has a computer or any connected devices or software should see itself as a tech company. Everyindividual with a smart TV, virtual assistant or other Internet ofThings (IoT) device could be at risk as well and the risks include beingvictimized by cyberstalkers or having personal data compromised. We are seeing growing attack surfaces for example, automotive, drones,satellites and hardware components, said Michael Sechrist, chieftechnologist at Booz Allen Hamilton. There is also increased obfuscation fromsophisticated actors that is, malware code reuse and similarities, he told TechNewsWorld. Several major domestic and international events will likelyprovide attackers opportunities for digital disruption across largeand small companies and governments alike, Sechrist said. Although everyone whos connected in this increasingly connected world is a potential target, understanding the risks can help alleviate the overall threat. The main threat companies face is in not adequately keeping pace withthe ever-evolving security threat landscape, said Ellen Benaim,information security officer at Templafy. It is a constant battle to keep abreast of the latest issues. Tomake matters worse, we predict that in 2020 cyberthreats will becomemore frequent and sophisticated, spanning a wider attack surface andcausing a more deadly impact, she told TechNewsWorld. Old Threats Still Have Teeth Many of the same threats that have been around for years willcontinue to pose real problems in 2020. Among them are phishing attacks. Phishing is essentially tricking others into taking an action thatcan be profited from, said Tom Thomas, adjunct faculty member inTulane Universitys Online Master of Professional Studies in Cybersecurity Management program. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Since all those millions are still sitting in a bank in Nigeriafor over 20 years now, I am sure phishing is here to stay as long aspeople are greedy and easily tricked, he told TechNewsWorld. Education is quite common, but these scams are evolving as well and some of these email scams are very believable unless you lookclosely, which most people do not, warned Thomas. Another cybersecurity threat is one that isnt really an attack, butrather a problem due to overworked and at times underpaid softwaredesigners. This is the issue of software errors, and those errors canresult in exploits that hackers and other criminals can target. These are valid concerns, and with the rise of software as king in theIT space, this means that developers are going to have to addresssecurity within their code, new and old, said Thomas. Threats From Within One overlooked area of cybersecurity is who has legitimate access tothe data, and whether those individuals can be trusted. Edward Snowdenis just one example, but the issue has plagued tech companies foryears. In the spring of 2018, Apple had to fire an employee forleaking details of the companys software roadmap. This problem is likely to get worse, as there is now a cybersecurityworker shortage, and companies are being less diligent when it comes tonew hires. A big threat facing companies in 2020 is the insider threat, saidTemplays Benaim. Whether it is deliberate or not, the impact of these threats can bedevastating, she added. Insider threats can manifest in a number of ways for example, anovertired employee might simply forward confidential data to thewrong recipient, Benaim said, or a disgruntled former employee might downloadcustomer records from a CRM tool with malicious intent. Both scenarios could lead to a severe data breach, triggering inordinate fines for your company under GDPR. Pointed Attacks Even trusted employees can make critical mistakes. Hackers usesocial engineering techniques to breach a network and gathersensitive data as well as tools to encrypt data or break security systems. A D V E R T I S E M E N T In 2020 we could see more multi-layer spearphishing, where multipletargets inside a business are used to gather information and gainaccess, warned Laurence Pitt, global security strategy director atJuniper Networks. The delivery mechanisms will also be more complicated, he told TechNewsWorld. Any threat that costs money, and especially where it affects publicmoney government and healthcare will remain newsworthy, Pitt added. Well see more attacks using common vectors, such as phishing,download via malvertising, etc., he predicted, but also attacks that use old methodswith new vectors. The Masad Stealer attack, reported by Juniper ThreatLabs in late 2019, is a good example of this, where data and money wasstolen via malware injected into a used and respected piece of software. Malware Hangups It isnt just computer networks that could be at risk in 2020. Alreadyweve seen that little has been done in recent years to ensure thatmobile devices are protected adequately from cyberattacks. In the case of smartphones, devices could become infected simply bydownloading apps even from what should be trusted platforms. The StrandHogg malware is using malicious but popular apps on thePlay store as a delivery mechanism, and until Google closes thevulnerability that allows this to work, any device and user issusceptible, said Pitt. Mobile phones have become a gateway to our most sensitive andpersonal information, and yet the offer of a free application stillgets millions of downloads without a thought as to whether itssafe,' he added. Users need to stop blindly accepting device requests for access toresources; stop downloading free apps that they do not need andprobably will only use once; and, finally, deny if an applicationrequests access to something that seems strange or unnecessary forexample, a PDF reader wanting access to SMS messages, advised Pitt.This will help keep devices and data more safe. Fake Out Another major concern for 2020 might not affect data directly, but it should be on everyones radar nonetheless: the rise of deepfakes, manipulated videos that have been used to discredit individuals, to spread misinformation, and to cause harm in seemingly endless ways. Deepfakes have increased in sophistication. Ever more powerfulcomputers and even mobile devices are making it all too easy to create convincing fakes. One concern is how they might be used in conjunction with fake news across mobile platforms. Deepfake technologies will be used to attempt to influence the 2020elections in the United States and beyond, predicted Erich Kron, securityawareness advocate at KnowBe4. Fake videos and audio will be released close to the election time inorder to discredit candidates or to swing votes, he warned. While these will be proven as fakes fairly rapidly, undecided voterswill be influenced by the most realistic or believable fakes, Kron added. Securing the Cloud One misconception about cybersecurity is that off-site or hostedstorage comes with greater risks. The cloud may have certainadvantages, in fact. There is a common misconception that the cloud is inherently lesssecure than traditional on-premises solutions, said AndrewSchwarz, professor in the Information Systems & Decision Sciences program in the E. J. Ourso College of Business Administration atLouisiana State University. The problem is that when there is a cloud breach such as the breachover the summer at AWS it makes huge headlines, and skeptics point tothese examples as reasons why companies should be reluctant to movetheir own systems into the cloud, he told TechNewsWorld. The problem with these examples is that network security issubject to the principle of the greatest weakness your data will bevulnerable in the interface that is the weakest, he added. Cloud security is going to continue to improve as the cloud itselfmatures, said Tulanes Thomas. In fact cloud, if implemented correctly, can increase security risks so ensuring that these risks are mitigated is critically important,he pointed out. Last summers AWS breach showed that the cloud isnt the fundamental problem. Itwasnt the cloud provider that was at fault but a misconfigured firewall, which was due to a decision the client made. Furthermore, cloud providers will only survive if their clouds aresecure and are investing R&D in providing new approaches to securitythat will push the boundaries of security as we know it, saidLSUs Schwarz. Any breach means a certain death to providers. Thus it is intheir best interests to keep systems secure. The answer is thereforethat the cloud is not only secure, but is more secure than most, ifnot all, on-premises data centers. Security in Real Time Cybersecurity isnt just about computer networks or consumer devices. There are several significant upcoming happenings that hackers could target, and what is at stake goes well beyond money or data. There are three major events in 2020 that will certainly be a magnetto cybercriminals and nation state actors: the U.S. presidentialelection; the first-ever online U.S. census; and the Olympic games inTokyo, noted Mounir Hahad, head of Juniper Threat Labs at Juniper Networks. We will identify meddling attempts on social media; attempts atinfiltrating campaign staff; security holes in the census process, andattempts to exploit them; and that some attack on the Olympicsinfrastructure will probably succeed to some extent, he told TechNewsWorld. I am very concerned about the election. Government IT Security iswoefully lacking, especially when you get down to the county andprecinct level, which is where these machines are accessible, notedThomas. Electronic voting is still evolving slowly and that is what concernsme, as we have seen in the news that electronic ballots are far easierto subvert than paper ballots, he said. None of these problems will be easily addressed this year, or even inthe years to come. Cybersecurity remains a field that has too manyopenings and too few candidates. It requires constant diligenceand neverending training. The cost of not doing enough, however, could be even greater. The fact of the matter is that as long as criminals can gain accessto data, they can impact the confidentiality, integrity oravailability of it and theres little a company can do at that point,said KnowBe4s Malik. Companies should appropriately protect datawith cryptography, so that even if criminals gain access to the data,they cannot impact the integrity or confidentiality, he recommended. Finally, thetrend we will likely continue to see is the breaching of companiesthrough the supply chain or other trusted third parties. San Franciscos South Park Cafe, the neighborhood restaurant run by the corporate-card startup company Brex, was closed Monday as was the companys San Francisco office after a Brex employee tested positive for coronavirus. The cafe is located in the citys South Park neighborhood, a hub for local venture capital and tech companies. News of South Park Cafes closure spread on Twitter on Monday afternoon when a user posted what was said to be a portion of a letter recently sent to Brex employees. The letter said an employee, who did not show signs of being ill, was at home resting after testing positive for COVID-19. In a statement emailed to The Chronicle, Brex officials confirmed that the businesses closed after an employee tested positive for the virus. A Brex employee has tested positive for COVID-19. We are taking this situation very seriously, and as a result have temporarily closed the San Francisco office, as well as our Oval Room and South Park Cafe, and have asked employees in our SF locations to work from home until further notice. We will continue to work with local officials to ... ensure the health and safety of our employees, the statement read. The Oval Room is a members-only lounge located above South Park Cafe, meant to be a place for Brex cardholders to network. Paul Chinn / The Chronicle 2019 While other restaurants are feeling the affect of coronavirus fears, including in Chinatown, where restaurants are seeing a decline in customers, this may be the first food business in the city to close due to a direct connection to the coronavirus. South Park Cafe spent 20 years as a French bistro in the neighborhood before its previous owners closed it in 2017, citing rising rent costs. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Brex founders Henrique Dubugras and Pedro Franceschi took it over and opened it back up in August under its original name, less than a mile from the Brex offices. The cafe now sells coffee and pastries in the morning before becoming a California bistro for lunch and dinner, featuring menu items like koji-rubbed New York steak and trout served with couscous. Paul Chinn / The Chronicle 2019 South Park Cafe. 108 South Park St., San Francisco. Closed temporarily. Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @JustMrPhillips United Methodist Michigan Conference advances separation proposal Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Michigan Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church voted to send a proposal to split the denomination over the long-debated issue of homosexuality to the UMC's top legislative body. Last week, the Michigan conference became the third annual conference and the first based in the United States to support sending the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation, which would allocate $25 million for Methodists who adhere to biblical sexual ethics to vote to leave the UMC and create their own denomination, to the UMC General Conference. UMC bishops and activists had first announced support for the proposal in January. At a special session held at Goodrich Chapel in Albion, Michigan conference delegates voted 927 to 92 in favor of sending the proposal for consideration. The Michigan Conference reported that while many attendees of the session spoke in favor of the protocol, the approved did not officially endorse the separation proposal. Unlike the two international conferences that acted before the March 7 vote in Albion, The Michigan Conference did not endorse the Protocol, explained the conference. The single motion brought by the delegation for action by the Special Session was to send the petition entitled 'Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation and Restructuring' (BOD New 2556) to the 2020 General Conference. Last month, Michigan Bishop David Bard announced that his conference was going to hold a special session to determine whether to send the protocol to the General Conference. I am calling our annual conference into special session because I believe in this liminal season, the delegates to General Conference need the opportunity to consider every good option for the future of our church," wrote Bard in a blog entry. In February, The Philippines Conference Cavite voted to endorse and send the protocol to the General Conference. Later, the Sierra Leone Conference became the second regional body to support the protocol, voting 322-0 in favor, with two abstentions. Over the past several years, the UMC has been embroiled in debate over the denominations Book of Discipline, which labels homosexuality incompatible with Christian teaching. This position has included prohibiting the blessing of same-sex unions and the ordination of clergy who are in same-sex romantic relationships. Theological liberals have failed again and again to have the rules changed, most recently at a February special session of General Conference when the UMC again reaffirmed its traditional stance on LGBT issues. Nevertheless, liberal leaders in the UMC have increasingly refused to enforce the Book of Discipline rules and laity in the United States and Western Europe oppose the rules. This has led many to conclude that separating the UMC in some way is the only solution to the debate, with multiple proposals being offered for the General Conference in May. Of the proposals, the protocol may have the strongest backing, as its supporters include a broad range of theological views on the homosexuality debate. TORREMOLINOS, Spain and MALAGA, Spain, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Peter Morrison, President, Skal International, the world's largest organization of tourism industry leaders from all sectors, announced today several steps to assist Skal's membership with the coronavirus epidemic by keeping them informed on developments which are shareable with their global customer base. "First of all," said Morrison, "Skal stands in solidarity with the victims of the coronavirus. Any loss of life is tragic and any illness, even if cured later, brings disruption and anxiety. We are following closely all of the cases of quarantining people, whether it be shutting down a city like Wuhan or keeping passengers on a cruise ship." "In terms of the travel industry, Skal International is monitoring all of the developments and evaluating the impact that fear of the coronavirus is having on travel. We know that airline reservations are falling, hotel occupancy is down, some attractions like the Louvre Museum in Paris have closed temporarily, and cruise ships are seeing decreased sales. Skal is working with the United Nations World Tourism Organization and following reports from the World Travel and Tourism Council to help keep our members better informed." As of March 10, coronavirus cases have exceeded 100,000 with over 4000 deaths. Almost 60% of these cases have recovered with 86% of the remaining cases in mild condition and 14% in serious or critical condition. Currently, nearly 80% of the cases are in China with only South Korea, Italy, and Iran having more than 5000 cases each. Several other countries have a thousand or less cases. "Skal embraces the recommendations of the UNWTO and the WTTC," says Morrison. "They recommend responsible travel. Gloria Guevara, President and CEO of the WTTC and former Tourism Minister of Mexico, made this statement, 'One death is one too many from any virus but now is not the time to panic. We understand there is a huge concern about COVID-19. However, it's important to remember that fatality rates remain very low and the chances of contracting the virus for the vast majority of people are very remote if they travel responsibly and observe simple hygiene measures.' Skal endorses this statement." Morrison announced that Skal International will begin posting relevant statements from the UNWTO, WTTC, and other internationally recognized industry sources on its website www.skal.org. In addition, Skal will provide updates on key airline route modifications, key attractions closures, changes in major industry events, and other important developments. "Skal is going to play a supportive role in this challenge and work hard to keep our members informed," concludes Morrison. "By standing together, both the travelling public and the tourism industry will emerge in a healthy situation in the coming months." Contact Skal International General Secretariat: Avda. Palma de Mallorca, N 15 1 Edificio Espana 29620 Torremolinos Malaga, SPAIN Phone: +34 952 389 111 Email: [email protected] Website: www.skal.org SOURCE Skal International Related Links https://www.skal.org A solemn procession of firetrucks and other emergency vehicles will line the route as a fallen firefighters body is taken from the Dauphin County coroners office back to Cumberland County. Jerome Guise, 34, died while fighting a house fire in Monroe Township early Monday. The procession will start at noon at the Dauphin County Coroners Office, 1271 South 28th Street, Harrisburg. It will then head to Paxton Street, Interstate 83, Route 581 and Interstate 81. Watch the procession: The procession will exit I-81 at Route 34 and return to Mount Holly Springs to the Citizens Fire Company, where Guise was a veteran firefighter. Traffic will be affected as the procession moves. Guise was killed when a porch roof collapsed as he and others fought a house fire near Allenberry Playhouse. A woman in the home, Jessica Diehl, 36, was killed, and her husband was critically injured. 15 Two dead in Cumberland County house fire 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. The government is planning to evacuate Koreans from Iran sometime this week amid the rapid spread of coronavirus there. The Foreign Ministry said Monday that about 80 of 220 Koreans residing in Iran have wanted to be evacuated. The number of confirmed cases there has surpassed 7,000 with over 230 deaths as of Tuesday. The evacuees are likely to fly to one of Iran's neighboring countries, such as the UAE or Qatar, via a third-country carrier and then return home on a chartered flight due to sanctions imposed on Tehran. SUNRISE, Fla., March 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FedNat Holding Company (FNHC) (FedNat or the Company), a regional insurance holding company, will present and hold one-on-one meetings at the CFA Society of New York 24th Annual Insurance Industry Conference. CFA Society of New York 24th Annual Insurance Industry Conference When: Monday, March 23, 2020 at 11:30 a.m. ET Where: New York, NY FedNat Executives: Mike Braun, President and CEO, and Ronald Jordan, CFO A webcast of the presentation will be available in the investor relations section of the FedNat website at www.fednat.com or by following this link . FedNats management team will also hold meetings with institutional investors during the conference. To request a one-on-one meeting or for more information on the CFA Society of New York 24th Annual Insurance Industry Conference, please contact your Raymond James representative. About the Company FedNat is a regional, insurance holding company that controls substantially all aspects of the insurance underwriting, distribution and claims processes through our subsidiaries and contractual relationships with independent agents and general agents. The Company, through our wholly owned subsidiaries, is authorized to underwrite, and/or place homeowners multi-peril, federal flood and other lines of insurance in Florida and other states. We market, distribute and service our own and third-party insurers products and other services through a network of independent and general agents. Contacts Michael H. Braun, CEO (954) 308-1322 Ronald Jordan, CFO (954) 308-1363 Bernard Kilkelly, Investor Relations (954) 308-1409, Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10) A former Supreme Court justice has suggested that Congress craft a law that would let companies continue operations pending renewal of their respective franchises. Retired Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio floated the idea as the House of Representatives commenced Tuesday its deliberations on the controversial franchise renewal case of media giant ABS-CBN. My proposal is Congress should pass a law saying that when a franchise is about to expire, but its still pending renewal in Congress, then the franchise is deemed extended until Congress finally acts on it. The Congress should enact a general law, not just ABS-CBN, because thats class legislation, Carpio told CNN Philippines The Source. The former magistrate said the move will be the viable option, as he believes the lower chamber does not have the authority to compel the National Telecommunications Commission to issue a temporary permit to ABS-CBN. The House committee on legislative franchises earlier asked the NTC to let the network stay on air pending legislative action on the twelve renewal measures. Carpio, echoing the sentiment of former Chief Justice Reynato Puno, stressed there is a need for an existing franchise before one can earn provisional authority. In the first place, there is a separation of power. Secondly, a provisional authority is given only if there is a franchise, Carpio added. Carpios statement was shared by lawyer Larry Gadon, who petitioned the high court last week to ask the House to recall their provisional authority request with NTC. Gadon also sought a temporary restraining order that would prohibit NTC from complying with the House's February directive. RELATED: Supreme Court asked to block House bid for ABS-CBN provisional permit Conflicting views on provisional authority While Carpio and Puno believe ABS-CBN cannot operate without a renewed franchise, some government officials dished out different views. Some lawmakers earlier allayed concerns over the networks looming shutdown, saying the media company can still broadcast news and content as there are pending renewal measures in Congress. This was backed by the Justice Department, which said that there is "sufficient equitable basis" to allow media companies to operate while their measures are being tackled in legislature, as the practice has been done in the past. TIMELINE: ABS-CBN franchise A 1994 agreement between the House of Representatives, the NTC, and the media group Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas also provides a mechanism for media entities with expiring Congressional franchises. The memorandum of understanding states that the NTC "shall continue to issue and grant permits or authorizations to operate" for radio and TV stations for a two-year period as long as there is a pending bill seeking to renew their franchise. ABS-CBNs renewal case was thrust back into the spotlight following a quo warranto petition of Solicitor General Jose Calida, who sought to nullify the networks existing franchise over alleged foreign ownership and operational violations. The network has since debunked the claims. Carpio, meanwhile, said Calidas plea is immaterial for now, with ABS-CBNs franchise set to expire on May 4. Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar has told French President Emmanuel Macron he will sign a ceasefire if militias backing the internationally recognised government respect it. Monday's meeting between the two men at the Elysee Palace in Paris lasted around an hour, according to an Elysee official. General Haftar assured us he was committed to signing the ceasefire but this commitment would cease if the militias in Tripoli do not respect it, the official said after the meeting, which was not announced on the French president's agenda. Haftar's forces, which control eastern Libya, have been battling the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, headed by Fayez al-Sarraj. The Elysee official said there were no immediate plans for Macron to meet or speak to Sarraj. Meanwhile, Haftar has refused to sign a ceasefire deal brokered last January by Russia, Haftar's ally, and Turkey, which supports the GNA. Proxy war A summit in Berlin on 19 January, attended by the United Nations and world powers, including Russia, Turkey, France and the UK, have so far failed to bear concrete results. Haftar also attended the summit but refused to participate. The summit was aimed at ending foreign interference in Libya and working towards a permanent ceasefire. According to the UN, several foreign countries who back the two rival factions have violated an arms embargo on Libya, imposed since February 2011. Over two thousand Syrian mercenaries have been sent by Turkey to reinforce security forces in Tripoli. In the east, Haftar's forces are also being reinforced by mercenaries from Russia, Chad, Sudan and Eritrea, as well as pro-Assad Syrian mercenaries. The Paris meeting with Haftar also comes less than a week after Ghassan Salame, the former UN Special Representative to Libya, resigned for health reasons after occupying the position for nearly three years. A man receives assistance in the a pre-triage medical tent in front of the Cremona hospital, in Cremona, northern Italy, on March 4, 2020. (Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images) Italys Patient No. 1 is Out of ICU Italian doctors celebrated one small victory in their battle against the coronavirus after a 38-year-old man was moved out of intensive care for the first time since he tested positive Feb. 21 and opened Italys health care crisis as Patient No. 1. The 38-year-old Unilever worker named Mattia was the first person to test positive in the north who hadnt been to China. At the San Matteo hospital in Pavia, there was a sigh of relief after Mattia began breathing on his own Monday with just a small amount of oxygen assistance, said Dr. Francesco Mojoli, head of intensive care. He was moved out of the ICU to a sub-ICU unit and was speaking with doctors. This disease has a long life, Mojoli told RAI state television. Now we hope that the fact that he was young and in good shape will help him get back to his normal life. Across the region, the virus spread has grown exponentially, and the Lombardy government has been scrambling to increase its ICU capacity, converting operating and recovery rooms into isolated wards to treat the 440 critical virus patients currently in need. It has cobbled together 150 more beds in the last two weeks and expects another 150 in the coming week. On Monday, the government took broad new measures to restrict Italians movements nationwide and prevent social gatherings, realizing that limited restrictions werent containing the spread. For example, the region surrounding the capital RomeLaziosaw its cases jump from 87 to 102 in a day, a sign that the virus was propagating far from the northern concentrations. Also alarming was Italys high fatality rate: With 463 dead and 9,172 infected, Italys fatality rate is running at 5 percent nationwide and 6 percent in Lombardy, far higher than the 3-4 percent estimates elsewhere. Dr. Giovanni Rezza, head of infectious disease at the National Institutes of Health, attributed the high rate to the fact that Italy has the worlds oldest population after Japan, and the median age of its virus-related dead is 80. But there are young people who are infected too. Some have been in intensive care, like Patient No. 1. TOTAL S.A. TOT announced that its unit Total Solar Distributed Generation has entered into an agreement to provide 25 megawatt-peak of solar rooftops for 24 facilities of one of the largest food companies in Thailand, Betagro. These solar projects will utilize more than 62,000 solar panels and produce 38 gigawatt hours of renewable electricity per year. Clean energy generated from rooftop solar projects will assist Betagro to lower carbon footprint by 26,000 tons of carbon dioxide during the lifetime of the projects. TOTALs Focus on Clean Energy In addition to developing hydrocarbon projects across the globe, TOTAL is also working to develop clean energy development projects in different regions. The company is gradually building a portfolio of low-carbon businesses that could account for 15-20% of sales by 2040. TOTAL signed an agreement to develop a 800-MW solar plant in Qatar. Last month, the company entered into the Spanish renewables market, with plans to develop nearly 2 gigawatts (GWs) of solar projects in the country. Totals long-term plan is to develop clean renewable assets and take the current worldwide renewable energy capacity of 3 GWs to more than 25 GWs by 2025. The acquisition of SunPower Corporation SPWR allowed TOTAL to expand footprint in the renewable space. Rising Global Use of Renewables The U.S. Energy information Administration (EIA) release indicated that clean renewable energy will account for the majority of global power generation by 2050. Per EIA, nearly 28% of the worlds power was attributed to renewables in 2018, courtesy of improved technology and increasing awareness about emissions. Renewable sources are expected to account 49% of global power generation by 2050. Renewables will represent 30% of power generation sources in the solar market in Southeast Asia by 2040. Japan, one of the prominent countries in the region, offers good opportunity for solar project developers and has plans to expand renewable operations. TOTAL, which has presence in Japan, will look for new opportunities to further expand in the renewable markets therein. The rising demand for renewable projects across the globe is due to the damage caused by air pollution to environment. Carbon emission is a silent killer. When everyone across the globe is concerned about the coronavirus and how to contain it, air pollution is silently killing seven million people across the globe annually. The above global scenario has created immense growth opportunities in the renewable energy space. We could notice that other oil and gas companies like Chevron Corporation CVX and Royal Dutch Shell Plc RDS.A are also investing heavily in the renewable energy space. Price Performance In the past three months, TOTALs shares have underperformed the industry. Story continues Zacks Rank TOTAL currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Just Released: Zacks 7 Best Stocks for Today Experts extracted 7 stocks from the list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys that has beaten the market more than 2X over with a stunning average gain of +24.7% per year. These 7 were selected because of their superior potential for immediate breakout. See these time-sensitive tickers 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 TOTAL S.A. (TOT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Chevron Corporation (CVX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDS.A) : Free Stock Analysis Report SunPower Corporation (SPWR) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Help.org, a trusted online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones, has announced the Best Rehab Facilities in Danvers, Massachusetts for 2020. The informational guide recognizes the top 6 rehab facilities based on cost, treatment options, location, accompanying services and more. According to recent studies, drug overdose is the leading cause of death among people under age 50. In Danvers, deaths related to opioid abuse increased significantly from 2011 to 2015. Substance abuse among adolescents is also escalating in Danvers with 55 percent of high school students reported using alcohol, 38 percent reported using marijuana, 8 percent reported using prescription drugs without a valid prescription, and 2 percent reported using heroin. With the growing need for accessible and high-quality rehab programs, Help.org has developed a unique ranking process to help connect individuals with treatment providers that meet their needs. The Help.org research team analyzed thousands of facilities across the country and then identified the most cost-effective and highest rated programs in larger cities like Danvers. Each facility was evaluated based on rehabilitation services, treatment approaches, cost, special programs for unique demographics and ancillary services. The website also provides information about drug use and side effects as well as educational articles. For a detailed listing of the Best Rehab Facilities in Danvers, Massachusetts please visit https://www.help.org/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-centers-in-danvers-ma/ 2020 Best Rehab Facilities in Danvers, Massachusetts (in alphabetical order) Addiction Treatment Center of New England 77 Warren Street, Building 5 Brighton, MA 02135 617-254-1271 Bay Cove Human Services Chelsea ASAP Substance Abuse Programs 66 Canal Street Boston, MA 02114 617-371-3000 Fenway Community Health Center Substance Abuse Treatment Program 142 Berkeley Street Boston, MA 02116 617-247-7555 Granada House 70 Adamson Street Allston, MA 02134 617-254-2923 Lahey Behavioral Health CSS Program 199 Rosewood Drive Suite 250 Danvers, MA 01923 978-968-1700 Whittier Street Health Center 1290 Tremont Street Roxbury, MA 02120 617-427-1000 ABOUT HELP.ORG Help.org is an online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones. The website provides the latest research through scientifically proven methods, community recovery resources as well as information about local financial assistance. Help.orgs team of researchers, activists and writers work together with addiction counselors and other professionals to offer useful and accurate resources to help individuals seeking recovery. To learn more, visit https://www.help.org/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian took a vacation on Tuesday to get actively engaged in political campaigning ahead of next months constitutional referendum in which citizens will be asked to approve the termination of powers of several High Court judges. Pashinian and his political team believe Constitutional Court Chairman Hrayr Tovmasian and six other judges elected before the 2015 constitution was fully enforced in April 2018 must be removed from office and new judges must be elected to replace them in order to maintain the spirit of the constitution. To this end, the pro-government My Step faction in parliament initiated the constitutional amendment in February amid objections from opposition groups, including the extra-parliamentary former ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) that alleged that Pashinian is simply seeking to gain control over the Constitutional Court and thus tighten his hold on power. The HHK and other opposition parties have abstained from taking part in the No campaign ahead of the April 5 referendum, considering the holding of the referendum itself unconstitutional. Tovmasian and other judges to be affected by the change have also accused the government of putting pressure on the judiciary in an attempt to jeopardize its independence. In his speech at todays rally in Meghri Pashinian described the Constitutional Court as the only remaining institution in Armenia that is not in compliance with the current constitution. The Constitutional Court today does not represent the people. I urge you to go to polling stations on April 5 and confirm that you are sending home this old Constitutional Court, which had patronized all electoral frauds in Armenia in the past, Pashinian said. Pashinian earlier claimed that Tovmasian, who co-authored the 2015 constitution, had struck a deal with the then government to be elected chairman of the Constitutional Court only days before the new constitution was to be fully enforced. Running the court under the previous constitution allows Tovmasian, who is now 49, to hold the post until he is 65, that is until 2035. By contrast, had Tovmasian been elected after April 9, 2018, he would be confined to just one six-year tenure. In his speech in Meghri Pashinian said: Under the new constitution the election of the Constitutional Courts chairman should be held once every six years and the same person cannot be elected for more than one term. But according to their interpretation, the next election should be held in 2035. It would be the same if we as a bloc that was elected to parliament for five years concocted some law that would allow us not to hold the next elections until 2035 because of some legal practice or something like that. Speaking at a rally in the town of Kapan, Syuniks provincial center, Pashinian emphasized that the vote of Armenian citizens in the upcoming referendum will be a sovereign decision.There is no force in the world that can challenge the decision of Armenias sovereign citizen, stressed the prime minister, comparing the upcoming ballot with the 1991 referendum in which an overwhelming majority of Armenians voted in favor of gaining independence from the Soviet Union. Pashinian visited several other towns in Armenias southern Syunik province and held rallies there today. He is expected to proceed with the campaign and hold more public rallies in other provinces of the country in the coming days. The No campaign in the current referendum is represented by a group of lawyers who have said they will not engage in public campaigning, but will limit their campaign to Facebook posts about alleged violations and reports to the Central Election Commission. Former deputy Justice Minister Ruben Melikian, who represents the No campaign, complained on Tuesday about what he described as yet another case of the prime minister using his administrative resource to promote his political campaign. He, in particular, pointed to the fact that Pashinian went to Syunik on board a helicopter that is assigned to the prime minister by law. Using the helicopter citizen Nikol Pashinian got an advantage in his campaign over the opposite side, Melikian claimed. Earlier, the representative of the No campaign also criticized Pashinian and other members of his political team for allegedly campaigning in their official capacity. The officials shrugged off the criticism. Far North Queensland is bracing for a drenching with flood warnings throughout the region as a tropical cyclone brews offshore but theres a silver lining to the stormy weather. Up to 300mm of rain is expected to be dumped on the Cassowary Coast region alone in the next 48 hours, according to Bureau of Meteorology's Shane Kennedy. The Cassowary Coast is likely to be the hardest-hit region, he said. We could see between 200-300mm across the Wednesday to Thursday period. Cyclone development is likely in the Coral Sea from Friday after a low forms over the Arafura Sea or Gulf. The cyclone is expected to move southeast after it forms in the Coral Sea. Stay up to date w/ the latest #QldWeather warnings: https://t.co/8TFNvzhIiS #GetReadyQueensland pic.twitter.com/6HpWuwX2Lk Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) March 9, 2020 A monsoonal trough has extended across Cape York Peninsula and there is a tropical low in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Mr Kennedy said. The tropical low in the Gulf of Carpentaria is expected to move east and pop out to the Coral Sea by Thursday with a high chance of developing into a tropical cyclone from Friday, he explained. But the change in conditions will bring some relief to the Great Barrier Reef. Professor Terry Hughes, Director of ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, told Weatherzone the Great Barrier Reef is currently experiencing a bleaching event for the third time since 2016. Bleaching is caused by increased water temperatures but its hoped the cyclone might cool the reef down. The cyclone will help, but it's very late in the summer, Professor Hughes told Weatherzone. Story continues We needed it in February. Experts hope the cyclone might reduce water temperatures and help heal the Great Barrier Reef. Source: AAP (file pic) Daily rainfalls of up to 150mm are expected in Cairns and 100mm in Townsville, but the Cassowary Coast which includes towns such as Innisfail, Cardwell and Tully will feel the brunt of it. Strong wind warnings were likely to be issued on Thursday for conditions extending through to Friday. From Thursday we are likely to see strong wind warnings across the majority of the east coast and potentially gale warnings from late on Thursday into Friday but at this stage, gales are likely to remain just offshore, Mr Kennedy said. Any tropical cyclone is likely to move southeast fairly quickly, so at this stage, it appears that it's likely to move far enough offshore by Friday to draw heavy rainfall off the coast by late Friday and over the weekend. Parts of Queensland have already been pelted by rain including Hervey Bay, which has received around 175mm so far this month which is well above the March average of 135mm, he said. A diver enjoys the company of a turtle in waters off Cairns. Source: AAP (file pic) with AAP Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. In Puebla, Mexico, public school teachers rallied in the train tracks from Port of Veracruz and Mexico Valley due to lack of staffing and to request from the National Union of Education Workers for democratic elections. Teachers have been suffering from having low numbers of staff in their school. They also protested against the firing of teachers and are requesting to bring them back to work. The owners and the employees in the mentioned stations were annoyed with the situation and wanted to act violently against the protesters since they have left 144 trains stuck. The National Guard was stationed on these trains by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to stop small crimes from happening. After obstructing too much in the tracks, they decided to move to one place, which is in the municipality of Lara Grajales. The president and Miguel Barbosa Huerta, the Governor of Puebla, both from the party of the Morena, disregarded the protest of the public school teachers and said that the matter should only be discussed with the SNTE. No thought at all has been made about stopping the firings and other somberness measures, which look to make more assets accessible for AMLO's memorable tax reductions for transnational organizations and intrigue installments to the budgetary vultures on Wall Street and in the Mexican decision first class. Both do not have an interest in making all attacks and harsh actions stop. Lopez Obrador, along with the others in the Morena party, does not want anything to do with the issues on mismanagement and degradation against employees. They don't want their matters to interfere with the matters of the Morena party. The elites of Mexico wants to wash their hands from all the issues of the people. The 84th Anniversary Confederation of Mexican (CTM) conference was one of the examples that Lopez Obrador acted this way. He invited and asked a group of gangsters to support his plan. The protest of the public school and teachers and other employees was ignored while the party of the Morena looked for ways to make the issue vanish. Lopez Obrador contradicted his words by saying that his enemies and rivals don't mean anything and they only do rallies and protests while saying he admires and believes in teachers. He acted like he wanted to support any protesters and the oppressed while insulting them at the same time. Protesters have realized that Lopez Obrador's acts on helping and supporting them wasn't done for them. Lopez Obrador only aims to back and support his elite partners and big companies from other nations, which would only harm teachers and other workers. The president wanted to appear like he fully supports and cares for his people but in the shadows, he is planning to crush all those people in the opposition. The rallies and protests are being quieted down by the government and the National Union of Education Workers. Capitalism has only developed because of the methods and system of the Morena party and are bringing down the lower class of Mexico including the immigrants and the employees. While a migration to cloud computing has been building in the South African business sector for some time, the last few months of 2019 and early 2020 have witnessed a surge in interest and activity in the sector that is driving fundamental change in the ways that companies operate. This is partly due to the dire economic situation that many South African corporations find themselves in and the compelling cost benefits of cloud computing, and partly due to the fact that many more options are becoming available as global cloud providers seek to increase their footprint on the continent. Last Decembers AWS re:Invent Conference gave a hint of what was happening. In Las Vegas, a healthy cross-section of South African corporate giants were in attendance, including the likes of established insurer Old Mutual, mobile service provider Vodacom and systems integrators such as EOH and Synthesis Software. To underscore how seriously they are taking their migration to AWS adoption, Old Mutual included 15 engineers as part of their touring party. Re:Invent is not a traditional technology sales conference. It has a strong bias towards technical engineers, says Conrad Blignaut, the head of IT delivery at Old Mutual. It is important for Old Mutual to take our people on the journey and to do this we need to expose them to the art of the possible. The sheer scale of the event and the passion and enthusiasm amongst the attendees was amazing and truly inspiring. Banking and retail are big cloud customers Old Mutual is joining some of the biggest names in South African banking and retail, such as ABSA, Investec and Pick n Pay, that are already using AWS to leverage their global ambitions. Now, AWS is set to expand its presence in the region with its first full-scale AWS Africa Region, based in Cape Town, by July. The new offering will allow businesses to provide lower latency to end users across sub-Saharan Africa and will provide a range of AWS services including technology to support artificial intelligence (AWS AI) internet of things (AWS IoT) applications as well as mobile services. It was in July last year when Amazon got serious about Africa. They went on a hiring spree in Cape Town, recruiting over 100 software developers and infrastructure managers and moving into a brand new eight story custom-built office. The company had maintained a presence in the city since 2004, when they first opened a development centre that worked on customer support software for the Amazon EC2 platform, which users use to rent virtual computers that run their own computer applications. In 2015, they opened a Johannesburg office and since then progress has been steady. The ramped-up investment into the local economy is a huge vote of confidence by a global leader and companies are rewarding that commitment. But Amazon is by no means alone in training its attention on Africa. Cloud providers pile in to South Africa Microsoft opened two data centres in 2019, Huawei began offering its cloud services through a data centre that it is leasing in Johannesburg and Oracle made a pledge that they would be here in 2020, as part of a global push to open 20 new data centres around the world. Google is working with cloud services provider DigiCloud Africa, headquartered in South Africa with internet points of presence (POPs) to offer the Google Cloud Platform and G Suite. Google last year also announced its private subsea cable Equiano, which will provide a connection from Portugal to Nigeria and then on to South Africa. The cable, based on space-division multiplexing (SDM) technology, incorporates optical switching at the cable fiber-pair level and promises to speed up transmission rates between Africa and Europe and within Africa itself. Meanwhile, there has been unusual growth in the number of South African companies turning to cloud solutions in the last 18 months, according to Jon Tullett, senior research manager for IT services at IDC for sub-Saharan Africa. He attributes this to a number of factors including the investment in local infrastructure by hyperscale providers, regulatory clarity from the Reserve Bank about public cloud for financial institutions as well as financial pressure to convert ICT capex to opex (capital expenditure to operating expenditure). There is no doubt that much of the activity around setting up local data centres has been driven by local data regulatory restrictions, particularly in the financial sector, which restricts the export of financial data to offshore companies. If you believe the data needs to live in your country, then were not going to win that business unless were going to run it there, says Ariel Kelman, AWS vice president for global cloud marketing. Balancing cloud and on-premises solutions For most South African companies, IDCs Tullett says, enterprise cloud adoption is centreed around SaaS offerings. Full-stack cloud adoption is still uncommon for now; most large enterprises still have a lot of on-premise IT investments theyre sweating, he explains. Cost is at the core of the decision between on-premises and cloud, agrees Mark McChlery, chief data and analytics officer of PayJustNow, a midsize Cape Town-based firm that is using a progressive web app (PWA) and Googles cloud-based TensorFlow AI service to offer online shoppers a fast way to sign up for installment-plan purchasing while gathering valuable data that helps retailers. In the early days of cloud, it was a hard sell to companies that had invested in expensive infrastructure, McChlery notes. But that is shifting as the increasing range of cloud services on tap in the country allows enterprises to ramp up new applications (particularly services based on emerging tech such as machine learning) on a pay-per-usage basis, allowing them to avoid big upfront capital expenditures for new on-premises data centre equipment. Even for multinational companies, cost is a critical factor. We simply cannot match the level of infrastructure platforms and the overall suite of engineering building blocks that are available to us through AWS, says Old Mutuals Blignaut. For this reason we have chosen to move all our applications that are hosted on x86 platforms to AWS and focus our engineering efforts on the software applications that make a difference to our customers. How to choose among the cloud giants So with the wealth of choice that the influx of world-class cloud services offers, how do South African entrepreneurs decide on which provider to go with? Cloud represents a ubiquitous ecosystem made up of many service providers, notes McChlery. Dependent on the application you are building, McChlery says, you would assess the service provider based on these criteria: Cost Redundancy/Resilience of service Class and quality of service they can deliver Location (even in the cloud, there is transmission latency if your providers POP is very far away). Security Brand reputation Capability to connect to other networks or data sources. Trust Otherwise, security is one of the biggest drivers toward cloud for Daniel Bailey, the CIO of online ticketing platform TicketHut. Hes spent years working with clients sensitive financial information and developed ticketing platforms for the web. One of their biggest projects has been setting up and running all the ticket software for the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, which is the biggest annual cultural gathering on the continent. Security is a driver to cloud Baileys been a loyal user of Microsoft Azure for many years and plans to stay that way, but is excited by the growing footprint that AWS is launching in the country. In the cloud, the security is greatly improved versus what you can achieve securing your own servers too many companies get taken down with ransomware, he says. For Old Mutual, the choice came down to what AWS was able to offer, considering the banks plan to upscale its African footprint. We were looking for a provider that was committed to walking the journey with us AWS has a long history with South Africa and made a clear commitment to the African continen, Blignaut says. They have further built presence and we expect their footprint to grow further north into the rest of the African continent. In addition, since cloud-related skills and experience are still relatively scarce in South Africa, Old Mutual was looking for a provider whose services could sustain its growing operational workload, Blignaut says. Ultimately, cloud providers are making a bigger effort to offer such services because the South African market as well as the larger region appears big enough and is growing fast enough to warrant their investment. Having local infrastructure is also a big contributor to building confidence in local customers and gaining access to lucrative vertical-specific contracts (government and finance in particular) that might otherwise be off-limits. There is still a way to go in building widely available, enterprise-strength internet data centres, but investments by major vendors and the emergence of real cloud options can only mean good things for embattled corporations who have been trying to do more with less for a while now. How quaint that leftists aka Democrats sound the alarm on voting rights for illegals but display nothing but dictatorial instincts when they want to squash the rights of conservative voters. New Jersey Democrats are reviving an effort to force President Donald Trump to release his tax returns or be denied a spot on the state's 2020 ballot. Thus, "[t]he New Jersey state Senate approved a bill which the Legislature passed once before, in 2017, but which then-Gov. Chris Christie blocked by issuing a scathing veto -- that would prohibit candidates for president and vice president from appearing on the ballot unless they make their tax returns public." In fact, "[s]imilar legislation has been introduced in at least 30 states but never enacted, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, meaning New Jersey would be the first to impose such a disclosure requirement if its measure is also approved by the Assembly and signed by Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat." Consequently, in the now totalitarian state of New Jersey where Democratic Gov. Murphy appears to be vying with Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom as to who can be autocrat of the year, a raw grab for power is being enacted that would prohibit "Electoral College electors from voting for Presidential or Vice Presidential candidates who fail to file income tax returns." Translated -- the Democrats are attempting to keep President Trump off the New Jersey ballot by insisting that the IRS wield its massive power and disclose what is supposed to be private information. Yet in October 2019, nearly all state lawmakers in New Jersey who taunted Donald Trump to show his tax returns refused to show their own to the public according to the Trenton Bureau of the USA Today Network. What rank hypocrisy. This is not the first time the Democrats have attempted to require that candidates disclose their tax returns for a spot on the presidential primary ballot. California has tried to do the same. John Myers explains that "[a] federal judge ordered a temporary injunction... against California's first-in-the-nation law requiring candidates to disclose their tax returns for a spot on the presidential primary ballot... but [it is] a decision that will undoubtedly be appealed by state officials. U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr... said there would be 'irreparable harm without temporary relief' for Trump and other candidates from the law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom [.]" For those who are concerned about financial conflicts and the need for transparency, it is critical to note that the Ethics in Government Act (EIGA) was originally passed in 1978 to deal with this very issue of federal financial disclosures and any alleged discrepancies. Trump has complied with the EIGA, so this latest maneuver by the Democrats is another end-run to diminish the President's ability to govern. In other words, the concern for any financial inconsistencies by a candidate is already dealt with via the EIGA. Thus, the New Jersey and the California power brokers are not interested in any alleged unethical discrepancies -- they simply want to take away the voting rights of their respective citizens. It is but another move in the long tortuous attempt to remove Trump and to negate the wishes of Americans. This is not about transparency of candidates as the mealy-mouthed Democrats would contend; it is about wiping out voting rights. Beyond the specter of a sitting president being left off the primary ballot in [California], Republicans have said there would be significant harm to the party if the new law is allowed to take effect. They believe that without Trump on the ballot, millions of GOP voters would have less incentive to participate... and party candidates could come up short in down-ticket races. In fact, concerning the California move, "Trump sued... to block implementation of SB 27. His attorneys told the judge that the California law would unfairly force the president to give up his right of privacy to keep his tax returns confidential [.]" Thomas McCarthy, an attorney representing the president, told the judge the U.S. Constitution sets out rules for running for the nations highest office that are 'fixed and unalterable' by individual states. He said California voters may have an interest in a presidential candidates tax returns, but the state 'cannot try to inform' voters beyond the basic information. Whether you like Trump or not, anyone who is not terrified by this brazen move no longer comprehends what freedom and choice are. There will be those who assert that they want to see Trump's tax returns -- "after all for nearly four decades presidential candidates released their taxes, but Trump broke with tradition in 2016." These are the people whom Edmund Burke would describe as those who "never give up their liberties but under some delusion." As far back as 2010 when "President Obama started ramping up his 2012 reelection campaign and congressional Democrats feared major losses in the coming midterm elections, Obama launched a public relations campaign to have the IRS investigate nonprofit organizations that were espousing conservative views and mobilizing voters, most notably the numerous, nascent 'tea party' organizations. These organizations were doing what nonprofits such as the Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood and the NAACP [had] done for decades. But Obama repeatedly attacked the tea party organizations as 'shadowy groups with harmless sounding names' engaged in a 'corporate takeover of our democracy.'" Murphy is just following in the lead of the Democratic powerhouse to intimidate and silence the voices of the "deplorables" in yet another shameless abuse of power. And it is all part of the same tapestry as American rights are up for grabs by Democrat demagogues. For example, New Jersey has limited the Second Amendment with its Red Flag Laws. In fact, "New Jersey has some of the most restrictive gun control laws in the nation even while many in the state are not supportive of these tough rules. A North Jersey lawmaker is encouraging municipalities and counties to pass Pro-Second Amendment Lawful Gun Owner resolutions. Assemblyman Parker Space, R-Sussex, said every time theres a shooting or a big crime committed by someone using a gun, the issue gets distorted." If the one million gun owners in New Jersey had cast a vote for the Republican nominee, New Jersey might not find itself in the predicament today -- that is, the magazine ban signed by Governor Murphy. The Democrats want open borders, tight gun control, higher taxes, and more governmental control over Americans' lives. New Jersey is a sanctuary state which sees nothing wrong with breaking federal immigration law while having Americans pick up the tab for these lawbreakers. The Democratic legislature of New Jersey is relentless in its attempt to limit American freedoms. The Democrats believe in chipping away at all our rights. Attempting to pursue this unconstitutional move to prohibit a candidate from running if he/she does not disclose federal income tax returns is just the latest in their assault on the Republic. To counter this, Trump petition-signing events are going to be held in Westfield, Rahway, Summit, and Union, New Jersey. Learn how to fight back against this incursion against your rights. Eileen can be reached at middlemarch18@gmail.com A director of a roofing company is to go on trial later this year for causing the death of an employee. Stephen Heaney denied manslaughter when he appeared at Downpatrick Crown Court yesterday. The 51-year-old pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of Hugh Thomas Jack on December 3, 2016. Mr Jack was a 59-year-old father-of-five who was originally from Scotland. He moved to west Belfast after serving a prison sentence relating to republican activity. He died following the accident at premises where he was working in Carryduff on the outskirts of Belfast. Mr Heaney, from Hill Street in Ballymena, also entered not guilty pleas to five offences under health and safety legislation on behalf of H&M Engineering and Roofing specialists. The Ballymena man, who is a director of the defendant company, denied allegations that the company failed to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees; failed to make appropriate risk assessments; failed to plan, supervise and carry out work in a safe manner; failed to take suitable measures to prevent a person from falling, and failed to notify the enforcing authorities that Mr Jack "had died as a result of an accident arising out of or in connection with work". Following the denials, defence QC Frank O'Donoghue told the court he had instructed a forensic engineering expert to produce a report for the trial. He added: "If I can be frank with the court, the health and safety charges will not form the gravamen of this case, the gravamen will be the manslaughter offence." He suggested, and prosecuting QC Charles McCreanor agreed, that the trial would be completed within two weeks and Judge Geoffrey Miller QC told the senior barristers he wanted to have the trial completed before the summer recess. "Very much at the forefront of one's mind, given the nature of the primary charge, is the fact that there is a grieving family in the background of all of this and that cannot be ignored," the judge said. Freeing Mr Heaney on bail, the judge listed the trial to begin on June 15 and said he would review the case on April 1. Note: This post was updated at 12:48 p.m. ET on June 5 and will be continually updated as additional resources become available. Business owners are reeling as the Covid-19 disruptions to daily life hit an increasing number of locales. Governments are scrambling to marshal resources to offer assistance to those taking a hit. Here's a rundown of programs available as of Friday, June 5. Federal government President Trump on Friday, June 5, signed the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act, which makes crucial changes to the Paycheck Protection Program, the now-$669 billion forgivable loan program. The bill eliminates the requirement that employers spend 75 percent of their PPP funds on payroll costs -- lowering it to 60 percent -- and extends the deadline to apply for and use a PPP loan to December 31, 2020, from June 30, 2020. Trump signed a $484 billion coronavirus relief bill into law on Friday, April 24. The legislation added an additional $320 billion in funding to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which provides government-guaranteed loans to small businesses, and adds $10 billion to the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. On March 27, President Trump signed an unprecedented $2.2 trillion economic stimulus bill into law. The package includes hundreds of billions of dollars in loans to both small businesses and large companies, as well as direct payments of up to $1,200 for individuals. The package also includes enhanced jobless aid that for the first time would also apply to freelancers and gig economy workers. Related: Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin announced on March 20 that Tax Day is being delayed from April 15 to July 15, giving taxpayers and businesses extra time to file their taxes without interest or penalties. President Trump signed a coronavirus relief package into law on March 18 that provides paid leave benefits and additional unemployment benefits for U.S. workers. The package, which will take effect by April 2, includes new federal employee-benefit mandates and offers these provisions for employers: Tax credits for businesses with fewer than 500 employees to cover:?? Two weeks of paid sick leave for employees who have been quarantined, have a sick family member, or have been affected by school closings. Up to three months of paid family and medical leave amounting to no less than two-thirds of regular pay for those employees listed above. The option for the Labor Department to exempt businesses with fewer than 50 employees from abiding by the paid leave mandate, if the Labor Department decides the new law could pose an existential threat to the company. Mnuchin announced March 17 that the IRS will defer $300 billion worth of tax payments for individuals and businesses. Corporations can defer up to $10 million of payments owed to the IRS, interest-free, for 90 days, while individuals can defer up to $1 million. Recently, the president signed a bill that allows the SBA to issue an estimated $7 billion in low-interest loans. The SBA announced on March 12 that small businesses with financial burdens caused by the pandemic that don't have credit available elsewhere can be eligible for loans of up to $2 million with a 3.75 percent interest rate (2.75 percent for nonprofits). As of March 21, businesses in all 50 states and U.S. territories can apply here. For more information, you can contact the SBA disaster assistance customer service center at 1-800-659-2955 or disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. The International Franchise Association--the trade organization for franchisers, franchisees, and suppliers--has requested $300 billion in SBA lending authority for the creation of a small-business workforce stabilization fund and relief for business interruption insurance. Related: California California governor Gavin Newsom has delayed the deadline for California's small businesses to file their state tax returns to July 1. The extension applies to companies filing tax returns of less than $1 million. San Francisco Mayor London Breed has declared a state of emergency and announced that the city will allow: Deferments on first quarter 2020 tax payments until February 2021 for small businesses with up to $10 million in annual sales; and Delayed collection of the city's Unified License bill for at least three months, which includes fees for restaurants, food trucks, bakeries, and other small businesses. Mayor Breed's Employee Assistance Program, unveiled March 13, includes: Paid sick leave for all workers, including temporary and part-time employees; Unemployment insurance for workers whose employers have reduced their hours or shut down operations (available through the California Employment Development Department); Disability insurance for workers who are certified by a medical professional as having been exposed to Covid-19; and Up to six weeks of benefit payments for employees who are unable to work because they're caring for an ill or quarantined family member. The OEWD tells Inc. that the city is seeking relief from both state and federal governments for employment benefits including unemployment, sick leave, and disability. It has also been in communication with private-sector financial partners and philanthropic organizations about providing credit, lending flexibility, and direct financial support to affected businesses. The OEWD has created a guide for businesses and workers impacted by the outbreak. Find out more: San Francisco financial aid. Facebook created a Small Business Grants Program that will provide $100 million in cash and ad credits to 30,000 businesses in the 30 countries where Facebook operates. GoFundMe, the social fundraising platform, has launched the Small Business Relief Initiative, partnering with Yelp to provide small-business owners with grants and resources. GoFundMe and Yelp have each donated $500,000 to the Small Business Relief Fund, which is open for anyone to make a donation. There will also be $500 matching grants to qualifying businesses that raise at least $500 on GoFundMe. San Jose The San Jose City Council approved a moratorium on evictions of renters, including small businesses, who can't afford to pay their leases, and approved the creation of a pool of public funds for renters and small businesses that need assistance with rent payments. Florida Florida governor Ron DeSantis activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program, which provides short-term, interest-free loans to small businesses that have experienced economic injury from Covid-19. The application period runs through May 8, 2020. Small-business owners with two to 100 employees located in Florida affected by Covid-19 can apply for short-term loans of up to $50,000. These loans are interest-free for one year. Kansas GO Topeka, part of the economic development agency Greater Topeka Partnership, has created the HOST Relief Program to provide up to $2 million in economic stimulus for businesses and workers affected by Covid-19. A small-business emergency resource fund developed by private-sector leaders, the program will provide both private-sector dollars to Shawnee County small businesses through purchases and public-sector dollars through emergency grants. Louisiana On March 16, the New Orleans Business Alliance (Nolaba) announced a relief fund for gig economy workers who have experienced a loss of income because of Covid-19. Nolaba committed $100,000 to initiate the fund, which had reached $335,000 as of March 24. On March 26, TruFund Financial Services, a New Orleans-based community development financial institution, announced the launch of a Small Business Covid-19 Response Task Force. The program provides virtual information sessions and virtual small-business resiliency training and disaster response efforts to help support small businesses through the Covid-19 pandemic. Maryland On March 23, Maryland governor Larry Hogan announced a $175 million relief package to assist employees, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations affected by the coronavirus pandemic. While the Emergency Relief Grant Fund applications are now closed, the Emergency Relief Manufacturing Fund opportunity is still open. This grant program provides up to $100,000 in assistance to produce Critical Needs Items in the state. Find the most up-to-date information here. The Rockville, Maryland-based education company Lurn has created an emergency relief fund to provide grants, ranging from $50 to $500, to entrepreneurs and small-business owners who need help getting groceries, medicine, transportation, and other necessities. The first round of applications has closed, but Lurn is fundraising for a second round and will disburse awards again when it reaches $30,000. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on March 13 that the state would waive the usual seven-day waiting period for collecting unemployment insurance for workers laid off as a result of coronavirus. New York City businesses of up to 100 employees that can document a drop in sales of 25 percent or more in recent weeks may be eligible for zero-interest loans of up to $75,000. Learn more here. The NYC Small Business Continuity Fund, which provided cash grants for businesses with fewer than five employees, is no longer open. Related: Washington According to governor Jay Inslee's office, the state is working to compile a list of local bankers, financial associations, telecoms, utilities, and major employers that may be able to provide: Favorable credit terms for businesses that encounter cash-flow problems; Debt and late-penalty forgiveness for workers; and Deferred bills, waived fees, and no-interest loans. Meanwhile, the office of Seattle mayor Jenny Durkan announced it will make $1.5 million in grants available to small businesses affected by the outbreak. Those applications are now closed, but Amazon's grants for Seattle-area businesses--with fewer than 50 employees, under $7 million in revenue, and brick-and-mortar locations--are still open. The company has allocated $5 million to the effort. A medical staff member resting at the isolation ward of the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan, China, on Feb. 16, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) In Stuffy Suits, Nurses Fight Virus, Fatigue in Coronavirus Ground Zero When Fang, a nurse in her late 20s from northwest China, left home a month ago after being directed to join the front line against the outbreak in the coronavirus epicenter of Wuhan, her husband couldnt hold back his tears. He didnt know whenor ifthey would see each other again. Fang (not her real name) was working a night shift when the hospital told her and some 100 other medical staff to get ready to join the containment efforts in Wuhan. They would be gathering the next morning, at 10 a.m. I didnt know it would come so fast, Fang said in an interview with the Chinese-language edition of The Epoch Times. That night, she finished packing at around 3 a.m., and barely got any sleep. Trapped in a Stifling Suit Fang works night hours in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital in Wuhan. In line with protocol, she puts on three layers of protective suits, masks, shoe covers, goggles, and multiple pairs of gloves before entering the patient wards. Putting on the protective gear takes at least half an hour and a lot of teamwork, Fang said; the same goes with taking it off. Sealed in an airtight suit, Fang has grown accustomed to sweat-drenched clothes, having little oxygen, and the groggy feeling that often accompanies thatsimilar to mild altitude sickness. On her second day of work on the front line, a coworker from the team sent to Wuhan vomited into her mask. To avoid wasting a full set of medical gearwhich is subject to severe shortagesthe nurse wore the same mask until the end of her shift. To avoid the hassle of taking off the suit, Fang, like her colleagues, wears adult diapers to manage bathroom needs and abstains from eating and drinking during her shift. When she finally clocks off, drenched with sweat and heart still racing, she downs water in large gulpsdespite being advised against that because of a preexisting heart condition. Even simple procedures are a challenge when performed within a bulky suit. It normally takes around 30 seconds to check someones pulse, but with thick gloves and sweat-smeared goggles, it takes about 10 times longer, Fang said. Drawing blood, typically a 10-minute procedure, can stretch to longer than half an hour. Fang says she wears a mask even during sleep, and only takes it off when eating or drinking. Cant Set Expectations Too High She packed light, assuming that she wouldnt be in Wuhan for long. Soon though, she came to regret that thinkingFang now fears that she will have to stay on until the end of the outbreak. Wuhan is getting warmer, and you can experience four seasons in one week, Fang said. Today, it may be 24 degrees Celsius (75.2 degrees Fahrenheit), tomorrow itd be snowing. It took her weeks to get used to the erratic weather. Fang, who arrived with only one set of winter clothes with her to fend off the cold, gave up the hope of online shopping upon realizing that 90 percent of the deliveries wouldnt reach Wuhan. The most pressing medical supplies need to go first, she said. However, Fang has managed to find some useful items in a growing stream of donations sent to front-line health care workers. She recently picked up a pair of donated shoes that werent a perfect fit. You just have to make do, cant set expectations too high, she said. We are content with having some change of clothes. Medical staff members talking at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan in Chinas central Hubei province, on Feb. 16, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) Longing, Worries For Hua (not her real name), a nurse from another city in Hubei Provincethe capital of which is Wuhanwas also sent to the front lines. Her top concern is about her mother, who suffers from breast cancer. Huas mother was going through her fourth course of chemotherapy when provincial lockdown measures brought her treatment, scheduled in Wuhan, to an abrupt halt. By then, Hua was stationed at an infectious disease department at one of Wuhans hospitals, and was too far away to help. Breast cancer is curable, but if the cancer spreads and multiplies, we could lose her quickly, she said. Now she just wants to leave it all to fate. Hua doesnt want her mother to go to local hospitals, which are flooded with infection risks from coronavirus patients. While her mother has been given permission by local authorities to travel to Wuhan to receive treatment, Hua said that theres still no guarantee that she would be let in or out of the city, as that decision is left to officials in Wuhan. Because of Huas anxiety surrounding her mothers predicament, her menstruation has been irregular, she said. For herself, Hua plans to take all the necessary precautions and stay safe while in Wuhan. Of course Im afraid, but this is my job, Hua said. What Can We Learn from Naaman? It may be easy to get annoyed with Naaman in the narrative. After all, Elisha gave him the cure he needed. Why did he decide to be picky? But we can actually see a great deal of ourselves in this Aram commander if we glance closely. 1. God Doesnt Work on Our Terms Namaan thought if he said and did all the right things and play-acted enough that Elisha would take pity on him and give him an extraordinary cure. God does not work harder or faster if we attempt to do the right things. No matter how much time we devote to community service, give at the communion plate, etc., we cant bribe God. He will choose to give or withhold cures based on his plan for our lives. Nothing can sway him in one direction or the other. 2. Salvation Works the Same for Everyone Jesus tells an interesting parable in Matthew 20:1-16. An owner of a vineyard goes out and sees several workers who are in need of a job. Throughout the day, he offers a denarius (a days wages) for them to work in his field. He even hires people until the last hour of the working day. Those who worked the longest think theyll get a bigger cut. So they wind up disappointed that everyone receives the same pay and begin to grumble. The parable is supposed to show us salvation. That no matter when someone accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior, everyone receives the same salvation. We might have some Christians, like the oldest son in the parable of the prodigal son, who get incensed that they didnt receive a greater award for longer periods of faithfulness. Here Jesus shows us that he gave us all grace by allowing us to enter the vineyard (the kingdom of heaven). Rich, poor, saved during childhood or saved on our deathbeds, God offers the same salvation freely and willingly. Just like Naaman in the Jordan River, it requires humility, but it cleanses us of our spiritual leprosy. 3. God Doesnt See Any Distinctions It doesnt matter that Naaman had riches. He couldnt do anything with his leprosy. Not even the lowest of servants could touch him because of his disease. Through his humbling cure, Naaman learns that riches and earthly possessions dont matter (Matthew 6:19-21). After all, we cannot take those possessions with us into heaven. God doesnt see rich and poor. He sees people in need of a Savior. Perhaps like Naaman, weve attempted to bribe God into working a miracle cure for us on our terms. But just like everyone else, we need the same cure for our spiritual leprosy. Luckily Naaman listened to his servants, those he considered beneath him, and received a cure for his leprosy by washing in the Jordan River. This river is known to have obeyed divine power in the past (Joshua 3). And like Naaman, we are in need of a cure, the same cure given to everyone who will have it: salvation. Photo credit: Unsplash/Jeremy Yap In a major setback to NASA's mars ambitions, President Trump's 2021 annual budget has proposed cuts to 2001 mars Odyssey mission, as per international reports. Reports stated that the Trump administration has also threatened NASA missions like the jet-borne telescope SOFIA and has proposed to reduce the Odyssey's budget to a million dollars - effectively ending the mission. This development comes amidst the US Congress proposing a bill urging NASA to push back its moon landing mission to 2028 instead of 2024 and focus on the Mars. New Mars rover for July launch named Perseverance What does 2001 Mars Odyssey do? Launched in April 2001 is a space orbiter mission that was armed with spectrometers and a thermal imager to detect evidence of water and ice on the red planet, as well as to study the planet's geology and radiation environment. By 2008, Mars Odyssey had mapped the basic distribution of water below the shallow surface and NASA's Phoenix lander confirmed the presence of water on Mars. By December 15, 2010, it broke the record for the longest-serving spacecraft at Mars, with 3,340 days of operation, claiming the title from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and currently hold the same title. NASA scientist concedes 'SpaceX will land on Mars first', before planned 2020 rover launch SpaceX's Mars plans While NASA's Mars plans are threatened, SpaceX has already announced its aspiration to send its first cargo mission to Mars in 2022. While SpaceX's first mission with its aircraft 'Starship' is aimed at confirming resources, identifying hazards and to place initial power, mining and life support infrastructure, the second mission will carry both cargo and crew and is scheduled for 2024. The second mission is aimed at building a propellant depot for future crew flights beginning the foundation of the first Mars Base - which Musk hopes to evolve into a self-sustaining civilization. Elon Musk blames NASA's bureaucracy as new US bill threatens to delay 2024 moon mission NASA's Mars 2020 rover NASA is currently gearing for Mars 2020 rover named 'Perseverance' is based on its predecessor 'Curiosity' which was launched in 2011. The car-sized rover which is about 10 feet long, 9 feet wide, and 7 feet tall weighs 1050 kgs, which is less than a compact car. The official launch window of the mission is July 17- August 5, 2020, from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The rover is expected to land on February 18, 2021, at Jezero Crater, Mars. The mission is expected to last for about 687 Earth days which is one Mars year. NASA asks people to name next Mars rover, netizens hijack poll with hilarious suggestions The shortlist for the International Publishers Association's Prix Voltaire has been announced. The prize, which has been awarded since 2006, honors "exemplary courage in upholding the freedom to publish and in enabling others to exercise their right to freedom of expression." It carries a cash prize of 10,000 Swiss francs ($9,975). The shortlist for this year's prize includes: Turkish publishing house Avesta Yayinlari, a company that publishes in both Turkish and Kurdish and has been firebombed and accused of publishing propaganda for terrorists Malaysian publisher Chong Ton Sin, whose Gerakbudaya Publishing House has defied the government censors by publishing affordable editions of books addressing controversial topics, such as climate change Liberal Publishing House, a clandestine publishing house from Vietnam established in 2019 focused on banned books by politically dissident writers Maktaba-e-Daniyal, a Pakistani publisher that drew the ire of the government for its Urdu translation of A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif, a novel critical of Pakistans former president General Zia-ul-Haq Previous winners of the Prix Voltaire include Egyptian publisher Khaled Lotfy, Swedish Hong Kong publisher Gui Minhai, Turkish publisher Turhan Gunay and publishing house Evrensel, Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, and Belarusian publisher Ihar Lohvinau. The 2020 winner will be announced at the 33rd International Publishers Congress in Lillehammer, Norway, to be held May 28-30. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10) The House Committee on Appropriations approved on Tuesday 1.65-billion supplemental budget to address the problem of coronavirus disease or COVID-19 in the country, lower than what was originally proposed. The Bureau of Treasury told lawmakers Tuesday that the amount is the only available excess funds right now. The Department of Health originally asked for 2.35 billion to procure N95 masks, gowns, gloves, and other personal protective equipment of about 5,000 health workers for 90 days. But Health Undersecretary Roger Tong-An said the health department needs a total of 3.1 billion to procure test kits as well as pay the salaries of the additional personnel in the frontlines battling the viral disease. The DOH assured it could draw a total of 4.6 billion from own savings (539 million) its quick response funds (81 million), Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (2 billion) and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (420 million). The Department of Budget Management also told House lawmakers the national government has a contingent fund of 13 billion, which the DOH can use. "This fund is meant to cover new and urgent projects and activities of national government agencies. This is one of the items that the DBM has identified that can be a source of funds for any deficiency that DOH may encounter," DBM Undersecretary Janet Abuel said. Abuel also said there is 100 million worth of "unreleased" quick response funds for the DOH in case the agency needs more. COVID-19 cases in the Philippines more than doubled overnight, with a total of 24 cases mostly in Metro Manila recorded on Monday night. Two of them are 'in critical condition,' Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said in a Tuesday hearing. The prospect for talks is further complicated by the rift between incumbent Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his opponent in last years disputed presidential election, Abdullah Abdullah. After U.S. mediation failed, both men declared themselves president Monday, and both indicated they would name negotiating committees for the peace talks. The Trump administration should have headed off this entirely foreseeable split before signing a deal that excluded the Afghan government. But Mr. Trump pressed ahead, no doubt because he is eager to boast of bringing U.S. troops home during his reelection campaign. If he does so heedless of the cost, voters ought not to give him much credit. RICHMOND TOWNSHIP, MI The first state-managed shooting range in the Upper Peninsula is expected to open during summer 2021. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has been working toward its first U.P. range since the 1990s, said Lori Burford, DNR shooting range specialist. Richmond Township in Marquette County was chosen for its central location in the U.P. and it proximity to the population centers of Marquette, Ishpeming and Negaunee, she said. Were excited to be able to make this public range available to those who enjoy shooting sports, Burford said. The DNR plans to finalize the range design and begin construction this fall, with projected completion in summer 2021. A public meeting to inform the public on the latest developments will be held at 7 p.m. on March 26 at Richmond Township Hall, located at 100 Smith St. in Palmer. During the meeting, DNR employees will discuss draft design plans, proposed range rules and a construction timeline. During the meeting, staff will also present information related to the site selection process and offer a public comment period. The DNR has seven staffed shooting ranges that offer a fun, safe shooting environment for you and your friends and family, the website says. The established sites feature amenities like handgun, rifle, shotgun and archery ranges and restroom facilities. There are others that are not staffed by DNR employees. The current DNR-staffed shooting ranges are: READ MORE: Man leads DNR officer on 25-mile chase Dogs, wildlife are still being poisoned in Wisconsin counties near Michigan border Handful of Michigan DNR employees were diagnosed with tuberculosis last summer DNR accepting applications for 70 summer jobs in Wildlife Division Teachers Allowed to Carry Guns at Texas High School Where Mass Shooting Killed 10 Almost two years after a tragic school shooting that killed 10 and injured 13, teachers in Texas Santa Fe Independent School District will be able to carry guns on district grounds. Santa Fe ISD officials announced that specific employees, upon approval of local school boards, can voluntarily carry weapons on their persons on campus, as part of the states Guardian Program. The Guardian Program adds to the safety and security infrastructure, training, and resource enhancements that have been taking place across the district over the past several years, Santa Fe ISD said in a Mar. 6 statement (pdf), adding that more than 300 districts across Texas have implemented the same school safety program. Beginning on Mar. 16, when Santa Fe students and staff return from spring break, signs will be placed around school buildings indicating that personnel on campus may be armed, according to the statement. This implementation is not expected to have an additional impact on students, staff, or their everyday routine. To qualify for Guardian Program, the volunteering teacher must own a Texas-issued license to carry a gun. The volunteer also has to go through criminal background screening and psychological evaluations using the same process and standards as those who apply to be police officers. Once accepted, the participant will be required to complete a minimum of 40 hours of training and meet the same marksmanship standards as a Santa Fe ISD police officer. The district said to maintain the integrity of the program; it would not make public who or how many are participating. Flo Rice, a former substitute teacher at Santa Fe High School, told The Texas Tribune that she welcomed the implementation of the Guardian Plan. Rice was injured on May 18, 2018, when 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis opened fire at his school. I understand the other side that does not want more guns in the schools, said the mass shooting survivor. But I just know from my personal experience and what happened to me, [the Guardian Plan] could have made a difference in the outcome. Were not creating programs where were going to have people out there acting as first responders, School board President Rusty Norman told Texas Tribune. This is just another layer as a last line of defense if something gets past all of those other layers and becomes an issue in a classroom or hallway or one of the school facilities, that someone may be there that could protect themselves along with all the students and staff that are around them. An ancient human settlement was obliterated by a comet that exploded in Earth's atmosphere around 12,800 years ago, a study has found. The event destroyed a village found in the Abu Hureyra dig site in Syria and splattered fragments of molten glass 'hot enough to melt cars' to the ground. The impact is also believed to have contributed to the extinction of many large animals, including mammoths as well as North American horses and camels. Experts believe the explosion helped bring about the demise of the North American Clovis culture and usher in an episode of climatic cooling. The glass splatter found at Abu Hureya was found among the remains of bones, building material and plants from when the first nomads settled to cultivate crops. 'Our new discoveries represent much more powerful evidence for very high temperatures that could only be associated with a cosmic impact,' said paper author and geologist James Kennett of the University of California, Santa Barbara. Scroll down for video An ancient human settlement was obliterated by a comet that exploded in Earth's atmosphere around 12,800 years ago, a study has found. Picture, an artist's impression of the explosion The Abu Hureyra site is located on the edge of a vast region known as the Younger Dryas Boundary (YDB) strewnfield, which incorporates around 30 sites across Europe, the Americas and parts of the Middle East. The strewnfield is characterised by signs of massive-scale burning including a 'black mat' layer that is rich in carbon and platinum and and contains millions of tiny nanodiamonds and tiny metal spheres that must have formed in great heat. Experts had long wondered if this layer of devastation may have been caused by a catastrophic impact event a hypothesis supported by the discovery of a contemporaneous impact crater under the Hiawatha Glacier in Greenland. In their study, Professor Kennett and colleagues analysed the glass found at Abu Hureyra to determine its composition, structure and likely formation temperature concluding that it formed at temperatures in excess of 3,992F (2,200C). 'To help with perspective, such high temperatures would completely melt an automobile in less than a minute,' said Professor Kennett. 'The Abu Hureyra village would have been abruptly destroyed,' he added. Such intense heats could not be explained by contemporary human technology or even lightning or a volcanic eruption. In their study, Professor Kennett and colleagues analysed the meltglass found at Abu Hureyra (pictured) to determine its composition, structure and likely formation temperature concluding that it formed at temperatures in excess of 3,992F (2,200C) Instead, the researchers said, such must have resulted from an extremely violent, high-energy and high-velocity phenomenon like a cosmic impact. This conclusion is supported by the presence in the meltglass of minerals rich in chromium, iron, nickel, sulphides, titanium and even platinum and iridium-rich iron. 'The critical materials are extremely rare under normal temperatures, but are commonly found during impact events,' Professor Kennett explained. The team found that the meltglass recovered from the Abu Hureyra site contained both material from the comet, but also vaporised soil, sediments and organic matter from the settlement that cooled nearly instantaneously to form glass. The team found that the meltglass recovered from the Abu Hureyra site contained both material from the comet, but also vaporised soil, sediments and organic matter from the settlement that cooled nearly instantaneously to form glass. Pictured, samples of impact glass from the settlement that feature the imprints of plant matter on their surfaces The researchers also found that the glass in the Syrian site chemically matched materials found from across the YDB strewnfield, suggesting that such came from the explosion or 'air burst' of a single comet in the atmosphere. 'A single major asteroid impact would not have caused such widely scattered materials like those discovered at Abu Hureyra,' Professor Kennett explained. 'The largest cometary debris clusters are proposed to be capable of causing thousands of air bursts within a span of minutes across one entire hemisphere of Earth. 'The YDB [impact] hypothesis proposed this mechanism to account for the widely dispersed [contemporary] materials across more than 14,000 kilometres of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. 'Our Abu Hureyra discoveries strongly support a major impact event from such a fragmented comet.' The event destroyed a village found in the Abu Hureyra dig site in Syria and splattered fragments of molten glass 'hot enough to melt cars' to the ground According to Professor Kennett, the air burst must have occurred close enough to the village to send heat and molten glass across the entirety of the settlement. Experts had previously found evidence of meltglass deposits at another dig site Pilauco, in southern Chile however here only indirect evidence of human settlement, like the butchering of large animals, had been unearthed. The full findings of the study were published in the journal Scientific Reports. 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. Holding up two photos of Tess Richeys dead body at the bottom of a stairwell, a Crown prosecutor suggested Kalen Schlatter felt sick in a cab leaving the area because this is what you left behind. Schlatter, who has testified that he did not sexually assault and strangle Tess Richey, said it was food and alcohol that made him feel sick and get out of the cab early to throw up. Over several hours of cross-examination Tuesday, Crown prosecutor Bev Richards suggested Schlatter has shown that he is willing to lie and has concocted a narrative that can be disproved by looking at the surveillance footage from cameras lining Church Street on the night of Nov. 25, 2017. Schlatter, 23, has pleaded not guilty to the first-degree murder of 22-year-old Richey, who had gone out dancing with a friend that night to forget the pain of a breakup with her boyfriend. On Monday, Schlatter took the stand in his defence, testifying that Richey asked if she could kiss him and then led him into an alley between two houses on Church Street, where they started making out at the bottom of a stairwell. On Tuesday, Richards said the evidence shows Richey was going to go home. She said surveillance video shows Richey appearing to hug her friend goodbye and then hail a cab, which Schlatter then waves on. Schlatter said no one was getting into the cab, so he waved it on because traffic was being held up. Schlatter testified that Richey and her friend Ryley Simard argued because her friend wanted to go home and Richey wanted to stay out. Simard and Richey walked in opposite directions and he went after Richey, who walked to Church Street, because she seemed more upset, he said. You were tailing her, Richards said. Shed left you long behind, almost half a block. When shown the security video, Schlatter said he was not following her. Im just going to see if shes all right. The video shows Schlatter and Richey sitting at the corner of Church Street and Dundonald Street for several minutes. Richey ordered an Uber shortly after 4 a.m., which Richards said would have arrived at the same time Schlatter and Richey are seen standing up at 4:12 a.m. Its just a coincidence? Richards asked. Schlatter said Richey never mentioned that she had ordered an Uber. Richey never got the Uber and the driver cancelled the ride, the jury has heard. Instead, Richey and Schlatter walk hand-in-hand into the alley where her body was found four days later by her mother and a friend. Schlatter walks out the alley at 5 a.m. alone. He said he left after Richey declined his offer to come home with him, and told him she didnt want him to her keep her company. Richards suggested Schlatter slinks away when he leaves, walking differently than when he walks into the alley. Schlatter said he didnt see a difference. You never look back do you, Mr. Schlatter? Richards asked. No, Schlatter said. Richards argued that at no point in the videos does Richey show any sign of affection whatsoever towards Schlatter, and he agreed. Schlatter denied Richards assertion that it was his idea, not Richeys, to go into the alley and the stairwell. Schlatter said that while they were in the stairwell, he told Richey he had condoms if she wanted to have sex. She said no because she was on her period, Schlatter said. That was not the answer you were willing to accept, Richards said. She fought you. She was not going to give you sex, Mr. Schlatter was she? Schlatter said Richey said she still wanted to make out and grind on each other. Im going to suggest to you that Tess Richey doesnt do anything she doesnt want do and that as a result you forced yourself on her didnt you? I did not force myself on her, he said. You didnt get what you want and you got mad and you strangled Ms. Richey to death, didnt you? Richards said. No, I didnt kill Ms. Richey, Schlatter said. She was still alive when I left. Schlatter also denied knowing telling undercover officers that he pushed the boundaries with women and that he liked a challenge. Tess Richey was your challenge, Richards said. She showed Schlatter security video from outside Crews and Tangos bar, where both Schlatter and Richey can be seen as the Church Street club closed for the night. Richards suggested Schlatter was looking to score but that the video shows the woman he was initially pursuing ultimately left and his attempts to chat up another woman failed. You had to move on, Richards said. There was nothing for you. Schlatter maintained that he had been trying to decide whether to go home or get pizza, and had settled on going to a Pizza Pizza. The defence has suggested it is possible someone else is responsible for killing Richey after Schlatter left. The trial resumes Thursday. Overnight reports from Jacksonville police: A vehicle was taken Saturday night in the 200 block of East Dunlap Street, according to a report filed at 4:58 p.m. Sunday. Beth A. Brockschmidt, 52, of Jacksonville was cited on a charge of failure to yield after the vehicle she was driving and one being driven by Lindsey Anderson, 25, of Jacksonville collided at South Diamond Street and West Morton Avenue at 6:15 p.m. Sunday. COLUMBUS, Ohio Ohio State University is immediately suspending all face-to-face instruction on its campuses as the state continues to react to confirmation of the first cases of coronavirus in Ohio. A statement released Monday night says face-to-face instruction in lectures, discussion sections, seminars and other classroom settings are suspended until at least March 30. The university says it is evaluating whether to continue laboratory and performance classes. Students will continue classes online. The university says students can return to their homes or stay on campus. However, students on campus will be under appropriate social distancing and enhanced preventative public health and hygiene measures will be actively encouraged. While there are no campus-associated cases of COVID-19, we know that there are at least three confirmed cases in the state of Ohio, and we expect that there will be more. We are being proactive in an effort to prevent illness and continue the important work of the university, University President Michael V. Drake said in a universitywide email, according to The Lantern. I understand that our policy guidelines will cause measurable disruption, but the risk of not acting outweighs the inconvenience of these temporary measures. The safety of our campus community is always our top priority. Students at Ohio State currently are on spring break, with classes scheduled to resume on Monday. Ohio State already had issued travel restrictions for university-sponsored trips in response to the coronavirus. No new, non-essential events will be scheduled at the university until after April 20, according to the OSU website. According to the statement, school officials plan to re-evaluate the guidelines on an ongoing basis. More related content on cleveland.com: Coronavirus: Western Reserve Academy to keep students home, go to online classes Bay Village Schools updates disinfecting treatments since high illness rates in January West Side mayors, schools superintendents update coronavirus plans Lorain County mayors, school superintendents update plans for coronavirus Ohio is under a state of emergency because of the coronavirus. What does that mean? Despite confirmed coronavirus cases, Mayor Frank Jackson says no events are canceled, but leaves options open UK fears over the coronavirus (COVID-19) have increased sharply over the past few days, with 52 new cases in the last 24-hour period taking the total to 373 and a sixth death reported from the virus. Italy is now the epicentre for the European coronavirus epidemic, with the entire country being locked down by the Italian Government on Monday following another day of huge cases confirmed. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has issued new travel advice (relating to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak) on travel to Italy as the Italian government imposes draconian internal restrictions on movement. The number of global coronavirus cases has increased sharply with a particular focus on Italy over the past few days. The outbreak has number of cases within Italy has increased sharply to over 9,000 with 237 deaths and fear over the situation has escalated sharply over the past few days. Over the weekend, a lockdown was imposed on 16 million people in the North of Italy where the outbreak originated. Reports of the measures had leaked before implementation and there were substantial moves within the country which undermined potential effectiveness of the measures. From March 9th, therefore, there is a national lockdown in place until April 3rd. All public gatherings are banned and all sport fixtures are suspended. Schools and universities will also remain closed until April 3rd. Air travel to Italy shutting down The FCO now advises against all but essential travel to Italy, due to an ongoing outbreak of coronavirus (Covid-19), in line with various controls and restrictions imposed by the Italian authorities on 9 March. It emphasises that British nationals remain able to travel to Italy without restriction and airports remain open throughout Italy. It is also important to note that there is no definition of what constitutes essential travel and any decision is, therefore, still up to the individual traveller. Commercial airlines, however, are cancelling flights to Italy and train travel will also be affected. Crucially, there may be substantial problems returning from Italy, especially as this situation is evolving rapidly. Travellers could also be put into quarantine in Italy. There has also been an important change in advice for travellers returning to the UK from Italy. According to the FCO, stay indoors and avoid contact with other people for a period of 14 days even if you do not have symptoms. This is a notable change from previous advice which was to stay indoors and avoid contact only if there were symptoms of infection. Travel outside Italy There has been a clear easing of new coronavirus cases within China and the number of new cases in South Korea has also slowed over the past few days. There has, however, not been any significant change in advice for travellers returning other countries. For Iran, Hubei province in China and special care zones in South Korea (Daegu, Cheongdo, Gyeongsan); Stay indoors and avoid contact with other people if youve travelled to the UK in the last 14 days, even if you do not have symptoms: For the remainder of China, South Korea outside of the special zones, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Taiwan; stay indoors and avoid contact if there are any symptoms even mild. As far as out-going travel to China is concerned, the advice against all travel to Hubei Province due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The FCO also advises against all but essential travel to the rest of mainland China (not including Hong Kong and Macao). For South Korea, the FCO advises against all travel to the cities of Daegu, Cheongdo and Gyeongsan due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. There are no restrictions to the reminder of South Korea. As far as Iran is concerned, the advice is to avoid all, but essential travel and no travel at all to specific regions. Women wearing face masks walk down a shopping street in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, March 8, 2020. AP A total of 109 countries and territories were imposing entry bans or tougher quarantine procedures for people from South Korea over coronavirus concerns Tuesday, up by three from the previous day, the foreign ministry said. Norway, Slovakia and Rwanda have joined the list of countries and territories imposing stricter immigration controls and requiring or recommending self-quarantine, raising the tally to 49, according to the ministry website. Norway recommends a 14-day self-isolation for people from Korea, Iran, northern Italy and a few others regardless of whether they show symptoms. Slovakia requires a two-week home quarantine for its citizens and foreigners arriving from four countries including Korea, with those people subjected to a penalty in case of an infraction. Rwanda began to conduct health checks on people upon arriving from Korea and other virus-hit countries and to impose 14-day home quarantine and monitoring even if they test negative. 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 Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 21:06:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Medical workers rest at a screening clinic in Suwon, South Korea, March 8, 2020. South Korea confirmed 179 more cases of the COVID-19 on Sunday, raising the total number of infections to 7,313. (NEWSIS/Handout via Xinhua) The donations for ROK's hard-hit North Gyeongsang and Gangwon include 300,000 face masks, 2,000 pieces of medical protective clothing, and 5,000 medical isolation gowns. HEFEI, March 10 (Xinhua) -- East China's Anhui Province on Tuesday sent protective equipment donations to help the Republic of Korea (ROK) fight against the novel coronavirus. The donations for ROK's hard-hit North Gyeongsang and Anhui's sister province Gangwon include 300,000 face masks, 2,000 pieces of medical protective clothing, and 5,000 medical isolation gowns. The epidemic has no boundaries and Anhui is doing its part to help the ROK curb the rapid spread of the virus, said Qin Junfeng, deputy director of the foreign affairs office of Anhui provincial government. The donations serve as a form of gratitude to ROK that offered three tonnes of protective equipment to help Anhui fight the virus in late February, said Qin. By Monday, Anhui had reported a total of 990 novel coronavirus cases, of which six have died and the remaining 984 have been discharged from hospital after recovery. It has not reported any new confirmed cases for more than 10 consecutive days. PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-10 09:01:04 UK-based George Health will receive 27 million from three major investment partners to develop drug treatments and technologies for worlds biggest killers George Health is built on 20 years of high-impact medical research by The George Institute for Global Health Multi-Million-Pound Impact Investment in George Institute Businesses to Fast-Track New Treatments for the Worlds Biggest Killers Media Enquiries Aurora Communications Nathan McGlone nathan.mcglone@auroracomms.com 0207 148 3055 George Health, a profit-for-purpose company, today announces 27 million / $35 million of new financing to accelerate the commercialisation of affordable drug treatments and technologies for some of the worlds biggest killers. This funding round was led by Bupa Australia, Federation Asset Management and the Australian Government-backed Medical Research Commercialisation Fund Biomedical Translation Fund (MRCF BTF), managed by Brandon Capital Partners. The investments are set to fast-track the growth of George Health Enterprises, the commercial arm of the world-leading George Institute for Global Health, and George Medicines, its late-stage drug development company. George Health Enterprises will receive almost 17 million from Federation Asset Management and Bupa Australia to accelerate the development of an innovative drug and technology pipeline, born from The George Institutes research program, including a unique, low-cost digital technology to guide clinical decision making for patients with multiple chronic diseases, and an ultra-low-cost dialysis system for patients with end-stage kidney failure. George Medicines will receive just over 10 million from the Australian Government-backed Medical Research Commercialisation Fund Biomedical Translation Fund (MRCF BTF), matched by George Health Enterprises, that will see a 20 million financial boost to bring to market a near-registration medicine for the prevention of recurrent heart attacks, a late-stage drug treatment for high blood pressure, and an innovative treatment for Type 2 diabetes. According to the British Heart Foundation, there are around 7.4 million people living with heart and circulatory disease in the UK and they cause more than a quarter of all deaths an average of one every three minutes. The total annual healthcare cost is estimated to be 9 billion. More than 3.9 million adults in the UK have been diagnosed with diabetes and one third of these will die from a heart or circulatory disease. Staph Leavenworth Bakali, Chief Executive Officer and President of George Health said: We are delighted to have such a strong group of investors supporting George Health. The company was established with a vision to expedite solutions to help tackle the leading causes of death in the UK and worldwide. This transformative investment allows us to turn this vision into a reality and accelerate the growth of our business while bringing benefit to millions of people suffering from serious chronic conditions. Stephen MacMahon, Professor of Medicine at the University Oxford and Principal Director of The George Institute said: This investment is very good news not only for George Health but, more importantly, for the hundreds of millions of patients suffering those chronic diseases that still cause most premature deaths worldwide. Mainstream pharmaceutical and medical technology companies are increasingly focussed on rare diseases, so George Health is filling a major emerging gap. George Medicines has a real and tantalising potential to revolutionise the ease of use, accessibility and affordability of medicines for cardiovascular and metabolic disease, in both the developed and developing worlds, says Dr Ingmar Wahlqvist, Director at George Medicines and Senior Investment Manager at Brandon Capital. #ENDS# Notes to Editors George Health Formed in 2014, George Health Enterprises (or George Health) is the commercial arm of The George Institute for Global Health. George Health (GH) is a for-profit fully-integrated global health care company committed to providing high-quality, affordable health products and services at scale. GH has exclusive commercial rights to all intellectual property of The George Institute, as well as access to expertise and support from its leading global scientists. The focus of George Health is on late stage clinical development of medicines and technologies for the most common serious chronic conditions. GH has four established health impact-driven businesses George Clinical, Ellen Medical Devices, George Health Technologies and George Medicines. George Medicines George Medicines is an innovative late-stage drug development company focused on the large, expanding and underserved market for the management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). George Medicines is developing treatments designed to provide improved clinical outcomes among patients with cardiometabolic diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes, which remain the leading causes of premature death and disability worldwide. By combining established drugs in innovative fixed-dose formulations, George Medicines is creating treatments that are more efficacious, safer and affordable than the current alternatives. The George Institute The George Institute for Global Health is an independent medical research institute aiming to improve the health of millions of people worldwide by generating effective, evidence-based and affordable solutions to the worlds biggest health challenges. Headquartered in Sydney, with major centres in China, India and the UK, it has projects in more than 50 countries and affiliations with world-class universities. The George Institute UK was established in 2010 in partnership with the University of Oxford. Twitter @GeorgeInstUK Web georgeinstitute.ox.ac.uk Federation Asset Management Federation is a leading investor in sustainable infrastructure and renewable energy, health and education real estate, and operating companies with strong growth potential. Its mission is to produce clean energy, to improve the health, education and living conditions of future generations, and to build a better community. Federation builds strong, sustainable, market-leading businesses through the provision of the capital they need to grow, as well as the strategic, analytical and operational support brought from years supporting similar businesses. The team has a strong track record of working together over a number of years and offers unrivalled investment experience across these sectors. Federation is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investing and is a member of the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia. Bupa Bupa is a diverse health and care group which has been committed to a purpose of longer, healthier, happier lives for close to 70 years. Health insurance accounts for the major part of our business with 16.7m customers and contributes around 75% of revenue. We operate clinics, dental centres and hospitals in some markets, with around 15m customers. We care for around 22,300 residents in our aged care businesses in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Spain. We directly employ around 80,000 people, principally in the UK, Australia, Spain, Poland, Chile, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Turkey, the US, Brazil, the Middle East and Ireland. We also have associate businesses in Saudi Arabia and India. About the Medical Research Commercialisation Fund (MRCF) and Brandon Capital Partners Brandon Capital Partners is a venture capital firm that manages the Medical Research Commercialisation Fund (MRCF), Australia and New Zealands largest life science investment fund. The MRCF is a unique collaboration between major Australian superannuation funds, the Australian and New Zealand governments, Australian state governments and more than 50 leading medical research institutes and research hospitals. The MRCF supports the development and commercialisation of early-stage biomedical discoveries originating from member research organisations, providing both capital and expertise to guide the successful development of new therapies. The MRCF has supported more than 45 start-up companies to date, most of which were founded by the MRCF. For more information about Brandon Capital Partners, visit www.brandoncapital.com.au About the Biomedical Translation Fund The Biomedical Translation Fund was announced by the federal government in December 2015 as part of the National Innovation and Science Agenda. It is a for-profit venture capital fund which pools public and private capital ($250 million of Commonwealth funding to be matched with private sector capital, creating $500 million for investment) for investments in companies with medical research projects at advanced pre-clinical, Phase I and Phase II stages of development. Brandon Capital was one of three venture capital firms appointed as fund managers. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005 On Tuesday, March 10, Russia-led forces violated the ceasefire in Donbas nine times, with two servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported as killed in action (KIA), and another nine as wounded in action (WIA), the press center of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) has reported. "Today, on March 10, Russian invaders fired a military truck of one of the units of the JFO from an anti-tank missile system near the village of Pisky (Donetsk region). According to an updated data, as a result of an anti-tank guided missile, one Ukrainian defender died on the spot. Subsequently, another soldier died of his injuries. Seven other soldiers received injuries of varying severity, and one more defender was hospitalized with military injuries," the JFO staff said in its update on Facebook on Tuesday. In addition, according to the report, as a result of the enemy shelling attacks on Ukrainian positions, another member of the JFO was injured. "All wounded Ukrainian defenders are being provided with comprehensive medical care in military medical facilities," the staff said. After a string of sexual crime allegations and legal troubles that have ensnared its founder, The Nygard Group of Companies is facing its latest challenge: a corporate restructuring. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/3/2020 (671 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Nygard headquarters is shown in Winnipeg on February 26, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods After a string of sexual crime allegations and legal troubles that have ensnared its founder, The Nygard Group of Companies is facing its latest challenge: a corporate restructuring. The women's fashion company said Tuesday that it is seeking financial support and protection by filing a notice of intention to file a proposal under the Canadian Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act "in order to protect the livelihood of thousands of dedicated employees." "The fact that the company has made such a filing does not mean that the company is bankrupt or in receivership. Rather, the company is committed to positioning itself for long-term financial stability and is developing a restructuring plan that is acceptable to the company's various stakeholders," said a release from Nygard sent to The Canadian Press. "In the interim, it is 'business as usual' at the company and at its retail stores." The notice of intention comes almost a month after nearly a dozen women filed a class-action lawsuit against the company's founder Peter Nygard, who came to Canada as a child from Finland with his parents in 1942 and eventually built a fashion empire that landed him on several lists of the richest Canadians. The women accused Nygard of luring them to his Bahamian mansion under the pretence of modelling opportunities in order to sexually assault them. Several plaintiffs in the suit said they were 14 or 15 years old when Nygard gave them alcohol or drugs and then raped them. Through a spokesperson, Nygard has vehemently denied all claims. "Nygard and the company look forward to exposing the extent of the alleged conspiracy, clearing Nygard's name and the company brand, and restoring the company to its former glory," the Tuesday statement said. Nygard stepped down from his company in February after the lawsuit and following an FBI raid on the company's New York headquarters. Nygard has long blamed his troubles on Louis Bacon, the billionaire hedge fund manager who owns an estate next door to Nygard's in the Bahamas. The pair have feuded for years over various matters. Nygard filed a lawsuit against Bacon alleging he paid people to make false statements against him in hopes of "ruining him and his business." The Tuesday statement said the women's accusations have caused the company to be "maliciously battered" and a "devastating media onslaught." As a result, "a significant Nygard customer ceased doing business with the company," the statement said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The statement does not name which customer Nygard is referring to, but American retailer Dillard's Inc. dropped the brand's clothing from its department stores last month. Nygard also noted that one of the company's financial lenders has demanded immediate payment of its outstanding credit facility. "While the company arranged to replace this credit facility and actually secured a new lender, its prior lender inexplicably refused to wait a few extra days for the new credit line to be finalized and instead took aggressive steps which threatened the existence of the company and its thousands of employees, retailer customers, vendors and suppliers," said the statement. "In response to these pressures, the company has determined that the NOI is the best option to provide the protection needed while all alternatives are assessed." With files from The Associated Press. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2020. So, whats with the bowling balls? My sense is that it stems from the lingering rage that Jimmy feels about his brother and the way HH&M mistreated and underestimated him. And a lot of Howards humanity toward Chuck, in particular is unknown to Jimmy. We never have seen Gus Fring in recruiting mode, but we know this much: When hes angry, hes a highly exacting boss. He drives a Los Pollos Hermanos employee to a fryolator-cleaning frenzy as he awaits word of whether the feds will seize $700,000 of his drug money, as he and his underlings have planned. Poor Lyle. There probably wasnt a speck of grease on that machine. But Gus was fuming that Lalo Salamanca had cunningly forced him to surrender a huge chunk of cash and had put his men at risk. The man was in no mood for compliments. Lets compare Guss approach to disappointment to Hanks. Our favorite D.E.A. agent is disappointed that his team netted little more than that $700,000 and three low-level drug runners when it staked out the dead drops mapped by Krazy-8. (Booby prize, Hank mutters.) The bust didnt yield any clues about where that money came from, which is what he really wants. Does Hank stare balefully at the loot and get all passive aggressive with his team? No. He manufactures some bonhomie and announces to the assembled officers and agents that the first round is on him. Raise your hand if youd rather work for Hank. When this episode isnt comparing management techniques, it is a look at the galvanizing power of guilt. Kim feels guilty about the imminent eviction of crusty ol Everett Acker, who owns a home on land that Kims biggest client, Mesa Verde, has set aside for a call center. She tries, and fails, to persuade the bank to build that center elsewhere. Then she enlists Jimmy to sign up Mr. Acker as a client, which he does using nothing more than his foot, his silver tongue and a bit of bestiality lifted from the Internet. Once again, cranky Mr. Acker gets one of the episodes best lines, this time by succinctly, and graphically, describing the image. So lets game this out. Jimmy is about to take some kind of legal action against Mesa Verde on Ackers behalf. Jimmy is well known to Richard Schweikart, a named partner at Kims firm, which represents Mesa Verde. So shell instantly be in the middle of a brawl, representing a company being sued by her boyfriend. Los Angeles, March 10 : Actor Jack Gleeson, best known for the role of the despicable King Joffrey in the globally popular fantasy series "Game of Thrones", is all set to make his return to television after a six-year break. Gleeson has been announced among the cast members for "Out of Her Mind", a BBC comedy from comedian Sara Pascoe which has Simon Pegg and Nick Frost on board as executive producers, reports variety.com. The news of Gleeson's casting comes after he had previously hinted that he might give up acting as a career. The series explores heartbreak, family issues and how to survive them both. The show will look to subvert the traditional sitcom format by combining eccentric characters, animation, and scientific explanation. "'Out Of Her Mind' is a direct expression of my mind. We've turned my brain into a theme-park, and everyone's invited," said Pascoe, adding: "The cast are incredible and I can't wait for people to see what we've made." Gleeson's screen credits include a cameo in "Batman Begins". On TV front, his four-season run as Joffrey, which ended in spectacularly poisonous fashion, is his only credit. "Out of Her Mind" also stars Juliet Stevenson, Fiona Button, Cariad Lloyd, Adrian Edmondson, Navin Chowdhry, Sean Gilder, Tom Stuart, Scroobius Pip, Jumayn Hunter, Sheila Reid, Cash Holland, Lorraine Ashbourne, and Cian Barry. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed Hudson Insurance Group Appoints Andrew Dickson as Head of Surety Hudson Insurance Group (Hudson) today announced the appointment of Andrew Dickson as the new head of Hudson's Surety business unit, which offers a suite of products including contract surety, commercial surety and specialty contract surety. Mr. Dickson joined Odyssey Reinsurance Company (OdysseyRe), Hudson's sister company, in 2010 as the senior underwriter for all surety reinsurance in Latin America. He assumed positions of increasing responsibility, eventually becoming the underwriting manager for all of OdysseyRe's surety reinsurance in the U.S., Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. Since 2016, Mr. Dickson has served as chief underwriting officer for OdysseyRe's Latin America Division. Prior to joining the Odyssey Group, Mr. Dickson had more than 15 years of experience in commercial lending and surety reinsurance. "Andy brings a breadth of experience and deep product knowledge to Hudson," said Christopher Gallagher, president & CEO of Hudson Insurance Group. "We are excite to have him at the helm of our surety team. Surety continues to be a strategic and important area of growth for us." Mr. Dickson's appointment fills the role that was formerly held by Michael Cifone, who was promoted to senior operations officer at Hudson in late 2019. Mr. Dickson will be based in Miami and will report to Christopher Gallagher. About Hudson Insurance Group Hudson Insurance Group is a market-leading specialty insurer that offers a wide range of property and casualty insurance products to corporations, professional firms and individuals through retailers, wholesalers and program administrators. Headquartered in New York City with offices throughout the U.S. and in Vancouver, Canada, Hudson underwrites specialty primary and excess insurance on both an admitted and non-admitted basis. Its companies are rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best, Financial Size Category XV. Hudson Insurance Company is Treasury-listed with a current underwriting limitation of $44,149,000. Hudson Insurance Group is the U.S. Insurance Division of the Odyssey Group Holdings, Inc., a leading global provider of reinsurance and specialty insurance. Odyssey Group is wholly-owned by Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited. For more information, visit hudsoninsgroup.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005597/en/ Computer & Technology Visually stunning and feature-rich MMD launches the Philips 346P1CRH monitor Philips 346P1CRH 10.03.2020 17:31:58 - (live-PR.com) - Amsterdam, 10 March 2020 MMD, the leading display specialist and brand license partner for Philips monitors, announces the launch of the 34 (86.36 cm) Philips 346P1CRH LCD monitor. Featuring a curved UWQHD display with DisplayHDR 400, this monitor delivers an outstanding visual performance in addition to offering a host of convenient connectivity features such as a built-in USB-C docking - Amsterdam, 10 March 2020 MMD, the leading display specialist and brand license partner for Philips monitors, announces the launch of the 34 (86.36 cm) Philips 346P1CRH LCD monitor. Featuring a curved UWQHD display with DisplayHDR 400, this monitor delivers an outstanding visual performance in addition to offering a host of convenient connectivity features such as a built-in USB-C docking station and KVM switch, and a wide array of technologies and innovations to enhance user comfort and ensure the most productive, enjoyable work day possible. Hassle-free connectivity In terms of connectivity, the Philips 346P1CRH has it all. Equipped with DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0 and RJ45, it also features a built-in USB-C docking station with power delivery that offers instant productivity. Users can simply and easily connect all of their peripherals to the monitor, eliminating cable clutter while recharging their notebook computer with one simple, reversible USB-C connector that also allows them to watch high-resolution videos, transfer files at super speed, and more. Thanks to MultiView technology, users can take advantage of dual connect and view to simultaneously work with multiple devices, such as a PC and notebook computer, while a MultiClient Integrated KVM switch enables them to control two separate PCs with a single monitor-keyboard-mouse set-up and provides the ability to toggle back and forth between sources at the push of a button. Superior picture quality The Philips 346P1CRH offers users the visual pleasure of CrystalClear images with QHD 3440 x 1440 resolution for exceedingly crisp, lifelike picture quality. VESA-certified DisplayHDR 400 means extra brightness, deeper contrasts and stunning colours for images that truly pack a punch. The screens 178/178 wide viewing angles and UltraWide 21:9 format make it generous enough to accommodate group work as well as side-by-side multi-file comparisons that professionals in finance, banking and graphic design are certain to appreciate. And gaming fans are in for a visual treat as well, thanks to Adaptive-Sync technology that guarantees fast, fluid gameplay. Extra comfort, enhanced convenience The Philips 346P1CRH is packed with smart, efficient features to boost comfort and convenience. A height-adjustable, tiltable stand ensures ergonomic ease, while TUV certified eye comfort features reduce eye fatigue. A handy Windows Hello pop-up webcam equipped with facial recognition technology provides secure login and can be discretely tucked away when not in use. This monitor is ecologically-minded as well, offering power-saving features such as a LightSensor and PowerSensor that can save up to 70% on energy costs. It also meets EnergyStar 8.0, EPEAT* and RoHS standards, is free of harmful substances such as mercury and lead, and uses 100% recycled packaging material. Powerful, feature-rich, and a delight to behold, the Philips 346P1CRH monitor will be available from March 2020 with an RRP of 499. * EPEAT rating is valid only where Philips registers the product. Please visit More information on Philips monitors: About MMD MMD-Monitors & Displays Holding B.V. (MMD), registered in the Netherlands, with their head offices in Amsterdam, is a wholly owned company of TPV Technology Limited (TPV), which is one of the worlds leading monitor and LCD TV manufacturers. MMD-Monitors & Displays Holding B.V. (MMD) exclusively markets and sells Philips branded LCD displays worldwide. By combining the Philips brand promise with TPVs manufacturing expertise in displays, MMD uses a fast and focused approach to bringing innovative products to market. www.mmd-p.com station and KVM switch, and a wide array of technologies and innovations to enhance user comfort and ensure the most productive, enjoyable work day possible.Hassle-free connectivityIn terms of connectivity, the Philips 346P1CRH has it all. Equipped with DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0 and RJ45, it also features a built-in USB-C docking station with power delivery that offers instant productivity. Users can simply and easily connect all of their peripherals to the monitor, eliminating cable clutter while recharging their notebook computer with one simple, reversible USB-C connector that also allows them to watch high-resolution videos, transfer files at super speed, and more. Thanks to MultiView technology, users can take advantage of dual connect and view to simultaneously work with multiple devices, such as a PC and notebook computer, while a MultiClient Integrated KVM switch enables them to control two separate PCs with a single monitor-keyboard-mouse set-up and provides the ability to toggle back and forth between sources at the push of a button.Superior picture qualityThe Philips 346P1CRH offers users the visual pleasure of CrystalClear images with QHD 3440 x 1440 resolution for exceedingly crisp, lifelike picture quality. VESA-certified DisplayHDR 400 means extra brightness, deeper contrasts and stunning colours for images that truly pack a punch. The screens 178/178 wide viewing angles and UltraWide 21:9 format make it generous enough to accommodate group work as well as side-by-side multi-file comparisons that professionals in finance, banking and graphic design are certain to appreciate. And gaming fans are in for a visual treat as well, thanks to Adaptive-Sync technology that guarantees fast, fluid gameplay.Extra comfort, enhanced convenienceThe Philips 346P1CRH is packed with smart, efficient features to boost comfort and convenience. A height-adjustable, tiltable stand ensures ergonomic ease, while TUV certified eye comfort features reduce eye fatigue. A handy Windows Hello pop-up webcam equipped with facial recognition technology provides secure login and can be discretely tucked away when not in use. This monitor is ecologically-minded as well, offering power-saving features such as a LightSensor and PowerSensor that can save up to 70% on energy costs. It also meets EnergyStar 8.0, EPEAT* and RoHS standards, is free of harmful substances such as mercury and lead, and uses 100% recycled packaging material.Powerful, feature-rich, and a delight to behold, the Philips 346P1CRH monitor will be available from March 2020 with an RRP of 499.* EPEAT rating is valid only where Philips registers the product. Please visit www.epeat.net/ for registration status in your country.More information on Philips monitors: www.philips.co.uk/c-m-pc/monitors About MMDMMD-Monitors & Displays Holding B.V. (MMD), registered in the Netherlands, with their head offices in Amsterdam, is a wholly owned company of TPV Technology Limited (TPV), which is one of the worlds leading monitor and LCD TV manufacturers.MMD-Monitors & Displays Holding B.V. (MMD) exclusively markets and sells Philips branded LCD displays worldwide. By combining the Philips brand promise with TPVs manufacturing expertise in displays, MMD uses a fast and focused approach to bringing innovative products to market. Contact information: MMD Monitors & Displays B.V. Prins Bernhardplein 200, 6th floor 1097 JB Amsterdam Contact Person: Xeni Bairaktari Phone: +31 205046945 eMail: eMail Web: http://www.mmd-p.com Author: Peter Link e-mail Web: http://www.united.de Phone: +49 30 7890760 10.03.2020 17:31:58 - 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. Premier Doug Ford reiterated his call for the federal government to commit money to Toronto-area transit plans Tuesday, as he backed off his previous pledge to have the province pay the entire costs of the new lines if Ottawa doesnt come to the table. At a news conference at a provincial transportation maintenance garage on Kennedy Road in Scarborough, Ford said the Ontario government had reached a key milestone by putting tunnelling work for the Eglinton West LRT and Scarborough Subway extension out for bids last week. Were moving ahead at lightning speed and these projects couldnt come soon enough. The people of Scarborough have been waiting for decades, I repeat, decades, for a fast, reliable three-stop subway, Ford said. Along with the Ontario Line and Yonge North subway extension, the Eglinton West and Scarborough projects make up the $28.5-billion GTA transit expansion proposal Ford released last April. The premier said that ahead of the First Ministers Meeting in Ottawa on Friday he would lead a delegation of cabinet ministers to the capital in an attempt to secure funding for the four projects. Ford wants Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus government to pick up 40 per cent of their total costs. Despite Trudeaus Liberals signalling support for parts of Fords plan during the 2019 federal election, the Canadian government has yet to formally commit funding for the GTA expansion projects, according to a spokesperson for Ontario Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney. Now its time for Ottawa to join us, to fund their fair share, to fund 40 per cent of these subways, because these projects are nationally significant, Ford said. Whats good for Ontario is good for Canada. When the premier unveiled his transit plans last April he promised his government would pay their full cost if no other government came forward with money. He wouldnt commit to doing so Tuesday. Traditionally, the federal government puts 40 per cent in, he said when asked about his earlier promise. Pressed on whether the plans would go ahead without federal funding, Ford would only say we look forward to sitting down on Friday to discuss these issues with the federal government. In a statement responding to Fords comments, David Taylor, a spokesperson for Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Catherine McKenna, said the Canadian government is eager to work with the province of Ontario to invest in its public transit priorities. Taylor noted the federal government agreed in 2018 to invest $8.3 billion in transit infrastructure across the province over a decade, but he didnt immediately confirm how much of that funding could go to the Ford governments priority projects. Under the terms of a deal with the province that Toronto city council approved in October, the city wont pay any of the construction costs of the four provincial transit lines. As part of that agreement council voted to take roughly $3.8 billion in federal funding that had been earmarked for the citys relief line subway and one-stop Scarborough subway extension and reallocate it to the provinces Ontario Line and three-stop Scarborough project. However, the federal government would need to agree to the move. Taylor said Infrastructure Canada has not received an official project application from Ontario for any of the four projects in its GTA expansion plan. Infrastructure Canada cannot commit funding to any projects without official project applications that it can review, he said. But he stressed the federal is committed to working with the provincial government. McKenna met Tuesday with Mulroney and Ontario Infrastructure Minister Laurie Scott in what both sides described as productive talks. The three-stop, eight-kilometre Scarborough subway extension replaced previous city-approved plans for a one-stop extension and would extend the TTCs Line 2 to Sheppard Avenue. Its projected to cost at least $5.5 billion to construct and be open by 2029 or 2030. The Eglinton West LRT would be a 9.2-km extension of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT from Mount Dennis to Renforth Drive. Depending on the route selected, it would cost an estimated $3.5 billion to construct the project, which the province says will be open by 2030 or 2031. A future phase would extend further to Pearson airport. In February, Metrolinx released business cases for the two projects that showed their costs would far outweigh their benefits. Despite scoring poorly in the economic analysis, Metrolinx recommended moving ahead with the extensions. Asked how hed convince the federal government the projects were worth funding, Ford rejected the idea they would be a poor return on investment. Tell that to the 650,000 people that have been ignored for decades out in Scarborough, he said. Mayor John Tory was on a business mission in London, U.K. Tuesday and didnt attend the premiers press conference. But in a statement he said progress on the Scarborough and Eglinton projects is a step forward in the important work we need to do to get the two extensions built. I will continue to work with the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada to get on with building transit it is the best way to protect Torontos success and to respond to the growth we are seeing as North Americas fastest growing city, he said. Read more about: Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Washington Tue, March 10, 2020 15:47 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2069a1752 2 Science & Tech SpaceX,space,Elon-Musk,Starlink Free SpaceX founder Elon Musk on Monday dismissed scientists' concerns that his company's Starlink constellation of internet satellites would obscure the view of the night sky, predicting the network "will not cause any impact whatsoever in astronomical discoveries." Musk is trying to seize control of the future internet space market and has already sent about 300 Starlink satellites into orbit -- with plans to grow that number, potentially up to 42,000. Scientists raised objections after the initial batch appeared as a train of bright lights shortly after they launched last year, arguing they were a death knell for both optical and radio astronomy. Speaking at a satellite internet conference in the capital Washington, Musk said his company had already taken measures to reduce their reflectivity. "I am confident that we will not cause any impact whatsoever in astronomical discoveries, zero," he said. "That's my prediction, we will take corrective action if it's above zero." Read also: Elon Musk drops surprise techno track He said the issue only occurred as the satellites were "tumbling" as they raised their orbit, and that once they achieved their final flight path, the issue went away. "I've not met someone who can tell me where all of them are," said Musk. "So it can't be that big of a deal." But he added SpaceX was working with the science community to reduce the potential for reflection, including painting the antennas black instead of white, and placing a sunshade on the satellites. The system is due to go live in the northern United States and Canada later this year and expand to global coverage by 2021. Musk wouldn't be drawn on the cost to users, nor on precise speed, but said it would be enough to stream high definition movies and to play high-end video games without noticeable lag time. He added that the user terminal would look like a "UFO on a stick" and would not require a specialist to install, unlike other home satellite dishes. "The box will have just two instructions and they can be done in either order: point at sky, plug in," he said. The dish would then automatically align itself to a target satellite. Musk said the network was primarily targeted at a niche market of three to four percent of users who live in remote areas, and was therefore not a threat to traditional telecommunications companies. He also dismissed the potential impact of next-generation 5G networks on his business model, saying that technology was excellent for high density cities but didn't have the range to do well in rural settings. By contrast, space internet only works well in sparsely populated environments, he said. Musk has said he was hoping to generate $30 billion revenue a year, or 10 times what SpaceX is earning from its space launches, and plough the profits back into rocket and spaceship development. Several rivals are also vying for a slice of the pie, including London-based startup OneWeb and giant US retailer Amazon, whose Project Kuiper is far less advanced. But it raised painful memories for many who turned out to hear Sanders in Grand Rapids, including Reeves. I held my nose and voted for Hillary, even though I didnt want to, she said. She said she would do the same in 2020, adding that absolutely anyone is better than Trump. But she wondered if other Sanders supporters would feel the same and whether the excitement that Sanders has generated would be there for anyone else. Photo credit: Tiffany Nicholson From ELLE 'Hi, welcome to McDonalds. My name is Aweng. How can I help you? The woman stood in front of me. And stared. She was well put together with manicured hands, long groomed hair not a typical customer in this quiet branch of the Golden Arches in Sydneys western suburbs. I stared back at her. Oh my god, youre beautiful, she said. I looked down, embarrassed, then she repeated, Youre beautiful, as though in a trance. I was tired, Id been working for hours and was about to leave for my shift at the KFC down the road. I had multiple jobs to pay for college. A strong work ethic was something my grandparents, whod emigrated to Australia from southern Sudan five years previously, instilled in me. Since Id begun working aged 14, Id been approached several times by people claiming they could make me a star mainly alleged Disney agents and model scouts. I told the woman that my shift was about to end; that she was the last person I would serve. She didnt seem flustered by my abruptness, but instead carefully places a business card on the counter. Sliding it towards me she said, Heres my friends card. Youre going to be a superstar. Youll thank me one day.' Photo credit: Tiffany Nicholson Two weeks later, I was on a plane to Paris to walk for one of the most exclusive fashion houses: Vetements. That evening, after my work shifts, Id given the card to my mother. Flattered as I had been by all the attention before, it had never been the right time I was set on finishing school and going to university to study law, join the debating team and maybe get my heart broken along the way. But things were different this time. I had just turned 18 and was in my second year of university. I was in control of my own schedule. My mother was the one who pushed me into following up the offer of the woman in McDonalds. She was tired of having a superstar daughter who didnt want to be a superstar. It turned out the friend of the woman whod come into McDonalds was a model agent. After I met her, she immediately made me an offer: if she could fly me out of Australia within two weeks, then she would sign me to her agency. If she couldnt, then I could get on with my regular life. Story continues It was surreal to be leaving home on my own up until that point Id never even bothered to get my Australian passport. Im the eldest of 12 children, so it felt like I was abandoning my siblings, some of whom were like my own children. My ticket was only one way, so no one including me knew whether Id be coming back. I arrived at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport in the freezing cold one February morning and looked around in total disbelief as crowds of people swirled around me. The last time Id seen this many people in one place was in the refugee camp of Kakuma Photo credit: Tiffany Nicholson I was born in Kakuma, a refugee camp in the northwestern region of Kenya, which was a haven for anyone from east Africa trying to find safety during the civil war in Sudan. Over the years, it had grown to accommodate tens of thousands of refugees, as civil war raged in neighbouring southern Sudan and political instability continued in Ethiopia and Somalia. Kakuma has become well-known in the fashion world because a lot of models were born or raised there, including Halima Aden and Adut Akech. My mum arrived in Kakuma with her entire family in 1996, from what is now recognised as South Sudan. Two years later, she fell pregnant with me. The daughter of a pastor, her pregnancy at age 15 was not well received. The advice she was given, like many girls her age, was to abort the child as there was no way they would be able to raise children in that environment. There were certain leaves growing in a nearby field that could be used to wash out the child, without any pain, by bringing about labour prematurely. My grandfather asked my mother to walk to the field where they grew the leaves. When she arrived there were several young girls sat eating these magical leaves. My mum still cries when she recalls the scene today. The message was clear: if you keep this child, it will suffer, and so will you. My mum decided there and then that she wouldnt eat the leaves; she was met with a chorus of women asking her what in gods name she thought the child would eat. Her reply was simple: the child would eat whatever she ate. When my grandfather heard the news that she hadnt eaten the leaves, he was irate. He said it would bring shame on the family and that it was the wrong decision he was more worried about his reputation than about his daughter. Photo credit: Tiffany Nicholson For most of my first year, I had no name. My grandparents wanted me to be called Atonge, but my mum was set on Aweng. Everyone wanted something different for me, so I was just called Baby and then Girl for the first year of my life. I was brought up to know that I was beautiful, especially by my mother. At the back of my mind, I always had an idea of my beauty, but it wasnt until the end of my teens that I really grasped how striking I was. With the same rebellion my mother had shown by keeping me, she snuck Aweng onto my birth certificate without telling anybody. And that was that. Aweng translates as cow in our culture and cows are sacred, so there is a deep significance to my name. People assume I have bad memories from growing up in Kakuma, but the opposite is true. It was home to me as homely as you could make a one- bedroom camp with six siblings and a pregnant mother. Of course, it was traumatic in the sense that there was a civil war in Sudan, but I was raised without anything being hidden from me. Despite all the blood and all the running, my parents were always honest with me. I was about to turn eight when my grandfather had finally had enough of all the running away and insisted we move to Australia, where he felt the climate would suit us better than the US. And so we left Kakuma. My mum was pregnant when she travelled alone across the world with six children under the age of eight. She was 22. My father refused to come with us hed been a child soldier and wanted to die in Sudan so she left the only man shed ever known to start a new life on the other side of the world, and I watched it happen. I watched the phone calls from Kakuma to Australia, I watched the phone being thrown in anger as my parents rowed about going. I watched as another phone was brought, so we could get in touch with my grandfather who was already in Australia. As young as I was, I was watching it all. It was hard on everyone. Photo credit: Tiffany Nicholson When we arrived in Sydney, my mother never changed the script of our childhood. I grew up in a South Sudanese community, and had a happy childhood integrating well into this new Australian world. So when I stood there, 10 years later, in a white studio in front of Demna Gvasalia [the founder of Vetements], meeting his entire team, I didnt feel nervous or scared. In fact, I felt at home. As soon as I walked in, he said, Oh, Miss Australia is here! It immediately broke the ice. There was a lot of laughter as we did a fitting for the show that evening. I really had no time to be nervous. Everyone kept telling me to breathe, but the first time I stepped out onto the catwalk, for the Vetements AW18 show, all I could think was, I have a law assignment due in two hours! But right then I knew I had to focus on walking. I wasnt used to walking like a model and my velvet trousers went all the way over my shoes, so I constantly felt as though I was about to fall. Walking exclusively for Vetements was just the beginning. After that first show, I raced back to my hotel, finished my law assignment, sent it in and then fell asleep. I woke to news that Id been signed by agencies in Paris, Milan, New York and London, all in one night. Since then Ive seen the world, shooting with industry legends and working with fashion houses such as Burberry. Photo credit: Tiffany Nicholson Fashion has always been an art form for me; Im in it for the art. Ive always admired how someone could sit down with a plain white piece of paper and come back with all this colour and shape. One of my favourite designers has always been Alexander McQueen I love the way he embodied a womans figure. As a child, I never knew the names of all the biggest people in fashion, but when I saw a photo that Peter Lindbergh took of Kate Moss in a magazine, I knew that was beauty and I cut it out and stuck it on my bedroom wall. As Ive settled into the industry, what I love most is that it gets reborn each season. But I never imagined myself actually working as a model. I thought Id do one show, then go home and finish university, and that would be it. So to have options, and to be shot by someone like Nick Knight whos always been one of my top photographers - is still surreal. When they said, Nick Knight wants you, I replied, Im on my way! Above everything else, its been important to be honest to myself and to the world. I never wanted my story to be all about the refugee girl who became a supermodel overnight. I wanted to shape my own narrative. After all, I worked to make the best out of the situation. Most people who came from Kakuma have a different perspective of the camp. For some, it wasnt the safe haven I saw it as, but that is their story, for them to tell. For me, I found an escape from reality. You cant change the past all you can do is grow from it. This article appears in the April 2020 edition of ELLE UK. Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox. SIGN UP You Might Also Like A new, militant-sounding contractor campaign force set up specifically for limited company workers who are banned or blanket assessed under IR35 reform is calling its first members to enlist. The Self-Employed Alliance (SEA) says it will be fighting on behalf of largely undefended contractors to halt the April reform, pending a radical rethink by government to end the War on Contracting. Taking aim at what it says amounts to HMRCs reform mantra, Same Role, Same Tax; the SEA says its mantra (when demonstrating in Westminster and beyond) will be; Same Work, Same Tax, Same Rights. 'Zero-Rights Employment' Speaking later today, the campaign force will say that the reform is unjust because it is being used to tax bonafide contractors as employees, but without giving them any of the rights of employees. These workers have no security or rights, no protection from unfair dismissal. And as with all businesses, they often shoulder risk, says SEAs chairman Dr Iain Campbell. So the off-payroll rules introduce a new era of zero-rights employment for tax purposes. Worryingly, there is in principle no reason why clients could not use this situation to undermine a century of workers rights progress, by doing this [blanketing en masse]. 'Modern, lightweight' On its website, SEA says it wants to work with MPs and other IR35 reform critics to be a modern, lightweight group, supporting each other to address Rishi Sunak with one voice. But ahead of the new chancellors Budget 2020 this coming Wednesday, the alliance believes there are other injustices which Mr Sunak must address as well. As the count of blanketing clients and small businesses set to be destroyed by IR35 rises ever more, the SEA says, [contractors are also] dismayed by the way the government has sidestepped [the previous] erstwhile Chancellor Sajid Javids election promise of a review of IR35. Restricting the scope to implementation only[and] allowing HMRC to run it [while] having important bodiesexcluded from roundtables [were reprehensible decisions]. 'HMRC lauding itself' Speaking to ContractorUK last night, Dr Campbell suggested that the Revenues involvement and reaction -- to the off-payroll review was the tipping point that brought about the SEA. The sight of HMRC lauding itself over a farcical review of IR35 implementation which places all of the important questions out of scope, highlights the urgent need for reinforcements in the War on Contracting. He also said: The self-employed now need a strong lobbying force to coordinate their activity, put boots on the ground in Westminster, and have our voice heard through Whitehall and on the airwaves. 'Potential litigation options' The legal head of the SEA, Stephen Mhiribidi, said a fully independent investigation into IR35 reform was now needed. This indicates that the alliance wont just be fighting, but will be listening too. We are committed to exploring both legal and political remedies for SEA Members, Mr Mhiribidi said. And will use membership funds to actively explore potential litigation options against clients and fee-payers who engage in unlawful behaviour [in relation to Aprils IR35 rules]. Online, the contractor-led organisation called out: More than ever we are under attack due to the governments War on Contracting. If this is you [under attack], please stand up, for united we are strong. We are committed to bringing about a SEA Change for the Self-Employed. An Iowa girl who lost her vision after almost dying from the flu has regained her eyesight, her mother said. Just weeks after leaving the hospital in January following her recovery from the flu, family members noticed that Jade DeLucia, 4, suddenly was walking by herself to the bathroom, without touching the walls. Testing it, family members asked her where her uncle was. Jade walked right to him. From there, it was almost an instant thing, Jades mother, Amanda Phillips, told CNN. Shes doing really good. Jade, who hadnt had a flu shot this season, came down with the virus days before Christmas. Phillips and Jades father, Stephen DeLucia, didnt realize it until Christmas Eve when she developed a high fever. Her parents rushed her to a hospital in Waterloo. When she had a seizure there, she was flown 80 miles to a childrens hospital in Iowa City. Phillips wasnt optimistic that she would ever see her daughter again. On Christmas Day, doctors told Phillips and DeLucia that the flu had caused significant brain damageencephalopathy. They said our child might not ever wake up, and if she did, she might not ever be the same, Phillips told CNN in January. But what followed seems nothing less than a miracle: On New Years Day, Jades eyes were open, she smiled. And she just kept improving from there. Doctors said she was lucky to be alive. But it soon became apparent that Jade couldnt see. The flu had affected the part of her brain that perceives sight, Jades neurologist said. Her doctors didnt know if she would ever see again. Jade will see an ophthalmologist later this month to see where her eyesight does fall, and a cognitive test may shed some light on a few issues shes having, Phillips said. Jade was diagnosed in the hospital with acute necrotizing encephalopathy or ANE, a rare disease that was brought on by the flu. The family is waiting on test results to find out if Jade has a genetic disposition to ANE. If so, Jade could face more seizures, even without the flu, Phillips said. Its incredibly hard, and were still learning, Phillips wrote in a post on the Facebook group Jades Journey. But I will never give up because shes not giving up. But for now, shes doing awesome, Phillips told CNN Sunday. Were excited, no matter what. The-CNN-Wire & 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday (March 10) said that 6 more people from the state have tested positive for coronavirus, taking the number of people infected by the deadly virus in Kerala to 8. The total number of infected people in India has now risen to 53. CM Vijayan also said that classes up to the seventh standard in the state will remain suspended till March 31. He, however, added that exams of Class 8, 9 & 10 will be conducted as per schedule. "Classes and exams till seventh standard will remain suspended till March 31. Exams of Class 8, 9 & 10 will be conducted as per schedule. All vacation, tuition classes, anganvadis, Madrasas should be closed till March 31," said the Kerala chief minister. On Monday (March 9), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had confirmed that one person in Punjab and Karnataka each, while two people from Pune in Maharashtra had tested positive for the coronavirus. A Bengaluru based software engineer, who returned home from the US recently, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, becoming the first COVID-19 patient in Karnataka, said the state Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar. In a related development, an Indian Air Force (IAF) military aircraft - C-17 Globemaster - carrying the first batch of 58 Indian pilgrims being brought back from coronavirus-hit Iran landed at Ghaziabad's Hindon Air Force station on Tuesday. The plane with 14 Air Force officials and 4 medical staff was being led by Wing Commander Karan Kapoor and it landed in Tehran at 2 am IST. This is the second time C17 is being sent to evacuate Indians this year. In February, India had sent C17 to evacuate Indians from Wuhan, China. Americans tend to think the U.S. relationship with Germany is going just fine. Germans do not, according to a Pew survey. Reproduced from Pew Research Center Global Attitudes & Trends; Chart: Axios Visuals Breaking it down: Americans (60%) are far more likely than Germans (34%) to think their country should be willing to use military force to defend a NATO ally from Russia. Germans are divided about the importance of U.S. military bases to their national security, with 52% saying they're at least "somewhat important." But Germans rank the U.S. second (behind France) on a list of important foreign policy partners, while the U.S. ranks Germany fifth behind the U.K., China, Canada and Israel. In the former East Germany, a plurality of residents say they'd choose good relations with Russia (38%) over the U.S. (23%). Germans are also more likely to pick China (53%) than the U.S. (24%) as the world's top economic power. What to watch: Armin Laschet, the front-runner to replace Angela Merkel as CDU leader and potentially as chancellor, "has warned against demonizing Russian President Vladimir Putin for his annexation of Crimea" and "voiced support for deepening the relationship with Beijing," per Foreign Policy. T here have been 54 more coronavirus cases confirmed in the UK. The Department of Health said the figure as of 9am on Tuesday was at 373, up from 319 at the same time the day before. An update said: "As of 9am on March 10 2020, 26,261 people have been tested in the UK, of which 25,888 were confirmed negative and 373 were confirmed as positive. "Six patients who tested positive for Covid-19 have died." It comes after a sixth person who had been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the UK died - with health authorities believing they caught the virus in the UK. The death happened on Monday night at Watford General Hospital, part of West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust. Coronavirus - In pictures 1 /106 Coronavirus - In pictures A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" is seen on an underground station platform Getty Images Customers wearing face masks shop at the pork counter of a supermarket following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province Reuters Westminster Bridge is deserted in London the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown PA Canadian passengers Chris & Anna Joiner ask for help onboard the MS Zaandam, Holland America Line cruise ship, during the coronavirus outbreak, off the shores of Panama City via Reuters A man crosses a nearly empty 5th Avenue in midtown Manhattan during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York City Reuters The London Eye is pictured lit blue in support of the NHS, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Commuters cope with Coronavirus Jeremy Selwyn Milan's Piazza del Duomo empty AFP via Getty Images People in protective clothing walk past rows of beds at a temporary 2,000-bed hospital for COVID-19 coronavirus patients set up by the Iranian army at the international exhibition center in northern Tehran, Iran AP Martina Papponetti, 25, an ICU nurse at the Humanitas Gavazzeni Hospital in Bergamo, Italy poses for a portrait at the end of her shift AP Pope Francis celebrating a daily mass alone in the Santa Marta chapel at the Vatican, as part of precautionary measures against the spread of the new coronavirus COVID-19 AFP via Getty Imag Vysheyshaya Liga - FC Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino v FC Belshina Bobruisk - Torpedo Stadium, Zhodino, Belarus, March 27, 2020 Players in action during the match despite most sport being cancelled around the world as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Hanks and Wilson both have coronavirus Tom Hanks General view of an emergency makeshift field hospital as it is set up at Pacaembu Stadium for coronavirus (COVID-19) patients with a capacity of 200 beds in Sao Paulo, Brazil Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling on people to stay away from pubs, clubs and theatres, work from home if possible and avoid all non-essential contacts and travel in order to reduce the impact of the coronavirus pandemic PA Naomi Campbell catches a flight in a hazmat suit with goggles, a surgical mask and rubber gloves @naomi Sophie and Emily Ward pose for a photograph with their hand-drawn picture of rainbows and a message on their window in St Helens, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Corona virus outbreak. PA Shoppers queue outside a branch of Costco, in Croydon, south London, on the weekend after Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered pubs and restaurants across the country to close PA Charing Cross Tube Bakerloo Line very quiet at 8.15am Jeremy Selwyn A woman with a plastic box over her head on the London Underground. PA A Racegoer attend Cheltenham Festival on Ladies Day wearing a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits a laboratory at the Public Health England National Infection Service in Colindale PA A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A couple kiss in Milano Centrale railway station in Milan on March 8, 2020 AFP via Getty Images A combination picture shows visitors wearing protective face masks following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) looking at blooming cherry blossom nd a pigeon walking at an closed cherry blossom viewing spot during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (not pictured) urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors, in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from spreading Reuters This combination photo created on March 5, 2020 shows tourists visiting Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap province on March 16, 2019 (top) and on March 5, 2020 AFP via Getty Images Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump looks at the $2.2 trillion coronavirus aid package bill as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Vice President Mike Pence stand by during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House Reuters A satellite image shows an empty South Beach during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Miami, via Reuters General view inside the empty stadium as the two teams line up prior to the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg match between Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund at Parc des Princes UEFA via Getty Images A Sainsbury's supermarket in Cambridge is among those to sell out of antibacterial hand sanitizer PA Tents and ambulances are set up next to the Princess Cruises Grand Princess cruise as it sits docked in the Port of Oakland on March 09, 2020 in Oakland, California. The Princess Cruises Grand Princess has been held from docking until today as at least 21 people on board have tested positive for COVID-19 also known as the Coronavirus Getty Images Medical staff produce traditional Chinese medicine to treat patients infected by the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images Army soldiers wearing protective suits spray disinfectant as a precaution against the new coronavirus at a shopping street in Seoul, South Korea AP Russian President Vladimir Putin wearing protective gear walks at a hospital for patients infected with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Moscow via Reuters 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 Passengers on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship are seen as the ship arrives at Daikoku Pier where it is being resupplied and newly diagnosed coronavirus cases taken for treatment as it remains in quarantine after a number of the 3,700 people on board were diagnosed with coronavirus Getty Images Dave Abel pictured in hospital in Japan Manchester United fans in the stands during the Premier League match at Old Trafford PA Police officers wearing masks stand in front of the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in La Caleta, in the Canary Island of Tenerife AP Carnival revellers wear protective face masks at Venice Carnival Reuters A general view is pictured of Burbage Primary School in Buxton, Derbyshire after the closure of the school as a pupil's parent has tested positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19 AFP via Getty Images People wearing face masks walk past the Olympic rings in front of the new National Stadium, the main stadium for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Game Getty Images People leave Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre in Milton Keynes where Coronavirus evacuees are due to be released from quarantine today and allowed to go home PA Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA A woman wears a mask while crossing London Bridg Getty Images A general view of Worthing Hospital in West Sussex PA Passengers relax on board the Holland America-operated Westerdam cruise ship, which has been denied permission to dock in Thailand over coronavirus fears via Reuters A child waves as she sits in a vehicle carrying residents evacuated from a public housing building, following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, outside Hong Mei House, at Cheung Hong Estate in Hong Kong Reuters A woman wearing a Minnie Mouse face mask looks at her mobile phone in Beijing on February 11, 2020 AFP via Getty Images The Costa Smeralda cruise ship of Costa Crociere, carrying around 6,000 passengers, is docked at the Italian port of Civitavecchia after a health alert due to a Chinese couple and a possible link to coronavirus on board, in Civitavecchia, Italy Reuters A patient covered with a bed sheet at an exhibition centre converted into a hospital as it starts to accept patients displaying mild symptoms of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images A medical official takes the body temperature of a man at the departure hall of the airport in Changsha, Hunan Province, as the country is hit by an outbreak of a new coronavirus, China Reuters The view of the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center Getty Images A plane carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, arrives at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire A police vehicle enters the gates of the Royal Air Force station RAF Brize Norton in Carterton AFP via Getty Images Passengers wear face masks as the push their luggage after arriving from a flight at Terminal 5 of London Heathrow Airport AFP via Getty Images French citizens arrive and settle aboard of an evacuation plane with destination southeastern France, before departure from Wuhan Airport (WUH), China AFP via Getty Images Police stand at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge that crosses from Hubei province in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, China Reuters A member of staff at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside prepares for a bus carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China PA Doctor Paul McKay, who is working on an vaccine for the 2019-nCoV strain of the novel coronavirus, poses for a photograph with bacteria containing fragments of coronavirus DNA, at Imperial College School of Medicine (ICSM) in Londo AFP via Getty Images Workers produce masks at the Thai Hospital Product Company Ltd. factory in Bangkok AFP via Getty Images Passengers wearing face masks are seen on a bus after disembarking from the Costa Smeralda cruise ship, after tests on a woman from Macau with suspected coronavirus came back negative, in Civitavecchia, Italy Reuters People hoard bottles of alcohol after the Philippine government confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in the country, in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines Reuters Taking precautions: with fears growing that the coronavirus will spread from China, a health official checks a womans temperature on the underground in Beijing Getty Images An empty road is seen in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020, amid a deadly virus outbreak which began in the city AFP via Getty Images Students wearing masks meditate prior to a lesson at a high school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia AP Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital wear protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus AFP via Getty Images Staff move bio-waste containers past the entrance of the Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, where some infected with a new virus are being treated, in Wuhan, China AP Workers driving excavators at the construction site of a field hospital In Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The builders will complete the 1,000-bed hospital by February 3 to cope with the surge of 2019-nCoV patients in the city Getty Images Buddhist monks wear masks as they walk near Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodi AP A woman and a child wearing protective masks walk toward check-in counters at Daxing international airport in Beijing AFP via Getty Images An employee sprays disinfectant on a train as a precaution against a new coronavirus at Suseo Station in Seoul, South Korea AP A policeman wearing a mask walks past a quarantine notice about the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China at an arrival hall of Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan Reuters Paramilitary police wear face masks as they stand guard at Tiananmen Gate adjacent to Tiananmen Square in Beijing AP The resident wear masks to buy vegetables in the market in Wuhan Getty Images Staff sell masks at a Yifeng Pharmacy in Wuhan AP Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV AP The jump in cases marks the second biggest day-on-day rise in the UK. According to the update, 91 of the cases have been confirmed in London. The figure is a total of those who have been diagnosed since the beginning of the outbreak - not a figure of those who currently have the virus. Earlier today, England's deputy chief medical officer said the peak of the outbreak here is expected within the next fortnight. Deputy Chief Medical Officer Says There Will Be 'Thousands' Infected With Coronavirus In UK She said: "We can expect a peak in cases, it has a relatively slow take off at the start, that's where we are at the moment, it will start to rise quite sharply." New measures, including plans protecting the elderly and vulnerable, are expected shortly as cases rise more rapidly across the UK. Yesterday, Englands chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, said Britons with cold, flu or fever symptoms might soon to be asked to stay at home in self-isolation, in a bid to stem the spread of the infection. Coronavirus: Anyone with cold or flu symptoms could be asked to stay home The UK has had the fifth most cases in Europe, behind Italy, France, Germany and Spain. Overall, Italy has recorded 9,172 cases of Covid-19 and 463 deaths, with the figures set to rise further. Travel restrictions previously limited to the country's north have now been extended to the whole country, with public gatherings also forbidden. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK has amended its advice to warn against all but essential travel to Italy. Hundreds of flights between the UK and Italy have been cancelled, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. British Airways suspended all flights to and from Italy on Tuesday, while Ryanair said no flights will serve the country from Saturday. EasyJet has also cancelled dozens of its Italian flights. The vast majority of cases have been in mainland China, where the virus was discovered, with more than 80,000 infected since the start of the outbreak. More than 58,000 people there have recovered. Close Fox Business host says the Democrats are using coronavirus to try and impeach Trump again With more than 900 reported cases and a task force created by Donald Trump to prepare the nation, coronavirus fears have begun to grip the United States as schools cancel classes and officials have urged elderly people to avoid large crowds. Coronavirus concerns have also prompted several members of US Congress to self quarantine after coming into contact with people who were infected, and some politicians have begun to indicate they believe the Capitol building should be shut off to visitors until the growing outbreak has been contained. So far, 30 people have been killed by the virus, including at least 24 in Washington, two in California and another two in Florida. Eight people have so-far recovered from the virus, which has sparked a rare national lock down in Italy. The rapid increase of coronavirus cases in the US and across the world encouraged one expert to compare the numbers to Italy, which has seen more than 9,100 cases. The expert anticipates Americas epidemic could look like Italys in nine to 14 days. The spread of the coronavirus got worse in Italy on Tuesday, with the state revealing the death toll has risen by 168 people in just 24 hours. It made for the largest single day jump and 631 people have died from the virus to date. Governor Jay Inslee of Washington state warned there could be 64,000 cases of coronavirus in his state alone if the spread continues. The state has at least 167 confirmed cases, but the governor believes it is closer to 1,000 people infected by the virus. Health officials warn the official tally is significantly lower than the number of people likely infected across the country. In response to the growing number of coronavirus cases, both North Carolina and Massachusetts declared a state of emergency on Tuesday. The declaration allows the states to allocate funds towards the proper governmental agencies to combat the spread fo the virus. It also prevents price gouging. Trump attempted to calm Americans after he met with Republican lawmakers about a package to cushion any economic fallout from the pandemic. "It will go away, just stay calm," Trump said. "Be calm. It's really working out. And a lot of good things are going to happen." His administration has received backlash from public officials over the handling of the coronavirus, including the lack of testing originally available. Trump also met with insurance companies on Tuesday, and each said they would cover the cost of coronavirus tests for all of their private insurers. Ashley Roberts made her daily journey into Heart Radio, London, on Tuesday, wearing a quirky pink ensemble. The Pussycat Dolls starlet, 38, strutted along in a sweater embellished with red lips and a criss-cross diamond pattern, over a pleated silky skirt. She threw a checked grey rain mac over this, with bright pink cuffs. Mwah! Ashley Roberts made her daily journey into Heart Radio, London, on Tuesday, wearing a quirky pink ensemble Ashley added nude heels to the look and slung a black and white purse over her torso. She wore her blonde locks loosely around her features and donned dark shades, despite the March gloom. She wore bronzer and a pink splash to her lip, rounding off her head-turning look. Lippy: The Pussycat Dolls starlet, 38, strutted along in a sweater embellished with red lips and a criss-cross diamond pattern, over a pleated silky skirt. She threw a checked grey rain mac over this, with bright pink cuffs Meanwhile, her Heart co-star Amanda Holden made her way into the studios paying a poignant tribute to the late Caroline Flack - by wearing a 'Be Kind' T-shirt on the day of her funeral. The 49-year-old presenter donned the charity T-shirt bearing the former Love Island host's likeness to host Heart Breakfast. The top was designed by Keith Lemon in the wake of Caroline's tragic suicide aged 40 last month, with all proceeds raised from sales going to mental health charity Samaritans. Be kind: Amanda Holden has paid a poignant tribute to Caroline Flack by wearing a 'Be Kind' T-shirt on the day of her funeral The Britain's Got Talent star kept the caption simple, writing: 'Morning @thisisheart #bekind'. She added a black heart emoji and kept the rest of her look sombre. Amanda linked back to the website where the T-shirts are available on her Stories, encouraging others to purchase one. Keith Lemon - played by Leigh Francis - starred alongside Caroline in Bo' Selecta! where she was given her big break in television back in 2002. Strong statement: The 49-year-old presenter donned the charity T-shirt bearing the former Love Island host's likeness to host Heart Breakfast on Tuesday Announcing his decision to create the tee, Keith shared a photo of himself wearing the black T-shirt that features Caroline's face and the message 'Be Kind' - a sentiment Caroline had previously shared and has since gone viral as a hashtag across social media. Paying tribute to Caroline in the caption of his post, Keith wrote: 'Like everyone I was absolutely shocked by the news of what happened to Caroline. 'All the recent events just seemed so unreal. I'd been friends with Caroline for many years. Since before telly happened. In more recent times, I'd not seen Caroline as much as I had years ago, but it was always like old times when I saw her. 'I did this T-shirt to spread Caroline's own words and to raise money for the Samaritans.' 'Will miss you': Last month, Caroline's friend Keith Lemon created a T-shirt in her honour, with all profits from sales donated to mental health charity The Samaritans Inspiration: Keith's design comes from photographer Rachell Smith, who took the stunning portrait of the presenter He added: '100% of profits will go to @samaritanscharity and the link is in my bio or tap the pic. 'For more information on the amazing work The Samaritans do, or if you are looking for any support, please go to samaritans.org or call them directly on 116 123.' His message concluded: 'Will miss you Flack. Love to your family x.' The inspiration behind Keith's design comes from photographer Rachell Smith, who took the stunning portrait of the presenter. Stepping out: Amanda was later seen leaving the Heart Radio studios alongside Ashley Roberts (right) The photographer worked Caroline on the cover for Cosmopolitan Magazine last year. Flack, 40, was found dead at her home in Stoke Newington, London last month, one day after finding out the CPS was pursuing case of assault against her. There has been a huge outpouring of grief from celebrity friends and fans since the former Xtra Factor host's death on February 15. Speaking about Flack's passing last week, ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall said: 'So many people at ITV knew Caroline, including me, and it was unbelievably tragic. Taking a stand: The Britain's Got Talent presenter let her T-shirt speak for itself 'I think that we can never know what is behind suicide. It is not in any way simple. It is a very, very complex thing. 'We take advice from (mental health charities) Samaritans and Mind and we will continue to do that.' The popular TV host's family shared an Instagram post advisers had told her not to share online. Part of it read: 'I'm so sorry to my family for what I have brought upon them and for what my friends have had to go through. Atomic agency cites concerns over Iran testing sites, offers COVID-19 assistance 9 March 2020 - Iran's nuclear capabilities moved back into the international spotlight on Monday as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that it had concerns about possible "undeclared nuclear material and nuclear-related activities" in unregistered locations there. The development follows Iran's declaration on 5 January that its nuclear programme would no longer be "subject to any restrictions in the operational sphere", in response to the decision of the United States in 2018 to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and reimpose sanctions. In an appeal to Iran to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog, IAEA Director General, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said that Iran had not provided access to the sites in question and had failed to clarify inspectors' questions. "This is adversely affecting the Agency's ability to clarify and resolve these questions and to provide credible assurance of the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran", Mr. Grossi said. "I call on Iran to cooperate immediately and fully with the Agency, including by providing prompt access to the locations specified by the Agency." The rules governing how Iran's nuclear programme is monitored are set out in the 2015 "Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action" (JCPOA). It was agreed by Iran and the five members of the Security Council: China, France, Russia, UK and the U.S., plus Germany and the European Union. The deal guarantees the IAEA's regular access to Iran's nuclear programme, in line with a 2015 UN Security Council resolution to ensure the enforcement of the JCPOA. Following the US Administration's decision to pull out of the deal, in July 2019, Iran reportedly breached its uranium stockpile limit, announcing its intention to continue enriching uranium. In a speech to the IAEA Board of Governors, Mr. Grossi noted that despite concerns, the agency "has not observed any changes to Iran's implementation of its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA in connection with this announcement, or in the level of cooperation by Iran in relation to Agency verification and monitoring activities" under that deal. 14 countries request IAEA help against COVID-19 Meanwhile, as the COVID-19 epidemic continues its global spread, the agency has offered to use science to tackle disease transmission. Speaking in Vienna, Mr. Grossi said that scientists from countries requiring assistance would be given training in a technique using nuclear-derived machines which can identify the virus accurately "within hours". While the agency is not involved in controlling the disease in the same way as the World Health Organization (WHO), "we do have expertise and experience that help in detecting outbreaks of certain viral diseases and in diagnosing them", he said. The first training course will take place at IAEA's Seibersdorf nuclear applications laboratories in a few weeks. To date, the agency has received official requests for support from six countries in Africa, five in the Asia and Pacific region and three in Latin America. In the past, the IAEA has helped to respond to viruses including Ebola, Zika and African Swine Flu. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address BOSTON, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Thought Industries , the world's leading B2B customer training platform provider, is excited to announce inclusion on Forbes' list of America's Best Startup Employers for 2020. Presented by Forbes and Statista Inc., the statistics portal and industry ranking provider, the list recognizes the top 500 startup employers in the United States. The full awards list can be viewed on the Forbes website. "We are thrilled to be recognized by Forbes and Statista on this inspiring list of companies from around the country," said Barry Kelly, CEO, Thought Industries. "We've worked hard to build an organization that serves our clients with innovative solutions and provides a meaningful workplace for team members to grow their careers. It's enormously rewarding to receive an endorsement of our efforts from such a credible third party." Together Forbes and Statista reviewed over 10,000 companies and 7 million data points from qualified organizations across the U.S. The top companies were selected based on an innovative methodology evaluating employer excellence in three ways: Company Growth: in-depth evaluation of website traffic, job openings and headcount growth. Employer Reputation: an assessment of online success which consisted of algorithmically extracting company-specific information from various social media channels, blogs, micro-blogs and news sites. Employee Satisfaction: extensive analysis of factors such as the average length of employment and employee reviews. Earlier this year, Thought Industries announced it anticipated major growth in 2020 with plans to add an estimated 60 employees to its Post Office Square location in downtown Boston. Last month the company celebrated being named the number one B2B customer training platform for 2020 by The Craig Weiss Group, LLC, a leading analyst, advisory and consulting service to buyers and vendors in the e-learning industry. About Thought Industries Thought Industries powers the business of learning by providing the world's leading B2B customer training platform. The company was founded in 2014 around the core belief that online learning experiences should be modern, intuitive, engaging, and scalable. Today, our growing team builds and maintains the only learning solution with completely native tools and integrations that drive higher engagement, learner proficiency, and retention rates for our customers. Headquartered in Boston, Thought Industries has offices across North America and Europe. For more information, visit www.thoughtindustries.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter . SOURCE Thought Industries Related Links www.thoughtindustries.com Robert Durst, the millionaire real estate heir on trial in Los Angeles for the fatal shooting of his close friend Susan Berman, used his dogs name as a code word for murder when talking about plans to kill his brother, prosecutors said. The jury in the case heard tapes of a phone call between Durst and his second wife, Debrah Lee Charatan, in which he talks of Igoring his younger brother, Douglas Durst, who heads the familys New York real estate empire. I suspect [Douglas] doesnt even suspect now [that he is a target], Durst is heard in the tape saying. At the time of the recording, Durst was in a Pennsylvania prison after he jumped bail in Galveston, Texas, where he was arrested for allegedly killing his neighbor. Robert Durst (left), 76, once told his second wife that he planned to 'Igor' his younger brother, Douglas Durst (right), 75 In 2015, Douglas Durst said that he believed his brother (seen left with his first wife, Kathleen McCormack Durst, in 1973) shot and killed seven Alaskan Malamute dogs named Igor in order to practice killing and disposing of bodies. Douglas Durst says his brother killed the dogs before the 1982 disappearance of his wife Robert Durst is currently on trial for the execution-style murder of his close friend, Susan Berman (pictured above before her death in 2000) He was arrested in Pennsylvania for trying to shoplift a sandwich at a supermarket, even though he had thousands of dollars in cash in his car, according to Bloomberg News. John Lewin, the Los Angeles deputy district attorney, told jurors that he believed Durst planned to kill his brother after their father, Seymour Durst, placed Douglas in charge of the multi-billion dollar Durst Organization. The companys holdings include a stake in One World Trade Center as well as other valuable properties throughout New York City. In 2006, Robert Durst accepted a $65million payout from the family in exchange for relinquishing all claims to the family trust. Robert Durst is on trial for the 2000 murder of Susan Berman, his close friend who was found shot to death in her Los Angeles home on Christmas Eve. She was killed just days before she was to give an interview to New York investigators looking into the 1982 disappearance of Kathie Durst, Robert Dursts first wife. Her body has never been found. Prosecutors also say that Robert Durst killed his neighbor in Texas, Morris Black. Durst, who claimed he killed Black in self-defense, was acquitted in that case. Durst has denied all accusations against him. Igor is the name of Robert Dursts dog, according to an interview Douglas Durst gave to The New York Times in 2015. Igor is also the name of the dog that was killed in All Good Things, a 2010 film in which Ryan Gosling plays a fictionalized version of Robert Durst. According to Douglas Durst, when his younger brother was married to his first wife, Kathie Durst, he kept several dogs. Before the disappearance of my sister-in-law, Bob had a series of Alaskan Malamutes, which is like a husky, Douglas Durst said. In the 2010 film All Good Things, Ryan Gosling plays a fictionalized version of Robert Durst. In the film, Gosling's character kills his dog At the start of the trial last week, Deputy District Attorney John Lewin (right) shows jurors video from The Jinx, an HBO documentary series in which Robert Durst gives interviews to the director of All Good Things, filmmaker Andrew Jarecki He had seven of them, and they all died, mysteriously, of different things, within six months of his owning them. All of them named Igor. We dont know how they died, and what happened to their bodies. In retrospect, I now believe he was practicing killing and disposing his wife with those dogs. Douglas Durst was convinced that his brother was killing dogs after hearing a jailhouse conversation between Robert Durst and his second wife - presumably the same one that was played in court in Los Angeles on Monday. When he was in jail in Pennsylvania, he was recorded saying, I want to Igor Douglas, Douglas Durst told the Times. All Good Things was directed by Andrew Jarecki, a filmmaker who spent years researching the Durst story. It was Jareckis 2015 Emmy-winning documentary series The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, which led to the real estate heirs arrest. In the dramatic finale, Robert Durst is caught on a hot mic appearing to confess to the killings of his wife, Berman, and Black. What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course, Durst said in the documentary. In the audio commentary for the DVD of All Good Things, Durst tells Jarecki that he did not like the depiction of him as enjoying the murder of his dog, Igor. This made me feel bad about the movie, Andrew, Durst is heard saying in the clip. I mean the idea that I could kill Igor, I dont like. In court on Monday, Lewin told jurors that Jarecki gained Dursts trust by bonding over their shared love of dogs, according to BuzzFeed News. In the interview with Jarecki, Durst said he was not sorry about killing Black during a confrontation. But Durst also declined to answer when pressed by Jarecki as to why he didnt help police search for his missing wife, Kathie. Durst then corrected Jarecki about his dogs. He told the filmmaker that he did not have a bunch of dogs named Igor, as his brother, Douglas, claimed. No, we had two Igors before the Igor that lasted forever, Durst says in the interview. One of them got run over and one of them, when he was a puppy, went out and the second one ate an apple core. The apple core got stuck in his gut. Real estate scion Robert Durst's murder trial began last week in Los Angeles. Durst, 76, looked frail and shaky in court Durst allegedly admitted to his friend Susan Berman that he had killed his first wife Kathie (pictured together) and feared Susan would tell police Deputy District Attorney John Lewin gestures a handgun during the prosecution's opening statements in Durst's trial We took him and had an operation done on him and he died. In court on Monday, Lewin did not say if he believed that Durst really killed his dogs, though he said he would prove that Durst is guilty of killing Susan Berman. Lewin played the jury a videotape of himself and Los Angeles Police Department detectives interviewing the multi-millionaire in 2015, where Lewin says Durst made a tacit but startling admission: that he was a murderer. In the interview, Lewin asks Durst: 'When you killed Susan, that was not something you wanted to do. Do you want to know how I know that? Durst replied: 'I'm going to stay away from killing Susan.' The wealthy real estate heir admitted killing and dismembering neighbor Morris Black (pictured) in Texas in 2001 but was acquitted after claiming he acted in self-defense Lewin seized on the response, telling the jury that when given an opportunity, Durst failed to deny the killings. He added that Durst hinted he had details about the crime that only the killer would know. 'At the end of the interview,' Lewin said, 'Durst in essence confessed to Kathie and Susan's murders by admitting that he had details that he had not yet provided.' The lead prosecutor played the jury a clip from the interview, where investigators asked Durst for the location of his late wife's remains. 'You'd like some details from me if I knew about where Kathie's body is and about what happened to Susan,' Durst told the investigators. 'I'm not about to go that far. I think what you wanted to hear was ''what did you do with Kathie'',' he said. 'I think you want me to go through the details with Susan. 'By telling you those things, of being guilty. By pleading guilty I'm going to be going back to Los Angeles, California, and doing my time.' After playing the excerpts from the interview, Lewin told the jury: 'Bob Durst was admitting that he had the answers to those questions, answers he could only have if in fact he was the killer.' The LA prosecutor also showed the jury handwriting samples that experts have concluded belong to Durst, linking him to a note mailed to police in 2000 with the word 'cadaver' and Berman's address. Lewin showed that Durst had written the same address on an envelope he had previously sent to Berman containing a $25,000 check, printed with his name and address on the top left corner. Investigators have long suspected that he also murdered his first wife Kathleen Durst, who disappeared in New York in 1982. Her body has never been found and Durst has never been charged or convicted of his first wife's murder (couple above in their wedding photo) The prosecution said Monday that Durst 'effectively admitted' to the killing of Susan Berman in interviews with police Durst was the subject of the HBO documentary series The Jinx in 2015 (pictured in court) where he was caught on microphone appearing to admit to murder The envelope was recovered from the crime scene after Berman's body was discovered, and Lewin told the jury it later became a highly significant piece of evidence. '2014 LAPD retained world renowned forensic document examiners Lloyd Cunningham and Linton Mohammed to compare Durst's handwriting to the cadaver note and envelope,' the prosecutor said. 'They concluded that Bob Durst wrote the cadaver note.' Lewin played the jury a section of his 2015 interview with the real estate heir, where he brought up the incriminating note. In the videotaped interview, the investigators put it to Durst that 'Whoever wrote the note was a part of killing her.' Durst replied in agreement: 'Whoever wrote that note had to be involved in Susan's death.' Lewin told the jury that the statement, coupled with the alleged handwriting match, was tantamount to an admission to Berman's murder. The 79-year-old real estate heir from Scarsdale, New York, has been held in LA County Jail for the trial. He reportedly suffers from hydrocephalus and in 2013 underwent spinal surgery, had a stent put into his skull and had a cancerous mass removed from his esophagus. The alleged triple-murderer appeared frail in court, walking unsteadily in a grey suit jacket, white shirt, cream pants and white, velcro sneakers. Throughout Lewin's monologue to the court on Monday, Durst stared straight ahead. The alleged killer is the son of billionaire real estate mogul Seymour Durst. The Durst Organization, founded by Robert's grandfather Joseph in 1927, owns or manages New York properties said to be worth $4.4billion. 'Durst in essence confessed to Kathie and Susan's murders by admitting that he had details that he had not yet provided,' Lewin said The trial, which is expected to last five months, began last week with two days of opening statements from the prosecution which carried into Monday, with Durst's defense yet to have their turn addressing the jury. Prosecutors told the court last week that Durst murdered three people his first wife Kathleen McCormack Durst, his longtime friend Susan Berman who helped him construct a 'false alibi' for the disappearance of his wife, and a neighbor who discovered his true identity after he went into hiding. Jurors at the Los Angeles trial heard last week that the alleged triple-murderer had a 'hit list' of people he wanted to kill, including his younger brother, Douglas, who was chosen over the real estate heir to assume control of the family's New York-based property empire. Lewin said that evidence in Durst's murder trial will 'clearly and without any doubt' prove that Bob Durst killed his wife Kathy Durst.' The year his wife went missing in 1982, the couple were headed for divorce, and Durst himself confessed in videotaped interviews to 'pushing, shoving and slapping' Kathy. Lewin told the jury that the real estate heir killed his medical staffer wife because she 'wanted a fair settlement and she wasn't going to leave the marriage till she got it.' Kathleen was due to start a new job at a clinic in the Bronx, New York, on February 1, 1982. Durst told police that he had a sandwich with his wife in South Salem the evening before, then drove her to the station and put her on a train for New York City. But, said Lewin, 'There is no evidence that she ever got on that train.' After taking four days to report his wife missing, Lewin said that Durst told police: 'whatever happened to Kathy was the result of her drug use, promiscuity and criminal companions.' 'Evidence will show that much of the most damning evidence against Durst comes from Mr. Durst's own mouth,' Deputy District Attorney John Lewin told the jury He recruited his old friend, Susan Berman, as a 'spokesperson'. She told detectives Kathleen's disappearance was 'something to do with drugs, and she spent $1,000 a week on drugs.' Lewin told the jury that in fact the medical student 'didn't have $1,000 a week to spend on drugs' and was focused on her career. The lead prosecutor said Berman's help even extended to providing a 'false alibi' for Durst, posing as Kathleen in a phone call to her medical school after her disappearance. As the 29-year-old's body was never found, prosecutors said Durst believed he got away with her murder until the reopening of her case by New York authorities in 2000 sent him into a panic. In a recording played to the jury of Durst recalling the period, the alleged killer said 'I've been guilty for years in the newspapers now they really are going to find me guilty.' Lewin said Berman's fate was sealed when she called Durst to tell him police had contacted her about his wife's vanishing. 'What am I going to say, no?' Durst told the HBO documentary, The Jinx. 'That statement sealed Susan's fate' said Lewin who added that Durst 'decided to kill her because he knew that she was not the best at keeping secrets.' The trial continues. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue testifies during a House Agriculture Committee hearing in the Longworth House Office Building in Washington on March 4, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Trump Admin Loosens Rules to Keep Low-Income Children Fed During School Closures The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which administers the nations school meal programs, is acting to make it easier to provide food to low-income kids, as schools from Seattle to New York City close over the threat of COVID-19. If schools are closed, we are going to do the very best we can with the tools we have to get those kids fed, said the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on Monday afternoon at the School Nutrition Associations (SNA) legislative conference, where food service and nutrition professionals discussed how to feed students, especially those from low-income households, during coronavirus-related shutdowns. In a March 5 letter to Perdue, the SNA asked the USDA to waive the requirements for congregate feeding to allow grab-and-go services; expand eligibility for the Summer Food Service Program; and allow schools to deliver meals to multiple satellite sites throughout their communities, so that families are less dependent on public transportation to get food. Were going to be as flexible as we absolutely can with the regulations that Food and Nutrition Services have, Perdue responded when SNAs leadership addressed those proposals with him. Over the weekend, the department has approved waiver requests by the states of Washington and California to allow meal service during school closures. Those meals are available through June 30 at no cost to low-income children, and are not required to be served in a group setting. Other states have also been notified of the opportunity to request waivers related to meal service during these unanticipated closures. In recent years, the USDA maintained a good record of easing the rules to help school children get their much-needed food during disasters and emergencies. After the floods hit Nebraska in March 2019, the USDA approved the states request for temporary flexibility in meeting school lunch meal pattern requirements. Similarly, in September 2017, when smoke from wildfires in Oregon became so thick that it shut down nearby schools, the department allowed children to take meals home instead of eating them on school sites. In response to the spread of coronavirus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that schools maintain their meal programs but also consider ways to distribute food. If there is community spread of COVID-19, design strategies to avoid distribution in settings where people might gather in a group or crowd, the CDC advises. Consider options such as grab-and-go bagged lunches or meal delivery. Democratic presidential candidates Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders canceled campaign rallies in Cleveland, Ohio in light of concerns about the spread of coronavirus. Sanders planned a Tuesday rally at the Huntington Convention Center while Biden was scheduled to hold a rally at Cuyahoga Community College after both candidates made campaign stops in Michigan. The campaigns said Ohio public health officials cautioned against holding large, indoor events during the coronavirus outbreak. There are no confirmed cases of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, in Michigan as of March 10. Three cases were confirmed in Ohio. The announcement comes a busy weekend of campaigning in Michigan. Biden held a large rally at a Detroit high school Monday. Sanders held rallies that drew an estimated 18,000 people to Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor Sunday. Thousands of college students back from spring break attended Sanders Sunday rally on the University of Michigans campus. Sanders held a coronavirus town hall with Michigan public health officials at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport Monday afternoon. Sanders said his rallies in Michigan were organized after consulting public health officials. Every organization in America is taking a look at what the coronavirus will mean for their operations, Sanders said. That is true of our campaign as well. Sanders expressed concern for people who may decide to continue working after exhibiting symptoms, either because they dont have paid medical leave or because they live paycheck to paycheck. The U.S. remains the only major country on earth not to guarantee paid sick leave and paid family leave," he said Monday. "That is absurd in a general sense, and its particularly dangerous given the moment we are at right now. The virus has been detected across the United States and in more than 90 countries, so Michigan officials have been preparing for weeks for a potential outbreak. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is monitoring 124 people for possible exposure to the virus. A total of 39 people in Michigan have been tested for the virus, and all were negative. In February, the state activated the Community Health Emergency Coordination Center and the State Emergency Operations Center to prepare for a possible outbreak in Michigan. State officials have activated the Michigan Joint Information Center to coordinate state agency communications efforts in response to the potential spread of coronavirus. Person-to-person spread of the virus has occurred in the U.S., with some of those occurring in people with no travel history and no known source of exposure. Much like how you would try to prevent the flu, you want to stay away from people who are sick and practice good hygiene, says the CDC. The latter means thoroughly washing your hands for at least 20 seconds, especially after using the bathroom and before eating. Avoid touching your mouth or face unless your hands are clean. Use household cleaners to disinfect commonly touched objects and surfaces. Use disinfectant wipes to clean your hands or surfaces such as shopping-cart handles when out in public. For the latest information, visit Michigan.gov/coronavirus or CDC.gov/coronavirus. Read more on MLive: Michigan Joint Information Center activated to support states coronavirus response Michigan monitoring 124 residents potentially exposed to coronavirus [March 10, 2020] Blackboard Inc. Announces Execution of Definitive Agreement to Sell its Open LMS Business RESTON, Va., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackboard Inc. ("Blackboard") today announced the execution of a definitive agreement to sell its Blackboard Open LMS business ("Open LMS") to Learning Technologies Group plc ("LTG"). The transaction enables Blackboard to further simplify its business and accelerate momentum in helping clients move to its Software as a Service (SaaS) deployment of Learn and Ultra, its next-generation Learning Management System (LMS). It will also allow Open LMS, a leading Moodle-based SaaS LMS, to increase its focus on the innovations and services that are core to its client base. The transaction is anticipated to close early in the second quarter of 2020. This strategic transaction solidifies and strengthens Blackboard's focus on innovation and growth in its key focus areas of teaching and learning, community engagement and student success. Blackboard offers clients a unique SaaS EdTech platform that brings together its leading proprietary LMS, Blackboard Learn Ultra, its analytics solution, Blackboard Data, its accessibility solution, Blackboard Ally, and its virtual collaboration solution, Blackboard Collaborae. "This further simplification of our business will enable the company to continue accelerating investment and innovation in our unique EdTech platform that will enable a more personalized experience, fueled by data, to advance learning for our clients," said Blackboard Chairman, CEO and President Bill Ballhaus. "We look forward to the continued growth of Blackboard and Open LMS as separate market-leading businesses serving their respective clients." Blackboard will continue to provide existing Open LMS clients access to Blackboard products that fully integrate within Open LMS, including Ally, SafeAssign, Collaborate, and Predict. Blackboard and LTG also plan to enter into a partnership agreement that will enable LTG to sell these Blackboard solutions into the Open LMS client base. LTG will use student data in the same way as Blackboard has in the past: In the interest of clients and students. LTG remains committed to student data privacy as it does with its other learning-related products and services and will not "monetize" student data. Blackboard's current Chief Learning and Innovation Officer, Phillip Miller, an experienced business leader with 20 years of experience in education and a leader in the Moodle community, will depart Blackboard to lead the Open LMS business at LTG. "Blackboard has played an important role over the years in the Moodle community, and I'm excited for this next chapter as Open LMS operates as a stand-alone venture within LTG," said Miller. "This transaction will provide new opportunities for Blackboard to sell its products, and at the same time will enable Open LMS to focus on expanding within the Moodle community." About Blackboard Our mission is to partner with the global education community to enable learner and institutional success, leveraging innovative technologies and services. With an unmatched understanding of the world of the learner, the most comprehensive student-success solutions, and the greatest capacity for innovation, Blackboard is education's partner in change. Media Contact: D'Anthony White (202) 303-9314 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/blackboard-inc-announces-execution-of-definitive-agreement-to-sell-its-open-lms-business-301020395.html SOURCE Blackboard Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] General population Team leaders or managers in health facility For caretakers of older adults In January 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of a new coronavirus disease in Hubei Province, China to be a Public Health Emergency of InternationalConcern. WHO stated there is a high risk of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spreading to other countries around the world.WHO and public health authorities around the world are taking action to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. However, this time of crisis is generating stress in the population. These mental health considerations were developed by the Mental Health Department as support for mental and psychological well-being during COVID-19 outbreak.1. COVID-19 has and is likely to affect people from many countries, in many geographical locations. Dont attach it to any ethnicity or nationality. Be empathetic to those who got affected, in and from any country, those with the disease have not done anything wrong.2. Dont - refer to people with the disease as COVID-19 cases, victims COVID-19 families or the diseased. They are people who have COVID-19, people who are being treated for COVID-19, people who are recovering from COVID-19 and after recovering from COVID19 their life will go on with their jobs, families and loved ones.3. Avoid watching, reading or listening to news that cause you to feel anxious or distressed; seek information mainly to take practical steps to prepare your plans and protect yourself and loved ones. Seek information updates at specific times during the day once or twice. The sudden and near-constant stream of news reports about an outbreak can cause anyone to feel worried. Get the facts. Gather information at regular intervals, from WHO website and local health authorities platforms, in order to help you distinguish facts from rumors.4. Protect yourself and be supportive to others. Assisting others in their time of need can benefit the person receiving support as well as the helper.5. Find opportunities to amplify the voices, positive stories and positive images of local people who have experienced the new coronavirus (COVID-19) and have recovered or who have supported a loved one through recovery and are willing to share their experience.6. Honor caretakers and healthcare workers supporting people affected with COVID-19 in your community. Acknowledge the role they play to save lives and keep your loved ones safe.Health care workers7. For health workers, feeling stressed is an experience that you and many of your health worker colleagues are likely going through; in fact, it is quite normal to be feeling this way in the current situation. Stress and the feelings associated with it are by no means a reflection that you cannot do your job or that you are weak. Managing your stress and psychosocial wellbeing during this time is as important as managing your physical health.8. Take care of your basic needs and employ helpful coping strategies- ensure rest and respite during work or between shifts, eat sufficient and healthy food, engage in physical activity, and stay in contact with family and friends. Avoid using unhelpful coping strategies such as tobacco, alcohol or other drugs. In the long term, these can worsen your mental and physical wellbeing. This is a unique and unprecedent scenario for many workers, particularly if they have not been involved in similar responses. Even so, using the strategies that you have used in the past to manage times of stress can benefit you now. The strategies to benefit feelings of stress are the same, even if the scenario is different.9. Some workers may unfortunately experience avoidance by their family or community due to stigma or fear. This can make an already challenging situation far more difficult. If possible, staying connected with your loved ones including through digital methods is one way to maintain contact. Turn to your colleagues, your manager or other trusted persons for social support- your colleagues may be having similar experiences to you.10. Use understandable ways to share messages with people with intellectual, cognitive and psychosocial disabilities. Forms of communication that do not rely solely on written information should be utilized If you are a team leader or manager in a health facility.11. Keeping all staff protected from chronic stress and poor mental health during this response meansthat they will have a better capacity to fulfil their roles.12. Ensure good quality communication and accurate information updates are provided to all staff. Rotate workers from high-stress to lower-stress functions. Partner inexperienced workers with their more experiences colleagues. The buddy system helps to provide support, monitor stress and reinforce safety procedures. Ensure that outreach personnel enter the community in pairs. Initiate, encourage and monitor work breaks. Implement flexible schedules for workers who are directly impacted or have a family member impacted by a stressful event.13. If you are a team leader or manager in a health facility, facilitate access to, and ensure staff are aware of where they can access mental health and psychosocial support services. Managers and team leads are also facing similar stressors as their staff, and potentially additional pressure in the level of responsibility of their role. It is important that the above provisions and strategies are in place for both workers and managers, and that managers are able to role-model self-care strategies to mitigate stress.14. Orient responders, including nurses, ambulance drivers, volunteers, case identifiers, teachers and community leaders and workers in quarantine sites, on how to provide basic emotional and practical support to affected people using psychological first aid.For caretakers of children15. Help children find positive ways to express disturbing feelings such as fear and sadness. Every child has his/her own way to express emotions. Sometimes engaging in a creative activity, such as playing, and drawing can facilitate this process. Children feel relieved if they can express and communicate their disturbing feelings in a safe and supportive environment.16. Keep children close to their parents and family, if considered safe for the child, and avoid separating children and their caregivers as much as possible. If a child needs to be separated from his/her primary caregiver, ensure that appropriate alternative care is and that a social worker, or equivalent, will regularly follow up on the child. Further, ensure that during periods of separation, regular contact with parents and caregivers is maintained, such as twice-daily scheduled phone or video calls or other age-appropriate communication (e.g., social media depending on the age of the child).17. Maintain familiar routines in daily life as much as possible, especially if children are confined to home. Provide engaging age appropriate activities for children. As much as possible, encourage children to continue to play and socialize with others, even if only within the family when advised to restrict social contract.18. During times of stress and crisis, it is common for children to seek more attachment and be more demanding on parents Discuss the COVID-19 with your Children in honest and ageappropriate information. If your children have concerns, addressing those together may ease their anxiety. Children will observe adults behaviors and emotions for cues on how to manage their own emotions during difficult times.19. Older adults, especially in isolation and those with cognitive decline/dementia, may become more anxious, angry, stressed, agitated, and withdrawn during the outbreak/while in quarantine. Provide practical and emotional support through informal networks (families) and health professionals.20. Share simple facts about what is going on and give clear information about how to reduce risk of infection in words older people with/without cognitive impairment can understand. Repeat the information whenever necessary. Instructions need to be communicated in a clear, concise, respectful and patient way. and it may also be helpful for information to be displayed in writing or pictures. Engage their family and other support networks in providing information and helping them practice prevention measures (e.g. handwashing etc.)21. Encourage older adults with expertise, experiences and strengths to volunteer in community efforts to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak (for example the well/healthy retired older population can provide peer support, neighbor checking, and childcare for medical personnel restricted in hospitals fighting against COVID-19.) People in isolation22. Stay connected and maintain your social networks. Even in situations of isolations, try as much as possible to keep your personal daily routines. If health authorities have recommended limiting your physical social contact to contain the outbreak, you can stay connected via e-mail, social media, video conference and telephone.23. During times of stress, pay attention to your own needs and feelings. Engage in healthy activities that you enjoy and find relaxing. Exercise regularly, keep regular sleep routines and eat healthy food. Keep things in perspective. Public health agencies and experts in all countries are working on the outbreak to ensure the availability of the best care to those affected.24. A near-constant stream of news reports about an outbreak can cause anyone to feel anxious or distressed. Seek information updates and practical guidance at specific times during the day from health professionals and WHO website and avoid listening to or following rumors that make you feel uncomfortable. OKLAHOMA CITY, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Micro Lab Farms, a premier provider of automated indoor micro-farms, announced a new program to allow entrepreneurs to rapidly enter Oklahoma's fast-growing cannabis industry. The New York Times recently reported that entrepreneurs are flocking to Oklahoma to enter the cannabis industry. A combination of factors, including low taxes and licensing fees, and few regulations, have created the perfect environment for cannabis businesses. "People who want to sell pot can do it as easily as opening a taco stand," the Times reported. Low costs and ease of doing business are some of the reasons why Oklahoma is the new cannabis center of America. "Oklahoma is allowing normal people to get into the cannabis industry, as opposed to other places where you need $20 million up front," a cannabis entrepreneur told the Times. The low cost of entering the market has made Oklahoma a cannabis heaven for budding entrepreneurs. The state has the second most dispensaries per capita in the U.S. and four times more retail outlets than more populous Colorado, which pioneered full legalization. In Oklahoma, a dispensary license costs $2,500, can be filled out online and is approved within two weeks. Compare that to California, which requires a $1,000 application fee, a $5,000 surety bond and an annual license fee ranging from $2,500 to $96,000, along with a lengthy application process. Licenses can cost $300,000 annually. Starting a Cannabis Business with GrowPods Micro Lab Farms offers turnkey systems that make it easy for virtually anyone to start growing cannabis. The company offers GrowPods, designed by GP Solutions (OTC:GWPD). The Pods are essentially automated, transportable, scalable micro farms that have been shown to grow cannabis at a faster rate than other means of agriculture. GrowPods allow cultivation to take place year-round, and feature a sealed, filtered environment, which not only provides optimum growing conditions and eliminates contaminants and the need for pesticides and chemicals, but also provides easy isolation for cultivation of specific strains and clones. For more information on Micro Lab Farms or GrowPods, contact Micro Lab Farms at: (951) 266-6096, or visit: www.microlabfarms.com Connect: Website: www.microlabfarms.com Facebook: facebook.com/MicroLabFarms Twitter: @MicroLabFarms SOURCE Micro Lab Farms Related Links http://www.microlabfarms.com - Tanasha's post comes at a time many women seem to be throwing themselves at Diamond now that he is single following his breakup with the Kenyan beauty - The songstress shared a photo of herself in a swimming pool, followed by a caption written in French and which meant, everything is not usually as they seem, especially men - She urged ladies to be careful when choosing lover and not to get confused by face value Diamond Platinumz's Kenyan baby mama Tanasha Donna has morphed into a motivational speaker days after dumping the Tanzanian crooner, if her recent social media posts are anything to go by. The mother of one, in a series of posts seen by TUKO.co.ke, has been advising women on matters relationships, what to do and what not to when in love, or even when thinking of getting into a relationship. READ ALSO: Hamisa Mobetto's mum pokes fun at Diamond Platinumz after split with Tanasha, likens him to dead lion READ ALSO: You are an important piece of life's puzzle: Maribe celebrates comedian Eric Omondi In her recent post, shared on Monday, March 9, the lass urged ladies to be careful when choosing lovers and not to get confused by face value. The songstress shared a photo of herself in a swimming pool, followed by a caption written in French and which meant, everything is not usually as they seem, especially men. ''Pay attention. Even salt looks like sugar,'' she wrote. READ ALSO: Gengetone artistes to share stage in mega concert in bid to change Kenyans' perception READ ALSO: Mkutano wa BBI Nakuru wahairishwa kufuatia mgawanyiko baina ya wafuasi wa DP Ruto na Raila Tanasha's post comes at a time many women seem to be throwing themselves at Diamond now that he is single following his breakup with the Kenyan beauty. The Gere hitmaker parted way with Diamond in February 2020 through a social media post in which she explained why she could no longer stay. As was earlier reported by TUKO.co.ke, Tanasha dropped the bombshell on Saturday, February 29, and revealed she had returned to Kenya with her son. 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. Maid from hell : 'A crime of passion' | Tuko TV | Tuko Investigates Source: TUKO.co.ke The Syrian regime has laid to rest tens of soldiers that were killed fighting in Idleb, although estimate suggest that they have lost hundreds of men in the recent fighting reports Zaman Al Wasl. The Syrian regime army buried tens of slain troops in the Firdaus Cemetery in central Homs city on Sunday, activists told Zaman al-Wasl. Over the past four weeks, at least 350 Syrian army troops and officers were killed in northern Syria, mostly killed by Turkish artillery and combat drone attacks, local activists said. But the Turkish Defense Ministry has claimed the death toll to be 3,400, since its operation began in northern Syria last February. Regime forces have killed more than 59 Turkish troops in the past month, including 34 soldiers killed last Thursday in a single airstrike. Also, opposition factions and jihadists have killed more than 135,000 pro-regime fighters since the armed conflict erupted eight years ago with the brutal repression of protests against the Assad regime, according to local monitoring groups. The conflict in Syria has also killed more than 560,000 people and displaced 6.5 millions. 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. In the wake of six positive Covid-19 cases reported from Kerala, the state's Director General of Prisons Rishi Raj Singh has issued a directive to set up isolation cells in the jails across the state. As per the DG's directions, prisoners with symptoms like fever and cold will be moved to the isolation rooms. The new inmates will be admitted to the jail and lodged for six days in specially set up rooms in the admission block. The directive also tells the jail authorities to lodge the prisoners who come back after parole in a separate room in the admission block. Till date, 44 people have tested positive for the deadly coronavirus infection across India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Soon after the partys victory in the December 2018 Madhya Pradesh assembly elections and after days of hectic deliberations over the selection of the chief minister, the then Congress president Rahul Gandhi had posted a picture with Jyotiraditya Scindia on his right and Kamal Nath on his left with a line borrowed from Leo Tolstoys famous quote. The two most powerful warriors are patience and time, Gandhi had tweeted on December 13, 2018. The line was taken from Tolstoys quote: Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow - that is patience. The two most powerful warriors are patience and time. But after 15 months, Scindia had run out of patience with the Congress and on Monday he decided to end his 18-year-old association with the party. Watch | Jyotiraditya Scindia resigns from Congress, likely to join the BJP In November last year, Scindia had removed Congress from his Twitter bio and instead wrote public servant and cricket enthusiast. The move triggered speculation about him leaving the Congress but he later clarified that he had changed his bio on peoples advice to make it shorter. The Congress had opted for Nath despite Scindia leading from the front in the assembly elections and helping in ousting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from power after 15 years. Nath was handed over the reins of the Congress in Madhya Pradesh in April 2018 and continued to hold the post even after becoming the chief minister in December that year. Since then, the Congress has held several rounds of discussions to replace him but failed to zero in on to find a new name. The move had angered Scindias supporters who were demanding that he should be made the state Congress president after being denied the chief ministership. Initially, the Congress leadership had conveyed that the new chief will be appointed after the Lok Sabha elections as it did not want to disturb the status quo. In the meantime, Rahul Gandhi, on January 23 last year, named Scindia and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as two general secretaries for Uttar Pradesh and assigned him the responsibility of looking after the party affairs in the western part of the state. Both were also inducted in the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the partys highest decision making body. And when Rahul Gandhi stepped down as the Congress president at a CWC meeting on May 25 after the partys humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha elections, Scindia was among the few leaders who resigned from their posts. He had also lost the Lok Sabha elections from his stronghold Guna. After the Lok Sabha polls, Nath met Congress president Sonia Gandhi a few times to discuss the probable names. However, consensus eluded and the decision remained pending. As the differences escalated between Nath and Scindia over the Congress dispensations alleged failure to fulfill its pre-poll promises, the high command constituted panels for Madhya Pradesh and other states for better coordination between the party and the government. Soon after the Delhi election which he termed disappointing, Scindia had told reporters at Prithvipur in Madhya Pradesh that the Congress needs to reinvent itself with new ideology, new thinking and new ways of functioning. In the past 70 years, the country has changed a lot. And in the new era, we have to go to people with a new thinking and new ideology. We also have to evolve a new way of functioning, he had said. Early last month, Scindia even threatened to hit the streets if the state government continued to delay the announcement of farm loan waiver and regularisation of services of striking guest teachers as promised by the Congress in its manifesto. He soon reiterated his threat insisting that fighting for the peoples issues is his dharma. Let him, was Naths response, escalating the tension between the two and it peaked as the Rajya Sabha elections approached. Three vacant Rajya Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh are going to polls on March 26 out of which the Congress and the BJP were sure of getting one each and the third one was heading for a contest. His last engagement in the Congress was on February 26 when he attended a CWC meeting on Delhi violence. Scindia clearly hinted that his patience had run out in his resignation letter. Having been a primary member of the Congress Party for the last 18 years, it is now time for me to move on. I am tendering my resignation from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress and as you well know, this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year, read his resignation letter. While my aim and purpose remain the same as it has always been from the very beginning, to serve the people of my state and country, I believe I am unable to do this anymore with this party, he said. To reflect and realise the aspirations of my people and my workers I believe it is best that I now look ahead at a fresh start, Scindia further wrote. He is now expected to announce that fresh start soon. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON " " King Tutankamun's royal headdress is one of the best-known works of art in the world. Its forehead includes the emblems of kingship and protection: the vulture and cobra. Print Collector/Getty Images When famed British archaeologist Howard Carter unearthed the treasures of what is now known as dig KV62 in Egypt's Valley of the Kings in November 1922, his discovery was almost instantly recognized as a cultural, historical, scientific and (as it turned out) very literal gold mine. Now, almost a century later, the frenzy over Carter's find KV62 (the letters stand for Kings' Valley) is better known as the tomb of the young Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun, best known in the Western world as King Tut has managed only to intensify. The tomb of Tutankhamun, though modest in size compared to other Egyptian rulers, remains the main tourist draw in the Valley of the Kings. Scientists and scholars continue to piece together the mysterious story of the "Boy King's" life and death. And many of the thousands of artifacts found inside Tut's tomb are again being displayed to huge crowds in a worldwide tour, perhaps the last time they'll ever venture outside of Egypt. "People always wonder about the great treasures of ancient Egypt," says Tarek El Awady, the curator of "King Tut: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh," which makes a long U.S. stopover in Boston beginning in June 2020. "The surprise on their faces when they see these beautiful artifacts, the first thing [they say] is 'How? How can people make these wonderful objects?' When they see the perfection of these tiny objects, and the jewelry of the king, it's amazing. Amazing designs and amazing manufacturing. It's very sophisticated work." " " The tomb of King Tut contained the gold coffin of the pharaoh, which held his mummified remains. Print Collector/Getty Images Advertisement The Boy Behind all the Commotion Since Carter's stunning discovery of the nearly intact tomb something almost unheard of in Egypt, where tomb raiders had their way for centuries Tutankhamun has been a source of fascination both for the general public and Egyptologists like El Awady. Born around 1342 B.C.E., Tut ascended to the throne when he was only 9 years old. He is not considered by historians as a particularly influential ruler. But he did make some marks during his brief lifetime: shutting down his father's move away from polytheism and back toward the old ways, returning the royal court to Thebes, and continuing the construction of the largest religious building ever, the temple of Karnak. Tut also famously married his half-sister (a thing, evidently, in Ancient Egypt), was unsuccessful in siring anyone to take over his throne and died, mysteriously, sometime in his teens, probably somewhere around 19. From the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose, California: Apart from the transition away from monotheism, there is not a lot of documentation about King Tut's rule. He is not listed among the classic kings in the Egyptian records like his relatives. Tutankhamun only ruled for nine years and died when he was about seventeen years old. The cause of his death is not known, although there are many theories ranging from malaria to a chariot accident, however assassination has largely been ruled out. To Egyptologists and to the simply Egypt-curious, Tut undoubtedly has found more fame after death; more than 3,000 years after his death, in fact, once Carter discovered Tut's largely hidden tomb and exposed his story (and those untold riches) to a rapt public. " " Famed British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the tomb of King Tut in Egypt's Valley of the Kings in November 1922 nearly intact. Library of Congress Advertisement The Tomb of Tutankhamun "If we try to answer the question why people are fascinated with the treasure of Tutankhamun and the exhibition of Tutankhamun, the answer I think, first, is the amount of gold discovered in the Tomb of Tutankhamun," El Awady says. "This is, in my opinion, the first thing which captures the heart of the people: this shiny, beautiful gold." Almost nothing in the Tomb of Tutankhamun screams riches and royalty more than the pharaoh's coffin, which the painstakingly precise Carter didn't excavate until 1924. When he did, he announced the finding of a heavy stone sarcophagus, with three coffins, each nested inside the other. The last coffin the one that contained the mummified remains of Tut is a tad over 6 feet (1.8 meters long), weighs more than 240 pounds (about 110 kilograms) and is made entirely of solid gold. It is, of course, priceless. But the gold alone, at $1,500 an ounce, would be worth more than $5.8 million. On top of the mummy's wrapped face, Carter found another priceless antiquity, perhaps the most famous and iconic piece of artwork ever crafted: the mask of Tutankhamun. From Matthew Shaer's 2014 article in Smithsonian Magazine: Seeing it up close is not unlike viewing the Giza pyramids or the Taj Mahal no matter how much you've prepared yourself for the moment, the reality outstrips your expectations. Not because the object is more magnificent than you expected (although it is), but because its beauty is of a kind that feels incongruous with its history. How could something so perfect have been fashioned over 3,000 years ago? The coffin and the mummy of Tut were first revealed to the public a few years ago. The mummy still resides at the tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Many of the more than 5,000 other artifacts found in the tomb, including Tut's mask, were transferred to the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo (where Shaer viewed the mask in 2014) and will be displayed in the new $1 billion Grand Egyptian Museum, scheduled to open by the end of 2020. The objects that are now making their way around the world this is the latest (and Egypt says last) of a few worldwide exhibits through the years, including one in the late 1970s that is forever enshrined in U.S. pop culture because of a musical tribute by a certain comedian on a certain weekend night comedy show are worthy of wow in their own right. That was evident when the Tut show stopped in Paris in 2019. Some 1.4 million people lined up to see the exhibit, reportedly the most-visited cultural exhibition in the country's history. "The ancient Egyptians, they made sure that the kings would be well-equipped for the trip to the afterlife," El Awady explains. "We chose 150 objects from the treasure of Tutankhamun in order to introduce the whole treasure. This is the biggest exhibition of King Tut since the discovery of the tomb. This is the first time Egypt allowed this number of artifacts to travel outside Egypt. Among the 150 objects in this exhibition, we do have 60 objects travelling for the first time outside Egypt." " " Egypt's antiquities chief Zahi Hawass (center) supervises the removal of the linen-wrapped mummy of King Tut from his stone sarcophagus in his underground tomb in the Valley of the Kings in November 2007. AFP/Getty Images Advertisement Seeing King Tut Among the artifacts making the trip is one of the two wooden statues that stood at the entrance to the burial chamber in the Tomb of Tutankhamun, the so-called "guardian" statues. "The guardian statue [the other remains in Egypt] is one of the masterpieces found inside the tomb," El Awady says. "It is traveling for the first time outside of Egypt, and it is the only life-sized statue found inside the Tomb of Tutankhamun." But everything on the trip is not big and magnificent. In fact, one of El Awady's favorite objects in the show is only about 2.7 inches (7 centimeters) tall. "It is a small, solid golden statue of Amenhotep III," El Awady says. "Amenhotep III was the grandfather of Tutankhamun. It's a beautiful, beautiful piece of art. It represents Amenhotep III sitting on the ground, holding the royal regalia in his hand, wearing a beautiful crown. "It's a very, very important artifact. The reason that Tutankhamun kept this object was as a memory of his grandfather and also evidence that he belonged to this great family from ancient Egypt. This small statue was very important to the king because it gave the king a sort of protection in the afterlife, protections coming from his ancestors." The Boston exhibition, to be held at the Saunders Castle at Park Plaza, is expecting sellouts throughout its run. After that, the show heads to Australia in 2021, with additional showings after Sydney expected to include Asia and North America. After that, it's back to Egypt and a new home in the shadows of the Giza pyramids. It promises to be a fitting final resting place for the vast treasures of Tutankhamun, a pharaoh who didn't make much of an impression in his time on Earth. In the afterlife, though, Tut rules. NOW THAT'S INTERESTING Through X-rays, scans and other diagnostic methods, scientists have discerned that Tutankhamun probably contracted malaria at some point, possibly broke his leg, walked with a limp because of a club foot, and very possibly dealt with various other physical ailments. The question of how he died so young, though, has yet to be answered. In 2005, after many years of speculation, researchers reported that bone fragments in Tut's skull weren't from a murderous pop to the head, but instead probably were just the result of some sloppy embalming work. So what killed Tut? It is perhaps the single most enduring mystery that still surrounds the Boy King. In an apparently orchestrated move, Iranian hardliners and their affiliated media have launched a strong propaganda campaign to convince the public that the coronavirus crisis in the country is the result of a specific strain of the virus used for a "bio-terror attack" by the United States against Iran. The conspiracy theory appears to be finding some supporters outside the circles of hardliners as well. Ali-Akbar Raefipour, a hardliner famous for his conspiracy theories and promotion of apocalyptic views based on Shiite eschatology and the coming of the promised savior, Mahdi, has been spearheading the conspiracy theories on coronavirus. In a tweet on Monday he called on the Iranian Parliament to ratify a law to allow Iran to retaliate against bio-terrorism if it is proven that it has been used against Iran. The first among Iranian officials to make such allegations was General Hossein Salami, the Commander of Revolutionary Guard who on March 5 said the coronavirus "perhaps is a bio-terror attack" by the United States, used first against China and then Iran, and promised Iran would defeat the virus "whether or not it is the doing of the United States". A day later, in reaction to Donald Trump's offer of assistance to Iran to fight the outbreak, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, a leading conservative lawmaker and member of the Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, repeated the same allegations. "Trump and Pompeo are lying about corona [COVID-19]. It's not an ordinary disease. It's a bio-terror attack against Iran and China," he said and called on the authorities to treat the epidemic as a military issue and form an organization dedicated to defense against bio-terrorism. On Monday Dr. Amir-Hossein Qazizadeh-Hashemi, a well-known hardliner and member of the Parliament's Health Committee, counted all the calamities resulting from the coronavirus outbreak including "creation of political and social tension" as a proof of the theory that Iran was facing a bio-terror attack. Ghazizadeh-Hashemi demanded that the Coronavirus Taskforce of the Health Ministry be replaced with another taskforce to allow the armed forces to take charge of the "biological crisis". His article was published on Habilian, a website dedicated to "counter-Terrorism" analysis and news. Even a reformist member of parliament has echoed these allegations. Speaking to the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) on Monday Shahrouz Barzegar, a member of the Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said coronavirus in Iran is of two types and claimed that one of the two types may be a biological weapon used by the United States against Iran. Barzegar quoted the Minister of Health Saeed Namaki as saying in a Parliament meeting that it appears there are two types of coronavirus in Qom and Gilan provinces where the coronavirus outbreak has now escalated to critical levels. One type which is less aggressive is the same as the Wuhan coronavirus and the more aggressive one is of unknown origins. The official government news agency IRNA on Monday evening, however, refuted the quotation from the Health minister and said what was attributed to the Health Minister was "totally untrue". Others have criticized these conspiracy theories too. In a commentary on March 10 Iran Diplomacy, a news and analysis website with reformist affiliations, pointed out the harms of spreading rumors that coronavirus is a bio-terror attack. The Iran Diplomacy commentary also called on officials of the Passive Defense Organization and others who promote such theories to explain why they have not been able to carry out their duty of protecting the country against such an attack and have been "systematically" hiding the real dimensions of the crisis including its death toll. Sadeq Javadihesar, a reformist political analyst and activist, says officials have resorted to attributing the coronavirus crisis to bio-terrorism to justify their inefficiency in combatting and containing the epidemic including their failure to prepare for an outbreak, to isolate affected areas, Qom in particular, under pressure from the religious establishment which has to this day resisted any steps toward closing shrines and putting the city in quarantine. "Why did we not stop the flights [of the IRGC-affiliated Mahan Air to China] or procure sanitizers, masks, etc. when we found out that China was targeted? Why Qom was not quarantined when we found out there was an outbreak and the authorities acted as if everything was normal?" he asked. The law on ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language entered into force on July 16. Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, Dmytro Razumkov has said the lawmakers will consider amendments to the law on ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language. According to Razumkov, there are relevant bills on this issue. "If I'm not mistaken, one of them has passed the committee. And they will be submitted to the session hall. And then the Verkhovna Rada will make a decision," he told 112 Ukraine TV channel. Read alsoHungary to block NATO-Ukraine meetings until minority rights deal reached media As UNIAN reported earlier, the law on ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language entered into force on July 16, 2019. On December 6, the Venice Commission said State Language Law of Ukraine failed to strike balance between strengthening Ukrainian and safeguarding minorities' linguistic rights. The Commission called on the Ukrainian government to postpone the implementation of the provisions of the language law until the adoption of the law on national minorities. On December 10, MP from the Servant of the People parliamentary faction Maksym Buzhanskyi announced he had submitted to parliament a bill recognizing the language law as invalid. At the same time, he claims repealing the language law would be in line with the Venice Commission's recommendations. Buzhanskyi is confident that the repeal of the law "will open up the possibility for drafting a really worthy document," as well as "a broad debate on the subject between residents of eastern and western Ukraine, nationalists, rationalists, cultural figures, and representatives of the media." Commenting on Buzhanskyi's legislative initiative, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Oleksandr Tkachenko said that "not every bill registered by members of the Servant of the People [party] represents the faction's position." Roselle Public Schools will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday after district officials learned that a staff member made contact with someone who was recently diagnosed with coronavirus. To be clear, there are no reported cases of coronavirus in our school district at this time, according to a statement on the districts web site. The school closure is a preventative measure until the individual is tested and results are provided. If the staff member tests positive, the district will extend the closure for as many of 14 days, the district said. Schools will also operate on a half-day early dismissal schedule on Friday for students only while staff will stay to prepare for an extended closure due to this potential pandemic, according to the statement. All field trips were also cancelled and the district has not yet set dates to reschedule them. The district announced the closures on Monday afternoon, shortly after the five more cases of the disease were unveiled by the governors office, pushing the number of cases in the state to 11. In addition, there are 24 pending test cases at the state lab, New Jersey Department of Health officials said. MORE: Keeping up with coronavirus in N.J.: First, dont panic. Our newsletter might help. Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon 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 Chennai, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/09/2020 -- S.H. 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Industrial Needs S.H. Industrial Needs is a leading provider of all kinds of quality backed yet competitively priced maintenance, repair and operations products. Therefore, those looking for the best stahlwille tools in India can contact S.H Industrial Needs. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the United States has begun withdrawing troops it deployed to the Middle East after the killing of IRGC commander General Qassem Soleilmani. According to the journal more than 3,000 troops are expected to leave the Middle East theater of operations in the coming weeks. Soleimani was killed in a drone strike near Baghdad International Airport on January 3 along with Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis a commander of the Iran backed Kataib Hezbollah militia. Prior to General Soleimanis killing, U.S. had about 80,000 troops in the Middle East operational theater which also includes Afghanistan where 13,000 troops were stationed. The United States expected a heavy retaliation from Iran which did not happen. The deployment involved troops from the 82nd Airborne Division which were part of a 3,000 strong Immediate Response Force have already started arriving back to the United States. With 800 arriving home on February 20. The Pentagon has also started a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan where it has recently concluded a peace agreement with the Taliban. Jyotiraditya Scindia, who resigned from the primary membership of Congress, might have felt suffocated while being in the party, said Gwalior district party president Devendra Sharma on Tuesday. "Scindia's decision to leave the Congress was his decision as he might have felt suffocated in the party," Sharma told ANI. "However, I have been a member of the Congress party for almost all my life and hence I am very attached to it," he said. Earlier today, Scindia resigned from the Congress party stating that "it is time to move on." Twenty-two Congress MLAs have also resigned from the party following the resignation of Scindia. Congress has been witnessing an internal turf war in Madhya Pradesh since the party formed a government in the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Microsoft announced that it took over the US-based infrastructure used by the infamous Necurs spam botnet that infected millions of computers. Microsoft announced to have taken over the US-based infrastructure used by the Necurs botnet . The IT giant explained that success is the result of a coordinated legal and technical joint effort to disrupt the Necurs botnet , which has infected more than nine million computers globally. The operation saw the participation of partners across 35 countries. Necurs botnet is one of the largest spam botnet, it has been active since at least 2012 and was involved in massive campaigns spreading malware such as the Locky ransomware, the Scarab ransomware, and the Dridex banking Trojan. According to the experts, the botnet was used to send out roughly 3.8 million spam messages to more than 40.6 million targets during a 58-day long investigation. The Necurs botnet is active since at least 2012, it is operated by the cybercrime gang tracked as TA505. Today, Microsoft and partners across 35 countries took coordinated legal and technical steps to disrupt one of the worlds most prolific botnets , called Necurs, which has infected more than nine million computers globally. This disruption is the result of eight years of tracking and planning and will help ensure the criminals behind this network are no longer able to use key elements of its infrastructure to execute cyberattacks . reads the announcement published by Microsoft. On Thursday, March 5, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York issued an order enabling Microsoft to take control of U . S . -based infrastructure Necurs uses to distribute malware and infect victim computers, The operation will prevent Necurs operators from registering new domains to employ in their malicious campaigns. The experts were able to determine the algorithm used by the botnet to generate new domains, then they accurately predicted over six million unique domains that would be created in the next 25 months and reported them to their respective registries in countries worldwide. The registries were tasked to block the creation of such domains disrupting the Necurs infrastructure. Basically, Microsoft and partners were able to take over existing websites and preventing the registration of new ones. Microsoft revealed that it has also collaborated with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and other industry partners to help detect and sanitize infected computers. This remediation effort is global in scale and involves collaboration with partners in industry, government and law enforcement via the Microsoft Cyber Threat Intelligence Program (CTIP), concludes Microsoft. For this disruption, we are working with ISPs, domain registries, government CERTs and law enforcement in Mexico, Colombia, Taiwan, India, Japan, France, Spain, Poland and Romania, among others. Pierluigi Paganini (SecurityAffairs malware, Necurs botnet) Paramedic staff leave a hotel where people who were evacuated from Wuhan, China, are quarantined near Algiers, Algeria, on Feb. 4, 2020. Algeria is one of the countries least prepared for a major infectious disease outbreak and already has 20 confirmed cases of coronavirus. Ramzi Boudina/Reuters The coronavirus can be a serious issue for countries with low access to healthcare and inadequate prevention measures. Research from the Nuclear Threat Initiative, the John Hopkins Center for Health Security, and The Economist Intelligence Unit assessed how prepared 195 countries are for a major epidemic based on six health categories. The report found that overall, no country is prepared for a pandemic, but some countries are more ready than others. Among the lowest-scoring countries were Algeria, where there are already 20 confirmed cases of coronavirus. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Some countries may be less equipped than others to handle a massive disease outbreak like the novel coronavirus sweeping around the world. The coronavirus has spread to over 145 countries with over 169,000 cases and over 6,500 deaths. Although some countries have implemented screenings at airports, expanded their testing facilities, and implemented other health measures and precautions, no country is fully prepared for a pandemic, according to recent research. In a 2019 report, researchers from the Nuclear Threat Initiative, the John Hopkins Center for Health Security, and The Economist Intelligence Unit created a Global Health Security Index to assess the health security of 195 countries. The report illustrates how prepared a country will be if an infectious disease outbreak, like the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, or other biological catastrophe happens. Unfortunately, some countries may be even more at risk than others. Using open-source resources and data about each country, the researchers developed a health security score from 0 to 100, where 100 means a country is completely prepared for an outbreak. The overall Global Health Security Index of each country was calculated from six categories: prevention of pathogens and toxins, early detection and reporting for pandemics, rapid response to pandemics, strong health system, compliance with international norms, and risk environment and vulnerability to biological threats. Story continues Among those six categories, the overall lowest-scoring was strong health systems, which had a global average score of just 26.4. The overall highest-scoring category was risk environment and vulnerability to biological threats, which had a global average score of 55.0. That is, even the highest-scoring category on average still did not receive particularly high marks, suggesting that most countries are not fully prepared for a widespread disease outbreak. The global average score for the full Health Security Index was only 40.2 out of 100, again suggesting a broad lack of preparedness. The report categorized countries with scores below or equal to 33.3 as least prepared, and 72 countries fell into this category. Based on the overall Global Health Security scores, Algeria, which has an overall score of 23.6, and Iraq, which has an overall score of 25.8, are two of the "least prepared" countries for a pandemic. Those countries are among those that already have confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Algeria has 48 cases of coronavirus, four deaths, and 12 recoveries, while Iraq has 124 cases, 10 deaths and 26 recoveries. According to the health measures from the Global Health Security Index report, both countries suffer from poor communication with healthcare workers during a public health emergency and poor infection control practices and availability of equipment. The following are the 24 countries that are least prepared to combat a major disease outbreak according to the report, along with their Global Health Security Index scores, their overall rank out of the 195 countries included in the research, and information drawn from the report. All of these countries had a Health Security Index score below 25.0. This article has been updated with comments from the Office of the President of Palau. 24. Dominica is ranked No. 172 with an overall score of 24.0. Dominica David Madison/Getty Images Dominica's lowest scores were in the prevention, health system, and detection and reporting categories. The country's health security score for compliance with international norms at 49.3 and risk environment at 54.0 were around the global average. 22 (tie). Algeria is ranked No. 173 with an overall score of 23.6. Algeria coronavirus Ramzi Boudina/Reuters Algeria has 48 coronavirus cases, 16 of which are from the same family, according to US News. 12 of those infected with coronavirus have recovered and four people have died. The country's lowest scores on the Global Health Security Index were in the detection and health system categories. However, scores for two of the sub-indicators were above the global average. The country had an immunization score of 96.5, 11.5 points higher than the global average. The country also had a higher score for healthcare access at 47.2, compared to the global average of 38.4. 22 (tie). The Republic of the Congo is ranked No. 173 with an overall score of 23.6. Brazzaville, Congo Claudine Weber-Hilty / EyeEm/Getty Images The Republic of Congo, which has one confirmed case of coronavirus, scored high in compliance with international norms, with a score of 56.8. This score is 8.3 points above the global average for that category. However, the country has public health vulnerabilities that brought down its score in the risk environment category. In addition, the country scored a zero in some of the sub-indicators of the rapid response category: emergency preparedness and response planning, exercising response plans, and emergency response operation. According to the report, a score of zero in these sub-indicators mean that their research found no national public health emergency plan for pandemics or emergency operations center in place. 21. Djibouti is ranked No. 175 with an overall score of 23.2. Djibouti Nirian/Getty Images Although Djibouti was in the bottom group of countries for the majority of the subcategories, it was ranked as more prepared for the overall risk environment for biological threats, and for compliance to international norms. 20. Venezuela is ranked No. 176 with an overall score of 23.0. Venezuela Peter Schaefer / EyeEm/Getty Images Venezuela has 17 confirmed cases of coronavirus. The report noted that Venezuela was one of the countries that presented research challenges because of "ongoing conflict" within the country. Venezuela has a particularly low score for early detection and reporting epidemics because there isn't evidence of ongoing surveillance of diseases. A 2019 NPR report suggested that Venezuela's healthcare system has broadly deteriorated over the last decade in the wake of broader economic and political turmoil, with hospitals suffering shortages of basic supplies. 19. Burundi is ranked No. 177 with an overall score of 22.8. Burundi Darryl Neeley/Getty Images Burundi had a higher score than some of the other countries at the bottom of the rankings for complying with international norms. Burundi had a low score in biosecurity, although the reported noted that nearly 75% of the 195 countries studied also fared poorly on that metric. 18. Eritrea is ranked No. 178 with an overall score of 22.4. Eritrea Yohana Negusse / EyeEm/Getty Images Eritrea had the second-lowest score in the rapid response to a pandemic category because of its lack of emergency response plans and operation centers, as indicated by a score of zero in the category's sub-indicators. The country also has poor communication during emergencies. 17. Palau is ranked No. 179 with an overall score of 21.9. A view of Palau Rock Islands seen from Palau Central Hotel in Koror, Palau August 5, 2018. Picture taken August 5, 2018. REUTERS/Farah Master Palau had a overall risk environment score of 56.2, 1.2 points higher than the global average. However, the country was ranked in the bottom five among countries in the prevention of a pandemic category. The researchers found no evidence of an antimicrobial resistance plan, a lab that tests for antimicrobial resistance pathogens, or ongoing research into pathogens or toxins, among other prevention factors. After publication of this article, the office of the President of Palau noted in an email to Business Insider that the country has taken steps to prepare for an epidemic. Press Secretary Olkeriil Kazuo emphasized Palau's international agreements for disease control. He wrote, "Palau relies on many of its highly-developed, regional allies, including the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan (which the 2019 report did not include), to provide the services that the report claims Palau lacks. Indeed, as has been recently demonstrated, Palau has emergency operation procedures that have been proven effective: it has been able to put in place a screening system for all passengers arriving at its international airport, to isolate patients with potential infections, and to obtain test results from multiple different laboratories (perhaps making it even better prepared than most countries). It also has procedures in place for medical evacuation to Taiwan and elsewhere if required." 16. South Sudan is ranked No. 180 with an overall score of 21.7. South Sudan Luis Davilla/Getty Images One of the reasons South Sudan is so low on the list is because of its overall risk environment score. It is the third-least prepared country for the overall risk category, and its score was brought down due to a lack of infrastructure adequacy and socio-economic resilience. 15. Tuvalu is ranked No. 181 with an overall score of 21.6. Tuvalu Tamara_frvc/Getty Images Although Tuvalu is ranked as one of the countries least prepared for a pandemic, Tuvalu did have a higher than average score for its overall risk environment. The country does, however, have a poor health system and poor prevention measures for when an outbreak occurs. 14. Nauru is ranked No. 182 with an overall score of 20.8. Nauru David Kirkland / Design Pics/Getty Images Nauru is one of the least prepared countries for detecting an outbreak early on, with an early detection category score of 4.4. 13. Solomon Islands is ranked No. 183 with an overall score of 20.7. Soloman Islands HenrikAMeyer/Getty Images Solomon Islands' compliance and risk environment scores were not too far off from the global average, and were both around 8-11 points below their respective averages. However, the country had low scores in several other categories. 12. Niue is ranked No. 184 with an overall score of 20.5. Niue Lisa Strachan/Shutterstock The country's highest score was its rating for overall risk environment at 57.9, 2.9 points above the global average. However, Niue's lowest-rated category was its detection and reporting, with a score of 4.4. One of the reasons for such a low score is because the country does not have real-time surveillance and reporting of diseases, according to the report. 11. Cook Islands is ranked No. 185 with an overall score of 20.4. Cook Images @ Didier Marti/Getty Images Cook Islands had a low health system score at 14.3, around half of the global score at 26.4. It also was one of the bottom five countries for the rapid response category. However, one positive note is that it does have a higher score than the global average for health capacity in different healthcare facilities, such as hospitals. The country also is only 5.4 points away from the global average score for healthcare access. 9 (tie). Gabon is ranked No. 186 with an overall score of 20.0. Gabon Luc Deroche/Getty Images Gabon has one confirmed case of coronavirus. The country has a poor healthcare system according to the report, with low scores for capacities in medical areas, equipment, and testing new procedures. Although there have not yet been any reported cases of coronavirus in Gabon, the country is screening travelers and suspending travelers from China as a way to protect its community, according to The US Bureau of Diplomatic Security. 9 (tie). Guinea-Bissau is ranked No. 186 with an overall score of 20.0. Guinea Bissau Michele D'Amico supersky77/Getty Images Guinea-Bissau has the second-worst health system score at just 4.6, right behind Somalia. The country performed poorly in all prevention-related subcategories except for vaccination rates, which brought the prevention category score to a 14.0, 20.8 points below the global average. 8. Syria is ranked No. 188 with an overall score of 19.9. Syria Luis Dafos/Getty Images Like Venezuela, the report noted that gathering data from Syria was difficult, as the country has an ongoing civil war, which also lead to the country receiving the lowest score for political and security risks. It tied with Sao Tome and Principe as the least prepared country for early detection of a pandemic. The report also noted that during the country's civil war, there were poliovirus outbreaks but those were stopped with an "internationally supported vaccination campaign." 7. Kiribati is ranked No. 189 with an overall score of 19.2. Kiribati sunset REUTERS/DAVID GRAY Among the major contributing factors to Kiribati's low rank are its lack of real-time surveillance and reporting for disease, no national public health emergency plan for pandemics, and lack of equipment available for a health pandemic. The researchers gave the country a score of zero in each of these sub-indicators. 6. Yemen is ranked No. 190 with an overall score of 18.5. View of the historical city of Shibam in southeastern Yemen. Khaled Abdullah / Reuters Yemen is ranked as one of the countries least prepared for an outbreak like coronavirus because of its already present issues for providing adequate living needs, such as food and water. According to an article from the United Nations, 19.7 million people in the country need medical assistance and nearly 50% of "health facilities are not functioning or only partially functioning due to staff shortages, lack of supplies, inability to meet operational costs or limited access." 5. Marshall Islands is ranked No. 191 with an overall score of 18.2. Marshall Islands Shilo Watts/Getty Images The Marshall Islands' lowest scores were its health system and prevention of a pandemic categories, at 7.2 and 7.0 respectively. 4. Sao Tome and Principe is ranked No. 192 with an overall score of 17.7. Sao Tome and Principe Aldo Pavan/Getty Images Sao Tome and Principe had the third-lowest scores in the prevention category. It also tied with Syria for the worst score in the early detection category. These low scores mean the country could be vulnerable to a major outbreak like coronavirus. 3. North Korea is ranked No. 193 with an overall score of 17.5. North Korea Xiaolu Chu/Getty Images North Korea's overall score was brought down by its low rating for rapid response to an epidemic, at 11.3. This is the worst rapid response score out of all the countries the researchers assessed. Additionally, unlike many of the other least prepared countries in the report, North Korea had one of the lowest scores for compliance to international norms at 27.3. 2. Somalia is ranked No. 194 with an overall score of 16.6. Somalia Aldo Pavan/Getty Images Somalia had the third-lowest score in the rapid response category at 17.4, 21 points below the global average. Even worse, it had the lowest score for the health system and risk environment categories. For the health system category, it had a score of just 0.3, 26.1 points below the average. For the risk environment category, it had a score of 15.9 points, 39.1 points from the global average. 1. Equatorial Guinea is ranked No. 192 with an overall score of 16.2. Equatorial Guinea Martn Battle/Getty Images Equatorial Guinea was the least-prepared country for an epidemic, based on the health scores from the report. The country has one confirmed case of coronavirus after a woman returned from Spain, according to Reuters. It has the worst score for prevention of pathogens and toxins with a score at 1.9, 5.1 points behind the next-lowest country's score. The country's poor health system also makes it vulnerable if an outbreak like the coronavirus reaches its population. An oil conference held in Equatorial Guinea has been postponed in light of concerns for the coronavirus, according to Africa Oil and Power website. Read the original article on Business Insider L-R, Several A Safe Haven volunteers, A Safe Haven President Neli Vazquez Rowland and Chicago Automobile Trade Association President Dave Sloan welcome visitors to the Chicago Auto Show. "All of the food goes to A Safe Haven Foundation to directly feed 5,000 homeless people of all ages and backgrounds throughout the year." While checking out the latest models and makes of automobiles at the recent Chicago Auto Show, thousands of visitors showed their generosity in donating a total of six tons of canned goods to A Safe Haven Foundation during the Nations Largest Canned Food Drive at the recent Chicago Auto Show Feb. 12 to 14. A nonprofit anchor in the community, A Safe Haven is celebrating 25 years of helping end hunger and homelessness for the citys most poverty-stricken residents. The donations will all go directly to help feed an average of 5,000 homeless individuals, families and veterans that reside and depend on A Safe Haven Foundation annually. A Safe Haven provides its residents basic needs like food, transitional housing and holistic wrap around services to help them get back on their feet with jobs and affordable housing. The nonprofits pioneering and award-winning model has been recognized by leading stakeholders around the world for offering the most innovative, complete and vertically integrated approach and system that is uniquely designed to address root causes of poverty and homelessness by providing them a path to social, economic and housing opportunities to achieve sustainable self-sufficiency. Volunteers from the Chicago White Sox and UIC and individuals helped to man the two booths at the Chicago Auto Show. The volunteers and A Safe Haven staff were instrumental in helping to greet guests and educate them about the nonprofits mission of eradicating homelessness and the issues surrounding that topic as well as unemployment, mental health and addiction. A Safe Haven also launched its campaign for the upcoming 5K RUN/WALK To End Homelessness at the event. The Chicago Auto Show also partnered with the Chicago Area Runners Association to host an inaugural Mile Per Hour Race. A Safe Haven President Neli Vazquez Rowland, a lifelong runner herself, was one of the 600 runners to support fitness and wellness at the event! I want to thank the Dave Sloan, President of the Chicago Auto Trade Association again for sponsoring the Nations Largest Canned Food Drive at the Chicago Auto Show, this year, Vazquez Rowland said. There is no question that our longstanding partnership has helped tens of thousands of people in crisis get access to the nutrition they need as a first step to regaining their health and strength to work on getting their life back on track. All of the food goes to A Safe Haven Foundation to directly feed 5,000 homeless people of all ages and backgrounds throughout the year. We are based in a food desert with no grocery stories nearby, so we also distribute it throughout the communities to hundreds of residents who really need those groceries from our food pantry every week. Those of us at the Chicago Auto Trade Association and the Chicago Auto Show are pleased once again to be working with A Safe Haven during the Chicago Auto Show Food Drive, said Dave Sloan, General Manager of the Chicago Auto Show. Its gratifying to know our donations and those of our attendees are going to such a wonderful organization and the people they represent and serve. Another way that people can help the foundation is to sponsor and to participate in its 10th Annual 5K Run/Walk to End Homelessness at 8 a.m. Sunday, July 19 at 600 W. Montrose Drive in Chicago. This event is a Chicago Area Runners Association certified run. We always have a great turnout and an event like this draws the community together as we educate and empower people to help us heal root causes and solve the homeless epidemic, in a sustainable manner, she said. All the proceeds will go to support our mission of transforming lives from homelessness to self-sufficiency. For more information about the 5K Run/Walk to End Homelessness, visit http://www.RunToEndHomelessness.org. For more information about A Safe Haven, visit http://www.asafehaven.org/. About A Safe Haven: A Safe Haven Foundation is a 501(c) 3 not for profit, social enterprise that helps people aspire, transform and sustain their lives as they transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency with pride and purpose. A Safe Haven provides the tools for each individual to overcome the root causes of homelessness through a holistic and scalable model. A Safe Havens visible social and economic impact unites families, stabilizes neighborhoods, and creates vibrant, viable communities. For information, visit http://www.asafehaven.org. As fears over the virus grow, Mayor de Blasio is encouraging people to work from home and to avoid crowded subway trains. Schools are canceling classes. More New Yorkers are isolating themselves at home. [The Latest: Read our live coverage of the coronavirus outbreak in the New York Area.] Yesterday, New Jersey declared a state of emergency. And Governor Cuomo announced that the states prisoners are making hand sanitizer. A top transit official is among the confirmed cases. Rick Cotton, the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, tested positive for the coronavirus, Mr. Cuomo said yesterday. The Port Authority oversees numerous airports, bridges, tunnels and bus terminals in the New York area, making Mr. Cotton one of the most prominent officials in the United States to contract the virus. [The head of the Port Authority tested positive for the coronavirus.] Im in self-quarantine at home at the moment, Mr. Cotton told The Times. His wife, Elizabeth Smith, president of the Central Park Conservancy, also has the virus and is working from home, a spokeswoman for the conservancy said. Nene Leakes and the rest of The Real Housewives of Atlanta are on the cast trip to Greece. In the latest episode of the Bravo show, the ladies found out that Kenya Moore has just announced her split from Marc Daly. When the girls arrived at the airport, Kandi Burruss warned all of them not to try and start drama by bringing up the subject. Nene Leakes and Kandi Burruss | Noel Vasquez/Getty Images / How did the drama start? When they all arrived in Greece, Cynthia Bailey approached Leakes about the possibility of talking to Moore about her divorce. Both Leakes and Bailey have gone through that process and Moore could use some words of advice. Keep in mind, Leakes and Moore are not in a good place and have been at odds with each other throughout season 12. Nevertheless, Leakes tried to put the drama to the side and obliged to Baileys request. At dinner, Leakes tried to have small talk with Moore but she was not having it at all. When the OG of the ATL brought up the subject of her divorce during dinner, she did it from a place of sympathy and used her words properly. Moore opened up about her situation and thanked everyone at the table, blatantly ignoring Leakes. When Bailey asked Moore and Leakes to stay back to have a conversation, the former Miss USA said she wanted to go to sleep and rest. This is when Leakes completely changed as she was taking punches from Moore left and right. At the kitchen, Burruss and Tanya Sam tried to talk sense into Moore. They conveyed that Leakes was trying really hard to make mends with her. Moore had a change of heart and brought Leakes a peace offering in the form of a pie to tell her that she wanted to talk, but it wasnt the right time yet. By this time, Leakes was over the situation and said she was going to her room. Nene Leakes calls out Kandi Burruss When Leakes was heading to her room, Burruss caught up to her to explain the situation and try to mend things between the ladies. Burruss explained that Moore didnt think it was the right time to talk but Leakes was not having any of it. Well, you dont have to speak on it, let her speak it, Leakes said. She wanted to speak it but it seemed you were already, Burruss said before being interrupted by Leakes. Of course, Ive approached her. Im not in a bad mood, shes in the bad mood, Leakes said annoyed. Ive approached her eight times already. See, this is the problem Kandi. I dont get ready when shes ready, Leakes added. Leakes was over it and left no doors open to clear things up. Were not going to eventually have anything, my door is closed, Leakes told Burruss. Well, we dont have to talk ever, Im done, Leakes said while walking away from Burruss. The Kandi Factory owner tried to convince Leakes that it was all a misunderstanding. She wanted to calm Leakes down so she would be cool with having a conversation with Moore later on, but it was too late. Shes right, Im wrong. I f***ed her man and stole her baby. So goodnight, honey, Leakes said before walking away from Burruss and leaving her speechless. Have a goodnight Kandi, we love you dearly darling. Keep it a thousand with your friend. Have a goodnight everyone. Thank you. I have to talk to my man, honey. I can keep my marriage together, honey. Nene vs. Kenya is giving me LIFE! Cant these two just get along??? #RHOA pic.twitter.com/Cj091nCpHO The Real Housewives Polls (@rhobhpolls) March 9, 2020 What does Cynthia Bailey think? After the episode aired on Bravo, Bailey was a guest on Watch What Happens Live. She was asked about the incident in Greece and gave Leakes credit for initially being open to conversing with Moore. I will say in Nenes defense, she really tried to be kind to Kenya in that moment, Bailey said. She really, truly did, and Kandi [Burruss] and I had a whole thing with the ladies about like, Please show compassion to Kenya. You guys might not be in the best place. But this had just happened, and she was really in a lot of pain. So once we had that talk and everybody kind of agreed to be OK, for it to go to the left was like, Come on, Kenya, can you just let Nene be nice to you?' The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo. Two people were killed and seven injured in a clash over Holi rituals between two families at Bawani Khera in Haryana's Bhiwani district, a police official said on Tuesday. The incident took place on Monday night when the two families were performing 'Holika Dahan', a ritual connected with the festival, the police official from Bawani Khera said over the phone. He said an argument had broken out between the two families over some ritual, leading to the clash. Both groups attacked each other with sticks, resulting in injuries to a 50-year-old woman and 28-year-old man. The police official said both injured died at the hospital. "The deceased belonged to one of the two families. Seven people from both sides were also injured," he said. A case has been registered and investigation is on, the police official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In One Good Meal, we ask cooking-inclined creative people to share the story behind a favorite dish they actually make and eat at home on a regular basis and not just when theyre trying to impress. Late last year, in the Shaheen Bagh plaza of New Delhi, a protest broke out. It was a challenge to the Citizen Amendment Act passed by the government of Indias prime minister, Narendra Modi, which made religion a criteria for earning citizenship, allowing a path for Hindus and Christians and Sikhs and Buddhists, but not Muslims. The early days of the demonstration mixed the democratic spirit of Tahrir Square with the camp-out culture of Occupy Wall Street. Protesters who stayed a while needed to eat. And what they ate was biryani, a quintessential Indian rice-and-meat dish. Its very much a symbol of syncretic culture, because a version of it was brought in by Muslim rulers, says the writer and New York Times contributor Aatish Taseer, 39, who grew up in Delhi and found that the protests made him see the dish in a new way. I suddenly felt very protective of this thing that I associate with the kind of India that I love. Bryan Pietrzak, a machinist and welder, joins in a United Electrical Radio & Machine Workers protest outside the Wabtec plant in Erie, Pa., last month. Pietrzak has seen his hours cut back as work at the plant has slowed. Read more ERIE, Pa. When Donald Trump came here in 2016, he blasted Democrats for decimating the regions once-vaunted manufacturing sector and pledged to reverse the decay. Were going to put people back to work, he said at a rally that summer. Were not playing games, and its going to go quickly. But more than three years into Trumps presidency, Erie County has 19,000 manufacturing jobs, fewer than when Trump took office and the smallest number since 2010, when the U.S. was still recovering from the Great Recession. When you hear that Trump is bragging about the economy, I know better its not trickling down to the workers at all. Its staying in the boardrooms, said Bryan Pietrzak, a machinist at Wabtec, Eries largest manufacturer, which builds locomotives and cut about 100 jobs late last year. The company has reduced Pietrzaks schedule to every other week. I was willing to give Trump a chance. I didnt vote for him, but hes failed in every aspect, said Pietrzak, 39, a Bernie Sanders supporter. Trumps inability to change the manufacturing trajectory goes beyond this county on the coast of Lake Erie, in Pennsylvanias northwest corner. Statewide, the trend line during Trumps tenure looks almost identical to what came before: cycles of relatively small rises and falls. After an early surge under Trump, Pennsylvania lost 7,400 manufacturing jobs from late 2018 through the end of 2019. READ MORE: Did steel, natural gas and manufacturing jobs in Pa. actually grow in Trumps first term? The state has averaged 565,600 manufacturing jobs each month in Trumps first three years in office, according to data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. In President Barack Obamas last three years: 566,100. Here in Erie County, some manufacturers said they have grown amid a robust national economy. But interviews with more than two dozen workers, business leaders, and economists echo data showing that overall, there has been little change: no traumatic losses, no boom. At best, most workers in manufacturing expressed relief at just being employed. Im happy I still have a job, Laurie Sheridan, an administrative assistant at Wabtec who supports Trump, said as she had lunch with a friend who had been laid off. Trump won over blue-collar voters in politically vital states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin with promises to invigorate manufacturing, a source of good-paying jobs, local vitality, and symbolic pride. Erie, once a blue-collar Democratic stronghold that twice supported Obama, saw a 21,000 vote swing to Trump in a state decided by just 44,000 votes. Similar post-industrial counties such as Luzerne and Lackawanna shifted even more. Trumps hold on Pennsylvania, and reelection, may now hinge on maintaining that support. READ MORE: Pennsylvania is critical in 2020. Heres how Trump could win or lose it. Despite his big manufacturing promises and modest local results, for many supporters here, a disdain for Democrats and admiration for the presidents combative persona counted more than almost anything else. Objectively speaking, seriously, theres been no real change, Paul Swindlehurst, a prison guard, said at a smoky bar where locals avoid Yuengling because of its anti-union reputation. Still, Swindlehurst, 53, believes Trump is fighting for working class people. I wouldnt want to work for him," Swindlehurst said. "I think hes a tool, but, yeah, Im going to vote for him again. Hes shaking up Washington. At the same table sat Jenna Matis, an engineer recently laid off from a thriving local manufacturer, Lord Corp. Matis, 27, said she felt like one of the lucky ones, because others were older and put in far more time at the company. Pennsylvania had 565,100 manufacturing jobs in December, according to the latest regional data an increase of 0.7% from when Trump took office. Thats fewer manufacturing jobs than the state had for most of Obamas second term, though the count declined sharply in the year leading up to Trumps Nov. 2016 election. (Pietrzak lost his job in that 2016 downturn, but returned in 2018). The manufacturing figures are of course just part of otherwise strong economic figures fueling Trumps reelection hopes. Overall unemployment has fallen from 6.3% to 4.7% in Erie County. New downtown investment has brightened the mood in the long-beleaguered city of Erie. Pennsylvania payrolls hit a record high in January, though unemployment has ticked up, too, as more people seek jobs. All the jobs data, though, is from before the coronavirus outbreak, which experts now fear could hammer manufacturing and the economy more broadly. Michigan and Wisconsin have fared better than Pennsylvania in restoring manufacturing jobs, each exceeding the figures seen under Obama though they, too, have seen recent erosion as manufacturing nationwide trudged through a downturn in 2019. Pennsylvanias manufacturing since the end of the Great Recession has ebbed and flowed," and that hasnt changed, said Joel Naroff, a Bucks County economist. In Erie, education and health service jobs have overtaken manufacturing, said Kenneth Louie, an economist at Penn State Behrend. That matches national trends. Erie Insurance recently surpassed Wabtec as the top employer. The new services jobs, however, typically pay less than those in manufacturing, Louie said. Still, a Mercyhurst College poll last month found that 32% of voters in Erie County see the local economy as excellent or good" triple from when Trump took office. READ MORE: Democrats are beating Trump in a key Pa. county he flipped from Obama, poll says Ive never seen Erie County voters more optimistic, Mercyhurst pollster Joe Morris said. In blustery downtown Erie, Corey Harris said he had gone from relying on food stamps while working nursing jobs to landing a manufacturing position at Lord Corp. that helped him make $60,000 last year. I made the most money I ever made, said Harris, a self-described die-hard Republican. He recently opened a pizza and wings shop, and put Trump Citrus Wings on the menu. Even Harris has seen a recent slowdown. Lord Corp. cut his work to every other week. But he said he stands behind Trump, and believes the economy will kick up again after the election. President Trump has delivered on his campaign promise to fight for American workers," said Sarah Matthews, a Trump campaign spokeswoman. The 2020 Democrat candidates want to eliminate union-negotiated healthcare and ban fracking, which would have a devastating impact on Pennsylvanias manufacturing industry. Democrats say that beneath the statistics, workers have enjoyed limited gains. American Bridge, a Democratic super PAC, recently launched a series of television and radio ads pressing that case in several post-industrial areas, including Erie. Another group, Priorities USA, has a similar campaign. READ MORE: Democrats are hitting Trump on TV in Pa. In Erie, many are happy that Wabtec is still in business after the company bought the local facility from General Electric. But Wabtec instituted lower pay for new hires, and in recent months cut jobs through layoffs and attrition. The company attributed the reduction to typical business cycles. Some businesses and areas are gaining. The northeastern region of Pennsylvania that includes Luzerne and Lackawanna counties has grown slowly but steadily, and has more manufacturing jobs than at any time since 2009. And even while Eries job count has dwindled, many manufacturers are humming. We have had nothing but growth and it feels to me like my peers have been the same way because everybodys busy, said Robin Scheppner, the third-generation leader of the American Tinning & Galvanizing Company downtown. But she downplayed the impact of national policy. Im still trying to figure out if there was a real benefit from the tax cuts," she said. "Manufacturing is alive and well in Erie... and I dont think that one president whos been there for three years can take credit for that. Volvo Constructions plant in Shippensburg, southwest of Harrisburg, saw a surge in orders and hiring starting in 2017, said Stephen Roy, the divisions senior vice president of North America. He said it set sales records last year, with help from tax cuts and deregulation that spurred new construction projects and demand for Volvos pavers and other equipment. Yet Volvo also enacted voluntary separations late last year after the facility built up enough inventory to catch up with orders, Roy said. One harsh irony is that some manufacturers are thriving by using new technology that has reduced the need for workers, said Louie, of Penn State. A lot of our manufacturers are very busy and are looking for people, said Kathy Dahlkemper, the Erie County Executive and a former Democratic congresswoman. But, she added, the jobs in manufacturing are decreasing even if the manufacturing output is not. Machines have eliminated low-skilled jobs that often pay well for people without college degrees. Now manufacturers need employees with tech backgrounds to keep the machines running, demanding skills the community often lacks, Dahlkemper said. High school is the top education level for some 40% of Erie adults. The county is fighting to open a community college. On a recent morning at Viking Plastics in rural Corry, a few miles south of the New York state border, a robot pressed green seals into small plastic caps used to cap refrigerant in cars. Twenty years ago, two dozen people might have done the same thing by hand, said Kelly Goodsel, Vikings president and CEO. The increased efficiency helped Viking expand and give raises, while also bringing on higher-paid workers to troubleshoot the machines, Goodsel said. Viking grew its revenue by 250% at its Corry headquarters and nearly doubled staffing there, to 120, since 2010. The economic environment the last four years have given business owners and businesses more confidence to make investments, Goodsel said. At the same time, he said, tariffs on plastic molds imported from China, part of Trumps long-running trade war, have added costs and uncertainty, and he has seen signs of sluggishness. After years of economic gains, many people have bought the cars and refrigerators they needed, so theres less demand for the plastic parts Viking provides for those products. Viking workers said theyve received bonuses, but that their lives havent changed much as a result of the economy. Like others, they were happy just to have jobs. We survived," said Darlene Reed, 64, "Were just surviving. Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, the Upper West Regional Minister, has said the fight against terrorism is a collaborative one and Ghana cannot succeed without the help of others. He said Ghana needed support from all its development partners to enable it to ward off the threats of terrorism and its occurrences in the country. Dr Bin Salih said this when Mr Joseph Whittle, Head of Political and Communications at the British High Commission visited the region to interact with members of the Regional Security Council to know more about the security situation within and ? across the borders of Ghana. The threats of terrorism could not be fought by any one individual country. Ghana needed the collective attention of all involved to be able to fight it, he said. Once terrorists and terrorism activities are occurring in Burkina Faso and other countries in the sub-region, Ghana could not be complacent and say that it could not happen on its shores, he said. Dr Bin Salih said Ghana is willing and ready to cooperate with any other nations that would assist her to be able to safeguard itself from the activities of terrorists and terrorism. He called on Britain a nation superior in terms of its military might and intelligence gathering to support Ghana? in the training of our military and other security personnel as well as the provision of the needed logistics . Mr Whittle said the Commission is interested to know more about the security situations in the regions and across Ghana. He said the Commission was interacting with Civil Society Organisations and the media on issues of elections, peace and security. The Head of Political and Communications at the British High Commission, gave the assurance that Britain would cooperate with Ghana, share problems and solutions and as partners work together on issues regarding security for the best interests of the two countries. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The number of Congress MLAs who have resigned from the Madhya Pradesh assembly rose to 22 on Tuesday afternoon with the resignation of one more legislator, sources said. MLA from Hatpipalya (Dewas district) Manoj Choudhary has resigned, they said. Like others who have resigned, he too is a supporter of Jyotiraditya Scindia. In a major setback to the Congress, Scindia, one of its senior leaders, resigned from the party, saying it was time for him to move on. Besides Choudhary, others who have resigned so far include ministers Tulsi Silawat, Govind Singh Rajput, Dr Prabhuram Choudhry, Imarti Devi, Pradyumna Singh Tomar and Mahendra Singh Sisodia, and MLAs Hardeep Singh Dang, Rajyavardhan Singh, Brajendra Singh Yadav, Jaspal Jajji, Suresh Dhakad, Jaswant Jatav, Raksha Santram Sironia, Munnalal Goyal, Ranveer Singh Jatav, OPS Bhadoria, Kamlesh Jatav, Giriraj Dandotiya, Raghuraj Kansana, Aidalsingh Kansana and Biasahulal Singh. Several office-bearers of state and district units of Congress who owe allegiance to Scindia have also resigned from the party. The United States is one of the only rich countries not requiring employers to give their workers paid time off when theyre sick. It has become an urgent issue for more Americans because of the coronavirus outbreak. Citing the crisis, Democrats in Congress are trying to pass a new version of a sick leave bill that has been stalled in Congress since 2004 and expand it to add 14 days of immediately accessible paid sick leave in the case of a public health emergency. An economics study released Monday offers an idea of what might happen if the bill passed. Its the biggest study of the effects of state sick leave laws in the United States. In states that mandated sick leave, it found, fewer employees worked when sick. On average, they took two additional sick days a year. And the cost to employers who began offering sick leave after the laws passed was relatively small. Right now, the experts are telling people: Stay home if youre sick, said Senator Patty Murray, a Democrat from Washington and a sponsor of the new bill. But many workers, including those in the service industry, cannot follow the advice without losing a paycheck, she said. Thats why paid sick days are such a critical part of this response. TOLEDO, OH -- A 49-year-old plastic surgeon with offices in Michigan and Ohio is accused by federal prosecutors of allegedly drugging and sexually abusing several women according to the Associated Press. Manish Gupta appeared in federal court Monday to face charges of aggravated sexual abuse, sex trafficking and illegally dispensing controlled substances. Gupta was arrested Friday and according to the FBI, a search of his Toledo-area house recovered several devices including cameras, tripods, videos and a large amount of drugs. Some of the drugs found by agents produce memory loss. During court Monday, a prosecutor said investigators have already determined more than 20 different victims who appeared to be unconscious on the recordings. The FBI began investigating Gupta last year after a woman who works as an escort reported meeting Gupta at a Los Angeles hotel. The woman said she had a glass of wine with Gupta, but remembers little else of their meeting after drinking the wine. The woman took a home drug test which revealed she had a tranquilizer in her system and visited a rape treatment center, but she did not go to the police. Court records also show that employees of Gupta were suspicious of him. In 2013, a woman called one of Guptas offices and said she was drugged and raped by the doctor. Gupta denied that accusation, but employees later found a bag in the office filled with sex toys, empty anesthesia bottles and drugs, according to the AP. A year later, an employee found a memory card with videos of Gupta allegedly having sex with women who appeared to be unconscious. That employee later gave the files to the FBI. Gupta operates two offices in the Toledo, OH area and another in Taylor, MI. Two of the charges against Gupta carry maximum sentences of life in prison. Gupta denied his right to a preliminary hearing and his lawyer declined to comment on the case. DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran has temporarily freed about 70,000 prisoners to combat the spread of the coronavirus in jails, the head of the judiciary said on Monday, as officials reported hundreds of new infections and dozens more deaths across the country. Iran has reported 595 new infections and 43 new deaths within the past 24 hours. This takes total cases of coronavirus to 7,161, with 237 deaths, the health ministry spokesman said. Judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi announced the temporary release of prisoners as Iranian authorities seek to counter one of the worst national outbreaks outside China, where the new virus originated, and one of the highest death rates from the illness. Raisi said the release of prisoners would continue "to the point where it doesn't create insecurity in society", according to the Mizan news site of the judiciary. He did not give further details or specify when those released would have to return to jail. Iranian prisoners have been infected with coronavirus, the United Nations said on Monday. "Recent reports indicate that the COVID-19 virus has spread inside Iranian prisons," Javaid Rehman, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, said in Geneva on Monday. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei canceled his speech in the city of Mashhad for Persian new year, which is on March 20, as part of a campaign to prevent further infections, according to a statement on his official site. "The ceremony for the speech of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic revolution, which happens every year on the first day of the new year in (Imam Reza's holy shrine) will not take place this year and the Supreme Leader will not travel to holy Mashhad," the statement said, adding the decision was based on the recommendation of health officials to minimize travel and avoid large gatherings. Officials have expressed concern about the possibility of infections spreading during Nowruz, the beginning of the Iranian new year, which is usually a period when families travel to vacation spots around the country. Story continues The health ministry has told Iranians to stay home and imposed restrictions on travel between provinces. Despite the warnings, however, authorities have said there has been heavy traffic in recent days on roads headed north to the Caspian Sea, a traditional Nowruz vacation spot. (Reporting by Babak Dehghanpisheh; additional reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Editing by Pravin Char anr Mark Potter) Mark VI can sustain a firefight for 45 minutes. The Pentagon has notified the U.S. Congress of its intention to supply the Ukrainian armed forces with $125 million in new assistance. The military aid package includes at least one 85-feet-long Mark VI gunboat, a type in service with the U.S. Navy's little-known riverine force. Ukraine could get a powerful new gunboat. But it's not clear how long it might last in a war with Russia, David Axe wrote for National Interest. The Pentagon has notified the U.S. Congress of its intention to supply the Ukrainian armed forces with $125 million in new assistance. The military aid package includes at least one 85-feet-long Mark VI gunboat, a type in service with the U.S. Navy's little-known riverine force. Acquiring one or more Mark VIs could help Ukraine accelerate the rebuilding of its navy. Russian forces captured or sank almost all of Ukraine's ships during the invasion of Crimea back in 2014. A naval clash four years later resulted in Russia capturing a Ukrainian navy tugboat and two locally-made Gyurza-M-class gunboats. The Mark VI possesses capabilities that Ukraine's existing boats don't have. But Russian ships in the waters surrounding Ukraine outgun even the Mark VI. Still, the American boat represents an upgrade for Ukraine. The Mark VI is heavily armed and boasts the latest electronics. Read alsoU.S. to provide additional military aid to Ukraine including armed patrol boats CNN The U.S. Navy acquired an initial dozen Mark VIs to replace older gunboats such as its Riverine Command Boats. Compared to the RCB, "the Mark VI is in another league all together," David Larter explained in a story for Defense News. The Mark VI with its 10-person crew packs four .50-caliber machine guns and two 25-millimeter cannons. "We've demonstrated that we can sustain a firefight for 45 minutes in the Mark VI," Senior Chief Derrick Cox, a riverine trainer, told Larter. "The new Mark VI has a communications suite that well exceeds that of the RCB," Larter added. "The new boat can connect with the fleet via Link 16; it also has high- and ultrahigh-frequency and satellite comms so shore side controllers wont lose track of the boat, as happened during the Farsi Island incident. The 85-foot boat has a top speed of more than 40 knots and a range of up to 500 miles." After the Russian annexation of Crimea, Ukraine was left with just one large warship the 404-foot-long frigate Hetman Sahaydachniy plus a few dozen smaller boats. Hopelessly outgunned by the much larger Russian navy, the Ukrainian navy hurriedly launched production of the 75-feet-long Gyurza-M-class gunboats. Kyiv plans to build 20 of the boats but, as of 2020, has completed just seven. While the Mark VI is bigger and more powerful than a Gyurza-M is, there's little reason to believe the American-made boat would fare better in a clash with Russian forces similar to that near the Kerch Strait in November 2018, to say nothing of the Mark VI's chances during a major war, the report reads. Read alsoU.S. military have lessons to learn from Russian invasion of Ukraine, envoy says Where Ukraine in total operates just one aging frigate and fewer than a dozen gunboats, Russia's Black Sea fleet alone possesses a cruiser, a destroyer, five frigates and seven submarines, not to mention a couple of dozen patrol boats. A lot of us are going to be working from home this week, in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus. In Seattle, where the coronavirus case count is highest in the U.S., several tech giants have instituted mandatory work-from-home policies. Twitter, headquartered in San Francisco, is strongly encouraging employees to work from home. Slates own New York and D.C. offices will be closed as of Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. My roommate group chat informs me that as of tomorrow, all four of us will be stuck in an apartment that is so small that we refer to it as the Sailboat. (At least we each have our own bedrooms.) People who normally get some space from their kids (whose schools may now be closed) or partners will increasingly find themselves shut in together. Things are going to get tense! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A common work-from-home hack, especially when there are so many people (in our case, also a beagle mix) underfoot, is to skip the home part and head to a cafe, food hall, or formal co-working space. There are good arguments for these places, under normal times: a change in scenery from your living room, some snacks, people but not the same ones you have to share one bathroom and a set of sheet pans with. These places are nice because they are basically offices. They are offices that you pay for, whether with a day fee or conspicuously spaced-out muffin purchases. They are offices fit for a gig economy. They are, like offices, filled with germy people, and people on whom you can get your germs. Advertisement Advertisement That is why you need to work from your home. Do you really need to be that cautious? Lets check in with an epidemiologist. Everyone who can work from home should work from home, William Hanage, of Harvards Center for Disease Dynamics, said in an interview with the Guardian, notably not saying work from a nice, crowded Starbucks. Spending eight hours parked in your living space can help slow the disease, protecting people who are vulnerable, health-wise, or really do need to go into a workplace because of the nature of their jobs. Advertisement Yes, experts are mixed on whether the measure is all that helpful if there hasnt been a case detected at your workplace, as the Guardian explains. Any company that closes offices out of an abundance of caution is making something of a judgment call. But as the virus spreads and there are more confirmed cases, following the work-from-home directive will get more important. The main thing each of us can do right now is exercise some jurisdiction over the germs on our own bodies. We can each cut down on the probability that we are going to get sick. We can each cut down on the probability that if we are harboring the coronavirusremember that you can have it and be asymptomaticwe do not give it to anyone else. One key way to do this is to wash your hands (yes, really). Another way to do this is to work from your actual home. Polin Waterparks, global market leader in design, engineering, manufacturing and installation of waterparks and water play attractions, is proud to announce the brand-new water slide; Time Rider KOCAELI, Turkey, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- We are pleased to announce the launch of Time Rider waterslide. Time Rider features the world's largest bowl with 4 possible paths. Offering 4 paths allows the riders to experience different choices every time, allowing riders to easily extend their time on this water slide. Time Rider also offers special lighting effects on its wormhole (functional observation walkway). This special and integrated walkway allows riders to enjoy their time watching others while waiting in line. This wormhole also features a spray system which creates a mystical environment and most importantly, this fog keeps the riders cool while they are waiting for their turn. This water slide offers a whole new visual experience as its fully themed and compatible with Polin's highly covered Glassy (fully transparent water slide) technology. This ride also offers VR applications. Time Rider, with its streamlined design, unique theming, special construction design and with the observation pathway - which is compatible with wheelchairs as well - is a new milestone in waterslide design. The world's largest bowl water slide, Time Rider has been introduced at the IAAPA Expo in Orlando, USA on November 2019 and it has been named the winner of an IAAPA Brass Ring Award in the Best New Product Concept: Major Ride/ Attraction category which is one of the global attractions industry's most prestigious honours. Unique Benefits World's Largest Bowl Waterslide: World's largest bowl with 4 alternate paths! World's largest bowl with 4 alternate paths! Streamlined and Iconic Time Travel Construction Integrated Within the Slide: This waterslide will blow the riders minds and they will forget where they are and what time it is! This waterslide will blow the riders minds and they will forget where they are and what time it is! Functional Observation Walkway: It allows all riders to enjoy their time watching other people's experiences while waiting in line under a mystical fog which also keeps them cool. It allows all riders to enjoy their time watching other people's experiences while waiting in line under a mystical fog which also keeps them cool. Construction with Special Animated Lighting: This special waterslide also offers special lighting effects on its wormhole (Functional Observation Walkway) This special waterslide also offers special lighting effects on its wormhole (Functional Observation Walkway) Zero Gravity, Maximum Acceleration & More Than Four Alternative Paths: Feeling the zero gravity and maximum acceleration will conquer the universe with screams and fun! Feeling the zero gravity and maximum acceleration will conquer the universe with screams and fun! High Capacity "6 Riders Raft" & Side Drop of 40 Degrees: Designed for big family rafts of 6 riders, sliding in a 175 meter-long water slide with maximum speed of 9 meters per second! Designed for big family rafts of 6 riders, sliding in a 175 meter-long water slide with maximum speed of 9 meters per second! Optional "Glassy" (Fully Transparent Waterslide): This new and special artifact is compatible with Polin's special Glassy (Fully transparent fiberglass waterslide) This new and special artifact is compatible with Polin's special Glassy (Fully transparent fiberglass waterslide) Compatible with VR Applications: Time Rider is a very big and fully themed waterslide offering various VR applications. About Polin Waterparks Polin was founded in Istanbul in 1976 and has since grown into a leading company in the water parks industry. Today Polin is a world leader in the design, engineering, manufacturing, and installation of water parks and water-play attractions. Polin has completed more than 3,000 waterpark projects in 108 countries around the world and is the biggest water slide supplier in Eurasia. Working with a wide variety of clients has helped Polin reach several milestones including installing the first water parks in many countries and many other award-winning rides at parks with world-renowned reputations. For more info, visit www.polin.com.tr or contact Sohret Pakis at +90-262-656-64-67 or sohret.pakis@polin.com.tr. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1122017/Polin_Time_Rider.jpg Chinese President Xi Jinping has visited Wuhan for the first time since the city was identified as the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic. Quarantine measures that sealed off Wuhan and central Hubei province appear to be paying off, with new infections dropping dramatically in recent weeks. But is it too soon for optimism? Without full victory, we can't lightly claim success, reads the headline in the People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party, on 10 March. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has tackled the coronavirus with slogans, endlessly repeated by the state-controlled media, and with leaders who visit affected places. If we save Wuhan, we save Hubei; by saving Hubei we save the whole country, reads another slogan. For several days, the number of reported coronavirus cases has been declining in Hubei, with the China National Health Commission reporting an all-time low of 19 new cases and 17 deaths all confined to Hubei province. Xi Jinping paid his first visit to Wuhan since the outbreak of the infection. State media show him standing in a reception hall wearing a blue-green face mask, having a video-conference with doctors in the newly-constructed Huoshenshan hospital. Another picture shows him standing outside and talking to a row of medical personnel, all wearing face masks all at a distance of several meters from the president. Under pressure He's been under pressure from within the party and certainly the informal media in China, for not having gone before, says Michael Dillon, author of China, a Modern History. We've seen figures for the number of cases and the number of deaths, flattening and declining, and it looks as if it Xi Jinping is taking the credit for the final success, they think they've had. But also to encourage people to get back to work. Over the past few weeks, Beijing has been trying increasingly to get the population back to work, not always successfully, as many people are wary of taking public transport. Caixin Global, one of the more liberal news outlets, reported in an article called Lights are on but no one's working that local authorities are boosting energy bills as proof that factories and offices under their supervision are actually functioning. Testing the waters Chinese authorities are walking on thin ice. Last week vice-premier and Politburo member Mme. Sun Chunlan visited Wuhan, but she was heckled by locals who screamed fake, it's all fake from the windows of the apartments they were forced to stay in as they were under quarantine. Videos of the event, which could not be independently verified, were to be seen on social media. Inhabitants claimed that teams had been activated to provide them with groceries only hours before Mme. Sun arrived. She was sent in first to test the waters before Xi Jinping arrived so that the authorities would know what to expect, estimates Dillon. Her brief was specifically to investigate the neighbourhood committees, the local committees which are Communist Party dominated, which were supposed to have made the deliveries of supplies and all sorts of other things to all the people who had been affected and locked up in their apartment buildings since the middle of February, he says. Grateful heroes In another attempt to mobilise the population, Beijing's propaganda department launched a campaign aimed at showing Wuhan residents to be grateful to the Communist Party for the way they are dealing with the coronavirus crisis. But the campaign soon turned sour when Weibo, WeChat and other Chinese social media were flooded with criticism texts that censors deleted quickly, but which lived briefly to get the message out. Beijing then turned to saying that people in Wuhan were 'heroes' who had made countless 'sacrifices', lost friends and family, and, even if not affected by the virus, were forced to live in a confined place, in an off-limits ghost city. The line seems now to be followed by most high-level leaders visiting the city. Questions It is not clear how Xi Jinping's political profile will suffer as a result of the coronavirus crisis. He's had various setbacks recently, says Dillon, despite creating this image of himself of a strong man, his position may have been weakened in the eyes of other CCP leaders after he did not act forcefully to resolve the Hong Kong crisis. And I think the coronavirus situation is going to be another blow, he says. It is going to undermine his suggestion that he will want to remain as president for longer than the normal term, says Dillon, referring to the fact that Xi Jinping managed to force CCP leadership into accepting to make him president-for-life, instead of stepping down after two five-year terms. The Save Romania Union (USR) leadership has decided to suspend street public pre-campaign activities and door to door direct distribution of promotional materials, amid coronavirus cases in Romania, USR Chairman Dan Barna wrote on Facebook on Tuesday. Barna also asked the government to present within the shortest time a plan of action to protect the economy and jobs in the context of the crisis caused by the coronavirus.''Areas such as transport, tourism, retail, public food service, industry are already experiencing the first effects. Unfortunately, others will follow. To be able to emerge from the crisis with as little damage as possible, we need to be prepared with support measures for the companies and their employees. My colleague, Claudiu Nasui, has already proposed a set of measures that can be implemented relatively quickly. (...) They can be supplemented with other actions after consulting all those who have a say in these matters: companies, investors, the financial system, trade unions,'' Barna wrote.According to him, an effective dialogue between real economy actors and authorities is key at this moment, and the public institutions must have a proactive, not a reactive attitude."In absence of this dialogue, we'll see the effects in the public budgets and the numbers of employment agencies," cautions the USR leader. AGERPRES Equity Commonwealth Sets 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders Equity Commonwealth (NYSE: EQC) today announced that its Annual Meeting of Shareholders will be held on Tuesday, June 23, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. Central Time in Chicago, Illinois. Shareholders of record at the close of business on April 15, 2020 will be entitled to vote at the meeting. About Equity Commonwealth Equity Commonwealth (NYSE: EQC) is a Chicago based, internally managed and self-advised real estate investment trust (REIT) with commercial office properties in the United States. As of February 12, 2020, EQC's portfolio comprised 6 properties and 2.2 millionsquare feet. Regulation FD Disclosures We use any of the following to comply with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD: press releases, SEC (News - Alert) filings, public conference calls, or our website. We routinely post important information on our website at www.eqcre.com, including information that may be deemed to be material. We encourage investors and others interested in the company to monitor these distribution channels for material disclosures. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005807/en/ Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, today, marking the first time he has done so since the epidemic began late last year. During his trip to Wuhan, he will "visit and express regards to medical workers, military officers and soldiers, community workers, police officers, officials and volunteers who have been fighting the epidemic on the front line, as well as patients and residents during the inspection," state news agency Xinhua reported. His arrival in the city, where the virus is believed to have first taken hold, comes after the spread of the virus in mainland China has sharply slowed in the past week and attention has turned to preventing imported infections from overseas hot spots such as Iran, Italy and South Korea, Reuters reported. Mainland China had 19 new coronavirus infections on Monday, the National Health Commission said on Tuesday, down from 40 a day earlier. It also marked the third straight day of no new locally transmitted coronavirus cases outside of Hubei. That brings the total number of confirmed cases in mainland China so far to 80,754. As of the end of Monday, the overall death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in China reached 3,136, up by 17 from the previous day. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 02:09:25|Editor: yan Video Player Close VIENNA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Austria rose to 182 as of Tuesday afternoon, with no deaths reported, according to health authorities. Among the confirmed cases, Vienna reported 43 cases, Lower Austria 40, Tyrol 32, Upper Austria 22, Styria 17, Salzburg 12, Vorarlberg 11, Burgenland four, and Carinthia one case, according to the country's Health Ministry. "The day will come when we will have to take further measures, and today is the day," said Chancellor Sebastian Kurz at a press briefing on Tuesday. He announced measures in three areas -- related to Italy, curbing spread and social contacts. Austria is banning entry of anyone arriving from Italy without a health certificate, he said. Austrians in Italy will still be permitted to travel home if they agree on two weeks of home quarantine. All courses at Austrian universities would be canceled for the time being, and the 380,000 or so students should now learn online, announced the chancellor. As for the restrictions on events, Health Minister Rudolf Anschober explained that since Wednesday, outdoor events with over 500 participants and indoor events with over 100 participants will be canceled by decree until the beginning of April. The epidemic has spread at a very rapid pace, said Anschober. "We have to change our lives for a few months." Kurz called on the public to contribute to the fight against the coronavirus by reducing social life for a while. "The fewer social contacts there are, the better the hospitals are equipped," he said. "There will also be measures at schools," said Kurz -- but first of all, it is important to prepare well for effects regarding the childcare obligations. Therefore discussions with the social partners have been started. The time for the measures must be "exactly defined", according to Kurz. It is a matter of not taking steps "too early or too late", since measures would have to be kept up. When asked what effects the measures will have on public transport, Kurz said that society must continue to function, and public transport must be able to transport people who do not have a car. Madhya Pradesh Crisis: Congress claims expulsion after Jyotiraditya Scindia resigns India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, March 10: In a massive political development, Jyoritaditya Scindia, once a close aid of Rahul Gandhi quit the party, ending his 18-year-old association with the party as he sent his resignation letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi. In the letter, Scindia said it is time for him to "move on". However, the Congress claimed to have expelled from the Congress for "anti-parties" activities. Madhya Pradesh Crisis: As talks fail, Congress dubs Scindia as traitor The development comes moments after the Scindia met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital. "The Congress president has approved the expulsion of Jyotiraditya Scindia from the Indian National Congress with immediate effect for anti-party activities," according to a statement from AICC general secretary K C Venugopal. Noting that the events of the day had been drawing themselves out for a year, Scindia wrote to Gandhi saying that it was now best for him to look at a fresh start. "Having been a primary member of the Congress party for the last 18 years. It is now time for me to move on. I am rendering my resignation from primary membership of the Congress and as you well know this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year," Scindia wrote in his letter. The Energy Ministry has said the earliest possible review of fuel prices will be on March 16 at the opening of the next pricing window. Offering some assurances, the Head of Communications and Public Affairs at the Energy Ministry, Nana Damoah said: there will be some significant reduction on the prices of fuel at the pump when the window opens. This wait till March 16 is in line with Ghanas deregulation policy, Mr. Damoah, explained to Citi News. We can only review prices over two weeks. The next pricing window opens up on the 16th of March 2020. The government, therefore, cannot intervene at this point to cause a reduction in prices against the stated policy of deregulation. The Ministrys comments are in response to calls for a reduction in fuel prices by, among others, the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) and the National Democratic Congress after oil prices saw their lowest drop since 1991 on Monday. The NDC wants the government to ensure fuel prices are reduced by a minimum of 20%. COPEC is also considering legal action to compel Oil Marketing Companies in the country to reduce fuel prices. Monday's 23% decline saw oil prices go under $35 a barrel. There has been a decline in demand because of the novel coronavirus and a row between Russia and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia slashed the cost of oil over the weekend after it failed to convince Russia on Friday to commit to steep production cuts. In the meantime, he said the government was still wary of market volatilities and that consultations are ongoing. About Ghanas deregulation policy Ghana in June 2015 put in place a deregulation policy to allow marketers and importers of petroleum products to set their own prices based on import parity costs, taxes and margins. The deregulation policy allows Oil Marketing Companies to fix their own prices, in an attempt to introduce competition to the ultimate benefit and protection of the consumer. But critics of the policy have said all the benefits accrued from deregulation have been in favour of the government and not citizens. The policy was also meant to end government subsidies on these products, which arise from exchange rate losses and consumer subsidies. ---citinewsroom "As younger growers, we aim to build on the success of past generations of California farmers while leveraging technology and sustainable practices wherever possible," said Brandon Rebiero of Gold Leaf Farming. He continued, "Our deep ag experience will allow us to continue to operate this farm with the highest quality standards as we expand our farming footprint." "The market for almond and pistachio orchards in California is strong, with the number of buyers easily outnumbering quality orchards available to purchase," stated Al & Josh Mendrin of The Mendrin Group. About Gold Leaf Farming Gold Leaf Farming owns and manages almond, pistachio and date orchards in California and Arizona. We are a young, dynamic company growing our acreage and team in 2020 and beyond. As younger growers, we are aiming to build a farming company for the long-haul that will emulate the hard work, high character, and quality operations of past generations of successful growers while incorporating modern farming practices, technology, and sustainability. www.goldleaf.ag About The Mendrin Group The Mendrin Group is a leading brokerage, consulting and advisory firm of agricultural land assets and vertically integrated agribusinesses. Based in California, their clients include private equity, pension funds, investment firms, family offices, large family farms, corporate farming operations, and global food and beverage companies. The Mendrin Group, a successful multi-generational family business for over 30+ years. www.mendrins.com SOURCE The Mendrin Group Related Links http://www.mendrins.com/ Astronauts are growing the beginnings of new organs on board the International Space Station. The experiment is an attempt to grow human tissue by sending adult human stem cells into space, and allowing them to grow in space. Eventually, it is hoped, the stem cells will develop into bone, cartilage and other organs. If that is successful, the discoveries could be used to try and grow organs for transplant, the scientists involved say. The experiment uses weightlessness as a tool, according to Cara Thiel, one of the two researchers from the University of Zurich who are conducting the research. The lack of gravity on board the International Space Station will be used to encourage the stem cells to grow into tissue in three dimensions, rather than the single-layer structures that form on Earth. It is being conducted by the astronauts on board the International Space Station using a mobile mini-laboratory that was sent on a SpaceX rocket last week. The experiment will last for a month, during which scientists will watch to see how the stem cells grow. Nasa's groundbreaking decade of space exploration: In pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Nasa's groundbreaking decade of space exploration: In pictures Nasa's groundbreaking decade of space exploration: In pictures Mystic Mountain, a pillar of gas and dust standing at three-light-years tall, bursting with jets of gas from fledgling stars buried within, was captured by Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope in February 2010 Nasa/ESA/STScI Nasa's groundbreaking decade of space exploration: In pictures The first ever selfie taken on an alien planet, captured by Nasa's Curiosity Rover in the early days of its mission to explore Mars in 2012 Nasa/JPL-Caltech/MSSS Nasa's groundbreaking decade of space exploration: In pictures Death of a star: This image from Nasa's Chandra X-ray telescope shows the supernova of Tycho, a star in our Milky Way galaxy Nasa Nasa's groundbreaking decade of space exploration: In pictures Arrokoth, the most distant object ever explored, pictured here on 1 January 2019 by a camera on Nasa's New Horizons spaceraft at a distance of 4.1 billion miles from Earth Getty Nasa's groundbreaking decade of space exploration: In pictures An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory in January 2012. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's groundbreaking decade of space exploration: In pictures The first ever image of a black hole, captured by the Event Horizon telescope, as part of a global collaboration involving Nasa, and released on 10 April 2019. The image reveals the black hole at the centre of Messier 87, a massive galaxy in the nearby Virgo galaxy cluster. This black hole resides about 54 million light-years from Earth Getty Nasa's groundbreaking decade of space exploration: In pictures Pluto, as pictured by Nasa's New Horizons spacecraft as it flew over the dwarf planet for the first time ever in July 2015 Nasa/APL/SwRI Nasa's groundbreaking decade of space exploration: In pictures A coronal mass ejection as seen by the Chandra Observatory in 2019. This is the first time that Chandra has detected this phenomenon from a star other than the Sun Nasa Nasa's groundbreaking decade of space exploration: In pictures Dark, narrow, 100 meter-long streaks running downhill on the surface Mars were believed to be evidence of contemporary flowing water. It has since been suggested that they may instead be formed by flowing sand Nasa/JPL/University of Arizona Nasa's groundbreaking decade of space exploration: In pictures Morning Aurora: Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station in October 2015 Nasa/Scott Kelly If it is successful, they hope to switch from a small laboratory to bigger production. From there, they could use the process to generate tissue for transplants by taking cells from patients, or generating organ-like material that could be used to test drugs, either ensuring that it works for a specific patients or reducing the number of animals used in experiments. On Earth, tissue grows in monolayer cultures: generating flat, 2D tissue. But investigations both in space and Earth suggest that in microgravity, cells exhibit spatially unrestricted growth and assemble into complex 3D aggregates, said Oliver Ullrich, who is also leading the research. Previous research has involved simulated ad real experiments, mostly using tumour cells, and placing real human stem cells into microgravity simulators. But for the next stage of the research there is no alternative to the ISS, he says, because 3D tissue formation of this kind requires several days or even weeks in microgravity. After the month-long experiment, the scientists will get the samples back and expect to see successful formation of organoids smaller, more simple versions of organs inside the test tubes. The test tubes were launched with stem cells and are expected to return to Earth with organ-like tissue structures inside, said Professor Ullrich. Scientists are still not sure why the conditions of the International Space Station lead to the assembly of complex 3D tissue structures. Professor Ullrich and other scientists are still continuing to research how the gravitational force and the molecular machinery in the cell interact to create new and different kinds of tissue on Earth and in space. Afghanistan's Ghani Pledges to Release Captive Taliban in Inauguration Speech Reports Sputnik News 13:33 GMT 09.03.2020(updated 13:34 GMT 09.03.2020) MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has vowed to set free the captive members of the Taliban radical movement, Afghan media reported on Monday. According to 1TV News, Ghani pledged to issue a decree that would release the captive Taliban on Tuesday. According to the broadcast, he expects the move to lessen violence in the country. In pursuit of recognition, the Taliban have been leading insurgency against the Afghan government since the early 2000s. They also seek all foreign troops to withdraw from the country. Earlier in the day, Ghani was sworn in as president during an inauguration ceremony in Kabul following a disputed victory in the September presidential election. The rival candidate, Abdullah Abdullah, who has refused to recognize the vote, took an oath in a separate inauguration ceremony at approximately the same time. The NATO contingent in Afghanistan has been present since 2003 as part of the UN-mandated international coalition known as the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to help the Afghan national forces maintain security amid the terrorist threat, of which the lion's share has been coming from the Taliban. In 2015, the expired ISAF was replaced by the Resolute Support Mission with a mandate of non-combat mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan security forces and institutions. On February 29, Washington and the Taliban signed the long-awaited peace agreement in the Qatari capital of Doha which, among other things, sets the beginning of intra-Afghan talks on March 10, subject to 5,000 Taliban prisoners to be released by that time. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Amid a rebellion by senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and supporter MLAs that threatens to bring down the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh, the Gwalior royal's son Mahanaryaman on Tuesday evening tweeted that his family was never power hungry. The Yale University graduate, in two tweets, welcomed the decision of his father to snap ties with the Congress, stating it took courage to "resign from a legacy". "Sad it had to come to this," his first tweet, from the handle @ASCindia, said. The second tweet read, "I am proud of my father for taking a stand for himself. It takes courage to resign from a legacy. History can speak for itself when I say my family has never been power hungry. As promised we will make an impactful change in India and Madhya Pradesh wherever our future lies." While Mahanaryaman's Twitter handle is not a verified one, a leader close to Jyotiraditya, Pankaj Chaturvedi, confirmed the account belonged to the former Guna Lok Sabha MP's son. "Mahanaryaman completed a management degree from US last year. He could not participate in the Lok Sabha campaign of his father because of his final exams. Now he is helping his father and getting acquainted with people and workers," Chaturvedi said. Earlier in the day, Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the Congress following a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and is likely to join the BJP. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Madras High Court on Tuesday upheld the election of DMK's Seethapathy from Tindivanam (reserved) assembly constituency by a margin of 101 votes in 2016. Justice V Bharathidasan dismissed the election plea challenging the election filed by S P Rajendran who contested on an AIADMK ticket. The petitioner had challenged the election on various grounds including improper receipt of votes and votes recorded in an EVM polling booth. "The election of the candidate cannot be declared as void unless there is clear and strong evidence compelling the court to accept the contention of the defeated candidate," the court said, dismissing the plea. It could be seen that the petitioner's objections had been duly communicated to the Election Commission of India, and the ECI after considering all the materials, directed the returning officer to proceed further with the election process and declare the results. Hence, the returning officer has acted in accordance with law in counting the votes in EVMs and declared the results, the judge said. "That apart, in the absence of any allegation regarding faulty EVMs, the ECI has taken a conscious decision not to order for a re-poll. Further, in the absence of any strong circumstances, the contentions of the petitioner cannot be accepted to hold the election as void," the judge added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 23:01:05|Editor: yan Video Player Close BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Brunei reported five more cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, one day after the country confirmed its first case on Monday, the country's Ministry of Health said. The health ministry announced that five close contacts of the first COVID-19 victim also tested positive for the cirus and have now been isolated for treatment at the National Quarantine Center in Tudong District. The five new cases had been in close contact with the first patient, a 53-year-old local man who contracted the virus during a religious mass gathering in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from Feb. 28 to March 3. After returning to the country on March 3, the patient developed fever on March 7 and received treatment at Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha(RIPAS) Hospital, the country's biggest hospital the next day. At the moment another 16 close contacts of the first case are still under quarantine. Ninety other Bruneians participated in the Kuala Lumpur gathering but returned on different flights. The health ministry is urging them to come forward to get tested at the Flu Center, RIPAS Hospital. In light of the recent developments of the COVID-19, Brunei's Ministry of Education announced on Tuesday afternoon that the first school term break scheduled for March 16 will be moved earlier to March 11. The health ministry added that at this point all six patients are in good and stable condition. Jill Biden visits Kansas City ahead of primary, touring Veterans Community Project KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Missouri's primary election brought Jill Biden to town Monday to help get out the vote. Democrats want veterans' votes to help determine who should be our next President. That's why Kansas City's Veterans Community Project has been a popular campaign stop among Democrats running for office. Fresh off of, she takes a look at one of the better operations helping local troops. Take a look: In a 2-1 decision, a panel on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld a lower-court ruling that the House had a right to gain access to the information, which was gathered by the special counsel, Robert Mueller, using a grand jury and blacked out in the report on his investigation released last year. The Trump administration had appealed that ruling. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte called on citizens of the Netherlands to stop shaking hands to prevent spreading the coronavirus and then -- oops! -- shook hands with the head of the infectious diseases department of the National Public Health Institute. "From this moment on, we stop shaking hands," Rutte said at a news conference following a crisis meeting of government ministers Monday night to discuss the virus, which has killed three people and infected 321 in the Netherlands "You can do a foot kiss, bump elbows, whatever you want," he said. "I see all kinds of great variations on shaking hands emerging at schools, but from today we stop shaking hands." As he wrapped up the press conference, he shook hands with Jaap van Dissel of the Public Health Institute, who quickly pointed out the premier's error. "Sorry, sorry, we can't do that anymore! Do it again!" Rutte said as he bumped elbows with Van Dissel. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered. Victoria's coronavirus hotline has crashed after being inundated with calls from people who fear they may have the virus, leaving many people at home, confused and unable to be tested. Concerned Victorians who called the 1800 number were greeted with a message about an "unexpected technical problem" which meant their call could not be answered on Tuesday morning. Some callers, who managed to get through, waited on hold for more than an hour. The hotline is manned by staff from the existing the Nurse-On-Call service, a 24-hour helpline. The Democrat Party has finally coalesced around Joe Biden, a plagiarizing, hair-sniffing, girl-groping, sort-of-coherent death's head who is showing signs of cognitive decline. His opponent at the next Democrat debate is a communist-loving, America-hating, self-loathing anti-Semitic Jew with anger management issues and a bad heart. Both of these geriatric candidates are trying to appear youthful while labeling their opponent decrepit. No wonder the Democrats kicked the vibrant Tulsi Gabbard off the debate stage. The latest arena for this battle is the March 15 debate in Arizona. Bernie's campaign claims that while Bernie wants to stand tall on the debate stage, Biden is desperate to take a seat: Bernie Sanders wants to stand up at the next debate and his campaign is accusing Joe Biden of wanting to sit down. After a private call Friday with CNN, which is moderating the March 15 debate with the Democratic National Committee, Sanders' team balked at a new proposed format for debate, saying it gives his opponent Biden too much of a break in their first one-on-one face-off. Biden's camp denied that it was pressing for a sit-down debate. The format for the next debate in Arizona their first since Biden's blowout Super Tuesday victories would have the candidates seated for the first time this election cycle and take multiple questions from the audience. In the prior 10 debates, the candidates stood at lecterns and nearly all questions were asked by the professional moderators. "Why does Joe Biden not want to stand toe-to-toe with Sen. Sanders on the debate stage March 15 and have an opportunity to defend his record and articulate his vision for the future?" asked Jeff Weaver, Sanders' senior adviser. Sleepy Joe's campaign vigorously denies that he wants to sit down: Biden's campaign and the DNC said the format for the debate was decided by the party and CNN. The news network declined to comment and referred questions to the DNC. "We will participate in whatever debate CNN choses [sic] to stage: standing, sitting, at podiums, or in a town hall," Biden's deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said. "The problem for the Sanders campaign is not the staging of the debate, but rather, the weakness of Sen. Sanders' record and ideas." This squabble would be amusing except that these men are the last Democrats (barely) standing in a competition to be the leader, not just of America, but of the free world. The media's relentless animus toward Donald Trump makes it difficult for even well-intentioned "undecided" voters to view his presidency objectively. Therefore, there's a real possibility that even voters who don't want to vote for Bernie or Biden may feel compelled to vote against Trump. Neither Bernie nor Biden, however, is qualified to be an American president. As a reminder, while Trump's style is unique the humor, the bombast, the feistiness he's governed traditionally. He's stayed within the confines of existing federal law, obeyed court orders, boosted America's market-based economy, worked to shore up America's military and economic defenses, strengthened old alliances and made new ones, and generally engaged in policies consistent with American governance at all times other than the Obama years. The same cannot be said for either Biden or Bernie. Bernie wants to undo the American political system. He has spent his entire life yearning to be part of a Soviet-style or Cuban-style communist political system. He dreams of nationalizing large parts of the American economy; wants to destroy what's left of the economy in the name of climate change; and promises to disarm Americans, open America's borders, fund unlimited abortion, and pack the Supreme Court. Biden was a willing party to Obama's aberrant eight years, during which America started down the path of the same socialist policies for which Bernie yearns. Although Biden purports to be more moderate, he's just proposing a slower version of Bernie's goals namely, nationalizing large parts of the American economy, destroying what's left of the economy chasing the irrational faith that is climate change, and promising to disarm Americans, open America's borders, fund unlimited abortion, and pack the Supreme Court. Both men have been in politics for 50 years and insist that now is finally their chance to change the system that they had a hand in creating and sustaining. Both men have worrisome health issues. Bernie had a heart attack in 2019 and is refusing to release his medical records. Biden had brain aneurysms in the 1980s, and, while he seemed to have recovered completely, his verbal confusion on the campaign trail is concerning. And now these two doddering leftists are in a battle to avoid standing up. Neither man is ideologically or physically fit to lead America. Thor actor Chris Hemsworth is well on his way to breaking the Internet, as a picture of the Australian holding a baby koala has promptly gone viral. Snapped while Hemsworth was visiting a koala conservation charity, the actor used his platform to promote the incredible work and commitment the nonprofit does. The picture saw Hemsworth smile for the camera as he held onto a blue koala stuffed toy at the Friends of the Koala's offices. However on top of the stuffed toy, a Baby Yoda-esque koala was seen cuddling the toy as Hemsworth held both of them close to his chest. Hemsworth revealed, Fantastic visiting @friends_of_the_koala and seeing first hand the incredible work and commitment to conserving koalas and preserving and enhancing their habitat. So as not to leave any doubt where he was, another tiny stuffed toy koala could be seen peering over his shoulder wearing a Santa hat. The stuffed toy the baby koala was seen hanging onto could have a more significant purpose. Following the bushfires, a series of videos of baby koalas clutching stuffed toy bears went viral - after it was revealed they were used to comfort them after losing their mothers to the natural disaster. Cleland Wildlife Park Rescues Koalas Who Lost Their Homes In Australian Bushfires Professor Mark Krockenberger of the University of Sydney, who teaches veterinary science and is a koala expert, said, "[The toy] likely provides a sense of security. This makes sense for an animal that spends its time primarily in trees and their vulnerability is increased when moving between trees. With young koalas, they spend their time hanging on to mum between about 5 months to maybe 12 months of age. Again, they are vulnerable if they are apart from their mother." "So again, holding onto something seems likely to increase the sense of security for the animal. I think teddies are used because people feel they mimic the experience of holding onto the mother," he continued. Hemsworth continued to promote the efforts of Friends of the Koalas volunteers, writing that they were rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing koalas. The picture was reposted by the nonprofit, which said, So this just happened!! Thanks for visiting Chris! It recalled a similar adorable moment that Hemsworth had with one of the Internet's favourite animals: the quokka. He shared a video in 2019 of himself and a quokka having an adorable moment on Rottnest Island, where the animal scurried up to him and took a twig from his mouth. Following the early spread of the Australian bushfires in November, the organisation revealed that it was working closely with authorities and are on standby to receive any injured koalas from bushfire affected areas - adding that it had a record breaking number of displaced koalas in its care, though required more funds as it receives no ongoing government funding. In the wake of the fires, the Hemsworth brothers (including his actor brother Liam) revealed they were collectively donating a million dollars to the "organisations and charities who are working flat out to provide support and relief during this devastating and challenging time." Hemsworth also hashtagged his post #nationalgeographic, teasing that this could be part of an ongoing collaboration between himself and the Disney-owned network. Hemsworth is currently working with the channel on a documentary series called Limitless, a health-focused programme in which he said he would become a human guinea pig and endure a series of mental and physical challenges across the globe, all for the sake of science. Getty Images The show is set to be executive produced by Darren Aronofsky, who previously dated Jennifer Lawrence. He's one of Hollywood's most bankable stars. But Chris Hemsworth's favourite role of all is being a father to his three children, India Rose, Tristan and Sasha. On Sunday, the 36-year-old actor looked every inch the doting dad while taking his kids for a bike ride near their home in Byron Bay, NSW. Daddy duties: Chris Hemsworth looked every inch the doting father while taking his children for a bike ride in Byron Bay on Sunday The Thor actor looked like any ordinary father taking his children out for the day. One of his sons rode ahead of him as they soaked up the sunshine in matching black T-shirts and shorts. At one stage, Chris stopped to chat to a passer-by while unloading the bicycles from his truck. Casual: The Thor actor, 36, looked like any ordinary father taking his children out for the day Chris paired his activewear with Adidas sneakers, dark sunglasses and a black helmet for safety. Last August, the father-of-three revealed he was taking a break from the spotlight amid the runaway success of his Marvel films. He told the Men's Health Strength Session podcast that he wanted to focus on his family instead of his career for a while. Muscular: Chris looked fit in a singlet and black shorts Handsome: The Marvel Universe star didn't even break a sweat during the ride 'I'm just at home now, taking the next six months off and spending time with the kids and the wife,' said Chris of life back in Australia. He explained that his decision to take time off at the peak of his career wasn't made lightly. 'After the Avengers press tour [in April] I had a real moment of like, "Oh, what now? I'm unemployed, what next?"' he said. Heavy lifting: Chris flaunted his biceps while lifting the bicycles from the back of his truck Safety first! Chris set a good example for his children by wearing a protective helmet 'And then I thought, "No, this is the problem. If you keep looking ahead and not enjoying [the present], then you're just going to miss it."' Chris, who is married to Spanish actress Elsa Pataky, relocated to Australia with his family in 2014, after several years spent living in LA. They recently moved into a $20million mansion in Broken Head, near Byron Bay. Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex recently returned to the UK for a string of appearances and events. This was the first time that the Sussexes had been back in the UK since they moved to Canada after announcing that they were stepping back from their positions as working royals. This was obviously going to be a very stressful time for Meghan as she had to return to the country where many media outlets had been vilifying her and saying that she was the demise of the royal family. But Harry showed his support for his wife in more ways than one. Meghan Markle and Prince Harrys exit The royal family is always in the media for something or other, but throughout her time with Harry, certain outlets have taken a particular interest in Meghan and scrutinized everything that she has done. The stress of the constant bashing got to both Harry and Meghan and they decided to step back from the limelight. Buckingham Palace released a statement regarding Meghan and Harrys new status. As agreed in this new arrangement, they understand that they are required to step back from Royal duties, including official military appointments, the statement read. They will no longer receive public funds for Royal duties. With The Queens blessing, the Sussexes will continue to maintain their private patronages and associations. While they can no longer formally represent The Queen, the Sussexes have made clear that everything they do will continue to uphold the values of Her Majesty. The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family. How did Harry support Meghan Markle? Meghan probably needed all of the support that she could get when facing the British public once again. During the couples final event as working royals, the procession for the Commonwealth Service, Harry stood in solidarity with Meghan with his clothing. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex | Karwai Tang/WireImage Meghan wore a green Emilia Wickstead dress for the proceedings, paired with Aquazzura heels, and a matching green fascinator. Harry matched his wifes emerald outfit with green lining underneath his suit jacket. The green in Harrys suit wasnt visible until the wind blew the jacket back, revealing its lining. What is Harrys relationship like with his family now? Harrys decision to leave his position as a working royal shook the public as well as the royal family. Before he left, he had already admitted to being on rocky terms with his brother, Prince William. Were certainly on different paths at the moment but I will always be there for him and, as I know, he will always be there for me, Harry revealed on the documentary Harry and Meghan: An African Journey. We dont see each other as much as we used to because we are so busy. But I love him dearly. 'As brothers you have good days, you have bad days' Prince Harry says the 'majority of stuff' written about his relationship with his brother William is 'created out of nothing' and adds: 'I love him dearly' #HarryAndMeghan https://t.co/GWs5KfuovM pic.twitter.com/bW7GVALZR6 ITV News (@itvnews) October 20, 2019 And megxit didnt exactly make things better. Reportedly the brothers relationship was not in the best place when Harry and Meghan went back to Vancouver Island. They didnt leave on good terms by any means, but they are both relieved that its over, a family friend told People. (TNS) As the U.S. battles to limit the spread of the highly contagious new coronavirus, the number of health care workers ordered to self-quarantine because of potential exposure to an infected patient is rising at an exponential pace. In Vacaville, Calif., alone, one case the first documented instance of community transmission in the U.S. left more than 200 hospital workers under quarantine and unable to work for weeks.Across California, dozens more health care workers have been ordered home because of possible contagion in response to a rapidly growing number of confirmed cases. In Kirkland, Wash., more than a quarter of the citys Fire Department was quarantined after exposure to a handful of infected patients at the Life Care Center nursing home.With the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases mushrooming by the day, a quarantine response of this magnitude would quickly leave the health care system short-staffed and overwhelmed. The situation has prompted debate in the health care community about just what standards medical facilities should use before ordering workers quarantined and what safety protocols need to become commonplace in clinics and emergency rooms.Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, is among those arguing hospitals need to change course.Its just not sustainable to think that every time a health care worker is exposed they have to be quarantined for 14 days. Wed run out of health care workers, Nuzzo said. Anyone showing signs of infection should stay home, she added, but providers who may have been exposed but are not symptomatic should not necessarily be excluded from work.The correct response, she and others said, comes down to a careful balance of the evolving science with the need to maintain a functioning health care system.While hospitals are supposed to be prepared for just such a situation, Nuzzo said, their plans often fall short. Absent any imminent public health crisis, it may not be one of their priorities, she said. From 2003 to 2019, federal funding for the Hospital Preparedness Program in the U.S. was cut almost in half.In Northern California, potential exposure to the new coronavirus was exacerbated because hospitals were caught unaware by the community spread of the virus and hampered by federal protocols that initially limited diagnostic testing to patients with a history of travel to a country where the virus was known to be circulating or contact with a person with a known infection.At the very beginning (of an outbreak) this will happen because you dont know patients are infected and you only realize later that people were exposed, said Grzegorz Rempala, a mathematician at the College of Public Health at Ohio State University who models the spread of infectious diseases.Now that the disease has started to spread through the community, any patient with respiratory symptoms potentially could be infected, though health officials note the likelihood remains low. As providers start routinely wearing protective gear and employing strict safety protocols, accidental exposure should decline.The Vacaville case offers stark insight into the fallout from the narrow testing protocols initially established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When a woman was admitted to NorthBay VacaValley Hospital with respiratory symptoms on Feb. 15, dozens of hospital workers walked in and out of her room performing daily tasks. Days later, as her condition worsened, she was sent to the University of California, Davis Medical Center, where dozens more employees were potentially exposed.Because the woman did not meet the testing criteria in place at the time, it took days for UC Davis to get approval to have her assessed for the coronavirus. After the test came back positive, about 100 NorthBay workers were sent into self-quarantine for 14 days. At UC Davis, an additional 36 nurses and 88 other employees were quarantined, according to the unions representing those workers. (A spokesman for UC Davis said the figures were not accurate but declined to give an estimate.)Were not used to being concerned, before we even do the triage assessment, (about) whether the patient is infectious and could infect hospital workers, said Dr. Kristi Koenig, the EMS medical director of San Diego County. She said that thinking started to evolve during the 2014 Ebola outbreak. Hospitals should routinely mask patients who come in with respiratory symptoms, she said, given any such patient could have an infectious disease such as tuberculosis.Yet providers dont often think in those terms. In many ways were spoiled because weve gone from a society 50 or 100 years ago where the major killers were infectious disease, said Dr. Michael Wilkes, a professor at UC Davis School of Medicine. Now weve become complacent because the major killers are heart disease and diabetes.Faced with this new infection risk, many hospitals are scrambling to retrain workers in safety precautions, such as how to correctly don and doff personal protective equipment.Sutter Health, which has 24 hospitals in Northern California, started ramping up its emergency management system five weeks ago in preparation for COVID-19. Before coming to the emergency room, Sutter patients are asked to call a hotline to be assessed by a nurse or an automated system designed to screen for symptoms of the virus. Those with likely symptoms are guided to a telemedicine appointment unless they need to be admitted to a hospital.Anyone arriving at a Sutter emergency room with signs of a respiratory infection is given a mask and sequestered. A runny nose and a cough doesnt tell you much. It could be a cold, it could be a flu, and in this weather it could be allergies, said Dr. Bill Isenberg, Sutters chief quality and safety officer. A doctor or nurse in protective equipment including N95 mask, gown and goggles is deployed to assess the patients symptoms. If COVID-19 is suspected, the patient is moved into a private room.Sutter has treated several coronavirus patients who arrived from Travis Air Force Base, which housed evacuees from the Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined off the coast of Japan after an outbreak was detected on board. The Sutter patients were placed in negative pressure rooms so that contaminated air did not circulate to the rest of the hospital, and staff used an anteroom to take off gowns and masks.We do everything humanly possible to minimize the number of people who have to enter (the room), Isenberg said. Still, he said, some workers have been quarantined; Sutter would not disclose the total.Not all hospitals are adapting so quickly. National Nurses United, a union representing more than 150,000 nurses, recently held a news conference to call on hospitals to better protect their workers. Of the 6,500 nurses who participated in a survey the union circulated, fewer than half said they had gotten instruction in how to recognize and respond to possible cases of COVID-19. Just 30% said their employer has sufficient protective equipment on hand to protect staff if there were a surge in infected patients.As the virus continues to spread, hospitals should be stockpiling such equipment, figuring out how to add beds and planning for staffing shortages, said Dr. Richard Waldhorn, a professor of medicine at Georgetown University and contributing scholar at Johns Hopkins who recently co-authored recommendations for hospitals on how to prepare for a COVID-19 pandemic.Hospitals should already be training providers to take on expanded duties, Waldhorn said. If a hospital becomes overwhelmed, the Medical Reserve Corps can be mobilized, as can networks of providers who have volunteered to aid in emergency situations. Once workers have been infected and recover, it might make sense to have them treat other coronavirus patients since they will have immunity.Eventually, as a disease becomes widespread, quarantine simply stops being a priority, said Nina Fefferman, a mathematician and epidemiologist at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.Theres a point where we stop trying to quarantine anyone and we just say, OK, were going to have more deaths from the Fire Department not being able to fight fire than from everyone getting the disease.(Kaiser Health News is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.)2020 Kaiser Health NewsVisit Kaiser Health News at www.khn.org Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. PHOTOS (for help with images, contact 312-222-4194): CORONAVIRUS-HEALTHWORKERS Representative image: HAL Hawk-i State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is looking at setting up logistics bases in Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Sri Lanka as part of initiatives to woo the countries to buy India's light combat aircraft Tejas and military helicopters. Chairman and Managing Director of HAL R Madhavan said the HAL is considering to build logistics bases in the four countries as they use a number of Russian-origin military aircraft and choppers whose serviceability is "very poor". He said the HAL is now seriously focusing on boosting exports in sync with the government's priority and identified South East Asia, West Asia and North Africa to sell key platforms like Tejas, attack helicopter Rudra and advanced light helicopter Dhruv. Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set an ambitious defence export target of $5 billion dollars in the next five years and asked all the key military manufacturers to work hard to achieve the target. "We are looking at setting up maintenance facilities in Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Sri Lanka. We can give them a lot of support to as these countries use lot of platforms which are common to India, and their serviceability is very poor," he told PTI. The HAL top executive said the company is looking at setting up maintenance facilities in these four countries as having logistics bases is key to sell the products and ensure after-sales services. Without divulging details, Madhavan said a number of countries in West Asia are also in touch with the HAL for possible procurement of its key products. "We now are looking at exports very seriously. A sizeable number of countries are showing lots of interests in the platforms we are producing as they are world class. We are in talks with so many countries," said the HAL chief. Specifically, he said that Tejas has a "very good" export potential as it is a four-and-half generation fighter jet which can compete with some of the famous military jets in its class. The Tejas has been developed by Aeronautical Development Agency and the HAL. The lifespan of the jet would be a minimum of 30 years just like any other frontline combat aircraft. The combat jets are classified under various generations depending on their avionics, capability and weapons systems. The current fleet of fighter jets with the IAF range from three-and-half generation to the fourth generation. The Indian Air Force has already placed an order for 40 Tejas and is likely to seal a contract "very soon" with HAL for another 83 aircraft at a cost of around Rs 38,000 crore. 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. A woman who identifies as queer has claimed she was kicked out of a music festival for kissing her female friend. Asha Couch claimed security kicked her and a female friend out of the For The Love festival in Perth on February 29. Ms Couch said security told her and her friend they were being removed because they were too intoxicated, but she believes it was because they were a same-sex pair being intimate. Asha Couch (pictured) claimed security kicked her and a female friend out of the For The Love festival in Perth on February 29 Ms Couch said security told her and her friend they were being removed because they were too intoxicated, but she believes it was because they were a same-sex couple being intimate. Pictured: For The Love festival in Perth 'Around 8pm, I was sitting on the grass with another girl and we were kissing and talking,' Ms Couch's post reads. 'We were not bothering anybody nearby; we were not being loud or disruptive or offensive in any way whatsoever. We didn't even have drinks with us at the time. 'A member of security approached us and told us that we were being kicked out of the festival. I asked what we had done wrong, and was simply told that we were too intoxicated and needed to go. 'Neither I nor my friend were being anything but respectful to the people around us. We were not too drunk or causing any problems - we were just kissing.' Ms Couch claims the pair were victims of sexual discrimination by the security guards. 'It doesn't take a genius to figure out what the security guard really took offence to,' her post continued. 'I had seen countless heterosexual couples, far drunker than us, all up in each others' faces all day with no complaint from security. 'This was the first time I've been made to feel small and unwelcome due to my sexuality. 'I never want to feel this way again but unfortunately, we've still got a long way to come with LGBTQ+ discrimination. 'My friend and I wasted hundreds of dollars on tickets for the two main acts that we never got to see, because we dared to show affection in public. Ms Couch claims she contacted festival organisers immediately after the incident and was left in the dark for four days after they had seen her messages on social media. Many comments on her post called out the festival for their lack of urgency in helping out a patron who was victimised at their event. 'Seems like they may need to rename their festival,' one comment reads. 'It's clearly not 'for the love'. I'm so sorry that happened to you and your gf. All we can do in the face of such ignorance is rise up and love proud.' Ms Couch claims she contacted festival organisers immediately after the incident and was left in the dark for four days after they had seen her messages on social media (pictured) 'Always feels like it's one step forward, two steps back,' another post reads, 'I'm so sorry this happened to you and I hope that the festival takes responsibility for this.' For The Love festival eventually contacted Ms Couch days later to investigate the issue. They posted a response to a comment on another Facebook post, claiming they had been unable to answer her post more promptly. 'We're looking into the issue with security but saying the whole tour security team are homophobic is not accurate unfortunately. Nor saying that we ignored the issue,' the post reads. 'We simply haven't had the capability to get back to all enquires in the last few days but now we that we have, we are working through it with Asha.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted For The Love Festival for comment. COLLINSVILE The Illinois State Police District 11 has announced it is planning to move from its current location at 1100 Eastport Plaza, Collinsville, to a new location, yet to be determined, in St. Clair County. Illinois State Police Trooper Josh Korando said the Capitol Development Bill approved in Illinois last year provided $55 million for a much-needed, new combined facility for Patrol District 11, Investigative Zone 6 and southern Illinois SWAT capabilities. But many of the people who cause problems are likely the ones who could benefit from a long-term city partnership with a mental health service provider. Schools across Ireland are adjusting to new school life amid the Coronavirus outbreak. From greeting visitors to conducting parent teacher meetings, the etiquette has changed. Hands are no longer shaken, and hand washing procedures are strictly in effect. However one prominent question lingers, What happens if schools close? Tech savvy schools that have previously implemented online communications systems for both teaching and learning will be able to supply students with sufficient resources. However, rural areas with depleting infrastructure, slow broadband and therefore limited access to online computing platforms, may struggle to supply their students with adequate resources. Although schools may close as a precautionary measure, to avoid risk to student and wider public health. Despite this, the uncertainty around school closures is a growing concern for junior and leaving cert students, who are scheduled to take examinations in the coming months. As principles toy with this outcome and put contingencies in place, The Department of Education has stated that schools should only close upon receiving specific and individualised guidance on the issue and with the direction of public health officials and the HSE. The department continue to issue schools with guidelines and information posters on how to accurately sanitise and protect against the spread of the virus. Two schools in Northern Ireland have closed due to the virus, with a school in Dublin re-opening after being temporarily closed. Similarly, colleges across Ireland are battling with the idea of closing their doors. Trinity College Dublin has closed a section of their city centre campus as a confirmed Coronavirus case has been linked with the college. Criticized by military planners and analysts as slow, heavy and outdated, the Crusader cannon was billed as a field weapon that could shoot farther, faster and more accurately than other artillery. While lobbying Congress for the system, United Defense took in about $2 billion from the government to develop the weapon, according to The Washington Post. But it never saw battle, as the Department of Defense killed the project in 2002. Each weekday morning after her mother has left for work, Naamat changes her youngest brother Ibrahims diaper and feeds him a bottle of formula milk. She then prepares a simple breakfast of bread, oil and thyme-packed zaatar to share with her two other younger brothers before cleaning up, packing their bags and walking with them to catch the school bus, having dropped Ibrahim off with a neighbour. Naamat is only 11, but shes living the life of a 30-year-old woman, her mother Fatima says. Its because of our situation, Naamat responds. I have to support my parents and my brothers. They dont have anyone else but me. This week marks nine years since the start of the conflict in Syria, a stretch of time that weighs heavily on the lives of millions of ordinary Syrians who have seen their loved ones lost, homes destroyed, families uprooted and their lives put on hold. For 11-year-old Naamat, a refugee from Homs living in Jordan, the war has compelled her take on responsibilities well beyond her years. While Fatima earns 5 Jordanian dinars (US$7) for half-days spent cleaning houses, her husband Mahmoud is unable to work or look after their children due to the lingering physical and psychological effects of his experiences in Syria, leaving Naamat to take on many of the household chores. Mahmoud was arrested in 2011 after leaving Friday prayers, with Fatima knowing nothing of her husbands fate. In 2013, she was forced to flee the fighting in Homs with Naamat and her younger brother Fahed, moving first to the southern Syrian province of Deraa before crossing the border into Jordan. "It was the worst night of my whole life." We walked from sunset until sunrise, Fatima recalled. It was the worst night of my whole life. It was dark and we could hear the sound of bullets in the distance. It was very cold and there was snow, and no way of keeping warm. Then aged just four, Naamat still remembers the disorientation she felt arriving in Zaatari refugee camp in the north of Jordan with dozens of other Syrian refugees. I was surprised because I used to live in a house, and we came to live in tents. I was really shocked. We used to feel warm, and suddenly I found myself in a tent and cold. Fatima moved with her children to Jordans capital Amman. A year or so later and quite out of the blue, she was reunited with her husband. There was a knock on the door and I found him [standing there]. I had thought he was dead. Today, seven years after their arrival in Jordan, they are still barely able to keep their heads above water. The run-down apartment near central Amman that they rent for 100 dinars (US$140) a month is almost entirely devoid of furniture, with mattresses on the floors for seating and sleeping, and rarely more than a days worth of food in the kitchen. Fatima holds her youngest son, Ibrahim, outside their home in Amman, Jordan. UNHCR/Diego Ibarra Sanchez Naamat looks after her brother Ibrahim while their mother is at work. UNHCR/Diego Ibarra Sanchez Eleven-year-old Namaat writes a poem on the steps outside her home. UNHCR/Diego Ibarra Sanchez After finishing her morning chores, Namaat (left) takes the bus to school. UNHCR/Diego Ibarra Sanchez Naamat feeds her youngest brother Ibrahim a bottle of formula milk. UNHCR/Diego Ibarra Sanchez Naamat jumps rope with some of her neighbourhood friends. UNHCR/Diego Ibarra Sanchez The little Fatima earns is nowhere near enough to provide even the basics for her family. But thanks to the 140 dinars (US$197) in monthly cash assistance she receives from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, together with food vouchers from the World Food Programme, she is at least able to cover the rent, keep them fed and pay for the childrens school transport. It is a similar picture for the majority of the more than 5.5 million registered Syrian refugees living in the regions major host countries Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt. The share of refugees living below the poverty line exceeds 60 percent in many of these countries, while more than a third of refugee children are out of school. The protracted crisis has also placed a huge strain on the resources of the local communities generously hosting them. "I will not despair." The precarious situation facing millions of refugees after nine years of conflict is what continues to drive cases of early marriage and child labour, and see children like Naamat required take on domestic duties at such a young age. Yet despite the responsibility placed on her by their situation, and the awareness that it is not a normal state of affairs for an 11-year-old, Naamats quiet determination has helped her to excel at school and rise to the top of the class in many subjects. I love education a lot, because I feel that it will give me a beautiful future, she says. I lost part of my childhood, but I find what remains in education, and in building a future for myself. I did not lose that yet, and I will not despair. It is this hope, kept alive by the fact that Jordan has opened its schools and communities to Syrian refugees, that keeps Naamat and her family going. After nine years, host communities continue to show remarkable solidarity. "You never feel that she is broken." For Fatima, seeing the resilience and optimism that Naamat possesses allows her to hope that they will eventually overcome their current situation. Life was very tough on me and my family. We faced many challenges: the pain of war and the pain of leaving our loved ones behind, the financial situation, becoming refugees so many things, Fatima says. But she has a very strong personality. You never feel that she is broken or vulnerable. That afternoon, after Fatima returns from work to take over the running of the household from her daughter, Naamat goes outside to play with two friends from the neighbourhood. As they take turns jumping rope, competing to outdo each other, the serious expression that Naamat has worn for most of the day disappears, briefly replaced by a smile of pure joy. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 11:47:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LHASA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- There have been no casualties reported following three earthquakes including a 5.0-magnitude earthquake in a county in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region on Tuesday morning. The 5.0-magnitude earthquake, with the epicenter monitored at 32.84 degrees north latitude and 85.52 degrees east longitude, jolted Gerze County in Ali Prefecture at 2:12 a.m. Tuesday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. Later on, the county was struck again by a 3.7-magnitude quake and a 3.4-magnitude one. Sonam Daje, deputy head of the county's civil affairs bureau, said a preliminary investigation found no casualties, and no houses collapsed as of 10 a.m. Tuesday. "The epicenter is around a village in Gerze. Most people were asleep when the earthquakes occurred, and tremors were not strongly felt by the residents in the county seat," said Hu Haibo, director of the county's poverty relief office. Gerze is the largest county featuring animal husbandry industry in Ali, with an average altitude of over 4,500 meters. Local News, National & World News, Community, Charity & Cause, Health & Wellness, Politics By Brooke Hein Published: March 10 2020 During a novel coronavirus briefing, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the state will provide alcohol-based hand sanitizer to New Yorkers free of charge. During a novel coronavirus briefing, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the state will provide alcohol-based hand sanitizer to New Yorkers free of charge. To help combat price-gouging and ensure New Yorkers have access to this vital prevention method, the state will produce up to 100,000 gallons of hand sanitizer each week in 1.7 oz., 7 oz. and gallon bottles. The hand sanitizer will be made available to residents free of charge, and distribution will be prioritized by the most impacted and high risk communities, including the New Rochelle community, and state agencies, including the MTA. Governor Cuomo also confirmed 37 additional cases of novel coronavirus in New York State since his last update from Sunday, bringing the statewide total to 142 confirmed cases. The Governor also announced the New York State Department of Health will work with the New York State Education Department to issue guidance for schools with students, teachers or other staff who test positive for novel coronavirus. Under the policy, schools will close for an initial 24-hour period if a student or a teacher or any other staff at the school test positive for the novel coronavirus. This will allow the school to undergo disinfection, and for the State to perform an assessment of the situation and make a determination going forward in that particular school district. Additionally, the Governor will send a program bill to the legislature today to provide paid sick leave to working New Yorkers and specifically protect those who are required to stay home from work because they are being isolated or quarantined as a result of the novel coronavirus. As the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus continues to rise, unscrupulous retailers are exploiting New Yorkers anxieties about the virus and charging exorbitant prices for hand sanitizer and other similar products, Governor Cuomo said. To solve this problem, the state is producing and deploying hand sanitizer to high impact areas as well as schools, the MTA and other government agencies because you cant get it on the market and the product that is available is very expensive. The biggest problem we have in this situation is fear, not the virus itself, and Im once again reminding everyone to focus on the facts because the facts do not warrant the level of anxiety we are seeing. Of the 142 total individuals in New York State who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows: Westchester: 98 (16 new cases) New York City: 19 (7 new cases) Nassau: 17 (12 new cases) Rockland: 4 (2 new cases) Saratoga: 2 Suffolk: 1 Ulster: 1 DOCCS, through its correctional industries entity known as Corcraft, will produce an alcohol-based formula recognized by the World Health Organization and has begun production at Great Meadow Correctional Facility in Comstock, Washington County, this week. Through this ongoing effort, the Department will be able to produce up to 100,000 gallons of hand sanitizer per week. Corcraft, which produces dozens of products, uses the manufacturing process to assist in the departments overall mission to prepare offenders for release through skill development, work ethic, respect and responsibility. Local governments seeking to obtain additional stocks of hand sanitizer should work with their Countys Emergency Manager and local Health Department to submit requests directly into NY Responds, the states web-based system which enables both local governments and state agencies to submit and share vital emergency-related information and resource requests. Reportedly, some retailers are charging approximately 10 times what major retailers charge for hand sanitizer. On eBay a pack of five 2.5-ounce Germ-X hand sanitizer bottles were selling for $500 by comparison, two 30-ounce bottles of Germ-X were offered online by Walmart for less than $8. The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision also began a new screening protocol for COVID-19 for visitors to each of the States 52 correctional facilities to help avoid the introduction of COVID-19 into the Departments facilities. Upon arrival to the facility, visitors will be asked a series of questions regarding any illness or symptoms they may be currently experiencing; travel outside of the United States within the past four weeks, including that of family members; and any direct exposure to an individual diagnosed with the novel coronavirus in the past four weeks. DOCCS Acting Commissioner Anthony J. Annucci said, Between increased demand and the price gouging currently taking place in the market, there is a very real need for hand sanitizer for New York residents. DOCCS is proud to meet the Governors call to action and do our part in stemming the spread of COVID-19 across the state. Last night, the Governor announced that Northwell Laboratories has been authorized to test under Wadsworths emergency use authorization. Manual testing of 75 to 80 samples per day has begun at Northwell, but automated testing still needs to be approved by the federal administration so the lab can perform thousands of tests per day. Additionally, NY Presbyterian Hospital is ready to start running 50 to 60 tests daily once it receives federal approval for testing. The Governor again today urged the federal administration to approve the use of the states coronavirus test by private labs, such as NY Presbyterian. Prevention tips from the New York State Department of Health: While there is currently no vaccine to prevent this virus, these simple steps can help stop the spread of this and other respiratory viruses: Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Stay home when you are sick. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces. The Department of Health has additional information on COVID-19: https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/coronavirus By Natalie Rahhal, Acting US Health Editor for DailyMail.com HOW DANGEROUS IS CORONAVIRUS? About 14 percent of people who contract the Covid-19 coronavirus are taken to hospital with severe symptoms including breathing problems and pneumonia. About 5 per cent need intensive care. But the majority who get the virus suffer nothing more than a cough and may never know they are infected. So far, some 51,000 people around the world have already recovered from coronavirus and that just includes the numbers who received a diagnosis. HOW MANY PEOPLE DIE? Officially, the death rate so far has been just over three percent. But experts believe the true mortality rate is probably between one and two percent. This is because most mild cases have not been picked up by doctors or reflected in the official numbers so the death rate is inflated. HOW DOES THIS COMPARE WITH OTHER DISEASES? Seasonal flu kills roughly 0.1 percent of people. So Covid-19 is between 10 and 20 times more fatal. But it is far less dangerous than SARS the virus that ripped across China in 2003 which killed 10 percent of patients. BUT DOESNT CORONAVIRUS SPREAD MORE EASILY? Yes, but not dramatically. The best estimates suggest every person with Covid-19 passes it on to 2.6 people, on average. For flu that number is 1.5. CAN IT BE SPREAD WITHOUT SYMPTOMS? Initially scientists feared carriers who had no symptoms could pass it on. That is now in doubt. What is likely, however, is those who have mild symptoms are putting it down to a cold and going about their normal lives which puts others at risk. HOW LONG IS IT BEFORE SYMPTOMS APPEAR? Again, unclear. Initially scientists said this could take up to two weeks. But recent evidence suggests the incubation period could be as long as a month particularly among children. The average, however, is much shorter. A Chinese study said the average period of symptom onset was 5.4 days for adults and 6.5 for children. WHO IS AT RISK? The virus can affect anyone with a study of the first 41 infected people revealing two thirds did not suffer from any pre-existing condition. But the middle-aged are most likely to get it 78 percent of those infected in China have been aged 30 to 69. WHAT ABOUT THE OLD? Only 3 percent of people infected so far have been over 80 but if they get it they are more vulnerable. Analysis of 72,000 cases in China suggests for over-80s the death rate is 15 percent. For those in their 70s the death rate is 8 percent and for those in their 60s, 4 percent. WHO ELSE IS VULNERABLE? Those with other conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and kidney problems are likely to suffer severe complications if they become infected. WHAT ABOUT CHILDREN? Children seem to be low-risk. Less than 1 percent of the Chinese cases have been under the age of ten and if children do get the virus its often a mild form. They do, however, retain the virus for longer than adults. A study last week found the virus was still present in the stools of some children for a month after they contracted it. DOES GENDER MATTER? Men are marginally more likely to get the virus than women. It is not clear why this is. HOW DO DOCTORS TEST FOR COVID-19? Anyone who has symptoms particularly if they have travelled to an at-risk area are told to call ahead to their health care provider, local emergency department or clinics. This way, health care providers can be prepared, wearing masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment when they meet the possible patient and escort them to isolated areas of the facility. They are tested using a cheek swab which is sent off for analysis at one of 12 Public Health England labs, a process that takes between 24 and 48 hours. Any positive test is double-checked at the main PHE lab in Colindale. WHAT TREATMENT DO PATIENTS GET? There is little doctors can do to tackle the virus, but they can treat the symptoms such as fever and respiratory problems. Antivirals and antibiotics are also used, mainly to keep secondary problems at bay. In the most serious cases patients are put on life-support equipment. There are several clinical trials for potential coronavirus treatments ongoing worldwide, including one in Nebraska, where at least 13 patients are in quarantine, including two in biocontainment units. WHAT ABOUT A VACCINE? Even though the Wuhan virus appeared only a few weeks ago, 20 teams around the world are already manufacturing vaccines. Chinese authorities provided the DNA code for the virus early on in the outbreak, enabling scientists to get to work straight away. At least 30 companies and research institutions in the US are racing to make a vaccine. Last week, one of these companies, Moderna, shipped its candidate vaccine to the US, signalling the shot was ready to begin clinical trials. Even so, US health authorities say it will likely be upwards of a year before a vaccine is actually ready. Nearly 900 million confessions and secrets posted to the app Whisper were left exposed on a non-password-protect database open to the public internet. Although messages were not tied to real names, 'a user's stated age, ethnicity, gender, hometown, nickname and any membership in groups, many of which are devoted to sexual confessions and discussion of sexual orientation and desires' were visible, according to The Washington Post. The public was able to browse and search through the records, many of which were posted by children The Post found 1.3 million results were connected to users who listed their age as just 15 years old. The database was discovered by the advisory group Twelve Security, which said the personal information tied to the messages was enough 'to unmask or blackmail' the user who shared the post. However, the firm has rejected the findings stating the posts and their ties are 'a consumer facing feature of the application which users can choose to share or not share.' Scroll down for video Nearly 900 million confessions and secrets posted to the app Whisper were left exposed on a non-password-protect database open to the public internet Matthew Porter and Dan Ehrlich, cybersecurity consultants with Twelve Security, alerted authorities and Whisper of the exposed database and access has been removed as of Monday. 'No matter what happens from here on out, the data has been exposed for years,' Olbert said adding that people could 'have their lives ruined and their families blackmailed because of this.' Whisper shared a statement on Tuesday saying that much of the data is intended to be visible to users in the app, but the exposed database was 'not designed to be queried directly.' 'This has very much violated the societal and ethical norms we have around the protection of children online,' said Ehrlich, who also discovered the data leak in Wyze that occurred last year. He also said Whisper's actions are 'grossly negligent.' The exposed bucket has been online for years and contains enough information to unmask the user that shared the post. Whisper encourages people to share their darkest secrets with the promise they stay anonymous However, Lauren Jamar, vice president of content and safety at Whisper's parent company MediaLab, has disputed Twelve Security's discovery, saying posts and their ties are 'a consumer facing feature of the application which users can choose to share or not share.' But Porter and Ehrlich are not buying Jamar's statement, as anyone was able to download the information in bulk, placing users involved at risk of privacy issues. Whisper deems itself the 'safest place on the Internet' with its promotional material stating that it is 'the largest online platform where people share real thoughts and feelings without identities or profiles.' The messages were tied to the user's location in which they shared the post. The team was able to see the location for hundreds of military bases around the world and their exact coordinates. Whisper has rejected the findings stating the posts and their ties are 'a consumer facing feature of the application which users can choose to share or not share'. Researches who uncovered the database hit back saying the bucket could have been downloaded by anyone, which is a security issue This information was gathered in part of Whisper's project in analyzing suicide rates among the military for an undeveloped research proposal with the Defense Department. WHISPER: THE 'ANONYMOUS' APP Whisper, which has its headquarters in Los Angeles, was set up two years ago with the aim of allowing users to post messages anonymously enabling them to share intimate details about their private lives. Users, who do not have a public identity, send out short posts displayed as text superimposed over an image. People can then respond to a message either publicly or privately. There have been reports that Whisper's popularity has grown so much and as of 2015 it gained 10 million users on the platform. Advertisement This is not the first time Whisper has come under fire, as in 2014 the firm was accused of of monitoring the whereabouts of its users - including some who have specifically requested not to be followed. There are claims a team at the company is tracking users it thinks are newsworthy - including military personnel, people working at Disney and a 'sex-obsessed lobbyist' working in Washington DC. The claims were made by the Guardian newspaper which suggested Whisper was occasionally sharing information with the US government. Rejecting any wrongdoing, it told the newspaper that it 'does not follow or track users' and said it was false to suggest it was monitoring people without its consent. However, the Guardiam which gathered this information while vising the company's headquarters, said Whisper has acknowledged it researched locations of people who they considered were sending out newsworthy messages - adding that this was typically done using GPS data. Archaeologists in Pakistan have found what they describe as definitely the largest ivory workshop discovered in the world. The workshop was found at a renowned dig site in Bhanbhore, an ancient port city in Sindh province thought to be 2,100 years old, and a hub for international trade. The dig was a joint project by the Sindh governments Department of Culture and Antiquities, and the Italian Foreign Ministry. A team of archaeologists in Bhanbhore, Pakistan discovered an ancient workshop dedicated to processing ivory, dating back an estimated 800 years The team found close to 90 pounds of ivory fragments and pieces at the site, which has produced a steady flow of important historical artifacts since it was first discovered in 1928, according to a report in Haertz. Nowhere else in the world have ivories been found in such a large quantity, archaeologist Simone Mantellini of the University of Bologna said. The workshop itself appears to be around 800 years old, at which time ivory was a precious commodity similar in value to gold. After analyzing the fragments, the team believe they were likely waste produced by a carpentry workshop as part of its work producing fine carvings for trade. The source of the ivory are believed to be elephants brought into the country from India, where their tusks were harvested and processed. Bhanbhore is a renowned excavation site first discovered in 1928, situated in Sindh province on the coast near Karachi The team found close to 90 pounds of elephant ivory at the site, which they believe was used to create small decorative items used in international trade Ivory appears to have been most valuable for its trade value as the output of the workshop would have been far too large for just the local market. The shape and size of the ivory fragments likewise suggest the material was used for decorative purposes, crafted into small decorative ornaments. The trade theory is supported by the discovery of a wide variety of pottery and earthenware at the site, including, bowls, pots, and other vessels that were likely used to store olive oil, wine, and garum, a condiment made from fermented fish. The team believe the ancient city was a major trading port based on the wide range of storage vessels found at the side along with the small ivory fragments, showing influences from China, Iran, and Iraq The vessels were believed to store a range of items, including olive oil, wine, and garum, a fermented fish condiment that was popular at the time Pottery discovered at the site reveals a range of influences that further reinforces the fact that the ancient city was a tradition hub, with influences from China, Iraq and Iran. 'The most interesting thing is that the shapes [of the pottery] continue to this day,' archaeologist Agnese Fusaro said. 'We can see a very interesting continuity of tradition throughout the centuries.' (Photo : Screenshot from: Time Official Website) Nairobi-bound Flight ET302 had crashed to the ground at 8:38 am on March 10, 2019, just after six minutes of take-off from Addus Ababa's Bole International airport.Exactly a year after the Ethiopian Airlines crash, families and relatives of the victims are still haunted by what happened to the Boeing 737 Max 8 that carried and lost all 157 passengers on board. Read Also: Future Airplanes Will Have Self-Healing Wings Using Technology Inspired By Human Skin A memorial will be held at the crash site There were a total of 33 nations which includes Canada, the United States, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Italy, and France, were on board Flight 302, and all of their families flew from around the world to visit Ethiopia for the memorial at the crash site. The organizers have said that the program will include tree planting and a reading of all of the victims' names to be remembered. It was the second plane crash that involved a Boeing 737 Max In October 2018, the first accident involving Indonesia's Lion Air killed all 189 passengers on board, which the Boeing 737 Max carried as well. It was reported to be the worst airline disaster in Indonesia. CEO of Boeing was forced to step down The unfortunate accident cost the company billions and faced hundreds of lawsuits from the families and forced the CEO to step down. The interim reports from Ethiopia's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau resulted in linking the crash to the airplane's MCAS or the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System anti-stall software. The results also stated that there were no issues with the pilots' handling of the plane and that the problem was with the Boeing 737 Max itself, wherein there were inaccurate readings of the sensors triggered the plane's MCAS that pushed the nose of the aircraft as low as it can get as the pilots struggled to control it. As of today, The 737 Max, which is Boeing's best-selling plane, remains grounded. Ethiopia's FANA news agency had said that "The report supports the initial findings by Ethiopian officials last April that Boeing's MCAS made it impossible for the crew to regain control of the aircraft. We have not made a decision on 737 MAX 8 planes, and that decision is not easy for us right now. At this moment, we're waiting for the final decisions on the airplanes, and we have to be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that this airplane is good to fly again." A 62-year-od local farmer, Abera Lenjiso, remembers the accident as clear as day since the crash happened in this village, saying that he recalls going out of his house and saw a huge explosion and smoke. They ran to the crash site with many other people crying and called their local administrators. He also said that their village was not that known before the plane crash, but after days of the crash, mourners came to them, and they shared food and their grief. Read Also: Parachutes Do Not Save People Who Fall Out Of Airplanes: Study 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Migrant Protection Protocols are an initiative of the U.S. government that allows many immigrants from Mexico, who enter or request entry, to return to Mexico, both illegal and not reported, and to remain outside the United States for the length of their immigration process where Mexico provides them all suitable humanitarian provisions for a long period of time. MPP is the action that was sent to thousands of foreign individuals entering Mexico to wait for the hearing for their U.S. haven. U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced on Friday that 80 active duty troops will be deployed to San Diego's San Ysidro border crossing and 80 other individuals will be assigned in early Sunday at El Paso's Paso del Norte to deliver "military police support, engineer, and aviation support" to customs officials at those two ports of entry. Some of the migrants in Mexico rushed into the border in February when the court denied the MPP program for being unlawful. But the decision of the Supreme Court will still be pending until the given date of March 12. The MPP program is being allowed by the court to continue in Texas, while in other parts of the country, the Department of Justice requests to prolong the delay of the appeal. The purpose of the deployed troops is not only for the necessity and empowerment of the borders, but also for the safety of the country against the avid trending virus from the country of China. "According to US CBP (Customs and Border Protection), their mission is to secure the nation's borders and measures such as the Crisis Response Force employment allow them to do just that," a senior agency told the reporters last March 6. Due to the administration's concerns such as large crowd of migrants attempting to forcibly enter the country through the Port of Entries (PoE) and rapid spreading of COVID-19 concerns, the CRF has been activated. November 2018, Trump initially deployed soldiers to the border because of the anticipation of the arrival of a large caravan that made the PENTAGON do the CRF plan. The MPP program entails that if migrants have child/children, it forces officials to release them unconstrained into the US jobs market after merely 20 days. In February, officials freed 2,000 foreign insiders out of 36,000 arrivals. In May of last year, security control let 80,000 foreign insiders cross into the US, while 140,000 arrived at the border. In June 2019, US President Donald Trump declared that the United States and Mexico had a deal under which Washington would deny his earlier plans to split the charges on Mexican products to prevent the continuous flow of migrants. This deal sets that Mexico deploys its National Security to their southern border and work to erupt illegal human deeds. Trump announced a national emergency in February to secure funds to build a wall on the border with Mexico and believes that the wall, which was his 2016 campaign pledge, will prevent the surging of illegal immigrants and drug influencers in the United States of America. Specs of the new edition of the trusty waterproof wireless in-ear accessory are out Apple says the Powerbeats 4 will be more comfortable in your ears and will have a longer run time of 15 hours, compared to the Powerbeats 3, which had a battery life of 12 hours. Chennai: Apple is set to release the latest version of its popular earphones used during workouts, Powerbeats, with a new design focused on ergonomic comfort. Photographs accessed by 9to5Mac show that the wireless earphones will be available in black, white and red, will be more comfortable in your ears and will have a longer run time of 15 hours, compared to the Powerbeats 3, which had a battery life of 12 hours. Whats most exciting about the Powerbeats 4 is fast charging. You can get 60 minutes of playback time by charging using Fast Fuel option for just five minutes, using a lightning connector. Apple promises clearer playback and a wider frequency band, as well as a more stable connection using class 1 Bluetooth technology. You can answer calls as usual with the Beats button on the right headphone, and also use Siri if you hold down the button. In the new design, the cable connecting the two ear hooks will lead out of the holder behind the ear, and the water-proof casing is expected to be more durable. The price is expected to be around the same or slightly higher than the Powerbeats 3 which sells at around Rs 15,000-Rs 17,000. Singapore City, Singapore -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/09/2020 -- Parc Central Residences, executive condominium by Hoi Hup Realty and Sunway Group, is set to take luxury living experience to the top level for the people of Singapore. The city has become home to people from all over the world, who expect nothing but the best from the living experience that is offered to them. Local residents also have an eye for true luxury that is just perfect for their young as well as multigenerational families. Now they don't have to look beyond Parc Central Residences, the project at Tampines Ave 10. Up to 695 units are up for grabs in the project that has so much to offer for its residents. Clearly, the project that has been developed by two of the most popular names in the business, has taken into account needs of families of all sizes. That's why these executive condominiums will have two, three, four, and five bedroom units, which can be chosen based on people's specific needs. But irrespective of the choice, buyers can rest assured of the luxury experience that their new homes will offer them. Living up to their name, these executive condominiums have been designed to offer the best living experience. The amenities they offer will spell luxury every step of the way. But beyond the facilities, what makes Parc Central Residences tick the right boxes for interested buyers is its impeccable location. It is the last piece of land on Tampines Condo belt, which gives it the inherent advantage of being in close proximity to the buzzing neighborhood. Firstly, shopping markets and malls like Giant Hypermarket, Courts Megastore and IKEA are only a short distance away. But another big attraction is the Tampines Hub, which allows residents of Parc Central Residences to experience the best community facilities available. From a state of the art library to Badminton courts and bowling alley, cinemas to rock climbing avenues; there is a lot to explore in the neighborhood and live life to the fullest. Interested buyers can now look at the eligibility criteria and register interest for viewing of the showflat that will be ready in H2 2020. About Parc Central Residences It is a premium project by renowned developers Hoi Hup Realty and Sunway Group that promises to bring an exciting, luxury residential experience to Tampines Ave 10. Media Contact Parc Central Residences Sales Team Website: https://www.parc-central-residences.com/ Email: sales@parc-central-residences.com Phone: +6565289588 Address: Tampines Ave 10 Singapore GREENWICH Murphy Medical Associates is testing people who think they might have the novel coronavirus, and patients never have to leave their car. The drive-thru operation, modeled on programs in South Korea and the United Kingdom, began Tuesday in Greenwich, Stamford and Stratford locations. Keeping patients in their car will allow medical offices to care for their patients while keeping any actual cases of coronavirus away. Dr. Steven A. R. Murphy said he dubbed the practice drive-thru because the name makes the practice seem catchier, and it reminds people with possible symptoms to stay away from medical offices and emergency rooms. He said he knows of at least three other doctors in Greenwich who are testing patients in their parking lots. There is nothing magical about it, Murphy said. In publicizing the service, the doctor said he wants to dispel the anxiety swirling over the outbreak. Fear, uncertainty and doubt lead to paranoia from the Department of Health, patients, doctors and the general public, Murphy said. I think in healthcare, that is energized because its life-or-death, and the process is very complex. In his groups operation, people register online and a tele-medicine review is set up. Outside the epidemic, Murphy Associates frequently conducts the remote phone or online reviews for new patients before they visit the office. The actual tests take place at the groups offices at 1 East Putnam Ave. in Greenwich, 2900 Main St. in Stratford and 30 Buxton Farms Rd. in Stamford. There, patients keep their windows up while their ID and insurance are checked. Farther on, clinicians in full protective gear collect samples. The tests were privately developed by New Jersey-based Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp of North Carolina, both of which had their kits expedited through Food and Drug Administration approvals, given the spreading epidemic, Murphy said. Quest Diagnostics announced Monday its tests are available to order, followed by LabCorp making the same announcement on Tuesday. Neither laboratory system collects samples. The capacity to test is increasing as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has expanded its criteria for judging if someone should be tested. Still, the CDC advises clinicians to follow a set of criteria for determining who should be tested. Clinicians should look at how many cases are in the area, the kind of illness the patient has, any recent, relevant travel history and possible work-related risks. Murphy said clinicians cannot rely on symptoms alone, as other illnesses can have similar signs. That is why the CDC also advises clinicians to make decisions based on local cases. Since Fairfield County is so close to the significant outbreak in Westchester County, clinicians can and should account for the spread, Murphy said, as many Westchester and Fairfield residents work or go to school in the other county. Youre right next door to a hotspot, so your threshold is lower than if youre in Peoria, Ill., Murphy said. Likewise, healthcare and laboratory workers are at increased risks, as are people who have been out of the country the last 30-40 days. You have to winnow it down, Murphy said. The doctor said that Quest and LabCorp representatives have told him they have enough kits for localized geographic areas. Right now, Quest has the capacity to test 100,000 nationwide, he said, and both companies are aware of the outbreak at Fairfield Countys door. They understand where the hotspots are and they are giving them priority, he said. The process to test the sample only takes a few hours, but labs tell doctors the process, from receiving the sample to returning the results, takes three to four days, Murphy said. During that time, patients are asked to self-isolate. The problem is not the number of kits as much as it is the lack of labs that can test the samples. Currently, the samples are sent to a specialized laboratory in California, and this will continue until labs on the East Coast are given the equipment needed to test. California is dealing with serious outbreaks within the state, so the lab is prioritizing the processing of samples there, Connecticut Chief Operating Officer Josh Geballe said in a press conference Tuesday afternoon. A testing machine could be coming to Massachusetts next week, Geballe said. In the coming weeks, machines could be installed in Wallingford and New Jersey, Murphy said. The state is pursuing other avenues to expand capacity to process tests, but these pursuits are not ready to be announced publicly, Geballe said. jo.kroeker@hearstmediact.com Three new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Karnataka on Tuesday taking the total number of infected people to four, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said and asked people not to panic. A software engineer who returned here from the US on March 1 tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday, becoming the first COVID-19 patient in Karnataka. According to health department officials, his wife and daughter too tested positive for the virus on Tuesday. Another person, who had travelled from America via London and arrived here on March 8, also tested positive, they said. Surveillance at airports for those with symptoms has been stepped up, Yediyurappa, who chaired a high level meeting with officials here, told reporters. "So far four people have been confirmed for COVID-19. The patients as well as their family members have been quarantined." Yediyurappa said the engineer's driver and his family have been quarantined. His friends too have been screened, he added. "There is no need for the citizens of our state to panic. We are going to screen all the international passengers effectively," the Chief Minister said after chairing a meeting with the officials about the preparedness to tackle the disease. He asked people not to pay heed to rumours and sought media support to allay public fear. Yediyurappa appealed to the media for support to tackle the coronavirus challenge. "We need media support. Do not publicise small incidents to make it look big," Yediyurappa said. To a question about shortage of face masks due to black-marketing, Yediyurappa said raids have been conducted to ensure that no one sells these products at a higher price. A Mangaluru report said a man, who was under coronavirus quarantine at a district hospital following his arrival from Dubai on March 8, and later left the premises, has been re-admitted to the facility following the district administration's intervention. Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B Rupesh said the patient's samples have been collected and sent to a testing centre in Bengaluru. Meanwhile, medical education minister K Sudhakar said the state government is mulling providing additional health insurance coverage to doctors and paramedics treating the coronavirus cases and working in laboratories besides existing schemes. Stressing that their safety was 'paramount', he also asked them to follow the guidelines laid down by the Health department while treating the virus cases. He was speaking after inaugurating a laboratory which will have testing facilities for coronavirus and other pathogens, including H1N1, at the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute in the Victoria Hospital campus here. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Montana Free Press GREAT FALLS Environmental and indigenous activists returned to federal court in Great Falls on Friday, March 6, seeking to stop construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline by TC Energy, formerly TransCanada, nine months after their first successful lawsuit was thrown out through an executive order by the Trump administration. Roughly 30 protesters rallied against the pipeline outside the courthouse and on the nearby 1st Avenue North Bridge, waving signs that garnered honks of solidarity and engines revved in counterprotest. Some of the faces were familiar. Several of the protesters had been present at a nearly identical 2018 rally in support of a lawsuit that in November of that year stopped construction of the proposed 1,200-mile pipeline from Alberta to Nebraska. Ill never give up, said Debbie McShane, the Lakota president of the American Indian Movement in Montana. McShane waved anti-pipeline signs with her two kids Friday outside the courthouse, just as they had done in 2018. The kids, Sky Running Enemy and Kendalyn Running Enemy, are each a head taller than last time. Were back here because we cant get this resolved, McShane said. Protesters wave anti-Keystone XL flags on the 1st Avenue North Bridge over the Missouri River in Great Falls, Montana, on March 6, 2020. Photo by Hunter Pauli / Montana Free Press Also present were protesters from farther down the proposed pipeline route, including farmer Art Tanderup, who led a contingent from Nebraska, where his land is in the path of Keystone XL. Tanderup also had been present at the 2018 rally. This time last year, record flooding hit Tanderups part of northeast Nebraska, collapsing a dam on a tributary of the Missouri, knocking down bridges, and inundating parts of the state that Keystone XL is slated to cross, and that the Keystone Pipeline already crosses. The river decided it would do what rivers do, and it rerouted itself, Tanderup said. Oil spills at river crossings are one of the primary concerns of Keystone XL opponents, and while Nebraska has long been a flashpoint in battles to block the pipeline, KXLs proposed crossing of the Missouri River in remote northeast Montana , just upriver of the Fort Peck Indian Reservations drinking water intake, has generated less attention. Angeline Cheek, an ACLU of Montana indigenous justice organizer from Fort Peck, spoke to the assembled protesters about the threat KXL poses to her communitys drinking water. Pollution from 20th century oil development made Fort Pecks reservoir undrinkable, and Cheek, a Hunkpapa Lakota and Oglala Sioux tribal member, fears the communitys new Missouri River water source might suffer the same fate. The Missouri River Federal Courthouse sits between the river and the rail spur connecting the BNSF yard to Great Falls Calumet oil refinery the closest U.S. refinery to the Alberta oil sands. Expansion of oil sands development hinges on driving down transportation costs with pipelines. Those costs are currently bottlenecked by rail transport. The last speech of the day, delivered by longtime Oglala Lakota activist Regina Brave of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, was repeatedly interrupted by the blaring horn of an oil train departing Calumet at the rail crossing 200 feet away. The lawsuit heard Friday is one of many filed in Montanas federal courts against Keystone XL since President Trump resurrected the long-delayed pipeline soon after entering office. The lawsuit was filed in July 2019 by a coalition of environmental groups including the Sierra Club and the Northern Plains Resource Council. It challenges the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers use of a Nationwide Permit 12 to approve Keystone XL; plaintiffs say that permits application is overly broad, given that the pipeline would cross hundreds of rivers, streams, and wetlands, and that its use inappropriately skirts the comprehensive environmental review required by the National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act. Compared to the rhetoric outside the courthouse, the hearing was dry. Attorneys from each side presented their version of how the permit functions in regard to Keystone XL, with Judge Brian Morris questioning them on case law specifics and permitting process arcana. Attorneys for the federal defendants claim the Corps of Engineers does not regulate pipelines, and that therefore NEPA, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act do not apply to the permitting process. Sierra Club attorney Doug Hayes argued that though the corps does not regulate oil tankers, the courts have determined that oil spills are still reasonably foreseeable and must be taken into account when issuing permits. Agencies have to look at reasonably foreseeable impacts, even if they dont regulate those impacts, Hayes said. TC Energy attorney Peter Whitfield said only 2% of the Keystone XL pipeline would cross water. Concerning an oil spill, he said, theres no definitive proof that it would ever happen. Fort Peck tribal citizen Angeline Cheek is an outspoken opponent of Keystone XL Pipeline. Photo by Erika Peterman / Montana Free Press The Keystone Pipeline spilled 400,000 gallons of oil into a North Dakota wetland last October, around the same time Montana Attorney General Tim Fox, who is running for the Republican nomination for governor, announced the Montana Department of Justice was intervening in the lawsuit in favor of the pipeline. Deputy Montana Attorney General Rob Cameron said in court that the Montana Department of Environmental Quality completed an exhaustive multi-year NEPA review before greenlighting Keystone XL to build in Montana, and said the pipeline does not violate Montana citizens constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment. In 2017, MDEQ Director Tom Livers said threats posed by Keystone XL to the Fort Peck Indian Reservations drinking water were not identified as an issue during scoping, in public comments, or in the tribal consultation process. In November , Gov. Steve Bullock, now running for U.S. Senate in the Democratic primary, submitted a six-page letter to the federal government saying the state considers the Keystone XL environmental review deficient. The letter cited threats posed to eastern Montanas water infrastructure, a concern that was raised by environmental groups (including current lawsuit plaintiff Northern Plains Resource Council), and that was ignored by then-Attorney General Bullock and the state Land Board when it unanimously voted to sell TransCanada easements for Keystone XL in 2012. Judge Morris did not rule on the case Friday, and said he would deliver an order forthwith. Hunter Pauli is a Seattle-born, Missoula-based freelance investigative reporter and graduate of the University of Montana School of Journalism. You can follow him on Twitter @paulimeth This story originally appeared on Montana Free Press . It is published under a Creative Commons license Join the Conversation Advertisement Dr Sam Fink, who is a primary care physician treating coronavirus patients in Tarzana - the wealthy Los Angeles suburb just 10 miles from Kim Kardashian 's Calabasas home, has warned that the disease is unlike anything he has ever seen A California doctor has urged officials to close down local schools immediately as he revealed he was treating three 'very ill' young men with coronavirus near the Los Angeles celebrity suburb of Calabasas. The three men, who were part of a group of 14 on a skiing holiday, traveled back to the United States on February 27 after visiting Cortina d'Ampezzo in Northern Italy's Dolomite Mountains, DailyMail.com previously revealed. Dr Sam Fink, who is a primary care physician treating coronavirus patients in Tarzana - the Los Angeles suburb just 10 miles from Kim Kardashian's Calabasas home, has warned that the disease is unlike anything he has ever seen. They friends the men were traveling with have all tested positive for coronavirus. Dr Frink said one of his patients is being treated at the Tarzana Medical Center, the second is being treated at another facility and that he is friends with a third patient. 'I have practiced for over 30 years, and have seen it all, or so I thought. Nothing has worried me like this,' he wrote on Facebook on Sunday, adding that he has been shocked to see the impact of the fast-spreading virus. 'Essentially, 14 men went on a ski trip to Northern Italy. All have become ill, and all 14 have tested positive for coronavirus. Of the 14, four needed to be hospitalized, and of the four patients, three are very ill as I write this. One had a significant pre-existing medical condition. The other three did not, and are relatively young.' The Los Angeles County Health Department has confirmed eight cases of coronavirus among a group of travelers who recently returned from northern Italy. Sources told DailyMail.com that the other members of the group, who reside elsewhere in the US and abroad, have also fallen ill since returning home. One of the men, an American living in Switzerland, is understood to be in a coma. 'The news out of Northern Italy today is not good,' Dr Fink said as he urged the public to take measures beyond vigorous hand washing and hand sanitizing. He also urged schools to close and locals to avoid big groups. Fink shared an alarming post Sunday saying: 'Nothing has worried me like this' urging schools to be shut down immediately and for people to avoid large gatherings including sporting events and concerts A group of 14 friends - some who live in Los Angeles - have tested positive for coronavirus following a trip to the Cortina d'Ampezzo (above) in Italy's Dolomite Mountains in February One of those who returned from Italy is now said to be quarantined at Tarzana Medical Center (pictured) after arriving at LAX at the end of February Three of the men on the trip live in Tarzana, which is about 10 miles from the city of Calabasas and home to Kim Kardashian. The men were among a group of about 15 who traveled back to the United States on February 27 after visiting Cortina d'Ampezzo in the Dolomite Mountains WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF CORONAVIRUS? Like other coronaviruses, including those that cause the common cold and that triggered SARS, COVID-19 is a respiratory illness. The most common symptoms are: Fever Dry cough Shortness of breath Difficulty breathing Fatigue Although having a runny nose doesn't rule out coronavirus, it doesn't thus far appear to be a primary symptom. Most people only become mildly ill, but the infection can turn serious and even deadly, especially for those who are older or have underlying health conditions. In these cases, patients develop pneumonia, which can cause: Potentially with yellow, green or bloody mucus Fever, sweating and shaking chills Shortness of breath Rapid or shallow breathing Pain when breathing, especially when breathing deeply or coughing Low appetite, energy and fatigue Nausea and vomiting (more common in children) Confusion (more common in elderly people) Some patients have also reported diarrhea and kidney failure has occasionally been a complication. Avoid people with these symptoms. If you develop them, call your health care provider before going to the hospital or doctor, so they and you can prepare to minimize possible exposure if they suspect you have coronavirus. Advertisement 'I recommend to all who read this that you avoid going to large group events such as sporting events, and concerts,' he said. 'I believe that all schools should be closed immediately and classes conducted online, which is relatively simple. I know that so far, children infected with CV have done relatively well, but they might come home and hug Grandpa, who won't do so well. 'Avoid contact with others as much as possible. CV in the United States is at a relatively early stage, but it won't last there for long. Make sure you have any medications you need, as well as supplies, but panicking hurts all of us,' Fink warned. Dr Fink noted that while US cases of coronavirus are just a fraction of what is going on abroad, it was only a matter of time before the epidemic grows. 'My biggest hope is that I am totally wrong, and that you will all wonder in a few weeks what the hell I was talking about. But I have a pretty good track record, and I think you should take steps now to protect yourselves and your family. There is little cost to taking extra precaution right now, and the earlier, the better.' Pam Angel revealed last week that her husband and two adult sons were among the group who returned from the Italian ski trip. She said her husband and one son were in self-quarantine, while her other son was being treated in hospital with underlying health issues. 'He can't talk without coughing. He feels like he has a pallet of bricks on his chest, he's not eating,' she told KCBS-TV about her ill son. A fourth man, a US citizen who was also on the trip, is said to be in a coma in Switzerland, where he now resides. The rest of the men who were on the trip, who were said to be 'previously healthy guys in their 40s and 50s' have all since fallen ill, with one coughing up blood, according to sources. They live in states across the US, including Arizona where six cases have been reported. Italy has been hard-hit by the coronavirus where more than 9,000 people have tested positive for the diseases, and more than 400 people have died as of Monday evening. Northern Italy has seen the highest concentration of infection cases and on Monday Italy announced a country-wide lockdown affecting its 60 million people. In the US there are more than 750 cases of coronavirus and 26 deaths. In California alone there are 143 cases and two deaths. A woman in her 60s died in Santa Clara County on Monday. Last week, a man in his 70s died in Placer County after getting off the Grand Princess cruise ship. The outbreak has prompted concerned officials to heed the warnings of medical experts with school announcing closures in California and other parts of the country. UC Berkely announced Monday it will suspend most in-person classes starting from Tuesday. Stanford University also announced it would hold only online classes last week. USC is testing online classes this week. Harvard students have been told not to return to class after the spring break, and classes will resume online. Meanwhile, Northern California's largest school district in Sacramento County is closed this week. Only a small handful of California schools have closed and some have been temporary closed for cleaning. Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy in Beverly Hills will be closed until at least Thursday. Clifton Middle School in Monrovia was deep-cleaned Thursday after officials became aware that a person who might have the virus had been on campus, according to the Los Angeles Times. Tarzana, where three of the men live, is less than 10 miles away from the exclusive neighborhood of Calabasas, which is home to several celebrities including Kim Kardashian (left). Pam Angel (right) told KCBS-TV that her husband and two sons were on the trip and all three have tested positive Meanwhile, thousands of passengers aboard a cruise ship struck by the coronavirus waited anxiously on Tuesday for their chance to leave the vessel, even if it meant being shipped to military bases for weeks of quarantine. After days of being forced to idle off the Northern California coast, the Grand Princess docked Monday at the Port of Oakland with some 3,500 passengers and crew on board. About two dozen people who need acute medical care were taken off the ship, although it wasn't clear how many had tested positive for the new virus, according to Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the California Office of Emergency Services. Many of the nearly 240 Canadians on board left the ship after the critically ill and stood outside two tents displaying Canadian flags. Canada and the UK were among the countries sending chartered flights to retrieve their citizens. But some 2,000 passengers, including hundreds of Californians, were still aboard by the time disembarkation ended Monday night. It was to resume on Tuesday morning, the captain told passengers. The Grand Princess had been held off the coast since Wednesday because of evidence that it was the breeding ground for more than 20 infections tied to a previous voyage. US passengers will be flown or bused from the port - chosen for its proximity to an airport and a military base - to bases in California, Texas and Georgia for testing and a 14-day quarantine. Some arrived on Monday night at Travis Air Force Base in Northern California. The ship carried people from 54 countries and foreigners were to be whisked home. About 1,100 crew members, 19 of whom have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship, which will dock elsewhere after passengers are unloaded, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said. The California governor and Oakland mayor sought to reassure people that none of the cruise ship passengers would be exposed to the public before completing the quarantine. Officials were trying to decide where the ship and its crew would go next. Cruise ships have come under scrutiny by those who view them as potential germ factories because they pack thousands of people in close quarters. Another Princess ship, the Diamond Princess, was quarantined for two weeks in Yokohama, Japan, last month because of the virus. Ultimately, about 700 of the 3,700 people aboard became infected in what experts pronounced a public health failure. A third vessel, the Caribbean Princess, was supposed to dock in Grand Cayman on Monday but the cruise line said it will keep its thousands of passengers and crews from disembarking until crew members are tested for COVID-19. Thousands of people on board the Grand Princess cruise ship are also being evacuated in San Francisco after at least 21 people on board fell sick with the virus Canadian passengers are disembarked and lined up behind tents denoted with the country's flag on Monday after the 21 infected passengers were removed. Canadian citizens will be repatriated back home Around the world, nations have limited the movements of millions of people in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. Italy was to impose travel restrictions and other strict public health measures nationwide starting Tuesday. In Northern California, Santa Clara County announced a ban of all large gatherings of at least 1,000 people for the rest of the month in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The virus has shaken global markets, with stocks taking their worst one-day beating on Wall Street since 2008 and oil prices suffering their most brutal losses since the start of the 1991 Gulf War. Even with Asian markets posting modest gains Tuesday, fear was rampant that economies stood at the brink of recession. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said communities will need to start thinking about canceling large gatherings, closing schools and letting more employees work from home, as many companies have done after an outbreak in the Seattle area. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Donald Trump has NOT been tested for coronavirus despite his new chief of staff Mark Meadows going into quarantine along with Air Force One passenger Matt Gaetz who revealed Trump asked to see him DESPITE fears he has virus President Donald Trump has not been tested for the novel coronavirus, the White House revealed in a statement late Monday, even though he has been in contact with a slew of politicians who have gone under self-quarantine. The president refused to answer repeated questions on whether he had been tested or not for the virus during a press conference earlier on Monday. Vice President Mike Pence said he hadn't been tested and wasn't sure if Trump had been, but promised to give an answer to that question later in the evening. Rep. Gaetz following President Trump up the stairs of Air Force One in Orlando on Monday President Trump waves as he boards Air Force One in Orlando, Gaetz can be seen to the president's left, standing in the distance. The congressman told The Washington Post he was put into a 'closed up room' on Air Force One after he found out he might have been exposed to coronavirus. After landing, Trump 'coaxed' him up front before leaving 'The President has not received COVID-19 testing because he has neither had prolonged close contact with any known confirmed COVID-19 patients, nor does he have any symptoms,' White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement. 'President Trump remains in excellent health, and his physician will continue to closely monitor him.' However, that same evening Trump's new acting chief of staff Mark Meadows and Congressman Matt Gaetz, who traveled on Air Force One with the president hours earlier, both announced they were exposed to the virus and were under self-quarantine. Both Meadows and Gaetz said they were exposed after they came into contact with an individual at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) last month who later tested positive for the coronavirus. Meadows, who was appointed last week, announced he will self-isolate in his home 'out of an abundance of caution' after he was exposed to the virus. 'Meadows received testing which came back negative. While hes experiencing zero symptoms, under doctors' standard precautionary recommendations, he'll remain at home until the 14 day period expires this Wednesday,' Meadows' spokesperson Ben Williamson said. It comes after Congressman Matt Gaetz also announced Monday he will self-quarantine after coming in contact with a person with the virus at CPAC. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Paul Gosar of Arizona, and Doug Collins of Georgia, had already announced they will quarantine as well after attending the conference. Trump has been exposed to at least three people who have gone into self-quarantine as a precaution. Those people include Gaetz, American Conservative Union chairman Matt Schlapp who shook hands with someone infected days earlier, and Rep Doug Collins who he shook hands with on Friday as they toured the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The president left a White House briefing on the disease after making a brief statement on the economic measures his administration was taking to combat the economic shake-up. He left the room and didn't answer as multiple journalists asked him if he had been tested for the virus. Vice President Mike Pence, who stayed to continue the briefing, said he has never been tested for the virus. Pence and President Trump both attended the Conservative Political Action Conference at the end of last month, where an attendee tested positive for the disease. 'Well, I just simply don't know what the White House physician has recommended in terms of the president, but I promise we'll get that information,' Pence said in the briefing room. 'We'll let you know tonight,' he added. 'Obviously the White House physicians, their directive is to see of the health and the well being of the president of the United States and we'll get you a very direct answer on that,' Pence said. As far as his own health goes, he added, 'I've had no recommendation that I be tested.' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she thought President Trump should be tested. 'I thought he should be tested for a long time now,' she told CNN Monday night on Capitol Hill. Gaetz learned after Air Force One left Orlando that he had been in touch with an infected person at CPAC, two sources told The New York Times. He then essentially quarantined himself, sitting in a section of the plane alone, the paper reported. He had spent the weekend in Florida with President Trump and several members of the first family and traveled back from the state on Air Force One with the president. 'Congressman Gaetz was informed today that he came into contact with a CPAC attendee 11 days ago who tested positive for COVID-19,' his office said in a statement. 'While the Congressman is not experiencing symptoms, he received testing today and expects results soon. Under doctor's usual precautionary recommendations, he'll remain self-quarantined until the 14-day period expires this week.' Gaetz traveled on Air Force One with President Trump on Monday when the president returned from Florida. He was spotted getting off the back of the plane, where he was met by an Air Force official and escorted to a waiting car. He was seen getting on the plane in Orlando, where he walked up the front stairs of Air Force One after the president. The congressman told The Washington Post he was put into a 'closed up room' on Air Force One after he found out he might have been exposed to coronavirus. After landing, Trump 'coaxed' him up front before leaving. 'He was not hyper cautious about being in the same space that I was in,' Gaetz told the newspaper. 'I refused to go into his office, I stood outside the door. I told him he could talk from that distance,' he said. Mahanaryaman Scindia, son of Jyotiraditya Scindia who resigned from the primary membership of Congress party on Tuesday, has said that he is "proud" of his father for taking a stand for himself. "I am proud of my father for taking a stand for himself. It takes courage to to resign from a legacy. History can speak for itself when I say my family has never been power-hungry. As promised we will make an impactful change in India and Madhya Pradesh wherever our future lies," Mahanaryaman Scindia said in a tweet from his handle @AScindia. In a blow to the Congress, Jyotiraditya Scindia, a prominent and promising young face of the Congress, resigned from the party and is likely to join the BJP. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10) Even if the bid to keep the Philippines' Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States prevails, President Rodrigo Duterte can still decide to reject future joint military activities under the pact, a former Supreme Court justice warned Tuesday. Retired Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio told CNN Philippines' The Source that the Supreme Court's possible nod for Senate concurrence in ending treaties which would in turn deem the countrys VFA withdrawal notice as ineffective may not have a huge effect as the chief executive will ultimately have the last say. "That means the notice of withdrawal is ineffective, it's not valid," Carpio said of a possible high court ruling. "But if the President doesn't want any activies under the VFA to take effect or to be conducted, then he will say okay, no activity whatsoever under the VFA." That decision of the Supreme Court stays, but the President, because he has the prerogative to do it, he can just refuse to conduct any military exercise... It is as if there's no VFA because he refuses to conduct any activity under the VFA," he added. The upper chamber asked the high court Monday to require its concurrence in the termination of treaties. In their petition for declaratory relief and mandamus, lawmakers suggested that the government's withdrawal from or termination of an international agreement should first have approval of two-thirds of all the members of the Senate. The petition filed by Senators Vicente "Tito" Sotto III, Franklin Drilon, Richard Gordon, and Panfilo "Ping" Lacson does not directly challenge the military deal between the two countries, but rather covers the ambiguity on the Senate's role in treaties. President Rodrigo Duterte, however, remained firm on his stance and dismissed the Senates plea, theorizing that this may just be a political move by lawmakers to win votes from Filipinos in America. Some lawmakers and experts had divided views on whether or not there is a need for Senates concurrence, but Malacanang previously promised to heed the Supreme Courts decision on the matter. On Duterte's order in February, the Philippines notified the US that it is terminating the two-decade-old military pact, which covers the treatment of either troops when they are in the US or the Philippines. The 1998 deal between Washington and Manila includes provisions on lax visa and passport policies for US troops, and rights of the US government to retain jurisdiction over its military personnel, among others. The notification starts the 180-day period after which the pact officially ends. EXPLAINER: The Visiting Forces Agreement Despite the treatys abrogation, this years Philippine-US Balikatan exercise is expected to push through in May, with around 10,000 troops expected to join. PH message to China: You can do whatever you want Carpio, a known vocal critic of the administrations policies on the maritime dispute with China, further warned that the VFAs termination would send a wrong message to the East Asian giant. RELATED: Carpio: PH inviting China to seize West Philippine Sea with VFA's end He said the move would allow China to seize natural resourcesincluding the Reed Bank (Recto Bank)with the neighboring nation free to build navy and air bases around the West Philippine Sea. Reed Bank is our substitute for Malampaya. Once we run out of gas in Malampaya, there's only one area where we can get the gas as of now, that's Reed Bank. If China is there... with the air and naval base in Scarborough Shoal, they can have now the means to control that area, Carpio said. The message to China is, you can do whatever you want in the West Philippine Sea now. China doesnt respect us, he added. The Recto Bank is an underwater feature in the West Philippine Sea that is also being claimed by Beijing. Carpio earlier also warned that China can seize the gas reserves from the area, should Manila fail to pay its multi-billion peso loan deals. Theyre dealing with hundreds, almost a thousand people, in a confined space, Martinez said. Something like that could spread quickly inside a jail and infect everybody. Jail Warden Michael Zenk said the procedure calls for every inmate to be screened by a registered nurse at the jail intake. If we identify anybody that is experiencing flulike symptoms they get taken to the medical ward for testing, Zenk said. Since the beginning of flu season in November, Zenk said a total of 18 inmates have tested positive for the flu, which prompted their section of the jail to be quarantined from the general population during the incubation period to prevent the spread of the illness. Zenk said the same policy will be followed if the jail ever encounters a suspected coronavirus case. Specifically, he said if an inmate appears to have flulike symptoms, but tests negative for the flu, he or she will be transported to a hospital for coronavirus testing. We have a good infection-control policy, Zenk said. To date, thats the only thing weve had to implement isolation and quarantine for is flu. Theres been no coronavirus incidents. TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) -- Tippecanoe County community members are making sure the voting equipment is fast and factual. That's what they said they want during the voting process, which they were able to try out Monday at the County Building from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Election consultants and vendors were also present to help the public through their voting machines. County Clerk Julie Roush was also in the room making sure people had their voices heard. "Simple as touching," said Jay Perbix. Perbix is an election consultant. He helped community members through the voting process with his comapny's machines. "You can swipe it just like an iPad and such," said Perbix. "This is a vast improvement," said Mark Howells. Howells lives in Greater Lafayette and will vote in Tippecanoe County. "Touch screen is fine as long as it prints out a piece of paper that the voter can look at and go these are my choices," said Howell. There were several choices of voting machines the public could test out. Howells said he likes having a physical copy of his vote. "I like the idea of a paper ballot," said Howell. "Anything with a paper trail where the voter can actually look at the ballot see the choices they made before it's cast." Perbix showed News 18 and community members how to use the voting machine. "Once you hit vote, when you are comfortable with everything, on your way out walk up to the scanner; can go in any four orientations, slide it in and at that point it is tabulated," said Perbix. Perbix said it is impossible to vote incorrectly on his company's machines. The final vote is not cast until you have the paper ballot and put it into the machine. "You look at that piece of paper before it goes into the machines," said Howells. "There's your votes." Many voters are worried about consistency and efficiency during the voting process. County Clerk Julie Roush said all the machines are tested and approved by the state. "They test all these machines," said Roush. "They look at security, usability, they are looking at efficiency. They are making sure they following a very stringent testing." She said many states look up to Indiana's voting procedures and explained the mindset of Tippecanoe County voters. "We want our voters to feel confident in our system," said Roush. "Because if you deter people, if they feel like their vote does not matter, their vote is not marking the way they want it to even though it may not be true, they are not going to come out and vote. We want people to come out and vote." The community said it would love new voting machines. Roush said she and her team are highly considering new voting machines but cost is an issue. Primary Election Day is May 5th, 2020. Southern Cross University will close its Gold Coast and Lismore campuses for the day on Wednesday after a Philippines-based staff member was diagnosed with COVID-19. The closure comes as the University of Queensland confirmed one of the three new state-based cases reported on Tuesday, a 22-year-old Brisbane man who recently returned from Europe, was a student who had attended the St Lucia campus while "unknowingly infectious". Southern Cross University will close its Gold Coast, and Lismore, campuses today (11/03/2020) after a Philippines-based staff member was diagnosed with COVID-19. Credit:Google Street View The new cases bring the total number in the state to 18, with eight of these since recovered. Southern Cross University and health authorities are now working to contact 45 people who came into close contact with the male staff member during a series of workshops at both campuses between March 2 and 6. He returned to the Philippines on March 7. According to Kukhta, the process of the change of the government should take place unnoticeably Pavlo Kukhta, the Acting Minister of Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine 112 Agency First Deputy Minister of Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine Pavlo Kukhta became the deputy minister as he reported on Facebook. He noted that the process of the change of the government should not influence the work of the ministry and should take place unnoticeably. It is important for our team that changes and reforms, which we succeeded to launch for six months of work (land market, launch of privatization, reform of state enterprises, creation of tools for attraction of investments and many others) to vanish without a trace and make them continue for the benefit of the people of Ukraine, Kukhta wrote. Pavlo Kukhta became the first deputy minister of the economy in September 2019. Earlier he was running to the Verkhovna Rada from Holos party. Since 2015, he was a member of the supervisory board of the index of the monitoring of reforms, assistants of the lawmakers, adviser of the finance minister. Soon, he became the adviser of former PM Volodymyr Groysman. Since 2016, Kukhta also occupied the position of the deputy head of the Strategic group of advisors on support of the reforms and expert group of fiscal reform of the intensive package of the reforms. As we reported, Yuriy Polyukhovych was temporarily entrusted with the duties of the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine. Alan Jones burst out laughing at the federal health minister after he struggled to explain what 'self isolating' from the coronavirus actually means for families. 2GB host Jones claimed on Wednesday that he has been inundated with doctors and ordinary people demanding to know how official health advice works in real-life situations. 'Does the bloke sleep with his wife, or not?' the broadcaster asked minister Greg Hunt. 'Does the bloke eat at the table with his wife?' 'Does... mum and dad send their kids off to school tomorrow, even though dad has tested positive and he's meant to be home-isolated? 2GB broadcaster Alan Jones says people don't understand how 'self-isolation' will actually work for their families Federal health minister Greg Hunt with his partner Paula Lindsey More than a hundred people lined up at Royal Melbourne Hospital's coronavirus testing clinic on Tuesday afternoon 'Families are ringing me and I don't know the answer to that, I can't provide an answer!' In response, Mr Hunt - whose government announced a $2.4 billion scheme to fund pop up clinics across the country - didn't directly address Jones's scenarios. He said the important thing was for people to 'keep that separation of more than a metre' from one another, before providing a wordy explanation of official advice. CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement 'If they're not doing that, you can either have an individual who is isolated. 'Or if they are in close contact with those around them, the expectation would be that that family is not spreading out through the community. 'That's the clear medical advice.' That led Jones to laugh. 'That still is not clear ... I've got doctors ringing me,' he said. Mr Hunt said the government has a 'principals committee' which would make sure they would provide families around the country with 'additional advice.' 'The point of isolation is to keep people who were at risk, from the community and where there is someone who is actually diagnosed, they will actually be in hospital at the more severe end .... or, if you have moderate symptoms, being at home, and you've been diagnosed, keeping a space from the rest of your family,' he said. Jones said he still didn't understand and 'nor does anybody ... I don't think anybody know what self-(quarantine) means'. More than 116 Australians have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Wednesday morning. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the important thing was for people to keep a separation of more than a metre from one another Jones suggested government advice for everyday situations - such as couples getting intimate or sending their children to school (stock images) - was unclear The government's HealthDirect website says people should 'remain separated from other people in the home' while in self-isolation. People should 'stay in a different room and use a different bathroom' if possible, the advice says. But it the advice is light on real world scenarios. Huge lines formed outside a testing clinic Royal Melbourne Hospital in Victoria late on Tuesday. Meanwhile more than 8,100 people have been tested in the worst affected state, New South Wales. Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of Applegreen plc (LON:APGN) by taking the foreast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. I will be using the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Don't get put off by the jargon, the math behind it is actually quite straightforward. We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model. View our latest analysis for Applegreen The method We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 Levered FCF (, Millions) 94.2m 71.8m 59.4m 52.3m 48.0m 45.4m 43.7m 42.6m 41.9m 41.5m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x4 Analyst x4 Est @ -17.24% Est @ -11.91% Est @ -8.18% Est @ -5.57% Est @ -3.74% Est @ -2.46% Est @ -1.56% Est @ -0.93% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 13% 83.2 56.0 40.9 31.8 25.8 21.5 18.3 15.8 13.7 12.0 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = 319m Story continues After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the intial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 10-year government bond rate (0.5%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 13%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2029 (1 + g) (r g) = 42m (1 + 0.5%) 13% 0.5%) = 329m Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= 329m ( 1 + 13%)10= 95m The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is 414m. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of UK3.9, the company appears reasonably expensive at the time of writing. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out. AIM:APGN Intrinsic value, March 10th 2020 Important assumptions The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Applegreen as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 13%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.949. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business. Next Steps: Although the valuation of a company is important, it shouldnt be the only metric you look at when researching a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. What is the reason for the share price to differ from the intrinsic value? For Applegreen, There are three relevant aspects you should further examine: Risks: Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 5 warning signs with Applegreen (at least 1 which is a bit concerning) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process. Future Earnings: How does APGN's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered! PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the AIM every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks just search here. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 01:08:54|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close GENEVA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday agreed that its on-going 43rd regular session will continue to be held inside the Palaise des Nations here in Geneva, despite of the latest developments of the COVID-19. President of the Human Rights Council, Ambassador Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger of Austria, said Tuesday that the decision was made following the relevant UN and local government recommendations, which stated there are currently no reason to cancel the session. However, Tichy-Fisslberger emphasized that some precautionary measures need to be implemented, including moving the plenary meetings to a bigger room, and asking delegations to be present with no more than two delegates in the plenary room and that empty seats in-between delegations should not be used. At the same time, she said, arrangements would be made so that delegates not attending the plenary meetings could follow the meetings via webcast. The Secretariat of the session would organize for the electronic tabling of resolutions in order to avoid queues in front of the tabling office, and any delegate with symptoms such as fever or coughing should not attend the meetings, she added "With the agreement of the Council, the proposed measures would be applied as of today, March 10 at 3 p.m.," she said. Earlier on March 2, the UN Human Rights Council had decided that, starting from March 3, all the side event meetings of the 43rd session would be cancelled and representatives were encouraged to refrain from travelling to Geneva for the rest of the session. Also, as a precautionary measure, guided tours of the Palais des Nations in Geneva have been suspended until further notice. LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - IU Health virtual clinic is now offering Indiana residents coronavirus screenings. It was launched in response to the outbreak. It screens patients from home, eliminating the need to visit a physician's office or urgent care. The screenings run through the IU Health Virtual Visit app. Patients will be able to speak with a registered nurse through their phone or computer's camera. Nurses will be able to provide the proper recommendations based on symptoms. The service is available to all ages. It can be accessed 24-7. Click here for instructions on how to use the service. Kratu, the Romanian rescue dog who has stolen the show at the annual Crufts dog show in Birmingham, England, three years in a row, is retiring from agility competition. The Carpathian-Mioritic mix rose to fame for his total disregard for the competitions obstacle course, instead running all over the floor, hiding in the tunnels, andin a show-stopping grand finale this yeargrabbing a pole from one of the hurdles and making off with it. Kratus other talents include serving as an ambassador to the European Parliament and acting as a support dog to his trainer, Tess Eagle Swan, who is autistic. Eagle Swan has three other Romanian shepherdsPaqo, Polo, and Kratus brother Raffyas well as a wolfdog named Maia. Slate spoke to her about Kratus unexpected Crufts fame, why hes retiring, and the more serious side of this fuzzy goofball. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Marissa Martinelli: How did Kratu start performing at Crufts? Tess Eagle Swan: We do training with a charity called Wood Green, so because we train with them, we were invited to be on the team. I said, We cant do agility, but they said, Its just a basic course and its fun. The whole point of this is to show that rescue dogs and their owners can have fun. Its a good thing to do training together. Kratu and I, we learned some agility, and he was OK. He could do a whole course. The first year we went, he did the course and some more jumps and that was it. They said, That was very good. You had lots of fun. Come back the next year. Advertisement Advertisement We went back the next year, part of the team, and I still can never forget my face when he went in the tunnel and wouldnt come out, because my mouth was a perfect O. My mouth fell open. Where was he? He went viral. Advertisement For good reason. We got invited back the next year. Kratu, during his training, had suddenly decided he wasnt going to do a course. He liked the tunnel. He liked the tunnel very much. He decided he would go in and lay down and not come out. He stole a toy from the trainer and lay in the tunnel squeaking it. I started laughing, and the more I laughed, the more he did the same behavior. Him being naughty makes me laugh. Thats probably why hes so naughty, because I find him funny. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But you didnt know he was going to do it at Crufts? He came out really determined to do something because the other dog I had, Polo, was in the team. Polo had gone out before him. Kratu gets very, very miffy if somebody does something before him; he suddenly gets this look, and I know theres going to be trouble. Hes not going to listen to me at all. Its like hes saying, Im going to teach you a lesson for letting somebody do something before me. You wait and see. I just knew the devil was in him. If you watch me, I just throw my hands up in the air. I had no idea. He just exploded with his Kratu character. That was it, full-on, unadulterated, sheer joy and naughtiness. I had no idea he was going to take the pole across the arena. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Do the others get up to their own tricks or is Kratu the clown of the bunch? Advertisement Kratus the clown, very much so. Do you have a specific course that they run at home? No, I just make it up as I go along. See, Im a bit like Kratu. Strange things amuse me. I just suddenly decide, OK, lets put your paws up on this. Ive taught them to climb up on things. I taught Kratu to tap his paw when I tap my foot on the floor. He does a special training where he copies me. Its called Do as I Do. An Italian scientist, Claudia Fugazza, she teaches it. He copies me on a cue. Its very easy for me to train Kratu, because I explainhes got a fantastic vocabularyand then I show him, and he gets it most of the time. Advertisement What was going through your mind this year at Crufts when he picked up that pole? Being autistic and being in that arena with those lights and those people, and trying to follow your unique, crazy character of a dog who is unpredictable, capable of anything I feel like a rabbit in the headlights. I dont know if Im even present. Thats a really tough one, thinking about that. Advertisement Advertisement How about when you watch the tape afterward? I just love it. I just love it so much. But I cant understand how the commentators didnt know who he was. I mean, that was ridiculous. Theres a serious side to Kratu. Weve been to the European Parliament, which made history. We went for a film screening about homeless dogs in Romania. He flew back to Romania in the cabin with me. We went viral in Romania, which is very hard to do. In Romania, dogs like him only guard. They do not go near people. They hate people. They couldnt believe a dog of his type, loving children, being my assistance dog, visiting old people in care homes. They couldnt believe it. He was on two news stations and an international paper. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It always brings tears to my eyes. He left a little puppy and he came back a champion. Tess Eagle Swan We went to a university lecture for animal-psychology students in Cluj. They couldnt believe it. I did that after the Crufts when he went viral. They treat dogs very badly in Romania. I went back because I wanted to say, look, this is what you have. This is what you can have with kindness, love, and reward-based training. You dont have to beat your dog. You dont have to hurt your dog. Look what you can do with love. Thats why I did that. Advertisement The best way of changing the mindset of people is with education, with young people. He went and posed for selfies with everybody. He wandered up and down the aisle. He just loved everybody. I was so proud of him. We actually went back to the camp where he came from. He didnt like it, but I wanted to go back, five years after he left. It always brings tears to my eyes. He left a little puppy and he came back a champion. Advertisement How did you find Kratu? My first dog was Maia, who is not a rescue. I had decided to get Maia a dog, because shes a pack animal. Paqo came, and hes just not fully present. He was abandoned at 12 weeks old. He loved Maia, Maia loved him, and it was like nobody wanted to interact with me. I thought, Ive got room for one more puppy. I said to my friend, Can you look for a large breed puppy? I started training him via WhatsApp when my friends had him. I used to sing him songs. They travel on a bus from Romania, and when the bus came, because Id sung him all these songs, I laid down on the floor of the bus and he was there. I looked at him and I said, Hello, darling. Its your mummy. He just laid down and it was like, Oh, its you. I know you. We bonded. He changed my life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive got a very traumatic past. Ive had an eating disorder. Im a survivor of a lot of bad things that have happened. I never had love in my life. Kratu brought unconditional love, which made me want to be here, because Ive lived many times through not wanting to be here. Kratu changed that. He made me want to be present. I think I can say after 35 years, the last six months, Ive beaten a 36-year bulimia problem. Its still touch and go, but I think Im there. Whats worked with me is because Kratu, his welfare comes first. If Ive got an emotional issue, instead of binging, Ill go and train him. Well go do something, he will come with me. Having that support has changed my life in so many ways. Advertisement You later went back to find his mother, Tutty, and you also adopted his brother Raffy. Ive rescued his mom, three sisters, and his brother. [Raffy] has got PTSD. They beat the mom so badly with a stick the day before we got her. Hes very damaged, but hes done a lot of training, and hes got his gold Good Citizen award [from the Kennel Club]. He loves people as well, big Raffy, but if he hears a noise, he will come and sit on me shaking like a jelly. Thats 50 kg shaking. Its so sad to see, that memory of fear. Advertisement Was Kratu at all afraid when you got him? No. Hes been a monkey from day one. His favorite thing is to stick his bottom in the air. He likes to put his butt up in the air. From when he was a puppy, hed put his head on the floor and his big furry butt would be stuck up in the air. It looked like this big rabbit. He still does it to this day. He turns and he sits on everybody because he thinks it pleases humans. Its so funny. Hes so funny. Advertisement Advertisement Now Kratu is retiring from the agility course. Hes got a pinched sciatic nerve, so I dont want him to do jumping and crazy stuff, although trying to stop him I want his health the best. Hes in very good health, but hes going to have to just calm down a little bit. Raising awareness is what I want to do. When we went to the European Parliament, that was about trying to change the laws in Europe to stop people doing what they do to dogs. Theres some terrible cruelty with these public shelters. They poison dogs. They kill them in some really inhumane ways. Weve got dog issues and problems all over the world. Theres too many rescue dogs. Theres too much puppy farming. Kratus mum had a litter every season because they use the dogs to either sell or give away or trade. Weve created a platform for Kratu, and everybody loves him. Hes an international ambassador for rescue dogs, and what you can achieve with training, kindness, and love. Freezer sales have soared 200 per cent as stockpilers continue to clear Britain's supermarket shelves in a coronavirus panic-buying spree. Online appliance firm AO.com revealed that the rise hit producers over the last week. The site says that the surge goes against seasonal buying trends and that at this time of year people are usually purchasing heating, cooking and cleaning products. Pictured: Empty shelves in Tesco, Birmingham, where panic buyers are stocking up on essential items West Midlands shoppers are stocking up on essentials, leaving shelves almost bare in Birmingham's Tesco (pictured) Sales of chest freezers and under-the-counter freezers are up, despite those items usually selling best in the run-up to Christmas, a spokesperson said. It comes as supermarkets in Birmingham had shelves emptied of essentials as coronavirus fears worsen with Britain's sixth death from the illness. Asda and Tesco shop floors in the West Midlands city were almost entirely stripped of toilet rolls, pasta and hand soap today. In-store pictures show shoppers have been stocking up on staples as the government warns people with symptoms of Covid-19 to self-isolate. Rows of storage space are bare as people appear to be taking extra precautions in case of a widespread outbreak. The images surfaced after a man in his early 80s who had underlying health conditions has become the UK's sixth coronavirus victim. Pictured: Emptied shelves in Asda, Birmingham, as the UK confirms its sixth death as a result of coronavirus Hand soap in this Birmingham Asda was running low on the shop floor as buyers stock up on essentials following the government's advice to wash more than usual Shoppers are sweeping shelves of toilet tissue at this Asda in Birmingham, West Midlands, amid the coronavirus outbreak NHS bosses confirmed the man who hasn't been identified but is feared to have been infected on British soil died last night at the Watford General Hospital. The UK already has 373 confirmed cases 324 in England, 23 in Scotland, 16 in Northern Ireland and six in Wales. Scientists tracking the UK's outbreak, which has risen eight-fold in the space of a week, have warned the situation is quickly following the same trajectory as Italy's and could peak within a fortnight. Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England said today: 'I am sorry to confirm a sixth patient in England who tested positive for COVID-19 has sadly died. 'I offer my sincere condolences to their family and friends and ask that their privacy is respected. 'The patient, who was being treated by West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, was in their eighties and had underlying health conditions.' In this series called Member Showcase, we publish interviews with members of The Oracles. This interview is with Jonathan Goodman, founder of the Personal Trainer Development Center, a remote education company for fitness professionals. It was condensed by The Oracles. What was a defining moment early in your life? Jonathan Goodman: School was a struggle for me. I felt smart and understood the material, but my grades didnt reflect this. Until I traveled to England the summer before my final year of high school, I wasnt interested in English. I didnt read much, never wrote anything outside of school, and shuddered at the prospect of conjugating verbs. That trip changed my life. Seeing Shakespeares plays at the Globe Theatre in London and presenting my final project in front of Warwick Castle ignited my love for literature. My teacher encouraged us to discover our creative side. It didnt matter that we completed assignments randomly set down by a board of education. What mattered was that we created. That has forever embedded in me the love of creation for the sake of it. I also learned the power of travel and experience. What is one of your proudest moments? Jonathan Goodman: For the past seven years, I've spent several months living abroad each year. Ive lived in 10 countries for at least a month, most recently Mexico, Greece, and Montenegro. Bringing my wife, Alison, and 2-year-old, Calvin, on these adventures is my proudest achievement. To be able to grow my company while going on grand adventures is priceless. Im proud because its taken sacrifice. I could have moved to New York City and grown a much bigger company. But I recognized what I wanted early in my career and pursued it, rather than getting wrapped up in what Im supposed to want. Comparison is no joke. What are the core values that guide your business, and why did you pick them? Jonathan Goodman: Family and exploration. I stay focused on whats important in business: enjoying life, for our customers and our team. Yes, we want to make great things and do great work. But if we cant have great family lives at the same time, its not worth it. I dont plan to stop working or exit the business. Im having too much fun exploring all our opportunities and projects. Some days are harder than others, but the joy lies in the process. To enjoy the process, I need to explore. We all do. What did you learn from your favorite mentor? Jonathan Goodman: When I was 29, I was making a great deal of money, but my relationships and quality of life suffered. So, I sought answers at an event called Mastermind Talks, where I befriended Dandapani, an entrepreneur, Hindu priest, and former monk. I asked him: How do I know how much is too much? He told me that as long as I had time and energy to do the work Im meant to, theres no such thing as too much money or a company thats too big. But the minute that this takes away from what energizes me, its too much. After that conversation, I taught myself when to say yes and how to say no confidently. What was your biggest challenge starting in business? How did you overcome it? Jonathan Goodman: My biggest challenge is still ongoing: surrounding myself with people who amplify and support me instead of people who are just like me. I love to create new things, but running and growing what we already have doesnt challenge me enough. I have to hire and work with people who do that. I work through this by looking at operations as a project because projects excite me. I cant run the day-to-day operations, but I can dive into projects for a short period to get others to. Then I never have to think about it again. How do you define great leadership? Jonathan Goodman: Showing by example. It doesnt matter what you do; what matters is how you go about your day. People arent stupid. Paying lip service to principles like abundance, family values, or travel is worse than not talking about them at all. I strive to be a good leader by showing my team that its okay to shut off and enjoy family time and that we should go out of our way to support others doing great work. The world is big, magical, and diverse. Lets get out there and explore it. How do you hire top talent? Jonathan Goodman: Skills are commoditized. I find skills easy to hire for. Whats hard is knowing the precise combination of skills you need for a role. In my company, we dont need skills as much as we need people with good enough skills to be dangerous. We hire managers who know enough about a wide variety of roles and showcase an aptitude for project management. To find them, weve had luck looking to evolving industries like publishing, where many top people have managed big projects with big deadlines. Whats your daily routine for success? Jonathan Goodman: To ensure consistent momentum, I establish processes to prepare my work environment. Every day, I aim to spend at least 30 minutes moving my business forward. As long as Im focused, thats enough time to get quality work done. Those 30 minutes always happen first thing in the morning, when I have no distractions, because I wake up before my wife and son. While the coffee kettle boils, I turn on my old laptop with no internet connection, which I use to write, and cue my iPod with guitar instrumentals. I pre-prepare any reference materials I need, with the program or document Im working on already open on my computer. What are you working on right now? Jonathan Goodman: Producing less and building stronger partnerships to grow what we already have. The fitness industry is fractured, and I want to work with brilliant partners to bring it together. When that happens, we all win but someone has to take the first step. What do you want to be known for, or what do you want your legacy to be? Jonathan Goodman: I dont want to be known for the work Ive produced, but for how Ive produced it. I hope that how Ive gone about my business day-to-day inspires others to create. In just nine years, Ive gone from being a personal trainer in a Toronto boutique gym to someone who has published over a million words, written 11 books, and created the world-leading certification for my field. Our materials are used by trainers in the U.S., colleges in Canada, mentorships in Norway, certifications in India, and everywhere in between. Ive done all this without outside support or funding and without a publisher. It happened from the bottom up, step by step, day by day, starting in a one-bedroom apartment at night after long days with clients in the gym. I hope this inspires others to create something too. Yes, its hard sometimes. But its fun. Connect with Jonathan Goodman on Instagram and Facebook, or visit his website. The words and opinions expressed in this interview are those of the interviewee alone. What worked for them may not work for everyone. Any claims in this article have not been independently verified. Related: Daymond John Will Not Stop (Podcast) Ten Tell-Tale Signs You're Stuck In A Career Rut 10 Tips For Writing An Impressive Resume Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Shares in Cuisine de France owner Aryzta jumped by as much as 7% on the back of a rise in underlying earnings, as well as expectations of an improved performance in its troubled North American operations. The Swiss-Irish baked goods group, which also makes hamburger buns for McDonalds, said underlying earnings before tax for the first half of its financial year rose by 12%, year-on-year, to just under 170m. Bhopal, March 10 : Numbers continue to be the key topic of political discussion in Madhya Pradesh after Jyotiraditya Scindia's resignation from the Congress, 18 years after he first joined it. It is a matter of time before the Kamal Nath-led Congress gets the marching orders. The odds that were stacked against the BJP till a week ago now overwhelmingly are in its favour. With the resignation of 19 MLAs from the assembly, the Congress is reduced to minority in the state. MLAs and ministers supporting Scindia have sent their resignations to State Assembly Speaker on Tuesday. The Congress which was claiming to get some BJP MLAs into its fold may have to revise its numbers downwards. There were claims of seven members switching sides. The BJP prepared to hold a meeting of the legislators in festive mood of Holi on Tuesday. But with some legislators failing to reach Bhopal it has been rescheduled to 4 p.m. The morning meeting was confined to state party chief V.D. Sharma, leader of the Opposition Gopal Bhargava and former chief minister Shivaj Singh Chouhan who may take the mantle from Bhargava. How is the likely party position going to be after 19 MLAs supporting Scindia quit the Assembly? They will have to do so to escape disqualification while voting against the Congress candidates in Rajya Sabha elections. Current scenario Total strength: 228 (+ two vacancies) Magic mark: 115 Congress: 114 BJP: 107 BSP: 01 (+ 1 suspended MLA) SP: 01 Independents: 04 Revised figures after 19 Congress MLAs quit party Total strength 209 Magic mark: 104 BJP: 107 Cong: 95 Independents: 4 SP: 1 and BSP 1+1 [March 10, 2020] Canada to host international regulators forum in October 2020 OTTAWA and GATINEAU, QC, March 10, 2020 /CNW/ - Delegates from around the world are invited to Ottawa next fall to attend the Communications Policy & Regulation Week from October 5-8, 2020, organized by the International Institute of Communications (IIC). The Week will consist of a number of events, including its International Regulators' Forum, hosted by the CRTC along with ISED's Spectrum and Telecommunications Sector, and its flagship annual conference. This international gathering brings together senior decision-makers from the telecommunications, media and technology sectors, allowing for collegial discussions on today's most pressing communications issues. The week's events attract senior policy-makers, regulators, industry executives, academics and lawyers to discuss topics such as privacy and consumer protection, infrastructure and spectrum, competition policy, innovation and content, and governance and investment. Quotes "We are delighted to welcome delegates from around the world to our nation's capital this fall. This event, and particularly the International Regulators' Forum, serves as a meeting place where we can share our experiences and identify common opportunities. We are confident that the Canadian backdrop will inspire participants to engage in fruitful discussions that will benefit our whole community." - Ian Scott, Chairperson and CEO, CRTC "In the DNA of the IIC is the belief that the exchange of ideas, and the sharing of best practice, is to everyone's benefit. In a world of seemingly increasing polarization this is, surely, more important than ever. Therefore we are excited to be returning to Canada for our Annual Communications Policy & Regulation Week in October ths year, and are grateful to the CRTC for hosting our International Regulators' Forum which will launch the week's proceedings taking place in the vibrant city of Ottawa, conveniently situated to attract colleagues from throughout the world." - Chris Chapman, President, IIC "I am pleased that delegates from the telecommunications, media and technology sectors will be coming to Ottawa to discuss today's biggest communications challenges. The communications landscape is continually evolving, and our government looks forward to the outcome of these important discussions." - The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Quick facts Created over 50 years ago, the IIC is one of the longest established global, independent and non-profit organizations of its kind. It enables balanced, open dialogue to shape the global policy agenda by providing a neutral and independent platform for informed debate and knowledge sharing. The IIC is comprised of several Chapters around the world, including a Canadian chapter. The IIC holds a number of regional events across the globe to enable dialogue on a broad range of issues. Its flagship annual gathering, the Communications Policy & Regulation Week, offers a range of events and workshops taking place over the course of four days. The Communications Policy & Regulation Week was last held in Canada in 2009, when the CRTC hosted the International Regulators' Forum in Montreal . Since then, it has traveled around the world to locations such as the United Kingdom , Mexico , Belgium , Thailand and the United States . in 2009, when the CRTC hosted the International Regulators' Forum in . Since then, it has traveled around the world to locations such as the , , , and . The International Regulators' Forum brings together communications regulatory authorities to discuss issues of direct relevance, and share experiences and approaches within a collegial learning environment. The IIC's International Regulators' Forum will take place on October 5-6, 2020 , and the Annual Conference will take place on October 7-8, 2020 , in Ottawa, Canada . Associated links IIC website IIC Canada website Stay Connected Follow us on Twitter @CRTCeng Like us on Facebook Ask a question or make a complaint SOURCE Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] On March 9, Panama's Health Minister Rosario Turner during a news conference announced Panama's first case of coronavirus. The 40-year-old patient is believed to have contracted the disease during her trip to Spain. The patient is currently in isolation. Spain has reported 1,231 cases and 30 deaths. More than 4,000 deaths globally The coronavirus death toll globally has recently crossed the 4,000 mark. 4,027 people globally have died because of the deadly coronavirus. Most of the cases and deaths are still in mainland China but the situation in China seems to be stabilizing there with reports indicating only 19 new cases on March 9. That is a marked improvement compared to just a month ago where there were more than 2,000 cases reported daily. On the other hand, the outbreak seems to be worsening globally in places like Italy, the US and Germany. Italy has in total reported 9,172 positive cases with the death toll at 463. Germany has declared 1,224 positive coronavirus cases but the death toll remains at 2. The United States, on the other hand, has reported 708 total cases with 27 deaths. Read: Coronavirus: Italy PM Conte Extends Quarantine Measures Nationwide As Death Toll Cross 460 Read: Italy To Increase Spending In 'massive Shock Therapy' Against Coronavirus Italy under lockdown As Italy's death toll from coronavirus cases reach 463, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on March 10 said the government is extending its coronavirus quarantine measures, which include a ban on public gatherings, to the entire country. Speaking at a televised press conference, Conte said people would only be permitted to travel for work or family emergencies. The leader held that the extreme measure, which will come into effect the following day, was intended to defend the most fragile members of society the sick and the elderly. Italy's coronavirus death toll jumped on Monday by 97 to 463. It is the worst-hit country after China and has become the virus epicentre in Europe. Official figures show the number of confirmed infections increase to 9,172 from 7,375. Cases have been recorded from across Italy. The country had previously locked down several provinces in the north, including financial hub Milan and tourist hotspot Venice, affecting close to 16 million people. Conte's recent unprecedented move will affect more than 60 million people. Read: Manipur Govt Passes Order, Shuts International Border With Myanmar Amid Coronavirus Scare Read: 58 Indian Pilgrims Airlifted From Iran Amidst Coronavirus Outbreak, EAM Jaishankar Tweets According to Dmytro Razumkov, a parliamentary group on interparliamentary relations with Switzerland has already been formed within the Ukrainian parliament During his official visit to Switzerland, Dmytro Razumkov, Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada, met with Isabelle Moret, Chairman of the National Council of the Swiss Confederation, and her deputy. According to the press service of the Verkhovna Rada, the parties discussed the possibilities of expanding the Ukrainian-Swiss cooperation. Razumkov informed that a parliamentary group on inter-parliamentary relations with Switzerland has already been formed within the Ukrainian parliament. "It is important that active engagement has now begun at the level of embassies and at the level of parliamentary friendship groups. We have many promising areas for joint work, in particular, in the area of implementation of reforms," Verkhovna Rada's Chairman said. He also thanked Switzerland for the effective economic cooperation that exists between the states. The speaker also thanked Moret and her deputy for their willingness to continue and expand inter-parliamentary relations, and invited representatives of the Swiss parliament to visit Ukraine. "You are the locomotive of attracting investments into Ukraine. We are glad that Switzerland is in the top five of our largest investor countries, and we hope that friendly parliamentary relations will strengthen economic relations and, as a result, will increase the volume of investments," Razumkov emphasized. As we reported earlier, newly-appointed Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba noted that Ukraine would continue following the EU and NATO, as he stated on his Facebook page. The course of Ukraine in foreign policy remains unchanged. It, particularly, means that we continue moving in the EU and NATO, Kuleba noted. Geneva/IBNS: The brother of a former Afghanistan President has said that Pakistan is backing the Taliban group to topple the elected government in his nation. Late Afghanistan President Najibullah or Dr. Najib's brother, Sediqullah Rahi, told ANI news agency: "Who supported the Taliban since the day they came to Afghanistan and into the political environment or political life of Afghan people? They are the military militia of the ISI, the intelligence agency of Pakistan. They (the Taliban) are representing the Pakistani military will." Speaking on the sidelines of the 43rd session of UN Human Rights in Geneva, the brother of the slain Afghan president said the recent US and the Taliban peace deal was signed against the will of Afghanistan people. The US and Taliban signed a peace deal which aimed to end the 20-year-long violent conflict in Afghanistan. "The peace treaty that the group signed with the United States, I am not believing them. I do not agree with them and neither does anybody in Afghanistan. The people of Afghanistan are very upset over this deal and the intellectual elements in my country, in my society, are totally against the Taliban," Sediqullah told the news agency. "The Taliban is a fanatic group in Afghanistan, a religious fanatic (group). The people of Afghanistan do not want them and they do not agree with them. The Afghan people want a sacred country. Afghan society is an Islamic society but unfortunately, Pakistan wants to rule them under this banner," he said as he referred to the Taliban. He said: "All the patriots in Afghanistan are rejecting this deal. This is not the Afghan people's deal with the United States. They signed this deal and they talked about it behind the closed door. The Afghanistan people were not informed about all those issues that the United States talked about with the Taliban." It may be recalled that Najibullah was living in the United Nations headquarters until 1996, when the Talibans took over Kabul. The Taliban then abducted Najibullah and his brother from UN custody in the early morning hours of 27 Sept 1996, tortured both of them and hanged their bodies from a traffic post the next day. High Court proceedings have been brought against protesters who are preventing builders from completing a social housing scheme in West Dublin. The action has been brought by K&J Townmore Construction Ltd, which has been contracted by Cluid Housing Association to build 65 social houses and apartments at Ladyswell Road, Mullhuddart, Dublin 15. The firm claims its workers and subcontractors have been unable to access or egress the site since mid January after a group of protesters, who claim they want some of the new houses allocated to local people, began to physically obstruct and stand in front of vehicles trying to enter or leave the site. The prolonged protest has significantly impacted on the firm's ability to comply with its contractual obligations to complete the works on time, and damage its reputation. Townmore, represented in court by Gary McCarthy SC, claims the protest has been organised by local residents who have maintained a constant, 24 hour presence on the site. Since first arriving on the site the protesters, who the court heard have set up a tent just outside the main entrance, have used placards stating "Local Houses for Local People "More Social Housing for the Irish" and Make the "Social Housing List Fair." Counsel said the dispute was between Cluid and the residents and that his client was "caught in the middle." The company claims the disruption caused by the protests have resulted in costs of more than 1.5m. Some subcontractors have moved on, and aspects of the buildings have degraded due to exposure caused by the bad weather over the last seven weeks. The company says it is not trying to prevent anyone's right to protest, but claims their actions have "gone beyond a legitimate peaceful demonstration." Mr McCarthy SC, said meetings had taken place between the protesters and Cluid, but these talks have not resolved the dispute. As a result the company was left with no option other than seek orders including an injunction restraining the protesters from trespassing at or interfering with the access to the site. The injunction is against Ms Alice Woods who the company says is the leader of and the spokesperson for the protestors. The application came before Ms Justice Leonie Reynolds yesterday (Tuesday,) who granted the construction firm permission to serve short notice of the injunction proceedings on the protesters. The judge noted the protests may in fact end up delaying or preventing the housing scheme from being completed. The judge, in adjourning the matter to later this week, also expressed her concern over the number of school-age children that appear to be involved in the protest. The Judge said from the evidence before the court these children, who "appear to be under 18 years of age to me" were being "used as pawns" in the protest. If that proved to be the case the Judge said that "other agencies" may have to be added to the proceedings, she said. Two more persons were on Tuesday admitted to an isolation ward in a state-run hospital here with fever and cough -- symptoms associated with the novel coronavirus -- a senior health department official said. Both have travel histories to coronavirus-hit countries -- Indonesia and Malaysia -- and were admitted to Beliaghata ID Hospital, he said. Blood samples and throat swabs of the latest suspects have been collected and test reports are expected by evening, the official said. He said three out of four other patients admitted at the isolation ward of the hospital tested negative for the novel coronavirus, while a re-examination would be conducted on the fourth patient, he said. Another person, who had returned from Saudia Arabia on Saturday and admitted at the Beliaghata ID hospital on Sunday, "tested positive for swine flu". "He has been kept under observation," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two "extremely reckless" arson attacks in the Downpatrick area during the early hours of Tuesday morning may be linked, police have said. The first incident saw a seat set alight outside a flat in the Killough Walk area at around 4.10am. The seat was placed against the front door of the property and set on fire, causing extensive damage to the door. One man in his 20s was inside the flat at the time of the blaze, but not injured. Smoke damage was caused to the communal area of the flats, resulting in a man in his 90s receiving treatment for smoke inhalation. Shortly after 4.15am a white Seat Leon car was set on fire outside a property in the Vianstown Heights area. A brick was thrown through the rear window of the car, which enabled the fire to start in the vehicle. The fire service attended and put out the blaze, but the car was completely destroyed. Detective Inspector Handley said: Enquiries are continuing and at this stage, we are investigating a link between these two incidents of deliberate ignition. The damage caused to a residential premises in a built-up area is an extremely reckless act, which could have resulted in potential loss of life. "The disregard of those responsible endangered the lives of the local community, with one man treated for smoke inhalation. We are very fortunate we are not dealing with a much worse situation. We are appealing to anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity in either the Killough Walk or Vianstown Heights area of Downpatrick in the early hours of this morning. We are particularly keen to speak with anyone who noticed any suspicious vehicles located in both areas. Anyone with any information is asked to contact detectives on 101, quoting reference number 115 10/03/20." The police in Uganda have arrested a 24-year-old housewife and fined her Shs250,000 after being found guilty of stealing church offertory. The woman, Judith Nanangwe, who has a one-month-old baby, appeared before grade one magistrate Valerian Tuhimbise and was sentenced to that fine after she pleaded guilty to stealing offertory bag containing Shs643, 000, which belonged to Watoto Church, Ntinda branch. Read Also: [RED HANDED]: Suspect Armed Robber Caught In The Act Stealing Church Offering In Benue State The church, however, wanted Nanangwe to serve a custodial sentence coupled with months of counseling. The magistrate, however, noted that Nanangwe did a regrettable action of stealing from church and therefore she deserves rehabilitation. If she fails to raise Shs250,000 fine, she will have to serve a five-month prison sentence. A drunk Chinese man has been detained after stripping down to his underwear in a subway station and biting two anti-coronavirus officers because he did not want to have his temperature taken. The intoxicated passenger, known by his surname Wang, shouted 'I'll strip naked for your checks' after he was stopped by the station's staff members for a temperature test last Wednesday evening. 'Look, aren't I pretty?' said the barely-dressed Mr Wang to the staff in the metro station of Nanjing, Jiangsu Province of eastern China, according to local press. CCTV footage shows the half-naked man pushing away the officers who are trying to put clothes back on Mr Wang. A drunk Chinese man has stripped down to his underwear in a subway station and bitten two anti-coronavirus officers after he refused to have his temperature taken in Nanjing, China The wobbly passenger even bit two anti-coronavirus workers as he was being tackled to the ground, according to Jiangsu News. Mr Wang has been detained by local police for disrupting public services. The police told the press that Mr Wang went to a friend's dinner party before he arrived at the subway station. He was 'already feeling dizzy' as he left his friend's house. The intoxicated passenger, known by his surname Wang, shouted 'I'll strip naked for your checks' after he was stopped by the station's staff members for a temperature test 'Look, aren't I pretty?' said the half-dressed Mr Wang to the officers in the metro station Subway stations around China have set up checkpoints to take passengers' temperatures as a precaution against the novel coronavirus. China has recently seen a sharp drop in its new cases of the deadly disease as Wuhan closes its last makeshift hospital built during the outbreak today. The killer virus, has infected over 116,000 people worldwide, including at least 4,117 deaths. Italy has been the most-affected country in the Europe. As of Tuesday morning, 463 have died and there are 9,172 of it. The novel coronavirus, has infected over 116,000 people worldwide, including 4,117 deaths Fears over the rapidly growing number of coronavirus cases in the US has led to questions over whether America will be forced to go into lockdown like parts of Italy and China, the countries which have been so far the worst-hit by the epidemic. The UK is following the same trajectory, one scientist said, and could end up in a similar situation a few weeks down the line. There are currently 373 confirmed cases in the UK and five people have died. More infections are expected to be declared later today and throughout the week. Commuters are seen wearing protective masks travels on the Jubilee Line and the Central Line YEREVAN. It has been two years since the Amulsar [gold] mine has been closed illegally, and the employees have been unable to enter their workplace in any way. Liana Hovsepyan, a representative of Lydian Armenia company, stated this during a press conference. According to her, from about 300 employees today there are only 15-20 left. "There have been various inspections to restore our rights so that we can work, but no solution has been given so far," he said. The government is not able to give any solution to this issue. Seeing that the government is not supporting us, having lost our last faith in the government and the prime minister, we had to file a lawsuit with a group of employees last week." As per Hovsepyan, the claim is to restore their rights, and to recognize the police activity illegal. "Following that lawsuit, we intend to demand that the government compensate for all the financial, psychological damage our employees have suffered during these two years," she added. By the way, we will not only demand for those two years that we have not worked, but also for those years we had to work. It was planned that the mine would work for 10-15 years. We will go all the way, until the European Court, and demand compensation for all damages." She informed that about 30 people have petitioned to the court, but that number will increase. "We expect the number of claimants to be 300," Liana Hovsepyan said. The average [monthly] salary of the employees was about 600,000 drams. If all employees petition and claim their lost wage, imagine what will happen; that's big money. We were promised by the government that, 'We will open, be patient, we will support you,' but no one from the government has supported us to this day. Four new cases of Covid-19 have been detected in Northern Ireland, bringing the total number to 16. All four are adults. One case involved recent travel from Northern Italy. Three can be traced to a previously reported case that involved recent travel to Northern Italy. The latest figures on coronavirus cases will be published later on Tuesday, the UK's Department of Health said. A tweet at 2pm, the time of the expected daily update, said: We are working hard to provide you with the latest information and will tweet this out as soon as possible. UPDATE on coronavirus (#COVID19) testing in the UK: Today's figures will be published later this afternoon. We are working hard to provide you with the latest information and will tweet this out as soon as possible. Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) March 10, 2020 Meanwhile, a sixth person in the UK has died after testing positive for Covid-19. A man in his 80s passed away in hospital in Watford. Officials say he had underlying health problems. An analysis of 16 in-depth interviews with women who had experienced rape, molestation, coercion or other forms of sexual violence, published online in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, shows that communication was key to coping with and making sense of their experiences, despite facing a stigma of silence in their families and communities. (Raw Pixel stock photo) WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends universal sexual violence screenings during routine visits. Although one in three women in the United States experience sexual abuse, research has shown that these discussions often dont take place. Health care providers can be that pillar for sexual violence survivors to share those experiences and get support or wraparound care, even in situations where they dont have community or family support, said Stephanie Meier, a doctoral student in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Purdue University. Meiers research focuses on womens decision making about reproductive health care. An analysis of 16 in-depth interviews with women who had experienced rape, molestation, coercion or other forms of sexual violence, published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, shows that communication was key to coping with and making sense of their experiences, despite the women facing a stigma of silence in their families and communities. The respondents were part of a larger study of the reproductive health experiences of 70 women, ranging from 19 to 78 years old and living in South Carolina. It wasnt a question that we were actually asking them about, so all of these women had self-disclosed that they had experienced sexual violence of some nature as part of the overarching conversations about their reproductive and womens health, said Meier, the corresponding author of the paper. They conceptualized it as part of their overall health experiences. Sexual violence can range from harassment and assault to family planning coercion and lack of bodily autonomy, said Andrea DeMaria, an assistant professor of public health at Purdue and co-author of the paper. In 2016, DeMaria co-led an interdisciplinary research team in Charleston, South Carolina, to record and archive the 70 in-depth interviews as part of an oral histories project, which documented womens reproductive health experiences across generations. Previous findings on menstruation and postpartum sexual activity were published last year. Results have been analyzed and published by scholars at Purdue, Johns Hopkins University and the College of Charleston. These 16 women discussed a history of family planning coercion, describing how their partners controlled their ability to prevent pregnancy or the number of children they desired. They also disclosed a history of sexual violence and assault, DeMaria said. These women who experience sexual violence may have more touchpoints and more opportunities to interact with health care providers as a result of their risks and experiences. We can do better in training our doctors and nurses to understand and probe on sexual violence as part of routine reproductive health care. In the #MeToo era, more women may feel empowered to discuss their experiences with sexual violence, said Laura Schwab Reese, Purdue assistant professor of public health. She is co-author of the paper and an expert in intimate partner violence and child abuse. She said previous research shows that training is critical when it comes to helping those in crisis. Theres still a lot of stigma around being the victim of a sexual violent crime, and were seeing it change a little bit, Schwab Reese said. The #MeToo movement has really allowed women to speak out more. Health care providers need to be prepared. Even though you dont want to hear someone is having a terrible experience, you can be more prepared. That level of preparedness translates to better experiences for survivors. The research is an initiative of the College of Charlestons Womens Health Research Team. The team investigates health issues specific to women and adolescent girls, promotes interdisciplinary research collaborations, and communicates research findings and health-related information to empower women and girls in South Carolina and beyond. The research was funded in part by the College of Charlestons Faculty Research and Development Grant and Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities. About Purdue University Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to todays toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 6 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at purdue.edu. Writer: Joseph Paul, 765-494-9541, paul102@purdue.edu Sources: Stephanie Meier, meier11@purdue.edu Andrea DeMaria, 765-494-8300, ademaria@purdue.edu Laura Schwab Reese, 765-496-6723, lschwabr@purdue.edu Note to Journalists : A copy of the paper is available to journalists by contacting Joseph Paul, Purdue News Service, 765-494-9541, paul102@purdue.edu. A sexual violence illustration and portraits of the co-authors are available to journalists via Google Drive: https://purdue.university/3ax1Gda. ABSTRACT Im More Open to Talking About It: Womens Experiences With Sexual Abuse and Reproductive Health Stephanie Meier, MA, Kristin Brig, MA, Cara Delay, PhD, MA Beth Sundstrom, PhD, MPH, Laura Schwab-Reese, MA, PhD, and Andrea L. DeMaria, PhD, MS DOI: 10.1177/0886260520905077 Approximately one in three women experience sexual abuse, which can result in negative reproductive health consequences. A history of sexual abuse may negatively impact health care seeking and experience. The purposes of this article were to understand how women perceived their sexual abuse experiences and how these experiences integrated into their overall reproductive health, reproductive planning, and health care access. As part of a larger study about womens reproductive health, researchers analyzed 16 in-depth interviews with women aged 18 years and older (range = 1878) living in South Carolina (MayNovember 2016). A constant comparative method of data analysis was completed to explore womens sexual abuse experiences as they related to reproductive health and health care experiences. HyperRESEARCH 3.7.3 assisted in data organization and management. Limited bodily agency impacted womens ability to engage in family planning, particularly when partners utilized sexual coercion to maintain desired relationships and attain desired family size, regardless of womens preferences. In addition, limited sexual violence and abuse discussion in health care contexts impacted womens autonomy in reproductive health decision-making despite participants desire to engage in these discussions with providers. Participants expressed a desire for communication about their sexual abuse experiences; however, results indicated women had to navigate stigma within families and communities, which deterred disclosure and open discussion. Negative health outcomes and desire to discuss these experiences within the health care context highlighted a need for patientprovider communication about sexual abuse history as one aspect of gynecologic care. Findings from this study offer practical recommendations to guide communication about sexual abuse within reproductive health care experiences to empower women in their reproductive health choices. As these experiences may impact overall health and reproductive choices, provider-initiated conversations with adolescents and women may improve care and assist in prevention efforts, including the prevention of negative health outcomes. Get Ready for Merkels Pro-Russia, China-Friendly Successor class="dek-heading">The lame-duck German chancellor has become a problem for the world. The frontrunner to take over will probably be even worse. Soon after meeting Prime Minister in Delhi on Tuesday, disgruntled Madhya Pradesh Congress leader tendered his resignation to party president Sonia Gandhi, saying it was now time for him to move on. Gandhi, however, immediately expelled him from the Congress for "anti-party activities", as the crisis looming over the government in Madhya Pradesh deepened. "The Congress president has approved the expulsion of from the Indian Congress with immediate effect for anti-party activities," according to a statement from AICC general secretary K C Venugopal. Noting that the events of the day had been drawing themselves out for a year, Scindia wrote to Gandhi saying it was now best for him to look at a fresh start. "Having been a primary member of the Congress party for the last 18 years. It is now time for me to move on. I am rendering my resignation from primary membership of the Congress and as you well know this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year," Scindia wrote in his letter dated March 9. However, the Congress claimed that the resignation letter was received physically outside Sonia Gandhi's residence at 12.20 pm on Tuesday. In the resignation letter posted on Twitter, Scindia said, "While my aim and purpose remains the same as it has always been from the very beginning, to serve the people of my state and my country, I believe I am unable to do this anymore within this party." "To reflect and realise the aspirations of my people and workers I believe it is best that I now look ahead at a fresh start." The former Guna MP also thanked Gandhi and his other former Congress colleagues for "providing him with a platform to have served the nation". Meanwhile in Bhopal, 14 Congress MLAs who are loyal to Scindia have sent their resignations to Madhya Pradesh Governor Lal Ji Tandon, Raj Bhavan sources said. TORONTO The announcement was big enough for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to fly down to Toronto and deliver. A corporate sibling of Google had been selected to transform a largely abandoned port area in Toronto into an innovative, sensor-laden, tech-centric city of tomorrow. But almost from the time of its unveiling, the project which combined environmentally advanced construction with a plan for sensors to track residents movements and actions was hit by formidable opposition. Critics cast it as a recipe for a surveillance-driven, corporate-controlled urban dystopia and objected to turning over public spaces to one of the worlds wealthiest companies. Now, nearly two and a half years later, the opponents have shown that even if you cant fight city hall, you can take on Google and succeed. After admitting that it had underestimated privacy worries with its original plan, the Google sibling, Sidewalk Labs, has retreated. A couple of weeks ago, it unveiled details of a much watered-down plan along with new privacy protections. But some critics remain unconvinced. Waterfront Toronto, a government agency, will announce in May if the project will proceed. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has signalled his potential successor with the appointment of Monsignor Ciaran O'Carroll as Dublin's new Episcopal Vicar for Priests. Msgr O'Carroll, currently rector of the Irish College in Rome, succeeds Bishop Eamonn Walsh, who retired last year. The role is central to the governance of the country's largest Catholic diocese, with nearly 200 parishes. The Irish Independent has learned that the appointment will take effect immediately, although Msgr O'Carroll will not return from Rome until after Easter on April 12. The appointment is being viewed as significant, as speculation mounts over who will succeed Dr Martin in Dublin. The archbishop is to submit his resignation to Pope Francis on April 8, when he turns 75. Speaking to the Irish Independent last Christmas, Dr Martin said: "I have no ambitions to hang on to power. If anything, the opposite. We are in a situation in Dublin where we're in a positive mood to move forward." However, he said the decision as to when he would go was up to the Pope. "Pope Francis knows what I think. It is much more difficult for an elderly bishop to make the decisions that have to be made," he said. According to one source, the new appointment paves the way for Msgr O'Carroll to be selected as Dr Martin's successor by giving him a role on the ground in Dublin. From Mount Merrion in Dublin, Msgr O'Carroll studied for the priesthood in Clonliffe College and also at University College Dublin, before undertaking further studies in Rome, graduating from the Angelicum University and the Gregorian University. Anayeli DominguezPena, 25, was charged with making criminal threats, perjury, internet/electronic impersonation and six counts of filing a false police report A former student of a California university has been charged with making a series of threats against herself and the student group she was a part of. Anayeli DominguezPena, 25, was charged with making criminal threats, perjury, internet/electronic impersonation and six counts of filing a false police report. According to a release from the La Verne Police Department, police had been investigating a series of racist incidents that had taken place at the University of La Verne. The first altercation was reported on February 28 of last year and authorities had been monitoring nine other incidents connected to the school. Most of the threats were directed to students at the university, specifically one student group on campus. DominguezPena was one of the leaders of the student group that was reportedly threatened. Police had been investigating a series of racist incidents that had taken place at the University of La Verne since last year in February. Several of them involved the former student 'At one point, the threats escalated to a point where the University of La Verne cancelled classes for a day to "reset" and deal with the threats,' police said, referring to a March incident last year where DominguezPena reported that someone had lit a backpack in her car. Police responded to an incident in May where DominguezPena was found lying on the ground. At the time, she claimed to have been assaulted by a masked man. The other threats were made electronically via emails or texts. DominguezPena is currently booked in the Los Angeles County Jail system. She is being held on $200,000 DominguezPena is said to have used a logo of a fraternity on campus in the threats, also insinuating that the president of the fraternity was associated with the threats DominguezPena is said to have used a logo of a fraternity on campus in the threats, also insinuating that the president of the fraternity was associated with the threats. No evidence was found that linked the fraternity to the crimes. Police determined that DominguezPena acted alone as one of the other victims reportedly involved in one of the incidents was a student leader in the group that the woman was a part of. The victim did not have any knowledge of DominguezPena's behavior. DominguezPena is currently booked in the Los Angeles County Jail system. She is being held on $200,000. With some other colleges and universities already employing more drastic responses, Springfield College is monitoring travel in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. College president Mary-Beth Cooper is asking the staff to suspend the booking of any domestic or international travel that would involve airlines, buses, trains or any other public transportation until further notice, except for essential college-related travel as determined by the president. That would effectively rule out any any international travel and all domestic travel not involving personal car usage. All faculty and staff are required to register any authorized college-related travel, both domestic and international, until commencement during the May 16-17 weekend. (domestic and international). Faculty and staff are not to undertake college-related travel to Level III countries, which are tracked and updated on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) web site. Cooper expressed confidence in the colleges ability to maintain safety during the crisis. "The Colleges administrative leadership team has been monitoring the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak. The health, safety, and well-being of our community remains our top priority,'' she said. "We have two groups of staff and faculty working together to address this unique situation. We are in contact with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) and are following guidelines issued by the CDC as well as the World Health Organization (WHO). Contingency planning is well underway. All decisions are subject to change as the situation develops, so we will update the community regularly to keep you informed. All communications and resources related to the coronavirus are available at http://springfield.edu/coronavirus. Some institutions are taking more aggressive measures. Amherst College is moving toward "remote learning,'' by which faculty and students could continue learning processes by online or other non-traditional means. Classes for Thursday and Friday were cancelled. Spring break follows, with the remote process to be in place by March 23. Students are expected to be off campus by Monday, and are encouraged to bring as many belongings as possible, given the uncertainty of how long these measures will be needed. No coronavirus cases have been reported at Amherst College. Harvard University has taken similar measures, telling students not to return after spring break and to prepare to continue their classes remotely. At Springfield College, those steps have not been taken but plans already implemented go beyond the faculty restrictions. Faculty, staff, and students are requested to register any spring break or other personal travel planned for the rest of the semester. Cooper said the college strongly encourages campus community members to cancel personal trips to Level II or Level III countries. Regarding scheduled events, she asks that college sponsors check with all invited and scheduled visitors and guests to confirm they have not been to a Level III country or been in contact with infected persons within 14 days of visiting the campus. The college is also providing enhanced hygiene and cleaning supplies in each classroom and common areas so that students, staff, and faculty can effectively cover coughs and sneezes and wipe down surfaces before each use. "When possible, disinfecting wipes will also be available for wiping down technology that cannot be sprayed,'' Cooper said. Students who are confirmed cases, where possible, will be sent home to observe a 14-day isolation period. For students who may have been exposed to the virus and must self-quarantine on campus, if travel to home is prohibited, single rooms will be provided. "Students, faculty, and staff should not come to campus or attend class when they are sick, especially if they are coughing, sneezing, or have a fever, or if they are caring for someone who is sick,'' Cooper said. "Faculty should not penalize students for missing class due to illness. Students will coordinate with their instructors to keep current with coursework and assignments, and instructors should extend due dates as necessary for students who are ill. Students who are not attending class due to illness are to inform the Student Affairs Office (studentaffairs@springfield.edu) of their symptoms and will be encouraged to self-quarantine at home, or may request a reassigned room if they are unable to return home for the duration of their illness. Students, staff, and faculty who are present in class or at work will be presumed healthy,'' Cooper said. Q: We homeschooled our son through the sixth grade. This past fall, per his wishes, we sent him to a public school for the seventh grade. Last week, he was attacked by the class bully. This other child pushed our son to the ground, called him vile names and threatened him with further bullying. The principal has decided that both boys were equally at fault and suspended our son, along with the bully, for three days. Everyone knows this other boy is a bully and has been since he started school. When we pointed this out to the principal, it was like he was unwilling to even consider that our son was the victim and should not be suspended. Our son is very upset and we are considering legal action. Weve followed your advice for a long time and are hoping you have some for us concerning this situation. A: You obviously didnt get the memo. In the new and glorious millennium, there are no bullies. Every altercation, despite facts to the contrary, involves two equally responsible kids. And so, as happened to your son, public schools punish both victims and bullies, and bullies live to be bullies again, and again. You have learned, first-hand, that public school anti-bullying programs (and, to be fair, the following comments apply to many if not most private schools, as well) are a farce. A counselor talks to a class about healthy ways of resolving conflict and expressing anger as if bullies are only expressing anger inappropriately and any conflict is a two-way street. I was always the youngest kid in my class and usually the smallest of the boys. I was also a nerd and a geek rolled into one. It was like wearing a bright red bullseye on my back and, sure enough, the neighborhood bully picked up on the signal. For several years, Dan (not his real name) chased me home from school nearly every day. If he caught me, which was nearly always, he delighted in sitting on my chest and tickling me. Yes, tickling. Forget waterboarding. I guarantee tickling works much more effectively and may even be legal to use on terrorists. My school could do nothing because the incidents always took place off school grounds. It would have been useless to talk to Dans parents. They believed that Dan who was sent to juvenile prison at age 16 was never in the wrong about anything. Trust me on this: I was not equally responsible for Dans relentless attacks. I wasnt traumatized for life, but I guarantee you, some victims are. As was the case with Dans parents, nearly every bully has parents who refuse to acknowledge that their kid is a sociopath. That, I suspect, is what drives public school student conflict policy. School administrators absolutely know that if they pin blame on the bully, his/her parents will rise to his defense and the school may end up with a lawsuit on their hands. As one public school principal told me, My primary job, John, is to keep the lawyers at bay. And so, when the bully does his thing, both he and his victim have a meaningless talk with the counselor and get suspended. Neutrality must be maintained, at whatever cost to the victim. This travesty of justice will continue until the parents of a victim file a high-profile lawsuit against a school system. I encourage you to do so. Make a lot of noise. Cause a scandal. There are plenty of lawyers out there who will take such as case on a fee-contingent basis. Just like employers, schools should be held accountable for creating unsafe environments. If you and your lawyer so desire, I will gladly testify. Visit family psychologist John Rosemonds website at www.johnrosemond.com. Experts on housing will gather in Maynooth tomorrow in a bid to create a new vision and plan for affordable homes for everyone. Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute will host its second Annual Public Housing Conference tomorrow, Wednesday, March 11, beginning at 10:00 in the Callan Building at Maynooth University. This years theme focuses on how public housing can deliver affordable homes and a sustainable planet in the context of a changing political landscape. Featuring contributions from the public, private and voluntary sector, speakers at the conference will include Dr Niall Muldoon, Ombudsman for Children, Fr Peter McVerry and advocate and campaigner, Patricia King, general secretary of ICTU. SEE ALSO: Hard hitting warning signs for M7 motorists at toll plaza Other speakers will include John OConnor, chief executive, The Housing Agency, Dr Mary Murphy, Department of Sociology, Maynooth University, Orla Hegarty, Lecturer/Assistant Professor, School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy, UCD and Colette Bennett, Research & Policy Analyst, Social Justice Ireland. Other participants are Hugh Brennan, Chief Executive, O Cualann Cohousing Alliance CLG, Dr Daithi Downey, Dublin City Council Housing Observatory, Dr Lorcan Sirr, TU Dublin, author of Housing in Ireland: The A to Z Guide, Fiona Dunkin, Housing Policy Officer, Cluid Housing, Declan Daly, Tipperary Energy Agency, Rosemary Hennigan, Policy Coordinator at Focus Ireland and Bernard Joyce, Director, Irish Traveller Movement. SEE ALSO: more Kildare stories The conference will also have a screening of Through the Cracks a short documentary on the experience of homeless families in emergency accommodation, with introduction from Ingrid Casey (poet, artist, and producer of Through The Cracks) and input from documentary participants directly affected by homelessness. The afternoon session on achieving a right to housing for all in Ireland will include contributions from John-Mark McCafferty, Chief Executive, Threshold, Dr Rory Hearne, Department of Applied Social Studies, Maynooth University, author of Housing Shock: The Irish Housing Crisis and How to Solve it (due to be published in June 2020), Michelle Byrne, Campaigns Officer, Union of Students in Ireland and Aisling Hedderman, community activist, North Dublin Bay Housing Crisis Community. Fears of the new coronavirus (Covid-19) have now spread to the energy sector as the dramatic reduction in travel has resulted in lower global fuel demand. On Friday, Saudi Arabia and Russia ended their three-year-old agreement on price cooperation, kicking off a price war as Saudi Arabia announced steep discounts and a boost in production. Following the news, the prices of Brent crude (the international oil price benchmark) and U.S. West Texas Intermediate (the U.S. oil price benchmark) dropped 24% on Monday before rebounding approximately 10% on Tuesday. This marks the steepest oil price drop since Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1991. A price war affects more than just the ones who kick it off, though. The U.S., which surpassed Saudi Arabia and Russia as the world's biggest producer of crude oil in 2018, will face significant downward price pressure as well if it wants to keep exporting oil. This has resulted in approximately 55% of the world's largest publicly traded oil companies trading within 10% of their 52-week low prices, according to GuruFocus data. Shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) are down 24.84% from Friday, March 6, while shares of ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) are down 12.22%. Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) lost a whopping 46.61% as investors were already worried about the company's high amount of debt. 4d54a8cb1219da9be32d3235b349e99b.png Given all the downward price pressure, value investors may be wondering if now is the right time to pick up cheap energy stocks. However, before deciding to buy energy stocks, investors may want to consider how long the downward pressure is going to continue - and which oil companies have the financial strength to capture market share during a price war. Supply and demand Since 1991, there have been two major declines in oil prices, which can be observed through ExxonMobil's yearly revenue chart below. One was in 2009, when prices fell to $35 per barrel (down from $55 in 2008) as a result of the Great Recession, which left large amounts of oil in storage facilities in the wake of reduced consumer spending. The other was from 2014 to 2016, when prices spiraled from $125 per barrel to $30 per barrel as oil companies around the world competed to supply emerging economies such as China and India with oil and ended up oversupplying. Story continues 984b044ff1ffe8d715c1dd5dacad865c.png "With a combination of a massive supply overhang and a significant demand shock at the same time, the situation we are witnessing today seems to have no equal in oil market history," tweeted International Energy Agency Director Faith Biriol on Monday. The oil industry recovered from the last three price collapses because global growth in demand was strong, but with demand growth expected to continue its slowdown, investors that follow the energy sector may see a new situation emerging. According to IEA reports, global oil demand is expected to increase by 1.2 million barrels a day in 2020. "Unless other things change, we will see a surplus probably, unless there is very strong demand growth recovery," Keisuke Sadamori said in a CNBC interview. While OPEC and Russia cut production by 1.2 million barrels per day in 2019 in order to support prices, the U.S. did not follow suit, and neither did most other major non-OPEC oil-producing nations, including Brazil and Norway. Now, not only is the oil industry facing demand growth slowdown and a supply glut, it may also see reduced demand in 2020 due to slower overall economic growth and reluctance to travel in light of the new coronavirus. On March 5, the International Air Transport Association upped its estimates of the virus' total global toll on the air transport industry from $29.3 billion to between $63 billion and $113 billion, illustrating just one of the ways in which demand for oil will be negatively impacted as fewer planes take to the air. As long as oil prices continue to decline due to various factors, the stocks of the companies that produce it are not likely to see growth in their earnings or share prices. Thus, stock support will need to come in the form of demand growth, supply cuts or increasing market share. Fighting for market share Without changes to supply or demand, oil companies will need to scramble to gain more customers and sell more oil than their competitors. This is a fight for market share, and the winners will be the companies that can survive devastatingly low profit margins while expanding their customer bases. In this scenario, the most important characteristics for success are reputation and financial strength. Customers will naturally flock to producers that provide the best-known prices, ensure their drilling practices have the least impact on the environment, produce from a certain region or have some other characteristic that buyers find desirable. Meanwhile, even a good reputation cannot keep a bankrupt company afloat, so financial strength is important in order to survive having to sell at lower prices. Oil companies that have both a good reputation and high financial strength are thus in a better position to capture market share while prices are low, which could leverage their profits once prices recover. To buy or not to buy Given the recent price declines, some investors may be thinking that now is the time to buy energy stocks at rock-bottom prices. Depending on the company, that may be the case. The best opportunities are likely to come from those companies that can capture market share and continue paying dividends as their profits drop. Several large global oil producers now have dividends yields near or above 10% when you compare their current price to the trailing annual dividend (i.e., how much one share of common stock has earned in dividends over the past year). As of March 10, ExxonMobil has a dividend yield of 8.02%, Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS.B) has a dividend yield of 10.64% and Valero Energy Corp. (NYSE:VLO) has a dividend yield of 6.08%, all of which mark historical highs. f6e6fe0c4f0cb027341c3017dfc1cae5.png With a GuruFocus financial strength score of 6 out of 10, ExxonMobil has paid uninterrupted dividends since 2018. Royal Dutch Shell has paid uninterrupted dividends since 2013 and has a GuruFocus financial strength score of 5 out of 10. With no debt and a financial strength score of 6 out of 10, Valero has paid uninterrupted dividends since 2014. As there is little to suggest that oil prices will see a significant increase anytime soon, investors wanting to get a slice of the energy industry may want to prioritize financially strong, big names with good dividend track records, and prepare to be in it for the long haul. Disclosure: Author owns no shares in any of the stocks mentioned. The mention of stocks in this article does not at any point constitute an investment recommendation. Investors should always conduct their own careful research and/or consult registered investment advisors before taking action in the stock market. Read more here: Not a Premium Member of GuruFocus? Sign up for a free 7-day trial here. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. More than 40 car engines stolen near the Texas border in December were found hidden in a north Harris County auto shop, police say. The scores of Chrysler machinery were manufactured in Mexico and stolen near Laredo, according to Harris County Sheriffs Office spokesperson Jason Spencer. While they were supposed to be destined for Michigan, they made their way into a shop in the 5000 block of Breen, near West Montgomery Road. As the numbers of victims continue to rise amongst women in Mexico, the people, both men, and women take a silent but meaningful march to commemorate and give justice to the victims. Instead of women attending to their normal schedule, they chose to skip work, class and other social activities. Women took this opportunity to show how empty and void the world will be without their presence. More than 3,000 murdered women in which 726 cases perpetrated by a man were classified as 'femicide'. These numbers are from Frida Guerrera, a concerned woman who is courageously fighting against femicides. For the last five years the 'gender-based' killings increased over 137%, gaining its peak during the reign of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador or AMLO. With women being the victim of this atrocity as young as seven years old, the people are questioning the administration's capacity to reduce and prevent the killings. To draw AMLO's attention to this ruthless murder of women, a strike was held majorly joined by millions of women in Mexico. Known as "A Day Without Women'', it will forever be ingrained in Mexico's history as one of the bravest actions women took part in to save their lives and the future of the upcoming generation. Purple becomes the color of this historic day as women who decided to show up wore purple clothing and ribbons. This signifies their other way of showing solidarity and unity to combat the 'femicide crisis' the country is struggling to end. Followed by a protest of over 80,000 women walking shoulder-to-shoulder with other fellow women from different ages and backgrounds, they line up and march the streets. They are shouting the names of the victims and holding up the photos of the missing women they still hope to find alive. Remembering the tragic death of the victims and knowing that their perpetrators are facing less harsh punishments are frightening. Much worse is the idea of the authority's failure to track these criminals who might still linger around waiting to seize their next victim. Despite AMLO's claim of doing his best to respond in Mexico's 'femicide emergency', people are still not convinced believing that his actions have been a total failure. He states his defense saying that "the government I represent will always be working to guarantee, always, the security of women'. In fact, in one of AMLO's press conferences, he becomes disappointed and angry with a journalist who is trying to sway the topic from the raffle of his presidential plane to femicide issues. The failure of AMLO's response to this issue, have pushed Mexican women to take matters in their own hands. With about 10 women being killed each day because of gender is an alarming statistics. The people demanded specific and concrete actions to stop and investigate the killings. The "Day Without Women" strike and the protests held in Mexico city are only two of the future actions that Mexican are willing to undertake. With Mexico now included in the ten least safe countries of women, it's safe to say that the government needs to do more actions beyond their present measures. The Secretary of Health of the Sinaloa State Government, Dr. Efren Encinas Torres, said Mazatlan is safe from coronavirus after the Grand Princess Cruise Ship arrived on February 17. Various media networks have been spreading rumors of confirmed coronavirus cases appearing in the city of Mazatlan. Torres said the rumors are "fake news" and urged the public to believe official reports. The Grand Princess Cruise Ship docked in Mazatlan on February 17, causing rising fear among residents. The ship was said to have passed through Mazatlan, Manzanillo, and Puerto Vallarta. Oscar Perez Barros, Sinaloa's Secretary of Tourism, said proper international health and preventive measures were taken. Barros also said no suspected cases of COVID-19 were detected. The ship reportedly presented all the papers required before it was allowed to arrive at the port of Mazatlan. Authorities also revealed it worked together with the Secretary of Health, the Shipping Companies, the Integral Port Administration and Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta to monitor the Grand Princess. Read: COVID-19 Has Worsened, Says Health Officials Officials announced the borders will remain open despite the coronavirus threat. The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said they are working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to improve screening procedures at the ports. Border officers will rely on historical records, questioning, and observation to determine who may need additional health screening. According to a report by the World Health Organization, Mexico has seven confirmed cases as of Sunday. Mexico's health secretary also said a handful of travelers who recently came back from Italy in Baja California tested negative for coronavirus. The CBP is also identifying people who have recently traveled to high-risk countries such as China and Iran within the past two weeks to have them undergo additional health screening. Border agents will send suspected cases to a secondary enhanced health screening where the CDC will determine if additional measures are required. Read: 6 Cases of Coronavirus in Mexico in Just One Month Migration Protection Protocols were implemented on Thursday. The policy, which is also called "Remain in Mexico," is no longer observed in Arizona or California. The protocol began in San Diego in January 2019 as a pilot program. It requires asylum-seekers from Central America to wait and seek asylum proceedings in Mexico. The policy has returned over 60,000 people---25,700 in the Mexicali/Tijuana region. The Trump administration will reportedly send out troops to the San Ysidro Port of Entry and to El Paso to assist CBP agents with security. CBP spokesman DeSio said the Department of Defense is concerned about asylum-seekers forcing their way in the US once the injunction goes into effect. The troops will serve as a larger and more comprehensive security effort to ensure the safety of everyone traveling across the borders. Health officials are worried about the devastating effect the coronavirus will have on the thousands of migrants and asylum-seekers living on the US-Mexico border. Matamoros, Juarez, and Tijuana are occupied by high concentrations of migrants who have been living in makeshift encampments and are relying on volunteers for necessities. Although none of the border cities have reported confirmed cases, officials say they are ill-prepared to deal with a major public health crisis. A group of NGOs is coordinating with the Mexican government in preparation for a coronavirus outbreak. For a Saudi intellectual, the virus is the work of Qatar to block Saudi Arabias Vision 2030 plan. An ultra-Orthodox rabbi sees signs of the "coming of the Messiah" in the epidemic. Others hand out Corona beer to the faithful, asking them to drink and pray. The al-Aqsa mosque compound is disinfected, whilst the Church of the Nativity is closed. Jerusalem (AsiaNews/Agencies) The coronavirus emergency in the Middle East has further highlighted regional tensions amid revived many superstition and messianic theories. At a practical level, Jewish, Muslim and Christian religious leaders are taking steps to change worshippers behaviour in order to counter the spread of the epidemic. For some influential political figures in the region, Covid-19 is a weapon fuelling regional rivalries or attempts to counter the rise of rivals. Noura al-Moteari, Saudi journalist and intellectual, tweeted that the virus and its spread are an attempt by Qatar to undermine Saudi Arabias upcoming Expo 2020 and its Vision 2030 plan. His tweet generated thousands of comments, some positive, others negative. In the Holy Land, Israeli rabbis, Palestinian imams and Christian leaders have been using their influence with the faithful for days, to get them to comply with preventive health instructions set by the authorities. Giving up receiving the host in the mouth and avoiding public places are but some of the incessantly repeated tips by Christian clerics. Some rabbis have called for a "magic" formula on a parchment, to act as an amulet; others recommend no longer touching the case containing the mezuzah affixed on the doorstop of Jewish homes. As a way to exorcise the crisis, someone has suggested drinking Corona Beer whilst praying to God since drinking a nice glass of alcohol during prayers gives them extra power. Online, some videos show rabbis trying to find a theological justification for the epidemic. For some, the virus is "the consequence of non-Jews eating everything". For ultra-orthodox Rabbi Ron Chaya, coronavirus is a clear sign of the "coming of the Messiah". Jokes aside, tens of thousands of Israelis have been asking some serious social and ethical issues with respect to the quarantine. Traditional Orthodox Jewish practice requires that men pray in groups of ten in the synagogue, especially during the Purim festival. Given the risks, some rabbis have now authorised the faithful to listen to the prayers on the radio. In Jerusalem, Muslim religious leaders ordered the al-Aqsa Mosque compound to be disinfected. The highest Muslim authority in Jerusalem, Grand Mufti Muhammad Ahmad Hussein, said on the radio that health is more important than religious practice, and that protecting oneself is one of the foundations of Islam. In Bethlehem, West Bank, all churches and mosques are under lockdown after 20 people tested positive to the coronavirus, the only cases reported in the Palestinian territories. In light of the situation, the Palestinian Authority has declared a 30-day state of emergency, banned tourists for two weeks, and closed the Church of the Nativity. MEXICO CITY Tens of thousands of women vanished from streets, offices and classrooms across Mexico on Monday, part of a nationwide strike to protest the violence they suffer and to demand government action against it. The womens absence from public spaces was intended to be a reminder that every day, 10 women in Mexico are killed and so disappear forever, organizers said. It is no longer possible to continue living in a country where a woman can be murdered in a brutal way, without any consequence, and in a culture that allows for it to happen, said Lorena Wolffer, an artist and feminist activist. The strike, and a march that drew tens of thousands of women to the streets on Sunday, were a watershed moment for Mexico, a nation that has long failed to grapple with entrenched machismo and gender-based violence. More than a hundred Flybe employees gathered at City Hall on Monday night in what they said was just the first step towards saving their jobs and protecting the Northern Ireland economy. The airline, which provided over 80% of flights in and out of Belfast City Airport, ceased operating last week. Captain Chris Robb, base captain at Flybe Belfast City Airport, spoke directly to councillors and said he was pleased with the initial support. "We got good support from councillors. There's an overriding belief that something has to be done," he said. "I spoke to the Lord Mayor before the meeting and told him as I'm telling everyone else, the Government had the opportunity to fix this a few weeks ago with a commercial loan and a change to air passenger duty. That didn't happen and the Government has already lost out on 104m a year in taxation instantly by that failure. "In the meantime we have watched 106bn of taxpayers' money being pumped into the HS2 rail network. There is no bridge, there is no tunnel from Northern Ireland to the rest of the region. "A friend of mine lives in Southampton and it will now cost 700 to get to Belfast. "We provided more than just an optional service. This country relied on it. "If this is not addressed urgently the whole economy of Northern Ireland is going to suffer immensely. "The stark reality is that people are going to listen to other airlines coming in, but they're not going to have any concept of what that means. "Loganair are taking on just 2% of the routes we had offered. That's all. "Flybe provided eight flights to Manchester, eight flights to Birmingham, seven flights to London, service to East Midlands, to Leeds. "No other airline is going to come in to operate those routes. That needs to be understood." After 19 years of employment, Joanne Cummings is now a senior cabin crew member. She said she was heartened by the support of the workforce. "There was a huge element of solidarity in that room and the rest of Government needs to take that feeling away. "We connect the region to Northern Ireland. "People can't get off this land now as there are no flights. That needs dealt with urgently." George Brash from the Unite union said the next stage would be to take the concerns to Stormont. "What we need is direct action from council, from local government, from the UK Government," he said. "They can save this service. We will be lobbying Stormont to secure a basis in Northern Ireland to protect these jobs and the economy. "If action isn't taken quickly this is going to spiral into retail, hotels, taxis, buses, services at the airport. It's huge." Airline pilot Nigel Best said the service needs to be saved. "The workforce stuck with it to the end," he said. "They're a dedicated group, and it's disappointing that the skills and professionalism could be lost to the industry. "We can only hope that someone like Michael O'Leary (Ryanair chief) will think about stepping in to save the service." Cabin crew member Joanne Surgeon, whose partner was employed by Flybe as a pilot, said the staff have been left heartbroken. "We've been such a huge family. People are still shocked and Northern Ireland has completely lost its connectivity." File pic Reacting to former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia's resignation from the party and his possible entry into the BJP later today, Rajasthan chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that Scindia had "betrayed the trust of the people, as well as the ideology". "Such people proves they cant thrive without power. Sooner they leave the better (sic)," Gehlot said in a tweet. Joining hands with BJP in a time of national crisis speaks volumes about a leaders self-indulgent political ambitions. Especially when the BJP ruining the economy, democratic institutions, social fabric and as well the Judiciary. 1/2 Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) March 10, 2020 "Joining hands with BJP in a time of national crisis speaks volumes about a leaders self-indulgent political ambitions. Especially when the BJP ruining the economy, democratic institutions, social fabric and as well the Judiciary," Gehlot said in another tweet. Scindia resigned from the primary membership of Congress party after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Home Minister Amit Shah earlier today in New Delhi. Catch MP government crisis LIVE here In his resignation letter addressed to interim Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Scindia wrote that it was a path that had been "drawing itself out over the last year", alluding to the infighting within the party's state unit. "While my aim and purpose remain the same as it has always been from the very beginning, to serve the people of my state and country, I believe I am unable to do this anymore within this party," Scindia has said in his letter, adding that in order to "reflect and realise the aspirations of my people and my workers I believe it is best that I now look ahead at a fresh start". Minutes after the development, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal released a brief statement saying that the party's interim chief, Sonia Gandhi, has "approved the expulsion" of Jyotiraditya Scindia from Congress "with immediate effect for anti-party activities". Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 03:02:49|Editor: yan Video Player Close TUNIS, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The Tunisian health ministry on Tuesday announced the sixth confirmed case of the novel coronavirus in the country. At a press briefing, Chokri Hamouda, head of Primary Health Care Department at the Ministry of Health, said 44 tests were carried out on Tuesday and one was identified positive for the virus. The new case was detected in the district of Boumerdes in the province of Mahdia on the east coast of Tunisia, said a ministry statement. The sixth case is a relative of the second case, a 65-year-old Tunisian who returned from Italy and had also infected his wife, according to the statement. The problem-solving prowess of a simple slime mold has been harnessed to trace the large-scale structure of the universe A computational approach inspired by the growth patterns of a bright yellow slime mold has enabled a team of astronomers and computer scientists at UC Santa Cruz to trace the filaments of the cosmic web that connects galaxies throughout the universe. Their results, published March 10 in Astrophysical Journal Letters, provide the first conclusive association between the diffuse gas in the space between galaxies and the large-scale structure of the cosmic web predicted by cosmological theory. According to the prevailing theory, as the universe evolved after the big bang, matter became distributed in a web-like network of interconnected filaments separated by huge voids. Luminous galaxies full of stars and planets formed at the intersections and densest regions of the filaments where matter is most concentrated. The filaments of diffuse hydrogen gas extending between the galaxies are largely invisible, although astronomers have managed to glimpse parts of them. None of which seems to have anything to do with a lowly slime mold called Physarum polycephalum, typically found growing on decaying logs and leaf litter on the forest floor and sometimes forming spongy yellow masses on lawns. But Physarum has a long history of surprising scientists with its ability to create optimal distribution networks and solve computationally difficult spatial organization problems. In one famous experiment, a slime mold replicated the layout of Japan's rail system by connecting food sources arranged to represent the cities around Tokyo. Joe Burchett, a postdoctoral researcher in astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz, had been looking for a way to visualize the cosmic web on a large scale, but he was skeptical when Oskar Elek, a postdoctoral researcher in computational media, suggested using a Physarum-based algorithm. After all, completely different forces shape the cosmic web and the growth of a slime mold. But Elek, who has always been fascinated by patterns in nature, had been impressed by the Physarum "biofabrications" of Berlin-based artist Sage Jenson. Starting with the 2-dimensional Physarum model Jenson used (originally developed in 2010 by Jeff Jones), Elek and a friend (programmer Jan Ivanecky) extended it to three dimensions and made additional modifications to create a new algorithm they called the Monte Carlo Physarum Machine. Burchett gave Elek a dataset of 37,000 galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), and when they applied the new algorithm to it, the result was a pretty convincing representation of the cosmic web. "That was kind of a Eureka moment, and I became convinced that the slime mold model was the way forward for us," Burchett said. "It's somewhat coincidental that it works, but not entirely. A slime mold creates an optimized transport network, finding the most efficient pathways to connect food sources. In the cosmic web, the growth of structure produces networks that are also, in a sense, optimal. The underlying processes are different, but they produce mathematical structures that are analogous." Elek also noted that "the model we developed is several layers of abstraction away from its original inspiration." Of course, a strong visual resemblance of the model results to the expected structure of the cosmic web doesn't prove anything. The researchers performed a variety of tests to validate the model as they continued to refine it. Until now, the best representations of the cosmic web have emerged from computer simulations of the evolution of structure in the universe, showing the distribution of dark matter on large scales, including the massive dark matter halos in which galaxies form and the filaments that connect them. Dark matter is invisible, but it makes up about 85 percent of the matter in the universe, and gravity causes ordinary matter to follow the distribution of dark matter. Burchett's team used data from the Bolshoi-Planck cosmological simulation--developed by Joel Primack, professor emeritus of physics at UC Santa Cruz, and others--to test the Monte Carlo Physarum Machine. After extracting a catalog of dark matter halos from the simulation, they ran the algorithm to reconstruct the web of filaments connecting them. When they compared the outcome of the algorithm to the original simulation, they found a tight correlation. The slime mold model essentially replicated the web of filaments in the dark matter simulation, and the researchers were able to use the simulation to fine-tune the parameters of their model. "Starting with 450,000 dark matter halos, we can get an almost perfect fit to the density fields in the cosmological simulation," Elek said. Burchett also performed what he called a "sanity check," comparing the observed properties of the SDSS galaxies with the gas densities in the intergalactic medium predicted by the slime mold model. Star formation activity in a galaxy should correlate with the density of its galactic environment, and Burchett was relieved to see the expected correlations. Now the team had a predicted structure for the cosmic web connecting the 37,000 SDSS galaxies, which they could test against astronomical observations. For this, they used data from the Hubble Space Telescope's Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. Intergalactic gas leaves a distinctive absorption signature in the spectrum of light that passes through it, and the sight-lines of hundreds of distant quasars pierce the volume of space occupied by the SDSS galaxies. "We knew where the filaments of the cosmic web should be thanks to the slime mold, so we could go to the archived Hubble spectra for the quasars that probe that space and look for the signatures of the gas," Burchett explained. "Wherever we saw a filament in our model, the Hubble spectra showed a gas signal, and the signal got stronger toward the middle of filaments where the gas should be denser." In the densest regions, however, the signal dropped off. This too matched expectations, he said, because heating of the gas in those regions ionizes the hydrogen, stripping off electrons and eliminating the absorption signature. "For the first time now, we can quantify the density of the intergalactic medium from the remote outskirts of cosmic web filaments to the hot, dense interiors of galaxy clusters," Burchett said. "These results not only confirm the structure of the cosmic web predicted by cosmological models, they also give us a way to improve our understanding of galaxy evolution by connecting it with the gas reservoirs out of which galaxies form." Burchett and Elek met through coauthor Angus Forbes, an associate professor of computational media and director of the UCSC Creative Coding lab in the Baskin School of Engineering. Burchett and Forbes had begun collaborating after meeting at an open mic night for musicians in Santa Cruz, focusing initially on a data visualization app, which they published last year. Forbes also introduced Elek to the work of Sage Jenson, not because he thought it would apply to Burchett's cosmic web project, but because "he knew I was a nature pattern freak," Elek said. Coauthor J. Xavier Prochaska, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UCSC who has done pioneering work using quasars to probe the structure of the intergalactic medium, said, "This creative technique and its unanticipated success highlight the value of interdisciplinary collaborations, where completely different perspectives and expertise are brought to bear on scientific problems." Forbes' Creative Coding lab combines approaches from media arts, design, and computer science. "I think there can be real opportunities when you integrate the arts into scientific research," Forbes said. "Creative approaches to modeling and visualizing data can lead to new perspectives that help us make sense of complex systems." ### In addition to Burchett, Elek, Prochaska, and Forbes, the coauthors include Nicolas Tejos at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaiso, Chile; Todd Tripp at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; and Rongmon Bordoloi at North Carolina State University. This work was supported by NASA. Bahrain Islamic Bank (BisB) has installed new self-service kiosks empowered with advanced technology across all of the banks branches and financial malls and available for use 24/7. The kiosks, developed from start to finish by the banks employees as a result of their collaborative efforts and creativity, enable existing and potential retail customers to open an account without the need for human intervention, issue prepaid and debit cards, update their personal information, as well as issue bank statements, the bank said. The kiosks were developed within the banks Innovation Lab, a creative space at the banks headquarters dedicated to brainstorming, and empowered by advanced technology enabling the banks departments to test-pilot and develop innovative products and solutions for the financial sector. The development of this digital innovation and installation of the kiosks, which aim at reducing queuing times came as a result of the banks Simplification strategy, which seeks to transform the face of traditional customer service by creating a differentiated customer experience that is entirely seamless and hassle-free. BisB Chief Executive Officer Hassan Amin Jarrar said: We are delighted to introduce the self-service kiosks, developed by the banks in-house team of local Bahraini talent from their extensive experience in Information Technology (IT). Our ultimate goal at BisB is to simplify customers daily banking experience by providing them with the ability to perform a multitude of transactions independently, so that they will no longer be forced to stand in a long queue simply to execute a routine transaction such as the issue of prepaid cards. Weve installed these innovative self-service kiosks across each and every branch and Financial Mall with the aim to simplify our customers money matters. -TradeArabia News Service Scindia likely to be BJPs Rajya Sabha candidate from MP India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Mar 10: It has now become increasingly clear that Jyotiraditya Scindia who quit the Congress, will be joining the BJP today. BJP sources tell OneIndia that he would be joining the party in the presence of party president, J P Nadda. It is said that after joining the BJP, his name could be proposed for the Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh. Elections would be held to fill in three seats which fall vacant in the state. Both the Congress and BJP were sure of one seat each and were planning on battling it out for the third. When asked if Scindia would be made a minister at the Centre, the source cited above declined to comment. There has been no such discussion and the current deliberations are only on Madhya Pradesh, he also said. Writing was on the wall: Why Scindia decided to quit the Congress Meanwhile a floor test is scheduled to take place in MP on March 16, when the budget session begins. 19 MLAs have sent their resignations to Raj Bhavan and this puts the Kamal Nath government in deep trouble. The Congress has 114 legislators in the House, where the current strength is 114. It also has the support of two BSP and one SP MLA. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 10, 2020, 15:56 [IST] The Walking Dead actor, Michael Mundy has been jailed for biting and abusing his girlfriend and a fan from a horror convention. According to Metro UK, the 52-year-old actor started dating Beverly Jackson, 41, eight years ago after meeting at a UK fan event. However, the US actor returned to America and got back in touch with Beverly two years ago to ask if he could stay in her spare room in Manchester when he next came to the UK. Then in 2018, Michael attacked Beverly in a hotel room in Germany. She said, He hit me around the face, bit me on the hands, arm, and back, kicked me and threw me out of the room. Beverly went on to tell The Sun that the abuse only got worse. The British mum added: I fell for him. Initially, he was very charming and promised to help me get into films. But he became more and more abusive. Michael was sentenced to a short jail term in November 2019 and was handed a restraining order against Beverly. However, upon his release, he was called back to HM Prison Liverpool for breaching the terms of the restraining order. Beverly admitted: I fear he wont stop until Im dead. Michael has appeared in The Walking Dead several times as a zombie, making his debut on the hit zombie horror in season three. The movie is currently in its 10th season on AMC, alongside a further two spin-off series in the franchise which follows the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. When Gov. Kate Brown signed an executive order to cap greenhouse gas emissions at the Capitol Tuesday, she was surrounded by roughly 20 young climate activists. It was a scene that has already been phased out to the north in Washington, where Gov. Jay Inslees administration announced Monday the governor would no longer hold public bill signing ceremonies. Browns administration does not plan to follow suit anytime soon, although spokesman Charles Boyle said the governors staff is following the advice of health experts, conducting frequent cleanings of high-touch surfaces and areas and asking staff and the public to follow good habits such as frequent hand washing and staying home when sick. As much as is possible, we will be keeping the governors office open and accessible to the public, Boyle wrote in an email. With three bills passed during the legislative session, we are not expecting a large number of ceremonial signings, however the Governor does also regularly hold proclamation signings and other public events, which so far have not had attendance restrictions placed on them at this time for the coronavirus. Democratic leaders and the governor have left open the option that the Legislature might reconvene later in the spring to pass priority budget and policy bills, after a Republican walkout brought business in the regular session to a halt in late February. Ceremonial signings, a popular way for governors to recognize their supporters and garner news coverage of their policies, are just one political activity that could be affected by the spread of the virus. It might also affect the ability of campaigns to qualify initiatives for the November ballot, according to one campaign. Signature gatherers often seek out crowded places, such as public transit or community events, to maximize the number of people they reach. But with event cancellations and more people avoiding public spaces, there could be fewer such opportunities. An Oregon ballot initiative campaign to decriminalize certain drugs took to Twitter on Tuesday to publicize its push to recruit signature gatherers and noted that As #coronavirus progresses, it will be harder for campaigns to make the ballot. Now is the time to help make history and save lives! Initiative Petition 44 would decriminalize small amounts of illicit drugs and redirect most revenue generated by recreational marijuana sales toward drug abuse treatment. The campaign noted on Twitter that its paying bonuses to petition circulators in an effort to collect the more than 112,000 valid signatures it needs by July in order to qualify for the November ballot. We dont know yet what the impact of COVID-19 will be, one of the initiatives chief petitioners, Anthony Johnson, wrote in an email. In fact we havent seen any impact at all, but were preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. The More Treatment campaign is within 15,000 signatures of our goal, and at the rate were going, we will reach that goal soon and have time to complete our internal signature validation process. Meanwhile, we are working to get as many volunteer signatures as possible and to draw in as much campaign talent as possible. -- Hillary Borrud; hborrud@oregonian.com; @hborrud Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. The coronavirus is likely to grow in clusters through the city with at least 17 of the 61 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in NSW linked directly to Sydney's north-west. Australia's Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy identified Sydney as "the significant, biggest part of our outbreak", as the number of confirmed cases in NSW jumped by 14 on Tuesday. Within the city, a spate of cases linked to the Dorothy Henderson Lodge aged care facility, Ryde Hospital, St Patrick's Marist College and Epping Boys High School have formed the biggest known cluster. Late on Tuesday night, NSW Health confirmed a further six cases of COVID-19 in NSW, on top of the seven cases that were announced on Tuesday morning. Found this article interesting? Follow THN on Facebook Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post. Microsoft today announced that it has successfully disrupted the botnet network of the Necurs malware, which has infected more than 9 million computers globally, and also hijacked the majority of its infrastructure.The latest botnet takedown was the result of a coordinated operation involving international police and private tech companies across 35 countries.The operation was conducted successfully after researchers successfully broke the domain generation algorithm (DGA) implemented by the Necurs malware, which helped it remain resilient for a long time.DGA is basically a technique to unpredictably generate new domain names at regular intervals, helping malware authors to continuously switch the location of C&C servers and maintain undisrupted digital communication with the infected machines."We were then able to accurately predict over six million unique domains that would be created in the next 25 months. Microsoft reported these domains to their respective registries in countries around the world so the websites can be blocked and thus prevented from becoming part of the Necurs infrastructure," Microsoft said Additionally, with the help of court orders, Microsoft has also obtained control over the U.S.-based infrastructure Necurs uses to distribute malware and infect victim computers."By taking control of existing websites and inhibiting the ability to register new ones, we have significantly disrupted the botnet."First detected in 2012, Necurs is one of the world's most prolific spam botnet that infects systems with banking malware cryptojacking malware and ransomware, and then further abuses them to send out massive amounts of spam emails to new victims.To avoid detection and maintain persistence on targeted computers, Necurs utilizes its kernel-mode rootkit that disables a large number of security applications, including Windows Firewall.Necurs was noticed mainly in 2017 when it started spreading Dridex and Locky ransomware at the rate of 5 million emails per hour to computers across the globe."From 2016 to 2019, it was the most prominent method to deliver spam and malware by criminals and was responsible for 90% of the malware spread by email worldwide," researchers at BitSight said in a separate report published today."During 58 days of investigation, for example, we observed that one Necurs-infected computer sent a total of 3.8 million spam emails to over 40.6 million potential victims," Microsoft said.In some cases, the attackers even started blackmailing victims for a ransom claiming that they have knowledge of their extramarital affairs and threatened to send proof to the victim's spouse, family, friends, and co-workers.According to the latest stats published by researchers, India, Indonesia, Turkey, Vietnam, Mexico, Thailand, Iran, the Philippines, and Brazil are the top countries that have been hit by the Necurs malware. Nepal Airlines, country's national flag carrier, has temporarily suspended the flights to and from Qatar's capital city of Doha as part of the preventive measure to contain the spread of novel coronavirus. In a series of tweets, the airline said that the suspension will come into effect from Tuesday until further notice. The airlines will refund ticket fees to those who have already booked the tickets. "Nepal Airlines has temporarily suspended the flights to/from Doha effective from 10 March 2020 till further notice. As a preventive measure due to spread of CoronaVirus COVID -19," Nepal Airline tweeted "Passengers who have tickets for flights on 26 Falgun, 2076 and onwards can refund the tickets without paying any extra charges and date change charge upto two times for the sector is waived off. Nepal Airlines is sorry for the inconvenience caused to the passengers due to the cancellation of Flights," the following tweets read. The development comes a day after Qatar temporarily suspended entry of travellers from 14 countries, including Nepal and India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Telling Lies and Outer Wilds publisher Annapurna Interactive has agreed a multi-year partnership with Swedish developer Simogo. The agreement will see the pair work together to develop and publish a range of games across multiple platforms, and formalizes a relationship that began when the duo linked up to create and release Sayonara Wild Hearts. Commenting on the move, Annapurna president Nathan Gary said the company has been keeping tabs on Simogo for some time, and said the pair will strive to create "amazing experiences together." Simogo has created a string of acclaimed titles since being founded back in 2010, including familiar names like Year Walk, Device 6, The Sailor's Dream, and most recently Sayanora Wild Hearts. Annapurna, meanwhile, has garnered a reputation for publishing intimate, quirky, and sometimes surreal games like Wattam, Kentucky Route Zero, Gone Home, and Donut County. Nearly everything the ceramist and designer Eny Lee Parker makes is meant to offset what she sees as the tedium of domestic architecture. We have a floor, a neat vertical wall and then a horizontal, she says. We live in boxes. Since receiving her M.F.A. from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2017, shes developed an array of distinctive hand-built ceramic furniture and objects, from boucle- and mohair-upholstered stools to interlocking earrings, with pleasing, curvilinear shapes that look like naturally occurring phenomena. Parker, 30, was born to Korean parents in Brazil, where she roamed the craft stalls of the beach town of Fortaleza. But for her latest collection a series of 11 lamps, mirrors, stools and side tables titled Internal-izing she looked past the shoreline to something much smaller: an individual cell. A lung tumor that expresses USP28 (left). On the right, however, tumors are shown in which USP28 has been "cut out" using the gene editing tool CRISPR/Cas9 they are significantly smaller. Images: Markus Diefenbacher Squamous cell carcinoma is a very unusual type of cancer. They occur in many tissues for example in the lungs, esophagus, pancreas, throat and pharynx, and on the skin. Due to the many mutations in this type of cancer, treatment is a particularly challenging task for medicine. However, all squamous cell carcinoma have a common Achilles' heel: They are dependent on the cancer protein NP63. This is a protein that only occurs in this type of tumor and regulates essential biological processes. An international research team led by Julius-Maximilians-Universitat (JMU) Wurzburg in Bavaria, Germany, has now found a way to inactivate the cancer protein with the help of another protein and thus curb the growth of squamous cell carcinoma. Traffic tickets become effective again The helpful protein is the deubiquitylase USP28, which is particularly common in squamous cell carcinoma. It controls the amount of the cancer protein NP63. The deubiquitylase belongs to the so-called ubiquitin-proteasome system, which can be imagined as a towing company, explains Dr. Markus Diefenbacher, group leader at the JMU Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I. His research group was in charge of the study. In healthy cells, this towing company marks incorrectly parked proteins with a kind of parking ticket, namely the protein ubiquitin. It then towed the parkers away and disposed of them. But the protein can remove the parking ticket and thus prevent the towing. In tumour cells, there is often a loss of traffic wardens/controllers or an accumulation of USP28. Therefore, NP63 in a tumour cell behaves in a similar way to an incorrectly parked car where the parking ticket is permanently removed, explains Diefenbacher. No direct attack possible The research team has now been able to prove the dependence of squamous cell carcinoma on the protein USP28: Using a preclinical inhibitor, it switched off NP63's parking ticket remover in the tumor cells. The tumors then stopped growing. Many cancer proteins are constructed in such a way that it is not possible to develop a direct active substance against them with the methods currently available, explains the Wurzburg researcher. Also, no direct therapeutic attack on the cancer protein NP63 is possible. However, by switching off USP28, the cancer protein could be rapidly degraded in human and animal tumor cells and the tumor could be fought. At the same time, there were no side effects in healthy cells. We have thus discovered a good new way of attacking squamous cell carcinoma, said Diefenbacher. Searching for other inhibitors The inhibitor used is not yet suitable for therapeutic use in humans. It still needs further research. This is done in collaboration with the research group of JMU professor Caroline Kisker at the Rudolf Virchow Centre for Experimental Biomedicine. Diefenbacher: In cancer therapy, inhibitors are already being used that switch off the entire ubiquitin-proteasome system. Our work now shows a possibility of switching off only one component of this system and thus being able to combat the tumour cells even more specifically. Next, Diefenbacher's team will look for further inhibitors that can also be used against USP28. In addition, we will also look for other proteins in squamous cell carcinoma which these tumours depend on, and investigate whether the ubiquitin-proteasome system can be used to target these proteins for therapy, says the JMU researcher. Publication partners and sponsors The study results are published open access in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine. The study involves groups from JMU (Biocentre, Comprehensive Cancer Centre Mainfranken, Rudolf Virchow Centre, Faculty of Medicine) and research teams from the University Hospital Wurzburg, the University of Cordoba, the Instituto Maimonides de Investigacion Biomedica Cordoba (IMIBIC), the Hospital Universitario Reina Sofia in Cordoba, the Technion Haifa in Israel and the Goethe University Frankfurt. The study was supported by the German Cancer Aid, the German Research Foundation, the German Israeli Foundation and the Interdisciplinary Centre for Clinical Research Wurzburg. Dr. Markus Diefenbacher, Biocentre, Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I, University of Wurzburg, T +49 931 31-88167, markus.diefenbacher@uni-wuerzburg.de Cristian Prieto-Garcia, Oliver Hartmann, Michaela Reissland, Fabian Braun, Thomas Fischer, Susanne Walz, Christina Schulein-Volk, Ursula Eilers, Carsten P. Ade, Marco A. Calzado, Amir Orian, Hans M. Maric, Christian Munch, Mathias Rosenfeldt, Martin Eilers, and Markus E. Diefenbacher: Maintaining protein stability of Np63 via USP28 is required by squamous cancer cells, 4 March 2020, EMBO Molecular Medicine, DOI: 10.15252/emmm.201911101 https://www.embopress.org/doi/full/10.15252/emmm.201911101 Link zur Publikation in EMBO Molecular Medicine In an action carried out repeatedly during the Trump administration, a top official was fired Friday by tweet and replaced, with little or no advance warning. This time the official was Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, and the replacement is Representative Mark Meadows of North Carolina, a leader of the ultra-right House Freedom Caucus. Mulvaneys dismissal was abrupt, but hardly unexpected. He was named acting chief of staff in December 2018, after retired General John Kelly left the position, and never succeeded in persuading Trump to remove the acting from his title, while he continued to hold the official position of budget director, with the work carried out by his deputy Russ Vought, who was acting budget chief. Mark Meadows (Credit: Gage Skidmore, WikiMedia Commons) Press accounts suggest that Mulvaneys fate was sealed by his disastrous October press conference, when he unexpectedly stepped into the White House briefing room to confirm that Trump had indeed demanded political favors from the president of Ukraine in return for the delivery of US military assistance. We do it all the time, he declared. Get over it. Within hours, Mulvaney was compelled to issue a groveling retraction, but the video of his statement was used continually by the Democrats in the course of their drive to impeach Trump for withholding military aid to Ukraine. Mulvaney refused to testify before the House impeachment inquiry, but Trump reportedly was reluctant to fire him until after the Senate trial, which ended in acquittal February 5. Meadows comes the same milieu as Mulvaneythe ultra-right Tea Party wing of the House Republicans, but their social backgrounds are slightly different. Mulvaney went into politics early, and held seats in the South Carolina state legislature for a decade before winning his seat in Congress in the 2010 election, defeating a longtime Democratic incumbent in South Carolinas Fifth Congressional District. Meadows was a real estate developer when he won his House seat in 2012, in North Carolinas 11th Congressional District, which covers most of the western panhandle of the state. The seat was created by a Republican gerrymander in 2011 that redrew the lines of the district, then held by conservative Democrat Heath Shuler, to remove most of the city of Asheville, making it the most Republican district in the state. Shuler announced his retirement, and Meadows won the Republican primary and then swept the general election easily, winning 57 percent of the vote. The new congressman was even more right-wing than Mulvaney, having voiced support for the birther wing of the Republican Partythose extremists who claimed that Barack Obama had been born in Kenya, rather than Hawaii, and therefore was not eligible to be president of the United States. Trump himself was the most prominent birther in 20112012, when that fantasy was at its height. Meadows helped form the ultra-right House Freedom Caucus in 2013 to push the Republican Party even further to the right. In January 2015, a dozen members of the caucus refused to vote for Republican leader John Boehner as speaker, leaving him with a narrow majority. Meadows later took advantage of a parliamentary motion to declare the speakership vacant, filed in July 2015, and ultimately forced Boehner to step down. He was succeeded by Paul Ryan, who was put on notice about the power of the ultra-right faction. Although Meadows did not support Trump for the Republican nomination, he was a fervent supporter of his campaign in the general election, and in January 2017 was elected chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, giving him virtual veto power over significant legislation in the House. He became an all-out supporter of Trump on Fox News, the principal means for currying favor at the White House. When General Kelly was forced out at the end of 2018, Meadows was briefly mentioned as a possible chief of staff, but Trump ultimately decided to shift Mulvaney from the budget office, although always keeping him as acting. It was in this context that Trump made his notorious comments about how he preferred acting officials, including department heads, because they were more dependent on him (and they also did not require Senate confirmation). In late 2019, Meadows announced that he would not seek reelection to his North Carolina seat, but would continue to serve Trump in some other way. It was widely expected that he would replace Mulvaney whenever Trump decided to make the switch. One month after the acquittal vote in the Senate, Trump finally did so, using Twitter, as he had for dismissing other disgraced or discarded officials like Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Meadows will be the fourth White House chief of staff in 38 months, following Reince Priebus, Kelly, and Mulvaney, the fastest turnover in that key position in any administration. It is remarkable that Trump chose to make the move in the midst of the crisis over the spread of coronavirus, a clear expression of the unseriousness and indifference with which the US president approaches the task of making any serious effort to save the lives of tens of millions of Americans now at risk. The extreme volatility within the inner circles of the Trump administration is a sign both of the crisis of this government and of its continuing tendency toward authoritarianism. More and more, the atmosphere in and around the White House resembles that of a court camarilla in the final stages before a popular revolutionLouis XVI in France, or Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. Press accounts of the Mulvaney-Meadows switch have focused on the role of Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner, described as the second most powerful figure in the White House, whose influence Meadows apparently cultivated as part of his campaign to become chief of staff. Prior to his elevation into the position of chief of staff, Meadows came to public attention in one significant episode in 2019 during a hearing of the House Government Oversight Committee, when former Trump lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen was describing Trump as a racist. Meadows, as the ranking Republican, had positioned a black female Trump appointee in camera view. When Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan pointed to this stage-managing and accused Meadows of using the woman as a racial prop, the committee chair, the late Elijah Cummings, intervened, declaring Meadows a personal friend who could not be accused of racism. Now this ultra-rightist, validated with the stamp of approval of a leading House Democrat, has been put into a position of direct responsibility for implementing the worst crimes of the Trump administration. The author also recommends: The death of Elijah Cummings: Democrats, media glorify a mediocrity [21 October 2019] Peter Kay made a rare public appearance when he was seen pumping air into his tyres at a petrol station, ahead of his upcoming tour. The Car Share star, 46, was spotted for the first time in three months as he visited a garage in Preston, Lancashire, on Thursday. After fixing his tyres, the comedian was seen stepping into the service station to get himself a bottle of water, before heading back to his car. Heading out: Peter Kay made a rare appearance in public as he was seen at a petrol station in Lancashire pumping air into his tyres ahead of upcoming tour Peter kept things casual for the outing, as he donned a grey jacket over a simple black polo neck top. Keeping off the winter chill, the funnyman made sure to cover his brunet locks with a black beanie that perfectly complemented his ensemble. Finishing off the look, Peter stepped out in a pair of denim jeans and black trainers, as he opted for comfort over style. Staying hydrated: After fixing his tyres, the comedian was seen stepping into the service station to get himself a bottle of water, before heading back to his car Getting ready: Peter could be seen pumping air into the front tyres of his Mercedes Benz And the other side: Peter pulled the tyre pump along so he could fill up the other side Comfy: Peter kept things casual for the outing, as he donned a grey jacket over a simple black polo neck top Busy: The comedian grabbed onto the air pump to complete the job Rarely out: Peter was last seen three months ago at a play In February, Peter announced he will return to the stage in April to DJ at six charity dance-a-thon events. Fans feared for the comic genius when he cancelled a nationwide tour in 2017 due to 'unforeseen family circumstances' and disappeared from the limelight. But last month he announced on Twitter that the Dance For Life event - to raise month for Cancer Research UK - would return with Kay as the DJ in April and May. Since his self-imposed hiatus, the Lancashire-born comic has rarely been seen in public but has promoted charity events. Warm: Keeping off the winter chill, the funnyman made sure to cover his brunet locks with a black beanie that perfectly complemented his ensemble Final touches: Finishing off the look, Peter stepped out in a pair of denim jeans and black trainers, as he opted for comfort over style Animated: Peter appeared to be in a good mood as he stepped out to his car Stroll: Peter was seen walking around his car and to the petrol station to pay for the service Heading home: Peter stepped into his car to head home after completing the task Stepping out of the spotlight: Fans feared for Peter when he cancelled a nationwide tour in 2017 due to unforeseen family circumstances and disappeared from the limelight Only for a good cause: Since his self-imposed hiatus, the Lancashire-born comic has rarely been seen in public but has promoted charity events Stepping back: Peter's last stage appearance was when he spoke to an audience gathered to see a charity screening of his BBC comedy Car Share in April 2018 The Dance for Life JustGiving page states that Kay 'is returning to the decks' for the events in Manchester, Liverpool and London. Kay told Bolton News: 'Ive honestly never had so much fun as I had working on Dance For Life. 'The atmosphere was so happy and positive; it really is a great way to raise money for the worthiest of causes. All people have to do is turn up and dance.' His last stage appearance was when he spoke to an audience gathered to see a charity screening of his BBC comedy Car Share in April 2018. He's back! In February, Peter announced he will return to the stage in April to DJ at six charity dance-a-thon events For a good cause: The Dance For Life event - to raise money for Cancer Research UK - would return with Kay as the DJ All the times Peter Kay broke his self-imposed hiatus after cancelling a tour for unforeseen family circumstances December 13 2017 - Kay announces that he will cancel all future work projects - including his Peter Kay Live: Have Gags Will Travel tour March 29 2018 - Kay announces charity screening of Car Share April 7 2018 - He addressed the audience gathered to see the final charity screening April 22 2019 - Kay is seen on a tram in Blackpool on Easter Monday. He was snapped grinning with the driver and conductor of the tram September 27 2019 - Kay takes to Twitter to announce Phoenix Nights is coming to the big screen in aid of Cancer Research UK December 27 2019 - Peter slammed Channel 5 for using an 'incredibly misleading title' for 'Peter Kay: In His Own Words' - a documentary on his life and career December 27 2019 - He made an appearance at the Crewe Lyceum Theatre to watch X Factor star Chico and iconic duo Canon and Ball in a production of Peter Pan December 29 2019 - Kay smiled for a photograph at the final performance of Nativity! The Musical in London January 2020 - Star confirmed that hes laid out plans for a movie version of Phoenix Nights - while speaking in pre-recorded footage shown at a charity screening of the series Advertisement The three screenings are to raise money for The Lily Foundation, supporting children with mitochondrial disease, that the Phoenix Nights star had 'first-hand experience of'. He was photographed for the first time in eight months on December 27 when he made an appearance at the Crewe Lyceum Theatre to watch X Factor star Chico and iconic duo Canon and Ball in a production of Peter Pan. The TV personality posted a picture of the four men together on his fitness page with the caption: 'When Peter Kay pops in to see us #panto with the legends that are Cannon and Ball life is complete.' On December 29 he was seen looking in high spirits as he smiled for a photograph at the final performance of Nativity! The Musical in London. Kay posed for the snap alongside the show's director Debbit Isitt, who later posted the photo on her Twitter page alongside a caption about the star. She penned: 'So lovely to see the brilliant comic genius Peter Kay and his lovely family tonight for our final show! What a lovely surprise for us all!' This came hours after Kay broke his social media silence to slam Channel 5 for using an 'incredibly misleading title' for a documentary on his life and career. 'Peter Kay: In His Own Words' aired at 9pm on the channel on Sunday, but doesn't feature any new interviews with the comedy legend. A strongly-worded statement posted on the funnyman's official Twitter account hours before the programme aired stated that Peter wasn't involved with the two-hour documentary in any way. Earlier this year, the star confirmed that hes laid out plans for a movie version of Phoenix Nights - while speaking in pre-recorded footage shown at a charity screening of the series, The Sun reports. He said: 'People always ask, Will there be more Phoenix Nights? and I can now confirm there wont but I am thinking of a film.' Theatre trip: Peter was photographed on December 27 when he headed to the Crewe Lyceum Theatre to watch X Factor star Chico and duo Canon and Ball in a production of Peter Pan Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 05:40:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A staff member disinfects a bus in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 9, 2020. A total of 11 Israelis were tested positive with COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 50, according to the Israeli Ministry of Health. (JINI via Xinhua) JERUSALEM, March 9 (Xinhua) -- A total of 11 Israelis were tested positive with COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 50, according to the Israeli Ministry of Health. Among the 11 new cases, seven have recently returned from Europe. The ministry noted that passengers who were on the same flights with the seven were asked to undergo quarantine. The other four cases were in contact with patients previously diagnosed with coronavirus. According to the ministry's data, four of the 50 confirmed cases in Israel so far have completely recovered. Earlier on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that anyone entering Israel would have to undergo a 14-day quarantine as a way to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The body of a child who is believed to be missing 15-month-old Evelyn Boswell was found in her 'exact clothing' investigators have revealed. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Brian Fraley said the body found in Blountville had the same clothes that Megan Boswell, 18, said her daughter was wearing when she went missing, WJHL-TV reported. Other clothing, diapers and toys that would have belonged to the child were also found on the property belonging to a relative of Evelyn's mother in the girl's hometown of Blountville, Tennessee, Fraley said. After a 17-day search across three states and several tip-offs, police announced Friday they believe they found Evelyn's remains. After a 17-day search across three states and several tip-offs, police announced Friday they believe they found Evelyn's (pictured) remains The little girl has not been seen by some family members since mid-December but was not reported missing by Megan until February 18. Her mother was 'obviously upset' when she was told days ago that police believe they found her daughter's remains, her lawyer said. Results of an autopsy were still pending. Megan Boswell, 18, was charged with filing a false report in her daughter's disappearance and has been held in the Sullivan County jail. Evelyn's mother, Megan Boswell (left), 18, is in the Sullivan County Jail on a charge of filing a false police report. Megan's mother, Angela Boswell (right), is being held there as well, on charges of theft and violating probation in a separate case Investigators have been searching for young Evelyn since February 19, when an Amber Alert was issued. Judge James Goodwin increased Boswell's bond on Monday to $150,000, according to news outlets. Fraley also testified that Boswell has made 'inculpatory statements' during interviews with investigators since her daughter went missing. Inculpatory statements are legally described as implying or placing guilt. Evelyn Boswell has not been seen by some family members since mid-December but was not reported missing by Megan until February 18 The toddler's grandmother is also in police custody in connection with the case. William McCloud, 33, and Angela Boswell, 42, were arrested and charged with possession of stolen property after they were seen in a vehicle involved in the Amber alert for the toddler. Evelyn's last sighting was initially reported as December 26, 2019, according to the TBI. Last month, Sullivan County Sheriff Jeff Cassidy spoke of his frustration with the investigation because the missing child's mother has changed her account of what happened to Evelyn on multiple occasions. 'There's not really much that we can answer due to the irrelevant information from Megan,' he said at a press conference. 'Every time we talk to her, her story changes.' A few weeks ago, police moved in on her uncle's trailer park. A witness has claimed that the toddler once lived in the trailer park with her mother. Megan Boswell was locked up on February 25 for allegedly giving police several conflicting stories about her daughter's whereabouts. She claims to know who has the toddler but police say she has been providing them with false information. Sheriff Cassidy (pictured) has previously spoken of his frustrations after the girl's mother had changed her story multiple times during the hunt for her daughter Megan claims she left Evelyn with a person she trusted while she was at work. 'Well the reason I didn't report it or anything was I knew the person who had her, and I didn't want them to run away with her,' Boswell said after first reporting her missing daughter. 'And as soon as they thought anything was going on they just kinda vanished. So I'm just kinda worried, you know, about where they are at. What they're doing with her at this point in time.' Her arrest came just hours before the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office said a search of a pond in the Shepherds Crossroads Community, in Wilkes County, was 'inconclusive'. Aerial footage from WJHL showed investigators preparing to search the water, using a Remote Operated Vehicle device. Boswell's attorney Brad Sproles declined an interview with the television station WJHL-TV, which was the only TV station in the courtroom Monday. Construction work on a charging forecourt for electric vehicles (EVs) in the U.K. has begun, as efforts to boost infrastructure for zero- and low-emission transport options ramp up. The new facility, located near the town of Braintree in Essex, will have the capacity to charge 24 electric vehicles at once, according to sustainable energy firm Gridserve, which is behind the project. It will be the first of its kind in the U.K. Meanwhile, last September, a gas station in Takoma Park, Maryland became the first in the U.S. to move from selling petroleum to exclusively charging electric vehicles. In a statement Tuesday, Gridserve said the British forecourt would open this summer and use "superchargers" able to provide up to 350 kilowatts (kW) of power. This would allow electric vehicle users to charge their vehicles in 20 to 30 minutes, with faster times expected as battery technologies develop. The time it takes to charge an electric vehicle varies and is dependent on several factors, including the type of charger being used. According to Pod Point, an independent provider of electric vehicle charging, a typical electric car will take a little under eight hours to go from an empty to full charge using a 7 kW charging point. The firm adds that some cars would be able to add as much as 100 miles of range in around 35 minutes if a "rapid charger" of 50 kW is used. The Gridserve forecourt will be powered by zero carbon solar energy and battery storage projects, Gridserve said. Looking ahead, it has plans for more than 100 electric vehicle forecourts in the U.K. Battery electric vehicle registrations in the U.K. grew to 37,850 in 2019, an increase of 144% compared to 2018, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). While electric vehicles are becoming the car of choice for an increasing number of drivers, they do face challenges, not least when it comes to perceptions surrounding range and charging infrastructure. The market share for battery electric vehicles in 2019 was just 1.6%, while hybrid electric vehicles had a 4.2% share, according to the SMMT. At the other end of the spectrum, petrol or gasoline had a market share of 64.8%, while diesel was 25.2%. Efforts are underway in the U.K. to address this gap. At the start of February, the U.K. government said it wanted to end the sale of new diesel and gasoline cars by the year 2035. Around the world, a shift in attitudes is also taking place. Norway, a world leader in electric vehicle adoption, is home to more than 10,000 public charging points, according to the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association. Several big firms are also investing in charging businesses. These include oil giant BP, which acquired EV charging business Chargemaster in 2018. Now known as BP Chargemaster, the firm offers more than 7,000 charging points on its Polar network in the U.K. Elsewhere, last August Norway's state-owned energy business Statkraft acquired E-Wald GmbH, a German electric vehicle charging firm. And in 2018, the Oslo-headquartered business became a majority shareholder in eeMobility, another German EV charging company. A sixth patient has died in the UK after testing positive for the coronavirus, NHS England said. The person who passed away was an 80-year-old man with underlying health conditions, who was being treated at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust. The most recent announcement came as a top UK health official said that "many thousands of people" are due to be struck with Covid-19. Coronavirus - In pictures 1 /106 Coronavirus - In pictures A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" is seen on an underground station platform Getty Images Customers wearing face masks shop at the pork counter of a supermarket following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province Reuters Westminster Bridge is deserted in London the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown PA Canadian passengers Chris & Anna Joiner ask for help onboard the MS Zaandam, Holland America Line cruise ship, during the coronavirus outbreak, off the shores of Panama City via Reuters A man crosses a nearly empty 5th Avenue in midtown Manhattan during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York City Reuters The London Eye is pictured lit blue in support of the NHS, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Commuters cope with Coronavirus Jeremy Selwyn Milan's Piazza del Duomo empty AFP via Getty Images People in protective clothing walk past rows of beds at a temporary 2,000-bed hospital for COVID-19 coronavirus patients set up by the Iranian army at the international exhibition center in northern Tehran, Iran AP Martina Papponetti, 25, an ICU nurse at the Humanitas Gavazzeni Hospital in Bergamo, Italy poses for a portrait at the end of her shift AP Pope Francis celebrating a daily mass alone in the Santa Marta chapel at the Vatican, as part of precautionary measures against the spread of the new coronavirus COVID-19 AFP via Getty Imag Vysheyshaya Liga - FC Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino v FC Belshina Bobruisk - Torpedo Stadium, Zhodino, Belarus, March 27, 2020 Players in action during the match despite most sport being cancelled around the world as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Hanks and Wilson both have coronavirus Tom Hanks General view of an emergency makeshift field hospital as it is set up at Pacaembu Stadium for coronavirus (COVID-19) patients with a capacity of 200 beds in Sao Paulo, Brazil Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling on people to stay away from pubs, clubs and theatres, work from home if possible and avoid all non-essential contacts and travel in order to reduce the impact of the coronavirus pandemic PA Naomi Campbell catches a flight in a hazmat suit with goggles, a surgical mask and rubber gloves @naomi Sophie and Emily Ward pose for a photograph with their hand-drawn picture of rainbows and a message on their window in St Helens, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Corona virus outbreak. PA Shoppers queue outside a branch of Costco, in Croydon, south London, on the weekend after Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered pubs and restaurants across the country to close PA Charing Cross Tube Bakerloo Line very quiet at 8.15am Jeremy Selwyn A woman with a plastic box over her head on the London Underground. PA A Racegoer attend Cheltenham Festival on Ladies Day wearing a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits a laboratory at the Public Health England National Infection Service in Colindale PA A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A couple kiss in Milano Centrale railway station in Milan on March 8, 2020 AFP via Getty Images A combination picture shows visitors wearing protective face masks following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) looking at blooming cherry blossom nd a pigeon walking at an closed cherry blossom viewing spot during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (not pictured) urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors, in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from spreading Reuters This combination photo created on March 5, 2020 shows tourists visiting Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap province on March 16, 2019 (top) and on March 5, 2020 AFP via Getty Images Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump looks at the $2.2 trillion coronavirus aid package bill as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Vice President Mike Pence stand by during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House Reuters A satellite image shows an empty South Beach during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Miami, via Reuters General view inside the empty stadium as the two teams line up prior to the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg match between Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund at Parc des Princes UEFA via Getty Images A Sainsbury's supermarket in Cambridge is among those to sell out of antibacterial hand sanitizer PA Tents and ambulances are set up next to the Princess Cruises Grand Princess cruise as it sits docked in the Port of Oakland on March 09, 2020 in Oakland, California. The Princess Cruises Grand Princess has been held from docking until today as at least 21 people on board have tested positive for COVID-19 also known as the Coronavirus Getty Images Medical staff produce traditional Chinese medicine to treat patients infected by the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images Army soldiers wearing protective suits spray disinfectant as a precaution against the new coronavirus at a shopping street in Seoul, South Korea AP Russian President Vladimir Putin wearing protective gear walks at a hospital for patients infected with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Moscow via Reuters 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 Passengers on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship are seen as the ship arrives at Daikoku Pier where it is being resupplied and newly diagnosed coronavirus cases taken for treatment as it remains in quarantine after a number of the 3,700 people on board were diagnosed with coronavirus Getty Images Dave Abel pictured in hospital in Japan Manchester United fans in the stands during the Premier League match at Old Trafford PA Police officers wearing masks stand in front of the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in La Caleta, in the Canary Island of Tenerife AP Carnival revellers wear protective face masks at Venice Carnival Reuters A general view is pictured of Burbage Primary School in Buxton, Derbyshire after the closure of the school as a pupil's parent has tested positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19 AFP via Getty Images People wearing face masks walk past the Olympic rings in front of the new National Stadium, the main stadium for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Game Getty Images People leave Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre in Milton Keynes where Coronavirus evacuees are due to be released from quarantine today and allowed to go home PA Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA A woman wears a mask while crossing London Bridg Getty Images A general view of Worthing Hospital in West Sussex PA Passengers relax on board the Holland America-operated Westerdam cruise ship, which has been denied permission to dock in Thailand over coronavirus fears via Reuters A child waves as she sits in a vehicle carrying residents evacuated from a public housing building, following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, outside Hong Mei House, at Cheung Hong Estate in Hong Kong Reuters A woman wearing a Minnie Mouse face mask looks at her mobile phone in Beijing on February 11, 2020 AFP via Getty Images The Costa Smeralda cruise ship of Costa Crociere, carrying around 6,000 passengers, is docked at the Italian port of Civitavecchia after a health alert due to a Chinese couple and a possible link to coronavirus on board, in Civitavecchia, Italy Reuters A patient covered with a bed sheet at an exhibition centre converted into a hospital as it starts to accept patients displaying mild symptoms of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images A medical official takes the body temperature of a man at the departure hall of the airport in Changsha, Hunan Province, as the country is hit by an outbreak of a new coronavirus, China Reuters The view of the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center Getty Images A plane carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, arrives at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire A police vehicle enters the gates of the Royal Air Force station RAF Brize Norton in Carterton AFP via Getty Images Passengers wear face masks as the push their luggage after arriving from a flight at Terminal 5 of London Heathrow Airport AFP via Getty Images French citizens arrive and settle aboard of an evacuation plane with destination southeastern France, before departure from Wuhan Airport (WUH), China AFP via Getty Images Police stand at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge that crosses from Hubei province in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, China Reuters A member of staff at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside prepares for a bus carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China PA Doctor Paul McKay, who is working on an vaccine for the 2019-nCoV strain of the novel coronavirus, poses for a photograph with bacteria containing fragments of coronavirus DNA, at Imperial College School of Medicine (ICSM) in Londo AFP via Getty Images Workers produce masks at the Thai Hospital Product Company Ltd. factory in Bangkok AFP via Getty Images Passengers wearing face masks are seen on a bus after disembarking from the Costa Smeralda cruise ship, after tests on a woman from Macau with suspected coronavirus came back negative, in Civitavecchia, Italy Reuters People hoard bottles of alcohol after the Philippine government confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in the country, in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines Reuters Taking precautions: with fears growing that the coronavirus will spread from China, a health official checks a womans temperature on the underground in Beijing Getty Images An empty road is seen in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020, amid a deadly virus outbreak which began in the city AFP via Getty Images Students wearing masks meditate prior to a lesson at a high school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia AP Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital wear protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus AFP via Getty Images Staff move bio-waste containers past the entrance of the Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, where some infected with a new virus are being treated, in Wuhan, China AP Workers driving excavators at the construction site of a field hospital In Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The builders will complete the 1,000-bed hospital by February 3 to cope with the surge of 2019-nCoV patients in the city Getty Images Buddhist monks wear masks as they walk near Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodi AP A woman and a child wearing protective masks walk toward check-in counters at Daxing international airport in Beijing AFP via Getty Images An employee sprays disinfectant on a train as a precaution against a new coronavirus at Suseo Station in Seoul, South Korea AP A policeman wearing a mask walks past a quarantine notice about the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China at an arrival hall of Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan Reuters Paramilitary police wear face masks as they stand guard at Tiananmen Gate adjacent to Tiananmen Square in Beijing AP The resident wear masks to buy vegetables in the market in Wuhan Getty Images Staff sell masks at a Yifeng Pharmacy in Wuhan AP Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV AP Worldwide, almost 110,000 have tested positive for the coronavirus, and almost 4,000 have died. At the time of writing, 373 people have tested positive for Covid-19 un the UK since January 31. Confirming the latest death, a statement from West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust said: Sadly, we can confirm that a man who was being cared for at Watford General Hospital, and had tested positive for Covid-19, has died. The patient, who died in the evening of Monday March 9, was in his early 80s and had underlying health conditions. His family has been informed and our thoughts and condolences are with them at this difficult and distressing time. Englands chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, said: I am sorry to confirm a sixth patient in England who tested positive for Covid-19 has sadly died. "I offer my sincere condolences to their family and friends and ask that their privacy is respected. The patient, who was being treated by West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, was in their 80s and had underlying health conditions. As anyone who pays much attention to the workings of his administration can tell you, Donald Trump is famously distractible. The list of anecdotes about his lack of attention to details that go beyond the cosmetic that have emerged over the course of his first three years in office is all but endless. Of course, one doesn't have to be a voracious consumer of news to know that the 45th President of the United States has little to no ability to remain focused in a crisis. Such insights can easily be divined by anyone who, over the last few days, has had a few minutes of time, a smartphone, and a Twitter account. While most of Monday's news was devoted to the burgeoning coronavirus outbreak spreading across the country and US stock markets' largest single-day decline in value since the 2008 financial crisis, Americans who checked in to the president's online stream of consciousness that morning were treated to a host of opinions and pronouncements on any number of topics. What specifically, you might ask, were the subjects on which the commander-in-chief of the world's most powerful military chose to weigh in? After beginning his day by accusing Democrats and the press of trying to "inflame the coronavirus situation," the president turned his attention to comments Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer made about two Trump-appointed Supreme Court justices. He promoted a baseless conspiracy theory about the Democratic presidential primary meant to inflame supporters of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. And he republished a video of the US Surgeon General (an actual doctor in his mid-40s) telling CNN's Jake Tapper, somewhat bizarrely, that Trump "sleeps less than I do and he's healthier than what I am." Trump also promoted another conspiracy theory positing that Democrats are "trying to smear" Sanders "with Russia, Russia, Russia" (because of a New York Times story about Sanders attempts to find a Soviet sister city for Burlington, Vermont during his mayoralty there), and claimed without evidence that the Obama-Biden administration was "the most corrupt in the history of our country." All that was before 9am. Dr Bandy Lee, a Yale University medical school professor, psychiatrist, and public health expert who previously warned that Trump would not be able to handle the stress of a true emergency, said that Trump's "ability to continue to live in his alternative reality and resist the need to conform to the world is creating a crisis for him." Every false statement, projection, or attempt to change the subject which Trump utters, Lee said, "directly translates into vast number of deaths right now" because "he's trying to put out a narrative that is the exact opposite of what should be happening." "This kind of epidemic requires forethought and prevention, and he's trying to block information from getting to people, and he's making light of the situation in a way that vast amounts of his followers will take to heart and engage in exactly the wrong behavior," she continued, adding that the US is "headed straight toward a worst-case scenario. While some of the president's supporters have suggested that Trump is simply trying to project confidence and prevent panic in the face of a growing number of coronavirus cases within the United States, Lee said such attempts including the rambling, self-congratulatory media availability Trump conducted at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday are evidence that he knows he is utterly unfit to lead the country through this crisis. "He is noticing that the public health officials are getting attention and he wishes to be a part of it, but he is also feeling very bad about himself right now," she said. "His way of countering that is to repeatedly say how he how good he is at things and that he is an expert even in this area and that people should be looking to him. So he's trying to prop himself up and feel better." The crisis presented by a viral pandemic an opponent with which Trump's usual strategies of bluster and distraction carries no weight is a perfect storm for someone with his insecurities, Lee added. "He understands that he's totally ill-equipped to handle any situation, deep down, and the problem is that consciously he's pushing all of [these feelings] down. That's one of the reasons why he's projecting the opposite he projects grandiosity, that only he can fix things and he's an expert in everything because of this terrifying feeling of total inner inadequacy and worthlessness," she said. "He is going to create the biggest crisis situation because of the power and influence he has because he's gutted all the important agencies of their ability to confront this." As a result, Lee warned that Americans should probably do the opposite of whatever the president advises because his own demons drive him to say and do the opposite of what needs to be said and done: The psychopathology behind that is rather complex, but because of the severity of the symptoms and his type of symptoms, if you take the exact opposite of what he is saying, you will get the truth." But it's not just Trump himself who is distracted at a moment of crisis. At roughly the same time that precipitous opening prices in US stock markets triggered "circuit breaker" rules to temporarily halt trading, two of the Trump administration officials charged with halting the spread of coronavirus in the US were engaged in a completely unrelated matter. The heads of two sprawling bureaucracies charged with finding solutions to this crisis, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma, were bent over a speakerphone to brief reporters on wait for it new regulations on Electronic Health Record interoperability. The regulations, which begin to go into effect roughly two years from now, implemented provisions of the 21st Century Cures Act, which then-President Barack Obama signed into law in December 2016. Still, Azar took time on the call to praise Trump credit for "a bold, new way of thinking about government in healthcare." When it came time to ask questions, I asked Azar and Verma how Americans could have any confidence that the Trump administration was focused on the outbreak when the president was spending the morning thumbing tweets into his phone and two of his coronavirus task force members were devoting part of their morning to a seemingly superfluous press briefing. But the junior White House press office staffer who was running the call didn't allow either official to answer the question. Instead, the official dismissively replied: "Thank you for your commentary and question. This is a call about interoperability, and were happy to take any more questions we have about interoperability this morning. Next caller." While an administration source said that the briefing call had been on Azar's and Verma's calendars for months, Chris Lu, who managed Obama's cabinet from 2009 to 2013, said the fact that the White House allowed them to appear in a briefing that wasn't about coronavirus shows the Trump administration isn't focusing its efforts on getting Americans the information they need to protect themselves. "Somebody at the White House should have thought to themselves: 'This is a little bit off-message from what we're trying to do today,' and said, 'You know what? This could either be done through a press release or pushed off to another day,'" said Lu, who is now a senior fellow at the University of Virginia's Miller Center. "Even if you're trying to tout good news, that's not the way to do it. All it does is show that you're not 110 per cent focused on the news of the day," he continued. "That's the reason why you wouldn't do this announcement, or if you're going to do it, then you do it by press release." Lu suggested that the only reason officials like Azar and Verma would be on such a call during a crisis as opposed to lower-level officials would be as an attempt to distract attention from the news of the day. "If the Trump folks thought this would distract reporters from the news, then they really haven't learned much. Jay Cartmill on a helicopter flight to the Northern Lights and on holiday. A group of 'money mules' who stole almost 300,000 from bank accounts belonging to the sick and elderly have avoided jail. The 13 thieves, many of whom were working for notorious conman Jay Cartmill, were given a range of suspended sentences and probation orders by courts in Belfast and Craigavon. They allowed their accounts to be used for the transfer of cash stolen electronically from pensioners who did not use internet banking and did not notice their life savings had been wiped out. The mules, who were largely unknown to each other, toured bureaux de changes across Northern Ireland withdrawing the money in small amounts. The fraudsters pocketed 25 percent of the cash and handed the rest to middle men working for Cartmill, who is now at the centre of a major investigation by the PSNI's Economic Crimes Unit. The 37-year-old used the money to invest in legitimate front businesses, including a barber shop, beauty salon and creche, and to lead a lavish lifestyle, including Champagne helicopter trips to the Arctic Circle to see the Northern Lights. Cartmill has refused to speak to Sunday Life about his key role in the multimillion-pound scam, which a detective told Belfast Crown Court involves 215 cases. Expand Close Jay Cartmill / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jay Cartmill The west Belfast man has more than 100 fraud convictions stretching back almost 20 years. His many victims include Stephen Nolan and Eamonn Holmes, who he fleeced for more than 50,000. The cash he arranged to be transferred into the accounts of his money mules never totalled more than 10,000 at a time, so as to avoid fraud checks. Security sources confirmed they are building a detailed case against him. Detective Chief Inspector Ian Wilson from the PSNI's Economic Crime Unit warned the police will pursue those involved in the scam. "We are committed to keeping people safe by pursuing those involved in laundering criminally derived money," he said. "If you allow your bank account to be used for money laundering, it can lead to you losing your bank account and finding it extremely difficult to get access to a new one. I would appeal for anyone with any information on money mules to contact police on 101 or call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111." The latest of Cartmill's money mules to be convicted in court are: Luke McParland (29), from Old Suffolk Road in Belfast, who stole 60,000 and was sentenced to 15 months in jail, suspended for two years; Linda Mayanne Duff (37), from Crossland Court in Belfast, who stole 34,000 and was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for three years; Stephen Coleman (37), from Columbia Street in Belfast, who stole 20,000 and was sentenced to 10 months in jail, suspended for two years; Stephen John McMurty (44), from Gainsborough Drive in Belfast, who stole 8,995, and was sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for one year; Suzanne Harris (43), from East Way in Newtownabbey, who stole 6,975 and was sentenced to 50 hours of community service; Lyndsey Taggart (30), from West Circular Road in Belfast, who stole 12,724 and was sentenced to four months in jail, suspended for one year; Bronagh Close (31), from Rosnareen Avenue in Belfast, who stole 33,797 and was sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for one year; Michael Gerard McCusker (47), from Colinmill in Dunmurry, who stole 15,000 and was sentenced to six months in jail suspended for two years; Mark Samuel McCullough (29), from Glencairn Pass in Belfast, who stole 15,000 and was sentenced to six months' jail, suspended for two years; Gary Brammeld (34), from Dalebrook Park in Belfast, who stole 15,500 and was sentenced to nine months in prison suspended for two years; William Flynn (21), of Lagmore Road in Dunmurry, who stole 11,625 and was given 100 hours' community service and a one-year probation order; Michael Patrick Kennan (28), from Kingsway in Dunmurry, who stole 16,718 and was sentenced to 200 hours of community service; John McCullough (29), from Riverview Meadows in Belfast, who stole 36,950 and was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and given a one-year probation order. cbarnes@sundaylife.co.uk If corruption is an art, then the artist has to be the Congress party, said BJP leader Sambit Patra on Tuesday while hitting out at Priyanka Gandhi for selling a painting to Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor. "A truth through media has come to public as to how a painting was sold by Gandhi family, particularly by Priyanka Gandhi at an exorbitant amount to Yes Bank founder-chairman Rana Kapoor," said Patra. "Wherever there is corruption, wherever there is a scam, there has to be a mention of the Congress party. Without the mention of the Congress, the story of scam or corruption can never be complete. If corruption is an art, the artist has to be the Congress party," added Patra while addressing a press conference here. The BJP leader said that "what MF Hussain was to the world of painting, Congress is today for sure to the world of corruption." Raising questions as to how painting for an "exorbitant" amount of Rs 2 crore was 'force sold' to Rana Kapoor, Patra said: "There are some important questions which we want to ask the Congress." "The painting was gifted by MF Hussain in 1985, the centenary year of Congress, to then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The question is how does this gift by Hussain to the Prime Minister become a personal property of the Gandhis, particularly Priyanka Gandhi," he said. Patra likened the entire episode to what he said was the " Herald" module. "The question to the Congress party today is -- since the painting was the property of AICC, how did Priyanka sell it as her personal property. People want to know that. This is almost akin to the Herald module. At that time, mother-son was involved. Now, mother-daughter is involved. The whole family is a family, which is embroiled in gross corruption," he said. "Will it be an exaggeration to say that since Priyanka Vadra has received the proceeds of crime in a scam, should she not be investigated is a question that we would like the Congress party to answer," he asked. He further questioned if the income tax on the painting was paid and demanded if it was done, then its details be put forth before the public. "Another big question that we want to know from the Gandhi family was the income tax paid on this painting. The income you generated from this painting, did you pay the tax on it. If you did, then put forth the details before the public. As far as we know, no income tax has been paid on it," he said. The BJP leader, while referring to some media reports, claimed that Congress leader Milind Deora sent messages to 'Rana uncle' saying that attempts are being made to fix meeting with Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. "The most important thing is that it is not just Priyanka Vadra, who is involved. The present president of Congress Sonia Gandhi was herself embroiled in all this is amply clear from the message that Rana Kapoor desperately wanted to meet both the mother and the daughter," he said. "The question is why was this meeting sought in desperation and why was there desperation in the message that we have seen through media to demand this amount from Rana Kapoor. On seeing the message, it appears that painting was not sold or money was not being sought, this was almost an extortion of money," added Patra. When asked about the senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia being "expelled" from the Congress, Patra took a jibe at Rahul Gandhi: "I can't understand how can you expel someone after he has already resigned. Only Rahul Gandhi can do such reverse engineering. Ask him." It was reported on March 9 that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized a painting bought by Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor from Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. A letter written by Gandhi to Kapoor in June 2010 confirmed the sale of the portrait of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi for Rs 2 crore. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) PHILIPSBURG:--- On Tuesday, March 10th, 2020 a missing persons report was filed by the mother of a teenage girl identified as Crystal Loriani Clement, born on December 5th, 2005 on St. Maarten. Crystal was last seen by her mother on Monday afternoon when she left home with her girlfriends, Ever since then Crystal has not returned home nor contacted her mother or any other family member. Crystal has a slim posture, dark brown in complexion, brown eyes and black hair. 14-year-old Crystal Clement was wearing pink top blue jeans when she left home on Monday afternoon. The Police Department is seeking assistance from the community to help locate Crystal Loriani Clement. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Crystal Clement is asked to contact the Police Station at 54-22222 or the emergency hotline 911. If Crystal Loriani Clement sees this publication she is asked to contact her mother immediately. KPSM Press Release U.S. school officials in many places are grappling with how to proceed, weighing the potential benefits of closures in slowing the spread of the disease against the severe disruption it could cause, particularly for students who rely on schools for meals, or who have parents who would struggle to find child care. There are also questions of how effective school closures are in slowing down the spread of disease, especially if people congregate elsewhere and pass the illness on to one another outside of the schools. Part of an ongoing series I wish I didnt know about any of this. I wish I was like everybody else in the world, and tomorrow it would just be over. There wouldnt be any time to be sorryOh, Jesus! I really wanted to learn how to swim. I swear to God I did. Matthew Brodericks character in the classic movie War Games, as he contemplated possible nuclear war. The COVID-19 (C19) pandemic, as it now stands, is not the big one thats reserved for a global population killer such as bird flu, which remains several mutations away from achieving that distinction. Unlike Hollywoods depiction of apocalypses, zombies, and blood in the streets, the C19 pandemic, while still dangerous, will result in more pedestrian, though still monumental, effects. The interconnected global economy and speed of intercontinental travel have allowed coronavirus to rock the world like nothing in history. Trillions of dollars have evaporated; stock markets are plunging; manufacturing, especially in China, has come to a halt; travel-related industries have been crushed; millions of jobs may be lost; and quarantines placing millions in lockdown are increasing. The biggest impact will be economic, as productivity and consumer confidence decline, and millions, potentially billions, will neither work at normal capacity, nor travel while the virus is still raging. We have already witnessed this with China which, quite amazingly, prioritized health over economics by shutting down a massive part of its manufacturing engine. Factories were idled, travel was banned, and the largest quarantine in world history was implemented, locking down between 100 and 150 million people the equivalent of more than one in three Americans. The ill-advised decisions of leaders have largely contributed to C19s spread, showing that human behavior is a pandemics best friend. Consequently, coronavirus will continue unabated until it possibly goes dormant in the summer (though likely to re-emerge in the fall), mutates into a benign strain, or a majority of the worlds population becomes infected. This pandemic offers fascinating insights into how every aspect of society reacts to a major crisis. From politics to economics, culture to government, and health to behavior and preparedness, all are interconnected. Via a multipart series, we will examine each in the hope that, should a true people-killer emerge, we are eminently more capable of stopping it because of lessons learned from this pandemic. Cultural Differences/Human Behavior The biggest reason for C19s spread is human behavior. Inexcusably bad governmental decisions have allowed it to flourish, from secrecy about corona (China), to incompetence (China, America, Italy), to counterproductive political leadership (President Trumps complacency, blame-game tactics, and flat-out incorrect medical proclamations). By contrast, China, including Hong Kong, takes the gold medal for how to attain a level of containment: Staying home from work and school until the virus fades from lack of hosts. But in entitlement-driven democracies, the result is starkly different. Take Italy a typical Western democracy and Europes fourth-largest economy. Its population of 60 million is 23 times less than Chinas 1.4 billion. Yet when you extrapolate its 10,200 cases relative to the 23x population factor, you would have a total of 238,000 infected a massive increase over Chinas 81,000 number. Even accounting for Chinas fudged numbers, thats still a monumental difference. Ditto for the affluent democracy of South Korea, whose extrapolated number would be 210,000 cases. Even more alarming is that these countries watched China tackle coronavirus for two solid months, and should have benefitted from learning what did, and did not, work. When students make a speech, everyone not going first inherently benefits from watching the initial speaker, learning what he did right, and, more important, wrong. Fail to heed those lessons, and theres no one to blame but yourself. So what does it tell us that these democracies failed to implement the things that helped China turn the tide? As a result, the world is seeing a faster rate of infection than at any point since the outbreak began. Yes, China is authoritarian, and its quarantines were enforced at gunpoint. However, many Chinese followed orders because it was the right thing to do for themselves, their families and communities, for China, and yes, for the rest of the world. Even now, with C19 cases on the decline in China (though its numbers must be taken with a grain of salt), many Chinese are, of their own volition, still exercising extreme caution. Consider: Shanghai has a temporary ban on jogging, since the government is trying to eliminate extraneous public movements. You know how many are jogging? Virtually none. Compare that to America, should a similar law be enacted. Almost all of our running aficionados would still take their daily jog. And the reason is simple: Wealthy democracies, especially America, have bred an attitude of entitlement (which this column has discussed at length). Many now view laws with flexibility, where adhering to rules depends on whether we agree with them such as sanctuary cities and safe injection drug sites. Both are illegal, yet are publicly implemented anyway, without penalty. That rules are for others mentality, while bad for society in normal times, becomes deadly during a pandemic. Billionaire Tilman Fertitta, owner of the NBAs Houston Rockets, also owns numerous restaurant chains, including Mortons Steakhouse. When his Beijing Mortons reopened, the total sales were zero not a single person walked in the door. Conversely, if this occurred in Seattle or worse, Kirkland, Wash., the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak it would undoubtedly be packed. Consider a few examples of irresponsible behavior already exhibited: Even though corona had already invaded the Philadelphia region, there was barely a parking space at the King of Prussia mall the nations largest. -An employee of Dartmouth Medical Center showed signs of corona after returning from Italy. He was told to self-quarantine pending the test result. Instead, he ignored that medical order and attended a crowded music venue. He was, in fact, positive for corona, and now others with whom he had contact may be infected. -The father and sister of a woman who had coronavirus decided to ignore their self-quarantine order and attend ready for this? a school function. But this should come as no shock, as it was on full display when doctors and nurses returning from the deadly Ebola hot zone in 2014 defiantly, and quite publicly, disregarded mandatory quarantines. Instead of staying isolated, they frolicked around in Maine, Manhattan and North Jersey Americas most densely-populated regions. What were the repercussions, both then and now? Absolutely, positively nothing. And there is the heart of the problem. By allowing such behavior to go unpunished, the message is loud and clear: Break the rules, and nothing will happen to you. The answer should have been district attorneys, state attorneys general, and yes, the United States Attorney General announcing charges against the offenders. And if, because of their actions, a person dies, they should be charged with manslaughter. Enough fooling around. Its time for aggressive leadership. The president opens his mouth on damn near everything, but has completely let these people off the hook, ostensibly because he still isnt taking the pandemic seriously. When leadership from the worlds largest bully pulpit is needed most, the president has been MIA. To be clear, many Americans are responsibly heeding advice from the news ironically, the same fake news outlets which Vice President Pence has been imploring to spread his message. Many possessed the common sense to have several weeks of food on hand (which everyone should have, regardless of C19), and many bought cleaners, masks and antibacterial products before they sold out. Yet it is astounding how many are going the other way, parroting the presidents woefully incorrect view that this is just the flu, and nothing more than hype by Democrats and the fake news media. Nothing could be further than the truth. The storm is no longer coming its already here. If we dont jettison partisanship bickering and that includes both the president and congressional Democrats and replace it with caution and common sense, the tipping point will soon be upon us. Chris Freind is an independent columnist and commentator whose column appears every Wednesday. He can be reached at CF@FFZMedia.com Follow him on Twitter @chrisfreind. COLONIE Latham Pool Products in Colonie has banned all international travel as businesses across the globe struggle with how to effectively deal with the outbreak of the coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 illness. The Albany Business Review was the first publication to report the news. Rattled by the resignation of Jyotiraditya Scindia and 22 MLAs, the Congress party on Tuesday accused the BJP of "insulting the people's mandate." "Congress legislative party condemns the unfortunate manner in which the attempt by BJP has been made to insult the people's mandate by satisfying the personal ambitions of Jyotiraditya Scindia," said the party in a statement. The statement further said: "The party workers thank the Congress leaders for expelling Jyotiraditya Scindia." Scindia, who served the Congress for 18 years, has resigned from the party, stating that "it is time to move on." Scindia's resignation came after Congress MLAs, considered loyal to him, indicated on Monday that they may pull out from Chief Minister Kamal Nath-led government. Earlier, several Congress leaders including Digvijaya Singh accused the BJP of horse-trading and conspiring to bring down the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh. The grand old party has been witnessing an internal turf war in Madhya Pradesh since the party formed the government in the state in 2018. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States is not contemplating deploying ground troops in Syria's province of Idlib, US Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey said during a press briefing on Tuesday WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th March, 2020) The United States is not contemplating deploying ground troops in Syria's province of Idlib, US Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey said during a press briefing on Tuesday. "I think you can forget about ground troops," Jeffrey told reporters. "Ground troops is only an extreme measure." Jeffrey also said that Turkey has demonstrated the ability to defend itself in Idlib. New Delhi: Disgruntled Madhya Pradesh leader Jyotiraditya Scindia resigned from the Congress on Tuesday, hurtling the grand old party into crisis on Holi and virtually signaling the collapse of the Kamal Nath government since 16 MLAs loyal to the Gwalior royal are likely to follow suit. Scindia sent his resignation to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi a couple of hours after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, hinting at an entry into the BJP. In his resignation letter, Scindia said he was unable to serve the country and his state while remaining in the Congress. The hectic developments coincide with the birth anniversary of Scindias father, the late Congress stalwart Madhavrao Scindia. For the Congress, which has claimed that it expelled Scindia for anti-party activities, the crisis unfolded on Monday evening when a sulking Scindia, along with 17 loyal MLAs, virtually revolted, prompting Chief Minister Kamal Nath to empty out his cabinet to woo the rebels who are holed up at a resort in Bengaluru. Nath had blamed the turmoil on the BJP, alleging that the saffron party was adopting immoral ways to "destabilise my government" and vowed not to let it happen. Trouble had been brewing in the Congress ahead of Rajya Sabha polls as it had last week accused the BJP of trying to topple its government after 10 MLAs of the ruling party and those of its allies travelled to Haryana, though the BJP had denied the charge. Of them, eight had come back and many of them wanted ministerial berths. However, two Congress MLAs have not yet returned. Scindia and Nath had fallen out over the post of the state Congress president, which is currently held by the chief minister. Last month, Scindia had threatened to take to the streets if his party's government in the state failed to meet the demands of protesting guest teachers, and Nath virtually dared him to follow through. If the MLAs loyal to Scindia resign, the Kamal Nath government will lose majority in the state. While the Congress, which was voted to power in MP after 15 years in 2018, has 114 MLAs, the opposition BJP has 107 legislators. Four Independent MLAs, two lawmakers of the Bahujan Samaj Party and one legislator of the Samajwadi Party are supporting the Congress-led state government. The majority mark in the 230-member assembly is 115. All eyes have been on the Duchess of Sussex in recent days as she carried out her final engagements as a senior member of the royal family. Now FEMAIL can reveal how Meghan Markle, 38, used the opportunity to shine a light on causes close to her heart by choosing to wear jewellery that align with her personal interests and have connections to charities. From a pair of earrings by an independent, women-led British company to a necklace that benefits an animal welfare charity, Meghan made deliberate wardrobe decisions that champion others. Elsewhere the Duchess chose pieces that carry hidden meanings, such as the 'good luck' necklace that she wore to a school in Dagenham, east London, on Friday. Here, a closer look at what we can learn from Meghan's farewell tour jewellery collection... EARRINGS MADE FROM RECYCLED MATERIALS WORN: On Sunday to church with the Queen at Windsor Castle Meghan Markle, 38, donned a pair of recycled silver earrings by British female designer Laura Vann as she attended church alongside Prince Harry, 35, and the Queen, 93, on Sunday The jewels, which are currently out of stock online, feature an emerald and agate art-deco style design, pictured Diamond favourites for her final farewell For her final outing as a senior royal yesterday, the Duchess of Sussex chose the Snowstorm diamond earrings by Canadian jewellers Birks. The earrings were first worn by Meghan shortly before her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018 and have become a wardrobe staple since. Touch of sparkle: Meghan yesterday Advertisement The Duchess of Sussex showcased her eco-friendly credentials yesterday by donning a pair of earrings by a sustainable British jewellery brand, as she and Prince Harry reunited with the Queen in public for the first time since Megxit. Meghan Markle, 38, selected the 140 Daphne circle drop jewels crafted by V by Laura Vann for the church service in Windsor. The mother-of-one wore a black and white monochrome gown for the occasion, sweeping her hair into a soft wave, and tucking a lock behind her ear to reveal the dangling green art-deco earrings. The earrings are described online as being crafted from 'recycled silver', with the brand focusing on 'ethical production'. Online the earrings, which are currently out-of-stock, are described as 'a highly anticipated arrival for Autumn Winter 2017', perhaps suggesting the Duchess has had the pieces in her collection for a while. NECKLACE THAT BRINGS GOOD FORTUNE WORN: On Friday for a visit to a school in Dagenham, east London The Duchess opted for a different gold pendant during a visit to a Dagenham school on Friday Meghan opted for the Edge of Ember's Kismet charm necklace, which features a 'lucky number 7' and a four leaf clover to represent 'good fortune' Meghan donned Edge of Ember's Kismet Charm necklace during her appearance at a school in Dagenham on Friday, which features a four-leaf clover as a 'good fortune icon'. The Duchess selected the Edge of Ember's Kismet Charm Necklace, which costs just 125, for the visit. Online, the piece is described as a 'modern-day talisman' which was 'inspired by vintage coins found in Asia' which represent icons of good fortune. It features a four leaf clover with the lucky number 7, for two doses of good fortune. EARRINGS FOR 'INDEPENDENT WOMEN' WORN: On Thursday night at the Endeavour Awards, London The Duchess of Sussex wore 95 Gold Snake Hoops by Roxanne First as she joined Prince Harry at the Endeavour Fund Awards at Mansion House, in London, last Friday night The beautiful hoops, pictured, is from Roxanne First, which describes itself as the 'go-to site for the independent woman building her own legacy, piece by piece, occasion by occasion' All eyes were on the Duchess of Sussex's eye-catching 950 blue Victoria Beckham dress as she arrived for the Endeavour Fund Awards on Thursday night, so she chose to keep things simple when it came to her accessories. Her earrings were a pair of 95 gold 'snake' hoops by Roxanne First, yet another independent, female-run British brand. The label prides itself on sourcing ethical diamonds for its designs and on creating pieces that are 'made to last'. The website adds it is tailored for 'independent women' who are forging their own paths in life. '[Roxanne First] is the go-to site for the independent woman building her own legacy, piece by piece, occasion by occasion,' the page reads. BRACELET THAT'S AN 'HEIRLOOM FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS' WORN: On Thursday night at the Endeavour Awards, London Keeping the accessories simple, Meghan wore the delicate 9,500 Chi Chi Rose Gold and Diamond Bracelet by Jessica McCormack on her wrist for the Endeavour Fund Awards, above Handcrafted in 18k rose gold, the Chi Chi Rose Gold Brecelet is set with a 0.50 carat brilliant cut diamond in a Georgian cut-down setting, pictured, and added a touch of sparkle Taking another opportunity to shine a light on a UK-based label, the Duchess of Sussex finished her Endeavour Awards look with a stunning 9,500 bracelet by Jessica McCormack. Handcrafted in 18k rose gold, the Chi Chi Rose Gold Brecelet is set with a 0.50 carat brilliant cut diamond in a Georgian cut-down setting, which caught the light as she entered the soiree at Mansion House. Meghan re-wore the piece the following day for her visit to a school in Dagenham, east London. McCormack's beautiful, hand crafted pieces are designed to be 'heirlooms for future generations', yet another nod to Meghan Markle's commitment to sustainable shopping. ROMANTIC NECKLACE FOR A GOOD CAUSE WORN: On Thursday for a solo visit to the National Theatre The Duchess of Sussex, 38, has worn a series of personal gold charm necklaces while making final royal engagements, including one which appeared to reference her growing love for Prince Harry, 35 (pictured, Meghan Markle wearing the garment while visiting the National Theatre on Thursday) The 'Love pendant', made by designer Sophie Lis, bears a reference to a French poem which translates to 'Every day I love you more, more than yesterday less than tomorrow.' The royal, who is known for her love of highly personalised jewellery, opted for a 'Love pendant' by designer Sophie Lis for her visit to the National Theatre gallery on Thursday, which refers to a French poem about enduring and growing love. The medallion carries the engraving 'Qu'hier' after a diamond encrusted plus sign, and 'Que Demain' followed by a ruby minus sign. Online, Sophie revealed the message is borrowed from the poem 'The Eternal Song'. The reference is an an ode from the 19th century French poet Rosemonde Gerard which translates to: 'Every day I love you more, more than yesterday less than tomorrow.' Ten per cent of the sales of each necklace, which comes with a pricetag of 280, go to the animal welfare charity Wild at Heart Foundation. EARRINGS SUPPORTING WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD WORN: On Thursday for a solo visit to the National Theatre For her unannounced visit to the National Theatre on Thursday, Meghan Markle wore a pair of earrings by Edge of Ember, a new brand that she wore twice on her final UK visit The 65 Wave Earrings by Edge of Ember, pictured, are only available for pre-order online For her unannounced visit to the National Theatre on Thursday, Meghan Markle wore a pair of earrings by Edge of Ember, a new brand that she wore twice on her final UK visit. The delicate 65 Wave Earrings are designed to 'conjure visions of rippling waves on a balmy summer evening'. The style is currently only available for pre-order online. Continuing the trend, Edge of Ember is also female-run and places a focus on sustainable design and craftsmanship. The company uses factories around the world that are 'committed to fair and advanced pay, safe working environments, unbiased and equal treatment of men and women and rigorous environmental care'. For the month of March, Edge of Ember is also supporting Women for Women International, a charity that helps women survivors of war rebuild their lives. KAPAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan today held a telephone conversation with Prime Minister of Russia Mikhail Mishustin, Pashinyan said during a referendum campaign in Kapan town. During this period I had a telephone conversation with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. We have discussed our actions in the ongoing developments in the global market, the global economy, Pashintan said during the campaign. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan today started the campaign for YES vote in the upcoming referendum which is scheduled on April 5. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! Michael Einhorns medical supply company may run out of the masks used to protect against coronavirus in two weeks unless the Chinese manufacturer of his branded equipment resumes production this week. Were having to make tough decisions every day on who gets masks and who doesnt, said Einhorn, the founder of New York-based Dealmed-Park Surgical, which employs almost 100 people. Do masks go to the suburban hospital or the 911 responders? Its a huge responsibility, and we know were going to make some mistakes. Einhorns dilemma is playing out on a global stage. With the deadly virus now present in 100 countries, companies are unable to match demand for the masks needed by health workers. Thats led governments to jockey for supplies, including the US, which is stockpiling, and Germany and South Korea, which banned exports of masks altogether. Public health officials are warning that restrictive trade measures tied to medical supplies could worsen the shortfall and risk making poorer nations more vulnerable to the coronavirus spread. In some countries, including Japan and Germany, doctors are being told to reuse the single mask they get daily because of a lack of supply. Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Show all 11 1 /11 Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Ben Gurion International airport, Israel Reuters Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Daxing International Airport, Beijing AFP via Getty Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Taoyuan International Airport, Taiwan EPA Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Noi Bai International Airport, Vietnam AFP via Getty Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Haneda Airport, Tokyo Reuters Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Changsha Huanghua International Airport, China Reuters Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Shanghai Pudong Airport in Shanghai, China EPA Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Daxing International Airport, Beijing AFP via Getty Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Haneda Airport, Tokyo Reuters Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Shanghai Pudong Airport in Shanghai, China EPA Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Noi Bai International Airport, Vietnam AFP via Getty Most places are not prepared, so you now have a cascade of countries putting these export bans in place, said Stephen Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Its not a long-term solution. Everyone throwing up export bans isnt going to solve the problem of how you will get the products in time to serve these acute needs. Peter Navarro, one of President Donald Trumps trade advisers, met last week with a group of pharmaceutical companies to discuss supply chain vulnerabilities and ways to ensure that critical parts of the drug supply chain could move away from China -- or better, back to the U.S., people familiar with the meeting told Bloomberg. Navarro didnt respond to requests for comment. Manufacturers need to boost production of masks by another 40 per cent to meet demand, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organizations director general. While the WHO has shipped supplies to 47 countries including Iran, Cambodia and Uganda, shortages will hit soon, especially of the N95 masks that block out 95 per cent of airborne particulates to combat the current virus. Industry and governments must act quickly to boost supply, ease export restrictions and put measures in place to stop speculation and hoarding, Tedros said in a statement 3 March. We cant stop Covid-19 without protecting health workers first, he said, referring to the illness caused by the virus. Despite Tedros appeal, South Korea, Germany and Russia announced export bans of masks and other protective gear days after. They join others nation or territories including India, Taiwan, Thailand, and Kazakhstan that earlier put export bans in place. The novel coronavirus has now spread to more than 113,000 cases globally and killed over 3,900 people. Public health experts are concerned that should more developed countries ban exports of masks and protective gear, poorer nations could be at risk of widening outbreaks, particularly among medical workers. It will paralyze and freeze up the market, said Morrison of CSIS. The accumulated impact of these measures is to create paralysis -- one big logjam. Export bans and other measures adopted by developed countries risk deepening global divisions over the virus, said Lawrence Gostin, director of the ONeill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. It would entirely unravel global cooperation if Covid-19 turned into a major killer, and we see hundreds of thousands deaths in lower income countries with relatively few deaths in the global north, said Gostin, who is also the director of the WHOs Collaborating Center on Public Health Law & Human Rights. Before the epidemic, China produced about half of the worlds output of masks with daily production of about 20 million units, according to state media Xinhua. Factories have since boosted production more than five-fold and are enlisting carmakers to manufacture them. Thats still not enough. In the US, increased efforts by mask makers 3M Co. and DuPont De Nemours Inc. are also falling short of demand. DuPont, which makes masks and protective body suits worn by first responders, said its increased production by more than three times its usual global capacity. 3M, the biggest American manufacturer of N95 respirators, has increased production since the outbreak in China. Weve added staff, weve added overtime, weve added technology, weve been increasing manufacturing lines, said 3M spokeswoman Jennifer Ehrlich. We expect this demand for respirators and other supplies to continue to outpace supply for the foreseeable future. The dependence on China and a few other countries for masks has some calling for a rethink of supply chains. The World Medical Association, which represents physicians, wants governments to establish factories in major markets like the European Union and the U.S. to ensure adequate supply of critical drugs, vaccines and other medical necessities. The US only has about 1 per cent of the 3.5 billion masks it needs to combat a serious outbreak, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has said. The country plans to buy 500 million surgical masks and N95 respirators for the national stockpile. Einhorn of Dealmed thinks the shortage isnt likely to let up until the summer. The crisis may finally convince Americans to pay more for masks made in the US, he said. Dealmed is seeking bids for domestically-produced equipment. The world shouldnt be relying on one country for health care products, Einhorn said. We absolutely need to look at the supply chain. Bloomberg HARRISTOWN Cold rain and wind didn't stop Harristown's groundbreaking ceremony for its new village hall and community center. Holding umbrellas that threatened to turn inside out in the wind, Mayor Evelyn Deverell and other officials waded out through the puddles to dig their shovels into a ceremonial mound of dirt, kept dry by a tarp for the occasion, before going inside the temporary office nearby to dry off and get warm. The old village hall, at 185 N. Kembark, had to be abandoned and demolished due to damage from the December 2018 tornado that wreaked such havoc in Taylorville. We started having ceilings falling, Deverell said. The old building was offices and our maintenance shop and there was storage above the offices, and we started hearing noises and the ceilings falling down, so I called and had the insulation tested first, to make sure it wasn't asbestos, which it was not. Larger pieces of ceiling started falling, as big as 8 by 10 feet, along with the dust and debris that accumulate over the life of a building that was built in 1972. Deverell contacted the village's engineer, Chastain & Associates, to inspect the building, and they called in a structural engineer. When the 2018 tornado passed over the village, though it didn't touch down, the winds shifted the building and did the damage. The appraiser for the village's insurance company condemned the village hall and it was vacated by mid-September. At first, the village rented a construction trailer, which lacked a restroom and was too small to be a long-term solution. An apartment in a nearby building became vacant, and the offices moved there, where they are still located, while storage is in various locations elsewhere in the village. Our office clerk was having to go home to use the restroom, Deverell said. Once they condemned the building, they didn't even want us to go in there to use the restroom. So that didn't work out, and this is where we are until we get the new building. The new 6,000 square-foot village hall, with a community center, will be completed in August and a grand opening event is in the planning stages, Deverell said. Insurance will pay a portion of the $950,000 cost of the new building, and village funds will cover the rest. Harristown does not assess taxes on residents. Though only three employees work in the building as a rule, the village hall is also the site of village board meetings, and residents attend those meetings as well as visiting the village hall for various other reasons. The community center will be a place where the village can hold events like potlucks, and rent it out for weddings and other events. The architect is Nathan Elliott of E.A. Architecture and the contractor is 4MC Corporation out of Argenta. ______________________________________________________________ Contact Valerie Wells at (217) 421-7982. Follow her on Twitter: @modgirlreporter Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 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. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) More than 100 hundred workers at the University of California Hastings College of the Law called off a strike planned for Monday morning after school officials and the workers reached a tentative contract agreement late Sunday. The workers announced Friday they would begin their first-ever strike on Monday morning as they seek a new agreement to their contract, which expired in 2017, officials with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 said. Despite the cost of living in the city rising within the last three years by more than 17 percent, the workers haven't had a raise since then. Workers at the college earn an average of $56,000 per year, according to the union. Under the new agreement, the workers will now be provided with a market salary adjustment, retroactive raises for 2018 and 2019, and three percent annual increases through 2024. Additionally, the workers will also get new pension and healthcare benefits. "Late last night, our bargaining team together with UC Hastings Administrators came together on contract terms that will provide our members with a long overdue raise that honors the important work we do," Jeff Herrera, AFSCME Local 3299 bargaining team member and UC Hastings library operations manager, said in a statement. "This market-competitive agreement ensures that UC Hastings will be able to retain the skilled professionals it needs to serve students, while also ensuring our members will be able to live and work with dignity," he said. Workers will vote on Wednesday whether to ratify the agreement, with the AFSCME Local 3299 bargaining team recommending a yes vote. 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. In Dodge, Wisconsin, a town of roughly 414 people, ponds of murky water speckle yards, parks and fields already this spring. The community has been dealing with an unrelenting high water table for several years, and last year experienced record flooding. At a roundtable discussion with Dodge community members on Tuesday morning, Gov. Tony Evers told them a new set of flood bills could help them clean up the damage, and hopefully prevent any left to come. I dont want to have a meeting like this again. I want to solve this, Evers said. My goal is to come back here when its dry. The new legislation, which was unveiled earlier Tuesday, would put more dollars into flood prevention and disaster clean-up. Specifically, the bills would add at least $10 million to municipal flood grants, and about 20% of that would be dedicated to mitigation purposes, he told the Dodge residents. Other parts of the bills would partner with the Department of Transportation to reimburse communities to replace or rebuild infrastructure that is at risk of flood damage, give dollars to rebuilding flood-damaged highways, and give tax breaks to those who are paying flood insurance, according to The Associated Press. The bills would still need to pass in the Assembly, which has been critical of Evers other spending plans in the past, and which is currently not in session. I need your help. For us to get anything done, we have to work together. Thats not happening in Madison, Sen. Jeff Smith, D-Eau Claire, said to community members at the meeting. We actually have four or five senators who, any spending, they stop a bill from getting through the Senate. Any spending, he said. So I need your help. I need your help to talk to people on the other side of the aisle. According to the AP, there was no comment from Republican Assembly members on Tuesday. Evers met with community members in Dodge nearly a year ago after they experienced record flooding, like many areas of the state. We can have meetings and we can talk about this all the time, but if something doesnt get done these meetings are irrelevant, said one community member at the discussion. Nothing happens. Since that last meeting, community leaders in Dodge have been looking into options to control the flooding, like dikes and lake and river dredging. But all of those plans hit a financial roadblock, they said. The towns clerk, Kara Wener, told Evers that Dodge brought in about $52,000 in property taxes last year, but that most of it will be going to upgrades to EMS and fire programs, and updating voting equipment. When the community approached a private engineering firm to look into the possibility of a dike, the feasibility study alone could cost up to $50,000, they said, not including creating a plan and then implementing it. North of Dodge, the city of Arcadia is receiving $4.3 million in federal money for flood-control efforts. Some Dodge citizens believe it will increase the amount of flooding they see just 13 miles downstream. But other Dodge leaders are wondering when their financial help will come. Trempealeau County Board Chairman Timothy Zeglin called it a David and Goliath situation. But Evers said he is confident that this new legislation will directly benefit the community of Dodge, if passed. Ill put my thumb on it, Evers said in reassurance. Well look under every stone at the state to help. Love 4 Funny 0 Wow 1 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. Chennai, March 10 : On the International Women's Day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over his social media accounts to seven women, the Tamil Nadu State Chess Association and its affiliate Erode District Chess Circle denied a mother and daughter to write the chess arbiter's examination. A total of five persons from Erode including the two women were not allowed to write the arbiter's exam that was held on March 8 despite paying Rs 1,000 each as exam fees. "I had been preparing for the arbiter exam for 15 days. I didn't expect the Secretary of Erode District Chess Circle not accepting the exam application and forwarding that to Tamil Nadu State Chess Association (TNSCA)," T.Kanmane, a former Erode district chess player told IANS. Kanmane is a qualified teacher for mentally retarded teacher. She is working in a school for mentally retarded children. As per the arbiter exam procedure, an aspirant should route his/her application through the district chess association. The Secretary of the District Chess Association has to give his nod/recommendation in the exam form so that a candidate can write the exam. According to Kanmane, an email was sent to Tamil Nadu State Chess Association saying that the Secretary of its Erode district affiliate did not accept and forward the exam application, but of no avail. Not only Kanmane, even the exam applications her mother T.Intherane and her father N. Thirugnanasampandam were not accepted by the Erode District Chess Circle. "For the past several years we have been organising chess tournaments in Erode. This time we thought of writing the arbiter's exam and get ourselves qualified," Thirugnanasampandam told IANS. "I used to play in 1980s and also used to lend a helping hand to tournament organisers as an unofficial arbiter. RecentlyA I came to know about arbiter exams and decided to write the same to become a qualified arbiter," S. Kalyanasundaram whose was not allowed to write the exam despite paying the fees told IANS. For all the five persons former Secretary of the then Erode District Chess Association R. Nachimuthu acted as the coordinator on the exam matter. "The five persons who are all members of Erode Mavatta Chaduranga Kazhagam had asked me to do the needful like submitting the application forms to the Erode District Chess Circle and other related work," Nachimuthu, Executive Committee Member of the Kazhagam told IANS. He said the Erode District Chess Circle Secretary S.Ramesh did not accept the exam applications and was not reachable on phone. Nachimuthu said as the exam date was nearing, he had sent the applications directly to Tamil Nadu State Chess Association, but he nor the applicants have not received any reply from the state chess body. When contacted for his comments Ramesh, Secretary of Erode District Chess Circle told IANS: "These people had never lent a helping hand for the events organised by the official body. They also hold their own events. Will you allow a non-journalist into your journalist association?" Tamil Nadu State Chess Association Secretary P. Stephen Balasamy was not available for comments when contacted by IANS. It may be recalled last October, 11-year old school boy Karthick Rahul was arbitrarily evicted from The Hindu Tamil Nadu State Level Chess Tournament Tirunelveli Under-13 midway by the secretary of Tirunelveli District Chess Development Association (TDCDA) in Tamil Nadu for playing in tournament that was not affiliated to the district or state associations and AICF. A UN investigator is calling for Myanmar to be referred to the International Criminal Court and tried for alleged international crimes, including the persecution of ethnic minorities that have forced millions to flee, fearing for their lives. The investigator has submitted a report on Myanmar to the UN Human Rights Council. This is Yanghee Lee's last report to the Human Rights Council as special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar. When Lee assumed her post six years ago, she said she was optimistic that by now democratic values would have been firmly established in the country. She addresses the council on a video link from Seoul. "However, devastation and tragedy transpired throughout my tenure on the mandate, and that rather than observing a nation that protects and respects human rights, the world continues to watch as rights violations routinely occur, and Myanmar stands accused of the most serious crimes under international law," she said. Lee highlights the many alleged abuses resulting from the conflict between Myanmar's military and the insurgent Arakan Army, which is now into its second year of fighting in Rakhine State. The Arakan Army formed in 2009 and has been fighting in Rakhine against government forces. By Elias Biryabarema KAMPALA, March 10 (Reuters) - Twenty people including three soldiers were killed in an attack on an army post in Uganda close to its northwestern border with Democratic Republic of Congo, a military spokesman said on Tuesday. Around 80 raiders, including members of Congolese militias, carried out the March 6 attack. They were armed with bows, arrows, machetes and spears, and were intending to steal guns, said deputy spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Deo Akiiki. Loosely controlled by Congolese authorities, the country's eastern border region has long been plagued by insecurity, with fighting between rival militias seeking to exploit patches of territory and mineral and other resources riches often spilling into Uganda. The Ugandan army had stepped up border patrols in response to last week's attack, Akiiki said. It occurred a few kilometres (miles) from the northern edge of the Albertine rift basin where Uganda's oilfields are found. They are operated by France's Total, China's CNOOC and Britain's Tullow Oil and were not attacked during this incident. (Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; editing by Omar Mohammed and John Stonestreet) Not that many years ago, four to be precise, a senior journalist was sincerely trying to explain how his newsroom was attempting to diversify its staff. Job applicants could check one of four boxes, he said. Gender, race, disability and sexual orientation. What box would I check, I wondered out loud. Race, he said. And just like that, he erased major parts of my identity, rendering everything beyond my brown skin invisible. This was about 25 years after civil rights advocate and scholar Kimberle Crenshaw coined the term intersectionality to describe how peoples identities interact with power to create new forms of discrimination (specifically around Black women) when they overlap, and a few years after it had become a mainstream buzzword. March 8 was International Womens Day, a day that sprung from the womens labour movement and began to be celebrated in many countries since the United Nations adoption of it in 1975. It gained a higher profile in recent years following important movements such as #MeToo. But every day is every womans day. Celebrating the fierceness of the suffragettes who helped women win the right to vote doesnt mean we forget that it was white women who won that right for themselves in Canada, Asians came decades later and that First Nations men and women didnt have the right to vote until 1960. If second-wave feminism looked at expanding rights beyond voting, I dont know how we can celebrate representation in boardrooms and courtrooms without acknowledging that diversity initiatives have allowed white patriarchy to bend just enough to accommodate white women. I dont know how we can celebrate a narrowing gender wage gap without acknowledging that jobs traditionally done by women, often racialized women health-care workers, daycare workers, nannies are undervalued and underpaid. If full-time working women earned on average 75 cents to every dollar earned by a man, racialized and Indigenous full-time working women earned approximately 65 cents. Women can use their own bodies however they choose, but I dont know how we can celebrate Femen-type feminists and their topless protests without acknowledging that feminism is often reduced to sexual liberation or that sexual liberation is often reduced to the acreage of skin women expose. For that matter, I dont know how we think weve got anything close to liberation when women in the richest corporations are most valued when they show up to work looking thin, wearing tight clothes, tall heels and warpaint on their faces. And yeah, not in overly bright colours (too loud), not in overly short skirts (too slutty) or overly long ones (too daggy). Hair is ideally straight with a few waves permitted to flounce up at the bottom. While were at it, slow down those promotions if you must keep your hair grey, keep a fro or dreadlock or twist it, and heaven forbid you go home every time your kids are sick. In other words, I dont know how any reflection on the fight for womens rights can be authentic unless it is intersectional. By that I dont mean that we just include the voices of women who continue to be oppressed by identities of race, culture, caste, sexuality and disability. To hell with inclusion and the paternalism inherent in it. Inclusion is inviting a Black woman at a rally to speak about her experiences in a lets-expand-our-minds sort of way. In this scenario, her experience seen as a deviation from the norm rather than central to it is still in service of non-Black women. This kind of inclusion then allows organizations like the Toronto Public Library to claim diversity of thought and platform voices of those who reject trans women from the fold of womanhood. On the other hand, true intersectional feminism means radically changing societal structures to put the most marginalized at the centre, making their concerns the first priority. In this scenario, a discussion around sexual safety would yield not to more policing but less. In her book Invisible No More, Andrea Ritchie outlines how for white women, the concern around sexual assault and domestic violence is around police non-response. For women of colour, that police response is the problem, with too many experiences of officers responding to domestic violence calls sexually assaulting or otherwise violating the person who called for help. The cases of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls are not a sideshow from mainstream womens issues, but central to it. Prioritize those voices and support structures around sexual assault might start to look more like transformative education for all genders at schools and highly trained, legally empowered social workers might be brought to the front line. On reproductive rights, if issues such as the forced sterilization of Indigenous women or the dignity of the poorest women were at the centre, the discussion would go beyond condoms and abortion rights. It would lead to a revolutionary battle to keep governments away from our bodies, a fight for free services including legal and medical support, among other solutions. Climate change policy would be based around assuaging concerns of Indigenous land defenders, and families displaced by lack of water or lack of crops or unsafe living conditions. Some of this is already happening, but it needs to be accelerated. Forgive me for not celebrating the rights that have been hard fought and hard won, but gratitude for the basics will stop us from advancing. Make space for the most marginalized women, and the world actually has a chance. Thrissur: People wearing mask to take precaution against the Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outside a hospital in Thrissur, Kerala on Jan 31, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News Thiruvananthapuram, March 10 : Kerala on Tuesday reported another eight coronavirus cases, including the parents of a three-year-old who had earlier tested positive for Covid-19, and the state announced a number of new measures including closure of all schools for this month. State Health Minister K. K.Shailaja on Tuesday night said that two more new cases of coronavirus patients tested positive taking the total number of cases in Kerala to 14. She said that the boy, who came with his parents from Italy and was admitted in a hospital at Kochi had tested positive earlier, and on Tuesday, the parents also tested positive. "All the three have already been isolated. There need be no worries or panic as we are doing our best. All what needs to be done, is everyone should just follow the health advisories that comes out daily," said Shailaja. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said six more cases turned positive, taking the total to 12. "The cabinet held a meeting and we had a brief of what is happening from various district health officials. We have decided to close down all educational institutions in the state for the month of March. But all the examinations will be held as normal. There will be no examination for classes 1 to 7, while the others will have examinations as usual," he told the media here. "We have also decided to see that all the government functions in the state for the month of March be cancelled. In the best interests of all, movie halls and dramas should not function. Marriages that are fixed should be held in a low profile manner, likewise there should be no gala festivities that are associated with all religious establishments," added Vijayan. "There need be no reason for worries as all what is needed is to be cautious and everyone should behave in a responsible manner. At the moment 1116 people are under observation. Just as we managed this when three cases were reported before, we will be able to manage this time also," he said. The worst affected districts include Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam and Kottayam and a good number of suspected cases are waiting for results, which are expected latest by Wednesday. Shailaja earlier in the day told the media that the fresh six cases includes the aged parents at Pathanamthitta of the three members of a family who arrived from Italy and were found Covid-19 positive early this week. "Two others, are those who accompanied the three from Kochi airport to their home at Pathanamthitta. The remaining two are those who had close contacts with the three, after they arrived from Italy," she said. The other five positive patients (three from Italy and their close relatives who are their neighbours) are at the Pathanamthitta district hospital and the three-year-old is at Kochi. As many as 20 patients are in isolation at Pathanamthitta, including a two-year-old child, while about a dozen are at Kochi, eight at Kollam and a few others at Kottayam and the tests results of these people are expected by Wednesdat evening. On Monday night, a person in isolation ran away in Pathanamthitta, but authorities traced him and brought him back to the district hospital. Now a police guard has been posted there. Pathanamthitta District Collector P.B. Nooh said that from now on people who do not follow the guidelines of the state government, will face action under the Public Health Act. "We have so far identified 733 people who have had primary and secondary contacts with the five patients who are positive. And today my job is to locate the people who came under contact of the person, who jumped out from the hospital. Such irresponsible behaviour won't be tolerated anymore," said a peeved Nooh, who has been working day in and out for the past three days. At Pathanamthitta, especially in places, like Ranni, the streets wore a deserted look and at the main bus station, only 45 of the 75 private buses were operating on Tuesday morning. "There are hardly anyone coming to shops and we opened today because there is no point sitting at home," said a shopkeeper at Pathanamthitta. The Pathanamthitta district court has been closed for regular cases. Only urgent cases are being taken up for the week. Meanwhile on Tuesday, around 13 lakh students studying in Class 10, 11 and 12 across the state have their board examinations and at Pathanamthitta, two students who had direct contact with one of the positive patients have been given a separate classroom to write their board examination. State Police chief Loknath Behra has directed crack down on misuse of social media in connection with coronavirus. Even those who would forward false messages be dealt with and based on this directive, four cases have been registered. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Bullets Continue To Fly In Northeast Kansas City Life-threatening injuries reported after shooting in KCMO KANSAS CITY, MO. (KCTV) --- The Kansas City Police Department is investigating a life-threatening shooting that happened in the 400 block of Spruce Avenue on Monday night. Police reported to the scene shortly before 9 p.m. on a call of shooting. Once there, they found a man suffering from a shooting wound. Kansas City Adult Teens Confront Murder Charges Two charged in Brooklyn Ave. Homicide Seventeen year old Somoan Harter and eighteen year old Kyu Jackson have each been charges with second degree murder and armed criminal action in last week's murder of Deandre Magice. According to court records Police responded to a sound of shots call early last Wednesday morning near 10th and Brooklyn and found the victim in the street. KCK Killing Postscript KCK man pleads guilty to attempted murder, other charges KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Kansas City, Kansas, man pleaded guilty on Friday to several charges stemming from events in 2017 and 2018, according to Johnson County officials. Jacob R. Chaney, 29, pleaded guilty in Johnson County District Court to attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault, felon in possession of a firearm, three counts of auto burglary, felony fleeing and eluding, and felony theft. Show-Me Weed Candy Rebuke!!! Missouri Senate passes ban on marijuana-infused candy JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri senators on Monday passed a wide-ranging bill that would ban marijuana-infused candy for medical use, an attempt to ensure children don't accidentally eat the drug. The measure would ban candy, lollipops, cotton candy and fruit- and animal-shaped edibles that could appeal to children. Local Shooting Connection Topeka man will stand trial for shooting of former Lee's Summit West football player TO REMEMBER A LEE'S SUMMIT WEST HIGH GRADUATE. BRIAN: ON THE FIELD WHERE BEST FRIENDSHIPS FORMED, TONIGH THEY MEMORIALIZED HIM. HE W SHOT AND KILLED EARLY SUNDAY MORNING IN TOPEKA AT A HOUSE PARTY FOR BLOCKS FROM WASHBURN UNIVERSITY. IT IS VERY SAID. THE KID HAD SO MUCH ADVERSITY IN HIS LIFE. Crime Hits Students KCK drill team tradition in jeopardy after theft of expensive drums KANSAS CITY, Kan. - A community drill team that "motivates youth in action" has halted performances after thieves steal team equipment. The Gateway Highstepper's heartbeat flatline Saturday. Three drums, worth about $2,500, were stolen after a practice in Raytown. Founder and Dir. Laveda Davis said the two stolen tenor drums have Gateway's custom gold paint-job [...] Tracking This Town's Most Up To Date Metro Murder Map Homicide Tracker There have been 38 homicides in the Kansas City metro area in 2020. In Kansas City, Missouri, 29 people have been killed. Click the dot to learn more about the victim and the case. In some cases, the addresses are approximate. This map is a work in progress and is regularly updated. A quick look at gunfire around the community tonight, police action and all manner of alleged misdeeds.Developing . . . The Ghana Health Service (GHS) in collaboration with the University of Oslo, on Monday, opened the District Health Information System (DHIS2) Tracker Implementation Management Academy, Level 2, to be held in Accra from March 09 to March 14, 2020. The DHIS2 is the worlds largest health information management system platform in use by 67 low and middle-income countries for health system strengthening. Dr Anthony Ofosu, the Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, at the opening ceremony, described the tracker as an android application which allows the registering and tracking of persons and things, for the purpose of generating accurate data. He said the information could be captured while being offline and uploaded to the server when connectivity is present. The Tracker Academy, Level 2, he said, aims to strengthen national and regional capacity to successfully set up, design and maintain DHIS2 systems. Participants from countries including Ghana, Sierra Leone, Togo and Burkina Faso would share necessary knowledge and skills to implement cases based system and get their DHIS2 tracking instance up and running. Dr Ofosu said the DHIS2 Tracker functionality was mostly applied in disease surveillance, in vertical programme cases management like nutrition, immunization, HIV, Tuberculosis (TB) and other patient levels, to collect individual data and produce reports for decision making and planning. He said in Ghana, We are certain and aware that without accurate, reliable and timely health information, the health sector would cease to exist. This, he said, was because health information continues to be the fulcrum upon which the health sector revolved as data is required for improving the provision of services, statistics for planning and managing services, as well as measurements for formulating and assessing health policy. He said the use of modern information technology to address some of the bottlenecks in health information and indeed the sector as a whole was of particular interest to him and pledged his commitment to strengthen and improve upon the gains of using the DHIS2 and other platforms to drive the GHS in providing excellent health services and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Dr Ofosu said to achieve these, there are a number of guiding principles which include capacity building for a better understanding of the available DHIS2 tools. He also said the GHS was using platforms such as the DHIS2 and its related embedded application to facilitate information sharing across the continuum of care, citing the use of the eTracker, which was a system that allows service providers to schedule dates for the various interventions such as Maternal and Child Health, HIV and TB as an example. Further to these, the GHS, he said, was to apply Information and Communication Technology for evidence-based management decision making and leverage it to promote transparency and accountability. He said the use of the eTracker on the android device would facilitate the use of data for decision-making concerning taking care of clients at the lowest level of the health service such as the Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS). Using the tracker at the various levels to electronically collect individual records ensured that aggregated data on services reported were accurate and could easily be verified, he said. Dr Ofosu said data synchronisation, installing and connecting the large existing database, has been challenging for users, especially when we have to migrate from the old android to the new one with the over 2,000 facilities and more than 5,000 devices. He commended the University of Oslo for supporting the GHSs effort to digitalise health information at the lowest service delivery level. Dr Mike Frost, the Product Manager, DHIS2 Tracker from the University of Oslo, said participants would be taken through topics such as the tracker planning, configuration management and long-term maintenance strategies and data access management among others. 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 Top Kenyan comedian Eric Omondi turned one year older on Monday, March 9, and his former lovers were on hand to wish him a happy birthday. The comedians baby mama, Jacque Maribe, was quick off the mark, taking to Instagram early Monday morning to pen a sweet message. The former Citizen TV news anchor said that the best thing Eric Omondi ever gave her was their son Zahari. Ms Maribe also noted that one day she would tell their story, which has always been shrouded in mystery. The best thing you ever gave me was Zahari, and for that, I am forever grateful to you. As you celebrate your birthday (later with us tonight) we remind you that you are an important piece of the puzzle that is our life. Happy birthday @ericomondi and Ill put up that long post alert of our life one day like you said, wrote the media personality. On her part, Omondis Italian ex-fiancee, Chantal Grazioli, described the comedian as an awesome man. She acknowledged the ups and downs of their relationship, noting that: We always manage to fix things. Lets scream Happy Birthday to this awesome man!! We have grown old together even if we have our ups and downs we always manage to fix things, thank you for always supporting me in everything I do, am so proud of you make sure you always stay the strong happy smart and wonderful man I know!! You will always be my #redheadedmess. Happy birthday again boo boo and to many more to come ???, penned the Italian beauty. In a heartwarming gesture, an Australian surfer and adventure YouTuber, came to the rescue of an upturned sea turtle. As posted on Reddit, the video of Brodie Moss aka Youngbloods, who is popular for his fishing and diving videos, did something rather heartwarming. Reddit The footage shot in 2018 shows Moss and his buddy providing a helping hand to an upturned hard-shell turtle by digging the sand around it. After which he and his friend flip the reptile over to the right side of existence. Moss captioned the rescue video in 2018: "right place at the right time thankful for the opportunity to help this old girl, she was all out of luck pinned down and cooking in the sun with the help of my family and friends." Moss believed the turtle may have tipped over by high winds." The video touched a chord online, one user wrote, "In all of the turtle rescue videos ive seen theres always a turtle waiting for their friend to be rescued (sic)." Reddit Another said, "I love this! And doing it in front of a little one who can learn compassion and action from them. Wonderful!" The men gave the turtle a hand into the water, till it regained its equilibrium. At the end of the clip, you see the turtle swimming back to its crew who were loyally waiting for their friend to join them. The incident above maybe two years old, but it's a gentle reminder for people to be kind and compassionate towards these precious animals. A lot of times we've heard of people mindlessly clicking selfies with marine creatures which get washed ashore - not a lot of people think about helping them. But it's people like the surfers above, who lead by example and encourage people to do the right thing. Human's have already wreaked havoc on marine life with plastic pollution and at this point, even a little bit compassion will go a long way in saving endangered creatures. On Tuesday, Vice President Mike Pence announced that many insurance companies would be waving copays for coronavirus testing. This includes many of the leading insurers such as Aetna, Anthem, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Cigna, Humana and UnitedHealth Group. 'I'm pleased to report...that all the insurance companies here either today or before today have agreed to waive copays on coronavirus testing and extend coverage for coronavirus treatment in all of their benefit plans,' Pence said, while seated next to President Donald Trump and insurance company CEOs. Pence added that under the new rule, telemedicine would be covered and no American would receive 'surprise billing.' Vice President Mike Pence, sitting next to President Donald Trump, announced that insurance companies will be waving co-pays for coronavirus tests (pictured) Insurance experts say this may not include cost-sharing for treatments and doctors' visits, deductibles before your coverage goes into effect. Pictured: Pence (left) listens as President Donald Trump speaks as they meet with insurance company representatives at the White House, March 10 In addition to private insurers waving co-pays, the Trump administration has said both Medicaid and Medicare plans will cover the cost now that the test has been designated 'an essential health benefit.' Some states, including Colorado, New York and Washington, issued emergency orders, which demand that state-regulated insurers waive co-pays and deductibles. However, people on the same health insurance may incur different costs depending on the type of plan and/or coverage. 'Understanding what your benefits are regardless of what your friend or family member's benefits may be with the same health insurance company is very important,' Anthony Lopez, senior director eHealth, an online health insurance marketplace, told CNBC. 'Your friend may have a $20 co-pay and your doctor visits may be a $10 co-pay, so understanding your own benefits is very important.' Lopez said there may be other costs to consider if you are diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. This includes co-pays or cost-sharing for treatments and doctors' visits, deductibles before your coverage goes into effect Lopez told CNBC that all traditional treatments, whether in a hospital or in isolation at home should be covered, but any experimental treatments may not be covered by insurances plans because it's considered 'standard care.' If you have questions, insurance experts suggest calling the number on the back of your insurance card to review the benefits of your plan. So far, about 8,000 tests have been performed despite Pence saying one million tests had been distributed. Pictured: Items from a COVID-19 test kit are displayed for a photograph at the Core Lab in Northwell Health's Center for Advanced Medicine in Lake Success, New York, March 4 Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said he can't guarantee a coronavirus vaccine would be affordable to all Americans. Pictured: An undated photo shows the CDC's laboratory test for coronavirus The US is struggling to catch up and test people after being plagued by delays stemming from faulty test kits that needed to be remanufactured. As of Monday, all 50 states had labs that could test a total of 75,000 kits 'cumulatively,' according to Dr Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the CDC's website, 3,698 federal tests have been performed and 4,856 public health labs tests have been done. It's significantly more than the roughly 1,500 figure that was reported over the weekend. However, it's well short of the one million kits Pence said has been distributed during a press conference on Monday. It's also unclear if those 8,000-plus tests have all been conclusive or if some have been inconclusive - or if there are patients still waiting for results. On Monday, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said he didn't know not how many people in the US has been tested for coronavirus. Several companies are currently working on a vaccine, but health officials have said it is least a year away from being commercially available. At a congressional hearing last month, Azar said he couldn't guarantee the vaccine would be affordable to all Americans. Azar, said he would want to make it affordable but: 'We can't control that price because we need the private sector to invest.' Worldwide, more than 118,000 people have been infected by the virus and more than 4,200 people have died. In the US, more than 800 people have tested positive and 28 people - in California, Florida, New Jersey, and Washington - have died. The Special Adviser to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje on Media, Salihu Yakasai, says the immediate past Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, ... The Special Adviser to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje on Media, Salihu Yakasai, says the immediate past Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, refused to leave the palace even after he had been formally informed of his dethronement on Monday. Yakasai said the state government had to deploy policemen to escort him out. The governors spokesman said this on Channels Televisions Sunrise Daily programme on Tuesday. He said if Sanusi had humbled himself and left the palace immediately he was informed of his removal, he would have been spared the drama. Yakasai added, They wanted it to be a quiet thing. That is the standard, the law. A deposed emir has to leave the state as it was done in the past but I dont know what happened in the palace that caused the delay. At the initial stage, the emir wasnt willing to leave the palace and that was why you saw what we saw with the security forces and what have you. If he had left willingly, I dont think you would have seen such a reaction from the security apparatus. The situation, though intense, wasnt for long and as you can see Kano is peaceful. By Gergely Szakacs and Jason Hovet KOSZARHEGY, Hungary (Reuters) - Istvan Simon's factory in western Hungary churns out more than a million plastic parts a day but on a busy morning in one of its large production halls there is only the sound of machines clicking and whirring. Workers have all but disappeared. Similar transformations are underway on production lines across the European Union's eastern wing as surging wage bills undermine the region's reputation as a cheap production base. Factory owners from Hungary to the Czech Republic and Poland find themselves with little choice but to invest in the automation of their manufacturing processes if they want to remain competitive. Manufacturing in the region has boomed since the EU expanded eastwards in the mid 2000s, with companies such as automakers Audi and Daimler opening local production lines and spawning supplier ecosystems, but more recently strong economic growth has led to a shortage of workers and rising wages. "We can see human labor being replaced with machinery and artificial intelligence," Hungarian union leader Zoltan Laszlo said. "Not just in the car sector ... but also in the steel and machinery industries. "Such investments can already be seen in these sectors, leading to job losses. You need to glue numerous tiny slivers together and all of a sudden you get the big picture." Employment figures are one indication the region's industry may be at a turning point. While Hungary's economy grew nearly 5% last year and manufacturing investments rose at the fastest pace in three years, the sector shed nearly 23,000 jobs, ending a six-year run of annual employment growth. Czech data showed a year-on-year loss of almost a thousand manufacturing jobs in the third quarter of 2019, suggesting employment in the sector could have declined for the first time since 2013 over the full year. "There are no operators in this hall right now," said Peter Simon, chief executive of Simon Plastics, as he overlooked a line of machines making plugs for car parts, a key product line at the company founded by Istvan, his father, 35 years ago. Story continues "Wages are going up, the prices of robots are coming down, so this is the way to get returns," he said. Looking to expand output but pressured by surging wages and falling prices, all of the company's recent 1 billion forint ($3.32 million) investment was spent on automation. The company hasn't cut any of its 400 jobs so far, finding other positions for those whose work has been replaced by robots, but it intends to automate its remaining manual work after a 50% jump in operator wages over the past three years. JOB LOSSES Although the automation process has so far been a gradual one, Josef Stredula, head of the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions, said based on various estimates up to 10% of jobs could disappear. "Big changes are awaiting us," Stredula said, adding that while automation may ease the burden of heavy or repetitive manual work it was important to ease the transition, for example by retraining affected workers. "We have to do everything to make the future not so bleak but relatively easier for everyone." Staffing company Hays recently noted that the average annual wage increase in the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary of around 10% was far higher than in many western countries and estimated that almost 5% of Hungarian jobs, or 200,000 roles, could be fully automated over the next decade. Hungarian recruitment portal profession.hu registered an 11% fall in manufacturing sector job postings last year. In the Czech Republic, Grafton Recruitment has seen a similar drop, while consultancy Deloitte has estimated around half of current jobs could be replaced by machines. "It is only a question of when it will be more economical for most companies to start with automation on a much bigger scale," said David Marek, Deloitte's chief economist in Prague. NOT BLACK AND WHITE At a distribution center near Prague, Czech yoghurt maker Hollandia Karlovy Vary installed three robotic arms last year to sort and load yoghurts onto pallets, replacing the work of 10 people who were moved to other positions. Meanwhile, Poland's largest clothing retailer LPP plans to invest in logistics and automation in a bid to improve margins and combat higher labor costs. Judit Kovacs, a manager at human resources company Randstad , said factories with high capacity utilization in western Hungary had started reducing headcount by attrition over the past year, while new plants in eastern Hungary were being planned with a high degree of automation as investors looked to curb their labor market exposure. It's not only manufacturing that is falling to the machines, insurance company Allianz's Hungarian unit, for example, is automating data processing to offset rising wage costs. The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) expects robot sales in major Eastern European economies to rise through 2022 but although it acknowledges that some jobs will disappear, it does not foresee a major net effect on employment. "The question is not do I invest in manual labor or automation," IFR General Secretary Susanne Bieller said, explaining that automation could help companies maintain a competitive edge over cheaper production hubs elsewhere in the world. "You cannot see this in black-and-white terms." (Reporting by Gergely Szakacs and Jason Hovet; Editing by Kirsten Donovan) A rattled Congress, hit by the resignations of senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and 22 of its legislators in Madhya Pradesh, said on Tuesday it still has the required numbers to prove its majority in the state assembly. The current effective strength of the state assembly is 228, with two seats lying vacant. While Congress has 114 MLAs, there are 107 legislators of the BJP. The seven others are two MLAs from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), one from the Samajwadi Party (SP), and four Independents. These seven support the Kamal Nath government, giving it a narrow majority of six. As chief minister Kamal Nath said there was nothing to worry about and that his government will complete its term, several other leaders of the Congress reiterated the claim. State minister PC Sharma also said while speaking to reporters that the MLAs who had resigned were still in touch with Nath. They were trapped with an assurance that they were being taken out of the state only to support Jyotiraditya Scindias candidature for the Rajya Sabha. They were cheated into signing resignation letters. They are not happy with Scindia hobnobbing with the BJP, he said, according to news agency PTI. We have the numbers which we will prove during a floor test in the House, he claimed. Most of these MLAs are considered to be supporters of Jyotiraditya Scindia, who announced on Tuesday that he had quit the Congress party. The 49-year-old leader is expected to join the BJP. As the developments took place, around 100 MLAs, including four Independents, attended a meeting of the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) in Bhopal. An unnamed minister was cited as saying by PTI that they expressed faith in Kamal Naths leadership. However, two BSP and one SP MLA who support the government skipped the meeting, he said. We resolved to put up a brave fight. We are going to come out triumphant. There is no threat to the government. We are going to prove that in a floor test if the situation arises, the minister was quoted as saying by PTI. The BJP Legislature Party also held its meeting. As both the Congress and BJP leaders met in the national capital and Bhopal, the parties decided to take their legislators away to prevent attempts to poach them. Leader of Opposition Gopal Bhargava said all the BJP legislators were going to celebrate Holi at an undisclosed location. We are going to celebrate Holi. We are going to the airport in buses. From there we will leave for the location as per the directives of party leaders, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader said, according to PTI. Buses were seen parked near the party office in Bhopal and later leaving after the state BJP MLAs boarded the buses. We are going either to Bengaluru or Delhi, MLA Vijay Shah said according to ANI. Four people were killed while five more were injured in two separate road accidents in Rajasthan, police said on Tuesday. Two men, Rajendra (25) and Akeraj (30), were killed on Monday night when their motorcycle was hit by an unidentified vehicle in the Sankda police station area, they said. In Sirohi, a bus rammed into a stationary truck, killing two passengers and inuring five more on Tuesday morning, the police said. The bus on its way to Jodhpur from Pune when the accident occurred in the Pindwada area, they added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A BJP legislative party meeting is underway at the party office here on Tuesday. Union Minister and MP from Damoh, Prahlad Patel, and other senior leaders of the party are also present in the meeting. Earlier, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the state Assembly Gopal Bhargava, Narottam Mishra, and other BJP leaders reached the residence of Speaker NP Prajapati to submit the resignations of 19 Congress MLAs. Scindia, who had served the Congress for 18 years, resigned from the party earlier today, stating that "it is time to move on." Scindia's resignation came after Congress MLAs, considered loyal to him, indicated on Monday that they may pull out from the Kamal Nath-led government. Congress leaders, including Digvijaya Singh, have accused the BJP of horse-trading and conspiring to bring down its government in Madhya Pradesh. The Congress in Madhya Pradesh has been witnessing differences since it formed a government in the state in 2018 after 15 years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Mar. 10 By Matanat Nasibova Trend: Azerbaijans Gabala Canning Plant, a big manufacturer of fruit and vegetable-based canned products, plans to increase export volumes of juices, a source in the plant told Trend. In 2020 an export volume of pomegranate juices will be increased because of the products' being in highest demand, the source said. Presently, a lot of orders come from Russia, and also Europe. Fruit juices under Jala brand are the most wanted. This year its planned to increase export volumes of this brand juices to France. Along with the juices, also fruit purees, and nectars," the source said. The plant intends to bring the export volumes up to 20 percent in 2020 against some 10-12 percent in the past year. "The prices for juices in the domestic market range from 1.80 manat through 2 manat, and the export value is slightly higher," the source added. The products of Gabala Canning Factory have a certificate of conformity issued by the Azerbaijani State Committee on Standardization, Metrology and Patents. The plant uses the German, Turkish and Swiss equipment. The Judicial Council of the California Association of Black Lawyers (CABL) wishes to express its appreciation to Napa County voters for so strongly supporting the retention of incumbent Judge Monique Langhorne in Napa County Superior Courts contested judicial race. We also wish to thank the Napa Valley Register and the St. Helena Star for its editorials endorsing her. Much was written in your newspaper and others about Judge Langhornes outstanding qualifications, which we will not repeat here. We want to share with voters another dimension to her that underscores the wisdom of their choice. At various times over the past 10 years, Judge Langhorne has been one of a select group of judicial officers teaching other judicial officers around the state how to perform their jobs. She teaches substantive law as well as judicial ethics and courtroom demeanor. Her judicial faculty service for the State of California Judicial Councils Center for Judicial Education and Research brings her in contact with judges and commissioners from every county. Judge Langhorne enjoys an impressive statewide reputation for her teaching efforts, and that reputation extends to Napa County. We are proud to have Judge Langhorne as a member of our organization. The Judicial Council of CABL was formed over 40 years ago, when there were very few African American judges in the state. It is the oldest statewide organization of African American judicial officers in California. One of our founding purposes was to diversify Californias judiciary. As we conclude the celebration of Black History Month and begin a celebration of Women's History Month, we are mindful and proud of the trails that Judge Langhorne has blazed throughout her career. She was the first African American Napa County Deputy District Attorney. She was the first Napa County Court Commissioner, and she was the first African American judge in Napa Countys history. She is revered as one of the best judges in the state, and she has performed her public service with brilliance, diligence, and humility. Importantly, she has served as a role model for all African Americans, particularly young women, because her accomplishments give them hope and inspiration to dare to dream what others may view as impossible dreams. Judge Langhorne went through a rigorous vetting process before Governor Brown appointed her to the bench in 2018. We salute Napa County voters for affirming that they already had the best judge in Seat 3 by giving her over 77% of the vote. Judge Marguerite Downing, Los Angeles Superior Court, Chair, Judicial Council of CABL Judge Monica Wiley, San Francisco Superior Court, Chair-Elect, Judicial Council of CABL Judge Brenda Harbin-Forte (Ret.), Immediate Past Chair, Judicial Council of CABL Australia could ban travellers from Italy and cancel large-scale events as health authorities race to get on top of the coronavirus crisis. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Health Minister Greg Hunt have asked the government's medical experts to review the status of Italian travel advice within 24 hours, after the number of coronavirus cases jumped to 9,172 with 463 deaths. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Monday put the entire country on lock down, stopping up to 60 million people from travelling and cancelling all schools and university classes. Tourists in Venice in February. Credit:AP Mr Hunt said the updated advice was being sought "on the basis of the growth in cases over the last 48 hours" and "with regards to Italy's own decisions". As China goes all out to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak, authorities have stressed efforts to help foreign-funded companies resume production and operation in an orderly manner. Thanks to unremitting anti-virus efforts, multinational companies and joint ventures across the nation are demonstrating their confidence in the Chinese market as their business activities have gradually recovered in the world's second-largest economy. LyondellBasell, one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world, signed an agreement with the Liaoning Bora Enterprise Group through the Internet on Friday. The two companies will invest 12 billion U.S. dollars over the next 10 years to build a petrochemical industry base in the city of Panjin, northeast China's Liaoning Province. The partnership will make the city a world-class production base of chemicals and drive the development of industrial chains including plastic packaging and building materials. Executives from both companies witnessed the online signing ceremony in six cities worldwide including Shenyang, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Houston in the United States and Rotterdam in the Netherlands. "I was worried that the signing ceremony would be postponed due to the epidemic, but LyondellBasell proposed to sign the contract online as scheduled," said Qu Baoxue, the controlling shareholder of Bora. "Both sides are very pleased to complete the investment on schedule." "The signing of the agreement today is very timely. In terms of the coronavirus, we see that as a temporary situation. We know that will be solved in China and around the world," said Bob Patel, director of LyondellBasell. "And therefore, our work is very supportive because we see the strategic importance of the market in China." In recent years, the global chemical giant has seen rapid growth in the Asian market, represented by China, at a rate of 7 to 8 percent per year. The two companies first signed a memorandum of understanding and announced their investment plan in September 2019. Since the coronavirus outbreak, the two companies did not suspend their cooperation but sped up consultations and preparations to complete the investment project. "I have been impressed with China's determination and tremendous efforts to combat the crisis," said Patel. "The outbreak will not affect the company's assessment of the Chinese market. China's economic prospects are very bright in the long term." The partnership between LyondellBasell and Bora epitomizes how foreign-funded enterprises are maintaining their investment strategies in China and upholding their confidence in the Chinese market. As the world's second-largest economy, China's solid and stringent measures to curb the epidemic have helped cultivate a good business environment for foreign investors and offset the negative impact caused by the deadly pathogen. Among those measures, local governments arrange chartered buses, trains and flights to bring employees of foreign-funded enterprises back to work, and implemented preferential taxation policies to reduce firms' production costs. Zhang Yansheng, chief researcher of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, said China's effective control of the epidemic is undoubtedly becoming a new "bonus" for the country to attract global foreign investment. Two US soldiers were killed in north-central Iraq during an operation on the side of Iraqi forces in the Islamic State groups stronghold, reports say. Two members of the US military have been killed by enemy forces while advising and accompanying Iraqi security forces, the US Command said in a statement. The operation aimed at eliminating ISIS fighters in the north-central mountainous region. The US is part of an international coalition of forces assisting since 2014 the Iraqi army and its militia to flash out the terror group, which found a safe haven in Iraq following the countrys American invasion in 2003. The Iraqi army earlier on Monday announced that 25 ISIS fighters were killed in the northern of Nineveh, during an airdrop of Iraqi forces, with the support of the international coalition led by the US, Middle East Monitor (MEE) reports. The global terror group, which has lost its territory in Iraq, has according to Masrour Barzani, prime minister of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, doubled its forces to 20,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria where it is still present, Daily Mail reports. In February, US President Donald Trump said the US will pass the war on ISIS to Russia, Iran and Iraq while noting that Washington has taken oil. Weve done a great job, weve taken our soldiers essentially out of Syria except for little hotspots we figure well develop, Trump said. Weve taken the oil and the soldiers we have there are the ones guarding the oil, we have the oil, so thats all we have there. The trial of the MH17 downing case was launched in the Netherlands March 9. Incriminating evidence against the defendants in the case of the Malaysian Boeing flight MH17 downing over Donbas is 100% solid, says Vsevolod Chentsov, Ukraine's agent in international courts and Ambassador to the Netherlands. The defense will not be able to ensure acquittal for the four accused, since law enforcers have conducted a high-quality investigation, the ambassador told ZN.ua. "The Joint Investigation Team brought to court charges against four people. Given the quality of performance of the Dutch law enforcement and the high threshold for assessing admissibility of evidence, we can safely say that the prosecution has one hundred percent solid evidence," Chentsov said. The four accused will appear before the court in absentia. Among them are three Russians: former FSB officer, "ex-minister of defense of the DPR" Igor Girkin (aka Strelkov), colonel with the Russian GRU, head of the "GRU of the DPR" Sergey Dubinsky (Khmuriy), lieutenant colonel with the Russian GRU Oleg Pulatov ("Gyurza") and a Ukrainian national Leonid Kharchenko ("Krot"), who sided with the "DPR" terrorists. They will be charged with transporting a Buk launcher that would shoot down a Malaysian Boeing. The defendants do not intend to attend hearings. The Dutch investigation believes the four are hiding in Russia. However, Pulatov expressed his will to be represented in court by a Dutch law firm. He will be defended by a group of two Dutch and one Russian lawyer. Read alsoMH17 trial: Russia's GRU tried to hinder, influence probe on multiple fronts, Dutch report says The trial is being held following a long criminal investigation by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), consisting of representatives of four countries whose citizens died as a result of the tragedy Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, and the Netherlands, as well as Ukraine, where the incident occurred. In May 2018, JIT presented the results of its investigation. They confirmed that the deadly Buk launcher was part of Russia's Kursk-based 53rd air defense brigade of the Russian armed forces. Earlier, investigators found that the missile had been fired from territory controlled by Russian-controlled forces. The UN Security Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a United States' resolution on the recent deal between the US and the Afghan Taliban, a rare endorsement of an agreement with a militant group. The US military has begun withdrawing troops as part of the pullout agreed in the February 29 pact with the Taliban. In the resolution, the Security Council "urges the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to advance the peace process, including by participating in intra-Afghan negotiations through a diverse and inclusive negotiating team composed of Afghan political and civil society leaders, including women." The United States is keen to end its longest-ever conflict, and under the terms of a deal signed in Doha last month has said all foreign forces would quit Afghanistan within 14 months -- provided the Taliban stick to their security commitments. Some diplomats expressed unease that the agreement included two secret appendices on the fight against terrorism that Council members approved without knowing what they say. The UN resolution came with Afghanistan in political crisis, following the double swearing-in on Monday of President Ashraf Ghani and his rival and former chief executive Abdullah Abdullah, both of whom claimed victory in last year's presidential election. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Live Results Mississippi holds its regular primary elections as well. We'll have results for any contested congressional races. Polls Close (Eastern Time) Your individual polling place may have different hours. Do not rely on this to determine when to vote. Total Democratic pledged delegates by closing time are displayed. 8:00 PM 118 Michigan [ET]1, Missouri (68), Mississippi (36), North Dakota2 (14) 9:00 PM 125 Michigan [CT] (125) 10:00 PM 0 Idaho [MT]1 11:00 PM 109 Washington (89)3, Idaho [PT] (20) 1 Most of the state is in this time zone. Some results may display during this hour, but no race call will be made until all the polls are closed. 2 The GOP caucuses are on a different schedule, ending at 8:00 PM local time. 3 Primary conducted by mail. This is the latest time to submit a ballot to an official drop box. Democratic Polling Averages & Delegate Estimates Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders should receive delegates in each contest, although it might be a close call for Sanders in Mississippi. Washington's primary is conducted by mail, with a good portion of the ballots submitted before today. This may partially explain the narrower spread vs. today's other states and the fact that the three remaining candidates only add up to about 80% of the vote. Sanders scored dominant wins in Idaho and Washington in 2016; these states have switched to primaries in 2020 making that difficult to replicate. For polling detail, see the Democratic nomination home page. Select a state on the map. Note that the table below reflects polls conducted after Super Tuesday, to better reflect the smaller field of candidates that remain. To see delegate information for completed contests and create your own forecast, see the interactive delegate calculator. Recommended Reading How to Watch Mini-Tuesday Like a Pro - Politico is calling this 'Mini-Tuesday' and provides a nice overview of the six states. Michigan Overview - Why it may not prove as friendly for Sanders in 2020, despite a similar polling deficit for the Vermont Senator heading into primary day. Analysis from FiveThirtyEight. Today's Odd Delegate Quirk - There are 51 delegate 'buckets' Tuesday, each to be proportionately allocated based on the associated popular vote. Nearly two-thirds of them are an odd number - a very high proportion. In what is effectively a two-person delegate race, this means that a very small difference in popular vote can yield an extra delegate instead of an even split. Analysis from Associated Press. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) is considering using medical tents to assess patients arriving to the hospital with possible viral illnesses and the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Advance/SILive.com has learned. To take additional precautions, were exploring the possibility of deploying Northwell Healths Medical Tent to respond to patients with any possible viral illness and coronavirus, said SIUH spokesman Christian Preston. If needed, the tent has full utilities (electricity, hot and cold running water, and heat and air conditioning) and would be used to triage patients, assess their condition and in most cases, discharge home for self-quarantine, said Preston. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** Patients with more severe cases would be admitted to the hospital for treatment," he said. The parking lot outside the Ocean Breeze campus emergency room could be seen roped off Tuesday morning. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday that New York was the state most affected by the coronavirus thus far, with 143 confirmed cases as of Monday afternoon, and Staten Islands first positive test for the virus was confirmed Monday night. Cuomo said Tuesday morning the states cases jumped by about 25. The first case was confirmed in a hospital memo sent to Staten Island University Hospital staff that was obtained by the Advance/SILive.com, and a source said the patient was an adult who came into the hospital exhibiting symptoms over the weekend. The patient was sent home, according to the source, and results came back on Monday testing positive for the coronavirus. While an SIUH spokesman said more severe cases would be admitted to the hospital, the Advance/SILive.com previously reported that the Ocean Breeze and Princes Bay facilities are almost always full, complicating the amount of space that would be available in a severe outbreak. Dr. Theodore Maniatis, who is responsible for all medical affairs, quality management, patient safety issues and standards of care at the Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) system, previously told the Advance/SILive.com, I would say if we needed 10 extra beds, that wouldnt be a problem. If we needed 100, we would be very hard pressed to handle that much." Maniatis said Staten Island University Hospitals have seen a slight increase in the number of concerned individuals coming to the hospital, though there is certainly not hysteria. The proposed medical tents, which would aid in the effort to manage patients going to the hospital with viral illnesses, have been previously deployed for disaster relief efforts in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. The benefit of being part of a larger hospital network is to have access to these resources if they become necessary to increase public safety and overall patient care," Preston said. STATEN ISLAND HOSPITALS GIVEN GREEN LIGHT FOR TESTING Both Staten Island hospital systems recently received the green light from the state Department of Health (DOH), the federal government and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to begin testing for coronavirus, the Advance/SILive.com reported. A spokesman for SIUH said any samples taken at the hospital will be sent to Northwells Long Island laboratory. Previously, samples were being sent to the CDCs lab in Atlanta. The lab is able process tests results in approximately six hours. When the lab becomes semi-automated, testing turnaround time will be close to three hours and full-automated testing can be completed in 90 minutes, the SIUH spokesman said. Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC) was given the OK from the CDC to begin testing with kits on site, a RUMC spokesman told the Advance. If a test is performed, the specimen is then sent to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygienes Public Health Laboratory in Manhattan for diagnosis, the spokesman said. Results of that testing will be available within 24 to 48 hours. CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: Phillip Agnew speaks as a national surrogate for Democratic Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders at Cal State University in Fullerton. The event was part of the Bernie 2020 California College Tour: Ronen Tivony/SOPA Images/Shutterstock A new adviser to the Bernie Sanders campaign issued an apology on Twitter for calling Michelle Obama ugly in 2009. Civil rights activist Phillip Agnew joined Mr Sanders' team on 7 March. When other users dug into his tweet history and found evidence that hed made disparaging remarks about Ms Obamas looks, he decided to issue an apology. I am not my tweets from 2009. Still, words have power to heal & to harm and I acknowledge and apologize for when my words harm. Ive spent years speaking life and love into my community but I was wrong and I have to be accountable, he tweeted. Mr Agnew then went on to post a longer apology and explanation attached to his tweet. In 2009, Mr Agnew tweeted that [Michelle] Obama is an odd looking woman, he wrote. Id call her ugly but I dont want the backlash. In the same year, he also wrote that Michelle Obama is just not pretty and that hed tried to look at her from every angle possible. Mr Agnew is the co-founder of the civil rights group Dream Defenders, which formed after the death of Trayvon Martin. Mr Agnew claims that his upbringing played a part in his past statements, but that he has moved past those influences. I am writing to own that in 2009, when I was 23, I tweeted stupid comments about Michelle Obama, he wrote in his statement. I am sorry for the remarks that I made. I typed them as a young, immature and insecure boy who thought he was forever invisible and invincible. My comments were shallow, careless, sexist and cruel. i am not my tweets from 2009. still, words have power to heal & to harm and i acknowledge and apologize for when my words harm. i've spent years speaking life and love into my community but i was wrong and i have to be accountable. please take a minute to read my statement: pic.twitter.com/RCuFUyAr7W phillip agnew (@iPhilSomething) March 8, 2020 Mr Agnew explained that he had been socialized by false standards of beauty and success, and that it twisted his thinking. Story continues And young, dumb Phillip spouted all manner of things that today I absolutely reject and regret, he wrote. He believes he has improved. As a young community organizer, I have spent hours and days, months and years doing, thinking and being better, privately and publicly, Mr Agnew wrote. I've matured, been politicized, and continuously been pushed and challenged by fellow organizers to change and grow into my values. I am still a work in progress. Mr Agnew joined Mr Sanders team as the Vermont senators campaign sought to expand its outreach possibilities into African American communities. I am excited to welcome Phillip to our team. He is a gifted organizer and one of his generations most critical voices on issues of race and inequity. He has and will continue to push me and this movement to deliver on what is owed to Black people who have yet to experience reciprocity in this country, Mr Sanders said in a statement. If the court proves that those accused acted in coordination with Russian government officials, it will be much harder for the Kremlin to defend itself in the UN International Court of Justice. On March 9, a trial of the MH17 downing case began in the Schiphol complex in the Netherlands. The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) representing five countries whose citizens died in the crash over Donbas presented the results of its investigation in May 2018, which completely refuted the version put forward by the Kremlin. "Based on intercepted communications, eyewitness testimonies, videos from the crash area, and satellite imagery, JIT presented the results of their investigation in May 2018. They confirmed that the Buk air defense system that launched a deadly missile was part of the Kursk-based 53rd brigade of the Russian Armed Forces. Earlier, investigators found that the missile was fired from territory controlled by pro-Russian militants," Ukrainian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Vsevolod Chentsov, told ZN.ua. These findings completely refuted the Kremlin's version of events claiming that it was Ukrainian government troops who shot down the passenger jet. In 2018, the Netherlands and Australia officially accused Russia of involvement in the MH17 crash, demanding that the Russian government acknowledge its responsibility for the tragedy. So far, tripartite consultations are underway, while the Russian Federation denies all charges. Read alsoMH17 case: Think tank predicts Russia's stance during trial If the court proves that those accused acted in coordination with Russian government officials, it will be much harder for the Kremlin to defend itself in the UN International Court of Justice, the diplomat explains. The fact is that the ICJ is considering an interstate lawsuit Ukraine had launched, charging Russia with violation of the UN Convention on the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism. So the MH17 downing is one of the key episodes of that litigation. And although the trial in Schiphol differs from that underway in the ICJ (in the first case, specific suspects are charged, while in the latter the defendant is the Russian government), these two trials are closely interconnected. Following a round of tense negotiations with European leaders, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today that he will not prevent migrants and refugees from trying to cross Turkeys border into Greece. We are not thinking of closing these gates. Our proposal to Greece is to open the gates. These people wont stay in Greece. Let them cross from Greece into other European countries, Erdogan told reporters. After Erdogans meeting with European Union leaders in Brussels ended in deadlock today, he announced plans to host the leaders of France and Germany for a new round of talks in Istanbul next week. Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu added that Ankara was prepared to reach a deal with the EU before the blocs next summit March 26. "If we are to come up with a road map with the EU, we expect them to be sincere," Cavusoglu told the state-run Anadolu news agency. In late February, Erdogan announced he was opening the doors to Europe and would allow refugees to stream across Turkey's border with Greece, a European Union member state. Fearing a repeat of the 2015 refugee crisis in Europe, the EU leaders have slammed Turkeys decision. In 2016, Turkey agreed to prevent refugees from crossing into Europe in exchange for 6 billion euros (nearly $6.8 billion) to be spent on the new arrivals Turkey was hosting. Ankara says it has not received all the funding, and that other promises, including visa-free travel for Turkish citizens, have not been met. "It is not only about keeping migrants in return for more money," said Cavusoglu. Turkey, which already hosts more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees, fears the latest outbreak of violence in neighboring Syria will spill across its borders. Since December, the regime and its Russian allies have been conducting an offensive to retake Idlib province, the last major swath of the country still in the hands of the opposition after nine years of war. In the past three months, nearly a million people the overwhelming majority of them women and children have been displaced by the fighting, according to the United Nations. Turkey has stepped up its military presence in the northwestern enclave, and in recent weeks has inched closer to a direct confrontation with Russia. The two countries back rival sides, with Moscow helping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Turkey supporting some rebel groups fighting the Syrian regime. On Thursday, Ankara and Moscow agreed with Russia to a cease-fire deal in Idlib that would involve joint Turkish-Russian patrols and a new security corridor that would straddle the M4 highway. A Russian military delegation arrived in Ankara today to hash out details of the new accord. Beginning Sunday, Turkey will patrol the northern part of the corridor and Russian forces will patrol the south. This story contains additional reporting from Reuters. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- The Midwest Express plan to offer a nonstop flight to Milwaukee from Grand Rapids Gerald R. Ford International Airport has been put on hold. The direct flight was scheduled to begin later in 2020, but a lawsuit between two companies halted the planned service between the two Midwest cities. Midwests plan, announced in August, would have provided a return of a direct flight from Ford International Airport and Milwaukee. Midwest ended its partnership with Elite Airways due to a pending lawsuit. Midwest claims Elite breached its contract with Midwest. Midwest Express and Elite Airways had partnered to launch flying operations for Midwest Express, while Midwest pursued its own airline operating certificate and aircraft. Elite would have operated Midwests flights, based on the partnership. Midwest officials are hoping the plan can be revived with another partnering business. The end of the non-stop Milwaukee flight could be temporary, Midwest Express President Greg Aretakis said in a statement. We are in substantial discussions with other airline operators to bring back non-stop service to Milwaukee, he said. We have received a tremendous amount of support from the business community and former passengers who tell us that they need better options for air travel in Milwaukee; and we intend to deliver it. In the meantime, Gerald R. Ford International said it will not be able to offer that direct route unless Midwest finds another partner or another airline decides to take on the route. Elite Airways did not return a request for comment. More From MLive: We just had a top 10 warm winter Michigan gamblers get the OK to place sports bets in person in time for March Madness Marijuana grow operation approved in Muskegon Township PORTLAND, Oregon, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research recently published a report, titled, "Thermal Spray Coating Market by Material (Ceramics, Metal & Alloys and Other), Process (Flame Spraying, Arc Spraying, Plasma Spraying, HVOF, and Others) and End-Use Industry (Automotive, Aerospace, Industrial and Others): Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20192026". According to the report, the global thermal spray coating industry accounted for $7.96 billion in 2019 and is estimated to hit $13.5 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 7.8% from 2019 to 2026. Incentives for market growth: Rise in demand for automobiles, increase in aerospace application, and surge in usage in medical devices have boosted the growth of the global thermal spray coatings market. However, issues regarding thermal spray process reliability and consistency and high energy costs for manufacturing technical ceramics hamper the market. On the contrary, advancements in filler plasma spray coating practices are expected to create lucrative opportunities in the near future. Request Sample Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/5849 Metal & alloys segment to manifest the highest CAGR by 2026: The metal & alloys segment is expected to manifest the fastest CAGR of 8.4% during the forecast period, owing to rise demand for sprayed metals or alloys in processing industries such as the petrochemical and chemical industry. However, the ceramics segment held the largest share in 2019, accounting for nearly half of the global thermal spray coatings market. This is attributed to its beneficial characteristics such as cost-effectiveness, corrosion, thermal resistance, wear resistance, and others. Flame spraying segment held the lion's share: The flame spraying segment dominated the market in 2019, contributing nearly three-fifths of the global thermal spray coatings market, owing to its cost-effectiveness and increase in use for corrosion protection and improve performance of surface. However, the plasma spraying segment is projected to portray the highest CAGR of 10.4% during the study period, due to rise in use of plasma spraying for metal coatings in several industries. For Purchase Enquiry at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/5849 Asia-Pacific dominated the market, followed by Europe and North America: The global thermal spray coatings market across the Asia-Pacific region held the largest share in 2019, contributing to nearly half of the market and is expected to register the highest CAGR of 8.3% during the forecast period. This is due to demand in the automotive industry, growth in disposable income of consumers in the region, and increase in usage in the healthcare industry. On the other hand, the market across North America held nearly one-fifth of the total share in terms of revenue. Major market players: 3M APS Materials, Inc. A&A Thermal Spray Coatings, Inc. Dupont De Nemours, Inc. CoorsTek, Inc. KCC Corporation (KCC) Integrated Global Services, Inc. Morgan Advanced Materials plc Linde Plc Saint-Gobain Interested in Procuring this Report? visit: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/thermal-spray-coatings-market/purchase-options Avenue Basic Plan | Library Access | 1 Year Subscription | Sign up for Avenue subscription to access more than 12,000+ company profiles and 2,000+ niche industry market research reports at $699 per month, per seat. For a year, the client needs to purchase minimum 2 seat plan. Avenue Library Subscription | Request for 14 days free trial of before buying: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/avenue/trial/starter Get more information: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/library-access Similar Reports: Functional Coil Coating Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018 2025 Wood Coatings Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202025 High Performance Ceramic Coatings Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20192026 Coatings Resins Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018-2025 About Us Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States USA/Canada (Toll Free): 1-800-792-5285, 1-503-894-6022, 1-503-446-1141 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 [email protected]dmarketresearch.com Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com Follow Us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allied-market-research SOURCE Allied Market Research Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 03:05:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SARAJEVO, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) donated on Tuesday a hemodialysis apparatus to a local hospital in Gorazde, a small town southeast of the capital Sarajevo, according to an embassy press release. Gorazde is the administrative center of the Bosnian-Podrinje Canton, one of BiH's ten autonomous cantons. On Tuesday, Chinese Ambassador Ji Ping met with the canton's prime minister, Aida Obuca, and her ministers, and later he visited the cantonal hospital where the hemodialysis center is being built. Currently, patients with kidney conditions have to travel about a hundred kilometers to Sarajevo for treatment. Ji said that the donation was a symbolic gesture of friendship and that he expected cooperation to become more intense, especially in the fields of economy and culture. Discussing the latest coronavirus-related developments in China, Ji said that China was willing to share experiences with BiH and to provide assistance in its fight against the epidemic. Obuca said that China was the first country to respond to the canton's call for help in establishing the hemodialysis center and that the apparatus, worth 30,000 convertible marks (17,000 U.S. dollars) will improve the quality of life of 15 patients with kidney conditions. A book of condolence will be opened in Crumlin tonight after the sudden death of a young farmer from Co Antrim. Ward Patterson (21) from Upper Ballinderry died on Sunday, causing shock in the local community. A former student of Greenmount Agricultural College, he was also a popular member of Crumlin Young Farmers' Club. The group have cancelled a meeting scheduled for tonight, with a book of condolence to be opened instead from 7pm at the Memorial Hall on Crumlin Main Street. A message on the Crumlin YFC Facebook page said members were "deeply saddened by the sudden passing of much-loved club member". A family notice said he was the dearly loved son of Edwin and Sharon, loved brother of Calvin and Louise as well as the grandson of Mairead. His funeral will take place at noon tomorrow at Glenavy Methodist Church before proceeding to St Aidan's Parish Churchyard for burial. Any donations, if desired, have been requested for the Aware NI charity and Crumlin YFC. Other farming clubs added their own support after learning of the tragedy. A message from Lylehill YFC said: "We are devastated to hear this heartbreaking news. Our most sincere thoughts and prayers are with the Patterson family, friends and the members of Crumlin YFC." DUP councillor James Tinsley said: "It's just very tragic and heartbreaking for his family and friends. Anyone who is feeling down, there is plenty of help out there. "So I would urge them to talk to someone even if it's a trusted friend or family member." Heartbroken friends paid tribute on social media. One called him the "most kind-hearted chap anyone could meet", while another thanked him for "teaching me how to jive". Another said she was "absolutely in shock" and called him "one of life's wee gentleman" who was "always polite and friendly". Adding to the tributes, one said: "Horrible news to come home to this afternoon. A true gentleman who never passed you by without asking the craic. "Thinking of all your family and friends at this difficult time." Sharing a picture, a close friend said: "It was your favourite photo and now it'll forever be my favourite memory, fly high Wardo I love you." In an emotional post, one friend called on any young people who were struggling to seek help. "To all his friends out there please, please if something is bothering you or annoying you please... talk to someone, anyone." He added: "Sometimes it is much easier to talk to a stranger in confidence than to family or friends." If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, contact the Samaritans on 084 5790 9090, or Lifeline 080 8808 8000. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan spoke to a few coronavirus patients admitted at Medanta and Safdarjung hospitals through video calls on Tuesday and said all the people infected by the disease were stable and showing signs of recovery. Vardhan also called up Health Ministers of Delhi, Haryana, Kerala, Telangana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh as well as Lt Governors of Ladakh, and Jammu & Kashmir to ascertain the status of the COVID-19 affected patients kept in isolation centres in hospitals, the health ministry said. A total of 50 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the country till now, the ministry said, adding a few more cases were being re-tested for confirmation. Reports from states put the figure at 59. While monitoring the COVID-19 situation from his office in the Health Ministry, Vardhan spoke to a few patients through video calls to enquire about their health and their satisfaction with the treatment being given at the isolation wards. "While speaking to the patients, he conveyed that though he wanted to visit them personally, he was dissuaded by the hospital authorities from the visit as they felt that such a visit may hinder regular treatment arrangements for the patients," the statement said. The patients, the ministry said, expressed their satisfaction with the treatment being given to them. They also appreciated the role of the government for the timely assistance offered to them and about regular review of their status thrice a day. Vardhan also extended Holi greetings to them on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and himself. Vardhan also spoke to the health ministers and the Lieutenant Governors to get feedback about the condition of the patients and problems being faced, if any, by the states and Union territories in availability of required supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE), masks, etc. and capacity building of health workers, the statement stated. The Health Ministers and LGs while giving details of the treatment status stated that the patients are recovering well and are stable. The patients have not at all faced problems during their treatment in hospitals or their stay in quarantine centres. Vardhan lauded the efforts being made by the states and stated that with consistent and coordinated efforts of Central Government and States/ UTs, valuable lives of not only Indians but also foreign nationals visiting India, have been taken care off. He also urged them to spread awareness about COVID-19 amongst the general public and persuade them to avoid crowded gatherings as well as follow basic principles of personal hygiene and prevention measures. (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 News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 11:08 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20697f464 1 Business Indonesia-Stock-Exchange,IDX,jakarta-composite-index,JCI,auto-rejection,COVID-19,oil-price Free The Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) has issued a new regulation that allows stocks, at all price ranges, to fall by a maximum of 10 percent in an effort to anchor the Jakarta Composite Index (JCI) after a deep drop on Monday. The new auto-rejection regulation came into force Tuesday, when stocks rebounded on early trading. The rule stipulates that the bourse will allow stocks with prices ranging from Rp 50 (0.3 US cent) to Rp 200 to rise 35 percent and to fall a maximum of 10 percent. Read also: OJK relaxes buyback rules as Indonesian stocks nosedive more than 6% Stocks with prices of between Rp 200 and Rp 5,000 will be allowed to increase by a maximum of 25 percent and decline by just 10 percent, while equities priced higher than Rp 5,000 will be allowed to jump by a maximum of 20 percent and fall by 10 percent. Previously, the auto-rejection ceiling and floor percentages were set at the same level for each price range. The Indonesia Stock Exchange's changes to the auto-rejection limits are intended to ensure orderly, reasonable and efficient equities trading, the bourses statement reads. The JCI, the main gauge, jumped by 0.29 percent at opening on Tuesday and soared a further 2.07 percent to 5,242.94 as of 9:44 a.m. Jakarta time after plunging 6.58 percent on Monday to a three-year low amid virus fears and an oil price war. Read also: Oil crash sparks 'Black Monday' meltdown on virus-hit markets The Financial Services Authority (OJK) on Monday evening also announced a policy to allow listed companies to buy back their shares without a prior shareholders meeting to ease market volatility. This is as an effort to stimulate the economy and reduce the impact of the significantly fluctuating market, the OJK said in a statement. (prm) Amanda Bynes' fiance insists they haven't split up and instead said their Instagram accounts were hacked. The 33-year-old's partner Paul Michael confirmed to Page Six that the couple are very much together and their reported split was a result of a hacker wanting them to break up. He said: 'Both of our Instagrams got hacked and someone deleted our pictures and sent direct messages saying we broke up.' Still on: Amanda Bynes' fiance insists they haven't split up and instead said their Instagram accounts were hacked 'We never broke up and weren't able to log into our Instagrams until last night. Assumably [the person wanted] to make it seem like we broke up.' And with reports that the She's The Man actress refused to go to rehabilitation over the weekend, Paul confirmed it wasn't a hospital and says her trauma is resulting from her childhood and she is also suffering with anxiety. He added to the column: 'She's not ordered to go to a hospital. She's ordered to go to a residential treatment, which is called inpatient, but she's not in a hospital. She is affected by trauma from her childhood. 'The anxiety made her drop out of school and the judge ordered her to work on that in residential treatment ... She's allowed to come and go as long as she goes to therapy. She's doing really well, besides anxiety and trauma.' Problem: Bynes has refused to enter a facility after she was ordered to check in by a judge Amanda - who has struggled with substance abuse and legal issues over recent years - could not legally get married without the permission of the judge in her conservatorship case, as well as her mother Lynn. She was reportedly intent on blocking her daughter's proposed marriage to Paul, feeling it wasn't in her best interest to tie the knot. Explaining how the process works, Neama Rahmani, the president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, recently told Us Weekly: 'As Amanda's conservator, her mother has responsibility over her daughter's decision-making, including whether or not to allow her to marry. If Amanda's parents did not consent to the marriage, they can petition the court to annul the marriage on the basis of Amanda's "unsound mind."' This development comes after it had been reported the pair had split up, with Paul even apparently confirming the end of their engagement with InTouch, telling the site: 'We did... I love her though, she's my best friend.' Met with the judge: Bynes' then-fiance Paul Michael and her parents were among those the judge met with Amanda, allegedly, did not cope well with the break-up. 'Amanda is really upset about it and not taking it well at all,' a source told Us Weekly, adding that Bynes' rigid conservatorship had 'driven the couple apart. 'Paul realized the relationship just couldnt go forward because of the obstacles of the conservatorship and Amanda must live at a sober living facility.' Rumors emerged that the couple had split last week after the She's The Man star deleted every photo of Paul off her Instagram page. However, Amanda did post a cuddled up selfie of her and Michael on Monday, fueling speculation the pair were back on. A source insisted that not only was the photo old, but the couple were not back together, a source told The Blast. The news came after the Thousand Oaks, California native last week refused to enter a psychiatric facility after she was ordered to do so by a judge, according to The Blast Monday. A judge determined Amanda should seek treatment at the facility after meeting with all those involved in her conservatorship case during a secret court hearing last Thursday, including Paul. Split: The hearing is reportedly what triggered the end of Bynes' engagement with Paul, who 'freaked out' after becoming privy to more details surrounding the situation The actress was supposed to check into the facility over the weekend, but neglected to show up. The hearing is reportedly what triggered the end of Amanda's engagement with Paul, who 'freaked out' after becoming privy to more details surrounding the situation. Paul's concerns he would do something that would get him into trouble with the judge or others involved in the case is what prompted the split, sources told the outlet. Paul - who initially met Amanda at an AA meeting in Los Angeles, according to the outlet - has now reportedly been telling friends he doesn't want to be blamed for her mental condition, and is 'freaking out' after learning how bad her situation is, and how it could threaten his sobriety. The star reportedly needs to be hospitalized in the facility as soon as possible, and seems to be spiraling out of control, sources told The Blast, as her family is urging her to keep her word to the judge. Should Amanda continue to refuse to seek treatment, other measures will be taken to ensure her safety, according to the site. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency Tuesday as the number of coronavirus cases among residents continue to rise. In doing so, he allowed for educators and parents to make decisions at a local-level regarding response to the ongoing health crisis. Declaring a state of emergency does not close schools. Instead, it allows K-12 schools relief from attendance and school-year requirements. State law mandates schools make up all days lost to health, weather or safety emergencies between the first day of the school year and March 31 by rescheduling full school days to ensure a full school year. By declaring a state of emergency, Baker granted the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education the ability to lift this restriction. Now, the longest any elementary, middle or high school will be required to go is to its 185th day. No schools will be required to be in session after June 30th. Additionally, state officials are lifting future attendance mandates on students. The department will consider attendance rates through Monday, March 2 and disregard all attendance data for the remainder of the year. The typical student in Massachusetts misses nine days - about 5% of the school year. The state defines students who miss 10% or more days as chronically absent, regardless of whether the absences are considered excused, unexcused and/or for disciplinary reasons. About 12.8% of students are deemed chronically absent each year. The new attendance policy will allow parents to keep students home sick without fear the student or the district will be penalized for extended absences. Department of Secondary Education Commissioner Jeff Riley urged all districts to cancel all out-of-state travel at this time. The state previously requested schools cancel international trips. Reported illnesses connected to the new disease, named COVID-19, range from very mild to severe, including illness resulting in death. Older people and people of all ages with severe underlying health conditions like heart disease, lung disease and diabetes - are believed to be at higher risk of developing serious symptoms. Symptoms - including cough, fever and shortness of breath - may appear two days to two weeks after exposure. The number of coronavirus cases in Massachusetts jumped Tuesday, more than doubling from Mondays figures, with diagnoses expected to continue to rise. The number of presumptive cases spiked to 91, with one confirmed. On Monday, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported 41 cases in Massachusetts. Of the total number 70 are related to Biogens conference in Boston, four are connected to travel and the cause of exposure remains under investigation for 18. State officials said roughly 400 have been tested as of Tuesday afternoon. The state is receiving an additional 2,000 kits, expanding access to testing within Massachusetts. Baker warned Tuesday that more cases will be reported in the near future as more testing is done," due to the increase in availability of testing. Middlesex County - Massachusetts most populated county - has the highest number of cases as of Tuesday, with 41. Norfolk has the second-highest number - 22 cases - followed closely by Suffolk County. Berkshire is the only county in Western Massachusetts reporting coronavirus cases so far. The Berkshires has one cases as of Tuesday. Worcester and Essex Counties each have one case. Of the confirmed and presumptive cases, six patients have been hospitalized. 62 have not. 24 remain under investigation. Comment on this story on MassLives Facebook page Related Content: Manama The Ministry of Health yesterday announced the first group of Bahrainis repatriated from the Islamic Republic of Iran have arrived back to the Kingdom. The Kingdom has established an evacuation plan to repatriate citizens in a chartered aircraft in order to safeguard the well-being of the incoming arrivals, as well as citizens and residents in the Kingdom. Upon arrival, passengers were tested and will either be quarantined or transferred to a dedicated isolation centre for treatment, in accordance with the results, and the standards set by the World Health Organisation. The ministry is co-ordinating with other authorities on repatriating the remaining Bahrainis in Iran, while ensuring proper isolation and community protection measures are being taken. The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr Walid bin Khalifa Al Manea earlier confirmed that work is underway with all relevant authorities to implement the evacuation plan for Bahraini citizens in Iran. All measures are being taken to ensure that they arrive in the Kingdom safely and in accordance with Bahrains precautionary measures in light of the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Iranian cities, and the escalation of its spread around the world, the official said. Dr Al Manea added, Work is continuing to transfer the citizens in Iran in stages, the first group of citizens will be transferred next Tuesday, and efforts are continuing to complete the various precautionary and preventive measures to preserve their safety and the safety of citizens and residents in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Dr Al Manea noted that since the announcement of the evacuation plan, relevant authorities have been in ongoing contact with citizens present in Iran that registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and their families. Dr Al Manea stressed that all those involved in the evacuation process are working hard to complete it successfully and safely. All returnees from Iran within the evacuation plan will undergo the necessary medical examinations under the supervision of a specialised medical team according to the recommendations of the World Health Organisation upon their arrival in Bahrain, and they will be transferred to quarantine or isolation and treatment centres if necessary, he added. Based on His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifas directives, the Jaffari Endowments Directorate will cover all the expenses of the Bahraini citizens, who are still abroad because of Coronavirus (COVID-19) until their return home, in coordination with all the competent official authorities, Jaffari Endowments Directorate Chairman, Yussif Al Saleh, said, noting that the expenses will be added to the Directorates budget, in line with the royal instructions. The sound royal directives reflect HM the Kings care for all citizens in Bahrain and abroad, Mr Al Saleh said. Mr Al Saleh commended the efforts exerted by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, as well as his follow-up on all precautionary and preventive measures adopted to combat COVID-19 and prevent its spread. He pointed out that the Jaffari Endowments Directorate will co-ordinate with the relevant authorities and bear the expenses of the citizens during their stay abroad until their return, adding that the expenses will be added to the directorates budget. McKee Foods Corporation, the makers of Little Debbie Snacks, Drakes Cakes and other snack foods, will undergo a major expansion in Collegedale, it was announced on Tuesday by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe. Over a 15-year period, McKee Foods has agreed to invest more than $500 million in capital projects, including expansion of the Apison Plant to include new production lines, and additional investment in its other Collegedale facilities. The company has also committed to 125 new jobs created in the first seven years of the project. Over the course of the entire project, the company expects to create 480 new jobs. McKee Foods employs about 3,000 people in its Tennessee operations today. The company has also committed to 125 new jobs created in the first seven years of the project. Over the course of the entire project, the company expects to create 480 new jobs. McKee Foods employs about 3,000 people in its Tennessee operations today. McKee Foods is a legacy company in our community and a critical part of our regions entrepreneurial history. The jobs McKee creates as part of this project will impact families in Hamilton County and the City of Collegedale for years to come as they continu e to invest in our community, said Charles Wood, Vice President of Economic Development at the Chattanooga Chamber. I am extremely excited to learn about the initial announcement of 125 new jobs at McKee Foods, a number that will grow to 482 over the next 15 years, said Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger. McKee is one of the great Hamilton County legacy companies and we could not be happier that they chose their hometown to make this significant expansion and investment that will help grow Hamilton County. The initial five-year outlay is approximately $225 million. Of this amount, $110 million is set to more than double the current size of the Apison Plant and add the first new production line. This will be the fourth major expansion of this facility. Work will be completed in phases with the first phase commencing in the summer of 2020. McKee Foods is very pleased that we are able to bring more jobs and more bakery capacity to our Hamilton County operations, said Mike McKee, McKee Foods Corporation President & CEO. Our family business is blessed to have such deep roots in Southeast Tennessee a region where thoughtful infrastructure investment is being made while maintaining a keen eye on livability and workability for our employees and surrounding communities. As always, we appreciate partnering with the City of Collegedale, Hamilton County and the State of Tennessee, the Tennessee Valley Authority and EPB as we expand our Collegedale Operations. Since 2015, the Chattanooga Chamber has assisted with new business locations and expansions totaling more than $1.5 billion in investments and over 6,000 jobs. Governor Lee said, Im grateful for McKee Foods ongoing commitment to Tennessee as they continue to create high-quality jobs and drive economic activity. Thousands of Tennesseans have contributed to the success of McKee Foods and its world-renowned products. Im pleased to see such a storied Tennessee brand move forward with this considerable expansion in Collegedale. Commissioner Rolfe said, Tennessee is home to some of the worlds most respected food brands, none greater than Little Debbie Snacks and McKee Foods. Weve sought to create a business-friendly environment that ensures our existing Tennessee companies can prosper and thrive. McKee Foods has called Collegedale and Hamilton County home for generations, and this considerable investment promises to ensure its prominent role in Southeast Tennessee continues for generations to come. Collegedale Mayor Katie Lamb said, McKee Baking is an important part of Collegedale. We are grateful that the company has chosen to continue their investment in our city with a significant expansion of their facilities. We are excited for the new opportunities and the jobs that this growth will create. McKee Foods, a family bakery with annual sales of about $1.4 billion, is a privately-held company based in Collegedale, Tenn. The McKee Foods story began during the height of the Great Depression when founder O.D. McKee began selling 5-cent snack cakes from the back of his car. Soon after, he and his wife, Ruth, bought a small bakery on Main Street in Chattanooga, using the family car as collateral. Today, the company employs more than 6,000 people in Collegedale. PHOENIX A 16-year-old boy was arrested in the shooting death of a 14-year-old boy at a home where about a half-dozen juveniles gathered when no adult was present, Phoenix police said Tuesday. Detectives learned that the 16-year-old had taken a gun to the residence where the shooting occurred Modday and he was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and weapons violations, said Sgt. Mercedes Fortune, a Police Department spokeswoman. The 16-year-olds identity was not released but Fortune identified the 14-year-old, who died at a hospital, as Darric Appleton. No additional information was provided on circumstances of the shooting. Police continued to identify the incident, Fortune said. ST PAUL With two COVID-19 diagnoses cropping up in Minnesota within the past week , a bill to add tens of millions to a state medical emergency fund is on its way to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's desk. Minnesota's state House and Senate on Monday, March 9, both unanimously passed Senate File 3813 , which moves nearly $21 million from the state's general fund to a public health emergency contingency account in order to brace the state against a COVID-19 outbreak. After its swift passage, the bill now awaits Walz's anticipated signature. At a news conference before the state House's vote Monday, House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler, D-Golden Valley, said residents should be confident in the state's response to and preparation for the illness. "The administration, the Department of Health, the House, the Senate, Republicans and Democrats are all focused on making sure that we have the right level of response to COVID-19 and that Minnesota is as prepared as it can be," he said. The contingency fund already held $4.6 million before Monday's bill. But the extra cushion is another layer of protection should an outbreak occur in Minnesota. ADVERTISEMENT As of Monday, officials have confirmed two cases of COVID-19 in Minnesota one in Ramsey County and the other in Carver County and two in neighboring Wisconsin . COVID-19 is the respiratory illness that develops as a result of coronavirus. Globally, over 111,000 patients have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and 3,800 have died from the virus as of Monday afternoon . In the United States, 556 Americans have been diagnosed and 22 have died as a result of the virus. Health officials are advising that Minnesotans regularly wash their hands, disinfect surfaces, cover their mouths with their elbows when coughing or sneezing and stay home when they feel ill in order to prevent the spread of the illness. Ethan Miller /Getty Images Comedian Gabriel Iglesias has proven time and time again that he has a strong love for San Antonio. Shortly after his comedy show at the AT&T Center Saturday, Iglesias tweeted that he had an "incredible night" in city for his "Beyond the Fluffy" world tour "Go Big or Go Home." WASHINGTON The White House is not ready to roll out specific economic proposals in its response to the widening impact of the coronavirus outbreak, administration officials told CNBC. The revelation comes as U.S. stock futures pointed toward a sharp rebound at the open Tuesday following the Dow's 2,013-point drop Monday and President Donald Trump's suggestion that a payroll tax cut and other stimulus measures may be in the works to mitigate economic damage from the virus' spread. Trump has also invited Wall Street executives to meet at the White House on Wednesday to discuss the response. However, inside the administration, some officials were stunned by Trump's claim Monday that he would hold a press conference Tuesday to announce an economic plan. "That was news to everyone on the inside," one official said. The actual details of any plan remain up in the air. "It's not there right now," an official said. "A lot of details need to be worked out." The president's schedule for Tuesday includes a 5:30 p.m. ET media briefing for his coronavirus task force. In addition to the potential payroll tax cut, which faces skepticism from Senate Republicans, Trump also said the administration would work with travel industry players, such as airlines and cruise lines, as travel restrictions and fears stemming from the outbreak take a toll on them. American Airlines on Tuesday, for instance, slashed international and domestic flights as demand craters. Wage relief for hourly workers is also under discussion, but it would require big federal spending and there are no details about how such a policy would work, an official said. The officials cited in this story declined to be named since plans were still being worked out. Trump on Friday signed an $8.3 billion spending package aimed at supporting states and researchers. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Larry Kudlow, the president's top economic advisor, are slated to head to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to brief Senate Republicans on some ideas and try to get a sense of what is possible. "The president has a strong point of view, and he's looking forward to Senate reaction to that perspective," a senior administration official said. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Lois and Richard Nicotra plan to open their second social enterprise eatery, Pienza Brick Oven Pizza Cafe, later this year. The quick-service restaurant will be located in their newest building, Corporate Commons Three, in the Corporate Commons Complex. Our favorite town in Italy is Pienza," the Nicotras explained. It is a Tuscan town and the flavors of its cheese, meat and pizza are worth the trip. We love Staten Island, and we want to bring the tastes we enjoy to our beautiful borough. The Nicotras envision Staten Islands Pienza to have an upscale feel. It will seat 65 guests inside and 75 outdoors with a Northern Italian menu, pizzas made to order plus grab-and-go salads and sandwiches. We are trying to transport a little of this Tuscan town to right here in New York, Nicotra told the Advance/SILive.com last year. The Nicotras pointed out, the Italian food is not a new concept, but the approach we have is -- and this will be the only local pizzeria where the dough we make will be gifted right back to the community in the form of grants for non-profits. Other perks of the pizza project include a nod to nature. Pienzas food will incorporate fresh produce from the 40,000-square foot organic rooftop farm located at the top of the Nicotras office building. Indoors, two giant olive trees will grow across the ceiling of the eatery, and outdoors, a large seating area will overlook a grape vineyard. The vineyard will produce table grapes that will be donated to local food pantries. The Italian eatery, a sister concept to the Nicotras COMMONS cafe, also located at the Teleport, will gift 100% of its profits to charity. To date, the Nicotras have gifted all profits from their COMMONS cafe in the form of grants to Staten Island nonprofits and scholarships to their employees children and grandchildren, totaling more than $900,000. They are on track to exceed a total of $1 million in giving by the end of 2020. By Express News Service Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar will headline the sequel of Badhaai Ho. Titled Badhaai Do, the family comedy film revolves around an unlikely relationship. While the story and characters are different from Badhaai Ho, there is a common theme of family between both films. The sequel is helmed by Hunterrr director Harshavardhan Kulkarni and produced by Junglee Pictures. In the film, Rajkummar plays a Delhi cop who is the only male officer in a Mahila (womens) thana, while Bhumi plays the role of a school PT teacher, much to her familys distress. The story is about the goof-ups that follow when they meet. Talking about his role, Rajkummar Rao shares, I have played a cop before but never with this perspective. I look for layered characters and this is a perfect match. Bhumi adds, My character again is strong, independent and author-backed. This time too the film will say something extremely relevant and relatable but in the most hilarious manner and the film has its heart rooted in family values. Pigs fly at Babcock and Miles, Merchants of the Delectable in Red Lodge. Here, food and wine demigod Steve Haman preaches all things delicious. Standing in the gourmet store he purchased with his wife Kim in 2016 from Karen and Andrew Porth, he extols his passion for culinary treasures. The small yellow house with white trim just off the main drag recalls visiting a favorite aunt. Figurines of pigs safeguard the bounty of neatly arranged foodstuffs while another flies above the main counter. On this sunny day after more than a foot of snow had dropped in the Beartooth Mountains and roads were clear, my friend Susan Carlson and I decided to take a road trip. When I first moved to Montana 20 years ago, I was told residents would drive hours for a good meal. Here we were journeying from Billings to secure some unique cheese and wine, among other culinary treats. The ingredients to fulfill most recipes in cooking magazines can be found here. Specialty items such as duck breasts, caviar and smoked scallops fancify any occasion, while fresh-baked baguettes from the Red Lodge Pizza Company arrive daily at 11:30 a.m. Food snacks, cookies, crackers and nuts can satisfy everyday cravings, with rice, pastas and oils filling the pantry. At Babcock and Miles, Steve Haman said, "We have a responsibility to preserve, protect, and promote food and wine products of unique provenance. It's our mission to champion those products with deep ties to the unique places they come from, whether it's a Montana farmstead goat cheese or Belize single origin chocolate, because those special products tell the stories of where they come from with every mouth-watering bite." Haman is good at telling stories and it is no wonder. Once a minister in California, he easily shares what he is passionate about. These days he relays the backstory and facts behind the delights he sells, educating and enlightening those who come into the store. "We try to meet our customers where they're at," Kim Haman said while her husband added, "Our passion, in a large part, is driven by our desire to serve our customers. We are energized by people and they make our job so rewarding." He prides himself in having curated every product in the store. "You can shop confidently knowing that each and every item has been tried and vetted by our staff." Steve Haman's first love of food came with a job in an Italian restaurant. "While I started washing dishes and busing tables I eventually worked my way into the kitchen, prepping food with the chef in the afternoon." When the chef did not show up one day, Haman was asked to work on the line and help cook. Why did the Hamans choose Red Lodge for their store? "Situated at the foot of the Beartooths, the setting is spectacular. Historic downtown Red Lodge has a charm that sucks you in," Steve Haman said, plus it was a good place to raise their two sons. Scott Mann, who ranches nearby, said that "I live in the country, but come into town on most days." On this day, while fueling equipment he was energizing himself with a specialty coffee. The Hamans own one of the only Nuova Simonelli Aurelia Wave espresso machines in Montana, allowing for the precise temperature control, extraction and dispensing that result in a refined cup of coffee. I picked up a bag of Italian ginger molasses cookies displayed prominently on the front table, a bottle of Ponzu sauce from the selective Asian section, and several bottles of Chablis placed strategically next to the domestic Chardonnay. Susan grabbed a reasonably priced bottle of Portuguese wine on store employee's Willis Johnson's recommendation, and a goat and cow cheese after reading the descriptive labels identifying type, origin and beverage pairing. On our way home to Billings, Susan and I smiled at the treasures we were bringing back from the Merchants of the Delectable, where pigs fly. Stella Fong, author of 'Historic Restaurants of Billings and Billings Food' hosts 'Flavors Under the Big Sky: Celebrating the Bounty of the Region' for Yellowstone Public Radio. TheLastBestPlates.com is a digital destination that serves up Montana's tasty food, travel and culture stories one bite at a time. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 By Nam Hyun-woo Bridge Biotherapeutics, a Korean clinical stage biotech firm, signed a joint research agreement with a U.S. AI-powered drug discovery firm on artificial intelligence-based drug discovery across multiple therapeutic areas, the former said Tuesday. Bridge Biotherapeutics said in a statement that it has signed the agreement with Atomwise over jointly launching up to 13 small molecule programs using structure-based AI technology for drug discovery. Under the agreement, Bridge Biotherapeutics will apply its research and development abilities to target protein substrates, while Atomwise will use its artificial intelligence technology and homology modeling capabilities to evaluate drug candidates. Bridge Biotherapeutics said it expects the agreement will help the company to expedite discovering candidates for Pellino inhibitors, which have high unmet demand. Bridge Biotherapeutics is one of the pioneers in Pellino therapies with its BBT-401, the first-in-class Pellino-1 inhibitor, currently in phase 2 clinical study for ulcerative colitis treatments. BBT-401 targets and inhibits the Pellino-1 protein, which mediates multiple inflammatory signaling pathways. "Atomwise's leading AI technology and the expert team will help us unlock opportunities to discover new drug candidates with exciting targets," Bridge Biotherapeutics CEO Lee Jung-kue said. "Our partnership with Atomwise will give us a competitive edge to build and expand an innovative first-in-class portfolio, upon our rich experience in Pellino-1 inhibitor development." Under the research collaboration agreement, Atomwise will receive upfront, milestone and royalty payments upon success for each research program. They did not disclose the exact amount. Her ex Ben Affleck is currently sparking rumors he's romancing co-star Ana de Armas. But Jennifer Garner didn't seem troubled by the relationship gossip on Monday morning. The Alias star, 47, looks simple and carefree while wearing casual black active wear to enjoy her morning coffee and chat with friends in Los Angeles, California. Monday morning cup of joe: Jennifer Garner seemed content and happy on Monday, when she was seen in casual black active wear enjoying her coffee while chatting with friends Jennifer was makeup-free at the time, smiling brightly in a black hoodie and leggings with a white t-shirt on underneath. Later, Jen was seen leaving the Brentwood Country Mart in a preppy ensemble that consisted of pressed khaki slacks, a thick navy blue knit sweater and large buttons. She wore brown leather dress shoes and carried her black purse under arm as she chatted on the phone smiling. The sightings come as Garner's ex-husband, Ben Affleck, has been gaining significant media attention thanks to rumors he is dating his Deep Water co-star Ana de Armas. Smiley: Later, Jen was seen leaving the Brentwood Country Mart in a preppy ensemble that consisted of pressed khaki slacks, a thick navy blue knit sweater and large buttons Focused on other things: The sightings come as Garner's ex-husband, Ben Affleck, has been gaining media attention thanks to rumors he is dating his Deep Water co-star Ana de Armas The Gigli star and soon-to-be Bond girl have been snapped in Cuba and Costa Rica, by paparazzi and on social media, which is what has caused the speculation. Garner, for her part, has been linked to boyfriend John Miller, Cali Group CEO and former lawyer, for over a year. Jennifer and Ben were married in 2005, and announced their decision to separate over a decade later. Their divorce was finalized in 2018. She's doing her: Garner, for her part, has been linked to boyfriend John Miller, Cali Group CEO and former lawyer, for over a year; seen Friday in Brentwood The pair have three children together: Violet, 14, Seraphina, 11, and Samuel, eight. Both Affleck and Garner are active and amicable co-parents, seen frequently and as recently as late last month together with their children. In February, Affleck again made waves while promoting his new film The Way Back, telling The New York Times that divorcing Jen was 'the biggest regret of his life' in a candid interview. Close co-parents: Jennifer and Ben were married in 2005, and announced their decision to separate over a decade later; seen here on February 27th in LA T ottenham endured a miserable exit from the Champions League after falling to a 3-0 defeat (4-0 on aggregate) at the hands of RB Leipzig at the Red Bull Arena. Jose Mourinho, already facing a selection crisis with several key members missing through injury, was rocked by the absence of Davinson Sanchez due to a knock and replaced the Colombian with Japhet Tanganga as he fielded a three-man defence. Spurs made an encouraging start, showing their aggressive side with early hounding and pressing of Leipzig as they passed out from the back. But once the Bundesliga outfit settled, Tottenham's defensive frailties were exposed and it only took 10 minutes for them to find the opener. Timo Werner, who scored from the penalty spot in the first leg, saw his effort charged down by Eric Dier. But the German reacted quickly to claim the loose ball and set up Sabitzer, who struck low and hard from 20 yards towards goal. Hugo Lloris got a hand to it but, in retrospect, should have done better to keep it out. AFP via Getty Images With the whole stadium bouncing and in full voice, Leipzig took confidence from the goal and nearly made it two, only for Werner to see the offside flag go up when tapping home from Angelino's cross. But Spurs didn't take heed of that warning and found themselves with a mountain to climb when Sabitzer met Angelino's cross with a fierce header. Lloris reacted too slowly at his near post, pushed it onto the woodwork and it trickled over the line. AFP via Getty Images Tottenham needed three goals, just like when produced a memorable comeback against Ajax in the semi-final last season. Giovani Lo Celso tried his utmost to get one back, bending one to the far post only for Peter Gulacsi to parry out. The small section of Spurs fans who made the trip to Leipzig would have been praying for a repeat of that famous night in Amsterdam. But with Spurs lacking energy and ideas, it never seemed likely. The Germans suffered a potentially serious blow after Nordi Mukiele was stretchered off with a facial injury after being struck by the ball. Spurs would get another shot on goal with 20 minutes left after some good work from Lucas Moura to find Dele, but his effort was tame and easy for Gulacsi to handle. That was the closest the north London side came to getting a goal back but there was still time for more at the other end as substitute Emil Forsberg scored 32 seconds after coming on to compound a miserable evening for Mourinho's men. This page is being updated. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Rizki Fachriansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 17:52 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2069afaa8 1 City international-womens-day,womens-march,womens-march-jakarta,harassment,catcall,IWD,rally Free While many enjoyed a relatively peaceful and high-spirited International Womens Day (IWD) rally in Jakarta on Sunday, some female protesters had the unfortunate experience of becoming the subject of harassment allegedly perpetrated by male protesters affiliated with labor groups during the event. The experience has been described as traumatizing, especially because the inappropriate conduct took place during an event dedicated to rallying against all forms of discrimination and violence against women. Rizqika Arrum Bakti, a gender studies postgraduate student and female activist, claimed that she noticed the disruptive behavior as she was marching alongside other women clad in red-and-white attire inspired by The Handmaids Tale in the front row of protesters on Sunday morning. She said a number of male protesters, who were largely rallying against the controversial job creation omnibus bill, had stared at her and fellow women protesters in the front row. The men later proceeded to take photos and videos of the women without their permission. They were staring at us from head to toe. It was unnerving. I could tell we were being objectified, Rizqika told The Jakarta Post over the phone on Tuesday. Read also: Video:Peaceful march calls for sweeping changes on International Womens Day Dentist and feminist activist Dea Safira Basori said she went on to confront the men, telling them that their behavior was inappropriate especially considering that they were taking part in an event primarily dedicated to womens rights. However, none of them relented, resulting in a heated argument, she added. These men kept causing a ruckus whenever a female orator stepped up to voice their aspirations, Dea said. The male protesters were mainly trying to address their concerns over the omnibus bill, but they should have done so in a way that wouldnt overshadow or disrupt those who tried to voice their thoughts on issues that specifically threaten women. She described the experience as troubling, given that the rally was supposed to serve as a safe space for women. The Womens March Jakarta committee issued a statement on the issue on its official Instagram page on Monday, condemning the acts of harassment that took place during the IWD rally, as well as encouraging victims of harassment to report their experiences. Speaking of security, we hereby condemn protesters who harassed women and minority groups, as well as those who dominate Gerak Perempuan [Womens Movement against Violence Alliance], @womensmarchjkt wrote. The Congress Alliance of Indonesian Labor Unions (KASBI) apologized for the harassment, which included catcalling and was allegedly perpetrated by workers affiliated with the organization. In a statement issued on Monday, the organization said it had carried out an internal investigation regarding the matter. KASBI does not condone catcalling, as it is inappropriate behavior. If any KASBI member is found to have taken part in catcalling, we sincerely apologize to the victims and the Gerak Perempuan Alliance, the organization wrote, adding that over 2,500 of its members from various regions participated in the IWD rally. The organization noted that its members did not participate in the event to specifically address feminist concerns, but rather to voice their opposition against the proposed omnibus law, which it said would only rob workers of their rights in the workplace. Rallies took place in several cities across the country to commemorate 2020 IWD on Sunday. Rallygoers in Yogyakarta took to the streets to protest against sexual violence against women at universities, while their counterparts in North Sumatra demanded the passage of the long-awaited antisexual violence bill. The blood test method makes use of machine learning and can be used to predict whether patients will put on weight, unless they change their habits. The project was conducted in Brazil with funding from FAPESP. Researchers at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Sao Paulo State, Brazil, have developed a computer program that analyzes molecules in blood plasma to search for biomarkers that identify individuals who are at risk of becoming overweight and developing obesity-related diseases. The project was supported by FAPESP. The principal investigator was Professor Rodrigo Ramos Catharino, head of UNICAMPs Innovare Biomarker Laboratory. The results are described in the journal Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. The test is 90% accurate in detecting whether the subject will gain weight without any kind of intervention, Catharino told Agencia FAPESP. It also shows whether theres a risk of developing diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and dyslipidemia [abnormally elevated levels of fat in the blood]. Its an important tool because health professionals can use it to recommend lifestyle changes before a problem materializes. The test consists of a mass spectrometer analysis to detect all the metabolites present in the patients blood and produce a profile of the various metabolic processes at work in the organism. The data obtained by mass spectrometry are processed by the new software. The program was written as part of Flavia Luisa Dias-Audiberts PhD research, in partnership with researcher Luiz Claudio Navarro. Dias-Audiberts thesis advisor is Professor Anderson Rezende Rocha of UNICAMPs Computer Science Institute. The group was supported by the Obesity and Comorbidities Research Center (OCRC), a Research, Innovation and Dissemination Center (RIDC) funded by FAPESP and hosted by UNICAMP. The program screens the blood sample for five metabolites that function as biomarkers with the potential to predict weight gain, Catharino said. When one of these biomarkers is present in the sample, the patient will tend to develop diabetes if he or she becomes obese. The software files are open-source and can be downloaded free of charge from the internet. According to Catharino, any health service with access to a mass spectrometer can apply the methodology. Its an inexpensive technique and affordable even for the SUS [Brazils national health system]. All you need is one mass spectrometer for a network of hospitals and outpatient clinics, Catharino said. Machine learning The methodology developed at UNICAMP combines metabolomics (the analysis of all the metabolites in a biological sample) with machine learning, a subdiscipline of artificial intelligence. The researchers used data obtained from the analysis of blood samples supplied by 180 people to teach the program to recognize a pattern associated with weight gain. Half the volunteers included in the study were within the body mass index (BMI) range deemed healthy, while the rest were overweight to varying degrees or obese. Anthropometric measurements [weight, height and body mass] were taken for all participants, who also completed a questionnaire on family history of chronic disease, as well as age and gender, Catharino said. We used some of the patients to train the software and the others to validate it by comparing its results with their own anthropometrics and health history. The random forest machine learning algorithm was used for the training part. The researchers found that 18 metabolites can serve as biomarkers of metabolic processes relating to fat accumulation, five of which have the potential to predict weight gain. Prostaglandin B2 and carboxy-leukotriene B4 are metabolites of arachidonic acid [a fatty acid in the omega-6 family] known to participate in inflammatory processes, in the recruiting of cells to the site of inflammation, and in the production of reactive oxygen species [an excess of which impairs cell functioning], Dias-Audibert said. Two other molecules we identified were argininosuccinate and dihydrobiopterin, both of which are involved in the nitric oxide cycle and can be considered markers of free radical production. According to Dias-Audibert, the combination of these biomarkers suggests that feedback from the inflammatory cascade occurs in overweight individuals. This finding matches those of several studies that describe low-grade chronic inflammation as one of the active deleterious processes in the overweight condition, she said. The fifth biomarker found to be a potential predictor of weight gain was carboxy-methyl-propyl-furanpropanoic acid (CMPF), a metabolite associated with dysfunction of the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas and the development of diabetes. Considering there were diabetics in the study group, this biomarker could be the link between weight gain and diabetes, Dias-Audibert said. Catharino said the computer program can also be used by health professionals to assess the effectiveness of a treatment prescribed to reduce a patients percentage of body fat. Even before the subject loses weight, its possible to know whether the intervention is working well. If the metabolic processes that lead to fat accumulation are interrupted, the 18 metabolites we identified will tend to disappear from blood plasma, he said. ### The article Combining machine learning and metabolomics to identify weight gain biomarkers by Flavia Luisa Dias-Audibert, Luiz Claudio Navarro, Diogo Noin de Oliveira, Jeany Delafiori, Carlos Fernando Odir Rodrigues Melo, Tatiane Melina Guerreiro, Flavia Troncon Rosa, Diego Lima Petenuci, Maria Angelica Ehara Watanabe, Licio Augusto Velloso, Anderson Rezende Rocha and Rodrigo Ramos Catharino can be read at: www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2020.00006/full. About Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) The Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known for the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration. You can learn more about FAPESP at www.fapesp.br/en and visit FAPESP news agency at www.agencia.fapesp.br/en to keep updated with the latest scientific breakthroughs FAPESP helps achieve through its many programs, awards and research centers. You may also subscribe to FAPESP news agency at http://agencia.fapesp.br/subscribe. New Delhi: Star couple Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas made the most of their short trip to India for Holi. After attending a star-studded Holi party in Mumbai, they flew to Pune over the weekend and had a great time with her mother Madhu Chopra and best friends Tamanna and Sudeep Dutt. They were hosted by Natasha and Adar Poonawalla in Pune. Giving a glimpse of the fun they had there, Priyanka wrote, "I love when the weekend is lit and chill at the same time. Thank you, Natasha and Adar for being the best hosts. Here's to the next time." They flew back to Mumbai on Monday afternoon and on Tuesday morning, the star couple left for the US. Take a look at pictures of them at the airport: (Images Courtesy: Yogen Shah) Meanwhile, both Priyanka and Nick have curated their fun-filled India visit on Instagram and we have brought them here for you. For the Holi party, they looked wonderful together in matching white outfits. Nick wrote that he had a blast during his first Holi celebrations in his "second home in India". "My first Holi! (Five days early) So much fun celebrating with such incredible people here in my second home in India," he captioned his post while Priyanka showed us how Holi is actually celebrated. See the pictures here: Priyanka and Nick married in December 2018 in Jodhpur. They later hosted three wedding receptions in Delhi and Mumbai. "Mission: Impossible II" actor Dougray Scott has revealed he couldn't play Wolverine in the "X-Men" films because Hollywood star Tom Cruise didn't allow him. Scott, who played the villain, rogue IMF agent Sean Ambrose in the 2000 action spy film, was signed on to play Wolverine. The actor was shooting for "Mission: Impossible II", which went over time and budget, and Fox couldn't continue to wait for Scott before starting production. Scott said Cruise, who was a "very powerful guy", kept him from playing the adamantium-clawed mutant. "Tom Cruise didn't let me do it. We were doing 'Mission: Impossible' and he was like, 'You've got to stay and finish the film' and I said I will, but I'll go and do that as well. For whatever reason he said I couldn't. "He was a very powerful guy. Other people were doing everything to make it work," he told The Telegraph. Hugh Jackman eventually played Wolverine. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jaipur, March 10 : As Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh was on the edge of collapse in the wake of 19 party MLAs close to former Guna MP Jyotiraditya Scindia resigning, Rajatshan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot accused Scindia of betraying the trust of the people and ideology. In a series of tweets, Gehlot said, "Joining hands with BJP in a time of national crisis speaks volumes about a leaders self-indulgent political ambitions. Especially when the BJP ruining the economy, democratic institutions, social fabric and as well the Judiciary." "Scindia has betrayed the trust of the people as well as the ideology. Such people proves they can't thrive without power. Sooner they leave the better," Gehlot said in another tweet. Gehlot's remarks came after Scindia resigned from the party after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Earlier, in his resignation to Sonia Gandhi, Scindia cited, "...as you well know, this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year," adding that he is "unable" to "serve" people having been a part of the Congress. After Scindia quit the Congress, resignations from his Congress MLAs started pouring in. At least 19 Congress MLAs close to Scindia have submited their resignations to the Speaker N.P. Prajapati. They have resigned from the primary membership of the Congress. By Imani Moise March 9 (Reuters) - Wells Fargo & Co said on Monday than an employee working at one of its locations in San Francisco tested positive for coronavirus. The bank was informed over the weekend by the San Francisco Department of Public Health about the results. After finding out the employee had prolonged contact with a infected individual, the bank told employees who work on the same floor to work from home on Friday and performed an "enhanced" cleaning of the location, the bank said in a statement. The bank was not immediately available for further comment. Employees who were in close contact with the individual were asked not to come into the office for two weeks, and the location resumed normal operations on Monday. (Reporting by Imani Moise) Please register or log in to keep reading. No credit card required! Stay logged in to skip the surveys. By Express News Service KOCHI: THE number of people under observation for the deadly coronavirus in the state shot up to 1,116 on Monday even as a three-year-old was tested positive in Kochi, taking the total identified cases in Kerala to nine. The child came along with parents from Venice, Italy, and they took a connection flight, EK530, from Dubai to Kochi on Saturday. The child and the parents have been isolated at the Ernakulam Medical College. Of the total people put under observation, 967 are home-quarantined while 149 are in various hospitals. In Pathanamthitta, where the primary focus is laid after five persons were tested positive on Sunday, the authorities are on a catchup mode to identify the people who came into contact with the three-member family which returned from Italy on February 29. As many as 271 persons have been identified in the primary contact list in the district. Twenty-one samples have been tested negative so far, giving authorities some relief. Considering the situation, the state government has decided to open facilities to test swab samples at the medical colleges in Thiruvanthapuram and Kozhikode from Tuesday. Right now, they are tested at the National Institute of Virology, Alappuzha with the NIV, Pune doing the confirmation. Authorities, in their effort to prevent the spread of the virus, are not leaving any stone unturned. While the Kottayam collector has declared a holiday for all educational institutions on Tuesday, the Idukki administration has decided to control the flow of tourists to its most popular spots Kumily, Munnar and Wagamon. No fresh booking will be allowed. All educational institutions in Pathanamthitta will remain closed until Wednesday.The district collector has urged the people to postpone occasions such as weddings by another 15 days and avoid public gatherings till further instructions are given. Meanwhile, the child whose fever was detected through the universal screening facility installed at the airport, was taken to the Medical College isolation ward in a special ambulance. The blood samples given at the NIV Alappuzha tested positive. District Medical Officer (DMO) Dr N K Kuttappan said the childs health condition is stable. The child is in a stable condition and there is no need to panic. Weve sent the blood samples of parents also to the NIV and are waiting for the results, said Kuttappan. The Health Department is tracking the details of the co-passengers in the flight and those who have closely interacted with the child. The full details of the co-passengers, once collected from the Kochi Airport authorities, will be handed over to other districts. Were closely monitoring the situation, the DMO said. Meanwhile, Ernakulam District Collector S Suhas convened an emergency meeting at the MCH on Monday to evaluate the steps taken to check the virus. Five health-screening counters have been set up at the domestic terminals of the Kochi Airport to monitor those arriving with symptoms from other states. Twelve doctors have been appointed at the international terminal. Even those approaching the private hospitals with coronavirus-related symptoms are to be placed in an isolation ward. They are advised to report the patients status to the Health Department daily, said Suhas. As many as 13 persons are under observation in the isolation ward at the Ernakulam MCH. Helpline numbers are 04712552056 and 04842368802. POLICE TO ACT TOUGH WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Monday marked one of the worst days for investors since the 2008 stock market crash as stocks fell just minutes after markets opened. The New York Stock Exchange was even halted for the first time in more than a decade. According to Purdue Professor of Finance John McConnell, stocks are down around 20% over the last few weeks. "That represents billions of dollars of losses to US investors," said McConnell. McConnell said such halts only happen in certain cases. "The rate of decline is so extraordinary that the exchange officials conclude that it's appropriate to take a breather," said McConnell. According to McConnell, the global decline in oil prices have played a role in driving down stocks. "That stems from an oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia," said McConnell. He added that this isn't the only reason stocks have crashed. "The coronavirus is having a significant global effect on corporate profits, production and employment," said McConnell. McConnell said investors should wait to see how the market changes over the next few days. "We hope for the best and hope that the virus is contained and controlled and eliminated," said McConnell. Wall Street has shown some improvements since opening Tuesday morning, but markets remain down as a whole. BRIDGEPORT The city school board will meet March 23 to try and select a new board chair. Board Vice Chairman Hernan Illingworth said the date works best with board member schedules and his attempt to get Mayor Joseph Ganim to preside over the meeting. The mayor traditionally oversees the boards annual December organizational meetings until a chair is picked. The chair has been vacant after the board voted on March 2 to remove Jessica Martinez as chair. The action came after Martinez was involved in several personal issues that were publicly reported and a picture surfaced on social media in January that purported to show Martinez holding drug paraphernalia. Martinez says the picture is old and that she is not a drug user. She will remain on the board. The board has 30 days to pick a new leader before the decision falls to the City Council. We will get it done on the 23rd, Illingworth assured the rest of the board. As many as three individuals on the nine-member panel want the job: Illingworth, former Chair John Weldon and Joe Sokolovic; all three have supporters. Vatican City seals off St Peter's as Italy battles Covid-19 outbreak. The Vatican has sealed off St Peter's Square, closing St Peter's Basilica to tourists and faithful until at least 3 April, to avoid the spread of Coronavirus. The extraordinary measure, which includes the closure of the mobile post office, bookshop and photographic service in the piazza, comes as Italy goes into lockdown over the Coronavirus outbreak. The Vatican Museums are already closed to visitors since the weekend, in line with Italy's nationwide museum closure. The Holy See streamed the Sunday Angelus with Pope Francis after a patient being treated at the Vatican's health facilities tested positive for Coronavirus on 6 March. The Diocese of Rome has also suspended all Mass for the faithful as Italy struggles to contain the Coronavirus outbreak which has so far recorded 7,985 cases and 463 deaths. Photo credit: Bestravelvideo / Shutterstock.com Iran's health minister calls for comprehensive coronavirus research IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, March 9, IRNA -- Iran's minister of health in a letter to his deputy for research and technology called for the use of research teams' capacity at the country's medical universities for coronavirus disease. Saeed Namaki said that Given the outbreak of COVID-19 in Iran, the study of different aspects of the disease requires that several research teams of all universities of medical sciences and health services pay attention to this issue. He emphasized that cases such as prevalence, age distribution, effectiveness of medicine, mortality rate and its relation with age, sex and race, impact of care, nature and behavior of the virus and possible mutations, epidemiological and Its contagion, traceability of primary sources of infection, locations and date of onset of disease in the country, impact of social behavior on disease spread, impact of disease on community mental health or effective prevention methods, social, political and economic consequences of disease, comparison of our country with other countries and dozens Another aspect can be important research topics. "The results of this research could, in addition to gathering documentation of this important period, help our colleagues in reforming disease control and enforcement practices," Namaki added in his letter. Iran's minister of health reiterated that the use of the capacity of research teams in the universities of medical sciences and health services of the country can certainly be the most important tool to assist this research and be used in the national arena. He added that obviously, all departments will cooperate with Dr. Malekzadeh's research and technology department to transfer information and findings. Iranian knowledge-based companies have made planning to produce coronavirus test kits which will go to market within a month, secretary of biotechnology development committee of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology said. Mostafa Ghanei said that diagnosis is the most important part of treating coronavirus. He added that coronavirus-affected people are now being tested by kits which have been bought by the World Health Organization, China and UNICEF. The biotechnology development committee of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology invited knowledge-based companies to start making test kits, he noted. From among 50 applicants, five firms have been selected and a contract has also been signed with them, Ghanei said. Head of Iran's Health Ministry Public Relations Office Kianoush Jahanpour said on Sunday that 2,134 people out of a total of 6566 infected by the coronavirus have survived the deadly disease while 194 have unfortunately succumbed to death. Jahanpour said that 734 new affected cases have been identified since yesterday. Some 49 deaths occured over the past 24 hours, he added. 6125**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A Sydney doctor says the entire city should go into self-isolation to stop the spread of coronavirus and give the health system time to deal with the deadly disease. Dr Cathie Hull, who works in the emergency department at Ryde Hospital, said she and her colleagues were isolated for 14 days after a fellow doctor tested positive to COVID-19. Fortunately after this period, they all remained well. During that time, Dr Hull said she was able to reflect on how Sydney could tackle the quick-spreading disease and in her opinion a two-week, city-wide isolation would slow its spread. "In our community we're still seeing the cases spreading," she told Yahoo News Australia. There are now more than 100 cases of coronavirus in Australia. Source: Yahoo News Australia "What we're trying to do from our own experience is to protect them from the spread, and self-isolation for 14 days, if people can stick to that, that seems to contain the spread as it has done overseas. "From my own perspective, two weeks in isolation isn't too bad if we're prepared for it and the internet is working. "It's hard to do and expensive, but if it serves the end of buying us some time, we'd all be grateful." Dr Hull said she understood some people would be resistant to the idea, but she was drawing from her own experience with the disease. "Health workers are getting sick elsewhere and our colleague is sick here, so it's very personal for us," she said. "For others they may say it's a mild flu, but that's not our experience." The locations where coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sydney. Source: Yahoo News Australia More than 100 cases now confirmed In NSW there are now 55 cases as of 7am (AEDT) on Tuesday, with one of those being a resident of Victoria. The most recent cases include a woman in her 20s who had contact with a confirmed case at Ryde Hospital, a woman in her 40s who recently returned from South Korea and a man in his 20s who arrived home from a trip to Hong Kong. The total number of cases Australia-wide has jumped to more than 100. Story continues In Victoria, there are now 18 confirmed cases including a teacher at Melbourne's Carey Baptist Grammar School. The school's principal Jonathan Walter confirmed to reporters on Tuesday morning the teacher had tested positive overnight after developing symptoms. Dr Cathie Hull, who works at Ryde Hospital, has proposed the idea of a Sydney-wide isolation period to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Source: Google Maps, file According to the ABC, the teacher's partner travelled back from the US on the same plane as Missy Higgins' Toorak-based father doctor Chris, who was also confirmed to have the virus. There are seven people who have tested positive to the virus in South Australia and a sixth case of coronavirus was confirmed in Western Australia after health authorities detailed that state's first person-to-person transmission. Meanwhile there are 15 confirmed cases in Queensland, two in Tasmania and one in the Northern Territory. No one has tested positive to the disease in the ACT. 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. President Donald Trump speaks about the COVID-19 (coronavirus) alongside members of the Coronavirus Task Force in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, on March 9, 2020. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images) Trump Hasnt Been Tested for Coronavirus: White House White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said that President Donald Trump has not been tested for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. The President has not received COVID-19 testing because he has neither had prolonged close contact with any known confirmed COVID-19 patients nor does he have any symptoms. President Trump remains in excellent health, and his physician will continue to closely monitor him, she said in a statement released late Monday. Per current CDC guidelines, medical professionals should base testing decisions on patient symptoms and exposure history, Grisham added. Some lawmakers this week announced they are undergoing self-quarantine after having been in contact with a person who later tested positive for the virus. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Reps. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) have said they are undergoing self-quarantine after having attended the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland in February, where they interacted with a person at the event who later tested positive for the virus. The self-quarantines are to end when 14 days have passed since the encounter with the attendee. Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), who Trump named on Friday as his new chief of staff to replace Mick Mulvaney, also announced that he is undergoing self-quarantine for the same reason. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were among those who attended CPAC. Organizers of CPAC said that an attendee tested positive for the virus at a hospital in New Jersey, and was put under self-quarantine. The organizers noted that [t]his attendee had no interaction with the President or the Vice President and never attended the events in the main hall. Another member of Congress, Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), said on Monday that she and her staff would work remotely after she found out that she had interacted with a person in Washington, D.C. who tested positive for the virus. The novel virus SARS-CoV-2 that causes the disease COVID-19 emerged in early December 2019 in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, a city of about 11 million people. The virus is in the same family of pathogens that cause the flu and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, coughing, and difficulty breathing, although Chinese researchers have noted other symptoms, such as fatigue, diarrhea, chest pains, and headaches. Trump announced a coronavirus task force on Jan. 29 to monitor and combat the virus. The task force has been meeting daily. Trump later on Jan. 31 declared a public health emergency in the United States just a day after the World Health Organization decided to declare the COVID-19 outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. The Trump administration also suspended travel from China to the United States. (Natural News) We finally have some good news to report. The number of Americans killed by the coronavirus by July4th can be reduced to only 1.1 million or even just 1,300 with a far more aggressive approach through the pursuit of social distancing measures, our new projection simulation shows (when using an R0 value of 2.4, which still may be far too low). Social distancing essentially means medical martial law. Our new pandemic projection model shows it absolutely works to halt the spread of the virus. Thats why Italy just declared medical martial law across the entire country, essentially ordering all citizens to self-quarantine and not leave their homes across the entire country. Its now crystal clear that medical martial law can stop the spread of the coronavirus in the United States. To understand why national quarantines work so well, you can now download the Pandemic Projection Model spreadsheet yourself at this link and run various scenarios using your own numbers. Our new model (Revision 2) includes a variable called Social distancing suppression that allows you to enter a value from 1% to 99%. This is then calculated into a suppression factor of new, daily infections. This new model, which replaces Revision 1 released last week, shows that if an R0 value of 2.4 is used together with a social suppression value of 25%, the aggregate deaths in the USA is reduced to just 1.1 million people by July 4th. If you assume the R0 value is actually 4.5 which may be more accurate then you have to achieve a social distancing suppression factor of 60% to limit the number of dead to 1.1 million by July 4th. This is about half the projected number of deaths compared to the previous model which used a different algorithm that did not compensate for social distancing suppression of the spread of the virus. And yes, we understand that typically the R0 value would incorporate the social distancing suppression factor, but we have intentionally broken it out as a separate variable so that it can be manipulated on its own. You can download the spreadsheet yourself and run your own scenarios to see how many infections and deaths might occur using your own numbers. With a 50% suppression factor, the number of deaths is just 1,322 by early July If you assume a 50% suppression factor for the projection while using an R0 value of 2.4, that puts today at day 53, with 22 deaths. If you then count forward from there to a new day #170 (you will need to add more rows of calculations), which represents the new July 4th under this model, the number of deaths plunges to just 1,322. In other words, social distancing is the answer (along with anti-virals, of course, which is a form of suppressing socially-induced infections). But the higher the R0 value, the stronger the medical martial law has to be in order to overcome it. (This makes intuitive sense.) Trump must immediately place the entire United States of America into a quarantine lockdown, or the coronavirus will continue to spread The bottom line here is that if President Trump wants to stop this pandemic from killing millions, he must order nationwide closings of air traffic, roads, schools, churches, public transportation and other forms of interaction that spread the virus. He must essentially declare (and enforce) a nationwide quarantine, Italy-style. If we achieve just a 50% reduction in new infections with the virus R0 value at 2.4, the number of deaths drops from 1.1 million to about 1,300. To understand why the math works this way, download the spreadsheet yourself and play with the scenarios. So far, however, Trump is claiming this virus is no worse than the flu, which means the suppression factor at this moment is fairly close to zero. Download the spreadsheet yourself, change the social distancing suppression factor to 1% and see what happens (if you dare). Youll quickly see that if Trump continues to deny the seriousness of this pandemic, it goes ballistic very, very quickly and ends up killing millions of Americans. But if he gets serious and orders all domestic air traffic halted and cities quarantined, the entire epidemic can be ended this year, long before Election Day. Which future will Trump choose? Nobody knows. But if Trump doesnt come to grips with the reality of this pandemic instead of just stupidly telling us its no worse than the flu, he wont be president much longer and millions of Americans will be needlessly killed by an epidemic that could have been stopped but wasnt. You can download the spreadsheet file from this article page at NaturalNews.com. Be sure to check all the articles, podcasts and videos at Pandemic.news. The Spanish parliament's lower house today suspended all activities for at least a week after lawmaker Javier Ortega Smith's party Vox disclosed he was diagnosed with coronavirus, El Pais newspaper reported. Ortega Smith, who is also the far right party's number two, participated in a large scale political rally last weekend with the presence of many of the party's other legislators. Officials in parliament could not immediately confirm the shutdown. The Mumbai crime branch has arrested a 45-year-old man from Tamil Nadu in connection with a fake currency racket, an official said on Tuesday. On March 3, the crime branch arrested Bhaskar Natar (43) with counterfeit currency worth of Rs 1.28 lakh here. His questioning led the sleuths to Sarvanan Vaniar, resident of Tirupattur in Tamil Nadu, the official said. Natar allegedly told the investigators that he acted as a courier person for Vaniar. The crime branch team raided Vaniar's house in Tirupattur and seized 1,476 fake notes of Rs 500 denomination and 85 notes of Rs 200 denomination with total face value of Rs 7.55 lakh. A printer, scanner and other materials required to make counterfeit currency were also seized. Vaniar would be soon produced before a court in Mumbai, the official added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, peeved with the party leadership over his perceived marginalisation, met Prime Minister in Delhi on Tuesday as the moved swiftly to come to power in Madhya Pradesh by aiming to topple the government. Scindia drove down to the residence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the former Bharatiya Janata Party president who continues to shape his party's political affairs, and the two leaders then went to the prime minister's residence, where they held talks for over an hour. Soon after his meeting with Modi, the former Union minister tendered his resignation to president Sonia Gandhi, saying it was now time for him to move on. Gandhi, however, immediately expelled him from the for "anti-party activities", as the crisis looming over the Madhya Pradesh government led by Chief Minister deepened. There was no official word on what transpired in the meeting, but sources asserted that the decision of the party's top two leaders to hold long deliberations with Scindia, scion of the erstwhile Gwalior royal with considerable influence in the region, underlined the importance they attach to him. Scindia may join the saffron party and be sent the to Rajya Sabha, sources said, adding that he was upset with the Congress as he believes that Nath and Congress leader Digvijaya Singh were working in tandem to marginalise him. Congress MLAs loyal to him, believed to be anywhere between 15-20, may resign to reduce the ruling Congress in the state to a minority. While the Congress, which was voted to power in the state after 15 years in 2018, has 114 MLAs, the has 107 legislators in the 230-member assembly. Four Independent MLAs, two lawmakers of the Bahujan Samaj Party and one Samajwadi Party legislator are supporting the Congress-led government. As many as 17 MLAs close to Scindia went incommunicado on Monday, with most of them believed to be camping in Bengaluru. Election for three Rajya Sabha seats from the state is slated for March 26. Both the Congress and the BJP are sure to win one seat each, and the changing dynamics in the state means that the saffron party may eye to win the third seat. Photograph: Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images Harvey Weinsteins lawyers have petitioned the judge who presided over his trial and rape conviction in a New York court to sentence him to the minimum of five years in prison, controversially citing the fallen producers remarkable accomplishments. The disgraced moguls defense team, led by Donna Rotunno, are pleading for the very lightest possible sentence. Judge James Burke will reconvene at the New York supreme court at 9.30am on Wednesday to hand down his sentence, which could be as severe as 29 years in prison. Related: Seven 'survivors of abuse by Weinstein' denounce settlement in open letter A letter from Rotunno and her fellow lawyers, addressed to Burke, contains praise for the convicted rapist that is certain to incense the 105 women who have come forward to accuse him of various degrees of sexual misconduct. The note says: His life story, his accomplishments, and struggles are simply remarkable and should not be disregarded in total because of the jurys verdict. Weinstein was convicted last month of forcing oral sex on a production assistant, Miriam Haley, and raping a woman who the Guardian has not named because of lack of clarity over her desire to be identified. The upper sentences for the two counts are 25 years and four years respectively. Weinsteins plea came as it was reported he had suffered a fall in his cell at Rikers Island and as a batch of documents relating to the trial were unsealed. The documents revealed that soon after allegations against him were exposed in 2017 he said he harbored suicidal thoughts. The New York Daily News reported that Weinstein expressed despair in a draft statement written in December that year. It said: I have lost my family. I have daughters that will not talk to me. I have lost my wife. I have lost the respect of my ex-wife and generally almost all of my friends. I have no company. Im alone. And I will be honest with you: Im suicidal. Any suggestion of suicidal inclinations, however tenuous, are likely to be treated very seriously by the New York state department of corrections, which will be in charge of Weinsteins incarceration once the sentence comes down. Story continues New York is still reeling from the death of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein last August, which though it happened in a federal prison will be regarded by state officials as a cautionary tale. Epsteins death was ruled a suicide. The Daily News also published an email to Weinstein from his brother and business partner Bob Weinstein dated 2 November 2017, weeks after the New York Times and the New Yorker disclosed the Pulp Fiction and Shakespeare In Love producers long history of sexual harassment and assault. In the searing email, Bob said: I pray there is a real hell. Thats where you belong. In a pun on the Oscar awards, the brother added: [You] deserve a lifetime achievement award for the sheer savagery and immorality and inhumanness, for the acts [you] have perpetrated. The New York Times reported that the documents included a desperate plea for help in emails to two dozen influential people, including the billionaires Michael Bloomberg and Jeff Bezos and a claim that Jen Aniston should be killed, written as he believed, erroneously, that the actor had accused him of groping. At the sentencing hearing on Wednesday, both main accusers who were party to the two convictions are expected to deliver victim impact statements. Weinsteins lawyers will also make a recommendation for the sentence, presumably following the five years already suggested. Burke will have to weigh up starkly different interpretations of Weinsteins convicted behaviour. While the defense lawyers praised his accomplishments, lead prosecutor Joan Illuzzi-Orbon last week sent Burke a withering litany of the fallen Hollywood titans alleged sex crimes, dating back to the 1970s. Without stating a desired sentence, the prosecutor urged the judge to throw the book at Weinstein who she said had led a lifetime of abuse. He had, she said, shown total lack of remorse for the harm he has caused and a staggering lack of empathy, treating others with disdain and inhumanity. Two Republicans who recently spent time with President Donald Trump have quarantined themselves after coming in contact with people infected by the coronavirus, meaning five members of Congress are now in insolation over the rapidly spreading respiratory infection. Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., Doug Collins, R-Ga., and Julia Brownsley, D-Calif., all announced Monday that they are going into quarantine after learning they recently met people who have since tested positive for the virus. Gaetz and Collins, who explicitly described their isolation measures as self-quarantine, said over Twitter they met at least one person infected by the coronavirus at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland last month. Since then, both GOP lawmakers have been in close contact with Trump. Collins was with Trump during his Friday visit to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. They were pictured shaking hands during the visit. Gaetz, meanwhile, flew back to Washington, D.C., from Florida with Trump on Monday. Both Republicans said they arent experiencing any symptoms and quarantining themselves for 14 days out of an abundance of caution. While I feel completely healthy and I am not experiencing any symptoms, I have decided to self-quarantine at my home, Collins said in a statement. Gaetz drew outrage last week when he posted a picture of himself wearing a gas mask on the House floor before voting on an emergency coronavirus spending bill. The Florida Republicans office claimed the gas mask spoof was actually evidence that he takes the viral outbreak seriously. Congressman Gaetz had expected COVID-19 to impact Congress, given the elevated frequency of travel and human contact, and demonstrated his concern last week on the House floor, Gaetz official Twitter handle posted. Brownsley said she was closing her Washington office and planning on working remotely after learning she met a coronavirus patient last week. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar announced Sunday that they were also going into quarantine after meeting people infected by the coronavirus at last months CPAC event. Cruzs office said Monday that the Lone Star State Republican feels great. Sen. Cruz has not exhibited symptoms of the coronavirus in the last 11 days and is not currently experiencing symptoms, his office said. U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn attended the Conservative Political Action Conference two days last week, where an attendee infected with coronavirus interacted with a number of lawmakers. Hagedorn has not been contacted by the CDC as someone who might have had contact with the infected person, a spokesperson for him said. Jake Murphy, Hagedorn's communications director, said the 1st District congressman attended a CPAC reception on Wednesday evening and a media event on Friday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevent and state health authorities have worked together to track down all the people who were in contact with the infected person. The CDC has not contacted Hagedorn, Murphy said. "He feels great, and he continues to perform all his duties," Murphy said. ADVERTISEMENT Lawmakers Ted Cruz, Matt Gaetz, Paul Gosar and Doug Collins have been contacted about potential exposure at the event. All four said they are quarantining themselves. Both Gaetz and Collins interacted with the president in between their exposure and being informed of it. On Monday evening, Trump's incoming chief of staff, Rep. Mark Meadows, who attended a White House meeting last week, announced that he was under self-quarantine until Wednesday, even though he tested negative for the virus. Last month, Hagedorn announced that he was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer last year and has been receiving care and immunotherapy at Mayo Clinic. The first-term congressman said he feels good and has been able to perform his job in Congress unimpeded. Parliaments lower house passes amendments to Russian Constitution in second reading RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 16:48 10/03/2020 MOSCOW, March 10 (RAPSI) The State Duma, the lower house of Russian parliament, passed a bill on amendments to the Constitution in the second reading on Tuesday. The final third reading is scheduled for March 11. Amendments are expected to be introduced into several articles of the Constitution concerning Federal Structure, President of the Russian Federation, Federal Assembly, Russias Government, Judiciary and prosecutors office, local governance. On Tuesday, additional amendments to the bill were submitted. A lawmaker representing the United Russia political party Alexander Karelin proposed to hold early State Duma election. Another MP proposed to consider removal of restrictions on the number of presidential terms and allow the acting Head of State to again hold the office. Later, Karelins initiative was laid on the table. A proposal of Tereshkova was backed by other lawmakers. President Vladimir Putin addressing to the State Duma lawmakers on Tuesday did not object an amendment proposed by Tereshkova. However, he said that it must be approved by the Constitutional Court of Russia. New Delhi [India], Mar 10 (ANI): Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Tuesday met UAE Ambassador to India Ahmed Al Banna and discussed future steps on consolidating bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership in new areas between the two countries, an official said. "Foreign Secretary @HarshShringla met Ambassador @drahmedalbanna of #UAE. FS expressed happiness at the strong and growing bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and discussed next steps to consolidate our ties and seek partnership in new areas," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. Qatar has temporarily banned the entry of people arriving from 15 countries, including India, Pakistan, and China. In an advisory, Qatar's government communications office also denied "all individuals intending to enter from these countries, including visas upon arrival, those with a residence or work permit, and temporary visitors." UAE's Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) on Friday said an Indian national is among 15 new cases of the deadly coronavirus in the Middle East country. (ANI) Precise Communications ltd is delighted to announce the 2nd Ghana Finance Week (GFW) slated for 7th-9th May 2020 at the Accra International Conference Centre. Ghana Finance Week (GFW) created in 2018, is a festival of financial industry events that promotes, celebrates the best of finance and encourages financial inclusion while providing networking, social, learning and business opportunities for all. GFW connects with thousands of people made of finance professionals, policy makers, students, educators, entrepreneurs, business leaders, employees, nonprofit leaders and many others, through a range of financial related signature activities. GFW aims among other things are: Creating a platform for financial industry ecosystem to converge to network, share ideas, dialogue and leverage insights and perspectives to advance Ghanas financial services growth to drive Ghanas financial inclusion agenda. To create a platform for financial services providers and regulators to showcase, promote their product services to educate and inform the public about the various financial products that can enhance their life and business. To bridge the financial inclusion gap. To promote excellence and innovation within the financial sector. KEY FEATURING EVENTS: FINANCIAL SECTOR CONFERENCE The Conference brings together financial and business leaders to share ideas, learn and discuss the latest local and international financial sector trends and opportunities. It will provide useful insights into the thinking of the captains of the finance industry as well as provide a timely platform for the exchange of ideas, industry updates and knowledge for finance professionals, business leaders, policy makers, development partners and civil society leaders. The conference format will be keynotes, panel discussion and break out master class sessions. FINANCIAL SECTOR EXPO: It will also provide a marketplace platform for financial services providers to promote, educate and engage with their consumers on their products and services they offer. This will be a one stop financial services expo, where the general public will have access to information on the various products, services of the financial sector in Ghana. The expo will feature exhibitions, various educational seminars on finance such as Tax clinic, Pension clinic, Financial Planning for Retirement, deal room to connect investment seekers with investors and many more. FINANCIAL SECTOR INNOVATION HACKATHON: The financial innovation Hackathon is a 48 hours contest which gives people of various skills set such as developers, designers, marketers, product managers, finance professionals and start-up enthusiasts an opportunity to come together to share ideas, form teams, build products and launch start-ups in the world of finance. How It Works Beginning with open mic pitches on Day 1; attendees bring their best ideas and inspire others to join their team. On day 2, teams focus on development. They will have mentors who will come around to assist various teams in validating their ideas, practicing LEAN Start-up Methodologies and building a minimal viable product. It will be climaxed with a pitch session where teams demo their prototypes and receive valuable feedback from a panel of expert judges, and win some prizes. As participants learn how to create real financial technology products, they will have the opportunity to meet the very best mentors, investors, cofounders, and sponsors who are ready to help them get started. The theme for Ghana Finance Week (GFW) 2020 is Accelerating Innovation and Digitisation for Financial Services Growth. As Ghanas financial sector have just gone through various reforms there is a need to bring the sectors ecosystem together to learn, share ideas on ways to leverage on power of technology to democratise finance for all and foster growth in the sector. The Ghana Finance Week will also create the opportunity to rebuild the confidence of consumers as they will have the opportunity to be educated on various financial service and products and also engage industry ecosystem the the slated activities," says Stephen Gyasi-Kwaw CEO of Precise Communications Ltd. For sponsorship exhibition, advertising and speaking opportunities visit www.theghanafinanceweek.com. Source: 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 English Dutch Regulated Information Revised agenda for the Extraordinary General Shareholders' Meetings of Nyrstar NV to be held on 25 March 2020 10 March 2020 at 07.00 CET Nyrstar NV (the Company) has published today a revised agenda of the general shareholders meeting and extraordinary general shareholders meetings to be held on 25 March 2020, that was published on 24 February 2020, pursuant to a request in accordance with article 7:130 of the Belgian Code of Companies and Associations from shareholders holding together 5.69% of the outstanding shares of the Company. The shareholders of the Company have submitted a request to add two additional items and proposed resolutions to the agenda of the extraordinary general shareholders meetings to be held on 25 March 2020. Certain parts of the request could not be included in the agenda under the Belgian Code of Companies and Associations. The Company refers to the Revised Explanatory Note from the Board of Directors of the Company which provides further information on the proposed agenda items as well as the revised agenda. The full revised notice, including revised agenda, proposed resolutions and revised explanatory note, can be found on the Nyrstar website: https://www.nyrstar.be/en/investors/share-and-bondholder-information/shareholder-meetings . Pursuant to article 7:130 of the Belgian Code for Companies and Associations, the Company has made amended forms available for votes by mail and votes by proxy, as well as a revised attendance form. Proxies and votes by mail that reach the Company prior to the publication of the revised agenda remain valid for the agenda items to which the proxies and votes by mail apply, subject, however, to applicable law and the further clarifications set out on the proxy forms and voting by mail form. About Nyrstar The Company is incorporated in Belgium and, following completion of the recapitalisation/restructuring has a 2% shareholding in the Nyrstar group. The Company is listed on Euronext Brussels under the symbol NYR. For further information please visit the Nyrstar website: www.nyrstar.be For further information contact: Anthony Simms - Head of Investor Relations T: +41 44 745 8157 M: +41 79 722 2152 anthony.simms@nyrstar.com Attachment Queen Maxima of the Netherlands proved her fashion prowess once again when stepping out in Indonesia today - dressed to impress in a floral ensemble. The Dutch royal, 48, and her husband King Willem-Alexander, 52, visited a Dutch Cultural Centre next to the Dutch Embassy in Jakarta, this afternoon. Mother-of-three Maxima offered a traditional Indonesian greeting to those she met - grasping her two hands together to perform a sembah salute. It comes after it was announced the Dutch royals would not shake hands due to fears of the Coronavirus. Exceptions will be made at a few events. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands (pictured alongside her husband King Willem-Alexander) proved her fashion prowess once again when stepping out in Indonesia today Mother-of-three Maxima offered a traditional Indonesian greeting to those she met - grasping her two hands together to perform a sembah salute Maxima pulled out all the stops for her second outfit of the day during her first day of their four-day trip. She donned a floral white and black ensemble with a cinched, feather-detailed waist and a key-hole neckline. The knee-grazing dress was teamed with dazzling drop earrings and matching high heels as well as a black clutch. Maxima kept her long locks down and added a touch of glamorous makeup to her look, including a bright red lip. The Dutch royal, 48, and her husband King Willem-Alexander (pictured), 52, visited a Dutch Cultural Centre next to the Dutch Embassy in Jakarta, this afternoon The royal (pictured with her husband) donned a floral white and black ensemble with a cinched, feather-detailed waist and a key-hole neckline The royal couple viewed the 'Innovation' photo exhibition in the Erasmus House, part of a competition for young Indonesian photographers. Due to the fears surrounding the Coronavirus, it was announced the Dutch royals would not shake hands, at the exception of of few events, including a reception thrown by President Joko Widodo in Bogor on Tuesday. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Netherlands increased by 61 to 382, officials said on Tuesday, as a large cluster was identified at a southern Dutch hospital, according to local media. Indonesia reported its first COVID-19 case earlier this month and officially has just 19 infections. Maxima's (pictured with her husband) knee-grazing dress was teamed with dazzling drop earrings and matching high heels as well as a black clutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima during the meeting with the Dutch Society and the opening of the Photo Exhibition Innovation in Jakarta Maxima (pictured) kept her long locks down and added a touch of glamorous makeup to her look, including a bright red lip Earlier in the day, Maxima proved that there is no limit to her wardrobe of stylish hats when undertaking her first engagement of the day. The Dutch royal and her husband King Willem-Alexander met with the Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his wife Iriana Widodo during the second day of their four-day visit to the country. Arriving at Bogor Palace looking relaxed and in good spirits, Maxima donned a floral frock, believed to be by Belgium fashion house Natan, and an eye-catching golden headpiece. Maxima was also greeted by the Presidents one-year-old granddaughter, Sedah Mirah, from his second daughter, Kahiyang Ayu. The adorable little girl offered the grinning royal a flower before posing for pictures. Elsewhere, the Dutch royal, 48, and her husband King Willem-Alexander, 52, met with the Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his wife Iriana Widodo and their granddaughter, Sedah, during the second day of their four-day visit to the country Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and her husband King Willem-Alexander (pictured left), pose alongside Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his wife Iriana Widodo (pictured right) King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima were presented with a flower by the President's granddaughter, Sedah, during their visit today Arriving at Bogor Palace looking relaxed and in good spirits, Maxima donned a floral frock, believed to be by Belgium fashion house Natan, and an eye-catching golden headpiece Posing alongside her husband and the Indonesian President and his wife, the mother-of-three appeared at ease as she offered a beaming smile for the camera. Her spotlight-stealing gown featured a billowing cape and a cinched waist, with a ruffle-collared high neck. The knee-grazing frock accentuated the royal's slender frame and was teamed with shimmering gold accessories, including a matching bag, gloves and shoes. Queen Maxima inspects different fabrics as she is given a tour of the Bogor Presidential Palace King Willem-Alexander and his wife's visit has been much-anticipated, because it marks his first trip to Indonesia since he ascended the throne in 2013. Pictured with President Joko Widodo (second right) and First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo (right) Posing alongside her husband and the Indonesian President and his wife, Maxima appeared at ease as she offered a beaming smile for the camera The Dutch royal couple (pictured with President Joko Widodo (second right) and First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo (right) at Bogor Palace) hope their state visit will reinforce the cultural link between the two countries But it was the Dutch royal's dazzling headpiece that turned heads, with Maxima styling her locks with a golden covering. King Willem-Alexander and his wife's visit has been much-anticipated, because it marks his first trip to Indonesia since he ascended the throne in 2013. The Dutch royal couple hope their state visit will reinforce the cultural link between the two countries. Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander and President Joko Widodo and his wife Iriana at the Bogor Palace on the first day of the four day state visit to Indonesia Queen Maxima pictured left with her husband King Willem-Alexander at the Bogor Palace, and right at the Pipiltin chocolate factory Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander try some chocolate at the Pipiltin chocolate factory During a speech at the event, King Willem-Alexander said: 'Mr President, It is a great honour for my wife and me to be your guests. In recent years we have got to know each other well. 'We see this state visit as an affirmation of the close bond that has grown between us. And we look forward to making the bond with you and your country even stronger. 'We are deeply saddened by the tragic boat accident, yesterday, on the Sebangau River. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims and with the injured.' The Dutch royal couldn't keep the smile from her face as she attended the reception at the Bogor Palace Queen Maxima (pictured) and King Willem-Alexander hope their state visit will reinforce the cultural link between the two countries Mother-of-three Maxima walks alongside the President's wife Iriana Widodo this morning At least eight people are missing following a speedboat collision on the Sebangau River in Central Kalimantan, yesterday. It involved members of an advance team preparing for the Dutch royal visit to Sebangau National Park, according to the Jakarta Post. Indonesia's Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said: 'The accident occurred when the boat owned by the areas military command hit a boat owned by the Sebangau National Park that was sailing back from the Mangkok Resort.' Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander plant a tree at the palace alongside President Joko Widodo and his wife Iriana Widodo Queen Maxima was the picture of elegance as she got out of a vehicle alongside her husband King Willem-Alexander is welcomed by guards during the first day of his four-day visit, as he walks alongside the Indonesian President King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima are pictured as they're welcomed by President Joko Widodo and his wife Iriana during their State Visit to Indonesia King Willem-Alexander added: 'Mr President, on 17 August it will be 75 years since Indonesia issued its Proklamasi, claiming its place among independent and free states. The Dutch government explicitly acknowledged this fact, both politically and morally, 15 years ago. 'Today we warmly congratulate the people of Indonesia as you celebrate 75 years of independence. 'We are looking forward to the coming days. Our visit has a wonderful, future-oriented programme. At the same time, it is a good thing that we continue to face up to our past. The past cannot be erased, and will have to be acknowledged by each generation in turn.' A Briton who allegedly led a cocaine trafficking group that, say sources, expected to bank more than 1.15 million euros a month, has been arrested in Marbella after more than six years on the run. Dominic McInally, 29, from Formby, Merseyside, was arrested when officers from the National Police raided the Casa Masa strip club, near Marbella, early on 28 February. McInally was a subject of Operation Captura, which targets fugitive suspects among the UK national community in parts of Spain. Ukraine has replaced the U.S. as China's top supplier of corn, while China is now the top purchaser of Ukrainian military arms. Ukraine has so far been spared from a major coronavirus outbreak. The country's economy, however, is far less quarantined from the disease's global impact. The new coronavirus, originated in Wuhan, China, has sparked economic uncertainty around the world. Markets are in turmoil, in part because of mounting fears of a global recession, and that's particularly bad news for Ukraine's economy, still recovering from the body blow of Russias 2014 invasions of Crimea and Donbas and in desperate need of foreign loans to float government spending through an acute revenue shortfall, The Daily Signal reports. Moreover, China overtook Russia as Ukraine's top trading partner last year, leaving Ukraine's economy particularly exposed. Speaking to Ukraine's parliament Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine's economy was "accelerating, but then stumbled and risks falling face down on the ground." "The industrial glory of Ukraine is gradually becoming a matter of the past," Zelenskyy said. So far this year, Ukraine's government revenue has fallen far short of expectations. In January, that number was 25% lower than what was projected when lawmakers crafted the nation's 2020 budget. In February, revenue was 5% less than expected. Altogether, government coffers are currently short about $642 million in revenue. Read alsoUkrainian hryvnia to weaken next week outlook Meanwhile, foreign loans are harder to come by as the economic aftershocks of the coronavirus outbreak ripple across the globe. That leaves Kyiv short of cash and with fewer available loan sources. And, according to the International Monetary Fund, the global economic picture may not improve anytime soon. In fact, the global economic dip already is being felt in Ukraine. Following months of slow but sustained growth, Ukraine's gross domestic product dropped by 0.5% in January, according to government data. And for the first time in a year, Ukraine's Finance Ministry will cancel its weekly government bond auction, which was scheduled for Tuesday. So far in Kyiv, there hasn't been a run on supplies at supermarkets, and its still relatively rare to see people on the streets wearing face masks. A parade Sunday for International Women's Day went ahead as scheduled. Some say that Ukraine's economy also is sufficiently quarantined to weather China's economic downturn without permanent damage. The future of the Sino-Ukrainian trade relationship is not yet in jeopardy, "Ukraine is not so integrated into China's production cycles. We mainly import finished products. Therefore, some Chinese-dependent businesses will feel the negative consequences, but it won't be catastrophic for the Ukrainian economy," MP Oleksiy Honcharenko told The Daily Signal. Taras Kuzio, a political science professor at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, said Ukraine was not likely to rethink its economic ties to China. Rather, he said the coronavirus scare likely would be nothing more than a "minor blip" in the Ukraine-China economic relationship. The bottom line, Kuzio said, is that the Russian military threat to Ukraine trumps all other concerns including the coronavirus. "In the former USSR, especially in Ukraine, China is a strategically important alternative to Russia," Kuzio told The Daily Signal. "The direction of change in the orientation of Ukrainian exports from Russia to China and the EU will, I believe, continue to retain its momentum, excepting minor blips." About 15% of Ukraine's imports are from China, comprising mostly cheap, finished consumer goods and industrial equipment, experts say. Also, China accounts for more than 7% of Ukraine's exports mainly agricultural products and ores. Read alsoNon-residents reduce Ukrainian gov't bonds portfolio by 2%, to US$5 bln Ukraine has replaced the U.S. as China's top supplier of corn. And China is now the top purchaser of Ukrainian military arms, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Over the past five years, Beijing has ramped up its investments in Ukraine to prepare the nation's transportation infrastructure for its role as a portal into Europe for China's proposed One Belt, One Road overland trade route across Asia. Beijing ultimately wants Ukraine to become a stable, reliable partner through which Chinese goods can flow into Europe. Heat, soot, smoke or ash, unless your buildings or contents have caught on fire. Heat, ash, soot and smoke when the building has not caught on fire unless it is caused by a burning building within 10 metres of the insured address. Jane and Peter Anderson almost lost a rural rental property at Jerrawangala, near Nowra, 160km south of Sydney, in the recent fires. Although the home on the property was saved, damage was sustained to a number of outbuildings. The fire was on all sides," says Jane. We lost three garages, sheds and fencing. "Our tenants were traumatised but they were instrumental in helping save the home. With a mortgage on the property, any loss in rental income was a major concern, as well as what was covered by insurance for the damage. The insurer quickly organised for an assessor to visit the property. They arranged for a water tank to be drained, cleaned and refilled, as it had become polluted from the fire. We reimbursed the tenants for a pump and hose they bought to fight the fire and $15 a day for a generator to restore power; we saw no reason why they should be disadvantaged, Jane says. A total insurance payout figure is still to be determined. Phone lines to the Jerrawangala property also were down. This is where we hit a snag with Telstra. Our rental agent spent hours trying to reach the right person and, when she did, she was told they would only deal with the owner. "We were certainly not going to put our tenants through that, they have been through enough! Campbell Fuller, head of communications at the Insurance Council Australia, says since September of last year insurers have paid out more than $2.5 billon in claims for natural disasters mostly from the bushfires that ripped through the east coast in the New Year. As of January 23, insurers had received 20,000 claims from NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland. The numbers are expected to rise as more claims are lodged. Fuller says insurers often provide tools and calculators so that customers can make accurate assessments on the value of properties insured, yet underinsurance still remains a problem. Fires tore through Mallacoota in East Gippsland this summer. Credit:Getty Images When property is badly damaged or destroyed, the insurer has in the policy the value the person has nominated, he says. When there isnt enough insurance because of cost, or someone is happy to take a risk, they may not have enough to rebuild to the same standard. Rebuilding costs in bushfire-affected areas can be more expensive than anticipated. Loading Higher standard building codes as a result of a fire, additional costs associated with construction in remote areas and tradesmen being in short supply can all push up the costs above the insured value. Insurers are under pressure to use locals and they also understand the economic benefit with using local trade and supplies, says Fuller. Fuller says properties being rebuilt in high-risk zones would likely attract higher future premiums. Insurer IAG has received more than 9200 bushfire claims since September of last year. Our teams are in the impacted areas supporting customers and assessing and repairing damage to homes and properties," a company spokesman says. "We also provide customers with emergency accommodation and financial assistance. The company has additionally rolled out a support program where its customers receive free counselling by disaster-experienced psychologists to help them overcome any trauma. The responses of the big banks to the bushfires are varied. NAB has introduced a natural disaster relief grant to aid business and consumer customers who have lost property. Emergency relief and recovery grants of up to $2000 have been handed out to more than 1200 customers, totalling $2.4 million. NAB general manager customer assist, Campbell Morrison, said the bank also provides tailored assistance, including placing a "hold" on mortgage repayments to allow customers time to assess their financial position. We also connect customers with internal and external support networks who can assist with additional resources, he said. We work with customers and their insurers to ensure we can obtain the right solution, whether thats getting customers back into their home, or any alternative they may need. Loading Morrison said customers who choose to rebuild and who suffer from financial hardship would be provided extra support. Ross Miller, chief executive of bushfire recovery at Westpac, said the bank has committed to making the mortgage repayments up to $1200 a month for one year for customers who have lost their principal place of residence in the fires. Were also offering interest-free home loans for customers, to cover the gap between insurance payouts and rebuilding costs, he said. In 2013, Westpac introduced a default safety net across all home and contents insurance. Kiran Narayanan By Express News Service KOCHI: Over 300 passengers, the majority of them Keralites, are stuck at the Milan International Airport on Tuesday after the Italian officials denied them permission to board flights to India citing the Union Health Ministry's advisory to furnish a certificate from authorized laboratories that they are COVID-19 negative. They told The New Indian Express over phone that despite the panic calls to the Indian Embassy, the Indian officials are yet to respond. "Since the virus is rapidly spreading across Italy, it is not safe to be here. The basic needs like food and travel are getting limited and hence we are returning home," said Muhammed Ashiq T, a Ph.D. student in Italy. He said he booked a ticket for a Tuesday night flight to Delhi. The ministry's directive is impractical, Ashiq said. A person living in a safe environment will have to go to a potentially virus-affected laboratory for medical checkup. With people exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms queuing up for tests, the laboratories will not be ready to tend to a person with no symptoms, he said. Even if we obtain the certificate, there are chances of contracting the disease while travelling or from any other place, he said. Another person who returned to Kochi on March 3 from Italy said such measures will only make it difficult for people wishing to leave the affected country. There are apprehensions while boarding a flight. At the same time, there is the hope of reaching one's homeland, said the Aluva native who did not wish to be named. The government officials are not taking enough measures to tackle the spread of the virus in Italy. People are freely travelling in public transport. Many are risking their lives to reach airports and catch available flights to India. The new advisory will make things more difficult for them, the Kochi native alleged. A video, which has gone viral, showed Malayalee families at the Milan airport, urging an immediate intervention by the Indian authorities to help them board the flight to India. "We can't board the flight due to the restriction put by the Italian authorities, citing the Indian government's advisory prohibits them to carry the passengers," said one woman. What the advisory says The March 5 advisory issued by the ministry says, The country (India) has imposed additional visa restrictions on people travelling from or having visited Italy and South Korea. They must submit a certificate of having tested negative for COVID-19 from government-approved laboratories of their respective countries before the commencement of their travel. The temporary measure came into effect from the midnight of March 10. The government of Vietnam has launched two mobile applications for all citizens as well as international arrivals to declare their medical conditions as the country escalates measures to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic. One of the two apps, NCOVI, is intended for the Vietnamese public to make voluntary health declaration while the other, Vietnam Health Declaration, targets arrivals from foreign countries who are mandated to declare their health condition before entering Vietnam. Both apps were unveiled by the Ministry of Information and Communications on Monday afternoon and officially launched by the Vietnamese government on Tuesday morning. The apps are available for Android devices on the Google Play Store and iOS devices on the App Store. Speaking at the launch event, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam called on every member of the public to use the NCOVI app to make health declaration, calling it a positive contribution to the countrys anti-epidemic efforts. Its a practical and meaningful action, Dam said, noting that the universal health declaration is only encouraged and not mandatory for all citizens. Any information collected by the apps is strictly used only for epidemic control and prevention and will not be misused for commercial purposes or in a way that violates residents privacy, Dam stressed. This is an important point that sets the NCOVI app apart from other applications, he said. Users can perform various functions through the app, including declaring personal risk factors, filling out the universal health declaration form, health tracking, reporting information on suspected cases, viewing Vietnams epidemic map, and reading official updates on the epidemic. A person can also make health declaration on behalf of other family members who are not smartphone users, said Do Huy Dung, director of the Department of Computerization under the Ministry of Information and Communications. As for the Vietnam Health Declaration app, only those who arrive in Vietnam from foreign countries are required to make health declaration through the app, he elaborated. They can also fill out a declaration form in paper or electronically at https://suckhoetoandan.vn/ or https://tokhaiyte.vn/. The novel coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected over 114,000 and killed more than 4,000 globally, according to Ministry of Health statistics. Vietnam has so far confirmed 34 infections, including 20 Vietnamese, two Chinese nationals, one Vietnamese American, nine British citizens, one Mexican, and one Irish national. Sixteen of the patients had recovered and been discharged from the hospital by February 26. Vietnam confirmed its 17th patient on Friday last week after the country had reported no new infection since February 13. Over 100 people in Vietnam have been placed in quarantine for interacting with N. or with those who had close contact with her. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.Hustler Magazine's May 2020 issue has just hit newsstands nationwide, and is also available on HustlerMagazine.com . The issue features buxom Gabbie Carter on the cover and in a 12-page centerfold spread shot by Dave Naz. Gabbie dishes on her use of social media and how she found herself in the adult industry shortly after one of her posts went viralnever imagining that her career would escalate so quickly. Hustler also steps back in time to trace the history of hooking in America, from the Wild West to Storyville in New Orleans to the storied madams of the 19th and early 20th centuries, taking readers on a tour through brothels, tenderloins, and red-light districts in this intriguing saga of sex workers. Erotic photographer Ellen Stagg shares an exclusive preview of her brand-new book, More Dirty Girls Having Fun, celebrating self-confident females in all their glory. Then writer T.S. Farley interviews Kelly Anderson, a housewife who cooks, cleans, and does the laundryand every fifth day posts a collection of amateur porn. Kelly uploads pics and videos of herself pleasuring her husband, along with an assortment of other guys and gals, for clamoring fans who can't get enough of this Domestic Goddess. In their columns, Publisher Larry Flynt looks at Trump the Hit Man; TruthDig.com Editor Robert Scheer reports on how China outsmarted our President; and political commentator Brad Friedman explains why its time to let prisoners vote. Hustler is Americas most popular adult magazine. Based in Beverly Hills, California, it has published monthly since July 1974 and continues to deliver the most naked pages of any adult publication available today. A total of 1.32 kilograms of gold worth Rs 60 lakh was seized by the Customs Department at the Chennai International Airport here on Tuesday. The authorities have seized the gold under the Customs Act. An investigation in this regard is underway. Earlier on Sunday, a Delhi-bound passenger was arrested at the Chennai Airport after three bundles of gold paste worth Rs 37.3 lakh were recovered from his possession. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Unfortunately for some shareholders, the Bank of Hawaii (NYSE:BOH) share price has dived 31% in the last thirty days. Even longer term holders have taken a real hit with the stock declining 24% in the last year. All else being equal, a share price drop should make a stock more attractive to potential investors. In the long term, share prices tend to follow earnings per share, but in the short term prices bounce around in response to short term factors (which are not always obvious). The implication here is that long term investors have an opportunity when expectations of a company are too low. One way to gauge market expectations of a stock is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). Investors have optimistic expectations of companies with higher P/E ratios, compared to companies with lower P/E ratios. View our latest analysis for Bank of Hawaii Does Bank of Hawaii Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry? Bank of Hawaii has a P/E ratio of 11.15. The image below shows that Bank of Hawaii has a P/E ratio that is roughly in line with the banks industry average (10.5). NYSE:BOH Price Estimation Relative to Market, March 10th 2020 Bank of Hawaii's P/E tells us that market participants think its prospects are roughly in line with its industry. The company could surprise by performing better than average, in the future. Checking factors such as director buying and selling. could help you form your own view on if that will happen. How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios Generally speaking the rate of earnings growth has a profound impact on a company's P/E multiple. Earnings growth means that in the future the 'E' will be higher. Therefore, even if you pay a high multiple of earnings now, that multiple will become lower in the future. So while a stock may look expensive based on past earnings, it could be cheap based on future earnings. Bank of Hawaii saw earnings per share improve by -6.3% last year. And earnings per share have improved by 8.5% annually, over the last five years. Story continues Don't Forget: The P/E Does Not Account For Debt or Bank Deposits Don't forget that the P/E ratio considers market capitalization. So it won't reflect the advantage of cash, or disadvantage of debt. In theory, a company can lower its future P/E ratio by using cash or debt to invest in growth. While growth expenditure doesn't always pay off, the point is that it is a good option to have; but one that the P/E ratio ignores. Is Debt Impacting Bank of Hawaii's P/E? Bank of Hawaii's net debt is 6.7% of its market cap. The market might award it a higher P/E ratio if it had net cash, but its unlikely this low level of net borrowing is having a big impact on the P/E multiple. The Verdict On Bank of Hawaii's P/E Ratio Bank of Hawaii's P/E is 11.2 which is below average (15.1) in the US market. The company does have a little debt, and EPS is moving in the right direction. If growth is sustainable over the long term, then the current P/E ratio may be a sign of good value. What can be absolutely certain is that the market has become less optimistic about Bank of Hawaii over the last month, with the P/E ratio falling from 16.1 back then to 11.2 today. For those who prefer to invest with the flow of momentum, that might be a bad sign, but for a contrarian, it may signal opportunity. Investors should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. If the reality for a company is not as bad as the P/E ratio indicates, then the share price should increase as the market realizes this. So this free visualization of the analyst consensus on future earnings could help you make the right decision about whether to buy, sell, or hold. You might be able to find a better buy than Bank of Hawaii. If you want a selection of possible winners, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20 (but have proven they can grow earnings). If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Voter Taylor Miller prepares to cast his ballot during early voting at the King County Elections processing center on March 09, 2020 in Renton, Washington. Early primary voting continued in Washington State, with most of the ballots submitted by mail. Primary Election Day could have been a lot worse for officials in Washington state, epicenter of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak: The state votes entirely by mail. Elsewhere, large events, such as elections, have been cause for alarm. Health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have provided guidance for cleaning voting machines and other technology likely to be present at polling sites. But in Washington, one of six states voting Tuesday, the concerns associated with the primary have been more muted. "We didn't have to spin up thousands of polling places today and worry about people coming into contact with each other," Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman said in an interview. Among the precautions that are in place: Voters are being told not to seal their envelopes with a lick. "Whether healthy or sick, please don't lick," reads a graphic posted to Twitter by an account run by Wyman's office. tweet The state is recommending that voters use a wet cloth or sponge to seal their return envelopes, following guidance from the state health department. Voters have until 8 p.m. PT to get their ballot postmarked or dropped off at a voting center. In addition, most counties are requiring those who process ballots to wear gloves, Wyman said. Coronavirus primarily spreads person to person via respiratory droplets produced by coughs and sneezes, but it may be possible for it to be transferred through contaminated surfaces, according to the CDC. It is not known how long the virus could last on an object. Former Vice President Joe Biden is the favorite against Sen. Bernie Sanders in Washington state, according to recent state polls. The state will award 89 pledged delegates toward the 1,991 that either man will need to secure the nomination. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee also competed for the Democratic nomination, running on a platform directed at fighting climate change, before dropping out in August. President Donald Trump is not facing any serious challenge for the Republican nomination and is the only option on the state's GOP ballots except for write-ins. Washington's vote-by-mail policy is a rare spot of good news for the state as it bears the brunt of the new contagion. Washington has suffered more recorded deaths from coronavirus than any other state, with 167 confirmed cases and 22 deaths as of Tuesday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University data. At least 19 fatalities are related to a single retirement facility in the state, Life Care Center of Kirkland, according to county government statistics. The CDC has said that older adults and those with chronic health conditions are at higher risk. "We're fortunate in that there won't be any congregation in and around voting," Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan told CNN over the weekend. "But we hope that, you know, we still maintain that enthusiasm for the public process and as many people vote as possible." Based on early vote totals, it is looking as though enthusiasm is high. The Seattle Times reported that as of Monday afternoon, nearly 1.6 million presidential primary ballots were turned in, raising the possibility of a new turnout record. Of those, about 985,000 were for the Democratic primary and about 550,000 were for the Republican one. Among the other states voting on "Big Tuesday," there is only one other confirmed case of coronavirus, in Missouri, according to Johns Hopkins. The other states voting are Michigan, Idaho, North Dakota and Mississippi, where there were no cases as of Tuesday morning. The most delegate-rich state to vote Tuesday is Michigan, where Sanders is counting on an upset victory to slow Biden's march to the nomination. Michigan will award 125 pledged delegates. The TB Ward of Vila Central Hospital is being refurnished to be used as the Coronavirus Isolation Ward . Photo: Adorina Massing First Congressional District U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., has announced that the 2020 Artistic Discovery Contest is now open to high school students throughout Wisconsins 1st Congressional District. The winning artwork will be displayed in the halls of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., for one year. I am excited to officially open the 2020 Artistic Discovery Contest. This is a great opportunity for high school students to show off their artistic abilities. I look forward to reviewing the submissions. Good luck to all students, said Steil. Each spring, a nationwide high school arts competition is sponsored by the U.S. House of Representatives. The Artistic Discovery Contest is an opportunity to recognize and encourage the artistic talent in the nation and our district. Each high school in Wisconsins First Congressional District may select up to four entries to submit. Artwork is due to one of our three Constituent Services Centers no later than April 8. If students have questions, they should contact their art teachers. Artwork entered in the contest may be no larger than 26 inches high, 26 inches wide, 4 inches in depth, and not weigh more than 15 pounds. Accepted artwork: Paintingsincluding oil, acrylics, and watercolor. Drawingsincluding pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, and markers (It is recommended that charcoal and pastel drawings be fixed.) Collagesmust be two dimensional. Printsincluding lithographs, silkscreen, and block prints. Mixed Mediause of more than two mediums such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc. Computer-generated art. Photography. More information can be found at https://steil.house.gov/services/art-competition. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Ex-Russian penitentiary official found guilty of $2 million embezzlement RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 11:54 10/03/2020 MOSCOW, March 10 (RAPSI) Moscows Zamoskvoretsky District Court on Tuesday found ex-deputy chief of the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) Oleg Korshunov guilty of embezzlement during supplies of road fuel and sugar for penitentiary facilities, RAPSI reports from the courtroom. The court held that Korshunov had stolen more than 155 million rubles (over $2 million). This is the second embezzlement case against Korshunov. Other defendants in the case are two his subordinates Svetlana Alekseyeva and Alexey Danilov. In July 2019, Korshunov received the prison term and was fined 900,000 rubles (about $14,000). In addition, he was divested of his service grade and forbidden to hold public offices for 3 years. Investigators believe that in 2015 Korshunov conspired with CEO of Russian footwear company Datse Group, Smbat Arutyunyan, and the head of state-run production company FSIN Russia Vitaly Morusov. Allegedly, Korshunov ordered to use prisoner labor to manufacture footwear from cheap materials provided by Datse Group. Later, he allegedly facilitated signing of a state contract with FSIN Russia. Korshunov was appointed to the post of FSIN deputy head in March 2014. He has been bestowed the rank of Full State Counsellor 2nd Class of the Russian Federation. In October 2017, President Vladimir Putin relieved him of the post. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues did not celebrate Holi on Tuesday in view of the recent violence in northeast Delhi and the coronavirus outbreak. An Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) functionary said the chief minister stayed at his residence on Tuesday. Last year as well, the chief minister did not celebrate Holi as a mark of respect to the security forces personnel killed in the Pulwama terror attack. On earlier occasions, Kejriwal celebrated Holi with AAP workers at the party office. The number of coronavirus cases rose to 59 in India on Tuesday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dubai-UAE, 9 March 2020 Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance their collaboration and the alignment of DIEDCs stakeholders with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The agreement provides a framework to leverage the natural synergy between the two organisations with a focus on producing knowledge and research related to the Islamic economy and the SDGs, as well as on applying UNDPs SDG expertise in DIEDC initiatives across Islamic economy sectors and help DIEDCs stakeholders to align their activities with the SDGs. The agreement builds on the UN Secretary-Generals call-to-action on financing, including through the promotion of new partnerships to unlock Islamic finance for the SDGs. Commenting on the MOU, His Excellency Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy and Chairman of DIEDC, said: DIEDC is driving the Islamic economy sectors contribution to Dubais economic diversification that testifies to the UAEs ability to achieve sustainable economic growth. Under the wise vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the supervision of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai and General Supervisor of the Dubai: Capital of Islamic Economy initiative, we are committed to fulfilling the objectives of Dubais Islamic economy strategy and creating an enabling environment for sustainable development and responsible investment. He added: The world is witnessing a demand for sustainable and inclusive models of economic diversification, and this agreement underpins the UAEs role as a key player in the global Islamic economy domain that is growing steadily. Through boosting our ability to engage with stakeholders around the globe, this MoU empowers us to widen our horizons and maximise the potential of the Islamic economy. The core principles of Islamic finance channeling funding to the real economy, avoiding excessive speculations, and limiting debt to the value of assets and Islamic social finance tools are highly aligned with the spirit of the SDGs. The Islamic Development Bank found Islamic Finance to be especially relevant in addressing 10 of the 17 SDGs, including goals pertaining to poverty alleviation, infrastructure development, financial stability and beyond. Islamic finance encourages investors to create positive non-financial value alongside financial returns to support a socially conscious, environmentally friendly system. It also shares a broad understanding of the relationship between business and society, centered on advancing society's wellbeing. UNDP is proud to launch this new partnership with DIEDC, which will bridge development and finance partners to help accelerate progress towards the SDGs. Leveraging Islamic finance instruments will be vital to help protect the planet while ensuring shared economic prosperity, and we look forward to working together to translate those instruments into SDG-aligned investments and impact, said Marcos Neto, Director of UNDPs new SDG Finance Sector Hub. By utilizing its global network and local knowledge base, UNDP is well placed to bring its development expertise to help DIEDC members to leverage and measure the important contribution of the Islamic economy to the SDGs, he added. Abdulla Mohammed Al Awar, CEO of DIEDC, said: We welcome this landmark agreement to help advance our goal of establishing a robust Islamic economic system. We are confident that our partnership with UNDP will facilitate the integration of sustainable practices into our stakeholders activities and bolster the global reach and impact of the Islamic economy. This agreement reaffirms our shared commitment towards building a sustainable future for all, and I look forward to future collaboration in unlocking opportunities to enhance global sustainability. DIEDC is the principal agent tasked with developing the Islamic economy as a key pillar of Dubais economic diversification. Its mandate carried out through strategy direction, stakeholder support, and initiative execution is to establish Dubai as the global capital of Islamic economy, increase the contribution of Islamic economy sectors to the UAEs GDP, and foster a conducive environment for Islamic innovation and entrepreneurship in the emirate. http://www.iedcdubai.ae UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in nearly 170 countries and territories, it offers global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations. www.undp.org --- Image caption --- --- Article text goes here --- CROWN POINT A judge on Monday delayed a trial until June for a former Lake County councilman charged for the third time with domestic battery. Jamal A. Washington's attorney Michael Lambert said Monday he filed a motion to continue the trial, which had been set for April, because he planned to bring more witnesses into the case. Washington, 46, has two previous domestic battery convictions and is accused in the latest case of hitting Gary Councilwoman LaVetta Sparks-Wade and holding her against her will for nearly 16 hours in January 2019 at her home. Washington has pleaded not guilty to the latest charges. Lake County Deputy Prosecutor Jessica Arnold said she didn't object to continuing Washington's trial, because she wanted to depose any new witnesses before a jury hears the case. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp heaped praise on 'world-class striker' Mohamed Salah after his century of Premier League appearances for the club. Salah achieved the milestone on March 7 when Liverpool secured a 2-1 win over Bournemouth. Bournemouth had scored the opening goal of the match but the Egyptian levelled the scores in the 24th minute. After nine minutes, Sadio Mane netted a goal that sealed the victory for Liverpool. "Incredibly important goal, a super performance - a really, really good game of Mo. He is an outstanding striker, a world-class striker. It's really nice, I'm really happy for him that he reached that mark and I think Sadio has the chance to do similar stuff. That would be really cool," the club's official website quoted Klopp as saying. Liverpool witnessed a few setbacks in their recent matches as they were outplayed by Chelsea and Watford before they bounced back against Bournemouth. The Klopp-led side tops the Premier League table with 82 points, 25 points ahead of the second-placed club Manchester City. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bhumi Pednekar personifies the new age heroine. Unconventional. Unapologetic. Unencumbered. An actor, who celebrates the perfection in the imperfections. Right from her debut Dum Laga Ke Haisha, she has dodged the typical and embraced the taboo, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan reaffirming that she was not about chance but choice. No wonder her small-town characters have established a pan-India connect. Last year, her eclectic choices Sonchiriya, Saand Ki Aankh and Bala garnered rave reviews, while Pati Patni Aur Woh explored her massy mojo. The year 2020 holds a lot more. Alankrita Shrivastavas Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitaare, a satire, pairs her with Konkona Sen Sharma. While Akshay Kumars Durgavati, directed by G. Ashok, has her venture into the world of horror. Even her cameos in Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan and Bhoot: The Haunted Ship promise to be engaging. My mood for the next decade #HappyGirl, wrote Bhumi on Instagram welcoming the life ahead. Prophetic that Last year was a bumper one for you Im truly overwhelmed. All my films, Sonchiriya, Saand Ki Aankh, Bala and Pati Patni Aur Woh made an impact and gave me something in return. Ive been so busy that I havent got the chance to sit back and let it all sink in. I thank the audiences for giving me so much love. Finally, Ive cemented my position. People now have faith in me. With every film, Ive grown humbler and less selfish. I value what lifes given me. Hindi cinema is offering great opportunities for female actors. Agree? Yes of course. Ive always been part of movies where the female lead contributed substantially to the film. Great content is being written for actors. Cinema is breaking every stereotype. Or else I wouldnt have been able to come this far. My colleagues Alia Bhatt, Taapsee Pannu are doing gender empowering films, where women are celebrated. Im lucky to be around in such times. How do you reinvent yourself with each character? Im a Bombay girl. Ive had a sheltered upbringing. Playing small-town characters is surely difficult for me. It requires work. Im proud that I can transform myself into these people. While my characters belong to a certain socio-economic background, theyre all different. Also, I look for characters, not projects. For instance, I played a 70-year-old in Saand Ki Aankh. In Sonchiriya, I played a 28-year-old with a 15-year-old child. I played a dark-complexioned girl in Bala. In Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare, Im playing a 20-year-old. You see a different shade of me in every film. Thats been a conscious choice. I dont want to be repetitive. Filmmakers have understood that I dont mind experimenting. Dum Laga Ke Haisha was the biggest experiment Ive done so far. People can relate to the characters Ayushmann (Khurrana) and I play. Thats why these films work. Did you enjoy your sexy avatar in Pati Patni Aur Woh (PPAW)? I want to maintain a balance. Thats why I did PPAW. It came as a breather after the intense Sonchiriya. I came closer to the quintessential heroine. Today the definition of a Hindi film heroine has changed. You dont have to wear a skimpy saree amidst the mountains of Switzerland. A heroine is someone people can look up to and be inspired. Having said that, Ive grown up watching these beautiful women, Raveena Tandon, Karisma Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Priyanka Chopra... I want to do their kind of cinema. Thats why I did Ankhiyon se goli maare in PPAW. Mujhe dance karne ka chaska lag gaya hai. Has success increased the pressure to score each time? The pressure is exactly what it was since day one. Im living my dream. I love my job. I enjoy it. I dont ever want to be jobless. Thats why I work so hard. Whether a film works or not is not in my hands. I just want to be better than my last film. I dont look at the length of my role. I consider the character and how much opportunity I have to shine playing it. I want the audience to remember the name of every character I play. What do you owe your confidence to? It has a lot to do with my upbringing. My parents instilled a confidence in me. Whatever shape or size I may be, in my mind Im the best. Im not being overconfident but I believe every girl should feel like that. You need to value yourself, be yourself and respect yourself. Are you a feminist? Of course. Every girl should consider herself a feminist. Being a feminist, it doesnt mean I dislike or hate men. Both the sexes need to co-exist. I love men. But I believe in equal rights and opportunities for both the genders. What does success actually mean to you? Success means getting better opportunities be it in your career or choices. Otherwise, Im still the same person. Success has not changed my core. I still fight with my sister. I still do the things I did earlier. I enjoy roadside pani puri and vada pav. I travel by autorickshaw. I visit my college to meet the faculties. But I hope Ive grown as a human being. That Ive become more mature, empathetic, compassionate. I hope Ive become a better version of myself. Success comes with responsibility. Right? Absolutely. Ive achieved name, fame and success. But with this comes a responsibility. Youve got to give back to society. Thats why I chose to associate with the pan India campaign Climate Warrior (raises awareness on environment conservation and global warming). If the Universe has given me so much, I must give back. True success is only when you can impact lives. Whats the best part of being an actress? The love you get from people. I want my fans to love me more and more. No matter what I receive, it seems less. Then I feel, Oh my God! I should work harder for them. Whats the scary part? The greatest fear is that one day I could just turn mediocre. The biggest challenge is to keep improving. Im insecure as an actor. Every time I watch a film, I am like Bhumi, you could have done better. Being self-critical is essential for self-improvement. How is the real Bhumi? Mostly, Ive played humble characters. Off screen I believe in pleasures. I like dressing up. I like investing time in self-love. Thats why Im a confident person. But the reason Ive stayed balanced is due to the people around me. Be it my manager, my hair and make-up team, everyone has the permission to give me a reality check. We share that kind of relationship. The day I have only yes men around me, the day I believe Im superior and everyone else is a fool, it will be the end of this beautiful journey. Its just not my journey, its also that of my family. Everyone has invested so much in me. I dont want to disappoint them. There are bad days and there are good days. You should learn from the bad days and not get overconfident with the good ones. Lastly, what would be an ideal relationship for you? In my fantasy world, an ideal relationship would be, where theres a lot of love and respect. Where theres friendship, a feeling of completeness. When Im with my partner, I shouldnt feel the need for anyone else. But it doesnt always happen like that. A railway line tracker has been killed by a lion in Dete, Zimbabwes Matebeleland North Province, an official confirmed on Monday. Police and rangers from the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) found the 43-year-old victims body last Thursday, Matebeleland North Police spokesperson, Siphiwe Makonese, said. Zimparks spokesperson, Tinashe Farawo, called for enhanced efforts to address human-wildlife conflict in the country. This is one of the issues we always raise that our parks are overpopulated and because of that people are being killed, he said. In 2019, we lost 40 people who were killed by wildlife because of human-wildlife conflict. We have to make sure people benefit from wildlife than to lose property and lives. There has been a spike in human-wildlife conflict in Zimbabwe, largely attributed to the growing human population that has led to diminishing natural habitat for wildlife. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Advertisement People across the US have gone into a shopping frenzy, queuing up for stores to open and panic-buying large quantities of essential items over fears that the coronavirus outbreak could reach yet more dizzying heights. Shoppers were pictured lining up outside a Costco store in Burbank, California, on Monday morning, with a queue of people and their empty shopping karts snaking through the parking lot, waiting to rush in and emergency stockpile goods the second the doors opened. One eager customer, Jeffrey Schaefer, 45, said the line of shoppers continued all along the side of the huge wholesale store building, through the parking lot and back up the sidewalk. Hundreds of people were also seen queuing at a Los Angeles Costco branch on Sunday, as the person filming revealed that the store had limited water and toilet paper purchases to two packs per customer. The line to get into Costco in Sherman Oaks, California, on Saturday morning was similarly shocking with shoppers ready and poised with their karts along the length of the store. One person posted the video of the mass queue on Twitter saying: 'The panic is real. The apocalypse is coming.' Many shoppers weren't taking any risks, donning protective face masks as they stood in the queues. Shoppers were pictured lining up outside a Costco store in Burbank, California, on Monday morning, with a queue of people and their empty shopping karts snaking through the car park One eager customer, Jeffrey Schaefer, 45, said the line of shoppers continued all along the side of the huge wholesale store building, through the parking lot and back up the sidewalk People across the US have gone into a shopping frenzy, queuing up for stores to open and panic-buying large quantities of essential items over fears that the coronavirus outbreak could reach yet more dizzying heights Shelves lie empty across the country as concerned families stock up on emergency supplies in anticipation of a potential lockdown situation similar to that seen across the whole of Italy over the weekend. Demand for hand sanitizer, disinfectant sprays and wipes and similar goods has especially increased as people desperately try to keep the deadly coronavirus at bay. Sales of hand sanitizer in the US rocketed 73% in the four weeks to February 22, according to Nielsen data, with analysts predicting this won't slow down 'for some time'. Several stores have turned to rationing the volume of certain products in efforts to spread the supply among community members. Florida: Anxious shoppers queue up outside a Costco store on Sunday morning in Miami People wait outside the Miami store. Sales of hand sanitizer in the US rocketed 73% in the four weeks to February 22, according to Nielsen data, with analysts predicting this won't slow down 'for some time' New Jersey: Shoppers panic buy supplies on Saturday in a Costco in New Jersey Atlanta: Two Sunday morning shoppers inspect the supplies of Lysol Spray and Clorox wipes at a Costco store in Atlanta, Georgia New York: Panic buying at a Costco store in Brooklyn where the store has put up signs limiting the amount of high turnover items that customers have been buying in bulk Costco stores were forced to tighten rationing rules further in the last week - reducing the number of packets of flour, sugar and rice each customer is allowed to buy from five to two per customer. Kroger too has placed limits on the number of sanitizers and cold and flu products shoppers can buy online. And grocery chain H-E-B entered the fray on Sunday, announcing a limit of four hand sanitizers, wipes or similar items per purchase. Stockpiling comes as fears continue to mount over the coronavirus outbreak, with the US death toll reaching 26 and counting on Monday and the number of people infected reaching at least 754. Empty shelves in a CVS in New York: Stores have been forced to ration purchases to help spread the supply A Smart & Final grocery store looks deserted of goods at the weekend in Glendale, California: Fears continue to mount as the US death toll reached 26 and counting on Monday and the number of people infected reached at least 754 A Publix store in Atlanta, Georgia has run out of supplies of some cleaning products: The Centers for Disease Control issued new warnings for older and vulnerable people to stock up on enough medication and food to 'stay at home for a period of time' The Centers for Disease Control issued new warnings on Monday for older and vulnerable people to stock up on enough medication and food to 'stay at home for a period of time'. The CDC issued the new advice, specifically aimed at those with serious underlying health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and lung disease and the elderly. It recommends stocking up on enough medication and food to 'stay at home for a period of time', though it does not state exactly how long. 'If a COVID-19 outbreak happens in your community, it could last for a long time,' advice posted on the CDC website says. The line to get into Costco in Sherman Oaks, California on Saturday morning snaked all through the parking lot with shoppers ready and poised with their karts One person posted the video of the mass queue in California on Twitter saying: 'The panic is real. The apocalypse is coming' Some shoppers appear to have more than one trolley as they aim to stock up for an indefinite time in case they are forced to quarantine 'Stay in touch with others by phone or email. You may need to ask for help from friends, family, neighbors, and community health workers if you become sick. 'Determine who can provide you with care if your caregiver gets sick.' As well as stocking up on essentials, the guidance, which comes following an early study of 70,000 Chinese coronavirus patients, also includes avoiding large crowds, cruise ships and airplanes and avoiding touching door handles, hand rails and elevator buttons in public places. If an outbreak starts in the local community, older and vulnerable people should stay at home as much as possible - particularly avoiding large crowds and poorly ventilated spaces. 'Consider ways of getting food brought to your house through family, social, or commercial networks,' the advice says. Though the CDC advice is for the elderly and infirm, it will do little to quell the fears of the public and reduce the mass shopping sprees across the country 'Our goal is to protect you,' Dr. Nancy Messonnier of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. 'This will require you and your family to take action.' Though the advice is for the elderly and infirm, it will do little to quell fears among the general public and reduce the mass shopping sprees taking place up and down the country. For most healthy people, coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough and recovery is highly likely. For older adults and those with pre-existing health conditions, the virus can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and can become fatal. The body of a Middletown man, missing since October, was found Sunday in the woods in Wallingford, authorities said Tuesday. The whereabouts of Peter Recchia, 59, who went missing Oct. 3, was unknown until his body was found by a hunter. Middletown Police detectives spoke with Peters family yesterday and let them know that Peters body was located. We have been working closely with Peters family since his disappearance. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Peters family as they process the loss of their family member, Lt. Heather Desmond said in a release Tuesday. Desmond said personal property around the body, found in the woods on South Cherry Street, belonged to Recchia. The items were conclusive enough to determine that it was Peter Recchia who was found, Desmond said. The Medical Examiners Office will conduct an autopsy to confirm that identity of the body found is Peter Recchia. Recchia has been sited since he was reported missing. On Oct. 4, a Hamden woman called police in that town after Recchia entered her home through an unlocked door in the early morning. The woman found Recchia sitting at her kitchen table and convinced him to leave the home, according to Hamden police . At a noon press conference in Bridgeport, Frank Recchia, a News 12 reporter, also said that after a five-month search the body of his brother was found in the woods in Wallingford. He said Peter Recchias remains were in an advance state of decomposition because of the elements and wildlife, and that his brothers cause of death is unknown, but investigators dont suspect foul play. Peter Recchias backpack and wallet were found near the remains. Peter was always kind, but Peter was always different, Frank Recchia said. And I so wish that we had known when we were growing back in the Seventies, I wish there was a culture of openness about mental illness because Peter was wonderful, and different, and kind. He was such a kind and amazing soul who never wanted to hurt anyone. And later in life, he turned this kindness into a little crusade for Jesus. He would go around in his word, saving souls. The family had maintained throughout the ordeal that Recchia, who suffered from medical and mental health challenges, clearly was in need of medical attention after walking from Middletown to Hamden over a 15-hour period, according to his daughter, Bunny Rodriguez. Peter Recchia was described as 5 feet, 11 inches tall, weighing around 150 pounds, with gray hair, green eyes, and was wearing rectangular eyeglasses when he disappeared on foot that day. He was wearing a royal blue short-sleeved shirt, jeans, black belt and black sneakers, authorities said. He was last seen by his daughter shortly before he disappeared. They texted at 7 a.m. that day, after the Hamden incident, Rodriguez said. Police told Rodriguez her father indicated he was trying to save souls at the Hamden house he entered. It was his habit to walk around Middletown, talking to people about the Bible, Rodriguez said. While the family was still holding out hope, his daughter and brother had come to grips with the possibility he may never be found. I know in my heart something happened, Rodriguez has said. I think it was an accident. Its unlikely hes still alive, Frank Recchia told the press late last month. We want to thank everyone who assisted the Middletown Police Department in searching for Peter Recchia, officers and civilians put in many hours trying to locate Peter, thank you for your efforts, Desmond said. The Hamden police officer who briefly detained Peter Recchia after he entered the State Street home the morning after he disappeared was issued a 20-day unpaid suspension from his job on March 5. The disciplinary action against Officer Stephen Phipps was the result of an internal affairs probe launched in October by the Hamden Police Department into possible mishandling of the case. Frank Recchia, said, at the time the news of the suspension was released, Bunny and I are proud supporters of police. We thank every local, state and federal law enforcement official who has stood by us during this difficult time, and worked hard to help bring Peter home. We salute Hamden police, in particular, for their amazing efforts to assist us. That said, if Hamden police have concluded that one of their officers, upon encountering Peter, could have handled the situation better, we stand by their determination and thank them for keeping us informed, Frank Recchia. Middletown Press Managing Editor Cassandra Day contributed to this article. " " Sting /Wikimedia/(CC BY-SA 4.0) The Pacific Ocean's infamous Ring of Fire is about 24,900 miles (40,000 kilometers) long and is where most of the world's earthquakes and volcanic events occur. When the explorer Ferdinand Magellan visited Earth's biggest ocean in 1520, he found the waters pleasantly calm. And that's why to this day most people call it the Pacific Ocean, as "pacific" is a synonym for "peaceful." Oh, the irony. Magellan didn't know it, but there's a vast loop of volcanoes, trenches and seismically active places running through and around the Pacific. This would be the (in)famous "Ring of Fire." About 24,900 miles (40,000 kilometers) long, it's where most of the world's earthquakes and volcanic events take place. Here's a seven-part crash course on the region as a whole. Spoiler alert: It's got nothing to do with that Johnny Cash love song. Unfortunately. Advertisement 1. It's an International Sensation More than 15 countries are pierced by this geologically interesting area. In the New World, it hugs the western coasts of South, Central and North America. Then it spans Alaska's Aleutian Island Arc. From there, the ring invades Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula before shooting through Japan. Next in line are the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. The ring completes itself down below in northwestern Antarctica, where a number of volcanoes are present. Advertisement 2. Plate Tectonics Make the Whole Thing Possible You and I live on top of the Earth's lithosphere, our home world's rocky exterior. But this layer isn't some rigid shell. Instead it's divided into 15 to 20 tectonic plates that drift over molten materials deeper in the planet. Boundaries between them come in three major categories and the Ring of Fire includes examples of each one. Let's start with divergent boundaries. These occur when two neighboring plates move in opposite directions. Because they generate new crust (the outer portion of our lithosphere), they're extremely important. Under the ocean, the huge Pacific Plate is being pushed away from four of its counterparts by the powerful East Pacific Rise. The boundary's northern tip stretches into the Gulf of California, putting it well within the Ring of Fire. And up in California proper, we have the San Andreas Fault. That's a classic transform boundary: an area where two plates sideswipe each other horizontally. California straddles the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. The latter is headed south; the former's moving north. Friction between them causes earthquakes, such as the 1906 San Francisco quake that killed about 3,000 people. Advertisement 3. It's Home to World's Deepest Ocean Trench What happens when plates collide head-on? A convergent boundary, that's what. At this very moment, the Nazca oceanic plate is being driven underneath the South American continental plate. The point of contact is called a "subduction zone." Because the ocean plate isn't going down smoothly, the convergence process sets off a lot of earthquakes in western South America. It's also uplifting mountains and sending up the magma necessary for volcanoes. Subduction zones can also appear where two ocean plates meet. Remember the giant Pacific Plate? Well right now, the Philippine Sea Plate is overriding a western portion of it. This interaction forged the Mariana Island Arc. It also created a yawning underwater chasm called the Mariana Trench. Part of a larger subduction zone, it contains the deepest point of any ocean on Earth. Called the "Challenger Deep," that area's floor lies 36,070 feet (10,944 meters) below sea level. Advertisement 4. It's Littered With Volcanoes and Prone to Earthquakes National Geographic reported that there are some 452 active and dormant volcanoes spread out across the Ring of Fire (including plenty of submarine vents and fissures that erupt underwater). As far as we know, these account for 75 percent of all the world's volcanic activity. Meanwhile, around 90 percent of the earthquakes on this planet occur in the Ring's general area. Some of the worst natural disasters in recorded history like the 1883 Krakatoa eruption, the Chile Earthquake of 1960 and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami had their origins along its tectonic boundaries. " " On Dec. 26, 2005, a village near the coast of Sumatra was destroyed by a tsunami triggered by a massive earthquake off the country's western coast that registered a magnitude of 9.19.3 on the Richter scale. Philip A. McDaniel/U.S. Navy Advertisement 5. Its Quakes Aren't Always Interconnected The Ring of Fire has been described as a "coincidence." Really, it's just a collection of independent plate boundaries that happen to exist around the same ocean. So when disasters break out on opposite sides of the ring, you can bet they're unrelated. Case in point: A series of earthquakes rocked Japan's Kyushu Island in April 2016. That same month, Chile suffered a quake with a Richter scale magnitude of 7.2. Did one set off the other? Hardly. As the University of California, Berkley's seismology lab pointed out, the epicenters were almost 10,000 miles (16,093 kilometers) apart. Although a strong earthquake can trigger weaker ones in nearby places, the gap between Chile and Japan is way too big for their quakes to be linked. While we're here, the evidence suggests volcanoes erupt independently of each other. Good to know. Advertisement 6. It's a Great Producer of Geothermal Energy Solar and wind power grab more headlines, but the Earth's interior produces another renewable energy source. By harnessing natural hot water reservoirs, engineers can produce electricity without emitting greenhouse gasses. Potential geothermal energy reserves are often located around subduction zones, making this an attractive option for communities in the Ring of Fire. The United States, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines and several other countries have long capitalized on the resource. Advertisement 7. The Ring of Fire Could Help Set Up a Future "Supercontinent" The Pacific is the world's largest ocean but how long will it retain the title? Due in no small part to all the subduction zones on its flanks, the Pacific might close within the next 250 million years. As Asia, Australia and the Americas converge, planet Earth may wind up with a new supercontinent, not too dissimilar from the giant landmass Pangea that started breaking apart around 200 million years ago. But that's just one hypothesis. Some geologists think the Atlantic or the Arctic Oceans are more likely to disappear than the Pacific. Now That's Interesting Mount Everest's peak is 29,026 feet (8,848 meters) above sea level. That means the Mariana Trench is significantly deeper than the storied mountain is tall. Advertisement Originally Published: Mar 9, 2020 At least 10 people were killed in the collapse of a Chinese hotel that housed quarantined victims who had arrived from other parts of China affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Management said that 71 people were trapped from the sudden collapse of the building in the southeastern city of Quanzhou on Saturday evening. The Quanzhou Xinjia Hotel is a designated quarantine facility in eastern China. A video made its rounds on microblogging platform Weibo wherein rescue workers were combing through the rubble of the 80-room hotel in coastal Quanzhou city in the dark as they calmed a woman trapped under heavy debris and carried wounded victims into ambulances. According to the Ministry of Emergency Management, 10 of 48 victims pulled from the rubble had died, while the rest had been hospitalized. The coronavirus quarantine facility is located in the Chinese city of Quanzhou. The novel coronavirus record has surpassed 100,000 worldwide as official Chinese data showed a significant blow to the country's exports. This was following the outbreak caused massive disruptions to business operations and economic activity. The World Health Organization (WHO) dubbed the spread of the virus "deeply concerning." The hotel building in ruins was used to isolate people under observation for the coronavirus in the Chinese city of Quanzhou. Out of the 71 people who were initially trapped, 48 have been rescued, of whom 38 were sent to hospitals. Also Read: Vatican Confirms First Coronavirus Case, Pope Francis Health a Primary Concern Rescue workers are still searching the rubble of the five-story Xinjia Hotel in Fujian. It is still unclear the reason behind the collapse on Saturday evening. A thousand firefighters and other emergency responders were deployed by the Fujian Fire Department/ The team worked through the night to find the survivors. Most of the rescued people were taken to hospitals for treatment, with some having serious injuries. The owner of the hotel was put under police control. Two retail spaces on the first floor of the seven-story building were undergoing renovation and a pillar apparently deformed a few minutes before the building came down. The hotel's exterior appeared to have crumbled into the ground and the building's steel frame has been exposed. The building came down at about 7.30 PM on Saturday, with more than 750 medics and rescuers and 20 ambulances responding to the disaster. Of the 71 people believed to be within the hotel at the time, 58 had been under quarantine. The incident threatens to add fuel to the fire that is public anger over authorities' managing of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Footages circulating online show emergency workers combing through the building's wreckage in the southern province of Fujian. The government-backed Beijing News website posted footage of rescue workers in orange overalls scrambling over rubble and entangled steelwork while carrying people towards ambulances. According to Guo Yutuan, squadron leader of the Quanzhou armed police detachment's mobile unit, "We are using life detection instruments to monitor signs of life and professional breaking-in tools to make forcible entries. We are trying our utmost to save trapped people." The quarantine hotel opened in 2018 and had 80 guest rooms. Related Article: How to Stop Touching Your Face to Avoid Getting Infected By COVID-19 @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The first case of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on Staten Island was confirmed Monday, according to an internal Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) memo obtained by the Advance/SiLive.com. Earlier in the day, officials said New York became the state most affected by the virus with 143 cases. The most recent case means at least one patient is confirmed to have the virus in each borough. The memo sent to SIUH staff said the patient was handled with proper protocols at the Princes Bay campus, adding that employees will monitor their temperature twice a day for 14 days out of an abundance of caution. *** CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** Because the staff followed proper protocol, according to the memo, self-quarantine is not necessary. A source with knowledge of the case said the individual is an adult patient who came into the hospital exhibiting symptoms over the weekend. The patient was sent home, according to the source, and results came back on Monday testing positive for the coronavirus. An SIUH spokesman said a Staten Island University Hospital patient was confirmed for COVID-19 by the New York State Department of Health. Upon arriving at the hospital, the patient was immediately provided with a procedural mask outside of the emergency department. The patient was brought into an isolation area of the hospital where protective measures were done to ensure the safety of our other patients and our front line staff, according to the spokesman. After initial evaluation, The New York State Department of Health requested testing for COVID-19 and the patient was discharged home for self-quarantine as per state recommendation, the spokesman added. The staff that cared for the patient is being closely monitored by the hospitals Employee Health Services as a precaution. We are confident in our ability to meet the challenges posed by the spread of the coronavirus, the spokesman said. We have implemented strong clinical and operational protocols designed to quickly identify potential COVID-19 patients as they enter our facilities, isolate them appropriately, prevent transmission of infections and protect front-line caregivers from potential exposure. We also continue to work closely with federal, state and local health officials, and refine our protocols as the situation evolves. Northwell Health activated its emergency operations center on February 4th, which is staffed seven days a week, so we can remain in constant contact with all of our hospitals and other facilities. Operating in this heightened state of readiness allows us to quickly mobilize system-wide resources if the need arises," the spokesman said. The first Staten Island case comes the same day Mayor Bill de Blasio said it is inevitable that we will have more and more cases. Dr. Theodore Maniatis, who is responsible for all medical affairs, quality management, patient safety issues and standards of care at the SIUH system, previously told the Advance/SiLive.com that the Ocean Breeze and Princes Bay facilities are almost always full, complicating the amount of space that would be available in the event of vast community spread, which has not occurred on the borough thus far. I would say if we needed 10 extra beds, that wouldnt be a problem. If we needed 100, we would be very hard pressed to handle that much, said Maniatis. STATEN ISLAND HOSPITALS GIVEN GREEN LIGHT FOR TESTING Both Staten Island hospital systems recently received the green light from the state Department of Health (DOH), the federal government and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to begin testing for coronavirus, the Advance/SiLive.com reported. A spokesman for SIUH said any samples taken at the hospital will be sent to Northwells Long Island laboratory. Previously, samples were being sent to the CDCs lab in Atlanta. The lab is able process tests results in approximately six hours. When the lab becomes semi-automated, testing turnaround time will be close to three hours and full-automated testing can be completed in 90 minutes, the SIUH spokesman said. Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC) was given the OK from the CDC to begin testing with kits on site, a RUMC spokesman told the Advance. If a test is performed, the specimen is then sent to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygienes Public Health Laboratory in Manhattan for diagnosis, the spokesman said. Results of that testing will be available within 24 to 48 hours. TRANSMITS EASIER THAN THE FLU Officials are now saying the coronavirus transmits easier than the flu and are urging people to use common sense and cleanliness best practices to avoid contracting the virus: Frequent hand washing for at least 20 seconds; Stay at home if you feel sick; Avoid handshaking; Cover your cough/sneeze. Due to widespread shortages of hand sanitizer, the state will immediately begin production of 100,000 gallons of its own per week, Cuomo announced, that will be distributed to government agencies, schools, the MTA, prisons, and other in-need groups. On Sunday, de Blasio also set forth a series of recommendations to aid in the effort to stop the spread of coronavirus in New York. In addition to common sense practices like washing your hands with soap and water often and covering your nose and mouth with a sleeve or tissue whenever you sneeze or cough" -- measures repeated often by health officials -- de Blasio said to make efforts to limit unnecessary contact, such as avoiding handshakes for the foreseeable future. CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: Cuomo: New York most impacted state; 142 total cases Coronavirus cases reach 16 in New York City Staten Islanders can now be tested for coronavirus locally by Northwell Health Are hand sanitizers effective for preventing coronavirus? Mayor de Blasio: Tips to stop the spread of coronavirus in New York All NYC student international trips canceled; more school nurses to be added Is it safe to travel amid coronavirus concerns? What should you do if you think you have coronavirus? Archdiocese of New York, citys public schools differ in travel safety requirements for students, staff amid Coronavirus outbreak Coronavirus Preparation on Staten Island: What you can do Youth pastor's 4-year-old daughter killed in Tennessee tornadoes; Trump visits devastated areas Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The 4-year-old daughter of a youth minister is among the victims of tornadoes that tore through Tennessee just after midnight on Tuesday. According to The Christian Chronicle, a Church of Christ news publication, it was confirmed Tuesday that Hattie Collins, the daughter of Matt Collins, who is the youth pastor at Collegeside Church of Christ, lost her life in the storm that struck Nashville and surrounding areas. The young girl "passed from this world today into the loving arms of Jesus. Please continue to keep this family and all of the others affected by this tragedy in your prayers, the Cookeville, Tennessee, church said on its website in response to the tragedy. GoFundMe crowdfunding pages have been set up, one for the Collins family and another for other members in the community who need to rebuild. As of Saturday afternoon, over $137,600 has been raised for the Collins family and over $85,300 for the community. Matt, Macy and their infant daughter, Lainey, were all inside their home and sustained severe injuries from debris. The storm destroyed their home and the family was later transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. "While the family is in stable condition, the injuries sustained were severe, and recovery will take time," their GoFundMe page notes. A Thursday update added that the family is indeed recovering and "making improvements." Residents impacted by the tornadoes described their community as looking like a "war zone." The Christian Chronicle noted that a mere days before the tornadoes devastated their community, the opening song at the Sunday service was "Raise a Hallelujah" by Jonathan David and Melissa Helser of Bethel Music. Some of the lyrics in that song are: "I'm gonna sing in the middle of the storm, Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar. Up from the ashes, hope will arise; death is defeated, the King is alive." President Trump visited the ravaged state on Friday, landing in Nashville and took a helicopter to Cookeville, in Putnam County, which bore the brunt of the storms and has tabulated 18 deaths, reports say. Thus far, the storms have claimed the lives of 24 people. "You just see the trees are just laying down, houses gone, and all you see is concrete foundations," said Cookeville Mayor Ricky Shelton. "Our road crews were having to take heavy equipment to bulldoze our way through these streets, because they were covered in trees and power lines and poles." Trump opened up federal funds for the counties most afflicted by declaring a disaster in the state. "It's been a painful, tragic week for our state," said Gov. Bill Lee during a joint news conference with the president, "but Tennesseans are hopeful." Alabama State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said Tuesday afternoon the state still does not have a confirmed case of the coronavirus, despite an increasing number of cases in surrounding states. Harris said the number of people tested in Alabama is still less than 20, though as the state health department is focusing testing on people who meet certain criteria. The state health department is also monitoring more than 100 people who have returned to Alabama after traveling to areas where the virus is being spread. We have been in a mode of prevention and monitoring for the last two months, Harris said. We believe that we have a good plan in place. We certainly understand that people are concerned and worried about the unknown. We have tried very hard to make sure that Alabama is prepared and that we have the appropriate measures to respond, should that happen. Harris said that while less than 20 people have been tested, the state has been advising and monitoring "more than 100 travelers in Alabama who may have been exposed to the virus while outside of the state. We make contact with those individuals when they return to the state, we advise them on how to monitor themselves and to seek care if they become ill," Harris said. "We check in with them daily and have them checking their temperatures a couple of times daily, and most of those that we have monitored in that way have now completed monitoring and are thought not to have risk of disease. Harris answered questions at a press conference along with State Superintendent Eric Mackey and Brian Hastings, director of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency who spoke about the states preparations for dealing with coronavirus. Harris said that currently samples from patients can be collected at most hospitals in the state and sent to the Alabama Department of Public Health for analysis, if approved. The results from those tests would be available within a few hours of being run. Harris said once the ADPH lab gets fully up to speed, it could handle up to 150 tests per day. Probably theres not a need for that at this time, he said. We have plenty of capacity now to handle the ones that we are doing. There are also some private labs that can run tests for coronavirus, but that the health department is focusing on cases where the patient presents symptoms of coronavirus and has traveled to an area where transmission is known to occur. For public health, we have emphasized that we want to test the people who are most at risk for the disease or most susceptible to serious complications, Harris said. The average person in Alabama doesnt need a test. People who do not have symptoms at all, in almost all cases do not need a test. You can watch the full video of the briefing below. The press conference begins about 4:48 into the video. (@FahadShabbir) With controls not yet put in place, Italians used the open border to Slovenia to do their usual shopping on Tuesday, despite Rome announcing travel restrictions Sezana, Slovenia, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th Mar, 2020 ) :With controls not yet put in place, Italians used the open border to Slovenia to do their usual shopping on Tuesday, despite Rome announcing travel restrictions. Italians from the area around the city of Trieste in northeast Italy often cross the border to Slovenia to fill their cars with cheaper fuel and do their shopping. Italy, which has been hardest in Europe by the new coronavirus, announced late on Monday travel restrictions and other measures to fight its spread. According to the government decree, travel is only meant to be for "urgent, verifiable work situations and emergencies or health reasons". But at a shopping complex on the outskirts of Sezana in Slovenia, located less than 20 kilometres (13 miles) from Trieste, half of the cars in the parking lot on Tuesday had Italian registration plates. At the border no controls had been introduced and cars could freely drive between Italy and Slovenia. "I expect from tomorrow they will close the smaller, local border crossings and leave open the main ones, on the highway," Neio Martellani, a pensioner from Trieste, told AFP as he walked to his old pick-up truck with some bags after shopping for his son who was at work. Slovenia on Monday announced it would introduce border health checks, as well as closing some border crossings from Thursday. On Tuesday, like other countries, it also temporarily banned flights from Italy and other coronavirus-affected regions. The Alpine nation of two million people has reported 31 coronavirus cases so far -- more than half of them with direct links to neighbouring Italy. In Trieste, "the situation is normal, shops and bars remain open," said Martellani. However "there are less people on the streets, people keep a bit more distant from each other," he added. Another pensioner from Trieste, who did not want to disclose his name, said he crossed the border to Slovenia almost every day and has "for the moment no fear" concerning the virus. "The situation is rather chaotic right now. People are not sure what exactly they should be doing. There are some orders in place but there is a general chaos concerning what can and what can't be done," he said. A Slovenian woman who resides Italy said the measures announced by Rome made sense since "health is crucial, we all want to stay alive". The woman, who only gave her name as Milena, said stopped to do some shopping during a trip to visit friends in Slovenia. Many Italians also visit casinos on the Slovenian side of the border, but the main Slovenian casino chain, Hit, announced on Tuesday it was preventively closing its casinos until March 20. HANOVER Hanover County followed suit with the rest of the Commonwealth last week during the Democratic Presidential Primary. As Deputy Registrar Sheilah Ann Frattini said, the March 3 election went off without a glitch. Dan McGraw, chair of the Hanover Democratic Committee, said, Super Tuesday was an example of the Democratic growth in the county. We had a record number of people at the primary in Hanover, far surpassing 2016 by more than 87%. He said the participation bodes well for the fall when citizens have the opportunity to vote for positive change. The record number of people going to the polls is a reflection of our overwhelming desire to nominate the best person to defeat Donald Trump. I am very grateful for all of our committee members and volunteers who have been knocking on doors, making phone calls, organizing Meet & Greet events, and donating time and money to grow the Democratic presence in Hanover County, McGraw continued. Their efforts have paid off with tremendous turnout. 5G technology advancement is now slowly developed and introduced in Latin American countries. This is expected to help improve the technological services of the region. Latin America first launched a 5G network in April last year in Uruguay and Puerto Rico while it was in December in Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname and Aruba. Thirty tests were carried out in 12 countries in an attempt to establish the 5G network according to a survey conducted by the 5G Americas. Efforts in the establishment of the 5G network in the region were made despite the alleged espionage accused of the source provider, China. It was speculated that if China succeeds to impose its 5G network in the region, there is a possibility that they can control the documents, communications, archives, and other sensitive documents of the more than 600 million inhabitants living in the region. However, according to the published article in Mexicanist, an official from Argentina who preferred not to disclose his or her name said that a framework is expected to reach in March or April and China will sit down and is expected to make promises. Meanwhile, Uraguay used a 28 GHz band while 600 MHz in Puerto Rico when it was first launched. The main purpose of the trials last year using the 5G network was to enhanced mobile broadband. Part of the tests were the augmented reality sessions and its efficiency in the Internet of Things that connects technological services in industries and smart cities. Three countries carried out the most test of the 5G network. These were Brazil with 10 tests while Peru and Chile did 4 tests each. Tests need to be carried out in a country that is planning to establish 5G networks to assure its efficiency and effectiveness. However, despite the speed of the internet and other technological services that 5G can enhance, it is also important to note that building 5G networks is very expensive. In fact, it is expected that major cities in Latin America will take 5 to 6 years before they can have the 5G network due to its operating costs. The Vice-President and General Manager of Vertiv for Latin America also said that there is a need for a big fund in establishing the 5G network. He believes that even though there were 5G services already in Uraguay and other countries, still it will take years for other countries in the region to have it. Garcia also mentioned during the 34th Andicom International Congress that the rest of the countries in the region that do not have yet the 5G network services will need years before they begin to have relevant coverage. This was also supported by the representative of the world's largest company that is dedicated to ensuring operational continuity of the application. He said that one of the reasons for establishing the 5G network is its high capital investments that require infrastructure. This is also the main reason why telecommunication companies in Latin America are very cautious in establishing their 5g network services. Garcia believes that if telecommunication companies will invest in 5G network infrastructure, they will also expect a big profit in return. However, the present economic model in the region with all prepaid cards and billing for data do not cover it for the meantime and do not also justify it. He also explained that cellular operators are looking for services that will mount on top or ahead compared to their competitors in an attempt to improve their network services most especially in places considered as intelligent cities. Garcia also mentioned that: "5G cells are smaller than 4G cells, so more needs to be installed to achieve the same coverage. Also, 5G technology consumes between two and three times more energy than 3G and 4G, so the cost of operating the network will be higher." This means that the main challenge today of the operators is how to monetize the network since the users are not willing to pay more for a higher speed. In conclusion, one can only imagine that China's main reason for bringing the 5G network in so close to North America is for the potential information the Chinese government could collect. The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) will continue supporting Ukraine on its path of reforms, UWC President Paul Grod has stated. The Ukrainian World Congress is committed to strengthening Ukraine as a successful democratic European state. We stand with the people of Ukraine as they defend their territorial integrity and sovereignty amid Russias continued military, political and economic aggression, he said, an Ukrinform correspondent reported. He stressed the importance of continuing the ongoing movement by implementing reforms. "It is vital that both Ukraines elected and appointed government leaders continue on a positive reform trajectory while upholding the rule of law, respecting human rights and avoiding politically motivated justice," the UWC president said. As reported, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine at an extraordinary meeting on March 4 approved the new Cabinet of Ministers led by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. iy Americas shale drillers have never faced an oil bust quite like this. The split between Russia and its one-time OPEC allies last week has ignited an all-out price war, leaving oil markets defenseless against the unprecedented demand shock brought on by the coronavirus. Crude plunged by the most since the 1990s on Monday, with West Texas Intermediate touching $30 a barrel, a level at which vast swathes of the U.S. shale patch become unprofitable. Its a disaster for U.S. frackers including Chesapeake Energy Corp. and Whiting Petroleum Corp., who were already trading at distressed levels -- and makes more defaults and bankruptcies all but certain. After burning through hundreds of billions of dollars in cash over the past decade, the industry has consistently disappointed investors while accumulating huge debts. It now finds itself backed into a corner, increasingly shut out of capital markets. Banks were already poised to cut credit lines after writing off as much as $1 billion in shale loans last year, more than they have in 30 years of making them. This could mark the end of a historic boom that vaulted the U.S. to predominance in world crude production. PRICES: Oil crashes 31% in worst loss since 1991 in price war The boom-and-bust cycle is as old as the oil industry itself. The current price crash has echoes of 1986, when Saudi Arabia abandoned attempts to prop up a glutted market and pumped at will, sending oil futures plunging by more than half in a matter of months. But never before has so much U.S. output been in such peril -- and never has demand for that supply been so uncertain. When financial markets collapsed in 2008-2009, dragging crude demand and prices down with them, Americas shale patch as it is now didnt exist. Oil drillers in the Permian were just warming up to the idea of hydraulic fracturing and pumping less than 1 million barrels a day. When oil tumbled to a 13-year low in early 2016, driven by a glut of supplies worldwide, the fracking revolution was indeed in full swing. But demand was strong and the region had still not yet topped 2 million barrels a day. Today, the Permian churns out more than 5 million barrels, exceeding Iraq and accounting for more than one-third of Americas total production. Shale companies weathered the last major downturn in 2018 by getting lean and plowing forward with drilling plans. This time around, theyre in a more precarious financial position and cant afford to keep adding to a glut. This industry shot itself in the foot with dramatic shale production growth, said Dan Pickering, founder and chief investment officer of Houston-based asset manager Pickering Energy Partners. Drillers need a dose of self help, he said. Its kind of them against the world right now. AT HOME: Oil collapse threatens thousands of Houston jobs American shale companies are largely responsible for years of swelling world supply. Indirectly, theyve been supported by OPEC nations and their allies cutting production to prop up prices. But the key Saudi-Russia bromance, as it was once described by Citigroup Inc. oil analyst Ed Morse, is over. No longer is Russia willing to bail out U.S. shale. Ominously, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said in Vienna on Friday that his nations producers will be free to pump at will when current production caps expire at the end of the month. Saudi Arabia in turn started an all-out oil price war on Saturday, slashing its official selling prices by the most in 20 years in an effort to push as many barrels into the market as possible. That leaves American shale drillers scant time to prepare for an onslaught from the rest of the worlds oil behemoths. The vultures already are circling, said Amy Myers Jaffe, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, who is frequently sought out by OPEC ministers and industry leaders for her views on oil. What is the appetite for investors to refinance a new round of shale? Shale drillers large and small have been pummeled by equity investors, with almost half of the companies in the S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Select Industry Index posting double-digit percentage declines on Friday. The most-endangered names include Oasis Petroleum Corp., which tumbled 32%, Callon Petroleum Co. and California Resources Corp. FUEL FIX: Stay informed. Get our energy news in your inbox Junk-bond sales in the U.S. have slowed to a trickle, with just three deals pricing in the past two weeks, none of them oil or gas companies, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The average spread over Treasuries for companies in the Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Energy index has surged above 10% for the first time since 2016, a threshold typically associated with distress. With oil at $30 a barrel, some shale explorers will find it impossible to pay lenders and support newly minted dividend programs adopted to entice retail investors. In addition, promises to finally generate free cash flow -- which has become something of an obsession in parts of the industry -- may be for naught. Theres the old joke about the sign in the bar that says free beer tomorrow, said Michael Roomberg, who helps manage $4 billion at Miller Howard Investments Inc. For shale drillers, becoming free cash flow positive is something similar. And clearly this price reaction may delay that inflection point even further. Following Fridays decimation of shale stocks, KPMG Internationals Global Head of Energy Regina Mayor said she sees a buying opportunity. I do not think this is the death of shale, she said. I think its a good time to buy. But for many observers, the path ahead for the U.S. shale sector appears to be painful and uncertain. Even before Fridays dramatic events, some forecasters, including Goldman Sachs Group Inc., expected global oil demand to shrink in 2020 for only the fourth time in nearly 40 years due to the effects of the coronavirus. A rationalization of the hundreds of independent U.S. producers currently active appears inevitable, according to Ian Nieboer, managing director of RS Energy, now part of Enverus. What were going to end up with is a major hollowing out of the industry, he said. --With assistance from Carlos Caminada and Sayer Devlin. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. DALLAS, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Wilson Perumal & Company (WP&C), a leading international management and strategy consulting firm, is pleased to announce that in the second half of 2019 it was awarded a contract to assess and advise the leadership of US Army Materiel Command (AMC) on the Army's strategy for modernizing its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. WP&C Wins Army ERP Strategy Contract Visit WP&C at Booth #339 at AUSA Global Force from March 17-19 AMC is the primary logistical organization of the US Army, responsible for managing its global supply chain. The organization leads logistics and sustainment efforts at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels to ensure commanders have the materiel readiness to conduct global military operations. As it moves toward modernization of its operations, AMC currently faces key challenges associated with the complexity of its current ERP technologies and architecture. In the scope of this contract, WP&C will help AMC leadership assess the current state of Army ERP systems and recommend a workable strategy to guide technology design, execution, operations, and investment decisions. "WP&C has a long history of successfully helping AMC improve the effectiveness and efficiency of its manufacturing and logistics operations. We are humbled and proud to be selected by AMC to assist with this important aspect of its mission," said Dean Hamilton, WP&C's Partner and Chief Technology Officer. "WP&C will help AMC develop its ERP modernization strategy by leveraging fast-moving technology advances (such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, robotic process automation, 5G networking, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things), while minimizing the introduction the non-value-add complexity that often creates significant risks for such projects. Our goal is to help AMC use its next-generation ERP systems to create greater business efficiencies, improve readiness and force stability, and deliver rapid, continuous capability improvements to the warfighter." WP&C believes complexity is the defining business issue of the modern age. Enterprises that can identify and successfully manage complexity are able to modernize effectively and dominate in their competitive arenas, while those that allow complexity to grow unmanaged find it increasingly difficult to compete. Furthermore, WP&C believes that a poor understanding of the undesirable technology complexities that can be introduced by critical business systems, such as ERP systems, frequently impairs the effectiveness of such systems. WP&C combines expertise in managing organizational and operational complexity, legacy and emerging technologies, and human factors to help clients thrive in today's Age of Complexity. "This award is evidence that we provide our clients a mix of capabilities that is unique and unmatched in management consulting," said Andrei Perumal, WP&C's Cofounder and Managing Partner. "We often hear how difficult it is to find competent, vendor-neutral, technology advisors who are also experts on complexityadd to this our firm's in-depth knowledge of AMC's business and our lengthy and successful track-record helping AMC improve operations in the organic industrial base, and we are a natural partner for AMC in this engagement." As a proud sponsor of the 2020 AUSA Global Force Symposium & Exposition, WP&C invites you to visit us in booth #339 from March 17-19 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, AL. About Wilson Perumal & Company Wilson Perumal & Company is a premier management consulting firm and the leading firm helping organizations tackle complexity. We exist to help clients thrive by rethinking traditional approaches to strategy and execution, and working in close partnership with them to deliver transformative results. We bring world-class talent and capabilities, unparalleled working relationships, and the level of personal commitment you can only get from a firm focused on creating high impact and value quickly. For more information, visit Wilson Perumal & Company. Wilson Perumal & Company Contact Karen H. Ma +1-972-716-3930 [email protected] www.wilsonperumal.com SOURCE Wilson Perumal & Company Related Links http://www.wilsonperumal.com An Albuquerque Police Department identified the woman who was killed while crossing the street in a crosswalk in Northeast Albuquerque Sunday morning as 59-year-old Julie Westfall. Gilbert Gallegos, an APD spokesman, said officers are consulting with the District Attorneys Office on whether to charge the driver and what those charges would be. He did not identify the driver. According to another APD spokesman, Officer Simon Drobik, Westfall had been crossing the street at Eubank and Constitution NE in a crosswalk around 10:40 a.m. when she was struck by a driver in a GMC truck. He said the driver had been heading westbound on Constitution and was stopped at a red light on Eubank. When the light turned green, the driver turned right onto northbound Eubank, striking Westfall, Drobik said. He said she died at the scene. Drobik said alcohol and speed do not appear to have factored into the crash. Children all over the world are the same. Every kid wants to avoid school and homework as much as they can. And, because of coronavirus, kids in China probably thought they wouldn't even have to worry about stuff like that for now, since a pandemic is happening right before our eyes. But nope, teachers apparently always find a way. Basically, since people are under quarantine in Wuhan, China, schools are obviously shut as well. So, an app called DingTalk was introduced, which is essentially an online school. Side note - how many of you are relieved that we all finished school before the technology for things like these was invented? I sure am. Coming back, since teachers always find a way, so do the kids. They figured out that if enough of them gave the app a bad review, it would be removed from the app store. Apparently, the app's rating went from 4.9 to 1.4 overnight. See, people can achieve anything if they work together like this. Moreover, people are loving how smart and creative the kids are and honestly, this is the only funny thing about coronavirus. good morning to all the kids under quarantine in wuhan who defeated the app assigning them homework by spamming it with 1-star reviews until it got removed from the app store https://t.co/gDxjivabte (@zenalbatross) March 7, 2020 That picture, tho. School: Ok, no school, cause caronavirus. Students: Yay, less stress, so I can worry about staying safe and healthy with my family and- Also school: Here is your homework. pic.twitter.com/J60uiBtFKx Aisha's Forehead|| REMINISCENCE (@OrbitGlowstick) March 7, 2020 Yep. The kids are alright. The parents have no clue. https://t.co/ru20OnBQ64 Mike Stuchbery (@MikeStuchbery_) March 8, 2020 That was a moment in internet history. Thanks for reminding me of that! She was still the best IMO, but this comes close. Charlie Foxtrot (@strumphs) March 7, 2020 The future is in good hands. Children are the future https://t.co/3Z24raEJXu Joseph Fink, M4A is a human right (@PlanetofFinks) March 7, 2020 Hmm. We're seeing the best and worst of the human condition in the time of coronavirus From the worst files: The Toilet Paper Wars The best: Wuhan kids tuning in for school online amid lockdown work out that by giving 1-star reviews they can get their homework app taken offline https://t.co/BGUptdFZR4 Talia Shadwell (@TaliaShadwell) March 7, 2020 Yes. This is literally the first coronavirus-related news that gives me hope that the human species might survive this. https://t.co/biEw6vzPL1 Ntina Tzouvala (@ntinatzouvala) March 7, 2020 Absolutely. I think they all deserve straight As for this forward thinking. BTS_Genre (@BTS_ARMYFANACC_) March 7, 2020 Self-awareness? Yep. The kids in China outsmarted the app for school, and it was taken out. There's a big lesson, here. Work together to achieve your goals, and listen to the wise ones, amongst yourselves. https://t.co/MbcGclI3zk QUEERWIRE (@QueerWire) March 8, 2020 Truly. I am truly in awe at the ingenuity of these children. https://t.co/GhGYSPPrQO Angela Chen (@chengela) March 7, 2020 Proper. This is *proper* cyberpunk https://t.co/lPFKA2euQK James Deardenayake (@TechnocratGames) March 7, 2020 So much respect. Solidarity to these kids in Wuhan who figured out how to get out of doing homework while in quarantine. Massive respect. https://t.co/xXfACZZYJC Ciara King (@iamCiaraKing) March 8, 2020 Travel advice for Australians planning international holidays was upgraded on Wednesday as the coronavirus continues to spread. But while Australians may be keen to cancel their trips, they might not get their money back. It comes as the coronavirus travel ban was extended to Italy, effective from 6pm on Wednesday. Qantas customers will be offered fee waivers, which will allow passengers to change bookings made for the rest of this month for flights up to June 30. Flight crew from Asia arrive at Sydney Airport on Wednesday. Australians who have booked with Qantas will be offered fee waivers to change their flights Cathay Pacific and Dragon passenger airplanes pictured idle on the tarmac at Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok International Airport Qantas planes pictured at Sydney Airport on Tuesday. Australians are risking not being covered for travel plans cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak if they bought their insurance policies after the outbreak became a 'known event' A passenger wearing a mask and gloves arrives at Sydney Airport on Wednesday morning Frustrated passengers are seen during technical issues at Sydney Domestic Airport in March 2018. Customers may not get their money back for insured trips if the policy was bought after January 23 - when the coronavirus outbreak became a 'known event' A passenger is pictured talking to a policeman on Wednesday at Sydney Airport. Qantas has offered customers flexibility on flights booked for the rest of March Passengers may also be eligible for fare waivers if they are no longer able to travel to a country such as China because of immigration restrictions. 'Passengers affected by the flight changes announced yesterday will be re-accommodated on other services,' a Qantas spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia. Qantas became the latest airline to slash flights on Tuesday as the travel industry battles a sharp reduction in bookings amid the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus. The Insurance Council of Australia said the key cut-off point for those who bought travel insurance for their trip was January 23 - when the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade first issued travel advice about the coronavirus. At that point the spread of the disease was considered a 'known event' by insurers. What can Qantas customers do if their flights are cancelled? Qantas are offering fee waivers for bookings made for the rest of the month. Changes must be made at least three days before travel, and travel must start on or before June 30. Those who have booked flights directly with Qantas to mainland China are eligible for a refund. Flights are temporarily suspended until mid-July to mainland China with Qantas. Passengers may also be eligible for fare waivers if they have booked to go to a country. Passengers who are affected by flight changes announced on Tuesday will be re-acommodated on other services. Advertisement 'If people are travelling and bought their travel insurance before it became a known event... the majority of travel insurance policies should cover people if they contract coronavirus overseas of their trips have to be moved around countries and places,' the council told The Guardian in February. After the January cut-off date, cancellation costs as a result of pandemics and epidemics are only covered by less than half of insurers. Choice's coronavirus travel insurance review found though just over half of insurers covered medical expenses. A 'cancel for any reason' add-on is a way around the issue, with travel insurance provider Covermore explicitly saying it will cover costs associated with the coronavirus outbreak. Qantas customers though will be offered fee waivers, which will allow passengers to change bookings made for the rest of this month for flights up to June 30. Money expert Effie Zahos told the Today show on Wednesday morning the Qantas flight reductions were good news for customers as the airline was absorbing the cost of cancellation. A passenger is pictured arriving into Sydney Airport on Wednesday with her face hidden by a hat and a face mask A passenger in a bright Hawaiian shirt arrives in Sydney wearing a face mask on Wednesday morning MONEY EXPERT'S ADVICE FOR CANCELLED FLIGHTS 'When you hear the boss of Qantas say they have grounded 38 plane that is huge. 'There are planes empty so they will have to be cut. Virgin will be the next one. Can they sustain it? 'Interesting thing for consumers, if flights have been cancelled by the airline you are in a nicer position because they have cancelled it and you could possibly get your money back or definitely book for a later date. 'I know Qantas is having giving its consumers fee waiver when it comes to shuffling flights around. 'That is great for consumers - I know they have been hanging out for airlines to cut the flight so they don't have to lose money. 'It is tough for the airline industry obviously. What they will be focusing on no doubt is travel destination and holiday deals to places that are considered more safe.' Source: Personal finance commentator Effie Zahos on the Today show Advertisement 'If flights have been cancelled by the airline you are in a nicer position because they have cancelled it and you could possibly get your money back or definitely book for a later date,' she said. For those who have flights booked to mainland China, meanwhile, passengers will be eligible for a full refund. Many passengers who arrived in Sydney on Wednesday were shocked at the lack of precautions in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Cloris Liu was among those to fly in on Wednesday, two weeks after she left China. Poll Is Australia doing enough to prevent the spread of CORONAVIRUS? Yes No Is Australia doing enough to prevent the spread of CORONAVIRUS? Yes 860 votes No 2944 votes Now share your opinion In that time she has been cooped up in a Thailand hotel as part of the government's third-country quarantine policy. Ms Liu said she was happy to arrive back in Australia to see her boyfriend, but is not sure why people her aren't treating the threat of COVID-19 more seriously. 'I'm a little bit (concerned) that there's not many people wearing masks, it is like they are not taking it seriously,' she told Daily Mail Australia. I'm from near Beijing and my city is pretty safe compared to Wuhan province. 'Everyone over there is wearing masks, you have to self-regulate and check out your temperature before you leave the house. 'If you go to a shopping mall they are checking your temperature at the door before you can enter.' It comes as travel agents have been bombarded with calls and emails from customers concerned about the status of their flight. Cloris Liu (pictured) flew in from Thailand on Wednesday, two weeks after she left China. She said she was worried that Australians were not taking the threat of coronavirus 'seriously' A health officer checks the body temperature of a traveller as they prepare to board a flight at Kuta Airport in Bali, Indonesia McDonald's BANS the use of reusable coffee cups McDonald's has banned the use of reusable coffee cups in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus. The fast food giant has suspended the use of the environmentally-friendly cups for all of its stores across Australia and New Zealand. 'At McDonald's, the safety of our customers, people and the food and drinks we serve is of the utmost importance,' a McDonald's Australia spokesman said. 'We have made the decision to suspend the use of reusable coffee cups at restaurants across the country at this time.' Advertisement One travel agent has told customers 'to avoid sending multiple emails or calling' so their staff can keep up with demand. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the coronavirus travel ban to Italy in a press conference on Wednesday morning. Australian residents can fly but must self-isolate for two weeks when they land. The same rules are in place for Iran, South Korea and mainland China. 'The situation in Italy is now commensurate with the other countries where we previously had travel bans put in place, so we'll be extending that travel ban to Italy now,' Scott Morrison said in a press conference on Wednesday morning. Travel agents have been inundated with calls and emails from frantic passengers trying to find out their flight status Until now 11 flights a day have landed in Australia with travellers who originated in Italy, which has been placed into total lockdown as it combats more than 10,000 cases of the deadly virus. Qantas announced drastic cuts to flight numbers on Tuesday. Virgin Australia is yet to follow suit - although the airline cut its flight network by three per cent at the end of last month. CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement Qantas flight routes to London will be changed and eight of the airline's 12 A380 aircraft will be grounded due to low demand. Smaller planes will be used for flights and the frequency of travel will be reduced. Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce - the richest CEO in Australia - has announced he will not take his $23.9million salary for the next three months, and salaries for the company's executive management team will be cut by 30 per cent. The biggest change is for flights from Sydney to London - from April 20, Qantas flights will travel to Perth instead of Singapore for stopovers. The planned Brisbane to Chicago route - expected to begin in April - has been delayed to September. Qantas flights from Brisbane and Melbourne to San Francisco have been suspended. Mr Joyce said there had been a 'sharp drop in bookings' across all airlines due to the coronavirus outbreak. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 01:28:59|Editor: yan Video Player Close MOSCOW, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu discussed measures to stabilize the situation in Syria's Idlib with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar during a phone conversation at the initiative of the Turkish side, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement Tuesday. "Issues related to the implementation of the additional protocol to the Memorandum on the stabilization of the situation in the Idlib de-escalation zone (adopted in Moscow on March 5, 2020) were discussed," according to the statement made available to Xinhua. Russia and Turkey agreed Thursday on a ceasefire in the de-escalation zone in Idlib, after talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Moscow which lasted for about six hours. The agreement came after direct confrontation between Turkey and Syrian forces which took place several times in Idlib over the past two months since the Syrian forces launched a campaign against the Turkey-backed rebel groups in Idlib late last year. Latin American countries have stepped up vigilance to contain the spread of novel coronavirus, which has affected nearly 100 people. Chile has reported three new cases of COVID-19, taking the confirmed cases to 13. All three cases can be traced back to another infected person or travel history to Europe, where the cases have been growing rapidly, Xinhua reported. Chilean Defence Minister Alberto Espina has assured the Health Ministry support of armed forces to contain the virus. Espina has said the country could move from isolated cases with travel history to community transmission and warned that armed forces are most vulnerable due to their community living conditions. In Peru, two more people tested positive for the new coronavirus, taking the total to nine. Both two new cases have been related to the country's first positive case, a 25-year-old, who had a travel history to the Czech Republic, Spain, and France. In Argentina, 17 cases have now been reported with one death. Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio Rodriguez Larreta has asked the people travelling from virus-hit areas to stay in self-imposed quarantine. "Especially the people returning from trips to one of the countries where the virus is going around such as China, South Korea, Japan, Iran, Italy, Spain, France or Germany, in these cases we ask them to cooperate by staying at home," Xinhua quoted Rodriguez. The self-quarantine period is 15 days as the virus can take two weeks to surface. Colombia's Health Ministry also reported two new cases, taking the total to three. Both the new patients arrived from Spain. Colombian President Ivan Duque was recently tested for COVID-19 after he attended an event in the US where one person was tested positive. Duque's results came back negative. Ecuador has so far registered 15 cases, with the latest reported on Sunday. The new patient was in contact with the country's first case. The government of Costa Rica has reported nine cases including three Americans and six Costa Ricans. Costa Rica also announced it was suspending all mass gatherings, such as concerts and festivals. As per the Health Organisation (WHO), the novel coronavirus belongs to the family of zoonotic viruses that spread from animals to humans. The symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus include running cold, sneezes, and coughs while in severe cases respiratory problems, shortness of breath, kidney failure or even death. The deadly virus which originated in Wuhan, China has affected more than 105 counties and has infected 110,137 people globally with nearly 4,000 deaths. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a major jolt to Congress, senior Madhya Pradesh leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday (March 10) quit the party. Scindia posted his resignation letter on Twitter and addressed it to Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Scindia decided to resign minutes after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi. Dated March 9, Scindia mentioned in his resignation letter that it is time for him to "move on". The letter, addressed to interim party chief Sonia Gandhi, says, "... as you well know, this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year." "While my aim and purpose remain the same as it has always been from the very beginning, to serve the people of my state and country, I belive I am unable to do this anymore within this party," Scindia said in his letter. "I believe it is best that I now look ahead at a fresh start," he added. Responding to Scindia's resignation, Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary, Congress leader in Lok Sabha, said, "Scindia ji held many senior posts in Congress party and was well respected, maybe he got lured by the offer of ministership given by Modi ji. We know his family has been associated with BJP for decades,but yet it is a big loss." The fresh political crisis in Madhya Pradesh started on Monday (March 9) evening after around 20 MLAs, including ministers, supporting Scindia went incommunicado. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath swung into action immediately after it was confirmed that around rebel MLAs are not in touch with Congress leaders. Kamal Nath called an emergency meeting of senior leaders at his residence on Monday night and after the meeting, all ministers of his cabinet submitted their resignations. The ministers also expressed faith in CM Kamal Nath and requested him to restructure the Cabinet. Sources told Zee Media that Scindia has been offered a Rajya Sabha seat and a cabinet berth in the Modi government at the Centre by the BJP. In return, Scindia will have to help the BJP return to power in Madhya Pradesh. In the 230 member Madhya Pradesh Assembly, the Congress has 114 MLAs and the support of four Independents, three Samajwadi Party MLAs and two Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs. The BJP has 109 MLAs. Two seats are currently vacant. The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, SOFIA, studies the universe with infrared light. That's a range of wavelengths on the infrared spectrum, from those measuring about 700 nanometers, too small to see with the naked eye, to about 1 millimeter, which is about the size of the head of a pin. Other observatories, such as the Spitzer Space Telescope and Herschel Space Observatory, also studied infrared light. But each telescope observes different wavelengths of infrared light, filling in puzzle pieces that are essential to learning what makes the universe tick. Spitzer studied exoplanets (planets outside our solar system), distant galaxies, and cold matter found in the space between stars using infrared wavelengths between 3.6-160 microns until 2009 when it ran out of coolant. After the coolant was depleted, it studied wavelengths between 0.3-0.9 microns, which are primarily near infrared wavelengths, during its so called "warm mission." SOFIA studies wavelengths of mid- and far-infrared light between 0.4-612 microns, letting scientists tackle big questions of how previously unseen forces shape the cosmos. With its 45,000-foot-high view of the night skies, the formation of planets and stars, the strange behavior of magnetic fields, and the chemistry of galaxies are all becoming clearer. The discoveries from SOFIA often build on what previous observatories learned and illustrate the distinct yet complementary infrared perspective provided by different telescopes. Diving into Star Formation SOFIA found many newborn massive stars that had not been seen before in the largest star forming region in our galaxy, called W51A. Massive stars can weigh more than eight times our Sun, but it's not well understood how they form and how they affect the birth of their stellar neighbors. "Seeing regions like W51A in great detail gives us a better understanding of how stars actually form -- surrounded by many others," said James De Buizer a senior scientist at the SOFIA Science Center at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley. "We can learn how the presence of nearby stars, or environmental differences, change how a cluster of massive stars forms and evolves over time." But seeing these massive stars is not easy. They are hidden deep inside celestial clouds. SOFIA's infrared camera called FORCAST, the Faint Object Infrared Camera for the SOFIA Telescope, can peer inside the obscuring clouds, revealing how these enormous stars are changing their surroundings. Using the new details, researchers calculated the age of W51A's different regions and found that many of the stellar clusters are each made of multiple generations of star birth. Moreover, some of the objects that had previously been identified as massive newborn stars by other telescopes, including Spitzer, had been misclassified. SOFIA's new view indicates that some are actually older or smaller, less massive stars. Areas like W51A are so intensely bright at far-infrared wavelengths that many details could not be seen by most space telescopes because their detectors were saturated, like an overexposed photo. Near-infrared observations by Spitzer were contaminated by bright emission from smoke-like carbon molecules present in star-forming environments, which made it difficult to determine the stars' properties. But SOFIA's detectors work at wavelengths that are free from this smoky environmental contamination, revealing previously hidden details -- including those needed to accurately classify the stars' sizes and ages. Combining the data from both SOFIA and space telescopes like Spitzer and the Herschel Space Observatory is helping researchers understand the complete star formation history of W51A. In some areas, the most massive stars have triggered the birth of younger generations, but in others they have slowed it. Based on all the data, they expect the next generation of stars to form near the center of W51A. The team created the image by combining new SOFIA data with existing data from Spitzer and Herschel Space Observatory. It shows arcs and bubbles blown by adolescent massive stars, as the intense radiation pressure from the largest stars pushes dust from their natal cocoons out in all directions. The heat from the dust in these features glows brightly at infrared wavelengths of 37 and 70 microns, which are green and red. Although the adolescent stars have cleared dust from inside the bubbles, there is still hot and excited gas inside, which can be seen in the 20-micron infrared view that is traced in blue. Together, the multifaceted infrared view gives scientists a more complete understanding of how the most massive stars in our galaxy are born and how they affect their neighbors. Uncovering Magnetic Fields SOFIA newest instrument, the High-resolution Airborne Wideband Camera-Plus (HAWC+), can study celestial magnetic fields. The Cigar galaxy, Messier 82, is famous for its extraordinary speed in making new stars, something astronomers call the "starburst phenomenon." The high rate of star birth is generating a stellar wind flowing out of the galaxy that drags material with it. Spitzer's wide view found that the wind is blowing dust 20,000 light-years around the galaxy -- far beyond where stars are forming. But scientists were not sure why the dust reached so far. Subsequent observations with SOFIA peered closed to the galaxy's core, revealing that the wind is also dragging the galaxy's magnetic field. Magnetic fields are usually parallel to the plane of the galaxy, but the wind is dragging it so it's perpendicular. Generally, magnetic fields are powerful enough to resist stellar winds, but the Cigar galaxy's wind is so strong that it's dragging the magnetic field with it. This supports Spitzer's initial findings that the starburst-driven wind is transporting a huge amount of material and shows that it's an ongoing route for material to escape from inside the galaxy. Together with other, complementary telescopes, SOFIA's infrared view of the skies is expanding scientists' understanding of the universe by revealing more than human eyes can see. The Spitzer Space Telescope was decommissioned on Jan. 30, 2020, after operating for more than 16 years. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at Caltech in Pasadena. Space operations are based at Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado. Data are archived at the Infrared Science Archive housed at IPAC at Caltech. Caltech manages JPL for NASA. Herschel is a European Space Agency mission, with science instruments provided by consortia of European institutes and with important participation by NASA. While the observatory stopped making science observations in April 2013, after running out of liquid coolant as expected, scientists continue to analyze its data. NASA's Herschel Project Office is based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. JPL contributed mission-enabling technology for two of Herschel's three science instruments. The NASA Herschel Science Center, part of IPAC, supports the U.S. astronomical community. Caltech manages JPL for NASA. SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, is a Boeing 747SP jetliner modified to carry a 106-inch diameter telescope. It is a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center, DLR. NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley manages the SOFIA program, science and mission operations in cooperation with the Universities Space Research Association headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, and the German SOFIA Institute (DSI) at the University of Stuttgart. The aircraft is maintained and operated from NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center Hangar 703, in Palmdale, California. Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. Tibetans around the world on Tuesday observed the 61st anniversary of a March 10, 1959 national uprising against rule by Beijing, holding protest rallies outside Chinese embassies and consulates and at the United Nations, while a show of force inside Tibet appeared to stifle commemorations. In Dharamsala, India, Tibets exile government, the Central Tibetan Administration, observed the event with speeches by a delegation of Czech parliamentarians and CTA president Sikyong Lobsang Sangay who noted what he called the worsening human rights situation in Tibet, which was annexed by China by force over 70 years ago. Protest events and rallies were also held in cities across Australia and Canada and in Indias capital New Delhi, where 16 Tibetan youths were arrested by Indian police in a rally held by the Tibetan Youth Congress and briefly detained before being released later in the day. In Washington D.C., local Tibetan support groups gathered outside the Chinese embassy with placards and flags, while in New York Tibetans and their supporters marched from the U.N. to the Chinese consulate to commemorate the thousands of lives lost in the 1959 uprising and to protest Chinas continuing occupation of the formerly independent Tibetan nation. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement honoring "the aspirations of all Tibetans to live in peace, autonomy and security, free from Chinas brutal repression. Chinas cruel crackdown on the religious liberty, cultural heritage and freedom of speech of Tibetan men, women and children remains a challenge to the conscience of the world. Yet, even after decades of outrageous oppression, their faith, hope and persistence continues to empower the Tibetan people in their fight for their fundamental human rights. Their tireless efforts remain an inspiration to all peace-loving people around the world," she said. In a statement read in New York and Washington, U.S. Congressman James McGovern, who has led efforts in the U.S. Congress to enact legislation supporting Tibet, noted that in the U.S. and other Western countries, commemorations can be held in public. But Tibetans living in Tibet will not be able to come together to express their views, McGovern said. Nor will Tibetans living in places like Nepal, where China exercises its influence to prevent Tibetans from remembering their own history. Meanwhile, no news was available from inside Tibet, where a massive show of police and military force was on display last week in the regional capital Lhasa, and where phone calls seeking comment rang unanswered on Tuesday due to the sensitive nature of the day. The Congressional Executive Commission on China marked the day with a tweet, calling on China to release all Tibetan political prisoners. "On this day, the CECC remembers all #Tibetans persecuted by the #Chinese gov't for seeking peaceful change & defending their culture, religion & language," said the advisory group. In the run-up to the March 10 anniversary, the Tibetan Welfare Office in Nepal urged Tibetan residents of the Himalayan country not to hold events commemorating the 1959 uprising, saying Tibetans must follow local laws to avoid a crackdown by police. Hundreds of Nepalese police and armed security forces were then deployed across various Tibetan settlements, monasteries, and communities in Kathmandu, with barricades set up on roads leading to the Chinese embassy, a local source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Nepal cites its growing economic ties with Beijing, with promises of millions of dollars of Chinese investment in Nepalese development projects, in cracking down on Tibetan activities in the country, including elections in the refugee community and birthday celebrations for the Dalai Lama. Reported by RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Rigdhen Dolma. Written in English by Richard Finney. The St. Patricks Day Parade on Staten Island has been an eagerly anticipated community celebration for decades. Unfortunately, this years event was overshadowed by controversy following the decision by its organizers to deny once again an application to march from the Staten Island Pride Center, an LGBTQ advocacy organization. Explaining that decision, Larry Cummings, who heads the parade committee, told the Advance, its a nonsexual identification parade. From a legal perspective, he didnt have to say anything more. The U.S. Supreme Courts 1995 decision in Hurley v. Irish-American Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Group of Boston involved the St. Patricks Day Parade in that city and is directly on point. Writing for a unanimous court, Justice David H. Souter said that private citizens who organize a parade, even on public streets, cannot be forced to include among the marchers a group imparting a message the organizers do not wish to convey. Of course, just because the organizers had a legal right to be adamantly restrictive doesnt mean their decision was appropriate. The Pride Center does a commendable job advocating for, and providing a safe haven to, a class of individuals that has long been targeted for ridicule and irrational discrimination. Marching under its own banner was obviously a legitimate aspiration for the organization in its ongoing advocacy for equality and respect. Its difficult to perceive how, precisely, the parade would have been negatively impacted had the center been allowed to march. Self-serving agenda Once rebuffed, however, the group launched a frenzied, nonstop effort to make the day all about its exclusion at the expense of the parade itself. Carol Bullock, the Executive Director of the Pride Center, told the Advance, we just want to march to celebrate our Irish heritage. But during an interview on NY1, she urged groups who had applied to march, to rethink doing so. Thus, just because her group couldnt celebrate its Irish heritage by marching in the parade, Bullock didnt want others celebrating it that way either. Pride Center members were also hard at work handing out pins, flags and banners promoting its cause along the parade route, diverting significant media attention away from the parade and onto itself. That media attention became national in scope and, in this era of political correctness, was predictably flattering to the center and negative to parade organizers. Those who chose to wear such overt displays of support for the center were prohibited from marching in the parade, a consequence that was entirely foreseeable. Bullock also told the Advance, To me, its not a Catholic parade. Its a celebration of Irish heritage. Under the Hurley decision, however, it was the organizers conception, not hers, that mattered. Besides, theyd be no St. Patricks Day without St. Patrick, just as theyd be no Christmas without Jesus Christ. And while St. Patrick may be of little to no consequence to some parade goers, hes its centerpiece to others. Which is fitting for a beloved Catholic saint who brought the faith to Ireland almost 1600 years ago. Papal quote Cummings did not cite Catholic teaching as the reason for the Pride Centers exclusion. Still, Brendan Lantry, Chairman of the Staten Island Republican Party, cited Pope Franciss Who am I to judge comment in advocating for the centers inclusion. That quote, however, has been aptly described by George Weigel, author of Witness to Hope, the best-selling biography of Pope St. John Paul II, as the most overreported and misrepresented papal statement in history. Another Republican supporter of the center, City Councilman Joseph Borelli, invoking the same quote, told the Washington Post that church dogma is now against the argument that LGBTQ groups should be excluded from the parade. Borelli thus confused Catholic dogma with Catholic teaching, and then implied that the Churchs teaching on homosexuality has somehow changed. It has not, however successful the secular media has been in convincing the uninformed otherwise. Councilwoman Debi Rose, another center supporter, called upon the Department of Education to bar public school students from participating in the parade as, for instance, members of school marching bands. This, despite the fact that such participation is voluntary and officially barring it would itself raise serious First Amendment issues. In its 1969 decision in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, the U.S. Supreme Court stated that neither students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate. Clearly, then, they dont shed those rights outside of it either. None of this unpleasantness had to happen. That it did falls on many. Neither side were angels here. Daniel Leddys column On the Law appears weekly. Follow him on Twitter. His email address is column@danielleddylaw.com. Just when Egypt's crucial tourism sector was recovering from years of political tumult and jihadist attacks, the industry finds itself bracing for a potential buffeting by the new coronavirus. The guesthouse where Bassam Hamimi works in archaeologically rich southern Egypt usually hosts numerous tourists from China, but since the outbreak of the deadly virus, far fewer have arrived. "There were heaps more Chinese before. But since the coronavirus appeared in China, their absence has been felt here," Hamimi told AFP recently in a Nubian village near Aswan, 900 kilometres (560 miles) south of Cairo, a popular destination for tourists. Many flights that would have carried visitors to Egypt have been cancelled amid efforts to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. The virus had infected over 110,000 people worldwide and killed more than 3,800 as of Monday, disrupting travel and delivering a blow to the global economy far beyond its Chinese epicentre. Hamimi said he was concerned that a dip in tourists visiting Pharaonic temples would hit his income, a worry shared by many in the country. Egypt has not been spared the virus' spread, reporting on Sunday the country's -- and Africa's -- first fatality from the illness, a 60-year-old German tourist who died in the Red Sea resort town of Hurghada. At the end of February, several countries, including France and Canada, announced infections among people who had visited Egypt. The north African nation had reported 55 infections by Monday, a number that includes 45 from the cruise ship "A-Sara", docked near the southern city of Luxor, the beating heart of Pharaonic tourism. "Preventative measures that countries have taken with regards to travel because of the virus will for sure affect the tourism sector" in Egypt, Adela Ragab, a former deputy tourism minister, told AFP. But, she added, "it's hard to predict what will happen. We can really (start to) assess the situation if Easter bookings are affected in April." Brave face Egypt's tourism industry -- key to the country's economy -- has shown signs of recovery in recent years, after the 2011 revolution, a 2013 coup and the 2015 downing of a Russian airliner by the Islamic State group hit visitor arrivals. Health Minister Hala Zayed said passengers on the A-Sara Nile cruise ship who tested negative for the virus were free to leave after 24 hours. By - (AFP) Though still far off the 14.7 million recorded in 2010, Egypt welcomed 11.3 million arrivals in 2018, compared with just 5.3 million in 2016. Revenues from the sector grew to $12.6 billion between 2018 and 2019, compared to $10 billion the previous year, according to the central bank. Egyptian authorities have taken measures to forestall the spread of the virus. State television has broadcast numerous images of the disinfection of Cairo's metro and trains. The government is remaining upbeat for now. "Tourist activities are proceeding normally in Luxor... as thousands of visitors have flocked onto its different archaeological sites," the tourism ministry said Monday. Speaking to reporters in Luxor on Sunday alongside Health Minister Hala Zayed, Tourism Minister Khaled El-Enany said tourists were still arriving in droves. "You have seen the numbers yourselves, the buses, the queues: tourism is still very stable in Luxor... everything is going well so far," he said. Cruise ship quarantine Former president of the Federation of Chambers of Tourism, Ilhami al-Zayyat, told AFP there had been "a slight uptick in cancellations so far from countries" including China and Italy, another country heavily affected by the virus. "But we still have Americans, British, Australians and South Americans coming," he said. Forty-five passengers and crew on the A-Sara cruise ship, docked off of tourist hot-spot Luxor, tested positive for the novel coronavirus. By - (AFP) He added, however, that he expected fewer tourists from Arab countries, "especially those coming from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia", which have placed restrictions on travellers from Egypt due to the virus. Egyptian authorities had on Saturday reported moving 45 suspected cases -- 33 passengers and 12 crew -- from the stricken "A-Sara" cruise ship into isolation on land, without specifying what happened to the others aboard. Matt Swider, an American cruise passenger who tested positive for the virus, documented on Twitter his transfer to a north coast hospital aboard a military jet, saying the staff had been "extremely friendly". The scores of foreign tourists on the ship, including American, French and Indian nationals, as well as Egyptian crew, had been quarantined aboard the ship, passengers on board told AFP. Health Minister Zayed said passengers who tested negative were free to leave after 24 hours, though two travellers AFP spoke to on Monday said they were still in quarantine. On Monday, 340 tourists coming from Greece aboard a Maltese ship were tested for the virus. LAKE FOREST, Ill., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Tenneco Inc. (NYSE: TEN) today announced, as part of its ongoing Board refreshment process, the appointment of Roy Armes to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. In connection with this appointment, the Board will temporarily expand to 12 directors, 10 of whom are independent, until the 2020 Annual Meeting, at which point the Tenneco Board will be reduced to 11 directors. Director Roger Porter has announced that he will not stand for reelection at the 2020 Annual Meeting. "This appointment, which follows the addition of Chuck Stevens as an independent director and recent governance improvements, reflects our commitment to continuously review the Board's capabilities and enhance our membership for the benefit of all Tenneco shareholders," said Dennis Letham, incoming Lead Independent Director of the Tenneco Board. "Roy brings significant industry knowledge and aftermarket experience as well as public company board experience and new perspectives that will be invaluable to Tenneco. I look forward to working with Roy as we continue to oversee the management team's execution of our Accelerate program and position the Company for success." "On behalf of the entire Board, I would also like to thank Roger for his many years of dedicated service to Tenneco," said Gregg Sherrill, Chairman of the Board. "During his time on our board, he's helped the company navigate significant paradigm shifts in mobility, the introduction of new competitors and macro-economic trends that impact the entire industry. Through it all, his leadership, wisdom and significant contributions have helped Tenneco achieve key milestones in the Company's history." "The Tenneco Board is taking purposeful steps to achieve its financial and operational objectives and I am excited to join the effort," said Mr. Armes. "With two world-class businesses and a strategic review process underway, Tenneco is uniquely positioned to generate value for all shareholders." About Roy Armes Roy Armes brings significant industry knowledge and experience in the automotive aftermarket and with original equipment manufacturers, the two primary channels through which Tenneco sells its products. Mr. Armes is the former Chairman, President and CEO of Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, a global company that specializes in the design, manufacture, marketing and sales of passenger car, light and medium truck, motorcycle and racing tires. Prior to joining Cooper in January 2007, Mr. Armes concluded an extensive career at Whirlpool Corporation, where he served in a variety of leadership positions across the company, both in the U.S. and key emerging markets globally, most recently serving as Senior Vice President, Project Management Office. Mr. Armes currently serves as a director on the boards of AGCO Corporation since 2013 and The Manitowoc Company, Inc. since 2018. He formerly was a board member of JLG Industries, Inc. and chairman of the Rubber Manufacturers Association. Mr. Armes holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Toledo, where he now serves on the Board of Trustees. About Tenneco Headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois, Tenneco is one of the world's leading designers, manufacturers and marketers of Aftermarket, Ride Performance, Clean Air and Powertrain products and technology solutions for diversified markets, including light vehicle, commercial truck, off-highway, industrial and the aftermarket, with 2019 revenues of $17.45 billion and approximately 78,000 employees worldwide. On October 1, 2018, Tenneco completed the acquisition of Federal-Mogul, a leading global supplier to original equipment ("OE") manufacturers and the aftermarket. Additionally, the company expects to separate its businesses to form two new, independent companies, an Aftermarket and Ride Performance company as well as a new Powertrain Technology company. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements relate to Tenneco Inc.'s (the "Company," "we," "us," or "our") planned separation into a powertrain technology company and an aftermarket and ride performance company. The words "may," "will," "believe," "should," "could," "plan," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," and similar expressions (and variations thereof), identify these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations of the Company (including its subsidiaries). Because these statements involve risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from the expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements include: the ability to identify and consummate strategic alternatives that yield additional value for shareholders; the timing, benefits and outcome of the Company's strategic review process; the structure, terms and specific risk and uncertainties associated with any potential strategic alternative; potential disruptions in the Company's business and stock price as a result of its exploration, review and pursuit of any strategic alternatives; the risk the Company may not complete a separation of its powertrain technology business and its aftermarket and ride performance business (or achieve some or all of the anticipated benefits of the separation); the risk the combined company and each separate company following the separation will underperform relative to expectations; the ongoing transaction costs and risk the Company may incur greater costs following separation of the business; the risk the spin-off is determined to be a taxable transaction; the risk the benefits of the acquisition of Federal-Mogul LLC ("Federal-Mogul"), including synergies, may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected; the risk the acquisition of Federal-Mogul may not advance the Company's business strategy; the risk the Company may experience difficulty integrating or separating employees or operations; and the risk the transaction may have an adverse effect on existing arrangements with the Company and its subsidiaries, including those related to transition, manufacturing and supply services and tax matters; the Company's ability to retain and hire key personnel; or the Company's ability to maintain relationships with customers, suppliers or other business partners. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release. Additional information regarding these risk factors and uncertainties is, and will be, detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC filings, including but not limited to its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019. Additional Information and Where to Find It The Company intends to file a proxy statement and a form of associated white proxy card with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the Company's 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. The Company's shareholders are strongly encouraged to read the definitive proxy statement, the accompanying proxy card and other documents filed with the SEC carefully in their entirety when they become available because they will contain important information. The Company's shareholders will be able to obtain any proxy statement, any amendments or supplements to the proxy statement and other documents filed by the Company with the SEC free of charge at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Copies will also be available free of charge at the Company's website at www.tenneco.com. Certain Information Regarding Participants The Company, its directors and certain of its executive officers will be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the Company's shareholders in connection with the matters to be considered at the Company's 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Information about the Company's directors and executive officers is available in the Company's proxy statement filed with the SEC on April 3, 2019 with respect to the Company's 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and, with respect to directors and executive officers appointed following such date, in certain of the Company's other SEC filings made subsequent to the date of such proxy statement. To the extent holdings of the Company's securities by such directors or executive officers have changed since the amounts printed in the proxy statement, such changes have been or will be reflected on Initial Statements of Beneficial Ownership on Form 3 or Statements of Changes in Beneficial Ownership on Form 4 filed with the SEC. Tenneco Contacts: Linae Golla Investor Inquiries 847 482-5162 [email protected] or Bill Dawson Media Inquiries 847 482-5807 [email protected] SOURCE Tenneco Inc. Related Links www.tenneco.com TAMPA, Fla., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Financial-Information-Technologies, LLC ("Fintech") today announced that a jury in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida has ruled in favor of Fintech in its lawsuit against iControl Systems USA, LLC ("iControl") pertaining to the theft of Fintech's trade secrets. In connection with this verdict, the jury awarded Fintech compensatory and exemplary damages, totaling in the millions. Significantly, the verdict reflected the jury's finding that iControl's conduct was both willful and malicious. Following this verdict, Fintech will seek an injunction preventing iControl from further misappropriating Fintech's stolen trade secrets and to stop developing and selling products developed from this information. "This verdict marks a multi-year effort to prove that iControl built their payments business largely by maliciously stealing our trade secrets," said Tad Phelps, CEO, Fintech. "We have spent over 28 years building our products for the alcohol payment space and have invested millions of dollars and countless resources to bring our industry-leading technologies to beverage alcohol retailers and distributors. This verdict confirms our stance that iControl was simply profiting off our pioneering spirit and years of development from our remarkable team." "We are very pleased that the jury recognized the importance of protecting Fintech's trade secrets," said Katie Molloy, Greenberg Traurig Attorney/Shareholder. "The jury made a statement that the theft of our client's proprietary information and processes associated with secure payment transaction technologies in the regulated commerce business for electronic payments for alcohol distributors and retailers would not be tolerated." About Fintech Fintech, the leading business solutions provider for the beverage alcohol industry, offers a OneSource solution for beverage alcohol management built to empower alcohol suppliers, distributors and retailers with actionable data. With decades of industry experience and knowledge, paired with unwavering dependability and trust, Fintech continues to lead the development of technologies built to increase margins and maximize operating efficiencies for anyone who sells alcohol. From product ordering, invoice management and reconciliation, and data reporting, to pricing and promotion communication, sales strategy, payment compliance adherence, and regulatory resource connectivity, Fintech delivers strategic, integrated solutions that connect over 605,000 business relationships nationwide. For more information on how Fintech can better your business, visit our website www.fintech.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Contact: Misha Hart, 800.572.0854 x 3827, [email protected] SOURCE Fintech Related Links https://www.fintech.com PLANO, Texas, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Thanks to the power of webcams and Wi-Fi, Frito-Lay's inaugural WomanMade Challenge pivoted to host its finalist pitch-slam online after Natural Products Expo West was postponed indefinitely last week, awarding $100,000 in business grants to three female entrepreneurs on Friday as planned. Originally intended to be a live, rapid-fire event, WomanMade leveraged the power of technology to carry on virtually via Zoom, committed to advancing and providing much-needed support to female-founded food and beverage businesses. Ten finalists, chosen from more than 100 applicants, presented to the panel of five judges comprised of PepsiCo executives, fellow entrepreneurs and other industry experts, including Lisa Lillien, founder of Hungry-Girl.com, before three were named winners: First Place : Sashee Chandran ; founder of Tea Drops, organic shaped teas that dissolve instantly in hot water and generate 20% less waste than traditional tea packaging. ; founder of Tea Drops, organic shaped teas that dissolve instantly in hot water and generate 20% less waste than traditional tea packaging. Second Place : Nydia Shipman ; co-founder of The Worthy Company, the first plant-based, all-in-one snack bowl made for on-the-go. ; co-founder of The Worthy Company, the first plant-based, all-in-one snack bowl made for on-the-go. Third Place : Kate Flynn ; co-founder of Sun & Swell Foods, on a mission to make healthy, on-the-go snacking more accessible. The winning female entrepreneurs will receive $50,000, $30,000 and $20,000 grants, respectively, that can be used in any aspect of their businesses. Joining Lillien on the judging panel were Jennifer Saenz, president of PepsiCo Global Foods; Ciara Dilley, vice president of marketing, transform brands & portfolio innovation Frito-Lay North America; Shane Emmett, co-founder of Health Warrior; and Hannah Hong, co-founder of Hakuna Brands and winner of the 2019 Stacy's Rise Project. "Female founders are the epitome of persistence in the face of unexpected obstacles, so we as a team knew immediately that we couldn't let the cancellation of Expo West deter us from bringing the WomanMade Challenge finalists together and awarding our winners," said Dilley. "We are so grateful to the finalists and judges who adopted new technology to join us in ending the week on an uplifting note, inspired by all 10 women and the brands they are building." The 10 finalists of the inaugural WomanMade Expo West Challenge including Jessica Levison of Peekaboo Ice Cream, Cecilia Panichelli of Cocina 54, Brooke Rewa of Goodmylk, Rana Lustyan of Edoughble, Allison DeVane of Teaspressa, Katie Jesionowski of My SuperFoods, and Jill Robbins of Homefree represented a diverse group of business owners: Half of the finalist companies are founded by women of color. Four of the 10 finalists are Certified B Corporations. Half of the companies are founded by moms. Four of the organizations are committed to increasing access to better-for-you snacks. Four of the businesses are partnered with charitable organizations or donate proceeds of sales to charitable causes. Three of the companies have gluten-free products. Half of the finalists' products are organic. Three of the companies are non-GMO or Non-GMO Project Verified. Four of the contestants have created vegan food or beverages. According to PitchBook, in 2019 female entrepreneurs again received a meager percentage of all venture capitalist funding, specifically 2.8%, up from 2.2% the year before. Research conversely shows that women-owned businesses have an average ROI of two times per dollar invested and that companies with diverse management teams deliver higher on innovation while also having lower employee turnover. In addition to awarding a total of $100,000 in business grants to three female entrepreneurs, in partnership with Hello Alice, a free multi-channel platform that helps New Majority Entrepreneurs, all applicants will receive support for their business through the WomanMade Community on Hello Alice, as well as tickets to Hello Alice's Business for All conferences in 2020. For more information about the WomanMade Challenge, please visit www.helloalice.com/communities/womanmade-by-pepsico. To learn more about Frito-Lay, please visit www.fritolay.com. About PepsiCo PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $67 billion in net revenue in 2019, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 23 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales. Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. "Winning with Purpose" reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of the business. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com. SOURCE Frito-Lay North America Related Links http://www.fritolay.com By PTI BHOPAL: Even as the political crisis that has gripped the Kamal Nath-led government in Madhya Pradesh is still unfolding, workers of the opposition BJP on Tuesday broke into celebrations at the party office here. Scores of BJP workers, including women, danced and smeared each other with colours to mark the festival of Holi. ALSO READ: Scindia set to join BJP as resignation spree hits Congress in Madhya Pradesh A woman activist, however, said they are elated because of Holi and in view of the early onset of "Diwali", hinting at uncertainty prevailing over survival of the Kamal Nath government. The Congress has been accusing the BJP of trying to topple the Kamal Nath government, which has been in power since December 2018. Earlier in the day, the state government was pushed to the brink with 19 MLAs of the ruling party sending their resignations via e-mail to Raj Bhavan, immediately after disgruntled leader Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the party in Delhi. MIAMI - Three employees of a company that greets cruise ship passengers in Florida have tested positive for the new coronavirus, state health officials said Tuesday, urging anyone who recently travelled through Port Everglades to isolate themselves for 14 days if they start experiencing symptoms. The Florida Department of Health confirmed the company connection in a news release that also said a 69-year-old woman who tested positive for COVID-19 is the fourth Broward County resident, and third employee of Metro Cruise Services, to have the virus. The health department advisory asks anyone who passed through the port in Fort Lauderdale to isolate themselves and contact their county health department or health care provider if they start experiencing symptoms of the virus, which includes a cough, fever and shortness of breath. That conforms with new guidelines issued Monday by the CDC, which advises recent cruise passengers to monitor their health for 14 days, immediately self-isolate if they experience symptoms, and contact medical professionals for treatment. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, but it can cause more severe illness including pneumonia in older adults and people with existing health problems. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus within weeks. Swift-moving developments over the new coronavirus ricocheted across Floridas Capitol as Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency Monday and lawmakers disrupted their legislative session so crews in surgical gowns could swab down the House chambers. DeSantis said his declaration would enable Florida to better marshal resources and get outside help as it confronts the growing public health crisis. Health officials are trying to connect with all employees of Metro Cruise Services who may have come into contact with the three infected co-workers. The agency announced earlier that three Broward County men, ages 65, 67 and 75, had tested positive; the news release didnt specify which of these men are the other two company employees. Two cruise ships that left from Fort Lauderdale the Regal Princess and the Caribbean Princess were later issued no sail orders by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after crew members who had possibly been exposed on a California ship were tested. The Regal Princess eventually docked at the port late Sunday and passengers were able to leave the ship. The Caribbean Princess stopped briefly in Grand Cayman on Monday to pick up test kits for two crew members. The ship is sailing off Floridas coast until it gets the all clear. Also, late Monday, state health officials reported that a 60-year-old Volusia County woman tested positive, bringing the states total to 20. Of those, two people have died. Fourteen of the 20 cases were diagnosed in Florida and five in another state, officials said. In addition, a California resident, now under self-isolation in Florida, has tested positive. ___ Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak ___ The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. LONDON, March 10, 2020 /CNW/ - In light of the ongoing global COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak, Newcross Healthcare , one of the UK's leading providers of healthcare staff and support, will deliver vital knowledge and training to its staff using Docebo, a leading AI-Powered Learning Platform. With over 8,500 staff across the UK, Newcross will be equipping its staff with knowledge and practical guidance on coronavirus, enabling staff to keep safe as they continue to support clients and service users. Given the fast-paced nature of the coronavirus outbreak, Newcross needed to provide clinical training to all of its staff quickly and effectively. Collaborating with Docebo has allowed the company to expand the roll-out of virus protection and control training. This will ensure that every member of its staff can access the training. As an employer in a highly regulated and safety-critical sector, this has enabled Newcross to communicate updates to its partners, Care Commissioning Groups, regulatory bodies, care homes, residential homes and supported living environments. Mark Story, Head of Learning Innovation at Newcross Healthcare said: "Our staff play a critical role in the UK's health and social care system and may be called upon to treat patients with coronavirus. We have a responsibility to our staff to ensure that we provide the up-to-date training and support they need to keep safe and provide an excellent standard of care to service users. Using digital learning tools like Docebo has given us the ability to deliver training to those who need it most, quickly, in a flexible way and with full traceability." Technology is helping companies react faster to industry changes or matters involving global health. Within days, Docebo has supported Newcross to roll-out a global training programme, enabling its staff to undertake the course. If this same training were to take place in-person, it would have involved 900 face-to-face events and over 9 weeks to reach everyone. By comparison, the UK's first coronavirus case was reported on 31 January, under six weeks ago. Online learning enables companies to distil messages and information and aggregate them into one source. This is especially important in healthcare, as compliance is required to guarantee that the right staff are deployed to the right environments. An online-first approach to enterprise learning enables this to be effectively monitored and reported on. "The ongoing Coronavirus global health emergency has impacted the global economy and population in ways we haven't seen before. Through the lens of business and enterprise learning, it has also made us all rethink how we work, learn and move," said Docebo CEO Claudio Erba. "In this instance, Newcross has been able to respond quickly and is now ready to provide learning content to its staff in response to changes in advice and regulatory requirements. Technology is the catalyst for so much good change, and the Docebo Learning Platform has enabled Newcross to apply new thinking and knowledge quickly." As the Covid-19 situation evolves, Docebo will continue to support Newcross and other organizations needing support in addressing this global challenge. About Newcross Healthcare Founded in 1996, Newcross Healthcare is one of Britain's largest and fastest growing independent healthcare providers. In addition to providing nursing and care resource to hospitals, care homes and other care facilities, Newcross is one of the most extensive providers of specialist complex care in the home in the UK. Newcross also provides training, development and assessment to the healthcare sector. www.newcrosshealthcare.com About Docebo Docebo's mission is to redefine the way enterprises learn by applying new technologies to the traditional corporate learning management system market. Docebo provides an easy-to-use, highly configurable and affordable learning platform with the end-to-end capabilities and critical functionality needed to train internal and external workforces, partners and customers. This allows customers to take control of their desired training strategies and retain institutional knowledge, while providing efficient course delivery, tracking of learning progress, advanced social learning opportunities, and in-depth reporting tools and analytics. Docebo's robust platform helps its customers centralize a broad range of learning materials from peer enterprises and learners into one artificial intelligence-powered Learning Platform to expedite and enrich the learning process, increase productivity and grow teams uniformly. Rob Ayre, Communications & Public Relations Manager, rob.ayre@docebo.com, (437) 241-8417; Dennis Fong, Investor Relations, investors@docebo.com, (416) 283-9930 Bethlehem Police Chief Mark DiLuzio has decided to leave interpretations of marijuana laws state criminal law vs. the edict by Bethlehem City Council to decriminalize possession of small amounts up to individuals under his command. While the chief should be able to trust his officers, human beings are not infallible and putting on a uniform every day doesnt change that. The police are supposed to enforce the laws, not decide which laws to enforce and which ones should be arbitrarily decided on a daily basis. What the chiefs poll demonstrated is a prevailing bias in the police department against legalizing cannabis. This fact, combined with the possibility of human error and officers winging it as to how they might interpret the law on any given day, is unjust. What happened to equal justice for all? This arbitrary decision-making is not the way to go. We the citizens will decide the laws through elected city council members and our elected representatives. The police enforce them. Bruce J. Walters Bethlehem Costco shoppers are venting their frustration and distress after multiple locations of the bulk-buying superstore stopped giving away free samples in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak. As more and more cases of COVID-19 are documented in the US, several stores and restaurant chains have announced shifts in policy, but it seems that Costco pulling its famous free samples has proven to be one of the most upsetting changes. Customers have taken to social media to share their anger and anguish, lamenting that their weekend plans have been dashed. Panic: Twitter users have voiced their horror after Costco revealed it will no longer be giving out free samples in an attempt to minimize health risks in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak Light-hearted: Many of the tongue-in-cheek tweets have joked that the lack of free food is the worst thing to happen as a result of coronavirus Most of the complaining tweets seem to be at lease partially tongue-in-cheek. 'Costco samples have been suspended until further notice. Where am I supposed to get free lunch now?' asked one. 'I have unfortunately had to stop taking my wife on our regular date night as Costco has suspended giving out free samples,' quipped another. 'WHAT DO YOU MEAN COSTCO ISNT GIVING OUT FREE SAMPLES ANYMORE??!! DO THEY WANT ME TO STARVE??' demanded a third. Some played up the drama, comparing it to the end of times and admitted that other safety measures didn't bother them but this one crosses a line. 'It's no longer all fun and games, the coronavirus just hit home for me. My beloved Costco "out of an abundance of caution" has stopped handing out samples. Time to move up the Doomsday Clock,' wrote one Twitter user. Upset: Some commented that the move by Costco signifies that there is a 'real' problem to deal with Changing schedules: A few people complained that they are going to have to cancel planned 'date nights' at Costco because there will be no free food on offer 'This has gone too far,' said another, while one more tweeted: 'Sending love and light during these difficult times.' 'I wasnt worried about Corona Virus until I walked into Costco today to discover that they arent giving out samples anymore. This just got real,' said yet another. One more commented, 'Covid-19 has officially hit me where it hurts,' while another complained in all caps: 'COSTCO SUSPENDING SAMPLES DUE TO CORONAVIRUS IS BIGGER NEWS THAN SXSW BEING CANCELLED.' And yet another said: 'You can cancel flights, sell out of hand sanitizer, and cancel events, but suspending Costco free samples? You got my attention how do we stop this corona virus.' USA Today reports that it's unclear if the free sample ban is in fact a corporate policy affecting all stores, or if it's being implemented on a store-by-store basis. Panic: The majority of tweets were joking in nature, with one person writing that the end of free samples heralds 'the end of the world' Costco stores in California, Washington state, and Florida told the outlet that they did not know when Costco would begin offering free food samples again. Costco has been affected by the virus in other ways, too but for them, it's actually been positive so far, as customers rush to stock up on supplies. According to Business Insider, CFO Richard Galanti told analysts that there had been a sales bump, adding: 'The last week and a half has been quite good with the sales, but we'll see what tomorrow brings.' In fact, for the four weeks ended March 1, the company's net sales were up 13.8 per cent from the year before. He also said that the company was "keeping a close eye on the developments of the coronavirus," specifically the safety of its members and employees, its operations, and its supply chain. Stocking up: Costco has been affected by the virus in other ways, too but for them, it's actually been positive so far, as customers rush to stock up on supplies 'Members are turning to us for a variety of items associated with preparing for and dealing with a virus such as shelf stables, dry grocery items, cleaning supplies, Clorox and bleach, water, paper goods, hand sanitizers, sanitizing wipes, disinfectants, health and beauty aids,' he said. However, that means that some stores have limited how much of those items customers can buy, since quantities are running low. WJLA reports that the Costco in Northeast DC is limiting several items to 2 per person, including water, paper towels, Lysol, Clorox wipes, and toilet paper. Several customers told MarketWatch what it was like to visit a Costco recently, with one calling it 'total f**king anarchy.' 'Signs were up that they were out of toilet paper, paper towels and bottles of water. Even with that, inside people were stocking up on food, drinks... darn near everything it seems. Going up and down the aisles, seeing pallets empty and people loading up their carts... it was just surreal all the panic buying that is going on,' said one. HMD Global, the company that makes Nokia phones, is set to host a hardware event in London on March 19. It is expected to launch a boatload of new Nokia phones at the event, including its first 5G phone. Among them will likely be the Nokia 5.3, the successor to Nokia 5.1, HMD Globals budget offering from 2018. This device first started appearing in leaks last month, revealing much of its specs. Now with just over a week to go for its official unveiling, a live image of the device has leaked out. The image (via NokiaPowerUser), which apparently depicts a prototype Nokia 5.3 unit, sheds more light on its specs and design, including the quad-camera setup on the back. Advertisement Note that this is the very device that was initially said to carry the Nokia 5.2 moniker. A report last week from the same source says the name has been changed to Nokia 5.3. Nokia 5.3 specs and design The Nokia 5.3 features a 6.55-inch waterdrop notch display with a tall 18.5:9 aspect ratio. The device comes in multiple memory configurations, with a minimum of 3GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. Nokia may offer the device with up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. A benchmark listing earlier this month had revealed the Nokia 5.3 to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset. The device will run stock Android 10 out of the box. A large 4,000mAh battery will fuel the whole package. Theres no word yet on its fast charging capabilities. Advertisement The Nokia 5.3 falls in the budget to mid-range and it expectedly features a plastic back panel. On the back of this device is the Nokia logo, a capacitive fingerprint sensor, and a circular camera module that houses four cameras. This setup reportedly includes a 16-megapixel primary camera, a 5-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor, a 2-megapixel depth sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro camera. The front-facing camera is an 8-megapixel snapper. HMD Global was initially preparing to launch the Nokia 5.3 at MWC 2020 in Barcelona last month. However, the coronavirus outbreak forced the cancellation of the megaevent. The company is now holding its own event next week, on March 19. Advertisement The Nokia 5.3 will reportedly be available on the market shortly after the event. It will likely come with a price tag of around $180 in Charcoal, Cyan Green, and Sand color options. If all these leaked specifications turn out to be true, this device will be a compelling proposition at that price. The March 19 event will also see HMD Global launch, among other things, its first 5G phone, an entry-level smartphone, and an Android feature phone. Over the weekend, Neil Young publicly endorsed Bernie Sanders in the 2020 presidential race adding his name to the long list of celebrities who have backed the Vermont Senator. I support Bernie because I listen to what he says, Young wrote on his website. Every point he makes is what I believe in. Every one. Jane Fonda announced her support for Sanders around the same time, telling USA Today she views him as the candidate most capable of tackling climate change. We have to get a climate president in office, and theres only one right now, and thats Bernie Sanders, she told the newspaper before a rally in Los Angeles. So, Im indirectly saying I believe you have to support the climate candidate. In addition to Young and Fonda, Ariana Grande, Cardi B, Cynthia Nixon, Mark Ruffalo, Emily Ratajkowski, Danny Glover, Zoe Kravitz, and more have rallied behind the candidate one of three Democrats still in the running, next to Joe Biden and Tulsi Gabbard. Others, including Alec Baldwin, Cher, and George RR Martin, have expressed sympathies for Biden, but Sanders was going into this Tuesdays primaries with considerable support from A-listers all around. Celebrity endorsements have become somewhat of a question mark in the current electoral landscape. Back in 2016, Hillary Clinton was able to count on the support of dozens of superstars, from Bruce Springsteen to Beyonce and Katy Perry, but still fell short in the election, losing instead to Donald Trump a celebrity himself. Celebrity endorsements are still an important part of US presidential politics, says David Jackson, a professor of political science at Bowling Green State University, whose research has touched on celebrity endorsements in politics. Candidates are expected to have celebrity endorsements, along with the usual tools necessary to win an election such as money, talented staff, and traditional media and elected official endorsements. Perhaps because they have become so common, their effects may seem diminished. While some scepticism might be justified, the importance of star power on contemporary politics shouldnt be overlooked. Barack Obama, for example, went into his 2008 campaign with a tremendous amount of celebrity support, Jackson recalls, and theres evidence from the economics literature that Oprah Winfreys endorsement of him was worth at least a million votes in the Democratic primary campaign. Donald Trumps 2016 victory highlights a counter-intuitive dynamic at play on the Republican side. Trump ascended to the presidency with very limited Hollywood support, but heres the irony, says Jackson. Traditionally, Republicans and conservatives complained about celebrity endorsements, often saying they are not influenced by Hollywood elites and admonishing celebrities to shut up and sing. But then they voted for a celebrity with no public service experience. That was quite a change. One of the downsides of a celebrity endorsement is the idea of elitism, in a field where relatability and electability often go hand in hand. For that reason, celebrities who are perceived as more down-to-earth than their counterparts might provide more efficient support than others. Celebrities live lives completely different from the typical American, says Jackson. Thats why celebrities who are viewed as credible and likable do better as endorsers than those who come off as out of touch or as having contempt for their fans. Back in October 2015, Jackson and his colleague Melissa Miller, an associate professor of political science at Bowling Green State University, took a closer look at the Ohio general election, and how celebrity endorsements made voters more or less likely to cast their ballot for a specific candidate. The research showed that none of the celebrities showed a net positive effect, and four of them showed double-digit net negative effects. But while Jackson has no doubt that some celebrity endorsements can hurt, closer inspection shows that there were positive celebrity effects on some voters particularly if they personally knew of, and liked, the celebrity in question. Celebrity culture is becoming more fragmented, and some people may be very popular with some segments of the population but either unknown or unpopular among others, says Jackson. Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Washington, North Dakota and Idaho are voting this Tuesday. The results in Michigan, where Sanders won in 2016, are expected to play a large part in shaping the future of his White House run. The Swedish actor died this weekend, he was 90. His career spanned seven decades and included more than 150 films and television series that spanned multiple genres. Max von Sydow was born in Lund, Sweden in 1929. His journey to acting started with creating a theatrical group with his friends at school. You see, I had an odd upbringing. My father was a scholar, a professor in the town where I was born, and his subject was folklore. He was a master at telling stories folk tales and adventures. I was very shy as a boy and heard more fairy tales than the average child because of my father. This and my shyness prompted my imagination and led to an interest in make-believe. He studied at the Royal Dramatic Theater in Stockholm and spent several years on the stage with city theater groups performing Shakespeare and made his film debut in Alf Sjobergs Bara en mor in 1949. He met Ingmar Bergman in 1955 when he joined the Malmo City Theatre. His performance as medieval knight Antonious Block in The Seventh Seal brought him to international fame and is still held as a masterclass in acting. It has influenced many films since it was parodied in Bill and Teds Bogus Journey. The pair would go on to make eleven films together, including Wild Strawberries, The Virgin Spring, The Magician, Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light, and Shame. Their partnership created some of the most enduring movies of the era and effected a generation of filmmakers. You have to get more involved in a [Ingmar Bergman] film than you do in others because it deals with much deeper and more philosophic questions than the average movie. He also establishes a much closer relationship with his actors and technicians than would ever be possible on larger productions. In Hollywood, he was often cast as the villain (much to his frustration) due to his towering height, deep voice, and austere features. Most will recognize him as Ming the Merciless in Flash Gordon, Lamar Burgess in Minority Report, and Ernst Stavro Blofeld in Never Say Never Again. He also played several older, wise teacher type characters notably in The Exorcist, Dune, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, and Game of Thrones. At home [in Sweden], the actors profession was not considered particularly reputable, but being an actor or star in a Hollywood film was something very important in American eyes. Then I slowly realized that as an actor in Sweden, you were allowed to be involved in some kind of artistic project, which could be a flop and yet still be justifiable if it carried artistic weight and ambitions. In Hollywood, on the other hand, if you do not succeed, you are nobody. You become a mere piece of paper with a figure on it. You are just as good-or bad-as your last film was financially. And while Sweden remains sufficiently small for you to work in, say, Malmo and still make films in Stockholm, in the States you either work in Hollywood, or you live somewhere else, and you work for the legitimate theater. Outside of his career in Hollywood, he regularly worked in Europe (he spoke five languages) on screen and stage playing what he called people without any remarkable talents that struggled with existential questions and insurmountable odds. Films like The Emigrants and Pelle the Conqueror (which earned him an Oscar nomination). This weekend is a good time to remember von Sydow by digging into his work. Amazon Prime currently has Three Days of the Condor, The Ox, and The Greatest Story Ever Told. Netflix has The Command. The Criterion Channel has nearly everything he did with Bergman plus a bunch of others. Grim-faced, visibly grief-stricken, some crying, hundreds of family members gathered Tuesday for a memorial service at the site where one year ago an Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed into the rocky ground, killing all 157 on board. The area of the disaster, about 40 miles southeast of Addis Ababa, the capital, was closed to the press as buses brought family of the victims to the commemoration, sponsored by Ethiopian Airlines and Boeing, the maker of the jet. Ethiopian investigators are mostly blaming Boeing for last years crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jet shortly after takeoff, saying in an interim report Monday that there were design failures in the jet and inadequate training for pilots. In the interim report released Monday, Ethiopian investigators say there were design failures in the flight-control system which repeatedly pushed the nose of the plane down. The report also said Boeing had offered inadequate training for pilots. The update from Ethiopian investigators timed to beat the anniversary of the crash on March 10, 2019 pointed to the role played by a new flight-control system that Boeing installed on the 737 Max and which repeatedly pushed the nose of the plane down. The system, called MCAS, overwhelmed the pilots attempts to control the plane. When it triggered for the fourth and final time, the pilots fought back by pulling on their control columns with up to 180 pounds of force, but the nose of the plane sank even more and the jet flew even faster. Shortly before impact, the plane was streaking downward at 575 mph at a rate of more than 5,000 feet per minute with its nose tilted down at a 40-degree angle, according to the interim report from Ethiopia's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. All 157 people on board were killed when flight 302 crashed into a field six minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa. Every Max jet worldwide was grounded within days of the crash the second involving a Boeing Max in less than five months. The investigators issued several recommendations to Boeing and placed little blame on the airline or its pilots. In that regard, the Ethiopian update differed from a final report that Indonesian investigators issued after a 737 Max operated by Lion Air crashed in October 2018 and killed all 189 people on board. Data in the Ethiopian update, however, could renew questions about the pilots actions in particular, their decision to turn MCAS back on after first disabling it when the planes nose pitched down. One aeronautics expert said restoring power to MCAS doomed the flight. Mondays interim report by Ethiopias transport ministry was not remarkably different from a preliminary report the government issued last April. Boeing and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said they were reviewing the update, but both already seemed to be looking ahead to a final report that the Ethiopians are expected to issue later this year. We believe its important to have the full final report to evaluate it against other independent reports so that we might fully understand all of the factors both mechanical and human that played a role in this tragic loss of life, the FAA said in a statement from spokesman Lynn Lunsford. Meanwhile, another report indicated the Max could be grounded longer than Boeing expects while the company fixes a wiring problem with the planes. Wiring bundles are too close together, raising the risk of short-circuiting and fire in extreme situations. Boeing has been analyzing the issue for several weeks. The Wall Street Journal reported that FAA managers and engineers have recommended requiring Boeing to move the wiring on nearly 800 Max jets, which could further delay Boeings schedule for returning the planes to flight later this year. The FAA said Monday it was continuing to discuss the matter with Boeing, and that the plane will only be cleared to fly when the agency is satisfied that all safety-related issues have been fixed. Mondays interim report by the Ethiopian investigators added to pressure on Boeing. It came three days after a congressional report said Boeing's development of the Max was marred by design failures and a culture of concealment to hide information from regulators and airlines. Democrats on the House Transportation Committee also slammed the FAA for poor oversight of Boeing. Committee leaders are vowing to propose changes in how FAA oversees aircraft manufacturers. The Ethiopian board made six recommendations, all aimed at Boeing or the FAA, which certified the plane in 2017. Boeing is addressing some of the recommendations by changing MCAS to make it less powerful. Boeing is also endorsing the use of flight simulators to train pilots on how MCAS makes flying the Max different from previous models of the 737. There were no recommendations for Ethiopian Airlines, which has defended the actions of its pilots. The update, however, pointed out again that pilots on flight 302 restored power to the MCAS flight-control system after initially turning it off. When they did that, the pilots couldnt counter the downward pitch caused by the position of the stabilizer, a horizontal fin on the tail that pushes the nose up or down, because they were flying so fast, said John Hansman, an aeronautics professor at MIT. It's unclear why, but the pilots had left the throttles fully open after takeoff. Hansman believes the pilots might have been too busy and distracted to notice. They were saturated. They were dealing with so much stuff all those warnings, he said. It is hard to diagnose exactly what is happening and what the causality is while you are trying to keep the airplane under control. In a statement, Boeing said it continued to provide technical help to the investigators as they finish their work. We look forward to reviewing the full details and formal recommendations that will be included in the final report from the Ethiopian Accident Investigation Bureau, said the statement by spokesman Gordon Johndroe. Residents of the rural Tulufera area, near Bishoftu, took a break from fetching water and milking cattle, to remember when the jet nose-dived into the earth. "It was very chaotic and we were in distress," Tsegaye Workineh, who said he was one of the first people to reach the crash site, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "It is a sight that I will never forget in my entire life. You're lucky that you haven't seen it. It was very shocking." Big buses and smaller vehicles arrived on a newly built dirt road for the service where large tents have been erected. The Ethiopian crash came almost five months after a strikingly similar crash in Indonesia of the same model aircraft. Together, the two crashes led to a grounding of all Boeing 737 Max jets, more than 380 planes used by more than 50 airlines around the world. Boeing initially expressed confidence that the planes would soon be returned to service, but no date has been set. West Chester University wont offer face-to-face classes for the rest of the spring semester due to coronavirus concerns. Officials at colleges across Pennsylvania are closely monitoring the global outbreak of coronavirus. Universities in other states are also taking the drastic step of suspending face-to-face instruction and asking students not to return after spring break. West Chester, the largest of the 14 state-owned universities, announced Tuesday it is moving to online courses for the rest of the semester. CORONAVIRUS CASES IN PENNSYLVANIA: Click to see where cases of the coronavirus are in Pennsylvania are located. "Faculty will use the next two weeks to prepare their courses for remote delivery and remote advising and registering for the summer and fall terms. As such, in-person, face-to-face instruction will not occur on campus and these courses will resume by alternate means on March 30, President Christopher Fiorentino said in a statement. So far, private colleges and public universities in Pennsylvania report no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on their campuses. But they are keeping tabs on students who have traveled near places where there has been a reported outbreak, among dozens of other precautionary steps. In addition to moving to online courses, West Chester University has suspended all non-essential travel on university business, both domestically and international, until further notice. Some steps are simple, such as adding more hand sanitizer stations at Harrisburg University. Other colleges and universities are suspending travel and preparing spaces for students to be quarantined. The timing of the evolving health crisis comes at a time when students and faculty are trekking around the country - and around the world - during their spring break. At Penn State, students are on spring break this week. While students are away, university officials are mapping out responses to a variety of possible scenarios related to the coronavirus situation, said spokesman Wyatt DuBois. Penn States latest guidance to faculty strongly encourages them to plan ahead so that students can complete their semesters and that teaching responsibilities can be fulfilled should there be a need for self-quarantine, or should the university determine that campus closure is required," he said. Additionally, in the event face-to-face instruction is not an option, DuBois said Penn State faculty is being advised to consider alternative methods, such as online assignments and access to digital course materials or recorded lectures, to deliver instruction. Penn State has 12 action teams looking at ways to mitigate future impacts of coronavirus to the university, including looking at whether and how to proceed with such events as the annual Blue-White game set for April 18 and commencement exercises. Temple University has advised its faculty to prepare to continue teaching their courses online should a local outbreak of the virus occur. It further advises students to evaluate their readiness for that potential scenario. Students at most of the 14 universities in Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, including such schools as Shippensburg and West Chester, also are on spring break this week. Along with offering the precautionary steps about hand-washing and avoiding people who are sick, some of the system universities shared a few more specific steps on their websites they are taking to mitigate the situation. Before students at Cheyney University headed back home or elsewhere, the university asked them to complete an online survey to indicate their travel plans. At Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a recent update advises students that classes and other events will continue as scheduled unless we are otherwise advised by state or national agencies. With West Chester moving to remote learning for the rest of the spring, the universitys residence halls and apartments will not be open. Students will be contacted about when they can return to campus to pick up their belongings. Among private institutions, Elizabethtown College has identified a self-contained incubation/quarantine site on the edge of campus in the event of a student needing to self isolate. Harrisburg University has opted to hold an orientation for international students online instead of in-person this Friday. York College of Pennsylvania issued a statement committing to deliver courses electronically if faculty or students are advised to self-quarantine. The University of Pittsburgh, meanwhile, cancelled its spring break study-abroad and study-away programs requiring air travel that were scheduled to take place this week. In addition, it required students studying abroad in France, Germany, and Spain to return and asked them to quarantine themselves for 14 days. While Princeton and Harvard have gone so far as to suspend face-to-face instruction, the University of Pennsylvania has thus far refrained from following the lead of its Ivy League counterparts. But it has imposed limits on travel and social gatherings. On Tuesday, Penn announced the prohibition of all future university-related travel, both domestic and international, at least until April 17, unless approved by the provost. Further, it is curtailing large university events until that date and encouraging meetings or events that will gather 100 people or more to be canceled or postponed. Moreover, Penn has canceled on-campus admitted student programs scheduled for April and offering virtual visits to those students instead. It also is barring its health system and medical schools faculty, students, postdocs, and staff from attending large gatherings including attending conferences here and abroad. At Lebanon Valley College, an 1,800-student private college in Lebanon County, officials there are in monitoring mode. During last weeks spring break, more than 100 of LVCs students and faculty went to places including Florida, Arizona, and New York City, where presumed or confirmed cases of the coronavirus have now been reported. Some were student-athletes, performers and those doing community service work. College spokesman Tom Hanrahan said college health officials are keeping tabs on those individuals and asking them to report any of the coronavirus symptoms, which include fever, coughs and shortness of break, which may appear 2 to 14 days after exposure. Additionally, six or seven LVC students studying in Italy have since returned home and will complete the semester by taking courses online, Hanrahan said. This college, too, is preparing to shift to an online education model if it becomes necessary. LVC has some apartments set aside to quarantine individuals if that becomes necessary. If worse comes to worse, well be ready, Hanrahan said. Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy. 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. Volunteers help medical workers on frontline of battle against epidemic in Wuhan While medical workers continue the fight against COVID-19 on the frontline in central Chinas Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, numerous volunteers are also making their contribution while being out of the spotlight. Bao Lijie (Photo via Jilin Municipal Central Hospital) Bao Lijie, a nurse from the Jilin Municipal Central Hospital in Jilin City, northeast Chinas Jilin Province, joined the fight at the Hanyang Fangcang makeshift hospital in Wuhan on Feb. 15. In addition to her colleagues, two volunteer drivers also serve as her comrade-in-arms in the battle. Whenever Bao and her colleagues go to work, one of the two drivers always waits to pick them up in front of the hotel where theyre staying. It seems that they never rest, Bao said, adding that sometimes she has to start work at 2 a.m. at the temporary hospital. She feels deeply indebted to the drivers, and sometimes notices that they are so tired that they doze off with their heads against the vehicles window. Are you afraid of coming into contact with us every day? Bao once asked one of the drivers, surnamed Ding, who responded by saying they were grateful for the medical staffs professionalism and kindness. We will not go home until the epidemic ends, Ding said, hoping that the epidemic will end as soon as possible. At the hotel where they are staying, a volunteer will wait to disinfect all medical staff whenever they come back from the Fangcang hospital. Bao was informed that the volunteer, whose wife is also a medical worker, has not had one day of rest since the outbreak. Bao is also touched by the determination of other volunteers, including policemen and those responsible for bringing food to medical workers. We will keep fighting for these selfless and dedicated volunteers, Bao added. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Abdul Qadir Sediqi and Orooj Hakimi (Reuters) Kabul, Afghanistan Tue, March 10, 2020 07:03 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20696cc92 2 World Afghanistan,leader,president,political-actors,political-opponents Free Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was sworn in for a second term on Monday, but the ceremony was marred by a rocket attack and a rival held his own inauguration ceremony in an escalating political feud compounding challenges to ending the 18-year war. Both Ghani and former chief executive Abdullah Abdullah say they are Afghanistan's rightful leader following a disputed election last September. The standoff threatens political chaos days after the United States and the Taliban signed a deal on the withdrawal of US-led international forces. Planned morning ceremonies were postponed and guests kept waiting while US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad tried to broker a last-minute deal between the longtime political foes - but there was no word of a breakthrough. Ghani eventually took an oath at the presidential palace in a ceremony attended by foreign diplomats including Khalilzad and NATO forces commander Scott Miller. Abdullah held a ceremony at his own compound nearby attended by supporters. Hours after the competing ceremonies, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a statement saying that the United States "strongly" opposes the creation of a "parallel government, and any use of force to resolve political differences." The warning appeared primarily aimed at Abdullah. But Pompeo also withheld congratulating Ghani on being sworn-in to a second five-year term. Instead, he expressed support for a pledge by Ghani to continue talks for the next two weeks on forming an "inclusive government that unifies the country and prioritizes peace." Ghani's ceremony was disrupted by the sound of rockets hitting the edge of the compound of the presidential palace in an attack later claimed by Islamic State. The Ministry of Interior said four rockets were launched from a car, injuring one policeman. As some attendees ducked and ran for cover, Ghani briefly paused his address, saying: "Do not be afraid of one or two explosions, stay in your seats." Returning to his speech, Ghani said he would stick to his previous cabinet for two weeks before selecting new members who would include people beyond his political camp to form "an inclusive government." He plans to finalize a negotiating team for talks with the Taliban on Tuesday and to make a further announcement on demands by the militants for the release of 5,000 prisoners. The Taliban, which has waged an insurgency since shortly after its fall from power in 2001, has made their release a condition for talks but Ghani has rejected the demand. 'Complete mess' Despite Ghanis announcements, many diplomats, experts and civil society members believe the political crisis does not bode well for talks with the Taliban, known as "intra-Afghan talks", under a US brokered peace process. "It's a worst-case scenario for sure," said Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at the Wilson Center. "The question is how you get two separate Afghan governments into an already complex negotiation with the Taliban?" The talks are intended as a follow-up to the Feb. 29 pact on the withdrawal of US troops. US and Western diplomats told Reuters that an arrangement will have to be brokered quickly before the two start appointing rival ministers. "It's a complete mess, the two men refuse to negotiate a deal," said a senior American official in Kabul. Ghani and Abdullah had been holding talks with Khalilzad as the US special envoy tried to secure a deal to avert the parallel inaugurations, officials from both camps said. The US State Department declined to comment. The Election Commission last month announced that Ghani had retained power by winning the Sept. 28 election. But Abdullah proclaimed himself winner. "No one should have underestimated our commitment to genuine democracy," Abdullah tweeted on Monday. "Invalidation of all fraudulent votes is the way out." Ghani and Abdullah both held roles in the previous government under a US-brokered, power-sharing agreement that followed the 2014 election. Publicly, many embassies and international players including Canada and the United Nations congratulated Ghani. But there was frustration too. Aisha Khurram, a student at Kabul University and Afghanistan's youth representative to the United Nations last year, tweeted: "Game of thrones: Our country is literally on the brink of division. Shame on our authorities for ... jeopardizing the nascent peace process. You failed this generation!" President Donald Trump called on the American people to 'be calm' and assured them that things are 'really working out' today during a press conference. With coronavirus task force leader Mike Pence looming behind him, the president gave a quick statement today during a press conference that was apparently intended to calm Americans who are worried about the coronavirus. "We're prepared, and we're doing a great job with it," Mr Trump said. "So just stay calm. It'll go away, just stay calm." The statements came during a meeting discussing possible plans and spending on coronavirus responses. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and economic adviser Larry Kudlow joined the president and vice president at the meeting. According to Politico, Mr Trump and Mr Pence discussed several possible responses, including payroll tax cuts, paid sick leave for hourly employees and an infrastructure program. "They have five or six ideas. Trying to help people that were going to be laid off, targeted packages to parts of the economy that were going to get hit. You know, the inability to travel and hold events, the hospitality industry," Senator Lindsey Graham said. Mr Trump insisted that the government would protect the airline and cruise ship industries. "We want to protect our shipping industry, our cruise industry, we want to protect our airline industry, very important," he said. "But everyone has to be vigilant and be careful. But be calm." Earlier today, National Guard troops were dispatched to New Rochelle, New York, a coronavirus epicenter just outside of New York City, where they will operate a satellite testing site and set up a one-mile, two-week containment area in the city. Public schools in the contamination zone will be closed until 25 March. Westchester County, where New Rochelle is located, has already reported 108 confirmed coronavirus cases. The concentration of cases in New Rochelle is partially due to the infection of a lawyer from Manhattan who is linked to dozens of cases in several states. Mr Trump did not mention the deployment of the National Guard during his statement. In what appeared to be a message directly to the stock market the day after the S&P 500 dropped more than 7 percent and the Dow fell 2,000 points, Mr Trump spoke to the "power" of consumers. "The consumer is ready, the consumer is so powerful in our country with what we've done, with tax cuts and regulation cuts and all of those things," he said. "The consumer has never been in a better position then they are right now." Mr Trump blamed the exceptionally volatile market on oil tussling by the Russians and Saudi Arabia. While the oil dispute between the countries certainly didn't help market stability, the effects of the coronavirus on the market were already being felt prior to that event, as the Dow had already dropped 11 percent from its peak in February. New Delhi, March 10 : With the Congress failing to handle the political crisis in Madhya Pradesh, the chorus for Rahul Gandhi's return has grown louder with the party's Karnataka unit chief Dinesh Gundu Rao, who has put down in papers but his resignation is yet to be accepted, saying that the Congress leader be brought back at the helm of party affairs. On Tuesday, Congress strongman from Madhya Pradesh Jyotiraditya Scindia severed his nearly two-decade long association with the party after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi here along with Home Minister Amit Shah, sinking the Kamal Nath-led 15-month-old Madhya Pradesh government into a deep crisis. Soon after, Rao tweeted, "Whatever may happen in Madhya Pradesh, one thing is clear. It's time for @RahulGandhi to lead from the front. It's time for him and the senior leaders to make drastic changes at the top. We can't go on like this anymore. @INCIndia needs him and he needs the party." The war within the party has ruined the chances in Haryana where the exit of Ashok Tanwar has halted the march of the party to the top position. Similarly, in Madhya Pradesh, the exit of Scindia has made the party weaker. Not only Rao, but Haryana MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi also tweeted that young leaders should be given chance in the party. Bishnoi, who is a Congress MLA from Adampur in Haryana and has returned to the party after floating his own outfit Haryana Janhit Congress, tweeted, "India's oldest party needs to empower young leaders who have the capacity to work hard & resonate with the masses." As per sources, the young party leaders are feeling alienated, especially after Scindia was overlooked for the post of Madhya Pradesh Congress chief. Similarly, Sachin Pilot, despite being the Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan, is being pushed by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to give up the state President's post, claimed a source. Jitin Prasada is said to be unhappy as he has been denied the top party post for many years, despite commitments being made by the top leadership. He was also upset during the Lok Sabha polls, but was pacified by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, said a source, adding that he was also promised a Rajya Sabha seat. The former Union minister has been a special invitee to the party's working committee, but one of his close aides said that his heart lay in Uttar Pradesh, where the party made Ajay Kumar Lallu the state unit chief. When contacted, Jitin Prasada said, "I am with the party," and disconnected the phone. Another Congress leader, Sandeep Dikshit, is also reportedly upset with the party after being kept out of the recent Delhi Assembly polls. He had told IANS on Monday, "Extraordinary situation demands extraordinary actions," adding that uncertainty is costing the party dearly and the seniors should take the responsibility to elect a new President. Euan Stevenson (pictured) was last seen leaving Coles in Port Melbourne about 10.30am on Wednesday March 4 A British backpacker who vanished in Melbourne has been missing for more than a week. Euan Stevenson, 24 was last seen leaving Coles in Port Melbourne at about 10.30am on Wednesday, March 4. He was reported missing when he didn't to turn up for work at 3pm that day. Friends told nine.com.au Mr Stevenson had been travelling around Australia on a working holiday visa for the past two years and was due to go home in three weeks. Clarissa White said Mr Stevenson moved in with her after moving to Melbourne several weeks ago. 'He was just going to save some money to get back home,' she said. 'We are so stressed and just worried sick. 'He doesn't know anyone here. Literally, my boyfriend and I are the only people he knows in Melbourne.' Friends claim Mr Stevenson, who is from Scotland, had an argument with his girlfriend over the phone before he vanished. CCTV footage showed Mr Stevenson leaving his apartment on Wednesday, at about 9.20am. He stopped answering his girlfriend's calls and messages, and switched his phone off shortly after. Friends claim that Mr Stevenson, who is from Scotland, had had an argument with his girlfriend over the phone before he switched his mobile off and vanished (pictured- left Euan Stevenson with friend Clarissa White) Close friend Clarissa White is concerned about her friend Euan Stephenson after he vanished from a Melbourne supermarket a week ago Euan Stevenson with sister Joanne Stevenson Five days later, Mr Stevenson's sister Joanne said her brother had not switched his phone back on and has not been seen since his trip to Coles, where he purchased a bottle of water and a cooler bag. He doesn't have his bank card or passport with him, and friends said his disappearance is out of character. Ms Stevenson, along with the missing man's friends back in Scotland, are desperate to make contact with him. 'We're all worried sick and just want to know that he is OK,' she said. 'Family and friends are growing more concerned for his welfare.' The case eerily mirrors that of Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez (pictured), 18, who went missing on 31 May after leaving Cheeky Monkey's bar in Byron Bay, northern New South Wales and has never been found Mr Stevenson was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, black pants and a pink hat. He was scheduled to work a shift at the convention centre in South Melbourne at 3pm on Wednesday, but never arrived. The case mirrors that of Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez, 18, who went missing last May after leaving Cheeky Monkey's bar in Byron Bay, northern New South Wales, and has never been found. The search for teenager has largely been focused on the bushland near the Cape Byron lighthouse, where his phone last 'pinged' on June 1. Extensive land, air and sea searches failed to find Theo, and the NSW Police referred his case to the State Coroner in September, officially ending the search. The backpacker was travelling Australia with his cousin Lisa Hayez, who claims 'everything was fine' with Theo before he vanished. Anyone with information about Mr Stevenson is urged to contact Melbourne West Police Station on 8690 4444. Medical team members Hu Pei (L) and Li Zhengqiang from east China's Jiangxi Province work at a temporary hospital converted from Hongshan Gymnasium in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, March 9, 2020. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) By Qu Ting, Yang Yijun, Liu Kaixiong, Ban Wei, and Yu Jiaxin According to a statement by the World Health Organization (WHO), the global number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 has surpassed 100,000. The number of countries and regions affected by the epidemic has exceeded 100. The outbreaks and spread around the world posed great challenges to global public health security. At this critical moment, WHO emphasized that every effort to contain the virus and slow the spread will save lives and buy time for the global society and health systems to identify effective treatments and develop vaccines. With the most comprehensive, thorough and strict prevention and control measures, China has always stood at the forefront of epidemic prevention and control. Over the past few days, the international community has spoken highly of these measures which have won time for the world's epidemic prevention. China not only did its best to maintain the safety and health of its people, but also made a positive contribution to global public health security. From more than 15,000 newly confirmed cases to zero new cases in many places, what actions has China taken? As of midnight on March 8, there were no new confirmed local cases in China (except for Hubei province) for two consecutive days. The number of newly confirmed cases in Wuhan has dropped to less than 50 for two consecutive days. The number of newly confirmed cases is one of the important indicators to observe whether the epidemic is effectively controlled. From the "highest point" of more than 15,000 newly confirmed cases to zero new cases in many places, what actions has China taken? The WHO-China Joint Mission on COVID-19 consisting of Chinese and international experts conducted a nine-day inspection in four Chinese provinces from February 16 to 24. Dr. Bruce Aylward, leader of the mission and senior adviser to the director-general of the WHO, believes that China adopted unprecedented measures of old approach plus modern science and technology that have produced even greater effects and outputs. This old approach refers to the containment strategy, which includes encouraging people to wash their hands, wear masks, and maintain social distance at the national level; conduct large-scale body temperature monitoring; suspend public meetings and call on people to reduce travel flow. New technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and 5G have added wings to these traditional methods of prevention and control, making them more efficient and convenient. At the press conference hosted by the China-WHO joint mission, Dr. Bruce Aylward admitted that he once suffered the same biases attitude towards non-pharmaceutical measures. Whereas China said, OK, we dont have those (vaccine ortherapeutic). Lets get out the old ones. Lets adapt them. Lets innovate and lets stop this virus and save lives. And thats what theyve done, said Dr. Bruce Aylward. Medical personnel from across the country rushed to Wuhan; the construction of Huoshenshan Hospital and Leishenshan Hospital were completed quickly; the rapid dispatch of epidemic prevention and control materials; people sacrificed their normal lives to prevent and control the epidemic... China's courage and selfless love in fighting against the epidemic impressed the international community. Since the outbreak, the Chinese government has always put people's lives and health in the first place. More than 58,000 people have been cured and discharged to date and the epidemic control is showing positive signs thanks to the most comprehensive, strict and thorough prevention and control measures adopted by the Chinese government. The China-WHO joint mission analyzed the crude incidence rates (CIR) in various provinces, and estimated that the all-of-government, all-of-society approach adopted by China have probably prevented at least tens of thousands, but probably hundreds of thousands of cases in China. This is an extraordinary achievement." Experts of the joint mission agreed that China's response to the epidemic has significantly protected the lives of its people and people all over the world, and has built a strong "first line of defense" to prevent the international spread of this epidemic. Share information with other countries as soon as possible, a transparent and responsible China joins hands with the world to fight against COVID-19 As of now, China has shared multiple technical documents including epidemic prevention and control approaches and diagnosis and treatment programs with more than 100 countries and more than 10 international and regional organizations. Facing COVID-19, the sly enemy, China also shared information and carried out scientific research cooperation with other countries while fighting the epidemic, Below is a timetable that records China's actions to actively fulfill its international responsibilities and work with the international community to fight against the virus China informed the WHO as soon as possible and maintained communication with the countries concerned after the epidemic outbreak. On January 12, WHO acknowledged the information of COVID-19's gene sequences shared by China; On January 21, China released the sequence of primers and probes for COVID-19's nucleic acid detection ... Anna Popova, director of the Russian Federal Consumer Protection and Public Interest Supervision Bureau and chief epidemic prevention expert, said that Russian researchers developed a method for diagnosing the virus in less than seven days after the virus sequence was released, thanks to the efforts of Chinese medical experts, whose open and swift work was worthy of respect, said Popova. Zeng Yixin, vice minister of China's National Health Commission, said that China had established close technical level communication mechanisms with the WHO, the European Union, the African Union, and other organizations and relevant countries. China will also support organizations such as the Chinese Red Cross and the Chinese Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to send out expert groups for cooperation, communication and professional technical training with technical institutions of relevant countries. "For example, in sample testing, how to take the sample, how to test, whether to test the antigen, virus, serum, antibody or all of them? There are many technical details," Zeng Yixin said. Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England, cited data released by China many times at the press conference on the fight against COVID-19 hosted by the UK. He said that the Chinese government's daily release of the latest data on the epidemic is very helpful to the outside world. Keep watch and defend one another, work together to strengthen international joint prevention and control and port control A Chinese girl wearing a fawn doll hood holding a box with the words "Gratitude from Wuhan" in Japanese, distributed masks to passersby on the streets of Tokyo. "If you are kind, then you have the most handsome armor," she said. At present, China has provided aid such as anti-epidemic materials and testing equipment to countries affected by the epidemic, such as the Republic of Korea and Japan, and has sent expert teams to Iran and other countries. The Chinese government has also decided to donate US$20 million to the WHO to support the international cooperation in fighting COVID-19. Epidemic knows no borders. Mankind is a community of shared destiny, we should keep watch and defend one another in front of the crisis. At present, China's epidemic prevention and control is under pressure from external imported cases and internal proliferation of local cases. Facing the challenge, should we help each other or beggar-thy-neighbor? China has provided a loud answer. Cui Aimin, Director-General of the Department of Consular Affairs of the Foreign Ministry,said that China is willing to strengthen joint prevention and control with relevant countries, jointly strengthen port control measures, strengthen inspection and quarantine, and jointly safeguard the health and safety of people of all countries. It is reported that the local governments in China will timely adjust the prevention and control measures for foreigners coming to China based on the development of the epidemic. After entering China, the local community will also provide foreigners with the necessary guarantees and assistance to help them solve practical difficulties in life. "We treat foreign citizens and nationals equally, and implement corresponding measures without discrimination, and will fully take care of the parties' legitimate concerns and respect their religion and customs," said Cui Aimin. "This is a threat to each of us, and we must be united as one," said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO. Since the epidemic outbreak, more than 60 countries and seven international organizations have reached out to China. When the epidemic is spreading rapidly around the world, China is also closely standing with the people of other countries through the following measures: expiring visas to China can be automatically postponed for two months, actively sharing the epidemic prevention and control standards and guidance materials with global civil aviation companies, and helping small and medium-sized countries with weak public health systems build their defenses ... Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, said that Chinas concrete actions have won itself wide endorsement and appreciation from the world and demonstrated its firm commitment to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. As expected, conservatives (known as Principlists) won Iran's parliamentary election Feb. 21 with about 85% of the vote. This election was a revival for conservatives after their defeat in previous parliamentary and presidential elections. More importantly, conservatives' victory could be a prelude to a win in next years presidential election. If that happens, conservatives will control most political positions the presidency, parliament, judiciary, Assembly of Experts, Guardian Council and Expediency Discernment Council and will have great influence on domestic and foreign policy. In contrast, Reformists, who took only about 5% of the parliamentary vote, will be virtually removed from Iranian politics for a while. It should be noted that conservatives are not homogeneous and are divided into several subgroups, including traditional, moderate, pragmatic and radical. There will be disagreements in this new parliament (the 11th parliament, which begins meeting in June) and even competition among these groups. However, their impact on domestic and foreign policy cant be ignored. Their influence over foreign policy prevails in three areas: spreading ideals; rigidly defining sovereignty and independence; and emphasizing an innovative and active foreign policy, sometimes without regard to circumstances in the international arena. Accordingly, we can expect the following: 1) Radical conservatives, including the Front of Islamic Revolution Stability, will emphasize the ideals of the Islamic Revolution and the ideology of the Islamic Republic. This was the approach during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency (2005-2013). Traditional, moderate and pragmatic conservatives will place less emphasis on these ideals. 2) There will be more coordination between Irans supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), especially as regards supporting the IRGC's foreign policy positions and providing more funding for the group. Parliament will act on Khamenei's foreign policy agenda, including his strong stance toward the United States, emphasizing Iran's independence and support for the axis of resistance in the region. 3) Opposition to the United States and its interventionism will grow. Washingtons "maximum pressure" strategy and the Jan. 3 assassination of Quds Force commander Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani will contribute to that growth. Given conservatives' harsh criticism of President Hassan Rouhani's soft approach to the West, they cant easily compromise on their own. Accordingly, while some moderate conservatives sometimes have advocated limited negotiation with the United States to achieve certain goals, such a position seems unlikely under the present circumstances. In this regard, former Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is expected to be the next parliament speaker, has highlighted that negotiating with US President Donald Trump is a losing proposition. If Trump is reelected in November, expect to see more of an approach where Iran's conservative parliament challenges the United States. At the same time, it wont be easy for legislators to adopt an effective strategy against Trump. 4) Conservatives will increase their criticism of Rouhani and his record on nuclear negotiations and economic performance and his efforts to meet the demands of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) related to money laundering and terrorist funding. That criticism helped conservatives win the legislative elections. Although Khamenei will not agree to the impeachment of Rouhani, as some critics have recommended, the strength of conservatives in the upcoming parliament will make it harder for Rouhani to pursue his foreign policy agenda. 5) Support for the axis of resistance and opposition to Israel will strengthen. Conservatives will seek to unite Islamic societies and support Muslims, especially the oppressed, including in Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Bahrain, Yemen and Afghanistan. This support signals Iran's regional influence and its active foreign policy. Parliament will heighten opposition to Israel as an occupying oppressor state and decry Israel's expansionist plans and Trump's plans for Israel, including the so-called deal of the century peace plan. 6) The strategy of look to the East will gain credence. This strategy was emphasized during Ahmadinejads presidency. Its purpose is to strengthen ties with China and Russia to reduce US pressure. However, conservatives view China and Russia only as balancers against the United States, and conservatives rigid definition of independence applies to relations with Russia and China, too. That is, they are sensitive to any measures that make Iran dependent on Moscow or Beijing. Conservatives' opposition to Iran's military cooperation with Russia at an air base near Hamadan in 2016 reflected this hard approach. 7) Conservatives see Iran's nuclear and missile programs as part of Iran's industrial development plan and a sign of its independence, and therefore will insist on pursuing them. Some conservatives opposed the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal with world powers, seeing it as an obstacle. This position can be followed up by parliament further reducing JCPOA compliance and increasing nuclear activities. If the United States increases the pressure, Iran could withdraw from the JCPOA and even the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. (Iran has already stopped meeting many of its commitments under the JCPOA following the US withdrawal from the pact in 2018.) Reformist parliament member Shahabaddin Bimeghdar doesnt rule out the possibility that conservatives with a populist approach may seek to leave both deals completely. Conservatives approach to Iran's missile program is subject to the same logic as the nuclear program, and they consider it part of the framework of the country's legitimate defense of national sovereignty and territorial integrity. They will oppose any negotiation, agreement or restriction. Although many observers speculate that conservatives will take radical steps in foreign policy, there are some limitations that rebut this assumption. Parliaments place in Irans power structure is complex, and its influence on foreign policy is limited. When conservatives dominate various power institutions, parliament can play a greater role in foreign policy through legislation and oversight, but other individuals and institutions will ration its power. The supreme leader delineates and supervises general policies, including foreign policy issues, and the president is responsible for implementing them. The Supreme National Security Council and the IRGC are also influential in foreign policy and their strong roles can diminish parliaments. As noted, conservatives are divided into different subgroups. Moderate conservatives, including current parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, support the JCPOA and ratifying FATF bills, and interact well with Rouhani. Traditional conservatives oppose tensions in foreign policy because of economic interests. Idealist conservatives, including Ali Akbar Velayati, adviser to Iran's supreme leader, believe Iran can become a major regional power and an influential actor in the international arena. Radical conservative groups such as the Front of Islamic Revolution Stability strongly emphasize exporting the revolution and are extremely opposed to the West. The Spring Current, which comprises Ahmadinejad supporters, is another conservative group that stresses Iran's role in managing international affairs. Pragmatic conservatives or neoconservatives such as Ghalibaf pay simultaneous attention to revolutionary ideals and international realities. Naturally, there will be disagreements and rivalries between these groups in the 11th parliament, which will hinder consensus on defining a common strategy in foreign policy. Often people find it easy to be critical when they arent in charge, but behave differently when they are. Its very likely that when they take over parliament, conservatives will distance themselves from harsh slogans and accept realities and limitations. For example, although Ghalibaf now rejects negotiating with the United States, hes likely to revise his view in the future. As he previously said in an interview, Negotiation is a tool. We'll negotiate with the US where necessary. Negotiation with the US has never been a red line for us. Conservative parliamentarian Ali Motahari said he believes that once conservatives take charge, they will abandon extremist behaviors and seek to resume JCPOA negotiations, ratify FATF bills, reform foreign policy and even talk to the United States. Conservatives also will have to answer to the public. They won the election by criticizing the current situation and promising to resolve internal and external problems. Save Irans economy was one of their main campaign slogans. They understand well that a balanced foreign policy is needed to achieve this goal. In particular, the moderate, pragmatic and traditional conservatives are well aware that their promises to the people cant be fulfilled with a confrontational approach, which only exacerbates problems. Sanctions, political tensions and the novel coronavirus have put a lot of pressure on Iranians and they don't want more tension at home or in foreign policy. People's unwillingness to vote for Reformists signaled the publics discontent, and if conservatives fail to keep their promises, their social capital in Iran will decline. Conservative parliament member Nasrallah Pejmanfar remembers solving problems and restoring hope to people as "a heavy burden. Politician Mansour Haghighatpour, who has been consulted on JCPOA negotiations, calls on his conservative friends who will be in the 11th parliament to set aside radical policies. Given the above-mentioned reasons, conservatives influence on foreign policy will be limited, and their actions will not be as radical as some might expect. Although they share common principles, their different interpretations of these principles, depending on subject and situation, will prevent them from adopting extreme policies or strategies. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Amid concerns about the coronavirus (COVID-19) risk to the public, some Staten Island Community Board meetings have been cancelled. Community Board 1 has announced the cancellation of its Tuesday night board meeting. There were no motions on the agenda to be voted on, said Lisa Crosby, the North Shore boards Community Coordinator, though representatives from the city Fire Department were scheduled to make a presentation. The full board meeting was to be held at 7:30 p.m. in Building P on the grounds of the Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Livingston. *** CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** Community Board 2 has cancelled all meetings until further notice. Community Board 3 has cancelled the rest of its meetings scheduled for March. These include: March 10: Parks & Recreation/Environmental Committee March 11: Land Use Committee March 24: General Board Meeting. Out of an abundance of caution all non-essential meetings are cancelled until further notice, according to an email received by the community coordinator. The first Staten Island coronavirus case was confirmed on Monday, and is said to be an EMS worker who did not contract the virus in the line of duty. CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: Staten Islanders can now be tested for coronavirus locally by Northwell Health Are hand sanitizers effective for preventing coronavirus? Coughs, sneezes, surfaces. Heres how coronavirus is and isnt spread. Coronavirus: Heres how NYC school buses are being sanitized Cuomo: Insurers cant charge New Yorkers for coronavirus testing Coronavirus Preparation on Staten Island: What you can do Is it safe to travel amid coronavirus concerns? Mandatory quarantine? Precautionary? A look at N.Y.'s coronavirus measures West Australian opposition health spokesman Zak Kirkup has accused the government of prioritising a sweetheart deal with one of Labor's biggest unions instead of concentrating on plans to tackle a likely coronavirus outbreak. Premier Mark McGowan and Health Minister Roger Cook said on Monday they had struck a deal with Serco to end its 20-year contract to supply Fiona Stanley Hospital with cleaners, caterers and orderlies, and bring up to 650 Serco staff into the state's health bureaucracy. Health Minister Roger Cook and opposition health spokesman Zak Kirkup. Credit:Lauren Pilat Mr Cook estimated the cost of the deal, which Labor foreshadowed before the 2017 state election, would be up to $93 million including a one-off transitional cost of $12.9 million and as much as $8 million a year in other costs. But Mr Kirkup said the timing was absurd given public concerns about the possibility of a coronavirus outbreak. This Sunday (15 March) Anglicans around the world will be praying for the Church of England as part of the Anglican Cycle of Prayer. The Primate of All England, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, introduces his province and suggests items for prayer. The Church of England is deeply rooted in the heart of every community of England, where 42 diocesan Bishops and 8,000 stipendiary clergy as well as huge numbers of lay people care for 15,000 churches across the nation. Every person in England has a parish priest whose door is open to them, whether they are Anglican or not. Almost every child, whether they are of faith or not, has the opportunity for an education which maintains a distinctive Christian character; at any one time, we are educating one million children in our 4,644 schools. Through more than 33,000 social action projects, Anglicans in England live out Christs call for us to love one another in action, providing food banks, debt advice, childrens groups and many more facilities which benefit their communities. The Church of England welcomes each and every person, aiming to lead them to faith in Jesus Christ, to transform society, care for the marginalised and minister to the broken to reveal something of the Kingdom of God. To this end, the Church of Englands programme of Renewal and Reform seeks to provide a narrative of hope to the Church of England in the 21st Century. It is set within a sense of biblical hope and looks to harness the unique gifts and character of the Church of England so that it might flourish in the years to come. Our prayer is to be a church which serves all people in all places, one which provides a Christian presence in every community and which makes the good news of Jesus Christ known in the 21st Century. Renewal and Reform is a major programme of seeking to discern a clear vision for what the church does and how it does it in 21st century England. I am profoundly grateful for the signs of growth in the Church, for the 5,000 new congregations which have been set up in the past 15 years, and for the many new people who have accepted Jesus as their Saviour. As we have sought to reimagine our ministry, we have found that God is waiting to meet us in our ongoing thirst for His presence. We have welcomed and seen the fruits of different kinds of church communities, including Fresh Expressions, which seek to value and encourage people on their different faith journeys. While we face the reality of long term decline we are ever more aware of the sovereign work of God amongst all Christian people of these islands, and of all our call to be one, so that the world may see that Jesus came from the Father (John 17:21). I am both inspired and grateful for the Christians in the Church of England who make Gods unconditional love known through their daily lives, to make our country one where Gods truth and love reign. The numerous chaplains in prisons, schools, universities and hospitals all over the country make Gods love known to millions. Bishops Mission Orders and the growth of religious communities are further examples of how the Anglican tradition is one where all people, in all circumstances and from all traditions and backgrounds, can find faith and meet with Jesus Christ, whether for the first time or afresh. Residents of the Community of St Anselm here at Lambeth Palace, for example, come from all over the world to spend a year in prayer, service and study whilst living in community together. Anglicans in England truly are examples of those who accept Jesus invitation to be transformed and go out into the world shaped by Christ. There is still much work to be done, but nothing that we need fear with God in our hearts and Christ at our side. I ask for your prayers: For the work of the Holy Spirit in drawing people to faith in Christ For equality of opportunity, and for the Church fully to represent the rich diversity of the communities it serves For the work on climate change, particularly in the light of the Church of Englands commitment at General Synod to go net zero in carbon emissions by 2030 For us to grow youth presence and ministry in the Church of England For those who are deprived and marginalised, and for a continued Church presence in areas where financial challenges are felt most keenly Please also pray for us as we prepare to host the 2020 Lambeth Conference here in England, at which we are greatly looking forward to hosting our brothers and sisters from all over the world. I pray for the prosperity and flourishing of the Anglican Communion and all her provinces, so that Jesus Christ might be known in England and all over the globe. May God bless you all. Even as coronavirus continues to spread in India with over 40 confirmed cases already, Indians seem to be taking every precaution possible to fend off the deadly virus. In fact, the scare is such that people are fearing not just for themselves but also for their deities, as was seen in Varanasi. A priest in Varanasi recently made the deities in his temple wear a mask to protect them from coronavirus, seemingly in hopes of divine intervention. He has even asked devotees to not tough the deities nin order to prevent the virus from spreading. The incident occurred in the Prahladeshwar temple in Varanasi where a mask was put on the Shiva linga. Varanasi:The 'Shivling' at Prahladeshwar temple have been covered with a mask&posters have been put up in temple appealing devotees to not touch the idols.A devotee says,"we are urging ppl not to touch the idols.If idols are touched,#coronavirus will spread & infect more people." pic.twitter.com/c0ZTGjVtFM ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 10, 2020 Temple priest Anand Pandey told news agency ANI that the occurrence was not that unusual. He said that since coronavirus had spread across the country, the temple had put a mask on Lord Vishwanath's face to raise awareness about the disease. "Just like we put clothes on the idols when it's cold and put the AC on when it's hot, we have put masks on the deities," Pandey said. Requesting people to not touch the idol, the priest said that touching the idol would further spread the virus. He and other devotees were seen offering prayers wearing masks as well. The global death toll from the new coronavirus passed 4,000 on Tuesday as China reported 17 new deaths. The toll reached 4,011 in the outbreak that has spread to over 100 countries with more than 110,000 cases of infection. In India, the total number of confirmed cases has risen to 46. Burma Indian Govt Shuts Key Border Trade Gate with Myanmar Over Coronavirus Fears The Indo-Myanmar Friendship Bridge on the India side of the Tamu-Moreh border in 2018. / Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy YANGONThe government of Indias Manipur State has shut down the Tamu-Moreh border gates, a key corridor for border trade between Myanmar and India, indefinitely over concerns about the spread of coronavirus, according to the Security and Border Affairs Ministry for Sagaing Region, where Tamu District is located. Colonel Than Htun Aung, the Sagaing security and border affair minister, told The Irrawaddy about the closure on Tuesday, though his ministry was still waiting to receive the official letter from the Manipur Government. An official from Tamu District said the Manipur government closed the gates in order to prevent coronavirus from spreading. All trade across the border had stopped on Tuesday according to U Tin Shwe, vice chairman of the Kalay-Tamu Border Trade Chamber of Commerce. It doesnt matter for trade if they close the gates for a while. However, traders from both sides will face hardships if the closures are long-term, said U Tin Shwe. The Tamu-Moreh borders gates are mainly used to export products from Myanmarchiefly betel nuts, beans and other food. Myanmar businesses export over US$30 million of products across the Tamu-Moreh border gates every four months, according to the Myanmar Ministry of Commerce. Myanmar has no confirmed cases of coronavirus but 11 suspected patients have been treated at hospitals, according to a Myanmar Ministry of Sport and Health update on Monday. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), India has confirmed at least 43 cases of coronavirus. You may also like these stories: WHO Chief Says Threat of Coronavirus Pandemic Very Real Indian PM Cancels Dhaka Trip After Bangladesh Detects Coronavirus The Nigerian Government is set to enforce the provision for 70% local content in all radio and television programmes in the country. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who announced this at a meeting with the Electronic Media Content Owners Association of Nigeria (ENCOAN) in Lagos on Monday, said the measure was part of the reforms being implemented in the broadcast industry. Now if you take a copy of the new Broadcasting Code, you will see that we have done a lot of work. We have broken the monopoly in the industry and we are going to ensure that we enforce the 70% local content in our broadcasting. The reforms that we have undertaken will promote local content and will give value to your creative work, he said. Alhaji Mohammed, who described the reform as a revolution in the countrys broadcast industry, urged members of EMCOAN to take advantage of the new policy and look at new frontiers in content production, especially for women and children programmes I believe that we are entering a new dawn for local content producers like you. We are revamping the Broadcasting Code in a manner that will favour you. We are instituting the audience measurement system for your benefit and we are working also on getting a more virile APCON that will take care of the interest of all stakeholders, he said. The Minister said the Central Bank of Nigeria is making funds available for the creative industry and urged EMCOAN to work with the government with a view to identifying the priority programmes that will enjoy funding, promotion or subsidy from the apex bank. He commended the tenacity of purpose of members of the association and encouraged them to continue to produce the local content that reflects the nations diverse cultures in order to inculcate values and ethics in children. In her remarks, the President of EMCOAN, Mrs. Jibe Ologeh, said the association, which is responsible for more than 85% of the content in the nations broadcast industry, is excited by the reforms, which give priority to local producers. She said Nigeria is blessed with rich cultures and scenery which will positively project the image of the country, particularly when they dominate the content in radio and television. The Association presented its four-point agenda to the minister and sought his support to actualise them. The Acting Director General of the National Broadcast Commission, Prof. Armstrong Idachaba, accompanied the Minister to the meeting. More questions for rsted rsted hosted a very nice exhibit of its proposed wind generator installation 15 miles off the coast. To me the elephant in the room was the cost of the electricity to consumers and taxpayers. How long to pay back the investment? How much for maintenance for engineers and ships to service the machines? What is their life expectancy? Who is responsible if a storm like Sandy damages the machines? rsted advertises something called hydrogen electrolysis for a neutral carbon footprint, so is this technology included? When I asked my assemblyman, his eyes glazed over. We need better representation with rsted. Lets move forward responsibly. Scott Fuerman Atlantic City Klobuchar, Romney heroes Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Mitt Romney are my heroes. Different genders, different religions, different states, different generations, but both have behaved heroically. In Americas highly tribalistic political environment, most suborn reason and the rule of law and back fellow tribe members, no matter how foul. HAMMOND A Hammond man admitted Friday he had a handgun with an extended magazine under his seat when police pulled a vehicle over in August because it matched the description of a car used in a bar shooting. Xavier Solis, 21, could face up to 10 years in federal prison and three years on supervised release after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm as a felon, U.S. District Court records show. Solis previously was convicted of a robbery in East Chicago in a case filed in 2014, Lake Criminal Court records show. Solis remains charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery, battery by means of a deadly weapon and battery resulting in serious bodily injury in connection with a shooting Aug. 26 at Flick's Tap, 6205 Kennedy Ave. in Hammond. He and three other man are accused of fighting with a then-27-year-old man who confronted a woman about "talking to other guys," Lake Criminal Court records say. One of Solis' co-defendants is accused of hitting the man in the head with a pool ball, and Solis and a second co-defendant are accused of shooting at the man. They've seen their quest to find love broadcast to the nation on the current series of Celebs Go Dating. And reality TV co-stars Amy Hart, Olivia Bentley and Amy Childs made for a glamorous trio as they hit the red carpet at the 2020 TRIC Awards at London's Grosvenor House Hotel on Tuesday afternoon. Love Island 2019 star Amy, 27, looked chic in a flowing navy blue Grecian-style gown with a cut-out back as she arrived at the star-studded television and radio industry ceremony. Glamorous: Amy Hart joined her Celebs Go Dating co-stars Olivia Bentley and Amy Childs the red carpet at the 2020 TRIC Awards at London 's Grosvenor House Hotel on Tuesday afternoon The TV personality wore her blonde hair swept into an elegant chignon, while accessorising with and pearl and diamond drop earrings. The former air hostess added height to her frame with gold heels and toted her belongings in a cream and gold clutch bag. Amy spoke to MailOnline on the red carpet about her Celebs Go Dating experience, admitting she experienced her 'ultimate dream date' on the show. She said: 'It's been really fun getting to know everyone, all the celebs and civilians... the datees. Glam: Made In Chelsea's Olivia, 24,(L) chose a black mini-dress and thigh-high boots, worn with a plaid blazer, while Amy Childs, 29, (R) turned heads in an orange trouser suit Elegant: Love Island 2019 star Amy, 27, looked chic in a flowing navy blue Grecian-style gown with a cut-out back as she arrived at the star-studded television and radio industry ceremony 'I've got some cool dates this week, my ultimate dream date. It's been really fun and has had a good reception, I'm so glad.' The former Love Island star admitted the shoe has now given her more confidence on the dating scene after having her heart broken in the villa by her ex Curtis Pritchard, 24. Amy told MailOnline: 'It has! I always thought before the villa, 'I'm not good enough for people'. I've obviously met all the wrong people as I've got really good feedback on all my dates. Made In Chelsea's Olivia, 24, chose a black mini-dress and thigh-high boots, worn with a plaid blazer over the top. The reality star accessorised with a chunky silver necklace and matching earrings, while wearing her blonde hair straight. Dressed to impress: The reality star accessorised with a chunky silver necklace and matching earrings, while wearing her blonde hair straight Bright: Former TOWIE star Amy injected a bolt of colour to the occasion in a bright orange plunging trouser suit, worn with a black cami underneath Former TOWIE star Amy, 29, injected a bolt of colour to the occasion in a bright orange plunging trouser suit, worn with a black cami underneath. The mother-of-two toted a black chain-strap bag and added height to her frame with a pair of black court shoes. Also representing the show on the day was EastEnders' icon Dean Gaffney, 42, who looked smart in a blue/grey suit. Amy told MailOnline she's really enjoyed her Celebs Go Dating experience because it's allowed her to explore romance and be a mother at the same time. She said: 'I've loved doing show, it's been amazing and so much fun to just be myself. 'I'm a full-time mum, a very hands-on and full-on mum. I think I just get on with it. I've enjoyed the dating. Being a mum is the best thing I've ever done and I love it.' Celebs Go Dating airs Sundays - Thursdays at 9PM on E4. Walking tall: EastEnders icon Dean Gaffney was suited and booted for the occasion Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was arrested for drunk driving in Texas, before taking to his fake news website to brand the incident a 'DWI dragnet' and claiming he was only picked up because cops needed to up their arrest rates. But a police report claims that cops were called to his home after a family altercation that 'was physical' earlier in the day and ended with him driving away following a verbal argument. A woman described as his 'wife' told officers he had been drinking and by 10pm Monday night, they pulled him over in Austin and smelled a strong odor of alcohol, TMZ reported. Jones confessed to drinking a bottle while at dinner with his partner a couple of hours before, documents state. It's unclear who the woman is. Jones divorced Kelly Jones in 2015. Jones (in mugshot) was pulled over Monday night and charged soon after midnight with driving while intoxicated, according to the Travis County Sheriff's Office. A police report claims that cops were called to his home after a family altercation that 'was physical' earlier in the day Jones confessed to drinking a bottle while at dinner with his partner a couple of hours before, documents state. It's unclear who the woman is. Jones divorced Kelly Jones (pictured) in 2015 The far-right conspiracy theorist has since taken to his fake news website InfoWars to blast the incident as a 'DWI dragnet' After a dispute at the sushi restaurant he walked home but when the spat continued at home he got behind the wheel to go to another residence. Despite drinking, Jones blew slightly below the legal limit of 0.08 in two breathalyzer tests. However he failed sobriety field tests. Cops said he swayed and lost balance. Soon after midnight Jones was charged with driving while intoxicated, according to the Travis County Sheriff's Office. Kristen Dark, spokeswoman for the sheriff's office, said the driving while intoxicated charge is a class B misdemeanor. Jones was released on bond hours later at 4.11am after a bond of $3,000 was posted. The far-right conspiracy theorist has since taken to his fake news website InfoWars to blast the incident as a 'DWI dragnet'. Jones is pictured riding in an armored vehicle during a rally organized by The Virginia Citizens Defense League on Capitol Square, Virginia, on January 20, in support of gun rights A long-time supporter of Trump, he was at the CPAC summit (above) at the end of February where an individual in attendance later tested positive for coronavirus Jones stopped just short of calling it a conspiracy, saying he was 'caught up in a Travis Co. DWI dragnet after county criticized for low number of arrests'. 'Travis Co. has been criticized for its low number of DWI arrests, which has triggered a countywide dragnet, according to police sources,' his website states. He also claims he was 'cleared' of the charges. The radio host also alleges that the arresting officer couldn't perform the roadside 'stand on one leg' sobriety test correctly when he was trying to demonstrate it to him. Jones also claims he was driving at just 45 mph in a 40 mph zone when he was pulled over. Despite first claiming to be 'cleared', the post on his conspiracy site goes on to say 'legal experts are confident the case will be quickly dropped'. 'It was quite the experience to see what was going on in this country and to experience it myself,' Jones said on his radio show Tuesday. This comes as Jones has been ramping up the conspiracy theories about the spread of coronavirus in recent weeks. His theories include a range of ideas, ranging from the virus being a Chinese communist plot to attack the West and a disease that can be partially eradicated by taking the supplements he sells on his site. A long-time supporter of Trump, he was at the CPAC summit at the end of February where an individual in attendance later tested positive for coronavirus. Jones is also being sued in Austin by the parents of a 6-year-old victim of the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre who claim the InfoWars host used his show to promote falsehoods that the shooting was a hoax. The investigation into the alleged improper relationship between a New Caney ISD teacher and an underage student has yielded accusations the woman performed a sexual act on the girl in a Walmart parking lot. Other reported findings include photos of the two kissing and promise rings the teacher is said to have given the student. Rhiannon Ballard Petty, 41, of Shepherd, was a Porter High School teacher while alleged sexual contact was made with the student. A health sciences teacher since August 2016, Petty resigned Feb. 6 after she was placed on administrative leave. She was arrested March 3 on second-degree felony charges. Petty, according to a probable cause affidavit, touched an underage Porter High student throughout her clothed and unclothed body multiple times, including while in a car at a Walmart parking lot. Texts between Petty and the girl showed the two discussing physical acts they engaged in as the student tells the teacher they loved each other, the affidavit details. I just have to say who and what we were. That we loved each other, the girl wrote in texts forensically extracted, according to the affidavit. What about the physical part, the teacher replied. Tell me dammit. The girl responded in the affirmative. Multiple other texts showed Petty telling the girl she loved her, the affidavit shows. The inappropriate teacher-student relationship came to light when people reported to Porter High School officials they had seen the teacher and student at a Walmart acting as a couple one weekend. The girls mother was informed Feb. 4. The mother then found the phone her daughter was using to communicate with Petty. The device, the mother learned, was given to the student by the teacher, according to the affidavit. In addition, according to the affidavit, the mother found her daughter in possession of two so-called promise rings Petty had gifted the girl. On Feb. 5, the girl was interviewed at the Childrens Safe Harbor advocacy center where she detailed the physical contact Petty made with her. Petty, the girl said, progressed from touching her with clothes to touching her without them, according to the affidavit. There wasnt any place she didnt touch, including her genitalia more than once, the affidavit states the girl said in the interview. The acts, the girl told the interviewer, took place on Pettys bed and in the womans car at the Walmart parking lot located on 20310 U.S. 59 in New Caney. The student and teacher would spend weekends together, with the girl claiming she was with a friend, the interviewer learned, the affidavit shows. A detective with the Montgomery County Precinct 4 Constables Office on Feb. 6 obtained the students phone. Multiple images on the device showed the girl and Petty together. These included moving photographs, or live photos, where the two are seen kissing and hugging. The detective found records showing Petty would write notes excusing the girl from other classes so the two would spend time in the teachers classroom, according to the affidavit. In a March 4 email, a spokesman with New Caney ISD said the school district was cooperating with the Montgomery County District Attorneys Office. Porter High was the first teaching job for Petty, a registered nurse. Shortly after her hiring, she praised New Caney ISD in a Houston Chronicle interview. First of all, its a beautiful district, she said at the time. Petty was released a day after being jailed after posting a $50,000 bail, according to Montgomery County Jail records. jose.gonzalez@chron.com twitter.com/jrgzztx Royal fans are going wild over a touching moment shared between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during the Commonwealth Service on their final royal appearance. The Duke, 35, and Duchess of Sussex, 38, joined the Queen, 93, and other senior royals at Westminster Abbey yesterday in their last official duty as working royals. Towards the end of the service, the couple could be seen swaying as a steel pan band played a Commonwealth Melody, before Prince Harry mouthed: 'Meghan', and the two shared a loving smile between them. Many of those watching couldn't help but notice the moment, with one commenting: 'This is "After this, we are done and we are free baby" look.' A lip reader told MailOnline Prince Harry was humming along to the tune of the music in the service. Royal fans have been going wild after Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle, 38, shared a touching moment during yesterday's Commonwealth Service (pictured) One said: 'Harry's like, "Sis, we're about done with this sh******.' Another suggested the couple were thinking: 'We're about to leave this hot mess.' One excited royal watcher commented: 'I love their connection, it's so pure. They both look stunning but Meghan is slaying! Omg! So gorgeous. Wow.' Another wrote: 'Harry's like, "Hey babe. We're almost done here."' Many of those watching couldn't help but notice the touching moment between the royal couple at the event in Westminster Abbey Meanwhile another wrote: 'This is love.' One commented: 'That's adorable', while another wrote: 'Love their connection.' The moment, which happened towards the end of the Commonwealth Service, came as the South-London based Melodians Steel Orchestra performed. While Meghan could be seen swaying to the music, Prince Harry appeared to be humming along to the song. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex appeared to share a loving smile while listening to a steel band orchestra during the service, which marked their final appearance as working royals At one stage, he turned to his wife, getting her attention by saying: 'Meghan', before the two shared a knowing smile. Prince Harry continued to speak to the Duchess as she leaned in to hear him, before the camera panned away to other attendees. The service yesterday marked the final official event for Prince Harry and Meghan as they prepare to step down from life as senior members of the royal family. From March 31, the monarch's grandson and American former actress Meghan will no longer use their HRH styles as they pursue a new life of personal and financial freedom, mostly in North America. The Duchess of Sussex rose to the occasion with her showstopping ensemble, which was widely praised on social media by royal supporters and fashion fans alike within minutes of her arrival. The elegant, long-sleeved dress is thought to be a bespoke creation by Emilia Wickstead, a favourite of both Meghan and the Duchess of Cambridge, 38. The Commonwealth Service marked Prince Harry and Meghan's final appearance as working members of the royal family The Duchess rose to the occasion in a stunning emerald green ensemble by Emilia Wickstead, which featured dramatic cape detailing It also marked the first time that the Sussexes have reunited with the Cambridges since Megxit was announced two months ago The fitted long-sleeved dress falls a few inches below the knee and features cleverly-placed darts on the torso and waistline that serve to flatter the Duchess's svelte frame. A dramatically draped asymmetric cape that falls over the right shoulder adds a fashion-forward twist to the otherwise classic cut. Continuing a recent streak of monochrome looks, Meghan wore a matching green hat with net detailing on the brim and folded in an oversized flower structure on the side. CHICAGO, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hub International Limited (Hub), a leading global insurance brokerage, announced today that it has acquired the assets of Harris, Madden, Powell, Stallings & Brown, Inc. (HMP). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. HMP is an independent, full-service commercial, surety, employee benefits and personal lines agency in Memphis, Tennessee. HMP brings a unique industry focus on construction, distribution, manufacturing, and healthcare, as well as alternative risk solutions, which strengthens and complements Hub's existing capabilities in specialty practices. "We are excited to welcome HMP to Hub as we continue to build on our momentum of growth in the region," said Cooper Jones, President of Hub Mid-South. "This major acquisition in west Tennessee is an important component of our expansion in Hub Mid-South, which includes operations in Tennessee and Kentucky. The HMP team has an incredible depth of experience and expertise. We believe the combination of our existing team in Tennessee and the HMP team will provide tremendous opportunities for our clients and for Hub." HMP's leadership, Mark Harris, Jay Madden, Rick Powell, Ric Stallings, Keith Brown, Wally Jones, Cooper Permenter and Blake Dickens, as well as all full-time employees, will remain in place at HMP's existing offices in Memphis and Oxford, Mississippi. "We are thrilled to join forces with Hub," said Mr. Harris of HMP. "Our employees and clients are always our main focus. With Hub, we will provide more opportunities for our team, and enhanced resources and value-added services to our clients here in west Tennessee and the Mid-South region." "Hub is a respected firm with an excellent reputation in the industry," added Mr. Madden of HMP. "We look forward to providing our clients with service enhancements and greater resources. More importantly, we will be stronger and even better with Hub." About Hub's M&A Activities Hub International Limited is committed to growing organically and through acquisitions to expand its geographic footprint and strengthen industry and product expertise. For more information on the Hub M&A experience, visit WeAreHub.com. About Hub International Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Hub International Limited is a leading full-service global insurance broker providing property and casualty, life and health, employee benefits, investment and risk management products and services. With more than 12,000 employees in offices located throughout North America, Hub's vast network of specialists provides peace of mind on what matters most by protecting clients through unrelenting advocacy and tailored insurance solutions. For more information, please visit www.hubinternational.com. CONTACT: Media: Marni Gordon Phone: 312-279-4601 [email protected] M&A: Clark Wormer Phone: 312.279.4848 [email protected] SOURCE Hub International Limited Related Links www.hubinternational.com By Katharine Houreld NAIROBI (Reuters) - Frustrated by incompetence and corruption in his native Kenya, Jared Babu, a 28-year-old activist and entrepreneur, set up a programme to train high school students about leadership. When he and his young wife Mercy were killed in the Ethiopian Airlines crash a year ago, leaving a baby daughter, it looked like his dreams might die with him By Katharine Houreld NAIROBI (Reuters) - Frustrated by incompetence and corruption in his native Kenya, Jared Babu, a 28-year-old activist and entrepreneur, set up a programme to train high school students about leadership. When he and his young wife Mercy were killed in the Ethiopian Airlines crash a year ago, leaving a baby daughter, it looked like his dreams might die with him. But like other victims' families who have founded charities or taken other measures to honour them, Jared's family also wants to ensure his vision lives on. "If you don't teach integrity, the consequences are catastrophic," said his dad Joshua Babu in a leafy backyard of their home in a Nairobi suburb. Jared's daughter Emmy - now two - clambered over family members before pointing at a big photo of her parents and saying "mama" and "daddy". Jared's parents blame his death on a failure of leadership by U.S. aviation giant Boeing - which designed the 737 MAX plane that crashed - and U.S. authorities, who failed to ground the plane after a similar crash in Indonesia five months earlier. On Friday, U.S. lawmakers released preliminary findings into the two crashes faulting the U.S. Federal Aviation Administrations approval of the plane and Boeings design. And on Monday, an interim report by Ethiopia's government said a faulty sensor reading and the activation of an anti-stall system preceded the crash, which killed 157 people. Boeing did not immediately comment on the report. Last week, however, David Calhoun, Boeing's new chief executive, told The New York Times there were "weaknesses in our leadership" but also raised questions over the pilots' abilities in both crashes. 'YOU AND I' Jared's mother Emily has no doubt where the blame lies: the same issue her son spent his life trying to fix. "There are so many sources that are pointing to the fact there was a laxity in the issues of (Boeing's) governance," she told Reuters. Jared, she said, set a different example. She smiled with pride as she recalled the time he chose to go to court rather than pay a small bribe for a minor motoring offence. He posted a picture of himself in the dock online, she said, encouraging others to face honest punishment for their mistakes. His wife Mercy worked with a local children's home to educate students there. "They did not deserve to die. They did not deserve to die," Emily Babu repeated on the edge of tears. The crash victims' families have no monument to grieve at nor graves to visit given the impact of the crash. So some have founded groups to help the environment or support the bereaved. Jared's family want his work to be a living memorial. His businessman father Joshua said he would continue Jared's role in "You and I", the mentorship organisation Jared founded with his best friend Simon Kioko in 2016. The group's name came from Jared's habit of telling people who needed to change the world. So far, the group has worked with about 2,000 students during pilot programmes in more than a dozen high schools, said Kioko. They will hold a formal launch on March 20 to expand the programme and talk about Jared's legacy. "We can't all just sit back and grumble," said Joshua Babu. "Jared always said, 'it is for you and I to make the change we want to see'." (Reporting by Katharine Houreld; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Hollywood action star Vin Diesel said the ongoing coronavirus epidemic won't have an impact on the release of his upcoming action film "Fast & Furious 9". The novel virus originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year. A total of 105,586 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 have been reported worldwide as of Sunday, an increase of 3,656 infections from the previous day, including 3,610 new cases outside China. Many events around the world have been cancelled amid the outbreak, including film festivals and music concerts. Release of much-awaited James Bond film "No Time to Die" has also been pushed by seven months to November, "Mission: Impossible 7" has pushed back its shoot and the China release of Disney's live-action "Mulan" is delayed. But Diesel, who reprises his role as Dom in the ninth installment of the franchise, said people need cinema now more than ever. "I won't fault anyone in the world for saying, 'You guys are stupid for releasing this movie right now.' (But) we need movies now more than ever. We're already in a very interesting time where cinema and the cinematic experience is so threatened. So, yes, put it on record we're going to show up," the actor told USA Today. Diesel added he even "begged" the studio to let him go to China to promote the film. "I love to show up for the audience and for the fans because God knows how much they've showed up for me. I'm crazy. I'm begging Sony to let me go to China, even now. And you should see everyone's faces like, 'You're going alone, buddy!'" The cast of the film also includes Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, as well as newcomer John Cena. "Fast and Furious 9" is slated to be released on May 22, 2020. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a file photo, people walk on the Princeton University campus in Princeton, N.J. Read more Princeton University will move classes online later this month and has encouraged students not to return to campus after spring break. The decision comes even though the campus had no known exposure to the coronavirus or cases of it. Our medical advisers tell us that we should proceed on the assumption that the virus will spread more broadly and eventually reach our campus, president Christopher Eisgruber wrote to the campus Monday. They also tell us that the best time to put in place policies to slow the spread of the virus is now, before we begin to see cases on our campus, rather than later. Princetons announcement comes as other area campuses are instructing faculty to prepare for a possible online move. We need to ensure that we will be prepared to finish the semester in the event the coronavirus makes in-person teaching challenging, or even prohibited, Temple Provost JoAnne A. Epps wrote to faculty. READ MORE: Temple tells students who visited countries on alert for coronavirus not to return to campus for 14 days Temple leaders have instructed deans to develop contingency plans for online classes with support from the schools teaching center, Epps said. Rowan University in New Jersey extended spring break from one week to two, starting next week and running through March 27, so that faculty can plan for possible online classes. We recognize that converting courses to virtual formats ... midsemester may be difficult, said an email to faculty and university leaders. Lehigh University provost Pat Farrell also asked faculty to prepare: This move is not imminent, and may not be needed, but if it is needed, we may not have much time to prepare. The planning comes as universities grapple with virus fallout. The University of Pennsylvania last week announced it was canceling visiting days for admitted students and its Wharton China summit, both scheduled for April. Penn has not released its admissions decisions for the Class of 2024. Last year, 3,446 students were accepted out of almost 45,000 applicants. Social distancing and avoidance of unnecessary travel are both strong counters to the coronavirus, Penn Dean Eric Furda wrote. READ MORE: If coronavirus spreads, could local colleges move education totally online? Penn will offer a virtual tour and a chance for students to ask questions. Colleges also will soon have to discuss how to handle commencement, which is just a couple months away. Pennsylvania State University has established 12 committees to handle aspects of virus response, including one on commencement. The plans [being explored] range from holding commencement as scheduled, to enhancing our online streaming for family members who cannot travel to the ceremony, to postponing commencement, Penn State spokesperson Wyatt DuBois said. At Princeton, faculty and staff are preparing lectures and seminars for online, beginning March 23, after break. (Classes and midterms are being held this week; spring break is next week.) READ MORE: As the coronavirus spreads to Europe, so does concern on local college campuses Temples Japan and Rome campuses already have moved instruction online, but making the transition university-wide could be challenging. Temple has to explore whether all students will have good access to high-speed internet and how to handle courses that require lab work, such as anatomy, said Steve Newman, faculty union president. The aim will be to offer programming that wont cost students time away from their studies while maintaining pedagogical integrity, he said. In a crisis like this, everybody is going to have to try to do their best, he said. Some Temple students said moving all classes online seems unnecessary and cumbersome. I feel like online classes for the whole university is gonna be really hard to manage, or like actually pull off, said Alba Blaku, a junior architecture major. READ MORE: Penn, Temple, Rowan among colleges canceling trips, programs abroad as coronavirus spreads Offering a studio architecture class online would be especially challenging, she said. Students also questioned how canceling classes would help if students continued to live on campus. Since half the students here live in a dorm and share bathrooms, it just seems like it wouldnt be entirely effective or wouldnt be really very effective at all, said Matthew Gmitter, a junior biology major. Others said they understand the need to stop the virus from spreading, and if online classes help, they support it. As someone who is immunocompromised, said Maggie Mancini, a junior journalism major, its scary to be on a crowded campus during something like this. The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Usman, has denied having a romantic relationship with the governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, saying no such affair helped her clinch the NPA top job. Ms Usman, chief of staff to Mr El-Rufai from 2015 to 2016, spoke on the subject while appearing on a TVC programme on Monday, in celebration of the International Womens Day. She described claims about her relationship with Mr El-Rufai as a baseless and false over flogged story that has been on for a while. I am definitely not his girlfriend, she said of Mr El-Rufai. The governor is my mentor and my boss. He has been very supportive of my career and the career of every other woman that has worked for him. As you are aware, Kaduna State is the first state in northern Nigeria that has an elected female deputy governor; so you can see he has that commitment having women in positions of authority so that rumour is completely untrue, Ms Usman said. Forty four-year-old Ms Usman, a politician and activist of the #Bringbackourgirls Movement, was appointed the ports authority MD in July 2016, by President Muhammadu Buhari. Her appointment generated controversy with some people questioning her experience for the role. The NPA boss, however, said such response was part of attempts to pull down women in high positionz. These are the things they say to women to pull us down, they say for everything you have done in terms of showcasing your competence they always reference and attribute it to the fact that you are in a relationship with another person, she said. The bottomline is that you got a job and you perform, so when people reference that you got there because you were somebodys girlfriend, that is a pull down, Ms Usman said. Nepotism in Buharis govt Mr Usman spoke about the allegation that the Buhari government is nepotistic, saying such perceived biases should be separated from the ability and competence of the appointee. There is a lot of issues that the presidency appointing northerners into key positions,_ she said. What I would say is that, the minister of finance is the person not capable and competent or not qualified? The managing director of NPA has the person not performed well or not? READ ALSO: So to that extent when we narrow our limits and our competence to our ethnic and religious backgrounds I think it is reducing what we are as a people. And people should be ascribed to be in position because of their capacity and competence not based on where they come from, she said. When the programme anchor suggested that appointments should be spread evenly across regions, Ms Usman said, If you go back in 2015, there was a time we had a minister of finance that was not from the north, we had the head of FIRS that was also not from the north, so we have had all those situations that at certain times a particular region has more positions in the country. At that point who said what? It is important for us to understand the larger play and see at a point when it was not favouring you what did you say about it, no one raised it that we have so many people from the South-west. President Buhari has been accused of being nepotistic in his appointments, with allegations that he appoints mostly northeners into sensitive positions in the country. The government has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, saying the president appoints people he trusts and that he has been fair to other regions of the country. A more recent publication of this set of statistics is available. Latest publication: New orders in manufacturing 2021, November Published: 10 March 2020 New orders in manufacturing fell by 1.6 per cent year-on-year in January According to Statistics Finland, the value of new orders in manufacturing was 1.6 per cent lower in January 2020 than twelve months earlier. Annual change in new orders in manufacturing (original series), % (TOL2008) Enterprises received more orders than twelve months ago in January in the chemical industry, where orders increased by 8.7 per cent year-on-year. In other manufacturing sub-industries orders declined. In the metal industry, orders declined by 0.7 per cent and in the manufacture of paper and paper board products by 9.4 per cent from one year ago. When interpreting these statistics, it should be borne in mind that they typically show strong fluctuations by month. Even new orders of substantial value are not examined over extended time periods but for the statistical reference month only. Change in new orders in manufacturing 1/2019 1/2020 The index of new orders in manufacturing describes development in the value of new orders received by enterprises for commodities and services that are meant to be produced by establishments located in Finland. These statistics are based on non-probability sampling, in which the basic observation unit is an enterprise or a kind-of-activity unit. The sample comprises monthly 400 to 450 enterprises or their kind-of-activity units. Index point figures and annual change percentages are published monthly for four industry categories. The time series start from January 2005 and their base year is 2015 (2015=100). The index figures may become slightly revised as new data accumulate and enterprises report changes to their data. Due to supplementations, the latest 12 months are revised in the releases. A detailed description of the statistics and the calculation method are included in the quality description on the home page of the statistics. Source: New orders in manufacturing 2020, January. Statistics Finland Inquiries: Jussi Haavisto 029 551 3341, Maarit Makela 029 551 3324, volyymi.indeksi@stat.fi Director in charge: Mari Yla-Jarkko Publication in pdf-format (251.5 kB) Updated 10.3.2020 Referencing instructions: Statistics: New orders in manufacturing [e-publication]. ISSN=1798-6737. January 2020. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 11.1.2022]. Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/teul/2020/01/teul_2020_01_2020-03-10_tie_001_en.html ANN ARBOR, MI - Two students from Washtenaw County will be among 36 contestants competing for the chance to be named Michigans 2020 Poetry Out Loud Champion this weekend. The competition will take place March 13 and 14 at the Lansing Crowne Plaza, where students will compete in three rounds of poetry recitation, organizers said. Local competitors are Saline High School student CJ Maegan Tuldanes and Xiomara Trujillo, a student at the Early College Alliance at Eastern Michigan University. High school teachers throughout Michigan, as part of the national poetry recitation program Poetry Out Loud, have challenged their students to learn about and interpret poetry while building their public-speaking skills, organizers said. Poetry Out Loud is an impressive showcase of student skill and creative expression each year, and a powerful way for student stories to be shared through the arts and humanities, said Michigan Humanities President and CEO Shelly Hendrick Kasprzycki. She continued, We look forward to seeing the students represent their schools in this fifteenth year of Michigans Poetry Out Loud State Finals. During the competition, each school champion will have three poems prepared for recitation at the upcoming State Finals competition, and will be judged based on their physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, evidence of understanding, overall performance and accuracy. The Michigan state champion will receive a $1,200 cash award, a $1,500 stipend for their school and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to represent Michigan at the national competition and compete for a $20,000 award. At the state level, the first runner-up will receive $600, with $700 for their school. The second runner-up will receive $200, with $200 for their school. The third runner-up will receive $100, with $100 for their school. Michigans Poetry Out Loud program is funded through a partnership between Michigan Humanities and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. The headquarters of the Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt, Germany. (Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images) German lender Deutsche Bank (DB) will spread its Frankfurt-based trading and sales teams across different buildings after a worker in Frankfurt tested positive for coronavirus. The bank said less than 100 staff in Germanys financial hub would be affected by its action to spread out employees, and that it was sending some workers to a recovery site until the end of the month as a precaution. Others may be asked to work from home. All employees who have had contact with the affected colleague were informed directly, and we will undertake deep cleaning on floors N1 and N2 and other areas in DBC, Deutsche told staff in an internal memo. The European Central Bank also confirmed its first coronavirus case in Frankfurt office on Monday evening. The ECB said that about 100 colleagues who had been in proximity to the infected staff member would now work from home, and that the bank was deep cleaning the relevant office. The ECB had asked its 3,500-plus Frankfurt-based staff to work from home on Monday as practice for coronavirus forcing a temporary office shutdown. Germanys confirmed coronavirus cases have now surged past 1,100 with the first death in the country reported on Monday. Read more: Germany facing an 'absolutely serious situation' as coronavirus cases surge Germanys economy minister Peter Altmaier told broadcaster ZDF on Tuesday that the government would discuss extra fiscal stimulus to protect the economy, in addition to the 12.4bn (10.74bn, $14.1bn) investment package that it agreed on Sunday. Altmaier said that the most important thing now was slowing the spread of the virus. "The slower it spreads, the greater the chance that we will prevent a recession in the second half of the year," he said. "Tackling this crisis takes precedence over many other economic, social, societal issues, he added, noting that the government wants to prevent the coronavirus from infecting the economy. Berlin is poised to offer financial support to companies that have had to suspend work temporarily because of the virus, with finance minister Olaf Scholz saying on Monday that the government was ready to do everything necessary to stabilise the economy and secure jobs. At a press conference on Monday in Berlin, German health minister Jens Spahn recommended the cancellation of all events of 1,000 or more people. We have to reckon with the fact that we are facing an epidemic, said Christian Drosten, director of the Institute for Virology at the Charite hospital in Berlin. It is an absolutely serious situation, and we don't have much time to prepare for it. HDC Hyundai Development Company Chairman Chung Mong-gyu, right, speaks during a press conference at the firm's headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, in this Nov. 12, 2019, file photo, after the firm was named as the preferred bidder for Asiana Airlines. / Yonhap By Nam Hyun-woo HDC Group's financial prudence is facing growing questions as its share prices and credit ratings are facing downward pressure following market doubts on its flagship construction unit's ambitious bid to acquire Asiana Airlines at 2.5 trillion won ($2.09 billion). Analysts said the bid could expose the entire HDC Group to serious risks, citing the expected enormous financial risk embedded in the carrier and the aggravated business environment surrounding the airline industry. More precisely, recent routs on Wall Street and the South Korean stock market stemming from fears about the coronavirus raised concerns about South Korean companies facing a possible liquidity crunch. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic would be felt across the airline industry for a long time to come, according to economists and analysts. The International Air Transport Association said in a recent report that the commercial aviation industry will suffer a global revenue loss of between $63 billion and $113 billion. Asiana Airline shares have dropped significantly as the virus spreads. According to HDC Hyundai Development Company, it has secured the funds for acquiring Asiana Airlines. In January, the construction firm said it was seeking to raise 407.5 billion won by issuing some 22 million new shares to existing shareholders after setting the price at 18,550 won per share. However, the firm is expected to end up raising 320.7 billion won, as it had to discount the issuing price by 15 percent to 14,600 won due to the continued slide of its stock prices due to investors' concerns about the planned Asiana Airlines merger. In December last year, HDC Hyundai Development Company formed a consortium with Mirae Asset Daewoo to purchase the carrier at 2.5 trillion won, with HDC group unit chipping in 2 trillion won. To secure 2 trillion won, the company will use 500 billion won in case, raise 400 billion won through issuing shares, and secure the rest through loans and selling off Asiana Airlines stakes. As the company failed to secure 400 billion won through share issuance, it issued privately placed bonds worth 170 billion won last month to fill the shortages. The front gate of Asiana Airlines headquarters in Gangseo-gu, Seoul / Yonhap Officer Specter in Onward (Credit: Disney) Several countries in the Middle East have axed new Pixar movie Onward, after it emerged that one of its characters is openly gay. The film will now not be shown in Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, because of the brief reference to a secondary character being in a relationship with another female, according to Deadline. Onward, which features the voices of Chris Pratt and Tom Holland, is being shown elsewhere in the Middle East, however, notably in Lebanon, the AUE, Egypt and Bahrain. Read more: All the Pixar movies coming to Disney+ The scene in question, Holland and Pratt's characters Ian and Barley Lightfoot are impersonating their mother's boyfriend, a centaur, at the police station. In a conversation with another officer, a female cyclops called Specter, voiced by Lena Waithe, she refers to 'my girlfriend's daughter' in a conversation about parenting. Though it's a brief moment, the character has been held up as Disney's first fully 'out' character, despite it being unintended in the movie's script, with Waithe asking if she could use 'girlfriend' instead of 'husband' in the script during a recording session. I was just like, It sounds weird, Waithe told Variety. I even have a gay voice, I think. Like, I dont think I sound right saying husband. They were like, Oh yeah, do that. They were so cool and chill. And it ended up being something special. Read more: Onward didnt always have fantasy setting Director Dan Scanlon has since said that he wanted to further expand the character. He told Yahoo Movies UK: After we recorded her, we wished we had expanded [the role]. Lena Waithe is not only a great actress but a great writer and she improvises and was just such a joy to work with. We thought: 'oh man, I want to do a movie with her again'. I think it's a wonderful embarrassment of riches that we have a cast of people who, even in doing small parts, bring them to life and elevate them and keep you wanting more. Disney has not yet commented on the movie's ban, but the scene has been re-dubbed in Russia too, with 'girlfriend' being changed to 'partner'. Ryanair has announced that they will suspend all flights to, from and within Italy. The move comes as the Italian government put the Read More: From Wednesday, March 11, Ryanair will suspend all domestic Italian flights and from Friday, March 13, all international flights will also be suspended. The freeze will be in place until Wednesday, April 8 for both. In a statement, the airline said that all affected passengers will receive an email informing them of the details of the cancellations. Passengers affected by the suspension will be able to "choose between a full refund or a travel credit that can be redeemed on Ryanair flights in the next 12 months." Passengers who need to return home can switch to one of the flights operating up to the end of the day on Friday. "Passengers looking for repatriation can obtain a free move to an earlier Ryanair flight operating up until midnight Friday, March 13." Ryanair has apologised to all customers for the disruption to their travel plans, "caused by national Government restrictions and the latest decision of the Italian Government to lock down the entire country." The coronavirus epidemic proved to be an unlikely source of light relief as Piers Morgan, Susanna Reid and Charlotte Hawkins presented Tuesdays edition of Good Morning Britain. The presenting team reflected on growing concerns regarding the spread of the virus after the World Health Organisation recommended anyone with a sneeze or cough maintain a one metre social distance from others. And mindfulness surrounding human contact prompted Piers to playfully stroke Susanna's hair with a shop dummy's arm after she refused to touch his hand. Banter: The coronavirus epidemic proved to be an unlikely source of light relief as Piers Morgan, Susanna Reid and Charlotte Hawkins presented Tuesdays edition of Good Morning Britain The 54-year old had resorted to using the plastic limb after being rebuffed while attempting to compare hand sizes with his co-host. 'Youve got tiny hands,' he challenged her while raising a palm. 'Put yours up against mine. Put it up against it.' But with current warnings in mind, Susanna, 49, bluntly refused, resulting in Piers retrieving the dummy's arm from behind the studio desk. Fears: The presenting team reflected on growing concerns regarding the spread of the virus after the World Health Organisation recommended anyone with a sneeze or cough maintain a one metre social distance from others Comedy: Mindfulness surrounding human contact prompted Piers to playfully stroke Susanna's hair with a shop dummy's arm after she refused to touch his hand 'Im just helping do Susanna's hair,' he joked, before admitting his use of the limb was 'really quite creepy.' The incident came after Piers slammed Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex following their final official duties as a senior members of the Royal family. Hitting out at Harry and former actress Meghan, he claimed she "splits people up," while the couple had been "parading in front of the media" following their temporary return from North America. Keep your distance: The 54-year old had resorted to using the plastic limb after being rebuffed while attempting to compare hand sizes with his co-host He also asked why the couple did not bring their son Archie to the UK with them to see his grandmother and said Harry and Meghan 'did not like the criticism.' Piers added: 'Youve got to earn support, youve got to earn respect but I think theyre very divisive. 'They didnt like all the criticism. I thought it was perfectly justified. The papers were positive before they only got criticising when stuff was worth criticising. Here we go: Piers retrieved two false limbs from behind the news desk, one for each of his co-hosts Funny: 'Im just helping do Susanna's hair,' he joked, before admitting his use of the limb was 'really quite creepy' 'Wherever Meghan goes, people get split. Shes split from her family, split from her dad, split Harry from William, split from her friends. 'Shes like the old Henry the 8th era 'off with their heads'.' With Susanna defending the beleaguered couple, Piers raged: 'My position is I think she's caused some damage to the Queen and I am allowed to stay that. 'You are allowed your opinion because you are infatuated by them, I should be allowed to because I am not. I don't see why your views are more valid than mine.' UNODC supports the reintegration of girls in conflict with the law in Kenya through fashion Photo: UNODC Madrid (Spain), 10 March 2020 Clothing designed by 13 Kenyan girls during vocational training at their rehabilitation schools featured on the runway at a unique fashion show in Madrid on 6 March 2020. The Designing Dreams fashion parade is part of an initiative that seeks to empower adolescent girls in-conflict-with-the-law at the Kirigiti and Dagoretti Rehabilitation Schools in Nairobi County by providing them with life-skills, education, vocational training and psycho-social support. The partnership involves the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Kenyas Ministry of Labour and Social Protection through the Department of Children Services, the governments of Spain and Canada, four leading Kenyan fashion designers and a Spanish-based NGO, THRibune. This initiative will help these young women to reintegrate back into the community as valuable individuals in Kenyas labour market, whether they choose to succeed in fashion or any other field. The idea behind the fashion show was to diminish the stigmatization surrounding this vulnerable group of youth that makes them susceptible to crime, human trafficking, substance use and radicalization, UNODC Regional Representative for Eastern Africa, Amado Philip de Andres, said. The participating designers, who volunteered to train the adolescents in fashion design, dress making and entrepreneurship skills alongside vocational trainers at the schools are: Henry Wanjala (Henry Wanjala Clothing), Larry Luchera (Luchi Designs), Naomi Nganga (Stylebyneomi) and Judith Owino Akinyi (The Native Woman). It is more than rewarding to see the faces of these young girls light up at this chance to elevate themselves through this project. It is an amazing project to be part of, said Mr Wanjala who was present at the showing in Madrid. To raise funds to continue the sustainability of the rehabilitation programme, THRibune staged a charity concert in Madrid on 7 March. THRibune has also arranged for elected creative pieces designed by the adolescents to go on sale in two leading retail stores in Madrid. The findings of a 2019 UNODC Needs Assessment for rehabilitation homes, borstal institutions and prisons in Kenya highlighted the challenges of reintegrating at-risk youth, especially young women and adolescent girls, who too often are unable to return to their homes and have no means to sustain themselves. Last year, with funding from the Government of Canada, UNODC procured four sewing machines, with two put into immediate use at each rehabilitation school during dressmaking vocational training. The designs premiered at the Designing Dreams High-Level Fashion Show at the UN Office in Nairobi on 27 February 2020, organized by UNODC and the government, and attended by all 13 girls and their designer mentors. Guests at the event in Nairobi included: Principal Secretary of the State Department for Social Protection, Nelson Marwa: Lady Justice Martha Koome of Kenyas Court of Appeal; Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain to Kenya, Javier Garcia de Viedma Bernaldo de Quiros; THRibunes Maria de Paz; head of the Kenya Fashion Council, Akinyi Odongo; Miss Universe Kenya, Stacy Michuki; and Miss Plus-size Kenya, Tracy Nduati. Others who volunteered their time for the event in Nairobi included the MC, TV presenter Anita Nderu, the professional models and the Safari Cats performance group. The hashtag #designingdreams was trending in Kenya following the show. For more information visit our Regional Office in Eastern Africa website The father of the first coronavirus patient in Missouri disregarded his quarantine to attend a school dance, forcing the whole school to shut down. Administrators made the decision to close the school after learning that the father of a woman in her 20s, who had just returned from Italy and had reported symptoms of the virus, attended the dance, Fox News reported. The womans parents were showing no symptoms but had been ordered to quarantine for 14 days as per the states health department instructions. However, her father did not comply with the order, county executive Sam Page detailed in a press conference at St. Louis County Emergency Operations Centre last night. The patients father did not act consistently with the health departments instructions instead last night he decided to take his other daughter to a school function, he said. Mr Page also announced that the female patient in her 20s has received a presumptive positive result for Covid-19. It is understood that the whole family were instructed to self-quarantine. Fox News reported that a letter sent from The Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School (VDOH) to parents detailed that they didnt learn of the diagnosis until after they were at the dance and left immediately, according to KMOV. VDOH subsequently announced the closure today in a post on its Facebook page and in a second post announced the school would remain closed for the rest of the week. We want to take the most cautious approach, and we have decided to close school for the rest of this week to monitor the situation. Our campus will be given a hospital-grade cleaning, VDOH wrote. School buildings will be sanitised and ready for students to return on 23 March after our spring break. We have received guidance from the St. Louis County Department of Public Health and we have provided that information to our school families. Mr Page said he was disappointed by the actions of the womans father, stating: we relied on common sense and goodwill towards the community to self-quarantine. The patient had conducted herself responsibly and maturely and she is to be commended for complying with the health department instructions. After attending the dance, Mr Page said officials told the man on Sunday that he must remain in his home or they will issue a formal quarantine that will require him and the rest of his family to stay in their home by the force of law. The VDOH website states its total student body amounts to 431 pupils. Senior Health Officials have said The US is past the point of containment, with more than 550 confirmed cases of the virus in the country and at least 22 deaths linked to the outbreak. Across the country, the numbers of cases continues to rise, with 142 confirmed in New York state, up from 105 a day earlier, the governor, Andrew Cuomo, said on Monday. The woman who was quarantined is understood to be the only recorded case of the virus is Missouri at this time. President Tayyip Erdogan said today he would not stop migrants trying to cross Turkey's border into Greece before advising Athens 'these people won't stay in Greece' and to 'let them pass into other European countries'. Tens of thousands of migrants have been trying to get into Greece, a European Union member state, since Turkey said on 28 February it would no longer keep them on its territory as part of a 2016 deal with Brussels in return for EU aid for the refugees. Greece has sent troops to the border area and used tear gas and water cannon against the migrants, but the pressure has continued. Greece said it stopped 963 illegal migrants in the 24 hours to 6am on Tuesday and arrested 52. Migrants wait to enter a shop in Karaagac district near Turkey's Pazarkule border crossing with Greece's Kastanies, in Edirne, Turkey today A refugee family walks by small river in Edirne city centre as they try to reach to the Greek border in Edirne, Turkey today. About 35,000 migrants have massed at Turkey's borders with the EU states Greece and Bulgaria last week since Turkey's president decided to no longer stop migrants and refugees from entering EU states Asylum seekers, arrived in Edirne mostly from Istanbul and many other Turkish cities, are seen waiting at woodland near buffer zone located between Kastanies and Pazarkule border gates, hoping that Greece will open the border gate today in Turkey's northwestern Edirne province Migrants wait to enter a shop in Karaagac district near Turkey's Pazarkule border crossing with Greece's Kastanies, in Edirne, Turkey today Erdogan, speaking to reporters on his plane back to Turkey after discussing the migrant crisis on Monday in Brussels with top EU officials, repeated his call on Greece to change tack. 'We are not thinking of closing these gates. Our proposal to Greece is to open the gates. These people won't stay in Greece. Let them cross from Greece into other European countries,' he said, calling for a 'just, humane sharing' of the burden. His comments will revive memories of the 2015-16 migrant crisis, when more than one million people, mostly fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Asia, reached the EU via Turkey and Greece, boosting support for far-right parties. A migrant walks near Turkey's Pazarkule border crossing with Greece's Kastanies, in Edirne, Turkey today A refugee family walks by small river in Edirne city center as they try to reach to the Greek border in Edirne, Turkey today A mother and her son walk by small river in Edirne city center as they try to reach to the Greek border in Edirne, Turkey today Migrants wait to enter a shop in Karaagac district near Turkey's Pazarkule border crossing with Greece's Kastanies, in Edirne, Turkey today Greek military vehicles and soldiers on foot continued on Tuesday to patrol along the wire and steel fence that separates the Kastanies crossing from Turkey's border post at Pazarkule. Greek officials said the 52 migrants arrested from Monday to Tuesday included Syrians, Afghans and Iranians. Ankara says Greece's stance violates the migrants' human rights. It has also accused Greek forces of shooting dead four migrants on the border, a claim Athens strongly denies. On Tuesday Turkey's migration authority said it had filed two applications to the European Court of Human Rights regarding one migrant it says was killed by Greek forces and a family it said was pushed back from the border. Migrants take a rest on a street in Karaagac district near Turkey's Pazarkule border crossing with Greece's Kastanies, in Edirne, Turkey today Greek Army soldiers police from a watchtower placed at the Maritsa riverside at the Turkish-Greek border near Doyran village, Edirne region, Turkey on Tuesday Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan reacts ahead of a meeting with EU Council President Charles Michel pose in Brussels, Belgium yesterday More lawsuits are being prepared on behalf of migrants whose rights have been violated, it said. Erdogan said he would convene a summit in Istanbul on March 17 on the migrant issue with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and possibly British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He said he had stressed in the Brussels talks the need to update both the 2016 migration deal between Ankara and the EU and Turkey's customs union with the bloc, and also to revive Turkey's stalled EU accession process. 'The EU leaders accepted that Turkey had fulfilled its responsibilities under the March 18 (2016) agreement and that the EU had acted slowly,' Erdogan said, adding that technical and political teams would now produce a road map. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, will conduct this process and try to come up with proposals in time for a summit of EU leaders on March 26, Erdogan said. Greek Army soldiers detain a group of migrants that crossed from Turkey to Greece, near the village of Protoklisi, in the region of Evros, Greece in the early hours of this morning Ankara says the EU has so far handed over only about half of the 5.2billion initially promised to help house, feed, educate and care for the 3.6 million refugees living in Turkey. Turkey also wants more European support over the war in neighbouring Syria, where Turkish troops face off against Russian-backed Syrian government forces. The 2016 pact also envisaged European countries taking in thousands of Syrian refugees directly from camps in Turkey and rewarding Turks with visa-free travel to the EU. On Tuesday a German official said Germany would take in up to 100 children living in refugee camps in Greece. Germany took in nearly one million refugees in 2015-16, but Merkel has since faced a political backlash from right-wing voters. Three persons, including two tourists from West Bengal, were killed on Tuesday as their SUV skidded off a road and fell into a gorge in East Sikkim, police said. The accident took place at Keew Khola in Pakyong police station area when the driver of the SUV, carrying a group of ten tourists from the neighbouring state, lost control of the vehicle, they said. The SUV, a Tata Sumo which was going to Pelling in West Sikkim from Zuluk in East Sikkim district, skidded off the road and fell into the gorge, Superintendent of Police Hari Chettri said. Two of the tourists, identified as Jharna Saha and Hrishpriya Ghose, and the driver, Suraj Chettri, died at the spot, he said. The bodies have been sent for postmortem, the officer said, adding that the seven injured persons have been admitted to a hospital for treatment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin health officials urged residents Tuesday to avoid non-essential travel following confirmation that the two latest people in the state who tested positive for COVID-19 had recently visited areas where the coronavirus is more widespread. The warning came as schools and universities headed into spring break season, when many students and families were planning to go on vacation. We ask that you inform yourself and use your own best judgment about travel, said Jeanne Ayers, state health officer, in a conference call with reporters. We know this is happening in the world, we know its happening in the country. We expect this outbreak to reach Wisconsin. The first person who tested positive for the virus lives in Dane County and contracted it in China after travelling there in late January. That person has fully recovered, health officials said. The second and third who tested positive were announced late Monday and Tuesday. One is from Pierce County in western Wisconsin along the Minnesota border and the other is from Dane County, which is home to the state capital of Madison and the University of Wisconsins flagship campus. Both had travelled to areas in the United States where the virus is more widespread, health officials said. They would not identify specifically where they had been, but both were in isolation after testing positive. Seattle is the most hard-hit part of the country, with at least 22 deaths, but there are other pockets of the country where the virus is spreading, including New York City, Northern California and parts of Florida, Ayers said. For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered. Before testing positive, the Pierce County patient attended an event Saturday at Osceola High School, leading the district to cancel all of its classes on Tuesday for a deep clean. The school was closed out of an abundance of caution, said Traci DeSalvo, head of Wisconsins communicable diseases epidemiology section. She said the risk to attendees at the Destination Imagination tournament, which drew more than 100 teams from 21 countries, is low. But the local health department is working to identify and contact anyone who is determined to be at a higher risk, she said. The Osceola district was the first in Wisconsin to cancel classes because of the virus. Dane County health officials were working to determine who has been in contact with the third person to test positive so they can be isolated, quarantined and tested. The Madison school district, Wisconsins second largest and located in Dane County, said Tuesday it was banning out-of-state district-related travel for all staff and students. That includes travel for meetings, conferences, field trips or any other events. Also Tuesday, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee announced it was extending its spring break to a second week, to run through March 29, and was planning to move most classes online once students return. On Monday, University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank said UW-Madison was cancelling and suspending all university-sponsored travel, including spring break trips, to countries severely affected by the virus. Those countries are China, France, Germany, Italy, Iran, Japan, South Korea and Spain, but Blank cautioned that the list is likely to expand. Blank urged faculty, staff and students not to travel outside of Dane County during the schools spring break, which begins Saturday and runs through March 22. Anyone returning to campus from an area that has a Level 3 travel warning from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will not be allowed to return to work at UW-Madison and must remain self-isolated for 14 days, even if they do not have symptoms, Blank said. Everyone returning from spring break outside of Madison are required to self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days, she said. ___ The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. A plan for installing pipes for public sewers and water has been approved in an area of the Slate Belt that has only ever had on-lot septic or cesspool systems and private wells. Upper Mount Bethel Township supervisors voted unanimously Monday to adopt an updated Act 537 sewage facilities plan. The plan names several areas of concern in the township that would benefit from public sewers. The updated plan will now go to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for review, which could take four to six months, according to township engineer Justin Coyle. Once the review is completed -- DEP may have comments or require amendments -- the plan will go into effect. However, obtaining grant funding for construction is a critical component of the plan before any sewers are actually installed. Installing sewers in all areas of concern could cost upwards of $10 million. The most urgent areas of concern identified are along Route 611 leading up to the Portland border and sections of Shooktown Road and Lake Minsi Drive. The update includes plans to tap into neighboring Portlands wastewater treatment plant and install sewer lines down the Route 611 corridor south to the Air Liquide Advanced Materials plant at 1379 North Delaware Drive. For the Shooktown Road and Lake Minsi Drive areas of concern, engineers said plans would be to tap into neighboring sewer lines in Roseto that connect to Bangors sewage treatment plant. The areas of concern were identified decades ago. Reports have indicated that failing septic systems have been contaminating nearby wells and local waterways. Supervisors have said that the sewers are vital to ensuring the safety and health of township residents. At several informational meetings, some residents have expressed support for the plan while others have either advised seeking alternative remedies or have objected outright. Resident Richard Wilford-Hunt said he is concerned that sewers will attract unwanted industrial and commercial construction and result in increased truck traffic in the township. Public sewer will invite more development, Wilford-Hunt said. Its not about safety and health. Its about economic development. Coyle said his engineering firm investigated a couple alternatives. One idea was to pipe sewage to the townships Community Park where a drip irrigation system would be installed. However, that plan could only handle 20,000 gallons per day, whereas, the anticipated flow in the Route 611 corridor will require a system that can handle 100,000 gallons per day. If funding cannot be obtained for the plan, low-pressure systems that would be installed on individual properties may be an option, Coyle said. John Best is a freelance contributor to lehighvalleylive.com. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 19:10:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- China congratulated incumbent Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on his inauguration for a second term, a foreign ministry spokesperson said at a press briefing Tuesday. Spokesperson Geng Shuang said China respects the Afghan people's independent decision on the country's future, calling on all parties in Afghanistan to prioritize the interests of the country and the people, forge consensus, and facilitate the process of peaceful reconstruction and reconciliation. China is willing to work with the new Afghan government and people from all walks of life to continue the traditional friendship between the two countries and better benefit the two peoples, Geng said. Noting that the situation in Afghanistan is at a crucial stage as the United States and Taliban have inked a deal, and intra-Afghan negotiations are expected to be held soon, Geng said the Afghan people now face a valuable opportunity to end the four decades' war, despite severe challenges ahead. The Chinese side hopes the international community will respect the wishes of the Afghan people, continue to support intra-Afghan reconciliation and help the country achieve peace at an early date, Geng said. "We also call on foreign troops stationed in Afghanistan to pull out in an orderly and responsible way to ensure a smooth transition and keep terrorist groups from taking advantage of the chaos," the spokesperson added. Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi on Tuesday said the territorial administration was "duty bound" to hold civic polls soon as there was already a mandate from the Supreme court to revive grass root level bodies in the Union Territory. Speaking at a celebration of International Women's Day here, the Lt Governor said in less than a year from now civic polls should be held as mandated by the Apex court and women would be given opportunities to play their roles as decision makers. The former IPS officer said, women in Puducherry distinguished themselves by the standard of literacy and hence they should come forward to emerge as leaders through civic bodies. She said it was "unfortunate" that civic polls were not held for the last 10 years in Puducherry resulting in the Union Territory not being able to get Central funds for rural and urban development programmes. Earlier, Chief Minister V Narayanasamy presented his presidential address and left the venue before Bedi's arrival. He stressed the need for introducing 33 percent quota of reservation for women in the civic bodies here. Welfare Minister M Kandasamy who spoke on the occasion said the Chief Minister and Lt Governor should work in tandem in the larger interests of the development of Puducherry. "The current turf war hits most of the schemes operated by the departments I am looking after and hence there should be mutual understanding between the Lt Governor and Chief Minister," he said in the presence of the Lt Governor. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 23:09:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, has closed all of its 16 public facility-turned temporary hospitals as the number of COVID-19 patients continues to drop in the city. Wuhan reported 17 new confirmed cases Monday, dropping below 20 for the first time and a significant contrast with a month ago, when 1,921 cases were reported on Feb. 9. WUHAN, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak in central China's Hubei Province, has closed all of its 16 public facility-turned temporary hospitals as the number of COVID-19 patients continues to drop in the city. The hospitals were converted from public venues such as exhibition centers and gymnasiums in early February in an effort to treat patients with mild symptoms and isolate the source of infections amid strained medical resources. By the closure of the last two hospitals Tuesday, the temporary hospitals in Wuhan have received a total of more than 12,000 patients, according to local authorities. Cured coronavirus patients gesture on the bus home after a 14-day quarantine for medical observation at a rehabilitation center in Wuhan on March 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Min) Wuhan reported 17 new confirmed cases Monday, dropping below 20 for the first time and a significant contrast with a month ago, when 1,921 cases were reported on Feb. 9. "The erection of temporary hospitals is an innovative and effective move that has achieved its initial goal of treating more patients and containing the source of infection," said Hu Yu, head of Wuhan Union Hospital, which manages one of the temporary hospitals. EFFECTIVE MOVE At the Wuchang Hongshan Stadium, the last batch of 49 patients was discharged from the temporary hospital at around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. The stadium was among the first three public venues to be converted into temporary hospitals when the authorities first announced the plan on Feb. 3. Wuhan reported 1,242 new confirmed cases on that day. The temporary hospital started to accept patients on Feb. 5. Through its 35 days of operation, over 860 medical workers from 14 provinces and municipalities treated patients there. "In our first week here, we were under great pressure as it is something that we had never done before," said Xu Junmei, deputy head of the Wuchang temporary hospital. The hospital faced logistics issues, distrust from patients and the lack of operation experience at the beginning, but in mere days, the situation improved, said Wan Jun, head of the hospital. "As the first batch of patients was discharged six days later, both the patients and health workers got a confidence boost," Xu said. As of Tuesday, the hospital has treated a total of 1,124 patients, with over 880 discharged. A cured coronavirus patient expresses gratitude to staff members as walking out of a rehabilitation center after a 14-day quarantine for medical observation in Wuhan on March 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Xiong Qi) As the recovery rate improves, the strain on local medical resources is eased. Wuhan temporary hospitals had around 5,600 spare beds by Feb. 28, according to Ma Xiaowei, head of the National Health Commission. On March 3, Hubei Province announced that it would gradually shut down temporary hospitals in the province and cut the number of hospitals designated for the disease amid improving signs. The Jianghan temporary hospital, which received the most patients and saw most recovered patients among all local temporary hospitals, was closed on Monday. "The construction of the makeshift hospitals was a crucial and significant step that expanded our medical resources in a short period of time," said Ma. The World Health Organization said in a report late last month that the country's "bold approach" had "changed the course of a rapidly escalating and deadly epidemic." "In the face of a previously unknown virus, China has rolled out perhaps the most ambitious, agile, and aggressive disease containment effort in history," the report said. CONTINUED EFFORTS As nurse Yang Xiaoyan finished her last six-hour shift in the Jianghan temporary hospital, which was converted from an international exhibition center, she took many pictures with her colleagues at the public square outside the building. Before the last batch of patients was discharged, she sang songs with them and encouraged them to keep positive in the quarantine sites. "We've achieved a victory in this phase, and all the hard work has been worth it!" said Yang, who has been working in the hospital for more than 20 days. Staff members salute the cured coronavirus patients who have finished a 14-day quarantine for medical observation at a rehabilitation center in Wuhan on March 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Xiong Qi) Mi Feng, a spokesperson with the National Health Commission, said at a press conference Tuesday that the epidemic situation continues to improve, noting that no new confirmed cases were reported in other cities in Hubei for five consecutive days. As of Monday, China has sent 346 medical teams with 42,600 medical staff to Hubei, according to the National Health Commission. "We will never forget the joy and excitement that patients have shown when they are discharged from the hospital," said Zhao Song, a medical worker at the Jianghan hospital. Zhao said there is still more to do after the closure of the hospital, and he looks forward to the day when the virus subsides and everyone can take off their masks. Nie Bin, a psychological counselor in one of the medical teams, said they are still facing a heavy workload, as they need to keep track of the discharged patients for their mental health. "Psychological trauma often appears after an epidemic, and there can be a long incubation period," Nie said. "We'll continue to offer psychological counseling and support to citizens and medical workers." Enditem (Reporting by Peng Peigen, Wang Zuokui, Yue Wenwan, Shuai Cai; video reporter: Yu Guoqing, Rao Rao, Wang Siban, Yao Yu; video editor: Ma Ruxuan) Investing the maximum Isa allowance at the start of the tax year rather than the end means your portfolio could be worth 33,000 more over 20 years. Investing early gives you more time and you're less likely to fall into the trap of choosing an unwise last-minute investment or keeping the money in cash and failing to invest at all. Does being an early-bird investor pay off? Interactive Investor's research shows it can Early-bird investing is it worth it? There are hundreds of adverts for Isas in March as investors are warned to 'use it or lose it'. Many investors go down to the wire in subscribing to these tax-efficient accounts. However, investors should also be asking themselves whether it is better to invest early in the tax year (if you can) rather than wait until the last minute. Moira O'Neill, head of personal finance at Interactive Investor says: If you are in a position to start thinking about investing in your Isa early in the tax year rather than at the last minute, it is likely to be well worth it. 'It won't make you a millionaire overnight, but it will mean your money is working harder for longer which will hopefully mean that you won't have to. Investment expert Rebecca O'Keeffe adds: Most investors are aware of the long-term advantages of investing in an Isa, but many may not be aware that it can make a significant difference to your wealth if you invest early in the tax year rather than late. Although there only appears to be one day in it, if you start the clock on 6 April and one set of investors chooses the early-bird route and invests 20,000 at the start of each tax year, they will end up with a portfolio worth 264,136 after 10 years assuming a 5 per cent return after charges. 'That is 12,578 more than those investors who choose to invest the same 20,000 at the end of each tax year and effectively only have nine years' worth of growth, where their portfolio would have grown to 251,558. Over 20 years, the difference between early-bird and last-minute investors results in a portfolio worth over 33,000 more Over 20 years the impact is even more stark, with the difference between early-bird and last-minute investors resulting in a portfolio worth over 33,000 more by investing early - 694,385 compared to 661,319 if you generated a 5 per cent return after charges. In terms of when our Isa investors funded their account, Interactive Investor's Isa millionaires tend to be early-bird investors, while other Isa investors tend to be more last minute. Early-bird Isa investors catch the best returns - investing early gives you more time and you're less likely to fall into the trap of choosing an unwise last-minute investment or holding cash Moira adds: Over 80 per cent of all our Isa millionaires are still subscribing to their Isa they aren't resting on their laurels yet. 'Unlike most Isa investors, who are more likely to wait until later in the tax year, of those Isa millionaires who invested in their Isa in the 2018/19 tax year, over half started to subscribe between 6 and 30 April of the new tax year, investing more than 40 per cent of all Isa millionaire subscriptions in the first three and a half weeks of the tax year. Most of us aren't lucky enough to have 20,000 to invest in one go, but taking advantage of regular contributions throughout the year is a good strategy 'Most Isa millionaire investors subscribed the full amount, with two thirds contributing a lump sum in their Isa, with the others making regular payments. Most of us aren't lucky enough to have 20,000 to invest in one go, but taking advantage of regular contributions throughout the year is also a good strategy and can help to smooth out fluctuations in the market. Other Isa investors were more likely to invest in March at the end of the tax year, rather than at the start, with just over 20 per cent of money being subscribed at the start of the year compared to the 25 per cent which is contributed in the last few weeks. Being an engaged investor While you don't have to invest your money straight away in an Isa, for end-of-tax-year-investors there can be a tendency to choose an investment at the last minute and think about it again twelve months later. This could leave you exposed to market timing issues or concentration risk. Alternatively, putting money in at the last minute could end up being left in cash that you never get around to investing. According to Interactive Investor, most Isa millionaire investors subscribed the full amount, with two thirds contributing a lump sum in their Isa, with the others making regular payments Rebecca O'Keeffe says: Choosing to subscribe to your Isa at the start of the tax year doesn't eliminate the problem of market timing or uninvested cash, but it does mean you are less likely to get caught up in the last-minute rush. 'If you want to invest the whole amount straight away, then you have more time invested and can generate dividend income across the whole year. 'If youre worried about the markets, you have the ability to take your time choosing when to invest your cash and can potentially be more diligent in selecting investment opportunities. You only need to look at the range of performance from funds or trusts in the same sector to know that there are some very good investments to own and ones that you would be better off avoiding paying attention to what is going on is likely to make you much better off over the long term. Isas are a fantastic product that millions rely on every year, but if you want to maximise their potential and make your money work harder for you, you might have to put in a little more effort and work a little bit harder for it. Prime Minister-interim Ludovic Orban on Tuesday announced in the beginning of the Government meeting that an increased vigilance in needed in controlling the passenger cars and minibuses coming from Italy, after we suspended the railway, air and road transportation means for persons coming from or heading to this country. "Once with the suspension of basically all forms of organised air, railway, road transportation, we need to increase vigilance in controlling the personal cars and, obviously, the minibuses with less than nine seats that do not have a regulated regime. And for this you must get the Border Police mobilized," Orban told the Minister of Interior Marcel Vela.He also reminded about the 21 persons who entered Romania on Tuesday through the Giurgiu-Ruse border checkpoint, as a passenger of a bus that came from Italy through Greece. They have been placed in quarantine for a period of 14 days in the Giurgiu municipality area. Disgruntled Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia resigned from the Congress, minutes after meeting Narendra Modi and Amit Shah in Delhi Disgruntled Congress leader and four-time Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia resigned from the Congress on Tuesday morning, minutes after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. In his resignation letter, which is addressed to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Jyotiraditya Scindia said: "...this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year". Follow LIVE updates on Madhya Pradesh political crisis here "While my aim and purpose remain the same as it has always been from the very beginning, to serve the people of my state and country, I believe I am unable to do this anymore within this party," he wrote. He added that he wanted a "fresh start" to work towards the "aspirations of his people". Gandhi, however, immediately expelled him from the Congress for "anti-party activities", as the crisis looming over the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh deepened. "The Congress president has approved the expulsion of Jyotiraditya Scindia from the Indian National Congress with immediate effect for anti-party activities," according to a statement from AICC general secretary KC Venugopal. INC COMMUNIQUE Important Notification pic.twitter.com/t9I5WsbVTS INC Sandesh (@INCSandesh) March 10, 2020 Sources told PTI that Scindia first met Shah, and then the two leaders met Modi at the prime minister's residence. Legislators loyal to Scindia, who has been upset with the Congress leadership with his marginalisation in the affairs of the Madhya Pradesh Congress, are likely to quit the party to reduce the Kamal Nath government to a minority. It is likely to be followed by the BJP staking claim to form the government in the state. Seventeen MLAs, including at least six ministers, known to be Scindia loyalists, are currently in Bengaluru. Kamal Nath promised to reconstitute the state cabinet after an emergency meeting late on Monday night. Following the meet, around 20 ministers resigned. In Delhi, sources told PTI that hectic efforts were underway by the Congress leadership to save the party's government in Madhya Pradesh and placate Scindia who has long been at odds with Kamal Nath over leadership issues. "The party high command is sending emissaries, including Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot to Scindia in order to win him back. But the efforts have not borne any fruit yet," a source said. Pilot tried to reach out to Scindia, but failed. The disgruntled Scindia did not respond to his message, sources said. As of now, the Madhya Pradesh government has 120 MLAs just four over the majority mark of 116 in the 230-member Assembly. Of these, 114 are from the Congress, two from the BSP, one from the Samajwadi Party and four are Independents. The BJP has 107 MLAs and two seats are currently vacant. But if the 17 MLAs resign, the majority mark in the Assembly will come down to 106, paving the way for the BJP (which has 107 MLAs) to stake a claim to the government. With inputs from PTI Trauma from family separation knows no age. On a recent episode of the podcast The Daily, I heard a grown woman talking about the fact she hadnt seen her 77-year-old mother since her coronavirus-affected nursing facility went on lockdown. The woman cried as she described the relief of being allowed to peer at her mom through an outside window. Even though they had been talking on the phone, the woman just needed to be able to see that her mom was alive, sitting up in bed and able to wave hello. Were going to hear many more stories about the impact of COVID-19 on families as people are quarantined at home and sheltered at hospitals and other health facilities. As travel is disrupted, well hear about spouses being separated and children stranded from their families. It will be wrapped in anger that there isnt enough information to reconnect people with each other. As the outbreak worsens, it could personally impact millions of Americans, giving a critical mass of people an intimate understanding of trauma. According to the nonprofit organization Physicians for Human Rights, the kinds of after-effects experienced by parents and children who are unexpectedly or abruptly separated include: being confused and upset, constantly worried, crying a lot, having sleeping difficulties, not eating well, having nightmares, being preoccupied, having severely depressed moods, overwhelming symptoms of anxiety, and physiological manifestations of panic and despair (racing heart, shortness of breath, and headaches), feeling pure agony and hopelessness, feeling emotional and mental anguish, and being incredibly despondent. My desperate hope is that coronavirus-related discomfort, inconvenience and suffering creates empathy for our fellow human beings. Thats because I want people to identify with and understand what is still happening today at the U.S.-Mexico border: Families that include immigrants continue to be separated. According to the Pew Research Center, the number of migrant apprehensions at the border rose in fiscal 2019 to its highest level in 12 years. The 851,508 apprehensions recorded were more than double the number of the year before. The majority of those people were spared from official policy that rips apart families with the goal of discouraging other migrants from attempting to gain entry into the United States. But there continue to be exceptions that, according to experts, are loosely applied. When families are apprehended by the Border Patrol or present themselves and plead for asylum, the prevailing practice is that they can be separated only after a determination is made that a parent poses a danger to the child, or has a serious criminal record or gang affiliation. Or when an aunt, uncle or sibling is accompanying the child or the parent is sick. But the government is trying to drive a truck through what was supposed to be a very narrow exception, Lee Gelernt of the American Civil Liberties Union told NBC News last summer. Citing government data and reporting from the border, Gelernt argued that many children were being separated from their parents for minor crimes or unverified accusations of gang affiliation. One can believe in the rule of law as well as orderly and controlled entry into our country and simultaneously believe that it is wrong to forcefully split up families and then ensnare them in a tangle of administrative red tape, as has been well documented in the past few years. What is happening at the border is nothing short of a human rights horror. Its not much better in certain communities and neighborhoods all over the interior of the country, where raids and apprehensions at workplaces, homes and sometimes even near school grounds cause scenes as adults are arrested, leaving U.S.-born children behind with family or plunging them into the foster care system. The threat of the coronavirus should not be politicized. But if we can find simple parallels in the pain of parents and children being torn apart by forces they have no control over, maybe more of us will sympathize with the ghastliness being inflicted on people arriving to our country. Both situations require our undivided attention. estherjcepeda@washpost.com The mother of a man who was killed in an unprovoked attack in 2018 has died suddenly after being left heartbroken at the length of his killer's prison sentence. Marie Magee (57) from Seaforde, Co Down, died of a suspected heart attack at Downe Hospital in Downpatrick on Saturday, The Irish News reported. Her daughters Francine and Stacey Fox told the newspaper she never recovered from the brutal killing of her son Padraig Fox. Mrs Magee had given an emotional interview from her hospital bed last month calling for tougher sentences to be imposed when someone loses their life. Padraig (29), described as a vulnerable man, was killed with an "unprovoked and unexpected blow" following a drink and drug binge in December 2018. He was killed in the kitchen of his neighbour's flat after being punched by Donach Rice. Rice (22), from Kilkeel Road in Annalong, was sentenced to three years in prison after admitting the manslaughter of Padraig in January. The court heard that Rice displayed a "shocking indifference" to the plight of Padraig in the aftermath of the killing. Mr Justice Colton said that after administering the fatal Blow, Rice created a "false self-defence scenario" then cashed in a betting slip for 7.60 which belonged to the deceased. Mrs Magee's daughter Francine Fox said: "She died when they took Padraig, when they took her baby. She may have still been here in body, but she wasn't herself any more. She didn't have any fire in her. Her heart unfortunately just gave up. "That is one comfort to us. We know she's with her son, with her baby where she wanted to be. That is the only comfort we can take. "We are all devastated. We are just over my brother's first anniversary and it's all taking its toll." Mrs Magee was being treated for the lung disease COPD, but was able to be discharged from hospital for three weeks around the Christmas period to spend time with family. "We called round to her. I think she was trying to put on a brave face for the grandchildren. They're what she held on for. I have four children with special needs and having to try to break the news to them in a way that they understand is so hard," Francine added. "My eldest daughter is completely broken. She was very close to her Nanny and would have gone on holiday with her. During the summer she was with her so much I would be ringing up to say `Can I have my daughter back?'" Marie was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder following her son's killing and had been moved into a mental health inpatient unit. Her family say that she had been "much brighter" and had expected to be discharged to attend a granddaughter's first communion when she passed away. Mrs Magee's funeral mass will take place at St McCartan's Church in Loughinisland at 10am on Wednesday, with burial afterward in the adjoining cemetery. WASHINGTON Longtime labor organizer Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez on Monday threw her support behind state Sen. Royce West, who narrowly edged her out of a spot in the Democratic runoff election for the partys nomination to challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. It was yet another in a growing list of endorsements for West, who throughout the primary has touted the backing of most Democrats in the state Legislature and other elected officials, including Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. But the Dallas Democrat said this one is different. Tzintzun Ramirez wrote the Latino outreach strategy for Beto ORourkes 2018 Senate campaign. Tzintzun Ramirez also founded Jolt, a group that has spent the last three years focusing exclusively on mobilizing Latinos in Texas and registering them to vote. With her behind him, West said, we will bring Latinos and African Americans further together, as well as Anglos and others. We will pull together a coalition of people in this state. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox Thats something West will need if he is to overcome former Air Force pilot Hegar, who has the backing of Senate Democrats in D.C., a fundraising edge of over $2.5 million, and the benefit of having ads on TV for weeks in advance of Super Tuesday. But the runoff is a whole new race one likely to draw far fewer voters. As West zeroes in on the votes of minorities, Hegars strength is her appeal to women voters. Hegar scored an endorsement from EMILYs List, an influential progressive group that supports women candidates, directly after the primary election last week. Both voting blocs will be necessary for whichever candidate emerges in May to face Cornyn, who has more than $12 million stocked up to fend off the challenge. But to make it past the runoff, Hegar and West are picking their lanes now. Tzintzun Ramirezs endorsement of West was something of a rebuke of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committees endorsement of Hegar, which drew backlash from both Tzintzun Ramirez and West at the time. Both argued a white woman wasn't the right candidate to run in a state as diverse as Texas. West said Monday he expects others from the crowded Democratic primary field to back him, as well, including former Houston congressman Chris Bell and Beaumont NAACP Chair Michael Cooper proof, he said, that we're not going to allow Washington to make the decisions in terms of who's going to be the nominee. Tzintzun Ramirez gave West an enthusiastic endorsement. On every single issue that I care about as a progressive, it is clear to me that he is the stronger choice, she said Monday. And on the issue of, not just the issues I care about as a progressive, but being able to build a multiracial coalition that speaks to the diversity of this state, that is able to unite black, brown and Asian voters, I believe that he is the most clear choice. For subscribers: West advances to face Hegar in Texas U.S. Senate runoff Hegar, who lives in the Austin suburb of Round Rock, is betting otherwise and proved in her narrow loss in a 2018 congressional election that she has the support of suburban women voters who nearly propelled ORourke to victory over U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. Hegar was the top candidate in the primary election, with 22 percent of the vote. West finished with 14.5 percent, drawing more than 143,000 fewer votes than Hegar. MJ Hegar is a fearless leader dedicated to serving her country, Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILYs List, said in a statement announcing the groups endorsement. A Purple Heart recipient who served three tours in Afghanistan, MJ successfully petitioned the U.S. Department of Defense to repeal the combat exclusion policy limiting womens opportunities for military advancement. Shes fought for working families and women across the nation. MJ is going to continue focusing on what secured her the top spot in the primary traveling tens of thousands of miles across the state to meet with voters from all backgrounds and continuing to grow her Texas-sized grassroots campaign, said Amanda Sherman, a spokeswoman for Hegar. From meeting with labor unions in apprentice shops and on the picket line, to talking gun violence prevention in the living rooms of passionate survivors, to visiting health care clinics to hear from patients and providers about what needs to be done to make health care more affordable, MJ is building a broad coalition across Texas that makes her the candidate to defeat Senator Cornyn in November. For subscribers: In Super Tuesday heat check, Texas progressives got warmer The race between Hegar and West is another example of the debate within the Democratic Party about what it will take to flip a long-red state like Texas, said Joshua Blank, manager of polling and research at the University of Texas at Austins Texas Politics Project. On one side are those who believe Democrats can gain the most ground by appealing to moderates and even some Republicans who are disillusioned by President Donald Trump, especially suburban women. The other route is the one the party has long focused on: Leaning on the states increasingly diverse population to carry a Democrat across the line in a statewide race. Theres an ongoing conversation in Democratic circles about what the best path forward is to lead the Democrats to a more competitive position in the state, Blank said. I think that West and Hegar are both playing on this dynamic. The runoff offers a sharp contrast between the two candidates something that was missing in the crowded primary race where a dozen Democrats struggled to stand out. West has served in the state Legislature for nearly three decades. Hes leaned on that experience, and a deep roster of local endorsements, throughout the primary. Hegar, meanwhile, has positioned herself as a motorcycle-riding, tattooed political outsider who can appeal to moderates and independents tired of politics as usual. Im not a career politician. Im one of millions of Texans who have seen the world were giving our children and thought Hell, no, Hegar tweeted after making the runoff. We built our campaign from the ground up together and proved we have what it takes to do something incredible in November: WIN Texas. For subscribers: Women are candidates in half of the 2020 Texas races for Congress The runoff, when just a fraction of voters are expected to turn out, will be about each candidates abilito to get their supporters to the polls especially for West, who will need strong turnout from minority voters to defeat Hegar, who has essentially locked up the white vote, said Mark P. Jones, a political scientist at Rice University. Jones says West is likely to focus on big cities, including Dallas which carried him into the runoff and Houston, the biggest and most diverse city in the state. West has been working to build that support already. One recent campaign ad shows West speaking to a group of African Americans. Its time we elect Texas first senator from our community, he says to loud cheers in the ad. Were going to make history, were going to break barriers. I think if youre Royce West, your one hope is that you can really mobilize the African American electorate to turn out in large numbers, Jones said. The election in May will be much more about the ability to turn out your base, Jones said. If Royce West can turn out his base at a much higher rate, he can win. ben.wermund@chron.com Glanbia boss Siobhan Talbot has given up her bonus, which last year was worth almost 1.2m in cash and shares. It comes 12 months after the Glanbia group managing director agreed a new three-year deal to stay on in the job. Her package included a 22pc hike in base salary to 1.05m a year plus other benefits, including cash in lieu of a pension contribution, worth 344,000. Bonuses on top of that could potentially be worth more than those figures combined. In its annual report published yesterday, Glanbia said Ms Talbot and Hugh McGuire, who leads the Glanbia Performance Nutrition business, had both voluntarily waived any bonus entitlements in 2020. Other senior executives, including group finance director Mark Garvey, will receive reduced bonuses paid in deferred shares, with no cash element, the company said. It added: "In light of overall group financial performance in 2019, the remuneration committee agreed to implement the operating executive proposal to reduce certain 2019 annual bonus awards from the amount otherwise determined on a formulaic basis." 'The battle lines are being drawn. Nitish is a master political craftsman. He is not going to leave the BJP, but he knows that even a small fraction of minority votes would help him keep his image of a secular leader.' Satyavrat Mishra reports. At the start of the budget session of the Bihar assembly, Bharatiya Janata Party lawmakers were lining up to greet Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. At the same time, Leader of the Opposition and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav was busy submitting an adjournment motion over the controversial National Population Register. Less than 24 hours later, speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary accepted Tejashwis motion and a debate over the issue began. BJP members, at first, were a bit confused over the turn of events. The confusion deepened when Nitish appeared neutral over the issue, and not siding with ally BJP. Before BJP MLAs could seek clarity from him, the chief minister announced that the state government would not implement the NPR in its new form, and would go ahead with the 2010 questionnaire. The president of the Janata Dal-United also vociferously denounced a nationwide National Register for Citizens and termed the BJPs demand for it needless and without justification. What happened in the second half of the day was even more shocking for BJP MLAs. Just after Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi finished presenting the state budget, Kumar asked the House to unanimously pass a resolution against a nationwide NRC. Before BJP legislators could discuss the matter, the resolution was approved. Its interesting to note that Nitish had invited Tejashwi for a cup of tea when the House was adjourned for lunch. They met again the following day, and Nitish got another resolution unanimously passed, demanding a caste-based census in 2021. And they again met a day later. Nobody is ready to spill the beans, but the air is heavy with speculation. "Having a casual chat over a cup of tea should not be linked with politics, said JD-U state president Bhashishta Narayan Singh. But in politics, nothing is what it seems. Eyes on the prize Political analysts call this affection between chacha-bhatija (Nitish-Tejashwi) the need of the hour for them, especially when the assembly election is only months away. The BJP tried to use issues related to nationalism, the CAA and the NRC in the Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Delhi elections, but it did not work for the party. Nitish understands this and, therefore, he is sidelining the BJP beforehand, said N K Chaudhary, former head of department of economics at Patna University. On the other hand, a JD-U leader said: Sometimes you have to show that you cant be taken for granted. Kumar hit two birds with a stone -- he asserted his autonomy and also boosted his secular credentials. Some say Nitishs move in the House and his bonhomie with Tejashwi were a message to BJP to stop its pressure politics. Ever since their success in the Lok Sabha elections, BJP leaders have been asking for a greater say in the states ruling alliance. They want the BJP and the JD-U to contest an equal number of seats in the upcoming election. Though the BJP leadership has already announced Nitish as the National Democratic Alliances chief ministerial candidate, not many within the party are happy. Nitish knows this and understands that if the BJP manages to secure more seats than the JD-Us tally, he could be looking at a tumultuous term, to say the least. Therefore, he wants the upper hand in the seat-sharing talks. Hence, the feelers, said Chaudhary. On the other hand, Tejashwi, too, is facing several problems in the Grand Alliance. The Congress, after its victory in Jharkhand, is seeking more seats to contest. Whereas smaller allies -- the Hindustani Awam Morchas Jitan Ram Manjhi, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party chief Upendra Kushwaha and the Vikassheel Insan Partys Mukesh Sahani -- are busy making plans of their own. They recently met Nitishs advisor-turned-foe Prashant Kishor in Delhi. Besides, he has troubles closer home. His elder brother, Tej Pratap, wants to prove his superiority in the party. Last week, Tej Pratap named one of his close aides member of the partys parliamentary board, but this move was overturned by Tejashwi minutes later. They (allies) see Tejashwi as Lalu Prasads son, not his heir apparent. The current scenario gives an opportunity to Tejashwi to present himself as their leader. He is already claiming credit for the assemblys motion against the NRC, saying he forced Nitishs hand, said a party insider. Game is afoot Does this mean that Lalu and Nitish are coming together? Not exactly, said leaders from both camps. We have been very clear about the CAA, the NRC and the NPR, said Bihars information minister Neeraj Kumar. We supported the CAA, but we were not in favour of the NRC and the NPR in its current form. The RJD was trying to make it an issue, but we stopped that idea in its tracks, he said. Meanwhile, RJD vice-president Shivanand Tiwary said Nitish scored one against the BJP. He, however, called the governments move a tactical understanding between Nitish and the BJP leadership. Nitish is not going away from the BJP anytime soon. The BJP leadership has changed stance after the partys defeat in recent assembly polls. It understands that nationalism would not be a big factor in the Bihar election and that it would be fought on local issues. The BJP doesnt want to leave Kumar, thus avoiding a multi-corner contest. The BJP, so far, has been silent on the entire episode. Deputy CM and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi refused to comment on the issue when contacted. He, however, said there was no confusion between the two partners. But, sources said the party leadership was not pleased by the turn of events. Battle preparations In the assembly election, the stakes would be high and all the parties understand this. Following the BJPs recent electoral debacles, Nitish has decided to focus on local issues. Local equations play an important role. In 47 assembly constituencies, minorities constitute more than 20 per cent of voters. Plus, there are more than 80 constituencies where they form 10 per cent or more votes. Upsetting them would mean upsetting the chances of winning, said a senior JD-U leader. Therefore, party leaders are now focused on issues such as prohibition, education, roads, and electricity. In fact, when Nitishs most-trusted lieutenant R C P Singh embarked on a constituency yatra, the Rajya Sabha MP discussed the alcohol ban and development schemes of the Nitish government. We are trying to win a fourth consecutive term. Its not going to be an easy task, said a leader. Meanwhile, the RJD is trying to expand beyond its traditional Muslim-Yadav base. Last month, when the list of new district-level chiefs was unveiled, it surprised everyone. The party reduced the number of Yadavs on the list, from 23 to 13. The number of Muslims, too, was also brought down, from 17 to 12. Fourteen leaders from extremely backward castes and eight from Scheduled Castes were included. For the first time, the party gave three leaders from upper castes a place on the list. The battle lines are being drawn. Nitish is a master political craftsman. He is not going to leave the BJP, but he knows that even a small fraction of minority votes would help him keep his image of a secular leader, said Chaudhary. For Lalu and his family, the polls will be a do or die battle. Yadavs had switched over to the BJP last year (in the Lok Sabha polls); this time they appear to be behind the RJD. However, Tejashwi wants to widen the field and, therefore, he is luring other castes, too. In the process, he also wants to cement his position in the Grand Alliance and his party, he added. In the past week, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) increased its revenue decline projection for the airline industry in 2020. The forecast for the higher amount of revenue losses was due to multiple flight cancellations following the rapid spread of the dreaded coronavirus (COVID-19) to multiple countries across the globe. Additionally, passenger traffic growth across the globe in January 2020 was the slowest in a decade due to the above-mentioned health peril. Moreover, with Italy being one of the worst-affected coronavirus countries, European carrier Ryanair Holdings RYAAY, which had earlier decided to trim its capacity to/from Italy by 25% from Mar 17 to Apr 8, announced that it intends to suspend more domestic and international Italian flights through Apr 8. Coronavirus-related updates were also available from U.S. carriers like JetBlue Airways JBLU and Southwest Airlines LUV in the past week. While JetBlue withdrew its first-quarter 2020 and full-year outlooks, Southwest Airlines lowered its first-quarter unit revenue view due to this health hazard. (Read the last Airline Stock Roundup here) Recap of the Past Weeks Most Important Stories 1. According to Alexandre de Juniac, director general and CEO of the IATA, passenger traffic growth across the globe in January 2020 was the slowest in a decade. Notably, demand (measured in total revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) inched up 2.4% in the month on a year-over-year basis, signaling the lowest monthly increase since Apr 2010.Juniac termed the January traffic performance of airlines as the tip of the iceberg as major travel restrictions in China did not begin until Jan 23. In the opening month of the ongoing year, the health scare was only confined to China and was still considered an epidemic. (Read more: Coronavirus Upends Air Travel as Growth Slumps to Decade Low). 2. Given the vast majority of countries that the coronavirus outbreak has spread to and the resultant slump in forward bookings, the IATA now anticipates a global passenger revenue loss of $63-$113 billion for 2020. This is significantly higher than the previous projection of a $29.3-billion passenger revenue loss when its estimate was based on the assumption that the coronavirus-caused low demand would affect mostly the Chinese market. The research firm anticipates a negative $63-billion passenger revenue impact assuming that the outbreak will mostly impact demand in the Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea), Europe (France, Italy, Germany) and the Middle East (Iran). (Read more: IATA's New Forecast Adds Gloom to Coronavirus-Hit Airlines). Story continues 3. Management at Southwest Airlines now expects first-quarter total revenue per available seat mile (RASM: a key measure of unit revenues) to either dip 2% or increase up to 1% from the year-ago figure. The company had earlier anticipated a RASM increase in the 3.5-5.5% range for the March quarter. Notably, this Dallas, TX- based Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) airline witnessed upbeat passenger bookings in January and February (the first two months of the quarter). However, recently, demand declined massively coupled with an increase in trip cancellations. The carrier expects the drop in demand to persist in the remainder of March, given the rapid spread of the coronavirus. Consequently, first-quarter operating revenues are expected to decline between $200 and $300 million. (Read more: Southwest Airlines Down on Coronavirus-Induced Q1 RASM View). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. 4. As JetBlue is experiencing significant deterioration in forward bookings since late February due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus, the low-cost carrier withdrew its guidance for first-quarter 2020 as well as the full year. The carrier expects coronavirus to negatively impact its first-quarter RASM performance significantly. To combat this virus-induced low demand, JetBlue is taking steps to control costs. On similar lines, United Airlines UAL plans to trim domestic capacity by 10%. The Chicago, IL-based airline intends to cut back U.S. and Canadian flights by 10% as well as slash capacity on international schedule by 20% in April. Simultaneously, United Airlines is putting hiring (except for crucial positions) on pause at least through Jun 30. (Read more: United Airlines Takes Several Steps to Fight Coronavirus Woes). 5.Allegiant Travel Company ALGT intends to invest $50 million in establishing a new base at Concord, NC. The company aims to immediately start hiring pilots, flight attendants, mechanics and ground personnel to facilitate operations at the new base, which are expected to begin Oct 7, 2020. Notably, the commencement of operations is likely to generate at least 66 high-wage jobs. Moreover, two Airbus aircraft will be housed at the new base. (Read more: Allegiant to Set Up $50M Worth North Carolina Operational Base). Price Performance The following table shows the price movement of the major airline players over the past week and during the past six months. The table above shows that all airline stocks traded in the red over the past week inducing the NYSE ARCA Airline Index to decline 11.4% to $73.91 as the coronavirus woes rock the industry. Over the course of six months, the sector tracker has declined 25.3%. What's Next in the Airline Space? Investors will await the fourth-quarter 2019 earnings report of Azul AZUL, scheduled to be released on Mar 12. Watch this space for further updates on the coronavirus and its resultant impact on the sector. Just Released: Zacks 7 Best Stocks for Today Experts extracted 7 stocks from the list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys that has beaten the market more than 2X over with a stunning average gain of +24.7% per year. These 7 were selected because of their superior potential for immediate breakout. See these time-sensitive tickers 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 Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) : Free Stock Analysis Report JetBlue Airways Corporation (JBLU) : Free Stock Analysis Report Ryanair Holdings PLC (RYAAY) : Free Stock Analysis Report United Airlines Holdings Inc (UAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Allegiant Travel Company (ALGT) : Free Stock Analysis Report AZUL SA (AZUL) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., appear at a rally at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek in Raleigh, on Nov. 3, 2016. (Andrew Harnik/AP photo) Sanders Responds to Clinton Criticism: I Dont Want to Relive 2016 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, responded to critical comments made by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about his decades-long work in Congress. During a Fox News town hall on Monday, Sanders was presented with a clip from moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum that included Clintons recorded comments. Bernie just drove me crazy, Clinton said. He was in Congress for years. Years. He had one senator support him. Nobody likes him, nobody wants to work with him. He got nothing done. The former first lady alleged Sanders is a career politician and didnt have a job until he was elected into office when he was aged 41. It was all just baloney and I feel so bad that, you know, people got sucked into it, she remarked. According to Politico, Sanders graduated from the University of Chicago in 1964 and worked as an aide at a hospital, teaching preschoolers for Head Start, the Vermont Department of Taxes as a researcher, and also worked for a nonprofit. Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) addresses a campaign rally at Grant Park Petrillo Music Shell in Chicago, Ill., on March 7, 2020. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images) The report noted that Sanders had acknowledged that he bounced around jobs and struggled to pay the bills for much of his 20s and 30s. He was elected as the mayor of Burlington, Vermont, in 1981 and was in office until 1989. However, a widely-circulated resume of the senators work history from the 1980s showed his first job as being the mayor of Burlington. Sanders didnt directly address Clintons criticism, but he told the Fox panel: Unlike Secretary Clinton, I dont want to relive 2016. Were in 2020 now. But also, if you guys looked at some of the polling that they do for United States senators, you know they do polls thathow popular you are. In most cases I turn out to be the most popular United States senator in the whole country, he added. Sanders is jockeying for position in a head-to-head Democratic primary race with former Vice President Joe Biden, who also had a long career in politics, serving as a senator from Delaware for nearly 40 years. Voters in several states, including all-important Michigan, will cast ballots in the Democratic presidential primary on Tuesday, as 352 pledged delegates are on the line. In 2016, Sanders won Michigan over Clinton. Biden is currently leading Sanders in the delegate count after a strong showing during last weeks Super Tuesday vote. I feel my whole life is observing, he told the Advocate in 1996, and I wish I could get into the action. I came from a very ugly background and a very ugly small town with people with very ugly attitudes. I had a need for beauty, and I think I share that with lots of people. That need comes simply because of all of the sordidness and unhappiness and resentment as well as the calamity of growing up gay when I was growing up. Thats a roundabout way of saying I never felt too included. A Qantas passenger has claimed Russell Brand 'caused a scene' and stormed off a plane bound for Perth before take-off. The British comedian announced on Monday he was cancelling his sell-out gig in the Western Australian capital after a woman who attended the venue was diagnosed with the deadly virus. According to passenger Jordan Trevis, Brand disembarked flight QF573 from Brisbane to Perth shortly after boarding on Monday afternoon. A Qantas passenger has claimed Russell Brand 'caused a scene' and stormed off a plane bound for Perth before take-off Pictured: Signage on the entry doors to the Perth Concert Hall advising of the cancelled Russell Brand show is seen on March 9 Mr Trevis told The West Australian Brand complained about the side-by-side seating and claimed the actor was rude to Qantas staff. 'He gets on and he's being a bit rude. He was complaining about the plane and how close he had to sit to someone else,' he claimed. 'He started complaining about the seat and the quality, it wasn't what he was expecting.' According to Mr Trevis, Brand got up with his bag, went to the toilet and then walked off the aircraft after another passenger sat down next to him. 'He was causing a bit of a scene. They [the flight attendants] weren't too happy with him, he was clearly being a bit rude,' he claimed. Three flight attendants spoke to Brand, Mr Trevis claimed. According to a passenger, Brand disembarked flight QF573 from Brisbane to Perth shortly after boarding on Monday afternoon (stock image) On Monday afternoon Brand wrote on Instagram: 'We have to SADLY CANCEL TONIGHT'S SHOW IN #PERTH because there has been a CONFIRMED CASE OF CORONAVIRUS in someone who attended a recent show' There was a delay of about 30 minutes but it was not related to Brand allegedly choosing not to fly. On Monday afternoon Brand wrote on Instagram: 'We have to SADLY CANCEL TONIGHT'S SHOW IN #PERTH because there has been a CONFIRMED CASE OF CORONAVIRUS in someone who attended a recent show.' 'I am not happy with risk for me or for any of you. My apologies, I hope I see you soon.' Brand was referring to a woman who watched the West Australian Symphony Orchestra at the Perth Concert Hall on Saturday before receiving a positive test result that evening. She had been tested the day before after flying from London to Perth on Qantas flight QF10. It comes after Brand's ex-wife Katy Perry announced that she is pregnant with her first child. Brand is booked to take the stage for his Recovery Live tour on Wednesday night in Adelaide. Australian tour promoter Adrian Bohm said he stood behind Brand's Instagram post when contacted by The West Australian. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Bohm and Qantas for comment. T he stock market staged a partial rally today after yesterdays Black Monday plunge . The FTSE 100 Index of leading British companies rose 218.51 points, 3.81 per cent, to stand at 6184.28 by mid-morning in far calmer trading conditions. However, some market commentators said they feared the recovery could prove to be a dead cat bounce City jargon for a brief uptick in share prices before another fall. It has been estimated that about 2.8 trillion was wiped off share values around the world in yesterdays spectacular rout, triggered by coronavirus panic and the escalation of an oil trade war between Russia and Saudi Arabia. Londons blue-chip benchmark lost almost 500 points in its fifth-worst session ever, closing at a four-year low of 5,965.77. Jasper Lawler, of online trading platform London Capital Group, said: There will be investors waking up today wondering if it was all a bad dream. Oil fell by the most since the Gulf War and global stock markets had their worst day since the 2008 crisis. Neil Wilson, chief market analyst at markets.com, said: Investors are licking wounds and there is a stabilisation of the rout but this looks like a short-term bounce on oversold levels, not a meaningful turn. Today fashion retailer French Connection became the latest business to issue a warning about the impact of an epidemic. Announcing a loss of 2.9 million, the company said a major concern is that the outbreak leads to further reductions in footfall on the High Street. Chairman and CEO Stephen Marks added that the trading landscape in the UK is unlikely to improve in the short term. However, in rare good news for consumers, Asda became the first major fuel retailer to respond to the falling global oil market with a 2p cut in the price of petrol and diesel. RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: After such a sharp drop in the price of oil its right that pump prices start falling and quickly. We hope Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 23:59:28|Editor: yan Video Player Close WASHINGTON, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Six U.S. states are scheduled to hold primaries on Tuesday for voters to select their prefered presidential candidate this year. The states that are voting or are about to vote are Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, and Washington. Sitting President Donald Trump is expected to win the Republican primaries as he faces no major challenges in the party. On the Democratic side, former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont are locked in a one-on-one battle for the party's presidential nomination. The two candidates are paying much attention to Michigan, a battleground state that awards 125 pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention (DNC), scheduled for July in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. According to a poll released on Monday, Biden, a 77-year-old moderate political veteran, is coming into Michigan's Democratic primary with a 24-point lead over Sanders, a 78-year-old progressive. Biden has 51 percent support in Michigan, according to a Detroit Free Press survey, compared to 27 percent for Sanders. The poll has a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points. In 2016, Sanders won Michigan in the Democratic primary with an upset victory against Hillary Clinton, after polls showed that he had trailed well behind the former U.S. secretary of state. Sanders still leads among voters between the age of 18 and 34, at 58 percent support compared to Biden's 17 percent, according to Monday's poll. Michigan is also a crucial state in the November election: Trump won the state by just over 10,000 votes in 2016, becoming the first Republican to win it since 1988. Tuesday's contests come a week after Super Tuesday's Democratic primaries, in which Biden won 10 of the 14 states voting that day, while Sanders won the other four. Biden also leads Sanders in pledged delegates with 670 to 574, as of Tuesday morning. U.S. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii is still in the Democratic primary race but is trailing well behind Biden and Sanders. Voters on Tuesday are assigning 9 percent of the total pledged delegates to the DNC, meaning 53 percent of the total available delegates will still lie ahead. To win the Democratic presidential nomination, a candidate must receive support from a majority of all 3,979 pledged delegates on the first ballot of the DNC, which election officials say must be at least 1,991 delegates. The Republican Party is expected to nominate Trump for a second term during August's national convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. The 2020 U.S. presidential election will take place on Nov. 3. Italian soldiers with face masks are on duty at Milan Central Railway Station in Milan, Italy, on March 9, 2020. Measures to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus will be extended to the entire country in the next hours, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced late on Monday. (Photo by Daniele Mascolo/Xinhua) BRUSSELS, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday that the novel coronavirus has got a foothold in so many countries and the threat of a pandemic has become very real. His words came as Cyprus confirmed its first two COVID-19 cases, which means all EU members have reported infection cases. European countries have begun to upgrade their containment measures. In Italy, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Monday evening that measures to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus will be extended to the entire country in the next hours. "THREAT OF PANDEMIC VERY REAL" COVID-19 is an uneven epidemic at the global level, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a daily briefing, reminding that different countries are in different scenarios, requiring a tailored response. It would be the first pandemic in history that could be controlled, the WHO head also noted. He called on all countries to take a comprehensive blended strategy for controlling their epidemics and pushing this virus back. Tedros also said of the around 80,000 reported cases of COVID-19 in China, more than 70 percent have recovered and been discharged. Among the countries with the most cases, China is bringing its epidemic under control. He stressed that the transmission of coronavirus can be slowed down and infections can be prevented through decisive and early actions. "Countries that continue finding and testing cases and tracing their contacts not only protect their own people, they can also affect what happens in other countries and globally," said Tedros. INFECTIONS KEEP RISING IN EUROPE The Italian authorities said Monday the number of people who tested positive for the new coronavirus reached 7,985, an increase of 1,598 new infections compared to the previous day, and did not include recoveries or fatalities. Considering all data (including deaths and recoveries), the number of assessed coronavirus cases in the country was 9,172. Also on Monday, Germany confirmed the first two deaths from COVID-19, both in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), German local media Focus reported. According to official data, the number of confirmed cases in Germany rose to 1,112 by Monday morning, 484 of which are in NRW. In France, 1,412 cases of coronavirus infection have been confirmed and 25 patients have died, Director-General of Health Jerome Salomon announced on Monday evening. Both Spain and Denmark eyewitnessed rapid growth in confirmed cases on Monday. The number of confirmed cases in Spain rose from just under 600 on Sunday to over 1,000, with the death toll increasing from 10 to 26. Denmark saw its total number of COVID-19 infections rise to 90 by Monday afternoon, a sharp increase from Sunday's 35, according to an update on the website of the National Board of Health on Monday evening. The virus has affected some international organizations. The Brussels-based North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) confirmed a case of coronavirus infection in its headquarters on Monday morning. The staff member is currently at home in self-isolation. NEW MEASURES TO STEM SPREAD European countries have stepped up efforts and put in place new containment measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. In France, all gatherings of more than 1,000 people are now prohibited across French cities. Only events considered "useful to the life of the nation" will be maintained. The new measures also included a decree making telemedicine more flexible and available to the public. In addition, hospitals would trigger the "white plan" of extra mobilization systems to cope with the additional influx of patients linked to the coronavirus. It allows to reinforce additional nursing and administrative staff, offer more beds and limit patient visits. In Spain's autonomous community of Madrid, schools and universities will be closed for 14 days starting from Wednesday, the region's president Isabel Diaz Ayuso confirmed. Romania also unveiled similar plans. The country's interim Prime Minister Ludovic Orban announced that all primary and secondary schools, as well as kindergartens across the country, will be closed on March 11-22. Romanian Interim Interior Minister Marcel Vela added that the road and rail transport of people to and from Italy will be suspended from Tuesday to the end of the month. In Poland, medical controls have been introduced on the borders with Germany and the Czech Republic. "I want to emphasize that in the next several dozen hours we will be expanding the scope of these checks to other border crossings," said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. In Croatia, the National Civil Protection Authority introduced new protection measures, requiring all foreign nationals from the outbreak's hotspots to stay in mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival. In the Czech Republic, the national security council decided to ban visits to inpatient hospital wards, which will take effect on Tuesday. In Slovenia, Health Minister Ales Sabeder announced that the checking of passengers arriving at Ljubljana JoZe Pucnik airport is expected to be introduced in a few days. As for airlines, Air Malta, Malta Air and Ryanair have announced cancellations of all flights to and from north Italy. French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday urged European countries to coordinate actions to curb the COVID-19 outbreak. "In order to face COVID-19 ... I call on our European partners to take urgent action to coordinate health measures, research efforts and our economic response," Macron said in a tweet. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, is poised to become the third largest in the world by 2050. Based on this fact alone, one would think that the country is humming and purring. But, in fact, Nigeria is teetering on the edge of becoming the next, bad version of Iraq. In Nigeria, conflict bloody conflict is normal, with religious and ethnic differences firmly serving as the recurrent flashpoints for violence that are feeding the regional instability across West Africa. Its a conflict that bears troublesome similarities to the sectarian battle in Iraq that has dominated, or one could say plagued, US foreign policy since this century began. The stakes are high for Nigeria. And, by default, for the African continent and the United States. Recall 2009. The notorious Underwear Bomber a 23-year-old, Nigerian male, who boarded a plane bound for Michigan on Christmas Day with enough explosives in his underwear to take the lives of the 289 people, who were on that plane. Thankfully, in our post 9-11 world, he was caught before the crime was perpetrated and 289 lives were saved. In recent years, the terrorist group Boko Haram, which literally means against western education, arose in the northern states and has slaughtered more than 20,000 innocent victims, displaced at least two million Nigerians, and kidnapped more than 200 Chibok schoolgirls a move that afforded them international notoriety. If this all sounds horrific, its because it is. The unnecessary violence and bloodshed in Nigeria is symptomatic of an intensified religious conflict. And, it is worthy of our attention now not later. As mentioned before, Nigeria is the largest democracy in Africa. In fact, the rise of Nigerias population growth mirrors its ascending influence in global economic markets and geopolitical affairs. It is now sub-Saharan Africas largest economy and constitutes roughly 75% of the West African regional economy. Suffice it to say that a failure of government in Nigeria sprinkled with an act of terrorism here and there would have humungous ripple effects across the continent, not to mention regional global ramifications. Domestically, instability in Nigeria would also be damning, given our energy and oil interests Nigeria is currently one of the top 7 crude oil suppliers to the U.S. The Underwear Bomber and Boko Haram incidents provide just a taste of whats to come alongside of an unstable and further radicalized Nigeria. We cant allow Nigeria, our ally, to further spiral into becoming a springboard for terrorism. The question now becomes, what, then, is to be done? The Bush and Obama administrations approaches to quelling violence in Iraq warrants a revaluation of how the global community combats religious conflict. While the United States invested trillions of dollars to stabilize Iraq, there is little to show for it but a continued infiltration of terrorism, flow of impoverished refugees, and economic devastation. This is not acceptable. Recognizing that the root cause of religious discrimination and violence is intolerance and understanding that money isnt a panacea for ending conflict means shifting gears and exploring new tactics to resolve conflicts in Iraq, Nigeria, or you-name-the-hotbed. As a result, and in direct response to what was not happening in countries like Iraq and Nigeria, I formed a training program Hardwired Global that was not focused on money as a Band-Aid, but rather on helping local leaders de-escalate and mitigate conflict. Specifically, we train leaders to respond to the rise of extremists who brutally targeted minority faith communities and wiped out all dissenting voices. What we are seeing on a daily basis is transformative. Communities that previously had attacked one another, now gather together to overcome their fears and begin the hard work of ensuring that each would have their religious freedom and dignity respected by the government. They risk their lives to stand in defense of one another, recognizing that if they do not, they will all end up dead at the hands of the terrorist group who made no room for religious freedom. And in the midst of accelerated religious and ethnic tensions across northern Nigeria, Hardwired brought Muslim and Christian lawyers together for the first time to discover how to stand in one anothers defense. As one of our recent Nigerian trainees described, The initiative of Hardwired is to make this country great, to have peace within the community, and also to practice your religion without discrimination. We believe everybody has a right to thinking or conscience, to practice whatever he wishes as his own religion... I want a better society, I want a better country for Nigeria and the world at large. At Hardwired, we have learned that empathy is a greatly undervalued conflict resolution tool in shifting public opinion towards embracing ethnic and religious differences as a pillar of a just society. But the rush to support the symptom through humanitarian aid rather than address root causes has already proven to increase dependence on military solutions. Many aid organizations attempt to cultivate empathy in order to seek out kumbaya exercises where we rush to find the similarities in fractured societies. While these exercises might feel good, they are just moments and dont resolve the underlying, base issues. Empathy is most powerful when used to build a shared trust in a society that is invested in protecting pluralism and embracing religious and ethnic differences, rather than glossing over them. In Nigeria, Hardwired is putting these lessons into practice. And, we are finding that acknowledgment and acceptance of their differences is leading to greater security, economic prosperity, and a more diverse social fabric. The alternative doing nothing and ignoring the religious dimension of the conflict will ultimately exacerbate the destabilization of Nigerias fragile democracy. Lets not let indifference result in Nigeria become the next Iraq. MADISON, Wis., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Advarra, the premier provider of institutional review board (IRB), institutional biosafety committee (IBC), research quality and compliance consulting services, and standards-based research technology solutions from Forte, now part of Advarra, has announced today the cancellation of its 2020 Spring Onsemble Conference for clinical research operations, scheduled for March 16-19. The Onsemble conference is a customer-exclusive event that underscores the collaborative nature of the Onsemble community and we made this decision after extensive evaluation. Advarra is committed to offering opportunities to virtually learn and connect in the coming weeks to the more than 200 attendees from 80 leading academic medical centers (AMCs), cancer centers, and health systems in the U.S. The decision is based on recent travel advisories from health experts at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), state health departments, and to respect the travel policies enacted by the organizations of our valued customers in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. Advarra strongly believes that the scientific research community will find rapid solutions to address the virus and our IRB is currently reviewing multiple protocols from national entities to enable COVID-19 research. In the current environment, we stand together with the industry to take the necessary steps to prevent further spread. "While we are disappointed, our commitment to the Onsemble community is unwavering," said Carrie Nemke, SVP of Customer Relationships for Advarra-Forte. "We are proud of the remarkable educational content that was prepared by the Onsemble community for this conference and we are confident that it will still be meaningful as virtual training. In addition, we look forward to the fall Onsemble conference in Madison, Wisconsin, October 6-9." Advarra would also like to express gratitude for the high-quality work that the numerous speakers, many from customer organizations, put into preparing for this year's educational program. This valuable content highlights customer success stories in research operations and contributes to valuable knowledge sharing within the community. About Advarra Advarra is the premier provider of global research compliance services, including IRB, IBC, consulting, and research technology products. Clinical trial sponsors and CROs recognize Advarra as the largest integrated provider of IRB services with the greatest institutional reach among health systems, cancer centers, academic medical centers, and investigators. Forte, now part of Advarra, is the industry's leading provider of standards-based research technology, including OnCore CTMS. Advarra optimizes compliance and clinical trials with its robust regulatory expertise and innovative products and services. For more information, visit advarra.com and forteresearch.com. SOURCE Advarra Related Links http://advarra.com Symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Messonnier said 80 percent appear to have mild illness. Another 15 percent to 20 percent become more seriously sick. At highest risk are people over age 80 and with underlying health conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure, though younger people with health issues also are at greater risk. The virus doesnt appear to be a significant threat to children. The Chancellor is under mounting pressure to reform the 'archaic' business rates system when he delivers his first Budget tomorrow amid the coronavirus outbreak. Groups representing tens of thousands of companies in manufacturing and retail have called for the tax to be 'swept away' to allow an era of investment to be ushered in. They claimed the system was 'disproportionately' hitting businesses in the Midlands and North. Chancellor Rishi Sunak has been told Britain's business rates system 'disproportionately' hits businesses in the Midlands and North Stephen Phipson, chief executive of manufacturers' organisation Make UK, which represents 20,000 companies, called for the 'complete reform of business rates', adding: 'The archaic system of business rates acts as a massive disincentive to invest, given the increasingly high cost of capital investment. 'This disproportionately impacts on companies in the Midlands and the North.' It followed a plea from Steve Murrells, chief executive of the Co-op, who said the burden of business rates was having a 'hidden human cost' on Britain's most vulnerable communities. He told Rishi Sunak who was appointed Chancellor last month that research by his company showed towns with more empty shops had the lowest 'community wellbeing'. Murrells added: 'Without a common place to spend time and socialise, people's collective wellbeing suffers. We've got to put an end to this notion that there are 'worst' places to live.' Research from the British Retail Consortium said areas in the North and Midlands were 'bearing the brunt' of the unfair rates system. The trade body said firms outside London have subsidised those in the capital to the sum of 596million. A transitional relief scheme staggers the speed at which those facing higher bills see their bills go up and funds this by slowing down the speed at which bills fall for those who are due a reduction. Businesses in North Lincolnshire over-pay on rates by 22million, Bassetlaw, in Nottinghamshire, overpays by 20million, and Great Grimsby, in East Lincolnshire, pays an extra 14million, the BRC said. The High Street has repeatedly called for business rates reform and is now braced for a bleak spring as fearful shoppers stay home due to coronavirus. Boris Johnson announced temporary relief for small businesses last year, and has promised to launch a review into the system this year. A raft of sales figures show a short-lived 'Boris Bounce' was swept away by February storms and the coronavirus outbreak. Footfall was down 7.8 per cent in February, the wettest month on record, and research by Barclaycard said nearly three in ten UK adults were avoiding the High Street and other busy places due to coronavirus. Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said: 'Clouds continued to hang over the retail industry in February.' BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 10 By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend: The first plenary meeting of Azerbaijan's Parliament of the 6th convocation was held on March 10, Trend reports. The chairperson, vice-chairmen of the Parliament, as well as chairpersons and deputy chairpersons of parliamentary committees will be elected at the meeting. As a result of the voting, Ali Huseynli was elected First Vice Speaker of the Parliament. Born in 1968 in Baku, Huseynli graduated from secondary school No. 135 in the Binagadi district of Baku city in 1985. Huseynli entered the law faculty of Kalinin State University in 1987. In 1993, he graduated from the Law Faculty of Baku Slavic University (BSU). In 1991-1995, Huseynli worked in the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan, in 1995-1996 - in the Executive Office of the President of Azerbaijan, 1996-2000 - in various positions in the Azerbaijans Parliament. He was Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Policy and State Building, and a member of the Judicial Legal Council. Azad Huseynli is Doctor of Law, and Member of the Anti-Corruption Commission. OKLAHOMA CITY, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- PANHANDLE OIL AND GAS INC. (NYSE: PHX) the "Company," today announced that Robb P. Winfield, Vice President, CFO, Controller and Corporate Secretary, resigned from his positions on March 9, 2020, effective immediately. Mr. Winfield has served as Panhandle's Controller since February 2008 and, from March 2009 through December 2016, also held the position of Chief Accounting Officer. He was named Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Controller on Jan. 1, 2017. In connection with Mr. Winfield's departure, the Company's board of directors (the "Board") appointed Ralph D'Amico as the Company's Chief Financial Officer, effective March 9, 2020. Mr. D'Amico currently serves as the Company's Vice President, Corporate Development and Investor Relations, a position he has held since joining the Company on Jan. 2, 2019. In addition to assuming the position of Chief Financial Officer of the Company, Mr. D'Amico will continue to serve the Company as Vice President, Corporate Development and Investor Relations. Mr. D'Amico has over 20 years of experience in finance and investment banking, the majority of which has focused on the energy sector. Over the course of his career, Mr. D'Amico has been involved in over $5 billion of lead managed advisory and capital market transactions. More recently, Mr. D'Amico has been on the leading edge of the minerals and royalties space where he has obtained an extensive knowledge base, executed numerous transactions, and helped the sector gain exposure within the investment community. "I would like to thank Robb for his many years of dedication to Panhandle and wish him luck with his future endeavors. Ralph has done an outstanding job since he joined Panhandle a little over a year ago and has been critical in establishing Panhandle's relationships with the mainstream of the mineral community. His investment banking experience and knowledge of the capital markets will be important assets as Panhandle continues its transition to a mineral and royalty focus," said Chad Stephens, Panhandle's CEO. Before joining the Company, from April 2017 through December 2018, Mr. D'Amico served as a Managing Director at Seaport Global Securities, a full-service independent investment bank. Prior to his employment with Seaport Global Securities, from July 2008 through February 2017, Mr. D'Amico served as a Managing Director, Energy & Natural Resources Investment Banking, at Stifel Nicolaus, an investment bank and financial services company. Mr. D'Amico also held positions during his career at other investment banking and financial services companies including Jefferies, Friedman Billings Ramsey, and Salomon Smith Barney. Mr. D'Amico holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Maryland and an MBA from The George Washington University. No previous employer of Mr. D'Amico is a parent, subsidiary, or other affiliate of the Company. Panhandle Oil and Gas Inc. (NYSE: PHX) Oklahoma City-based, Panhandle Oil and Gas Inc. is an oil and natural gas mineral company with a strategy to proactively pursue the acquisition of additional minerals in our core areas of focus. Panhandle owns approximately 258,000 net mineral acres principally located in Oklahoma, North Dakota, Texas, New Mexico and Arkansas. Approximately 71% of this mineral count is unleased and undeveloped. Additional information on the Company can be found at www.panhandleoilandgas.com. SOURCE PANHANDLE OIL AND GAS INC. Related Links http://www.panhandleoilandgas.com Anton Petrus / Getty Images En espanol | The COVID-19 pandemic continues to fuel a parallel outbreak of coronavirus scams, many targeting older Americans. As of Dec. 14, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had logged nearly 657,000 consumer complaints related to COVID-19 and stimulus payments, 73 percent of them involving fraud or identity theft. These scams have cost consumers $636.7 million, with a median loss of $400. Criminals are using the full suite of scam tools phishing emails and texts, bogus social media posts, robocalls, impostor schemes and more and closely following the headlines, adapting their messages and tactics as new medical and economic issues arise. For example, amid spiking demand for COVID-19 tests spurred by the omicron variant surge, federal and state authorities are warning consumers about scammers selling fake or unauthorized at-home rapid tests online or even door-to-door, or charging for tests that are administered for free by medical offices and public health departments. Here are some coronavirus scams to look out for. Vaccine claims and bogus cures Since the start of the pandemic, scammers have been bombarding consumers with pitches for phony remedies, and they haven't abated even with COVID-19 vaccines and federally approved treatments now available. The FBI says con artists are advertising fake COVID-19 antibody tests in hopes of harvesting personal information they can use in identity theft or health insurance scams. The FTC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have sent dozens of warnings to companies selling unapproved products they claim can cure or prevent COVID-19. Teas, essential oils, cannabinol, colloidol silver and intravenous vitamin-C therapies are among treatments hawked in clinics and on websites, social media and television shows as defenses against the pandemic. In late December, federal officials shut down a New Jersey organization and ordered it to recall "nano silver" products it advertised and sold as a COVID-19 treatment. Other scammers claim to be selling or offering protective or preventative products such as masks, test kits and household cleaners, often in robocalls, texts or social media ads. The FTC has issued warnings to companies suspected of abetting coronavirus robocalls, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) set up a dedicated website with information on COVID-19 phone scams. Financial phonies S targazers have been treated to a full Worm Moon which lit up night skies across the world. Incredible images showed the second supermoon of the year as it appeared in the sky after sunset on Monday. It appeared bigger and brighter because it reached the perigee - the point in the orbit of the Moon when it's closest to the Earth. Known as the "worm moon", the celestial event was expected to be visible in the UK from 5.35pm after sunset as the moon rose in the east. An aircraft passes the rising full moon at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, on Monday night / AP Royal Observatory astronomer Emily Drabek-Maunder said: "The March full moon is known as the worm moon, named after earthworms that emerge towards the beginning of spring as the ground thaws. "Traditionally, monthly full moons are named from Native American tradition, but many also have Anglo-Saxon and Germanic origins. A plane passes in front of the full moon as seen from Curitiba, Brazil, on Monday / AFP via Getty Images "From those different origins, the March full moon has also been called the chaste moon, death moon, crust moon and even the sap moon after sap flowing from sugar maple trees." This full moon was a supermoon, meaning it was about 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter in the sky as it reaches its closest point to Earth. What Is A Supermoon And Does It Affect Us? Ms Drabek-Maunder said: "It will be slightly bigger in the sky, though this will not be easily noticeable by eye." The moon will set in the west at sunrise on Tuesday morning around 7.13am, Ms Drabek-Maunder said. Emergency water distribution points set up in hard-hit area of Phuket Town PHUKET: Phuket City Municipality has set up 20 emergency water-distribution points in the hard-hit area of Hatchana Niwet, where residents no longer have running water, Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana has announced. Water-Supply By Khunanya Wanchanwet Tuesday 10 March 2020, 06:50PM Emergency water tanks have been set up in the hard-hit Hatchana Niwet area in Phuket Town. Photo: Phuket City Municipality Emergency water tanks have been set up in the hard-hit Hatchana Niwet area in Phuket Town. Photo: Phuket City Municipality Emergency water tanks have been set up in the hard-hit Hatchana Niwet area in Phuket Town. Photo: Phuket City Municipality Emergency water tanks have been set up in the hard-hit Hatchana Niwet area in Phuket Town. Photo: Phuket City Municipality We have installed 20 water tanks that each can contain 2,000 litres of water in the area, as people are facing water outages because the water pressure is not enough to deliver running water, Mayor Somjai explained. The tanks will be refilled at 10am and 6pm each day, she added. The water outages in Hatchana Niwet began as the council was forced to reduce water mains water pressure throughout the town yet again in the hope of making water reserves last as long as possible. Phuket City Municipality first reduced water pressure throughout Phuket Town in January, with water supply reduced from 9am-5pm and from 10pm to 5am each day. (See story here.) The lates reduction in water pressure move comes as the council worries about water reserves running low at the five main sources used to supply Phuket Town residents. Mayor Somjai explained that water reserves for Phuket Town were currently as follows: Bang Wad Reservoir 1,542,069 cubic meters Pond near Phuket City Municipality office 404,560 cubic meters. Pond in Kings Park (Suan Luang) 122,894 cubic meters Pond near Vachira Phuket Hospital 54,716 cubic meters Pond in Soi Paniang 60,000 cubic meters. We expect that reducing the water pressure even more can leave us with enough water to last until the end of April, and we have been looking for new water sources, she said. Meanwhile, water trucks have also been posted at three locations in Phuket Town where residents can collect emergency water. The water trucks have been posted at the DDPM office on Kra Rd; the DDPM office on Soi Paniang; and the Phuket City Water Treatment Plant at Suan Luang Park. Any Phuket Town residents in need of emergency water supply can call the DDPM hotline 199 or Phuket City Municipality Waterworks Division at 076-212457 or 076-211130 (24 hours). We urge people to use water sparingly and to be prepared in case water supply stops. Keep water in containers in the house so you can use it when you need to, Mayor Somjai said. CLEVELAND, Ohio One man is dead and another suffered critical injuries in a shooting Monday at a gas station on Clevelands East Side. Abraham Penn, 22, died in the shooting that happened about 10 a.m. at Hanini Petroleum on Kinsman Road at East 139th Street, police said. Cleveland EMS also took a 27-year-old man to University Hospitals in critical condition. An update on his condition was not immediately available Monday afternoon. Officers arrived and found Penn lying in the street with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Investigators learned the 27-year-old man was loitering outside the gas station. Penn exited the gas station and got into an altercation with the man, leading to a fist fight, police said. Penn pulled out a gun, shot the 27-year-old man in the leg and dropped the gun on the ground, police said. The man picked up the gun and shot Penn multiple times, police said. A police detail is with the 27-year-old man at the hospital, police said. Police blocked off part of Kinsman Road near the gas station as they investigated the shooting. Coronavirus sees Norwegian seafood export volumes tighten as trade value soars by Jason Holland March 10,2020 | Source: SeafoodSource Norwegian seafood exporters shipped 216,000 metric tons (MT) of fisheries and aquaculture products to overseas markets last month, earning NOK 9.5 billion (USD 1 billion, EUR 909.9 million) in the process. While this total volume was 6 percent less than in February 2019, the value was 17 percent, or NOK 1.4 billion (USD 151.4 million, EUR 134.1 million), higher. So far this year, the Scandinavian country has exported 430,000 MT of seafood, worth NOK 19 billion (USD 2.1 billion, EUR 1.8 billion), with the volume down 2 percent year-on-year and the value up 15 percent. This climbing demand is a welcome sight for Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) Director of Market Insight and Market Access Tom-Jrgen Gangs, especially during a time of global upheaval due to a new strain of coronavirus, COVID-19. Despite increased uncertainty in the world's seafood markets as a result of the focus on COVID-19, demand for Norwegian seafood continues to increase overall, Gangs said. The greatest growth in value was for salmon. Salmon as a category is proving to be very robust against the temporary reduction in demand from individual markets. The reason for this is that salmon is exported to over 100 markets, used for many different occasions and is available in many product forms. Gangs also noted that the export of whitefish had contributed most to Februarys growth and was driven by both currency and demand. Last months salmon exports amounted to 81,100 MT, which was 1 percent more than in February 2019. This trade achieved a total sales value of NOK 5.9 billion (USD 638 million, EUR 565.1 million), a rise of 16 percent compared with the prior year, with Poland, France, and the United States providing the main markets. NSC analyst Paul Aandahl said that, as expected, salmon exporters have seen a sharp decline in salmon exports to China. Just 363 MT of salmon were exported to the market last month, a decline of 83 percent compared to February last year, although he confirmed that the volumes have now started to gradually increase. The councils fisheries envoy to China, Victoria Braathen, added that in recent weeks cautious steps towards increased activity had been seen, which the NSC hopes will lay the foundation for increasing demand in foodservice and restaurants. Precautionary measures will continue to be implemented and that will set the framework for trade and daily living in the time to come as the market makes its recovery, she said. According to Aandahl, salmon that would otherwise have gone to China was exported to other markets last month, and this led to growth of 22 percent for fresh whole salmon to the United States, and by 73 percent to Taiwan, for example. There was, however, a 14 percent decline in volumes going to Italy, which has so far been the European country most affected by COVID-19. Also in the salmonid sector, Norway exported 4,900 MT of trout worth NOK 302 million (USD 32.7 million, EUR 28.9 million) last month, up 39 percent and 24 percent, respectively, compared with February 2019. Ukraine, the United States, and Thailand provided the three largest markets for Norwegian trout exporters. So far in 2020, 10,600 MT of trout has been sold overseas for NOK 653 million (USD 70.6 million, EUR 62.5 million), rising 41 percent and 29 percent respectively. Aandahl said that strong growth in trout production had led to lower prices. In February, the average price for whole fresh whole trout was NOK 8.70 (USD 0.94, EUR 0.83) less than for salmon. The countrys whitefish sector also continued its strong start to 2020, with 8,900 MT of fresh cod and skrei exports earning NOK 404 million (USD 43.7 million, EUR 38.7 million) last month. These totals were up 4 percent and 13 percent, respectively. In the opening two months, 15,000 MT of fresh cod and skrei was exported worth NOK 729 million (USD 78.8 million, EUR 69.8 million), representing an increase in volume of 13 percent and a value rise of 25 percent year-on-year. The larger export volumes were due to this years increased catches. NSC analyst Ingrid Kristine Pettersen explained that while the increased supply had led to a fall in fresh cod prices, Februarys were still higher than the previous year thanks to the weak kroner and a good level of demand. Also last month, 8,200 MT of frozen cod with a value of NOK 377 million (USD 40.8 million, EUR 36.1 million) was sold by Norway to overseas markets. This represented increases in volume and value of 16 percent and 27 percent, respectively. So far this year, 13,300 MT of frozen cod worth NOK 611 million (USD 66.1 million, EUR 58.5 million) has been exported down 21 percent and 12 percent year-on-year. For February, we see positive figures for frozen cod for China, as well as redfish and blue halibut. As a result of the current situation, there is a trend towards more home consumption of seafood products sold through retail and e-commerce. This also applies to Norwegian whitefish products, including Norwegian cod, which are increasingly popular with Chinese consumers, Braathen said. With regards to its pelagic trade, Norway exported 38,200 MT of herring valued at NOK 376 million (USD 40.7 million, EUR 36 million) last month, with the volume down 3 percent on last year and the value increasing 31 percent. At the same time, 34,000 MT of mackerel worth NOK 552 million (USD 59.7 million, EUR 52.9 million) was shipped, up 118 percent and 110 percent, respectively. In the opening two months, the country exported 73,500 MT of herring worth NOK 714 million (USD 77.2 million, EUR 68.4 million) and 60,500 MT of mackerel valued at NOK 991 million (USD 107.2 million, EUR 94.9 million) to overseas markets. Last year, Norway exported 2.7 million MT of seafood worth a record NOK 107.3 billion (USD 11.6 billion, EUR 10.3 billion). Salmon accounted for 1.1 million MT and NOK 72.5 billion (USD 7.8 billion, EUR 6.9 billion) of this total, while cod contributed 181,000 MT and NOK 10.1 billion (USD 1.1 billion, EUR 967.4 million). 2020 Diversified Communications. All rights reserved. Theme(s): Post Harvest Technology and Trade. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 07:05:03|Editor: Wang Yamei Video Player Close The Grand Princess cruise ship shows up on the San Francisco Bay Area, the United States, on March 9, 2020. The cruise ship linked to a cluster of COVID-19 cases on Monday docked at the Port of Oakland in the state of California. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling) SAN FRANCISCO, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The Grand Princess cruise ship that carries thousands of people, including 21 coronavirus patients, docked at the Port of Oakland Monday after being held off at sea for days. The ship, with more than 3,500 passengers and crew members aboard, sailed through the iconic Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco around noon Monday and arrived at Oakland, where the passengers will disembark and the crew members will remain quarantined on board the ship. Authorities said the disembarkation process is expected to take several days. Officials said passengers with immediate medical needs and those experiencing symptoms or testing positive for the coronavirus will disembark first. They will be followed by other passengers from California and other U.S. states. California Governor Gavin Newsom said earlier that most of the nearly 1,000 California passengers will be quarantined at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, Northern California, while others will be sent to a military base in San Diego for a mandatory 14-day quarantine. The cruise ship, which was originally scheduled to return to San Francisco, has been barred from docking at the Port of San Francisco after 21 people, including 19 crew members and two passengers, tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Of those aboard the vessel, 46 had been tested after testing kits were airlifted to the ship Thursday. Words of the ship arrival at Oakland caused some fears among local residents as some alleged the passengers from the ship would be quarantined at a hotel in the city of Oakland. However, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf reassured the public about their safety in a tweet Sunday, and defended the state government's decision to offload the passengers in Oakland. "Oakland's role in this operation is to support our state and federal authorities as they conduct a critical public health mission to help those impacted by the COVID-19 virus," Schaaf said. She stressed that "no one will be quarantined in Oakland, nor will any passengers be released into the general public." According to the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco, 20 Chinese nationals are on the Grand Princess cruise ship, including 11 crew members and nine passengers. The cruise ship is linked to the first coronavirus-related death in California. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 07:53:47|Editor: ZD Video Player Close HELSINKI, March 9 (Xinhua) -- One fourth of the Finnish population may not have sufficient capabilities for using all-digital public services, Finnish National Digital and Population Data Services Agency told Finnish national broadcaster Yle on Monday. Besides, a research conducted by the University of Tampere last year indicated that nearly half of the Finns find digital banking and public services overwhelming. The challenged group comprised not only seniors but also young people. However, the current Finnish government aims at making all public services available digitally on line by 2023. To further verify the situation, a nationwide survey would be conducted by the National Digital and Population Data Services Agency starting this month, Yle reported on Monday. Minna Piirainen, the project manager at the agency, told Yle on Monday that no compulsory use of digital public services would be introduced in Finland "in the near future." For several years already, the primary modes of filing the tax declaration or claiming the unemployment benefits has been the internet, although the paper alternatives are there. The medical histories and prescriptions of all Finns are in a national internet service, where each person can access his or her data and check prescriptions, for example. Obtaining the information on paper is possible, but takes a lot of extra work. The fast digitalization has been acknowledged as an inequality problem as well. Consumer authorities have deplored that people who cannot use digital services often have to pay more, and spend more time to get a service. Talking to Yle on Monday, Anja Peltonen, the director for consumer policy at the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority singled out that travelers get railroad tickets cheaper through the mobile application of the state railroads than at the ticket counter, for example. "In the retail sector best deals may be available with the dedicated apps only," she added. The authority noted that the situation may improve when voice recognition develops when the mobile gadgets can understand more Finnish language. By Wangkeju, China Daily | Mar. 10, 2020 China's civil aviation authority rolled out a series of measures to bail out airlines hit hard by the novel coronavirus outbreak and restore much-needed connectivity with the rest of the world. According to a notice issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China on Monday, the country will reduce its airport and air control fees by 10 percent for domestic and overseas airlines, as well as those from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. The CAAC will also postpone the upcoming summer season flight plan and suspend the evaluation of airlines' on-time performance for the time being, it said, adding that it's also working to streamline flight approval procedures and shorten the time for resuming international routes. Further, the CAAC will give monetary benefits to airlines that have carried out major transportation missions coordinated by the State Council's joint prevention and control mechanism, it added. The move to tide the airlines through this difficult time came after China, the world's second largest aviation market, saw temporary flight bans to and from some countries and a decrease in international flights due to the epidemic, as well as a shrinking domestic air market. Data from aviation statistics provider VariFlight showed that around 10,000 flights were canceled on average daily in February, or around two-thirds of the flights scheduled every day, which has placed huge financial pressure on airlines and airports. A one-way plane ticket from Shanghai to Chongqing, a three-hour journey covering over 1,400 kilometers, now costs 50 yuan ($7.20) on China Southern Airlines as Chinese carriers have been slashing prices in a bid to boost weak flight demand amid the epidemic. Last week, the CAAC unveiled a series of financial measures to help the aviation industry navigate the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, including offering direct subsidies to Chinese and foreign airlines to resume international flight services that had been suspended due to the new virus. In an effort to boost infrastructure investment in the sector, civil aviation authorities have also injected efforts to push forward the resumption of major infrastructure projects to realize an annual fixed asset investment of 100 billion yuan in 2020. As of March 3, construction of 48 of the country's 81 airport projects had resumed, according to the CAAC. The administration will also increase investment in the new technology applications of airlines in terms of plane security, flight quality monitoring and satellite navigation, and ramp up support for the upgrade and modification of airborne safety equipment. China's civil airport industry grew steadily in 2019, reporting rises in passenger and cargo throughput and numbers of airports and flights, according to the CAAC. There were 237 regular service airports on the Chinese mainland in 2019, with four newly opened, including Beijing Daxing International Airport. The number of cities with regular flight service reached 234, the CAAC said. Annual passenger throughput stood at 1.35 billion trips, up 6.9 percent from 2018. In total, 1.21 billion trips were made on domestic routes (including routes to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan), up 6.5 percent year-on-year. In comparison, the passenger capacity of international flights surged 10.4 percent to 139 million trips. Cargo and mail throughput increased 2.1 percent to 17.1 million metric tons last year, with those via domestic and international services rising 3.3 percent and 0.4 percent, respectively, CAAC data showed. Xinhua contributed to this story. Amid anxieties in Iran over the coronavirus outbreak and a flurry of precautions to prevent its spread, a controversial ayatollah has declared a new method to cure the virus: applying violet oil to the anus. Abbas Tabrizian, described by his supporters as the father of Islamic medicine of Iran, began focusing on Islamic medicine when his wife was diagnosed with cancer. Although doctors had given up hope on her, Tabrizian said he was able to cure her after a short treatment he devised, according to a website affiliated with the cleric. The Najaf-born cleric studied at the prestigious seminary in the same city, the website said. Even before his unorthodox prescription for COVID-19, the cleric was under fire from his counterparts and other religious figures, including Grand Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi-Amoli and Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, in the holy city of Qom, the heart of the Shiite sect. They refuted Tabrizian's claims regarding the superiority of "Islamic medicine," arguing there is no such thing. In January, Tabrizian burned a copy of Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, an American reference book. This book was a tool for the West's infiltration of other countries, Tabrizian explained in a Jan. 26 video. He said that Westerners had, throughout history, set fire to The Canon of Medicine," by Iranian philosopher and physician Avicenna, but failed to specify when and where this had happened. Tabrizian also offered to hold classes for physicians to teach them Islamic medicine and his formulas. Grand Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani responded to the video Jan. 27, stating that insulting medical learning is against the spirit of Islam and Islams call for [learning] science. Criticizing the content [of a book] is appropriate, but [burning] is an act of ignorance, and many libraries were set on fire based on wrong motivations in the past, Sobhani said. Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, the chairman of Irans seminaries, also condemned Tabrizians book burning, saying that such acts and thoughts have no place in seminary. Tabrizian's prescriptions and brand of medicine have been marketed throughout Iran over the last three years, with his representatives dispatched to sell his special medications. Although authorities closed three outlets linked to him for unauthorized production of medications, his supporters continue to believe he is a guru of Islamic medicine. My family and I dont believe in modern medicine," Zeinab, 34, a religious woman from Mashhad, told Al-Monitor. "My niece has cancer, but she has refrained from taking pills. Instead, she has used Tabrizians medications. Zeinab said that she prevented her children from being vaccinated at birth. But Tabrizian has few supporters. To most Iranians, he is a figure of ridicule as opposed to a pioneer of alternative medicine. Tabrizian used his channel on the Telegram messaging app Feb. 26 to unveil his method for curing those infected with the coronavirus. Before sleeping, put a cotton ball dipped in violet oil to the anus, he wrote, immediately becoming a source of mockery on social media. One Twitter user responded: [Actor] Jackie Chan has offered a reward for the discovery of coronavirus vaccine. It seems like he hasnt heard about violet oil, otherwise, he would have given [the reward] to Tabrizian. Other tweets were far more obscene. Tabrizian used Qoms situation as the epicenter of the coronavirus in Iran to hit back at his critics there, saying that the outbreak was God's revenge on those who bothered him, according to a report from IRNA news agency Feb. 27. Other bizarre reactions to coronavirus and preventive measures have been posted online, including two videos in early March that went viral. They both showed men licking the zarih a gilded structure that encloses a grave in a mosque or a shrine of Ali al-Reza, the eighth Imam, in Mashhad, and his sister, Fatima bint Mohammad, in Qom, both important figures of Islam. Irans Health Ministry officials had called on people to not visit these two shrines and for the custodians of the shrines to place restrictions on visitors. The two men apparently sought to defy the order by licking the zarih, while reprimanding people for not visiting the shrines. Like Tabrizians prescription, the videos inspired rage and criticism. The two men were detained, possibly for disturbing the public order and insulting religion. Mohammad Delavari, a prominent host on Iranian state TV, which is controlled by hard-liners, reacted to the viral videos March 2, calling the men and those who praised them ignorant and mentally disturbed. Meanwhile, videos on Iranian media showed the two men next to Ayatollah Sadegh Shirazi, who holds radical views, including the support of self-flagellation. According to Irans Health Ministry, 237 people have died of coronavirus and 7,161 have been infected, but the Iranian government hasnt put Qom, the epicenter of the outbreak, and most of the infected cities, under quarantine. Dr. Jen Caudle, family physician and associate professor at Rowan University, is doing daily Facebook videos on the coronavirus pandemic. Read more I was casually chatting with a friend Monday when the subject of the coronavirus came up and he said, I dont think black folks get it. I was, like, What?! Needless to say, my jaw was hanging as he went on to explain how he had heard that it had something to do with the melanin in darker skin tones. Now, normally, I would have just politely disabused him of that fallacy and kept it moving, as they say. But earlier, I had been poking around online and stumbled across a few comments on social media in which other African Americans appeared equally as skeptical about the respiratory disease spreading around the globe and its possible impact on them. So on a whim, I reached out to Dr. Jen Caudle, a family physician, who has been all over the airwaves teaching viewers about COVID-19 since the pandemic began. At first, I felt a little sheepish even bringing it up to her since shes a medical doctor who deals with life-and-death issues while also juggling media appearances. But it turns out that Caudle, also an associate professor at Rowan University, had heard the exact same thing recently at a beauty salon while getting her hair done. She has since created a Facebook video to debunk the claim along with some other silly myths that are being spread about the virus. READ MORE: Sixers, Flyers fans should stay home, get refunds during coronavirus crisis | Marcus Hayes I literally was in the beauty shop just yesterday. Im not even kidding and I overheard this woman talking to another woman and she said something like: Did you hear? I heard black people cant get coronavirus, Caudle says on the video. She was literally having a conversation with another woman about this. Guys, Im black. Many of you might be black. There is no evidence to say that black people cannot get coronavirus. This is a myth. Anyone can get coronavirus, she adds. I also asked a random sampling of some of my most vocal Facebook friends about the coronavirus and most of them had heard the same thing. Im not saying everyone believes it. Far from it. But I encountered enough naysayers in my own social circle to cause concern. Frankly, I find it troubling that at a time when the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus is escalating across the country and universities are closing and conferences being canceled, that even one person believes this. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus reportedly started spreading in Wuhan, China, but cases have been identified in a growing number of other locations internationally, including the United States. As of this writing, in the United States, there have been at least 959 confirmed cases and 28 deaths. READ MORE: Philadelphia conventions are being canceled amid coronavirus spread, which could have a big economic impact Although, there hasnt been a lot of reporting on who exactly is contracting it, please be assured that the coronavirus does not discriminate. Italy is on a virtual shutdown because of this virus. Closer to home, schools are closed for more than 30,000 students in the Delaware Valley. American Airlines, responsible for about 70% of the traffic at Philadelphia International Airport, is slashing both international and domestic flights. Meanwhile, the University of Pennsylvania has banned all university-related travel. The U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Jerome Adams, warns the situation will get worse before it gets better. So, to the father of my friend who pointed out on Monday that we havent heard a lot about cases in Africa, the virus has made it to the Motherland. So far, it appears that Egypt is the worst- hit African nation, with 59 cases, according to CNN. The World Health Organization also reports cases in Algeria, Senegal, and Nigeria. Theres nothing new about African Americans distrust of the medical establishment. The reasons for that run deep. But this threat is real and could have deadly implications. So keep washing your hands and taking other steps to reduce your risk. With 22 MLAs considered loyal to former union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia tendering their resignation, Madhya Pradesh Speaker NP Prajapati on Tuesday said that he will take further action as per the procedure of the Assembly. "I will take action according to the established procedure of the state Assembly," Prajapati told reporters. Earlier, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Gopal Bhargava and BJP leaders including Narottam Mishra reached the residence of Speaker to submit resignations of 19 Congress MLAs. Scindia, who had served the Congress for 18 years, had resigned from the party, stating that "it is time to move on." Congress leaders, including Digvijaya Singh, have accused the BJP of horse-trading and conspiring to bring down the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh. The Congress in Madhya Pradesh has been witnessing differences since it formed a government in the state in 2018 after 15 years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Chennai court has dismissed the plea filed by Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam (DVK) seeking direction to police to register a case against actor-turned-politician Rajinikanth over his remarks on Periyar. Earlier this year, the Madras High Court dismissed a case filed against Rajinikanth over his comment on Periyar. The case was filed by DVK. On the 50th anniversary event of a Tamil magazine, Rajinikanth had reportedly said on January 14 that at a rally in 1971 led by late Periyar, idols of Lord Ram and Sita were taken out without any clothes on them and the deities also featured a garland of sandals. Rajinikanth refused to apologise for his remarks on Periyar saying that the comments were based on reports that have already appeared in the media. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) LONDON, Ontario, March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Indiva Limited (the Company or Indiva) (TSXV:NDVA) (OTCQX:NDVAF) is excited to announce that it has partnered with award-winning Wana Brands (Wana) to bring their innovative cannabis-infused products to Canada. Wana is the premiere U.S. edibles company with more dollars sold than any other brand according to BDS Analytics 2019 Brand Share Report. Currently available in Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Oregon, Wana is teaming up with Indiva to enter its first international market. This exciting partnership is formalized through a license and consulting agreement (the "Agreement") with The Cima Group LLC ("Cima"), the holder of Wanas intellectual property. Under the terms of the Agreement, Indiva will have exclusive rights to produce and distribute Wana products in Canada. Indiva intends to begin production of Wanas cannabis-infused gummies as soon as possible. Wana stands out from the field for its consistency, quality and innovation, Niel Marotta, Indivas President and Chief Executive Officer, said. We are proud to be Wanas exclusive Canadian partner. We are building a portfolio of proven, trusted brands and intend to be the producer of choice for global cannabis companies looking for a collaborative partner that is passionate about creating the very best cannabis products. We look forward to working closely with Wanas leadership team to bring their much-beloved premium edibles to Canadians in the very near future. Canada is an important market for Wana and a gateway to international expansion. Weve been searching for the past two years for the perfect Canadian partner, and we found that with Indiva, Nancy Whiteman, Chief Executive Officer of Wana Brands, said. We look forward to bringing to Canada a decade of cannabinoid expertise, as well as leading edge innovation that Wana products are known for. ABOUT INDIVA Indiva sets the standard for quality and innovation in cannabis. As a Canadian licensed producer, Indiva creates premium pre-rolls, flower, capsules, oils, and edible products and provides production, manufacturing and refinement services to peer entities. In Canada, Indiva produces and distributes the award-winning Bhang Chocolate, Ruby Cannabis Sugar, Sapphire Cannabis Salt, Gems, and other Powered by INDIVA products through license agreements, partnerships and joint ventures. Click here to connect with Indiva on LinkedIn , Instagram , Twitter and Facebook , and here to find more information on the Company and its products. MEDIA CONTACT Kate Abernathy Vice President of Communications Phone: 613-296-5764 Email: kabernathy@Indiva.com INVESTOR CONTACT Steve Low Investor Relations Phone: 647-620-5101 Email: slow@Indiva.com ABOUT WANA BRANDS Wana Brands: Enhance Your Life. Included in the 2019 Inc. 5000 list at #1536 and boasting a three-year growth rate of 269% , Wana Brands is the No. 1 edibles brand in the United States, with more dollars sold than any other brand, according to BDS Analytics 2019 Brand Share Report. Wana leads the industry in quality, consistency and potency, providing a range of different options that enable customers to create the specific cannabis experience they want. Wana products offer diverse product forms including edibles, vapes and extended release capsules, four different CBD/THC ratios as well as a variety of different dosages, onset times and duration of effects. The portfolio is designed so products can be used singly or in combination to address specific health, wellness and recreational needs. Wana products are available in Colorado, California, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Arizona and Oregon dispensaries, with Maryland, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Florida (as regulations allow) among the states imminently coming online. Wana Brands will also expand internationally to Canada in 2020. For more information or to subscribe to Wanas e-newsletter, visit www.wanabrands.com. Follow Wana on LinkedIn , Twitter , YouTube and Pinterest. MEDIA CONTACT Shawna McGregor Publicist Phone: 917-971-7852 Email: shawna@themaverickpr.com DISCLAIMER AND READER ADVISORY Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) has in any way passed upon the merits of the contents of this press release and neither of the foregoing entities accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release or has in any way approved or disapproved of the contents of this press release. Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words could, intend, expect, believe, will, projected, estimated and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on the parties current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Actual future results may differ materially. In particular, this release contains forward-looking information relating to the Company's future operations, future product offerings and compliance with applicable regulations. Various assumptions or factors are typically applied in drawing conclusions or making the forecasts or projections set out in forward-looking information. Those assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to the parties. The material factors and assumptions include the parties being able to maintain the necessary regulatory and other third parties approvals and licensing and other risks associated with regulated entities in the cannabis industry. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof and the parties are not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein. This press 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. Not for distribution to U.S. Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of U.S. Securities laws. Weve reached a tipping point. The hate is boiling. Many in the liberal media are using coronavirus in an attempt to demonize and destroy the president, despite the virus originating halfway around the world. This is yet another attempt to impeach, and sadly, it seems the left cares little for any of the destruction they leave in their wake, including losses in the market. This, unfortunately, is all just part of political casualties for them. And, like with the Robert Mueller investigation, like with the Ukraine-gate, they dont care who they hurt, whether it be their need to create mass hysteria to encourage a massive selloff in an overly anxious stock market or, to create mass hysteria in order to stop our economy dead in its tracks. Bill Maher actually said how much he craved a recession as a way to rid the world of Donald Trump. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS Of course, these are peoples jobs the left doesn't mind seeing them lose. These are peoples 401(k)s that are being decimated and, that's okay with the left? They seem to be cheering it on. This is impeachment all over again, complete with a whistleblower to complain about our Health and Human Services Department, right? Just because its critical we look at these numbers with a clear lens, I want to remind everyone, from 2009 to 2010, nearly 61 million Americans got swine flu and more than 12,000 died. As many as 575,000 people died from it, too worldwide. WHO'S REALLY AT RISK IN CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK? Was there any criticism? Perhaps not. Why? The media didn't want to insult President Obama? I spoke with a doctor on Friday who told me the World Health Organization and others typically do whatever they can to get the word out. It is critical that people are aware of problems so that the public can improve their health and hygiene routines. Thats what helps to lessen infection rates. But, the media's reaction with the global town halls and CNN treating this like it's another missing plane story, what is that? Did they do this during Ebola? No. Story continues CORONAVIRUS VACCINE DEVELOPMENT COULD COST $1 BILLION So why the melodrama on such an agitated scale? Why are the markets reacting like this? Two words: Donald Trump. People, including the media and investors, are allowing their own hate and bias against him to spiral out of control, leading to massive selling in the markets. Anytime theres a disruption in the supply chain, any time people cut back on spending, there will be a recession. Were due for one now. But, well recover. We always do. For the media to spin a narrative that this selloff and this virus are all a result of Trump? Its wrong. GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE But, unfortunately, they were looking for someone to blame. And, apparently, they have no interest in blaming the root cause of this, China, when Trump is their political target. Related Articles A man has been caught on camera appearing to mock Asian people over coronavirus. The man, wearing thongs and shorts, was seen approaching travellers outside Brisbane Airport's domestic terminal on Monday night. The video, obtained by 7News, shows the man walking towards two groups of women. This is the shocking moment a man appears to mock Asian people over coronavirus 'Are you from Wuhan? I'm from Wuhan,' he said to the first group who were waiting to be collected. The man then coughed and said 'that's the Wuhan cough'. The man then approached two other woman and again asked if they were from Wuhan, the city of 10million where the coronavirus spawned in December. The end of the video shows the man walking away. Gold Coast surgeon Dr Rhea Liang (pictured) was racially abused at work The shocking footage comes after doctors testing patients for the virus said they have witnessed racism against Australians of Asian heritage. Medics said people have come to hospital with concerns they will catch the virus after having a Chinese takeaway or sitting next to an Asian person on the bus. Gold Coast surgeon Dr Rhea Liang posted a tweet last week saying she was racially abused by a patient. She wrote: 'Today a patient made jokes about not shaking my hand because of coronavirus. In front of my team. 'I have not left Australia. This is not sensible public health precautions. This is racism.' Responding to her tweet, other doctors shared their experiences of racism. Adelaide head and neck surgeon Guy Rees wrote: 'Patients [are] asking if they could get 'corona' by seeing a Chinese person or having a Chinese takeaway.' Hundreds of people rushed to support Dr Rhea. 'I am horrified by your experience,' wrote one. 'Oh Rhea I'm so sorry,' said another. Dr Rhea, who grew up in Auckland before moving to the Gold Coast, told Daily Mail Australia she was 'surprised and gratified by the largely supportive response'. Gold Coast surgeon Dr Rhea Liang posted a tweet (above) last month saying she was racially abused by a patient Dr Simon Judkins, of the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine, said he too has witnessed racism against Chinese Australians. 'We've seen people turn up saying they are worried they may have coronavirus because they sat on a bus next to someone of Asia appearance,' he told ABC program The World Today. 'We've having reports of staff being asked by patients whether they've been home lately even though they were born and raised in Australia.' Dr Lai Heng Foong, an emergency doctor in Sydney, said one mother feared her child may catch the disease simply because he goes to school with Asian children. He told the program: 'The mother brought in her child who was about six. She said "my child goes to school with a lot of Asian people I just want to check to make sure that he doesn't have coronavirus".' 'He didn't even have any cough or fever, just happened to be [on his] first day back at school'. Restaurants in South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Vietnam (pictured) have refused to accept Chinese customers It is not only doctors who have reported witnessing racism. Sydney resident Angela Prendergast told Guardian Australia she saw a young Asian mother with a baby in a pram being abused on a train by a middle-aged white woman who told her to stand in the corner of the carriage. She said: 'I heard her yelling "You need to cough over there. You need to stop coughing. That's how viruses get spread".' Chin Tan, Race Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission, said the Chinese community is 'really suffering' from racism due to the coronavirus. 'The Chinese community is really suffering because of victimisation and conduct that seems to profile the Chinese community. It's not fair and it's not helpful,' he told The World Today. Chinese citizens have faced a racist backlash across the world following the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus. Restaurants in South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Vietnam have refused to accept Chinese customers. Indonesians marched near a hotel and called on Chinese guests there to leave. Chinese and other Asians in Europe, the United States, Asia and the Pacific complained of racism. French Asians have taken to social media to vent their anger, with the hashtag 'JeNeSuisPasUnVirus' ('IAmNotAVirus') trending last month. Saudi-based Salem Balhamer General Contracting Company has registered a seven per cent growth in the 2019-20 financial year (FY) and is now anticipating a further increase in business in the coming years. A key player in the region, Salem Balhamer is a specialist in executing medium and large-scale projects including buildings and public facilities; metal and industrial construction; electromechanical works and infrastructure including air-conditioning, communications networks, drainage, fire alarm and control systems and infrastructure networks. The Dammam-headquartered company is also renowned for its finishing works; glass facade works; carpentry; metalwork; and maintenance and logistic services and equipment. "We have been maintaining a stable growth rate over the past few years thanks to the structural re-organisational move and ability to adapt to the current market needs," said its CEO Ahmed Salem Balhamer to The Gulf Construction. Due to the surge in activity in the contracting sector in light of Saudi Vision 2030, Salem Balhamer is in a solid position and is expecting a tremendous growth rate of 25 to 30 per cent over the coming years, he stated. Among the latest services the company has added to its impressive portfolio are the ability to offer post-tensioned roof slabs and installation of communication network infrastructure. Set up in 1993 by Shaikh Salem Ahmed Balhamer as an individual establishment, it has come a long way as a limited liability firm and then joining the holding company in 2012. It has two branches in the kingdom in the capital Riyadh and Al Ahsa and one in neighbouring Bahrain. It currently boasts a 450-strong workforce comprising highly-qualified locals and expats with vast experience in different fields as well as comprehensive equipment and resources to carry out its projects efficiently. On its 2019 achievements, Balhamer said the company had won several key contracts from the Ministry of Education and also from the Ministry of Housing through real estate developers. The company has recently completed major projects such as the Balhamer Business Gate, a 24-storey office tower in Dammam offering all key amenities and services over a 25,000-sq-m area. The tower is equipped with the latest systems and standard global safety equipment such as fire alarm and control systems. It also boasts a six-storey car-parking facility that can accommodate 233 vehicles. Balhamer said it is also working on a 40-floor residential tower in Manama, Bahrain, featuring 305 apartments along with all key lifestyle amenities. On its other projects, the Dammam-based company pointed out that it had recently completed a string of projects and handed them over to the owners. These include a housing complex for Hajar Electricity Company and a number of schools in Dammam and Al Ahsa for the Ministry of Education, besides a few medical stores for Salhia Medical Services Company, stated Balhamer. Also as part of a government project, Salem Balhamer has implemented a fibre-optic network for the Integrated Communications Company and Saudi Telecom in the Dammam, Riyadh and Al Ahsa regions. Unveiling its future plans, Balhamer said: We will soon be entering new markets in the energy, utilities, industrial and tourism development sectors in line with Saudi Vision 2030. To maintain a competitive edge in the market, Salem Balhamer General Contracting Company said it is boosting its presence in the specialised services sector through strategic tie-ups with leading global players mainly for implementation of engineering and marine works, post-tensioning roofs, and production of solar energy.-TradeArabia News Service OAKLAND, Calif. Thousands of passengers aboard a cruise ship struck by the novel coronavirus waited anxiously Tuesday for their chance to leave the vessel, even if it meant being shipped to military bases for weeks of quarantine. After days of being forced to idle off the Northern California coast, the Grand Princess docked Monday at the Port of Oakland with some 3,500 passengers and crew on board. "Everyone was hollering and clapping" as the giant vessel sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge and entered the harbor, passenger Karen Schwartz Dever said. About two dozen people who need acute medical care were taken off the ship, although it wasn't clear how many had tested positive for the new virus, said Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the California Office of Emergency Services. Many of the nearly 240 Canadians on board left the ship after the critically ill and stood outside two tents displaying Canadian flags. Canada and the UK were among the countries sending chartered flights to retrieve their citizens. But some 2,000 passengers, including hundreds of Californians, were still aboard by the time disembarkation ended Monday night. It was to resume Tuesday morning, the captain told passengers. CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: THE LATEST NEWS Carolyn Wright, 63, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, could look out of her cabin window as passengers lined up. Around them, she noted, were people in yellow protective clothing, gloves and even a few hazardous materials suits. For days, passengers aboard the ship had been isolated in their cabins. When they were finally allowed a few minutes on deck, she said, they were warned to wear masks and try to stay 6 feet away from each other. But after docking, video showed long lines forming for the processing tents. Ambulances were on hand to take some passengers away. "They were cueing up the passengers like cattle," Wright said. "Everybody was bunched up. They were physically touching each other and they were backed up along the gangplank." Then, she said, they were taken away in chartered buses. "I'm just totally freaked out by that," said Wright. "It's outrageous. If that's safe, then why were we stuck in our rooms? It's been stressed for the past five days that we're not to have any contact with any other passengers?" "We're trying to stay calm and were trying to stay positive but it's getting harder and harder. They can't make up their minds how to keep us safe," said Wright's cabin mate, Beryl Ward, 77, of Santa Fe. "The president didn't even want us to get off the ship. So that didn't make me happy," she added. "Wish you were here, Mr. Trump!" On Sunday, before the ship docked, Dr. John Redd of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services had urged passengers to remain in their rooms and said: "We're making every effort to get them off the ship as safely and quickly as possible." He called the elaborate but quickly planned disembarkation process a "really unprecedented and difficult operation." The Grand Princess had been held off the coast since Wednesday because of evidence that it was the breeding ground for more than 20 infections tied to a previous voyage. U.S. passengers will be flown or bused from the port chosen for its proximity to an airport and a military base to bases in California, Texas and Georgia for testing and a 14-day quarantine. Some arrived Monday night at Travis Air Force Base in Northern California. The ship carried people from 54 countries, and foreigners were to be whisked home. But Wright and others said nobody had been told the details. Only about 50 people had been tested for the virus. "I'm willing to be quarantined," Wright said. "'But I want to know if I'm positive or not. We don't even know if we're going to get tested. It's all rumor and speculation." "I'm bored and frustrated," she added. "All of a sudden a two-week vacation has turned into a five-week vacation." Passengers need to worry about who is looking after their children or pets, not to mention preparing their taxes before the deadline and earning a living. A professional photographer, she was looking at five weeks without earning a salary. About 1,100 crew members, 19 of whom have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship, which will dock elsewhere after passengers are unloaded, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said. The California governor and Oakland mayor sought to reassure people that none of the cruise ship passengers would be exposed to the public before completing the quarantine. Officials were trying to decide where the ship and its crew would go next. Cruise ships have come under scrutiny by those who view them as potential germ factories because they pack thousands of people in close quarters. Another Princess ship, the Diamond Princess, was quarantined for two weeks in Yokohama, Japan, last month because of the virus. Ultimately, about 700 of the 3,700 people aboard became infected in what experts pronounced a public health failure. A third vessel, the Caribbean Princess, was supposed to dock in Grand Cayman on Monday but the cruise line said it will keep its thousands of passengers and crews from disembarking until crew members are tested for COVID-19. Around the world, nations have limited the movements of millions of people in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. Italy was to impose travel restrictions and other strict public health measures nationwide starting Tuesday. In Northern California, Santa Clara County announced a ban of all large gatherings of at least 1,000 people for the rest of the month in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The announcement Monday came hours after the public health department announced the county's first coronavirus death, a woman in her 60s. The virus has shaken global markets, with stocks taking their worst one-day beating on Wall Street since 2008 and oil prices suffering their most brutal losses since the start of the 1991 Gulf War. Even with Asian markets posting modest gains Tuesday, fear was rampant that economies stood at the brink of recession. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered. The virus has infected 600 people in the United States, and at least 26 have died, most in Washington state. As of Monday, there were 14 cases in six Oregon counties, from as far east as Umatilla County and as far south as Klamath County. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said communities will need to start thinking about canceling large gatherings, closing schools and letting more employees work from home, as many companies have done after an outbreak in the Seattle area. Pearl Jam on Monday announced it was postponing 17 North American shows on its upcoming tour over coronavirus concerns. In Silicon Valley, NASA's Ames Research Center is essentially closed with restricted access because an employee tested positive Sunday for the coronavirus. Workers will be on "mandatory telework status" and three earth science airplane missions are being delayed to later this year, the county said. Several universities have begun online-only courses, including the University of Washington, Stanford University and Columbia University. The Associated Press Subscribe to our Oregon coronavirus newsletter: Press Release 10 March 2020 Alexandria, VA - The coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to impact the global business travel industry, with companies canceling meetings and instituting blanket business travel cancellations, according to the latest research conducted by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA). Advertisements GBTA members routinely send their employees to meetings and events throughout the world, with the primary destinations being North America, Europe, China, and the Asian Pacific region. To understand the coronavirus's effects on business travel, GBTA conducted its third lightning poll of membership on March 4-6, 2020. GBTA received responses from more than 1,000 member companies throughout the world. View the entire poll results here. Among the poll's key findings are: Around the globe, more companies are canceling or suspending business travel due to the coronavirus. Business travel to Asia has been impacted the hardest, with at least three of every four companies reporting they have canceled or suspended "all" or "most" business trips to China (95%), Hong Kong (87%), Taiwan (79%) and other Asia-Pacific countries (e.g., Japan, South Korea and Malaysia; 77%). Canceled and/or suspended business travel to Asia has notably increased since GBTA's previous poll, which was conducted on February 24, 2020. Over the course of ten days, canceled and/or suspended business travel to Hong Kong increased by 19%, to Taiwan by 46%, and to the rest of the Asian Pacific countries by 71%. Cancellations and suspensions of business travel to regions other than Asia have increased exponentially as well. Half (51%) of GBTA members report their company has canceled or suspended "all" or "most" business travel to Europe - up from 8% ten days ago. Almost one in five (18%) companies has canceled or suspended "all" or "most" travel to North America - up from 2% ten days earlier. Nearly one-third (30%) of companies have suspended or canceled "all" or "most" business travel to Latin America - up from 3% as of ten days ago. In addition, almost half (47%) of companies have canceled or suspended business travel to the Middle East, compared to only 8% who reported doing so in GBTA's previous poll. Many companies have instituted blanket business travel cancellations or suspensions due to the coronavirus. More than four in ten (41%) GBTA member companies report their company has canceled or suspended all international travel, regardless of region. This is a significant increase from GBTA's previous poll, when only seven percent of companies reported doing so. The trend is similar when looking at company actions concerning domestic travel. Thirteen percent of GBTA member companies report their company has canceled or suspended all domestic travel, compared to only two percent in the last poll. GBTA member companies have canceled on average 43% of business trips (all global regions) previously booked for March 2020 due to the coronavirus. GBTA member companies report they are canceling or postponing scheduled meetings, events, and conferences as opposed to moving the event to a new venue. Nearly three-fourths (73%) report their company has canceled at least a "few" meetings, events, or conferences, with 30% canceling "many" such events. GBTA members are also postponing meetings, events, and conferences due to the coronavirus, with 74% reporting they have postponed at least a "few," 26% having postponed "many," and 27% having postponed "some." Fewer GBTA member companies (29%) report they have moved meetings, events, and conferences. GBTA member companies, particularly business travel suppliers such as airlines and hotels, are feeling a direct revenue impact due to the coronavirus. Nearly six in ten (59%) supplier members report that the Coronavirus has made a "significant" impact on their company's revenue, and another 27% report a "moderate" impact to date. More GBTA member companies are altering their travel policies due to the coronavirus. Over half (55%) report their company has instituted new trip approval procedures, an increase from the 43% who previously reported doing so. In addition, 62% of companies have modified their travel safety and security policies in response to coronavirus. (Only 51% had done so as of the time of the previous poll.) "Coronavirus is significantly impacting the business travel industry's bottom line. As the virus continues to spread across the world, business travel is slowing at an alarming rate. The impact to the business travel industry - and to the broader economy - cannot be underestimated," said Scott Solombrino, COO and Executive Director of the Global Business Travel Association. "Traveler safety remains the industry's primary concern, and we are continuing to monitor conditions and respond appropriately. We encourage our member companies to heed the advice from all global health officials such as the CDC and the WHO when thinking about their travel plans. I am confident in our efforts to ensure the health and safety of all travelers and know that we will emerge from this downturn with an even stronger industry." Photo: GBTA Methodology - GBTA conducted a poll of its members across the globe from March 4-6, 2020 and received responses from 1,095 GBTA global member companies. Prashanth Swaminathan On March 4, the Supreme Court quashed the RBI ban from April 2018 that had banned banks under its purview from offering banking services to any institution dealing in cryptocurrencies, such as exchanges. The ecosystem, especially the lawyers, deserves applauds for making this happen and SC for protecting the rights of individuals and institutions who have greatly suffered during the ban. The RBI is expected to file a review petition. But, from all accounts, it is becoming clear that it will not be successful. What this means in practice is that exchanges can now open bank accounts, people can buy or sell cryptocurrencies with INR, and start-ups can start dreaming. The international crypto community has also rejoiced this decision. There are however certain aspects that are important to be discussed and addressed: 1. Some of the concerns of the RBI and the government are valid - the impact on INR or monetary policy, money laundering (especially through cash), etc. This could be raised as a petition by itself. But, given the nascent nature of the industry, it is not a major concern just yet. 2. How do people account for gains/losses from crypto or its usage in their filings? 3. Indian start-ups in this space are working on some disruptive projects (I was recently speaking at an accelerator, and some of the projects are really fascinating). How will the government encourage them and, therefore, project to investors that they can invest in this space in India? 4. What is the government's stance on crypto versus blockchain? This appears to have been de-linked in the recent verdict but that probably stems from SC/RBI's misunderstanding of the technical aspects. The onus on getting these right are on the government. And, as I have said before, this can only happen in the most productive way if the private sector is actively involved in drafting the policies. The government needs to stop worrying about the outlier impacts, regulate the space, allow the ecosystem to flourish within the framework, and benefit multifold through it. The two years since the ban could have been utilised in moving this considerably forward and setting a benchmark for the world to follow. But, that is not really in our spirit. The crypto market is not the same as it was prior to the ban. The market cap of all the cryptocurrencies is roughly a third of the highs it reached just a couple of months prior to the ban. That is fine as the highs were on the back of an ICO boom. So. discounting that, we are still doing very well over a five-year horizon. The enthusiasm is still very much intact, but the momentum has been indirectly slowed by unclear regulations. For their part the crypto exchanges and similar institutes should do all they can to ensure that neither the RBI nor the government finds fault in their functioning that can be used against them and therefore the industry. This is a fundamental fiduciary duty of the participants of the ecosystem. For now, however, the ecosystem is ecstatic, and India is open for crypto business. Three cheers! Prashanth Swaminathan is currently building a global product called Tandem that aims at higher adoption of digital assets. A man wearing a face mask walks in the rain on a street in Seoul, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. AP China will send the first batch of face masks and other coronavirus-related relief items to South Korea this week to help the neighboring country fight the viral disease, a foreign ministry official in Seoul said Tuesday. About 80,000 N95 respirator masks and 10,000 items of protective clothing will arrive here via a flight on Wednesday, the ministry official told reporters. Two more batches, including 20,000 masks of the same type and another 1 million surgical masks, will be delivered on Thursday and Friday, respectively. Beijing said earlier that it plans to send about 110 million face masks and protective clothing to Seoul through the Red Cross to assist its Asian neighbor with fighting COVID-19. South Korea is the second hardest-hit Asian nation after China. China's infection cases have surpassed 80,700 with more than 3,100 deaths. The corresponding figures for South Korea stood at over 7,500 and 54, respectively. "China's daily demand for the masks is about 600 million sheets, while the daily production stands at 160 million," the official said. "They explained to us that they approved the shipment in consideration of its special relationship with Korea and that we have provided assistance (to China) when we had difficulties," the official added. Seoul delivered four batches of relief goods to a number of the virus-hit regions in China, including Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus outbreak, in January and February, as part of its pledge to provide US$5 million in assistance for anti-virus efforts. The ministry official also said that China began to allow mask exports to Korea and that the two sides are discussing details to facilitate the shipments. "We are trying to find out ways so that we can import more MB filters, the raw material used in masks, from China. We figure that there are mask producers that want to bring in about 37 units of production equipment," the official added. (Yonhap) If thats why the documents are being kept from the public, the secrecy is underhanded. The war in Afghanistan has cost the United States far too much in lives and treasure 2,400 service members killed, $2 trillion spent to be used for cheap political manipulation. The deal has been broadly, if grimly, welcomed by a wide political spectrum at home, including this page. No, it is not a peace agreement the Taliban did not agree to recognize the current Afghan government, which was not involved in the negotiations, nor to place any limits on their own military capabilities. There is nothing in the deal about the rights of women, elections, a constitution or the role of religion. At its core, the deal is a mechanism allowing American and allied troops to cut their losses in a war that has gone on too long and offers no prospect of a military victory. But if Americans are ready to exit this war, they want to know that their government is at least leaving its Afghan allies a fighting chance against a ruthless Islamist organization. They want some assurance that the Trump administration has not simply given the Taliban license to break their pledges and restore their brutal dictatorship. The agreement is already tottering. Peace talks are delayed, and Kabul is in chaos as two contenders for the presidency, the incumbent Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah, each claim to have won the election and held competing inaugurations on Monday. According to reporting by Al Jazeera, there have been nearly 80 attacks in Afghanistan since the agreement was signed. All that may be beyond Americas ability to halt, and further proof of the wisdom of getting out. But its incumbent on the United States to ensure that the Taliban meet their obligations under the agreement, including what the State Department described in a statement as specific commitments by all parties to efforts to continue to reduce violence until a permanent and comprehensive cease-fire is agreed in intra-Afghan negotiations, while preserving the right of all parties to self-defense. For that, the statement said, the United States has a robust monitoring and verification mechanism. A total of 352 delegates in six states are up for grabs in today's Democratic Party primaries. Why it matters: It's the first time voters cast ballots since Super Tuesday, which crystallized the contest as a one-on-one race between Former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is still competing but has far fewer delegates than her opponents. Polls close at 8 p.m. ET in ET in Michigan , which has 125 delegates. , which has Mississippi , which has 36 delegates. , which has Missouri , which has 68 delegates. , which has Polls will close at 10 p.m. ET ET Idaho, which has 20 delegates. which has North Dakota , which has 14 delegates . , which has . Polls will close at 11 p.m. ET ET Washington, which has 89 delegates. The delegate count so far: Biden: 664 delegates 664 delegates Sanders: 573 delegates 573 delegates Gabbard: 2 delegates The state of play: Biden is the favorite to win across the board, per FiveThirtyEight's forecast, but several of the races are still tight. FiveThirtyEight predicts Biden will get 3% more votes than Sanders in both of Idaho's congressional districts. The site's polling average has Biden leading Sanders 36.9% to 35.6% in a toss-up in Washington. Voters in Washington are mailing in their ballots. Biden is the slight favorite in North Dakota, per FiveThirtyEight. Forecasters gave him a 63% chance of winning the state to Sanders' 37%. Forecasters expect Biden to take both Mississippi and Missouri. Of note: Sanders is the clear underdog in polls in Michigan. But the Vermont senator can't be counted out in the state where he pulled off a stunning upset against Hillary Clinton in 2016. DETROIT Former Vice President Joe Biden hit back at a Michigan voter during a campaign stop after the man accused Biden of trying to take away Americans' guns. "You're full of s---. I support the Second Amendment," Biden told the construction worker at the auto plant in Detroit under construction for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Biden was in Detroit campaigning in Michigan's Democratic presidential primary Tuesday, while opponent Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders himself was visiting two Metro Detroit polling places. The video of the heated exchange with Biden went viral Tuesday afternoon on social media. "The Second Amendment just like right now, if you yelled 'fire,' that's not free speech," Biden continues. "From the very beginning I have a shotgun, I have a 20-gauge, a 12-gauge. My sons hunt. Guess what? You're not allowed to own any weapon. I'm not taking your gun away at all." The construction worker, who is not identified, says he heard Biden say on a "viral video" that he would take away guns. Biden says the video was bunk. "I did not say that. I did not say that," Biden says. "It's a viral video like the other ones they're putting out that are simply a lie." "This is not OK, all right?" the worker says. "Don't tell me that, pal," Biden says. "You're working for me, man," the worker retorts. "I'm not working for you," Biden replies. "Don't be such a horse's ass." The controversy appears to stem from former Democratic presidential hopeful Beto O'Rourke's endorsement of Biden more than a week ago on the eve of Super Tuesday. The former Texas congressman has called for a mandatory gun buyback program of assault-style guns and famously said during the September House presidential debate, "Hell, yes, we are going to take your AR-15, your AK-47." At the endorsement, Biden responded by saying he would put O'Rourke in charge of gun policy. "I want to make something clear. I'm going to guarantee you this is not the last you've seen of him," Biden said March 2 during a campaign stop in Texas, referring to O'Rourke. "You're going to take care of the gun problem with me. You're going to be the one who leads this effort." In an August interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, Biden indicated he was targeting assault weapons. "So to gun owners out there who say, well, a Biden administration means they're going to come for my guns...?" Cooper asked, according to a transcript. "Bingo, you're right if you have an assault weapon," Biden said. "The fact of the matter is they should be illegal, period." After the endorsement, O'Rourke and his wife took Biden to a Whataburger restaurant and broadcast the dinner on Facebook live. A clip from that video has now been widely misconstrued to say that Biden is "'coming for' your guns," according to FactCheck.org. One story perpetuating the falsehood carries the headline: "Watch: Biden Looks Into The Camera And Promises To Take Away Americans' Guns," according to the fact-checking group of the Annenberg Public Policy Center. What Biden said: "And by the way, this guy can change the face of what we're dealing with, with regard to guns assault weapons with regard to dealing with climate change, and I just want I'm warning Amy, if I win, I'm coming for him." The Biden campaign explained the former vice president's reaction. "Democrats want someone who will stand up for their principles. Gun reform is something he's been extremely serious about for decades and this epidemic of mass shootings is intolerable," spokesman Andrew Bates said in a Tuesday statement. ___ (c) 2020 The Detroit News Visit The Detroit News at www.detnews.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. _____ Saudi crown prince wants to become king before G20 Summit: Report Iran Press TV Monday, 09 March 2020 8:01 AM Saudi Arabia's ambitious Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is trying to become king before a G20 Summit planned for November in Riyadh, which he intends to use as a stage for his succession, the Middle East Eye reports. The heir to the throne, who is also known as MBS, has already launched a purge of senior members of the royal family to pave the way for the succession. On Saturday, The Wall Street Journal said Saudi Arabia had detained a fourth prince in a new purge of royal family members over an alleged coup attempt to unseat King Salman and his son. Two Saudis close to the royal family said Nayef bin Ahmed bin Abdulaziz had been arrested on Saturday, the newspaper reported. He was the fourth prince taken into custody after the detention of his father Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, along with former Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and his half brother Nawaf on Friday. According to London-based Middle East Online, bin Salman would not wait for his father King Salman to die. Instead, the crown prince would force his father who suffers from dementia to abdicate. "He wants to be sure while his father is there, he becomes the king," one source said. The sources said Prince Ahmed had been asked to back bin Salman's succession, which he refused. Ahmed did not plan a coup -- an apparent reason given for his arrest -- and was apprehended right after entering the palace, where he had been told that an audience with King Salman awaited him. "He did not see the king. It was total betrayal," one source said. Back in 2017, bin Salman ordered a purge of dozens of Saudi royal figures, ministers, and businessmen in an "anti-corruption" campaign, which was seen as an attempt to muffle dissent to his potential enthronement. Sources told the Middle East Online that bin Salman had launched the crackdown because he feared that Donald Trump, who is one of his biggest supporters, might not be elected US president again. Trump and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have consistently refused to hold the crown prince accountable for the murder of Saudi journalist Jammal Khashoggi, who was dismembered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018 reportedly under the crown prince's direct orders. Trump and Pompeo have blocked calls for a criminal investigation by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation or the United Nations. Under Trump, Washington has also generously aided the Saudi-led war on Yemen, orchestrated by MBS. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Azerbaijan Catches Smugglers Trying To Sneak Out 1 Million Medical Masks March 09, 2020 Azerbaijan says it has confiscated more than 1 million medical masks from several groups, including foreigners, who planned to illegally smuggle them out of the South Caucasus nation as countries around the world scramble for equipment to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. The Interior Ministry said on March 9 that the smugglers, who have been detained by police, included Iranian, Chinese, and Azerbaijani nationals. Shortages of medical masks have arisen in many countries where the deadly coronavirus has been reported since the outbreak was first detected in December in China, which has reported more than 80,000 coronavirus cases and more than 3,000 deaths linked to it. Iran's Health Ministry reported on March 8 that COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, has killed 194 people in the country, with the number of confirmed coronavirus infections at over 6,500. Based on reporting by Turan and APA Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/azerbaijan-catches -smugglers-trying-to-sneak-out-1- million-medical-masks/30477772.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 She's no stranger to showcasing her incredible figure in a number of sizzling social media snaps. And Amber Gill was feeling nostalgic on Monday night as she shared some throwback snaps from her recent idyllic getaway to Tobago on Instagram. The Love Island 2019 winner, 22, looked incredible as she showcased her jaw-dropping curves in a tiny blue bikini. Wow: Amber Gill was feeling nostalgic on Monday night as she shared some throwback snaps from her recent idyllic getaway to Tobago on Instagram Taking advantage of the stunning Argyle Waterfall, Amber posed up a storm as she threw water in the air and smouldered to the camera with a friend. Amber, who had gone on the trip with British Airways and marked her snaps with #ad, captioned the photo with: 'Perfect Photo Op at Argyle Falls.' The reality star also shared a photo of herself and her friend posing on the back of a jet ski, which she captioned: 'Ready to stay in Tobago forever.' Work it: The Love Island 2019 winner, 22, looked incredible as she showcased her jaw-dropping curves in a tiny blue bikini Lavish: Amber, who had gone on the trip with British Airways and marked her snaps with #ad, also shared a photo of herself and her friend posing on the back of a jet ski It comes after Amber was forced to deny having bum implants in February after posting a particularly eye-popping picture of her very peachy posterior during the same trip to Tobago. The Love Island winner flaunted her curves in a skimpy orange thong bikini on Instagram, with the snap setting tongues wagging. Amber looked fierce and confident as she flaunted her jaw-dropping figure in her barely-there swimwear, which put plenty of flesh on display. Wow: It comes after Amber was forced to deny having bum implants in February after posting a particularly eye-popping picture of her very peachy posterior during the same trip to Tobago The star added a pair of red sandals to her look and carried a chic straw hat. Amber cheekily gazed into the camera as she angled herself to ensure her pert derriere was in full view. Captioning the snap, she wrote: 'They say Thick? I say Yes Ma'm! Happy Valentine's Day.' Peachy: The Love Island winner, 22, flaunted her curves in a skimpy orange thong bikini on Instagram, with the snap setting tongues wagging However, amid a slew of complimentary comments, there were some users who accused the star of either having surgery or Photoshopping her image. But Amber was quick to hit back at the remarks and swiftly denied that she'd gone under the knife. The former beautician took to Instagram stories where she wrote alongside a selfie of herself: 'It's really flattering that you lot think my Bum is FAKE. 'But I can confirm it is not. I really do just have an a** that defies gravity #sorryBoutIt' She added 'No Surgery, No Bumlift, No Photoshop.' Denial: Amber was quick to hit back at the remarks and swiftly denied that she'd gone under the knife COURBEVOIE (dpa-AFX) - French building materials firm Saint-Gobain SA (CODGF.PK) announced Tuesday that it has sold part of its glass transformation business Glassolutions in Germany to DIK Deutsche Industriekapital GmbH, a Berlin-based investment firm. The divestment concerns seven sites, which employ a total of 350 people and delivered sales of 45 million euros in 2019. Saint-Gobain said Glassolutions will remain present in Germany mainly through its large glass transformation sites for industrial clients and its sites with specific areas of expertise such as in solar glass or curved glass. The disposal is part of Saint-Gobain's continued portfolio optimization strategy in the context of its new organization to enhance the Group's growth and profitability profile. 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. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin David Ljunggren (Reuters) Ottawa Tue, March 10, 2020 06:20 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20696ba21 2 World Wuhan-coronavirus,death-toll,COVID-19,outbreak,epidemic,health,Canada,coronavirus Free Canada on Monday reported its first death from the new coronavirus as the number of people in the nation who have contracted the disease rose to above 70, officials said. The dead man had been living in a nursing home, the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver, British Columbia's chief health officer Bonnie Henry told a news conference. "We unfortunately have had a death here in British Columbia," Henry said. The man was one of two residents infected at the long-care facility with no recent travel history. Henry said the dead man was in his 80s and had a number of underlying medical conditions. Canada now has at least 71 presumptive and confirmed cases of the virus that causes the respiratory illness COVID-19, up from 51 on Friday and nine more than reported on Sunday. Virus outbreaks are especially problematic in nursing homes because residents live in close quarters and tend to have weaker immune systems and underlying health conditions, so infections can spread easily. On Saturday, Henry said two Lynn Valley residents had contracted the virus from one of the facility's health workers who had been infected. "The risk to the general population within Canada is still low, but this could change rapidly," Theresa Tam, Canada's chief medical officer, said earlier on Monday. In a potential sign of future challenges, Reuters reported that millions of face masks stockpiled by Ontario to protect healthcare workers during a future epidemic have expired. That raises questions about the readiness of Canada's most populous province to deal with the spreading coronavirus. In the central province of Alberta, medical officials said the number of cases had risen to seven from four, all of which were linked to people who had traveled. The novel coronavirus that emerged in central China in December has now spread to more than 100 countries and infected over 110,000 people worldwide with more than 3,800 deaths. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government says it will help people who are forced into quarantine due to the virus. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told legislators on Monday there would also be extra support for the healthcare system. Canada is also now urging people not to take cruise ship vacations. Canada is poised to repatriate more than 200 citizens aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship, which is due to dock in Oakland, California after an outbreak on the vessel carrying some 3,500 passengers and crew. Update: Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse announced Tuesday that the parade and road race would be canceled amid concerns over the spread of the new coronavirus. HOLYOKE The Holyoke St. Patricks Parade Committee announced Monday evening that the 69th parade and road race will go on as planned, despite Boston and other cities canceling their parades over concerns about the new coronavirus. The Holyoke parade remains scheduled for March 22, with the popular road race the day before. The Board of Health on Thursday will hold a Discussion of the Road Race and St. Patricks Day Parade-Public Health Issues, according to the boards posted agenda. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the City Hall Annexs fourth-floor meeting room. Members of the parade committee plan to attend. Organizers decided last week to install handwashing stations along the 2.5-mile parade route. Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced the cancellation of that citys parade earlier Monday. The Holyoke parade committee last month named Walsh its Ambassador Award recipient, which entails Walsh marching in the parade. The Parade Committee is in touch with local, state, and federal officials regarding this issue, and we will continue to communicate with them in an ongoing effort to stay informed, the Holyoke parade committee said in a statement. Any significant changes in the situation will be communicated to our members and the general public as quickly as possible, the committee said. In the meantime, people should follow the protocols put out by the Centers for Disease Control, such as washing your hands thoroughly, not touching your mouth, nose or eyes, covering up your sneezes and coughs, etc. In a statement, Mayor Alex B. Morse said his administration continues to hold conversations with the parade committee, Board of Health and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on the evolving situation. In addition to Boston, New Haven, Connecticut, has postponed its St. Patricks Day Parade. Given the thousands of out of town visitors for the parade and the number of first-responders that are required to staff the parade, we have assessed that the risks of potential community spread and significant impacts that would have on the region and our first responders merit the decision to postpone the parade, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said in a statement. Meanwhile, the prime minister of Ireland has ordered the cancellation of all parades in that country, including in Dublin. The situation in relation to other events & mass gatherings is under review & will be guided by public health advice, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said on Twitter. Last Friday, the Holyoke parade committee held its pre-parade security briefing, where committee President Marc Joyce spoke briefly about coronavirus. At the time, Joyce said the committee continues to consult daily with local and state health officials. Depending on the weather and other factors, the annual parade attracts 250,000 or more spectators. The March 21 road race should bring in 7,000 or more runners and tens of thousands of revelers who pack downtown. The Holyoke parade pumps over $20 million into the regions economy, according to a 2012 University of Massachusetts-Donahue Institute study. Italy aired plans Tuesday to allow residents to suspend mortgage and some tax payments to help families deal with a coronavirus outbreak that has killed 463 people and prompted the government to restrict movement for its 60 million citizens. Ministers said they would also ask the EU to allow Rome to raise its deficit spending beyond the 7.5 billion euros (USD 8.5 billion) planned to help businesses hurt by a sharp drop in tourism over the past month. The new family support measures are due to be unveiled in a government decree on Wednesday following a cabinet meeting. "The measures (will apply) for all of Italy," Deputy Economy Minister Castelli said. She said they could include "the suspension of the payment of (salary) withholdings and contributions" in order to help families during the economic downturn. Some banks expect Italy's economy to contract by 1.0 per cent of national output between April and June. "We are worried about this and for this reason we pushed the banking system to give as much as possible (on the) suspension of mortgages," she said. "You will see the details in the next few hours." Any measure even partially suspending mortgage payments could deliver a painful blow to big banks that are still dealing with large amounts of non-performing loans. Italy on Tuesday imposed travel restrictions and a ban on public gatherings to help fight the spread of a disease that has killed 463 in the Mediterranean country in just over two weeks. The latest restrictions expanded those the government placed Sunday on the economically vibrant Lombardy region that bore the early brunt of the COVID-19 disease. Rome aired plans earlier last week to inject 7.5 billion euros (USD 8.5 billion) into the economy to help businesses -- particularly those in the tourism sector -- to get by in the coming weeks and months. But Economic Development Minister Stefano Patuanelli said "seven and seven and a half billion are not enough to face down the crisis". Patuanelli told Italian radio that Rome was working on a proposal to ask Brussels to raise Italy's spending by around 10 billion euros. Italy needs special EU permission to spend more than allowed under the bloc's strict budgetary rules for its 27 member states. The extra spending is meant to help businesses such as restaurants and hotels that rely on tourists to survive. Patuanelli's comments came as EU leaders prepared to hold an emergency videoconference on Tuesday aimed at coordinating their response to the outbreak. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Finnish English SATO Corporation Press release 10 March 2020 at 10:30 am One of Finlands leading rental housing providers, SATO will have 77 rental homes built close to the Niittykumpu metro station in Espoo. Construction begins in March 2020 and the apartments will be ready for moving into in December 2021. The property will use geothermal energy as its heat source. On 6 March 2020, SATO signed a contract with Lujatalo Oy on the construction of a residential property at Kappelitie 5, Espoo. The property will feature 77 rental homes on a site owned by the real estate company. The site enjoys an excellent location close to the Niittykumpu metro station and services. Theres demand for rental homes near a metro station and services, says SATO Executive Vice President for Investments Antti Aarnio. The heat source chosen for the property is geothermal heating, which uses solar energy stored in the ground. Geothermal heating helps cut carbon dioxide emissions and, especially with global warming taking place, the advantage of a geothermal heating system is that it can also be used to cool the building. The property will be carbon neutral as regards operational emissions during its use as renewable electricity will be used in addition to geothermal heat. We find out for every renovation and new construction project whether energy can be sourced from the ground this is in line with our sustainability programme, says SATO Executive Vice President for Investments Antti Aarnio. SATO is aiming to be carbon neutral by 2030 as regards carbon dioxide emissions from property energy usage. Heating is the area where biggest emission cuts can be achieved. Niittykumpu is a park-like district with around 5,000 residents located in southeastern Espoo and with excellent public transport links. The metro and numerous bus services connect the district to other areas in Espoo and the rest of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. The Niittykumpu metro station has accelerated the rate of infill construction in the area. By 2030, the number of residents is expected to increase to 12,000. For more information please contact: SATO Corporation, Antti Aarnio, Executive Vice President, Investments, phone: +358 40 164 7052, antti.aarnio@sato.fi www.sato.fi SATO is one of Finland's leading rental housing providers. SATO aims to offer a comprehensive choice of rental housing and an excellent customer experience. At year-end 2019, SATO owned over 26 000 apartments in Finland's largest growth centres and in St Petersburg. We promote sustainable development and initiative through our operations and work in open interaction with our stakeholders to generate added value. We operate profitably and with a long-term view. We increase the value of our housing stock through investments, divestments and repairs. SATO Group's net sales in 2019 were EUR 296 million, operating profit EUR 726 million and profit before taxes EUR 671 million. The value of SATO's investment assets is roughly EUR 4,7 billion. TEL AVIV - The arrival hall of Ben Gurion Airport's Terminal 3 is Israel's front door. On Tuesday, one day after the government instituted some of the most sweeping quarantine requirements in the global fight against coronavirus, it was a door swinging shut. Daily arrivals had collapsed by two-thirds, according to airport authorities, falling from 65,000 to 22,000. The silence of the normally bustling hall was the harbinger of a building economic hit; Israel's finance minister estimated Monday that the new quarantine restrictions, scheduled to last two weeks, could cost $1.4 billion. Those few passengers who did trickle through, passing under a flight board riddled with "CANCELED" notices, found themselves subject to a baffling triage, as help-desk staffers and tour guides tried to sort the emergency procedures. Most passengers were directed straight to their homes for two weeks of self-isolation. A few foreign tourists, delighted to learn they had just made it in under the wire, were allowed to set off sightseeing, still hoping for a normal vacation. Others remained unsure of their fate even as they walked out into the Israeli sun. "We don't know what's going to happen," said Rhonda Schmidt, arriving with a Canadian church group, aware that their plans to tour the Holy Land could yet land them in two weeks of hotel-room confinement. "They might still shut us down on Thursday." Benito Linde of Madrid looked up from his cellphone with a harried expression. He had been told one thing by a passport officer and another by his airline. "I think I have to leave by Thursday," said Linde, a musician who had just arrived on a flight from Madrid to visit friends in Tel Aviv. "They are friends, but I don't think they want me here for two weeks." The quarantine requirements Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday will touch every person arriving from outside the country. But officials are implementing them in stages. As of Monday night, Israeli citizens and residents were required to go straight from the airport to self-isolation, no matter what country they are returning from. That was bad news for Valeriya Lurie, 20, who stepped off a flight from Baku ready to take her university exams in a few days. Now she will be stuck in her family's small apartment in Natanya. "It's annoying when you are all prepared and they tell you, 'See you in a month,'" Lurie said from behind her white mask. "I'm going to forget everything." Meanwhile, travelers from some hotspot countries, including China, Hong Kong, Macao and Korea, are banned entirely from entering Israel. And those arriving from certain effected European countries, including Italy, Germany, France, Austria and Spain, are allowed to enter only if they can prove they have a place to go immediately for quarantine. "Honestly, I'm not sure what to tell people," said Tomer Vildorf, who was staffing the information counter, to which he had taped a note with a Ministry of Tourism emergency number. Israeli officials wanted to give foreign tourists and business people time to adjust to the new rules - by either arranging to be isolated or canceling their trips - so the blanket quarantine won't apply to those arrivals until Thursday at 8 p.m. Most of tour groups arriving Tuesday were told they could carry on with their plans unless the situation changed. Many members had dropped out before boarding the plane. One tour guide said he had three entire groups cancel that morning. But those who decided to come were eager, despite some major sites being closed because of the infection, including the entire city of Bethlehem. "You're talking to a bunch of Christians who are going to walk where Jesus walked," said Soozy Davenport of Lytle, Texas. "We have no fear." Israel is bracing for a major economic blow. Finance Ministry Director General Shai Babad told Israeli radio Tuesday that the two-week quarantine plan could cost the country up to $1.4 billion. Economist Dan Ben-David got a firsthand look at how the global machinery is slowing to halt. He was waiting to board a flight to Tel Aviv Monday night in New York when news broke about the mandatory quarantine. Passengers stampeded the counter to cancel, nearly emptying the flight, which was further delayed as United Airlines scrambled to learn what the isolation rules would mean for its flight crew. "The scale of this is going to be pretty major," said Ben-David, president of the Shoresh Institution for Socioeconomic Research at Tel Aviv University. He was at home, quarantined and unable to teach his classes. But the draconian steps were well-advised, he said, given Israel's overstretched health care system. The country has the highest occupancy rate of any OECD country, he noted, leaving it vulnerable to being overwhelmed by an epidemic. "I don't think we have any choice," he said. Labor leaders were already sounding the alarm about the impact on workers, particularly in the vital tourism and travel sectors. Peter Lerner of Israel's General Federation of Labor said some hotels were already down to 25 percent of capacity and were laying off staff. El Al, the Israeli airline, said it was slashing 1,000 jobs. "The Ministry of Health is basically leading the economy into a free fall," Lerner said. "Another few days like this and it will be impossible to stop." The OTC Forex market is known to all. The daily trading turnover of this segment is about seven trillion dollars. The bulk of operations are carried out by major banks, multinational corporations, investment companies, and large hedge funds. Individual participants in the Forex market like Alpari account for only about 5% of the turnover. It seems insignificant, but in numerical terms, it amounts to $250 billion. What is the contribution of Forex trading in Nigeria, and why is this business popular there? It may sound odd, but in the nineties of the twentieth century, there were a few private traders. It is with the development of communication technologies, their number began to grow rapidly. Also, Forex brokers appeared and provided access to currency trading to individuals. Forex Brokers in Developing Countries In developed capitalist countries, exchanges have existed for a long time; the activities of brokers and exchange speculators on stocks there have been considered common for centuries. Since its appearance in the 70s of the twentieth century, the new foreign exchange market quickly fit into the existing financial system of European countries, British dominions, the United States, and Japan. Already in the nineties (with the advent of personal computers), the Forex industry has become a common thing in these countries. In other countries, this technologys inception began much later. Moreover, this happened unevenly across countries due to differences in their economic development and national characteristics. In the countries of the former communist system and the socialist camp, financial systems were re-created, so market relations did not have traditions there. Forex Trading At first, Western brokerage companies did not even want to serve customers from these countries. Therefore, there were local Forex brokers who took into account the level of knowledge and financial capabilities of their citizens. Forex The Forex industry began to develop in those countries that were former colonies of European states. Thus, Forex is currently popular in Southeast Asia Vietnam, The Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and some African countries like South Africa, Nigeria and Egypt. Special attention deserves Nigeria, which is rapidly developing in this direction. Along with the growth of incomes, many began to trade forex. The Reasons for the Rollout of the Forex Industry There are a couple of reasons for the rapid spread of Forex trading with any commodities in developing countries. 1. Availability To start trading, it is enough to have a computer, laptop, or smartphone with Internet access no need to search for the trading office near you. Information about training at any level is available to everyone, and start-up capital can be minimal. Access to other financial markets is much more difficult. It is simplicity that determines the huge popularity of Forex trading. Beginners do not need to deposit large amounts and can practice on a demo account. 2. Leverage Access to the market with small amounts was made possible thanks to leverage. Private traders come to Forex only intending to make money on changing exchange rates this is what Forex signals. They do not need the currency they buy; they are only interested in profit. On the other hand, Forex brokers are interested in attracting new customers with any investment reserves. 3. Technological progress The rapid development of computer technology and the Internet has enabled Forex trading from virtually anywhere in the world. The software has been greatly simplified, and trading terminals have become intuitive to any literate person. Moreover, trading programs do not even have to be installed on a computer. Online platforms are accessible from any browser. Trading with mobile devices has become commonplace. 4. Liquidity Forex currency is the most liquid commodity in the world. There are small differences in the liquidity of currencies of different countries. But this is regulated by higher commissions from low-liquid currencies. 5. Communication features The rapid spread of the Forex industry has been made possible thanks to the Internet. In addition to the fact that the business is done via the Internet, social networks and forums have gained great importance as well. The first acquaintance with the Forex market is now happening through numerous groups on Facebook, targeted advertising, and communication on forums. Besides, the language barrier is practically absent. Forex brokers duplicate their sites in many languages; training and technical support are also available in all common languages. Nigel Bradham and Tahir Whitehead will have some company on the linebacker market prior to the start of free agency. The Browns released veteran linebacker Christian Kirksey on Tuesday. The 27-year-old defender missed most of last season with a chest injury that led to him being placed on injured reserve in September. The Iowa alum has only played in nine games over the past two seasons due to injury. He suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in 2018. Before the injury adversity, Kirksey never missed a game during his first four seasons. He became a full-time starter in 2016 and gained a reputation for his playmaking ability. He was eventually named a captain over multiple seasons. Kirksey signed a four-year, $38 million extension in 2017. His release will save roughly $6.7 million in cap space. Introducing Eagles Extra: Sign up for a free trial now. Get exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observations and the ability to text directly with reporters During his career, Kirksey has produced 484 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 16 pass breakups, two interceptions and four forced fumbles. While he has had rough performances over the past two years, he previously graded out well as a pass defender and blitzer. The Eagles are in need of a veteran presence at linebacker after moving on from Bradham last month. Kirksey has the ability to play WILL and MIKE linebacker, so he could appeal to the Eagles. Much like Jordan Hicks, who left for Arizona last offseason, Kirksey is a playmaker at the linebacker position. He is solid in coverage and can make plays on the ball. His blitzing and coverage abilities could greatly improve a linebacker group that already includes Nathan Gerry, T.J. Edwards, Duke Riley and Alex Singleton. However, along with his injury concerns, it should be noted that Kirksey played much better in a 3-4 defense than an even (4-3) front over the past two seasons. The transition to a 4-3 defense seemingly caused a dropoff in Kirkseys play. That said, its worth noting that his sample size in the 4-3 front was only nine games, so perhaps added experience and improved health will help him improve in that formation. Coming off two injury-plagued seasons, the 6-foot-2, 235-pound linebacker could be looking for a one-year pact. His value isnt as high as it once was, so he could be looking to expand it on a playoff-caliber squad. Kirksey could come in and lead the linebacker group in hopes of earning a long-term deal with the Eagles or another team. After years of losing in Cleveland, the Eagles could provide a boost to Kirkseys resume and value moving forward. Get Eagles text messages from reporters: Cut through the clutter of social media and text directly with the Eagles beat writers. Plus, exclusive news and analysis every day. Sign up now for a free trial. Follow Mike Kaye on Twitter: @Mike_E_Kaye. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Chad Johnson and Annalise Mishler have given new details about the violent incident that led to his domestic violence arrest in a joint chat with Extra's Billy Bush Monday. The Bachelorette star, 32, and YouTube personality, 25, laid out in detail the events surrounding the February incident, which he was charged with six misdemeanors in, including corporal injury, battery, trespassing and witness intimidation, TMZ reported on Monday. The Tulsa, Oklahoma native said he was 'good now' and 'a lot better,' while Mishler noted that they 'want to go to ... couples therapy' in an effort to salvage the relationship. The latest: Chad Johnson, 32, and Annalise Mishler, 25, have given new details about the violent incident that led to his domestic violence arrest in a joint chat with Extra's Billy Bush Monday 'Were not back together, necessarily, right now,' she said. 'I think [his issue with] alcohol needs to be worked on and I want to see change.' She added, 'We want to go to therapy, couples therapy. Were going to try, but who knows?' Johnson was taken into custody in Los Angeles in connection with felony domestic violence and robbery charges in the early hours of February 24 following a drunken encounter in which he punched a hole into Mishler's wall the night before. He told Bush that his problems came after he turned to the bottle after breaking up with Mishler earlier in the day. The aftermath: The Tulsa, Oklahoma native said he was 'good now' and 'a lot better,' while Mishler noted that they 'want to go to ... couples therapy' in an effort to salvage the relationship 'Every bad thing that has happened in my life was while drinking,' he said. 'I hadn't drank in 50, almost 60, days 'I decided to drink and am not very good at it.' He said they 'got back together' that day and while 'initially, things were good,' he then 'drank more' and doesn't 'remember what happened' thereafter. Johnson described his understanding of the chain of events that occurred amid the drunken blackout. 'She found a dating app on my phone that literally I had downloaded right when we broke up,' he said. When she found that, I got mad. 'I guess I was yelling or something, and that's when you see I punched a hole in the door ... it's super out of character for me - that's why I don't drink.' Speaking out: The one-time couple spoke with Extra's Billy Bush on Monday Somber: Johnson described his understanding of the chain of events that occurred amid the drunken blackout Details: Mishler said that while she tried to persuade police not to take Johnson into custody, authorities cited the prevalence of physical evidence as cause to arrest him Mishler said that 'the next morning, after all of that, he came back to my apartment' and 'was banging on the door ... I wasn't letting him in, yelling at me, "You have my phone." She recalled, 'During that whole thing, a neighbor called the police. He ended up coming in my apartment, taking my phone, chucking it.' Mishler said that 'the police showed up' and 'had no choice but to arrest him' and 'served a protective order for the week.' She said that while she tried to persuade police not to take Johnson into custody, authorities cited the prevalence of physical evidence as cause to arrest him. 'They saw the hole and the neighbors were pretty clear that he was screaming and being loud,' she said. 'There were dents on the door, and blood.' Introspective: Johnson said, 'Every bad thing that has happened in my life was while drinking' Shocking reveal: Johnson admitted that he had attempted to take his own life amid the emotional incident Johnson then admitted that he had attempted to take his own life amid the emotional incident. When Bush asked him, 'Did you make an actual attempt to take your life?' Johnson replied, 'Yeah, I tried to asphyxiate myself, I guess It's not as easy as it reads.' He said of a social media post he put up with a picture of a rope: 'I'm not going to lie, I was totally there. I don't know why I would post it to social media, but at the time I was still drinking ... it's really hard for me to explain the decisions I make when I'm drinking.' Mishler told Bush that she ignored instructions to keep her distance from Johnson, adding, 'I kept going there to check on him and bring him groceries so he wouldn't drive he was really mad at me.' Johnson said he was upset that she shared details on social media: 'I kept being like, "Why didn't you just call the police?" I thought she was out to get me.' Johnson said he's been sober in the weeks since his arrest and is planning 'to go to some sort of program' to deal with the issue. Controversy: Chad was arrested on Monday, February 24 following a drunken encounter where he punched a hole into Annalise's wall the night before The couple also opened up to US Weekly on Monday, confirming they are, 'not officially together but we are working on things,' adding, 'She has given me a list of things to fix and change.' He told US Weekly that he was, 'completely out of character,' when he punched a hole in the wall. 'I was just spiraling from stress and having lost my relationship with Annalise that morning. I made a promise to myself and to Annalise to no longer drink,' he added. He added, 'Ive apologized to Annalise for my behavior. Im looking into some outpatient processes that can help me. Annalise and I are not back together but we are going looking into couples therapy now.' Out of character: He told US Weekly that he was, 'completely out of character,' when he punched a hole in the wall Speaking out: Mishler also spoke with US Weekly, revealing, 'he was in a bad state mentally so I was trying to make sure he was OK Help: They both also have OnlyFans accounts, but they recently created a joint account in hopes it will help their relationship Mishler also spoke with US Weekly, revealing, 'he was in a bad state mentally so I was trying to make sure he was OK.' She added that after the arrest he 'made a video accusing me of things that are not true,' which Johnson addressed as well. 'I accused her of escorting but I was wrong. I also accused her of other things because I was mad,' he added. They both also have OnlyFans accounts, but they recently created a joint account in hopes it will help their relationship. 'In order to spend more time together, we have created a joint account showing our intimate personal relationship,' Johnson said. 'We hope that this OnlyFans experience bonds us even more and gives more time to grow as a couple.' Johnson acknowledged that the next step is to address his alcohol issues in hopes he can move forward in his relationship with Mishler. 'The next steps are simply getting help with my alcohol issues, couples therapy with Annalise, and growing as people,' Johnson said. 'We have a lot to work on, and I am not ready to jump into a relationship until many things change things from before this incident and during,' Mishler added. Happier times: Johnson acknowledged that the next step is to address his alcohol issues in hopes he can move forward in his relationship with Mishler The couple definitely looked like they were back on during a date night at the Cheesecake Factory in Sherman Oaks on Sunday night. Annalise insisted during their first joint interview together with E! Daily Pop that they were not back together but were 'working through things. 'I'm not at a point to just jump back into things,' she said. 'I have to see change and feel better about things.' Talking to the camera in another video, Annalise explained how Chad 'went crazy' after she confronted him about seeing alerts on his phone from the dating app Hinge. On Monday, the couple had their first joint interview together where they addressed all the drama. Annalise told E! she posted everything online because she was 'scared.' Will you accept this rose? Johnson rose to fame after appearing on JoJo Fletcher's season of The Bachelorette in 2016 Chad also said he was planning on seeking treatment for his troubles with alcohol. 'I'm going to do one of those outpatient things,' he said. 'But it's just hard to deal with because it's not like I wake up every day and have a drink. It's one of those things where people are like, "We gotta lock you away so you won't drink." I'm like, "I'm not drinking. I go to the gym two hours a day." It's just the dealing with that one time, every couple of months or something happens and then I have an issue." Chad was also asked about being put on 'suicide watch.' At one point, the reality star was sent to the hospital after authorities deemed he may pose a danger to himself, TMZ reported. 'People had thought I had hit her and all this stuff,' he responded. 'I mean, I hit the wall... but everybody threw me to the side. All my sponsors, everything I had, everything I was working for. I just kind of lost it, you know? And to top it all off, I was still wasted after that entire scenario.' Annalise said they wanted to seek both couple and individual therapy. 'We have a lot to work on, honestly,' she said. Johnson first appeared on the Bachelorette during JoJo Fletcher's season in 2016 and went on to appear in Famously Single and Celebrity Big Brother UK. Sudanese prime minister escapes assassination attempt Iran Press TV Monday, 09 March 2020 10:15 AM Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has survived an assassination attempt targeting his convoy in the capital Khartoum. "An explosion hit as Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's car was driving by but thank God no one was hurt," Ali Bakhit, his office director, said on Monday. Sudan's state TV said Hamdok is "well and has been taken to a safe place." State-run radio Omdurman, however, reported that automatic weapons were used in the attack, and that Hamdok was taken to a hospital. Images broadcast on regional TV channels and social media showed a convoy including several damaged white SUVs and a badly damaged car. The attack happened near the northern entrance to Kober bridge, which connects Khartoum North with the city center, where Hamdok's office is located. Hamdok has been heading a transitional government formed after the overthrow of long-time president Omar al-Bashir. He rose to power in August last year after civilian groups reached a power-sharing deal with military generals who remain the de facto rulers of the country. Following Bashir's ouster, authorities said they had foiled several coup attempts by military officers. The attempted assassination "is the new episode in a series of coup plots against the revolution," said Khalid Omer, a leading member of the civilian coalition that backed last year's anti-Bashir uprising. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address New Delhi: Veteran actress Poonam Dhillon, who is currently on a nostalgia spree, shared memories of working with late megastar Sridevi. In her first nostalgia-series post, Poonam Dhillon shared a still from 1997 film 'Judaai', in which she had a cameo and wrote, "Sharing some moments of films, co-actors & friends through the years. Starting with the supremely talented beautiful Sridevi, who was magic onscreen, gorgeous, had beautiful eyes and was an amazing dancer. Her presence & grace is missed. Can't believe two years since we lost this jewel of the film industry." Take a look at her post here: The Boney Kapoor-produced 'Judaai' co-starred Sridevi with Anil Kapoor and Urmila Matondkar. After the film, Sridevi took a break from films for her family. She made a comeback in 2012 with 'English Vinglish' and 2017's 'MOM' was her last film as a lead. Sridevi died in February 2018 after accidentally drowning in her hotel bathtub in Dubai. Her sudden death shocked the film industry. She was just 58. Earlier this month, a prayer meet on her second death anniversary was organised by Boney Kapoor in Chennai. Their daughter Janhvi also flew to the capital city to be with her extended family. Sridevi and Boney Kapoor married in 1996. Janhvi and Khushi are their two daughters. Janhvi is an actress while Khushi studies in the US. Much like King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, whose love transcended the British monarchy in the early part of the 20th century, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex have left the monarchy in their wake. And, just like their predecessors, they are feeling the backlash of that decision. Interestingly, in both cases, a charming young royal fell in love with a beautiful and strong-willed American divorcee. That divorcee then ends up being blamed by the British press for luring her husband away from his royal duties and therefore damaging the monarchy. Sound familiar? King Edward and Wallis Simpsons love story Prince Edward and Wallis Simpson | Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images King Edward met Simpson in June of 1931 at a society party hosted by Lady Furness and the two soon fell madly in love. The handsome prince was 37 and his 35-year-old future wife was soon to be twice divorced. Unfortunately, royal rules would not allow the king to wed the love of his life. Whats a future king to do in such a situation? According to Biography, the two became lovers by at least 1934. However, a very displeased monarchy refused to allow them to marry. Marrying a divorcee who had an ex-husband who was still alive was frowned upon by British conservatives and the Church of England at the time. Marrying one who was soon to have 2 exes was positively scandalous. The kings ministers were horrified at the illicit love affair between their beloved king and Simpson, who was still married at the time. They blamed her and most Britains agreed. To top everything off, she was American. Meghan, similarly, is American and also divorced. Many find these commonalities enough to draw a comparison between the Duchess of Sussex and Simpson. Prince Edward walked away from royal duties Prince Edward ascended the throne in 1936 but abdicated just shy of a year later. I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love, he said. The former king married Simpson in France a few months later, just a month after her second divorce became final. They lived abroad for the rest of their lives, away from the prying eyes of the British press and public. Many are drawing comparisons to Prince Harry and Meghan, as the two stepped down as senior royals earlier this year. They, too, for the time being, intend to live abroad in an attempt to stay clear of the press and public. That said, the case can be made that Prince Harry and Meghans decision isnt as significant as Prince Edward and Simpsons. The really big difference is that Edward was King and Harry is sixth in line to the throne hes never going to be King, said Anne Sebba, author of That Woman, the Life of Wallis Simpson. Wallis Simpson faced media harassment Wallis was condemned as a social climber who only married her second husband for his wealth and the king for his status and title. Like Meghan, she bore the brunt of the blame for her husbands decision to walk away from his royal duties. At least the vitriol against Meghan hasnt risen to quite the same level as that hurled at Simpson, yet. According to a BBC News article, Wallis was accused of being a cheap adventuress, a lesbian, a nymphomaniac, a Nazi spy and a hermaphrodite. She was also labeled a sexual enchantress who lured the king via ancients skills learned in Shanghai brothels while her first husband, a navy pilot, was stationed there. Perhaps that was why she received so much misogynistic hate mail. She complained in her memoirs: There can be few expletives applicable to my sex that were missing from my morning tray. Meghan hasnt faced similar rheotric of hate, but she has faced her own challenges with the press. The ravenous besieging army, as Simpson described them, havent hurled bricks through her windows but they have been relentless in their criticism of the Duchess of Sussex. Whats more, Meghans criticism is racially rooted. Olivette Otele, Britains first female black history professor, notes: Wallis Simpson, of course she was mistreated by the British press, but it was never to the same extent [as Meghan]. What does the future hold for these former royals? Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | Karwai Tang/WireImage Edward VIII was bored by his royal duties. He found them tedious and uninteresting and dreamed of escaping to Canada. Although Simpson became known as the woman who stole The King, it appears he may have welcomed the excuse to escape his royal duties. He may have regretted his decision to abdicate later in life though since he surrounded himself with royal memorabilia and frequently started sentences with, When I was king as he and Simpson drifted aimlessly through the rest of their lives. Lets hope Prince Harry and Meghan have a more fulfilling future ahead of them after abdicating from their royal duties. Keeping busy by earning their own money and running their charitable foundations will hopefully give them a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment that Prince Harrys great uncle never managed to achieve for himself or his much-maligned wife. A father-of-one who was dressed as Superman when he headbutted a man at a nightclub on Halloween night has had his sentence adjourned to allow him time to raise money for the victim. Denis Ward (39) later told gardai he had no recollection of the assault but accepted "I took the book off him and went for him" after he was shown CCTV footage from the nightclub showing him taking a pretend bible off the victim before he lunged at him. Costume The victim, Daragh Comerford, was left with a broken nose and later required surgery due to a deviated septum. Garda Inspector Eamon Lynch told Diarmuid Collins BL, prosecuting, that when he arrived at the nightclub he was told by security staff the culprit was dressed as Superman and had been with a woman dressed as Wonder Woman. He said he later stopped Ward, who was no longer dressed up but was with a woman dressed as Wonder Woman. The Superman costume was found discarded in a nearby bin. Mr Comerford later told gardai he had spotted some pretend bibles in the nightclub and was messing around with them when a man in a Superman costume took it from him. He said he told the man to "relax" before Ward headbutted him. Ward, of Northern Close, Belcamp Lane, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm to Mr Comerford at D Two nightclub, Harcourt Street, on October 31, 2017. He had four previous convictions, including three for road traffic offences. Judge Melanie Greally heard from a victim impact statement the man had suffered a loss of 1,100 due to medical bills and having to take time off work. Alcohol She adjourned the case to October 12 to allow Ward to raise cash to cover the victim's loss. Barry Ward BL, defending, said his client has not touched alcohol since the assault. He asked the court to take into account that his client was unknown to gardai at the time and that his behaviour was "out of character". Mr Ward said his client is not working and relies on social welfare but is willing to raise 1,100 if given time to do so. Shopnguoilonhanoi.net 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 14 Jan 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. The total number of people who shared the shopnguoilonhanoi homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. The total number of people who shared the shopnguoilonhanoi homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the shopnguoilonhanoi homepage on StumbleUpon. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the shopnguoilonhanoi homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if shopnguoilonhanoi has a Facebook fan page). This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the shopnguoilonhanoi homepage on Twitter + the total number of shopnguoilonhanoi followers (if shopnguoilonhanoi has a Twitter account). Basic Information PAGE TITLE Shop nguoi lon Ha Noi, tai 279b Quan Nhan, Thanh Xuan DESCRIPTION Shop nguoi lon Ha Noi chuyen ban cac loai bao cao su, gel boi tron, tri xuat tinh som, o choi nguoi lon..Shop nguoi lon Ha Noi, shopnguoilonhanoi, shopnguoilon hanoi KEYWORDS Shop nguoi lon, shop nguoi lon, shop nguoi lon ha noi, o choi nguoi lon, shopnguoilon OTHER KEYWORDS mua hng, ngui, ngui ln, cao su, bao cao su, bao cao, shop ngui ln 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. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. Domain and Server DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Transitional CHARSET AND LANGUAGE UTF-8 DETECTED LANGUAGE Italian Italian SERVER Microsoft-IIS/7.0 (ASP.NET) OPERATIVE SYSTEM Windows Server 2008 Windows Server 2008 The language of shopnguoilonhanoi.net as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Type of server and offered services. Character set and language of the site. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Operative System running on the server. Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world. Referring domains for shopnguoilonhanoi.net 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 type of Facebook page. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The URL of the found Facebook page. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND A safety inspector had fears about an inflatable trampoline when he examined it just five days before it exploded and killed a three-year-old girl, an inquest heard today. Amusement park engineer Henry Rundle allegedly raised concerns that the new trampoline appeared to be over-inflated and was not being properly tied down. Norfolk Coroner's Court heard how he inspected the inflatables at the Bounce About fun park on the beach at Gorleston-on-Sea in the county on June 26, 2018. Ava-May Littleboy died five days later on July 1 when the trampoline exploded as she played on it, catapulting her up to 40ft in the air before she crashed down head first. Ava-May Littleboy, who died of a head injury after being thrown from a bouncy castle on a beach in Gorleston-on-Sea in Norfolk on July 1, 2018 The inquest heard how Ava-May's aunt Chloe Littleboy, 23, who had taken her to the fun park during a family day out on the beach, had noticed that the trampoline seemed highly inflated with its sides being 'rounded and full of air'. Mr Rundle, from the amusement ride engineering firm Rundles, was asked by the operators of Bounce About to inspect their equipment under the Amusement Devices Inspection Procedure Scheme. Norfolk Coroner Jacqueline Lake told the inquest jury that Mr Rundle submitted his report the day after Ava-May's death outlining 'issues' about the trampoline which he believed needed to be addressed. His report said that not all available ties were in use on the trampoline and that 'the beds were found to be firm'. He added: 'For all new devices including the trampoline, manufacture information must be supplied as required.' Gisele Johnson, 43, a director of Johnsons Funfairs Ltd, which operated Bounce About, gave evidence today and insisted that Mr Rundle had not raised his concerns with her on the day of his inspection Speaking about his inspection of the trampoline, she said: 'He examined it. He looked around it and jumped on top of it after taking off his shoes. Then he got off and came to me. A police cordon at Gorleston beach in Norfolk on July 1, 2018 after the shocking incident 'He shook my hand and I asked him if everything was fine. He said everything was fine. I said he could send the invoice later and we would sort out the documents.' She confirmed that Rundles had been inspecting Bounce About equipment for the ten years that she had been running the attraction on Gorleston beach. Mrs Johnson who operated the attraction with her husband Curt Johnson, 49, refused to answer a series of questions from the coroner after being warned that she could incriminate herself by answering Mrs Lake told her: 'You may decide not to answer questions and you are entitled to do so, but if you do decide to answer, you must answer honestly.' She added in a remark to the jury: 'You are not to draw any inference from that. It is her lawful right.' The coroner asked Mrs Johnson if she could say when the trampoline was ordered, who ordered it and whether new equipment was properly checked to ensure it was safe. Ava-May died five on July 1, 2018 when the trampoline exploded as she played on it, catapulting her up to 40ft in the air before she crashed down head first Mrs Johnson, who was speaking through a Portuguese interpreter, replied to each question: 'Sorry, I'm not answering the question'. She insisted that she checked the inflatables every day when they were pumped up and again when they were deflated at the end of the day. Mrs Johnson said her staff would also carry out visual checks every 15 minutes when children finished a play session on an inflatable. She added: 'They would be looking around and checking everything was fine. If they saw anything weird, I would go over and check.' Mrs Johnson admitted there had been a previous accident when a girl had fallen off a rodeo bull ride at Bounce About, landing awkwardly and breaking her arms. As a result, a Great Yarmouth Borough Council environmental health inspector told her to keep a daily log with a check list of equipment checks. Abbie Littleboy (right), aunt of Ava-May, and her friend Beth Jones (left) outside the inquest yesterday at Norfolk Coroner's Court into the death of the girl Mrs Lake asked her why there was a log for June 30, 2018, but not for the day of the Ava-May's death on July 1. Once again, Mrs Johnson replied: 'I prefer to not answer the question.' Mrs Johnson said the trampoline differed to other inflatables as it was a sealed unit which had air pumped in and would then be sealed with a bung 'like a lid on a jar'. Asked how she would know when the trampoline was fully inflated or whether there was a gauge giving the air pressure inside, she refused to say. Mrs Johnson confirmed that the trampoline had a manual, but said 'it was not very detailed'. The inquest heard that a boy aged 15 and an older girl aged under 18 were working for Bounce About at the time. But she refused to comment when asked what training they had been given and whether they had been told not to allow children on any piece of equipment when it was being inflated or deflated. Nathan Rowe (left) and Chloe Littleboy (right) arrive for the inquest into their daughter's death at Norfolk Coroner's Court yesterday She also refused to say whether any risk assessments were in place for the inflatables, or for employing children under 18. Mrs Johnson said that she managed the day to day running of the fun park at Gorleston while her husband did most of the paperwork. She insisted that she believed the site was properly insured. Mrs Lake said the inquest would not be looking into the reasons why the trampoline exploded. She told the jury: 'You will see evidence later in the inquest concerning a visual inspection of the remains of the trampoline after it had exploded. That evidence is capable of confirming that it exploded, but not why it exploded. Ava-May (left and right) was thrown from a bouncy castle on a beach in Norfolk on July 1, 2018 'To try and establish why it exploded, some specialist expert examination of the remains was undertaken. Sometimes scientific expert examination is capable of proving why an event occurred. 'Sometimes the available scientific evidence is such that no jury could properly draw reliable conclusions from it. 'That is not because of any shortcoming on the part of the scientists, but simply because the work they have done has not established why the event in question occurred. 'Unfortunately, the available scientific evidence were I to call it, would not be capable of assisting you with your conclusions, so I am not going to call that evidence when doing so could not be to any proper effect. 'Further scientific examination of the remains of the trampoline could have been commissioned, but that would have involved a delay, would have carried a high cost and most pertinently of all, might well have not proved why this trampoline exploded the way it did, on the day it did and in the circumstances it did. A pictured dated June 27, 2018 shows the inflatable trampoline (right, in front of the blue slide) on Gorleston Beach in Norfolk 'That's why I decided on balance this line of inquiry shouldn't be pursued further.' The inquest heard how Ava-May was on the beach with her parents Chloe Littleboy, 27, and Nathan Rowe, 36, her grandparents Ian and Angela Littleboy, as well as her aunt Abbie, and family friend Beth Jones. Abbie told yesterday how the trampoline suddenly exploded with a sound like 'a cannon' as her niece was bouncing up and down on it. She watched in horror as Ava-May 'flipped five or six times' while tumbling in the air before she crashed into the sand. Members of the public including Miss Jones, who is a nurse, lifeguards and paramedics tried to revive her before she was taken by ambulance to the James Paget Hospital in the town where she was declared dead. A post mortem revealed she had died from a severe traumatic head injury. The inquest continues. Indonesian immigration officials detain 27 Vietnamese fishermen The Pontianak Immigration Office in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, has detained 27 Vietnamese fishermen for poaching in Natuna waters. "The 27 Vietnamese fishermen have been detained while awaiting deportation," head of the Pontianak Immigration Office Tatang Suheryadin said on Monday. The fishermen were arrested by the officers of the Maritime Resource Surveillance Agency from three vessels poaching in Indonesia's Exclusive Economic Zone of North Natuna waters. "The three fishing vessels operated in Indonesian waters without any legal documents and were using trawl nets which are banned in the country," he said. The three vessels are KG 95118 with two crew members detained by a Macan 01 patrol ship, KG 94629 TS with 10 crew detained by an Orca 03 patrol ship, and KG 93255 TS with 15 crew arrested by a Hiu 11 patrol ship. "The 27 foreign fishermen were handed over to the Pontianak Immigration Office for further investigation over alleged violation of immigration rules," he added. The fishermen claimed they had not realized they had entered Indonesian territory and they were only tasked to pull up the trawl net. "Based on our preliminary investigations, the fishermen have violated the regulation for using the banned trawl that could endanger Indonesia's sea resources," Suheryadin said. The fishermen would be charged under Article 75 of Law no 6/2011 on immigration, and the boat skippers would also be charged under Law No. 45/2009 on fisheries. Last week, the Directorate General of Marine Resources Surveillance of the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry detained five foreign boats fishing illegally in North Natuna Sea in Riau Islands and arrested 68 Vietnamese crew members. The vessels were first detected by the ministry's surveillance ship in Indonesia's Exclusive Economic Zone, southwest of Tarempa Island bordering the overlapping claimed area between Indonesia and Malaysia. The boats attempted to capitalize on the agreement between Indonesia and Malaysia to expel ships operating in the overlapping claim area. Tempo Media Group 2017 Theme(s): Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods. BEREA, Ohio - Younger adults and those who have attended college are more likely than others to refuse to purchase from a business based on political or social values, according to a four-country study conducted by researchers at Baldwin Wallace University and schools in two other countries. In each place, a majority of those polled during the fall said they had boycotted a company in the previous 12 months - 51% in the United Kingdom, 53% in Canada, 55% in the United States and 57% in France. Across all four countries, boycotting was found to be more likely among people who attended at least some college than those who had not attended college, results released Tuesday by Baldwin Wallace showed. In the United States, for example, 60.9% of those who had attended college said they had boycotted in the last year versus 45.9% of those who had not attended college. There were similar margins in each country based on education. Age was a factor as well, though more so in the United Kingdom than in the United States, Canada and France. In the UK, boycotting was reported by 74.4% of those age 18-24 and 57.1% of those age 25-34, but by a minority of other age groups - 49.8% for 35-44, 44.4% for 45-54, and 44.1% for 55 and older.. In the United States, by age, boycotting was reported by 64.2% of those age 18-24, 60.5 of age 25-34, 64.3% age 35-44, 56.1% age 45-54 and 44% for 55 and older. Lauren Copeland, the American researcher on the project, said it was significant to learn a majority of Americans had boycotted a business in the last year. This makes political consumerism one of the most popular forms of political participation in the U.S.," said Copeland, associate director of the Community Research Institute at Baldwin Wallace University. As people become more dissatisfied with the governments ability to solve collective problems, they are increasingly targeting multinational corporations to demand and effect change. The survey of 1,500 to 1,700 people in each country was conducted from September through November, using an online panel that matched the gender, age and educational composition of each country. The study was led by Copeland, Shelley Boulianne at MacEwan University, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and Karolina Koc-Michalska at Audencia Business School in Paris, France. Researchers received a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, a research granting organization administered by Canadian federal appointees. Read previous stories Downtown Cleveland daily weather history; high and low temperatures Like Iowa, election night might not provide clarity to Ohio Democratic presidential vote Cuyahoga County home prices take a jump up in February Which Ohio public school districts are home to most kids choosing private schools? See complete list Clevelands economy wins vs. many in the Sun Belt: Building from Strength Bhopal: Amid the ongoing political upheaval in Madhya Pradesh, the efforts of both Congress and BJP to save their MLAs have intensified. Where on one side the Congress will take its MLAs to Jaipur on Wednesday (March 10, 2020), BJP MLAs have already left for Delhi from Bhopal. Kamal Nath on Tuesday exuded confidence that his government will complete its term and said "There is nothing to worry about. We will prove our majority. Our government will complete its term." After the Congress Legislature Party meeting ended in Bhopal, the Kamal Nath government decided to out of Madhya Pradesh to show unity among the remaining members. The Madhya Pradesh Congress party believes their other MLAs may join the party seeing their unity. Congress party on Tuesday also passed a resolution condemning BJP for conspiring to topple its government in Madhya Pradesh. The resolution read, ''Congress legislative party condemns the unfortunate manner in which attempt has been made to insult the people's mandate by satisfying the personal ambitions of Jyotiraditya Scindia.'' Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Sajjan Singh Verma is likely to leave for Bengaluru to persuade some of the MLAs camped there to return to the party. On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party has also made preparations to send all the MLAs to Delhi. As per sources, the MLAs will be first taken to Delhi after which they may be shifted to Haryana. BJP leader Gopal Bhargava left for Delhi from Bhopal with BJP MLAs on Tuesday night. Earlier on Tuesday, 22 MLAs including six ministers close to Scindia submitted their resignation to Governor Lalji Tandon via email. The MLAs who are presently staying at a Bengaluru resort. The number of the resignation of Congress MLAs may go up to 28 claimed sources. The names of the MLAs include- Imarati Devi, Tulsi Silawat, Govind Singh Rajput, Mahendra Singh Sisodiya, Pradyumn Singh Tomar and Prabhuram Chaudhari, Hardeep Singh Dang, Rajyavardhan Singh, Brajendra Singh Yadav, Jaspal Jajji, Suresh Dhakad, Jaswant Jatav, Raksha Santram Sironia, Munnalal Goyal, Ranveer Singh Jatav, OPS Bhadoria, Kamlesh Jatav, Giriraj Dandotiya, Raghuraj Kansana, Aidalsingh Kansana, Biasahulal Singh and Manoj Choudhary. Congress is trying hard of luring back some of the rebel MLAs before Jyotiraditya Scindia joins BJP. As per sources, Jyotiraditya Scindia will join BJP on March 12 in Bhopal and after that he will file nominations for the Rajya Sabha polls the next day. In the 230 member Madhya Pradesh Assembly, the Congress has 114 MLAs and the support of four Independents, three Samajwadi Party MLAs and two Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs. The BJP has 109 MLAs. Two seats are currently vacant. ATLANTA, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Moe's Southwest Grill, an innovative fast-casual restaurant franchise that serves high quality burritos, quesadillas, famous queso and more, announced today the transfer of 67 franchised locations in Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and District of Columbia to Quality Fresca, a new division of Quality Restaurant Group formed to own and operate a best in class Moe's Southwest Grill franchisee group. In partnership with Matt Ailey, Founder of GenRock Capital Management, Matt Slaine, CEO of Quality Restaurant Group and Chris Grooms, Vice President of Quality Fresca, the restaurant group plans to roll out the updated brand design for the restaurants in the next 12-18 months. The series of transactions will make Quality Fresca the largest franchisee in the Moe's Southwest Grill portfolio. "We believe there is extraordinary growth ahead for the Moe's Southwest Grill brand and know that our company will be a significant partner as the brand continues to innovate and secure share in a competitive segment," said Matt Slaine, CEO of Quality Restaurant Group and GenRock Operating Partner. "Matt and I have been fans of Moe's for a long time and were attracted to the unique brand personality, culture, leadership, vision for the future and unit-level economics." Backed by GenRock Capital Management, Quality Restaurant Group is based in North Carolina, employs more than 7,500 people and is the parent company for Quality Huts and Quality Meats. Quality Huts is one of the largest Pizza Hut operators with nearly 200 units across Illinois, Indiana, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Quality Meats is an Arby's operator which recently acquired 27 Arby's locations in Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana and South Dakota. Quality Fresca is the newest division for Quality Restaurant Group that will operate the Moe's Southwest Grill locations added to their portfolio of restaurant brands. "The Moe's Southwest Grill brand has been a beloved restaurant brand in the fast casual segment for 20 years and the brand is accelerating our journey to modernize both the in-restaurant and off-premise customer experiences," said Erik Hess, President, Moe's Southwest Grill. "Working together with the passionate and dedicated group of Moe's franchisees has enhanced the brand strength and adding new franchisees like Quality Restaurant Group will serve as another advantage for the brand in several of our largest markets." Moe's Southwest Grill currently has more than 700 restaurants in 40 states and is part of the FOCUS Brands family of brands, which includes Auntie Anne's, Carvel, Cinnabon, Jamba, McAlister's Deli and Schlotzsky's. Quality Restaurant Group and all franchisees within the Moe's Southwest Grill system have the ability to use shared services at FOCUS Brands, including marketing, real estate, technology and more, to help them successfully launch and operate their restaurants. In addition to Quality Restaurant Group, Moe's Southwest Grill is continuing with its aggressive expansion and is seeking single- and multi-unit operators to join its successful franchise network. Moe's Southwest Grill is currently targeting new markets across the U.S. For more information about franchise opportunities, call 800-227-8353 or email [email protected]. About Moe's Southwest Grill Welcome to Moe's! Founded in 2000 and based in Atlanta, GA, Moe's Southwest Grill is a fast-casual restaurant franchise that serves high quality and fresh southwestern food. Moe's has an extensive variety of menu items to please the entire family from burritos to specialty items like quesadillas, nachos and stacks. Whether you visit one of our more than 700 franchised locations or have us cater your next event, free chips and salsa come with every order and each restaurant has a salsa bar and serves our famous queso. Check us out online at www.moes.com to find a store near you, and then connect with us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Quality Restaurant Group Quality Restaurant Group, LLC is based in North Carolina and was founded in 2017 with a strong focus on developing a world-class multi-branded quick service and fast casual franchising business. The founding leaders have a vision of becoming QUALITY franchisee entrepreneurs that believe in a QUALITY PEOPLE-FIRST culture that drives an unparalleled spirit of customer service for our guests in our restaurants. The company owns and operates 67 Moe's Southwest Grill restaurants in Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and District of Columbia, nearly 200 Pizza Hut restaurants in Illinois, Indiana, Maryland and Pennsylvania and 27 Arby's locations in Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming and South Dakota. Check out www.qualityrestaurantgroup.com for more information. Contact: Ali Rehwinkel Fish Consulting 954.893.9150 [email protected] SOURCE Moe's Southwest Grill Related Links https://www.moes.com A MOTORIST who was feeding a baby on his lap while driving was sentenced to four months imprisonment at Newcastle West court. Gheorghie Remus Adam, 30, who has an address at Orchard Court, Blackpool, Cork was before the court in relation to an incident at Fanningstown, Croom, on August 30, 2018. Judge Mary Larkin was told when the defendants car was stopped at 9.30pm, gardai found a number of young children in the car who were not properly restrained. Inspector Andrew Lacey said Mr Adam was not wearing his seat belt and that one of the children was sitting on his lap and was being bottle-fed at the time. The car the Romanian national was driving did not have a valid NCT and one of the tyres was extremely bald. Mr Adam was also charged with driving without insurance - he had been convicted of that charge eight times previously. Solicitor Rossa McMahon said his client, who is married with four children, was bringing his children to visit their mother who was serving a sentence at Limerick Prison at the time. Seeking leniency, Mr McMahon said his client was throwing himself at the mercy of the court and he asked the judge to not to impose a custodial sentence given the potential impact it would have on Mr Adams children. While noting the submissions, Judge Larkin said it was not her function to think of the defendants children. In addition to the four-month prison sentence, she imposed fines totalling 1,650 and and a six-year disqualification. Laura Whitmore has spoken candidly about her grief over the passing of close friend, Caroline Flack (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images) Love Island host Laura Whitmore has spoken candidly about the grief and survivors guilt she is working through following the death of Caroline Flack. Flack, who died by suicide on February 15, had been friends with Whitmore for a decade. Speaking to Kate Thornton on her Yahoo podcast White Wine Question Time, she opened up about the moment she discovered Flack had died. READ MORE: Caroline Flack's death was unbelievably tragic, says ITV boss I found out about Caroline on the Saturday and I found out in a way I wish I didn't, she said. It was something on Twitter that someone had tweeted initially that I disregarded. Because there's always so many things that would be said about Caroline that you wouldn't take everything as truth. So I kind of ignored it. I thought the tweets were fake news Shortly after seeing the tweet, Laura received a call from a friend, asking her to come home. She was being really weird about it, Laura said of the situation. I just said, Is this anything to do with Caroline? And she said, Just come home. She continued: Then I did that thing which I wish I didn't I went on Twitter and you see different things, different people posting things. I can't really remember what happened after that. It wasn't the way that you think you would find out a friend had passed away, so I just got home as quick as I could and that's when I came in to my friend and she said it was true. Choking back tears as she recalled the moment, Laura said her thoughts immediately turned to boyfriend and Love Island narrator Iain Stirling, who was in South Africa, where the show was being recorded. Laura Whitmore's boyfriend, Love Island narrator, Iain Stirling, was in South Africa at the time of Caroline's death (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Hard Rock Hotel London) I knew it was his day off and he was out with a few people in the pub having a few drinks, she said. I just wanted him to get to a safe space, if that makes sense? Not to be exposed. Because everyone wants to see what your reaction is. All over the place Laura revealed that she is still struggling to come to terms with what happened. Story continues I haven't really been doing any interviews, she told host and friend Kate Thornton. I think only because this is you Kate, it felt safe and secure. I think it's really good to talk, but part of me sometimes wants to lock myself away and not talk to anyone. The former MTV-presenter said her emotions are all over the place, however, guilt is definitely something weighing heavily on her. Laura Whitmore believes Caroline Flack deserved to be treated with more respect than she wa I've had a lot of people asking me how I am, and sometimes I feel guilty. I feel guilty for so many people asking how I am because I'm here. It's the people who aren't here or the family of Caroline. Sometimes I'll be watching TV and I laugh at something and then you feel guilty for laughing and then you'll forget. And then you'll remember. Im kind of all over the place. There's no right or wrong way to feel; it's just whatever you feel in the moment. Responding to Whitmore, Thornton said she hoped Whitmores comments would be treated with respect. I would ask anybody thats listening to this, if youre going to take this conversation and report it in some way, please do it honestly because its really important none of this gets misconstrued. I wanted Carolines blessing Whitmore was appointed to take over as Love Island host after Flack was charged with the assault of her boyfriend, Lewis Burton. On being asked to take the job, Laura admitted it was challenging and a rollercoaster. READ MORE: Laura Whitmore calls out invasive paparazzo following Caroline Flack's death The broadcaster, who aspires to make her name as an actress and screenwriter, said that while she enjoys Love Island, saying yes wasnt a simple decision I'm a fan of that show, but I'd worked in television and I had the radio show and I really tried to do something different, which is with the acting and going back and studying and writing my first screenplay. Laura Whitmore and Caroline Flack met ten years ago at V Festival I kind of felt there was a little bit of momentum starting and there were a few exciting auditions. Then suddenly this came up. I'm like, Oh, am I going to go back to doing a show that's so in the papers all the time? One thing she was sure about was that she wouldnt take the job without talking to Caroline first and thankfully she got her friends blessing. READ MORE: Eamonn Holmes questions future of 'Love Island' after death of Caroline Flack It happened so quick. I had to make a decision within a day, she said. At the time I wanted to message her [Caroline] and they said, Just wait until we know if it's going to happen because obviously there's contracts to do. I said, Im just not agreeing on anything until I've said it to Caroline. She actually texted me first saying, I really hope you get to do it, but it's still a shit situation. To get a job is so great, but in those circumstances A little bit of positivity Laura, who was criticised by some on Twitter for attending the Brit awards so soon after Carolines death, also spoke to Kate about how dancing has been a therapy for her in the past. There's so much pleasure in just dancing, she said. Even after everything that's happened in the last few weeks Sometimes you just want to go out, have a glass of wine and have a dance. Its so therapeutic. Laura Whitmore appears on the latest episode of White Wine Question Time, hosted by Kate Thornton Its a love she and Caroline shared. During Lauras emotional tribute to her friend on her BBC 5 Live show, she referenced Carolines love of dancing ending her speech by playing Angels by Robbie Williams, a song Caroline had danced to on Strictly Come Dancing. Caroline loved dancing and Angels by Robbie Williams always reminds me of her because she danced so beautifully to it on Strictly. Caroline loved music, she loved to dance. We shared many a dance floor, gigs, festivals. Ultimately, Laura is hopeful that something good will come out of Carolines death and that people will think before they type. Maybe I'm being naive I feel change is happening, she told Kate. I just feel in all this tragedy that some little bit of positivity might happen. READ MORE: Laura Whitmore shares wise ways to deal with social media negativity We all are to blame in some way [for] things that we say and things that we do. It's more about all of us individually looking at ourselves. She continued: I think we need to humanise people. When we read about people in the press, we forget that they're human. You can contact the Samaritans for free from any telephone on 116 123 if you need to talk. You can call even if you dont have credit on your mobile, and the number wont show up on phone bills. Or you can email jo@samaritans.org or go to www.samaritans.org to find details of your nearest branch, where you can talk to one of our trained volunteers face to face. Hear Laura Whitmore talk about her emotional tribute to Caroline, why shes scared to go out in London and just what its like to work with her boyfriend. Listen now on iTunes and Spotify. Five people died and 35 were injured as a bus coming from Uttarakhand fell into a gorge in Himachal Pradesh's Chamba district on Tuesday morning, police said. The accident occurred at Chehli village in Chamba Sadar area around 6.45 am. The Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus was on its way to Chamba from Dehradun, the police said. The injured have been sent to the Chamba medical college for treatment after rescuing them with the help of the fire brigade personnel and locals, according to the police. The deceased have been identified as Yogesh Kumar (47), Pooja Kumar (28), Rajiv Kumar (37), Mani Ram (33) and Dawat Ali (30), the police added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Strong legal team of the Dethroned Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, led by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria AB Muhmud has given the Ni... A Strong legal team of the Dethroned Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, led by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria AB Muhmud has given the Nigeria Police, the entire security agents and the Nigeria Attorney General of the Federation, an ultimatum to immediately release the Emir and allow him reunite with his family. AB Muhmud (SAN) who spoke to newsmen in Kano, Tuesday, said they have since received instructions from the Emir through his Chief of Staff to challenge the legality of the Emirs detention and banishment. We are of the firm view that this action is illegal and unconstitutional. Section 35 of our constitution guarantees every citizen the right to personal liberty, and the basis for the denial of personal liberty are set out clearly in this section of the constitution and none applies to the case of the Emir Sanusi, he added. Barrister AB Muhmud SAN reminded that the archaic practice of banishment of deposed Emirs , a colonial practice has no basis under Nigerian law or the constitution. We are totally perplexed at the resort to this practice in the present day Nigeria by its political leaders, this is because the illegality of this practice was pronounced by the Nigeria Court of Appeal in Attorney General Kebbi State Vs HRH Alhaji All Mustapha Jakolo and others 2013 LPELR 22349/CA where the Court pronounced it as illegal and unconstitutional and gross violation of the right of the Emir. Therefore, we call on the authorities and in particular, Inspector General of Police, Director General DSS and Attorney General to ensure immediate release of HH Muhammadu Sanusi II so that he can be reunited with his families. We are concerned about his personal safety and security. All well meaning Nigerians and International Community should bring their influence to bear in this case to ensure he is released. The legal team of HH Muhammadu Sanusi II are working both in Kano and Abuja and unless he is released immediately, we will take appropriate legal action, they warned. By Express News Service MANGALURU: A passenger who arrived at Mangalore International Airport on Sunday from Dubai and shifted to an isolation ward as he had symptoms of fever while screening, went missing from the hospital. But he was traced later to Bantwal. Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B Roopesh after holding a high-level meeting with health officials and airport officials said that the samples of the passenger have been collected and sent for examination. He is now at an isolation ward of a hospital and he is responding to the treatment. We are awaiting the test results, she said. Deepa Prabhu, taluk health officer, said that he was traced at his relative's house at Vittla and was shifted to a hospital in Bantwal. The report on the samples would be received in two days, she said. She said that the patient did not have any symptoms of fever and is normal. He will be kept under observation for 48 hours. He was found at his wifes residence in Vittla. We convinced him to undergo tests. Since he refused treatment at Wenlock hospital, we shifted him to the Isolation ward of Bantwal taluk hospital, she said. Earlier the district health department had shifted the man to an isolation ward at the district Wenlock hospital. District health officer (DHO) Sikander Pasha on Sunday had said that the passenger would be kept under observation for 24 hours and samples would be collected and only if he tests negative for the virus, he would be discharged. However, the patient refused to co-operate with the hospital authorities and left the hospital on Monday morning. Soon after the patient went missing from the hospital, the health officials informed Mangaluru South police. Pandeshwar police said that the health department informed them about the patient and no written complaint was lodged at the station. The DC issued a statement on Monday that no positive cases of coronavirus were reported in Mangaluru and Dakshina Kannada district. There is no need to panic. A passenger from Dubai had symptoms of fever and we shifted him to district hospital. But he did not co-operate for the treatment and we will convince him to undergo proper check-up as a precautionary measure. DHO Pasha said that additional doctors will be appointed for screening at Mangaluru airport. Two additional ambulances have been arranged at the airport to shift suspected passengers. No shortage of masks, medicines: Minister Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda denied that there is a shortage of masks and medicines to deal with novel coronavirus. "We held a meeting with pharmaceutical firms to take stock of the situation. We have sufficient stock for over three months," he said. "There is no shortage at all. There may be instances of black-marketing and we are taking action against such people," the minister said. Gowda said he will hold a meeting with officials of the departments concerned to take stock of the situation. However, there were reports from several parts of the state, including Bengaluru, about a severe shortage of masks and hand sanitisers and overcharging. After painstakingly creating the spiritual artwork over several days and more than 30 hours, the mandala is dismantled in a closing ceremony. About half the grains of sand are distributed among the onlookers and the other half is placed in a body of water that will lead to the ocean so it can spread throughout the world and bring healing to Earth. Payments on mortgages are to be suspended in Italy due to the coronavirus outbreak, the countrys government has announced. More than 9,000 people have been infected by Covid-19 in Italy, where the total number of reported deaths jumped to 463 on Monday an increase of over 25 per cent compared to the day before. When asked about the possibility of halting mortgage payments on Radio Anchio, Laura Castelli, the deputy economy minister, said: Yes, that will be the case, for individuals and households. The entire country was placed on lockdown on Tuesday morning, with all public gatherings cancelled, and universities and schools closed until next month. Giuseppe Conte, the prime minister, said that everyone in Italy would be confined to the area where they live unless they are able to demonstrate a need to work, health conditions, or other limited reasons in order to travel elsewhere. The lockdown already in place for northern parts of the country, encompassing about 16 million people, has now been extended to the whole nation. The restrictions are set to last until 3 April and those who break the rules risk up to three months in jail or fines of 206 (180). Bars, restaurants and cafes across Italy are also to close at dusk as the government works to limit the spread of Covid-19. Chaos broke out at prisons nationwide on Monday as inmates protested anti-coronavirus measures, which included restrictions on normal family visits. Multiple prisoners died of what could be drug-related causes after people raided the pharmacy in Modena jail during the riot, officials said. Italy has been the worst-hit country in Europe by coronavirus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan. British Airways said on Tuesday that it had stopped all flights to the country after the lockdown measures were announced. As of Tuesday, 52 per cent of deaths linked to Covid-19 outside China have happened in the southern European country. More than 114,000 people have been infected with coronavirus a flu-like disease that can develop into pneumonia across the globe, with about 4,000 reported deaths. Additional reporting by agencies A statement issued by HealthCare NZ says this afternoons announcement follows a period of engagement with staff, and careful consideration of feedback to the proposal document since it was released on January 29. Public Service Association members in Tauranga took a stand against the proposal on February 17, protesting outside the HealthCare NZ office in Mount Maunganui. The changes we have made to our original proposal have been informed by the views of our many staff, nurses and allied health professionals who deliver the care and support to New Zealanders in their homes and communities. This has been a very important part of the process in shaping the final decision. Staff details regarding staff numbers and costs related to this announcement are confidential to HealthCare NZ. This simplified structure supports greater flexibility and efficiencies, which are essential if we are to remain truly sustainable and deliver clinically-led services to enable independent living, to partner to community well-being and continue to be leaders in community support. The statement says by centralising some of their non-client facing functions through a national service centre split between Auckland and Dunedin, they can remove complexity and duplication across our business and services as well. The current funding circumstances facing our business are a serious concern to our board. For years contractual funding from funding agencies has seen very limited increases; many contracts are now very tight. No branches of HealthCare NZ will close, and they say the changes do not reflect a reduction to frontline clinical staff and support workers. Like all companies, HealthCare NZ must consider its levels of funding and budget requirements. It is important we optimise our funding effectively, to enable us to invest in our services and people to enable us to continue delivering high-quality health and wellbeing services for the people we support now and into the future. They reiterate they will continue to work with staff and unions as they transition into the new structure. PSA assistant secretary Melissa Woolley says they are absolutely disappointed that HCNZ has decided to go ahead with this model. We are opposed to the call centre model of providing care and support to people in the community. She says HealthCare NZ has not given staff members a finite end date for when they will be made redundant. Workers are peeved off they dont have a finite date for when they are being made redundant. They want some certainty so they can start planning the next steps in their careers. We have asked the company to do that, and we havent had a response yet. Roughly 100 jobs will be cut across New Zealand, she says. Held every 10 years, a census of the country's population will begin in little more than a month from now. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, homes across the country including Farmington and the rest of the Parkland will begin receiving invitations to complete the 2020 Census by mid-March. Residents can respond for their home in one of three ways: online, by phone or by mail. The official observance of Census Day is April 1. Throughout the month of April, census takers will begin visiting college students who live on campus, people living in senior centers and others who live among a large group of people. Between May and July, census takers will begin visiting homes that havent responded to the 2020 U.S. Census to help make sure everyone is counted. According to Farmington Mayor Larry Forsythe, it is a very important time for the Farmington area. He explained that completing the census is required by the U.S. Constitution and that it is "our duty as Americans." The data collected is crucial for the next 10 years and beyond for the Farmington area. The census provides information that is important for our community, Forsythe said. Every year, billions of dollars of federal funding are divvied out to fund hospitals, fire departments, schools, roads and other things, based on our population. It also determines the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives. The U.S. Census Bureau will deliver apportionment counts to the president and Congress in December and redistricting counts to states by March 31, 2021. This will be used to redraw legislative districts based on population changes. Forsythe said that census results have an impact on the economic future of the area as well. Business owners rely on census results to make important decisions, he said. They look at these numbers when deciding where to open new stores, restaurants, factories or offices. And existing businesses use it to determine if they need to expand their operations or which new products and services to offer. Forsythe added that local educators depend on accurate census data. These results help determine how money is allocated for the Head Start program and for grants and that support our teachers and special education, he said. The mayor is challenging Farmington citizens, as well as citizens of other cities and counties in the Parkland, to increase participation rates. Forsythe noted that he hopes that new technology will help. In 2010 Farmington had about a 78% participation rate," he said. "We want to beat that this time around. I think that this go around, being able to submit your information online, with your smartphone or iPad will help a lot. "But you still can use your phone to call in the information or you can still mail the information in. Forsythe added that the Farmington Public Library has public access computers that are available to submit information to the U.S. Census Bureau if residents want to respond online but dont have access where they live. For more information, visit www.2020census.gov. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 NEW YORK New Yorks governor announced Tuesday he is sending the National Guard into a New York City suburb to help fight the nations biggest known cluster of coronavirus cases, as the battle against the U.S. outbreak intensified. The move one of the most dramatic steps taken yet to deal with the crisis in the United States came as health authorities contended with alarming bunches of infections on both coasts and scattered cases in between. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said three schools and other gathering places will be shut down for two weeks n a containment zone in New Rochelle, the epicenter of an outbreak of more than 100 cases. Officials said the troops will help clean public spaces and deliver food to people quarantined at home in the zone, which extends a mile in all directions from a synagogue connected to some of the cases. Officials would not say how many National Guard members would be involved, and there was no immediate sign of any troops on the streets. Apart from those who are under quarantine, residents and visitors to the community of 79,000 will be able to come and go freely, with no checkpoints set up, and businesses can remain open, officials said. It is a dramatic action, but it is the largest cluster of cases in the country, Cuomo said. The numbers are going up unabated, and we do need a special public health strategy. New Rochelle and surrounding Westchester County account for the majority of the states 173 coronavirus cases. New York City, with 100 times the population of New Rochelle, has 36 known infections. Warning that the coronavirus poses an extreme risk to the nations elderly and infirm, nursing home industry leaders Tuesday said they are recommending unprecedented action to curtail most social visits in the thousands of nursing homes and assisted living centers in the United States. The recommendation comes with the support of the federal government after at least 19 deaths have been connected to a Seattle-area nursing home. As a result, Gov. Jay Inslee announced new nursing-home rules for screening health care workers and limiting visitors. And in Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said state-run nursing homes will severely restrict visitors, with private operators strongly urged to follow suit. Six cases have been diagnosed in the state. The virus has infected more than 800 people in the U.S. and killed at least 30, with one state after another recording its first infections in quick succession. New Jersey reported ts first coronavirus death Tuesday. Marina Villeneuve and Olga R. Rodriguez are Associated Press writers. Allentown, PA (18103) Today Mostly sunny and bitterly cold. It will feel like it's in the single digits and low teens.. Tonight Partly cloudy and extremely cold. Wind chills around or below 0 degrees. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Athens, Greece Tue, March 10, 2020 14:16 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206993e18 2 World Cyprus,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,outbreak,COVID-19,health Free Cyprus' largest medical facility suspended most services on Tuesday, authorities said, after a medical doctor heading the heart surgical ward tested positive for coronavirus. The 64-year-old doctor was one of two individuals first to test positive on the Mediterranean island. He had recently returned from Britain and had contact with patients. Effective Tuesday, all admissions, outpatient clinics, surgeries and visitations at Nicosia general hospital were suspended for 48 hours, when the situation would be reviewed, the health ministry announced early on Tuesday. The operation of the cardio surgery ward had also been suspended and patients would be gradually discharged, depending on their general health condition, the ministry said. Heavily armed group of robbers reportedly stole $14 million and 1 million euros from an armoured security truck at Santiago International Airport in Chile in what is being called one of the country's biggest heists, police confirmed. The gang arrived at the airports cargo area in between 7 to 10 in number aboard two vehicles, taking advantage of the ongoing civil unrest, police colonel Oscar Figueroa said in a media report. According to the reports, the shipment of cash in Brinks security van was flown in the country in the same place where a $10 million heist was carried out almost six years ago. Oscar Figueroa, head officer of Chiles investigative police, said that the thieves entered the terminals warehouse in a vehicle that bore the logo of a well-known courier company. The security of this entrance point was violated, said Figueroa. Two guards at the terminal suffered injuries, he added. Chiles investigative police, Jorge Sanchez reportedly said that the gang is suspected to have inside information about the shipment. They were armed with shotguns and one with a rifle. There were vehicle ambushes provided to the van at several spots near the airport where police were deployed since October last year against the anti-government protesters, he said. Read: UK Police Shoot Man Brandishing Knives Near Parliament In Central London Read: Police And Protesters Clash At Women's Day March Mild security at Santiago airport As police and security forces swarm in heavy deployment across the site of the protests, some areas like the Santiago airport are provided with mild security, as per the reports. Ignacio Diaz, an employee with shuttle service, reportedly said, that the attacks on vehicles heading to the airport were escalating since the civil unrest. The officers are accused of serious human rights abuses such as torture, sexual violence, and execution against citizens, the criminals are taking advantage of the situation. He added saying that the roads were extremely exposed right now. The Santiago airport security chief was fired, and the police patrol is in search of the suspects, confirmed reports. The officials at airport told the media reports that the security protocols would be revised after the biggest robberies in Chilean history. Karla Rubilar, a government spokesperson and former Santiago mayor, said in a media statement that there was enough evidence for the investigation. Read: Turkish Police Fire Tear Gas As Crowd Gathered To Celebrate Women's Day Read: Police And Protesters Clash In Mexico City During Women's Day Navalny, Sobol to pay $1.4 million to school food supplier upheld - court RAPSI 13:21 10/03/2020 MOSCOW, March 10 (RAPSI) Appeals filed by Alexey Navalny and his associate Lyubov Sobol against a ruling ordering them to pay 88 million rubles ($1.4 million) in favor a company supplying food to school have been dismissed, according to the records of the Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals. In late 2019, the Moscow Commercial Court issued its ruling in favor of Moskovsky Shkolnik. Navalny was also ordered to retract and remove certain incorrect information from his YouTube channel. Moskovsky Shkolnik, a company catering Moscow schools and residential care facilities, claimed it had lost a customer after the information was published. On November 1, Moscows Zamoskvoretsky District Court, upheld a decision of the Justice Ministry to add the nonprofit organization created by Navalny to the list of NGOs acting as foreign agents. Russias Justice Ministry published its respective decision based on the Federal Law on NGOs in early October. The fact of the organizations conforming to the foreign agent criteria had been established during the monitoring of its activity conducted by the Justice Ministrys Moscow Main Directorate, the Ministrys official website informed at that time. The decision to give Navalnys foundation the status of a foreign agent was made based on evidence of its funding from abroad, the acting director of the Justice Ministrys NGO affairs department Vladimir Titov told journalists. PG&E Corp. says it has resolved a major dispute with federal and state emergency agencies that have sought billions of dollars from the company as part of its bankruptcy case. A bankruptcy attorney for PG&E said Tuesday that the company is settling with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the California Governors Office of Emergency Services over the agencies response to recent wildfires started by the companys power lines. If the deals are approved in court, FEMAs nearly $4 billion claim would be reduced to $1 billion, according to Eric Goodman, an attorney for a committee of fire victims involved in the bankruptcy case. The FEMA deal also requires final approval from the U.S. Department of Justice. Fire victims would have to be paid in full before FEMA receives anything, Goodman told reporters. That means FEMA could get nothing, and if it is paid, none of the money would detract from funds intended to pay people who lost homes and loved ones in fires caused by PG&E. Also, the state emergency services office would completely withdraw its multibillion-dollar claim, Goodman said. PG&E attorney Stephen Karotkin announced the deals at a court hearing in San Francisco. Karotkin told U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali that lawyers would file motions to approve settlement agreements with the government agencies in the coming days. Well, thats good news, said Montali, who considered the claims from FEMA and the state emergency office at a hearing last month. The settlements would put to rest one of the most controversial remaining disputes in PG&Es bankruptcy case. The company had warned that if the governments prevailed, any money paid to them would come from a $13.5 billion trust intended to pay individual victims, reducing the funds available to help people rebuild their lives. FEMA wanted PG&E to pay it nearly $4 billion because of the 2015 Butte Fire, the 2017 Wine Country wildfires and the 2018 Camp Fire. If FEMA didnt get the money through PG&Es bankruptcy, the agency had said it may have to ask fire victims for a small portion of the bill so they are not compensated for the same services twice. FEMAs request was highly controversial among victims of PG&E-caused disasters and prompted blowback from federal lawmakers, including those who represent fire-scarred areas in California The state emergency office also sought payment from PG&E but almost all of its request was really for services funded by FEMA. Any money PG&E paid the state for the overlapping costs would have been returned to FEMA, attorneys for the state said previously. A FEMA spokesperson said in an email that the agency was trying to ensure the needs of disaster survivors are placed first and hold PG&E accountable for the expenditure of federal disaster assistance while following the law. FEMA feels the deal it struck with PG&E and the fire victims committee will accomplish that goal. Federal and state attorneys confirmed to Montali that the agencies they represent have agreed to settle their claims. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes PG&E still has several important bankruptcy matters to resolve. Tens of thousands of fire victims and other creditors must vote on the companys plan to exit bankruptcy protection. And some fire victims have publicly criticized the terms of the $13.5 billion settlement. FEMAs claim was among the critics concerns, but they have also voiced other objections, such as the fact that the victims trust would be funded partially with stock. Attorneys for PG&E, fire victims and other groups were in U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Tuesday discussing the voters pamphlet fire victims will receive to consider the exit plan. Montali, the bankruptcy judge, pressed attorneys to make the pamphlet shorter and easier for victims to comprehend the vote they are being asked to cast. He has not yet approved the document. PG&E must have its plan approved in court and by the California Public Utilities Commission by June 30 in order to qualify for a new fund that will protect the company from future fire costs. At the hearing, Montali also considered arguments from an attorney representing a St. Helena wine grape grower who is trying to pursue a class action lawsuit against PG&E because of its massive fire-prevention power shut-offs last year. The judge did not rule on whether that matter can proceed. J.D. Morris is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris [March 10, 2020] Teleprotection Market Analysis (2020-2025) Featuring Profiles of Major Players - Alstom, Alcatel-Lucent, GE, ABB, Cisco Systems, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Siemens and Telco Systems DUBLIN, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Teleprotection Market - Forecasts from 2020 to 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global teleprotection market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 20.45% over the forecast period to reach a market size of US$37.058 billion by 2025. There is an increase in demand for teleprotected grids. The market is driven by improved communication systems and protocols, demand for reducing transmission, old grid infrastructure, and distribution losses. Aerospace and defense industry holds immense potential. Seamless transmission combined with energy-saving with assistance from advanced communication and network technologies is augmenting the demand for the teleprotection solutions. Government policies favoring the teleported grid in major economies is also contributing to the growing demand for Hardware segment to hold significant market share The teleprotection market is segmented on the basis of offering as hardware and software. Teleprotection software consists of synchrophasors software, network management system software, etc. Data terminal equipment (DTE), Optical interface equipment, Directional electrical interface equipment, Data circuit terminating equipment (DCE), etc. are part of teleprotection hardware. The hardware segment is anticipated to hold a noteworthy share throughout the forecast period. Communication and technology segment is projected to grow substantially Teleprotection market has been segmented by end-user industry into communication and technology, energy and power, oil and gas, aerospace and defense, and others. The communication and technology sector is expected to witness a high demand for the teleprotection solutions. The emerging economies are developing telecom infrastructure, especially in countries, China, Brazil, India, and South Korea among others and are boosting the adoption of the teleprotection, thereby contributing to the market growth. Teleprotection systems offers advantages like increased stability improved communication system, and high efficiency. Advancing technologies and the need for energy-efficient solutions for the communication and technology sector is expected to boost market growth in years ahead. North America region to dominate the global market Regionally the teleproection market is classified into North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The report also analyses 16 countries across these regions with complete analysis and forecast along with prevailing market trends and opportunities which each of these countries presents for the manufacturers. Geographically, North America is expected to hold a significant market share driven by high disposable income of citizens coupled with urbanized society. The Asia Pacific region is expected to grow at the fastest rate owing to the rising adoption of teleprotection systems from the power and telecommunication sector. Moreover, regional governments are focusing on the reduction in CO2 emission and energy conservation, coupled with developing electricity infrastructure, especially in emerging economies is significantly contributing to the market growth. The growing adoption of smart grid and other energy-efficient technologies is also boosting the demand for teleprotection systems over the forecast period. The communication network technology is further segmented into conventional and advanced systems. In the forecast period aerospace and defense sector is experiencing significant demand for the teleprotection systems. The rise in demand levels across various fields in power and telecom and huge demand for uninterrupted power supply from developing countries. The opportunities of the teleprotection market are the launch of diverse new product requirements from the enterprises operating in military, aerospace & defense and information technology sectors and integration with intelligent and advanced communication technologies. There is a demand for teleprotected grids and utilities for employing in a number of industry verticals. With the advancement in communication network technologies; it is now possible to leverage high-end technologies for processing a heap of signals and information to access the risk of failure and blackouts for both consumers and OEMs. Competitive Insights The market is fragmented owing to the presence of various players; key players dominate the market share owing to their capability to invest in continuous R&D. The major players discussed in the reports are Alstom, Alcatel-Lucent, GE, ABB, Cisco Systems, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Siemens, Telco Systems. Innovation in product features through the addition of advanced and latest technologies helps vendors to differentiate in the market while gaining a competitive edge. Key Topics Covered 1. Introduction 1.1. Market Definition 1.2. Market Segmentation 2. Research Methodology 2.1. Research Data 2.2. Assumptions 3. Executive Summary 3.1. Research Highlights 4. Market Dynamics 4.1. Market Drivers 4.2. Market Restraints 4.3. Porters Five Forces Analysis 4.3.1. Bargaining Power of Suppliers 4.3.2. Bargaining Power of Buyers 4.3.3. Threat of New Entrants 4.3.4. Threat of Substitutes 4.3.5. Competitive Rivalry in the Industry 4.4. Industry Value Chain Analysis 5. Teleprotection Market Analysis, by Offering 5.1. Introduction 5.2. Hardware 5.3. Software 6. Teleprotection Market Analysis, by End-User Industry 6.1. Introduction 6.2. Communication and Technology 6.3. Energy and Power 6.4. Oil and Gas 6.5. Aerospace and Defense 6.6. Others 7. Teleprotection Market Analysis, by Geography 7.1. Introduction 7.2. North America 7.3. South America 7.4. Europe 7.5. Middle East & Africa 7.6. Asia-Pacific 8. Competitive Environment and Analysis 8.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis 8.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrativeness 8.3. Mergers, Acquisitions, Agreements, and Collaborations 8.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix 9. Company Profiles 9.1. ABB Ltd. 9.2. Alstom 9.3. Altalink 9.4. General Electric 9.5. Cisco Systems Inc. 9.6. Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories 9.7. Siemens 9.8. Telco Systems For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/wq0qp2 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: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/teleprotection-market-analysis-2020-2025-featuring-profiles-of-major-players---alstom-alcatel-lucent-ge-abb-cisco-systems-schweitzer-engineering-laboratories-siemens-and-telco-systems-301020714.html SOURCE Research and Markets [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Advertisement Passengers aboard the quarantined Grand Princess cruise ship continued to disembark the liner on Tuesday, a day after it docked in Oakland. The evacuation of the 951-foot ship began Monday, with several hundred people let off the ship. About 2,000 passengers, including hundreds of Californians, were still aboard Tuesday morning. 'I'm bored and frustrated,' said Carolyn Wright, 63, of Santa Fe, New Mexico. 'All of a sudden a two-week vacation has turned into a five-week vacation'. The Grand Princess had been held off the coast since Wednesday after at least 21 people tested positive for coronavirus aboard the ship. Thousands of increasingly bored and restless passengers are waiting their chance to leave and go to U.S. military bases or back to their home countries for two weeks of quarantine. The ship is carrying people from 54 countries including over 200 from Canada and 140 from the UK, all of whom will be repatriated. U.S. passengers will be flown or bused from the port chosen for its proximity to an airport and a military base to bases in California, Texas and Georgia for testing and a 14-day quarantine. Passenger Donna LaGesse told USA Today on Tuesday: 'We haven't received any information. We understand that we are going one of two places probably but we have not received anything in writing or anything like that to say where we're going or if we're even leaving today.' Health officials check look over people who disembarked from the Grand Princess cruise ship. The ship is carrying people from 54 countries including over 200 from Canada and 140 from the UK, all of whom will be repatriated. U.S. passengers will be flown or bused from the port chosen for its proximity to an airport and a military base to bases in California, Texas and Georgia for testing and a 14-day quarantine Passengers aboard the quarantined Grand Princess cruise ship continued to disembark the liner Tuesday The evacuation of the 951-foot ship began Monday with several hundred people let off the ship. About 2,000 passengers, including hundreds of Californians, were still aboard Tuesday morning The Grand Princess had been held off the coast since Wednesday after 21 people tested positive for coronavirus aboard the ship. Buses with passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship leave the Port of Oakland with a police escort Tuesday Passengers look out from balconies on the Grand Princess, a cruise ship carrying multiple people who have tested positive for COVID-19, while docked at the Port of Oakland on Tuesday Beryl Ward, 77, of Santa Fe, added: 'We're trying to stay calm and we're trying to stay positive but it's getting harder and harder. They can't make up their minds how to keep us safe.' Passenger Carolyn Wright said of the evacuation process: 'They were queuing up the passengers like cattle. Everybody was bunched up. They were physically touching each other and they were backed up along the gangplank.' Wright said she is 'totally freaked out' by the idea of getting on the chartered buses, adding: 'It's outrageous. If that's safe, then why were we stuck in our rooms? It's been stressed for the past five days that we're not to have any contact with any other passengers?' Passengers disembark from the Princess Cruises Grand Princess cruise as it sits docked in the Port of Oakland on Tuesday Tents were erected and medics in hazmat suits greeted guests of the cruise liner on Tuesday Passengers are slowly disembarking from the Princess Cruises Grand Princess a day after it docked at the Port of Oakland One Florida couple who were passengers on the Grand Princess have already sued the ship's owner for more than $1million for putting the couple's health at risk, according to a lawsuit filed on Monday. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF CORONAVIRUS? Like other coronaviruses, including those that cause the common cold and that triggered SARS, COVID-19 is a respiratory illness. The most common symptoms are: Fever Dry cough Shortness of breath Difficulty breathing Fatigue Although having a runny nose doesn't rule out coronavirus, it doesn't thus far appear to be a primary symptom. Most people only become mildly ill, but the infection can turn serious and even deadly, especially for those who are older or have underlying health conditions. In these cases, patients develop pneumonia, which can cause: Potentially with yellow, green or bloody mucus Fever, sweating and shaking chills Shortness of breath Rapid or shallow breathing Pain when breathing, especially when breathing deeply or coughing Low appetite, energy and fatigue Nausea and vomiting (more common in children) Confusion (more common in elderly people) Some patients have also reported diarrhea and kidney failure has occasionally been a complication. Avoid people with these symptoms. If you develop them, call your health care provider before going to the hospital or doctor, so they and you can prepare to minimize possible exposure if they suspect you have coronavirus. Advertisement Ronald and Eva Weissberger of Broward County, Florida sued Princess Cruise Lines Ltd, a unit of Carnival Corp, alleging the company has caused them emotional distress and trauma as they fear they will develop the COVID-19 disease. The Grand Princess pulled into the Port of Oakland with more than 3,500 people aboard on Monday. Passengers lining the balconies waved and some left the cabins where they had been in isolation to go on deck. As the ship sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge to enter the harbor, passenger Karen Schwartz Dever said 'everyone was hollering and clapping.' Twenty-three people who needed acute medical care had been taken off the ship by late Monday afternoon, but it was not clear how many of them had tested positive for the virus, said Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the California Office of Emergency Services. Live TV footage showed at least one passenger, an older man wearing a face mask, climbing onto a stretcher and being lifted into the back of an ambulance. Officials have said the unloading will take up to three days. 'Our intent is to basically disembark about half the passengers today. Everyone will be screened initially today,' said Robert Kadlec, assistant secretary of Health and Human Services Services. Many of the nearly 240 Canadians on board left the ship after the critically ill and stood outside two tents displaying Canadian flags. Canada and the UK were among the countries sending chartered flights to retrieve their citizens. U.S. passengers will be flown or bused from the port chosen for its proximity to an airport and a military base to bases in California, Texas and Georgia for testing and a 14-day quarantine. The ship is carrying people from 54 countries, and foreigners will be whisked home. About 1,100 crew members, 19 of whom have tested positive for COVID-19, will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship, which will dock elsewhere after passengers are unloaded, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered. Medical personnel help disembark passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship on Tuesday Thousands of increasingly bored and restless passengers are waiting their chance to leave and go to U.S. military bases or back to their home countries for two weeks of quarantine. The ship is carrying people from 54 countries including over 200 from Canada and 140 from the UK, all of whom will be repatriated. Ambulances stage on the dock next to the Grand Princess cruise on Tuesday; one couple who were passengers have already sued the ship's owner for more than $1million for putting the couple's health at risk, according to a lawsuit filed Monday Grand Princess timeline: Virus hit cruise FINALLY docks February 11: Grand Princess leaves San Francisco February 21: Returns to San Francisco after Mexican Riveria trip; departs for second trip to Hawaii. 50 to 60 of the same passengers remain on board February 27: Former passenger hospitalized March 3: He tests positive for coronavirus, along with a friend March 4: Hospitalized former passenger dies; passengers on board the Hawaiian Islands cruise told if they were also on the previous cruise, they must stay in their rooms until screening March 5: Test kits delivered March 6: 19 crew members and two passengers test positive March 9: Grand Princess docks in Oakland Advertisement In an effort to stop the virus from spreading, Italy will impose travel restrictions and other strict public health measures nationwide starting Tuesday. And a combination of coronavirus fears and plunging oil prices sent stocks on Wall Street plummeting Monday. The virus has infected more than 800 people in the United States, and at least 28 have died, most in Washington state. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said communities will need to start thinking about canceling large gatherings, closing schools and letting more employees work from home, as many companies have done after an outbreak in the Seattle area. In Silicon Valley, NASA's Ames Research Center is essentially closed with restricted access because an employee tested positive Sunday for the coronavirus. Workers will be on 'mandatory telework status' and three earth science airplane missions are being delayed to later this year, the county said. Several universities have begun online-only courses, including the University of Washington, Stanford University and Columbia University. The largest school district in Northern California, with 64,000 students, canceled classes for a week when it was discovered a family in the district was exposed to COVID-19. Georgia's fourth-largest school district, which has more than 93,000 students, closed its schools for at least one day after a teacher at two middle schools was confirmed to have the coronavirus. The Grand Princess had been held off the coast since Wednesday because of evidence that it was the breeding ground for more than 20 infections tied to a previous voyage. Passengers from the previous voyage have tested positive in California and other states. Six Canadians who were on the Grand Princess from February 11 to 21 were also confirmed to have the virus. The California governor and Oakland mayor sought to reassure people that none of the cruise ship passengers would be exposed to the public before completing the quarantine. Officials were trying to decide where the ship and its crew would go next. The State Department warned against travel on cruise ships because of 'increased risk of infection of COVID-19 in a cruise ship environment.' Another Princess ship, the Diamond Princess, was quarantined for two weeks in Yokohama, Japan, last month because of the virus. Ultimately, about 700 of the 3,700 people aboard became infected in what experts pronounced a public health failure, with the vessel essentially becoming a floating germ factory. National Guard is deployed to New Rochelle where a one-mile radius 'containment area' will shut schools, shops and temples New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday that a one-mile containment area will be set up in New Rochelle in Westchester County where the main cluster of coronavirus have been reported Schools, houses of worship and large gathering places in the New York suburb that has the 'largest cluster' of coronavirus cases in the country will be shut down as the National Guard is being brought in to help stop the spread of the disease. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday that a one-mile containment area will be set up in New Rochelle in Westchester County where the main cluster of coronavirus have been reported. The area is the epicenter of of the state's coronavirus outbreak and accounts for more than 100 of New York's 173 confirmed cases. The radius centers around the Temple Young Israel of New Rochelle synagogue that was attended by the Manhattan attorney who has been linked to the outbreak in the area. The shutdown, which will begin on Thursday and last for two weeks, will effect all 'major gathering places' including schools and places of worship, Cuomo said. 'It is a dramatic action, but it is the largest cluster in the country. And this is literally a matter of life and death,' Cuomo said. The announcement about the containment area came as New Jersey reported its first coronavirus death. It is the first fatality in the tri-state area. A state prison inmate has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge in the beating death of his cellmate last year. Anthony Cole is accused of killing Keyon Wade on Dec. 4 at South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton. A corrections officer found Wade, 25, of North Brunswick, unresponsive in his cell and inmates reported hearing a scuffle in the cell minutes earlier, according to prosecutors. Wade died of head trauma, suffered a broken neck and had injuries to his face, according to prosecutors, while Cole had injuries to his left shoulder and lips. No motive for the killing has been revealed. A review of security cameras confirmed only the two inmates were in the cell and that no one else entered. Cole, 34, of South Plainfield, is serving time for attempted murder in a 2009 case. He was sentenced to nearly 27 years in prison for slashing a South Plainfield public works employees throat. The victim survived that attack. During a detention hearing in December, Cole appeared confused about the proceedings and his public defender stated that Cole denied he killed Wade. Cole has since been moved to New Jersey State Prison as he awaits prosecution in the killing. Hes due back in court Friday for a post-indictment arraignment. Speaking after the detention hearing in December, Wades mother said her son had expressed concerns about sharing a cell with Cole. He said, Mom, I dont feel comfortable with this guy. I dont know who he is. Hes spooking me out, according to Rashanda Wade. They had shared a cell for about two months, she said, but her sons requests to be moved were ignored by prison officials. State Department of Corrections officials declined to comment on whether Wade had requested a move. Keyon Wade 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. Svitlana Fomenko, the Acting Culture Minister of Ukraine Ukrinform First Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine Svitlana Fomenko became the acting minister as Ukrinform reported. Fomenko became the first deputy minister in April 2016. Earlier, she worked as the director of Directorate General of the city council on service of foreign representatives, head of the department of the international cooperation and Euro-integration at Kyiv State City Administration. Moreover, she was deputy culture minister and assistant councilor of the lawmaker. As we reported first Deputy Minister of Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine Pavlo Kukhta became the acting minister. Earlier, Yuriy Polyukhovych was temporarily entrusted with the duties of the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine. Earlier, the Verkhovna Rada has accepted the resignation of Oleksiy Honcharuk from the post of Prime Minister and his government. 353 MPs voted "for" the corresponding draft resolution No. 3158. Later, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine appointed Denys Shmyhal as the Prime Minister of Ukraine. Also, newly-appointed Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmygal and members of his government have taken the oath. The PM read out the text of the oath at the Verkhovna Rada after the support of the new composition of the Cabinet of Ministers by the majority of votes. An ultimatum for the FIA demanding answers to the Ferrari engine legality scandal is about to expire, Dr Helmut Marko has revealed. The seven teams not affiliated with Ferrari reacted with fury and threats of legal action when F1's governing body announced it had reached a secret settlement with the Italian team over its controversial 2019 power unit. Marko, the top F1 official at Red Bull, says the FIA's response to the teams' anger has been unacceptable. "So far there has been one letter from the FIA World Council that is just unsatisfactory," Marko, a doctor of law, told Speed Week. "In our letter, the FIA was asked to respond accordingly and we gave a certain deadline. Then we can move on with the story. "But as a team we cannot accept that after an irregularity is detected, this is what happens. Our deadline expires tomorrow," he added. Indeed, with the teams having revealed the risk of legal action in a joint media statement, Marko says the teams then wrote to the FIA. "First of all, we want to know in detail what was found at Ferrari, because it has been clearly expressed that irregularities were found," he said. "Only when we have this information can we advise the next steps. The seven teams are of the opinion that in the spirit of the sport, the FIA is obliged to announce the content of the agreement with Ferrari. "So far we have not received an answer. Tomorrow is the deadline," he said on Monday. Marko clarified that the teams are more upset by the FIA's response to the saga rather than Ferrari's alleged breach of the regulations. "Our allegations are not directed at another team, but at the technical control of Formula 1 and how irregularities are dealt with by the FIA," he said. "May I remind you that McLaren was disqualified in 2007 after the espionage case and had to pay a 100 million fine." Former F1 driver Robert Doornbos also commented on the scandal. "If I was a team boss, I would have sent a letter to the FIA saying 'You know what, if you can't figure it out, give us the engine and I'll let our engineers take a look," he told Ziggo Sport. "Because obviously something is not right." (GMM) Google is celebrating the festival of Holi with a hidden doodle. Unlike other celebrations on Google's homepage, you are unlikely to find or see the Holi feature unless you actively look for it. But once you do, you can create an explosion of colours that will brighten up your search results page. The update celebrates the ancient Indian festival of Holi. The festival of colour is traditionally celebrated by throwing coloured paints and powders at one another, creating a vibrant mix of colours. Now Google is allowing people to do the same on their website, and is giving them an easy way to clean up, too. Best pictures from 2020 Holi festival of colours Show all 10 1 /10 Best pictures from 2020 Holi festival of colours Best pictures from 2020 Holi festival of colours Students in Kolkata, India take part in a procession to celebrate Holi, wearing pink, yellow, orange and red ensembles. Photo by Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP Best pictures from 2020 Holi festival of colours Pupils participating in the procession dance in celebration of Holi. AFP via Getty Images Best pictures from 2020 Holi festival of colours A participant holds a tray of different coloured powders. AFP via Getty Images Best pictures from 2020 Holi festival of colours A woman and her child in Kathmandu, Nepal arrive to mark the annual festival AFP via Getty Images Best pictures from 2020 Holi festival of colours Revellers in Kathmandu, Nepal throw coloured powders in the air. AFP via Getty Images Best pictures from 2020 Holi festival of colours A couple taking part in the festivities wear face masks, as a protective measure against the spread of coronavirus. AFP via Getty Images Best pictures from 2020 Holi festival of colours A woman wears a mask as she stands among fellow revellers enjoying Holi festivities in Kathmandu. AFP via Getty Images Best pictures from 2020 Holi festival of colours Children joyfully play with coloured poweders. AFP via Getty Images Best pictures from 2020 Holi festival of colours Students in Kolkata line up for a Holi procession. AFP via Getty Images Best pictures from 2020 Holi festival of colours Pupils dance as part of an outdoor Holi celebration. AFP via Getty Images The mode is activated by first searching for the word "Holi" on Google. You can do that on your phone or on desktop. That will bring up a variety of results, but look for the "Knowledge Card", which aggregates Google's information about the festival. Under that should be bowls of the kind of coloured powder used to celebrate the festival. Clicking those will cause a splat of colour to splash across the screen. Once that's done, you can keep clicking as many times as you'd like, and will cover the screen with more paint as you do. A little water droplet will appear at the top of the screen, and pressing that will clean all of that paint away for you to start again. Holi runs from 9 March to 10 March, though it is unclear whether the Google feature will remain in place after the festival is over. A grasping council in one of London's most exclusive areas will hit unauthorised drivers using a rat run with fines of 130, MailOnline can reveal. In a controversial new scheme, Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council is targeting drivers who use three residential streets as a cut through. Cameras with the latest number plate recognition technology are being placed on the targeted roads to catch motorists out. Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council has installed cameras on three roads (above) to prevent drivers from outside the area from using them as rat runs during rush hour The council recently shut down Harwood Terrace (above) in a six month trial to see how the move would affect traffic in the area. It led to a spike in fines at a nearby yellow box junction Drivers from outside the area using the lanes in fashionable Fulham, south west London, will be fined, prompting fears that other councils might follow suit as a way of cashing in. The fine will be reduced to 65 if it is paid within 28 days. The new hard-hitting measures in Fulham will prevent motorists from using Harwood Terrace, which is a notorious rat run used by commuters during rush hour to avoid a nearby yellow junction. By installing the cameras, campaigner Rob McGibbon says the council has effectively created 'road elitism' in an affluent borough The council has been blasted for closing the road and forcing drivers to use the junction dubbed the 'Moneybox' because thousands of drivers a year get fined for getting stuck in it. Fines from that junction are expected to earn the council a whopping 1.9million over the next year. Closure of Harwood Terrace last October led to a huge rise in the number of drivers being fined for using the junction incorrectly. Before the road was shut 1,330 fines were issued, earning the council 86,450. But in November 2019 a month after the road was shut, 2,452 drivers were caught at the junction, generating fines of 159,380. Critics say that keeping restrictions on Harwood Terrace as well as Imperial Road and Bagleys Lane in this pioneering traffic control scheme council bosses will continue to rake in high revenues in fines. Road campaigner Rob McGibbon blasted the new plan, claiming that it set a dangerous precedent that other councils across the country might follow. He told MailOnline: 'This council is effectively creating road elitism in the heart of an affluent neighbourhood and along a busy commuter route. Surely it will cause further chaos and lead to thousands of confused drivers getting unnecessary tickets. A nice pay day for the council. 'No one locally can see how this 'pioneering' scheme is workable. Can the council possibly create exemption permits for every resident and their visitors, as well as all the delivery drivers and couriers?' The recent road closures led to drivers being forced to use the Bagley's Lane Junction with New King's Road, Fulham, south west London, (above) which caused a huge spike in 65 fines for drivers caught sitting in the yellow painted area He added: 'If this scheme goes ahead, then it will set an incredible precedent that could have a dramatic knock-on effect at other councils. What is to stop others following suit?' Hammersmith & Fulham boasted that it was implementing its controversial camera scheme to give locals priority over outsiders. Data gathered during the closure of Harwood Terrace showed that 92 per cent of traffic fines issued at the junction were from outside of the borough, prompting council officials to implement its new scheme, which it hails as 'pioneering.' Figures collected by the council also show that nine out of ten drivers using roads around this part of Fulham are from outside of the area. The council raked in 86,450 before the closure of Harwood Terrace - but in the month afterwards that figure shot up to 159,380, prompting claims the closure was profit motivated Drivers are only supposed to enter a yellow box junction if the exit road or lane is clear. They can wait inside it if they want to turn right and are stopped from doing so by oncoming traffic or other vehicles queuing to turn right. But motorists argue that the Bagleys Lane/New Kings Road junction's traffic lights allow more motorists to enter the controlled area than can leave it and is constantly catching them out. Cllr Wesley Harcourt, Cabinet Member for the Environment, hit back and defended the move, adding: 'Residents have told us they want to see a general reduction in traffic across SW6. We have a way forward which will put our residents first by stopping commuters from outside of the borough using the south Fulham neighbourhood as a rat run. We're reducing congestion, making our streets safer and improving air quality.' By Tracy Rucinski March 10 (Reuters) - As families from many nations gathered for a memorial in Ethiopia to honor 157 victims of a Boeing 737 MAX plane crash a year ago, one father was thousands of miles away in Canada, protesting regulators who let the jet fly. "There's nothing for me in Ethiopia," said Chris Moore, who lost his 24-year-old daughter Danielle when an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX nosedived and crashed soon after taking off from Addis Ababa on March 10, 2019. "I think I can do more good here than there," Moore told Reuters, saying he wanted to honor his daughter and others on the plane by demanding sweeping changes in how regulators, like Transport Canada and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), certify new jets like Boeing Co's 737 MAX. The Ethiopian disaster, and the crash five months earlier of a Lion Air jet of the same model in Indonesia that killed 189 people, prompted global scrutiny of the design and approval of what had been the U.S. planemaker's fastest-selling jet. In an interim report released on Monday, Ethiopian investigators blamed faulty systems for the crash of the 737 MAX jet, which had passengers from 33 nations aboard. The report did not address whether human factors also played a role and said the analysis had not been completed. The jet was first approved in the United States by the FAA in 2017, and regulators across the globe, including Transport Canada, followed suit under a reciprocal deal in which such approvals by one country are accepted by others. "I have a lot of issues with the way the plane was validated in Canada," Moore said before protesting outside the Canadian regulator's headquarters. His wife joined families from nations including Canada, the United States, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Italy and France for a ceremony at the crash site, which is about a three-hour drive from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. The 737 MAX was grounded worldwide following the second crash and Transport Canada is among a core group of regulators that is evaluating needed changes for the 737 MAX to fly again. The Canadian regulator has indicated that it is prepared to take steps that go beyond the FAA's recommendations. Moore urged individual citizens to voice their demands regarding airplane safety to lawmakers to ensure that the 737 MAX, and other aircraft, are safe to fly. "Let's face it, not everyone is attuned to this issue because not everyone has lost someone," he said, admitting that after the Lion Air crash in Indonesia, "little did I know that would affect me forever." (Reporting by Tracy Rucinski; Editing by Bernadette Baum) Kolkata, March 10 : Former Kolkata Mayor Bikash Bhattacharya, of the CPI-M, would be the joint candidate of the Left and the Congress for the Rajya Sabha election from West Bengal slated to be held on March 26, the CPI-M announced on Tuesday. Communist Party of India-Marxist General Secretary Sitaram Yechury gave the stamp of approval on Bhattacharya's name after a telephonic talk with former Congress President Rahul Gandhi during the day. Bhattacharya, a noted lawyer and former advocate general of Tripura, had lost the Lok Sabha election from Jadavpur constituency last year. Though he finished third from the seat after the winner Mimi Chakraborty of Trinamool Congress, and BJP's Anupam Hazra, Bhattacharya was the only Left candidate in Bengal to save his deposit in the 2019 LS polls. In 2017 also, the CPI-M had nominated Bhattacharya for the upper house of parliament, but his candidature was cancelled by the election authorities for submitting an affidavit that was part of the required documents two minutes past the deadline on the final day of filing of papers. Bhattacharya was earlier the Mayor of Kolkata from 2005-2010 when the Left Front ran the board. On Sunday, the ruling Trinamool fielded its national General Secretary Subrata Bakshi, theatre personality Arpita Ghosh, former Union Minister Dinesh Trivedi and ex-MP Mausam Noor for the coming Rajya Sabha polls. Five RS seats in the state will fall vacant on April 2. Four of the retiring members are from Trinamool - K.D. Singh, Ahmed Hasan Imran, painter Jogen Chowdhury and Manish Gupta. The fifth is an expelled CPI-M member Ritabrata Banerjee. As per the arithmetic in the state assembly, the four Trinamool candidates are likely to sail through. If the Trinamool does not name a fifth candidate, all nominees including Bhattacharya will automatically make the cut for the upper house, without there being any need for an election. In case the Trinamool names a fifth candidate, then also the Congress-Left have the numbers to ensure Bhattacharya's win. Bengals ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Tuesday expelled its youth wing general secretary in Darjeeling district for attending a religious event held by an organisation backed by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). Youth wing general secretary Pranabesh Mondal has been expelled from the party for six years for indulging in anti-party activities, said Ranjan Sarkar, president of TMC Darjeeling district (plains) committee. He was involved in such activities for a long time, said Sarkar. Mondal left Congress and joined the TMC in 2013. On Monday, Mondal, who is also a former president of Phasidewa panchayat samiti, attended a programme organised by Bhagwat Prachar Mandali which is backed by the VHP. The programme was held at Bidhan Nagar in the districts Phasidewa community block area. Mondal also addressed the gathering, which he claimed was attended by more than 10,000 people. If attending a sanatan dharma event is considered anti-party activity, I will keep doing it till I die. All I can say is that I am an Indian first and a Hindu later, Mondal told HT. I have been expelled and I do not care. I believe in sanatan dharma. If attending a Hindu religious event and delivering some speeches on sanatan dharma is considered anti-party activity, I will keep doing it. I am a Hindu and will speak about Hindus. India is a democratic country which accommodates all religions and I respect all of them, said Mondal. I organised Iftar parties at my home for Muslims for 13 years as I have respect for all religions. But I am a Hindu, Mondal added, referring to his tenure in TMC. TMCs top leaders, including chief minister Mamata Banerjee, attend Iftar during the month of Ramadan. District leaders are encouraged to organise Iftars where Muslims break their fast. Anup Mandal, organisational secretary of the VHP in North Bengal said, We are happy that more and more people can see that the TMC is politicising religions. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Pramod Giri I am working with Hindustan Times since 2001 and am posted in Siliguri, West Bengal, as Principal Correspondent. I have been regularly covering vast area of northern parts of West Bengal, Sikkim and parts of Nepal and Bhutan. ...view detail WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) - A U.S. Marine who tested positive for the coronavirus worked for a defense agency whose headquarters are located near the Pentagon and returned to the Washington D.C.-area from a trip to Ethiopia last month, three U.S. officials told Reuters on Monday. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Marine had been working for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which is headquartered in Crystal City, Virginia, just blocks away from the Pentagon. One of the officials said the Marine worked in Crystal City. The Marine's workplace has not been previously reported. DSCA did not immediately reply to a request for comment. (Reporting by Phil Stewart Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) HAMDEN Students of Quinnipiac University will not return to campus for an additional week after spring break and classes will be online in an effort to prevent the possible spread of coronavirus. The university said Tuesday no individuals at, or associated with, Quinnipiac have tested positive for the coronavirus and there are no individuals linked to the university currently under quarantine for the illness. South Africa: Coronavirus: SADC Health Ministers strategise Health Ministers in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have urged Member States to mobilise domestic resources and invest in public health systems to ensure resilience and health security. The Ministers met on Monday to discuss Coronavirus and how the region should respond. To date, seven cases of new Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been confirmed in South Africa after a group of 10 people travelled to Italy and returned to the country on 1 March. The meeting held at Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, was attended by Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The purpose of the meeting was to share existing knowledge and information on the COVID-19 outbreak, which has had devastating global impacts since its outbreak in December 2019, and agree on how to harmonise and coordinate the preparedness and response to COVID-19 in the SADC region. The Member States were urged to put in place National Preparedness and Response Plans, as well as contingency and emergency funds to address gaps in prevention, impact mitigation and other interventions. The Ministers encouraged Member States to promote preventive measures such as handwashing and sanitisation of surfaces in workplaces and domestic settings. At the meeting, China, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Africa Centre for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) were commended for the efforts being made towards addressing COVID-19. The Ministers pledged SADCs continued solidarity towards China and other countries affected by the virus. The meeting also noted that COVID-19 has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by WHO on 30 January 2020, with potential significant impacts. The Member States agreed to establish coherent mechanisms of sharing information on issues of transboundary public health concern. They agreed to re-establish and expand the terms of reference of the Technical Committee for Coordinating and Monitoring the Implementation of the SADC Protocol on Health. The team comprises Directors of Public Health and Directors of Medical Services. The meeting also received a presentation by WHO and the Chinese government on measures being taken at global level. The meeting recommended a temporary suspension of SADC regional face-to-face meetings and encouraged the use of video conferences, webinars and Skype calls for holding such meetings, until such a time when the situation has been contained. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-03-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 12:09:19|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close PHNOM PENH, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said on Tuesday that the kingdom has reserved up to 2 billion U.S. dollars to save the economy in case of any outbreak of COVID-19. "The government has reserved the budget of about 800 million U.S. dollars to save the economy if the coronavirus crisis prolongs for six months," he said in a speech at a university graduation ceremony here. "And if it prolongs for one year, we estimate that we need to reserve between 800 million and 2 billion U.S. dollars," he added. Also, he said the government last week approved 30 million U.S. dollars in emergency funds to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses for six months. The prime minister said the country's economic growth was expected to slow down to around 6 percent this year from its earlier projection of 6.5 percent. Meanwhile, Hun Sen said he was strongly confident that the world will be able to prevent and contain the spread of the virus soon. The police watchdog was last night accused of being unfit for purpose after clearing Britain's top officer of misconduct claims relating to the shambolic VIP child sex abuse inquiry. The Independent Office for Police Conduct said it was 'not necessary' to look into complaints that Dame Cressida Dick misled the public over Scotland Yard's Operation Midland. The inquiry was based on false claims made by 'Nick' real name Carl Beech that he and other boys were raped and tortured in the 1970s and 1980s. The Independent Office for Police Conduct said it was 'not necessary' to look into complaints that Dame Cressida Dick (pictured) misled the public over Scotland Yard's Operation Midland In a previous role at the Met, Dame Cressida was responsible for supervising a senior officer who said in 2014 that Beech's claims were 'credible and true'. Scotland Yard did not correct that for nine months. Beech was jailed for 18 years for offences including perverting the course of justice. Ex-Tory MP Harvey Proctor has received 900,000 in compensation and costs after Beech accused him of being a child murderer. Last night he criticised 'gullible' police who believed the liar, adding the IOPC 'should be replaced with a truly independent mechanism'. The IOPC said there was 'no indication' that Dame Cressida committed a criminal offence. US President Donald Trump gestures after arriving on Capitol Hill as US Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) look on in Washington, DC on March 10, 2020. As oil prices decline and pressure energy companies, President Donald Trump will reportedly likely seek a federal aid package for struggling U.S. producers, The Washington Post reported Tuesday, citing four people familiar with the matter. The aid would likely be in the form of low-interest government loans, The Washington Post said. Monday was the energy sector's worst day on record, as oil prices slid 24% to more than four-year lows. Recent losses are accelerating declines in the oil patch, which has been struggling for years. Every component in the sector is currently trading in a bear market, or more than 20% below recent highs. On Tuesday, Occidental Petroleum slashed its quarterly dividend by 86%, while also cutting its capital spending program, and similar announcements could be coming for the other companies in the industry. Monday's steep slide came after talks between OPEC and its allies deteriorated. On Friday, OPEC ally Russia rejected the additional 1.5 million barrel per day production cut that the 14-member cartel proposed. The current production cuts expire at the end of March, which means that beginning April 1 nations can pump as much oil as they want. After the unsuccessful talks concluded, OPEC's de facto leader Saudi Arabia on Saturday slashed its official oil prices. Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser said on Tuesday that the kingdom plans to supply a record 12.3 million barrels per day in April, well above current production level of 9.7 million bpd. In response, Novak said that Russian oil companies may boost output by up to 300,000 barrels per day, according to a report from Reuters, while noting that the country has the ability to increase production by as much as 500,000 barrels per day. This potential oversupply comes at a time when oil prices were already moving lower after the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent travel slowdown has led to soft demand for crude. President Trump on Monday sought to play down the plunging price of oil as markets tanked, saying that lower gas prices were good for consumers. "Good for the consumer, gasoline prices coming down!" Trump wrote in one of a series of posts on Twitter. He also said, "Saudi Arabia and Russia are arguing over the price and flow of oil. That, and the Fake News, is the reason for the market drop!" As prices sank on Monday, the U.S. Department of Energy released a statement saying the Trump Administration was monitoring the situation. "These attempts by state actors to manipulate and shock oil markets reinforce the importance of the role of the United States as a reliable energy supplier to partners and allies around the world," the statement said. "The United States, as the world's largest producer of oil and gas, can and will withstand this volatility. The growth of the unconventional oil and gas industry in the United States has led to a more secure, resilient and flexible market." The White House declined to comment. To read the full article from The Washington Post click here. Subscribe to CNBC PRO for exclusive insights and analysis, and live business day programming from around the world. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 05:44:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Palestinian cafe owner sits alone in the West Bank city of Nablus, March 10, 2020. The number of confirmed cases infected with the novel coronavirus in the West Bank grew to 25 cases, while the Gaza Strip still free of confirmed cases, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry on Monday. (Photo by Ayman Nobani/Xinhua) CAIRO, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Monday announced the release of 70,000 prisoners in a bid to prevent the spread of COVID-19, while some countries in the Middle East imposed bans on foreign flights or travels as they tightened precautionary measures against the novel coronavirus. The epidemic continued raging in Iran, the hardest-hit country in the region, where a total of 7,161 people were confirmed with COVID-19 infection as of Monday, 237 of whom have died and 2,394 have recovered. Meanwhile, Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education revealed that 20 Iranians died in the past two days from drinking industrial alcohol as a wrong way to prevent the coronavirus infection. They were among the 331 people who were reportedly poisoned by wrong alcohol consumption. On Monday, more confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection were reported in several Middle East countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Palestine, Tunisia, Oman, Palestine, and Kuwait. The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention announced 14 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 59. The new cases included four UAE citizens, three Italians, two Bangladeshis, two Nepalese citizens, one Russian, one Indian and one Syrian. In Cairo, Egyptian Health Ministry announced seven new COVID-19 cases, bringing to 55 the total number of confirmed cases in the country. The new cases included four foreigners and three Egyptians. In Ramallah, the Palestinian Authority reported six new cases of coronavirus infection, bringing the total number of the infected Palestinians to 25. Five of the new cases were confirmed in the West Bank city of Bethlehem and another in the city of Tulkarem. In Tunis, Tunisian Ministry of Health reported three new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to five. The three cases were detected in the provinces of Mahdia, Tunis and Bizerte. In Muscat, the Omani Health Ministry reported two new coronavirus cases, bringing to 18 the total number of infected people in the country. The two cases were both Omani citizens, who returned from Iran recently. Kuwait also reported a new coronavirus case, bringing to 65 the total number of the confirmed cases. The new victim reportedly returned home from Iran recently. In Beirut, the Rafic Hariri University Hospital announced nine more COVID-19 cases in the country, where the total number of confirmed cases increased to 41. To contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, some countries in the region on Monday took new precautionary measures, including suspension of foreign travels and flights. Saudi Arabia imposed a ban on its citizens and residents from traveling to 14 countries and suspended flights to them. It also denied the entry of those coming from these countries, and those who stayed in these countries during the 14 days prior to their arrival. The countries included the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, South Korea, Egypt, Italy, Iraq, Oman, France, Germany, Turkey and Spain. In response, the Middle East Airlines, Lebanon's national carrier, suspended its flights to and from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar. EgyptAir, the flag carrier of Egypt, also decided to suspend flights to all cities in Saudi Arabia, starting from Monday. Syria, which has been free from COVID-19 cases so far, decided to suspend flights to Iran and Iraq as precaution. Egypt also decided on Monday to suspend all large gatherings over coronavirus concerns. Qatar announced the suspension of activities in all schools and universities starting Tuesday amid concerns over the outbreak of the coronavirus. The move came one day after the Qatari Health Ministry banned the entry of travellers from 14 countries as the number of registered COVID-19 cases in the Gulf state rose to 15. In Baghdad, Iraqi Health Minister Jaafar Sadiq Allawi lauded China's help for boosting Iraq's medical capabilities to confront the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Allawi made the comments during a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Iraq Zhang Tao and a team of Chinese experts sent to Iraq by the Red Cross Society of China to help combat the epidemic. "The Iraqi health ministry is seeking to develop the capabilities of prevention, awareness and treatment of coronavirus by cooperation with the Chinese team of experts," Allawi said. In another development, Saudi Arabia on Monday announced a donation of 10 million U.S. dollars to the World Health Organization (WHO) to support the efforts to combat the novel coronavirus. Manama Lieutenant-General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Health, yesterday received Professor John Ashton, Independent public health consultant, during his visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain. Shaikh Mohammed noted that the support offered by HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, for all precautionary measures taken against the Coronavirus (COVID-19), ensures the safety and well-being of citizens and residents. On this note, Shaikh Mohammed added these measures include: the formation of an operations room to monitor all COVID-19 related developments, the allocation of a field hospital and medical care facilities for arrivals from abroad, ensuring the preparedness of medical care workers, strengthening ports of entry and implementing strict quarantine procedures. Later, Shaikh Mohammed and Professor John Ashton exchanged views on Bahrains epidemiological monitoring and preventative measures. For his part, Professor John Ashton commended the government of Bahrain for its prompt action in implementing comprehensive prevention and control measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. An Apple employee at the companys giant Cork campus has tested positive for the coronavirus and is currently in isolation, the company says. "One of our employees in Cork has been confirmed to have Covid-19, the company said in a statement. We are closely coordinating with the local health authorities who feel the risk to others is low, and the individual remains in self-isolation. "As a precaution, we have asked some of our team members to stay at home while we work with the Health and Safety Executive to assess the situation. We are continuing to regularly deep clean all our offices and stores and will take all necessary precautions in accordance with guidance from health authorities." The Apple campus employs over 6,000 people. Its workforce consists of multiple nationalities from different parts of Europe given the nature of the work done there. Read More On Monday more cases of Covid-19 in the Republic were confirmed, bringing the total number to 24. They included females from the west and south of the country in close contact with cases and a female healthcare worker from the south in close contact with a patient. On Monday, Mr Varadkar warned that more than half of the population in the Republic of Ireland could contract Covid-19. He made the comments as the government unveiled a 430 million euro financial aid package to tackle the health crisis. The government also cancelled all St Patricks Day parades across the country. The 430 million euro will be allocated to provide additional staff and capacity in the health service to deal with the virus, while the government also plans to amend legislation on sick pay to make it available from the first day of illness rather than the current six days. Earlier today, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney urged Irish people to cancel travel plans to all parts of Italy but said that stopping tourists coming from Italy is out of his control. In light of internal developments in Italy, the Department of Foreign Affairs has upgraded travel advice to Irish citizens, recommending against travel to the whole of Italy. There are now almost 10,000 people infected with Covid-19 in Italy and close to 500 people there have died from the virus. Mr Coveney has urged Irish people to avoid travelling to all parts of Italy, unless absolutely essential. "Up until yesterday, our travel advice for Italy was that nobody should travel to the northern regions, unless it was absolutely essential. Now that is extended to the country as a whole," he said. "The vast majority of the 24 people who have tested positive in Ireland so far, have come from northern Italy, and they brought it home with them. "It really is totally unprecedented that you'd have a Minister for Foreign Affairs advising Irish citizens not to travel to large EU member states. But that is the advice this morning." Last weekend, hundreds of Italian rugby supporters arrived in Dublin despite their Six Nations clash with Ireland being postponed. Mr Coveney said that it is out of his jurisdiction to control flights leaving Italy for Ireland, but that the caretaker Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, will today raise the issue of flights and further EU-wide responses at a meeting of the European Council. "The truth is that a very, very small numbers of people will be traveling out of Italy to other countries. But the Taoiseach has a council meeting with other EU leaders today, it's a teleconference meeting," Mr Coveney said on RTE's Morning Ireland. "The truth is that we have no experts on the planet on Covid19 because it's new - 13 weeks ago, no one ever heard of it. "We can't control that (flights from Italy) but effectively, Italy is now in lockdown as a country that 60 million people aren't moving around, except for to facilitate essential work. "He (Mr Varadkar) will be raising the issue of how do we manage air travel collectively, across the European Union to try to reduce risk of the spread of this virus." Cases of coronavirus are on the rise in New Jersey, with 15 positive tests, including one death, in the state so far. Officials expect that number to rise, with an additional 24 cases being tested. New Jersey has declared a state of emergency, and schools across the state are closing for cleaning and planning ahead of diagnosed cases. Here are some common questions about symptoms, treatment, and prevention: How many people have tested positive for coronavirus in New Jersey? So far, 11 cases of coronavirus have been diagnosed in New Jersey, a number officials expect to rise. Twenty-four pending tests are being processed by the state lab in Trenton, New Jersey Department of Health officials said. An update from the state is expected at noon Tuesday. Officials have not said how many additional people are in self-imposed quarantines across the state. Nationwide, over 750 people have been diagnosed. At least 27 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. What are the symptoms? The novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has three main symptoms: fever, cough, and shortness of breath. They usually develop 2-14 days after exposure to the virus, the CDC says. Coronavirus symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath.Centers for Disease Control How do I know if Im sick with a cold or the coronavirus? Its important to stay home and check-in with a doctor by phone if youre sick, regardless of if its the coronavirus or a regular cold. People who have had contact with those who were diagnosed with coronavirus, anyone who has traveled to a geographic hot spot, or had contact with someone who has, is an increased risk for contracting the coronavirus. It is possible to contract the virus through community spread, where the source of the infection is unknown, but those cases are thought to be limited, the CDC says. The source of one of the New Jersey cases is not clear, state officials said. To receive the coronavirus test, a person must meet specific criteria including showing symptoms, recent travel to affected area, contact with a diagnosed person, or severe symptoms not explained by any other illness What do I do if coronavirus symptoms develop? The CDC recommends calling ahead before you visit your doctor. Once your doctor gives you the go ahead to visit the office, patients who suspect they are sick should wear a face mask. Masks can help prevent the spread of the coronavirus when worn by someone with the virus, but will not prevent a healthy person from contracting it. Ive been diagnosed now what? Mild cases of coronavirus can sometimes recover at home in isolation, while more serious cases can require hospitalization. Its important that patients with coronavirus adhere to quarantine orders and limit contact with others. There is currently no treatment or vaccine for the novel coronavirus. Most treatments focus on alleviating symptoms, while patients with severe cases might require care to support viral organ functions, the CDC says. What if someone in my home is sick? If you are caring for someone with coronavirus, monitor their symptoms and alert a doctor if the person is getting sicker, officials say. Caretakers should use gloves and face masks when taking care of a sick loved one, and should avoid sharing any household items like cups or pillows. If someone in your home is diagnosed, its likely you will also be quarantined for the 14-day incubation period. How can I prepare for a 14-day quarantine? Officials recommend that New Jersey residents keep a two-week supply of food, medicine and water at the ready. Residents should also have cleaning products on-hand. The Department of Homeland Security also recommends keeping copies of health records on file, and to make emergency plans with family members in the event they get sick. Will the coronavirus outbreak affect my pets? Probably not, but you might want to find someone else to take care of your pet if you or someone in your home is sick. The CDC says there are no reports of pets or animals contracting COVID-19 in America, but because information about the virus is still limited, experts recommend limiting contact with pets while you are recovering. A dog in Hong Kong tested a weak positive for the virus. A man takes photos of dogs wearing masks in a stroller in Shanghai on Feb. 19, 2020. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images/TNS) TNSTNS What if my child becomes sick? Outbreaks in children appear to be relatively uncommon, the CDC says. Although some children have become sick in China, most of those cases were mild and severe complicated were limited, the CDC says. If your child becomes sick, you should notify their childcare facility or school immediately, the CDC says. Teachers can help create a plan to keep students on track academically while students are recovering, officials say. All New Jersey schools are required to submit a coronavirus preparedness plan to the state for review, and e-learning will be allowed to count towards the 180-day requirement, officials said. What are some steps I can take to prevent the coronavirus? The steps you can take to prevent the spread of the coronavirus are the same steps residents should take every flu season. Cover your coughs and sneezes, wash your hands regularly, and wash all high-touch surfaces" like phones and doorknobs, regularly. I still have coronavirus questions. Where can I find answers? You can receive updates about the coronavirus sent right to your inbox by subscribing to NJ.coms coronavirus newsletter. The CDC has a dedicated website that is updated daily, and the New Jersey Department of Health also has an online information center. Specific questions can be submitted to the N.J. Department of Health through an online form, or you can call a 24-hour coronavirus hotline at 1-800-222-1222 (non-New Jersey numbers should call 1-800-962-1253). Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieKausch. 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. British nationals in Italy can still leave without restrictions. Britain's Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) has updated its travel advice and now advises against all non-essential travel to Italy, due to the ongoing outbreak of Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. An earlier travel alert issued by the FCO, affecting the northern areas of Italy under quarantine, has been extended to the whole of Italy as the entire country goes into lockdown. The UK says its advice is in line with various controls and restrictions imposed by the Italian authorities on 9 March. British nationals are still able to depart Italy without restrictions, and all airports in Italy remain open. The FCO warns however that airline schedules are subject to change and some flights are being cancelled. Travellers are advised to check flight details with airlines before travelling. For more details see FCO website. ANN ARBOR, MI -- Ann Arbor Huron High Schools Rhythm Rat Jazz Orchestra is heading to Georgia during spring break to compete during the Savannah Music Festivals Swing Central Jazz. Despite recent reports of Georgia having six confirmed cases of coronavirus and 11 presumptive cases, Ann Arbor Public Schools director of communications Andrew Cluley said, at this time, the band is still attending the festival. As of now, only international trips have been cancelled for AAPS students, Culey said. The band of 27 students will face 11 other schools in the national competition from March 30 to April 4. Jazz musicians, such as Wycliffe Gordon and Marcus Roberts, are expected to be present. These famous musicians are going to be coming in doing masterclasses working with our band individually, said Rob Ash, Huron High School director of bands. Every year, they hire a famous jazz musician to arrange a piece and its premiered at this festival and every band plays it. Each participating band will present the world premiere of Dippermouth Blues, originally recorded by King Oliver, now arranged by Gordon. The bands then choose two of four pieces to perform from a list. Huron High is is set to perform Purple Gazelle and Magic, Ash said. The group also will play two pieces on the Savannah Jazz Festival waterfront, Ash said. Ash is a high-energy director, running and jumping around, waving his hands and making sound effects during practices. His love for jazz comes from studying it in college and being in the local jazz community, he said. Its a pleasure to get to work in a district in the community that supports it so well, Ash said. Its really easy to be enthusiastic when you have such talented students. Huron High School seniors Austin Aldrich and Tim Kohn have been in the jazz band for three years. They said the experience has allowed them to open their minds, express creativity and most importantly, have fun. Its going to be really cool to travel with a smaller group of friends, said Aldrich. Weve known these guys for almost three years now and its going to be fun spending time in normal weather. Both seniors plan to major in jazz once they get to college because of their experience in the band. Ive had a lot of mentors and great teachers, Kohn said. Its really inspired me to want to learn more and to study jazz in college to keep going at an even higher level. Its probably what I look forward to most. The Huron High School Rhythm Rat Jazz Orchestra currently has a Go Fund Me page set up to raise money for its trip to Georgia. Sudhir Suryawanshi By Express News Service MUMBAI: After the coup in Madhya Pradesh, will the BJP state unit in Maharashtra now be emboldened to stir up trouble for the Uddhav Thackeray government? There is no immediate threat to the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition. The BJP is the single largest party with 105 legislators while the Congress has 44, Shiv Sena 56 and NCP 54. To form the government, the magic figure is 145 in the 288-member state assembly. BJP legislator Atul Bhatkhalkar tweeted, Will the earthquake in Madhya Pradesh also impact Maharashtra? Uncle (Sharad Pawar) be careful. Another BJP leader Ashish Shelar said that the Congress is dwindling with each passing day. There is no future in the Congress, therefore, people are joining the BJP, he said. Asked if it would also have an impact on Maharashtra, Shelar refused to comment. A senior BJP leader said that after the successful operation in Madhya Pradesh, the next target will be Maharashtra. Maharashtra is a tough nut to crack but our leadership has made up their mind to dethrone the Uddhav Thackeray led government. We have to wait for the right timing like Madhya Pradesh. In Madhya Pradesh, everyone used to say that Kamal Nath is an astute and old horse and his government cannot be toppled easily. Now, it has become a reality. In politics, timing is very important, he added. Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said there was no immediate threat to the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra. All parties which are in government should practise inclusive politics. Power should not be limited to ministers and their people. It should percolate to party legislators and party workers. Only then will the dissatisfaction against the government be reined in, said Sawant. A senior NCP leader said that the ministers of the Maha Vikas Aghadi are not accommodating party workers. Most of the ministers in our government are giving priority to their relatives while allocating responsibilities. Some of them have become more arrogant after taking charge of their ministries. If they continue to behave this way, this government's days are also numbered, he added. But a Congress leader placed his faith in Sharad Pawar. As long as NCP chief Sharad Pawar's blessings are with this government, nothing will happen. But at the same time, the government has also decentralised power by accommodating more and more people in government, he said. OTTAWA - The vice-president of the Metis National Council is stepping up his rhetoric against three provincial Metis leaders, accusing them of striking a "backroom deal" that allows new members into the nation he believes are not Metis. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/3/2020 (672 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. David Chartrand, president of the Manitoba Metis Federation watches on as Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau holds a rally in Winnipeg, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019. On the eve of First Ministers' meetings with national Indigenous leaders, the vice-president of the Metis National Council is stepping up his rhetoric against three provincial Metis leaders, accusing them of striking a "backroom deal" that allows new members into the nation he believes are not Metis. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA - The vice-president of the Metis National Council is stepping up his rhetoric against three provincial Metis leaders, accusing them of striking a "backroom deal" that allows new members into the nation he believes are not Metis. The escalation is on the eve of a major meeting among Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, provincial premiers and national Indigenous leaders, where David Chartrand is to represent the Metis National Council as its national spokesperson. Two separate gatherings are being held this week among Metis members, before the first ministers convene in Ottawa starting Thursday, and their divergent objectives highlight a growing rift between the leadership of the Metis National Council and the Metis leaders of Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan. The leaders of the Metis Nation of Ontario, Metis Nation-Saskatchewan and the Metis Nation of Alberta say they do not want to be pulled into "distractions" from the work they are trying to do. In interviews, they said they want to continue progress they have made in gaining recognition and self-government rights from the federal government. But meanwhile, Chartrand began a two-day forum on citizenship and identity in Saskatchewan Monday, with sessions on "Metis identity theft and cultural appropriation in Ontario and eastern Canada" and a "third invasion" of allegedly non-Metis people trying to gain official citizenship in the Metis Nation. He said there is a lot of concern among those living on the Prairies about the way Ontario defines its members as Metis after an announcement in 2017 that six new Metis communities had been identified in the province. The Manitoba Metis Federation, of which Chartrand is also president, commissioned a study of these new communities and Chartrand said Monday the findings suggest the residents are Algonquin and Ojibwe. "They are attempting to be in both worlds and trying to say they're Metis ... They're not us, they're not connected to us," Chartrand said. In November 2018 Chartrand brought these concerns about Ontario's membership registry to a general assembly and a resolution was passed placing Ontario's Metis group on probation and calling for an external committee to review its membership registry. But the Ontario nation has refused to allow it, citing privacy concerns. Since then, the Metis National Council has issued proclamations saying Ontario has been suspended from the national body. But the leaders of Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan say this move was illegitimate, pointing to bylaws that say a member nation can only be suspended from the national council by vote of a general assembly. No such general assembly has been held. Also, the national council has not held a board of governors meeting in over 16 months, despite repeated calls for one. Chartrand said he hasn't called a board of governors meeting because he anticipates Ontario will show up expecting to have voting rights. He fears Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario will vote as a bloc and assume control over the national council. Chartrand said his members have been asking why there is "divisiveness" among the provinces, but hopes people don't think of it as fighting even as he called the co-operation among the three other leaders a "backroom deal." He dismissed the notion it could have an impact on his ability to represent the Metis people as a whole at the upcoming first-ministers meetings. "We can have differences of opinion, and these are strong differences of opinion because it's a very dangerous precedent they're trying to create, but it will never prevent me or the Metis National Council for pushing forward the agenda for all of our citizens." Meanwhile the leaders of the Metis nations of Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan began their own two-day conference in Gatineau, Que., Monday to discuss working together on initiatives that will build upon self-governing agreements they each signed with Ottawa last June. They say these agreements are significant milestone for their respective provincial nations in gaining recognition as Metis governments a goal for generations of Metis peoples in Canada dating back to the days of the Louis Riel in the 1800s. Alberta president Audrey Poitras acknowledged tensions between the three provincial nations and the Metis National Council, but said she and her counterparts from Saskatchewan and Ontario are choosing to focus on the steps being taken to recognize the Metis right of self-government. "We choose to look at moving forward, not to look for divisions," Poitras said. "I'm right now focusing on the positive of moving forward with the other two provinces to really focus on ... how do we move forward as fast as we can on something that our forefathers, our previous leaders, have worked so hard to get, the recognition that we so rightfully deserve?" Ontario president Margaret Froh said she finds it frustrating the national council continues to call her provincial registry into question at meetings to which Ontario is not invited. "It's too bad, but again, we're not being distracted by that work that's happening," Froh said. "We really are truly focusing on these great opportunities that are in front of us and having real, meaningful conversations, which is why our three governments are coming together to talk about Metis self-governments and how all three of our governments are going to work together moving forward to make sure we bring that home for our people." Saskatchewan president Glen McCallum said he doesn't believe there is any tension between the national body and his province. But after Chartrand called him out for rebuffing the national council forum this week in his own province and attending the meetings in Quebec with Ontario and Alberta instead, McCallum said the current leadership of the Metis National Council is "not in line with the bylaws and resolutions of the MNC." "The MN-S (Metis-Nation of Saskatchewan) is committed to a path forward for self-government that we have chosen for ourselves and it is a path based on democracy, transparency, and accountability. We are working with the federal government to move forward the Metis government recognition and self-government agreements." The three provincial leaders declared in January that the MNC "has become increasingly dysfunctional and unaccountable to its governing members and the Metis citizens." This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2020 SIOUX CITY -- The Sioux City School Board plans to consider approval of redrawn boundary lines at four Sioux City School District elementary schools in April, after one more chance for the public to weigh in this month on the proposal. No one from the public spoke about a pending redrawing of boundary lines during Monday's school board meeting, which was the first such meeting to gauge input following the Feb. 24 airing of a plan that could mean some elementary students beginning school in upcoming years would go to other nearby neighborhood schools. "Let me encourage all input from parents," board member Monique Scarlett said at Monday's meeting, after it was apparent that no one was speaking on the agenda topic. Board president Jeremy Saint said another chance for public input will be offered at the March 23 board meeting, then the vote on the proposal will likely take place at the April 14 meeting. The proposal pitched for an August 2022 start could mean some families living near Irving, at 901 Floyd Blvd., and Leeds, at 3919 Jefferson St., would see their children be transported to Bryant and Hunt, in what would be a similar driving distance as they now have. Bryant is in its first year as a new school, at 3040 Jones St, while the former Hunt facility was razed in June and a new Hunt is being constructed in the 1900 and 2000 blocks of Jackson and Nebraska streets. This new school is scheduled to be completed by the 2022-23 year, when any of the discussed changes would first go into effect. Two weeks ago the district's director of elementary education, Brian Burnight, explained the possible plan. "With the recent completion of Bryant Elementary School and the upcoming completion of Hunt Elementary School in 2022, the district can gradually adjust attendance boundaries to balance student enrollment numbers over six years," Burnight said. He said the whole goal is to "align attendance boundaries to balance school student capacity in elementary schools," specifically by reducing student numbers at Irving and Leeds to balance school sizes. The moves are not guaranteed to happen, as over upcoming months a consultant, RSP, an Overland Park (Kansas) team of demographers, will conduct a study on the plan. Saint said hiring a demographer will be helpful as the boundaries topic is vetted. The plan would be implemented, with gradual changes phased in so as not to impact any current elementary students, beginning for a first year in 2022. One possibility is that the current eastmost boundary for Hunt, which ends near Court Street, would extend several blocks further east, into a segment where students are now drawn from to attend Irving. Similarly, one possibility is that the east Bryant boundary would extend several blocks further east, into a portion now that sends students to Leeds. Burnight said Irving has 781 students "and is utilizing every current classroom space," while Leeds has 701 students and Bryant has 508. If the boundary changes are implemented, projected enrollment at the four schools by 2027-28 would be 444 at Hunt and 615 at Irving, along with 578 at Leeds and 631 at Bryant. Burnight said it is anticipated the district will not have greater transportation costs with having some children move from Irving to Hunt and Leeds to Bryant. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 OKLAHOMA CITY - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal for a former Oklahoma City police officer convicted of sexually assaulting black women he encountered while patrolling the citys low-income neighbourhoods. Attorney James L. Hankins asked the highest court in December 2019 to review a ruling against 33-year-old Daniel Holtzclaw issued months earlier by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. The Supreme Courts denial of the written request means the lower courts decision stands. Holtzclaws sister, Jenny Holtzclaw, called the lower courts ruling outrageous flawed and scientifically illiterate. The average time it takes to exonerate an innocent person like Daniel is upwards of 14 years., she said. This is devastating and Daniel lives through it every day, but he remains strong in his faith and spirit. Prosecutors alleged Holtzclaw targeted black women and girls while on duty in 2013 and 2014. Holtzclaw was found guilty in 2015 of 18 charges, including rape and sexual battery involving eight women. He was sentenced to 263 years in prison the following year. Oklahomas criminal appeals court rejected his appeals last August that argued a lack of evidence, misconduct by prosecutors and a failure by the defence attorney at trial to present an expert to offer an alternative explanation to how DNA of one victim wound up on Holtzclaws pants. His case became a rallying cry of the Black Lives Matter movement. A 2015 Associated Press investigation highlighting it found about 1,000 officers in America lost their licenses for sexual misconduct over a six-year period an undercount because some states dont have a method for banning problem officers. KYODO NEWS - Mar 11, 2020 - 04:07 | All, Japan, World A 64-year-old Japanese man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly stabbing a Brazilian couple in central Japan last month, police said. Masafumi Yamaguchi is suspected of fatally stabbing Marcos de Souza and stabbing his wife Mary Cristhiane de Souza Takahashi with a knife in front of their house in Kikugawa, Shizuoka Prefecture, at around 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 17. Police said the husband died after being stabbed more than 10 times in the torso, while his wife sustained minor injuries. The suspect and the male victim, 44, had worked together in the same factory. Police are investigating whether there had been a dispute between the former colleagues. According to investigative sources, the Brazilian man was attacked near the entrance to his house after driving home from work. His wife, 43, went outside upon noticing the fight and was stabbed in her arms while trying to break it up. Police declined to reveal whether or not the suspect has admitted to the charges. [March 10, 2020] Visure Solutions Signs Key Partnership with Avionics Compliance Leader ConsuNova SAN FRANCISCO, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today's avionics companies are challenged with having to adapt quickly to the fast-changing technology of real-time embedded software, coupled with tough regulatory compliance. In an effort to help ease these hurdles, Visure Solutions, Inc., an award-winning requirements ALM platform company, has partnered with San Diego, Calif.-based ConsuNova, a leading global provider of certification, compliance engineering services and solutions for safety-critical systems to the aerospace and defense industries. Through this partnership, Visure Solutions will receive routine feedback from ConsuNova to better align Visure's Requirements Management solutions to the objectives of avionics systems, and software and hardware practices according to compliance guidelines from federal agencies, such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). "ConsuNova is considered a trusted engineering solution in the avionics market," said Dr. Moustapha Tadlaoui, Visure's CEO. "Partnering with ConsuNova will help Visure fine-tune and improve our technology platform for the avionics industry. We're trying to bring to the market a much more comprehensive offering of technology and consulting services that enable aerospace and defense customers to go through the certification process more easily." According to Forrester , avionics and defense projects commonly consume 200% of time and budget while delivering only 60% of the required functionality. "Aerospace and defense companies are working on highly critical systems and when they go through certification, they have to prove their systems are reliable; there is no room for failure," Tadlaoui said. Through its comprehensive all-in-one requirements ALM, Visure already offers several out-of-the-box compliance templates for aerospace and defense companies. These solutions enable end-to-end traceability between all requirement-related artifacts in one single environment, and through the integration with other tools of the lifecycle. Through Visure's platform, requirements for standards such as DO-178B/C and DO-254 are also dynamically traced through all stages of development, ensuring that each requirement is mapped to specific code/hardware item that is tested and verified and that all code/hardware items written correlate with project specifications. "After careful evaluation of Visure's technology in Requirements Management, ConsuNova believes that Visure's solution is one of the most optimized in the industry, fully capable of covering DO-178C and DO-254 objectives," said Reza Madjidi, ConsuNova's CEO and FAA Consulting DER (Designated Engineering Representative). "A key mission of both organizations is to provide high-quality, efficient solutions, and use cutting-edge technology to achieve this. This partnership will provide direct benefits for our common customer-base seeking DO-254 and DO-178C compliance solutions. The combined offering will enable us to provide a comprehensive solution throughout the Optimized DO-178C/DO-254 process by applying Visure's robust tools and ConsuNova's optimized avionics process, training, and project execution." The partnership will also help further fuel Visure's competitive advantage in the global embedded and system engineering market, as well as benefit the company's customers worldwide. "As a requirements ALM vendor, we often have customers who need expertise in federal compliance requirements. Now, not only can we offer them a solid technical solution, but if they need guidance with the certification process, we can recommend them to our new partner, ConsuNova. It's a win-win-win," added Tadlaoui. About Visure Solutions Established in 2002, Visure Solutions is a leading requirements management ALM company providing specialized, innovative and user-friendly solutions to implement efficient requirements management processes, aimed at guaranteeing the highest quality in the development of our clients' products, systems and services. Visure's all-in-one requirements management ALM platform supports requirements management, test management, bug and issue tracking, change management, risk management and variant management. As part of its product upgrade, Visure has also introduced a new company logo. The company's solutions are used across various industries, including aerospace and defense, automotive, banking and finance, medical devices, energy and nuclear, oil and gas, robotics and industrial automation. Visure is also a worldwide certified IREB (International Requirements Engineering Board) trainer of CPRE (Certified Professional for Requirements Engineering) by the IREB. Please visit https://visuresolutions.com/ . About ConsuNova ConsuNova is a leading global provider of certification, compliance engineering services and solutions for safety-critical systems to the aerospace and defense industries ( https://www.consunova.com ). ConsuNova provides ARP 4761, ARP 4754A, DO-200B, DO-254, DO-178C Compliance Solutions faster & in the most cost-effective way. CONTACT: Neal Leavitt, [email protected], 760-639-2900 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/visure-solutions-signs-key-partnership-with-avionics-compliance-leader-consunova-301014024.html SOURCE Visure Solutions, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] CARLTON, Minn. A portion of the gaming floor at Black Bear Casino in Carlton was shut down Monday, March 9, after a man took his own life in one of the casinos restaurants. Carlton County Sheriff Kelly Lake said no one else was injured when the death occurred Monday afternoon at the Seven Fires Steakhouse. The victim died of a gunshot wound from a handgun, she said in a news release. Lake said the man was 52 and from Mahtomedi. No one else was injured and the public is not in danger, Lake said. Terry Savage, executive director of Fond du Lac Tribal Enterprises, didnt want to say specifically where the death occurred, but confirmed that it was in a public place. A small portion of the gaming floor and adjacent areas were sealed from the public while police investigated, Savage said. A portion of the gaming floor remained closed the rest of Monday but will reopen Tuesday morning, he said. "Our property is safe and secure," Savage said. ADVERTISEMENT At midafternoon Monday, several law enforcement vehicles were parked at the main entrance to the casino. A couple of officers and casino officials were blocking access to a gaming area just off that entrance. As police still were investigating the incident at the time, people wanting to enter the gaming floor were escorted to the area that was open. The incident took place after a weekend in which a 27-year-old woman and her 18-month-old son were killed on the Fond du Lac Reservation. A man has been arrested in connection with the double homicide. Savage said as far as he knows theres no connection between the two events. Lake confirmed that there was no connection. "Both incidents are tragic," Savage said. To get help National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: (800) 273-8255 Crisis Text Line: Text MN to 741741 A software engineer works on a facial recognition program that identifies people when they wear a face mask at the development lab of the Chinese electronics manufacturer Hanwang (Hanvon) Technology in Beijing, China as the country is hit by an outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), on March 6, 2020. (Thomas Peter/Reuters) Even Mask-Wearers Can Be IDd, China Facial Recognition Firm Says BEIJINGA Chinese company says it has developed the countrys first facial recognition technology that can identify people when they are wearing a mask, as most are these days because of the coronavirus. China employs some of the worlds most sophisticated systems of electronic surveillance, including facial recognition. But the coronavirus, which emerged in Hubei Province late last year, has resulted in almost everyone wearing a surgical mask outdoors in the hope of warding off the virusposing a particular problem for surveillance. Now Hanwang Technology Ltd., which also goes by the English name Hanvon, said it has come up with technology that can successfully recognize people even when they are wearing masks. If connected to a temperature sensor, it can measure body temperature while identifying the persons name, and then the system would process the result, say, if it detects a temperature over 38 degrees, Hanwang Vice President Huang Lei told Reuters in an interview. The Beijing-based firm said a team of 20 staff used core technology developed over the past 10 years, a sample database of about 6 million unmasked faces and a much smaller database of masked faces, to develop the technology. The team began work on the system in January, as the coronavirus outbreak gathered pace, and began rolling it out to the market after just a month. It sells two main types of products that use the technology. One performs single channel recognition that is best used at, for example, entrances to office buildings. The other, more powerful, product is a multi-channel recognition system that uses multiple surveillance cameras. A software engineer tests a facial recognition program that identifies people when they wear a face mask at the development lab of the Chinese electronics manufacturer Hanwang (Hanvon) Technology in Beijing, China, on March 6, 2020. (Thomas Peter/Reuters) It can identify everyone in a crowd of up to 30 people within a second, Huang says. When wearing a mask, the recognition rate can reach about 95 percent, which can ensure that most people can be identified, Huang said, adding the success rate for people without mask is about 99.5 percent. Losing Facial Information A big customer, not surprisingly, is the Ministry of Public Security, which runs the police. Using Hanwangs technology, the ministry can cross-reference images with its own database of names and other information and then identify and track people as they move about, Huang said. It can detect crime suspects, terrorists or make reports or warnings, he said. But the system struggles to identify people with both a mask and sunglasses, he said. In this situation, all of the key facial information is lost. In such cases recognition is tough, Huang said. The company has about 200 clients in Beijing using the technology, including the police, and expect scores more across 20 provinces to start installing it soon, Huang said. It is not immediately clear how Chinese citizens are reacting to this new technology. When it comes to other surveillance tools being used in the fight against the coronavirus, there has been some grumbling on social media. Software engineers work on a facial recognition program that identifies people when they wear a face mask at the development lab of the Chinese electronics manufacturer Hanwang (Hanvon) Technology in Beijing, China, on March 6, 2020. (Thomas Peter/Reuters) Facial Recognition Technology Used to Monitor Citizens Chinas use of facial recognition technology has been criticized for its Orwellian intentions, while concerns have also been raised about the security of biometric data collected. Chinese financial magazine Caixin reported on Nov. 30 that facial recognition cameras have been installed in many places and businesses across the country, and used for making payments, to record attendance in the workplace, and to take the subway. The Chinese regime has used facial recognition systems to monitor the population for several years. The system has helped authorities track criminals and dissidents, and also facilitates the implementation of Beijings social credit system. The social credit system assigns each citizen a score of social trustworthiness. A person with a low social credit score may not be allowed to board a train or airplane, or their child may not be admitted to a reputable school. Concerns have also been raised about the security of biometric data collected by facial recognition cameras. Chinese state-run media Beijing Youth Daily reported on Sept. 11 that its reporter, posing as an online shopper, managed to purchase from an online store personal data of around 2,000 people. The Epoch Times contributed to this report. Terri Irwin has opened up in a recent interview and spoke about her romantic links to actor Russell Crowe. She also spoke about her immediate reaction to Steve's passing. "We had a deal that if he died first I would keep everything going, so it was never really: 'Am I going to do this?' but it was, 'Oh my goodness, I am actually going to have to do this,'" she told The Courier. "And I was, to be completely honest, so afraid." She went on to talk about some of the rumours of romance she's faced since the passing of Steve. "I have kept track because it's kind of funny Let's see, apparently it's all the Hogans that's Paul and Hulk; Russell Crowe, and most recently, it's Richard Wilkins." "I think the most flattering would be Russell because he is such a good person, and a very good friend to our family, and I actually do really love him because he loved Steve and they were such good friends." Terri went on to say that after Steve's passing, Russell was one of the very first people to send his condolences. "It meant a lot and now I kind of feel sorry for him because he is forever being linked to me so I could be cramping his style same for Richard Wilkins." Back in 2017 Crowe told an Australian radio show "Terri is one of the greatest women I've ever met in my life without their being implication for intimacy or whatever." "You know I do love Terri Irwin, I love her kids and I love how she's kept the memory of Steve alive and respected the work that the two of them had begun and she's an absolute champion, but we're not in a relationship," he finished. Sudans reservations to an Arab League resolution supporting Egypt in the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam stem from the complex politics of the Horn of Africa region, writes Haitham Nouri Sudan voiced reservations on the resolution of the Arab League foreign ministers meeting held in Cairo last week. The Arab League resolution of 4 March called for supporting Egypt, that adheres to international law in the tripartite negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) supported by the US. The meeting urged against unilateral measures that could infringe on Egypts rights and water interests. Generally, relations between Cairo and Khartoum had maintained a stable, good shape despite temporary squabbles between the two countries. But Sudans stance on GERD illustrates its continuous support of Ethiopia against Egypt, a position Khartoum has maintained in the past nine years since Addis Ababa started building the GERD, and in the prior two decades before that. Sudan position caused no surprise among observers of the regional situation. In the last two decades of the 20th century, the politics of the Horn of Africa regions was extremely complicated. With the fall of former Ethiopian president Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991, Eritrea won in the war for independence and snatched the entire coast, rendering Ethiopia locked down without a marine gateway amid its plummeting economy. In the same year, the regime of Somalia president Siad Berre fell, taking down the entire country which until now is divided and ruled by extremist groups that directed much of their terrorist activities towards Ethiopia. At that time, then Sudan president Omar Al-Bashir was in his second year in rule. He had lost much of his polished image when he supported late Iraqi president Saddam Hussein in his war on Kuwait. Al-Bashirs political cover was exposed for what it was: he was part of the Sudan Muslim Brotherhood led by Hassan Al-Turabi. Sudan opposition members fled the country, escaping the repression, and took refuge in Eritrea and established a support base against the rule of the Islamists in Khartoum. Immediately, the Sudanese regime established close relations with Addis Ababa, the historical archenemy of Asmara. Al-Bashir and the Islamists concluded that they should look south amid their animosity with Egypt, Arabs and the Gulf. Egypt accused Sudan of harbouring the terrorists who conducted the assassination attempt on the life of late Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak in Ethiopia in the mid-1990s. Sudan wanted to establish good relations with the West and the US after its policy supporting Islamist extremism resulted in its international isolation. Through improving its relations with Addis Ababa, Khartoum managed to decrease the number of allies of the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement that was entrenched in war in South Sudan since 1983. Addis Ababa accepted friendship with the Muslim Brotherhood regime led by Al-Bashir, and faced off with Eritrea and the rise of political Islam in Somalia led by the Islamic Courts Union. Consequently, war ensued on the borders between Ethiopia and Eritrea, rendering hundreds of thousands dead and injured, establishing political rivalry between the two regimes that lasted for two decades. Ethiopian forces entered Somalia to fight the Islamic Courts Union, which a few years later produced the Shabab Al-Mujahideen terrorist group. Addis Ababas with relationship Asmara and Mogadishu remained tense. Ethiopia engaged in bitter wars with the two countries: one to liberate Eritrea from the rule of emperor Haile Selassie, and the other called the Ogaden War with Somalia. Ethiopia wanted to use Port Sudan alongside Djibouti as seaports to boost its trade with the world. Sudan linked its port with the Ethiopian capital, by land, which brought Sudan a somewhat lucrative economic return. Despite gains between the two countries, the popular view between them remained complicated, carrying the hostile legacy dating back to the 19th century, during the struggle of Sudans Mahdi state, with a strict Islamic ideology, and the Christian rule of emperor Menelik. The question now concerns the benefits Sudan will reap as a result of its stance from the GERD negotiations. A number of Sudan experts believe the GERD will help their country decrease the dangers of the destructive floods Sudan witnessed in the 20th century. Among those holding this opinion is Ahmed Abdel-Maged, a professor at the Asia-Africa Studies Institute at Khartoum University. The GERD can help Khartoum benefit from its entire share of Nile water set at 18.5 billion cubic metres annually, and of which Sudan benefits only 15 billion cubic metres, according to the 1959 agreement between Cairo and Khartoum, said Abdel-Maged. Abdel-Maged casts doubts on concerns over threats that may result from GERDs collapse and the subsequent drowning of Sudan by the Nile, dismissing this scenario as mere opinion. However, not all of Sudans scientific circles are lined up in support of their regimes position on GERD. Ahmed Al-Mufti, a Sudanese expert on international law and a former member of the Nile Basin Initiative negotiations held between 1994 and 2012, pointed to the dangers of a possible GERD collapse. He said these threats were raised by the international technical committee on GERD. Sudan will be in real danger if the GERD collapsed. Many Sudanese villages and provinces will be completely flooded by the Nile waters which will reach 10 metres at least in height in Khartoum. It will be a tsunami and a ticking nuclear bomb, Al-Mufti said. Underlining this danger, Sudanese activists that reject Khartoums support for Ethiopia on GERD point to a study prepared by the Water and Food Systems Lab at MIT, created to coordinate and promote water and food research. The study referred to the type of soil in the area where GERD is being built, in addition to its construction on the edge of the Great Rift Valley But relations between Khartoum and Addis Ababa remain strong. This was evident in the mediation of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize of 2019, between Sudanese opponents following the fall of Omar Al-Bashirs regime last year. There is no imminent change in sight regarding the relationship between Ethiopia and Sudan in the future. Trade between the two countries is vast and can possibly expand, particularly in the absence of an Arab player that can fulfil Sudans economic needs. *A version of this article appears in print in the 12 March, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: The return of American soldiers is foreseen in the peace agreement between the United States and the Taliban. President Ghani defines the milestones for the release of the 5,000 militants. Summit stalled by double oath ceremony. The rival Abdullah takes office with a parallel government. Kabul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The withdrawal of US troops in Afghanistan has begun, as required by the peace agreement signed between Washington and the Taliban on February 29 in Doha, Qatar. An anonymous US official confirmed this to the Associated Press yesterday. Meanwhile, today, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani will announce the stages of the release of the 5,000 Taliban prisoners, an essential condition for the withdrawal of the coalition soldiers and the start of "intra-Afghan" talks. The American initiative, however, is likely to run aground due to the continuing conflicts at the Kabul summit. Yesterday Ghani swore in as president during a ceremony interrupted by the firing of rockets at the compound of the presidential palace. The attack had no consequences in terms of victims or injuries and was claimed by the Islamic State. For his part, challenger Abdullah Abdullah, chief executive of the state, still challenges the outcome of the recent election. Therefore yesterday he organized a parallel intallation ceremony. The Doha agreement should restore peace to the Afghan people after 19 years of war. It provides for the withdrawal of 13 thousand US and NATO soldiers by 2021. Specifically, in the first 3-4 months the soldiers will be reduced to 8,600, up to a total return in the following 14 months. NATO should instead decrease its contingent to 12 thousand soldiers, from a total of 16 thousand. At first, the agreement appeared to waver on the issue of the release of prisoners of war, half of the total, which was opposed by the government of Kabul (excluded from the negotiations). In addition, a serious attack carried out by the Islamic State on 7 March in the capital killed 30 people and injured over 80. Abdullah, present at the time of the attack, escaped the massacre. Yesterday, while the rockets were launched live on television, Ghani from the stage invited those present to remain calm and proudly showed he was not wearing a bulletproof vest. Then he added: "I am ready to sacrifice." The covid19 coronavirus that broke out in central China (mainly Wuhan city) during December 2019 has spread to Korea. South Korea promptly mobilized a national public health effort to deal with the crises. In North Korea, the government made all information relating to covid19 a state secret and denied that covid19 was a problem in North Korea. That has not worked and the only data collected about the disease was in the military. That data was secret but, because just about every family in the country has someone in the military, the data got leaked. By early March several thousand North Koreas soldiers appear to have been quarantined on suspicion of having the virus. These cases were almost all along the Chinese border. North Korea cannot afford to test many people for covid19. Instead, the army has been ordered to isolate any soldiers who exhibit symptoms of the virus. This probably puts some non-covid19 patients in quarantine with those who do have it. Nearly 200 soldiers have died recently of fever and families are being told the bodies were cremated. The military is receiving more food in an effort to make sure soldiers are getting 800 gr (28 ounces) of food a day. Since late 2019 the troops have been getting less, or no, food from the government and told to rely on their own farms and livestock. Some units are better able to produce their own food than others and as a result of that new policy, a lot of troops went hungry during the coldest months of the year. There were also shortages of fuel for heating or electricity so the troops got hungry while cold and in the dark. There have been morale problems, thus the orders to keep news of troops with fevers secret. That may keep news away from most of the army because they are stationed along the DMZ. They get some news from South Korea, where there is a very public attitude towards covid19 information. In South Korea, there have been 7,500 confirmed cases of the virus so far with 55 deaths. Compared to China and North Korea, South Korea has suffered a much lower death rate for people infected. In China, the death rate has been 3-4 percent while in South Korea it has been 0.7 percent. The Chinese death rate may be much lower because most of the deaths occurred in Wuhan city and many of the remainder in surrounding Hubei province. It is clear that China tried to suppress news of the covid19 deaths at first and never really corrected that when they finally admitted that there was a new epidemic disease. In other words, the government delayed actually testing for those who might have the virus. Most of those who are infected do not feel sick and, as with the annual influenza, often go unnoticed when it comes to collecting medical statistics. China based its death rate on the smaller number of people who had the virus and were very sick rather than all, or most of those with the virus. This is a common pattern with most epidemic diseases and also applies to covid19. Even taking that into account South Korea has a covid19 death rate at least half of China and that is largely attributable to a higher level of health care, especially when it comes to national health emergencies. South Korea with a population (51 million) twice as large as in the north has so far apparently suffered 80 percent fewer covid19 deaths. By any measure, South Korea has an excellent health system. As a result, South Korea has been able to cope and has already contained the virus, with the number of new cases declining and fewer deaths per thousand infected people. Despite this superior performance, North Korea will not accept any South Korean help in this matter because the official word in the north is that the government kept the virus out. In most of the country that is true. But along the still porous Chinese border, it is no secret with the locals that covid19 got into their part of North Korea. People living near the Chinese border increasingly ignore government propaganda and take their own precautions to avoid the disease. While the military has a rudimentary health system for their personnel and some resources to deal with covid19 infections, modern health care is only available to the most senior officials both military and non-military. These officials also have access to the outside world and what is really going on with covid19 in other countries. Yet there are also numerous reports of civilian deaths, amounting to over a hundred so far. Most of these deaths are near the Chinese border or in a few cities, including the capital, where travelers (North Korean or Chinese) are regularly found. Some of these travelers regularly crossed the border illegally. The government knows this but does not know who they are or even how many are still active. The Chinese health system is much more capable and there have been some (less than a hundred) cases of covid19 found in towns and cities along the North Korean border. Unlike North Korea, China can treat these patients and most recover. Covid19 has an incubation period of at 3-14 days before an infected person feels the symptoms. Most people with it never feel sick and their immune systems eventually eliminate the virus or most of it. In other words, there were plenty of opportunities for covid19 to spread into North Korea before the borders were closed at the end of January. While no covid19 deaths are reported in North Korea, the deaths do occur in the capital and along the Chinese border where such deaths are attributed to influenza or simply fever. In the capital and the military, it is possible to isolate people with fever but, in the rest of the country, there is improvisation because there are few hospitals and most have limited medical supplies. There are some private clinics for the donju (legal entrepreneurs) but even these cannot get new medical supplies because of the border shutdown. One thing all medical facilities have been ordered to do, until further notice, is to promptly cremate the bodies of all those who have died of this unspecified fever. North Korea is going through the covid19 epidemic the old fashioned way and that is not all that shocking in the north, where people are perplexed by all the fuss. After all, the North Korean government took no precautions during SARS (2003) and MERS (2015) virus outbreaks. What is different about covid19 is that it spreads more easily and quickly, though not to the extent that it could be described as an exterminating disease. Only a few percent of those infected die and these are mainly the very young, very old or already very sick. In North Korea you have to add a fourth vulnerable group; the malnourished. Food shortages have been worse the past few years and a lot more people are simply not getting enough to eat. There are also more homeless children and adults in urban areas and they tend to be in poor health. Some of these deaths may be from other causes but even North Korea medical personnel, at least outside the capital, do not have the diagnostic equipment to confirm covid19 deaths. North Korea is very poor and its public health system is largely non-existent in reality. Officially there is a national health-care system but the reality is that only the capital and the military have any significant medical resources. The only place where you see a lot of people wearing face masks is the capital where only key security personnel and the most elite officials (the one percenters) were issued masks. Other people improvise. North Korea has suppressed any official, or unofficial, news of what is really happening. But North Koreans still have their cell phones, although they have to use carefully selected code words to pass on covid19 related news. Information brokers on the Chinese side of the border are still getting plenty of business even though much less information is getting out since the government began restricting movement within North Korea and across the border in January. On February 20 all schools (except for a few elite science programs) were shut down for a month. Long distance travel by train, plane, automobile or boat was restricted or banned. The Border Battle Fear of covid19 virus spreading from China to North Korea has caused some extraordinary efforts to prevent anyone from crossing the Chinese border, especially coming in from China. The one hardest hit by this are the people smugglers and illegal traders, especially those who arrange for money from North Koreans in China or South Korea to be transferred to families in North Korea. This has become a big business, moving as much as $20 million a year. In 2018 enterprising donju proposed a new scheme to obtain had currency and the government accepted. Donju noticed the government was willing to adopt a more pragmatic attitude towards defectors that have established themselves in China, South Korea and the West. The government has long known that defectors often sent money back to family still in North Korea. This was accomplished via a network of smugglers who moved all sorts of forbidden goods in and out of North Korea. In 2018 the government began allowing these remittances to get into North Korea legally, in return for a 20 percent fee. The government also allowed reunions of defectors with their North Korean kin, for a price (over $100,000). There are people who will pay and the North Koreans see this as an excellent source of foreign currency. Implementing this was possible because many donju ran the older system. Before this Chinese brokers would, for a 20 percent fee, arrange to have a Chinese or North Korean merchant inside North Korea pay the remittance. Even then, you are not safe. If any local communist officials find out you are getting money this way, you can be arrested or, if you are lucky, hit up for a bribe. Nevertheless these remittance families were known, or suspected and many donju got their start with money from remittance families, many of whom were donju themselves. The North Korean and Chinese money brokers were usually involved in other forms of smuggling things into and out of North Korea, and the current crackdown on any illegal border traffic has been hard on these professional smugglers. It has gotten so serious that some North Korean border guards refuse to be bribed, something that is expected to pass along with the covid19 danger. Inside North Korea even donju with family ties to high ranking (in the government bureaucracy) families are subject to arrest and punishment for activities involving cross-border movement of any kind. The border ban includes North Koreans arrested in China for being there illegally. It is also illegal to leave North Korea without permission and these prisoners are usually transferred back to North Korea for punishment. That has been halted until the covid19 danger has passed. The only legal crossings from North Korea are foreign diplomats being expelled on suspicion of having covid19. The military has banned leave for soldiers and restricted who can leave the base. New recruits are being turned down if they have any indications of sickness, especially lung related. Lacking the resources to test for covid19, military doctors are using cruder methods that see more conscripts having their induction delayed for months or longer. The military only takes in new recruits twice a year but one of those induction periods occurs in mid-January and lasts about a month. The military also discharges soldiers who have completed their enlistments (of up to ten years) at the same time. These discharges have been delayed as well, for a month or more. Same deal for officers retiring or completing their mandatory active service before going into the reserves. North Korea also demanded that Chinese border guards ban civilians from even approaching the Yalu River that comprises most of the border. North Korea threatened to use violence to enforce this ban. China told North Korea to tone down the rhetoric before something unfortunate, for North Korea, happened. Nationwide Quarantine In early February North Korea halted all Chinese tourism, despite the fact that this is a major source of foreign currency and curbed normal (business and government) travel to China. North Korea is also very poor and in no condition to deal with an outbreak of the new virus. Yet North Korea still has a lot of smugglers operating along the Chinese border and in some coastal areas. The border with China has been closed to major traffic since January 30th and that means bulk imports of food and fuel are not arriving. These are legal imports that China is the major supplier of. North Korea cannot afford to maintain much in the way of food or fuel reserves and what reserves do exist are for the military, in case there is a war or other national emergency. These supplies may already have been released to provincial security forces (soldiers and police) but they wont last long if the Chinese border remains closed. In contrast, by the end of February, the South Korean army has thousands of soldiers quarantined until they are cleared of any possible coronavirus infection. All these soldiers had visited China, Hong Kong or Macao recently and the quarantine was just a precaution often applied to any recent South Korean visitors to China. March 2, 2020: On the east coast, North Korea held another live-fire exercise for two of its truck-mounted MLRS (multiple launch rocket system) weapons. One vehicle fired, for the third time since mid-2019 the new KN-25 600mm MLRS that fires a three ton GPS guided ballistic missile. The KN-25 was first seen in mid-2019. It has four missile storage/launch tubes and the test was apparently meant to have all four rockets fired in quick succession. The missiles that did launch landed about 240 kilometers off the east coast. The other MLRS carried and fired several of the twelve guided (by a GPS type system) 300mm rockets. This 300mm MLRS first appeared in a late 2015 parade. The North Korean 300mm rockets appeared to have a range of under a 100 kilometers. The launcher vehicle was later identified as a Chinese 6x6 truck meant for civilian or military use. China had come under increasing criticism for allowing its manufacturers to export such dual-use vehicles to North Korea when it is clear that North Korea wants them only for military purposes. More disturbing was the fact that the new North Korean guided rockets were using technology that could also have been Chinese, as the Chinese introduced such a large guided rocket system in 2010. The new North Korea guided rockets are all remarkably similar to recent Chinese models. Then again the 600mm guided rocket is also similar to the American ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile Systems) guided missile that entered service in 1991 and was obtained by South Korea in 1998. This is a 610mm rocket that fits in the same size container that normally holds six 227mm MLRS rockets. The new North Korean test firings appeared to be more successful than those carried out in late 2019. The 300mm and 600mm MLRS systems have not yet entered service but are expected to do so soon. These long-range MLRS systems make it more difficult for South Korean forces to suppress long-range artillery and rocket units based on the DMZ. Most existing weapons are based in tunnels on the reverse slopes (facing north) near the DMZ. In wartime these launchers would be moved, some manually, into the open and fired. The MLRS vehicles are more mobile but they do depend on expensive Chinese vehicles that can be imported legally. February 28, 2020: North Korea increased restrictions on travel inside the country. This was to limit the spread of covid19 and appears to be working for most of the country. February 27, 2020: In North Korea, the government has told major many state-owned factories and other economic enterprises, as well as provincial governments, that the national government can no longer provide food aid and that these organizations have to make arrangements to fend for themselves. This new policy was necessary to ensure that the military, security services and key officials and their families could still get some food aid. February 23, 2020: In North Korea, the government moved the covid19 risk level to high indicating that despite drastic measures to contain the spread of the virus, covid19 was still showing up. The government would not say where. What the government did say that people from areas near the China border, who were moved elsewhere in the country temporarily to work on one special project or another, would not be allowed to return home on schedule. Local authorities would have to make arrangements to feed and house their people in the meantime. February 20, 2020: In North Korea, all schools were closed for a month as part of an effort to cope with the covid19 threat. This is worst for university students, especially those in the capital Pyongyang, who are from other parts of the country and living in dormitories. February 19, 2020: South Korea will be donating one of its recently retired Pohang class corvettes to Colombia in South America. These ships were built in the 1980s and came in two variants. The first is an anti-ship version which has two Exocet anti-ship missiles, a 76mm gun, and a twin 30mm anti-aircraft gun. The second is an ASW version which has two 76mm guns, two triple 324mm (12.75 inch) torpedo tubes and two twin 40mm anti-aircraft guns. A retired Pohang was given to the Philippines in mid-2019. February 16, 2020: In the northwest (North Pyongan Province), a man who died from what officials described as pneumonia. Others involved identified the man as a successful smuggler who often traveled to China and back legally and illegally. He was widely believed to have died of covid19. This would not be unusual because North Pyongan Province contains 12 percent of the national population and an even larger portion of GDP. It is the site of most trade with China, and most smuggling as well. Several days later the government basically put the provincial capital (Sinuiju) on lockdown with few people allowed to enter or leave the city. Sinuiju is on the Yalu River across from the Chinese city of Dandong. So far at least seven cases of covid19 have been identified in Dandong, the city though which passes over 60 percent of the legal trade between China and North Korea. February 14, 2020: In North Korea, a new commander was appointed for the eastern sector (1st Army Corps) of the DMZ. This was considered big news because corruption in the 1st Corps has reached epic proportions. Supplies and equipment are disappearing and apparently sold on the black market. Several senior officers have already been found out, arrested and prosecuted for corruption. The DMZ units are the best equipped because they must be ready for war with South Korea. Corruption, in general, has increased throughout the army, and all government organizations. The military is the one major organization that has lots to steal and quickly sell. This includes fuel, food, vehicles and building supplies. Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Tuesday said agitations against the Citizenship Amendment Act were only politically motivated and nothing else. The CAA came under the central list and hence none could oppose it, Meghwal said,addressing office bearers of the Puducherry State unit of the Bharatiya Janata party. He also took strong exception to the governments of Kerala and West Bengal, among others, adopting resolutions against the CAA. Besides these two states, Punjab, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh have passed similar resolutions. The Prime Minister and Home Minister had already clarified the actual position and hence all those staging agitations against CAA were doing so "only out of political motives and nothing else." Meghwal said he had earlier visited the Aurobindo Ashram. He said he also had a meeting with Lt Governor Kiran Bedi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Growth of productivity and the introduction of innovations are the main goals of the five-year state strategy on small and medium-sized businesses in Armenia. This is what Deputy Minister of Economy of Armenia Naira Makaryan told reporters today, stating that the strategy will be approved by the government soon. According to her, the strategy envisages a comprehensive list of actions targeted at accessibility of financial resources and the capacity-building of export. The deputy minister also stated that the implementation of the strategy will lead to increase of the level of competitiveness and productivity of small and medium-sized enterprises. The government expects to see 6% annual growth of productivity of small and medium-sized enterprises, she said. When asked if the strategy wont lead to enlargement of businesses and reduction of small and medium-sized enterprises, the deputy minister recalled that, according to the law, large companies must have more than 250 employees, and the majority of small and medium-sized enterprises are very far from those indicators. [March 10, 2020] Hiya Named One of Forbes' Best Startup Employers for 2020 Hiya, the industry leader in nuisance and scam call protection, has been recognized as part of Forbes' inaugural list of America's Best Startup Employers for 2020. This prestigious award is presented by Forbes and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The full list of award recipients was announced today -- March 10, 2020 -- and can currently be viewed on the Forbes website. Forbes and Statista analyzed more than 7 million data points to identify the top startup employers. In particular, three aspects of each company were assessed during the evaluation: employer reputation, employee satisfaction, and company growth. Out of the thousands of qualified organizations in the United States, only 500 companies earned this distinction. Hiya is named #147 on the final list of Forbes' 2020 list of America's Best Startup Employers. "We are honored to be named to Forbes' first annual list of the best startup employers," said Alex Algard, founder and CEO, Hiya. "Our employees are passionate about the solutions Hiya provides because they know first-hand how important they are. Hiya has been at the forefront of driving change to ensure consumers are not only protected from nuisance and scam calls, but have the context they need to answer the calls they don't want to miss." Hiya is consistently recognized as a great place to work, and in 2019 was named a "Best Place to Work" by Seattle Business Magazine, Built In Seattle and Comparably. Hiya currently has 106 employees, with plans to nearly double this number in the coming year. The company is in hyper-growth mode and is actively hiring across the organization for positions in Seattle, London and Budapest. For more information about what roles are open and what it is like to work at Hiya, please visit: https://hiya.com/careers. Hiya Brings Trust Back to the Mobile Call Hiya launched in 2016 to bring trust back to the mobile call as the rise in nuisance and scam calls made people increasingly wary of answering their phones. With more than 100 million monthly active users worldwide, Hiya protects consumers from spam calls in every country in the world. Global partnerships with carriers like AT&T (News - Alert) and handset makers like Samsung have helped to elevate Hiya's leadership position for identifying nuisance and scam calls. In 2019 alone, Hiya analyzed more than 145B incoming and outgoing calls worldwide and alerted its users of more than 5B incoming spam calls, blocking nearly 800M of them. According to Hiya's recent State of the Call report, spam calls grew to 54.6 billion in 2019, up 108% compared to the previous year. As a result, only 47% of incoming calls are picked up. At the same time, a phone call is still the preferred form of communication for many industries, from healthcare to financial services to education, which underscores the importance of accurately identifying both unwanted and wanted calls. In 2019, the company introduced Hiya Connect, allowing businesses to provide meaningful context around their calls to mobile customers. Featuring business name, logo, location and reason for the call, Hiya Connect helps companies improve contact rates and increase the quality of conversations with their customers. Hiya's products and services are available via the market leading AT&T Call Protect, which is available for iPhone (News - Alert) and Android here. Hiya is also available for iOS users via the App Store and Android (News - Alert) users via Google Play. To learn more about Hiya, visit www.hiya.com. About Hiya Hiya brings trust and identity into the mobile call by making the calling experience secure and engaging on every smartphone globally. With a mission to provide a better phone experience, Hiya's products and services provide users with the context needed to help them decide whether or not to pick up their phone. Through analysis of more than 13 billion calls per month, Hiya protects over 100 million users from unwanted scam and nuisance calls globally. Hiya is available as a consumer app on Google Android and iPhone and is integrated into the phone experience for AT&T Call Protect, T-Mobile (News - Alert) Name ID, and Samsung Galaxy, A-Series and J-Series users worldwide. For more information, please visit www.hiya.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005853/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The Hemsworth clan have been throwing their support behind Australian wildlife charities following the devastating bushfires which swept through the country between October and February. And on Tuesday, Chris shared a very cute photo of himself to Instagram where he got up close with an orphaned baby koala. In the image the 36-year-old looked casual in a grey T-shirt and beamed as he nursed the tiny joey as it clutched onto a soft toy koala. Who's cuter? On Tuesday, Chris Hemsworth posed with an adorable orphaned baby koala as he shined a spotlight on Australian wildlife rehabilitation efforts 'Fantastic visiting @friends_of_the_koala and seeing first hand the incredible work and commitment to conserving koalas and preserving and enhancing their habitat,' he captioned the post. Friends of the Koala is a non-profit community group run by volunteers which focuses on rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing koala in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales. This comes after his wife, Elsa Pataky, showed off a baby kangaroo their family had rescued in January. 'Such a cutie': Elsa Pataky, 43, (pictured) shared an adorable photo in January to her Instagram with a baby kangaroo the Hemsworth clan were looking after Sharing a picture to Instagram Elsa stood in front of a brick fireplace and cradled the joey in her arms. 'Rescue joey. Such a cutie!!' the 43-year-old model and actress captioned the image. The genetically blessed couple have also thrown their support behind the 'Koala Comeback Campaign'. Posting identical photos to their Instagram accounts posing with photographer David Yarrow, they encouraged followers to buy a powerful image he'd shot of a koala who'd survived a bushfire that ripped through its habitat. Worthy cause: Elsa has also joined the 'Koala Comeback Campaign'. By purchasing a powerful image by photographer David Yarrow, 50 per cent of funds will go towards Earth Alliance's Australia Wildfire Fund 'Join me today in becoming a Koala Hero by supporting the #koalacomeback Campaign!' the Avengers star encouraged his followers, letting them know that 50 per cent of funds will go towards Earth Alliance's Australia Wildfire Fund. The superfit couple's other bushfire relief efforts included auctioning off a personal training session and donating $1million to firefighters and residents affected. The couple live in Byron Bay with their children India Rose, seven, and twins Tristan and Sasha, five. College-aged voters in Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo and East Lansing formed long lines in local clerks offices on Monday and Tuesday, taking advantage of Michigans first-ever election with same-day registration. Emma Walters is registered in Saline, but was in line to change her registration to East Lansing so she could vote where she lives now. She got in line around 4 p.m. and was still waiting at 5 p.m. Without same-day registration, she said, I would have had to drive home, and that would have been a lot more difficult." She plans to cast a ballot for Bernie Sanders, who is vying with Joe Biden and long-shot candidate Tulsi Gabbard in Michigans Democratic primary. Also in line around 5 p.m. Tuesday was Maddie Simmons, a freshman at MSU who is excited to vote in her first presidential election. Ive already been registered, Im just trying to switch my location, she said. The scene in East Lansing was lively as young voters chatted with others in line and filled out forms, balancing them against walls. It was one of several college towns where students rushed to register and vote. In Kalamazoo on Tuesday, there were also a lot of young people in line. Related: Young voters wait in long line to same-day register, vote in Kalamazoo Chase Knapp, 21, walked out of Kalamazoo City Hall before 4 p.m. after casting a ballot for Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential primary. I feel like the younger voter turnout Im seeing is really good and Bernie is a part of that, Knapp said. He waited in line for about 45 minutes to vote, and said the line was much longer when he left the building. There were also long lines in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, and on Monday as people sought to spoil their previous absentee vote before the 4 p.m. Monday deadline. Miye Nakashima, a UM grad student from California who waited in line to register and vote on Monday, said she came in person after having trouble registering to vote online. It wouldnt let me proceed since I didnt have a Michigan drivers license, even though I have my Social Security number, so it just wouldnt work, she said. Related: UM students scramble to register to vote, form long lines in Ann Arbor Washtenaw County Deputy Clerk Ed Golembiewskisaid everybody in line by 8 p.m. will be allowed to register and vote. So far at least 1220 voters have registered today in Washtenaw County including 812 in the City of Ann Arbor, 127 at Ypsilanti Township and 82 at the City of Ypsilanti, the jurisdictions with the largest election day registration, he said. Eastern Michigan University is located in Ypsilanti. Not everybody had time to wait in line. In East Lansing, a man who gave only his first name, Steve, said he came twice to the East Lansing City Clerk to register and cast a ballot, but each time the line was too long. I came here and the line was extremely long, he said. ... we just came back and the line is twice as long, and the people we were standing in line with are still standing in line two hours later." Sanders, who enjoys support from young voters, said in a statement after 7 p.m. Tuesday the long lines were an outrage. At a time when Democrats correctly attack Republicans for voter suppression, it is disappointing to see people standing in long lines for hours today waiting to vote in Michigan and around the country. People should not have to miss a day of work to exercise their right to vote. This is an outrage. Election officials must address these problems immediately, and if necessary, keep polling places open longer," he said. Polling places are open until 8 p.m. Voters who are in line by 8 p.m. can vote. Michigan residents now can register to vote up to and including Election Day. You must go to your city or township election office before 8 p.m. Tuesday to register, and you can vote at the same time. To be eligible to vote, the person must be a U.S. citizen age 18 or older. To verify residency, the person must present a Michigans drivers license, state identification card, current utility bill, a bank statement, a pay check, a government check or current government document. The document must have the persons name and current address. The polls are open until 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 10. MLive Reporters Ryan Stanton and Brad Devereaux contributed to this report. Related stories: Two weeks ago Bernie Sanders was the front-runner. Now hes the underdog in must-win Michigan Michigan voters at the polls: 'Making sure my vote is counted Final Michigan primary results may not be available until early afternoon Wednesday New election rules complicate predictions on Michigan primary vote turnout With narrowed presidential primary field, some Michigan voters wonder When is it going to be our turn? 5 things to watch in Tuesdays Michigan primary results Who is on the Michigan presidential primary ballot? Democrats and Republicans clash on March 10 The big question for Michigan Democrats: Is Biden or Sanders more likely to beat Trump? Michigan election is Tuesday, and its not just a presidential primary Bernie Sanders urges college supporters to vote at Ann Arbor rally before Michigan primary 5 things to watch in Tuesdays Michigan primary results San Antonio civic leaders have expressed concerns about the federal quarantine process since the first evacuees landed in the city. On Monday, Mayor Ron Nirenberg labeled the dysfunction "simply stunning" in an interview with the Washington Post. "Its disconcerting," said Nirenberg. "Throughout the course of this, what I've seen is that the lack of coordination at the highest levels of this presidents administration is simply stunning." The Post noted that Texas is one of three states (along with California and Georgia) that has accepted evacuees from China and cruise ships. Local officials in all three areas told the newspaper they have been blindsided by sudden requests and exasperated by haphazard protocols. The Alamo City earned an ignominious honor, even among that group. BRACKET MADNESS: Pick teams before the college basketball tournament starts for a chance to win $1,000 "No place has had a more disturbing experience than San Antonio," the Post writes. City officials were told the first evacuees would be confined to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland and pose no danger to residents. Federal officials did not tell them Lackland was refusing to house any evacuee who tested positive for the virus. When the plane landed, San Antonio authorities learned one person was sick and they were expected to care for her. READ MORE: 5 things to know as San Antonio officials decide whether to cancel Fiesta or not Nirenberg told the Post that getting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials to talk "was like getting a diamond out of coal. Everyone continued to point up. They weren't being empowered to make decisions locally." The mayor noted he was concerned that standards appear to differ from state to state. "The standard we ought to be going with is that of the medical professionals, not the federal bureaucracy," Nirenberg said. This story was updated on Wednesday, March 11 to reflect the most up to date travel advice. As the ever-expanding coronavirus outbreak prompts vast restrictions some unprecedented globally, international tourism has been sent into complete disarray. In a drastic move on Monday (local time), Italys prime minister Giuseppe Conte announced a lockdown of the entire country as the virus continues to spread. And as the number of cases in dozens of other countries continue to soar, experts are warning similar restrictions in other regions and countries are imminent. Such restrictions have meant the immediate and future travel plans of hundreds of thousands of Australians have been put into serious doubt, with many questioning if travelling is worth it, if it puts their health at risk or even if theyre allowed to enter the country. As coronavirus continues to spread globally, travel advice continues to change. Source: Getty The COVID-19 outbreak has had an unprecedented impact on global travel, travel insurance expert Natalie Ball, director at Comparetravelinsurance.com.au, told Yahoo News Australia. As Italy experiences a staggering death toll of 463 and 9,000 confirmed cases, those headed to the region are querying whether travel insurance will cover any issues related to coronavirus. Can I still travel to Italy? On Tuesday, the Australian governments Smartraveller updated its advice for Italy following the countrys national lockdown. Advice for large parts of Italys north, including Milan and Venice, was upgraded to Do not travel from Reconsider travel. This includes the region of Lombardy and the provinces of Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Reggio nell' Emilia, Rimini, Pesaro and Urbino, Alessandria, Asti, Novara, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Vercelli, Padova, Treviso, and Venezia. Before Tuesday, advice for the rest of the country was to exercise a high degree of caution, however this was later upgraded to Reconsider travel. Story continues On an enjoyment level, travel inside of Italy has been drastically reduced, meaning anyone planning on touring the coastline, for example, would be left disappointed. And with bars and restaurants under tight restrictions as well as tourist attractions now visitor-free, the holiday might not be what was first envisaged when you chose the country for your dream trip. You can still enter and leave Italy if you need to. Airports are open, but expect travel disruptions, Smartraveler says. An armed guard outside the closed off Duomo di Milano . Source: Getty As the situation continues to evolve were encouraging customers to stay-up-to date with global events, Ms Ball said. Any elderly travellers or people with underlying health problems should contact their doctor before travel. On Wednesday, Australia added Italy to its list of countries which it was banning incoming passengers from at airports. The ban will come into effect as of 6PM on Wednesday. Australian citizens are exempt from the ban but will be forced into a two-week self-quarantine on return if they have spent time in Italy. Am I covered by insurance and can I change my travel plans? For most travel insurance cover, it depends when it was purchased. On January 23, the Department of Foreign Affairs made its first announcement of the risk of travel amid the outbreak, making it a known event for insurers. According to Choice, the majority of insurers cover certain elements of pandemics or epidemics if the policy was purchased before it became a known event. However if it was purchased after DFATs action, most insurers will not cover anything related to the virus. If you contract coronavirus abroad and need immediate care, the majority of insurers will cover immediate treatment if your insurance was purchased before the cut-off date. When it comes to claiming cancellation costs however, Choice revealed less than half of insurers covered cancellations as a result of pandemic or epidemic, even before the known event was established. Trying to find an insurance policy to cover for cancellations related to coronavirus now is near impossible, unless you splash out on a Cancel for any reason policy. This will cover you for up to 75 per cent of cancellation costs up to $10,000 but must be purchased within 48 hours of paying for flights and accomodation. If youre unsure about any upcoming travel plans, do your due diligence and check your insurers fineprint to ensure whats covered under your policy, Ms Ball said. See if you can postpone any travel dates and invest in refundable, flexible tickets. And always check DFATs travel advisories before moving forward. Travel into Australia has been restricted from certain countries. Source: AAP If it gets to the point where your holiday is no longer viable, Ms Ball noted most travel service providers will try to accomodate changes or cancellations. Many travel service providers are offering penalty-free options for customers to amend or cancel their travel arrangements due to coronavirus. Check to see what you are entitled to before contacting your insurer, she explained to Yahoo News Australia. Several airlines, including Qantas and Emirates, are allowing customers to change flights free of charge, however there are restrictions on when the flights are booked and the date of departure. Given the changing global landscape, we are offering our customers flexibility when they book, Qantas announced. Is it safe to travel to anywhere in Asia? The government is currently advising for Australians to not travel to China or Iran at all. While Chinas rise in cases has plateaued, it still has by far the largest amount of confirmed cases more than 80,000. Iran has over 7000 cases and 237 confirmed deaths. Anyone wanting to travel to South Korea (7,478 cases) should reconsider their need to travel, while those visiting Japan (511 cases) and Mongolia need to exercise a high degree of caution. The Australian government has implemented a travel ban on South Korea, Iran and China and any Australian who travels to the countries will be subject to a mandatory 14-day isolation on their return, Smartraveller says. It also warns travellers to Japan could be subject to a quarantine period, which can be implemented for other countries at short notice. However Ms Ball noted all other Asian destinations are open, and while she notes the situation can easily change, travellers mustnt be fooled by misinformation about other countries across the continent. Misinformation can run rampant during pandemics which is why its best to stick to authoritative resources, she told Yahoo News Australia. She advised travellers to seek travel advice regularly from the World Health Organisation and Smartraveller. Should I avoid all overseas cruises? It has been a turbulent time for the cruise line industry amid the coronavirus outbreak, with several high-profile vessels sent into lockdown and quarantined, most notably the Diamond Princess where six people died in an outbreak and hundreds more contracted the virus. The Diamond Princess docked in Yokohama. Source: AP And despite drastic measures implemented by cruise liners to deny passengers who have been to China, Hong Kong, Macau, Iran, South Korea or Italy 14 days prior to boarding, Smartraveller has advised Australians, particularly the elderly or those with underlying health concerns, to reconsider boarding cruises. There have been instances of cruise ships being put into quarantine, countries preventing disembarkation of ships or denying entry to ports, Smartraveller says. Disruptions to cruise ship itineraries due to COVID-19 can have significant consequences for travellers. Smartraveller notes individuals could not rely on the government to guarantee their return if an outbreak of coronavirus occurred. 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 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. Photograph: Guillermo Arias/AFP via Getty Images As rush-hour began on Monday morning, there were no ticket-sellers in Mexico City subway stations. Nor were there female tellers at many of the banks. Nail salons, massage parlors, and hairdressers closed. And in cities across the country, far fewer women were on the streets than on an ordinary day. Countless thousands of women and girls across Mexico have joined a historic strike to protest against the countrys startling rates of gender-based violence and the governments failure to respond to the crisis in which more than ten women are murdered every day. From factories along the Rio Grande to businesses in the capital and offices in cities near the Guatemalan border, women and girls joined the unprecedented protest, billed as a Day Without Women. The strike sent a clear message to Mexican society, said Sandra Reyes, 33, a biologist at the National Cancer Institute, who was one of at least 80,000 people who joined the countrys largest ever womens march on Sunday. In some ways, its a taunt: if you do not want us out here in the streets, well disappear, she said. Many marchers on Sunday expressed frustration with the countrys federal and state authorities: most murder cases go unsolved, and families often search for the missing on their own. Elsa Arista Gonzalez, who founded a Facebook group to report disappearances and abuse in the city of Nezahualcoyotl, in Mexico state, said that people were fed up with the impunity. Thousands of women march against gender-based violence in Cancun, Mexico Sunday. Photograph: Alonso Cupul/EPA We used to be able to walk home from school alone, and leave open the door to your house. Not anymore, said Arista Gonzalez, 40, a law student and coffee shop employee. Weve become used to living in fear. But many protesters have reserved particular fury for the current president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who took office in December 2018 on a promise of sweeping change, but has shown little interest in the issue of violence against women. The president, popularly known as Amlo, has attributed femicides to the neoliberal policies of previous governments and repeatedly suggested that the womens protests are part of a rightwing plot against him. Story continues Related: Mexico: activists voice anger at Amlo's failure to tackle 'femicide emergency' On Monday, he repeated the allegation, saying that women were free to protest, but claiming that some wanted our administration to fail. For a whole year, this government has responded with promises to the peoples demands. But the situation for women has not improved. Women are facing the same kinds of violence as before and the country has become even more militarized. Nothing has changed, said Alejandra Santamaria, 28, a law professor. Though some women continued to work in shops, cafes, and restaurants often for fear of being docked pay far fewer women than usual were riding the subway to work. The strike has given us the chance to challenge our labor conditions. The question is whether well be able to keep up the social pressure, said Nelida Reyes Guzman, 56, a striking metro worker. Many businesses supported the strike and told their female employees to stay at home, and some women worried that the backing of mainstream politicians and major business had diluted some of its ideological force. But others argued that the such support merely showed the strength of the womens cause. Without us, all of this collapses, said Paula Leon Garcia, 33, the director of one of the closed branches of BBVA Bancomer, Mexicos largest bank. Womens strikes have been held previously in Argentina and Chile, as well as Poland and Spain. But Amneris Chaparro, a researcher at the gender studies center at the National Autonomous University, said Mexico had never before had a major womens strike despite its long tradition of labor and student activism. But the spiraling death toll of women and girls targeted for their gender and a horrific recent string of high-profile crimes has inspired new passion in the countrys womens movement. Every day we have more evidence that they are killing us specifically for being women, said Maria de la Luz Estrada, the executive coordinator of the National Citizen Observatory on Femicide. If this government wants a transformation of this county, they have to face the problem. AMSTERDAM, MUNICH and BOSTON, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- LSP, the leading life sciences investor in Europe, is pleased to announce that it has held its final close of LSP 6 at the $600 million hard cap. This is the largest fund ever raised in Europe focused on life sciences ventures. LSP currently has $1.1 billion of capital to invest across LSP 6, the LSP Health Economics Fund and LSP's public fund and mandates. LSP 6 will, like its predecessor funds, invest in 15-18, predominantly European private companies developing new medications or medical technologies, who turn cutting-edge scientific innovations into real-world healthcare solutions. Due to strong investor demand LSP was able to raise $600 million, significantly more than the fund's $450 million target. The success of the fundraise was mainly driven by LSP's outstanding 32-year track record. In addition, investors recognized the potential of the large and fast-growing market opportunity in Europe for life sciences companies. LSP is ideally positioned to capitalize on this growth given its leading role in building European companies. The firm has built over 120 companies, many of which have brought breakthrough new medications or technologies to patients in large indications such as oncology, cardiology or diabetes, but also in rare diseases. LSP's active portfolio companies are engaged in more than 100 clinical trials, comparable to the pipeline of the largest global pharmaceutical companies. LSP 6 attracted capital from a diverse investor base including pension funds, insurance companies, wealth managers, government funds* and family offices. Most notably, LSP has commitments from Bristol Myers Squibb and Otsuka Pharmaceutical, validating LSP's pivotal market position. "We thank our loyal investors for their continued trust in LSP. Our track record, our long standing in the industry, as well as our stable and experienced team of 30 professionals have helped us raise this significant amount. The number of high-quality life sciences innovations in Europe is similar to the United States but there is 5x less capital available to back these innovators and entrepreneurs. With our new fund we can significantly contribute to the growth of our industry and ensure that European innovations get to patients faster," says Rene Kuijten, Managing Partner of LSP. About LSP LSP's management has raised $2.5 billion since it started to invest in the life sciences in 1988. The group has offices in Amsterdam, Munich and Boston. Alongside LSP 6, the firm is investing from its $300 million Health Economics Fund and its $200 million public fund and mandates. Among LSP's signature deals are argenx, Crucell, KuDOS, Movetis, Neuravi, Okairos, Prosensa, Qiagen and Zealand Pharma. In addition, LSP is an active contributor to the life sciences industry through roles as founder and board member of the Oncode Institute, board member of both the German and Dutch private equity and venture capital associations, initiator of the Dutch Venture Initiative (DVI), as well as board member or advisor to a number of European technology transfer institutes and government bodies such as Health~Holland. Campbell Lutyens acted as global placement advisor for LSP 6. *Among others the European Investment Fund (EIF). The capital invested by EIF in LSP 6 originates (amongst others) from the European Recovery Programme (ERP) - EIF Facility, the LfA - EIF Facility 2, and the EIB-Risk Capital Resources mandate - EIF Facility. Late Monday evening, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the extension of Sundays partial quarantine orders for northern Italy to the entire country. The decision came after 1,797 new coronavirus cases and 97 deaths from the disease were recorded in Italy, bringing the total to 9,172 cases and 463 deathsamid a surge of contagion across Europe with 557 new cases in Spain, 203 in France and 184 in Germany. Contes announcement came as prison riots exploded across northern Italy after authorities cut off family visitation rights, ostensibly to keep inmates from catching the disease from their families. Inmates families also protested outside prisons against the authorities refusal to release prisoners or provide them with any protection from contagion inside overcrowded prisons. The Conte government sent police and army units to violently crack down on the prisoners, killing six. Inmates stage a protest against new rules to cope with coronavirus emergency, including the suspension of relatives' visits, on the roof of the San Vittore prison in Milan, Italy, Monday, March 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) Reading prepared remarks, Conte said: The numbers tell us we are having an important growth of infections, of people hospitalized in intensive and sub-intensive care, and unfortunately of the deceased. Our habits therefore need to change. They need to change now. I demand even more stringent, stronger measures immediately. I am about to sign a measure that we can summarize as I stay at home. There will no longer be a red zone on the Italian peninsula. All of Italy will be in the emergency zone. Authorities are imposing a draconian regime. All Italian schools, universities, museums and large public events are to be closed until April, all travel other than for urgent health- or work-related reasons is banned, and bars and restaurants are only allowed to remain open if they ensure a minimum distance is maintained between all clients. These measures, which previously applied to 16 million people, are to be extended to Italys entire 60.5 million population in a desperate attempt to halt the spread of the virus. The devastation of Italys health system by decades of European Union (EU) austerity and state authorities initial, careless response to the coronavirus are having horrific consequences. The speed of the diseases spread is overtaking Contes inadequate pledges to get 8 billion to fight it, and hospitals are rationing care as they are overflowed with more coronavirus patients in critical condition than they have respirators to keep them alive. Giorgio, a doctor in Brescia near Milan, told the French daily Liberation the situation is terrible, people outside do not realize it. He explained, Initially when the first few patients arrived, we did not understand how grave the situation was. We greeted them without masks. Since then, we wear them, and with gloves and protective overalls. I live apart from my family. But then a few days later, the number of Covid-19 patients exploded. They took over a quarter of the beds, then half, now almost all. Doctors now tell coronavirus patients to return home and wait to see whether their pneumonia symptoms become severethat is, requiring a hospital stay for oxygenation or emergency ventilation. Patients in critical condition, who are now flooding hospitals and being put even in hospital corridors, receive emergency antimalarial drugs or antiviral drugs usually prescribed for AIDS. However, approximately 5 percent of patients do not respond to this treatment and require emergency ventilation to survive. Initially hospitals would treat everyone who developed critical symptoms, Giorgio told Liberation, but now, we only send the youngest patients. The anesthesiologists are asking us not to send them aged patients whom they will unsuccessfully ventilate for 15 to 20 days. Initially, the cut-off was 80 years old. Now, given the deterioration and the seriousness of the situation, it is 70 and anyone with other pathologies. This provokes opposition from doctors, he noted, but in practice, directors of hospitals with resources for more intensive care refuse to take our older patients. Giorgio said there are one or two deaths each day in his hospital, leading him to ask whether the number of dead is very greatly under-reported. He added, In my ward, there are 11 doctors, two of us have fever. I was tested Tuesday, I have not gotten my result yet. Probably we all have the virus. But we do not have symptoms yet, and given the medical emergency, we must all continue to work. These conditions, which trample basic social rights such as the right to medical care and the right to safe working conditions, expose the bankruptcy of capitalism. They are the product of EU policies imposed for decades over opposition in the working class to enrich the Italian and European financial aristocracy. These have stripped public hospitals to the bone and left them unprepared for a major epidemic, nearly two decades after the first 2002-2003 SARS epidemic made clear that coronavirus epidemics pose a major threat. Aggressive quarantines imposed in China bought time for the rest of the world to prepare for the arrival of the virus, and have largely brought the epidemic under control in China. However, governments across Europe have failed miserably: health staff across the continent were left unprepared and vulnerable to the spread of the disease. Another population at enormous risk are detainees in prisons or refugee camps. Forty-two prisons in Italy have an overcrowding rate of over 150 percent, leaving inmates desperately vulnerable to a highly contagious, deadly and untreatable disease like the coronavirus. After Iran released 70,000 inmates in an attempt to prevent the spread of coronavirus in its prisons, prison inmates in at least 27 facilities across the Italian peninsula protested this weekend and yesterday to demand their freedom and the right to see their families. The Italian government responded with a bloody crackdown. On Saturday, 200 prisoners barricaded themselves on the roof of a prison in Salerno, near Naples; protests then spread to Poggioreale, Pavia, Frosinone, Vercelli, Alessandria, Foggia, Modena, and beyond. Prisoners in Milans San Vittore prison wrote pardon on a sheet they waved aloft on the prisons roof. Army troops and Carabinieri military police assaulted protesting inmates who tried to flee Saint Anna penitentiary in Modena, at the heart of the zone worst hit by the coronavirus, killing six. One inmates wife wrote to the prisoners rights group Antigone to warn: Should the virus make its way to those cold walls, it would be the end. My husband has health problems, the prison is small and there are twice as many people staying there as its made for. One falling ill would be enough to infect the rest of the inmates. Others whose loved ones have almost finished their prison sentences appealed for an early release from unsanitary prisons where many diseases are already circulating. New Hope, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/10/2020 -- Fizzics, the creator and distributor of the Fizzics DraftPour, a revolutionary portable beer dispenser that uses patented technology to transform any bottle or can of beer into a perfectly-textured, nitro-style libation fit for any celebration, including St. Patrick's Day. St. Patrick's Day has long been associated with beer and alcohol. Still, for the majority of the Common Era, it has been first and foremost a Catholic feast day and a celebration of Irish culture, traditions, and pride. St. Patrick was a 5th-century missionary who came to Ireland from Britain to convert the pagan Irish peoples to Christianity. He is also known as the expeller of snakes from Ireland, although that legend is more of a metaphor for the saint's expelling of evil paganism (the snake) from the island. Initially, March 17 was a Catholic feast day commemorating St. Patrick's death, the celebration of which included mass, a modest feast, and no alcohol. More than a century after the first observance of St. Patrick's Day in North America occurred in 1600, the holiday took hold in Boston and then spread to New York, Philadelphia, and the rest of the country. The pubs in Dublin may have been closed on this feast day; however, during the Potato Famine of 1835, Irish Catholics joined the predominantly protestant Irish population across the pond, bringing their Lenten restrictions with them. Of course, since St. Patrick's Day was a feast day, those restrictions on food and drink were loosened, making beer and whiskey consumption commonplace on this day. Today, Americans of all backgrounds celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a tasty beer. Beer drinkers who would like to upgrade their bottles and cans of beer on this holiday can enjoy 20% off select Fizzics DraftPour models and with free shipping when they enter promotional code "LUCKY20" at checkout. Learn more at https://www.fizzics.com/ About Fizzics Featuring their patented Micro-Foam technology, Fizzics offers a truly one-of-a-kind beer drinking experience. Fizzics beer dispenser converts any beer, including IPAs, pilsners, brown ales, stouts, and more into a nitro-style draft beer. Not only does DraftPour improve beer's flavor, but it also enhances its aroma and mouthfeel. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Mar. 10 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Turkey's export of chemical products to Azerbaijan increased by 14.37 percent and amounted to $49.4 million from January 2020 through February 2020, Trend reports with reference to the Turkish Trade Ministry. Turkey's export of chemical products to Azerbaijan amounted to $27.2 million in February 2020, showing an increase of 16.41 percent compared to February 2019. From January 2020 through February 2020, Turkeys export of chemical to world markets increased by 1 percent compared to the same period of 2019, and amounted to $3.2 billion. Turkeys export of chemical in February 2020 amounted to 10.3 percent of the country's total export. In February 2020, Turkey's export of chemical products to world markets amounted to $1.5 billion, which is 7.8 percent less compared to February 2019. According to the ministry, Turkeys export of chemical products amounted to $20.6 billion from February 2019 through February 2020. Turkey's foreign trade turnover in Jan. 2020 amounted to $33.9 billion. In Jan. 2020, Turkey's export increased by 6.4 percent compared to Jan. 2019 and amounted to $14.8 billion. Turkey's import increased by 18.8 percent in Jan. 2020 compared to Jan. 2019, amounting to $19.2 billion. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu A man described to gardai how his wife struggled to breathe as he strangled her after she came home from a night out, his murder trial has heard. Rafal Karaczyn also told gardai that he dropped his wife's body on the kitchen floor while he was bringing her to the boot of her car as her body was too heavy, the jury heard. He also said that, at one point while moving her body, he heard a noise "like knocking" coming from the boot, the court heard. The jury also heard how the murder accused texted his wife "you are not free and you will not do whatever you want" several months before he strangled her. Rafal Karaczyn (34), of Crozon Park, Co Sligo, has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of his wife Natalia Karaczyn (30), at their family home between April 29, 2018 and May 1, 2018. The court has previously heard Ms Karaczyn returned home from a night out at 6.23am on Sunday, April 29, 2018, after she had been in the company of another man whom she met in a pub the night before. Ms Karaczyn and Mr Karaczyn were separated at the time of her death, but were still living in the same house with their three sons. At the Central Criminal Court yesterday, Dara Foynes SC, for the DPP, read from the notes of the eighth and final Garda interview with Mr Karaczyn on May 2, 2018, in which he admitted he had strangled his wife after she returned from a night out. Speaking to Detective Garda Paul Casey and Detective Garda Pauline O'Neill, at Ballymote garda station, Mr Karaczyn told them: "I would like to admit for killing her." Mr Karaczyn went on to tell the gardai he woke up when Ms Karaczyn closed the door in the "little room" after she came home from a night out. The accused told gardai that after waking, he asked Ms Karaczyn "where are you been?" He told gardai he then went into the room and asked again. He said she slapped him twice and he then strangled her. He said he felt her slide down and then he lay down with her for 10 minutes. Mr Karaczyn told gardai: "I am very sorry I did it. I really, really loved her I can't to forgive on myself." Det Gda O'Neill told Ms Foynes that, during the interview, Mr Karaczyn put both of his hands around his own throat by way of explaining to gardai how he strangled her. When asked what he intended to do with his hands, Mr Karaczyn said: "I don't remember. I didn't want to kill her. I don't know what was with me this time." The jury heard that when gardai asked Mr Karaczyn if he could describe any emotion he felt as he was strangling her, he said he could tell gardai he felt "very big regret and grief". Mr Karaczyn told gardai that Ms Karaczyn "took" his hands as he was strangling her because she couldn't take a breath of air. Asked if he injured her in any other way, he said he carried her body like a child to the car but "she was too heavy" and her back hit the kitchen floor tiles after he dropped her. Yesterday afternoon, Bernard Condon SC, for the prosecution, read out text messages between Ms Karaczyn and Mr Karaczyn going back to March 2017, and Facebook messages going back to December 2017. The jury heard that over the last year of Ms Karaczyn's life, she repeatedly told Mr Karaczyn to stop texting her, to leave her alone and to move out of their family home. It also heard Mr Karaczyn repeatedly tell her that he loved her, that he wanted to fix their marital problems, that he wanted her forgiveness and that he would change. The court heard that almost a year before she died, he texted her "I will never let harm be done to you we have to get back together and be a family", to which she replied: "Don't tell me what I have to do." The trial continues. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More As production plants across China struggle with supplies due to the coronavirus outbreak, the market leader of electric buses in India is confident of meeting delivery deadlines. Olectra Greentech, which has bagged contracts to supply 735 electric buses to nine cities in India, said it was on track to deliver all the buses before December even if the production in China remained impacted for the next two months. Speaking to Moneycontrol, N Naga Satyam, Executive Director - Olectra Greentech, said, The impact of coronavirus is not at all there for us as of now. This is certainly one of the major concerns of everyone. If the situation continues for long there will surely be an impact. We dont have a complete electric mobility components set up in India. Some of the major ones like batteries and motors and other controls are still imported. The Secunderabad-based Olectra sources bus chassis from Chinese firm BYD, one of the largest electric bus manufacturers in the world. The body of the bus is erected by the BSE-listed Olectra Greentech. The alliance has bagged the maximum number of electric bus orders based on tenders floated by the government. Since the outbreak of the virus in China, there has been uncertainty in the Indian auto sector about the production getting impacted. Even Olectra's shares have suffered. From Rs 177 on January 15, the stock is down nearly 50 percent to Rs 90 on March 9, on the BSE Big contract We have won a contract to supply 735 buses. We are going to enter nine new cities and all of whom are going to deploy electric buses for the first time. We have more than 30 percent share of all contracts awarded by the government. We are the market leaders as of now, added Naga Satyam. These fully-electric buses of different sizes have to be delivered before December to cities including Surat, Bhopal and Indore. Some of its 9-meter and 12-meter buses costing anywhere between Rs 1.5Rs 2 crore are already running in Pune and Mumbai. Subsidies on these buses range from Rs 35 lakh to Rs 55 lakh or 40 percent of the cost of the bus. We have time till December 2020, a ten month long window to deliver the buses. If the situation continues for another three months then we have something to worry about, added Naga Satyam. Last week, Tata Motors - Indias biggest commercial vehicle maker - warned that it had parts supplies lasting till the middle of March only. However, the company did not specify if the production of its electric buses or cars would get impacted by the disruption in China. Estimates suggest that Tata Motors is the third-largest winner of new electric bus contracts under the Rs 10,000 crore FAME II (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles) scheme announced by the government in 2019. Mozev, a Gurugram-based electric mobility solutions provider, is also one of the several companies to have won electric bus orders including a 50 bus order from the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC). Sources indicate that there has been no impact of Covid-19 outbreak on operations so far. This is all about the lack of results over the past six months, the deputy claims. Deputy head of the "Servant of the People" pro-president faction enjoying mono-majority in Parliament, Yevhenia Kravchuk, has explained the party's recent decisions regarding the dismissal of Prosecutor General Ruslan Riaboshapka. In an interview with Channel 24, she noted that there had been no order to faction members to vote for the sacking of the prosecutor general. It was a "free vote", she claimed, adding that she also backed the move. "I felt embarrassed when Mr. Riaboshapka didn't stay [after the report to Parliament] for a Q&A session. It seems to me that before he turned around and left, some deputies still had certain doubts. In fact, we did not have a single order like 'you all must vote.' It was a free vote in our faction. The fact that the faction gave 179 of almost 250 votes confirms this," Kravchuk said. Read alsoUkraine's parliament sacks chief prosecutor Riaboshapka "I personally voted in favor. I can quite calmly and reasonably explain this. In general, I would like to address last week's developments. This is not a U-turn. There is such a thing as regrouping during a battle. Now we have regrouped," says the deputy. In her opinion, the prosecutor general and the government [led by Oleksiy Honcharuk] over the past six months failed to show any results. "They could be given another a month or two, but for those who are a bit aware of the situation from the inside, this wouldn't have fundamentally changed things. I believe that six months is enough for both the government and the prosecutor general to show some results," the politician emphasized. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 12:27:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PANAMA CITY, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese ride-hailing platform DiDi Chuxing on Monday announced its launch of operations in Panama as part of its expansion plan in Latin America. According to DiDi's general director for Central America, Pablo Mondragon, Panama will be the company's second Central American market, after Costa Rica, where it began operations in November. The service will initially begin in the capital Panama City, offering users the option to pay in cash or with a credit card, Carolina Murillo, DiDi's head of communications for Central America, said in an interview Monday with local RPC radio. The option to pay in cash, an important feature in a region where many customers don't qualify for credit card accounts, follows a Panamanian Supreme Court decision in December that struck down a ban on cash payments to app-powered transportation services. Panama is a virgin market for DiDi, where American firm Uber and Spain's Cabify have already operated. Omniplex Cinemas have announced that after a thorough risk assessment and analysis of the global cinema market, they will implement In-Cinema Seat Separation as part of their measures to encourage effective Social Distancing in cinemas. Other measures include Self-Scanning of Tickets, increased Cleaning Regimes and Hand Sanitising Stations in every cinema foyer. In-Cinema Seat Separation is the cornerstone of the plan, whereby every second cinema seat will be unoccupied in a checkerboard pattern. Mark Anderson, Director of Omniplex Cinemas said: "In-Cinema Seat Separation will give a one-metre separation between each guest, as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for social distancing. "By reducing our capacity by 50% we hope to give cinemagoers peace of mind when attending the movies." Fully Irish owned by the Anderson family, Omniplex is the largest cinema chain on the island of Ireland, with over 245 screens in 32 locations. The nearest outlets to Co Kildare are in Carlow and in Balbriggan and Rathmines in Dublin. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday announced a one-mile containment zone in New Rochelle, where the first cases of coronavirus in the state were observed. The containment area, which is about three-square-miles, centers around Young Israel of New Rochelle synagogue in New Rochelle, a Westchester County suburb just north of the Bronx, which appears to be where the virus began to spread in New York. New Rochelle, at this point, is probably the largest cluster of these cases in the United States, Cuomo said at a press conference announcing updates on the status of the outbreak. On Thursday, schools in the area and major gathering spaces such as churches and community centers will be shut for two weeks. However, businesses will remain open and no movement restrictions will be put into effect. Youre not containing people. Youre containing facilities, Cuomo said. This is unique in the United States of America. We havent seen this anywhere else, the Democratic governor said. Think about it: New Rochelle has double the amount of cases as New York City. New York will also send the National Guard to disinfect schools, assist with transportation, and provide food to residents who are currently quarantined. New York has a total of 173 confirmed cases of people diagnosed with the coronavirus, 108 of which are in New Rochelle. The state has zero deaths so far and only 36 cases in New York City. New Jersey on Tuesday announced its first death from the epidemic, a man in his 60s. More from National Review A restaurant that sells yeoljeong galbi (that could be translated as "passion ribs") in Namyeong-dong, Seoul. / Korea Times photo by Kim Ji-soo By Kim Ji-soo Large-scale apartment redevelopment projects are fast changing Seoul's landscape. Towering concrete blocks stand in spaces once occupied by small businesses in two-story buildings. In that sense, visiting the neighborhood known as "Yeoljeongdo," or Passion Island, near the former USO building and Namyeong Station in northern Seoul, is like walking into another time zone. Surrounded by 21st century high-rises, Yeoljeongdo has only small buildings that look like they might date back to the late 1970s or 1980s and fill a few of the Namyeong-dong streets. The stores' exteriors mostly exhibit a gritty version of Korea and seem to hark back to a time that only those over 50 may recall. Hearty Korean dishes are to be found on many of the menus here, like roast pork belly and kimchi stew. The area has pork rib restaurants, bakeries with a building structure reminiscent of Korean snack shops frequently seen in the late 1970s. The ambience is similar to that of the supermarket that was featured in the Oscar-winning film "Parasite" by director Bong Joon-ho. On a recent Sunday, a film crew came to the Yeoljeongdo neighborhood to shoot a Netflix drama. The person controlling entry to the alleys said she could not give the title of the drama which will be aired in the United States but she said they chose the street because of the well-known arcade named "Com Com Arcade," which has a collection of classic games, such as Tetris. An old-fashioned arcade featuring classic games such as Tetris. / Korea Times photo by Kim Rahn One of my favorite stories is about the old and wise Indian chief who was sitting outside the teepee when two of his handsome braves were debating the good and the bad of Daylight Saving (no s) Time. Hed listened to their blather long enough to yearn for his late-afternoon gulp of firewater when he ordered one to bring him an old Indian blanket. I want you two knuckleheads to take this blanket, and very carefully cut 12 inches from the top of it. Then take the 12-inch piece you just cut off and then sew it to the bottom of the same blanket when you feel you can successfully convince me that the blanket is longer come back and see me but, until then, why dont you go live among the Sioux? My sentiments exactly. I couldnt tell you how many years it has been that my circadian rhythm takes a whipping every March and I must take a Sunday nap every spring forward day. It isnt giving up an hour of sleep it is as if my circadian rhythm knows what the real time is and, brother, CRB (circadian rhythm blues) is two ticks this side from becoming an acknowledged medical condition. No matter the horrible tornadoes in Nashville, who keeps score of coronavirus deaths, or the idiots who think give free gun carry to everyone in Tennessee, a true constant in life is that every 24 hours there is going to be a sunrise and a sunset. The foremost experts agree All of life on this planet has evolved in alignment with the daily 24 hour pattern of light and dark and as a result the physiological and behavioral processes of all organisms -- including humans -- is synchronized to this 24-hour cycle. The circadian rhythm is simply your bodys biology responding to the external signals of light and dark. When we monkey around with our circadian rhythms, it creates all manner of messes. People who struggle with cluster headaches have an increase during this week every spring and doctors advise to get into sunshine the minute you can every morning. Really. A study in Chronobiology International says miscarriages among women who are undergoing vitro fertilization are higher in the three weeks surrounding the time change than at any other time of the year. That aint happenstance, my friend. Heart attacks? According to the Open Heart medical journal, they found a 25 percent increase in heart attacks the Monday after the spring forward versus every other Monday on the calendar. Whats more in 2016 research presented by the American Academy of Neurology used a Finland study that showed that in the two weeks surrounding the time change in spring and fall, there was an eight percent spike on the day after we set our clocks forward and back. Everyone can recognize low fatigue and the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine is certain the teenagers among us suffer the worst from a lack of sleep. Sandhya Kumar MD is the medical director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Wake Forest and she is certain the time change is hurtful. With the springtime change, you essentially have to go to bed earlier and get up earlier its difficult for many of us to do. Most of us will end up losing 40 to 50 minutes of sleep during the first few days and, in a nation that is significantly sleep deprived to begin with, even that little change can impact health. Daylight Saving Time is actually over 100 years old in the United States when the thought that it would decrease energy use less electricity and other energy conservation but today that is so heavily disputed that the states like California, Texas, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan are saying to heck with Congress, theyre ready to opt out like Arizona. The Uniform Time Act of 1976 standardized the DST across the United States yet in recent years there has been an increased demand to totally do away with it. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla) and Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss) are expected to file a new edition of the Sunshine Protection Act of 2019 this week and there is optimism that Sundays change of time two days ago could be the last time it will ever happened. Since 2018, Tennessee and eight other states have passed legislation for year-round daylight saving time. They are South Carolina, Utah, Arkansas, Delaware, Maine, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington, and Florida. Minnesota will join the group this week and the Kentucky legislature is also begging the vote. In March a year ago President Donald Trump tweeted hes fine with the idea and even more telling, the National Conference of State Legislators is saying lawmakers in a great majority of other states are considering opting out of Daylight Saving Time. In Alaskas Yukon Territory, 93 percent of the voters have just decided to stay on DST year-round while the European Union soundly debunked DS States with pending DST legislation. Other states intent on doing away with Daylight Saving Time, per pending legislation, are Alabama, Alaska, California (California already voted to make DST permanent in 2018 but proposed another bill in 2019 seeking federal authorization), Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah (Utah also passed a resolution in 2019 urging Congress to amend federal DST), Vermont, Washington state (Washington also passed a bill in 2019 to follow Pacific Daylight Time year-round if Congress OKs it.), West Virginia, and Wyoming. With at least seven Americans against Daylight Saving Time and a total of 40-of-50 states eager to strike out on this issue alone, Im telling you that the DST time has come and gone. No more depression in the fall, no Circadian Rhythm Blues in the spring kindness is right around the corner, just over the next small hill. Hurray for sweet, blessed relief. royexum@aol.com In the Soil of Cyprus, Clues to an Empire Reed students dig for artifacts that could shed light on the world of Alexander the Great. By Randall S. Barton | Its one thing to dust off the classics, quite another to get your fingers in the dirt. Last summer, Prof. Thomas Landvatter [classics 2015] led six students on an archaeological dig at the Vigla Archaeological Project in Cyprus, supported in part by the Walter Englert Classics Student Opportunity Fund and the Rumpakis-Dussin Fund. The Reed team sought clues to the far-flung turmoil sparked by the death in 323 BCE of Alexander the Great, whose sudden demise plunged the ancient Mediterranean into political chaos, splitting his sprawling empire into rival factions as individual city-states scrambled to establish alliances and fend off invaders. The general vicinity around the village of Pyla was first identified as a place of interest in 2003, following the discovery of pottery from the early Hellenistic period. In the course of test excavations to see what lay underground, archaeologists discovered Viglaa short-lived military fort from around the end of the fourth century BCE, the time of Alexander the Great and his successors. The site, a plateau somewhat larger than Reeds Great Lawn, is surrounded by evidence of fortification walls, and its soil abounds in pottery, bronze arrowheads, iron spear points, and sling bullets. Its straightforward stratigraphy and limited occupation provide ideal conditions for learning the basics of archaeological methodology. Excavations at Vigla are codirected by Prof. Landvatter and Prof. Brandon Olson, a faculty member at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Our interest is the period immediately following the death of Alexander the Great, when Cypruss political situation shifted from a collection of semi-independent city-kingdoms to province of a Hellenistic empire, Landvatter said. This early part of the Hellenistic period (32330 BCE) is poorly understood archaeologically, especially the mechanisms by which the eastern Mediterranean came under the control of various Hellenistic monarchs. We are interested in whether the occupants of the fort were foreign mercenaries, connected primarily with wider Mediterranean trade networks, or soldiers in the employ of co-opted local elites. Because towns and cities tended to be occupied well into the Roman period, archaeological data from this early Hellenistic period has often been obliterated. This site gives us an opportunity to look at a very critical period of transition in really nice detail in a way we havent really been able to elsewhere, Landvatter said. We are extremely fortunate at Reed to have access to such an amazing site, and I could not pass up the opportunity to work there, said Duncan Feiges 20, a classics major with a history and archaeology concentration. It was a chance to see the other side of the work that we have been looking at in the classroom. Rising early in the morning, students headed out to the site at about 6:30 a.m. and began cleaning up around 2:30 p.m. to avoid the intense heat of the day. The Reed team dug three trenches, with excavations proceeding in reverse order of depositionin other words, the most recent thing laid down is the first taken out. All the excavation was done by hand. Students loosened topsoil with pickaxes and trowels, pulled the soil into buckets with hoes, and then ferried and sifted the soil. The top layer, from when the site was farmland, contained primarily plow linesripples left by the plow. Yeim Yilmaz 20 holds a Hellenistic lamp found in the excavation unit. The topsoil is all modern, Landvatter explained. Its not of concern to us, though everything is recorded. You slow down when you get to more delicate layers, representative of actual ancient deposition. As they proceeded downward, the team took note of changes in soil color, textures, and inclusions that could point to distinct past events. Was the number of rocks in the soil changing? Were more bits of pottery suddenly being uncovered? Objects were scooped into a dustpan with brushes, photographed, and their elevation points recorded with a GPS unit. The work was definitely exhausting, Duncan said. Crouching and kneeling on stones or dirt for several hours a day really does a number on your legs. Aside from the occasional use of larger hand tools to rapidly remove layers of sediment, most of the work was actually rather delicate and precise. As such, it was not always backbreaking in the traditional sense, but often left us sore from sitting in the same position for hours. We certainly went to bed tired. I have never slept as well as I did the first weeks of the dig, said Maia Shideler 20. Reed doesnt often give you an opportunity to work with your hands. The satisfaction and sense of purpose that digging conveyed was astounding. In the largest trench (5 by 5 meters), the crew found bullet casings near the surface, probably owing to the military conflict that raged across the island in 1974. One side of the trench faced the ocean, where the plateau was worn down by the ocean breeze. Roughly 50 centimeters down, students found loom weights (ceramic triangles with holes in them) and other materials from the Hellenistic era. While evidence of weaving industries may seem unusual for a fort, it is possible that soldiers would have needed to produce their own cloth. In the middle trench, pottery first appeared as irregular sherds; the number of artifacts and quality of preservation increased as time went on. Sling bulletsdense lead shots propelled from slingswere uncovered along with plates, coins, and large, well-preserved pieces of pottery. We excavated a small echinus bowl, which was intact and in situ on the floor, Duncan recalled. I was glad for the chance to stand on an ancient site and handle materials that had been untouched by human hands since they were left over 2,000 years ago. They also found little coins that had been abandoned centuries ago. It was pocket change, like someone dropped a penny and just walked off, Landvatter explained. Theyre low-value bronze coins, but once theyre cleaned up, you can date them relatively well. You know that everything at the level you find the coin had to have been abandoned after that date. Antiquities become the property of the Cypriot government and are taken to a storage facility associated with the local archaeological museum. Pottery is cleaned, categorized, and dated. Metal objects like coins and arrowheads are photographed, cataloged, and sent to a museum in Nicosia for conservation and processing. My favorite activity was certainly washing our finds, Maia said. I was lucky enough to process one of our major artifacts, a perfectly intact bowl. The feeling of holding a piece of history, newly coaxed up from the ground and shedding the last of millennia-old dirt, was nearly indescribable. The students enthusiasm never flagged. They were all up and ready to go at 6:30 in the morning, and there was very little standing around, Landvatter said. They would ask, Is there anything else I can do? and then just do it. They were totally into it. Id ask them, Are you still liking this? and they would reply, Oh my god, this is the most fun Ive had in years. In addition to working the dig, students toured the country, visiting sites dating from the Bronze Age to the Roman period. Wandering between rows of baked white houses as we searched the skyline for landmark minarets, and the many happy hours spent diving in the Mediterraneans clear shallows, are memories that will always make me smile, Maia said. The Reed team also included Beth Platte, an instructional technologist at Reed, who has a PhD in Greek and Roman history and field experience in Italy, Turkey, and Egypt. She documented the dig with photographs, including those in this story. Check out her blog on the Vigla dig. Tags: Academics, Cool Projects, International, Professors, Research, Students Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday minimized the threat of the new coronavirus -- which has killed nearly 4,000 people in more than 60 countries and tanked global financial markets -- saying its destructive power has been "overstated." The fall of world markets "basically has to do with the price of oil, which sank 30 percent, and with the coronavirus issue too," said the ultra-right wing president to a crowd of about 200 Brazilian supporters in Miami, where he is visiting in an effort to drum up foreign investment. "In my opinion, that virus's destructive power is overstated. Maybe it is even potentially being exaggerated for political reasons," Bolsonaro said. The Sao Paulo exchange plummeted more than 12 percent Monday, its biggest fall since 1998, and shares of Brazilian state-controlled oil giant Petrobras dropped more than 31 percent, as world investors panicked in the face of the spread of the new coronavirus and plunging oil prices. Bolsonaro is traveling around Florida to boost investor confidence in Latin America's biggest economy. While visiting the state, Bolsonaro met with US President Donald Trump at the latter's Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, north of Miami. Trump has faced criticism for his own efforts to downplay the coronavirus's threat by repeatedly contradicting government public health experts. Trump -- flanked by Bolsonaro -- said on Saturday he was "not concerned at all" about the virus and that he planned to continue his political rallies as normal even as a flood of other public events were canceled. The head of the World Health Organization in Geneva, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said Monday that "the threat of a pandemic has become very real" as cases rise around the globe, including in Brazil. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro greets Miami's Brazilian community after an event at Miami Dade College's Medical Campus in Miami, Florida, on March 9, 2020 A newborn puppy has miraculously survived after getting stuck down a drainpipe just two days after it was born. The pup called 'Troopie', became lodged in a water pipe, in Beenleigh, south of Brisbane at about 10pm on Saturday night. Realising what had happened, Troopie's panicked owners called a plumber to help rescue him. Joseph Egan from the 'Brisbane Plumbers' said he initially thought the call was a prank. A newborn puppy has miraculously survived after getting stuck down a drainpipe two days after it was born 'This lady rang at around 10pm last night panicking and said, 'my puppy has fallen down the floor drain and is stuck!' Mr Egan wrote on Facebook. He tracked the puppy's location using a camera and then cut the pipe before shaking it in a downward motion to dislodge the puppy. He told the Courier Mail it was one of their more unusual call-outs. 'Its definitely not often you get a call about a puppy stuck like that but also then that it survived,' he said. 'There were actually two puppies that fell down and this one ran through the gully and got wedged.' In a post on Facebook describing the ordeal, Mr Egan revealed the family joked about naming the dog after its misadventure. 'The kids wanted to call it 'Lucky' but the Dad said it would be called 'Dollars' because in his words 'This puppy has cost me a s*** load of money'. Although he did say it was money well spent,' he wrote. Joseph Egan from Brisbane Plumbers tracked the puppy's location using a camera before cutting the pipe open A colorful condo that's been essentially uninhabited since 1974 is this week's most popular home on realtor.com. Decked out in groovy shades of green, the one-of-a-kind time capsule mesmerized us, and we wrote about it last week. Apparently you were equally impressedyour clicks propelled this '70s hit to the top of the charts. The listing agent for the leisure suit-come-to-life pad was also aware of the intense interest. "Since I posted the link to the article on my Facebook, I've gotten a lot of likes," says Nancy Maranan. "We currently have multiple offers." She says a couple of interested buyers intend to keep the 1970s interiors intacta development we're thrilled by. Photographers have also reached out to Maranan to set up shoots in the condo, but she says a surplus of shutterbugs would get in the way of potential buyers who want a tour. "We're looking for buyers," Maranan says with a laugh. Stepping outside the time capsule, you also clicked on a sleek mountain retreat in North Carolina, a fabulous A-frame perched somewhat precariously on an Arkansas mountainside, and a top-to-bottom renovation in Louisville complete with an on-trend black exterior. Soak it all in while you can by reveling in all of this week's most popular homes. Price: $234,900 Why it's here: Buyers searching for wide-open spaces should take a look at this recently remodeled farmhouse-style ranch built in 1956. The three-bedroom home sits on a 4.5-acre lot that backs up to a county park. It includes a barn, detached two-car garage, covered front porch, and hot tub. Baltimore, OH realtor.com Price: $174,900 Why it's here: This dramatic Georgian-style Colonial was built in 1929 and is being sold as a short sale. The price looks like a bargain, and the listing photos show no evidence of major structural issues. The 2.5-story, four-bedroom brick home features hardwood floors, slate roof, remodeled kitchen, gas heat, and central air conditioning. York, PA realtor.com Price: $319,000 Why it's here: Right on trend, this all-black exterior is sure to catch a buyer's eye. Originally built in 1900, this three-bedroom home was recently renovated. Now a modern, industrial showplace, it features matte-black tile, original hardwood floors, black cabinets, concrete and butcher block countertops, and a kitchen with a garage door that opens to the backyard for entertaining. Louisville, KY realtor.com Price: $350,000 Why it's here: Nestled on a quarter-acre in the Pisgah National Forest, this shapely retreat is just a few minutes from downtown Asheville. Constructed by a local builder who specializes in modern design, the 1,500-square-foot home features sliding glass doors and windows with views of the surrounding forest. Currently, the home is a wildly popular short-term rental on Airbnb. Asheville, NC realtor.com Price: $159,000 Why it's here: It's a fun '50s time capsule with a funky front door that hints at the potential for this rambler to be revived as something spectacular. Sitting on a corner lot, this three-bedroom house includes a basement with half-bath, a large rec room, and plenty of storage. We particularly love the original cabinetry in the untouched kitchen. Ample windows fill the home with lightand there's even a space for shuffleboard. Dekalb, IL realtor.com Price: $135,000 Why it's here: It's in a spot that's become famous thanks to HGTV's popular show "Home Town." Sitting on nearly a half-acre in Country Club Hills, this three-bedroom home has been kept in immaculate condition since it was built in 1997. Highlights include granite kitchen counter tops, new laminate wood flooring, and new carpet on the second floor. Laurel, MS realtor.com Price: $3,980,000 Why it's here: The design of this impressive 8,100-square-foot industrial estate was inspired by a 300-year-old sycamore tree. Built in 2015 as a health retreat, the home has water flowing around it from an 1840s springhouse. That spring is used to heat the floors and fills the on-site fitness center's aromatherapy sauna, indoor spa, plunge pool, and saltwater pool. Outside there's a treehouse, zip line, pole barn, and walking trails throughout the 11-acre property. Yellow Springs, OH realtor.com Price: $424,999 Why it's here: This 1906-built Colonial is picture-perfect. The five-bedroom residence has plenty of room for guests with more than 5,600 square feet of living space. The electrical, plumbing, and heating systems, roof and windows, floors, siding, and more were recently updated. The home's nearly 2-acre lot includes a pool and woods to explore. Chippewa Falls, WI realtor.com Price: $247,500 Why it's here: Take just one look at this A-frame perched on a hillside, and you'll want to see more. Built in 2018 with three floors and a rooftop deck, this light-filled property is being sold with 2 acres of land. The interior of this fabulous four-bedroom residence is filled with clean lines, which let the views of the surrounding woods take center stage. West Fork, AR realtor.com Price: $375,000 Why it's here: The decor caused a click frenzy. Built in 1974, this 1,800-square-foot condo has been mostly uninhabited since. Professionally decorated in daring shades of green, it's an ode to '70s excess. The carpet looks immaculate, the wallpaper looks vibrant, and the custom furnishings show no signs of age. Ramona, CA realtor.com The post Must-See Green Time-Capsule Condo Is the Week's Most Popular Home appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. The market is in panic mode from the coronavirus spread, but Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) just outlined a very attractive long-term financial model. As the health crisis dissipates in the next weeks and months, the chip stock has a very appealing path to strong revenue growth and margin expansion. Large Market Opportunity AMD forecast revenues reaching $8.7 billion in 2020. While the market likes the forecast for nearly 30% revenue growth this year, the company still only has a small market share of a global market with an estimated annual value of $79 billion. The company estimates the data center market will top $35 billion next year with the PC segment reaching $32 billion. Even the gaming segment will reach $12 billion. Oversll, AMD is only forecasting revenues equivalent to 11% of the market potential. For the chip company to reach just 25% market shares, annual revenues would need to soar to nearly $20 billion. The gap between the current total revenue and the market opportunity is why the stock is so appealing. Updated Financial Model Last week, AMD held their Financial Analyst Day 2020. At the event, the chip maker updated their long-term financial model. The company issued long-term guidance for the market back in early 2017 to provide investors with confidence AMD would actually turn revenue growth into a profitable bottom line. At the time, the market feared the company would struggle to raise margins while competing against the industry giant in Intel. The original guidance provided for an EPS target of greater than $0.75 and analysts now have AMD topping $1 this year before any coronavirus impact hits, if at all. The new guidance has the company easily soaring past this target by 2023. (Source: AMD website) The company has a new target of 20% annual revenue growth and gross margins exceeding 50%. The new target outlined above works out to the following financial targets for 2023: - Revenue - $15.0 billion - Gross profit - $7.5 billion (50% gross margins) Story continues - Operating income - $3.75 billion (25% operating margins) - Taxes $0.56 billion (15% tax rate) - EPS - $2.66 (1.2 billion shares outstanding) Despite what some investors view as an expensive stock as AMD trades at nearly 40x 2020 EPS estimates, the stock quickly becomes a bargain in out years. The company doesnt even reach 25% market share in their target markets while pushing EPS up to $2.66 in 2023. Not to mention, these numbers are more a base case with both revenues and gross margins having upside potential from these levels. Consensus Verdict The chip giant has Wall Street almost evenly split between the bulls and those choosing to play it safe. Based on 27 analysts tracked in the last 3 months, 13 rate a Buy on AMD stock, while 14 recommend Hold. Meanwhile, the 12-month average price target stands at $53.20, marking a nearly 22% in return potential for the stock. (See AMD stock analysis on TipRanks) Takeaway The key investor takeaway is that the market is in panic mode, but the coronavirus isnt going to change the long-term growth trajectory of AMD. The company suggested limited impacts to their supply chain from the virus, but investors should expect some short-term impact to sales. Ultimately, AMD will benefit from global growth drivers of more data center demand and targets for substantial revenue growth over the next few years. As always, Intel remains a major threat, but AMD has a long-term plan to reward shareholders. To find good ideas for tech stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. A rescue team in the Pearl River Estuary Chinese White Dolphin National Nature Reserve in southern Chinas Guangdong province has rescued various whales and dolphins more than 200 times and sent more than 190 Chinese white dolphins, a national first-class protected species in China, back home safely, during the last 10 years. A Chinese white dolphin plays in a park in Zhuhai, Guangdong province. (Photo/Chinanews.com) The rescue team in the nature reserve, which covers an area of 460 square meters, is the only professional rescue team in China that mainly focuses on Chinese white dolphins. Saving and protecting stranded whales and dolphins is an important part of the work of the rescue team. Whales and dolphins usually get stranded in shallow water and cant swim back to deep water because they are sick or in poor health, or lose their ways, according to the rescue team. Whales and dolphins have strayed into rivers and gotten stranded many times in Guangdong province in recent years, said the rescue team. Besides rescuing whales and dolphins, the team also takes part in international cooperation, academic exchanges, scientific research projects, and regular science popularization activities. The Chinese white dolphin, nicknamed giant panda in the sea, is fatty in dolphins, as it is usually two to three meters in length, but could weigh more than 200 kilograms, according to Gao Guangyin, a marine biology engineer in the administration of the reserve, who is also a member of the rescue team for whales and dolphins. Since the efforts to protect and rescue whales and dolphins usually mean great demand for physical strength, most of the members of the rescue team are young people under the age of 35, Gao disclosed. When injured Chinese white dolphins receive treatment in the rescue center, our team members often need to dive into water to apply medicine to it, or need to help offer the animals B-scan ultrasonography examinations and blood routine examinations, said Gao, adding that it usually takes the teamwork of several people to turn the body of a dolphin or feed it as it receives treatment in a dedicated pool. Its not only an occupation for me, for I like being involved with marine environmental protection, and its meaningful to integrate species protection and environmental protection, especially the protection of the Chinese white dolphin, which is very popular with coastal residents, said Gao. On-site treatment is the most difficult task since the locations where whales and dolphins get stranded are usually remote shores, said Chen Xi, head of the rescue team and director of the technical department of the administration of the Pearl River Estuary Chinese White Dolphin National Nature Reserve. A dolphin would be in critical condition if it were to get stranded along the course of the river, said Chen, recalling the case of a Chinese white dolphin they called Lao Bai (old white) that got stranded in the flow of a river in the Luocun neighborhood of Shishan town in Nanhai district of Foshan in Guangdong province. It was freshwater, and there was a lot of sludge in the river. Lao Bai was having difficulty breathing. Its hardly easy to drive a live dolphin out of the course of a river. Such a situation is difficult to handle, Chen stressed. The spiracle of a dolphin is on its head, said Chen, explaining that the stranded Lao Bai needed to be watched 24 hours a day. Otherwise it might have turned over and not been able to breathe, and then it would be choked to death, for it was too weak at that time. Luckily, Lao Bai was taken good care of by Chen and his colleagues, who eventually took it to the dedicated pool in the nature reserve for treatment. Chinese white dolphins have less and less space to live, due to multiple reasons, including decline in fishery resources, water pollution, and reproductive rates. Based on the sphere of activities of Chinese white whales and the frequency of them being spotted, scientific research teams found that the number of Chinese white whales is constantly decreasing and that their sphere of activities is shrinking. The Chinese white dolphin has been included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, disclosed Chen. The rescue team compiled an analysis report for every stranded dolphin that they met and established archives for them. In recent years, the Pearl River Estuary Chinese White Dolphin National Nature Reserve has recruited volunteers constantly and created a WeChat group for volunteers who are keen on protecting Chinese white dolphins, disclosed Chen Hailiang, head of the administration of the reserve. More and more people are taking part in the protection of Chinese white dolphins, according to Chen, adding that we also give presentations in colleges and universities, hoping that more young scientific research personnel can take part in the research work occurring at the nature reserve. Omicron: It is a setback says Scindia in Lok Sabha Madhya Pradesh Crisis: Scindia, accompanied by Amit Shah, meets PM Modi India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Mar 10: In a big development, Congress leader and Kamal Nath's rival Jyotiraditya Scindia met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence, amid indications that he may join hands with the BJP to topple the Madhya Pradesh government. Reportedly, Jyotiraditya Scindia is accompanied by Home Minister and former BJP chief Amit Shah. Legislators loyal to Scindia, who has been upset with the Congress leadership with his marginalisation in the affairs of the Madhya Pradesh Congress, are likely to quit the party to reduce the Kamal Nath-led government to a minority. Earlier, BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan said his party was not interested in toppling the government and termed the developments as the "internal matter" of the ruling party. However, former minister and BJP leader Narottam Mishra said it seems the Kamal Nath government is falling. Meanwhile, PTI reports, quoting Congress sources, that Jyotiraditya Scindia's party is working to woo him back. The Congress government in Madhya Pradesh plunged into a crisis as a sulking Jyotiraditya Scindia, along with 17 MLAs, virtually revolted prompting Chief Minister Kamal Nath to call a late-night cabinet meeting where around 20 ministers resigned. The number game Currently, there are 228 MLAs in the 230-member Madhya Pradesh assembly. With 228 seats, a party needs to have 115 seats to form government in the state. However, the state Congress is one short of the majority mark, with 114 seats in its fold. But, Kamal Nath's government is supported by one Samajwadi Party MLA and two legislators of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). With 17 MLAs resignation, the majority mark in the assembly will come down to 106, paving way for the BJP that has 107 seats in its fold, amd would stake claim to form the government. Babies who persistently struggle to sleep in their first year are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression in childhood, research suggests. One in five babies has sleep difficulties in their first 12 months such as frequent waking or trouble falling asleep. These babies are three times as likely to suffer with emotional problems by the age of four, researchers found. And they are more than twice as likely to have an emotional disorder such as depression, separation anxiety or obsessive compulsive disorder by the age of ten. The scientists, from the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia, said babies who struggle to sleep should be carefully monitored for mental health problems in childhood. Babies who persistently struggle to sleep in their first year are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression in childhood, research suggests. (File photo) The team tracked 1,500 babies for the first year of their life with mothers answering a questionnaire about their babies sleeping patterns at three, six, nine and 12 months. Each baby was given a score depending on their sleep patterns and put in one of three categories at the end of their first year. Some 19 per cent were found to have had persistent and severe sleep difficulties, including frequent waking at night and trouble falling asleep without help from a parent. Another 56 per cent had moderate, fluctuating sleep problems and 25 per cent had settled sleep. The babies were tracked throughout childhood and their mental health was assessed at the ages of four and ten. One in five babies has sleep difficulties in their first 12 months. These babies are three times as likely to suffer with emotional problems by the age of four, researchers found. And they are more than twice as likely to have an emotional disorder such as depression, separation anxiety or obsessive compulsive disorder by the age of ten. (File photo) The research, published in the BMJ Archives of Disease in Childhood journal, found those with persistent and severe sleep problems were 2.7 times more likely to suffer symptoms of emotional problems when they were four years old. And they were 2.4 times as likely to meet the diagnostic criteria for an emotional disorder by the time they were ten. These disorders include separation anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, depression, bipolar and ADHD. The scientists wrote: Persistent disturbed sleep during infancy may be an early indicator of a childs heightened susceptibility to later mental health difficulties in particular, anxiety problems. Families reporting persistent infant sleep problems may require enhanced support they said. They added: Infants with persistent severe sleep problems should be monitored for emerging mental health difficulties during childhood. data for racial and ethnic groups. African American superintendents overall earned a median base salary of $189,000, and Latino superintendents reported earning $180,000, both higher than the $140,000 salary of white superintendents. Asian American superintendents reported a median salary of $221,760. As Yogi Berra famously said: Its deja vu all over again. Thats what happened to Aileen Rizo, who was hired in 2009 by the Fresno County, Calif., office of education for the staff position of math consultant. Shed been earning $52,000 as a math teacher in Arizona before accepting the Fresno County job at a salary of $62,133, court papers say. Later, she learned her male colleagues had been hired at much higher salaries: one at $73,832 and another at $79,088. Still, a woman had been hired for the same job at $76,414. Her employers rationale: All salaries had been set in accordance with standard operating procedure based primarily on the employees most recent prior salary, not on gender. The court sided with Rizo in 201811 days after one of the appellate judges issuing the decision had died. Subsequently, the U.S. Supreme Court threw out the decision. Federal judges are appointed for life, not eternity, the high court pointed out. Back went the case to the appellate court, which again ruled that an employer does not have a valid defense against alleged sex discrimination under the Equal Pay Act of 1963 if it bases a workers starting salary entirely on her prior pay. Setting wages based on prior pay risks perpetuating the history of sex-based wage discrimination, said the Feb. 27 opinion for a majority on the 11-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco. The new opinion, as did the previous one, has a narrow majority of six judges holding that prior pay may never be the basis for the any other factor defense. As one of the concurring judges, who nonetheless disagreed with the majoritys rationale, noted, a standard that prior wages may never be considered ignores the realities and dynamic nature of business. The opinions in the case suggest that at least five other federal appeals courts have limited the consideration of prior pay as a factor-other-than-sex defense, but the 9th Circuit judges disagreed about the scope of the differences in approach among the other courts. Want Higher Pay? Go to a Big District Speaking of salaries, new data are out about school superintendents earnings, indicating some hefty differences from 2018 but, of course, not for all. Median salaries rose last year, moving to a range of between $117,500 in the smallest districts to $388,709 in the larger school systems, according to the AASA, the School Superintendents Association, Superintendent Salary & Benefits Study. In 2018, their median salaries ranged from $100,000 to $234,000. The new AASA statistics show that as district enrollment has increased, so too have salaries, a trend that has been consistent over the past four years. No surprise that the data also show race- and gender-related compensation gaps among superintendents, though the study warns not to draw too many conclusions because of smaller numbers of women and racial and ethnic minorities. Twenty-three percent of survey participants in 2019 were female while roughly 75 percent were male, and the vast majority of participants were white (non-Hispanic or Latino), with other racial and cultural groups making up the remaining 6.2 percent. Women reported a median salary of $138,125, slightly less than the $141,217 reported by their male counterparts. Even slighter differences in salary showed up when male and female superintendents median salaries were compared for districts of relatively the same size. Apart from 2018, women have usually reported higher minimum overall base salaries than male participants but lower maximum salaries. Female superintendents reported a minimum salary of $78,000 and a maximum of $325,000 last year, while men reported a minimum of $64,250 and maximum of $357,418. Chris Rogers, an AASA policy analyst, said its possible that many female superintendents may have started working in the school system earlier and were more advanced in their overall careers, thus prompting the higher minimum salary. The 2019 study marks the first year AASA broke out data for racial and ethnic groups. African American superintendents overall earned a median base salary of $189,000, and Latino superintendents reported earning $180,000, both higher than the $140,000 salary of white superintendents. Asian American superintendents reported a median salary of $221,760. Like the female superintendents, the historically disadvantaged racial groups reported higher minimum base salaries and lower maximum salaries than those given to white superintendents. GOP Agitator Takes Step Toward Texas School Board Seat You can always count on the Texas board of education to rile things up. Usually, its about curriculum or textbooks. This time around, its a board candidate whos likely to kick up the squabbling. In last weeks primary elections, Robert Morrow, a Republican agitator who has called President Donald Trump a child rapist and posts risque images of women on social media, advanced to a runoff for a seat on the board. Morrow has long been a thorn for Texas Republicans. Hell face either Lani Popp, a San Antonio-area public school speech pathologist, or Inga Cotton, who heads a nonprofit that supports families choosing charter schools, in the May runoff for the central Texas district that stretches from Austin to San Antonio. The 15-member board helps set policy and curriculum for the states public school system. The board has drawn national attention over its debates on issues including the teaching of evolution and creationism and the history of slavery. Morrow embarrassed the GOP in 2016 when he was elected chairman of the party in Travis County, home of the state Capitol where Republicans have dominated Texas politics for two decades. He was forced to give up that position a few months later when he filed to run for president. We will vigorously oppose him in the runoff and work to educate Republican voters about his vulgar, slanderous, and reprehensible comments over the years, said Matt Mackowiak, the chairman of the Travis County Republican Party. Morrows top campaign issue is to impeach, convict, and remove Donald Trump and throw him in prison. As election returns came in on Super Tuesday, Morrow tweeted, Woo hoo! Lyndon Johnson murdered JFK. Trump is a child rapist! Heres what he cited as his goals in the League of Women Voters guide: eliminate a major source of public school funding, offer high school students elective classes on the safe use of assault rifles, and give senior girls classes on pole dancing and twerking. Another Court Rejects Bids to Get Union Fees Refunded Retroactively Stopping teachers unions from collecting agency fees from nonmembers these days apparently isnt good enough. Now, opponents want to kick the unions while theyre already down by getting them to reimburse those fees retroactively. So far, though, the courts are having none of it. A federal appeals court late last month upheld the dismissal of a class action brought on behalf of Ohio teachers who declined to join their union and sought the refund of years of fees the unions were allowed to charge them for collective bargaining. That ruling marks the third by a federal appeals court, as well as more than a dozen by federal district courts that rejected refunds of agency fees collected before the Supreme Courts 2018 so-called Janus ruling. The high court found that nonmembers could not be compelled under the First Amendment to help fund organizations with which they disagreed. Up until Janus, the courts say the unions collected the fees in good faith. Not to worry. Strategists have other ideas up their sleeves to attack the unions. Challenges are afoot, for instance, to the right of a single public-employee union to be the exclusive bargaining representative for a defined group of workers. Maine Voters Have Spoken: End Vaccination Exemptions While the rest of the nation watched how the Bernie-Biden contest shaped up on Super Tuesday, what happened in Maine may have gone largely unnoticed outside its borders. With the backdrop of the coronavirus spreading around the worldalong with confirmed cases of COVID-19 in neighboring New Hampshire and Rhode IslandMainers last week voted to keep a state law that restricts exemptions on childhood vaccinations. Every major medical organization in the state supported the 2019 law that eliminates religious and philosophical exemptions at a time when more parents are forgoing vaccines for their children. Groups seeking to restore the exemptions contended that parents, not lawmakers, should be responsible for making medical decisions for children. The defeated Peoples Veto referendum aimed to undo the law that ends nonmedical vaccine opt-outs by September 2021 for students at public and private schools and universities, including nursery schools, and for health-care-facility employees. The law was part of a trend in which states tightened rules on vaccine exemptions in response to growing numbers of unvaccinated children. Cara Sacks, the campaign manager for the effort to overturn the law, told supporters she didnt think the vote reflected the true view of Mainers, suggesting they wouldnt willingly hand over their medical rights to an untrustworthy government. She told the group: Its not over. It will never be over. Perhaps so. But it was unclear if the presence of the coronavirus knocking at Maines door had any impact on voters. On a day when the National Weather Service warned about the risk, about 10 fire companies descended on Lower Saucon Township to battle a four-acre brush fire for nearly three hours, Lower Saucon Fire Rescue reports. Units were dispatched just after 6 p.m. Monday to the area of Sherry Hills Road, Applebutter Road and Severn Lane in the township, the fire department said. The large brush fire was rapidly spreading and fire crews from Northampton, Lehigh and Bucks counties responded, Lower Saucon Fire Rescue said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. No injuries were reported, although one firefighter was evaluated for a medical complaint, the fire rescue company said. Firefighters were assisted by the Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources, Lower Saucon police and Dewey EMS. The Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Company brought its brush/wildfire truck, which can carry up to 500 gallons of water. Approximately 10 area fire departments battled a brush fire on March 9, 2020, in the vicinity of Sherry Hill Road, Applebutter Road and Severn Lane in Lower Saucon Township.Photo courtesy the Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Company We again remind the community that outdoor burning this time of year is extremely dangerous and will often lead to circumstances like this, Lower Saucon Fire Rescue said. Lack of snow pack, low humidity and winds are prime conditions for rapid fire spread which can cause extensive damage and even injuries and death. The relative humidity dropped to 17 percent and wind gusts reached nearly 25 miles per hours late Monday afternoon, according to weather service statistics from Lehigh Valley International Airport. There was a 47-degree difference between the air temperature and the dew point when the fire was reported, indicating it was extremely dry in the region, figures show. Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. The impending launch of a universal QR Code will accelerate the pace of making Ghana a cashlite society in the near future, the Vice President of the Republic, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has predicted. The launch of the Code will come a few years after Ghana achieved an African-first by launching Mobile Money Interoperability, which makes it possible to transfer money between mobile wallets, bank accounts and Ezwich cards. This means, practically, that everyone now has access to basic banking services. Speaking at the maiden edition of the Mobile Technology for Development (MT4D) Conference, organised by the Ghana Chamber of Telecoms and the Financial Inclusion Forum Africa, in Accra on Tuesday, 10 March 2020, Vice President Bawumia said the launch of the code, in the next two weeks, will further enhance ongoing efforts by government to ensure greater financial inclusion and make transactions easier. Government, he said, has gone a long way in solving the problem of financial inclusion, and Ghana is the better for it. One of the key things that has happened in Ghana in the past three years, which has not yet happened in any other African country in this whole area of financial inclusion using mobile technology is the area of Mobile Money Interoperability. That is something we should be proud of as Ghanaians, because it hasnt happened anywhere else in Africa. What we have for example in Kenya is interoperability between mobile companies. In Ghana we have not just the interoperability between the mobile companies, but we have interoperability between the mobile companies and the banks. You can move money between bank accounts and mobile wallets. Its a real game changer, and as far as I know, this is the only country that has done it in the continent of Africa. The introduction of Mobile Money Interoperability, Vice President emphasised, means that essentially everyone with a mobile wallet, practically, has a bank account. You could receive interest on your money, get loans, you can use it as a current account, pay your taxes; those are basic things you expect to have from a bank account. We have about 15 million people who are holding mobile wallets. Thats huge. You are looking at over 90% of the adult population having mobile wallets, and so practically having bank accounts. A couple of years when I talked about mobile money interoperability I made the point that every Ghanaian would practically have a bank account when this process is completed. At that time many people didnt quite understand what I meant. People are still thinking in the frame of the old go to a bank and open an account format. No, just your mobile wallet alone gives you access to banking services. That is what we have achieved today. And so when we talk about financial inclusion, lets acknowledge that Ghana has gone a very long way to solving this problem of financial inclusion. If we think in the way of the traditional bank accounts we wont recognise the efforts we have made but we have done quite a lot. Vice President Bawumia indicated that the launch of the QR Code ties into Governments vision of a cashlite Ghanaian society and the determination to make life easier for the ordinary Ghanaian. We want to move into a cashlite society, which means we want the merchants to be receiving payments in non-cash instruments. We want to move away from this heavy dependence on cash, but so far what we have seen with the mobile money transactions is okay you send somebody mobile money, they go to the agent and cash it out, and then take it and go and spend it. So youve only just given a longer space for the cash transaction to take place. But what we want actually is for the mobile money on that phone to be used to pay for goods and services. Your waakye, your koko, or trotro whatever; all of these goods and services, you should use your mobile money to pay for them. That is when we will begin moving away from that dependence on cash. And this is why Im excited about what we are about to launch in two weeks time, the Universal QR Code, this is what will get us there. The Universal QR Code will allow us to use our mobile phones, whether its a yam phone or a smart phone to make payments, and the seller will receive instantly what you paid. Niecy Nash and her ex Jay Tucker have officially finalized their divorce and divided up their property after calling it quits in the fall. New legal documents show that the 50-year-old Claws star will officially be able to consider herself single as of June 21 and, according to TMZ, she and Tucker reached a property settlement. Back in October, DailyMail.com exclusively reported that the couple's troubles began amid strain over living in different cities, Nash's graphic sex scenes on television and her sexy new look. Finally over: Niecy Nash and her ex Jay Tucker have officially finalized their divorce and divided up their property after calling it quits in the fall, according to a new report from TMZ on Tuesday In her property settlement, the actress 'gets their house in Bell Canyon, CA and the 2016 Tesla. She also gets to keep her production company, Chocolate Chick,' TMZ reported. Additionally, the outlet said that Jay, who is an electrical engineer, will keep his 2011 Ford F-150 truck and a hefty $184,820 payout from his ex-wife. The money is Tucker's cut from the sale of a property they once shared, and aside from that, both partied agreed not to request spousal support. Interestingly, prior to news of their split being made public, Nash had quietly listed the Bell Canyon home for $1.2 million in July of 2019. Dividing assets: In the property settlement, the actress gets their house in Bell Canyon, CA and a 2016 Tesla as well as her production company, Chocolate Chick, and Jay will keep his 2011 Ford F-150 truck and a hefty $184,820 payout (Pictured together July 2018) According to sources who spoke with DailyMail.com, the couple had been having issues for nearly two years prior to finally calling it quits. Niecy and Jay were married in Malibu in 2011 but their relationship took a turn in part due to the star's full-body cosmetic surgery makeover and her 'extreme career ambitions. A source close to the former couple told DailyMail.com at the time: 'Niecy got a brand new body right before she went to film Claws down in New Orleans and that's when their troubles began. 'Jay was really uncomfortable with her graphic sex scenes on the show and that made their problems worse. Source of the split: Back in October, DailyMail.com exclusively reported that the couple's troubles began amid strain over living in different cities, Nash's graphic sex scenes on television and her sexy new look 'They were living in two different cities and Jay expressed he didn't like his wife being in New Orleans while he was in LA.' When the comedy-drama had its big premiere in LA in June of 2017, Tucker didn't attend because the couple had been fighting about the show, according to the source. And while Tucker did attend Nash's ceremony for her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the summer of 2018, he wasn't by her side in September when she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie for her role in When They See Us. Parting ways: Shortly after DailyMail.com published the October story of their separation, Nash confirmed the divorce in an Instagram post Shortly after DailyMail.com published the October story of their separation, Nash confirmed the divorce in an Instagram post, writing: 'We believe in the beauty of truth. Always have. Our truth is that in this season of our lives, we are better friends than partners in marriage.' Nash continued: 'Our union was such a gorgeous ride. And as we go our separate ways now, we feel fortunate for the love we share - present tense. Thank you all out there for your support of us as a couple over the last eight years. We are grateful.' Nash, who was previously married to preacher Don Nash for 13 years until they divorced in 2007, was spending a chunk of time in New Orleans to star in TNT's Claws, playing character Desna Simms. A source close to the former couple told DailyMail.com at the time: 'Niecy got a brand new body right before she went to film Claws down in New Orleans and that's when their troubles began. Jay was really uncomfortable with her graphic sex scenes on the show and that made their problems worse.' The insider said: 'Niecy treated Jay like an American Express card, she never left home without him. She loved doting on her husband and bragging about how she had a man. 'She would talk so much about her relationship and how she knew how to keep a man happy, when her relationship started to crumble it was embarrassing to her.' Still, the source didn't think Nash will stay single for long, explaining: 'Niecy loves love and she loves being married. So don't expect much grass to grow under her feet. 'I'm certain she'll be declaring that the third time is the charm and talking marriage again sometime in the near future.' Written by ACM *Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- With an eye towards the Future Development of Human Rights, particularly of Young People (See Infra), but also Firmly anchored in Nowadays GeoPolitical Challenges, and particularly the Urgent Need to Protect EU's External Borders, facing even more Turkey's Smuggling of Mass Asylum Seekers/Irregular migrants, now at Evros river, (See: ..., etc), Experienced Greek Minister for European affairs, former Long-Time Top MEP, Miltiades Varvitsiotes, and incoming CoE's Chairman-in-office, spoke to "Eurofora" in Strasbourg, just after meeting with new CoE's Secretary General Marija Buric, former vice-Prime Minister of Croatia, and ECHR's President Alexandros Sicilianos, on the Draft Program of the forthcoming Greek Presidency of the PanEuropean CoE from May to November 2020, (See Infra). + Meanwhile, EU Parliament's plenary, (meeting exceptionaly in Brussels, reportedly because of "Coronavirus"' spread in France, after neighbouring Italy), is due to discuss, later this week, Ankara's unprecedented Provocations around Evros' Borders and those (Gas, Stones, Fires, Knives' abusing) Mass Asylum Seekers/Irregular Migrants (mainly from Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc., often more than 13.000 per Day, according to the IOM+) that Turkish Authorities have reportedly Backed (including by Buses' Transports from Istanbul, 1.000 Turkish Security Agents send on the spot, relevant Statements, etc). Turkish President Erdogan already is in Brussels for meetings, since this Monday, just After launching a provocative Call for "Greeks" to "Open the Borders" (sic !) and "let them go towards Other (EU) Countries" !... On the Contrary, the Greek Government has notoriously decided to stick to its Sovereign Right and Duty to Protect its National and EU's External Borders. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ >>> - "Turkey Exploits innocent people, for its Political aims, and in order to Blackmail the EU !", criticized Varvitsiotes Today at Strasbourg, in reply to a relevant "Eurofora"s Question, speaking of a "Stern Denonciation against the Turkish stance" on Evros. => Therefore, "CoE" should be very "Careful" on the way that "Human Rights"' approaches might be grossly abused (manipulated) in such cases, and avoid to "fall into a (sly) Trap", he Warned. >>> "In Front of that, a European Shield has been raised, at EU level", Miltiades Varvitsiotes pointed out. - Indeed, "the Declarations of all European Institutions' Presidents (EU Commission, Parliament and Council) are Crystal-Clear, last week in Athens". "Justice and Home affairs (JHA) Ministers' declaration, as well as that of Foreign Ministers, is also very clear, as they were formulated". "And it's, moreover, pretty clear, Today's statement by EU's High Representative on Foreign and Security policy, Borel, in view of his meeting with the Turkish President (Erdogan)" in Brussels. So that, "all the Framework of this Resistance and (European) Shield is crystal-clear", he resumed. - However, "even if, here or there, might, eventually, be some who don't see well enough all those political facts, we try to Enlighten them, and God help us...", he realistically concluded, with a visible fighting spirit for any relevant Ideological battle whenever necessary... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + But, at the same time, Authentic Human Rights issues are at the Forefront of the incoming Greek rotating Presidency of the CoE (May-November 2020), which coincides with the 70th Anniversary since the Signing of its PanEuropean Convention of Human Rights (1950 - 2020), inter alia, also by discussing its "Implementation" until now, as well as in the foreseable Future, according to a Key "Non-Paper", presented Today in Strasbourg to CoE's main Officials, and communicated also to "Eurofora" by the competent Minister Varvitsiotes. In Addition, the Greek Government has already proposed ECHR for the Peace Nobel Prize this year. - Starting almost at the same Time as EU's exceptional "Conference on Europe's Future" (2020-2021), CoE's Greek Presidency of 5-11/2020 is due to be "Focused mainly on Young People", i.e. Forward looking, turned "towards the Future", Varvitsiotes observed. - "We should Cooperate impeccably" with CoE's Secretary General Marija Buric, inter alia, also because "I think that the Greek Presidency's main Priority on Young Generations Fits quite well with those of the CoE itself currently", since the PanEuropean Organisaton "has just (12/2019) outlined a Strategy for the period of 2020-2030" on Youth policy, "so that the fact that a rotating (Committee of Ministers') Presidency intends to Invest into that, is Important", he pointed out. => - For the time being, "We (the Greek CoE's Chairmanship 5-11/2020) have traced 4 Axes in that : (1) First, Young People's involvement into DEMOCRATIC Institutions, their Protection from "Fake News", how to Augment their participation, issues about Artificial Intelligence, etc., and how that forms a Framework of Rights". (2) The Second concerns Problems of VULNERABLE persons : Poverty, Human Trafficking, Sexual Exploitation, UnAccompagnied Minors, etc. (3) The Third part has to do with CULTURAL HERITAGE and its Protection and Maintenance despite Climate Change, as a Right for Young People to Enjoy that in Future" ; (4) And the Fourth Axis is related to the (CoE's) Charter of SOCIAL RIGHTS, vis a vis Young People". + In Parallel, "we also take a View on the Incorporation of ECHR's case-law into Member States", he added, (Comp. Supra), while praising ECHR's President Sicilianos as an "Excellent Jurist", "who contributed a lot" in that Program. Significant of the Importance that the Greek Presidency attributes to Democratic Participation issues, is also the fact that Varvitsiotes met, Today, with CoE's Director General on Democracy Snezana Markovic, from Serbia, (while the above-mentioned "Non-Paper" adds a Reference also to "Digital" Technologies here, similar to "Eurofora"'s Project). => - "I think that all this forms a well-Structured Program, whose Issues, naturally, cannot be solved during a rotating chairmanship, neither exhausted, but they can he Highlighted, and joined to various relevant Initiatives", he concluded. + "Inter-Generational Solidarity : Important !" - "And, what about Aged People ?", "Eurofora" questioned Varvitsiotes, pointing, f.ex., at a previous EU Campaign in favour of "Inter-Generational Solidarity", (as it was nick-named), which had strived to Bring Together Young and Aged People, Near to eachother". - In Reply, the Greek Minister slamed the Opposite, counter-example, of a Controversial Satirical Author who had portrayed Aged People as "Vampires", exploiting the Young through the Social Security/Pensions' system, and inciting the Youth to become a kind of "Canibals" against the Aged persons (sic !)... => "No", he reacted : On the Contrary, "Inter-Generational Solidarity is an Important matter. Both Politically, and Socially, as well as Substantialy", Varvitsiotes positively stressed to "Eurofora", (i.e. apparently accepting to Include it, in one way or another, inside the wider context of that Greek CoE's Presidency Draft Program). + Bio-Ethics : - "Keep an eye" ? - About "Childrens' Human Rights", Questioned by "Eurofora" about the current Popular Demonstrations and Protests, in France and elsewhere in the World, on the Controversy concerning the Child's elementary "Right to have a Mother and a Father", (reportedly emanating f.ex. from some UN-related official texts, etc), Opposite to some currently Controversial and UnPopular Attempts for certain Lobbies (f.ex. in France, etc) to exert Pressure on Politicians to accept Dangerous Artificial Births asked by Lesbians, inevitably Exposed to manifold Dangers of Genetic Manipulations, etc., Varvitsiotes carefully but positively Replied that, in principle, "we don't enter into such Issues", "But we Open spaces for Debate, where they could be Discussed, together with others"... + Concerning "Bio-Ethics" in General, despite the currently "Hot" and Topical dimension of several among those Issues, (f.ex. on Heritable Genetic Editing, transmissible also to Future Generations, See: ..., etc), nevertheless, as things stand now (i.e. with that Draft "Non-Paper" on the incoming Greek CoE's Presidency's main "Priorities", drafted mainly by Ambassador Beglites in Strasbourg, as he told "Eurofora", in cooperation wtth several CoE's Officials, etc), "it appears Difficult" to include them inside that Draft Plan, Varvitsiotes acknowledged. However, given the Importance of the Issues, as well as his genuine personal Interest, that he had already shown while serving as Top MEP in CoE's Parliamentary Assembly during a Long Time), - "We shall Keep an Eye", whenever something really Important might emerge, during the (Greek CoE's Committee of Ministers) Presidency, he promised... (../..) ("Draft-News") The Indiana State Department of Health said then hospital staff with direct contact prior to the patient were placed in full isolation were taken off duty and placed in temporary home isolation. They were monitored for symptoms and allowed to return to work only when the 14-day incubation period passed and they tested negative for MERS. An Illinois man with mild symptoms, who had been in contact with the Munster patient tested positive for MERS days later, the CDC said. Coronavirus has been sweeping through Italy over the past few weeks and has already killed hundreds of people. The southern European nation now has the largest number of coronavirus cases outside China, where the outbreak started late last year. Monday saw another 1,807 people infected, bringing the total to 9,172, and cases of the virus have been confirmed in all 20 Italian regions. A man with a face mask visits the Fontana di Trevi in Rome (Getty) The Italian government extended its emergency coronavirus measures on Monday, which include travel restrictions and a ban on public gatherings, to the entire country. With the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases creeping towards 10,000, why has Italy been so badly affected? Coronavirus may have gone undiagnosed for months Experts believe one possible reason for the high infection rate is that coronavirus may have been spreading through the country long before it was officially detected. In fact, health officials say the infection may have gone undetected in the country since late January. The first person to test positive in the north of Italy who had not been to China was confirmed to have coronavirus on 21 February. A funeral being conducted by undertakers in face masks in Venice (Getty) By that stage the 38-year-old man had already infected his wife and several doctors, nurses and patients at the hospital where he had attended with flu-like symptoms three days earlier. Experts now think the virus may have been present and spreading in northern Italy since at least the second half of January. A police officer checks a passenger leaving from Turin Porta Nuova train station (Getty) Ageing population On Monday, the death toll from coronavirus in Italy rose to 463, and the countrys fatality rate currently stands at 5% higher than the 3-4% estimates elsewhere. One reason for Italys high death toll may be the ageing populations of the worst affected areas. The country has the worlds oldest population after Japan and most of those who have died are elderly with previous health issues. Story continues Professor Marina Della Giusta, from the University of Reading, said: The little we know so far of this virus is that it has much higher mortality rates for older people, at least thats what the Chinese data suggests so far. Italy is the oldest country in Europe probably so that wont be surprising. The demographic affected is way bigger than it would be in lots of other places. Matteo Salvini, centre, makes a statement on Monday (AP) Sociable culture to blame? According to Professor Della Giusta, the rapid spread may also be attributed to the sociable nature of Italian culture. Italians generally enjoy the great outdoors and meeting up with one another, she said, and interactions often include far more touching than in other parts of the world. The interpersonal physical space in Italy is a lot shorter than it is in the UK, Professor Della Giusta added. Their habit is to kiss each other when you say hello. There is higher physical contact anyway around the Mediterranean between people and people are outdoors more at this time of year than they are in other parts of Europe, where its still a bit colder. An Austrian police officers stops a car coming from Italy on the autobahn near Gries am Brenner (AP) Ignoring emergency policy Experts believe government and international health advice on self-isolation may not have been observed when the first cases were declared in Italy last month. Professor Della Giusta believes that movement between regions did not stop when the schools were first closed in northern regions a few weeks ago and many people did not take self-isolation measures. When schools got shut in Lombardy a lot of people just took their kids and went off on holiday to their holiday homes in the mountains and at the seaside in the other regions. They thought they were making their kids safe by taking them away, but this kind of behaviour is really very damaging. An overview of the Son Tra Peninsula in Da Nang The centre said the agreement, which was signed last week, aims to support Japanese tourists and promotion programmes of Da Nang in Japan. Sunrise Group Asia company will jointly cooperate with the centre to update tourism products and services, while providing information on destinations in Da Nang through two social networks Danang Fantasticity and Sunrise Danang to all cities in Japan. The company will record feedback from Japanese tourists about tour services in Da Nang that would help the central city improve its products. Its expected that the website Danang Fantasticity will be published in Japanese soon. Sunrise Danang was founded by two young Japanese, Kenta Kawano and Taiki Iida, to support Japanese expats and tourists as an information channel. The cooperation would also create a chance for Da Nangs tourism industry to approach a sustainable and luxury market in Japan amid the continuing COVID-19 epidemic. Japan is a focus for Da Nangs tourism, with 180,000 travellers coming to the city in 2019. The number of Japanese tourists to Da Nang experience annual average growth of 15 to 20 percent. The city also opened its liaison offices in Tokyo and Yokohama to boost tourism, trade and investment between the two localities. Local airlines have operated direct air routes to connect Da Nang with Narita, Osaka, and a chartered flight to Nagoya. Japan plans to open a Consulate General in Da Nang to boost tourism and exchanges between Japan and the central city later this year. The Japanese language is also being taught in some junior secondary schools following the citys foreign language teaching programme for 2012-20. Route Inn Group opened its first hotel project with total 18 million USD investment in Da Nang in 2017. WHAT has happened to our proud and beloved great state of Virginia? This disconcerting and frightening sentiment has been openly asked by many shocked Virginians, as well as by astute political observers across our magnificently historic, prosperous and liberty-loving commonwealth. Virginias General Assembly has been usurped by a blatantly unconstitutional power grab by Northern Virginia, a small but densely populated geographic area beholden to, and completely a part of, the national governments District of Columbia, not the sovereign state of Virginia. The burgeoning federal bureaucracy never stops expanding and swallowing up the geography, and hence the political power, of two independent states, which are protected against unitary rule according to the laws of the United States of America. The evolving tyrannical power of NOVA also denies Virginians their civil rights and influence in state and national elections. This infringement upon the rights of the honorable Old Dominion and her prideful citizens is, without a doubt, in direct violation of the U.S. Constitution. This vast, illegal overreach of the central government supplants Americas treasured political system of federalism. The Ekiti State Teaching Service Commission has dismissed a secondary teacher, Owoosi Gbenga, for sexually abusing a female student and impregnating her. The teacher has also been arrested by police for the offence. This is coming a week after the state government ensured the arrest of three teachers who raped students, most of whom were minors. The states Attorney General, Olawale Fapohunda, had described the cases as rape, since the victims were minors and could not legally take decisions on sexual consent. Mr Gbenga, until his dismissal was the Economics teacher at Alarelu Comprehensive High School, Igbara Odo-Ekiti in Ekiti South Local Government Area of the state. He allegedly impregnated the 17-year-old SS3 student, who was preparing for her Senior Secondary Certificate Examination. A complaint had spurred the disciplinary committee of the states teaching service body, TESCOM, to embark on investigation which revealed that the teacher was culpable. The commissions chairman, Babatunde Abegunde, told journalists in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday that the commission carried out a thorough investigation on the matter and followed the due process before arriving at the decision to dismiss the teacher. He said the dismissal would serve as deterrence to others who might want to indulge in such depraved and unethical act. The three teachers earlier arrested by the police on similar offence, were from Osi Grammar School, Osi Ekiti in Ido/Osi local government area and All Saints Grammar School in Ado Ekiti metropolis. Mr Fapohunda had earlier raised the alarm over incessant cases of rape in many of the secondary schools across the state. He pledged that all the cases already reported to the government and security agencies would be investigated and the culprits prosecuted. Haitian International Holdings Limited (HKG:1882), which is in the machinery business, and is based in Hong Kong, received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the SEHK over the last few months, increasing to HK$20.85 at one point, and dropping to the lows of HK$15.06. 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 Haitian International Holdings's current trading price of HK$15.06 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 Haitian International Holdingss outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change. See our latest analysis for Haitian International Holdings Is Haitian International Holdings still cheap? Good news, investors! Haitian International Holdings is still a bargain right now. According to my valuation, the intrinsic value for the stock is HK$27.84, which is above what the market is valuing the company at the moment. This indicates a potential opportunity to buy low. Although, there may be another chance to buy again in the future. This is because Haitian International Holdingss beta (a measure of share price volatility) is high, meaning its price movements will be exaggerated relative to the rest of the market. If the market is bearish, the company's shares will likely fall by more than the rest of the market, providing a prime buying opportunity. Can we expect growth from Haitian International Holdings? SEHK:1882 Past and Future Earnings, March 9th 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. 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 grow by 30% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Haitian International 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? Since 1882 is currently undervalued, it may be a great time to increase your holdings in the stock. With an optimistic outlook on the horizon, it seems like this growth has not yet been fully factored into the share price. However, there are also other factors such as financial health to consider, which could explain the current undervaluation. Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping an eye on 1882 for a while, now might be the time to make a leap. Its buoyant future outlook isnt fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means its not too late to buy 1882. But before you make any investment decisions, consider other factors such as the track record of its management team, in order to make a well-informed buy. Price is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper into what truly matters the fundamentals before you make a decision on Haitian International Holdings. You can find everything you need to know about Haitian International Holdings in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in Haitian International 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. [March 10, 2020] Tim Draper and Other Blockchain Communities Around the World Gather Together Using Teooh Virtual Events LONDON, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Teooh, Inc., a global virtual events technology platform, is partnering with Blockchain communities and providing them the tech to bring the community members together for virtual events. "Fundamentally, the blockchain technology is decentralized... the blockchain communities are the same so using our technology pioneers like Tim Draper have been hosting online events to bring members together," stated Don Stein, founder of Teooh.com. Blockchain pioneers and communities are going to usher in a new generation of finance...and we provide them with the platform where their ideas can start as friendly serendipitous conversations between members. "With our technology, communities can come together online and feel like they are in the same room without even needing to be in the same country," added Stein. "Watch a speaker talk about where the industry is headed, meet other pioneers by talking to those who are sitting at your virtual table all without leaving the comfort of your home. If you have a smartphone. then you have a ticket to a virtual meetup." Tim Draper is amongst the list of blockchain pioneers using Teooh to bring together their community for important conversations and meetups. Tim himself has hosted multiple virtual meetups with Teooh, and his family of funds are joining in this movement. For example, Draper Gorenholm will be hosting their first event on March 11th. Other prominent Blockchain pioneers are considering inegrating Teooh into their events strategy to bring together their community as well." For example, Helen Disney of UnblockedEvents.com has been in the industry since 2013 and has helped a ton of people along the way. She said, "the Blockchain community has always been a pioneer in finding new event models - from crowdsourcing agendas through to building 'unconferences' and experimenting with tokenising content. As we experience a new period of upheaval around both public health and climate-related concerns, there is an ever-greater interest in the idea of novel online event experiences. Teooh's platform is at the heart of ideas about how we will see online event communities developing for the future." A variety of industry luminaries have already hosted Teooh virtual events, including Youtube Creator and Entrepreneur Bentyn Szczepan, and smaller Polish Crypto communities like Portfel Kowaiskiego. Teooh has seen interest from communities all across the world, including Poland, San Francisco, New York City, and London. With Teooh, the more global your blockchain community, the better. We are so thrilled to help enable the blockchain industry with VR technology to bring people together. For more information about using the Teooh Virtual Events platform for free through April, please visit www.Teooh.com. About Teooh Virtual Events Teooh, Inc. is a global, virtual events company, using scalable, virtual reality-like technology to create life-like remote events. Teooh is the next best thing to being there. CONTACT: Teooh, Inc. Margaux Woelnner +1 248-410-3005 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tim-draper-and-other-blockchain-communities-around-the-world-gather-together-using-teooh-virtual-events-301020998.html SOURCE Teooh, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] New Delhi [India], Mar 9 (ANI): With one more case being reported from Punjab, there are 44 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country now, said Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday. The Ministry said, "Of the total cases, three positive cases from Kerala are now discharged. As many as 11,913 cases are under IDSP community follow-up. 404 Indian contacts of the US citizen tested positive in Bhutan have been identified and put under surveillance in Assam." "A total of 9,41,717 international passengers from 8,827 flights have been screened at airports till now with 54 passengers being referred to IDSP/ hospitals," it said. To meet the increasing demand and convenient screening of passengers, manpower deployed at airports has been substantially increased. There are now 286 doctors, 160 nurses and 295 paramedics stationed at airports across the country. The Ministry further said, "The Cabinet Secretary took a video conference with Chief Secretaries of all States/UTs here today. He emphasized upon actions like surveillance at points of entry (PoE), surveillance in the community, laboratory support and hospital preparedness." He called upon States/UTs to scale up logistics, quarantine facilities, capacity building, information management and risk communication. (ANI) Labour leadership hopeful Lisa Nandy became embroiled in a heated row with TV presenter Piers Morgan over the issue of transgender rights. The Wigan MP demanded the Good Morning Britain host apologise after he repeatedly asked her to say whether she felt it was unfair for athletes who now identify as female to compete in womens sport. Ms Nandy, who has backed pledges from the Labour Campaign for Trans Rights that call for the expulsion of transphobic members from the party, said it was for sporting bodies to establish a commission to discuss the issue. Morgan asked if Usain Bolt could transition and compete against women (Martin Rickett/PA) But Morgan demanded Ms Nandy give a straight answer and pressed her again, citing the example of New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, a transgender woman who is now targeting selection for the Olympics having previously competed as a male weightlifter. He also posed a hypothetical question over whether world record-holding sprinter Usain Bolt should be allowed to compete against women if he decided to transition. Ms Nandy accused Morgan of being irresponsible and pitting womens rights against trans rights. She said: Its for sport to have a proper commission to sit down and work out where those boundaries are. I will not allow this to become a zero sum battle between two groups of people. I will tell you why, because you are doing what too many people have done in this debate you have created more heat and less light. Its just simply nonsense, its a straw man. She added: Im giving you a straight answer, Im saying you are setting up a straw man in order to to pit one group against another. It has a real world impact and you need to stop it. You are attacking some of the most marginalised people in the country. Morgan insisted he was not attacking transgender rights and again demanded Nandy say whether she felt it was fair for trans athletes with superior strength and power to enter in womens competitions. Story continues As the GMB jingle played the show into an advert break, the pair continued to talk over each other and Nandy said: I want you to apologise. The heated debate started when Morgan had asked Ms Nandy if she agreed with her Labour colleague Dawn Butler, who he said had told the show recently that children are born without sex. Ms Nandy replied that when babies are born, they are designated a biological sex, which is determined by their physical attributes. Its not for me to tell people who they are, she said. Morgan asked her about a BBC Teach video that suggests there are more than 100 gender identities, to which Ms Nandy replied: You could do with watching one. She added: People choose their own gender, they choose how to define themselves, I believe. When Morgan repeated that he could choose to identify as a two-spirit penguin, a claim which drew scores of complaints last September, Ms Nandy joked it would be a dramatic improvement. The issue of trans rights has become the subject of debate in the Labour leadership contest and even prompted former Labour prime minister Tony Blair to warn the party should not fight the culture war on trans rights. The head of Canadas largest pension plan sees reasons for optimism in how Chinas economy is rebounding from the coronavirus outbreak. China, where the COVID-19 outbreak originated, has more than 70 per cent of its production back online and 99 per cent of its population back to where they migrated from during the countrys new year celebration, Mark Machin, chief executive officer of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, said in an interview. The country has managed to accomplish that while containing the spread of the virus, providing hope that other economies will be able recover as well, Machin said. The leading indicator is China, and its somewhat comforting to see China coming out of the worst, Machin said. Things are coming back to life, and the economy is reviving across the board. Economists from Bloomberg Intelligence estimate that the Chinese economy is operating at 70 to 80 per cent of its normal level. Manufacturing firms in China have told Bloomberg News they are close to being able to resume full production, though they now face cancelled orders as the virus hits other countries. Machin is optimistic that the price shock thats threatening the global oil industry wont drag on for too long. He cited a forecast from the Eurasia Group Ltd. that the situation has a 60 per cent chance of being short-lived. The CPPIB, which had $420 billion in assets as of Dec. 31, is built for something like this and is broadly diversified across regions and investment classes, including long-term contracted assets like toll roads and renewable-power generation, he said. The funds sizable fixed-income portfolio has gained significantly, helping offset the losses from equities, he said. Judging by the rebound in China, the economic recovery from the coronavirus in other countries may be more rapid than some are anticipating, he said. I dont think its L-shaped, Machin said of the recovery. V-shaped is the optimistic scenario. The only thing we can look at now is China, because thats where it first hit and thats where the first recovery is happening. Read more about: Huawei fears its mobile business is set for an unprecedented decline in 2020, industry insiders claim. Between the coronavirus pandemic and standing American sanctions, its supply chains have been freakishly crippled for half a year now. And the consequences of that mess are now starting to emerge. Newly reported projections from Huawei illustrate the precariousness of its circumstances; the technology juggernauts allegedly expecting a 20% annual decline in smartphone sales, The Information contends. Morale comes first Only a small circle of company officials is presently privy to HQs realistic take on their unenviable situation. Those employees learned of the bleak forecast in January, as per the same source. Huaweis said to be anticipating its annual handset sales to drop to as little as 190 million units in 2020. Advertisement The figure is a far cry from Huaweis 2019 performance which saw it post record-breaking growth across the board even as its stateside operations were cut off at their knees. The device maker hence sold 240 million Android smartphones over the said period. The remarkable achievement constituted a 15% year-on-year improvement, largely due to domestic gains driven by a wave of consumer patriotism in China. But defying the Department of Commerce is hardly a sustainable endeavor, especially when done in such a spectacular fashion. Huaweis unofficial 2020 forecast appears to confirm as much, signaling its days of explosive growth are now coming to an end after nine whole years. Are Huaweis fears coming true in 2020? It truly seems like Huawei simply cannot catch a break in recent times. The fact that its leadership is well-aware of the grim reality its facing is, therefore, hardly surprising. Advertisement Thats been the case since at least fall, if not August; i.e. the start of its latest clash with the U.S. government. Sure, Huawei maintaned its amicable public rhetorics in the face of crippling U.S. sanctions but that PR strategy is nothing new for Chinas telecom giant. Washingtons incessant attention has been weighing heavily on the conglomerate for nearly three decades now. And what few of its partners the Trump administration didnt touch the COVID-19 crisis did. The newest coronavirus scare shut down many Far Eastern factories, threatening Huaweis ability to compensate for overseas slumps. Across the pond, Huaweis CFO has been under house arrest in Canada since 2018 due to a DOJ extradition request. Her indictment encompasses corporate espionage, financial fraud, racketeering, and multiple criminal conspiracies. The charges also extend to a number of Huawei subsidiaries, with the defense insisting theyre nothing more than geopolitically motivated attacks. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden shouts at an auto worker in an argument on gun rights as he tours the Fiat Chrysler plant in Detroit, Mich., on March 10, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Biden Curses at Detroit Autoworker During Gun Rights Argument Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden cursed and appeared to threaten a Detroit autoworker on March 10 during an argument over gun rights. The former vice president told the unidentified worker that he is full of [expletive] and called him a horses [expletive]. The confrontation occurred amid a crowd of hardhat-clad workers at the Fiat Chrysler plant in Detroit, Michigan. Several videos of the argument were posted online. You are actively trying to end our Second Amendment rights and take away our guns, the worker said to Biden. Youre full of [expletive], Biden said before turning to shush a campaign official who tried to cut the conversation short. I support the Second Amendment from the very beginning. I have a shotgun. I have a 20-gauge, a 12-gauge. My sons hunt. Guess what? Youre not allowed to own any weapon. Im not taking your gun away at all. Do you need a hundred rounds? The worker then challenged Biden over what appears to be the viral video of Biden telling a rally in Dallas, Texas, that former Rep. Beto ORourke will be the one who leads Bidens gun-control effort. Before dropping out of the presidential race, ORourke said, Hell yes, were going to take your AR-15. He also warned that those popular and legal rifles are weapons of war, designed to kill people efficiently on a battlefield and promised to buy back every single assault weapon. Biden denied saying he would take peoples guns away while pointing at the workers face. This is not OK, the worker said while waving his hand protectively between his face and Bidens finger. Dont tell me that, pal, or Im going to go outside with you, Biden responded as he turned to walk away. Youre working for me, man, the worker shot back. Im not working Give me a break, man. Dont be such a horses [expletive], Biden said. Look. Heres the deal. Are you able to own a machine gun? Machine guns are illegal, the auto worker responded. Thats right. So are AR-15 are illegal, Biden said. Thats not a machine gun. Its a semi-automatic, the worker responded. Do you need a hundred rounds? Do you need a hundred rounds? Biden shouted. There are more deaths in America from handguns than there are from what you call assault rifles. Why are you advocating for assault rifles when people are dying from handguns? the worker asked. Biden turned away without offering a response. WATCH: "Youre full of sh*t," @JoeBiden tells a man who accused him of "actively trying to end our Second Amendment right." "I support the Second Amendment," Biden adds while vising under-construction auto plant in Detroit. @CBSNews pic.twitter.com/sueOSBaY9P Bo Erickson CBS (@BoKnowsNews) March 10, 2020 The confrontation is the latest in a series of tense confrontations and gaffes Biden has had on the campaign trail. The Trump and Sanders campaigns both drew attention on social media to the tense exchange. Asked for his reaction, Biden said, Im surprised that Sanders is joining Trump. The Biden campaign didnt respond to a request for comment. Biden made the comments as voters flocked to polling places for the 2020 primary elections in Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, and Washington. A total of 352 delegates to the national convention were on the line with polls still open in every state. The race to determine which Democrat will face President Donald Trump in November narrowed to just two viable candidates by March 10: Biden and socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Bidens campaign surged after a victory on Super Tuesday and endorsements from former primary rivals, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and billionaire Michael Bloomberg. Biden led Sanders by nearly 100 delegates ahead of the March 10 primaries. Polls tallied by Real Clear Politics showed the former vice president in the lead both in the national stage and in Michigan, Missouri, and Washington. Correction: A previous version of this article misquoted part of Bidens statement, which has since been updated based on a better-quality audio recording. Administrators from Midland ISD schools have swept Region 18 awards for the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA). Tracie Burrow of Parker Elementary was named Principal of the Year for Region 18, while Rebecca McCright of Long Elementart earned Assistant Principal of the Year for Region 18. Burrow attended Odessa High School. After graduating from Texas A&M Corpus Christi, she began teaching second grade at MISD's Fannin Elementary 1in 1998. She eventually was promoted to principal at Fannin and moved to Parker in 2017. Burrow has a masters in reading from University of Texas Permian Basin. This award is really for our entire campus staff and all the hard work we put in to serve our students, Burrow said in a press release. McCright grew up in Midland, attended Angelo State University and started her teaching career in MISD in 1997. She taught in Kerrville ISD for 14 years beginning in 2001 and then returned to MISD. Following two years as a curriculum specialist at South Elementary, McCright is now in her second year as assistant principal at Long Elementary. I have been blessed to learn about impactful instructional leadership under some of our districts top principals, McCright said. It is an honor to be recognized among such excellent peers as those in Region 18. The social media tactics of Australia's political campaigners will be laid bare from next week as Facebook imposes new transparency measures designed to bolster discourse on the platform. From March 18, Australian political advertising on Facebook will face rules that have already been rolled out in the United States and some other countries since 2018 in response to concerns about online misinformation and foreign interference in democracies. Facebook is boosting transparency measures for Australian politics. Credit:AP Ads about politics and elections will need to be authorised by an Australia-based person whose identity will be verified by Facebook. Ads will also have a public "paid for by" disclaimer linked to an account, page or organisation nominated by the advertiser. "These requirements hold advertisers accountable for the ads they run on Facebook and Instagram," the company said in a statement announcing the rollout to Australia and other countries. Australian workers could be forced to use their annual leave if they are required to go into quarantine for coronavirus, experts have revealed. The deadly outbreak of COVID-19, which has infected 100 people across the country, has raised questions about leave entitlements for those who need to go into isolation for an extended period of time. Employment lawyer at the law firm Maurice Blackburn, Giri Sivaraman, said entitlement depends on whether an individual is actually sick or just required to undergo testing. Workers who have been told to stay home from work and quarantine themselves amid fears they may have been exposed to the virus should be paid as usual, he told Daily Mail Australia. Workers who have been told to stay home from work and quarantine themselves amid fears they may have been exposed to the virus should be paid as usual, an employment expert revealed The deadly outbreak of COVID-19, has raised questions about leave entitlements for those who need to go into isolation for an extended period of time (stock image) Australia has now recorded 100 confirmed cases of coronavirus, including three deaths 'If I'm not sick and my employer says to me "I'm taking precautions in the workplace and I'd like you to go home and isolate for a period of time and get tested", then I'm really just being suspended from work and I should just continue to get paid normally, I shouldn't have to take any leave for that. CORONAVIRUS PAID LEAVE EXPLAINED: Workers who are forced to self-isolate by a doctor or their workplace - but AREN'T sick - should not have to use their sick leave. Those who have been diagnosed with coronavirus are entitled to use their paid sick leave, as they would for any other illness. If more paid sick leave is required than the worker has accrued, they can choose to go unpaid or take annual leave (if they have any). Employers may be taking extraordinary measures or precautions amid the outbreak, but they are not legally mandated to offer special paid leave specifically for coronavirus. NSW Health employees have been offered special paid annual leave in addition to their regular entitlements should they be required to go into isolation. However, officials said workers can lose those privileges if they choose to visit high-risk destinations for which travel bans and restrictions are in place. Employment lawyer Giri Sivaraman said regular employment leave laws apply for coronavirus. Advertisement 'If I'm sick and I've got accrued paid sick leave, I'm completely entitled to take that. There's no way an employer can tell me don't take your paid sick leave.' Mr Sivaraman said paid sick leave entitlements for coronavirus should apply as it would for any other illness. However, if employees are too unwell to work and do not have any accrued paid sick leave left, they may be forced to take unpaid leave or use their vacation days. 'If you have no more accrued, you can only be on unpaid sick leave for that. It's not your employer's obligation to pay you [in that circumstance],' he added. 'If you got other paid leave accrued you can definitely seek to take all of that.' Otherwise, employers cannot force workers to take their annual leave if they are not sick and need to be quarantined, without their consent. Meanwhile, NSW Health has informed its workers they will have access to special paid leave in addition to their regular entitlements if they are required to undergo isolation amid the health crisis. However, workers can end up forfeiting those incentives if they decide to flout travel bans and visit countries where the risk of exposure is high. For those cases, they would be required to take annual leave instead, The ABC reported. But Coleman Greig employment lawyer Lisa Qiu told the publication leave arrangements in these circumstances differ for high-risk workplaces. 'The standard is going to be different, it's going to be a lot higher in terms of the precautions the employer or government is taking,' she said. As fears grow for a coronavirus pandemic, businesses have been enacting emergency plans in order to allow work to continue amid the outbreak, including offering the ability to work from home. But those measures are specific to each employer and workplaces aren't legally mandated to offer special leave specifically for coronavirus. 'There's nothing that fits this circumstance, it's unusual in that sense,' Mr Sivaraman said. 'Substitute coronavirus for the flu and it doesn't change the law.' 'There's a lot of misunderstandings and knee-jerk reactions to this and I think it is slightly because there's not a specific law to deal with the situation.' Mr Sivaraman said the unprecedented outbreak can give employers the right to deny annual leave if a worker is seeking to go on holiday at a destination where travel warnings and restrictions are in place. In those cases, they are completely within their rights to take reasonable precautions to make sure the workplace is safe. The Australian government is now weighing its response after Italy declared a country-wide travel ban for its 60 million-strong population due to the spread of the coronavirus, which has killed more than 3,800 people worldwide. Employment lawyer at the Maurice Blackburn firm Giri Sivaraman said the issue depends on whether an individual is actually sick or just required to undergo testing The federal government continues to advise travellers to Italy to 'exercise a high degree of caution' and warns they will be subject to health screening upon their return. Meanwhile, temporary school closures are likely to become the norm across Australia as the nation also tries to batten down the hatches. Three schools in NSW and Victoria will be shut on Tuesday after three students tested positive to COVID-19. Three elderly people have died, so far. Across the world, there have been more than 110,000 confirmed cases and more than 3,817 deaths in 105 countries. Elsewhere, federal Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter will meet with unions and employer groups in Sydney on Tuesday to discuss the impact of the coronavirus on the economy and business. Unions want the government to compensate Australia's 3.3 million casual workers who don't get paid sick leave if they have to self-isolate for up to two weeks. The workers are mainly in the retail, hospitality, health and aged care sectors. 'We don't want people with virus or people with symptoms going to work, but they are going to have to choose between paying the bills and feeding themselves or going to work,' ACTU secretary Sally McManus warned on Monday. WASHINGTON, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Humane Society of the United States released its first Food Industry Scorecard, a year-long audit that examined nearly 100 of the nation's largest food companies' progress toward reducing animal suffering in their supply chains. The report includes a company ranking and detailed analyses of what each company promised and what they are actually doing to mitigate or eliminate cruel practices that compromise animal welfare in their supply chains. The initiative follows hundreds of public pledges by America's top food companies to make animal welfare reforms. Their promises responding to consumer concerns about factory farming have focused on improvements for chickens in the poultry supply and eliminating the cruelest products, such as eggs produced by locking chickens in tiny cages and pork produced by confining mother pigs in gestation crates. Josh Balk, vice president of farm animal protection, the Humane Society of the United States, said, "People are concerned about the treatment of animals in the food supply and want to know whether companies are keeping their promises. Many of the companies evaluated are indeed making substantial strides toward implementing the promised changes, while others are showing no progress, have weakened their commitments or have abandoned their animal welfare promises entirely." Whole Foods Market, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Bon Appetit Management Co. and Unilever all earned an A+ grade for the robust animal welfare policies they either fully or substantially implemented. At the other end of the spectrum, numerous companies earned failing grades including McDonald's, Wendy's, Starbucks, Walmart and Tyson Foods. "The companies working hard to reduce animal suffering are doing the right thing and we applaud their actions," added Block. "To the companies failing to make or keep animal welfare promises, we will work vigorously to hold you accountable." The complete Food Industry Scorecard can be found here. Photos. Founded in 1954, the Humane Society of the United States and its affiliates around the globe fight the big fights to end suffering for all animals. Together with millions of supporters, the HSUS takes on puppy mills, factory farms, trophy hunts, animal testing and other cruel industries, and together with its affiliates, rescues and provides direct care for over 100,000 animals every year. The HSUS works on reforming corporate policy, improving and enforcing laws and elevating public awareness on animal issues. More at humanesociety.org . Subscribe to Kitty Block's blog, A Humane World . Follow the HSUS Media Relations department on Twitter . Read the award-winning All Animals magazine. Listen to the Humane Voices Podcast . SOURCE Humane Society of the United States Related Links http://humanesociety.org The Amazon rainforest and Caribbean coral reefs could collapse completely within the next 50 years as climate change puts the biggest ecosystems under stress. Researchers from Bangor University in Wales used computer models to discover that ecosystems were collapsing at a 'significantly faster rate' than first thought. They studied data from more than 40 natural environments around the world and fed them into a computer model to predict how ecosystems will change over time. The team found that at the current rate of climate change the Amazon rainforest will become a savannah-type ecosystem in 49 years. Lead author, Dr Simon Wilcock from Banger University said people need to prepare themselves for dramatic environmental changes 'far sooner than expected'. Scroll down for video While currently lush and green, researchers predict the Amazon rainforest will become an African style savannah-type environment with grass and sparse tree populations Writing in Nature Communications they say the stress being faced by places like the Amazon rainforest could lead to them transforming into 'an alternative ecosystem'. The prediction for the 2.1 million square miles of Amazon rainforest is that it will go from diverse greenery to an African style savannah with a mix of trees and grass. Caribbean coral reefs, covering approximately 7,722 square miles of ocean, would become bleached and sparsely populated in just 15 years, the team predict. 'Unfortunately, what our paper reveals is that humanity needs to prepare for changes far sooner than expected,' said Willcock. 'These rapid changes to the world's largest and most iconic ecosystems would impact the benefits which they provide us with, including everything from food and materials, to the oxygen and water we need for life.' Researchers from Bangor, Southampton University and the University of London collated data from four land, 25 marine and 13 freshwater ecosystems. These varied in size from small ponds to the black sea aquatic ecosystem. This data had been compiled from scientific publications, institutional reports and online databases about regime shifts and thresholds. Their computer models found that larger ecosystems take longer to actually collapse but their breakdown, once started, happens quickly compared with smaller systems. 'We intuitively knew that big systems would collapse more slowly than small ones - due to the time it takes for impacts to diffuse across large distances,' said John Dearing of Southampton University, lead researcher on the study. 'What was unexpected was the finding that big systems collapse much faster than you might expect - even the largest on Earth only taking possibly a few decades.' Dearing says the unravelling effects that he and his team have highlighted are probably illustrated by the rapid spread of bush fires recently seen in Australia. The findings also magnify concerns about the effects recent fires in the Amazon rainforest will have on its ability to withstand climate change, he said. Researchers predict that the colourful Caribbean coral reef will become bleached and sparsely populated within 15 years Not everyone felt the research merited the strong claim that the Amazon rainforest would turn into a completely new ecosystem in just 49 years. Dr Erika Berenguer, a senior research associate at University of Oxford and Lancaster University, who was also not involved in the study, said its conclusions are not supported by the data analysed. The claim that the Amazon will become a 'savannah-type ecosystem' was not tested in the paper so can't be used as a valid example. 'The authors use data from only four terrestrial systems, none of which is a tropical rainforest, but still claim that the Amazon, the largest rainforest on the planet, will experience a dieback in just 50 years,' she said. 'While there is no doubt that the Amazon is at great risk and that a tipping point is likely, such inflated claims do not help either science or policy-making.' Dearing says the unravelling effects that he and his team have highlighted are probably illustrated by the rapid spread of bush fires recently seen in Australia Dearing and his team found some light, they discovered that ecosystems made up of a number of interacting species, rather than those dominated by one single species, may be more stable and take longer to shift to alternative states. They say these provide opportunities to mitigate or manage the worst effects areas. For example, elephants are a termed a 'key stone' species as they have a disproportionately large impact on the landscape pushing over trees, but also dispersing seeds over large distances. The authors say the loss of key stone species, such as this, would lead to a rapid and dramatic change in the landscape within our lifetime. 'This is yet another strong argument to avoid degrading our planet's ecosystems; we need to do more to conserve biodiversity,' says Dr Gregory Cooper from the School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London. The research has been published in the journal Nature Communications. US shale oil firms have far higher production costs than Saudi Arabia, which unleashed a price war over the weekend. A perfect storm is forming over the United States shale oil patch. Following the collapse of the alliance between Saudi Arabia-led OPEC and its most important ally Russia on Friday, the kingdom threw down the gauntlet. The Saudis slashed the prices they charge for crude, and reportedly are preparing to open up the oil taps even more next month, saturating a market already reeling from waning demand in the face of coronavirus disruptions. At $2.8 per barrel, Saudi state oil giant Aramco has the lowest production costs in the world. US shale oil producers need crude to fetch a price that is more than 14 times higher to cover their costs. Now, the oil price war that has erupted has US shale oil companies rushing to cut spending and rein in their production. Global benchmark Brent crude fell 30 percent on Monday, the largest one-day slide since the 1991 Gulf War, before pairing some of those losses. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude tanked 24.59 percent to settle at $31.13 per barrel. For the last three years, OPEC and its allies, chiefly Russia, have cut supply to support prices, leaving the door open for US shale producers to boost production and capture market share. The US is now the largest oil producer in the world, pumping out nearly 13 million barrels per day (bpd), but the companies operating fields in Texas, New Mexico and other states have struggled to make enough money to satisfy investors. Recently, oil output more than doubled in New Mexico, generating more than $500m in proceeds from past auctions, and lifting it to become the third-largest US producing state. Colorado rose to the fifth-largest by volume last year. Even before the alliance between OPEC and Russia collapsed, those companies were already pulling back on capital expenditures, and that activity will accelerate. Shale companies need prices at least in the low $40s per barrel to cover direct costs, said Ian Nieboer, a managing director at consultant Enverus. If US prices remain at a low-$30-a-barrel range, it starts to look more lethal, he said. Diamondback Energy Inc and Parsley Energy Inc two of the largest shale independents said they slashed drilling and well completions to maintain cash flow above ongoing expenses. The cuts reflect a wave of reductions under way elsewhere, said analysts. Producer shares dropped sharply on Monday. Larger oil companies with refining and chemicals businesses also got pummelled, but not as badly. Diamondback said that it released a third of the crews completing new wells, that it plans to cut three drilling rigs this quarter, and that it will reduce its 2020 spending budget by an undisclosed amount. The lower activity will remain until we see clear signs of commodity price recovery, said Diamondback Chief Executive Travis Stice. We will maintain positive cash flow and protect our balance sheet and dividend. The US government recently forecast domestic production would rise one million barrels per day (bpd) to more than 13 million bpd. But in light of reduced demand and OPECs higher output, oil production growth will be roughly zero compared with 2019, estimated Paul Mecray, managing director for Tower Bridge Advisors. Reduced global demand means the call on US shale will fall 2-3 million bpd, said Paul Sankey, a researcher at investment firm Mizuho Americas. That would imply an additional 20 percent reduction in oil companies spending this year, he wrote. Ripple effect The weekend decision by OPEC to pump full bore is analogous to what the cartel did around 2014, said Brock Hudson, managing director at investment bankers Carl Marks Advisors. That effort designed to keep OPECs market share against a rising US shale output ultimately failed, and OPEC later set production curbs. But this time, shale is lacking support from investors who four years ago bought their debt, financed reorganisations and kept shale producing. US producers are going to be suspending completions and things like that to keep producing, said Hudson. Companies likely will halt well completions at a pace that could lead US production to decline by one million bpd by the end of summer, said Richard Spears, vice president of oilfield consultancy Spears & Associates. The ripple effect will hit oilfield service firms and state budgets. Scandrill Inc expects to cut about 22 workers assigned to one rig after a customer on Friday decided to pull back on new drilling, said Senior Vice President Paul Mosvold. Private equity-backed [oil companies] are going to pull back fairly dramatically on the rig count, which is the canary in the coal mine, Mosvold said. An extension of the last remaining nuclear arms treaty between the United States and Russia should include new weapons systems that Moscow is developing, a U.S. State Department official said in a briefing on March 9. The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) is scheduled to expire on February 2021 and Washington has said a new accord should encompass "slightly exotic new systems such as the nuclear-powered, underwater, nuclear-armed drone called Poseidon; the nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed cruise missile, air-launched ballistic missile, and that sort of thing," the official said. The Trump administration has said it wants an extension of New START to also include China. The United States and Russia are the two signatories of treaty that went into effect in 2011. China, the third-largest nuclear power, is on track to double its nuclear arsenal over the next decade, Christopher Ford, assistant secretary for international security and nonproliferation, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during a hearing on December 2, 2019. However, China's arsenal would still be less than half of that of the United States and Russia. The nonproliferation agreement limits deployed strategic nuclear warheads and bombs held by the United States and Russia to 1,550, a reduction of nearly 75 percent from the 6,000 cap set by START 1, according to the Arms Control Association, a Washington-based, nongovernmental organization. The treaty also allows for the verification of warheads held by each side. It can be renewed for up to five years if both sides agree. Moscow has already offered to extend the treaty. A Wayne County man previously convicted of sexual abuse has been arrested for sexually assaulting a child in Wolcott, according to New York State Police. Troopers arrested John A. Bizallion, 54, and charged him with felony predatory sexual assault against a child on Monday, police said. Bizallion was booked and arraigned in Wayne County Centralized Arraignment Court on Tuesday, according to police. He is being held without bail. He was arrested for having sexual contact with a 4-year-old girl on Oct. 1996, according to New York States sex offender registry. Bizallion was convicted a year later and was released from prison in 2000, according to a state prison inmate database. Police ask that anyone with more information about Bizallion contact state police in Canandaigua at 585-398-4100. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Chris Libonati via the Signal app for encrypted messaging at 585-290-0718, by phone at the same number, by email or on Twitter. Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Yields on benchmark Government bonds yesterday turned negative for the first time ever as investors rushed for safety. This meant that, briefly, investors were paying to lend money to the Government instead of receiving a return on their cash. When bond yields turn negative, it indicates that investors are prioritising preserving their money over getting any sort of return. Yields on benchmark Government bonds yesterday turned negative for the first time ever as investors rushed for safety The swing to negative yields was caused by a rush into gilts as the stock market tanked, amid fears coronavirus would cause the global economy to stutter to a halt. This pushed up the price of the bonds, meaning their yield or how much they pay out in interest relative to their price slumped. By the close, UK ten-year gilts were paying out a yield of 0.16 per cent, and two-year gilts were yielding just 0.08 per cent. US Treasury yields also flirted with all-time lows, although they recovered slightly. [March 09, 2020] Optiva Inc. Reports Financial Results for the Three-Month Period Ended December 31, 2019 and Fiscal 2019 Financial Results TORONTO, March 9, 2020 /CNW/ - Optiva Inc. ("Optiva" or "the Company") (TSX:OPT), the leader in providing communications service providers (CSPs) worldwide with cloud-native revenue management software on the public cloud, released its financial results today for the three-month period ended December 31, 2019 and fiscal year ended December 31, 2019. As previously announced on December 12, 2018, Optiva changed its fiscal year end from September 30 to December 31 to better align the Company's year-end reporting cycle with its business operations. The Company's transition to a December 31 year-end in fiscal 2019 will include five fiscal quarters. Q5 Fiscal 2019 Highlights Three Months Ended Fifteen Months Ended Twelve Months Ended ($ US Thousands, except per share information) December 31, December 31, September 30, (Unaudited) 2019 2018 2019 2018 Revenue 20,530 27,617 120,883 121,627 Net income (loss) (16,874) 538 (13,751) (92,592) Earnings (loss) Per Share $(3.17) $ 0.10 $(2.60) $(17.69) Cash generated from (used in) operating activities (2,966) (1,917) (2,259) (61,011) Total cash, including restricted cash 32,699 35,385 32,699 39,683 Fifth Quarter 2019 Financial Results for the Period Ended December 31, 2019 Revenues decreased by $7.1 million relative to the corresponding quarter of 2018, primarily due to the discontinuation of support and subscription sales to customers who had previously notified Optiva of their exit. relative to the corresponding quarter of 2018, primarily due to the discontinuation of support and subscription sales to customers who had previously notified Optiva of their exit. Optiva's cost of revenue and operating expenses declined by $6.9 million relative to the same period in 2018 as a result of Optiva's ongoing focus on operational efficiencies, cost management and lower non-cloud research and development expenses. relative to the same period in 2018 as a result of Optiva's ongoing focus on operational efficiencies, cost management and lower non-cloud research and development expenses. Fifth quarter 2019 research and development expenses included $4.4 million of investments in cloud innovation, which brings the total spent in fiscal 2019, to $14.2 million . Since the beginning of 2018, Optiva has invested a total of $28.2 million in cloud innovation and will continue to spend up to another $72 million over the course of the next two to three years, as per its stated cloud-driven growth strategy. of investments in cloud innovation, which brings the total spent in fiscal 2019, to . Since the beginning of 2018, Optiva has invested a total of in cloud innovation and will continue to spend up to another over the course of the next two to three years, as per its stated cloud-driven growth strategy. Net loss for the quarter increased to $16.9 million compared to net income of $0.5 million during the corresponding period in 2018. The lower earnings were mainly attributable to a decrease in revenues and higher finance costs and income tax expense during the reported period. compared to net income of during the corresponding period in 2018. The lower earnings were mainly attributable to a decrease in revenues and higher finance costs and income tax expense during the reported period. Optiva consumed $3.0 million in cash from operating activities in the fifth quarter of 2019, versus consuming $1.9 million of cash in the corresponding period in 2018. in cash from operating activities in the fifth quarter of 2019, versus consuming of cash in the corresponding period in 2018. Continued focus and investments in cloud innovation remain at the forefront of the Company's growth strategy. Business Highlights: Optiva announced its objective to raise as much as US$100 million for the acceleration of its strategic plan consisting of increasing pace and amount of investments in order to maintain its leadership position in the cloud opportunity, while withstanding near term losses in order to aggressively invest in long-term, sustainable, profitable growth. for the acceleration of its strategic plan consisting of increasing pace and amount of investments in order to maintain its leadership position in the cloud opportunity, while withstanding near term losses in order to aggressively invest in long-term, sustainable, profitable growth. The Customer Success metric is showing improvement for the period July to December, increasing to just over 50%. Subsequent to quarter-end, Vodafone Idea Ltd (VIL), announced it had gone live with a pilot deployment of cloud-native Optiva Charging EngineTM on VIL's Universal Cloud, catering to over four million subscribers and over 1,000 transaction units per second (TPS) traffic for online charging data. Optiva is named a market disruptor by GlobalData, a world-leading analytics company and one of the largest data and insights solution providers, citing Optiva's leadership in the telecom industry in its journey to the public cloud. Conference Call Optiva Inc. will hold an analyst call on March 10, 2020, to discuss its quarterly financial for the three-month period ended December 31, 2019. CEO Danielle Royston and Interim CFO Anin Basu will host the call starting at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time. A question and answer session will follow management's discussion. Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2020 Time: 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time Toll-free (Canada/US): 1-888-204-4368 International: 1-720-543-0214 Reference number: 8661099 Please call the conference telephone number 5-10 minutes prior to the start time. An operator will register your name and organization. A replay of the call will be available via Optiva's website (www.optiva.com/investors/) Media Inquiries: [email protected] About Optiva Inc. Optiva Inc. is the leader in providing communication service providers (CSPs) worldwide with cloud-native revenue management software on the public cloud. MNOs and MVNOs can integrate our best-of-breed charging engine into a BSS stack or deploy our fully managed, end-to-end, SaaS platform. Optiva products offer unmatched speed, scale, security and savings. Our market knowledge, analytical insights and unique Customer Success Program ensure telecoms are equipped to achieve their strategic business goals. Established in 1999, Optiva Inc. is on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: OPT). For more information, visit www.optiva.com. Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statement Certain statements in this document may constitute "forward-looking" statements which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. When used in this document, such statements use such words as "may," "will," "expect," "continue," "believe," "plan," "intend," "would," "could," "should," "anticipate" and other similar terminology. These statements are forward-looking as they are based on our current expectations, as at March 9, 2020, about our business and the markets we operate in, and on various estimates and assumptions. Our actual results could materially differ from our expectations if known or unknown risks affect our business, or if our estimates or assumptions turn out to be inaccurate. As a result, there is no assurance that any forward-looking statements will materialize. Risks that could cause our results to differ materially from our current expectations are discussed in the Company's most recent Annual Information Form, both of which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on Optiva's website at www.optiva.com/investors/. Other unknown or unpredictable factors or underlying assumptions subsequently proving to be incorrect could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Optiva does not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law. OPTIVA Inc. Consolidated Statements of Financial Position (Expressed in U.S. dollars) As at December 31, 2019 and September 30, 2018 2019 2018 Assets Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 31,747,993 $ 36,174,863 Trade accounts and other receivables 7,808,293 14,954,291 Unbilled revenue 4,468,014 12,908,847 Prepaid expenses 1,983,391 1,833,105 Income taxes receivable 4,105,144 5,173,450 Other assets 243,199 253,517 Inventories 473,201 1,111,782 Total current assets 50,829,235 72,409,855 Restricted cash 951,291 3,507,759 Property and equipment 541,861 Deferred income taxes 217,423 2,093,716 Investment tax credits 358,309 361,810 Long-term unbilled revenue 4,676,597 1,531,062 Intangible assets 12,215,598 18,044,530 Goodwill 32,271,078 32,271,078 Total assets $ 101,519,531 $ 130,761,671 Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity (Deficit) Current liabilities: Trade payables $ 7,350,942 $ 21,568,158 Accrued liabilities 10,518,015 12,832,812 Provisions 3,630,550 7,655,199 Income taxes payable 3,644,752 500,489 Deferred revenue 6,363,724 13,445,746 Total current liabilities 31,507,983 56,002,404 Deferred revenue 702,143 1,512,863 Other liabilities 2,628,408 1,272,488 Pension and other long-term employment benefit plans 12,486,732 16,900,821 Provisions 36,611 5,662,009 Preferred shares 66,345,563 57,862,418 Series A Warrant 22,679,934 21,754,223 Deferred income taxes 753,036 120,000 Total liabilities 137,140,410 161,087,226 Shareholders' equity (deficit): Share capital 250,893,223 248,680,325 Standby Warrant 997,500 997,500 Contributed surplus 11,291,632 13,386,978 Deficit (294,322,038) (285,318,990) Accumulated other comprehensive loss (4,481,196) (8,071,368) Total shareholders' equity (deficit) (35,620,879) (30,325,555) Total liabilities and shareholders' equity (deficit) $ 101,519,531 $ 130,761,671 OPTIVA Inc. Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss (Expressed in U.S. dollars, except per share and share amounts) Fifteen months ended December 31, 2019 and Twelve months ended September 30, 2018 2019 2018 Revenue: Support and subscription $ 86,859,693 $ 84,747,291 Software licenses, services and other 34,022,831 36,879,413 120,882,524 121,626,704 Cost of revenue 39,351,285 50,711,612 Gross profit 81,531,239 70,915,092 Operating expenses: Sales and marketing 12,552,570 11,331,769 General and administrative 22,585,631 31,076,334 Research and development 35,156,577 61,515,108 Restructuring costs (recovery) (1,715,241) 51,775,138 68,579,537 155,698,349 Income (loss) from operations 12,951,702 (84,783,257) Foreign exchange loss (1,475,908) (317,823) Finance income 604,885 523,718 Finance costs (14,190,135) (2,572,010) Loss before income taxes (2,109,456) (87,149,372) Income tax expense: Current 9,162,706 5,391,880 Deferred 2,478,943 50,404 11,641,649 5,442,284 Loss for the year (13,751,105) (92,591,656) Other comprehensive income: Items that will not be reclassified to net income: Actuarial gain on pension and non-pension post-employment benefit plans, net of income tax expense of nil (2018 - nil) 3,590,172 390,055 Total comprehensive loss $ (10,160,933) $ (92,201,601) Loss per common share: Basic $ (2.60) $ (17.69) Diluted (2.60) (17.69) Weighted average number of common shares: Basic 5,280,662 5,233,047 Diluted 5,280,662 5,233,047 OPTIVA Inc. Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Expressed in U.S. dollars) Fifteen months ended December 31, 2019 and Twelve months ended September 30, 2018 2019 2018 Cash provided by (used in): Operating activities: Loss for the year $ (13,751,105) $ (92,591,656) Adjustments for: Depreciation of property and equipment 166,698 2,505,018 Amortization of intangible assets 5,828,932 7,487,034 Finance income (604,885) (523,718) Finance costs 14,190,135 2,572,010 Income tax expense 11,641,649 5,442,284 Unrealized foreign exchange loss 39,847 3,073,740 Share-based compensation 2,175,412 2,776,008 Pensions (684,984) (595,754) Provisions (9,650,047) (6,161,235) Loss on disposal of property and equipment 307,707 421,610 Change in non-cash operating working capital (7,094,600) 20,708,948 2,564,759 (54,885,711) Interest paid (77,487) (185,333) Interest received 281,776 512,379 Income taxes paid (5,028,410) (6,452,848) (2,259,362) (61,011,513) Financing activities: Dividends paid (4,264,969) (11,640,670) (4,264,969) (11,640,670) Investing activities: Sale (Purchase) of property and equipment 67,456 (5,538) Purchase of intangible assets (9,985) Decrease in restricted cash 2,556,468 1,045,864 2,623,924 1,030,341 Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents (526,463) (3,095,039) Decrease in cash and cash equivalents (4,426,870) (74,716,881) Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year 36,174,863 110,891,744 Cash and cash equivalents, end of year $ 31,747,993 $ 36,174,863 SOURCE Optiva Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] US public frustrated over government's inconsistent messages on coronavirus People's Daily Online (People's Daily Online) 16:33, March 09, 2020 As COVID-19 continues to rampage across the US, the public is growing increasingly frustrated at the inconsistent messages on coronavirus being sent out by the US government, with its downplaying of the lethal virus clashing with health officials' solemn warnings. These contradictory announcements were highlighted on Sunday when US President Donald Trump noted on Twitter that his administration's response to the virus is a "perfectly coordinated and fine-tuned plan." He also stressed that he wouldn't be postponing his political rallies, which can attract upward of 15,000 attendees. The president's optimism was not shared by health officials. Anthony Fauci, top infectious disease doctor at the National Institute of Health, warned that the elderly and medically vulnerable should avoid large crowds, while Surgeon General Jerome Adams told the public to be prepared for more cases and deaths. On the same day, divergence also took place between the New York government and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York State, criticized the federal government for delays in allowing private laboratories in New York State to test for the coronavirus, adding the state would not know the full extent of the spread until it could do more testing. The contradictory messages on COVID-19 from the US government has left an already jittery public even more on edge. In February, National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow tried to assuage concerns over the virus, saying that it had been contained. But urgent public health advice coming from the CDC later revealed that the spread of COVID-19 in the US is inevitable, confusing the public and even leading to fierce debates in the government. "Whom should I listen to, the White House, the CDC, or the health officials? Obviously, when it comes to the same virus, they have totally different opinions. I feel so frustrated because we cannot get a unified official opinion on the virus, and it is spreading across the nation now," noted a Reddit user named Aroramond. The US government has been criticized by health experts worldwide for its failure to provide the public with accurate and basic knowledge of COVID-19. During an interview with VOX, Bruce Aylward, Assistant Director-General of WHO, noted that many Americans haven't understood the basics of the virus. "If you want to get speed of response, your population has to know this disease. You find any population in the West and ask them what are the two pressing signs you have to be alert to. What would you say?" said Aylward. "Make sure your people know [about the virus]. Make sure you have mechanisms for working with them very quickly through your health system. Then enough public health infrastructure to investigate cases, identify the close contacts, and then make sure they remain under surveillance," he further added. Inconsistency in messaging on COVID-19 has also led to public distrust of the government. On March 4, the CDC's decision to stop reporting test numbers triggered a backlash, prompting public fear that lack of information may accelerate the spread of COVID-19. Though the CDC later reversed its decision and continued to provide test numbers, its information was then challenged by the public as being inconsistent and lacking transparency. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Senator Elizabeth Warrens recent exit from the Democratic Party's nomination race has left many in the U.S. disappointed that the presidency may be out of reach for a woman, as she was the last viable female candidate in a historic field of six female contenders. VOAs Brian Padden reports. The planning, execution, sustenance, longevity and multiplicity of the protests against the CAA were always incompatible with the projected image of an organic movement. The recent detention from Okhla, New Delhi, of a Kashmiri couple linked with the Khorasan module of Islamic State has ripped apart the mask that anti-CAA protests were organic. It isnt really a surprise except for those who had willingly suspended their disbelief to note that external forces were working behind the scenes to incite violence in India. The planning, execution, sustenance, longevity and multiplicity of the protests were always incompatible with the projected image of an organic movement led by vociferous voices from the ground. According to media reports, the web-savvy couple, who were associated with senior Islamic State members in Afghanistan, were at work through incendiary literature and planning to carry out suicide attacks in India. The cops seized four mobile phones, a laptop, a hard drive and other incriminating material from their residence. The couple apparently operated several social media accounts on different platforms to propagate the Islamic State's ideology. The story doesnt end here. Jahanzaib Sami, the husband, told police during interrogation that he was earlier in touch with Khorasan-based Huzaifa Bakistani the chief of Wilayat al-Hind, who has since been killed. What is Wilayat al-Hind? It is literally an Islamic State province in India the new branch of the terror group established last year in May to focus on India-specific activities, as declared by its news agency Amaq. Sami, and presumably his wife Hina Bashir Beigh, were allegedly coordinating with Islamic States India module. Sami was not only arranging arms and ammunition to unleash terror in the country. His task also allegedly included propagation of Islamic State ideology and online indoctrination of Muslim youth. Interrogation made it clear that Sami was involved in propagation of the Islamic State magazine Sawt al-Hind (Voice of India) that came out in February 2020. Meanwhile as the madness unfolds... pro #ISIS publication group launches an India focused product.....sensing this as an opportunity to ride the communal cleavages and the incompetence of the state to handle lunatics and radicals - via @KabirTaneja pic.twitter.com/LfmJ7dIcPg Samir Saran (@samirsaran) February 27, 2020 Media reports also indicate that the couple were behind the protests in Shaheen Bagh and ran a Twitter handle called @Kashmirosint (now deleted) that shared OSINT, news and stories from Kashmir, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Unsurprisingly, the viral image of a Muslim man being beaten by a Hindu mob in Delhi has now been repurposed by ISIS, in a poster justifying retaliatory violence in Wilayat al-Hind, the Caliphates Indian Province. pic.twitter.com/Cw5EzAvmE5 Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) February 28, 2020 As the external machinations behind the anti-CAA protests become clear, we also have a better idea now of the funding that ostensibly sustained these demonstrations and sit-ins. We now know that Pakistans deep state has been actively promoting anti-CAA protests in India, nurturing it with funds, amplifying it inside India (in terms of organising demonstrations and acts of violence) and abroad (activism and campaigning) to execute its plan of proving before the world that the current Indian leaders are a bunch of genocidal maniacs out to cleanse the country of its Muslim population. The genesis of Pakistans actions, of course, lies in Indias decision to abrogate Article 370 and read down the semi-autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate it into two Union territories for better Centre-based control over its administration. It not only ended Pakistans Kashmir project, more importantly, it challenged the Pakistan armys role in its polity. The army holds control over other institutions in Pakistan not just because it protects Pakistans territory from India, but also because it shall seize the territory of Kashmir from Indian control. This construct not only makes Kashmir central to Pakistans two-nation theory, but also reinforces its claim that Kashmir is an unfinished business of Partition. By abrogating Article 370, the Indian government ended Pakistans claims over Kashmir as a disputed territory and made it Indias internal business to be dealt within the framework of Indian Constitution. This leaves little maneuvering space for Pakistan, which has since been fuming hoping to turn Kashmir Valley into a South Asian West Bank. Pakistans best policy in this scenario is to instigate unrest and protests within India over communal lines so that the Indian government uses force to curb the unrest and allow Pakistan the opportunity to showcase human rights violations. The abrogation of Article 370 wasnt challenged by Indias Muslim community to the extent that the enactment of CAA was (it left Muslims out of the ambit of fast-track citizenship), which provided Pakistan with an opening. If Pakistans job was to amplify the protests within India to implement its policy, it seems to have stuck to the job with admirable precision. Media reports say Indian intelligence agencies have picked up chatter that indicates Pakistan operatives are unhappy with their agents in India for not being able to gather enough crowds for anti-CAA protests despite infusion of funds. In one such call, reported by Hindustan Times newspaper, the handler curses his contact and adds that he has to explain the lack of crowds to his higher ups. These unfolding developments highlight another home truth. The Islamic State's plan to propagate its ideology and unleash terror in India or Pakistans plan to foment trouble within Indias borders, amplify the protests and then use the optics to launch diplomatic onslaught against New Delhi to achieve its geopolitical objectives not to forget the role of China that has acted as Pakistans force-multiplier at the UN wouldnt have been possible had they not found an opening. That opening was provided by a section of Muslims who suffer from a trust deficit vis-a-vis the Modi government leading to a fear-psychosis over the citizenship legislation. The unwillingness to read and understand facts have resulted in many Muslims and liberals (who also suffer from a distrust of the government and antipathy towards the current regime) falling prey to insidious propaganda and manipulation by external forces. The result is a predicament where the most politically stable government in decades led by an executive determined to mitigate legacy issues has paradoxically been caught firefighting and projecting an image of instability. The high-impact, low-cost machination by Indias adversaries and global terror networks has achieved some measure of success. It may embolden Pakistans deep state to step up its game and unleash a spate of unrests and terror attacks inside Indias borders. The political opposition, Muslims and liberals must be careful so as not to become their force multipliers. Error. Page cannot be displayed. Please contact your service provider for more details. (21) I was privileged to be part of a media team from Ghana to attend a five day workshop in Beijing two years ago. China, one of the world's fastest economy has become the centre of attraction making it a destination point for businessmen, tourists, traders and all people of diverse culture. At the end of the workshop, the Ghana team was energized to tell the China story. From Beijing, we made a transit in Dubai. An aerial view of downtown Dubai was a spectacle to behold. I could not contain the excitement of spending a night in that beautiful city. The few hours i spent at the plush Dubai Airport was characterized by mixed feelings and my only wish was to visit one of the world's most visited cities in the future. By kind courtesy of Emirates my long held dream was to be fulfilled. I was penciled for a media fun trip to Dubai; a periodic event Emirates Airline organizes for the media to acquaint themselves with Dubai's hospitality and tourism. Out of excitement, i kept vigil most of the flight hours; watching movies and documentaries while enjoying the best of treat in the business class of the enviable Emirates Airline. We touched down early morning the next day and chauffeured straight to our hotel situated in the heart of Dubai. Our itinerary for the first day was to experience the much talked about Dubai Desert Safari. Our pickup time was 4pm. There came along a smiling Kurshid, our tour guide sharply dressed in his 4-wheel drive arriving ten minutes ahead of time. After introducing ourselves, we hurriedly jumped into the vehicle because we were worried we could miss the sunshine on the desert, It took us about 45minutes to reach our destination. Just some few metres away from the entrance, Kurshid got off the vehicle to deflate the tyres and that was when the dune bashing adventure begun. The dune bashing goes on for about 30 minutes and the scream from my colleagues could be likened to one reaching orgasm. Kurshid couldn't stop teasimg us with his infectious laughter. After that amazing ride, we took the chance to jump out of the car and stretch our legs, taking in the amazing desolate panoramic view. It felt like being on the moon. There was desert as far as the eye could see. Soon we were done. We took some pictures on the desert and left for a camp in the desert, where we were greeted with true Bedouin experience. We sat on couches on the floor as typical of Arabian culture. Some tourists partook in authentic emirati activities like shisha smoking and camel riding. The star of this familiarity was the mouth-watering barbecue dinner that followed afterwards. During dinner, an entertainer dazzled the audience with a fire show. It was simply a masterpiece and one couldn't help but applaud till he was done. After the fire display, then came the buffet. There were two separate buffet lines, and guess what, i made sure i joined the shorter one so i could have my food quicker. The food was a mixture of Indian and Arabic cuisine with plenty to drink. The Arabian adventures of dunes and sand, the hangouts, the awe-inspiring challenges, the multitude of games and sport, the hangouts to relax and a lot more. The Dubai Desert Safari is an perfect way to experience unlimited pleasure. Source: Emmanuel Bekoe/PeaceFM 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 pregnant woman woke up from a coma to learn her unborn son and boyfriend had been killed in a horror crash during a police pursuit, an inquest heard. Bethany Leese's unborn baby and her partner Joshua Sanna were killed after Mr Sanna crashed on the A50 in Stoke-on-Trent while trying to evade police on April 15, 2018. The couple were travelling through Festival Park when a police in an unmarked BMW spotted their Toyota Aygo hire car with no lights on, so the officer illuminated his lights and switched on his sirens. But Mr Sanna - who was 19 at the time, panicked and sped off after having allegedly paid a friend to rent the car as he only held a provisional licence. Bethany Leese's unborn baby and her partner Joshua Sanna were killed after Mr Sanna crashed on the A50 in Stoke-on-Trent while trying to evade police on April 15, 2018 Following a pursuit through the streets of Stoke-on-Trent and onto the A50, the officer in the BMW attempted to stop the vehicle near Longton. The car ended up turning around and drove the wrong way onto the A50 before colliding head-on with two vehicles. The impact catapulted the pair out of the car, killing Mr Sanna and the unborn child, Stoke-on-Trent Coroner's Court heard. She was left with a brain injury and limited use of one arm. Miss Leese, who was 18 at the time, told the inquest: 'I feel like I lost my life in that crash. I woke up from a coma and asked for my boyfriend only to be told he had died. 'He was in the car but I didn't know who it belonged to. He would have paid someone to get a hire car for him - he'd done it before with a Mercedes. 'I don't remember much of my life before the crash. I remember him picking my flat keys up and constantly ringing him in the night because I wanted a McDonald's - I was staying at my gran's because my flat needed carpet. The impact catapulted the pair out of the car, killing Mr Sanna and the unborn child, Stoke-on-Trent Coroner's Court (pictured) heard 'We were then heading from Norton to Longton McDonald's and then Blurton, where the flat was. 'I then remember the blue lights flashing in Etruria Vale Road. I remember screaming 'stop' and then telling him not to stop because I was in care and would have had to go to social services. 'He didn't stop because he panicked - he had no licence and was in a car that was not his. 'He would have been done for taking without consent in a car someone hired for him. He was going to run away.' The court heard digital scales, money, and drugs were found in the vehicle. Miss Leese insists Mr Sanna, who was from London, was not concerned in the supply of drugs. Miss Leese added: 'He had some money from a cousin or someone in Italy who gave it to him to look after the baby and me. 'He wouldn't have picked me up with drugs in the car. I had a go at him when he was smoking weed. The drugs in the car would not have been in connection to Josh.' The inquest heard the police officer involved - known only as L33 - had been given the go-ahead to follow the car from the Staffordshire Police control room. Giving evidence, he told how he attempted to stop the distinctive Aygo by pushing it onto a grass verge on an A50 slip-road. He said: 'I noticed the car was driving at excess speed and only had daytime running lights on. It was dark and the street lamps were on. 'I decided to stop the vehicle. I turned around in Festival Park and put the blue lights on because the lights on the roundabout were red, and not in my favour. 'I then caught the Toyota and indicated for it to stop - it did not.' The pursuit moved onto the A500 and then the A50. The police officer added: 'On the A50 there was a stinger site near Longton. 'When it looked as though it would pull off, I put my vehicle's front adjacent to the car's nearside to steer the vehicle away. 'I maintained my position in the nearside lane, with the Toyota in the overtaking lane, but remember it tried to force me up the slip-road. 'The car remained on the A50 and overtook a couple of vehicles about half a mile from the stinger site. 'It then started to indicate left and right and came straight across my path. It came across and the rear passenger side collided with my front side. 'The car went over a tarmacked area, over a kerb, and along the A50 on the wrong way.' The officer then aborted the pursuit and pulled his damaged patrol car onto the side of the road. A short while later he was informed there had been a collision involving the Toyota. An investigation from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IOPC) was launched in the wake of the 2018 incident. A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: 'An IOPC investigation was conducted alongside an investigation by the Staffordshire Police and West Midlands Serious Collision Investigation Unit. 'Their report and findings will be heard by a jury over the course of the coming weeks.' The inquest, which is scheduled to last 12 days, continues. Your browser does not support the audio element. Editor's note: Mark Barnes is a freelance journalist currently based in Hanoi, Vietnam. He sent this piece to Tuoi Tre News as the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has caused schools in many parts of the country to close for over a month, through at least March 15. Language centers, which employ a large number of expats living in Vietnam, have also felt the impact. A year ago this month, American traveler Megan Hellebuyck took her own life in Hanoi. Though speculation why is rife, the reason is still unknown. Suffice to say, her passing highlighted the staggering impact just being overseas, let alone moving overseas long-term, can have on a persons mental health. Indeed, mental health concerns among foreigners in Vietnam appear to be increasing. Most recently, this results from the financial stress of prolonged unemployment caused by the extended school break in the battle against COVID-19. Richard Bradshaw-Booth, from the UK, who founded the Hanoi Mental Health Support Group (HMHSG), has noticed the rise in anxious young people attending his regular meetups and group sessions. A lot of people at the moment, because they're out of work, are struggling with financial anxiety ... Many use work as a coping mechanism so without work many feel lost or without purpose, he says. Bradshaw-Booth founded HMHSG earlier this year to meet a perceived need among Hanois expat community. I suffered from mental health issues myself when I was younger and I tried to kill myself, he says. I just didn't know where to go or who to speak to. I feel like if I had a format to speak, or for people to speak to, I would have felt so much better. Bradshaw-Booths ambition to create a safe space for open dialogue has been enthusiastically embraced with membership steadily increasing. British Richard Bradshaw-Booth, founder of the Hanoi Mental Health Support Group, is seen in this provided photo. Australian qualified social worker and mental health professional, Xia Li Summerfield, says peer support groups are a great way to boost peoples mental health. One of the things that happen when we experience particularly high levels of anxiety or depression is that we tend to feel like I'm the only one feeling like this and that people are going to judge me or think like I'm not good enough, she says. And they're wanting to isolate themselves either through not feeling up to social engagement or the pressure of stigma Accessing those groups and seeking support from others can be really helpful even as just someone to hear how you are right now and to be with you. Summerfield points out that though many expats see moving overseas as a chance to reinvent themselves, the reality is that it can often be overwhelming. The problem is, I think, when people come here the stresses of moving and being in a new environment, a new city and how chaotic the noise here can be when you first arrive kind of exacerbate pre-existing mental health issues, Summerfield says. A 2007 Expatriate Work-Life Balance Survey from ORC Worldwide found that there were five key pressure points for expats that often led to mental health problems, including the challenges of a new job, the inability to take part in activities available at home, the loss of a support network, language and other cultural difficulties, and the workers spouse being unable to find work. These factors can further compound the financial anxiety already being experienced by Vietnams expat community. Bradshaw-Booth says it can be like a pressure cooker and group support sessions can be of great benefit. There's so much pressure building up and sometimes it's good to release that pressure and release those feelings, he says. Where support services are not possible, Bradshaw-Booth says that providing engaging and fun activities can also help members to stave off their mental health woes. A lot of our activities are just to give people things to do and take up that time that they now have a lot of For me and many others, keeping busy and maintaining a healthy balance of work and social activities are extremely important. Summerfield agrees that a healthy lifestyle is a cheap and effective way of keeping mental health problems in check. Getting enough sleep, eating well, exercise, all these things that we would normally do to keep healthy are going to really help especially to deal with the stress. Xia Li Summerfield (L), an Australian qualified social worker and mental health professional, is seen in this provided photo. A 2017 study by insurance company Aetna International titled 'Expatriate mental health: Breaking the silence and ending the stigma' found that 94 percent of people prior to moving overseas had not considered the impact it might have on their mental health. They did, however, also find, between 2014 and 2016, a marked increase in mental health claims. Aetna Internationals study found that women were more likely to make a claim than men. This reflects a broader trend around the world of men failing to seek treatment for mental health problems. Many people Ive met, especially men, don't like to talk about their problems, Bradshaw-Booth says. I would say predominantly most people in our group at the moment are female because they're more willing and open to speak. He believes men need less formal settings and more anonymity to talk about their issues. But this can be difficult to come by in Hanoi and other one-on-one counseling services available to expats can be quite expensive. A less attractive alternative, however, but one that could make the most substantial difference is to simply go home. If thats where their support is and where there is a much more established kind of mental health support service, then they should think about it, says Summerfield. But there is no real definitive answer to that. Its really up to what resources the person has. Reaching out, however, she goes on, is a great first step. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Senior Producers, Larger-Cap Near-Term Production Royalty & Streaming Price Shrs O/S Mkt Cap Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Cash Flow Per Share Price/Cash Flow EV/EBITDA Div Yld Symbol Rating 6-Mar-20 (MM) (US$MM) 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2019E % Altius Minerals Corp ALS 1.8 C$9.11 42 $286 0.42 0.50 0.48 18.1 19.1 0.35 0.96 1.03 9.5 8.8 -- 1.6% Anglo Pacific Group PLC (UK) APF 1.8 GBP$1.28 181 $301 0.18 0.21 0.21 6.2 6.1 0.20 0.22 0.21 5.8 6.1 13.9 4.6% Franco-Nevada FNV 2.3 US$119.00 189 $22,536 1.17 1.72 2.16 69.1 55.0 2.55 3.25 3.90 36.6 30.5 46.4 1.1% Maverix Metals (CA) MMX 2.1 C$5.58 120 $499 0.04 0.09 0.12 62.0 45.2 0.24 0.25 0.31 22.3 17.9 -- 0.2% Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd OR 2.1 C$11.60 157 $1,362 0.20 0.28 0.30 41.4 38.4 0.53 0.63 0.74 18.4 15.8 48.7 1.6% Royal Gold Inc RGLD 3.2 US$104.64 66 $6,862 1.60 2.03 2.68 51.6 39.1 4.45 4.51 5.34 23.2 19.6 25.2 0.9% Sandstorm Gold Ltd (CA) SAND 2.2 US$6.30 179 $1,127 0.03 0.09 0.12 69.9 51.5 0.24 0.30 0.38 21.0 16.5 30.6 0.0% Wheaton Precious Metals WPM 1.9 US$30.53 448 $13,669 0.48 0.57 0.89 53.6 34.1 1.22 1.16 1.50 26.3 20.3 24.1 1.4% Average 46.5 36.1 20.4 17.0 31.5 Gold Large-Cap Gold Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd AEM 2.1 US$53.06 241 $12,779 0.31 0.96 1.30 55.3 40.7 2.60 3.70 4.42 14.3 12.0 16.2 0.9% Barrick Gold Corp ABX 2.2 US$21.24 1778 $37,696 0.35 0.51 0.74 41.6 28.8 1.51 1.61 2.32 13.2 9.2 12.6 1.1% Kirkland Lake Gold (CA) KL 2.6 US$34.98 287 $10,041 1.36 2.74 2.62 12.8 13.4 2.58 4.38 4.58 8.0 7.6 53.0 0.4% Newcrest Mining Ltd (AU) NCM 3.0 US$19.34 769 $14,785 0.66 0.85 0.99 22.7 19.5 1.90 1.82 1.85 10.7 10.5 12.0 1.1% Newmont Goldcorp NEM 2.0 US$52.35 808 $42,277 1.34 1.32 2.01 39.7 26.1 3.41 3.89 4.81 13.5 10.9 20.1 1.3% Polyus Gold International (UK) PGIL 2.0 RU$8,885.00 134 $17,659 617.74 769.61 858.91 11.5 10.3 589.63 1054.82 1046.82 8.4 8.5 -- 2.3% Zijin Mining Group (HK) 2899 1.7 CNY$3.09 25377 $14,963 0.18 0.17 0.21 17.7 14.6 0.44 0.40 0.49 7.8 6.3 23.6 0.0% Average 28.8 21.9 10.8 9.3 22.9 Mid-Cap Gold Price Shrs O/S Mkt Cap Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Cash Flow Per Share Price/Cash Flow EV/EBITDA Div Yld Symbol Rating 6-Mar-20 (MM) (US$MM) 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2019E % Alamos Gold AGI 2.2 US$6.47 391 $2,532 0.05 0.21 0.25 30.8 26.3 0.55 0.66 0.72 9.8 9.0 15.5 0.7% AngloGold Ashanti Ltd AU 2.8 US$21.37 416 $8,910 0.51 0.91 2.09 23.5 10.2 2.05 2.50 3.54 8.5 6.0 6.9 0.5% B2Gold Corp BTG 1.6 US$4.43 1030 $4,574 0.16 0.23 0.39 19.3 11.3 0.43 0.49 0.69 9.0 6.4 14.5 0.2% Buenaventura (ADR) BVN 2.9 US$10.42 276 $3,172 (0.02) (0.05) 0.51 -- 20.3 1.36 0.20 0.99 52.1 10.6 11.6 0.6% Centamin Egypt (CA) CEE 2.4 US$1.81 1156 $2,075 0.06 0.07 0.13 26.7 14.2 0.19 0.13 0.19 14.0 9.7 4.5 4.8% Centerra Gold (CA) CG 2.3 US$6.85 294 $2,013 0.26 0.71 0.97 9.7 7.1 0.74 1.43 2.05 4.8 3.3 6.0 0.0% Endeavour Mining Corp (CA) EDV 1.8 US$17.63 110 $1,940 0.49 0.59 1.46 30.1 12.0 2.33 2.87 3.87 6.1 4.5 11.3 0.0% Evolution Mining Ltd (AU) EVN 2.6 AUD$4.35 1704 $4,903 0.14 0.16 0.21 27.0 20.4 0.39 0.43 0.50 10.1 8.7 11.0 3.4% Gold Fields Ltd (ADR) GFI 3.0 US$6.77 883 $6,288 0.07 0.20 0.56 33.9 12.1 0.75 1.08 1.39 6.3 4.9 6.5 0.6% Harmony Gold Mining Ltd HAR 2.2 ZAR$62.59 543 $2,174 1.80 4.31 7.78 14.5 8.0 8.56 11.60 16.76 5.4 3.7 8.6 0.0% Kinross Gold Corp KGC 2.5 US$5.57 1254 $6,987 0.10 0.34 0.42 16.4 13.4 0.63 0.97 1.06 5.7 5.2 9.7 0.0% Lundin Gold Inc (CA) LUG 2.2 US$8.75 224 $1,962 (0.12) (0.10) 0.40 -- 21.8 (0.17) (0.10) 0.65 -- 13.4 -- 0.0% Northern Star Resources (AU) NST 2.9 AUD$14.46 740 $7,077 0.30 0.43 0.73 33.4 19.9 0.58 0.80 1.15 18.1 12.6 23.0 1.3% NovaGold Resources Inc NG 2.0 US$8.68 328 $2,844 (0.10) (0.09) (0.08) -- -- -- -- (0.03) -- -- -- 0.0% Polymetal International PLC (UK) POLY 2.5 US$16.93 470 $7,913 1.00 1.25 1.59 13.5 10.6 1.14 1.46 1.97 11.6 8.6 12.4 3.9% Saracen Mineral Holdings (AU) SAR 2.0 AUD$4.29 1103 $3,129 0.10 0.17 0.27 25.7 15.8 0.25 0.32 0.43 13.5 10.0 52.8 0.0% Sibanye Gold Ltd (SA) SGL -- ZAR$44.33 2670 $7,646 -- (0.40) 9.55 -- 4.6 -- 3.67 12.87 12.1 3.4 -- -- SSR Mining SSRM 2.0 US$16.80 123 $2,068 0.23 0.81 1.09 20.7 15.5 0.50 1.10 2.11 15.3 8.0 9.0 0.0% Yamana Gold Inc AUY 2.4 US$4.25 950 $4,042 0.12 0.35 0.15 12.1 28.5 0.43 0.55 0.65 7.7 6.6 7.9 0.8% Zhaojin Mining Industry Co Ltd (HK) 1818 2.2 CNY$8.60 3270 $4,061 0.15 0.21 0.33 41.5 26.0 0.53 0.78 1.12 11.1 7.7 21.7 0.5% Average 23.7 15.7 12.3 7.5 13.7 Note: Currency shown is that used by the company for financial reporting. Currency does not always reflect the country/market in which the company/stock symbol trades. GAAP may differ between stocks due to countries and markets. The tables are compiled from the Thomson Reuters database of consensus Ratings & Estimates of equity analysts. The historicals and estimates of earnings and cash flows exclude non-operating, special items. Thomson Reuters Rating System: Buy (1.0), Buy/Hold (2.0), Hold (3.0), Sell/Hold (4.0), Sell (5.0) Source: Thomson Reuters. Small-Cap Gold Price Shrs O/S Mkt Cap Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Cash Flow Per Share Price/Cash Flow EV/EBITDA Div Yld Symbol Rating 6-Mar-20 (MM) (US$MM) 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2019E % Acacia Mining PLC (UK) ACAA -- US$2.93 410 $1,200 0.11 0.22 0.25 13.5 11.7 0.31 0.44 0.52 6.7 5.6 -- 0.0% Alacer Gold Corp (CA) ASR 2.6 US$4.66 295 $1,374 0.05 0.37 0.41 12.6 11.3 0.33 0.86 0.88 5.4 5.3 49.1 0.0% DRDGold Ltd (ADR) DROOY 5.0 ZAR$11.84 865 $655 0.06 0.50 0.92 23.7 12.9 1.17 1.26 -- 9.4 -- 25.0 0.0% Dundee Precious Metals (CA) DPM 1.9 US$4.28 181 $773 0.16 0.19 0.54 22.5 7.9 0.55 0.55 1.00 7.8 4.3 10.5 0.0% Eldorado Gold Corp EGO 2.8 US$9.62 165 $1,549 (0.17) 0.04 0.76 NM 12.6 0.42 0.93 1.99 10.3 4.8 12.1 0.0% Equinox Gold Corp (CA) EQX 2.2 US$8.74 113 $993 (0.10) (0.16) 0.75 -- 11.7 (0.25) 0.53 1.33 16.5 6.6 -- 0.0% Gold Resource Corp GORO 2.0 US$4.45 66 $293 0.09 0.44 -- 10.1 -- -- -- -- -- 0.4% Gold Road Resources Ltd (AU) GOR 2.3 AUD$1.45 879 $840 (0.02) 0.01 0.09 NM 15.5 (0.02) 0.06 0.15 24.9 10.0 -- 0.0% Golden Star Resources GSS 2.5 US$2.91 161 $319 (0.02) 0.16 0.25 18.2 11.7 (0.09) 0.21 0.68 13.9 4.3 8.3 0.0% Gran Colombia Gold Corp (CA) GCM 2.0 US$4.43 61 $269 0.70 0.90 1.22 4.9 3.6 2.22 1.52 1.46 2.9 3.0 -- 0.0% Great Bear Resources (CA) GBR 1.5 C$7.27 46 $248 (0.13) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0.0% Hecla Mining Co HL 3.0 US$2.64 523 $1,381 (0.11) (0.13) 0.02 -- NM 0.22 0.25 0.32 10.6 8.3 7.7 0.3% Highland Gold Mining Ltd (UK) HGM 2.0 US$2.88 364 $1,041 0.15 0.31 0.32 9.4 9.0 0.37 0.44 0.49 6.5 5.9 8.3 6.1% Hochschild Mining PLC (UK) HOC 2.2 US$2.22 514 $1,132 0.05 0.09 0.15 24.6 14.8 0.36 0.55 0.47 4.0 4.8 3.8 1.8% Iamgold Corp IAG 2.6 US$3.01 470 $1,417 0.06 (0.04) 0.18 -- 17.1 0.41 0.78 0.77 3.9 3.9 3.5 0.0% K92 Mining (CA) KNT 1.4 US$2.80 213 $598 0.07 0.12 0.26 23.3 10.8 0.09 0.22 0.34 12.9 8.4 -- 0.0% Leagold Mining Corp (CA) LMC 2.5 US$2.89 285 $826 0.07 0.13 0.37 22.7 7.9 0.20 0.47 0.65 6.2 4.4 -- 0.0% McEwen Mining Inc. MUX 2.0 US$0.96 400 $384 (0.13) (0.11) (0.01) -- -- 0.00 (0.05) 0.02 -- 48.0 -- 0.3% New Gold Inc NGD 2.8 US$0.83 676 $559 (0.02) (0.08) (0.06) -- -- 0.33 0.43 0.36 1.9 2.3 4.0 0.0% Oceanagold Corp (AU) OGC 2.1 US$1.76 622 $1,077 0.20 0.05 0.13 35.1 13.4 0.55 0.32 0.37 5.4 4.8 4.4 0.0% Orla Mining Ltd (CA) OLA 2.0 C$2.16 187 $301 (0.17) (0.17) (0.09) -- -- (0.14) (0.12) (0.09) -- -- -- 0.0% Osisko Mining Corp (CA) OSK 1.8 C$3.41 291 $740 (0.18) (0.09) (0.05) -- -- (0.03) (0.07) (0.04) -- -- -- 0.0% Pan African Resources (UK) PAF 1.0 US$0.16 1928 $310 0.01 0.02 0.04 7.2 3.9 0.01 0.03 0.05 5.1 3.6 11.4 1.0% Perseus Mining Ltd (AU) PRU 2.2 AUD$1.10 1168 $850 0.00 0.03 0.06 41.0 19.5 0.10 0.15 0.18 7.6 6.2 -- 0.0% Petropavlovsk PLC (UK) POG 2.2 US$0.28 3310 $933 0.01 0.02 0.04 17.7 6.8 0.07 0.02 0.03 18.9 8.7 7.5 0.0% Pretium Resources PVG 2.9 US$7.59 185 $1,409 0.54 0.55 0.50 13.8 15.3 1.07 1.21 1.09 6.3 6.9 -- 0.0% Regis Resources Ltd (AU) RRL 2.7 AUD$4.17 508 $1,401 0.33 0.36 0.41 11.6 10.1 0.53 0.57 0.62 7.3 6.7 8.1 3.7% Ramelius Resources Ltd (AU) RMS 1.8 AUD$1.33 659 $579 0.05 0.06 0.10 22.3 13.1 0.23 0.23 0.25 5.8 5.2 10.4 0.8% Resolute Mining Ltd (AU) RSG 2.3 AUD$0.98 1057 $685 0.02 0.16 0.21 6.2 4.7 0.15 0.26 0.33 3.8 2.9 -- 0.0% St Barbara Ltd (AU) SBM 2.3 AUD$2.51 699 $1,161 0.32 0.22 0.24 11.2 10.5 0.52 0.41 0.45 6.2 5.6 6.0 2.9% Sabina Gold & Silver Corp (CA) SBB 2.1 C$1.46 297 $323 (0.03) (0.02) (0.01) -- -- (0.02) (0.01) (0.01) -- -- -- 0.0% Seabridge Gold SA 2.0 C$14.77 64 $698 (0.34) (0.12) (0.08) -- -- (0.16) (6.29) -- -- -- -- 0.0% Semafo (CA) SMF 2.3 US$2.22 334 $744 (0.01) 0.26 0.30 8.6 7.4 0.34 0.66 0.75 3.4 3.0 5.2 0.0% Silver Lake Resources (AU) SLR 2.4 AUD$1.58 880 $916 0.03 0.06 0.09 27.4 17.6 0.14 0.17 0.22 9.2 7.2 19.5 0.0% Silvercrest Metals Inc SILV 1.8 C$9.35 109 $762 (0.07) (0.09) (0.06) -- -- (0.08) (0.08) (0.04) -- -- -- 0.0% Teranga Gold Corp (CA) TGZ 1.3 US$5.96 168 $998 0.17 0.01 0.26 NM 22.6 0.86 0.93 1.08 6.4 5.5 11.1 0.0% Torex Gold Resources (CA) TXG 2.3 US$13.17 85 $1,126 0.23 0.79 0.41 16.7 31.9 2.68 3.51 3.13 3.8 4.2 7.1 0.0% Victoria Gold Corp (CA) VIT 2.0 C$7.65 58 $329 -- 0.98 0.83 7.8 9.3 -- (0.40) 0.18 -- 43.7 -- 0.0% Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd (CA) WDO 2.2 C$9.40 138 $968 0.11 0.34 0.47 28.0 20.2 0.34 0.59 0.62 15.8 15.2 74.3 0.0% West African Resources Ltd (CA) WAF -- AUD$0.26 870 $357 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0.04 -- 7.1 -- 0.0% Westgold Resources Ltd (AU) WGX 2.0 AUD$2.09 400 $553 0.02 0.06 0.20 34.0 10.6 0.13 0.31 0.49 6.8 4.2 -- 0.0% Average 18.2 12.5 8.2 8.2 14.2 Select (Gold >US$20MM Mkt Cap) Gold Springs Resource Corp (CA)* GRC 2.0 US$0.07 249 $19 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0.0% Lion One Metals Ltd (CA)* LIO 2.0 C$1.24 106 $98 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0.0% Minera Alamos Inc (CA) MAI 2.0 C$0.27 407 $82 (0.02) 0.01 0.03 27.0 9.0 0.03 -- -- -- -- -- 0.0% Northern Vertex Mining Corp (CA)* NEE 2.0 US$0.16 247 $41 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0.0% Paramount Gold Nevada Corp* PZG 1.7 US$0.86 28 $23 (0.26) (0.21) (0.17) -- -- (0.19) (0.16) -- -- -- 0.0% Average 27.0 9.0 *includes research coverage by Scarsdale Equities. Note: Currency shown is that used by the company for financial reporting. Currency does not always reflect the country/market in which the company/stock symbol trades. GAAP may differ between stocks due to countries and markets. The tables are compiled from the Thomson Reuters database of consensus Ratings & Estimates of equity analysts. The historicals and estimates of earnings and cash flows exclude non-operating, special items. Thomson Reuters Rating System: Buy (1.0), Buy/Hold (2.0), Hold (3.0), Sell/Hold (4.0), Sell (5.0) Source: Thomson Reuters. Silver Price Shrs O/S Mkt Cap Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Cash Flow Per Share Price/Cash Flow EV/EBITDA Div Yld Symbol Rating 6-Mar-20 (MM) (US$MM) 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2019E % Alexco Resource Corp* AXU 2.3 C$2.16 120 $193 (0.08) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0.0% Americas Gold & Silver Corp (CA) USA 1.8 US$2.23 87 $194 (0.25) (0.29) 0.15 -- 14.9 0.21 0.00 0.46 NM 4.9 45.1 0.0% Coeur Mining Corp CDE 2.4 US$4.44 243 $1,079 (0.01) (0.25) (0.01) -- -- 0.11 0.42 0.69 10.6 6.5 6.1 0.0% Endeavour Silver Corp EXK 3.2 US$1.80 141 $255 (0.10) (0.36) 0.03 -- 55.5 0.21 (0.07) 0.23 -- 7.8 7.2 0.0% First Majestic Silver Corp AG 2.6 US$7.92 208 $1,650 (0.21) 0.04 0.22 NM 35.7 0.18 0.69 0.49 11.5 16.2 14.7 0.0% Fortuna Silver Mines FSM 2.1 US$3.31 160 $531 0.24 0.17 0.40 19.7 8.3 0.52 0.37 0.75 8.9 4.4 7.2 0.0% Fresnillo (UK) FRES 2.8 US$8.65 737 $6,376 0.46 0.23 0.31 37.5 28.1 1.09 0.59 0.94 14.7 9.2 6.8 1.7% MAG Silver Corp MAG 1.8 US$8.63 87 $748 (0.09) (0.06) 0.30 -- 28.6 (0.05) (0.03) 0.32 -- 27.3 87.3 0.0% New Pacific Metals Corp (CA) NUAG 2.7 C$5.15 147 $567 (0.03) (0.01) (0.01) -- -- (0.02) (0.01) -- -- -- -- 0.0% Pan American Silver PAAS 2.2 US$22.09 210 $4,640 0.39 0.78 0.71 28.3 31.3 1.01 1.40 2.30 15.8 9.6 17.3 0.6% Silvercorp Metals Inc SVM 2.0 US$3.40 173 $590 0.21 0.21 0.21 15.9 16.0 0.40 0.43 0.40 7.9 8.5 -- 0.4% Average 25.3 27.3 11.6 10.5 24.0 *includes research coverage by Scarsdale Equities. Platinum Group Metals African Rainbow Minerals (SA) ARI 2.1 ZAR$128.42 224 $1,841 25.61 28.61 28.46 4.5 4.5 13.97 16.49 18.50 7.8 6.9 26.3 8.6% Anglo American Platinum Ltd (SA) AMS 3.4 ZAR$947.64 270 $16,361 28.22 70.61 117.52 13.4 8.1 59.17 107.94 124.91 8.8 7.6 25.6 2.2% Impala Platinum (SA) IMP 2.1 ZAR$141.00 799 $7,934 1.23 11.99 22.83 11.8 6.2 9.05 18.67 25.14 7.6 5.6 39.3 0.0% Lonmin PLC (UK) LMI -- US$0.96 290 $278 -- 0.41 0.40 2.3 2.4 -- 0.48 0.02 2.0 62.9 -- 0.0% North American Palladium Ltd (CA) PDL -- C$19.73 59 $883 -- 2.30 2.49 8.6 7.9 -- 3.95 -- 5.0 -- -- 1.3% Northam Platinum Ltd (SA) NHM 1.7 ZAR$135.00 510 $4,406 (0.92) 5.36 13.86 25.2 9.7 3.39 16.17 25.74 8.3 5.2 90.9 0.0% Average 11.0 6.5 6.6 17.7 45.5 Base Metals & Diversified Large-Cap Base Metals Price Shrs O/S Mkt Cap Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Cash Flow Per Share Price/Cash Flow EV/EBITDA Div Yld Symbol Rating 6-Mar-20 (MM) (US$MM) 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2019E % Anglo American PLC (UK) AAL 2.5 US$21.93 1363 $29,717 2.50 2.70 2.81 8.1 7.8 5.50 5.97 5.89 3.7 3.7 6.7 3.8% Antofagasta PLC (UK) ANTO 2.7 US$9.68 986 $9,481 0.52 0.52 0.47 18.5 20.8 1.33 1.89 1.66 5.1 5.8 8.0 0.9% BHP Billiton Ltd BHP 2.6 US$21.41 5058 $99,186 1.81 1.90 1.93 11.3 11.1 3.45 3.37 3.29 6.4 6.5 7.1 5.3% China Molybdenum Co Ltd (HK) 3993 2.5 CNY$2.66 21599 $12,536 0.22 0.08 0.12 33.9 21.4 0.44 (0.58) 0.30 -- 8.9 50.4 0.0% Freeport McMoran C&G FCX 2.4 US$9.43 1451 $13,683 1.52 0.02 0.32 NM 29.3 2.65 1.02 1.50 9.2 6.3 6.3 1.5% Glencore International PLC (UK) GLEN 2.1 US$2.27 13324 $30,066 0.41 0.18 0.20 12.6 11.6 0.81 0.63 0.63 3.6 3.6 6.2 6.4% Grupo Mexico (MX) GMEXICOB 2.5 US$2.39 7785 $18,628 0.17 0.29 0.24 8.3 10.2 0.22 0.51 0.35 4.7 6.8 7.9 6.1% Hindustan Zinc (IN) HZ 2.6 INR$163.80 4225 $9,416 19.47 17.81 18.75 9.2 8.7 21.39 21.57 23.63 7.6 6.9 4.7 0.0% MMC Norilsk Nickel (RU) GMKN -- RU$5,429.84 158 $50,978 -- 899.94 1210.92 6.0 4.5 -- 689.72 1388.13 7.9 3.9 17.7 7.8% Rio Tinto PLC (UK) RIO 2.8 US$45.73 1618 $77,820 5.12 6.36 5.18 7.2 8.8 6.88 9.15 7.88 5.0 5.8 6.9 2.7% Southern Copper Corp SCCO 2.6 US$35.26 773 $27,258 2.00 1.92 2.21 18.4 15.9 2.89 2.47 3.16 14.3 11.2 14.6 3.8% Vale SA (ADR) VALE 2.4 BRL$44.09 5284 $50,950 5.27 5.01 7.28 8.8 6.1 9.94 9.44 9.97 4.7 4.4 8.0 2.6% Average 12.9 13.0 6.6 6.2 12.0 Note: Currency shown is that used by the company for financial reporting. Currency does not always reflect the country/market in which the company/stock symbol trades. GAAP may differ between stocks due to countries and markets. The tables are compiled from the Thomson Reuters database of consensus Ratings & Estimates of equity analysts. The historicals and estimates of earnings and cash flows exclude non-operating, special items. Thomson Reuters Rating System: Buy (1.0), Buy/Hold (2.0), Hold (3.0), Sell/Hold (4.0), Sell (5.0) Source: Thomson Reuters. Mid-Cap Base Metals Price Shrs O/S Mkt Cap Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Cash Flow Per Share Price/Cash Flow EV/EBITDA Div Yld Symbol Rating 6-Mar-20 (MM) (US$MM) 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2019E % Assore Ltd (SA) ASR 2.4 ZAR$178.00 140 $1,591 55.70 56.43 48.53 3.2 3.7 14.60 18.27 27.33 9.7 6.5 5.6 7.7% Aurubis AG (GR) NDA 2.9 EUR$42.34 45 $2,139 5.17 3.24 3.81 13.1 11.1 4.75 5.55 5.83 7.6 7.3 5.5 2.3% Boliden AB (SW) BOL 2.6 SEK$191.70 274 $5,558 26.32 21.15 22.21 9.1 8.6 43.03 34.52 41.71 5.6 4.6 5.8 0.0% Exxaro Resources Ltd (SA) EXX 1.6 ZAR$112.60 359 $2,586 20.57 25.67 27.66 4.4 4.1 (0.17) 15.61 17.59 7.2 6.4 6.9 8.8% First Quantum Minerals (CA) FM 2.2 US$6.68 689 $4,602 0.71 0.36 0.21 18.5 31.6 2.87 1.29 2.43 5.2 2.7 14.0 0.1% Iluka Resources Ltd (AU) ILU 2.6 AUD$8.21 423 $2,308 0.72 0.66 0.75 12.4 11.0 1.49 0.76 1.13 10.8 7.3 -- 1.4% Independence Group NL (AU) IGO 2.6 AUD$5.03 591 $1,965 0.11 0.22 0.33 22.5 15.1 0.59 0.73 0.83 6.9 6.1 17.7 2.2% Ivanhoe Mines Ltd (CA) IVP 2.1 US$2.21 1197 $2,652 0.03 (0.00) (0.04) -- -- (0.02) (0.02) (0.03) -- -- -- 0.0% Jiangxi Copper Co "H" (HK) 358 2.3 CNY$8.06 3463 $5,931 0.70 0.73 0.81 11.0 10.0 2.36 1.75 1.31 4.6 6.2 14.3 2.2% Kazakhmys PLC (UK) KAZ 2.2 US$5.00 472 $2,346 1.18 1.17 0.96 4.3 5.2 1.51 1.04 1.46 4.8 3.4 22.0 1.7% KGHM Polska Miedz (PO) KGH 3.4 PLN$69.96 200 $3,653 8.29 11.09 10.50 6.3 6.7 19.30 20.71 18.62 3.4 3.8 4.7 0.0% Lundin Mining Corp (CA) LUN 2.0 US$4.83 735 $3,548 0.30 0.22 0.42 21.9 11.4 0.65 0.77 1.07 6.3 4.5 6.9 0.0% Mineral Resources Ltd (AU) MIN 2.0 AUD$15.68 188 $1,953 1.15 1.38 1.58 11.4 9.9 1.59 1.38 1.79 11.4 8.8 7.3 3.3% Oz Minerals (AU) OZL 2.4 AUD$8.89 324 $1,917 0.73 0.51 0.29 17.5 30.5 1.45 1.58 1.16 5.6 7.7 8.0 2.2% Sesa Sterlite Ltd (ADR) SSLT 2.4 INR$111.05 3702 $5,593 17.89 15.77 16.82 7.0 6.6 60.18 53.92 49.94 2.1 2.2 3.8 3.8% South32 Ltd (AU) S32 2.3 US$1.43 4879 $6,937 0.22 0.13 0.10 11.0 13.7 0.34 0.30 0.27 4.8 5.2 3.7 2.1% Sumitomo Metal Mining (JP) 5713 2.4 JPY$2,493 291 $6,829 265.40 212.92 239.97 11.7 10.4 438.78 432.03 393.74 5.8 6.3 9.6 1.7% Teck Resources Ltd TCK 2.0 C$14.12 547 $5,769 4.07 2.75 1.97 5.1 7.2 7.62 6.16 5.18 2.3 2.7 3.9 0.9% Vale Indonesia Tbk PT (ID) INCO 2.0 US$0.18 9936 $1,803 0.01 0.01 0.01 30.1 21.0 0.02 0.01 0.02 12.9 7.5 11.3 0.0% Vedanta Resources PLC (UK) VED -- US$10.85 285 $3,089 -- 0.87 1.24 12.5 8.7 -- 9.96 12.60 1.1 0.9 -- -- Average 12.3 11.9 6.2 5.3 8.9 Small-Cap Base Metals Adriatic Metals PLC (AU) ADT 1.7 GBP$0.65 311 $270 (0.02) 0.01 0.30 60.3 2.2 (0.02) -- -- -- 0.0% Atalaya Mining PLC (UK) ATYM 1.2 EUR$1.66 137 $256 0.25 0.24 0.42 6.8 4.0 0.40 0.17 0.27 9.8 6.3 15.5 0.0% Eramet (FR) ERA 1.7 EUR$28.06 27 $840 1.83 (0.12) 3.73 -- 7.5 16.01 9.44 12.46 3.0 2.3 5.5 -- Ero Copper Corp (CA) ERO 2.4 US$9.99 86 $857 0.03 0.60 1.06 16.6 9.5 0.94 1.46 1.73 6.8 5.8 -- 0.0% Hudbay Minerals HBM 2.3 US$2.25 261 $589 0.40 (0.20) (0.15) -- -- 1.84 1.19 1.11 1.9 2.0 2.7 0.4% Kenmare Resources (UK) KMR 1.8 US$2.87 110 $313 0.46 0.42 0.43 6.9 6.6 0.79 0.48 0.49 5.9 5.8 59.8 1.2% Mitsui Mining & Smelting (JP) 5706 2.3 JPY$2,325 57 $1,255 58.51 119.69 239.91 19.4 9.7 649.22 627.54 780.12 3.7 3.0 6.1 2.4% MMG Ltd (HK) 1208 2.5 US$0.20 8055 $1,606 0.01 (0.01) 0.01 -- 31.2 0.21 0.14 0.15 1.4 1.4 11.4 0.0% Nexa Resources NA NEXA 3.0 US$6.65 133 $886 0.25 (0.03) (0.20) -- -- 2.61 0.93 2.44 7.2 2.7 -- 6.5% Outokumpu (FN) OUT1V 2.6 EUR$3.12 416 $1,461 0.34 (0.20) 0.17 -- 18.2 0.52 0.90 0.67 3.5 4.6 7.5 3.6% PolyMet Mining Corp PLM -- US$0.31 1006 $308 (0.05) (0.02) (0.01) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0.0% Sandfire Resources NL (AU) SFR 2.5 AUD$4.13 178 $486 0.72 0.59 0.66 7.0 6.3 1.44 1.46 1.70 2.8 2.4 2.7 3.5% SolGold PLC (UK) SOLG 1.6 US$0.19 1923 $363 (0.01) (0.01) (0.00) -- -- (0.00) 0.00 -- -- -- -- 0.0% Trilogy Metals Inc TMQ 2.2 US$1.46 140 $207 (0.18) (0.20) (0.09) -- -- (0.18) (0.16) -- -- -- 0.0% Turquoise Hill Resources TRQ 3.0 US$0.50 2012 $1,004 0.20 0.15 0.05 3.4 9.9 0.09 0.03 0.00 15.8 NM 6.3 0.0% Volcan Cia Ninera VOLABC1 3.0 US$0.13 4077 $1,907 0.01 (0.02) 0.01 -- 9.6 -- -- -- -- -- 9.4 0.0% Western Areas NL (AU) WSA 2.2 AUD$2.35 274 $425 0.04 0.14 0.25 16.7 9.5 0.32 0.44 0.51 5.4 4.6 7.4 1.0% Average 17.1 10.3 5.6 3.7 12.2 Note: Currency shown is that used by the company for financial reporting. Currency does not always reflect the country/market in which the company/stock symbol trades. GAAP may differ between stocks due to countries and markets. The tables are compiled from the Thomson Reuters database of consensus Ratings & Estimates of equity analysts. The historicals and estimates of earnings and cash flows exclude non-operating, special items. Thomson Consensus Rating System: Buy (1.0), Buy/Hold (2.0), Hold (3.0), Sell/Hold (4.0), Sell (5.0) Source: Thomson Reuters. Aluminum Price Shrs O/S Mkt Cap Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Cash Flow Per Share Price/Cash Flow EV/EBITDA Div Yld Symbol Rating 6-Mar-20 (MM) (US$MM) 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2019E % Alcoa Inc AA 2.5 US$11.01 186 $2,047 3.58 (0.99) (0.34) -- -- 2.38 3.70 2.58 3.0 4.3 4.3 0.0% Alumina Ltd AWC 2.8 US$1.20 2880 $3,428 0.24 0.11 0.07 10.6 16.0 0.22 0.13 0.09 9.4 13.2 4.6 5.3% Aluminum Corp China Ltd (ADR) ACH 2.4 CNY$1.83 17023 $7,036 0.04 0.07 0.09 25.4 19.9 0.77 0.82 0.82 2.2 2.2 14.3 0.0% Century Aluminum CENX 2.5 US$4.84 89 $432 (0.14) (1.35) 0.34 -- 14.2 (0.79) 0.20 1.06 24.2 4.6 23.3 0.0% United Company Rusal Ltd (HK) 486 2.1 US$0.48 15193 $7,253 0.11 0.08 0.11 6.0 4.3 0.05 0.12 0.08 4.0 6.0 9.8 0.0% Average 14.0 13.6 8.6 6.1 11.2 Iron Ore Cliffs Natural Resources CLF 2.7 US$5.18 271 $1,406 3.71 1.05 0.53 4.9 9.7 1.57 1.98 1.19 2.6 4.4 9.4 2.7% Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (AU) FMG 3.2 US$6.38 3079 $19,547 0.69 1.19 1.09 5.4 5.9 0.96 1.58 1.50 4.0 4.3 5.1 9.4% Kumba Iron Ore Ltd (SA) KIO 3.4 ZAR$290.55 322 $5,991 30.06 50.73 46.95 5.7 6.2 47.32 85.20 61.75 3.4 4.7 5.0 11.2% Labrador Iron Ore Royalty (CA) LIF 2.1 C$17.13 64 $818 2.01 3.21 2.59 5.3 6.6 2.32 3.51 2.61 4.9 6.6 11.4 5.1% Mount Gibson Iron Limited (AU) MGX 3.3 AUD$0.78 1158 $593 0.07 0.11 0.09 7.2 8.5 0.07 0.10 0.14 7.9 5.4 24.2 4.2% Average 5.7 7.4 4.6 5.1 11.0 Fertilizers CF Industries CF 2.5 US$36.84 216 $7,964 1.24 2.31 1.92 15.9 19.2 6.40 6.79 6.16 5.4 6.0 16.8 2.5% Compass Minerals CMP 2.2 US$53.68 34 $1,819 1.93 1.90 3.32 28.3 16.2 5.63 4.71 7.35 11.4 7.3 11.7 4.7% Incitec Pivot Ltd (AU) IPL 2.8 AUD$2.64 1613 $2,817 0.18 0.11 0.17 23.8 15.3 0.36 0.29 0.39 9.1 6.7 9.1 1.4% Intrepid Potash IPI 3.0 US$1.53 132 $201 0.09 0.10 0.10 15.3 14.9 0.49 0.38 0.34 4.0 4.5 -- 0.0% Israel Chemical (IS) ICL 2.4 US$3.53 1280 $4,566 0.37 0.37 0.39 9.5 9.2 0.48 0.77 0.71 4.6 5.0 6.8 3.9% K & S Aktiengesellschaft (GR) SDF 2.7 EUR$6.35 191 $1,366 0.22 0.49 0.56 13.1 11.4 1.61 2.69 2.65 2.4 2.4 7.9 2.0% Mosaic Co MOS 2.4 US$14.30 379 $5,416 2.12 0.19 0.47 75.3 30.6 3.75 2.85 3.21 5.0 4.4 8.7 0.8% Nutrien Ltd NTR 2.1 US$38.52 573 $22,089 2.69 2.17 2.24 17.8 17.2 3.28 6.29 5.26 6.1 7.3 -- 3.7% Sirius Minerals PLC (UK) SXX 2.0 GBP$0.05 7020 $499 (0.00) (0.00) (0.01) -- -- -- (0.00) (0.00) -- -- -- 0.0% Sociedad Quimica Minera (ADR) SQM 3.1 US$27.30 263 $6,604 1.67 1.06 1.22 25.8 22.4 1.99 1.62 1.78 16.9 15.3 9.6 -- Yara International ASA (NO) YAR 2.3 US$36.95 272 $10,015 1.68 3.09 3.33 12.0 11.1 2.77 7.00 6.28 5.3 5.9 8.3 4.1% Average 23.7 16.7 7.0 6.5 9.8 Coal Large - Mid Cap Price Shrs O/S Mkt Cap Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Cash Flow Per Share Price/Cash Flow EV/EBITDA Div Yld Symbol Rating 6-Mar-20 (MM) (US$MM) 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2019E % Adaro Energy TBK (ID) ADRO 2.6 US$0.08 31986 $2,620 0.01 0.01 0.01 6.8 7.1 0.03 0.03 0.02 3.0 3.8 4.0 4.2% Banpu Public Co Ltd (TH) BANPU 3.3 US$0.23 5162 $1,169 0.08 0.01 0.03 26.9 8.9 0.08 0.08 0.05 2.9 4.3 15.1 5.0% China Coal Energy Co (HK) 1898 2.3 CNY$2.26 13259 $7,272 0.34 0.49 0.47 4.6 4.9 1.54 1.55 1.51 1.5 1.5 11.4 2.7% China Shenhua Energy Co (HK) 1088 2.4 CNY$12.57 19890 $46,035 2.22 2.23 2.09 5.6 6.0 4.44 3.98 3.41 3.2 3.7 4.8 6.3% Consol Energy CNX 2.6 US$5.14 187 $959 1.36 0.60 0.35 8.6 14.5 4.13 5.12 3.86 1.0 1.3 6.6 0.0% Whitehaven Coal Ltd (AU) WHC 2.2 AUD$1.86 1026 $1,259 0.54 0.33 0.14 5.6 12.8 0.87 0.60 0.37 3.1 5.0 5.5 5.5% Yancoal Australia Ltd YAL 3.0 AUD$3.01 1320 $2,445 0.69 0.29 0.36 10.4 8.4 -- -- -- -- -- -- 11.4% Yanzhou Coal Mining Co Ltd (HK) 1171 2.8 CNY$5.70 4912 $5,642 1.75 1.85 1.62 3.1 3.5 3.71 3.60 3.39 1.6 1.7 16.3 0.0% Average 9.0 8.3 2.3 3.0 9.1 Small Cap Alliance Resource Partners LP ARLP 2.3 US$6.17 127 $785 2.99 3.07 0.67 2.0 9.3 5.31 1.81 1.90 3.4 3.2 2.3 19.8% Arch Coal Inc ARCH 2.0 US$44.35 15 $671 15.15 12.58 10.52 3.5 4.2 20.26 24.26 22.19 1.8 2.0 -- 2.5% Fushan Int'l Energy Group (HK) 639 2.3 HK$1.56 5302 $1,064 0.21 0.22 0.22 7.0 6.9 0.31 0.32 0.42 4.9 3.7 6.3 10.0% NLC India Ltd (IN) NLCINDIA -- INR$49.50 1387 $934 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 7.9 12.4% Natural Resource Partners LP NRP -- US$13.41 12 $164 6.43 5.20 4.12 2.6 3.3 9.19 7.06 5.28 1.9 2.5 2.9 9.0% New Hope Corp Ltd (AU) NHC 1.8 AUD$1.39 832 $762 0.31 0.28 0.21 5.0 6.5 0.44 0.36 0.34 3.8 4.0 9.6 6.8% PT Tambang Batubara Bukit (ID) PTBA 2.5 IDR$2,450 11521 $1,993 477.00 371.00 320.87 6.6 7.6 746.44 383.90 315.30 6.4 7.8 8.4 0.0% Average 4.5 6.3 3.7 3.9 6.2 Note: Currency shown is that used by the company for financial reporting. Currency does not always reflect the country/market in which the company/stock symbol trades. GAAP may differ between stocks due to countries and markets. The tables are compiled from the Thomson Reuters database of consensus Ratings & Estimates of equity analysts. The historicals and estimates of earnings and cash flows exclude non-operating, special items. Thomson Reuters Rating System: Buy (1.0), Buy/Hold (2.0), Hold (3.0), Sell/Hold (4.0), Sell (5.0) Source: Thomson Reuters. Uranium Price Shrs O/S Mkt Cap Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Cash Flow Per Share Price/Cash Flow EV/EBITDA Div Yld Symbol Rating 6-Mar-20 (MM) (US$MM) 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2019E % Cameco Corp CCJ 2.5 C$11.34 396 $3,348 0.53 0.10 (0.04) NM -- 1.68 1.33 0.63 8.5 17.9 7.6 0.7% Denison Mines DNN 2.1 C$0.46 597 $203 (0.04) (0.04) (0.03) -- -- (0.04) (0.04) (0.03) -- -- -- 0.0% Energy Resources Australia (AU) ERA 4.0 AUD$0.16 3691 $378 0.03 0.01 (0.09) 12.9 -- (0.11) (0.19) (0.03) -- -- 21.4 0.0% Nexgen Energy Ltd (CA) NXE 1.7 C$1.21 360 $325 (0.06) (0.07) (0.08) -- -- (0.02) (0.04) (0.04) -- -- -- 0.0% Uranium Participation Corp (CA) U 2.2 C$3.68 138 $379 (0.03) (0.15) 0.43 -- 8.6 (0.04) (0.06) (0.05) -- -- -- 0.0% Average 12.9 8.6 8.5 17.9 14.5 Note: Currency shown is that used by the company for financial reporting. Currency does not always reflect the country/market in which the company/stock symbol trades. GAAP may differ between stocks due to countries and markets. The tables are compiled from the Thomson Reuters database of consensus Ratings & Estimates of equity analysts. The historicals and estimates of earnings and cash flows exclude non-operating, special items. Thomson Reuters Rating System: Buy (1.0), Buy/Hold (2.0), Hold (3.0), Sell/Hold (4.0), Sell (5.0) Source: Thomson Reuters. Commodity Prices Cash Price (6-Mar-20) Silver ($17.33 / oz) Palladium ($2451 / oz) Platinum ($903 / oz) Aluminum ($0.77 / lb) Cobalt ($14.97 / lb) Copper ($2.55 / lb) Lead ($0.85 / lb) Molybdenum ($9.30 / lb) Nickel ($5.77 / lb) Tin ($7.67 / lb) Zinc ($0.90 / lb) Uranium ($24.80 / lb) Update: March 17, 2020 Press images of the Motorola Edge+ have surfaced in Blue and Red colors, thanks to @evleaks. This shows the phones waterfall punch-hole screen, 108MP main rear camera with OIS. Earlier: Motorola has been in a launch spree as the company recently launched the Moto G8, G Stylus, Moto G Power and will be soon launching the razr foldable phone. Following that, the companys flagship Motorola Edge+ has now surfaced along with key specifications and the new logo has been surfaced as well. Motorola Edge+ is said to sport a 6.67-inch FHD+ curved 90Hz display with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels. It is said to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor paired with up to 12GB RAM. On the optics front, it is said to feature a 108MP sensor and an in-display fingerprint scanner. Furthermore, the recent FCC (Federal Communications Commission) listing has revealed the new logo of Motorola Edge+ and more diagrams reveal the mmWave 5G antenna locations. It is still not clear if mmWave support is exclusive to the Verizon variant of the Edge+. Lastly, it is said to pack a 5170mAh battery and should come with Quick Charge support. As the smartphone has appeared in FCC filing, the launch could be imminent, and we should know more information in the coming days. Source 1, 2, 3 | Via Tonight on Foreign Correspondent, reporter Yalda Hakim travels to north east Syria for Watch The Peacemaker of Syria. She was known as the Jasmine of Syria, an idealistic young woman who believed in a better future for her war-torn country. After the Kurds fought and defeated ISIS in north east Syria with the help of the US Khalaf joined a grassroots movement that was working to rebuild Syria as a democracy. US troops stayed on in the region to help keep the peace, ensuring that ISIS fighters did not regroup. Then late last year, Trump made the shock announcement he was pulling US troops out of the region, leaving their former allies, the Kurds, unprotected. Turkey struck immediately, invading north east Syria and attacking the Kurdish forces it labelled as terrorists. In the days that followed, Hevrin Khalaf and her driver were pulled out of their van on a main road and brutally murdered. Reporter Yalda Hakim travels into north east Syrian to investigate the deaths of Hevrin Khalaf and her driver. The killings looked like a political assassination but the Turks denied responsibility. So, who killed Hevrin Khalaf? And why? Yalda Hakim speaks to Khalafs mother and her political colleagues. She interviews a team of volunteers investigating the killings. And she speaks to local journalists who are tracking down the identities of militia members who were in the area on the morning of the murders. The evidence Hakim gathers points to ISIS as being responsible and suggests their return so soon after their so-called Caliphate was defeated last year. In a compelling program, Yalda Hakim takes us on a disturbing journey into a world few outsiders are able to enter. They killed Hevrin to kill her ideas, her legacy and her cause. Hevrins mother Souad Tuesday at 8pm, 10th March on ABC. During Coronavirus Briefing, Governor Confirms 31 Additional Cases in New York State - Bringing Statewide Total to 173; New Cases Include 10 in Westchester County, 17 in NYC, 2 in Nassau County and 2 in Rockland County.Schools, Houses of Worship and Other Large Gathering Facilities to Be Temporarily Closed for Two-Week Period in Highest Impacted Area of New Rochelle from March 12-25Deploys National Guard to State Health Department Command Post in New Rochelle to Assist with Cleaning and Other Community Support EffortsAnnounces Partnership with Northwell Health to Set Up Satellite Testing Facility in New RochelleGovernor Andrew M. Cuomo today accepted the recommendation of State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker for new emergency measures to contain the novel coronavirus cluster in New Rochelle. The area currently has 108 confirmed cases and is considered a "cluster." The protocols include closing schools, houses of worship and other large gathering facilities within a one-mile radius in New Rochelle for a two-week period, from Thursday, March 12th to Wednesday, March 25th.The Governor has deployed National Guard troops to a Health Department command post in New Rochelle to assist with the outbreak. The troops are mobilizing to deliver food to homes and help with cleaning public spaces in the containment area.The Governor confirmed 31 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 173 confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 173 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:Westchester: 108 (10 new)New York City: 36 (17 new)Nassau: 19 (2 new)Rockland: 6 (2 new)Saratoga: 2Suffolk: 1Ulster: 1The Governor also announced the State will partner with Northwell Health to set up a satellite testing facility in New Rochelle. Visits would operate by appointment only. More information will be posted soon on the State Department of Health website."The largest cluster of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country is located in New Rochelle, and as the numbers continue to go up we need a special public health strategy to contain it," Governor Cuomo said. "We are moving from containment to mitigation, and because much of the transmission of this disease tends to happen on a geographic basis, we are attacking this hotspot at the source. As the number of positive cases rises, I am urging all New Yorkers to remember the bottom line: we talk about all this stuff to keep the public informed not to incite fear and if you are not a member of the vulnerable population then there is no reason for excess anxiety."New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said, "As we see the number of cases continue to rise based upon close contacts with persons who are positive for COVID-19, there is a particular need to reduce the opportunity for further close contacts. These opportunities include schools, churches, synagogues, and other event spaces where large numbers of people gather and remain together for extended periods of time. Although we believe that the risk generally to New Yorkers is low, I have recommended this strategy to reduce opportunities for further spread with the goal of reducing the number of new cases we are seeing in New Rochelle."The list of facilities in the containment area is being promulgated in consultation with local partners including the County Executive and the Mayor of New Rochelle.The State will work with impacted schools to ensure any child who currently depends on food assistance programs will continue to relieve those benefits during the two-week period. [March 10, 2020] Esri Releases ArcGIS Analytics for IoT Esri, the global leader in location intelligence, announced the release of ArcGIS Analytics for IoT at the Esri Federal GIS (FedGIS) Conference in Washington, DC in February. Part of ArcGIS Online, Analytics for IoT allows users to ingest, visualize, analyze, store, and act on massive velocities and volumes of Internet of Things (IoT) sensor data. This new Esri capability will help organizations take advantage of the insights made possible by the IoT with up-to-the-second data and improved situational awareness. "With the release of ArcGIS Analytics for IoT, we are launching powerful real-time and big data capabilities for Esri's Geospatial Cloud," said Brian Cross, director of Esri Professional Services. "Analytics for IoT is a turbocharger for ArcGIS Online, specifically for using IoT and observational data." Analytics for IoT will help users leverage big data more easily, with a broad range of applications including personnel management, asset tracking, and weather hazard monitoring. Many users have been accessing IoT data using alternative solutions but without a ready way to apply geospatial capabilities to the process. ArcGIS Analytics for IoT will complement existing systems with GI, spatially enabling IoT data from their current providers and simplifying real-time data analysis for users from a wide spectrum of industries, including public safety, transportation, and natural resources. A subscription-based ArcGIS capability, Analytics for IoT is a software as a service (SaaS (News - Alert)) offering available to ArcGIS customers. As the IoT continues to grow in scope and complexity, accessible and versatile analytics will be increasingly essential to enable organizations to take full advantage of the IoT's potential. To learn more about the ways that Esri is helping organizations access the power of location in the IoT, visit go.esri.com/analyticsforiot. About Esri Esri, the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping, offers the most powerful geospatial cloud available, to help customers unlock the full potential of data to improve operational and business results. Founded in 1969, Esri software is deployed in more than 350,000 organizations including 90 of the Fortune 100 companies, all 50 state governments, more than half of all counties (large and small), and 87 of the Forbes Top 100 Colleges in the U.S., as well as all 15 Executive Departments of the U.S. Government and dozens of independent agencies. With its pioneering commitment to geospatial information technology, Esri engineers the most advanced solutions for digital transformation, the Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics. Visit us at esri.com. Copyright 2020 Esri. All rights reserved. Esri, the Esri globe logo, ArcGIS, The Science of Where, esri.com, and @esri.com are trademarks, service marks, or registered marks of Esri in the United States, the European Community, or certain other jurisdictions. Other companies and products or services mentioned herein may be trademarks, service marks, or registered marks of their respective mark owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005592/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The coronavirus outbreak could cost the global economy up to USD 2 trillion this year, the UN's trade and development agency said, warning that shock from the epidemic will cause a recession in some countries and depress global annual growth to below 2.5 per cent. "We envisage a slowdown in the global economy to under two per cent for this year, and that will probably cost in the order of USD 1 trillion, compared with what people were forecasting back in September, Director, Division on Globalization and Development Strategies at United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Richard Kozul-Wright said. The UN agency said that apart from the tragic human consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic, the economic uncertainty it has sparked will likely cost the global economy USD 1 trillion in 2020. A preliminary downside scenario sees a USD 2 trillion shortfall in global income with a USD 220 billion hit to developing countries (excluding China). The most badly affected economies in this scenario will be oil-exporting countries, but also other commodity exporters, which stand to lose more than one percentage point of growth, as well as those with strong trade linkages to the initially shocked economies. Growth decelerations between 0.7 per cent and 0.9 per cent are likely to occur in countries such as Canada, Mexico and the Central American region, in the Americas; countries deeply inserted in the global value chains of East and South Asia, and countries in the immediacy of the European Union. Last week, UNCTAD had said that the trade impact of the coronavirus epidemic for India is estimated to be about USD 348 million and the country figures among the top 15 economies most affected as slowdown of manufacturing in China disrupts world trade. Slowdown of manufacturing in China due to the coronavirus outbreak is disrupting world trade and could result in a USD 50 billion decrease in exports across global value chains. Launching the UNCTAD report as world financial markets tumbled over concerns about supply-chain interruptions from China, and oil price uncertainty among major producers, Kozul-Wright warned that few countries were likely to be left unscathed by the outbreak's financial ramifications. One "Doomsday scenario" in which the world economy grew at only 0.5 per cent, would involve "a USD 2 trillion hit" to gross domestic product, he said, adding that collapsing oil prices had been "a contributing factor to that growing sense of unease and panic." While it was difficult to predict how the international financial markets will react to COVID-19's impacts "what they do suggest is a world that is extremely anxious," he said. "There's a degree of anxiety now that's well beyond the health scares which are very serious and concerning." To counter these fears, Governments need to spend at this point in time to prevent the kind of meltdown that could be even more damaging than the one that is likely to take place over the course of the year, Kozul-Wright said. UNCTAD's analysis points out that a persistent belief in the soundness of economic fundamentals and a self-correcting world economy continues to hamper policy thinking in the advanced economies. "This will stymie the bolder policy interventions needed to prevent the threat of a more serious crisis and increases the chances that recurrent shocks will cause serious economic damage in the future, Kozul-Wright added. Central Banks are not in a position to solve this crisis alone and an appropriate macroeconomic policy response will need aggressive fiscal spending with significant public investment, including into the care economy, and targeted welfare support for adversely affected workers, businesses and communities, the analysis says. International coordination of these programmes will be required. "Ultimately, a series of dedicated policy responses and institutional reforms are needed to prevent a localized health scare in a food market in Central China from turning into a global economic meltdown," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Maiya Keidan and Dmitry Zhdannikov LONDON (Reuters) - Hedge fund manager Pierre Andurand began betting against oil three weeks ago due to the coronavirus outbreak, he told Reuters on Monday, reversing his multi-year bullish view. "I spent a lot of time studying this virus ... In China they did a good job containing it," said Andurand, the manager of Andurand Capital Management. "In Europe and the U.S., I'm very worried that the measures they take are not drastic enough to stop or slow the spread." "It is possible that we lose 10 million barrels per day of demand for six months or so," he said. That would represent 10% of global demand. Brent crude crashed 24% to around $34 per barrel on Monday after Saudi Arabia and Russia failed to agree a new pact to reduce supply and decided to pump at will in an already oversupplied market. Andurand said he was working from his office in Malta, was not travelling and had told his London staff to work from home, aware that the epidemic was "potentially very serious from both a humanitarian perspective and that of current and future energy demand loss expectations". He said the bearish OPEC decision had surprised him. "But then, maybe they are right ... what OPEC was trying to do in the last four years was doing the heavy lifting for U.S. oil producers. It is not a good long-term strategy." A Russian-Saudi pact to reduce output has helped to support oil prices since 2016, but also gave a boost to U.S. shale producers, who are much less efficient than other oil firms. "I wouldn't be surprised if oil fell to $10 per barrel in the next three months, although I'm not betting on it aggressively," Andurand said. "SELLOFF NOT OVER" Andurand said his firm had been long crude in the first week of January before going flat because of negative price action, warm weather and lower-than-expected demand, finally moving to a short position. Story continues He said that SaudiRussian tensions, an extreme decline in travel and consumption related to the coronavirus epidemic and a potential global economic slowdown meant the selloff probably had some way to go. "We ... went short about three weeks ago, mainly because of the impact of the coronavirus on oil demand. We believe this is far from being priced in the market, even today." The firm's fund, the Andurand Commodities Fund, made net gains of 8.4% in the month to Mar. 6, bringing its year-to-date returns to 1.4%, according to a source familiar with the matter. The Financial Times reported last month that Andurand Capital, which last year was managing $1 billion, lost 8% in January. The paper said Andurand had racked up two consecutive years of losses in 2019 and 2018 as he bet on oil prices rising. However, the Andurand Commodities Fund has a long history of positive performance, eking out modest gains of 2.2% in 2017 and making 22.1% in 2016 and 38.3% in 2014, according to data compiled by HSBC. Andurand was previously Chief Investment Officer at BlueGold, a former global commodities hedge fund which at its peak managed over $2 billion, according to his website. The fund generated 75.4% net between its inception date and Friday, according to the source familiar with the matter. (Reporting by Maiya Keidan; Editing by Kevin Liffey) Wuhan Virus Delivers Wake-Up Call for US National Identity Commentary No matter how the coronavirus scare turns outanything from the second coming of the Black Death to an only slightly extraordinary version of the fluone thing is certain: The United States must never again outsource its critical industries to ideologically hostile countries that can hold the nation hostage. With America now importing up to nearly all active pharmaceutical ingredients from China thanks to the profoundly shortsighted free trade policies of the past few administrations (Clinton, Bush, Obama), Americans are suddenly coming to the realization that, in the age of globalization, even localized events halfway around the world can have profound consequences. And not just in the area of health. The ongoing trade wars between the Trump White House and Beijing, which also involve heavy manufacturing, intellectual property, and foodstuffs, suddenly take on more far-reaching significance as China, smarting for being blamed for the Wuhan virus, bruits a travel ban against the United States and other measures. The Xinhua News Agency threatened in an article: If China retaliates against the United States at this time, in addition to announcing a travel ban on the United States, it will also announce strategic control over medical products and ban exports to the United States. Then the United States will be caught in the ocean of novel corona viruses. Also according to the U.S. CDC officials, most of the drugs in the United States are imported, and some drugs are imported from Europe. However, Europe also places the production base of these drugs in China, so more than 90% of the U.S. imported drugs are related to China. The implication is that at this time, as long as China announces that its drugs are for domestic use and banned exports, the United States will fall into the hell of the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic. The Cost of Free Trade Chances are high this is bluster. China has a billion mouths to feed and the American farmer is doing his bit to fill them. The American consumer also seems to have a limitless appetite for cheap electronic gadgets, which is the principal reason that Apple and the Taiwanese Foxconn Technology Group moved so much of the iPhone production to China, especially Shenzhen. The endless supply of cheap labor was too tempting to ignore. That it was fundamentally unpatriotic did not matter a whit to Appleor the American consumer. Now the free-trade chickens are coming home to roost. A recent cover story on the virus in the German magazine Der Spiegel was headlined: Made in Chinawhen globalization becomes deadly. But the cover photo spoke even louder than words: a man in a red hazmat suit, checking his iPhone. If there is one good result of the pandemic, its that world powers see they cant afford to outsource critical products and infrastructure to their rivals, no matter what the nominal savings might be. In fact, one of the reasons great powers become great powers is the development and retention of their manufacturing basessomething that propelled Britain to global dominance in the 19th century and was decisive in the Allied victories over both Germany and Japan during World War II. But, caught in the grips of free-marketism, America has over the past half-century ceded the manufacturing of its own inventions to others: automobiles, computers, telecommunications, even control of the internet. From a self-reliant Republic, abundant in natural resources of all kinds and blessed with a limitlessly inventive population, the United States has managed to transform itself into a service industry-based economy of bureaucrats, merchants, waiters, and hotel chambermaidsand even many of them are imported. The fetishistic notion that the highest and purest form of capitalism occurs when theres a cheap flat-screen television or four in every American household has proven to be a moral and spiritual dead end: the exact opposite of the virtuous citizenry that Edmund Burke, an apostle of free markets, had so confidently predicted in 18th century. When the value of consumer goods becomes solely defined by price, American workers lose their jobs so that foreigners can take them, factories go out of business, shops close down on Main Street, and a beggar-thy-neighbor ethos replaces both charity and patriotism. When protectionism becomes a dirty word, too many cities and towns start to look like Detroit. Can-Do Spirit This weakening of national identityname a country founded as a nation of tourists and consumershas leaked into every aspect of our politics. American made was once a statement of pride; today its jingoistic and risible. Trumps reintroduction of tariffsthe foundation of the American economy and the financing scheme for the federal government from its inception into the 20th centurymet with fierce, nearly crazed opposition on both sides of the aisle. Small wonder: The rise of free trade has also seen a concomitant rise in taxes, debt, laws, regulations, and entitlements. The growth of big government is inseparable from it. Further, it has led to a kind of public sclerosis: Name a single great national project over the past 65 years to rival the Hoover Dam, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Manhattan Project, or the Interstate Highway System. The only thing comparable was the Apollo moon landingsand they ended in 1972. Were all too busy binge-watching Netflix to care about such things any more. So, as the virus gradually comes under controlthe World Health Organization reports that new cases in China have dropped sharply, and that 70 percent of those infected have already recoveredits time for the United States to restore both its manufacturing baseand its can-do spirit. Michael Walsh is the author of The Devils Pleasure Palace and The Fiery Angel, both published by Encounter Books. His latest book, Last Stands, a cultural study of military history, will be published later this year by St. Martins Press. Follow him on Twitter @dkahanerules. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. JUNEAU, Alaska - The group attempting to remove Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy from office is 30% of the way toward its goal, an official said. The group reached the mark two weeks after beginning its effort to gather enough signatures to put the recall to voters, The Anchorage Daily News reported Monday. To call a statewide vote to recall the Republican governor, petitioners need to gather signatures from 71,252 registered Alaska voters. Recall Dunleavy said Monday it had gathered 21,678 signatures. Campaign Manager Claire Pywell did not provide timing for when the campaign hopes to have all of the signatures it needs. Its as quickly as possible, Pywell said. I cant give you a magic date. If the group turns sufficient signatures before April 19, the state would call a special election rather than placing the recall vote on the Aug. 18 statewide primary ballot. The groups signature target is above 71,252 because the group wants a buffer in case some signatures are ruled invalid, Pywell said. The recall organizers gathered 46,405 valid signatures over five weeks to apply for the recall. The Alaska Supreme Court is scheduled to consider the legality of the recall March 25. The recall effort group was scheduled to submit a written argument to the court Monday. Grounds for recall in Alaska are lack of fitness, incompetence, neglect of duties or corruption. The recall group is not alleging corruption. Cynthia Henry, chair of the Keep Dunleavy, group opposing the recall effort, said by text message that her group is staying the course to support the governor and oppose the recall. Our supporters will be ready to once again vote for Governor Dunleavy should the time come, Henry said. A week after Super Tuesday narrowed the Democratic field to two serious contenders, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are facing off in six more states. Between them, these primaries have the potential to all but decide the nomination fight or confuse it even further. While Biden is so far well ahead and heavily favoured to win overall, the pledged delegate gap between the two men is not yet decisive. From the west coast to the Midwest to the Deep South, here are the next six battlefield states in the latest Sanders-Biden face-off. Idaho Barring a spectacular turn of events, Idaho is not going to break for the Democratic candidate in November. The Republicans usually win more than 60 per cent of the vote though given the state only holds four electoral votes, it doesnt get much attention anyway. The same goes for Idahos Democratic primary. Very little polling has been done in the state, which holds less than 1 per cent of the contests pledged delegates. Last time around, Idaho was a blowout win for Bernie Sanders; he dominated the caucuses with nearly 79 per cent of the vote and won every county but one. However, like many other caucus states, Idaho has now switched from a caucus to a primary, making it easier for people to vote; unaffiliated voters will also be allowed to participate. What effect this will have in practice remains to be seen. Michigan The way things are going, Michigan might just be the key to the nomination. This has less to do with the overall delegate count (though that matters) than with the trajectory of Sanderss campaign. This state is key to Sanderss whole narrative as a presidential candidate. It was in Michigan that Sanders pulled off one of the great primary upsets, defying polls that had him behind Clinton by more than 20 points. His success proved that the primary campaign was far from over (even if Clinton was still overwhelmingly favoured to win), and also foretold exactly the problems that would doom her there in the final contest low enthusiasm among key demographics and a turnout far lower than in the Republican primary. This year, the polls in Michigan dont uniformly put Sanders behind; instead, they dont agree on any particular outcome. But if he cant hold off Joe Biden here, he will come out of his second consecutive batch of primaries having failed to stop the establishment in its tracks and having underperformed relative to his last attempt. Making the case that hes the stronger candidate will be harder than ever. Mississippi Joe Biden is heavily favoured to win Mississippi, which has one of the most disproportionately black electorates among all the Democratic primary states. In 2016, some 71 per cent of Mississippi primary voters were black; Clinton trounced Sanders there, winning more than 82 per cent of the vote. Then as now, Sanders is struggling to make inroads among black voters, who since the South Carolina primary have been mostly in Bidens column. While he did narrowly win black voters under 30 in 2016, the problem was that they voted at much lower rates than older black voters. His campaign has been making serious efforts to change things on this front, but it may be too little too late. Still, Sanderss opinion of the southern primaries is pretty low anyway. Back in 2016, he came in for some flak when he said that they distort reality this after losing South Carolina by 48 points, and a slew of southern Super Tuesday states by similarly devastating margins. Missouri Once a crucial swing state, Missouri is now considered fairly safe Republican territory. But at primary level, its a different story. This was one of the most closely contested states in 2016. Clinton went into the state polling behind Sanders but ended up netting one of her narrowest victories over Sanders: 1,574 votes, a margin of 0.2 per cent. Because the margin was less than one percent, Sanders was legally entitled to request a recount but decided against it, saying a changed result wouldnt affect the delegate allocation and that he would prefer to save the taxpayers of Missouri some money. Trump went on to win the state by 18.5 points double Mitt Romneys lead over Barack Obama. North Dakota One of the USs least populous states, North Dakota sends only 14 pledged delegates to the Democratic convention. And while Sanders stormed to victory over Clinton in the 2016 caucuses, only 394 voters took part. He is currently forecast to lose the state to Joe Biden. Recommended How Joe Biden is cutting down on gaffes on the campaign trail North Dakotas relevance in the Democratic primary rather tallies with its national profile. Its a safe Republican state in presidential elections, no Democrat having won it since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. That said, the Democrats have their moments here. Until Heidi Heitkamp lost her seat in the 2018 midterms, North Dakota sent at least one Democratic senator to Washington for decades. And in the later stages of the 2008 campaign, there was talk of Barack Obama flipping the state; it would have been a stunning upset, but in the end, Obama lost it by nearly nine points. Washington A solidly Democratic state, Washington has changed its primary procedure since 2016. Until then, its delegates were awarded via a caucus routinely featuring low turnout, with a non-binding primary held later in the primary season. In 2016 as in previous years, the two results were very different. Following a nationwide pattern, Sanders demolished Clinton in the caucuses, whose electorate totalled just over 26,000, but Clinton beat him by five points in the primary, in which more than 800,000 voters participated. This year, delegates will be awarded based on the primary alone. Another quirk of Washingtons primary is that the state votes by mail. As of 9 March, nearly 1.6 million ballots had been returned many of them likely posted before candidates such as Elizabeth Warren and Michael Bloomberg had dropped out. Democrats Abroad Outside the states, another contest has been rumbling away for a week: the Democrats Abroad primary, which sees party members around the world vote by mail and even in person at polling stations in their countries of residence. The primary awards 17 pledged delegates, and was a lock for Sanders last time around; he bested Clinton with nearly 69 per cent of the worldwide vote. MONTREAL - Air Canada has suspended flights to and from Italy after the country extended a national lockdown in response to the novel coronavirus. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/3/2020 (671 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Air Canada is seen on an aircraft at a hangar at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ont., February 9, 2017. Air Canada is cancelling all flights to Italy starting Wednesday, following the lead of European carriers that have halted service to a country now under nationwide lockdown to contain the new coronavirus. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Blinch MONTREAL - Air Canada has suspended flights to and from Italy after the country extended a national lockdown in response to the novel coronavirus. The airline's last flight to Rome is scheduled to take off from Toronto Tuesday, with the final return flight departing Rome for Montreal on Wednesday. Canada's largest carrier said the decision was prompted by Italian regulations and "ongoing health and safety concerns" related to the COVID-19 outbreak, which has seen bookings plunge and cancellations soar as markets reel across the globe. Air Canada plans to restart service on May 1. Meanwhile, affected customers will be notified and offered full refunds, a spokesman said. In January, the airline halted all direct flights to China the epicentre of the virus as it braced for a hit to revenues. COVID-19 has spelled difficulty for global airlines as companies suspend non-essential business travel and conventions and other events are cancelled amid increasing travel restrictions from governments. The federal government is considering measures to offset the blow to airlines and the broader economy, said Economic Development Minister Melanie Joly. "What we're looking at is how can we mitigate the impacts while making sure that we can have still a strong summer season, and also that we can really bounce back," she said before heading into a cabinet meeting in Ottawa. Joly said she met Monday with the CEOs of Air Canada and WestJet Airlines Ltd. Calin Rovinescu and Ed Sims "to understand a little more about the impact of what is happening now." The outbreak is taking a toll on Air Canada, whose shares have fallen 37 per cent over the past month. "Our baseline assumption is that Air Canada will see severe demand disruption in Q2 with the impact lingering through the remainder of 2020," National Bank analyst Cameron Doerksen said in a research note. Last month Air Canada forecast a "small increase" in adjusted earnings for 2020, based on the assumption that its cancelled routes to mainland China and Hong Kong will be fully recovered by the third quarter, along with a gradual return to service of its grounded Boeing 737 Max jets starting late in the same quarter. But Doerksen predicted Tuesday that annual adjusted earnings would come in at $2.2 billion, or about 40 per cent below Air Canada's outlook of $3.6 billion which would also mark a 40 per cent decline from 2019 EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization). The airline is nonetheless "well-positioned," he added, with abundant cash and 35 per cent of its mainline fleet "unencumbered" neither leased nor carrying debt which could be parked at minimal cost as demand withers. As the epidemic spreads, airlines are also imposing more precautions to protect passengers and crew. WestJet said it has added a pair of disinfecting products hospital-grade Clorox wipes and spray to clean everything from tray tables to lavatories, belt buckles and overhead bin latches. The carrier also sought to correct the "common misconception" that aircraft air is recirculated. All its planes have a circulation system that introduces fresh air into the cabin every two to three minutes through a filter, comparable to those used in hospitals, the company said. On Thursday, Air Canada announced it would waive rebooking fees in light of concerns about the coronavirus, allowing a one-time change for tickets purchased between March 4 and March 31 for travel within 12 months. The move falls short of those by United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines this week, which are allowing passengers to rebook tickets to any destination through April 30 without paying fees. In Europe, British Airways, Ryanair and EasyJet have cancelled all flights to and from Italy. Wizz Air has done likewise, extending the suspension to Israel, which has ordered all new visitors quarantined just weeks before Passover and Easter. Lufthansa Group says it is reducing flight capacity by up to 50 per cent this month, scrubbing flights to mainland China and Iran and cutting back on those to Italy, Seoul and Hong Kong. Travel and social restrictions that were extended across Italy illustrated how the virus and the broad disruptions it is causing are sweeping westward from China, where the outbreak began. The epidemic along with drastic government responses go far beyond the SARS outbreak of 2003, which infected more than 8,000 people worldwide and killed close to 800, according to the World Health Organization. "If you look at the snapback after SARS, air travel rebounded really quickly and very robustly," said Robert Kokonis, president of Toronto-based consulting firm AirTrav Inc. "But a bit of a difference between then and now is that Chinese outbound travel was relatively small. How fast can that snap back and how is their economy doing?" 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. More than 113,000 people have been infected with the coronavirus, and more than 3,900 have died of the COVID-19 illness it causes. Most of the cases are in China, but its proportion is shrinking as the caseload grows elsewhere. More than 62,000 people have already recovered. But Italys intensifying struggle to halt the virus spread emerged as a cautionary tale. Infections in Italy topped the 10,000 mark with 10,149 cases more than anywhere else but China and the number of deaths from the virus rose to 631, from 463 a day earlier, Italian Civil Protection authorities said Tuesday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2020. Companies in this story: (TSX:AC) With files from The Associated Press Police in West Bengals Murshidabad district have seized 400kg of cannabis or ganja worth more than 20 lakh, which was being smuggled to the state from Assam in a truck packed with tea leaves, officials said on Tuesday. Highlights This is the biggest seizure of ganja in the district since January 1 The smugglers hid the ganja in packets meant for tea This year, 605kg ganja has been seized in Murshidabad so far The driver of the truck has been arrested, police said. However, the smugglers who were following the truck in an SUV fled when the police intercepted the vehicle on Monday night. Officers of Nabagram police station received information that a huge consignment of ganja was being brought to the state. Around midnight they intercepted a cargo truck near Suki intersection on NH 34. The ganja was hidden inside packets of tea, AS Yadav, Murshidabads superintendent of police, said. Preliminary investigation revealed that the ganja was produced in Nagaland and loaded in the container somewhere in Guwahati in Assam. We have arrested Bhopal Singh, 33, the driver who hails from Rajasthan, said Yadav. Police officers who took part in the raid said this is the biggest seizure of ganja in the district since January 1. The consignment was meant for a man who operates in the districts Kandi police station area, they added. The driver went to Assam to unload a consignment. He was returning with tea dust that he was scheduled to take to Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, a senior police officer said on condition of anonymity. Some people from Murshidabad lured the driver with 60,000 and convinced him to drop the ganja on his way back. He was promised another 40,000 after delivery, the official added. To mislead the police, the smugglers had hidden the ganja in packets meant for tea. We have received information that a woman and two men are the masterminds. They were following the truck in an SUV but fled when the truck was intercepted by us. They abandoned the SUV beside NH-34, an officer said on condition of anonymity. This year, we have so far seized 605kg ganja in Murshidabad. We have also seized 2.7kg heroin and 36 thousand Yaba tablets, said Yadav. A strategy meeting of a Massachusetts-based drug company has emerged as being responsible for at least 32 cases of coronavirus in the US. The meeting of Biogen Inc, held at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf hotel, was attended by 175 of the company's senior mangers from February 26 to February 27. They then held meetings with by doctors, nurses, investors and pharmaceutical representatives from across the county, as well as their own communities, But, since that meeting, at least three employees have tested positive including an unnamed Biogen executive who is currently in isolation. The meeting is also linked to at least 32 cases in Massachusetts and several cases in three other states. A strategy meeting of a Massachusetts-based drug company Biogen (pictured) has links to at least 23 dozen cases of coronavirus in the US The meeting was held at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf hotel, and was attended by 175 of the company's senior mangers from February 26 to February 27 The strategy meeting is an annual event for Biogen, which has an estimated 7,500 employees around the world and xx MONEY. A spokesman told The Wall Street Journal that about a week after the meeting, some people complained of symptoms resembling the flu. Biogen reportedly reached out to public health authorities, who asked that meeting attendees self-quarantine for 14 days to monitor their conditions. An infectious disease expert explained that meetings such as the one held by Biogen are prime locations for the virus spreading. 'There's a lot of handshaking, there's a lot of being in close quarters, and that puts you at risk,' Dr Manish Trivedi, the director of the division of infectious diseases at AtlantiCare in New Jersey told The Wall Street Journal. 'You eat something. You rub your eyes. You touch your face.' Massachusetts has experienced the biggest impact from the virus spreading at the Biogen meeting, which is no surprise because the company is headquartered in Cambridge. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF CORONAVIRUS? Like other coronaviruses, including those that cause the common cold and that triggered SARS, COVID-19 is a respiratory illness. The most common symptoms are: Fever Dry cough Shortness of breath Difficulty breathing Fatigue Although having a runny nose doesn't rule out coronavirus, it doesn't thus far appear to be a primary symptom. Most people only become mildly ill, but the infection can turn serious and even deadly, especially for those who are older or have underlying health conditions. In these cases, patients develop pneumonia, which can cause: Potentially with yellow, green or bloody mucus Fever, sweating and shaking chills Shortness of breath Rapid or shallow breathing Pain when breathing, especially when breathing deeply or coughing Low appetite, energy and fatigue Nausea and vomiting (more common in children) Confusion (more common in elderly people) Some patients have also reported diarrhea and kidney failure has occasionally been a complication. Avoid people with these symptoms. If you develop them, call your health care provider before going to the hospital or doctor, so they and you can prepare to minimize possible exposure if they suspect you have coronavirus. Advertisement Officials at the state's health department said on Monday that 32 patients have links to the meeting. In addition, at least two people from Indiana who attended the meeting have been diagnosed the virus, Indiana's state health department said. There are also at least five residents of Wake County, North Carolina who are 'presumptive positive' cases, according to Wake County's Public Health Division. The Journal reports that a Biogen employee from Pennsylvania who traveled to a conference held in West Palm Beach, Florida, later was diagnosed with the virus. Biogen said of its employees infected by the virus, two lived in the European Union, and one outside of Massachusetts. All the attendees of the meeting have been asked to work from home for two weeks, irrespective of whether or not they showed symptoms, Biogen said. It said it was also restricting travel through the end of March, joining retailer Walmart Inc, which on Thursday put a restriction on all international travels to business-critical trips, at least through March and April. [The Biogen meetings role in transmitting coronavirus] has forced schools to scramble to prevent the virus from spreading further. Schools in Wellesley and Arlington closed for at least a day after learning that students had linked to people who attended the Biogen meeting, The Journal reported. One student did test positive for coroanvirus, and they are in isolation. Anyone who may have come into close contact with the student is in self-quarantine for 14 days. A few other attendees of the internal company meeting were diagnosed with influenza, Biogen said in an emailed statement to Reuters on Friday. It did not disclose the number of influenza patients, or the location where the employees that tested positive for coronavirus were being treated. Worldwide, more than 114,000 people in more than 100 countries have been infected with coronavirus and more than 4,000 people have died. In the US, more then 750 people have contracted coronavirus in at least 35 states and 26 people - in California, Florida and Washington - have died. In 1905, at the age of 18, Carlos Ellis was one of the first automobile drivers in Olmsted County. He and his brother Earl opened the first garage in Rochester, a town with just nine cars. Two years later, Dr. Charles Mayo came to the garage looking for a chauffeur. Dr. Mayo asked Carlos to meet the doctors family; if they liked Carlos, the job was his. They liked Carlos. It was a great job, but Carlos had a need, a need for speed. The 1910 edition of the Olmsted County Fair featured a 5-mile unlimited car race on the fairgrounds 1-mile horse track. Carlos prepped his Model 40 Velie for the big race. On race day, Carlos ate Model T dust for 3-1/2 laps until he adjusted the Velies spark. He passed the offending Ford and won the race at a record pace. Carlos had covered five miles in 6:05 minutes, at an average speed of 49 mph. The significant increase in bonuses is a direct reflection of the fact that our agents are changing the lives of more and more peopleand thats what e-TeleQuote is all about, says Anthony P. Solazzo, CEO of e-TeleQuote. e-TeleQuote Insurance, Inc. (http://www.etelequote.com), the owner and operator of easyMedicare.com, a market-leading digital insurance marketplace focusing on the Medicare and over 65 markets, is excited to announce a record year for agent bonuses generated during the most recent Medicare Annual Election Period (AEP). AEP occurs October 15 through December 7 every year, and gives Medicare beneficiaries the opportunity to enroll in or change their Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, or Prescription Drug Plans. Enrollments completed during this most recent AEP went into effect January 1, 2020. Nearly 80 percent of e-TeleQuotes licensed health insurance agents qualified for a bonus based on 2020 AEP enrollments. Compared to the previous year, the number of agents who received a bonus nearly doubled. The Medicare Annual Election Period can be a confusing time for Medicare beneficiaries, says Anthony P. Solazzo, CEO of e-TeleQuote. Our agents work hard to make Medicare easy. They help beneficiaries find a plan that best suits their specific needs. The significant increase in bonuses is a direct reflection of the fact that our agents are changing the lives of more and more peopleand thats what e-TeleQuote is all about. Bonuses are just one of many ways e-TeleQuote invests in their agents success. The company offers agents a relaxed professional environment, generous base pay, a full calendar of activities, and unique incentives. In 2019, one high-performing agent won a $40,000 car, and another received $100,000 toward a house. Agents are currently working toward being one of the top ten performers wholl win a tour of Italy in spring 2021. About e-TeleQuote and easyMedicare.com e-TeleQuote Insurance, Inc., the owner and operator of easyMedicare.com, is an independent digital insurance marketplace providing individuals the ability to purchase Medicare insurance from the comfort of their homes. The company diligently researches available plan options from multiple insurance carriers, helping people choose a plan that best suits their needs. e-TeleQuote provides personal consultation through experienced licensed Medicare advisors who suggest plan coverage options based on an individuals particular needs. The company has proudly served tens of thousands of people across the United States. Thirty-four-year-old Mekhak Arakelyan, who lives in Kurtan village of Lori Province and whom Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, during a meeting with villagers, scolded for being a healthy man and addressing him instead of working and building a house, actually has health problems that havent allowed him to work and earn a living for the past couple of years now. I am ill. I have back pain and bronchitis. I havent even served in the army since I wasnt fit for military service. I also used to have a problem with my kidneys due to hard labor on fields. I have also worked as a remodeler in Russia. I have worked hard and purchased a cow to provide my children with milk. If I was healthy, I would go and work and build a home. I also wouldnt like to address the Prime Minister and ask him for something, but I cant even lift a bucket of water, Mekhak told Armenian News-NEWS.am, adding that even though he needs treatment, he only uses tranquilizers due to financial difficulties. Mekhaks family has ten members who live in two small rooms in a dilapidated wagon. Due to the humidity, Mekhaks and his brothers four children, the eldest of which is 5 years old, have health problems, especially in the winter. There have been times when all three children have been at the hospital. We used to provide them with treatment at home, but that didnt help. We owe the drug store in Kirovakan a lot of money, Mekhaks mother said and added that she and her husband had moved to Spitak many years ago, but had returned to Kutan after the earthquake in Spitak. The Arakelyan family lives with the support provided by the familys relatives, neighbors and the head of the local village, as well as with benefits and sometimes daily salaries. The family has addressed different authorities, including the Prime Minister with the request for help several times, but there hasnt been any response. On March 7, knowing that the Prime Minister was going to visit his village, Mekhak decided to personally meet him. I went to ask the Prime Minister to at least help me buy a two-bedroom house made from stone so that there wouldnt be humidity and his children wouldnt get sick. I was speechless after our conversation. When I didnt speak, he went on to scold me and tell me that a healthy man like me shouldnt come and ask the Prime Minister for help. After that meeting, a lot of people have written bad things about me on the Internet, but I dont care, he said. On March 7, during a live broadcast, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan scolded Mekhak and urged him to work and build a home and not address the Prime Minister with such issues, adding that the government doesnt have any obligations for people like him. United Airlines says that its CEO and president will forgo their bases salaries through until the end of June, CNBC reports, as airlines are shaken by the impact of the coronavirus. Passenger fears have hit demand, and the United has already announced dramatic cuts to its schedule both domestically and internationally. JetBlue, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines are making similar cuts. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has updated its analysis of the financial impact of the coronavirus on the global air transport industry, now seeing 2020 global revenue losses for the passenger business of between $63bn, in a scenario in which the outbreak is contained, and $113bn, in a scenario with a broader spread of the virus. United announced it would cut its North American flight schedule by 10 per cent in April, and its international schedule by 20 per cent. These cuts would likely last up and beyond May, and depending on demand. Delta is making the biggest cuts to capacity, announcing on Tuesday that it will reduce international flights by as much as 25 per cent and domestic capacity up to 15 per cent. These cuts include up to a 20 per cent drop in Transatlantic services and a 65 per cent reduction to routes across the Pacific. American will cut 10 per cent of capacity from its peak summer schedule, including slashing 55 per cent capacity from flights to Asia. Flights to mainland China were halted several weeks ago, and that will be extended until October. The airline is suspending routes from the US to Rome, Milan, Venice, Madrid, Barcelona and Paris. In April, domestic capacity will be cut by 7.5 per cent. JetBlue is cutting its schedule by 5 per cent and will continue to monitor the situation, making adjustments where required, depending on demand. Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly will take a 10 per cent pay cut, but to date the airline has not cut any flights of routes. Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Show all 11 1 /11 Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Ben Gurion International airport, Israel Reuters Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Daxing International Airport, Beijing AFP via Getty Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Taoyuan International Airport, Taiwan EPA Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Noi Bai International Airport, Vietnam AFP via Getty Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Haneda Airport, Tokyo Reuters Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Changsha Huanghua International Airport, China Reuters Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Shanghai Pudong Airport in Shanghai, China EPA Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Daxing International Airport, Beijing AFP via Getty Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Haneda Airport, Tokyo Reuters Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Shanghai Pudong Airport in Shanghai, China EPA Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Noi Bai International Airport, Vietnam AFP via Getty Airlines and travel companies across the world are suffering due to falling passenger numbers most notably the collapse of FlyBe in the UK. Elsewhere, China's largest online travel company, Trip.com, has announced that its CEO and chairman will both stop taking a salary, and senior management will take voluntary pay cuts. Lufthansa and Qantas are also planning to ground their fleets of Airbus A380s as part of their capacity cuts. The Trump administration intends to support the travel industry through this challenging time, working with airlines, hotels, and cruise lines. It is unclear what a support package might look like. The airlines and the administration are currently feuding over access to passenger data which the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention say will help stem the spread of the virus. The airlines say that they do not have the technology available to meet the government's requests. Grounded: The collapse of Flybe has impacted upon Stobart Airs business AER Lingus Regional operator Stobart Air has been left reeling from the impact of the coronavirus and the collapse of Flybe, telling staff it needs to slash costs in order to survive. While the carrier has seen a fall in bookings, it also had two Embraer jets and two ATR turboprops leased to UK-based Flybe, meaning it has now lost hundreds of thousands of euro a month in revenue from the contract. Failed Flybe was part of the Connect Airways group of which includes Stobart Air. Dublin-based Stobart Air operates the Aer Lingus Regional service on a franchise basis. It's a key part of the larger airline's operation, driving traffic from UK regional airports to Dublin, which Aer Lingus uses as a hub for its transatlantic services. Stobart Air boss Andy Jolly has written to staff urgently requesting some to volunteer for unpaid leave or to accept reduced hours. It has also suspended recruitment and frozen pay rises. Less than two weeks ago, Stobart Air launched a captain training programme, recruiting first officers to meet "growing demand" on the airline's network. The company employs more than 500 people. "The coronavirus epidemic is impacting consumer purchasing habits and we are seeing reduced demand on some services," said a Stobart Air spokesperson. "As a result, we have reduced the number of flights operated by Stobart Air in the coming weeks and months." Prior to the collapse of Flybe, Stobart Air was operating more than 1,000 flights a week on 38 routes. It was providing some franchised flying for Flybe, but the bulk of its business is the Aer Lingus Regional operation. The spread of the coronavirus is having a severe impact across the airline industry. "As a consequence of the reduced commercial programme, and until we have full clarity on the impact of current developments on the aviation industry and our business, we have offered more flexible working options to our team, while we will temporarily suspend our recruitment plans," added the Stobart Air spokesperson. Mr Jolly told Stobart Air staff that the carrier has been "seriously impacted" by the downturn in traffic because of Covid-19 and the failure of Flybe. "The blunt reality is that we are only going to survive this period of transition if we can significantly reduce our cost base in the interim," he warned. Aer Lingus declined to comment yesterday on Stobart Air's difficulties. Meanwhile, Aer Lingus has ceased taking bookings to northern Italy. Bhopal: Led by Leader of Opposition Gopal Bhargav, a delegation of senior BJP leaders here on Tuesday marched to the residence of Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker NP Prajapati and handed over the resignation letters of 19 Congress MLAs. After receiving the letters, Prajapati told reporters he will take the decision as per rules. These 19 lawmakers had earlier emailed their resignations to the Speaker between noon and 2pm on Tuesday "and we are submitting the hard copies of these resignations", former Home Minister Bhupendra Singh told Prajapati while handing over the letters. Singh landed here from New Delhi by a special flight. Currently in Bengaluru, these 19 MLAs from the camp of Jyotiraditya Scindia, who resigned from the primary membership of the Congress party earlier on Tuesday, had announced their decision to resign as well from the party. They had also uploaded on social media images of themselves holding their resignation letters. These MLAs, including six ministers, have been kept under high security in the Karnataka capital. "By tomorrow morning, five more Congress MLAs could resign and by evening this figure could go up to 30," said Singh, also claiming the support of Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLAs. Prajapati, meanwhile, said he had heard about the resignations. "And as I have received the letters, I would take a call on the basis of rules and regulations," he said. The Kamal Nath government has already wrote to Governor Lalji Tandon urging him to remove the six ministers from the cabinet. All of them belong to Scindia's camp. Senior party MLA and former minister Bisahulal Singh and Aidal Singh Kansana also submitted their resignations on Tuesday. Bisahulal Singh had met senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan and joined the party this afternoon. So far, 22 MLAs have tendered their resignations, which brings down the effective strength of the MP House to 206 and the majority figure down to 104. The Congress government now has been reduced to 92, including allies it still needs five more MLAs to be in majority. The BJP has 107 MLAs in the assembly. Child care centres and March Break camps will close if the city of Toronto and its 24,000 inside workers fail to strike a deal by Friday night, although the two sides can agree to continue negotiating past the deadline set by the province. On Monday, the city released its contingency plans for a labour disruption, which could begin as early as 12:01 a.m. Saturday. Thats when members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 79 will be in a position to legally strike and the city will be able to lock them out. The two parties have been bargaining for three months. Negotiations between the city and its 5,000 outside workers concluded with a deal late on Feb. 28 after the two sides obtained a two-day extension to a deadline set by the province. That deal was approved by union members and city council last week. A work stoppage would have a significant effect on city programs and services, said city manager Chris Murray, adding that the upcoming March Break certainly adds pressure to the situation. He said that the two sides are focused on a resolution. He added that the talks are centred on many of the same issues in play during negotiations with outside workers, such as job protection and benefits. Services that would be affected by a work stoppage include: The citys 47 child care centres, which provide services for 2,000 children, would be closed, as would all city-operated early learning centres. All meetings and programming, including March Break camps at all city recreation centres would be cancelled and the recreation centres closed. Greenhouses and conservatories would be closed along with pools, fitness centres, ski hills and some arenas and outdoor ice rinks. After-school recreation care programming and March break camps at Toronto District School Board and Toronto Catholic District School Board locations would be suspended. Noncritical Toronto Public Health initiatives would be suspended, but COVID-19 activities would continue. Access to city civic centres, including Metro Hall and City Hall, would be limited and city administrative services, including permitting and licensing, would be suspended or delayed. Bylaw enforcement and investigation services would continue for emergency orders only, and building inspections would only be done for emergency cases. Building permits for critical, large-scale public infrastructure projects might be issued. City planning services would be suspended, except for large-scale or time-sensitive projects. City council and committee meetings would be cancelled. There would be no effect on emergency responders, long-term care facilities, the Toronto Transit Commission, Toronto Community Housing and Toronto Water operations. Court proceedings would continue. Murray said management will be deployed, where possible, to provide some services. The president of the union representing the inside workers said Monday that the city needs to shift its focus from contingency plans to the bargaining table. The best possible contingency plan is to negotiate a fair contract, said David Mitchell, president of CUPE Local 79, in a written statement. The local represents full time and part-time city employees, recreation workers and long-term care workers. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10) Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Tuesday raised the possibility of declaring a localized lockdown on areas with significant number of coronavirus cases. The health chief, during the House Committee on Appropriations' deliberation of DOH's budget to address the highly-contagious disease, was asked if the DOH may prevent traveling in and out of Metro Manila if the health situation worsens. He said that if there will be such declaration, the order will only cover selected areas. "Based on our objective criteria, we will see a possible lockdown. Kung mayroon man, localized. Hindi po ito buong lugar," he said during the House hearing. [Translation: Based on our objective criteria, we will see a possible lockdown. If we declare one, it will be localized, not the entire Metro Manila.] He said that, for now, there is no need to impose any restrictions. "A lockdown scenario possible if theres proof of community-based transmission. Sa ngayon, wala pa 'yan," he said in an ambush interview. [Translation: A lockdown scenario possible if theres proof of community-based transmission. As of now, there is no proof of that.] Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano backed the remark of Duque that there is no need yet for a Metro Manila-wide lockdown, but he said security forces are prepared for localized lockdown if necessary. "Prepared tayo kung magkakaroon ng lockdown. We have the PNP and AFP to help the LGU," he said in a separate interview. Cases in the Philippines more than doubled overnight, with a total of 24 cases mostly in Metro Manila recorded on Monday night. DOH raised the nationwide alert level on Saturday after cases of local coronavirus transmission were recorded in the country. President Rodrigo Duterte rejected the proposed Metro Manila lockdown despite a rise in cases of novel coronavirus in the country. He said it's too early to heed the call of a lawmaker to impose such restriction. House Ways and Means Committee chairman Joey Salceda said closing off Metro Manila for at least a week will minimize the risk of mass transmission of the virus. The Maharashtra government has accepted the recommendation of the four-member Khatua panel to limit the age of black and yellow taxis and autorickhaws to 15 years, and also approved its fare revision formula for the two modes of public transport. Maharashtra has some 75,000 black and yellow taxis, popularly called 'kaali peelis', and 10 lakh autorickshaws, and age bar for them at present, set in August, 2013, is 20 years and 15 years respectively. The new formula will see a rise in flag down fares of autorickshaws and taxis, currently Rs 18 and Rs 22, a Regional Transport Office functionary said. "Even this much mileage in the lifetime of a taxi is way too high as much as after about 4.5 lakh to 5 lakh kms, the quality of service, comfort of rides tend to deteriorate sharply," the report said. According to a government resolution (GR) issued by the Home department on Monday, the government accepted the Khatua panel's recommendation to limit the age of 'city taxis', like Meru and Tabcab, to 10 years, down from 20 prescribed in the Maharashtra City Taxi Rules 2017. This was done as such taxis are premium ones and commuters expect better comfort from them, the report said explaining the rationale behind the move. However, it won't apply to major aggregator players like Ola and Uber as their vehicles, which run on All India Tourist permits, have a plying limit of nine years, an RTO official explained. As per the GR, the government has rejected the panel's 'Happy Hour' recommendation, wherein a 15 per cent discount on the basic fare for black and yellow taxis and auto-rickshaws between 12 pm to 4 pm was recommended. The government, however, accepted the recommendation for a telescopic fare structure for black and yellow cabs that will reduce for each kilometre with the increase in distance beyond 8 kilometres. The government also accepted the recommendation about lowering the AC fare for conventional black and yellow cabs. The panel has recommended 10 per cent additional charge instead of 20 per cent for AC ride on black and yellow cabs, while it will be 20 per cent of the fare charged by black and yellow cabs for cool cabs, down from the present 25 per cent. A new fare structure suggested by the Khatua panel for prepaid taxis from the international and domestic terminals of Mumbai airport has also been accepted, making such rides cheaper, said RTO officials. Though the panel suggested keeping luggage charges of black and yellow cabs unchanged, the same for autorickshaws could see an increase from the current Rs 2 to Rs 6, in case the panel's recommendation on this issue is accepted, they said. Its recommendation to revise taxi, autorickhsaw fares annually on June 1, instead of present May 1, if there is a rise of more than 50 paise in costs due to fuel prices going up by 25 per cent has also been accepted. The report is likely to be implemented once state Transport minister Anil Parab makes a statement in the Legislature, which is currently in session, said officials. Headed by retired IAS official BC Khatua, the four- member panel had submitted its report on October 10, 2017. The panel was originally appointed to review the fare revision derived by the single-member Hakim panel in 2012, was later given the task of deciding fares of app-based taxis as well. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WASHINGTON Sen. Ben Sasse is going after one of the worlds largest porn sites over allegations that it profits from sex trafficking and the exploitation of underage teens. The Nebraska Republican wrote to Attorney General William Barr this week, calling for a federal investigation into Pornhub and its parent entity, MindGeek. In several notable incidents over the past year, Pornhub made content available worldwide showing women and girls that were victims of trafficking being raped and exploited, Sasse wrote in the letter. Pornhub is in essence the YouTube of pornography. It is one of the most visited sites in the United States and boasts at least 20 million registered users. The site reported 42 billion visits in 2019 or an average of 115 million visits a day. Pornhubs incredible reach has a much darker side than the image of harmless fun that it tries to project, Sasse wrote. His letter comes as organizations and activists have organized petition drives and social media campaigns aimed at the site. The police have detained a suspect in the case on the murder of Yuriy Verbytsky and abduction of Ihor Lutsenko in January 2014, lawyer Yevhenia Zakrevska said. "A suspect in the case on the murder of Yuriy Verbytsky and abduction of Ihor Lutsenko has been detained. [] According to the investigation, [the suspect] was directly involved in the abduction of Lutsenko and Verbytsky from Oleksandrivska Hospital on the night of January 21, 2014," she said on Facebook. Ihor Lutsenko on his Facebook page said that the detained person was not an ordinary perpetrator of the crime. "His role was bigger than just an ordinary 'infantry titushko' [a paid-up thug]. He was something like a deputy commander of an assault group," he said. The time and venue of a court sitting to choose a measure of restraint for the suspect has not been reported yet. As reported, on February 28, 2020, the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine (PGO) notified of suspicion a member of a gang within the framework of the pre-trial investigation into the criminal case on the abduction and torturing of peaceful protesters Ihor Lutsenko and Yuriy Verbytsky in 2014. The name of the suspect was not made public. Lutsenko and Verbytsky were abducted in Kyiv on January 21, 2014. A group of unidentified people seized them and tortures them for several hours. Later, they left Lutsenko in a forest in Boryspilsky district and he managed to reach a residential area and report his location. The dead body of Verbytsky was found later in the same district. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 18:17:32|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close MOGADISHU, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Somali security forces on Tuesday killed six al-Shabab militants after a fierce gun battle in Diff town in the Lower Juba region, an official said on Tuesday. Ahmed Salad Ahmed, the governor of Diff told reporters that al-Shabab fighters launched an attack on a base used by the army but the troops fended off the attack and inflicted casualties on the militants. "There was an intense battle between our army and the militants which lasted more than two hours but our soldiers overpowered them. We killed six of them and now they have been driven out of the town," Ahmed said. He revealed that two soldiers were killed while one suffered injuries during the fight. Eyewitnesses said al-Shabab militants attacked the town leading to a gunfight. "We could hear the sound of heavy weapons exchanged by the two sides and the residents panicked but the situation returned to normal after the militants were chased," Rahma Bayle, a local resident told Xinhua by phone. The Somali army last week killed five al-Shabab militants on the outskirt of Beled Weyne town in the country's central region of Hiiraan. The southern parts of Somalia have been the epicenter of clashes between government forces and al-Shabab militants who were forced out of the capital Mogadishu in August 2011 by the Somali army and African Union Forces. Eagle Wings, a Nollywood and the Nigerian Airforce film collaboration, is currently being shot at several locations in the country. Starring Nollywood stars Eyinna Nwigwe and Femi Jacobs as leads, the film is a poignant action war drama about an Airforce Fighter Pilot who is caught in the harrowing world of insurgency. The producer, Paul Apel Papel, is a Colorado Film School-trained filmmaker. According to him, the film explores the often tragic, yet thrilling business of fighting for life, peace, and the freedom to love in the face of great violence. Overall, it is an uplifting journey through a terror-filled landscape and the power of newly found love, faith, duty and sacrifice, he noted. With this project, Mr Papel said he will be able to successfully tell not just any story, but an original African story from a place of power and grace. Mr Papel said he has pushed all boundaries and taken new risks, not just with the storyline, but also with the quality of production he seeks to put out. This first of a kind movie is being shot using the Atlaslensco Orion 2x anamorphic lenses on the Alexa mini cameras, shooting OpenGate-the first to be ever done in West Africa and Nollywood at large, he said. According to Nigerias Defence Twitter handle, the collaboration follows a November 2019 partnership agreement between the Nigerian military and Nollywood. PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the Nigerian military offered equipment for the films production. The cast members are also receiving basic field training before production. The Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) initiated the partnership with the countrys defence headquarters (DHQ) to enable Nollywood to correctly tell the story of the countrys military. READ ALSO: To signal the commitment of the DHQ towards the partnership, the NFC managing director, Chidia Maduekwe, noted at an interactive session, said that the military hardware, software, and the funding required to produce world standard films would henceforth be made available for such collaboration. According to him, individuals wishing to produce independent and private films should feel free to seek the needed assistance from the DHQ in terms of guidance and all the training on how best to portray the Nigerian military in films. The film has also been described as Nigerias first military-themed movie. It was disclosed the blockbuster movie Will be the most expensive in Nollywood history. With good investment and support Nollywood has the potential to do for Nigeria what Hollywood has done for the United States when it comes to branding, the handle noted. They further revealed that the upcoming project is themed around the Nigerian Air Force. This is not the first time the Nigerian military would be collaborating with Nollywood on a film. Past examples include Izu Ojukwus biological war drama 76 and the soon-to-be released CAMP ZERO. Check out behind-the-scene-photos from the movies set below Photos courtesy: Eagles Wings Movie Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) As COVID-19 cases continue to spike globally, the scare over the mysterious disease caused by the new coronavirus seems to show no signs of stoppingfor now. Over a hundred thousand people have been infected worldwide, with more than 4,000 deaths recorded in a span of months. In the Philippines, there are at least 49 confirmed cases, a development which has raised alarm over residents of affected areas. But as the global situation develops further, more questions are also likely to arise. We spoke to some health experts to learn more about COVID-19 and the issues surrounding the diseases outbreak: What are the symptoms of COVID-19? For confirmed infections, reported illnesses have ranged from people being mildly sick to people being severely ill and the worst case, death. Symptoms may include fever, runny nose, cough, headache, sore throat, and breathing difficulties. How long will it take for symptoms to appear? A new study revealed that people infected by the new coronavirus tend to develop symptoms about five days after exposure. The research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine journal noted that these signs may appear almost always within two weeks. Who is at higher risk to contract the disease? Earlier studies said that elder peopleespecially those with preexisting and chronic medical conditionsare at higher risk of getting sick from the virus. When should you get tested for coronavirus? The Health Department urged Filipinos not to run to hospitals every time flu-like symptoms kick in. Before planning a test visit, consider these guidelines first: -You exhibit COVID symptoms, and have travel history to areas with local cases of transmission -You exhibit COVID symptoms, and have been exposed to a person who tested positive for coronavirus Can coronavirus go through the skin and into the body? The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is possible for a person to get infected by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. However, it is largely believed that the new coronavirus spreads through respiratory dropletswhich are produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Can asymptomatic infected individuals spread the virus? Dr. Anne Rimoin, an epidemiology professor at the University of California-Los Angeles School of Public Health, said even asymptomatic persons can spread the coronavirus. "Certainly, when you speak, sometimes you'll spit a little bit," Rimoin said. "You'll rub your nose. You'll touch your mouth. You'll rub your eyes. And then you'll touch other surfaces, and then you will be spreading virus if you are infected and shedding asymptomatically." Who exactly are close contacts? Many people worry they are contacts of a person who was confirmed to have the coronavirus disease. But are they? According to a World Health Organization official, close contacts are family members, classmates and workmates who have spent time in close proximity with confirmed cases. We are talking of a distance of one meter or so, WHO Philippines representative Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe told CNN Philippines. He then stressed the importance of identifying, and when necessary, testing the close contacts to prevent the further of spread of the virus. Should I wear a mask every day? We urge people to practice cough etiquette and use a mask if you're having a respiratory infection so that you prevent contamination of all those surfaces, Abeyasinghe added. Health officials have also instructed Filipinos not to succumb to panic buying amid the coronavirus scare. If infected with coronavirus, can your survive it and recover? Most people about 80 percent recover from the disease without needing special treatment, the World Health Organization said. Mortality rate is about 3.4 percent. After recovering from COVID-19, will one have immunity from it? Health authorities said its too early to know for sure. Mahanaryaman Scindia on Tuesday hailed his father Jyotiraditya Scindia's decision to quit the Congress, saying it takes courage to resign from a legacy and his family has never been power hungry. In a massive setback for the Congress, its prominent youth leader Jyotiraditya quit the party and appeared set to join BJP amid a rebellion in Madhya Pradesh by his supporters, pushing the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government to the brink of collapse. "I am proud of my father for taking a stand for himself. It takes courage to resign from a legacy. History can speak for itself when I say my family has never been power hungry," Mahanaryaman tweeted from his account which is not verified but is followed by Jyotiraditya himself. "As promised we will make an impactful change in India and Madhya Pradesh wherever our future lies," he said. Twenty-four-year-old Mahanaryaman also tagged a tweet of Haryana Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi on the state of affairs in the Congress and said, "Couldn't be more apt. Very well said." Haryana MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi said Scindia's "departure is a big blow" to the Congress. "He was a central pillar in the party and the leadership should've done more to convince him to stay. Like him, there are many other devoted INC leaders across the country who feel alienated, wasted and discontented," he said. Mahanaryaman also re-tweeted a known columnist's tweet in which it was recalled that Madhavrao Scindia had resigned in 1996 from the Congress following which the party expelled him. Earlier, Mahanaryaman tagged his father's resignation letter and said, "Sad it had come to this." A shell-shocked Congress, in a largely symbolic move of no consequence, expelled Jyotiraditya, the party general secretary and scion of the erstwhile Gwalior royal family, on charges of anti-party activities. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Teagasc has said that farmers using protected urea should adopt the same safety precautions as with any other fertiliser. The State advisory body's comments follow the publication of advertisements in the farming press which advised farmers working with protected urea to only do so "in a well-ventilated area". The ad from the Irish Fertiliser Manufacturers and Blenders Association (IFMBA) also cautioned farmers to wear "gloves and a face mask" and "appropriate eye protection", and to "avoid contact with the skin" when handling protected urea. The switch over to protected urea from ordinary urea and CAN is a key plank of Teagasc's strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the farm sector. This will require a massive lift in usage of protected urea by Irish farmers, with sales needing to grow from 27,000 tonnes in 2019 to over 250,000t in the next three to five years. Sales of ordinary urea topped 110,000 tonnes in 2019, while CAN usage amounted to 450,000 tonnes. A Teagasc spokesman expressed confidence in protected urea and pointed out that similar user guidelines were employed for a range of fertilisers, including ordinary urea and CAN. "As with handling all fertilisers, suitable PPE [personal protective equipment] should be worn. Like all fertilisers the product is covered by EU fertiliser regulations and Irish fertiliser regulations," he said. Conor Mulvihill of Dairy Industry Ireland also expressed confidence in protected urea, and said the dairy sector was engaging with the Department of Agriculture, Teagasc and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland with regard to scientific testing of the product. Meanwhile, the IFA has accused Yara, Europe's largest nitrogen manufacturer, of attempting to spook the market by announcing a significant hike in its EU wholesale benchmark CAN price. "Yara's new price list announcement of 200/t and 203/t for bulk CAN - 30/t above the prevailing market quotes - was designed to panic trade buyers and farmers into purchasing nitrogen at an artificially inflated price," said Tom Short, IFA South Leinster regional chairman, who claimed the move would not work as the EU market was "awash with bulk CAN on offer at 170/t". Fertiliser sales have been slow this year due to the poor weather. Deals were concluded before Christmas at 230/t for CAN in big bags, with bulk 15/t under this price. However, buyer group deals have been concluded closer to 200/t for big bags delivered, with granular urea around the 300/t mark. CAN is generally being quoted at 210/t to 225/t, and from 310/t to 325/t for urea. Keenest quotes for Pasture Sward are around the 320/t price mark, with Cut Sward 5/t over this level. Looking at his phone, Lopez noted that he could send a reporter and several aldermen in the room for the meeting unsolicited photos at that moment because their AirDrop function was enabled on their phones. I can do it right now, he said. After a trip to the notoriously polluted Beijing from the famously clean Switzerland, aeris Chief Executive Officer Pierre Bi and Chief Operations Officer Constantin Overlack discovered a need for pow By expanding our strategic retail partnerships, we are bringing increased access to IoT-enabled smart home devices with a sleek design that contribute to the companys overarching mission of improving global health standards. aeris, a Swiss company dedicated to improving global health through increased access to clean air, today announced a retail partnership with Target.com, signaling the companys continued expansion in the United States. According to the World Health Organization, 90 percent of people worldwide breathe dangerously polluted air. To make matters worse, in-home pollution poses a greater threat and can be two to five times worse than outdoors pollution. aeris filters offer a sleek and modern design, an impressive optimized clean air delivery rate (CADR) and a maximized high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) rating. In addition, the company has introduced machine learning capabilities into its air purifiers, which learn and adapt to each users personal habits and the air quality in their home over time by gathering data with proprietary sensor technology. These sensors track indoor and outdoor air quality over time (hourly, daily, monthly) and control features for power on/off, sleep and fan speed setting. Thanks to air quality tracking, aeris users can actively monitor the air around them and know when air purification is most needed. After purchasing aeris products, customers across the world have reported relief from respiratory problems and improved energy levels. Now in its third year of business, aeris has expanded from its Swiss roots into Vietnam, South Korea, Taiwan, France, Mexico and, as of this year, the United States. The company boasts four different products that provide solutions to best suit each customers needs and budget, which are now available at Target, QVC, Amazon and on the companys website: Aair lite ($499): A small air purifier that can remove 99.95% of the air-borne bacteria, mold, mildew, odor, and other pollutants from any space up to 350 ft. Aair 3-in-1-pro ($999): Using state-of-the-art technology, the aair 3-in-1 Pro eliminates indoor air pollutants while becoming more efficient and effective over time. For rooms 750 ft and larger. Aair Medical Pro ($1,299): Hospital-grade air filtration that prevents even the most difficult airborne health hazards from affecting users. Aair Gas Pro ($1,299): Combining the power of our strongest air purifier and a filter designed with the ability to move odors at a molecular level, the aair Gas Pro will ensure that you never have to worry about distracting or embarrassing odors in your home again. After a trip to the notoriously polluted Beijing from the famously clean Switzerland, aeris Chief Executive Officer Pierre Bi and Chief Operations Officer Constantin Overlack discovered a need for powerful in-home air purifiers. After spending three years researching and studying solutions during their time at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and ETH Zurich, they partnered with award-winning industrial designer Etienne Bougeot to reengineer filter materials and iterated hundreds of designs to bring a high-tech air purifier with the cleanest and most powerful airflow to market. When developing the ideal air purifier, we focused on delivering a product that is truly customer centric, said aeris CEO, Pierre Bi. Currently, the air filters available at most retailers are a generation or two behind and, quite frankly, look out of place in a modern home. By expanding our strategic retail partnerships, we are bringing increased access to IoT-enabled smart home devices with a sleek design that contribute to the companys overarching mission of improving global health standards. For more information, visit https://aerishealth.com/. ### About aeris: aeris is a Swiss company dedicated to improving global health through increased access to clean air. After launching its first purifier in China in 2017, the devices instantly became a hit for its ability effectively dealing with Chinas heavy pollution. Customers soon reported relief from respiratory problems and that they were feeling more energized than they had in years and as a result, global health issues related to air quality soon became aeris number one priority. By 2018, aeris had expanded into Vietnam, South Korea, Taiwan, France, and Mexico; and, in 2019, the company expanded further to the United States is currently available in four different models at retailers such as Target, QVC, Amazon and on the companys website. Almost seven months since Jammu and Kashmir ceased to be a state, the Union Territory has experienced a variety of administrative problems Almost seven months since Jammu and Kashmir ceased to be a state, the Union Territory has experienced a variety of administrative problems. Among the reasons laid out by Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the abrogation of Article 370, that granted Jammu and Kashmir special status, was that the youth in the state had been radicalised due to the lack of opportunities and employment. This, he stated, could be reversed with a definite plan and a developmental goal. Among the hopes offered to the people of Jammu and Kashmir was a huge and exclusive employment package for youths announced by former governor of the state Satyapal Malik soon after the revocation of Article 370. He promised to provide employment to as many as 50,000 youths, however, no job notification regarding this scheme has been released so far, leading to the ongoing employment crisis. "It [scrapping Article 370] was a difficult decision to swallow and the Centre had to somehow make up for this trauma by offering something that could be developmental and lead to prosperity, " said a journalist who has been reporting on Kashmir. There has been uncertainty among locals about the employment process which seems to be unending for the aspirants, especially those preparing for different examinations. The seven-month-long internet shutdown and the complete clampdown of communication for around four months didn't help matters. On 28 January, the ban on the internet was partially lifted, with data speeds restricted to 2G-levels. If the purpose of this exercise was to get students back to studying, the firewalling social media and long loading times for whitelisted websites told a different story. A majority of students who claimed to have missed their examinations blame the lack of information outreach that the government could have provided as an alternative after the communication shutdown. Mohammad Imtiyaz, a candidate from North Kashmir who had applied for various posts advertised by the territory's major recruiting authority Service Selection Board (SSB), missed his examination that had been conducted sometime during the curfew. "A majority of students missed their exams owing this communication blockade in the beginning and later because of the internet shutdown," he said. After the partial internet restoration, Mohammad logged onto the website only to find that he had missed his exam. SSB chairman Khalid Jahangir said, "We have to follow government orders when it comes to the recruitment process in any situation." The chairman declined to offer any comment on missed exams or the delay in posting job notifications. The UPSC exam, considered the toughest nut to crack in the administrative services sector, has also changed certain criteria related to age and recruitment for Jammu and Kashmir's aspirants. Till 2019, the candidate's maximum age limit was relaxable by five years if domiciled in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The notification issued in 2020 offered no such relaxation. Where normal recruitment for a Grade 4 post takes nearly three to five years, many aspirants will be ineligible now to appear for the tests due the age bar, hurting their employment chances. Shahnaz Hussain fled to a West Asian country to find work in the wake of the communication blockade that came into force in August last year. "I have waited long to appear in the exams conducted by the state government. And disqualification means a years-long wait for another opportunity," he said, adding, "My family feared for me after I was depressed and was consulting a psychiatrist on a monthly basis as my hopes of getting a job had already died out due to the age bar." Shahnaz celebrated his 40th birthday on 23 January this year in Saudi Arabia. In a recent disclosure, the Jammu and Kashmir administration informed the Centre about the identification of as many as 84,000 vacancies across various departments run by the government. The selection process to fill these government posts will solely depend on written tests. But with the slow internet speeds, even the process of filling application forms (which in most cases, is online) seems too difficult for aspirants right now. Further, the Jammu and Kashmir Bank that had been accommodating some of the unemployed youths has nullified the results of last year's examinations and those who were selected are expected to appear again. In 2019, the only private sector bank of Jammu and Kashmir was itself converted into a PSU, thus, putting and end to its ability to independently recruit. The examinations for this bank will henceforth be conducted by IBPS. Showkat Ahmad, a resident of South Kashmir's Anantnag district, has already started a shop after he heard the news of his disqualification in the bank exams. "I had already crossed the preliminary level test conducted in April 2019," he said. He has a family of 10 people and with a shop in a remote rural area of Anantnag, Showkat's finances are stretched. The coronavirus scare could also make matters worse when it comes to the recruitment process in the Union Territory. With the first case of COVID-19 being confirmed in the territory, life and schooling has already been interrupted. The aspiration of earning an employment opportunity seems an impossible dream, at least in the near future. A Gimpo Airport official wearing a face mask passes by check-in counters of Japan Airlines at Gimpo Airport in Seoul, Monday, March 9, 2020. Korea announced it will end visa-free entry for Japanese citizens starting Monday in retaliation for a two-week quarantine imposed by Japan on all visitors from Korea because of its surging viral outbreak. AP Four Japanese nationals without an entry visa for South Korea were not allowed to board an airplane bound for Seoul on Monday, the first day of the two countries' entry restrictions on each other's citizens, the Ministry of Justice said Tuesday. South Korea halted a 90-day visa-free entry program for Japanese nationals, effective Monday morning, over new coronavirus concerns, while Japan simultaneously implemented similar entry restrictions for South Koreans for the same reason. The ministry said the four Japanese citizens were prevented from boarding flights for South Korea after their visa status was screened by the Incoming Passenger Card (IPC) system. IPC is a system that helps immigration authorities check the entry eligibility of international passengers. The rumor of Adams Oshiomholes exit as Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress seems to be coming to a reality. This is evident as 13 out of the 20 APC Governors and over 60 stakeholders of the party, endorsed the removal of the Comrade Chairman. Comrade Adams Oshiomhole who was restrained by an FCT High Court, from parading himself as the National Chairman, has in recent days challenged the Sovereignty and Supremacy of the courts. His continued Disrespect and Disobedience to the law, has necessitated the involvement of critical stakeholders of the APC. You may recall that Mr. Oshiomhole was recently suspended by his party at his Ward, Local Government and State levels. It was on this premise the injunction application was grounded. Allegations that triggered his suspension include; alleged Highhandedness, Misappropriation of funds and Disregard for the rule of law. The ruling All Progressives Congress, has in recent days been going through a lot of turmoil. After surviving major judicial upsets in Zamfara and Rivers State during the buildup to the last elections, which totally knocked them of the ballot; the APC has been battling with internal Unity, especially in its NWC. It was alleged that Comrade Adams, single handedly appointed a National Secretary for the party without any constitutional backing. Unconstitutionally attempting to input Lanre Issa-Onilu and Waziri Bulama into the National Working Committee of the APC, was one of a sin too many. A stalwart of the party, Dr. Aminu A. Zubaru has called on the DSS, the Nigerian Police and all relevant agencies to investigate the matter and arrest all guilty of impersonation and contempt of court, this includes Adams Oshiomhole, for disobeying court orders and going against the provisions of the partys constitution. According to Dr. Aminu, Contrary to Article 20 of the Party constitution any attempt to make Lanre Onilu or Waziri Bulama officials of the Party is not just a breach of the constitution but also a contempt of court proceedings. As against the provisions of the APC constitution both Mr Lanre and Arch Bulma never went through any convention as required by Article 20 of the constitution which demands that they be democratically elected; and even where there is a consensus; a convention must ratify, said the party faithful. Lanre was smuggled into the National Working Committee in the past and in the same manner Adams Oshiomhole tried to smuggle Arc Bulama in. This will not stand. They are both impersonators and should be arrested immediately, he said. OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Thousands of passengers aboard a cruise ship struck by the novel coronavirus waited anxiously Tuesday for their chance to leave the vessel, even if it meant being shipped to military bases for weeks of quarantine. After days of being forced to idle off the Northern California coast, the Grand Princess docked Monday at the Port of Oakland with some 3,500 passengers and crew on board. Everyone was hollering and clapping as the giant vessel sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge and entered the harbor, passenger Karen Schwartz Dever said. About two dozen people who need acute medical care were taken off the ship, although it wasnt clear how many had tested positive for the new virus, said Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the California Office of Emergency Services. Many of the nearly 240 Canadians on board left the ship after the critically ill and stood outside two tents displaying Canadian flags. Canada and the UK were among the countries sending chartered flights to retrieve their citizens. But some 2,000 passengers, including hundreds of Californians, were still aboard by the time disembarkation ended Monday night. It was to resume Tuesday morning, the captain told passengers. Carolyn Wright, 63, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, could look out of her cabin window as passengers lined up. Around them, she noted, were people in yellow protective clothing, gloves and even a few hazardous materials suits. For days, passengers aboard the ship had been isolated in their cabins. When they were finally allowed a few minutes on deck, she said, they were warned to wear masks and try to stay 6 feet away from each other. But after docking, video showed long lines forming for the processing tents. Ambulances were on hand to take some passengers away. CORONAVIRUS IN HOUSTON: All of the latest news, numbers and analysis to keep you up-to-date They were cueing up the passengers like cattle, Wright said. Everybody was bunched up. They were physically touching each other and they were backed up along the gangplank. Then, she said, they were taken away in chartered buses. Im just totally freaked out by that, said Wright. Its outrageous. If thats safe, then why were we stuck in our rooms? Its been stressed for the past five days that were not to have any contact with any other passengers?" Were trying to stay calm and were trying to stay positive but its getting harder and harder. They cant make up their minds how to keep us safe, said Wrights cabin mate, Beryl Ward, 77, of Santa Fe. The president didnt even want us to get off the ship. So that didnt make me happy, she added. Wish you were here, Mr. Trump! On Sunday, before the ship docked, Dr. John Redd of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services had urged passengers to remain in their rooms and said: Were making every effort to get them off the ship as safely and quickly as possible. He called the elaborate but quickly planned disembarkation process a really unprecedented and difficult operation. The Grand Princess had been held off the coast since Wednesday because of evidence that it was the breeding ground for more than 20 infections tied to a previous voyage. SIGN UP FOR BREAKING NEWS ALERTS: Stay up-to-date with all of the biggest stories on HoustonChronicle.com as they happen U.S. passengers will be flown or bused from the port chosen for its proximity to an airport and a military base to bases in California, Texas and Georgia for testing and a 14-day quarantine. Some arrived Monday night at Travis Air Force Base in Northern California. The ship carried people from 54 countries, and foreigners were to be whisked home. But Wright and others said nobody had been told the details. Only about 50 people had been tested for the virus. Im willing to be quarantined, Wright said. But I want to know if Im positive or not. We dont even know if were going to get tested. Its all rumor and speculation. Im bored and frustrated, she added. All of a sudden a two-week vacation has turned into a five-week vacation. Passengers need to worry about who is looking after their children or pets, not to mention preparing their taxes before the deadline and earning a living. A professional photographer, she was looking at five weeks without earning a salary. About 1,100 crew members, 19 of whom have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship, which will dock elsewhere after passengers are unloaded, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said. The California governor and Oakland mayor sought to reassure people that none of the cruise ship passengers would be exposed to the public before completing the quarantine. Officials were trying to decide where the ship and its crew would go next. Cruise ships have come under scrutiny by those who view them as potential germ factories because they pack thousands of people in close quarters. Another Princess ship, the Diamond Princess, was quarantined for two weeks in Yokohama, Japan, last month because of the virus. Ultimately, about 700 of the 3,700 people aboard became infected in what experts pronounced a public health failure. A third vessel, the Caribbean Princess, was supposed to dock in Grand Cayman on Monday but the cruise line said it will keep its thousands of passengers and crews from disembarking until crew members are tested for COVID-19. Around the world, nations have limited the movements of millions of people in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. Italy was to impose travel restrictions and other strict public health measures nationwide starting Tuesday. In Northern California, Santa Clara County announced a ban of all large gatherings of at least 1,000 people for the rest of the month in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The announcement Monday came hours after the public health department announced the countys first coronavirus death, a woman in her 60s. The virus has shaken global markets, with stocks taking their worst one-day beating on Wall Street since 2008 and oil prices suffering their most brutal losses since the start of the 1991 Gulf War. Even with Asian markets posting modest gains Tuesday, fear was rampant that economies stood at the brink of recession. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered. The virus has infected 600 people in the United States, and at least 26 have died, most in Washington state. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said communities will need to start thinking about canceling large gatherings, closing schools and letting more employees work from home, as many companies have done after an outbreak in the Seattle area. Pearl Jam on Monday announced it was postponing 17 North American shows on its upcoming tour over coronavirus concerns. In Silicon Valley, NASAs Ames Research Center is essentially closed with restricted access because an employee tested positive Sunday for the coronavirus. Workers will be on mandatory telework status and three earth science airplane missions are being delayed to later this year, the county said. Several universities have begun online-only courses, including the University of Washington, Stanford University and Columbia University. ___ Rodriguez reported from San Francisco. Associated Press writers Janie Har, Jocelyn Gecker and Juliet Williams in San Francisco and Robert Jablon in Los Angeles also contributed to this report. ___ The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ___ Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak ___ This story has been corrected to identify an Offices of Emergency Services spokesman as Brian Ferguson. The National Childrens Advocacy Center has canceled its 36th annual International Symposium on Child Abuse in Huntsville because of concerns about coronavirus COVID-19. The meeting planned for March 23-26 at the downtown Von Braun Center would have brought 1,400 attendees from around the world to Alabama with an estimated $1.4 million economic impact in Huntsville. The symposium was the second major event to cancel plans Tuesday to come to Huntsville because of the coronavirus, although Alabama health officials said Tuesday there is no confirmed case of the illness in the state. The Association of the United States Army announced that it would also cancel a March event in Huntsville that would have brought almost 7,000 people to the city. That cancellation was an economic blow approaching $4 million. This was a difficult decision, but we do not want to jeopardize the health or safety of our guests, community, or staff. The entire Childrens Advocacy Center model was built upon the concept of doing public good for vulnerable individuals, and it is counter to our culture to host the Symposium when it could have detrimental health impacts for our most vulnerable citizens. National Childrens Adocacy Center Executive Director Chris Newlin said in a statement. After discussions with our Executive Leadership Team, members of our board, and health professionals, we feel this is the best decision and are already looking forward to our next Symposium March 22-25, 2021. Related: Coronavirus cancels giant Army symposium in Huntsville The symposium provides training and networking for professionals working in the field of child abuse. It is hosted and directed by the National Childrens Advocacy Center in Huntsville, which was the first center in America to bring together in one location all of the professionals abused children needed to see. The idea of reducing the travel and stress on children going from doctors to police to counselors to prosecutors was revolutionary at the time, but is now the standard operating method for child abuse response. Attendees were expected to travel to Huntsville from 47 states, the District of Columbia and 11 countries. They hear from experts, participate in training and share stories and support with each other. Topics discussed include physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, exposure to violence, exploitation, intervention, trafficking, and prevention. City leaders are urging Huntsville area residents to visit restaurants, lounges, hotels and other hospitality centers in mini-"staycations" to minimize the economic blow to venues and their employees. Hamas denounces the Saudi prosecution of more than 60 Palestinians over false accusations and unjust trials. Saudi Arabia has put dozens of Palestinian activists on trial, accusing them of supporting the Gaza-based rulers Hamas. According to Arabic press reports, 68 Palestinian and Jordanian citizens faced the special terrorism court in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, beginning on Sunday. Families of the accused said their relatives were being prosecuted without legal representation. The detainees were arrested by Saudi secret police in April of last year. Among those arrested was Mohammed al-Khudari, 81, a long time Palestinian resident of Saudi Arabia and a retired physician suffering from colon cancer, according to his family who spoke by phone from Gaza. Al-Khadaris son, Hani an IT professor at a Saudi university with no apparent political activities was also detained. Abdul Majed, Mohammed al-Khudaris brother, told Al Jazeera both relatives were placed in solitary confinement for seven months. He said the next court date would be May 5. The arrests of these two Palestinian nationals is part of a wider crackdown by the Saudi Arabian authorities on Palestinians residing in Saudi Arabia with a perceived link to Hamas de facto authorities, according to a statement by Amnesty International. Since February 2019, the Saudi authorities have detained approximately 60 Palestinians visiting or residing in Saudi Arabia, including students, academics, and businessmen. Pivot to Israel Al-Khudari was Hamas official representative in the kingdom for decades before the recent change in Saudi leadership, which saw the historically pro-Palestinian government become closer to Israel. Hamas is generally viewed in the Arab world as a legitimate resistance movement against the Israeli occupation of Palestinians lands. According to regional analysts, the Saudi shift towards Israel could be understood within the framework of the changing of the guard within the kingdoms leadership. The 84-year-old King Salmans ascension to the throne in 2015 ushered in the rise of his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), 34, to power. MBSs quid pro quo According to Professor Mahjoob Zweiri, MBS is eager to take control of the kingdom and is in dire need of foreign political support, particularly from the United States and Israel. Zweiri, director of Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University, said he does not see any reason why Saudi Arabia would hold Palestinians for supporting Hamas. Hamas issued a statement on Monday denouncing the arrests saying it was closely following the false accusations and the unjust trial of Palestinians in Saudi Arabia. The Palestinians arrested by the Saudi state security police have committed no crime other than having the honour of defending Jerusalem and Al Aqsa Mosque, the statement said. Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk told Al Jazeera in a previous interview his organisation had tried mediation efforts with the Saudi government for months in order to free the detainees, but to no avail. Zweiri said MBSs effort to secure the Saudi throne led him to back US President Donald Trumps Middle East plan. The plan supports the Israeli goals of annexing large sections of the occupied West Bank and legitimises its illegal Jewish settlements. The Trump administration recognised occupied Jerusalem as Israels capital an illegal move under international law and a violation of 1993 Palestinian-Israeli Oslo agreements. Follow Ali Younes on Twitter: @ali_reports During the battle against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), some frontline medical workers, who exposed to great danger of the disease, unfortunately get infected. Doctors became patients, fighting on their personal battle against the disease. Zhou Ning (first on left), Yuan Haitao (center), and Zou Jinjing (first on right) However, as they recovered from it, some of them volunteered to go back again to the front line. After taking off the hospital gown as a patient, they put on the protective suit as a doctor again. They are heroes of our time. After giving a 90-minute first aid to a patient, associate chief physician Zhou Ning of the cardiology department at the Wuhan-based Tongji Hospital affiliated to the Huazhong University of Science and Technology walked out of an operating room, saving another life after he recovered from the COVID-19 pneumonia and returned to work on Feb. 10. As a doctor, I must try my best to save the patients in severe and critical conditions, as many as possible, Zhou explained to Peoples Daily why he returned to the front line. The doctor wasnt expecting himself to fall down so quickly. According to him, he became symptomatic four days after receiving a patient suspected of infection on Jan. 17 and put himself into quarantine at home.By taking medicines and getting enough rest at home, Zhou gradually recovered. Besides, he made self-treatment tips out of his own experiences, and the tips soon went viral on social media. I believe that we will definitely defeat the virus as long as we unite as one and fight the epidemic in solidarity, he wrote in the tips. After quarantine, Zhou returned to work without any hesitation. The hospital was concerned about my health, but we were short-handed as a designated hospital for receiving severely ill and critical patients, he said, adding that saving lives comes above everything for doctors. Yuan Haitao, director of the ICU department at the Peoples Hospital of Dongxihu District, Wuhan, is another hero who has walked in harms way. On Feb. 21, the doctor who had been recovered from COVID-19 ended quarantine and went straight to his department from the quarantine wards on the 19th floor of the hospital. I just wanted to apply my experiences to treating other patients, he said. Yuan, 44, has been a doctor for nearly 20 years. A cured novel coronavirus pneumonia patient bows to medical staff after being discharged from Huainan First People's Hospital, east Chinas Anhui province, March 6. He is one of the last three patients discharged from the hospital. Photo by Chen Bin, Peoples Daily Online On Jan. 14, Yuans hospital received a novel coronavirus pneumonia patient who was critically ill and had to receive a trachea cannula before being transferred to an intensive care unit (ICU), which meant the viruses could easily come out of the patients airway and infect the operating doctors. I must take the odds, Yuan reacted. Unfortunately, his body temperature soared to 39 degrees Celsius the next day and he was hospitalized 3 days later. After half a month, the doctor was transferred to the ICU of Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital as his conditions worsened, where his wife signed a notice of critical status, dolefully. Hu Ming, a close friend of Yuan and also the director of the ICU department of the Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital burst into tears after learning Yuans condition, and the scene was captured by the media and circulated online, which saddened many. The good news is Yuans temperature gradually subsided, which got him bustling around again. Through phone calls and messages, he asked for check-up reports from his colleges, studied the conditions of the patient who he last treated before getting infected. I was still worrying about him, Yuan noted. During the hospitalized days, he was always considering how he could improve the treatment plans for the patient based on how he recovered. To Yuans comfort, the patient was later able to breathe without respirator. Yuan even celebrated the patients birthday with the latters family through a video call. Zou Jinjing, chief physician from the respiratory and intensive care medicine department of Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, is now working again at the hospital after recovery from the COVID-19 pneumonia. The energy she shows in the wards barely indicates her previous infection. Zou developed a fever and started coughing on Jan. 17, and was hospitalized after her infection was confirmed, which sadden her mother very much. Zou kept her infection a secret for her 10-year-old daughter until her condition alleviated in order not to make the child worry. Over half a month later, Zou was tested negative for the novel coronavirus, and her CT image also suggested gradual recovery. After observation and quarantine, she immediately applied to her hospital for permission to work. On Feb. 24, the doctor finally restored her daily work routine seeing the patients in the morning and joining telemedicine sessions in the afternoon. Zou doesnt consider her decision as heroic, as she believes its natural for people to rest when getting sick and resume work after recovery. Now shes in higher morale, saying its her that needs the work, rather than the other way around. - Eden G Egziabher is an Eritrean-American in New York that is promoting African culture with her delicacies - The entrepreneur, who was born in Ethiopia to parents of Eritrean descent, serves Ethiopian and Eritrean delicacies in her food truck - Egziabher says it has not been easy getting ingredients for her delicacies at regular grocery stores Eden G Egziabher, an Eritrean-American female entrepreneur in New York City, is making Africa proud by only serving Ethiopian and Eritrean delicacies in her food truck. Egziabher, who was born in Ethiopia to parents of Eritrean descent, started Makina Cafe for the purpose of promoting her culture, Face 2 Face Africa reports. Legit.ng gathers that the entrepreneur said her job is challenging due to the fact that she cannot get her ingredients at a regular grocery store. Eden G Egziabher. Photo credit: Twitter Source: UGC The report claimed Egziabher travels to Queens and even as far as Washington DC to buy the right ingredients to maintain the flavor of her dishes, including spices that arent available at most grocery stores. Washington DC is home to the largest Ethiopian community in the United States. She said: Its very challenging the fact that I cant go to a regular grocery store [to get] the ingredients I want. You really have to think outside the box to think about how you are going to make some of these items food truck friendlyIt would make a lot of our jobs easier if we had someone to follow, but we didnt so we created our lane and a lot of it has been trial and error. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app In other news, a Nigerian man identified as Chinedu Okorafor has turned hawking into a money-spinner for himself as the trader reportedly makes N1 million every month from his trade. Okorafor, who moved from the eastern part of the country to Lagos in 2016 with only N1,000, two shirts and two trousers, hawks in Lagos traffic. According to Aito Osemegbe Joseph on LinkedIn, before the trader started making N1 million monthly, he travelled to his village some time ago and was adored because of his Lagos story. The trader returned to Lagos with 12 young men who would also start hawking in traffic. Okorafor became their mentor and wholesale supplier of sausage, and was making a 30% profit off their supposed profit. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better I fend for my family with my business proceeds - Corporate bottle seller | Legit TV Source: Legit.ng Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment President Trump shook hands on Feb. 29 with a man who had direct contact with a person who later tested positive for COVID-19. The White House states that the president had no direct contact with the infected person and has no symptoms. However, Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Paul Gosar are under self-quarantine after interaction with the infected person. In related news, Christ Church Georgetown suspended services last Sunday after its rector, the Rev. Thomas Cole, was diagnosed with coronavirus at the hospital Saturday evening. This is the first time the church has closed since a fire in the 1800s. Health officials are asking hundreds of people who had potential contact with Rev. Cole to self-quarantine. Closer to home for me, the county where I live now apparently has its first case of coronavirus. A man in his 30s traveled to California and is self-quarantined at home with his family while additional testing is done. The president and the White House coronavirus task force held a press conference yesterday evening in which they announced economic steps intended to assist those who are at financial risk, especially those who cannot afford to miss work. They also announced practical ways Americans can protect themselves and others from the spread of the disease. Three ways Jesus responds to fear As the epidemic spreads across the U.S. and the world, fear is spreading as well. This is a new disease to humans (thus the novel coronavirus description). As a result, we have no acquired immunity such as we have developed to existing flu strains. There are also no approved vaccines or therapies for coronavirus as there are for flu. And its death rate at present stands at 3.4 percent, compared with far less than 1 percent for those infected by the flu. Since anyone can get COVID-19, everyone can get COVID-19. One way Christianity is different from other religions and worldviews centers in Jesus redemptive response to fear. Consider three lessons he offers his followers. One: We should live in the present and trust the future to God. Jesus taught us, Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble (Matthew 6:34). This day is the only day there is. Someday there will be a global crisis that seems frightening and unmanageable, but before it accelerates, Jesus will return for us or you or I will go to him. This could be that crisis. Thats why now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). We are one day closer to eternity than ever before, and we have only today to be ready. So live in this day and trust tomorrow to the providence of your Father. Two: Worry is fruitless. Jesus asks us, Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If you then are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? (Luke 12:2526). Worry provides the sense that we are doing something about our fear, but this is an illusion. Rather than worry about the future, we should prepare by doing what we can do and trust God with what we cannot. Three: Our Father is Lord of the universe. He asks: Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore (Matthew 10:2931). The virus is one nine-hundredth the width of a human hair. Our Father measures the universe with the palm of his hand (Isaiah 40:12). He is on the throne of the world. Lets be sure he is on the throne of our hearts today. This article was originally published at the Denison Forum. New Delhi: Yes Bank, which is under moratorium, provided some relief to its customers who can now make certain payments through instant money transfer services - National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) and Immediate Payment Service (IMPS). In a post on Twitter, Yes Bank said its customer can pay "their credit card dues" and "loans from other bank accounts" using the two wire transfer services. "Inward IMPS/NEFT services have now been enabled. You can make payments towards YES BANK Credit Card dues and loan obligations from other bank accounts. Thank you for your co-operation.@RBI @FinMinIndia", Yes Bank said in a tweet. The moratorium on withdrawals and difficulty in withdrawing amounts from bank ATMs and branches has put the customers in a lot of difficulties. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) superseded Yes Bank`s board and took control of the private sector lender last week, and also capped withdrawals from its accounts. There are indications the moratorium will be lifted this week. State Bank of India (SBI) chairman Rajnish Kumar said on Monday that the moratorium on Yes Bank could be lifted as early as "within a week". Kumar assured Yes Bank customers that since SBI is now in charge, there is is no need to worry about deposits in the bank. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has unveiled a bailout plan for Yes Bank, under which SBI will invest up to Rs 10,000 crore in the scam hit private sector lender. The RBI has taken control of Yes Bank, after the debt-laden lender failed to raise the capital it needs to stay above mandated regulatory requirements. Addressing a crowd of more than 10,000 people, Bernie Sanders made a final plea to reboot his stuttering campaign. "I understand that Joe Biden has the support of the entire political establishment, I got that," he said. "But we have the support of some of the strongest grassroots movements in this country," he told the cheering crowd. "And I would 100 times over prefer to have grassroots support than establishment support." Mr Sanders has chosen to make his last stand in Michigan, which holds its Democratic primary today, betting big on a state that handed him a surprise victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016. It is a feat he must repeat if he hopes to retain a shot at winning the Democratic presidential nomination. Expand Close High stakes: Some see promises by Bernie Sanders to cancel student debt and offer healthcare to all as aimed at young voters. Photo: Lucas Jackson/Reuters / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp High stakes: Some see promises by Bernie Sanders to cancel student debt and offer healthcare to all as aimed at young voters. Photo: Lucas Jackson/Reuters Once the front-runner in the race, Mr Sanders was dealt a blow last week when his rival, Mr Biden, the former US vice-president, won 10 states on Super Tuesday to take the lead. Six more states will vote today, offering Mr Sanders his best hope of reclaiming his lead. Michigan is the biggest prize of the night, with 125 delegates. But to win here, Mr Sanders needs the support of more African American voters, a group he has so far failed to win over. His efforts have been boosted by the endorsement of Rev Jesse Jackson, the civil rights leader and former presidential candidate. Expand Close Driving force: Joe Biden has focused on the bailout of the car industry / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Driving force: Joe Biden has focused on the bailout of the car industry The 78-year-old travelled to Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Sunday to tout the progressive candidates' track record and rally black voters, saying: "I stand with Bernie Sanders today because he stood with me." Rev Jackson took a swipe at Mr Biden, the moderate candidate, as he made his endorsement, saying African Americans' "needs are not moderate". Taking to the stage after him, Mr Sanders called it "one of the honours of my life" to receive the civil rights leader's support, but it was an overwhelmingly white audience which had come to hear him speak. Mr Sanders has let black activists criticise Mr Biden's record on social and criminal justice, honing his own attacks on his rival's support for free trade agreements, which he argues harmed white, working class voters here in the industrial midwest. It is this group that delivered Mr Sanders's Michigan win in 2016, but the result in states such as Minnesota, Maine and Massachusetts has sparked fears they have abandoned him now. Mr Sanders is hoping the formidable ground campaign he has deployed in Michigan can hammer this message home to voters. He faces an uphill battle, with a new poll by the 'Detroit Free Press' suggesting Mr Biden has a massive 24-point lead in the state. The former vice-president arrived in Michigan yesterday and lost no time emphasising his role in securing a major bail-out for the state's motor industry while he served in Barack Obama's administration. Mr Sanders's supporters hope that the withdrawal of his former rival, Elizabeth Warren, from the race will unite the progressive vote behind him. Some voters worry that both candidates are taking black Democrats for granted. All that may add up to neither being able to carry the state against President Donald Trump. Many voters are already looking ahead to November and whether Mr Trump can again win in the state that perhaps more than any other catapulted him into the White House back in 2016. "There's not a lot of energy, not enough energy, I would say, even for the primary," said Michigan state representative Sherry Gay-Dagnogo, whose district includes a large swathe of north-west Detroit. She said the Democratic Party continues to use the same playbook of waiting until the last minute to do intensive community outreach - which crippled it in 2016. Indeed, major party turnout in Wayne County, which encompasses Detroit and is strongly African American, fell by more than 64,000 votes in 2016 as compared to 2012. That was especially important since Mr Trump levelled the Democrats' famed "blue wall" with narrow wins in states that were supposed to comfortably go to Hillary Clinton: Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan, which he won by just 10,704 votes out of more than 4.8 million cast. ( Daily Telegraph, London) The Politburo has issued Resolution No.50/NQ-TW on August 20, 2019, outlining directions to perfect institutions and policies to improve foreign investment efficiency and cooperation until 2030. Daikin Air Conditioning (Vietnam) Joint Stock Company at Thang Long II industrial park in Hung Yen Light segment of the economic picture The resolution aims at a synchronous, consistent and transparent approach to internationally advanced standards as well as harmony with international commitments in order to attract strategic investors and multinational corporations to invest, open their head offices and establish research and development centres and creative innovation centres in Vietnam. The resolution will also contribute to enhancing the link between foreign direct investment (FDI) and domestic enterprises as well as encourage increased technology and management transfer for Vietnamese businesses. Resolution No.50/NQ-TW sets the goal of registered capital reaching around US$150 billion US$200 billion during the 2021-2025 period and around US$200 billion US$300 billion during the 2026-2030 period; implemented capital reaching about US$100 billion US$150 billion and US$150 billion US$200 billion respectively. The two goals are feasible because Vietnam attracted US$35.97 billion of foreign investment capital and realised capital reached US$20.38 billion in 2019. Therefore, an average growth rate of 7%-8% per year is realisable. Foreign direct investment is a bright segment of Vietnam's economic picture in 2019. As of December 20, 2019, realised FDI capital reached US$20.38%, a year-on-year increase of 6.7%. Total newly registered, adjusted and contributed capital of foreign investors was nearly US$36 billion, up 1.4$ over the previous year. FDI enterprises have a total export turnover (including crude oil) of US$181.35 billion, up 4.2% over 2018 and accounting for 68.8% of the whole countrys export turnover. Meanwhile, import turnover reached US$145.5 billion, up 2.5% and accounting for 57.4% of the countrys total. This economic sector also saw a trade surplus of nearly US$35.68 billion, not only offsetting the trade deficit of the domestic economic sector but also adding an export surplus of US$11.2 billion to the economy. Three determinants The distribution of FDI capital into economic sectors continued to hold the same level as previous years. Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity was more active, accounting for an increasing proportion of the total registered capital, from 17.02% in 2017 to 27.78% in 2018 and 37.3% in 2019. This is a good sign because the larger scale of domestic business created an abundant supply for M&A and the opening policy of the stock market as well as expanding room for foreign investors. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the FDI into developing countries in Asia reached US$512 billion, an increase of 3.9% on 2018 ,accounting for 39% of total global FDI; meanwhile the FDI into Southeast Asia was a record US$149 billion, up 3%. In particular, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand witnessed relatively high growth. Manufacturing, services, wholesale, retail and digital sectors in ASEAN countries attracted the most FDI capital. Many reports showed that due to the impact of US-China trade tensions, many American, European and Asian investors are moving their factories from China to their countries or third countries, Vietnam being a leading choice. Overall, the quality and efficiency of FDI in 2019 did not meet the country's requirements in relation to the transition towards creative innovation, science technology and high-quality human resources, the industrial revolution 4.0 and the building of the digital eocnomy. The average size of each FDI project is too small, with around US$4 billion per project, showing a lack of large-scale entities. In 2018, the largest projects were the construction of a smart city in Dong Anh District (Hanoi) worth US$4.14 billion and the building of a Polypropylene factory and a liquefied petroleum storage depot funded by the Republic of Korea (RoK) in Ba Ria Vung Tau province, totaling US$1.2 billion. The largest project in 2019 was worth only US$420 million. In the processing and manufacturing industries, there have not been many projects in terms of future technology like artificial intelligence (AI), block chain, fintech and research and development (R&D), especially in the two major economic centres of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. In order to achieve the goal of FDI quality set by Resolution No.50, Vietnam should change its mindset and actions toward selecting partners and FDI projects because these are issues related to technology transfer, corporate governance, high-quality human resources training and joining in the global supply chain. It is essential to attract more FDI from Japan, the RoK, Singapore and Asia as well as rapidly increase large-scale investment projects from the US, Germany, France, the UK and several other European countries into modern and future technology, education and training and R&D. In addition to encouraging medium and small enterprises to invest in Vietnam, the relevant agenices should attract more transnational companies from the worlds top 500 on projects worth billions of US dollars. The FDI projects into the localities should be consistent with the development level of each province and city. In order to achieve these goals, Vietnam should perfect its political and economic institutions, create an attractive investment and business environment and choose the right projects and foreign investors. These are the three determinants to implement the correct FDI direction. It is essential to promote specific measures, including accelerating the transition to a digital, circulating and green economy. The ministries, agencies, localities, and the management boards of economic and industrial zones should simultaneously carry out these strategies to attract FDI through e-government and digital government, creating breakthroughs while building a list of FDI projects towards large scale and high quality. The relevant agencies should synchronously innovate in relation to investment promotional activities and the standards needed for investment certification as well as monitor, support and inspect the operation of enterprises. It is crucial to take advantage of these new opportunities as the countrys position has been raised both regionally and internationally and several FDI factories have been moved to Vietnam in order to select potential investors for high-quality and large-scale projects. The decisive factor is to reform the state apparatus towards e-government and digital government to serve people and businesses effectively and efficiently. Nhan Dan Prof. Dr. Nguyen Mai - Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Foreign Invested Enterprises Fine-tuned policies needed to unleash foreign investment in Vietnams M&A market A survey by Corporate Investment and Mergers & Acquisitions Center also showed that one of the obstacles to M&A deals in Vietnam is the time consuming approval process. Health chiefs are racing against the clock to have a network of special 'spillover' coronavirus testing and isolation centres ready across Ireland within days. The centres aim to cope with any surge in Covid-19 detections and, more importantly, to help shield already-stretched Irish acute hospitals and intensive care units. HSE officials are now examining properties in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway for use as dedicated virus testing centres and, if necessary, as special isolation centres for non-critical Covid-19 patients. The properties under consideration include unused hospital buildings, non-commissioned primary care facilities, administration blocks, nursing homes and even Defence Forces medical facilities. In Cork, an unused building on the St Mary's Hospital campus is being prepared for use as a dedicated virus testing centre. The building, Grove House, has been idle for some time but builders worked throughout last weekend on urgent renovations for the property. It is expected to be ready for use as such a 'spillover' centre within days. Similar buildings in Dublin are being examined as the HSE acts to prepare for a likely surge in Covid-19 cases. Italy, which boasts one of Europe's finest healthcare systems, is now having to use hospital corridors as intensive care and isolation units as medical facilities across Lombardy are swamped by the sheer number of virus patients. Health chiefs are examining properties in Galway, Limerick, Waterford, Kilkenny and Portlaoise in a bid to support the hospital network. Central to the HSE move is the protection of Ireland's acute hospitals and their intensive care units. For most people, a Covid-19 infection will resemble a mild-to-severe flu. However, the virus poses a significant threat to the elderly, to those with serious underlying medical conditions, to smokers, those with heart conditions and those with suppressed immune systems. The HSE and Department of Health are desperate to protect already overcrowded acute hospitals from non-emergency Covid-19 cases and to enhance Ireland's intensive care unit bed capacity. Ireland is keen to avoid the UK situation where hospitals desperate to segregate Covid-19 testing from already ill patients have set up special testing 'pods' in the car parks of major hospitals. Health officials have already used special 'pop-up' testing centres in areas of Ireland where Covid-19 detections have occurred. In Cork, 60 staff at Cork University Hospital (CUH) were told to place themselves in self-isolation for 14 days after a patient who had been on a crowded ward for more than 24 hours tested positive for the virus last Thursday. Public health officials are now desperately trying to trace the 150-plus people - including other CUH patients - who may have had contact with the middle-aged man who is seriously ill from an underlying medical condition. The man presented Ireland's first case of community spread of the virus, as he had not travelled abroad and he had not been in contact with any of the confirmed six cases at that point. Ireland has since recorded two more cases of community transmission of the virus. Medical personnel have now expressed concern that any massive surge in Covid-19 detections will swamp Ireland's isolation bed capacity within acute hospitals. Ukraine highly appreciates Switzerland's humanitarian assistance in the fields of water supply and health care. During his official visit to Switzerland, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Dmytro Razumkov got acquainted with a range of humanitarian aid projects for Ukraine. In particular, representatives of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) within the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (DEZA) presented projects on Swiss humanitarian aid for eastern Ukraine in the fields of water supply and health care, the press service of the Verkhovna Rada reports. As noted, Razumkov thanked Switzerland for its assistance and support. Today, any assistance is utterly important to those people who live in the temporary occupied territories or alongside the demarcation line. Since the very outbreak of the Donbas war, there has been a problem with medical facilities, as many of them have been destroyed or damaged. In addition, we are seeing a sharp rise in diseases, and it is very important to identify these problems at early stages so that the people could be saved, the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada emphasized. According to him, the issue of water supply remains equally serious there. "We appreciate the long-standing humanitarian and technical assistance of Switzerland and look forward to its continuation," Dmytro Razumkov stated. The parties also discussed areas of priority for further bilateral cooperation. Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Dmytro Razumkov will make an official visit to Switzerland on March 9-10. ol Three more people in Maharashtras Pune have tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday, a day after a couple that had travelled to UAEs Dubai at the end of February were confirmed to have the disease, officials said. Highlights The couples daughter, taxi driver and co-passenger are among the new cases 40 more people who travelled with the couple are being tracked Officials say the couple is stable and under observation The total number of positive cases of coronavirus in Pune and Maharashtra on Tuesday is now five. The daughter of the couple and the taxi driver, who drove the couple from the Mumbai international airport to Pune on March 1, both tested positive for the infection as per the National Institute of Virology (NIV), district collector Naval Kishore Ram said. Apart from these two, a co-passenger, who was on the same Dubai-Mumbai flight as the couple, has also tested positive, he added. The couple had tested positive late on Monday evening. All the fivethe three family members, the driver and the co-passengerare in the isolation ward of the Naidu Hospital in Pune. Currently, 17 people, including the five positive cases, are in isolation at the hospital. Punes divisional commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar said the infected husband and wife are currently stable and under observation. The administration is now tracking a group of 40 people, who were with the couple on their trip to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. These 40 persons are from various districts in the state. We appeal for calm and not to reveal the identity of the patients or their workplace to protect their privacy, Mhaisekar said at a press briefing on Tuesday. District collector Naval Kishore Ram, Pune Municipal Corporations additional commissioner Rubal Agarwal and Pune Polices joint commissioner Ravindra Shisve were also present. The couple had arrived in the country on March 1 after a 15-day visit to Dubai. They took an Ola cab from Mumbai airport to Pune. On March 8, one of the two started showing symptoms of infection and were referred to Naidu hospital for a checkup. Their samples were sent to NIV and tested positive, Mhaisekar said. The divisional commissioner said the couple was not screened at the Mumbai airport since Dubai was not in the initial list of the 19 countries from where citizens were to be checked. The administration has now formed five teams, which include officials from the revenue department, police, health, BMC and PMC to track the 40 people who had travelled with the couple to Dubai, Mhaisekar said. The administration is also listing down people who came in contact with the couple at their workplace or the areas where they visited to keep a check on them too, he added. Mhaisekar said the city administration has increased the number of beds to 207 at 21 hospitals, besides in Naidu Hospital, for Covid-19. He also advised private doctors to take note of patients travel history and if they show symptoms including cold, cough and fever. Any person showing these signs must be referred to Naidu Hospital immediately, Mhaisekar said. NEW YORK, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Residential Backup Power Market 2020-2024 The analyst has been monitoring the global residential backup power market and it is poised to grow by USD 1.92 mn during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of 4% during the forecast period. Our reports on global residential backup power market provides a holistic analysis, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis covering around 25 vendors. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05006379/?utm_source=PRN The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current global market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The market is driven by growing use of batteries for power back up.In addition, increase in hybrid power systems is anticipated to boost the growth of the global residential backup power market as well. Market Segmentation The global residential backup power market is segmented as below: Technology: Generators Batteries Fuel Cells Geographic Segmentation: APAC Europe MEA North America South America Key Trends for global residential backup power market growth This study identifies increase in hybrid power systems as the prime reasons driving the global residential backup power market growth during the next few years. Prominent vendors in global residential backup power market We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the global residential backup power market , including some of the vendors such as ABB Ltd., Caterpillar Inc., Cummins Inc., Exide Industries Ltd., Kohler Co., Panasonic Corp., Schneider Electric SE, Tesla Inc., Toshiba Corp. and Trojan Battery Co. LLC. . The study was conducted using an objective combination of primary and secondary information including inputs from key participants in the industry. The report contains a comprehensive market and vendor landscape in addition to an analysis of the key vendors. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05006379/?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 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links www.reportlinker.com A woman in San Antonio, Texas, who had previously tested negative twice for the coronavirus and was released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is back in quarantine after a subsequent test came back positive. Hours before declaring a public health emergency, Mayor Ron Nirenberg called the patient's release a federal "screw-up" during a news conference and is requesting that Americans evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship to San Antonio continue to be held until retesting shows they're negative for the virus. About 122 people from the ship are being quarantined, he said later in a CNN interview. Their quarantine was scheduled to end Monday. In addition, San Antonio Metropolitan Health District director Dawn Emerick is asking that the CDC change its protocol to add a third consecutive negative test before releasing people into the community, she said. The woman, who was evacuated from Wuhan, China, to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio on a flight chartered by the State Department, was released from the Texas Center for Infectious Disease on Saturday, according to San Antonio's mayor. The patient was part of the original group of 91 people evacuated to San Antonio from Wuhan, Nirenberg said, expressing dismay that a patient was released into the community while her test results were pending. "I find it totally unacceptable that CDC would release a patient prior to releasing all test results and potentially expose the public to this harm," he said. "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." The patient was out in the community for about 12 hours and visited a hotel near the airport and then, from about 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the North Star Mall, where she mostly sat by herself in the food court, said Dr. Anita Kurlan, assistant director with the Metropolitan Health District. The risk of exposure at both locations is deemed low, she said. City health officials have requested a deep cleaning of the mall, she said. At the hospital, officials identified 16 people who were in contact with the patient after she was prematurely cleared, and two of them are considered at medium risk for exposure. The rest are considered low risk, Kurlan said. The San Antonio case highlights concerns about testing procedures, including a flaw in test kits distributed by the CDC, a change in CDC criteria for diagnosing the virus and the limited number of labs able to perform testing. Officials from San Antonio and Bexar County released a CDC statement that said the person had been in quarantine for several weeks and tested negative for coronavirus on at least two occasions. The person was released after meeting the CDC's criteria for release, which includes resolution of any symptoms and two consecutive negative tests collected more than 24 hours apart. "At the time of discharge from the facility, the patient was asymptomatic and met all of CDC's criteria for release," the CDC statement said. Following her release, a subsequent sample showed a weak positive. She was taken back into isolation at a local medical facility, the statement said. It's unclear why the additional test was performed. CNN's calls to the CDC have not been returned. "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," the statement said. Local officials are concerned that the person's release could have exposed the community. However, the individual is not showing any symptoms, according to the local officials. "This has been our biggest concern and now we will experience the consequences of no action," Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said in the joint statement. "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." The woman released by the CDC was one of 11 presumptive positive cases her department is monitoring, Metropolitan Health District spokeswoman Michelle Vigil said. Nine of the patients were evacuated from a cruise ship, one person was evacuated from Wuhan, and another was transferred from quarantine in Miramar, California, Vigil told CNN in an email. Diagnosing patients has been problematic. Early in the outbreak, the CDC issued guidance saying potential patients needed either to have traveled to China or to have been in close contact with someone who visited in China before being tested. New criteria were issued after a patient from Northern California contracted the illness, despite meeting neither prerequisite. This came two weeks after several states reported that some CDC test kits weren't working properly, forcing the center to remake parts of the test. Health experts also have expressed concerns about a dearth of test kits. The federal government is working to bolster its testing capabilities, mailing more than 15,000 test kits to local and state labs over the weekend, Vice President Mike Pence said. Also, where there was only one CDC facility that could test for the virus in the early weeks of the outbreak, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said last week there are now dozens of labs capable of doing the tests. Syracuse, N.Y. Food trucks may soon be setting up shop in new areas of Syracuse and staying open as late as 3 a.m. as part of proposed amendments to the citys food truck legislation. The amendments to the 2018 law also include increased single-use permit fees and new restrictions on food truck rodeos in an apparent attempt at compromise between food truck operators and brick-and-mortar restaurant owners. Read: Food fight: Changes could be on the way for Downtown Syracuse food truck scene The proposal was presented at a meeting of the Common Councils Public Works Committee Tuesday afternoon, a meeting heavily attended by food truck operators who spoke of the economic boost food trucks bring to the city, as well as a benefit to those who work and live in Syracuse. Among those new restrictions would be a cap on the number of times a food truck rodeo can be held at any one location in a calendar year. Eric Ennis, director of business development for the city, said that cap could be 14 events. The Clinton Square food truck rally, the most prominent food truck rally in the city, would likely see the biggest impact from that cap. The Clinton Square rally was held 19 times in 2019 and was slated to be held for 21 weeks from April through September. Along with Clinton Square, the proposal named three alternate sites that could host rodeos: Billings Park, Franklin Square or the Inner Harbor, and Walnut Park. The amendments would also see the creation of a separate ordinance section dedicated to rodeos, requirements to supply additional waste containers, an explicit requirement to possess an annual license and the ability to revoke a food truck operators license in the case of repeated violations. Currently, food trucks cannot operate within 100 feet of a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Under the new proposal, that distance would be extended to 150 feet, similar to cities like Ithaca and Schenectady, where food trucks must be 200 feet from a brick-and-mortar restaurant. The new proposal would open more than 60 new city blocks within the city for food trucks to operate, as well as other walkable locations, including additional six city parks: Meachem Field, Inner Harbor, Burnet Park, Elmwood Park, Schiller Park and Onondaga Park (upper and lower). In what could be a boon for downtown nightlife, the proposal introduces late night food truck service from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. at Clinton Square or Perseverance Park. Those locations would be an accessible midway point between the Armory Square and Hanover Square bar scenes. Councilor Joe Driscoll, whose 5th District includes a portion of Syracuse University, advocated for the late night events to be held in Walnut Park as well. Other proposed changes include combining the food vendor permit and the propane permit into one application and a price increase for single-use permit fees from $20 to $50, as an incentive for food truck owners to apply for an annual license. Counselors present at the meeting voiced both support and concerns over the proposal. Councilor Khalid Bey said the potential growth of food trucks to food desertsparticularly on the North Side, South Side and Near West Sidewould be a benefit for the community, but said he empathizes with the brick-and-mortar restaurant owners and the greater investment of time and money that goes into the business. Theres a different level of requirement," Bey said. Councilor Pat Hogan, citing the taxes paid by building owners, came out strongly against the food trucks. How do we justify this competition on a public space? he said. Im...opposed to having any kind of rodeos in Clinton Square, any kind of competition with these folks [brick-and-mortar restaurant owners]. The proposal could go up for a vote as soon as Monday. Jacob Pucci finds the best in food, dining and culture across Central New York. Contact him by email at jpucci@syracuse.com. Subscribers only: Join an insider text group with Jacob Pucci to get the inside scoop on the restaurants and cuisines of Central New York. SIGN UP HERE 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 READ MORE: Should you need a special license to sell ice cream in Syracuse? Lawmaker says probably not Mexican tostadas, porky mimosa take top prizes at CNY brunch competition Syracuses Signature Scramble: The origin of the Central New York frittata (Or is it fretta?) "We are ecstatic to add Jennifer Labac to the Digible leadership team. Her proficiency in website and social content, range and versatility within digital marketing, and absolute alignment with our core values made the decision easy for us." -- Reid Wicoff, CEO Digital marketing and ad-tech company Digible, Inc. recently announced the hiring of Jennifer Labac as Director of Organic Media and Marketing. Labac joins Digible with over a decade of experience in digital communications strategy, innovation, and execution. She will oversee both Digibles marketing and organic media teams, leading the expansion of all SEO and organic social services, as well as providing marketing support for the agency and their flagship technology, Fiona. According to Labac, her mission is clear: "I want to continue to provide a high level of expertise and measurable results for our SEO and organic social clients. Im also eager to spread the word about Fiona that this innovative product can help marketers make strategic marketing and budgeting decisions in creative new ways. Basically, I look forward to building upon what Digibles great teams have already established." Previously the Director of Digital Communications Strategy at Childrens Hospital Colorado, Labac has extensive experience using data-backed digital strategies to support both business and marketing objectives. In fact, she has seen tremendous success in using customer insights, organizational goals, and industry best practices to drive enhanced awareness and engagement for overall brand campaigns, as well as campaigns designed for specific lines of business. In addition to digital strategy, Labac was also responsible for campaign distribution, using her experience and background in content and project management to support team operations. Prior to her role as Director of Digital Communications Strategy, Labac spent several years as the Web Marketing Manager at Childrens Hospital Colorado, where she successfully managed numerous large-scale projects, including several brand and website redesigns. She also occupied a similar role at the Seattle Childrens Hospital before moving to Colorado. As for her new position, Labac says she was drawn to the overarching mission and vision of Digible, as well as the opportunity to lead and support teams on both the client and agency side: "After working solely on the client side for several years, I decided it was time to mix it up a bit. This new role provides the perfect opportunity to do that. Digible is both an agency and product company with near limitless opportunities. They are doing innovative and forward-thinking work in their industry." Reid Wicoff, CEO of Digible, sees the hiring of Labac as an exciting next step for the agency: "We are ecstatic to add Jennifer Labac to the Digible leadership team. Her proficiency in website and social content, range and versatility within digital marketing, and absolute alignment with our core values made the decision easy for us." Digible is a Denver based agency providing a full spectrum of digital marketing solutions for the apartment industry. With progressive research, cutting-edge technology, and world-class customer service, Digible is designed to accelerate the world of multi-family marketing. For more information, please contact Reid Wicoff at (720) 456-9644 or email hello@digible.com. Air Canada announced Tuesday it was suspending daily flights to Italy after the Mediterranean country banned public gatherings and restricted travel to help fight the spread of the novel coronavirus. Canada's flagship carrier cited the Italian government's "health and safety" measures imposed after the disease infected more than 9,000 people in Italy in just over two weeks. Its last flight from Rome until at least May 1 was scheduled to leave for Montreal on Wednesday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Holzgerlingen, Germany, and San Diego, CA, USA, March 10, 2020, 16:15 pm CET - Curetis N.V. (the "Company" and together with its subsidiaries "Curetis"), a developer of next-level molecular diagnostic solutions, reports that a Special Meeting of shareholders of OpGen, Inc. ("OpGen") held today, March 10, 2020, in Washington DC, USA, to approve the business combination of Curetis and OpGen, was adjourned. Because a quorum was not represented at OpGen's Special Meeting, shareholders voted to adjourn the meeting in order to allow additional time for shareholders to vote on the proposal. Accordingly, the Special Meeting was adjourned to 10:00 am, local time, on Monday, March 30, 2020, at the offices of Ballard Spahr LLP, 1909 K Street, NW, 12th Floor, Washington DC. OpGen's shareholders as of the record date of January 24, 2020 will continue to be entitled to vote at the Special Meeting on March 30, 2020. For further information, please see the press release issued by OpGen: http://ir.opgen.com/news-releases/news-release-details/curetis-nv-shareholders-approve-planned-business-combination Earlier today, at an Extraordinary General Meeting (the "EGM") held in Schiphol, The Netherlands, the shareholders of Curetis N.V. adopted all proposed resolutions and items on the agenda of the EGM. This included the approval of the business combination of OpGen with Curetis (the "Transaction"), the resolution to effect the dissolution of the Company, and the approval of the distribution of the shares of OpGen common stock, received by the Company from OpGen in consideration of the Transaction, to the Company's shareholders. The Transaction is subject to approval of OpGen's stockholders. Once the Transaction is approved by the stockholders of OpGen, the execution of the transfer agreement and the closing of the Transaction is expected to take place. ### About Curetis Curetis N.V.'s (Euronext: CURE) goal is to become a leading provider of innovative solutions for molecular microbiology diagnostics designed to address the global challenge of detecting severe infectious diseases and identifying antibiotic resistances in hospitalized patients. Curetis' Unyvero System is a versatile, fast and highly automated molecular diagnostic platform for easy-to-use, cartridge-based solutions for the comprehensive and rapid detection of pathogens and antimicrobial resistance markers in a range of severe infectious disease indications. Results are available within hours, a process that can take days or even weeks if performed with standard diagnostic procedures, thereby facilitating improved patient outcomes, stringent antibiotic stewardship and health-economic benefits. Unyvero in vitro diagnostic (IVD) products are marketed in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the U.S. Curetis' wholly owned subsidiary Ares Genetics GmbH is developing next-generation solutions for infectious disease diagnostics and therapeutics. The ARES Technology Platform combines the presumably most comprehensive database worldwide on the genetics of antimicrobial resistances, ARESdb, with advanced bioinformatics and artificial intelligence. For further information, please visit www.curetis.comandwww.ares-genetics.com. Legal Disclaimer This document constitutes neither an offer to buy nor an offer to subscribe for securities and neither this document nor any part of it should form the basis of any investment decision in Curetis. The information contained in this press release has been carefully prepared. However, Curetis bears and assumes no liability of whatever kind for the correctness and completeness of the information provided herein. Curetis does not assume an obligation of whatever kind to update or correct information contained in this press release whether as a result of new information, future events or for other reasons. This press release includes statements that are, or may be deemed to be, "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms "believes," "estimates," "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "targets," "may," "will," or "should" and include statements Curetis makes concerning the intended results of its strategy. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Curetis' actual results may differ materially from those predicted by the forward-looking statements. Curetis undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law. Contact details Curetis Max-Eyth-Str. 42 71088 Holzgerlingen, Germany Tel. +49 7031 49195-10 pr@curetis.com or ir@curetis.com www.curetis.com - www.unyvero.com Attachment Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 12:58:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam (L) attends a press conference in Hong Kong, south China, March 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai) HONG KONG, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam said Tuesday that Hong Kong considers imposing further restrictions on inbound travelers amid the spreading COVID-19 worldwide. At a press briefing before a weekly meeting of the Executive Council, Lam said the focus of Hong Kong's anti-epidemic fight has shifted to preventing the spread from other countries. The government will assess risks of travelers from various countries, taking into account factors including total confirmed cases there and local efforts to control the virus, Lam said, adding that more restrictive measures are in the pipeline. The World Health Organization said a total of 105 countries and regions have reported confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infections. In response to the situation, Hong Kong has put in place restrictions for travelers from South Korea, Italy and Iran, such as compulsory quarantines, and advised against its residents to travel abroad if not necessary. Hong Kong has been stepping up efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Its virus monitoring scheme has been expanded from public hospitals to all private medical institutions, under which 28,000 residents have taken virus tests and 40 patients have been found. As of Monday evening, 115 confirmed cases and one suspected case had been reported in Hong Kong. In terms of Hong Kong residents in Hubei Province, Lam said the government will strive to arrange more chartered flights to take them home at an early date. More than 400 returned to Hong Kong from Hubei by flights arranged by the HKSAR government last week, who are still undergoing 14-day quarantines. Besides, over 200 people brought back from a cruise ship quarantined in Japan have completed their quarantines, with nine confirmed cases and one dubbed as suspected. The appellate court began its first sitting to discuss the dispute between Vinasun and Grab. Photo: Laodong.vn On March 10, after a month-long delay, the Ho Chi Minh City Court opened the appellate court to deal with the dispute between Vinasun and Grab. At the court, Vinasun asked the jury to accept its petition and order Grab to pay a compensation of VND36 billion ($1.57 million) to offset its plunge in capitalisation. According to the procuracy, Vinasuns lost earnings had a variety of reasons, such as the regulatory landscape, market conditions, competition dynamics, and passengers evolving demands. Vinasun's damages were assessed by Cuu Long Valuation Inspection Company. However, the representative of Grab said that it operated under a pilot programme, thus the claim that it violated Decree No.86/2014/ND-CP on business and conditions for transportation business by automobile is groundless. In June 2017, traditional taxi operator Vinasun filed a lawsuit against Grab, claiming that the latters operations contributed nearly VND42 billion ($1.83 million) of the VND76 billion ($3.3 million) losses it had suffered in 2016 and the first half of 2017. On December 28, the Ho Chi Minh City Court awarded Vinasun VND4.8 billion ($208,700) in damages to the dissatisfaction of both sides, who then submitted their appeal letters to the court, prolonging the dispute that highlights the sparks thrown by high-tech firms shouldering aside their predecessors. PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- The Pascagoula River Audubon Center has added six new kayaks for eco-tours of the river, thanks to a Neighbors Helping Neighbors Community Grant from Singing River Electric. The $1,448.28 grant funded purchase both the kayaks and storage for the kayaks. According to Audubon Center manager Susan Stachowski, much of the exploration of the area takes place along the banks of Rhodes Bayou and Beardslee Lake. There has been an influx of patrons interested in kayaking along with large youth groups. The additional kayaks will also be used during the summer adventure camps offered for middle school students. For more information on Singing River Electrics Neighbors Helping Neighbors Community Grant program, visit www.singingriver.com and select the My Community tab. The next application deadline is May 8, 2020. Halter Marine, MGCCC sign agreement for apprentice program PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Pascagoulas Halter Marine and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College have reached an agreement through which an apprentice program will be offered through the school. The agreement was formalized during a March 6 signing ceremony and the program is set to begin in August. Apprentices will earn academic credit from MGCCC and job opportunities at Halter Marine. We are excited about this new partnership with Halter Marine because it will offer our students new employment opportunities in a growing field, said MGCCC president Mary S. Graham. Halter Marine is an outstanding company, and we are pleased to be working with them to train new shipbuilders. Companies that invest in apprenticeship programs benefit from the real advantage of a custom trained, highly skilled workforce, said Ron Baczkowski, VT Halter Marine president and CEO. Growing our own workforce is the main driver for creating this apprenticeship program. These employees are then keenly trained and ready to work in the ever-evolving field of shipbuilding. NOAA to celebrate 50th anniversary with open house at Mississippi facility PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as part of its 50th anniversary celebration, will host a public open house at its Mississippi fisheries laboratories in Pascagoula on March 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. NOAA is celebrating 50 years of science, service, and stewardship in fulfilling a mission to understand and predict changes in the Earths environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. The NOAA Fisheries Pascagoula Lab will open its doors to the public for the first time, offering a unique opportunity for the public to tour a fisheries lab, a research vessel and learn how research projects conducted here serve the Gulf community and beyond. Admission is free. All visitors must check in at the lobby of the NOAA facility located on the corner of Frederic Street and Watts Avenue. A government issued photo I.D. is required for adults and bags are subject to inspection. Food and drinks will be available for purchase from on-site food trucks. The first 200 local boy scouts and girl scouts will have a chance to earn a NOAA Fun Patch. The first 500 kids can create their own wearable fish art on t-shirts, with additional fish printing available on card stock, or bring your own shirt to print. More information can be found at the NOAA website. A San Antonio drug counselor who was using CBD oil to help relieve symptoms of multiple sclerosis is suing her former employer after she was fired from her job for failing a drug test. Melanie Farr, 48, worked as an addiction counselor for the Utah-based Management and Training Corporation, a company that offers rehabilitation programs for incarcerated individuals. Last year, Farr began placing drops of CBD oil under her tongue to help offset the effects of MS, a debilitating lifelong condition in which the immune system attacks the body and causes nerve damage to the brain and spinal cord. Farr told the San Antonio-Express News that the CBD oil improved her gait, eased her pain and lowered her blood pressure. She was diagnosed with MS in 1997. According to her lawsuit, the disease renders her substantially limited in various life activities, including walking, balancing, caring for herself, and working. Despite these limitations, (she) was fully capable of performing her job. Drug counselor Melanie Farr alleges in a lawsuit that she was fired by her employer, Management and Training Corp., for failing a drug test. Farr said she was taking CBD oil to help with symptoms of her multiple sclerosis. She is suing under the American Disabilities Act, saying MTC did not accommodate her disability CBD oil, also known as cannabidiol oil, is derived from cannabis, the plant that is popularly referred to as marijuana. The use of CBD oil has exploded worldwide in the wellness space, particularly over reported medical benefits Farr says she was terminated by Management and Training Corporation, a Utah-based company that offers rehabilitation services to incarcerated individuals CBD oil, also known as cannabidiol oil, is derived from cannabis, the plant that is popularly referred to as marijuana. The use of CBD oil has exploded worldwide in the wellness space, particularly over reported medical benefits. Farr said she informed her bosses that she was using CBD oil for her condition. We discussed it many, many times, she said. I worked there a long time taking it. Im a counselor. Thats what I do. So if I was high, somebody would have said something. It was clear I wasnt high. CBD oil is legal nationwide, however each state has its own laws about the product depending on the amount of THC contained in the oil. THC is the psychoactive compound found in cannabis and cannabis-based products that gives users the high. In Texas, marijuana is illegal, though the state did recently pass laws that allow cannabis and hemp products to be consumed so long as they have less than 0.3 per cent THC. Anything higher than that amount is illegal. Farr may have consumed a CBD oil product that contained greater than 0.3 per cent THC, resulting in the failed drug test. Last November, researchers said that a small pilot study found that vaping CBD products might lead to a positive urine test for marijuana. The study tested people after use of cannabidiol (CBD) samples, some containing tiny amounts of THC. One-third of those who vaped CBD-dominant cannabis had positive urine tests for THC, according to the report in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology. WHAT IS MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS? Multiple sclerosis (known as MS) is a condition in which the immune system attacks the body and causes nerve damage to the brain and spinal cord. It is an incurable, lifelong condition. Symptoms can be mild in some, and in others more extreme causing severe disability. MS affects 2.3 million people worldwide - including around one million in the US, and 100,000 in the UK. It is more than twice as common in women as it is in men. A person is usually diagnosed in their 20s and 30s. The condition is more commonly diagnosed in people of European ancestry. The cause isn't clear. There may be genes associated with it, but it is not directly hereditary. Smoking and low vitamin D levels are also linked to MS. Symptoms include fatigue, difficulty walking, vision problems, bladder problems, numbness or tingling, muscle stiffness and spasms, problems with balance and co-ordination, and problems with thinking, learning and planning. The majority of sufferers will have episodes of symptoms which go away and come back, while some have ones which get gradually worse over time. Symptoms can be managed with medication and therapy. The condition shortens the average life expectancy by around five to 10 years. Advertisement The researchers hope the findings will alert users of legal CBD products to problems that could arise in drug testing, especially if they dont know how much THC is in the products. Its a common perception that CBD is THC-free, said senior study author Ryan Vandrey, an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. But thats not necessarily the case. The study should serve as a warning, Vandrey said, noting that if the person is subject to workplace or roadside testing or testing for any criminal justice purpose, they could come up positive. A spokesperson for Management and Training told DailyMail.com that the company does not comment on pending litigation. Farr began working as a licensed chemical dependency counselor for Management and Training in October 2018. She was assigned to counsel prisoners at Dominguez State Jail in San Antonio. Management and Training contracts with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. According to the News-Express, Farr counseled some 25 inmates in both individual and group settings. She claims she informed her boss at the company that she was suffering from MS right after she was hired. In 2018, President Trump signed the Farm Bill, which legalized the cultivation and sale of hemp. Soon afterward, Farrs primary care doctor recommended that she try CBD to ease her symptoms. It helped her walk significantly better with less pain, according to the lawsuit. On February 14 of last year, Farr was administered a random drug test by her employer. Farr says she told the lab technician administering the test that she took CBD oil on doctors recommendations. Farr warned the lab technician that the CBD oil could trigger a false positive for THC. According to the lawsuit, she was told the following week that she had tested positive for marijuana. Despite telling her supervisor that the false positive was caused by her CBD oil use, she was placed on administrative leave. THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THC AND CBD Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are both derived from the cannabis plant. Together, they are part of the cannabinoid group of compounds found in hashish, hash oil, and most strains of marijuana. THC is the psychoactive compound responsible for the euphoric, 'high' feeling often associated with marijuana. THC interacts with CB1 receptors in the central nervous system and brain and creates the sensations of euphoria and anxiety. CBD does not fit these receptors well, and actually decreases the effects of THC, and is not psychoactive. CBD is thought to help reduce anxiety and inflammation. Advertisement Farr was told that she needed to provide a note from the doctor saying that she was prescribed CBD, according to the lawsuit. She then forwarded a doctors note saying that she had been taking CBD oil for chronic pain since January 2019. CBD oil does not contain THC, the doctor wrote in the note. We will report UDS (urine drug screening) test in office as well. Patient has no current history of current drug use. Farr then says she gave her supervisor a news article which stated that CBD oil could cause false positives for THC. Nonetheless, Management and Training fired Farr on March 8, 2019, citing the failed drug test, according to the lawsuit. This past February 20, Farrs lawyer, Michael V. Galo Jr, filed a lawsuit in San Antonio federal court. They should have allowed her to continue using what was an appropriate medication for her, for her condition, Galo said. Management and Training is accused of unlawfully discriminating against Farr because of her disability. The company is accused of acting with malice, or reckless indifference toward her rights that are guaranteed under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Farr is seeking unspecified sums of money for compensatory and punitive damages. She also is seeking reimbursement for lost wages and benefits. The Kaduna State Government has announced the appointment of Muhammadu Sanusi II, who was deposed as emir of Kano on Monday, into the board of KADIPA, its investment promotion agency. A statement from Sir Kashim Ibrahim House said Governor Nasir El-Rufai approved the reconstitution of the board of KADIPA. Established in 2015, KADIPA has led the investment drive of the state and anchored the implementation of the Ease of Doing Business Charter that earned Kaduna State World Bank recognition as the Number One place for doing business in Nigeria. Malam Nasir El-Rufai has appointed His Highness, Muhammad Sanusi II into the board of KADIPA. The appointment is part of the reconstitution of the board of KADIPA, which is statutorily chaired by the Deputy Governor, and has as internal members senior officials of the Kaduna State Government, Muyiwa Adekeye,special adviser to the governor on media and publicity, said in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday. Governor El-Rufai said that Kaduna State hopes to benefit from the profile, experience, intellect and networks of His Highness, Muhammad Sanusi, who before becoming Emir, had built a solid reputation in global financial circles. Malam Nasir El-Rufai said that Kaduna State is honoured to be able to call on the services of a man of such calibre to drive its development. The Governor also said that he is confident that the new board, which includes the most senior officers of the state will further propel KADIPA to greater success in attracting investments to Kaduna State. He disclosed that the external members have been carefully chosen to further reinforce the investment credentials of the state. The new board of KADIPA has the following members: 1. Her Excellency, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe Chairman 2. His Highness, Muhammadu Sanusi II Vice-Chairman 3. Balarabe Abbas Lawal, Secretary to the State Government 4. Bariatu Y. Mohammed, Head of Service 5. Jimi Lawal, Senior Adviser-Counsellor 6. Aisha Dikko, Attorney-General of Kaduna State 7. Idris Nyam, Commissioner, Business, Innovation & Technology 8. Fausat Ibikunle, Commissioner, Housing & Urban Development 9. Thomas Gyang, Commissioner, Planning & Budget Commission 10. Farida Dankaka, KACCIMA 11. Amal Hassan, Private Sector 12. Hafiz Bayero, MD, Kaduna Markets Development Company 13. Altine Jibrin, Director-General, KADGIS 14. Umma Aboki, Executive Secretary, KADIPA Malam Nasir El-Rufai has expressed his gratitude to members of the reconstituted board of KADIPA for agreeing to serve. A former teacher who plied teenage boys with alcohol and molested them on weekend trips to the coast in the 1980s has been jailed for 15 years. Kevin Wilmore Myers was a science teacher at Trinity College in Colac but on weekends drove his students to Victorias surf coast under the guise of recruiting them to surf livesaving clubs. During those weekends at Wye River and Kennett River, Myers gave beer and spirits to boys as young as 13 and then sexually assaulted them as they slept in clubhouses or in the back of his panel van. Years after he left Trinity College when allegations of his offending surfaced at the school, Myers became a chef and sexually assaulted two apprentice chefs, aged 17 and 19, in 1998 during weekend trips to go restaurant hopping. Myers manipulative nature continued even after his 2018 arrest, as he told a psychiatrist he had once been married, that one of his sons died in a car crash and that his sister had bowel cancer. Thousands of letters went out to parents in the provinces largest school division Monday, urging them to promote rigorous sanitation and consider avoiding spring break travel. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 9/3/2020 (672 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Thousands of letters went out to parents in the provinces largest school division Monday, urging them to promote rigorous sanitation and consider avoiding spring break travel. The Winnipeg School Division sent a prepared notice to all of its 78 active schools to forward to families to update them on the provinces latest travel recommendations in response to the novel coronavirus. Manitoba Health recommends reviewing the federal governments COVID-19 travel advisories, considering the deferral of non-essential travel and self-monitoring symptoms after returning home from a trip. Anyone with a respiratory illness is being urged to stay home until they fully recover. "We dont want to add to any of the heightened anxiety or panic, but at the same time, we want to make sure our parents know we do have a plan and we do have information available to them," said Radean Carter, the divisions senior communications officer. Carter said the divisions intent is to keep parents informed as the situation evolves. There have been no confirmed cases in Manitoba to date; the number of confirmed infections and deaths around the globe are quickly climbing. As of Monday, the World Health Organizations latest report indicated more than 110,000 confirmed cases worldwide. The fatality rate is slightly above three per cent. 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. Also Monday, what is believed to be the first COVID-19-related death in Canada was reported in B.C., a man in his 80s with underlying health conditions. The Winnipeg School Divisions letter advises guardians about a pandemic plan that is initiated on an annual basis prior to the flu season. Were a pandemic to be declared in Winnipeg, the division is prepared to close its schools. Any closures would arise from a provincial directive from the education minister and divisions chief superintendent, in consultation with Manitoba Health, according to the divisions latest update to parents. For now, the letter suggests community members wash their hands thoroughly and frequently, cough into their elbows and avoid touching their eyes, noses and mouths. Students who are unwell are being asked to stay home. maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @macintoshmaggie Burkina Fasos health ministry has confirmed two coronavirus cases the first reported in the country. The patients are a Burkinabe couple who recently returned from France in February, Health Minister Claudine Lougue told reporters. The man is 73-years-old and the woman is 57. They tested positive for the virus on Monday and have been placed in isolation, authorities say. A third person who was reportedly in close contact with the couple has been placed under observation. Burkina Faso becomes the sixth sub-Saharan African country to report positive tests for coronavirus. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore will allow cruise ship Costa Fortuna to dock in the city-state on Tuesday, authorities said, after it was turned away from ports in Malaysia and Thailand over coronavirus fears. Costa Fortuna departed from Singapore, where it is home-ported, on March 3. Italian cruise line Costa Crociere said there were no suspected virus cases among its guests, which includes Italians. Italy has the largest number of cases of the virus outside China with 7,375 infections. The operator said the ship was not allowed to enter Penang port in Malaysia due to restrictions on Italian travellers and it was not allowed to stop in Thailand due to unspecified travel restrictions. "The decision was deemed necessary on the basis of the restrictive measures currently applied by ports included in the ships itinerary," said Eunice Lee, a spokeswoman for the cruise line. However, the ship, which can carry up to 3,470 guests and 1,027 crew, did make a first stop in Langkawi, Malaysia last week, local media reported. Costa Crociere did not say how many people were onboard the ship. Another cruise due to depart from Singapore on March 10 would be cancelled, said the firm. All passengers entering Singapore would have to undergo temperature screening, while some may have to do a swab test for the virus, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and Singapore Tourism Board said in a joint statement. Singapore's cruise terminals remain open to scheduled cruise calls out of Singapore. Unscheduled calls have not been allowed since Feb. 24, the authorities said. In recent weeks, journeys on other cruise ships have also been disrupted due to worries over the spread of the virus. MS Westerdam, operated by Carnival Corp's Holland America Line, was allowed to dock in Cambodia's Sihanoukville in mid-February having been turned away at five other ports after it set sail from Hong Kong on Feb. 1. Diamond Princess, another cruise ship owned by Carnival, had been quarantined off the coast of Japan in February and was for a time the largest concentration of coronavirus cases outside China. (Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan and John Geddie in Singapore; Editing by Kim Coghill and Michael Perry) A man looks at an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm in Tokyo, Monday, March 9, 2020. AP South Korea and Japan on Tuesday met for the first time in three months to discuss their trade dispute amid dimmed hopes for reconciliation as the spread of the new coronavirus has led to more bilateral trust issues. The two countries started the director-general level video conference at 10:00 a.m. according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Officials from South Korea and Japan had planned to hold a face-to-face meeting in Seoul, but they later decided to hold a video conference as the two neighbors had virtually shut their borders against each other over the global COVID-19 outbreak. The previous meeting in Tokyo in December produced no major breakthrough. Lee Ho-hyeon, South Korea's director general for international trade policy, attended the video conference from the government complex in Seoul, with his counterpart Yoichi Iida participating from Japan. The meeting is expected to run through Tuesday afternoon. Japan declared a trade war against its Asian neighbor in July last year by imposing restrictions on exports to Seoul of three key industrial materials critical for South Korea's chip and display industries, namely photoresist, etching gas, and fluorinated polyimide. The Taoiseachs annual St Patricks Day ceremony in Washington may not go ahead due to Coronavirus. Leo Varadkar was due to travel to New York on Tuesday to attend a meeting at the United Nations headquarters, but cancelled his plans last minute, allowing him to stay in Ireland to deal with the evolving situation, according to a spokeswoman. Now his annual trip to Washington with President Trump also hangs in the balance as America grapples with the outbreak. The annual St Patrick's reception on Thursday, hosted by the Irish Ambassador to the US, Daniel Mulhall, was cancelled because of the virus on Tuesday afternoon. The Taoiseach is now due in to commence his US St Patricks Day trip in Washington on Wednesday, flying directly to the capital. He looks forward to attending a series of engagements in Washington on Wednesday evening and Thursday, including meeting with President Trump, a spokesman added. As of now, there are no change of plans. However, the escalating situation in America may mean the Taoiseachs engagements may be cut short. Leo Varadkar is due to attend Vice President Mike Pences home on Thursday morning before travelling to the White House for the annual Shamrock ceremony, with the President and a number of political meetings. American media have reported that Mr Trump has been considering asking foreign dignitaries not to attend the White House to limit the potential spread. Mr Trump has already been in direct contact with one man who has tested positive for the virus, and reportedly shook his hand at an event. The Taoiseachs first engagement in Washington is expected to be the Ireland Funds dinner on Wednesday night. The White House has briefed journalists early on Tuesday that the ceremony is to go ahead, but is subject to change, as is House Speaker Nancy Pelosis annual luncheon, however Mr Trump will not be in attendance for the lunch. Meanwhile, Business Minister Heather Humphreys has cancelled her St. Patrick's Day trip to the US over coronavirus. Ms Humphreys was due to travel to San Francisco and Sacramento for a series of engagements. However, she has now cancelled, saying businesses here are facing an unprecedented situation, and she wants to be in Ireland to support them. By IANS NEW DELHI: The BJP Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting at the party headquarters here started on Tuesday evening to decide on the candidatures for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election scheduled on March 26. Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived a little after 6 p.m. and was welcomed by BJP President J.P. Nadda. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had reached the BJP office before that. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari too are in attendance. ALSO READ | Jyotiraditya Scindia set to join BJP, likely to get Central Ministry Interestingly, the BJP CEC meeeting is taking place on a day when Jyotiraditya Scindia announced to step down from the Congress, ending his 18-year long association with the party, soon after meeting Prime Minister Modi in the national capital along with Shah. The latest development has plunged the Kamal Nath-led 15-month old Congress government in Madhya Pradesh into a deep crisis. Scindia is tipped to join the saffron party later in the evening in the presence of Shah. In the 245-member Upper House, members from 17 states are set to retire. The BJP has only 82 members in the Rajya Sabha, well short of the 120 required for a simple majority. Though the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has 97 seats. Attaining the magic figures of 120 may not only be unpragmatic, but also highly ambitious for the BJP. But it definitely wants to better its tally from the current 82. Three more people in Virginia tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of presumptive cases in the state to eight, authorities said Tuesday. Of the eight, four are believed to have been exposed to the coronavirus while on a cruise on the Nile River in Egypt. The cases are presumed positive and are awaiting official confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two of the new cases are in Virginia Beach and the third is in Loudoun County, according to the Virginia Department of Health. The two cases in Virginia Beach are a male in his 60s and a female in her 50s who traveled on a Nile River cruise and returned to the U.S. on March 5. They were seen at a Sentara Healthcare hospital in Virginia Beach, a spokeswoman for the hospital confirmed. Advertisement The New York City public transportation system appeared to be relatively empty during Tuesday morning's rush hour commute as New Yorkers heeded Mayor Bill de Blasio's warning to stay off the subway trains due to the spread of the new coronavirus. Though trains were less crowded during rush hour, some people were still forced to use the subway to get to work. Even stations like Columbus Circle in Manhattan were far less crowded than usual. Photos showed wary New Yorkers wearing protective gloves and masks while heading to work. On Monday, de Blasio urged people to walk or ride a bike to work and said that residents should avoid using the subway unless it is essential after the number of coronavirus cases in the state surged to 174. The mayor also said that people who are ill should stay off public transit if they can. 'When we're all packed like sardines at rush hour, you're really close to your fellow New Yorkers. We'd like people, if they're sick, not even to be in that situation,' de Blasio said. Scroll down for video New York City's public transportation system appeared to be quite empty during Tuesday morning's rush hour commute as New Yorkers heeded Mayor Bill de Blasio's warning to stay off the subway trains due to the spread of coronavirus. Pictured is an empty platform in Brooklyn Though trains were less crowded during rush hour, some people were still seen going about their everyday commute. New Yorkers pictured at the Newkirk Plaza station in Brooklyn Photos show wary New Yorkers wearing protective gloves while holding the poles as well as masks on train in Manhattan Tuesday morning Even the major hub 59th St Columbus Circle subway station in Manhattan showed light foot traffic Tuesday morning A usually packed Q train subway station in Manhattan shows escalators with plenty of space during Tuesday morning's commute This image shows an empty subway platform with an express 2 train waiting at a station in Brooklyn on Tuesday Coronavirus cases have surged to 804 in the United States as the virus continues to spread. The virus has already killed 28 people in the US Subway trains remained full during rush hours, though Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials said at a briefing that anecdotal evidence suggests they have been less crowded in recent days. 'We're urging employers to let people change the times that they're coming into work and change the times that they're leaving work so that we can stagger people and have less crowding,' interim New York City Transit head Sarah Feinberg said Monday. 'I can see that happening.' A DailyMail.com request for comment to the MTA was not immediately returned. Slide me Grand Central (pictured on Tuesday morning) showed very few commuters during rush hour at 7.34am compared to the normal chaos that comes with a morning or evening commute at the station Feinberg is filling in for NY/NJ's Port Authority chief, Rick Cotton, has tested positive for coronavirus. Cotton, who is working from home, had been on the ground at various airports, which the Port Authority controls. Members of his team are being tested and are currently being self-quarantined. It was revealed on Monday that Rick Cotton (pictured), the head of New York's Port Authority has tested positive for the virus Many people took advantage of the city's bike share program, Citi Bike - so much so that docking stations in Lower Manhattan ran out of space in the morning. Natalie Davis takes the subway into Manhattan from Brooklyn to her job with The Nature Conservancy and said concerns about the virus haven't made her change her routine. The 31-year-old added, though, that she's noticed people acting differently near the subway entrance at the World Trade Center, where she and two co-workers were soliciting donations. 'Usually we high-five people and they're into it, but in the last two weeks or so people have been like, "Hey, that's OK, I'm good,"' she said. Joan Chiverton, a freelance illustrator who was waiting at a subway station on Manhattan's Upper West Side, said: 'I try not to touch the railings and the turnstiles with my hands.' 'I also try to stand away from people who cough. I do that normally, but now I'm actually moving away from people and not worrying if it looks like I'm being rude.' Nearly 100 of the coronavirus cases in New York trace back to one community in the Westchester County suburb of New Rochelle where one of the first patients tested positive in the state. Despite warning commuters to stay off the subway trains on Monday, de Blasio said on Tuesday that there will be no widespread school closures for now and insists there won't be an Italy-style lockdown as he confirmed five new coronavirus cases in the city. On Monday, de Blasio (pictured) urged people to walk or ride a bike to work and said that residents should avoid using the subway unless it is essential And several New Yorkers heeded the mayor's order. During Monday evening's commute, there were several empty cars (6 train pictured) on the 6 train line in Manhattan Throughout the city there were empty platforms (6 train in Manhattan pictured) as New Yorkers avoided the trains on Monday This image shows the Bleecker Street subway station in Manhattan with very little foot traffic on the platform on Monday evening This image shows a woman walking downstairs at the Port Authority station in Manhattan on Monday 'We cannot shut down because of undue fear,' de Blasio told MSNBC's Morning Joe. 'I would advise against these mass closures when we're keeping this situation relatively contained... ask me in a week, ask me in a month - it might change.' He is also currently not considering widespread closures to public schools. Health officials have previously said school closures in the city would be a last resort. The outbreak has resulted in a number of mostly private schools canceling or suspending in person classes. In New York City, Columbia University, Yeshiva University and New York University announced that classes would be canceled or offered online. Other commuter-rail suburbs in Connecticut and New Jersey have also reported stray cases. New Jersey reported 11 cases and Connecticut has reported two. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. Commuters (pictured on a train in Manhattan on Monday) have been seen wearing protective gloves and adding extra casings to their phones during their New York City commutes One woman doubled up on protection with gloves and a mask as she traveled on a train in the Bronx on Monday A man wearing a protective mask is seen on a subway platform during his commute on Monday in Manhattan In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered. Government and transit officials have stressed that the virus can't easily be transmitted by casual contact, such as sharing a subway car with someone who is infected. But they also have urged people to walk or ride a bike to work, telecommute or stagger their work hours so they don't ride at peak times. The latter strategy was also used by the city during the 1918 influenza epidemic. The MTA is the nation's largest transit system and operates the city's subways and buses in addition to the Long Island Rail Road and MetroNorth rail systems stretching to the tip of Long Island and north to New Haven, Connecticut. The agency has accelerated its cleaning operations to disinfect several hundred subway and rail stations and thousands of buses, subway and train cars. MTA chairman and CEO Pat Foye said Monday that over the weekend more than 4,000 subway cars, 2,500 trains and 5,300 buses were cleaned. 'I want to assure the public that the subways remain safe, ' he said. New York Gov Andrew Cuomo joked last week that riders shouldn't be alarmed if they smell a strange chemical odor on the subways in the weeks ahead. 'It's not bad cologne or perfume; it is bleach,' Cuomo said. Some New Yorkers (pictured in Manhattan) biked to work on Tuesday to avoid using the subway trains This commuter chose to use his bike instead of his Metro card during New York City's rush hour on Tuesday in Manhattan Similar train cleaning measures have been put in place in other major cities hit by the outbreak. Japan, like New York, has urged flexible working hours to reduce overcrowding on trains. Italy added dispensers of hand disinfectant to trains run by state railways before restricting residents from traveling in parts of the country where the infection rate is highest. In Seoul, South Korea, legions of workers in protective suits and goggles have been spraying down subway stations with disinfectant. At some train stations, officials have also been using heat-detecting cameras to look for people who might have a fever. Spokesmen for the Washington, DC, Metro and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, serving Philadelphia and its suburbs, said ridership levels didn't appear to have been affected yet by virus-related concerns. Uncertainty remains about what level of contact could be dangerous. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the virus can be spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes and the droplets are inhaled by someone nearby. It also can be picked up by touching an infected surface or object and then touching the mouth or nose, though the CDC says that isn't the main way the virus can spread. A former CIA software engineer accused of stealing a massive trove of the agency's hacking tools and handing it over to WikiLeaks was convicted of only minor charges Monday, after a jury deadlocked on the more serious espionage counts against him. Joshua Schulte, who worked as a coder at the agency's headquarters in Langley, Virginia, was convicted by a jury of contempt of court and making false statements after a four-week trial in Manhattan federal court that offered an unusual window into the CIA's digital sleuthing and the team that designs computer code to spy on foreign adversaries. Former CIA engineer Joshua Schulte was convicted on minor charges after a jury deadlocked on espionage allegations. The government said he stole documents via a backdoor and leaked them to WikiLeaks In this courtroom sketch, Joshua Schulte, center, is seated at the defense table flanked by his attorneys during jury deliberations on March 4 in New York After deliberating since last week, the jury was unable to reach a verdict on the more significant charges. They had notified U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty on Friday that they had reached consensus on two counts, but were unable to reach a verdict on eight others. After they were instructed to resume deliberations Monday, jurors sent a note saying they were "extremely deadlocked." One juror said as she left the courthouse that the jury was always split down the middle on the most serious counts, although the jury was composed of only 11 people after one juror was dismissed last week when she told the panel she had come across news about the Schulte case before the trial. Juror Alexis Anthony said she never thought the evidence was strong enough to convict Schulte of espionage-related charges. "For me, I never felt the burden of proof was proved," she said. Prosecutors portrayed Schulte as a disgruntled software engineer who exploited a little-known back door in a CIA network to copy the hacking arsenal without raising suspicion, in what was said to be the largest leak in CIA history involving classified information. It was only after the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks published the so-called Vault 7 leak in 2017 - nearly a year after the theft - that the agency scrambled to determine how the information had been stolen. It identified Schulte, a 31-year-old originally from Lubbock, Texas, as the prime suspect. Schulte had left the agency on stormy terms after falling out with colleagues and supervisors, and prosecutors described the leak as an act of revenge. The data dump revealed CIA efforts to hack Apple and Android smartphones and even described efforts to turn internet-connected televisions into listening devices. "These leaks were devastating to national security," Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Laroche told jurors. "The CIA's cyber tools were gone in an instant. Intelligence gathering operations around the world stopped immediately." The government had identified Schulte as the suspect behind the leak of documents to WikiLeaks that came to be known as Vault 7 But the defense said the prosecution failed to present a clear case or show how they could be sure Schulte was the culprit. Even after presenting a month of testimony, 18 witnesses and more than 1,000 exhibits, "the government still is not able to answer for you the very basic questions," defense attorney Sabrina Shroff told jurors. "There are more questions now than when this trial first began." Shroff argued that investigators could not be sure who took the data because the CIA network in question "was the farthest thing from being secure." "Hundreds of people had access to it," she said. "Hundreds of people could have stolen it." The mistrial on eight counts injected new uncertainty into a complex case that had been several years in the making. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan did not immediately say whether prosecutors would retry Schulte on the most serious charges. The CIA also declined to comment. Schulte faces separate child pornography charges, but his defense team is trying to to have those counts thrown out due to what it calls "misstatements" the FBI made in applying for a warrant to search Schulte's New York City apartment. Prosecutors said Schulte, after being arrested in New York, attempted to leak even more classified information using a contraband cellphone that had been smuggled into the Metropolitan Correctional Center. They said he declared an "information war" and was "prepared to burn down the United States government." THE ISSUE: A nasty note for a member of Congress provokes a partisan response. THE STAKES: The inexcusable behavior is inspired from the top. We all must demand better. --- Rep. Elise Stefanik has every right to be offended by the nasty note left on her car calling her a "fascist pig." Before she gets too carried away in politicizing this incident, though, she might see the experience as an opportunity for self-reflection. In no way do we excuse the behavior of whoever left that note on the congresswoman's car last weekend. It was a hostile and cowardly act. Cars, like our homes, are personal space for most of us. The act was invasive. Have a disagreement with a politician? Write a letter and sign it. Go to a candidate debate or forum or town hall and ask them, face to face, to explain their position. Write a letter to the editor, and put your name on it. But if Ms. Stefanik wonders how people seem lately to so easily call each other names, she ought to look at the tone she and her colleagues are setting in the political schoolyard. Name-calling is clearly the favored sport of Donald Trump, the president Ms. Stefanik so vigorously defended in the House hearings on impeachment. As a candidate, Mr. Trump had a name for every foe, from "Little Marco (Rubio)" to "Lyin' Ted (Cruz)" to "Crooked Hillary." He's at it again as he seeks re-election. There's "Pocahontas" (Elizabeth Warren)" and "Mini Mike (Bloomberg)" and "Sleepy Joe (Biden)." For various other enemies, he's used such mature descriptions as "Dumbo," "Pencil Neck," "Slimeball," "Dicky," "Horseface" the list goes embarrassingly on and on. You can find entire compendiums of these infantile names on the internet. And when our American president isn't branding someone he doesn't like with a nickname, he's commenting on some attribute, such as a woman's weight or looks, or a person's disability. It is disgusting behavior that draws not a peep of protest these days from his loyalists, including Ms. Stefanik. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Mr. Trump's childish ways have unfortunately trickled down the GOP ranks. Last week, state Republican chair Nick Langworthy succumbed to the immature impulse as he marked the occasion of the state Board of Elections certifying that Mr. Trump is the only Republican presidential candidate on the ballot, meaning there will be no primary. Mr. Langworthy took the opportunity to insult Gov. Andrew Cuomo for scheduling a special election on the day of the primary, calling him "Corrupt Cuomo." And Ms. Stefanik herself has indulged in this sort of nonsense, calling her Democratic opponent Tedra Cobb "Taxin' Tedra" and describing her as "gun-grabbing," "far-left" and "socialist" none of which accurately describe Ms. Cobb's centrist positions. The right end of the political spectrum certainly doesn't have the exclusive franchise on insults, but the Grand Old Party has raised it to a low art form under Mr. Trump's influence. Rather than scoff at Ms. Cobb's challenge to set a more dignified example in their campaigns, Ms. Stefanik might take up the idea. And it wouldn't hurt if supporters stopped applauding the kind of antics they'd never tolerate from their children. Enough of the sliming. American voters must demand better. Beyond potential contamination in their personal drinking water supply, students in Vosslers class will also look at the systemic issues that impact water quality in their community and across the state during the spring semester. Vossler and the NRD are currently seeking grant funding to expand the program to allow students to do more local water testing and communicating with the public about threats to the water supply. If the program is successful, it may be reproduced at other district schools in the future. Coming from a rural area, water quality is something we need to be aware of, said Vossler after the lab experience. It was great to get the students into the lab to see how these tests are done. We are looking forward to partnering with the NRD and locals in the area to test their water samples and provide information as to what their test results mean. Our students will be creating brochures discussing the risks associated with high nitrates in the water and will include resources and solutions for those whose samples test high. ***** Concerned about the quality of your water? The NRD offers free analysis for nitrates and bacteria in groundwater. Rural domestic wells are not held to the same regulations as public water systems, so it is the well owners responsibility to ensure safe drinking water. These wells should be tested at least once per year. Full details about how to collect and submit a water sample are on our website at www.upperbigblue.org/programs/water. Photo: James Willamor/Flickr Read on for the most recent top news you may have missed in Durham. Indiana coronavirus patient was in Durham, Wake counties while symptomatic, officials say The patient was in Durham and Wake counties between March 2 and 6 and is now in isolation at home, authorities said. Read the full story on ABC11 WTVD. Driver shot, car seen riddled with bullet holes The driver was said to be in serious condition and a car was seen riddled with bullet holes after the shooting at the intersection of Fayetteville Street and Cornwallis Drive on Monday morning. Read the full story on ABC11 WTVD. Investigation underway after body found inside car in Target parking lot Police responded around 5:40 p.m. Monday to the Target parking lot at 8210 Renaissance Parkway near the Streets at Southpoint, where they found a body inside a car. Read the full story on WRAL TV. Police identify man fatally shot Saturday on Commonwealth Street Police said 51-year-old Terry Bradshaw died at the scene Saturday night. No arrests have been made. Read the full story on ABC Raleigh, WTVD. Historic library reopens this week after two-year renovation Bragtown Branch Library closed in January 2019 after pipes burst during a significant snowstorm. It reopens Wednesday with a special day of activities and celebration. Read the full story on WRAL Go Ask Mom. 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. Over the next five to 10 years, we will start working with Generation Z those born after 1995. This generation was raised with the internet always in the background, in a world of iPhones and social media. They are used to instant gratification, have little patience and expect there to be an app for everything. They will have distinct goals and will reshape how we do things. They are accustomed to embracing new technology with ease and trust, and we must be ready for this new set of expectations. The good news is that were anticipating this change. Banks have invested significantly in their online mortgage technology and have augmented their call centre staff. The broker channel was ahead of this, offering similar online application convenience and, I believe, has proven to be nimble in the face of changing markets and consumer demands. However, the Big Six have picked up speed and have very deep pockets. Flexibility and convenience are key we have it, like it and now expect it. Holiday shopping can be done in an hour, delivered sometimes the same day. This has led to a massive consumer shift and behavioural change. The same is true for mortgage shopping. How many times are we being compared to online rate sites? Today, when you want to learn something new, its a simple as Googling it and finding related websites, TED talks, e-books and YouTube videos all right there. With information so easily available and more sophisticated mortgage tools coming, the question is, how are you going to set yourself apart? First, make sure youre an expert in your industry. Everything is available at your fingertips to continue learning, so keep your skills sharp and invest in yourself and your profession. It isnt enough to lean on the fact that youve been in the industry for 20 years that wont fly. You must be all-in, full-time, committed to ongoing personal and professional development; thankfully, theres a plethora of support and resources available within our industry and brokerages. Youre going to be tested and questioned by clients more than ever, and you need to articulate the value you bring. Loyalty Prime, a Munich, Germany-nased enterprise loyalty program software-as-a-service provider, raised 5m in Series B funding round. The round was led by Hi inov with participation from existing investors BayBG Bayerische Beteiligungsgesellschaft, Senovo, UVC Partners and The SaaSgarage (Alexander Bruehl). The company intends to use the funds to development of its enterprise SaaS platform. Led by Christoph Straub, founder and CEO, and CTO Jan Riedel, Loyalty Prime provides a SaaS based enterprise automated solution assisted by artificial intelligence (AI) to set up and run omnichannel loyalty programs (GDPR-compliant if/as required). Since the company was founded in 2014, it has served dozens of blue-chip companies from a wide range of industries. FinSMEs 10/03/2020 (Newser) It's a milestone day in Afghanistan on two fronts, with developments that illustrate the complex challenges at play: Withdrawal: The US began withdrawing its first troops under a peace deal struck with the Taliban last month, reports the BBC. The US currently has more than 12,000 troops there, and about a third of them would leave in the first phase, per CNN. If all goes as planned, the remaining US troops would be gone in 14 months. But there's a hitch: The US began withdrawing its first troops under a peace deal struck with the Taliban last month, reports the BBC. The US currently has more than 12,000 troops there, and about a third of them would leave in the first phase, per CNN. If all goes as planned, the remaining US troops would be gone in 14 months. But there's a hitch: Two presidents: As the withdrawals started, Afghanistan inaugurated two different presidents on Tuesday, reports the AP. One is Ashraf Ghani, who claimed victory in last year's election and was declared the victor by the nation's election commission. The other is Abdullah Abdullah, who says that election was tainted by fraud and plans to form his own government. The dueling presidencies add yet another wrinkle to the peace process, given that the next step is talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government. (President Trump became the first US president to speak directly with the Taliban.) With coronavirus spreading, almost every major airline is cutting flights. Qantas has canned routes to Japan, Hong Kong and New Zealand, and altered their Sydney to London path to avoid Singapore. Jetstar last week had its Gold Coast to Seoul route suspended (and will now face further cuts to the tune of 40%), meanwhile Virgin will slash its budget airline Tigers fleet and cut back on flights to rein in costs amid dwindling demand, News.com.au reports. Thats just a taste of whats happening. So widespread is the impact of coronavirus, the IATA (International Air Transport Association) has said the situation is going to cost up to US $113 million in revenue for the entire industry (worldwide). As Alan Joyce pointed out this morning, Last year, the industry made less than $30 billion, so this is quite significant (News.com.au). But what does it mean for Australian travellers frequent flyer status? We reached out to Qantas to ask. Heres what we found. RELATED: Get 100,000 Bonus Qantas Frequent Flyer Points For A Limited Time What happens to your Frequent Flyer points when an airline cancels your flight? It is standard policy that if a flight you are booked on (that you booked with Qantas Points, say) is cancelled, your Frequent Flyer points will be reinstated. The process is similar to a passenger who has paid with money: if their flight is cancelled, in the initial instance Qantas (or whichever airline it may be) will try to accommodate them on an alternative flight, but if not they should be offered a refund. Crucially (and, as expected), no points will be earned on your flight if it gets cancelled. Which leads us to Is there any leeway or compensation in the works for people who were depending on their cancelled trips to maintain their Platinum Frequent Flyer Status? Qantas are yet to announce what they are going to do regarding this dilemma. But stay tuned for updates. What are other airlines around the world doing? As reported by Financial Times, some other airlines around the world are already making life easier for their loyal customers: Singapore Airlines is extending the time-dependent elite status it grants to its most loyal passengers by a year, emails sent to frequent flyers showed, Financial Times reported yesterday. This means they will not lose their membership of the airlines elite flying clubs, which is heavily dependent on the number of miles they fly at the front of the plane, if corporate travel bans keep them grounded. Meanwhile, Cathay Pacific has awarded people with the top three tiers of membership to its Marco Polo loyalty scheme extra reward points until April, giving them more chances of keeping their elite status, according to customer communications shared with the Financial Times. While it makes sense that Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines would be the first to make these sorts of concessions (as their customers have been the hardest hit), customers from less impacted airlines are still waiting to see whats going to happen to their frequent flyer status this year. As Financial Times reports, Other US, European and British carriers such as Delta, Lufthansa and British Airways are yet to follow suit, which has angered some business customers who fear their membership to elite flying clubs that offer free upgrades and lounge access will expire in 2020. Though they dont appear to have reached the point of anger just yet, discussions in business travel websites suggest Qantas frequent flyers are keen for some reassurance too, with one user, asking in Executive Travellers comments section, underneath an article entitled Coronavirus: Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines extend elite status, Will QF do the same?. Others answered with comments like, No way would Qantas do anything like this, since they will not benefit, and it will cost them, and Qantas would only consider something like this if they, like Cathay, had nearly 1/2 of their fleet grounded and services cancelled so, hopefully, no. Another said: Im hopeful! Yes there overall fleet isnt affected in the same way but many of its corporate travellers are. Yet another claimed Qantas lent many frequent flyers a hand in maintaining their status during the GFC. All up, no one knows how bad the coronavirus, and thus its economic impact, is going to get. In light of this, wed say Qantas will leave itself room to adapt, rather than making any sweeping offers. Read Next Student bicycles rest on the sidewalk after their school was closed for the day because of a possible coronavirus threat Friday, March 06, 2020 at Titus Elementary School in Warrington, Pennsylvania. Five Central Bucks School District schools were closed as a precaution against coronavirus and reopened Monday. Read more News about the coronavirus is changing quickly. Go to inquirer.com/coronavirus for the latest information. The impact of coronavirus on the Philadelphia region intensified Monday as new cases emerged, tens of thousands of students and staff were told to stay home from dozens of area schools, and universities, businesses, and trade groups canceled or postponed events and classes. Three new cases were announced in Montgomery and Monroe Counties, bringing Pennsylvanias total to 10. Three of those patients are hospitalized. New Jersey identified five new patients, most in North Jersey, bringing its total to 11, and Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency and a public health emergency. Seven of Pennsylvanias diagnosed patients are in Montgomery County, where a growing list of schools announced they would be closed for deep cleaning, had canceled field trips, and began making preparations for remote teaching. Along with closures in Chester, Bucks, and Camden Counties, the affected districts serve more than 30,000 students. We expect more cases to be confirmed in the upcoming days and weeks, said the Pennsylvanias secretary of health, Rachel Levine, but we want everyone to take action to prevent the spread of this virus. Because of the virus 14-day incubation period, during which an infected person could be symptom-free but still contagious, the domino effect from just a single diagnosis is significant. After a cardiologist at the King of Prussia campus of Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia tested positive on Monday, at least six area school districts announced closures. Nationwide, the number of cases grew, and the stock market continued its plunge. On the West Coast, a cruise ship carrying 3,500 passengers and at least 21 infected people arrived in Oakland, Calif., where coronavirus patients were to disembark, and a second person died of the virus in California. On the East Coast, the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey came down with the virus, as did a church rector in Washington who distributed communion on Sunday, leading that citys mayor to ask hundreds of churchgoers to self-quarantine. There has yet to be a coronavirus case in Philadelphia. One of the Montgomery County patients became the first to be treated in the city, in an isolation room at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. The city was feeling the impact in other ways: At least two major conferences in Philadelphia expected to draw a total of 21,000 people were canceled, costing the city visitors and the region estimated millions in economic impact. The American Chemical Society, the worlds largest scientific society, for the first time in more than 100 years canceled its annual meeting, which was expected to draw 15,000 visitors the week of March 22. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology canceled its annual meeting of about 6,500 people. Both were to take place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The University of Pennsylvania also canceled its annual Penn Wharton China Summit, whose average attendance is 1,500, and other smaller professional gatherings around the region were also nixed or postponed. Pennsylvania officials were not recommending that public events be canceled, but Levine urged anyone who is sick not to expose others. Please stay home if you are sick, she said. Please stay home from social events. Please stay home from work. Please stay home from school. Many were heeding the advice. Cheltenham School District, with about 4,300 students, closed its seven schools for the rest of the week after learning a parent in the district had been a caregiver to someone with a presumptive case of the virus. I do not want to cause panic; however, I must prioritize the interests of our students and staff, wrote Cheltenham Superintendent Wagner Marseille in an email to families and staff, saying the parent has self-quarantined herself and her child. It joins Germantown Academy, which on Sunday announced it would close to its 1,200 students for most of March because a family member of a student at the Fort Washington school tested positive. Two school districts and three other schools said they would be closed Tuesday, all because students, parents or staff of the schools may have been exposed to the sick doctor during visits to CHOP. Norristown Area School District, with about 7,500 students; Lower Merion School District, with more than 8,600; Upper Merion School District, with nearly 4,200 students, all announced plans to close as well as four individual schools Simmons Elementary in the Hatboro-Horsham; Neshaminy High School and Buckingham Friends School, both in Bucks County; and Henderson High School in Chester County. In New Jersey, Haddonfield School District, which serves 2,700 students, canceled classes for March 16 so that staff could attend a daylong planning session on online classes. A number of South Jersey districts, including Cherry Hill, are also preparing plans to teach remotely; others conducted deep cleanings over the weekend. Meanwhile, five schools in the Central Bucks School District reopened Monday after closures Friday for cleaning and after students and staff who had been exposed to coronavirus tested negative. Universities began announcing extended spring breaks and preparations to move classes online. Rowan University extended its break and directed faculty to begin planning for online classes. Princeton said all lectures will be online from March 23 to April 5, urging students to stay home after spring break ends. All made note of one key element: the uncertainty. This, as one university reminded its faculty, could last for an indefinite period of time. The Montgomery County patients whose locations have been identified reside in Upper Merion, Lower Merion, Lower Gwenydd, and Worcester Townships. As health officials trace the contact with others each sick person had in the last 14 days, they are notifying anyone who might have been exposed. CHOP was contacting patient families who may have come into contact with the ill cardiologist over the last week and advising them to self-quarantine. Staff who came into contact with the doctor have also been instructed to self-quarantine at home for two weeks, CHOP CEO Madeline Bell said in a Monday email to staff obtained by The Inquirer. Cases tested by the state are presumed positive until they have been verified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Levine said she did not know when the state would get the results from the CDC, which has not yet confirmed any of the cases in Pennsylvania or New Jersey. At least five more people tested presumptive positive for coronavirus in New Jersey, most in North Jersey and one in Cherry Hill, bringing the state total to 11. Another 24 people are currently under investigation statewide, officials said. If all remain calm and informed, and educated with each passing day, and just practice common sense," Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver said at a news conference, the risk of an individual contracting coronavirus remains low. Staff writers Sarah Gantz, Oona Goodin-Smith, Pranshu Verma, Tom Avril, Susan Snyder, and Melanie Burney contributed to this article. (Photo : Screenshot From St.Antonys forane church pazhuvil Facebook Page) Pope Francis Livestream No one other than Pope Francis himself has held a livestream mass on Tuesday, Mar. 10. During the livestream mass, he urged catholic priests to find the courage to visit all of the victims of the coronavirus or Covid-19 amid Italy's national lockdown. Amid Italy's national lockdown, the Pope has provided hope to the people by assuring them that everything will be fine. The act of conducting a mass over livestream could result in a disappointment to followers as the sight of the Pope himself would have brought them hope! The Pope led a solemn prayer to urge the priests to tend to the sick In the prayer led by Pope Francis, he urged priests to summon the courage to go out and tend to the sick by the strength of God's word as well as the Eucharist. The accompaniment of the health workers as well as the volunteers was also a top priority of this prayer. In his prayer, he acknowledged the efforts of everyone trying to do their part in the fight against this virus. Read Also: Collapsed Coronavirus Quarantine Hotel: Social Media Speculates that This is China Trying to Bury Failed Recovery Patients! The square was filled with emptiness St. Peter's Square, which was usually full during masses, was left almost completely empty with a few dozen people here or there strolling around even without masks. The whole nation has been on self-quarantine, which limits their attendance to these kinds of gatherings. It is clear that panic has already spread, and the best thing that the citizens of Italy can do is to fend for themselves by means of self-quarantine, making sure that they are not positive about this virus. The complete participation of this nation is necessary in fighting this virus The Italian government itself has made restrictions regarding the move of its civilians to help avoid the risk of infection. The Covid-19 has started to spread like wildfire through Italy. As of Tuesday, there are already 9,000 diagnosed positive with the coronavirus or Covid-19. This number is quite big for a country that has just recently been infiltrated by the virus! Out of the 60 million inhabitants, the 9,000 infected should not seem too big, but if you factor in the infection rate, you will understand why this has become a real problem. Read Also: Fight against Fake News! UK Government's Cyber Unit Cracks Coronavirus Fake News: Will the US Follow? The priests are still free to move in times of trouble The church is highly respected in times of darkness, and if there are anybody aside medical professionals that can attend to this coronavirus or Covid-19, it would be the church itself! The Pope has blessed the priests and has tasked them to summon the courage to fight the deadly coronavirus or Covid-19 by extending the churches' prayers personally to the victims. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. In a statement released by the JBF, Harris said I am humbled, honored and more than a little astonished to receive this singular award. I am mindful that while my name is on it, it is also meant for those African Americans in the hospitality world in the past who labored unheralded, un-thanked, and for too many centuries unpaid or underpaid. I hope that this extraordinary honor heralds the beginning of a new era when all Americans can sit down and fully participate at the nations table and none of us are strangers at the feast. A French mayor hosted 3,500 people dressed as Smurfs for a world record attempt this weekend amid accusations the event risked the spread of coronavirus. Patrick Leclerc, the mayor of Landerneau in western France, today defended his decision to go ahead with the rally on Saturday. 'We must not stop living... it was the chance to say that we are alive,' he said. The event, for which thousands painted their bodies blue to resemble the character, came a day before France banned all gatherings of more than 1,000 people in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19. Thousands dressed as Smurfs attend a world record gathering of the Belgian character in Landerneau, western France on Saturday The new restrictions are being applied nationwide after they were previously announced in virus hotspots, health minister Olivier Veran said at the weekend. 'The priority is to do all we can to slow the transmission of the virus,' he said. The government had already banned gatherings of more than 5,000 people in confined venues. There have been 1,412 cases of coronavirus confirmed in France so-far, with 30 deaths reported as a result of the virus. The rally drew criticism largely from Italy, which is battling Europe's most intense outbreak of the virus with 463 deaths confirmed amid 9,172 patients. Patrick Leclerc, the mayor of Landerneau in western France, today defended his decision to go ahead with the rally (pictured) despite growing fears over coronavirus The event, for which thousands painted their bodies blue to resemble the character, came a day before France banned all gatherings of more than 1,000 people A young girl dressed as Smurfette sits on a man's shoulders as she attends the event on Saturday The rally (pictured) drew criticism largely from Italy, which is battling Europe's most intense outbreak of the virus with 463 deaths confirmed amid 9,172 patients It was described as 'potentially a very dangerous viral bomb' by La Repubblica, an Italian daily newspaper. The Il Secolo XIX newspaper also dubbed the rally an 'irresponsible move' that could significantly increase the risk of contagion. But fans of the Belgian cartoon descended on the Breton town on Saturday to break the world record for a gathering of Smurfs. Mr Leclerc insisted that the revellers, who painted their hands and faces blue and sported white pointy hats, had violated no ban and were a necessary antidote to an 'ambient gloom'. There have been 1,412 cases of coronavirus confirmed in France so-far, with 30 deaths reported as a result of the virus It was described as 'potentially a very dangerous viral bomb' by La Repubblica, an Italian daily newspaper The Il Secolo XIX newspaper also dubbed the rally an 'irresponsible move' that could significantly increase the risk of contagion A participant takes a photograph of a group of Smurfs standing behind a golden frame 'We've been preparing for a month,' one of the Smurfs, Isabelle, said at the event. 'We got our costumes from all the shops in the area and we figured that a bit of fun would do us all good at the moment.' The results of the world record attempt, which was previously set at 2,762 in Lauchringen, Germany last year, must now be validated by an official who will send their conclusions to Guinness World Records bosses. The attempt comes after Disneyland Paris confirmed yesterday that a maintenance worker at the theme park had tested positive for COVID-19. However, the park confirmed it would remain open with hand gel provided to visitors and guests told to keep their distance in the queue for rides, French media said. Disneyland staff are now checking on colleagues who had been in contact with the infected worker, who tested positive over the weekend. [March 10, 2020] FAIR Health Launches Shared Decision-Making Tools for Palliative Care NEW YORK, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today FAIR Health launched a groundbreaking website feature that combines clinical and cost information to support seriously and chronically ill patients and their caregivers in the process of shared decision making (SDM) with clinicians for three palliative care scenarios. The new feature is the most recent addition to fairhealthconsumer.org, FAIR Health's free, award-winning consumer website, which enables consumers to estimate the typical costs of medical and dental procedures in their geographic areas and provides rich educational materials on the fundamentals of health insurance. A national, independent nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information, FAIR Health powers the cost information on FAIR Health Consumer with its database of billions of private healthcare claimsthe largest in the nation. The same database provides the cost data for the new SDM feature, fairhealthconsumer.org/shared-decision-making. SDM, the discussion between patients/caregivers and healthcare providers regarding various treatment options, has been known to increase patient engagement and reduce healthcare costs. But in the past, the utility of SDM tools, or decision aids, has been limited by the absence of cost data to complement the clinical information. As part of a pilot generously funded by The New York Community Trust (The Trust), the new SDM tool combines cost data from FAIR Health with Option Grid decision aids from EBSCO Information Services, cofounded by Dr. Glyn Elwyn, BA, MD, MSc, PhD, professor at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College. Intended to support the conversation between clinicians and patients/caregivers, and designed for ease of use, the decision aids offer clinical and cost information related to: Kidney dialysis for patients with kidney failure (whether to continue or stop); Nutrition options when swallowing is difficult; ad Breathing assistance (whether to continue or stop). New York metropolitan area in order to promote awareness of this resource. The project will also include an evaluation of the SDM tools to help inform future initiatives and tools. FAIR Health President Robin Gelburd stated: "The new shared decision-making tool on FAIR Health Consumer is a natural extension of our commitment to cost transparency and to helping consumers navigate the complexities of the healthcare system. We look forward to assisting patients and their caregivers as they make serious decisions in consultation with their clinicians." Irfan Hasan, Program Director of Health and Behavioral Health at The Trust, commented: "Palliative care decisions in cases of serious and chronic illness are fraught with emotional and personal significance. The Trust is proud to support FAIR Health's efforts to aid those decisions." Diane E. Meier, MD, Director of the Center to Advance Palliative Care, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, stated: "Having witnessed the need for clear and accurate information when making critical health decisions during chronic and serious illness, I am heartened by FAIR Health's effort to promote shared decision making for patients and caregivers when they most need clarity and guidance." Follow us on Twitter @FAIRHealth About FAIR Health FAIR Health is a national, independent nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information through data products, consumer resources and health systems research support. FAIR Health possesses the nation's largest collection of private healthcare claims data, which includes over 30 billion claim records contributed by payors and administrators who insure or process claims for private insurance plans covering more than 150 million individuals. FAIR Health licenses its privately billed data and data productsincluding benchmark modules, data visualizations, custom analytics and market indicesto commercial insurers and self-insurers, employers, providers, hospitals and healthcare systems, government agencies, researchers and others. Certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a national Qualified Entity, FAIR Health also receives data representing the experience of all individuals enrolled in traditional Medicare Parts A, B and D; FAIR Health houses data on Medicare Advantage enrollees in its private claims data repository. FAIR Health can produce insightful analytic reports and data products based on combined Medicare and commercial claims data for government, providers, payors and other authorized users. FAIR Health's systems for processing and storing protected health information have earned HITRUST CSF certification and achieved AICPA SOC 2 compliance by meeting the rigorous data security requirements of these standards. As a testament to the reliability and objectivity of FAIR Health data, the data have been incorporated in statutes and regulations around the country and designated as the official, neutral data source for a variety of state health programs, including workers' compensation and personal injury protection (PIP) programs. FAIR Health data serve as an official reference point in support of certain state balance billing laws that protect consumers against bills for surprise out-of-network and emergency services. FAIR Health also uses its database to power a free consumer website available in English and Spanish and an English/Spanish mobile app, which enable consumers to estimate and plan for their healthcare expenditures and offer a rich educational platform on health insurance. The website has been honored by the White House Summit on Smart Disclosure, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), URAC, the eHealthcare Leadership Awards, appPicker, Employee Benefit News and Kiplinger's Personal Finance. FAIR Health also is named a top resource for patients in Dr. Marty Makary's book The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Careand How to Fix It and Elisabeth Rosenthal's book An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back. For more information on FAIR Health, visit fairhealth.org. About The New York Community Trust The New York Community Trust is a public charity and a grantmaking foundation dedicated to improving the lives of residents of New York City and its suburbs. It brings together individuals, families, foundations, and businesses to build a better community and support nonprofits that make a difference. It applies knowledge, creativity, and resources to the most challenging issues in an effort to ensure meaningful opportunities and a better quality of life for all New Yorkers, today and tomorrow. Contact: Dean Sicoli Chief Communications Officer FAIR Health 646-664-1645 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fair-health-launches-shared-decision-making-tools-for-palliative-care-301017423.html SOURCE FAIR Health [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Take command of the RSK9 and save Earth from the invasion of energy parasites in this shmup with a unique twist: you only gain attack power by exposing your ship to danger or taking damage! Review keys available Emirates Islamic, a leading Islamic bank in the region, delivered strong results for the year ending on December 31, 2019, with a net profit of Dh1.061 billion ($288.86 million), the highest ever in the banks history. This was revealed at the banks 44th General Assembly Meeting at the Emirates NBD Bank Head Office in Deira. Commenting on the banks performance, Hesham Abdulla Al Qassim, Chairman of Emirates Islamic, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Emirates NBD, said: As the Islamic banking partner of choice for UAE nationals and residents, Emirates Islamic continued to play an instrumental role in driving growth in the Islamic finance sector. Emirates Islamic full year 2019 financial highlights: Net profit for the year increased by 15%, reaching Dh1.061 billion. Total Income for 2019 increased by 8% to Dh2.7 billion. Financing and investing receivables at Dh37.5 billion, increased by 4% from end 2018. Customer deposits at Dh45.3 billion, increased by 9% from end of 2018. Current and saving accounts balances represent 63% of total customer deposits. Headline financing to deposits ratio at 83%, demonstrates healthy liquidity position. Tier 1 capital ratio at 19.5% and capital adequacy ratio at 20.7%. Impaired financing ratio is at 7.6% with a strong coverage ratio of 120%. Hesham Al Qassim added: Looking ahead to 2020, Emirates Islamic maintains a positive outlook, with Expo 2020 Dubai set to deliver a significant boost to the economy as millions of visitors are expected to join the mega-event. Emirates Islamic will continue to play an instrumental role in contributing to growth and innovation in the Islamic banking sector, working to educate more individuals and institutions in the UAE about the benefits of Islamic banking solutions. TradeArabia News Service Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 09:21 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206979b8d 1 Entertainment Bars-of-Death,Morbid-Funk,Morgue-Vanguard,hip-hop-group,hip-hop,album,Bandung-West-Java,#barsofdeath Free Bandung-based hip hop group Bars of Death released a new CD on Monday. Released by Bandung-based independent record label Grimloc Records, the album, titled Morbid Funk, consists of 10 tracks with a total duration of around 47 minutes. Morbid Funk features the groups single A.C.A.G, which was included in the 2014-released Memobilisasi Kemuakan (Mobilizing Disgust) compilation album. According to a statement received by The Jakarta Post, the group had written and prepared materials for Morbid Funk since 2014. They explored samples, recording techniques, narrations and rhymes using compositions that were based on classic boom-bap, a music production style that was popular between the 80s and 90s. They also included different elements, such as soul and crime funk, in their materials. After a halt in the recording process in late 2017, Morbid Funk was finally ready for release. Read also: Ucok and music's radical potential Bars of Death collaborated with other musicians in the album, including rap group Blakumuh; hip hop group Eyefeelsix; and Vladvamp, the bassist of industrial rock band Koil, Vladvamp. Morbid Funk is available for purchase at Grimloc Store with starting prices at Rp 55,000 (US$3.80). One of the albums singles, Bait Kematian (Death Verse), is available on digital music platforms, including Spotify. Established in 2014, Bars of Death consists of former members of Bandung-based veteran hip hop group Homicide, namely Morgue Vanguard (the moniker of Herry Ucok Sutresna); Sarkasz; and DJ Evil Cutz. They are known for being loud in criticizing the government through their lyrics. The band's first single, All Cops Are Gods, was released in 2014. One of their songs, Tak Ada Garuda di Dadaku (2016) (There's No Garuda in My Heart), was included in compilation album Organize!: Benefit Compilation for Community Empowerment alongside 20 other Bandung-based music groups. (wir/kes) LAS VEGAS, March 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Folded Flag Foundation , a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization committed to honoring the legacy of Americas fallen service members by helping their families with financial support for education, is pleased to announce that Rob Clapper, a fourth-generation Army veteran, has joined the Foundation as Chief Development Officer. In this role, Clapper is responsible for developing robust fundraising operations, establishing corporate-philanthropic partnerships, implementing employee/customer giving campaigns and increasing national brand awareness that will bring in new donors for the Foundation. Clapper has extensive non-profit and fundraising experience that spans more than 12 years. He most recently served as executive director of Our Military Kids, which helps military children while their parents are deployed or recovering from severe injuries. Prior to that, Clapper served as chief advancement officer of Hope for the Warriors, which provides comprehensive support programs for service members, veterans and military families. Clapper is a fourth-generation Army combat veteran, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of U.S. Army Special Operations Command. During his distinguished military service, Clapper supported some of the nations most elite warfighters. He was responsible for direct support and coordination with various worldwide embassies, intelligence agencies, as well as Department of State officials and diplomats throughout the world. His commitment to his missions and fellow soldiers was recognized in 2004 when he was selected as a General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award recipient. I am honored to join The Folded Flag Foundation and support the legacy of our nations fallen heroes who gave their lives in service to our country by helping to fulfill the educational dreams of their surviving loved ones, said Clapper. It is my hope and privilege to use my non-profit, fundraising and military experience to continue building awareness for Folded Flag and securing support to fulfill its mission of providing scholarships for the spouses and children of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Being a part of an organization that has 100 percent of its administrative costs covered by corporate underwriters is phenomenal and allows us to provide even more funding and support for the families. Story continues The Folded Flag Foundation was formed in 2014 as a non-profit organization that relies on public donations to provide educational scholarships to the spouses and children of U.S. military and other government personnel who lost their lives in defense of our country. To qualify for The Folded Flag Foundations scholarship program, applicants must be the spouse (any age) or child (aged 0-26) of a U.S. military or government personnel who lost his or her life as a result of hostile action or in an accident related to U.S. combat or stateside military operations. All operational and administrative costs are paid for by corporate underwriters, Black Knight Inc., Fidelity National Financial, FIS and ServiceLink, so 100 percent of all public donations can go directly to the qualifying family members. We are extremely pleased that Rob has joined The Folded Flag Foundation to share his experience and expertise to further our important cause, said Kim Frank, president of The Folded Flag Foundation. Limited government funding is falling short of covering the total cost of education for surviving family members in their critical transition to civilian life. Rob has proven experience that will help us alleviate that educational funding gap for surviving spouses and children across all levels of education. Last year, Folded Flag celebrated its fifth year in operation. Since opening its doors, Folded Flag has awarded more than $6 million in educational funding to more than 425 spouses and children of fallen service members from across the nation. The 2020-21 application period runs through May 15, 2020, with scholarships awarded in time for the fall school semester enrollment period to those selected. About The Folded Flag Foundation The Folded Flag Foundation is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization committed to honoring the legacy of our fallen heroes by helping their families with financial support for education. The Folded Flag Foundation proudly gives 100 percent of ALL donations to families in need. Corporate sponsors Black Knight, Inc., ServiceLink, Fidelity National Financial (FNF) and Fidelity National Investment Services (FIS) underwrite all administrative costs. For more information on The Folded Flag Foundation, including how to make a donation to support its cause, please visit www.FoldedFlagFoundation.org . For more information: Michelle Kersch The Folded Flag Foundation, Inc. 904.854.5043 michelle.kersch@bkfs.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7766f17e-5721-4866-9388-55f0ec8deac1 NREL Demonstrates New Wind Turbine Blade Manufacturing Methods and Technology March 10, 2020 Manufacturing industry representatives listen as NRELs Robynne Murray demonstrates a smaller-scale infusion process using thermoplastic resins. Photo by Brittany Conrad. In late-February, researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Flatirons Campus demonstrated a new, advanced material used to manufacture wind turbine blades to manufacturing industry representatives during a Women in Manufacturing (WiM) event at the Composites Manufacturing Education and Technology (CoMET) facility. NREL partnered with the WiM Association's Colorado Chapter to organize and host the event, which included a tour and networking reception. Led by NREL Senior Engineer Derek Berry, the group first toured the CoMET, which supports new, innovative approaches to wind and water turbine manufacturing. Attendees learned about the facility's scope of research and manufacturing capabilities, with thermoplastic resin systems as the key driver in the research of innovative materials. During the tour, Berry emphasized the facilitys focus on minimizing end-of-life wind turbine blade waste by enabling the design and production of turbine blades using thermoplastic resinsa component that can reduce overall manufacturing costs, minimize production cycle time, and has the potential to be recycled. The CoMET is supplied with the necessary materials and equipment to support and conduct this advanced research. Robynne Murray, a research engineer at NREL, demonstrated a smaller-scale infusion process using a thermoplastic resin system to simulate how large wind turbine blades are made. Berry and Murray answered questions about the design, manufacturing, construction, and assembly of turbine blades throughout the tour. "This event spotlighted NREL's knowledge, technology, and innovation in manufacturing research through the work taking place at the CoMET," said David Snowberg, an NREL senior mechanical engineer. "Women in Manufacturing represents an important audience for our work, and we're happy to share our exciting research with this group." After touring the CoMET, the WiM group walked across the street to NREL's Structural Testing Laboratory to see where turbine blade evaluation takes place. Equipped with hard hats and protective eyewear, the group learned of NREL's structural blade research, which evaluates structural performance, strength, and durability. The 34 event attendees represented manufacturing and engineering; building materials, infrastructure, banking, and finance; technology; nonprofit organizations; law; chemicals, food, and beverage; and other industries. WiM offers resources and connections for women in manufacturing and encourages a more diverse representation in the industry. Learn more about CoMET and find out how to get involved with the Women in Manufacturing Association. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told his entire nation to "stay at home" on Monday evening as the country experiences the second highest number of coronavirus cases in the world. As of Tuesday morning, Italy had 9,172 confirmed cases only second to mainland China where the virus first emerged late last year. As a result, the Italian government has decided to put the entire country in lockdown and impose a series of restrictions to try to contain the spread. Here are just some of them from the government's official decree: The man charged with abuse of corpse following the disappearance and death Paighton Houston was granted bond by a Bessemer Cutoff judge Tuesday, over the objections of prosecutors, investigators and Houstons parents. Fredrick Hampton, 50, appeared before Jefferson County District Judge Thomas Thrash Jr. for what was set to be a preliminary hearing the Class C felony case against him. His attorney, however, waived that hearing but asked that bond be set for his client. Hampton has been held without bond since his Jan. 29 capture by U.S. Marshals in Ohio. He was later extradited to Jefferson County. We think that no bond is unreasonable, Hamptons attorney, Emory Anthony, told the judge. Houstons mother, Charlaine Houston, emotionally disagreed that he should be released. Our daughter is already gone, and weve lost her, she told the judge. I would hate to see it happen to anyone else. The standard bond schedule for a Class C felony ranges between $2,500 and $15,000. The judge explained to the Houston family that the law required him to set bond in this case. He set the bond at the maximum and ordered Hampton to wear an electronic monitoring device. Hampton must remain at his home at all times with no curfew whatsoever. Hampton is currently still in custody. Paighton Houston vanished Dec. 20. She was last seen at Tin Roof in the 2700 block of Seventh Avenue South in Birminghams Lakeview District. According to Birmingham police, she left the bar about 10:45 p.m. with two heavy-set black males. Sgt. Johnny Williams said it was reported that Houston left the location willingly with the two men. She had reportedly gone to the Birmingham bar with co-workers. Friends on Facebook said Houston didnt know the men and that the last text message from her to a coworker about two hours after she left Tin Roof - stated she didnt know where she was, and she felt she might be in trouble. She had sent multiple messages to her co-worker, the last one reading, Idk who im with so if I call please answer. I feel in trouble. That text was sent at 12:15 a.m. Dec. 21 but not seen by her coworker until nearly two hours later. The body of the 29-year-old Houston was found Friday, Jan. 3, wrapped in sheets and buried in a shallow grave behind the house at 215 Chapel Drive. That house belongs to relatives of Hampton. The Jefferson County Coroners Office listed the cause of death as morphine and methamphetamine toxicity. The manner of death is accidental. "This represents an overdose and is classified as a drug-opioid death,'' said Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates. Hampton is not charged in Houstons death, only with actions authorities say he took following her death, which in this case would be burying her. According to Alabama law, a person commits the crime of abuse of a corpse if he or she knowingly treats a human corpse in a way that would outrage ordinary family sensibilities. It is a Class C felony. We have evidence the victim and the offender were together the night of Dec. 20, 2019,'' said Sheriffs Office Deputy Chief David Agee in an earlier press conference. We have evidence the victim died the next day at a house on McClain Street in Brighton. We have evidence that after the victim died, her body was disposed of in a criminal manner by Fredrick Hampton. More than a half dozen family members Hampton and Houston each were in the courtroom Tuesday. Two members from each family were allowed to stand at the bench while bond was discussed. Houstons parents were one side while two of Hamptons sisters were on the other. The state argued that Hampton had proven to be a flight risk since he was captured in Ohio. His attorney said Hampton had gone to Ohio well before there was a warrant issued for his arrest so, therefore, he wasnt fleeing from anyone or anything. But he already knew he was being looked at, said Doug Houston, Paightons father. Prosecutors said much the same. He was with her. He knew she was dead. He left (the state) after knowing she was dead. That suggests culpability to me, said Bessemer Cutoff Chief Assistant District Attorney Valerie Hicks Powe. If you look at the totality of the evidence, it suggests he could leave again. Hes not a flight risk. He never was, Anthony said. I dont know where their information is coming from and it will be interesting to see where its coming from. Hes presumed to be not guilty, hes entered a pleas of not guilty and well see whether the state of Alabama can carry their burden of proof, Anthony said. President Donald Trump arrives at the US Capitol to attend the Republicans weekly policy luncheon in Washington on March 10, 2020. He is flanked by (from left to right) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Vice President Mike Pence, and Republican Policy Committee Chairman Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO). (Samuel Corum/Getty Images) Trump Pitches His Economic Response to Coronavirus on Capitol Hill WASHINGTONPresident Donald Trump visited Capitol Hill on March 10 to meet Republican lawmakers and seek support for his stimulus plan to tackle the economic disruptions caused by the coronavirus outbreak. We just had a meeting on stimulus, and youll be hearing about it soon. But it was a great meeting, Trump told reporters on the Hill after meeting with Republican senators. Trump promised on March 9 that he would announce substantial assistance for workers and businesses to deal with the significant economic fallout of the virus. Possible measures include a payroll tax cut and assistance for hourly wage earners. Trump called payroll tax cut a very substantial relief for workers. Were also going to be talking about hourly wage earners getting help so that they can be in a position where theyre not going to ever miss a paycheck, he said during a press briefing on March 9. The proposed economic assistance would also provide liquidity to large and small companies that are hit by the coronavirus outbreak. Its not their fault. Its not our countrys fault, Trump said. Also, were going to be seeing the Small Business Administration and creating loans for small businesses. Trump is also proposing economic relief for the airline industry, cruise ship industry, and hotels, which have been hit the hardest by virus related cancellations. Trumps announcement came after the U.S. stock market plummeted on March 9. The stocks had their worst day of 2020 as fears of the coronavirus and a steep decline in oil prices shook trader confidence around the world. The panic sell triggered the first automatic trading halt in more than 20 years. U.S. stocks neared the 20 percent drop, approaching the so-called bear market territory. Stocks recovered on Mar. 10, regaining a good portion of the losses. However, concerns over the coronavirus still remain. We have a very strong economy, Trump said. But this camethis blindsided the world. And I think weve handled it very, very well. Tax Relief Faces Resistance When asked whether Republicans endorsed the idea of payroll tax relief, Trump said, Theres a great feeling about doing a lot of things. And thats one of the things we talked about. Democrats are reluctant to support Trumps proposed payroll tax cut. Instead, they propose paid sick leave and broadened unemployment insurance. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized Trump on March 10 for proposing another tax cut. The administration seems to believe that the answer to any problem is another tax cut, he said on the Senate floor. Speaker Pelosi and I have mentioned several actions we could take, from paid sick leave for impacted workers to unemployment insurance, food and housing security, and protections against price gouging. A payroll tax is withheld by employers from each employees salary and is paid to the government. The government uses this money to fund specific programs such as Social Security, Medicare, unemployment compensation, and workers compensation. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told reporters on March 10 that reaction to the idea of cutting payroll taxes among Republicans was mixed. The payroll tax, as a general stimulusIve got to think about that, he said. U.S. Economy Is Resilient Trump will meet with the executives of top U.S. banks at the White House on March 11 to discuss responses to the outbreak. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve recently issued guidance to banks on how to work with customers impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. In addition, the New York Federal Reserve injected more cash into lending markets, increasing its overnight short-term borrowing by $50 billion. These common-sense solutions will help ensure economic resilience as we navigate the economic headwinds created by the Coronavirus, U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO Thomas Donohue said in a statement, applauding the Feds response. It is important to remember that the fundamentals of the American economy remain strong, he added, urging businesses and consumers not to be guided by fear. Asked whether the United States is heading toward a recession, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin sounded confident that the U.S. economy was resilient enough to weather a significant crisis from the outbreak. There are parts of the economy that are going to be impacted, especially workers that need to be at home, hard-working people who are at home under quarantine or taking care of their family. Well be working on a program to address that, he said on March 9. We will also be working with small businesses who need liquidity through SBA programs. This is not like the financial crisis, where we dont know the end in sight. This is about providing proper tools and liquidity to get through the next few months, said Mnuchin. Congress passed an $8.3 billion aid package last week to curb the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. The bill authorizes $7.76 billion in funds for vaccine development and medical supplies, grants for health agencies and organizations, and loans for impacted small businesses. The bill also provides $500 million in waivers for Medicaid telehealth restrictions. The president signed the bill into law on March 6. An outspoken Chinese rights activist who called for President Xi Jinping to step down over the coronavirus outbreak has been charged with "inciting state subversion", rights activists said Monday. Xu Zhiyong has been detained since February 15, after publishing a series of blogposts criticising the Communist Party's response to the coronavirus outbreak that has now killed more than 3,100 people in the country. Police at Dongxiaokou station in Beijing told Xu's sister on Saturday that he had been moved to "residential surveillance in a designated location", Hua Ze, a human rights activist in close contact with Xu's relatives, told AFP. This is a form of extrajudicial detention lasting up to six months where detainees are denied access to lawyers and relatives, and are vulnerable to torture and coercion, according to activists. Hu Jia, a veteran Chinese rights activist, said police threatened Xu's sister. Police told her "she was not allowed to visit him due to outbreak prevention and control measures, and would not be allowed to visit even after the outbreak subsided", Hu said. "We don't know where he is being detained or which exact department is handling his case, which makes it hard to give him legal assistance." The government has severely curtailed civil liberties since Xi took power in 2012, rounding up rights lawyers, labour activists and even Marxist students. Patrick Poon, a researcher at Amnesty International, said that Xu's detention will have a "chilling" effect on other activists. "But the Chinese government's attempt to silence all activists and dissidents won't succeed, as we have seen that more ordinary people are making online comments about the government handling of the outbreak," said Poon. - No comment from police - Poon added that it was "very likely" that Xu's detention is related to his articles criticising Xi and the government's handling of the coronavirus outbreak. Story continues Dongxiaokou police declined to comment on Xu's case. Xu's girlfriend, the feminist and labour rights activist Li Qiaochu, has also been in police detention since February 16. "These two cases are closely related. As far as we understand, police have placed both Xu and Li under residential surveillance and charged them with subversion of state power," said Hu. "Inciting subversion of state power" is a vague charge frequently used against dissidents and political activists, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. In a scathing open letter published on February 4, Xu urged Xi to resign over a number of issues including the coronavirus outbreak, the China-US trade war and the Hong Kong protests. "A competent political leader is steadfast and sees opportunity in crisis. But each time you are faced with a major crisis, you are helpless," Xu wrote in the letter which was published on social media. Xu said the president should have known the truth about the virus in early January but waited until it was "too late to let the facts be made public, which caused the outbreak to explode into a national calamity". The prominent lawyer and activist co-founded the New Citizens' Movement, a civic rights group that has called for constitutional reform and anti-government corruption. Xu was sentenced to four years in jail in 2014 for "gathering crowds to disrupt public order". Since late last year, Chinese police have detained several lawyers and human rights activists who attended a secret meeting in Fujian in early December, according to Hua. These included the lawyer and democracy activist Ding Jiaxi, another member of the New Citizens' Movement. Xu attended the gathering and went into hiding before he was finally detained by police in Guangzhou. There has been a dramatic increase in the incidence of bowel cancer in adults under the age of 50, according to new research from the University of Bristol, UWE Bristol and University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (UH Bristol). Using NHS patient data from the last 40 years, the research led by Adam Chambers at the University of Bristol and UH Bristol, looked at more than 55,000 cases of colorectal (bowel) cancer over 40 years in England. Adam Chambers, Honorary Senior Research Associate in the School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Bristol and Colorectal Registrar at UH Bristol, said: Age has always been a major risk factor for bowel cancer, with the majority of cases being diagnosed in patients over 60 and therefore bowel cancer screening has focused on older age groups. However, this study shows that over the past 30 years, there has been an exponential increase in the incidence of bowel cancer among adults under 50." The research, published in the British Journal of Surgery (BJS), describes in detail the demographic changes in colorectal cancer incidence among this younger population. The study highlights that the increase in bowel cancer incidence in young people is predominantly driven by an increase in tumors of the lowermost portion of the bowel, specifically the sigmoid colon and rectum. While this increase does not appear to be associated with gender or socioeconomic status, there are some marked geographical variations. The fastest increase in bowel cancer incidence was observed in southern regions, with an increase of more than ten per cent per year in the South West. The study supports the findings from recent European and American studies that also showed the incidence of bowel cancer to be increasing quickly in young adults and, importantly, provides far greater detail on how this relates to the characteristics of the young adult population. David Messenger, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at UH Bristol and corresponding author, added: Bowel cancer is becoming increasingly common in younger adults. Future research needs to focus on understanding why this trend is occurring and how it might be reversed, potentially through the development of cost-effective testing strategies that detect tumors at an earlier stage or polyps before they become cancerous." Not anymore. Last week My Lovely Wife, Ruth, was on one of her frequent business trips, a jaunt that took her to London, Amsterdam, then back to London, then back home. She brought a roll-aboard suitcase that she didnt intend to let out of her sight. But at Heathrow Airport for her KLM flight to Schiphol, the clerk told her shed have to check it. The Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of being behind the move by the senate to begin a public hearing on the social media bill. The party, in a series of tweets on Twitter, says the bill is aimed at gagging Nigerians and foisting a dictatorial system on the country. Speaking via its official Twitter handle, the Party further call on Nigerians, civil societies, and the media to reject the bill. PDP Wrote: PDP Urges Nigerians To Resist Anti-Social Media Bill In Senate The OfficialPDPNig has called on Nigerians, including the media, organized civil society and all pro-democracy groups to unite against moves to pass the obnoxious anti-social media bill at the nassnigeria. The partys call is predicated on the decision by the NGRSenate to commence a public hearing on the bill, which is being pushed by anti-democratic individuals in the MBuhari Presidency, who seek to gag Nigerians, suspend our constitutional provision of free speech and foist a dictatorial system on our country. The OfficialPDPNig said it is time for Nigerians to eschew all political, sectional and religious differences and stand in unity against a bill that is clearly designed to suppress and silence the people, emasculate institutions of democracy, particularly the media, take away the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech of citizens and turn them into conquered people without a voice, in their own country. It is clear that this bill is part of the anti-democratic moves to further emasculate the 1999 Constitution (as amended) ostensibly as a prelude to foisting a full totalitarianism in our country, where citizens will no longer have the right to freely hold or support opinions. It is obvious that the reason for this bill is to suppress democratic rights and prevent Nigerians, the media, civil society groups, pro-democracy organizations, the opposition and dissenting voices from freely criticizing the atrocities, abuses, incompetence, corruption, security compromises, nepotism and general misrule that have pervaded the President MBuhari-led administration. The frenzy to pass this bill further exposes the intolerance of the MBuhari-led administration as well as the desperation to cover its atrocities for which it is mortally afraid of public criticisms. The OfficialPDPNig expressed worry that the Senate listed the unconstitutional and anti-people bill for second reading procedures even when Nigerians across board had reached a consensus in rejecting the bill, given its underlying fascist intendments. The party holds that our nation already has appropriate laws guiding the boundaries of free speech and opinion, which the authorities can enforce within the ambits of constitutional provisions, in the case of any violation. Our party insists that Nigeria is a democratic state governed by the provisions of our Constitution. Our citizens will therefore not allow any attempt by anybody to foist fascist laws tailored to suppress their rights and freedom as a people. The OfficialPDPNig therefore urged the leadership of the nassnigeria to resist all pressure from enemies of our democracy to pass this unconstitutional and anti-people bill. PDP Urges Nigerians To Resist Anti-Social Media Bill In Senate The @OfficialPDPNig has called on Nigerians, including the media, organized civil society and all pro-democracy groups to unite against moves to pass the obnoxious anti-social media bill at the @nassnigeria. pic.twitter.com/Zi26IzLt7y Official PDP Nigeria (@OfficialPDPNig) March 9, 2020 The partys call is predicated on the decision by the @NGRSenate to commence a public hearing on the bill, which is being pushed by anti-democratic individuals in the @MBuhari Presidency, Official PDP Nigeria (@OfficialPDPNig) March 9, 2020 who seek to gag Nigerians, suspend our constitutional provision of free speech and foist a dictatorial system on our country. Official PDP Nigeria (@OfficialPDPNig) March 9, 2020 who seek to gag Nigerians, suspend our constitutional provision of free speech and foist a dictatorial system on our country. Official PDP Nigeria (@OfficialPDPNig) March 9, 2020 The @OfficialPDPNig said it is time for Nigerians to eschew all political, sectional and religious differences and stand in unity against a bill that is clearly designed to suppress and silence the people, emasculate institutions of democracy, particularly the media, Official PDP Nigeria (@OfficialPDPNig) March 9, 2020 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of U.S. Central Command said on Tuesday that the United States was in the process of bringing air defence systems into Iraq to protect American troops in case of a potential Iranian attack. "We are also in the process of bringing air defence systems, ballistic missile defence systems, into Iraq in particular, to protect ourselves against another potential Iranian attack," U.S. Marine General Kenneth McKenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command, said during a House Armed Services Committee hearing. Earlier this year, the Pentagon said it was trying to secure permission from Iraq to take Patriot missile defences into the country to better defend U.S. forces after Irans Jan. 8 missile attack. (Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) Keira Knightley has described how proud she felt of her daughter for calling out lack of consent in a Disney film, saying she cant tell you how pleased I was. In October 2018, Knightley made headlines when she revealed that she had banned certain classic Disney films from her household. Speaking on The Ellen Show, the Oscar-nominated actor said that her daughter Edie was not allowed to watch Cinderella because the character waits around for a rich guy to rescue her, adding that The Little Mermaid was also off limits because the character should not give [her] voice up for a man. In a new interview with Porter magazine, Knightley admitted that her four-year-old daughter has since watched all the previously-banned fairytale films. Shes watched them all now, the Pride and Prejudice star said with a groan. Nonetheless, Knightley stated that when watching the 1959 animated feature Sleeping Beauty, her daughter pointed out that Prince Phillip kisses an unconscious Aurora without her consent at the end of the film. When watched Sleeping Beauty, she said, Its not OK that man kissed her without her permission! I cant tell you how pleased I was, the 34-year-old said. If I dont do anything else, Ive managed to drum that in! Knightley has two daughters with her husband, Klaxons bandmember James Righton. Their second daughter, Delilah, was born in September last year. During her interview with Porter, the Atonement actor also spoke about how she doesnt believe it should be newsworthy if she earns more money than her husband. The best placards from #March4Women 2020 Show all 20 1 /20 The best placards from #March4Women 2020 The best placards from #March4Women 2020 Getty Images The best placards from #March4Women 2020 AFP via Getty Images The best placards from #March4Women 2020 AFP via Getty Images The best placards from #March4Women 2020 AFP via Getty Images The best placards from #March4Women 2020 AFP via Getty Images The best placards from #March4Women 2020 AFP via Getty Images The best placards from #March4Women 2020 AFP via Getty Images The best placards from #March4Women 2020 Getty Images The best placards from #March4Women 2020 Getty Images The best placards from #March4Women 2020 AFP via Getty Images The best placards from #March4Women 2020 AFP via Getty Images The best placards from #March4Women 2020 AFP via Getty Images The best placards from #March4Women 2020 AFP via Getty Images The best placards from #March4Women 2020 Getty Images The best placards from #March4Women 2020 Getty Images The best placards from #March4Women 2020 AFP via Getty Images The best placards from #March4Women 2020 AFP via Getty Images The best placards from #March4Women 2020 AFP via Getty Images The best placards from #March4Women 2020 Getty Images The best placards from #March4Women 2020 Getty Images Knightley explained that when she was growing up, it was never an issue when her mother earnt more than her father. A lot of the time, my mum was earning more than my dad and that was never an issue, she said. I mean, sometimes he earned more, sometimes she earned more. I was not raised to think that was anything other than normal. Knightley described her shock when she discovered there are actually articles saying how much [my partner] earned and how much I earned, because its newsworthy that a woman could possibly earn more. Thats what our national newspapers are telling girls that you have to feel guilty about doing well if its making a man feel uncomfortable, which it doesnt with my husband and it didnt with my dad. But yet our society is telling us thats what it should be, she stated. Knightley is playing feminist activist Sally Alexander in upcoming comedy-drama Misbehaviour, which depicts the events of the 1970 Miss World competition. The event sparked protests by Womens Liberation activists and ended with Miss Grenada Jennifer Hosten becoming the first black woman to be crowned the winner of the competition. Standard Chartered together with Mentoring Women Ghana hosted the United States Ambassador to Ghana, Mrs. Stephanie S. Sullivan on its 5km mentoring walk in Accra. The event brought together about 50 young women from various tertiary institutions to mark this year's International Women's Day. This forms part of the banks community engagement programme Futuremakers by Standard Chartered. This is a global initiative to tackle inequality and promote greater economic inclusion. Futuremakers seeks to empower the next generation to learn, earn and grow through programmes focused on education, employability, and entrepreneurship. The Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank, Mansa Nettey led the team to inspire the young girls to follow their dreams. The young girls were paired with their mentors who are the staff of the Bank based on their interests, goals, and aspirations. Some of the mentees shared their experiences and the knowledge they have acquired during the mentoring process. They pledged their commitment to put everything they had learned into practice and be ready to take up the mantle from the older generation. By Fang Xiaozhi As the South Pacific country with the strongest military power, Australia has always upheld an independent defense program focused on enhancing its military strength. Meanwhile, based on the US-Australia alliance, it has acquired a great deal of advanced weapons and equipment, military intelligence and defense technologies from the US to quickly promote its defense transformation and military modernization. Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison recently announced that the country will spend 1.1 billion Australian dollar (about USD726 million) upgrading Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Tindal in Northern Territory (NT) to deploy the F-35 stealth fighter jets purchased from the US. This will exert important impacts on Australias defense capability building and the development of its alliance with the US. Tindal base upgrade will accelerate the modernization of Australian Air Force In recent years, countries in the Asian Pacific region have ramped up their military buildup by buying huge amounts of advanced fighter jets, airborne early warning and control systems, and tanker airplanes. Their military development has in a way weakened the long-term air supremacy dominated by the Australian Air Force, which is unacceptable for the South Pacific country that has always relied on cutting-edge technologies for its regional superiority. Therefore, the Australian Air Force has worked hard on its modernization in recent years and has bought or planned to buy a wide range of sophisticated warplanes including the F-35, in the attempt to maintain its dominance. Upgrading the RAAF Base Tindal will remove the space and facilities obstacles that may impede the modernization of the Australian Air Force, and effectively bolster its control capacity and combat superiority in key regions. After a major upgrade, RAAF Base Tindal can deliver enhanced support capabilities for American and Australian fighter jets Located in the southern hemisphere, Australia boasts a vast territory surrounded by the sea. Since its security threats basically come from the Indian Ocean and the Pacific regions, most of its military bases are located in the north to facilitate ground-to-sea or cross-sea operations. Besides, as Americas important ally in the Asia Pacific, Australia is called the southern anchor of their alliance in the region, and most of its bases are made available to American troops. By upgrading the Tindal Base, Australia will be able to meet the operating demand of the F-35 squadron thats about to form primary combat force, and better cope with the increasingly complicated regional security situation. On the other hand, it will be able to provide better services for American warplanes in Australia and make the two countries air forces more coordinated and combat-integrated. Tindal base upgrade will deepen the Australia-US alliance In recent years, with the deepening of the America-proposed Indo-Pacific strategy, the Pentagon is readjusting its troops in the Asia Pacific from the north to the south and has flexibly deployed the troops to the most appropriate spots where they are needed most based on actual conditions. As Americas important ally in the Asian-Pacific region, Australia commands a special geographical location at the intersection of the Pacific and Indian oceans and boasts a vast territory and more appropriate distance compared to Japan and ROK. It is an important destination in Americas troops re-deployment because it is suitableto deploymilitary forces and conduct massive joint training. Upgrading the RAAF Base Tindal is a major step taken by Australia to cooperate with the America in deepening Indo-Pacific strategy and enhance their alliance. Going forward, Canberra can deploy advanced warplanes at the base to correspond with Washingtons forces stationed at Guam and Hawaii, forming a powerful joint sea-air assault group in the Indo-Pacific region. In this way, Americas military presence and power-projection capability will be largely enhanced in the South Pacific and will lead to significant shifts in the regional balance of power. In general, Canberra has displayed a high level of strategic understanding of Washingtons Indo-Pacific strategy that is aimed at forming a free and open Indo-Pacific region. In addition to assisting in the latters military deployments in the Pacific and Indian oceans, Australia will also probably see northwestward and step up military forces in Central Asia and the Middle East, to help the US firmly control the sea route from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. These moves will not only further reinforce their defense partnership, but will also help Australia, a regional middle power, to achieve its goals in the global power system. (The author is a researcher at the BRI Institute of Strategy and International Security, Fudan University) A new radio station, for women by women, has launched in Afghanistan's eastern Khost Province. It focuses on issues such as health, education, and domestic violence. "There are lots of topics that male journalists cannot discuss," says one presenter. Police Chief John Madden said his department has a procedure in place to limit their exposure to the virus. Police officers will still respond to most 911 calls and they have access to face masks. He said, however, that police will allow fire and medical officials to arrive first to health-related calls. Upcoming trips to Jamaica and Nicaragua have been canceled by Elms College, but the college said no cases of the disease have been reported within the Elms community. The trips were scheduled over the next several days. In addition, Elms-sponsored international travel for faculty, staff, and students has been prohibited "for the foreseeable future,'' according to a statement from the administration. International students have been encouraged to remain on campus during the break. In addition, Elms has a campus Health Emergency Preparedness Committee working to respond to the developing situation. The colleges Information Technology department is preparing to move classes online if that becomes necessary, but that has not happened to this point. Students and their families can find the latest information at elms.edu/coronavirus. The EU on Tuesday praised Italy for taking "bold" steps to curb the spread of the new coronavirus outbreak, adding that Brussels would do all in its power to help. "We commend the Italian authorities for the very courageous measures they are taking," said Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Commission's executive vice president. "We know that they will put a great strain on the Italian people, but it's better to take those bold measures now to protect as many people as possible from the virus," he said. The coronavirus outbreak has killed 463 people in Italy and forced the government to restrict movement for its 60 million citizens. Dombrovskis is the EU executive's most senior economic official and all eyes will be on the tolerance in Brussels for big spending by Italy to face the economic shock caused by the outbreak. Italy, the eurozone's third biggest economy, is heavily indebted and often in violation of EU limits on public spending; its fragile banks are seen as a particular danger for the wider economy. The government aired plans on Tuesday to allow families to suspend mortgage and some tax payments to help them deal with the crisis. Ministers said they would also ask the EU to allow Rome to raise its deficit spending beyond the 7.5 billion euros (USD 8.5 billion) allowed to help businesses hurt by the sudden downturn, with tourism especially hit. "We will support Italy and its people by any means and measures at our disposal," Dombrovskis, a former Latvian prime minister, said. While nothing has been decided, he hinted that a European response on the economy would focus on helping smaller companies in Italy and across Europe, perhaps with special loans. "We can withstand the shock. Our economic fundamentals are strong. Our economies will be able to rebound once this shock is absorbed," he said. Italy on Tuesday imposed travel restrictions and a ban on public gatherings to help fight the spread of a disease that has infected more than 9,000 people in the Mediterranean country in just over two weeks. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Six more cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Kerala, and the total number of infected people now stood at 12, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said here on Tuesday Thiruvananthapuram: Six more cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Kerala, and the total number of infected people now stood at 12, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said here on Tuesday. Cabinet Decisions | Fighting #Covid19 State put under high alert All public programs suspended till this 31st Educational institutions of classes up to VII will remain closed No change in exams for classes VIII to X Awareness programmes across the State Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) March 10, 2020 The affected include three who had come from Italy and eight who came in contact with them, Vijayan told reporters after a special cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Kerala: Due to #Coronavirus, cinema theatres will remain closed from tomorrow till March 31 in the state. The decision was taken at a meeting of various Malayalam cinema organizations in Kochi. ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2020 A three-year-old child, who returned along with his parents from the European nation, had tested positive in Kochi on Monday. The samples of his parents have also been sent for testing and the results are awaited, Vijayan said. Totally, 1,116 people are under surveillance in the state and 149 in various hospitals, he said. India's first three positive cases, reported from Kerala earlier, have been treated and discharged from hospitals. In the backdrop of more cases being reported, classes for Class 1 to 7 would not be held in all state, CBSE and ICSE schools. But, exams for Class 8, Class 9 and Class 10 and higher secondary would be held. Students who are under observation would be permitted to write examinations in a special room. The Chief Minister said all colleges would also be shut till this month-end. Madrasas and tutorials would also be closed till March 31. Marriage rituals can be held but people should avoid attending such functions. It is better pilgrims do not visit Sabarimala for darshan, Vijayan said. Madhya Pradesh Political Crisis LIVE Updates: BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said that soon the Congress will only have two leaders, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, after former party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia tendered his resignation on Tuesday. Auto refresh feeds Seventeen MLAs, including at least six ministers, known to be Scindia loyalists, are currently in Bengaluru. Chief Minister Kamal Nath promised to reconstitute the state Cabinet after an emergency meeting late on Monday night. Following the meet, around 20 ministers resigned reposing faith in Nath's leadership. As crisis loomed over the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh, party sources said on Tuesday that efforts were on to woo back the disgruntled leader and former MP Jyotiraditya Scindia who remained 'incommunicado'. The BJP has called its legislature party meeting at 7 pm, while the Congress will hold a similar meeting at 5 pm at the residence of the chief minister Kamal Nath amid the political crisis in Madhya Pradesh In a massive political development, senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia met Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi on Tuesday morning. Scindia is likely to join the BJP later this evening, sources tell NDTV. Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Tuesday said that he had "no idea why Jyotiraditya Scindia met Narendra Modi and Amit Shah" after Scindia met Shah in Delhi. He also added that the BJP is lying about no role in the crisis, they are trying to topple Madhya Pradesh government. Meanwhile, a meeting is underway at BJP office in Bhopal. Senior leaders including Shivraj Singh Chouhan, VD Sharma and Vinay Sahasrabuddhe are present, reports news agency ANI. Hours after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, Jyotiraditya Scindia resigned from the Congress party. In his resignation letter addressed to interim party chief Sonia Gandhi, he wrote that he is unable to fulfil his aim of serving the people through the Congress. He added that a "fresh start" to work towards the "aspirations of his people". Through a statement issued by its senior leader KC Venugopal, the Congress announced that Jyotiraditya Scindia has been expelled from the party for "anti-party activities". Chowdhury said that the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh may not survive and slammed the BJP's "present-day politics" of trying to topple and destabilize opposition governments. Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that Scindia may have gotten lured by the offer of minister ship made by Narendra Modi. "He held many senior posts in Congress party and was well respected. We know his family has been associated with BJP for decades, but yet his exit is a big loss," he said. Additionally, Congress MLA Bisahu Lal Sahu joined the BJP in the presence of the saffron party's leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan. "I have resigned from the Congress as well as from the membership of State Assembly. I have joined BJP. Most of the Congress MLAs will resign from the Congress in coming days as they are fed up with the functioning of Kamal Nath government," he said. After resigning from the Congress, Jyotiraditya Scindia is set to join the BJP at 6 pm, News18 reported. "Its time for him (Rahul) and the senior leaders to make drastic changes at the top. We cant go on like this anymore," Rao said. Karnataka Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao said that it was time for former party president Rahul Gandhi to "lead from the front", after senior party leader in Madhya Pradesh Jyotiraditya Scindia tendered his resignation on Tuesday. Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot slammed Jyotiraditya Scindia for resigning from the Congress and said that Scindia had betrayed the trust of the people and their ideology. "Such people proves they cant thrive without power. Sooner they leave the better," he added, in a tweet. On the other hand, Congress leader Kantilal Bhuria, who met Nath on Tuesday afternoon, said , "The state government is strong and it will continue to run. The government is not going to fall because someone is saying so. We have required number of MLAs." India Today also quoted Singh as saying, "It doesn't look like the government will last... we should be ready to sit in the Opposition benches, " and added that they are his personal views. Congress leader Lakshman Singh said that the party should be ready to sit in the Opposition, amid the political development threatening the Madhya Pradhesh government under Kamal Nath. "Whatever happened let it be. Now we should be ready to sit in the Opposition. In the future, Congress again will form the government. I don't think there will be much number game. We will meet the chief minister and discuss it," he said. ANI quoted the MLAs' letter as saying, "We've come to Karnataka voluntarily for some important work, regarding which we require protection for our safe movement and stay in and around Bangaluru". The 19 Madhya Pradesh Congress MLAs who are in Bengaluru have written a letter to the Karnataka DGP asking for police protection after Jyotiraditya Scindia resigned from the party and is set to join the BJP. She said , "I am very happy and congratulate him. This is 'ghar vapasi'. Madhavrao Scindia had started his political career with Jan Sangh. Jyotiraditya was being neglected in Congress." BJP leader Yashodhara Scindia, aunt of Jyotiraditya Scindia, on Tuesday said that she "congratulates" him for resigning from the Sonia Gandhi-led party. However, regarding the meeting with SP and BSP MLAs, Chouhan said, "They have just come here to meet me on the occasion of Holi. There is no politics in it." Two Madhya Pradesh MLAs of the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party have arrived at the residence of BJP leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The meeting comes after Jyotiraditya Scindia tendered his resignation from the Congress, after which the party expelled the senior leader for "anti-party activities". Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath wrote to the state governor Lalji Tandon and recommended the immediate removal of six ministers, ANI reported. The six ministers are Imarti Devi, Tulsi Silavat, Govind Singh Rajput, Mahendra Singh Sisodia, Pradyuman Singh Tomar, and Prabhu Ram Chaudhary. Hence, the Congress will having just 95 MLAs, while the saffron party would still have109 MLAs, which is a comfortable margin for the party to form the government. If the resignation of 19 Congress MLAs who are loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia who also resigned from the party on Tuesday morning are accepted by the Speaker NP Prajapati, the strength of the Assembly will come down to 209, making the halfway mark 105 seats. The Congress formed the government under Nath with the support from the BSP, who has four MLAs, and SP, who has one MLA. On the other hand, the BJP has 109 MLAs and there are four Independent MLAs in the House. The Madhya Pradesh Assembly has a strength of 230 MLAs, of which the Congress had won 114 seats in the October 2018 election. However, while the party won the highest number of seats, it was one seat short of the halfway mark. Here is how the number game could play out for the Kamal Nath government in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly: "It is sad news for the Congress party because Jyotiraditya Scindia had been nurtured by the party over the years. He had been entrusted with important jobs by the party. But now the situation had come to such a pass that he found it more convenient to switch over to the other party," Chowdhury was quoted by News18 as saying. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, reacting to Jyotiraditya Scindia's resignation from the party, said that ideology didn't matter to the former Congress leader and that "political convenience" and "personal ambition" had resulted in the decision. A woman activist, however, said they are elated because of Holi and in view of the early onset of "Diwali", hinting at uncertainty prevailing over survival of the Kamal Nath government, PTI reported. Members of the Madhya Pradesh BJP on Tuesday celebrated the Holi festival at the party headquarters in the state while a political crisis gripped the Kamal Nath government in the state after Jyotiraditya Scindia tendered his resignation. Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA from Sumawali in Morena, Adal Singh Kansana, on Tuesday tendered his resignation as member of Legislative Assembly. Several other MLAs of the ruling party in the state have already sent their resignations to Speaker NP Prajapati after former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the party. Bringing the tally of Congress MLAs who have quit the Madhya Pradesh Assembly to 22, another Congress MLA Manoj Choudhary from the Hatpipliya constituency in Dewas, has also tendered his resignation, ANI reported. Apart from them, six ministers Tulsi Silawat, Govind Singh Rajput, Dr Prabhuram Choudhry, Imarti Devi, Pradyumna Singh Tomar, and Mahendra Singh Sisodia have also quit the Kamal Nath government. While a total of 22 Congress MLAs have resigned from the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, the 19 MLAs who first tendered their resignations include Hardeep Singh Dang, Rajyavardhan Singh, Brajendra Singh Yadav, Jaspal Jajji, Suresh Dhakad, Jaswant Jatav, Santram Sironia, Munnalal Goyal, Ranveer Singh Jatav, OPS Bhadoria, Kamlesh Jatav, Giriraj Dandotiya, Raghuraj Kansana, Biasahulal Singh. He said, "I have come to Bhopal with the resignations of 19 MLAs who are currently in Bengaluru. The number can increase till 30 by evening as many people are willing to join BJP." Uttar Pradesh BJP leader Bhupendra Singh arrived in Bhopal as the political developments on Tuesday threatened the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh. At least 22 MLAs of the party resigned on Tuesday after former senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the party. Madhya Pradesh Congress leader PC Sharma, one being asked if the party has enough MLAs to save the Kamal Nath government from falling in the state, said, "Certainly a new thing will come up. You will get to see Kamal Nath's masterstroke." Former senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia has arrived in Delhi ahead of joining the BJP in the presence of Union ministers Amit Shah and Nitin Gadkari in the National Capital on Tuesday. Scindia refused to comment on the development. The saffron party will also be holding a crucial legislature meeting later on Tuesday. Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari and BJP president JP Nadda have arrived at the party headquarters in Delhi ahead of the ceremony to induct former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia into the saffron party, reports said. The ceremony is likely to take place at 6 pm on Tuesday evening. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to arrive at the BJP headquarters in Delhi soon for the crucial legislature party meeting, CNN-News18 reported. The meeting is likely to overlap with the induction ceremony of former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, who resigned from the party on Tuesday morning. Leader of Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Gopal Bhargava and other BJP leaders including Narottam Mishra, submitted the resignation letters of the 19 rebel Congress MLAs to the Assembly Speaker NP Prajapati. Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker NP Prajapati, after being given the resignation letters of 19 rebel Congress MLAs on Tuesday evening, said, "I will take action according to the established procedure of the state Assembly." Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived at the BJP headquarters in Delhi for the Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting to decide on the candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election. While CNN-News18 reported that the induction is likely to take place on Wednesday in light of the BJP's CEC meeting scheduled for Tuesday, NDTV quoted sources as saying, "Once Amit Shah reaches the BJP headquarters, the entire process to inducting Jyotiraditya Scindia into the party will begin. The Prime Minister likely to come little late and the Central Election Committee meeting will begin." There is ambiguity on whether former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia will be inducted into the BJP on Tuesday, hours after he quit the Sonia Gandhi-led party. 22 MLAs have followed suit and have resigned from the ruling party in Madhya Pradesh, leaving the Kamal Nath government facing a threat to its majority. The BJP Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting to decide on candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election is underway, with Union ministers Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, and BJP president JP Nadda in attendance. The Madhya Pradesh governor Lalji Tandom is monitoring the political developments in the state from Lucknow, India Today reported. He is unlikely to return to Bhopal before 12 March, the report said. Twenty-two Congress MLAs loyal to Scindia followed suit over the course of the day. The meeting of the Madhya Pradesh Congress MLAs which was chaired by Chief Minister Kamal Nath for the last two hours has ended, CNN-News18 reported. The Congress government in the state is facing a threat to its majority after former senior party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia tendered his resignation to Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday morning. "Congress is treating Sachin Pilot the same way they had treated Jyotiraditya Scindia. Congress does not include Pilot's photos even in their hoardings. Supporters and youth leaders of their party are unsure of their future under Congress' top leadership," he added. "How many leaders are they going to expel? If they continue expelling their leaders like this, soon the day will come when only Sonia and Rahul Gandhi will be left in the Congress," Hussain was quoted as saying by ANI. BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said that soon the Congress will only have two leaders, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, after former party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia tendered his resignation on Tuesday. He was quoted by NDTV as saying, "Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the party, he chose what was best for him. I'm more worried about the future of the Congress party. If Rahul Gandhi does not believe in supporting us, why did he bring us." Former Congress leader Pradyot Deb Barman said that Jyotiraditya Scindia had quit the Sonia Gandhi-led party because he "chose what is best for him". Congress leader Gaurav Pandhi minced no words in slamming Jyotiraditya Scindia for resigning from the Congress and planning to join the BJP. The Indian Express quoted Pandhi as saying, "A traitor is a traitor and no amount of arguments and reasoning can justify treachery. Period!" The BJP's legislative party meeting is underway at the party office in Bhopal. Union minister and MP from Damoh, Prahlad Patel and other senior leaders of the party are also present. Various reports quoted sources as saying that Jyotiraditya Scindia, who quit the Congress on Tuesday, is likely to be inducted into the BJP in Bhopal on 12 March, Thursday. He is also likely to file his nomination for the Rajya Sabha election on a ticket of the saffron party, News18 reported. Congress spokesperson Shobha Oza on Tuesday said that there was no threat to the Congress government under Kamal Nath in Madhya Pradesh. She also said that the party will prove its majority. "We have the numbers. The MLAs, who have left are in touch with the chief minister. There is no threat to the government. We'll prove our majority in the house," she was quoted by News18 as saying. While CNN-News18 reported that the induction is likely to take place on Wednesday in light of the BJP's CEC meeting scheduled for Tuesday, NDTV quoted sources as saying, "Once Amit Shah reaches the BJP headquarters, the entire process to inducting Jyotiraditya Scindia into the party will begin. The Prime Minister likely to come little late and the Central Election Committee meeting will begin." There is ambiguity on whether former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia will be inducted into the BJP on Tuesday, hours after he quit the Sonia Gandhi-led party. 22 MLAs have followed suit and have resigned from the ruling party in Madhya Pradesh, leaving the Kamal Nath government facing a threat to its majority. The BJP Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting to decide on candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election is underway, with Union ministers Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, and BJP president JP Nadda in attendance. The Madhya Pradesh governor Lalji Tandom is monitoring the political developments in the state from Lucknow, India Today reported. He is unlikely to return to Bhopal before 12 March, the report said. Twenty-two Congress MLAs loyal to Scindia followed suit over the course of the day. The meeting of the Madhya Pradesh Congress MLAs which was chaired by Chief Minister Kamal Nath for the last two hours has ended, CNN-News18 reported. The Congress government in the state is facing a threat to its majority after former senior party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia tendered his resignation to Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday morning. "Congress is treating Sachin Pilot the same way they had treated Jyotiraditya Scindia. Congress does not include Pilot's photos even in their hoardings. Supporters and youth leaders of their party are unsure of their future under Congress' top leadership," he added. "How many leaders are they going to expel? If they continue expelling their leaders like this, soon the day will come when only Sonia and Rahul Gandhi will be left in the Congress," Hussain was quoted as saying by ANI. BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said that soon the Congress will only have two leaders, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, after former party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia tendered his resignation on Tuesday. He was quoted by NDTV as saying, "Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the party, he chose what was best for him. I'm more worried about the future of the Congress party. If Rahul Gandhi does not believe in supporting us, why did he bring us." Former Congress leader Pradyot Deb Barman said that Jyotiraditya Scindia had quit the Sonia Gandhi-led party because he "chose what is best for him". Dear @JM_Scindia ji, Got guts and have it in you to really make a difference in politics? Then form your own party and win to become CM of MP, instead of piggybacking the BJP & losing all the respect against your morals. How many here think he has the mettle to pull it off? Congress leader Gaurav Pandhi minced no words in slamming Jyotiraditya Scindia for resigning from the Congress and planning to join the BJP. The Indian Express quoted Pandhi as saying, "A traitor is a traitor and no amount of arguments and reasoning can justify treachery. Period!" Madhya Pradesh: BJP's legislative party meeting is underway at the party office in Bhopal. Union Minister & MP from Damoh, Prahlad Patel and other senior leaders of the party are also present. pic.twitter.com/TUIEluhDUH The BJP's legislative party meeting is underway at the party office in Bhopal. Union minister and MP from Damoh, Prahlad Patel and other senior leaders of the party are also present. Various reports quoted sources as saying that Jyotiraditya Scindia, who quit the Congress on Tuesday, is likely to be inducted into the BJP in Bhopal on 12 March, Thursday. He is also likely to file his nomination for the Rajya Sabha election on a ticket of the saffron party, News18 reported. Congress spokesperson Shobha Oza on Tuesday said that there was no threat to the Congress government under Kamal Nath in Madhya Pradesh. She also said that the party will prove its majority. "We have the numbers. The MLAs, who have left are in touch with the chief minister. There is no threat to the government. We'll prove our majority in the house," she was quoted by News18 as saying. Madhya Pradesh Political Crisis LATEST Updates: BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said that soon the Congress will only have two leaders, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, after former party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia tendered his resignation on Tuesday. "How many leaders are they going to expel? If they continue expelling their leaders like this, soon the day will come when only Sonia and Rahul Gandhi will be left in the Congress," Hussain was quoted as saying by ANI. "Congress is treating Sachin Pilot the same way they had treated Jyotiraditya Scindia. Congress does not include Pilot's photos even in their hoardings. Supporters and youth leaders of their party are unsure of their future under Congress' top leadership," he added. The BJP Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting to decide on candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election has ended, with Union ministers Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, and BJP president JP Nadda in attendance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived at the BJP headquarters in Delhi for the Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting to decide on the candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election. Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari and BJP president JP Nadda have arrived at the party headquarters in Delhi ahead of the ceremony to induct former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia into the saffron party, reports said. The ceremony is likely to take place at 6 pm on Tuesday evening. The saffron party will also be holding a crucial legislature meeting later on Tuesday. Madhya Pradesh Congress leader PC Sharma, one being asked if the party has enough MLAs to save the Kamal Nath government from falling in the state, said, "Certainly a new thing will come up. You will get to see Kamal Nath's masterstroke." At least 22 MLAs of the party resigned on Tuesday after former senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the party. While a total of 22 Congress MLAs have resigned from the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, the 19 MLAs who first tendered their resignations include Hardeep Singh Dang, Rajyavardhan Singh, Brajendra Singh Yadav, Jaspal Jajji, Suresh Dhakad, Jaswant Jatav, Santram Sironia, Munnalal Goyal, Ranveer Singh Jatav, OPS Bhadoria, Kamlesh Jatav, Giriraj Dandotiya, Raghuraj Kansana, Biasahulal Singh. Apart from them, six ministers Tulsi Silawat, Govind Singh Rajput, Dr Prabhuram Choudhry, Imarti Devi, Pradyumna Singh Tomar, and Mahendra Singh Sisodia have also quit the Kamal Nath government. Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA from Sumawali in Morena, Adal Singh Kansana, on Tuesday tendered his resignation as member of Legislative Assembly. Several other MLAs of the ruling party in the state have already sent their resignations to Speaker NP Prajapati after former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the party. Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath wrote to the state governor Lalji Tandon and recommended the immediate removal of six ministers, ANI reported. The six ministers are Imarti Devi, Tulsi Silavat, Govind Singh Rajput, Mahendra Singh Sisodia, Pradyuman Singh Tomar, and Prabhu Ram Chaudhary. The 19 Madhya Pradesh Congress MLAs who are in Bengaluru have written a letter to the Karnataka DGP asking for police protection after Jyotiraditya Scindia resigned from the party and is set to join the BJP. ANI quoted the MLAs' letter as saying, "We've come to Karnataka voluntarily for some important work, regarding which we require protection for our safe movement and stay in and around Bangaluru". After resigning from the Congress, Jyotiraditya Scindia is set to join the BJP at 6 pm, New18 reported. Additionally, Congress MLA Bisahu Lal Sahu joined the BJP and said that many MLAs are fed up with the functioning of Kamal Nath government. Hours after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, Jyotiraditya Scindia resigned from the Congress party. Meanwhile, through a statement issued by its senior leader KC Venugopal, the Congress announced that Jyotiraditya Scindia has been expelled from the party for "anti-party activities". In a major political twist in Madhya Pradesh, sulking Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia met Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seemingly paving the way for his entry into the BJP. As crisis loomed over the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh, party sources said on Tuesday that efforts were on to woo back the disgruntled leader and former MP Jyotiraditya Scindia who remained 'incommunicado'. While the BJP has called its legislature party meeting at 7 pm, the Congress will hold a similar meeting at 5 pm at the residence of the chief minister. Seventeen MLAs, including at least six ministers, known to be Scindia loyalists, are currently in Bengaluru. Chief Minister Kamal Nath promised to reconstitute the state Cabinet after an emergency meeting late on Monday night. Following the meet, around 20 ministers resigned reposing faith in Nath's leadership. In Delhi, sources said hectic efforts were underway by the Congress leadership to save the party's government in Madhya Pradesh and placate Scindia who has long been at daggers drawn with Kamal Nath over leadership issues. "The party high command is sending emissaries, including Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot to Scindia in order to win him back. But the efforts have not borne any fruit yet," a source told PTI. Pilot tried to reach out to Scindia but failed. The disgruntled Scindia did not respond to his message, sources said. On Tuesday, Pilot tweeted, "I am hopeful that the current crisis in Madhya Pradesh ends soon and that leaders are able to resolve differences. The state needs a stable government in order to fulfil the promises make to the electorate." Congress veteran and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh said Scindia could not be contacted. "We have not been able to talk to him yet... Anyone who is a true Congressman will not leave the party," he said, adding the people of the state would give a befitting reply to anyone who attempts to undermine their mandate. The Congress leaders have put up a brave face saying their government in the state would survive its full term. Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh unit of the BJP tweeted in memory of Jyotiraditya Scindia's late father Madhavrao Scindia whose birth anniversary falls on Tuesday. "Respected Madhavrao Scindia ji's ideological loftiness, political wisdom, supreme morality, and commitment to the Congress are still milestones in Indian politics even today and will always remain so," it stated. Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who met BJP chief jP Nadda in Delhi on Monday night and later returned to Bhopal, also took to twitter to remember late Madhavrao Scindia on his birth anniversary. Chouhan, however, said the current crisis was an internal matter of the Congress and needed to be resolved internally. While the Congress, which was voted to power in Madhya Pradesh after 15 years in 2018, has 114 MLAs, the opposition BJP has 107 legislators. Four Independent MLAs, two lawmakers of the Bahujan Samaj Party and one legislator of the Samajwadi Party are supporting the Congress-led state government. These developments come amid reports of infighting in Congress' Madhya Pradesh unit ahead of Rajya Sabha elections and party's allegations that BJP is poaching their MLAs. News18 reported that the legislators currently in Bengaluru include health minister Tulsi Silavat, labour minister Mahendra Singh Sisodia, transport minister Govind Singh Rajput, women and child development minister Imarti Devi, food and civil supplies minister Pradyumna Singh Tomar and school education minister Prabhura Choudhary. They are believed to be close to former Guna MP and senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia. Late on Monday, Nath called a meeting of the state Cabinet at his residence. All the ministers present in the meeting submitted their resignations to the chief minister, a senior minister said. "We have expressed our solidarity with the chief minister and submitted resignations to him in the cabinet meeting," the senior minister told PTI. "I will not allow (anyone) to destabilise my government with the help of mafia...I have dedicated all my life to serving the people, but the BJP has indulged in immoral ways to destabilise my government, the chief minister said in a statement in the cabinet meeting. ANI quoted Madhya Pradesh forest minister Umang Singhar, who was present at the meeting, as saying, "All the 20 ministers who were here, have tendered their resignations. The chief minister can reconstitute the state Cabinet now. All are together. Scindia ji is also with the Congress." The Congress government in Madhya Pradesh has accused the BJP of trying to poach its MLAs to topple the government, which enjoys a wafer-thin majority in the House. Nath, who was in Delhi earlier on Monday, has returned to Bhopal after cutting short his visit, PTI reported. Press Release 10 March 2020 Key hotel markets in Italy have reported significant occupancy declines amid the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19), according to preliminary February data from STR. "Italy has become a focal point of the COVID-19 outbreak, so to no surprise, the hotel occupancy impact has been significant in certain markets," said Robin Rossmann, STR's international managing director. "It is important to note, however, that performance declines are more pronounced in Italy in comparison with other countries due to the significant measures being taken by the government to combat the virus spread. The hope is that these measure will position Italy to rise from the situation earlier than other countries in order to offer a safe European destination for summer travelers." Photo: STR Milan reached an occupancy peak of 93% on 19 February as the market hosted Fashion Week. A downward trend began on 22 February, however, and absolute occupancy fell to 8.5% on 1 March amid the closures of schools, gyms, museums and other major cultural attractions, including the Duomo. Venice reported a steep occupancy decline beginning on 24 February. On 1 March, just 6% of rooms in the market were occupied. The cancellation of the last days of Carnival celebrations (8-25 February) was a factor behind the significant drop. A downward trend in occupancy became most noticeable in Florence around 25 February, with occupancy falling to 14% on average on 1 March. Rome, despite being further away from the epicenter of the outbreak, has also experienced declines in occupancy, with absolute occupancy at 21% as of 1 March. Rossmann noted via a webinar last week that despite the significant declines in occupancy, hoteliers have maintained levels in average daily rate (ADR). A recording of that webinar along with all other COVID-19 analysis from STR can be found HERE. CA Ventures has appointed Steven Zijl as Managing Director in Spain and Portugal. Zijl joins the company from Eurostate Real Estate Partners, a private management company he founded in 2001, specialising in private investment and development of residential, student housing and healthcare real estate assets. Photos: Hamish Jordan [] Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 07:50 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20696f2b1 1 National Singapore,COVID-19,COVID-19-Indonesian-patients,health-ministry Free The Singaporean Health Ministry announced on Monday that two of its most recent COVID-19 patients likely contracted the virus in Indonesia. Case 152 is an imported case involving a 65 year-old male Indonesian national who arrived in Singapore on March 7, the ministry stated on its website. He reported onset of symptoms on Feb. 28 while he was in Indonesia and had sought treatment at a hospital in Jakarta on March 2. He presented at [Singapore General Hospital] on March 7. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on [March 8] afternoon, the report said. On the same day, the Singaporean government announced Case 153, a Singaporean woman that was likely to have contracted the virus in Indonesia while she visited her sister who had pneumonia. Case 153 is likely to be an imported case involving a 65 year-old female Singaporean citizen who had been in Indonesia from Feb. 25 to Feb. 28. She reported that while she was in Indonesia, she had visited her sister who had pneumonia, the ministry reported. She reported onset of symptoms on March 3 and had sought treatment at Choa Chu Kang Polyclinic on the same day and on March 7, the report went on. Earlier, an Indonesian in Singapore, referred to as Case 147, also showed a similar pattern with Case 152. He showed symptoms in Indonesia prior to departing for Singapore. Case 147 is an imported case involving a 64 year-old male Indonesian national who arrived in Singapore on March 7, it said. He reported onset of symptoms on March 3 while he was in Indonesia, it went on. Also on Monday, the Singaporean government announced that it would not cover the hospitalization cost for foreigners holding short-term visit passes. The new rule has been in force since Saturday. The government will continue to pay the COVID-19 testing fees and hospital bills in full for Singapore residents and long-term pass holders who are admitted to public hospitals for COVID-19, it said. (evi) (Alliance News) - Fox Marble Holdings PLC on Tuesday predicted flat sales for 2019 and warned that coronavirus outbreak will impact sales of unprocessed marble as a result of the prominence of China as a buyer. The AIM-listed company, focused on marble quarrying and finishing in Kosovo and the Balkans region, expects sales for 2019 to total EUR1.4 million, flat year-on-year. Production is estimated to total 14,515 tonnes, up from 12,561 tonnes. "The fall in block sales of Illirico Selene following the closure of operations in Malesheve was offset by increased block sales from the Prilep quarry in Macedonia," Fox Marble said. It added that processed marble will form an increasing proportion of sales from 2020 onwards. In 2020, the company plans to focus on factory sales of processed marble to Kosovo and the greater Balkans area and sales of unprocessed marble to China. Chris Gilbert, chief executive of Fox Marble, said: "In the last year the company has refocussed its activities and I look forward to seeing the results of this and I am hopeful that we shall see the results of this in 2020 particularly in the sale of processed marble on the back of our developing customer base in the Balkans region". Shares in Fox Marble down 3.8% at 2.31 pence each in London on Tuesday afternoon. By Tapan Panchal; tapanpanchal@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. An Armenian serviceman was killed at the border with Azerbaijan on Tuesday, Armenias Ministry of Defense reported. It said that the incident occurred in the afternoon at the southwestern border with Azerbaijans Nakhijevan exclave and that 26-year-old contract soldier Zohrab Simonian was fatally wounded in the chest after a shot fired from Azerbaijani military positions. The incident comes days after Armenia and Azerbaijan traded accusations over fresh border fighting that left at least one Azerbaijani soldier killed and one Armenian soldier injured. On March 6, the Armenian military claimed to have thwarted an Azerbaijani commando raid on one of its positions along the northeastern section of Armenias border with Azerbaijan. According to the Defense Ministry in Yerevan, an Azerbaijani sabotage unit attacked the outpost but was repelled by Armenian soldiers deployed there, suffering losses as a result. Azerbaijans State Border Guard Service, whose troops protect that section of the border, denied the attempted incursion. It said that Armenian troops opened intensive fire on some of its positions from heavy machine-guns and sniper rifles earlier that day. Armenias Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement later on Tuesday, describing the latest ceasefire violation as yet another attempt of Azerbaijan to intentionally escalate the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border. Regular attempts by Azerbaijan to escalate the situation on the state border with Armenia, to expand the geography of escalation and refrain from applying the existing mechanisms of de-escalation attest to the deliberate nature of Azerbaijans attempts to undermine regional security and peace, it said. Such actions of Azerbaijan demonstrate that the establishment of international risk reduction mechanisms is an important priority of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, and the implementation of agreements reached in that regard is a necessary condition for the advancement of the peace process. Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh for years. A war in the early 1990s in which some 30,000 people were killed left ethnic Armenians in control of the region. Diplomatic efforts to settle the conflict have brought little progress. B ritons on board a coronavirus-hit cruise ship in California could be flown home today, the government has said. More than 140 British passengers and crew were on the Grand Princess, which is carrying 21 people who have tested positive for Covid-19. The vessel, which had been carrying 3,500 people from 54 countries, has docked in Oakland. The Foreign Office said it was working closely with the US authorities to repatriate British nationals on the vessel. Crew from the Grand Princess in protective gear wait to load luggage into waiting trucks at a dock in Oakland, / AP There were plans for a flight on Tuesday which would arrive in the UK on Wednesday afternoon. Passengers were expected to be allowed to disembark the Grand Princess from Monday - a process the liner's operator said will take a number of days. Britons on board described feeling tired and "fed up", having been confined to their cabins since Thursday. A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We continue to work closely with the US authorities to repatriate British nationals on board the Grand Princess. "The US are currently planning for a flight to leave tomorrow evening, returning to the UK on Wednesday afternoon. We remain in contact with all British nationals on board and will continue to offer support." There are 142 British nationals on board - both guests and crew members. 21 people test positive for coronavirus on Grand Princess Those leaving the vessel in Oakland will be tested for coronavirus, and anyone showing symptoms will be provided with treatment in San Francisco. The repatriation flight is expected to arrive in the UK on Wednesday and Britons will be free to go, rather than forced into quarantine. But anyone who shows symptoms after the flight will be asked to self-isolate in the UK. A spokeswoman for operator Princess Cruises said: "Disembarkation will commence in order of priority, as defined and directed by both state and local authorities. It is expected to be a multiple-day process." The crew will remain on board the ship as it departs from San Francisco Bay once all guests are off, Princess Cruises said. "Plans for a crew quarantine are still being determined," the spokeswoman said. Neil and Victoria Hanlon, from Bridgwater in Somerset, said they are eager to get home. Speaking before news of the planned disembarkation was announced, Mr Hanlon said he felt "gutted" that they might have to stay on the ship for another few days. He told BBC Breakfast: "(We're feeling) very suppressed, very tired, fed up. Just want to get home." Mr Hanlon said food is now being limited, and Mrs Hanlon added: "We just want to get back to Britain, really." Justine Griffin, from Coventry but living in Leicestershire, is travelling with her husband Dave and friends, and renewed her wedding vows on board the ship to mark her 25th wedding anniversary. She said that news of the flight home had given her family hope. "It's just given us a lot more hope because we can work out from that when we will be finishing quarantine and things like that," she said. "Our youngest, who we have through special guardianship, is eight and struggles with anxiety when we're not there as he's had a lot of upheaval in his life. "Without scaring him we've had to sort of dilute it down to 'there's a problem with the ship and we can't get off and as soon as we can we will be home' - for him that's really unsettling and it's really hard." Mrs Griffin added that communication from the Government had been poor and they had received most updates on their situation from news outlets. "We feel really, really let down," she said. "Our Government, until Sunday when we started talking to the press, we had heard nothing at all. They have all these people, why isn't anyone calling us?" MANILA, Philippines Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Tuesday vowed to uphold the Senates independence above political alliances, a day after he and his fellow senators filed a petition urging the Supreme Court to rule on whether on not the upper chamber has a role in the abrogation of treaties previously concurred on. Sotto and five other senators on Monday formally submitted a petition for declaratory relief and mandamus, asking the SC to define if a treaty previously concurred in by the Senate should require the concurrence of at least two thirds of its members upon its withdrawal. The petition was filed after President Rodrigo Duterte in February ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs to notify the United States of the Philippines intention to scrap the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), which was signed between Manila and Washington in 1999. Sotto said the legal move was meant to assert the sense of the power of the Senate that we know and we think that we have. He maintained that senators must be consulted on vital matters like the termination of international agreements and treaties just as its concurrence is required before the same are ratified. This role is particularly important to ensure that the power to forge partnerships with our neighbors and allies remains impartial. The Senate must do its part in protecting the checks and balances in our government, Sotto said. He also set aside concerns that he could lose his alliance with Malacanang because of the Senates action. Personal interests should never outweigh public welfare. I will always choose to fight for the independence of the Senate. That is the legacy that I would like to leave this institution when my term comes to an end, he said. Duterte, on the other hand, said he could not be compelled by the SC and will stand by his decision to terminate the military pact with the US. They cannot compel me. I refuse to be compelled. I have terminated it, tapos ang problema ko, he said in a press briefing late Monday. The post Sotto vows to uphold Senate independence after seeking SC ruling on treaty abrogation appeared first on UNTV News. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 03:42:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Alaa al-Masry checks oyster mushrooms at her house in Gaza City, on March 8, 2020. After a month of cultivation, a Palestinian woman harvested around 150 kg of organic oyster mushroom in a small farm she build in her own house. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) by Sanna Kamal GAZA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- After a month of cultivation, a Palestinian woman harvested around 150 kg of organic oyster mushroom in a small farm she build in her own house. Alaa al-Masry, 26, said she was happy that she eventually succeeded to harvest her first batch of agriculture product. She sold all the oyster mushroom to the local markets, earning money for the first time since she graduated from the university. "It is a great feeling to earn money after a month of farming," the young lady told Xinhua, while carrying a small box of the oyster mushroom. Al-Masry attended organic farming training courses organized by the Gaza Ministry of Agriculture. After the end of the training course, al-Masry started her project and established the first oyster mushroom farm in the besieged enclave. The farm, covering about 150 square meters, contains dozens of medium bags filled with straw and gypsum and hanged in the room ceiling. The bags are used in the cultivation of oyster mushroom. Al-Masry spends most of the day time taking care of her farm, as she checks the pendulous bags and sprays them with water, as well as monitoring temperature and humidity in the room. "The oyster mushroom is considered as a source of protein," she said, adding that it could be an alternative of meats. She came up with the idea of establishing her own farm after she failed to find a job in her study field in light of the severe economic conditions that the Gazans are suffering from. She once worked as a filmmaker. However, she quitted the job due to the lack of work opportunities as a result of the deteriorating economic situation, al-Masry said. Israel has imposed a tight blockade on the Gaza Strip, since the Islamic Hamas movement seized it in 2007. The United Nations repeatedly warned of a humanitarian deterioration in Gaza. In 2019, it issued a report warning that the Gaza Strip will not be suitable for living if Israel continues imposing the blockade on the enclave. "We cannot accept to be hostages to the political situation," al-Masry said, adding that "it is important to walk a step towards our future even if it seems difficult for us." Al-Masry can cultivate about 150 kg of oyster mushrooms per month. Each kilogram of oyster mushroom is priced at 10 U.S. dollars. However, al-Masry faces many challenges, especially in the marketing process. "Sometimes, there are people who prefer the imported products rather than the domestic product," she explained. Yet, she insisted on continuing her project, hoping to expand her cultivation by growing other types of mushrooms, such as Chinese and button mushrooms. Back in the heyday of Breaking Bad, no one could have predicted that the smarmy criminal lawyer would wind up with his own spinoff show. And better yet, that some critics would start saying his story was even more intriguing than the gradual decline of Walter White. Its a testament to both Bob Odenkirks extraordinary acting skills and the immense talent of the entire production team. Instead of sticking with their original plan of making Walt and Jesses lawyer a bit player who didnt feature prominently, they recognized the opportunity to develop Saul Goodman into the complex character we know and root for today. Because of that decision, were treated to the rare gift of Better Call Saul breaking our hearts in the best possible way. Saul Goodman | Ursula Coyote/AMC Saul Goodman was only supposed to appear on three episodes of Breaking Bad As National Review reported, Saul Goodman was supposed to be a joke. Even his name was done in jest, a spinoff of the throwaway phrase, Its all good, man. But after seeing Odenkirk bring his talent to the screen, showrunner Vince Gilligan realized hed have to change his original plan of having the character show up for a three episode arc before disappearing forever. Hes not the only one. Originally, the character of Jesse was also supposed to have a small role and get killed off until showrunners saw how well Aaron Paul balanced out Bryan Cranstons character. Based on those interactions, Jesse became just as important to Breaking Bad as Walter White was. The show Better Call Saul started out as a joke in the writers room It wasnt just the character Saul Goodman who started off in a unique way. The entire spinoff series Better Call Saul began as a What if that wasnt fully developed or even serious. Gilligan explained that at first, they pictured the series as something totally different. When we first started concocting the idea of doing a spinoff, we literally thought itd be a half-hour show, Gilligan told Rolling Stone. Itd be something akin to Dr. Katz, where its basically Saul Goodman in his crazy office with the styrofoam columns and hes visited every week by a different stand-up comic. It was all supposed to be funny, kind of like the original character idea. But the material brought them somewhere much more serious. He continued, Well this thing, especially in Season Four, is every bit as dramatic as Breaking Bad ever was. I just didnt see any of that coming. I didnt know how good it would all be. I really didnt. Better Call Saul has the unique challenge of telling a story thats already over Since the audience already knows what happens to Jimmy/Saul, writers have to tread carefully while telling the first part of the story. But this known ending adds some tragic foreboding to the show since we know Jimmy wont choose to be good in the end. And Gilligan is thrilled with their decision not to kill Jimmy off during Breaking Bad. As he told Rolling Stone, And in fact, we dont know where it ends up and thank goodness for that. Because we have a whole potential world of storytelling with Gene, Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodmans third alter ego in Omaha, Nebraska. Who knows how long that could go on? Saul Goodman could turn out fine If they had killed Saul in Breaking Bad, his ending would be even more tragic and then showrunners would be stuck backfilling, all while knowing the end was coming. It will take a lot to redeem Saul Goodman. But its at least possible. Were so glad Gilligan saw the potential for the character hes transformed into today. The administration has formed five teams to contact the 40 people who may have come in contact with the couple who was tested positive for novel coronavirus in the city on Monday. Deepak Mhaisekar, Punes divisional commissioner, said, Teams comprising officials of Pune Municipal Corporation, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation and district police has been formed to get in touch with the persons who may have come in contact with the two Covid-19 patients after they arrived here. As Dubai, the city from where the affected couple arrived in Mumbai, was not on the list of coronavirus affected regions, they were not screened. Now all international passengers are screened, an official said. The administration said 40 persons were with the couple on their trip to Dubai. The list of 40 people who were with the two patients has been received and respective district authorities have been told to carry out their medical examination. These people are from various districts in the state. We appeal for calm and not to reveal the identity of the patients or their workplace to protect their privacy, Mhaisekar said at a press briefing on Tuesday, at which district collector Naval Kishore Ram, PMC additional commissioner Rubal Agarwal and Pune police joint commissioner Ravindra Shisve were present. The cab driver and one of the family members of the affected couple were tested positive on Tuesday. The couple was tested positive late on Monday evening. The driver had driven the couple, upon their return from Dubai to India, from the Mumbai international airport to Pune on March 1. The three family members and the driver were in isolation at Naidu hospital and their samples were sent to National Institute of Virology (NIV) for testing, according to officials. Mhaisekar said that the infected husband and wife are currently stable and under observation. The couple who are the first reported positive case of Covid-19 in Maharashtra have been admitted to Naidu hospital along with three family members, and the driver. The couple had arrived in the country on March 1 after a 15-day visit to Dubai. They took a private cab from Mumbai airport to Pune. On March 8, one of the two started showing symptoms of infection and was referred to Naidu hospital for a check-up. Their samples were sent to NIV and tested positive. Currently six persons, including the five positive cases, are in the Naidu hospital isolation ward. Since Dubai is not in the initial list of the 19 countries from where citizens were being screened, the couple was not screened at the Mumbai airport. The administration had formed five teams which include officials from the revenue department, police, health, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to track and get details of the 40 people who had travelled with the couple to Dubai. The administration is also listing down people who came in contact with the couple at their workplace or the areas where they visited to keep a check on them too, Mhaisekar said. A senior official had said the duo started showing symptoms only on March 8 after which they approached doctors, following which their samples were sent for testing. Meanwhile, the domestic helpers who used to work at the housing society where the affected couple reside have been told to not visit the society premises by the residents of neighbouring housing societies. With agency inputs SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Yves here. I am adding this note after Links launched. 1. I apologize for the thin original posts because my service crashed last night and took a while to get back. 2. And a bleg!!! Can anyone do light audio editing, of an MP3? I have just a couple of short bits I need cut out or to have white noise put over them. Entire audio only 20 mins and I think only at most 4 places where meddling is needed, and I would time stamp them. I was hoping I could get this help pronto (as in the next day or so). If you are in a generous mood and have the time and skills, please e-mail yves-at-nakedcapitalism-dot-com with Audio editing in the subject line. Thanks! A California woman cared for her perfect succulent plant for two years. Then she found out it was fake. USA Today Markets Walked Off the Cliff. Will They Look Down? Bloomberg Bank investors confront a new fear: oil company defaults FT How this market crash is different from 2008, and the same FT #COVID-19 From a well respected friend and intensivist/A&E consultant who is currently in northern Italy Thread Reader (MR). For whatever reason, Italy failed to flatten the curve: After my inadvertent deletion of my prior tweet I re-drew a chart comparing the cumulative Covid-19 cases in the US to Italy eight days ago, updated with today's US number (currently 709). It's still not reassuring, especially for those of us in Seattle! pic.twitter.com/BcOKn4P8Xa Ajai Dandekar (@ajai_dandekar) March 10, 2020 Coronavirus can travel twice as far as official safe distance and stay in air for 30 minutes, Chinese study finds South China Morning Post. On a bus: It can be confirmed that in a closed environment with air-conditioning, the transmission distance of the new coronavirus will exceed the commonly recognised safe distance. People shed high levels of coronavirus, study finds, but most are likely not infectious after recovery begins STAT (original). n=9. From the abtract: Active virus replication in the upper respiratory tract puts prospects of COVID-19 containment in perspective. * * * One chart shows how many coronavirus tests per capita have been completed in 8 countries. The US is woefully behind. Business Insider The Dangerous Delays in U.S. Coronavirus Testing Continue The Atlantic Tourism flows and death rates suggest covid-19 is being under-reported The Economist * * * Its Not Panic; Its Reality The American Conservative With Coronavirus, Health Care for Some Is a Recipe for Disaster Editorial Board, NYT. But #MedicareForAll? Fuggedaboutit. Even though one might imagine that universal coverage free at the point of care would be helpful in the midst of a pandemic. How countries around the world are battling coronavirus FT WHO Official Says Coronavirus Containment Remains Possible NPR The death rate is NOT a biological constant. Dr. Melvin Sanicas, Threader (MR). * * * More Than 20 Colleges Cancel In-Person Classes In Response To Coronavirus NPR. You can see it coming. When things return to normal, the administrators will cancel them permanently and fire a lot of adjuncts. Coronavirus in N.Y.C.: Why Closing Public Schools Is a Last Resort NYT. For [750,000 children who are poor], school may be the only place they can get three hot meals a day and medical care, and even wash their dirty laundry. The situation has been starkly different thus far at some of the citys elite private schools, where the student bodies tend to be much whiter and wealthier than they are in public schools. Detroit to restore water service to unpaid homes to allow people to wash their hands to avoid coronavirus Detroit News What Do We Do When the Coronavirus Bankrupts the Health Insurance Industry CEPR Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin has suspended all non essential travel for city business amid coronavirus concerns. Suspending non essential travel means some travel will still be allowed, but only if its absolutely necessary, city officials said. The U.S. currently has more than 600 cases of coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control. There are 26 confirmed deaths from COVID-19: 22 in Washington state, two in Florida and two in California. Right now, there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Alabama. As a city we are moving intentionally to address prevention measures. The city has communicated with employees to put in place protocols to encourage preventative actions by each employees to main clean and sanitized facilities and identify next steps for any employee who may have recently traveled to a high risk location," Woodfin said. In addition, as of today, we are suspending all nonessential travel for city business by city employees. As a community, we must move on with day to day life. We have city functions to perform. We all have jobs, businesses, schools and families to take care of. We all must work together as a community through prevention measured shared by the CDC. Mayor Woodfin and Dr. Wesley Willeford of the Jefferson County Department of Health made a joint statement today on the status of coronavirus in Birmingham. pic.twitter.com/jJ7c2JxUEH City of Birmingham (@cityofbhamal) March 10, 2020 Woodfin also shared the CDCs recommended measures to prevent further spread of the virus: wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (especially after going to the bathroom and before eating or after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing), use alcohol-based hand sanitizers with at least 60 percent alcohol if soap is not available, clean and disinfect common surfaces and stay home if you are sick. The CDC does not recommend wearing a face mask to protect yourself from illness. Only wear a face mask if you have symptoms to reduce the risk of spread. The city has also created its own site for updates and information about coronavirus prevention. Two Alabama universities have suspended or limited international travel due to concerns over the coronavirus. The University of Alabama has suspended all non-essential university-sponsored travel to China for students, faculty and staff. Jacksonville State University has canceled all university-funded international travel until further notice. Some prominent events around the country have been canceled, including South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. Alabamas own music festival, Hangout Fest, is still set to continue as planned. Read all of AL.coms coverage of coronavirus here. This story will be updated. * FTSE 100 has largest drop since financial crisis * European oil and gas sector fall * Banks drop below 2008 levels * STOXX 600 falls to bear market territory Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters. You can share your thoughts with Thyagaraju Adinarayan (thyagaraju.adinarayan@tr.com), Joice Alves (joice.alves@tr.com), Julien Ponthus (julien.ponthus@tr.com) in London. ITALY'S DOOM LOOP IS AT IT AGAIN (1322 GMT) Italy's is clearly the European country suffering the most from the coronavirus outbreak at the moment so there's little surprise to see Milan, falling the most among its peers with a 11% drop. But there's more to it: the Italian banking sector is suffering a 12.6% fall while the yield of the Italian 10-year government bond is up sharply. Yep, rising while the Germany's Bund yield has just hit a record low close to -0.9%! That spread between Italian and Germany 10-year bond yields has been a closely watched indicator for the health of the Italian banking sector and it's not looking good if history means anything: (Dhara Ranasinghe and Julien Ponthus) ***** EYES ON GERMANY'S REACTION TO COVID-19 (1306 GMT) Germany's industrial economy is very exposed to the supply-side disruption created by factory closures in China and the rising number of new coronaviruus cases in the country suggests factory closures could happen soon. But there is a upside to it: Investors look forward to the stimulus the euro zone's richest economy could unleash. "Germanys fiscal policy is likely to become much more stimulative in the coming quarters," BCA says. "Such dynamics would confirm our assessment that a sharp rebound will follow any slowdown, however deep it may be". "Even the most fiscally conservative governments like Germany or the Netherlands are standing at the ready to mobilise many tens of -billions of fiscal stimulus support to get their disrupted economies back on track," says Tatton Investment Management. Meantime, Germany's just promised to increase public investments by 12.4 billion euros by 2024 and to make it easier for companies to claim subsidies to support workers on reduced working hours. The DAX isn't doing better than its peers however at the moment with a 7.6% fall compared to 7.3% for the STOXX 600. (Joice Alves) ***** MEANWHILE, BITCOIN... (1256 GMT) Also crashed and this is a FYI to anyone out there believing it has safe-haven qualities. At least it has shown none over the weekend as cryptocurrency fell a whopping 15% from Friday's close. During the height of the U.S.-China trade war, bitcoin rallied and got attention of investors who were looking for alternative safe-havens. Gold surged during that period, and so did bitcoin, although only briefly. But those moves are as mysterious as any in the last decade, when the digital currency's value surged from a few dollars to 1000s of dollars. (Thyagaraju Adinarayan) ***** WHAT CHART IS THE NY FED WATCHING? (1247 GMT) Just days after slashing its key Fed funds rate by 50 basis points, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York increased the amount offered in daily overnight and two-week repo operations to soothe investor nerves on Monday. But markets have ignored the central bank stimulus so far. A key gauge of U.S. dollar funding costs in Europe via money markets has widened to a five-month high while a bank stress gauge in the United States is approaching its highest in nearly two years, showing how nervous markets are. While some of the widening in money market spreads can be traced to typical quarter-end demand for U.S. dollars and the fiscal year end in Japan, it remains to be seen whether the rising tensions in money markets spills over to broader markets. (Saikat Chatterjee) ***** FLYING BLIND INTO THE U.S. OPEN (1244 GMT) Nice headline from Axicorp's Stephen Innes who makes a fair point that with U.S. futures prevented to fall deeper than 5%, we don't really know what to expect when Wall Street opens in an hour. "The S&P 500 E-mini future has been stuck limit down with a 5% loss for almost the entire day. That means the market is flying blind on how the cash market is going to react", he writes. Here's the S&P 500 E-mini chart this morning: yep, hard to make anything of a flat pancake chart, isn't it? (Julien Ponthus) ***** WHAT FED REPO ANNOUNCEMENT? (1202 GMT) There's a lot of talk about what governments and central banks could do to calm markets down and control the damage the coronavirus epidemic will do on the global economy. But these headlines announcing a major liquidity boost had close to no effect on the STOXX 600 or on U.S. stock futures. See below: Here's the story: NY Fed raises repo limits to ensure ample supply of bank reserves (Julien Ponthus) ***** "THIS IS THE SIGNAL TO START BUYING AGAIN" (1141 GMT) Why on earth would someone buy stocks today? Well, Paul OConnor, head of the UK-based multi-asset team at Janus Henderson Investors, just told us this: "Today is the first day we are seeing widespread panic and for me this is the signal to start buying again. I don't know where the bottom is but I know I would rather be buying into liquidation and capitulation than selling. We are now seeing panic and capitulation which is consistent with the market starting-to-bottom-out phase!". Guess this is a time for contrarians to show what they've got. (Sujata Rao with Julien Ponthus) ***** SENTIX SCREAMS RECESSION, SINKS IN SYNC WITH MARKETS (1123 GMT) "Never before have economic data from Sentix collapsed so sharply in all regions of the world within a month". This quote from one of the most watched busyness sentiment survey pretty probably tells you all you need to know about how hard the virus is hitting global growth. The Sentix index is screaming recession for Europe and most of the world and at a downturn for the U.S.: What the data is telling us is that we are past well beyond markets coronavirus jitters and investors are actually now scrambling to price in a global recession. "The collapse in Marchs Sentix marks only the start of what is set to be growing economic fallout as the rapid spread of coronavirus worldwide delivers the biggest shock economic shock since the global financial crisis", Oxford Economics' Daniela Ordonez commented. At this stage governments don't have a magic wand to fend off the incoming recession but can do a lot in terms of damage control, she argues. "What is in the hands of policy-makers is the delivery of measures to help businesses stay afloat until the coronavirus storm passes or is controlled, and to stave-off avoid potential firm bankruptcies, helping to prevent permanent jobs and economic losses." (Julien Ponthus) ***** EURO ZONE BANKS FALL TO UNCHARTERED TERRITORY (1055 GMT) The index of euro zone banks has never traded lower. So, purely based on the share price action, this coronavirus crisis is worst than the financial crisis if 2008 and the sovereign debt crisis. It's important to stress however that euro zone banks have seriously deleveraged and beefed up their capital cushions and liquidity ratios in the last decade. Anyhow, here's the EZ banking index since the euro was launched. (Julien Ponthus) **** OIL PRICE WAR: THERE'S A WINNER! (1040 GMT) Certainly not the European oil and gas sector, which hit its lowest point since 1997 after the Saudi government launched a de facto oil price war against Russia. Yet, there is one oil-related company in the Stoxx 600 which is having some gains: Vopak ! The Dutch company, which storages and ship oil products and liquid chemicals, is up almost 5%. Another company that is benefiting from the commodity price collapse is Ryanair, up a little bit but enough to celebrate given that travel and leisure stocks are hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak. Just FYI, remember BofA raised rating on European equities and airlines on Friday: UniCredit research team finds it easier to identify the big losers: "For the time being the main losses will be borne by OPEC itself and the cash-strapped U.S. shale producers," it writes in a note. The Saudi move underestimates Russia's ability to endure the pain of low oil prices, says the Italian bank, adding that Brent will soon return towards USD 40/bbl for two reasons: 1) "OPEC will be forced to take the initiative to stabilise the global supply even without the contribution by Russia, because most producers cannot sustain prices this low. If Moscow does not collaborate, the OPEC+ alliance will collapse." 2) "The financially most vulnerable shale producers will be forced out of the market, thus removing some additional barrels". Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK says the action might prompt the Russians back to the table to agree a production cut, but "this seems a high stake gamble". Take a look at how the European oil and gas companies are doing today versus the last 25 years or so: (Joice Alves) ***** EUROPE'S FEAR INDEX SURGES TO 2008 LEVELS (0945 GMT) How scared are European markets this morning? Well, somewhere between the peak of sovereign debt crisis - when markets didn't know whether the euro zone would make it - and the great financial crisis of 2009. For Connor Campbell at Spreadex, market price action this morning is "the equivalent of hoarding toilet roll and tinned beans people are scared". Here's Europe's EURO STOXX 50 volatility index: (Julien Ponthus) ***** IS THE LONGEST BULL MARKET IN HISTORY OFFICIALLY OVER? (0923 GMT) The STOXX 600 is now down over 20% from its February 19 peak hence, as far as European shares are concerned, today could be the first official day of a new coronavirus-triggered bear market. U.S. stock markets haven't reached the 20% decline benchmark yet though so there's a case of waiting for Wall Street to get to that level before sending the 'bull is dead' headline. There are of course no official rules for calling the end of a bull market but it does seem that with no visibility on when the spread of the virus will peak in Europe and in the U.S., a long lasting rebound could be quite far away. Anyhow, here's the STOXX since its 2011 low: it gained 100% in about 9 years and just lost over 20% in about three weeks: (Julien Ponthus) ***** OPENING SNAPSHOT: BLOODBATH (0840 GMT) European stocks plunge 7% as oil price drop and the fast-spreading coronavirus is sppoking stock market. Britain's FTSE index is on track for its worst drop since the global financial crisis, while the pan European STOXX 600 index has entered bear market territory. In Milan, all stocks but Recordati started trading with a delay. Many of the stocks in the CAC-40 have also struggled to open in the first few minutes of the trading day. Europe's oil and gas sector hit its lowest since 1997 and the basic resource index was also down more than 10% lower. (Joice Alves) ***** ON OUR RADAR: WORST DAY EVER? (0728 GMT) Futures are pointing to a super rough day for European bourses, with all the main futures indices down 10% as oil price has lost a third of its value, the biggest collapse in 30 years. An oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia adds to fears about a global recession in the wake of the economic crisis. Italy shuts down main economic areas and quarantines a quarter of the population, but the banking heavy Milan stock exchange is on course for an open. Needless to say high volatility is expected. It is hard to pick one single stock that might be struggling the most. (Joice Alves) ***** ITALY AND OIL STEALING THE SHOW 0640 GMT) European shares are seen lower this morning as investors price in a recession on fears the coronavirus outbreak will take a massive toll on the European economy. The centre of attention/ volatility will be Milan as Italy's financial markets will open as usual, after the government ordered a lockdown of large parts of the rich north of the country, including Milan, to fight the coronavirus. Commodities are also under pressure as Saudi Arabia slashed April crude oil prices, after OPECs oil supply cut pact with Russia fell apart on Friday, sending oil into a tailspin. Aramco shares dropped to its lowest price since the IPO. Financial spreadbetters at IG expect London's FTSE to open 419 points lower at 6,043, Frankfurt's DAX to open 630 points lower at 10,912 and Paris' CAC to open 298 points lower at 4,841. (Joice Alves) ***** (Reporting by Joice Alves, Julien Ponthus and Thyagaraju Adinarayan) They are a powerhouse artistic couple. And on Monday night in New York, Peter Dinklage and Erica Schmidt were honored by off-Broadway contemporary theater company The New Group at its annual fundraising gala. Dinklage starred in a New Group production of Cyrano adapted and directed by Schmidt last year. Center stage: Peter Dinklage and Erica Schmidt were honored by off-Broadway contemporary theater company The New Group at its annual fundraising gala in New York on Monday night Dinklage, 50, wore a black shirt and black trousers with a black leather jacket and long gray tie for the occasion. Schmidt, 44, chose a full-length white dress with short sleeves, round neckline and a drop waist. The couple married in 2005 and have two children together. Star: Dinklage, 50, wore a black shirt and black trousers with a black leather jacket and long gray tie for the occasion In the spotlight: Schmidt, 44, chose a full-length white dress with short sleeves, round neckline and a drop waist. The couple married in 2005 and have two children together Dinklage found fame with his critically-acclaimed performance in the 2003 film The Station Agent opposite Patricia Clarkson and Bobby Cannavale. He has since divided his time between stage and screen and is best known for his role as Tyrion Lannister in HBO's Game Of Thrones, which ended last year after eight seasons. Also attending Monday night's gala were Chloe Sevigny, Ethan Hawke and Cynthia Nixon. NEW YORK, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Bicycle Market 2020-2024 The analyst has been monitoring the global bicycle market and it is poised to grow by USD 10.5 bn during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of 4% during the forecast period. Our reports on global bicycle market provides a holistic analysis, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis covering around 25 vendors. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05256482/?utm_source=PRN The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current global market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The market is driven by environmental, and economic benefits associated with bicycles .In addition, increase in demand for titanium-based bicycles is anticipated to boost the growth of the global bicycle market as well. Market Segmentation The global bicycle market is segmented as below: Product: On-road And Track Bicycles Off-road Bicycles X-road And Hybrid Bicycles Propulsion: Manual Bicycles Motor-assisted Bicycles End-Users: Adults Children Distribution Channel: Offline Online Geographic Segmentation: APAC Europe MEA North America South America Key Trends for global bicycle market growth This study identifies increase in demand for titanium-based bicycles as the prime reasons driving the global bicycle market growth during the next few years. Prominent vendors in global bicycle market We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the global bicycle market , including some of the vendors such as Accell Group NV, Atlas Cycles (Haryana) Ltd., Derby Cycle Holding GmbH, Dorel Industries Inc., Giant Manufacturing Co. Ltd., GUANGDONG TANDEM INDUSTRIES Co. Ltd., Insera Sena. PT., Merida Industry Co. Ltd., Tandem Group Plc and Trek Bicycle Corp. . The study was conducted using an objective combination of primary and secondary information including inputs from key participants in the industry. The report contains a comprehensive market and vendor landscape in addition to an analysis of the key vendors. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05256482/?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 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links www.reportlinker.com The first reactions to Disneys new live-action remake, Mulan, are in and they are overwhelmingly positive. Fans had previously voiced concerns about the new version which, unlike the 1998 animated original, is not a musical and does not feature popular characters Mushu and Li Shang. However, fans and members of the press who were present at the movies world premiere on Monday night (9 March) have now shared their praise on Twitter, applauding the actors performances, Niki Caros direction and the battle sequences. Ive seen Mulan twice now and I must say it is grrrreat, wrote one Twitter user. Easily Disneys best live action reboot. I think its also Disneys first battle epic? It is beautiful & absorbing & rich & empowering. The cast is excellent and Niki Caros direction is just breathtaking. The cast of Mulan is fantastic in the film, said another. There are lots of little moments that nods to the animated thatll make the fans happy. Very beautiful & epic cinematography. It had more fantastical elements than I expected. Overall, a great re-telling of the animated and very fun. A third added: Mulan is one of the best live-action adaptation of a Disney animated classic. It honours the 1998 film and the ballad by modernising themes of female empowerment and iconic scenes, while also standing out w/ great cinematography & battle sequences are reminiscent of Wuxia epics. The remake stars Yifei Liu, Donnie Yen, Jason Scott Lee and Jet Li, and just like the original film it follows a woman who disguises herself as a man to fight in Chinas imperial army. Mulan will arrive in UK cinemas on 27 March. Its release in China has been postponed amid coronavirus fears. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Vienna, Austria Tue, March 10, 2020 19:15 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2069b30d2 2 World Austria,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,COVID-19,health,Italy,outbreak Free Austria will deny entry to people arriving from Italy and ban indoor events of more than 100 people, drastically stepping up measures aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Tuesday. The announcement comes a day after Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said the whole of his country was being placed under lockdown until next month, an unprecedented and unexpected new attempt to beat coronavirus in Europe's worst-affected country. "The utmost priority is to prevent the spread and thus the importing of the illness into our society. There is therefore a ban on entry for people from Italy into Austria, with the exception of people who have a doctor's note [certifying they are healthy]," Kurz told a news conference. Kurz and Interior Minister Karl Nehammer announced other measures, including a ban on indoor events of more than 100 people and outdoor events of more than 500 people. University lectures will stop on Monday at the latest and companies are being asked to let their staff work from home. Austria had previously said it would introduce spot health checks at its border with Italy on Tuesday, targeting vehicles with Italian license plates in particular. It also said last week it was banning direct flights to the Italian cities of Milan and Bologna, as well as to Iran and South Korea. Austria has had 157 confirmed cases so far and no deaths, compared with more than 9,000 cases in Italy and 463 deaths Flash The chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday that the novel coronavirus has got a foothold in so many countries and the threat of a pandemic has become very real. His words came as Cyprus confirmed its first two COVID-19 cases, which means all EU members have reported infection cases. European countries have begun to upgrade their containment measures. In Italy, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Monday evening that measures to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus will be extended to the entire country in the next hours. "THREAT OF PANDEMIC VERY REAL" COVID-19 is an uneven epidemic at the global level, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a daily briefing, reminding that different countries are in different scenarios, requiring a tailored response. It would be the first pandemic in history that could be controlled, the WHO head also noted. He called on all countries to take a comprehensive blended strategy for controlling their epidemics and pushing this virus back. Tedros also said of the around 80,000 reported cases of COVID-19 in China, more than 70 percent have recovered and been discharged. Among the countries with the most cases, China is bringing its epidemic under control. He stressed that the transmission of coronavirus can be slowed down and infections can be prevented through decisive and early actions. "Countries that continue finding and testing cases and tracing their contacts not only protect their own people, they can also affect what happens in other countries and globally," said Tedros. INFECTIONS KEEP RISING IN EUROPE The Italian authorities said Monday the number of people who tested positive for the new coronavirus reached 7,985, an increase of 1,598 new infections compared to the previous day, and did not include recoveries or fatalities. Considering all data (including deaths and recoveries), the number of assessed coronavirus cases in the country was 9,172. Also on Monday, Germany confirmed the first two deaths from COVID-19, both in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), German local media Focus reported. According to official data, the number of confirmed cases in Germany rose to 1,112 by Monday morning, 484 of which are in NRW. In France, 1,412 cases of coronavirus infection have been confirmed and 25 patients have died, Director-General of Health Jerome Salomon announced on Monday evening. Both Spain and Denmark eyewitnessed rapid growth in confirmed cases on Monday. The number of confirmed cases in Spain rose from just under 600 on Sunday to over 1,000, with the death toll increasing from 10 to 26. Denmark saw its total number of COVID-19 infections rise to 90 by Monday afternoon, a sharp increase from Sunday's 35, according to an update on the website of the National Board of Health on Monday evening. The virus has affected some international organizations. The Brussels-based North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) confirmed a case of coronavirus infection in its headquarters on Monday morning. The staff member is currently at home in self-isolation. NEW MEASURES TO STEM SPREAD European countries have stepped up efforts and put in place new containment measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. In France, all gatherings of more than 1,000 people are now prohibited across French cities. Only events considered "useful to the life of the nation" will be maintained. The new measures also included a decree making telemedicine more flexible and available to the public. In addition, hospitals would trigger the "white plan" of extra mobilization systems to cope with the additional influx of patients linked to the coronavirus. It allows to reinforce additional nursing and administrative staff, offer more beds and limit patient visits. In Spain's autonomous community of Madrid, schools and universities will be closed for 14 days starting from Wednesday, the region's president Isabel Diaz Ayuso confirmed. Romania also unveiled similar plans. The country's interim Prime Minister Ludovic Orban announced that all primary and secondary schools, as well as kindergartens across the country, will be closed on March 11-22. Romanian Interim Interior Minister Marcel Vela added that the road and rail transport of people to and from Italy will be suspended from Tuesday to the end of the month. In Poland, medical controls have been introduced on the borders with Germany and the Czech Republic. "I want to emphasize that in the next several dozen hours we will be expanding the scope of these checks to other border crossings," said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. In Croatia, the National Civil Protection Authority introduced new protection measures, requiring all foreign nationals from the outbreak's hotspots to stay in mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival. In the Czech Republic, the national security council decided to ban visits to inpatient hospital wards, which will take effect on Tuesday. In Slovenia, Health Minister Ales Sabeder announced that the checking of passengers arriving at Ljubljana JoZe Pucnik airport is expected to be introduced in a few days. As for airlines, Air Malta, Malta Air and Ryanair have announced cancellations of all flights to and from north Italy. French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday urged European countries to coordinate actions to curb the COVID-19 outbreak. "In order to face COVID-19 ... I call on our European partners to take urgent action to coordinate health measures, research efforts and our economic response," Macron said in a tweet. [March 10, 2020] Wells Fargo to Invest in African American Minority Depository Institutions Wells Fargo (News - Alert) today announced that it is seeking to invest up to $50 million in African American Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs). These investments are part of Wells Fargo's commitment to supporting economic growth in African American communities where MDIs, often community based banks, provide mortgage credit, small business lending, and other banking services. Wells Fargo commends Congresswoman Joyce Beatty and Congressman Gregory Meeks for recently sponsoring legislation to enhance MDIs and these investments in African American MDIs will support the spirit of that legislation. "Our industry is stronger when we work together, shepherding resources for underserved individuals and small businesses to create economic opportunities that will strengthen the long-term success of communities," commented Jonathan Weiss, CEO of Corporate & Investment Banking and Interim CEO of Wealth & Investment Management at Wells Fargo. "MDIs are a key part of the lending ecosystem for underserved communities, playing an important role in neighborhood revitalization, and we look forward to helping African American MDIs grow, serve their communities, and expand their sphere of influence by providing capital, connections and expertise." MDIs play an important role in providing banking services to minority and low and moderate income (LMI) communities. Compared with other financial institutions, MDI (News - Alert) tend to serve communities in which a higher share of the population lives in LMI census tracts and in which higher shares of residents are minorities. This investment complements Wells Fargo's Diverse Community Capital (DCC) program, a five-year, $175 million program to empower diverse small business owners with greater access to capital and technical assistance so they can grow and sustain local jobs. The DCC program is a collaboration with Opportunity Finance Network and CDFIs (Community Development Financial Institutions) across the country. To date, the CDFIs in the program have made 124,000 loans, delivered 322,000 hours of technical assistance, and benefited 49,000 small business owners who collectively sustain more than 183,000 jobs in rural and urban markets nationwide. About Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.9 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo's vision is to satisfy our customers' financial needs and help them succeed financially. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through 7,400 locations, more than 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 32 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 260,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 29 on Fortune's 2019 rankings of America's largest corporations. News, insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories. Additional information may be found at www.wellsfargo.com | Twitter (News - Alert): @WellsFargo. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005713/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday said the government is working on consolidating Kenyas position as a regional healthcare hub. The Head of State noted that Kenya already attracts patients from several countries in the region including Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, D. R. Congo, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Nigeria. Kenyas position as a regional resource for high quality healthcare is a huge advantage that needs to be leveraged further, said the President. Uhuru spoke when he officially opened the first Kenya Healthcare Convention at the Sarit Center in Nairobi County. The President said Kenyas healthcare industry has a longstanding tradition of close cooperation between the public and the private sector. He said the close cooperation between the two sectors has enabled the country to extend crucial services to hard to reach regions of the country. Uhuru said his administration has prioritised health and is working to make the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) a success. The President instructed Health CS Mutahi Kagwe to ensure that UHC is rolled out to the rest of the country following the programs success in the four pilot counties. The Head of State said despite the fact that Kenya leads the region in the provision of quality health services, it still has several aspects that need improvement. He said the over 10,000 Kenyans who travel abroad to seek specialized medical services cost the economy in excess of Shs 10 billion every year. Further, the President noted that Africa spends an average of Sh380 billion on specialized medical treatment abroad, an amount he said Kenya needs to tap. Kenyatta challenged healthcare stakeholders to converge towards the improvement of the quality of healthcare and commended county governments for the efforts they have made to improve access to quality healthcare. The sustained commitment of resources towards health, averaging 30% of county budgets, has seen increased recruitment of health workers and availability of essential medicines and other medical commodities, the President said. Health CS Mutahi Kagwe said Kenya is positioning itself as a destination for health tourism and challenged health sector players to ensure they serve affordable and quality healthcare. CS Kagwe called on health professionals to observe high standards of integrity and ensure that Kenyans get value for money whenever they seek medical services. Isiolo Governor Mohamed Kuti said counties are eager to continue working closely with the national government in improving healthcare. Kuti, who is also the chairman of the council of governors committee on health, said healthcare should be treated as a common objective and should never be ground for competition or division between the two levels of government. Amit Thakker, who spoke on behalf of Kenya Healthcare Federation, said theres no justification for any Kenyan hospital or doctor to increase prices due to the global outbreak of Coronavirus. He said it will be disrespectful to Kenyans if any medical institution increases costs due to the outbreak of the viral disease that has affected other parts of the world. -PSCU Theres nothing more stifling to a fashion-lover than a stringent dress code. And theres nothing the annual races love more than a dress code, which can be a minefield to navigate (heres a rundown on Royal Ascots dress code for this year, in case you need to brush up.) But if youre yearning for a race-ready ensemble which will semaphore personality, while still adhering to the occasions sartorial rules, theres no better reference point than the spring/ summer 2020 runways. These were the collections showcased by brands in September (fashion is always one season ahead), which are intended to forecast the looks which will no doubt become unequivocal hits in the coming months. The lessons they provided in floaty frocks, pretty pleats and BDE (thats Big Dress Energy to you and I) are directly applicable to styles which adhere to the races rules, while also not neglecting to have fun. As Cheltenham Festival commences today, followed by the Grand National in just a few weeks' time, which preceeds the inaugural Ascot of the decade, the starting gates are open, and its time to start thinking about racing season. If youre keen to be a best-dressed attendee of the races this summer, then take note of the trends below. But remember, the secret to a winning streak is always to opt for a style youre most comfortable in. Crayola Brights Valentino spring/summer 2020 / IMAXtree Kwaidan Editions, Valentino and Rochas all rolled out highlighter hues as part of their spring/summer 2020 shows, and theres nothing better for race season than an unapologetic colour. Valentinos glowing green exemplar exudes personality, but if your budget is more modest than the Italian brand allows for, there are purse-friendly options available. Look no further than high-street hero Ghost for some fun fluoro frocks. Style a la Valentino with tone-on-tone accessories and muted hair and make-up for an inimitable race-ready ensemble. Puff Love Simone Rocha spring/ summer 2020 / IMAXtree Irish designer Simone Rocha delivered a valuable lesson in gravity-defying volume at her spring/summer 2020 show. Her fizzy frocks eschewed the slip-style brands have come to love in favour of layer upon layer of organza. The Duchess of Cambridges new favourite Alessandra Rich is also a lover of a statement sleeve, but offers the dresses in a silhouette which pays homage to a 1950s housewife. Given the sleeve restrictions at certain races this summer (Royal Ascot, were looking at you), revel in the rule and wear your sleeves with pride. Pretty in Pleats Pyer Moss spring/summer 2020 / IMAXtree Pleats came in thick and heavy during spring/ summer 2020, seen on the catwalks of Chloe, Issey Miyake and Pyer Moss. A pleated dress can not only see you through racing season, but also wedding season and all manner of summer soiree. Pair your pleats with some statement seventies platforms and a bouncy blow-dry for a look exuding race-perfection. BDE (Big Dress Energy) Molly Goddard spring/ summer 2020 / IMAXtree Take up space in more ways than one in a big and bold dress, like those seen on the catwalks of home-grown talents Molly Goddard and Meghan Markle's new favourite, Emilia Wickstead. Silhouettes very much marched to the beat of go big or go home on the spring/ summer 2020 catwalks, and they translate all too well for the races. Stauds maxi organza extravaganza is the ultimate race-ready dress and given its length can disguise your comfiest pair of heels, making for a congenial ensemble. Go dotty Balenciaga spring/ summer 2020 / IMAXtree Last summers dalliance with *that* viral Zara dot-adorned dress was far from a fleeting affair. And for summer 2020, Gucci, Richard Quinn and Balenciaga have all churned out their own interpretations of the classic polka dot by venturing away from the standard navy-and-cream colour combo and offering the pattern in blues, purples and whites. All volunteer staff over the age of 60 have been sent home from all Houston- area Memorial Hermann hospitals amid safety concerns over the risk of infection from the COVID-19 virus. COVID-19, commonly known as the coronavirus, is most dangerous to children and adults over the age of 60. Earlier this morning, hospital administration told all volunteer and non-essential staff older than 60 to leave the hospital and stay off premise until further notice. ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: 4 more coronavirus cases identified in Houston area; region's total reaches 12 Per guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, effective immediately we are asking that Memorial Hermann volunteers 60 years and above - who are at a higher risk of developing severe symptoms from COVID-19 - to not report to their volunteer shifts at any Memorial Hermann facility until further notice, said Drew Munhausen, Senior Media Relations Representative for Memorial Hermann Hospitals Volunteer staff between the ages of 18 and 59 were allowed to remain in the hospital at their own discretion. We also respect and completely understand the decision by any of our volunteers who choose not to volunteer during this time, Munhausen said. As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, Memorial Hermann is taking every precaution to further safeguard the health of our community and workforce, including our dedicated volunteers. ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Houston and coronavirus: Contagion expert on what you should do This decision is being made out of an abundance of caution and helps protect our volunteers from unnecessary risk. At this time, essential staff such as doctors and nurses over 60 are still working in the hospital. Earlier this month, a man in Fort Bend County tested presumptively positive for the disease, the first diagnosis of its kind in or around the Houston area. There are currently 12 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Houston area, according to the CDC. claire.goodman@chron.com CORONAVIRUS IN HOUSTON: All of the latest news, numbers and analysis to keep you up-to-date Grammy nominee Jordin Sparks glammed up for a red carpet date with her husband Dana Isaiah Thomas at the Hollywood premiere of Disney's live-action Mulan remake on Monday. The 30-year-old American Idol 6 champ and the 27-year-old A Higher Calling author will celebrate their third wedding anniversary on July 16. Posing outside the Dolby Theatre, Dana wore a classic black leather motorcycle jacket over a matching T-shirt, ripped skinny jeans, and boots. Date night! Grammy nominee Jordin Sparks glammed up with her husband Dana Isaiah Thomas for the Hollywood premiere of Disney's live-action Mulan remake on Monday Jordin - who relies on stylist Jamar Hart - donned a sheer blue tunic emblazoned with what appeared to be Grace Jones, which she belted over black leggings and high-heel boots. Sparks association with Disney dates back to 2009 when she made her acting debut in The Suite Life on Deck before recording a pop cover of Beauty and the Beast for the Blu-ray re-release in 2010. After their PG-13-rated movie date, the Arizona-born R&B belter and the Southeastern University alum went out to dinner at West Hollywood hotspot, Catch. The devout Christian couple - who met in 2017 - were all smiles before they dined together. Still going strong! The 30-year-old American Idol 6 champ (L) and the 27-year-old A Higher Calling author (R) will celebrate their third wedding anniversary on July 16 Man in black: Posing outside the Dolby Theatre, Dana wore a classic black leather motorcycle jacket over a matching T-shirt, ripped skinny jeans, and boots Pull up to the bumper! Jordin donned a sheer blue tunic emblazoned with what appeared to be Grace Jones, which she belted over black leggings and high-heel boots More than a fan: Sparks association with Disney dates back to 2009 when she made her acting debut in The Suite Life on Deck before recording a pop cover of Beauty and the Beast for the Blu-ray re-release in 2010 Earlier that morning, Jordin and Dana brought their son Dana Jr. - turning 2 in two months - to Universal City for an aquatic workout. Sparks included little Dana in a 2018 sponsored post for Teami Green Tea Detox Mask, which was flagged by the Federal Trade Commission for 'deceiving customers.' Last Thursday, the Women's March performer was one of 10 influencers - including Cardi B - to receive a sternly-worded letter from FTC warning her to better disclose to fans that it was an ad. The letter read: 'Your disclosure ["#teamipartner"] was not visible to followers viewing the post in their Instagram feeds unless they clicked "more." Thus, it was not clear and conspicuous. Next stop! After their PG-13-rated movie date, the Arizona-born R&B belter and the Southeastern University alum went out to dinner at West Hollywood hotspot, Catch Inseparable: The devout Christian couple - who met in 2017 - were all smiles before they dined together 'Great for switching up your routine!' Earlier that morning, Jordin and Dana brought their son Dana Jr. - turning 2 in two months - to Universal City for an aquatic workout 'Individual influencers who fail to make adequate disclosures about their connections to marketers are subject to legal enforcement action by the FTC. Please provide a written response by March 30.' It's unclear what Jordin was paid by Teami, but controversial teatox company Flat Tummy used to shell out $200K per paid post from celebrity sponsors - according to Forbes. Sparks has not secured a new gig since concluding her role as pregnant pie baker Jenna Hunterson in Broadway musical Waitress on November 24 following a two-month run at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. Uh-oh! Sparks included little Dana in a 2018 sponsored post for Teami Green Tea Detox Mask, which was flagged by the Federal Trade Commission for 'deceiving customers' 'Subject to legal enforcement action': Last Thursday, the Women's March performer was one of 10 influencers to receive a sternly-worded letter from FTC warning her to better disclose to fans that it was an ad (pictured in 2018) 'The progress is undeniable': It's unclear what Jordin was paid by Teami, but controversial teatox company Flat Tummy used to shell out $200K per paid post from celebs like Khloe Kardashian (pictured in 2019) By Bill Hughes Mar. 09, 2020 | 05:48 PM | WESTERN KENTUCKY McCracken County, Graves County, Calloway County and Paducah City Schools issued press releases on Monday, saying they were continually monitoring the situation, and are maintaining contact with state and local health departments. McCracken Schools Superintendent Steve Carter said principals and teachers will be talking with students about the virus over the next several days. The school districts said their administrators will work with custodial staff to ensure that all buildings are clean and disinfected. All four districts said they will encourage everyone in their schools to follow recommendations from the US Centers for Disease Control to prevent infection or spreading of any illnesses. Those recommendations include: Getting a flu shot Frequently washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or using hand sanitizer containing at least 60 percent alcohol Avoiding contact with your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands Avoiding any close contact with anyone who is sick Staying home if you are sick Coughing or sneezing into an elbow or using a tissue and immediately throwing it away Avoiding shaking hands Frequently cleaning and disinfecting objects or surfaces that are frequently touched Calloway County Schools said if a student or staff member shows respiratory symptoms, their school nurses will follow standard precautions and work with our district administrations and the Health Department to further research individual/family travel histories. They also asked parents or guardians to notify the school if a child or family member has visited areas linked to COVID-19, such as China and South Korea, in the last 14 days. These releases come after officials say four cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the Commonwealth of Kentucky - two in Harrison County north of Lexington, one in Louisville in Jefferson County, and one in Lexington in Fayette County. To see the individual releases from each district, click the appropriate link below. Several area schools have issued statements about the ongoing concern related to the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. On the Net: Madhumitha Vishwanath By Express News Service CHENNAI: Garbage menace has been an unending struggle for the citys residents. In areas that have been made bin-free by Corporation, the waste is often strewn in the corners of the roads. In other areas, the bins overflow, stinking up the locality. Another problem that is often brushed under the carpet is the constant burning of heaps of garbage in Chennais suburbs, which has now become more than just a civic issue for residents. This has led to an increase in air pollution and contamination of waterbodies at Urapakkam, Chitalapakkam, Tirusulam and Peerkankarai. Residents continue to suffer due to officials inaction despite repeated complaints. At Karanai Puducherry in Urapakkam, garbage dumped by panchayat along the main road is frequently set on fire by unknown persons. As this has been going on for six months, residents and those employed in hotels nearby have developed respiratory problems. There is a school 500 metres from this spot. Karanai Puducherry lake is less than 200 metres away from this dumpyard. More than 5,000 people cross this main road daily. Many shopkeepers near this spot have developed severe dust allergy. Why have a dumpyard so close to the main locality? asked SK Illavarasan, a resident. There is also a government community hall nearby. Residents said that due to lack of maintenance, this was closed a year ago. But now as a dumpyard is set up at the same location, this hall will be rendered useless even if reopened, residents said. Similarly, in one of the abandoned quarries at Tirusulam, located near Pallavaram, locals alleged that panchayat officials were dumping garbage here and burning it too. When Express visited the spot, around four companies were taking water from here through pipes for making ice. This is extremely unhygienic. Most people who work here have migrated from other parts of the country and are unaware of the consequences, said David Manohar, a civic activist of Arappor Iyakkam. Not far from this spot, near Perungalathur bus terminus along Peerkankaranai lake, mounds of garbage is often set on fire, locals complained. Smoke pollutes air and garbage leach enters the lake. In another case, inside Chitalapakkam panchayats graveyard, huge heaps of waste continue to be burnt daily even after National Green Tribunal ordered an inquiry into the issue. Responding to Urapakkam issue, panchayat officials said that once funds are disbursed a proper shed will be built which will lessen the stench. They also said around Rs 5,000 is spent every time to douse the fire. Those who dump garbage illegally will be caught soon, they assured. After Express got in touch with officials, the garbage near the community hall in Urapakkam was cleaned using earth movers by panchayat officials on Saturday. HORSHAM, England, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cmed Clinical Research Services will present a webinar to discuss key challenges in data collection for Real-World Studies on March 30. The session will focus on strategies and system features to help facilitate data acquisition, as well as ways to manage data effectively to ensure high-quality and efficient data flow. Cmed staff Kirsten Bulpitt, Director of Clinical Data Management, and Stephane Forrer, Associate Director of Systems Management, will present the live webinar on Monday, March 30, 2020, at 10 a.m. EDT (3 p.m. BST/UK). There is an increasing drive and focus on the collection and use of real-world data within the pharmaceutical industry. With advances in technology and further development of personalized medicine, the demand for real-world data to support the drug development lifecycle continues to gain momentum, as well as support, from regulatory agencies. The field of real-world data extends across a diverse spectrum of data sources from the unstructured (e.g. EHRs and wearables) to the more structured observational and registry studies. This webinar will focus on the data collection and system challenges in structured observational and registry studies collecting retrospective and prospective real-world data. This webinar will: Present key challenges in data collection Review strategies and system features to help facilitate data acquisition Demonstrate effective management of data to ensure high-quality and efficient data flow Discuss the maintenance of efficient data flows Draw examples from experience in oncology research For more information or to register for this event, visit Overcoming Data Collection and System Challenges in Real-World Studies. About Cmed Clinical Research Services Cmed provides specialist data and analytics services for clinical trials with over 350 staff globally. The company has delivered over 700 studies across all phases with clients from top 10 pharma companies to small biopharma. Cmed has experience in managing large registry studies, understands their unique challenges and uses technologies, including encapsia, to optimize complex data flows to allow greater flexibility and provide real-time visual access to all study data. Cmed Clinical Research Services Ashurst, Broadlands Business Campus Langhurstwood Road, Horsham RH12 4QP, UK +44 1403 755 050 Contacts: Ian Macholl, Marketing Manager, Cmed Group. T: +44 1403 755 050 E: [email protected] Stephanie Langouet, Chief Operations Officer, Cmed Clinical Research Services. T: +44 1403 755 050 E: [email protected] Related Images image1.png SOURCE Cmed Clinical Research Services Women at work at a tech firm in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by AFP. A high percentage of urban Vietnamese think there is gender equality in the country although the perception is stronger in Hanoi than HCMC, a survey has found. The study, by HCMC-based market research firm Indochina Research, asked 501 people aged 18 to 54 in Hanoi and Saigon about whether gender equality has been achieved at home, work, politics, the media, and social settings. Between 55 and 93 percent of the respondents said yes. Hanoians perceived equality in more areas than Saigonese: work, media representation and home. It's only in social settings where slightly more HCMC respondents feel gender equality is achieved than Hanoian respondents. When comparing the views between two genders in both cities, though, men perceive a significantly higher achievement of gender equality in almost every setting compared to women, especially in politics. Gender equality appears to be optimal at home, where there is no gap between two viewpoints. Interestingly, there seemed to be a consensus there was gender equality at home with the workplace following not far behind. Politics scored the lowest both by city and sex. Vietnam and the Philippines scored highest in gender equality at home and work environments, out of 41 countries that participated in the World Win Survey on the global perception of gender equality. It also explored the perception in countries like the U.S., the U.K., Canada, and South Korea. Violence and sexual harassment The survey also asked women respondents if they have suffered any kind of violence or sexual harassment. The researchers let the respondents read and answer questions pertaining to these issues on their own so that individual answers were not revealed, a researcher at Indochina Research said.. All the other questions were read out to them. Out of 250 women in Hanoi and Saigon, only 3 percent said they had suffered violence. Not even one said they had faced sexual harassment. The highest rates of women suffering from violence were in Chile (44 percent), Argentina (43 percent) and Peru (40 percent). The findings are in stark contrast to an ActionAid study in 2014 that said 87 percent of women in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City had been sexually harassed at least once. It had polled more than 2,000 people. Another survey it did in 2016, which also interviewed more than 2,000 people in five cities, said a majority of women in Vietnam did not feel safe about "being a women" in public places since harassment and even groping were not taken seriously by authorities. According to the latest Global Gender Gap Report released by the World Economic Forum, Vietnam fell 10 places in terms of gender equality to 87th. [March 09, 2020] SHAREHOLDER ALERT: CLAIMSFILER REMINDS ALGN, MGPI, SBT INVESTORS of Lead Plaintiff Deadline in Class Action Lawsuits NEW ORLEANS, March 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors of pending deadlines in the following securities class action lawsuits: Sterling Bancorp, Inc. (SBT) Class Period: 11/17/2017 - 12/8/2019 or shares issued either in or after the November 2017 Initial Public Offering. Lead Plaintiff Motion Deadline: April 27, 2020 SECURITIES FRAUD, MISLEADING PROSPECTUS To learn more, visit https://www.claimsfiler.com/cases/new-york-se-stl MGP Ingredients, Inc. (MGPI) Class Period: 2/27/2019 - 2/25/2020 Lead Plaintiff Motion Deadline: April 28, 2020 SECURITIES FRAUD To learn more, visit https://www.claimsfiler.com/cases/view-mgp-ingredients-inc-securities-litigation Align Technology, Inc. (ALGN) Class Period: 4/24/2019 - 7/24/2019 Lead Plaintiff Motion Deadline: May 1, 2020 SECURITIES FRAUD To learn more, visit https://www.claimsfiler.com/cases/view-align-technology-inc-securities-litigation-3 If you purchased shares of the above companies and would like to discuss your legal rights and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact us toll-free (844) 367-9658 or visit the case links above. If you wish to serve as a Lead Plaintiff in the class action, you must petition the Court on or before the Lead Plaintiff Motion deadline. About ClaimsFiler ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations. To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com (Natural News) In an article published by Xinhua News, the Chinese Communist Partys media propaganda outlet, the author suggests that the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) is spreading farther and faster in the U.S. than the Trump administration is saying. While the article, titled, Be Bold: The world owes China a Thank You, also notes that President Trump recently praised Beijings virus containment in a press conference, it also made mention that stocks on Wall Street have been severely battered by uncertainty over the outbreak. The article, according to a translation posted by Zero Hedge, reported that the stock market has plummeted continuously with a drop of more than 12 percent in just one week. But then it goes on to note that Trumps travel ban on China which is solely tied to the coronavirus epicenter being in China and includes restrictions of those who have recently visited the mainland has had great economic impact on the country. It accuses U.S. officials including Commerce Secretary Wilber Ross, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and White House Economic Adviser Peter Navarro of having publicly gloated over Chinas new crown pneumonia epidemic, saying that the outbreak is good for the United States and will help companies return to the United States. In addition, the article says that the Trump administration is using the outbreak in China as the impetus for calling on companies to leave the country and return to the United States, the implications being that its safer to operate in the U.S. The Xinhua story cited reports in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times condemning the closure of Wuhan in China as a violation of human rights (Wuhan City is the epicenter for the current coronavirus outbreak). Now you see why Trumps trade policies toward China are spot-on The American culture of falling rocks is really shameless, the translated article continues, noting further: Today, Feng Shui is taking turns, and the United States has become a victim of the new crown pneumonia epidemic. At this time, China has not fallen into rocks and has not condemned the United States. At this time, the United States should recognize its mistakes. Apologize to China for your actions. But the punchline, as Zero Hedge noted, is this, essentially: If China were to retaliate against the U.S. at present, including a travel ban or a strategic restriction over medical exports, our country would be plunged into the mighty sea of coronavirus. (Related: WHO admits global coronavirus death rate HIGHER than initially thought: Now 3.4%.) Translation: Stop insulting China with punative actions like travel bans and trying to get American companies to come back home, or well cut off your badly-needed drugs and other medical supplies. Xinhua goes on to note that most of the drugs in the United States are imported, and that most masks in the United States are made in China and imported from China. Thus, if Beijing were to order restrictions on those exports to the U.S., we could not take the most basic measures to prevent the new coronavirus. William Engdahl of New Eastern Outlook confirms that some 80 percent of drugs consumed in the U.S. are indeed made in China, a stupid, ridiculous amount that puts our people at risk for any geopolitical disagreements with China, up to and including war. And, according to Rosemary Gibson of the Hastings Center bioethics research institute, who wrote a book in 2018 on the issue, that kind of dependency on a potential nemesis is quite alarming. The drugs made in China are among the most commonly used and prescribed in the U.S., including the bulk of antibiotics, birth control pills, blood pressure meds, and various cancer medications. If the dependency of the U.S. on China exposed by the coronavirus outbreak doesnt convince you of the wisdom of President Trumps MAGA philosophy and trade approach with Beijing, nothing will. Sources include: ZeroHedge.com Journal-NEO.org NaturalNews.com With six new states voting this Tuesday, Bernie Sanders needs some good news out of one of them to grab some of the momentum back from Joe Biden. In 10 days' time, Biden has turned around his entire campaign - winning South Carolina, beating Sanders in 10 of 14 states on 'Super Tuesday' and getting a flurry of endorsements - including from ex-rivals Michael Bloomberg, Kamala Harris and Cory Booker. With Biden cementing his frontrunner status, Sanders needs something to change the narrative and he's hoping Michigan - like the state did in 2016 - will give him that opportunity. AND THEN THERE WERE TWO: Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders battle on the ballot in six states as part of 'Super Tuesday 2.' Sanders needs to do well in one of them to turn the momentum around, while if Biden can crush Sanders in Michigan, it could be game over for the democratic socialist Joe Biden (center left) has amassed a number of big endorsements since his South Carolina primary win 10 days ago including those from Kamala Harris (left), Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (center right) and Cory Booker. Harris and Booker, both U.S. senators, already had dropped out of the presidential race On 'Super Tuesday 2' Democratic voters from six states: Washington, Idaho, North Dakota, Missouri, Mississippi and Michigan head to the polls. Michigan is the biggest delegate prize of the night with 125 at stake Bernie Sanders (right), pointing a finger at Fox News Channel's Martha MacCallum (left) and Bret Baier (center), has been dedicating the last few days to campaigning in Michigan. He participated in a Fox News Town Hall in Detroit Monday night Joe Biden knows that stopping Bernie Sanders in Michigan means the nomination could be his. Here he's photographed touring a Fiat Chrysler plant in Detroit Tuesday as voters in the state head to the polls Bernie Sanders also held a coronavirus public health roundtable in Detroit, Michigan on Monday as he focused heavily on the state. Sanders won it by just 1.4 per cent in 2016, after being down 21.4 points in the polls to Hillary Clinton In 2016, Sanders was down by an average of 21.4 points to Hillary Clinton in Michigan polls when his suprise win - by just 1.4 per cent - poured new energy into his campaign. In 2020, the Real Clear Politics polling average shows Sanders down by 22.4 points to Biden in Michigan. That hasn't deterred Sanders, who's spent the last few days in the state. On Friday, he held a Detroit rally with Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who represents the city in Congress and is one of the four members of the so-called Democratic 'squad.' On Saturday, he held a town hall on 'racial and economic justice' in Flint, Michigan, known for its water troubles. On Sunday, he was joined on the campaign trail again by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, another member of the 'squad.' They rallied together in Ann Arbor, the home of the University of Michigan. Then on Monday in Detroit, Sanders held a coronavirus town hall with public health experts, among other events. Talking to Chris Cuomo on CNN Monday night, Sanders predicted he could win the state again. He also argued that his large, loud crowd meant he would be best positioned to take on President Trump in the general election. 'Does anyone really believe, let me throw it out to you, you know this stuff, that a campain like Joe's, which is frankly the same-old, same-old establishment politics, supported by the wealthy, and they got all the governors and senators supporting them, does anybody really think that that is going to be the campaign of excitement and energy that's going to grow the base that we need to defeat Trump?' Sanders mused. 'I don't think so.' But Democrats, in an almost unprecedented way, have gotten behind Biden. And the former vice president is aware that if he wins Michigan, he's basically ended the race for Sanders. On Monday night, he held his own Detroit rally where he held hands with Harris and Booker - who made their endorsements official - and the state's governor, the up-and-coming Gretchen Whitmer. But the rally wasn't without drama, as a group of anti-NAFTA protesters heckled the vice president. He told his crowd the 'Bernie Bros are here.' Another larger group of pro-Green New Deal activists - a concept Sanders supports - - also showed up. Politico reported that Biden's senior adviser Symone Sanders, who was Bernie Sanders' 2016 press secretary, got hit in the head with an iPad and knocked down. She wasn't injured. Symone Sanders also wrestled a Vegan activist off the stage at Biden's 'Super Tuesday' primary night event in Los Angeles, California last week. It wasn't personal to Biden, as protesters from the same group interrupted an Elizabeth Warren event in Los Angeles the night before. Biden also got into a back-and-forth with Michigan voters Tuesday morning as he toured a Fiat Chrysler plant in Detroit. 'You're full of s*** man,' Biden told a plant worker who accused him of 'actively trying to end our Second Amendment right,' according to video of the incident from CBS News. He told another worker to 'shush' as he explained his point. Beyond Michigan, 'Super Tuesday 2,' as it's been nicknamed, will include votes from Missouri, Mississippi, Idaho, North Dakota and Washington state. While not a lot of polling has been conducted in Washington, Sanders' campaign could get a boost there. However, he won't have the same advantage he did in 2016, as Washington is holding a primary Tuesday instead of a caucus. Four years ago when Democrats caucused for their presidential pick, Sanders won overwhelmingly - 72.7 per cent to Clinton's 27.1 per cent. Now in the state, Biden has had a slight lead in polls taken this month, while Sanders was leading in February surveys. Also, just like on Super Tuesday when Sanders eventually won the biggest delegate prize - California - the narrative for the night had already been set, that Biden was the big winner. Additionally, Washington state also has mail-in balloting, which means results could be slow to come in. A big outstanding question mark for 'Super Tuesday 2' is where Warren's voters will find a home. President Trump - trying to sow discord among the Democrats - blamed Warren for Sanders' underwhelming Super Tuesday showing. 'Our modern day Pocahontas wont go down in history as a winner, but she may very well go down as the all time great SPOILER!' Trump tweeted Wednesday. The president suggested that while moderates like Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg, who dropped out and endorsed Biden before Super Tuesday, cleared the way for the former veep, Warren paid no such courtesy to Sanders, a fellow progressive. So far she hasn't gotten behind either Sanders nor Biden. On Tuesday, Sanders surrogates continued to press the point. 'I deeply respect @Ewarren,' tweeted New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, one of the only ex-2020 hopefuls to have endorsed Sanders. 'Our nation + our party are better + more progressive because of her leadership. Now our progressive movement needs her more than ever.' 'Senator, if the shoe was on the other foot @BernieSanders would have endorsed you already. Please join us!' de Blasio wrote. As the votes come in Tuesday night, Biden and Sanders are already looking ahead. They're both holding campaign events Tuesday night in Cleveland, Ohio. Voters in Ohio - along with Arizona, Florida and Illinois - head to the polls in a week. And the two remaining mainstream candidates - as Tulsi Gabbard is still technically in the race - will debate each other in Phoenix, Arizona Sunday night. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images As Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders compete for victory in Michigan, the biggest prize on offer in Tuesdays slate of Democratic primaries, Biden has received a key and unexpected endorsement: from the Republican mayor of the states fourth-largest city. How could I look at those three kids and tell them Im proud to support Donald Trump? Michael Taylor, the mayor of Sterling Heights, wrote about his family on Twitter on Monday. Related: Joe Biden hopes to cement lead in crucial Democratic primaries I cant. I wont. Im voting for Joe Biden tomorrow and endorsing him for president of the United States. I hope youll join me. Taylor also wrote that Biden was the candidate who can unify all of the Democrats, and hes the candidate who can appeal to moderates and Republicans like me who dont want to see four more years of President Trump. Sterling Heights is in Macomb county, a white working-class battleground in a key swing state, home to the fabled Reagan Democrats who powered a Republican to the White House in 1980. Barack Obama won Macomb twice before Trump took it from Hillary Clinton in 2016, on his way to the White House thanks in large part to wins in Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Speaking to the Chicago Tribune, Taylor, 36, said: I remember thinking this Trump thing is insane, but when it was down to him and Hillary, I kind of said: Well, you are a Republican, and yeah hes nuts, but maybe hell get better and you know hes going to lower taxes. I slowly talked myself into it. He cant seriously be this deranged once he gets in there, and hes even more deranged now than I thought then. So, I take the blame. I voted for him. Michigan offers 125 national convention delegates, a significant prize as Biden seeks to build an insurmountable lead. It may be Biden does not need the support of a former Tea Party favorite to swing the primary his way. After his Super Tuesday surge, polling in Michigan has given him a commanding lead over Sanders, who beat Clinton in the state four years ago. Story continues Taylors endorsement seems to embody the main problem facing Sanders, a self-proclaimed socialist: appealing to moderates, independents and Republicans seeking to dump Trump. Speaking to the Guardian recently, the former Republican consultant Rick Wilson said Biden was the one candidate who has shown the most ability to contrast with Trump in terms of a broader, bigger picture that isnt just locked into whats the hot flavor of Democratic messaging this year. Hes talking about that big American sense of unity and reconciliation and saying weve got to work with Republicans too. Biden has attracted much local criticism for an endorsement he gave in Michigan in 2018. Speaking for a reported $200,000 fee from the Economic Club of Southwestern Michigan, Biden called the Republican congressman Fred Upton, an architect of attempts to kill the Affordable Care Act, one of the finest guys Ive ever worked with. Upton was re-elected, beating the Democrat, boosted by using Bidens comments in his campaign advertising. EUGENE, Ore. -- The Springfield Chamber of Commerce has planned multiple events this week aimed at getting students interested in trade jobs. On Monday, March 9, 2021, the Springfield Chamber of Commerce hosted a session for parents to explore opportunities for their students. Parents were invited to meet with potential employers from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lane Community College in the Center for Meeting and Learning in Building 19. Then on Tuesday, high school students and LCC students were invited to meet with those employers, get help with resumes and participate in mock interviews. Check-in for Tuesday's event started at 8 a.m. at Lane Community College in the Center for Meeting and Learning in Building 19. The events were free for those interested and no registration was necessary. Trade jobs include everything from manufacturing to welding to drafting and diesel technology. The programs are all offered through Lane Community College. In those fields, pay starts at over $20 an hour and climbs from there. As part of our Skilled to Work initiative, we partner with employers in our area to address the lack of workers for skilled jobs. A new reports paints a bleak picture of demographic representation across the lower federal courts Indian Country Today There are 870 Article III judges in the United States. Two are Native American. One in Arizona and one in the Eastern District Court of Oklahoma. There are no American Indians or Alaska Natives serving on one of the U.S. Courts of Appeals. Or the Supreme Court. That works out to .229 percent or less than one quarter of one percent. But even that number requires an asterisk because one of the judges is Frank H. Seay, Cherokee, who took senior status in 2003 and has been inactive for many years. The Center for American Progress examined the federal judiciary and found a lack of female judges, judges of color, and judges self-identifying as LGBTQ across the entire federal judiciary. The reports findings paint a bleak picture of demographic representation across the lower federal courts. Thats unfortunate because judges from different backgrounds and with different life experiences bring their unique and invaluable perspectives to bear on the cases that come before them. For litigants, diversity on the federal bench offers real, substantive benefits, including fairer judicial decisions. "I dont focus on it," said Judge Diane Humetewa, Hopi, with the U.S. District Court of Arizona. "I focus primarily on the job Im here to do. But at the same time, studies like the one that came out remind me of how there is a lack of diversity. When she was nominated by President Barack Obama in 2013, then later confirmed unanimously by the Senate, she was shocked to learn the historical significance as she would be the first Native American woman to ever serve as a federal judge. Being female and Native American, people arent used to seeing us as lawyers, at least when I was practicing back in the 90s, she said. Humetewa said Native American judges are needed in states that have Native populations like North Dakota, New Mexico and Arizona. It gives the community the perception that people that they see on the district court reflect their community and some familiarity with the environment, she said. And during her time as a prosecutor for Arizonas U.S. Attorneys Office, she discovered how she was different from her peers. I noticed none of the other prosecutors used to visit tribal lands, she said. My belief was you cant do your job appropriately if you dont go to the area where the event happened and not meet with the people. Those responsible for staffing the federal judiciary believe Americas representative democracy should stretch only so far as representing the second-most selective country club in Mississippi. The federal judiciary does not resemble America.https://t.co/ZfvekKdQvY American Progress (@amprog) February 13, 2020 Before she worked as a prosecutor at the U.S. Attorneys office in Arizona, she was a victims advocate there. Her peers noticed her ability to establish a rapport and communicate well with Native crime victims, so they urged her to apply to law school. I have that level of familiarity that other people have to learn about, Humetewa said. She said despite the low numbers of American Indian judges, the data is improving considering the 2010 U.S. Census data says American Indians make up only 1.7 percent of the national population, Native children are just beginning to attend colleges and other demographics have generations of family members who are lawyers. Its going to take an amount of time, she said. I think its a natural progression of what were seeing. Humetewa also said her journey to the U.S. District Court wasnt a sudden occurrence. A lot of people overlook the fact that Ive been a lawyer before I got the nomination, I was practicing law for 20 years, she said. She recommends that Native Americans who want to be part of the judicial system gain experience with federal cases and court practices. In my view, Native people who are interested in these kinds of positions eventually have to have in depth experience in practicing federal courts, at least some familiarity in state positions to the extent of state judgeships, she said. She mentions that selecting federal judges are political decisions, too. Sadly if you dont have the right political affiliations, that is going to be a detriment to any Native American person if they are of the wrong political stripe, she said. John Echohawk, executive director of the Native American Rights Fund , a non-profit organization dedicated to provide legal assistance to Indian tribes, organizations and individuals, agrees that the political scene is one obstacle Native Americans face to join the judiciary field. We just need to keep recruiting and keep educating young law students coming up about the need and hope for the best, everyone is working on it, he said. One initiative the Native American Rights Fund is part of is the Federal Judicial Selection Project that was developed by tribal leaders in 2001. It was created to educate both federal judiciary about tribal laws and vice versa. These programs are on-going and hopefully will produce some results, Echohawk said. From his perspective in the beginning of his law education, Native Americans in law are gradually increasing, but its a waiting game. According to the Federal Judicial Center , only three Native Americans have been federal judges in history. From the time I was in law school, 50 years ago, we had 25 Native American attorneys who were able to be identified nationally, now we have over 2500 Native American lawyers. The Center for American Progress found that people of color make up just 20 percent of all sitting judges and 27 percent of active judges. In all, African Americans comprise 10 percent of sitting judges and 13 percent of active judges, while Hispanic judges make up about 7 percent and 9 percent of sitting and active judges, respectively. Asian Americans comprise an even smaller proportion of the lower federal courts: Only 2.5 percent of active judges and 4 percent of sitting judges are Asian American. The data for women is similar. Five district courts, or 5 percent, have no sitting female judges. That number doubles when considering active judges: In all, 10 federal district courts, or 11 percent, have no actively serving female judges on the bench, the report said. And on the other side of the metric, among active judges, there are 39 courts, almost half, that are entirely composed of white judges, the report said. Active judges of color comprise at least half of the bench on only 13 district courts 14 percent. Just one district courtthe District Court of Puerto Ricoentirely comprises judges of color. And at the appellate court level, although people of color comprise roughly 40 percent of the U.S. general population, they make up just 17 percent of sitting circuit court judges and 23 percent of active judges. The report said there is not a single circuit court where judges of color comprise more than 36 percent of the bench and the 7th Circuit has no judges of color at all.\ Note: This story originally appeared on Indian Country Today on March 8, 2020. Join the Conversation [March 10, 2020] Avaya Spaces Collaboration App Offered Free to Help During the Coronavirus Outbreak Avaya (News - Alert) Holdings Corp. (NYSE:AVYA), a global leader in solutions to enhance and simplify communications and collaboration, today announced that it will provide its Avaya Spaces collaboration software for free to education institutions, including colleges and universities, along with qualified non-profit organizations worldwide. Avaya Spaces is recognized for its ease of implementation and the significant impact it can have on organizational resilience and continuity. Since January, Avaya has seen a 200 percent increase in video collaboration traffic on this platform. "Coronavirus (COVID-19) is impacting the lives of people around the globe and every day we hear new sobering stories about the very real health and safety implications of the spread of this virus," said Jim Chirico, CEO of Avaya. "There is an especially immediate need in the education sector as school and university administrators consider the safety of their students while ensuring continuity of their classes, engagement with their students and delivering on their educational objectives. Avaya has four million UC and contact center seats in the state, local government and education market worldwide - so we understand the demands of that sector and targeted our Avaya Spaces offer accordingly." Avaya Spaces provides a cloud meeting and team collaboration solution that enables people and organizations to connect and collaborate remotely - and goes beyond integrating chat, voice, video, online meetings and content sharing. It gives users an extensive set of meeting and team collaboration features, including voice and video conferencing for up to 200 participants. As a mobile-enabled solution, it gives users a simple, secure and effective way to track communications and manage tasks when travel and connectivity are limited. As early as January, Avaya teams and partners were on the frontline in Wuhan, China to help in the initial stages of this epidemic. The company donated audio and video equipment and dispatched resources for speedy installation and deployment for hospitals in the region to help medical personnel perform remote consultation and video diagnostics as well as to enable patients to visit virtually with loved ones. The company has also worked with governmnt health departments in the U.S. to get emergency call centers up-and-running in a matter of hours. Avaya continues to explore opportunities to help during this global challenge, including helping customers ensure that contact center agents can continue delivering support to their customers in the safest way possible through work-from-home collaboration technologies. To learn how to sign-up for the free Avaya Spaces offer, eligible organizations are asked to visit this web page. About Avaya Businesses are built on the experiences they provide, and everyday millions of those experiences are built by Avaya (NYSE: AVYA). For over one hundred years, we've enabled organizations around the globe to win - by creating intelligent communications experiences for customers and employees. Avaya builds open, converged and innovative solutions to enhance and simplify communications and collaboration - in the cloud, on-premise or a hybrid of both. To grow your business, we're committed to innovation, partnership, and a relentless focus on what's next. We're the technology company you trust to help you deliver Experiences that Matter. Visit us at http:www.avaya.com. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This document contains certain "forward-looking statements." All statements other than statements of historical fact are "forward-looking" statements for purposes of the U.S. federal and state securities laws. These statements may be identified by the use of forward looking terminology such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," "our vision," "plan," "potential," "preliminary," "predict," "should," "will," or "would" or the negative thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology. The Company has based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While the Company believes these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond its control. The factors are discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC (News - Alert)") available at www.sec.gov, and may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. The Company cautions you that the list of important factors included in the Company's SEC filings may not contain all of the material factors that are important to you. In addition, in light of these risks and uncertainties, the matters referred to in the forward-looking statements contained in this press release may not in fact occur. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law. Source (News - Alert): Avaya Newsroom View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005997/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A Valparaiso man who was suspected of drunken driving was arrested after driving his Ford F-150 through a liquor store in downstate Indiana this past weekend. The pickup truck plowed all the way through the liquor store, leaving behind a wreckage of splintered wood, scattered beer cans and busted coolers. The crash took place at 8 a.m. Sunday at the Brookston Spirits Liquor Store in White County just north of Lafayette, according to police. Police got a call about a possibly intoxicated driver heading south on State Road 43 from the Chalmers area early Sunday morning, according to a press release from the Indiana State Police Lowell Post. A caller informed police a short time later that the Ford F-150 had crashed into the liquor store. "Senior Troopers Jerrad Foutch and Tyler Stinson arrived on scene and observed the male driver, identified as Michael Stowers of Valparaiso, crawling out of the vehicle," the Indiana State Police said in a press release. "Medical personnel were called by the troopers, but Stowers refused medical treatment on scene. Stowers also refused field sobriety tests." North Dakota Democrats on Tuesday favored Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders to challenge Republican President Donald Trump in the November election, with presidential caucus results that were delayed until early Wednesday. Sanders had 53% of the vote and former Vice President Joe Biden had 39% after results from the 14th and final voting site, Fargo, were released after 7 a.m.. The race was almost a dead heat in Bismarck, with Biden getting 1,136 votes and Sanders 1,126. The choices in the Democratic presidential caucus essentially boiled down to Biden and Sanders, who carried the state in 2016 with 64% of the vote over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who became the partys nominee. A total of 14,546 people participated in the caucus. The Sanders campaign four years ago had a big get-out-the-vote push in North Dakota, putting him over the top. A similar effort did not appear to materialize this year, and neither Sanders nor Biden have appeared in North Dakota this election cycle. With its small population, the state has relatively few delegates that will participate in the nominating process at Julys Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee. Trump is heavily favored to win North Dakota in the general election, but that didnt stop North Dakota Democrats from turning out in large numbers Tuesday relative to the 2016 caucuses. Bismarck bank worker Nicole Schumaker, 2-year-old daughter Novalee in tow, cast her ballot at the AFL-CIO House of Labor in Bismarck, which saw a steady stream of voters Tuesday. Schumaker, 32, picked Sanders as her choice to challenge Republican President Donald Trump in the November general election. She said she was disappointed that her first choice, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, is no longer in the race. She considered Warren the most realistic but said Sanders knows theres a middle ground and that hopefully he has the best shot at unseating Trump. College debt also is important to Schumaker. "I'd really like to see a world one day where my kids are not trapped with 15 years of student debt," she said, referencing Sanders tuition-free college plan. University of Mary freshman Aliah Walth voted for Biden, saying she doesnt find Sanders tuition-free college plan reasonable and that she favors Bidens plan to lessen student debt. "To have my debt go down, that would be fabulous," she said. State party spokesman Alex Rohr said more people cast a ballot in the first three hours of Tuesdays caucuses than during the entirety of caucus day in 2016, when 3,400 people took part. Were seeing an exciting number of new voters and incredible enthusiasm, he said. Democratic-NPL District 32 Chairman Mark Haugen, speaking at a results watch party in Bismarck late Tuesday, called the caucus turnout wonderful. Patrick Hart, the party vice chairman and a candidate for state auditor, said the attendance blew me away in topping 2016. Theres kind of this narrative that the partys dead, but seeing all the people in the hall today just really kind of brought me back up, Hart said. This years so-called firehouse caucuses took place at 14 locations throughout North Dakota, including in the states larger cities and towns, as well as on the Standing Rock, Fort Berthold, Turtle Mountain and Spirit Lake Indian reservations. The experience differed from 2016, when the caucuses involved speeches from participants and several rounds of voting. This year, they functioned much like a typical primary election. Voters showed up, cast a ballot and left. Party members also could vote via mail-in ballots. Democrats had to add staff, volunteers and equipment in Fargo due to higher-than-anticipated turnout there that forced some voters to wait in line as long as an hour. Caucus sites stayed open an hour late in Fargo and Grand Forks to accommodate the many voters, delaying the vote-tallying. Results from those two cities were not expected until early Wednesday. North Dakotas Democratic-NPL Party was tabulating votes via machines in Minot, Bismarck and Fargo. Traffic was constant at the caucus site in Bismarck, with a line of people out the door 25-30 people deep shortly after the caucus opened in late morning, volunteer Kathy Bullinger said. By early afternoon, voters were completing the process within 5 minutes. Activity picked up again after 5 p.m., when many people got off work. North Dakota was one of six states holding Democratic primaries or caucuses on Tuesday. The others were Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri and Washington state. Republican caucus North Dakotas Republican Party also held caucuses Tuesday, in nine cities. Some residents already had cast votes by mail. Trump was the only candidate on the ballot. The state party counted the votes by hand. Republican Party Chairman Rick Berg provided a count of 1,860 ballots cast -- 430 at a Bismarck hotel -- with more mail-in ballots expected to come in over the next couple of days. In 2016, North Dakotas national convention delegates gave Trump the support to secure the Republican nomination for president. Trump, speaking in Bismarck at the time, said I will always remember that. Shelley Rowe, of Bismarck, said she came out to vote in Tuesdays caucus to keep Trump in office. She said she likes what hes done to advance a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and to lower taxes. He does lots of wonderful things, and I voted for him the first time and I want him to stay there for another four years, said Rowe, 70, who is retired from a career in speech and language. I had thought of not voting and I thought, No, I need to do this, she added. The Republican caucus featured video remarks from Gov. Doug Burgum, U.S. Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer and U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong, all Republicans. Burgum is seeking a second term with Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford. Berg called the GOP caucus a campaign kickoff, in a way, for Trump in North Dakota. People were picking up signs and hats and buttons, and Id say it was a great event, Berg said. Reach Amy R. Sisk at 701-250-8252 or amy.sisk@bismarcktribune.com. Love 8 Funny 8 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 4 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. AMY R. SISK Energy Reporter Follow AMY R. SISK 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 The Cook County medical examiners office identified the victim as Tarone Conway, of Calumet City, and ruled his death an accident caused by multiple injuries that resulted in falling from and being run over by a moving vehicle. [March 10, 2020] BROOKFIELD INFRASTRUCTURE ANNOUNCES RECORD DATE FOR UNIT SPLIT AND CREATION OF BROOKFIELD INFRASTRUCTURE CORPORATION BROOKFIELD, NEWS, March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. (Brookfield Infrastructure or BIP) (NYSE: BIP; TSX: BIP.UN) today announced that it has set March 20, 2020 as the record date for the previously announced creation of Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation (BIPC). From an economic and accounting perspective, the transaction will be analogous to a unit split as the transaction does not result in any underlying change to aggregate cash flows or net asset value except for the adjustment for the number of units/shares outstanding. On March 31, 2020, the holders of BIPs limited partnership units (BIP units) of record as of March 20, 2020 will receive one (1) class A exchangeable subordinate voting share (the Share) of BIPC for every nine (9) BIP units held, or approximately 0.11 Shares for each BIP unit. The Shares will be structured with the intention of being economically equivalent to BIP units, including identical distributions, and each Share will be exchangeable at the option of the holder for one BIP unit at any time. The Shares will allow investors the ability to own the equivalent economic exposure to BIP but through a traditional corporate structure. The creation of BIPC through an effective stock split will provide investors with greater flexibility in how they access Brookfield Infrastructures diversified portfolio of high-quality infrastructure assets, said Sam Pollock, Chief Executive Officer of Brookfield Infrastructure. As a corporation, we expect to attract new investors to our leading infrastructure business. BIPC has received conditional approval to list the Shares on the New York Stock Exchange (the NYSE) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (the TSX) under the symbol BIPC. Listing of the Shares on the NYSE and the TSX is subject to BIPC fulfilling all of the requirements of the NYSE and the TSX, respectively. BIP and BIPC have not yet filed a final prospectus for the Shares, and the registration statement relating to the special distribution has not yet been declared effective. The final prospectus may not be filed, and the registration statement may not be declared effective, prior to the record date. BIP unitholders will receive a cash payment in lieu of any fractional interests in a Share. Brookfield Infrastructure will use the five-day volume-weighted average trading price of the Shares immediately following the special distribution to determine the value of any fractional interests in a Share. Holders of the Shares will be entitled to dividends as and when they are declared by the Board of Directors of BIPC. It is anticipated that BIPCs dividend policy will be to declare and pay dividends on the Shares at the same time and in the same amount per Share as distributions are declared and paid on a BIP unit. This dividend policy has been set to provide holders of the Shares with an economic return equivalent to holders of BIP units. Regarding distributions on the BIP units and dividends on the Shares, BIP unitholders and holders of the Shares should note the following: BIP unitholders of record as of February 28, 2020 will receive the previously declared cash distribution of $0.5375 per unit on March 31, 2020 Following completion of the special distribution and subject to Board approval, the quarterly distribution received on BIP units and Shares (commencing with the distribution anticipated to be paid on June 30, 2020) will be $0.485 per BIP Unit/Share. This represents a small increase to the current distribution level of $0.5375 per BIP unit, after adjusting for the one (1) for nine (9) special distribution, and is due to rounding. As a result, the aggregate distribution received by a holder on its BIP units and Shares (assuming the securities are retained) will be slightly higher than the holder would have received if the special distribution had not occurred BIPC anticipates that its first quarterly dividend of $0.485 will be paid on June 30, 2020, subject to Board approval The NYSE and the TSX will both implement when-issued and due bill trading commencing March 19, 2020 and ending at the close of business on March 30, 2020. During this time period, these designations will impact how our securities trade on both exchanges. Investors should be aware of the following features: Trades in BIP and BIP.UN on the NYSE and TSX, respectively, will include the entitlement to receive the Shares on March 31, 2020 (i.e., should trade on a pre-split basis) Trades in BIPC WI and BIPC on the NYSE and TSX, respectively, will represent the Shares (i.e., should trade on a split-adjusted basis), allowing a holder to buy and sell Shares post-split Trades in BIP WI and BIP.W on the NYSE and TSX, respectively, will represent units of BIP only (i.e., should trade on a split-adjusted basis), allowing a holder to sell BIP units post-split (i.e., without concurrently selling the entitlement to receive the Shares on March 31, 2020) Beginning on March 31, 2020, BIPC and BIP will trade under their respective symbols on both exchanges. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners is a leading global infrastructure company that owns and operates high-quality, long-life assets in the utilities, transport, energy and data infrastructure sectors across North and South America, Asia Pacific and Europe. We are focused on assets that generate stable cash flows and require minimal maintenance capital expenditures. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners is listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges. Further information is available at www.brookfield.com/infrastructure . Brookfield Infrastructure is the flagship listed infrastructure company of Brookfield Asset Management, a global alternative asset manager with over $540 billion of assets under management. For more information, go to www.brookfield.com . For more information, please contact: Media: Claire Holland Vice President, Communications Tel: (416) 369-8236 Email: [email protected] Investors: Melissa Low Vice President, Investor Relations Tel: (416) 956-5239 Email: [email protected] Note: This news release contains forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. The words will, expect, anticipated or derivations thereof and other expressions which are predictions of or indicate future events, trends or prospects, and which do not relate to historical matters, identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding BIPC and the special distribution of the Shares and the ability of Brookfield Infrastructure to attract new investors. Although Brookfield Infrastructure believes that these forward-looking statements and information are based upon reasonable assumptions and expectations, the reader should not place undue reliance on them, or any other forward-looking statements or information in this news release. The future performance and prospects of Brookfield Infrastructure and BIPC are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. In particular, the distribution of the Shares requires final stock exchange approval, which has not yet been received, and the distribution of the Shares is subject to the approval of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and Canadian securities regulators. Factors that could cause actual results of BIPC or Brookfield Infrastructure to differ materially from those contemplated or implied by the statements in this news release include the fact that there can be no assurance that the NYSE or the TSX will approve the listing of the Shares, and the expected trading price of the BIP units and the Shares, including during the due bill period or on the when-issued markets, as well as other risks and factors described in the documents filed by Brookfield Infrastructure with securities regulators in Canada and the United States including under Risk Factors in Brookfield Infrastructures most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and other risks and factors that are described therein and in the U.S. registration statement that has been filed, and the final prospectus that will be filed, in connection with the distribution of the Shares. Except as required by law, Brookfield Infrastructure undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] In this case, these are clear plastic cones that extend about a foot from bulbs and also have a gap for snow to pass through. The plan is to install them on red lights at all county-maintained intersections, using $616,275 from IDOT to pay for 60% to 70% of the project costs, and a local share of $500,000 to cover the rest. Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria looked effortlessly stylish in a business-like outfit today as she shook hands with wellwishers in Overkalix, despite coronavirus fears. The heir apparent, 42, appeared in high spirits as she arrived to the Swedish municipality, situated along the Kalix River, alongside her husband Prince Daniel, Duke of Vastergotland, 46. The mother-of-two was positively glowing as she walked through the crowds donning a grey pussycat bow blouse teamed with a stylish grey blazer that cinched in at the waist. Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria, 42, appeared in high spirits as she arrived to the Swedish municipality of Overkalix and shook hands with representatives The royal, who was joined by her husband Prince Daniel, Duke of Vastergotland (left), 46, donned a grey pussycat bow blouse teamed with a stylish grey blazer The royal, who teamed her stylish ensemble with a pair of matching grey trousers and a slick brown bag nestled underneath her arm, was all smiles as she met with workers during her visit to Overkalix Victoria teamed her stylish ensemble with a pair of matching grey trousers and a smart brown bag nestled underneath her arm. Sweeping her raven locks back into her signature sleek bun, the royal accessorised her look with a pair of gold hooped earrings and a gold brooch. And she teamed the outfit with a Midnight Sun necklace, a present given to her by a local jeweler. The future queen of Sweden completed her look with a pair of brown boots to complement her handbag and a touch of make-up to accentuate her glowing features. Joining her husband for her visit to the Swedish region, the royal channeled her radiant personality as she spoke with locals and gave them a reassuring hand shake. The future queen of Sweden (with husband Prince Daniel, Duke of Vastergotland) swept her raven locks back into her signature sleek bun during her visit The royal accessorised her look with a pair of gold hooped earrings and a gold broach during her visit to the Swedish municipality The mother-of-two was positively glowing as she joined her husband for her visit to the Swedish region Victoria's appearance comes days after her parents, Queen Silvia of Sweden and Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, cancelled an official government dinner out of 'consideration' for 150 guests. Last week, her eight-year-old daughter Princess Estelle's school, Campus Manilla, was also closed after a student became the first child in the country to be diagnosed with COVID-19. A statement by the school read: 'The purpose for closing the entire school is to ensure the safety of students, guardians and staff in a situation where many are concerned and where we now know that a student at the school is confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus.' Victoria is the eldest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and heir apparent to the Swedish throne. Victoria, who is the eldest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and heir apparent to the Swedish throne, was all smiles during her visit to the Swedish region The royal, who studied diplomacy and Swedish foreign policy before becoming a full-time working member of the royal family, completed her look with a pair of slick brown boots The Swedish King, 73, who is the second-longest reigning monarch in Swedish history, took to the throne in 1973 and survived the country's landmark constitution the following year, and has an active role in public duties, albeit mainly ceremonial The King and his wife Silvia, nee Sommerlath, 75, a German-Brazilian former flight attendant, have been handing over increasing numbers of engagements to their eldest daughter Victoria in recent years, fuelling speculation that the monarch may abdicate, allowing the Crown Princess to take the throne. The Yale graduate, who studied diplomacy and Swedish foreign policy before becoming a full-time working member of the royal family, was not expected to take to the throne when she was born in 1977 but a change in the law of succession three years later changed that, allowing her to overtake her brother Carl Philip. In 2010, she married her former personal trainer Daniel Westling in front of 1,200 guests at beautiful ceremony at Stockholm Cathedral. The couple have since settled comfortably into public life with their two children, Princess Estelle, eight, and Prince Oscar, three. Nancy Killefer and Tracey T. Travis. Facebook Facebook has added a former McKinsey exec and Estee Lauder's CFO to its board of directors. 40% of Facebook's directors are now women. The appointments come following a period of heightened turnover on Facebook's board. Facebook has appointed two new members to its board of directors, increasing the diversity and representation of women in the governance of one of the world's influential internet services whose products are used by more than 2 billion people everyday. On Monday, the social networking giant announced it was adding former McKinsey executive Nancy Killefer and Estee Lauder Companies chief financial officer Tracey T. Travis, expanding the board following a period of heightened turnover. The two new additions bring the total number of Facebook board members to ten, and means that 40% of Facebook's board members are now women. That's a big change from just eight years ago, when Facebook became a publicly traded company without a single woman on its board of directors. Facebook has made significant changes to its board in recent years. In October 2019, Susan Desmond-Hellmann, the CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and lead independent director on the board, departed after six years. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and businessman Erskine Bowles left in April 2019, while Peggy Alford, the former chief financial officer of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, was appointed. Drew Houston, the CEO of Dropbox and a friend to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, was appointed to the board in February 2020. In addition to Killefer, Travis, Houston, Zuckerberg, and Alford, Facebook's board includes Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, investor Marc Andreessen, General Catalyst Managing Director Kenneth Chenault, Founders Fund investor Peter Thiel, and Cranemere Group CEO Jeffrey Zients. In a statement, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said: ""Nancy brings a great deal of private and public sector experience to this position. She's held a number of senior roles in the US government and was a leader at McKinsey for many years. Tracey has a strong finance and corporate leadership background, not just in her role as CFO at The Estee Lauder Companies, but also serving on the board at Accenture. We have a lot we need to get done in the coming years and I think their experience is going to be very valuable. They're both very accomplished business leaders and I'm looking forward to working with them." Do you work at Facebook? Got a tip? Contact this reporter via encrypted messaging app Signal at (+1) 650-636-6268 using a nonwork device, email at rprice@businessinsider.com, Telegram or WeChat at robaeprice, or Twitter DM at @robaeprice. (PR pitches by email only, please.) Read the original article on Business Insider It took 12-year-old Miyley Lockhart of Lampasas, Texas, a few weeks to decide on the perfect costume that would win her beloved rabbit an award at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's Youth Breeding Rabbit and Cavy Costume Contest on Monday. "I had so many different ideas," Lockhart said. "I love things like this." Lockhart dressed her 1-year-old rabbit "Honey" in a Sesame Street-themed costume as the show's iconic "Oscar the Grouch" character - complete with a mini-trash can and Sesame Street backdrop. 2020 SEASON: Here's what's new at RodeoHouston this year "To me, she feels likes Oscar, like the way he acts and stuff," Lockhart laughed. Like many of the young exhibitors, Lockhart had spent the last few days taking part in various livestock shows. The costume contest was her last event at RodeoHouston, an ideal sendoff for her, she said. "It's entertaining," Lockhart said of the show. "I think it's really creative and fun to do that kind of stuff." ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Houston Rodeo opens with cautious approach to coronavirus concern RodeoHouston has held the contest over the last decade but it wasn't until the last several years when it started attracting more exhibitors and spectators. The contest had at most only 10 exhibitors just three years ago, according to Kenneth Willis, chair of the Rodeo's Rabbit Committee. "We grew from 10 to 30 to 90 - today we are at 125 exhibitors," Willis said. The light-hearted contest offers awards in six categories: best character impersonator costume, funniest costume, most colorful costume, most elaborate costume, best rodeo costume and best overall costume. This year's contestants upped their game with over-the-top costumes such as Mardi Gras floats, Chick-Fil-A- fans and life-size Barbie doll displays. Winners receive a plaque, ribbon and gift certificate. Exhibitors range in age from 8 to 18 years old. "They work so hard to come out and show their animals in the actual livestock competition part, that for them to be able to just relax and have something else fun, I thought that was well worth it," RodeoHouston Vice President Dr. Kelley Larkin said. "To see how much it has taken off is pretty rewarding." Larkin said the rabbit costume contest is just one of many daytime activities rodeo attendees are often unaware of. She encourages Houstonians to explore the RodeoHouston schedule and take full advantage of the various events that are offered for free with grounds admission. "Some of the most fun and rewarding experiences I have are out here during the day," Larkin said. "I always recommend if anyone can, to get out here first thing in the morning and actually enjoy a day on the grounds because there are so many educational and really fun things to see and do that you would never know about." Willis argued that anyone opposed to dressing the rabbits should know the animals are doted on by their owners and receive the best care possible. "These rabbits are maintained extremely well," Willis said. "They are taken care of far better than anything you'd ever think of." Lockhart's Sesame Street costume snagged her rabbit the award for best character impersonator. Her advice for future contestants is simple: have fun with it. "You should be really creative with all of it," Lockhart said. "And don't worry about the competition, just worry about having a fun and good time." The following contestants were crowned winners: Best Overall Raegan Neu Funniest Costume Katelynn Dirzanowski Best Rodeo Theme Costume Sora Hudgens-White Most Colorful Costume Kimberly Nieto Most Elaborate Costume Jorja Beall Best Character Impersonator Miyley Lockhart For more on the rabbit costume contest visit the RodeoHouston website. Rebecca Hennes covers community news. Read her on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | rebecca.hennes@chron.com In 1986, six years after Infosys was born, another software company took shape in Bengaluru. Tally Solutions rose from the ashes literally. A devastating fire had laid waste to a family cotton business founded by Shyam Sunder Goenka, a Marwari entrepreneur with roots in Kolkata. The only thing that could be salvaged from the wreckage was a computer on the shop floor. The electronic survivor became the prized possession that the twenty-something Bharat Goenka -- the son of Shyam Sunder Goenka -- relied upon to create Peutronics Financial Accountant, an accounting software application which eventually became Tally Solutions. For his troubles, Bharat Goenka was honoured with the Padma Shri award this year. Today, Tally Solutions is the overwhelming market leader in business software for small and medium enterprises, so much so that the term Tally is generic for accounting software in the diversified small and medium businesses of the country. And nearly 35 years after its founding, Tally is transforming itself for the 21st century, with a new Goenka in charge Managing Director Tejas, the 30-year-old son of Bharat Goenka. Tally may be a household name for those in the trade, but it is still puny compared to the software giants Infosys and Wipro which emerged in the 1980s. Big ambitions While Tally might not become as big as an Infosys or a Wipro, it does have big ambitions. In the past decades growth was easier since competitors were few and far between, but Tally now has to contend with hungry startups, some of them backed by deep-pocket venture capitalists who are willing to burn money to capture market share. The core elements of Tallys strategy, said Tejas Goenka, revolve around two important areas expanding into new markets, and introducing complementary product offerings. While the target is micro-businesses like restaurants, kirana shops, medical stores; the entry point will be billing. Accounting is Tally and Tally is accounting, said Tejas Goenka. I want the same to be true of billing. Mom-and-pop outlets still form the backbone of retail in India. While online retail is growing and is estimated to hit close to $100 billion soon, it is still a small share of more than $800 billion retail market. As per a report published last year by Deloitte and Retailers Association of India unorganised players dominate 88 percent of the retail market in India and Tejas Goenka wants to be friends with them. The reason Tally becomes a runaway success with small business is its ability to pay attention to detail. For example, Tally doesnt fuss about date formats; editing older entries is a breeze; and it is designed so that simple graduates can operate it with ease. A small-business owner in Tinsukhia (in the eastern end of Assam, close to the Myanmar border) should not have to call someone to operate the platform. If we can solve that we will be able to solve the retail digitisation problem, Tejas Goenka said, predicting that Tally will be a major player in the retail business by 2021 or 2022. Challenges are aplenty While entering into retail might sound exciting, challenges are aplenty. To start with, Tally has to completely rewrite its software to make it suitable for these businesses. Besides, retail is becoming a crowded space. From digital payments unicorn Paytm to large point of sales companies and even early-stage startups like OkCredit, Vyapar and Khatabook, everyone is targeting this sector. It is true that first to market matters a lot, but I believe best to market matters a lot more, he said, pointing to Facebooks demolition of Google-owned social-media site Orkut. In 2018-19, Tally Solutions reported revenue of Rs 500 crore and net profit of Rs 86 crore. The previous financial year was a bonanza because of the implementation of GST. Its profit was Rs 160 crore on revenue of Rs 658 crore. The reason that the GST-induced growth hasnt sustained is because a one-time purchase doesnt always result in annual subscription. This is the biggest challenge, where getting businesses to pay for software is difficult. Tamonash Dey, who manufactures leather gloves in Kolkata, has been a Tally user for than a decade. He told Moneycontrol that there is a reason why Tally enjoys more than 90 percent market share in the MSME segment, and that is its ease of use. Having been a software engineer before starting up, I know how difficult it is to customise large software platforms for small businesses. Tally addresses all issues and allows us to make changes easily, which helps in tax compliance, he said. Also it is easy and cheap to get an accountant who knows Tally, which is a big positive. The old-school model of trust and belief It is this old-school model of trust and belief which can drive Tally into the future as well. While retail is his next bet, Tejas Goenka is trying to modify the trademark accounting platform for the new-generation entrepreneur. As business goes smart and mobile, Tally will be designed for connected devices, keeping the owner connected even if he or she is on the move. While connecting different systems within the company is something the company recently launched, the bigger challenge is to create a network of businesses within a supply chain who are all using Tally. If Tally can connect different businesses, thereby enabling free flow of information between vendors and suppliers, it can automate data-entry processes completely. The trick here is to manage the different systems in different companies and make data readable across platforms. Tallys vision has never been in question, but its agility will be the key this time. The competition can be counted on to be nimble and Tally has to contend with legacy systems and a more traditional workforce. Goenka agreed it is a big challenge, but at the same time explained how the company has already gone through a transformation five or six times since inception. I think in the software world, if you need to survive you should be ready to rewrite everything from the beginning leaving behind only the brand. By end of next year we would have wiped out 100 percent of our existing code base, he said. While technology and product are crucial, stronger business metrics will be derived from more revenue channels for the company and reduction in piracy. Piracy is one big issue the company has been grappling with since inception. Out of more than 60 lakh businesses using its software, only around 20 lakh are paid users. But this is changing, claimed Gonka. The company has invested in creating a base of 28,000 distributors and has seen the number of registered users jumping from 25,000 several years back to 20 lakh now. Events like GST implementation and mandatory e-way bills boosted demand, helping double the customer base in less than three years. Relatively cheap Besides piracy, Tally needs its customers to continue paying for its services. It needs to realign its customers onto a subscription model. Goenka said that 50 percent of Tallys revenue is already from that channel but the overall pie needs to grow. A Tally subscription comes relatively cheap at Rs 3,600 a year, even selling that to hard-nosed small business owners is challenging. But the hope is now with compliance becoming strict, GST rates changing all the time and new modifications coming in from the government, businesses will find benefits in the subscription model. Also, the planned expansion into West Asia and Southeast Asia will help potentially generate higher revenues. Tally has challenges ahead, no doubt, but it is sitting pretty in its core business of selling software to a customer base that is difficult to please and even harder to make money from. It might face competition in the retail segment where it is trying to foray, but its accounting platform has not been disrupted yet. Further, it will be difficult for any venture-funded company to match the financial might of Tally. Being a family-owned business, the company has no compulsion to listen to investors and get forced into business lines it does not get excited about. The biggest challenge for early-stage tech startups is to replicate the high-touch model that Tally has built through its distribution network and this segment of businesses need physical support, said a top executive of another accounting startup. This network of chartered accountants, Tally distributors, software developers and trainers is too big to be dislodged by any incumbent easily. SACRAMENTO After failing to pass legislation to open up less densely populated parts of California to multifamily housing, state Sen. Scott Wiener is trying again with a lighter touch plan aimed at suburbs. The San Francisco Democrat on Monday introduced SB902, which would essentially eliminate single-family zoning across the state by allowing multiunit housing in nearly all residential neighborhoods. Unlike his past effort, however, Wieners new proposal would cap the number of units that could be built in the smallest communities at two and limit the number in midsize cities to three. The bill resurrects a provision of SB50, Wieners bill that also would have enabled taller, denser residential development around public transit and in wealthy suburbs. It failed on the Senate floor in January, after a similar proposal stalled in 2018. Wiener said his new measure could significantly increase the housing supply in California while being mindful of preserving communities character. Local governments fiercely opposed his past legislation because they felt it failed to do that. Its a much lighter-touch housing, he said. Its OK for it be broader, because many communities in California that dont necessarily have great transit or job access are still struggling with housing, and people are still hurting and becoming homeless and not being able to afford to live there. So we need housing everywhere. SB902 would create a right to build or convert homes into small multifamily housing in any residential neighborhood in the state, outside of areas at high risk of wildfires. In unincorporated areas and cities up to 10,000 people, the bill would allow duplexes on any property. It would permit a building with up to three units in a city with between 10,000 and 50,000 people, and up to four units in a city with more than 50,000 people. The legislation would not make changes to local height or design standards. That was a major source of anxiety for many opponents to SB50, who worried that it could radically change the look and feel of their communities by requiring cities to permit four- and five-story buildings near public transit. But the new bill does create an option for cities to rezone residential parcels for apartment or condominium projects up to 10 units, without having to go through the formal environmental review that Wiener said can add five to 10 years to the process. Unlike his previous measure, allowing such construction would be up to cities it would not be a state requirement. The provision would apply to neighborhoods near public transit and in high-income areas with access to jobs and good schools. Cities could choose to adopt the change for any qualifying area through an ordinance. It will be much, much faster than the usual process, Wiener said. I hope well signal to cities that were serious about giving cities more and more tools to make their lives easier in zoning for and approving more housing. SB50 also faced considerable pushback from affordable-housing advocates, who worried that it would accelerate gentrification by promoting luxury development. Wiener said the small projects covered by his new bill have different financial incentives and are less likely to lead to displacement, but he did include a provision that would prevent demolition of any home where a renter has lived in the past seven years. The League of California Cities, which led opposition to SB50, declined to discuss Wieners latest proposal before its members had a chance to review the language. But the organization shared a blueprint for more housing that it released last week, which suggested that California should provide options for changes to local regulations. Among more than a dozen it suggested was allowing up to fourplexes in single-family zones. Led by Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins of San Diego, the Senate Democratic caucus is working on a new housing production bill to replace SB50, which left the Democrats bitterly divided. That forthcoming measure could remove some of the urgency for Wieners SB902, though he said his bill would be complementary to whatever the Senate leadership comes up with. There is significant political space to make change and move the dial around housing this year, he said. Any policy that prescribes rules to local governments will nevertheless face a tough path in the Legislature. Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, voted against SB50 on the Senate floor in January, when it failed by three votes. He said Monday that he understood the need to put pressure on communities to increase housing construction, but said, Ive never been in love with unilateral upzoning. Allen said that while all options remain on the table, he would be looking for legislation that did not treat every city exactly the same and gave flexibility to those that are already building more housing. Shouldnt they be allowed to do what they want to, Allen said, as long as theyre making a serious effort? Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff The Minister for Children Katherine Zappone has ordered another review into Scouting Irelands governance and safeguarding arrangements. Another review into Scouting Irelands governance and safeguarding arrangements is set to take place, the Minister for Children has confirmed. Brigid McManus, former secretary general of the Department of Education and Skills, has been asked to carry out the assessment of Scouting Irelands operations. The department said it is a follow-up from Jillian van Turnhouts governance review, which was published in June 2018. The report made a number of recommendations for Scouting Ireland to address deficits in Scouting Ireland. It followed an earlier report which found evidence of alleged child abuse victims in the organisation. The department said that, following Ms van Turnhouts report, Scouting Ireland has provided regular information to Katherine Zappone on the progress it has made in implementing the recommendations. The organisations most recent written progress report was given in October 2019. The Minister said in December that Scouting Ireland told her it had implemented all recommendations in full. The Minister said she has asked Ms McManus to carry out the independent review on the organisations current position, with an aim to have it completed by next month. The review will examine whether the recommendations of the report have been fully and satisfactorily implemented and will take account of any relevant developments. Ms McManus is currently a board member of Childrens Health Ireland (CHI) and chairs the Boards Governance and Nominations Committee. Last year, the government said it would consider a statutory inquiry into allegations of historical sexual abuse at the organisation. It followed an RTE Investigates programme which revealed that former scouts alleged they were abused, while members of the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland and the Scouting Association of Ireland expressed concerns that Scouting Ireland had been allowed to carry out its own review of the complaints. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin has also called for a statutory, independent and transparent inquiry into the allegations. "Last Week Tonight" host John Oliver has slammed Disney-owned streaming service Hotstar for "self-censoring" an episode critical of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government over the Citizenship Amendment Act and his handling of the protests against it. In the latest episode that aired in the US on Sunday, the satirist also took on an Indian TV news anchor who said Oliver had "embarrassed" himself with the Modi episode. A new episode of the Emmy award-winning show is streamed on Hotstar for Indian subscribers every week on Tuesday at 6 am. On February 25, "Modi: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" was expected to be available to Hotstar subscribers from 6 am but those who logged in only found the show of the week before. Oliver said he was alerted that the episode did not air in India by his viewers in the country. "A couple of weeks ago we did a story on India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which some diehard Modi supporters like Arnab Goswami, the Tucker Carlson of India, did not enjoy..." Oliver showed a clip of the criticism against him by the Indian channel and then said, "I'll give you ignoramus. Ill even give you a third-rate TV host. My researchers assure me thats an actual compliment - but I embarrass myself? Who the f*** do you think youre talking to?! Referring to the PM Modi episode, Oliver said, "That episode actually did not air in India. A lot of our viewers alerted us of the fact that Hotstar, the streaming service that broadcast us in India, never uploaded that episode in India. There is no evidence that the Indian government made them do that," Oliver said. He said that it appears that Hotstar decided to self-censor, "which is still not good". "And what's worse is, it's apparently not even the first time that they have censored us. We've discovered that they've quietly been doing it for a while now, but not for the reason that you might expect," the host said. Oliver said that Hotstar had cut out a joke about Mickey Mouse in an earlier episode on US Census and another about Donald Duck. "Why did they do that? Its hard to say, but it might be because Hotstar is actually owned by Disney, and they seem extra-sensitive about Disney references." Oliver, who voiced hornbill Zazu in Disney's live-action reimagining of The Lion King, said it was pointless for the streaming service to censor his words critical of the studio as he is Zazu. "If you think you that you have to remove anything that reflects poorly on Disney from this show, I have some bad news for you my friends - Im f***ing Zazu right here. Everything that comes out of this beak is a Disney fact." AT THE CENTER OF ALL BEAUTY Solitude and the Creative Life By Fenton Johnson When the writer Fenton Johnson was in the seventh grade in 1960s Kentucky, the class was asked to draw posters illustrating some aspect of Roman Catholic catechism. Johnson chose Three Roads to Heaven, representing the three church-designated paths from which a good pilgrim must make an adult choice. The first road led to the religious life a calling to be either priest or nun. The second ended in the self-explanatory Marriage, with procreation tacitly assumed to be part of the deal. The third possible vocation, perhaps surprisingly, was to stay Single. As far as the Roman Catholic God of postwar rural America was concerned, choosing to live on your own while remaining at large in the community was an entirely estimable thing to do. Yet when the room of 12-year-olds was asked in a follow-up session which path they would choose, only young Johnson responded Single. This is hardly surprising, either then or now. Johnson, who in At the Center of All Beauty reveals that he has remained largely uncoupled in his adult life, is exquisitely alive to the bad chatter that solitaries his term for those who are solo by choice attract. In many parts of the globe, being a single adult is seen as temporary at best, a transitory phase through which you progress on your way to the social goal of heterosexual coupledom. To tarry as a bachelor or spinster past the age of 35 is to enter a doubtful, dreary no mans land. The fear is that you will be stuck there forever, eventually attracting that pitiable label not the marrying kind, which contains within itself the ghost of another, crueler designation: unmarriageable. In this lyrical yet finely argued book, Johnson sets out to show that being alone so different from loneliness, its direct opposite, in fact is absolutely essential to the creative life. Taking a dozen or so historical examples, from Emily Dickinson in Amherst to Bill Cunningham in New York via Paul Cezanne in Provence, Johnson reveals how artists have always removed themselves from the noise and clutter of enforced sociability in order to live closer to the sources of their inspiration. Dickinson turned down an offer of marriage late in life, while Cunningham, the society photographer, insisted on living on as little money as possible so that his employers, which included The New York Times, cant tell you what to do. Cezanne, though technically married, saw his wife and child only on Sundays, which left the rest of the week free for obsessively painting Mont Sainte-Victoire in all weathers and lights. COLUMBIA, S.C., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 9, 2020, Bakari Sellers , Hope and Wade King and Brittany Jeltema 'took over' Mellichamp Elementary School in Orangeburg, South Carolina. The day was part of the professional development for teachers, and culminated in room transformations for the students, including a student safe space/lounge. Bakari Sellers and Hope and Wade King transform Mellichamp Elementary School. Photo by Adam Powell Students at Mellichamp Elementary enjoy newly transformed spaces by Hope and Wade King and Brittany Jeltema. Photo by Adam Powell Hope and Wade King delivered an inspirational keynote for the faculty and staff, followed by interactive model lessons in classrooms. Teachers were given the resources needed for the lessons (black lights, decorations, legos, and more), and copies of Hope and Wade King's all new children's book, "The Wild Card Kids." The day culminated in the surprise reveal of a newly remodeled room designed by Brittany Jeltema, a.k.a @thesuperheroteacher. This room will provide students with a lounge where faculty and staff can provide a consistent safe and calm environment for the students. Hope and Wade King are highly acclaimed educators and co-authors of the books, "The Wild Card" and "The Wild Card Kids." Hope is also the co-founder of the popular Get Your Teach On professional development conferences, and together they spearhead the worldwide Rock Your School initiative. Both Hope and Wade were raised in South Carolina, and resided here through college and their first teaching jobs. "We are thrilled to be back in South Carolina, contributing to our home state. Previously, we facilitated a donation of 1,300 desks to schools and students here. We hope to participate in as many projects as possible to give back to a place that means so much to us," said Hope King. Wade adds, "As always, Barkari has been incredible. We value the relationship we have with him and believe that together in partnership we have the potential to impact change in neglected communities, like the corridor of shame in South Carolina." The Opportunity Project South Carolina announced its efforts last December and immediately hit the ground running with initiatives and funding partnerships. Led by Bakari Sellers, the organization aims to close the gaps plaguing South Carolina communities in quality-of-life areas including healthcare, education and technology. Media contact: Laura Camien 917-689-3688 [email protected] SOURCE Hope and Wade King Mobile County, the city of Mobile and the Alabama Historical Commission say work will begin immediately on an Africatown Heritage House that will feature artifacts from the slave ship Clotilda. The plan for the facility was announced Tuesday by the Alabama Historical Commission, which said the History Museum of Mobile also will play a major role in developing Clotilda: The Exhibition. The Clotilda is believed to be the last ship to bring a cargo of captive Africans into slavery in the United States, shortly before the start of the Civil War. Stranded after the war, some of them went on to found Africatown, a community where they preserved their language and folkways for decades. In early 2019, researchers announced that they had confirmed a shipwreck upriver from Mobile to be the remains of the Clotilda, which was scuttled and burned after its last voyage. Whats left is buried in mud under water in what has been described as a bayou near Twelve Mile Island. While the discovery has fueled excitement about preservation and display of the hull and any artifacts it might contain, researchers have said further study of the site will be needed before any excavation can be undertaken. The new Africatown Heritage House will be the first facility to serve as a focal point for interest in the ship among area residents and tourists. It is separate from a previously announced Africatown Welcome Center to be funded by RESTORE Act money stemming from Deepwater Horizon Disaster penalties. Mobile City Council President Levon Manzie said there was an agreement for the city and the county to split the approximate $600,000 cost of the Heritage House. This is the brainchild of County Commissioner Merceria Ludgood, said Manzie. He said Ludgood had approached himself and Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson about the idea. Manzie said details about where the citys share of the funding will come from have yet to be finalized, but he said he was hopeful a funding measure would come before the council in the near future. The County Commission, likewise, has not yet approved a specific funding measure but has had discussions, a spokesperson said. Tuesdays statement from the Alabama Historical Commission quoted Ludgood as saying that it was so gratifying to see federal, state, and local governments and private industry come together to bring another major asset to the Africatown community. Collaborations like these ensure that we will be able to honor and preserve the memory and legacy of the Clotilda and her descendants for generations to come. Through this exhibit and collaborative effort, everyone will have the opportunity to experience the moving story of the Clotilda and its survivors, said Lisa Demetropoulos Jones, executive director of the Alabama Historical Commission. This exhibit will bring the tragedy of slavery into focus while witnessing the triumph and resilience of the human spirit in overcoming a horrific crime. According to Tuesdays announcement, Clotilda: The Exhibition will draw on archaeological reports released by the Alabama Historical Commission. The Exhibition tells the stories of the Clotilda and Africatown in the context of slavery and maritime shipping along the Gulf Coast, it said. It includes the histories of the final journey of the Clotilda, the settlement and history of Africatown, and the discovery of the sunken schooner, all through a combination of interpretive text panels, documents, and artifacts. Our priority is ensuring that the citizens of Africatown get the full benefit of this exhibition, said Meg McCrummen Fowler, director of the History Museum of Mobile. The History Museum of Mobile is honored to be offering our staffs enormous experience with archeology, anthropology, and public history. Ultimately, though, this exhibition is about Africatown telling Africatowns story. Tuesdays announcement said the Historical Commission will contribute more than a dozen artifacts from the Clotilda but provided no additional detail. The Africatown Heritage House is to be built adjacent to the Robert Hope Community Center and is tentatively expected to open in fall 2020. Plans call for admission to be free to Mobile County residents, with admission fees from other visitors to be reinvested to support operations at the site. Stephen Fried, who teaches writing at Penn and has done a fair amount of it himself, is a firm believer in the David Library of the American Revolution, a scholarly research center in Washington Crossing. Yes, the David Library has an astonishing collection, he said, but just as important, it exudes an atmosphere of enthused engagement thats hard to find in libraries these days. Fried encountered that while working on a 2018 biography of Benjamin Rush, the most famous doctor in America at the end of the 18th century. It was one of the few places that found out that I was doing a book on Rush and they reached out to offer help," Fried recalled. It was a great experience And when the book came out, they called and said, Youve got to come up. It was an event. People are really into it. Its like a campus." Now that campus 118 acres of farmland and about a dozen or so buildings is being sold and the research activities that thrived along the Delaware River in Bucks County are moving lock, stock, and barrel of microfilm south to Philadelphia. After years of talks, the David is partnering with the venerable American Philosophical Society, at Fifth and Chestnut Streets, and the resulting David Center for the Study of the American Revolution will be a powerhouse nationally for the study of all things related to the Revolutionary era, said Patrick Spero, director of the APS library. Were going to have new energy for an exhibition program, Spero said. "This material will help inspire our exhibits. I mean, our job at the APS is to advance knowledge, and thats what the David Center, this research center and all its programs, is going to allow us to do. The documents have actually been housed at APS for many years, but the books have been in Bucks County. They moved to Philadelphia a week or two ago. Some archival materials are still being packed up. Proceeds from the sale of the librarys Bucks County property will be added to its endowment, bolstering funding for its staffing and operations. The David collection is considered priceless. It comprises about 7,000 books and more than 25 linear feet of manuscripts. But more interesting for researchers, if not as sexy, is that the collection encompasses about 9,000 reels of microfilm capturing well-over a million pages of manuscripts from more than 50 archives around the country. The manuscripts are truly astounding and include numerous Washington letters, Spero said. Meg McSweeney, the Davids chief operating officer, said that, while the library is giving up its campus and moving into Philadelphia, the David will still own its collection. APS will provide support, space, and the opportunity to engage more people and institutions. The center will have its own director and board. Digitization of the collection, including all the microfilm material, is one of the first tasks the center will undertake, said Spero. Educational programming, teacher workshops, exhibitions, scholarly residencies all are poised for expansion, he added. Its lasted 45 years, McSweeney said of the Bucks County campus. But it was not sustainable. A partnership seemed the way to go. The David was founded in 1960 by Lithuanian immigrant Sol Feinstone, who came to the United States penniless as a lad and made a fortune in a variety of businesses. Feinstone was a committed collector, fascinated by his adopted country and its Revolutionary origins. He accumulated one of the largest collections anywhere of Revolution-related materials in private hands. In 1974, Feinstone moved the collection to his farm by the Delaware River, and when he died in 1980, he left it a $5 million endowment to support future operations. Several years ago, McSweeney said, it became obvious to the Davids board of directors that the library could not sustain itself forever into the future and eventually entered talks with APS. Its a way to do what we wanted to do to advance the understanding of the American Revolution, said McSweeney. For one thing, she said, the location had proven frustrating way out in Bucks County." At APS, David Center will be in a much better position not only to provide enhanced programming but to engage with other institutions, such as the Museum of the American Revolution, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and the Library Company of Philadelphia. Daniel Richter, Penn professor of history and director of the McNeil Center for Early American Studies, lamented the move from Bucks County a really beautiful place but the relocation of materials, particularly the microfilm, more than warranted it. Its really an unparalleled collection of microfilm resources offering one-stop shopping, he said. It will all be accessible to scholars and it will be cared for into the future. Digitizing that collection, once copyright issues with various archives are resolved, will make it available to scholars all over the world, he said. R. Scott Stephenson, president and chief executive of the Museum of the American Revolution, took two research spins through the David Library. In putting together the main exhibition for the museum, Stephenson recalled, Todd Braisted from the library helped to fill out the story of London Pleasants, an enslaved man who escaped and joined the British Army. Pleasants is featured in the museums Finding Freedom digital exhibit. He died in Nova Scotia following his escape a fact, Braisted established. Its incredible, Stephenson said of the David collection. It will significantly increase the strength of Philadelphia as a research center. This is very much the model of what needs to happen with nonprofits, said Fried, from Penn, alluding to the partnership itself. Youll be able to serve anyone who wants to engage with history. ' Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Angelo Amante and Stephen Jewkes (Reuters) Rome, Italy Tue, March 10, 2020 05:55 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20696b0e9 2 World Italy,prison-riots,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,outbreak,COVID-19,health Free Seven prisoners have died as riots spread through crowded jails across Italy over measures imposed to contain the coronavirus. Inmates, many angered by restrictions on family visits, went on the rampage and started fires from Sunday into Monday, authorities said. In one prison, inmates took guards hostage and in another some escaped. By Monday afternoon, violence that started at the heart of the coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy had spread south, hitting more than 25 penitentiaries nationwide. Justice Minister Alfonso Bonafede said the government was open to discussing prison conditions but the rebellions had to stop. In a sign of the political pressures piling onto his coalition government, the leader of the far-right opposition League, Matteo Salvini, called for an "iron fist" response. Italy - the worst-hit country in Europe - has reported 463 deaths linked to the virus. The biggest rebellion began on Sunday in a prison in the northern town of Modena. Three prisoners died there, and another four in prisons where they were moved after the violence started, a prison administration official at the justice ministry, said. Some died from overdoses of drugs they had stolen from prison clinics, a justice ministry source said, without giving details on what had caused the other fatalities. Police and fire trucks massed outside the prison as black smoke swirled into the sky on Sunday. A justice ministry spokesman said the situation there was under control by Monday, and officials were assessing the damage. Two guards were taken hostage in a prison in the northern town of Pavia on Sunday night, and then freed in a police raid hours later, the prison police group UILPA said. Inmates revolted in Milan's San Vittore prison, taking to the roof and unfurling a banner demanding a general pardon. Further south, prisoners in the Tuscan city of Prato set fire to mattresses. On Sicily, inmates rebelled at Palermo's Ucciardone prison, which houses some Mafia convicts, but guards managed to regain control, officials said. Italian media said about 50 inmates managed to escape from a jail in the southern city Foggia. The majority were rapidly captured, but by nightfall nine prisoners were still missing. Italy's prisons are among the most over-crowded in Europe. "The spread of the virus is a real concern," said Andrea Oleandri of the Italian prison rights group Antigone. Melbourne's Carey Baptist Grammar School will close until at least Sunday and dozens of its students are being tested for coronavirus after a teacher contracted the disease. Carey is the first school in Victoria to close due to coronavirus and the state's chief health officer Dr Brett Sutton said more schools would follow suit. The state government released its COVID-19 plan on Tuesday, as the Premier warned that all schools could be closed when the coronavirus outbreak peaks in Victoria. The teacher's diagnosis, the first case of community transmission in Victoria, was confirmed on Tuesday morning. The teacher, in her 50s, is a family member of a man who returned from the US on February 29, on the same flight as Toorak GP Chris Higgins. She is recovering at home in isolation and has mild symptoms. The teacher works in the middle and senior schools at Carey, a large co-ed private school in Melbourne's eastern suburbs. At least 30 students who had contact with the teacher are being tested for coronavirus. Steve Holland, Lisa Lambert WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration scrambled on Monday to assure Americans it was responding to a growing coronavirus outbreak as stock markets plunged and top health officials urged some people to avoid cruise ships, air travel and big public gatherings. U.S. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly played down the threat posed by the flu-like virus sweeping the globe, was planning to meet with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and other members of his economic team to weigh possible action, an administration official told Reuters. Paid sick leave is among policy steps being considered, the official said on condition of anonymity. One camp in the White House, which includes Trump, backs an across-the-board payroll tax cut, said an economist advising the administration, while top White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow and others advocate specific tax credits, loans or direct subsidies to certain industries or hard-hit areas. A payroll tax cut could encourage consumer spending and help households that might otherwise struggle to make rent and mortgage payments on time or pay medical bills if family members work hours are reduced during a coronavirus outbreak. Senate Finance Committee Chuck Grassley, a Republican, told reporters that a range of options for responding to the crisis are being explored in his tax-writing committee. Florida health officials said everyone returning from China, Iran, South Korea and Italy must isolate for 14 days while travelers from other countries affected by the outbreak should monitor their health. The number of confirmed U.S. cases reached 566, including 22 deaths, according to state public health authorities and a running national tally kept by the Johns Hopkins University. Thirty-four U.S. states and the District of Columbia have reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) infections of the respiratory illness COVID-19 that can lead to pneumonia. Louisiana had the states first presumed coronavirus case, Governor John Bel Edwards announced on Monday. As worries over the virus deepened, the Dow fell a record 2,000 points when trading opened and the S&P 500 posted its largest single-day percentage drop since December 2008, the depths of the financial crisis. A plunge in oil prices contributed to fears of a looming recession. Trump, who often points to the stock market as a gauge of his economic record, criticized news media organizations coverage of the outbreak in a tweet and accused Democrats of hyping the situation far beyond what the facts would warrant. The CDC advised colleges and universities to consider asking students studying abroad to return home and cancel or postpone upcoming travel. Several U.S. universities were either moving to virtual instruction or considering the step and limiting gatherings on their campuses. Anthony Fauci, head of infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health, and other health officials say older Americans, especially those with chronic medical concerns, should avoid big social gatherings, cruise ships and airline flights. Warnings from Fauci and others about the need for greater social distancing - the practice of minimizing unnecessary contact in public settings - came amid a high-profile example of risks now inherent in large gatherings. U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and Representatives Paul Gosar, Doug Collins and Matt Gaetz have announced that they would self-quarantine after coming in contact at a conservative political conference with an attendee who later tested positive for the virus. Gaetz traveled with Trump aboard Air Force One on Monday. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, who is heading the administrations overall response to the crisis, also attended the conference. The White House said there was no indication they came into contact with the infected attendee. CRUISE SHIP More than 110,000 people have been infected and about 3,800 have died in the outbreak, which originated in China late last year and has spread to at least 105 countries and territories. Italy, which has the second-highest death toll, said it was extending to the rest of the country restrictions on movement imposed on much of its wealthy industrial north in an effort to contain spread of the virus. The hardest-hit place in the United States has been a nursing home in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, and Washington state is considering mandatory measures such as banning large gatherings but not necessarily imposing massive quarantines. The Life Care Center facility has accounted for most of the 18 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths in Washington state. In California, officials planned to offload 2,400 passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship, which was barred from returning to San Francisco last week due to a coronavirus outbreak on board. Most of the passengers will go into quarantine at four military bases across the country, with those requiring immediate medical attention heading to hospitals. The crew of 1,100 will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship, unless they are in need of acute care off the vessel. California has more than 100 confirmed cases, while on the East Coast, cases in New York state rose to 142, up from 105 a day earlier, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday. One of them was Rick Cotton, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey that controls airports and other major travel hubs. He will be quarantined and work from home, Cuomo said. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio asked employers in the nations most populous city to consider staggering workers start times to ease crowding on public transport and to allow more telecommuting where possible. De Blasio said there were 20 confirmed cases there as of Monday afternoon. Reporting by Steve Holland, Susan Heavey, Lisa Lambert, Heather Timmons, David Shepardson and Susan Cornwell in Washington, Nathan Layne, Jonathan Allen and Peter Szekely in New York and Trevor Hunnicutt in Flint, Michigan; Writing by Paul Simao and Richard Cowan; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Bill Berkrot and Cynthia Osterman NEW YORK, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Automotive Steering Angle Measurement Sensor Market 2020-2024 The analyst has been monitoring the global automotive steering angle measurement sensor market and it is poised to grow by USD 9.6 bn during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of 9% during the forecast period. Our reports on global automotive steering angle measurement sensor market provides a holistic analysis, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis covering around 25 vendors. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05256467/?utm_source=PRN The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current global market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The market is driven by integration of sensors leading to better steering control.In addition, development of portable steering wheel angle measurement sensor is anticipated to boost the growth of the global automotive steering angle measurement sensor market as well. Market Segmentation The global automotive steering angle measurement sensor market is segmented as below: Application: Electric Power Steering Electro-hydraulic Power Steering Geographic Segmentation: APAC Europe MEA North America South America Key Trends for global automotive steering angle measurement sensor market growth This study identifies development of portable steering wheel angle measurement sensor as the prime reasons driving the global automotive steering angle measurement sensor market growth during the next few years. Prominent vendors in global automotive steering angle measurement sensor market We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the global automotive steering angle measurement sensor market, including some of the vendors such as Bourns Inc., DENSO CORP., HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA, Honeywell International Inc., Robert Bosch GmbH, TE Connectivity Ltd., TOKAI RIKA CO. LTD., Toyodenso Co. Ltd., Valeo SA and ZF Friedrichshafen AG . The study was conducted using an objective combination of primary and secondary information including inputs from key participants in the industry. The report contains a comprehensive market and vendor landscape in addition to an analysis of the key vendors. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05256467/?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 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links www.reportlinker.com Unfortunately for some shareholders, the Bank Of Ireland Group (ISE:BIRG) share price has dived 39% in the last thirty days. Indeed the recent decline has arguably caused some bitterness for shareholders who have held through the 54% drop over twelve months. Assuming nothing else has changed, a lower share price makes a stock more attractive to potential buyers. In the long term, share prices tend to follow earnings per share, but in the short term prices bounce around in response to short term factors (which are not always obvious). So, on certain occasions, long term focussed investors try to take advantage of pessimistic expectations to buy shares at a better price. Perhaps the simplest way to get a read on investors' expectations of a business is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). A high P/E implies that investors have high expectations of what a company can achieve compared to a company with a low P/E ratio. View our latest analysis for Bank Of Ireland Group How Does Bank Of Ireland Group's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers? Bank Of Ireland Group's P/E of 7.23 indicates relatively low sentiment towards the stock. The image below shows that Bank Of Ireland Group has a lower P/E than the average (8.0) P/E for companies in the banks industry. ISE:BIRG Price Estimation Relative to Market, March 10th 2020 This suggests that market participants think Bank Of Ireland Group will underperform other companies in its industry. Many investors like to buy stocks when the market is pessimistic about their prospects. You should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling. How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios When earnings fall, the 'E' decreases, over time. Therefore, even if you pay a low multiple of earnings now, that multiple will become higher in the future. So while a stock may look cheap based on past earnings, it could be expensive based on future earnings. Bank Of Ireland Group saw earnings per share decrease by 38% last year. And EPS is down 9.7% a year, over the last 5 years. This could justify a pessimistic P/E. Story continues Remember: P/E Ratios Don't Consider The Balance Sheet One drawback of using a P/E ratio is that it considers market capitalization, but not the balance sheet. So it won't reflect the advantage of cash, or disadvantage of debt. In theory, a company can lower its future P/E ratio by using cash or debt to invest in growth. While growth expenditure doesn't always pay off, the point is that it is a good option to have; but one that the P/E ratio ignores. Is Debt Impacting Bank Of Ireland Group's P/E? Bank Of Ireland Group's net debt is 68% of its market cap. This is a reasonably significant level of debt -- all else being equal you'd expect a much lower P/E than if it had net cash. The Verdict On Bank Of Ireland Group's P/E Ratio Bank Of Ireland Group has a P/E of 7.2. That's below the average in the IE market, which is 13.7. When you consider that the company has significant debt, and didn't grow EPS last year, it isn't surprising that the market has muted expectations. Given Bank Of Ireland Group's P/E ratio has declined from 11.9 to 7.2 in the last month, we know for sure that the market is more worried about the business today, than it was back then. For those who prefer to invest with the flow of momentum, that might be a bad sign, but for deep value investors this stock might justify some research. Investors should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. If it is underestimating a company, investors can make money by buying and holding the shares until the market corrects itself. So this free visualization of the analyst consensus on future earnings could help you make the right decision about whether to buy, sell, or hold. Of course you might be able to find a better stock than Bank Of Ireland Group. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have grown earnings strongly. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. The Italian government also urged the EU to adopt measures to counter the economic effects of the virus outbreak. Italys government will further increase spending in a massive shock therapy to offset the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak, the prime minister said on Monday. We will not stop here. We will use a massive shock therapy. To come out of this emergency we will use all human and economic resources, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told daily la Repubblica. Conte added that the government would use the flexibility envisaged by European budget rules in full. Europe cannot think of confronting an extraordinary situation with ordinary measures, Conte added in the interview. The Italian government also urged the European Union to adopt a package of measures to counter the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the economies of the block. The economy ministry said: The government will spare no effort to ensure that a package of measures is agreed at the EU level in coordination with the whole international community. The premier said his coalition government was studying various initiatives, without giving further details, and that between today and tomorrow he would meet representatives of the opposition to discuss the new economic measures. Rome on Sunday approved unprecedented quarantine measures with a virtual lockdown across most of its wealthy north, including the financial capital Milan, in a drastic new attempt to rein in an outbreak of the illness. So far Italy has been hit harder by the crisis than anywhere else in Europe, with deaths leaping sharply again to 366 and the total number of infections jumping by 25 percent to 7,375. Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri last week pledged some 7.5 billion euros ($8.55bn) in measures to help the economy withstand the effects of the epidemic, raising this years budget deficit goal to 2.5 percent of national output from its current 2.2 percent. The European Commission told Italy on Saturday that its planned extra spending in response to the coronavirus would not be counted in considering its compliance with European Union budget rules. EU rules allow a temporary deviation from the deficit goals in case of exceptional events, including severe economic recession and major natural disasters. The Milan stock exchange, whose all-share index has plunged 17 percent since the crisis broke, was scheduled to open normally on Monday, but one trader said he expected a violent sell-off. Venezuelan security forces fired tear gas at supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as they marched down a main avenue in eastern Caracas on Tuesday morning, hoping to inject new life into a campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro. Women and men wearing white T-shirts and Venezuelan flags draped over their shoulders chanted and held signs that said "no more torture, no more deaths." The group planned to reach the National Assembly downtown, where a rival march organized by Maduro loyalists is also headed, raising the possibility of clashes with armed government supporters, known as colectivos. Police in anti-riot gear stood on the sidelines of the opposition's gathering. "I like to see the streets full of police, military and colectivos, that means that the dictatorship is afraid of us," said Gustavo Giraud, a 72-year-old university philosophy professor, who held a cardboard skeleton with the words "we are hungry." He earns 2 million bolivars a month, or about $27. "I'm not afraid anymore," he said. Guaido enjoys the backing of Washington and its allies, who recognize him as the nation's legitimate leader, but he has so far failed to make much headway back home. Last April, Guaido tried to lead an uprising, which collapsed after most of the armed forces declined to join. Despite this, the government has refrained from arresting Guaido, possibly fearing the international reaction. "We've achieved our goal and made our plight visible," Guaido told the crowd. Guaido, speaking later in a webcast, said the opposition plans another protest on March 12. Hundreds of opposition supporters also rallied in other major Venezuelan cities such as Maracaibo, San Cristobal and Barquisimeto. In downtown Caracas, Maduro supporters and government workers clad in red danced to a live salsa band, where a large inflatable bust of late President Hugo Chavez bobbed in the wind. They held signs that said "sanctions are a crime," and "Guaido is a traitor." While Guaido recently returned from an international tour where he met with President Donald Trump in the White House and took the stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos, protests back home have been muted this year. His momentum has been slowed by fatigue among ordinary citizens struggling to survive day-to-day, and skepticism that he can oust Maduro. The colectivos were accused of pointing a gun at Guaido and injuring a protesters in a rally two weeks ago held in the western city of Barquisimeto. YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS. The delegation led by the Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan met with Prime Minister of Serbia Ana Brnabic on March 10. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the parliament of Armenia, welcoming the delegation led by the head of the Armenian parliament, the Serbian PM thanked Armenia for friendship and support. Ana Brnabic showed interest in deepening relations between the two countries in the spheres of economy, education and high technologies. She highlighted the abolishment of the visa regime between the two countries and the official opening of the embassy of Serbia in Yerevan in the nearest days. Ararat Mirzoyan thanked for the warm reception and emphasized that the relations between the two countries and peoples are really friendly and there is still unrealized potential and its necessary to make joint efforts for fully realizing the potential. Mirzoyan noted that in addition to the abolishment of the visa regime, its necessary to make efforts to establish direct air connection between the two countries, which will foster the interactions between the two peoples. Referring to Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Ararat Mirzoyan noted that first of all its about the physical existence of the Armenians living there. The sides also referred to the possible cooperation in the sphere of military industry. Following the meeting with Ana Brnabic, the Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia met with Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church His Holiness Irinej. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan Pierson had informed the bipartisan House Intelligence Committee panel that Russia had developed a preference for Trump in 2020. She did not say that Russia had taken steps based on that preference to intervene on behalf of Trump, an intelligence official said. But that nuance apparently did not mollify Trump, who when informed of her briefing grew angry and suspicious that Democrats might try to leak that assessment to undermine his bid for reelection. PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-10 09:01:27 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 415 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 For more than a quarter-century, Soma Tech Intl has specialized in outfitting healthcare facilities with quality, new and refurbished medical equipment. The firm has become a market leader due to its commitment to industry advancementsBLOOMFIELD, CT / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2020 / Soma Technology and Patrick Boucer are pleased to announce that the company has greatly expanded its inventory of hospital rental equipment and has made the products available to health care providers of every size and geographical location. Sma Tech Intl's goal is to fulfill clients' medical equipment needs. With one of the largest and most diversified medical equipment inventories, the company has capabilities exceeding those of competitors. Soma's Rental Program was established to assist the medical industry with critical care equipment. Regardless of the size, location, or financial circumstances of the client's facility, Soma can provide the health care equipment needed.There are several rental benefits for clients who elect to rent rather than to purchase equipment. They avoid acquisition and maintenance costs on equipment and ensure equipment availability to meet immediate needs. There is no downtime due to repairs or preventative maintenance. Access to the newest technology ensures flexibility to upgrade and freedom from technical obsolescence. Customers can access equipment without capital outlay and provide the most efficient management of resources.More details are available at https://www.somatechnology.com/Medical-Equipment-Rentals/Hospital-Equipment-Rentals.aspx According to a representative of the company, "Renting from Soma makes sense because we have products from the top brands of the industry as GE, Philips, Physio-Control, Drager, Baxter, and many more. You can take advantage of short, long term, and even rent-to-own rental programs that are available. There is a dedicated 800 number for all rental equipment rental orders." "Check out our online catalog," he continued, "to review the number and quality of available rental equipment. These include anesthesia machines, bladder scanners, C-Arms, Mini C-Arms, defibrillators, EKG Machines, and ESU rentals. If you are looking for fetal monitors, imaging tables, incubators, infant warmers, infusion pumps, syringe pumps, patient monitors, portable X-Ray machines, pulse oximeters, SCD rentals, or surgical table rentals, we have solutions. You can also take advantage of our ultrasound rentals, ventilator rentals, BiPAP ventilator rentals, invasive ventilator rentals, non-invasive ventilator rentals, and portable ventilator rentals." Contact and location information are available at Soma Technology, Inc.Contact Info:Name: Patrick BoucerEmail: Send EmailOrganization: Soma TechnologyAddress: 166 Highland Park Dr, Bloomfield, CT 06002, United StatesPhone: (800) 438-7662Website: https://www.somatechnology.com/ SOURCE: Soma Technology 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. Andrea, a pregnant asylum-seeker from Nicaragua, sits with her two children as they play outside their new home in Costa Rica. UNHCR/Flavia Sanchez Nearly two years after Nicaragua was plunged into a serious political and social crisis, more than 100,000 people have fled reported persecution and human rights abuses in the country, seeking asylum abroad. Even after the initial surge of violence in April 2018 subsided, Nicaraguan students, human rights defenders, journalists and farmers continue to flee their country at an average rate of 4,000 people every month. With no resolution to the internal crisis in sight, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, expects these numbers to grow. The first stop for most Nicaraguan refugees is neighboring Costa Rica, which hosts two-thirds of all Nicaraguan refugees and asylum seekers, or some 77,000 people. Just over 8,000 have fled to Panama and another 9,000 to Europe while Mexico is sheltering some 3,600 people. An additional 5,100 are hosted in other countries, comprising a total of 103,600 Nicaraguan refugees and asylum seekers worldwide to date. Since October 2019, Costa Rica, with support from UNHCR, has streamlined refugee status determination procedures for common profiles of those known to be persecuted in Nicaragua which is reducing the time for people to be recognized as refugees, granting them protection. Through an agreement with UNHCR, Costa Rica has also allowed access to the public health care system to 6,000 of the most vulnerable asylum seekers. These include people with chronic conditions or disabilities, those in need of surgery, torture survivors and people living in extreme poverty. Under a Regional Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework to address the challenges of forced displacement in and from Central America, known as the MIRPS, UNHCR coordinates with government authorities and other UN agencies to monitor cross-border movements and respond to protection and humanitarian needs of those fleeing Nicaragua. This also includes the provision of health care, psychological support, shelter and food assistance. For more information on this topic, please contact: Brisbanes St Patricks Day parade is set to continue as normal this weekend, despite similar parades around the world, including in Ireland and Boston, being cancelled due to coronavirus concerns. All annual parades and festivities related to the event have been cancelled across Ireland, as the country records 21 cases of COVID-19. Similarly the US city of Boston, which holds one of the biggest St Patricks Day parades in the world, has cancelled the event citing public health concerns. Brisbane's annual St Patrick's Day parade will continue unchanged as Ireland cancels all its festivities due to coronavirus concerns. Credit:Glenn Hunt Brisbanes parade and the surrounding Irish festival regularly attract up to 20,000 people, and organisers say the event, scheduled for Saturday, March 14, will be going ahead as planned. Lough Allen Hotel & Spa, Drumshanbo has made the decision to defer it's re-opening until May 1 due to the uncertainty currently in the hospitality sector surrounding the Coronavirus. The hotel which brings a huge number of visitors and tourists to the county was due to re-open this Friday, March 13. They had held a recruitment drive for staff and had secured bookings for hotels guests and events. Up to last week, the hotel had been promoting events such as St Patrick's weekend, Mother's Day and Easter breaks but customers who had bookings received notification over the weekend that the hotel will extend it's winter closing until May 1. Karen Tierney, sales and marketing manager at the hotel confirmed the news to the Leitrim Observer this week saying the decision had been made due to the uncertainty currently in the hospitality sector surrounding the Coronavirus. Also read: Cartown teenage disco postponed due to concerns over Coronavirus She outlined: All guests due to arrive for the period from March 13 until April 30, and any events which had been scheduled to take place, have or will be notified of same and offered the opportunity to reschedule their dates or receive their deposits back. Lough Allen Hotel is the first Leitrim business to take such drastic action over the spread of the Covid-19 strain of the Coronavirus, but it is inevitable that many more businesses will be impacted over the coming days and weeks. The Restaurants Association of Ireland said the losses to restaurants and the hospitality sector need to be taken into consideration by the government. We are demanding that the government immediately implement emergency business supports to prevent closures and job losses. They want reduction of VAT to 9% for six months, Irish Banks to defer loan repayments for six months, a moratorium on VAT repayments from Revenue and employer PRSI contributions halved. Also read: AIB to charge 1c for every contactless payment A former top adviser to US president Donald Trump says the odds of a global recession sparked by the coronavirus are "pretty close to 100 per cent", but the economic hit will be temporary and less devastating than the damage caused by previous crises. As intense volatility gripped financial markets, the former chairman of President Trump's Council of Economic Advisers, Kevin Hassett, told an audience in Sydney on Tuesday a worldwide recession appeared inevitable due to the slowing in China and Europe's economies. Former chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers, Kevin Hassett. Credit:Janie Barrett Following violent falls on global sharemarkets on Monday, Future Fund chairman Peter Costello also said he believed that once the virus had passed, cheap money would "pump prices up again. Governments around the world are expected to unveil stimulus plans in response to the escalating virus crisis, and Mr Hassett said this would "soften the blow" for economies. He said the recent correction was a rational response from investors, not a case of "panic," and predicted that once the world reached a point when the virus had been contained the turmoil on financial markets would fade, citing the experience with the smaller-scale SARS epidemic in the early 2000s. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Deer Horn Capital Inc. (CSE: DHC) (the Company or Deer Horn), announces that it has granted a total of 1,050,000 incentive stock options to directors, officers and/or consultants under the Company's Stock Option Plan. The options are exercisable at $0.10 per share expiring March 6, 2030. About Deer Horn Capital Deer Horn Capital is committed to exploring for, and providing, strategic and critical metals vital to a low-carbon economy and for the advancement of technology. The Companys leadership has a track record of project monetization with a board and advisory group that includes industry leaders in finance, mineral property development, geology, mineralogy, solar power, engineering, research and First Nations engagement and economic development. On behalf of the board of directors of Deer Horn Capital Inc. Tyrone Docherty Tyrone Docherty President and CEO For further information please contact: Tyrone Docherty 604.789.5653 tyrone@deerhorncapital.ca Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulations services accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-looking information All statements included in this press release that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions made by the Company based on its experience, perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate in the circumstances. In addition, these statements involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will prove inaccurate, certain of which are beyond the Companys control. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, the Company does not intend to revise or update these forward-looking statements after the date hereof or revise them to reflect the occurrence of future unanticipated event. Bengaluru, March 10 : A techie of software major Mindtree tested positive for coronavirus on return here from an overseas trip, a company official said on Tuesday. "One of our Mindtree Minds (employees), on return from an overseas trip to Bengaluru, has tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday. He, along with his family members, are under the medical supervision of the Karnataka Health Department," said Mindtree Chief People Officer Paneesh Rao in a statement here. The techie is recuperating and on way to recovery. "The software engineer had self-isolated himself on return from the trip and did not visit any of our facility or meet any other employee," Rao said. The city-based Larson and Toubro (L&T) subsidiary has sent out a series of advisories to its employees across the country and overseas on safety measures at workplaces and homes. "Sanitisation of all high touch points in our facilities, hand sanitisers at lift landing/receptions and other common areas and infrared thermometers have been put in place," Rao added. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) NEW YORK, NY--March 10, 2020--Today FAIR Health launched a groundbreaking website feature that combines clinical and cost information to support seriously and chronically ill patients and their caregivers in the process of shared decision making (SDM) with clinicians for three palliative care scenarios. The new feature is the most recent addition to fairhealthconsumer.org, FAIR Health's free, award-winning consumer website, which enables consumers to estimate the typical costs of medical and dental procedures in their geographic areas and provides rich educational materials on the fundamentals of health insurance. A national, independent nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information, FAIR Health powers the cost information on FAIR Health Consumer with its database of billions of private healthcare claims--the largest in the nation. The same database provides the cost data for the new SDM feature, fairhealthconsumer.org/shared-decision-making. SDM, the discussion between patients/caregivers and healthcare providers regarding various treatment options, has been known to increase patient engagement and reduce healthcare costs. But in the past, the utility of SDM tools, or decision aids, has been limited by the absence of cost data to complement the clinical information. As part of a pilot generously funded by The New York Community Trust (The Trust), the new SDM tool combines cost data from FAIR Health with Option Grid decision aids from EBSCO Information Services, cofounded by Dr. Glyn Elwyn, BA, MD, MSc, PhD, professor at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College. Intended to support the conversation between clinicians and patients/caregivers, and designed for ease of use, the decision aids offer clinical and cost information related to: Kidney dialysis for patients with kidney failure (whether to continue or stop); Nutrition options when swallowing is difficult; and Breathing assistance (whether to continue or stop). FAIR Health will collaborate with organizations and professionals who provide palliative care services in the New York metropolitan area in order to promote awareness of this resource. The project will also include an evaluation of the SDM tools to help inform future initiatives and tools. FAIR Health President Robin Gelburd stated: "The new shared decision-making tool on FAIR Health Consumer is a natural extension of our commitment to cost transparency and to helping consumers navigate the complexities of the healthcare system. We look forward to assisting patients and their caregivers as they make serious decisions in consultation with their clinicians." Irfan Hasan, Program Director of Health and Behavioral Health at The Trust, commented: "Palliative care decisions in cases of serious and chronic illness are fraught with emotional and personal significance. The Trust is proud to support FAIR Health's efforts to aid those decisions." Diane E. Meier, MD, Director of the Center to Advance Palliative Care, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, stated: "Having witnessed the need for clear and accurate information when making critical health decisions during chronic and serious illness, I am heartened by FAIR Health's effort to promote shared decision making for patients and caregivers when they most need clarity and guidance." ### Follow us on Twitter @FAIRHealth About FAIR Health FAIR Health is a national, independent nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information through data products, consumer resources and health systems research support. FAIR Health possesses the nation's largest collection of private healthcare claims data, which includes over 30 billion claim records contributed by payors and administrators who insure or process claims for private insurance plans covering more than 150 million individuals. FAIR Health licenses its privately billed data and data products--including benchmark modules, data visualizations, custom analytics and market indices--to commercial insurers and self-insurers, employers, providers, hospitals and healthcare systems, government agencies, researchers and others. Certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a national Qualified Entity, FAIR Health also receives data representing the experience of all individuals enrolled in traditional Medicare Parts A, B and D; FAIR Health houses data on Medicare Advantage enrollees in its private claims data repository. FAIR Health can produce insightful analytic reports and data products based on combined Medicare and commercial claims data for government, providers, payors and other authorized users. FAIR Health's systems for processing and storing protected health information have earned HITRUST CSF certification and achieved AICPA SOC 2 compliance by meeting the rigorous data security requirements of these standards. As a testament to the reliability and objectivity of FAIR Health data, the data have been incorporated in statutes and regulations around the country and designated as the official, neutral data source for a variety of state health programs, including workers' compensation and personal injury protection (PIP) programs. FAIR Health data serve as an official reference point in support of certain state balance billing laws that protect consumers against bills for surprise out-of-network and emergency services. FAIR Health also uses its database to power a free consumer website available in English and Spanish and an English/Spanish mobile app, which enable consumers to estimate and plan for their healthcare expenditures and offer a rich educational platform on health insurance. The website has been honored by the White House Summit on Smart Disclosure, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), URAC, the eHealthcare Leadership Awards, appPicker, Employee Benefit News and Kiplinger's Personal Finance. FAIR Health also is named a top resource for patients in Dr. Marty Makary's book The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care--and How to Fix It and Elisabeth Rosenthal's book An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back. For more information on FAIR Health, visit fairhealth.org. About The New York Community Trust The New York Community Trust is a public charity and a grantmaking foundation dedicated to improving the lives of residents of New York City and its suburbs. It brings together individuals, families, foundations, and businesses to build a better community and support nonprofits that make a difference. It applies knowledge, creativity, and resources to the most challenging issues in an effort to ensure meaningful opportunities and a better quality of life for all New Yorkers, today and tomorrow. (Kitco News) - Production during the remaining mine life of Kinross Gold Corp.s (TSX: K; NYSE: KGC) Paracatu operation in Brazil is expected to increase by approximately 24% from its prior technical report published in 2014, said the company on Tuesday after releasing a new report. The company described Paracatu as a cornerstone, long-life operation that is expected to produce an average of approximately 540,000 gold ounces annually over 12 years from 2020 to 2031. Officials said the new technical report is based on an asset-optimization program that was completed late last year, with a comprehensive grade-control program. The results of the program include better characterization of the ore body, an improved ability to predict and react to ore variability, and better mill efficiency with improvements in throughput and recovery, Kinross said. The technical report also incorporates continuous improvement programs which have resulted in improved mining rates and increased overall productivity, the addition of renewable power sources with the investment in two hydroelectric power plants in 2018, and the continued successful tailings reprocessing project. The asset optimization and other improvements helped the mine achieve record annual production in 2019 while reducing cost of sales per ounce sold by approximately 20% over 2018, Kinross said. As previously announced, an updated resource model resulted in the addition of approximately 828,000 gold ounces to estimated mineral reserves, more than offsetting 2019 depletion of 705,000 ounces, Kinross said. Measured and indicated resources increased by approximately 1.1 million gold ounces, or 35%, compared with 2018. By Bill Hughes Mar. 09, 2020 | 07:09 PM | PADUCAH Paducah city officials will discuss the situation at their Tuesday City Commission meeting, and will get an update from Purchase District Health Department Epidemiologist Lindsey Cunningham. The public is invited to attend or watch it on the city's YouTube channel beginning at 5:30 pm. City Manager Jim Arndt says, The COVID-19 situation changes daily, and I want the Paducah community to know that it is at the forefront of our internal conversations. The safety of our citizens is our highest priority. Regarding the upcoming AQS QuiltWeek, city leaders say it's proceeding as planned, but organizers are taking extra precautions, and are providing hand sanitizer. Last year, 31,000 attendees traveled from 47 states and 11 countries to participate. AQS said in a statement, "While the government has not suggested limiting domestic travel or imposing restrictions on international inbound travel beyond those already in place, this is clearly a rapidly evolving situation. AQS is closely monitoring the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization and will fully comply with all official requirements. Calls to Bonnie Browning at AQS by West Kentucky Star have not been returned, but Michelle Campbell, Executive Director of the Paducah Convention Center, says she recently met with AQS officials and with folks in the hospitality industry. Campbell said attendance is not expected to drop because of any COVID-19 concerns. Campbell said, "They have not had any vendors cancel at all, and they've had about 30 people question or ask, 'if we decided not to come, what is the refund policy?' And as far as the hospitality industry, they were not seeing a lot of calls or cancellations for that week, either." She said it's possible that some people who haven't yet booked a trip may decide to stay home. But for those who attend, the CVB will post extra signs reminding people to wash their hands, and extra hand sanitizer will be available. Staff will also be do extra cleaning in high-traffic areas to ensure things like handrails and elevator buttons are as germ-free as possible. AQS says they will update information on the website as new information becomes available from the CDC and WHO. The upcoming AQS QuiltWeek Show and Contest is on schedule for April 22-25, but those involved with the event are closely monitoring the situation with the outbreak of novel coronavirus. On the Net: Joe Biden told a Michigan plant worker he was 'full of s***' and to 'not be such a horse's a**' after the man accused the former vice president of being anti-Second Amendment and wanting to take Americans' guns away. With Democratic voters from Michigan and five other states heading to the polls as part of 'Super Tuesday 2,' Biden was visiting a Fiat Chrysler plant in Detroit Tuesday morning before heading to Ohio where he'll watch results come in and address supporters. In video captured by CBS News, a man dressed in a hard hat can be heard telling Biden he's 'actively trying to end our Second Amendment right and take away our guns.' Joe Biden told a Michigan plant worker he was 'full of s***' and to 'not be such a horse's a**' after the worker accused the former vice president of being anti-Second Amendment and wanting to take away Americans' guns While the worker (left) said he saw Joe Biden (right) say he would take away people's guns in a viral video, the former vice president snapped back, 'Well, it's a viral video like the other ones that they're putting out, which are simply a lie' Joe Biden greets another worker at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in Detroit, Michigan Tuesday morning before heading to Ohio for several afternoon and evening events Joe Biden is trying to crush Bernie Sanders' chances in Michigan, as that's the one state that gave Sanders momentum during this part of the primary season four years ago Biden then responded with an expletive. As another individual jumps in, Biden can be heard telling the person 'shush.' 'I support the Second Amendment,' Biden then said. He then explained that like yelling 'fire' in a building, like First Amendment freedoms, Second Amendment freedoms are also not absolute. 'I have a shotgun, I have a 20-gauge, a 12-gauge, my sons hunt,' Biden continued. 'Guess what? You're not allowed to own any weapons. I'm not taking your gun away, at all. Do you need 100 rounds?' The plant worker stood his ground, saying 'I did not say that. That's not true,' Biden responded. 'I did not say that,' Biden said, his voice getting louder. The worker responded that he saw Biden make comments limiting gun ownership in a video. 'Well, it's a viral video like the other ones that they're putting out, which are simply a lie,' the former vice president answered. Biden then said he would take 'AR-14s,' meaning AR-15s, away. 'Don't be such a horse's ass,' Biden told the man before walking away. The man was likely referencing a video Biden made with former Democratic hopeful Beto O'Rourke after the ex-Texas congressman endorsed him last week in the run-up to 'Super Tuesday.' Sitting down at Whataburger with O'Rourke and his wife Amy, Biden talked about bringing O'Rourke into the fold. 'And by the way, this guy can change the face of what we're dealing with, with regard to guns - assault weapons - with regard to dealing with climate change, and I just want - I'm warning Amy, if I win, I'm coming for him,' Biden said, according to a Politifact. Because O'Rourke had previously said on the Democratic debate stage, 'hell yes, were going to take your AR-15,' the clip was widely misinterpreted as Biden making the same promise. At the Dallas rally where O'Rourke made his endorsement, Biden also pledged to put the Texan in charge of gun control. 'You're going to take care of the gun problem with me. You're going to be the one who leads this effort,' Biden said then. O'Rourke's endorsement was part of a 10-day turnaround for Biden's campaign. Biden won South Carolina and then beat Bernie Sanders in 10 of 14 Super Tuesday states. Afterward he continued to get a flurry of endorsements including from ex-rivals Michael Bloomberg, Kamala Harris and Cory Booker. Six more states vote Tuesday including Michigan, where Joe Biden had an altercation with a factory worker, as well as Washington, Idaho, North Dakota, Missouri and Mississippi Joe Biden gained back his frontrunner status after winning in South Carolina and then in 10 Super Tuesday states. He's also been boosted by high-profile endorsements including from Sen. Kamala Harris (left), Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (center right) and Sen. Cory Booker (right) Bernie Sanders, photographed appearing at his coronavirus public health roundtable in Detroit, Michigan Monday, has argued that his campaign is the one of excitement and thus better positioned to take on President Trump A TALE OF TWO 'MANIPULATED' CAMPAIGN VIDEOS Now President Trump's campaign is trying to get a video of the president shared by Joe Biden's campaign to be labeled 'manipulated media' on Twitter. For the first time since a new policy went into place on March 5, Twitter labeled a video shared by White House Social Media Director Dan Scavino 'manipulated media' because it was edited in such a way that the meaning of what Biden was saying was reversed. On Monday, the Trump campaign reached out to Twitter to have an anti-Trump video shared by the Biden campaign labeled 'manipulated media' as well. 'It appears that many people employed by Big Tech corporations in Silicon Valley are assisting the Biden campaign by instituting a special "Biden protection rule" that effectively censors and silences legitimate political speech Biden's campaign and its supporters do not like,' Michael Glassner, the Trump campaign's chief operating office, wrote in a letter to Twitter Monday, according to The Hill. 'In order for American elections to remain free and fair, it is critical that the Biden campaign be held to the same standard it is demanding apply to others,' he said. 'Therefore, Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., is formally requesting that Twitter apply its new "manipulated media" label to a doctored and deceptively edited video tweeted by the Biden campaign less than a week ago.' The video in question shows Trump calling coronavirus a 'hoax' and the president referring to white supremacists marching on Charlottesville as 'very fine people.' The Trump campaign argued that Trump never called the coronavirus a 'hoax' - Trump later explained that he was referring to Democrats' criticism of his handling of the outbreak as a 'new hoax' taking the place of Ukraine and Russia-related scandals. Similarly, the Trump campaign argued that the president had condemned the Charlottesville white supremacists. The video was shared by the Biden campaign before Twitter's new guidelines kicked in. Advertisement On Tuesday Biden and Sanders are on the ballots in Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Idaho, North Dakota and Washington state. With Biden cementing his frontrunner status, Sanders needs something to change the narrative and he's hoping Michigan - like the state did in 2016 - will give him that opportunity. In 2016, Sanders was down by an average of 21.4 points to Hillary Clinton in Michigan polls when his suprise win - by just 1.4 per cent - poured new energy into his campaign. In 2020, the Real Clear Politics polling average shows Sanders down by 22.4 points to Biden in Michigan. That hasn't deterred Sanders, who's spent the last few days in the state. On Friday, he held a Detroit rally with Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who represents the city in Congress and is one of the four members of the so-called Democratic 'squad.' On Saturday, he held a town hall on 'racial and economic justice' in Flint, Michigan, known for its water troubles. On Sunday, he was joined on the campaign trail again by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, another member of the 'squad.' They rallied together in Ann Arbor, the home of the University of Michigan. Then on Monday, Sanders held a coronavirus town hall with public health experts, among other events. Talking to Chris Cuomo on CNN Monday night, Sanders predicted he could win the state again. He also argued that his large, loud crowd meant he would be best positioned to take on President Trump in the general election. 'Does anyone really believe, let me throw it out to you, you know this stuff, that a campain like Joe's, which is frankly the same-old, same-old establishment politics, supported by the wealthy, and they got all the governors and senators supporting them, does anybody really think that that is going to be the campaign of excitement and energy that's going to grow the base that we need to defeat Trump?' Sanders mused. 'I don't think so.' But Democrats, in an almost unprecedented way, have gotten behind Biden. And the former vice president is aware that if he wins Michigan, he's basically ended the race for Sanders. On Monday night, he held his own Detroit rally where he held hands with Harris and Booker - who made their endorsements official - and the state's governor, the up-and-coming Gretchen Whitmer. But the rally wasn't without drama, as a group of anti-NAFTA protesters heckled the vice president. He told his crowd the 'Bernie Bros are here.' Another larger group of pro-Green New Deal activists - a concept Sanders supports - - also showed up. Politico reported that Biden's senior adviser Symone Sanders, who was Bernie Sanders' 2016 press secretary, got hit in the head with an iPad and knocked down. She wasn't injured. Symone Sanders also wrestled a Vegan activist off the stage at Biden's 'Super Tuesday' primary night event in Los Angeles, California last week. It wasn't personal to Biden, as protesters from the same group interrupted an Elizabeth Warren event in Los Angeles the night before. While not a lot of polling has been conducted in Washington, Sanders' campaign could get a boost there. However, he won't have the same advantage he did in 2016, as Washington is holding a primary Tuesday instead of a caucus. Four years ago when Democrats caucused for their presidential pick, Sanders won overwhelmingly - 72.7 per cent to Clinton's 27.1 per cent. Now in the state, Biden has had a slight lead in polls taken this month, while Sanders was leading in February surveys. Also, just like on Super Tuesday when Sanders eventually won the biggest delegate prize - California - the narrative for the night had already been set, that Biden was the big winner. Additionally, Washington state also has mail-in balloting, which means results could be slow to come in. An outstanding question mark for 'Super Tuesday 2' is where Warren's voters will find a home. President Trump - trying to sow discord among the Democrats - blamed Warren for Sanders' underwhelming Super Tuesday showing. 'Our modern day Pocahontas wont go down in history as a winner, but she may very well go down as the all time great SPOILER!' Trump tweeted Wednesday. The president suggested that while moderates like Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg, who dropped out and endorsed Biden before Super Tuesday, cleared the way for the former veep, Warren paid no such courtesy to Sanders, a fellow progressive. So far she hasn't gotten behind either Sanders nor Biden. On Tuesday, Sanders surrogates continued to press the point. 'I deeply respect @Ewarren,' tweeted New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, one of the only ex-2020 hopefuls to have endorsed Sanders. 'Our nation + our party are better + more progressive because of her leadership. Now our progressive movement needs her more than ever.' 'Senator, if the shoe was on the other foot @BernieSanders would have endorsed you already. Please join us!' de Blasio wrote. As the votes come in Tuesday night, Biden and Sanders are already looking ahead. They're both holding campaign events Tuesday night in Cleveland, Ohio. Voters in Ohio - along with Arizona, Florida and Illinois - head to the polls in a week. And the two remaining mainstream candidates - as Tulsi Gabbard is still technically in the race - will debate each other in Phoenix, Arizona Sunday night. The Michigan Secretary of State does not expect final results from the presidential primary to be available until early afternoon on Wednesday as clerks work to count a historic number of absentee ballots. Changes to voting laws passed in 2018 allow Michigan citizens to vote absentee for no reason. Secretary of State spokesman Jake Rollow said 804,216 absentee ballots had been cast as of this morning, a 60% increase from the 2016 primary. In terms of having all jurisdictions fully done and reported, I think were looking at early afternoon Wednesday at this point, Rollow said on a call with reporters. It would be great if it gets done before that. Given the workload that we see on peoples plates, we know that theyre doing their best to try and take all this on. Close to 1 million people -- 993,000 total -- requested an absentee ballot as of Monday evening. The number is close to the 1.1 million absentee votes cast during the 2016 general election. Rollow said some jurisdictions that increased staff are doing quite well in processing absentee ballots received before Tuesday. Some clerks offices may not be able to deliver absentee ballots to be tabulated by a counting board until after the polls close, he said. Thats not all jurisdictions, some did not or were not able to staff themselves to that extent, Rollow said. " While some counties may be able to report earlier than others, we are still expecting that it wont be until sometime tomorrow, early afternoon we hope, that we would actually have all jurisdictions and therefore all counties able to actually report results." Voters who already obtained an absentee ballot have until 8 p.m. Tuesday to return it to their city or township clerks office. Meanwhile, some voters taking advantage of another change allowing anyone to register to vote on election day are experiencing long lines at clerks offices. Rollow said 7,198 people have registered to vote as of 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, causing lines to form in cities with a high number of college students, like Kalamazoo, Grand Valley, East Lansing and Ann Arbor. Election-day registrations are quickly growing with just a few hours left before polls close at 8 p.m. The number of people who registered on election day jumped 52% in just two hours between 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Citizens seeking to report voter fraud can contact their county clerk, the Michigan Secretary of State office at (517) 335-3234 and/or the nonpartisan Election Protection Hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE. Read more on MLive: 2020 Michigan Presidential Primary election results Michigan voters at the polls: 'Making sure my vote is counted New election rules complicate predictions on Michigan primary vote turnout Michigans primary Election Day: Polls open at 7, and 9 other things voters need to know European stock markets fell again amid investor scepticism that the spending pledges by governments around the world will shield the eurozone and the US from economic damage carried by Covid-19. In Ireland, after its sharp falls on Monday, the Iseq index ended little changed in the latest session, as shares in Dalata Hotel Group -- Irelands largest hotel group -- tumbled a further 9%, reflecting fears over the outlook for the tourism season. AIB and Bank of Ireland rallied by 2% and 2.5% following their double-digit percentage losses in Mondays global stocks rout. Irish banks offered their latest products to help business customers. The Revenue here urged companies facing short-term pressures with cash flow to make contact to strike agreements over phased payments of business taxes, while Business Minister Heather Humphreys detailed the new business supports the Government has offered firms, including low-cost loans, to get through the crisis. Business group Retail Excellence said it welcomed the emergency business funds but wants the hospitality Vat rate to be brought back down to 9% for at least six months, as well as "an immediate moratorium" on local authority rates payments and a large cut in commercial lease rents through the rest of the year, to save jobs. European stock markets following their slump on Monday failed to rally amid fears that the fallout from the virus will spark a recession in Germany. Head of the German Ifo institute Clemens Fuest said he saw the world on the brink of an economic crisis and that there are parallels to the year 2008 when the financial crisis broke. European stock markets failed to hold their early gains and US markets struggled to hold their gains. "Unsurprisingly, markets have not been too impressed with the US administrations response to the virus, with todays press conference likely to lead to a crushing sense of disappointment that could prompt a fresh move to the downside," said Chris Beauchamp at online broker IG. He said that governments and central banks "still look like they are playing catch-up to a fast-moving situation" and investors fear that the UK budget later Wednesday and the ECB meeting on Thursday may "go the same way". Airline shares in Europe were mixed, as more flights were cancelled into Italy. Ryanair shares in Dublin rose 4% on the view that it will benefit from the financial woes of its rivals even as it cut its passenger number projections for the year. London-listed IAG -- which owns Aer Lingus and British Airways -- were little changed; in Paris, Air France-KLM shares fell a further 2% to brings its losses to 50% in the past year; and shares of Frankfurt-listed Lufthansa were also unchanged but its shares have also dropped 50% in the year. The European Commission said it would help European airlines by lifting rules over airline landing slots. "The situation is deteriorating on a daily basis. Traffic is expected to decline further in the coming weeks," said Transport Commissioner Adina Valean, saying the relaxatin of the rules will help "European aviation and the environment". By Park Si-soo At least 27 people have died in Iran after drinking industrial alcohol to prevent coronavirus infection, according to local media. The tragedy happened in the Khuzestan and Alborz provinces of Iran as unscientific treatments to fight the virus spread on social media. Among them was drinking industrial alcohol produced for sanitization, according to the Mehr News Agency. "Some of the citizens of Ahwaz had heard that drinking alcohol could help them fight the coronavirus, so they used it as a preventive measure," Ali Ehsanpour, spokesman of Ahwaz University of Medical Sciences, told the news agency. "One of the victims went blind and some others are in critical condition." Iran is one of the biggest victims of the coronavirus pandemic, with at least 237 dead and 7,161 infected since mid-February. Poor medical infrastructure and U.S.-led economic sanctions have left the Middle East country vulnerable to coronavirus infection. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Mar. 10 By Nargiz Ismayilova Trend: The daily oil production in Azerbaijan amounted to 750,600 barrels (667,400 barrels crude oil, 83,200 barrels - condensate) for February 2020, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijans Ministry of Energy. Of the total mentioned amount, export of produced crude oil amounted to 530,300 barrels, while export of condensate, and oil products amounted to 79,600 barrels and 12,400 barrels, respectively. Azerbaijan has fulfilled its obligations to the OPEC, to maintain daily oil production in the amount of 769,000 barrels. A Pima County resident has been diagnosed with COVID-19, the highly contagious respiratory illness, local and state officials said Monday. The latest case, which is pending confirmation by the Centers for Disease Control, marks the first in Pima County and the sixth in Arizona. And state health officials, meanwhile, said Arizona could see thousands of coronavirus cases, putting the state at a "heightened" risk for community spread of the disease, which originated in China and has quickly spread globally. In Pima County, the infected individual, who lives in an unincorporated area, recently returned from an area with community spread of the virus and was tested last week. Health officials said they were unable to make public where the individual traveled to or any other identifying information as it would compromise their privacy. Dr. Bob England, interim director of the Pima County Health Department, said the individual was not severely ill and has already recovered, but they have been advised to remain in home isolation until the middle of this week. Health officials are in the process of evaluating anyone the individual may have been in contact with, but said the concern is low. It is almost certainly going to spread around the community at some point, England said. This particular individual was really good about staying home when sick, so we dont have a concern for contacts at this point. England said the best thing to do is think of this as a really bad flu season, emphasizing that everyone needs to take responsibility for their own hygiene and care. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday said a proposed amendment allowing him to run for president after 2024 would be possible if the Constitutional Court allows it. Putin made the suggestion in parliament after majority party deputy Valentina Tereshkova suggested a constitutional amendment that would effectively reset Putin's presidential run, allowing him to stand in a new election. "This would be possible... if the constitutional court rules such an amendment would not go against (the constitution)," Putin told lawmakers. Tereshkova's suggestion to let Putin run again due to his "massive authority" came as a surprise but was swiftly approved. The Russian president is currently serving his fourth and final term which would end in 2024. He announced sweeping reforms in January during a state of the nation address, saying the constitution needs to be updated. Critics immediately saw the drive for constitutional amendments as a move by Putin to stay in power beyond 2024, though the leader has repeatedly denied he is seeking to remain president. On Tuesday, Putin said he would be against completely lifting the two-term limit for any Russian citizen to remain in the Kremlin. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Harvard University has become the latest college to move its instruction online in a bid to combat the spread of coronavirus after Fordham University and Princeton University made the same decision on Monday. According to a statement on the school's website, Harvard University has asked its students not to return to campus after Spring Break 'and to meet academic requirements remotely until further notice'. Officials from the university said they will begin moving to virtual instruction for graduate and undergraduate classes amid the coronavirus outbreak. 'We are transitioning over the course of the next few days to non-essential gatherings of no more than 25 people,' the university said. Scroll down for video Harvard University (pictured Monday) has become the latest college to move its instruction online in a bid to combat the spread of coronavirus. This statue of John Harvard is usually surrounded by tourists but groups have been urged not to tour the campus due to the virus Coronavirus cases have surged to 765 in the United States as the virus continues to spread. The virus has already killed 26 people in the US The university's goal is to complete the transition by March 23, it added in the statement. 'The campus will remain open and operations will continue with appropriate measures to protect the health of the community,' administrators said. Harvard's decision comes just a day after Princeton University in New Jersey and Fordham University in New York City suspended in-person classes. Several other schools - including Stanford in California, Rice in Houston and a number of campuses near Seattle, where the majority of the US cases have occurred - announced similar measures last week and over the weekend. Since the outbreak began in the US in late January, 765 Americans have tested positive for coronavirus and 26 have died as officials struggle to stop the spread. On Monday, Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber announced a 'mandatory, temporary' shift to virtual classes beginning March 23. Eisgruber encouraged students, who are currently out on spring break, to stay home after the recess. 'While much remains unknown about COVID-19's epidemiology and impact, our medical advisers tell us that we should proceed on the assumption that the virus will spread more broadly and eventually reach our campus,' he wrote. Fordham University in New York City suspended in-person classes on Monday - joining a growing list of US schools that are moving to virtual instruction in an effort to keep coronavirus from invading their campuses Princeton University (file image) in New Jersey also canceled face-to-face classes on Monday 'They also tell us that the best time to put in place policies to slow the spread of the virus is now, before we begin to see cases on our campus, rather than later.' No coronavirus cases have been reported at Princeton but six were confirmed in New Jersey in the past few days. Fordham University also suspended in-person classes at its New York City campus in the Bronx on Monday after an undergraduate commuter student 'exhibited symptoms consistent with coronavirus'. 'That student has been tested for the virus, and is self-isolating at home,' officials said in a statement. 'We will inform the campus community immediately if we learn that the lab result is positive for the COVID-19 virus.' Three other students and two faculty members may have also been exposed to the virus off campus, the statement said, noting that all five are staying home for 14 days 'out of an abundance of caution'. UNIVERSITIES THAT HAVE CANCELED IN-PERSON CLASSES New York City Fordham University Columbia University Yeshiva University Seattle-area, Washington University of Washington Seattle University Pacific Lutheran University Lake Washington Institute of Technology Others Princeton University in New Jersey Rice University in Houston Stanford University in California Harvard University in Massachusetts Advertisement A parent of a prospective student was tested for the virus after falling ill in a library on the Rose Hill campus, but the results came back negative. Faculty will begin teaching courses online on Wednesday and will continue to do so until further notice. A few miles south of Fordham at Columbia University, classes were canceled on Monday and Tuesday. University president Lee C Bollinger announced the cancellations in a statement on Sunday, warning nonessential gathers of more than 25 people were strongly discouraged. Bollinger said there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus among students, faculty or staff, but that someone had been quarantined. He said officials are preparing a shift to virtual classes for the remainder of the week. 'Please understand that the decision to suspend classes does not mean that the University is shutting down,' Bollinger wrote. 'All non-classroom activities, including research, will continue in accordance with the new travel and events restrictions announced recently.' Also in New York City, Yeshiva University canceled classes on two of its campuses until March 10 after a student tested positive for the virus last week. That student is the son of a Manhattan lawyer believed to have sparked a cluster of cases in Westchester County. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo warned Monday that more schools in the state could be closed for weeks because of the coronavirus. 'If a student tests positive in a school, the school is closed for an initial 24-hour period so we can do an assessment,' Cuomo said at a press conference. He said if there are continued concerns about a campus, it could be 'a number of weeks' before it would reopen. The governor noted that the situation is most severe in Westchester County, where 98 cases have been reported as of Monday. Columbia University canceled classes on Monday and Tuesday and is laying plans to conduct courses online for the remainder of the week. Students are pictured on campus on Monday Yeshiva University (pictured on March 5) in New York City canceled classes on two of its campuses until March 10 after a student tested positive for the virus last week The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is currently assessing the situation at schools in that county and is considering closing all facilities there. The University of Washington, which has more than 55,000 students across three campuses in Seattle, Tacoma and Bothell, announced a switch to virtual classes on Friday. Other schools in the area, including Pacific Lutheran University and Seattle University have taken similar measures. The Lake Washington Institute of Technology in Kirkland shut down for cleaning last week after several students and faculty members visited the Life Care Center, a local nursing home where at least six people have died from the virus. Rice University in Houston canceled in-person classes for the week of March 9 on Sunday after an employee tested positive for COVID-19 last week following a trip abroad. The school also banned gatherings of 100 or more people through the end of April. The University of Washington, which has more than 55,000 students across three campuses in Seattle (pictured on March 6), Tacoma and Bothell, announced a switch to virtual classes on Friday The Lake Washington Institute of Technology in Kirkland, Washington, shut down for cleaning last week after several students and faculty members visited the Life Care Center (pictured on March 6), a local nursing home where six people have died from the virus Classes at Stanford University (pictured on Monday) in Santa Clara County have also been moved online. A man is seen walking across a quiet campus on Monday 'Like some of our peers, Rice is preparing for the possibility of delivering the majority of its classes remotely if that should prove necessary,' officials said in a statement. They said research will continue as it is general limited to small groups. Classes at Stanford University in Santa Clara County have also been moved online. The campus itself remains open and research is ongoing, officials said, but students are not required to be there. The move came after more than 3,700 people signed an online petition calling for Stanford leaders to take action to prevent the spread of the virus. University president Marc Tessier-Lavigne confirmed that Stanford Medicine was caring for a few patients with COVID-19 on Thursday. A faculty member in the Stanford School of Medicine reportedly tested positive for the virus. There's a popular narrative in tech media right now that Android upgrades are really, truly getting better that for all the time device-makers take to send out updated software, they're nevertheless improving and making strides toward a more reasonable standard. I've been tracking Android upgrade performance closely for years now, and I'm hesitant to buy into such a narrative especially when it seems to be based mostly on limited-scope, anecdotal perception and maybe the occasional marketing department nudge. So now that my Android 10 Upgrade Report Card is complete, I thought it'd be interesting to take a careful look at the actual data surrounding Android upgrades to see what the cold, hard numbers reveal. The answer, in short: It's complicated. Let's break it down, shall we? Android upgrades: All flagships are not equal One thing folks frequently forget when talking about the state of Android upgrades is that there are two separate fronts we have to consider the current-generation flagship phones, at the time of an upgrade's arrival, and then the previous-gen flagship phones alongside 'em. As a general rule, Android device-makers commit to providing updates for two years to top-tier devices, which means those year-old phones are every bit as important as their more recent siblings. But since they tend to be less top of mind in terms of mainstream media attention, they also tend to be where companies cut some disconcerting corners. We'll start with the relatively positive news, though, specific to those current-gen flagships: On that front, with Android 10, we saw some genuine, heartening improvements from a few different sources. [Get fresh tips and insight in your inbox every Friday with JR's Android Intelligence newsletter. Exclusive extras await!] Take a look for yourself. This first chart shows the total number of days from the time of an Android OS update's release to its first appearance on a company's current-gen flagship from this current cycle all the way back to the Android Lollipop launch in 2014. (As a reminder, my data focuses specifically on U.S.-based versions of devices. That gives us a consistent metric for comparison and allows us to assess how quickly a typical U.S. device-owner could get the software in a typical situation. You can read more about my methodology here.) JR (Click image to enlarge.) So what do we see there? Well, the company that deserves the most credit in terms of sheer improvement is OnePlus. It went from a 138-day delivery day with 2017's Oreo release down to 47 days with last year's Android Pie software and then a mere 18 days with this year's Android 10 update. That's an exemplary arc showing exactly how Google wanted update delivery processing to improve as a result of its Project Treble optimizations for Android a series of steps implemented in 2018 to separate the software into multiple layers and make the updating process easier to pull off. (2017 was the first year OnePlus was included in my Report Card, by the way, which is why you don't see any data for it in the previous cycles.) We'll talk more about Treble in a moment, but first, two other players show noteworthy improvements in their current-gen flagship upgrade performance: Samsung, which shaved its delivery time down from 213 days with Oreo to 177 days with Pie and then 106 days with Android 10 and LG, which for the first time ever got a bit better this year by going from 298 days for last year's upgrade to 129 days for this one. But, well, when you look at the big picture, you quickly realize that neither of those is actually that grand of an evolution. First of all, taking 100-plus days to get a major operating system update into the hands of a company's highest-paying customers is in and of itself nothing to celebrate. But even relatively speaking, Samsung is simply returning to the level of ho-hum performance it showed back in 2014, with Lollipop. And LG isn't even quite touching its 2014 level of mediocrity. Neither company is achieving new ground, in other words; it's just coming down from an embarrassingly bad four-year run and going back to the same underwhelming performance it pulled off five years ago. So does that really qualify as "getting better"? I guess it depends on your perspective. As for HTC and Motorola, neither has delivered an Android 10 update to any current-gen flagship yet, so it's impossible to say anything concrete but even if one or the other does manage to do a bit better than last year, the standard for improvement is so laughably low that it won't mean much. And taking more than six months to send software to users is certainly nothing to write home about, regardless. Google, meanwhile, has basically been consistent, with little real room for improvement. Again, though: That's only half the story. The previous-gen flagship complication When we zoom out further to look at the time it takes Android device-makers to get new, major OS releases onto their previous-generation flagships phones that frequently cost close to a thousand dollars and are only a single year old an even messier reality emerges. Here's the data: JR (Click image to enlarge.) In this scenario, OnePlus again saw some significant improvements jumping from 142 days with last year's Pie update to 93 days with this year's Android 10 delivery. But complicating matters are two things: First, in 2017, OnePlus also took 90-some-odd days to deliver the year's Android update to its previous-gen flagship. That makes this year's improvement seem less like a new accomplishment and more like a bounce back from a random off-year. And second, a quarter of a year is still simply too damn long to keep people waiting for current software, even on a year-old device. Samsung's story, meanwhile, is basically the same as in the current-gen flagship domain: The company managed to lower its delivery time from last year's 233-day window down to 147 days this year. But that's not even quite matching its performance from 2014, with Lollipop and, I mean, c'mon: Nearly five months for a major OS update on a year-old top-tier device? There's just no way that can be seen as acceptable, let alone commendable. As for everyone else, LG, Motorola, and HTC have all yet to send Android 10 to any previous-gen flagships, while Google again has been relatively consistent across the years, albeit with a little more fluctuation along the way. So what to make of all of this? There's one more factor to consider, and then we'll pull the various pieces together and sum it all up. Time to talk Treble So back to Project Treble. Treble, at its core, is all about making it faster, easier, and cheaper for phone makers to process Android software updates and get them out to users. And 2018's Android Pie release was the first time its advancements were complete and operational with chipset vendors ready to support the system and a significant number of Treble-ready devices out in the wild. So 2018 should have been the year we saw significant upgrade delivery improvements across the board as a result. We actually have a metric to measure that success, too: Ahead of Android Pie's release, I had the chance to interview Iliyan Malchev, a principal software engineer at Google and a key architect of the Project Treble program. One of my most pressing questions for him was exactly how much of an impact Treble ought to have on the Android upgrade delivery process, from a real-world perspective. And his answer was unambiguous. The various improvements connected to Treble were expected to shave about a quarter of a year off the upgrade process, Malchev told me. That's how long the lower-level code updating typically took, in his estimation the part of the process Treble made unnecessary and so without that work in the picture, device-makers were essentially getting a three-month jump. By and large, though, we didn't see a three-month improvement in update delivery times with the Pie update not when it comes to the companies and products most relevant to U.S. users, at least. So what about with Android 10? Well, things are absolutely a bit better but can we really attribute that progress to Treble and consider it a result of Google's structural improvements? I'm not entirely convinced. On the one hand, from 2017's Oreo rollout to this year's Android 10 process, Samsung did shave just over a hundred days off its current-gen flagship delivery, which is indeed close to a quarter of a year (a hair over it, in fact). But at the same time, it seems slightly disingenuous to credit that change to Treble when Samsung managed that same 100-ish-day delivery time way back in 2014, before Treble even existed. The same can be said for LG, only that company still isn't quite back to its 2014 level of mediocrity. So can we really say Treble is responsible for allowing LG to do almost as poorly as it did six years ago? It seems like a stretch. And then there's the previous-gen flagship front, where Samsung again almost (but not quite) matched its underwhelming 2014-level performance and LG is currently 42 days worse than its 2014 effort and counting. Again, it's hard to square those realities with any sort of "Treble is saving the day" narrative. And that's to say nothing of the disastrous downward spirals HTC and Motorola are exhibiting, though one could certainly contend other factors are at play on those fronts. Ultimately, the only conclusion I can reach is the same one I've been saying for years now: The companies responsible for the expensive, professional devices we're buying and relying on can and should do better at keeping them up to date. But much as we may like to, we can't control how those corporations prioritize post-sales software support and clearly, Google can't, either. The best we can do is make ourselves aware of their tendencies, decide how much their successes or failings in that department matter to us, and then use that knowledge as ammo to power our future phone-purchasing decisions. (And if you think OS updates are relevant only for surface-level polish and front-facing features, by the way, you're missing the bigger picture.) The info is officially in your hands, my compadre. Now it's up to you to decide what to do with it. Sign up for my weekly newsletter to get more practical tips, personal recommendations, and plain-English perspective on the news that matters. [Android Intelligence videos at Computerworld] Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (3rd R), Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (2nd R) and Britain's Sophie, Countess of Wessex, (R) sit behind Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (L) and Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (2nd L) inside Westminster Abbey as they attend the annual Commonwealth Service in London on March 9, 2020 HARRIS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex attend the Commonwealth Day Service 2020 at Westminster Abbey on March 09, 2020 in London, England As Meghan Markle and Prince Harry signed off on their last official duties as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, their 'replacements' have been stepping forward Over the course of three days, Meghan and Harry said their farewells to royal life in style, culminating in one final appearance at Westminster Abbey on Monday for Commonwealth Day, alongside them was Harry's uncle Prince Edward (56), and his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex. The Wessexes have been pinned as the pair tasked with picking up the slack left by the Sussexes exit. While neither possess that Hollywood-style glamour synonymous with brand Sussex, they are the long-serving reliable royals, who have spent their 20-year marriage towing the line and following the rules set out by Queen Elizabeth. The British monarch has been so impressed by Sophie over the years that she has long been considered her 'favourite'. As the world's media prepares itself for a daily news cycle without Meghan and Harry, Sophie and Edward suddenly find themselves thrust forward into the spotlight, earning headlines for their own stylish turn at yesterday's service. Sophie (55), a mother of three who previously ran her own PR firm, chose a monochrome ensemble reflective of the grown-up glamour she has spent the last two decades perfecting. Expand Close Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex attend the Commonwealth Day Service 2020 at Westminster Abbey on March 09, 2020 in London, England / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex attend the Commonwealth Day Service 2020 at Westminster Abbey on March 09, 2020 in London, England Her fitted Suzannah midi-dress, the same brand Kate Middleton wore on her final day of touring Ireland, was a re-wear she debuted at Royal Ascot last year. Her navy netted Jane Taylor hat was another recycled item, complementing her suede Manolo Blahnik heels. In recent weeks, Sophie has stepped to the fore and upped her wardrobe in the process - most notably, her cerulean silk polo neck midi dress by Galvan to a film premiere last month. All eyes were, as expected, on Meghan and Harry yesterday, in particular how they engaged with their family for the occasion, during which Sophie and Edward were praised for playfully engaging with the pair while Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and the queen, sat front row adhering to stony protocol. The positioning of Sophie in a more central role will likely be part of The Firm's strategy to ensure its relevance into the next generation. Behind the scenes, considerable time and money has been invested in Harry's professional role as a prince - and his family - and now that plans have changed, it's imperative they show their adaptability. The fact that at 55 Sophie is being heralded as a new generation style icon can only help the devoted royal fashion watchers, who spend hours poring over pictures of princesses, is just a bonus. Famous English author H.G. Wells labelled the First World War as the war to end all wars, but when the Nazis invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, the world erupted into chaos once again. For seven years, the Allies and the Axis played a violent game of tug-of-war; however, once German defeat became inevitable, Adolf Hitler committed suicide in his underground bunker in Berlin. Exactly a week later, Germany surrendered. The following is a list of ten reasons why Hitler and the Nazi Party lost the Second World War. Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini in Munich, Germany, ca. June 1940. Image credit: Flickr.com The North African Campaign The North African campaign was launched by the Axis powers to control the Suez Canal which would offer access to oil from the Middle East. In an effort to help his Italian allies, Hitler established the Afrika Korps in January 1941. The operation was far from a success, however, with the hot desert climate and difficult Italian forces playing major roles in General Rommels inability to secure victory. In October 1942, the British defeated the Afrika Korps, denying the Nazis the oil necessary to sustain their monstrous war machine. American Might After the Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Hitler declared war on the US, convinced that they would be too distracted in the Pacific to get involved in Europe; however, the American economy proved so strong that they could participate in both theaters of war. In addition to mobilizing roughly the same amount of soldiers as the Russians, the US provided the other Allied countries with billions of dollars worth of resources. Furthermore, entering the conflict two years after it had begun allowed them to bring a fresh vigor to the battlefield that could barely be matched. German Supply Lines The vast amount of territory the Nazis snatched during the war is shocking, but the more land they seized, the longer their supply lines. In many cases, the pure distance of these routes prevented the Germans from transporting goods vital to the war effort in a timely manner, including vehicles and ammunition. Land was also an issue with many of their supply lines running across marshes and other uneven terrain. And while the German military is often portrayed as an industrial beast, the truth is the Wehrmacht still relied heavily on horses to transport supplies. Operation Barbarossa And The Russian Winter After breaking his non-aggression pact with Stalin in the summer of 1941, Hitler was so confident he could conquer Russia as quickly and efficiently as he had Western Europe that his forces were not properly equipped for winter. Russias resilience, however, was stronger than the Fuhrer had anticipated. Once the weather worsened, German victory was no longer guaranteed. Their equipment began to malfunction and the soldiers were constantly freezing without the proper attire. The brutal weather provided the Red Army an opportunity to reorganize and drive the Nazis away from Moscow. The Battle Of Stalingrad The centre of Stalingrad after the battle The Battle of Stalingrad is known as one of the longest and violent battles of the war. Stalingrad (modern day Volgograd) was an important industrial hub which sent supplies across Russia via the Volga River. Even though it would have been easier for the Wehrmacht to sabotage the supply line directly, Hitler was determined to attack the city itself. Taking a place called Stalingrad would have been a huge insult to the leader of the Soviet Union for which the city was named. It would also have provided Goebbels immense fuel for his propaganda machine. Due to Russias strategic tactics, the Nazis eventually lost. Hitlers vanity cost the Germans dearly and, as many historians argue, turned the tide of the war. An Inability To Lead After the Germans failure to take Moscow, Nazi high command was reorganized with Hitler himself assuming the role of commander in chief of the German army. This shift would result in Germanys ultimate defeat as Hitler turned out to be an incompetent military leader. He would delay making calls and often contradict his own decisions. When he did give orders, they would result in further destruction. He would frequently ignore warnings from his generals, following through with attacks such as the Ardennes Counteroffensive. He also forbade his forces from retreating which consequently resulted in additional German casualties. Magic And Mysticism It was no secret that Hitler had a fascination with all things supernatural; however, this interest played a very active role in the war, dictating much of his decision-making. It has been documented that Hitler and the SS frequently relied on pendulum dowsing to locate British warships on maps. Other non-military personnel who were brought in for their expertise were astrologers, magicians, and tarot card readers. German victory could have been possible if these individuals did not have such a degree of influence on important military operations. D-Day Deception The Allies storming the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944 is one of the most iconic moments of the Second World War. Desperate for a way past Hitlers seemingly impenetrable Atlantic Wall, they crafted a complex ruse to ensure that the bulk of German forces would be located elsewhere during the invasionspecifically Pas-de-Calais, the shortest route to mainland Europe across the English Channel. The Allies used false radio broadcasts, incorrect radar readings, and dummy aircraft and paratroopers to achieve this deception. D-Day was a horrific endeavor regardless, but the Allies may not have been victorious if the Nazis had not fallen for the elaborate hoax. War On Two Fronts On August 23, 1939, Hitler and Stalin signed a non-aggression pact between Germany and the Soviet Union. Once war broke out a mere few days later, this allowed Hitler to focus all his energy, troops, and resources on the Western Front, pushing the Allies back to Dunkirk. Occupying much of Western Europe, Hitler turned his sights on Russia, breaking his non-aggression pact with Stalin. What the Fuhrer had not anticipated was how decisively the war was going to turn against him. Following Stalingrad and D-Day, the Allies squeezed Hitler and the Nazis from both sides, scattering Germanys resources and quickening the end of the war. A Lack Of Morale Early video clips of Germany show fanatical and enthusiastic crowds, people roused by Hitlers words and unrelenting certainty. As the war progressed, however, morale at the frontline and back at home dropped drastically. Losing the Eastern Front, Allied bombings, stricter surveillance, and a general dip in the quality of life had a disastrous impact on the will of the people. The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine is working on the introduction of electronic voting in elections, according to a report posted on the ministry's page on Facebook. "We are working to introduce electronic voting in elections. Last week, MPs from the committees on digital transformation and the organization of state power, local self-government, regional development and urban planning, the Central Election Commission and the Ministry of Digital Transformation discussed at a joint meeting an upcoming bill on electronic voting," the report reads. The ministry said that it already has a study confirming the feasibility of introducing new electoral technologies, which was conducted by international partners IFES Ukraine with the support of USAID Ukraine and UK aid; a group working on a future bill; the first concept of the bill from MPs; and the concept of pilot e-voting at polling stations abroad. The ministry added that there will be no full e-voting in local elections scheduled for October 25, 2020. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the introduction of electronic voting in presidential, parliamentary or local elections is an "ambitious but achievable" challenge. op Bernie Sanders is once again asking for Michigan's support. Four years ago, the Vermont senator overcame a double-digit polling deficit to surprise Hillary Clinton in the Rust Belt state. He could use a repeat performance Tuesday to keep his 2020 White House hopes alive. Facing a pledged delegate deficit in essentially a two-way Democratic primary race with former Vice President Joe Biden, Sanders needs a triumph on "Big Tuesday," as six states hold presidential nominating contests, including Washington state, hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak. He has homed in on Michigan, the largest delegate haul this week. Sanders' campaign strategy has broadcast the importance of Michigan and its 125 pledged delegates. He has talked more in recent days about his opposition to, and Biden's support for, the North American Free Trade Agreement a pact unpopular in pockets of the state that saw auto jobs move to Mexico. He even scrapped plans to campaign last Friday in Mississippi, which also votes Tuesday, to spend more time in Michigan. Read more: Biden-Sanders fight over trade is a war for the Democratic Party's future Biden, who has led several recent Michigan polls by 15 or more percentage points, hopes to avoid Clinton's fate. He spent Monday making stops across the state, capping the day with a Detroit rally featuring two new backers: his former presidential rivals Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey. As Michigan dishes out delegates proportionally, only an overwhelming win would help Biden or Sanders gain an edge in the delegate race. But after a flood of good news for Biden around the South Carolina primary a mere 10 days ago flipped the Democratic race on its head, Sanders could use a narrative-setting victory to stay viable for the long haul. "I would argue that Michigan is the most important primary that we've had to date other than South Carolina," said Adrian Hemond, CEO of Grassroots Midwest, a bipartisan political consultancy based in Lansing. Sanders could use a strong performance in Michigan because some other states voting Tuesday and next week are less favorable to him. Among the states voting Tuesday, he appears to have a better chance of winning Michigan and Washington than Mississippi and Missouri. Polls suggest Biden holds a big advantage in the latter two states. It is unclear whether the coronavirus crisis will affect turnout in Washington state, which has 89 delegates at stake. Most of Washington's voters cast ballots by mail. In Florida, which will dole out 219 pledged delegates next Tuesday, Biden holds a massive lead over Sanders in recent polls. Michigan's primary and the next presidential debate on Sunday give Sanders two of his last chances to change the shape of the race before states have allocated most delegates. A candidate needs to win a 1,991-delegate majority to secure the nomination. Biden leads Sanders 652 to 575, according to an NBC News tally. On November 26 2019, the National Assembly approved the Law on Securities 54/2019/QH14 (Securities Law 2019). This Law will replace the Law on Securities 70/2006/QH11, as amended in 2010, (Securities Law 2006) and will be effective from January 1 2021. In an attempt to improve the securities market, the Securities Law 2019 introduces, among other amendments, notable changes in relation to certain requirements for private placements of shares in public companies (Private Placement). Notable changes to private placements Under the Securities Law 2019, there is a change in the definition of private private placement is defined as an offer for the sale of securities that does not fall into the category of an offer for sale via the mass media, and that is made via either of the following methods: (i) an offer for sale to fewer than 100 investors excluding professional securities investors; or, (ii) an offer for sale to professional securities investors only (Article 4.20 of the Securities Law 2019). In comparison with the Securities Law 2006, this definition supplements that shares offered for sale to professional securities investors only are considered to be a private placement as well. To offer shares through a private placement, a public company will be subject to the requirements listed below (Article 31.1 of the Securities Law 2019): A resolution of the GMS required Under the Securities Law 2019, there must be a general meeting of shareholders (GMS) resolution approving the private placement plan which identifies the number of potential investors as well as the criteria for selection of eligible investors (Article 31.1(a) of the Securities Law 2019). This was also the case under the Securities Law 2006 and guiding documents, and remains unchanged. In addition, under the Securities Law 2019, the investors are not required to make a tender offer bid (TOB) if the investors purchase newly issued shares in line with an issuance plan passed by the GMS, as with the Securities Law 2006. Under the Securities Law 2006 and its guiding documents, it was understood that eligible investors should be specified in the GMS resolutions in order to be exempted from a TOB. This point is not clearly stipulated under the Securities Law 2019, but the requirement may remain unchanged. Participants of a private placement The Securities Law 2006 did not limit the types of the investors who could participate in a private placement. In particular, eligible investors could be decided by the GMS of the issuer. Nevertheless, the Securities Law 2019 provides that only two categories of investors are allowed to purchase shares in a private placement: (i) professional securities investors; and (ii) strategic investors. In relation to (i), this is not a new term. However, this term covers not only financial institutions as under the Securities Law 2006, but also (a) companies with paid-up charter capital of VND 100 billion ($4.3 million) or more; (b) listed organisations; (c) organisations registered for trading; (d) individuals with securities practising certificates (which include: securities brokerage practising certificates; financial analysis practising certificates; and fund management practising certificates); and, (e) individuals holding a securities portfolio with a value of at least VND 2 billion or who had taxable income of at least VND 1 billion in the latest year (Article 11 of the Securities Law 2019). In relation to (ii), 'strategic investors' is a new term first set forth in the Securities Law 2019, which is defined in Article 4.17 of the Securities Law 2019 as 'investors selected by the GMS according to the criteria regarding financial capability, technology expertise and who have a commitment of at least a three-year partnership with the company'. For the criteria regarding financial capability and technology expertise, each issuer at its discretion can decide how these are fulfilled. However, detailed guidance regarding 'financial capability' and 'technology expertise' has not been provided, and it is unclear which documents reflect a commitment of at least a three-year partnership. Such ambiguities may be addressed by the guiding documents to be issued by the state authorities. Lock-up period applied to a private placement Under the Securities Law 2006, privately placed shares were subject to a lock-up period of one year as from the date of completion of the offer tranche (Article 10a.1(b) of the Securities Law 2006). In relation to a professional securities investor, the aforementioned lock-up period is only applied when an organisational investor wishes to transfer shares privately issued to a professional securities investor, or a professional securities investor wishes to transfer its shares to a purchaser that is a non-professional securities investor. However, the Securities Law 2019 has tightened the lock-up period by adding that the lock-up period must also be at least three years for a strategic investor and at least one year for a professional securities investor as from the date of completion of the offer tranche (Article 31.1(c) of the Securities Law 2019). In relation to the lock-up period applied to a professional securities investor, the Securities Law 2019 allows only one exception where privately placed shares are transferred between professional securities investors. Tranche offer requirement A period of six months must lapse between one private placement tranche offer and the next. This requirement (Article 31.1(d) of the Securities Law 2019) remains unchanged from the Securities Law 2006. The share offering and foreign ownership cap The share offering must satisfy the requirements regarding the foreign ownership cap in accordance with prevailing laws. This provision is supplemented in the Securities Law 2019 (Article 31.1(dd) of the Securities Law 2019) representing no change from the Securities Law 2006 and its guiding documents. As the Securities Law 2019 provides that the government will provide detailed regulations on the foreign ownership cap, further specifications on this requirement may appear in subsequent government decrees. Potential effects of stricter private placement requirements under the Securities Law 2019 It was reported by the Ministry of Finance in the government's proposal regarding the Securities Law Project (amended) 186/TTr dated May 9 2019 that many companies have intentionally taken advantage of the simple requirements provided under the Securities Law 2006 to avoid the strict conditions for a public offering of securities managed by the State Securities Commission. Therefore, with a view to enhancing publicity, the transparency of the securities market and improving the quality of goods on the securities market, the new law imposes stricter requirements for a private placement. As a result, potential investors who wish to purchase shares privately placed, regardless of whether they are professional securities investors, have been voicing concerns about the restrictions set forth in the new framework. In particular, investors purchasing shares through a private placement need to give the longer lock-up greater consideration, as once an investor purchases shares privately placed, they cannot transfer those shares during the lock-up period. In addition, to avoid confusion, determining who is deemed to be a strategic investor will require further guidance in upcoming legal documentation released by the government. Akira Hiramatsu Pham Quoc Thai Hoang Nhu Quynh 2021 Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC. For help please see our FAQs. Share this article S everal UK mortgage lenders have announced loan repayment holidays to support homeowners affected by coronavirus. Royal Bank of Scotland said it will defer mortgage payments for up to three months to affected borrowers. The state-backed bank is 62 per cent owned by the taxpayer and has announced the emergency measures to support customers who might lose their jobs or see their income decline if they cannot work due to illness or lockdown. A spokeswoman for RBS said: We are monitoring the potential impact of coronavirus across all our customers to ensure we can support them appropriately through any period of disruption. We have a strong track record in working with our customers who are affected by disruption outside of their control. TSB also said borrowers could have mortgage repayment holidays for up to two months. UK Finance said all its members were putting measures in place to support borrowers affected by the virus. Stephen Jones, the industry bodys chief executive said: All providers are ready and able to offer support to their customers who are impacted directly or indirectly by COVID-19, which could include offering or increasing an overdraft or allowing repayment relief for loan or mortgage repayments: asking for help early is key. We would encourage customers who think they may be affected to contact their provider as soon as possible to discuss the support available to them. Miles Robinson, head of mortgages at online broker Trussle, said: Self-employed and gig economy workers might be concerned about their income becoming more unstable, at least temporarily, which may affect their ability to pay the bills at the end of the month. The good news is that mortgage lenders dont live under a rock. They know that coronavirus is causing severe uncertainty. Theyre also aware that as a result of the outbreak, some customers might be unable to make their monthly mortgage repayments. The announcements were made after the Italian government said it would suspend mortgage payments and other household bills across the country, which is now on total lockdown. UK lenders adopted similar measures in the 2009 recession. What is a mortgage loan repayment holiday? Depending on your mortgage, you might be able to take a break from making repayments or reduce the amount you pay, usually for up to six months. This will depend on your previous payment history, the type of mortgage you have and whether your lender offers this as an option. It must always be agreed with your lender you cant just stop payments if youre feeling a bit broke. This can be useful if youre facing a temporary drop in income, for example during maternity leave, after a redundancy or in case of illness. However, in most cases you will still be accruing interest on your mortgage and wont be making any repayments, so your outstanding mortgage balance will be higher after a mortgage holiday. How to go about getting a mortgage repayment holiday Talk to your lender as soon as possible if youre worried about making your mortgage repayments or fear you might fall into arrears. If you find yourself struggling, make a proposal to your lender - you might not be able to afford to pay all your mortgage, for example, but you could offer to pay half. The important thing is to ask for help as early as possible rather than ignoring the issue. While lenders should offer support to borrowers, they can only do that if they know there is a problem, said Mark Harris, chief executive of mortgage broker SPF Private Clients. Lenders arent under any obligation to give you a payment holiday and if you are a habitual late payer of your mortgage, they are less likely to be supportive. However, even if you are in this situation you should talk to your lender and see what can be done. Israel's main international airport was quiet on Tuesday following a decision to place all overseas arrivals into quarantine in response to the new coronavirus threat. Israel announced Monday it will quarantine anyone arriving from abroad for 14 days, a decision coming barely a month before Easter and Passover. The outbreak in Israel has been largely contained, but it has begun to gain pace in recent days, with a total of 50 cases diagnosed. Israel had earlier ordered residents returning from several European and Asian countries into 14 days of home quarantine. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the measure would apply to anyone entering the country from overseas. The director general of the Israeli Health Ministry told Channel 13 TV that foreign tourists arriving on flights would have to show proof they have a place to stay for two weeks of home quarantine, or they would be denied entry. He said tourists already in the country should exercise caution and immediately contact authorities if they feel ill. The move comes just ahead of the Passover and Easter holiday seasons, when Israel is flooded with overseas visitors. It was sure to deal another blow to the already struggling tourism industry. Netanyahu said the government, which has already approved a relief fund for hard-hit businesses, was working on other measures to protect the economy. An additional 26 cases have been detected in the neighboring West Bank. The Palestinian Authority announced late Monday that it was closing the Allenby Bridge, the West Bank's main crossing into Jordan, to outgoing traffic. Palestinians in Jordan will be allowed to return home, and the order will not affect foreigners. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said the closure had been coordinated with Jordan. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered. The victim said he did not know the suspects or see anyone shoot him, Powers said. Residents related hearing what they believed to be gunshots, but no one witnessed the shooting. Two people in Pune, a family member and driver of the couple who tested positive for the new coronavirus infection on Monday, are also affected by the disease, District Collector Naval Kishore Ram said on Tuesday. A senior official said their samples, which were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), tested positive. The couple, who had come back from Dubai in the UAE, is Maharashtras first known cases of the disease. The driver drove the two members of the family from the Mumbai international airport to Pune on March 1 after they back from Dubai to India. The three family members and the driver are in isolation at Naidu Hospital. Currently, six people, including the two positive cases, are in the isolation ward at the hospital. Punes divisional commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar had said earlier that the infected husband and wife are currently stable and under observation. Angelina Jolie has had to endure watching her daughters, Zahara and Shiloh, undergo surgeries over the last two months. So it made perfect sense for the actress and humanitarian to spend some quality casual time with both girls by taking them to the movies in Los Angeles on Monday. The trio were spotted moments after their SUV pulled up to the parking lot and gingerly walked to the theater. Family time: Angelina Jolie, 44, took her daughters Shiloh, 13, and Zahara, 15, to the movies in Los Angeles on Monday Being that Shiloh most recently went under the knife for hip surgery, the 13-year-old needed the assistance of her mother, who got out of the vehicle and quickly handed her a pair of crutches. The Oscar-winning actress looked stylish in a black dress that was partially covered up with a black overcoat. She also donned dark sunglasses, brown flats and had her dark brown locks pulled into a bun. Taking the lead: Zahara was the first to get out of the SUV dressed in a red plaid shirt-dress Fashionista: The Oscar-winning actress looked stylish in a black dress that was partially covered up with a black overcoat and brown flats Keeping with her penchant for casual wear, Shiloh wore black shorts with a grey sweatshirt, black Converse sneakers and her blonde hair in a short bob cut. Once Shiloh got her barrings, she began the slow walk towards the theater as her mother trailed close behind to avoid any mishaps. Zahara, 15, was first to get out of the vehicle in a red plaid shirt-dress and white sneakers and her long braids pulled into a bun. Doting mom: Jolie hopped out of the vehicle and grabbed a pair of crutches for Shiloh In a Time magazine essay published Sunday in honor of International Women's Day, Jolie shared that her daughters were operated on over the last couple of months In a Time magazine essay published Sunday in honor of International Women's Day, Jolie shared that her daughters were operated on. 'I have spent the last two months in and out of surgeries with my eldest daughter and days ago watched her younger sister go under the knife for a hip surgery,' she began. She also wrote how she was impressed with how the family came together during the ordeals. 'They understand that going through medical challenges and fighting to survive and heal is something to be proud of.' Jolie also took pride in watching her kids 'face fears with resolute bravery' and 'put each other first' for the 'service of those they love.' Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Wuhan Tuesday for the first time since the city emerged as the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic as authorities loosened travel curbs in its surrounding province signalling confidence that the outbreak is under control. Xis visit came as unprecedented quarantine measures that have sealed off Wuhan and the rest of central Hubei province since late January appear to have paid off, with new infections dropping dramatically in recent weeks. Hubei also announced it would ease travel restrictions to allow healthy people in low-risk areas to travel throughout the province. But the measure did not appear to loosen restrictions on Wuhan nor indicate if people could leave the province of 56 million people.- Chinas progress against the outbreak stands in stark contrast with the growing global crisis, with cases now growing at a faster pace abroad, and Italy enacting its own nationwide travel restrictions. State media images showed Xi, who arrived by plane in Hubeis capital, wearing a face mask as he spoke via video-link to frontline medical workers and patients who are at one of two field hospitals set up in the city. He then went to a residential community in Wuhan to speak with people quarantined and community workers, state media said. Chinas most powerful leader since Mao Zedong is usually a daily fixture in state media but he has stayed out of the spotlight for much of the crisis and assigned Premier Li Keqiang to oversee the response to the epidemic. But as the number of new cases has fallen in recent weeks, state media has played up Xis role in the fight against the outbreak, releasing a speech last month in which he said he had been giving instructions since early January. Hua Po, an independent Beijing-based political analyst, told AFP the trips timing indicated an interim victory for China. His visit is to signal that the outbreak has been effectively curbed, and is an attempt to quieten external criticism of him not going to the frontlines, said Hao. Authorities have faced rare and fierce criticism online over their handling of the virus, with local officials coming under particular scrutiny for punishing whistleblowers in an apparent attempt to cover up the outbreak in early January. During the worst of the outbreak, Xi avoided the epicentre because he did not want to be blamed, but when the situation gets better, he shows up in order to receive praise, said Bruce Lui, a senior lecturer in journalism at Hong Kong Baptist University. Global cases soar The death of doctor Li Wenliang, who died from the COVID-19 illness in February, sparked a wave of grief and anger online. He was among a group of people who had raised the alarm as early as December. A visit by Vice Premier Sun Chunlan to a Wuhan residential community last week was met with angry public heckling as people reportedly complained that she was being shown a fake delivery of food showing how easily state propaganda efforts could backfire. The virus is believed to have emerged in December at a market that sold wild animals in Wuhan before ballooning into a national and then a global epidemic. More than 4,000 people have died and over 110,000 have been infected worldwide, with the majority in China. But China reported only 17 new cases in Wuhan on Tuesday, the lowest figure since it started publishing data on January 21, and two elsewhere that were imported from abroad. Xi doesnt want to be associated with the disaster, but with the recovery, said Adam Ni, a researcher at the China Policy Centre in Canberra. China has turned the corner now with COVID-19, and the party now wants to craft the most positive narrative despite early missteps. Hua, the Chinese analyst, said the main reason for Xis visit is because the outbreak has put tremendous pressure on the worlds second-largest economy and needs to get back to work. Xi wants to uplift people, and his visit suggests a gradual return to normal life and work, Hua said. SOURCE: AFP [March 10, 2020] Lightstone Solutions Announces Emergency Outsource Background Check Program for Tribal Gaming Commissions PHOENIX and JACKSONVILLE, Fla., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Lightstone Solutions, LLC http://www.lightstonesolutions.com announced today its Emergency Outsource Contract Program for Tribal Gaming Commissions in response to ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns. Under the Outsource Program, a Tribal Gaming Commission can obtain a contract to have Lightstone Solutions on stand-by as a trusted outsource to seamlessly handle licensing background checks on employees and vendors should the need arise due to temporary staff shortages. "Emergency preparedness is a mantra at Lightstone Solutions, and we are pleased to be able to make our trusted expertise available to Tribal Gaming Commissions and be part of their own contingency plans," said Bill Papazian, CEO of Lightstone Solutions. "If you are attending the National Indian Gaming Association Tradeshow in San Diego span >March 24 -27, please contact me in advance if you would like to meet personally to discuss," added Mr. Papazian. ABOUT LIGHTSTONE SOLUTIONS, LLC Lightstone Solutions, LLC is a boutique firm specializing in gaming regulatory compliance and training, programmatic audits of gaming commissions, international due diligence and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act compliance, investigative consulting, background checks, computer forensics and electronic discovery. The firm serves public companies, Tribal Gaming Commissions and Tribal Governments, international companies, public pension funds, and other regulated business interests.The Company was founded by William Papazian https://williampapazian.consulting/ in 2001. Contact: Bill Papazian [email protected] 6022063800 Photo(s): https://www.prlog.org/12813894 Press release distributed by PRLog View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lightstone-solutions-announces-emergency-outsource-background-check-program-for-tribal-gaming-commissions-301020787.html SOURCE Lightstone Solutions, LLC Dr. Emmanuel Okolo, left, Dr. Mohanad Fallouh, center, and Kent Hunter, right, are three of the four people charged in an alleged pill mill operation. Okolo and Fallouh, Flourtown physicians, allegedly wrote hundreds of fraudulent prescriptions for oxycodone and Xanax. A mug shot of Evelyn Smith, who also was arrested, was not available Tuesday. Read more Four people, including two doctors, were charged Tuesday with operating a pill-mill scheme by stealing the Medicaid information of homeless people and veterans living in three Tioga rowhouses and writing fake prescriptions in their names, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced Tuesday. Between 2015 and 2017, the two physicians allegedly wrote 1,009 fraudulent prescriptions for oxycodone and Xanax, totaling 99,753 pills with a street value of nearly $2 million, under the names of more than 100 tenants living in the three properties. The scheme cost Medicaid nearly $30,500, officials said. Emmanuel Okolo, 53, of Ambler, and Mohanad Fallouh, 51, of Blue Bell, doctors at Carriage House Medical Group in Flourtown, were each charged with 388 counts of Medicaid fraud, identity theft, conspiracy to administer a controlled substance, and related charges. Evelyn Tracie Smith, 54, who owned and managed the group homes on the 3500 block of North 18th Street in Tioga, was charged with the same crimes for allegedly working with the doctors and providing them with the personal identification and Medicaid numbers of hundreds of her tenants. Kent Hunter, of Philadelphia, a cousin of Smiths, faces 193 counts, including conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance, identity theft, and related crimes for allegedly working as an accomplice. Smith, of Camden, required her tenants to provide their IDs, Social Security, and Medicaid cards upon moving in, according to court records, then gave the information to the doctors. Tenants told investigators that in some cases, their residences were ransacked and their IDs stolen while they werent home. They poured fuel onto the fire of the opioid crisis, Shapiro said at a news conference at his Center City office. This was a massive operation that breached good faith and breached the Pennsylvania law, he said. And they did so knowing they were preying on some of the most vulnerable. Neither Okolos attorney, Michael Ryan, nor Fallouhs attorney, Mohamed Bakry, could be reached for comment. Lawyers for Smith and Hunter were not listed in court records. Most of the time, Okolo and Fallouh allegedly wrote the prescriptions without having met the patients for whom they were prescribing the medication. Other times, Smith allegedly told her tenants that they should visit Okolo to have their health evaluated, according to the records. The tenants told investigators that Smith would drive them to Okolos office, or Okolo and Fallouh would visit the Tioga homes, for the check-ups. The doctors would briefly evaluate them, then write the oxycodone or Xanax prescriptions, which then allegedly were handed to Smith. Tenants told investigators they never received the prescriptions. Residents who confronted Smith about the scheme often faced threats of eviction or were offered money, the records show. Once the prescriptions were written, Smith would drive Hunter to various pharmacies, where she often had arranged agreements with the pharmacists that as the caregiver of veterans and homeless individuals, she was permitted to pick up their prescriptions without them present, according to the records. Pharmacists said Hunter often picked up 30 to 40 prescriptions at one time. Authorities were alerted to the activity after a tenant went to pick up a legal prescription and the pharmacist noticed numerous other prescriptions filled in the tenants name, of which the tenant was unaware. The pharmacist then alerted AmeriHealth insurance, which alerted the Department of Human Services, which contacted the Attorney Generals Office. Okolo is being held in the Montgomery County jail on $250,000 bail, and Hunter is being held there on $100,000 bail. Smith is being held in the Camden County jail. Follouh was released from the Montgomery County facility after posting 10% of $250,000 bail. (Photo : Screenshot from Twitter of @TheMaxZab) Google advises businesses around the world to update their business information on Google's listing and database to reflect on the COVID-19 outbreak. Businesses are urged to identify whether their business or establishment is affected by the said virus. Read More: BREAKING NEWS: Japan Airlines Cabin Crew Tests Positive for Coronavirus; NASA Ames Sent Employees to Work From Home; And More! Google published a post that is a document that says businesses will be able to edit relevant information such as business contact number, operating hours, and even business description. Google Post is also available to make information dissemination a lot easier. Google My Business is a tool used by business establishments to manage and organize their online presence, especially on Google's ecosystem. Its ability to display information for almost any establishment around the world pushes Google to implement in their public safety protocol. Google's Published Post Google started making changes on their My Business support page by placing a note that is visible on the top side of the web page. The notice is directed towards businesses that have been compromised from the COVID-19 virus outbreak. Google also adds Learn More section that directs towards the help document that Google published. Business updates and edits will take shortly and will update on all Google services such as Maps and even on the search engine where more traffic is involved. Google suggested that those who are planning to close early because of the outbreak are advised to accurately edit their business operating hours. If there are notices and things businesses want to inform their customers and clients, they should add descriptions. Through descriptions, businesses can also confirm or deny whether their establishment is affected. Businesses can also let people know whether precautions are being taken to battle the COVID-19 outbreak. Read More: Black Rain Falls Over Japan. Is the Japanese Government Secretly Burning Bodies of Coronavirus Victims? For more information, customers are entitled to reach businesses. Google signals businesses to update their contact numbers on their database to make it easier for people to contact any establishment they want to inquire about. Google Post is also an accurate and helpful way to broadcast everything that is happening in any business. It also offers more in-depth information give-away and also timely and consistent. Review and Revise Google wants everything published on the public by businesses to be accurate and final. They advise that a thorough review is needed to make sure that everything on the Google Ecosystem is factual. Revisions are also encouraged since data and information aren't always the same as time passes by. Google makes it a lot easier for revisions and edit to happen, so there is no excuse. Google implemented a policy to thoroughly review the supplied data by the businesses that are currently listed on Google Search and Maps. New business establishments might also need to wait for some time for their entry to be approved a submission. The edit approval policy that Google is imposing is to make sure that the information given by businesses are inside their business guidelines. This means that edits and posts may be rejected if they don't qualify for Google's standards when it comes to editing. A large number of people that visit Google Search and Maps would see the approved updated business edits and posts first. This ability to edit any business information on Google is available anytime. Read More: North Korean Man 'Shot Dead' After Being Suspected With Coronavirus 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Exiled deposed Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi will no longer go to Loko as he has been moved to another town in Nasarawa state. His ne... Exiled deposed Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi will no longer go to Loko as he has been moved to another town in Nasarawa state. His new abode is Awe, capital of Awe local government. Loko was ruled out as it is said to be far from the capital. Reports said he was flown in a helicopter to his new abode today from Lafia, capital of the state, less than 24 hours after he was ejected from Kano palace and began his exile journey via Abuja. From reports, the deposed Emir never even got to Loko, before the Nasarawa State Government decided to change his exiled place from Loko to Awe. According to Daily Trust Notable Nigerians like the Emir of Lafia, Justice Sidi Bage (rtd) personally met Governor Abdullahi Sule and requested for a change of location. Others who called the governor were Alhaji Aliko Dangote and General Aliyu Gusau amongst others, the source said. The newspaper said: Actually, the deposed emir was scheduled to be exiled from Kano to Opanda town in Toto Local Government but there was a change of decision at the last minute. PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-10 14:02:46 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 917 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 New technology allows rapid conversion of air cargo aircraft into state-of-the-art flying medical facilities that can be deployed globally to support patients in regions impacted by pandemics, natural disasters and armed conflict.LINK TO B-ROLL WITH:COMPANY CEO / MEDICAL EXPERT SOUND BITESMEDICAL UNIT UNDER CONSTRUCTIONRENDERINGS / PROTOTYPE OF MEDICAL UNITKNIGHT EMPLOYEES BUILDING / DESIGNING UNITSSCROLL TO THE BOTTOM FOR STILL PHOTOGRAPHYSAN ANTONIO, TX / ACCESSWIRE /March 10, 2020 / Knight Aerospace has finalized design and is building its first Universal Patient Module (UPM)-an airworthy and self-contained medical unit that can be loaded quickly onto cargo aircraft to treat and transport injured, ill, contaminated or contagious patients while in flight.The modules, which have undergone years of rigorous design, are fully-equipped facilities far beyond typical medical evacuation transport. The units can be rolled onto C-130, C-17 and similar large cargo aircraft and can accommodate up to 12 patients plus medical personnel. They include a wide range of critical care capabilities, such as pressurized negative air flow to isolate highly contagious patients; telemedicine so additional medical personnel can guide complex procedures while patients are en route; refrigeration for medical and blood components; and additional customizable features.Of importance when transporting highly contagious evacuees, the units allow for the separation of the patients and air crew, thus minimizing exposure to diseases and eliminating the need for aircraft decontamination. Once they are unloaded, the self-contained units can remain fully functional while the aircraft in which they traveled are immediately put to other uses, such as transportation of supplies, military personnel or additional UPMs.Inside the units, a separate oxygen supply provides operating room level air quality and the ability to extend comprehensive care in an aerospace environment under a vast range of emergency scenarios, such as pandemics, humanitarian relief after a natural disaster and in conflict areas around the world.The company's first unit is currently being constructed at the company's headquarters in San Antonio, Texas. It will be ready for deployment later this year. The company is also engaged with numerous interested buyers in the U.S. and across the world for the delivery of additional modules."Our mission is focused on providing an innovative system that will save lives," said Bianca Rhodes, Knight Aerospace President and CEO."In the wake of increasingly severe natural disasters, fast-spreading pandemics and other emergency scenarios around the world, there is a great deal of interest in our technology from governments, relief organizations and other parties," she added."They realize that with an advanced system that offers an operating room quality environment inside an aircraft, the medical attention that is provided-up to and including emergency surgery-can begin the moment the patient is on board. This system revolutionizes medical air transport, and we are focused on dramatically improving outcomes as a result." "The UPM provides a critical care environment that is unmatched by any other aeromedical transport capability in the world," said Craig Manifold, DO, Knight Aerospace Chief Medical Officer. "Advanced techniques such as respiratory isolation, burn and trauma resuscitation, and life-saving respiratory support can be used while transporting critically ill or injured soldiers and civilians." Founded in San Antonio over 30 years ago, Knight Aerospace recently relocated and is expanding its operation at Port San Antonio-the city's 1,900-acre technology campus that allows firms like Knight to collaborate with area industries and develop innovative solutions in sectors that include aerospace, medicine, cybersecurity, robotics and others. The company now operates within a large specialized facility close to the Port's industrial airport at Kelly Field (SKF), where Knight manufactures, tests and delivers its products.Knight also builds and designs other comprehensive roll-on/roll-off modular and palletized systems for medical, VIP and other specialized air transport. The company also provides a wide range of Ground Support Equipment (GSE) designed for cargo aircraft including the C-130, C-17, C27J, A400M and C295 and various helicopters, allowing for increased flexibility and utilization.In addition to the new medical units, Knight's modular systems include a wide range and combination of passenger seating, lavatories, galleys and communications equipment that increase the functionality of cargo aircraft operated by militaries, NGOs and other users.Knight Aerospace is a woman and minority-owned small business.DOWNLOAD PHOTOS IN HIGH RESOLUTIONRendering of the UPM's interior-medical units that allow aircraft to function as emergency rooms / ICU's that stabilize and treat patients as they are being evacuated. (Courtesy Knight Aerospace)A technician works on Knight Aerospace's first UPM at the company's operation in San Antonio, Texas. The company's new facility at Port San Antonio allows Knight to be ready to deliver additional units as demand grows for state-of-the-art medical air transportation in areas of the world impacted by contagions, natural disasters and other emergencies. (Courtesy Knight Aerospace)Knight Aerospace's units can be quickly loaded and quickly transform the interior and uses of heavy cargo aircraft. Shown here is a specialized passenger / medical unit for head of state transportation delivered by Knight in 2017. (Courtesy Knight Aerospace)A Knight Aerospace engineer is designing one of several different types of modular units that roll into cargo aircraft and quickly convert the airplane to different uses, including as medical, VIP and general passenger transport. (Courtesy Knight Aerospace)Knight's products convert an array of popular aircraft, including military C-17 (top) and C-130 (bottom) cargo planes, which can land in unimproved runways. (Photo: U.S. Air Force)C-17 with Knight Module.CONTACT:Port San Antonio - Paco Felici (210) 260-3218 / paco.felici@portsanantonio.us Knight Aeros Laura Loomer waits backstage during a "Demand Free Speech" rally on Freedom Plaza in Washington on July 6, 2019. The demonstrators called for an end of censorship by social media companies. (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images) Laura Loomer: The Phoenix Rising From the Tech Giant Ashes Commentary Less than a year after being banned from three of the largest social media platforms in the world, Laura Loomer has not only emerged as the frontrunner in a 2020 GOP congressional primary race, but has also dominated in fundraising efforts to support her campaign. A lot of people are really inspired by my fight against the social media bias and censorship of conservatives, she says. Censorship is un-American, so this is a conversation that reaches across the aisle, and people from all party affiliations have been donating to my campaign online. In the wake of one of the most flagrant examples of political bias, Loomer still managed to mobilize a national network of grassroots support and amassed a formidable war chest. According to data from the Federal Election Commission, Loomerwho is competing in Floridas Congressional House District 21raised more than $356,000 in the second half of 2019 alone. The only candidate competing in her district who raised more money was incumbent Rep. Lois Frankel (D) whose total receipts were $589,883. And for comparison, there are eight other candidates running and the next closest challenger has only raised $44,190. Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are three of the largest and most widely used social media platforms worldwide. Many consider it essential that any company, brand, or candidate have a well-managed presence on each in order to be successful. Rep. Frankel has a verified Twitter profile with more than 30,000 followers, a verified Facebook page with more than 22,000 followers, and a verified Instagram profile with more than 2,500 followers. Loomers massive fundraising totalaccrued while being banned from those same social media platformsis a bit of a David vs. Goliath moment. They wont even allow my campaign to have access to social media, Loomer said. So, Im just on Gab and Parlor, because Twitter and Facebook and Instagram wont allow my campaign to have campaign accounts. Seventy percent of the population of the United States (230 million people) are active social media users; 200 million of those people regularly use social media on mobile platforms. Denying access to these platforms would be an insurmountable setback for most political candidates. And the Loomer campaign has hired legal counsel to pursue redress. I definitely consider it to be election interference. So much so that my campaign actually retained Charlie Spies who is one of the top [Federal Election Commission] attorneys in the country, Loomer said. And he filed an FEC complaint for my campaign against Twitter for election interference, because what you have is these social media companies giving illegal in-kind contributions to my Democrat opponentsand really all of my opponents for that matterbecause theyre allowed to fundraise on these sites and Im not able to in an official capacity or as an individual and that puts me at a disadvantage. When you look at the maximum donation amounts, since theres a primary and a general, its $5,600thats exceeding by far the legal limits when you look at them giving her [Frankel] access and me not having access during an election cycle. Twitter also recently faced criticism after botching its pledge to issue a verification badge to all candidates running for office this election cycle. The Silicon Valley tech giant failed to verify Anna Paulina Luna, a well-known Republican and high-visibility candidate also running in Florida, while actually issuing a verified checkmark to a fake candidate on a page created by a 17-year-old high school student. When Im in congress, Im not going to allow for these big tech tyrants to silence Americans any longer. They are committing egregious civil rights violations, they are de-banking people, deplatforming people, they are committing election interference, and the way that they silence conservative Americans at a disproportionate rate, its completely un-American, Loomer said. It has exceeded this conversation talking point of free speech violations; its now a civil rights violation, in my opinion. Because what you have is half the population being retaliated against and silenced and censored simply because they supported the president. Loomer, who has received numerous endorsements from prominent Republicans, and even had President Donald Trump retweet a post containing her fundraising link, is projected to win the partys nomination and primary election on Aug. 18, 2020. I hope that when I win my race that it inspires other people, so that they know that it doesnt matter what the mainstream media says about you and it doesnt matter how much they try to silence you. One person really can make a difference and your voice can be heard if you work hard, she said. And this is the only country in the world where something like that is possible. I really do think its emblematic of the American Dream. 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. Please enable cookies on your web browser in order to continue. The new European data protection law requires us to inform you of the following before you use our website: We use cookies and other technologies to customize your experience, perform analytics and deliver personalized advertising on our sites, apps and newsletters and across the Internet based on your interests. By clicking I agree below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. See our Privacy Policy and Third Party Partners to learn more about the use of data and your rights. You also agree to our Terms of Service. During his speech at Hillsdale College, conservative actor and director Nick Searcy said that Hollywood is broken forever. Everyone in that town knows in order to work, they must become a member of the Hate Conservatives, Christians and Republicans Club. Incredibly, Harrison Ford calling Trump an SOB and Robert De Niro repeatedly saying F*** Trump enhances their status in Hollywood. When these arrogant elites express disdain for Trump, they are really exposing their disdain for you MAGA cap wearers who buy tickets to their movies. A fan of Call of the Wild said that because of Ford's anti-Trump statements she will not go to the movie starring Harrison Ford. Searcy asserts that before Rush Limbaugh, for the most part, conservative talk radio and media did not exist. Rush has dramatically impacted our culture. He said that without Rush, we may not have Trump as president. Searcy announced his desire to be the Rush Limbaugh of a new movie industry; building studios and distribution for conservative movies. While conservatives may fund documentaries which have limited audience appeal, they do not see the value in funding feature films with good conservative stories, says Searcy. Rather than writing a documentary educating viewers about the transgender insanity happening in California, my buddy, filmmaker Robert Kirk shot a hilarious comedy short film about it. Nightmare in Paradise has over 55,000 views on YouTube. Searcy noted that Jesus taught via storytelling. We've allowed Hollywood to use the powerful tool of storytelling to create a generation which believes their country is solely responsible for destroying the planet. Al Gore's lie-filled climate-change movie, An Inconvenient Truth was pumped into public schools. Stenciled on kids' brains are bogus, heartbreaking images of polar bears stranded on tiny chunks of ice because cruel, hateful and irresponsible Americans drive cars and eat meat. Lie-filled stories about conservatives, Christians, and the founders of America have created a disturbingly large number of Americans who passionately desire to elect an openly socialist/Communist presidential candidate. Upon learning that an 18-year-old relative was visiting South Dakota, I suggested he visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial which features U.S. presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. With great venom bordering on rage, he replied, I wouldn't even go across the street to visit those guys! I thought, What on earth was this youth taught about our Founders? Movies, TV, and public education teaches youths that America was founded by racist, sexist, and evil straight white men who abuse everyone; corrupt and destroy everything they touch. I'm black. Around 15 years ago, a white friend told me her son came home from middle-school devastated and in tears. In essence, he was taught that white males like him were cruel to everyone (native Americans, blacks, and women) and responsible for all evil on the planet. Today, my friend's son has disdain for American white men and is a devout communist and Bernie Bro. Since the election of President Trump, it has become a resume enhancer for actors, reporters, and commentators to boldly express their bias and hatred for conservatives, Christians, Republicans, and Trump voters. A month ago, a press release writing and distribution service sought my business via an email. I thought, Perfect timing! I hired them to promote my new Trump Train 2020 song and music video to hundreds of media outlets. I sent the rep all the info which they compiled into a press release. Three days before my launch date, the rep sent me an email saying their media outlets rejected my press release for technical reasons and he would return my payment. The rep and I, whom I will call Bill, built up a good rapport. I emailed, Bill is this about anti-Trump bias? Like a scared worker-bee, he replied, Call me. During our phone call, Bill said, Yes the rejection was because of anti-Trump bias. Then, Bill added, I don't think you will find any service willing to distribute your press release. Talk about patriots to the rescue, I wish to thank Melanie Morgan Swanson at Stop-the-Scalping, Kay Rivoli at Tea Party Express, and Joe Wierzbicki and Ryan Gill at Conservative Campaign Committee for helping to spread the word about the Trump Train 2020 song and music video. Your help is greatly appreciated. Nick Searcy said it will cost a ton of money to create a new Hollywood. But it is something we simply must do and he is the right man to lead the charge. Progressive hatred and bias has created a great window of opportunity that we cannot afford to miss. Lloyd Marcus, The Unhyphenated American Help Lloyd Spread the Truth https://www.trumptrainusa2020.com/ http://LloydMarcus.com Last week a Tasmanian bar worker turned up for his shift even though the doctor who had just tested him for COVID-19 directed him to self-isolate pending the results. The tests were positive, he is now in quarantine, but it is possible he infected some of those who came into contact with him at work. We are quick to demonise such people as being recklessly indifferent to public health, but the situation is morally complicated, and has sparked a debate about the plight of casual and gig economy workers in the current crisis. Such workers represent a large and growing proportion of the Australian workforce. ACTU secretary Sally McManus claimed that 3.3 million lack access to paid sick leave, but most also lack predictability and regularity in their working hours. Much contemporary work is precarious and insufficient, and underemployment is probably now as big a problem as unemployment. Those who cannot get enough shifts find it hard to budget and are often forced to live hand to mouth. Wife of abducted Malaysian pastor Raymond Koh honored as 'Woman of Courage' by State Dept. Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The wife of a Malaysian pastor who was abducted in 2017 was among 12 women honored Wednesday with the U.S. State Departments International Women of Courage Award. Susanna Liew, the wife of pastor Raymond Koh, was honored by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and first lady Melania Trump for fighting on behalf of religious minorities who've disappeared under similar circumstances as her husband and those facing persecution for their religious beliefs in Malaysia. The International Women of Courage Award, which has been given out by the secretary of state for 14 years, recognizes women who demonstrate exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equality, and womens empowerment, often at great personal risk and sacrifice. Over the years, 146 women have been honored from 77 countries. Koh, who along with Liew founded a nonprofit to serve the poor and underprivileged, was abducted near their home in West Malaysia on Feb. 13, 2017, when three black SUVs surrounded him in his car. The abduction was captured on surveillance cameras (watch here) but neither Koh nor his car have ever been found. Liew pressed for answers surrounding the disappearance of her husband and others during the Malaysian Human Rights Commissions 2018-2019 inquiry into enforced disappearances. She is still calling on the government to investigate the cases and hold those responsible accountable. Despite police harassment and death threats, she continues to advocate for her husband and others, not because of her faith or theirs, but because of their rights as Malaysians, a State Department press release explains. A task force was formed after Malaysias Human Rights Commission found last year that Malaysias Special Branch intelligence service was likely behind the disappearances of Koh and Muslim social activist Amri Che. However, Malaysias Ministry of Home Affairs said in January that the task force needed more time to prepare its report. Last month, Liew said that she is going to sue current and former police officials because she did not receive any resolutions regarding her husbands investigation. Liew has also sought justice on behalf of pastor Joshua Hilmy and his Indonesian wife, Ruth Sitepu, who disappeared in 2016 after leaving their home in Kuala Lampur. Johnnie Moore, an evangelical religious freedom advocate and commissioner on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, was happy to see the State Department honor Liew. Pleased to see @StateDept shine its bright light today on the case of abducted Malaysian Pastor Raymond Koh, as they celebrated his wifes relentless advocacy for her husband & those like him, Moore tweeted. Deploying might & money the US is the global bulwark for human rights. The 12 recipients of the International Women of Courage award will participate in an International Visitor Leadership Program in which they will visit American cities. The program offers short-term visits enabling participants to build lasting relationships with their American counterparts. Open Doors USAs 2020 World Watch List ranks Malaysia as the 40th-worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution. In Malaysia, Christians have suffered from many forms of Islamic repression. According to Open Doors USA, which monitors persecution in over 60 countries, Catholics and Methodists are monitored by authorities in Malaysia but nontraditional Protestant groups are more often targeted because they are usually more active in evangelizing. Open Doors reports that it is illegal to share the Gospel with Malaysian Muslims. Researchers have identified and implemented the key interventions and tools that countries can - and should - use to improve the quality and availability of critical birth and death data and ultimately, improve health outcomes. University of Melbourne researchers have identified and implemented the key interventions and tools that countries can - and should - use to improve the quality and availability of critical birth and death data and ultimately, improve health outcomes. Published in BMC Medicine, it is the first Civil Registration and Vital Statistics collection to report on experience in implementing technical interventions over the first four years of the Bloomberg Data for Health Initiative. Across the world, about 40-50 per cent of all deaths are unrecorded and millions of deaths do not have a documented cause. Over four years, University of Melbourne researchers have worked with low and middle-income countries through the Bloomberg Data for Health Initiative to help them improve the collection of birth and death data. This increases understanding about the leading causes of premature death and can be used to inform public health policy and preventive action. "People live longer if they benefit from informed, targeted public health action and policies, and that means we need to know reliably what people are dying from," said University of Melbourne Professor Alan Lopez, report co-author and expert on the global burden of disease. As part of the Initiative, researchers have conducted the first ever multi-country assessment of medical certification improvement strategies designed to improve the accuracy of diagnoses by doctors in hospitals. Accurate and timely completion of the medical certificate of cause of death should be a relatively straight forward procedure for physicians, but researchers say mistakes are common. Researchers found a reduction in incorrectly completed certificates of between 28 per cent and 43 per cent is possible, depending on training - training the trainer, direct training of the physician or online training. The results indicate that a variety of training strategies can produce benefits in the quality of certification, but further improvements are possible. Other recommendations include using automated verbal autopsy methods. Using a digital tablet and a 20-minute questionnaire, interviewers ask friends and family about the signs and symptoms present before the person died. Results reported in the journal demonstrate this simple, cost-effective data collection method can produce reliable cause of death information for community deaths for which little was previously known. Researchers are now calling for parallel investments in critical health information systems to accelerate progress built on lessons learned. "Knowing how many people are born each year, how many are dying and from what causes, is vital to tackling public health problems, ongoing population planning and developing policies," report co-author and University of Melbourne Associate Professor Deirdre McLaughlin said. "Our research provides evidence-based interventions that countries can use to strengthen vital statistic systems and improve their record keeping. "Further funding and support are needed to enable low and middle-income countries to implement these recommendations, improve global health data and ultimately, health outcomes." This BMC Medicine collection was led by the Global Burden of Disease Group at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Australia. It draws upon experiences of countries involved in the Data for Health Initiative, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. ### Rammed earth is the descendant of ancient construction techniques like adobe or cob building. It can be used to build walls for many kinds of buildings, from houses to museums and even cemeteries. The name says it all: its made of damp soil or earth that is placed in formwork, and then compressed or rammed into a solid, dense wall. As a construction technique, rammed earth almost disappeared with the development of reinforced concrete, but there has been a revival in interest because of its aesthetics and its perceived environmental benefits. How It's Made The carefully chosen mix of silt, sand, and gravel with a low clay content is moistened and then placed in about 4 inch deep layers between plywood forms; thats why one sees the different colors and stripes, as often each layer is modified for aesthetic reasons. It used to be rammed by hand, but now powered rams are often used to reduce time and labor. Engineered structural reinforcing is often required. Waugh Thistleton Rammed earth expert Chris Magwood of the Endeavour Centre says the formwork is critical. Formwork is the key to building with rammed earth, and the better the formwork the faster and more accurate the construction. Forms must be able to withstand the considerable forces of ramming the earth within and be able to be assembled and disassembled with a minimum of effort. Formwork that is reusable can help keep costs down. Electric wiring and switch boxes can be built right into the wall as it goes up, so that a clean, interior earth finish can be maintained. Types of Rammed Earth Walls There are two main kinds of rammed earth: Raw, which is carefully mixed clay, sand, silt and water, and stabilized, where some kind of binder, usually cement, is added to hold it together. Many architects prefer working with raw rammed earth. Architect Martin Rauch says in the Architectural Review that it is all about the nature of the material, and its ability to be returned to the soil. Interfering in the material properties of loam is detrimental. One thus takes away its most important characteristic, since the material can only be integrated into the cycle of materials again without admixtures. When being dismantled, the wall once again becomes the earth from which it came. Others, like engineer Tim Krahn, author of Rammed Earth Construction, agree in principle but write that the physical and regulatory climates in North America make it difficult to build code-conforming, durable raw earth structures. He notes that the freeze-thaw cycles in the northern United States and Canada make the durability of raw earth walls dubious. Environmental Impact The manufacture of cement is responsible for as much as seven percent of the CO2 produced each year, and standard concrete is between 10 and 15 percent cement, the rest being sand and aggregate. So when cement is added to rammed earth, Krahn notes that detractors may argue that this means we are effectively creating nothing more than damp-pack concrete. Indeed, some have argued that adding cement is essentially greenwashing. Critic Phineas Harper of the Architectural Review also calls stabilized rammed earth a form of concrete: "Architects may specify this material in part to project a facade of environmental stewardship onto the walls of their building, when under the surface all is not as it seems. Compacted soil is a beautiful material, its striations echoing the strata of the Earths crust, but depending on how you use it, it can harm, as well as evoke, the planet. There is no need to build rammed earth with cement... Some designers, however, are choosing the humble aesthetic of earth, and its ecological connotations, but without the sincerity to follow through those values on the construction site." This is perhaps an overstatement, but it is the core of the controversy. Stabilized walls do have less cement than concrete walls (between 5 and 8 percent), and there are also alternative binders, known as pozzolans, which act like the volcanic ash from Pozzuili that the Romans used to make their concrete. Natural pozzolans like lime can be used, along with blast-furnace slag or coal ash. This dramatically lowers the embodied carbon. Also, unlike concrete where sand and aggregate is often hauled great distances, the soil used in rammed earth building can be far more local. Waugh Thistleton The consensus, even among builders of stabilized walls, is that raw walls are "greener", but that stabilized walls arent greenwashing because they still have about half the carbon footprint of concrete walls. Andrew Waugh notes that he couldn't have built the award-winning Bushey Cemetery walls without stabilization. Other Benefits of Rammed Earth Aerecura Rammed Earth Builders/ Stone's Throw Design As critic Harper noted, they can be beautiful. Designers and builders can change the mix of dirt and soils to get a wide range of colors, and changes in the formwork can add textures. The walls have tremendous thermal mass, which is useful in places with a big diurnal swing in temperature between day and night; thats why adobe is so popular in the south. The material cost is literally dirt cheap. Most of the cost is in labor, which can be mostly unskilled if well supervised. Being all-natural, there is no out-gassing of volatile organic compounds, no red-listed ingredients, so it is considered a healthy building material. The thick walls have excellent acoustic properties, keeping noise out while also having good sound reverberation characteristics. Problems With Rammed Earth You are not ordering it from the supplier like concrete; it is mixed on site and must have a proper mix of clays and sands, packed and rammed to the proper density. So someone with experience is needed. Really careful design is required to keep water away from the walls, although this depends on the amount of stabilization. Raw wall architect Martin Rauch actually puts horizontal stone drip ledges into his raw rammed earth to keep water from running down the walls and eating them away. Rammed earth may have thermal mass, but it is a poor insulator. Tim Krahn calls this rammed earths dirty secret, that it is often insulated with plastic foams which have very high embodied carbon. I find this truth hard to swallow, but it is truth nonetheless. However, there are now wood fiber and even mushroom insulations with far smaller footprints than foam. This is really no different than any other wall, any other form of construction. What's the Real Dirt on Rammed Earth? Theres lots to love about rammed earth; it can be beautiful to look at, theres not much waste, material costs are low, material availability is easy, and indoor air quality is excellent. On the downside, the labor costs can be very high, the energy efficiency of the rammed earth on its own is very low, and the skill level needed by at least someone on site is very high. And of course, the elephant in the room is the stabilizing binder. If its portland cement and its higher than 10 percent, then the stuff really is little more than damp-pack concrete. When we are trying to live in a 1.5 degree world, then it is really just a little bit less bad. The coronavirus first victims in Albuquerque appear to be several road projects. Citing a need to be fiscally prudent in the face of plummeting oil prices and the coronavirus threat, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Monday vetoed nearly $50 million in statewide transportation project funding approved by the Legislature. The list included $8.3 million for 24 road and trail projects around the Albuquerque area. We do not yet know the degree to which COVID-19 and declining oil prices will impact our States economy, Lujan Grisham wrote in her veto message. Given this uncertainty, I bear a heightened obligation to ensure that all significant expenditures constitute a demonstrably sound investment in New Mexico. (Senate Bill) 232 falls short of that mark, because it appropriates nearly $50 million to road projects whose scope and total cost is often unclear. The biggest loser in the Albuquerque area is the Paseo del Norte corridor. The veto erased $1.3 million for the effort to widen Paseo between Calle Nortena and Rainbow Boulevard. But it also took out $595,000 allocations to improve each of the following: Interstate 40/118th Street interchange Deficient infrastructure near Barstow and Alameda in the Northeast Heights South Valley roads and lighting Senator Dennis Chavez/Condershine intersection in Southwest Albuquerque The bill Lujan Grisham struck down included funding to improve crosswalks, bicycle routes and trailheads, and, in some cases, make upgrades to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act. It also included $150,00 to install and upgrade street lights in Albuquerques International District and $100,000 to help make the ABQRIDE bus service free to all youth. A spokeswoman for Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said the city is awaiting the governors action on other state funding bills to gauge the impact of Mondays veto. For example, there is a pending capital outlay bill that includes other funding for Paseo del Norte and a number of other city projects. Our top priority this legislative session was public safety and we are anticipating those funds making a difference in central New Mexico. We will evaluate the full impact of the capital outlay bill after the deadline passes next week, spokeswoman Jessie Damazyn said in a written statement late Monday. Bernalillo County Transportation Projects by Albuquerque Journal on Scribd Six hours is a good, long time. You could do a lot of things in six hours. You could drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles. You could finish an audiobook. You could clean out a garage, paint a room, watch three movies. Or you could vote. It took a man named Hervis Rogers that long to do so in Tuesdays Democratic primary. He did not leave his polling place in Houston until 1:30 a.m. Wednesday morning the last person to cast his ballot. I wanted to get my vote in to voice my opinion, he told KTRK, a local TV news station. I wasnt going to let anything stop me, so I waited it out. And if youre wondering why Rogers had to go through that ordeal just to vote, the answer is simple: He is a black man in America. More to the point, hes a black man in a Southern state with a sordid history of disenfranchising voters of color. From 1965 until 2013, such voters were protected from this kind of thing by the Voting Rights Act. Then the Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Act, which required states and localities with histories of voting discrimination to get federal approval before changing election laws. The court acted under the novel which is to say, asinine reasoning that the provision was no longer needed because racism is over. Or as Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, put it: Our country has changed since 1965. He seemed insensate to the fact that the change he noted had come about because of the Act he was gutting. Indeed, the ink was barely dry on his opinion when Southern states and others began to show what they thought of all this change. In Georgia, they purged tens of thousands of voters, disproportionately people of color, from the rolls for offenses as trivial as a misplaced hyphen in a name. In North Carolina, they enacted a photo ID law designed with what a federal court called almost surgical precision to suppress the black vote. And in Texas, according to a report from the Leadership Conference Education Fund, theyve closed 750 polling places since 2013 more than any other state so that now voters like Rogers must pass an endurance test simply to exercise a constitutional right. Yes, local officials claim the delay was actually due to higher than expected turnout, voting machine breakdowns and a new polling system. Believe that if you wish. The view from this pew is more cynical. As Rogers told KTRK, the long wait felt like it was set up for me to walk away. Isnt it telling, in this era of white grievance ascendant, that the right wing keeps caterwauling about a fictional epidemic with people of color committing voter fraud, even as people of color are seeing voting rights stolen from them in real time? The right projects its sins upon the rest of us democracy as funhouse mirror where victimizers reflect as victims. One hopes that when November comes people of color good people of all skin tones summon the perseverance of Hervis Rogers and bring about a blue wave to protect the voting rights of those who are now being systematically disenfranchised. One hopes they resolve to double check their registration and polling locations ahead of time, to charge their devices, wear comfortable clothing, bring snacks, water, lawn chairs, umbrellas, a good book, whatever the wait requires. The bottom line: There are more of us than there are of them. So there is no excuse to let the forces of intolerance get away with this act of Grand Theft Freedom. Six hours is time enough to steal a democracy. But its time enough to save one, too. Pitts writes for the Miami Herald. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 15 Artist Marti Corn stands in front of "Lost," part of her installation at the Station Museum of Contemporary Art in the group show "No Man's Land." For several years, Corn has traveled to Africa to make portraits of 300 people known as the Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan, who have lived in the Kakuma refugee camp since they were children in the 1980s. Photo: Molly Glentzer / Houston Chronicle Photo: Molly Glentzer / Houston Chronicle At the far end of the Station Museums new exhibition No Mans Land, visitors traverse a narrow passageway of photo murals designed to make them feel like they are in a market in northwestern Kenyas Kakuma Refugee Camp. A few steps later, they face a large wall of individually framed portraits of middle-aged people who have been called the Lost Boys of Sudan for most of their lives. Many now have children of their own. The camp was established 28 years ago for thousands of children who were ousted from Ethiopia several years after they had fled genocide and survived a perilous journey from Sudan, during the early days of the Second Sudanese Civil War. Houston photographer Marti Corn has been fascinated with the plight of the Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan for a long time, she says. With a grant from the Houston Arts Alliance years ago, she gathered oral histories from a group in Houston who were among the lucky ones allowed to come to the U.S. before Sept. 11, 2001. Surprised to learn that many of at least 1,000 people who had been vetted and approved to immigrate to the U.S. were left behind, Corn has been visiting the Kakuma camp twice a year since 2015 to take portraits, mentor photographers and help residents however she can. Each time I visit they have a council meeting and ask me to explain the resettlement process one more time, she says. All these years later, they are still holding onto the hope that the U.S. is going to recognize its mistake and will give them a chance to come. I have to explain about our current administration and say, that in my eyes, there is no hope. So, lets figure out what we can do. She has helped to establish micro-loans that have resulted in six thriving businesses, she says. One has already expanded into four businesses. We got a library set up for them. We provide backpacks and school supplies to orphans in the community. Her portraits, all taken inside a church with red-earth pews and natural light, exude quiet dignity. I want to honor who they are. They dont want to be refugees. Theyre just human beings, Corn says. Many of her subjects stood patiently in line for hours, in 100-degree heat, to be photographed, she adds. There is this childlike innocence about them, this gentleness and kindness. Taken as a whole, the huge grid of portraits is both intimate and overwhelmingly scaled. Three photographers Corn mentors at Kakuma have work hanging near hers at the Station and are scheduled to be at the shows opening. They are tackling tough issues, including street orphans, rape culture and camp residents lack of freedom. A painting by one of the residents, Stephenal Thakiy, depicts the last scene he remembers as he fled his native village, with militia arriving in a tank and murdering people. Several videos werent up yet when I visited, and the ambient audio wasnt yet hooked up; those will add another element of power. The show rambles a bit, although the themes of each room all point, subtly or not, to the involvement of the U.S. government. They include politically charged paintings by Vincent Valdez and Patrick McGrath-Muniz; Fabiola Ferreros Blurred in Despair documentary photographs of civil unrest in Venezuela; a new body of research-heavy work by mixed-media artist Tiffany Chung based on issues in Guatemala; and a display about culture and displacement by members of the EstoK Gna (Carrizo/Comecudo) Tribe of Texas. No Mans Land opens at 7 p.m. March 14 and is on view through July 26 at the Station Museum of Contemporary Art, 1502 Alabama; free; 713-529-6900, stationmuseum.com . molly.glentzer@chron.com Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the most important abortion case since Whole Womans Health vs. Hellerstedt. In that 2016 case, the court struck down a Texas law requiring abortion clinics to have admitting privileges at a hospital within thirty miles of their location. The court said that such a law placed undue burdens on a womans access to abortion. That law would have led to the closing of about 75% of the states abortion clinics. So far, the headlines about the case heard by the court this past Wednesday have mostly been about Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer threatening Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, but theres much more at stake in June Medical Services v. Russo. This case involves a Louisiana law nearly identical to the Texas law struck down by the court. Note here that I am emphasizing the word nearly. Despite what you may hear from The New York Times and elsewhere, the laws are not identical, especially in how they would play out on the ground in their respective states. Thats why, after a federal district court initially struck down the Louisiana law based on the Texas law precedent, the Fifth Circuit reversed the district court ruling, with the majority opinion citing two important ways the Louisiana law and the Texas law are different. First, the Louisiana law would only affect about thirty percent of women seeking an abortion. Second, the requirements for doctors to obtain admitting privileges are less strict in Louisiana than Texas, meaning abortion providers could more easily comply with the law and fewer would be forced out of business. With these differences in mind, the circuit court concluded that the Louisiana law did not impose an undue burden on a womans right to an abortion. So here we are, barely four years after deciding Whole Womans Health, a recently remade Court is agreeing to hear a case which could overturn precedent and create significantly more elbow room for state-level restrictions. The whole thing has abortion rights advocates, shall we say, a bit nervous. Much of the oral arguments centered around what constitutes an undue burden on abortion. Chief Justice Roberts raised the possibility that the issue was a factual one. What may constitute an undue burden in one state, may not in another. Such factors as the number of clinics and doctors in each state, in light of the geographic size and population of the state, would need to be considered. The lawyer for June Medical Services rejected that idea and insisted that because requiring admission privileges served no medical purpose, it would always pose an undue burden. That prompted Justice Kavanaugh to ask whether such a requirement would have any effect on the availability of abortion if, for instance, every doctor could get such privileges. The lawyer repeated her answer that an admission privilege requirement serves no medical purpose. Her answer was telling. Apparently, any regulations of the abortion industry above bare minimum is unacceptable, whether or not it has any real-world impact on the availability of abortion. Ultimately, this case is not about the availability of abortion in this one state. Its about the nearly unique status abortion laws hold in our country. Unlike virtually every other right, such as freedom of speech or of religion, any limitation on abortion, no matter how small, is considered a mortal threat to abortion rights and cast as part of a war on women. Its difficult to know how the case will turn out. The Supreme Court seems always reluctant to overturn prior rulings, even closely decided ones like Whole Womans Health, or to issue sweeping rulings, especially about issues on which America is so deeply divided. My prediction is that the Court will narrow the reach of that 2016 decision and lean on the factual differences between the states and the cases. While such a decision wouldnt be the end of Roe, it could incentivize additional state-level innovations to restrict abortion. Which would mean, as weve often said, that our fight against the evil of abortion would only intensify, and local-level activism would only become more important. After all, the goal is to make abortion unthinkable, not just illegal. Thats our job, not the Courts. Publication date: March 10, 2020 Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Brian PIrwin BreakPoint is a program of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. BreakPoint commentaries offer incisive content people can't find anywhere else; content that cuts through the fog of relativism and the news cycle with truth and compassion. Founded by Chuck Colson (1931 2012) in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on today's news and trends. Today, you can get it in written and a variety of audio formats: on the web, the radio, or your favorite podcast app on the go. John Stonestreet is President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, and radio host of BreakPoint, a daily national radio program providing thought-provoking commentaries on current events and life issues from a biblical worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN), and is the co-author of Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview. Earthstone Energy, Inc. ESTE is expected to beat earnings estimates when it releases fourth-quarter 2019 results on Mar 12, before the opening bell. In the last reported quarter, the company reported earnings per share of 18 cents, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 13 cents and rising from the year-ago quarters 17 cents, primarily due to strong production volumes. Notably, the upstream energy company beat earnings estimates thrice and met the same once in the trailing four quarters, with the average positive surprise being 122%. Earthstone Energy, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Earthstone Energy, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Earthstone Energy, Inc. price-eps-surprise | Earthstone Energy, Inc. Quote Lets see how things have shaped up prior to the upcoming announcement. Tread in Estimate Revision The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter earnings of 30 cents has seen four upward revisions and no downward movement over the past 60 days. The figure indicates a 130.8% year-over-year rise. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter revenues is pegged at $65.2 million, suggesting a rise of 58% from the year-ago reported figure. What the Quantitative Model Suggests Our proven model predicts an earnings beat for Earthstone this time around. This is because it has the right combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Earnings ESP: Earthstone has an Earnings ESP of +4.20%. This is because the Most Accurate Estimate for the quarter of 31 cents is currently pegged higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 30 cents per share. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they are reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: Earthstone currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. Factors Driving the Better-Than-Expected Earnings Fourth-quarter pricing scenario of West Texas Intermediate crude was much weaker than the year-ago period. Moreover, natural gas prices followed a similar pathway, with lower year-over-year figures. Given that oil contributes the most (almost 58%) to the upstream companys quarterly production volumes, the year-over-year decline in crude price may have hurt the bottom line. Story continues However, Earthstone is expected to have recorded an increase in production volumes in fourth-quarter 2019 on the back of Midland Basin and Eagle Ford Shale strength. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for overall production is pegged at 1,591 thousand barrels of oil equivalent (MBoe), indicating a significant rise from 962 MBoe in the year-ago period. Also, the consensus mark for oil production is pegged at 1,044 thousand barrels (MBbls), indicating a surge from the year-ago level of 674 MBbls. The higher production volumes are expected to have offset the negative impact of lower commodity prices in the to-be-reported quarter. Other Stocks to Consider Some other stocks with the perfect mix of elements to beat on earnings in the upcoming quarterly releases are: Abeona Therapeutics Inc. ABEO has an Earnings ESP of +20.00% and is a Zacks #3 Ranked player. The company is set to release quarterly earnings on Mar 16. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Alector, Inc. ALEC has an Earnings ESP of +2.83% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is set to release quarterly earnings on Mar 24. Darden Restaurants, Inc. DRI has an Earnings ESP of +1.03% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is scheduled to release quarterly earnings on Mar 19. Just Released: Zacks 7 Best Stocks for Today Experts extracted 7 stocks from the list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys that has beaten the market more than 2X over with a stunning average gain of +24.7% per year. These 7 were selected because of their superior potential for immediate breakout. See these time-sensitive tickers 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 Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Abeona Therapeutics Inc. (ABEO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Earthstone Energy, Inc. (ESTE) : Free Stock Analysis Report Alector, Inc. (ALEC) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research A probe has been initiated against a "fake" WhatsApp post which claimed that a coronavirus-infected person was detected in the state, police said on Tuesday. The message also said that the person has been placed in quarantine at a hospital here. C Lalruaia, the superintendent of police in Aizawl, told PTI that "a suo-motu FIR was lodged against the fake post" on Tuesday. "The WhatsApp post is a complete lie as no case of coronavirus has been detected in the state," he said. According to the SP, a person can be booked under various sections of the IT Act and the IPC for posting and circulating fake on messaging apps and social media. "A probe has been launched to find out who is responsible for spreading the fake news," he added. Mizoram has sealed its borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar in view of the coronavirus scare. The state government has set up a quarantine camp at a tourist lodge in Lengpui near Aizawl to isolate suspected people who have entered the state by air. It has also readied isolation wards in Zoram Medical College near here, district hospitals and community health centres. The Mizoram health department on Monday said at least 67 people have been put under home isolation as a precautionary measure although they did not show any symptom of coronavirus. The state government has also instructed all commercial vehicles plying within and outside the state to maintain records of passengers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) GRAND RAPIDS, MI Online retail giant Amazon officially opened its $150 million fulfillment center in Gaines Township on Sunday, March 8. Company spokesperson Andre Woodson said a couple hundred people have been hired to work at the 850,000 square foot facility, located at the corner of 68th Street and Patterson Avenue SE, about four miles south of Gerald R. Ford International Airport. Amazon plans to employ 1,000 people at the facility. Woodson said the company expects to hit that figure within a year. The company hosted its Day One opening celebration for the Gaines Township facility on Sunday. Woodson said Amazons outbound department has not launched yet, and that employees are now focused on ramping up and getting introduced to the building. In 2018, the Michigan Strategic Fund approved a $4 million performance-based grant to help Amazon open the new fulfillment center. Fulfillment centers are Amazons regional distribution centers. Woodson said the associates will pack and ship orders in a highly technological environment. He said employees will also get to work alongside advanced technology and automation. Amazon is excited of its job creation, and were excited to have fun and make history here in Michigan, he said. Employees at the facility earn a $15 minimum wage. Amazon announced it was coming to Gaines Township in spring of 2018. Read more: Amazon hiring 1,000 full-time employees for West Michigan facility Michigan awards Amazon $4M to create distribution center near Grand Rapids Amazon says theyll give back to community, not just create jobs STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- New Yorkers need not worry about health care costs in an emergency department, at an urgent care center, or a primary care provider office visit associated with the coronavirus (COVID-19). In order to ensure access to testing, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a new directive by the state Department of Financial Services (DFS) requiring New York health insurers to waive all associated costs with testing for COVID-19. Those with Medicaid coverage will not be expected to pay a co-pay for testing. Additionally, insurers should prepare to cover the costs of an immunization, should one become available. We have the best health-care system in the world, and we are leveraging that system including our state-of-the-art Wadsworth testing lab to help contain any potential spread of the novel coronavirus in New York, Cuomo said. Containing the virus, he said, will rely on testing knowing who is infected and breaking down any barriers that would prevent an individual from being tested. On Monday, the first case of the coronavirus was reported on Staten Island. An internal memo from Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) obtained by the Advance said the adult patient was handled with proper protocols at the Princes Bay campus. Because staff at the hospital followed proper protocols, self-quarantine is not necessary, however, employees are monitoring their temperature twice daily for two weeks out of an abundance of caution, SIUH officials said. As of Tuesday morning, there are 36 confirmed coronavirus cases in New York City, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Tuesday. In New York State there are 173 positives, 31 more than Monday, Cuomo said. *** CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** STATEN ISLANDERS CAN BE TESTED LOCALLY BY BOTH HOSPITALS Staten Islands two hospitals received the green light from the state Department of Health (DOH), the federal government and the Centers for Disease Control to begin testing for coronavirus. The testing process approved by the DOH will allow SIUHs Long Island lab to test approximately 90 tests on its first day, however, the lab is currently seeking approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to use semi-automated testing, which would allow the lab to test hundreds of tests daily. Testing will continue to be reserved for those at risk for severe disease and who have had confirmed close contact with an infected individual. Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC) was given the OK from the CDC to begin testing with kits on site, a RUMC spokesman told the Advance. If a test is performed, the specimen is then sent to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygienes Public Health Laboratory in Manhattan for diagnosis, the spokesman said. Results of the testing will be available within 24 to 48 hours. The spokesman said RUMC continues to work with the Greater New York Hospital Association to stay abreast of any policy or protocol changes as they relate to the coronavirus or any healthcare matter. As of now, any patients without insurance who are unable to pay can apply for financial assistance, the spokesman said. Aside from the boroughs two hospitals, residents can also visit urgent care and clinic locations across the island for testing. NYC Health and Hospitals/Gotham Health Vanderbilt clinic, located at 165 Vanderbilt Ave. and NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, located at 2040 Forest Ave. are available for residents, including those without insurance. Weve always been the health system New Yorkers could turn to regardless of their ability to pay or immigration status. We recently launched NYC Care on Staten Island for those who arent eligible or cant afford insurance, said NYC Health + Hospitals spokesman Christopher Miller. TELEHEALTH PROGRAMS, PRESCRIPTION DRUG EXPANSION Aside from waiving cost sharing, the Department of Financial Services directive is instructing insurers to devote specific resources to informing consumers of available benefits, to quickly respond to inquiries, and consider revisions needed to streamline responses and benefits for consumers. The directive also: Another blockbuster deal in the global insurance broking market, seeing brokers ranked two and three combine together to become the largest global insurance broker, knocking Marsh off its current perch, commented Fitzsimmons after the merger agreement was announced. The CMA (Competition & Markets Authority) will no doubt deliberate on the transaction before giving its blessing (which also needs shareholder approval) however, speculation already abounds that some of the combined divisions will need to be spun-off to appease the CMA as the market options for clients are compressed even further by this merger following that of Marsh and JLT only a year ago. In 2019, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group had to sell its global aerospace practice to Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. to address competition concerns raised by the European Commission in connection to Marsh & McLennan Companies takeover of JLT. The Mazars director added: Further M&A opportunities from this deal (Aon-WTW) will materialise either indirectly through chance spin-offs or directly as a result of the CMA decision, and with a predicted c1 billion of synergies, the ripples of this move will be felt throughout the market for some time to come. Meanwhile, an analyst from investment bank Stifel was cited by The Fly as suggesting that the mergers synergy goals wont be achieved in the near term. Prior to Aons purchase, Willis Towers Watson underwent three historic mergers on CEO John Haleys watch. (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc.s iPhone shipments in China plunged more than 60% in February, when the coronavirus outbreak shut down scores of its stores and hampered key manufacturing partners across its largest international market. Shipments of Apples marquee device dropped to about 494,600 units from a year earlier, according to Bloomberg calculations based on monthly data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, a government think-tank. Overall mobile phone shipments, including Android devices, slid 56% to 6.4 million units, the academy said. Those year-earlier comparisons were skewed by the fact that the Lunar New Year holidays fell in February of 2019, versus January this year. Since erupting in China in January, the Covid-19 epidemic has hit Apples supply and demand. Factories resumed work slower than expected and most of its 42 stores lay dormant for weeks, driving home the U.S. giants exposure to disruptions in the worlds No. 2 economy. While factories are gradually restarting after enforced quarantine, lingering production bottlenecks risk hurting global iPhone revenue in coming months. Apple has seen a doomsday type decline in iPhone sales out of China as a result of the coronavirus, though the impact should be short-lived, Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives wrote. But if the outbreak persists into the second quarter, it threatens to hold up the launch of Apples fifth-generation capable or 5G iPhones, expected toward the latter half of 2020, UBS analyst Timothy Arcuri wrote. What Bloomberg Intelligence Says The decline reflects postponed, not lost, purchases in our view and suggests Apples fiscal 2Q China sales may fall by $5.1-$5.6 billion vs. last year, per our analysis. - John Butler and Boyoung Kim, analysts Click here for the research. Before Mondays broad market sell-off, Apple had lost $167 billion of its market value since notching a 2020 peak, underscoring the anxiety around the impact of the global epidemic. Story continues Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook has called the outbreak a challenge. In the past few weeks, his company has warned retail employees about shortages of replacement iPhones, scrapped its quarterly revenue forecast and encouraged staff in Silicon Valley to work from home. It remains unclear how the epidemic will impact longer-term supply: Apples primary manufacturing partner, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., has said its factories in China will be back to normal by the end of the month. Read more: Apple Slump Continues Amid Elevated Coronavirus Uncertainty --With assistance from Allen Wan and Julia Fioretti. To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Gao Yuan in Beijing at ygao199@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Edwin Chan at echan273@bloomberg.net, Vlad Savov 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. Processing, Marketing, Tech Products; Disaster Updates; Rate Volatility Continues There sure is a lot going on out there! There is talk of warehouse banks temporarily suspending funding refi biz, lenders charging lock fees, lenders & vendors restricting visits from outside personnel, avoiding RESPA violations but pushing off difficult loans or borrowers that are shopping rates, and lenders making their pricing more aggressive for purchases but creating a hit for refis. Of course lenders are increasing margins since it is the easiest way to cut volume in a hurry. Certainly pleas from LOs about, Cant we match our competition? Theyre better than us by .125! are going unheard. Lenders are increasing refi lock times to 90 days, and usually giving 30- or 60-day pricing regardless. And analysts are busy thinking about all of this. One wrote me, What about the impact of a 12-15%, or higher, corona-virus driven drop in the stock market on purchase volume? While a refinance volume surge is happening, the impact of lower rates on purchase volume may be offset by the impact of financial losses in the stock market on down payments and a general unease about a weakening economy. We could be entering a not the time to buy mentality, especially with expected significant layoffs in certain sectors, e.g., hotels, airlines, food and beverage, etc. Meanwhile, JW Michaels & Company released its annual Financial Services Market Data Report showing compensation for various executive positions of top-tier financial services, accounting, legal, technology, and business institutions. (Of course, STRATMOR has its survey dedicated to the mortgage industry.) Lender Products and Services Still in need of a digital mortgage platform for your business? It's not too late or too busy to refine your business for higher margins and a more efficient LO organization. 2020 HW Tech 100 Winner, Maxwell, continues to stand out from the digital mortgage competition with their software designed for the true end user the loan officer and a customer success team designed to speed up time-to-value, averaging only 2.5 weeks to launch most clients. Speed matters, and investing now will reap large benefits in the future. To learn more about Maxwell and their mortgage dedicated digital platform, click here or request a demo. Housing inventory has hit an eight-year low according to Realtor.com, stoking desperation and bidding wars among eager homebuyers. In hot markets, agents know that quickly submitting an offer from a qualified buyer can secure a home under contract, while a prolonged pre-approval can send buyers into a tailspin. SimpleNexus from anywhere platform makes it easy for LOs to rapidly turn pre-approvals. At GreenState Credit Union, one LO received an application at 9 pm on a Friday night while riding in a car and was able to deliver a pre-approval within minutes. Needless to say, the Realtor was blown away. Read the full account here. To learn more about how you can earn a reputation as a stand-out partner to borrowers and real estate agents, schedule a demo with SimpleNexus today. Even the best-laid plans go awry sometimes. More than 2,500 mortgage pros attend Ellie Mae Experience every year in search of new and innovative ideas. The shows cancellation, announced yesterday, has left a lot of people with open calendars March 23-25. LBA Ware invites you to block off 15 minutes of that time to square away your incentive comp administration. LBA Wares CompenSafe has a plug-and-play Encompass integration that seamlessly retrieves loan pipeline data to automate near real-time incentive compensation management. Book a virtual meeting with LBA Wares CEO Lori Brewer to see how CompenSafe streamlines operations, motivates sales teams and improves transparency. "Boost your overall loan origination by working with real estate investors." Christian Pepe and Anthony Palmiotto will dive into how to work with real estate investors to not only increase your business, but also dramatically increase your conventional and FHA business. They will tell you strategies that can be the gateway to new realtor relationships and first-time home buyer business. Some topics that will be covered include understanding the mindset of a real estate investor, strategies to earn real estate investor business, what is the BRRRR Method and why you need to understand this strategy, increasing first time home buyer business through investor relationships, winning realtor referrals through investor clients, and turning denials into closed loans. Click here to register. Did you know that only 21% of marketing automation users feel that their capabilities are above average or higher? The most common barriers to success include the absence of a sound strategy and the inability to fuel the content required to nurture different buyer pathways along with poor implementation of the technology. Seroka Brand Developments Marketing Automation Optimizer helps you take full advantage of your marketing and sales automation technology. Whether youre using Marketo, Hubspot, Pardot, Outreach, SalesLoft or any other technology, Seroka can assist you. They have the strategic capability, content development expertise and technical knowledge to drive a successful program for your company. Reach out to Seroka today for a FREE consultation, and get ready to #turnupyourbrand in 2020! The future of lending awaits. Blend is partnering with industry leaders to create real change. Executives from Navy Federal, Eagle Home Mortgage, and Truist will be speaking at Beyond 2020, Blends digital lending conference. Check out the details and join Blend in writing lendings bright new future. With application volumes through the roof, lenders already feel like theyre drinking from a firehose. And the surge has just begun. Many are wondering how best to prepare for a fast-paced 2020. In my experience, boom times can quickly overtax processors and underwriters, revealing weak links in workflows that ordinarily seem solid. If youre drowning in applications and missing turn time targets, youll want to zero in on the process inefficiencies that are slowing you down and find ways to improve them. FormFrees Passport shaves hours of manual work off each loan file by automating asset, income and employment verification in a single report. It not only speeds up processing and underwriting, it also frees originators to spend more time wowing borrowers to earn the referrals that will keep you riding high after the market slows. Reach out to Christy Moss for more info. Since 1986, Sutherland has been a dedicated partner enabling our clients to maximize their opportunity to build their business portfolio. Today, mortgage volume is surging and lenders are looking for concrete solutions to capitalize on our unprecedented rate environment. Whether your need is Underwriting capacity or portfolio retention, Sutherland has the experience needed. Our dedicated Solution Architects and onboarding specialists develop a sound ramp strategy, and in most cases, have our clients up in less than 45 days. If you would like to schedule a discovery call, reach out to Neil Armstrong, AMP. Disaster News No, this isnt a report on your lock desks morale. Or, at this point a disease update. Weve had the Pearl River Flooding (Mississippi, Feb 10-14) and Tennessee Tornadoes (March 2-3). (That said, Lenders Compliance Group published an FAQ that discussed how businesses can proactively prepare for the impact of COVID-19. It is called Pandemic Preparation: Bracing for COVID-19.) FEMA declared designated counties in Tennessee as disaster areas in DR-4476. The states Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding for the incident period March 3rd warranted Individual Assistance to Davidson, Putnam and Wilson counties. An update has been made to the Lakeview Loan Servicing Disaster File either declaring a new disaster. First Community Mortgage posted 2020-02 Delegated Correspondent Announcement that outlines the 4 Tennessee Counties added to the FEMA Declared Disaster list. Its 2020-03 Announcement adds updated information specific zip codes in Davidson County TN. And First Community Mortgage posted 2020-04 and 2020-03 Wholesale Announcements regarding FEMA declared disaster areas in Tennessee, along with a disaster update announcement regarding counties in South Dakota for its Delegated Correspondent and Wholesale channels. An update has been made to the Lakeview Loan Servicing Disaster File regarding DR 4469 - South Dakota Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding. Veros Real Estate Solutions announced the availability of a new enhancement to its Disaster Data Solution: Executive Portfolio Dashboard Reporting. This dashboard report provides a visual summary of the potential impact on a portfolio of properties following a natural disaster such as a wildfire, hurricane or earthquake. When a region is declared a disaster area, the Disaster Data Solution allows lenders, servicers, appraisal management companies, and other mortgage transaction participants to determine if a U.S.-based residential property is likely to have been directly affected. This new dashboard visualizes tiered levels of exposure in a portfolio, from no-exposure to maximum-exposure, displaying potentially impacted areas in relation to properties in the portfolio. Veros Disaster Data Solution allows a servicer to: Pinpoint which borrowers to focus immediate outreach. Prioritize properties for property condition inspection. Protect servicers real estate assets. Gain an executive dashboard overview of portfolio exposure. Maintain compliance with GSE disaster policy regulations. Capital Markets Last week's positive economic data was eclipsed by the continued spread of the coronavirus and the unexpected emergency 50 basis point rate cut to the Fed Funds Rate by the Federal Reserve. While the number of patients being treated in the US remains a fraction of those overseas, financial markets were volatile and the 10-year Treasury bond yield sank to a record low of 0.69 percent. Most experts expect a global economic slowdown as a result of the virus and the resulting impacts of quarantines and production shutdowns in the supply chain. Despite the emergency rate cut, the markets still expect the Fed to cut further following the upcoming FOMC meeting on March 18th with a near 100 percent probability of a 25-bps rate cut and potentially even another 50bps rate cut. Financial markets will closely watch industrial data coming from China which already say auto sales decrease 80 percent year over year in February. Predicting the full economic impact of the coronavirus remains a challenge especially given the uncertainty about how and where the virus will spread. My daughter tells me that Mercury is in retrograde (whatever that means), and that is why markets are so panicked. U.S. Treasury yields on the 5-year note, 7-year note, 10-year note, and 30-year note all sank to fresh historical lows yesterday. In addition to further coronavirus concerns, the rally was prompted by a plunge in the price of oil after Saudi Arabia cut its wholesale prices for April and signaled plans to increase production, launching a price war with Russia after OPEC failed to agree to a production cut last week. Oil prices are down 50% in the last couple months. The 10-year yield fell to a record low of 0.398 percent during trading before closing the day -21 bps to 0.50 percent. The fed funds futures market is now pricing in a 75-bps cut to the Fed Funds Rate on or before March 18. The market selloff speaks to a sense that policy makers are falling further and further behind the virus. In addition to oil seeing its worst price drop since 1991, Japan posted a 7.1 percent decline in Q4 GDP, even worse than expected, analysts now say Europe will almost certainly fall into a recession, China's January/February trade deficit totaled $7.09 billion (the expected surplus was $24.60 billion; the prior surplus was $47.21 billion), and gold, which tends to rise when investors are worried about the stock market, did just that. Id like to sit here and say the virus does not justify the panic, but once financial markets are spooked, they move with a mind of their own. As I said yesterday, economic releases matter little these days. Today, besides a big bounce back in stock markets, sees another relatively light calendar, which began with the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index for February. The Treasury will conduct the first leg of this weeks mini-Refunding when $38 billion 3-year notes are auctioned in the afternoon. The Desk will conduct a GNII FedTrade operation targeting up to $288 million 2.5 percent ($124 million) and 3 percent ($164 million). We begin today with Agency MBS prices all over the map but generally worse .125 and the 10-year yielding .64 percent. Employment and Promotions Zoral Group Inc., an international leader and innovator in the AI/ML/Digital Products/RPA/Big Data space, is seeking a National Sales Director. Zoral is looking for a true hunter with mortgage industry knowledge and extensive contact database, plus demonstrated prior success selling end-to-end mortgage and consumer lending solutions. Knowledge of Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics is a plus. This is a great opportunity for a business development executive to work with a fintech software company with over 15 years of experience and a broad global client base and help them broaden their reach in the US Market. Location agnostic, but will require some travel to attend industry conferences as well as visit client locations. 1099 Preferred. To learn more or to submit your resume, please contact Peter Sandler, SVP. NewRez added Baron Silverstein as President and Neeraj Kalani as Chief Marketing Officer. The scene was set for an equity market meltdown in the early hours of Monday, when Saudi Arabia retaliated against Russia after Moscow refused to agree to oil production limits which would prop up the price of energy. The predictable result was a collapse in Brent crude by as much as one-third from $50 a barrel. Autocratic nations falling out over a critical commodity can be damaging to us all. The reality is that Opec the cartel of oil-producing nations and Russia no longer have exclusivity over how energy prices are set. The scene was set for an equity market meltdown in the early hours of Monday, when Saudi Arabia retaliated against Russia after Moscow refused to agree to oil production limits The surge in fracking in the Permian Basin in the US has totally changed energy economics, creating a global surplus. The speed with which the spread of Covid-19 has contaminated oil prices and stock markets across the globe is testimony to how little human control there is over commodity and financial trading. It was once the case that oil moved in lockstep with gold as a safe haven for investors in times of trouble. As was seen during the financial crisis, the scientists and engineers eagerly employed by trading firms have created products which are so complex no one can be sure how events will play out when market shocks come around. The only comfort in the present situation is that post the financial crisis, the banking system has been rendered safer by tougher regulation and capital requirements. Risk has been shuffled off elsewhere, to harder-to-police hedge funds and private equity firms. As noted here last week, the IMF estimates debt-at-risk at 14.6 trillion that is funds borrowed by firms unable to pay their interest bills. Fast-trading techniques, outlined by Michael Lewis in his 2014 book Flash Boys, placed AI, telecom speeds and other technology ahead of human intervention. Stock jobbers in the UK and market makers in the US once acted as a safety valve against the kind of huge swings in prices seen in latest trading. By temporarily holding stock, these piggies-in-the-middle were more able to moderate wild swings which can see the value of investments wiped out in a nanosecond. Using debt to buy shares is as dangerous as ever, as Cineworld chief executive Moshe Greidinger has discovered. When the tide goes out, the borrowers are left stranded. Coming home Over the past couple of decades, the goal for many FTSE 100 enterprises has been to increase exposure In Asia. Tesco is moving in the opposite direction. Chief executive Dave Lewis has abandoned the strategy of predecessor-but-one Terry Leahy, who wanted 50 per cent of revenues overseas. Fortuitously for Lewis, the decision to pull back from Thailand and Malaysia, following recent disposals in South Korea and China, looks timely. Covid-19 has taken the shine off globalisation and the Asian miracle. What the big disposal worth 8billion does mean is that Lewis has greatly de-risked the Tesco balance sheet. The last accounts show a pension fund deficit of 2.3billion and net debts of 2.8billion, down from over 8billion when Lewis took the helm. His pullback from overseas is counter-intuitive. As a former Unilever executive much of his work was in newly rich economies, so he is more than aware of the opportunities. Moreover, at a time when the supermarkets are endlessly whingeing about the retail environment from business rates to competition from Lidl and Aldi having alternative sources of income in Asia and eastern Europe might look sensible. When the deal with Thai conglomerate Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group is completed, Tesco proposes to hand up to 5billion back to shareholders. That will be small compensation for FTSE 100 investors who are watching their savings being savaged. A better strategic route for future-proofing Tesco might be to step up IT and digital distribution spend, and to bring forward green goals. Infection risk Could there be a worse moment for a big insurance merger? US financial group Aon is splashing 23billion on insurance broker Willis Towers Watson in the worlds biggest insurance deal. Aon investors are being asked to swallow a big premium of 3billion at a moment when shares are in freefall and Covid-19 is threatening to land the industry with enormous claims, ranging from cancelled sporting events to business confabs. And these are the people who are meant to understand risk. Yikes. Help.org, a trusted online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones, has announced the Best Rehab Facilities in Columbia, South Carolina for 2020. The informational guide recognizes the top 12 rehab facilities based on cost, treatment options, location, accompanying services and more. According to recent studies, drug overdose is the leading cause of death among people under age 50. In Columbia, deaths related to opioid abuse increased significantly from 2011 to 2015. Substance abuse among adolescents is also escalating in Columbia with 55 percent of high school students reported using alcohol, 38 percent reported using marijuana, 8 percent reported using prescription drugs without a valid prescription, and 2 percent reported using heroin. With the growing need for accessible and high-quality rehab programs, Help.org has developed a unique ranking process to help connect individuals with treatment providers that meet their needs. The Help.org research team analyzed thousands of facilities across the country and then identified the most cost-effective and highest rated programs in larger cities like Columbia. Each facility was evaluated based on rehabilitation services, treatment approaches, cost, special programs for unique demographics and ancillary services. The website also provides information about drug use and side effects as well as educational articles. For a detailed listing of the Best Rehab Facilities in Columbia, South Carolina please visit https://www.help.org/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-centers-in-columbia-sc/ 2020 Best Rehab Facilities in Columbia, South Carolina (in alphabetical order) ALPHA Behavioral Health Center 298 East Blvd Chesterfield, SC 29709 843-623-8153 Clarendon City Commission on Alcohol Treatment 14 North Church Street Manning, SC 29102 803-435-2121 Cornerstone 603 Augusta Rd, PO Box 41 Edgefield, SC 29824 803-637-9336 Fairfield Behavioral Health Services 178 US Hwy 321 Bypass N Winnsboro, SC 29180 803-635-2335 Faith Home Christian Recovery 144 Faith Home Road Greenwood, South Carolina 29649 864-223-0694 Keystone Substance Abuse Services 199 S. Herlong Ave., P.O. Box 4437 Rock Hill, SC 29732 803-324-1800 Lighthouse Behavioral Health Hospital 152 Waccamaw Medical Park Drive Conway, SC 29526 843-284-7207 LRADAC 2711 Colonial Drive Columbia, SC 29203 803-726-9300 Phoenix Center PO Box 1948 Greenville, SC 29602 864-467-3790 Three Rivers Behavioral Health 2900 Sunset Boulevard West Columbia, SC 29169 803-796-9911 Turning Point of South Carolina 24 Bruce Road Greenville, SC 29605 864-299-0090 Waypoint Recovery Center 5401 Netherby Lane, Suite 402 North Charleston, SC 29420 888-978-5188 ABOUT HELP.ORG Help.org is an online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones. The website provides the latest research through scientifically proven methods, community recovery resources as well as information about local financial assistance. Help.orgs team of researchers, activists and writers work together with addiction counselors and other professionals to offer useful and accurate resources to help individuals seeking recovery. To learn more, visit https://www.help.org/. Two more Bucks County schools have closed for cleaning after students came in contact with someone who later presumptively tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the county health department. Neshaminy High School and Buckingham Friends School will at least be shut through Tuesday, a county spokesman said in a news release. The closings were called precautionary and neither student as of Monday night had shown signs of COVID-19, the disease cause by the virus, the county said. The affected families were asked to quarantine themselves, the county said. Bucks County has not had a positive test, the spokesman said, although nearby Montgomery County has had seven. Five Central Bucks School District schools shut late last week after students after staff were present at a gathering that a person who had been exposed to the virus attended, authorities said. The schools reopened on Monday. Warren Hills Regional School District will close Wednesday to better plan what to do in case a department of health orders one of the two schools to shut, the superintendent said. Neshaminy, in Langhorne, joined mostly Montgomery County schools and districts in closing after a cardiologist at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphias King of Prussia facility tested positive for the virus and was hospitalized, Bucks County said. A Neshaminy student had come in direct contact with the doctor, as did at least 12 other patients, the news release said. The safety of our students and staff is the top priority of Neshaminy School District, Superintendent Joseph Jones III wrote to parents and staff, according to the news release. We hope that by taking these measures now we can limit exposure to COVID-19. Buckingham Friends, a private kindergarten through eighth grade school with 154 students outside New Hope, shut after a students and family members were at a gathering out of state that was attended by a person who later tested positive, the county said. As of Tuesday morning there have been 729 positive cases in the United States and 26 deaths, according to the New York Times. More than 110,000 cases have been reported worldwide and more than 4,000 people have died. While there have been 10 presumptive positive tests in Pennsylvania, including one in Monroe County, no one has died, authorities have said. Officials continue to remind people to wash their hands regularly with soap and warm water for at last 20 seconds, cover their coughs and sneezes with a tissue, avoid close contact with others, avoid touching eyes, noses and mouths, disinfect frequently-touched objects and surfaces, and stay home when sick. For more information, check out coronavirus.gov. Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. 09.03.2020 LISTEN One would've thought that as opinions are like noses, people wouldnt disagree with them or counter with opinions of their own. However, in our fourth Republic freedom of speech is guaranteed under the 1992 Constitution in article 21 clause (1): "All persons shall have the right to- (a) freedom of speech and expression, which shall include freedom of the press and other media". And, in this spirit, we can make arguments and counter-argument in equal measure. 'My good subject', you assert that Ghana will benefit, if Rashid Pelpuo is returned to parliament for the last time in December 2020? Is this your final opinion? And how in the name of heaven did you reach that conclusion, as it certainly wasnt from any irrefutable argument you made in your rather deceptive write-up with the beguiling heading. Certainly, that conclusion of yours did not come from the quality of Rashid Pelpuos debate in parliament! Nor did it come from his contribution to national discourse! Or did it? Surely, the present depends on the past and the future should depend on the present. No doubt, therefore, youll be delighted to tell us how Ghana has benefited from Rashid Pelpuo being in parliament for 15 years. I am challenging you directly and specifically to tell us directly and specifically exactly what the contribution Rashid Pelpuo made to Ghanas legislation in the past 15 years has been. Please dont forget to name specific legislation and/or private members bill/s. Your own words in your first paragraph expose Rashid Pelpuo and provide the rope with which to hang his political career. "I don't support longevity, I don't support sectionalism, I don't support laxity and definitely do not support patronage." You wrote all of that! Need anyone say more? But Ill say more for good measure. Longevity has its place, yes, but longevity is neither experience nor expertise! And being in a law-making House for a long time is not the same thing as becoming a good law-maker nor does it mean contributing in a significant way to law-making. Youre confusing things. Youre also contradicting yourself and thus displaying double standards. Furthermore, sectionalism and patronage are detrimental to our constituency. And I am astonished that you can associate Rashid Pelpuo with such detriments and still, in good conscience, beat an election drum on his behalf. Shocking! Snr Abdul Wahab, you're a smart man and in your attempt to divert focus from the deficiencies of an underperforming MP, you tried hard to remind us about the mandate of the MP by detaching the aspect that positions an MP as an agent of development who represents a constituency which requires infrastructure, needs a literate population as constituents, needs social and economic initiatives that will help improve upon the standard of living of its constituents, etc. But, permit me to ask you the following questions: (a)How do we measure the performance of our MPs if the making of laws becomes the only benchmark for a renewal of their 4-year mandate? (b)Why don't we amend the 1992 Constitution to give the opportunity to only those who read the Law to sit in parliament to make great laws? (c)Why does the 1992 Constitution mandate the preferential treatment of parliamentarians in appointments as ministers of state, if their mandate is to make laws only? (d)Haruna Iddrisu, Afenyo Markin, Kennedy Agyapong, Dominic Ayine, Oppong Nkrumah, Abena Osei-Asare, the list goes on, are sent to parliament by their constituents to make laws. Don't you want to ask why their respective performances are not only judged in their respective constituencies (by their constituents) by the laws they make only but also by the works they do on the ground back in the constituency? When all is said and done, in all seriousness, in all truth and in all candour, your write-up was an elitist smokescreen for the sort of snobbery the good people of Wa will not allow to overrun our politics. What you said loudly and clearly for the whole world to hear is that you must hold a PhD or a degree plus another or you mustve read the Law along the line before you consider the possibility of standing for election in the Wa Central constituency. But I assure you, the constituents of Wa Central will reject your superiority complex and tell you what they want their MP to do - in the same way I object to it here. Lastly, I leave you to your mischief by refusing to indulge you with regard to John Boadu (JB), our party General Secretary. Suffice it to say that JB will be thrilled to win 11 seats in the Upper West, including the Wa Central seat. And ours is the candidate, Hajia Humu Awudu, wholl listen to the lamentations of Wa Central constituents and deliver to them some of their expectations, not more laws. Salaam Allaikum!!! Kpegla Jnr Wa Central Financial Secretary Aide to Hajia Humu Awudu, Parliamentary Candidate for Wa Central, New Patriotic Party The woman was taken to Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital by ambulance An elderly woman is being treated in hospital after taking ill in the grounds of a church in Co Down on Tuesday. It is understood that the woman, who is believed to be aged 92, sustained a head injury after falling unconscious in the grounds of St Colmcilles Church in Downpatrick. A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) confirmed that it received a 999 call at 2pm on Tuesday following reports of an incident at Killough Road in Downpatrick. Members of the PSNI and the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) also attended the incident. NIAS despatched one emergency crew and one rapid response paramedic to the scene," a NIAS spokesperson said. "The Charity Air Ambulance was also tasked to the incident. Following assessment and initial treatment at the scene, one patient was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital by ambulance." Burkina Faso, Ghana's neighbour, on Monday, 9 March 2020 reported its first two cases of coronavirus (COVID-19). The two patients, a husband and wife, had recently returned to Burkina Faso from a trip to France and were now in isolation, Reuters reported. This brings to eight, the number of African countries that haave recorded cases of coronavirus. They are: Cameroon, Senegal, South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria, Togo and Egypt. In Ghana, more than 40 suspected COVID-19 cases have been tested but the results have all been negative. The novel coronavirus has infected more than 113,000 people around the world and killed over 4000 according to CNN's tally as at Tuesday, 10 March 2020. 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 To the Editor: Re Seeing Sanders as the Only Escape in a Sea of Debt (front page, March 8): I am heartened to finally see some coverage of committed Bernie Sanders voters instead of the usual hes a socialist; hes a radical; he cant say how he will pay for his pie-in-the-sky ideas. This article illuminates how Bernies ideas resonate so deeply for a cohort of often (but not always) young people who suffer the effects of a system that does not work for them. This Bernie group is significant in number and feels strongly that they and their candidate are not just disregarded but indeed sabotaged by the Democratic establishment. If Democrats dont hear and heed the message of this large cohort, they cannot win in November. Margo Custer Roslindale, Mass. To the Editor: Brian Michelz, the Bernie Sanders supporter you profile, had me until the last paragraphs, when he said he would not vote for Joe Biden and might even vote for President Trump should Bernie Sanders not get the nomination. He said his life wouldnt change under a Biden presidency, so whats the point? Seriously? You cant see the point in having a president who believes in expanding health care, banning assault weapons and raising the minimum wage? You cant see the point in having someone in the White House who will make fighting climate change a top priority? Three notorious killers caged for life for the murders of three extremely vulnerable people are being lined up for release back into the community. Ricky Close, William Craven (both 47) and 28-year-old Adrian Cunningham have all been moved to a specialist unit ahead of being transferred to Belfast's cushy Burren House open prison. Their new home and final step on the path to freedom is the Braid House annex at the high-security Maghaberry jail. After a stint in the complex, which is much more relaxed than regular prison, they will be relocated to Burren House, where inmates are not locked in their cells and are allowed out during the day, and occasionally overnight, to attend work placements and visit family members. Security sources have expressed concerns about the suitability of Close, Cunningham and Craven's releases, telling Sunday Life there are major question marks about the behaviour of each. One insider said: "All three would be considered high-risk given their murder convictions, especially Close, who was thrown off previous pre-release schemes over concerns he was taking drugs and was in possession of pornography." When he murdered retired teacher Daphne Taylor in 1995, ex-French Foreign Legionnaire Close was on bail for a rape for which he was later convicted. Adrian Cunningham is coming to the end of a life sentence with a minimum 11-year tariff for kicking homeless alcoholic Marek Muszynski to death in Newry. Cunningham and fellow killer Lindsay White rifled through their Polish victim's pockets, stealing 70p which they used to buy takeaway food. Expand Close Adrian Cunningham / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Adrian Cunningham The third lifer preparing for release is Portadown man William Craven, who fatally stabbed 71-year-old pensioner Billy Armstrong in 2002. A Prison Service spokesman said: "People in our care approaching the end of their sentence are often tested prior to release back into the community. "After being fully risk-assessed, they begin a graduated release programme. "Testing by its nature has some failures and it is better that this is done in a controlled way with robust checks by the Prison Service." But that has did little to reassure jail staff that moving Close, Cunningham and Craven is a good idea. They told Sunday Life how Stephen Lee Wright, another murderer held in the open prison, was recently returned to Maghaberry Prison for rule-breaking. The 43-year-old was jailed for life in 2005 for the murder of helpless alcoholic Noel McComb, who was kicked, battered with a vodka bottle and urinated on as he lay dying. Wright then tried to burn down the south Belfast flat where the attack occurred to cover his tracks. Our source said: "Wright is back in. He was suspected of taking drugs, which is no surprise because Burren House is awash with them. It doesn't help that Davy Cummings and John Smith, who at one time were the biggest drug dealers in Maghaberry, are currently on pre-release there." Expand Close Davy Cummings (Right) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Davy Cummings (Right) Body-builder Cummings (40) is coming to the end of a life sentence for the 2000 murder of innocent Guy Harper outside a Portrush nightclub. His pal Smith (42) murdered teenager Leslie Davidson in 1999. After stabbing him to death, he shouted at witnesses: "F*** the Shankill Butchers. Up the Antrim Butchers. No names to the peelers." Both Cummings and Smith have been kicked off previous pre-release schemes on multiple occasions. SHANGHAI, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the data of qichacha.com, the number of enterprises involved in the medical devices business grew dramatically from January 1 to February 10, 2020. More than 20,000 newcomers throughout China, resulting in a sharp increase in demand for upstream suppliers of materials, manufacturing equipment, and processing technologies. Medtec China has been committed to integrating global medtech resources since 2005, and has brought together more than a thousand suppliers of design, materials, components, manufacturing equipment, processing technology, contract manufacturing, quality inspection, regulations and consulting services from 27 countries to China's medical device industry. Medtec China 2020 will be held in Halls 2 and 4 on September 14-16 in Shanghai as scheduled. Meanwhile, 16 conferences in regulation, quality and technology, will also be convened. Click HERE to view previous sessions. Demand for medical manufacturing resources has surged; Upstream companies are rushing production to meet needs To ensure supply of medical devices, Medtec China exhibitors providing raw materials, automation equipment, processing equipment and technology, molds, and sterilization packaging are all engaged in production to meet booming demand. Lubrizol Management (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., successfully procured 48,000 high-end intravenous infusion sets that use Lubrizol's medical thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer Pellethane as raw material. The medical automation supplier LeeDon Automation (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., put its assembly system into production of N95 masks, tracheal intubation, and latex catheters. Shanghai Jiuluo Mechanical and Electrical Equipment Co., Ltd. manufactured high-frequency welding equipment and reagent packaging heat-sealing machines intended for protective garment production. Fujia Machine Equipment Co., Ltd. has been continuously supplying to meet the needs of automatic mask production equipment and core ultrasound systems for mask manufacturers. Kunshan senir Precision Mould Factory provides disposable mask nose bar extrusion dies, and vein detained needle casing extrusion dies. Wuxi jianding packing technology Co., Ltd. provides medical sterilized packaging bags. Sunflower Technology Co., Ltd., provided UDI system medical devices and marking equipment. JoyMed Technology (Shanghai) Ltd., a provider of OEM and CRO services, assisted three enterprises with urgent registration of masks and protective clothing. Regulatory, quality and technology collaborations break through medical technology bottlenecks Recently, the China government pointed out that it is necessary to accelerate the pace to shore up the weak spots in high-end medical devices in China. To commit to advancing the independent research and development of high-end medical devices, Medtec China holds a wealth of conference sessions and invites industry leaders from home and abroad to discuss hot topics based on regulation, quality, and technology. There will be eight technology forums this year, including new themes such as application of 3D printing materials and technologies in medical devices, and core components and technologies for orthopedics and dental products. In terms of regulatory, updates and compliance of latest regulations will continue to be discussed. The quality track will focus on PLC risk management and FDA policy changes and factory inspections. 1,500+ professional participants are expected to join the conference. Booths are being taken up quickly. There have been nearly 400 reservations, a rise of new exhibitors by 17%, and the organizer has received inquiries about booth booking from many enterprises. It is expected to attract more than 500 exhibitors and receive 30,000 professional visitors. Click to book a stand . To discover more, please visit: www.medtecchina.com Exhibit, visits and media cooperation, please contact: Carina Li Tel: +86 10 5730 6163 E-mail: carina.li@informa.com Medtec China Organization Committee Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1122028/Exhibit_LeeDon_Automation_Medtec_China_2019.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1122029/Sterilized_packaging_exhibits_Medtec_China_2019.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1122030/1.jpg North Korea launched multiple short-range projectiles into the sea yesterday as part of firing drills, according to South Korea's military, drawing US and Chinese appeals for Pyongyang to return to talks on ending its nuclear and missile programmes. Launched a week after North Korea resumed missile tests following a three-month break, the projectiles, including from a multiple-launch rocket system (MLRS), flew up to 200km and reached 50km in altitude, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. Hopes were raised for dialogue when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met US President Donald Trump for a historic summit in Singapore in June 2018. But no significant progress has been made despite two more meetings between the leaders. "We continue to call on North Korea to avoid provocations, abide by obligations under UN Security Council resolutions, and return to sustained and substantive negotiations to do its part to achieve complete denuclearisation," a US State Department spokeswoman said. A US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said North Korea had fired at least three projectiles toward the eastern sea and a detailed analysis was being conducted. China's foreign ministry called for all sides to use dialogue and show flexibility, saying the situation was "complex and sensitive". "We also urge parties to make positive efforts to calm the situation for talks to continue, and to realise the denuclearisation and lasting peace in this region and the peninsula," spokesman Geng Shuang told a briefing. Japanese Defence Minister Taro Kono said the projectiles appeared to be ballistic missiles. Britain, Germany, France, Estonia and Belgium have raised North Korea's recent launches at the UN Security Council, calling them provocative actions. NEW YORK, March 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. announces to investors that it is investigating potential claims on behalf of stockholders of QIAGEN N.V. (QGEN), The Meet Group, Inc. (MEET), and Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (WLTW). Additional information about each potential action can be found at the link provided. QIAGEN N.V. (QGEN) Buyer: Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. On March 3, 2020 QIAGEN announced that it had signed an agreement to merge with Thermo Fisher for $11.5 billion. Per the merger agreement QIAGEN stockholders will receive approximately $43.58 in cash for each share of QIAGEN common stock owned. The deal is scheduled to close in the first half of 2021. Bragar Eagel & Squire is concerned that QIAGENs board of directors oversaw an unfair process and ultimately agreed to an inadequate deal price. Accordingly, the firm is investigating all relevant aspects of the deal and is committed to securing the best result possible for QIAGEN stockholders. To learn more about the QIAGEN investigation go to: https://bespc.com/qiagen/ . The Meet Group, Inc. (MEET) Buyer: NuCom Group On March 5, 2020 The Meet Group announced that it had signed an agreement to be acquired by ProSiebenSat.1 and General Atlantics jointly owned company NuCom Group for approximately $500 million. Per the merger agreement The Meet Groups stockholders will receive approximately $6.30 in cash for each share of The Meet Group common stock owned. The deal is scheduled to close in the second half of 2020. Bragar Eagel & Squire is concerned that The Meet Groups board of directors oversaw an unfair process and ultimately agreed to an inadequate deal price. Accordingly, the firm is investigating all relevant aspects of the deal and is committed to securing the best result possible for The Meet Groups stockholders. To learn more about The Meet Group investigation go to: https://bespc.com/meet/ . Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (WLTW) Story continues Buyer: Aon plc On March 9, 2020 Willis Towers Watson announced that it had signed an agreement to be acquired by Aon plc for approximately $30 billion. Per the merger agreement Willis Tower Watsons stockholders will receive 1.08 shares of Aon common stock for each share of Willis Tower Watson common stock owned. The deal is scheduled to close in the first half of 2021. Bragar Eagel & Squire is concerned that Willis Tower Watsons board of directors oversaw an unfair process and ultimately agreed to an inadequate deal price. Accordingly, the firm is investigating all relevant aspects of the deal and is committed to securing the best result possible for Willis Tower Watsons stockholders. To learn more about the Willis Towers Watson investigation go to: https://bespc.com/wltw/. About Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.: Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. is a nationally recognized law firm with offices in New York and California. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in commercial, securities, derivative, and other complex litigation in state and federal courts across the country. For more information about the firm, please visit www.bespc.com . Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. [March 10, 2020] QuantalRF Announces That Wireless Industry RF Veteran, Ali Fard, Has Joined As The Company's New Chief Technology Officer SAN DIEGO, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- QuantalRF, an emerging innovator in breakthrough wireless RF technology, today announced that wireless RF veteran, Dr. Ali Fard, has joined as QuantalRF's new Chief Technology Officer. Dr. Alexandre Dupuy, who has had the dual responsibility of both Chief Technology Officer and Chief Science Officer, will now be fully dedicated to advancing the science behind the company's Quantal Technology and expanding the company's patent portfolio as Chief Science Officer. "I am thrilled to welcome Ali as QuantalRF's new CTO as we continue to mature our novel RF technology and ready it for the commercial wireless markets," said Mike Wrape, Interim CEO for QuantalRF. "We are at an exciting point in our development and Ali's deep RF system's experience, proven track record of successful RFC tape-outs and strong engineering leadership skills will help accelerate our transition from lab to market." Dr. Fard was previously CTO for Austrian based EMTensor GmbH, where he led development of a new disruptive electromagnetic tomography based medical imaging device using radio frequencies. Prior to his time at EMTensor, he was part of the management team at Microchip Technology where he contributed to building up their IoT team and product portfolio in WiFi and Bluetooth SoC's. Dr. Fard has over 15 years of industry experience during which time he founded three startups with two successful exits, managed numerous RFIC projects and designed RFIC's for various sub-6 GHz and millimeter wave wireless systems. He holds Doctorate and Master's degrees in Electrical Engineering from Malardalen University in Sweden. "I'm very excited to join the innovative team at QuantalRF. The company has very interesting and non-conventional technologies to solve the RF world's challenges which is rather unusual in the conservative RFIC engineering community," said Fard. "QuantalRF has a very innovative IP portfolio, addressing needs of both current and future RF transceivers. I am looking forward to advancing our technology alongside a very strong and agile team to adapt to upcoming radio standards and customer needs. QuantalRF is uniquely positioned to offer compelling solutions to our customers." To learn more, please visit us at www.quantalrf.com/about or contact us directly at [email protected]. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/quantalrf-announces-that-wireless-industry-rf-veteran-ali-fard-has-joined-as-the-companys-new-chief-technology-officer-301020243.html SOURCE QuantalRF [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] As a reward for its recent good behavior, my daughters 4th grade class was preparing to vote on an animated movie to watch in class. And as a mathematician and college professor with a particular interest in how math plays a role in political decisionmaking, I asked her to share the results of the class vote with me. We had recently been discussing different voting methods and their merits at the dinner table, and as my kids sometimes do when I wear my professor hat at home, my daughter teased, You just want to see if well pick the movie thats not most peoples first choice, right? She was correct. And when she dutifully reported the outcome from the class vote (Bolt received eight votes; Incredibles 2" six; and Coco three) and informed me that the class watched Bolt because it got the most votes, I realized that the mathematical deficits of plurality votinga method we use to elect so many of the people who represent us, including our presidenthave an impact on even the simplest decisions we make. The good news is that opportunities for teaching the critical role that math plays in the American political system in a way that resonates even with a 9-year-old abound. And we need to create classroom experiences that are conducive to this now more than ever. We are in the middle of an election cycle already imbued with a post-truth disregard for facts." Misleading statistics, sham metrics, cooked numbers, and erroneous alternative science herald a precipitous decline of rigorous thinking, starting with the erosion and weaponization of that rigors foundationmathematics. One does not need to understand math to use it for political gain, for good or for evil. Politicians regularly toss out numbers, such as how many immigrants are crossing the border; the millions spent on abortions at Planned Parenthood; the trillions spent on the war in Afghanistan; the percentage of wealth held by a fraction of our population; and most recently, the scope of the coronavirus outbreak. Whether these numbers are manipulated, fabricated, or real, both sides of the aisle deploy them to elicit an emotional response from us. This succeeds all too frequently because relying on emotion and defaulting to unquantifiable criteriamoral, religious, and communalto make decisions (or take a position) is often easier than analyzing the data, statistics, and numbers to do so. The inability to scrutinize and distinguish between bad and good math in political contexts is detrimental to effective citizenship. Greater numeracy leads to greater agency in political decisionmaking and can make us better consumers of democracy. As long as we are fooled by unsubstantiated math or perplexed by its rigor, our democracy is in peril. The only substantive solution to this problem is more education aimed at cultivating political numeracy. My college students are frequently incredulous that they have not learned more about the math behind some key democratic processes like voting, the Electoral College, apportionment of legislative seats, and gerrymandering. This means that we are not doing a good enough job in teaching our students about subjects that have unparalleled importance for democracy and occupy a unique place in the intersection of mathematics, statistics, computer science, political science, history, and economics. For example, there is no reason why mathematically superior ways to vote, such as ranked-choice methods that incorporate more information about voters preferences, should not be taught in our schools. Ultimately, having this knowledge would empower students to demand a better voting system. We also need mathematics education that emphasizes political quantitative literacythe ability to examine and assess data and statistical information in a political context. We could achieve this by incorporating more real-life examples from voting, taxation, crime, climate change, or immigration in scenarios that foster numerical and data skills like statistical analysis or the assessment and weighing of evidence in the context of politics in our instruction. This integrated mathematics and politics educationone that teaches more about the mathematics behind democratic processes, and uses real-life political datawould cultivate students critical thinking because of its interdisciplinary nature and the depth of the issues it scrutinizes. It would provide the tools to identify political matters that should be tackled mathematically, recognize when mathematics is being misused for political gain, demand mathematical rigor in politics, and enact changes in the political system based on sensible mathematical evidence. We are in the middle of an election cycle already imbued with a post-truth disregard for facts. We can lament the deterioration of informed participation in our democracy. Or we can work to empower our kids (and ourselves) by giving them the tools of mathematical political literacy with which they can transform politics and ensure that it remains based in truththe only place where democracy thrives. It is never too early to start. Just ask my 9-year-old daughter. NYs Cuomo Announces Containment Area for New Rochelle Coronavirus Cluster New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that schools, houses of worship, and businesses in an area of New Rochelle, a city just north of New York City, will be closed for two weeks in an effort to stem the spread of the new coronavirus. One of the largest clusters of COVID-19 cases in the nation is centered in the Westchester County locale. After a lawyer who lives in New Rochelle and works in the borough of Manhattan in New York City tested positive, his family, and a neighbor who drove him to a hospital also tested positive for the illness. Officials have since located more than 100 cases in the immediate area as of March 10, prompting them to implement what theyre calling a containment area. New Rochelle is a particular problem. It is what they call a cluster. The numbers have been going up. The numbers continue to go up. The numbers are going up unabated. And we do need a special public health strategy for New Rochelle. What we are going to do is focus on an area concentric circle around the site of the majority of the cases in New Rochelle, Cuomo told reporters at a March 10 press conference. Starting March 12, all facilities in the area, which measures one mile in diameter, will be closed. Schools will get a thorough cleaning, and a testing station will be set up by the state and a private health care system. Small bottles of hand sanitizer selling at $4.99 at a grocery store in New York City on March 9, 2020. (Jeenah Moon/Getty Images) Cuomo said he knew local business owners wouldnt be happy with the disruption. I get it. This cant be a political decision. This is a public health decision, the 62-year-old Democrat said. It is a dramatic action, but it is the largest cluster in the country. And this is literally a matter of life and death. Thats not an overly rhetorical statement. National Guard soldiers will be deployed to deliver food to homes in the containment zone and help with cleaning public spaces, Cuomo said. A day earlier, Cuomo announced the state would produce up to 100,000 gallons of hand sanitizer a week and distribute it to areas labeled the most at-risk from the virus, as well as those that have been impacted the most by the illness. The hand sanitizer will be free, Cuomo said. Some retailers and websites have run out of hand sanitizer as people around the country make preparations for the potential spread of the virus in their communities. The lines to reach TSA immigration process are empty at one of its terminals at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on March 9, 2020. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters) New York officials also said that if any student, teacher, or staffer at a school tests positive for COVID-19, the school would be closed for 24 hours for cleaning. Depending on the situation, the school might be closed for longer. New York state has one of the highest case counts in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with Washington state and California. The virus, which emerged in China late last year, has spread to over 100 countries, infecting over 100,000 people, and killing thousands. The death toll in the United States was 28 as of March 10. There is no vaccine or proven treatment, although many have gotten better through rest and medical care. Approximately 80 percent of patients experience mild to moderate symptoms, according to a joint study by the World Health Organization and Chinese researchers of patients in China. The other 20 percent require hospitalization, with some requiring intensive care and breathing assistance. Experts in the United States are recommending those who are older or those with underlying health issues should avoid going out as much as possible. They should be prepared to stay in their houses for a period of time if the spread of the virus takes place in their community. Ways to avoid contracting the illness include avoiding crowds, avoiding sick people, frequently washing hands or using hand sanitizer, and not touching ones face with unwashed hands. Experts also recommend regularly cleaning objects and surfaces in the home, at work, and at school. GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas, March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Greenhouse Treatment Center, a leading provider of substance use treatment services in Texas, will host another continuing education event for mental health and medical professionals in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. For Marchs event, Denette Mann, LPC-S, RPT-S, EMDR, MSC, will deliver a presentation called MSC: Mindfulness Self-Compassion. Attendees at this event will earn one CEU credit. The CE event will take place at Greenhouse Recovery Center on Friday, March 13 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Presenter Denette Mann will speak to attendees about self-compassion, its importance and research debunking typical misgivings about practicing self-compassion. Additionally, Mann will demonstrate a self-compassion practice for attendees who will then perform it themselves. It has been so rewarding thus far to provide these events for local medical professionals, said Tyler Harrell, CEO of Greenhouse Treatment Center. Were simultaneously highlighting the expertise of mental health experts in our area and introducing various addiction treatment methods to scores of practitioners, and our community is better for it. Greenhouses Holistic Healing CEU Series (GH2C) is an experiential presentation that will feature different experts from a number of fields each month, alternating between Greenhouse staff members and experts from the community. The events will always take place every second Friday. For more information, or to RSVP to the event, please register here . About Greenhouse Treatment Center Greenhouse Treatment Center is a part of the American Addiction Centers (OTC: AACH) family of treatment centers. We treat clients who are struggling with drug addiction, alcohol addiction and co-occurring mental/behavioral health issues. We currently operate substance abuse treatment facilities located throughout the United States. These facilities are focused on delivering effective clinical care and treatment solutions. For more information, please find us at GreenhouseTreatment.com . We also offer several online resources for the public. Visit americanaddictioncenters.org/online-resources to learn more. Contact: Maz Rodriguez Sr. Public Relations Specialist Office: (615) 727-8392 Cell: (615) 335-0893 An artist's impression of a satellite forming around a giant gas planet which is itself still forming around a star. Numerical simulations showed that the temperature gradient in the disk of gas around a young gas giant planet could play a critical role in the development of a satellite system dominated by a single large moon, similar to Titan around Saturn. Researchers found that dust in the circumplanetary disk can create a "safety zone," which keeps the moon from falling into the planet as the system evolves. Astronomers believe that many of the moons we see in the Solar System, especially large moons, formed along with the parent planet. In this scenario, moons form from the gas and dust spinning around the still forming planet. But previous simulations have resulted in either all large moons falling into the planet and being swallowed-up or in multiple large moons remaining. The situation we observe around Saturn, with many small moons but only one large moon, does not fit in either of these models. Yuri Fujii, a Designated Assistant Professor at Nagoya University, and Masahiro Ogihara, a Project Assistant Professor at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), created a new model of circumplanetary disks with a more realistic temperature distribution by considering multiple sources of opacities including dust and ice. Then, they simulated the orbital migration of moons considering pressure from disk gas and the gravity of other satellites. Their simulations show that there is a "safety zone" where a moon is pushed away from the planet. In this area, warmer gas inside the orbit pushes the satellite outward and prevents it from falling into the planet. "We demonstrated for the first time that a system with only one large moon around a giant planet can form," says Fujii. "This is an important milestone to understand the origin of Titan." But Ogihara cautions, "It would be difficult to examine whether Titan actually experienced this process. Our scenario could be verified through research of satellites around extrasolar planets. If many single-exomoon systems are found, the formation mechanisms of such systems will become a red-hot issue." These results were published as Fujii and Ogihara "Formation of single-moon systems around gas giants" in Astronomy and Astrophysics Letters in March 2020. The simulations in this research used the PC Cluster operated by NAOJ. Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. English Lithuanian AB Ignitis Gamyba, company code 302648707, registered office at Elektrines st. 21, Elektrenai (hereinafter referred to as the Company). The total number of registered ordinary shares issued by the Company is 648 002 629, ISIN code LT0000128571. The Company presents audited financial results for year 2019, report and financial statements may be found in the attached document. THE YEAR 2019 FOR IGNITIS GAMYBA WAS FULL OF CHALLENGES, BUT FINISHED WITH IMPROVED FINANCIAL RESULTS Ignitis Gamyba started to adopt its updated strategy last year and results of 2019 of the electricity producer, which is a part of Ignitis Group, show the Company improved its financial indicators and efficiently managed operating expenses. Although the draught in spring and summer took its toll in Lithuania, the main performance indicators of Ignitis Gamyba in 2019 consistently improved. Results of Ignitis Gamyba in 2019 were significantly influenced by the effective use of the Kruonis Pumped Storage Power Plant (hereinafter Kruonis PSHP) potential, positive results of the stocked fuel-oil sales and increased volume of the regulated services provided by Elektrenai Complex. That led to 20.5% higher adjusted EBITDA of the Company in 2019, which reached EUR 54.0 million (compared to EUR 44.8 million in 2018). The year 2019 for Ignitis Gamyba was full of challenges, but tackling them, we can enjoy both better company results and greater employee engagement today. We are changing and evolving as a company that seeks efficiently operate strategic electricity generation capacities and implement new energy projects, says Rimgaudas Kalvaitis, chairman of the board and CEO at Ignitis Gamyba. Hydrological drought and prolonged fish spawning period had a negative impact on the results of Kaunas A. Brazauskas Hydroelectric Power Plant (hereinafter Kaunas HPP) due to the following reasons: a low flow of the Nemunas inflow in 2019 it produced 0.27 TWh or 22% less electricity than in 2018. The lower production results of Kaunas HPP were compensated by the increased margin of Kruonis PSHP generation the increased difference between daily peak and night-time electricity prices resulted in 14% higher sales of the electricity produced in Kruonis PSHP in 2019 (0.54 TWh). As in the year 2018, the production volumes in Elektrenai Complex remained limited. In total, 0.83 TWh of electricity generated in the Companys power plants was sold in the NordPool exchange in 2019, slightly less if compared to 2018 (0.88 TWh). Implementing its essential mission, in 2019 the Company successfully provided various ancillary services that are vital to the stability and security of the regions electricity supply systems. As in previous years, in 2019 the Company ensured the secondary active power reserve, a service provided by two hydro-units of Kruonis PSHP in the scope of 400 MW. The tertiary active power reserve in the scope of 260 MW was ensured by the most effective unit of Elektrenai Complex the combined cycle unit (hereinafter the CCU). CCU was constantly ready to produce electricity and contribute to the overall security of the energy system. I am glad we managed to make a substantial progress implementing new projects. In 2019, preparatory works for the installation of the experimental solar power plant in Kruonis PSHP and disassembly of the chimneys in Elektrenai Complex have been actively carried out, including the initiation of the public procurement procedures necessary for further implementation of these projects. I strongly believe these large-scale innovations will soon become reality, says R. Kalvaitis. At the beginning of October, Ignitis Gamyba started providing solar power plant installation services and implementing large solar park projects for remote customers generating solar energy. The 1 MW solar power plant offered on the platform Ignitis Saules Parkai was booked within 2 days. At the end of the year, a 3 MW solar farm development project was initiated. At the end of the year, Ignitis Gamyba won the auction of the tertiary active power reserve, announced by the transmission system operator LITGRID (hereinafter LITGRID or the TSO), and signed a contract to provide this service. Under this agreement, the company will provide this vitally important service in 2020 ensuring power grid reliability to units 7 and 8 of Elektrenai Complex within the scope of 475 MW. Since the launch of the auctions for tertiary active power reserve, this is the first case when one supplier is selected to provide all the services. Ignitis Gamyba has also signed agreement with LITGRID for provision of secondary reserve and services ensuring isolated operation of the power system in 2020. These services will be provided by two Kruonis PSHP units and the CCU and Unit 8 respectively. Key performance indicators of Ignitis Gamyba of 2019*: The revenue from contracts with customers remained stable and amounted to EUR 135.0 million. The revenue of Ignitis Gamyba increased by 5.6% and amounted to EUR 145.5 million when compared to 2018. This was mainly influenced by the stocked fuel-oil and metal scrap sales (the amount of these sales in JanuaryDecember 2019 was EUR 6.2 million, at the same period in 2018 EUR 3.3 million). remained stable and amounted to EUR 135.0 million. The of Ignitis Gamyba increased by 5.6% and amounted to EUR 145.5 million when compared to 2018. This was mainly influenced by the stocked fuel-oil and metal scrap sales (the amount of these sales in JanuaryDecember 2019 was EUR 6.2 million, at the same period in 2018 EUR 3.3 million). In 2019, the company incurred EUR 21.0 million in operational expenses 0.4% (EUR 0.1 million) less than in 2018. The provision formed in December 2018 for the costs of dismantling works at the Elektrenai Complex was the main reason for this. 0.4% (EUR 0.1 million) less than in 2018. The provision formed in December 2018 for the costs of dismantling works at the Elektrenai Complex was the main reason for this. The adjusted EBITDA** increased by 20.5% and amounted to EUR 54 million, compared to 2018 (EUR 44.8 million). Adjusted EBITDA growth has been driven by the higher gross profit and increased generation margin of Kruonis PSHP, positive results of stocked fuel-oil sales and higher volumes of regulated services provided in Elektrenai Complex. increased by 20.5% and amounted to EUR 54 million, compared to 2018 (EUR 44.8 million). Adjusted EBITDA growth has been driven by the higher gross profit and increased generation margin of Kruonis PSHP, positive results of stocked fuel-oil sales and higher volumes of regulated services provided in Elektrenai Complex. The Companys net profit amounted to EUR 42.8 million 23.45% more than in the previous year (EUR 34.7 million). amounted to EUR 42.8 million 23.45% more than in the previous year (EUR 34.7 million). During 2018, the Company invested in non-current tangible and intangible assets EUR 0.8 million, compared to EUR 5.0 million in 2018. * Financial indicators of the Company for the year 2018 have been recalculated. Information about the changes is presented in the Company's interim financial information for the year ended 31 December 2019. ** The Companys preliminary adjusted EBITDA for 2019 and actual adjusted EBITDA for 2018 are reported after the adjustments made by the management by eliminating the impact of one-off factors, also considering the change in revenue (and, consequently, EBITDA) of the Company's regulated services. These adjustments are made aiming to disclose the results of the Companys operating activities after the elimination of the impact of non-typical, one-off factors or factors that are not directly related to the current reporting period. All adjustments made by the management are disclosed in the Companys interim and annual reports. Tadas Markevicius, Public Relations Manager, +370 676 28911, tadas.markevicius@ignitis.lt Attachment Park NX10 the world's most accurate AFM with unparalleled imaging accuracy, scan speeds, and tip life and true non-contact mode technology. "We recognize that professors and scientists setting up their labs require the best scientific instruments, as they pursue new technology to improve our world. This is our way to help them achieve that goal." - Keibock Lee, President, Park Systems Park Systems, world-leading manufacturer of Atomic Force Microscopes, announces a $1 Million Dollar Nano Research Grant Fund to support researchers who are starting new nanoscience labs in North America. The Park Systems Nano Research Grant Fund provides up to twenty grants of $50,000 towards the purchase of any AFM system and accessories manufactured by Park Systems. Park 50K Nano Research Grants align with our mission, 'to enable nanoscale advances', comments Keibock Lee, President of Park Systems. We recognize that professors and scientists setting up their labs require the best scientific instruments, as they pursue new technology to improve our world. This is our way to help them achieve that goal. Park Systems started the Park 50K Nano Research Grant program to support researchers pushing the envelopes of nanoscale research and engineering with AFM equipment for their up and coming research as they pursue impactful science for the betterment of society. In every field - materials science, electronics, life science and nanotechnology - we keep up with the exhilarating pace of nanoscale microscopy and metrology innovations so scientists and engineers can focus on getting results, adds Lee. Park Systems $1 Million Dollar Grant Fund offers new researchers setting up their labs easier access to the most advanced nanoscale technologies including atomic force microscopy, scanning ion conductance microscopy, and scanning electro-chemical microscopy tools, for applications ranging from materials science to in-vivo life science, electrical and electro-chemical research. To complement its AFM equipment, Park Systems has a full line of options including acoustic enclosures, temperature control & environmental control, liquid cells, probe hands and other accessories such as a signal access module, electrical modules, external high voltage kits and magnetic field generators. To qualify for a Park 50K Nano Research Grant, you must be a university researcher or a professor of a national research university or a researcher at a national laboratory in North America starting a new nanoscience lab. To find out if you are eligible for the Park Nano Grant, visit http://www.parksystems.com/grant to apply or send an email to grant@parksystems.com. There are a limited number of grants, so apply early to ensure your opportunity to receive this assistance. About Park Systems Park Systems is a world-leading manufacturer of atomic force microscopy (AFM) systems with a complete range of products for researchers and industry engineers in the chemistry, materials, physics, life sciences, and semiconductor and data storage industries. Parks AFM provides the highest data accuracy at nanoscale resolution, superior productivity, and the lowest operating cost, thanks to its unique technology and innovative engineering. Cutting-edge AFM automation and nanometrology solutions provided by Parks team of 100% committed professionals improves workplace productivity. Park Systems Inc., headquartered in Santa Clara, CA has global manufacturing and R&D headquarters in Korea and is supported worldwide with regional headquarters in the US, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Germany, China and Mexico. Park Systems high-performance scientific instruments explore new scientific phenomena that enable scientists around the globe to contribute to impactful science that helps humanity grow and improve life standards. Please visit http://www.parksystems.com/grant or email grant@parksystems.com for more information. CLEVELAND, Ohio - Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has canceled a planned rally in downtown Cleveland Tuesday night amid concerns about the coronavirus, the campaign said. The cancellation by the Vermont senators campaign follows an afternoon briefing by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine at which the governor recommended that people stay away from large indoor gatherings to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. A rally by Sanders rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, also scheduled for Tuesday night in Cleveland, was also called off. Biden rally in Cleveland canceled Out of concern for public health and safety, we are canceling tonights rally in Cleveland. We are heeding public warnings from Ohio state officials who have communicated concern about holding large, indoor events during the coronavirus outbreak," said Mike Casca, Sanders communication director. "Sen. Sanders would like to express his regret to thousands of Ohioans who had planed to attend the event tonight. The rally was to take place a day after the governor disclosed the first three cases of the deadly virus in Ohio, all of whom are suburban Cuyahoga County residents in their 50s. Two are a couple who recently returned from a Nile River cruise; the third is an employee of the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland who attended the American Israel Public Affairs Committees annual policy conference earlier this month, where two other attendees have tested positive for the virus. A spokeswoman for the Sanders campaign said the senator, who spent Tuesday in Michigan, is flying to Burlington, Vermont for the nights election results. DeWine has declared a state of emergency in Ohio, which allows him to operate government in some ways that are not usual under the law, such as obtaining medical supplies without competitive bidding. Besides the three confirmed cases, 15 people in Ohio are being tested for coronavirus, according to the state health department. Another 14 people in the state have tested negative for the disease so far. An additional 255 people in Ohio are or have been under public health supervision, which means they have been self-quarantined because they have recently returned from a country with a high number of infections. Cleveland.com reporter Eric Heisig contributed reporting. Read more on the coronavirus: -- Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine recommends canceling college classes, banning fans from sports games to stop coronavirus -- Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine recommends Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders cancel Cleveland rallies to prevent coronavirus spread -- Ohio is under a state of emergency because of the coronavirus. What does that mean? -- Could Ohio shut down travel for coronavirus quarantine? -- Cuyahoga County opens emergency operations center in response to coronavirus The Pune district administration has begun a search for those who came in contact with the five patients in the city who have tested positive for the coronavirus. A day after two people, a couple, with a travel history to Dubai, tested positive, three more -- their daughter, driver of the cab in which the couple traveled from the Mumbai airport to Pune, and a passenger who had traveled by the same flight as them -- tested positive on Tuesday. "We have formed a team comprising officials from revenue, police, Pune MunicipalCorporation (PMC), Pimpri ChinchwadMunicipalCorporation and health department," said Deepak Mhaisekar, divisional commissioner. "The team will visit all the places these patients had visited and trace suspected persons (with whom they might have come in contact)," he said. Meanwhile, a senior official from the PMC's health department said the condition of all the five persons who have contracted the virus infection is stable. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A piece of tropical paradise in Honolulu is headed for the auction block with an opening bid of $8 million. The owner, Japanese beauty mogul Akemi Shimomura, purchased the property in 2010 for $7 million. Shimomura has had the residence on and off the market since 2016, at prices that ranged as high as $20 million. In 2018, the home was in the news when Bloomberg reported that Shimomura had chopped the price to $15 million. After another price cut to $13.8 million last year, with no takers, she's pursuing the auction angle. However, should a buyer propose a bid that the seller accepts before the live auction date of Feb. 20, the auction will be called off, according to the listing agent, Dianne Willoughby with Harcourts Island Real Estate. Willoughby adds that an auction may be the best way to sell this languishing gem and unlock its true value. The unique property doesnt easily compare to the one next door," she says. "An auction is the best way to find out what the market is. Midcentury modern estate in Oahu, HI realtor.com Indoor pond realtor.com Living room realtor.com Dining room realtor.com Master bedroom realtor.com Tub with water views realtor.com Backyard, lagoon, and pool realtor.com Built in 1964 by Vladimir Ossipoff, the secluded property, which is surrounded by water, was created to take advantage of its location. The interior design made Hawaii's famous trade winds a focal point, to bypass the need for air conditioning. (The home is now in fact equipped with AC.) Much of the glass-walled home opens outside to the 1.1-acre grounds, which include a pool and the Kanewai Fishpond, which is fed by one of the few natural springs left on Honolulu. Willoughby says the pond, now controlled by the Trust for Public Land, is preserved in perpetuity. The fishpond also feeds Paiko Lagoon, a wildlife sanctuary of local and endangered plants and wildlife. Apart from the occasional visit by curious sea creatures, the owners' privacy is pretty much guaranteed. The aquatic theme continues inside, with an indoor waterfall and pond that both connect to the pond outside. The 7,995 square feet of interior space incorporates five bedrooms and six bathrooms, including a staff bedroom and guest quarters. The master suite includes a bathroom with a sunken tub that looks out to the fishpond and a shower that has access to the outdoors. The well-maintained, open concept home includes a large living area that opens out to the grounds. The kitchen and bathrooms were updated about a decade ago. The beauty business entrepreneur, who owns a substantial Tokyo-based chain of beauty salons and schools, hasnt left the area. The agent notes that Shimomura owns other properties in the area. Its time for the next adventure, she adds. For potential bidders, the top selling pointaside from the marvelous midcentury architectureis the location. Its so private. Its so secluded. The house itself is massive, its hugeits majestic. It would be very easy for a large family to feel very comfortable. When youre there, theres such a feeling of serenity and peace, Willoughby says. The energy that flows around the property, its very Hawaii. The post Midcentury Modern Hawaii Estate Owned by Japanese Beauty Tycoon Up for Auction appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. Minutes after disgruntled Congress leader and former Guna MP Jyotiraditya Scindia tendered his resignation, Congress president Sonia Gandhi expelled him from the party. "The Congress president has approved the expulsion of Jyotiraditya Scindia from the Indian National Congress with immediate effect for anti-party activities," according to a statement from AICC general secretary K C Venugopal. Scindia, earlier met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. Noting that the events of the day had been drawing themselves out for a year, Scindia in his resignation letter to Gandhi said that it was now best for him to look at a fresh start. "Having been a primary member of the Congress party for the last 18 years. It is now time for me to move on. I am rendering my resignation from primary membership of the Congress and as you well know this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year," Scindia wrote in his letter dated March 9. However, the Congress claimed that the resignation letter was received physically outside Sonia Gandhi's residence at 12.20 pm on Tuesday. In the resignation letter posted on Twitter, Scindia said, "While my aim and purpose remains the same as it has always been from the very beginning, to serve the people of my state and my country, I believe I am unable to do this anymore within this party." "To reflect and realise the aspirations of my people and workers I believe it is best that I now look ahead at a fresh start." The former Guna MP also thanked Gandhi and his other former Congress colleagues for "providing him with a platform to have served the nation". Meanwhile in Bhopal, 14 Congress MLAs who are loyal to Scindia have sent their resignations to Madhya Pradesh Governor Lal Ji Tandon, Raj Bhavan sources said. [March 10, 2020] Comcast Business Helping Drive Top Trends Impacting Quick Service Restaurants - and Their Customers - In 2020 Comcast Business shared the top trends impacting the quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry, based on the company's deep experience working with leading QSR and franchise establishments. As online ordering and mobile delivery apps continue to gain popularity and diners increasingly expect technology-forward experiences, QSRs are challenged with finding new ways to quickly fulfill orders and keep customers - and their taste buds - satisfied. Comcast (News - Alert) Business is working directly with some of the biggest brands in the food and beverage industry, helping to drive the following trends aimed at giving them a competitive edge: "May I take your order?" is becoming " How may I take your order?" - The reason customers choose QSRs is in the name, they are quick. Offering multiple ways to order - from kiosks to loyalty apps to tablets - is essential to minimizing customers' wait times. When lines do back up, innovative brands are implementing "line busting" tactics, such as having staff walk car-to-car in long drive-thru lines, ringing up customer orders on tablets or mobile registers so orders are ready and waiting by the time a guest reaches the pick-up window. The reason customers choose QSRs is in the name, they are Offering multiple ways to order - from kiosks to loyalty apps to tablets - is essential to minimizing customers' wait times. When lines do back up, innovative brands are implementing "line busting" tactics, such as having staff walk car-to-car in long drive-thru lines, ringing up customer orders on tablets or mobile registers so orders are ready and waiting by the time a guest reaches the pick-up window. Mobile apps are cooking up physical and digital upgrades - Traditionally, restaurants have only had to keep pace with orders coming from two locations: the walk-up counter and the drive-thru. However , by 2021, nearly 50 million people will be using food delivery apps. From a restaurant's own app or website, to third party food delivey services, QSRs are now having to account for orders within and beyond their four walls. From an IT perspective, having a guest WiFi (News - Alert) network is now crucial in supporting in store mobile ordering and mobile payments. To avoid long lines and confusions, restaurants must also think about restructuring their physical layout to accommodate the growing number of mobile orders. Traditionally, restaurants have only had to keep pace with orders coming from two locations: the walk-up counter and the drive-thru. However by 2021, nearly 50 million people will be using food delivery apps. From a restaurant's own app or website, to third party food delivey services, QSRs are now having to account for orders within and beyond their four walls. From an IT perspective, having a guest WiFi (News - Alert) network is now crucial in supporting in store mobile ordering and mobile payments. To avoid long lines and confusions, restaurants must also think about restructuring their physical layout to accommodate the growing number of mobile orders. Increased focus on privacy and security policies - When the security of one restaurant location is compromised, it can put an entire brand at risk. QSRs are utilizing firewalls, LAN and WAN networks to help control security from a corporate level and maintain their brand. Having the comfort that comes from security measures also allows restaurants to focus more on ways to innovate. When the security of one restaurant location is compromised, it can put an entire brand at risk. QSRs are utilizing firewalls, LAN and WAN networks to help control security from a corporate level and maintain their brand. Having the comfort that comes from security measures also allows restaurants to focus more on ways to innovate. Digital signage keeps restaurant menus from going stale - Whether it's by season, or time of day, menu options are constantly expanding and changing. With initiatives like limited time menu offerings (LTOs) becoming an increasingly popular strategy within QSRs, more and more restaurants are opting for digital signage as a way to stay on top of these type of menu turnovers and updates. Digital menu boards give QSRs the ability to update information to all locations at once, making sure both staff and customers stay up to date on the latest offers and promotions. Whether it's by season, or time of day, menu options are constantly expanding and changing. With initiatives like limited time menu offerings (LTOs) becoming an increasingly popular strategy within QSRs, more and more restaurants are opting for digital signage as a way to stay on top of these type of menu turnovers and updates. Digital menu boards give QSRs the ability to update information to all locations at once, making sure both staff and customers stay up to date on the latest offers and promotions. Technology adds extra spice in recruiting and retaining employees - A restaurant's staff plays a huge role in customer experience. Often times, a happy employee equates to happy guests. Being able to offer employees advanced technology gives a restaurant a competitive edge and helps recruit top talent at a local and corporate level. LTOs also add another layer of complexity to staff training. Having reliable technology that allows both internal and external information to be shared - and rolled out - on a national level is imperative to making sure staff can be quickly and effectively trained on a brand's latest offerings or special promotions. "From online to eliminating the line, mobile technologies are propelling the explosive growth of the QSR category. In fact, research has shown that mobile apps represent roughly 60 percent of all digital restaurant orders," said Ray Hatch, Vice President Enterprise Solutions Vertical Markets at Comcast Business. "As QSRs continually look for new ways to embrace - and keep pace - with this growth, technology is becoming the secret that helps them to focus on what matters the most: bringing delicious food to hungry guests." About Comcast Business Comcast Business offers Ethernet, Internet, WiFi, Voice, TV and Managed Enterprise Solutions to help organizations of all sizes transform their business. Powered by an advanced network, and backed by 24/7 customer support, Comcast Business is one of the largest contributors to the growth of Comcast Cable. Comcast Business is the nation's largest cable provider to small and mid-size businesses and has emerged as a force in the Enterprise market; recognized over the last two years by leading industry associations as one of the fastest growing providers of Ethernet services. For more information, call 866-429-3085. Follow on Twitter (News - Alert) @ComcastBusiness and on other social media networks at http://business.comcast.com/social. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005632/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Photo: The Canadian Press New Brunswick Finance Minister Ernie Steeves The New Brunswick government tabled a $10.2-billion budget Tuesday that projects a $129.3 million reduction in the province's net debt. Finance Minister Ernie Steeves presented the fiscal plan as the Opposition Liberals promised to vote against it in a bid to topple the minority Progressive Conservative government. The leaders of the Green and People's Alliance parties have said they want to see the budget details before deciding how they'll vote. The current standings in the provincial legislature are 20 Tories, 20 Liberals, three Greens, three People's Alliance members, one Independent and two vacancies. Steeves said it's a good budget that lowers debt and puts money back in the pockets of New Brunswickers. "This budget is designed to continue on our path to save New Brunswick, not to save government," Steeves said. "By maintaining fiscal discipline, we can improve and deliver high-quality public services, reduce our debt and return some hard-earned dollars to New Brunswickers where it rightly belongs," he said. The net debt is expected to drop to $13.7 billion by the end of March 2021 or about $17,611 for every man, woman and child in the province. Servicing the debt is the sixth largest budget item. Among the budget's highlights, health spending will increase to a record $2.9 billion, which includes new money for hiring nurse practitioners for emergency rooms and clinics across the province. Steeves said $1.5 million will be added to the province's vaccination program, which will allow all New Brunswickers to have access to free flu shots. An immunization registry will also be launched. Gas taxes are set to decrease by 4.63 cents per litre, effective April 1, as part of the New Brunswick carbon plan. The plan is contingent on legislation passing in the legislature prior to April 1. Social assistance rates will increase for the first time since 2014. The rate for a single adult will increase to $564 per month from $537. The rate will be indexed to the Consumer Price Index. There will be no increase to the so-called sin tax on alcohol. Taxes on commercial and residential rental properties will be reduced, but not until the 2021 tax year. A Seattle hospital has opened a drive-through clinic to test employees for coronavirus. The University of Washington Medical Center Northwest has converted the first floor of a parking garage into an infectious disease clinic with the capacity to see a new patient every five minutes. The patient will then typically get results within a day or so. University of Washington Medical Center Northwest converted the first floor of a parking garage into an infectious disease clinic with the capacity to see a new patient every five minutes For now the clinic is only available to the health care system's workers, who must go online and fill out a survey about their symptoms to get an appointment Dr Seth Cohen who runs the infectious disease clinic at UW Medical Center Northwest For now the clinic is only available to the health care system's workers, who must go online and fill out a survey about their symptoms to get an appointment. It comes as The White House acknowledged the nation does not have enough coronavirus test kits as cases of the disease continue to rise in the US. Dr Seth Cohen who runs the infectious disease clinic at UW Medical Center Northwest told NPR: 'We want to make sure that if our staff test negative we get them back to work as soon as we can. 'But if they test positive we want to keep them out of the workforce to make sure they're not going on to infect other staff or patients.' Coronavirus has already caused at least 17 deaths in the Seattle area and infected at least 83 people. There are three medical tents on the first floor of the garage as well as signs and orange cones funneling vehicles to the testing site. Coronavirus has already caused at least 17 deaths in the Seattle area and infected at least 83 people So far, the drive-through tests have found lots of flu and a few cases of coronavirus There are three medical tents on the first floor of the garage as well as signs and orange cones funneling vehicles to the testing site When drivers first come in they are met by a nurse who asks them not to leave the vehicle. Everyone working there is dressed in full protective gear and face masks The medical center plans to extend in-car testing to first responders who may have been exposed When drivers first come in they are met by a nurse who asks them not to leave the vehicle. Everyone working there is dressed in full protective gear and face masks. Patients need to have a fever, dry cough, or other symptoms of COVID-19 - the disease caused by the coronavirus - to be seen at the clinic. Two swabs are then taken through the open window, one from each nostril. The samples are then tested at a lab a few miles away. The medical center plans to extend in-car testing to first responders who may have been exposed. So far, the drive-through tests have found lots of flu and a few cases of coronavirus, Cohen says. Last week Vice-President Mike Pence said the Trump administration would not be able to meet its objective of delivering one million testing kits for that week. The Seattle-area nursing home at the epicenter of one of the biggest coronavirus outbreaks in the United States said on Monday it had no kits to test 65 employees showing symptoms of the respiratory illness that has killed at least 13 patients at the long-term care center. The staff in question, representing more than a third of the Life Care Center's 180 employees, are out sick with symptoms consistent with coronavirus, and a federal strike team of nurses and doctors is helping to care for 53 patients remaining in the center. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Does the Book of Revelation predict the coronavirus? Is it one of the prophesied, end-time plagues? If so, does that mean that this is just a harbinger of much worse things to come? There is no denying the seriousness of the virus. As Bill Gates noted in the New England Journal of Medicine on February 28, In the past week, Covid-19 has started behaving a lot like the once-in-a-century pathogen weve been worried about. And even at this early stage, Covid-19 has already caused 10 times as many cases as SARS [severe acute respiratory syndrome] in a quarter of the time. And evangelical commentator Michael Snyder included the coronavirus in his list of 10 plagues that are hitting our planet simultaneously. The plagues were: 1) Armies Of Locusts; 2) Extremely Bizarre Weather Patterns; 3) Unprecedented Flooding; 4) Major Earthquakes; 5) Unusual Volcanic Eruptions; 6) The Coronavirus; 7) The African Swine Fever; 8) The H1N1 Swine Flu; 9) The H5N1 Bird Flu; 10) The H5N8 Bird Flu. Does that suggest, then, that Covid-19 is one the end-time judgments described in Revelation? Al Mohler noted that, We are also reminded of Revelation 6:7-8 in which we read, When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, Come and see. So I looked and behold a pale horse, and the name of him who sat on it was Death and Hades followed with him. That fourth horseman has often been associated with plague, with illness, with a violent death by means of this kind of disease, which we now identify primarily with deadly viruses spreading across the human population. But neither Mohler nor Snyder are suggesting that the virus is one of the final plagues of Revelation. And Gates is certainly not thinking in these terms. To the contrary, the fact that Gates can describe Covid-19 as a once-in-a-century pathogen indicates that it is hardly an apocalyptic plague, no matter how deadly it may be. As underscored by Robert Bartholomew in Psychology Today, The Chinese Coronavirus Is Not the Zombie Apocalypse. He wrote, I am not downplaying the seriousness of the new Coronavirus that has been spreading around the world. People are dying and every death is a tragedy. But it is not the end of civilization as we know it contrary to some media outlets, which risk causing undue alarm and panic. In stark contrast, if the Book of Revelation does, indeed, describe a series of terrifying, end-time plagues, those plagues will mark the end of civilization as we know it, along with the ushering in of a glorious new age. Again, Im not minimizing the serious of the virus. And, certainly, every death is a tragedy. In fact, as I write these words, Im returning home from Australia via Hong Kong. And I passed through Hong Kong just a few days ago on the way to Australia. The vast majority of people at the airport in Hong Kong were wearing masks, as was the entire crew during the whole flight. And before you passed through airport security, a wand was held near your forehead to check for fever. So, again, I recognize the seriousness of this virus. But we minimize the intensity of end-time biblical prophecy by imagining this deadly virus to be an apocalyptic plague. More importantly, we forget that biblical judgments are connected with clear words of warning. Judgment is coming! Repent! Dont let sin destroy you! Turn to God for mercy! I did not hear such warnings in the months leading up to Covid-19. Of course, Christian leaders have been sounding warnings like this for centuries, as did biblical prophets in the centuries before them. But I personally believe that, as we approach the end of the age, the warnings will become much clearer, calling for specific change in light of specific prophecies, as opposed to a virus just popping up out of the blue. To be sure, there are many biblical scholars who do not interpret Revelation in this way at all. In their minds, many of the events of the book already took place, described in the highly graphic language called apocalyptic. Others would argue that most of the events are yet future, but they are cloaked in symbolism and should not be taken literally. My own understanding is that there will be massive upheaval before the end of the world, in the midst of which there will also be a mighty spiritual outpouring. But either way, what is clear to me is that we should not view the coronavirus as a prophesied, end-time plague. Instead, we should view it in the same way we have viewed many other epidemics and pandemics in world history. They are tragic reminders of the broken state of our world and of the frailty of our race. And while doing all we can to prevent and combat the spread of Covid-19, we should pray for the mercy of God. The final shaking will be far more intense than this. Medical staff prepare to disinfect the neighborhood of a Covid-19 patient in Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan Province, south central Vietnam, March 10, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Viet Quoc. A Vietnamese businesswoman flying in from the U.S. has tested Covid-19 positive, becoming the country's 34th infection. The 51-year-old patient, a resident of the south-central Binh Thuan Province, had flown from Ho Chi Minh City to New York on February 22, transiting at Incheon International Airport in South Korea for three hours. On February 29, she flew back from Washington D.C., transiting at the Doha International Airport in Qatar. She landed at Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCMC on March 2 and took a car home to Phan Thiet resort town in Binh Thuan. On March 5, she developed high fever and cough. Four days later, she was admitted to the Binh Thuan General Hospital and placed under quarantine pending Covid-19 tests, and the results came back positive. Local authorities have identified 17 people who'd come into direct contact with the woman and placed them in isolation. The Binh Thuan patient is the third case confirmed on Tuesday in Vietnam. The two others are a 24-year-old Vietnamese woman who'd met Nguyen Hong Nhung, Hanoi's first Covid-19 patient, at a party in London last month before falling sick and being put on a private plane to Saigon on Monday, and a British man who boarded the same flight as Nhung from London to Hanoi on March 2. Since Friday, Vietnam has recorded 18 new infection cases. After Nhung, 12 people on the same flight - 11 foreigners and one Hanoi man - have tested Covid-19 positive. Nhung's personal chauffeur and an aunt have also been infected. A Vietnamese man returning from Daegu, a Covid-19 epidemic epicenter in South Korea, is the other among 18 active cases in the country. The Covid-19 outbreak has thus far spread to 115 countries and territories around the world, killing over 4,000. InfoWars founder Alex Jones takes photographs at a hearing to examine foreign influence operations' use of social media platforms before the Intelligence Committee at the Capitol in Washington on Sept. 5, 2018. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) Alex Jones Arrested in Texas for Driving While Intoxicated, InfoWars Website Responds InfoWars host Alex Jones was booked into a Travis County Jail on a charge of driving while intoxicated at around midnight on Tuesday, said the Travis County Sheriffs Office, but his website said he was cleared of a DWI. Jones, 46, was taken into police custody at around 12:37 a.m., according to a spokesperson for the office, Kristen Dark, reported the Austin American-Statesman. Its a class B misdemeanor, she said. Jones bail was set at $3,000 and he was released on bond about three hours later, Dark confirmed. An article posted on the InfoWars website wrote that Jones blew less than a 0.08, which is less than the legal limit in Texas. It said he was pulled over for driving 45 mph in a 40 mph zone. Alex Jones (Travis County Sheriffs Office) Court documents show that Jones admitted to drinking a small amount of sake at a Japanese restaurant hours before with his wife, which was proven truthful after the breathalyzer test showed a tiny amount of alcoholwell under the legal limit in the Lone Star State, according to the site. It was quite the experience to see what was going on in this country and to experience it myself, Jones said on his show Tuesday. He said the officer didnt perform the stand on one leg test to determine whether he is sober. According to the site, Jones wanted to get out in front of this to show he has nothing to hide and to point out that legal experts are confident the case will be quickly dropped because he didnt violate the law. A police mug shot showed Jones looking at the camera. As the Long Beach Unified School District commits to keeping classes in-person, the city a new testing site opens for LBUSD employees and students only. The city is also ramping up its own testing efforts with a new 3,000-person per... Starting electric car company Tesla was "idiocy squared," according to Elon Musk. Of course, that didn't stop Musk from getting into the business. And late Monday, the CEO announced via Twitter that Tesla had produced 1 million vehicles. The milestone certainly doesn't guarantee Tesla's future success. However the unlikely journey from crazy idea to the milestone of a million cars is indicative of how Musk says he works building companies to solve problems based on their importance, not on his likelihood of success. TWEET: Congratulations Tesla team on making our 1,000,000th car!! "I thought our chances of success [Tesla] were so low that I didn't want to risk anyone's funds in the beginning but my own," Musk wrote in 2016 in his "Master Plan, Part Deux." (Musk released part one, called his "Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan" in 2006, two years after first investing in the then-fledgling Tesla.) "The list of successful car company startups is short," he wrote. "As of 2016, the number of American car companies that haven't gone bankrupt is a grand total of two: Ford and Tesla." But Musk was, well, driven by a higher purpose in creating Tesla: helping to achieve a sustainable energy economy devoid of fossil fuels "the faster ... the better," he wrote in his Master Plan. The journey hasn't been easy. In 2018 Tesla came within "single-digit weeks" of completely running out of money and closing down, according to Musk. And in recent years, Musk has worked as many as 120-hour weeks, sometimes sleeping at the Tesla factory as the company struggled to make the audacious production goals he set for the Model 3. Harris County health officials are asking some passengers who returned to Houston on a flight from Italy a week ago to self-isolate after testing confirmed a woman on the plane has the new coronavirus. The case, the fifth in Harris County outside the city of Houston, involves a woman in her 20s who had been living in Italy. She contacted her healthcare provider after exhibiting mild flu-like symptoms upon returning to her home in the southwest quadrant of the county. Fourteen people in the Houston region have now been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Harris County officials Tuesday night called for the isolation of passengers who sat in the business/first class section of a Lufthansa (LH309) flight from Florence to Frankfurt March 3 (10:05 a.m.-11:45 a.m.); and in the business/first class section of a United Airlines (UA47) flight from Frankfurt to Houston the same day (1:50 p.m.-6:10 p.m.). Other passengers on the flight do not need to isolate themselves. The officials added that such passengers should contact their local health department for additional guidance and call their healthcare provider before going to the facility if they want to see a doctor. The woman did not require hospitalization and currently is quarantined at home, where she is recovering. Local testing found the woman was presumptively positive for the virus. It still must be confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Earlier Tuesday, Montgomery County officials Tuesday announced a first case of the new coronavirus there, a man in his 40s being treated at an unspecified local hospital. It was not immediately clear if that case is related to travel, specifically the Nile River cruise where all 12 of the area people previously diagnosed the past week contracted the infection. Montgomery County officials said they hope to have the patients travel history and other information Wednesday. Like it was in the woman returning from Italy, the test for the Montgomery County man was presumptively positive and still must be confirmed by the CDC. In a news release, the county said that healthcare providers are following strict guidelines from the CDC in interactions with the patient, who is isolated at the hospital. Previously, doctors confirmed the virus in six patients in Harris County (two of them in Houston) and six in Fort Bend County. All were passengers on the same cruise line in Egypt. The Pennsylvania-based company that advertised the package, Gate 1 Travel, has since canceled all its Nile River cruises through May 31. It also has provided the CDC with copies of its passenger manifest from the Feb. 12-19 cruise as well as subsequent sailings during the following weeks, spokesman Marty Seslow said. There are now 17 confirmed cases in Texas. Collin County health officials in north Texas this week confirmed three cases of the virus there a man, his wife and their 3-year-old child. The man traveled to California for a business trip in late February, officials said. todd.ackerman@chron.com Austrias chancellor says the country is barring travellers from Italy from entering. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said exceptions will be made for those with medical notes and authorities will help repatriate Austrians from Italy. Malta has suspended all flights into and out of Italy. Austria, the UK and Ireland have issued travel advisories for the whole country as Italys extraordinary anti-Covid 19 lockdown looked set to isolate the country inside and out. A policeman selects a car coming from Italy at the autobahn near Gries am Brenner (Kerstin Joensson/AP) Maltese prime minister Robert Abela announced that until further notice, flights to and from Italy would be suspended and ships from Italy would only be allowed to dock if they were carrying cargo, food or medicine. Mr Abela said the cruise ship MSC Grandiosa, which was to dock in Malta on Tuesday would not be allowed in since it just came from Palermo in Italy. Austria issued a full travel warning for Italy to urgently recommend that Austrian travellers return home. Britain and Ireland advised against all non-essential travel. Germanys national disease control institute, is describing all of Italy as a risk area. Amid the ongoing political drama in Madhya Pradesh, senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday (March 10) met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the latter's residence in New Delhi. Union Home Minister Amit Shah was also present during the meeting which lasted for around 1 hour. Sources told Zee Media that Scindia and around 20 Congress MLAs of Madhya Pradesh are expected to announce their resignation later in the day. Scindia is also likely to join the BJP in the presence of either Shah or BJP chief JP Nadda. The fresh political crisis in Madhya Pradesh started on Monday (March 9) evening after around 20 MLAs, including ministers, supporting Scindia went incommunicado. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath swung into action immediately after it was confirmed that around rebel MLAs are not in touch with Congress leaders. Kamal Nath called an emergency meeting of senior leaders at his residence on Monday nigth and after the meeting all ministers of his cabinet submitted their resignations. The ministers also expressed faith in CM Kamal Nath and requested him to restructure the Cabinet. Sources told Zee Media that Scindia has been offered a Rajya Sabha seat and a cabinet berth in the Modi government at the Centre by the BJP. In return, Scindia will have to help the BJP return to power in Madhya Pradesh. Although Jyotiraditya was present in Delhi on Monday, there was no news about his appointment with Congress party's interim chief Sonia Gandhi. Meanwhile, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday (March 9) said that the political crisis in the state is due to internal tussle of Congress and he would prefer not to comment on it. Chouhan asserted that the BJP is not interested in toppling CM Kamal Nath government but said that the government will fall on its own due to the ongoing tussle between Congress leaders in Madhya Pradesh. In the 230 member Madhya Pradesh Assembly, the Congress has 114 MLAs and the support of four Independents, three Samajwadi Party MLAs and two Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs. The BJP has 109 MLAs. Two seats are currently vacant. County Kildare Chamber today welcomed the measures announced by the Department of An Taoiseach to ensure that workers would not be afraid to self-isolate on financial grounds in the event of an outbreak of Covid-19 / coronavirus. The Government is to introduce emergency legislation in the Dail to amend the rules on sick pay, which will see Illness Benefit rise from 203 per week to 305. It will be available from the first day of illness rather than after six days as at present, and conditionality will be waived to allow the self employed to receive it. There will be no minimum number of PRSI contributions, but medical certification will be required. Chamber CE Allan Shine said today: "Whilst we remain in the Containment Phase, all necessary measures, based on public health advice, should continue to be implemented. "The daily advice given by the National Public Health Emergency Team and Government is now critical and must be listened to and adhered to. "Our concern is that people are taking advice from social media platforms - we encourage businesses to take advice from the HSE website and news bulletins. "They can also contact our offices as we are in daily contact with government departments as this unprecedented health emergency is changing hour by hour." Mr Shine said the priority for businesses is the welfare of staff and availing of correct information. He explained: "The immediate concern for business is for the welfare of their staff and to ensure that they are aware of the significance of this global health emergency. "Because there is no vaccine and no treatment the only way of limiting the spread of the virus is through good public community awareness and appropriate health care. "We need to listen to the experts and the advice they give. ROME The boisterous hum of Rome dwindled to a whisper and police patrols kept people apart in cafes as Italy enforced an extraordinary, sweeping lockdown Tuesday in hopes of not becoming the next epicenter of the spreading coronavirus epidemic now that life in China is edging back to normal. Infections in Italy topped the 10,000 mark with 10,149 cases more than anywhere else but China and the number of deaths from the virus rose to 631, from 463 a day earlier, Italian Civil Protection authorities said. Travel and social restrictions that were extended across Italy illustrated how the virus and the broad disruptions it is causing are sweeping westward from China, where the outbreak began. Police across the country patrolled cafes to make sure owners kept customers 3 feet apart during daylight hours and then enforced a strict 6 p.m. closure order. Its bad. People are terrorized, said Massimo Leonardo, who runs a market stall. Ive never seen anything like it. For most, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for a few, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illnesses, including pneumonia. More than 116,000 people have been infected worldwide and over 4,000 have died. By encouraging many of Italys 62 million people to stay home and further drying up what was left of the countrys already battered tourism industry, the lockdown could increase the likelihood of a recession, dealing another blow to reeling global markets. Italys economy, the third-largest of the 19 countries that use the euro currency, relies heavily on industries requiring the physical presence and proximity of workers: tourism, manufacturing, and retail. Italy also found itself increasingly sealed off as other countries sought to keep infections contained. Malta and Spain announced a ban on air traffic from Italy. British Airways and Air Canada suspended all Italy flights. Austria barred travelers from crossing the border without a medical certificate, Slovenia closed its border with Italy and Albania banned Italy air and ferry traffic. Britain, Ireland, Hong Kong and Germany strengthened travel advisories urged their citizens to leave. Even the Vatican erected a new barricade at the edge of St. Peters Square. Nicole Winfield and John Leicester are Associated Press writers. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 20:03:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Medics go about their work at the Coronavirus Isolation Centre at the Mbagathi Hospital in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, March 6, 2020. Kenya launched a 120-bed capacity isolation and treatment facility for suspected COVID-19 cases amid spread of the epidemic in some parts of Africa. (Xinhua/Fred Mutune) "We are touched in particular to see some African countries offering us funds or goods despite their own limited resources. This is the best embodiment of the brotherhood the two sides share through thick and thin and the joint efforts towards building a more closely-knit community with a shared future," said China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson. BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- China, while shoring up its own epidemic fight, stands ready to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with African countries and support and help them to the best of its capabilities, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said Tuesday. Throughout China's fight against the novel coronavirus epidemic, African countries have been standing alongside China, supporting it in various ways, Geng told a press briefing. Leaders of almost all the African countries that have diplomatic ties with China and Chairperson of the African Union (AU)Commission have all expressed sympathy and support by phone calls or letters, he said. Medical personels conduct inspection at coronavirus isolation and treatment facility at Mbagathi Hospital in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, March 6, 2020. (Xinhua/CharlesOnyango) The AU Council of Ministers, the Peace and Security Council of the AU, the African Ministers of Health Conference, Meeting of the Ministers of Health of the Economic Community of West African States and Monday's Extraordinary Meeting for Southern African Development Community Ministers of Health have all spoke highly of China's epidemic response, he added. "We are touched in particular to see some African countries offering us funds or goods despite their own limited resources. This is the best embodiment of the brotherhood the two sides share through thick and thin and the joint efforts towards building a more closely-knit community with a shared future," said the spokesperson. Its the first time in Italys post-war history that sweeping peacetime restrictions on daily lives have been imposed. As Italy remains placed under quarantine in an extraordinary move to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the countrys newspapers marked Tuesday with a mix of worry and hope about the unprecedented curbs. With 9,172 confirmed cases and 463 deaths, Italy is facing the biggest outbreak of the virus outside China, prompting Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to extend the quarantine measures first imposed in the north to the entire country. From stocks in Milan collapsing by more than 11 percent to detainees on rooftops of their jails protesting against their living conditions the tough measures have prompted the Italian media to both praise the government, as well as condemn it. Here is a quick view of the front pages of five major Italian newspapers published on Tuesday. A dramatic picture depicting an exhausted nurse in full gear sleeping over her desk dominated La Repubblicas front page, with the headline, Everybody at home, splashed across it. The lockdown in Italy is an attempt to contain the virus, which has overwhelmed its healthcare system. Doctors and nurses have been working around the clock and health authorities are scrambling to add new beds for the severely ill people. Most of the countrys 150 hospitals are now dedicated to curing people affected by coronavirus. Now, all of Italy is closed, said Corriere della Serra, the most-selling Italian newspaper. Who would have known how to locate Wuhan on the map? said its editorial. A front-page article in the newspaper discussed the lockdown in Chinas Wuhan city as a winning model despite being based in an authoritarian country. The Chinese town in Hubei province is the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. China was the first country to adopt drastic measures over coronavirus by sealing off 56 million people living in the province. The Corriere della Serra article called on the European Unions central bank to give Italy full support in fighting the virus and promising that its economy would not die on the operating table. La Stampa, a newspaper based in the northern Italian town of Turin, split its front page between two photos depicting the two facets of the crisis. A photo of a shocked stock trader witnessing the sharp fall in the market was placed next to one of a group of detainees protesting on top of a prison. Riots broke out in at least 27 prisons across Italy, killing 12 people so far. The violence erupted after prison authorities implemented restrictions, including a ban on family visits and leave permits. Newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano reminded its readers of The great escape: 20 thousand in 2 days, referring to the panic among people who rushed to train stations following the governments lockdown order on Sunday. We are suspended between a national tragedy and a surreal farce, said the director of the newspaper in his editorial piece. Block everything [but for real], urged Il Messagero, outraged by the flaws in the government decree after it allowed people to move for necessities. Who is going to define such a blurred concept? asked its editorial piece, outlining how the decrees concessions would only facilitate the spread of the virus across affected areas. For Sole 24 Ore daily, it was all about the economy. Virus effect and oil sinking. Bourses knockout. All of Italy [is an] orange zone and the deficit [is up] up to 2.9 percent, read its lead story. The newspaper explained to its readers the reasons behind a day of panic, pointing to the global stock markets steepest fall since 2008 as well as the fall in oil prices after the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries failed to reach an agreement with Russia last week to cut oil production. Married At First Sight's Josh Pihlak broke his contract with Channel Nine on Tuesday to expose producers over their 'crock of s**t' editing. The 28-year-old truck driver said he 'can't wait to get sued' for speaking out, after his family was flooded with death threats on social media. Josh faced a viewer backlash earlier this week when he appeared to side with his mother, Mandy Manning, during a tense confrontation with his 'wife', Cathy Evans. He's not happy! Married At First Sight's Josh Pihlak (pictured) broke his contract with Channel Nine on Tuesday to expose producers over their 'crock of s**t' editing Josh began his rant on Instagram by revealing that MAFS participants 'aren't meant to be using their social media' but that 'sometimes it's better to speak up'. After confirming his 'unfortunate' split from Cathy, which is yet to air on TV, he said: 'I knew going into this that it'd be highly edited, but watching [Monday's episode], what transpired and what actually happened was an absolute joke. 'The reason I'm speaking up is because it absolutely takes a toll when your mum, yourself and even your little brother are receiving death threats. It isn't cool. 'I've always put my hand up when I've done something wrong. I wasn't perfect in the experiment, no. But what transpired at that lunch is an absolute crock of s**t.' Whistleblower: Josh began his rant on Instagram by revealing that MAFS participants 'aren't meant to be using their social media' but that 'sometimes it's better to speak up' Bombshells: The 28-year-old truck driver said he 'can't wait to get sued' for speaking out, after his family was flooded with death threats on social media following Monday night's episode. He also confirmed his split from Cathy Evans (left) Josh explained that producers had encouraged his mother to ask the couple to list three things they liked and disliked about each other. But they cut out the positive remarks in the final edit and instead chopped up Josh's words to portray him in a negative light. He said: 'My answers were given to different questions. It is what it is and I'm not going to argue it. My main concern is the hate to my little brother especially.' Josh then claimed that after Cathy left that night, producers 'pushed' to film him and his friends having beers as part of his pre-season 'backstory' - which he now fears will air on Wednesday to look like he's celebrating Cathy leaving. Angry: Josh claimed his family lunch during homestays had been selectively edited to make him and his mother, Mandy Manning, look like villains. Pictured: Josh and Cathy on October 15 He continued: 'They had my friends and I having beers and talking about the wedding - which was hard to do, especially straight after the break-up. I won't be surprised if they put that on to make it look like we were having a party.' Josh concluded his video by urging people not to sign up for Married At First Sight. 'I just can't stress enough for the people that are thinking about signing up to have a good-hearted think,' he said. 'When you sign that contract, any footage or audio can be sliced up however they think': Josh concluded his video by urging people not to sign up for Married At First Sight 'When you sign that contract, any footage or audio can be sliced up however they think. It says in the fine print that you may not be perceived in a positive light - and me being naive, I thought I'd give it a chance. 'How could it go wrong? It's just so disappointing seeing how much they left out.' After his post went viral, Josh wrote on Instagram: 'I can't wait to get sued, they can take my 2002 Subaru with three bald tyres and my finance loans I haven't been paying.' It's believed Josh and Cathy will leave the experiment at the commitment ceremony this Sunday. Tipping point: On Monday's episode of Married At First Sight, Cathy faced off with Josh's mother during an awkward hometown date in Newcastle On Monday's episode of Married At First Sight, Cathy faced off with Josh's mother during an awkward hometown date in Newcastle. Cathy accused her 'husband' of throwing her under the bus the moment they sat down for lunch, despite him reassuring her beforehand that he would support her. She became upset when Mandy brought up previous issues the couple had faced in the experiment and Josh failed to defend her - or so it seemed. 'I get it, that's your son. My valid reasoning is not enough for her because her son takes first priority,' Cathy said afterwards. 'And she was bringing up things that are just going to reignite feelings of anger and resentment for Josh.' Channel Nine declined to comment. Professor Alex Dodoo, the Director General of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), has stressed the importance of standards in ensuring certification and securing the confidence of dealers in the gold industry. He said the GSA has gazetted relevant standards to ensure that certification of gold could take place, pending the enactment of legislation of hallmarking of Gold. Professor Dodoo, who was speaking at the ongoing Ghana Gold Expo 2020 being held in the Western Region, said the GSA has also established a gold laboratory to provide end-to-end testing of gold and gold products as a way of value addition in the industry. The GSA certified the first gold bar produced by the Gold Coast Refinery in November 2018. Again, the GSA provides assaying, hallmarking and certification services of Gold-bars which comes with the GSA Mark of Conformity and a serial number for traceability. Prof Dodoo said with Ghana hosting the AfCFTA Secretariat it was necessary to make maximum use of the great opportunity by adding value to our products as well as entering new regional and international markets. The GSA is thereby seeking the support of industry players to make use of their gold assaying and hallmarking laboratories, he said. He said government is ready to create an enabling environment for players in the mining industry, adding that the governing NPPs Manifesto made mention of value addition to natural resources so this programme is directly in line with the nations agenda. The issue of Ghana Beyond Aid is a much clearer vision each passing day as we are always met with opportunities to expand our businesses and to widen our market reach. Individuals and local businesses are hereby being encouraged to add value to their gold ornaments before export, he added. The maiden Ghana Gold Expo, which is being held on March 8 to 10 in Takoradi in the Western Region. Organised in collaboration with Aurum Monaco a France based Gold Refinery, the Expo seeks to promote zero mercury use in gold production and the promotion of best standards practice in the industry. It will also discuss value addition in the gold industry with the view of ensuring that Ghana obtains maximum revenue from its gold reserves whilst creating a world class jewellery industry in the country. The Ghana Gold Expo is to also create a synergy among stakeholders and build proper structures in gold mining as one of the proponents of gold mining includes the contribution to substantial economic benefits to the mining communities as well as increasing incomes and reducing poverty levels among the citizenry. 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 [March 10, 2020] BitDeer.com Pioneers the New 'Extreme Efficient' S19 Mining Plans SINGAPORE, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BitDeer.com, the leading computing power-sharing platform, announces the availability of the "Extreme Efficient" S19 series mining plans, which bring historically low energy fees offered on BitDeer.com and one of the most efficient miner hardware offered on the market. BitDeer.com has been selected as one of the first computing power-sharing partners to offer the Antminer S19 and S19 Pro to the global market. 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For more information, please visit Website: https://www.BitDeer.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BitDeerplatform Twitter: https://twitter.com/BitDeerOfficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu95K9N5CM4 VK: https://vk.com/public174640639 Media Contact MagicFew Email: [email protected] Related Images bitdeer-com-pioneers-the-new.jpg BitDeer.com Pioneers the New "Extreme Efficient" S19 Mining Plans View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bitdeercom-pioneers-the-new-extreme-efficient-s19-mining-plans-301020064.html SOURCE BitDeer Jyotiraditya Scindia On Tuesday quit Congress party and decided to go public with his resignation letter. Scindia posted the letter on Twitter in which he addressed party President Sonia Gandhi saying that "it's time for me to move on." "Having been a primary member of the Congress Party for the last 18 years, it is time for me to move on. I am tendering my resignation from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress and as you well know, this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year," he tweeted. "While my aim and purpose remain the same as it has always been from the very beginning, to serve the people of my state and country, I believe I am unable to do this anymore within this party," Scindia added. Scindia met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday amid indications that he might join hands with the BJP to topple the Madhya Pradesh government. Also Read: MP political crisis: Jyotiraditya Scindia may join BJP; CM Kamal Nath cries foul Sources said Scindia first met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and then the two leaders met Modi at the prime minister's residence. Legislators loyal to Scindia, who has been upset with the Congress leadership with his marginalisation in the affairs of the Madhya Pradesh Congress, are likely to quit the party to reduce the Kamal Nath-led government to a minority. It is likely to be followed by the Bharatiya Janata Party staking claim to form the government in the state. Also Read: 'Utter rubbish': Jyotiraditya Scindia dismisses claims of MLAs gone missing Also Read: 'Never felt so scared': AAP, Congress, DMK, CPI(M) leaders express concern over Delhi violence Steep decline in practicing Christians will have major repercussions for church leaders: study Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment New research from the Barna Group found that the share of practicing Christians in the United States has nearly dropped in half over the last two decades a shift the group warns will have major repercussions for church leaders. The latest research from the evangelical Christian polling firm, which examined the role of Christianity in the American Church, reveals that that just 25 percent of Americans are practicing Christians, compared to 45 percent in 2000. Barna defines a practicing Christian as someone who identifies as a Christian, agrees strongly that faith is very important in their lives and has attended church within the past month. According to Barna, half of those who identified as practicing Christians in 2000 fell away from consistent faith engagement, essentially becoming non-practicing Christians (2000: 35 percent vs. 2020: 43 percent), while the other half moved into the non-Christian segment (2000: 20 percent vs. 2019: 30 percent). David Kinnaman, president of Barna, said the findings indicate a major reshuffling of Americans' spiritual lives. Monthly, committed churchgoers are now about half as common as they were two decades ago, he said. This shift has major repercussions for church leaders as there is increased struggle to attract and retain the active segment of churchgoers. The findings are part of the State of the Church 2020 study, a year-long examination of the spiritual and religious trends that define American life these days. For the report, Barna explored data collected among 96,171 surveys over more than 20 years. The report also found that while 36 percent fewer Americans attended church weekly in 2020 than in 1993, consistency of Bible reading has remained steady for nearly a decade. Nearly the same percent of U.S. adults today report reading their Bibles weekly as did in 1993 (2020: 35 percent vs. 1993: 34 percent). Additionally, large majorities of Americans still say that prayer is something that they do on a weekly basis: From 1996 to 2010, there was no statistical difference in the percentage of Americans who prayed, with the number hovering around 83 percent, notes Barna. The research indicates that Americans are softening in their practice of Christianity, according to Kinnaman. He said it raises urgent questions for church leaders about the nature of the relationship Americans have to Christian practice. What redefines and what anchors the churchgoing, Bible reading and prayer of adults? Among the interesting stories in the data is that private practices of faithsuch as prayer and Scripture intakearent sliding as much as church attendance, he said. Still, the study shows reasons for continued hope and for additional reflection, he said, adding that while generational change is certainly taking place, older generations (Boomers and Elders) are drifting away from conventional church attendance at roughly the same pace as younger generations (Gen X and Millennials). What can church leaders do to engage the one-quarter of Millennials who remain active in Christian practice? he asked. How can the Bible-loyal readers continue to form the bedrock of a resilient Church? In what ways can prayerthe most universal of spiritual activitiesbe sparked to create spiritual renewal in this society? Tim Lucas, pastor of Liquid Church in Parsippany, New Jersey, told The Christian Post that amid a record rise of the religious nones, the church would do well to rethink the way it presents the message of the Gospel. "I think the hand-wringing approach to millenials and Gen Z is an invitation for a wholesale reinvention of the methods by which we present Jesus to a new generation," he said. Theres a cultural shift underway, where young people are extremely experientially oriented. They want to know, Whats the social good in this before I buy it? So the churchs traditional message of evangelism was propositional truth: Heres why Christianity is valid and a superior belief system. The Good News was proclaimed and explained. However, when Jesus shared the Gospel of grace with truly hell-bent pagans, He adopted a double approach, Lucas argued. There was a demonstration of grace: Be healed, serve the poor. And then theres the proclamation of the Gospel: Your sins are forgiven, he said. Up and coming generations are concerned with biblical justice how the church tangibly helps the poor and needy. Its a reverse discipleship process. The church must reclaim its birthright of saying, The message of the Gospel is good for both the soul and body. Liquid Church, a thriving, multi-campus church with over 5,000 members of all ages and demographics, is close-handed about the message, meaning the Gospel never changes, yet were open about the methods because they always need to change to reach the hearts and minds for the next generation, Lucas said. Were not changing the message but our methods need to change. The Gospel of grace is timeless, but the methods need to look different to reach the next generation for Christ. The Democratic presidential primaries are teaching us many lessons. First, it is a really bad idea to have Iowa and New Hampshire as the first states to vote. These are two of the smallest and least diverse states in the nation but get out-of-proportion attention in the media. In one race it was former candidate Pete Buttigieg that was the crowd favorite. In another it was former candidate Amy Klobuchar. Neither is left standing. The last debate was an embarrassment for everyone but former Vice President Joe Biden and former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Candidates screaming at each other so that they are down to the level of an afternoon talk show are not what we want to hear. Debate moderators need to maintain control of the process. They havent yet. We may see Bernie Sanders with a plurality in some additional states but probably not, at this point, much of a majority when looking at the nation as a whole. His winning 11 delegates in Vermonts primary was only a surprise because he didnt will all of them five went to Biden. Creating a cult movement is enough to develop a solid base of passionate supporters. It brought Donald Trump the Republican nomination in 2016. Lets hope it doesnt work that way for Sanders. Sanders expresses the same rage and bitterness that pushed Trump into office. If Sanders wins the nomination, we would see the continued and even exaggerated political and social polarization. People drift to the far left and the far right out of having to personally face real, existing problems. But they promote extreme, unworkable and unrealistic options rather than real answers, true compromise or workable solutions. Our form of government still works. We do not need to abandon democracy. We do not need class warfare and further division. Sanders agenda would double the cost of government with the middle class cursed by additional taxes. But a new look at the primary system is in order. Clearly, it needs reform. Ranked choice voting may be the answer. Put simply, ranked choice voting is the same as an instant runoff. If a candidate wins a majority of the vote he or she is the winner. If not, the ballots would be tallied in as many rounds as necessary to obtain a majority vote for a single candidate. In each round the candidate with the least first place votes is eliminated. In a ranked choice campaign the odds are that there would be less negativity and decisiveness because, in a sense, everyones vote would count. New York City will begin utilizing ranked choice voting beginning next year for its mayoral election. That will give us a good opportunity to see how it works in a large primary. Meanwhile, if Sanders should, by some miracle, win the nomination at the Democrats convention, it would be handing the election to Trump. A Sanders/Warren ticket for example, would leave the Democratic Party in total turmoil and would be an electoral disaster, effectively ostracizing all the moderate Democrats in the nation. Bloomberg is now out and supporting Biden. I am back where I was at the beginning of the primary season supporting a resurgent Biden. Personally, I would like to see a Biden/Kamala Harris ticket. How about Bloomberg for secretary of state? Biden showed that when he had to step up he could, and he did, and certainly has my appreciation for being able to put the center of the Democratic Party together as a unified force in the upcoming primaries. Edward L. Marcus is former chairman of the Democratic State Central Committee in Connecticut and former State Senate majority leader. His office is in Branford. American ride-hailing service Uber which in 2018 aborted a launch in Winnipeg has pulled a U-turn and now plans to be in the city by summer. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 9/3/2020 (672 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. American ride-hailing service Uber which in 2018 aborted a launch in Winnipeg has pulled a U-turn and now plans to be in the city by summer. That year, buzz was building for the company's arrival: It was signing up drivers and gearing up for the launch of new rules governing ride-for-hire services that March. It ground to a halt when Uber decided it could not conform to Manitoba Public Insurance's "passenger vehicle for hire" coverage. BEN WALDMAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Ubers Western Canada head Michael van Hemmen says Manitoba's insurance framework is "workable." On Monday, Michael van Hemmen, Uber Canada's head of western Canadian operations, now says the insurance framework is "workable," and that the company will purchase additional private packages for drivers to cover gaps that stalled Uber's entry into the market two years ago. Assuming enough drivers sign up, van Hemmen said Monday Uber could be operating UberX (sedan) and UberXL (minivan, SUV) services in the spring. Grant Heather, the city's manager for vehicles for hire, said Uber's had cordial conversations with Winnipeg for the past two years, and the company still has to complete the dispatcher licence application process. The company, founded in 2009, has been courting the Winnipeg market since 2015 . In 2018, the province handed responsibility of hired vehicle oversight to the city. Council implemented a new bylaw that allowed companies such as Uber to operate in the city alongside traditional taxicabs. Seventeen such companies, including Edmonton's TappCar, have since registered as dispatchers, but Uber stayed away, unable to come to terms with MPI's package. Meanwhile, Uber launched in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Saskatoon, and expanded worldwide, but there were bumps in the road. Founding CEO Travis Kalanick resigned in 2017, and in May 2019, the company had its initial public offering on Wall Street, with shares selling for US$45 each; they are now valued at under US$30 Van Hemmen said the plan is to target Winnipeg, with the possibility of moving into nearby communities in the future. He said down the road, the company hopes to come to an agreement with MPI similar to the blanket coverage of Saskatchewan's or British Columbia's public insurers. "This model is workable, but we hope to continue to see it evolve," he said. Research is mixed on how ride-hailing impacts traffic, public transit use and vehicle ownership. A 2015 study in San Francisco indicated if ride-hailing weren't an option in that city, only six per cent of respondents would have driven a car to make their trip. A 2018 study in Boston found 42 per cent of respondents would take public transit if ride-hailing weren't an option. Derek Koop, president of citizen group Functional Transit Winnipeg, said although it's good to have more available options for transportation, ride-hailing services can't be viewed as replacements for public transit. He said he'd be concerned if the city viewed Uber's arrival as a justification for reducing transit funding. 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 city's preliminary four-year budget, announced Friday, calls for the cancellation of the discount U-Pass program for students and reduced or removed Winnipeg Transit service along 14 routes. Koop said public transit investments can reduce spending on road infrastructure and emissions, something he said ride-hailing can't promise. Since being introduced in Winnipeg, ride-hailing use has increased, Heather said. Between March 1 and Dec. 31, 2018, about five per cent of all rides with vehicles for hire were with ride-hailing companies. Between August and January 2019, that increased to about seven per cent. The majority of the rides were with established taxi companies. Heather said he didn't want to speculate on what the impact would be on those numbers were Uber to enter the market. Ubers main competitor, Lyft, told the Free Press that while it sees opportunity in Winnipeg, "the current insurance framework does not allow true ride-sharing to operate in the province." ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca Srinagar, March 10 : The Centre for Inclusive & Sustainable Governance in collaboration with Jammu and Kashmir Workers Party (JKWP) on Tuesday celebrated the festival of colours with fervour and gaiety at the Gindun Park in the Raj Bagh area here. "Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs all are under one roof to celebrate Holi and we are happy to see the communal harmony intact and we wish every countrymen on this special day occasion," said Mir Junaid, president of JKWP. In his message, Junaid said that festivals celebrated in a country or society offset its culture and traditions. Holi is a festival of social equality, which removes disparity and life's monotony. While expressing his joy over the celebrations of Holi, he said: "This shows the unity and brotherhood that is alive in our valley and I have great pleasure in extending my greetings and good wishes." While praying for the equality, the JKWP chief said that that the festival of colours will remove all evils and create an atmosphere of equality and harmony. It seemed Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy could breathe a sigh of relief as Donald Trump's impeachment ended with his acquittal by the Senate. A phone call between the two presidents over military aid had handed Zelenskiy a starring role in the saga. But the political novice -- until last year his homeland's most famous TV comic -- navigated the storm deftly by largely keeping quiet. The calm that followed lasted just a month. On the domestic front, a cabinet revamp irked voters and sent foreign investors already spooked by the coronavrius dashing for the exits. In the U.S., the Super Tuesday comeback by Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden trained the Republicans' spotlight back on the former vice president's dealings with Ukraine. "The reshuffle was negative for the investment community as it threatens cooperation with the International Monetary Fund, but it also disappointed liberal voters seeking reforms," said Oleksandr Parashchiy, head of research at investment firm Concorde Capital in Kyiv. "And now there's the risk the Trump or Biden camps try to pressure Zelenskiy to back their own political interests. The president should stick to his neutral position to avoid serious damage." In Kyiv, Zelenskiy is defending government changes that swept away young newcomers picked to clean up Ukraine's notoriously murky post-Soviet politics -- a major departure from an election campaign that emphasized injecting new blood. The replacements are experienced hands, hired to reinvigorate a slowing economy and secure a long-delayed $5.5 billion loan from the IMF. The problem is that, in one of Europe's most corrupt nations, previous administrations are tainted by accusations of malfeasance. One new mininster even worked briefly under Viktor Yanukovych, the ousted leader who was backed by the Kremlin and represents everything Zelenskiy was elected to end. Zelenskiy, who took office last May, says his personnel changes have been misconstrued and have only one aim -- to get things done more quickly. "We needed to react to the cabinet's effectiveness," Zelenskiy said in an interview late Friday in his office. "When you're making such deep changes in the country, you can't fail. It's not about your personal ratings, it's not that you can be kicked from power, it's that Ukraine may not ever have a chance again to do this." Convincing people of the merits of the shakeup will be tricky. There's concern about the departures of respected ministers and a prosecutor general backed by Western donors and local activists. Some fear the new arrivals will boost the sway Ukraine's billionaires have long reveled in, with incoming Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal a former manager at an energy company owned by Rinat Akhmetov, the country's richest man. Zelenskiy, who's repeatedly rejected anything untoward in his ties to controversial tycoon Igor Kolomoisky, denies oligarchs have influence over his government. "They own 70%-80% of assets in this country," he said. "Every manager in Ukraine worked for one of them or is somehow linked to one of them. And they hire the best -- we should understand that." The backlash at the reshuffle hasn't gone unnoticed, however. Zelenskiy's new team immediately re-committed to the planned IMF program, with Shmyhal and his finance minister to visit Washington in the coming weeks. But it's in the American capital that further unpleasantness could yet unfold. With Biden now the front-runner to challenge Trump for the presidency, Republicans are poring over every detail of his time in post-revolution Ukraine, as well as work there by his son, Hunter. That risks dragging Zelenskiy back into the hyper-partisan world of U.S. politics just as his focus turns to domestic priorities like ending the Kremlin-backed war in his nation's east and pushing through crucial land-reform legislation. It could also clog up his new chief prosecutor's agenda. Zelenskiy's chances of staying out of the fray look slim: even Mitt Romney, the only Republican senator who voted to convict Trump earlier this year, on Friday backed a probe into the company where Hunter worked. New Delhi [India], Mar 10 (ANI): The BJP is confident about the formation of its government in Madhya Pradesh after the resignation of 22 Congress MLAs and is monitoring possibilities of opening any cracks that may appear in the Congress-ruled states. Sources said that feelers were being sent to Congress leaders in Rajasthan and some other states. According to a senior party leader, the resignation of Jyotiraditya Scindia and his impending induction in the BJP has sent a message not just to Madhya Pradesh Congress but to its units in other parts of the country. Following the resignation of Scindia, 22 party MLAs loyal to him resigned in Madhya Pradesh plunging the Kamal Nath government into a deep crisis. "There are so many who are feeling suffocated. Take the example of the Rajasthan Congress. The unit is treating Sachin Pilot badly. Just like it treated Scindia in Madhya Pradesh. Despite being a deputy CM, Pilot's pictures are not used in hoardings. They are equally mistreating Pilot in Rajasthan, " BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain said. While Hussain claimed that leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Choudhary is "equally mistreated", a few other BJP leaders indicated that some other young leaders could leave the party soon. "What did we do? Nothing. The party (Congress) is cracking by itself. Congress used Scindia and insulted him. The kind of language used by Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath against him led to his exit from the party. We respect Scindia. The day isn't far when only Sonia and Rahul will remain in Congress, " a BJP leader said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has launched a sweeping crackdown targeting leading royals and security officers, according to several reports, in an apparent bid to quell potential challenges to his grip on power. Among those detained is Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, the only surviving full brother of King Salman and one of the most senior members of the ruling Al Saud family. Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, the kings nephew and former crown prince and interior minister, was also detained on Friday. He is believed to have been under house arrest since being replaced as crown prince by MBS, the kings son, in June 2017. The two high-profile royals, seen as possible alternatives to MBS in succeeding the king, were reportedly accused of plotting a palace coup. The crackdown widened over the weekend to include dozens of interior ministry officials and senior army officers, reports said, as rumours swirled on social media about King Salmans health and whether the ascension of MBS the kingdoms de facto ruler to the throne was imminent. As speculation about the motives behind the detentions intensified, state media on Sunday released footage and images of King Salman greeting two diplomats and appearing to be in good condition. There has been no official comment from Saudi authorities on the detentions. MBS has moved to consolidate power since becoming the next in line to the throne in June 2017. Later that year, dozens of royals, top officials and business elites were rounded up and detained at a luxury hotel in the capital, Riyadh, in what was billed as an attempt to combat corruption among the higher echelons of the kingdoms bureaucracy. Sudanese PM Safe After Assassination Attempt By Naba Mohiedeen March 09, 2020 Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok says he is safe following an assassination attempt Monday in Khartoum. Eyewitnesses say car bombs went off near the prime minister's convoy as he traveled to his office. Afterward, hundreds of protesters gathered at the scene of the blasts, condemning what they called a terrorist attack. The attack happened at about 9 a.m. Monday morning local time, near the Federal Prison in northern Khartoum where the Sudanese prime minister's house is located. According to witnesses, Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok's convoy had just left his house when three cars exploded. One witness, Mosab Zain, says the bombs targeted the prime minister's car. Zain says it's so obvious that it targeted Hamdok personally during a difficult time Sudan is experiencing. He says this is the first time an attack like this has happened since the December revolution. Another witness confirmed that the bombing targeted Hamdok's car. Mohamed Ali says when Hamdok's convoy was heading to the presidential palace, the explosion happened under the tunnel in the northern side. The explosion targeted his car but luckily he was safe. Hundreds of Sudanese gathered at the scene of the blasts to condemn the attack, and demand that the government identify and punish the attackers. Military troops blocked the streets and the main bridges around the area and examined the exploded cars. Meanwhile, Hamdok declared on Twitter that he is in good shape, and said the attack will not stand in the way of Sudan's transition. Hamdok became prime minister last August after the military ousted president Omar al-Bashir following months of mounting protests against his 30-year rule. Some elements of the security forces are believed to still support Bashir, who the transitional government says may be transferred to the International Criminal Court to face war crimes charges. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address By Lee Kyung-min Korea Asset Management Corp. (KAMCO) signed a memorandum of understanding with the firm's senior officials to foster in-house ventures, the state run organization said Tuesday. Under the memorandum, the firm will mobilize financial and manpower support to help successfully launch and provide for the stable operation of such entities tasked with enriching innovative corporate spirit and sustainable growth model development. It will improve efficiency in manpower allocation to best help the workers stay motivated to learn and develop corporate strategies needed not only to stay competitive but also fulfill corporate responsibilities by creating jobs. Consultations will be arranged with in-house and outside experts whose specialties encompass IT, software development and business management. It will increase funding to bolster effective corporate management and strengthen overall infrastructure. An office space will be provided to help them concentrate on the new work. "We adopted the in-house venture program in March 2018, a first for a state-run financial organization. We will continue efforts to set an exemplary model for our peers," KAMCO CEO Moon Sung-yu said. [March 10, 2020] INVESTIGATION ALERT: The Schall Law Firm Announces it is Investigating Claims Against First American Financial Corp. and Encourages Investors with Losses in Excess of $100,000 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 First American Financial Corp. ("First American" or "the Company") (NYSE: FAF) for violations of 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The investigation focuses on whether the Company issued false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose information pertinent to investors. First American was the subject of a report by computer security expert Brian Krebs published on May 24, 2019. Krebs alleged that the Cmpany failed to secure its systems, allowing access for unauthorized parties to almost 900 million mortgage transaction records dating back to 2003. According to the report, First American admitted that it found a "design defect in one of its production applications that made possible unauthorized access to customer data," eventually fixing the security hole. Based on this news, shares of First American fell by more than 6% on May 28, 2019. 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 424-303-1964, 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/20200310005813/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Iran Monday confirmed 43 new deaths due to the Coronavirus with overall death toll now put at 237, the highest outside epicenter China. Our colleagues have confirmed 595 new cases across the country, Kianoush Jahanpour, the health ministrys spokesman said in a televised conference. This brings the overall number of confirmed cases to 7,161 as of today noon, he added. The Iranian official also indicated that the infection rate is dwindling though but it is still too early to judge when the outbreak could be brought under control, AFP reports. The country has now registered 237 deaths linked to the fast spreading virus. However, members of the Iranian opposition group Mujahideen-e-Khalq, who operate outside Iran, reported much higher numbers Saturday, claiming over 1,800 Iranian deaths from the virus, while tens of thousands have contracted it. Capital Teheran remains the worst hit with 1,945 cases. Qom city, south of Teheran, which is the epicenter of the virus in the Islamic Republic, is the second city badly affected with 712 confirmed cases. Over 100 countries have been infected and the number of people diagnosed hit over 110,000. The outbreak also killed 4,011 people globally. 3 1 of 3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Versiti Blood Center of Michigan is urging Michigan residents to schedule and keep their blood donation appointments at donor centers and organized blood drives throughout the state even as the coronavirus outbreak spreads to ensure the continued adequacy of the local blood supply. Patients in our communities and our hospital partners continue to rely on the generosity of blood donors. We rely on each other for this precious resource, said Versiti Chief Medical Officer Tom Abshire. The donation process itself poses no risk of infecting a donor with coronavirus. Donors and our blood drive sponsors should be reassured that attending organized blood drives is safe. Coronavirus is currently not known to infect patients through blood transfusions. (Alliance News) - W Resources PLC on Tuesday said it has raised GBP756,000 from a placing to Spanish investors aimed at advancing the Regua tungsten mine in north-east Portugal. Shares in W Resources were up 8.0% at 0.23 pence in London in midday trading. The 210.0 million share placing was priced at 0.36 pence per share, with funds to go both towards advancing Regua and providing tungsten, copper and gold miner W Resources with more working capital. Turner Pope Investments Ltd and Alternative Resource Capital were joint brokers. Following admission of the new shares, W Resource will have 6.70 billion in issue. Chair Michael Masterman said: "It's important to have the continued strong support of the Spanish investors at a time of volatility. Funds will be used to advance the Regua mine and provide a strong base of working capital for W Resources." Separately, W Resources said the first blasting at the Regua mine was completed "safely and successfully" last week. The firm also said that ramp-up at its Spanish La Parrilla mine is progressing and still delivering scheduled tungsten grades. "As part of the ramp-up process, a series of improvement initiatives were successfully implemented during a planned shutdown in February 2020 and as a result the company has seen a material step change improvement in recoveries and overall production rates at the La Parrilla plant in March 2020," W Resources said. In addition, director Byron Pirola is retiring from the board as a non-executive director at the end of March, though he will keep his core shareholding. By Anna Farley; annafarley@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. New Delhi: Minutes after Jyotiraditya Scindia submitted his resignation to the party membership to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, the Congress expelled him for anti-party activities after reports emerged that he had met PM Modi and Amit Shah. Disgruntled Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday amid indications that he might join hands with the BJP to topple the Madhya Pradesh government. Sources said Scindia first met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and then the two leaders met Modi at the prime minister's residence. Legislators loyal to Scindia, who has been upset with the Congress leadership with his marginalisation in the affairs of the Madhya Pradesh Congress, are likely to quit the party to reduce the Kamal Nath-led government to a minority. It is likely to be followed by the Bharatiya Janata Party staking claim to form the government in the state. The Congress President has approved the expulsion of Jyotiraditya Scindia from the Indian National Congress with immediate effect for "anti-party activities," said KC Venugopal, General Secretary Congress. No person is, nor will be greater than the party: Congress youth wing chief Indian Youth Congress (IYC) chief Srinivas B V on Tuesday slammed Jyotiraditya Scindia, who has announced his resignation from the primary membership of the Congress, and thanked party chief Sonia Gandhi for expelling the former Guna MP "who was promoting anti-party activities and factionalism". "The history of 1857 and 1967 was once again repeated," Srinivas B V said, referring to the 1857 Revolt against East India Company and the role of the Scindia royals back then as well as Vijayaraje Scindia's switch from the Congress to the Jana Sangh in 1967. "I would like to thank Congress president Sonia Gandhiji for taking the strong steps to expel the leader who was promoting anti-party activities and factionalism," the IYC chief said. "No person is, nor will be greater than the party," he added. Britons have given their backing to a third runway at Heathrow in the first poll since the expansion was blocked. The Court of Appeal ruled last month that the 14billion project was illegal because the Government did not take its duty to curb climate change into account. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said ministers would not appeal against the ruling, leaving the scheme in doubt. Britons have given their backing to a third runway at Heathrow in the first poll since the expansion was blocked But a YouGov poll of 3,001 people shows voters believe ministers should find a way to help the plan succeed rather than try to boost capacity at another airport. The survey found that 46 per cent backed the Heathrow option, compared to 30 per cent who favoured looking elsewhere. Some 24 per cent said they did not know. Support was greatest among those who voted Conservative at the last election, with an overwhelming 54 per cent saying they were in favour, with 32 per cent against. Some 14 per cent did not know. The runway would be built north-west of the airport, allowing it to handle 756,000 flights a year, up from 473,000 last year. The Court of Appeal ruled last month that the 14billion project was illegal because the Government did not take its duty to curb climate change into account When Boris Johnson returned to Parliament in 2015, he campaigned against the third runway, and promised to lie down in front of bulldozers to stop it being built. However, business leaders have warned the failure to expand Heathrow would hand a huge economic advantage to the UKs competitors. Heathrow and Arora Group, which also wants to build the runway, have appealed to the Supreme Court over the ruling. A spokesman for Heathrow, which commissioned the polling, said: The country needs decisive action. The Government can keep waiting on the sidelines and watch France overtake Britain with the biggest airport in Europe within two years, or together we can take back control of our trading destiny. On April 1, 2019, President Trump held a White House summit to celebrate passage of the First Step Act, a leniency bill for federal felons. One of the convicts whose case Trump highlighted was Troy Powell. Trump referred to Powell as a great electrician and joked about using him for work in the White House. He noted that Powell had been hired by a lumber company in North Carolina. Trump then brought Powell to the lectern. Powell thanked various organizations that had lobbied to get First Step passed (though not the Heritage Foundation). But more needs to be done, Powell insisted. Theres people doing 40, 50 years, for nothing, I mean absolutely nothing, lamented Powell, as if dealing deadly drugs is nothing. The Republican National Committee tweeted out the video. Less than a year later, Daniel Horowitz reports that Powell has been arrested for meth trafficking. Apparently, Powell still believes that this crime is nothing. Yet, thousands of Americans are dying every year because of drugs like the ones Powell sells. Powell should have been the model candidate for the redemption that the leniency crowd promises to achieve through First Step. He has a skill and got a job almost immediately after leaving prison. Indeed, Powell is a model. Thats why he was selected to speak at the White House. Thats why Trump celebrated him. Yet, it took less than a year to catch Powell dealing drugs again. Powell is not an outlier. The statistics tell us that. As Horowitz says: The sad thing is that this happens all the time. Im told by sources at the DEA who are not authorized to speak to the media that they see many people who have been released in recent years, including under Obama, back to trafficking for the cartels within days of their release. If not for a local North Carolina TV station, we would never have known about this case. The last point is important. The leniency crowd knows that the recidivism rate for the felons on whose behalf it lobbies will be high, and it wants to suppress that information. Thats why 18 Republicans joined every Democrat in defeating an amendment to First Step by Sen. John Kennedy that would have required the Bureau of Prisons to publish the rearrest information of released prisoners. What is the leniency crowd trying to hide? Its trying to hide Troy Powell (once the spotlight was off) and the many thousands of similar ex-cons who, unreformed and unrepentant, will begin dealing deadly drugs again almost immediately upon their release. You can watch Trumps presentation, including his tribute to Troy Powell and Powells speech, below. -Zari posted a photo of herself standing next to the Chrysler, with a customised number plate baring her name - Behind her, stood a Jeep parked, also with a customised number plate carrying her late hubby, Ivan Ssemwanga's name ''Ivan 9'' - Her caption and location description hinted she was in Munyonyo, Uganda, which is late Ivan's rural home Ugandan socialite Zarina Hassan, or Zari as she is known by many has once again proved she was, she still is, and forever will be the Boss Lady. This is after the mother of five, flexed a bit and flaunted a palatial home and two very expensive rides, a Chrysler and a Jeep parked outside. READ ALSO: Pay attention, even salt looks like sugar: Tanasha warns ladies salivating for Diamond READ ALSO: Tantalising DJ Pierra Makena shows off flat tummy, postpartum curves and she's a sight to behold In an Instagram post seen by TUKO.co.ke on Monday, March 9, evening, just minutes after it was posted, the lass shared a photo of herself standing next to the Chrysler, with a customised number plate baring her name. Just behind her, stood yet another beast, the Jeep parked inside the mansion's garage, also with a customised number plate carrying her late hubby, Ivan Ssemwanga's name ''Ivan 9''. Her caption and location description hinted she was in Munyonyo, Uganda, which is late Ivan's rural home. READ ALSO: Gengetone artistes to share stage in mega concert in bid to change Kenyans' perception ''Finessing the next move,'' she captioned. It became clear the socialite had jetted into her home country albeit in top privacy. Her move to silently sneak into Uganda left many of her fans wondering why it was so private yet she is used to announcing her trips. READ ALSO: Mkutano wa BBI Nakuru wahairishwa kufuatia mgawanyiko baina ya wafuasi wa DP Ruto na Raila Zari's ''secret'' trip to Uganda came just days after his eldest son was handed the larger share of his late father's inheritance. For some time now, Ivan's family has been in a tussle with relatives fighting for the properties he left behind. It was until recently when it was resolved and Zari, with his sons walked away smiling to the bank. 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. Maid from hell : 'A crime of passion' | Tuko TV | Tuko Investigates Source: TUKO.co.ke The mayor of Boston announced Monday the city would cancel its annual St. Patrick's Day parade over coronavirus concerns, although New York said its parade would go on. The Boston parade, originally scheduled for March 15, was expected to attract about one million attendees. The New York parade is predicted to be twice as big. The decision to cancel the parade was made "out of an abundance of caution to ensure that we are doing what is needed to keep the residents of Boston safe and healthy," mayor Marty Walsh said in a statement shared via Twitter. "While the risk in Boston remains low, this situation is changing very quickly," the statement said. "Our top priority is preventing any new cases, to the best of our ability." The New York St. Patrick's Day parade is the most important one in the United States and typically attracts two million spectators. The parade is scheduled for March 17 and will go on, for now. "We do not have a plan to cancel the parade at this point," New York mayor Bill de Blasio said during a press briefing. There have been at least 20 confirmed coronavirus cases in New York. The city has yet to enact any official isolation measures, though Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency. "Now we're going to watch that day to day, hour to hour," De Blasio told reporters. "At a certain point we may say the numbers are telling us something different," he said, adding that it was necessary to find a "balance" between preserving health and safety and "the fact that people's livelihoods matter." March celebrations honoring Saint Patrick, the patron of Ireland, bring together more people in the United States -- where millions of people are descended from Irish immigrants -- than in Ireland itself, where the government on Monday also canceled festivities. The New York parade, which goes up Fifth Avenue from 44th Street to 80th, has taken place every year since 1762. The event takes on a crowded party atmosphere, and attendees are known to consume large amounts of beer and other alcoholic beverages -- which could make following precautionary social distancing measures intended to stem the spread of the virus more difficult. Social, political and business events have been canceled around the world in an effort to slow the deadly coronavirus's transmission. IN PURSUIT OF DISOBEDIENT WOMEN A Memoir of Love, Rebellion, and Family, Far Away By Dionne Searcey Dionne Searcey grew up in Wymore, Neb., a child of a young widow who prayed that her daughters would stay out of trouble and go to a Christian college. Their mother wanted Dionne to find a nice minister-in-training and live out her days as a stay-at-home preachers wife, serving her husband, kids and church. The plan worked for Searceys sister but not for Searcey, who got busted at her Christian college for sneaking out to a Rolling Stones concert. The administrators talked about suspension, and even expulsion. Instead, she dropped out and enrolled at the University of Nebraska, abandoning Jesus for journalism. The student rule breaker went on to work as a crime reporter in Chicago, and spent a decade at The Wall Street Journal before she was hired to write about the U.S. economy for The New York Times. By the time Searcey was 44, the mother of a young son and twin daughters, her husband, an executive at a conservation nonprofit based at the Bronx Zoo, was spending 45 minutes every night hunting for a legal parking space on their street in Brooklyn. Their dual-career households New York life had devolved into a huge, rat-raced rut, she writes. She decided to take off. She joined The Timess foreign desk and flew her husband and children away to live in West Africa. The family lucked out. They landed in Dakar, Senegal, home to some of the regions best music, to a particularly warm kind of hospitality known as Teranga and as I was struck on my last visit to endless seaside muscle gyms that make you think of Venice Beach. Searcey and her husband abandoned much of the advice theyd been given back in Brooklyn. Her children skateboarded without helmets or elbow pads and washed their sandy feet in the French bidet, perfect for spraying off grains between little toes. They stopped taking the malaria medicine prescribed by their pediatrician; long sleeves, candles, bed nets and spray were more than enough to keep them safe. Her husband became addicted to surfing. TORONTO - A Canada-wide criminal warrant for alleged child abduction has been issued for a father who has flouted court orders to return his son to Alberta from overseas, police confirmed Tuesday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/3/2020 (671 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Elizabeth De Swart poses at her apartment in Calgary on February 6, 2020. A Canada-wide criminal warrant for child abduction has been issued for a father who has flouted court orders to return his son to Alberta from overseas, police confirmed on Tuesday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh TORONTO - A Canada-wide criminal warrant for alleged child abduction has been issued for a father who has flouted court orders to return his son to Alberta from overseas, police confirmed Tuesday. However, it remains unclear whether Oscar Maillard has any intention of coming back to Canada or complying with the orders issued under an international treaty to turn the boy over to his mother. "There has been a warrant issued for the arrest of Mr. Maillard," said Calgary Det. David Keegan said. "At this point, I don't (know where he is)." In Calgary, Elizabeth (Liz) De Swart has been counting the days since she last had contact via video call with her four-year-old son in late January. While he was believed to have been in Spain at that point, it's not clear where he or Maillard is. De Swart, 38, said she was hoping the criminal warrant might now help move her case forward. "This was a big step that was required in order for the international authorities to get more involved," De Swart said. "I'm hopeful that this will now allow for international authorities potentially Interpol to take more of an interest." Keegan said Interpol has not issued a "red notice" in the case referring to what the international agency calls a request for law enforcement agencies to "locate and provisionally arrest a person." The detective, who heads up international child-abduction cases for the Calgary police, said he could not elaborate for operational reasons. The criminal case against Maillard, 35, marks a stark turnaround in a saga that previously saw De Swart arrested for failing to hand the couple's Calgary-born son over to his father in Spain. Last July, Alberta Court of Queen's Bench Justice Barbara Romaine ruled under the international Hague Convention that the child was habitually resident in Spain a country he had lived in for less than two months even though the child had spent almost his entire life in Calgary. Romaine refused to stay her decision pending an appeal, giving De Swart just four days to take the child to his father in Alicante, Spain. Instead, De Swart headed to The Netherlands, where she has relatives, in hopes Dutch authorities would intervene. When they refused and police came looking for her, she turned her son over to Maillard in the southern Dutch city of Breda on July 24, 2019. De Swart then returned to Canada, where she was arrested in Calgary before being released. She still faces a civil contempt case, and has lost contact with her child. "He doesn't understand why Mom's not there," she said of her last video calls with the boy. Romaine's decision was overturned by Alberta's Court of Appeal in December, and Maillard was ordered to return the boy to his mother. De Swart said Romaine's ruling in favour of Maillard had it stood could have had far-reaching consequences on other cases involving parental child abduction. "Her decision would have had an impact on countless lives moving forward," De Swart said. "The Hague Convention completely failed us." Maillard, who spoke to the media last summer about his joy at getting his son back, has not responded to requests for comment. He has initiated court action in Spain in hopes the courts there will side with him. De Swart also fears her ex could take their child to a country that hasn't signed on to The Hague Convention. She's hoping Canadian political authorities might get involved. Regardless, a speedy reunion between the boy and his mom seems unlikely. "Our hope is that the two parents come to some resolution and the child is brought back to Canada to comply with the order," Keegan said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2020. Haidee Janetzkis family and friends can sleep easier knowing they wont need to worry about a shortage of one of lifes basic necessities, according to a Reuters report. Janetzki, who lives in Australia, thought she had placed her regular order of 48 rolls of toilet paper from her online retailer, Who Gives a Crap. Instead she mistakenly had ordered 48 boxes - a total of 2,304 rolls, reports Reuters. Coronavirus checklist: Is your home ready for new COVID-19 virus quarantine? The mistake can be considered timely, since ABC reports panic buying, due to the coronavirus outbreak, has produced a toilet paper shortage in Australia, and according to Reuters, major grocers are restricting purchases to one pack per person. Posted by Chris Janetzki on Wednesday, March 4, 2020 Janetzki failed to notice the huge credit card bill and didnt realize the mistake until the boxes were delivered to her home. Reuters reports that Janetzkis husband Chris said they figured out it would take their family 12 years to go through the supply. When asked how she felt about the accidental purchase, Janetzki replied, Gobsmacked, confused and like a bit of an idiot, quotes Reuters. Coronavirus supplies: How to make hand sanitizer with ingredients you have at home Rather than hoard it all, the Janetzkis have decided to sell some boxes in a fundraiser, "at the same price at which they bought them, reports Reuters. Reuters asked how she felt about Australias toilet paper demand. Janetzkis reply - Im relieved my friends and family dont have to worry about it. MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: Could coronavirus close Disney World, other theme parks in Florida? First coronavirus case confirmed on Staten Island Global markets pick up after plunge on virus, oil Trump wants payroll tax relief to calm virus-spooked markets 2 GOP congressmen in recent contact with Trump enter coronavirus-related quarantine A sprawling Memorial mansion that sold at auction for half of its original listing price and a mid-century, modern River Oaks home that once served as a parsonage are both among the top 10 most expensive homes sold in Houston in February, according to data from the Houston Association of Realtors (HAR). The Tuscany-style mansion located at 11010 N. Country Squire St. is the No. 4 most expensive home sold last month. The home was once listed at nearly $7 million and sold in early February for half its original price, for between $3.8 million and $4.4 million. The 11,735-square-foot home offers six bedrooms, seven full bathrooms and two half bathrooms. Inside, interior features include barrel-vaulted ceilings, massive formal dining and living rooms, and several crystal chandeliers. The home also boasts a wine room, game room, 16-seat movie theater, private massage room, resort-style pool with pool-side covered cabana and waterfall rain curtain, fire pit, summer kitchen and outdoor dining area. - Cristiano Ronaldo has landed in Madeira with his family - Ronaldo took his family to see his mother who is currently bedridden - Dolores is battling with stroke but she is understood to be stable In less than a week, Cristiano Ronaldo has traveled to Madeira in his home country for the second time to see his lovely mother who is currently battling stroke. Ronaldo has proven that his love for his mother knows no bound as he arrived in Medeira on Monday morning, March 9, in his private jet. READ ALSO: AFC Leopards finally receive club's luxurious state-of-the-art team bus READ ALSO: Lionel Messi's son Thiago nets brace for Barcelona U8 in 9-2 victory The former Real Madrid star played on Sunday, March 8, for Juventus in their 2-0 win over rivals Inter Milan thanks to goals from Aaron Ramsey and Dybala. Last week Tuesday, the news broke that Ronaldo's mother Dolores was rushed to hospital after suffering stroke in which the Juventus forward had to make an emergency trip. Cristiano Ronaldo was said to have traveled from Italy to Portugal with girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez and his eldest son to check on his mum. READ ALSO: Victor Wanyama: Kipchoge sends midfielder message of goodwill after he left Spurs But this time around, the ex Manchester United made the trip to Madeira with his entire family, understandly to spend time with the ailing mum. However, it remains unclear how long the Juve star will stay with his mum this time. Ronaldo's three other siblings are also said to be in the hospital with their 65-year-old mother. PAY ATTENTION: Install Pitch Football app for FREE to easily access stats, news and live updates Meanwhile, Dolores is expected to be discharged from hospital this week and will continue with treatments at home. There are also reports suggesting Ronaldo could airlift his mother to Italy so as to monitor her health very well. Do you have an inspirational story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Tuko news. Kenyans weigh in on Coronavirus | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke A teenage girl has been saved from abduction after police used a stinger to stop a car near Bromsgrove, Worcestershire Specially trained officers were sent out to stop a vehicle on the M42 after West Mercia Police was alerted to the fact a girl who had been kidnapped was possibly inside the vehicle. Police tweeted this picture after performing a tactical stop on the junction for the M5 and M42 Specially trained officers deployed a 'stinger' to bring the car to a safe stop and the teenager was found and taken into care. Three men, aged 21, 24 and 46, were detained with a 37-year-old woman, all of whom were arrested on suspicion of abduction and taken to a police station in Hereford following the incident last week. All four were collected from custody at Hereford Police Station by Northamptonshire Police the following morning and have been released on bail, pending further enquiries. Worcestershire Police's Operations Patrol Unit tweeted: 'A shift assisted this evening with a tactical stop on this vehicle M5/M42. Four Romanians arrested and now in custody for the abduction of a 15-year-old. We will continue to tackle organised crime!' As the youngest of Prince William and Kate Middleton s offspring (he turns 2 in April) Prince Louis is hitting some major milestones - including developing a taste in music. During a reception at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the 25th anniversary of youth mental health charity Place 2B , Kate told the students about Prince Louis's love of music. The students from New North Academy in Islington and Salisbury Primary School in north-west London had prepared a song to sing for Kate accompanied by musicians from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Kate reportedly said you've written it especially for tonight? Thank you so much! What a treat for me. She then said she was the one who should be singing because it was two of the childrens birthdays. She then added that Happy Birthday is one of her son Prince Louis favourite songs. Prince Louis appears to be musically inclined as the Duchess of Cambridge reportedly takes him to the weekly Monkey Music sessions, a music class for babies and toddlers. It was reported by the Daily Mail that Kate gets very stuck into these sessions. The classes are 12 each and take place all over the country. Members of Bangladeshi Islamic parties rally in Dhaka against clashes in India over New Delhis controversial citizenship law, Feb. 28, 2020. Bangladesh has expressed concern about Indias policies affecting Muslims through official channels, Dhakas foreign minister told BenarNews on Tuesday, one day after New Delhi announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi deferred a trip to the neighboring country because of the global spread of novel coronavirus. Bangladesh on Sunday announced the first three confirmed cases of the virus on its soil and said it was scaling back celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of the countrys founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, planned for this month. Modi had been scheduled to attend a grand ceremony on March 17 that would be held later, it said. Islamic parties, which had threatened to hold a major protest on Thursday, suspended the plan after New Delhi announced the cancellation of Modis Dhaka trip on Monday. They continued to call for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to condemn what they termed Indias discriminatory policies and attacks on the Muslims. Its not true that we are silent. We have been talking to the Indian government at different official forums, Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen told BenarNews, refuting allegations during protest rallies by the Islamic parties. Previously, Bangladeshi officials said Modi was expected to hold bilateral talks with Hasina on a wide range of issues during his two-day visit starting March 17. But Islamic political parties staged protest rallies across nation for two consecutive Fridays demanding cancellation of Modis visit, alleging that the Indian government had stoked tensions between Hindus and Muslims. At least 52 people were killed and hundreds more suffered injuries during a 72-hour outburst of intercommunal violence in the Indian capital two weeks ago, local reports said. To prepare for Modis tour, Indias Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla visited Dhaka early this month and assured Hasina and Momen that Indias decisions regarding the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) would not impact Bangladesh. CAA, which has led to violence in several parts of the country over the last few months, makes it easier for persecuted non-Muslim minorities from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan to get Indian citizenship. It was passed by the Indian parliament in December 2019. On Monday, Indias Ministry of External Affairs said it had received formal notification from Bangladesh that the birth centenary celebrations were delayed because of the detection of coronavirus cases in the country. The Bangladesh government has advised us that fresh dates for these commemorative events will be conveyed later, the MEA said. In this context, [the] Prime Ministers visit to Bangladesh next week at the invitation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is being deferred. Momen, meanwhile, said he had asked his Indian counterpart whether the NRC and the CAA were necessary. The Indian foreign secretary gave his governments clarification and assured me that the NRC and the CAA were internal affairs of India and those would in no way affect Bangladesh, Momen told BenarNews. New Delhi authorities have not explained what whipped up violence where Hindu rioters set several mosques ablaze and engaged Muslims in pitched battles using swords, sticks, guns and axes. Reports said the clashes stemmed from tensions over amendments to the citizenship law passed by Modis government but seen by critics as discriminating against Muslims. The religious community forms the largest minority group in Hindu-majority India, which is one of Bangladeshs closest allies. Bangladeshi government officials earlier withheld comment on the controversial amendments, saying they involved matters related to New Delhis internal affairs. Despite the demonstrations and mounting criticism, the Hindu nationalist government has rejected calls to repeal CAA. Islamic leaders suspend protests As the trip had been cancelled, we have suspended protest-action programs, Ahmed Abdul Quadir, secretary general of Islamic political party Khelafat Majlish told BenarNews on Tuesday. Our expectation was that the Bangladeshi government would not remain silent on the question of condemning the attacks on Muslims in Delhi and the discriminatory policies of the Indian government against Muslims, Quadir said. But the government is silent. They are just expressing concerns, he said. We were expecting the government to condemn India for NRC and the CAA. But diplomatic analysts rejected the statements from the Islamic party leaders. Why should Bangladesh take the responsibility of all Muslims around the world? Bangladesh is not an Islamic country, Touhid Hossain, a former foreign secretary, told BenarNews. Bangladesh lacks the political, economic, diplomatic and military strength to put pressure on India, Hossain said. We have to accept the reality, he said. Bangladesh cannot condemn India. But Munshi Faiz Ahmad, chairman of the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies, a state-owned think tank, said Bangladesh had cancelled many bilateral visits to India to deliver a message: Dhaka does not support the CAA and the NRC. In the presence of the Indian foreign secretary, one of Hasinas advisers said during a March 2 meeting on Bangladesh-India relations that India should not do anything that may harm Bangladeshs secular atmosphere, Ahmad said. Through this comment, Bangladesh has communicated a message to India, he said. And this is strong enough. We cannot go for public condemnation of India. Posted on: March 10, 2020 2:40 PM The Moderator of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Dr Agnes Abuom, has announced that this months meetings of both the WCCs Central Committee and its Executive Committee have been postponed. The Central Committee was due to elect a new General Secretary, to succeed Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, who stands down at the end of this month. Dr Abuom, from the Anglican Church of Kenya, wrote to Central Committee members saying: the decision is a prudential one, taking into account all relevant information and assessing the total risks for the participants, the WCC as an organisation, the integrity of a meeting of the governing bodies under these circumstances, and for the health of all involved in such a gathering, directly or indirectly. The decision reflects an abundance of caution about the possible difficulties members would encounter in travelling safely abroad and ensuring a quorum for decision-making, as well as ensuring the health of attendees and other participants. The Central Committee had been due to elect a new General Secretary. The final two candidates are Dr Elizabeth Joy of the Malankara Orthodox Church, a Director of Churches Together in England, and Prof Dr Jerry Pillay, the Dean of Theology and Religion at South Africas University of Pretoria. Last week, Dr Abuom announced that the Central Committees leadership team had appointed Father Professor Ioan Sauca as Acting General Secretary. He will take up his temporary role on 1 April and continue until the WCC Executive Committee meeting in June. The Deputy General Secretary of the WCC, Father Professor Ioan Sauca from the Romanian Orthodox Church, will serve as Acting General Secretary from 1 April until the WCCs Executive Council meeting in June. Photo: World Council of Churches Professor Sauca, from the Orthodox Church in Romania, has been Professor of Missiology and Ecumenical Theology at the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey since 1998 and its director since 2001. He has served as a WCC Deputy General Secretary since 2014. Father Sauca is a senior colleague, well- qualified for this, and we will support and pray for him in these new responsibilities, Dr Abuom said. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit will be consecrated and installed as Presiding Bishop of the Church of Norway on 26 April. The Church of Norway is part of the Lutheran World Federation. Through the Porvoo Communion, it is in full communion with a number of Anglican provinces: the Church of England, the Church of Ireland, the Lusitanian Church of Portugal, the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Reformed Episcopal Church of Spain and the Church in Wales. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 12:40:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PANAMA CITY, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Panama's health authorities on Monday confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in a 40-year-old woman who returned Sunday afternoon from Spain. Health Minister Rosario Turner said at a press conference that the woman went to a hospital in the capital Panama City on Monday morning after showing symptoms of cough and fever. The patient is now being treated at home and in stable conditions, she added. With this case, the country's focus will move from containment to mitigation of the virus, said the minister, adding that Panama will maintain all necessary preventive measures, and ask its people to avoid unnecessary visits to medical centers. Frank Marino PR professionals frequently find ourselves making a case for the powerful influence of earned media in the form of general news coverage, especially as it contrasts with the power of paid placements. True, all credible public relations agencies will vouch for the overarching value of integrated marketing strategies that weave together a smart mix of earned, paid and owned platforms. Yet, even so, this years presidential primaryespecially over the three-day period between the South Carolina primary on Saturday, Feb. 29 and Super Tuesday on March 3provides an unusually cogent illustration of the persuasive impact of conventional news coverage. The point is borne out by Joe Bidens uncanny electoral performance during this period, especially considering the dramatic gap in ad spending by Biden versus that of his opponents. Simply put, Biden suddenly emerged as the national electoral frontrunner without having spent much money at all on advertising on TV or other platforms. Spending relatively little or no money on paid ads, Joe Bidenvirtually overnighthad transformed himself from fading long shot to leader of the pack. Coupling an overwhelming win in South Carolina with media coverage of two candidates who withdrew from the race and promptly endorsed BidenAmy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigiegthe former vice president was able to ride the crest of more than 48 hours of consistently upbeat news coverage to Super Tuesday victories in 10 out of 14 states, an achievement anticipated by no one. The Guardian called Bidens performance a stunning Super Tuesday surge. The headline of Frank Brunis column in the New York Times said Biden had performed a miracle by roaring to the front of the pack." Bruni himself reported that these few days had brought Joe Biden back from the dead. The noteworthy takeaway for PR people, for now and into the future, is that Biden had pulled off this miracle while radically underspending his less-successful rivals on ads. And thats precisely the message public relations providers love conveying to existing and prospective clients: dont underestimate the power and value of earned coverage. When it comes to demonstrating the potential disconnect between ad buys and electoral payoff, just look at these numbers: Bernie Sanders spent $18 million on ads in all Super Tuesday states, compared with the $2.2 million bought by Joe Biden. Thats an 818-percent higher spend. Yet, as of this writing, Biden had come away with 4,562,712 Super Tuesday votes, more than 18 percent more than the 3,723,541 Democrats who had voted for Sanders. When you combine Sanderss ad buys with the enormous spending of Michael Bloomberg, the level of disproportion grows astronomically larger. Bloomberg and Sanders paid $67.85 for every vote they collectively garnered in Texas, compared with spending of only 77 cents per vote by Biden in his victorious primary there. And based on the most recent results from California, the Bloomberg-plus-Sanders spend-per-vote equaled $54.54, contrasted with 87 cents in spending by Biden. Underscoring the point even further, Joe Biden spent less than $200,000 on overall advertising in Minnesota, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Alabama. Yet he won all four states. Thats quite an ROI on earned media. Its important not to be simplistic or disingenuous in analyzing some of these radical differences in ad-buy levels in respect to the votes they nominally help deliver. We all know that theres a long and beefy list of relevant variables. To name just a few, all candidates arent equally compelling, their platforms vary widely, theyre not equally skilled at campaign targeting and resource allocation, their level of name recognition varies, and their advertising is not of uniform quality. Plus, Bloombergs massive ad spend was not entirely for naught: it helped earn him a palpable presence on national candidate tote boards. But just as its unwise to assume that political advertising along the lines of a Bloomberg or a Steyer strongly helps ensure victory, its equally wrong to underestimate the lasting potency of conventional news coverage. Look, for example, at how the Klobuchar, Buttigieg and Beto ORourke endorsements coursed through a brief news cycle at lightning speed. For yet more evidence of the power of conventional news to register political impact, look no further than president Donald Trump. A national media tracking firm valued his earned media presence at $5.9 billion during 2016 alone. The Presidents mastery of television has made him a ubiquitous presence capable of commanding attention along multiple narrative lines simultaneously. The lessons here have plenty of practical usefulness for the PR world: its a mistake to overmagnify the power of paid advertising, and its also a mistake to undervalue the power of conventional media coverageand the third-party validation it delivers. *** Frank Marino is CEO of Marino. Based in New York with offices in Los Angeles and Boston, Marino is a full-service communications firm delivering data-driven, fully integrated strategies focused on changing perceptions, amplifying impressions and fostering high-level relationships. Up to 100 pop-up respiratory clinics will be established around the nation to fight the spread of coronavirus under a $2.4 billion federal government plan that also includes subsidised video-link consultations and a targeted public health campaign. The specialist treatment centres in areas of greatest need will divert Australians with mild or moderate symptoms away from strained emergency departments and local clinics so they can handle the more severe cases. Prime Minister Scott Morrison will unveil the measures on Wednesday to combat the advance of COVID-19 ahead of the expected release of a multibillion-dollar stimulus package later this week to help cushion the economy over the coming months in a bid to stave off a recession. The health package will contain a $30 million national awareness campaign to begin within days, targeting those most at risk of contracting the disease, with television, radio, print, digital and social media advertisements. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) speaks during a news conference to announce the 'Green Real Deal' in Washington on April 3, 2019. (Zach Gibson/Getty Images) Rep. Matt Gaetz Says He Tested Negative for Coronavirus, Still in Self-Quarantine Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) tested negative for the COVID-19 coronavirus on Tuesday, according to an update from his office. Ive just been informed that my COVID-19 lab result was negative. In an abundance of caution, I will remain under self-quarantine at the advice of medical professionals through Thursday at 2 p.m. I continue to feel fine and show no symptoms, Gaetz wrote on social media. The Florida lawmaker, who drew headlines last week for wearing a gas mask in Congress, announced this week that he would self-quarantine after he interacted with a person who was confirmed to have tested positive for COVID-19 during a conservative conference. Gaetz added in a Twitter post that he is appreciative of the people around the United States who are working to fight the outbreak. Other members of Congress, including Reps. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), as well as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) have self-quarantined after attending the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland late in February. They also interacted with the coronavirus patient, who CPACs organizers said has been quarantined inside a New Jersey hospital. But officials said that Gaetz rode on Air Force One with President Donald Trump and spent the weekend at the presidents Mar-a-Lago property, according to reports. Ive just been informed that my COVID-19 lab result was negative. In an abundance of caution, I will remain under self-quarantine at the advice of medical professionals through Thursday at 2pm. I continue to feel fine and show no symptoms. Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) March 10, 2020 Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), tapped to become Trumps acting chief of staff, announced he would self-quarantine after interacting with the CPAC attendee. Out of an abundance of caution, Meadows received testing which came back negative, his office said in statement on Tuesday. While hes experiencing zero symptoms, under doctors standard precautionary recommendations, hell remain at home until the 14 day period expires this Wednesday. Other than the CPAC attendees, Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.) said she would self-quarantine starting Monday after she met with a person last week who tested positive for the new virus. I have decided to close our DC office for the week, the congresswoman said in a statement, adding, My staff and I are working remotely. Out of an abundance of absolute caution, my DC staff and I are self-monitoring and maintaining social distancing practices. Neither I, nor my staff, are experiencing any symptoms at this time, Brownley said. The rash of new cases has prompted two congressmen to introduce legislation this week that would enable lawmakers to work from home amid the outbreak. Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) announced Monday they would reintroducing the Members Operating to Be Innovative and Link Everyone (MOBILE) Resolution, according to Axios. NORTHAMPTON As concerns continue to mount about the spread of the new coronavirus, Smith College President Kathleen McCartney has informed all students living on campus that they must vacate their student housing between March 14 and March 20 and that they should not expect to return this semester. The decision comes a day after Amherst College announced it would switch to remote learning after spring break. In a letter issued Tuesday, McCartney said in-person classes would continue through Friday, March 13, but that the college would extend spring break by a week, to March 29. On March 30, the letter said, classed would begin offering alternate modes of instruction. Students in study-abroad and study-away programs will remain in place, the letter said. The order for students to move out of dorms does not apply to students whose legal residence is the college campus. McCartney said a COVID-19 Incident Response Team at the college has been focused on preparing a plan to protect students, faculty and staff from the virus. There are many unknowns about the COVID-19 disease, but two things are clear," McCartney wrote. The first is that social distancing is one of the best protections against the spread of the virus. The second is that the virus has the potential to spread rapidly in communities. Both of these pose challenges for each and every college campus, including Smith. McCartney said there are no known cases on campus and that the college is not closing. We believe that spring recess travel presents a potential threat to Smith. Because so many members of our community are planning to leave, their return, from many places, could present a significantly increased risk of exposure to the virus, she said. McCartney said the alternate modes of instruction offered beginning on March 30 might include lectures and discussions through Zoom, a video conferencing system. She said the Schacht Center for Health and Wellness is preparing to support sick and well students; dining services is transitioning from self to plated service; the facilities department has implemented enhanced cleaning protocols across campus; and Information Technology Services is prepared to support the shift in academic and administrative operations. Students, I know that many of you will be disappointed to leave a place that many of you call home; my heart breaks especially for the seniors. We will do our best to support your studies while we will seek ways to support virtual connections with one another and this campus, she said. Anyone with questions is asked to email covid19info@smith.edu. There is also an FAQ page on the college website which will be updated regularly. Related Content: Coronavirus concerns cancel Holyoke St. Patricks Parade and Road Race Coronavirus cases in Massachusetts now at 41; with more linked to Boston Biogen conference Coronavirus case confirmed in Western Massachusetts; 13 reported statewide A surge in activity on farms across the country has been brought to a halt again by the heavy rains of the last few days. Last week's dry cold weather saw a huge amount of slurry spread, as farmers and contractors took advantage of the conditions to ease the pressure on slurry storage. Tillage farmers were also busy getting fertiliser out on crops where ground conditions allowed. However, the general consensus is that the fertiliser spreading is well back on normal years as a result of the heavy rainfall levels of recent months. George Ramsbottom of Teagasc said grassland management was also proving extremely difficult for farmers as they have been unable to get cows out on paddocks for extended periods. Teagasc's Pasturebase service shows that grass growth remains unseasonably low at 7-12kg of dry matter per hectare per day. Growth rates have been particularly low in the west and northwest where soils are saturated and cold. Soil temperatures remain at 4-6C. On the tillage front, lands have started to dry slowly but farmers have been concentrating on getting fertiliser out and spraying. Ploughing North Dublin agricultural consultant Richie Hackett said ground was still too wet to consider ploughing. The forecast for the coming week is for temperatures to rise to 11-12C but for the weather to remain unsettled, with heavy showers. After record rainfall figures in February, which saw some areas experience over three times the normal levels of rain, Met Eireann estimate that an additional 50mm has fallen across the west, Munster and the midlands since last Saturday. The Shannon remains exceptionally high in places, with fears the heavy rainfall could trigger renewed flooding in parts of Mayo, Galway, Westmeath, Clare and Roscommon. In some places, the Shannon is almost two metres above normal water levels and thousands of acres of farmland remain under flood waters. Chennai, March 10 : A local court on Tuesday dismissed a case filed against actor Rajinikanth for his comments made about a rally led by Dravida Kazhagham (DK) founder E.V. Ramaswamy, popularly known as Periyar. The actor had made the comments at the Tamil magazine Thuglak's 50th anniversary function here sometime back. The case filed by a member of the Dravidar Vidhuthalai Kazhagam (DVK) was dismissed when it came up for hearing. Speaking at the function, Rajinikanth had said that "in 1971, naked images of Lord Rama and Sita were allegedly displayed in a rally led by Periyar in Salem". He said that whatever happened in that rally was reported by the media at the time. The followers of the social activist, who started the "self-respect movement" and founded DK, said that Rajinikanth's comments were an insult to Periyar. While some groups have demanded an apology from Rajinikanth, the actor has categorically refused to do so. Speaking to reporters outside his residence later, Rajinikanth showed some photocopies of the media reports in support of his comments and said that he will not apologise. The DK followers did not agree with Rajinikanth's statement that naked images of Lord Rama and Sita were allegedly displayed at a rally led by Periyar in Salem. On the other hand, they agreed that the image of Lord Rama was beaten with a slipper that was allegedly thrown at the rally. Meghan Markle's makeup artist has thanked the Duchess of Sussex for 'letting us play dress up again' in a gushing post revealing he helped her prepare for her final royal appearances. Daniel Martin, who lives in New York, shared an Instagram post today acknowledging he has been the person behind the royal's stunning makeup looks over the last few days. Posting a show-reel of Meghan's, 38, final royal appearances, including the Endeavour Award's and the Commonwealth Service, Daniel wrote: 'Thanks for letting us play dress up again my love...' Daniel has often joined the Duchess at key moments in her royal life, including her wedding and baby shower, as well as around the time of Archie's christening, sparking rumours he was one of the baby's secret godparents. Meghan Markle's makeup artist Daniel Martin, from New York, has revealed he helped the Duchess of Sussex with her final appearances in a gushing Instagram post today It comes after he revealed he was travelling to London on Thursday last week, the same day Meghan made her first appearance in the city after announcing her plan to step back as a senior royal. Over the weekend, he also shared an Instagram story revealing he was enjoying an 'incredible' meal at the five-star luxury Coworth Park hotel, which is just 15 minutes drive from Frogmore Cottage. Daniel shared a short video showcasing Meghan's beauty with his 138,000 followers online earlier today. Alongside the caption, he posted a red, green and blue heart, to represent the bold colours the royal has chosen over her final royal appearances. Daniel, who also helped Meghan with her wedding makeup, revealed he worked with the Duchess at three of her final royal appearances (pictured, The Duchess attending the Mountbatten Festival of Music at the Royal Albert Hall) Celebrities and close friends of the Duchess were quick to flood the comments to praise Daniel's incredible talent. Her best friend and former stylist Jessica Mulroney was one of the first to comment, posting a red heart on the image. Meanwhile actress Mindy Kahling also shared her thoughts, writing: 'So dreamy Daniel.' Meghan has been widely praised for her showstopping looks in her final appearances before stepping down as a senior member of The Firm, and giving up her title at the end of the month as part of their 'Megxit' departure deal. Daniel has been by the royal's side at several key moments in her life, including her wedding and New York baby shower (pictured, at the shower last March) The makeup artist and close friend of the royal thanked the Duchess for 'letting us play dress up again' and called her 'my love' in the gushing Instagram message And it appears Daniel was on hand for each of the evening events, including the Endeavour Award's, the Mountbatten Festival of Music and the Commonwealth Service yesterday. On Thursday, Meghan wowed in a dazzling turquoise Victoria Beckham gown while at the Endeavour Award's, sweeping her hair back into a stylish pony-tail. And on Saturday night, the Duchess looked showstopping red full-length 1,295 Safiyaa dress, jewelled Simone Rocha earrings, and gorgeous red Stuart Weitzman heels for the Mountbatten Festival of Music. Yesterday, she attended the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey, marking her final public appearance as a senior royal. The Duchess donned an emerald gown for the event, sweeping her locks into a delicate braided bun tied beneath her hat at the nape of her neck. Daniel thanked the Duchess for 'letting us play dress up again' hours after she stepped out for her final appearance as a senior member of the royal family (pictured) Meghan has dazzled on her last appearances as a senior member of the royal family, with Daniel revealing he had assisted her on several of the final events Her make-up consisted of dramatic, dark eyes, defined brows, bronzed cheek and a touch of rose pink lip colour. Daniel is believed to have known Meghan for over a decade, having met her while the former actress worked on Suits. He has remained in contact with the Duchess throughout her life in the royal family and has often seen her over the last year. Daniel was by Meghan's side on her wedding day as he perfected her make-up and attended her famous baby shower in New York last February alongside celebrities like Gayle King and Serena Williams. Daniel shared several snaps on his Instagram stories over the weekend as he tucked into dessert at Coworth Park, which is just 15 minutes drive from Frogmore Cottage The luxury spa hotel is a favourite of the royal couple, with the Duke of Sussex spending the night before the royal wedding at the venue He was one of the first to visit the Duke and Duchess of Sussex when they moved into Frogmore Cottage shortly before Archie's birth. And the makeup artist sparked rumours he could be one of Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor's secret godparents when he shared pictures from London in the days after the baby's christening. The royal also surprised Daniel in New York for his birthday last September, with the makeup artist revealing the news by sharing a snap on Instagram of a plate of cupcakes. The pandemic may have derailed everyone's plans, but there's still a lot to look forward to on the big screen! To clarify these are original films rather than stage versions transplanted to the big screen (like our trusty friend Hamilton). Some of these release dates have changed, but we're still hoping they're coming and are very excited. Oh and, Six might be joining them. 1. Cyrano Peter Dinklage and Haley Bennett Left: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0) right: https://www.flickr. Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage will once more take on the title role in this stage-to-screen adaptation, of a show first seen off-Broadway to favourable reviews in 2018. It's scheduled to be released in the UK in mid January hit the ground running! 2. Matilda Emma Thompson and Lashana Lynch Left: Dan Wooller for WhatsOnStage, right: MTV International A lot of concrete information came out very recently including casting (Lashana Lynch, Stephen Graham, Sindhu Vee and Emma Thompson!) for the musical version of Roald Dahl's classic. Release date December 2022 3. Wicked Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande Dan Wooller, Cosmopolitan UK This one has been doing the rounds for a while now, and some would even say it's a "Popular" choice. Composer Stephen Schwartz has said that he is penning new songs for the film, and that it will begin production later this year with plans to film across 2022. Director Jon M Chu (In the Heights) spearheads the project, which has also revealed top casting! Release date unconfirmed 4. A Chorus Line The Broadway revival marquee for A Chorus Line Photo: Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Fresh off adapting The Prom for Netflix, Ryan Murphy will now be tackling this long-running musical classic. The twist? Murphy will be spreading the piece over multiple episodes, and feature a meta-narrative about how the show itself came to exist. Release date unconfirmed 5. Beautiful Cassidy Janson (Carole King) Dan Wooller for WhatsOnStage The Carole King musical finished in the West End a while back (it is about to head out on tour again), so talk of a film adaptation is no big surprise. Last we heard (a while back!) megastar Tom Hanks and Sony Pictures are set to produce the film, which will have the rights to King's songs as well as those of Gerry Goffin, Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann. No release date announced at present 6. Guys and Dolls The cast of Guys and Dolls Paul Coltas The last we heard (in March 2019), TriStar Pictures has bought the rights not only to Frank Loesser, Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling's Tony Award-winning musical, but also the 1955 film version and the original Damon Runyon short stories on which the musical is based. That sounds like they have big plans. No release date announced at present 7. Little Shop of Horrors Chris Evans United States House of Representatives - Office of Don Young / Public domain Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's 1986 film is such a mainstay of musical theatre history that we can hear you all screaming, "Do we really need another one?!" Well yes, yes we do, according to Menken himself anyway. Produced by Marc Platt (Wicked) and directed by Greg Berlanti, the movie musical will feature a script by Matthew Robinson and is described as "a fresh version" of the 30 year-old film. Casting wise it is all very exciting Taron Egerton, Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans are apparently attached to the project. No release date announced at present 8. Follies Emily Langham in Follies Johan Persson Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman's award-winning musical Follies is being adapted into a film. Dominic Cooke who directed the acclaimed National Theatre revival of the show is attached to the project, but there's no news of a cast or release date just yet (Cooke also has to tackle Hello, Dolly! first!). Set in a crumbling theatre where a reunited group of old Follies girls reflect on their lives and their performing heydays, the musical features numbers including "Losing My Mind" and "I'm Still Here". No release date announced at present 9. Mean Girls The original cast of Mean Girls on Broadway Joan Marcus Honestly we didn't expect to have this one on here but eagerly anticipate it nonetheless a brand new film version of a stage musical based on an original film (it's somewhat satisfying to see it come full-circle) was announced by Tina Fey. No release date announced at present 10. Fiddler on the Roof Fiddler on the Roof 30th anniversary cover Hamilton's own Thomas Kail will lead a brand new version of the iconic stage show, which he promised will be a departure from the original. Count us intrigued! No release date announced at present 11. Merrily We Roll Along Ben Platt David Gordon A team of dreams including Ben Platt, Beanie Feldstein. are said to be taking on Sondheim's iconic musical, directed by Richard Linklater. The twist is, Linklater is directing it in real-time, ie over the course of 20 years. This might need a bit of patience especially as Ben Platt recently revealed they're going to have to restart shooting. No release date announced at present, but it'll be sometime in the 2040s 12. Once On This Island Once on this Island, during its hit revival Joan Marcus Disney is reportedly working on a brand spanking new version of the iconic musical, about a group of gods and island dwellers in the Caribbean. Get all the details. No release date announced at present 13. Fun Home Jake Gyllenhaal David Gordon At the start of the year reports came out that Jake Gyllenhaal was set to star in a Fun Home film. The iconic show is a powerful one and it'd be incredible to see it on screen. No release date announced at present 14. The Band Ruth Wilson, Cush Jumbo and Rosamund Pike Dan Wooller for WhatsOnStage How could we (n)ever forget! The Band is set to be transformed into a new musical film with a starry cast including Cush Jumbo and Rosamund Pike. Currently called Greatest Days, the film will be directed by Coky Giedroyc (How to Build a Girl) with a screenplay penned by Tim Firth and choreography by the award-winning Drew McOnie (Jesus Christ Superstar). No release date announced at present 15. The Color Purple Blitz Bazawule and The Color Purple Left: Willhwhitney / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), right: Photo: Andreas Praefcke / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/ The iconic musical is set for a big-screen release, with Blitz Bazawule in the director's chair. The musical is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker, and tells the story of heroine Celie over 40 years as she finds her place in the world. It has a book by Marsha Norman and music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray. No release date announced at present 16. Spamalot Eric Idle at the opening night of Spamalot Dan Wooller for WhatsOnStage The hit Broadway musical is headed for the big screen, with director Casey Nicholaw in the director's chair. Huzzah! Release date tbc. 17. The King and I A remake is reportedly in the works, with a "contemporary and diverse perspective" on the Rodgers and Hammerstein material expected. In fact a whole range of R&H musicals are headed the same way. Release date tbc. In an effort to facilitate quality conversations surrounding the popular topic of hemp and growing it, Hempton Farms is hosting several town hall events throughout the United States. Each event is free to attend, with registration, and will cover topics including: seed genetics, planting options, crop insurance, cultivation and hemp farm management. "As farmers and agribusiness professionals, we believe it's important that quality, experience-driven conversations are happening," explained Janson Hoambrecker, President and CEO. "We know that there are still questions out there and, for those interested in hemp as a crop, we're here to help. This is not a typical crop in so many ways. We're hopeful that, by opening conversations, we can help others feel more confident in the plant's potential." The four events are as follows: March 11, Hemp Town Hall in Chatham, Virginia March 12, Hemp Town Hall in Leasburg, North Carolina March 17, Hemp Summit in Columbia, Missouri March 20, Online webinar for Texas "Many states have begun adopting their USDA rules," said Hoambrecker. "With spring planting quickly approaching, we think it is important that those who are ready to grow can do so with as much information as possible - so that they can feel confident in their crop." Registration and information for these events can be found on HemptonFarms.com See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. President Donald Trump addressed the country Monday as a rattled Wall Street took a hit amid concerns of the coronavirus affecting the economy. During a White House meeting Monday, Trump addressed how the White House would be working on several efforts, including measures with Congress and the Small Business Administration, for ways to assist workers and companies. Trump said the White House is going to meet with members of Congress and discuss a possible payroll tax cut or relief. The president also said he was seeking help for hourly wage workers to ensure theyre not going to miss a paycheck and dont get penalized for something thats not their fault." The announcement came as Ireland canceled all its St. Patricks Day parades and Italy expanded a quarantine, originally placed on around 16 million people, to the entire country. Vice President Mike Pence said the U.S. has already bought considerable time due to the measures it has taken. He also said the risk to contracting the virus remains low. The main thing is were taking care of the American public, and will be taking care of the American public, Trump said. Following a Sunday advisory by the U.S. State Department recommending people dont go on cruise ships, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci said healthy, young people should go on cruises. The concern, he noted, is for people with underlying conditions. Trump looks for support on economic stimulus proposal that includes payroll tax cuts a plan some Democrats dismiss. Washington, DC United States President Donald Trump and Congress are moving towards new legislation to support the US economy with competing priorities. Democrats in the US House of Representatives want to focus any legislation on helping families that may be hurt by school and workplace closures. Trump and Republicans in the Senate, meanwhile, have promoted the idea of a temporary elimination of payroll taxes as a way to boost the economy a plan many Democrats have dismissed. Fears over the continuing spread of the virus have rocked global markets, with Wall Street experiencing one of its worst days since the 2008 financial crisis. Trumps announcement of a possible stimulus package helped recover some of Mondays losses early on Tuesday. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence met at the White House with private US health insurance executives who announced commitments to waive copayments and provide coverage for coronavirus tests and related doctor visits. Trump said his administration was working closely with the cruise line industry and airlines to address the effects of sharp declines in travel. Trump also met Senate Republicans on Tuesday to discuss his proposals, but he continued to downplay the virus, despite a growing number of cases in the country. It will go away, Trump said after the meeting. Just stay calm. It will go away, he said. There are now more than 900 people in the US infected with the disease, according to the New York Times. More than 29 people infected by the virus have died in the US. Pence confirmed later on Tuesday that the Trump administrations proposals include payroll tax relief and paid family leave. The exact details have not been publicly released. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin discussed the administrations proposals with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Were going to work together on a bipartisan basis to figure out how we can get things done quickly that are going to help the Americans that are most impacted by this and small- and medium-sized businesses that are impacted, Mnuchin told reporters. Not just a tax-cut matter Trump faces political resistance in Congress, where Democrats generally oppose the idea of tax cuts and want a plan narrowly focused on the effect of the virus. Democratic members of the House Ways and Means Committee emerged from a closed-door meeting at the US Capitol early on Tuesday saying they want to go in a different direction from Trump. What we are arguing is that we need a more integrated approach on this, treating it as a public-health matter, not just a tax-cut matter, said committee chairman Richard Neal. I have yet to hear anything from the administration other than the suggestion of a payroll tax cut. The opening gambit here just demands a much more complicated series of solutions, Neal told reporters. In the near term, a payroll tax holiday would help corporate cash flows and put dollars in the pockets of employees who receive regular paycheques. US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speak at a news conference marking the one-year anniversary of the House passing legislation to expand voting rights and improve election integrity [Win McNamee/Getty Images/AFP] We do not simply accept the fact that a payroll tax holiday gets to the people who you need to get it to, said Representative Dan Kildee, a Democrat member of the House Ways and Means Committee. It disproportionately affects people who make more money. It disproportionately works against people who lose their job, Kildee said. Democrats said they are looking at legislation, potentially in stages over several weeks, that would both address the coronavirus crisis in the US and provide support to the economy. Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the top Democrats in Congress, put out a marker of their priorities earlier this week. For the families, we want to be sure from the standpoint of being tested, if need be, that there be no cost to the families, Pelosi said at a news conference on Monday night. For the families, if they are affected by school closings and parents have to stay home who have to have medical leave because they are affected that they will have coronavirus-related paid sick and family leave, Pelosi said. Schumer added later on Tuesday that Trump and his administration should be putting people before corporations, and they should be focused on taking appropriate steps to keep the American people and their economic security safe. Despite the disagreements, sentiment in Congress is one of urgency. Weve got to work with the president. We cant let the argument get in the way of getting something in place, said Kildee. 10.03.2020 LISTEN Mr. Valentine Ozigbo, the President of Transcorp Group and Anambra state Governorship Aspirant has been honoured and recognized at the 75th Anniversary of British Council In Nigeria. He was honoured for his inevitable role in promoting and supporting the youth empowerment and activities of British Council in Nigeria. While reacting to the honour and recognition he received, Mr. Valentine Ozigbo had this to say "These days when I introduce myself as a multiple-village boy, because I grew up in 3 remote and peaceful villages, my newer friends find it difficult to relate, until they see me with corn on the street, palm wine from the calabash or in the midst of masquerades in absolute fraternity. Well, I love to identify myself as one, because village is the start and part of what made me what I am today, and I am ever grateful. But I am also global and well travelled (no bragging intended), thanks to the Grace of God and what He has positioned men and institutions to conspire in my favour". But the turning point for me was the opportunity that British Council and Foreign & Commonwealth Office gave me, with the award of the most prestigious Chevening Scholarship, that enabled me to travel to England in 2003, first time in my first 33 years of existence to travel abroad. With this scholarship, passport was procured, visa provided with ease, tuition paid for, living expenses sorted for free, and with periodic check to see how I was doing, it was easy to complete my MSc in Finance from the prestigious Lancaster University with Distinction. Just last year, 15 years after, the same Lancaster University honoured me with a Distinguished Alumni Award at its convocation ceremony, and today, as British Council celebrated its 75th Anniversary in Nigeria, it was humbling to see this same village boy as one of few guest speakers and awardees. As I remarked today, I see a better Nigeria where opportunities like this would not have to come from a foreign partner but from within. We can and should democratize luck and opportunity and raise the living standards and restore our pride as a people. As we do these, in the next 75 years, we will see Nigeria and British Council in stronger partnership, with us putting more on the table of the partnership." #britishcouncil #[email protected] @cheveningfco @ukforeignoffice @ngbritish #KaAnambraChawapu #village #anniversary @ Transcorp Hilton Abuja Three new COVID-19 cases THAILAND: The Public Health Ministry today (Mar 10) announced three new cases of coronavirus COVID-19 infection - two them Thais in contact with people returning from Italy. CoronavirusCOVID-19healthSafety By Bangkok Post Tuesday 10 March 2020, 03:38PM Staff of Thammasat University introduce water-repellent masks developed for medical personnel at its Rangsit campus in Pathum Thani province today (Mar 10), as the number of local COVID-19 cases rose to 53. Photo: Apichit Jinakul Dr Yongyos Thammawut, deputy permanent secretary for health, said one was a 41-year-old woman who had not travelled abroad but was in close contact with a previously recorded COVID-19 patient, a man who returned from Italy. She developed a fever on Saturday (Mar 7), was examined and then registered as the 51st local case. She was being treated at Rajavithi Hospital in Bangkok. The 52nd and 53rd cases are a couple. The wife, 46, returned from Italy to Thailand on Feb 28 and later did not feel well. Her husband, 47, did not go abroad and fell sick on Saturday with a high fever and body ache. The man went to a hospital first and tested positive for the disease. His wife was then tested. Both had been in voluntary home quarantine. They were now receiving treatment at a hospital in Nakhon Pathom province. The three confirmed infections raised the number of local cases to 53. Of these, 33 had recovered and returned home, 19 were at hospitals and one died. One of the hospitalised patients was critically ill at the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute in Nonthaburi province. Patients under investigation numbered 4,682 and 61% of them had recovered. Most had seasonal influenza, Dr Yongyos said. Meanwhile, Sattahip naval base in Chon Buri province has already received for quarantine 188 Thais who returned from working illegally in South Korea - 88 men and 100 women. Eight of them came back from Daegu and North Gyeongsang province, the centre of the outbreak in South Korea. Special care was being given to 20 people at Sattahip - five pregnant women, four young children and 11 people with chronic diseases, Dr Yongyos said. Contra Costa Health Services announced interim social distancing guidelines Tuesday in an effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus in the county. The health department said the guidelines will be in effect for an initial period of two weeks, at which point the county will consider whether to extend them any further. The guidelines are aimed, in particular, at higher-risk demographics like people ages 50 or older and people with chronic health conditions like heart disease, diabetes and cancer. For the Daily NK, 3,700 soldiers are under quarantine, something North Korea denies. Nevertheless, Pyongyang has increased food rations for soldiers. For the first time, an official source mentions economic losses due to viral disease. Yesterday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un supervised an artillery exercise. Seoul (AsiaNews) The novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak killed 180 North Korean soldiers and forced another 3,700 into quarantine between January and February, this according to the Daily NK, a South Korean news outlet dedicated to North Korean affairs. South Korea's government-backed Yonhap News Agency has reported that almost 10,000 people have been quarantined as a result of the coronavirus, but nearly 4,000 have been released as they did not show any symptoms. Despite such stories, Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece of the Workers' Party of Korea, yesterday said that " The infectious disease did not flow into our country yet. The Daily NK attributes its information to a medical report from the North Korean military on the number of soldiers in quarantine and those who died of high fevers triggered by pneumonia, tuberculosis, asthma, and colds. According to the South Korean publication, North Korean military leaders ordered military hospitals to thoroughly sanitise the areas where soldiers are housed. It also noted that military unit leaders can expect to be punished if proper protocol aimed at controlling the spread of the coronavirus is not followed. North Korea has tried to increase food rations for soldiers, so that their bodies are better equipped to resist Covid-19. The goal is to provide at least 800 grams worth of food per day and eat three meals of pureed soybean soup instead of the usual one per day. Uriminzokkiri, a North Korean propaganda website, said that the country has taken important anti-coronavirus measures that have come with huge economic losses as the life and safety of people were the governments priority. This is the first time that Pyongyang admits to economic losses due to viral disease. Meanwhile, borders with China and Russia have been closed to boost its quarantine measures, most likely stopping the flow of people and goods. Such disruptions are likely to aggravate an already weak economy under heavy pressure from international sanctions. North Korean authorities have traditionally called for efforts to build a self-sufficient economy without external support, but a prolonged border closure with China, its main trading partner, could undercut such efforts. What thing the health emergency has not affected is North Korea's military aspirations. Yesterday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is said to have supervised a firepower strike drill of long-range artillery sub-units to inspect the sudden military counterattack capability of the long-range artillery units on the front. Pyongyangs Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as urging the units to "go on in the direction of further strengthening the artillery training. But for South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff, the North instead tested three short-range projectiles off its east coast, its second weapon test this week. Zornica is said to manufacture 20,000 masks a day. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled In the course of a few days Slovakia has run out of masks, sold in pharmacies and online shops, due to the coronavirus. Read also Read also Coronavirus: Measures taken in Slovakia Read more The demand in masks has gone up extremely, Peter Sedlacek, PR Manager of pharmacy chain Dr. Max told Index magazine. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement He added that the increase can be as big as hundreds of percent year-on-year. PDr. Max only provides masks for its employees for now. Sedlacek said the company is working on delivering supplies to its branches in the coming days. The situation may improve thanks to the company Zornica, which manufactures shirts in Banovce nad Bebravou in the Trencin Region. Fast-track certificate Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini (Smer), who reported Zornicas decision to change its production to masks, said the firm will be able to produce up to 20,000 masks a day. However, Zornica will have to get its new plan certified first. Pellegrini pledged this should be a fast procedure. We expect a reasonable and regulated price, the prime minister added, as quoted by Index. The price may be higher than before the mask shortage. Sedlacek said the price of masks has already grown in the first stages of their production. The price is constantly changing, in particular because of the growing global demand, Sedlacek went on to say. Mask export ban In addition, the Czech Republic has banned exports of filtering facepiece respirators and hand disinfectants. As a result, the Mall.sk e-shop from the Czech Republic, which operates on the Slovak market and other countries, has been forced to withdraw these products from their website. Read also Read also Coronavirus confirmed in Kosice and Martin Read more Another producer of medical products, Hartmann Rico, admitted it is currently unable to meet all the demand as it depends on supplies from companies in China and South-eastern Asia. In this situation, we primarily supply the health care system, that is hospitals and health centres, so that protective equipment is available to medical staff and the most vulnerable groups, the firms spokesperson Irena Mala said to Index. Hartmann Ricos ability to provide masks and other medical products is also impacted by a ban from Germany, where the government stopped exports of these products. The ban affected Paul Hartmann AG, which is a parent company to Hartmann Rico. Our paywall policy: The Slovak Spectator has decided to leave all the articles about the coronavirus available for everyone. If you appreciate our work and would like to support good journalism, please buy our subscription. We believe this is an issue where accurate and fact-based information is important for people to cope. The United Nations made an urgent appeal Tuesday for tens of millions of dollars to help protect vulnerable refugees against the spread of the deadly new coronavirus. The UN refugee agency said it was seeking an initial USD 33 million "to boost the preparedness, prevention and response activities to address the immediate public health needs of refugees prompted by COVID-19." So far, there have not been any reports of the virus, which has killed more than 4,000 people worldwide, spreading among communities of refugees and asylum seekers. But UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi stressed the need to protect some of the world's most vulnerable against the disease, which shows mild symptoms in most cases but which often provokes severe illness and death in the weakest individuals. "The virus can affect anyone and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that the global response includes all people," Grandi said in a statement. "Allowing full access to health services, including for the most marginalised members of the community, is the best way to protect us all," he said. "Everyone on this planet -- including refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced people -- should be able to access health facilities and services." More than 70 million people globally been forced by conflict, persecution, violence and abuses to flee their homes, including more than 20 million people living as refugees, according to UN data. A full 84 per cent of the world's refugees are meanwhile hosted in low or middle-income countries with weaker health, water and sanitation systems, the UNHCR pointed out. "Refugees and internally displaced people often find themselves in places that are overcrowded or where public health and other services are already overstretched or poorly-resourced," it said. The refugee agency pointed out that 34 of the more than 100 countries affected by the global COVID-19 outbreak host refugee populations of over 20,000 people. UNHCR said it was making preparations and laying contingency plans to respond in case the virus begins spreading among refugees, including advising staff to check stocks of medical supplies, equipment and protective gear. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russia is ready to respond to any aggressor who will dare to repeat Nazi Germanys attack on the Soviet Union, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. "We lost 27 million people. No other country in the world sustained such an enormous loss. So, if anyone ever dares to try anything like that again, we can repeat it," he told TASS in an interview for the project entitled "20 Questions with Vladimir Putin". When commenting on a popular Russian car slogan reading "We can repeat it," Putin recalled another famous phrase: "Whosoever comes against us by the sword shall perish by the sword." Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 00:30:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a phone talk with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, saying bilateral friendship will make new progress amid the fight against COVID-19. Di Maio briefed on Italy's latest development on the epidemic prevention and control work and thanked China for its solicitude and support for Italy, adding that it fully demonstrates the traditional friendship between the two peoples. Pointing out the severe situation in Italy at present, Di Maio said the Italian government is paying close attention to and learning from China's successful experience in the anti-virus fight, taking strong measures to prevent the spread of the disease. Italy is facing a shortage of medical supplies and equipment, said Di Maio, expressing his hopes that China will help solve the urgent need. The overseas Chinese living in Italy have played an active role in the fight against the epidemic, said Di Maio, adding that Italy will continue to take full care of their health and safety. Wang, for his part, said that as a good friend and comprehensive strategic partner of Italy, China, again with condolence for and support to Italy, fully understands the challenges Italy is confronting. The epidemic knows no border and is a common enemy of mankind, Wang noted and called for solidarity of the international community to combat the virus. Upholding the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind, China is dedicated not only to making all-out efforts to keep the Chinese people safe and sound, but also to making contributions to global public health security, Wang said. Not long ago, China made donations to the World Health Organization to support international cooperation on the COVID-19 fight. China is also offering help within its capacity to countries where the epidemic situation is severe or where medical conditions are poor, Wang said. Noting that the Chinese people will not forget the precious support from Italy when China was at its hardest moment in the fight against the virus, Wang said China is now willing to stand firmly by the side of the Italian people as well. Though China itself at present still needs a large amount of medical materials, the country, overcoming the difficulties, will offer Italy with assistance like medical materials including face masks, and accelerate and enhance the exports of supplies and equipments to meet Italy's urgent need, Wang said. If the Italian side requires, Wang said, China would like to send medical personnel to Italy to help combat the novel coronavirus. The Chinese cities and provinces which enjoy friendship relations with their Italian peers, as well as Chinese enterprises, will also offer support and aid to Italy, the minister added. Wang said he believes the joint battle against the novel coronavirus will help deepen bilateral relations between the two countries, and enhance the friendship between the two peoples. China appreciates that the Italian side has paid high attention to the health and safety of the Chinese nationals in Italy, and hopes that Italy will continue to offer them necessary help and support, the minister said. Hand in hand, China and Italy will prevail over the epidemic eventually, Wang added. CORVALLIS, Ore. Oregon State University held their first of four public meetings about the future of public safety on campus on Monday. About 50 people talked in table groups about what they want the university to do about public safety. RELATED: OREGON STATE EXPLORES OPTIONS AFTER OSP ENDS CONTRACT The administration planned these public meetings after Oregon State Police ended their contract with OSU to provide armed law enforcement to the campus. As of now, starting July 1, OSU will not have armed police officers patrolling the school. Freshman, Shelby Westerberg, said she wants to have more engagement with the community by public safety officers. "There was a lot of discussion around having officers working on education and community in positive ways or in neutral ways to really build that community and for the most part work with students in ways that collaborative," Westerberg said. However, the university hopes the next three days will give them a better idea about what the public wants when it comes to protecting the student body. Steve Clark, Vice President for University Relations, said he wants everyone in the Corvallis community to be involved. "We want to take stock what people this is a priority, what they value with in public safety," Clark said. "As a part of that, we want to address what law enforcement looks like in the future if Oregon State." The three other community listening and input sessions will be held on the following dates and times: March 10 in the Memorial Union Horizon Room from 10 a.m. to noon March 10 in the main meeting room of the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. March 11 in the Memorial Union Horizon Room from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The university said all are welcome to attend and give their input. Harvey Weinstein once suggested Jennifer Aniston should be killed, newly unsealed court documents have revealed. The documents, reviewed by The New York Times and unsealed on Monday afternoon, include emails and other communications. According to the Times, Weinstein, mistakenly believing that Aniston had accused him of groping her, wrote to his representative: Jen Aniston should be killed. It later turned out that Aniston had not, in fact, made such a claim. Anistons publicist, Stephen Huvane, told the newspaper of Weinstein: He never got close enough to her to touch her. She has never been alone with him. We have no idea about the email, since it wasnt sent to us, nor do we have any comment to make on it. Weinstein was convicted on 24 February of a criminal sex act and third-degree rape. He will be sentenced on Wednesday 11 March and faces up to 29 years in prison. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 12:05:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PHNOM PENH, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia celebrated the ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) Day here on Tuesday, aiming at raising awareness among the public on the importance of ASEM. The Southeast Asian country will be hosting the 13th ASEM Summit (ASEM13) in Phnom Penh on Nov. 16-17. Speaking at the event, Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said the celebration of the ASEM Day was another manifestation of Cambodia's readiness and strong commitment to the ASEM13 Summit. "ASEM has played a crucial role in promoting Asia-Europe partnership and cooperation for enhanced peace, economic prosperity and social progress," he said. "Moreover, it is without any doubt that ASEM has become one of the cornerstones of the multilateral system and global governance." Sokhonn, who is also a deputy prime minister, said ASEM is comprised of 53 partners, encompassing of 21 Asian countries, 30 European countries, the ASEAN Secretariat, and the European Commission. Collectively, he said ASEM partners represent 65 percent of the global economy, 60 percent of the world's population, 55 percent of the world trade and 75 percent of the world tourism. He said Cambodia has proposed "Strengthening Multilateralism for Shared Growth" as the theme of the forthcoming summit, saying that this theme focuses on the interaction of four main ideas, namely multilateralism, growth, sustainable development and prosperity. "Altogether they can contribute formidably to the strengthening of the Asia-Europe partnership to ensure that multilateralism brings sustainable and inclusive growth and shared prosperity," Sokhonn said. "In my view, it is only through our unified and shared purpose can we hope to revitalize multilateralism and energize our collective efforts to tackle current and emerging global challenges of our time," he added. ASEM was founded in 1996 and Cambodia became its member in 2004. Amid ongoing political drama in Madhya Pradesh with allegations of poaching and resignations of over 20 state cabinet ministers, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal on Tuesday met party president Sonia Gandhi at her residence here. The development comes a day after Congress MLAs and state cabinet ministers perceived close to indicated that they may pull out from the Kamal Nath-led government. Their mobile phones were found switched off on Monday. The rift between Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and Congress leader came out in the open with the latter publicly criticising the former on several occasions. ALSO READ: MP political crisis LIVE According to sources, the 11 Congress leaders whose mobile phones were found switched off include state Cabinet ministers Imarti Devi, Pradyuman Singh Tomar, Govind Singh Rajput and Mahendra Singh Sisodia besides seven MLAs -- Munna Lal Goyal, Girraj Dandotiya, OPS Bhadoriya, Jaspal Singh Jajji, Brajendra Yadav, Jaswant Jatav and Rajvardhan Singh. Earlier, several Congress leaders, including Digvijaya Singh, had accused the BJP of horse-trading and conspiring to bring down the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh. Gov. Phil Murphy announced Tuesday the state will waive fees for testing and testing-related services for the coronavirus for about 2 million New Jerseyans as the number of people who tested positive in the state continued to rise and after he declared a state of emergency. The wavier from fees includes testing done at an emergency room, urgent care or a doctors office, Murphy said. It covers a wide swath of residents, including state workers and teachers, people on the states health exchange, as well as children up to 19 who are in the states Childrens Health Insurance Program and uninsured people who are eligible for charity care. The governors office said it includes New Jerseys roughly 800,000 teachers and state workers, as well as the more than 1 million people who purchased private health insurance through the marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act. The office did not immediately have a total figure for everyone else who would qualify. BREAKING: Weve just announced actions to support New Jerseyans access to #COVID19 screening including WAIVING consumer cost sharing for all medically necessary #COVID19 testing and testing-related services.https://t.co/WsM7ac3IUE pic.twitter.com/cwGfkK6rxa Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) March 10, 2020 As we continue to strengthen our efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, we must ensure that our residents are focused on their health and not on the cost of medically necessary testing, Murphy said in a statement. These actions bolster our states coordinated response and preparedness efforts by eliminating affordability concerns for New Jerseyans. The governor also said he encouraged private employers to consider similar measures. Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, the states largest insurance carrier, AmeriHealth New Jersey already made similar announcements about waiving the costs for testing. On Monday, Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver announced five additional people tested positive in the state, pushing the number of cases in the state to 11. Another update on the coronavirus is slated for noon Tuesday. State officials urged people to have two weeks worth of food, medicine and water at the ready in their homes in the event of a self-quarantine. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Medical staff wearing protective gear, take samples from people at a building where 46 people were confirmed to have the novel coronavirus, at a temporary test facility in Seoul on March 10, 2020. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) South Korea Sees New Cluster of Infections As Confirmed Cases Surpass 7,500 In South Korea, the capital of Seoul has recorded at least 64 new cases of the novel coronavirus in a major cluster outbreak outside of Daegu and the broader North Gyeongsang province. The infection cluster happened at a call center in the neighborhood of Sindorim in Seoul, local outlet Yonhap News Agency reported on March 10. The municipal government of Seoul stated that at least 64 people in connection with the call center are infected with the virus as of 1 p.m. local time on Tuesday. Among those, 40 employees of the call center and their family members live in Seoul. Additionally, 13 employees live in Incheon and 11 employees live in Gyeonggi province. The call center is located on the 11th floor of a high-rise building, which is 19 floors above the ground and 6 floors underground. There are 207 other employees of the call center waiting to be tested for the virus. All 207 workers have been quarantined and inspections are taking place. This is the biggest infection reported in Seoul so far, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said in a press briefing on Tuesday, according to Yonhap. The mayor added, We are looking at this in a serious and grave manner and striving to prevent additional cases. In response to the outbreak at the call center, local health officials have sealed off the first floor to the 12th floor, which are home to office units and stores, according to Yonhap. People living on the 13th floor to the 19th floor, which house only residential units, have been asked to quarantine themselves in their homes. Local health officials have also announced that they plan to test 550 other people, who work at other call centers on the seventh to ninth floors of the same building. Also on Tuesday, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) announced that there were 131 new cases on Monday, bringing the national tally of infected to 7,513. Of the 7,513 known cases, 5,663 are in Daegu and 1,117 are in North Gyeongsang province. Meanwhile, Gyeonggi province has 163 confirmed cases, Seoul has 141 cases, and Busan 96 cases. It is unclear how many of the 64 cases connected to the call center have been included in the KCDCs total tally of 7,513. Many of the cases in Daegu and North Gyeongsang province have been connected to a branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu, after a 61-year-old female follower of the church tested positive for the virus on Feb. 18. Also on March 10, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) announced that a Korean national employee has tested positive for COVID-19, marking the ninth USFK-related case of the virus in South Korea. The employee, who has been isolated at her residence off-base, was working at Camp Walker in Daegu. Koreas CDC and USFK health professionals are actively conducting contact tracing to determine whether anyone else may have been exposed, the force said in a statement. So far, only one U.S. service member has tested positive. South Korean manufacturers are continuing to ramp up activities despite the current challenges. Photo: Le Toan Samsung Electronics said last Friday it will temporarily move some of its smartphone production to Vietnam, after closing a factory in the South Korean city of Gumi following a positive coronavirus test there. Samsungs premium smartphones, Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Note 10, were being produced entirely in Gumi. Samsung said the decision to shift to Vietnam was made to ensure stable production of its high-end smartphones. About 200,000 units of premium smartphone production per month will move to Vietnam. Production will resume in Gumi once the situation returns to normal, said the company, which also pointed out there are production plants in the Vietnamese northern provinces of Bac Ninh and Thai Nguyen, from where half the worldwide shipments depart. The worlds largest smartphone maker has so far reported six virus-infected workers at its production sites in Gumi, North Gyeongsang province, only about 50km north of Daegu, the epicenter of South Koreas virus outbreak. Samsung Vietnam last week kicked off construction of its largest research and development (R&D) centre in Southeast Asia west of Hanoi. The $220 million facility will cover an area of 11,600 square metres, with nearly 80,000sq.m floor area. The building is designed with 16 storeys above and three storeys below ground and is expected to be completed in late 2022. This is the first time Samsung has created a building specifically for R&D activities overseas. It will also be the largest such centre raised by a foreign-invested enterprise in Vietnam, reflecting the companys commitment to the country. Meanwhile, SK Lubricants in February also acquired a 49 per cent stake in Mekong Petrochemical JSC for 50 billion ($42 million). The move is a stepping stone for South Koreas leading lubricants producer to expand its business in Vietnam and the ASEAN market. Vietnams lubricants market, which is projected to reach 6.4 million barrels by 2028 from 3.5 million barrels last year, is dominated by BP, Shell, and Chevron. Meanwhile, Mekong Petrol is the only Vietnamese lubricant company whose market share has been growing, from 4.3 per cent in 2012 to 6.3 per cent in 2018, based on a strategy to expand its high-end products. Also last month, Korea Investment Management (KIM) was approved to acquire all of the shares issued by local Hung Viet Fund Management JSC (HVCapital). The South Korean fund was greenlit to acquire a 99 per cent stake in HVCapital, while the remaining 1 per cent was split equally between two foreign individual shareholders, Yun Hang Jin and An Jong Hoon. KIM is a familiar name in Vietnams securities market with assets under management in the scale of billions of US dollars. KIM Vietnam Growth Securities Master Investment Trust is the groups biggest fund in Vietnam, with assets under management of $850 million. According to data by the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, South Korea was the leading foreign investor in Vietnam in 2019, with the total registered capital of $7.92 billion, accounting for 20.8 per cent of total foreign direct investment into Vietnam during the year. However, in the first two months of 2020, South Korea ranked third with $425.4 million or 7 per cent, after Singapore and China. The slowdown of South Korean inflows to Vietnam can be attributed to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. Yo Chul Ho, general director of automobile spare parts manufacturer ABS Vina Co., Ltd. based in the southern province of Binh Duong, said that the company is feeling the bite of supply chain disruptions caused by the outbreak. Michael Han, head of SK Groups representative office in Vietnam told VIR, Unlike most other South Korean conglomerates, we do not have a manufacturing base here in Vietnam. Nonetheless, the epidemic is beginning to take a toll as it is preventing our relevant colleagues based in South Korea from visiting potential companies. Equally important, the deteriorating situation in South Korea certainly is not helping. Han added that the outbreak will have some profound impacts in the short term, with SK Group in particular looking at a few deals in Vietnam. We are dealing with some uncertainty which is one of the core elements that spooks investors away, regardless of their origin or the circumstances. That said, given some time, I think the market will bounce back once we get to know more about COVID-19, Han explained. Previous outbreaks impacted the world and the market far greater than what we have seen so far. If we can recall how the market eventually responded to those threats, hopefully we can find some answers for COVID-19. Jacob Won, founding partner at Locus Capital, said that the interest from South Korean companies in Vietnam in 2019 compared to 2018 did not change much and remained at a high level. However, Won explained that it is hard to say that if the quality of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) has increased because it has always been challenging to find the right-sized M&A targets in Vietnam that can match the criteria of their South Korean counterparts. Won further noted that M&A activities will fall significantly through 2020. With travel restrictions between Vietnam and South Korea, it will be impossible to progress the discussion on M&A without a physical meeting and a visit to the target company. For now, all companies have to wait and see how the coronavirus issue will pan out. If it gets contained sooner rather than later, then things will get back to normal. If not, then it will be a gloomy year not only for M&A activities between Vietnam and South Korea but also for the whole economy, he added. The Department of Education has released a statement on school closures in Ireland over the coronavirus (Covid-19). As yet there is no advice on closures. The Department acknowledges the impact school closures would have on families, parents, working life, and the community as a whole, should the closures go ahead. Also read: Get information about coronavirus from health experts not social media warns Longford doctor However, the department has stated that any school closures will come as a direct result of guidance and advice given by experts and health officials. The Department of Education and Skills is continuously communicating with The Department of Health, the duo have "no such advice" at this time in terms of school closures. However, they are simultaneously urging schools not to make any unilateral decisions and to follow all health and hand washing guidelines provided by the HSE. Also read: Midlands school students and staff in Coronavirus isolation after trip to Italy Meanwhile other mass gatherings have been cancelled as community groups fear the spread of the coronavirus, and are urging people to use the common sense initiative. Also read: Churches introduce changes to practices and parades cancelled in Longford amid Covid-19 concerns With Republicans determined to block any movement on climate change in the Legislature, Gov. Kate Brown, as promised last year, decided to outflank them with a far-reaching use of her executive powers to achieve the same goals on a different path. Brown signed an executive order Tuesday that establishes the same aggressive greenhouse gas emission reduction goals that were contemplated under Democrats controversial and now failed climate change policy, Senate Bill 1530. Namely, the state will seek to reduce emissions 45% below 1990 levels by 2035 and 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. But Brown does not have the legal authority to set up the comprehensive, economy-wide cap and trade system that would have been established under that legislation. Instead, she is ordering an alphabet soup of state agencies to consider emissions reductions as a top priority in all their actions, and to use their regulatory tools to seek carbon reductions in specific sectors to move the state toward its goals. This executive order is extensive and thorough, taking the boldest actions available to lower greenhouse gas emissions under current state laws," Brown said in a statement. "As a state, we will pursue every option available under existing law to combat the effects of climate change and put Oregon on a path we can be proud to leave behind for our children. Brown said that while she still believes a carbon market would be the most effective way to reduce emissions, she does not have the executive authority to establish one. Instead, she said she was taking a sector-by-sector approach that would significantly reduce emissions while allowing the states economy to continue to grow. Im keeping my commitment to Oregonians, she said at a press conference. Much depends on a lengthy rule-making process that will ensue, though the impact of the governors actions are likely to fall short of the cap and trade system that was proposed under Senate Bill 1530. It is surely a letdown for the national environmental groups that backed the bill in hopes that it would have a domino effect on carbon regulation in other states. Moreover, the governors order and the resulting rules are sure to face a legal challenge from opponents, as similar moves by Gov. Jay Inslee have in Washington. Under the new approach, the state wont auction emission allowances to companies or deploy the hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue that would be generated to invest in climate change mitigation and adaptation programs. Backers of that program claimed that was the most efficient, market-based method to achieve the emission reductions. Rather, the executive order relies on the Department of Environmental Quality to establish caps on emissions from transportation fuels, natural gas and industrial polluters that decline over time to meet the state goals. The department will regulate those emissions by permit, as it does other pollutants. Its unclear what percentage of the states overall greenhouse emissions would be covered under the governors plan. Kristen Sheeran, the governors carbon policy advisor, said limits on pollution in the transportation, industrial and natural gas sectors would cover north of 50% of the states greenhouse emissions, and that other programatic efforts would increase that percentage. The cap and trade program in Senate Bill 1530 would have regulated about 85 percent of the states greenhouse emissions. At the outset, however, the governors plan includes none of the carve outs for various industry sectors and rural Oregonians that backers of Senate Bill 1530 had agreed to in order to make the bill more palatable to Republicans. The governors plan is going to be more expensive, said Angus Duncan, the head of Oregons Global Warming Commission. Once again, Republican legislators have done their constituents dirt by replacing a more cost effective and efficient way of reducing emissions... Theyve managed to include folks who otherwise who would have been excluded. Its another devilishly clever move on their part, he added sardonically. To get at emission reductions from cars and trucks, which are responsible for about one-third of greenhouse pollution in the state, the executive order doubles the states clean fuels standard. Originally passed in 2009, that program requires companies that import gasoline and diesel to lower emissions from the fuels they sell by 10% below 2015 levels by 2025, mostly by providing options such as ethanol and biodiesel, electricity, natural gas, biogas and propane. The standard will now require a decline of 20% by 2030, and 25% by 2035, giving Oregon the most ambitious clean fuel rules in the country. In a related move, the order directs the Department of Transportation and the Department of Administrative Services to create a statewide plan to accelerate the deployment of charging stations across the state and electrify the states vehicle fleet. The agencies will also develop a tool to evaluate all future transportation spending through the lens of reducing greenhouse emissions. The orders directs the state building codes division to increase energy efficiency standards for new buildings to achieve a 60% reduction in energy use by 2030. Meanwhile, the Department of Energy is directed to adopt appliance efficiency standards equal to the most stringent in the country. The order provides clear direction to the Public Utility Commission to consider and reduce the risk associated with carbon emissions when reviewing utilities planned investments in power plants and transmission. It directs the commission to prioritize programs that rapidly decarbonize the sector, and encourages electric companies to invest in infrastructure that supports the electrification of transportation. That could include allowing utilities to build charging station networks and include the cost in rates. At a meeting of the Legislatures emergency board on Monday, lawmakers agreed to provide $5 million to support the implementation of the executive order. Republicans, back at the capitol for the first time in two weeks after their walkout, voted against the appropriation. Senate Minority Leader Herman Baertschiger, R-Grants Pass, said the governors order would inevitably end up being challenged in court. Democrat and Republican leaders issued dueling statements Tuesday, alternately praising and condemning the governors order. The Partnership for Oregon Communities, a coalition of employers and farmers opposed to the governors action and previous versions of the climate legislation, said Tuesday that Browns order was based on questionable legal authority, and handed over "unprecedented levels of power to unelected bureaucrats who will have the authority to regulate virtually every sector of our states economy. Her administration has unfortunately decided to move forward on a path that will put taxpayers on the hook for significant litigation costs, with outcomes that are far from certain," the group said in a statement. "A similar effort in Washington state resulted in years of costly litigation, with limited results. Dustin Buehler, the governors general counsel, said in an interview that the order had been thoroughly vetted by lawyers at the Department of Justice. Brown committed Tuesday to publicly releasing that legal advice. My team and I worked very very closely with the Department of Justice to make sure this executive order is in full compliance with Oregon statutes and the Oregon constitution, Brown said Tuesday. Were used to legal challenges. We have them on a regular basis. She added that there will be several months of a public rule-making process and that she didnt think a legal challenge was likely until that was complete. What I want to encourage is Oregonians to use their voices during that rul-emaking process, she said. Its a public, transparent and inclusive process. The Republican walkout that stymied Senate Bill 1530, as well as last year version of the legislation, House Bill 2020, was a bitter disappointment for environmental groups. They had hoped to couple a new law in Oregon with Californias cap and trade system and begin building momentum for similar climate action in other western states. The governors executive order falls short of that goal. The state wont be establishing an emissions allowance trading market, or linking that system with Californias, for example. Its not clear that Browns actions will have much immediate influence on other states, which was a major reason national environmental groups were engaged in the push for a cap and trade system in Oregon. But the groups offered encouraging statements Tuesday. Oregonians have organized, advocated, worked and voted for years demanding our state take bold action to reduce climate pollution, improve our health, and transition to clean energy," Tera Hurst, executive director of Renew Oregon and a candidate for Portland City Council, said in a statement. This action will hold large corporate polluters accountable for the pollution they create. We all have a responsibility to do our part and most of us do, now its time for large polluters to start doing theirs. Correction: Sen. Herman Baertschiger is the Senate Minority Leader. An earlier version of the story misidentified his title. -- Ted Sickinger; tsickinger@oregonian.com; 503-221-8505; @tedsickinger -- Staff writer Rob Davis contributed to this story. Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. New Delhi: Chairman of State Bank of India (SBI) Rajnish Kumar in an interview to News18 said that their first priority will be recapitalisation of the stressed bank and have received positive responses from several investors. There's a very good response, all the ends are being tied... we'll tell RBI soon that these are the people who are willing to invest along with SBI. We are working on recapitalisation now, we will notify RBI with our required investment after talking with co-investors, said Kumar. He further informed that the process of recapitalisation will begin once the moratorium is lifted and the new management takes over. SBI will be investing Rs 2,450 crore which can later balloon to Rs 10,000 crore in order to buy 49 per cent in Yes bank. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had on Friday placed in public domain a draft scheme of reviving Yes Bank, the public lender which has been put under the control of the Central bank. On why no other private bank is interested in the opportunity he said, There were efforts last year whether any private bank would acquire Yes bank but the size of Yes bank is fairly large. Except for HDFC, trying to acquire Yes bank would be difficult. The SBI chief also said that they did not want Yes bank to be their subsidiary. We don't want 51 per cent stakes. We don't want it to be a subsidiary. Our whole intention is to give confidence to depositors. Credible name of SBI is supporting Yes bank at this need of the hour, he said. RBI has imposed a moratorium on the bank, restricting withdrawals to Rs 50,000 per depositor till April 3. The RBI also took over the banks board of directors. Yes Banks finances have been undergoing a steady decline largely due to its inability to raise capital. The bank has also experienced serious governance issues in the recent past. The fifth largest private lender has struggled to raise capital it needs to stay above regulatory requirements as it battles high levels of bad loans. It has been trying to raise USD 2 billion in fresh capital since late last year, and in February delayed its December-quarter results. Police in a New Jersey town issued a warning Monday night about a product marketed as Spray Sanitizer at a 7-Eleven after mom shared photos on social media saying her son had been burned by the potentially-homemade chemical packaged 3-ounce, mini-sprayer bottles in response to the coronavirus outbreak. River Vale police were called shortly after 8 p.m. to the 7-Eleven on Rivervale Road after an officer saw the photos depicting a young boy with apparent burns to his arm and leg, police Lt. John DeVoe said in a statement. From the information that we received, approximately one dozen of the bottles were sold to customers (on Monday), Devoe said, adding that officers immediately seized the remaining bottles. Township resident Lauren Michele Gehm, 40, said she took her son to a local hospital after he suffered burns from the sanitizer, which she believes was homemade with ammonia in response to coronavirus warnings. The boy suffered first-degree burns, according to nbcnewyork.com. We are sitting in the ER with chemical burns due to hand sanitizer loaded with ammonia, prob made in a back ally due to all this hype nonsense, Gehm wrote on Facebook. This was sold to a bunch of kids and they innocently sprayed it and now we are here with (my son) in major pain. Gehm posted a label from the bottle, showing it includes ingredients like octyl decyl dimethyl ammonium chloride and dioctyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, which can cause severe skin burns, according to several material safety data guidelines. She told NJ Advance Media her sons friend sprayed it on him. My son didnt put it on himself. A woman who answered the phone at the 7-Eleven Tuesday morning said the sanitizer is safe but declined to comment further. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday declared a state of emergency after 11 people have tested positive in the state. Worldwide, nearly 110,000 people have been affected, according to reports. Twenty-four others in New Jersey are under investigation by the state Department of Health, authorities said. River Vale police said the 7-Eleven matter is under investigation and that the incident was reported to county and state officials. Our first priority is to make the public aware that they should not use this item if they purchased it at the River Vale 7-Eleven, Devoe said. As far as we know, this issue is limited to the River Vale store at this time. Anyone who bought the spray from the River Vale 7-Eleven is asked to call police at 201-664-1111. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Bengaluru: The coronavirus scare has not left the Kannada film industry untouched. Shooting schedules for two much-awaited films from Sandalwood have been disrupted. The producers of Yuvarathna, starring Puneeth Rajkumar and directed by Santosh Anandram, and Robert, starring Darshan, have cancelled shooting trips in foreign locales due to the COVID-19 outbreak in several parts of the world. Santosh Anandram told Deccan Chronicle that the Yuvarathna production team was to travel to Europe for a shoot but called it off when the coronavirus broke out with virulence in Italy. Yuvarathna is a much-anticipated film for the reunion of actor and director of Raajakumara. The film features 40 renowned artists. The production team said just a few songs were left for the to complete. They had planned to go abroad for the shoot but with the COVID-19 scare flaring up, a delay is likely. "We planned to shoot one song in Europe. But fans need not worry because we will plan some other way to make it happen. We have completed the talkie portion of the movie and dubbing for the first half is also done. So by May end Appu fans can enjoy his film " Santosh added. As for the Robert team, they had to cancel a Spain trip for a song shoot. They have decided to get it done in Karnataka itself because the film is approaching its release date. "We had already announced the release date. We don't want to make wait Darshan fans wait any longer, so Robert will release as announced, said Tharun Sudhir, the director of the film. The coronavirus scare has had other impacts on the industry here. Radhika Pandit cancelled her birthday celebration with fans. Every year Radhika, wife of actor Yash, used to celebrate her birthday with her fans. Due to the ongoing COVID-2019 outbreak, that party is off. A quiet family get-together has been planned in Bengaluru. "This time we are celebrating Radhika's birthday in a simple way. Since we have children in our house and the virus is spreading everywhere, there should not be too many people. This time there is no celebration. In the evening, I and Radhika will go and spend time together, Yash told reporters. ALBANY Small business operators in New York like Gov. Andrew Cuomos plan for a tax cut but they dont like his call to expand the minimum wage provisions beyond the current category of covered projects. And like everyone, they worry about the impact of coronavirus, especially if people decide to stay home rather than shop, dine or otherwise gather in public spots. It went really well, Greg Birylea, state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, said Tuesday toward the end of their annual Small Business Day in the Capitol. About 65 small business owners and operators from around the state came to meet with one another as well as their respective Senate and Assembly members in order to elaborate on their agendas this year. UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- While lifestyle choices and genetics go a long way toward predicting longevity, a new study shows that certain community characteristics also play important roles. American communities with more fast food restaurants, a larger share of extraction industry-based jobs, or higher population density have shorter life expectancies, according to researchers from Penn State, West Virginia, and Michigan State Universities. Their findings can help communities identify and implement changes that may promote longer lifespans among their residents. "American life expectancy recently declined for the first time in decades, and we wanted to explore the factors contributing to this decline. Because of regional variation in life expectancy, we knew community-level factors must matter," said Elizabeth Dobis, a postdoctoral scholar at the Penn State-based Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development (NERCRD), and lead author of the study. "By analyzing place-based factors alongside personal factors, we were able to draw several conclusions about which community characteristics contribute most strongly to this variation in life expectancy." Life expectancy refers to the length of time a person born in a given year can expect to live. Dobis and her colleagues analyzed on a county-by-county basis how life expectancy in 2014 has changed from a 1980 baseline, using data from more than 3,000 U.S. counties. They developed a statistical model to determine the relationship between a dozen community variables and each county's 2014 life expectancy, while controlling for personal variables that are known to be important, such as sex, race, education, single-parent status, obesity, and alcohol use. The community variables they examined included health care access, population growth and density, fast food restaurants, healthy food access, employment by sector, urbanization, and social capital, which measures the networks and bonds providing social cohesion among residents. They looked at each variable in isolation while holding others constant, allowing them to determine which variables independently exert the strongest effect on life expectancy. The researchers found that a county's 1980 life expectancy value strongly predicted variations in the 2014 value, but it didn't account for all of the variation. "When we controlled for historical life expectancy, we found three additional community factors that each exert a significant negative effect--a greater number of fast food restaurants, higher population density, and a greater share of jobs in mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction," Dobis said. "For example, for every one percentage point increase in the number of fast food restaurants in a county, life expectancy declined by .004 years for men and .006 years for women." This represents a 15-20 days shorter life span for every man, woman and child in a community, for each 10 percentage point increase in fast food restaurants in a community--or a 150-200 day shorter life span if the number of fast food restaurants were to double. Similarly, a one percentage point increase in a county's share of jobs in the mining, quarrying, oil and gas sectors was found to decrease average life expectancy by .04 years for men (or 15 days) and .06 years (22 days) for women. The research, which was published recently in Social Science and Medicine, also revealed several community factors that are positively related to life expectancy, including a growing population, good access to physicians, and a greater level of social cohesion. "We were surprised by the strong positive contribution of social capital to life expectancy within communities," said NERCRD Director Stephan Goetz, professor of agricultural economics and regional economics at Penn State and a co-author on the study. "Places with residents who stick together more on a community or social level also appear to do a better of job of helping people in general live longer." "Another interesting finding was that lower population density, or living in more rural areas, is associated with higher life expectancy," Goetz said. "This suggests that living in large, densely-settled metropolitan areas, with all of their amenities and other advantages, comes at the expense of lower life expectancy, at least in a statistical sense." In addition to being the first life-expectancy study to include community variables in a county-level analysis, this also was the first study to statistically analyze the extent to which disparities in life expectancy are geographically clustered. This analysis revealed some striking patterns. "We found exceptionally low life expectancies in the areas of the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations in South Dakota," Dobis said. "We found similar 'cold spots' of low life expectancy in the arctic and interior portions of Alaska, the Deep South surrounding the Mississippi River, and in the Appalachian regions of Kentucky and West Virginia." The research also revealed four "hot spots" of high life expectancy: a section of the Northeast spanning from Philadelphia to New England, southern Minnesota and the eastern Dakotas into Nebraska, an area in Colorado, and an area spanning central Idaho into the upper Rocky Mountains. The team's findings have important policy implications, as they suggest that certain aspects of the built environment can be changed to enhance life expectancy. For example, public places that promote social interaction could increase a community's social capital levels, which in turn promote longer lifespans. ### In addition to Dobis and Goetz, other members of the research team include Heather Stephens of West Virginia University and Mark Skidmore of Michigan State University and the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development. The research was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Penn State Regional Research Appropriations. Within a period of just 10 days, the Donald Trump election campaign filed libel lawsuits against The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN. The Times was sued on Feb. 26, the Post on March 2 and CNN on March 6 for statements in opinion pieces published by the newspapers and posted on the CNN website that suggested Trump sought or welcomed Russias intervention in the U.S. presidential election process. The lawsuits claim the statements were false and defamatory (damaging to ones reputation). Legal experts interviewed by news providers expect the lawsuits to be dismissed by the courts under the First Amendment guarantee of a free press. Two reasons were cited: First, the courts grant wide latitude to opinions in the media about public matters. Second, a public figure must provide evidence that the defendant knew a false statement was false or failed to check it out. Fox News legal analyst Mercedes Colwin told MediaBuzz host Howard Kurtz that the lawsuit against the Times is DOA dead on arrival because the offending article is the writers opinion. Even if Colwin is correct, the lawsuits could still dampen negative commentary about Trump carried by news outfits with limited resources to defend themselves. The Trump campaign is trying to send a message, both to the press and the public, that you criticize the president at your peril, Brian Hauss, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberty Unions Speech, Privacy and Technology Project, told the Associated Press. The piece in the Times was written by former Times executive editor Max Frankel. A spokeswoman for the newspaper said the Trump campaign was trying to punish an opinion writer for having an opinion they find unacceptable. A piece in the Post cited by the Trump campaign was by staff opinion writer Paul Waldman. The piece on cnn.com was by contributor Larry Noble, a former Federal Election Commission general counsel. Brian Stelter, host of CNNs Reliable Sources, called the lawsuits publicity stunts. The ACLUs Brian Hauss told The Hill that small news outlets will think twice before saying something criticizing the president if theyre worried that the presidents campaign team is going to be filing even a meritless defamation lawsuit against them. Jenna Ellis, senior legal adviser to the Trump campaign, has a different view. False statements are not protected under the U.S. Constitution, she said. Therefore, these suits will have no chilling effect on freedom of the press. I think she is wrong. Thats an opinion, which I hope is protected by the First Amendment. Paul Janensch of Bridgeport, was a newspaper editor and taught journalism at Quinnipiac University. Email: paul.janensch@quinnipiac.edu. Deputy Premier John Barilaro has issued another ultimatum to the NSW government, this time over his obsession with starting a nuclear industry, but it is high time Premier Gladys Berejiklian called his bluff. Mr Barilaro is demanding that cabinet endorse a report by an upper house parliamentary committee backed by One Nation which recommends lifting the ban on uranium mining and nuclear power generation that has been in place since 1986. If cabinet refuses, he is threatening that he and perhaps the whole National Party will go their own way and vote in favour of a bill to that effect. The Herald reported on Monday that some cabinet ministers who oppose nuclear power are threatening to respond by quitting if Ms Berejiklian caves in. The question of whether NSW can or should develop a nuclear industry is complicated. In theory, mining uranium could earn money and nuclear power generation could help reduce emissions. In fact, both face huge practical problems. Of course, the Northern Territory and South Australia already mine uranium. But there is little reason for NSW to follow them now because, quite apart from concerns over waste storage, safety and proliferation, the business case is very weak. As the upper house report says, the state does not have any proven commercial deposits of uranium and, since the Fukushima disaster in Japan, the global market for uranium has been depressed. The conservative government in Western Australia ended its ban on uranium mining in 2010 but no new mines have opened. Similarly, the prospects are also poor for nuclear power generation here any time soon. Nuclear reactors are very expensive and would take decades to build. By most reckonings, they cannot compete on cost with renewables backed up by battery storage or pumped hydro. Private companies will not build them without subsidies from taxpayers. Given those practical issues, it is hard to understand why Mr Barilaro has joined One Nations crusade for nuclear power. Cynics would argue that his main goal is shielding the coal industry by delaying other more immediate and practical forms of action to reduce carbon emissions. And for Mr Barilaro, it might be a political winner. He might steal One Nations thunder and win the support of older regional voters and radio shock jocks who have a vendetta against those they see as renewables-loving green hippies. She said she was supposed to see her boyfriend, who is in an intensive graduate school program at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, over his spring break, but now that isnt going to happen. Shes also going to miss a wedding, she added, which was going to be a chance for all her friends from her Peace Corps stint in Cameroon to see each other again. Eight states have declared a state of emergency after confirmed coronavirus cases rose to more than 560, and the outbreak has forced schools across the country to close. Oregon became the latest to declare a state of emergency on Sunday. Governor Kate Brown made the decision when the number of coronavirus cases doubled to over 14 in the state. It joined California, New York, Washington, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, and Florida in declaring a state of emergency. States deciding to take this step should not immediately cause panic among the residents. This measure is often used as a quick way to free up emergency funding for governmental agencies. Governors can also request for the president to declare a federal emergency for the state so it can access federal funding to combat the problem. A state of emergency on the federal level would then give the state up to $5m in funding from the government. No states have requested this from President Trump yet. Washington state has been hit one of the hardest by the coronavirus with at least 136 cases and 19 deaths as of Monday morning. New York state and California have 142 and 89 confirmed cases respectively. No one has died from the virus in New York while one person has in California. Confirmed cases have impacted a total of 34 states and Washington DC as of Monday morning. Schools face potential closures across the nation, which could significantly impact students and their parents if they don't reopen for long periods of time. On Friday, 189 K-12 schools were closed because of the virus and the closures impacted more than 120,000 students, according to Education Week. New York state initially said it would avoid closing public schools, specifically in New York City, unless in a worst case scenario situation because of the more than 100,000 students who rely on their school for food during the day. But Governor Andrew Cuomo said during a press conference on Monday schools will now close for a 24-hour period if any student tests positive for the coronavirus. A total of 17 schools were closed on Friday in the state. Story continues Washington also experienced K-12 school closures, specifically near Seattle, to combat the spread of the virus. There were 18 public school closures in the state as of Monday morning. Colleges have also taken precautions of their own after students tested positive for the virus. Columbia University in New York suspended its in-person classes this week when one student tested positive. Princeton University said all classes would go online starting 23 March. The University of Washington and Seattle University both announced they would move to online classes through the winter quarter. In California, Stanford University and the University of Southern California are also moving to online classes for the next two weeks. Other colleges across America are on heightened alert for any potential cases on their campuses. Read more Two US soldiers killed during Isis raid Threat of coronavirus pandemic now 'very real', WHO warns Trump's focus on coronavirus numbers could backfire say health experts Alabama refuses to allow yoga in public schools US priest who shook hands with 500 worshippers has coronavirus Coronavirus: US could need more than twice the number of hospital beds What to look out for in Tuesday's primaries and what to ignore A 100-year-old man has been discharged from hospital in China after recovering from coronavirus, according to state media. The centenarian is the oldest person to have returned to health after being diagnosed with the disease, reported Xinhua news agency. He was among more than 80 Covid-19 patients discharged on Saturday from a wing of Hubei Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital in Wuhan, the city where the outbreak began. The man, who reportedly had underlying health conditions including Alzheimers disease, hypertension and heart failure, was admitted to hospital on 24 February. According to state-run Xinhua, he received a range of treatments from military doctors. Doctors have warned the elderly and people with underlying health conditions are at increased risk of severe coronavirus infection. But Englands chief medical officer has sought to reassure the public that the great majority of older patients will survive. Professor Chris Whitty said last week: Even in the most vulnerable, oldest groups, in a very stressed health service which Hubei was at the point when most of the data came out the great majority of people who caught this virus and not everybody will survived it. The great majority, over 90 per cent. I think its easy to get a perception that if you are older and you get this virus then youre a goner absolutely not, the great majority of people will recover from this virus, even if they are in their 80s. NEW HAVEN A Superior Court judge Monday ruled that prosecutors had shown sufficient probable cause to go forward with the charge of murder against Emanuel Dominguez-Villagomez in the death of his wife at their home in Cheshire. Dominguez-Villagomez, 32, of Mountain Road, faces the charge in connection with the death of his wife, Monica Dominguez, last September. He is also charged with risk of injury to a child because two children, ages 11 and 1 at the time, were at home when their mother was being repeatedly stabbed. The defendant is the biological father of the younger child. Dominguez died at St. Marys Hospital in Waterbury on Sept. 15, four days after the attack. Following a second day of states evidence in the case, Superior Court Judge Jon M. Alander ruled the state had established probable cause to prosecute at a trial on its assertion the defendant intended to cause the death of his wife and did cause her death. Alander cited testimony by two Cheshire police officers and a Cheshire police detective who responded to the home on the night of the episode. He admitted he had an altercation with his wife, with knives, Alander said. He admitted he grabbed the knife. When asked about the wounds, the officer said the defendant said: I went crazy. Alander added: Based on the number of wounds, one might infer the defendant went crazy. Alander quoted testimony given Monday by Dr. Jacqueline Nunez of the chief states medical examiners office. She said the autopsy she performed on Dominguez revealed a total of 30-40 stab wounds, including two long wounds to her neck. Nunez observed a total of 10 sharp wounds to the victims neck, 13 sharp wounds to her head and four wounds to her torso, as well as about 13 wounds to her hands. Nunez told Senior Assistant States Attorney John P. Doyle Jr. that the cause of death was forced sharp trauma of the neck and head. Asked for the manner of death, Nunez replied: Its a homicide. Alander noted the prosecutors had also shown evidence of a motive for the attack: He believed she was engaged in an extra-marital affair. Court records show Dominguez had initiated divorce proceedings against Dominguez-Villagomez last July. When he issued his ruling Monday, Alander also noted testimony Dominguez told an officer as she lay bleeding in her home: He tried to kill me. She added he was her husband. And she said he had stabbed her because He say I cheated on him. During Nunez testimony, Doyle took her through dozens of photos from the autopsy. The photos provided graphic detail of the extent of the wounds. The defendant, who has a short beard and wears glasses, was dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit because he is being held in lieu of $1 million bail. He looked at the photos on a computer screen and showed little or no emotion. During a brief cross-examination of Nunez by defense attorney Norm Pattis, she pinpointed the most prominent wounds as sharp injuries to the left side of her neck. Pattis asked Nunez to repeat the timetable of the September events: that Dominguez was stabbed Sept. 11 but did not die until the early morning hours of Sept. 15. Were her injuries exacerbated by the care she received at the hospital? Pattis asked. I dont believe so, Nunez replied. Pattis also had Nunez repeat her wording that the cause of death was from complications of the wounds. Doyle then asked: Those injuries caused her eventual death? Nunez said this was correct. After court adjourned, Doyle said: We thank the court for listening to our presentation. We are satisfied with the outcome. We move forward with the murder charge. Pattis said afterward he had no comment other than: Sad case. randall.beach@hearstmediact.com CHATSWORTH, Calif.The Free Speech Coalition released the following statement Monday afternoon regarding Utah's pending House Bill 243, which would mandate that all pornographic material be prefaced with a five-second warning stating it could negatively affect minors: The Utah legislature is attempting to pass a new law, HB243, that would require all obscene material distributed in the state to come with a five-second warning label stating that such material may damage or negatively impact minors. Anyone who does not comply can be sued by the Attorney General of Utah, for a penalty of $2,500 per violation. Despite changes to the bill, HB243 remains a landmine of First Amendment issues. Affixing a state-mandated warning to an adult film, which enjoys First Amendment protections, is fundamentally different from doing the same to a food product, which does not. The bills author, Rep. Brady Brammer, says that the labelling law will only apply to "obscene" content. However, there is no established legal definition for obscenityeach case would have to be worked out through a lengthy and expensive legal process. However, the chilling effect on legal speech would be substantial. HB243 is remarkably similar to a 2005 Utah labeling bill, HB260, which was struck down in 2012 after a costly seven-year court battle. In the ensuing case, Florence v. Shetloff, a federal judge ruled that Utah could prosecute a person in communication with a specific minor, but could not prosecute generally accessible websites. We dont know why the State of Utah would want to waste precious time and taxpayer dollars fighting an already decided battle. FSC supports the limiting of adult content to adults. Thats why weve worked closely with adult content filters to register adult content, and why adult sites carry the Restricted to Adults Label, which allows them to be easily blocked. If Rep. Brammer wants to limit access of adult content by minors, consumer filters are a much more effective solutionand one that doesnt trample First Amendment protections. DUBLIN (dpa-AFX) - Accenture (ACN) has agreed to acquire ESR Labs, a Munich-based company that develops embedded software for German car brands and suppliers. Financial terms were not disclosed. ESR Labs will join Accenture Industry X.0. Embedded software is the code running on the electronic units that control a vehicle's functions. ESR Labs also offers solutions to update the code remotely, helps clients develop connected car and mobility services. Frank Riemensperger, market unit lead for Accenture in Germany, said: 'Bringing together ESR Labs, designaffairs and Zielpuls will go a long way in helping clients in our market tackle their digital challenges.' 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. The legal team of the deposed Emir Sanusi of Kano led by Abubakar Mahmoud has said it would challenge the banishment of Mr Sanusi to Loko local government in Nasarawa State. While Mr Mahmoud said his team would do this because it is illegal, unconstitutional and a clear abuse of power, he said Mr Sanusi had not given them any directive to challenge his dethronement in court. The Kano State government, through the managing director of Kano Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA), Bappa Danagundi, had Tuesday morning told PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday, the Emirs banishment was in line with tradition and for peace to reign in Kano. But Mr Mahmoud said the so-called tradition is an archaic practice that has no basis in Nigerians law. He said his team was concerned about the safety of the deposed and for the the immediate release of the Emir, whom he said he had not heard from since he was taken out of Kano on Monday. Mr Mahmoud further bemoaned the emotional trauma and distress the former Emir was subjected to in the about seven hour drive to his current location in Nasarawa State. He said he feared for Mr Sanusis safety and called on the inspector-general of police, the director-general of the SSS and the attorney-general of the federation to ensure the immediate release of the former Emir for him to reunite with his family. MANILA, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte does not feel the need to lock down the entire Metro Manila amid the soar in number of confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country. This was the presidents response to the proposal of House Ways and Means Chair Jose Salceda to place the entire National Capital Region (NCR) under lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19. But Duterte is not discounting the governments need to balance and consider all measures amid the situation. We havent reached that kind of contamination. Iisa-isa lang. With this transmission, you want to close down the economy at this time? Duterte said. There will be a time I suppose, I hope not. I hope God will have mercy on the Filipino people. It is too early for that. Hindi ko sinasabi na hihintayin mo magkasakit lahat (Im not saying that we wait until everyone is infected), its not that, but you have to balance, he added. The Department of Health (DOH), likewise, agreed that it is not yet time to declare a lockdown in any place in the Philippines. Sa ngayon nasa Sub-Level 1 tayo so wala pa tayo sa estado na kailangan na nating mag- lockdown (We are now in Sub-Level 1 so we are not yet in need of lockdown), explained Health Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire. Kapag nagpunta tayo sa Sub-Level 2 ng code alert red natin, (ibig sabihin) meron na po tayong sustained community transmission. Iyon po ang ating trigger para magsabi na pwede na tayong gumamit ng mga strategic interventions na ito katulad ng lockdown, (Once we upgrade our code alert red to Sub-Level 2, that means we already have sustained community transmission. Thats the trigger for us to finally use that strategic intervention of declaring a lockdown), the official added. Nonetheless, President Duterte said the government may consider a lockdown if the country records five to 20,000 deaths due to COVID-19. MNP (with details from Rosalie Coz) The post Duterte says no to Metro Manila lockdown appeared first on UNTV News. Russia said it expects to build close ties with the Taliban as American forces start withdrawing from Afghanistan under a peace deal signed last month. We want to have normal ties with any new administration in Kabul, President Vladimir Putins envoy to Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said in an interview on Friday in Moscow. The Taliban understands very well that when they join the government, theyll need to work for national interests and for that theyll need good relations with Russia. The peace agreement reached in the Qatari capital after 19 years of war provides for the U.S. and its allies to pull out all troops within 14 months, in return for a Taliban pledge to prevent terrorist groups such as Islamic State and al-Qaeda from using Afghanistan as a haven. It also sets the stage for the Taliban to hold talks with Afghanistans government to decide the political future of the conflict-torn country. Russia has courted the Taliban, which controls or contests about half of the territory in Afghanistan, saying the militant group can be a potential ally in the fight against Islamic State. The U.S. pull-out to end the longest conflict in American history is providing the Kremlin with a chance to reclaim its clout in the country, where the Soviet Union fought a decade-long war before completing a humiliating withdrawal in 1989. The two former Cold War rivals are also in competition in the Middle East where Russia is seeking to restore its Soviet-era influence. Its a Risk The administration of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, a U.S. ally, is reluctant to enter into peace talks with the Taliban because the Kabul leadership is afraid that these talks will lead to their departure, said Kabulov. While a power-sharing government is absolutely realistic, if the negotiations dont happen, the Taliban will continue to make territorial advances, said the Russian envoy. They wont lose their chance and will strengthen their control of territory, he said. The U.S. has accused Russia in the past of supplying weapons to the Taliban, allegations Moscow has denied. The movement wont be able to impose the same hard-line Islamic rule as in the 1990s, according to Kabulov. We told them we wont accept a return of the Islamic Emirate, he said. The top Russian official also criticized the U.S. for carrying out air strikes against the Taliban to prevent it from staging small-scale attacks on the Afghan military, which he said it didnt commit to stop under the peace agreement. Its a risk, said Kabulov. If the U.S. genuinely wants to bring the peace process to a logical conclusion -- a cease-fire and inter-Afghan dialog -- they shouldnt act in this way. Best Soda Makers 7 Seriously Supreme Soda Machines The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. Its safe to say that pretty much everyone loves soda. Its carbonated, its refreshing, it makes you say ah. In fact, according to a study published in Beverage Digest, the average American adult drank almost 39 gallons of the bubbly stuff in 2018 a steady decline from the peak of the report in 2010 at about 46 gallons but still a pretty high number given we know soda just isnt as good for you as water. RELATED: Best Coffeemakers 2020 Alternatively, the number of bottles of water per capita has been going up steadily year after year since 2009. In a study by the Beverage Marketing Corporation, bottled water consumption has seen an increase almost every year since 1999, reaching just over 42 gallons per person in the U.S. in 2018. Not only does that habit add up to a lot of coin, but it also adds up to a lot of single-use plastic waste from a resource that should be free and plentiful for everyone. But its not all bad news here there is an easy way to maintain your soda or sparking water habit while cutting down on the costs and the waste: An at-home soda machine. There are a lot of great options on the market for these must-have kitchen gadgets, so weve gone ahead and taken the guesswork out of finding the right ones for you. These are our picks for the 7 best soda machines on Amazon. SodaStream Fizzi Bundle SodaStream is by far the most popular soda machine just ask any of their 40 million customers. It was one of the first at-home soda machines on the market, and it continues to innovate, however the Fizzi is the OG model and it remains one of the best sellers because of its simplicity and effectiveness. Thanks to its easy manual pump action, there are no batteries or electricity standing in the way of you and fizzy delicious water. This kit is a perfect intro to home-soda making, complete with two SodaStream CO2 cartridges, two reusable carbonating bottles and two bottles of SodaStream zero-calorie fruit-drops (a nice bonus for those of you who crave some flavor). $149 at Amazon.com AARKE Carbonator II Home soda makers are awesome, but they can really take up valuable counter space. Why not buy one thats impressively slim and looks incredible. The AARKE Carbonator II is a really sexy option yes, we said sexy about a soda machine that not only has the style, but the substance as well. This machine is built to last and comes in high end options such as stainless steel, brass, copper and matte black or white. It doesnt require any batteries or electricity to operate, just fill up the BP-free reusable bottle, insert any standard 60L CO2 Cylinder (not included, but you can get some here) and get ready to bubble! $219 at Amazon.com DrinkMate Beverage Carbonation Maker While seltzer water is great, theres a world of other fizzy beverages out there and the DrinkMate Beverage Carbonation Maker is your passport to them all. Looking to soda-fy your favorite juice? Turn that Malbec into a sparkling wine? How about a bubbly iced coffee? We dont judge. All possible with this awesome kitchen gadget you can even revive flat soda or beer. This package comes complete with a reusable bottle and a mini, 10L CO2 cartridge, but the machine is compatible with just about any brand of 60L CO2 cylinders as well. $97.95 at Amazon.com KitchenAid Sparkling Beverage Maker When it comes to kitchen gadgets, KitchenAid knows whats up. It has basically owned at least one spot on every wedding registry ever. So it should come as no surprise that its die-cast metal, Sparkling Beverage Maker is another home run. Not only is this machine both beautifully designed and aesthetically pleasing, it also makes one hell of a good glass of seltzer. With four different lever-controlled carbonation levels and a standard 60L CO2 cylinder capacity, youll be enjoying fizzy drinks in style for years to come. $349.78 at Amazon.com DrinkMate Portable Sparkling Water Maker If youre a guy on the go but you cant live without your seltzer, look no further than the Drinkmate Portable sparkling water maker. This little soda machine is portable and convenient, but still just as powerful as its countertop cousin. Like the other DrinkMate machine on our list, this handheld gadget not only carbonates water, but can be used to carbonate any beverage you can think of and do so on the go! Tailgates and picnics will never be the same. $78.88 at Amazon.com SodaStream Aqua Fizz Kit Carbonation isnt a quiet process so there is no surprise soda machines are loud, but SodaStreams Aqua Fizz machine is definitely one of the quietest options weve seen on the market. If quiet carbonating wasnt enough, another added bonus is that unlike many other options, the Aqua Fizz comes with two refillable glass bottles which are dishwasher safe and nice to look at too. This kit also comes with a standard 60L CO2 cylinder so you can start making soda as soon as it arrives. $159 at Amazon.com Fomagas Portable Soda Maker Sometimes you just need enough of the bubble stuff for one, and the Fomagas portable soda maker happens to specialize in just that. This single-serving gadget sits on top of a heavy duty PET bottle and uses one lightweight recyclable CO2 cartridge per bottle (not included, but get them here). While the Fomagas soda maker may not be the most eco-friendly, it is the most budget-friendly the single-use cartridges are a lot less expensive than the standard 60L cylinders. $34.99 at Amazon.com No matter the type of bubbles youre after, these work wonders. If youre looking to add something to give it a little bit of a kick, try one of our recommended best vodkas. Not your thing? Thats OK, there are plenty of booze-free options that require a little fizz as well. You Might Also Dig: AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. To find out more, please read our complete terms of use. NEW YORK, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global ENT Disorder Treatment Market 2020-2024 The analyst has been monitoring the global ent disorder treatment market and it is poised to grow by USD 2.1 bn during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of 2% during the forecast period. Our reports on global ent disorder treatment market provides a holistic analysis, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis covering around 25 vendors. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p04899139/?utm_source=PRN The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current global market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The market is driven by rapid environmental deterioration resulting in several allergic conditions.In addition, advances in research on allergic disorders is anticipated to boost the growth of the global ent disorder treatment market as well. Market Segmentation The global ent disorder treatment market is segmented as below: Indication: Rhinitis Sinusitis Otitis Media Tonsillitis Geographic Segmentation: Asia Europe North America ROW Key Trends for global ent disorder treatment market growth This study identifies advances in research on allergic disorders as the prime reasons driving the global ent disorder treatment market growth during the next few years. Prominent vendors in global ent disorder treatment market We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the global ent disorder treatment market , including some of the vendors such as AbbVie Inc., ALK-Abello AS, Bayer AG, Covis Pharma BV, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co. Inc., Pfizer Inc. and Sanofi. . The study was conducted using an objective combination of primary and secondary information including inputs from key participants in the industry. The report contains a comprehensive market and vendor landscape in addition to an analysis of the key vendors. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p04899139/?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 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links www.reportlinker.com Jyotiraditya Scindia, who resigned from the Congress on Tuesday, did not answer queries on the political developments in Madhya Pradesh and extended Holi greetings. "Happy Holi," he said in response to questions from ANI on the political developments in Madhya Pradesh where the Kamal Nath government is facing a deep crisis following resignations of 22 MLAs, including six ministers. Scindia reached his residence here amid hectic political developments in Bhopal and Delhi. Earlier, he had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah. Congress has faced internal differences in Madhya Pradesh since the formation of the government in the state in 2018. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) KAMPALA Unusual weather and climate conditions, including widespread and heavy rains, have contributed to a serious and widespread Desert locust outbreak to 24 districts, threatening rural food security and livelihoods Northern Uganda. The minister of agriculture, animal industry and fisheries Vincent Ssempija in a statement said swarms of desert locusts continue invading Uganda from neighbouring Kenya through Karita and Loroo sub-counties in Amudat District in Karamoja sub-region, after having ravaged several parts of Kenya, causing food shortages. Mr. Ssempijja said the desert locusts have since been sighted in 24 districts in Teso, Lango, Acholi, Sebei and Bugisu sub-regions. The affected Districts as of 6th March, 2020 include: Amudat, Nakapiripirit, Nabilatuk, Moroto, Kotido, Kaabong, Karenga, Abim, Otuke, Napak, Katakwi, Amuria, Soroti, Ngora, Kumi, Bukwo, Kween, Agago, Kitgum, Lamwo, Pader, Bulambuli, Bukedea and Sironko. Whereas the existing swarms have not caused significant damage to the vegetation cover, the Minister said there is an imminent threat to food security when the eggs hatch into hoppers in the next few weeks as has been the case with our neighbour, Kenya. The swarms, however, continue to spread to other districts and possibly laying of eggs is expected to continue while our efforts to control the adult locusts continue, he said. On 3rd March 2020, a new invasion of the desert locust (4 square kilometres) arrived in Bukwo District covering 3 villages of Ariyowet, Kapambar and Kaptobole in Kapswamatule sub-county. The swarm, he said was a mixture of immature and mature adults and the UPDF immediately swung into action by spraying them. It is worth noting that the immature adult locusts are the most destructive stage of the desert locust as swarms can feed on 100 tons of vegetation per day while on March 6, 2020, the swarm that had settled in Kidepo Valley National Park was seen flying towards South Sudan. We are in discussions with Uganda Wild Life Authority to begin mapping out areas of desert locusts invasions in the National Park for targeted control. This is in line with the preservation of the eco-system in the National Park, the minister said adding that with the planting season around the corner, it is of paramount importance that the desert locust invasions are completely brought under control to avert a potential food crisis. Mr Ssempijja said ground spraying by the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces continues to be undertaken in areas where the desert locusts have been sighted. Related BROCKPORT, N.Y.- The State University of New York College at Brockport near Rochester is one of two state colleges that have been designated as sites for SUNY students statewide who need to be quarantined due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to state officials. Brockport and SUNY at Stony Brook on Long Island are taking in students who need to undergo a 14-day quarantine, according to officials at both colleges and a spokesman for Gov. Andrew Cuomo. SUNY Brockport is housing 32 students who returned from studying abroad - 18 who were in Italy and another 14 who were studying in Japan and South Korea, according to Brockport officials. Stony Brook has 26 students in quarantine: 22 from Italy and another four from South Korea, according to Stony Brook officials. About 300 SUNY and CUNY students and faculty recently returned on chartered flight from programs overseas due to the outbreak. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and college officials last week suspended study abroad programs in China, Italy, Japan, Iran and South Korea due to growing concerns over the spread of the new coronavirus. SUNY Brockport officials, on their web site, said the campus was selected because it one of the few state colleges with vacant dorms. Students quarantined have WiFi access, separate living quarters and food provided to them. SUNY Stony Brook also is providing information on the quarantine on its web site. Officials at both colleges stress the quarantines are precautionary and none of the students are showing any symptoms of coronavirus. Two area private colleges Cornell and Syracuse University took a different approach for its students returning from study abroad programs that closed. Both colleges asked students who to quarantine at home before returning to campus. 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. [March 10, 2020] HashKey Pro Joins Travel Rule Information Sharing Architecture (TRISA) Consortium as Founding Member HONG KONG, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- HashKey Pro, a Hong Kong-based digital asset trading platform, announced its Founding Membership in the TRISA Working Group, a consortium built to accelerate the adoption of a viable architecture for Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) to comply with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Travel Rules (Travel Rules). The Travel Rules were issued by FATF in June 2019, with an upcoming FATF review on VASPs implementation status in June 2020. The Travel Rules requires VASPs to disclose originator and beneficiary information related to digital asset transactions over a USD$1,000 threshold. TRISA was created as a globally-interoperable solution to the Travel Rules. On November 21, 2019, HashKey Pro announced its submission of a license application to Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), intending to operate as a licensed virtual asset trading platform in Hong Kong. Joining the TRISA Working Group as a Founding Member is a continuation of HashKey Pro's focus on buildinga licensed, regulator-friendly, institutional-grade digital asset exchange in Asia. As a Founding Member, HashKey Pro will begin testing TRISA's Trusted Handshake testnet, exploring how to maintain user privacy and interoperability across various emerging messaging standards like OpenVASP, InterVASP, and more. Guhan Iyer, Director of TRISA, welcomed HashKey Pro's participation in TRISA Working Group and said that "TRSIA presents a risk-free path for VASPs to begin sharing transaction information with their peers, before the looming FATF deadline." It uses a decentralized peer-to-peer mechanism to comply with new regulations and protect user privacy. HashKey Pro's founding membership will help support TRISA's adoption of the Travel Rules in Asia, especially within HashKey's key area of focus: compliant, institutional-grade digital asset market infrastructure. In addition, HashKey Pro actively intends to engage and test additional Travel Rules architectures, in order to work towards global interoperability between different VASPs in different areas. About HashKey Group HashKey Digital Asset Group Limited (HashKey Group) is a leading FinTech group and a blockchain research institution based in Hong Kong. With the mission of advancing the entire industry forward, HashKey Group devotes itself to accelerating innovation, promoting entrepreneurship, and contributing to the blockchain technology development. Official website: https://www.hashkey.com/ About HashKey Pro HashKey Pro, a member of HashKey Group, is an institutional-grade trading platform for professional digital asset investors. We operate a platform that delivers trust, integrity, security, and performance to sophisticated professional investors, institutional investors, and brokers who intend to widen their exposure to digital assets through a trusted platform. Official website: https://pro.hashkey.com/ About Travel Rule Information Sharing Architecture (TRISA) TRISA is created in light of the newly enforced Travel Rule for cryptocurrency transaction identity information by the FATF. They aim to enable Travel Rules compliance for VASPs, without altering any of the their blockchain protocols, increasing transaction costs or disrupting cryptocurrency transaction flows. 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She launches Following My Path (published by LifeRich Publishing), where she narrates about her work as an activist despite being diagnosed with a fatal and lingering disease. Visit https://www.amazon.com/Following-My-Path-Striving-Justice-ebook/dp/B082YSH8K4 to know more about her story. All her life, Ritter has been an activist crusading for positive political and social change. Her journal details the time she began to lead others through her experiences. It also included the times she was living in a commune for three years where she was active in grassroots anti-nuclear movement and other protests. However, she was faced with a trial that could hinder her from continuing her work. Ritter was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), at the age of 38. At that time, she found herself at a crossroads. Could she continue her activism and overcome her fear of death? She persevered with the cause she believed in as she is determined to fight for what is right though disabled. Though written between the 1970s and 1980s, the book is relevant today as social and political activism is now on-the-rise. There are more causes we should fight today such as gender equality, climate activism and diversity. With the publication of Following My Path, the late author encourages the youth to do what they can to fight for positive change. Regardless of the challenges you face in life, don't give up. Continue on your path and with God's help, live your life the best you can, helping others, her sister-in-law Judy Ritter says. "This is what Esther would wish for all of us." Following My Path By Esther Maria Ritter Hardcover | 6x9 in | 174 pages | ISBN 9781489725820 Softcover | 6x9 in | 174 pages | ISBN 9781489725806 E-Book | 174 pages | ISBN 9781489725813 Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble About the Author Esther Maria Ritter was born in Zurich, Switzerland, and in 1949, immigrated to the United States with her family at age 6. An avid writer from an early age, she chronicled her life in diaries as a teenager and in journals throughout her adult life. Ritter passed away on October 1, 2005. LifeRich Publishing, the strategic publishing partnership of Readers Digest and Author Solutions, LLC, was created to provide all writers a platform for sharing their stories, recipes, advice and more. LifeRich authors will benefit from a wealth of editorial design, marketing and education resources, specially created by Readers Digest editors for the enrichment of these LifeSmart individuals. Books can be published in print, ebook or audio formats, with additional distribution to up to 25 million Readers Digest customers through its online properties. For more information or to publish a book, please visit liferichpublishing.com or call 1-888-238-8637. (Alliance News) - Domino's Pizza Group PLC on Tuesday announced it has hired Jim Beam bourbon maker Beam Suntory Inc Chair Matt Shattock to run its own board. Shattock has been with drinks maker since 2009 - when it was Beam Inc - and oversaw the integration of Beam and Japanese distiller Suntory, following the Japanese firm's USD16 billion acquisition of Beam. Beam Suntory is now a subsidiary of Suntory Beverage & Food Ltd, which itself is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings. Shattock has previously held senior roles at confectionery-maker Cadbury plc and consumer goods giant Unilever PLC in the past. He currently sits on the boards of consumer goods firm Clorox Co and apparel company VF Corp. Shattock's hire is one of the key senior roles Domino's is looking to add. The pizza franchisee has been on the lookout for a new chief executive and chief financial officer. Incumbent CEO David Wild in August last year said he would be retiring when a replacement is found, while CFO David Bauernfeind died in a snorkelling accident whilst on holiday over the Christmas period. Chair Stephen Hemsley left at the end of 2019. New Chair Shattock will now lead the process to find a new CEO and CFO. Speaking at the time of last week's annual results, interim Chair Ian Bull said: "We have four key priorities: recruiting a new chair, CEO and CFO, reinforcing our core business, rebuilding our franchisee relationship and finding the right owners for our International businesses. "We are giving these priorities considerable time and focus and are confident in the long-term prospects for the group." Shattock's hire, Domino's said, is an "important milestone" in meeting these priorities. On Tuesday, Bull said: "This is an important moment in the turnaround of Domino's, and I am delighted to have secured a Chair of Matt's calibre. During what has been an extremely rigorous search process led by Usman and I, we have been clear that we need world class leaders to take Domino's to the next level and fulfil its enormous potential. In Matt we believe we have found a chair who absolutely fits this description." Shattock added: "I couldn't be more excited to be joining Domino's as chairman. This is a good business today but with its powerful brand and some of the best franchisees in the world, it has the potential to be an outstanding business. My priorities will be building the new executive leadership, while also getting out to know the business, meeting colleagues and engaging with our franchisees to build a constructive relationship." Domino's reported revenue of GBP508.3 million for the 52 weeks to December 29, 3.0% higher than the year before. UK & Ireland system sales rose 4.8% to GBP1.21 billion, and excluding split stores the rate of growth was 3.7%, easing back from 4.6% growth in Domino's previous financial year. Pretax profit from continuing operations fell by 14% to GBP75.1 million, with underlying pretax profit dipping by 1.2% to GBP98.8 million. Profit was hit by a GBP18.7 million corporate store impairment. Shares in Domino's Pizza were 6.9% higher in London on Tuesday morning at 304.30 pence each. By Paul McGowan; paulmcgowan@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. The new movie "Onward" is notable for featuring Disney/Pixar's first openly gay character, a fact that has not gone down well in some Middle Eastern markets. One of the female characters, Officer Specter, refers to a woman partner in a conversation with the movie's two stars. It's because of this that it has been banned in Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, according to Hollywood industry website Deadline. Specter, a cop voiced by Lena Waithe, is discussing parenting issues with elf brothers Ian and Barley Lightfoot, played by Chris Pratt and Tom Holland. "It's not easy being a new parent my girlfriend's daughter got me pulling my hair out, okay?" she states. But although the movie appears to be missing from schedules in some Middle Eastern countries, others such as Egypt and Lebanon are showing the movie. In Cairo, the cinema chain Vox is listing times for "Onward" on its website. Russia, meanwhile, has changed the word "girlfriend" to "partner" in the movie, according to a report on website The Moscow Times. This isn't the first-time content referring to LGBT people has been censored or removed. Last year the Elton John biopic "Rocketman" had scenes allegedly edited out for Russian audiences, including a photograph of John and his husband David Furnish, according to a Reuters report. John called the move "cruelly unaccepting of the love between two people." "Onward" opened in the U.S. on March 6 to mixed reviews. Disney had not responded to CNBC's request for comment at the time of publication. More than a hundred lawmakers of the Parliament of Canada have formed the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group. This was announced by Liberal Party MP Yvan Baker, who was elected as Chair of the Group at the constituent meeting. I am deeply honoured to have been elected by MPs and Senators of all parties as Chair of the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group (CUPFG) alongside a strong executive made up of MPs from all parties. CUPFG is one of Canadas largest and most active parliamentary friendship groups with over 100 members representing all political parties, Yvan Baker posted on Facebook. According to him, the purpose of the CUPFG is to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas between Canadian Parliamentarians and their counterparts in Ukraine and to promote and enhance the political, economic and cultural relations between Canada and Ukraine. Canada has stood at the forefront of international support for Ukraines democratic, economic and defence reforms, as well as its sovereignty and territorial integrity. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the CUPFG from all parties, in both the House and the Senate, to continue to support Ukraines prosperity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, the lawmaker stressed. The Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group is traditionally formed by each convocation of the Parliament of Canada. In the previous composition, 2015-2019, 84 legislators expressed their desire to join it. A total of 443 MPs are sitting in the two chambers of the Canadian Parliament, which means that almost a quarter of legislators became members of the friendship group with Ukraine this year. ol SALEM, Ore. Following a short legislative session that fell flat amid the acrimony over a bill aimed at capping carbon emissions, funding for a few budget measures that would have otherwise died with the untimely end of the session has been approved by the Oregon Legislative Emergency Board. Alongside those unfinished funding measures comes $5 million for the state's response to COVID-19, now an official emergency following an announcement this weekend, and another $5 million that will likely form the foundation of Governor Kate Brown's executive action on carbon emissions. 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). RELATED: Oregon Republicans 'willing to return' to the legislature on March 8, Senate Leader says The Legislative Emergency Board represents a small subset of Oregon lawmakers charged with allocating emergency funds and other matters when the full legislature is not in session. The board's allocations included considerable funding for flood recovery efforts in northeastern Oregon, most of which was put on indefinite hold during the Republican walkout while the session remained ongoing. $5 million from the state's emergency fund will go to the Oregon Health Authority, while the board also raised the ceiling on federal fund expenditures "to support coronavirus emergency response activities" once a plan is presented and approved. The Oregon Military Department will also receive $2.7 million from the emergency fund for an "all-hazard emergency preparedness and response program." RELATED: First presumptive cases of COVID-19 in southern Oregon found in Jackson, Klamath counties Finally, the state Emergency Board approved $5 million from the emergency fund for the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) "to be used for rulemaking and other actions with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions across all emissions sources, including point sources, natural gas emissions and transportation fuels." When the legislative session ended without a compromise between Democrats and Republicans on cap-and-trade, Governor Brown said that she would make good on a promise to deliver climate change solutions through executive action if a legislative route did not succeed. I have always been clear that a legislative solution was my preferred path to tackle the impacts of climate change for the resources it would bring to our rural communities and the flexibility it would provide for our businesses," Brown said last week. "However, I will not back down. In the coming days, I will be taking executive action to lower our greenhouse gas emissions." On Monday the Oregonian/OregonLive reported that DEQ director Richard Whitman said Brown's executive order would be coming "very soon." Most metro locations will start the morning with temperatures near or below freezing Tuesday. Expect patchy frost for your morning, and possible windshield scraping in your future, if you park outside. Portland should see a bright, sunny morning as fog is not expected. Skies will remain sunny through most of the day. The high is expected to reach 57 degrees. Some high clouds will move into the region as the afternoon progresses, especially for areas close to the Columbia River. A weak front is likely to drop into the metro area overnight and into Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. That front could bring some light showers to the northern part of the state and to southwest Washington. Rainfall amounts will be light, with many areas not seeing any rain. Wednesday will start out cloudy, and then gradually become mostly sunny. The high is forecast for 55 degrees. Weak high pressure returns to the region later Wednesday and into Thursday. If you like dry and sunny weather, enjoy Thursday as it is expected to be mostly sunny, with a high of 56 degrees. Current forecasts are predicting rain will return by Friday and continue into the weekend, again. Did you see Monday nights Super moon? The construction-focused technology company secured the high-profile coverage after working with the Newswire Team. NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2020 / ??Levelset, a construction technology company headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, landed media coverage from Business Insider after becoming a Newswire Earned Media Advantage Guided Tour customer. The brand, which assists in the payments process for contractors, received recognition after working with Newswire team members to implement a strategic Earned Media Advantage Plan. The plan was developed by Newswire's Earned Media Advantage Strategists (EMAS), who crafted a unique strategy for the brand to help them promote its key messaging to top media contacts and their target customer audience. Alex Dunn, Director of Demand Gen at Levelset, said, "Getting our EMAS at Newswire up to speed with our company's purpose and goals was easy and helped us to quickly get our press releases out to the right publications. Melissa has been incredibly responsive and has gone above and beyond to help us get the results we were looking for." Payment problems have become commonplace in the construction industry. Contractors are often not paid on time and sometimes not paid at all. Levelset's new messaging was focused on resolving these pain points for contractors and employers alike, and it was crucial that they deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time, through the right mediums. Hence why the Guided Tour was vital for Levelset's team; by earning this placement in Business Insider, the brand can effectively communicate their unique value to industry leaders. Each EMAS leverages their expert experience and connections with the appropriate industry contracts, acting as a bridge between the company and the media. In order to successfully bring the two together, a media and marketing strategy must be in place and be implemented before beginning the outreach process. "By leveraging the value of our comprehensive program and direct media outreach campaigns, Levelset was able to implement an effective campaign and get the recognition they deserved from one of the top media outlets in their industry," said Melissa Fair, Earned Media Advantage Strategist at Newswire. Customers can now transform 'owned' media (press releases) into the 'Earned Media Advantage'. Using the right strategies, customers can lower their costs of press releases, increase the value of each release and lower paid-media costs while shortening the journey to achieve earned media mentions. To ensure the success of the services, an expert Earned Media Advantage Strategist leads customers through the journey every step of the way. 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. Discover How the Earned Media Advantage is Transforming Business today and learn how to compete in the industry. About Newswire Newswire 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 a 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 Information?? Charlie Terenzio Director of Earned Media Strategy Newswire Office: 813-480-3766 Email: charlie@newswire.com SOURCE: Newswire View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/579907/Levelset-Featured-in-Business-Insider-Thanks-to-Newswires-Earned-Media-Advantage-Guided-Tour Tasos Katopodis/Getty With stock markets reeling, businesses scrambling, and the American public fearful as the coronavirus spreads, Washington, D.C., has rapidly come around to the idea that sweeping actionin the form of a government stimulus planis needed to mitigate the virus effects on the economy. The question now is what that plan will look like and whether President Donald Trump, having spent weeks chastising congressional Democrats for supposedly trying to gin up the threat of the virus in order to hurt his presidency, has the political wherewithal to get it passed. Trump Proposes Fighting Coronavirus With Tax Cuts On Monday, as the stock market suffered its worst day since the 2008 financial crisis, Trump appeared before the press and floated a major plan, which he said could include a payroll tax cut for companies, hourly wage earners getting help in the event they miss work, small business loans, and relief to industries like travel and hospitality that have been especially hard-hit by the outbreak. Early indications are that there may be a receptive audience for the proposal on the Hill. Though Trump responded to Democrats criticism of his handling of the virus by slamming incompetent Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Cryin Chuck Schumeraccusing both of them and the media of trying to gin up a crisis to hurt his political prospectsHouse Democratic sources told The Daily Beast on Monday that there was appetite within their ranks to work with the administration on a plan to ease the economic burden of the outbreak. Especially enticing is Trumps apparent openness to work with them on paid sick leave for workers, which supporters believe will not just protect workers economic livelihoods but also counter the spread of the virus itself by keeping employees away from more crowded worksites if they feel ill. CPAC Attendees Want to Know Who the Mystery Coronavirus Patient Is But Democrats also say that the devil will be in the details of the proposals Trump endorses. And they recognized that theyve been in this place before. In past crises, most notably the aftermath of mass shootings, Trump has moved toward positions unusual for a GOP president to embrace, only to retreat later. There is also fear that Trump will end up tilting any coronavirus relief package towards Wall Street. Democratic lawmakers pointed to an upcoming Tuesday meeting at the White House between Trumps team and banking executives as a sign that the markets-obsessed president is at least mulling a 2008-style bailout that many Democrats still revile as a lifeline to corporations that left workers behind. Story continues What we know is that the Wall Street bailout from 2008 basically just ended up preserving the billionaire class, said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), who voted for the bailout. I think itd be a huge mistake if our focus is bailing out industries and banks. Our focus should be on helping the workers who are going to be harmed by thiswe cant rely on trickle down disaster relief. While they may still be apart on the specifics, the White House and Republicans and Democrats on the Hill are in agreement that any stimulus plan will have to come together very quicklylikely within the next two weeks. Democratic committee chairs emerged from a meeting with Pelosi on Monday night vowing to move this week on bills designed to bolster the economy, reported CNN, though its unclear what form those bills will take yet. Congress has already shown an ability to move relatively fast to address the coronavirus outbreak. Last week, both chambers overwhelmingly approved legislation to inject over $8 billion into the countrys public health infrastructure, a sum that was far above what the administration initially requested. But a more sweeping plan to deal with wide-ranging economic, health, and labor fallout from the virus figures to be far more complicated than emergency legislation. And the relationship these days between the president and Hill Democratic leaders is at an all-time low, with each side accusing the other of politicizing a deadly disease outbreak. With talk about a possible stimulus gaining steam in the White House over the weekend, on Sunday night, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) released a joint statement setting a benchmark for what Democrats will support in any future action to take on the coronavirus. At the top of the list was paid sick leave. The leaders also pushed for improved unemployment insurance and expanding access to food stamps. For some Democrats, the fear is that the White Houses final proposalwhich Trump said he would release in full on Tuesdaymay end up trying to solve economic concerns without addressing the underlying public health crisis. If its just tax relief for industries, which really translates to tax relief for stockholders, I'm going to be troubled by that, said Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI). The combination of direct relief to people who are at most risk not only deals with the economic question, but also makes it easier to engage in practices to limit the spread. Some early optimism did prevail in the Democratic ranks, however, even among Trumps most outspoken critics. On Monday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.) told The Daily Beast she felt there were decent prospects for progress on paid sick leave, specifically, though she worried what might come with it. It'd be great if we could broker a deal, said Ocasio Cortez. This president does not waste a crisis, though, so I would not be surprised if that also came with a bunch of toxic stuff as well. Knowing what usually comes out of this White House is that it's a crumb of something good like paid sick leave, and then it'll just be attached to a truckload of systemic risk. and things that you would either deregulate or cut taxes even further on those who need those cuts the least. As House Democrats grappled with the idea of working with Trump on a possibly fraught stimulus plan, congressional Republicanshistorically wary of anything tagged with that wordgrappled with reconciling the presidents desires and their own instincts. I dont think there's a whole lot left that you can do, said Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN). Stimulus, when you're running trillion dollar deficits, is an issue, and monetary policy is about as good as it can be. I think we get through itthe real economy is holding up fine. GOP leadership is set to meet with Trump this week to discuss possible paths forward. In recent days, as the Trump White House scrambled to assemble a legislative package in the hopes of averting economic disaster, senior administration officials consulted with top outside allies and conservative economics wonks on their planned proposals, including what should be done or spent if the coronavirus manages to truly tank the U.S. economy, according to two sources familiar with that outreach. And not all of these Trump allies agree with the White House officials pushing modest stimulus. Stephen Moore, a conservative economist at the Heritage Foundation and an adviser to Trumps 2016 presidential campaign, said in a brief interview that he had recently spoken to Trump administration officials about economic measures that could be taken during this crisis, and that hed offered his advice on the matter. "Theres not a lot the White House can do right now other than continue to instill confidence," Moore said late last week. "This really is a confidence game. And its a tricky thing because you dont want to say, 'Oh, everything is fine,' but you need to let people know youre in charge." Moore added that he'd told Trump administration officials that he vehemently disagrees with some of the discussed proposals to counteract coronavirus panic and juice the economy. Among those ideas that Moore opposes is the one that seems to have the most support. "A payroll tax cut, Moore said, would not have an observable effect on the economy." 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. ALBANY New York National Guard troops were deployed to a Health Department command post in New Rochelle early Tuesday as Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said a one-mile radius in that community will be subjected to a two-week containment, including closing of public gathering facilities and at least a dozen schools. The containment effort is scheduled to begin Thursday and continue through March 26. The Westchester County city has 108 of the state's 173 confirmed cases of the illness, which Cuomo said has emerged as the area of the nation with the largest concentration of cases. Fourteen individuals with coronavirus in the state are hospitalized and, nationally, the number of confirmed cases has passed 800. "New Rochelle is a particular problem; it's what they call a cluster," Cuomo said of the one-mile radius that is centered around an area where the first cases had been discovered in that community involving a 50-year-old attorney and his family nearly two weeks ago. The deployment of National Guard troops, who will assist with cleaning public facilities and delivering food to people quarantined in their residences, came as Chinese Premier Xi Jinping visited Wuhan, the city where the outbreak began, and declared that China has gained control of the flu-like virus. But New York remains in a battle with coronavirus, and many New York colleges including the Capital Region's Skidmore College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute responded this week by extending spring break periods or making plans for students to participate in classes remotely. But Cuomo and Health Commissioner Howard Zucker on Tuesday said the state's primary focus is New Rochelle, where public health nurses, law enforcement officers and National Guard troops are helping monitor and test people who have been quarantined or are considered at high risk for contracting the flu-like illness. That work includes collecting respiratory samples for testing, ensuring people who have been quarantined remain in their residence, and delivering food to those who have been asked to stay home. "This is an evolving situation," Zucker said. "We have moved from a containment strategy to more of a mitigation strategy. ... We felt that a radius of a mile from that spot would be effective." Cuomo and Zucker said that "public" facilities would be ordered shuttered, but it's unclear whether the state will ask or demand that private businesses, including gyms and children's recreational facilities, also close their doors for two weeks. They said that six public schools and three private schools would be closed in New Rochelle, as well as three private schools outside the containment zone. RPI suspends in-person instruction, moves classes online Advocates raise concerns about protecting NY inmates from COVID-19 Warren County calls 400 in relation to CVS pharmacist infected with coronavirus Port Authority director among those with coronavirus as cases rise RPI will fight for playoffs at home but in front of no fans Complete Times Union coverage Cuomo again noted that elderly and those with compromised immune systems are at greatest risk just as they are with the common flu and this week he cautioned that the "panic that you see, is unwarranted. We have dealt with worse viruses." The National Guard troops were deployed to a Health Department command post where nurses are being outfitted with protective gear before being sent to gather coronavirus samples and to check on those under quarantine at their residences. The coronavirus outbreak has also impacted New York's budget planning during what is normally the height of negotiations between the governor, Legislature and the special interests who normally flock to Albany to make their case for state funding. Fearing a continuing economic downturn stemming from the coronavirus, Cuomo on Tuesday asked state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli to reassess the state's revenue projections ahead of the April 1 budget deadline. The governors office and both legislative chambers agreed earlier this month that the state anticipates $700 million more in revenue this fiscal year than initially projected in the January executive budget with the caveat that the coronavirus is an exceedingly significant downside risk to the economic and revenue forecasts." Cuomo asked DiNapoli to complete his assessment within a week. In an appearance on CNN Tuesday morning, Cuomo said that New York and other states are not doing enough testing and he noted that other nations including South Korea and China have conducted thousands more tests per day, albeit with methods that may not be as accurate as those used in the United States. "What you will see is the number will continue to increase because they have increased," he said. "Were not testing enough people to know where it is." Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. In recent briefings, Cuomo said the state is processing about 500 coronavirus tests per day, but that private labs were being authorized to assist that effort. After Boston officials announced they are canceling their St. Patrick's Day parade, to limit crowd gatherings, Cuomo said "that's one of the things we're looking at" when asked if New York City or other cities across the state should cancel parades. "This is such a different situation in different parts of the state," Cuomo said. The state continues testing and mandating quarantines for those exposed to or infected by the virus. Of the 142 confirmed cases announced Monday, eight of those individuals were hospitalized. Cuomo tweeted Tuesday there were 8,459 confirmed cases of the flu in New York last week. "People are reacting like this is the Ebola virus," Cuomo said Monday of the reaction to COVID-19. "This spreads like the flu but most people will have it and they get on with their lives." Ninety-eight of New York's cases are in Westchester County, including 16 new cases announced Monday. The others are New York City (7), Nassau County (17), Rockland County (4), Saratoga County (2) and Suffolk and Ulster counties, each with one case. The details on the 25 new cases that Cuomo announced Tuesday morning have not been released. The nurses deployed in New Rochelle and across the state are being trained in how to use and discard special protective clothing and respirator masks they wear inside the residence of someone who is symptomatic. They are supposed to remove the clothing and wrap it in a bag that is left outside the residence usually in an external trash can, according to guidelines being circulated among the nurses. Health Department Commissioner Howard Zucker said that nursing homes in Westchester County have been directed to suspend visitations and schools will be closed for at least 24 hours if a student or teacher tests positive for the virus. That initial 24-hour period would be used to clean the facility and determine whether a longer period of closure for that school is necessary. The governor announced he is also pushing the Legislature to take action on a bill that would compel employers to provide paid-sick leave for workers, including those quarantined as a result of the virus. Advocates and elected officials also raised concerns this week about the potential for coronavirus to invade state prisons and other detention facilities, where the ability to contain and treat the illness may be difficult. Khalil Cumberbatch, chief strategist for New Yorkers United for Justice, said incarcerated individuals are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 because of close quarters and "subpar conditions" in jails and prisons. "An outbreak would exacerbate an already stretched prison health system," he said in a statement. He urged detention facilities to establish a protocol to prevent the outbreak from hitting and spreading among incarcerated people. Cayla Harris, Massarah Mikati and Rachel Silberstein contributed reporting for this story. DPRK fires 3 projectiles into East Sea -- Yonhap People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 09:42, March 09, 2020 NEW YORK, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired three unidentified projectiles into the East Sea on Monday local time, a week after it fired two short-range projectiles, Yonhap news agency reported, citing military sources of the Republic of Korea (ROK). The projectiles were fired northeastward from areas near its eastern town of Sondok in South Hamgyong Province, the ROK's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) were quoted as saying in a brief release. Other details, including their type, flight range and altitude, were not immediately available. "Our military is monitoring the situation in case of additional launches and maintaining a readiness posture," the JCS said in the release, according to the Yonhap report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address KJ Apa admitted that 'everything changed' following the tragic death of his Riverdale co-star Luke Perry last year. The beloved actor suddenly passed away in March 2019, after suffering a massive ischemic stroke, and then a second stroke, at the age of 52. The actor, 22, spoke candidly with MR PORTER's The Journal on Tuesday about the struggle he had with his grief, after having worked with his on-screen father in the show for three seasons. Honest: KJ Apa admitted 'everything changed' after Luke Perry's tragic death as the actor spoke candidly about his grief on Tuesday, and said he still misses his Riverdale co-star KJ and Luke portrayed father-and-son duo Archie and Fred Andrews respectively, and the former revealed: 'It changed everything when Luke passed. I had never gone through anything like that before. 'I've never lost anyone close to me, so it was a really hard time. It's still hard. Going to work, I can just feel that he's not there any more. 'We had a really, really, really good relationship, me and Luke. He was just kind of a guy that kept us, especially me, grounded because he'd been through all of this stuff. Struggles: Of Luke's passing, KJ said: 'I had never gone through anything like that before. I've never lost anyone close to me, so it was a really hard time' Co-stars: Luke suddenly passed away in March 2019, after suffering a massive ischemic stroke, and then a second stroke, at the age of 52, he played KJ's onscreen father Fred on Riverdale What it's like on set: KJ said of his grief, 'It's still hard. Going to work, I can just feel that he's not there any more' 'I was so blessed to have him in my life to say, "Maybe don't do that," or, "This is a good idea." Just giving me advice.' Detailing his grief, KJ concluded: 'I miss him. I just miss talking to him. I miss listening to him.' Luke's final scenes in Riverdale were aired in April last year, in which he was seen comforting his son after he was accused of committing a crime. Continuing to reflect on his recent struggles, KJ added: 'Last year was probably the hardest year of my life. It made me really think, what kind of man do I want to be? And Im still figuring it out.' Emotional: Luke's final scenes in Riverdale were aired in April last year, where he comforted his son after he was accused of a crime, and KJ added: 'I miss him. I just miss talking to him' Looking ahead: Continuing to reflect on his recent struggles, KJ added: 'Last year was probably the hardest year of my life. It made me really think, what kind of man do I want to be? Although he's had some challenges to face, the actor tries to remain positive and gushes about his next project I Still Believe. 'I read the script and I loved it,' KJ said of joining the project. 'I cried. But I didnt want to do it... I was scared s***less. Im just proud of myself for doing it and, watching it back, I feel proud of the work that I did.' The Christian romantic biopic tells the story of Jeremy Camp and his first wife Melissa Lynn Henning-Camp, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer shortly after they married. To read The Journal on iPhone, iPad and Android, visit online or download the MR PORTER app, from the App Store and Google Play. Next project: Although he's had some challenges to face, the actor tries to remain positive and gushes about his next project I Still Believe, as the script made him cry A new initative has been launched to help local businesses make the most of the digital world. The Mid Ulster Digital First Programme is designed to support 150 micro and small Mid Ulster businesses over the next three years. Through the programme, three Digital Seminars will take place from March to May, which are free for businesses to attend. The project is being managed by Mid Ulster District Council and part funded by Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth and Jobs Northern Ireland (2014-20) Programme. The first seminar, Digital Strategy: The Fundamentals, takes place on Friday, March 27, from 8.30am - 11am at the Burnavon, Cookstown. This seminar will focus on the essential elements of an effective digital marketing strategy and how to use strategic research to make better marketing decisions. Two leading digital experts, Daithi Conlon and Gail Sheen will share their knowledge and experience, as well as local company CK International, who will highlight their digital success story and provide an insight into what is required to achieve online growth. Chair of the Council, Councillor Martin Kearney, welcomed the delivery of the digital seminars. At a time when digital platforms and social media are a normal part of everyday life, it is clear that there is a demand for practical guidance on how businesses can maximise the opportunities offered online. The Council is keen to support our businesses by helping them explore how an effective digital marketing strategy can help them gain online growth and increase sales, and demonstrate how to build one. I would like to encourage businesses across the district to sign up for this great opportunity. The Mid Ulster Digital First Programme is being delivered by 42 Digital Ltd, on behalf of the Council. Director, Daryl Conway, said: We are delighted to be bringing two fantastic digital experts to Cookstown to provide advice and insights into some of practical steps businesses can take to develop their digital marketing strategy. Local company CK International will be a case study which will highlight how the development of a digital strategy has led to huge international success. To find out more and register your free place, please visit www.digitalfirstprogramme.eventbrite.com If you have any queries on the Digital First Programme please contact 42 Digital Ltd on 028 8284 8933 or email hello@42digital.co.uk. A sign advertises suites for rent in front of an apartment building on Pandosy Street in this file picture from 2016. Details of a new 'rent bank' for Kelowna, to help people keep their home, could be announced within weeks. (Natural News) We are now releasing the downloadable Pandemic Projection Model (Adams Model) spreadsheet, Revision 2, with new features: You can alter the starting assumption values to test different scenarios of where the coronavirus pandemic goes in any given nation or population region. Fields that can be altered include R0 value, mortality rate, and # of infected individuals on day one. New feature: Social distancing suppression value allows you to suppress new infections by a percentage you choose. This helps take into account school closures, travel bans and personal contact habits which are already being altered. You can now download the spreadsheet at this link: http://www.pandemic.news/PPM-Adams-Rev-2.zip The file format is .xls, compatible with MS Excel and Apache Open Office (free software from Apache). You will also need to unzip the zip file, of course, after you download it. You can use a utility like 7-zip (7-zip.org) to achieve this. Once you download the spreadsheet, you may immediately begin altering several variables to test the outcomes they will produce. All rows showing # of infections, # of deaths, etc., are automatically updated (as in any spreadsheet based on relational formulas). If you use this spreadsheet or cite its numbers, please give credit to Mike Adams, Pandemic.news / NaturalNews.com. New projections show only 1.1 million deaths in the USA by July 4th if social distancing achieves 25% suppression The projections of this Revision 2 spreadsheet typically do not match Revision 1, since we have simplified some of the calculations. This has resulted in typically a lower total fatality projection. One piece of good news in this projection is that if you enter an R0 value of 2.4, and use a social distancing suppression value of 25%, there are only 1.1 million deaths in the USA by July 4th. You are free to modify the values in the spreadsheet yourself, and to republish the spreadsheet as long as you give proper credit to the author. If you notice any calculation modeling errors in the spreadsheet, please inform us via the NaturalNews.com feedback form so we can improve it for Revision 3. Additional assumptions in the model: The model assumes individuals who are newly infected become infectious themselves the following day, and then remain infectious for exactly 14 days, after which they either become immune (and non-infectious) or die (and are therefore non-infectious). You can change the 14-day window in this spreadsheet by altering the references starting with cell E41 which references C27 (notice the difference between the row numbers is 14). Because of the lag time calculations, you have to manually alter these cells yourself to create whatever lag time window you want to simulate (such as 10 days, or 20 days). These changes must of course be carried to all subsequent cells in the spreadsheet. Feel free to run your own projections. Try R0 values of 3.0 or higher to see what happens (if you dare) Stay informed. Read Pandemic.news. Yup, Gaston, that roided-out cretin who sing-brags about how many eggs he can eat for some insane reason. The new miniseries will tell the "origin story" of the infamous character, as played by Luke Evans in the 2017 live-action remake. Which is kind of a weird choice for the lead of a new kid's show? After all, it's 2020 do we really need to shade in a more nuanced backstory for a Disney character who treats the concept of consent the way Mary Poppins treats child endangerment laws? Walt Disney Pictures Continue Reading Below Advertisement Josh Gad will also be back, reprising his role as LeFou, the focus of the film's famous "exclusively gay moment"-- which turned out to be more of a cringe queer-baiting insinuation concerning the villains-- that basically advanced gay rights in the same way that Peter Pan raised awareness for amputees. And while other Disney projects have featured villains as protagonists, such as Maleficent and the upcoming Cruella, those are typically revisionist takes on the properties that cast these famous baddies in a new light. This Beauty and the Beast show's canonical end-point is presumably still Beauty and the Beast. So the show's hero will inevitably become a toxic creep-- unless Disney introduces Midi-chlorian-like cells that infect otherwise lovely people with magical douchebaggery. You (yes, you) should follow JM on Twitter! Surging US presidential candidate Joe Biden urged Michigan voters Monday to help him bolster his lead over Bernie Sanders as the rivals made their final pitches hours before the battleground state holds its Democratic primary. The veteran politicians -- Biden a moderate former vice president and Sanders a leftist senator calling for nothing less than a political revolution -- are locked in a political duel to decide who faces President Donald Trump in the November election. Michigan is the top prize with the largest number of delegates at stake among six states, and the candidates campaigned heavily here. While Sanders is desperate to right his listing ship with a strong showing, Biden is riding high, having won 10 of 14 states that voted last Tuesday, and was hoping to continue the momentum. "Michigan, I'm counting on you in a big way!" Biden told a cheering crowd at a majority black high school in Detroit. Biden, 77, is flush with the endorsements of several high-profile former rivals in the Democratic race, including two prominent African-American senators: New Jersey's Cory Booker, who threw his support behind Biden early Monday, and Kamala Harris of California. Both lawmakers are touted as possible vice presidential picks for Biden. Michigan "could be the turning point" of the campaign, Booker said at a Biden rally in Flint. Later in Detroit, he implored Michiganders to get out the vote on Tuesday to help secure a Biden victory. "We can't pray he wins, we can't hope he wins, we can't wish that he wins," Booker said. "We've got to vote him in." Biden took the stage with Booker, Harris and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, hugging each of them before the quartet held hands and raised them triumphantly aloft. Biden, who served eight years as deputy to Barack Obama, America's first black president, has repeatedly warned that Americans were not looking for a revolution -- a jab at Sanders, the 78-year-old self-described democratic socialist. In Detroit, he pushed his Rust Belt roots, highlighted his extensive work in Michigan and reprised his blue-collar message that he honed earlier in the race. "Wall Street didn't build America, you built America," Biden said. "Unions built the middle class." Sanders also campaigned in Detroit on Monday and held a roundtable with experts on the coronavirus, which has left at least 26 people dead in the United States and sent stock markets plunging. Sanders criticized Trump's handling of the crisis, saying the president's "reckless statements are confusing people in this country and all over the world." Biden made no mention of coronavirus at the Detroit rally, but his campaign made several bottles of hand sanitizer available to attendees. - Biden leads in polls - Biden has surged since scoring a decisive victory in the South Carolina primary on February 29, with endorsements from key African-American leaders helping him claim the frontrunner mantle in the race. Former Democratic candidates Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Michael Bloomberg and Beto O'Rourke have also swung behind Biden, seeing a moderate as having the best chance of defeating Trump. Tuesday's primaries will be the first one-on-one duel between Biden and Sanders since all the other major candidates, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, dropped out of the grueling nomination battle that began more than a year ago. Besides Michigan, Democrats will also be voting in Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota and Washington state. Michigan is shaping up as a must-win for Sanders, who narrowly won the state over Hillary Clinton during his failed 2016 bid for the Democratic nomination. The latest polls for Michigan, however, have Biden with a lead of between 15 and 20 points. The latest Missouri poll has Biden up by nearly 19 points, while he leads Sanders by a narrow two-point margin in Washington. In Detroit, voter Dwight Harris, a 51-year-old prison reform advocate, said Biden had earned his vote. "People are looking more for unity and community and working together and diversity," Harris told AFP. "And I think Joe Biden is about diversity." But Biden did face protesters in Detroit, including a man who was kicked out after unfurling a banner that read "NAFTA killed our jobs," referring to the North American trade deal that Biden voted for. Sanders opposed the measure. San Francisco Mayor London Breed is urging that Tom Hui, the chief of the citys Department of Building Inspection, be removed after the city attorneys office alleged Hui abused his official position. The city attorneys allegations came out of an investigation into corruption launched after the arrest of former Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru. Breed sent a letter to the president of the Building Inspection Commission, Angus McCarthy, on Tuesday, recommending the commission remove Hui. Only the commission has the power to fire the building inspection director, though the mayor appoints four of the commissions seven members. The Board of Supervisors appoints the other three. While this recommendation is pending, I have placed Mr. Hui on paid administrative leave from his position, Breed wrote in the letter, which was reviewed by The Chronicle. Huis annual city compensation, including salary and benefits, is $347,662. Hui, who joined Building Inspection in 1996, has been its director since 2013. Breed announced at the Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday that she is seeking Huis dismissal. She asked the Building Inspection Commission to remove Hui at its March 18 meeting. The department is responsible for issuing building permits for all construction projects as well as inspecting and overseeing the safety of the citys 200,000 commercial and residential buildings. The departments budget for the current fiscal year is $96.5 million, enough to fund around 269 full-time employees. The city attorneys office opened an investigation into corruption within city government following Nurus arrest on fraud charges in late January. The investigation has already yielded a flurry of subpoenas to construction firms, nonprofits and individuals suspected of playing roles in corruption schemes. The city attorneys office presented Breed with a lengthy memo Tuesday revealing the evidence they found tied to Hui. The memo, which was also reviewed by The Chronicle, indicated that Hui was initially cooperative with the investigation last month, but has since retained a criminal defense attorney. Whether he would continue to participate in the investigation was unclear, the memo said. Breeds letter to the Building Inspection Commission lays out that the investigation uncovered evidence that Hui provided intentional preferential treatment and access to Walter Wong, a permit expediter who regularly conducts business with DBI. The city attorneys memo also indicates that Hui and Wong corresponded for years on a variety of topics, including Building Inspection Department policy, suggesting a close relationship between the two men. Citing a 2013 email exchange, City Attorney Dennis Herreras memo said it appears that Hui sought input on potential changes to the Building Inspections permitting process from Wong a person with commercial interests before the department. Herreras memo also alleges that Hui sought Wongs help in getting city jobs for his son and his sons girlfriend, which may provide a window into the sway Wong held over city departments, despite not being a government employee. The memo alleges that Wong helped Huis son get a job at Public Works in 2011. Hui later personally approved paperwork to get his son a job at the Department of Building Inspection, but was later forced to rescind the job offer because officials are barred from hiring their own children. Huis son returned to Public Works in 2016, but resigned from the department in 2017. Hui is also accused of asking for Wongs help getting his sons girlfriend a job at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission after she was passed over for employment at Public Works. Email exchanges show Wong agreed to help, but it was not clear how. The girlfriend was hired at the SFPUC in 2014, but transferred to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority in the next year, where she is currently employed. The names of the son and the sons girlfriend are not mentioned in the memo. Neither Hui nor his attorney could be reached for comment Tuesday. Our investigation is continuing, and we will get to the bottom of this. There is no place in San Francisco government for self-dealing and nepotism, Herrera said in a statement. The investigation has also yielded evidence, Breed wrote, that Hui gave preferential access to Zhang Li, a billionaire real estate developer behind the beleaguered 555 Fulton project. The FBI alleged that Zhang paid for Nuru to take expensive trips to China, and provided him with a bottle of wine valued at over $2,000, which Nuru did not disclose, in exchange for preferential treatment on his projects. 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. Both Wong and Zhang and several business entities directly affiliated with them were served subpoenas on Feb. 27. The investigation, Breed said, has also found that Hui accepted gifts of meals from Wong at dinners arranged to discuss the 555 Fulton project. Also, Mr. Hui solicited and relied on Mr. Wongs input in making DBI operational decisions, Breed wrote. Hui allegedly abused his official position in violation of city law and policy. The memo from the city attorneys office said that during one interview, Hui told investigators he did not socialize with Wong, but admitted to attending three to four dinners with Zhang, Wong and Nuru where they discussed the 555 Fulton project. Hui claims he told Zhang we cannot do anything. Breed said that the city attorneys investigation determined that Hui was DBI Official 1 in the FBIs criminal complaint against Nuru. The investigation, Breed wrote, has determined that Hui allegedly violated state and local laws and the departments professional conduct code along with other city policies. Restoring public trust is our priority, and we will work with the City Attorney, and DBI to ensure that new leadership implements the changes that are clearly needed in order to serve the residents, businesses, and property owners who rely on DBI every day, Breed said in a statement. Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa NEW YORK, March 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hydrogen Generators market worldwide is projected to grow by US$88.8 Billion, driven by a compounded growth of 7.7%. Steam Methane Reforming, one of the segments analyzed and sized in this study, displays the potential to grow at over 8.7%. The shifting dynamics supporting this growth makes it critical for businesses in this space to keep abreast of the changing pulse of the market. Poised to reach over US$83.7 Billion by the year 2025, Steam Methane Reforming will bring in healthy gains adding significant momentum to global growth. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p04368330/?utm_source=PRN - Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 6.4% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$3.1 Billion to the region's size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years. Over US$2.6 Billion worth of projected demand in the region will come from Rest of Europe markets. In Japan, Steam Methane Reforming will reach a market size of US$3.5 Billion by the close of the analysis period. As the world's second largest economy and the new game changer in global markets, China exhibits the potential to grow at 11.5% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$25.3 Billion in terms of addressable opportunity for the picking by aspiring businesses and their astute leaders. Presented in visually rich graphics are these and many more need-to-know quantitative data important in ensuring quality of strategy decisions, be it entry into new markets or allocation of resources within a portfolio. Several macroeconomic factors and internal market forces will shape growth and development of demand patterns in emerging countries in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. All research viewpoints presented are based on validated engagements from influencers in the market, whose opinions supersede all other research methodologies. - Competitors identified in this market include, among others, Air Liquide S.A. Air Products and Chemicals Inc. Deokyang Co. Ltd. EPOCH Energy Technology Corporation Hydrogenics Corporation Idroenergy ITM Power Plc McPhy Energy S.A. Messer Group Nuvera Fuel Cells LLC Praxair Inc. Proton OnSite The Linde Group Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p04368330/?utm_source=PRN I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & REPORT SCOPE II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. MARKET OVERVIEW Hydrogen - A Clean Fuel with Huge Potential Recent Market Activity The Pressing Need for Developing Cost Effective Techniques for Hydrogen Production Hydrogen Generation Units to Surge in the Coming Years Hydrogen to Play A Critical Role in Energy Generation Mix Growth Drivers and Challenges in a Nut Shell Growth Drivers Challenges Demand from End-Use Segments Augurs well for the Hydrogen Generators Market Current & Future Analysis Hydrogen Production: Captive Vs. Merchant Production Demand for Clean Energy Offers Significant Growth Opportunities Global Competitor Market Shares Hydrogen Generators Competitor Market Share Scenario Worldwide (in %): 2020 & 2029 2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS Air Liquide S.A. (France) Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (USA) Deokyang Co., Ltd. (South Korea) EPOCH Energy Technology Corporation (Taiwan) Hydrogenics Corporation (Canada) Idroenergy (Italy) ITM Power Plc (UK) McPhy Energy S.A. (France) Messer Group (Germany) Nuvera Fuel Cells, LLC (USA) Praxair, Inc. (USA) Proton OnSite (USA) The Linde Group (Germany) 3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS Technological Advancements Bring in New Growth Opportunities Increasing Demand for Electric Vehicles Based on Fuel Cells to Drive Market Growth Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powered Vehicles Unveiled During the Period 2014-2018 Hydrogen FCEVs to Combat GHG Emissions Hydrogen Refueling Infrastructure: Critical for the Success of FCVs High Costs: The Achilles Heel of Hydrogen Fuel Cells Favorable Government Regulations and Policies: Critical for Market Penetration Domestic Targets for Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Select Regions/Countries Whimsical Visions of an All-Hydrogen Economy Drives Interest in Fuel Cells Hydrogen 2.0 - Unlocking Major Economic Potential of Hydrogen Aircraft Manufacturing Industry to Integrate Hydrogen- Fuel Cells Power Plants Shift to Hydrogen Generators to Save Costs Laboratories Increasingly Replace Gas Cylinders with Hydrogen Generators International Level Collaborations to Accelerate Technology Development for Hydrogen Supply International Partnership for a Hydrogen Economy (IPHE) International Energy Agency (IEA) International Organization for Standardization Technical Committee on Hydrogen Technologies TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS IN HYDROGEN PRODUCTION AND STORAGE Simplified Hydrogen Production Process through Balancing Fluid Mechanic Forces Titania to Power Future Hydrogen Production Affordable and Commonly Found Minerals to Replace Platinum as Catalyst Research Programs to Enhance SR and DRI Process Performances Hydrogen Electrolysis: A Potential Laden Energy Storage Solution Promising Hydrogen-based Innovations from HyTech Power Carbon Neutral Synthetic Fuels for Reducing Carbon Dioxide Release into Atmosphere Researchers Explore Novel Options for Hydrogen Generation Sorbent Enhanced Reforming Ion Transport Membrane (ITM) Reforming Plasma Reformers Micro-channel Reformer Ongoing Research and Development Work in Generation of Hydrogen from Biomass Cheaper On-Demand Hydrogen Production on the Horizon University of Leeds Develops Eco-Friendly and Energy-Efficient Hydrogen Production System 'Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus' Bacterium Increases Hydrogen Production Synthesized Amine Broane Set to Transform Hydrogen Storage Solar Energy Powers Simple Hydrogen Storage Solution Carnegie Institution Discovers New Hydrogen Storage Method Self-Healing Membrane to Potentially Extend Hydrogen Fuel Cells' Life Researchers Develop Pajarito Powder for Hydrogen Fuel Cells New Nanomaterial to Allow Cost-Efficient Production of Hydrogen for Fuel Cell Cars 4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE Table 1: Hydrogen Generators Global Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 2: Hydrogen Generators Global Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 3: Hydrogen Generators Market Share Shift across Key Geographies Worldwide: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 4: Steam Methane Reforming (Technology) World Market by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 5: Steam Methane Reforming (Technology) Historic Market Analysis by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 6: Steam Methane Reforming (Technology) Market Share Breakdown of Worldwide Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 7: Partial Oxidation of Oil (Technology) Potential Growth Markets Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 8: Partial Oxidation of Oil (Technology) Historic Market Perspective by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 9: Partial Oxidation of Oil (Technology) Market Sales Breakdown by Region/Country in Percentage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 10: Coal Gasification (Technology) Geographic Market Spread Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 11: Coal Gasification (Technology) Region Wise Breakdown of Global Historic Demand in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 12: Coal Gasification (Technology) Market Share Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 13: Electrolysis of Water (Technology) World Market Estimates and Forecasts by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 14: Electrolysis of Water (Technology) Market Historic Review by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 15: Electrolysis of Water (Technology) Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 16: On-Board Hydrogen (Storage) World Market by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 17: On-Board Hydrogen (Storage) Historic Market Analysis by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 18: On-Board Hydrogen (Storage) Market Share Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 19: Underground Hydrogen (Storage) World Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018 to 2025 Table 20: Underground Hydrogen (Storage) Market Worldwide Historic Review by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 21: Underground Hydrogen (Storage) Market Percentage Share Distribution by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 22: Power-To-Gas Hydrogen (Storage) Market Opportunity Analysis Worldwide in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018 to 2025 Table 23: Power-To-Gas Hydrogen (Storage) Global Historic Demand in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009 to 2017 Table 24: Power-To-Gas Hydrogen (Storage) Market Share Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 25: Petroleum Refinery (Application) Worldwide Sales in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 26: Petroleum Refinery (Application) Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 27: Petroleum Refinery (Application) Market Share Shift across Key Geographies: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 28: Ammonia Production (Application) Global Market Estimates & Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 29: Ammonia Production (Application) Retrospective Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 30: Ammonia Production (Application) Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 31: Methanol Production (Application) Demand Potential Worldwide in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 32: Methanol Production (Application) Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 33: Methanol Production (Application) Share Breakdown Review by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 34: Transportation (Application) Worldwide Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 35: Transportation (Application) Global Historic Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 36: Transportation (Application) Distribution of Global Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 37: Power Generation (Application) Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Years 2018 through 2025 Table 38: Power Generation (Application) Analysis of Historic Sales in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Years 2009 to 2017 Table 39: Power Generation (Application) Global Market Share Distribution by Region/Country for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 40: Other Applications (Application) Global Opportunity Assessment in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 41: Other Applications (Application) Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 42: Other Applications (Application) Percentage Share Breakdown of Global Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 III. MARKET ANALYSIS GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSIS UNITED STATES Market Facts & Figures US Hydrogen Generators Market Share (in %) by Company: 2020 & 2025 Market Analytics Table 43: Hydrogen Generators Market in US$ Million in the United States by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 44: United States Hydrogen Generators Market Retrospective Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 45: United States Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 46: United States Hydrogen Generators Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Storage: 2018 to 2025 Table 47: Hydrogen Generators Market in the United States by Storage: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 48: United States Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown by Storage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 49: United States Hydrogen Generators Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 50: Hydrogen Generators Historic Demand Patterns in the United States by Application in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 51: Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown in the United States by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 CANADA Table 52: Hydrogen Generators Market Analysis in Canada in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 53: Hydrogen Generators Market in Canada: Historic Review in US$ Million by Technology for the Period 2009-2017 Table 54: Canadian Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 55: Canadian Hydrogen Generators Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Storage: 2018 to 2025 Table 56: Canadian Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Review by Storage in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 57: Hydrogen Generators Market in Canada: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Storage for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 58: Canadian Hydrogen Generators Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 59: Hydrogen Generators Market in Canada: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Application for 2009-2017 Table 60: Canadian Hydrogen Generators Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 JAPAN Table 61: Japanese Medium & Long-Term Outlook for Hydrogen Generators Market in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 62: Hydrogen Generators Market in Japan in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 63: Japanese Hydrogen Generators Market Percentage Share Distribution by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 64: Japanese Market for Hydrogen Generators: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Storage for the Period 2018-2025 Table 65: Hydrogen Generators Market in Japan: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Storage for the Period 2009-2017 Table 66: Japanese Hydrogen Generators Market Share Analysis by Storage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 67: Japanese Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Hydrogen Generators in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 68: Japanese Hydrogen Generators Market in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 69: Hydrogen Generators Market Share Shift in Japan by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 CHINA Table 70: Hydrogen Generators Market Estimates and Forecasts in China in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 71: Chinese Hydrogen Generators Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 72: Hydrogen Generators Market in China: Percentage Share Analysis by Technology for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 73: Chinese Hydrogen Generators Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Storage for the Period 2018-2025 Table 74: Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Analysis in China in US$ Million by Storage: 2009-2017 Table 75: Chinese Hydrogen Generators Market by Storage: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 76: Chinese Demand for Hydrogen Generators in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 77: Hydrogen Generators Market Review in China in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 78: Chinese Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 EUROPE Market Facts & Figures European Hydrogen Generators Market: Competitor Market Share Scenario (in %) for 2020 & 2025 Market Analytics Table 79: European Hydrogen Generators Market Demand Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 80: Hydrogen Generators Market in Europe: A Historic Market Perspective in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Period 2009-2017 Table 81: European Hydrogen Generators Market Share Shift by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 82: European Hydrogen Generators Market Assessment in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 83: European Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 84: Hydrogen Generators Market in Europe: Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Technology for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 85: European Hydrogen Generators Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Storage: 2018-2025 Table 86: Hydrogen Generators Market in Europe in US$ Million by Storage: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 87: European Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown by Storage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 88: European Hydrogen Generators Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025 Table 89: Hydrogen Generators Market in Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2009-2017 Table 90: European Hydrogen Generators Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 FRANCE Table 91: French Hydrogen Generators Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 92: French Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 93: French Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 94: Hydrogen Generators Market in France by Storage: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 95: French Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Storage: 2009-2017 Table 96: French Hydrogen Generators Market Share Analysis by Storage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 97: Hydrogen Generators Quantitative Demand Analysis in France in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025 Table 98: French Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 99: French Hydrogen Generators Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by Application for 2009, 2019, and 2025 GERMANY Table 100: German Hydrogen Generators Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 101: Hydrogen Generators Market in Germany: A Historic Perspective by Technology in US$ Million for the Period 2009-2017 Table 102: German Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 103: Hydrogen Generators Market in Germany: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Storage for the Period 2018-2025 Table 104: German Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Storage: 2009-2017 Table 105: German Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown by Storage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 106: Hydrogen Generators Market in Germany: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2018-2025 Table 107: German Hydrogen Generators Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 108: Hydrogen Generators Market Share Distribution in Germany by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ITALY Table 109: Hydrogen Generators Market Estimates and Forecasts in Italy in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 110: Italian Hydrogen Generators Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 111: Hydrogen Generators Market in Italy: Percentage Share Analysis by Technology for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 112: Italian Hydrogen Generators Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Storage for the Period 2018-2025 Table 113: Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Analysis in Italy in US$ Million by Storage: 2009-2017 Table 114: Italian Hydrogen Generators Market by Storage: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 115: Italian Demand for Hydrogen Generators in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 116: Hydrogen Generators Market Review in Italy in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 117: Italian Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 UNITED KINGDOM Table 118: United Kingdom Medium & Long-Term Outlook for Hydrogen Generators Market in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 119: Hydrogen Generators Market in the United Kingdom in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 120: United Kingdom Hydrogen Generators Market Percentage Share Distribution by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 121: United Kingdom Market for Hydrogen Generators: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Storage for the Period 2018-2025 Table 122: Hydrogen Generators Market in the United Kingdom: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Storage for the Period 2009-2017 Table 123: United Kingdom Hydrogen Generators Market Share Analysis by Storage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 124: United Kingdom Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Hydrogen Generators in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 125: United Kingdom Hydrogen Generators Market in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 126: Hydrogen Generators Market Share Shift in the United Kingdom by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SPAIN Table 127: Hydrogen Generators Market Analysis in Spain in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 128: Hydrogen Generators Market in Spain: Historic Review in US$ Million by Technology for the Period 2009-2017 Table 129: Spanish Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 130: Spanish Hydrogen Generators Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Storage: 2018 to 2025 Table 131: Spanish Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Review by Storage in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 132: Hydrogen Generators Market in Spain: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Storage for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 133: Spanish Hydrogen Generators Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 134: Hydrogen Generators Market in Spain: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Application for 2009-2017 Table 135: Spanish Hydrogen Generators Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 RUSSIA Table 136: Hydrogen Generators Market in US$ Million in Russia by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 137: Russian Hydrogen Generators Market Retrospective Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 138: Russian Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 139: Russian Hydrogen Generators Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Storage: 2018 to 2025 Table 140: Hydrogen Generators Market in Russia by Storage: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 141: Russian Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown by Storage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 142: Russian Hydrogen Generators Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 143: Hydrogen Generators Historic Demand Patterns in Russia by Application in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 144: Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown in Russia by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF EUROPE Table 145: Rest of Europe Hydrogen Generators Market Assessment in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 146: Rest of Europe Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 147: Hydrogen Generators Market in Rest of Europe: Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Technology for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 148: Rest of Europe Hydrogen Generators Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Storage: 2018-2025 Table 149: Hydrogen Generators Market in Rest of Europe in US$ Million by Storage: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 150: Rest of Europe Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown by Storage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 151: Rest of Europe Hydrogen Generators Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025 Table 152: Hydrogen Generators Market in Rest of Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2009-2017 Table 153: Rest of Europe Hydrogen Generators Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ASIA-PACIFIC Table 154: Asia-Pacific Hydrogen Generators Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 155: Hydrogen Generators Market in Asia-Pacific: Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Period 2009-2017 Table 156: Asia-Pacific Hydrogen Generators Market Share Analysis by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 157: Asia-Pacific Hydrogen Generators Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 158: Asia-Pacific Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 159: Asia-Pacific Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 160: Hydrogen Generators Market in Asia-Pacific by Storage: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 161: Asia-Pacific Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Storage: 2009-2017 Table 162: Asia-Pacific Hydrogen Generators Market Share Analysis by Storage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 163: Hydrogen Generators Quantitative Demand Analysis in Asia-Pacific in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025 Table 164: Asia-Pacific Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 165: Asia-Pacific Hydrogen Generators Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by Application for 2009, 2019, and 2025 AUSTRALIA Table 166: Australian Hydrogen Generators Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 167: Hydrogen Generators Market in Australia: A Historic Perspective by Technology in US$ Million for the Period 2009-2017 Table 168: Australian Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 169: Hydrogen Generators Market in Australia: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Storage for the Period 2018-2025 Table 170: Australian Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Storage: 2009-2017 Table 171: Australian Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown by Storage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 172: Hydrogen Generators Market in Australia: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2018-2025 Table 173: Australian Hydrogen Generators Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 174: Hydrogen Generators Market Share Distribution in Australia by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 INDIA Table 175: Hydrogen Generators Market Analysis in India in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 176: Hydrogen Generators Market in India: Historic Review in US$ Million by Technology for the Period 2009-2017 Table 177: Indian Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 178: Indian Hydrogen Generators Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Storage: 2018 to 2025 Table 179: Indian Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Review by Storage in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 180: Hydrogen Generators Market in India: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Storage for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 181: Indian Hydrogen Generators Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 182: Hydrogen Generators Market in India: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Application for 2009-2017 Table 183: Indian Hydrogen Generators Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SOUTH KOREA Table 184: Hydrogen Generators Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Technology for the Period 2018-2025 Table 185: South Korean Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 186: Hydrogen Generators Market Share Distribution in South Korea by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 187: Hydrogen Generators Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Storage for the Period 2018-2025 Table 188: South Korean Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Storage: 2009-2017 Table 189: Hydrogen Generators Market Share Distribution in South Korea by Storage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 190: Hydrogen Generators Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2018-2025 Table 191: South Korean Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 192: Hydrogen Generators Market Share Distribution in South Korea by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF ASIA-PACIFIC Table 193: Rest of Asia-Pacific Medium & Long-Term Outlook for Hydrogen Generators Market in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 194: Hydrogen Generators Market in Rest of Asia-Pacific in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 195: Rest of Asia-Pacific Hydrogen Generators Market Percentage Share Distribution by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 196: Rest of Asia-Pacific Market for Hydrogen Generators: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Storage for the Period 2018-2025 Table 197: Hydrogen Generators Market in Rest of Asia-Pacific: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Storage for the Period 2009-2017 Table 198: Rest of Asia-Pacific Hydrogen Generators Market Share Analysis by Storage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 199: Rest of Asia-Pacific Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Hydrogen Generators in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 200: Rest of Asia-Pacific Hydrogen Generators Market in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 201: Hydrogen Generators Market Share Shift in Rest of Asia-Pacific by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 LATIN AMERICA Table 202: Latin American Hydrogen Generators Market Trends by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018-2025 Table 203: Hydrogen Generators Market in Latin America in US$ Million by Region/Country: A Historic Perspective for the Period 2009-2017 Table 204: Latin American Hydrogen Generators Market Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 205: Hydrogen Generators Market Estimates and Forecasts in Latin America in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 206: Latin American Hydrogen Generators Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 207: Hydrogen Generators Market in Latin America : Percentage Analysis by Technology for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 208: Latin American Hydrogen Generators Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Storage for the Period 2018-2025 Table 209: Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Analysis in Latin America in US$ Million by Storage: 2009-2017 Table 210: Latin American Hydrogen Generators Market by Storage: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 211: Latin American Demand for Hydrogen Generators in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 212: Hydrogen Generators Market Review in Latin America in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 213: Latin American Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ARGENTINA Table 214: Argentinean Hydrogen Generators Market Assessment in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 215: Argentinean Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 216: Hydrogen Generators Market in Argentina: Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Technology for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 217: Argentinean Hydrogen Generators Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Storage: 2018-2025 Table 218: Hydrogen Generators Market in Argentina in US$ Million by Storage: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 219: Argentinean Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown by Storage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 220: Argentinean Hydrogen Generators Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025 Table 221: Hydrogen Generators Market in Argentina: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2009-2017 Table 222: Argentinean Hydrogen Generators Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 BRAZIL Table 223: Brazilian Hydrogen Generators Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 224: Brazilian Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 225: Brazilian Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 226: Hydrogen Generators Market in Brazil by Storage: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 227: Brazilian Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Storage: 2009-2017 Table 228: Brazilian Hydrogen Generators Market Share Analysis by Storage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 229: Hydrogen Generators Quantitative Demand Analysis in Brazil in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025 Table 230: Brazilian Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 231: Brazilian Hydrogen Generators Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by Application for 2009, 2019, and 2025 MEXICO Table 232: Mexican Hydrogen Generators Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 233: Hydrogen Generators Market in Mexico: A Historic Perspective by Technology in US$ Million for the Period 2009-2017 Table 234: Mexican Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 235: Hydrogen Generators Market in Mexico: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Storage for the Period 2018-2025 Table 236: Mexican Hydrogen Generators Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Storage: 2009-2017 Table 237: Mexican Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown by Storage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 238: Hydrogen Generators Market in Mexico: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2018-2025 Table 239: Mexican Hydrogen Generators Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 240: Hydrogen Generators Market Share Distribution in Mexico by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF LATIN AMERICA Table 241: Hydrogen Generators Market in US$ Million in Rest of Latin America by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 242: Rest of Latin America Hydrogen Generators Market Retrospective Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 243: Rest of Latin America Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 244: Rest of Latin America Hydrogen Generators Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Storage: 2018 to 2025 Table 245: Hydrogen Generators Market in Rest of Latin America by Storage: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 246: Rest of Latin America Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown by Storage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 247: Rest of Latin America Hydrogen Generators Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 248: Hydrogen Generators Historic Demand Patterns in Rest of Latin America by Application in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 249: Hydrogen Generators Market Share Breakdown in Rest of Latin America by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 MIDDLE EAST Table 250: The Middle East Hydrogen Generators Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 251: Hydrogen Generators Market in the Middle East by Please contact our Customer Support Center to get the com Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p04368330/?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 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links www.reportlinker.com Good Morning America With less than 10 months until the 2022 midterm elections, President Joe Biden heads to Georgia on Tuesday to make his biggest push yet for national voting rights bills and is expected to call for changes to the Senate's filibuster rules in order to get them passed. Echoing his impassioned address on the anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection when he blamed former President Donald Trump and his supporters for holding a "dagger at the throat of democracy," Biden's remarks in Atlanta are expected to be a "forceful" call to action to protect voting rights. "The president will forcefully advocate for protecting the most bedrock American rights: the right to vote and have your voice counted in a free, fair and secure election that is not tainted by partisan manipulation," White House press secretary Jen Psaki previewed in her press briefing Tuesday. With Scindia quitting the party, the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh appeared headed for a collapse. IMAGE: Former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia leaves from his residence in New Delhi. Photograph: ANI In a massive setback for the Congress, its prominent youth leader Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the party and in a coordinated rebellion on Tuesday 22 MLAs loyal to him resigned in Madhya Pradesh, pushing the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government to the brink of collapse. Scindia, 49, appeared set to join the Bharatiya Janata Party, a party which had his late grandmother Vijaya Raje Scindia as one of the leading lights amid speculation he will get a Rajya Sabha ticket and be made a Union minister. A shell-shocked Congress, in a largely symbolic move of no consequence, expelled Scindia, the party general secretary and scion of the erstwhile Gwalior royal family, on charges of anti-party activities. On Tuesday morning, as much of India was celebrating Holi, Scindia, once considered a rising star of the Congress, met senior BJP leader and home minister Amit Shah, following which he called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his 7, Lok Kalyan Marg residence. There was no official word on what transpired at the meetings. However, BJP sources asserted that the decision of the party's top two leaders to hold long deliberations with Scindia underlined the importance they attach to him. In the resignation letter dated March 9 to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Scindia said "it is now time for me to move on" as he was unable to serve the people of the country while remaining in the party. The Congress party said his letter was received at Sonia Gandhi's residence only at 12.20 pm on Tuesday, a day which was also Scindia's father and Congress stalwart Madhavrao Scindia's 75th birth anniversary. With Scindia quitting the party, the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh appeared headed for a collapse. Sources said 22 Congress MLAs from Scindia's camp have quit the party --19 of them sent in their resignations to governor Lal Ji Tandon while three despatched it to the speaker directly. Six of the MLAs are ministers. After their resignation, Kamal Nath wrote to the governor seeking their immediate removal. The Congress, whose tally before the rebellion is 114, has a wafer-thin majority in the Madhya Pradesh assembly whose current effective strength is 228. The Congress has the support of four Independents, two Bahujan Samaj Party and one Samajwadi Party MLA. Even with their support, Congress will fall short of a majority, and it is anyway unclear if they will continue to support the Congress or go with the BJP. If the resignations of the 22 MLAs are accepted, the strength of the assembly will fall to 206. The magic number for retaining the majority then will be 104. The Congress, however, will be left with 92 seats while the BJP has 107 seats. Noting that the events of the day had been drawing themselves out for a year, Scindia, in his letter to Gandhi, said it was now best for him to look at a fresh start. "Having been a primary member of the Congress party for the last 18 years. It is now time for me to move on. I am tendering my resignation from the primary membership of the Congress and as you well know this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year," Scindia wrote in the letter. "While my aim and purpose remains the same as it has always been from the very beginning, to serve the people of my state and my country, I believe I am unable to do this anymore within this party," Scindia said in his resignation letter posted on Twitter. "To reflect and realise the aspirations of my people and workers I believe it is best that I now look ahead at a fresh start," he said. The former Guna MP also thanked Gandhi and his other former Congress colleagues for "providing him with a platform to have served the nation". Soon thereafter, a statement from All India Congress Committee general secretary K C Venugopal said the Congress president has "approved the expulsion of Jyotiraditya Scindia from the Indian National Congress with immediate effect for anti-party activities." Scindia has long been at loggerheads with Kamal Nath who belongs to the old guard. After narrowly winning the state assembly elections in December 2018, Kamal Nath took over as chief minister. But trouble started brewing recently when Scindia's supporters in the government were side-lined, and it appeared that his ambitions to be the state Congress president were also thwarted. It was also clear that the central leadership was not ready to listen to his grievances. This weekend, Scindia and six ministers in the Kamal Nath Cabinet went to Bengaluru and became incommunicado. It then became clear that a rebellion was brewing in the party and Kamal Nath would lose the support of the six ministers as well as other MLAs loyal to Scindia. The outcome of the political drama being played out on Holi day goes beyond Madhya Pradesh, which itself is important for both the BJP and the Congress. MP was one of the three major states where the Congress evicted BJP in the series of Assembly elections before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. With the imminent loss of Madhya Pradesh, it will become clear that the Congress leadership has failed to keep a cohesive united front and has been unable to control the conflicting ambitions of its many regional leaders. Continued infighting is likely to further debilitate the party, which is already a pale shadow of its former greatness at the national level. Regaining Madhya Pradesh will greatly enhance BJP's strength in the Hindi belt, and the Congress will have only Rajasthan, where again it is beset with factional feuds, Punjab and Chattisgarh as the major states under its control. Today's Paris Live starts with a focus on Mexico where thousands of women turned out for a protest to mark International Women's Day on Sunday, ahead of a general strike on Monday. We hear from women and girls who are fed up and angry over police inaction with regards to femicides and a rising tide of violence across society. We also take a look at how the coronavirus is affecting the organisation of the local elections in France, due to take place on the next two Sundays. From proxy voting, to catering for throwaway pens and hand sanitizers, or reducing the size of political rallies, the authorities have held off cancelling the polls outright, saying it would compromise democratic process. A look at the press reveals that France has moved up to third place in the international arms sales ranking, behind the United States and Russia. The details were part of a report published by the independent Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. On a positive note, we learn that emissions from the world's power sector fell to their lowest level in three decades in 2019, amid a steep drop in the use of coal, according to a new report. And we meet two representatives of the French NGO Run for Planet which has just launched a crowdfunding campaign aimed at replanting 15 million trees in Siberia, an area badly affected by forest fires. How will they do it? By supporting one man who will run from Nantes in western France to Vladivostok, a port in far eastern Russia, to raise money and awareness in an eco-friendly manner. William Luther /Staff photographer The hotel at Joint-Base San Antonio-Lackland that has hosted more than 200 evacuees from coronavirus hot spots is now empty, but a new group of evacuees from the Grand Princess cruise ship should arrive there for quarantine this week. A handful of people whod been held for extended quarantine at Lackland had all been released by late Monday morning, said Carol Williams, spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. French Connection has posted falling sales after a raft of store closures last year (Yui Mok/PA) French Connection slid to a loss last year as the gloom on UK high streets took its toll. The fashion retailer missed its guidance for the year after trading in the second half was considerably worse than expected following a poor festive period. It said revenue fell 11.4% to 119.9 million for the 12 months to January 31 as it was weighed down by store closures and the difficult retail trading environment. Chairman and chief executive Stephen Marks said the companys performance has not been as anticipated and the business has not been assisted by potential uncertainty due to the Covid-19 coronavirus. We are working hard to ensure we are operating as efficiently and cost- effectively as possible while working closely with all our trading partners to maximise business with themStephen Marks, chairman and CEO French Connection slipped to an underlying loss of 2.9 million during the year, from an 800,000 profit in the previous year. It said like-for-like sales continued to decline in the UK and Europe, falling 2.5% over the period. The company said it has also been hit by its closure programme, which saw 11 high street stores, three outlets and four concessions shut their doors. It also took a 500,000 hit from the closure of its joint venture in Hong Kong and China. However, the company said it was pleased with the continued good performance of its wholesale business in the US and has good forward orders in the UK, to be delivered during the first half of the year. Mr Marks said: We believe the trading landscape in the UK is unlikely to improve in the short term and this has a potential impact on both the retail and wholesale businesses. Against this background, we are working hard to ensure we are operating as efficiently and cost- effectively as possible while working closely with all our trading partners to maximise business with them. Shares in the company tumbled 8.5% to 16.9p in early trading on Tuesday. Marked: The memorial for the victims of flight MH17 in Ukraine. Photo: Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters As the trial of three Russians and a Ukrainian charged with multiple counts of murder over the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) got under way, a Dutch prosecutor read out the names of all 298 people killed. As expected, the suspects were not in court as prosecutor Dedy Woei-a-Tsoi read out the victims' names. Some of the victims' relatives who were in court bowed their heads and closed their eyes. The trial began with presiding judge Hendrik Steenhuis explaining Dutch criminal proceedings and outlining efforts to summon the four suspects to attend. None of them did and only one appointed lawyers to represent him. Mr Steenhuis ruled that the trial would continue in their absence. It was a day that had been a long time coming for family and friends of those killed on July 17, 2014, when a Buk missile blew MH17 out of the sky above eastern Ukraine. Five judges - three who will hear the case and two alternates - filed into a courtroom on the edge of Schiphol, the Amsterdam airport from which the flight took off, heading for Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. Mr Steenhuis said examining the criminal file at trial "will be a very painful and emotional period". Jon and Meryn O'Brien flew all the way from Sydney, hoping for justice for their son Jack. "The trial is important because the truth still matters," Mr O'Brien said. "You shouldn't be able to murder 298 people and for there to be no consequences, regardless of who you are." The O'Briens were among families who arranged 298 chairs in rows resembling aircraft seating outside the Russian Embassy in The Hague on Sunday in protest at what they see as Moscow's deliberate attempts to obscure the truth. After a painstaking investigation, investigators and prosecutors last year named four suspects: Russians Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy and Oleg Pulatov, as well as Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko. More suspects could face charges. Russia has denied involvement, even after prosecutors alleged that the missile system which destroyed the plane was transported into Ukraine from a base in Kursk, Russia, and the launching system was then returned to the country. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused investigators of presuming Russia's guilt. Heroin use in Western Australia is back on the rise according to the latest National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program report, but methylamphetamine remains the drug of choice. Loading The ninth NWDMP report released on Tuesday by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission showed Australians spent an estimated $11.3 billion on methylamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA and heroin between August 2018 and August 2019. Of this, $8.63 billion was spent on methylamphetamine which remains on top of the table for illicit drug use across the country with an estimated 11.5 tonnes of the substance being consumed per year. The individual in question, according to a statement from Schlapp, was not in attendance at the conference on Saturday. A further statement from the ACU on Sunday said that there have been no additional cases reported from the event. The statement also said no other attendees have tested positive for the virus and, to this point, no restrictions or quarantines related to the event have been called for. Gov. Mark Gordon said in a statement Monday afternoon that his office aware of the situation, as is Senate and House leadership. "At this time it does not appear that any members of the Wyoming legislature had contact with this individual," Gordon said in the news release. "Our state health officer has been notified and has identified these legislators as low risk. She advised that these individuals should continue to monitor their health closely at this time." Amid the political crisis in Madhya Pradesh, BJP leader Gopal Bhargava on Tuesday said that he, along with the other party MLAs, is going to Delhi. "I am going to Delhi with all other party MLAs," Bhargava told ANI here. Buses full of BJP MLAs were on Tuesday night reached the Bhopal Airport. Earlier today, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath said that there is nothing to worry about as the party will prove its majority in the assembly and added that his government will complete its term. The developments come amid the political crisis that has engulfed the state after Jyotiraditya Scindia, a prominent face of the Congress, resigned from the party earlier today. Scindia's decision to leave Congress was followed by the resignation from 22 party MLAs loyal to him. The legislators who have resigned include six ministers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A delegation from the City of Laredo is in the nations capital this week to get face time with federal officials, seek federal reinvestment in the community and represent the city as members of Congress contemplate policies that could affect Laredo. Members of the delegation include representatives from TAMIU, Laredo College, Laredo ISD, the local private sector, several city department directors, City Manager Robert Eads, Mayor Pete Saenz and council members Rudy Gonzalez, Mercurio Merc Martinez III and Nelly Vielma. WASHINGTON - Voters in Mississippis Democratic primary ranked health care as the most important issue facing the country, well above climate change, the economy, race relations, foreign policy and many other social issues. About 4 in 10 named health care, an issue that has intensely divided the field of Democratic candidates. Roughly 2 in 10 had the economy on their minds, according to a wide-ranging AP VoteCast survey of the Democratic primary electorate in Mississippi. The Associated Press declared Joe Biden the winner just after the polls closed Tuesday in Mississippi. He was boosted in particular by strong support from African Americans. Heres a snapshot of Democratic voters in Mississippi who they are and how they voted based on preliminary results from AP VoteCast, a survey of 1,091 voters, conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago. DO THEY WANT A BIG CHANGE ? Voters in Mississippis Democratic primary were more likely to support a candidate who would restore the political system to how it was before Donald Trump was elected in 2016 than one who would bring fundamental change to Washington. WHAT ELSE VOTERS WANT About 9 in 10 said it was very important that a nominee can beat Trump, and about as many said it was highly important that the candidate cares about people like them and displays strong leadership. Roughly 8 in 10 said a nominee should have the right experience and the best policy ideas. Being willing to work across the aisle was considered very significant for a Democratic nominee by about 7 in 10 voters. SUPPORT BY RACE Among white voters in Mississippi, Biden had an advantage over Bernie Sanders. That lead widened among black voters. Nearly 9 in 10 black voters supported the former vice-president over the Vermont senator. SUPPORT BY AGE Biden led among voters across age groups, though he enjoyed a wider advantage among voters ages 45 and older compared with younger voters. LARGELY UNIFIED AGAINST TRUMP A wide majority say they will definitely vote for the Democratic candidate against Trump in the general election. Still, about 2 in 10 say their decision will depend on which Democrat is on the ballot in November. PRIMARY PROCESS SKEPTICISM Voters in Mississippi were rather confident that the Democratic Partys nomination process is fair. About half the voters say they are very confident that the process for selecting a presidential nominee is fair, and roughly 4 in 10 said they are somewhat confident. Just about 1 in 10 have little to no confidence. DEBATING HEALTH CARE The campaign has featured a contentious debate among candidates over the best way to tackle health care, an issue seen as the most important facing the country by about 4 in 10 voters. There is majority support for a government-run health care system for all Americans, with about two-thirds of voters saying they are in favour. Roughly a third are opposed. But support for a public option, where every American could buy into a government-run insurance plan if they wanted to, is even higher. Roughly 9 in 10 are in favour. About 6 in 10 voters are in favour of either proposal, while roughly a quarter say they favour a public option but oppose a single-payer system. THE ECONOMY, CLIMATE CHANGE AND OTHER ISSUES Roughly 2 in 10 voters said the economy is the most important issue facing the nation. A significant majority described the economic system in this country as unfair. That includes about 4 in 10 voters who said its very unfair. About another 1 in 10 voters called climate change the top issue. About 6 in 10 voters expressed support for a tax on the use of carbon-based fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas. Roughly 1 in 10 named race relations as most important. Small shares of voters considered immigration, foreign policy or abortion most important. ___ AP VoteCast is a survey of the American electorate conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for The Associated Press and Fox News. The survey of 1,091 voters in Mississippi was conducted for seven days, concluding as polls closed. Interviews were conducted in English or Spanish. The survey is based on interviews with a random sample of registered voters drawn from the state voter file. The margin of sampling error for voters is estimated to be plus or minus 4.1 percentage points. ___ Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game. The Open Group Joins Leading European Universities, Research Centers, Developers, and Open Source Forge Providers to Deliver Advanced Technologies for Searching, Selecting, and Maintaining Open Source Code Today, The Open Group, the vendor-neutral technology consortium, and the University of L'Aquila announced a partnership with a consortium of leading European research organizations, technology developers, industrial software developers, and open source forge providers. Together, they have addressed the complexity of selecting and utilizing open source software (OSS) projects available from leading online providers, including Eclipse.org, OW2, GitHub, and many others. Supported by the European Union, the Developer-Centric Knowledge Mining from Large Open-Source Software Repositories (CROSSMINER) project has invested 4.5 million (US$4.9 million) to develop an innovative platform that examines the programming code and interactions surrounding OSS projects. The new CROSSMINER platform extracts detailed knowledge that assists software engineers in developing and maintaining products and services based on freely available OSS technologies. The new platform enables major advances in managing software development, such as open source technologies that use innovative and customizable tools for analyzing and monitoring OSS software projects. Along with traditional code metrics, the technology provides newer and more robust analysis and mining techniques. It goes far beyond the code to evaluate how the OSS project ethos is evolving, and alerts developers to dependencies and cross-project relationships. At the same time, the platform delivers tools to mine the knowledge contained in the many thousands of OSS projects available from public forges. The advanced tools the CROSSMINER platform provides software developers include: Code analysis tools for evaluating OSS project quality. State-of-the-art Natural Language Processing (NLP) and text mining techniques to evaluate information extracted from surrounding communication channels (e.g. newsgroups, forums, mailing lists), social media, and bug tracking systems used for supporting OSS projects. Configuration analysis tools for identifying OSS dependencies on other components and for mining cross-project relationships. Tools for quickly creating bespoke OSS analysis measures and knowledge extraction. Developer dashboards and integration with existing development environments to provide software engineers with guidance and recommendations as development work progresses. Coordinated by The Open Group with technical leadership from the University of L'Aquila, which is directing the advanced research, the CROSSMINER consortium includes: Centrum Wiskunde Informatica, a renowned organization for research in software programming technologies; Bitergia and FrontEndART, leading providers of tools and dashboards for analyzing software; University of York, Edge Hill University, and Athens University of Economics and Business, recognized leaders in their respective fields of software modeling and analysis, NLP, and large scale analytics; supplier of solutions for industry Softeam, which provides one of the most popular open source tools for model based software development; Unparallel Innovation and Castalia Solutions that specialize in guidance and services to industry for exploiting new technology innovations; along with two leading forge providers, Eclipse Foundation and OW2 Consortium, that host many popular open source projects used by industry. The technology advances were driven by industrial requirements for OSS project assessment and knowledge extraction, which have been validated within several business scenarios by industrial partners in the project. The platform recently completed final evaluations by industrial software development organizations and open source forge providers. "The CROSSMINER project has brought together experts in software project modeling, code analysis, configuration analysis, metrics, and NLP to develop a comprehensive set of tools for software developers to use in identifying high quality open source technologies, and to help developers better monitor and manage open source technologies for use in their own applications and platforms," said David Lounsbury, Chief Technical Officer, The Open Group. "Importantly, the new platform automates the tedious and time-consuming evaluation tasks most software developers undertake when trying to decide amongst the myriad of open source projects available online today. It also makes clear their interdependencies to reduce the costs and time in developing and maintaining new products and services that exploit open source technologies." "Software development organizations now have access to an open and customizable platform that provides comprehensive tools for use in selecting and deploying OSS projects. This gives them the ability to tailor monitoring aspects to their own requirements for quality and maintainability, while ensuring there is a vibrant community involved in the continued OSS project developments," said Prof Davide Di Ruscio, University of L'Aquila. "The CROSSMINER platform is itself available in open source and can be used by open source forge providers to provide clear guidance to users accessing individual OSS projects on their forges. It can also be used by organizations developing software as a key development tool for the improved management of software projects." Results describing the existing technological advances and innovations from the project are publicly available via the project website: www.crossminer.org. Public access to final versions of the CROSSMINER platform has been launched under the SCAVA project on the Eclipse.org website: www.eclipse.org/scava. The CROSSMINER project receives funding under the European Union Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, an initiative of the European Community created to foster European research and development of new technologies, applications, and industries. -ENDS- About The Open Group The Open Group is a global consortium that enables the achievement of business objectives through technology standards. Our diverse membership of more than 740 organizations includes customers, systems and solutions suppliers, tool vendors, integrators, academics, and consultants across multiple industries. Further information on The Open Group can be found at www.opengroup.org. About the University of L'Aquila The Department of Information Engineering, Computer Science and Mathematics at Universita degli Studi dell'Aquila represents an internationally recognised pole for teaching and research in Information Engineering, Computer Science, and Pure and Applied Mathematics. The Department offers degree programs in both Italian and English with a strong focus on methodology and an interdisciplinary approach. Further information on the University of L'Aquila can be found at www.disim.univaq.it. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005101/en/ Contacts: Jenny Morris Hotwire PR (on behalf of The Open Group) +44 (0)7393465529 UKOpengroup@hotwirepr.com NASA's Ames Research Center in California has issued a mandatory policy for employees to work from home after one worker tested positive for the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19. The research center, which is located in Moffett Field in the Silicon Valley, has been placed on restricted access after the employee was confirmed to have the coronavirus on Sunday (March 8). "On Sunday, March 8, we received confirmation that an Ames employee tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19)," Ames officials wrote to employees today. "We believe the exposure at the center has been limited, but out of an abundance of caution, and in consultation with NASA Headquarters and the NASA Chief Health and Medical Officer in accordance to agency response plans Ames Research Center will temporarily go to a mandatory telework status until further notice." Related: Coronavirus in the U.S.; Map, case counts and news NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement that the work-from-home order is vital to tracking who may have been exposed to the virus at Ames. "Limiting personnel at the center will allow Ames medical personnel and public health officials to determine potential contacts and assess areas that may require additional cleaning and mitigate potential exposure to center personnel," Bridenstine said in a statement. "Working with county officials, Ames leadership and medical personnel are working to trace the contacts of the employee and notifying individuals who may have had significant contact with that person." Access to the Ames Research Center is now restricted to essential personnel only, Bridenstine said, with only employees "required to safeguard life, property and critical mission functions" allowed entry. Related: 12 coronavirus myths busted by science NASA has also called off three airborne Earth science campaigns that would have sent teams of scientists on flights that would have taken off from the Ames Research Center. Those mission known as DeltaX, Dynamics and Chemistry of the Summer Stratosphere (DCOTTS), and Sub-Mesoscale Ocean Dynamics Experiment (S-MODE) will be rescheduled for later in the year, Bridenstine said. "The scientific returns of these projects are not expected to be impacted by this change of plans," he said in the statement. The mandatory work-from-home order at Ames comes on the heels of a telework test run Friday (March 6) by NASA to measure the impact the coronavirus could have on daily operations. "Last Friday's agencywide voluntary telework exercise was a good test of NASA's large-scale preparedness with no reported issues to the overall IT system," Bridenstine said. "As the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation evolves, we'll continue to closely monitor and coordinate with federal, state, and community officials to take any further appropriate steps to help safeguard the NASA family." As of today, there are about 564 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States, the bulk of them in Washington state and California, with 111,354 cases confirmed worldwide, according to Livescience. There have been 3,892 deaths linked to the virus worldwide, it added. Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Instagram. More serious criminal charges have been filed against the 27-year-old mother of 5-year-old Taylor Rose Williams found dead and buried near an Alabama landfill, according to paperwork filed Friday by State Attorney Melissa Nelson. The new aggravated child abuse charge against Brianna Shontae Williams doesn't give specifics. But it does say the U.S. Navy petty officer "did willfully torture, maliciously punish, or willfully cage" a child. And the new tampering charge states she destroyed or removed evidence, and did "transport human remains," with the purpose of impairing an investigation, the State Attorney's Office said. Williams remains behind bars on $1.1 million bail following the new charges, on top of the two child neglect and a single charge of giving false information to police that were filed when she was arrested Nov. 12, the State Attorney's Office said. The updated charges follow newly-released evidence from the State Attorney's Office that include a search warrant that said her Southside Boulevard apartment was in disarray with "a strong odor of feces and urine." Feces and urine were found in a closet there as well as a stained carpet with a chunk removed. A cadaver dog gave a positive indication when it checked a stain found on a carpet near the front door, the warrant said. The dog did the same for her car, "which smelled of decomposition" and had been stripped bare and cleaned with chemicals. The case began Nov. 6 when Williams reported her daughter missing from an Ivy Street home she said they had both moved to days earlier, police said. A huge neighborhood search soon expanded to her old apartment on Southside Boulevard as an Amber Alert was issued. Police could not confirm the last time the child had been seen alive. The mother initially cooperated in the police investigation, then stopped after being confronted with discrepancies in her story, Sheriff Mike Williams said. Police searched for the child all over her old and new neighborhoods, then expanded into Alabama. Investigators finally found her remains about 4 miles outside of Demopolis, near where Williams lived and went to high school, authorities said. Williams was hospitalized the same day as her daughter's remains were found after an attempt to kill herself by overdosing, police said. The release a week ago of the State Attorney's Office's supplemental discovery exhibit came as lawyers for Williams requested more time to review them, pushing her next pretrial hearing until March 24, court records state. 2020 The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville, Fla.) Visit The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville, Fla.) at www.jacksonville.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Mike Pence's coronavirus task force says that the government does not know the number of Americans who have been tested for the contagious disease because is no way to effectively track tests processed by private labs and hospitals. The task force held a press conference on Monday night where officials addressed the spreading virus that has 684 reported cases and led to 26 deaths in the US. United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar revealed officials are actively trying to build technology to gather information from public and private health sectors to determine just how many Americans have been tested for the virus. 'Right now I could not give you a number of how many Americans have received a test because many would have received a test through hospitals or non-public health labs,' Azar said Monday. Mike Pence's coronavirus task force says that the government does not know the number of Americans who have been tested for the contagious disease because is no way to effectively track tests processed by public labs 'Right now I could not give you a number of how many Americans have received a test because many would have received a test through hospitals or non-public health labs,' Azar said during the Monday press conference As of Monday night there are 754 reported cases of coronavirus in the United States and 26 deaths He explained that though thousands of tests have been issued, there's a discrepancy in reporting the results. 'There are different types of tests that get sent out. The test that the CDC is sending out, thats enough to test 75,000 people that was sent out last week, those go to public health labs. There are about 80 labs in the United States, one in each state at least. Those report results back in to the CDC because theyre part of the public health network,' he said. 'The larger quantity of tests that shipped, about 900,000 of the tests that shipped by this weekendand so many of the remainder of that total 2.1million tests those go to hospitals, private labs, others for testing,' Azar added. He said those private hospitals and labs don't have to report information to the CDC if they conducted a test or the results of the test. 'Were getting IT the system up through CDC. We want to give you accurate information as we go,' he added. In Monday's press conference Pence said he has not tested for the virus and was not sure if the president had been tested either. At the top of the conference, Pence said testing is now available at all state labs in every state in the country. As the coronavirus continues to spread throughout the country, there is mounting concern over how many tests are available to the public and how people will get access to them to try to put a stop to the crisis. Donald Trump (pictured on Monday) has said that anyone could get a test if they wanted to. But the information coming from people on the ground and even in his own government contradicts that remark President Trump vowed on Friday that the 'beautiful' tests would be readily available to anyone who wanted one - a direct contradiction to what CDC officials are saying, and what people who fear they actually have the virus are reporting. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House's 'expert' on tackling the virus, estimated that four million tests will be available by the end of this week. Yet another conflicting number came from Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Preventions National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, who on Monday said that there were now enough for 75,000 people at state health labs. It remains to be seen where those tests will go, how they will be divided up and who will get access to them. In upstate New York, one of the worst hit regions in the US where dozens are now infected, people have reported going to the hospital with all the symptoms of the virus and asking for a test but being refused one. Chris Gilch, a 36-year-old private chef who lives in White Plains, New York, and commutes into Manhattan for work said he went to the emergency room last week where he tested negative for the flu. He asked for the COVID-19 test but, according to his mother Amy Bleach, was told he did not have it because he had not been to Wuhan, China- where it originated - and he did not have pneumonia. He is now self-quarantining as a precaution. 'There's going to be a real outbreak... I think it's totally irresponsible [for them not to test him],' his mother, who is a registered nurse, told DailyMail.com on Monday. She said he first felt inflammation in his ears then the illness 'traveled' to his chest. Maggie McDow said she was refused a test despite returning from a layover in South Korea and having coronavirus symptoms 15-minute coronavirus test being used in China, Italy and Japan but NOT the UK or US because health officials haven't approved it yet A 15-minute coronavirus blood test is not being used in the UK, despite China, Italy and Japan diagnosing patients with it. The test, which takes a blood droplet from a finger prick, allegedly shows the severity of coronavirus infection in a patient even if they don't show symptoms. Results are displayed in a similar fashion to those of an at-home pregnancy test within minutes and could potentially save delays in diagnosis. Currently, swab tests used by Public Health England take 24 to 48 hours to be read by a specialist in a lab. In that time, suspected patients could be spreading germs to other people. BioMedomics claims its test can screen for coronavirus in 15 minutes using a small drop of blood and a tiny device that can be carried into the field PHE confirmed they were not using the advanced blood test because it was not accurate enough, and are hoping to develop their own. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is also yet to approve it. A former PHE strategist said he was 'not confident' the test could produce correct results and is therefore unlikely to be rolled out. However, the method was desirable. A small study by Biomedomics showed the test produced a correct response 80 per cent of the time. On March 5, BioMedomics claimed its 'quick and easy' test was ready and being used in South Korea, Japan, Italy, China and some countries in the Middle East. The BioMedomics test - called COVID-19 IgM/IgG Rapid Test - takes a human finger-prick or venous blood sample. It can be read similarly to a pregnancy test, with one line for a negative test, two signifying it's positive for either early or late antibodies, and three when the sample is positive for both Advertisement Others, who have confirmed cases of the virus like in the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington, where a handful of patients died from the virus, also haven't been given tests to test their staff. 'We still are not testing our employees inside, we don't have test kits to do that. We would like to be able to test our employees,' Tim Killain told Good Morning America on Monday. One woman says she returned from South Korea with virus-like symptoms last weekend but was told by staff at George Washington hospital in Washington DC that despite their desire to test her, the Department of Health was not allowing them to. Maggie McDow flew through Seoul on her way to Thailand for work on February 24. She then returned to the US via London, avoiding South Korea, in the first week of March. Last Monday, upon returning to Dulles, she felt unwell. Her condition worsened on Tuesday and she went to the hospital but claims no one took her seriously. She was bounced around until Friday, when she went to the hospital again. 'After several hours the doctor came back in and told me that she was very sorry but the department of health was refusing to run the test. 'They said I wasnt in South Korea long enough...the doctor told me she thought there was a high likelihood that I have it based on my travel history, symptoms, the colleague that is sick, and all other tests coming back negative. 'But, without the test she couldnt tell me for sure, and her hands were tied. 'Do I have Covid-19? Who knows. Do we have a broken public healthcare system that is utterly failing during a health pandemic? Absolutely,' she wrote in a Facebook post. Public health labs in all 50 states now have the capacity for testing, meaning doctors people will no longer have to send samples to the CDC lab in Atlanta, Georgia, for results. The CDC says it has now tested 1,500 people for the virus. Currently, there are more than 600 positive cases and 26 people have died from it. There has been widespread criticism over how slow the US has been to test people for it, and for the slow start to giving more health facilities access to the tests. A 15-minute blood test that has been developed by a private US company is currently being used in China and Japan but not yet here. It is unclear if that test, by BioMetrics, is one that will be rolled out by the government in coming weeks. On Monday, the world's markets took a tumble thanks to a 'one-two punch' of coronavirus and an oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia. Amid the outbreak of coronavirus, Israel will impose a 14-day quarantine on all travellers entering their country, Prime Minister Benjamin Natayahu said on Monday. Israel now will require anyone arriving from overseas to self-quarantine for 2 weeks as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19 as told by Prime Minister Benjamin Natanyahu, on Monday. Reuters With over 42 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, Israel has taken some serious measures which are forcing visitors from many countries in Asia and Europe into home isolation. Due to the outbreak of the virus, trade and tourism is expected to suffer a lot. Anyone who comes to Israel from abroad will have to have 14-day isolation, Netanyahu said in his statement. The new measure will come into effect for two weeks initially. He further added, This is a difficult decision but it is essential for safeguarding public health, and this comes first. Government officials on this statement said, the order would come into force immediately for Israeli residents returning to the country. From Thursday, any non-Israel residents entering the country will have to prove they have the means to self-quarantine. Reuters Israel media said the latest measure would mean quarantine for some 300,000 citizens in a country of around 9 million. Palestinians in the Israel West Bank have also been hit by the virus, reporting 25 confirmed cases. The Palestine Authority (PA) has turned foreigners away at checkpoints and ordered schools and national parks to be closed. Israels central bank has said it did not expect such a major economic impact if the virus was halted in the coming months, but that it was ready to use monetary policy tools whenever necessary should conditions worsen. Gov. Gavin Newsom and state health officials are holding a briefing Tuesday afternoon on the state's response to novel coronavirus and the quarantined Grand Princess cruise ship. The briefing will take place at 1:45 p.m. in Room 1190, the governor's press conference room at the State Capitol in Sacramento, and will also be live-streamed on the @Cagovernor Twitter page. Media interested in attending must RSVP to govpressoffice@gov.ca.gov. If men want to match with their dates, they'll most likely pick a tie to complement her dress - yet Prince Harry proved he was a cut above the rest when coordinating with his wife's outfit. The Duke of Sussex, 35, sported a navy suit with emerald lining in his jacket yesterday, which perfectly accompanied 38-year-old Meghan's Emilia Wickstead caped dress. Eagle-eyed royal fans spotted the move and took to Twitter to applaud the father-of-one's subtle coordination following the couple's attendance at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey. The Duke of Sussex, 35, sported a navy suit with emerald lining in his jacket yesterday, which perfectly accompanied 38-year-old Meghan's Emilia Wickstead caped dress Eagle-eyed royal fans spotted the move and took to Twitter to applaud the father-of-one's subtle coordination One social media user said: 'Just love that Harry's coat lining matches the emerald green of Meghan's dress' Another added: 'How cute! Did anyone else notice the lining of Prince Harry's jacket matches Duchess Meghan's coat!', as a third wrote: 'I dig that green lining in Harry's suit matches her ensemble.' 'They've been colour coordinating all week. Harry obviously couldn't wear a green suit to the service today but he made sure the lining of his jacket still repped his team,' a fourth person added. It's not the first time the royal couple have matched their ensembles. In fact, the duke and duchess have donned colour-coordinated outfits for each of their last three joint engagements in the UK. Royal enthusiasts went wild on social media for Prince Harry's subtle coordination yesterday On March 5, Harry and Meghan attended the Endeavour Fund Awards in London, clad in shades of blue. The duchess wowed in a 950 electric turquoise figure-hugging dress by Victoria Beckham, while the duke made sure to match with a light blue tie and royal blue suit. During the weekend, the royal couple donned complementary red garments when attending the Mountbatten Festival of Music at the Royal Albert Hall. It's not the first time the royal couple have matched their ensembles. During the weekend, the royal couple donned complementary red garments when attending the Mountbatten Festival of Music at the Royal Albert Hall (pictured) On March 5, Harry and Meghan attended the Endeavour Fund Awards in London, clad in shades of blue (pictured) Meghan wore a red full-length 1,295 Safiyaa dress, jewelled Simone Rocha earrings, and gorgeous red Stuart Weitzman heels. Harry, who attended the event at the South Kensington venue in his role as Captain General of the Royal Marines, wore a mess dress uniform complete with medals awarded from two tours of Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the Commonwealth Day service marked Harry and Meghan's last official outing as senior members of the royal family before they give up their titles at the end of the month as part of their 'Megxit' departure deal. From March 31, the monarch's grandson and American former actress Meghan will no longer use their HRH styles as they pursue a new life of personal and financial independence, mostly in North America. "It is a tremendous honor to join the ranks of many distinguished professionals on the Forbes Technology Council," said Jim Parkinson, CXO at North American Bancard. "Forbes has created a platform that fosters innovation and encourages the meaningful exchange of ideas. I look forward to sharing my insights and expertise as new technological solutions continue to enhance business efficiencies." As an accepted member of the Forbes Technology Council, Parkinson has access to a variety of exclusive opportunities, including the ability to connect, share ideas, and collaborate with other technology leaders in a private forum. He'll also be contributing insights through original articles on Forbes.com, and have the opportunity to contribute to published Q&A panels. "We are honored to welcome Jim Parkinson into the community," said Scott Gerber, founder of Forbes Councils, the collective that includes Forbes Technology Council. "Our mission with Forbes Councils is to bring together proven leaders from every industry, creating a curated, social capital-driven network that helps every member grow professionally and make an even greater impact on the business world." About North American Bancard North American Bancard is re-imagining the payment experience. As a leading payment technology innovator, NAB has a diversified product platform that provides a modern end-to-end infrastructure to enable globally-preferred payment types. NAB's superior solutions deliver seamless payments experiences in mobile, online, and in-store environments. Serving hundreds of thousands of businesses and processing in excess of $45 billion in electronic payments annually, NAB delivers functional, frictionless solutions for our evolving merchant economy. For more information, please visit www.northamericanbancard.com . About Forbes Councils Forbes Councils is a collective of invitation-only communities created in partnership with Forbes and the expert community builders who founded Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC). In Forbes Councils, exceptional business owners and leaders come together with the people and resources that can help them thrive. For more information about Forbes Technology Council, visit forbestechcouncil.com. To learn more about Forbes Councils, visit forbescouncils.com. SOURCE North American Bancard Related Links http://www.nabancard.com Help for airlines. Help for cruise ship operators. And shale operators. Vague talk of payroll tax cuts that would last through the end of the year. Stocks are moving on hopes of fiscal stimulus in the absence of market-moving coronavirus news. Take Royal Caribbean, which was halted three times on the upside in 45 minutes after President Donald Trump said he was looking at helping the cruise and airline industry. Never mind there were no specifics. Not just cruise ships and airlines rose even Hertz went up, though the president made no promises he was going to rescue the rental car business. No matter. Hyatt went up. Marriott rose. So did Visa and Mastercard. Same with Energy. Vague reports that the president was likely to seek aide for shale companies helped lift Continental Resources, Hess, and Pioneer Natural Resources. Another big mover: banks. The SPDR Bank ETF, a basket of large banks, up nearly 6% on the back of a stunning 27-basis point move in the 10-year Treasury yield, all of which occurred after the President made those midday remarks. It's about time: Banks are down 30% since the end of February. As for the rest of the market, it's the same problem. Stocks trade on a multiple of future earnings. No one has a clue what future earnings, six to 12 months out, are going to look like, so the markets are swinging all over the place. Because of the extreme uncertainty, the usual internal signs of a market bottom extreme oversold conditions, the CBOE Volatility Index way elevated to the highest level since the financial crisis, 90% downside volume days all of which have happened are not considered reliable. Some traders are looking at trading ranges in a worst-case scenario: a recession. Dennis DeBusschere at Evercore ISI noted this morning that the S&P will typically drop 13% from high to low in a typical year. At the close on Monday, the S&P was 18.2% off its highs. He noted the median recession decline is down 28%, implying in a "typical" recession we would lose another 10 percent. Others are circulating more extreme forecasts. "We are only pointing this out as we saw a number of notes highlighting that typical recession declines are in the 30% to 40% range," DeBusschere said. Were certainly always interested in any technology that will help law enforcement, Jogmen said. But with any technology comes constant evaluation of its ability to do what it sets out to do. Cost is always a factor and obviously comfort level for everyone involved. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jose Luis Gonzalez and Aislinn Laing (Reuters) Ciudad Juarez, Mexico/Santiago, Chile Tue, March 10, 2020 09:52 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20697a325 2 World international-womens-day,Latin-America,womens-day,gender-equality,gender-based-violence Free Latin American women stayed away from offices, schools and government offices on Monday to join a second day of marches to protest against gender violence, inequality and restricted rights. Monday's wildcat strike, dubbed "a day without us," is intended to show what life would be like if women vanished from society. It followed a series of massive protests on Sunday to mark International Women's Day. In the northern Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez, just across the US border, factories stood unusually quiet as many women stayed home. "I don't even want to think if this went on for a prolonged period of time," said Luis Carrillo, a manager at NPD Technology, a firm that makes electronic parts for automatic doors in a city famous for its large number of assembly plants. "There would be huge losses," he said, adding that the company is proud to support its overwhelmingly female workforce and views the protests as positive. Early on Monday afternoon, the company's factory floor featured rows of unoccupied tables and desks. A general view shows empty work space at NDP Technology, a private company specializing in PCB (Printed Circuit Board) assembly for different industries, after female employees stayed away from work during the (Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez) The work stoppages in Mexico also included indigenous Zapatista women in the south and numerous office workers in the capital. Paola Rojas, a female columnist for major daily El Universal, left her space in the newspaper completely blank expect for a hashtag supporting the protest. In Chile, women wearing medical uniforms, industrial overalls and school uniforms joined a march down a central thoroughfare of Santiago, the capital, to congregate outside President Sebastian Pinera's downtown office. They banged drums, danced and chanted: "And how, how, how the hell can they torture and rape us and no one does anything?" Among them was Rosa Ramirez-Rios, an actress in her 70s. Six months ago, she said, many women in the crowd would not have dared to take part. "I know it's a long process," she said. "We must have patience, persistence, a lot of courage and a lot of desire. The economic and political powers won't give up their privileges easily." The Mexican capital's usually traffic-choked streets were virtually empty at rush hour on Monday. Public transport was mostly devoid of women, schools were closed and many workplaces were empty. Molotov cocktails were thrown at the doors of the national palace and women clashed outside its main cathedral with male anti-abortion protesters, some with shaved heads and making Nazi salutes. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had said government employees were free to join the walkout. According to a poll published late last week by newspaper El Financiero, 67% of Mexicans surveyed said they supported the stoppage, while 57% of women said they planned to join. Some Mexican women chose to turn up for their jobs, saying work was its own kind of protest, with others saying they could not afford to miss a day. Cristina Velez, director at Montessori's World, a private school, said she had given teachers the day off and kept the school open with the help of administrative staff. Protests there are focused on a surge in femicides, or gender-motivated killings of women. These jumped 137% in the past five years, government statistics show, as gang violence pushed the national murder tally to record heights. Most violent crimes in Mexico go unsolved. "We don't want more violence. They need to punish those who commit crimes," Velez said. Organizers of Sunday's march in Santiago estimated two million people took part, compared with a police estimate of 150,000, and there were sporadic clashes between marchers and police. Front Row offers creative youth wider access to career-building opportunities If you are between the ages of 18 24 years old, you are eligible to motivate for a seat in the Front Row at the 2020 Bookmark Awards on the 19th of March 2020 at The Galleria in Sandton. You or your line manager can submit a 250-word motivation to ten.asbai@woRtnorF, with your name, email address and contact number by Thursday, 12 March 2020. A selection panel will go through the entries to shortlist the participants All successful entrants will be notified via email by Monday, 16 March 2020. In a bid to further support the challenges and opportunities related to transformation within the digital media and marketing industry, the Interactive Advertising Bureau of South Africa (IAB SA) today launches Front Row, an initiative designed to create much-needed access at various levels whether it be access to relevant industry-leading events or access to some of South Africa's brilliant digital media and marketing minds.Veli Ngubane, IAB Transformation Council Head says, "We have taken a pragmatic approach to support transformation in the industry this year, concentrating on access as the key focus to this end. Front Row forms part of this approach, in giving free access and support to the front row for IAB events and workshops to black students, entrepreneurs and agency interns between the ages of 18 - 24. We encourage all members to support this initiative."The benefits of Front Row are numerous and tangible. For example, five Front Row participants from Johannesburg, will attend this year's Bookmarks Awards on 19 March 2020, an annual event which recognises excellence in digital and the powerful impact interactive has on the overall marketing mix. Participants will be provided with transportation to and from the venue on the day. Each of the five Front Row 2020 Bookmark Award participants will also receive a R10,000, non-transferrable, online-course voucher from The Red & Yellow Creative School of Business, to further their digital creative and business studies.So, who's eligible to fill the seats? Young budding digital media and marketing students currently studying towards a digital qualification are eligible to enter.How to enter:Paula Hulley, CEO of IAB South Africa: "The IAB South Africa serves to empower the media and marketing industry to thrive in a digital economy. We do this through our connected culture and access to experts and expertise. It is vital that we are always increasing our engagement with the future leaders of our industry while bringing in a fresh, and different, perspective to the IAB SA as a whole. Platforms like the IAB SA Front Row and IAB SA Youth Action Council, aim to provide easier access to information and platforms of engagement while creating valuable collaborative spaces and the opportunity to "sit at the table" with seasoned industry leaders at the highest level."Reversing the negative impact of decades of legislated exclusion of black South Africans and transforming the creative industry will take time, but it's clear that we need to start by providing youth with wider access to career-building opportunities at the grassroots level," concludes Ngubane. "With this initiative, IAB SA is inviting the youth to take a seat in the front row and take up space in the creative industry."For more information, contact IAB SA CEO Paula Hulley, by emailing ten.asbai@aluaP Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10) - A fire on Tuesday night hit the Worldwide Corporate Center building in Mandaluyong City, which houses CNN Philippines and several call center companies. Authorities declared fire out at 8pm, said the Philippine Red Cross. No one was reported hurt in the incident. Senior Fire Officer Luciano Regis said sprinklers installed in the building helped a lot in extinguishing fire. The fire originated from the kitchen of one of the food outlets in the building at 7:50pm. Employees in the building were quickly told to evacuate, but have since returned to their offices. Fire Officer Archie Blancada told CNN Philippines that the estimated cost of damage is more or less 30,000. More details to follow. Please refresh page for updates. CNN Philippines' Multi-Platform News Writers Vince Ferreras and Xave Gregorio contributed to this report. Sonora, CA The Tuolumne Utilities District and PG&E announce that they are in exclusive negotiations about the potential transfer of the Phoenix Hydroelectric Project. Under the proposed agreement, TUD would acquire the Phoenix Powerhouse, the Main Tuolumne Canal, the pre and post 1914 water rights, the Lyons Dam and Reservoir, Strawberry Dam and Pinecrest Reservoir. TUD General Manager Edwin Pattison says, The need to acquire water rights and storage has been a topic of discussion in Tuolumne County for more than a century. We view this as a once in a lifetime opportunity to secure a locally controlled water system to provide reliable cost-effective water for future generations. The Phoenix Project dates back to the Gold Rush and is located on the South Fork of the Stanislaus River. It provides the majority of TUDs water supply via the Main Tuolumne Canal, which was built in 1851 to support mining and irrigation needs. It generates 2 megawatts. Lyons Dam was built in 1929. Strawberry Dam was built in 1916, creating Pinecrest Lake. The Phoenix Powerhouse was constructed in 1898 and later rebuilt in 1940. Mike Schonherr, a Director of Power Generation at PG&E, says, The Phoenix Project is no longer a cost-effective source of electric generation for PG&Es customers, but the powerhouse, water storage, and conveyance systems are important for TUD, which is a natural owner for the project. Under the proposal, PG&E would continue to own and operate other features of its Spring Gap-Stanislaus Project and would utilize water from Pinecrest to generate water at its Spring Gap Powerhouse. No financial figures were immediately released by the two entities, noting that negotiations are still ongoing. Information provided by TUD reads, Because PG&E has essentially been providing this water for free as part of its generation operations, future costs to operate and maintain the facilities will need to be paid for by TUD and the community. TUD is working with an independent financial firm to study and evaluate costs, in an effort to look for creative and innovative ways to minimize the impacts to TUD customers and the community. TUD has just launched a new website to provide further community information about the proposed plan. You can find it by clicking here. A series of town hall meetings is also planned for residents to learn more information, ask questions and provide input. The first will be Thursday, April 9, from 5:30-7pm at the Sonora Opera Hall. We invite the community to engage and play an active role throughout this entire process, said TUD Board of Directors President Bob Rucker. The transfer is anticipated to take several years to complete and ultimately would require approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, California Public Utilities Commission and the TUD Board of Directors. FREDERICTON - New Brunswick's education minister has taken the unprecedented step of ordering all preschoolers and students travelling abroad to refrain from returning to school for two weeks in a bid to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/3/2020 (671 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FREDERICTON - New Brunswick's education minister has taken the unprecedented step of ordering all preschoolers and students travelling abroad to refrain from returning to school for two weeks in a bid to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Dominic Cardy sent a letter to parents Monday saying the precautionary measure among the most aggressive taken by any province also applies to school and early learning centre staff, volunteers and family members of students. Cardy says the new rule applies to those who have returned from international travel as of March 8. "The goal here is to call on New Brunswickers and say look, this is a difficult situation. This is a dangerous disease. You do not want to be the person who brings this virus back to New Brunswick. So join with us in taking reasonable precautions to try and protect our students and folks who work in our education system," Cardy said Tuesday. "That's going to be the core message a message of social responsibility," he said. Cardy said the restriction only applies to travellers. If a family travelled internationally, then all members would be banned from schools for two weeks. However if only the parents travelled, the children would still be able to attend class. "We are asking people here to act as citizens. The school system isn't here with police or judicial powers. We are here to ask people to act in the best interests of the people who are teaching our kids and our students," he said. The minister has also cancelled all international school-related travel for the remainder of the school year. The latest measures come after Cardy distributed a letter on Friday, saying the two-week school ban applied only to those students, volunteers, staff and family members who had travelled to China, Italy, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong or Singapore. There are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New Brunswick. While the latest memo restricts international travel, Cardy said he's not going to stop travel across the New Brunswick-Maine border that's common for shopping, work and visiting family who straddle the border. Cardy also said at this point there's no restriction on people who travel within Canada, including provinces where the virus has been reported. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2020. Shane and his brother Alan giving one of the pedigree bulls a scrub. Photo Brian Farrell Driven: Thomas Gormley and his son Alan with one of the familys pedigree Charolais bulls. Photo Brian Farrell Thomas Gormley is carrying on a tradition of pedigree Charolais breeding that dates back to 1985 when his late father Michael bought the family's first purebred Charolais at a sale in Naas. Michael had been using Charolais AI straws for cross-breeding prior to then, but the current Charolais stock on the Gormley farm in Elphin, north Roscommon, are all connected to the stock introduced in 1985. "All that I have comes from her," says Thomas. "He bought two that day, one went lucky (in calf) and one didn't. She came from Cavan and was bred off of a bull called Enfield Picador, which is going back a long time." Thomas is doing justice to the standards set by his father. Having initially done an apprenticeship in tool making after leaving school in the late 1980s and worked in Dublin for several years, he returned home 20 years ago to farm full-time. Expand Close Shane and his brother Alan giving one of the pedigree bulls a scrub. Photo Brian Farrell / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Shane and his brother Alan giving one of the pedigree bulls a scrub. Photo Brian Farrell "I initially started farming on a smaller scale," he says. "I took on bits of land before taking over the main farm in 2008. I have about 70 acres of land bought (increasing the farm size to 130 acres), adding on to the four blocks that my father bought. "I increased the size of each, the biggest of which is 50 acres. People, including my Teagasc advisor, asked me why I didn't go dairying, but the land isn't suitable and I suppose I just don't have the love for it either." Today Thomas keeps 50 suckler cows, including 15 pedigree Charolais, as well as 75 crossbred sheep, with Charollais and Suffolk rams. He also has a contracting outfit, making bales of silage and hay during the summer, and he works a day a week at Elphin Mart during busy times of the year. He is heavily involved in several farming organisations. A member of the Irish Charolais Cattle Society, he is also chairman of Elphin Show, one of the biggest shows of its kind in the country. He also finds time to help out with the local group water scheme. Expand Close The Gormleys keep 50 suckler cows, including 15 pedigree Charolais. Photo Brian Farrell / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Gormleys keep 50 suckler cows, including 15 pedigree Charolais. Photo Brian Farrell Thomas aims to have six or seven pedigree bulls every year for the local sales, whether it's in Elphin, Carrick -on-Shannon) or slightly farther afield in Tullamore. "This year we have four bulls that are ready for sale, with one being sold at the Charolais Society's sale in Elphin and hopefully we'll have a few more for later in the year." Being based in Elphin is advantageous for selling Charolais, as there is considerably more demand for them in that part of the country. "Elphin and Carrick is a big Charolais area - you're in the heartland of Charolais up here," he says. "A lot of people mightn't like to hear that, but it's true. If you ever go to the mart in Elphin when there's a big sale on, 90pc of them are Charolais. "More colours (of cattle) have come in over the last number of years, but the quality hasn't been the same. It has slipped on all cattle, even purebreds. "Too many people are buying cattle just based on stars. But you have to look at what you have on the ground first. You have to look at the animal, then you match your stars to your animal. "My two sons know good-quality cattle because they're out with me. I see a lot of younger people - and no disrespect to them - having the bull picked out before they see it. Easy calving Expand Close Thomas Gormley pictured on his Elphin farm with sons Shane and Cathal. Photo Brian Farrell / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Thomas Gormley pictured on his Elphin farm with sons Shane and Cathal. Photo Brian Farrell "You can't buy a bull out of a book. Pictures can be a help but they can be deceiving. You should look at a few bulls first at a sale and then pick out the stars. "If you buy a bad bull with good stars it's very hard to improve them. It's hard enough to breed good-quality cattle from a good bull with good stars, never mind a bad one." While Thomas says stars aren't the be-all and end-all, he doesn't rule them out completely and agrees that they still do have a part to play. "Calving difficulty is a major thing from a stars point of view. Everyone wants easy calving now. Maybe that has brought down the quality a bit too, which is understandable. "A lot of people who are working part-time as well as farming don't want to come out and find a cow pegged on the ground and have to call a vet. Stars are a help, but you have to use all the tools available to you. "I think the myostatin gene is going to be more important than stars eventually. If they have the gene they have more ability to transfer in on to their progeny." 'We're being lumped in with the rest of the world, but carbon-neutral beef would stand out' Succession is a worry for many farmers, especially in the suckler sector, writes Michael Keaveny. But it shouldn't be a problem for the Gormleys as Thomas's eldest son Cathal (18) shares his passion for pedigree breeding and is studying animal science in UCD. Last year he won a stock judging competition that was organised by the Charolais Society for a trip to Canada, where he attended various conferences. He says it was a "great experience and an opportunity to see how other systems operate and handle cattle". Thomas has a strong family unit behind him. His wife Anne, who runs the local post office, says that while farming can offer a good lifestyle, it isn't without its challenges. "Farmers are part of the squeezed middle, she says. "We're putting four kids through education, it's difficult. We applied for the SUSI grant but we didn't get it. There needs to be an incentive to work." Thomas is one year into a three-year term on the board of the Charolais Society council, a position he took on to help progress the breed and to provide better facilities for farmers. "I feel I have a lot to offer to the position, especially when I'm still young," he says. "We're all there to better the breed on the council. Like any voluntary group, we have disagreements, but we thrash them out. "There's a proposal by one of the Galway Charolais clubs at the minute to produce carbon-neutral beef. It's at the midpoint stage - it's been put forward to the Department and they're also looking to bring it to Brussels to get a different tag for it. "I don't think our suckler beef is being promoted as well as it could be. We're being lumped in with the rest of the world, but carbon-neutral suckler beef would stand out." Despite the negative outlook and poor publicity farmers have been getting, Thomas is reasonably optimistic about the future of suckler farming and the Charolais breed. "Good-quality Charolais will sell," he says. "Teagasc claim that their feed efficiency is better than other breeds. And the ICBF came out and said they're being killed a month earlier and come in at a heavier carcase weight than 10 years ago. This is all encouraging. "The key is to stay positive and surround yourself with positive, like-minded people." Charolais panel xxxxxxxx 'We're being lumped in with the rest of the world, but carbon-neutral beef would stand out' Discover how companies, institutions and governments are already using VR technology to solve the problems that concern them today BILBAO, Spain, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Virtualware started an amazing "immersive" adventure, more than 15 years ago, A long journey, where they've seen and experienced the evolution and growth of the XR industry practically from zero to the immersive (R)evolution that it is today in the business world. After many years of testing, developing, and applying immersive technologies to the enterprise with great results, the last couple of years have been the most revealing for them. In 2019, the VR leading company attended the biggest events related to XR technologies around the world. From Europe to North America, Virtualware had the opportunity to share their knowledge and expertise with other companies, institutions, and governments from all over the world; stating that most of them perceive immersive technologies as a great opportunity to increase competitiveness in the current economic environment, but they don't know where to start. There are multiple articles and studies that predict that XR technologies are the FUTURE for business. The FUTURE is exciting, but, what about the present? Today Virtualware asserts that Virtual Reality technology enables companies to bring out the best in their workers, to design products better and faster, to engage audiences like never before and more. Virtual Reality is Now ! Video Teaser: https://youtu.be/h7EQ77dgUn8 This is why Virtualware releases "VR is Now" campaign. A campaign that shows how medium and large companies, institutions and governments are already using VR technology to solve real problems. A campaign that will serve as a steppingstone for all those that are still undecided to take a step forward and get to the next level. Virtualware is the key provider to unlock the power of VR, under the slogan: Who will solve the problems that concern us today? You will. With us. Together. VR Is Now! Related links: www.vrisnow.com About Virtualware | http://virtualwareco.com/ Virtualware is a world-leading provider of cutting-edge immersive solutions for training, engineering and marketing. The pioneering VR company was awarded with "VIROO: Virtualware Immersive Room" as the VR Enterprise Solution of the Year at VR Awards 2019, the centre of recognition and celebration of outstanding achievement in Virtual Reality. An Italian appellate court in Milan has postponed a hearing in the case of Ukrainian citizen Vitaliy Markiv, who is challenging a 24-year sentence for his role six years ago while serving in the Ukrainian National Guard that involved the deaths of an Italian photojournalist and his Russian interpreter. Lawyers for the defendant told RFE/RL on March 8 that the court in the Lombardy region had decided to hear the case on March 31 due to government-imposed measures that have banned public gatherings. The measures were introduced on March 7 in much of the countrys north and have since been extended nationwide amid an outbreak of a new respiratory illness known as COVID-19 that has killed 463 people and infected 9,172 in Italy. The contagion became known near Italy's financial capital on February 21, some three months after it originated in China and spread to at least 106 countries, killed nearly 4,000 people, and infected over 113,000 worldwide. Since then, the rising numbers of deaths and infection have stunned Italy's health-care system. Following his June 30, 2017 arrest in Bologna, Markiv, a dual Ukrainian-Italian national, was given a 24-year prison sentence in July for actions he allegedly committed while being posted near Slovyansk, a town in the Donetsk region that was held by Russian national Igor Girkin, a former colonel in the Federal Security Service, and the forces he was leading comprised of other Russians and local separatists. At the time, Markiv and about 150 Ukrainian servicemen were stationed atop the Karachun hill, surrounded by Girkins forces and approximately 2 kilometers from where the group of journalists were located at a ceramic factory on the edge of Slovyansk. Markiv, a native of the western Ukrainian regional capital of Ternopil, in particular was found guilty of directing mortar fire that led to the May 24, 2014 death of Italian photojournalist Andrea Rochelli and Russian interpreter Andrei Mironov, who was also known as a rights activist. A third person, French photographer William Roguelon, was wounded during the shelling. In February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, on his first official visit to Italy, spoke about Markiv's case in Rome with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in March 2014. A month later, fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine between government troops and Russia-backed separatists in a war that has killed more than 13,000 people and displaced more than 1.5 million. New Delhi, Mar 9 (UNI) With Bangladesh postponing the grand inaugural ceremony of Mujib Year in view of the Corona virus outbreak across the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Dhaka on March 17 is likely to be cancelled. As Bangladesh reported first three cases of Corono virus infection, the authorities have decided to rearrange several programmes starting this month to mark the celebration of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahmans birth centenary. A number of heads of government of different countries, including Prime Minister Modi, were invited to join the March 17 ceremony. But, under the circumstances here and abroad, Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, chief coordinator of the national committee to implement Mujib Year celebrations, said many foreign dignitaries for now have decided not to attend the event. He said the foreign dignitaries will be invited again when a fresh schedule is finalized. Other programmes will continue throughout the year on a small scale, he added. However, there was no official word yet on cancellation of Prime Minister Modi's Dhaka trip. Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had also visited Dhaka recently to prepare the ground for Mr Modi's visit. The inaugural ceremony was scheduled to be held at the National Parade Ground in Dhaka on March 17 and kickoff the year-long celebrations will now be held at a later date, Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported on Monday. Dr Kamal Chowdhury told a media briefing late Sunday night that all other programs will be organized avoiding massive public gatherings, Dhaka Tribune report said. Citing the issue of public health, the decision to postpone the grand March 17 opening ceremony was taken at a meeting of the committee which was attended by ruling Awami League chief and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her sister Sheikh Rehana the daughters of Bangabandhu, the newspaper said in its report. Talking to Dhaka Tribune, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said it was also decided, following the prime ministers recommendation, that the Mujib Year inauguration ceremony will be held at a different venue and on a small scale. But the new venue is yet to be fixed, he said. Last year, the Awami League-led government declared the period from March 17, 2020, to March 26, 2021, as Mujib Year and chalked out year-long programs to mark and celebrate Bangabandhus birth centenary. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has given directives to concerned authorities to avoid mass gatherings as a preventive measure to tackle coronavirus. Health Secretary Asadul Islam made the statement while briefing the media after a cabinet meeting held at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Monday. On Sunday, Bangladesh confirmed first three patients of Covid-19. Asadul said the concerned authorities have to ensure the minimization of gatherings according to the prime minister's direction, the newspaper reported. UNI VT 1826 A version of this story first appeared in CNN Business' Before the Bell newsletter. Not a subscriber? You can sign up right here. Fears that the coronavirus pandemic will tip the world into recession and a price war over oil sent stocks plunging on Monday, temporarily halting trading in the United States amid the worst market rout in more than a decade. What happened: The S&P 500 closed down 7.6%, the index's worst day since December 2008. The VIX, a measure of stock market volatility, shot up to its highest level since early 2009. And Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil, plummeted a staggering 24%, its worst day for 1991. It closed at $34.36 per barrel, its lowest level in four years. "This was truly a historic session," Bespoke Investment Group told clients. "Barring the financial crisis, these sorts of swings haven't happened in the past 30 years." Markets are moving back up on Tuesday as some investors dip their toes back in. S&P 500 futures are up 4.4%. Gains in Asia and Europe were more tepid. Hong Kong's Hang Seng finished 1.4% higher, while the FTSE 100 climbed 3.6% in London. But investors still want to know: Is this a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis? The BlackRock Investment Institute acknowledged Monday that the scale of market moves have been "reminiscent" of 2008. But the asset manager sees fundamental differences. "The economy is on more solid footing and, importantly, the financial system is much more robust than it was going into the crisis of 2008," BlackRock said in a note to clients. Wall Street has been quick to note that banks are better capitalized this time around due to new regulations, and that debt levels, while high, are concentrated in less risky areas. Corporate debt, particularly in the energy sector, could pose a problem, but doesn't look "large enough (yet) to trigger a global crisis," Neil Shearing, group chief economist at Capital Economics, said Monday. This should allow for a faster economic rebound after the coronvirus is brought under control. "Fear can take [the market] lower, but expect [a] quick recovery when health threat recedes," former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein tweeted Monday. "Unlike '08, will avoid systemic damage." One issue, however, is that governments and central banks were able to throw massive amounts of money at the problem in 2008. That may not be as effective this time around. President Donald Trump said Monday he would press for a payroll tax cut, but if people are staying at home, they're unlikely to pump that money back into the economy. Central banks, meanwhile, have far less ammunition at their disposal, with interest rates already at or near historic lows. And there are concerns that monetary policy remedies take time to flow through the system. Could coronavirus shut Wall Street? Banks move staff out US stock markets were halted briefly Monday as a record fall in oil prices and fears of the coronavirus triggered panic selling. But the epidemic poses a much bigger logistical headache for Wall Street: how to keep trading going if banks have to evacuate their offices to fight the spread of the illness. The details: Global banks are scrambling to split their workforces to reduce the risk that large numbers of employees fall ill, and testing backup sites to ensure they can continue doing business even if they can no longer access Wall Street or locations in central London. JPMorgan Chase has started dividing its sales and trading teams between separate offices. It told employees in an email that this is a "precautionary measure" to make sure the bank can continue to run smoothly. The firm runs alternate sites in Brooklyn and New Jersey, and in Basingstoke, about 50 miles southwest of London. Bank of America said it is splitting its fixed income and equities trading teams, sending some people to a backup site in Stamford, Connecticut. Deutsche Bank, meanwhile, said it has split some London operations and trading teams, with some employees working from home. Why it matters: It's the biggest logistical challenge for the finance industry since Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, and before that, the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. And it comes while banks are dealing with a global stock market rout and major volatility. Low oil prices could damage the US economy A boom in shale production has made the United States the largest oil producer in the world. That's helped shield the country from geopolitical instability in the Middle East and countries like Venezuela but also means the oil price plunge will be far more damaging to the US economy than previous drops in 2008 or 1991, my CNN Business colleague Chris Isidore reports. If oil prices remain at low levels, it could shave up to 0.35 percentage points off US GDP in the first quarter, according to Morgan Stanley. The investment bank is also concerned that consumers won't spend any of their savings from lower gas prices. If people aren't traveling, airlines may not get a boost, either. Lower oil prices are also "small comfort" to China, the world's largest oil importer, Julian Evans-Pritchard, senior China economist at Capital Economics, told clients Tuesday. "The boost to growth will be modest and won't make up for the hit to Chinese exports from weaker global demand," he said. Up next Dick's Sporting Goods reports earnings before US markets open. Coming up: President Donald Trump has invited bank CEOs to the White House for a meeting on the coronavirus outbreak. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 21:12:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Medical workers celebrate after the closure of a temporary hospital in Wuchang District of Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, March 10, 2020. The last two temporary hospitals in Wuhan, were shut down Tuesday, marking the closure of all 16 temporary hospitals in the city. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu) With massive efforts since late January, China has achieved impressive progress and is anticipating a final victory against COVID-19. The same hope goes for the global fight, which requires solidarity, cooperation and action. BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday visited Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, to inspect the epidemic prevention and control work, as the number of new coronavirus cases has dropped sharply thanks to a raft of unprecedented measures rarely seen in history. The daily increase of new coronavirus cases on the Chinese mainland fell from thousands in February to 19 on Monday. The spread of the novel coronavirus disease has been basically curbed in Hubei Province and Wuhan, said Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, during his inspection. The significant progress of China's outbreak control is encouraging and reassuring. It brings hope and lessons to the ongoing global fight against the novel coronavirus disease, which has been reported in more than 100 countries and regions. Drawing on its institutional strength, China's decisive measures to control the outbreak are enlightening, as the world is at a crucial time of containing its spread to save lives. China declared a total war against the virus and made it the top priority, relying on the people and a united response. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, people from all walks of life have joined hands in fighting the epidemic with wisdom, action and morale. Wuhan, capital city of central China's Hubei Province, went on lockdown after the outbreak, while 42,000 medics rushed to Hubei from the rest of the country. China built two makeshift hospitals in less than two weeks in Wuhan, activated the top-level response in most areas within a few days, and organized the pairing-up support of 19 provincial-level regions for cities of the province, among a slew of brave, swift and intensive measures. These measures have proved effective. As of Monday, Hubei accounted for 84 percent of the total of confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland, while the remainder were scattered across 30 other provincial-level regions. Staff members salute the cured coronavirus patients who have finished a 14-day quarantine for medical observation at a rehabilitation center in Wuhan, March 10, 2020. A total of 143 cured coronavirus patients who were discharged from hospital finished their 14-day quarantine for medical observation on Tuesday at the rehabilitation center based in Wuhan Vocational College of Software and Engineering. (Xinhua/Xiong Qi) All these are vivid manifestations of China's system advantage, which ensures the whole country works together and stimulates the enthusiasm of all aspects to mobilize resources for major undertakings like poverty reduction, disaster relief, key technologies and large infrastructure projects. Just as the country tackled the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak and the 8.0-magnitude Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, the institutional strength will continue playing a key role in enabling China to secure a decisive victory against COVID-19. While China protects the health of its 1.4 billion people, it contributes greatly to the global fight as well. Those who have used the virus to make racist remarks or smear China's system and tremendous efforts are immoral and despicable. To tackle major deadly viruses and safeguard global public health, China also provides a useful lesson through its methods, such as early detection, isolation and admission, quarantine of close contacts, grassroots community-based prevention, and the reduction of public gatherings, in the battle against COVID-19. Meanwhile, in the spirit of building a community with a shared future for humanity, China has shown great transparency and openness in its cooperation with the international community regarding the outbreak. China has shared with the World Health Organization and other countries key information about the virus and experience in control and prevention. China welcomed aid from abroad among severe protective gear shortages and, in return, donated materials, money and even dispatched personnel to help other countries control the disease despite the battle at home not yet being over. Bruce Aylward, team leader of the China-WHO joint mission on COVID-19, told The New York Times that China's counterattack can be replicated but requires speed, money, imagination and political courage. With massive efforts since late January, China has achieved impressive progress and is anticipating a final victory against COVID-19. And the same hope goes for the global fight, which requires solidarity, cooperation and action. 10.03.2020 LISTEN The Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen has toured the assembly plant of Volkswagen (VW) Ghana in Accra. He visit on Tuesday was ahead of the launching of VW's first assembled vehicles in Ghana. It would be recalled that Thomas Schaefer, Head of the VW Sub-Saharan Region and Mr Kyerematen signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish a vehicle assembly facility and to assess the feasibility of a modern Mobility Concept for Ghana. The Minister and his team were impressed at the pace at which VW is moving and has re-echoed the commitment made by President Nana Akufo Addo to lend full support to VW and its local assembler in Ghana. ---citinewsroom As diplomatic efforts over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam continue, Egypt is working to prevent Ethiopia from filling the reservoir in the absence of a comprehensive agreement Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri toured seven Arab capitals this week, five members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jordan and Iraq, for talks that had developments on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) as the number one issue. Shoukris tour came less than a week after an Arab League foreign ministers meeting adopted a resolution that openly blamed Ethiopia for failing to act promptly in reaching an agreement with Egypt and Sudan on the filling and operation of the GERD. Sudan had refrained from supporting the resolution, offering an alternative text that Egypt declined and then asking for its name to be removed from the text that criticised Ethiopia, an upstream country on the River Nile, for acting to inflict serious harm on the water resources of the two downstream countries of Sudan and Egypt. It later issued a statement arguing that the Arab League resolution was not purposeful. Egypt, in a statement from the office of the spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, expressed dismay over the position taken by Sudan. It implicitly argued that Sudan was being insensitive about Egypts concerns over possible water shortages in the wake of the filling and operation of the GERD in the absence of a fair deal. Ethiopia had already hit back with a statement that harshly criticised the Arab League resolution. Egypt then issued a statement that was more than usually critical of Ethiopia, criticising it for trying to monopolise decision-making on the Blue Niles resources. The statement put out by the office of the Foreign Ministry spokesman on Saturday in response to that coming out of Addis Ababa came hours after the Foreign Minister of Oman Youssef ben Alawi who currently heads the Arab Foreign Ministers Council, told reporters that his country was fully aware of Egypts true concerns at the possible water shortages it could suffer if the filling and operation of the GERD were conducted in a way not sensitive to its situation. However, the statements were not designed as a reply to the statement by Ethiopia. The secretariat of the Arab League would also not agree to an Egyptian request for it to issue a statement in reply to the harsh Ethiopian attack, according to a source at the secretariat of the organisation. The secretariat of the Arab League, the source said, would have needed the consent of several member states at least, including Oman, to issue a statement against Ethiopia, and this had not been immediately available. Oman was one of the stops on Shoukris diplomatic tour this week. The source added that Egypt had a lot of lobbying to do in support of its position against Ethiopia, especially as Sudan did not seem to be following the same line as Egypt. The diplomatic momentum Egypt is currently building is intended to frustrate Ethiopian attempts to hijack the Blue Nile and to gain sufficient political support to pressure Ethiopia to abandon announced plans to start filling the reservoir of the GERD this summer, possibly in late June. Shoukri is working on putting the same message across to EU member states and permanent members of the UN Security Council. The message we are putting across is that we are committed to reaching a negotiated deal, and we have made considerable compromises and have shown many signs of good will, said an informed government source. Ahead of Shoukris tour this week, the Foreign Ministry had already briefed African ambassadors in Cairo on the fate of the negotiations process that Egypt was going through with both Ethiopia and Sudan with joint US-World Bank mediation. After a negotiation process that had lasted for 10 weeks and included direct and indirect talks among foreign and water resources ministers of the three countries concerned in Washington and meetings of the respective technical teams in Khartoum, Addis Ababa, and Cairo, the US and the World Bank had drafted a deal that Egypt, despite some concerns, according to the same official, had initialed in Washington late last month, while Sudan abstained. Ethiopia deliberately missed the meeting in question and later accused Washington of siding too much with Cairo. A Cairo-based Western diplomatic source said that Washington was not taking the Ethiopian accusations to heart but was rather placing them within the context of the internal Ethiopian political debate ahead of upcoming legislative elections. According to the same source, Washington, as US President Donald Trump promised President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi in a telephone call last week, would still continue with its work to bring together the three parties to sign an agreement hopefully before the beginning of the high point of the rainfall season in July when Ethiopia seems to want to begin the filling process. Contacts, the same source said this week, were still ongoing between the US and Ethiopia. But the source would not offer any definite expectation of any possible initialing by Ethiopia of what he qualified as a quite comprehensive text that Egypt had accepted late last month. The source would not commit to words like probably or possibly, but said instead that the agreement was a work in progress. Nor would he agree that Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who is heading into tough parliamentary elections in August, would feel hesitant to sign an agreement that his opponents could qualify as making too many compromises. It all depended, the source said, on what Ahmed would be getting as a political package, including incentives from the US, which has already shown a deal of generosity in supporting the prime minister of Ethiopia. In the midst of the recent diplomatic confrontation, Ahmed called on the Ethiopian people to complete their work to finish the construction work on the GERD so that Ethiopia could become a leading hub for electrical energy. On Monday, in a meeting with Ethiopian generals Ahmed reiterated the same message. The construction of the GERD has been delayed due to management issues. Technically speaking, the construction should be completed by 2023 or 2024. However, the initiation of the first filling of the dam is not that far away. With a reservoir of about 74 billion cubic metres of water, which could be filled in six years if rainfall keeps to a steady high, the GERD should be a leading power generator in the African continent. Sudan is expected to benefit significantly from the dam through inexpensive electricity supplies and having the annual floods of the Nile regulated efficiently enough to allow for better agricultural planning. For its part, Egypt, which gets around 80 per cent of its already insufficient annual share of water from the Blue Nile, could be set to suffer further water poverty in a way that could significantly harm its food security. Egypt also has a range of ecological worries over the possible medium and long-term impacts of the GERD and concerns over its safety. Since the signing of the 2015 Khartoum Declaration of Principles, Egyptian officials have been saying that Cairo would be willing to accept some harm in order to help Ethiopia launch its mega-development scheme to which the GERD is central. However, there are red lines that it cannot overlook given that Nile water resources are a matter of national security for Egypt. Late last week, the office of President Al-Sisi announced a meeting he had held with army generals to review Egypts readiness to defend Egyptian national security interests. The meeting prompted questions in diplomatic quarters on how far Egypt would go to defend its water resources, especially since earlier official statements had referred to Egypts willingness to use all possible options to defend Egyptian rights. According to Cairo-based European diplomats, Egyptian officials insist that they are determined to pursue every political and legal option to get Ethiopia to reach an agreement that would not compound Egypts water poverty or gravely influence the capacity of the Aswan High Dam to generate electricity, which are the two main Egyptian concerns about the GERD. We have a few weeks before the rainfall starts. We will see what the Americans do and how far the Ethiopians can get with the construction of the dam. This issue has had so many ups and downs that we will have to see what the summer will bring, one diplomat commented. He added that the capitals concerned seem to find it unlikely that Ahmed will push the line too far in beginning the filling of the dam reservoir without an agreement because this is not just about Egypt, but also about the US. However, he said that Ahmed might opt for a trial filling that would grant him political gains internally without actually completing the filling. There is a range of different scenarios, and it all depends on the political lobbying of Egypt and Ethiopia, the diplomat concluded. *A version of this article appears in print in the 12 March, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has warned the state will take 'extreme measures' if coronavirus reaches a pandemic phase. Mr Andrews said all schools would close and entire sectors would be forced to work from home if the COVID-19 crisis further deepens. He released the plan on Tuesday after three more cases were confirmed in Victoria, including the first locally transmitted. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews (left) has warned of the extreme measures the state government will take if coronavirus hits the pandemic level They bring the state's total number of coronavirus cases to 18. Mr Andrews says it is not a matter of if but when Victoria will move into a pandemic phase with rapid transmission of the virus. 'We will need to ask Victorians to do things we have never asked them,' he said. The plan includes the 'inevitability' all schools will close for some time and entire sectors or workforces will have to work from home, he said. Big events will also have to be called off. 'Now's not the time for those things but that time will come and it's appropriate, just like fire - to be frank with people.' Of the latest cases, two are men in their 70s, one who returned to Melbourne from Singapore on flight EK404 on Friday, and the other from Los Angeles on flight VA24 on Sunday. Elite private school Carey Baptist Grammar School in Kew, in Melbourne's inner suburbs, was closed on Tuesday after an adult member of staff developed symptoms similar to COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement A woman in her 50s is also now isolated at home, after being in the same household as a confirmed case who returned to Melbourne on flight UA60 from the US on February 28. Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said it is the first case of local transmission with more expected. Elite private school Carey Baptist Grammar School in Kew, in Melbourne's inner suburbs, was closed on Tuesday after an adult member of staff developed symptoms similar to COVID-19 after being in close contact with someone confirmed to have the illness. 'The health and safety of our community is our first priority,' principal Jonathan Walter wrote in an email sent to parents on Monday night. Seven COVID-19 screening clinics are now open in Victoria, including one at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where lines of people in masks could be seen awaiting tests on Tuesday 'Carey has been in contact with both the Department of Health and the Department of Education to ensure we have the latest information and advice. 'Based on this advice, Carey has made the decision to close the whole school for the day on Tuesday, March 10 while we assess the situation.' Carey Grammar is the fourth school in the country to shut down because of the widening coronavirus crisis; the other three are in NSW. Seven COVID-19 screening clinics are now open in Victoria, including one at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where lines of people in masks could be seen awaiting tests on Tuesday. One Melbourne doctor - former Australian Medical Association president Mukesh Haikerwal - has resorted to screening patients in cars outside his Altona North practice. Victoria's dedicated COVID-19 phone line and the Nurse-On-Call Hotline both crashed on Tuesday due to an influx of calls. Another 50 staff will be brought on deck for the coronavirus helpline on Wednesday, with an additional 100 by week's end. Want this in your inbox each morning? Sign up here. Now what? The worst one-day decline in U.S. stocks since 2008 rattled markets yesterday and ushered in a dangerous new phase to a public health crisis that is threatening to become a global economic disaster. Italy imposed nationwide restrictions on travel, South Korea put limits on short-selling and investors looked for signals that policymakers in the U.S. and elsewhere are prepared to act aggressively to contain the financial fallout. President Trump floated economic stimulus measures like a payroll tax cut and legislation to protect hourly workers who miss work because of the coronavirus. And an unusual joint statement by Americas financial regulators urged lenders to work constructively with borrowers and other customers in affected communities. The Fed also suggested giving banks leeway if they bend the rules to help affected customers. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said, This is not like the financial crisis where there is no end in sight. The administration invited Wall Street executives to the White House on Wednesday, with attendees expected to include representatives from major banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. (JPMorgans Jamie Dimon, whos recovering from heart surgery, will send a top lieutenant, Gordon Smith.) The moves appeared to revive the markets. S&P futures are up this morning, as is the price of crude oil the catalyst to yesterdays sell-off. In a note to clients this morning, Paul Donovan, the chief economist at UBS Wealth Management, attributed the bounce to investors feeling presumably relieved the administration is noticing the problem. And observers were at least pleased that stock market protections like trading circuit breakers worked as designed. Nearly 108 years ago, Juliette Gordon Low founded the very first troop of Girl Scouts in Savannah, Georgia. I wonder if she was able to envision the impact her dream would have on countless individuals and communities. On March 12, scouts across the world will celebrate the birthday of one of the most influential organizations that champion and teach empowerment and self-reliance for girls. In the United States, more than 1.6 million girls participate in Girl Scout programs and activities. Texas A&M University-San Antonio champions the mantra that all girls should aspire to college, so becoming a Patch Partner with the Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas (GSSWT) was a very natural development. The university worked closely with GSSWT to create the Embracing Patriotism patch, which Girl Scouts can earn by completing activities focusing on commitment, respect, honor, courage, and excellence. Together we hope to inspire girls to complete school, pursue higher education, and pursue their best lives. The Embracing Patriotism patch is in keeping with the A&M-San Antonios Military EmbracingTM philosophy, and our mission to serve those who have served. In addition to the strong ongoing support, our university community provides to those who have served in our nations armed forces. We are also holistically committed to cultural competency and comprehensive support for military students by assisting their integration into the larger university community. By completing the curriculum and earning this patch, young girls develop a deeper appreciation of our citys rich military history as well as how to support those who serve our nation and protect our freedoms. Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas Chief Executive Officer Angela Salinas (Major General, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret) said when the partner patch program launched, As a veteran, I can appreciate how this newest initiative with A&M-San Antonio teaches our girls the core values of education and patriotism. The Embracing Patriotism patch initiative makes it possible for Girl Scouts to emphasize our traditions of honoring the American flag and respect the selfless service and sacrifices of all veterans and women and men on active duty. Todays girls are our next generation of leaders and Texas A&M-San Antonio is leading the way by investing in programs to help them reach their full potential as educated and patriotic citizens. Research suggests that participation in Girl Scouts provides a foundation of essential skills for girls that lasts a lifetime. According to Girls Scouts data, in 2017 more than half (53 percent) of female entrepreneurs and business owners are Girl Scout alums. Girl Scout alums are also more likely than other women to have a business degree are and women in business are more likely to have been Girl Scouts; 61 percent of business women age 65 and older are Girl Scout alums, as are 56 percent between the ages of 45 and 64. At A&M-San Antonio, we understand that supporting youth through collaborations is an investment in the future, and this awareness strengthens our commitment to the community of San Antonios South Side. The partnership provides opportunities for college students to interact with young girl scouts. Whether the Girls Scouts of Southwest Texas or another organization, I encourage you to explore how you can support opportunities for girls. Visit girlscouts-swtx.org, and for more information about A&M-San Antonio visit tamusa.edu or call 210-784-1000. Cynthia Teniente-Matson, Ed.D., is president of Texas A&M University San Antonio. [March 10, 2020] Xealth Named to Fast Company's Annual List of the World's Most Innovative Companies for 2020 Xealth, a leader in enabling digital health at scale, has been named to Fast Company's prestigious annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies for 2020. The list honors the businesses making the most profound impact on both industry and culture, showcasing a variety of ways to thrive in today's fast-changing world. This year's MIC list features 434 businesses from 39 countries. "Digital health is a new aspect of care delivery and many organizations are still figuring out the best way to incorporate these tools," said Mike McSherry, CEO and co-founder of Xealth. "In creating Xealth, we saw an opportunity to partner with health systems and help them optimize their investments in digital assets so they can reach their clinical and operational goals. We are thrilled to be recognized as a Most Innovative Company by Fast Company." With doctors having access to tools beyond medications - adding trackers, meal delivery services, digital therapeutics, patient education, home monitoring devices and more to treatment plans - healthcare organizations need to place a strategy around their use. How do health systems easily integrate digital health tools within existing workflows, make sure only needed patient data is sent, identify which options are covered by payers and show data around what is helping patients? Xealth has created a platform for digital health that enables health systems to easily integrate, deploy and scale digital health programs for measurable results. It is the first company to integrate digital solutions within the doctor's current workflow, so time is not spent toggling between systems, and information flows back from the patient into the same place, making this a complete, two-way interaction between doctor and patient. Xealth currently connects more than 30 digital health partners, including Amazon, Welldoc, Healthwise, ResMed, and SilverCloud. To date, more than 500,000 programs, services, and videos, plus over 61,000 remote monitoring and devices have been prescribed through Xealth and that figure is constantly increasing. <> Fast Company's editors and writers sought out the most groundbreaking businesses on the planet and across myriad industries. They also judged nominations received through their application process. The World's Most Innovative Companies is Fast Company's signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. It provides both a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors of the economy. "At a time of increasing global volatility, this year's list showcases the resilience and optimism of businesses across the world. These companies are applying creativity to solve challenges within their industries and far beyond," said Fast Company senior editor Amy Farley, who oversaw the issue with deputy editor David Lidsky. Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies issue (March/April 2020) is now available online at https://www.fastcompany.com/90457848/health-most-innovative-companies-2020, as well as in app form via iTunes and on newsstands beginning March 17, 2020. The hashtag is #FCMostInnovative. About Xealth Xealth scales digital health programs, enabling clinicians to integrate, prescribe and monitor digital health tools for patients to drive engagement and utilization. Through the secure Xealth platform, clinicians can find and order the right digital health tools and programs for patients direct from the EHR workflow, send these digital health orders to the patient's email or patient portal, and then monitor activity. Xealth spun out of Providence St. Joseph Health (PSJH) in 2017, and investors include Atrium Health, Cleveland Clinic, MemorialCare Innovation Fund, McKesson Ventures, Novartis, Philips (News - Alert), and ResMed as well as Providence Ventures, UPMC and the Froedtert and Medical College of Wisconsin Health Network. For more information, visit www.xealth.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter. About Fast Company Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Since 2011, Fast Company has received some of the most prestigious editorial and design accolades, including the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) National Magazine Award for "Magazine of the Year," Adweek's Hot List for "Hottest Business Publication," and six gold medals and 10 silver medals from the Society of Publication Designers. The editor-in-chief is Stephanie Mehta and the publisher is Amanda Smith. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310005715/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Rajya Sabha polls: MP BJP sends list of 20 names India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Mar 10: The Madhya Pradesh BJP has sent a list of 20 to 22 names, including national general secretaries Ram Madhav and Kailash Vijayvargiya, to the party's central poll panel to pick two candidates for the March 26 Rajya Sabha elections to three seats in the state, a senior leader said. The names of Satyanarayan Jatiya and Prabhat Jha, both sitting Rajya Sabha members from the state, also figure in the list, a senior BJP leader told PTI on Monday. "Now it is for the party's central election committee to take a call. It is empowered to nominate some other leaders also who are not mentioned in the list sent to it," he said. Going by the numbers, the BJP will definitely win one seat, he said. "We are going to stake claim for one more seat," the BJP leader said. Madhya Pradesh numbers: Here is how it is stacked up The three Rajya Sabha seats from the state which are falling vacant are currently held by Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh, and BJP leaders Satyanarayan Jatiya and Prabhat Jha. In the 230-member state Assembly, the Congress has 114 MLAs while the BJP has 107. Four Independent MLAs, two lawmakers of the Bahujan Samaj Party and one legislator of the Samajwadi Party are supporting the Congress-led state government. Two seats are vacant following the demise of a Congress and a BJP legislator. Members of a state's Legislative Assembly vote in the Rajya Sabha elections. Amid political drama, Madhya Pradesh Cabinet to be expanded soon The Congress recently alleged that the BJP "abducted" some MLAs to bring down the Kamal Nath government in the state. However, the BJP denied the allegation, saying it has nothing to do with the development, which it claimed was the result of "infighting" among Congress leaders ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 10, 2020, 8:18 [IST] Many of those marching with Mr. Guaido were older or retired Venezuelans. After six years of economic instability, millions of younger Venezuelans have fled the country, depriving the opposition of potential voters and protesters. Its just the elderly here because our sons have already gone, said Maria de Guevara, 70, as she held up a sign that read, I refuse to give up. Liberty! The march set off from an opposition stronghold in eastern Caracas toward the National Assembly downtown, where the government staged a parallel rally. While Mr. Guaidos call on Tuesday drew more people than the last few protests, it was a far cry from the hundreds of thousands who came out to support him a year ago, when he accused Mr. Maduro of electoral fraud and declared himself the countrys interim president. Darren Iozia | Journal-Courier Kiwanis member Forrest G. Keaton uses his trusty, taped-up beacon Monday to let people know where seats are available during the clubs Pancake & Sausage Day. The annual event raises money for the civic groups community and childrens programs. He confessed that he was "mourning" the relationship, but also still in love with Sluss. They deliberated continuing forward or giving Weber the space to process the loss. Despite the confusion, Weber chose to pursue his last date with Sluss, where they spent the day at a kangaroo sanctuary. He did not share that Prewett had self-eliminated during their date. Instead, they shared an emotional conversation about their feelings for each other, where Sluss reassured him that -- while she was struggling with the lack of reciprocation -- she was there for him until the end. Dubai, March 10 : In what is being described as using the nuclear option, Saudi Arabia will boost its crude oil production to record levels in retaliation for the breakdown of the talks for an agreement on oil production with Russia. Marking the escalation of the global price war, state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco said on Tuesday that it would increase its crude oil production to 12.3 million barrels a day from April, a record amount. This is more than the full capacity of the company and experts suggest that it will draw on its strategic reserves across the world to deliver on this promise. This marks a huge jump of over 300,000 barrels a day and is a step seen as one to flood the global oil markets taking forward the acrimony of the last few days with Russia. Calculations suggest that Saudi Arabia will make more money even with the glut. It is being suggested that a 9 million barrel production at $50 per barrel earns $450 million a day while 12.3 million at a much lower crude price of $38 will fetch $476 million a day in revenues. Saudi Arabia and its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are seen to be giving a signal of dominating the crude markets in the price war with Russia. The moves also come at a time when there are reports of palace intrigue in the Saudi Kingdom after the Crown Prince arrested some of his relatives. The increase in supply and the coronavirus scare caused a 25 per cent decline in the price of crude on Monday, the sharpest decline seen since the 1991 Gulf War. International benchmark Brent crude traded up over 7 per cent on Tuesday at nearly $37 a barrel. In a regulatory filing on Tuesday, Aramco said that the increase in production represented a rise of 300,000 barrels per day. Earlier, Aramco had made the steepest cut in crude oil prices in nearly 20 years as it set out to gain market share and dropped prices for American buyers by $7 and Asian buyers by $4-6 a barrel. Cancelling Belfast's St Patrick's Day parade could cost the city's economy around 400,000 and affect staff numbers, an economist has said. Dr Esmond Birnie said that hospitality would be the sector hit hardest, with cafes, pubs and restaurants impacted. And up to 75m could be lost if the city was shut down to tourists in a worst-case scenario for a month, he estimated. Belfast City Council voted on Monday evening to cancel the parade. Earlier Taoiseach Leo Varadkar had announced all parades and festivals in the Republic would not go ahead. And on Tuesday a host of other local March 17 events were called off. Dr Birnie said the loss of the Belfast parade, which draws tens of thousands of people every year, would come at a cost. "If, say, 20,000 would have attended but don't now and they would have each spent, say, 20, that is 'a loss' of 400,000, but keep in mind most of these people will be of Northern Irish origin, unless a lot of people are going into self-isolation very quickly," he said. "They'll still be spending money and most of that within the Belfast economy, so the actual loss to the local economy overall could be quite small." On Tuesday, other St Patrick's Day parades were cancelled, including Londonderry, Newry, Downpatrick, Omagh and Enniskillen. Stormont leaders also cancelled a St Patrick's trip to Washington DC. First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill are to remain here, missing a series of engagements in the US capital. Dr Birnie said the main cost to businesses in the coming weeks will be through reduced tourist numbers and other visitors at events, including conferences. He suggested Belfast could take a hit of up to 75m. "Invest NI in 2018 suggested the total tourist and traveller economy was worth 2.5m per day to the greater Belfast economy," he added. "So, if numbers of visitors fell to zero, an extreme case, and this lasted for a month, that would be the cost of 2.5m times 30 - 75m - but that is for just one month." Employees are also to suffer as companies cut staffing levels following the cancellation of the parades and other major events across Ireland. Dr Birnie said he could see staff cuts becoming a reality. "Sadly, yes, there are always some precarious businesses and something like this takes them over the tipping point," he added. "That said, if the worst phase of the virus can be limited to a month or so, then much of the economy would bounce back subsequently. "Also, look to what may or may not be contained in the Budget regarding measures to allow deferment of tax payments." Director of employment law advice firm HR Team, Martina McAuley, said employers are moving to safeguard their businesses following the cancellations and the other events which are now at risk as a result of coronavirus. "As a result of the St Patrick's Day parade cancellations and others, employers are considering their options on making cuts to staffing levels," she said. "Notably in the hospitality sector, the cancellations have led many employers to look at whether they require as many staff or need to reduce employees' working hours. "There are no statutory employee rights to pay in these cases, unless it is written into a contract of employment." Ms McAuley said one option employers can consider is introducing short-time working for staff. She added: "This is when an employee is placed on a reduced working week or is laid off altogether. Both of these measures are temporary solutions open to employers when there is a downturn in business such as is currently being experienced by many as a direct or indirect result of Covid-19." She said that HR Team, which operates throughout Ireland and the UK, has had a surge in enquiries related to coronavirus. "In light of the intensifying spread of coronavirus throughout Ireland in recent days, there are fears employers will suffer even greater losses as a result of cancellations in the coming weeks," she added. "Advice is being sought on all types of incidences and potential situations that may arise regarding the impact of coronavirus on workplaces and workforces." Belfast businessman Willie Jack, who owns the Duke of York bar in the Cathedral Quarter, said he was confident people will still go out on St Patrick's Day, despite the parade cancellation. Mr Jack also owns the Harp Bar, the Dark Horse and the Friend at Hand whiskey shop. "I'm not worried about the cancellation of the parade for my businesses as I think people will still go out," he said. "I'm reasonably confident. I think the St Patrick Day's parade cancellation should be a public health call. I don't know if the cancellation of the parade was reactionary." Hospitality Ulster has established an industry response group to monitor and support the hospitality sector in light of ongoing impacts. Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that Wuhan has turned the tide against the deadly coronavirus outbreak, as he paid his first visit to the city at the heart of the global epidemic. Xi's visit came as unprecedented quarantine measures that have sealed off Wuhan and the rest of central Hubei province since late January appear to have paid off, with new infections dropping dramatically in recent weeks. During Xi's trip, Hubei announced it would ease travel restrictions to allow healthy people in low-risk areas to travel throughout the province. But the measure did not appear to loosen restrictions on Wuhan nor indicate if people could leave the province of 56 million people. State media also reported that the last of Wuhan's 16 makeshift hospitals that were converted from public buildings during the worst of the outbreak had closed. Virus hospital closes as news cases drop "The spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been basically curbed in Hubei province and its capital city Wuhan," Xi said, according to the official Xinhua news agency. "Initial success has been made in stabilising the situation and turning the tide in Hubei and Wuhan," he said. China's progress against the outbreak stands in stark contrast with the growing global crisis, with cases now growing at a faster pace abroad, and Italy enacting its own nationwide travel restrictions. State media images showed Xi, who arrived by plane in Hubei's capital, wearing a face mask as he spoke via video-link from a conference hall to frontline medical workers and patients who are at one of two field hospitals set up in the city. He then went to a residential community in Wuhan to speak with people quarantined, and community workers. China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong is usually a daily fixture in state media but he has stayed out of the spotlight for much of the crisis and assigned Premier Li Keqiang to oversee the response to the epidemic. Story continues But as the number of new cases has fallen in recent weeks, state media has played up Xi's role in the fight against the outbreak, releasing a speech last month in which he said he had been giving instructions since early January. Hua Po, an independent Beijing-based political analyst, told AFP the trip's timing indicated an "interim victory" for China. "His visit is to signal that the outbreak has been effectively curbed, and is an attempt to quieten external criticism of him not going to the frontlines," said Hao. Authorities have faced rare and fierce criticism online over their handling of the virus, with local officials coming under particular scrutiny for punishing whistleblowers in an apparent attempt to cover up the outbreak in early January. "During the worst of the outbreak, Xi avoided the epicentre because he did not want to be blamed, but when the situation gets better, he shows up in order to receive praise," said Bruce Lui, a senior lecturer in journalism at Hong Kong Baptist University. - Global cases soar - The death of doctor Li Wenliang, who died from the COVID-19 illness in February, sparked a wave of grief and anger online. He was among a group of people who had raised the alarm as early as December. A visit by Vice Premier Sun Chunlan to a Wuhan residential community last week was met with angry public heckling as people reportedly complained that she was being shown a "fake" delivery of food -- showing how easily state propaganda efforts could backfire. The virus is believed to have emerged in December at a market that sold wild animals in Wuhan before ballooning into a national and then a global epidemic. More than 4,000 people have died and over 110,000 have been infected worldwide, with the majority in China. But China reported only 17 new cases in Wuhan on Tuesday, the lowest figure since it started publishing data on January 21, and two elsewhere that were imported from abroad. "Xi doesn't want to be associated with the disaster, but with the recovery," said Adam Ni, a researcher at the China Policy Centre in Canberra. "China has turned the corner now with COVID-19, and the party now wants to craft the most positive narrative despite early missteps." About 2.5 million Michigan voters cast ballots in the 2016 presidential primary, about 33% of the states registered voters. But several factors are making it hard to forecast todays turnout in the 2020 Michigan primary, starting with the states new election rules that make it easier to vote. We arent making any predictions on turnout, said Michael Doyle, a spokesman for the Michigan Secretary of State office. The issues that could impact todays turnout: Michigans new election law. This is the first statewide election in which any voter can cast an absentee ballot and people can register to vote up to and including Election Day. As of Monday, the number of returned absentee ballots was up 79% statewide compared to the 2016 presidential primary. But its unclear whether that means more people are voting or simply more voters are choosing an absentee ballot. Meanwhile, almost 60,000 Michigan residents have registered to vote in the past month, which would have been past the deadline in 2016. High interest in the Democratic primary. The Michigan primary is now cast as a critical vote in the Democratic race, which has suddenly narrowed to a two-man contest between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. The Democratic establishment in Michigan and elsewhere has coalesced around Biden, but Sanders is making an all-effort effort to win Michigan and regain his momentum. About 1.2 million cast ballots in the 2016 Democratic primary, and many are predicting that will increase this year. Minimal competition in the GOP primary. Technically, there are four candidates on the Republican ballot -- President Trump, former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, and former congressmen Joe Walsh and Mark Sanford. In reality, Trump is expected to cruise to an overwhelmingly primary win. About 1.3 million voted in the 2016 GOP primary, but the lack of drama means todays vote count likely will be less. Unusually high number of regional and local proposal proposals. More than 200 communities, school districts and counties have various tax proposals and initiatives on the ballot, including a request by The Detroit Institute of Arts to renew a 0.2-mill levy on property owners in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. That could draw out voters even if they dont care about the presidential contest. Bernie Porn, a pollster for Epic MRA in Lansing, is predicting overall turnout will be about the same, although hes expecting about 1.5 million to participate in the Democratic primary and perhaps less than a million in the GOP race. But its hard to predict the impact of the new election law, he said. With the rule changes, its a whole new ballgame. County election officials in Kalamazoo and Ottawa counties agreed. I have no clue what turnout will be, Kalamazoo County Clerk Tim Snow said. In 2016, Kalamazoo County had 65,661 voters, a turnout of 34%. There two signs of that it could be greater this year: The number of absentee ballots returned so far is almost double compared to four years ago, and the county has seen a healthy bump" in voter registrations, Snow said. But its also possible that the surge in absentee ballots simply means lines at polling places will be shorter today, he said. We really dont know. We have no history with the new election rules. Steve Daitch, Ottawa County election clerk, offered a similar take. Im seeing a higher interest in absentee balloting, so that may translate to higher turnout over, he said. But its hard to tell, he added. And while Kalamazoo County leans Democratic, Ottawa County is staunchly Republican, which may dampen turnout since the Republican primary has generated little attention. In 2016, 73% of Ottawa County voters in the 2016 primary cast a Republican ballot, compared to 49% of the voters in Kalamazoo County. " I dont think we can expect the same turnout that more Democrat-leaning counties will have," Daitch said. But our clerks have reported a lot of activity." Moreover, Ottawa County historically has had relatively strong voter turnout -- it was 42% in 2016, well above the state average of 33%. We have a lot of people who like to vote, Daitch said. Ill be really interested to see what happens, he said. Porn is most interested in dissecting the Democratic vote totals, which he anticipates will result in a win for Biden. He conducted a poll in recent days for the Detroit Free Press that showed Biden with a 24-point lead over Sanders in Michigan. Sanders was down big in the polls before the 2016 Michigan primary, but eked out a win over Clinton -- Sanders biggest victory in the 2016 race. Porn said he doesnt see that happening again. Even among Democratic voters with a favorable opinion of Sanders, theres a slightly higher percentage who are voting for Biden," he said. Im not sure theres any great love for Joe Biden, he said. But there is a very fervent desire for a candidate who can beat Trump, and many Democrats have coalesced around the idea that Biden is their best shot. The CDC revealed on Tuesday that 8,554 Americans have been tested for coronavirus, but the agency's director says state and local health labs are understaffed and ill-equipped to keep up with crisis. According to figures published on the CDC's website on Tuesday, 3,698 tests had been done in its lab, and another 4,856 had been done in public health labs. So far, 795 cases of the virus have been confirmed in the US and 28 people have died. It is unclear how many of the 8,554 tests that have been carried out have been completed to the point that there is a result, or if patients are still waiting for a result. On Tuesday, the agency's director, Robert R. Redfield testified before a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention budget on Capitol Hill. 'The truth is we've not invested, we've under-invested in the public health labs. Scroll down for video CDC Director Robert R. Redfield testified on Tuesday that state labs were understaffed and ill-equipped to handle the outbreak There are 795 cases of coronavirus in the US including 28 deaths 'There's not enough equipment, there's not enough people, there's not enough internal capacity, there's no surge capacity. He said, when asked how many Americans had been tested, that 4,856 had been tested by public health labs but that the number did not include 'clinical' or 'private' labs. Lab Corp and Quest Diagnostics both announced last week that they had developed a COVID-19 test that doctors can order. Lab Corp's test has not yet been officially approved by the FDA but it is being allowed It is unclear whether they have been approved by the FDA yet. Lab Corp says its test has been made available 'pursuant' to guidelines'. A spokesman for Lab Corp told DailyMail.com on Tuesday afternoon: 'The LabCorp 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), NAA test is made available pursuant to Immediately in Effect Guidance for Clinical Laboratories and Food and Drug Administration Staff issued by the FDA on February 29, 2020. 'Pursuant to the policy set forth in that guidance, LabCorp is certified to perform high-complexity testing under CLIA in compliance with CLIA requirements. 'The LabCorp 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), NAA test has been developed and validated, and is being performed by LabCorp, but FDAs independent review of the validation is pending. LabCorp is pursuing an EUA for the test.' Redfield elbow-bumped with Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro instead of shaking hands to avoid spreading germs Mark Handley tweeted this graph charting the growth of cases in the US (pink) compared to that of Italy, purple Only doctors can order them - they are not available for consumer purchase. Redfield said on Tuesday that the majority of people who have tested positive for the virus in the US have no connection to China. 'The epicenter, the new China is Europe. And theres a lot of people coming back and forth from Europe. 'Were starting to see these communities and we are moving quickly to understand how address Europe,' Redfield said. Vice President Pence, with President Trump by his side, on Monday announced that co-pays for insurance companies for people either getting the test or seeking treatment after being positively diagnosed with coronavirus. There are concerns over how quickly people being are tested and claims that some people who show up at hospitals with symptoms are being turned away. On Tuesday, the Surgeon General said one million tests had been sent out already and that four million will be available by the end of the week. The CDC says there are currently 75,000 that are available. President Trump said last week that anyone who wanted a test could have one. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said on Tuesday hat the reason the US was further behind than every other affected country in testing was that the CDC had to stand up a test it was satisfied with. Its important to understand the CDC stood up a test in a record amount of time, less than a week. There were problems scaling up he test. 'When we looked at the tests in other parts of the world, they werent being held to the same quality standards that people in the US expect. And that the FDA regulations require. 'People in the US dont care about the total number of tests its whether or no they can get one. We have over a million tests that have gone out earlier this week. We expect four million by the end of this week. We want to get to a place where every American can get tested if their doctor says they need one. Over 72 state labs have the test. Also, those labs (the private/state ones), they dont have to report back to us. Thats why its hard for us to know how many can be done. We have talked to state labs right now no state public health lab is telling me that they cant get the test or theyre having trouble meeting capacity,' he said. [March 10, 2020] INVESTIGATION ALERT: The Schall Law Firm Announces it is Investigating Claims Against Qiagen N.V. and Encourages Investors with Losses in Excess of $100,000 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 Qiagen N.V. ("Qiagen" or "the Company") (NYSE: QGEN) 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. Qiagen disclosed on October 7, 2019, that its quarterly results would be far below estimates and also announced the immediate resignation of Chairman and CEO Peer M. Schatz after 27 ears with the Company. Qiagen added it is planning a restructuring initiative to move more operations to Poland and the Philippines and halting the development of its next-gen genome sequencing machine. Based on this news, shares of Qiagen fell by 20% on the same day. 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 424-303-1964, 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/20200310005841/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Amid uncertainties over the leadership issue, senior Congress leader and former Union minister Ajay Maken has said it is high time Rahul Gandhi comes back as party president as he 'is the most acceptable leader'. The former president of the Congress' Delhi unit, Maken, in an interview to PTI, also batted for veterans to gradually make way for younger leaders, saying if parties do not change their leadership with time, then people change parties. Vouching for Rahul Gandhi as Congress chief, he said there is no other face as acceptable as Rahul who also has good intent at heart, zero baggage and consistently takes an aggressive stand in fighting against the might of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Maken also argued for a long-term advisory role for interim president Sonia Gandhi saying her experience and expertise in handling Congress affairs would be much needed by the new president. The party constitution can be amended to ensure that, he said. "I think it is high time Rahul Gandhi came back. I am saying this with very strong conviction and strong reasons behind this. Rahul Gandhi is universally acceptable in the Congress party. There is no other face who is as much acceptable as Rahul Gandhi is, Maken said. So, a person who is universally acceptable, no baggage, good intent at heart and who has been consistent and most aggressive against the BJP and Modi, and has been the voice amplifier of farmers, Dalits and minorities. I think, he single-handedly deserves to be Congress president, he said. Asked about what would be the right time for Rahul Gandhi to return, Maken said, the sooner, the better, because it will end uncertainty. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also said Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are deeply wary of the unwavering conviction and fearlessness with which Rahul Gandhi has taken on the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). "Rahul Gandhi has adequately proved his mettle. Time has come to rise above the parochial issues of regional leadership and work towards strengthening and rebuilding the Congress. Needless to add that Rahul Gandhi is the obvious and only choice to lead the Congress," he said. Maken noted that the country needs a person with "good intent at heart, not good content in speech". "We have seen the country is paying the price to just follow good content in speech and the present situation where our country is in, the economy is in doldrums, there is a social strife, the riots going on in the national capital and the government not doing anything, is just because the people voted for good content in speech of Narendra Modi. They never saw the intent at heart of the leader," the Congress leader said. Commenting on the old versus young debate in the Congress, Maken strongly argued for gradual change of guard in the party and said parties must change their leadership in time. I am among the biggest supporters for change, but it has to be gradual. It can't be in one big sudden change. But it has to be there. That change is required because if the parties don't change their leadership in time, then the people change the parties, he said, adding that the electorate wants change. On whether Congress veterans will be given an advisory role, he said it should be voluntary and not be imposed on them, as has happened in the case of party veterans in the BJP. On voices backing organisational elections in the Congress, Maken said elections to the post of party president and working committee members alone would not help, and an overall organisational poll from bottom to up is needed. Only elections for the president or the working committee will not empower the workers, said Maken. He noted that Rahul Gandhi has championed holding elections not only for the working committee, and president, but a series of elections at all levels in a transparent manner. That is what Rahul Gandhi has always stood for. He has wanted transparent elections throughout and even ticket distribution should be held through primaries and elections, where workers should decide who should be given the ticket, Maken said. On the Congress suffering two general election setbacks under Rahul Gandhi, he said as far as winning and losing elections is concerned, this is part of the process. How many elections under Atal Bihari Vajpayee did the BJP had win. In the 1990s the Vajpayee-Advani duo always used to lose election. The BJP never threw their leaders out of the party, as it was, they who got the BJP into power, the former Union minister said. Maken also called for spelling out clearly the Congress' ideology on issues of social, economic and nationalism, to avoid leaders speaking in different voices in public on key issues. "We should have firmly laid down our ideological stand on key issues, as this would end any kind of confusion and it would also help Congress workers to have their loyalty and allegiance towards a particular philosophy or ideology," he said. Maken also said the Congress lost ground in Delhi because it stopped attacking Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal starting January 2019. BJP's polarisation agenda also helped the AAP, he said, rejecting the widely held belief that the Congress, under a deliberate electoral strategy, vacated the Delhi turf for the AAP. The Houston Museum of Natural Science and the city of Houston have asked 35 people to self-quarantine for 14 days after returning from a trip to Egypt, where a cruise ship has been identified as a point of outbreak for the novel coronavirus. Museum spokesperson Melodie Wade said about 15 travelers were scheduled to return to the U.S. this past Saturday and Monday, while another 20 people are expected to land in the coming days after an extension of the trip into Jordan. The group of 20 is set to take connecting flights through airports in France, which has reported nearly 1,800 cases of COVID-19, and Turkey, which has not reported any cases. Wade said the museum sponsored the trip through its department of adult education and organized it more than a year ago through California-based Joy Travel International. The group includes two members of the museums staff. Joy Travel International owner Fadel Gad said the museum-affiliated group traveled on a cruise ship through Aswan and Luxor, two riverside cities frequently used by cruise operators. However, the party did not board the M.S. Asara, the cruise ship linked to the Houston-area COVID-19 cases, Gad said. Gad added that the group traveled in a relatively exclusive group, with limited public interactions. We do hear that folks were quarantined when they get back, and its not mandatory, its volunteer, Gad said. Because this group wasnt exposed to any crowds or anything, we assume that everybody is free of the virus. One of the self-quarantined staff members, when reached Tuesday afternoon at their apartment, referred questions about the trip to the museum. Pictures from Joy Travel International's Facebook paged showed him enjoying the sights last week in Egypt. "I'm feeling fine," he said, before shutting the door. After learning that several confirmed cases in the Houston area were all linked to a different trip to Egypt, Wade said, the museum immediately contacted our HMNS staff and travelers and provided links via email about the virus and precautions to take from local, state, national and international organizations.. We touched base with them daily during the remainder of the trip and asked them to check their temperatures daily and keep us informed of any concerns, Wade said. Their safety is of utmost importance to us. Multiple media outlets have reported that Egyptian officials announced 59 identified cases of COVID-19 as of Monday night, most of which were linked to the Asara cruise ship. However, some Egyptian leaders and media outlets noted that the Egyptian government routinely faces accusations of withholding information that could harm the country, including its tourism industry. They also said Egypts health care system is not well-equipped to conduct extensive tests for the new coronavirus. Museum officials have prohibited staff and volunteers who were on the trip from coming to the museum during the quarantine period. We will continue to be in touch with city officials, Wade said, and will follow their guidance. lisa.gray@chron.com TACOMA, Wash. When the coronavirus was first detected in a nursing home an hour away in Kirkland on Feb. 29, Lasana Bridges, a licensed practical nurse here, thought little of it. As a traveling nurse employed by multiple agencies, she has spent the last decade working in nursing homes all over the country, from Florida to Maine and now Washington. She isnt quick to alarm. Covid-19, like influenza, is an infectious respiratory illness, and Ms. Bridges is used to treating patients with the flu. People just panic and act, she told me. You should just slow down and use your common sense. Its something Ive had to do for so long, Im just like, shrug. The nursing home Ms. Bridges was assigned to in Tacoma had her on the night shift, 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. As a black woman in Washington, she said, she had found that a lot of facilities werent always respectful to her. But she was enjoying this new placement. Her duties include administering medication, documenting patients progress, and inserting the occasional catheter. In the first days after the news of the infections in Kirkland, Ms. Bridges said she didnt receive any specific instructions about the coronavirus, despite its peculiarly lethal impact on older people. There was anxious gossip and a big box of paper masks set out on a counter, but otherwise, nothings been implemented, because there really is nothing, she said. Theres no special precautionary measure that can be taken. In Maine, the home where she worked had dealt with an outbreak of norovirus. She wondered, would Covid-19 be just another flu or something much more dangerous? This isnt the first time Chicago has embarked on attempts at police reform. By our count, the city has pledged a batch of reforms and improvements to policing at least six times since 1960. We know how that turned out: None of those promises yielded genuine reform. Some abusive cops continued to prey on minority neighborhoods. Legal settlements paid out to victims of police misconduct continued to grow; between 2004 and 2016, payouts reached $662 million. People talk to employers during a job fair at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Center City Philadelphia on Thursday, July 25, 2019. Conference organizers are canceling events as the new coronavirus spreads across the country, including in the Philadelphia regon. Read more Concerns related to the spread of the new coronavirus have organizations canceling conferences and major events across the country, including here in Philadelphia, which has one of the nations most robust convention circuits, leaving tourism officials, hotels and workers scrambling to manage the fallout of losing thousands of visitors and tens of millions of dollars in local economic impact. At least two major conferences in Philadelphia expected to draw a combined 21,000 people to the city have been canceled, as have several smaller meetings. Other organizers planning summits and professional gatherings say they are closely monitoring the situation and urging attendees to avoid physical contact. Business conferences and conventions are a major economic driver in Philadelphia, which is a top destination for such gatherings. The industry pads revenues at hotels, restaurants, and tourist destinations across the city, particularly in the beginning of the year when tourism for leisures sake is at its lowest. Loss of that revenue could threaten the livelihoods of more than 70,000 hospitality workers in the city. Kavin Schieferdecker, a senior vice president at the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the group, in charge of sales and marketing for the citys major conferences, is concerned about how canceled events will affect the local economy and the workers who power it. The conference business accounted for a third of hotel room stays in Center City in 2018, the bureau estimated. When these events cancel, that causes people to have to readjust their lives in some way, he said. Thats heartbreaking for us. And Ed Grose, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association, said its member hotels have seen a lot of cancellations in the last week and they "suspect it will get worse before it gets better, so we must do everything we can to let visitors know that Philadelphia is open for business. READ MORE: As COVID-19 lands in Philly area, some people are keeping their hands to themselves. Others, not so much. Although there have been no cases in Philadelphia, a handful of presumptive positive cases of COVID-19, the flulike disease caused by the new coronavirus, have been confirmed in counties that border the city, including Delaware and Montgomery in Pennsylvania and Camden County in New Jersey. Health officials in Philadelphia have not called for widespread social distancing" the concept of canceling public gatherings and restricting travel which experts say can slow and delay the spread of new infectious diseases. Some industry leaders in the convention and meeting-planning space are urging organizers to continue participation in big events, as there are no federal restrictions on travel within the United States. But that hasnt stopped some trade groups, which have watched as officials have linked cases of coronavirus spreading to conferences and conventions, including 15 cases tied to the same Boston biotech company conference, from canceling. The annual South by Southwest, a music festival and conference held in Austin, Texas, was canceled. And this week, a handful of lawmakers self-quarantined after a person tested positive for coronavirus after attending a conservative conference. On Monday, the American Chemical Society for the first time in more than 100 years canceled its annual meeting, which was to take place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center and was expected to draw 15,000 visitors to Philadelphia the week of March 22. The Convention and Visitors Bureau estimated that, in 2016, the last time the group held its national meeting in Philly, its regional economic impact was upward of $30 million. Glenn Ruskin, ACS vice president of communications, said more than a thousand attendees had already canceled and a thousand abstracts out of 12,000 were withdrawn. He said the groups leadership decided Monday to cancel the event after watching the exponential growth of confirmed cases. Ruskin said ACS was concerned that bringing in membership from around the world could expose both attendees and Philadelphia residents to the virus. READ MORE: Philly-area insurers pledge coronavirus test coverage And on Sunday, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) announced it canceled its annual meeting, which was scheduled to be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center beginning Friday and was one of the citys largest conferences of the year, drawing 6,500 people. The group said its leadership felt precautions to keep attendees and exhibitors safe would not be enough." David Lang, president of the AAAAI, said the group was both concerned for the safety of members and was also hearing from speakers and attendees dealing with travel restrictions imposed by their workplaces. Lang himself, who works at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine with 17 other allergists, was told by higher-ups he was the only one allowed to attend the annual meeting. AAAAI, considered among the most preeminent medical associations in America, has never canceled its annual meeting in its 77-year history. On balance, I believe we made the right decision, Lang said, noting that he wrestled with the impact the cancellation would have on the local economy in Philadelphia, and the only one we could under the circumstances. John McNichol, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Convention Center, said the leadership team is working with public officials, advising organizations that have upcoming meetings and projecting that its open for business. What keeps him up at night is the impact on the industry and its workers. The 75,000 men and women who work in the hospitality industry, their livelihoods are arguably in jeopardy, he said. The more people decide for whatever reason [to cancel events], there is a trickle-down impact that really will hurt the line workers. Dermot Delude-Dix, a research analyst with Unite Here Local 274, which represents about 4,000 hotel, airport and food service workers, said some of the unions members have already seen massive reductions in hours. This is going to hit these companies bottom lines, he said, and our concern is that we do everything we can to protect our members still having to pay the rent, still having to pay bills, still needing health insurance. READ MORE: How to stock your pantry in case of coronavirus or quarantine In addition to the events at the Convention Center, other smaller gatherings are being axed, including a pediatric research conference scheduled to take place starting Friday at the Hilton Philadelphia Penns Landing and a neuropsychiatric trade association meeting next week at the Westin Philadelphia. On Monday, an association of college business officers canceled a conference scheduled for Wednesday at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, and in New Jersey, Coopers Ferry Partnership postponed its annual meeting, scheduled for Wednesday at BB&T Pavilion in Camden. Also, students at the University of Pennsylvania canceled the 2020 Penn Wharton China Summit, which aims to strengthen U.S.-China relations and was expected to draw more than 1,500 people to the school next month, including such keynote speakers as Forbes Media CEO Steve Forbes. Meanwhile, some organizations hosting conferences in Philadelphia in the coming months say their events will go on, instituting policies to reduce and eliminate physical contact. For example, a higher education group holding a conference in Philadelphia is asking attendees to stand three feet away from others, adopt a no-handshake policy, and use apps or AirDrop to trade contact information instead of exchanging business cards. One of the largest conferences scheduled to take place in Philadelphia this year is hosted by the American Psychiatric Association. Its annual meeting, scheduled for late April at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, could draw about 20,000 people, according to estimates from the Convention and Visitors Bureau, and is still on. The group says its in communication with both public health officials in Philadelphia and the CEOs of other medical organizations hosting similar conferences as the situation evolves. Schools and universities in the Madrid region will close for two weeks starting on Wednesday as a precaution against coronavirus, Health Minister Salvador Illa told a news conference, as the infection spread further in Spain. Media including Cadena Ser radio said this would send 1.2 million pupils home. Regional authorities had said earlier that schools in Vitoria, the capital of the Basque region, would close for two weeks as well as a precautionary measure. Twenty-eight people have died in Spain from the virus, official figures show. There are a total of 1,204 cases, still far behind Italys tally. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said earlier on Monday, without giving details, that the government was preparing plans to mitigate the impact of the virus on the Spanish economy. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the government was preparing plans to mitigate the impact of the virus on the Spanish economy. Without giving details, Sanchez said the government had been working on the plan for two weeks and was now ready to roll it out in collaboration with trade unions and businesses. We will announce a shock therapy plan in a few days, as soon as we determine the exact diagnosis and fine-tune the measures, Sanchez said at a conference. We want the plan to be effective and proportional to the scale of the problem. Economy Minister Nadia Calvino said the government was considering taking temporary measures to support the worst-hit industries, such as tourism. Calvino said the government expected the economic impact of the coronavirus to be temporary and limited. Several major events have been called off or postponed in Spain to minimise the transmission risk, but the government has so far not introduced more drastic measures such as travel bans. By mid-afternoon, Spanish shares had fallen more than 6% as European markets plunged. European Union leaders are set to hold a teleconference shortly to discuss a coordinated EU response to the coronavirus outbreak. SOURCE: REUTERS A rescue dog has been hailed for its loyalty and bravery after getting infected on all of its paws while searching for people trapped in a collapsed quarantine hotel. The six-year-old English Springer Spaniel named Bei Bei was among the first to arrive at the scene after the 66-room hotel collapsed on Saturday evening in Fujian Province of southeastern China. It had worked non-stop for three days before having to receive treatment for its injuries. A rescue dog has been praised after getting infected on its paws while searching for people trapped in a collapsed quarantine hotel in Quanzhou, Fujian Province of southeastern China The picture shows the rescue dog Bei Bei searching with two Fujian firefighters on the scene Yi Wenbing, the firefighter who raised Bei Bei, said the dog managed to find six survivors, including three people within the first 15 minutes of the rescue operation. 'The surroundings [of the rescue site] were extremely rough. There were sharp iron pieces and broken glasses everywhere,' Mr Yi told The Beijing News. 'Yesterday afternoon we noticed that Bei Bei was moving more slowly and found cuts on all of its paws,' he added. The six-year-old English Springer Spaniel named Bei Bei, had been working on the front line of the rescue since Saturday evening after the 66-room hotel collapsed in Fujian Province Bei Bei managed to find six survivors, including three people within the first 15 minutes A video shows Bei Bei and a group of firefighters searching for survivors under the hotel remains in the dark. Sixty-two people have been rescued from the hotel's remains as of 4pm local time today, including 20 who had died. There are nine people still trapped, according to reports. A rescue force of over 1,000 people - including firefighters, police forces and other emergency responders - arrived at the site on Saturday night, according to government officials. One man was pulled out of the debris today after being buried under the wreckage for some 69 hours. A clip shows a firefighter wrapping bandages on the English Springer Spaniel's four paws Fujian Firefighting Department said they rescued at least three children, including one toddler, at around midnight Sunday. The search is still ongoing with nine rescue dogs on the scene. The Xinjia Hotel in Quanzhou city was recently converted to a quarantine facility for people who had recent contact with coronavirus patients before it toppled at around 7:15pm on March 7. The building's first floor had been under renovation, Xinhua said in a previous report. Bei Bei has been removed from the rescue works to rest after the firefighters treated its infections. A clip shows a firefighter wrapping bandages on the English Springer Spaniel's four paws. The rescue dog has been hailed as a hero after the story had been shared online in China The rescue dog has been hailed as a hero after the story had been shared on Chinese social media. 'Even though it's a little puppy who can't talk, it's a hero who is willing to save humans' lives,' a comment read. 'Dogs are humans' best friends forever! Please treat them with kindness,' one user wrote on Chinese Twitter-like Weibo. Another one said: 'They are extraordinary fighters too, have a good rest, Bei Bei.' 'Salute to the firefighters and Bei Bei. Please respect every single life, even if they are just animals.' The rescue dog Bei Bei has been give a break after the firefighters treated its infections today Cars are seen scattered at the scene while rescue workers continued their efforts on Sunday The news came after China had recently seen a sharp fall in its new cases of the novel coronavirus. The deadly virus has so far infected over 114,000 people worldwide, including at least 4,062 deaths. The UK could be heading straight for a coronavirus crisis like the one which has crippled Italy, leading experts have warned. Pictured above is a woman wearing a face mask walking past an empty aisle in a Asda store The deadly virus has infected over 114,000 people worldwide, including at least 4,062 deaths Italy last night put all of its 60million people into lockdown and banned movement between cities in a drastic bid to contain the outbreak, which has infected 9,000 people. But one scientist tracking the outbreak in the UK said Britain is following the same trajectory and could end up in a similar situation as Italy within two weeks. The number of cases in Italy has rocketed from just three on February 21 to at least 9,172. While in the UK it has jumped from nine to 321. The picture shows medics treat patients in the isolated intensive care units at a hospital Heaven isn't just some far-away home, but an exciting place where Christians will soon be living out their everlasting life with the Lord. The Bible provides over 600 references to Heaven and with each we get more clues about what we should expect. While we don't know everything, it's only because God made Heaven so magical that we simply cannot comprehend it's vastness with our human mind. Here though are some of the top questions about Heaven and what the Bible has to say about it, so we can begin looking forward to our new life after death. How do we get to Heaven? John 14:6 tells us "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." In this passage, Jesus was saying that no one will enter Heaven unless first accepting Him. In Matthew 7:13-14 we learn from Jesus that we don't automatically go to Heaven just because we identify ourselves as Christian. God identifies that humans sin, and gave us a way to be forgiven by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord. It is only when our sins are dealt with that in Christ we can get the eternal gift. To be forgiven, we must recognize and repent of our sins. Will we have a body? The Bible tells us that when we come to Heaven, we will get a new body full of Christ's power and glory. Philippians 3:20-21 says "But our citizenship is in Heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even it subject all things to Himself." Due to this, we also might expect there to be no genders in Heaven. Matthew 22:30 says we will be "like angels" and therefore have no need to reproduce, or be married. Can we listen to music? There are many different accounts of music being shared in Heaven in the Bible. In Revelation 5:9-13 it shares a story of thousands of angels singing the praises of God. The Bible even talks about the use of instruments, specifically harps and trumpets, in connection with praising the Lord. It is understood that the music shared will be music that worships and glorifies God. Will we recognize our family and friends? The Bible doesn't give many references on this topic, however there are a few signs that indicate that we will recognize our family and friends but in a new, perfected way. At the Last Supper, Jesus told the disciples they would all drink the fruit of the vine together again in His Father's Kingdom (Matthew 26:29). Furthermore, Moses and Elijah appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration. Even though they died centuries before, they still had a clear identity where Peter, James and John recognized them (Matthew 17:3). What will we do in Heaven? While the Bible does not tell us in full detail what will take place in heaven, we do know that service and worship are activities we will definitely participate in (Revelation 22:3 and Revelation 7:15). There is no mention of Christians working or doing any hard labor in the sense we understand it here on earth. The service we will provide will not be tiresome, but instead joyful and rewarding. Will I meet God firsthand? In Heaven, Christians will get to meet the Lord. Paul writes assuring Christians to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). God also tells Moses that no one can see Him and live in Exodus 33:20, meaning we can see Him after we have everlasting life. Finally, in the sermon on the mount Jesus says "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Lastly, Revelation 21:3 tells us that we will be in constant communion, companionship and oneness with Almighty God without the separating pinch of sin. When we get to Heaven, we will be closer to Him than we could ever imagine. Will there be animals in Heaven? There is much debate in Christian circles on if animals will be in Heaven with us, but there is some scripture that suggests it is so. God has always had a purpose on earth for animals and they serve a purpose in Heaven as well. Horses, for example, are documented in the Bible multiple time regarding the afterlife. Elijah was taken up to Heaven in a chariot pulled by horses (2 Kings 2:11), and were told there are horses in Heaven (Revelation 6:2-8; 19:11). We are told there will be so many horses, in fact, that there are enough for vast armies to ride (Revelation 19:11; 2 Kings 6:17). For other animals, in Isaiah 65:17 God refers to creating a New Heavens and a New Earth. He makes it clear that He will have animals living there. What will Heaven look like? In 1 Corinthians 2:9 we read "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him." We can only being to imagine how beautiful Heaven will look like, and there are dozens of Bible verses that share bits and pieces. The Bible talks about God's thron in Revelation 4:3-8, saying "And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne." We also learn the streets are made with pure gold (Revelation 21:21) and the foundation and walls are made of dazzling, unimaginable jewels. While we know that this describes the New Jerusalem, we also know that God's will is "on earth as it is in Heaven," so this gives us an idea of Heaven's design. Heaven will also be a gated community. In 2 Peter it says "And God will open wide the gates of heaven for you to enter into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Its human nature to want to investigate more into the unknown. While the Bible doesnt give us every detail about what Heaven will be like, its because God designed it to be something we will never be able to fully grasp and fathom with our tiny minds on earth. Heaven will be a place where we can live an everlasting life of happiness, joy, and finally be at peace. Ive been increasingly appalled, in the past few months, by stories of atrocious police and judicial misconduct. Season 2 of the In the Dark podcast tells the story of Curtis Flowers, a black man in Winona, Mississippi, who has been tried six times by the same white prosecutor only to have each trial overturned. The podcast went through Flowers story in detail, revealing massive prosecutorial misconduct in episode after episode. How can a prosecutor lie on the standas this prosecutor didand yet face no consequences whatsoever? And then theres the story of Nathaniel Woods, who is scheduled to be executed next week for the murder of three police officers, even though he didnt actually kill anyone at all. In Alabama, you can be convicted of murder and sentenced to death for being an accomplice. But according to Woods, he wasnt even that. The prosecution alleges that Woods lured three police officers to a house in Birmingham, Alabama, so that his accomplice, Kerry Spencer, could shoot and kill them. The defense alleges that there was no conspiracy at all. Spencer testified that he woke from a nap to find the police officers beating up Woods and a gun pointed at his head, at which point he reached for his gun and shot at the three officers in defense. The shooting of the three officers took place in the home of Tyran Cooper, a drug dealer who had been extorted by the officers for years. Thats rightthe officers were extorting money from local drug dealers as the price of doing business. Thats called corruption, and probably worse. Cooper had recently fallen behind on his extortion payments, which is why the officers were at the house hassling Woods in the first place. Woods is black. So is Spencer, who is still on death row. The three police officers were white. Among the factors that hampered Woods defense: Alabama has no state-wide public defender system. Woods struggled to maintain an attorney, and each lawyer who represented him made serious mistakes, including missed filing deadlines. I used to think that corruption was something that happened in other places, or other times. My 30s has been a period of growing disillusionment. Ive also wanted to see the atrocities that occurred in the South as something that happened in the past. Yes, I know there are still problems. But I guess I thought those problems didnt involve frame jobs reminiscent of the Emmett Till murder (Flowers was first suspected of being the perpetrator of a quadruple homicide at a furniture store because hed looked the wrong way at a white woman). I also had no idea that a prosecutor found by a higher court to have engaged in racial bias in juror selection would be allowed to retry the same case with no repercussions for his actions at all. In Mississippi, prosecutors are elected and cant be removed for misconduct. If a prosecutor engages in misconduct, the voters are supposed to remove him. Not so, in Winona, Mississippi, where white people keep re-electing the same white prosecutor no matter how much evidence comes up that he has engaged in serious misconduct. In my youthful idealism, I had assumed that things like this didnt happen. Were a country of law and justice, rights and freedom. Right? I wanted to believe. I certainly grew up believing. Not so my daughter. Not yet in middle school, my daughter is already quick to belt out thats corruption! at even a whiff of double dealing. My daughter, who is growing up listening to NPR coverage of the presidents corruption. My daughter, who lives in a city where corrupt politicians are taken down in stings run by the FBI. My daughter, who listens to the radio and pays attention to the news. Maybe that was my problem. Maybe I didnt pay enough attention, before. But I dont think that was my only problem. Does high school government class cover corruption? Does it address situation like Curtis Flowers, or Nathaniel Woods? I wouldnt know, because I was homeschooled. But if it doesnt, it should. Some days I lean toward libertarianism. After all, what is the police but a group the state has granted the right to exercise violence against others? Certainly, the police is supposed to be fair and to enforce the laws, but is that really how it works out? Ive heard way too many stories of police corruption and malfeasance to assume so. Ive heard way too many stories of police and politicians alike shaking down others for money, or favors. Im not interested in hearing how much better we have it than people do in other places. For one thing, Im not sure we have it as much better as we think we do. For another, what Im grappling with his the disconnect between the America I have and the America I thought I had. Im trying my country against my ideal. I dont think thats unfair, because America claims to be that ideal. We are special. We have rights and freedoms others dont. We are better than everyone else. This rhetoric makes it feel like that much more of a betrayal. Perhaps Im becoming more of a cynic. I certainly feel more jaded. Welcome to 2020, I suppose. While youre here, take a moment to sign the petition to stop the execution of Nathaniel Woods. I have a Patreon! Please support my writing! (TNS) Nez Perce County Auditor/Recorder Patty O. Weeks is asking county residents to beware of robocalls spreading disinformation about todays presidential primary election.Weeks said her office received a report from a Lapwai woman who said she got a call Sunday afternoon that played a recorded message claiming the primary isnt until March 17. The woman tried to call the number that displayed on her caller ID after the erroneous message played a second time, but it was not functional.I tried it today and got the same thing, Weeks said Monday of reaching a nonfunctioning number. Its hard to say what the (callers) objective is, but it would appear that in the end, people would miss the election if they think its later.Fraudulent calls like the one reported to her office can be easily spoofed using computer software that shows the recipient whatever number the caller desires. Weeks reported the call to Idaho Secretary of State cybersecurity officials Monday, who said they would inform the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in an effort to find the source of the call.But theyre not real hopeful, with the spoofed phone call, Weeks said, adding that her office has not received any other similar reports as of Monday afternoon. They kind of anticipated something, but we dont know how widespread it is, whether its isolated or theres more people. I would imagine that youre not just going to get one random person in Idaho get the call. Although a lot of people just hang up on them.The officials in Boise said this is the first report in Idaho of a call attempting to misdirect voters for todays election, she added.Weeks said that those who receive such calls or have any other election-related questions should call her office at (208) 799-3020, or call their local county auditor if they live outside of Nez Perce County. Spain today decided to cancel all direct flights from Italy for two weeks in a bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus, according to the government's official gazette. This measure will take effect from March 11 at midnight and continue until midnight of March 25, the gazette said. Spain has registered 1,622 coronavirus cases, according to figures from the Health Ministry. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on March 10 greeted the Indian diaspora in Australia on the occasion of Holi. As per reports, Morrison said that the festival stands for peace and prosperity and also claimed that the holiday gives an opportunity to share and embrace one's rich traditions. 'Holi ki shubh Kamanayen' In a video message that was posted on Morrison's Facebook account, he said "I want to wish everyone celebrating the festival of colours a very happy Holi filled with love and joy and peace and prosperity. Holi ki shubh Kamanayen". Morrison added that Holi represents an important time for the Hindus living in Australia. Read: 'More Together': Facebook Celebrates Holi With A Friendly Advertisement The Australian Prime Minister also said "Its a joyful welcome to the new season. The festival is one of the most colourful occasions on the multicultural calendar each year which was now being widely celebrated by the broader Australian community,". The Australian Prime Minister also added that holi was a good time for people to understand each other better. Morrison also added that Holi was a joyous celebration of "music and dancing, exchanging of gifts and of course the throwing of the gulal". Festival of colours Holi is one of the highly anticipated festivals that everyone looks forward to. Be it the kids or elderly, all look forward to celebrating the festival of colours. It is onsidered to be one of the biggest festivals after Diwali. Read: Holi Wishes For Family: Greet With Your Near And Dear Ones In Style One of the major festivals of India, Holi is celebrated with enthusiasm and gaiety on the full moon day in the month of Phalgun which is the month of March as per the Gregorian calendar. Holi festival is celebrated with various names and people of different states follow different traditions. But, what makes Holi so unique and special is the spirit of it which remains the same throughout the country and even across the globe, wherever it is celebrated. (With inputs from PTI) Read: Holi 2020: Five Books On The 'Festival Of Colours' To Read This Festive Season Read: Holi Wishes For Friends: Meetings And Greetings To Share With Your Loved Ones Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Djemi Amnifu (The Jakarta Post) Kupang Tue, March 10, 2020 15:01 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20699824b 1 National Kupang,Education,land-dispute,school,East-Nusa-Tenggara,students Free A four-meter-tall wall has blocked an access road leading to Petra private Christian elementary school in Alak district, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), forcing students to climb over it on their way to the school. It has been over a week since the landowner built that wall. It forces children to climb the wall to get to the school, Petra elementary school principal Frengky Kase told The Jakarta Post on Monday. He added local residents had been using the road for around 20 years. Apart from Petra elementary school, the wall had also hampered students of Petra kindergarten and state vocational school SMKN 7 Kupang from reaching their respective schools. School teachers were worried that students safety would be put under harm because they needed to climb the wall. It also made students to arrive late in school, as the access road is the shortest way to reach the school. An alternative road to the school would add an additional 10 to 20 minutes walking. Read also: East Manggarai to rebuild 'unfit' school following media coverage The access road was blocked by property construction done by a company led by local businessman Bobby Pitoby, who owns the land. A wall was erected surrounding the construction area. Penkase Oeleta subdistrict head Felipus Mau said the property in dispute between Bobby and another businessmen was Yano Laimonta or Cai Cong. He added the wall was erected due to the dispute. We undertook a serious mediation meeting between the related parties, including the two businessmen, so the road could be reopened for the publics interest Felipus said. Frengky said he wished that Bobby would open the access road again for the school students. The subdistrict head said his office was waiting for the Kupang National land Agency (BPN Kupang) to settle the dispute by, among other efforts, measuring plots of land owned by the two businessmen. Felipus went on to say that Bobby had agreed to open the access road for the students, although the businessman said he would wait for officials from BPN Kupang to complete the measurement. The subdistrict head said a 6-meter-wide road would be opened for the public. (gis) We have seen the considerable demand for Microsoft Teams Direct Routing from our customers and want to continue to ensure our solution exceeds expectations with additional features and ease of use CallTower, a global leader in delivering cloud-based enterprise-class unified communications and collaboration solutions, has enabled customers to provision Microsoft Teams Direct Routing within their proprietary application, CallTower Connect. CallTower Connect simplifies the set-up and management of CallTower services facilitated within one easy to use online or mobile app. CallTower is known for adding unique value to Microsoft Teams by leveraging their voice-optimized network and other voice platforms, providing complete redundancy to voice for Teams. "We have empowered our customers with the added value of managing Microsoft Teams Direct Routing through CallTower Connect, which fully enables administrators to manage their solutions through this online portal," stated CallTower's Chief Revenue Officer, William Rubio. "We have seen the considerable demand for Microsoft Teams Direct Routing from our customers and want to continue to ensure our solution exceeds expectations with additional features and ease of use." Connect is designed to provision CallTower's powerful communication tools within an easy to use application. The provisioning application is launched from a web browser by an end-user or company administrator to add or manage CallTower hosted services. The workload of administrators decreases as users gain access to a simplified panel where quick changes such as call forwarding, password management, speed dial button assignments and personalizing voicemail profiles can be made without a call to support. CallTower has been a Microsoft Partner for over 12-years and as a voice solutions provider, CallTower handles Direct Routing using a service-provider level platform with flexibility and reliability. Microsoft Teams Direct Routing partners like CallTower can provide competitive and flexible calling plans. CallTower delivers its customers higher ROI with key UCaaS integrations that Microsoft can't match. For example, CallTower's voice-optimized network results in better clarity and higher uptimes. You can also use CallTower for your Office 365 services and licenses, which means all your Microsoft services will be on a single bill. About CallTower CallTower exists to enable people to easily connect to transact business communications. Since its inception in 2002, CallTower has become a leading provider of cloud-based, enterprise-class Unified Communications solutions for growing organizations worldwide. CallTower provides, integrates and supports industry-leading, cloud-based, Unified Communications and Collaboration solutions, including Cisco HCS, Microsoft Teams Direct Routing, Native Skype for Business, CT Cloud, CT Cloud Boost, Office 365 and CT Cloud Meeting, powered by Zoom Video Communications for business customers. CallTower enhances our clients strategic and operational capabilities by integrating VoIP service, mobile applications, email hosting, unified messaging, instant messaging, audio, web and video conferencing, collaboration tools, contact center, cloud services and global network solutions into one reliable platform. The European Union's banking watchdog said it was focusing on ensuring banks can continue operating during the coronavirus crisis and was in contact with members over measures needed. "Our current focus is on banks' contingency plans and their ability to ensure business continuity, which is of utmost importance at this stage," a spokeswoman for the European Banking Authority (EBA) said. "We are in close contact with our members to discuss these developments and the necessary steps to take." EBA's members are drawn from banking regulators across the 27-member bloc. France said on Monday it wants banking regulators to show flexibility toward firms falling behind on debt payments and called for this year's stress test of leading EU banks - being coordinated by the EBA - to be postponed. EBA had no comment on its stress tests, whose results are due by the end of July. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday attacked former Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia after he resigned from the Congress, saying that he has betrayed the trust of people and the Congress ideology. He said that such people prove that they cannot remain without power and "sooner they leave the better." Gehlot said that Scindia had "joined hands" with the BJP at a time of " crisis" when the economy was facing difficulties and the ruling party was "ruining" democratic institutions. "Joining hands with the BJP in a time of crisis speaks volumes about a leader's self-indulgent political ambitions, especially when the BJP is ruining the economy, democratic institutions, social fabric and as well the Judiciary," Gehlot said. "Mr Scindia has betrayed the trust of the people as well as the ideology. Such people prove they can't thrive without power. Sooner they leave the better," he said in a tweet. Scindia resigned from the party on Tuesday and tweeted a letter sent to party chief Sonia Gandhi. The date of the letter is March 9. Scindia said it was time to move on and look ahead at a fresh start. "Having been a primary member of the Congress party for the last 18 years, it is now time for me to move on. I am tendering my resignation from the primary membership of the Indian Congress and as you well know this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year," Scindia said in the letter. "While my aim and purpose remain the same as it has always been from the very beginning, to serve the people of my state and country. I believe I am unable to do this anymore within this party," he said. "To reflect and realise the aspirations of my people and my workers, I believe it is best that now look ahead at a fresh start. I would like to thank you and through you all my party colleagues for providing me with a platform to have served the nation," he further said in the letter. While Scindia resigned, the party expelled him for "anti-party activities." Several MLAs loyal to Scindia have also resigned plunging the Kamal Nath government into a crisis. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The patient is in stable condition and is being treated in isolation in accordance with our strong infection prevention protocols, the spokeswoman said. As this virus continues to spread throughout our country and our state, we are prepared to provide care while maintaining a safe facility for our team members and visitors. Preparing for potential epidemics and pandemics is not new and our expert infection preventionists, physicians and nurses are trained and ready for this. We continue to follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and work closely with local and state health agencies. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Panca Nugraha (The Jakarta Post) Mataram Tue, March 10, 2020 12:32 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206987255 1 Business Indonesia,West-Nusa-Tenggara,Lombok-Travel-Mart,buyers-sellers,hotels,restaurant,travel-agency Free An annual travel exhibition held in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), recently attracted at least 150 local and foreign buyers mostly involved in the leisure business, in particular travel agencies. The seventh Lombok Travel Mart was held by the Regional Representative Council (DPD) in collaboration with the Indonesian Association of Tourism Professionals (ASPPI). The event, held from March 1 to March 4, adopted the theme Magical Moyo to promote top tourist destinations on Moyo Island in Sumbawa, NTB. The head of the event, Ade Devi Handayani, explained that sellers came from tourism-related industries such as hotels, restaurants, travel agents and tourist attraction operators. From 400 applicants, only 150 of the best buyers were chosen to join the event, Ade said at the Golden Palace Lombok Hotel in Mataram during the opening on March 1. The event showcased travel destinations on Moyo Island such as Mata Waterfall, which is already a tourism icon of Sumbawa, and a snorkeling spot called Poto Jarum that is considered to be the best snorkeling spot on the island. The chairman of ASPPI, Ahmad Ziad, said the event was held annually to promote tourist destinations in the province to both domestic and foreign tourists. The annual event brings together buyers and sellers in tourism, he said, adding that last year the event attracted 175 buyers and 35 sellers. The head of the NTB Tourism Agency, Lalu Moh Faozal, said that Magical Moyo was chosen as the theme to promote popular tourist destinations in Lombok such as the famous Amanwana resort. (ydp) [March 10, 2020] Myovant Sciences Announces Cancellation of Presentation and Webcast at the Barclays Global Healthcare Conference 2020 BASEL, Switzerland, March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Myovant Sciences (NYSE: MYOV), a healthcare company focused on developing innovative treatments for women's health and prostate cancer, today announced the cancellation of its presentation and webcast at the Barclays Global Healthcare Conference, previously scheduled to take place on Wednesday, March 11 at 10:15 a.m. Eastern time. This follows the announcement by the organizer to cancel the in-person aspects of the conference due to circumstances pertaining to COVID-19. Myovant will hold scheduled investor meetings via teleconference. About Myovant Sciences Myovant Sciences aspires to be the leading healthcare company focused on innovative treatments for womens health and prostate cancer. The companys lead product candidate is relugolix, a once-daily, oral GnRH receptor antagonist. The company has three late-stage clinical programs for relugolix in uterine fibroids, endometriosis, and prostate cancer. The company is also developing MVT-602, an oligopeptide kisspeptin-1 reeptor agonist, that has completed a Phase 2a study for the treatment of female infertility as part of assisted reproduction. Takeda Pharmaceuticals International AG, a subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, granted the company an exclusive, worldwide license to develop and commercialize relugolix (excluding Japan and certain other Asian countries) and an exclusive license to develop and commercialize MVT-602 in all countries worldwide. Sumitovant Biopharma, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma, is the majority shareholder of Myovant. For more information, please visit the companys website at www.myovant.com. Follow @Myovant on Twitter and LinkedIn . Investor Contact: Frank Karbe President, Chief Financial Officer Myovant Sciences, Inc. [email protected] Media Contact: Albert Liao Director, Corporate Communications Myovant Sciences, Inc. [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] One man died in Heinsberg, another in Essen In Germany, the first two lethal cases after infection with the new Chinese coronavirus were confirmed. The Ministry of Health of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia notes, the Bild reports. One man died in Heinsberg, another one - in Essen. Prior to this, another German citizen died of coronavirus on vacation in Egypt. According to the latest data from the Robert Koch Institute, 1,112 people are now infected with coronavirus in Germany. As we reported before, the pandemic threat of the new Covid-19 coronavirus is "very real." The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted. The head of WHO added that strong and preventive measures to contain coronavirus offer hope that the spread of infection can be slowed down. Also, About 70,000 prisoners throughout Iran will receive an amnesty to curb the spread of coronavirus. 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. The presidential primary race is a game of dominoes, and they may start falling very quickly in favor of Joe Biden. Six primaries take place across the country tonight, in the first round of voting since Bidens big victories on Super Tuesday last week. The major contest is in Michigan, where polls suggest Bernie Sanders is in danger of suffering a painful loss. He upset Hillary Clinton in the state four years ago, giving him momentum as the primary moved into the spring. A weak finish this year in a comparable two-person race would show that Sanders has lost ground among certain key groups, particularly white voters with college degrees and that he has failed to pick up much-needed support among black voters, who are likely to break hard for Biden. Sanders is aiming his pitch squarely at female voters in a way he rarely has before. He released a reproductive health care plan on Saturday, and as the Rev. Jesse Jackson endorsed Sanders on Sunday, he said the senator had pledged to nominate a black woman to the Supreme Court. Sanders has also begun to level attacks against Biden for his past support of the Hyde Amendment, which bars the use of federal money for most abortions, and Bidens criticism (decades ago) of the Roe v. Wade decision. Sanders tends to perform better with men than women, but his campaign is targeting what it sees as a potential weak spot for Biden, while seeking to appeal to some of Elizabeth Warrens former supporters, who were overwhelmingly women. The domino effect from Michigan could be huge: There are contests next week in two of its Midwestern neighbors, Illinois and Ohio, as well as in delegate-rich Florida. But Sanders will have a chance to revive himself when he and Biden face off on Sunday in their first one-on-one debate. Another chance: Washington State. Its the second-most-populous state holding its primary today, and is much more favorable territory for Sanders. He won in a landslide there in 2016, when Washington was still a caucus state (historically a favorable format to Sanders). But the race looks much closer this time. The vote will occur under the pall of the coronavirus, which has killed more than a dozen people in the state. Sanders has not visited the state since last month. The recent surge of good news for Biden has paved the way for a wide lead in national polls. Both CNN and Quinnipiac University released national surveys on Monday showing Sanders trailing by double digits. The Quinnipiac poll, which had the wider margin, put Biden at 54 percent and Sanders at 35 percent. Sanders leads among liberals and young voters, but he picked up hardly any new support among older voters as the field has narrowed. Biden has him beat by more than seven to one among voters 65 and over, according to Quinnipiac. In Michigan too, polls paint a disheartening picture for Sanders: A Monmouth University survey out Monday showed him trailing Biden by 15 points among likely voters. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, March 10, 2020 08:24 672 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206971685 1 Editorial Dutch,bilateral-relation,dutch-royal-indonesia,dutch-royal,dutch-royal-tour,Yogyakarta Free This weeks state visit by King Willem-Alexander, which continues the tradition of having a reigning Dutch monarch return to Indonesia every 25 years or so, is an opportune moment to improve the amicable relationship that Jakarta and The Hague have developed together. Weeks before the arrival of the king and Queen Maxima on Monday evening, Dutch officials had announced that a high-profile entourage of government ministers and privatesector players would be accompanying the king, seeking to capitalize on the potential for partnership in a wide range of areas from agriculture, health care and education to coastal development and water technology. When Indonesia pushed the Dutch colonizers out of the country, it was precisely these areas of development that suddenly stopped progressing. The Netherlands still possesses a wealth of knowledge on Indonesia that remains inaccessible to the majority of Indonesians. Surely it is possible that problems of the future can be solved by looking into our past. Read also: Unresolved colonial past clouds Dutch royal visit Experts have also noted that such an economy-heavy and good governance-focused approach by the Dutch is highly appealing to President Joko Jokowi Widodo, who will do all he can to bolster the economy and make good on his development programs and campaign promises. It is important that neither side squanders such an opportunity to progress what has otherwise been an uneventful if not stagnant relationship. Jokowi must be firm in asking how the Netherlands would like to be remembered in regard to Indonesias continued development the Dutch are not even among Indonesia top-10 trading partners. The Dutch must also show that they trust Indonesia as it looks to consummate a relationship of equals. The Hague must show a willingness to close a painful chapter in our shared history. So if a royal apology is required, then an apology Indonesians should expect. To be fair, a glance at the Dutch kings activities in the country will show there is a willingness to engage with history, as in the case of the kings meeting in Yogyakarta with Sultan Hamengkubuwono X a veritable meeting of equals and an acknowledgement of the role the Yogyakarta sultanate played during the Indonesian revolutionary wars of 1945-1949, which the Dutch refer to as a police action. A week ago, the Dutch government also returned a precious artifact belonging to Diponegoro, the Javanese prince who is a national hero for his famous war against the Dutch in the 19th century. But between engaging in an itinerary rife with callbacks to the past and calling for a relationship that is forwardlooking, both sides should go above and beyond the expectations of their two peoples. Read also: Eight missing after speedboat carrying Dutch royal visit advance team crashes in C. Kalimantan river Most importantly, both sides must ensure that the history of Dutch colonial rule in Indonesia is not forgotten by the younger generation of Dutch and Indonesians, so that we may be fortunate enough not to see history repeat itself and that, at the very least, an undistorted version of history can be retained. In the end, it is the Dutch who must ask themselves: How do you want to be remembered? Less than a month after getting golden waist-length hair extensions, Keeping Up with the Kardashians star Kylie Jenner decided she needed yet another makeover. The 22-year-old 'self-made billionaire' - who boasts 230.2M social media followers - Instastoried a video of her short natural bob while having her roots dyed. Colorist Cassondra Kaeding and hairstylist Lovette Candice were in charge of the Kylie Skin CEO's latest 'touch up.' Let it grow! Less than a month after getting golden waist-length hair extensions (R), Keeping Up with the Kardashians star Kylie Jenner (L) decided she needed yet another makeover It's been less than a month since Kaeding first dyed Jenner's raven bob lighter - the same day she accused hairstylist Jesus Guerrero of 'cutting off all my hair.' After being at the salon, the Lip Kit mogul pulled her blonder bob into a tiny ponytail. Kylie was a 'happy girl' after her momager Kris Jenner prepared nachos for her in the kitchen, which wound up causing a cooking oil spill. 'Roots almost there': The 22-year-old 'self-made billionaire' Instastoried a video of her short natural bob while having her roots dyed Mane attraction: Colorist Cassondra Kaeding and hairstylist Lovette Candice (R) were in charge of the Kylie Skin CEO's latest 'touch up' Evolving: It's been less than a month since Kaeding dyed Jenner's raven bob lighter - the same day she accused hairstylist Jesus Guerrero of 'cutting off all my hair' (pictured February 13) On Saturday night, Jenner and her family attended a drag show featuring RuPaul's Drag Race 7 champ Violet Chachki at Palm Springs gay bar Toucans Tiki Lounge. At one point, the Calabasas socialite's half-sister Khloe Kardashian convinced her to sing her viral lullaby Rise and Shine, which originated from an October 10 YouTube tour of her office. Speaking of which, Kylie also Instastoried a snap of her holding her daughter Stormi Webster's tiny hand. Snack time! After the salon, the Lip Kit mogul pulled her blonder bob into a tiny ponytail Seven-layer dip? Kylie was a 'happy girl' after her momager Kris Jenner prepared nachos for her in the kitchen, which wound up causing a cooking oil spill Family bonding: On Saturday night, Jenner and her family attended a drag show at Palm Springs gay bar Toucans Tiki Lounge 'F*** my life': The Calabasas socialite's half-sister Khloe Kardashian (L) convinced her to sing her viral lullaby Rise and Shine, which originated from an October 10 YouTube video Jenner amicably co-parents her two-year-old privileged princess with her ex-boyfriend Travis Scott, whom she split from in September after two years of dating - according to TMZ. The 27-year-old Grammy-nominated rapper (born Jacques Webster II) is next scheduled to headline the Lollapalooza music festivals happening March 27 in Argentina and March 28 in Chile. Catch more of the nepotistically-privileged daughters of Caitlyn & Kris Jenner in the 18th season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which premieres March 26 on E! 'Mine': Speaking of which, Kylie also Instastoried a snap of her holding her daughter Stormi Webster's tiny hand Babydaddy: Jenner amicably co-parents her two-year-old privileged princess with her ex-boyfriend Travis Scott (L), whom she split from in September (pictured February 1) Congress rebel Jyotiraditya Scindia, who resigned from the Congress party, is expected to join Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) at 6:00 pm on Tuesday. Scindia, who announced his exit on Twitter, said in his resignation letter, "having been a primary member of the Congress Party for the last 18 years, it is time for me to move on. I am tendering my resignation from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress and as you well know, this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year." Following the exit of Congress' rebel, 22 more Madhya Pradesh MLAs quit the party. These leaders were part of the Scindia camp. "While my aim and purpose remain the same as it has always been from the very beginning, to serve the people of my state and country, I believe I am unable to do this anymore within this party," said Scindia. Also Read: MP political crisis: Jyotiraditya Scindia quits Congress; posts resignation letter on Twitter Scindia said in his tweet. In the tweet, Scindia posted the letter addressing the Congress President Sonia Gandhi saying that "it's time for me to move on." Scindia also met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and then the two leaders met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the prime minister's residence, amid indications that he might join hands with the BJP to topple the Madhya Pradesh government, say sources. Legislators loyal to Scindia, who has been upset with the Congress leadership with his marginalisation in the affairs of the Madhya Pradesh Congress, are likely to quit the party to reduce the Kamal Nath-led government to a minority. It is likely to be followed by the BJP staking claim to form the government in the state. Also Read: Post-Holi tips and precautions: How to remove harmful colours gently from skin, hair; check here Also Read: Yes Bank crisis: NEFT enabled for payment of credit card dues, loan EMIs Also Read: Yes Bank scam: Rana Kapoor in deeper soup; ED seizes Rajiv Gandhi's painting from his house Amid resignations of 22 legislators of the party, "around 100" MLAs including four independents attended a meeting of the Congress Legislative Party in Bhopal on Tuesday, a state minister said. They expressed faith in chief minister Kamal Nath's leadership, he added. However, two Bahujan Samaj Party and one Samajwadi Party MLA who support the government skipped the CLP meeting, he added. These three MLAs were holed up in a hotel in Haryana with some Congress MLAs last week when the Congress had alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party was trying to lure away its legislators. Sources also claimed that none of the 22 MLAs who have resigned attended the meeting. The Congress has 114 MLAs in the assembly, whose effective strength currently is 228. All the MLAs present at the CLP meeting expressed faith in Nath's leadership, the minister said. "We resolved to put up a brave fight. We are going to come out triumphant. There is no threat to the government. We are going to prove that in a floor test if the situation arises," he added. P C Sharma, another minister, claimed while speaking to reporters that the MLAs who had resigned were still in touch with Nath. "They were trapped with assurance that they were being taken out of the state only to support Jyotiraditya Scindia's candidature for the Rajya Sabha. They were cheated into signing resignation letters," he said. "They are not happy with Scindia hobnobbing with the BJP," Sharma claimed. "We have the numbers which we will prove during a floor test in the House," he claimed. Most of the MLAs who have resigned are considered to be supporters of Scindia, who announced on Tuesday that he had quit the party, giving rise to speculation that he could join the BJP. She dealt with a number of controversies this year, including hitting out at a troll who accused her of having a mental disorder which causes her to lie about illnesses. And Jameela Jamil cast aside the drama as she made an appearance on Tuesday's edition of Good Morning America in New York City to promote her new show Mira, Royal Detective. The actress, 34, put on an effortlessly chic display as she arrived in a spotted-print yellow and brown jacket, that matched her loose-fitting trousers. Glamorous: Jameela Jamil looked effortlessly chic in a spotted yellow and brown co-ord suit as she arrived in style at Good Morning America studios in New York City on Tuesday Jameela cinched her outfit at the waist with a dramatic belt, while she boosted her height in a pair of chic black heels. Her raven tresses were brushed into a sleek, straight style, and she wore a slick of bright red lipstick to accentuate her plump pout. The Good Place star complemented her look by wearing a pair of stylish circular shades that had a reflective tint. Set in the magical Indian-inspired land of Jalpur, Mira, Royal Detective introduces viewers to a brave and resourceful girl named Mira, a commoner who is appointed to the role of royal detective, according to Disney's d23.com. Stunning: Jameela's raven tresses were brushed into a sleek, straight style, and she wore a slick of bright red lipstick to accentuate her plump pout Attention to detail: Jameela cinched her outfit at the waist with a dramatic belt, while she boosted her height in a pair of chic black heels Along with her friend Prince Neel, cousin Priya, and mongoose sidekicks Mikku and Chikku, Mira sets out on mystery-solving adventures that highlight and encourage critical thinking and deductive reasoning. Of being a part of the kids programme, Jameela said on GMA: 'When I was growing up I would see perhaps white actors playing my people, sometimes when they were on camera wearing brown make-up to do so. 'So, messaging to me when I grew up was in order to be beautiful and relevant in this world I had to be thin, and have a two inch waist, and be white and have long blonde curly hair. So I can now be part of a story where we're showing a different type of beauty and culture and importance is so important, and also its a girl who is not just waiting for a man to sweep her off her feet. She's a hero. Pretty: The Good Place star complemented her look by wearing a pair of stylish circular shades that had a reflective tint Delighted: On GMA, Jameela said of her new Disney kids' show Mira, Royal Detective: 'I can now be part of a story where we're showing a different type of beauty and culture' Jameela's outing comes after she set the record straight after an online troll accused her of having a mental disorder which causes her to lie about mental and physical illness. The actress branded her critic 'unhinged' after they said she has Munchausens, which causes people to pretend that they are ill when they aren't. The troll claimed Jameela's 'contrasting' version of events regarding a car crash and breast cancer scares led them to believe she suffered from Munchausens. Hitting back: Her outing comes after she set the record straight when an online troll accused her of having a mental disorder which causes her to lie about mental and physical illness Defiant: Jameela was quick to fire back at the allegations, calling the theories as 'unhinged' before revealing that the injuries she described were from a separate car crash 13 years apart On one occasion, the online user said that Jameela had exaggerated her injuries from a car crash where she claimed she broke her nose, elbow, lost a tooth and had concussion. However footage from the incident revealed that she appeared without any injuries and still had a full set of teeth in place. Yet Jameela was quick to fire back at the allegations, as she described the theories as 'unhinged' before revealing that the injuries she described were from a separate car crash 13 years apart. 'Dumb': The defiant star went on to call the critics wild claims a 'dumb internet conspiracy theory', before encouraging them to 'keep coming' What is Munchausen's syndrome? Munchausen's syndrome is a psychological disorder where someone pretends to be ill or deliberately produces symptoms of illness in themselves. Their main intention is to assume the 'sick role' so that people care for them and they are the centre of attention. Any practical benefit in pretending to be sick for example, claiming incapacity benefit is not the reason for their behaviour. Munchausen's syndrome is named after a German aristocrat, Baron Munchausen, who became famous for telling wild, unbelievable tales about his exploits. Credit: NHS Advertisement Taking to Twitter to express her outrage, Jameela penned: 'First I'm lying about my sexuality, now I'm now being accused of munchausens? 'By an unhinged idiot who didn't even realize in all her 'research' that my car accident injury stories are 'different' because they were about TWO SEPARATE CAR ACCIDENTS 13 years apart? You can keep it.' Jameela has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome which is a group of disorders that affect connective tissues supporting the skin, bones and blood vessels among others. She followed up her shut down tweet with another, which read: 'Ehlers Danlos Syndrome means always having people doubt your illness because you look okay. #edsawareness #itisntinyourhead #imsorrypeopleared**ks.' The defiant star went on to call the critics wild claims a 'dumb internet conspiracy theory', before encouraging them to 'keep coming'. She said: 'You just add to my relevance. I'm gonna keep helping people with eating disorders, and changing laws and global policies to protect kids and their mental health and there's NOTHING you can do about it.' The Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Yury Borisov, has announced that talks with the Serbian government over the purchase of Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft for Air Serbia would resume this summer, following previous talks in December. According to Mr Borisov, the government is interested in acquiring eight SSJ100s for Air Serbia, under a leasing scheme. "We take into account that a new political cycle is beginning in Serbia. Elections are scheduled for April, then two more months will be required for a new government to be formed, after which negotiations can be resumed. As EX-YU Aviation News learns, Air Serbia has shown little interest in the aircraft, which is why talks have been elevated to an inter-governmental level. Sukhoi first approached and pitched the SSJ100 to the Serbian carrier in late 2015. In 2017, the plane manufacturer reiterated it was negotiating with Air Serbia over a potential aircraft order. In December 2019, the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, said his countrys aviation sector was prepared to assist in the renewal of Air Serbias fleet. That same month, Serbian aircraft maintenance specialist Jat Tehnika become Europes first maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) organisation to win approval for the line and base maintenance of the SSJ100 jet. The company secured EASA Part 145 approval for the type, which covers its Belgrade base and its line stations at other airports. The Sukhoi Superjet has the capacity to seat between 87 and 108 passengers, depending on cabin layout and seat configuration. The Russian manufacturer is already planning a new generation of the regional jet with extended capacity, new wings and new engines, which is expected to appear after 2025. Air Serbia itself has not commented on the Russian governments comments over its interest in acquiring the aircraft. The Serbian carrier is expanding its fleet this summer, with two Airbus A319 jets set to join later this month, while an additional two ATR72 turboprops are expected to arrive in Belgrade in May and are currently undergoing maintenance checks. Image credit: Cristoph Guler Midwest Oral Surgery & Dental Implants Offers Zirconia Dental Implants in Omaha, NE We expect our dental implants to last for a long time, if not forever. Midwest Oral Surgery & Dental Implants offers patients with missing teeth a metal-free dental implant solution with zirconia dental implants in Omaha, NE. Oral surgeons, Drs. John Wewel, Jerome Wees, and Benjamin Anderson, use zirconia as an alternative to traditional titanium implants and have seen a higher success rate. Zirconia can be used as an option for the implant post, abutment and crown, and is especially useful for those who have metal allergies or sensitivities. The dental implant is the closest thing to a natural tooth. We expect our dental implants to last for a long time, if not forever, says Dr. Wewel. The benefit of a dental implant is that it is treated as a regular tooth, it restores you to full form and function, and, in fact, may be stronger than your natural teeth. A zirconia dental implant can replace all parts of a traditional implant with the attractive, durable and metal-free zirconia material. Due to the color and translucency of zirconia, dental implants made from this material appear more natural in the smile and do not run the risk of showing through the gum tissue. This material is also found to be stronger than the common porcelain material that dental crowns are often made from, giving patients a new tooth that can last much longer without cracking, chipping, or breaking. As a metal-free material, patients with sensitivity or allergies to metal can still receive dental implants without worry about discomfort or rejection. A dental implant is a solution for those with failing or missing teeth that can restore the smile to full function and aesthetics. The implant mimics a natural tooth root and crown, which stimulates the jawbone for continued growth and allows for natural biting, chewing, and speaking. With proper care of the dental implants, patients can expect them to last a lifetime. At Midwest Oral Surgery & Dental Implants, Drs. Wewel, Wees, and Anderson can place any number of dental implants for those with one, multiple, or even a full mouth of missing teeth. As oral surgeons, the doctors have vast experience and education in the surgical process necessary to give patients successful and long-lasting results. At Midwest Oral Surgery & Dental Implants, the doctors routinely place implants and utilize advanced technology and modern sedation techniques to give patients the best possible outcome. Those with failing or missing teeth in Omaha, NE who are interested in receiving dental implants or who would like to discuss the option of zirconia implants are invited to schedule an appointment with the oral surgeons at Midwest Oral Surgery & Dental Implants. Appointments can be made by visiting http://www.midwestoms.com or calling 402-397-7777. About the Oral Surgeons Midwest Oral Surgery & Dental Implants is a full scope oral and maxillofacial surgery specialty practice serving patients in Omaha, NE. Dr. Jerome Wees has been practicing oral and maxillofacial surgery for over 20 years and is the current President of the Omaha District Dental Society. Dr. John Wewel completed his oral and maxillofacial surgery residency at the University of Nebraska and is a Diplomat with the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Both Dr. Wees and Dr. Wewel maintain hospital privileges at the surrounding Omaha hospitals. Dr. Benjamin Anderson graduated summa cum laude from the University of Nebraska and completed his oral and maxillofacial surgery residency at the University of Mississippi. Midwest Oral Surgery & Dental Implants utilizes state-of-the-art technology and offers a full spectrum of oral surgical procedures including full mouth reconstructions, dental implants, and wisdom teeth extractions. To learn more about Drs. Wees, Wewel, and Anderson and the services they offer, visit http://www.midwestoms.com or call 402-397-7777 to schedule a consultation. In a huge blow to the Congress party, senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia submitted his resignation to the party high command after days of remaining incommunicado. In his resignation letter, Scindia said, "Having been a primary member of Congress for the last 18 years, it is time for mew to move on. I'm tendering my resignation from the primary member of the INC and as you well know this is a pth that has been drawing itself out over the last year. To reflect and realise the aspirations of my people and workers, I believe now that i look ahead for a fresh start." Here's a copy of Jyotiraditya Scindia's resignation letter Speculation was rife after several Congress MLAs submitted their resignations to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath. Earlier reports said that BJP was trying to poach Congress leaders to topple the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh even as BJP vehemently denied it. Congress went all out to pacify Scindia As crisis looms over the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh, party sources had earlier said that efforts were on to woo back disgruntled leader and former MP Jyotiraditya Scindia who remained 'incommunicado'. Seventeen MLAs, including at least six ministers, known to be Scindia loyalists, are currently in Bengaluru. Chief Minister Kamal Nath promised to reconstitute the state Cabinet after an emergency meeting late on Monday night. Following the meet, around 20 ministers resigned reposing faith in Nath's leadership. In Delhi, sources said hectic efforts were underway by the Congress leadership to save the party's government in Madhya Pradesh, and placate Scindia who has long been at daggers drawn with Kamal Nath over leadership issues. Speculation was rife that the party high command was sending emissaries, including Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot to Scindia in order to win him back. But now it appears the efforts did not bear any fruit. Pilot is said to have reached out to Scindia in vain. The disgruntled Scindia is said to have not responded to his message, sources said. On Tuesday, Pilot tweeted, I am hopeful that the current crisis in Madhya Pradesh ends soon and that leaders are able to resolve differences. The state needs a stable government in order to fulfil the promises make to the electorate. Congress veteran and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh had said that Scindia could not be contacted. We have not been able to talk to him yet... Anyone who is a true Congressman will not leave the party, he said, adding the people of the state would give a befitting reply to anyone who attempts to undermine their mandate. A Tay Ninh Province court Monday sentenced an Indonesian woman to death for trafficking 6.7 kg of methamphetamine over the border from Cambodia. Retty Gunawan, 54, was arrested in July last year after customs officials at the Moc Bai border gate in the southern province checked her luggage on suspicion. Inside, they found white solid crystals wrapped in nylon and a quick test confirmed it was meth. Gunawan told the police she had been hired by a compatriot she identified as Monica to carry the drugs from Cambodia to the Philippines and paid $500. It is not known if the police are looking for Monica. Vietnam has some of the world's toughest drug laws. Those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine face the death penalty. The production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal narcotics is also punishable by death. MAGALIA, Calif. Tri Counties Bank presented the Magalia Community Park with a $10,000 grant to support their efforts to develop a Magalia Community Center. The new non-profit organization applied for the grant in hopes of getting a public meeting space in Magalia. This new community center can be used to private and community events for all residents in Magalia and the Upper Ridge, according to Magalia Community Park. Magalia Community Park Board Member, Dave Willoughby says they are receiving terrific support from business and the community. This $10K grant from Tri Counties is the initial funding we need to develop a place of our own in Magalia, Willoughby says. Fellow board member, Laurie McBride says this grant will help build what was destroyed in the Camp Fire. We believe that creating a true community center, and ultimately a community park, is an important part of rebuilding what we lost in the Camp Fire. And were so thankful for the support we receive, McBride says. The actual location of the community center is still be negotiated. RELATED: Progress continues for major recreation center in Magalia To learn more about the organization and for updates about the community center follow their Facebook page here or email info@magaliacommunitypark.org. VIEW: Magalia Community Park proposed plan By Trend Iran's Supreme National Security Council has called on all the organizations to follow the precautions of Health Ministry and National Headquarters for Fighting the COVID-19 spread, said Iran's Parliament speaker Ali Larijani, Trend reports via IRNA. "Coronavirus spread has expanded through the country and despite necessary measures and precautions," said Larijani. "Therefore the Supreme National Security Council has approved the new regulation that all organizations and sectors would follow the decisions of the National Headquarters for Fighting the disease," he said. "The Council has issued regulations on helping people that were effected by the disease and cooperation of organizations with the National Headquarters for Fighting Coronavirus," he said. "The parliament will not hold general session meetings, as it was advised in the regulations," Larijani said. Iran is one of the recent countries, affected by the rapidly-spreading coronavirus. According to recent reports from the Iranian officials, over 7,100 people have been infected, 237 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 2,300 have reportedly recovered from the disease. 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. 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. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Tuesday met UAE Ambassador to India Ahmed Al Banna and discussed future steps on consolidating bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership in new areas between the two countries, an official said. "Foreign Secretary @HarshShringla met Ambassador @drahmedalbanna of #UAE. FS expressed happiness at the strong and growing bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and discussed next steps to consolidate our ties and seek partnership in new areas," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. Qatar has temporarily banned the entry of people arriving from 15 countries, including India, Pakistan, and China. In an advisory, Qatar's government communications office also denied "all individuals intending to enter from these countries, including visas upon arrival, those with a residence or work permit, and temporary visitors." UAE's Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) on Friday said an Indian is among 15 new cases of the deadly coronavirus in the Middle East country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) If they thought that Joe Biden was the best choice, maybe they shouldnt have run, Rasheen Aldridge, a Missouri state representative who was a warm-up speaker for Mr. Sanders in St. Louis, said in an interview. Some of these candidates Kamala has been out for a long time, Booker has been out for a while. Its all very kind of fishy how things are working out. The 2016 campaign established Mr. Sanders as the Democratic Partys foremost practitioner of grievance politics. Like Donald Trump in that years Republican primary, Mr. Sanders tapped into populist anger to upend a major political party. Then, Mr. Sanders denounced Democratic National Committee debate rules he said favored Hillary Clintons campaign and a superdelegate system he argued empowered party insiders over grass-roots voters. His vociferous, public complaints led the D.N.C. to enact substantive changes to the rules for caucus states and to strip first-ballot voting power from superdelegates at the partys convention. Now the Sanders campaign says the policies hes pitching as a democratic socialist Medicare for all, free public college tuition and other proposals represent an existential threat to powerful operators that have prompted an unusually coordinated effort to block his rise. We face a unique uphill battle that other candidates dont because of the agenda that he stands for, a campaign spokesman, Mike Casca, said. Because of the agenda that hes putting forward, a lot of super wealthy forces are aligned against him. Yet others close to the Sanders campaign say he didnt expect to find himself trailing Mr. Biden at this point in the race and is trying to save face with his most ardent supporters by blaming others. Its also not bad for fund-raising perhaps uniquely among the 2020 candidates, Mr. Sanders does just as well with online contributions after he loses states than after he wins. The ability to keep raising tons of money can allow Mr. Sanders to prolong his candidacy even if voters keep delivering a verdict more favorable to Mr. Biden. Airlines across the US are continuing to feel the squeeze of the coronavirus outbreak, with firms slashing yet more flights and bosses taking pay cuts in efforts to keep the companies' heads above water. American Airlines and Delta Airlines both announced plans to cut more flights Tuesday, while Southwest Airlines CEO told employees he will take a 10 per cent pay cut as the firm grapples with sagging passenger demand for flights. American Airlines said it will cut domestic flights by 7.5 per cent for April and international flights by 10 per cent for the summer peak travel season, including temporarily suspending service to several European cities, including Rome, Milan, Barcelona, Venice, Paris and Madrid. American Airlines announced Tuesday it will cut domestic flights by 7.5 per cent for April and international flights by 10 per cent for the summer peak travel season Delta also announced it will reduce capacity by around 15 per cent across its network, cutting domestic flights by as much as 15 per cent and international flights by as much as 25 per cent. Delta CEO Ed Bastain (pictured in 2018) said the firm was 'taking every possible action to take care of and protect our customers during a stressful time' The airline, which had previously canceled all flights to China where the coronavirus outbreak began, has now extended this until at least October. It will also suspend its full-year and quarterly financial forecasts. Cuts to summer flight plans and beyond is an indication that the industry is now bracing for the outbreak to continue for several more months into the year. Delta also announced Tuesday that it will reduce capacity by around 15 per cent across its network, cutting domestic flights by as much as 15 per cent and international flights by as much as 25 per cent. The slashing of flights consists of: Pacific flights by 65 per cent, Trans-Atlantic by 15-20 per cent, domestic by 10-15 per cent and Latin by 5 per cent. Delta CEO Ed Bastain said in a statement: 'In the weeks since COVID-19 emerged, Delta people have risen to the challenge, taking every possible action to take care of and protect our customers during a stressful time. 'As the virus has spread, we have seen a decline in demand across all entities, and we are taking decisive action to also protect Delta's financial position. As a result, we have made the difficult, but necessary decision to immediately reduce capacity and are implementing cost reductions and cash flow initiatives across the organization.' The airline also announced a series of other changes to quell the impact of the global outbreak on the organisation. These include a company-wide hiring freeze and offering voluntary leave options to employees. Southwest's CEO Gary Kelly (pictured in March) will take a 10 per cent pay cut in light of the hammering the firm has taken to passenger bookings due to the outbreak - which he has likened to the fallout from the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks Meanwhile, Southwest's CEO Gary Kelly has sought to take matters into his own hands, saying he will take a 10 per cent pay cut in light of the hammering the firm has taken to passenger bookings - which he likened to the fallout from the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks. The exact pay cut is not known but, in 2018, Kelly's salary was $750,000 and his total compensation was $7.73 million, according to The Wall Street Journal. The airline declined to confirm to DailyMail.com if the salary reduction would come to Kelly's salary or to his total take home pay. 'I can confirm Gary stated he would reduce his salary, which has not increased since 2017, by 10 per cent. We are not providing any additional details on his salary cut,' the statement sent to DailyMail.com read. The toll on the company is expected to be up to $300 million in the month of March alone, the company stated: 'Gary reiterated that we are prepared and have a strong financial position, but cautioned that we are seeing an alarming drop in bookings and sales due to the Coronavirus, as we outlined in a form 8-K filing last week, with an estimated impact of $200-$300 million in the month of March alone.' A woman wears a face mask while walking through JFK International Airport in New York on March 5 In the video message to employees on Monday, Kelly said coronavirus had created a challenge more serious than the industry has faced since 9/11, 'and it may be worse.' 'The velocity and the severity of the decline is breathtaking,' he said. It's not the first time the toll on the industry has been likened to 9/11. Industry group IATA warned in February that the reduction in global airline capacity, measured by how many seats remain grounded, had become greater than after the terrorist attacks. 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. Tuesday's announcements follow a series of moves made by airlines in recent weeks as the spread of coronavirus ramps up across the globe. United Airlines previously announced it was slashing domestic flights by 10 per cent and international flights by 20 per cent in April. All flights to China and Hong Kong were axed, and South Korea was added to its travel waiver list. A woman wears a protective mask and surgical gloves at JFK Airport, New York, on March 9. Fears are mounting after 26 people have died from the virus in the US and 765 people are now infected The global coronavirus outbreak has left airlines some of the hardest hit by the crisis as people fear traveling during the pandemic JetBlue said it was cutting flights by about 5 per cent in the near term. Meanwhile, across the pond, the European Commission is relaxing its airport-slot rules so that airlines no longer need to fly empty planes across Europe in order to retain their takeoff and landing rights for the next season. Europe's 'use-it-or-lose-it' rules mean that airlines must use a takeoff or landing slot at a level of at least 80 per cent to keep their flying rights. As airlines want to avoid taking a hit to their flying rights along with passenger numbers, empty aircraft have until now become a fixture on runways. The global coronavirus outbreak has left airlines some of the hardest hit by the crisis as people fear traveling during the pandemic. In yet another blow, CDC guidance issued Monday ordered the elderly and sick to stock up on medications and avoid large crowds, cruise ships and airplanes in order to protect themselves against the deadly disease. Such advice will do little to restore faith in flying among panicked passengers. Fears are mounting after 26 people have died from the virus in the US and 765 people are now infected. The one saving grace to the industry could come in the form of the sharp drop in fuel prices, as the cost reduction from the oil price rout could be as much as $3 billion. Top airline executives, including United President Scott Kirby, American CEO Doug Parker, and Southwest's Kelly, will be speaking at JPMorgan's Aviation, Transportation and Industrials Conference Tuesday. The event itself will now be held via teleconference rather than its usual New York event due to the outbreak. 266 Shares Share There is constant tension to remain on-time working in a primary care clinic, seeing patients every twenty minutes back-to-back. It takes an incredible ability for the front desk staff, medical assistants, and the physician to be able to keep this flow running smoothly only to have it be derailed by the late patient who does not understand how their actions affect everyone else after them. I currently work in a system where a patient can walk in up to 16 minutes late for their twenty-minute appointment, and they will be seen per policy. No penalty. Very little conversation to help them change this behavior or understand its impact. I cannot refuse to see them. I am criticized for wanting to turn them away ruining the on-time patients that come after because now I am forced to fit this patient in. I am cited for my bad attitude when I complain that this is unjust and unprofessional. I take my child to his 30-minute piano lesson that, too, is scheduled back to back with other students by the teacher to maximize her schedule. If I arrive 16 minutes late, my child gets a 14-minute lesson and is dismissed at the time his lesson was scheduled to end. My hairstylist states she will not take a late client if the time remaining in the appointment does not allow for her to be on time for her next customer. I am confused as to why this same courtesy is not acceptable or applicable in healthcare? Patients need to understand we are stretched thin as is. Primary care has become factory line assembly work, and if you come late or disrupt the flow, the assembly line shuts down and clogs, and no one is happy. But in this current culture, it is the physician who is repeatedly blamed for not having compassion or empathy. I have plenty of empathy for those that now need to wait for me because I am forced to see the late patient. I worked at an FQHC where the CEO believed that, despite transportation and housing insecurity in many of our patients, appointments were to be honored and respected in all aspects of life. He demanded no exception be made in clinic. Kids need to get to school on time. Adults need to be at work on time. Why should a patient not be expected to be on-time for a medical appointment? When a patient came late, it was up to the physician to decide if the person could be seen or needed to reschedule. Patients quickly learned, and behaviors changed. Do I believe that things happen that sometimes are out of the patients control or mine to not be on-time? Absolutelybut ironically, these are never the patients that show up late. Those seniors that drive in a blizzard to keep their appointment with me somehow still arrive early or call if they run into trouble. If I need to spend more time with a patient and go over the 20 minutes appt time arriving late to the next patient, I apologize profusely. My long-term patients know I work very hard to be on-time for them as much as humanly possible. I simply desire the same from them. For my colleagues that always run behind because it is a practice style issue- consider modifying the schedule so there is space built-in for catching up to keep you on-time. Without a doubt, it goes both ways. Dear patients: Please show up on time. Maximize the twenty minutes you have with me and show up early. You will find me more attentive and responsive and less stressed watching the clock to get back on track for those patients that follow. Katie Klingberg is a family physician. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Properties in Delhi and Mumbai and paintings belonging to Yes Bank promoter Rana Kapoor, who was arrested for money laundering on Sunday, are under the enforcement directorates (ED) scanner. According to EDs remand papers accessed by Hindustan Times, Kapoor is suspected to have been involved in laundering 4,300 crore. He allegedly received a kickback of 600 crore from Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited (DHFL), the agency said. The agency alleged that Yes Bank bought 3,700 crore worth debentures of DHFL, which granted a 600-crore loan to Doit, a company in which Kapoors daughters are directors. The ED believes the loan to Doit was a kickback for Yes Banks subscription to the debentures of DHFL. Sources said the probe has revealed that members of the Kapoor family received kickbacks in lieu for the loans sanctioned. The ED is checking if the properties are bought from the proceeds of crime. Among the properties are a bungalow on the citys Altamount Road, properties in Delhi on Kautilya Road, SP Road and Amrita Shergill Road. The agency is also scanning properties in a foreign location. The worth of the properties is hundreds of crores. The agency has stumbled upon 47 expensive paintings, including an MF Husain painting of Rajiv Gandhi. The ED has provisionally attached the paintings which were seized during the raids. Former Yes Bank chief executive officer Ravneet Gill also joined the probe on Monday and visited the ED office in Ballard Estate. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON UPPER THUMB Addressing an ordinance to govern rental housing will be the focus of a 7 p.m. Cass City Village Council meeting of the whole March 11. The meeting is regarding the proposed Rental Ordinance and Rental Registration Program, and to give the public an opportunity to review it. Because it is a meeting of the whole of the council, no formal decision can be made, as it is basically an informational session. The village recognizes the need for an organized inspection and registration program for rental properties located within the village in order to ensure rental units meet applicable fire, health, safety, and zoning codes, explained village Manager Debbie Powell. The plan is to create and to adopt an ordinance for the registration and inspection of rental properties within the village. This is not the first time the council has worked on a proposed ordinance for rental housing. When the council first broached it there was opposition. The hope is that having the meeting next week will give the public an opportunity to learn more about it. We want the public to be engaged in this process, Powell said. The ordinance would allow a Rental Registration Program, which will provide an efficient system for compelling both absentee and local landlords to correct violations and maintain their rental property within the village, she said. One of the reasons such an ordinance is being proposed is to give the village a comprehensive list of who owns the rental property, where it is located, and how many there are in the community. Although the proposed ordinance would require the rental property owner to get a permit and a meet items on a checklist, the overall goal is safety of those who live there. Over the last year, first responders were called to a rental unit address for a safety or health related issue. A subcommittee has been meeting since fall 2019 on the proposed ordinance. The first step was to establish the rental registration form, and check off list of inspection areas. After consensus was reached on these forms, the subcommittee proceeded to draft the proposed rental ordinance with guidance from the village attorney. The inspection and registration should not create a hardship for landlords," Powell said. "It includes reasonable expectations for the property with such requirements as working heat, water, appliances, door locks, smoke detectors, etc." There will be no charge to register properties, but there will be a fee to cover the costs of the inspection, said village President Dan Delamarter. The proposed ordinance, registration form, and check off list are available for review on the Villages website at www.casscity.org. Click on Government and then Ordinances. Copies are also available at the municipal building at 6506 Main St. Addressing rental unit blight was one of the goals for 2020 the council set during its January meeting. The council previously addressed blight issues with other ordinances. One of the other goals for later this year is addressing issues with the wastewater treatment plant and doing informational meetings in the future about it. We are collecting data. We have completed assent management plans for both water and wastewater plants. We will be having our rates evaluated at no cost to us, Powell said. We are not hiring a service. We belong to the Michigan Rural Water Association. As one of their members, they will do an evaluation of our water and sewer at no cost to us. The village has been waiting for six months to get on their list to have the study done, which is expected to happen in April. We are also working with Johnson Controls for evaluating the process and equipment at the wastewater plant," Powell said. "They would advise that would be more efficient. Being able to be more efficient could help offset the cost. The wastewater treatment plant had a life expectancy of about 35 years. Although it has been well maintained, it is pushing 40 years and equipment is failing," Powell said. "We need to be proactive so we dont have a crisis situation." The cost of recent equipment and repairs to the facility have been roughly $285,000. Since then, there have been boiler issues which may indicate the village either needs to renovate the existing plant or build a new one that could cost an estimated $10 million. A study is underway on how to address that. Manila (CNN Philippines Life) In 2008, Filipino-American author and University of New South Wales professor Mina Roces wrote an article which discussed how Filipino Catholic nuns greatly contributed to the feminist movement during the 1970s. The article, titled as The Filipino Catholic as a Transnational Feminist, first appeared in an issue of Womens History Review, which was published by United Kingdom-based company Taylor & Francis. The study focused on a group of select Filipino Catholic nuns Virginia Fabella, Mary John Mananzan, Amelia Vasquez, Soledad Perpinan, Emelina Villegas, and Rosario Battung. Roces introduced the research with a reality check: The idea of Catholic nuns as feminists is largely neglected in womens studies, she said. Functioning under a religious dogma that can be generally viewed as patriarchal, there is a sense of dissonance when discussing feminism in the context of religiosity. This makes Roces findings all the more interesting: how exactly did women of the Church play formidable roles in advancing socialist feminism in the Philippines? Three key events during the 1970s were instrumental to the emergence of the feminist nuns. Filipino nuns began to live with the poor and witnessed their plight firsthand. Throughout the tenure of the Second Vatican Council or Vatican II from 1962 to 1965, the Catholic Church sought to position itself as the church of the poor. As a result, religious individuals and affiliates of the Church, especially those in the Third World, were encouraged to live among the poor. This integration to the masses informed select nuns about the plight of the marginalized and the growing socioeconomic divide among Filipinos, an experience that other middle-class, non-religious activists at the time were unable to accomplish. Three nuns were based in Cavite and focused their efforts in the province. Villegas worked with local sales girls and women workers in export processing factories. Fabella helped women of the urban poor in Cavite. While Battung worked with labor unions in Cavite, she also reached out to the urban poor in Tondo. On the other hand, Vasquez immersed in a small community in Montalban, Rizal. Perpinan was in contact with sex workers from Metro Manila and provincial areas. Mananzan, then serving as the Chairperson of GABRIELA, worked alongside the urban poor, peasants, and indigenous women. Contact with grassroots women enabled them to see womens victimisation and womens oppression firsthand. Listening to womens stories introduced them to the world of Filipino machismo, and patriarchy in everyday Filipino culture, while their own marginalisation in the Church hierarchy was a constant reminder of the patriarchy of the Catholic Church, Roces wrote in a New Naratif adaptation of the research. Nuns received feminist education overseas, which equipped them with theory to back up their advocacy. Nuns were also required to go overseas in completion of their formation training through mission work. A certain percentage of these nuns pursued higher academic qualifications, although barred from ordination. This opportunity, alongside their membership to international religious congregations in touch with global networks, granted them the privilege of becoming transnational citizens and provided them with a feminist education that emphasized on Western feminist theology and Third World theology. Both events laid the groundwork for what Roces called the evolution of the Filipino nuns, introducing them to the practice of socialist feminism. According to the author, their choice and capacity to live with the poor distinguished them from other middle-class activists and earned them the credentials to speak for [lower-class] Filipinas, while the feminist education and networks from overseas offered them a means to be heard. In sum, their shifting subject positions were what made them effective political activists, Roces noted. This academic background in grassroots feminism and theology also allowed them to openly critique and deconstruct what Mananzan has termed the religious roots of womens oppression, which Roces refers to as the nuns major contribution to feminist theorising of the Filipina. The nuns understand how Christianitys definition of the feminine serves as a crucial cause for womens inclination to embrace victimhood. Nuns who were continuously approached by lower-class women as advisers heard many stories of women embracing victimisation because it meant that like Jesus Christ, they were given a cross which they had to carry all the way to Calvary. Suffering then became a metaphor for ones experience of Calvary; a prerequisite for winning redemption in the next life, Roces wrote. The feminist nuns made it a mission to demythologise suffering and destroy the martyr complex by introducing socialist feminism to Filipina women and reinventing them as militant activists. The martial law period during Marcos term called for political activism, prompting the nuns to take action. The political crisis brought about by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos declaration of martial law in 1972 and the numerous human rights violations it entailed, gave the select Catholic feminist nuns to put their theories into action. Roces called the martial law period a baptism of fire for the religious political activists, as they bore witness to the victimisation of the disempowered class under the brutal force of the military. The nuns stood with laborers in barricade striking, although illegal, as they demanded for better wages, fought alongside indigenous peoples for ancestral lands, and defended the urban poor in the face of threats to demolish their makeshift homes. They documented the struggle of political prisoners and agitated for the release of detainees through Task Force Detainees. They conducted conscientisation seminars that informed religious individuals of the experiences of martial law victims. The nuns also had active participation in the People Power Revolution, where they sought to protect civilians with rosaries and their moral power from the armed soldiers attacking the public. The most visible metaphor of the nun who moved through spaces was the practice of wearing the habit. While a number of feminist nuns no longer wore the habit, there were a number who lived life in and out of the habit, Roces wrote, noting that the nuns interviewed for her study all fall under the latter type. Typically, habits should be worn whenever nuns need to present the collective identity of the Catholic Church. However, considering the countrys high regard for religious personalities, the nuns claimed that the habit provided them with a symbolic capital, and served as proof to their moral power as women of the Church. They capitalized on this during public demonstrations with the masses by wearing the habits as costumes show their advantage against Marcos and credibility as defenders of social justice. When the martial law was put to an end in 1986, restoring democratic institutions in the country, the nuns continued to forward socialist feminism by founding grassroots womens organizations and facilitating womens studies and gender sensitizing courses. Soon after the People Power Revolution, Mananzan co-founded GABRIELA, the transnational alliance of grassroots womens groups across the country, alongside other women activists and served as the National Chairperson for 18 years. Mananzan also worked in the educational sector and had integrated womens studies into the curriculum of the Institute of Womens Studies in 1985. The Institute, also called Nursia, also ran a three-day seminar for grassroots women six times in a year. It is also the first institution to ever design a syllabus on womens studies in the Philippine context, and the first to publish a collection of essays on the woman question a term often used by Mananzan to refer to womens issues. Nursia went on to hold conferences and run a radio program that sought to demystify the taboos surrounding womens welfare and rights. Perpinan continued to manage the Third World Movement Against the Exploitation of Women, which she founded six years prior and was initially created to call out military prostitution and Japanese sex tourism in the Philippines, later branching out to Nairobi and Bangkok. The organization provided counseling and training for alternative employment to sex workers through drop-in centers called Belens, based in Quezon City, Pasay, Subic, Cebu, Batangas, General Santos, and Angeles City. While barred from ordination, Roces wrote that the nuns would not have chosen to be ordained should they have been given the opportunity. They believe that their current position in the Catholic Church, although in unequal standing with priests, allowed them the freedom to keep on pursuing their advocacy. Today, these feminist nuns remain as icons of Philippine feminism and revolt, best known for fighting alongside the marginalized. 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Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f0482293248)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f04828895d8)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f0482293248)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f04828895d8)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f0482283a10)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f04828895d8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f04828895d8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0481b673b8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f0482889bc0)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f0482889bc0)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 THUMB REGION Local school districts received information last week from the local health department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help them be better prepared for a coronavirus outbreak. According to Huron and Tuscola County Health Officer Ann Hepfer, the CDC has broken down information pertaining to the deadly COVID-19 into categories specific to people's needs. Area health departments have relied heavily on the CDC to most accurately inform residents about preventative action guidelines, instructing everyone on how to be prepared and take action at home, in childcare programs, inside schools and universities, at the workplace, in laboratories, during community and faith based organizations, when traveling, at large community events, in healthcare centers and as first responders. Informational emails were sent out last week to local organizations from area health departments. The recipient list included the Huron Intermediate School District. Huron ISD Superintendent Joseph Murphy received the email late last week and immediately forwarded it out to all Huron County schools. The email instructed school staff on what to do when child gets sick, such as providing a mask and sending them home. He commended the Huron County Health Department for all it is doing to help educate the community and keep everyone healthy. "Ann Hepfer and her staff have been great at sending us the most recent information," Murphy said. Laker Superintendent Brian Keim is among the long list of educators who are taking preventative caution and action. Keim also mentioned retrieving updates and memos from the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators. He believes in taking a proactive approach to keeping everyone safe, and this means amping up the cleaning efforts by ensuring soap dispensers are always full and dispersing hand sanitizer throughout the building. The school has even posted information from the health department on its Facebook page. The plan is to document and notify the health department right away if someone presents symptoms. Unionville-Sebawaing Area Schools Superintendent George Rierson is working to ensure everyone is educated on COVID-19 and communicating only accurate information. He also hopes to eliminate the spread of germs. The school has installed hand sanitizer dispensers. It is overstocking all disinfectants and hand washing solutions. Special focus is being put on the elementary school and sanitization. "We don't see it as prep for COVID as much as protecting students, families, and staff from any viral infections," Rierson said. Like the others, Harbor Beach Superintendent Shawn Bishop is working with MASA and the health department. He even mentioned using toolkits provided by the Michigan Department of Education to inform and remind staff about staying informed and communicating with the public. Most importantly, he emphasized maintaining awareness and sanitation. "Our biggest attention is focusing on stepping up sanitation," Bishop said. "That means cleaning desktops, door knobs, and making alcohol based sanitizers available to classrooms. I met with the head of maintenance to talk to all custodial staff." Bad Axe Public Schools Registered Nurse Kathy LaPonsie said the school is following all health department guidelines. She highlighted that COVID-19 symptoms mimic that of the common cold. "They start out the same," LaPonsie said. "If your doctor tells you to stay home, stay home and do what they are recommending." The CDC has confirmed that the virus causing COVID-19 spreads easily from person to person. Depending on severity, quarantine is recommended in-home or at a medical center. The health department is using CDC information to advise everyone who feels sick to stay home, except when seeking medical treatment. This means decreasing out-of-home activities and avoiding work, school, public areas, and public transportation. They are asked to limit contact with other members, if at all possible. This includes pets. Individuals who think they may have contracted COVID-19 should call ahead before visiting their doctor and wear face masks. It is important to do so correctly and this means throwing a mask away after use and washing their hands. The same rules apply when covering the mouth and nose with a tissue after coughing or sneezing. Be sure to throw the tissue away immediately, prior to washing the hands with soap and water. Wash all areas of the hands for least 20 seconds. If a sink and soap are unavailable, use a 60% or higher alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Additionally, people who are ill are asked to stop sharing personal household items. Dishes, cups, eating utensils, towels and bedding should be cleansed thoroughly after use. Avoid touching the eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Also, stay clean. Disinfect all surfaces, such as counters, tabletops, doorknobs, and bathroom fixtures, toilets, and phones. Also, clean any surfaces that may have blood, stool, or body fluids on them. Use a household cleaning spray or wipe, according to the label instructions. Scheurer Hospital Infection Prevention Coordinator Julia Harbuck-Valley and Marketing Business Development Manager Clark Ramsey agree that Scheurer Hospital is doing all it can to prepare and educate staff and patients. "It is my honest opinion that we are ready," Ramsey said. "It is our belief and culture to prepare at all times." "I have been working with leaders, emergency preparedness and employee health personal, our providers to ensure everyone is on the same page," Harbuck-Valley said. The prevention coordinator said that the utilization of reliable resources is of high importance when combatting viruses. The hospitals leaders also obtain their information from the CDC. Harbuck-Valley talked about how crucial it is that those in receptionist positions can identify a potentially infected person and know how to respond. This means identifying rapidly to isolate and take action. "We know what type of testing to do and how to communicate with the health department," Harbuck-Valley said. "The more staff are educated the more they will understand. If and when it does come this way, I am 100% certain that Scheurer is well prepared." Harbuck-Valley and some of her co-workers are checking the CDC and finding the most accurate up-to-date information as it pertains to COVID-19. "It is about ensuring the community is calm but educated," Harbuck-Valley said. That is the message the Huron County Health Department would like to get out stay calm and avoid panicking. As of March 9 the CDC has confirmed 423 cases of coronavirus in the United States in 35 states, resulting in 19 deaths. As of press time, Michigan did not have any confirmed cases. For more information you may contact the Huron County Health Department at 989-269-9721. Last updated on: March 10, 2020 21:48 IST Holi was celebrated in several states across the country on Tuesday amid the coronavirus scare as people exercised caution and avoided mass gatherings. They were seen sprinkling water and smearing each other with colours. While many chose to skip the celebrations altogether, some preferred small gatherings but without colours. Some played Holi only with 'gulal'. President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted people on the occasion. Here are some of the glimpses of the celebrations. A reveller smeared in colour powder celebrates Holi, the spring festival of colours, in Mumbai. Photograph: Kunal Patil/PTI Photo Revellers celebrate Holi festival in Prayagraj. Photograph: PTI Photo Afghan nationals play with dry colours during Holi celebrations in New Delhi. Photograph: Ravi Choudhary/PTI Photo Members of Sarrafa Market throw colors at people as they celebrate Holi festival in Lucknow. Photograph: ANI Photo Revellers play with dry colours as they celebrate Holi festival in Moradabad. Photograph: ANI Photo BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 10 Trend: The first session of the Azerbaijani Parliaments sixth convocation has been held. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the session. Opening the event, head of the Administration of Azerbaijani Parliament Safa Mirzayev congratulated the MPs. X X X The oldest member of the newly-formed Parliament Ziyad Samadzade, who chaired the session, declared it open. Ziyad Samadzade then read out names of the newly-elected MPs. X X X The national anthem of the Republic of Azerbaijan was then played. President Ilham Aliyev made a speech at the session. Speech of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev - Dear members of parliament, dear ladies and gentlemen. The Milli Majlis of the sixth convocation begins its work today. I heartily congratulate all the MPs on this occasion and wish you success. First of all, I want to express my gratitude to members of the Milli Majlis of the fifth convocation for their activities. The Milli Majlis of the fifth convocation, its members and leaders played a major role in the successful development of our country. The laws adopted by the parliament have strengthened the legal foundations of our successful development. I am sure that the Milli Majlis of the sixth convocation will also work successfully and thus contribute to the wide-ranging and comprehensive reforms under way in our country, to deepening them. The parliamentary elections held on 9 February became an important event in the life of our country. All elections are important, but the latest were special because they were early elections. The main reason for holding these elections in February was to deepen the reforms and organize the work of the new Milli Majlis without wasting any time. I believe that the elections were successful and there was a lot of interest in them this time. Clear evidence of this is the participation of more than 1300 candidates in the elections. Of course, candidates were able to carry out extensive work, freely convey their thoughts, views and ideas to the voters. Equal conditions were created for all the candidates and there was no discrimination. In fact, the participation of more than 1300 candidates is a manifestation of their confidence in the elections. I believe that in general the electoral process was successful and the results reflect the will of the Azerbaijani people. The key thing is that the Azerbaijani people were satisfied with the elections, as once again witnessed by the events observed after the elections. We invited many international organizations and observers to follow the elections, and the vast majority of them very positively evaluated the period of preparations, the campaigning and the voting day. It is possible to say that the vast majority of observers assessed the elections as yet another successful step towards the development of democracy and stated that the Azerbaijani people freely exercises their suffrage and the election results reflect the real picture. The international observers who declared this, of course, reflected the real state of affairs. At the same time, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and some organizations under its influence, which always approach the electoral process in Azerbaijan through the prism of double standards and bias, have again tried to exaggerate some minor irregularities in order to present them as a major event. No elections are perfect. There were shortcomings this time too and the cancellation of results in four districts shows that Azerbaijan itself is interested in not having such shortcomings. Post-election processes have once again demonstrated that our intention was to enable Azerbaijani people to freely exercise their suffrage and vote for their candidate, thus expressing their opinion and political will. In general, we succeeded in doing that, and the picture observed after the election shows that the Azerbaijani people agreed with the election results. This is the main thing for us. At the same time, I believe that the European Union made a very objective statement in connection with the elections. It expressed its readiness to work with the newly-elected MPs, the Azerbaijani parliament. This essentially means recognition of the elections. As for the opinion of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, apparently due to the absence of serious incidents, it had to present its report in a somewhat balanced manner this time. However, we have long known that their reports are written before elections. We also know where they are written. In addition, the recent statements by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and its assessment of the elections in some countries show again how biased and prejudiced they are. This shows that this organization is fulfilling a political order. The latest example was the parliamentary elections held in Armenia in 2018. As you know, those elections were completely rigged by the then ruling fascist party of the Republicans. I call this party fascist not only because of their ideology and essence, but also because it is enough to look at their emblem to understand that it doesnt differ much from the emblem of fascist Germany. And the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights gave a positive conclusion on those rigged elections, during which the Republican Party appropriated more than 50 percent of the votes. In other words, it became an accomplice in this falsification, and the events that followed are known to all. After that, this illegal and corrupt regime was overthrown, the deputies allegedly representing them in the Armenian parliament surrendered, raised their hands up and stepped aside with a miserable look. New parliamentary elections were called, and the fascist Republican Party was not able to get into parliament at all. What does this suggest? This suggests that the results of the elections that had been rigged two or three months prior to these elections were evident, but the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights expressed a positive opinion about this rigging. So by citing this as an example, I want to say again that the opinion of this organization does not mean anything at all to us because it is written on the basis of a political order and serves, as it were, a means of pressure for leading circles of some states. I want to mention another issue related to observers. Honestly, I was surprised by this too. I can say that in the current elections we saw all the organizations we invited as observers. However, we did not send an invitation to the European Parliament because, firstly, we are not a member of this organization, and secondly, we do not see the need for that for about the same reasons. The European Parliament is the leader in adopting unfair resolutions against Azerbaijan. Their resolutions have absolutely no meaning for us too. However, I must say that such trends against us are still being observed today. So we did not invite this organization. But they circulated a statement that they refuse to observe these elections. This, to put it mildly, is a political falsification because we did not invite you, we dont want to see you here and we dont believe you. This being the case, to say that they are refusing to observe the elections is ridiculous and surprising. In other words, the elections showed again that the people value our political course highly. I believe that post-election processes will develop in a positive direction. The Milli Majlis of the sixth convocation is a multi-party parliament. This is a very positive sign. I believe that the Milli Majlis will and should play a huge role in improving the political system. All political forces took part in the elections. The marginal group calling itself the opposition allegedly boycotted the elections. This is ridiculous because the Azerbaijani people have long boycotted this disgraceful entity which has been in the dustbin of history for 27 years. Under such circumstances, the announcement of a boycott is both funny and surprising. Thus, as a result of the elections contested by all political forces, a multi-party parliament was formed, and I believe that this is an important step towards development of democracy. As you know, the New Azerbaijan Party has won the majority of the seats. Of course, the words of the New Azerbaijan Party in the Milli Majlis are quite valuable and effective. MPs representing the New Azerbaijan Party gathered on my instruction this morning and made important decisions. I recommended that representatives of parties be represented on the leadership of the Milli Majlis of the sixth convocation and in the leadership of committees. This was not the case before. Representatives of the opposition were not represented in the leadership of committees in the Milli Majlis of the previous convocation or in the leadership of the parliament. However, I believe that in order to strengthen the political system in Azerbaijan and strengthen political relations on a sound basis, this is necessary. Of course, I believe that the New Azerbaijan Party is taking the right step in this direction in common interests. I can say that the Milli Majlis of the sixth convocation will, of course, have its say in this area. At the same time, representatives of the Presidential Administration have recently held meetings with leaders of practically all political forces. I am regularly updated about these meetings. Overall, the initial opinion is positive. I believe that in the current period of large-scale reforms, it is necessary to carry out political reforms that cannot be carried out without a broad dialogue between the parties. One ruling party cannot conduct political dialogue on its own because a dialogue requires partners, and the initial impression is positive. This initiative is being implemented without any preconditions. However, the marginalized and club-like group that has completely lost all popular support has refused to hold this meeting again. They refused, they know better. In any case, we will not be the losers. A new political configuration of Azerbaijan is being formed. I believe that the Milli Majlis will take the necessary steps to improve the political system in the legislative sphere too, and the multi-party system in Azerbaijan will be built on an even more solid foundation. Currently, no serious criteria are required to establish a political party. I believe that this practice must end. If we are really interested in developing a multi-party system in Azerbaijan and we want and propose this as a party in power then, of course, we need the whole range of tools necessary for the activities of political parties. I believe that this will be one of the issues on the agenda of the Milli Majlis. In a nutshell, the elections, the post-election period and the steps taken by the authorities in relation to political parties all this reflects a new stage in our policy. This reflects our course towards reforms. As you know, a new phase of reform began after the 2018 presidential election. I proclaimed these reforms at the inauguration ceremony in this assembly hall. We are consistently implementing them, which is reflected in life. This also suggests that our words, as always, do not diverge from our actions. Reforms are both conceptual and structural in nature. Personnel reforms are underway. The Presidential Administration has been formed in an almost fully new composition. New departments have been set up. The establishment of these departments also confirms my words and our intentions again. A new Cabinet of Ministers is now in place. The Cabinet of Ministers operates more quickly and flexibly now. Personnel reforms have been carried out in the ministries. Reforms are and will be carried out in local executive bodies. The disgraceful picture observed in some local executive authorities is causing the indignation of all our people. Cleaning will continue to be carried out in central and local executive authorities and in all state structures. I said this before and want to say it again: if someone wants to work in public service, their actions and thoughts should be clean. If someone does not see these qualities in themselves, then they should leave civil service in order not to become unhappy. Therefore, the deepening of reforms could not have bypassed parliament, of course. I believe that the new composition of the Milli Majlis will give a new impetus to the reforms. The MPs have major tasks ahead of them, first of all in the legislative sphere. Because the main work of the parliament is legislation. I recommend paying more attention not to quantity but to quality because it is necessary to consider improving the existing laws, to review them. I have asked executive bodies to review the implementation status of the adopted laws. We adopt many great laws. The President also signs many important orders, but control over their implementation is not up to standard. Therefore, a special department has been set up within the Presidential Administration. I consider that the Milli Majlis, the MPs should also be engaged in this. See if the laws are being implemented, whether or not they are violated. If such facts do come to light, strict penalties must be applied, of course. Therefore, I believe that, in general, it will take some time, of course, but it must be done in any case. We must review our legislative framework. If necessary, we must bring it into line with the goals we are facing because life does not stand still, new challenges and new problems are emerging. Suddenly events take place that confuse the whole world. Therefore, these laws are not dogma, of course, they should be reviewed. The main essence of the new laws that will be adopted is to deepen the reforms. Therefore, as I have already noted, legislative initiatives will be needed to form and strengthen the political system. Laws should be adopted that will contribute to the deepening of economic reforms. I believe that the legislative framework related to our national values and to the preservation of our traditional national values should be broader. With regard to information security. We live in an age of information, and the circulation of the so-called fake news is unfortunately widespread. And any false information can lead to major consequences. We in Azerbaijan have long been faced with these slanderous campaigns. The main reason for this is our independent policy because we do not bow our heads to anyone. And the consequences of this are that an information campaign is being waged against us a smear campaign, a campaign built on lies, slander and fabrications. Therefore, there must definitely be new approaches in the legislation, new thoughts related to the protection of information, information security. With regard to social policy. Azerbaijan is a social state, and all our steps confirm this. The socially oriented package implemented on my initiative last year alone covers 4.2 million people. The regular increase in the minimum wage and minimum pension, of course, requires major economic sources, and we are creating them. The processes taking place in our country in relation to transparency, the processes aimed against the shadow economy strengthen our economic opportunities, expand our tax base and deal a serious blow to the shadow economy. Therefore, all these issues should certainly be the spotlight of laws. With regard to the youth policy. Young people constitute the vast majority of the population of Azerbaijan, the demographic picture in Azerbaijan is very positive. Therefore, of course, it is necessary to take legislative steps towards effective organization of youth leisure, engaging it in active work, for example the volunteer movement, and educating them in the spirit of patriotism. Young people should be raised in the national spirit, not fall under external influence, especially in the current age of the Internet when any lie that is subsequently presented as a reality circulates very fast. This is a part of the shady policy being pursued against us because it is no secret that the public and political situation in Azerbaijan is currently very stable. There is not a single factor in our country that can pose a threat to public and political stability. This is why the anti-Azerbaijani forces are trying to create these factors outside our country. They no longer rely on the group that calls itself the opposition here and supposedly continues to operate in an absolutely shameful position. And there is no more confidence for them. So work is underway to create a new fifth column because the current fifth column does not justify the confidence of its owners. They could not carry out a coup in Azerbaijan, perform a revolution" or win popular support, and simply appropriated the money given to them on a regular basis and thus left their patrons high and dry. Therefore, a new fifth column is being sought. In this regard, I want to strictly warn all political forces: this is a path of betrayal. Whoever follows this path will commit treason against the people and state. Therefore, all our internal problems should be resolved within Azerbaijan. We should not export our domestic problems or political discord. First of all, it is absolutely pointless because there is no force in the world today that can impose any solution on us or dictate anything to us. There is no such force out there and as long as I am president, there wont be any. Therefore, it is absolutely pointless. Attempts to exert pressure on Azerbaijan or threaten us with sanctions are all completely meaningless. This is a crime against the state, not against the government, and let no-one forget that. In recent years, we have faced different forms of pressure, different campaigns, but we never turned away from our path. The calm of our country and people, security, stability, the well-being of our people and the independent policy are above everything else for us. We cooperate with international organizations, are a member of some organizations, we entered them of our own accord and can of our own accord as well if something doesnt suit us in these organizations at some point or if prejudice against us reaches an extent too high for us to tolerate. Therefore, I believe that representatives of all political bodies should be very careful in this area. As for the young generation, let me say again that it is patriotic in our country, it is attached to the motherland and national roots. And it should be the case. I have repeatedly said this, but I want to say it again our young people should be raised in the national spirit. At the same time, additional measures should be taken to train our young people morally and physically. I believe that the Milli Majlis and its respective committees will do this and put forward specific proposals. Of course, I recommend that MPs be active in the constituencies they were elected from and to always stay in touch with the voters. It is no secret now that some MPs were a little or completely detached from the voters before. They did not even visit their constituencies and enquire about problems. Personal problems were put at the forefront. This must also end. There were many such facts before. Having their relatives appointed to senior posts, acquiring some land plots, supporting a business, etc. I dont want to go into the nitty-gritty of that. Therefore, the new Milli Majlis should be morally flawless because this is the main essence of our reforms. If our citizens look carefully at the reforms in the political sphere, structural and personnel reforms, they will see that the personnel appointed to new posts are clean. So there is no negative background behind them, so to speak. The Milli Majlis and his members should meet the same criteria. You will have to answer to the people tomorrow. Therefore, you should always be interested in the problems of the constituencies you were elected from, meet with voters and visit the constituencies. At the same time, you need to identify existing problems, raise them with executive bodies and bring them to the attention of central executive authorities. I believe that the new Milli Majlis will carry out activities in this area successful. In connection with international activities, I want to say that our MPs are represented in several international organizations. Of course, our activity there was quite extensive in previous years. It should be even higher now because we must communicate the realities of Azerbaijan to the world. In particular, we must communicate the historical realities associated with the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Historical justice is on our side. International law also supports our position. Therefore, the Armenian side cannot put forward a single serious argument against ours only lies, slander, historical falsification and mythology. This is actually their essence. Within a broad network, they bribe certain politicians. This is no secret to anyone. Under such circumstances, their historical falsification seems to be justified. Therefore, our MPs in all international organizations must present the historical truth. After I mentioned the Kurekchay peace treaty in Munich, I know that people in Armenia are reading it carefully. It clearly indicates who and when concluded this agreement. There is no question of the Armenian people there at all. On the one hand, there was Russian general Tsitsianov and on the other Ibrahim Khan. In fact, it is written in Russian Ibrahim Khan "of Shusha in Karabakh". This is real history. Suffice it to look at the maps published by the Russian Empire at the beginning of the 20th century to see that the vast majority of place names in the present territory of Armenia are of Azerbaijani origin. It is necessary to say all this. It is necessary to show these maps. It is necessary to show the maps of our occupied lands. They must be shown to all international organizations and their representatives working there. At the same time, during meetings with representatives of the parliaments of Muslim countries, it is imperative to show pictures of our mosques destroyed by the Armenians. I am doing that. I show these pictures to the leaders of many Muslim countries. If the broad political elite sees them, the leaders of these countries will be embarrassed to kiss the leaders of Armenia, of course. We must talk about this. We must say that this fascist regime declared war not only on us, but also on the entire Muslim world. Our mosques and historical monuments have been destroyed. However, we cannot communicate this information adequately. Therefore, this should become a special direction. Of course, we must be active in all organizations in connection with the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We must pursue offensive diplomacy because the truth is on our side. The Khojaly genocide. It has already been officially recognized by the parliaments of more than 10 countries. This process should be continued, and MPs should be active in this process because state bodies play a major role in making these decisions. Therefore, the parliament should be active. This is a fact accepted within the framework of international relations. Inappropriate, deceitful and insignificant attempts of Armenia manifested themselves at the Munich Security Conference and exposed them again. Because their whole story is a falsification. They built a state on historically Azerbaijani lands unfortunately, with the help of our Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. Having changed all our historical names today, they are trying to appropriate our history and monuments. Therefore, MPs must always raise this issue. In general, our activities within the framework of international organizations should be more focused. The MPs representing us there should be active, should not go there as tourists and submit a report on what they have done, who they met with and what issues they raised. Sometimes it looks like tourist trips they go, get together, talk, eat and come back. In fact, some trips are completely unacceptable. I dont want to talk about this for a long time, but I know what is happening, what events are happening. Therefore, we must enhance the effectiveness of our international activities. We must demonstrate our intransigence in the organizations displaying an unjustified approach towards us and bringing charges against us. In other words, we should not try to be nice to them, but serve the interests of our state and people. We must not step aside under the pretext that we do not want to aggravate a particular issue, but rather speak our word. We must expose a biased approach. Just as I always do, and there is ample evidence of that. You don't have to be a politician to say that. The average citizen can see this on television. Look at the crimes committed by those who are trying to teach us a lesson in democracy. In the countries of Europe, which is considered to be the cradle of democracy", right under the nose of the whole world, peaceful demonstrators are beaten up, suppressed, their eyes are hollowed out, they are killed, they are arrested. Journalists are arrested on unsubstantiated charges and cast behind bars. Everything is visible. Dogs are set against peaceful demonstrators. People are dispersed using horses. This is happening not just in one or two countries, it has acquired a large-scale nature today practically the whole region that is trying to criticize us. Look at the attitude towards Muslim migrants! In the 21st century, they are confronted with dogs and driven into cages. And then they throw pieces of food into the cages, as if those inside were animals. What kind of an attitude is this?! And now they intend to oppress them using all possible means. Where did these migrants come from? Why did they appear? Why did they leave their countries? Who attacked their countries? Who destroyed their countries? Who violated stability? Who contributed to the emergence of millions of refugees? Whoever has done this should reap the benefits now. Why should Turkey, our brotherly country, accept and feed 4 million refugees and spend billions of dollars? Has Turkey imposed this suffering on them? No! Let those who imposed this wandering on them take responsibility. It is necessary to talk about all this. I am saying this from this podium, openly and without fearing anyone. Because I am right, and it is hard to argue against the truth. Of course, you will see a few days after these words that some dirty articles will reappear, as some far-fetched organization will make a statement that everything in Azerbaijan is bad. Never mind, let them talk. But if we dont tell this truth, then it will hit us tomorrow. Therefore, we must say this, and so must you. I am telling all MPs: dont collude with anyone. We need to work with international organizations, and we are doing that. But we have our own interests and sufficient arguments. Therefore, I urge you to wage this struggle in the Council of Europe, in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and in all organizations. So I believe that steps in this direction will further strengthen the position of our country. Of course, the parliament should play a more active role in the economic sphere. I believe that members of the government should also be in closer contact and communication with the parliament. It is necessary to ask them questions so that they report on the work done, speak, and we must make this systematic. Because this will enhance the responsibility of members of the government. At the same time, the role of the parliament will grow I want the role and capabilities of the parliament in Azerbaijan to increase, as this will also have a positive impact on our work. After all, responsibility is one of the most important issues. Responsibility and control. Where these are not available, nothing will work. On the contrary, we may face a very negative picture. Therefore, this should also become a kind of control mechanism. I always appeal to citizens in connection with public oversight. This process is moving slowly, we are not used to it yet. We still believe that some head of the executive authority is a master, a khan who can do whatever he wants, make people work like slaves, and people should put up with it. I am saying this: report it, send letters. The situation at the Presidential Administration is completely different now. Previously, certain people concealed these letters from us. They were sent to those who were being complained about. And then that person oppressed the complainant. That practice is over now. True, it takes time, but this is already a trend. Therefore, citizens should be more active in public oversight. I used to get information about many issues from the media. It did not reach me, it was concealed, covered up, and this created great difficulties. Therefore, I believe that constant contact with members of the government is necessary. A special department for work with the parliament has been set up in the Presidential Administration. Of course, this once again shows that we attach great importance to the work of parliament. As for economic reforms, they are in full view. Thanks to transparency, we transferred 1 billion manats into the budget over the forecast last year alone, and this process continues. In the first two months of this year, tax authorities collected 181 million manats over the forecast and customs authorities more than 71 million manats specifically thanks to transparency and the fight against the shadow economy. The fight against the shadow economy is yielding fruit. Gradually, the scope of the shadow economy will narrow. Of course, it is impossible to do this in one day, it is a whole process. However, all government agencies have been mobilized and are active in this matter. The economic performance of first two months is also very positive. The gross domestic product grew by 2.8 percent, and in the non-oil sector in January-February by 6.7 percent. That is what we see as the key indicator. Growth in non-oil industrial production is 21.7 percent. This happened due to the development of the non-oil sector in recent years, because there is no such growth in the oil sector. On the contrary, production is declining and prices completely collapsed yesterday. In two months, household incomes increased by 9 percent and inflation is only at 2.8 percent. I am sure that this trend will continue to be observed. True, the excitement taking place in the world today in connection with the coronavirus inevitably affects us. However, I believe that by mobilizing all our efforts, we will overcome this situation with our head high. At present, many countries are seriously affected by this. An operational headquarters has been set up in Azerbaijan and, as I was informed this morning, the recovery process of those affected is going well. Persons in quarantine are already completing the quarantine period and being discharged. So the situation is fully under control. The situation at the borders is also under control. Special columns are formed and escorted by police into the territory of Azerbaijan with trucks. On the way, drivers are provided with meals so that they dont leave vehicles too often. So all necessary measures are being taken. In general, the activities of parliament related to the social sphere should be very active, of course. This area is, as always, a priority for us. As I already noted, important steps were taken last year and they will be continued this year. In particular, additional funds are envisaged to support low-income families. The number of families covered by targeted social assistance is increasing. On my instructions, amendments are being introduced to the methodology because the previous one did not reflect reality. The amount provided to each family is also increasing. This year 7,000 apartments will be provided to internally displaced persons, which is a record high. Martyr families will be provided with 1,500 apartments, which is also a record figure. Last year, 934 apartments were provided. The role of our parliament in the development of interreligious and intercultural dialogue can also become very effective. Our MPs should actively participate in international events and the numerous events held in Azerbaijan. We respect our religion. It is sacred for us. At the same time, we must respect other religions. The ideas voiced at the 2nd Summit of World Religious Leaders at the end of last year show that there is probably no other country in the world today that would address this issue and achieve serious results as much as Azerbaijan. The Muslim world supports us, while the Organization of Islamic Cooperation refers to us as an example due to our attitude to the Muslim religion. The inter-religious processes taking place in Azerbaijan are praised by both Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Cyril and Pope Francis. I have already met him three times once in Baku and twice in the Vatican. He also appreciates the work carried out in Azerbaijan in this area. So it is not me saying this. These are the words of the leaders of the worlds traditional religions. Of course, we will take steps in this direction. Along with this, we must strengthen Azerbaijan as a modern and secular state. The principles of secularism should be affirmed even more broadly. It is necessary to rigorously fight against radicalism. The parliaments role is important here. However, to be honest, I dont remember any serious discussion about this being conducted in the parliament before. We have to talk about it. There should not be any banned topics because our future depends on that. What kind of state do we want to live 20, 30, 50 years from now? We know that, and so do our people. But this must be ensured. If we sit and wait for something, major problems may occur. Therefore, we must ensure our policy in this area, we must show its advantages and compare. We shouldnt be bashful. We have enough arguments to compare with anyone security, tranquility, development, social well-being, freedoms. Therefore, the parliament should and, I am sure, will deal with these issues quite seriously. These elections once again showed that there is no alternative to the political course pursued by the Azerbaijani authorities today. There are very simple reasons for this. The development that has been observed in our country in recent years, of course, convinces people. The Azerbaijani people live in the conditions of calm, stability and security. For about 27 years, we have been living in stability. Look at the processes happening around us wars, the influx of refugees, coups, civil strife, crises. Countries have broken up, it is possible to say that the geographical borders of many states do not reflect the real situation, these countries retain sovereignty and territorial integrity only on maps and have actually long lost them, have long been divided into tribes, communities and various regions. So many negative processes and revolutions have happened in our neighborhood. What revolution has brought people benefits? Only harm, problems and confrontations, and they are continuing. Look at the post-Soviet space and the situation in Azerbaijan. I cant compare, but you can do that. MPs should say what the President cant. I am sure that this will be the case. Therefore, the results of these elections are the embodiment of the work done. Both security and stability are provided today. Azerbaijan has stepped up its military capabilities. The military victories we won in 2016-2018 aroused a sense of pride in every Azerbaijani, demonstrated the power of our army. It is no coincidence that our army is among top 50 strongest armies in the world. Our international positions are quite strong. We became a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, and in less than seven years were elected to chair it with the support of 120 countries. As you know, the differences between these countries are quite deep. I do not believe that is another country that could have been unanimously elected to chair this organization. It is the largest international organization after the UN. There is no leader in the UN, but the Non-Aligned Movement has a leader, and it is Azerbaijan. Last year, we took over chairmanship of the Turkic Council, and I can say that Azerbaijan plays a very important role in the cooperation of Turkic-speaking states and in all other international contacts. Now we are working on an agreement with the European Union, we have documents on strategic partnership with nine member-countries of the European Union. This is one third of the countries of the European Union. We have relations with neighboring countries built on a sound, businesslike and friendly basis. We enjoy great authority in the Muslim world. Such are our international positions. Therefore, they respect us, listen to us also because we are pursuing an unambiguous policy. Our policy is not situational. It is fair, our words do not diverge from our actions. I express our position in front of all audiences. For me there is no such thing as one topic for in Azerbaijan and another abroad. There is and must be a position on each issue, and I advocate that. Some may like it, okay, but some dont it is up to them. They may not like us precisely for these actions, for our independent policy. But we are respected. I have repeatedly seen this. Therefore, MPs should also carry out such activities in international organizations that we are always treated with respect. The successes achieved in the economic sphere over the past 16 years are unmatched in the world. If there are, let them say, look at the statistics what country has been able to increase its economy 3.4 times in 16 years? The poverty rate that was close to 50 percent is at 4.8 percent now and will decrease even more because salaries and pensions are increasing and will increase further, as well as benefits. The external debt accounts for 17 percent of the gross domestic product. This is a very low rate. In some developed countries, it exceeds 100 percent. But more importantly, our foreign exchange reserves are six times the size of the external debt. So if we want, we can repay our external debt in a month. In order for some countries to pay off their external debt, their foreign exchange reserves should be 50 times higher than they are now. Such successes in the economic sphere have been achieved in recent years. In the social sphere salaries and pensions have grown more than 10 times. Problems of internally displaced persons and martyr families are being addressed. We have become a space-faring nation. We have three satellites. The International Congress of Astronautics will be held in Baku in 2022, we won this right in a tense struggle. Four cities took part in this competition - Delhi, Rio de Janeiro, Singapore and Baku. We won. Why? Because we are respected there. I can list such facts for a long time. Just look at our energy policy to see what we have done for our people, state and continent. Oil and gas pipelines the implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor is nearing completion today. We did this in a difficult geopolitical setting with minimal, one might say zero losses. Not only did, but also created a format for long-term international cooperation between seven countries. Today these countries are natural friends. Though not allies, but natural friends. Therefore, our role in this area is undeniable, we are the leaders in this area. In the field of transport. We have turned a landlocked country into a transportation hub. There are many such facts, and each of them had a positive impact on the elections. The vast majority of MPs elected to parliament correctly assess these positive trends. Perhaps their victory depended, among other things, on this factor. Today we live as an independent country, pursue an independent policy, do not interfere in anyones affairs and we do not allow anyone to interfere in ours. I am sure that we will continue to follow the path of independence and development. I am convinced that the Azerbaijani parliament will be active in this matter. I congratulate you once again and wish you continued success. Thank you. X X X Chairman of the session Ziyad Samadzade presented the sessions agenda. After the agenda was approved, the parliamentarians discussed the election of Milli Majlis speaker. MP from the New Azerbaijan Party Sahiba Gafarova was nominated as the speaker of Milli Majlis. Sahiba Gafarova thanked the chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party and its members. In a voting, 116 parliamentarians voted for Sahiba Gafarova electing her speaker of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan. X X X MP Ali Huseynli was elected first deputy speaker of Milli Majlis, while Adil Aliyev and Fazail Ibrahimli were elected deputy chairpersons. X X X Speaker of Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova declared the names of candidates for Disciplinary and Accounting Commissions of Azerbaijani Parliament. In a voting, the candidates were confirmed. X X X Then chairmen of the committees of the Parliament were elected. MP Ali Huseynli was approved as chairman of the committee on legal policy and state building, Ziyafat Asgarov as chairman of the committee on defense, security and fight against corruption, Tahir Mirkishili as chairman of the committee on economic policy, industry and entrepreneurship, Sadig Gurbanov as chairman of the committee on natural resources, energy and environment, Tahir Rzayev as chairman of the committee on agrarian policy, Musa Guliyev as chairman of the committee on labor and social policy, Siyavush Novruzov as chairman of the committee on regional issues, Bakhtiyar Aliyev as chairman of the committee on science and education, Ganira Pashayeva as chairperson of the committee on culture, Zahid Oruj as chairman of the committee on human rights, Samad Seyidov as chairman of the committee on international relations and inter-parliamentary ties, Ahliman Amiraslanov as chairman of the committee on healthcare, Hijran Huseynova as chairperson of the committee on family, women and children affairs, Fazail Ibrahimli as chairman of the committee on public associations and religious organizations, Adil Aliyev as chairman of the committee on youth and sports. Deputy committee chairs were also elected at the session. No, federal health workers are not knocking on front doors in New Jersey to conduct surveillance amid growing fears about the coronavirus. State and local officials issued advisories on Monday telling residents not to let in anyone claiming to be from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The police department in Moorestown, Burlington County, cited unverified social media posts of individuals going door to door and claiming to be from the CDC. The CDC is not deploying teams of people to go door to door to conduct surveillance," Moorestown police posted to their Facebook page. A similar message was posted by Sussex Countys government, among others. If an individual claims to be from the CDC do not let them in your home or speak with them contact your local law enforcement. They are imposters, read the advisory from Sussex. Five people have tested positive for coronavirus in New Jersey, raising the number of cases in the state to 11, officials said Monday. In addition, there are 24 pending test cases at the state lab, New Jersey Department of Health officials said. READ MORE: Coronavirus scams and price gouging? Yes, thats already a thing. Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Romania and Slovenia on Monday banned big public gatherings, while Bulgaria ordered theatre and cinema shows cancelled in increasingly stringent measures to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus. So far the three EU members have registered few cases of the virus that has engulfed numerous countries around the world. Romania -- which has recorded less than 20 coronavirus cases among its almost 20 million people -- closed schools nationwide until March 22. "Our main concern is to protect children from any risk of contagion," interim Prime Minister Ludovic Orban announced on Monday. The government also banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people and called upon more than one million Romanians living in virus-hit Italy to abandon any plans to return home for Easter. People entering Romania from Italy will be quarantined. Interior Minister Marcel Vela said all flights to and from Italy were suspended until March 23. Bus and train rides are also suspended until March 31. Slovenia, neighbouring Italy, on Monday forbid gatherings of more than 100 people, while the University of Ljubljana has recommended that its faculties cancel courses and conferences with more than 100 participants for the next two weeks. The Alpine country of two million people has reported more than 20 cases to date. In Bulgaria, which has reported four cases so far, shows in concert halls, theatres and cinemas have been cancelled, while Sofia University has scrapped classes until March 15. Last week, the country declared a nationwide influenza epidemic, closing schools and banning planned surgeries as authorities warned hospitals were already full of flu patients, potentially jeopardising preparedness for any coronavirus spread. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police in a New Jersey town issued a warning Monday night about a product marketed as Spray Sanitizer at a 7-Eleven after a mom shared photos on social media saying her son had been burned by the potentially homemade chemical packaged 3-ounce, mini-sprayer bottles in response to the coronavirus outbreak. River Vale police were called shortly after 8 p.m. to the 7-Eleven on Rivervale Road after an officer saw the photos depicting a young boy with apparent burns to his arm and leg, police Lt. John DeVoe said in a statement. From the information that we received, approximately one dozen of the bottles were sold to customers (on Monday), Devoe said, adding that officers immediately seized the remaining bottles. Township resident Lauren Michele Gehm, 40, said she took her son to a hospital after he suffered burns from the sanitizer, which she believes was homemade with ammonia in response to coronavirus warnings. The boy suffered first-degree burns, according to nbcnewyork.com. We are sitting in the ER with chemical burns due to hand sanitizer loaded with ammonia, prob made in a back ally due to all this hype nonsense, Gehm wrote on Facebook. This was sold to a bunch of kids and they innocently sprayed it and now we are here with (my son) in major pain. Gehm posted a label from the bottle, showing it includes ingredients like octyl decyl dimethyl ammonium chloride and dioctyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, which can cause severe skin burns, according to several material safety data guidelines. She told NJ Advance Media her sons friend sprayed it on him. My son didnt put it on himself. A woman who answered the phone at the 7-Eleven Tuesday morning said the sanitizer is safe but declined to comment further. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday declared a state of emergency after 11 people have tested positive in the state. Worldwide, nearly 110,000 people have been affected, according to reports. In Pennsylvania, at least 10 people are believed to have the coronavirus. River Vale police said the 7-Eleven matter is under investigation and that the incident was reported to county and state officials. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 19:04:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- China said Tuesday that it will dispatch a working group and provide needed support to help East African countries cope with the locust outbreak that threatens local agricultural production. In mid-March, the Chinese working group will join local authorities and experts in relevant countries to help prevent and control the desert locusts, China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said. China will also offer possible technical assistance and needed supplies, the ministry said. 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. So far, the desert locusts have spread from East Africa to India and Pakistan. China on Monday unveiled its contingency plan to monitor and control the spread of locusts from home and abroad. A worker at Apple Computer's European headquarters in Cork has tested positive for coronavirus. The worker was tested for the virus after leaving the office as soon as they felt unwell last week. In an email to workers, the company said they are working closely with the HSE who have reviewed the case and believe the risk to other employees is low but some fellow Apple workers have been told to self-isolate as a precaution. "Out of an abundance of caution, we wanted you to know that we've asked those employees who were in the immediate working environment with the individual to self-isolate and not come into the office for an initial 48-hour period," staff were told. "We are also continuing our deep cleaning protocols of all office areas. Teams across Apple are closely monitoring the situation in coordination with the HSE and any new developments will be acted on immediately. In the meantime, our offices remain open on a normal schedule. In a statement to the Irish Examiner, the company said: "One of our employees in Cork has been confirmed to have covid-19. We are closely coordinating with the local health authorities who feel the risk to others is low, and the individual remains in self-isolation. As a precaution, we have asked some of our team members to stay at home while we work with the Health and Safety Executive to assess the situation. "We are continuing to regularly deep clean all our offices and stores and will take all necessary precautions in accordance with guidance from health authorities." Apple boss, Tim Cook sent a memo to employees over the weekend extending the companys work-from-home provisions for some of its workers in their facilities in the US and across Europe. He said in the memo that the company is making a major effort to reduce human density and the remote work policy will apply to offices in areas with the greatest density of infections. Last month, Apple temporarily closed all of its retail stores in China due to the coronavirus outbreak, some of which have already reopened. The company also restricted employee travel to areas most affected, including China, Italy and South Korea. A group of students and teachers from Tullamore College are staying away from school this week after a trip to Italy last week. They returned to Ireland on Sunday, March 8. It's understood they are voluntarily partaking in 'social distancing' which involves them staying in their own homes. They have been urged to contact the HSE if they present with any symptoms. This period will last for two weeks. Tullamore College has been contacted on numerous occasions by the Offaly Express for comment. They had not made a statement as of Tuesday evening, March 10. A parent of one of the students told the Offaly Express on Tuesday evening that parents and the school acted on the best advice of the HSE and Department of Health before the trip went ahead. The area they travelled to in Italy was not directly by Covid-19 transmission at the time. They said they are now acting responsibly by staying away from school and work. This is not expressly required under current guidelines from the HSE. The HSE says where a person has returned from one of the countries where Covid-19 is circulating and they are feeling well, they should have already visited the HSE website and made contact with the HSE helpline by phone for advice. "If they remain well, no specific measures are needed. They will be advised to watch out for any symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days following their return. The symptoms of COVID-19 include cough, temperature and, sometimes breathing difficulties or shortness of breath," the HSE says. "If they develop any symptoms within 14 days of returning from areas with presumed community transmission of COVID-19, the person should isolate themselves and then contact their GP/doctor straight away by phone for advice, informing the GP/doctor of their recent travel history. "This will be explained to them by HSE staff. The GP/doctor will advise on the next steps to take, including organising testing for COVID-19 if necessary." Since the return of the Tullamore College group, Italy has been placed into a complete lockdown, effectively keeping 60 million people in quarantine. British Airways have suspended all flights to and from Italy with a similar Ryanair suspension coming into effect this Friday. Over 9,000 cases have been confirmed in Italy with the biggest concentration in the north of the country. 34 cases have been confirmed in Ireland. Elsewhere, a staff member from Walsh Island National School has also agreed to take "a period of leave" from work, the school has confirmed. Although the school would not confirm, it's understood the staff member is linked to an individual from Tullamore College. Principal Colette Hyland said the period of leave for the staff member was being taken as an "abundant precaution." "The staff member referenced has agreed, with the principal, to take some leave," Ms Hyland said. It was not confirmed if the staff member is a teacher at the school. Also read: Get information about coronavirus from health experts not social media warns Longford doctor Fatima Ajimobi, daughter of Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano state, has wondered why people want her to comment on the removal of... Fatima Ajimobi, daughter of Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano state, has wondered why people want her to comment on the removal of Muhammadu Sanusi II as the emir of Kano. On Monday, Ganduje had approved the dethronement of Sanusi, citing among other things, a total disrespect to the office of the governor on the part of the emir. The development had left tongues wagging on social media with a number of Nigerians airing their different views on the issue. It appeared fans of the Kano governors daughter had prodded her to comment on the issue. But reacting to such requests, Fatima wondered why her opinion or silence on the issue should be a problem to anyone. She also said those who are not happy with her decision to keep mute on the development are free to unfollow her on social media. Pls dont @ me, she wrote in a series of posts on her Instagram story. Why people want my opinion so bad about this is very funny. You can unfollow me for my silence or eventually unfollow me when I reply you. Same option still Her comment comes about the same time when Yusra Sanusi, daughter of the former emir of Kano, had called on her followers to stop sending her condolences in reaction to his fathers dethronement. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 23:53:00|Editor: yan Video Player Close NAIROBI, March 10 (Xinhua)--Africa's aviation association on Tuesday called for a continental-wide external policy to shield national airlines from foreign competition. Abderahmane Berthe, secretary-general of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), told a media briefing in Nairobi that in the past two decades there has been a continuous reduction of African airlines' intercontinental market shares with the entry of international airlines into the African aviation market. "Currently African air operators' market share has dropped to 20 percent of passenger traffic between Africa and the rest of the world. To reverse this situation, Africa needs an external aviation policy at the African Union level," Berthe said. He noted that the European Union also has a similar policy that protects its airlines carriers from international competition. According to AFRAA, the African airline industry can capture at least 50 percent of the market share of the continent's aviation industry through appropriate policies. Berthe said that African airlines are disadvantaged as compared to their global peers due to the high cost of operations, taxes and market access restrictions. He added that the African airline industry is set for expansion and traffic is expected to more than double during the next twenty years largely due to rising economies and the growing middle class who are willing to travel by air. He observed that the continent's aviation transport sector supports 6.9 million jobs and contributes to about five percent of Africa's gross domestic product (GDP) but only accounts for two percent of global air traffic. photo: John Kessell Therese Anne Fowler is the New York Times bestselling author of Z and A Well-Behaved Woman. Z has been adapted for television by Amazon Studios, while A Well-Behaved Woman is in development with Sony Pictures Television. A Good Neighborhood, from St. Martin's Press, is a contemporary novel about a tragedy involving two neighboring families in a North Carolina town. The novel takes on divisive issues in American life such as race, class and conservative religion. Readers of your previous novels, Z and A Well-Behaved Woman, might be a little surprised by the direction you take here. What prompted you to write a contemporary novel? I'd planned to write another biographical historical novel, if I found a subject whose story engaged me passionately. But as I was researching various ideas for that potential next book, the seeds of A Good Neighborhood took root in my brain almost of their own accord, and grew like Jack's beanstalk. I thought, okay then, that's the book I have to write. In many ways, this novel is a response story. The tradition of response stories is that other works provoke them, but in this case, I was provoked by my distress over the direction our country is moving. Storytelling has many purposes, one of which is to inspire--I mean, look at The Handmaid's Tale for one powerful example. Storytelling as activism. I can't think of a better use for my time right now. Readers who know my work will recognize some TAF hallmarks, if you will, in A Good Neighborhood. Regardless of genre, my novels will always have a concern for social issues, interest in flawed but strong female characters and an examination of the troubling consequences that arise from what seemed to be good decisions. Valerie has a deep connection to her local ecosystem, especially the nearby tree. Did that aspect of her character emerge from your own ecological concerns? It did, and especially from my anxieties concerning the health of a huge oak in my own backyard after a new house was built next door. Having been a child of the '70s, when green activism became so prevalent, I feel as if environmentalism was built into me--so much so that I used cloth diapers with my firstborn (and no diaper service; I had no money for that) and tried to avoid plastic toys entirely. I had, and still have, a deep affinity for nature, and I'm deeply troubled by the ongoing deliberate policymaking that disregards science in favor of corporate and individual profit. As Valerie (who's an environmentalist) says in the novel, "Trees are life. Not just my life, but life, period." One surprising choice in the novel is your use of the neighborhood as a Greek chorus or narrator for the events. Why did you want to emphasize the neighborhood's perspective? Every time I start a book, I spend a lot of time considering what the best narrative perspective is going to be for that particular story. With Z, it became obvious quickly that the story was Zelda's to tell. With A Well-Behaved Woman, I felt we needed to see not only Alva but the entire Vanderbilt world from a broader perspective than first-person would permit. When I began A Good Neighborhood, it was clear to me that the story also needed a broader view--but that the view, and therefore the voice of the story, should also be particular, the way it is with a first-person account. I thought, this is a story about us. These characters are people we know. We live with them, we work with them, they teach our children... and so it felt right that "we" should narrate. Using the collective point of view this way makes the story personal, and the personal is always more effective at conveying a message or lesson, as the narrators here tell us they hope to do. I found almost every character easy to like, despite their flaws, with the exception of the wealthy patriarch of the Whitman family, Brad. Did you have a model in mind for his self-confident-bordering-on-delusional thinking? Unfortunately, there are more than plenty of Brad-like men present in our news cycles these days, some of whom we've gotten to see in-depth. I've also known (and still know) a few such men personally. A Forbes article from last summer [2018] reported on a study detailing how and why such men are often so successful in business, summarizing, "...research has found that narcissists are often socially successful, undeterred by rejection, charming, and highly motivated." An earlier study's authors wrote, "[H]igh narcissists may be socially callous, but that is no reason for them not to be psychologically healthy. To use a far-fetched metaphor, the mind of a narcissist is like a sports utility vehicle. It is great to be in the driving seat, but fellow motorists must watch out, lest a collision with this mobile fortress demolish their more humble hatchbacks." That's Brad, and that's our story. The book tackles many hot-button issues, particularly racial prejudice and the dangers faced by young black or mixed-race men like Xavier. How did you make sure that you approached these issues with a level of sensitivity and understanding? Yes, definitely a lot of interrelated big issues in this story--which wasn't by design, exactly; rather, I was just reflecting the complexities inherent in the lives and characters of people today. You really can't (and shouldn't, if you're trying to create truth) separate out race and class and gender and beliefs and occupation and culture and family. We are each the sum of all our parts. Tackling racial prejudice, though, was the most delicate matter. So before I wrote the book, I read a lot of personal essays and articles detailing a wide variety of experiences with prejudice. I watched documentaries and interviews and news programs wherein the subjects recounted their stories, and wherein racial discrimination was examined in all its vast, ugly truth. I read articles on the ways white authors, even well-meaning ones, too often make egregious mistakes when writing about non-white characters. Drawing from my own educational background in sociology and cultural anthropology helped, as did recalling observations I made while growing up in a diverse community and, later, the experience of being a minority during the three years I lived in the Philippines. And I asked questions of people I knew, including a friend of mine who in many ways resembles Valerie and who read the book in draft. An author is always obliged to put themselves into the lives of the characters they're depicting. My own approach is something like method acting. Given the parameters of the character's traits and situation(s), how would that character think? What would they say and do? You can only do this well if you're sufficiently armed with information, humble about mistaken apprehensions and able to get out of your own way in order to give a truthful performance. I hope I was able to do so. One thing that struck me about the book was the complicated power dynamics between and within the two families. Is there something you wanted to capture about how varying levels of privilege can distort relationships? I think what I was aware of trying to do was simply to represent the complexities that comprise most relationships, and specifically the ones that would arise from putting these characters together. Many years ago, John Gardner wrote about how if verisimilitude is the writer's object (and really, it had better be), authorial intention must be submissive to the authorial subconscious. A lot of what ends up on the page gets there through what feels like a mysterious organic process that's independent from deliberate authorial direction. For example, the scene in which Julia comes to the neighborhood book club meeting at Valerie's house: until I was writing the sentence about the food she brought, I didn't know she'd bring foie gras, but the choice then triggered other telling details about class and power for Julia versus the others present. The dynamic between Brad and Xavier at the book's opening is another example of just putting the characters in a scene together and then watching it play out as I typed. But thinking about it concretely now, I wanted to capture what happens when the kind of corrupt thinking that can come from privilege perverts power, and therefore distorts relationships. What do you think it means to be a good neighbor in an era when Americans seem so divided by class, politics and race? I think the criteria are the same as they've always been: follow the Golden Rule. I don't mean to sound pat, but it's that simple. And also that hard. --Hank Stephenson "Nashville is one of the greatest cities in the world and it's citizens are some of the most resilient people," said Mark Laderman, Co-founder of The Grind Mac and Cheese Burger Bar. "Nashville will bounce back and we are proud to have the opportunity to contribute, if only in a small way, to the comeback of this amazing city." said Alan Laderman, the other Co-founder of The Grind Mac and Cheese Burger Bar. The Grind will be showcasing the delicious Goo Goo Cluster flavored "NASHVILLE STRONG" milkshake all March long with proceeds of the sale of the shake being donated to help rebuild Nashville. "We cannot think of a better milkshake theme to partner with than the iconic Nashville original, Goo Goo Cluster. Not only is it our favorite candy but it was created right here in the great Music City." Says Mark Laderman. Fans of The Grind and Goo Goo Clusters are encouraged to stop by to check out The Grind's latest offerings, drink a massive and tasty milkshake and help the Grind and Goo Goo Cluster help Nashville. About The Grind Mac and Cheese Burger Bar, Llc. The Grind Mac and Cheese Burger Bar opened in Martin TN in 2017. Located at 112 Lovelace street Martin, Tennessee. It has served tens of thousands of huge, awe-inspiring milkshakes, and innovative burger creations to hundreds of thousands of people. It was also named as one of the top destinations for Mac and Cheese in the state of Tennessee. Recent over the top milkshakes by The Grind include The Strawberry Short Shake, the Chocolate Freak and the Peanut Butter and Marshmallow-inspired Fluffernutter Milkshake. To learn more please visit them on social media at https://www.facebook.com/eatthegrind About The Goo Goo Cluster In 1912, in a copper kettle at Standard Candy Company in Nashville, Tennessee, America's first combination candy bar was born. The Original Goo Goo Cluster is a roundish mound of caramel, marshmallow nougat, fresh roasted peanuts, and real milk chocolate. Today, the Goo Goo Cluster is also available in two additional varieties: Pecan and Peanut Butter. Still family owned and operated, the brand expanded beyond manufacturing in 2014 with the opening of their flagship Goo Goo Shop & Dessert Bar located in downtown Nashville. For more information, follow Goo Goo Cluster on Twitter or Instagram @googooclusters, or visit googoo.com SOURCE The Grind Mac & Cheese Burger Bar [March 10, 2020] GetSwift Secures Funding up to US$45 Million from U.S. Alternative Investment Group GetSwift Limited (ASX: GSW) ('GetSwift' or the 'Company'), a leading provider of SaaS (News - Alert) logistics technology, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a put option agreement ("Agreement") with LDA Capital LLC ("LDA Capital"), a United States based private alternative investment group, which has agreed to provide the Company with up to US$45 million ("Commitment Amount") in committed equity capital over the next 36 months. The Company will use this capital (as required) to continue to fuel growth and to hedge against developing global circumstances such as the Coronavirus. The capital will be accessed by the Company by exercising put options under the Agreement at the Company's election with an aggregate subscription amount of up to US$45 million which allows the Company to draw down funds during the 36-month term of the Agreement by issuing ordinary shares of the Company for subscription to LDA Capital. Any issue of shares by GetSwift is subject to required regulatory and shareholder approvals. The Company will control the timing and maximum amount of the draw down under this facility and has the right, not the obligation, to draw down up to US$45 million. The Company may issue call notices to LDA Capital with each call notice being a put option on LDA Capital dependent upon the satisfaction of certain conditions precedent, including the requirement that a shareholder(s) enters into a share lending deed with LDA Capital for an equivalent number of shares to that the subject of each call notice. The number of shares subject to a call notice is limited to a maximum of 10 times the average daily number of the Company's shares traded on the ASX during the 15 trading day period before its issue. The issue price of the shares will be the higher of the average VWAP of shares in the 30 trading period after exercise of the put option and the minimum price notified to LDA Capital by the Company upon exercise of the put option (which can't be less than the VWAP of a share on the Trading Day immediately prior to the ate of exercise of the put option). In addition, the Company has agreed to issue up to 3,959,550 unlisted options to LDA Capital proportional to the amount subscribed by LDA Capital under the Agreement. At the time of issue of shares to LDA Capital pursuant to a call notice, the Company will also issue that number of options equal to the proportion of the total options that the amount subscribed bears to the Commitment Amount. So, for example, if under the first drawing LDA Capital subscribed for the equivalent of US$2 million of GetSwift shares, it would be entitled to be issued with 175,980 options (being 2/45 * 3,959,550). The unlisted options will have an exercise price equal to 125% of the issue price of the shares subscribed and have a 3 year exercise period. The Company has agreed to pay a commitment fee of 2% of the Commitment Amount (US$900,000) which is payable as to US$300,000 6 months after the date of the Agreement with the balance payable after the closing price of a GetSwift share on any trading day is equal to or greater than AU$0.75. The Company has also agreed to pay financing fees customary for facilities of this nature in respect of amounts drawn down under the Agreement. The Company's Board has chosen the method of fundraising provided by the Agreement as it believes it provides flexibility to enable exploitation of the opportunities to develop the business, despite the prevailing stock market conditions. The Company will control the actual amount and the timing of any investment under the Agreement over a period of thirty six (36) months, whilst having the opportunity to receive regular cash injections if considered appropriate and in the interests of the Company and its Shareholders. This should allow the Company to deploy cash as requirements and opportunities occur, rather than fully diluting existing Shareholders immediately for an amount of cash that the Company may not need. "The Company is pleased to be partnering with LDA Capital and is thankful for the confidence sophisticated investment funds have in both the company's product, commercial viability, executive team and its position in the market. Since inception we have held strongly onto our belief of the direction we as a company are heading in despite the challenges we have faced. The Company intends with these funds to continue its growth, return on shareholder value, as well as ensure that in fluid conditions it can seek a leading position in the last mile sector," GetSwift's Chief Executive Officer Bane Hunter said. From LDA Capital's Managing Director, Anthony Romano, "GetSwift boasts a best-in-class logistics and workforce management technology, a high calibre management team, and impressive revenue growth over the last 3 years. LDA is delighted to get involved at this critical juncture and we fully support Bane, Joel, and the rest of the GetSwift team as they continue to organically grow their core business units and opportunistically explore value accretive M&A". About GetSwift Limited Technology to Optimise Global Delivery Logistics GetSwift is a worldwide leader in delivery management automation. From enterprise to hyper-local, businesses across dozens of industries around the globe depend on our SaaS platform to bring visibility, accountability, efficiency and savings to their supply chain and "Last Mile (News - Alert)" operations. GetSwift is headquartered in New York City and is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX:GSW). For further background, please visit GetSwift.co. GetSwift is an emerging growth company and is subject to a variety of risks. The Company is not yet profitable, and there can be no assurance that it will achieve profitability. The Company's business and a variety of investment considerations are discussed in more detail in the Company's filings with the Australia Securities Exchange (ASX). Investors are encouraged to review the more complete information contained in such filings. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200310006012/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Mondays meeting had a short agenda for the Hale County Commissioners. Precinct 3 Constable Terry Timms presented his 2019 Racial Profiling Report to the court explaining that its required by law to be presented to the governing body every year. He also mentioned the department received no complaints. Paul Kelley Jr. was trying to sleep when the phone wouldn't stop ringing in the early hours of Oct. 19, 2018. The call was from a law enforcement officer, telling him the pickup he used for work had been tied to the scene of a crime. "I thought maybe the boys took the truck, went down and punched somebody or stole some beer or something," Kelley Jr. said Monday from the witness stand in a double homicide trial. "I was angry and irritated. I just thought it was something stupid." Police had an image of Kelley Jr.'s work pickup, which had been captured by a security camera at the Mountain Valley Inn, where police were actively investigating two killings. Jonathan Whitworth, Kelley Jr.'s ex-wife's son, and Preston Rossbach, grandson to Kelley Jr.'s cousin, were later charged with the killings, and both had been staying in the bunkhouse on Kelley Jr.'s property outside Lolo. Rossbach is standing trial this month for his alleged role in what prosecutors have described as a drug-fueled attack. The state alleges Rossbach stabbed the victims after Whitworth shot them. Whitworth is scheduled to face trial next month. His defense attorney has declined to comment on the allegations leveled against Whitworth during Rossbach's trial. Kelley Jr. testified on Monday that he went down to the bunkhouse, angry that the work pickup had been taken, and told the occupants that the police were on the way. As he walked back to his own cabin, Kelley Jr. said Whitworth approached him and said, "I better get out of here." "I kept walking," Kelley Jr. said Monday. "I didn't even look at him because I was mad." Not 20 minutes later, according to testimony, police were arriving en force. "We're looking out the window," Kelley Jr. said, "like 'Wow.' Somebody didn't punch somebody, somebody didn't steal a six pack or a case of beer. This is serious." Rossbach was among the people who were taken to the police station that day, but Whitworth was arrested days later riding a bicycle near the Missoula International Airport. Gregory Schulz, an intelligence analyst for the Montana Department of Justice, was able to enhance an image for the jury Monday from the motel room, turning a dark figure into what appeared to be an image of Rossbach leaving the motel with a knife in hand (the image was presented to the jury, but not visible from the gallery of the courtroom). Last week, testimony showed no fingerprints could be recovered on the knife Rossbach is accused of using in the stabbing. On Monday, Montana State Crime Lab DNA expert Jennifer Revis-Siegfried testified the knife carried DNA from at least five individuals, too many to tie the knife to one individual. The sheath held three individuals' DNA, including Whitworth's, Revis-Siegfried said; she did not mention Rossbach. But Rachel Fife, a forensic scientist at the Montana State Crime Lab, testified blood was found on the brown pants investigators believe Rossbach was wearing during the attack at the motel room. On Oct. 24, 2019, less than a week after the homicides, Kelley Jr. called investigators back out to his place, Missoula Police Detective Guy Baker testified on Monday. They had found a sack on the property containing a sweatshirt, Rossbach's pants, the knife, its sheath and other items detectives would bag into evidence. Kelley Jr. appeared conflicted in testimony on Monday. He had always appreciated Whitworth's work ethic, he said, but had noticed a mean streak when Whitworth ran the tree service crew before the shootings. The next time he saw Whitworth was a visit at the jail. "I just told him I loved him," Kelley Jr. said. "That's all I went there to say." Rossbach's trial continues Tuesday at 9 a.m. in Missoula County District Court. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 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. ALBERTAS coronavirus cases have doubled to 14, with the Canadian province reporting one of the cases came from Trinidad and Tobago. Edmonton CTV News in Canada reported yesterday that the province maintains the risk of contracting the disease is still low as all patients are recent travellers. Will Scindia join the BJP or float a regional outfit on his fathers birth anniversary? India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Mar 10: Jyotiraditya Scindia is likely to join the BJP today. This would mean that the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh would be toppled. While 17 MLAs of the Congress were flown into Bengaluru, reports say that in all Scindia may have the backing of 20. If Scindia does not join the BJP, there are chances that he could float a regional party. Incidentally, his father Madhav Rao Scindia too had floated a regional outfit, before returning to the Congress. It also happens to be his father's birth anniversary today. Scindia earlier met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Irrespective of him joining the BJP or floating a regional party, he in all probability will back a BJP led government in Madhya Pradesh. After securing 114 seats, the Congress came to power in 2018. The House has 230 members. However the current strength has been reduced to 228. The Congress had gone on to form the government with the support of 121 MLAs, which included four independents, 2 BSP and 1 SP MLA. On Madhavrao Scindia's birth anniversary, son creates trouble to congress his father once fought for Meanwhile the Congress continued to make efforts to woo Scindia back. However as of now, it appears as though Scindia has not relented. If the 17 MLAs stick to their decision then the strength of the Congress would come down to 104. In the 228 member House, a party needs 115 seats. The BJP on the other hand has 107 MLAs. It needs 8 more MLAs to hit the majority mark. If the rebels extend support to the BJP, then the party will have 124 MLAs. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, March 10, 2020, 11:56 [IST] (Newser) The seesaw continues: After Monday's historic awfulness, the US stock market is expected to see a big surge at the opening bell Tuesday morning. Dow futures were up more than 4%, suggesting an initial rise of around 1,100 points, reports CNBC. The S&P 500 looks poised for a similar percentage leap. The bounce comes after President Trump floated a series of possible relief efforts Monday afternoon, including a payroll tax cut and help for hourly wage workers, per NPR. "We are going to take care of and have been taking care of the American public and the American economy," Trump said. Meetings with lawmakers were to follow, though Democrats including Chuck Schumer complained they were being left out of the loop. story continues below Elsewhere, markets in Asia and Europe also rose Tuesday. "You could call it a dead-cat bounce," Altaf Kassam of State Street Global Advisors tells the Wall Street Journal. "If theres more fiscal and local economic policy by governments, that could be a good Band-Aid to staunch the bleeding." The Journal points to other optimistic signs: The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose from historic lows, suggesting the frenzied rush to safer havens has eased up a bit, and the price of oil rose about 5% after Monday's big losses. (Read more COVID-19 stories.) Kansas City Cutoff KC Housing Authority to withhold more payments from TEH Realty The Kansas City Housing Authority is making plans to withhold another $41,000 in taxpayer-subsidized housing contracts to landlords with TEH Realty, who are currently under federal investigation.The developments come after the Housing Authority's planned reinspection of 81 units at the Nob Hill Apartments in south Kansas City. Road Warrior Revamp Officials discuss potential express lane on U.S. 69 OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - Commuters who travel on U.S. 69 in Johnson County, Kansas, know that traffic can be dense depending on the time of day. Those commuters may not know that U.S. 69 is the busiest four-lane highway in the state of Kansas. Local COVID-19 Cleaning HCA Midwest Health takes extra precautions at its hospitals, clinics In an effort to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, COVID-19, HCA Midwest Health said it is taking extra precautions at its hospitals, clinics, urgent care centers and surgery centers.HCA Midwest Health said it starts by consolidating entry points and requiring that all patients and visitors are screened prior Siri's Backstory Revealed This porn star can't introduce herself without people making jokes What's in a name? Well, apparently frustration and mild annoyance if you share it with something everyone knows about. An adult film star took to Q&A site Quora to share her biggest bugbear - that she shares her name with Apple's friendly assistant, Siri. Definition Of Terms Beijing objects to term 'Wuhan coronavirus,' and says it may not have originated in China China's foreign ministry on Monday objected to the expression "Wuhan coronavirus" - saying the name will "stigmatize" the country - following remarks from U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Italia Abandoned Italy wakes up to deserted streets in unprecedented coronavirus lockdown ROME (Reuters) - Italy woke up on to deserted streets in an unprecedented lockdown on Tuesday after the government extended quarantine measures across the entire country in a bid to slow Europe's worst outbreak of the coronavirus. Military 2020 Maneuvers US begins withdrawing troops from Afghanistan The United States began withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, the U.S. military said Tuesday, taking a step forward on its peace deal with the Taliban while also praising Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's promise to start releasing Taliban prisoners after he had delayed for over a week. Veep Fights Haters Clinton vet warns Biden: Don't let Trump define you as senile "I would hope you not repeat that," Trump said sarcastically according to an attendee. With Biden emerging as the likely Democratic nominee, Trump has launched a concerted, near-daily campaign to raise doubts about the 77-year-old's mental acuity. The president has been bolstered by a conservative echo chamber flooding social media with video clips highlighting Biden's gaffes. Show-Me Fear Sales Missouri Attorney General warns about potential scams related to coronavirus JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is warning consumers about potential scams related to the coronavirus outbreak. In a news release, Schmitt said although there haven't been any formal complaints about scams related to the virus, people need to be aware. Schmitt warns that consumers need to be aware of phishing attempts [...] Dead-Tree Demise Redux 'Kansas City Star' Ends Saturday Print Run, Expands Weekend Editions McClatchy's Kansas City Star ended its Saturday print edition with last weekend's issue, the paper's president Mike Fannin announced in a post Sunday. The move to cut the Saturday edition was announced late last year. "The Star has not missed a single day of covering the news in Kansas City since the first paper was printed almost 140 years ago. Cowtown Artsy Debut "Summer Wheat: Blood, Sweat, and Tears," Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art - KC STUDIO I can't remember ever having left an exhibition of paintings and subsequently thinking much about how they were created. The "Summer Wheat: Blood, Sweat, and Tears" exhibit of 17 paintings and drawings from 2017- 2019 at Kemper Museum of Contemporary has changed all that. Soggy KC Tuesday Awaits Rain lasts through most of the day with falling temperatures KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Share in our weather experience on the weather blog. Click on the blog at the top of the page for more information. For a full list of weather alerts, click here. Inspired by; we start the morning with a quick collection of important items concerning pop culture, community news and a variety of info from cross the nation and around the world.is the song of the day and this is thefor right now . . . Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 19:12:08|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close A man passes by the facade of a stock exchange in Sao Paulo, Brazil, March 9, 2020. Plummeting oil prices amid the potential fallout from a coronavirus pandemic impacted stock markets on Monday, including Sao Paulo's, which opened with a 10-percent drop. The steep fall triggered a so-called circuit breaker, a measure that suspended operations for half an hour. (Photo by Rahel Patrasso/Xinhua) SEOUL, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Expectations are divided among South Korean market experts for the global economy and stocks over the COVID-19 spread across the globe and the oil price crash. "While global stocks tumbled over the COVID-19 and crude price plunge, it will not lead to a global financial crisis," the head of global stock research at a local brokerage in Seoul, who declined to be identified, told Xinhua Tuesday. Despite the pandemic fear emerging in the market, the fatality rate remained relatively low compared to the previous infectious diseases, while the confirmed cases in the United States and Europe would go down in the end following a near-term surge as seen in China and South Korea, the research head forecast. U.S. stocks plunged over 7 percent in the worst day since the 2008 global financial crisis on Monday, with the rout reaching 7 percent minutes after the open and the circuit breakers triggered to halt trading for 15 minutes. Crude futures tumbled more than 20 percent in the trading overnight, and European stocks plummeted amid rising worry about the spread of the COVID-19 across Europe. The oil price crash came as Saudi Arabia and Russia embarked on a price war by vowing to ramp up oil productions, hitting the already exacerbated demand caused by the expected global economic slump. Signs of a slowing trend in the daily infected patients were seen in East Asia, but infections recently grew fast across Europe, prompting Italy to launch a nationwide lockdown. "The global economy will show a V-shaped recovery after the confirmed COVID-19 cases begin to slow down owing to countermeasures taken by affected countries," the research head said. He forecast that oil-producing countries are highly likely to consider the oil supply cut in the end as the lower price leads to difficulty for their fiscal status. South Korea reported 131 more COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing the total number to 7,513. It was the slowest daily increase in two weeks and far below the daily growth of 500 or more last week. The South Korean government unveiled 11.7 trillion won (9.8 billion U.S. dollars) of supplementary budget last week to bolster private consumption and help fight against the COVID-19. The U.S. Federal Reserve had an emergency meeting last week, slashing its target rate by 50 basis points to a range of 1.00-1.25 percent in its first emergency move since the 2008 global financial crisis. Han Dae-hoon, a stock analyst at SK Securities, said in a report that the future market moves depend on the Fed's actions, noting that if the Fed unveils market stabilizing measures, such as the liquidity supply larger than expected through quantitative easing (QE), global stocks would stabilize more or less. The analyst forecast that the panic in the global stock market would continue only with the Fed's rate cut. The Fed's regular rate-setting meeting is scheduled for next week. Expectations for a bear market remained. "A possibility mounted for the global economic recession. A possibility for the global financial crisis cannot be ruled out completely," Seol Tae-hyun, a stock analyst at DB Financial Investment in Seoul, told Xinhua. "The risk of the COVID-19 is unpredictable because it is an infectious disease ... During the global financial crisis, we were able to predict fiscal and monetary countermeasure from a traditional perspective," Seol said. The analyst forecast that the global economic indicators would worsen though it is expected to emerge with a time interval across the globe, saying the world economy would show a moderate recovery after uncertainties go away. Oh Tae-dong, a stock strategist at NH Investment & Securities, said in a report that the South Korean stock market already priced in the oil price plunge and the weakened domestic demand from the COVID-19, but he forecast that local stocks would get back into a real recovery track after the recovery of global stocks. The benchmark Kospi index rose 0.42 percent to close at 1,962.93 on Tuesday, after dropping over 4 percent in the previous day. The won/dollar exchange rate finished at 1,193.2 won per dollar, down 11.0 percent from a day ago. Marking a big shift, sulking Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pushing the 15-month old Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh on a brink of collapse. Capping swift political developments overnight, Scindia met Modi at his official 7, Lok Kalyan Marg residence accompanied by Home Minister Amit Shah, sending clear signal of the erstwhile Gwalior royal's shift to the BJP camp. At least 20 MLAs loyal to Scindia remained ensconced in Bengaluru, waiting for directions from their leader to ditch the Congress and topple the government in the state. The move came on late Madhavrao Scindia's 75th birth anniversary. Scindias shift to the BJP will be mark a full circle for the erstwhile Gwalior royal family, whose matriarch Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia was among the founders of the Bhartiya Jana Sangh, the predecessor of the BJP. Track live updates on MP govt crisis Rajmatas son Madhavrao had charted his own political path to join the Congress, a party his son Jyotiraditya joined after his fathers demise. Jyotiradityas aunts Yashodhara and Vasundhara have been with the BJP the former a minister in the previous BJP government in Madhya Pradesh, while the latter a two-term chief minister of Rajasthan. AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal met Congress President Sonia Gandhi here to apprise her of the political developments. Last night, in a final bid to save his government Kamal Nath had secured the resignations of his entire council of ministers ahead of a reshuffle in which he could accommodate the disgruntled MLAs with ministerial berths. Ahead of Scindias meeting with the Prime Minister, BJP leaders offered glowing tributes to late Madhavrao Scindia on his 75th birth anniversary. Ironically, only a fortnight back on February 26, Scindia attended the Congress Workinng Committee meeting to condemn the Modi government for its handling of the Delhi riots and demanded resignation of Home Minister Shah. In the 230-member Madhya Pradesh assembly, Congress has the support of 121 members, while the BJP has 107 legislators. There are two vacancies in the state assembly, bringing down its effective strength to 228. If 16 Congress MLAs quit, the effective strength of the Madhya Pradesh assembly would be 212, giving BJP the edge to have a shot at power. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-11 02:05:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KUWAIT CITY, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait has decided to donate medical supplies worth of 3 million U.S. dollars to China to combat the novel coronavirus, Li Minggang, Chinese ambassador to Kuwait, said on Tuesday. The supplies have been purchased and are being shipped to Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Li said. After the outbreak of COVID-19 in China, Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah expressed support for China in combating the coronavirus in a cable sent to the Chinese side, Li told Xinhua in an interview. Meanwhile, Chinese companies and expatriates in Kuwait have also voluntarily made donations to help their motherland in the fight, Li said. There have been 69 confirmed coronavirus cases in Kuwait as of March 10 and most of them are people evacuated from Iran, the Chinese ambassador noted. "We have strengthened communications with the Kuwaiti Health Ministry and Foreign Ministry, introducing the China's experience in fighting against the epidemic, which was highly valued by the Kuwaiti side," he said. Officials from the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health said that they would be willing to send medical teams to learn from China's successful experiences and practices after the epidemic ends, the ambassador said. Li said that at a recent meeting with the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah, the minister highly praised progress in China's fight against COVID-19. "The minister believed in China's ability to win a complete victory over the epidemic and stressed that Kuwait is willing to strengthen its cooperation with China and learn from China's experience to jointly tackle the challenges," he added. On Tuesday, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued a 21 decision upholding a lower-court ruling that ordered the Department of Justice turn over to Congress the parts of the Mueller report that have until now remained secret. Judge Thomas B. Griffith, a conservative George W. Bush appointee, sided with Judge Judith W. Rogers, a progressive Bill Clinton appointee, to say that the lower court could authorize disclosure of the grand jury materials to Congress in connection with an impeachment investigation, as it had ordered in October. Judge Neomi Raoa Donald Trump appointeeoffered a lengthy dissent that would have protected the president from disclosure of the still-unreleased portions of the report. Advertisement Raos latest efforts to shield the president from legal liability, though, appear likely to fail. The judicial precedents involved stretch back to the Nixon administration, and Rogers, in invoking them, was backed up by a jurist with conservative bona fides. Griffith added a concurrence demolishing Raos dissent, and the DOJ now has one week to appeal the decision.* We may soon learn what is in the portions of the Mueller report Attorney General William Barr has been so desperate to keep from Congress and the public that his DOJ was willing to argue that key Watergate-era precedents should no longer be enforced. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One year ago this month, Barr released a letter ostensibly summarizing the Mueller report, which seemed to exonerate President Donald Trump of all wrongdoing. When the report itself was released a few weeks later, the public saw how that summary had misleadingly left out key portions and context that caused Robert Mueller himself to question Barrs handling of the report. Even that version of the report, though, featured significant redactionsmost of them coming under judicial Rule 6(e), which requires grand jury materials to be kept secret unless a judge finds one of a specific set of exceptions has been met. Advertisement Advertisement One of those exceptions is if the material needs to be accessed in relation to, or in preparation for, a judicial proceeding. In the 1974 case Watergate case Haldeman v. Sirica, the D.C. Circuit ruled that Chief Judge John Sirica of the District Court for the District of Columbia had been correct in authorizing the release of what was known as the Watergate grand jurys road map to Congress, in connection with the legislative branchs impeachment power. That ruling was reinforced just last year in the D.C. Circuit in the case of McKeever v. Barr, which found Congress need for materials during an impeachment investigation as fitting within the Rule 6 exception for judicial proceedings. Advertisement In October, Department of Justice attorneys argued in District Court that the McKeever and Haldeman rulings should not apply, arguing that if that case came today a different result would be obtained. Advertisement Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell expressed astonishment at this extraordinary position and a few weeks later issued a 75-page opinion authorizing the materials to be turned over as under past precedent. On Tuesday, the circuit panel found that Howell had exercised her discretion properly and that the material should now be turned over. In dissent, Rao claimed that the court did not have authority to compel DOJ to release grand jury materials, only to authorize that it be turned over. The president, under her analysis, would hold an effective veto over whether a courts judgment required the administration to hand over evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors to Congress. According to Raos argument, because the DOJ is the custodian of the materials, it cant be compelled to turn over the materials by the court unless Congress proves it has standing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Griffiths concurrence emphatically rejected this theory: The dissent insists that possession is the dispositive factor in our jurisdictional analysis: When the court holds the grand jury materials, it may hand them over; when it does not, it may not compel the Department to do so. Advertisement Advertisement Griffith punctured this argument by noting that the court clearly has authority to compel in-camera review that would bring the grand jury materials into its own possession. If the court can compel the DOJ to turn over the grand jury materials to a judge, and it can then decide to hand over the materials to Congress, it can similarly cut itself out as the intermediary and order they be handed over directly to Congress. Advertisement Griffith further dismissed Raos argument that past courts had authorized the DOJ handing over of grand jury materials to Congress without having compelled the same. As Griffith noted, even the DOJs own attorneys refused to claim it could ignore a courts authorization: As the Department explained at oral argument, it just doesnt seem like a plausible reading of Rule 6(e) that the District Court could authorize [disclosure] but that the Department of Justice would then say well, we dont want to turn over [the] information. Ultimately, Rogers and Griffith recognized together that the DOJ has no good reason to ignore its own history of repeatedly turning over grand jury materials to Congress during impeachment casesincluding Watergateand that the court controls the evidence in question, not the DOJ. Advertisement Advertisement In short, it is the district court, not the Executive or the Department, that controls access to the grand jury materials at issue here, the majority opinion noted. The Department has objected to disclosure of the redacted grand jury materials, but the Department has no interest in objecting to the release of these materials outside of the general purposes and policies of grand jury secrecy, which as discussed, do not outweigh the Committees compelling need for disclosure. Nearly one full year after the Mueller report was first produced, this ruling offers yet another devastating judicial assessment of Barrs handing of that report. It could also open the door for the public to finally learn what hes been trying to hide this whole time. For more on the lawand the justices who interpret it for the rest of Americalisten to the most recent episode of Amicus. US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks at a rally in Phoenix, Arizona: REUTERS As voters head to the polls in five states across the country for "Big Tuesday", the latest predictions show Joe Biden sweeping each state in what would be a devastating blow to Bernie Sanders and what appears to be his increasingly long odds of becoming the Democratic nominee. While close, the primaries across the country could serve as a clarifying moment in the campaign, especially if Mr Biden pulls off decisive wins that cement his status as frontrunner. The projected wins, as compiled by the website FiveThirtyEight, would include states that Mr Sanders won just four years ago against Hillary Clinton, who eventually became the nominee after a long nominating season that saw both candidates slogging it out until the end. But Mr Biden may open up a wider lead on Tuesday, when Michigan, Washington, Missouri, Mississippi, Idaho and North Dakota head to the polls. In Michigan, which has been seen as a crucial state for Mr Sanders after he won there in 2016 with 29.8 per cent of the vote, Mr Biden has pulled ahead over the past week or so, and is being given 99 per cent chance of winning the most votes in the state. In Washington, which Mr Sanders won in 2016 with 72 per cent of the vote, Mr Biden has also pulled ahead in recent polls. The former vice president has been given a 60 per cent chance of winning the most votes there. Missouri appears to be another strong state for Mr Biden, after sweeping through the South on Super Tuesday, relying on strong support from African American voters there. He has been given a 99 per cent chance of winning that contest. Mr Sanders lost in 2016 to Ms Clinton, who got 49.6 per cent support compared to Mr Sanders 49.4 per cent. Mississippi, meanwhile, is another projected blowout for Mr Biden, with a projected 99 per cent chance of him winning the most votes there. Ms Clinton received 82.6 per cent of the states vote in 2016, compared to Mr Sanders 16.5 per cent. Idaho so far appears to have a closer race for Mr Biden, though he still has an 81 per cent chance of winning, compared to Mr Sanders 19 per cent chance. Mr Sanders received 78 per cent of the vote in 2016, compared to Ms Clintons 21.2 per cent. Story continues North Dakota is also projected heavily in Mr Bidens favour, with him having a 93 per cent chance of winning there. Mr Sanders won the state with 64.2 per cent of the vote, compared to Ms Clintons 25.6 per cent. One final election result can be expected on Tuesday night from Democrats abroad, who have been voting in recent days. Mr Biden has been given a 65 per cent chance of winning the most votes among those Democrats. Beyond those projections, Mr Sanders and political observers will be watching to see how much of a margin Mr Biden might run up. Since the states are not winner-take-all, Mr Sanders could still amass a notable number of delegates on Tuesday, and potentially stay competitive in the days head. And, with relatively limited post-Super Tuesday polling to rely upon, voters may yet provide some surprises. Italy prepared Tuesday to allow families to suspend mortgage and some tax payments to help deal with a coronavirus outbreak that has killed 463 people and forced the government to restrict movement for its 60 million citizens. Ministers said they would also ask the European Union to allow Rome to raise its deficit spending to 10 billion euros (USD 11.3 billion) to help businesses hurt by a precipitous drop in tourism over the past month. The new family and small business support measures are expected to be formally unveiled in a government decree late Wednesday. The Milan exchange lost an additional three percent on Tuesday after shedding 11 percent on Monday during a global market rout that was sparked by a collapse in the price of oil. Analysts expressed concern that the measures could deliver a potentially fatal blow to Italy's wobbling banks. Deputy Economy Minister Castelli said the family support measures could include "the suspension of the payment of (salary) withholdings and contributions" to various Italian tax funds. Some banks expect Italy's economy to contract by 1.0 percent between April and June. "We are worried about this and for this reason we pushed the banking system to give as much as possible (on the) suspension of mortgages," she said. "You will see the details in the next few hours." Italy on Tuesday imposed travel restrictions and a ban on public gatherings to help fight the spread of a disease that has infected more than 9,000 people in the Mediterranean country in just over two weeks. The latest social distancing measures expand those the government placed Sunday on the economically vibrant Lombardy region that bore the early brunt of the COVID-19 disease. Economists at Citi said the latest round of Italian restrictions is likely to result in "a sharp contraction similar to the 2008-09 recession". "It remains very difficult at this stage to gauge the extent of the decline, but this will most likely much bigger than our original estimate of 0.5-0.6 percent," they said in a research note. Citi's original estimate was based only on restrictions for Lombardy and other industrial parts of the north that account for around 40 percent of Italy's total output. Any measure even partially suspending family mortgage payments could deliver a painful blow to big banks that are still dealing with large amounts of non-performing loans. "Since economic activity is likely to drop, banks could see a fall in asset quality and an increase in non-performing loans and provisions," Rabobank warned in a note. "Many of these factors affect banks across the board, but the lockdowns in Italy coupled with the high branch density are likely to accentuate the headwinds." Rome aired plans last week to inject 7.5 billion euros (USD 8.5 billion) into the economy to help businesses -- particularly those in the tourism sector -- to get by in the coming weeks and months. But Economic Development Minister Stefano Patuanelli said "seven and seven and a half billion are not enough to face down the crisis". Patuanelli told Italian radio that Rome was working on a proposal to ask Brussels to raise Italy's spending by around 10 billion euros -- about 0.6 per cent of Italy's gross domestic product and more than initially planned. Italy needs special EU permission to spend more than allowed under the bloc's strict budgetary rules for its 27 member states. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hundreds of technologists from state and local government and the private sector are expected at the third-annual Mobile Government Forum on Oct. 28 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Sacramento.The event, Mobile Government 2014 Anywhere, Anytime, Any Device, will include more than a dozen educational sessions, in addition to demonstrations and a mobile showcase featuring 10 government entities demonstrating mobile solutions that they have created.The two keynote speakers are of Bruce Orcutt, senior director of product marketing for Kofax, Ltd; and Sanjay Poonen, executive vice president and general manager of end-user computing for VMware.Sessions topics include: improving citizen service through mobility, mobile content, the user experience, enterprise transformation, mobile security, and more.Scheduled presenters include Rajiv Desai, CEO of 3Di, Inc.; Michael Dixon, general manager of IBM Smarter Cities; Paul Pedron, supervisor of technical support for the city of Fresno; and several others.The forum is free for public-sector attendees (government workers) and $250 for private-sector attendees who are sponsors. Click here for event and registration information A man has been arrested in Limerick after gardai seized over 45,000 worth of suspected drugs in the city. The man in his 50s was arrested after 45,100 of suspected drugs in the Moyross area yesterday. (Newser) Two US Marines were killed Sunday in an attack on an ISIS cave complex in the mountains of north central Iraq. The unidentified Marines from an elite Raiders unit were advising Iraqi soldiers in the Qara Chockh Mountains, about 37 miles south of Erbil, when they were killed by enemy forces, officials said Monday, per NBC News and Military.com, adding four additional US troops were injured. A coalition spokesman said the recovery of the dead and wounded took some six hours, per Military.com. Officials estimated that some 15 to 19 ISIS fighters had been killed. The Iraqi military said at least 25 ISIS fighters were killed and nine tunnels and a training camp were destroyed, per the Washington Post. story continues below These are the first US combat deaths since a Marine Raider, Gunnery Sgt. Scott Koppenhafer, was killed during a mission to track an ISIS suspect in Iraq's Nineveh province in August, though two US personnel were killed in a joint operation between US and Afghan forces last month, per NBC. "The Makhmur Mountains are historically known to be an ISIS safe haven. However, there is no safe place for ISIS to hide," officials said, per Military.com. "The Coalition, alongside our partner forces, will continue to hunt the remnants of the illegitimate caliphate in order to disrupt any effort to resurge." There are approximately 5,200 US troops in Iraq to assist in the fight against ISIS. (Read more Marines stories.) In the dense thicket of the internet lies a verdant patch of grass where dappled sunbeams peek through the leaves, resting fawns doze about, a troop of woodland mushrooms grows underfoot, and a brook faintly burbles in the distance. Freshly baked scones are just emerging from the oven in a thatch roof country cottage bordering the woods, while linen-scented laundry dries peacefully on a clothesline in the yard. It could be the beginning of a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, before the inevitable darkness seeps in, but rather its the backdrop of a budding aesthetic movement called cottagecore, where tropes of rural self-sufficiency converge with dainty decor to create an exceptionally twee distillation of pastoral existence. Its like Animal Crossing but in real life, Emily Kellum, an 18-year-old from Belmont, Miss., wrote in an email (shes not able to get phone service in her small town, she said). She was referring to the wholesome video game in which one plays a human living among adorable anthropomorphic creatures like bear cubs and deer. Take modern escapist fantasies like tiny homes, voluntary simplicity, forest bathing and screen-free childhoods, then place them inside a delicate, moss-filled terrarium, and the result will look a lot like cottagecore. Manama National Guard Director of Staff Major General Shaikh Abdulaziz bin Saud Al Khalifa, inspected a number of sites participating in the " National Shield " drill. The exercise was implemented by the BDF with the participation of the National Guard and Interior Ministry. National Guard Director of Staff praised the advanced level of cooperation that have become the basis for joint exercises, which reflect the solidarity of Bahrains security. Major-General Shaikh Abdulaziz stressed that the National Guard under the directives of His Highness General Shaikh Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa, National Guard President, focuses on conducting and participating in such exercises to enhance security and stability, and to preserve the development process under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Royals that are gathered in the Westminster Abbey avoids physical contact by not doing handshakes. This choice made by several royals is due to the evident Coronavirus outbreak that is the primary concern during Commonwealth Day Service on March 9, 2020. BBC reported that the U.K. has accomplished a total of 25,000 COVID-19 tests which enables them to track down 319 people who are positive of the virus. Westminster Abbey Assembly Prince Charles shook out the option for handshakes while greeting people. He instead uses a greeting from the Hindu tradition, called "namaste", which involves pressing the hands together. Alongside this, he also added a bow gesture which is also included in the Hindu greeting. Royal attendees such as the couple Kate Middleton and Prince William are seen to be using different greeting methods other than shaking hands. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are also seen doing the same as a precaution over the COVID-19 outbreak. Prince William and Kate Prince William joked about him and his spouse Kate Winslet, that they are spreading coronavirus while traveling on Ireland. This remark is due to their three-day tour on Ireland that started on March 3, 2020. They were also seen to be shaking a lot of hands publicly despite the scare of the COVID-19 looming over the public. The first day of their royal tour on Ireland has been kickstarted at a Gravity Bar which is located at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. It was reported by PEOPLE that William talked to a paramedic while sipping on some beer and asked him a question regarding the coronavirus outbreak. It seems like the Prince is curious, if whether or not the outbreak is just pure hype. The Prince then jokingly told everyone that he and Kate are spreading the virus. He also added that they encourage people to stop them if they had to. William is taking matters of the COVID-19 seriously according to a source. Although they are still following schedules and doing their usual businesses, they are closely being monitored by the Public Health England and the Department of Health. Duchess of Cornwall On March 4, 2020, the Duchess of Cornwall also tells a joke about her being in a self-isolation state. Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles were visiting the London Transport Museum when the Duchess blurted out the joke. The duchess was also seen to be under an air raid shelter, ducking. Queen Elizabeth An investiture ceremony on March 3, 2020, is attended by Queen Elizabeth who has seen to be wearing gloves. It is not unusual for the Queen to wear gloves but records have it that she doesn't wear one during investiture ceremonies. The Queen is seen to be handshaking public figures and other royalties during the ceremony. Several people have speculated that this approach of the monarch is a precaution due to the virus. This ceremony has been going on for a very long time and is considered a tradition for the royals. It is also where people are awarded honors by the royals that they have garnered. Meghan Markle celebrates International Women's Day by talking about women empowerment and motherhood. As her last royal appearance, the 38-year-old Duchess of Sussex celebrated how wonderful women are and talked about equality, which took place at the Robert Clack Upper School, located in Dagenham. During the event, Markle gave an update on her 10-month-old son Archie Harisson Mountbatten Windsor. Her son is fondly known as baby Archie. At the school visit, she told 66-year-old Geraldine Dear that her son is at the phase of trying to walk. In her conversation with a sixth-former student, Markle shared how Archie changed her life as a person and a mother. She and her husband, Prince Harry, is beyond blessed to have baby Archie in their lives. The Duchess then delivered her speech with vigor. She acknowledged the strike that paved the way for the Equal Pay Act. Fifty years ago, British women won the right to equal pay after a group of women walked out on strike. Back then, they faced a pay settlement. That settlement deems them less skilled than their male counterparts. Years later, women are advancing in their fight for equality. The Duchess applauds them for that. In her speech, Meghan said no matter how you feel, your color and gender, you should speak on what's right. For her, the key to doing what is right is to remember. She told the people that they need to look back at the people before them-the ones who paved the way for women to enjoy the opportunities that they have now. In the Duchess' eyes, women now must acknowledge the acts of women back then. That this access that they are entitled to are no opportunities, but responsibilities. In an article by the DailyMail, Year 13, Olivia Collins was able to sit and talk to the royal Duchess, where she spoke about the importance of motherhood. A lot of people got concerned after Markle, and Prince Harry decided not to bring their son to the UK, and it was a massive controversy for the royal family. Some say that it is because this will be their final appearance as working Royals. The same article says Archie is in Canada at the care of Meghan's best friend Jessica Mulroney and his nanny. Elle reveals that Archie remained behind in Canada due to his parents' busy schedule, which is going to be their final series of engagements. A royal insider told the magazine that these are the plans Prince Harry and Meghan made. It is to make their Royal family's departure smooth and without hitches. Archie's parents will come back to Canada after one last appearance, which will take place at the Commonwealth Day Westminster Abbey service in London. After that, updates on Archie will become much rarer. Reports also show that Queen Elizabeth feels "sad" about not seeing her great-grandson as much as she can. The thought of Archie learning how to walk, and she's not there to witness it saddens the Queen. A source also told DailyMail that the Queen feels "disappointed" with the situation that the royal family is facing. The exit of Markle and Prince Harry from the royal family was a terrible disappointment not only to the Queen but to the whole family as well. ALSO READ: Katy Perry is Having A Child With Orlando Bloom Flash China's donation of 20 million U.S. dollars to the World Health Organization (WHO) will be used to support the global fight against COVID-19, and the construction of public health systems in developing countries, foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said Monday at a news briefing. Noting that the COVID-19 outbreak has spread to many places around the world, Geng said international cooperation on joint prevention and control has become more urgent. He said China's donation aims to support the WHO in playing a better coordinating role in international action against the epidemic, especially helping small and medium-sized countries with weak public health systems build up their epidemic-prevention abilities. The Chinese side will continue to actively support and participate in international cooperation to fight the epidemic, and work with the international community to safeguard regional and international public health security, Geng said. China has decided to donate 20 million dollars to the WHO, which was declared by China's Permanent Representative to the UN Office at Geneva Chen Xu when meeting with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Saturday. The Lagos State Ministry of Health on Monday declared two passengers of the Turkish Flight (TK625) wanted, based on suspicion that they had contact with the Italian national, who was the first index case of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Nigeria. Nigeria recorded the first index case of COVID-19 in February when an Italian who arrived the country was confirmed positive of the infection. Efforts have been ongoing to trace all the persons who have had contact with the Italian man on board in Ogun and Lagos states where he visited. Akin Abayomi, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, said all other passengers in the flight have been reached except two contacts namely; Enwelunta Godfrey Obumnore and Sadeeq Abiodun Salami. He urged members of the public who know the whereabouts of these persons to contact the ministry through the state epidemiologist on his mobile number; +2348023169485. He added that citizens should treat this as a matter of national security and afford the ministry the necessary cooperation. Meanwhile, the federal government on Monday confirmed the second case of COVID-19 in the country. The confirmed case was not imported but detected in one of the contacts traced to the Italian national in Ogun State. Prior to the announcement of the second index case of COVID-19 by the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, on Monday, there have been efforts to locate all the contacts of the Italian national. According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), 40 persons have been placed in isolation on Ogun State while 20 others are isolated in Lagos, and have shown no symptom of the infection. The Lagos State Commissioner for Health enjoined citizens to cooperate with the government and provide relevant information they know about the wanted passengers. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 10 Trend: The Azerbaijani delegation visited Osmania and Hatay region of Turkey. The delegation represented by Azerbaijani Ambassador to Turkey Khazar Ibrahim, First Deputy Chairman of the State Committee on Work with Diaspora Valeh Hajiyev and others attended the opening ceremony of Khojaly Avenue in the city center. Then a meeting was held between the representatives of Azerbaijan and the Governor of Osmania Omer Faruk Joshkun. The visit to Hatay began with a commemorative ceremony on 40th anniversary of the death of Tayfur Sokman, the first and only president of the Hatay state. The ceremony which began with laying a wreath at the monuments of the great leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and Tayfur Sokman was followed National Anthem. The governor expressed his satisfaction with the participation of the Azerbaijani representatives in the ceremony and said that the brotherly relations between the two countries are at a high level. The delegation also visited Turkish soldiers who were wounded during military operations in Idlib and now are treated at Hatay State Hospital, and wished them recovery. The soldiers were given presents on behalf of Azerbaijan. Then a meeting was held between Azerbaijani delegation and Governor Rahmi Doghan and chairman of the city municipality of Hatay Lutfi Savash. During the meeting, the sides discussed the high level of relations between the two countries in the social, economic, cultural and other spheres, as well as the work done on the development of the city of Hatay. The visit of the Azerbaijani delegation was highly appreciated and the importance of such meetings for further development of mutual relations was emphasized. The Azerbaijani diplomat expressed his satisfaction with the visit to Hatay province and touched upon the importance of brotherly relations with such a strong country as Turkey. Kh.Ibrahim, V.Hajiyev, L.Savash and Bashar Komur, a member of the Coordination Council of World Azerbaijanis delivered speech at the meeting at the Hatay Metropolitan city municipality council. The brotherhood project From Hatay to Caspian which aims to deepen cooperation between the two countries in social, cultural and economic spheres, was presented at the meeting. It was noted that within the framework of the project it is planned to be brother with several cities of our country and 15 cities of Hatay region. DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2020 / Leafbuyer Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB:LBUY) ("Leafbuyer" or "the Company"), a leading cannabis technology platform, announced today that it has signed an agreement to provide its loyalty and messaging services to Lightshade, a premier dispensary chain in Colorado. "We are excited to provide Lightshade, one of Colorado's leading cannabis retailers, with this advanced loyalty platform," said Mark Breen, COO and Co-Founder of Leafbuyer. "Through our platforms, they will be able to acquire new customers though our network of sites and communicate directly to their customers through SMS and MMS messaging." Lightshade, named one of the 10 best places to get marijuana in Colorado by Trip Savvy, owns and operates 8 locations in the Denver Metro Area. Each location is a destination of choice, offering premium cannabis products and a renowned shopping experience. Most platforms in the cannabis space only communicate to current consumers, providing little value for increasing new customer counts. The Leafbuyer network provides a single access point to over 8 million cannabis consumers nationwide. Unlike other platforms, new users that visit Leafbuyer.com will now have the ability to sign up for Lightshade's loyalty program directly from the Leafbuyer website. "We have worked with Leafbuyer for many years, and they do a great job at driving new customers into our locations, so adding their Texting/Loyalty solution just made sense," explained Lisa Farrimond-Gee, Director of Marketing for Lightshade. "More importantly, Leafbuyer has demonstrated a dedication to their customer's success through their "second-to-none' customer service and by listening to the needs of the client. Growing, maintaining, and nurturing our customer base is always a top priority for our company and Leafbuyer helped us create custom features that our previous provider could not offer," added Farrimond-Gee. Leafbuyer combines new customer acquisition tools with a loyalty and messaging platform to dispensaries and product companies across the country. The Leafbuyer platform has expanded into a full suite of products which allows seamless integration with dispensary point of sale systems. Platform integration with point of sale systems can pose a major challenge for dispensaries. "We were thrilled to be working with Flowhub, one of the leading POS systems in the cannabis industry. Their team of professionals made it easy to connect and integrate with Lightshade," stated Lyle Haynes, Director of Technology for Leafbuyer. "Lightshade was looking to add custom features including a Lightshade branded store wallet with real-time point tracking, enhanced text campaign solutions, and analytics reporting," added Haynes. About Leafbuyer Technologies, Inc. Leafbuyer.com is one of the most comprehensive online sources for cannabis deals and information. Leafbuyer works alongside businesses to showcase their unique products and build a network of loyal patrons. Leafbuyer's national network of cannabis deals and information reaches millions of consumers every month. Leafbuyer is the official cannabis deals platform of Dope Media, Sensi Magazine, and Voice Media Group. Learn more at Leafbuyer.com. Contacts Leafbuyer Technologies, Inc. Andre Leonard, +720-432-5593 aleonard@leafbuyer.com SOURCE: Leafbuyer Technologies, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/579858/Leafbuyer-Technologies-Inc-Signs-TextingLoyalty-Deal-with-Premier-Colorado-Dispensary-Chain What do those who are heavy-tired of the ridiculousness that is Donald Trumps presidency want second-most of all come November? Thats easy: Second only to defeating Trump, they want to have majorities in both houses of Congress. Happily, that possibility has been looking better since the collapse of Bernie Sanders's campaign for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination on Super Tuesday last week. Had he become the nominee, Democrats down ballot would likely have suffered for his radical talk of revolution, putting the House majority at risk and the Senate out of reach. Democrats got good news on Monday when Montana Gov. Steve Bullock announced that hell be running for Senate. If a Democrat wins the presidency, but Republicans retain their majority in the Senate, the GOP will be able to thwart the new chief executive's agenda, from top to bottom. This is why the presidency, though of paramount importance, isn't the be-all and end-all of what matters on Nov. 3. Though Democrats are currently in the minority in the upper chamber by a mere three seats -- trailing 53-47 -- they'll realistically need to defeat four Republican incumbents, and win the White House, in order to retake the majority. That's because Sen. Doug Jones, a Democrat from Alabama, is nearly certain to lose to a Republican in the fall. (Jones won the seat in the ruby-red state only because he was running against former Judge Roy Moore, who was credibly accused of sexual misconduct with minor girls years back.) Democrats have limited opportunities, and Montana still tilts toward the Republican, incumbent Steve Daines. But still, in Bullock, they've got a prayer, and that matters. Imagine that former Vice President Joe Biden is elected, but Republicans retain control of the Senate. Think Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, will suddenly turn cooperative? Of course not. He'll be as difficult and as obstinate as ever. Democrats could pick off GOP seats in Maine, Colorado, Arizona, and they have a fighting chance in North Carolina. Adding Montana to the list is no small thing. Imagine a retirement, or two, from the Supreme Court. Then consider McConnell standing in the way, again. From taxes to climate change, from health care to clean air and water, from roads and bridges to schools -- and on and on -- a Democratic Senate is essential to a successful Democratic presidency. Italian doctors celebrated one small victory in their battle against the coronavirus after a 38-year-old man was moved out of intensive care for the first time since he tested positive Feb. 21 and opened Italy's health care crisis as Patient No. 1. But in the rest of hard-hit northern Italy, the virus' spread was growing so exponentially that doctors were making comparisons to war-time triage medics deciding who lives, who dies and who gets access to the limited number of ICU beds. It's a reasoning that our colleagues make," Dr. Guido Giustetto, head of the association of doctors in northern Piedmont, said Monday. It becomes dramatic if, rather than doing it under normal situations, they do it because the beds are so scarce that someone might not have access to medical care. The Italian society of anesthesiology and intensive care published 15 ethical recommendations to consider when deciding on ICU admissions during the virus crisis and the ICU shortage. The criteria include the age of the patient and the probability of survival, and not just first come first served. The Lombardy government has been scrambling to increase its ICU capacity, converting operating and recovery rooms into isolated wards to treat the 440 critical virus patients currently in need. It has cobbled together 150 more beds in the last two weeks and expects another 150 in the coming week. But it may not be enough. Unfortunately we're only at the beginning, said Dr. Massimo Galli, head of infectious disease at Milan's Sacco hospital. Speaking to SkyTg24, Galli noted that the numbers of infections registered in Lombardy last week were similar to those in Wuhan, China in late January. Galli noted that Wuhan, the center of China's outbreak that infected more than 80,000 people nationwide, is a concentrated metropolis of 11 million and Lombardy is spread out. But the numbers tell you that the diffusion is a real possibility, he warned. On Monday, the government took broad new measures to restrict Italians' movements nationwide and prevent social gatherings, realizing that limited restrictions weren't containing the spread. For example, the region surrounding the capital Rome Lazio saw its cases jump from 87 to 102 in a day, a sign that the virus was propagating far from the northern concentrations. Also alarming was Italy's high fatality rate: With 463 dead and 9,172 infected, Italy's fatality rate is running at 5 per cent nationwide and 6 per cent in Lombardy, far higher than the 3 per cent-4 per cent estimates elsewhere. Dr. Giovanni Rezza, head of infectious disease at the National Institutes of Health, attributed the high rate to the fact that Italy has the world's oldest population after Japan, and the median age of its virus-related dead is 80. But there are young people who are infected too. Some have been in intensive care, including the first person to test positive in the north who hadn't been to China, a 38-year-old Unilever worker named Mattia. He came to be known in Italy as Patient No 1. At the San Matteo hospital in Pavia, there was a sigh of relief after Mattia began breathing on his own Monday with just a small amount of oxygen assistance, said Dr. Francesco Mojoli, head of intensive care. He was moved out of the ICU to a sub-ICU unit and was speaking with doctors. This disease has a long life, Mojoli told RAI state television. Now we hope that the fact that he was young and in good shape will help him get back to his normal life. Mattia first went to the hospital in Codogno on February 18 complaining of flu-like symptoms. He was sent home but came back the next day after his condition worsened dramatically. He was only tested for coronavirus after doctors learned that in early February he had met with a man who had been to China. By then, however, he had infected his wife and several doctors, nurses and patients at the Codogno hospital, creating what was thought initially to have been Italy's main cluster. Since his China contact turned out to be negative, though, experts now believe that the virus had been circulating widely and quietly in northern Italy since at least the second half of January. The epidemic has exposed the impact of drastic cuts to Italy's public health system over the past few years, and prompted calls for the government to authorise hiring of thousands of doctors and nurses. In Lombardy, nursing students were allowed to graduate a month early so they could be put to work immediately. Over the weekend, a nurse named Doris Bia posted on Facebook that after taking a leave for several years to be a full-time mother, she was going back to work at the Oglio Po hospital in hard-hit Cremona. Starting tomorrow I'll be beside those who are untiringly fighting this god-forsaken virus, she wrote. I'm doing it because I can't ignore their sacrifice. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) OTTAWAA plane carrying Canadians who were on a cruise ship with a cluster of novel coronavirus cases arrived back in Canada this morning. The government-chartered aircraft landed at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, in Ontario, where the passengers will spend two weeks in quarantine. The exact number of Canadians on the flight was unknown because they had to pass a screening process before being allowed to board the flight. There were 237 Canadians among the 3,500 passengers and crew on board the Grand Princess cruise ship. The ship docked Monday at the Port of Oakland after days of being forced to idle off the coast of Northern California. It had been prevented from docking because of evidence that it was the breeding ground for more than 20 COVID-19 infections. Read more about: A Chinese couple wear plastic coats and protective masks as they shop for groceries at a supermarket in Beijing on Feb. 11, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) Chinese Embassy in Australia Claims Journalists Are Politicizing Coronavirus by Saying It Originated in China The Chinese Embassy in Australia has emailed local journalists, accusing them of politicizing the coronavirus by saying it originated in China, without any supporting facts, according to a journalist at the Australian Financial Review. Financial Review journalist Michael Smith explained in an article published March 9 that he received an email last week from the Chinese embassy in Canberra, explaining comments made by Beijings Foreign Ministry during a press conference on March 4 about highly irresponsible references by some media to the China virus. Smith explained that the letter was evidence of how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has pivoted its propaganda narrative, now insinuating that the virus originated in other countries. Up until recent weeks, Chinas own state media said that the novel coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19, likely originated from the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, which was shut down shortly after the emergence of the virus. In the press conference mentioned in the letter, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters it was highly irresponsible for some media to dub the novel coronavirus the China virus. We firmly oppose that, he said, adding that no conclusion has been reached yet on the origin of the virus. In fact, many researchers and the World Health Organization have established that the virus outbreak originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan. But scientists are still researching how the virus first emerged and began infecting humans. Zhao claimed that some media clearly want China to take the blame and their ulterior motives are laid bare. Smith said that the Chinese authorities are continuing with their efforts to deflect all criticism and blame for the fact that authorities in Wuhan failed to report the seriousness of the health crisis for those crucial weeks in January before millions left the city for Chinese New Year. Members of staff of the Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team drive their vehicle as they leave the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in the city of Wuhan, China, on Jan. 11, 2020. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images) A month after the head of Chinas Center for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters that health experts believed the virus likely came from wild animals at the Wuhan wet market, although the source animal had not been identified, Zhong Nanshan, a Chinese epidemiologist and pulmonologist who researched the SARS coronavirus in 2003, told reporters that the novel coronavirus may not have originated from China. Speaking at a press conference in the city of Guangzhou on Feb. 27, Zhong, who also heads the Chinese regimes panel of experts overseeing efforts to contain the epidemic, said that although COVID-19 was first discovered in China, it does not mean that it originated from China. This is a human disease, not a national disease, Zhong added. In a separate press conference on Monday, Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said it was a despicable practice to call the virus the Wuhan coronavirus, after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo used the term. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pose for a picture ahead of a meeting at the New York U.N. Headquarters on March 6, 2020. (Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images) The Chinese regime has since taken extreme measures to contain the virus after its slow initial reaction, including locking down entire cities and not allowing people to leave their homes. But as the virus spread to more and more countries, the CCP has received criticism for covering-up the extent of the outbreak and underreporting the number of infections and the death toll. Last week, The Epoch Times spoke to a funeral director in the Chinese city of Jining, in eastern Chinas Shandong province, who said he was concerned that authorities were covering up deaths related to the novel coronavirus outbreak after discovering that some bodies the facility received from local hospitals had death certificates marked with unidentified pneumonia as the cause of death. My staff only know how to burn bodies. They have very little medical knowledge, said the funeral home director in an interview with the Chinese-language Epoch Times. The hospitals wrote the cause of death as unidentified pneumonia. It terrified my staff. The director said that in February, his funeral home received four or five bodies with cause of death as unidentified pneumonia from the citys No 1. Hospital and No. 2 Hospital, adding that hospitals have the capacity to write clearly the cause of death, but they didnt label it [clearly]. One of the mystery pieces to be auctioned for the Jack & Jill Childrens Foundation Bono is among the celebrities contributing an artwork Bruce Springsteen and his wife Patti Scialfa are the latest to donate their original art to Jack & Jill Children's Foundation's INCOGNITO public art initiative. The annual initiative, heading into its fourth year, sells postcard-sized artwork made by acclaimed artists and public figures to raise money for home nursing care for children with life-limiting conditions. The foundation sells the artwork for 50 on a first-come-first-served basis, but the initiative keeps the creator of the work anonymous until someone buys it. "This year's INCOGNITO is shaping up to be the best yet, with a chance for art lovers to get their hands on original pieces of work by new and internationally acclaimed artists, illustrators and designers valued way above and beyond the sale price of 50," the Jack & Jill organisation said. Springsteen is joining U2's Bono, Irish fashion designer Paul Costelloe and about 1,600 other artists contributing about 2,600 pieces of art to this year's event. The initiative was a major success last year, when it raised more than 120,000 for the Jack & Jill Children's Foundation. "Every 16 raised funds one hour of specialist home nursing care for over 340 children under Jack & Jill's wing today," the foundation said in a statement. (All financial figures are approximate and in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted.) CALGARY, March 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Highlights Combination creates a Pan-Canadian champion diversified across end markets with an objective to grow to over $1 billion in revenue and $100 million in EBITDA in revenue and in EBITDA The new company will have size and scale with pro forma revenues of over $700 million and over $45 million of EBITDA in 2019 and over of EBITDA in 2019 Highly complementary stable facilities management and modular services businesses with excellent growth prospects Creates a leading national workforce accommodations service provider Significant cost savings and cross selling opportunities 100% share transaction, with Horizon North shareholders to own 51% and Fairfax Financial to hold 49% Stronger balance sheet with pro forma leverage of less than 2.0x net debt / 2020 calendar year EBITDA as Dexterra expects to have no debt on closing of the transaction Fairfax Financial supports payment of an annual dividend of 8 cents , 2 cents payable quarterly, following the close of the transaction Horizon North Logistics Inc. TSX: HNL ("Horizon North" or the "Company") and 10647802 Canada Limited, operating as Dexterra Integrated Facilities Management ("Dexterra"), are pleased to announce that they have agreed to combine to create a leading Canadian support services company (the "Transaction"). Under the terms of a share purchase agreement entered into on the date hereof, the Transaction was unanimously approved by both Horizon North and Dexterra's boards of directors, as well as Dexterra's sole shareholder, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (TSX: FFH and FFH.U) ("Fairfax Financial"). Horizon North will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Dexterra in exchange for Horizon North issuing Fairfax Financial such number of common shares of Horizon North ("Horizon North Shares") such that Fairfax Financial will own 49% of Horizon North Shares on a fully-diluted basis after completion of the Transaction. Upon closing, Horizon North shareholders will continue to own the remaining 51% equity stake in the combined company. Horizon North's largest shareholder, Polar Asset Management Partners, who holds approximately 15% of Horizon North Shares and who has agreed to a hard voting support agreement, along with certain directors and officers of Horizon North, who hold or control approximately 2.3% of Horizon North Shares, have agreed to support and vote in favour of the Transaction. In making its determination to unanimously approve the Transaction, the Board of Directors of Horizon North received the recommendation of a special committee of its independent directors, which was formed to evaluate the terms of the Transaction and supervised the negotiations and the preparation of all relevant and related transaction agreements. In making its recommendation, the Special Committee obtained a fairness opinion from Scotiabank that the issuance of the Horizon North Shares to Fairfax Financial, in exchange for the outstanding shares of Dexterra, is fair, from a financial point of view, to Horizon North. The Transaction was unanimously recommended for approval by the special committee to the Board of Directors of Horizon North. The Transaction is expected to create substantial value for Horizon North shareholders. By continuing to own shares of the combined company, shareholders will have the opportunity to participate in the combined company's long-term value creation potential, which is expected to include both capital appreciation and the expected payment of an $0.08 annual dividend, paid quarterly, following closing of the Transaction. Fairfax Financial agrees with the combined company's plan to pay this annual dividend going forward, which is expected to grow over time with the corporate success of the combined company after closing of the Transaction. The Transaction combines Horizon North's strong western Canadian focused workforce accommodation and national modular solutions businesses with Dexterra's asset light facilities management platform and central Canadian focused workforce accommodations businesses. This highly complementary platform is expected to better serve current and future customers. The new company will be a leader in support services with over 6,800 employees across Canada. Dexterra had over $260 million in revenue in 2019, including $164 million in facilities management and over $96 million in workforce accommodation and forestry services. Fairfax Financial has a proven track record of investing in, building and supporting Canadian and global companies and is committed to long term ownership in the combined company. In connection with the Transaction, the parties have agreed to enter into an investor rights agreement at closing whereby Fairfax Financial will agree to hold their shares in Horizon North for at least two years. Prem Watsa, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fairfax Financial, said, "We are excited about the creation of a Pan-Canadian services company in Canada with the potential of $1 billion in revenue and great growth prospects for the future. We expect significant shareholder value to be created over the long term." Horizon North Chief Executive Officer, Rod Graham, said, "This transformational combination supports a vision for a new, premier, made-in-Canada company that brings size, scope, scalability and sophistication to the markets we serve, while creating value and unlocking growth potential for shareholders. Horizon North began its evolutionary journey five years ago when soft commodity prices provided us the opportunity to pivot into the modular building solutions business. Our logical evolution continues today with this exciting announcement, as we bring an integrated platform of services and solutions forward that will greatly benefit our customers and suppliers. Our workforce, and the communities in which we operate, are critical to both Horizon North and Dexterra, and we intend to carry forward best practices from both companies in corporate social responsibility, including commitments to employees, operating communities and the environment." Dexterra Chief Executive Officer, John MacCuish, said, "We will be stronger together, building a sustainable and profitable business to create more opportunities for our people and enhance our delivery to the customers we serve and the clients we work for." Investment Highlights of the Combined Company Creates Pan-Canadian Support Services Platform with Significant Growth Potential Diversified portfolio of value-added services, end markets and geographies Provides scale, capabilities and access to talent to deliver on significant future growth opportunities Highly Attractive Integrated Facilities Management Business Recurring service model focused on recession resistant end-markets including aviation, defense and government. Servicing more than 50 million square feet of quality assets and infrastructure Underpinned by multi-year contracts with well-established, long-term client base, secured revenue of over $180 million for calendar 2020 for calendar 2020 Significant pipeline of opportunities with potential annual revenue of over $240 million National Champion in Workforce Accommodation Solutions Leading Canadian workforce accommodation provider with established platform across Western, Central and Northern Canada Over 12,000 beds under management with over 27,500 meals delivered daily Differentiated Modular Solutions Business with Established Presence in Key End-Markets Well positioned to address significant market opportunity in high growth modular business Opportunity to drive growth across complementary modular and facilities management platforms and combined relationships Strong commitment to Indigenous communities 48 combined Indigenous partnerships (Inuit, Metis and First Nations) Between 800 to 1,000 Indigenous employees in the combined company across the country Significant Value Creation Opportunities and Benefits of Combination Attractive long-term growth profile supported by deep opportunity pipeline Approximately $5 million in annual cost savings anticipated, as well as significant cross-selling opportunities in annual cost savings anticipated, as well as significant cross-selling opportunities Stronger Balance Sheet and Free Cash Flow Profile Pro forma leverage of less than 2.0x net debt / 2020 calendar year EBITDA Minimal long-term annual capital requirements for Dexterra of approximately $3 million Dexterra expected to contribute significant free cash flow, $16.5 million EBITDA in 2019 with 2020 calendar year EBITDA projected to be approximately $23 million Leadership and Communities The Board of Directors of the combined company will consist of 8 members consisting of 4 members of the current Horizon North Board and 4 new members to be appointed by Fairfax Financial. When the transaction closes, Bill McFarland, Chairman of Dexterra, will become Chairman of the combined company. John MacCuish, Chief Executive Officer of Dexterra, and Rod Graham, Chief Executive Officer of Horizon North, will be appointed Co-Chief Executive Officers, and both will sit on the Board of Directors. The full executive team for the combined company will be announced during the transition period, but no later than transaction closing. Following the closing of the transaction, the new company will have its head office in Toronto, Ontario, with Canadian corporate offices in both Toronto and Calgary. Timing and Approvals The Transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2020, subject to the receipt of all necessary approvals. The issuance of Horizon North Shares pursuant to the Transaction requires approval at least 50% of the votes cast by holders of Horizon North Shares represented in person or by proxy at a special meeting of holders of Horizon North Shares to be called to consider the issuance of Horizon North Shares pursuant to the Transaction, as required by the rules of the Toronto Stock Exchange. Completion of the Transaction is subject to certain closing conditions, including the approval of the Horizon North Shareholders and receipt of certain regulatory approvals, including the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange of the listing of the Horizon North Shares to be issued in connection with the Transaction and approval under the Competition Act (Canada). Advisors Scotiabank is acting as financial advisor to Horizon North. Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP is acting as legal advisor to Horizon North and Torys LLP is acting as legal advisor to Fairfax Financial. Investor Conference Call Details Horizon North will host a conference call and webcast to begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. MT (11:00 a.m. ET) on March 10, 2020. An investor package will be on the respective companies' websites. To access the conference call by telephone, the conference call dial in number is 1-888-231-8191. A live webcast of the conference call will be accessible on Horizon North's website at www.horizonnorth.ca by selecting "Investors", then "Webcast". An archived recording of the conference call will also be available approximately two hours after completion of the call until March 24, 2020 by dialing 403-451-9481 or 1-855-859-2056 Passcode: 8491409. About Horizon North Horizon North is a publicly listed corporation (TSX: HNL.TO) providing a full range of industrial, commercial, and residential products and services. Our Industrial Services business supplies workforce accommodations, camp management services, access solutions, maintenance and utilities. Our Modular Solutions business integrates modern design concepts and technology with state of the art, off-site manufacturing processes; producing high quality building solutions for commercial and residential offerings including offices, hotels, and retail buildings, as well as distinctive single detached dwellings and multi-family residential structures. As a result of our diverse product and service offerings, Horizon North is uniquely positioned to meet the needs of our customers in numerous sectors, anywhere in Canada. About Dexterra Dexterra provides quality solutions for the operation and maintenance of built assets and infrastructure including facilities management and operations, remote workforce accommodation, and forestry services. Dexterra is a Canadian business with a 70-year heritage servicing clients in both the private and public sectors. Dexterra has an outstanding record of creating and managing places that play a vital role in our national economy and our local communities. Our expertise in bringing together the right people with the right skills to transform service delivery and improve your customers' experiences is what sets us apart. Forward-Looking Information and Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking information, financial outlook and forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements") relating to future events, including Dexterra and Horizon North's future performance, business prospects or opportunities. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, unless otherwise indicated, Horizon North or Dexterra do not intend, and do not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, forecasts, guidance, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expect", "anticipate", "continue", "will", "potential", "intend", "could" and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: timing and certainty regarding completion of the Transaction, including obtaining regulatory and shareholder approvals and fulfilling the conditions precedent to such completion; the ability of Horizon North and Dexterra to satisfy conditions to closing of the Transaction; the expectation that Horizon North's largest shareholder will vote in favour of the Transaction; Fairfax's anticipated commitment to remain a long-term shareholder of the combined company; the expected revenues of the combined company; the anticipated benefits of the Transaction and features of the combined company, including the ability of the new company to create long-term value, create growth potential, improve cash flows, provide capital returns, better serve customers and carry forward best practices from both companies; the investment highlights of the combined company, including anticipated cost savings, capital requirements, anticipated dividend and the contribution of Dexterra to the free cash flow; the expected composition of the Board of Directors and executive team of the new company, including announcement date thereof; and the location of the new company's head offices. The forward-looking statements are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by Horizon North and Dexterra, including expectations and assumptions concerning: the timing of receipt of regulatory approvals; the benefits of the Transaction and the combined company; anticipated synergies and expected size thereof; financial results related to and growth opportunities associated with the combined company; future dividends; the state of the economy and the support services industry generally; and the availability and cost of financing and labour. Although Horizon North and Dexterra believe that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because neither Horizon North nor Dexterra can give assurances that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to: the risks that the parties will not receive required approvals to complete the Transaction or may not be able to satisfy the conditions to closing; that the other closing conditions to the Transaction may not be satisfied and the Transaction may not close; the ability of Horizon North to integrate Dexterra's business into its business and operations and realize financial, operational and anticipated synergies and benefits; the resources required to integrate Horizon North and Dexterra in connection with the Transaction; the demand for the new company's services; competition; volatility in the price and demand for oil, natural gas and minerals; availability of qualified personnel; changes in regulation by governmental agencies, including environmental regulation; general economic conditions including the capital and credit markets; and the ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. For a full discussion of Horizon North's material risk factors, see Horizon North's annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2018 and the risk factors in other documents filed from time to time with securities regulatory authorities, accessible through the SEDAR website (www.sedar.com). Any financial outlook provided in this press release have been included for the purpose of providing information relating to management's current expectations and plans for the future, are based on a number of significant assumptions and may not be appropriate, and should not be used, for any other purpose. Non-GAAP Measures This press release refers to adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA") and net debt / 2019E EBITDA that are not defined and do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by Canadian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP") and, therefore, may not be comparable with definitions of EBITDA and net debt / 2019E EBITDA that may be used by other public companies. Non-GAAP measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. Management believes that EBITDA and net debt / 2019E EBITDA are useful supplemental measure that may assist shareholders and investors in assessing the financial performance and position of the combined company. Management also uses non-GAAP measures internally in order to facilitate operating performance comparisons from period to period and assess Horizon North's and Dexterra's ability to meet its future capital expenditure and working capital requirements. Management believes these non-GAAP measures are important supplemental measures of operating performance because they highlight trends in the core business that may not otherwise be apparent when relying solely on GAAP financial measures. Management believes such measures allow for assessment of Horizon North's and Dexterra's operating performance and financial condition on a basis that is more consistent and comparable between reporting periods. SOURCE Horizon North Logistics Inc. Related Links www.horizonnorth.ca As more coronavirus cases are reported in New York City, contingency plans are in place to prepare for a worst-case scenario that could see Rikers Island prisoners dig mass graves to bury up to 51,000 bodies. The city has plans in place for a severe pandemic whose mortality rate of 2.1 per cent would likely produce a need for quick burial of corpses. The plan was drawn up by the citys Office of Chief Medical Examiner in October 2008 during the administration of then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The report by Charles S. Hirsch, titled Pandemic Influenza Surge Plan For Managing In- and Out-of-Hospital Deaths, details response strategies in case of widespread emergencies on the scale of the 1918 Spanish Flu and the 1957 outbreak of Asian Flu. The reports estimates hold that most deaths from a pandemic - up to 70 per cent - would occur in hospitals or assisted living centers. The above image from 2017 shows inmates from Rikers Island burying bodies in New York City's Hart Island New York City has prepared contingency plans for a major pandemic. Those plans include having inmates at Rikers Island (above) dig mass graves for tens of thousands of corpses In the event of a severe pandemic, the city would remove bodies and quickly have them buried on Hart Island Hart Island, just off the Bronx shoreline, is a tiny island in the western Long Island Sound During a pandemic similar to the Spanish Flu, when more than half a million Americans died, the city plans to deploy death professionals like morticians, forensic photographers, and medical students to collect the bodies. It is estimated that they would be asked to remove between 50 and 5,000 cadavers a day, according to New York magazine. During a surge in deaths, the city would deploy mobile refrigerated storage units at locations around the city. Each of these units are capable of holding up to 44 bodies each. The city would then need to accelerate the disposing of the bodies, including through cremation. If the number of corpses reaches overflow, a last resort would have the city send the bodies to Hart Island, the small island in the western Long Island Sound which lies just off the Bronx shoreline. The city would then have inmates from nearby Rikers Island dig mass graves and bury the corpses. The use of prison labor is a controversial topic, as New York Governor Andrew Cuomo learned on Monday. During a news conference in Albany, the governor introduced a new hand sanitizer that he said would be sold to New Yorkers at a cheap price if the major manufacturers engaged in price gouging during the pandemic. But the product was made by Corcraft, a state-owned business that uses prison labor. We are introducing New York State Clean hand sanitizer made conveniently by the State of New York, Cuomo said. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday unveiled a new state-produced hand sanitizer that was made by prison labor. Cuomo is seen above in Albany on Monday There have been a growing number of coronavirus cases in New York in recent days. The above image shows construction worker Harry Persaud of Brooklyn on his way to work on the 6 train on Monday This is a superior product to products now on the market. Cuomo, the third-term Democrat, said that it cost the state less money to manufacture the product than it would to buy it from other vendors on the open market. But advocates for criminal justice reform objected to the use of cheap prison labor during a national health crisis. Im concerned that we are asking the incarcerated to save the public from a health crisis, but wont give them the dignity of a fair wage, State Senator Zellnor Myrie, a first-term Democrat from Brooklyn, told The New York Times. In New York States, inmates are paid an hourly wage of 62 cents. In some cases, they get as little as 10 cents an hour, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. Myrie wants to raise the minimum wage in state prisons to $3 an hour, but a bill has stalled. As of midday Monday, there have been more than 140 cases of the new coronavirus confirmed in New York. Nearly 100 of those cases trace back to one of a community in the Westchester County suburb of New Rochelle connected to one of the first patients who tested positive in the state. Other commuter-rail suburbs in Connecticut and New Jersey have also reported stray cases. This award further demonstrates the confidence that military customers have in the world-class logistics capabilities offered by the Akima portfolio of companies, said Scott Rauer, President of Akimas Facilities Solutions Group. Akima today announced that Akima Support Operations has been awarded a contract to provide logistics support to the Army Field Support Battalion at Fort Hood, Texas. The award has a 5-year period of performance and a total contract value of approximately $101.3 million, if all options are exercised. This award further demonstrates the confidence that military customers have in the world-class logistics capabilities offered by the Akima portfolio of companies, said Scott Rauer, President of Akimas Facilities Solutions Group. Fort Hood is home to many legendary United States Army units, and we are proud to support the mission of such an important and storied military facility. The award was made to Akima under the Enhanced Army Global Logistics Enterprise (EAGLE) Program. Working in support of the Army logistics mission, Akima will focus on efficiency and continuous improvement programs to support efforts for the Department of the Army, coalition partners, foreign governments, and other Department of Defense agencies. Our experience providing support to facilities similar to Fort Hood was invaluable to receiving this award, said Doug Magee, President of Akima Support Operations. We are excited to immediately provide value on this contract through our agility and our experience. Akima support will focus primarily on materiel maintenance, supply services, ammunition services, transportation, and associated logistics analysis and management functions in support of the mission. About Akima Support Operations Akima Support Operations is an experienced provider of base operations, logistics and maintenance support services to the federal government. A provider of high-quality services with a world class record of safety, Akima Support Operations provides support to the missions of military and civilian government customers with project management, transportation services, base supply services, materiel maintenance, and civil engineering services. For more information, visit http://www.akimasupportops.com. About Akima Akima is a global enterprise with more than 7,500 employees, delivering agile solutions to the federal government in the core areas of aviation, construction, facilities and logistics, IT and mission support, protective services and detention management, and systems engineering. As a subsidiary of NANA, an Alaska Native Corporation owned by more than 14,300 Inupiat shareholders, Akimas core mission is to enable superior outcomes for our customers missions while simultaneously creating a long-lived asset for NANA consistent with our Inupiat values. In 2019, Washington Technology ranked Akima #38 amongst the top 100 government contractors. To learn more about Akima, visit http://www.akima.com. US Ambassador to India Kenneth I Juster on Tuesday announced the completion of an American- funded restoration project at the 17th century Qutb Shahi Tombs here. In February 2019, Ambassador Juster announced a USD 1,03,000 grant under the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation to restore and conserve the centuries-old tombs of thefamed dancersTaramati and Premamati within the greater Qutb Shahi Tombs complex here. "It's really a tremendous treat to be here. This is my third visit to the Qutb Shahi tombs. I want to thank the Telangana government, the Aga Khan Foundation, and the US Mission for the work we have done together here in restoration. This is our second Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation and Restoration project," Juster told reporters. "I was here about a year ago to visit the two tombs of Taramati and Premamati. It's so important for the United States to help restore the cultural heritage of India and particularly in this part of India. We had three Ambassadors Fund grants over the years and we are applying for more (grant)," he said. "I am delighted to be here to mark the completion of this project which looks so beautiful," he added. This is the second grant awarded by the US government for conservation work at the Qutb Shahi Tombs. An AFCP grant of USD 1,01,000 awarded in 2014, contributed to mapping and documenting structures throughout the site and helped transform archeologists' understanding of the monuments earliest architecture. Earlier in the day, Kenneth I Juster visited the Tata- Lockheed Martin Aerostructures facility near here. According to an official release, Juster toured the Tata-Lockheed Martin Aerostructures facility, currently in its 10th year, which stands as a testament to the strong relationship between the defense industries of the United States and India. The Ambassador's visit to the 4,700 square-meter facility marks the 10-year anniversary of this partnership and highlights the importance of the growing defense ties between the United States and India, it said. The jointly-owned facility in Adibatla near here, manufactures airframe components, including center-wing boxes and tail sections for the C-130J military transport aircraft. "From the success of the US-India defense partnership, as exemplified by a decade of cooperation between Lockheed Martin and Tata, to the restoration of the historic tombs of Taramati and Premamati, US-India ties are clearly thriving in Hyderabad," the release quoted Juster as saying. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) This seems like its a secret, but it shouldnt be: Residents in and around Greenwich Township, Gloucester County, have at least one more chance to learn more about a big liquified natural gas export terminal proposed for the former DuPont Repauno Works site at the Delaware River in Gibbstown. The LNG project keeps racking up approvals for the many permits it needs, with seemingly little input from the general public. If youre concerned about safety, traffic, water quality, etc., circle this date on the calendar: April 15. Yeah, its tax day. But its also when the Delaware River Basin Commission will begin a hearing on whether to uphold a permit that it originally granted last June. Opposition groups such as the Delaware Riverkeeper Network complained that the original OK was so swift and maybe so secret that the DRBC granted a second hearing. The permit, if upheld, would allow construction of a 43-foot-deep dock in the river to accommodate the export ships. Unfortunately, the DRBC will not take testimony from the public, although the April 15 hearing, starting at 9 a.m., will be open. Youll have to schlep to a state Office of Administrative Law site in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, and the hearing (in Quakerbridge Plaza Building No. 9) may run longer than a single day. One thing that appears to have been missing from the whole process is a broad-based community information session in or near Greenwich Township, at which the developers the regulators and the opponents could provide details and answer questions from us regular folks. Lately, though, the plan has generated interest beyond the immediate neighborhood. Thats because the federal government, in the form of the Trump administration, decided its OK to ship the compressed gas to the Greenwich site by train. The rule, initially announced in December, marks the first time the U.S. Transportation Department has approved large-scale LNG movement by rail car. If the rule allowed to go into effect after a May 10 deadline, it could change how this material is transported throughout the country, not just from the shale fields of Pennsylvania to the Gibbstown Logistics Center. Originally, the product was to come to Gloucester County by truck, which created its own issues. Last week, the LNG-by-rail controversy earned a lengthy article in the Washington Post. The article stated that the plan has been criticized by firefighters groups, railroad worker unions and even the National Transportation Safety Board which would investigate any related mishap. Some of the gripes: No additional safety standards or modifications would be required for the tank cars. Also, a Federal Railroad Administration assessment of safety issues wont be completed until eight months after the May 10 deadline. So, South Jersey residents can name that first train The Guinea Pig Express. Remember, this fuel wont flow to South Jersey homes or reduce anyones local gas bill. This LNG is going overseas. The project quietly won another permit last month. Since its for dredging, you can probably guess that its from the Army Corps of Engineers, whose attitude is usually Go ahead and dig it. By the way, what is it? In a Feb. 28 notice, the Corps stated that the project is Not Contrary to the Public Interest. Local residents have a right to ask, Whats the rush? If the rail transport, especially, is shown to be safe, the LNG terminal will be the inevitable result of global commerce and Americas energy-independent status. What possible reason could there be to go ahead before the Federal Railway Administration reaches its conclusions? 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. The initial version of this editorial should have clarified that although public comment will not be accepted during the April 15 hearing, known as an administrative adjudicatory hearing, interested parties may submit written comments to the DRBC through April 24. Comments, concerning Docket D-2017-009-2, may be submitted online at this web address: http://hearing.drbc.commentinput.com/?id=fZR9E. Madhya Pradesh: Congress' Jyotiraditya Scindia resigned today along with his 20 MLAs. Reports said Scindia along woth his suppoting MLAs may join BJP today in presence of JP Nada. Former Union Minister and four-time Member of Parliament for Congress, Jyotiraditya Scindia along with 20 lawmakers, who resigned from the Madhya Pradesh Congress earlier today, may join the BJP at around 6 pm. Reports said Scindia would accept BJPs membership in pressence of BJP president JP Nadda in New Delhi. Ex-Congressman handed over his resignation to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. Scindia, who got engaged in powertussle several times with MP CM Kamalnath and Digvijay Singh, could be nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the Saffron front, said reports. Soon after Scindia quit Congress, 20 MLAs who were with him also sent their resignations to the Governor. Earlier, it was said that 25 MLAs may turn rebel and were ready to resign from 15-month-old Kamal Nath government. Minutes after Jyotiraditya Scindia posted his resignation, Congress stalwart KC Venugopal launched a counter attack by expelling the 49-year-old former Guna MP for anti-party activities. Mr Scindia stood expelled with immediate effect for anti-party activities, reads a statement signed by Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal 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 Meanwhile reports said that 5 more lawmakers may leave their party to join hands with Saffron front. Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led Opposition too asked Chief Minister Kamal Nath to take the floor test at earliest and prove that he has majority in house. For all the latest National News, download NewsX App To the annoyance of some shareholders, North American Construction Group (TSE:NOA) shares are down a considerable 32% in the last month. Indeed the recent decline has arguably caused some bitterness for shareholders who have held through the 42% drop over twelve months. Assuming nothing else has changed, a lower share price makes a stock more attractive to potential buyers. While the market sentiment towards a stock is very changeable, in the long run, the share price will tend to move in the same direction as earnings per share. The implication here is that long term investors have an opportunity when expectations of a company are too low. Perhaps the simplest way to get a read on investors' expectations of a business is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). A high P/E ratio means that investors have a high expectation about future growth, while a low P/E ratio means they have low expectations about future growth. View our latest analysis for North American Construction Group Does North American Construction Group Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry? We can tell from its P/E ratio of 6.62 that sentiment around North American Construction Group isn't particularly high. The image below shows that North American Construction Group has a lower P/E than the average (13.5) P/E for companies in the energy services industry. TSX:NOA Price Estimation Relative to Market, March 10th 2020 North American Construction Group's P/E tells us that market participants think it will not fare as well as its peers in the same industry. Many investors like to buy stocks when the market is pessimistic about their prospects. It is arguably worth checking if insiders are buying shares, because that might imply they believe the stock is undervalued. How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios Earnings growth rates have a big influence on P/E ratios. When earnings grow, the 'E' increases, over time. And in that case, the P/E ratio itself will drop rather quickly. So while a stock may look expensive based on past earnings, it could be cheap based on future earnings. Story continues North American Construction Group's earnings made like a rocket, taking off 137% last year. Don't Forget: The P/E Does Not Account For Debt or Bank Deposits The 'Price' in P/E reflects the market capitalization of the company. In other words, it does not consider any debt or cash that the company may have on the balance sheet. The exact same company would hypothetically deserve a higher P/E ratio if it had a strong balance sheet, than if it had a weak one with lots of debt, because a cashed up company can spend on growth. Such spending might be good or bad, overall, but the key point here is that you need to look at debt to understand the P/E ratio in context. How Does North American Construction Group's Debt Impact Its P/E Ratio? Net debt totals a substantial 132% of North American Construction Group's market cap. This is a relatively high level of debt, so the stock probably deserves a relatively low P/E ratio. Keep that in mind when comparing it to other companies. The Bottom Line On North American Construction Group's P/E Ratio North American Construction Group trades on a P/E ratio of 6.6, which is below the CA market average of 13.6. The company may have significant debt, but EPS growth was good last year. If the company can continue to grow earnings, then the current P/E may be unjustifiably low. Given North American Construction Group's P/E ratio has declined from 9.8 to 6.6 in the last month, we know for sure that the market is more worried about the business today, than it was back then. For those who prefer invest in growth, this stock apparently offers limited promise, but the deep value investors may find the pessimism around this stock enticing. Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. As value investor Benjamin Graham famously said, 'In the short run, the market is a voting machine but in the long run, it is a weighing machine. So this free report on the analyst consensus forecasts could help you make a master move on this stock. But note: North American Construction Group may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a P/E ratio 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. The House of Representatives has called on the federal government to forestall the activities of baby factories through effective intelligence gathering and dissemination of information. The lawmakers made this call on Tuesday while adopting a motion by Ossy Prestige (Abia, APGA). The motion was titled Need to Address the Menace of Baby Factories in Nigeria. The United Nations Report on Nigeria in 2006 drew attention to the existence of baby factories in the country. This practice has continued unabated to an alarming proportion in different parts of the country, especially in the southern part, with babies being sold as ordinary wares. The term baby factories also referred to as baby farms or baby harvesting, is a new form of human trafficking with the factories located in secret places where young girls and ladies are lured into and encouraged or coerced to get pregnant and deliver babies for sale. According to a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) report, human trafficking is the third most common heinous crime ravaging Nigeria after financial fraud and drug trafficking. Like most other organised crimes, baby factories operate as a powerful cartel involving prominent people backing the nefarious trade. They operate under the guise of orphanage homes, prayer homes, social welfare homes or maternity homes and clinics, thereby luring unsuspecting teenage girls and ladies with all sorts of bait; and those victims find the hostels as safe havens for secretly dropping their unwanted babies for a token. Moving the motion, Mr Prestige said the extremely poor and vulnerable teen girls and ladies see such homes as veritable opportunities for redressing their economic misfortunes by selling their babies for peanuts. According to a report by the United Nations, at least ten (10) babies are illegally sold every day in Nigeria, a development that is worrisome and poses a great threat to national security, especially with the global rise in human organs trafficking, he said. He said he was desirous of putting an end to the operations of those baby factories in order to save the helpless teen girls and ladies from the risks involved in their indulgences. Part of the prayers adopted by the house was to urge the Federal Ministry of Health to ensure that all maternity homes and orphanages are duly registered and issued licences to operate within their scope. The house also urged the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to closely monitor orphanages and maternity homes to prevent them from being used for nefarious activities. The lawmakers further urged state governments to domesticate the Childs Rights Act to ensure adequate protection of children. In his ruling, the speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, mandated the committees on Human Rights and Healthcare Services to ensure implementation. Over the weekend, we saw several updates on the coronavirus and how it is affecting our military community. Families in Korea have been homeschooling for more than a week, while service members are checked before entering installations. We saw a huge quarantine in Northern Italy this weekend. And there are changes to everyday life in the States as well, with Fort Gordon, Georgia, quarantining those returning from certain countries. But in what may be the biggest turn of events for our community, the Army has stopped all assignment moves in Italy and South Korea through at least May 6. That means no moves in or out. No leaving for schools (unless they're six months long and you leave early for quarantine). Nothing. And it rocked the community. As soon as the information was released on social media, the stories of those affected were shared. There are families who have already sent their household goods to or from South Korea for an upcoming PCS but now must stay put for months. Some service members in the United States for training were set to return to South Korea within the next few weeks but now can't travel. Others affected include families who are PCSing to a new location ahead of their service member for medical reasons and dependents who are waiting to leave South Korea to be treated for medical reasons in the U.S. Everyone is staying where they are, or at least outside of South Korea, until May 6, according to the most recent information. So, what now? As a military community, we rally. We spend a few days outraged at this latest display of power the military -- and COVID-19 -- has over our lives. We whine, we cry, we carry on. We demand answers from a chain of command that doesn't yet have them. And then we put on our collective grown-up pants and do what needs to be done. We open our arms and welcome families who are missing their service member. We comb through our closets and pull out garments for the neighbor who sent all their summer clothes ahead. We have our kids share toys with the new family who won't have their things for months. We cut the grass for our friends who shipped their lawnmower to their next destination. We hold the hand of our friend giving birth while her service member is in another country. We offer up our shoulders to cry on, our wine to drink and our homes, if necessary, for complete strangers to stay in. In short, we do what military spouses have been doing for hundreds of years -- just under a new set of circumstances. We've been through deployments and unknowns, and if there is one community that the coronavirus should be afraid of, it's the military spouse community. We've got this. We've got you. Keep Up with the Ins and Outs of Military Life For the latest military news and tips on military family benefits and more, subscribe to Military.com and have the information you need delivered directly to your inbox. Welcome back to the Year of Fear. Each week until Election Day, CJR and the Delacorte Review will bring you another chapter from one of our four towns. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. For decades, quiet and rural Caroline County, Virginia, could be counted on to vote for Democrats in presidential elections, while more conservative and populous neighbors were turning out in droves for Republicans. In 1988, Caroline gave Mike Dukakis a win over George Herbert Walker Bush, the only county in the region to do so. In 1992, Bill Clinton got 48.6 percent of the countys votes, with 38 percent for Bush and 12.5 percent for Ross Perot. In 1996, Clinton trounced Bob Dole, 53.5 percent to 38.6 percent, with Perot grabbing 7 percent. Al Gore took 51.7 percent of the countys vote in 2000, over 46.4 percent for George W. Bush. Only in 2004 did the Republicans eke out a victoryby 121 votes, with G.W. Bush taking 50.2 percent of the vote to John Kerrys 49 percent. Then in 2008, Carolines voters came back and gave the Democrat, Barack Obama, a convincing 55.45 percent, to John McCains 43.5 percent. Obama triumphed again in 2012, besting Mitt Romney, 53.3 percent to 45 percent. But then came 2016, with a political neophyte, Donald Trump, taking a narrow 50.2 percent to 45.1 percent victory over his vastly more experienced Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, who carried Virginia. Caroline County was one of only five Pivot Counties in the statelocalities that voted twice for Obama and then reversed course for Trump. Was this a fluke? Or a sign of shifting political loyalties? Sign up for CJR 's daily email PREVIOUSLY: The Mystery of Caroline County, Virginia We wont know for quite a while. And before we get to that rather large questionin Caroline County and nationwidewe have to consider who the Democrats will pick to try to answer it. To begin the inquiry, I attended a February 8 meeting of the Caroline County Democratic Committee. It was not an easy meeting to find. The Democrats website and Facebook page still advertised the January meeting. I stumbled across mention of the February meeting in a video posted on the One Caroline Virginia Facebook page, maintained by Tony Ares, who tried unsuccessfully to start up a local newspaper after the ninety-nine-year-old Caroline Progress ceased printing in 2018 and left a void in the civic conversation. In a video on his Facebook page, Ares noted there would be free coffee and donuts at the event. As it turned out, there were more donuts than people. Most who did attend were older Democrats who knew about the meeting via the grapevine. Committee members briefly discussed their frustration over difficulty in communicating with the electorate, especially with recent newcomers to the county, of which there are a number. In 1988, 6,292 Caroline county residents voted for president. In 2016, 14,863 did so, out of 18,229 eligible voters. By March 2020, the number of eligible voters in the county has swelled to 20,508. How many of them will turn out in November, and how many will be Democrats, is anyones guess. THE CHAIRMAN of the County Democratic Committee, Floyd Thomas, was cautious on that question. An erudite sixty-four-year-old black man who grew up in White Plains, NY, Thomas spent every summer of his youth on his uncles farm near Bowling Green here in Caroline County. He graduated from Howard University with a degree in architecture and met his wife Linda, originally from Baltimore, while they were students there. They moved here in 1987 and four years later he was elected to represent the Mattaponi District on the Board of Supervisors. Linda Thomas has twice served as president of the Virginia NAACP. As local party chairman, Thomas has thus far remained above the fray, not picking a favorite among the crowded field campaigning in advance of Virginias primary vote on Super Tuesday, March 3. He says that there are as many opinions in Caroline as there are candidates. The one unifying force, he says is to get a Democrat in the White House. I asked Thomas if, given recent population increases, Democrats are now outnumbered by Republicans in Caroline County? He said he does not see a total shifting in philosophy. There are more independents now than before, he added. Virginians are uniquely independent. And Independents can vote Democratic. He pointed to local victories for Democrats in 2017, 2018, and 2019 as evidence. UP TO A WEEK before March 3, the primary did not seem to create much of a stir in Central Virginia. Several candidates opened campaign offices in Richmond and Northern Virginia in early February and a relative handful of neighborhood canvassing events were listed in counties adjacent to Caroline. TV ads for the two billionaires then in the race, Mike Bloomberg and Tom Steyer, began to appear. But yard signs and bumper stickers were virtually nonexistent until just days before the primary. An exception to this was in the Town of Ashland, eight miles south of Caroline County. There a former mayor, Jim Foley, was one of the first in the area to jump on the Pete Buttigieg bandwagon. It was before the first debate and he did a FOX News Town Hall, Foley said. I sought out more of his public speaking. Everything I heard resonated with me. It was like he was the adult in the room. Foley holds a CPA and Masters in Finance, and he is Director of Pricing for a major Richmond law firm. He and his wife Lorie have lived in Ashland for twenty-four years. I have family members who voted for Trump and I think Buttigieg could win them over the most easily, Foley said. Bernie Sanders, he argues, won the left wing but I worry that he would not be able to beat Trump. Around the holidays I was kind of obnoxious and wore Pete buttons to everything I went to, Foley added. People said, Hes too young we like him, but, blah, blah, blah. This criticism did not deter Foley, who stocked up on bumper stickers and yard signs and offered them to friends and neighbors. Pete is really focused on a post-Trump world. He is a true uniting candidate who can pull us together as a nation. Except he didnt. I contacted Foley after Buttigieg dropped out and he admitted he was bummed out. But Foley said hed switch to Biden, and explained his thinking: I worry about his gaffes and fading mental facilities. But he really is a safe choice and known commodity. He will surround himself with professionals. And anyone he picks for VP will be an improvement over Trump. As for Senator Sanders: His boldest plans will not get through congress even if the Ds control the senate. But a more practical and appealing version of those plans may emerge will be very good for the USA. As for Bloomberg, Foley said, just a day before Super Tuesday, He joined because of the disjointed D field, and now that support is coalescing around Biden, Mikes reason for being is gone. And now, so is Mike, who dropped out on March 4. DR. STEPHEN FARNSWORTH was not dismayed by the relative quiet in Central Virginia prior to Super Tuesday. He is a professor of political science and international affairs and founder of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, one of two colleges within a thirty-minute commute from Caroline County. He has been observing politics in Virginia for more than two decades. I think the Virginia outcome is very uncertain, he said, a few days before Super Tuesday. Candidates are looking at an electorate that is of two schools of mind. One is that they agree with their views. Another perspective is, which candidate has the best chance of beating President Trump. It is more calculated this year, Farnsworth said. It is wait and see. He noted too that Virginia was seeing high levels of voter interest and participation, including high absentee voting and high interest on college campuses. CHAPTER FOUR: Fighting the Wall Along the Rio grande Five days before Super Tuesday, Farnsworth served as moderator of a forum on policy, and more than seventy votersmany of them still undecided at the timegathered on a cold, windy night in the basement of the Fredericksburg Public Library to hear the views of four of the remaining democratic primary candidates at the timeon health care, climate change, and education. Well-prepared surrogates spoke on behalf of Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren. A former Bowling Green town councilman, Matt Rowe, Senior Geographic Information Systems Analyst for rapidly growing Stafford County, represented Buttigieg. Rowe said he got on the former Indiana mayors bandwagon about eight months ago because of Buttigiegs realistic approach to solving many of the problems that face the country. Rowe heard Buttigieg speak at the 2019 Blue Commonwealth Gala, an annual fundraiser, and was hooked. He is an amazing orator and has a great read for where we are as a country. Other speakers at the Fredericksburg forum were equally well informed and passionate about their candidates. Dr. Jay Brock, a past president of the Fredericksburg Area Medical Society, graduated from McGill University in Montreal and began his medical practice in Canada under a single payer health system. He spoke on behalf of Senator Sanders, likening the American healthcare system to the casinos of Las Vegas. Like gambling, the system is set up so the house always wins and the house is the healthcare companies. Its wasteful. Who would even want to keep that system? Brock asked. Moderate plans just perpetuate the waste, he said. Only Bernies plan eliminates the health care industry and is truly affordable. Senator Warren was represented by Johanna Guzman, a former Fulbright Public Policy Fellow and visiting researcher at Oxford University, who has degrees in Biophysics and Microbiology. Fear, uncertainty, and doubt are used to protect the healthcare system. Why would anyone want to perpetuate a system that doesnt put us first? she asked the audience. At the present time, Healthcare isnt considered a right, it is considered a business. Elizabeth Warren has a plan to change that. She has a plan! Vice President Biden was represented by Henry Thomassen, a resident of nearby Stafford County and a retired Exxon-Mobil executive, who called himself a proud Democrat for over twenty-five years with a strong record of community activism. Thomassen said that Bidens plan for healthcare, like all of the contenders, will increase taxes. But not as much. It is more modest. Many Virginia Democrats had to revise their thinking on election eve, following announcements that Steyer, Buttigieg, and Amy Klobuchar were all abandoning their campaigns. I asked Rowe where that left him, and his answer was, perhaps, telling. With Pete dropping out, I have immediately switched to Joe Biden. I think thats what Pete wanted us to do, said Rowe, who added that he would be switching gears and preparing for the Democratic Convention for the 1st Congressional District of Virginia. WHEN SUPER TUESDAY finally arrived, voting lifted the fog. Caroline County gave Joe Biden a resounding victory, and 64 percent of the votes. Bernie Sanders trailed with 23.6 percent, followed by Mike Bloomberg at 8.17 percent and Elizabeth Warren 5.62 percent. Bidens margin in Caroline was much larger than statewide, where he was victorious nonetheless with 53.3 percent of the vote. Perhaps more significant than the percentages was the voter turnout on a windy, overcast primary election day. There were 3,952 Caroline County residents voting this year compared to 2,561 in the 2016 Democratic Presidential Primary. Direct comparisons are problematic because there was no Republican primary this year; Republicans and Independents were eligible to vote in the Democratic Primary, and the number of registered voters is higher this year. Nonetheless, this was encouraging news for the Caroline County Democratic Chairman, Floyd Thomas. Thats great, he said. It will take a while to see how many of those were first time voters and how many didnt vote in 2016, he added. Matt Rowe, the Democratic Chairman for the 1st Congressional District, was also cheered. Having backed Buttigieg until he dropped out, Rowe spent the final hours of the campaign trying to steer Buttigieg and Klobuchar supporters to Biden. It certainly helped when Pete endorsed Joe. That sealed it, he said, after the polls closed. How all of this affects the Virginia Congressional primary in June, and then the big one, the Presidential Election in November, remains to be seen. Next Week, Chapter 6: Covering elections in Macon when theres almost no one left to cover them This project is supported by a gift from the Delacorte Center for Magazine Journalism Fund at The New York Community Trust. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Greg Glassner is a Caroline County resident with more than forty years of experience in the newspaper business, the majority of it as editor of community weeklies in Virginia. He was editor of the Herald-Progress in Ashland for eight years, retiring in 2012. He also served as interim editor of the Caroline Progress in Bowling Green for six months in 2015, and wrote a weekly column and feature stories for both papers until they ceased publication in March 2018. A US Army veteran who saw service in Southeast Asia, Glassner is the author of five books, including biographies of US Attorney General William Wirt and Virginia Gov. William Extra Billy Smith. Several cruise ships are stranded at sea, some with confirmed coronavirus cases on board, as the pandemic expands around the globe. Some ships have been denied port, leaving them to anchor off the coast of a country. Other cruises have docked with quarantined passengers aboard. Three cruise ships have confirmed cases of coronavirus on board: the MS Braemar, Silver Shadow and Silver Explorer. Here is the status of the cruise ships in limbo that we know of. MS Braemar Status: Approaching Cuba A cruise ship with confirmed coronavirus cases is approaching Cuba after days frantically searching for a place to dock after it was refused several ports of entry in the Caribbean. Five people aboard the MS Braemar tested positive for the virus, according to a statement from British company Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, which owns the Braemar. 25 passengers and another 27 crew members, including a doctor, are in isolation after displaying influenza-like symptoms while traveling on the ship, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines said. Until Tuesday morning, the Braemar was anchored about 25 miles offshore in the Bahamas, being resupplied with vital food, fuel and medication. The United Kingdom entered into discussions with authorities in Cuba and the US to find a suitable port for the Braemar, according to British government sources familiar with the efforts. Cuba said it will receive the ship and says it "comprehends the difficult situation these passengers find themselves in," a diplomatic source in Cuba told CNN. Cuba said it would allow the ship to dock there out of "humanitarian concerns" and the need for "a shared effort to confront and stop the spread of the pandemic." "Following request from #UK government, #Cuba has authorized docking of cruise ship MS Braemar with small number of passengers testing positive for #Covid-19." Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said in a tweet. "Sanitary measures established in WHO and @MINSAPCuba protocols will be implemented to receive passengers and crew." Braemar is now en route to the port of Mariel and is currently not far from Havana. The captain Jozo Glavic announced on board that all guests will be repatriated back to the UK by air. The cruise line said those who are infected will have their own plane. Flights are expected to depart from Cuba Wednesday evening local time. Any guest unable to fly due to illness will be offered support and medical treatment in Cuba. The cruise line is working with the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office to firm up details, and with Public Health England to confirm further requirements once passengers are back in the UK. Fred Olsen's UK office has set up a dedicated Braemar Relative Support team, for those anxious about family members on board. Fred Olsen Cruise Lines said that once all ships currently at sea return home, the "cruise operation will then pause all ocean cruise operations until 23rd May." The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office expressed gratitude to the Cuban authorities for their support. UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said, "On the issue of cruises, we've been working intensively with the Cuban authorities [...] to ensure that all of the British nationals are able to return quickly and safely to the UK [...] within the next 48 hours. "We are very grateful to the Cuban government for swiftly enabling this operation and for their close cooperation to make sure it could be successful." Silver Shadow Status: Docked in Brazil, passengers in isolation A Canadian passenger tested positive for coronavirus Saturday on the Silver Shadow, which is docked off the port of Recife in Brazil, according to Brazil's state news agency Agencia Brasil. Royal Caribbean confirmed the case on the Silver Shadow on Sunday. "Two guests aboard the Silver Shadow have been medically disembarked in Recife, Brazil, and one has tested positive for COVID-19," Royal Caribbean said in a statement. The ship's 609 passengers have been in isolation since Thursday when a passenger showed symptoms similar to coronavirus, Agencia Brasil said on Friday. One of the passengers who disembarked, a 78-year-old man from Canada, had a fever, cough and difficulty breathing. He was sent to a private hospital in the city. Silver Explorer Status: Docked in Chile, one passenger tested positive The Silver Explorer docked in Castro, Chile, on Saturday after a passenger tested positive for coronavirus, Chile's Health Minister Jaime Manalich said during a press conference in Santiago Saturday. An 83-year-old British man is in "good condition" and being treated at the Coyhaique Hospital after testing positive, Manalich said. Royal Caribbean, which owns the Silver Explorer, confirmed the coronavirus case on Sunday. "One guest aboard the Silver Explorer has been medically disembarked in Castro, Chile, also testing positive for the virus," the statement said. The cruise ship is carrying 111 passengers and 120 crew members, according to Chilean officials. Golden Princess Status: Cleared to set sail for Australia While no one has tested positive for coronavirus on the Golden Princess anchored off New Zealand, at least three passengers have been quarantined by the ship's doctor, according to local health officials. One passenger developed symptoms similar to coronavirus and was being treated as a suspected case, according to the Canterbury District Health Board. Two other passengers had contact with a confirmed case in the past two weeks. The ship is anchored in Akaroa Harbor near Christchurch so there could be "precautionary health testing" of guests who traveled on an international flight from Los Angeles, Princess Cruises said in a statement to CNN. The flight had a passenger who later tested positive for coronavirus in Australia. The cruise line said the airline passenger who tested positive has never been on board its ship. The passenger with respiratory symptoms tested negative for coronavirus, Princess Cruises told CNN on Sunday. The Golden Princess was cleared to leave and set sail for Australia. "We have also apologized to guests that this means that the remainder of their New Zealand itinerary has been canceled," the cruise liner said in a statement to CNN. Passengers have not been allowed to disembark the ship. The Golden Princess departed Melbourne on March 10 for a 13-day voyage, Princess Cruises said. Norwegian Jewel Status: Stranded in the South Pacific Ocean, no cases reported The Norwegian Jewel is searching for a port in the Pacific Ocean after being denied permission to dock at two previously scheduled ports, Norwegian Cruise Line said. The ship is at sea in the South Pacific Ocean off the coast of Suva, Fiji, as of Sunday evening. The cruise was scheduled to disembark Sunday in Papeete, French Polynesia, but the port was canceled, the company said. Another scheduled port of Lautoka, Fiji, on March 17 was also canceled. "We are actively working to find an alternative port and are communicating with guests regularly as we have further information," the cruise line said in a statement. CNN is not aware of any reports of coronavirus cases on board the Norwegian Jewel. Norwegian Cruise Line announced suspension of services from March 13 - April 11. "Voyages that are underway will conclude and guests will be disembarked as soon as possible and assisted with travel arrangements," said the cruise line in a statement. Pacific Princess Status: At sea in the Indian Ocean, heading to Fremantle, Australia, but docking rights uncertain Pacific Princess, owned by Princess Cruises, departed in January for its 111 day around the world voyage. According to passenger CJ Hayden, no one on board has COVID-19 symptoms, but the ship's trajectory has become increasingly uncertain as ports are closing. Hayden tells CNN the last time the ship successfully docked at a port was on March 3, in Exmouth, Western Australia. Since then, stopovers at Bali, Singapore and Phuket were canceled, due to fears over coronavirus. The Pacific Princess was later refused entry by Sri Lanka while en route. "We were allowed to dock at a commercial port for fuel, food, and water but no one could get on or off. Their workers and ours wore masks and stayed apart," says Hayden. The ship was refused at the Seychelles, and abandoned its subsequent trek to Zanzibar, as more ports started to close. Hayden says the ship is currently heading to Fremantle, Australia, due to arrive March 21. But Australia has closed ports to cruise ships, so this destination remains uncertain. CNN is contacting Princess Cruises for confirmation. On March 12, Princess Cruises announced "a voluntary and temporary pause of global operations" for 60 days. "Current voyages that are underway and extend beyond March 17 will be ended at the most convenient location for guests, factoring in operational requirements," reads the statement. Costa Luminosa Status: En route to Marseille Two guests on board this ship, one German and one Danish, tested positive for coronavirus, according to Costa Cruises. These passengers were placed in isolation after displaying symptoms, and later disembarked in Puerto Rico on March 8, where they were hospitalized. "A third guest was also disembarked after being identified through the temperature check that is performed on board according to protocol," said Costa Cruises in a statement. The cruise company said it has suspended operations until April 3, and Luminosa is currently heading towards Marseille, France. Costa Cruises also confirmed to CNN that on an earlier sailing of Costa Luminosa, a 68-year-old male passenger with a history of cardiac issues contracted coronavirus. He was disembarked in Grand Cayman, the largest of the Cayman Islands, on February 29. The passenger later passed away. The Cayman Islands government press release dated March 14 states the patient had two cardiac arrests while on board the cruise ship and was resuscitated, before he passed away in intensive care on Grand Cayman. Families of those on Luminosa have been active on social media, expressing their frustration. Ashley Ecker, whose parents are on board, displayed her anger at the situation. "As of last night, all passengers are now in mandatory cabin quarantine. My mom said they weren't brought food or drink till midday today," Ecker told CNN on Monday. "They are being given zero information from the captain. Many passengers are elderly and have health issues and have no access to internet to check in with worried family at home." Cruises to disembark The Celebrity Eclipse is anchored in San Antonio, Chile. Celebrity Cruises is working with government officials to provide a controlled disembarkation plan to make sure guests have a way to leave the country, a spokesperson said. The Azamara Pursuit, which is off the coast of Chile, is working on a plan to disembark passengers and get them home safely, an Azamara spokeswoman told CNN. The ship left Ushuaia, Argentina, on March 8 carrying 675 passengers and 389 crew members, Chile's Health Minister Jaime Manalich said Saturday. P&O Cruises announced suspension of any new cruises until April 11, 2020, with current cruises currently heading back to Southampton, England. The Balmoral, another Fred Olsen Cruise Line ship, arrived in Southampton on March 18. Fred Olsen's Boudicca ship is due to arrive in Dover, also in the England, on March 19, while the Black Watch is currently cruising to Southampton, due to arrive on March 17. "We can confirm we have not had any guests in isolation nor any guests who have presented with influenza like symptoms on Black Watch, Boudicca or Balmoral," says Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. Advertisement Hundreds of Americans evacuated from the Grand Princess cruise ship late Monday were driven away to be quarantined at military bases amid fears they may have contracted coronavirus after 21 people got sick. Two dozen people in need to acute medical care were also among Monday's evacuees, alongside 240 Canadians who were loaded on specially-chartered evacuation flights home to start a quarantine of their own. Around 2,000 people - including 140 Britons - were left on the ship overnight, anxiously waiting for disembarkation to restart on Tuesday morning for their chance to leave. Hundreds of Americans have been taken off the Grand Princess cruise ship and driven to military bases around America to start two weeks of quarantine after a coronavirus outbreak on board. Pictured, a bus arrives at Travis Air Force Base Some 1,500 people were evacuated from the ship on Monday, including two dozen people requiring urgent medical care. Pictured, a bus full of American passengers arrives at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California Two buses carrying quarantined passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship drive onto Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California, on Monday night 240 Canadian passengers were evacuated Monday and boarded a specially-chartered evacuation flight home (pictured arriving at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, Ontario) where they will also be quarantined Passengers step off a plane carrying Canadians back from the Grand Princess cruise ship, after it arrived at Canadian Forces Base Trenton in Ontario Around 2,000 passengers were left on board the ship overnight as evacuation operations were halted, before restarting again Tuesday morning. It comes after 21 cases of coronavirus were confirmed on board the ship WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF CORONAVIRUS? Like other coronaviruses, including those that cause the common cold and that triggered SARS, COVID-19 is a respiratory illness. The most common symptoms are: Fever Dry cough Shortness of breath Difficulty breathing Fatigue Although having a runny nose doesn't rule out coronavirus, it doesn't thus far appear to be a primary symptom. Most people only become mildly ill, but the infection can turn serious and even deadly, especially for those who are older or have underlying health conditions. In these cases, patients develop pneumonia, which can cause: Potentially with yellow, green or bloody mucus Fever, sweating and shaking chills Shortness of breath Rapid or shallow breathing Pain when breathing, especially when breathing deeply or coughing Low appetite, energy and fatigue Nausea and vomiting (more common in children) Confusion (more common in elderly people) Some patients have also reported diarrhea and kidney failure has occasionally been a complication. Avoid people with these symptoms. If you develop them, call your health care provider before going to the hospital or doctor, so they and you can prepare to minimize possible exposure if they suspect you have coronavirus. Advertisement The UK Foreign Office said a flight to take the Britons home would arrive in California late Tuesday, due to arrive home on Wednesday morning. The Grand Princess was forced to idle off the coast of California for several days after a coronavirus outbreak was confirmed on board, but finally made port in Oakland on Monday and an evacuation started. US authorities decided not to quarantine people on board the ship after similar efforts on board another Princess Cruises ship - the Diamond Princess - failed, sickening more than 700 people and leading to six deaths. 'Everyone was hollering and clapping' as the giant vessel sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge and entered the harbor, passenger Karen Schwartz Dever said. Carolyn Wright, 63, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, could look out of her cabin window as passengers lined up. Around them, she noted, were people in yellow protective clothing, gloves and even a few hazardous materials suits. For days, passengers aboard the ship had been isolated in their cabins. When they were finally allowed a few minutes on deck, she said, they were warned to wear masks and try to stay 6 feet away from each other. But after docking, video showed long lines forming for the processing tents. Ambulances were on hand to take some passengers away. 'They were cueing up the passengers like cattle,' Wright said. 'Everybody was bunched up. They were physically touching each other and they were backed up along the gangplank.' Then, she said, they were taken away in chartered buses. 'I'm just totally freaked out by that,' said Wright. 'It's outrageous. If that's safe, then why were we stuck in our rooms? It's been stressed for the past five days that we're not to have any contact with any other passengers?' 'We're trying to stay calm and were trying to stay positive but it's getting harder and harder. They can't make up their minds how to keep us safe,' said Wright's cabin mate, Beryl Ward, 77, of Santa Fe. 'The president didn't even want us to get off the ship. So that didn't make me happy,' she added. 'Wish you were here, Mr. Trump!' On Sunday, before the ship docked, Dr. John Redd of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services had urged passengers to remain in their rooms and said: 'We're making every effort to get them off the ship as safely and quickly as possible.' He called the elaborate but quickly planned disembarkation process a 'really unprecedented and difficult operation.' The Grand Princess had been held off the coast since Wednesday because of evidence that it was the breeding ground for more than 20 infections tied to a previous voyage. US authorities opted to evacuate the Grand Princess after efforts to quarantine passengers on board the Diamond Princess ship failed and led to 700 getting sick, along with six deaths Disembarking passengers were filtered through medical tents as they left the ship so they could be checked for signs of the virus, while crew members (right) were dressed in full hazmat suits as they were taken off the ship Passengers left on board the ship wave to those on shore after being confined to their rooms ahead of evacuation The Grand Princess was held off the West Coast after coronavirus was detected on board, before being allowed to dock at Oakland on Monday as the evacuation started U.S. passengers will be flown or bused from the port - chosen for its proximity to an airport and a military base - to bases in California, Texas and Georgia for testing and a 14-day quarantine. Some arrived Monday night at Travis Air Force Base in Northern California. The ship carried people from 54 countries, and foreigners were to be whisked home. But Wright and others said nobody had been told the details. Only about 50 people had been tested for the virus. 'I'm willing to be quarantined,' Wright said. ''But I want to know if I'm positive or not. We don't even know if we're going to get tested. It's all rumor and speculation.' 'I'm bored and frustrated,' she added. 'All of a sudden a two-week vacation has turned into a five-week vacation.' Passengers need to worry about who is looking after their children or pets, not to mention preparing their taxes before the deadline and earning a living. A professional photographer, she was looking at five weeks without earning a salary. About 1,100 crew members, 19 of whom have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship, which will dock elsewhere after passengers are unloaded, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said. The California governor and Oakland mayor sought to reassure people that none of the cruise ship passengers would be exposed to the public before completing the quarantine. Officials were trying to decide where the ship and its crew would go next. Cruise ships have come under scrutiny by those who view them as potential germ factories because they pack thousands of people in close quarters. Another Princess ship, the Diamond Princess, was quarantined for two weeks in Yokohama, Japan, last month because of the virus. Ultimately, about 700 of the 3,700 people aboard became infected in what experts pronounced a public health failure. There were 754 confirmed coronavirus cases in the US as of Tuesday morning, with 26 deaths - most of them at an elderly care facility in Washington state US cases have spiked sharply over the past week, though there are fears that a number of infections are being missed due to a lack of testing kits A third vessel, the Caribbean Princess, was supposed to dock in Grand Cayman on Monday but the cruise line said it will keep its thousands of passengers and crews from disembarking until crew members are tested for COVID-19. Around the world, nations have limited the movements of millions of people in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. Italy was to impose travel restrictions and other strict public health measures nationwide starting Tuesday. In Northern California, Santa Clara County announced a ban of all large gatherings of at least 1,000 people for the rest of the month in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The announcement Monday came hours after the public health department announced the county's first coronavirus death, a woman in her 60s. The virus has shaken global markets, with stocks taking their worst one-day beating on Wall Street since 2008 and oil prices suffering their most brutal losses since the start of the 1991 Gulf War. Even with Asian markets posting modest gains Tuesday, fear was rampant that economies stood at the brink of recession. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. A worker at the Life Care Center in Kirkland, which has seen the majority of US deaths due to the virus, wears a mask and uses a leaf blower as he wheels a package on a cart, Monday Tourists, wearing protective masks, look on as they wait for a ride outside of Union Station in Washington, DC A man wears a face mask as he arrives to take the subway in New York City amid fears over coronavirus infections Donald Trump has faced accusations that his administration is seeking to downplay the virus, leaving Americans unprepared According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered. The virus has infected 600 people in the United States, and at least 26 have died, most in Washington state. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said communities will need to start thinking about canceling large gatherings, closing schools and letting more employees work from home, as many companies have done after an outbreak in the Seattle area. Pearl Jam on Monday announced it was postponing 17 North American shows on its upcoming tour over coronavirus concerns. In Silicon Valley, NASA's Ames Research Center is essentially closed with restricted access because an employee tested positive Sunday for the coronavirus. Workers will be on 'mandatory telework status' and three earth science airplane missions are being delayed to later this year, the county said. Several universities have begun online-only courses, including the University of Washington, Stanford University and Columbia University. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Last month, automakers in China sold a total of 219,930 locally-produced PVs (referring to cars, MPVs, SUVs and minibuses), which were 82.1% less than that of a year ago, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). That is to be expected as the association previously forecasted a year-on-year plunge of over 80% in Feb. PV sales. To help dealerships weather the virus-hit period, a great deal of OEMs have lowered or even cancelled the monthly wholesale targets for their dealers, partially leading to the incredibly low wholesale volume. Moreover, the CPCA also imputed the unpleasant paper number to factors like OEMs low inventories, logistics hampered, the bleak return-to-work situation, and sluggish on-site shopping of consumers, of which the latter three all discouraged dealers from purchasing vehicles from OEMs. For the first two months, the combined PV wholesale volume dropped 44% to 1,836,657 units. The number slid 21.6% in January, while the Lunar New Year holiday should be more blamed then than the coronavirus outbreak. Coronavirus, the black swan of 2020, has sent shock waves through all walks of life. To contain the epidemic, most automakers and supplies delayed their business resumption, and workers were hindered from returning to their posts on time. Notably, companies in Hubei Province, whose capital is the epicenter and one of most important automobile bases in China, are required to remain their doors shut until March 10. The direct consequence is that the countrys PV outputs tumbled 80.9% over a year earlier to only 216,041 units. The epidemic also froze users' car-buying demands. Homegrown PV retail sales in Feb. slumped 78.6% year over year to 256,608 units. The steep decrease was formed on the basis of a small base number as the prior-year period contained a Spring Festival holiday. Thus, we can find out that the outbreak brought much more negative effects than that of the holiday. In addition, the license plate registration was also suspended in some regions due to the virus reason, so that the vehicle delivery was correspondingly postponed. Compared to January, the landscape of the top 10 automakers by monthly PV wholesale volume looks quite different. FAW-Volkswagen was still the champion, while SAIC's two joint ventures fail to defend the top 3 honor. The runner-up place was replaced by Geely Auto, and Chery Automobile, which was not on the top 10 list a month earlier, for the first time took the second runner-up place. The seventh to ninth places were captured by SAIC Motor's three subsidiaries. However, SAIC-GM was not one of them. Beijing Benz surged to the sixth place, the only dedicated premium vehicle manufacturer. Regarding the prospect for the whole year, the CPCA said the annual PV deliveries is projected to shrink 8% year on year if no powerful incentive policies put forward at the nation level, 3 percentage points lower than the former prediction. (Natural News) While last weeks focus has been mainly on the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on the West Coast especially in Washington state where it first hit the country, disturbing news over the weekend revealed that it has already made its way to cities on the East Coast: Washington D.C. has reported its first case of the virus, meanwhile a few hundred miles north, New York City has enacted a drastic measure to stop the spread of the disease among emergency workers. Minister becomes D.C.s first coronavirus case, hundreds at risk Reverend Timothy Cole of Christ Church, an Episcopal church in Washington D.C.s Georgetown neighborhood, was diagnosed with COVID-19 Saturday evening. The reverend is currently in stable condition, according to his assistant, Reverend Crystal Hardin. I can now confirm that I am the individual who tested positive for the coronavirus, said Cole in an email to CBS News. First, I want to assure you that I will be okay. I am receiving excellent care and am in good spirits under the circumstances. I will remain quarantined for the next 14 days as will the rest of my family. Cole represents the first reported case of COVID-19 in the capital. However, his position as the minister may have put hundreds of visitors to the Episcopal church at risk as Cole served communion and shook hands with attendees during services. In response to this, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser suggested that any recent visitors to Christ Church should self-quarantine themselves. We know that whether we meet here in person on a Sunday morning or whether we meet in spirit not one of us is alone because we have each other. We firmly believe that we are held in Gods embrace through it all, said Bowser. We are praying for all those affected, all those who are in fear and all of the medical professionals and researchers and community members who are trying to find solutions. In the meantime, all services have been canceled at the church starting Sunday the first time since the 1800s after being razed in a fire. NYC firefighters banned from responding to cases where coronavirus is involved As Washington D.C. comes to grips with the possibility of a coronavirus outbreak in the city, New York City is now enacting a controversial measure to prevent the virus from spreading among its emergency workers. On Friday, the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) issued an order that temporarily relieves all firefighters from responding to calls of the second-highest priority for patients with cough, fever, difficulty breathing or who may even be unconscious. Cough, fever and difficulty with breathing are the most common symptoms of COVID-19. It seems like a logical way to reduce the number of people who come in close contact with coronavirus patients, stated City Councilman Joseph Borelli, chairman of the citys fire and emergency management committee. Someone complaining of flu-like symptoms doesnt need an engine company with five firefighters. Meanwhile, FDNY spokesman Frank Dwyer clarified that the order does not cover the highest priority cases. Dwyer confirmed that FDNY firefighters would continue to respond to all high priority calls, including cardiac and respiratory arrests, choking, and trauma incidents, regardless of whether or not theyre potential COVID-19 calls. The EMTs and paramedics wholl end up shouldering most of the burden, however, have a different view and believe that the order will simply further strain the system. The FDNY is currently experiencing a shortage of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workers such as EMTs and paramedics due to the positions low pay and the resulting exodus of EMS to become firefighters. (Related: New York Emergency Room Doctor: There Will Be Thousands Of Confirmed Cases In The U.S. By Next Week.) It puts everyone at risk. It puts EMS workers at risk, when we dont have the resources, said Anthony Almojera, EMS lieutenant in Sunset Park and vice president of Local 3621 of the FDNY Uniformed EMS Officers. It puts the lives of New Yorkers at risk if theyre not on scene. Sources include: Breitbart.com CBSNews.com NYPost.com 1 NYPost.com 2 Married At First Sight viewers have rallied around Ivan Sarakula after his 'wife' Aleks Markovic 'friendzoned' him on Tuesday night's episode. In a moment of brutal honesty, Aleks said she could no longer pretend that her relationship with Ivan was 'more than a friendship' - leaving him close to tears. MAFS viewers voiced their shocked reactions on Twitter as they were completely blindsided by Aleks' sudden change of heart. 'I'm actually devastated!' On Tuesday, Married At First Sight viewers rallied around Ivan Sarakula (pictured) after his 'wife' Aleks Markovic 'friendzoned' him 'I'm actually devastated for Ivan. I feel like he really likes her and she's losing interest in him,' one viewer wrote. Another viewer wrote: 'Ivan is now in the friend zone. I think this was partly the experts fault for pushing the sex card so much.' 'I am so, so surprised, but I legit love Ivan. I know he's a dork, but I think it is adorable and love how he treats Aleks,' one shocked fan said. Another disappointed fan wrote: 'Aleks has just broken Australia's heart and Ivan's.' 'It seems as though Ivan has been told many times before that women like him as a friend but not in a romantic way!' one viewer said. Ouch! In a moment of brutal honesty, Aleks said she could no longer pretend that her relationship with Ivan was 'more than a friendship' - leaving her him close to tears MAFS viewers voiced their shocked reactions on Twitter as they were completely blindsided by Aleks' sudden change of heart During Tuesday night's episode of MAFS, Aleks started off by saying that she can't see herself relocating from Perth to Sydney to be with Ivan, before breaking the news about their future together. Puzzled and hurt, Ivan asked: 'Do you think if we had established a stronger romance that it would be a different story?' Aleks responded: 'I stepped back and really assessed whether I see us romantic in the future. I love your qualities, I adore everything about you. 'But for me, after the last commitment ceremony, the realisation was, "Do I adore this man as just a man that's gonna be part of my life forever but not romantically? Or do I adore this man because I see myself falling in love with him and he's my soulmate?" Broken: Ivan looked heartbroken by the news, but vowed to keep his faith and said that they could still possibly work out 'I had to determine that and I got to the stage where I felt like there are aspects of our relationship that we do lack and miss,' she continued. Ivan looked heartbroken by the news, but vowed to keep his faith and said that they could still possibly work out. 'Something's happened here, her spark's just fizzled out,' he told producers. 'I stepped back and really assessed whether I see us romantic in the future': Aleks admitted that she didn't see a future with the real estate agent 'I'd be open to the idea of a comeback in our relationship, she means a lot to me, but there has to be some optimism from Aleks about the future.' While Ivan tried to remain positive, Aleks admitted to producers that there was little hope of her ever having a future with him. 'I came in here to find love, I came in here to find the father of my children,' she said. 'I can't keep putting on a facade and pretending like it's more than a friendship,' she continued. 'Of course I'm feeling disheartened, but at the same time, the more I think about it, I realise that I don't see Ivan as a future partner, I don't see him as a soulmate, I don't see us romantically involved with each other.' Married At First Sight continues Wednesday at 7.30pm on Channel Nine The difficult decision of identifying how many new immigrants to welcome to Canada is shaped by six major factors, but there is one factor that prevails above all. 6 factors that shape Canadas immigration levels The difficult decision of identifying how many new immigrants to welcome to Canada is shaped by six major factors, but there is one factor that prevails above all. 6 factors that shape Canadas immigration levels The difficult decision of identifying how many new immigrants to welcome to Canada is shaped by six major factors, but there is one factor that prevails above all. 6 factors that shape Canadas immigration levels The difficult decision of identifying how many new immigrants to welcome to Canada is shaped by six major factors, but there is one factor that prevails above all. Kareem El-Assal Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A Canadas 2020-2022 Immigration Levels Plan announcement will spark much discussion. The discussion will center around issues such as the number of immigrants Canada will welcome, which categories they will fall under and whether Canada has the capacity to integrate these newcomers into its economy and society. All these issues are important and merit much discussion and debate. But there usually is not much talk about what goes into determining immigration levels. The difficult decision of identifying how many newcomers Canada will welcome each year is shaped by six major factors: Demographics and economics Canadas policy goals Global circumstances Canadas integration capacity Canadas processing capacity Politics Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs Demographics and economics Welcoming immigrants to Canada is an economic necessity due to the countrys demographic circumstances. Canada has one of the worlds oldest populations and one of the worlds lowest birth rates. Consequently, Canada needs to welcome immigrants to promote demographic and labour force growth, which is absolutely critical to sustaining economic growth. Other countries may not need immigrants because they have younger populations and higher birth rates, but Canada, on the other hand, would see its high living standards take a hit in the absence of immigration. Policy goals Canada welcomes immigrants for three major reasons: to grow its economy, reunite families, and help refugees. Hence, immigration levels are always shaped with these goals in mind, and in fact, Canada goes to great lengths to fulfil these goals, as it welcomes some 40 per cent of its immigrants under the family and refugee classes each year. Global circumstances Tied into the previous factor is the matter of how Canada should respond to global circumstances. In assessing its economic class policies, Canada has to be sure there is enough global demand from potential immigrants to want to move to this country. In addition, as a member of the international community, Canada has an obligation to assist when humanitarian crises occur. This may result in Canada taking short-term measures to adjust its immigration levels and which categories immigrants arrive under. Most recently, this occurred when Canada decided to increase its levels and refugee intake back in 2015-16 when the government opted to welcome more Syrian refugees. Canadas integration capacity The federal government must have the confidence that the countrys economic conditions are sound enough for newcomers to be able to integrate into the labour market. In addition, it needs to ensure resources are in place nationally such as adequate immigrant settlement supports (e.g., language and job training), affordable housing, health care services, and public transportation that can help to support a larger population. Canadas processing capacity Given that global demand to move to Canada far exceeds the countrys supply of immigration spots, the federal government must be mindful of its capacity to process immigration applications as quickly as possible. Even if the country wanted to welcome higher levels of immigration, it might not yet have the processing capacity in place to do so. Canada has improved its processing capacity in recent years by implementing the Express Entry application management system, however, it still processes many immigration applications via paper, which is slower, and requires significant staffing resources. Politics: the most influential factor At the end of the day, the level of immigration chosen by the government is a political decision. No matter what the economic justification is, or how the public feels, the government of the day mainly chooses immigration levels based on how it feels the decision may impact them coming election time. This means that immigration levels can be kept low, even during times when Canada needs more immigrants. This is currently happening in Quebec (which is the only province or territory in Canada that can control its immigration levels). Quebec needs much higher immigration, but its current government has made the decision that it is in its best political interests to keep the provinces intake low. Similarly, the current federal government could perhaps justify increasing Canadas levels more rapidly, given the countrys low unemployment rate at the moment. However, they may have made the decision to slowly increase levels to potentially avoid a negative reaction from the public. Of these six factors, politics is undoubtedly the most influential one in shaping the immigration direction that Canada chooses to take. Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs Kareem El-Assal is the Director of Policy & Digital Strategy at CanadaVisa. Media contact Click here if you wish to interview us. 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved 10.03.2020 LISTEN The coalition of unions under the Ghana Education Service says it will continue to resist the new Pre-Tertiary Bill because of the lack of consultation. According to the coalition, the Bill only seeks to give more appointing powers to the political class to the detriment of quality education and the welfare of teachers. Already, teacher unions in other regions have also kicked against the Bill which they fear will see basic schools, Senior High Schools and Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) being managed by the District Assemblies, Regional Education Directorate and a Director-General independent of the Ghana Education Service. Addressing the press in Ho on Tuesday, the Volta Regional Chairman of Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), David Katah, said they are in solidarity with the view held by their national leaders with regards to the Bill. It is crystal clear that the Bill is harmful to the teaching profession. It is set out to destroy the management arrangement and further enhance the winner takes all agenda by the political class. We the teachers in the Volta and Oti Regions hereby declare that we stand in solidarity with our colleagues in the other regions to resist the passage of the Bill in its current form with all our might and strength. If we destroy the management body or GES, it is our heritage. We wish to send a strong signal that henceforth, we will not allow any appointment of non-teachers and educational workers as management over us. We wish to state again that the pre-tertiary bill should be suspended. Teacher Unions have raised concerns over some aspects of the bill which gives the Head of Local Government Service the power to appoint Heads and Staff of District Education as well as promote, transfer, discipline and dismiss staff of the District Education Unit. The teacher unions; which include the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT), had called on Parliament to suspend deliberations on the Bill until all outstanding issues with the Ministry of Education were resolved. Parliament, however, referred the Teacher Unions to the Education Ministry for further engagement. The government subsequently met with the various teacher unions in an attempt to address concerns they had raised over the bill. Pre-Tertiary bill won't make educational sector partisan Education Ministry The Ministry of Education had said that it has no intention of introducing partisan politics into the country's educational sector with the introduction of the new pre-tertiary bill. Public Relations Officer of the Ministry, Vincent Ekow Asafuah said the Bill rather seeks to make things better in the country's educational sector. The bill that is before Parliament is a reconsidered bill and for the past two weeks or three weeks, I have been engaging with a number of teacher unions and other stakeholders as far as the pre-tertiary bill is concerned and the fear of introducing partisanship and all that as far as the pre-tertiary bill is concerned is something that should not even come to the fore because it is not the idea of the Ghana Education Service neither is it the intention of the Education Ministry to introduce partisanship in our education sector, he said. Per the Bill, the proposed structure of the management of education will see senior high schools run by the Regional Coordinating Councils while basic schools will be run by the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies. Technical and vocational schools will be under a Director-General, independent of the Ghana Education Service (GES). ---citinewsroom For a 14-year-old American girl who had never been outside of the country, moving to Casablanca with my family was a culture shock. It was also a gift: Thinking back to my time in Morocco, Im grateful for the warmth and hospitality of the people, the cuisine, the music, and yes, the baths. For two years, my family lived next door to a public hammam, which in Arabic, literally means bath. During the weekends, people flocked to the bathhouse. Men and women lined up outside and then filtered into their opposite sides of the bathhouse, paying a modest fee around 10 dirhams or $1 U.S. to enter. The women removed their hijabs, clothes, slippers and shoes, stripping down to nothing before entering a large steam room, some stopping at faucets that lined the walls to fill their buckets with warm water and then plopping down on the floor. Some covered themselves with a pleasant-smelling brown, gooey concoction composed of black soap, traditionally made from the ash of African plants, henna or oils. Theyd sit until the mixture got tingly or set in. Then came the scrubbing. Id never seen, let alone, experienced anything like a hammam before. I was shy about getting naked in front of women and children I didnt know. I was shy about seeing them naked, and I was even more bashful about the concept of someone bathing me. More Information The beginnings of the Hammam Spa, the first hammam in Houston Even as Latifa Sluder studied skin care and related services, she was well aware that some of the the best methods were already embedded in her country's culture. Born and raised in Meknes, Morocco, Sluder grew up going to the hammam weekly, scrubbing away days of dead skin, stress and dirt. "Hammam is in every corner in Morocco. It's something that has been there for centuries," said Sluder, adding that for many Moroccans, the custom is nothing special and is often used to clean up before major events like weddings and giving birth. Still, Sluder said she was determined to bring the experience and the skin care benefits to the United States. "I just want to bring the Moroccan culture to American people," said Sluder, adding that a hammam session is ideal for dry skin, ingrown hairs and circulation among other things. "People go get a facial, go to massage, but they have no idea about the amount of dead skin that sits on their body." Sluder and her husband Ken started with the products - black soap, Argan oil and preservative-free lotions - bottling and selling them before moving from California to Texas. Once the couple reached the Houston area, Sluder wanted to expand the experience to an authentic hammam. In 2014, the couple opened Houston's first hammam on Westheimer, offering up a range of spa services, including facials, sugar waxing and the traditional hammam packages. This February, Sluder held a grand opening forHammam Spa's second location in Richmond. Ken Sluder said the experience at Hammam Spa is traditional, and only slightly Americanized. Many people don't want to take a bath with strangers, he added, so unlike a public Moroccan hammam, in which people bathe in one shared space, the couple incorporated individual rooms where couples or close friends can have the hammam experience together. Sluder said many people come to her spas and aren't sure what to expect, but after scrubbing one arm and comparing it to the other, her clients are able to see a difference in their skin. When Sluder first exfoliated her husband Ken, he was astounded. "You're like 'Whoa, what is that?! I take a shower everyday.' But it's not dirt. It's dead skin," he said. Latifa Sluder says seeing people express awe at the process and their positive feedback has been rewarding. "I'm helping people," said Sluder. "They feel so good, so relaxed, amazing when they come out. ... That makes me feel better and want to work harder." Experience a traditional Moroccan bathing experience at the Hammam Spa, Houston's first and only hammam in Houston, 6508 Westheimer Rd, Suite C, 77057. Or, visit the newest location in Richmond, 15014 Lakefair Dr. Suite B, Richmond, TX 77406. Hours for both locations are 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Tuesday, Thursday through Saturday. noon-7 p.m. Sunday. Closed on Wednesdays. Visit thewebsite for more information. thehammamspa.com See More Collapse On HoustonChronicle.com: Spa provides Moroccan-style experience But I had to try it. My helper encouraged my mother and me to bring extra dirhams for tipping. She directed us to women, also mostly naked, who sat in the room waiting for someone to wash after their pores had opened with the help of the hot clouds of steam. The women went to work on our skin with textured mitts or loofas. My mom and I watched half-amazed, half-horrified as the spirited back-and-forth scrubbing revealed little rolls of grayish dead skin all over our bodies. My initial hesitation was quickly replaced with astonishment. It was now less about being naked and more about getting clean. I became enthralled in the heat and dimness of the hammam, with the moments of idleness in the steam, and the soothing feeling of pouring buckets of warm water over my head. I was intrigued by how time seemed to stop for those couple of hours in the hammam. There seemed to be no time limit. And after we dried off and dressed, stepping out of the bathhouse into the light and breathing in the cool air made us feel brand new. Even the lightest breeze flowing softly over our exposed baby-smooth skin and through our hair made us feel feel like our pores and scalps could breathe. To date, Ive never experienced anything quite like it. So when I moved to Houston and learned that it had its own hammam the Hammam Spa I was ready to relive one of my favorite memories of Casablanca. But examining the business website, I realized I had only heard of higher-end hammams like this one from my well-to-do Moroccan friends. In these type of hammams, guests are given the privacy of their own rooms and more luxurious offerings than the public hammam I had visited. Similarly, the Hammam Spa touted the traditional scrubbing experience with native Argan oil, black soap and other Moroccan products, but with individual rooms and steam rooms for guests. They also offered spa services ranging from facials, sugar waxing, and v-steam sessions, a special steaming treatment for a ladys nether regions. I eyed the page for weeks before booking my fiance and me a two-hour Valentines Day couple session for $299 complete with the traditional exfoliating session and a massage. I was excited to share a part of where I lived with him. Upon arrival, we were seated in a waiting room filled with vibrant Moroccan decor that brought back memories. Spa staff offered us water, Moroccan mint tea, wine and snacks as they readied our own personal room. When it was time to strip down, we sported disposable swimsuits, and were escorted in bathrobes to a large room with faucets, a shower and a steam room. Spa professionals sat on us on our respective mats, covered our bodies in a liquid black soap and left us in the steam room to sit for several minutes. They rinsed us clean, and just like old times, the scrubbing and exfoliating began. They started gently with our faces, then moved to our bodies, sporadically dousing us with water to wash away the patches of dead skin that surfaced. The women were careful to ask about the pressure, which was nice considering my fiance was a first-timer. Only steps into the hammam process did I remember that I hadnt really briefed my fiance on what this hammam experience would be like. I laughed as I watched him go through a range of emotions: caught off guard as the womans hands covered him in liquid, soothed by the steam, slightly jolted then comforted by splashes of warm water, amused by the dead skin, and once again, soothed by the scrubbing just like I had been during my first time in a hammam. After the women washed our hair an added bonus my fiance and I showered and finished the hammam experience with the perfect ending: Swedish massages. Sure, it wasnt an exact replica of what I had experienced in the public hammam in Casablanca. There was less nudity, less community, and a set time frame with a much bigger price tag. But it was a worthy trade-off for a luxury-version of a traditional Moroccan exfoliating experience. We left that night, breathing in the cool Houston air, feeling light, renewed and on a high of relaxation. brittany.britto@chron.com Global supply chain integrity company looks to accelerate growth and expand team at new European headquarters DUNDALK, Ireland, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Overhaul, a real-time supply chain integrity technology solution, today announced $17.5 million in growth investment led by leading U.S. growth equity investor Edison Partners, with participation from Overhaul's existing investor, Abbey International Finance Group. Additionally, the company reported today the expansion of its European headquarters in Dundalk, Ireland. The growth capital from Edison Partners brings Overhaul's total funding to $27.5 million. Launched in 2016 in Austin, Texas, Overhaul leverages visibility to detect and automatically correct noncompliance within supply chains and has grown to be a trusted provider of integrity solutions for healthcare, high-tech, and food industry Fortune 100s moving freight globally. Overhaul plans to use the investment to achieve its aggressive growth goals in 2020, bolster product offerings to support broad market use, grow its new European headquarters in Ireland as well as its team in North America, and expand reach into other key global markets. Overhaul tripled in size in 2019 and is set to repeat this growth in 2020. "We are looking forward to embracing the talent pool in Ireland and offering exciting career paths to support the growth of the next generation of innovators," said David Broe, CFO of Overhaul. The company plans to hire as many as 50 new technology-focused team members in Dundalk over the next three years. These positions include Developers, UX/UI Designers, Product Managers, Program Managers, Architects, Data Scientists, DevOps, and QA. Several roles have already been advertised for immediate hire with more to follow. "Ireland is a natural choice for our expansion into Europe due to its focus on manufacturing within the healthcare and consumer electronics industries, and we are looking forward to joining and contributing to a strong local innovation ecosystem," said Barry Conlon, Overhaul CEO and Founder. As a former member of the Irish Defense Forces, Irish Special Operations Unit, Army Ranger Wing, Conlon gained unique security operations experience in all aspects of Special Forces Operations during his eleven-year tenure. He moved from Ireland to Texas and became a citizen in 2011. He is the former CEO and President of FreightWatch, which was acquired by United Technology Corporation in 2012. For more information on the growth investment, visit www.over-haul.com/news. To learn more about open roles or to apply, visit https://www.over-haul.com/careers. About Overhaul Overhaul is a supply chain integrity solutions company that allows shippers to connect disparate sources of data into the first fully transparent platform designed for the logistics industry. The result? Data that is transformed into critical insights that can instantly trigger corrective actions, impacting everything from temperature control to handling requirements or package-level tracking, ensuring cargo arrives at its destination safely, undamaged, and on time. All active shipments, all corresponding data sources, all in real-time through a single unified view. For more information, visit www.over-haul.com . About Edison Partners For more than 30 years, Edison Partners has been helping CEOs and their executive teams grow and scale successful companies. The firm's investment team brings extensive investing and operating experience to each investment. Through a unique combination of growth capital and the Edison Edge platform, consisting of operating centers of excellence, the Edison Director Network, and executive education programs, Edison employs a truly integrated approach to accelerating growth and creating value for businesses. A team of experts in enterprise solutions, financial technology, and healthcare IT sectors, Edison targets high-growth companies with $5 to $25 million in revenue; investments also include buyouts, recapitalizations, spinouts and secondary stock purchases. Edison's active portfolio has created aggregated market value exceeding $10 billion. Edison Partners is based in Princeton, NJ and manages more than $1.4 billion in assets throughout the eastern United States. About Abbey International Finance Group Abbey is a privately-owned group registered and located in Ireland that provides niche financial solutions to a variety of business sectors. Abbey operates through three commercial divisions: leasing, insurance, and private equity real estate and has offices/affiliates in Dublin, Paris, London, Austin, Texas, and Malta. Abbey was founded in 1990 and has grown successfully to have a current net worth in excess of $150 million, affording the company a solid base for further expansion, in the years ahead. For more information, visit www.abbeyintfin.ie. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1121486/Overhaul_CEO_Barry_Conlon_Fusion_Center.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/884683/Overhaul_Logo.jpg DALLAS, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Parker University is the fastest-growing college in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, reports the American City Business Journal. Not only that, but Parker is also the fourth fastest growing college in the state of Texas. At a time when the average five-year growth rate for colleges in Texas was 9 percent for the 68 colleges compared, Parker University grew by 46 percent. Parker University Board of Trustees Parker University To fuel this growth, Parker has expanded upon its initial offering of a Doctor of Chiropractic degree to include new degrees such as neuroscience, functional nutrition, anatomy, strength and human performance, and more. With a mission to help communities achieve a higher level of health, Parker's growing academic programs have clearly resonated with potential university students. In February of this year, the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB), the premier organization representing higher education governing boards nationwide, announced that Parker University Board of Trustees was one of six boards which had been selected to receive the 2019-2020 John W. Nason Award for Board Leadership. Parker's board has demonstrated outstanding leadership, which has enabled the school to thrive. When the university experienced severe damage following a tornado that hit Dallas in October of 2019, the Parker University Board of Trustees immediately deployed resources to restore operations. Because of their swift and decisive work, the school successfully devised a plan that met at the crossroads of restoration and growth. The immediate action taken by the trustees demonstrated their commitment to the students. This inspirational show of leadership resulted in minimized downtime, enabling students to resume their course of study without serious interruption. President of Parker University, Dr. William E. Morgan, DC, said this about the board's response after the tornado, "To some who viewed the destruction of the tornado, it seemed as though our instruction was finished. But the board of trustees who possess a spirit of courage and perseverance saw the possibilities and a vision for a renewed Parker University." Additionally, the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) stated, "Prior to this, the board had already shown decisive leadership in enabling the transition from a small single program college to a fully comprehensive university. The board overcame internal challenges to become more focused and successfully developed a new strategic plan that inspired a spirit of adventure and exploration at the university." With a commitment to providing an outstanding chiropractic education and a mission to create highly qualified and respected professionals in science, business, education, and health-related disciplines, Parker University continues to move forward in the pursuit of higher health. About Parker University: Parker University (Parker.edu) was founded in 1982 by Dr. James W. Parker, DC, originally as Parker College of Chiropractic. In 2011, the name was changed as its curriculum expanded. Today, Parker University has 1,600 students and 29 academic programs, including its famed chiropractic program along with master's degrees in neuroscience, clinical neuroscience, and functional nutrition. Currently, Parker University's chiropractic cohort is the second largest of any campus in the world. About the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB): The AGB is the premier membership organization that strengthens higher education governing boards and the strategic roles they serve within their organizations. Through their vast library of resources, educational events, and consulting services, and with nearly 100 years of experience, AGB empowers 40,000 AGB members from more than 2,000 institutions and foundations to navigate complex issues, implement leading practices, streamline operations, and govern with confidence. AGB is the trusted resource for board members, chief executives, and key administrators on higher education governance and leadership. Contact: Jim David 972.438.6932 x7818 [email protected] SOURCE Parker University Bengaluru: British junior Health Minister Nadine Dorries has tested positive for coronavirus and is self-isolating, she said on Tuesday. Junior Health Minister Nadine Dorries. Dorries said she took "all the advised precautions" as soon as she was told of her diagnosis. "Public Health England has started detailed contact tracing and the department and my parliamentary office are closely following their advice," she said in a statement issued through the UK's health department. The Times reported that Dorries met hundreds of people in Parliament in the past week and attended a reception with Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. When you shop through retailer links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. 100% of the fees we collect are used to support our nonprofit mission. Learn more. During the coronavirus pandemic, were offering additional retailer links to help make it easier for you to shop for important items. Please check product availability as it is changing all the time. With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommending that people wear cloth, non-medical face coverings in public to help contain the spread of the coronavirus, you may wonder whether that's enough to keep you safe when you shop for food. The new CDC advisory, which is voluntary, specifically mentions groceries and pharmacies as public settings where it can be difficult to practice social distancingthat is, staying 6 feet from othersto prevent the spread of the coronavirus. In those locations, the CDC recommends wearing simple cloth face coverings "to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others." Many consumers are trying to avoid visiting grocery stores entirely, by turning to delivery services. But whether you buy groceries online or in stores, there are several steps that you can take to limit your exposure to coronavirus, and theyre not so different from what CR recommends you typically do. Be sure to: Wash nonporous containers. The FDA says there's no current evidence to support the transmission of the virus from food packaging. But if you're concerned, it can't hurt to wipe down non-porous containers like glass or cans with disinfectant wipes. If that's not practical, wash your hands well after putting away all packaging, including paper boxes and bags. "It all comes down to hand hygiene," says Liz Garman, a spokesperson for the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology in Arlington, Va. Story continues It also doesn't hurt to wash your hands after opening the containers and using their contents. "But if you use a pasta box a few days after you get it, there is little likelihood that the virus could still be live on the box and cause an infection," says Eike Steinmann, a virologist at Ruhr-Universitat Bochum in Germany who has studied how long viruses live on different surfaces. One preliminary study found that the coronavirus responsible for the current pandemic doesn't survive on cardboard longer than 24 hours. Results of the study, conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and other experts, were published on March 17 in a letter to the editor of the New England Journal of Medicine. Wash your hands, counter, and other surfaces youve touched. Do this after you've put away the groceries. Keep in mind that using a disinfectant isnt necessary unless youre sharing a space with someone who is exhibiting signs of respiratory illness or has been exposed to the virus. Wash produce. Rubbing fruit and vegetables under running waterand scrubbing those with hard skinscan help remove pesticides. But there's no data to show that COVID-19 is spread by consuming food, says James E. Rogers, Ph.D., Consumer Reports director of food safety research and testing. "The risk of getting the virus from your food is considered low," Rogers says. (Read more about coronavirus and the food you eat.) Other steps may not make much difference. For instance, buying frozen vegetables rather than fresh under the assumption that theyre packed in a more sanitary way is not an approach that has been backed up by evidence, Rogers says. If Youre Getting Your Groceries Delivered Even if a grocery store or warehouse is thoroughly cleaned on a regular basis, the delivery person needs to take the same precautions to prevent the spread of a virus to you. Among the six services in our review of grocery delivery services, AmazonFresh, Amazon Prime Now, Instacart, and Shipt employ independent contractors for deliveries. Instacart has begun offering up to 14 days of pay to all shoppersincluding independent contractorssidelined by coronavirus, plus sick pay to its part-time in-store shoppers. (In response to a recent walkoff by some of its shoppers who demanded more workplace protections, Instacart also announced it was providing free "health and safety kits" including a washable cloth mask, hand sanitizer, and a reusable forehead thermometer that workers could order from the company.) FreshDirect and Peapod delivery personnel are company employees. Walmart, which wasn't part of our ratings, uses DoorDash for deliveries. While those companies might recommend that deliverers wash their hands often, practice other hygiene measures, and stay home when theyre feeling sick, they cant monitor whether drivers are actually taking those precautions, says Erin Hatton, an associate professor of sociology and a labor scholar at the University of Buffalo. And without paid sick leave, workers are going to try to push through as much as they can, Hatton says. So follow these steps when ordering deliveries: Avoid a direct hand-off. Arrange to have the items delivered to your doorstep or a place nearby instead. Instacart added that option last week; other companies have a way to indicate special delivery instructions on their order forms. FreshDirect says its drivers will no longer bring groceries into a home. Tip electronically. One benefit of ordering deliveries online or via an app is that you dont have to hand the delivery person money. Opportunities to tip the delivery person are included in most of the delivery apps and online ordering systems. Order earlier than you usually do. Though it's not a safety issue, you may find that in the midst of higher demand you have to wait longer. FreshDirect, for instance, mentions on its home page that delivery times are filling up faster than usual. Amazon Prime Now, which chiefly delivers from Whole Foods, also mentions that availability may be limited, though its not clear whether that means delivery times are limited, items are limited, or both. (An Amazon representative didn't respond to a CR request for comment.) If Youre Picking Up Prepacked Groceries The steps are basically the same for this option as for delivery. If youve ordered and are merely having someone put the groceries in your car in a parking lotan option at about 3,000 Walmart locations nationwideconsider opening your car door yourself rather than having the person bringing the items to your car touch the handle. And if you can tip on a supermarkets app, do so rather than handing over cash. (Walmarts employees arent permitted to take tips.) If You're Buying Groceries in a Store A key way to prevent the viruss spread is to stay 6 feet away from other people. The CDC notes that's generally the distance within which people pick up coronavirus droplets through the air from a cough or sneeze. Such social distancing is a good strategy in any situation outside the home, Rogers says. Other ideas: Go shopping at a time thats less busy. If you type in the stores name and location in Google search, a box often will pop up showing when foot traffic there is highest. Wear a face covering. The new advice from the CDC on face masks is voluntary. The agency says the non-medical coverings can be "basic cloth or fabric masks." The New York City Health Department, which recently put out a directive to citizens to cover their faces when outside their home, defines a face covering as "any well-secured paper or cloth (like a bandana or scarf) that covers your mouth and nose," and offers best practices for how to put it on, wear it, and remove it. It's not necessary to use surgical masks or N-95 respirators, the CDC stresses. "Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders," the agency says. Take germicide with you. Use it to wipe your hands and the cart before and after you shop. Use a credit or debit card. That way, you dont have to hand over bills or receive change. Also, use your own pen to sign receipts. If you can, use a virtual payment system like Apple Pay so that you don't have to open your wallet at all. Editors Note: This article, originally published on March 9, 2020, has been updated to clarify our guidance on how to handle produce and food packaging, as well as news on Instacart's delivery service, how long coronaviruses live on cardboard, and whether to use a face covering. More from Consumer Reports: Top pick tires for 2016 Best used cars for $25,000 and less 7 best mattresses for couples Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright 2020, Consumer Reports, Inc. An email Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana sent that day clarified that students would be required to evacuate their dorms in five days. The move has highlighted the bold steps some schools are taking to address coronavirus as well as the unintended impact of such actions. On Tuesday, Harvard President Lawrence Bacow announced the school would transition to virtual classes for undergraduate and graduate students. He also said students would be asked not to return to campus following spring break and that the school would no longer be hosting non-essential gatherings of more than 25 people. One of the latest schools to shut its doors is Harvard. Colleges across the country have begun to cancel classes among growing COVID-19, or coronavirus, fears. National Public Radio estimates that more than 600,000 students have been impacted. Harvard Postdoc Kayla Jones carries moving boxes to pack up her things in Cambridge, MA on March 10, 2020. All Harvard University courses will move to remote instruction beginning March 23 as a result of a growing global coronavirus outbreak, University President Lawrence S. Bacow announced in an email Tuesday morning. The University will also ask students not to return from spring break. "Students will be required to move out of their Houses and First-Year dorms as soon as possible and no later than Sunday, March 15 at 5:00 pm," reads Khurana's email. "We realize that leaving campus in short notice will be challenging for some of you." Harvard enrolls nearly 20,000 undergraduate and graduate students, and 97% of undergraduate students live on campus for all four years. According to the most recent figures from Johns Hopkins, there have been 41 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state of Massachusetts, where Harvard is located. Khurana's letter goes on to suggest students consult with their resident dean if they need assistance. "Though circumstances will require us to physically distance ourselves from each other, we are going to be innovative in finding ways to continue to engage as a community and to draw strength from one another," writes Khurana. "I have seen us come together and support each other with compassion during difficult times, and I am confident that we will do so now as we meet this new challenge." Students, however, seemed less confident that they were prepared to take on the challenge. Many Harvard students took to Twitter to express their frustration: https://twitter.com/hakeemangulu/status/1237367253374398465?s=20 https://twitter.com/LailaTauqeer/status/1237363053282369536?s=20 https://twitter.com/melissann19/status/1237392956610375682?s=20 https://twitter.com/ChiomaOnuoha/status/1237370670276849664?s=20 Anil Bradley, a Harvard sophomore concentrating (the word Harvard students use in lieu of "majoring") in physics and computer science from Long Island, N.Y., says that he and his roommates were blindsided by the announcement. "We were all in shock at the short notice," Bradley tells CNBC Make It. "I'm lucky enough to have a strong situation where my dad is able to drive up from New York and drive me home, but a lot of my friends who are low-income and rely on the university for housing and dining are having trouble with travel costs and even housing security." Bradley expects a relatively smooth transition to taking his courses remotely except for one class, which is discussion-based. "I'm not sure how that's going to work," he says, emphasizing his concern for other students. "The university has not been doing enough, and people very close to me are worried about being able to get home before the deadline." Trey Rogers is a member of Harvard's senior class of 2020 and says while he understands the need for such public health measures, he is "devastated." "It's important for all of us students to realize that we are not the ones who are most in danger of this virus, but staff workers in dining services, and the janitor staff and professors," he tells CNBC Make It. "They may be in the age group that's susceptible to the virus, and it would be really horrible for students to transfer this virus to the people who are taking care of us at the college." "So I realize that it's probably the right thing for the college to do and to be especially safe," he says, "but it's devastating as a senior to know that I have to abort my college experience on this really sad note." Bacow acknowledged that sadness for seniors in a statement. "To our students, especially those of you graduating this year, I know that this is not how you expected your time at Harvard to end," he wrote. As for his coursework, Rogers is skeptical that the school's plan to use Zoom video conferencing services, a cloud-based communication service, will compare to the small discussion-based classes he is accustomed to in his social studies concentration. "It's really hard to think that this is not the end of our academic year because this Zoom thing feels a little bit like a last-minute fix for a problem that is not that easily fixed," he says. Originally from Crawfordsville, Ind., Rogers says his mom is driving across the country to pick him up, but says it has been "chaos" for his peers who are more than a road-trip away from home. He describes a friend who is struggling to get a flight back home to Nepal and a professor who offered to loan students cash for transportation. "For those people who are totally uprooted and have to, in four days, figure out how to get themselves halfway across the world, I have a lot of sympathy," says Rogers. "It's hard enough to get back to Indiana." While in Indiana, Rogers plans to finish his senior thesis and finalize his professional plans for after graduation. For now, "it's a lot of goodbyes," he says. Like this story? Subscribe to CNBC Make It on YouTube! Don't miss: By IANS DUBAI: In what is being described as using the nuclear option, Saudi Arabia will boost its crude oil production to record levels in retaliation for the breakdown of the talks for an agreement on oil production with Russia. Marking the escalation of the global price war, state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco said on Tuesday that it would increase its crude oil production to 12.3 million barrels a day from April, a record amount. This is more than the full capacity of the company and experts suggest that it will draw on its strategic reserves across the world to deliver on this promise. This marks a huge jump of over 300,000 barrels a day and is a step seen as one to flood the global oil markets taking forward the acrimony of the last few days with Russia. Calculations suggest that Saudi Arabia will make more money even with the glut. It is being suggested that a 9 million barrel production at $50 per barrel earns $450 million a day while 12.3 million at a much lower crude price of $38 will fetch $476 million a day in revenues. Saudi Arabia and its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are seen to be giving a signal of dominating the crude markets in the price war with Russia. The moves also come at a time when there are reports of palace intrigue in the Saudi Kingdom after the Crown Prince arrested some of his relatives. The increase in supply and the coronavirus scare caused a 25 per cent decline in the price of crude on Monday, the sharpest decline seen since the 1991 Gulf War. International benchmark Brent crude traded up over 7 per cent on Tuesday at nearly $37 a barrel. In a regulatory filing on Tuesday, Aramco said that the increase in production represented a rise of 300,000 barrels per day. Earlier, Aramco had made the steepest cut in crude oil prices in nearly 20 years as it set out to gain market share and dropped prices for American buyers by $7 and Asian buyers by $4-6 a barrel. CIO Review Top 10 Most Promising Wireless Technology Solution Providers - 2020 ClearSkys Forte Neutral Source fills the chasm between the cellular operators and the real estate industry by providing operator-approved cellular radio equipment and services to owners, managers and tenants. ClearSky Technologies, Inc., a leader in providing cellular infrastructure as a service to mobile network operators, has been recognized by CIOReview magazine as one of its Top 10 Most Promising Wireless Technology Providers of 2020 for bringing its game changing indoor cellular technology to the real estate industry. ClearSky has a long history of providing managed services to mobile network operators such as AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint and has translated this leadership position into the property technology or PropTech space by packaging its vast experience with cellular networks into a service called Forte Neutral Source. Forte Neutral Source offers fully activated indoor cellular radios to power distributed antenna systems, making it possible to have operator-approved 4G and 5G cellular service in any U.S. building. Forte Neutral Source is a disruptive new offering that provides properties a long needed solution for in-building cellular coverage and positions ClearSky as a clear leader in the wireless networking segment of the PropTech industry. Businesses and building owners have pressing needs to ensure reliable, uninterrupted cellular coverage, not only to improve productivity, but also to retain employees and tenants. Distributed antenna systems (DAS) are a tried and true method to bring cellular service inside a building. However, the missing link for more and more DAS projects are cellular signal sources activated on the AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint networks. Before Forte Neutral Source, a property owner or manager faced the risk of paying for a DAS without a guarantee from the cellular network operators to feed it with cellular signal, making the investment worthless. Thanks to ClearSkys technical prowess and long standing relationships in the cellular industry, ClearSky acts as the single point of contact for all interactions with the cellular network operators and provides all the required cellular radio and monitoring equipment as a managed service. Its no secret in the wireless industry that the cellular network operators are highly focused on outdoor 5G deployments so the responsibility to provide indoor cellular has shifted to the building owner, manager or tenant, asserts Dean Fresonke, Executive VP of Business Development at ClearSky Technologies. ClearSkys Forte Neutral Source fills the chasm between the cellular operators and the real estate industry by providing operator-approved cellular radio equipment and services to owners, managers and tenants. We can provide any combination of AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint for any building, anywhere. CIOReview also cited ClearSkys innovations in private LTE networking using CBRS radio frequencies when selecting them to their Top 10 list. ClearSkys services enable in-building service from public networks like AT&T and Verizon in parallel with property-wide private 4G and 5G networks, providing the real estate industry a comprehensive, future-proof solution. About ClearSky Technologies, Inc. For more than a decade, ClearSky Technologies, Inc. has been a leader in providing innovative Infrastructure as a Service solutions to mobile network operators. ClearSkys powerful array of products and services includes the Forte Neutral Source cellular radio services for DAS, iCODE application to person messaging, MMS/SMS message management, and Total Traffic Manager network data policy management. All are designed for quick implementation, affordable cost of entry, and ongoing cost savings. Collaborating with our customers, we are #StrongerTogether. Headquartered in Orlando, ClearSky has provided services to more than 100 wireless operators across five continents. For more information visit http://www.clearskytechnologies.com US-led forces moved from western Iraq base to Ain al-Asad air base: Source Iran Press TV Monday, 09 March 2020 2:32 PM An Iraqi security source says an unspecified number of soldiers from the US-led military coalition, which is purportedly fighting the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, has arrived at the Ain al-Asad air base housing US and other foreign troops in the western Iraqi province of Anbar for unknown reasons. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network that the soldiers have left their former base south of the Iraqi town of al-Qa'im, located nearly 400 kilometers northwest of the capital Baghdad and near the Syrian border, and landed at the base aboard military cargo aircraft on Monday. The source added that the soldiers are of Norwegian, Danish and American nationalities, and that their munitions and military equipment have been transported to Ain al-Asad as well. On January 8, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) fired a number of ballistic missiles at Ain al-Asad air base. The missile attack was in retaliation for the US airstrike authorized by President Donald Trump, which assassinated Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the IRGC's Quds Force, along with the deputy head of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and their companions near Baghdad International Airport on January 3. Trump initially reported that "no Americans were harmed" but subsequent reports revealed that troops were injured in the attack, largely with concussions from the missile blasts. On February 21, the Pentagon raised to 110 the number of US service members, who suffered traumatic brain injuries (TBI) following Iran's retaliatory strike. It alleged that all of the wounded in the base attack were diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury and that 77 of them had already returned to duty. The Pentagon further claimed that 35 others had been transported to Germany for further evaluation, 25 of whom had been sent on to the United States. Two days after the US attack, Iraqi lawmakers unanimously approved a bill demanding the withdrawal. Later on January 9, former Iraqi prime minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi called on the United States to dispatch a delegation to Baghdad tasked with formulating a mechanism for the move. According to a statement released by his office at the time, Abdul-Mahdi "requested that delegates be sent to Iraq to set the mechanisms to implement the parliament's decision for the secure withdrawal of (foreign) forces from Iraq" in a phone call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The 78-year-old politician said that Iraq rejects violation of its sovereignty, particularly the US military's violation of Iraqi airspace in the airstrike that assassinated General Soleimani, Muhandis and their companions. The US State Department bluntly rejected the request the following day. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-10 21:48:49|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close by Burak Akinci ANKARA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The ancient city of Patara, a cradle of civilization located near Turkey's southern Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, is expected to become a tourist hotspot as 2020 has been declared the Year of Patara by the country's Culture and Tourism Ministry. Patara, the capital of the ancient Lycian civilization, is expected to get more and more global recognition with Turkey's decision to promote it all around the year, said tourism professionals. "Turkey declared 2018 Year of Troy and 2019 Year of Gobeklitepe, and both these ancient sites got good reviews in the international press and people came and saw them from all parts of the world," explained Levent Rengin, a travel agency manager from Ankara. The ancient, legendary and mystical city of Troy, widely popular for the Trojan War, the subject of storybooks and films, is located in northwestern Turkey. Gobeklitepe is a 12,000-year-old Neolithic site located in southeastern Turkey which has become a top cultural destination. Rengin pointed out that Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent announcement to present his government's decision on Patara would have an important contribution to tourism in this region, known for its archeological features. "Booklets and digital promotion added feature of the site and we had tourist inquiries, especially made from Asian and European countries, about visiting the site. So we expect more international interest and attendance," he added. Professor Havva Iskan Isik, head of the Patara ancient city excavations, told the semi-official Anadolu agency that Patara ancient city is a spiral of history that continues with little interruption until today. "This is one of the most special cities of Anatolia, the cradle of civilizations," she said. Stating that 300,000 people visited the ancient city last year, Isik stressed that they expected this number to reach 1 million in 2020 with this decision. Isik explained that the Lycian League, which consisted of 23 cities in the middle of the first century B.C., dominated the region extending from Fethiye to Antalya on the Teke Peninsula, and then Lycians had a unique culture in Anatolia. "There are 13 churches in the city. It is also very important in the history of Christianity. It was the gateway of Lycia to the world with its port and sea trade," Isik remarked. Patara was home to one of the world's first democratic parliamentary systems and was also a hub for ancient Egyptian traders. With its 6,000-year-old heritage, the region is also well known for the remains of the Lycian parliament building and its 26-meter lighthouse, as well as its tranquil beaches. After the capture of Patara by Romans in the first century B.C., the city later came under Byzantine and Ottoman control. In addition to its ancient features, Patara also hosts a 12-km long unspoiled beach where many films have been shot because of its fine sand. The region is also an attraction point for animal and wildlife lovers because it's an important nesting area in the Mediterranean coasts for loggerhead sea turtles. Rengin further pointed out that one of the main reasons why the western Christian world was interested in Patara was because St Nicholas, more popularly known as "Santa Claus," the bishop of the ancient city of Myra, was born in Patara. According to tradition, St Nicholas was born in Patara and was a bishop in the Lycian town of Myra in what is today's Demre. After he died, his gift-giving habit was spread throughout the world, and he turned to be the basis of the legendary figure Santa Claus, known for giving Christmas gifts to children. Chicago, March 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In light of the cancellation of the annual Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) meeting, Intelligent Medical Objects (IMO), the market leader in medical terminology products, today announced business updates that would have been highlighted at the meeting. In 2020, IMO is putting a new stake in the ground by launching products in the critical healthcare insights space, a move that will help clinicians to deliver better outcomes and manage population health. IMO has a 25-year history in health information technology and, over the last year, has undergone many changes to its business operations. IMO streamlined its portfolio of products to offer clients a more comprehensive platform for terminology and documentation. Additionally, IMO recently opened a new headquarters facility in Rosemont, Illinois, new offices in downtown Chicago, and hired more than 50 new employees at all levels of the business. Coronavirus terminology release IMO has been involved with the response to COVID-19, a new coronavirus, since it originated in China earlier this year. IMOs medical terminology products are used in more than 4,500 hospitals around the country to accurately code and track medical diagnosis and in January, released 15 new descriptors to help clinicians more accurately record diagnoses related to COVID-19. The number of related terms has since grown to 136. IMOs content update adds robust terminology for diagnoses related to the international public health emergency surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak, allowing providers to easily and accurately document the disease in affected patients. Emerging infections and new diseases often require new language in order for health systems to properly identify and respond to the threat, and IMO is uniquely positioned to ensure that the necessary terminology is quickly identified and disseminated throughout the US. Learn more here. Story continues IMO partners with Perspecta and the Regenstrief Institute to provide clinicians with integrated data for improved patient care Finding and organizing critical patient data in order to make it actionable at the point of care is frustrating, time-consuming, and nonintuitive, which can limit meaningful interaction between doctor and patient. Built by physicians, IMO Precision Patient Summary is a clinical insights tool that integrates with electronic health records (EHRs) and enterprise data warehouses to provide clinicians with a contextualized summary of current and historical patient data. Using the product, problems are organized by disease category, and when a body system category or specific problem is selected, relevant labs and medications are displayed in relation to that category or problem. IMO has partnered with Perspecta and the Regenstrief Institute to integrate the IMO Precision Patient Summary capabilities within the clinical data viewers these organizations provide. For example, with Perspecta IMO will bring this technology to US Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers and its patients across the country via Perspectas digital health platform: healthconcourse. As a result, providers will be able to quickly review current and historical medications and determine if a patient qualifies for a non-formulary therapy. IMO Insights Products (virtual demonstrations available): IMO Precision Sets Outcomes-based healthcare requires health systems to understand patient populations, deliver better results, and develop and implement quality management systems. IMO Precision Sets offers a library of curated value sets that helps develop and implement outcomes-based health initiatives by identifying, engaging, and analyzing patients with a variety of conditions. A formal research study conducted by IMO and HIMSS Media in 2019 found that the use of value sets is common, but there is room for improvement seen at many organizations that are challenged by accurately defining value sets and keeping them up-to-date. This video provides additional information on the product. IMO Core Normalize If interoperability is the ultimate goal in healthcare, then normalizing data holds the key to success. Raw health data has very limited utility unless it is cleaned up and turned into useful information. IMO Core Normalize automatically harmonizes terms in different languages to a single, shared vocabulary inside an enterprise data warehouse. It is a vehicle for IMOs Terminology (IMO Core) and Insights (IMO Precision) products to penetrate health IT markets within and beyond the EHR. Benefits to this technology include the ability to: map descriptions and codes to IMOs core technologies; handle large quantities of data; and normalize diagnosis, procedure, lab, and medication data. About IMO At IMO, we are dedicated to powering care as you intended through a platform that is intelligent, intuitive, and intentional. Used by more than 4,500 hospitals and 500,000 physicians daily, IMOs clinical interface terminology (CIT) forms the foundation for healthcare enterprise needs including effective management of electronic health record (EHR) problem lists, accurate documentation, and the mapping of over 2.4 million clinician-friendly terms across 24 different code systems. We offer a portfolio of products that includes terminologies and value sets that are clinically vetted, always current, and maintenance-free. This aligns to provider organizations missions, EHR platforms inherent power, and the evolving vision of the healthcare industry while ensuring accurate care documentation and administrative codes. So clinicians can get back to being clinicians, health systems can get reimbursed, and patients can more easily engage in their own care. As intended. Jessica Emond Intelligent Medical Objects 202.257.1808 jemond@imo-online.com Amid the panic brought by the novel coronavirus, reports said that Queen Elizabeth plans to stay calm and carry on to lessen the nations fear over the dreaded disease. According to Express UK, the 93-year-old monarch said she is determined to lead by example and carry on with her duties as royal leader including making trips overseas as the cases of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom rise to 200. The Queen's engagements include the historic Commonwealth Day service on Monday at Westminster Abbey, where 2,000 people are expected to be in attendance. The day will also be Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's last official royal engagement before the infamous Megxit becomes official. This will also be their first time joining the rest of the royal family after announcing that they will be leaving their royal duties. Concerns about the Queen taking precautions against the coronavirus, adding to the fears of the public sparked when the monarch was seen wearing gloves during an investiture ceremony last Tuesday. Although the Queen usually wears gloves, photos from previous investitures show that she normally does not do so when awarding honors. Buckingham Palace, however, said that it is not unusual for the Queen to wear gloves to any public engagement. Further adding that the monarch wants to stay as calm as possible and proceed with her activities until there is already "compelling advice to the contrary." According to NY Post, a source said that if the Queen and the royal family were to self-isolate or plan changes, it may cause panic in the general population of the UK. Another source told the outlet that the Queen has always maintained such mindset noting that the Queen did not make any schedule changes during the swine flu outbreak nor after terrorist attacks and always put business first. Read also: Man Tests Positive for Coronavirus, Goes on a Bar-hopping Spree to Deliberately Spread the Virus COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus which was first observed in Wuhan, China, has seen institutions break centuries of traditions. Pope Francis of the Catholic church used large screens to stream his Sunday blessings due to the health risks brought by the virus in Italy. Saudi Arabia has also previously canceled trips to Mecca, home of the holiest sites in Islam due to the same reason. According to Boris Johnson and health officials, many members of the Royal Family would be considered part of the highest-risk group if COVID-19 continues to spread. On Thursday, the Prime Minister said that people over-65 are "particularly vulnerable" to the diseases and said that ministers were specifically looking at guidance and instructions of healthcare authorities that this "high-risk" age group does not catch the infection. Hence, older citizens like Queen Elizabeth were advised to avoid crowded areas which may include the Parliament. COVID-19 which initially started in Hubei Province, China has already infected more than 108,000 people and has killed more than 3,800 world wide. Although majority of the infections are recorded in China, the virus has already reached more than 71 countries across the globe. Related articles: Amid Megxit Issues, Queen Elizabeth Faces Another Hurdle With Prince Philip's Health Deteriorating @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The United Nations has informed its staff at the headquarters here that its personnel returning to the US from countries with widespread transmission of the coronavirus should remain home and self-monitor for 14 days, as cases of people infected with the deadly disease increased rapidly across the US. Spokesperson for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Stphane Dujarric, told reporters on Monday that following internal meetings over the weekend and taking into account the declaration of a state of emergency for New York State, "it was announced today to all staff that it is recommended that UN personnel who have recently returned from countries identified by the host country should remain and home and self-monitor for 14 days." Dujarric said that telecommuting and flexible work arrangements are also being recommended for UN personnel, taking into account business continuity requirements. In Geneva, UN personnel were also notified of how the UN in Geneva aims to maintain essential activities, while postponing or cancelling other activities. "The Palais des Nations is also considering how to put the latest recommendations on telecommuting issued by the Swiss authorities into practice." "Regarding the situation in-house in the building, the Secretary-General is following the matter very closely. The health and safety of staff is a matter of his utmost priority and concern as well as all of those who use the building, he said. With a view to slow the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) into the US, Washington has said that people arriving from China, Iran, Italy and South Korea will be asked to stay home for a period of 14 days from the time they left an area with widespread or ongoing community spread. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that the global number of confirmed cases now topped 110,000. WHO noted that some countries are demonstrating that the spread of the virus can be slowed and its impact reduced through the use of universally applicable actions, such as working across society to identify people who are sick, bringing them to care, and following up on contacts. Meanwhile, despite constraints imposed by the new coronavirus disease, activists for gender equality gathered at UN Headquarters for the latest session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), to reinforce the message that women's rights are human rights. Member States adopted a Political Declaration in which they pledged to step up action to fully implement the landmark Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action on gender equality, agreed 25 years ago. In his opening address, Guterres underlined that gender inequality and discrimination against women and girls remain an overwhelming global injustice. He said the vision of the Beijing Declaration has only been partly realized as progress has stalled, or even gone into reverse, in some areas. Some countries have rolled back laws that protect women from violence; others are reducing civic space; still others are pursuing economic and immigration policies that indirectly discriminate against women, the UN chief said. Women's access to sexual and reproductive health services is far from universal. We must push back against the pushback. The UN General Assembly President, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, called for accelerated progress at all levels, particularly as countries strive to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. "Make no mistake: it is critical that we mainstream gender equality across all of our work if we are to achieve any of the SDGs, he said. We simply cannot exclude 50 per cent of the population. It is everyone's responsibility to uphold our pledge to leave no one behind. While the CSW normally meets for two weeks in March, its 64th session was compressed to just one day amid concerns about the spread of COVID-19. "I know that activists and women's groups around the world share my disappointment. But I also take heart because I know we remain committed to the cause of gender equality, the Secretary-General said. CSW provides an opportunity to further galvanize momentum for gender equality and women's rights that has been growing worldwide, and he urged participants to reaffirm the Beijing promise and its full implementation. "Let us send a clear message to the world that women's rights are human rights, and that gender equality is central to all the Sustainable Development Goals, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) One thing the coronavirus has exposed is our overdependence on China to produce goods, vitamins and medical supplies. While I can understand companies wanting to lower production costs, the current situation has shown just how dangerous it is to become overly dependent on a country that is not an ally. It is therefore critically important for us to rebuild our production capabilities to avoid calamities like this one. Given the current health crisis, it shouldnt be too difficult to convince companies of this need. Lets hope so. Moreover, lets not make this a political issue, but instead a bipartisan effort. Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla met French envoy Emmanuel Lenainand on Tuesday and discussed with him the enduring India-France strategic partnership. He also had a meeting with the UAE's Ambassador to India Ahmed Albanna and spoke about steps to consolidate bilateral ties and seek partnership in new areas. "Foreign Secretary @HarshShringla met Ambassador of France Emmanuel Lenain and discussed the enduring India-France strategic partnership and our exchanges in diverse fields," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a tweet on Tuesday. In a tweet late on Monday evening, Kumar said, "Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla met Ambassador Ahmed Albanna of the UAE. The foreign secretary expressed happiness at the strong and growing bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and discussed next steps to consolidate our ties and seek partnership in new areas. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Leading US airlines on Tuesday ditched 2020 forecasts and unveiled more sweeping capacity cuts and cost-saving measures in response to the spreading coronavirus, while United Airlines warned of a deep hit to the sector. Speaking at an industry conference, United President Scott Kirby said he was preparing for a "dire scenario" under which revenue could fall as much as 70% in April and May and 20% in November and December. The sector has been hard-hit as tourists cancel trips and businesses across the globe clamp down on anything other than essential travel over the fast-spreading ... Bhopal, March 10 : After Jyotiraditya Scindia resigned from the primary membership of the Congress, senior Madhya Pradesh party leaders went into a huddle at the residence of chief minister Kamal Nath. Several ministers also arrived at the chief minister's residence to chalk a strategy for the next course of action. Sources said several BJP legislators are in touch with the Congress leadership in the state while the rebel Congress legislators belonging to Scindia camp are all set to quit Congress and join the BJP. At least 17 Congress legislators have gone incommunicado and are set to join the BJP and are likely to be made minister in Madhya Pradesh if the Kamal Nath government falls. Meanwhile, Cabinet minister in Kamal Nath government Jitu Patwari on Tuesday lashed out at Jyotiraditya Scindia and the royal dynasty and how the Scindia dunasty has been stooge of the British. Meanwhile, an important meeting of the BJP is going on in Bhopal at the party headquarters where Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, state BJP chief B.D. Sharma among others are in attendance, to chalk out a strategy to form the next government in Madhya Pradesh. A meeting of the BJP legislators will also be held on Tuesday evening to elect a leader. The wife of a Winnipeg city councillor who is in self-isolation after being tested for COVID-19, says she feels like she has the flu and has no reason to believe its anything else. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/3/2020 (671 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The wife of a Winnipeg city councillor who is in self-isolation after being tested for COVID-19, says she feels like she has the flu and has "no reason to believe its anything else." Jennifer Maw, who was on a Caribbean cruise aboard the Carnival Magic with six members of her family recently, expects to receive the results of the test in a few days. Maw's husband, Transcona Coun. Shawn Nason, and children were not on the cruise with her. The ship left Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Feb. 29 and made stops in St. Maarten, Tortola, San Juan and Grand Turk, ending Sunday. She was home Monday. Maw described her flu-like symptoms, "like many other people in the winter months or who have been travelling," and felt they were relatively insignificant. Before the cruise began, passengers were notified they would go through enhanced screening, a questionnaire asking if people were exhibiting flu-like symptoms or had a fever, she said. When the ship arrived at Grand Turk, however, it was not allowed to port. Maw said the cruise line told passengers there were people on board who had exhibited symptoms that did not meet the criteria for COVID-19 testing, but were still not able to port for that reason. Passengers were also notified that another of the ports the ship visited had identified cases of COVID-19. "My family and I have cruised a number of times and, really, to start, it felt like no different than any cruise we had been on," she said. Transcona Coun. Shawn Nason was not on the cruise with his wife. (Phil Hossack / Winnipeg Free Press files) "It wasnt till the final days where there was a bit of an issue." While there was not a mood of panic or excessive concern on the ship, Maw said on the final day there were changes made to the dining room and buffet setup to prevent passengers from having as much direct contact with each other. When Maw arrived back in Winnipeg she began experiencing what she believed was a cold or the flu, but wanted to make sure before she went back to work. "I was more worried about the perception from other people (because of) the fact that Im back from a cruise," she said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. After contacting Health Links, she went to urgent care at Concordia Hospital, and it was recommended that Maw self-isolate at home until the COVID-19 test results come back. Nason said he had raised concern after Maw had returned because he spends his time at city council working in close proximity with others. He said he and his children have not made direct physical contact with Maw and aren't exhibiting any symptoms. He said he wanted to ensure the community that he was taking all precautions possible. "Im not attending anything with large groups of people, Ive made my council colleagues aware as well; some have exhibited some fear," he said. malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: malakabas_ Seattle, WA -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/10/2020 -- Stratagem Market Insights proclaims the obtainability of new statistical data to its repository titled as, Commercial Inkjet Papers market. It covers the wide-ranging aspects of the businesses such as pillars, features, sales strategies, planning models to get better insights for the businesses. 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Meadows was advised this weekend that he may have come into contact with the CPAC attendee who tested positive for COVID-19, now 12 days ago. Out of an abundance of caution, Meadows received testing which came back negative, Ben Williamson, Meadowss spokesman, said in a statement late Monday. While hes experiencing zero symptoms, under doctors standard precautionary recommendations, hell remain at home until the 14-day period expires this Wednesday, Williamson added. President Donald Trump on Friday named Meadows as his next acting chief of staff, replacing Mick Mulvaney who had been in the role for more than a year. Meadows is among other Republican Congress members who attended the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland in late February who have said they are undergoing self-quarantines after being informed they may have interacted with an attendee who later tested positive for the virus. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Reps. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) have issued statements about undergoing self-quarantines as a precaution until 14 days have passed since the event. None of the lawmakers have noted any symptoms of the virus. Symptoms may include fever, coughing, and difficulty breathing, although Chinese researchers have noted other symptoms, such as fatigue, diarrhea, chest pains, and headaches. The American Conservative Union, which organizes CPAC, said on March 7 that an attendee tested positive for COVID-19 at a New Jersey hospital after attending the event. The patient was exposed to the virus before attending the convention and is under quarantine at a local hospital. The person didnt come into contact with Trump or Vice President Mike Pence, who both attended the conference, which lasted for several days in late February. Matt Schlapp, the head of the American Conservative Union, told media outlets on Sunday he interacted with the COVID-19 patient and also shook the presidents hand on the last day of the conference, although he said he hasnt tested positive for the virus and isnt experiencing any symptoms. White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said late Monday that Trump has not had testing for COVID-19 because he has neither had prolonged close contact with any known confirmed COVID-19 patients nor does he have any symptoms. Another member of Congress, Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), said on Monday that she and her staff would work remotely after she found out that she had interacted with a person in Washington, D.C. who tested positive for the virus. Trump announced late Monday that the White House would ask Congress to pass financial measures for workers and businesses to deal with the significant economic fallout due to the viral outbreak. He said there would be meetings with members of the House and Senate on Tuesday to discuss a possible payroll tax cut, calling it a very substantial relief for workers. Were also going to be talking about hourly wage earners getting help, so they dont worry about missing a paycheck, he said at a press conference at the White House. The virus SARS-CoV-2 that causes the disease COVID-19 emerged in early December 2019 in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, a city of about 11 million people. The virus is in the same family of pathogens that cause the flu and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). The disease COVID-19 has killed thousands worldwide, with experts estimating a mortality rate of between 0.1 and 1 percent. Jack Phillips and Emel Akan contributed to this report. Bhopal: The Kamal Nath-led Madhya Pradesh government appeared to have slipped into minority on Tuesday when 22 Congress MLAs, including six ministers, sent in their resignations shortly after senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia walked out of the party in a huff. The MLAs, believed to be loyal to Scindia, were whisked away to a resort in Bengaluru on Monday evening, triggering hectic parleys both in the Congress and the BJP. To stave off a collapse, Nath held an emergency cabinet meeting at his residence following which all ministers present resigned to pave the way for rebel MLAs to get cabinet berths. The move, however, failed to stall the crisis as Scindia himself tendered his resignation from the party on Tuesday and is all set to join the BJP. The rebel MLAs hammered the final nail in the coffin with their resignations. The actual strength of the Madhya Pradesh assembly is 230. With two seats vacant, the effective strength is 228. However, with the resignation of the 22 MLAs, the strength of the Assembly will be 206 and the magic number required to prove majority will be 104. The Congress had 114 MLAs of its own but the resignations bring down its tally in the Assembly to 92. The party is also supported by two legislators of the BSP, one of the SP one and four Independents. Assuming that these legislators continue to support the Kamal Nath government, the tally of the Congress and its allies will be maximum 99 MLAs, still five short of the halfway mark. The BJP has 107 MLAs in the assembly. Party sources had told News18 on Monday that in case the BJPs political fortunes change in MP, Shivraj Singh Chouhan will return as chief minister. THERE has been a furious reaction to moves by Bank of Ireland to increase its fees for businesses by a third. It is part of a wider effort by banks to encourage consumers and firms to pay electronically. The rise will apply to firms lodging and withdrawing cash, and cashing cheques. Bank of Ireland's fee hike could hit shops, pubs, restaurants, petrol stations, cafes, and other cash-generative businesses. Some firms have resorted to paying staff in cash to lessen the impact of charges by banks for handling money. Bank of Ireland told business current account customers that cash handling fees were rising by 33pc from May 18, the Irish Independent has learned. However, the bank has since decided to defer the planned fee hike for a number of months due to the already paralysing impact that coronavirus is having on businesses. When the hikes come in, the cost of lodging cash will rise from 60c for every 100 lodged to 80c. The fee for withdrawing cash will also rise to 80c for every 100 taken out. The fee for exchanging notes will rise from 1.20 per 100 to 1.60. For cashing cheques under advice in the branch, the new fee will be 60c per cheque, plus 80c per 100. Vincent Jennings of CSNA, which represents convenience store retailers and newsagents, said the increases in fees would put a huge strain on retailers. "These increases are savage. This increase is an enormous additional cost of doing business," he said. And he questioned the structure of the fees. The changes mean it will cost a business 8 to lodge 1,000 in notes, but 80 to lodge 10,000, from May. And even more to lodge coins. He said that cash was still popular. "Society will always need cash. Not everyone uses electronic cards or has access to a bank," said Mr Jennings. Chief executive of Isme Neil McDonnell said business customers could only reduce their cash use by so much. Mr McDonnell said some firms were already struggling with the existing 60c charge, and were paying staff their wages in cash to avoid having to go to the bank to lodge cash. Consumers and companies were warned to expect higher fees for cash transactions and in-branch activity by Daragh Cassidy of price comparison site Bonkers.ie. A Bank of Ireland spokesperson said customers will be provided with a full list of options to help them reduce cash handling charges. These include availing of Bank of Ireland's online services, increased use of electronic payments, and acceptance of debit and credit card payments to reduce the volume of cash transactions. "In line with the National Payments Plan, Bank of Ireland is committed to the reduction of cheques and cash, as well as encouraging an increase in automated payments," they said. The spokesperson added that the bank had seen a 30pc reduction in cash handling volumes since 2016. U.S. troops began withdrawing from Afghanistan on Tuesday under the peace agreement signed by the U.S. and Taliban last month, reports the AP. The state of play: The move comes amid ongoing political tensions in Afghanistan as Kabul hosted two presidential inaugurations on Monday, with both incumbent Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah continuing to insist that they won the last election. In the agreement, the U.S. withdrawal is not contingent on political stability in Afghanistan or a specific outcome to talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government over the countrys future. U.S. troop removal depends on the Taliban preventing terrorist groups like al-Qaeda from using the country to threaten the security of the U.S. and its allies. Plans for talks between the Afghan government and Taliban have so far stagnated. The dueling inaugurations hampered attempts to plan the talks, though Ghani said Tuesday that he has started compiling a negotiating team. By the numbers: A U.S. military spokesman told AP that it will reduce the number troops it has in the country from around 13,000 to 8,600 over 135 days. What they're saying: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo praised Ghani in a statement Monday saying, "We also welcome President Ghanis announcement that he will issue a decree March 10 on Taliban prisoner release." A Taliban spokesman told the AP over the weekend that the insurgent group is committed to its agreement with the U.S. and called on Washington to ensure that its prisoners are freed. Go deeper: U.S. reaches "huge milestone moment" in Afghanistan peace process A Los Angeles-based national solar company assembled a network of independent solar installers across the US and grew 250% in just two years by establishing great business relationships building more than 10,000 solar energy systems. GS Homes, Inc. started small in 2012 with a few installations a week in LA. Then they started selling in places like Casper, Wyoming; La Valle, Wisconsin; Silverthorne, Colorado; Liberty, Illinois and other American towns. They quickly built an agile, results-oriented inside sales organization and put emphasis on the project management process resulting in systems sold, designed, permitted, built and operating far quicker than other companies. Large commercial electrical corporations, small and mid-size companies and sole proprietor shops were some of the buyers of those first systems. Some of those sole proprietors' lives were changed because of solar. One of those is Brandon Knight, owner of Distributed Power in Ferndale, Michigan. In 2017, he was a sole proprietor electrician in town. Then he got in touch with GS Homes. He subcontracted to do a solar installation and completed it successfully. As a result more and more solar jobs from GS Homes started pouring in. He hired a helper. Then an electrician. Then an office manager. Then another electrician. And in no time at all, he had a full team with him. Now, Distributed Power is the go-to solar installation company in that region of Michigan with dozens of successful installs. His string of successful solar installations is bringing him referrals, expanded income and a stronger business all while hes creating jobs helping to boost the local job market. Establishing a business relationship with GS Homes is one the best decisions Ive ever made, Knight said. The growth of my electrical company is a direct result. I only want to work with them; they have the best project management staff and they always follow through. GS Homes Business Development Manager Steve Bagish glows when he sees the results of good business relationship-building. Its a fact - GS Homes is in the business of powering more than homes with solar energy, Bagish said. We are powering great business relationships that bring financial success. The group of companies founded by Peter Nygard will seek protection under the Canadian Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act amid mounting sex crimes allegations against the Winnipeg fashion mogul. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/3/2020 (671 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The group of companies founded by Peter Nygard will seek protection under the Canadian Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act amid mounting sex crimes allegations against the Winnipeg fashion mogul. A spokesman for the group of companies said Tuesday the move is designed to facilitate a corporate restructuring and does not mean it is declaring bankruptcy or in receivership. Nygard, 78, announced his intention to divest ownership from the companies in late February amid the sexual misconduct scandal and various legal troubles. The companies filed a notice of intention to file a proposal under the Canadian Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, according to a written statement sent to the Free Press. "The company is committed to positioning itself for long-term financial stability and is developing a restructuring plan that is acceptable to the companys various stakeholders," the statement reads. A Nygard spokesman says stakeholders are committed to the company's long-term financial stability. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files) "In the interim, it is business as usual, at the company and at its retail stores." Nygard is the subject of an ongoing U.S. federal law enforcement investigation led by a joint child-exploitation task force. Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and detectives with the New York Police Department raided his international headquarters in Times Square Feb. 25. He is also the subject of a class-action lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on Feb. 13 by 10 women who claim he drugged, raped and sodomized them. The law firm handling the class-action suit said 50 women have since come forward with similar allegations of abuse. The accusations span five countries, three continents and four decades. Nygard, through his attorneys, has repeatedly maintained his innocence. He claims hes the subject of an elaborate conspiracy to ruin his reputation by people with a personal vendetta against him. "Over the past month, the company has been maliciously battered as a result of actions that were predicted in Nygards RICO lawsuit against billionaire Louis Bacon," the statement reads. Peter Nygard's image is well-known in Winnipeg. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press) "The lawsuit alleges that people were paid to make false statements and accusations about Peter Nygard, for the purpose of ruining him and his business." Bacon, an American hedge-fund billionaire, is Nygards neighbour in the Bahamas, where both men own estates in the exclusive, gated community of Lyford Cay. The men have a highly publicized feud which has turned increasingly vitriolic, spawning more than two dozen lawsuits and accusations of insider trading, murder plots and membership in the Ku Klux Klan. "This was further revealed in a New York Times article which, despite publishing the heinous and vicious allegations as the lead to its fake news story, acknowledged the credibility of the witnesses was suspect," the statements reads. "With the paid-for lawsuit against Nygard, the unfair publishing of the New York Times article and the devastating media onslaught that merely republished the heinous allegations, damage was certain to occur." Jillian Taylor-Mancusi, a licensed insolvency trustee, said Tuesdays announcement from the Nygard companies is a common strategy when a corporation finds itself in crisis. Tuesdays announcement is a common strategy when a corporation finds itself in crisis, says involvency trustee Jillian Taylor-Mancusi. (John Woods / The Canadian Press files) It will give the company the breathing room needed to put together a proposed debt-repayment plan and will temporarily put a halt to anyone taking collection against it, she said. "There is a stay of proceedings as soon as you file that notice of intention. It gives you time to put together the details of your proposal, to figure out your cash flow," Taylor-Mancusi said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The group of companies is likely to call a creditors meeting in the coming weeks where they will present their proposal, she said. If the proposal is accepted by the creditors, the matter will then go before the courts. If not, it could push the companies into bankruptcy, she said. In the statement, the spokesman said the group of companies is creating a restructuring plan to "protect the livelihood of (its) thousands of dedicated employees." "A successful restructuring will ensure the long-term viability and continuing operations of the company," the statement reads. ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @rk_thorpe Detroit Joe Biden had a heated exchange with a construction worker who accused him of trying to take Americans' guns away during a campaign stop in Michigan, one of six states holding primaries on Tuesday. The former vice president was touring an assembly plant under construction for Fiat Chrysler, shaking hands with and praising the electrical workers union members who are building the plant. As Biden was working the room, one man confronted him about his stance on gun ownership. "You are actively trying to end our Second Amendment right and take away our guns," the worker told Biden. Biden replied: "You're full of sh**." "I support the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment just like right now, if you yelled 'fire,' that's not free speech," Biden continued. "And from the very beginning I have a shotgun, I have a 20-gauge, a 12-gauge. My sons hunt. Guess what? You're not allowed to own any weapon. I'm not taking your gun away at all." The man repeated his accusation that Biden was "trying to take our guns," and Biden pushed back. "I did not say that. I did not say that." biden.png Former Vice President Joe Biden exchanges words with a construction worker at an unfinished auto plant in Detroit on Tuesday, March 10, 2020. CBS News After the worker told him that he had made the remark in "a viral video," the former vice president replied that "it's a viral video like the other ones they're putting out that are simply a lie." "This is not OK, alright?" the man said, to which Biden replied, "Don't tell me that, pal, or I'm going to go outside with you, man." "You're working for me, man!" the worker said. "I'm not working for you," Biden said. "Don't be such a horse's ass." The viral video the man mentioned appears to be a clip that has been inaccurately characterized by guns-rights groups and on social media in recent days. The clip was taken from a livestream by Beto O'Rourke, the former Texas congressman and presidential candidate who endorsed Biden last week. The video shows Biden in a restaurant with O'Rourke and Amy Sanders O'Rourke, his wife. Biden looks into the camera and praises O'Rourke for his stance on gun control and climate change, and says he will recruit him to work in his administration if elected. Story continues "And by the way, this guy can change the face of what we're dealing with, with regard to guns, assault weapons, with regard to dealing with climate change, and I just want I'm warning Amy, if I win, I'm coming for him," Biden says in the video. The quote has been widely misconstrued to claim Biden said, "I'm coming for them." Tuesday's remarkably candid exchange in Detroit comes just a few hours before Biden is scheduled to meet with the leaders of gun control organizations at a stop in Columbus, Ohio. Before the argument, Biden was greeted by hundreds of hooting-and-hollering IBEW members excited to meet the Democratic frontrunner. "You're the best damn workers in the world," Biden said. "I promise you if I become your president you will never have a better friend in the White House. I'm union from, as my I won't say what my grandfather used to say but from belt buckle to shoe sole, man." Editor's note: An earlier version of this article quoted Biden as saying, "Don't tell me that, pal, or I'm going to go out and slap you in the face." An alternate angle of the interaction shows Biden instead said, "I'm going to go outside with you, man." Eye Opener at 8: Joe Biden dominates Tuesday primaries Documents in Crosley Green trial could implicate new killer Court unseals over 1,000 pages of Weinstein documents San Antonio drug counselor Melanie Farr early last year started taking CBD oil to help with her multiple sclerosis. Farr, 48, placed drops of CBD oil under her tongue. It improved her gait, eased her pain and lowered her blood pressure. But it also got her fired after she failed a drug test. Now, Farr is suing her former employer for refusing to allow her to use CBD oil. She alleges that Utah-based Management & Training Corp. failed to provide her a reasonable accommodation in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Farr said her supervisor knew she was taking the CBD oil for her MS. We discussed it many, many times, she said. I worked there a long time taking it. Im a counselor. Thats what I do. So if I was high, somebody would have said something. It was clear I wasnt high. Management & Training spokeswoman Issa Arnita said she could not comment because the matter is in litigation. On HoustonChronicle.com: Bexar County may be first in Texas to finalize marijuana vs. hemp testing Farrs case may be among the first of its kind in Texas. It highlights the risk workers take when they consume cannabidiol, or CBD even though its perfectly legal. That is, its legal as long as the hemp-based products contain no more than 0.3 percent THC, the psychoactive ingredient that gives users the high sensation. Take too much and it could lead to a failed drug test, experts say. The Food and Drug Administration found in 2016 that some CBD products contained fairly high amounts of THC, said Grace Kroner, a fellow in the clinical chemistry program at the University of Utah School of Medicine. She has studied whether CBD use can lead to a positive drug test. Depending on the particular CBD product, Kroner said taking it over time can lead to a build-up of THC in the body. That, in turn, could cause positive results on different types of drug tests, she said. I dont think there is any perfect way to get around this problem if someone is using CBD of some kind, Kroner added. I wouldnt have any good advice for how to approach it. The easiest way would not be to take it. (But) I know there is evidence that it might help, or some people feel it might help with various ailments. Brett Ginsburg, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral health at UT Health San Antonio, called the issue a conundrum for CBD users. People are consuming products that are effectively legal, he said. But once they consume them, they may now test positive for an illicit substance. So it is an issue. His advice? Its caveat emptor, Ginsburg said. Its buyer beware because this is largely an unregulated space. Texas Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox Beside oil drops, CBD is marketed in a variety of product types, including capsules, syrups, food products such as chocolate bars and teas, and topical lotions and creams. Farr was diagnosed with MS in 1997. It renders her substantially limited in various life activities, including walking, balancing, caring for herself, and working, her suit says. Despite these limitations, (she) was fully capable of performing her job. She started working as a licensed chemical dependency counselor for Management & Training in October 2018 at the Dominguez State Jail on Cagnon Road in San Antonio. The company contracts with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Farr counseled about 25 inmates in group and individual counseling sessions. Farrs lawsuit alleges that she informed her supervisor upon her hiring that she suffered from MS. He often referred to her as fluffy because she reminded him of a fluffy cat that is always in the way, the suit says. After President Donald Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill, which essentially legalized the cultivation and sale of hemp, Farrs primary care doctor suggested she take CBD for her MS. She says she purchased the CBD oil from the doctor. It helped her walk significantly better with less pain, her suit says. On HoustonChronicle.com: Hemp rush begins on West Texas Farms On Feb. 14 of last year, she was instructed to take a random drug test. She notified the lab technician administering the test that she took CBD oil on her doctors recommendation knowing that it could trigger a false positive for THC. The following week, the suit says, she was pulled out of a group session and advised by her supervisor that she had tested positive for marijuana. She was placed on administrative leave despite telling her supervisor that her use of CBD oil caused the false positive. The supervisor said she needed to provide a doctors note confirming that she was prescribed CBD by her doctor. Farr forwarded a doctors note saying she had been taking CBD oil for chronic pain treatment since January 2019. CBD oil does not contain THC, the doctor wrote in the note. We will report UDS (urine drug screening) test in office as well. Patient has no current history of current drug use. Farr also gave her supervisor a Forbes article that reported on how CBD oil can cause false positives for THC. They didnt help. Farr. Management & Training terminated her March 8, 2019, for the failed drug test, the suit says. They should have allowed her to continue using what was an appropriate medication for her, for her condition, said Farrs San Antonio lawyer, Michael V. Galo Jr. He filed the lawsuit Feb. 20 in San Antonio federal court. The lawsuit accuses Management & Training of unlawfully discriminating against Farr because of her disability. It acted with malice, or reckless indifference towards her federally protected rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the suit adds. Farr seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, as well as reimbursement for lost wages and benefits. On HoustonChronicle.com: CBD oil for sale all over San Antonio A few months after Farrs termination, Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation to establish hemp cultivation and production programs in Texas. The law also clarified that hemp-based products such as CBD oil are legal as long as they contain no more than 0.3 percent THC. In 2015, Texas passed the Compassionate Use Act, allowing the first legal use of low-THC cannabis products for patients with epilepsy. That law was expanded last year to include other conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, terminal cancer and autism. CBD products under the program can contain no more than 0.5 percent THC. Neither Disability Rights Texas nor the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities had heard of any case involving a person with a disability being fired for using CBD oil. There remain significant gray areas in the way that Texas views CBD and marijuana, in general, especially for medical use, said Dennis Borel, the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities executive director. Borel, who is not involved in Farrs case, said its important to highlight that her consumption of CBD oil was not for recreational use. It seems to me if her doctor, informally or formally, told her, or at least put it in writing, that CBD would be helpful to her in dealing with MS, then there would seem to be a case to be made if not a legal letter of the law case, a humanitarian case that this particular drug counselor should be allowed to continue in her work, if everything else is good with her work, Borel said. For her part, Farr said she has stopped taking CBD to avoid any problems with her current employer. Patrick Danner is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering banking and civil courts. | pdanner@express-news.net | Twitter: @AlamoPD A Florida couple who were passengers on the Grand Princess ocean liner linked to the coronavirus outbreak have sued the ship's owner for more than $1million for putting the couple's health at risk, according to a lawsuit filed on Monday. Ronald and Eva Weissberger of Broward County, Florida sued Princess Cruise Lines Ltd, a unit of Carnival Corp, alleging the company has caused them emotional distress and trauma as they fear they will develop the COVID-19 disease. The Weissbergers, who boarded the Grand Princess in San Francisco on February 21, claim that the company knew that one of its passengers from a previous voyage was infected with coronavirus. Ronald (right) and Eva Weissberger (left) of Broward County, Florida, are suing the parent company of the Grand Princess cruise ship The couple says the company was negligent in failing to properly screen passengers for the coronavirus The Grand Princess is seen above after docking at the Port of Oakland on Monday Despite that knowledge, the cruise ship decided to continue sailing on the voyage that started after the couple boarded on February 21, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit also says that the company left the Weissbergers exposed to coronavirus because 62 passengers who were on board with them during their voyage were exposed to passengers from a previous voyage that were confirmed to be infected. The couple says that the 'it would only stand to reason' that the company would take all necessary precautions to make sure the ship's passengers are free of coronavirus in light of the outbreak that took place on the Diamond Princess. The Diamond Princess, which like the Grand Princess is owned by Princess Cruise Lines, is the luxury liner that was quarantined in Tokyo Bay last month for two weeks after an onboard outbreak of coronavirus killed seven passengers. Hundreds of others, including several Americans, were infected. Princess Cruise Lines is accused of failing to properly screen passengers for possible coronavirus infection. The lawsuit states that the passengers 'were simply asked to fill out a piece of paper confirming they were not sick.' 'Incredibly, not one of those 62 passengers or crew members who were mixing and mingling with the infected prior passengers were ever examined during the instant voyage until being tested for the virus on Thursday, March 5, 2020, two weeks after the ship sailed,' the lawsuit states. The lawsuit was filed in US District Court in Los Angeles. The Grand Princess docked in Oakland, California, on Monday so its 2,400 passengers could disembark and be taken to quarantine. The ship has been linked to 12 coronavirus cases from an earlier voyage to Mexico. Carnival did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment. The company told Bloomberg News: 'Our response throughout this process has focused on well-being of our guests and crew within the parameters mandated on us by the government agencies involved and the evolving medical understanding of this new illness.' According to his Facebook page, Ronald Weissberger, 75, and his wife, 69-year-old Eva, are natives of Montreal who relocated to Fort Lauderdale. Ronald Weissberger is the former CEO at Intelcan Technosystems, a Canadian company that specializes in air traffic management and surveillance. According to his Facebook page, Ronald Weissberger, 75, and his wife, 69-year-old Eva, are natives of Montreal who relocated to Fort Lauderdale. Ronald Weissberger is the former CEO at Intelcan Technosystems, a Canadian company that specializes in air traffic management and surveillance The first passengers were taken ashore from the Grand Princess that docked at California's port of Oakland Monday, with the infected 'being dealt with in proper isolation,' said Vice President Mike Pence. The Grand Princess arrived in the San Francisco Bay after days stranded at sea with 21 confirmed coronavirus infections among more than 3,500 passengers and crew, KGO-TV reported. Emergency workers equipped with gowns, gloves, respirators and face shields loaded those requiring immediate treatment into ambulances, while all port employees and residents were cleared from the fenced-off landing site. 'We hope before the end of today to begin to disembark California residents,' said Pence, who was appointed to lead the US response to the virus. More than 900 passengers from the state were on board. All 25 children on board were healthy, added Pence. 'Individuals will be led off the ship in smaller groups,' and 'anyone who is symptomatic... will be fitted with a surgical mask and disembarked via a separate gangway' to avoid disease spread, said a statement from Governor Gavin Newsom's office. The ship had been idling off the San Francisco coast since Wednesday. Passengers gathered on balconies were 'whooping and waving at dock workers onshore' as the ship drew into port, said Carolyn Wright, 63, of New Mexico, from on board the vessel. Tents were set up on the Oakland quayside, with the surrounding floor doused in what appeared to be disinfectant, she added. Buses and flights were lined up to transport passengers. After initial screening, those who don't require acute care will be quarantined for 14 days at US military bases in California, Texas and Georgia - or flown to their home countries, in the case of foreign residents. The first two passengers to get off the cruise ship were an older man and woman clutching red and white tote bags The first two passengers aboard the quarantined Grand Princess cruise ship disembarked the liner on Monday afternoon, with one man seen being placed into a stretcher The man agreed to sit in the stretcher where he calmly clasped his hands in his lap and both passengers were placed inside the ambulance The male patient pictured being loaded into an ambulance after being removed from the Grand Princess Cruise ship Those at US bases will be given private single rooms with access to private bathrooms, said Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman. Passengers will be fully tested at their onward destination to avoid delays. 'The crew itself will push off from the dock, and they will be quarantined and observed and treated shipboard,' said Pence. The entire site will be decontaminated by pressure washing with a bleach solution once the operation is complete. Wright earlier Monday said the mood had been lifted on board by the prospect of finally reaching land, and guests were briefly allowed to leave their cabins. Some couples danced on deck as others walked laps around the huge ship. "It really feels wonderful to have gotten out and stretched our legs," Wright told AFP. "I feel kind of energized and happy. It just makes you feel like, OK, things are happening and things are now moving." She added: "Hopefully things will be smooth from here on." Newsom said Sunday the whole operation to bring passengers ashore was expected to be a "two, three day process," but warned it could take longer. Princess Cruise Lines, the parent company of the Grand Princess, is also the owner of the Diamond Princess, the luxury liner that was quarantined in Tokyo Bay for two weeks last month after a coronavirus outbreak on board. The Diamond Princess is seen above on February 10 "We are still working out the enormity of complexity of making sure we prepare the site and... prepare for a quick turnaround," he said. On Monday, Princess Cruises announced full refunds, scrapped onboard charges and offered free future cruises to affected passengers on the Grand Princess. But Canada -- which had 240 citizens on the ship -- became the latest country to warn people to avoid taking cruises, after the US issued a similar warning to vulnerable Americans Sunday. The US has recorded at least 26 deaths from the coronavirus and 684 confirmed cases across 35 states, according to a Johns Hopkins tally. Bernie Sanders sat in a mostly empty room at a Detroit convention center four days before the Michigan primary on Tuesday, and he spoke softly about failure. In the 1950s, he said, this was a wealthy, prosperous community. And then . His eight guests, people whose lives have been touched by shifts in American trade policy, nodded. Then came the North American Free Trade Agreement, a broad treaty signed into law by Bill Clinton in 1993 that reduced tariffs and duties between the United States, Canada and Mexico. Mr. Sanders voted against it in the House and against its recent replacement, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, as a senator. I have done my best to oppose these disastrous trade agreements, Mr. Sanders said later at a public round table with his guests labor leaders, autoworkers, activists. Joe Biden has supported them. To this day, he added, Mr. Biden doesnt consider his NAFTA vote a mistake. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2020) - CVR Medical Corp. (TSXV: CVM) (OTCQB: CRRVF) ("CVR Medical" or the "Company" or "we") a Canadian listed and US based healthcare company in the medical device sector announces the resignation of Dr. Dallas Hack as interim CEO/CFO and Director of CVR Medical Corp. Dr. Hack is unable to continue as a Director secondary to time constraints on his consulting business as well as family obligations. The Board of Directors is pleased to announce the addition of Trish Perzyk-Howell to the Board. Trish Howell brings significant expertise with her background in start-up Medical Device Companies. Candidates for CFO are being interviewed and a search for a CEO will continue. Trish Howell is currently Vice President of Operations at ZipLine Medical (now part of Stryker). Ms. Howell has nearly 30 years' experience leading Operations functions in multiple industries. Previously, Trish served as Vice President of Operations at Pulmonx where she led Manufacturing, Quality and Supply Chain for the company's diagnostic device and therapeutic implant products for Interventional Pulmonology. Prior to Pulmonx she served as Vice President of Materials Management at ArthroCare Corporation, scaling the global logistics infrastructure and launching a greenfield manufacturing facility in Costa Rica. From 1988 to 2003, Trish spent 15 years in the automotive industry, predominantly with Ford Motor Company in roles of increasing responsibility in Product Development, Process Engineering, and Supply Chain. She holds a BS in a Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and an MBA in Finance from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. The Board of Directors also wants to make it clear that significant progress has been achieved towards a restructuring of the Company to move forward. About CVR Medical CVR Medical Corp. is a healthcare company that operates in the medical device industry focused on the commercialization of its disruptive, proprietary Carotid Stenotic Scan device (the "CSS"). The CSS is a diagnostic tool that encompasses subsonic, infrasonic, and low frequency sound wave analysis technology. The CSS is a patented device designed to detect and measure carotid arterial stenosis. CVR Medical's shares are listed on the OTCQB under the symbol "CRRVF". The Company has applied for reinstatement of trading on the TSX-V, and were previously listed for trading under the symbol traded under the symbol "CVM". Additional information regarding the Company can be found in our recent filings with the SEDAR as well as the information maintained on our website at www.cvrmed.com. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD: (signed) Paul Blunden, M.D. President & Director For further information contact: Paul Blunden, M.D., President/ Director Email: info@cvrmed.com This press release contains forward-looking information that involves various risks and uncertainties regarding future events related to: trading on and dialogue with the Exchange, communications and negotiations with CVR Global, dialogue with certain advisors, the Term Sheet, the Proposed Restructuring, the Definitive Agreement, the License Agreement, the Review, certain corporate and securities law requirements, raising capital, the 2019 Audit and potential litigation. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements and are not guarantees of future performance of the Company. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. These forward-looking statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain expectations, estimates and assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including: (1) a failure or material setback in negotiations between the Company and CVR Global; (2) a failure of the Company to resume trading on the Exchange; (3) a failure of the Company to raise capital sufficient capital to relaunch the Company; (4) an inability to enter into a definitive agreement with CVR Global; (5)a downturn in general economic conditions in North America and internationally, (6) the inherent uncertainties and speculative nature associated with commercialization of technology and the practice of medicine;(7) a change in health regulations; (8) any number of events or causes which may delay or cease commercialization and development of the CSS Device; (9) the risk that the Company does not execute its business plan, (10) the risk of litigation between the Company and certain shareholders and the risk of litigation generally; (11) an inability to retain key employees, (12) am inability to finance operations and growth, (13) compliance with certain corporate and securities law requirements; and (14) other factors that are beyond the Company's control. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and, except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results differed from those projected in the forward-looking statements. THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE INC. HAS NEITHER APPROVED NOR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENTS OF THIS PRESS RELEASE. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/53311 Cumberland County Judge Albert H. Masland wasnt convinced that Bradley Boore was really taking responsibility for causing the drug overdose death of his cellmate in the county prison. And he let Boore know it during his sentencing hearing Tuesday afternoon. Have you learned? Have you changed? Or will you end up in an obituary as well? he asked the Carlisle man. Boore, 31, was before Masland to be sentenced on his no contest pleas to contraband and involuntary manslaughter charges for the January 2018 death of 28-year-old William Keller of Harrisburg. Boore and Keller shared a cell in the prisons work-release unit. Police said Boore smuggled in fentanyl, the drug that killed Keller, that he got while working outside the Middlesex Township jail. Boore was in prison on a theft conviction at the time. Keller was serving time for receiving stolen property. In pleading no contest in the case of Kellers death, Boore struck a deal for a 1 - to 3-year state prison term. He also must pay nearly $6,000 in restitution. Ive learned from my mistakes, Boore told the judge. Im so sorry for what happened.I just know that Im definitely a changed man. Then, Kellers mother Margaret George lit into him. Keller was a father of seven and thats seven babies without their dad, George said. I cant imagine how they feel inside. You took him away from us, she continued. You are a coward. You could have helped Billy. I hope you learn what really happened that day, Boore shot back. I did try to save that man. I did try to get help. He said someone should investigate because he insisted the prison didnt have the facilities to save Kellers life. His statements prompted a shout from another of Kellers relatives from the back of the courtroom and a warning from Masland that any more commotion would lead to evictions. Sheriff, get ready, the judge said. Boores retort to Kellers mother didnt help him in Maslands eyes. The judge accused Boore of trying to pass off the responsibility for the death. Dont think, Mr. Boore, that youve won me over, Masland said. He told Boore his option are to stay clean or, once he finishes his state prison term, or to return to playing the most deadly form of Russian roulette with a hypodermic needle. Masland also sentenced Boores co-defendant, Richard Heller, to a time served to 23-month prison sentence and the $6,000 in restitution on Hellers plea to a reckless endangerment charge. Keller served 62 days on that charge already and was prepared to testify for the prosecution if Boore had gone to trial, Assistant District Attorney Courtney LaRue said. Heller, 48, of Lemoyne, cried as he apologized to Kellers family. If your tears are genuine, then you know their pain a little bit, Masland told him. Ing Chhorvy sits in a two-room condominium in Phnom Penh's upscale Tuol Kork district. The 38-year-old mother of five is neither the owner of the condo nor does she live there, but the developer wants mortgage payments for the posh unit her cousin owns. Ing Chhorvy is worried about her children's future after the arrest of her cousin, Ven Rachana, who went by Thai Srey Neang on Facebook and owns the condo. "The important thing is that she is the breadwinner of the family. When she is imprisoned, what else do we have?" said Ing Chhorvy, who lives in Phnom Penh's Tuol Sangke commune. Ven Rachana sold women's clothes and cosmetics on a Facebook page called the Thai Srey Neang Online Shop. Every day, she posted pictures of her products or went live on Facebook to sell them. She is one of the many Cambodians who use Facebook, a platform synonymous with the internet in Cambodia, to sell items from food products to medications with almost everything under the sun in between. The sellers can be seen on Facebook working hard to find buyers. They model their products for viewers, answer viewer queries and then direct potential buyers to payment methods. However, on February 18, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered a clampdown on female online sellers for dressing too "sexy" while selling their products. The prime minister was speaking at the National Council of Women when he ordered the police to raid the homes of female online retailers, purportedly because they were sullying Khmer culture. "As described in Khmer literature, the Khmer woman must remain virtuous to uphold the image of her family," wrote Elizabeth Chey on Mekong.net. "She is required to speak softly, walk lightly and be well-mannered at all times." The Chbab Srey, a traditional code of conduct for girls and women, was taught in Cambodian schools until 2007, and the concept "is embedded in people's minds," Catherine V. Harry told VOA Cambodia in September 2018. So in a country that remains deeply conservative about social mores, it was not a complete surprise when the police acted on Hun Sen's orders and arrested Ven Rachana. Ing Chhorvy said she had invested $5,000 in Ven Rachana's online shop and was using some of the profits from online sales to run her household. She said Ven Rachana was the face of the online shop, ensuring the enterprise cleared $7.50 to $10 a day. On better days, the shop could earn $50 a day. In 2017, the average household income in Cambodia was $1,376. But with Ven Rachana in pretrial detention, Ing Chhorvy is having to deal with the bank about mortgage payments, and she can't afford legal representation for her cousin. "They want to cut off the electricity," she said, referring to the condo developers who sold Ven Racha the property. "They said if we don't have money to pay, they will confiscate [the condo]." "We rarely go live [on Facebook] now, so we can't do business and there is nobody coming to buy [the products]," she added. With little hope for a legal resolution, Ven Meta, Ven Rachana's sister who lives in Stung Treng province, said the family was hoping for authorities to resolve the issue before it escalated into a full criminal charge. According to police reports, a day before Ven Rachana's arrest, she had been summoned to a local police station and "educated" about her clothing choices. The police then had her sign an agreement to refrain from posting "sexy" pictures and videos. In a video posted to Facebook by the police, she apologizes for wearing clothing "which disgraces Khmer traditions" and "affects the honor of Cambodian women," according to Amnesty International. But that night Ven Rachana resumed her allegedly provocative sales pitches on Facebook, leading to her arrest shortly after. Released hours later, police said Ven Rachna was re-arrested after posting a photo of herself in her underwear hours after being released. Authorities have charged her with pornography under Cambodia's 1996 Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation. They also charged Ven Rachna with exposure of a sex organ under Article 249 of the Criminal Code, according to Amnesty International. She was then sent to pretrial detention in Phnom Penh's CC2 prison. The combined charges could result in up to 15 months' imprisonment, according to Amnesty. Van Meta said the family requested leniency for their breadwinner. "We were trying hard to make this request, but they didn't release her," said Ven Meta, 42, whose two daughters live with Ven Rachana. Ven Meta said she was worried about mounting expenses, especially outstanding payments for the condominium, which now totaled around $2,000. The condo developers have started "to ask for money, saying that if there is nobody living there or is not paying the money, they will not let us to keep the home," Ven Meta said, adding that before her arrest, Ven Rachana lived in the condo with the two nieces and two sales assistants. Hun Sen's order has come under scrutiny from human rights groups. His assertion that "sexily" dressed women were aggravating the issue of sexual exploitation came under fire as a case of "victim-blaming." Victim-blaming suggests that the victim rather than the perpetrator bears responsibility for an alleged crime. Amnesty International's Regional Director Nicholas Bequelin said, "These transparently trumped-up charges are an affront to gender equality and make a mockery of the rule of law. The arbitrary nature of Ven Rachna's arrest and the discriminatory abuse of her freedom of expression represent a troubling regression in the state of women's rights in Cambodia." A coalition of women's rights advocates and groups released a statement February 19 questioning the legal basis to arrest or even educate women for their choice of clothing, and suggestions that women's appearance in public affected Khmer culture. "Furthermore, there is no deep study to prove that the way of woman dressing clothes is the cause of creating the deficit of social morality," the statement read. Seng Reasey, executive director of the local rights group, Silaka, questioned how a celebrity could post pictures in a bikini and not upend so-called social morality, but that someone lower on the socioeconomic ladder could be arrested for dressing "sexy" and affecting cultural and societal norms. "When they are celebrities, it seems to be no problem. Or is this done because action is being taken against someone of a different status," said Seng Reasey, adding that neither the bikini-clad celebrity nor the online seller should face criminal action. Suong Nary, 25, just started her own online business on Facebook, selling products such as lotions. She said she was concerned by Ven Rachana's arrest and imprisonment but was quick to add that she did not use "sexy" sales tactics on her Facebook page. A successful business "depends on our words and our products, which are the main requirements to make sales," she said. "I don't believe that we have to do Facebook Live." Back in Tuol Kork, Ing Chhorvy is keen for Ven Rachana to be released and resume selling products on Facebook, her mounting economic desperation seemingly making it hard for her to consider that her cousin could go back to jail. "We hope that there is someone coming to help, so she can be released soon," she said. "If she comes, we will be able to continue our living because we have many children."